Hallifordian 2020

Hallifordian The

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

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Introduction

Contents Introduction........................................................................................................... page 3 Autumn Highlights..............................................................................................

page 15

Spring Highlights................................................................................................ page 66 Summer Highlights........................................................................................... page 108 Art Exhibition..................................................................................................... page 130 House Reports................................................................................................... page 138 Old Hallifordians............................................................................................... page 146

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TheHALLIFORDIAN as diverse as, a leading member of the Armed Forces, to a World Champion Ballroom Dancer, to being awarded an OBE for services to the Horticultural Industry. As we reminisced together, we wondered what the future held for those currently at our school.

Foreword

by The Headmaster

One of the highlights of my year is having the opportunity to look back through the achievements of our wonderful school as I read The Hallifordian. Looking back at the wealth of opportunities that our students have taken advantage of is a source of great pride. This has been a year quite unlike any other, but it has been busier than ever, and the adventures and experiences that we have all shared together will be remembered for a long time I am sure.

As a school community, we have faced incredible challenges over the last few months on many different levels, but the respect, ingenuity, resilience and, more than anything, a Hallifordian sense of warm-heartedness that have all shone through on a daily basis show what a remarkable community we all belong to. I am so proud to be your Headmaster!

The year started with the school on great form following another excellent set of Public Examination results, and you will see so many examples throughout this magazine of the opportunities to enrich the learning experience that our students have benefitted from, be that external speakers or trips to the far-flung corners of the globe.

On a personal level, one of the best experiences of the year was the opportunity to host five Old Hallifordians who had been at school here between 1947 and 1955. Listening to what they had experienced at our school was truly fascinating but what shone through was the sense of camaraderie and adventure that they had shared together and the fact that, despite the age difference, they had so much in common with the members of our Sixth Form who kindly hosted them. They all shared a common sense of what it means to be a Hallifordian. Listening to the life stories of these remarkable gentlemen, they all commented on how it was the unique Hallifordian values that they had acquired at our school that had set them on the path to such amazing and illustrious careers

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Looking back now, I know none of us would ever have come up with the answer of a global pandemic! The school year ends with me as a lone figure and custodian of a very silent and empty school, and yet every morning I turn on my computer to be welcomed cheerily by a sea of familiar faces, as we simply moved the Halliford community online. I was determined that we would not let the Coronavirus get in the way of life at Halliford school and I must pay an enormous tribute to my colleagues on the staff, who have worked tirelessly to deliver the true Halliford experience just in a different and, in many cases, creative way. Days started with tutor sessions and assemblies online, but this time with parents and families joining us to share in the experience. Lessons continued, and for many undoubtedly the highlight was the fact that we kept so many of our co-curricular activities going, with the addition of many ingenious Inter-House challenges. Mr Bown and I shared videos from a very silent school site, and I was even transformed into a member of the 1st XV – virtually of course! We kept up our support for the local community with donations of Personal Protective Equipment to Shepperton Medical Centre as they stood on the front line of the fight against the Coronavirus and then managed to gather in an enormous array of vital supplies to help support the Manna Food Bank. As many young people struggled to manage the effects of lockdown we turned our attention to supporting the incredible work of the charity Young Minds, and I set the school a challenge of sporting some hair-raising hairstyles, then having to make good on my offer to join the challenge as we surpassed donations of £1,000.

We finally raised a remarkable £1,735 and had a lot of fun in the process, and you can see the results recorded for posterity here.

Charles Darwin said, ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change’. There is no doubt that as a school community we have had to change a great deal this year, but we have done so together with great resilience and supported one another through good times and the most challenging of times. However, I am sure that when we look back, we will all appreciate how much it means to be a Hallifordian and how lucky all of us are to belong to this remarkable school.

In September 2021 we celebrate our centenary year as a school, and I look forward to many exciting events, but more than anything I look forward to seeing all members of the community back together here at Halliford School. In the meantime, enjoy The Hallifordian and please keep safe and well.

James Davies Headmaster

Introduction

Alex McConnon Head Prefect

It is strange that I am writing this while being months removed from the busy family that is Halliford School and although I am sad that I am not amongst a community that has been a part of my life for six years, I have been given more than ample time to reflect on my years at Halliford and what the school has meant to me as well as moments which I am sure many of you will recognise or come to know.

But before that, I must thank all the prefects, members of staff and friends of the school who have allowed Halliford to maintain itself as a place in which we may all grow and flourish. Whether it be valiantly donning your first dress and performing in front of your family in the Shakespeare extravaganza, making your first clay pot in art, doing your first experiments in science or making it to one of the 1st teams in school sports. All of these experiences and more is what makes a Hallifordian and pushes you to grow and strive towards your goals, something which will constitute a good person as you progress through life.

What has become particularly profound to me as my time at Halliford draws to a close is my understanding of the unparalleled efforts of the teachers here, as well as the amount of care and consideration they have for us as students. I now look back on my previous homework records or occasional detention wistfully as, despite my likely stormy attitude at the time, it is clear that what I

felt was unfair was really guiding me on a path of learning and came from a place of care and concern from my teachers. This community of support that every single Hallifordian will experience is palpable at this school and something you would be hardpressed to find anywhere else.

However, possibly the biggest moment in my time at Halliford was the change from Year 11 to the Lower Sixth. Our Heads of Sixth Form, Mr Slocock and Mr MacLean, make such a difference during that transition period. They provide support and encouragement and really encourage you to take chances and explore new ideas. The Sixth Form became a place in which I put everything I had learnt in the lower school to use in order to be successful in my A Levels as well as my future beyond. I didn’t think I would ever be Head Prefect, but when the time came, I felt confident that I could take on the challenge. It is a role in which you can give something back to the school – go above and beyond your normal routines and capabilities – even if that means coming out of your comfort zone at times!

In the final analysis, Halliford School is really a big family. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to study here, to make solid friendships and to get a first-class education. I will take the spirit of Halliford with me as I move on to the next chapter of my life and will always be proud to call myself a Hallifordian.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

James Woodgate Deputy Head Prefect

My final year at Halliford has been, despite the story-book dystopia-like pandemic, one of my best and I can only second all the praise that my joint Deputy Head, Lily, has given to the Prefect Team.

We have had our ups and downs through the year, but we pulled together to make things work. I cannot thank Lily enough, though, as she has been an engine behind the team and put up with my busy archery training schedule.

A couple of people whom I think deserve a whole paragraph as a thank you from both the Prefect Team and the whole Sixth Form (for those delightful toasties every meeting) are Vicky and Laura from our Sixth Form eatery – The Vibe. They really kept the Sixth Form sane – even if some students insist on eating most of the snacks before break!

I owe a lot to this school and the teachers in it.

Despite occasionally being mixed up with my older brother, all the teachers who taught me have helped shape the person I am today, even in the subjects to which I wasn’t the most partial. They helped me to achieve my best at GCSE and (fingers crossed) A Level. They always went the extra mile, and I will be delighted to come back and visit on occasion, such is the kindness and care of these individuals. I will be eternally grateful to them.

That extra mile is especially evident in all the extra-curricular activities and trips in which I have been able to take part. I have enjoyed trips

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and outward-bound activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions (who knew a librarian could be so knowledgeable on an expedition!), and a very memorable trip to Ypres and the war cemeteries. I was also involved with the school’s musical scene, loving participating in concerts (which later may have driven me slightly mad as a sound man). I really appreciated the school’s theatre facilities and have had the opportunity to help run almost all of the school productions with Mr Abbott since I joined the backstage crew in Year 10. To this day, I don’t believe anyone has successfully managed to get him out of the lighting box for a proper thank you at the end of a show, so I sincerely hope this mention makes him cringe!

Finally, during my time in the Sixth Form, as I have pursued my sporting ambitions, I have been incredibly appreciative of the support the school has been able to give me, not just in terms of facilities on offer (including my own target in school) but also in terms of the encouragement of the staff. The support they have given me has taken me as far as the national archery squad, with whom I will now spend a gap-year training and hopefully competing before I go to university the following year.

I have always tried to give my best and join in as much as possible throughout my time at Halliford.

I firmly believe that the more you put in, the more you get out and so I would advise all students who attend Halliford to keep this in mind. It’s a fantastic school so make the most of it! You’ll be amazed by just how quickly the time goes.

Introduction

Lily Egleton Deputy Head Prefect

I must start by thanking our Head Prefect, Alex McConnon, and my fellow Deputy Head Prefect, James Woodgate – they have made facing these responsibilities an absolute pleasure. Despite having to depart two months earlier than expected due to the pandemic, our time has been well spent, and the whole team worked hard on numerous events throughout the year.

I’m so thankful to have spent these last two years at Halliford. I have grown as a person and as a student.

Although our plans for a prom were unfortunately never put into fruition due to COVID-19, I am still grateful to have worked as part of the Prefect Team.

Considering I have only been part of this school community for two years, I am surprised how many fond memories I can look back upon. Working on the two school productions, Arabian Nights and Blood Brothers, with the wonderful Mr Bruno, Miss Rooke, and Mr Abbott was a thrilling experience.

a smile. Despite my struggle to canoe with Brian Okwaisie, we were all able to try new activities such as white-water rafting and other fun things.

These are just a few of the examples of the many extra-curricular activities and trips I have enjoyed here. I would urge any student who comes here to positively engage in any opportunity that comes your way.

The teachers at Halliford School are to be thanked for the sterling work they do for us. Thanks to them and the other staff members, joining Halliford Sixth Form became a little less intimidating. My heartfelt thanks go to Mr Slocock for being a brilliant Head of Sixth and for all of the ‘Slugs’ trips which I really enjoyed. Likewise, Mr MacLean must be acknowledged for taking his place with such enthusiasm and kindness.

As I leave Halliford, I will remember it for all the good times and for all the lessons it has taught me which I will continue to use in later life. Thank you to my year group for the last two years, and I wish you all the best as you move forward to new adventures.

In addition, I was lucky enough to go on the New York trip with the Drama Department where my fellow student and friend, Estelle Warner, and I had such an amazing time. The camping trip in Year 12 is definitely an event I shall look back on with

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Editorial

by Mr Anthony Cunningham Head of Classics As we enter a new term, I think you will agree that whatever life throws at us here, we simply keep calm and carry on!

I hope that by the time our school magazine goes to publication, life will have returned to something like normality. How precious that normality is when it is shattered by something as pernicious as the Coronavirus pandemic! And yet, as you will see in these pages, after our school building closed its doors in March, here at Halliford School, we simply took up where we left off – online. The timetable remained the same, and clubs and societies continued. Students were expected to be prompt every morning to Tutor Time and Assembly. We even did a series of end of year exams, concerts and a ‘virtual’ sports day.

In the 2019-2020 edition of The Hallifordian, you will find a broad variety of articles showing, once again, just how talented our students can be and how committed the staff are in bringing out the best in them. Year after year, when I ask my young tutees what they enjoy best about our school the answer is invariably as follows: ‘Tuck shop, Sir!’ and, ‘It’s so friendly, sort of like a family.’ I hope you will get a sense of that family spirit as you read through this publication.

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Introduction

Staff Farewells With heavy hearts, we have said goodbye to Halliford’s Got Talent, Theatre and Stage Maestro, Mr Phil Abbott. Phil took the decision to retire to France with his wife and enjoy a well-deserved rest following an illustrious career behind the stage which saw him travel all over the world before finally settling with us at Halliford. Our thanks go to Phil for the many hours of support and skill at helping us to showcase some of the best productions and events that we have seen along with many Speech Day events at Halliford School and, also, for his tireless support of our students, helping them to develop and gain confidence both on and off the stage.

We wish the very best to Ms Nadiah Killick, our talented teacher of Music and English as she pursues her career interests of mentoring and music.

We bid a sad farewell to Mr Matthew King, who was with us for a short time assisting with SEN. We wish him all the very best as he pursues his teaching aspirations within the primary education sector.

We wish all the very best to Mr Nic Moseley following his retirement as Head of Art at Christmas.

Nic’s relentless support and drive of our students was second to none.

Although a fleeting visit to us, Mr David Newman, was certainly a dynamic one. Our thanks to David for stepping in and supporting the staff and School community with his many years’ of experience as our interim Deputy Head Academic.

We wish all the very best to Mr Angus Purden as he heads off to pastures new in London to pursue his teaching of Psychology.

Our very best wishes to Mrs Kim Smallbone, Sixth Form Administrator & Alumni Secretary. Known for her staunch support of the Sixth Form, Kim will be missed by staff, parents and students alike.

Although only with us for a relatively short space of time, we bode a fond farewell to Mrs Claire Whitlam as her family relocates to take on new challenges. Claire’s support of the Maths Department and students was second to none, and she will be sorely missed.

Having joined as a peripatetic member of staff at Halliford, it has been a pleasure to see Mr Adam Williams grow and progress through the ranks to become a much treasured Director of Music.

Adam’s passion and devotion to the School and its wider community will be missed greatly by all, and we wish Adam all the very best as he pursues his career interests in the independent preparatory sector.

We say goodbye to Old Hallifordian and Science Technician Mr Oliver Hackland-Crowther, who is heading off to the University of Reading to study Chemistry. We wish him all the best with his studies.

MY HALLIFORD YEAR BY YEAR 7

Austin Johnson The change to online learning didn’t affect me because the teachers were always online to support you.

In fact, nothing much changed during the lockdown. We still had tutor periods, assemblies and clubs.

We even did an online sports day! The best thing about being a Hallifordian is having such a friendly community to call your school where you go every day and learn new things. I would always advise anyone to join in with lots of sports and clubs because it’s a great way to make new friends.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Welcome to New Staff Teaching Staff Mr Richard Fulford, Deputy Head Academic, joins us from Latymer School. After graduating from the University of Kent with a first class honours degree in Biochemistry, Richard worked initially for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) where he analysed data on the side effects of prescription medicines. Leaving the spreadsheet driven world behind, Richard changed career and entered teaching in 2007. He has spent the last four years at the Latymer School leading the Science Faculty and whole School Teaching and Learning Projects. Richard is a specialist leader in Education and has supported many schools in their development of rigorous Continuing Development Programmes and raising standards in different curriculum areas. Away from school, Richard is a keen sportsman and is currently in the squad to represent England over 35s in the world cup in 2021. He is a very amateur triathlete and is looking forward to celebrating both the academic and sporting success of the students at Halliford in the years ahead.

Ms Tamarind Hetherington joins us as our new Head of Art with a plethora of experience as a previous Head of Art & Design and also as an Edexcel External Moderator. Tamarind has also been a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster for the past thirteen years and is looking forward to supporting our students with their creativity and imagination; vital skills which they can then use across all aspects of the curriculum.

Mrs Helen Crosbie, Maths Teacher, joins us from Claremont Fan Court School where she has

taught since 2014. She has an in-depth knowledge of our School already as her son was a student here up until 2010. Helen has an honours degree in Engineering and has been teaching Maths for over fourteen years across the ability spectrum. She is very much looking forward to joining the Maths Department and continuing to develop our students at Halliford School.

Mr Alastair Wright, Director of Music, joins us following a rising career from the Queensmead School in Middlesex before joining the John Roan School in London. He graduated from the University of Bristol in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music before undertaking his PGCE in Secondary Music Education with Roehampton University. Alastair believes in the importance of keeping learning fun and engaging, and uses a wide variety of innovative teaching methodologies and resources whilst always striving for high academic achievement. Alastair is also extremely dedicated to extra-curricular music and is very excited to be joining our dynamic department this September.

Mr St.John DeZilva, Music Technology Teacher, joins us from King Edward VI School and

Alton College where he taught Music Technology and Music alongside being a course leader of A Level Music Technology. He has almost thirty years of teaching and music industry experience as well as bringing with him a wealth of experience gained as an A Level and BTEC L3 Examiner Training for Music Technology. St.John is looking forward to bringing this experience and support to continue to develop our students and the department at Halliford.

Mr Ciaran Lee, English Teacher, joins us from Epsom College. From growing up in Toronto,

Canada, Ciaran went on to study English Literature at Durham University before working at Epsom College for the last two years. He is a keen sportsman and currently plays rugby for Cobham RFC. He is an accomplished teacher of English and brings a wealth of skill sets, including sports coaching. He is very much looking forward to supporting our English department and our School as a whole.

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Introduction

Support Staff Mrs Elizabeth Jackson, Morning Receptionist, joined our busy Reception Department in October 2019. Libby has had a very interesting career working in the Foreign Office before moving to a role at Hampton Court Palace and then on to a role in Recruitment. Libby has already demonstrated immense organisational skills and has settled in quickly with her positive and cheery disposition.

Mrs Olivia Oakley, Marketing & Communications Assistant, joined us in January 2020 and brings over sixteen years’ of experience in Marketing and Communications, having worked in the sports, hospitality and property industries. She loves doing anything creative including photography, upholstery and painting, and also runs her own blog.

Mr Darren Macefield, Premises Manager, joins us with a wealth of premises management

experience and has spent his career striving for constant personal and professional development.

Alongside his many qualifications including those achieved through the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering, Darren enjoys restoring and racing vintage cars. He is also a keen gardener, spending time working on his allotment and growing much of his own produce.

Mr Andy Sessions, Assistant Caretaker, joined us in January 2020 from Sotheby’s with over fifteen years’ experience working within a practical environment. Andy has an in-depth experience of carpentry and also a wealth of experience in set design and prop building, having supported many shows in the past.

Mr Gary Clare, Minibus Driver, joins our Facilities Team providing a dedicated minibus service

to our students. Gary has a wealth of premises experience and is looking forward to supporting our students in their journeys to Walton station.

Mr Luca Tirraoro, Theatre Technician, joins us straight from St Mary’s University, Twickenham,

graduating with a degree in Technical Theatre. Luca has also taught various instruments to all ages and has provided extensive support as a lighting and sound designer, as well as stage manager for the university’s degree productions.

Mr William Gordon joins the Science Department as our new Science Technician. He is a keen

rugby player and has played for one of the best amateur teams in the country, and he also likes to travel and experience new cultures.

We would also like to offer a very warm welcome to our three new Kitchen

Porters, Mr Thaya Balasubramaniam, Mr Tharmalingam Kugathas and Mr Pirabakaran Suntharalingam, who have already made a massive contribution to the smooth running of our kitchen.

New responsibilities We are pleased to announce that Ms Ashlea Armstrong takes over as Head of Psychology.

MY HALLIFORD YEAR BY YEAR 7

Josh Hawksley Before Easter, we made the transition to online learning. I joined some virtual clubs and completed sporting challenges for PE. Some of the lessons worked online because the teacher shared their screen and talked us through like we were in the classroom. We could not do PE properly, so instead the teacher would set us little challenges which we had to complete and submit our score, and you could upload a video of you doing the challenge. My advice to someone coming to Halliford would be to join lots of clubs and put your all into everything, even things you don’t enjoy.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Speech Day 2020 – Prize Winners –

Achievement Prize

Progress Prize

7D......................... Theodore Maroussas 7G................................Joshua Hawksley 7R..........................................Tobias Hill 7W.................................... Aaric Thomas

7D ����������������������������� Thomas O’Connor 7G �����������������������������������������Joe Arbiter 7R ���������������������������������������Harry Baker 7W ���������������������������������Barney Connop

8D.................Daniel Bootle-Wilbraham 8G.........................James McCummiskey 8R................................. Aidan Tattersall 8W................................Laith Shafighian

8D �������������������������������������Sam Griffiths 8G ������������������������������������� Zach Johnson 8R ��������������������������������� James Connolly 8W ������������������������������������Joshua Turley

9D................................. Lucas Lindstrup 9G..............................Calvin Harrington 9R........................................Ben Hughes 9W........................................ Jivraj Singh

9D ���������������������������������� Ben Gusterson 9G ������������������������������������ James Hallett 9R ��������������������������������������Theo Wilson 9W ������������������������������������Carter Green

10D................................... Oliver Grayer 10G.......................... Finley Broekhuizen 10R........................................... Ivo Evans 10W.............................William Madden

10D ���������������������������������� Jensen Hobbs 10G ��������������������������������Dylan Keoghan 10R ��������������������������������William Harvey 10W �����������������������������Charlie Simpson

11D....................................... Ted Luckins 11G.....................................Owen Morris 11R........................... Sankaran Suseelan 11W.................................. Daniel Wilkes

11D �����������������������������������Tatenda Dziva 11G ���������������������� Anthony Robins-Kent 11R �������������������������������� Cameron Collie 11W �����������������������������������James Hanley

– Year 11 Prize Winners – Art................................................................... Anthony Robins-Kent Biology..................................................................Sankaran Suseelan Business Studies.............................................................. Matt Grimes Chemistry....................................................... Jethro Knight-Thompson Classical Civilisation ............................................................Zak Sword Computer Science .............................................................. Joe Farnell Ken Russell Prize for Design Technology ............................. George Holmes Drama.........................................................................Cormac Evans English ........................................................................ William Jones French . . .................................................................... Arya Shafighian Geography................................................................. Edward Cornew German ....................................................................... Dominic Rose Valerie Brooking History Prize ............................................ Owen Morris Mathematics ................................................................ Daniel Wilkes Sally Crosby Prize for The Most Improved Mathematician.................... Sean Rustin Music........................................................................Cameron Collie Physical Education ......................................................... Patrick Wanat Religious Studies ........................................................... Alex Donnelly Physics ....................................................................... Daniel Wilkes Guy Valadon Prize for Science ................................................. Chris Cole Spanish ....................................................................... Theo Rowsell 12

Introduction

– Upper Sixth Prize Winners – Biology....................................................................................Finn Angell-Wells Business Studies...........................................................................Rowan Spencer Chemistry.................................................................................... Shaan Suseelan Classical Civilisation................................................................Finn Angell-Wells Computer Science.................................................................Matthew Robertson Design Technology........................................................................... Adam Hetzel Theatre Studies........................................................................ Louis De Schynkel Psychology.........................................................................................Lily Egleton Economics..................................................................................... Brian Okwaisie Neil Jones Prize for English................................................................Lily Egleton Wendy Simmons French Prize.......................................................... Clarissa Dias Bahadur Sunderji Prize for Further Mathematics....................... James Woodgate Geography................................................................................William Whishaw Oliver Griffin Prize for Government and Politics........................... Brian Okwaisie John Lewis Prize for History.....................................................Finn Angell-Wells Mathematics.............................................................................. Cameron Hunter Music Technology......................................................................... Freddie Graves Physical Education............................................................................. Sam Martin Physics....................................................................................... Cameron Hunter Religious Studies................................................................................Sam Morse Spanish.........................................................................................Estelle Warner

– School Prizes – Blackeney Shield for Best Newcomer............................................................ Felix Porter Hardy Shield for Junior Rugby................................................................William Shanley Etherton Shield for Outstanding Sportsman............................................... Joe Shedden Nicks Plate for Sportsmanship...................................................................... Sam Martin Owen Cup for Rugby.....................................................................................Archie Laird Nauticalia Bat for Cricket.................................................................................. Lewis Job Football Captains Cup................................................................................Alfie Edwards Junior Music Award........................................................................................ Louis Clark Senior Music Award................................................................................Arya Shafighian Junior Drama Award........................................................................................Joe Arbiter Senior Drama Award........................................................................Charlie Barker-Broe Alexis Hitchens Prize for Creative Writing........................................................Ben Brine Phil Abbott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Technical Theatre .....Charlie Poulter Shepperton Aurora Rotary Community Service Shield.................................Richard Liao Trophy for Service to the School........................................................... James Woodgate John Crook Prize for Improvement........................................................ Cameron Hunter Headmaster’s Prize....................................................................... Alexander McConnon

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Upper Sixth Leavers - University Places University Course Aberystwyth University

Astrophysics

University of the Arts London

Acting and Performance

University of Bath

Biochemistry

University of Birmingham

Environmental Science

Bournemouth University

Sport Management, Marketing

Bristol, University of the West of England

Filmmaking

Brunel University London

Engineering with an Integrated Foundation Year with Placement

University of Essex

Banking and Finance, Politics and International Relations

University of Exeter

English with Employment Experience Abroad, International Relations and Modern Languages

Kingston University

Computer Games Programming (with Sandwich Year)

University of Leeds

Languages and Cultures

Leeds Beckett University

Public Relations and Brand Communication

University of Manchester

Law

University of Nottingham

Mathematics, Economics

Nottingham Trent University

Property Finance and Investment

Oxford Brookes University

Economics, Finance and International Business, Business and Management, Criminology/Sociology, Nutrition, Economics,

Politics and International Relations

Queen Mary University of London

Russian and Linguistics

University of Reading

Economics

University of Southampton

Physics

Swansea University

Medical Biochemistry

University of Warwick

Physics

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Autumn Highlights

Team Building Day at Farnborough Hill

by Lily Egleton, Year 13

On Friday 13 September, the Year 12 and 13 cohorts of Halliford visited Farnborough Hill College. The Year 13 girls had arranged a day of activities, ranging from rounders to tug of war, in an effort to build camaraderie between not only the two schools but the two year groups.

We were divided into mixed groups, which provided everyone with a good opportunity to get to know each other and interact informally. The chance to form these connections and to experience a range of sporting activities made the day an entertaining contrast to the typical school day!

Both our Hallifordian cohort and the Farnborough Hill girls sat outside in the garden area for lunch and had the time to converse, and to explore the beautiful school building and the vast grounds.

Witnessing a school so different from Halliford was an interesting experience and overall the team-building day was a great success, and gave us an opportunity to further develop our skills of communication and teamwork.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Bonjour Paris!

by Louis de Schynkel

On Friday 20 September, Year 13 French class got on a slightly delayed Eurostar train and made our way to Paris, France. Had there been an Oscar for hype, surely it would have gone to Madame Wain, our French teacher, who had, for the last six months built this experience up in our minds. For this reason, it’s fair to say we were quite excited.

However, life in Paris was not so dissimilar to London: busy trains, busy streets and a lack of orientation; only with a French accent. After settling into our hotel, we dived out again for some sightseeing. It was then on to experience some typical French cuisine for lunch: Burger King.

As we walked through the gates of Le Jardin du Luxembourg and saw Madame Wain basking in the French sun – looking for all the world like a glamorous film star. ‘Ah,’ I thought, ‘this is Paris!’ However, we pressed on and with our tour guide ahead, our class was able to take in everything. Our Head Prefect, Alex got into the swing of things and purchased a fine beret, which he wore for much of the day.

No trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to a small roadside café. Here we watched the world go by and indulged ourselves in that time-honoured tradition of speculating about the lives of the strangers we saw.

Before too long, it was time for dinner. We narrowed it down to two venues: a creperie and a Japanese restaurant. Throwing caution to the wind, we went for the Japanese restaurant.

However, we cogitated over the menu in silence for some time before we ascertained that the only dish they seemed to serve was ravioli. So, after some tactical time-wasting (so that 16

Madame Wain could use their phone charger) we sallied forth to the creperie and ate a wonderful meal. I even managed two.

The next morning arrived, and it’s fair to say we were more chipper waking up early knowing that we were going to the Eiffel Tower and not school. We grabbed some French croissants and went to meet Madame Wain. The tower itself is surprisingly bigger than I had imagined. It’s rather surreal to be beside something so iconic. For a while, all I could do was stand back and wonder at its beauty. Scorning the lift we elected to walk to the top. This was a mistake. As we ascended, our thighs burned in despair. How much further could we go? Just when we thought we could take no more punishment, we were there. And what a breathtaking view!

Later we took a gentle boat trip along the River Seine, taking in famous landmarks like le Musée du Louvre and le Musée D’Orsay. The highlight for me was visiting some of the Paris universities. I decided privately there and then to study in Paris after my A Level course is complete. Madame Wain showed us where she stayed as a student, and we went to a very nice but expensive shop called Merci. Then we walked around Le Marais, had some classic French ice cream in L’Ile Saint Louis which was, according to Madame Wain, the ‘best ice cream ever’. It was very good.

Autumn Highlights

One thing that I must add is how good the weather was on that day. It was sunny and fine, and this made walking around the city delightful. For dinner, we had some classic French cuisine. We were daring and bold and really wanted to eat something that we could only have in France. This included escargot with gratin dauphinoise and Madame Wain’s adventurous salad. Bon Appetit!

The following morning dawned rather grey and gloomy. However, this didn’t prevent us from appreciating the beautifully elevated village of Montmartre. Here we got another spectacular view of Paris before entering the cathedral Sacre Coeur. As it was a Sunday, we captured the Roman Catholic Sunday service where incense was burned and a choir sang in magnificent harmony. It truly was a feast for all the senses.

In Montmartre, street artists pitch their easels and ply their trade. For a while, my ego was boosted when everyone was asking to draw me, but then realised that in Montmartre everyone wants to draw everyone!

With the rain pouring down like a monsoon, our aim turned to finding shelter as quickly as possible.

We visited a nice art gallery and then had lunch at the cheapest place we could find. While the service of the grumpy waiter left a lot to be desired, I knew that one day I would come back in sunnier weather.

After leaving Montmartre, we went to the cinema to see a film entitled Les Deux directed by Cedric Klapisch. In class, we had already watched one of his films which we all loved. Watching the film without subtitles was fine. Clearly, Madame Wain and Mr Gruner’s hard work teaching our class was paying off. This was the perfect way to end the trip.

I would finally like to give a huge thank you to both Madame Wain and Mr Gruner for an exceptional trip which the rest of the class and I will never forget.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Happy European Day of Languages

by Mr Mike Gruner, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

What better way to celebrate the diversity of our pupils at Halliford School than for the Modern Foreign Languages Department to mark the European Day of Languages on 26 September with a diverse range of activities, spread across several days?

This celebration helps to remind us of the importance of languages in learning about new cultures, traditions and customs, gives us a better understanding of other nationalities and religions, and broadens our general knowledge.

Mr Davies and Mr Gruner began the day by leading a whole school assembly highlighting the importance of languages for our multi-lingual and diverse school community. Over three days, our students engaged in many activities: an International House Quiz during form time was organised, which got everyone into the spirit of the days. Many teachers demonstrated their foreign language skills in lessons, and our new Year 7 students took part enthusiastically in a treasure hunt under the watchful eyes of our A Level language students. One of the highlights of the week was the fantastic European themed lunch provided by Halliford’s chef Alan, where students and staff were able to sample traditional cuisine from France, Italy, Germany and Spain - what a fabulous treat! Merci beaucoup to everybody involved!

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Autumn Highlights

Year 11 Careers: Morrisby Testing

by Mr Peter Gale, Head of Business Studies

The Year 11 students took part in Morrisby career profiling and interviews in October. The aim was to help Year 11 develop a good understanding of the career aims and ambitions and what steps they need to take to realise those ambitions.

HOW MORRISBY CAREER PROFILING HELPS ME

Lucas Dallon 11 G By using the Morrisby interviews and test as a way of broadening my horizons, I have found myself more certain on what career paths I would like to pursue. It was incredibly helpful and left me lots to mill over and think through further, as well as with lots of research to do at home.

HOW MORRISBY CAREER PROFILING HELPS ME

George Holmes 11 R I found it interesting to find out what my true strengths and weaknesses were. The test was very illuminating. The test also highlighted what subjects I might be good at for A Level. I also identified several career options. The interviewer from Morrisby was very helpful in suggesting courses at university. Overall I now feel more confident about my career options.

MY HALLIFORD YEAR BY YEAR 7

Loris Jackson My favourite lessons are Drama and Games as they are very interesting and fun and I’ve made lots of friends from them. The teachers really care about you and make sure you understand everything.

I decided to come to Halliford because it is a really nice small school with great teachers and long lunchtimes for clubs and activities. Something I remember about my first day is Mr Cunningham giving a warm welcome to us all. The best thing about being a Hallifordian is being in a small school where most people know each other, and I think I have learnt loads this year and it has been really good for me.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

The Harvest Festival

by Mr Jonathan Willcox, Head of Geography

Once again, the staff and students at Halliford gave generously to the annual Harvest Festival in October.

Despite our boast that we live in a first-world country it is shocking to note that food bank use at the Trussell Trust Charity has increased by 73% in the last five years. Hunger can be one of many unseen challenges facing people and it was wonderful to witness the kindness of the Halliford School body donating to help those in our community who, for a whole host of reasons, may find putting food on the table each day challenging, difficult or just simply impossible.

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During the Harvest Festival, Christians pause and reflect on God’s ‘grace’ – that is to say, ‘undeserved kindness’.

Christians across the world are thankful for the gifts of common grace that God gives us all. They remember the beauty and wonder of His creation, the sunshine He gives the earth and the rain to help plants to flourish and grow. Then there is the creativity and ingenuity He gives us to prepare meals in diverse and interesting ways.

At Halliford School we are very thankful too for the special grace that God has shown us who call ourselves Christians. 2 Corinthians, Chapter 8, Verse 9 says, ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor so that you through His poverty might become rich.’ Thus, when we understand and grasp the generosity of God to us, it should encourage Christians to give generously back to God and to others.

MY HALLIFORD YEAR BY YEAR 7

Dayan Nana I was lucky that my first tutor, Mr Cunningham, was so nice and friendly. That really made a big difference. As each one of us in his group had a birthday, he would buy us a small gift and a card. He would get us all singing along to Happy Birthday to You first thing in the morning. Even if you had a birthday in the holidays, he didn’t forget. Those types of things really make a difference.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Landscape Modelling using the new ‘Augmented Reality’ Sandbox

by Mr Miles Aarons, Geography Teacher

The Geography Department launched its new Augmented Reality Sandbox just in time for our Open Morning in October. It proved to be very popular - one of the most talked about features of the department!

The sandbox was conceived as a cross-curricular project to challenge students to create an interactive landscape modelling tool. Its success lies in its ability for students to creatively model a variety of physical landform features (e.g. river, glacial, volcanic & coastal) and show how the earth’s processes can change them over time.

The Geography Department would like to thank both the Design & Technology and Computer Science Departments who helped in sourcing the hardware and materials needed to construct it. Many thanks to Bob in DT for creating the actual sandbox and the mechanism for mounting the projector. The software was kindly donated by the University of California, which Joe Farnell, (Year 11 Geographer) did a fantastic job in installing and running. The Department looks forward to using this engaging teaching and learning resource, across year groups, to bring to life a deeper understanding of the amazing physical world in which we live.

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Autumn Highlights

Frantic Assembly

by Mr Roberto Bruno, Head of Drama

On Thursday 10 October 2019, the Drama Department organised a workshop with the theatre company Frantic Assembly. From a reckless leap into the unknown 25 years ago, Frantic Assembly has developed into one of the most successful and best-loved theatre companies.

They have an ethos of collaboration, empowerment and a constant desire to improve. It is about telling stories in a voice we don’t always hear and about finding talent in places we don’t always look. Their productions include The Unreturning, Fatherland, Things I Know to be True, Othello, Beautiful Burnout, Love Song, Stockholm, and The Believers.

Students from Year 10 and 12 took part in a two-hour physical workshop. This enabled them to develop their coursework so they could learn to devise using a different style of performance. Some of the ensemble work that was created was very moving and allowed students to explore storytelling in a new contemporary style. All the students enjoyed working up a sweat and embraced theatremaking using this highly energised style of performance.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Old Hallifordian Reunion

by Mrs Kim Smallbone, Alumni Secretary

On Thursday 10 October 2019, we hosted the reunion of five Hallifordians who attended Halliford School from 1947-1955. The event was organised by Colin Squire OBE, Deputy Chairman of the Governing Body for his former school friends; Basil Miles, Mike Duke, Angus Golightly, and Malcolm Cavan.

Our guests arrived at noon and were met by the Headmaster James Davies for an informal chat. They then sampled lunch in the newly refurbished Sixth Form CafĂŠ with our Head Prefect Alex McConnon, and two Deputy Head Prefects, James Woodgate, and Lily Egleton. Also in attendance was our Public Relations Prefect, Sam Martin. The company was rounded off with two of our Sixth Form tutors Fenella Wilbraham and Simon Brooks.

The party enjoyed a roast dinner chatting about their experiences and adventures at Halliford. It was fascinating to

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see the juxtaposition of the old and young Hallifordians and how they all merrily chatted away.

After lunch, we took a trip down memory lane, looking at photographs from the 1950s. Naturally, the school site behind the mansion house has changed radically since the time our guests attended. Nevertheless, there was much fond reminiscing and laughter about the old days.

All agreed that the ongoing modernisation of the school site was both necessary and desirable for our 21st century students.

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In the afternoon our guests spoke to the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth students in the Recital Hall. It was interesting to listen to their recollections of their years at Halliford School and their experiences of national service and subsequent career paths.

Regrettably, there was one member of their group who was unable to attend because he now lives in Australia. When Anthony Hurley left Halliford School he pursued his interest in ballroom dancing and became a world champion. A framed picture of Anthony winning the championship was presented to the Headmaster – another charming addition to our expanding archive.

The visit continued with a tour of the school, and the visitors were very impressed with all the different departments and the magnificent displays of art, music, and science. Here I must express our gratitude to all of those who helped make this a very memorable event for our guests.

The day ended with our visitors watching the rugby fixture between Halliford U14s and City of London Freemans. It was lovely to hear one of our guests admitting to his friend wistfully, ‘Halliford School really was the best of times wasn’t it?’

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The Halliford Song Contest

by Mr Anthony Cunningham, Head of Classics

Our annual battle of the voices took place on the last day of the half term. The entire school cohort merrily gathered in the John Crook Theatre to see who would take the coveted shield. There was a palpable sense of excitement and tension as the audience settled down for a morning of hearty song and good-natured competition. There were two parts to the contest; the first act was a showcase for the Year 7 and Year 8 students performing in their teaching groups. In the second act, Russell, Desborough, Greville, and Wadham fought it out to take the winner’s prize.

Year 7 took to the stage first. This is never the easiest task but 7L beautifully delivered their rendition of Riptide by Vance Joy. There were some lovely solo efforts and solid support from the chorus. Next up was 7J with their bouncy version of Train’s Hey Soul Sister. They were received warmly by the audience who appreciated the effort they put into it. Finally, we heard the Bob Marley song Three Little Birds who had

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the nerve-wracking task of waiting their turn before all the other acts. However, they took us right back to the 1970s with their reggae swing and also demonstrated some charming a cappella skills into the bargain.

It should be noted that Freddie Graves in Year 13 performed on the drums for most of the groups. What shall we do when he

Autumn Highlights leaves us? He is such a talented performer and provides such rock-solid support for so many of our musical events – he is practically an institution! This year he was supported by Arya Shafighian, Year 11, on bass guitar and our very own Ms Killick from the Music Department on the keyboard.

Next, it was on to the Year 8 boys. The question was, would they step up to the mark as superbly as their younger counterparts?

The answer was a definite yes!

First up was 8K who began with their take on the Justin Timberlake disco number, Can’t Stop The Feeling. This certainly got the audience’s attention. What a splendid, finger-clicking performance it was! 8L then followed with another crowdpleaser – Happy. It was a delight to watch the boys perform with such energy. To complete this section of the show we had 8J who outdid themselves with Avicii’s Wake Me Up! This certainly gave our judge an even harder task because they were every bit as good as the other groups.

This year, in a slight change to the normal program, we were also treated to a performance by our resident Junior Choir. They rounded off the first act with a high octane rendition of The Beatles’ song, Here Comes The Sun. But who were the winners? Our judge this year was the noted classical composer, Tim Hamilton. What a difficult job he had – and an unenviable one at that. However, after some deliberation, he announced that the first act gongs would go to 7K and 8K. After a short interval, the competition heated up with the House songs. Russell House was first with the Brit Pop anthem, Don’t Look Back In Anger by Oasis. It is never easy to erase the memory of such an iconic recording, but I think they were able to do just that. Moreover, it was fun to see so many of the boys’ 90s rig – bomber jackets to the fore.

Finally, we came to the moment of truth. Who would take the House shield? After some deliberation and a nail-biting wait, Mr Hamilton announced the winners. What a triumph for Greville! In the words of one boy, ‘They smashed it!’ Our judge confirmed that Greville had performed with charm and sincerity. It is worth mentioning that Sam Murray-Smith from Year 13 played the keyboard, Year 7 student Louis Clark did a confident trumpet solo while Jamie Lamprell took to the bass like a pro. Everyone agreed that Carter Robinson of Year 8 had also sung with bravado!

Special thanks must, of course, go to the Music Department headed by Mr Williams, Mrs Head and Ms Killick. They put so much hard work into this event every year, and their efforts once again paid off admirably.

Then it was on to Desborough who bravely chose that rousing Rolling Stones number, Sympathy For The Devil. This is a deceptively hard song, and their cover version was a tremendous success.

The chorus on this number was particularly fine and managed to keep up with the complexities of the musical line.

No production would be possible without the technicians who labour so heroically behind the scenes. Charlie Poulter from Year 11 devised the lighting scheme while James Woodgate, our Deputy Head Prefect handled the soundboard. They delivered a slick production for all to see and enjoy.

Greville followed with a recent song by Rex Orange County called Loving Is Easy. In some ways, this was an advantage as the song is not as well-known as some of the others and therefore can stand alone without too many comparisons.

The question now is, who will take the shield in 2020...?

Wadham has a tradition of winning this competition – they have been unbeaten for the last three years – and when they stepped up next to sing that popular feel-good song, Don’t Stop Believing it was hard to believe this rock anthem was first heard as far back as the 1980s. However, the Wadham interpretation was full of memorable moments. It must be said that everyone was quietly wondering if they would take the shield again…

Our splendid Main Choir capped off the second act with a lyrical version of Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay by Otis Redding.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Lunchtime Concert

by Mrs Helen Head, Music Teacher Our first Lunchtime Concert of the academic year was on Friday 11 October and featured several performances from our new Year 7 musicians.

Music scholar, Henry Crowther, gave a heartfelt performance of Someone You Loved by Lewis Capaldi, singing while accompanying himself at the piano. William Dobby, also a Music Scholar, sang One Hand, One Heart from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, a confident and beautifully moving rendition. Also in Year 7, Louis Clark made a lasting impression with his effortlessly musical performances on not one, but two instruments: the trumpet and classical guitar. All three boys are ones to watch!

Seasoned bass player, Arya Shafighian opened the concert with Pop It In The Top, a challenging Grade 6 bass guitar piece which he performed with ease. Ben Wittke followed singing Rocketman by Elton John in his first public solo performance - and one much enjoyed by the audience. Riley Whittington played a pair of contrasting movements from Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks - La Paix and La Rejouissance. It was interesting and unusual to hear them arranged for saxophone. Matthew Sanders then sang Henry Purcell’s I Attempt From Love’s Sickness with beautiful tone and Baroque ornamentation.

This concert also featured a Year 9 newcomer and an instrument we have not heard in our lunchtime concerts for some time. William Shanley is an accomplished trombone player and delivered a confident unaccompanied performance of a piece called Hillbilly (composer unknown).

Congratulations to all the performers on a superb concert.

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Autumn Highlights

Córdoba : A Spanish Adventure

by Arya Shafighian, Year 11

Una Ciudad que admiro mucho es Córdoba. Es una ciudad grande que está situada en el sur de España, en Andalusia. La mayoria del tiempo, el clima es muy caliente y soleado, dado que está cerca del mediterráneo. Algunas personas incluso lo comparan con un clima africano. ¡Durante el verano, Córdoba no es sólo la ciudad más caliente de España pero es considerada la ciudad más caliente de Europa! Por otro lado, llueve a menudo en el invierno.

son platos muy únicos. En el futuro, me encantaría ir alli ya que la cultura antigua me interesa mucho y me molan los platos regionales. Sin embargo, lo que más me gustan son las festivales diferentes. ¡sería una experiencia inolvidable!

Córdoba tiene muchas influencias culturales, que incluyen: árabe, romana y judía. Como resultado de esta cultura rica, hay varios monumentos y edificios impresionantes. Por ejemplo: el Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, inspirado en el diseño árabe, el Puente Romano y la Judería. No es exactamente el bullicio de una ciudad, pero a pesar de eso, siempre hay algo que hacer. Se pueden hacer visitas guiadas, visitar los museos culturales e ir a las tiendas tradicionales. Si prefieres hacer o ver los deportes, la Equitación, el lucha de toros, el senderismo y el ciclismo son muy populares tambien.

Córdoba es muy famosa por sus fábricas de cuero, Plateros y su mezquita (el más grande del mundo). Además, es el lugar de nacimiento del filósofo Romano Seneca. La ciudad ha ganado una reputación para su festival anual de guitarra, que nunca ha tenido una mala crítica. No obstante, Se podría decir que La fiesta de los Patios es el festival más famoso de Córdoba, que ocurre para trece días en mayo de cada año.

Personalmente, soy adicto a las cocinas mundiales.

Afortunadamente, los platos típicos en Córdoba son deliciosos.

El salmorejo, el flamenquín y los pasteles cordobés todos

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Iceland Trip by Aidan Tattersall, Year 8 I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go to Iceland with the school. When everybody met at the airport, we were so excited! The plane took nearly four hours to get there. When we arrived, we could see how Iceland was so much different to England. The terrain was quite rugged and sparse without many trees. We jumped on a minibus which delivered us to a very nice hotel that had great food and even a swimming pool and a waterslide. Incidentally, the water smells like sulphur – which smells like rotten eggs! Therefore, it’s not very pleasant when you take a shower but eventually, you get used to it.

The first night was amazing. We hiked up several rocky slopes; it was so hard, but it’s worth it when you get to a thermal river heated by a hot spring! We had permission to get our swim shorts on and bathe there. What was even more incredible, is that there was no light pollution, so we could see the Milky Way in the sky and even a very faint white-ish green strip of the Northern Lights! We were then taught how to make an Icelandic hot chocolate and drank it while looking at the stars. It was a perfect evening for me!

The next day was just as good as the first one. We had to get up quite early to go to an Icelandic school and learn the differences between our school and theirs. The Icelandic school had many differences, such as big class sizes and longer lessons.

The fact that the weather does not affect the school being closed amazed us.

We also noted with some envy that they enjoy even longer summer breaks than we do! We went to see the boundaries between the Eurasian and American plates. We learned that it was a constructive plate boundary and that it created several other crevices. Later, we walked into a minor crevice called the Raven Crevice which was named after one of the nearby stones which resembles that black and ominous bird.

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Autumn Highlights

We also went to see some geysers. One of them does not erupt anymore, and another one called Strokem. This geyser erupts every seven minutes. It was an incredible thing to see at close quarters. At the start of the eruption, you can see the pressure building up in a big blue bulge, then so much water vapour shoots out, making quite a spectacular sight indeed.

If that was not enough, we went to see one of the biggest waterfalls in Iceland called Gullfoss. It was huge! Gullfoss is about 36 metres tall, and the pressure of the water is so high it would crack your skull if you stood under it for one second, so we did not go swimming there. After that, we went back to our hotel and were given the choice to go swimming or go straight to bed.

Our final day was also really fun. Sadly, it was very windy today (the wind was about 40 metres per second) so the glacier hike was called off, but we went to a shopping centre to buy some

goodies. This shopping centre had an interesting story behind it. We learned that it had been struck by a 6.6 magnitude earthquake! We were able to watch the destruction by watching some historic CCTV footage. A few of us then paid some Kroner to visit an earthquake simulator that shook us around in an alarming fashion. Chilling indeed – but it didn’t stop us from browsing and enjoying ourselves there.

The final thing we did was to visit a volcano. The volcano had last erupted 6,000 years ago and its lava created a pool around 14 metres deep. Nevertheless, I think we eyed it rather suspiciously and wondered just what it must be like to experience the force of a real volcanic eruption…

We had an amazing trip and hopefully there might be another opportunity to go to Iceland in this school again.

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‘Movember’ 2019

by Mr Matthew Shales, Head of Latin

Once again, the school chose to support the Movember Charity this year. The month started with an assembly from a Movember ambassador. He spoke to the school about the important work that Movember does for men’s health in general, but in particular for prostate and testicular cancer and mental health issues.

This year’s ‘MoBros’ included Mr Abbott, Mr Cupido, Mr Churchill, Mr McElroy, Mr Shales, Mr Slocock, Mr Watson and Mr Willcox. The boys were tasked with fundraising throughout the whole month by offering to do daily chores around the house. On Friday 29 ‘Movember’, we had a mufti day and donut sale. The boys were given the opportunity to vote for their favourite teacher’s moustache. In a very close competition, newcomer Mr Watson came third, the reigning champ Mr Shales came second, and Mr Abbott, who decided to colour his moustache in the four House colours, was a deserving winner.

The boys, families, and friends showed a serious amount of generosity with their donations, and as a school, we raised an incredible £3,132.

I am incredibly grateful to all who donated. I would also like to thank the Charity Prefects Clarissa Diaz and Sam Martin for their help in organising the mufti day, and of course my fellow MoBros for their dedication to the cause.

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Autumn Highlights

Charity Concert at Royal Festival Hall

by William Dobby, Year 7

On Tuesday 5 November, Henry Crowther from 7W and I took part in a concert at Royal Festival Hall in Waterloo. We are both members of the Chapel Royal Choir at Hampton Court Palace and had been invited as a group to be part of the event.

We first met up with our fellow singers at Hampton Court.

After arriving in London, we sorted out our books and robes so that they were ready for the concert later that day. Since we had some time on our hands, we headed off to the Sea Life London Aquarium. There, we found Nemo and Dory – two Disney characters. It was great fun!

and international charities. Both Henry and I were happy to know we were doing something so positive for people in need, especially during the coldest time of the year.

I am not normally too jumpy before a performance, but this was special. In fact, I think we all felt so nervous because we all knew that there were approximately 1,500 people in the audience, all music lovers and therefore highly critical!

When I took my place in the concert hall, it looked vast! It felt like there were a million people there.

However, Henry and I are trained professionals, and this type of thing only bothers us for the first few minutes.

After the conductor led us into the music, we settled in and sang our hearts out. The concert consisted of Italian opera and was held to support a homeless charity called The Passage. At Halliford School, we learn the importance of thinking of others, and we regularly support both local

WHAT HALLIFORD MEANS TO ME…

William Shanley Year 9 Although I only joined in September, it feels like I have been at Halliford much longer. The best thing I did was to get involved in as much as I possibly could. Because Halliford is a small school, I think there is a better relationship between teacher and pupil and the teachers have been so warm-hearted and supportive. I guess this leads me to my next point. Halliford is giving me those opportunities to try something new and add a little more variety into my life. I am learning more about myself and my talents, for example, I have chosen completely new and different subjects for my GCSE options which I’m currently about to start studying. Halliford has given me the opportunity and I’m thankful for it.

Another reason I have enjoyed Halliford so much is that there’s been so much on offer with the Sports Department. Although we are a small school, we punch above our weight in all the sports that we participate in. For me, overall Halliford has meant a chance to try something new and different with my life, a place where I get to take risks and be supported all the way.

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Winter Concert by Mrs Helen Head, Music Teacher On Tuesday 12 November, the John Crook Theatre was packed to the rafters for the 2019 Winter Concert. The Halliford School Choir made a touching start to the proceedings with their moving a capella rendition of the spiritual, Down To The River To Pray. This was followed neatly by Otis Redding’s lilting pop song, Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay which was warmly received by the audience. Edward Elgar’s evocative and romantic part-song, The Snow, was performed by the Chamber Choir and accompanied by two violins and piano.

Sixth Former Nicholas Atherfold was the first of the music scholar performers, singing Henry Purcell’s Music For A While accompanied by our Headmaster.

He was followed by the Year 7 scholars Henry Crowther and William Dobby singing Cesar Franck’s famous Panis Angelicus. We all marvelled at their clear boy soprano voices. Finally, Year 8 violinist, Monty Savarino performed a sprightly Vivaldi Allegro in G. The String Ensemble made light work of a movement from JS Bach’s 3rd Brandenburg Concerto before the School Orchestra launched into their Jurassic Park medley. The brass section was noticeably beefed up by the efforts of the Headmaster playing his trombone! The Jazz Band benefitted from Mr Davies’ rousing accompaniment too. Year 11 veteran crooner, Will Jones, stood confidently at the microphone and gave us that old-time classic, Satin Doll.

A charming and unexpected pleasure was the Guitar Ensemble’s La Cucaracha, featuring several Year 7 and 8 players. We were then treated to thrilling performances by no less than 5 Rock Bands!

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Autumn Highlights

First up was the Year 9 band featuring Kajay Moss on vocals. They performed Hardest Button To Button by the White Stripes. Hard on their heels came another Year 9 band with Oscar Wort as frontman. What fun it was to hear them play that 1960s anthem, All Day And All Of The Night by The Kinks. The Year 8 Rock Band wowed the audience with Feel Good Inc: by Gorillaz featuring Scott Smith rapping with Carter Robinson and there was some sterling keyboard work by Daniel Bootle-Wilbraham from Year 8.

The Year 10 Rock Band displayed some outstanding guitar playing in George Harrison’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps from The Beatles’ White Album.

Finally, Freddie Graves from Year 13 surprised us all by coming out from behind his drum kit to join the Senior Rock Band. He blew the audience away as lead vocalist in Can’t Stand Me Now by The Libertines.

Next, the three Year 7 classes presented their entries from the 2019 Song Contest. The reggae classic, Three Little Birds, by Bob Marley and the Wailers was the choice of 7J and a popular one with the audience too. 7K put their heart and soul into Hey Soul Sister by Train while 7L performed the lesserknown Riptide by Australian Vance Joy. The standard of all the Year 7 songs was particularly high this year, and their teachers were justifiably proud.

The 2019 winner of the House Performance category in the Song Contest was Greville. Once again they gave us their rendition of Rex Orange County’s Loving Is Easy featuring an effortlessly brilliant trumpet solo by Year 7, Louis Clark.

Finally, the Year 7 Choir brought a spectacular evening to a close with The Beatles’ classic, Here Comes The Sun. Our thanks must go to our Head of Music, Mr Williams, for making it all happen. Well played everybody!

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Sixth Form visit to Parliament and the Supreme Court

by Mrs Fenella Wilbraham, History & Politics Teacher

On Thursday 14 November, Upper and Lower Sixth Politics students visited the Houses of Parliament and the Supreme Court. On arrival, we were shown around by a guide from the Education Department. Given that Parliament had been dissolved in the run-up to the General Election, we were able to have an extensive tour with highlights including time in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Students then took part in a Laws and Debating workshop where they traced the passage of bills through Parliament, looking in detail at what happened at every stage including amendment debates and in Select Committees. Freddie then took centre stage by donning the Speaker’s robes to chair a debate on a proposed piece of legislation – the decriminalisation of cannabis. Both sides argued convincingly to make amendments to the proposed bill with the representative from the Education Department chipping in periodically to guide them and point out the issues that their amendments might raise. We all came away with great respect for how complicated drafting new legislation can be – and Freddie felt he had a greater understanding of the Speaker’s role and how intoxicating power can be.

We were then fortunate enough to receive a private tour of Parliament from Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, whose position of both a former MP and a sitting peer enabled him to give the students a unique perspective on Parliament.

Lord Hodgson took us along the route which the Queen takes when she opens Parliament – including a trip in the private peers’ lift which Her Majesty now uses instead of taking the stairs!

After a brief lunch in Parliament Square, we headed over to the Supreme Court. The Court only moved to its spectacular new home in the previous offices of Middlesex County Council in 2005 after Labour’s reforms removed the judiciary from the House of Lords. The rather grand entrance is emblazoned with the words from the judicial oath and after our third security check of the day, we were free to look around at the extensive refurbishment including the rather eye-watering pop-art style carpets which display

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L-R: Max Morrell, Finlay Crichard, Louis Mercier, Elliott Saunders, Freddie Graves, Brian Okwaisie.

Freddie Graves takes up his role as Speaker of the House of Commons

Autumn Highlights the symbol of the Supreme Court: four plants which represent the four countries that use the Court. Two of the three courtrooms were not in session, so our workshop was held in Courtroom Two where we took our seats in the chairs of the justices. Unlike traditional courtrooms, there is no dock or witness stand because the Supreme Court does not hold trials where guilt or innocence are decided. Instead, points of law are discussed, so the courtrooms are specifically designed to encourage an atmosphere of learned debate. In this spirit, we ran through several recent highprofile cases that have been settled by the Court.

After much discussion, everyone had to put aside personal beliefs to make a ruling based on the law, with some interesting results.

After a gruelling discussion, we then walked back across Westminster Bridge to make our way home, considerably enlightened on many aspects of the A Level Politics course.

The new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court makes himself comfortable

WHAT HALLIFORD MEANS TO ME…

Cosmo Sumner

Year 8

I joined Halliford in 2018, and since then, I have been enjoying every moment. My school means many things to me. The teachers are kind, supportive and give you guidance when needed. The school offers many trips ranging from the ski trip to the geography field trip to Iceland. By going on trips such as the ski trip to Austria, it was an opportunity to make more friends.

Another great thing about Halliford is the clubs. I take part in Climbing, Science Club, Badminton, and Choir. Science Club is my favourite club because I enjoy doing experiments, they are very entertaining, and they are different from what we do in class. When I think about Halliford, I think of it as a fun environment, a place to learn while also developing friendships.

WHAT HALLIFORD MEANS TO ME…

Estelle Warner What makes being a Hallifordian so special to me is the sense of community that the school embodies.

When I joined here in September 2018, I immediately felt welcomed, particularly through the respect and kindness that both students and staff alike showed me. I’ve made friends for life here and memories which I will treasure forever! Many of these centre around the performing arts side of Halliford, such as singing in various school concerts and acting in Arabian Nights and Blood Brothers, as well as the incredible drama trip to New York which I will never forget! I was also very happy to be placed in Wadham House under the guidance of Mrs Butler-Smith and was delighted to be made the Wadham House Captain in my second and final year at Halliford. I’m so glad that I chose to come here to do my A Levels and I feel very lucky to have been part of such a unique school.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Shoe Box Appeal

by Mr James Bown, Deputy Head Halliford was delighted to support Twickenham Rotary Club and Year 7 parent Mrs Eva Marten in their annual children’s shoebox appeal, for children in Eastern Europe.

With short notice, the Charity Prefects set about motivating the School community to donate one shoebox per Tutor group, and my goodness, did the efforts of everyone pay off. In Assembly at the end of that week, Mr Bown was delighted to announce that as a school community, we have filled 104 boxes - a staggering effort, in such a short space of time and one that will support the lives of young people less fortunate.

Many thanks to all for supporting this appeal.

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Autumn Highlights

November Lunchtime Concert

by Nicholas Atherfold, Year 12

The concert began with Jivraj Singh from Year 9 playing two pieces: Theme from Sonatina by Attwood and The Egyptian Level by Kevin Wooding, a composer as well as a photography teacher. These two pieces were followed by Year 8 student Joshua Turley singing Ah! How Pleasant ‘Tis To Love by Purcell, an English Baroque composer who began composing at nine years old. He was also the organist at Westminster Abbey and is buried there, adjacent to the organ. This song conveys Purcell’s thought that it is great to be loved.

The next performance was Moon Over The Ruined Castle, by Rentarō Taki played by William Dobby from Year 7 on the cello. Rentarō Taki was one of Japan’s best-known pianists and composers, born around the period when Japan ‘opened up’ (Meiji period) to the rest of the world, with this piece being inspired by the ruins of Oka castle.

The next piece was Mo Better Blues, by Bill Lee, performed by Year 10 student Riley Whittington and composed for a film by the same name. Bill Lee was an American born in 1928, during the prohibition he therefore grew up when jazz was starting to become more mainstream.

We were then treated to Song For My Father, by Horace Silver, performed on the saxophone by Oscar Donovan from Year 11. This was one of Silver’s most famous compositions and has become a Jazz standard. Silver is said to be a pioneer of ‘hard bop’ as well, a style of jazz that became recognised around the 1950s.

The penultimate performance was by Daniel Bootle-Wilbraham from Year 8 who performed two trumpet pieces My Lady’s Pavan and Tennessee Rag, both

by Philip Sparke. Philip Sparke is an award-winning English composer who has written a lot for brass.

Finally Year 11 student Cameron Collie and Mrs Head played a duet of the James Bond theme by Monty Norman arranged for four hands on the piano

by Jeremy Siskind. Norman is a composer for film and video game scores still composing at the age of 91!

Overall this concert was filled with music from many eras, played by a variety of different instruments, displaying the talent and breadth of the Halliford Music Department.

Many thanks to Mrs Head and Mr Willams for organising this concert.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Year 8 trip to Hampton Court

by Mrs Fenella Wilbraham, History & Politics Teacher

On Tuesday 26 November, Year 8 visited Hampton Court Palace to develop their learning about Henry VIII and the religious changes which took place during the reigns of the five Tudor monarchs. Each teaching group had a chance to tour the palace and gardens and take part in the ‘Religious Rollercoaster’ workshop which helped them to understand what it would have been like to live in such dangerous times, by equating support for a particular religion with supporting a football team and getting the boys to understand why it would be hard to convince people to support their rivals! Nearly everyone took the opportunity to visit the gift shop, and we suspect Hampton Court was cleared out of wooden swords by the time we left. Below are some student reports on their visit.

Aayush Bathia, 8J

Ashwyn Needs, 8K

On Tuesday 26 November 2019 Year 8 went on a day trip to Hampton Court Palace. We were sorted out into our teaching groups. First off, we went into the palace and met our guide who told us all about the Tudor monarchs. She also took us to the Great Hall then the room with all the tapestries and last she took us to the Processional Gallery. She told us about Henry’s religious change and that he fundamentally changed the nature of religion in England by breaking free of the Catholic Church.

This established the groundwork for England to become a Protestant country. This was my favourite part of the day.

My highlight of the trip was visiting the kitchen. This for sure was the busiest part of the palace because it prepared food for the Great Hall (that’s where he would socialise) and many people were rushing in and out of the kitchen delivering food and wine. Another interesting thing I saw was how they cooked their meat. They would have boys called spit boys who rolled the metal rod with the meat on whilst there was an open fire cooking it. It would have made hanging on monkey bars seem easy because the boys had to roll a heavy rod with meat on nonstop! Also, the clerks had to do this very important job which

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Autumn Highlights was to check the royal food for poison. Then we were shown two pictures which were Henry’s dream family and Elizabeth’s rainbow drawing. My preferred picture was Henry’s dream family painting because it could show how much he loved Jane Seymour because they had Edward but unfortunately, she died after childbirth and Edward died young as well.

James McCummiskey, 8L On Tuesday 26 November 2019, Year 8 went on a history trip to Hampton Court, most well known for being the home of King Henry VIII during the 1500s. We arrived and were given a sheet that would give us an explanation of the various features of this beautiful palace. We entered through the main entrance into Base Court, while Mr. Cunningham explained to us that the gateway was supposedly haunted. We then turned left out of the large courtyard into King William III’s apartments, then into the palace gardens. After exploring those, we returned to Base Court for some much-needed lunch. From there we were educated on religion in the Tudor period by a woman from the 1500s, and we went on an audio tour around the Tudor kitchens.

Finally, we explored the Chapel Royal and the surrounding rooms, discovering wonders such as a painting of Henry VIII’s ideal family, which gave us a great insight to how Henry thought, and the Rainbow Portrait of Elizabeth I – this ties in perfectly with lessons as we are learning about how important image was in Elizabeth’s reign. My favourite of the two, however, has to be the picture of Henry’s family, as I have always been very interested in his mental state as he grew old (did you know that in the eaves in the Great Hall there are faces to intimidate people and remind them that they are always being watched and listened to?). The main highlight was probably looking around Henry VIII’s quarters. We learnt many things on this trip, such as: • There are many haunted places in Hampton Court • King William III tried to redo Hampton Court and make it look more modern but ran out of money before he could finish • The world’s largest grapevine resides in the palace gardens Overall, the trip was thoroughly enjoyable, and I learnt lots along the way. Exploring the palace gardens was really exciting, and I would recommend it to any keen gardener.

Harrison Butler-Smith, 8J My trip to Hampton was an excellent learning experience, we all learnt about the good and bad of Tudor life from the perspective of our own Tudor guide. We learnt about their religious tendencies, their monarchy, and their punishments.

Our guide told us about how religion and their monarchs can relate to one another. For example, Henry VIII was always a devoted Catholic and so England remained a Catholic country,

but then when Prince Edward VI (Henry’s son) became king, he turned England into a Protestant country. Elizabeth allowed for both religions and so was loved by many, we saw many pieces of art made for Elizabeth because of this. One piece of art we particularly enjoyed learning about was called The Rainbow Portrait. This piece portrayed Elizabeth in a robe covered in eyes and ears (a reference to her spy network). She is also shown holding a rainbow, which symbolises peace.

Oliver Whitticase, 8K On Tuesday 26 November, Year 8 took a fascinating trip back in time to Hampton Court where Henry VIII used to live! When we got in, we went into the main courtyard where most of the markets would have been, there were a few statues that really helped us visualise what it would have been like back in around 1530 when Henry was king. Next, we went into the Great Hall where lots of Henry’s parties would have been, on the walls, there were huge paintings and there were big stained-glass windows with pictures of Henry and various other people and lots of Henry’s favourite phrases. They also had lots of Henry’s jokes that his Fool used to tell before a meal written on the tablecloth. After we had been in the Great Hall, we went into a room with lots of Tudor board games that they used to play for entertainment, we had lots of fun trying to figure out how to play! My highlight of the trip was probably the Great Hall as we got to read Henry’s extremely funny jokes!

Amar Ghotra, 8J On our school trip to Hampton Court Palace, we learnt what the Tudors did and where they lived. By the 1530s, Henry VIII’s Hampton Court was a palace, a hotel, a theatre, and a vast leisure complex. The King used it to demonstrate magnificence and power in every possible way, through lavish banquets, extravagant court life, and fabulously expensive art. One of my favourite parts of the trip was when we first entered the courtyard and the garden. When you were to stand in the centre you would see that it was all completely symmetrical, not a leaf or a brick out of place stretching for acres of lush green land.

Carter Robinson, 8K There were many paintings there of Tudor kings and queens, but two caught my eye. It was Henry’s ideal family painting and the Elizabeth rainbow portrait. I preferred Henry’s ideal family but there were many strange things I noticed on Elizabeth’s rainbow portrait. For instance, there were eyes and ears scattered across the sleeve of Elizabeth’s dress, alongside a long green snake next to an apple. I found this very confusing until I learnt that the eyes and ears represented that she or someone is always watching and listening.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Dillan Ramaiya, 8J On 26 of November, we went on a trip to Hampton Court Palace to find out about the lifestyle of Henry VIII and the religion at the Tudor times.

The main two religions in the Tudor times were Catholic and Protestant. Henry VIII was a devout Catholic and hated Protestants so much that he kept them away from the Catholic Church. But before Henry was King, a man called Cardinal Wolsey who was an English archbishop, statesman and a cardinal of the Catholic Church built Hampton Court. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the King’s almoner (a Middle English word).

My favourite part of the trip was when we went into the Great Hall, which was the main room of a royal palace. This is where we found out about, Henry’s motto, ‘Dieu et mon droit’ which means, ‘God and my right’. We also learnt that the main entertainments were music, dance, and fighting.

Aidan Tattersall, 8J For our history trip this year we went to Hampton Court Palace, it was a great trip and we had lots of fun. First, we got toured around by one of the staff, she told us about the Tudor timeline and the similarities between Catholics and Protestants, we got shown the badge of Anne Boleyn but it was extremely old and quite broken but we could see the purpose of this badge: Anne Boleyn had a crowned falcon on hers to represent happiness and power. We also got shown the rainbow portrait, it was very clever because it showed Elizabeth I with lots of symbols

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meaning different things. Such as the basket on her head: to show that she will not leave this country to famine and share food properly, or the angel wings: to prove that God has chosen her to be queen, the serpent on her arm was there to prove that she is cunning, agile and very wise. We also went to the kitchens and found out what and how the king and his courtiers ate, the courtiers only got the ‘less good’ food such as cheap lamb and bread but the king (at the time Henry VIII) got several types of wine and good quality vegetables and meat!

Daniel Bootle-Wilbraham, 8K On the Year 8 trip to Hampton Court, we learned about its royal owner, King Henry VIII. As we went in, we marvelled at the size of the palace and the splendour of the courtyard. Very soon after getting accustomed to the sheer awe of the place, we went inside, into the Tudor part of the palace. We entered the Great Hall where we went about collecting answers from tables that surrounded the hall. Afterwards, we went into a room full of animal heads. Then we went into a long passage with pictures all along it. The most striking picture I saw was the one commissioned by Henry VIII of the pope being stoned by the writers of the Gospels. Next, we went into the council room and pretended to be the counsellors and the King. After that, we went past Henry VIII’s family portrait, including Jane Seymour, Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward by his father’s side. Past this portrait was the chapel, with a replica of the imperial state crown on show. Next, we started our ‘Religious Rollercoaster’ workshop which was interesting and interactive and we learnt more about the Tudors.

Autumn Highlights

Science Live!

by Samuel Imperato, Year 12

On 22 November, Dr Brooks took the Biology A Level students to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to see the muchappraised Science Live lecture event. We saw five main lectures, including one by world-famous scientist Professor Robert Winston, famous for his research into the early diagnosis of genetic defects in babies and the BAFTA-winning TV series The Human Body.

My favourite was the lecture by Dr Adam Rutherford, called A Brief History Of Everyone Who Ever Lived. His unique, quirky approach intrigued me, especially as he explained how fellow researchers use a combination of archaeology, history, art and our genetic information (genomes) to repaint the picture of the human story and our existence.

Towards the end of the lecture, he continually made jokes mocking the likes of Danny Dyer on his discovery of his royal blood, causing an eruption of laughter on many occasions. I thoroughly enjoyed the day, and I would love to go back again next year.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Blood Brothers by Willy Russell

A review by Mr Anthony Cunningham, Head of Classics

The Drama Department, headed by Mr Bruno and Mrs Rooke, has become a formidable partnership. They delighted us last year with their first collaboration, Arabian Nights. In late November 2019, they put together a moving production of Willy Russell’s play, Blood Brothers at the John Crook Theatre.

Blood Brothers is a powerful morality tale about a young mother who finds herself in desperate financial circumstances, and reluctantly agrees to give one of her twin baby boys away to a wealthy benefactor. Inevitably, the decision to keep the brothers apart spectacularly fails and the unfolding drama careers towards a tragic finale. Without including spoilers, the final scene resembles something out of a Jacobean tragedy.

Each performance was double cast and in the first act, Mrs Johnstone and her nemesis Mrs Lyons were played by our talented Sixth Form students Estelle Warner and Lily Egleton. They were supported admirably by James Connolly and Cameron Bird as the twins Mickey and Eddie. Joe Arbiter provided a charming comic turn as young Linda – warmly received by the audience in such an intensely dark piece as this. Carter Robinson scored a hit as the menacing young Sammy.

In the second act, we were treated to a whole range of different talents. It is never easy to assume a role begun by another actor

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– especially within the same play! However, both Gallagher Dillon and Robert Pleasance were absolutely equal to the roles of Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons. Riley Whittington and Charlie BarkerBroe seamlessly assumed the characters of teen Mickey and adult Mickey while William Shanley and Alexander Clifton shared the honours by playing Eddie in their respective age transitions.

James Manzi was a powerful presence as the adult Sammy while the sensitive role of Linda was divided between Remy Matthews and Barny Mather.

Russell tells his story in the style of a Greek drama. A Chorus comment on the action throughout and normally this role is played by a single actor. However, in this production, the Chorus provided the large, talented cast with several speaking parts.

They gave the drama a real edge, never flinching from revealing the less sentimental elements of Russell’s story. Of note, was the work the group had put into mastering their accents. These were spot on and placed us squarely in the back streets of Liverpool.

Autumn Highlights

No production can truly fly without its technical crew. Stage managers Oliver Fisk, Charlie Poulter, William Jackson, and James Woodgate showed their managerial skills by organising everyone smoothly behind the scenes and were supported by Halliford newcomer, Reece Pittaluga. The evocative costumes were supplied by Mrs Wain who completed this mammoth job cheerfully and without complaint. The lighting design was especially powerful and was supervised by Charlie Poulter (who also operated the soundboard). William Greaves not only acted as part of the ensemble but also played the piano accompaniment to the musical numbers. Edward Ellis and Lars Olafsson were of significant help to Mr Abbott in the construction of his simple but effective sets.

Mrs Rooke commented that, ‘The touching story of twins separated at birth spans these young men’s entire lives from birth to manhood and has resounded with teenage boys for decades. Our boys are no exception and they thoroughly enjoyed watching Mickey and Eddie grow up and face many of the challenges they face.

It was a pleasure to watch the boys work so beautifully together.

They supported each other superbly and held the piece together with absolute professionalism. It was also encouraging to see how students from every year group worked so willingly and effortlessly as one strong unit. Working alongside Mr Bruno, the Head of Drama, has been a joy. Having covered Arabian Nights and Blood Brothers I can’t wait to plunge into our next collaboration!’

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Halliford Mock Election

by Mrs Fenella Wilbraham, History & Politics Teacher

Rather unexpectedly, we found ourselves running our second election in the space of 18 months – the heady heights of May 2017 seemed but a distant memory, when the Liberal Democrats squeaked past UKIP to win the most number of votes in the Halliford Election.

This year, we decided to run the election under a more realistic First Past the Post system, where each form would represent a constituency and the winner would be the party with the most number of seats: 32 constituencies (including 5 for the staff) meant 19 seats were needed for an overall majority.

Halliford’s Current Affairs Club divided themselves into supporters of the various parties and each party nominated a candidate to deliver their manifesto speech and stand as a candidate. After much discussion and some defections between parties, the chosen Halliford candidates were: Freddie Graves (13G: Brexit Party); Finlay Crichard (12D: Conservative); Max Morrell (12W: Green Party); Louis Mercer (12R: Labour); Daniel Wilkes (11W: Liberal Democrats); George Phillips (10W: Monster Raving Loony Party).

Speeches were written over the preceding weeks and delivered in assembly by our candidates, with George’s announcement of his party’s policies (such as planning to ban leeks from all government buildings due to security concerns) being greeted with general hilarity.

Election Day, Wednesday 27 November, dawned. Ballot boxes were set up in the courtyard and queues of students eager to cast their ballots formed at break and lunchtime. Turnout across the school was high, with an average turnout of 77%. 7D

won the turnout prize with an incredible 100% turnout as all 16 students voted.

The results turned up some interesting outcomes. The disadvantages of the First Past the Post system were shown in the way that some parties were under-rewarded for the number of votes they received and some were greatly over-rewarded.

The Greens and Conservatives respectively received 17% and 14% of the votes but only gained 8% and 5% of the seats. Labour gained no seats despite gaining 5% of the available votes because their support was spread across the school while the Brexit party gained two seats with 5% of votes because their support was more concentrated in two forms in year 11 and Sixth Form. In a result very different from those in UK General Elections, the Liberal Democrats received 37% of votes cast but gained a huge majority of 53% of the seats.

Voting trends across the different year groups also deserve some analysis. Year 10, unsurprisingly, voted overwhelmingly Monster Raving Loony in support of George Phillips. Every form in years 7 and 8 was won by the Liberal Democrats despite a strong challenge in percentage votes cast from the Green party.

Wadham across all year groups showed the most support for the Monster Raving Loonies, Russell was more Liberal / Green and Desborough had a Liberal / Conservative split. The only forms to vote Brexit were Upper School Greville forms, perhaps in support of the candidate who is from Greville: or maybe they were convinced by his argument that it was time to get Brexit done.

We were delighted at the enthusiasm shown by the students and the excellent preparation done by the candidates and their support teams in writing and delivering their speeches, and running the process on Election Day. There was perhaps a sense of relief that a majority had been reached and we at Halliford would not be facing the prospect of a Liberal Democrat / Monster Raving Loony coalition government.

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Autumn Highlights

Christmas Carol Service

by Mrs Helen Head and Tom Wittke, Year 12

The evening started with a pizza dinner, courtesy of Alan and his team. Then we walked down to St. Nicholas’ Church in the drizzle, accompanied by the Headmaster, Mr Williams, Mrs Head and Miss Killick.

We arrived at the church with enough time to run through the programme before the service was due to start. Reverend Swift arrived and started preparing himself. The congregation, made up mainly of parents and pupils, started arriving and taking their seats.

The service was due to start at 7pm, but the church bells rang 5 minutes early which confused everyone, especially Mr Davies who stopped playing the organ thinking the service was about to start!

Reverend Swift welcomed everyone to the church and then the service began with the famous Once in Royal David’s City solo performed faultlessly by Laith Shafighian in Year 8. After that the congregational carols and readings began.

A treble trio of Laith, Henry Crowther, and Billy Dobby gave a stunning performance of Stephen Adams’ The Holy City and the Chamber Choir performed Elgar’s atmospheric The Snow with violin accompaniment by Ms Sarah Mallock and Monty Savarino. The School Choir raised the roof singing old favourites, O Holy Night and Personent Hodie.

An unexpected reading was James Manzi’s excerpt from How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr Seuss, and Sam Martin was so eager to do his reading that he got up before instead of after O Holy Night!

Thanks to the PTA, mince pies and mulled wine were served in the Parish Centre afterwards.

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HALLIFORD LIFE

New Boys’ Afternoon

School Art Club

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New Boys’ Sports

Morning

Puzzle C

ess! nce Department take on adnScie er Mthe vembfrom Mcofour The fantasti the Shine Night Walk

Club

Autumn Highlights

HALLIFORD LIFE

Model Engineering Club Winners Speaks Competition Lily Egleton wins Best Speaker at the Rotary Youth

Year 7 Celebration Lunch in the

Sixth Form Cafe

s! s Best Chairperson at the neswin Madam berbrah vemWil MotleDaniel Boo Rotary Youth Speaks Competition

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Autumn Term Sports Report

by Mr James Greggor, Director of Sport The Autumn Term has once again been extremely busy in the PE and Sports Department. I would like to personally thank the students for all their hard work, effort and enthusiasm and also the squad coaches who give up their time during lunch, after school and at weekends to provide these opportunities for our students.

Halliford continues to maintain its tradition of mass participation and, as playing records suggest, remains extremely competitive against much larger schools.

RUGBY

U12 Mr Greggor

A Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

14

10

0

4

285

170

115

B Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

9

6

2

1

250

120

130

Year 7 have had a fantastic first term of Sport at Halliford. They have approached rugby with great enthusiasm and interest and have been a fantastic group to work with. Training numbers have remained outstanding, and the boys have worked hard to develop their knowledge and understanding of the game. As the playing records above suggest, both A and B teams have had very successful seasons. The B team record shows what strength in depth there is in the year group.

U12A team, captained by Oliver White, has played some excellent rugby against tough opposition this season. They only lost two matches in block fixtures and a couple of others at the Middlesex County Festival where they finished plate Runners Up having won three, drawn one and lost two fixtures throughout the competition. Players who impressed consistently during the season have been props, Leo Hobbs and Austin Johnson. Josh Morrison at scrum-half, Captain Oliver White at fly-half, Felix Porter at inside centre and top try scorer Xander Gray on the wing have consistently maintained high standards of performance in the backline. Highlights of the season included victories at home against Churcher’s College, Wallington County Grammar and away at Tiffin.

U12B team should be hugely satisfied with their magnificent season, one of the stronger B teams in recent times, losing only one fixture. Captain Theo Maroussas at fly-half is a real lynchpin for this side.

Coupled with some excellent coaching from Mr Churchill the boys played some good rugby and enjoyed themselves. Due to their enthusiasm, we often took large squads to games and rotated the boys very successfully. Some also gained experience for the A team squad in the last couple of games of the season. I am sure more B team will represent the A team next season if they maintain their motivated, hard-working attitude.

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Autumn Sports Report

U12A team pictured after their fixture away to Salesian College Farnborough

U13 Mr Morriss

A Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

14

7

1

6

250

215

35

B Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

9

4

0

5

140

245

-105

The U13s have had a wonderful season under the leadership of co-captains Hepworth and Smith, winning some great games and contesting superbly in those they ultimately ended up losing.

Numbers at training have been fantastic every week, often with 30 boys coming to hone their skills and look to build upon an impressive debut year at Halliford last season. Many of the boys played in new positions and started to acquire and develop a different skillset entirely. Perhaps the most impressive of these was Felix Labaki, who entered the forward pack after coming back from injury and displayed dominant tackling throughout every single game he played. The forwards often dominated games and meant the boys always had the option of playing on the front foot. These were led by talisman prop Archie Brake, most improved player of the season Seb Matthewman and number 8, Hayden Barrett, who was often pivotal in whether matches were won or lost, tackling strongly and scoring at will with a combination of strength and speed.

The pack was marshalled by scrum-half Ollie Hepworth and in commanding fashion, always led from the front with his tackle and jackling technique. This led to some impressive displays early on in the season with wins away at King Edward, Southampton, Claremont, and Tiffin. The toughest match of the year came against a Claires Court team who have not lost as a side in 26 matches and became our focus when setting standards in training.

The boys knew it would be a tough fixture but in front of a home crowd, fronted up right from the start and up until the final whistle. This led to some changes in the backline and trying to establish new routines, which meant inconsistent performances against Grey Court and Hampton. The team did start to gel though towards the second half of the season and pulled together in some superbly contested games with a 15-15 draw away at Wallington, with winger and full-back Will Hamilton scoring with the last play of the game.

This momentum was taken into the next game away at Churcher’s College, another tough opponent but everyone in the team played their part, led by Max Smith in the centre with some tough tackling, the team 51

TheHALLIFORDIAN was victorious 15-10. They also competed at the County Tournament held at St. James School which proved highly competitive and finished 2nd in both their morning and afternoon pools. Three wins and three losses meant a finish of 7th place overall due to points difference, but the atmosphere surrounding their performances was positive throughout the whole day. It was a long cold day, and everyone took their turns in performing admirably, but a little too much by the end of some bruising encounters and a loss to finish the day. Ollie Hill deserves a special mention for playing almost every position in the backline throughout the season, displaying flexibility and command of his teammates wherever he was asked to play. The final home game of the season allowed the boys to truly show what they were capable of as a squad and did not disappoint. A 45-5 victory against Salesian College was the epitome of everything they had worked towards throughout the season and a hat-trick of rewards for the player of the season, Josh Rowe.

The U13B team has endured a tough but rewarding season throughout this year. Coached by newcomer Mr Watson meant that everyone was honing their skills and looking to learn more about the game, new to many of them in Year 7. They were co-captained by Ben Mills and Cameron Terry, who both experienced A-team rugby at points throughout the year and helped other players with their good knowledge of the game. They started the season promisingly with imposing wins against Claremont and Tiffin, along with a battling display against the very strong Claires Court B-side. Monty Savarino, James McCummiskey and Charlie Osborne all played their part in attack, scoring most of the tries between them. Unfortunately, they lost their way around half-term and struggled with inconsistent performances, going down to losses against Grey Court, Hampton, Wallington and Churcher’s College. However, the boys continued to strive in lessons and after-school training, finally managing to secure a win in their final game of the season at home against Salesian College 20-10. Players that also impressed as the season progressed were Sammi Matoorian-Pour and Luke Harrison in the backline and best trainer of the season, Archie Ferguson, who improved vastly becoming a very competent all-round forward, running some excellent lines.

U14 Mr Shales

A Played 13 B Played 6

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

8

0

5

298

280

18

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

2

0

4

84

114

-30

The U14s have had a pleasing season overall. They have developed their skill sets throughout the term and have played with some very good shape and pattern. A number of the new boys have added even more strength in depth to both the A and B teams. It has been great to see so many boys wanting to represent the school, on a few Saturdays we had over 40 boys playing which was a fantastic achievement.

A Team The season started with the visit of King Edward’s Southampton. It was a highly competitive match throughout, which we eventually won 37-26 thanks to a hat trick from James Webley. The visit by Claremont followed. This match was a mixed A and B fixture. A number of the new boys got their chance to impress, and they certainly did so in a 31-14 victory. A third victory followed away to Claires Court. A very dominant performance from start to finish saw us run out 47-12 winners.

A first loss of the season, a 22-0 defeat, came away at Tiffin. Although we stuck to the game plan, we lost the battle of the breakdown and sadly spurned a few scoring opportunities. A couple of days later we faced St. Richard Reynolds in the Middlesex Cup. We played some of our best-attacking rugby in what was a competitive match. Eventually, we ran out winners 45-38. We then played another mixed A and B match against City of London Freemen’s. Again, it was a real back and forth affair, but the boys held firm to win 41-31. The half term ended with a loss to Grey Court 20-0. They were an extremely powerful and wellorganised side who played some great rugby.

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Autumn Sports Report Straight after half term, we travelled to St Benedict’s for the next round of the Middlesex Cup. They started the game very strongly but were unable to convert our dominance into points. Unfortunately, they scored a couple of breakaway tries that took the momentum away from us and we lost 26-14. The following week ten of the boys joined forces with ten U15s to take on Redham House. The boys did not look out of place playing with the older boys and they ran out comfortable 50-0 winners. The visit by Wallington Grammar followed.

They were an incredibly powerful side who played some very physical and attacking rugby. Despite losing 47-0 the boys showed some great fight and determination and never gave up.

Churcher’s College were the next visitors to ‘Wemberlee’. The boys knew that this was going to be a very tight game, and the half time score of 5-0 to Churcher’s proved this. Unfortunately, the boys did not turn it up in the second half, losing their focus and intensity and leading to a 26-0 loss. The boys needed a strong response and they certainly got this against Salesian College. From the off, they were up for the game. James Webley scored the first of his three tries early on and we never looked back. Strong and determined in defence and clinical in attack, we ran out 42-8 winners. Our final match was against Windsor Boys and we left our best performance of the season to last. From the get-go, we attacked with purpose and direction and defended strongly. The forwards dominated the breakdown and gave quick ball for the backs to capitalise on in a 36-17 victory. It was a great way to end the season and highlighted the amount of progress that the boys have made.

There were several stand-out performances throughout the season, Louie Paterson and Will Shanley both captained the side and led from the front. Ben Hughes and Zephan Avaan were a constant threat up front.

Lucas Lindstrup and Tom Wilkin marshalled the backline well. James Webley and Hayden Haslam-Baker were dangerous out wide.

B Team King Edward’s Southampton were the first visitors to ‘Wemberlee’. Nearly thirty boys played for Halliford in this fixture which was a great achievement. In a very competitive game, we ran out 19-10 winners. A visit to Tiffin followed and it was a real back and forth affair. The lead changed hands several times, but sadly the score finished 32-26 to Tiffin. The next match against Grey Court was another very tight affair but we suffered a 12-0 loss. The match against Wallington Grammar was highly competitive. The score was 17-17 at half time, but sadly they had a very strong bench and ran out 38-17 winners.

The pattern of tight games followed with the visit by Churcher’s College. Sadly, despite a lot of possession, we were unable to cross the line and eventually lost 15-0. The final match for the B team came against Salesian College. It was another close game, but the boys put in the strongest performance of the season to triumph 24-7.

All of the boys who represented the team performed very well. Kajay Moss and Matthew Sanders led from the front as captains. James Hallett and Will Mardon were really strong in defence, and Tommy Ballard and Nate Broadhurst have been dangerous in attack.

The depth in this year group created by several newcomers will prove valuable for the demands of U15 Rugby next year.

U15 Mr Slocock

A Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

14

10

0

Grevi 4 lle

357

207

150

B Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

8

2

0

6

191

268

-77

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TheHALLIFORDIAN Halliford U15A had a fantastic start to the season, playing incredible rugby and gelling as a team. The players took to the new pattern of play and produced fantastic results against good schools like KES, Claires Court and Tiffin. Each game produced fantastic spells of play and showed the true potential of this team. The game of the first half of term, however, had to be the win over St Benedict’s with backs and forwards working U15A team pictured after their fixture away well together to secure the victory. Unfortunately, a to Windsor Boys tight schedule resulted in the loss of some players and going into the London Oratory game without the inspirational Paul-Louis Howard was always going to be a tough ask. This was exacerbated by the loss of our perennial head knock champion, Will Jackson. Despite a Herculean effort, Oratory was able to overcome our defence to claim the win on an interesting field full of natural duck manure. The schedule worked against the team as the cup games caused a string of games to be close together resulting in a couple of losses to close the first half of the season. Grey Court was a close affair and it was a try in the dying seconds that won them again, but the scoreline in the St John’s game flattered the opposition as Halliford fought valiantly throughout the match, but for a few breakaway scores.

The second half of the term started well with excellent performances by the Year 10s in a combined Year 9 and 10 drubbing of Reddam House, before an outstanding performance against Wallington Grammar saw Halliford run out deserved victors. The match of the season was always earmarked as that against Churcher’s College and what a game it was. Without the inspirational Oscar McArdle who had been playing outstanding rugby all season, but particularly over the last few games, the team stepped up to the mark.

The team was also missing Harri Roberts who was having to undergo numerous checks to see if he had any cognitive functions. An early injury in the game to Will Jackson, another head knock, created a re-shuffle and allowed Churcher’s to capitalise. Despite Halliford spending most of the time in the Churcher’s half, they managed to capitalise with the few visits they made to our 22. With players down, the war of attrition paid off and it was only in the final few minutes that Churcher’s were able to make the scoreline flatter their performance. The final two games of the season were against Salesian and Windsor Boys. With the winter flu bug hitting early, the team was without inspirational players Oscar McArdle and Louie Fidler. Despite a frosty start and the surface resembling a winter wonderland, a fourteen man Halliford demolished a spirited Salesian team setting them up for an exciting final game of the season. However, the rugby gods had interesting plans for the U15s and it was with bruised bodies following an intense inter-house competition, and several players still away that the boys faced their final hurdle. Windsor had a slow start to the game in contrast to Halliford who bolted out the blocks scoring early points. The second half was a different affair with Windsor putting up a better fight. In the end, however, Halliford was far too strong and managed to come out clear winners as encapsulated by Freddie King’s conversion of Harri Robert’s try. All in all the U15s have had an excellent season. There have been outstanding performances with excellent growth and development. Well done to everyone.

The U15Bs were masters of their own fate. Many players such as Eddie Rabett, Lucas Davies, Ivo ‘Le Grande Rouge Faucon’ Evans, Riley Whittington, and Jai Toor stepped up their game to become part of the A Team squad and easily slotted in when needed. There was a core of keen players who could be relied upon week in and week out, the likes of Finley Broekhuizen, James Manzi and Ollie Willoughby. However, their biggest downfall was a lack of depth on game day. Outstanding score lines like Claremont Fan Court and City of London Freeman’s represented what this team could do if all the players made themselves available, but sadly it was a valiant effort by only 12 boys that saw a disappointing score against Wallington and the fact the team could only scrape together 15 players that led to the score against Churcher’s. The high hopes for a full squad leading into the final game were dashed by illness to A team players and injuries to other stalwarts such as Theo Lloyd. Freddie Robinson, Oscar Wort and Michael Van Rensburg were roped in from the U14s and the Bs arrived in good spirits. Playing with 14 players against 15 was always going to be a tough task, but the boys stepped up and fought hard to the bitter end losing by a meagre 7 points. The strength in depth at U15 bodes well for the future and there is no doubt that, in true Halliford fashion, some of these players will represent the first team as they come of age.

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Autumn Sports Report

Halliford 1st XV Mr Hodgkinson

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

12

4

0

8

235

364

-111

Our 1st XV was very much a new-look side this term, having said goodbye to several stalwart Year 13s who left for university and a talented crop of Year 11s who accepted rugby scholarships to Seaford College, Whitgift, Harrow and Sedbergh. This season was going to be a season for rebuilding, consolidating and looking ahead to next year. The boys got off to an excellent start in their first fixture of the season beating King Edward’s Southampton 32-5.

1XV pictured after their fixture away to Windsor Boys

As a result of the departures, the door was opened for many of our talented U16 team to take the step up to first team U18 Rugby. Ted Luckins, Christopher Long, James Taylor, Sebastian McGill, and Henry Gulliver, to name a few, have all maintained regular starting positions in the 1XV, which is quite a feat as they have consistently played against boys two school years above them.

With half of our 1XV often made up of U16s this term there have been some physically challenging matches and the season was very much made up of two halves. In our first half term we came second in many matches, not through a lack of talent or execution of skills but through often coming off physically second best to older opponents. This was certainly the case in early encounters with Claires Court, Tiffin, Reading, and Forest, where these sides were predominantly made up of sixth formers.

Despite the tough start to the season the boys remained motivated and kept working hard, building on the valuable experiences and learning from them. Following half term, the team gathered momentum with some important personnel returning from injury, including captain and talisman Archie Laird.

It began with a grudge match against Claires Court who, months earlier, we were sorely beaten by. Despite this, the team’s growing passion, talent, and chemistry, which had been culminating over time in both training and matches, was unleashed with star performances in Archie Laird and Will Wheeler leading to role reversal with Halliford standing tall and achieving a win of 48-12 amongst great celebration. The return to form was a testament to the tenacity of the team and the growth seen in all players, most notably Dan Matoorian-Pour and Josh Burson, who paved the way by stepping up to all challenges before them.

The momentum started by the 1XV in this match was continued with injections of passion, although sometimes misplaced, from Joe Shedden and Harry Curtis causing the progressive growth and bonding of the team spanning three school years, which in turn lead to palpable chemistry blossoming in the side.

However, this new season also offered opportunities to learn, like a close-fought match with old rivals Forest School only igniting the minds of our side and inspiring improvement. Spirits were hardly broken this season as the team had the unconditional, zealous support of the Halliford Rugby Instagram page, ran

by Harry Gibbons and Chris Cole; keenly documenting all the statistics of matches as well as news on Old Hallifordians and thus forming the foundation for rugby throughout the entire school.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN Progressing forward the 1st XV saw landmark victories against ACS Cobham and Reading school. These matches were exhibitions of stellar rugby from both forwards and backs and allowed the team to form friendships in victory, bridging the gap between Year 11s and Sixth Formers to create a side that could adapt and respond to the trials of the season. As these bonds strengthened, there were increasing calls for the first-ever social event to be held for a Hallifordian team, an encapsulation of closeness seen growing in the squad. However, in possibly the most disappointing turn of events this season, this never happened and will likely haunt the minds of the players from now until the summer, when the next stage of our rugby will be explored.

Despite losing our final match of the season by a narrow margin, the broadening of this team’s horizons is clear and their unequaled passion for the sport is yet to cease resonating throughout the school.

Halliford 2nd XV (U16)

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This year the traditional 2XV has given way to the newly formed U16 team to develop the group further and prepare them to step up to first level in the seasons to come. However, this season has been plagued by almost too much success. With large numbers of the youngsters making the step up to first team level, the team was left somewhat depleted early on and suffered on the scoreboard against Reddam House and Tiffin as a result of this.

U16A team pictured after their Following word spreading that this exciting new step-up could fixture against Leighton Park provide an opportunity for more of the year group to play, the team began to grow in both numbers and quality. This new found vigour culminated in a superb away first half to Shiplake College, arguably one of the best sides in the competition. Following some glistening runs from centres Max Pillinger and Rocco Frame and bulldozing carries from the forward pack, Halliford found themselves two scores to the good at half time. This jubilation was short-lived, however, as a flurry of injuries early in the second half cut numbers back down to the bare bones and resulted in a narrow one score loss. However, this game was a turning point in the season for the group who closed the year with 6 points out of a possible 9 in the last three fixtures of the season. The only one of these three in which the side dropped points was a tough away fixture to Reading School just after the half term break. Following the culmination of the school’s maiden voyage in this league, finishing a respectable 5th, the boys had one last opportunity to showcase their development in a friendly fixture against Leighton Park. This final fixture epitomised everything this group has been about! With 21 bodies available the buoyant side was able to run out 35-0 victors, a result and performance thoroughly deserved by all involved. Although the results themselves may not have been all the team wanted, the attitude, atmosphere, and application demonstrated by all has to be both commended and admired. All told, the group has been fantastic and we could not have asked for any more!

Autumn Highlights

Headmaster’s Select Rugby Squad 2019 Each year Halliford’s rugby coaching staff sit down to agree on the Headmaster’s XV, taking into account players from each age group who have impressed, influenced games, remained committed to training and shown an excellent work ethic throughout the season and as ever, some very tough decisions are made. Here is the Headmaster’s 1XV for the 2019 season:

1

2

3

16

Oscar McArdle Year 10

Archie Laird (C) Year 13

Austin Johnson Year 7

Max Smith Year 8

4

5

6

17

Archie Brake Year 8

Hayden Barrett Year 8

Paul-Louis Howard Year 10

Logan Harvey Year 10

7

8

9

18

William Wheeler Year 12

William Shanley Year 9

Oliver Hepworth Year 8

Sam Bullett Year 13

10

11

12

19

Oliver White Year 7

John Rowe Year 8

Felix Porter Year 7

Ben Hughes Year 9

13

14

15

Joe Shedden Year 13

Lucas Lindstrup Year 9

Louie Paterson Year 9

Rugby Colours Ties Colours ties are presented to senior students who have performed regularly for and impressed in our first XV this term. This year they are awarded to: Harry Curtis - Year 12, Gallagher Dillon - Year 12, Oscar Gammon - Year 12, Ciaran Griffith - Year 12, Henry Gulliver - Year 11, Christopher Long - Year 11, Ted Luckins - Year 11, Danial Matoorian-Pour - Year 12, Alex McConnon - Year 13, Sebastian McGill - Year 11, Christopher Sanders - Year 12, James Taylor - Year 11, Ed Whicker - Year 13

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Inter-House Rugby Results In the final weeks of the Autumn term, each age group plays their inter-house Rugby competition in the year group’s games afternoon. These competitions are always keenly anticipated by the boys and again reinforce our philosophy of mass participation, as the majority of the year group offer themselves for selection by their house captain.

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

U14

Russell

Desborough

Wadham

Greville

U13

Russell

Wadham

Greville

Desborough

U15

Wadham

Russell

Greville

Desborough

U12

Greville

Russell

Desborough

Wadham

Senior

Russell

Desborough

Greville

Wadham

Winner’s categories Winner’s categories Junior (Years 7 and 8) — Russell Intermediate (Years 9 and 10) — Russell Senior (Years 11,12,13) — Russell

Overall winners Russell

BADMINTON AND BASKETBALL

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This year we played some competitive Badminton fixtures against Claremont Fan Court for the first time, with matches for seniors and Year 9 taking place in the first half of term. They were a great success and allowed some students who are not team sport players the chance to represent the school. Basketball matches for mixed Years 7/8 and mixed Years 9/10 teams were also very competitive against Thamesmead School, with Halliford picking up two victories. We have more basketball arranged for the Spring term.

Autumn Sports Report

Hallifordian Sporting Achievements This Term Slovenia Report – Written by James Woodgate This was a ‘development trip’ for those archers coming through the Archery GB talent pathway with international aspirations within the season to experience international competition at the 1st leg of the European Youth Cup. International competitions like the Youth Cups usually take the same format. Teams arrive and receive accreditation on the Sunday, official practice on the Monday, qualification rounds on the Tuesday, individual and team eliminations on Wednesday and Thursday then finals on Friday (Teams) and Saturday (Individual).

ARCHERY

James Woodgate, Year 13

Official practice was wet and as we did not have to get used to much of a time difference, we decided it was best to cut the session short and get warm in the hotel instead. My shooting was going well so I was happy enough. Overnight the rain turned into a gusty wind towards the mountains behind the competition field. The view was much less grey than the day before, but it did not exactly help for the qualification round. It was a tricky wind to deal with, with significant gusts switching between left and right frequently throughout the round. Luckily my shot was just as good as on official practice so I managed to put a decent score down despite the weather, qualifying 4th out of my category and top out of the GB team. This meant I got pre-seeded into the second round of head-to-heads, which allowed me to have a day off on Wednesday.

Fortunately, Thursday’s weather was drier and less windy than before. Unfortunately, although I shot well in the warmup and relatively well in my first head to head, I was not able to get past some stiff competition from a Ukrainian. Despite this, after getting out some inevitable frustration on the practice field, and practising with my teammates, I felt more prepared for what was to come in the team rounds the next day.

It was a good morning for shooting, and it was obvious in the scores being shot on the field - especially from our opponents, Germany, who consistently put down good arrows to beat us in straight sets, partially as we did not continue quite the same standard of shooting as in the warm up before the matches. As my competitive shooting was over for the week, I once again headed to the practice range and managed to shoot 13 points over my PB for a 60m round. So, to conclude, I’d say it was a pretty good week for my first international!

James’ Successes This Season: James competed in both legs of the European Youth Cup and has a silver medal for being 2nd in the European Youth Cup circuit, unsurprisingly the top placed GB cadet recurve gent.

He competed at the Youth World Archery Championships in Madrid and placed 17th in his category, a fantastic placing for his first year on the international stage and again the top GB competitor in his category.

He finished the season with the Gold medal at the Archery GB Key Event Finals, held in Caldicot Castle, Wales, and is the culmination of a series of National Events.

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Archery GB Olympic Ambition Squad James recently received the news from Archery GB that he has been accepted into the Archery GB Ambition Squad.

In a bid to ensure a legacy for athletes and coaches and to fulfil the need for continued development, Archery GB has created the Olympic Ambition Squad.

Athletes invited to join the Olympic Ambition Squad have shown their shooting capability through their scores or ability to win medals, alongside a lifestyle that allows them to commit to the programme and team.

Olympic Ambition Squad: Women: • Kate Dunnighan • Penny Healey • Yulia Larkins • Louisa Piper • Eleanor Piper • Lizzie Warner Men: • Cameron Donaldson • Keith Harding • Thomas Nairn • Ryan Pinder • Jacob Reid • James Woodgate The Olympic Ambition athletes and coaches will work with a team of experts, with various skills and experience in delivering high levels of performance.

Athletes and their coaches will be encouraged to take the opportunities to train with the Olympic Squad and to attend competitions and camps in appropriate international settings.

The Olympic Ambition Squad Programme will run from October to April, coming to a conclusion with the Olympic selection shoot at the Bagatir Spring Competition in Antalya, Turkey.

CRICKET

Will Hamilton, Year 8

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Will has been selected for the Surrey CCC U13 Winter training programme. This involves a series of net sessions and skill-based coaching including fielding, specialist bowling and batting activities. Will has particularly enjoyed the expertise on offer from the coaching staff which comprises of many ex-County and International Cricketers.

Will is due to be involved in four matches in the early cricket season where, if he performs well in these, he will be selected for the final Surrey squad and represent them in a series of County fixtures.

Autumn Sports Report In October half term Brin attended a 7-day training camp in Cyprus and upon his return spent the weekend in Portsmouth at the South East Short Course Winter Championship, winning a silver medal in 50 Freestyle. He competes in the Nationals in December at Sheffield.

Brin has recently also received confirmation that he has qualified for three events at the Winter Nationals in December. There are only two qualifying groups, Seniors and Juniors, thus making the qualifying times very tough to achieve. The events he has qualified for are 100m Free, 50m Free, and 50m Fly over five days.

SWIMMING

Brin Dorrell, Year 12

South England Winter Nationals 2019 Performance In a championship where Brin competed in the 18 years and under age group, his PB performances saw him go under 24s for the first time 23.95s for 50m Freestyle and another 1/2 second PB in 50m Fly nearly breaking the 26s barrier in 26.17. Excellent times for his age group (16yrs) placing him in the top British Swimming rankings and a great place for the start of long course racing from January 2020.

Sebastian is currently in Year 11 at Halliford and has impressed in our 1XV this season holding down a regular starting position. This is particularly impressive as he has held off competition from Sixth Formers.

Following a successful county season last year at U15, Seb was invited to trial again for Middlesex this year at U16. After an intense trial process including three training sessions, selections were made, and Seb was delighted to hear he has once again made the squad for this year.

Hayden has been selected for the U13 South England team. This has been a long selection process starting in October. Hayden made it to the final 14 last month, and then 12 were picked for the national tournament being held at the end of this month at the National Performance Centre in Manchester. His team will compete against seven other regions over two days.

RUGBY

Sebastian McGill, Year 11

BASKETBALL

Hayden Barrett, Year 8

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BIATHLON/ ATHLETICS/ TRIATHLON

Spencer Bateman, Year 11

Spencer has been trying to focus on athletics over the summer with the aim of recording a good 1500m time. Joining Sutton & District Athletics not only gave him some good training in cross country but also allowed him to enter quite a few league competitions which have been a great experience. He also was able to join the British Milers Club (BMC), you have to reach a standard to be able to join the BMC – the 1500m standard was 4:20 and Spencer just qualified at 4:18. Once you are a member, you are able to participate in their very competitive track meetings. Every race has a pacemaker and the BMC race he attended in Brighton had Olympic and European athletes competing. The various events have paid off as Spencer set a new PB in Brighton of 4:15.

Spencer also took part in May in the Vitality Westminster Mile – they have various waves going off all day but in the afternoon have a series of events that form the Junior British Athletics One Mile Road Champs. Spencer finished just under 5 minutes with a time of 4:56 coming in 20th place, having never run a road race before it was great experience and how fantastic to run the most iconic mile in the world – starting on The Mall and finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.

In addition to his athletics he has also been competing in the London Regional Junior Triathlon Series, he hasn’t competed in as many races as he would normally as we have had a few clashes with DoE. The series finished with Spencer securing 3rd place in the league.

The start of a new school term also sees the end of triathlon and the start of muddier running. Spencer made his debut into ‘longer distance running’ in September when he entered a half marathon in Clipston where he came in third overall (adult race). It was a ‘trail’ run where the runners had to cover the last few miles across freshly ploughed farm fields. He has taken part in a few cross country events but with mocks and school work he has not trained quite as much as he may have in previous years.

He competed in a Biathlon qualifier in October in Ascot and successfully qualified for the British Biathlon Championships in Nottingham (National Event) where he finished in 9th position – in usual form he finished first overall on the run (1600m) but lost places on the swim part. He will represent Halliford School again in March at the British Biathlon School Championships which this year will be held at Bath University.

Spencer attended trials in September and October for the London Triathlon Academy which is a National Pathway scheme to develop triathlon talent to National and International levels. Whilst he narrowly missed out on the required performance for the swimming part, he overachieved on the running and has been invited to attend further development with the academy.

CRICKET

Christopher Cole, Year 11

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Throughout the summer Christopher Cole represented Scotland U15 frequently. Due to a back injury which meant he could not bowl, he had the opportunity to bat. He consistently contributed throughout the season, which culminated in a week-long series against Ireland.

The next step for Christopher is to recover fully from his injury and aim to train with the Scotland U17s over the winter. His next target is selection for the ICC U19 World Cup.

Autumn Sports Report Felix received confirmation that after a successful summer playing in Surrey Cricket U11s CAG (County Age Group) he has been invited to go straight through to next year’s U12 CAG. Last Summer Felix played a full county fixture against Kent, he scored 21 (third highest score) with the bat. He bowled three overs and no wickets for 12 runs.

We wait with anticipation to see what the next season holds. He has impressed in initial age group cricket practices at Halliford and we have no doubt he will be a very influential player for the school in the Summer Term.

Max has been selected as part of the Surrey U14 Elite Squad and will go to either Spain or Portugal next February for a training camp with the rest of the squad. The selection day took place at Burhill Golf Club and the standard of golf was very competitive. Max did not think he had the best day so this was not expected, however, he obviously impressed the selectors. Max will also compete for Halliford in the Summer Term and in County and National competitions.

CRICKET

Felix Porter, Year 7

GOLF

Max West-Cameron, Year 9

Jakob has had lots of success in the pool since starting at Halliford this year. In recent galas, he has achieved three county qualifying times which means he can compete in the Middlesex County Championships in January in those strokes. He also has won two gold medals, five silver medals, and three bronze medals. A summary of his recent achievements are below: Luton short course meeting 100m Backstroke - event silver and county qualifying time 100m Butterfly - silver 200m Backstroke - gold and county qualifying time 100m Freestyle - bronze 400m Freestyle - gold 200m IM - bronze Middlesex Autumn County Qualifier, Barnet

SWIMMING

Jakob Holder, Year 7

200m Backstroke - county qualifying time 50m Fly - silver medal 400m Free - county qualifying time Middlesex Autumn County Qualifier, Enfield 50m Breast - silver medal 100m Fly - silver medal 100m Backstroke - bronze medal He also competed in the Arena League for Teddington Swim Club which covers eight squads from the southern region. As a school we have some swimming talent with Lower Sixth student Brin Dorrell, and we hope Jakob’s success continues this year and during his time at Halliford.

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TheHALLIFORDIAN Isaac has played for Woking’s Football Academy in goal for the last two years. He currently represents the U15s and trains twice a week plus a match with this age group. He is currently one of two goalkeepers in the squad at the moment and their season is going well, winning the majority of fixtures against other club academies. A particular highlight included a 3-1 win against West Ham.

FOOTBALL

Isaac Dixon, Year 10

In July Isaac played in the Gothia Cup in Sweden, the world’s largest youth football tournament. Woking ended up doing very well, reaching the semi-finals of the plate from the 221 teams that started in their age group.

Isaac will retrial at the beginning of next season for the U16 squad and following a successful season will hopefully be offered a contract for the first team squad.

Will Shanley recently trialled for the London Irish DPP Academy. The trial was successful and Will is now part of the London Irish DPP Academy program, joining James Webley in that year group.

RUGBY

William Shanley, Year 9

HOCKEY

Nishaan Bains, Year 7

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The Academy runs a program where they whittle down 1,000 boys at U13 to 300 successful participants, thereafter the boys having to retrial at U14 (again 1,000 plus boys) for 100 places.

Nishaan has been selected to play for Middlesex County Hockey Squad. He currently plays his club hockey at Sunbury Hockey Club, with his preferred position being centre midfield. Nishaan’s selection came after a series of trial training sessions held at Richmond Hockey Club. Based on these trials he has been selected to play in four matches including matches against Kent and Surrey. We look forward to hearing how he gets on in these fixtures.

Autumn Sports Report Sam Bullet, the Halliford 1XV Fly Half, represented Surrey last year in four matches including Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. Based on a retrial this year, which took place at John Fisher School, Sam has retained his position in the squad. He missed a match against Kent due to illness, however, he is looking forward to the remaining matches this season.

RUGBY

Sam Bullett, Year 13

Follow us on Twitter This year I have continued to increase our Twitter activity to showcase the sport that goes on and to allow the school community to follow our progress. Please follow us if you do not already @HallifordSport

Reminders Strength and conditioning training continues with Nick Rees before school every Monday and Wednesday starting at 7.30 am. Breakfast is served in the dining hall after this. Currently, this is open to Sixth Form, Year 11 and Year 10. We will be expanding to Year 9 later on in the year.

MY HALLIFORD YEAR BY YEAR 7

Leo Hobbs My first year of Halliford has been really good. All of my teachers have been nice and helpful. It’s weird going from only having one or two teachers in primary school to having so many here. It’s also odd having to walk around to all the lessons, but you soon get used to that. In fact, it gives you a few minutes to get some fresh air and clear your head. Both my brother and I really like it here. I cannot believe a whole year has gone and soon there will be new Year 7 students arriving. Time flies so fast!

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Sixth Form Geography Field Trip to Swanage

by Mr Miles Aarons, Geography Teacher

This year’s field trip was based at the heart of the Jurassic Coast in Swanage, Dorset and took place from Wednesday 29 January to Saturday 1 February. It included seven intrepid Geographers (William Whishaw, Jack Palmer, Huw Morley, Danial Matoorian-Pour, Robert Pleasance, Ben Cooper, and Remy Matthews) exploring a variety of human and physical geography themes that they used to gain ideas for their nonexamined fieldwork projects.

Day 1 included a very excited group of Sixth Formers being driven down to Swanage by Mr Aarons. Indeed, it was an education in itself listening to both our students singing and their musical tastes, particularly Garage, Grime and Old School Jungle!

We met with our expert tutor, Barry Cullimore, who took us straight to our first data collection session in Sandbanks. The main aim was to identify and measure the social inequalities that exist across three contrasting parts of Poole. From the data collected, it was noted that Sandbanks was by far the wealthiest part of Poole when compared to Parkstone and Old Town Poole. Following this, we 66

Spring Highlights checked into our accommodation at the Swanage Field Centre and enjoyed a hearty dinner before doing a final session in the classroom that involved collating and checking our field data, trying a few statistical tests and going through our conclusions and evaluations. Evening recreation involved all the Sixth Formers listening to more of their music and card shark Robert Pleasance winning copious hands of Uno. Day 2 focused on the Carbon Cycle. We looked at the extent to which the management of sand dunes and woodland at Studland could maximise potential carbon capture in the soil and biomass of the nature reserve. All students worked fantastically well in the wet and windy conditions collecting soil samples to calculate carbon sequestration rates. We then returned to the Swanage Centre and started the laboratory analysis of the soil samples. In conclusion, we found that improved management strategies of the Studland dunes could significantly increase carbon capture in the soils and biomass. A strategy that could be collectively adopted around the world to manage and reduce the impact of climate change significantly. Evening recreation included showing the local language students how to play pool.

Environmental Quality Survey in Old Town Poole William Whishaw, Barry Cullimore, Jack Palmer, Ben Cooper, Danial Matoorian-Pour, Remy Matthews, Robert Pleasance, Huw Morley

Day 3 included a focus on the local water-cycle with a walk to the Swanbrook River. Here the students measured infiltration rates at a variety of sites along the river and on slopes of different angles. We also studied the effectiveness of the different flood management strategies used and their effect on the surrounding land uses. We then returned to the field centre to work out the various infiltration rates and how to measure the overall discharge of the river.

Our last evening was one of the most memorable. Indeed, a plethora of PAGMS (Personally Awesome Geographical Moments) was had by all. All Sixth Formers were invited to a South American disco held by the visiting language students at The Swanage Centre. Once everyone had tried dancing to various South American hits, including Gasolina by Daddy Yankee, they returned the favour with some traditional pogo dancing and loud singing of Take Me Back To London by Stormzy and Ed Sheeran.

Playing Pool in Poole William Whishaw, Remy Matthews, Jack Palmer, Danial MatoorianPour, Ben Cooper, Robert Pleasance, Huw Morley

Geographers in Action – Infiltration Measuring Team Jack Palmer, Huw Morley, Ben Cooper, Danial Matoorian-Pour, William Whishaw, Remy Matthews, Robert Pleasance 67

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Classics Trip to Warwick University

by Armaan Alavi, Lower Sixth

Edward Cornew, Spencer Bateman, Chris Long, James Wiltshire, James Hanley, James Fife, Joshua Burson, Ollie Bellis (back), Joseph Farnell (back),

Year 11 Trip to London Docklands

by Edward Cornew, Year 11

On Tuesday 7 January, the day before school began (and whilst everyone else was still fast asleep), the Year 11 GCSE Geography Class, led by an enthusiastic Mr Aarons, met at Richmond Station and shortly after departed for Millwall.

Upon arriving at Canary Wharf in the London Docklands, we had the opportunity to wander around the Docklands Museum, learning about its trading past. We learnt about the cotton and tea trades that took place there, which played a huge part in the local economy at the time. We also had the chance to see what conditions sailors and dock workers lived in, as the museum had numerous small buildings within it, representing how the city would have looked.

After receiving a short briefing on the rest of the day, and the so-called ‘gift’ from Sir, (which came in the form of a work booklet) we set off for Canary Wharf, Millwall, and then Cubitt Town. At each location, as instructed, we split off into groups of three and proceeded to gather information, asking people questions about the area and surveying the various shops and age of buildings that were prevalent in the area. This allowed us to compare the Docklands now and in the past.

All in all, the day was a great success, and we learnt a lot more about London and how to apply fieldwork knowledge and skills to help us with our GCSE course.

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Spring Highlights

A Trip to see Oedipus Tyrannus

by Finn Angel-Wells, Upper Sixth

The performance at this year’s Warwick Classics Festival was Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus. The play chronicles the fall of King Oedipus of Thebes as he attempts to solve the murder of the previous King Laius and in turn, save his city and people from the raging plague. Oedipus is successful but in doing so reveals the grim truth of his birth, marriage, and fate, bringing his gruesome downfall to fruition.

Instead of an ancient Greek setting, we were treated to a 1920s style Thebes which I admit I found initially quite jarring. The position of a suited Oedipus hearing talk of gods from priests and oracles initially was not a harmonious collaboration but was one I warmed to as the play wore on. This was certainly aided by the performing actors (members of the student body) who not only succeeded in providing an excellent staging of the work, but whose passion for the roles they were playing was clear to all.

The creative team behind the production put a far greater emphasis on musical numbers. Much of Greek tragedy involves periodic commentary on the action from a group called the Chorus and although this was exactly replicated the effect was thoroughly entertaining. The blind prophet Tiresias’ song, which mirrored his speech in the original play, was a real crowd-pleaser.

Live theatre is always open to the odd mistake, and while there were a few teething problems, they did little to ruin the overall effect of the play. I am happy to report the slow draw of Oedipus’ reveal as the murderer of Laius, uncovered to be his father, husband to his mother and brother of his children was as painful and agonising as ever. It is a testament to the power of Sophocles’ writing that, despite a gap of over 2,000 years the important beats of the drama were just as effective to the

audience in the university auditorium as they must have been in the 5th Century B.C. Overall, the performance was certainly a worthwhile experience allowing us to envisage the play in a way not always accessible in the classroom, and one which will be invaluable to our A Level course studies this year.

William Wheeler Year 12 When we went to Warwick University, we saw a performance of Oedipus Tyrannus. It was extremely useful to understand the plot of the play as well as understand the movements of actors on stage. The student production was both lively and different.

It brought the drama alive for me and highlighted some of the key ideas and themes in a new and exciting way.

Furthermore, we attended a series of lectures about the myth of Laius, which could be explained to be the reasoning of Oedipus’ punishment. Some of the longer essay questions in our course would be much harder to tackle without experiences like these.

I believe the Classics Department runs this trip every year. I am very much looking forward to more lectures and a new play at Warwick University in 2021.

Royal Festival Hall Trip

by Sam White, Year 7

On Tuesday 4 February, students from different year groups went to see an orchestra play The Planet Suite by Gustav Holst. I felt excited to be going because I have not seen too many live concerts.

When we arrived in London after a long journey on the coach, we went to Pizza Express, where we had the most delicious meal.

We then went to The Royal Festival Hall to listen to the concert.

I wondered if I would recognise anything and yet some of the themes were familiar to me from primary school. The orchestra played Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. It was incredible to hear that great hall filled with music!

There really is nothing quite like hearing a concert live.

I wonder where Holst got the idea to write about the planets. It is such an original idea. Perhaps if he were alive today, he might write a suite about global warming? I think my favourite piece was Mars. The music for this is so stirring and cinematic.

After the performance, we all went back to the coach, which took us back to the school. I really enjoyed it, and I hope there will be more trips like this in the future!

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Geography Field Trip: Juniper Hall

by Mr Jonathan Willcox, Head of Geography

On a very damp, February morning I drove the Year 11 Geographers in the minibus to the Field Studies Centre at Juniper Hall in the South Downs. The good news is that Geographers are always prepared for the very worst of British weather which was just as well because the storm clouds were gathering ominously as we arrived. Furthermore, this particular field trip was going to involve jumping into rivers. After a short drive, we arrived in the splendid South Downs and piled out enthusiastically for whatever the day could throw at us.

We were given an introductory session in the classroom, learning all about the River Tillingbourne itself, before we set off for our first data collection site. The students measured various characteristics of the river to see how it changed as it flowed downstream; this was in order to compare it with the ‘Bradshaw Model’.

Following a hearty lunch which had been provided by Mr Murphy, our school chef and his team, we headed off to our next two sites.

At this point, the heavens opened. Thus, dodging one shower after another, we ploughed on.

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Our fantastic guide from the Field Studies Centre then plied us full of delicious hot chocolate to keep us going through the afternoon session so that we were even able to make it back to school before 5pm. Tired but content (and rather soggy), we dispersed into the darkness of the winter evening to our homes.

All in all, I was delighted with how the Halliford Geographers showed their mettle. The Geography Department run this trip every year, and it provides invaluable support for the students. I just hope that next year the sun shines on us a little more kindly!

Spring Highlights

MY HALLIFORD YEAR BY YEAR 7

Sam White The school meals have been delicious, and I think the chefs deserve a pat on the back. The tuck shop food is great, and the main meals at lunchtime are so good. Lots of us stay for second helpings! I am going to miss being in Year 7. I have learned a lot, and I’ve grown as a person I think. What advice would I give a new boy? Don’t be worried and try to do the best you can.

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GCSE Science Live!

by Dr Simon Brooks, Science Faculty

To the backdrop of the set for the West End show Wicked, our Year 11 Science students were fortunate enough to attend a series of talks by leading, high profile scientists.

These lecture series, known as ‘GCSE Science Live!’ offer Year 11 students (our future scientists) the opportunity to engage in exciting talks and to hear about cutting edge research. The day also aims to improve student GCSE Science results through the provision of examination sessions. These sessions, delivered by experienced science examiners, provide top tips to help students reach their potential.

A number of the guest speakers were familiar faces from TV such as Professor Lord Robert Winston and Professor Alice Roberts. Professor Lord Robert Winston spoke about reproductive and developmental biology, showing some stunning time-lapse videos of fertilised eggs developing into embryos. Professor Alice Roberts delved into the area of evolution. She spoke about the domestication of dogs and the evidence for the European grey wolf being the single ancestor of all breeds of dogs today. Professor Roberts even touched on the fact that all breeds of dogs today share 99.5 % of their genome. Try convincing owners of a Dobermann and Bichon Frise that they only differ by 0.5% at the genome level!

The talks did not just centre on Biology - there was plenty on offer during the day from the fields of Physics and Chemistry. Professor Andrea Sella, a synthetic chemist at University College London, spoke about the strangeness of ice and its unique properties, challenging the students to name another molecular substance for which the solid floats on its melt.

For me, the most important part of the day was the idea of exposing our future scientists to a world of research that is not only cutting edge but of huge relevance. GCSE Science Live! promises to be thought-provoking 72

Spring Highlights

Halliford School Young Musician Competition

by Mrs Head, Music Teacher

and exciting; a number of talks certainly delivered in those areas.

For the vast majority of time during the coach journey home, the conversation centred around the possibility of time-travel, a seed of thought planted by Professor Jim Al-Khalili OBE. A professor of Physics at the University of Surrey, Jim Al-Khalili won a Faraday prize for science communication. He spoke of Einstein’s general theory of relativity and how travelling at the speed of light would lead to time passing by more slowly. He delivered a thoughtprovoking idea - “If someone could travel close to the speed of light around the Earth for four years, then those left behind would have aged by as much as 40 years!”

All in all, the day was a huge success, and it does not end there. For those staying on into the Sixth Form, there will be the opportunity to attend the A Level Science Live programmes, which our students have rated highly over the past couple of years.

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Halliford Rock Concert

by Mr Adam Williams, Director of Music

Our first ever Halliford Rock Concert took place on Thursday 13 February in the John Crook Theatre. We were proudly supporting the leading UK mental health charity SANE. The Year 9 Rock Band opened proceedings in great style with an amazing performance of 7 Nation Army. What a superb display of creativity!

Our second Year 9 band of the night took on the mighty Black Sabbath rock standard Paranoid much to the delight of our audience.

Members of our New Projects Bands took us on a more relaxed journey with Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You and then on to The Beatles’ classic, Lady Madonna. Such talent and variety!

Members of Year 8 then commanded the stage with their stunning performance of Word Up by Cameo. This is not an easy number, and yet the

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members of the band attacked it with gusto!

It was super to see such brilliant musicianship and teamwork. Then it was on to our stunning Upper Sixth Rock Band with their mind-blowing performance of London Calling by The Clash. This was a real crowd pleaser and truly brought the house down!

Bringing the evening to a fitting climax our Year 10 & 11 Rock Band gave a phenomenal performance of Jump by Van Halen. This proved to be an amazing end to an evening packed with musical skill. Well done all you talented musicians – and to our super audience who really made it a night to remember, and which helped to raise £226.17 for SANE.

Spring Highlights

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World Book Week

by Mr Joe McElroy, English Teacher

As part of World Book Week, the English Department arranged for a visit in March by children’s author Cliff McNish. In talks that were presented to Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, Mr McNish spoke with the students of his decision to change careers from IT specialist to writer after finding critical and commercial success with a story that he had created for his daughter. That story was the first in what would become The Doomspell Trilogy.

As well as explaining to the boys how best to approach writing as a career, Mr McNish led a series of writing activities that would help them improve their imaginative writing in English, showing them how best to plan a story idea and how to create strong characters and settings. He went on to talk about the fantasy and horror books that he has written including The Doomspell - an adventure that sees a group of young people caught between a war of witches and wizards, and The Hunting Ground, a horror tale in which two brothers are trapped in a labyrinthine mansion haunted by ghosts.

Tailored to the interests of each age group, the sessions enabled our students to talk about books with a knowledgeable author away from the confines of the classroom. Cosmo Sumner, a Year 8 pupil, said that he was, ‘very good at describing how to write a story’. Similarly, Toby Hill in Year 7 had just finished The Doomspell series praising it for its ‘extravagant themes’ while Bill Ferguson, also from Year 7, really liked the fact that Mr McNish told us that ‘although it was difficult to come up with his first book, his message was that anyone can do it if they try’.

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Spring Highlights

‘STEAM’ Assembly at Staines Preparatory School

by Samuel Imperato, Year 13

In March, both Sam Martin and I presented an assembly for Staines Preparatory School as part of ‘STEAM’ (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) week.

Prior to the day, we planned a few experiments and a presentation to entertain and inform the children. The topic for this year was Planet Diversity. Sam took the opportunity to show his love of nature and animals, and to talk about Biodiversity and Environmental Diversity, while I took the opportunity to show how there is diversity in the Periodic Table and Chemistry in general.

Our first experiment I did was reacting three different Group 1 metals with water, using a projector camera to show what we were doing and the reaction. The children’s reactions said it all, and there were lots of amazed faces! Sam then carried out the infamous ‘Elephant’s Toothpaste’ experiment, which again shocked the children with the quick rise and explosion of the foam.

We tried to incorporate all parts of STEAM, getting two children to come up and draw their own animals, showcasing their creativity, with the help of the rest of the children, giving instructions to make the animals as unique and as bizarre as possible. Both Sam and I tried to make the assembly as interactive as possible, asking questions and showing videos on the big screen to display diversity happening in everyday life, showing birds attracting a mate in different ways, as well as showing even more explosive reactions as part of the chemical diversity presentation. Overall, it was a very enjoyable assembly to do, and we hope that Staines Prep enjoyed it as much as we did.

We followed this with an enjoyable activity where we had two students draw their own animal with features the students wanted to see. This allowed the creative aspect of the STEAM week to be explored. Once they finished their drawings, we completed three experiments. Firstly, I began to show chemical diversity by using consuming helium to demonstrate what elements can do. Sam then demonstrated the reactions of the Group 1 metals, and finally, I finished with an exciting ‘Elephants Toothpaste’ experiment, displaying a colourful explosion of foam.

We concluded by explaining how environments play such a crucial role in our world, and how as humans we create and destroy these environments and how animals try to survive by adapting to these changes.

This experience not only helped us develop presentation skills but assisted the pupils at Staines Preparatory with their learning.

By Sam Martin, Year 13 Following on from our assembly last year at Staines Preparatory School on Transport, this year’s exciting topic was Planet Diversity. We broke this topic down into three sub-topics; Biodiversity, Chemical Diversity, and Environmental Diversity.

We began by explaining what diversity is, through comparing species so the children developed their knowledge of animals.

We discussed both the importance of diversity and how changes occurred, discussing Darwin’s and Wallace’s theory, and how animals mate, with a video from David Attenborough’s Our Planet.

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Young Enterprise

by Mrs Leila Brown, Teacher of Economics & Business Studies

‘Quddiem’ represented Halliford in this year’s Young Enterprise competition. The Sixth Form team, led by Phil Karadis, successfully made it through to the Area Finals. Yet again, the Halliford boys showed great entrepreneurial skills through running the ‘Christmas Card Competition’, making and selling clay Christmas decorations, and Christmas wreaths. Furthermore, they also organised a cookie sale in order to fund their main product which was a succulent terrarium.

The terrariums were available to purchase at the school’s reception, at school events, and at the ‘Walton Festival of Light’ where the team won the award for best trade stand. The team also represented Halliford School at the Shepperton Big Tree Night in December. The team then went on to win the best trade stand again at the Camberley Half Year Festival.

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Spring Highlights

The team learned to generate company accounts, a business report, and film an advert as they progressed through the competition. Taking part in Young Enterprise demonstrates a considerable commitment as there are weekly meetings in addition to attending Young Enterprise events. The team worked hard to create and film their presentation for the finals in a very short amount of time due to the lockdown.

Despite these unusual and difficult circumstances, the Young Enterprise commented that it was ‘very good’. Well done to Phil Karidas, Huw Morley and Gallagher Dillon.

The overall feedback from the Young Enterprise judges was that Quddiem set up and ran a very credible and successful business enterprise, with its focus on sustainability. Quddiem has ‘clearly provided an excellent legacy for Young Enterprise at Halliford School to encourage future teams – once again very well done!’

Many thanks to all the staff, students and parents who supported the team through purchasing their products.

Halliford Basketball 2019

by Mr Igor Arriandiaga, MFL Faculty

A very keen Year 7 cohort of basketballers had a superb start to the year by playing their first fixture rather early after the first half term. Thamesmead, our dear neighbours, have become our greatest allies on the court by visiting us four times to test our progress.

Whenever the Year 7 and Year 8 or the Year 9 and Year 10 squads took to the floor, the result was always a thoroughly entertaining and well-played contest. The numbers in the early years allowed us to share minutes on the court rather equally, while the heart of our Year 10 players had to work harder for longer in both their fixtures. We missed our Year 9 players, often busy at lunch.

While we won on the scoreboard on each occasion, it was truly the game that obtained the greatest victory. Every player on the court gained experience and learnt a great deal about how to face the opposition. Hayden Barrett was aided by Alex Murat, Josh Morrison, Theo Maroussas and Oliver White in the lower school and Freddie Chandramohan was captain of the middle section.

I would like to thank every single one of the members who attended the club regularly.

We did not have the chance to play the Inter-House competition over the Summer Term, but that will add to the excitement when two years will face it for the first time next April. Our thanks go to Mr Greggor for his assistance with arranging these fixtures.

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Climbing at Halliford School

by Mr David Hanley, Climbing Instructor

After several years lying idle in the back corner of the sports hall gathering dust, it was with great anticipation and excitement that the Halliford climbing wall and abseil station fully re-opened in September 2019. A taster day was organised with students registering in advance for 30-minute introductory sessions with two instructors in attendance to maximise the amount of climbing time. This proved hugely successful with 23 students subsequently signing up for the weekly after-school sessions which ran over eight weeks on both a Wednesday and Friday.

The first term of climbing went extremely well. Several natural climbers were quickly discovered, as well as many boys who were rightly proud to be able to overcome their fears and make significant strides. Not only were the students learning how to climb, but perhaps more importantly, to safely belay and lower their partner, to learn the relevant knots and the appropriate climbing commands.

Things stepped up a gear in January, with most of the climbers from the prior term signing up again, and an additional seven students registering. This allowed four sessions to run every The school also showcased the climbing wall to great effect week, including a new session on Mondays, with Wednesdays during the Open Day in October, with a steady stream of as before, and two groups on Fridays running on alternate prospective Halliford students completing at least one climb weeks. In addition, the Halliford Indoor Climbing Award and an abseil to give them a flavour of this tremendous facility. Scheme (HICAS) was also launched, specifying multiple safety, climbing and abseiling goals for the students to accomplish, More than 20 prospective pupils gave it a go that day. completion of which would result in the award of a certificate Prior to the wall re-opening a great deal of work had been of achievement. completed behind the scenes. The structure and fabric of the wall and all hard anchor points were inspected and Tremendous progress was made during the Spring Term with re-certified in August by a professional engineering firm the many of the boys exceeding their personal goals and specialising in climbing walls. All of the existing holds were passing the HICAS criteria with flying colours, despite the stripped from the wall, cleaned, inspected and re-set on the early closure of the school due to the coronavirus robbing wall to provide a range of climbs of varying difficulty. At the them of their final week of sessions. It is hoped that the same time, new ropes, slings, harnesses, and helmets were students will be presented with their certificates once the purchased to ensure the highest level of safety and security school re-opens and that the climbing wall will welcome a new intake of budding climbers in the next school year. for all participants, and a full risk assessment completed.

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Spring Highlights

Halliford Indoor Climbing Award Scheme (HICAS) 2020 Friday Group 1:

Monday Group:

1

Olly Johnson, 8D – HICAS, Pass

1

Archie McGregor, 10G – HICAS, Pass

2

Jonty Whelan, 8G – HICAS, Pass

2

Isaac Foggon, 10D – HICAS, Pass

3

Zach Barlow, 8R – HICAS, Pass

3

Jared Bullett, 10D – HICAS, Pass

4

Max Fernandes, 8W– HICAS, Pass

4

Toby Hill, 7R – HICAS, Pass

5

Monty Savarino, 8D - HICAS, Commendation

5

Hugo Franklin, 7W – HICAS, Pass

6

Cosmo Sumner, 8R - HICAS, Commendation

6

Calvin Harrington, 9G – HICAS, Pass

Friday Group 2:

Wednesday Group:

1

Theo Taylor, 7R – HICAS, Pass

1

Rory Harris, 8G – HICAS, Pass

2

Bill Ferguson, 7W – HICAS, Pass

2

Zach Johnson, 8G – HICAS, Pass

3

Laith Shafighian, 8W – HICAS, Pass

3

Emilio Di Benedetto, 8G – HICAS, Pass

4

Archie Ferguson, 8W – HICAS, Pass

4

Henry Crowther, 7W– HICAS, Commendation

5

Cassius Buckle-Wright, 7G - HICAS, Commendation

6

Sam White, 7G - HICAS, Commendation

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Current Affairs Club

by Mrs Fenella Wilbraham, Teacher of History & Politics

Current Affairs Club has gone from strength to strength this year. The club has met every Wednesday lunchtime, come rain or shine, to debate the key issues of the weekly news and to complete the fiercely competitive news quiz. We have debated and discussed many and varied issues, including political news from the US, China’s dominance, Labour’s leadership crisis, elections in Ireland, Canada, Bolivia, Spain and Israel, the increase in Hindu nationalism in India, the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, Brexit and its implications for the country, trans rights, racial politics in the US and the UK and of course the news story which has dominated since March, COVID-19.

Our members are drawn mainly from Year 10, Year 11 and Year 12, but we have occasional visitors from Year 9 and have even welcomed a new Year 8 member during lockdown! The fact that some of our older members are now studying A Level Politics has brought a new depth to the quality of the debate, and various Year 11 members have had their political appetites whetted by the club, opted for A Level Politics next year.

As we showed in the number of candidates fielded in the Halliford election in December, a wide range of political views are represented across the club, and I have been hugely impressed this year with the respect and courtesy with which the boys have treated each other’s viewpoints and how all opinions are listened to and valued.

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We moved online when the school site was closed in March, and have held weekly meetings ever since the beginning of lockdown, even completing the quiz every week, though in this socially distanced time the boys are playing for the reward of a perfect score rather than the usual chocolate prizes.

We are using Teams to share news stories so that the debate can continue even when we are not online, and we have challenged ourselves to look beyond Coronavirus to seek out positive news stories.

I am very much looking forward to continuing into a new academic year when the phenomenally well-informed students of Current Affairs Club will continue their weekly meetings during which they put the world to rights.

Spring Highlights

Kew Gardens Art Trip

by Ms Tamarind Hetherington, Head of Art

Earlier this year, as part of their GCSE Art and Design course, the Year 11 Art students visited Kew Gardens to view the large-scale art works of Dale Chihuly. The students had a wonderful day viewing the world’s most celebrated contemporary glass artist and his colourful sculptures. There were 32 installations around the gardens and in the glass houses, including a specially designed sculpture suspended from the ceiling of the Temperate House.

Led by Mr Mosely and Mrs Bannister, the boys explored the gardens and drew Chihuly’s dazzling glass artworks, over the day. The boys produced some excellent pencil sketches to support their GCSE studies concerning ‘Natural Forms’ and to inspire future work. Students discussed how Chihuly used nature to inspire his sculptures and how colour, form and light play an essential part in how the exquisite sculptures are experienced.

Archie Evans We started the day sketching one of the first glass art pieces

by Dale Chihuly. It was a large spiky, spherical like glass ball which proved rather difficult to draw. Then we made our way over to a small exhibition of Chihuly’s work, including drawings and ideas for his work. We spent some time drawing some of his work trying to capture his perfection on the page.

was most impressed with the Scarlet and Yellow Icicle Tower.

Chihuly’s Caramel and Red Flame, which was created in 2015, has miraculous red curved glass spikes coming out of the ground in the Atlantic Botanical Garden. The Temperate House was extremely hot and humid, but this did not detract from the mesmerizing display.

At the very start of the trip, we saw the Sapphire Star, which is a circular sphere of spikes with a contrast of blue to violet.

We had our lunch outside the entrance of the ethereal white Persian Pond and behind the red reeds. The Persian Pond was, without doubt, the best sight to see in my opinion, with the glass lily pond over the moss-green water. It was truly a joy to be there. We also saw the lime crystal tower which consisted of a number of glass rocks in a stack that was a slime green colour. After leaving all these amazing creations, it was sadly time to go home, and we took the coach back to school.

The day continued over in the humid greenhouses where many exotic and unusual plants found their way on to the pages of our clipboards. After that, we proceeded to have a sketching lesson to try and draw a spiked giant of a display boasting vibrant colours of red and yellow.

Spencer Bateman

George Brennan

Chihuly’s stunning work is set against the magnificent backdrop of Kew Gardens, which presents many fantastic landscape painting opportunities. We visited several different buildings, including the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art which contained hundreds of glass sculptures, all of different colours, sizes and shapes.

My day at Kew Gardens was an extraordinary adventure of exploring the creative mind of Dale Chihuly. We saw lots of pieces made from glass and many pieces that captured the outside world such as those on display in the Temperate House. There, we were shown Chihuly’s incredible designs. I

My day at Kew Gardens allowed me to observe the countless glass sculptures made by Dale Chihuly. His artwork consisted of all types of shapes, all with bright, vivid colours, allowing you to see his work from quite some distance.

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Passing Through

by Mr David Newman, Acting Deputy Head - Academic

Having recently retired from full-time teaching after completing over a century of terms in the profession, I had started to settle into the joys of retirement with my wife in York. Winter holidays in the sun beckoned, along with time spent in the garden with the grandchildren and the inevitable episodes of Tipping Point and Homes Under the Hammer. Time to learn a new language, improve my DIY skills and extend my limited cooking repertoire? Mm, maybe...

A few months into my retirement I found myself missing school life: the sense of community, the rhythms and set-pieces of the school year, the structure of the school day, the rich tapestry of extra-curricular activities, and the kick that one gets when all of us – students, teachers, and parents – are moving in the same direction in a co-operative partnership. Above all, I missed being around young people, because that’s what keeps us grounded, young at heart and in touch with the modern world and the future. Theirs is now the interesting generation. And so, when an opportunity arose to come to Halliford School on a short-term basis as Acting Deputy Head Academic, I leapt at the chance.

when Corona was still best known as a watery beer, and nobody knew what a furlough was. In the first few days, I set myself the task of seeing as many students, staff and lessons as I could. It soon became abundantly clear that this was a special place, in a way that is hard to measure or quantify, or even to put into words. There was just something about the whole ethos of the School that struck me: the purposeful buzz, the rapport between students and teachers, the ‘can do’ approach of the staff, the care, and the fact that there were so many people still on the site long after the end of lessons enjoying the School clubs and each other’s company. School dinners were delicious, too. What was there not to like?

I already knew Mr Davies, and when I met the rest of the leadership team, I immediately sensed that Halliford School was in very capable hands. What I didn’t know at the time, of course, was that Halliford, like everywhere else in the country, was about to be plunged into a crisis the like of which has not been seen in our lifetime.

Then everything went pear-shaped for everyone, everywhere. I had barely got my feet under the desk when, in quick succession, the public exams were scrapped, the schools closed and lockdown began. I remember clearly the day when Mr Davies had to announce in Assembly that this year’s GCSEs and A Levels would not be happening.

A comment from a Year 11 student in the first lesson after that Assembly sums up for me the Halliford spirit. Rather than mope or feel sorry for himself, he told me that what disappointed him most wasn’t the lost opportunity but the fact that he would not be able to spend time with his friends, which was the reason he looked forward to coming to school every day.

Halliford? Where was Halliford? A quick bit of googling told me that the School was on a bend in the River Thames and that the main building, a fine Georgian mansion, was apparently once the home of Lady Hamilton before she became Lord Nelson’s infamous mistress. As a classicist I was also intrigued to discover the origin of the words on the School crest – vadum sanctum, meaning ‘holy ford’, reflecting the local belief that Julius Caesar crossed The Thames at this point and in later Christian times a saintly hermit lived nearby.

I also learned that Shepperton is so-called because it was originally a ‘sheep town’ – hence the lamb on the School crest.

I arrived in early March, bright-eyed and bushytailed, ready to get stuck into the job, at a time

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That is when the Halliford machine swung into action. A frenzy of speculation, a raft of contingency plans, a shedload of logistical challenges. Crisis management became the new normal, forward planning a distant memory, as the goalposts kept moving on a daily basis, and we all had to get comfortable with being permanently uncomfortable. Yes, it was frenzied,

Spring Highlights but there was a sense of calm in the eye of the storm. The indefatigable Mr Davies kept a steady hand on the tiller of HMS Halliford, steering her through choppy seas in uncharted waters with a mindset reminiscent of Hannibal - the ancient king of Carthage - when his generals told him that it was impossible to find a pathway across the Alps by elephant: autviaminveniamautfaciam –‘ I will either find a way or I’ll make one!’

However, a ship’s company is only as strong as its weakest member, and what impressed me most was the way the whole school community responded to the ambitious plan to run a full school programme – lessons, clubs, assemblies, tutor groups and all – remotely from our homes throughout the term. Inevitably, some of the highlights of the term were casualties to COVID – a summer without cricket and Speech Day is hard to imagine – but there was a committed buy-in to the idea of making this thing work despite the difficulties; the show had to go on. There was even an opportunity for the students in Year 11 and Upper Sixth to have some Saturnalian fun on the last day before the schools closed, enjoying an afternoon of paintballing somewhere in the Surrey woodlands.

And there were many positive spin-offs as people found creative ways of doing things they wouldn’t have done otherwise, whether it be having a charity haircut, cooking a family meal with remote guidance or playing Mr Bruno’s half-term bingo.

Necessity became the mother of invention as everyone was forced into developing new skills, not least the skill of multi-tasking at home – plate-spinning should be a doddle after this - and finding new ways of working.

Who knows where it will all end? At the time of writing this, we are still in lockdown, and my car is still in Doncaster (I broke down on my way back down to London on Mothering Sunday, the garage closed two days later and hasn’t yet fully reopened). 2020 will long be remembered as the year when everything changed, but it hasn’t all been bad. And one thing is for certain: the Halliford spirit and esprit de corps have enabled the School to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of COVID and truly display the famous wartime mantra ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’, as it travels, in the words of the School motto, on the via firma ad firmiora, the sure pathway to firmer ground. I have no doubt that Hallifordians, like Hannibal, will either find that pathway… or they’ll make one.

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Manna Food Bank Donation

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster

With the challenges of the pandemic becoming clearer, I asked all Hallifordians to come together as a community and do what we could to look after those within our community who found themselves in very challenging circumstances.

Whilst finding food in some supermarkets was becoming something of a competitive sport, the Hallifordian community generously donated tinned food and dry goods to support the work of the Manna Food Bank and the Greeno Centre who we support at Harvest Festival.

I delivered the collection on the last day that all of our students were in school together, just before the start of lockdown. Thank you all for your generosity during these difficult times.

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Spring Highlights

Paintballing Leavers Event

by Mr Sean Slocock, Assistant Head Co-Curricular

As the Covid-19 pandemic took a deeper control of the country, it became ever more evident that both Year 11 and Upper Sixth would not be in school to celebrate their final days of the year.

Events and service providers around the country were shutting quicker than one could type their numbers into the telephone, and it was with a great deal of tenacity and luck that we were able to put together an extremely quick and last-minute activity to celebrate their time at Halliford School. Paintballing seemed the most obvious choice considering the circumstances, what better way to finish the year than to hunt down and shoot ballistic missiles filled with luminescent paint at your friends, whilst also maintaining social distancing?

Within the space of a day, the activity was booked, letters sent, chef and his team made packed lunches, and the consent forms returned. The venue for the destruction was Campaign Paintballing in Cobham, and students arrived ready to take on the world. Students competed in their Houses, although it was evident that some had forgotten what colour House they represented.

Teachers were not off-limits in any way as Mr Cupido, Ms Hetherington,

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Mr Slocock, and Mr Bruno all played their part to defend their team’s flag. It is suspected, however, that students were confused between Mr Bruno and Mr Slocock due to all the camouflage, as one of those teachers was ‘hunted down’ more than the other!

The day ended with a mass brawl between all four Houses, Upper Sixth versus teachers versus Year 11! It was a situation where all the smoke grenades, paintball ammunition and frustrations were to be used up, and it did not disappoint.

Bullets flew in every direction, and ‘fighters’ demonstrated incredible battlefield tactics and athleticism to all walk away having celebrated their ‘final day’ at Halliford School. All in all, a great way to end a Halliford career or celebrate your ‘last’ day of Year 11.

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Spring Highlights

Easter Egg Gifts

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster On the last day that students were allowed to the school site before lockdown, I arrived that morning with my car boot packed full of chocolate eggs to give to the students as a special treat for Easter. I wanted to thank all our students for demonstrating the Hallifordian value of resilience in the build-up to lockdown and all the uncertainty throughout the last few weeks of the Spring Term.

We were pleased to donate the excess supply of chocolate eggs to Shepperton Medical Practice along with all of our Personal Protective Equipment, which was gratefully received.

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Donation of Personal Protective Equipment by Mr James Davies, Headmaster At the start of the Easter holidays, we donated vital Personal Protective Equipment to Shepperton Medical Practice to help in the fight against coronavirus.

In these unprecedented times, Halliford School wanted to do all it could to support the local community and this seemed like the best way to help support the NHS. It has been reported nationally about the current shortage of PPE for frontline NHS staff and the School wanted to do their part.

When I contacted the Practice Manager at Shepperton Medical Practice to offer their supplies they were incredibly grateful for the support. The Practice has had enormous difficulty in providing their staff with the correct PPE so this offer could not have come at a better time.

We managed to provide Shepperton Medical Practice with full face masks, goggles, safety glasses, gloves, alcohol hand gel, and even disposable overalls to help keep them safe. In addition, we had a few Easter Eggs left over from our end of term gifts to students, so we donated them in order to help provide a bit of cheer to their staff.

We also tried to cheer up passers-by and show our support for the NHS and other key workers by displaying a rainbow in the windows of Halliford House and arranging sports cones in the form of rainbows. Since the start of the outbreak, rainbows have been appearing in windows and on social media as a sign of hope.

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Spring Highlights

Art in Isolation

by Ms Tamarind Hetherington, Head of Art

Thomas O’Connor - Year 7D Thomas O’Connor - Year 7D

The Spring and Summer lockdown did not suppress the creativity and imagination of the Halliford students.

The boys embraced the challenges brought about by the pandemic, expressing their interpretation and emotions through Art. Workshops and after school clubs were made available to support the students and it was heartening to see them enthusiastically take up a wide range of innovative arts, including writing, drawing, painting, ceramics and photography.

Inspirational Art tutorials from Quentin Blake and Charlie Mackesy were shared with boys to demonstrate alternative styles and applications. The GCSE and A Level boys particularly enjoyed following the Grayson Perry’s Art Club and the Life Drawing Live series. Many took part in competitions and art challenges whilst housebound.

Art is known to be beneficial and therapeutic to young people’s wellbeing. Traumatic events are often evidenced in artwork. This is an effective means of diffusing cognitions and feelings associated with the trauma. The crisis did appear to influence, both directly and indirectly, student’s creativity during the pandemic. However, they showed admirable resilience in sustaining their productivity during the crisis and in demonstrating a willingness to collaborate.

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HALLIFORD LIFE

y, our money for charit e is ra To k ee Charity W d super soaked to the stocks an nt se e er w rs he teac

Charity Week - the students we re lining up to have a turn

Charity Week Charity Week

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HALLIFORD LIFE

The Halliford Show

Science Club

Be Kind Revolution - We are so proud of our Halliford students who have started their own #BeKind revolution

hashtag and words to their Be Kind Revolution - adding the nes screensavers on their mobile pho

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Spring Term Sports Report

by MrSpring Greggor, Director of Sport Term Sports Report

by Mr James Greggor, Director of Sport

FOOTBALL

Year 7 Mr Greggor

The Sports Department continues to be extremely busy this term, providing as many sporting opportunities for our students as possible. We have had Spring Term Football training and competitive fixtures, Cricket Nets in preparation for the Summer Term, Rugby Sevens, Inter-House Cross Country and Football Competitions, before school Strength and Conditioning sessions which continue to be a success, along with after school Golf Club and Rock Climbing Club.

Despite some challenging weather at times and our earlier close due to COVID-19 precautions, we have done remarkably well to keep on as much as we have done. As always I extend my appreciation to all staff giving up time at lunch, after school and at weekends to provide these wide and varying experiences for our students. I also want to thank our excellent students who maintain fantastic levels of enthusiasm and engagement with our extra-curricular programme.

A Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals For

Goals Against

Goals Difference

11

1

1

9

10

37

Wa-27am

B Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points For

Points Against

Points Difference

8

3

1

4

11

18

Wa-7dam

U12’s remain a fantastic group to work with. They have energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and improve. As with all sports we have consistently fielded A and B sides this term. As Director of Sport, what has been particularly satisfying has been our ability to field C and D teams against larger schools we play. In the two D team fixtures played this year only a handful of students across the whole school were not involved. True mass participation!

The U12A’s have had a competitive season despite what the playing record above shows, many of the losses were closely contested games, such as a 1-3 loss to St John’s Leatherhead, 0-1 defeat to Latymer Upper and 0-1 defeat to Glyn. We have improved with each fixture, focussing on not holding on to possession for too long, defending simply but effectively and having more shots going forward to be more of an attacking threat. We have been blessed with two very talented goalkeepers in Daniel Gray and Felix Porter. Furthermore, Theo Maroussas at left-back has been a key player with some excellent

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Spring Sports Report defensive displays and ability shown in possession. Owen Flower has proved a versatile midfield player, tenacious out of possession and calm with the ball at his feet.

The U12B’s have a positive playing record picking up pleasing wins against St John’s Leatherhead, Latymer and Licensed Victuallers’. They have developed as a team and taken large squads of 15-16 players to 9-a-side matches. The squad size reinforces the strength in depth of the team and the number of keen boys we have who want to play football. Numbers at training have remained excellent with 35+ at each session. The season ended with a fantastic Inter-House Football Competition in Year 7’s final games session of this term.

Year 8 Mr Hodgkinson

A Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals For

Goals Against

Goals Difference

6

1

0

6

10

21

Wa-11am

B Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals For

Goals Against

Goals Difference

6

2

1

3

8

10

Wa-2am

The U13A team saved the best to last, winning their final match against Salesian College. There were calls for Mr Hodgkinson to be out as B team coach. Mr Watson stepped up to the plate and steered the boys to an excellent victory.

The season started with an away trip to St John’s Leatherhead.

Changing on the side of the pitch in the cold didn’t dampen spirits, and in a cracking game of football, St John’s pipped Halliford at the end and probably on balance deserved the win.

A walk across the road for our next match where a closely fought battle with some key figures missing saw us narrowly losing to Thamesmead. Some close encounters followed against Latymer and LVS Ascot, but again we couldn’t quite produce the goods. Thankfully, after a few cancellations, the boys had plenty of fire in the belly to win what turned out to be their final fixture of the season.

The boys’ enthusiasm for training and development has been excellent, and despite some tough luck and results, their heads never dropped. I was hugely impressed with the tenacity and grit they showed, and no one emphasised this more than Oscar Shephard. He captained the boys bravely from defence and was a great motivator who always led by example. Other mentions go to Joshua Rowe, who was always one of the best players on the field and also to Will Hamilton, who is highly skilled and fiercely competitive.

The U13B team have had a great football season with big improvements from the previous season in Year 7. Coached again by Mr Watson, we were looking to continue from their great finish in the Rugby season.

They were captained by James McCummiskey, who led the team fantastically with excellent decisions and kept the team’s spirits high when things weren’t going their way. The season didn’t start as well as we’d like with some difficult fixtures and we endured two losses and a draw in the first three games against St John’s School, Claires Court and Thamesmead. We then started to improve, and the goals started to come, a 4-2 loss to Latymer Upper School followed with steps in the right direction and then finally we got our first win, a 4-1 win against LVS Ascot. An outstanding team performance with notable performances from Sam Griffiths, Jack Warren and Monty Savarino who managed to keep the score down with a brilliant penalty save. Unfortunately, the following game against Claremont Fan Court was

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TheHALLIFORDIAN cancelled, but this allowed us to fully prepare for the final game of the season, Salesian College away.

We started the game brightly with some brilliant passing from the midfield which developed into some forward runs from our wingers. We finally got the breakthrough and scored to make it 1-0. Following the goal, we started pushing forward more with some excellent runs from Felix Labaki and Cassidy Wyeth. The boys got their second goal and despite letting one goal in we held out for our second victory of the season with a 2-1 final score. Players that have impressed as the season progressed are Archie Ferguson, Jack Warren, Olly Johnson and Monty Savarino. It has been a pleasure to coach the boys this year, and I am looking forward to watching them all develop throughout their time at Halliford.

Year 9 Mr Churchill

A Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals For

Goals Against

Goals Difference

8

4

1

3

23

23

Wa0am

B Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals For

Goals Against

Goals Difference

4

4

0

0

12

5

Wa7m

This season has been a positive one for Year 9. Following a tough season last year where they only managed to win one game, they went into the season knowing it would be a big ask! Right from the first day of pre-season, they applied themselves with an excellent work ethic and attitude. The first two weeks of the season saw a flying start for the A team winning games against Reddam House and Radnor House, 2-1 and 5-3 respectively. Following this, the A team experienced a tough block of fixtures which resulted in a hard-fought draw and three losses to quality opposition. During the same period, the B team registered their first two victories, a commanding 3-0 win over a very good Claires Court side and a great 2-1 win against Latymer Upper. The A team finished the first half term with a thumping 6-1 victory over LVS, a performance which served as a benchmark of just how far the group had come in a short space of time. The victory over LVS gave the team as many wins as losses from the first half term.

Progressing into the second half term saw the arrival of some heavy rain and the now infamous coronavirus, meaning each of the sides played only two games. These two games were not to be forgotten though as both A & B teams had resounding victories against Claremont and Salesians; two schools who only last season won both fixtures at a canter. These two fixtures only highlight further just how far this group have come.

It is difficult to highlight standout performers for the A team as many were so fantastic! Big plaudits must go to the front three though of Avery, Broadhurst and Curling who have been phenomenal all season, providing 15 goals and as many assists between them they have been the difference at that end of the pitch! Whoever has stepped into the midfield three has been excellent, from the creativity brought by Ballard to the sheer volume of ground covered by De Gruchy. A special mention though must go to both the captain, Lucas Lindstrup, for his tireless work rate and being the cog that kept the team working all year and central defensive midfielder Freddie Scott. New to the side this year he came in and made a huge difference in many games, breaking up play and supplying the ball to those in front of him. Although we have conceded a fair few goals this year, it is worth noting that over 50% came in just three games. Aside from those small blips, the back five have been excellent, well organised and effective throughout the season. Reynolds, Virk and Tuckman have all been fantastic all season, and the later addition of Shanley following injuries added much-needed stability.

In the B team, it is again difficult to pick those players that have impressed above others! From Wort filling in goal to O’Loughlin and Wingrove being ever-present in midfield, it is hard to highlight the standouts.

That said there have been some truly spectacular goals! Banks, Kelly and Singh all contributing some truly special moments to the magnificent unbeaten season put on by the squad.

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Spring Sports Report To sum up what has been a fantastic season I would just like to say a huge thank you to all the lads who have played, trained and made my first Football season here as a teacher one that will really stick in the memory. I would also like to give a huge thank you to those parents who tirelessly brought the lads to play and stood through wind and rain to cheer them on.

Year 10 Mr Morriss

A Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals For

Goals Against

Goals Difference

6

3

2

1

19

9

Wa10am

B Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Goals For

Goals Against

Goals Difference

4

3

1

0

11

6

Wa5m

The Year 10 football season was fantastic this season. Boys attended training in big numbers and were enthusiastic from the word go with some high energy sessions and worthwhile training matches in Games sessions. Squad selection was only difficult in terms of squeezing in the number of boys that wanted to play into both teams, an enjoyable problem to have at this stage of the year.

The A-squad started the season with ambition and a very strong attacking game against Reddam House with a 7-0 win set the standard for the season. That was going to be hard to maintain, but they worked hard throughout under the leadership of Max Hobbs and battled in the next two games drawing with Claires Court and Radnor House. With such enthusiasm from the boys, team selection was difficult, none least in midfield with several boys bouncing between the two teams.

A special mention must go to the partnership of Charlie Simpson and Paul-Louis Howard who cemented their places every single week, accruing most of the man-of-the-match nominations. Jack Emery was another player who got better as the season progressed and was a constant attacking threat with goal-scoring prowess, allowing all the boys to have such freedom going forward. His performances highlighted his physical attributes and were fast and strong, clearly seen in the emphatic 3-0 and 4-0 wins against Glyn School and LVS. An undefeated season was on the cards up until the last game of the season against a very strong Salesians College side and after conceding as many goals as they had all season, the season finished with a whimper.

The defensive five of Max, Theo, Harri, Jamie and Marley were immense all season, and that didn’t stop with penalty-saving expert Keaton stepping up in goal when needed. Well played throughout boys, and I will certainly look forward to including many of you in the senior set-up next season.

The B-team was probably equal if not more up for the fight of football this season and made up for the lack of fixtures from previous years. Bolstered by some very strong players and a number mixing between the two sides, they also started the season convincingly with a resilient performance against Claires Court before 3-1 wins against both Glyn school and LVS. Led by Raibeart Archibald in goal and defensive stalwarts Finley Broekhuizen, Alex Batty, Cameron Paul and Lucas Davies, they were certainly not going to be beaten easily.

Unfortunately, a couple of cancellations in the middle of the season halted their progress, but they persevered, and with superb performances from Alex Whicker, Ben Carrodus and Freddie King, they pushed on and finished the season with a thrilling 3-2 win against the super-strong Salesians College team. This meant they were one of only three teams to finish the season undefeated and credit goes to them for working so well as a team this year, a perfect mix of performance and enjoyment.

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Senior Football

Senior Football season has been a fantastic success this year with the school being represented by 1st to 4th XI teams throughout the season. The continued coaching format on a Monday evening with three coaches and a train to play attitude was set out from the start, and this proved popular with great numbers attending throughout the season, even through some of the typical January rain. This made selection competitive for the first two senior teams and allowed us the opportunity to have a Year 11 3rd XI and Sixth Form 4th XI. The 1st XI started the season superbly and from the outset, played some fantastic attacking football with real freedom and prowess. Unfortunately, as the season progressed, lots of very tight games and battling performances saw them lose momentum and settle for a mid-table position. The spine of the team remained consistent throughout the season and really set the standard for others to follow. This included goalkeeper and vice-captain Sam Martin, centre-back Alfie Edwards, holding midfield and captain Joe Shedden, attacking midfielder Bradley Marshall and centre forward Louis De Schynkel. The Year 11 players who stepped up this year added some real pace and enthusiasm throughout the team and were exceptional when called upon, thoroughly deserving their football ties at the end of the season.

Most impressive was the attacking threat of Josh Burson and the reliability at the back of Alex Donnelly.

It was a mixed season in terms of results, and the after-match team talk was often about whats, ifs and buts, no-one could quite put their finger on why results weren’t going our way, but the boys remained positive and were so disappointed to have their season cut short and their opportunity to make up for shortcomings against Claires Court again. Another special mention must go to our other centre-back and Year 12, Gally Dillion who put in a shift every single week and was commanding in his position, showing real leadership qualities and passion that the team has perhaps lacked in previous years. Thank you again for great teamwork this year boys, it has been a pleasure and I wish all the Year 13s the best in wherever they end up and hope you continue to play. For those staying on and with the Year 10s coming up, next season looks very promising.

“This year, I had the honour of captaining the Halliford 1st XI in my final year as a Hallifordian. As a football lover and playing from the age of 5, being named captain this year was a dream come true. The best thing that comes with school football is the inclusion of three different year groups, and I was lucky enough to play in the first team in all three of my senior years, which I loved being a part of with new people every year and it was no different this year.

Looking at the past season, it was a season full of games that could have gone either way, often with the result going against us and not portraying the team’s fierce performance. But despite this, the team seemed to gel together easily and work well with one another across all year groups. Putting the results aside in my final season of school football ever, it has been a great experience working with the new players and coaches, and being able to put on the captain’s armband each game made it all the better.”

– J. Shedden (1st XI Captain) This season saw the 1st XI stay reasonably consistent in terms of personnel which meant the same could be said for the remaining three senior teams. The 2nd XI saw lots of changes within the large squad they had based on injury and illness, but despite some tough games and a couple of fixtures against other school’s 1st XIs, they performed admirably, and with a very young side, many of the boys continue to mature and develop thus allowing them to step up next season. Similar can be said of the 3rd Xi this year which was solely a Year 11 team and played for the enjoyment and love of the game. No worries whatsoever about player selection as they made it their own and very much had a ‘play for your mate’ attitude throughout the season. It was a shame they weren’t able to fulfil some of their pre-planned celebrations throughout the season but again were often playing up against other school’s 2nd XI in the way the league system worked this year. The 4th XI is very much our standout team, as the senior boys who perhaps don’t play much football certainly turn up and out for each other on a Wednesday afternoon. More is made of the bus journey and the chat that comes before, after and often during the match but they certainly have fun. With this ethos, they produce some fantastic displays on the pitch and celebrate more often than not, although this season it turned out to be every single game, finishing

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Spring Sports Report the season with a 100% win record. A huge well done to all of those who represented the school across the four teams and ensured that every fixture was fulfilled from our side, truly encapsulating the Hallifordian way of life. It has been a brilliant season, and above everything we expected this year.

“The 2nd XI had a tough season but always went into the games with a positive mindset and despite having several changes to the starting team-sheet every match due to injuries and absentees. Many of the Year 11 players proved their worth by stepping up and taking control of the team. A strong centre-back partnership of Will Whishaw and Sam Morse proved difficult to beat for opposing strikers and Barney in goal pulled off some amazing saves throughout the season. We were unlucky with the results, and they often did not reflect the way we played or on our teamwork. Overall, we had a great time and enjoyed our football.

Thank you to Mr Morriss and all of the PE staff for training, fixtures and transport to and from the matches.”

– E. Howard (2nd XI Captain) “The Halliford 3rd team was made up of all Year 11 students. We had a great season, and every player was buying into the mentality of leaving it all out there on the pitch. The boys travelled away to Reddam House for the first game of the season and won a thrilling 7-6 win to get the season going. In every game that followed the effort could never be faulted, but we came up against some top-quality sides. Throughout the season every player that stepped on the pitch gave 110% effort and always played with a smile on their face.

The season ended with two great wins and many priceless moments that will never be forgotten. One of these I would like to share was the final game against Claires Court, ‘goalkeeper Baker had conceded two goals, and Captain Cole took the gloves and banished Baker up the pitch. The events that followed were truly special. Cole had to face up to a penalty and saved it. Then pumped the ball long and Baker on his first touch outfield managed to turn it in’. Special mentions go to every player for making this such an amazing season packed full of memories but also to our coach, Mr Shales, who masterminded our wins and was the heart of how the boys played on the pitch, in a never ever give up and fun attitude. Thanks to all who pulled on the sacred 3’s jersey and made it so special.”

– C. Cole (3rd XI Captain) “This term of football has been nothing short of outstanding from the Halliford 4th XI. The pride of Halliford school were back again this year to try and retain the title which was so nobly won last year. The 4th team veterans of Year 13 have been complete stalwarts in this year’s line-up playing every game home and away.

It would be wrong not to mention Shaan, Phill, Alex, Archie and Rowan and commending them on their loyalty to the cause. Having the season cut short isn’t the way we wanted to win the league, but regardless we look at all the positives. Oscar, Kieran, Curtis and Will of Year 12 have all showcased immense skill and class for this term, and I couldn’t be prouder as a captain. Going undefeated in a season and with a 100% win ratio is something dreams are made of so to everyone in the 4s, thank you for your teamwork and determination, and I’m sure that the Year 12’s will continue to carry the torch next season and destroy the competition again.”

– F. Graves (4th XI Captain)

MY HALLIFORD YEAR BY YEAR 7

Joe Arbiter My first PE lesson was the best PE lesson ever, RUGBY! Oh, my gosh! Rugby is the greatest thing ever to grace this earth. I played B Team rugby this year, and I have to say that we had the most amazing season as we only lost one game! My fellow teammates and I have made unbreakable bonds this season and look forward to the seasons to come. That’s the thing about Halliford. It’s really all about friends.

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Headmaster’s Select Football Squad 2020 Halliford’s football coaching staff sit down and review the season to pick a Headmasters XI, this is always a very tough decision and is not taken lightly. Students are selected based on several criteria, including their commitment to training, influence in competitive fixtures and attitude.

9

Nate Broadhurst Year 9 11

10

7

12

Lucas Lindstrup Year 9

Jack Emery Year 10

Brad Marshall Year 12

Oscar Shephard Year 8

4

8

14

Paul-Louis Howard Year 10

Charlie Simpson Year 10

Jake Symington Year 7

3

6

5

2

15

Theo Maroussas Year 7

Alfie Edwards Year 13

Max Hobbs (C) Year 10

Josh Rowe Year 8

Matthew Avery Year 9

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Daniel Gray Year 7

Football Colours Ties Colours ties are presented to senior students who have performed regularly for and impressed in our first XI this term.

They were awarded to the following students: Year 11: Sankaran Suseelan, Charlie Barker-Broe, Alex Donnelley, Josh Burson, Theo Rowsell Lower Sixth: Gallagher Dillon, Will Bourne, Ethan Stewart Upper Sixth: Louis De-Schynkel 100

Spring Sports Report

Inter-House Cross Country The Junior Competition comprises of a 3.3km route along the towpath by Walton Bridge, onto Desborough Island and finishing at Weybridge Vandals RFC. Seniors run 4.2km as a perimeter around Vandals which is added to the junior route.

However this year, due to poor weather, the Year 10 activity was adapted to do an indoor House multi-stage fitness test. Each House performed one at a time, each individual’s level was recorded, totalled up and divided by the number of competitors.

Each year took part in their Games Afternoons throughout the week before February Half Term. As always, efforts of the students were commendable, and we again maintain this as a truly mass participation event where everybody has a go and more importantly contributes to their overall House score.

U14

U13

U15

U12

1st

Russell

Russell

Russell

Russell

2nd

Greville

Greville

Wadham

Wadham

3rd

Wadham

Desborough

Desborough

Greville

4th

Desborough

Wadham

Greville

Desborough

Winners categories: Junior Champions (U12 & U13) n Russell Intermediate Champions (U14) n Russell Senior Champions (U15) n Russell

Top three in each year group: U14:

1. T. Wilkin

2. H. Tuckman

3. C. Green

U13:

1. H. Barrett

2. W. Hamilton

3. O. Hepworth

U15: 1. W. Harvey

2. P-L. Howard

3. D. Madden

U12: 1. J. Goodman

2. J. Symington

3. B. Dobby

Inter-House Football Students always look forward to this competition, and it achieves true mass participation from the house teams. Below shows the competition for each age group. The winners are listed as the top House in each column.

U14

U13

Senior

U15

U12

1st

Greville

Russell

Russell

Greville

Desborough

2nd

Russell

Wadham

Desborough

Russell

Russell

3rd

Wadham

Greville

Greville

Wadham

Greville

4th

Desborough

Desborough

Wadham

Desborough

Wadham

Winners categories: Junior Champions (U12 & U13) n Russell Intermediate Champions (U14 & U15) n Greville Senior Champions (Seniors) n Russell

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Overall winners: RUSSELL

Rugby Sevens Competitions in the Spring Term are always keenly anticipated by staff and students alike.

In order to accommodate the football season and after school activities, training sessions take place at lunchtime to prepare the boys for these tournaments. We always aim to get year groups entered for two tournaments over the course of the term.

RUGBY SEVENS

The weather has proved very disruptive from a sevens point of view this year in comparison to last.

This has proved particularly frustrating for Year 10 who we entered for Surrey and John Fisher Sevens Competitions both of which were cancelled this year due to the poor weather.

Other casualties of the constant rain and eventual COVID-19 cancellation precautions were U16 Rugby Sevens due to be hosted at Wimbledon RFC, City of London Freemans U13 tournament, St James U16 tournament, our own U18 Floodlit Sevens tournament, Millfield U13 tournament and finally Rosslyn Park Sevens tournament.

This does add some fuel to the debate in rugby circuits about the RFU exploring scheduling more sevens competitions for the Summer Term rather than the bleak winter month of February where often the weather proves very challenging when tournaments run.

Despite cancellations, plenty of sevens games were still played.

The first tournament of the Season for U14 came at Orleans Park School in Twickenham.

The boys topped their group in the morning set of fixtures advancing through to the main Cup Competition in the afternoon. Throughout the day the squad gave a strong account of themselves and played some very good sevens.

A particular highlight was beating Grey Court School who we know from the 15-a-side season are an excellent team.

Out of twelve teams, the boys finished in third place, a very satisfying result and a positive start to the season

U12

Orleans Park Rugby Sevens 6/3/20 Year 7 gave an excellent account of themselves in their first competition as a group together.

They had prepared well with excellent numbers at lunchtime training sessions and had a good grasp of the demands of sevens going into the competition at Orleans Park School.

The morning pool group of games against Wilsons School and Richmond Upon Thames saw Halliford win both games to top the group and advance to the Cup competition. In the afternoon

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Spring Sports Report pool of matches the boys continued to play some excellent sevens, however, were undone on a few occasions by sides utilising big runners to ’crash’ through. A fine day’s work finishing fourth out of twelve teams.

Surrey Rugby Sevens 6/3/20

U13

The U13’s season started at Trinity School for the Surrey Sevens Competition. These are always very large and involve many schools making the competition high quality. The boys are a talented side, however, had a challenging task from the offset having drawn John Fisher, Whitgift, RGS Guildford and Epsom College in the pool stages. The U13s stuck to their task well and were very competitive in all matches played.

Players who impressed were Josh Rowe being a constant attacking threat with his pace, Oliver Hepworth with the control and distribution skills he displayed in his role as scrum-half and Hayden Barrett with his pace and ability to cover huge amounts of ground around the park.

Surrey Rugby Sevens 10/3/20

U14

U14’s headed to Surrey Rugby Sevens hosted at the London Irish Hazelwood Training facility.

They were drawn in Group D with KCS Wimbledon, Caterham School, Harrodian School and Rutlish School, by no means an easy group. Results were very encouraging losing narrowly to Harrodian 20-15, beating Caterham 20-0, drawing 20-20 with KCS Wimbledon and beating Rutlish 40-0.

Other Sporting Clubs & Continued Sporting Development Rock Climbing has continued to be a popular extra-curricular option for our students. It runs on a Wednesday and Friday after school and many boys from differing year groups have taken advantage of this. It has been great to see, particularly as it has attracted some students to do extra-curricular activities where they were not previously. This has been a great success, and we look forward to resuming as soon as school reopens.

ROCK CLIMBING Performance Cricket Group For our County/National standard Cricketers we have secured the services of Ed Young, a very talented player and coach. Currently playing his Cricket at Valley End and previously having a professional contract for three years as a county cricketer he has complemented what the PE and Games staff currently offer from a technical perspective. This has been running with great success on a Friday after school from 4-6pm. We had hoped to have a regular Monday slot in the Summer Term which we will look to resume as soon as we are back at school. The six boys involved with the sessions have enjoyed Ed’s delivery and expertise.

CRICKET

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STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Strength and Conditioning have continued on a Monday and Wednesday before school, and we continue to utilise the services of Nick Rees. He continues to do a fantastic job with this, and it is very popular with our Year 10 and Senior boys, there is a good group with an excellent working mentality. Over the course of the Summer Term, we had hoped to open this up to our Year 9 students once Year 11 went on study leave. However, we will now save this for when we return to school. We look forward to resuming once school commences again.

Hallifordian’s Sporting Achievements

CROSS COUNTRY, BIATHLON & TRIATHLON

Spencer Bateman, Year 11

The first race of the year was the SCAA County Cross Country Championships at Denbies in Dorking, the day before the start of the Spring Term. This XC is held at Denbies every two years and having previously run it, Spencer took the opportunity to get some practice runs in over the Christmas holidays, a good way to run off all the turkey and mince pies. The heavy rain made the 6.1k course a challenging race with lots of sticky mud. The practice runs paid off, and Spencer placed a respectable 20th place in the U17 category.

The next major event was the Surrey County Schools Championships at Reigate. This was an event that Spencer was looking forward to, he was picked to represent the North East Surrey team and had a good chance of placing well. After a strong start and in the leading pack of five runners, unfortunately, his left shoe was ripped apart by another competitors’ 15mm spikes Spencer’s foot also taking the brunt of it. The incident left him with only one securely attached shoe which on a muddy cross country course was not ideal. Despite losing places over the last lap, he managed to finish in the top 20 which qualified for an Inter-Counties match but not the Nationals.

South East Schools Inter-Counties XC was held in Essex where Spencer placed 49th. Not a particularly challenging hilly course, but it was very windy and very narrow in places which made it tough to get past people. Spencer placed sixth in his most recent Cross Country event at Lloyd Park in muddy, hilly conditions.

Not wanting to miss out on his weekly runs, he made a diversion on his way back from the French Alps after a week of skiing with the family to Chateau de Pierre de Bresse for some parkrun tourism. Despite having tired legs from a week of off-piste skiing, Spencer still managed to come in first place.

Cross Country season is now officially closed, and he is starting to focus on swimming ready for the start of the Triathlon season where he hopes to compete in the Super Series events.

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Spring Sports Report RECENT EVENT PLACINGS: SCAA County Cross Country Championships – Denbies, Dorking – 20th Surrey County Schools Championships, Reigate – 18th Sport Systems Surrey Men’s League – Division 1 – various events across the season East Surrey League, Lloyd Park – 6th South East Schools Inter-Counties, Essex – 49th Chateau de Pierre de Bresse, France (parkrun) – 1st

Following an excellent Season in Halliford’s 1XV Sam started at flyhalf for both of Surrey’s U18 graded games v Kent and Sussex, a fantastic achievement. Following strong performances, he was then selected for the London & South East divisional trial at London Irish, 44 were given the opportunity to trial. Sam leaves Halliford at the end of this year, but we look forward to following how his rugby progresses at university and his club Weybridge Vandals RFC.

Following a successful period of rehabilitation on his back injury, Christopher has enjoyed returning to cricket training and more importantly being able to bowl. Something he wasn’t doing towards the end of last season as due to his injury he was only batting.

He has trained over the winter with Halliford, the Hampton Wick Senior first team from his club, and has been up to Scotland for some assessments prior to the season commencing. Currently, with the likely disruption caused by COVID-19, and looking forward to being involved with Halliford, Hampton Wick and Scotland, Christopher will be keeping himself fit as soon as the current situation allows.

Jivraj continues to not only impress with cricket performances at Halliford but also at Borough and County level. Following a successful trial process, he was selected for the U14 2020 Richmond Borough Cricket winter academy program. This continues to impact his performance positively as Jivraj has been in excellent form during our winter nets at Halliford. We look forward to hearing more updates on how he develops over the coming months.

RUGBY

Sam Bullet, Year 13

CRICKET

Christopher Cole, Year 11

CRICKET

Jivraj Singh, Year 9

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CROSS COUNTRY

Anthony Robins-Kent, Year 11

During the winter indoor athletics season, Anthony took part in both the 60 metres and long jump at the London Games, Surrey County Championships and most recently the English National Championships in Sheffield. He posted personal bests in both events and just missed the medal podium by coming fourth on two occasions. His long jump distance 6.57m ranks him second in the South of England and 11th in the UK. He has recently started training for triple jump and hopes to combine this with his long jump looking ahead to English Schools and age group representations in the future.

He is currently training as best he can with COVID-19 restrictions and looks forward to the Athletics season resuming so he can continue his fine form.

Playing his club rugby at Teddington and as a U16 Seb was hugely influential for Halliford’s Senior U18 1XV this season, not looking out of place against older students. We are excited to see his continued impact in this squad when he advances into the Sixth Form next year.

RUGBY

Sebastian McGill, Year 11

RUGBY REFEREE

Riley Whittington Year 10

Success outside school has been evident, and Sebastian has had an influential season with Middlesex County. Middlesex Swords (A team) completed the season undefeated beating Hampshire, Berkshire and Sussex. Sebastian has played full back for all A team games for the County U16 side this year.

Riley’s own words

I first got interested in refereeing when I was 13 and was able to take my “RFU Level 1 Refereeing Children” a day after my 14th birthday. Since then I have refereed dozens of games at Chobham RFC from U12 through to U14 – both friendlies and Surrey Cup games. I have also refereed the Year 7 showcase game at the Halliford Floodlight 7s and was asked by Surrey Rugby to referee the Reigate 7s tournament last year – which was a challenge as it is a prestigious schools tournament.

This year I was able to take and pass my “RFU Level 2” qualification which now allows me to referee 15-a-side games including adult games up to a certain level. Once I am 16, I will join the London Society of Referees, which will allow me to be appointed to games all over the region and formally assessed by highlevel referees.

Refereeing has helped me improve several skills both on and off the field – in rugby, it has given me a different perspective on the game and helped me to read the game better when I am playing. I also now appreciate the tough job referees have a lot more than before! Refereeing has also helped me develop some important skills in communication and leadership – having to keep control of a game, communicate well with the players and coaches and sometimes deal with difficult decisions quickly.

RUGBY

James Webley, Year 9

James continues to impress on the rugby field following an influential season in our U14A side. He has been involved in the London Irish Academy set up and early on this year was once more involved in the trial and selection process, hoping to retain his place. The current playing season follows his recovery from a back injury he sustained playing last year which saw him miss the Spring Term and Summer Term of sport at Halliford.

Following a frustrating period on the sideline, he was able to resume training at both club and school

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Spring Sports Report this year and returned to fully competitive rugby, when at the early stages of the injury it was not initially known if this would be possible. James not only retained his position in the Academy this season but he is involved with the U15 set-up, a year ahead. What is pleasing is that out of 500 boys across five sites, James achieved this without having to retrial at the start of next season. Clearly London Irish think very highly of him, and we wait to see how his progress continues.

Following Nishaan’s county selection for hockey, he played his first fixture on 21 January for Middlesex against Kent under 13s. In a closely contested match, Middlesex were eventual 2-1 winners against Kent.

Nishaan was responsible for assisting the second goal to win Middlesex the match.

HOCKEY

Nishaan Bains, Year 7

Jakob attended the Middlesex County Swimming Championships at the London Aquatics Centre in February, having qualified for five events: 50, 100 and 200m back, 50 butterfly and 400m front crawl. He set three personal bests during the championships, and will now contest the London Regional event (the next step up from County) at the same venue in April having qualified for 50m backstroke.

SWIMMING

In March, he was also awarded Teddington Swimming Club’s Championship Award for 12-year-old boys (pictured).

Jakob Holder, Year 7

Yaseen has qualified to swim at the County level in the Surrey Age Group Championship 2020 at the London Aquatics Centre. Yaseen completed 50m backstroke for his age group in an impressive 40.14s time.

SWIMMING

Yaseen Karatzas, Year 7

Additional information Sadly due to current circumstances planned pre-season cricket will not take place.

We will resume all sporting activities as soon as we are able and back at school where we belong.

For the meantime, we are teaching PE lessons remotely using Microsoft Teams. We are posting pictures and videos of students doing the set activities on our Twitter page @HallifordSport with the hashtag #microsoftteamspe Please follow our page and have a look at the challenges and activities we are posting.

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Royal Geographical Society

by Mr Miles Aarons - Chartered Geographer

Following the Easter holiday, I was contacted by the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) with some great news!

My application to become a Chartered Geographer (C.Geog) had been successful. Having been a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society since 2002, I saw the opportunity to become a Chartered Geographer as an excellent way of enriching the geographical experiences of our students here at Halliford School.

Having taught Geography for over 25 years, being a Chartered Geographer offers the opportunity to be recognised for my experience and professionalism in teaching and using the subject in the workplace. I have always been keen to make Geography interesting, relevant and accessible to everyone. This is particularly the case in current times, as people are waking up to the impacts that a rapidly growing world population is having on our natural environment. The importance of Geography can be seen in its ability, as a science, to tackle all of the biggest issues that face us today; from sustainability to population growth, from climate change to changing technology.

An additional benefit of being a Chartered Geographer has been through networking with other like-minded professionals around the world and sharing ideas. One area the Geography Department has developed with students is the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). This involves using software to blend the power of maps with the power of databases.

It is an increasingly powerful tool that allows people to create, manage, analyse and problem-solve locational information.

These are many of the skills that make Geographers so highly valued by employers.

The Royal Geographical Society has also given me the opportunity to mentor other Geography teachers around the country who are applying for their Chartered Geography status.

I see this as another great way to discuss ideas, as well as helping other Geography teachers recognise their achievements, identify new goals and help them to reach their full potential.

Finally, when lockdown restrictions are eased, I look forward to once again exploring the amazing resources, lectures and exhibitions with our students. In particular, the historic building and its location in Kensington, overlooking Hyde Park and The Royal Albert Hall.

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Summer Highlights

How an ex LIPA student changed my view of Dua Lipa to Dua LIPA

by Will Jones, Year 11

Having listened to musician Danny Miller’s version of Dua Lipa’s Don’t Stop Now on YouTube, evidence - should you need it - of what happens when ‘real’ musicians get hold of a pop song with potential, I was inspired to find out more. The funky groove with tidy trumpet lines and smooth vocals inspired me to jam as I listened. Sold!

I broke the ice during my meeting with Danny by asking a dangerous question: Who would be in his dream band? ‘Paul McCartney, Dave Weckl, Guthrie Govan, Gerald Albright,’ he responded. Asked why he would choose McCartney on bass rather than Gene Simmons or Duff McKagan, there was much more to it; McCartney had inspired him to play bass and consequently to attend Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).

Being both a bassist and a trumpet player is unusual. They are two very different instruments, after all.

Danny had started learning the trumpet when he was younger but picked up the bass when he was ten years old after having a guitar lesson; an ‘accident’. Fortunately, as a bassist myself, he confessed the bass was his preferred instrument, although his trumpet playing on the Dua Lipa track would have you thinking otherwise! Danny is in several bands at the moment, his favourite being Hardcore Hornography (I congratulated him on the pun!) comprising of himself and a group of brass-playing friends.

As a fan of jazz music, Danny enjoys leading his big band, something he didn’t get time to do during his time at LIPA, Paul McCartney’s music institute. He believes the most important quality as a band leader is the loyalty of musicians, valuable information as a musician myself. (Another tip was to ensure you are well presented and don’t smell bad, otherwise, people wouldn’t want to work with you!) He also highlighted the importance of good connections, which have seen him playing with amazing bands and artists such as Rod Stewart and Clean Bandit.

Having noticed Danny’s endorsement of in-ears on his website, I asked about Cosmic Ears. He modestly explained that this brand was small when he contacted them, asking them if he could be an endorsee of their company. Their in-ears are now being used by famous artists such as Adam Lambert, Boy George and even The Vamps. Danny would recommend anyone to use these for shows or even recording in a studio.

Danny is well versed in composing and arranging music. As a musician myself, I love composing, so this was something I was keen to investigate. Currently, he has written a range of Disney arrangements for his big band, which you can find on Danny Miller Music on YouTube, along with all of his other songs.

Nearing the end of my school career, I was interested to know whether he had decided on the pathway of musicianship at my age, or how much he understood about his future career. He told me it was different than he expected because he was self-employed, but he definitely knew what he wanted to do. He highlighted the importance of pursuing something that you love because it is something you can enjoy rather than getting stressed and worked up. I was also interested in finding out if he would want to change any choices from starting his career if he knew what he knows today. He told me that there was nothing he would want to change as he has learned from every mistake, and it has taught him more about composition and arranging.

We wrapped up the interview with him acknowledging what he has learned in the industry and the benefits of understanding technology to help him in leading roles. I had an amazing time talking to Danny, and I have learnt a lot. I have taken away a lot of the messages he told me and it is preparing me for the music world after school. I can’t help but urge you to head to Danny Miller Music on YouTube and listen to his version of Don’t Stop Now!

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A Medieval Diary by Ryan Choi, Year 7 During the lockdown my Year 7 History students were studying life in a medieval village. I asked them to keep a diary. The year is 1348, and the Black Death is just about to arrive on British shores...

Mr Anthony Cunningham, History Department Dear Diary I must be one of the very few peasants in Applehurst Village that can read and write. I don’t get much time though because my life is so busy. Plus, I have to write outside. There isn’t enough light in my wooden house to do this indoors. It puts too much strain on my eyes. When the weather gets too cold, my fingers go stiff, and that puts an end to my writing too.

I suppose I shall start with describing the village itself. The layout of Applehurst is very simple. There is one main road. At one end is the manor; at the other end is the church. Everyone else lives along the main street. There is a river nearby with a mill beside it.

I am a ‘villein’. This means I am in service to Lord Mayhew. I get wages from the Lord for doing the jobs on his land. Sometimes I think it is quite unfair how much work I do and how little I get paid.

I have six children to feed along with my wife, Elizabeth. She does the housework, washes the clothes and takes care of the meals.

She is my second wife. My first wife, Lottie, was drowned in the river. But more of that later.

The time I dread is the harvest. It is the most important time of the year because a successful harvest benefits the entire village. We know we will eat well. But it is a lot of hard work. No matter who you are (besides Lord Mayhew) you have to participate in doing the crops for harvest. If we do it too early there will not be enough food for the town, but if we do it too late it will go bad, and we will not have enough food to feed the town. This could mean famine. I have been through two years of failed harvests. It is something I would never want to experience again. This shows how important harvest is to us villagers, but it is a lot of hard work.

Elizabeth is a good woman, but she does nag me about our daily bread. She complains to me that we cannot make our own bread because we have to give it to the baker as he has a brick oven. She says he charges us more to bake it when we could make it for free if we only had the right equipment. However, Lord Mayhew has not given us a brick oven of our own, so that’s the end of it.

Dear Diary The priest is a very important person in our village. He makes sure everyone is christened, married and buried, and all with the proper rites and prayers. After all, we all want to get into heaven. The other doesn’t bear thinking about.

Every Sunday we go to church. We sit at the back. Lord Mayhew

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and his family sit at the front. I haven’t a clue what the priest is saying because it’s all in Latin. However, I can look at the paintings all around us. They intrigue me. On one wall, there is a dragon with a huge mouth full of jagged teeth. The dragon’s mouth is open, and about a dozen people are being pushed in. Devils with pitchforks prod the victims. They are a curious bunch. There are peasants like me, but also knights, bakers, millers, women and children. Interestingly, there is even a bishop. The message is clear.

Anybody can go to hell if they don’t obey the Lord.

On the other side, there is another painting. It is purgatory. This is a place between the living realm and the afterlife. It is like a waiting room to decide whether you go to heaven or hell. We believe if more people are praying for you, the quicker you leave purgatory. I hope someone prays hard for me.

The priest reminds us regularly about how a person can get to heaven. Before you die, there are many things to do to ensure you a quick way out of purgatory and into heaven. You confess your sins to the priest, attend Mass, give away your money to charity, go on a pilgrimage to Walsingham, or Canterbury. The best kind of pilgrimage is to the Holy Land. The priest tells us that this shows a real commitment to your faith. One way of getting to heaven is to become a nun or monk. You can devote your life to God. I’m not sure I’d like it. I hear that there are silent orders where nobody is allowed to speak. They use sign language instead.

We are told to pray regularly, and every day we are thinking about God. Once in a while, a Pardoner trots through the village. You can get a pardon for money. They are blessed by the Pope himself.

Another way to get out of purgatory is to leave money for a chantry chapel to be built. People can pray for you there. However, if you are poor like us, you can join a guild. We have.

Everyone knows the type of people going to hell. You can see them clearly in the ‘Doom’ paintings in the church. In hell you will find drunken pilgrims drinking from a wine bottle non-stop, murderers being put into a pot of boiling water, a woman having her hand bitten by a bear because she pampered her dogs with meat when poor people were going hungry. There is a bridge of spikes for dishonest tradesmen and a money lender burning in flames. It looks terrifying.

However, there is hope. In one picture, there is a ladder of souls leading to heaven with people climbing up to the Lord. I only hope I will be on that ladder going up and not down.

Summer Highlights Dear Diary Punishment is harsh in our village. Lord Mayhew and his bailiff see to that. I remember once when my neighbour, old Mrs Corney, didn’t get up for the hue and cry one time last summer. She was severely punished by being put in the stocks. After that, she was the first to dash out of her house if someone so much as raised their voice outside her door.

Punishment here is given out swiftly and without any appeal. My sister Dorothy was accused of being a witch because she was the town healer. The worst part was, she was accused by the person she helped! So, the sentence was death. It was too dreadful for words. She was taken to the village boundary and strangled with a cord. After that, she was burned at the stake. It was the Feast of Saint Jerome, her birthday.

able to give Elizabeth something nice to wear. However, we cannot afford fine linen or the dyes needed to make them colourful. I only have one other tunic, and I save that for church.

I have already told you about my first wife and how she died. She died doing the family washing down by the river. It is true that one of the most dangerous normal things that we do in our town is washing our clothes. I know it sounds odd, but it is true. When washing our clothes in the river, lots of people die due to the strong current of the river and the cold. The speed and pull of the river are very fast, so it is easy to get sucked under. Still, what else can we do? It is easier to take the washing to the water than bring the water to the house.

Dear Diary

The worst punishment I have seen in the town was big old John Bunning when he was found guilty of treason and for being part of a local rebellion. Lord Mayhew was the judge. John is simple in the head. His mother said he didn’t know what he was really doing. It didn’t matter. Sentence was passed. After he was found guilty Big John was taken to the scaffold at the town crossroads. He was hung until he was nearly dead. Big John was pleading God for it not to happen or for it to be quick and easy. Unfortunately, God did not give him what he wanted. It took longer, much longer than anyone expected. His poor mother pleaded with the hangman, but he just ignored her. Then his body was taken down and hacked into four pieces. That’s when his mother fainted. I covered the children’s eyes. The pieces were nailed up at the four corners of the village as a warning.

I had a good wash in the stream after working in the fields yesterday. It was rather slippery on the bank, and once or twice, I fell back in. I had to keep an eye on my oldest boy as he can’t swim.

None of us can. Thankfully we don’t have to bring water back from the river to the house. We have a well in the village by the bake house. I hate that we don’t have an area where we can wash like the Lord. I am extremely jealous of him. He has a wooden tub. The maids bring hot water and fill it to the brim. He uses expensive soap too.

Everyone agrees that Lord Mayhew is strict but fair. Our priest agrees that punishment should fit the crime. I keep my mouth shut and say nothing.

Our house is very difficult to clean because we have a dirt floor covered in rushes. Animals are coming in and out like the ducks, chickens, the dogs and even the pigs. In the winter we bring the cow in too. I don’t notice the smell, but the priest does if he ever comes in, which is rare. My sister was a healer. She had plenty of herbal remedies to help with all kinds of problems. But now, we have nobody to help if we get sick. Most of the women have their own cures for things though. When I see some of them, I think I’d rather stay ill.

Dear Diary Elizabeth gets up early every day to make dough. Every day she makes it and then grumbles as she puts on her shawl to take it down the road to the baker. But without good bread, we would starve. It is the main thing we eat.

We normally have a pot of pottage going over the fire. It’s like a thick, savoury porridge and very filling. We have two pigs, and we are able to smoke the meat when we slaughter them. We have fresh eggs from the hens we keep in our small garden. We are allowed to grow our own vegetables too, but most of this is down to Elizabeth. By the time I get in from the fields, I am too exhausted to think about anything but eating and sleeping.

All eight of us sleep on a wooden pallet near the fire. We have mattresses filled with straw which has to be changed every spring.

I never dream. I’m too tired for that.

Elizabeth is a good woman, but she sometimes is a jealous one. This is a sin. The problem is clothes. Lord Mayhew and his family have the nicest clothes. They are so colourful compared to ours. We villagers have ragged, brown, beaten up clothes. It does not bother me in the least. But the other women gossip about it. It would be nice to be

Everyone uses the river to wash. Eventually, you get used to being naked in front of other people. However, the men keep their distance from the women by going up beyond the bridge. The children stay with their mothers down in the shallows by the bulrushes.

Dear Diary God has punished us. A terrible plague has swept through Applehurst. Lord Mayhew and his wife died first. I still find it hard to believe. The rest of his family fled to one of their other houses up north. Even our priest has disappeared. Nobody has seen him for weeks.

My family stayed at home and locked our doors against the infection. We lived off the food we had in the house. After a while, this ran out. Thankfully, our kind neighbours left us parcels of food outside the door. But it has been a terrible time. A person can be fine in the morning and dead by the evening.

I will finish now because I am running out of ink. I don’t know when I will be able to write again. I pray to God to save us from this punishment. But is he listening?

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Halliford Haircuts

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster

We asked students and teachers to donate the money they would have spent at the hairdressers over lockdown to support Young Minds and then share their Halliford Haircut with us via social media using the hashtag #hallifordhaircut I even agreed to take the plunge myself and do my very own Halliford haircut if we raised over ÂŁ1,000.

Through the generosity and good-natured involvement of so many Hallifordian students, parents and teachers, we are delighted to announce that we raised ÂŁ1,735 for Young Minds.

Cameron Terry - Year 8

Ruaridh Bell - Year 7D

Daniel Mosby - Year 7D

Mr Newman

Carson Curtis - Year 8R

Henry Macefield - Year 8W

James Webley - Year 9G

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Summer Highlights

At Halliford School, we take the issue of mental health extremely seriously. During the period of lockdown, we wanted to do our part to help raise funds for Young Minds, the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people’s mental health.

Mr Davies

Mr Aarons

Mr King

Matthew Avery - Year 9

Mr Heeney

Oscar Luiz - Year 7R

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Co-Curricular Clubs in Lockdown

by Mr Sean Slocock, Assistant Head Co-Curricular

Lockdown provided a wonderful opportunity for a range of different clubs and activities to be offered to all students. The hive of activity that ensued after school showed that Hallifordians do not allow anything to stand in their way as they participated in the multitude of activities that our teachers arranged.

Clubs ranged from the more cerebral Chess Club where Louis Mercer, Oscar Luiz and Ruaridh Bell, to name a few, took on the challenges of Mr Cupido and Mr McMillan, to the more practical, Cookery Club, that has seen far too numerous students to name any, in particular, hone their skills, develop new skills and feed their families for at least one night each week. Students have enjoyed improving their understanding of topics and learning new skills such as in Engineering Club where they have completed challenges making geodesic domes, marble tracks and structures made of spaghetti. Debate and discussion were rife in the British Armed Forces Club, and the Current Affairs Club continued to produce enthusiastic future leaders.

Mr Bruno’s ever-popular D&D Club remained highly sought after as did Mrs Brown’s new Clash of Clans Strategy Club with students discussing screenshots of their war base and features such as pekkas, healers, wizards and archers. William Marten, Chris Sanders, Humphrey Pedlar and Joshua Burson all benefited from feedback and discussions on how they could improve in the game.

Mr Greggor and Mr Morriss were as busy as usual creating ‘Joe Wicks’ style body conditioning videos for students to follow or setting running challenges. From the likes of Jacob Goodman and Max Fernandes, it was great to see the progress by our students who shared their videos on our Halliford Sport Twitter page.

great enthusiasm from several Year 11 students including Ben Brine, Will McGuigan, Angelo Silvestri and Misha Edwards as they worked towards their Level 2 LiFE Award.

Mr Arriandiaga and the podcast crew have produced over 70 amazing episodes of The Halliford Show since the Club started and the lockdown did nothing to dampen their creativity or take their voices away!

Ms Hetherington’s Art Club has encouraged creativity, expression, confidence and independence amongst the 17 students who took part. These after school sessions have provided an opportunity for students to explore a wide variety of materials and techniques whilst working from home. Arjun Pahuja, Benjamin Mills and Amar Ghottra worked particularly well and produced some fantastic art.

As a result of the success of the Art Club, we extended our offering to include a new Photography Club. Uptake was very strong, with 25 students taking part, and feedback from the boys has been very positive. They have welcomed the opportunity to develop new skills in areas where they have previously had limited exposure. Through a series of games, activities, competitions and group work, students have taken some brilliant photos. Ms Hetherington was particularly impressed with the work of Felix Lancy, Thomas O’Connor, Laurence Hodson and Benjamin Wittke.

“I love Photography Club! The Club has taught me how to recognise Mr MacLean sang the praises of Piers Bowater and his band and take great images and it has given me an opportunity to work of origami folders whilst his Nature Club attendees, Theo with other students. My favourite bit was learning about Macro Maroussas and Tom Wittke, in particular, have grown plants and Photography and taking my own photos. I am going to enter them built palatial bug hotels. He was also happy with the progress for the Hold Still Competition. Photography Club is a great way to of his barbershop singers although we weren’t quite ready learn about photography but have lots of fun at the same time”. to see a debut performance at Mr Williams’ Halliford Young Musician Concert. The eco-warriors have discussed the Jedi - William Jackson, Year 10 Knight population of the UK and travelled around the world by webcam whilst our budding entrepreneurs, Josh Hawksley and All in all, lockdown and remote learning proved to be a bump in Arjun Pahuja developed their project idea by creating a logo and the road as both students and teachers threw themselves into a new way of learning. That said, it is unanimous that all involved conducting primary and secondary market research. would still much prefer to be back at school!

Mrs Brown’s LiFE (Lessons in Financial Education) Club saw

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Summer Highlights

Cookery Club

Mr Aarons Stir Fry by Daniel Mosby Year 7

Mr Aarons Stir Fry by Daniel Mr Aarons Stir Fry by Dillan Mr Bruno’s MacNCheese by Ramaiya Year 8 Felix Labaki Year 8 Winders Year 10

Mr Bruno’s MacNCheese by Mr Bruno’s MacNCheese by Henry Jones Year 7 Rufus Shillington Year 7

Mr Purden’s Banana Loaf by Mr Purden’s Banana Loaf by Charlie Moria Year 7 Daniel Mosby Year 7

Mr Purden’s Banana Loaf by Thomas O’Grady Year 8

Mrs Brown’s Ham & Broccoli Quiche by Ashwyn Needs Year 8

Mrs Brown’s Ham & Broccoli Mrs Brown’s Ham & Broccoli Quiche by Freddie Robinson Year 9 Quiche by Laurence Hodson Year 7

Jakob Holder - Year 7

Thomas Wittke - Year 12

Engineering Club

Cosmo Sumner - Year 8

Nicholas Atherfold – Year 12

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Shepperton Lockdown Doorsteps

by Mrs Olivia Oakley, Marketing & Communications

Mr Davies was delighted to support ‘Shepperton Lockdown Doorsteps’ with his school doorstep photo. This photo was taken in May on the doorstep of the Georgian House leading out onto the Courtyard of Halliford School.

‘Shepperton Lockdown Doorsteps’ is a project to celebrate and support the community, whilst raising funds for ‘Bags of Food’. The project was started by Kim Fahey, the daughter of Old Hallifordian Art teacher, Penny Fahey. As of August 2020, the project has raised £3,926 for local food banks. This is a great cause and a wonderful initiative documenting the families, residents and businesses of Shepperton through doorstep portraits during the lockdown. It is also a lovely way to connect the community during these challenging times.

Shepperton Lockdown Doorsteps encouraged local people to help document this unique moment in our history by photographing residents of Shepperton on the doorsteps of their homes or businesses.

The team wanted these pictures to capture a snapshot of our community during the time of lockdown and social distancing while also raising money and awareness of Shepperton’s local food bank ‘Bags of Food’, who have seen demand for their service grow sharply this year.

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Summer Highlights

Planter Project

by Mr Sam Watson, Teacher of Design & Technology

As part of their Design & Technology lessons, our Year 7 and Year 8 students were tasked with doing a planter project. They were asked to turn items that were destined for the recycling bin into planters to grow vegetables at home. This was a great project to encourage the reuse and repurpose of items no longer needed, and to give our students the valuable experience of growing their own food.

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Inter-House Competitions During Lockdown

by Mr Sean Slocock, Assistant Head Co-Curricular

During lockdown, there were many opportunities for students to represent their Houses with an array of challenges that we set each week. A huge thanks go to Mrs Peacock and Ms Hetherington for running the Touch Typing and Photography Challenges. In Touch Typing, Hamish Greany in Year 7, James Connolly in Year 8, and Reece Pittaluga in Year 9 showed the most progress. Whilst the fastest typists were, in third place, Jivraj Singh from Wadham House (57wpm), in second place Roald Aschim from Greville House (with an incredible 98% accuracy and 60 wpm) and in first place Charlie Biggs from Wadham House with an amazing 134wpm. Overall though, it was only Charlie who managed to beat Mrs Whitticase’s 86 wpm. With all the entries factored in, the results were Russell in third place, Wadham in second place and in first place overall, Desborough.

The ‘Keepy-Uppy’ Challenge saw Noah AchesonFenton claim first place ahead of Reece Pittaluga and Carson Curtis. This placed Greville first, Desborough second and Russell third.

Carson Curtis continued his prolific contributions with an entry to the Paper Ball Challenge where he claimed third place behind Aaric Thomas and Reece Pittaluga. For this challenge, the House result was Russell in third, Wadham in second and Desborough in first place.

Over half term, students were set a Video Challenge to make the best toilet roll video, and two students were ultimate winners. Both Aaric Thomas in Wadham and Carson Curtis in Russell showcased their creativity and budding video producing skills to claim the title for their Houses.

As the term progressed, there were numerous entries to the various Inter-House Competitions.

Aaric Thomas showed his press up powers winning the Plank Get-Ups Challenge, whilst Carson won the Mountain Climbers Challenge.

The Stair Climb Challenge saw entries from a number of students with Reece Pittaluga, Freddie Lifton and Carson Curtis leading the charge. In the end, it was Russell House that ‘climbed’ the most flights of stairs to take the trophy.

The Photography Competition was run by Ms Hetherington and saw a vast number of entries which made the final selection extremely difficult.

The competition followed the principles of the Hold

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Still Lockdown Photography Project, spearheaded by the Duchess of Cambridge where students submitted photographs that fell into one of three categories; ‘Helpers and Heroes’, ‘Acts of Kindness’ and ‘Your New Normal’. Eleven photographs were shortlisted, but ultimately it was a fantastic shot by Matteo Biscoe that took top honours.

It is clear to see that the pandemic has done little to stop our Inter-House competitive spirits. The weekly quiz saw huge numbers of the school taking part during a Thursday morning registration. In the end, Russell House proved to be the most enthusiastic by a long way having won the award each week for the biggest number of participants, whilst Desborough were slow starters, and their numbers increased gradually, but still lost out valuable bonus points for representation. Wadham made a late challenge and proved that their general knowledge was superior on a few occasions but lost out on teacher and student representation bonus points and it appeared that it was ultimately a two-horse race between Desborough and Russell to be crowned champions. Russell managed to take the mantel from Desborough in week four as the competition took a break for exams which meant the title was on a knife’s edge leading into the last three weeks of the competition. In the end, Russell House proved to have better general knowledge overall and, combined with their enthusiastic approach, was crowned the 2020 Inter-House Quiz Champions.

Summer Highlights

Winner / Matteo Biscoe - Year 9

Dillan Ramaiya - Year 8

Jakob Holder - Year 7

Charles Moria - Year 7

Felix Lancy - Year 7

Jake Fernandez - Year 10

William Jackson - Year 10

Thomas O’Connor - Year 7

Felix Lancy - Year 7

Dillan Ramaiya - Year 8 119

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Community Service - Max Fernandes - Year 8W

Project Week

by Mr Sean Slocock, Assistant Head Co-Curricular

The final week of the school year is normally reserved • Hieroglyphics for activities days and excursions. This year, however, • Stop Frame Animation in light of the lockdown, we changed our plans as the • Tornado school put together a week’s worth of projects for the Year 8 students to do at home.

Each day students took part in two projects; they were provided with four tasks as teachers logged into the various Microsoft Teams to provide help and support. There was also the option for students to opt-out of a session and give back to their local community by picking up litter or beautifying an area.

Some projects overlapped in year groups, but each year group had projects that were specific to them. The aim was to provide students with an element of fun for their learning, after what has been a difficult year for everyone involved. The hope was that these activities would engage our students and help to distract them slightly whilst also fostering a love for learning as they researched topics they would not normally have covered.

The topics per year group were: Year 7 • • • • 120

Assassin’s Creed Board Game all Obstacle Course B Medieval Castle Building Coat of Arms

• • • • • • •

Ball Obstacle Course Creative Writing Helicopters Hieroglyphics Music Through the Ages Periscopes Stop Frame Animation

Year 9 • • • • • • •

Boats ity Guide Book C Create a Comic Strip Geocaching Horticultural Design Model Set Challenge People Who Changed the World

The week went well with hundreds of fantastic examples of project work completed as well as many areas in Surrey finding themselves free of litter and detritus. All in all, a fantastic week.

Summer Highlights

Community Service - Dion Henderson Year 7R

Medieval Castle - Jakob Holder - Year 7W

Ball Obstacle Course - Hannes Sorgendal - Year 7R

Model Set Challenge - Luca McKenzie-O’Neill - Year 9D

Comic Strip - Calam Sharma - Year 9D

Assassin’s Creed Board Game - Oscar Luiz - Year 7R

Periscope Challenge - Zach Johnson - Year 8G

Horticultural Design - Theo Wilson Year 9R 121

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Virtual Open Events

by Mrs Olivia Oakley, Marketing & Communications

With the pandemic closing the School and preventing us from hosting Open Events in person for new prospective families, we embraced technology and hosted our first ever Virtual Open Day. In preparation, we commissioned a virtual tour with the help of Venue View, who were able to showcase the amazing facilities we have at Halliford. This is available to view on our website under the Admissions section.

We ran a morning and evening session and were delighted to welcome 40 families at our first Virtual Open Day on Wednesday 10 June. Mr Davies was able to present via Microsoft Teams, guiding the parents around with the School with the aid of the virtual tour. Pre-recorded videos by some of the students were played, so we were able to give a flavour of the School from the perspective of some of our Year 7 students. The event finished with a Q&A session, and those on the call commented on how helpful and insightful the session had been.

Our second Virtual Open Day took place on Wednesday 8 July, and again we welcomed over 40 families.

At this time we are doing all we can to keep all members of our School Community as safe as possible following the appropriate Government guidance. We will therefore be offering a whole host of live interactive virtual open events over the coming months. Indeed, with the fact that prospective parents can enjoy a virtual tour from the comfort of their own home, virtual open events could become an additional offer alongside our traditional ‘in-person’ open events.

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Summer Highlights

The Safe Return to Halliford School

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster

As we all adjust to life under the ‘new normal’ here at Halliford School, we cannot wait to open our gates once again to our students and staff and to get back to the wonderful feeling of the Halliford School community that makes us so unique. At Halliford School, our pastoral care is right at the very heart of all we do. We are delighted that successive inspections consistently rated our Pastoral Care as Outstanding, and the safety of our students and our wider community is a critical factor within this.

At Halliford, we have been working tirelessly over the last few months to ensure that we are doing everything we can so that our students can all safely return to school in September. We have been monitoring the government guidelines closely to ensure we have gone above and beyond the required safety measures.

Parents have widely praised our work during the lockdown as we continued to run the school remotely very much with life as normal. Now we are exceptionally excited to be able to see our students in person and to get them back working safely alongside one another and with their teachers.

To do this, we have put in place a whole host of measures, including keeping year groups and individual classes in specific areas of the school in what is known as bubbles. Any members of the community who are ill will be asked to stay at home, and we will have access to testing for all Hallifordians when required.

We have installed social distancing signage to help our school community adhere to the two-metre rule, and all of our buildings are now one-way to ensure that there is no risk of crossing in corridors. Lessons will take place as normal, and students and staff will have the option to wear a mask if they wish to. On arrival at school, students will enter through different gates and will be asked to wash their hands. We have installed new external sinks and hand wash facilities throughout the school along with hygiene stations in each classroom and strict adherence to the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach will be in operation.

During the lockdown, we developed new ways to deliver important community events virtually, and we will continue to run these once we are open with whole school and house assemblies streamed into individual classrooms. Our extensive co-curricular programme will be running in a blended approach of live and virtual sessions as appropriate.

Throughout the lockdown, we worked incredibly hard to develop our use of Microsoft Teams to keep all aspects of school life running as usual, and if ever the worst should happen we are all set to return to this system at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile, we will be using the best aspects of online working to develop a new blended approach when we return in September.

We are aware that our students have been through so much over these last few months and the Hallifordian value of resilience has been tried and tested throughout and has helped so many to cope with everything they have had to manage. However, we recognise the enormous impact the pandemic has had on mental health, and with all staff trained in mental health first aid, we will be as ready to support every individual member of the community as we welcome them all back in September.

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Summer Term Sports Report

by Mr James Greggor, Director of Sport

Lockdown PE and Sport Practical Physical Education and extra-curricular activity

Halliford’s PE and Games department is traditionally very busy, in addition to lessons we run an extensive range of lunchtime, after school and weekend sporting opportunities for our pupils. This period of school closure has been a challenging one, where we have had to think outside of the box to continue to provide Physical Education for our pupils. Practical PE lessons have continued on Microsoft Teams which have consisted of lessons being structured into eight tasks per lesson. The tasks vary from fitness-based challenges to skill mastery, refinement and consolidation.

Pupil engagement has been pleasing. In lessons, we encouraged students to post their scores and progress on each task. We also encouraged students to share a video of themselves engaging in the activities and posted these on our @HallifordSport Twitter page. Usually used to promote fixtures and department news, our Twitter page now showcased lockdown PE. In addition to practical lessons, we tried to continue with some form of after school extra-curricular activity too during this period. Mr Greggor set up a body conditioning club on Tuesday afternoons, and Mr Morriss set up a running club on Wednesday afternoons.

Both had weekly tasks for our students to complete from 4–5pm after school. The beauty of using Microsoft Teams meant that if students were unable to make the extra-curricular slots at those times, they could access the content at any stage in the week.

Body conditioning was a club introduced to allow students to do fitness-based activities that pupils and families can complete with minimal equipment at home. Mr Greggor filmed a weekly workout that was uploaded to Microsoft Teams for the Tuesday after school slot. Mr Greggor was online to discuss modifications to his designed routine or answer any questions students had. A version was also uploaded to the @HallifordSport Twitter page for the wider school community to access should they not be able to access the after school slot.

Mr Morriss uploaded running routes and training activities and encouraged students who joined his group to get a Strava account and post distances and routes covered.

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Highlights from home-based PE lessons 125

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Theory GCSE, A Level and taster A Level courses Students in classes studying these courses have really impressed us as a department. They have adjusted to remote teaching incredibly well and as a result, have continued to make excellent progress from home.

GCSE pupils in particular in the period where they would usually have been out on student leave engaged with GCSE revision based lessons superbly, and we have seen many students take up pre-A Level courses as the end of term approached which we used to introduce many aspects of the A Level course.

Virtual Sports Day – Tuesday 30th June Students were invited to participate in the school’s first-ever Virtual Sports Day. Traditionally we host this event at Walton’s Xcel athletics facility. However, we had to adapt this year under the circumstances.

Twelve events were designed, all of which could take place at home or in the back garden. A further three extension activities were optional but not compulsory, including a timed 5K run, 100 burpee challenge and a press-up challenge. Mr Greggor filmed a video to explain the setup and how to conduct each event for students and families to follow.

Garden Perimeter Jog - 5 minutes

VIRTUAL SPORTS DAY 2020

Tea Towel Throw - Maximum 3 attempts

Equipment required:

Standing Long Jump - Maximum 3 attempts

Football / Rugby ball

Spring Shuttle (5m distance)

Spoon

Standing Triple Jump - Maximum 3 attempts Sponge Shot Put - Maximum 3 attempts Mountain Climbers - 45 seconds Ball Coordination Run - 5m distance

Egg / Small ball Tea towel Stopwatch

3 Person Household Relay 1

Sponge

3 Person Household Relay 2

Tape measure

3 Person Household Relay 3

Tennis racket

3 Person Household Relay 4

Cricket bat

Students were encouraged to involve members of their household where possible, post scoring using an online Microsoft form and also upload videos and photos of themselves completing the activities. As a department, we were really pleased with the student uptake, and some of the footage sent through was superb. Please have a look at the @HallifordSport Twitter page where you can see a brief highlights clip, along with some student-produced highlights which are a fantastic watch.

In terms of results and scoring, looking at participation numbers from each House, the results were as follows:

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1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Greville

Desborough

Russell

Wadham

Summer Sports Report In addition, we issued awards to the top three students from each year group. These were awarded based on a combination of recorded results for events on the electronic form but also on the quality of video evidence submitted where students were close. Having reviewed all of the results submitted and video evidence, we have produced the following results.

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11

Thomas O’Connor

Carson Curtis

Thomas Wilkin

Max Hobbs

Jake Goodman

Oliver Hill

Harry Tuckman

Marley Tavaziva

Anthony RobinsKent

Joshua Hawksley

Dominic Connor

Carter Green

Jack Emery

Matthew Turley Findlay Clay

MY HALLIFORD YEAR BY YEAR 7

Oliver White What pleased me the most was how much sport we do at Halliford. If you aren’t so keen on one sport there is always something out there to do, like golf or athletics. Furthermore, one of the best things about Halliford is the ability to be able to gain a skill very quickly. Before coming to this school I had never touched an instrument before, but now I have learnt to play the piano.

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HALLIFORD LIFE

Guess the Desk - Dr Brooks Thank You NHS

Converse shoe art

Upper Sixth Form Leavers’ Pro

m emarbet rance opens enerofseReshmoe rdnv The Joseph GaCo

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Summer Highlights

HALLIFORD LIFE

S Supporting our NH ol ho Sc rd The Hallifo to d te an w community ow sh to d do all it coul e our support for th key d an S H wonderful N g rin du workers the pandemic.

Lower Sixth students take part in BP Interviews

Sixth Form students helpHalliford at the PTA Ball - rainbow window School

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– Art Exhibition 2020 –

Anthony Robins-Kent GCSE

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– Art Exhibition 2020 –

Anthony Robins-Kent GCSE

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– Art Exhibition 2020 –

Archie Evans GCSE

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– Art Exhibition 2020 –

Joe Baker GCSE

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– Art Exhibition 2020 –

George Brennan GCSE

Emilio Bertuzzi GCSE

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– Art Exhibition 2020 –

Freddie Needham GCSE

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– Art Exhibition 2020 –

Edward Ellis GCSE

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– Art Exhibition 2020 –

Jethro Knight Thompson GCSE

Spencer Bateman GCSE

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DESBOROUGH House Report

by Mr Vincent Harden-Chaters, Head of House

House Captain: Louis De Schynkel

the Devil. We put in multiple hours of on Desborough Island, the boys always practice and even with representatives put in a great extra effort. However, a 2020 will be undoubtedly be remembered from each year group and a full band; few brilliant individual performances in the history books for the Coronavirus consisting of Louis De Schynkel on weren’t enough to overcome a dominant pandemic and the huge impact it has bass, Aarmaan Alarvi on piano and an performance by Russell across all year had on our way of life. This once in a unforgettable double act of Sam Bullett groups. While the football season lifetime event has permeated through and Will Whishaw on the bongos, it still finished abruptly most of the school’s every aspect of society and from my was not enough to beat an excellently football games had been played, so perspective, I have had to change the date staged Greville entry and thus we the Headmaster’s XI included Lucas of my wedding twice, adapt to a totally finished second again. It feels like we are Lindstrup, Jack Emery, Theo Maroussas new method of working and develop new forever to be the bridesmaid and never and Matthew Avery. Football Colours for and inventive ways to entertain my three- the bride, but we will learn from the representing the first XI and impressing year-old son. However, I believe that experience, grow and come back next throughout the season went to Louis every cloud does have a silver lining and year even stronger.

De Schynkel, Will Bourne and Ethan the time that we have all gained with our Stewart. I hope that these fantastic immediate families is a gift that I, for one, Moving to the first sporting event in the individual performances can inspire would not want to change for the world. calendar, we must talk about the success some of the younger pupils to make the of several pupils in rugby. Special step-up next year.

Many of the parents of Halliford school mentions must go to Christopher students have been able to see what we Sanders, Sebastian McGill, Ted Luckins I would like to offer my thanks to my as teachers see every day; hardworking, and Henry Gulliver who all gained Rugby tutor team who undoubtedly hold diligent and enthusiastic young people Colours Ties for their performances the House together and have been a with a passion for learning and bettering for the first XV. In addition, I must continued source of support for the themselves, even in the face of a global also mention Sam Bullett and Lucas pupils and myself. Their dedication and crisis. The engagement I have seen Lindstrup, who made the Headmaster’s professionalism have seen the pupils through the various competitions and XV for being the strongest players in continue their path to firmer things. I clubs since the start of lockdown in March their positions throughout the school. also would like to acknowledge Louis goes to show the strong value of resilience The results of the Rugby Inter-House De Schynkel for his vision and hard work that has been instilled in the pupils and the Competition were a mixed bag with the throughout this year, he has been an never give up attitude that encapsulates Senior and U14 teams posting some inspiration to the younger pupils, and what it means to be a Hallifordian. I have strong results and finishing second in it has been a delight to see him mature been proud to share in many of their their groups. However, with some tough into the fantastic young man he is today. triumphs this year, and I will do my best to opposition, the other groups struggled summarise those below. to get out of the blocks and even with In closing, I would like to leave you with some strong performances in games, we a quote from Maya Angelou that I feel We will start with the House Song did not manage to win the competition summarises how this academic year has Competition where over the last few this year. felt and to give hope for the coming one. years we have had some fantastic ‘I’ve learned that no matter what happens, performances. This year was no different As we progressed into the Spring Term, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and under the musical direction of our we looked forward to the Cross-Country and it will be better tomorrow.’

House Captain, Louis De Schynkel, we and Football Competitions, but with the aimed to win with a unique rendition pandemic, this term was cut short. With of The Rolling Stones Sympathy for the cross-country route taking place

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Desborough

House Reports

L E AV E R S 2020

Louis De Schynkel House Captain

Armaan Alavi

Finn Angell-Wells

Sam Bullett

Adam Hetzel

Philip Karidis

William Whishaw

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GREVILLE House Report

by Mr Darren Howard, Head of House

House Captain: Susanna Skarlosh In the Autumn Term, the imminent approach of the singing competition signalled the beginning of another year’s friendly natured (the pupils) but very competitive (the Heads of House) InterHouse rivalry. As my decision of a whole House approach in last year’s competition backfired spectacularly, for a number of logistical reasons, the tried and tested method of coercing volunteers into participating was once again employed.

After a brief consultation about song choices, on which I had little influence due to my previous poor record of selecting appropriate songs, Loving is Easy by Rex Orange County was the song chosen to be Greville’s House entry this year.

Under the enthusiastic leadership of Susanna Skarlosh and superbly supported

by Sam Murray-Smith and Freddie Graves, numerous clandestine practice sessions, to keep me well away, proceeded to occur through the weeks running up to the actual event. With an enormous amount of commitment, from all of those involved, the House song had apparently evolved, according to Susanna, into the finished article. It was only in the final practice session, held in the theatre on the morning of the competition that a slightly nervous Head of House finally saw Greville House’s entry. A big thank you to all the boys and Year 13 girls involved, in both the House song and in Form entries, for the rehearsal hours that you put in. There were, as usual, strong performances from the other Houses but Greville’s performance, in the words of Mr Williams, was the slickest, most professional performance that he had ever seen since his arrival at Halliford School. Finally, after years of waiting in the wings, it was going to be our day. It 140

was an awesome rendition of Loving is Easy and a thoroughly deserved winner of the contest.

fairly level in ability, deflections off the uprights and crossbar played a crucial role in deciding the outcome of games. Year 9 and Year 10 won their age groups and As the days began to draw in, signalling secured the intermediate competition. that the Autumn Term was coming to a In the rest of the year groups, although close, the annual Inter-House rutting we were very consistent, third position competition, aka Rugby, began in earnest. meant that we did not win the overall In some ferociously fought contests, Football trophy this year. Massive thanks Greville and the other Houses locked to all the Grevillites who took part. antlers, and there were fine individual and team performances throughout the The pandemic had a massive impact on Year groups. Year 7, in their first-ever the completion of the academic year competition, won their age group with a as the government closed schools and last gasp try in their final game. It was a the nation went into lockdown. So superb start to their Inter-House rugby began a new era of online teaching record, but unfortunately, the results in the and virtual Inter-House competitions. other age groups did not provide us with New competitions created such as enough points to win the competitions Photography, Keepy Uppy, and the Paper overall. Year 8 and Year 10, along with the Ball Challenge kept the competitive Seniors, came third and Year 9 finished in edge going whilst we were isolated at fourth. Your enthusiasm, however, ensured home. Well done to Noah Achesonthat the House acquitted itself with pride Fenton for winning the Keepy Uppy and a big thank you to all those who took Challenge. Sports Day also occurred in part in the mud and made those crunching the virtual world, and Greville House tackles. Congratulations to Oscar Gammon made history by winning this event. and Ciaran Griffiths, who received their Thank you to all that took part in these Sixth Form 1st XV Colours Ties. new but hopefully, one-off events.

In the Spring Term, the Cross Country Competition was quickly upon us again.

This year’s competition saw strong performances from many of Greville’s runners, and Hayden Barrett won the Year 8 race. With Year 10 coming fourth, Year 8 and Year 9 both coming second overall, victory in this most dreaded contest alluded Greville House once again. A huge thank you to all the runners who put in a committed performance and gave their best in this race.

At the end of term, the Football Competition took place, and Greville House showed dogged determination in many of the matches. With games being

We wish Mr Purden all the best at his new school and congratulate William Wheeler on becoming next year’s Head Prefect.

Finally, I hope that you all manage to have a restful summer and look forward to seeing you, hopefully in September, in what is most probably going to be a slightly different school environment.

Greville

House Reports

L E AV E R S 2020

Alfie Edwards

Susanna Skarlosh House Captain

Freddie Greaves

Cameron Hunter

Ben Murray-Smith

Alexandra O’Loughlan

Joseph Shedden

Nathan George

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

RUSSELL House Report

by Mr Matthew Shales, Head of House

House Captain: Lewis Job Well none of us were expecting this year to progress how it has, and hopefully, we never have to deal with similar again. I would like to start by thanking all the boys for the fantastic and stoic way that they have dealt with everything that has been thrown at them. They have shown superb resilience and adaptability and should all be rightly proud of everything that they have achieved. I would also like to thank my Tutor Team. The pastoral care that they have shown the boys has been second to none. I really am so very fortunate to lead such a group of dedicated people. My final thanks go to the parents for the support that they have shown the school during these unprecedented times.

I have much sympathy for those boys leaving us this year. It is such a great shame not to have been able to say a proper goodbye to what has been a fantastic year group. I have thoroughly enjoyed their company over the last seven years, and it has been a real privilege to see them grow into outstanding young men and true Hallifordians. I wish them every success for their onward journeys, and I look forward to seeing them again whenever they return to the school. Lewis has done a fantastic job as Head of House, and I will miss his company greatly.

enthusiasm. Although we did not win overall, our costumes certainly captured the eyes of the judges!

In the Easter Term, the Music Department treated us to a fantastic Rock Concert.

This was the first of its kind, and everyone who attended was treated to a superb evening which displayed some seriously talented musicians. Several Russell boys performed in the various bands. From Year 8, Scott Smith sang. From Year 9, Josh Guild played the drums in several bands, and Callum O’Brien and William O’Loughlin both played the guitar. From the Upper Sixth, Archie Jamison played The football season carried on from the the guitar. strong showing in the rugby season. The Inter-House results were as follows: This year’s School Play was Blood Year 7: 2nd; Year 8: 1st; Year 9: 2nd; Year Brothers, and what a play it was. The 10: 2nd; Seniors: 1st. This meant that the performances from all on stage and Juniors (7+8) came 1st, the Intermediates the efforts of those backstage were (9+10): 2nd, and overall we came 1st. incredible. It would be wrong of me to Nate Broadhurst, Daniel Gray, Bradley single out any boy in particular. However, Marshall and Oscar Shephard were all thirteen Russellites took to the stage, selected for the Headmaster’s Select and a couple were certainly standout Football Squad. Football Colours Ties performers. There were also three boys were awarded to Gallagher Dillon and in the backstage crowd.

Sankaran Suseelan.

Once again, the House had a superb year on the rugby pitch. The Inter-House results were as follows: Year 7: 2nd; Year 8: 1st; Year 9: 1st; Year 10: 2nd; Seniors: 1st. This meant that overall, the Juniors (7+8) came 1st, the Intermediates (9+10): 1st, and overall we came 1st. This goes to For this year’s music entry, the boys show the talent and the commitment made the bold choice of Oasis’ Don’t that the boys possess. Logan Harvey, Look Back in Anger. The band of Cameron Ollie Hepworth, Ben Hughes, Louie Collie, Max Pillinger, Rob Pleasance, and Patterson, Felix Porter, William Shanley Scott Smith led the entry superbly and and Max Smith were all selected for performed with great skill. This year the Headmaster’s Select Rugby Squad. we had all the Year 7 and Sixth Form Harry Curtis, Gallagher Dillon, Chris boys singing. Although not an easy Long, Danial Matoorian-Pour, and Alex thing for a number of these boys to do, McConnon were all awarded Rugby they performed with great gusto and Colours Ties.

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Once again, the boys showed the true Russell spirit and determination when it came to the Cross-Country Competitions.

The results were: Year 7: 1st; Year 8: 1st; Year 9: 1st; Year 10: 1st. This meant that we were the overall winners once again.

It always fills me with great pride to see the effort that the boys put into this competition, especially as it is a real challenge for some boys. In Year 8, William Hamilton came 2nd and Ollie Hepworth came 3rd. Thomas Wilkin and William Harvey won the Year 9 and 10 races respectively.

Next year’s Senior House Prefect will be Robert Pleasance, and I can’t wait to start working with him. I would also like to congratulate Gallagher Dillon and Louis Mercer on being made the School Deputy Head Prefects.

I would like to wish you and your families an enjoyable summer, in whatever form this may take, and I can’t wait to welcome the boys back in September. Stay safe.

Russell

House Reports

L E AV E R S 2020

Archie Jamison

Lewis Job House Captain

Huw Morley

Brian Okwaisie

Jack Palmer

Rowan Spencer

Shaan Suseelan

Matthew Robertson

Alex McConnon

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

WADHAM House Report

by Mrs Jackie Butler-Smith, Head of House

House Captain: Estelle Warner Well, it is fair to say that this has been a year like no other! I am going to attempt to write this report without mentioning the dreaded ‘C’ word, so here it is…

As a House, Wadham never cease to amaze me, year on year! From Inter-House competitions to charity drives and the day to day care that our pupils show their peers and teachers, it is fair to say that we are a very unique community indeed. Our House assemblies this year have focused on the school values and (unbeknown to me when planning them) they were not only relevant but entirely appropriate in preparing the boys for what lay ahead.

We have looked at the importance of intellectual curiosity as a means of coping with difficult situations, how we respect others and ourselves, how to embrace and celebrate different types of creativity, how we come together as a School, a House, in friendship groups and with our families to support one another as macro and micro teams and finally, what it truly means to be resilient. I would like to thank all of the pupils for participating, and I am particularly grateful to those who played a direct role in delivering assemblies for the rest of the House.

There are many events to celebrate and people to thank, and I would like to begin with those Wadhamites that have won special prizes this year. Archie Laird takes the Owen Cup for Rugby while Arya Shafighian is recognised for his contribution to Music. Charlie Barker-Broe has been commended for his contribution to Drama and Charlie Poulter for his efforts in Technical Theatre. I would

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also like to congratulate Ben Brine on his Creative Writing Award, Richard Liao for his service to Shepperton Arora and finally to James Woodgate for his outstanding service to the Halliford community as a whole. We must also celebrate those Wadhamites who have received academic recognition, winning many, many subject prizes. Matthew Grimes takes the subject prize for Business Studies, Jethro Knight Thompson for Chemistry, Arya Shafighian for French and Latin, Dominic Rose for German, Daniel Wilkes for Mathematics and Physics, Alex Donnelly and Sam Morse for Religious Studies, Chris Cole for Science, Estelle Warner for Spanish, Lily Egleton for Psychology and James Woodgate for Further Maths. Congratulations to you all!

themselves has led to some absolutely fantastic and well-deserved results. My most heartfelt congratulations to Year 11 and Year 13!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Wadham House staff team: Mr Willcox, Mrs Turner-Smith, Mr Todd, Mrs Mitchelmore, Mr Diamond, Ms Armstrong and Mr Hodgkinson for all of their incredible tutor support and guidance during the year, particularly during remote learning and internal exams week. We say farewell (not goodbye) to our current Year 13: Archie Laird, Clarissa Dias, Edward Whicker, Estelle Warner, James Woodgate, Lily Egleton, Richard Liao and Sam Morse. We wish you all the very best in your next endeavours. At this While this year may be remembered by point, I would like to give my final thanks many for all the wrong reasons, I will to our House Captain, Estelle Warner and remember this year for all the right ones, Vice House Captain, Lily Egleton who have for all that we have achieved personally done an amazing job of leading the House and as a House and for all we have this year with the support of the rest of achieved as a school. I have always felt that 13W. As Estelle and Lily embrace new Halliford is a special school and that our challenges, our 2020/2021 House Captain pupils really do become the best version role will be taken up by none-other than of themselves, but this year I witnessed our very own, Maximilian Morrell who it first-hand. It is truly incredible to see will be supported by our new Vice House the resilience and tenacity shown by all of Captain, Tom Wittke. you. Recent events may have been viewed by the world as a once-in-a-lifetime Saving the best for last, my final disaster (and for many, it has been), our announcement celebrates a collective students found the grit, determination and House achievement and one of which I am motivation to engage with their learning very proud. This year, Wadham takes the daily, to reach out to each other frequently Merit Shield with a massive 6176 merits! and to continue to grow individually and I Thank you all for contributing to this total, am very proud of each and every one of you. for working so incredibly hard and for being Arguably, our exam years have perhaps the best versions of yourselves. Keep safe, suffered the most turbulence, blindfolded and I look forward to the coming year! to some degree by the government’s ever-changing strategies to yield results.

However, their faith in the staff and in

Wadham

House Reports

L E AV E R S 2020

Clarissa Dias

Estelle Warner House Captain

Richard Liao

Sam Morse

Edward Whicker

James Woodgate

Archie Laird

Lily Egleton Vice House Captain

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TheHALLIFORDIAN

Old Hallifordians News

by Mr Sam Lawrence, Chairman of the Old Hallifordians

This year has been a tumultuous and strange one for us all. From adapting to working from home, learning remotely, and having to question our sanity as the days seemingly blend into one. For the Old Hallifordians, this year has been no different, yet it has been a positive one as we begin to look to the years ahead and plan for future events. Whilst the calendar and climate have not allowed for our usual events to take place, we have made several ‘behind the scenes’ updates and improvements.

We now have a dedicated space on the School’s website for you to register your details and subscribe to news so that you can keep up to date with all the latest events. We continue to develop our social media presence; you can find the Old Hallifordians on Facebook and LinkedIn. These digital communities are continuing to grow and will, undoubtedly, become a resource for us all and for students looking to network as they leave the School and enter the world of work.

The committee has further strengthened by adding a new member, Adrian Weatherill (1985-1990), to whom we are very grateful as he brings new ideas and contributions moving forward. I would also like to thank Joe Da Costa, an OH as both pupil and a member of staff, who has now moved with his wife to pastures new as she takes up a new teaching position. Thankfully, Joe will continue to be involved albeit more remotely, especially regarding our sporting calendar.

With sport in mind, Harry Churchill, Gavin Kinder and Jujar Mann (all 2009-2016) founded an Old Hallifordians Rugby Club which, next year, will start to get into full flow. Of course, more details on this will be released once the current social-distancing regulations have lifted. I, however, would be very entertained to see a socially distant scrum.

Unfortunately, not all news can be good as we have

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very sadly lost three Old Hallifordian students. On 15 December 2019, John Richard Fraser (1983-1990) passed away. John was a School Prefect. We send deepest sympathy to his wife Louise, daughter Emily and son William. In April, Oliver Jensen (2000-2005) died due to complications following a stem cell transplant. He was thirty years old.

On New Year’s Eve, Joe Finnis (2005-2012) was one of the British Airways staff members who was tragically killed in a car accident in Stanwell. He will be fondly remembered by all, especially those in his year group.

One thing we are all certainly looking forward to is the School’s Centenary celebrations in 2021.

The Old Hallifordians are working closely with the School to help bring a remarkable milestone to life with a programme of exciting events, activities and a fundraising campaign. We look forward to releasing this calendar very soon and hope that you too will join us in our celebrations.

I very much look forward to getting back to normal and enjoying our regular social calendar in the upcoming academic year which will see a return of the Christmas Social, OH Football Tournament, Rugby Sevens, MCC Cricket and many more.

The committee is always open to new members and if you would like to join us, please do get in touch via the School website.

Autumn Old Hallifordians Highlights

Old Hallifordian Society After enjoying another busy calendar full of events, the OH committee looks forward to developing the calendar for the year ahead with more events including socials, trips and the usual sports fixtures. As always, we encourage any Old Hallifordians to get involved and help us to develop the society and those involved.

STAY IN TOUCH Facebook All Alumni events are published on our Alumni Facebook Page.

Please visit www.facebook.com/hallifordalumni. Please like and follow the page.

Email We would like to communicate with you electronically so please register your details by completing the online form on the Old Hallifordians page on the school website.

OLD HALLIFORDIAN CONTACTS Old Hallifordian Committee Chairman - Sam Lawrence Committee Members - Joe da Costa, Alex Lenoel, Justin Holder, Ben Connop, Adrian Wetherill Are you vibrant and enthusiastic? Then why not come along and join the OH Committee?

For more details contact the Chairman.

MY HALLIFORD YEAR BY YEAR 7

Oli Fenton I decided to come to Halliford because it is very good academically and because I love sports. The food is delicious, especially tuck. I always get a sausage sandwich and a drink, and the chef is a miracle worker. The best things about being a Hallifordian are the people and teachers that make up the wonderful school.

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INDEPENDENT SENIOR DAY SCHOOL BOYS 11-18 YEARS, GIRLS 16-18 YEARS

Russell Road Shepperton TW17 9HX Tel: 01932 223593 Email: registrar@hallifordschool.co.uk www.hallifordschool.co.uk