The Hallifordian 2020-2021

Hallifordian The

2 0 2 0 - 20 2 1

TheHALLIFORDIAN

2

Introduction

Contents Introduction..........................................................................................................

page 4

Autumn Highlights..............................................................................................

page 15

Spring Highlights.................................................................................................

page 51

Summer Highlights............................................................................................. page 74 Art Exhibition.....................................................................................................

page 122

House Reports................................................................................................... page 138 Old Hallifordians............................................................................................... page 146

3

TheHALLIFORDIAN response to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic is one of the best lessons they could ever experience, but admittedly not one we would ever wish on them!

As I reflect on the many events that we have enjoyed as a school community over this last year, I think for me it is the sense that we must always keep things in perspective and act with humility and understanding towards one another that is the most important lesson to remember. We continued to recognise that we are all different and possess many individual strengths and gifts and that it is by sharing these as Hallifordians that, as a school community, we have managed to thrive and not just survive. To lead the school at this time has been immensely challenging, and I cannot express just how proud I am to call myself your Headmaster.

Foreword

by The Headmaster

Each August, I have the wonderful job of looking back over the highlights of the last year as I have the opportunity to write this foreword for The Hallifordian. This year, of course, sees us mark our Centenary, and it has been fascinating to learn so much about our rich heritage and history as a school over the last one hundred years. One thing that struck me was just how adaptable and resilient to change we have had to be as a school community over the space of that time. But I also felt that the global pandemic has probably been one of the biggest challenges that our school has had to face. I am certain that when Mr Topliss welcomed the first Hallifordians in September 1921, he was not wearing full PPE and offering them a Lateral Flow Test! Yet, here we are hopefully able finally to move on from a world of lockdowns back to normality, and we are so fortunate to be doing so with the school in excellent form and full in all year groups.

On 23 March 2020, we all learnt what a national lockdown was and it then took the next twelve months before we were able to get back together as a school community once again albeit with significant restrictions in place for students, staff and parents.

We have all shown incredible resilience and remarkable courage during this time as we have learnt to live with the coronavirus. As I talked about at Speech Day though, I am confident that despite what the press may like to portray, our Hallifordians are far from being a ‘lost generation’. We have worked incredibly hard together as a community to ensure that we haven’t missed a beat. Lessons have continued uninterrupted, albeit in a different format for much of the time. But through this, we have seen new and exciting skills develop. Levels of creativity and adaptability have never been higher, and surely if we wanted to help prepare our young people for the incredibly fast-changing world they will enter where nothing ever seems to stay the same, then learning to manage their

4

The year started with the school celebrating another excellent set of public examination results despite the myriad of challenges with the dreaded examinations algorithm. By knowing each of our students incredibly well, we were able to guide them through the challenges of a complex examination system and ensure that every one of them gained the results they so richly deserved.

On a personal level, one of the highlights for me was finally leading a school trip once again during the summer term when I arranged to take our Year 7 students off to North Wales. After far too long cooped up inside their bedrooms, it was splendid to see our boys out enjoying time with one another in the great outdoors and displaying the Hallifordian values in abundance.

Once again, 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 over the last twelve months. Their commitment to our students is humbling, and I am most grateful to all those students and parents who have been in touch to express their gratitude for the extraordinary lengths our staff have gone to at this time. Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” There is no doubt that we are tremendously lucky to have such wonderful teaching and support staff here at Halliford.

This September sees us looking forward to many exciting Centenary events, not least of which will be the opening of our magnificent new Woodward Building. However, for me, the true joy will come from simply being able to see daily school life return to normal and students of all ages free to study and play together and to getting parents and visitors back onto our site to celebrate all that it means to be a part of this wonderful school community.

In the meantime, please enjoy The Hallifordian and I send you all my very best wishes and hope that you and your families will continue to keep safe and well.

James Davies Headmaster

Introduction

William Wheeler Head Prefect

What a strange few years it has been! The fact I am writing this while in school demonstrates what we have overcome. I hope that when you read this, life will have returned to some semblance of normality. However, the pandemic has, at least, given me some time to reflect on what this school has meant to me – and I hardly know where to begin! You see, to put it simply, Halliford has been my life for the past seven years. Now that I am leaving, I can look back at my time with great fondness and a kaleidoscope of vivid memories.

I am full of gratitude to the many teachers who have helped me and encouraged me since I began here as a nervous, awkward little boy. The staff at Halliford are truly in a league of their own.

It is because of their dedication and hard work that we have been able to continue through these lockdowns via online learning.

They have allowed the school to continue as normal, allowing us all to grow and flourish. As my time closes at Halliford, I must acknowledge their commitment and consideration to all the students. Every Hallifordian is lucky enough to be nurtured by professionals who genuinely care about their future. It isn’t simply about grades either. Simply put, I have always felt that the teachers here have always had my best interests at heart both inside and outside the classroom. Furthermore, I know many of them will take a keen interest in my career when I leave, and this is what makes Halliford so special.

allowing growth across all areas. Whether on the sports pitch like me with the XV in rugby or in front of the family performing the legendary Halliford school plays. Although we have been unable to hold many school events this year, the Inter-House events always bring out the best competition, with more students being able to show their creative side. Community is central to the ethos here, and a positive attitude towards taking part in extra-curricular activities is something I would encourage every Hallifordian to do.

Going into the Sixth Form at Halliford is challenging. The sheer volume of work increases alarmingly, plus you are very much aware that your time is finite – university beckons! However, the Head of Sixth Form, Mr MacLean, did a sterling job of helping us through the transition period.

Being appointed as Head Prefect was a humbling experience, and although I was nervous about stepping into such a huge role, I was ready for the challenge. It is a position that allows you to give back to the school by going above and beyond the normal routine, even if it can be out of your comfort zone. Therefore, I would encourage all Hallifordians to apply to be a part of the Prefect Team. You never know what you can do until you try!

Halliford is really one big family. Although I am sad to be leaving the fold, I look forward to the next chapter in my life, and whatever new adventures lie ahead. Whatever happens in the future, I will always be proud to call myself a Hallifordian.

The Prefect Team, whose support throughout this year has been exceptional, must also be recognised. They have worked together to put on several events for their fellow Hallifordians

5

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Louis Mercer Deputy Head Prefect

My journey here started in Year 9. I had moved from a Prep School and decided to go to Halliford as I had heard the community was so close-knit and integral to the school’s spirit, which appealed to me, as I had not yet come out of my shell. From stepping through those gates in Year 9, I have not looked back. I was welcomed by my form, introduced to all the students, and quickly found my feet through the help of teachers and pupils alike. Soon, it was as if I had been at the school for years. My advice to any new student is to get involved and not be afraid to approach people. You will fit in perfectly at Halliford, whoever you are.

The academic side of the school is the best I have ever seen in all my years, through different schools. The teachers engage with their students on an individual basis and care for their progress all the way through GCSE and A Levels. The lessons are relevant, informative, and engaging, and after each lesson, I felt as though I had benefitted greatly. The organisation of the teachers was fantastic, and continues to be, the structure of the lesson befitting the subject each time. Particularly Chemistry, where one lesson could be figuring out the composition of Sodium Hydroxide, the next lesson I would be experimenting with tests for acids and alkalines. I was greatly pleased with my grades which reflected the teachers who had led me through my journey. The Languages Department has always provided help with my French grammar, the Art Department with what glaze would be best suited to my sculpture, and the History and Classics Departments poring over pages of scholarly articles with me to find the most useful sources for an essay argument.

Whatever the students’ needs, they are always met.

Sport was not my strong suit, and yet I always found myself

6

enjoying it here at Halliford. The Sports Department helped me gain my confidence to play rugby, football, and cricket, and have fun. It allowed me to solidify pre-existing friendships and create new ones. I found new options opening to me, with the seasons bringing in specific sports and other less mainstream activities, and the opportunity to play badminton, basketball, and volleyball, and partake in athletics. Every sporting need and desire is catered for, and everyone can find their sporting place here as I have.

Clubs and societies are integral to our school community, and even throughout Covid, we have maintained our extracurricular activities. We serve every single interest. Love languages? There is a Japanese Club with Mr Todd. Sports more your thing? There is after school training or indoor badminton or basketball. Politics? Your voice will be heard in the Current Affairs Club, and if you are like me and enjoy spending time with friends, there is Mr Bruno’s Dungeons and Dragons Club. The time I have spent at many clubs at the school has moulded and shaped me to become a more rounded individual with solidified interests, only adding to my CV and character.

The Sixth Form has shaped me the most, from a young lad in Year 9 to a young gentleman in Upper Sixth. When I leave Halliford, I am heading to Dartmouth Naval College to become a Royal Navy Officer, and Halliford has given me the strength, courage, and self-determination to step up to the plate and make something of myself. Being a Sixth Former at Halliford has changed me for the better, made me more mature and socially aware and allowed me to look at myself and develop into a confident, unique, and somewhat eccentric gentleman rather than a boring, grey individual.

Halliford is a school like no other. It will nurture and teach you to become an upstanding member of society and a talented individual with a bright future.

Introduction

Gallagher Dillon Deputy Head Prefect

From my earliest days at Halliford, I knew this was the very best place for me to prosper. Not only have I grown in maturity and enjoyed academic success, but I also have made important friendships along the way. I can still remember my first day at Halliford and the nerves I was feeling. Coming from a small primary school left me very scared but also excited.

Walking through the gates that day, I felt comfortable right away meeting my form tutor. The friendly and approachable nature of the staff in school quickly helped me find my feet and feel at ease.

The tutor system at Halliford is extremely reassuring. The tutors are always on hand to help with any issues and are helpful and supportive to their students. Having a tutor has been a key part of developing through the years as it gives you an extra person who can support you through your studies and with issues outside of the classroom.

One of the major benefits I have experienced at Halliford is the caring academic environment, as the teachers are easily approachable and always there to help you and guide you in any situation. Throughout the years at Halliford, my relationship with my teachers has developed as they became role models who were always there to listen to your views and choices through the school. Without the support from teachers, I wouldn’t be in the place I am now. The Halliford community is built on the foundations of the dedication of the teachers to ensure everyone within our community is connected.

During my time at Halliford, I am most proud of the progress I have made in my academic studies. In Year 10, I knew that I

wanted to study in the field of business, and this was cemented in Lower Sixth when I started to study Economics. I am very much looking forward to going on to read Economics and Business Management at university. Being given the opportunity to do a degree in something that I enjoy and am passionate about has motivated me to do the best I can. As well as Business and Economics, I study Drama, which has given me skills to take into everyday life and stay with me forever.

Co-curricular activities are a major aspect of school life. Our community here at Halliford thrives through it, as we as individuals can express ourselves and at the same time create a sense of collective creativity and teamwork.

Sports are at the heart of school life. Our resilience on the pitch means we never give up in the face of a challenge. I have experienced this myself on the rugby pitch, where through teamwork and dedication, we were able to bounce back from a tough first game to reach the finals of the Middlesex Cup in Year 10. Despite losing the final to a very strong opponent side, it was a very big achievement and an excellent display of resilience.

Throughout the school, sport is encouraged to help develop the students, not only physically but also mentally.

Choosing Halliford was the best decision. Due to its size, the school is able to support its students wholeheartedly, which is something a lot of other schools can’t offer. The last seven years have been a very important time in my life, growing and developing into the person I am now. There have been many good times, some bad, happy times and sad, but there is one thing that will stay with me for the rest of my life, and that is that I am proud to be a Hallifordian.

7

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Editorial

by Mrs Olivia Oakley Marketing & Communications I am delighted to take over as Editor of The Hallifordian from Mr Cunningham, who has done a fine job over the years.

As I collated the stories for this edition, it is wonderful to look back over the last academic year and see how much we have achieved as a school community, despite all the challenges posed by the pandemic. From virtual concerts and mock elections, to fundraisers and sporting fixtures, drama performances and MP visits, to Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and Young Enterprise. Despite being placed in another lockdown in January, it seems amazing that we have packed so much into the year. All of which would not be possible without our amazing team of teachers and support staff ably led by Mr Davies and our Senior Management Team.

A particular highlight for me was the Taster Day and hearing the excitement in the voices of our new Year 7 students who are joining us this September. Sadly, we were unable to host this event last year, so it was a joy to welcome our new students to the school site so they could experience a day in the life of a Hallifordian. Our brilliant teachers and Year 7 tutors assisted by our Sixth Form Prefects ensured they had a super day.

Another proud moment was during one of our virtual open events when a prospective parent asked five of our students what they would change about Halliford, and all of them replied that they couldn’t think of a single thing. It truly is a special school with a wonderfully supportive and friendly community to which I am very happy to belong.

As we look ahead to the next academic year, we have much to celebrate with our upcoming Centenary, and we look forward to sharing an exciting schedule of events with you. In the meantime, please enjoy this edition of The Hallifordian.

8

Introduction

Staff News

It is with great sadness that our dear friend and much-loved colleague, Mrs Julia Egginton, sadly passed away in March. Julia joined Halliford in April 2014 and over her time has been a wonderfully loyal and hard-working member of the Bursary Team. Tragically Julia was diagnosed with cancer early in 2020, and she fought incredibly bravely throughout and has been an inspiration to us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with her husband Darren and her three children, Carl, Marcus and Robert, and we hold her memory in our hearts.

Two years ago, we welcomed back Mr Harry Churchill as a former student to take part in a gap year placement at the school following the completion of his degree. Mr Churchill enjoyed being back at his alma mater so much that he continued here this year to train as a teacher through the Teacher Training Programme at Thamesmead School. Therefore, we are thrilled to have been able to offer him a full-time position here as a member of the Academic Staff teaching PE, Games and Mathematics from September.

We think Mr Churchill is our first ever homegrown teacher and we look forward to hopefully inspiring many more Hallifordians to consider the best job in the world!

We were thrilled to hear the news that Mrs Victoria Wagner-Hall is expecting her second child, and we send her all our very best wishes.

Congratulations to Mr James Greggor who married his partner, Hannah, this Summer. We wish them a lifetime of happiness together.

Congratulations to Mr Joseph McElroy and his wife Gabriees on the birth of their son Richard David McElroy-Ordaz.

Congratulations to Mr David Morriss and his wife Laura on the birth of their son Dawson Oscar Morriss.

Staff Farewells

We bid a sad farewell to Mrs Claire Worrell, who joined Halliford in 2016 as the Headmaster’s PA and more recently also took on the position as HR Officer. Following completion of her CIPD HR qualification last year, she has taken up a new role as Administration and Operations Manager at a local academy school. Claire has contributed so much to Halliford School and we wish her and her family all the very best.

We give our very best wishes to Mrs Maxine Hammond on a happy retirement. Maxine joined Halliford in 2002 as Matron before becoming School Administrator in 2014. She then went on to become Data Manager in 2017 before returning to the role of Matron in 2019. She will be sorely missed by staff and students.

We say goodbye and give best wishes to Mrs Lyn Taylor on her retirement. Lyn has been a cleaner at Halliford and a valued member of the team since April 2012.

Mrs Clare Wilcockson has decided to retire after 14 years of loyal and dedicated service, latterly as

a part-time member of the MFL Department and we wish her well with her retirement.

We will be bidding Mr John MacLean a fond farewell in January 2022 as he has made the life changing decision to emigrate to Australia with his husband. Mr MacLean has made an incredible impact on the Halliford Sixth Form and we will miss him enormously, but we also wish him every success on this most exciting adventure.

9

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Welcome to New Staff Teaching Staff We look forward to welcoming Mr Andy Carroll as our new Head of Sixth Form who will be joining us in January 2022. For the last five years Andy has been Director of Drama, Head of Sixth Form and a member of the Academic Management Team at St George’s School in Ascot. He recently completed a Masters in Education Leadership and Management with Bath University, and enjoys karate and the occasional game of cricket. He also plays rugby for Chobham Rugby Club, Surrey Veterans and the Surrey Chargers Mixed Ability Rugby teams.

Due to the increase in students returning to join our Sixth Form, we have increased our capacity in the popular department of Economics and Business Studies and we are delighted to be able to welcome Mrs Jean Oxley to join the school as a part-time teacher of Economics and Business Studies in September. Up until recently, Mrs Oxley was Head of Department at Charterhouse.

We are delighted to have been able to secure the services of Madame Charlotte Lamy who joins us from Howard of Effingham having moved to the UK from France to train as a teacher. Madame Lamy will be a full-time member of staff teaching French and Spanish. She enjoys baking, yoga and karate, and is looking forward to taking our students on foreign adventures.

Miss Lauren Ferreira joins us from Hampton School. Having graduated with a Theology degree

from Durham University in 2012, she had the unique experience of working in the newspaper and book publishing sectors before turning to SEND teaching and support work, with a focus on ASD. She then completed her PGCE at the University of Cambridge in 2020. She is very much looking forward to joining the Religious Studies Department and throwing herself into Hallifordian life.

We welcome Mr Yuri Paterson-Olenich, visiting piano teacher, who joins us from St Paul’s School.

He graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Gnesin Academy in Moscow. As a performer, he has toured the globe and his recordings were made Editor’s Choice for the Gramophone magazine and Disc of the Week for BBC Radio 3’s CD Review. He is passionate about using his wide experience to inspire his pupils and is looking forward to collaborating with other staff members to introduce our students to the fun of piano ensemble repertoire ranging from four - 16 hands!

We are pleased that Mr Henry Fuller will be supporting the school during his gap year. Henry is coming to the end of his Masters Degree in Business Management at Cardiff University having graduated in Media and Communication as an undergraduate. Henry was a student at Halliford and left in 2015, going on to play rugby for London Irish Academy. He enjoys all sports and has recently set up a business with two Old Hallifordians called ShiShirts selling loud, eccentric summer shirts.

Support Staff Mrs Emily Plumbly joined us in April as PA to the Headmaster and brings a wealth of experience

having worked as PA to the Senior Leadership Team at Chessington World of Adventures. Emily has a young toddler and spends most of her free time running after him.

Mrs Maria Hartzenberg joined us as HR & Recruitment Officer in April. Originally a Legal PA for an international law firm, Maria then studied for her CIPD qualification in order to pursue a career in HR and is about to start her degree in Business (HR Management). She has three boys, loves to cook and is an avid reader.

10

Introduction Mrs Catherine Batt joined Halliford in April as our Matron who covers Monday through to Wednesday. Catherine joins us from Surrey County Council, where she worked for seven years as a learning mentor for Access to Education, supporting young people out of school with medical needs or who were waiting for SEN school places. She has three children, and in her spare time, she enjoys reading, jogging, and acting as a school governor.

Mrs Hannah Weeks joined us in July as our new full-time School Receptionist. Hannah has a great

deal of experience working with children having worked in a nursery and as a nanny. Hannah spends her free time with her young son, and enjoys exercising, reading and baking as well as travelling and spending time with family and friends.

Ms Sarah Jordan joined the Premises Team in October last year and is now our Premises Assistant.

Having worked as a fitness instructor, she is looking forward to working with the Sports Department instructing our Sixth Form female students. Sarah has a passion for nutrition and recently completed a diploma in Sport & Exercise Nutrition.

Mrs Melanie Alder joined us in April as a Science Technician. After studying Biomedical Science at university, she began her career working in the NHS before moving into the education sector. She is a mum of four who loves live music & Formula One.

Miss Deborah Baker joined the Bursary Team as Finance Assistant Billing & Credit Control in August. Deborah started her career in Barclays Bank Plc, working in the Retail Sector and Financial Services before securing a part-time position for a recruitment business. Deborah brings with her a wealth of financial and compliance knowledge to support the team here at Halliford School. Deborah is married with twin girls, and her family enjoy holidays, water sports and boating.

Mrs Natalia Davies joins us as Cover Supervisor. Natalia is a qualified teacher with extensive experience both in primary and secondary schools. She is a founder of Chertsey Maths Club and tutors Mathematics after school to help students achieve their full potential. She enjoys travelling and exploring new places, and playing, solving and creating puzzles and educational games.

Mrs Jennifer Waters joins us from Thamesmead School Learning Support Department and will

be supporting the Science Department as our new Assistant Technician and Science Support. Jennifer has previously worked for the National Autistic Society and CAMHS as well as various schools across London and the South East. She enjoys spending her free time in the great outdoors with her family.

New responsibilities Mrs Elizabeth Jackson and Mrs Jaymie Johnson, who previously ran our busy Reception Department now take on the roles of Senior Management Team Secretaries & School Administrators.

11

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Speech Day 2021 – Prize Winners –

Achievement Prize

Progress Prize

7D................................... Alfie Saunders 7G.................................. Benjamin Hupe 7R....................................... James Grant 7W......................................Lucas Bullen

7D ��������������������������������������Jack Giddens 7G ������������������������������������ Charlie Grant 7R ���������������Ethan Jansen van Rensburg 7W �������������������������������������� Luca Sacoor

8D................................ Joshua Morrison 8G.........................................Louis Clark 8R........................................ Jack Farrow 8W.....................................Jakob Holder

8D ��������������������������������������Rui Amoroso 8G ������������������������������������� Oliver White 8R ��������������������������������Dion Henderson 8W ���������������������������������� Hugo Franklin

9D.................Daniel Bootle-Wilbraham 9G......................................Amar Ghotra 9R.....................................Carson Curtis 9W................................Laith Shafighian

9D ������������������������������������ Cameron Bird 9G ��������������������������������� James Lamprell 9R ���������������������������������������Jack Warren 9W ������������������������������������ Samraj Satha

10D............................ Matthew Sanders 10G............................Calvin Harrington 10R..................................... Finlay Hanna 10W...................................... Jivraj Singh

10D ������������������������������������ Ethan Manzi 10G ���������������������������������� Connor Foote 10R ������������������������������������� Joshua Guild 10W ���������������������� Daniel Hurlock-Bow

11D.................................Daniel Winders 11G........................... Benjamin Carrodus 11R................................ William Jackson 11W.......................... Paul-Louis Howard

11D �������������������������������������� Luke Elliott 11G ���������������������������������Dylan Keoghan 11R ����������������������������Jonathan Hayward 11W ���������������������������������� Charles Biggs

– Year 11 Prize Winners – Art............................................................................. Freddie King Biology...................................................................... Daniel Madden Business Studies................................................................Max Hobbs Chemistry...................................................................Daniel Winders Classical Civilisation ........................................................ Noah Warner Computer Science .............................................................. Luke Ingles Ken Russell Prize for Design Technology ......................... Benjamin Carrodus Drama.................................................................... Riley Whittington English ......................................................................... Oliver Hume French . . ................................................................ Finley Broekhuizen Geography.................................................................... Oliver Grayer German ......................................................................... Noah Evans Valerie Brooking History Prize ............................................. Jared Bullett Norma Cook Prize for Year 11 Latin.................................................. Thomas Yacoot Mathematics .................................................................... Luke Ingles Sally Crosby Prize for The Most Improved Mathematician............ Joseph Humphries Music...................................................................... William Greaves Physical Education ................................................... Paul-Louis Howard Religious Studies ........................................................ Alexander Batty Physics ................................................................... Louis MacDonald Guy Valadon Prize for Science ............................... Josh Loughlin-Fitzpatrick Spanish ....................................................................... Oliver Hume 12

Introduction

– Upper Sixth Prize Winners – Jonathan Hobbs Memorial Prize for Art............................Danial Matoorian-Pour Biology......................................................................................... Samuel Martin Business Studies............................................................................ Harry Gibbons Chemistry.................................................................................. Samuel Imperato Classical Civilisation.................................................................. William Wheeler Computer Science........................................................................... Piers Bowater Design Technology.......................................................................William Cannell Theatre Studies........................................................................... Remy Matthews Economics..................................................................................... Brinley Dorrell Wendy Simmons French.................................................................. Elliot Howard Bahadur Sunderji Prize for Further Mathematics......................................Kai Roff Geography.................................................................................Robert Pleasance Oliver Griffin Government and Politics......................................... Finlay Crichard John Lewis Prize for History............................................................Ciaran Griffith Mathematics................................................................................... Piers Bowater Music Technology........................................................................ William Bourne Physical Education........................................................................ Brinley Dorrell Physics..................................................................................Christopher Sanders Psychology......................................................................................... Jacob Fuller Religious Studies..............................................................................Eldar Jafarov

– School Prizes – Blackeney Shield for Best Newcomer............................................................. Dexter Lee Hardy Shield for Junior Rugby................................................................. Hayden Barrett Etherton Shield for Outstanding Sportsman........................................Gallagher Dillon Nicks Plate for Sportsmanship..................................................................Ciaran Griffith Owen Cup for Rugby....................................................................................Harry Curtis Nauticalia Bat for Cricket..................................................................... Christopher Cole Football Captains Cup.......................................................................... Bradley Marshall Junior Drama Award.............................................................................. Hugo Callington Senior Drama Award............................................................................Robert Pleasance Phil Abbott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Technical Theatre ......Benjamin Gale Junior Music Award................................................................................ Monty Savarino Senior Music Award.......................................................................... Nicholas Atherfold Alexis Hitchens Prize for Creative Writing...............................................Thomas Yacoot Shepperton Aurora Rotary Community Service Shield..........................Elliott Saunders John Crook Prize for Improvement..................................................................Oliver Fisk Trophy for Service to the School...........................................................Gallagher Dillon Trophy for Service to the School.................................................................Louis Mercer Headmasters Prize............................................................................... William Wheeler

13

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Upper Sixth Leavers - University Places University Course University of Bedfordshire

Football Coaching

Bournemouth University

Business and Management

University of Bristol

Modern Languages

University of Cambridge

Engineering

Cardiff University

History, Mechanical Engineering, Psychology with Professional Placement

Durham University

Classical Civilisation, Physics

Edge Hill University

Professional Policing

University of Glasgow

Film and Television Studies

Imperial College London

Medical Biosciences

University of Leeds

Economics, Philosophy

University of Liverpool

Business Economics

University of Manchester

Modern History with Economics

Newcastle University

Economics and Finance

University of Nottingham

Management

Nottingham Trent University

Furniture and Product Design

University of Oxford

Engineering

Oxford Brookes University

Physiotherapy

Queen Mary University of London

Chemical Engineering

Royal Holloway, University of London

Ancient and Medieval History, Business and Management

University of Sheffield

General Engineering with a Foundation Year

University of Southampton

Computer Science, Criminology, History, Mathematics with Actuarial Science, Physics

University of Surrey

Business Management, Economics and Finance

Swansea University

Business Management

14

Autumn Highlights

Duke of Edinburgh

by Mr Tom King, DofE Manager

Our silver DofE students overcame incredibly complicated circumstances caused by the pandemic to complete their expedition in the Autumn Term. After months of being stuck inside, our participants were eager to hit the trail and put some miles under their hiking boots. Maps in hand, they headed to the Surrey Hills and navigated beautiful countryside in their groups, passing through wooded forests and tranquil fields.

With government restrictions not allowing overnight stays, the boys had to be adaptable and demonstrate their abilities during the day. They all constructed a camp, erected their tents, and cooked meals over their Trangia stoves before packing up again to head home for the evening. All students rose to the challenge and showed great resourcefulness, enjoying the freedom of the woods and the calm of the trail. Many congratulations to these students for a successful expedition under trying circumstances.

Our other cohorts for DofE have been adapting their activities to meet the ‘DofE with a Difference’ flexibilities, many working on their Skills, Physical and Volunteering sections of the award whilst at home. Students were encouraged to learn skills such

as cooking, photography or bushcraft. Many volunteered to help siblings or their local community, and all enjoyed making use of their hour’s allocated physical activity to hone their sporting prowess. It was great to see those students who really embraced this award and made the most of their time in lockdown.

I look forward to seeing our students continue working on their award and completing the ‘Certificate of Achievement’, a new award granted to those completing their Skills, Volunteering and Physical sections during such difficult times.

15

TheHALLIFORDIAN

My Voluntary Work for Duke of Edinburgh

by Max West-Cameron, Year 10

As part of my volunteer work for my Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, I have been raising money and collecting kit for a rugby club in Senegal, West Africa.

The rugby club is called Rugby Club Thies, and the boys and girls aged 14-15 have limited sports kit to play in. I wanted to raise awareness and help them as it will mean a lot to them to have their own kit.

I have been asking friends, friends of friends, family and local rugby clubs if they have any second-hand kit that they don’t need any more. So far, the help has been amazing, and people have been very generous.

I also set up a fundraising page on Just Giving, which means people can donate money if they want to help and don’t have any kit. So far, I have raised £240. If anyone wants to donate, the link is: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/maxwest-camerondoferugbyclubthies Thank you to everyone for your support.

Mr King, DofE Manager, commented, “It is really encouraging to see students like Max engage with the Duke of Edinburgh award, especially during such a difficult time. Volunteering is an opportunity for participants to give back to their community and help others whilst gaining experience. Max has done so well to arrange a charitable placement that demands maturity and independence. His efforts are commendable and will make a significant difference to the young players at Rugby Club Thies in Senegal. His use of technology to promote his fundraising has helped his appeal reach more people and will ultimately result in more donated equipment. Fantastic effort Max!”

16

Autumn Highlights

The Harvest Festival

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster

A huge thank you, once again, to our wonderful Halliford community, who donated so generously for our annual Harvest Festival in October.

We were able to fill 16 boxes which were absolutely brimming with food, and so I was delighted to be assisted by our Head Prefect, William Wheeler, and our Charity Prefects, William Cannell and Remy Matthews, who helped me to deliver the huge collection of wonderful provisions to the Manna Food Bank in Staines.

The volunteers at Manna Food Bank were overwhelmed with the delivery and sent a wonderful letter of thanks. Sarah Pasternak, Manna Food Bank Secretary, wrote, “Thank you once again for supporting Manna Food Bank at Harvest with the school’s magnificent gifts of nearly 325kgs of food. This donation will boost our food store to enable Manna to continue the work of supporting those who are in emergency need in this area.”

17

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Local MP Kwasi Kwarteng visits Halliford

by Finlay Crichard, Upper Sixth

When it was announced that Kwasi Kwarteng, the Member of Parliament for Spelthorne, was coming in to speak to us, we wanted to come up with some good questions to ask him. Personally, I was struggling to think of questions at first, but by the day of the visit, we were all prepared to test him.

Mr Kwarteng began by introducing himself and explaining the role of an MP. He also told us about what happened to the previous MP of Spelthorne, who was forced to stop being an MP because of misconduct centred around the personal expenses scandal. For me, finding out an MP stood down for the next election because of a scandal was not surprising but to hear about it being an MP who represented Spelthorne was the biggest shock.

Once Mr Kwarteng had finished his stories and explanations of some of the roles MP’s fill, we were able to move on to asking him questions. Dominic Rose in Lower Sixth asked about why he had wanted to become an MP which was an interesting question to ask because it’s never very clear why anyone wants to become a politician. Mr Kwarteng explained it’s because he wanted to give back to the community, which was the easiest answer for him out of all the questions he had to answer on the day.

From Upper Sixth, the questions were a lot more specific and targeted at Mr Kwarteng’s voting record, which in my opinion,

18

made the day much more worthwhile as I was curious to see how a government politician would respond to such questions.

Some of the questions included the figure on the Brexit bus about the NHS, the conviction of soldiers from the Iraq War, possible changes to the electoral system, changes to the House of Lords and equal marriage.

One of my questions was on the possibility of CANZUK becoming more important in the coming years after Brexit, and Mr Kwarteng discussed how he is always talking to his equivalent in New Zealand and Canada, but he sadly did not answer the question in the way I would have wanted.

Overall, having Mr Kwarteng at the school was very enjoyable, and we even managed to have a photo with him for the Halliford social media pages. I am thankful to Mr MacLean for making this meeting with Mr Kwarteng possible for everyone who attended, and I am very thankful that he came to the school to speak to us. It was wonderful to meet an MP.

Autumn Highlights

Senior Inter-House Debating

by Mr Ciaran Lee, Teacher of English

The season of Inter-House Competitions began this year with a debating tournament. Each House entered a team of four debaters from the Lower and Upper Sixth.

The season of Inter-House Competitions began this year with a debating tournament. Each House entered a team of four debaters from the Lower and Upper Sixth.

In the first round, the Desborough House team of Finlay Crichard, Archie Rabett, Sebastian McGill, and William Jones proposed the motion, ‘This House supports the removal of ‘offensive’ monuments’ to the Wadham House team of Max Morrell, Nicholas Atherfold, Alex Donnelly, and Dominic Rose.

The next semi-final saw a Greville House team of Yousef Alsaeedi, Piers Bowater, Sheridan Kerr, and Lucas Dallon propose the motion, ‘This House would close all non-essential businesses immediately’ to a Russell House team of Kian McGrath, Elliott Saunders, Danial Matoorian-Pour, and Max Pillinger. While all speakers did extremely well, Russell and Wadham made more detailed, convincing, and passionate cases and progressed to the grand final.

In the final, Russell proposed the motion, ‘This House has no confidence in her Majesty’s Government’ to Wadham. Russell offered a compelling excoriation of the current government’s record, but Wadham was stalwart in their defence of the Johnson administration’s handling of the unprecedented public health crisis. In the end, Wadham House was most convincing and was named 2020 champions.

The competition was a magnificent display of our students’ intellectual curiosity, passion, and articulacy. All those involved should be proud of their efforts.

19

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Halliford’s Inter-House Pumpkin Carving Contest

by Ms Tamarind Hetherington, Head of Art With Halloween approaching, the Art Department launched our first ever InterHouse Pumpkin Carving Contest in October. Students and staff set to carving their terrifying pumpkins, fully demonstrating the Hallifordian value of creativity. The entries were outstanding, with many taking inspiration from horror films and video games, from Harry Potter and Disney, and of course from COVID-19.

Over 50 students entered the competition, and it was lovely to see the whole family getting involved. We had family entries from our History teacher, Mrs Wilbraham, her son Daniel in Year 9, Mrs Johnson, our Afternoon Receptionist & School Administrator, and her son Olly in Year 9.

Each form selected their favourite from the photograph submissions, and these students were invited to bring their pumpkin into school on the last day of term, where they were displayed under the mulberry tree in the courtyard. Mr Davies had the unenviable task of judging the superb entries, and after careful consideration, he chose three worthy winners. Congratulations to Oscar Luiz in Russell House, who was awarded first place for his wonderful Minecraft creation, followed

by Sheridan Kerr in Greville House for her amazing angler fish, and in third place, Dayan Nana in Greville House for his ingenious Cookie Monster pumpkin.

In addition, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award ran their very own pumpkin carving competition online via their Twitter page. When they saw our students’ designs on our social media pages, they selected Carter Green in Year 10 as their winner. Carter’s prize was a piece of personalised DofE clothing of his choice.

Well done to all involved. It was a great display of our Hallifordian value of creativity.

20

Autumn Highlights

2nd - Sheridan Kerr, L6G

1st - Oscar Luiz, 8R

Carter Green, 10W

3rd - Dayan Nana, 8G

Cosmo Sumner, 9R

Fin Bowden, 7W

21

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Show Racism the Red Card

by Mr James Bown, Senior Deputy Head

In celebration of Black History Month, and as part of our continuing drive to promote further equality and tolerance here at Halliford, we wanted to do what we could to raise awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement.

We started on Monday 12 October with a Whole School Assembly, given online by Mrs Wilbraham, which focused on Black History and the British Army.

Black History Month helps to shine a light on often neglected stories of Black people, both in the UK and worldwide. Mrs Wilbraham urged our students to use Black History Month to discover more of these forgotten stories.

As a further part of this awareness campaign, we also held a Non-Uniform day on Friday 16 October to support the Show Racism the Red Card – Wear Red Day. Students were asked to wear clothes of their choice with the theme of wearing the colour red. It was great to see a show of red across the school.

22

Autumn Highlights

Movember 2020

by Mr Matt Shales, Head of Latin

Once again, Halliford embarked on raising money for the Movember Charity. Movember is a charity that aims to raise awareness of men’s health issues, including mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.

The pandemic and second lockdown meant that it could have been a difficult challenge to fundraise this year. However, this was not the case. The Halliford community came together, as it always does, to raise an amazing amount of money, £7261 in total. This year we were helped by an amazingly generous donation of £2,000 from Fin Hanna’s father and his company Michelmersh (Britain’s Brick Specialist).

On Friday 27 November, we held our annual Movember Mufti Day. Sadly, we could not sell moustaches this year, but this did not stop boys from turning up with homemade ones. The traditional doughnut and sweet sale were a great success as always. I would like to thank the Charity Prefects, William Cannell and Remy Matthews, for their hard work in organising this. As always, several staff and students grew some wonderful top lip fluff for the charity, and these Mo Bros deserve great credit for the support they showed for the charity. These brave men were Mr Bruno, Mr Harden-Chaters, Mr Lee, Mr Shales, Mr Slocock, Mr Watson, Mr Willcox, and Sixth Formers Rob Pleasance, William Wheeler and Remy Matthews.

23

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Halliford Mock US Election

by Mrs Fenella Wilbraham, Teacher of History & Politics

Never ones to let small facts like not being US citizens stand in our way, the Politics Department seized on the opportunity presented by the US election in November 2020 to hold a Halliford Mock (US) Election.

Mr MacLean had the brainwave of allocating each form a certain number of electoral votes, just as in the US, so that we would be able to report both a popular vote result and an Electoral College result. We divided the forms into different states, although our Electoral College consisted of 424 rather than 538 – so the magic number to win the presidency was 213 Electoral College Votes. Being the biggest voting bloc, the staff were allocated the key state of California with 55 votes.

Due to the pandemic, we could not hold the usual hustings in assembly, nor could we set up ballot boxes for in-person voting. It would have to be an entirely virtual system both in terms of presenting the candidates’ messages and voting by form, which would be collated by spreadsheet.

Fortuitously, the A Level Politics students had just started studying the US electoral system, so armed with their newly minted understanding of the Electoral College vagaries, the Upper Sixth split themselves into Team Trump and Team Biden. Elliott Saunders and Louis Mercer recorded a campaign commercial for the Trump / Pence ticket, featuring eerily accurate impressions of both men and an excellent outline of their intentions for a second term. Finlay Crichard and Max Morrell laid out in less theatrical style the promises of the Biden / Harris ticket, and from there, it was up to the voters.

The pitch for each candidate was made in an online assembly on Monday morning, preceded by an explanation of how the US electoral system worked.

Students then voted on election day, Tuesday 3 November. Form tutors counted and verified the votes, entering them onto a master spreadsheet, while staff voted via a ballot box in the Common Room.

Unlike US voters, we didn’t have a long and nail-biting wait for the result, which Biden won convincingly with a landslide in the all-important Halliford Electoral College of 246 ECV to Trump’s 162 (62% to 38%). Biden also won the popular vote 52% to 34% (with 14% of ballots rejected) and the House vote in which he took 19 forms to Trump’s eight. Controversially, at Halliford, Michigan’s 16 votes went to a third-party candidate – none of the above – with the form in question (11D) perhaps thinking wistfully of a potential Kanye West presidency.

As ever, voting trends deserve some analysis. Biden carried all forms in Years 7 and 8, all but one form in Year 9, one Year 10 form, all but one Sixth Form group and the staff vote. Conversely, three out of four Year 10 and Year 11 forms, one Year 9 and one Sixth Form group voted Trump.

My thanks to the A Level Politics students for their excellent presentations, all form tutors for joining in so wholeheartedly and counting their students’ votes, and Mr MacLean both for his support in running the election and his excellent assembly explaining the eventual outcome.

24

Autumn Highlights

Winter Concert

by Mr Alastair Wright, Director of Music

This year’s Winter Concert was recorded over three days by the dream team of Mr DeZilva and his A Level Music Technology students. Whilst this concert did not include the full range of Halliford ensembles, owing to COVID-19 restrictions, we were able to put on a concert featuring small ensembles and some solo pieces.

Performing live is such an important and rewarding part of music-making, and this was sorely missed, though the students did get the invaluable experience of performing within a professional set-up. The boys certainly got a real buzz after nailing a good take and then listening back to their performance straight away!

First up was the Key Stage 3 vocal group’s sensitive and touching rendition of Schubert’s well-known work, Ave Maria.

James Grant in Year 7 delivered a beautiful solo, demonstrating an excellent technique and a lovely tone quality. We will certainly be hearing a lot more of James’ great voice in the years to come. George Phillips in Year 11 followed with his heartfelt performance of Nuvole Bianchi by Salerno, handily also recorded as his GCSE solo performance. As a lover of film music, especially minimalist music, this excellent song choice enabled George to deliver a very moving performance.

The Key Stage 3 string group followed this with their delightful performance of the Jacques arrangement of Away in a Manger, in my opinion, a far superior version to the original.

Monty Savarino, our Year 9 music scholar, then delivered a very musical and captivating performance of the hauntingly beautiful Meditation by Massenet, expertly accompanied by Mr Davies.

We then moved onto the brass and woodwind performances, starting with the Key Stage 3 brass ensemble. They performed the lively William Tell Overture Finale by Rossini with appropriate power and vigour. Louis Clark then performed the jovial Ragamuffin by Wedgewood, demonstrating the same expert skill on his trumpet that he showed during his excellent performance of The Last Post on Remembrance Day. To finish the brass and woodwind performances, Riley Whittington in Year 11 was coolness personified for his rendition of The Pink Panther Theme, showcasing superb dynamic contrasts.

belt, performed Basket Case by Green Day, followed by Blur’s Parklife. Carter Robinson was his usual effervescent self in his energetic vocal performances, whilst Laith Shafighian showed remarkable drum speed during the performance of Basket Case.

This band has a great deal of potential and, having had some great new additions in September, is set to go from strength to strength in the coming years.

The Year 10 bands then gave a rousing and boisterous performance of R U Mine by Arctic Monkeys followed by a classic rendition of Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream, featuring a superb performance from Lower Sixth student William Jones on vocals.

The final performance was by the experienced Year 11 band, who performed One Love by Mr Slocock’s favourite band, U2.

There was a rumour that Mr Slocock was taking over from Will Greaves as the vocalist for this song, but thankfully we had Will’s dulcet tones and excellent falsetto! It was a suitably excellent end to an impressive virtual concert.

My thanks go to all the students who performed, the Music Technology students who worked hard to create the recordings, and Mr DeZilva for his management of the recording process and his mixing of the tracks.

The Key Stage 4 and 5 barbershop group finished off the nonrock ensembles part of the concert with their performance of the classic Fever by Cooley. Despite the group being an entirely tenor and bass group, with no altos, and being new to the barbershop genre, the group pulled off a stirring rendition of the famous song.

The second half of the concert featured Mr Savides’ rock bands.

First up was the Year 8 band performing Wonderwall by Oasis. As the band’s first-ever performance, they did superbly well, and I am looking forward to seeing them progress in the years to come.

The Year 9 bands, who do have some performances under their

25

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Inter-House Christmas Card Competition

by Ms Tamarind Hetherington, Head of Art

Halliford students were invited to get creative by making an A4-size design inspired by the theme of togetherness at Christmas. They could use any medium, or combination of media, for example, paint, crayons, pencil, pastels, inks, collage or digital media.

All entries were sent to our Head of Art, Ms Hetherington, who collated them ready for Mr Davies to choose the top three designs.

The winner was Lucas in Year 7 with his charming penguins design. As first place winner, Lucas had the honour of having his design as our Halliford Christmas Card, organised by our Young Enterprise Team, Hallidex. Well done to our two runners-up, Anthony in Lower Sixth and Felix in Year 7.

26

Autumn Highlights

Halliford excels in LAMDA Examinations

by Mrs Olivia Oakley, Marketing & Communications

We were delighted to announce a 100% pass rate in our LAMDA exams last Autumn.

Nineteen Halliford students took exams in either acting, verse and prose, or mime, securing an impressive 11 distinctions, 7 merits and 2 passes.

We are so proud of Sixth Former, Robert Pleasance, who was awarded an unbeatable score of 100/100 with distinction. Robert remarked, “When I received my result for LAMDA Grade 6, I was extremely proud of what I had achieved. I realise that without the amazing coaching from my teacher, I wouldn’t have been able to get 100%, so for that I am extremely thankful. I look forward to continuing working towards Grade 8, which I will be taking in the Easter period.”

In addition, we had two students receive 98/100, and two students receive 96/100. Truly outstanding and a testament to the strength of our Drama Department here at Halliford School.

LAMDA Tutor, Shani Woodley, commented “I am over the moon with our results from my first set of LAMDA examinations at Halliford. The boys have put in so much work and dealt with a lot of extremely unusual circumstances. They have risen above it all and produced these incredible results.”

Our students received some amazing feedback from the examiners, including: “A spontaneous approach throughout your work complete with in-depth characterisation”, “A confident, easy presence in the space”, “You use your voice, face, and body with total focus in a scene”, “Delightfully energised and enthusiastic performer” and “You have a real gift for performing”.

Mr Davies commented, “I am absolutely thrilled for the boys. These results are exceptional, and I am delighted to present our students with their richly deserved certificates and medals. Despite all the challenges that they face currently, it is so refreshing to see the boys dedicating themselves to these challenging examinations and achieving such stunning results. I am incredibly proud of them all.”

Name Max Morrell Robert Pleasance Cormac Evans James Manzi Oscar Gammon Riley Whittington William Jackson Carter Robinson Aidan Tattersall Cameron Bird Harry Tuckman Cassius Buckle-Wright Oliver Johnson Rufus Shillington Ruaridh Bell Thomas O’Connor Toby Hill Toby Hill Joshua Hawksley Bill Ferguson

Year Group

U6W

U6R

L6R

11D

U6G

11D

11R

9G

9R

9D

10D

8G

9D

8R

8D

8D

8R

8R

8G 8W

Examination Subject Acting Acting Acting Acting Acting Acting Acting Acting Acting Acting Acting Speaking Verse and Prose Acting Acting Acting Acting Miming Acting Speaking Verse and Prose Acting

Grade 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 1

27

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Bill Ferguson - Year 8

Cameron Bird - Year 9

Carter Robinson - Year 9

Cassius Buckle-Wright - Year 8

Cormac Evans - Lower Sixth

Harry Tuckman - Year 10

James Manzi - Year 11

Joshua Hawksley - Year 8

Max Morrell - Upper Sixth

Oliver Johnson - Year 9

28

Autumn Highlights

Oscar Gammon- Upper Sixth

Riley Whittington - Year 11

Robert Pleasance - Upper Sixth

Ruaridh Bell - Year 8

Rufus Shillington - Year 8

Aidan Tattersall - Year 9

Toby Hill - Year 8

Tom O’Connor - Year 8

William Jackson - Year 11 29

TheHALLIFORDIAN

12 Days of Challenges

Jules Wain, 11W

by Mr Sean Slocock, Assistant Head Co-Curricular The Autumn Term of 2020 was like no other Autumn Term in the history of Halliford School, and, as such, it needed to have an ending like no other. Whilst the 12 days of Christmas only starts on Christmas Day and ends on the Epiphany in January, the 12 days of Advent didn’t quite have the same ring to it. Similarly, the scrapping of the annual tradition whereby the entire school belts out (and possibly butchers) the coolest Christmas song in a semi Inter-House challenge meant there needed to be a suitable replacement. Therein lay the creation of the Halliford School, 12 Days of Challenges, a series of Inter-House competitions in which students represented their Houses.

In the first challenge, the combined strength of Mr Greggor, Mr Sessions and Mr Macefield meant that each day four ergo rowing machines found their way onto the basketball courts as students rowed continuously for 25 minutes, competing to row the furthest distance for their House. With teachers chipping in here and there and, at one point, a showdown between Mr HardenChaters from Desborough, Mr Lee for Greville, and Mr Shales and Mr McMillan from Russell loomed big. In the five minutes of pain that ensued, the lead changed hands on numerous occasions as the finesse and technique of a commanding Desborough outfit, much like that of a rapier versus a broadsword, pitted itself against the robust explosiveness of the powerful Russell triple. Starting much later than the rest of the pack was the underestimated and underrated U-boat of Greville that stealthily ate up the metres in an attempt to close the gap. The battle that followed was littered with the casualties of misused (or was it over-used

30

and misunderstood rowing jargon?) as knowledgeable and less than knowledgeable spectators cheered on the gladiators like over-zealous and enthusiastic coxswains ignoring the help of a cox box to encourage the greater leg drive between back and front stop - pushing the novices hard to force down on the foot stretcher to use maximum recovery following the drive on each stroke. A thing of beauty, I am led to believe, had each ‘erg’ been a real shell on the water. In the end, however, it was clear from the layback of each team member who had put in the most effort to get to the final distances. Unexpectedly with their powerful triple, Russell was top, but surprisingly only by a mere three metres. Desborough placed second and Greville third. Nobody was quite sure how far Laura (from the Vibe Café) rowed, but it was, without a doubt, a good effort. It was Russell House with a distance of 30,311 metres which took first place, followed by Desborough, Wadham and Greville.

Autumn Highlights

Sheridan Kerr, L6G

Mr MacLean

Mr Harden-Chaters

Mr Shales

Mr Lee

Charlie Grant, 7G

The second challenge put students’ football skills to the test as they competed in small groups to see which House could complete the greatest number of keepy uppys in an allotted time. Here, it was Desborough’s (not-so-secret) weapon, Monty Conway, who powered them into a commanding lead with the finesse of a football trickster. Overall, Desborough took this second competition, followed by Russell, Wadham and Greville.

The Chess Challenge was hotly contested, with favourites like Aidan Tattersall in Year 9 and Ethan Jansen van Rensburg in Year 7 looking to dazzle everyone with their advanced chess skills. In the Year 10 chess competition, Wadham’s Nathan Linde demolished all opposition in his path, winning every game, and Sankaran

Suseelaan proved unstoppable in the Lower Sixth competition.

Xander White in Year 8 helped Russell’s clean sweep in the junior competition and, combined with their first place in the senior competition, crowned them the overall champions, followed by Wadham, Greville and Desborough.

The fourth challenge was yet another of Halliford School’s strongest activities, the Basketball Hoop Challenge. Each House had ten minutes to see how many hoops a team of five students could shoot. The combined number of hoops from each year group would determine the challenge winners. As students could not be selected for every challenge, the forms had to choose their competitors wisely. Desborough had a clear strength in

31

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Field Lap Challenge this competition, emerging as the victors ahead of Greville and Wadham, with Russell in fourth place.

There were many fantastic entries to the Stop Frame Animation Competition, and the judges debated the result intensely. In the end, there were special mentions for Cosmo Chippendale, Theo Taylor, Oliver Scott and Joshua Newlands, but the winners were Louis Clarke for Greville, Freddie Lifton for Desborough, followed

by Luca Sacoor for Wadham.

One of the more popular events was the PS4 FIFA competition which we live-streamed to classes around the school. To even the playing field, students all played as France and battled for four minutes to see who could be crowned victors. In the end, the competitiveness of the competition was reflected in the results, with the thumb warriors in Greville and Russell sharing the spoils, followed by another tie between Wadham and Desborough.

PS4 FIFA Challenge - Seniors

Mr Bruno ran an exceptional D&D Battle Royale for both the junior and senior teams throughout lunchtime break. The wizards of Desborough reigned supreme in the junior competition, followed

by Greville, Wadham and Russell. In the senior competition, Greville was the clear leader, with a tie between Desborough and Russell.

The Daffodil Planting Challenge was meant to be a respite from the various physical and mental challenges but proved to be more difficult to arrange than was previously thought. With delays to the delivery of the bulbs reflecting issues in a wider, Covid world, a large order of 250 bulbs eventually arrived and, armed with

32

PS4 FIFA Challange - Juniors

Autumn Highlights

Chess Challenge ‘dibbers’ made by the wonderful Mr Sessions and Mr Macefield, students set about stabbing holes in the earth to plant the symbols of rebirth and new life.

The event of the week was, undoubtedly, the Lower Sixth Field Challenge, although the littered bodies of spent runners showed that they would disagree. Russell and Wadham kept up with each other throughout the race after Arya Shafighian had set the tone in an outstanding first lap followed by superb performances by Sankaran Suseelan for Russell and Daniel Wilkes for Wadham.

Greville, on the other hand, misjudged their tactics completely and, at one point, left Rebecca to do all the work. Good Hallifordian that she is, Becca kept going until the House finally came to her aid and took the baton to give others a turn. With minutes to go, Desborough, Russell and Wadham were on the same number of laps completed, but with Wadham slightly ahead. Daniel Wilkes and Alex Donnelly stepped up to marginally increase the lead going into the final lap, but it was a dubious midfield handover from Russell, as they exploited a loophole in the rules and narrowed the gap. This left one final lap to complete the challenge and determine the winners. Step up the man, the myth, nay, the legend that is Dominic Rose. With a slender few metres lead, Dominic, or as his friends call him, Rosy, or Dommy, set off at a speed no-one thought he could maintain. In second place, Russell handed over to Patrick ‘YK’ Wanat, who began the chase. YK ate up the metres, narrowing the gap when, all of a sudden, he hit the proverbial brick wall. Dommy rounded the last corner and, unbelievably, stretched the lead down the final straight. As the cloud of tears and cries of exertion settled, it was Wadham first, then Russell, followed by

Dungeons & Dragons - Junior Challenge

Keepy Uppy Challenge 33

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Cooking Challenge - Spencer Bateman, L6G - 1st place Desborough and finally Greville in an enthralling race. This race reflected the entire competition. Once the distances from each year group were added together, it was Wadham and Russell who shared the spoils, followed by Desborough, a whisker ahead of Greville.

The Junior Debate, run by Mr Lee, made up one of the challenges for this period, and the winning team of O’Connor, Needs, Cobley and Saunders from Desborough held off all challengers to be crowned victors ahead of Wadham, Greville and Russell.

The penultimate event was the Christmas Cooking Challenge, where students took to their kitchens to produce an array of culinary delights. Covid regulations disappointed Mr Slocock immensely as he was not allowed to taste any of the entries, and in the end, it was the photographic entries that were judged. Spencer Bateman was unanimously voted as the winner

34

for Greville, followed by superb efforts from Lucas Bullen for Wadham and Reece Pittaluga for Desborough House in third.

The final challenge was the 12 Days of Quizmas set by Mr Newbery. Misha Edwards topped the table with a superb score of 93, followed by Finlay Crichard and William Jackson. In the House competition, Desborough took first place overall, followed by Russell, Greville and Wadham.

With the results of all challenges added together, an overall winner was determined. The fact that there was a draw and a one-point difference in the top three showed the fierceness of the competition. Greville House managed to win by one point over Desborough and Russell, who shared the second spot ahead of Wadham. All in all, a great series of challenges. Well done to everyone involved!

Autumn Highlights

Cooking Challenge - Lucas Bullen, 7W - 2nd place

Cooking Challenge - Reece Pittaluga, 10D - 3rd place

Cooking Challenge - Arya Shafighian, L6W

Cooking Challenge - Charlie Moria, 8D

Cooking Challenge - William Shanley, 10R

Cooking Challenge - Alfie Saunders, 7D

35

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Halliford School Carol Service

by Mr Alastair Wright, Director of Music

The 2020 Carol Service was held at the usual venue of St Nicholas’ Church, but with a very different feel to past years.

Carol services are always one of the highlights of the year; everyone packed inside holding candles, singing heartily along to Hark the Herald, listening to a catchy, but undeniably cheesy, Rutter carol sung by the choir, whilst experiencing that Christmassy feeling that it is not long until Christmas Day. As this was the first carol service I have ever experienced without a congregation, I even found myself missing the roar of the one out of tune congregational member who thinks they are a good singer, but nobody has had the heart to tell them otherwise. We all know someone like this, and if you don’t, then it’s probably you!

With a (mostly) empty church and a small group of socially distanced singers, we had the carol service professionally recorded in the morning of Thursday 10 December, with the full service going live online the following Monday.

In a remarkable turnaround, the abridged version was even ready for staff and students to watch on Friday 11 December as part of the Headmaster’s end of term assembly. Not knowing how exactly the final version would look or sound, I was a little nervous before watching it back but was soon

36

Autumn Highlights put at ease by the delightful opening shot of the beautiful stained-glass windows accompanied by the delectable tones of Riley Whittington’s saxophone playing. My thanks go to our videographer, Matt Pereira, who did a brilliant job capturing the essence of a Halliford School Carol Service. As Mr Davies mentioned in his opening address, 2020 had been a year like none other, so it was so pleasing to finish the school year in such a positive way.

After the Headmaster’s opening address, we were treated to a full complement of congregational carols (though without a congregation), choir carols sung by the combination of the Key Stage 3 vocal group and the Key Stage 4/5 barbershop group, and readings by staff members and students. Some highlights were the lovely Once in Royal David’s City solo by

one of our Year 8 music scholars, Henry Crowther, the powerful rendition of Gaudete by the combination of choirs, the staff choir’s entrancing performance of Warlock’s Bethlehem Down, Nicholas Atherfold and Billy Dobby’s beautiful solos in Darke’s In the Bleak Midwinter and Max Morrell’s wonderful pronunciation of the word ‘homage’ in his reading of Matthew 2. 1-13.

My thanks go to all the students and staff who worked extremely hard putting this service together in such a short amount of time, and to Mr Davies for his organisation of the service and his expert organ playing. I do hope that you enjoyed the service and that we will be able to welcome you all in person for next year’s carol service.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Caleb Baker, 7W I decided to come to Halliford School because it felt like a second home to me. I turned up to my exams feeling optimistic. However, I still gave 100% because I wanted to show what I can do. I was very nervous on the first day as I was the only boy from my school, but I knew that I would make friends. My friend Natty that I met on the first day helped me get to know everybody, and I made friends with the boys who took the train to school with me. The lessons I like the most here are PE because I am very sporty and love being outdoors. We study more subjects at Halliford than we did at my previous school and having to change to different rooms makes me feel very independent. I love Cricket Club because I am a good wicketkeeper and I love that we work as a team. I’m really enjoying playing football, rugby and cricket, as these are my best sports. Overall, I’m really pleased I came to Halliford School because it is a part of my life, it’s a special community, and it is where I can be myself. This is my school, and I am proud to be a Hallifordian.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Dexter Lee, 7R I decided to come to Halliford because of the sport, and it is also the right school academically.

Thankfully, I found the entrance exam easier than I thought it would be. On the first day, I was introduced to my tutor Mr McElroy and the other boys in 7R. After that, the first week flew by because I met so many new people. I instantly made new friends. The lessons I like the most here are PE and Games because I love my sport. The biggest difference between Halliford and my old school is that Halliford is way smaller, and I like it like that. Lockdown was a bit of a shock! My routine had to change a bit. Instead of getting up at my normal time, I woke up about 15-20 minutes later. I worked in my study. The worst thing about online learning is that the internet quality wasn’t that good. The best thing was being home and being able to get a snack during my breaks. I tried to keep fit and healthy by using an app called Peloton, which you might have heard of before. This is my Halliford story!

37

HALLIFORD LIFE

Virtual Carol Service

Egg Parachutes in Science Club

Christmas Jumper D

Movember Mad

ay

ness!

Poem by a Year 7 Candidate

38

Puzzle C

Club

Autumn Highlights

HALLIFORD LIFE

b Winners Model Engineering Clu Remembrance Display at the Front of the School

Year 7 in the DT Workshop

ber Madness! Award MovemYou ng Enterprise

39

TheHALLIFORDIAN 1XI match against King Edwards Southampton

Autumn Term Sports Report

by Mr James Greggor, Director of Sport Rugby Season 2020 Traditionally we would be reporting on the progress of our rugby teams in their competitive fixtures in the Autumn Term. However, this has been a term of adapting and getting on as much as we safely can.

RUGBY

Following the end of lockdown and the return to school, we started the year in our traditional way with pre-season rugby training for all age groups under the adapted COVID rules for training and playing from the RFU. Numbers were very pleasing, and the boys were keen to get back into their school sport.

The first Saturday morning of the school year started with King Edwards Southampton, and the weather permitted us to switch our fixture from rugby to cricket. After such a long time without competitive school sport, it was particularly satisfying to see the reduced fixture block take place. We managed games for U13A, U14A, U15A and 1XI. Having lost our Summer Term cricket season due to working remotely, this was a great achievement. The tiered system meant that playing other schools was not a safe option for Halliford for much of the Autumn Term. This saw us instead adopt some internal competitive Saturday sport for Junior and Senior bubbles. The students enjoyed the Halliford v Halliford football matches and helped to keep the students in the habit of Saturday sport and give them as much of a taste for competitive sport as possible.

Our focus for the Autumn Term was to run as much as we safely could, and aside from our regular competitive Saturday fixtures against other schools, we have managed to continue to run our extensive after school and lunchtime programme of clubs and practices.

Traditionally our Autumn Term is our rugby term, but due to restrictions, we have blended this term with rugby and football in games afternoons simply because football had opened up a little more than rugby. The boys have still received lots of instruction on their rugby, and we have made good progress from last year. In the Spring Term, we will continue the blended football and rugby games sessions as we have now progressed to stage E of the RFU return to play pathway so we can train with some more purposeful contact activities and adapted gameplay.

40

Autumn Sports Report

New Year 7 Saturday Rugby Morning Following pre-season rugby training, the first Saturday before the start of the Autumn Term sees the whole of Year 7 come in for a rugby training session. Their first experience of school life is on the sporting field, and this is a tradition we always enjoy upholding. Due to the restrictions in place in August, we adapted the morning from its traditional sole rugby focus to include rugby, football, athletics activities and cricket.

As always, the boys worked superbly. Whilst we are looking forward to maintaining our traditions of keeping this a rugby training session, the adapted format this year was a great success, and the boys had lots of fun as they gained their first experiences of sport at Halliford.

Extra-Curricular Lunchtime & After School Clubs We have been very satisfied with the amount of extra-curricular sport we have managed to keep running.

Students have still had their full remit of clubs and practices, and once again, we have played around with the usual structure to ensure wide-ranging provision can be safely maintained.

Lunchtime clubs have focused on the individual sports of table tennis and badminton mainly, with basketball also offered as an option. Lunchtime clubs are always thoroughly enjoyed by the pupils, and we have seen excellent numbers attend with great enthusiasm.

After school practices have consisted of a mixture of football and rugby. The two Year 7 training sessions after school have had one focussing on rugby and the other football.

Year 8 and Year 9 played football after school, and before the second lockdown, Year 10 played rugby after school but then switched to football. Rugby has continued in games afternoons for all age groups.

Again, the rationale for doing after school football practices during this period was that we could safely accommodate more numbers under NGB COVID protocols.

41

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Elite Cricket Coaching Group

CRICKET

Despite the situation we found ourselves in at the start of term, our elite cricket training group have still been able to train with Ed Young. The sessions introduced last year have been a great success, and they are really having an impact on our top cricketers. We are hoping to see this impact in competitive A team fixtures when the Summer 2021 season begins.

Strength and Conditioning

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Nick Rees continues to do great work with our senior strength and conditioning group, which is open to all students in Year 10, Year 11, and the Sixth Form. Like last year, training sessions occur on a Monday and Wednesday before school starting at 7.30am and finishing at 8.20am. Pupils are provided with breakfast post activity and as a reward for getting into school so early! I would encourage students who have not yet tried these sessions to give them a try. We will be expanding the offer to include Year 9 later on in the year.

Notable Performances in Rugby

RUGBY

The boys eagerly anticipate our Headmasters XV. This is a rugby squad we select from all year groups based on their performances throughout the season. However, due to the lack of matches, we have selected students from each year group who have impressed in games lessons and training sessions. We are always impressed by the commitment to school extra-curricular sport shown by our students, and we could have mentioned many more in addition to the boys below. These individuals have progressed especially well in the COVID permitted rugby activity we have put on.

Year 7 George Bellis George has really impressed the PE and Games staff. He has excellent hands and in the 1v1 contact permitted elements of training sessions, he achieves some fantastic body positions and demonstrates a superb technical ability.

Dexter Lee Dexter is a powerful runner with a great speed change, coupled with a superb pair of hands and an ability to pass accurately off both sides. This makes him a dangerous prospect with the ball in hand running a defensive line.

Year 8 Theo Maroussas Theo’s fantastic attitude and approach to sport see him constantly improving. Being new to rugby last

42

Autumn Sports Report year, he played much of the season in the unbeaten U12B team. However, his hard work paid off, and he represented the A’s in the final game of the Autumn Term and gained experience playing Rugby Sevens tournaments in the Spring Term. Since returning, he continues to impress in training sessions and force his way into the A team squad.

Oliver White Oliver is a gifted player with a strong skill set. He impressed hugely at fly-half last year, and his performance in training sessions this term has been excellent. His reading of the game continues to improve. At fly-half, he has a great pair of hands, and his strong passing skills give him an ability to bring those outside of him into the game successfully, therefore, providing a wide attacking threat.

Year 9 Thomas Lever Thomas joined Halliford in September and has really impressed on the rugby training field. He demonstrates a good understanding of the game and has an excellent turn of pace. Handling and permitted contact skills covered have been of a high standard, and we look forward to seeing him in a competitive fixture soon.

Max Smith Max’s passion for the game never fails to impress. Like many of the boys, he loves the sport and has been frustrated by the necessary COVID constraints on rugby. He continues to train with great intensity, and he has further developed his handling skill set. He possesses a lightning pair of hands due to the amount of conditioned touch and Ready4Rugby played at both school and club.

Year 10 Ben Hughes Ben always displays a first-class attitude to training. He is strong, powerful and has developed his skill set further in this period where we have been unable to play and train with limited contact. He is a key player for this age group in the pack.

Josh Guild Josh is a pleasure to teach. He loves rugby and maintains great focus in training and after school training.

Although Josh has found this period a little frustrating, he has channelled this into getting fit and further developing his handling skills. He is a dangerous ball carrier, and we look forward to seeing this on the pitch soon.

Tom Wilkin Tom is a talented player with a great flair for the game. As a back, he possesses a superb pair of hands and great accuracy with his passing off both sides. The current playing restrictions have allowed such skills to be further refined. He is also physically very fit, which sees great energy levels maintained and strong influence over competitive environments.

Will Shanley and James Webley Will and James returned to school in superb physical shape, having trained together extensively over the summer break. Both boys are heavily influential in the U15 side. Will always has a huge impact in the pack as a ball carrier and strong defensive work. James’ turn of pace is always very destructive for opponents.

In the touch Ready4Rugby formats permitted this term, his pace has been very difficult to handle for the opposition, and we look forward to seeing this on display in a competitive environment once more.

43

TheHALLIFORDIAN

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 most of the year group offer themselves for selection by their House Captain. This year we played the games in the RFU sanctioned Ready4Rugby format. We saw some keenly contested competitions, and all the players had good fun. It is always a great way to finish the term’s work off.

Winner’s categories Junior (Year 7 and Year 8) — Desborough Intermediate (Year 9 and Year 10)— Russell Senior (Year 11 and Sixth Form)— Russell

Overall winners Russell

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Corey Pyke, 7G I came to Halliford School because I came to the Open Day, and I thought it was great, plus I knew many of my friends from my primary school were coming here. The exams went well, and I liked it because instead of being in a big hall we took the exams in small groups in the classrooms. On the first day, I was introduced to my tutor Mr Cunningham who was very supportive and helped me. I was very relieved that the homework was not sudden and that we gradually received more homework. I already had many friends from primary school, but I also made more friends at Halliford. I like DT because there are great facilities and we have a nice teacher. A big difference is that many of the clubs are at lunchtime and you have more freedom over what you do and can make your own personal timetable. I play a lot of rugby, and right now, I am also playing cricket in games and having to change to different rooms makes me feel very independent. I love Cricket Club because I am a good wicketkeeper and I love that we work as a team. I’m really enjoying playing football, rugby and cricket, as these are my best sports. Overall, I’m really pleased I came to Halliford School because it is a part of my life, it’s a special community, and it is where I can be myself. This is my school, and I am proud to be a Hallifordian.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Felix Armes-Ward, 7R I decided to come to Halliford School because I thought the boys who showed me around on Open Day were very enthusiastic. The entrance exam was not as hard as I had expected it to be. I was quite nervous and excited on my first day. In the first week, I made about five new friends and I didn’t get too much homework luckily. The biggest difference between my old school and Halliford School is that I take the bus and train to school now. My favourite lessons are French, Spanish, Latin and Art, and I’m really enjoying the sport at Halliford, especially cricket. I’m really pleased I came to Halliford School because I got to meet new friends.

44

Autumn Sports Report

Hallifordian Sporting Achievements Following the Summer playing season, Jivraj received two prestigious awards from his cricket club (Hampton Wick Royal Cricket Club), namely, under 14 Batsman of the Year 2020 and Junior Cricketer of the Year 2020. He received a trophy and a very generous £100 gift voucher for sports equipment from the club for his efforts in this relatively short cricket season. Jivraj played for the Senior 3rd XI team at his club, which is a tremendous achievement at the young age of 14. He scored 360 runs in his U-14 age group and was the 3rd highest wicket-taker for the club amongst the colt and senior teams. He was also invited to the Middlesex Regional Cricket festival, where he performed well.

Josh was awarded Sunday Player of the Year at Kempton Cricket Club, a senior team award. He also played in the Surrey Slam T20 competition. Josh played every Saturday and Sunday from when restrictions were lifted until the end of the season, primarily as a bowler but with some cameo batting performances. He played mostly for the 3XI, but he also played one game for the 2XI.

Having made great progress in winter nets at Halliford, Theo pursued cricket outside of school at Hampton Hill Cricket Club. Following a successful season, he was awarded the Team Player Award, collecting it in his Halliford PE kit straight after Games.

CRICKET

Jivraj Singh, Year 10

CRICKET

Joshua Burson, Lower Sixth

CRICKET

Theo Maroussas, Year 8

45

TheHALLIFORDIAN

RUGBY

Josh is a key player for the U13A team impressing hugely in his first season last year in the U12A’s at scrum-half. He has continued to progress well in our RFU COVID protocol training sessions this term too. His hard work last season was rewarded as he received the Player of the Year Award from Teddington Rugby Club.

Josh Morrison, Year 8

RUGBY SEVENS

Hayden is a talented all-round sportsman. While we usually update you on his progress in basketball, he has also been performing to a high standard in Rugby sevens. Before the second lockdown, Hayden took part in the Ultimate Rugby Sevens South East group training session for the Ultimate Rugby Sevens Academy. We look forward to hearing the results of future training sessions post lockdown to see how Hayden Barrett gets on.

Hayden Barrett, Year 9

LONDON IRISH ACADEMY UPDATE

RUGBY James Webley and Will Shanley, Year 10

46

Following last year’s success, both James and Will not only retained their positions in the academy but were also involved with the upper age group set up, a year ahead, without having to retrial at the start of the season. Clearly, London Irish think very highly of both boys. They are naturally very keen to return to academy training, as much of this has been on hold due to the lockdown periods. Both James and Will have trained together over the Summer and returned to school in excellent shape. They have continued to impress in rugby lessons, and we hope they are able to return to academy training following this second lockdown period.

Autumn Sports Report

HARLEQUINS RUGBY ACADEMY Both Paul-Louis and Oscar were involved in an internal academy tournament in March and received very good feedback following this. It was a chance to test themselves against Quins Academy set up sites from Sussex, London and Mitcham, so the standard was high. Following the lockdown period, both boys are keen to get back into the set-up and training. Although provided with some remote work over the lockdown periods, they look forward to resuming training.

RUGBY

Paul-Louis Howard and Oscar McArdle, Year 11

FULHAM ACADEMY Position: Goalkeeper Monty joined Halliford this year and comes with some great sporting accolades, having trained with England’s 2005’s and sadly missed a game against Belgium due to injury.

He impressed immediately at pre-season and in the internal Saturday morning football we organised before the second lockdown period. Monty has recently signed a two-year contract for the Fulham Football Academy, having already been there since 2017. He has continued to train hard and is looking forward to playing in competitive contexts.

FOOTBALL

Monty Conway, Year 10

Monty has recently played Luton and Tottenham, and we are certainly excited to see him represent the school when this is possible. Monty had been looking forward to a tour with Fulham’s Academy to The Netherlands. However, this has naturally been postponed for the moment. He has been a great addition to the school, and we look forward to following his progress with Fulham closely.

Max recently competed in the U15/U16 Surrey County Championship at Croham Golf Club. An excellent achievement and a valuable experience playing county golf. Max continues to work hard and takes all the opportunities to play available to him, and his handicap continues to drop. We look forward to Max updating us on his future county golf event involvement.

GOLF

Max West-Cameron, Year 10 47

TheHALLIFORDIAN Felix has made it straight through to the Surrey Cricket CAG (County Age Group) U13 after being involved at U12. Winter training was due to commence mid-November, but Felix is currently waiting to resume post lockdown. He has also been involved with our elite cricket group training on Monday after school.

CRICKET

Felix Porter, Year 8

Dexter is new to Halliford this year and, following a successful trial period, has been selected for Surrey’s U13 hockey squad. Dexter was surprised as it is with the older age group, and he felt his final trial didn’t go well as he was feeling ill. They also changed his position from an attacking R back/winger to a centre back.

HOCKEY

Dexter Lee, Year 7

Lucas is a member of the junior race training team at Island Barn Reservoir Sailing Club in East Mosley, sailing in his Topper dinghy “Blueberry”. The Junior Race Team are on the water most weekends and train hard through the school holidays, even in the winter months.

SAILING

Lucas Symons, Year 7

48

This Autumn, Lucas competed in the RYA South of England Championships and the London and South East Topper Traveller series comprising five separate days of racing in various locations, including the coast at Shoreham. Each event comprised four races, each of around an hour in length, with the sailors staying out on the water all day. With the best three results of the five events scoring in the series, Lucas is currently the leading Topper sailor in the 4.2 sail Topper class (13 years and under) and one of the youngest in the Topper race fleet (15 years and under). Except for one windless day and an abandoned event at Shoreham, the conditions on race days were very challenging, with the sailors having to deal with gale-force gusts and heavy rain in three of the five events, notably the last weekend at Papercourt in Woking.

Autumn Sports Report Hugo has become a member of Kingston Rowing Club this term. He completed their Learn to Row course in August, which involved rowing in the much more demanding single sculls rather than crew boats due to Covid restrictions. He won all of the challenges which tested his balancing skills, moving the boat on the water, and racing on the dreaded ergometers. This earned him one of a handful of places in KRC’s junior squad this year who train on the river twice per week. During this second lockdown, they have adapted to circuit training via Zoom calls and training on the ergo at home, but Hugo is looking forward to taking to the water again next month.

ROWING

Hugo Franklin, Year 8

In a strange summer, some normality resumed, with half of the cricket season being able to occur.

Christopher had a successful season for his club, scoring over 800 runs and taking 20 wickets, including a 100. He has really benefitted from working with the school coach, Ed Young, with the results on the pitch making this evident. Due to his hard work, Christopher was also able to earn selection for a 2-day game for Surrey EPG v Hampshire where he took two wickets, and he will train with the Surrey Academy over the winter. Towards the end of the season, Chris was able to get up to Scotland for some U19 practice in which he impressed. These games were in preparation for U19 world cup qualifiers for which Chris hopes to be selected. If Scotland wins, they will take part in the U19 world cup in 2022, a huge goal for Chris, and we wish him all the best.

William has played for Surrey’s age group academy for the last two years. At the end of September, William was delighted to hear he had been accepted into the U14 County Age Group programme. There has been some disruption to training due to COVID lockdowns and restrictions; however, William has attended on and off training sessions at George Abbot School.

Following the Christmas break, winter nets will resume building towards the summer season, where he is hoping for selection against other counties predominantly as a batsman, however being a talented bowler too, he is hopeful of getting some overs under his belt too.

CRICKET

Christopher Cole, Lower Sixth

CRICKET

William Hamilton, Year 9

49

TheHALLIFORDIAN

BIATHLON/ ATHLETICS/ TRIATHLON Spencer Bateman, Lower Sixth

Autumn Sports Report

2020 has been a very different year for almost everyone, and for me, it was the first time in eight years that I haven’t spent the summer racing. Normally, as soon as the cross country season finishes, triathlon, aquathlons, duathlons and athletics spring into action and from March through to September, I would spend almost every weekend at an event. This year March saw the whole country going into lockdown, children home-schooling, shops closing, people being put on furlough, eggs, flour and toilet rolls in short supply and every race that I had entered being cancelled, including the National Super Series that I had hoped to compete in this year.

Gyms, swimming pools and athletic tracks closed, training switched to being delivered via Zoom sessions, people became creative with fitness bands and cans of beans. Swimming aside, I was lucky that I was still able to continue with some of my training by joining many others cycling in the Surrey Hills at the weekend and running locally, including St Ann’s Hill, Lyne, which is fantastic for hill reps. As some restrictions started to lift, open water swimming became the new swimming pool as I made use of one of many lakes we have in the area and the River Thames.

As the year went on, we saw a few events advertised, and I entered an open water triathlon at Dorney Lake, Eton. This was the first event that I had taken part in for six months, and it was exciting to be racing again.

I was so excited that I forgot to pack my bike shoes, and on the day my Dad had to make a mad dash back home to get my shoes – he arrived back just as I was about to start. Due to social distancing, no spectators were allowed, which made the event unusual – I don’t think I have ever raced with no spectators. An open water triathlon would normally have competitors start in waves, either by ability or age, and you would all get into the water together and then start together. Due to social distancing, this was not possible, and we were started individually with gaps of 20 seconds. It always makes it harder to race like this as you have no idea where you are in terms of places. It becomes more of an individual time trial, you against the clock. The event had two different distances – Super Sprint and Sprint. I was only able to enter the Super Sprint due to my age. It was a small but competitive race, and I won the Super Sprint race overall. On the run, I was lucky enough to spot a GB age grouper taking part in the sprint race, which gave me someone to focus on in the run.

My second (and only other multisport) race of the year was in October and a little bit further afield.

Leaving early on a very wet Sunday morning, we travelled to Stratford Upon Avon. As one of the only triathlons going ahead, this event was very competitive with 380 competitors in the Super Sprint. As it was pool based, the format wasn’t any different to normal triathlons. What was different was that I had to wear a mask in transition when I was setting up my kit. Due to the amount of rain and the number of people, the towpath based run quickly became a mud fest and was more like a cross country run and the shoes I had (racing flats suitable for fast, flat, firm conditions) made for a challenging run. With so many people entered, it was a great race, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It made me realise how much I love racing and the buzz that you get from it. I didn’t win this race but finished in a very respectable 18th place overall and won my age category.

Aside from triathlon, I attended a couple of athletics track open meets and was delighted to post a small PB over 800m which was a pleasant surprise considering the severely limited amount of track time I had this year. As I write this, we have just headed into lockdown #2, the swimming pools have closed again, and the 2020/21 cross country season has been almost completely written off. However, with effective COVID vaccines imminent, 2021 will be different, and I am working on a winter training plan to prepare me for next season and plenty of racing which I have missed so much.

50

Spring Highlights

Halliford School Test site

The Halliford Test Centre

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster

The Halliford School Test Centre was created in record time to be ready to receive students and staff for mass testing to keep the Halliford School community safe. Whilst not needed for the first half of the Spring Term, it was ready for when we returned to school after the lockdown period on Monday 8th March.

A huge thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers who helped with the testing. We simply could not have managed without the help and support of the parent volunteers. It is a mark of our wonderful school community that they all gave their time so generously to assist us. One parent volunteer commented, “It has been an absolute pleasure volunteering to help the students with their lateral flow tests. I’m sure you already know this, but what a stellar group of boys and girls who were beyond polite and

Testing at home

thanked me after I’d encouraged them through a quite unpleasant experience. I am actually very #proudtobeahallifordian parent.”

With our array of Covid secure measures in place, we were so pleased that we did not report one positive case amongst our students or staff, as we moved to home testing, and I am so grateful to our students for continuing with testing at home as we do all we can to keep our community safe.

51

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Lockdown Survival Kits

by Mrs Olivia Oakley, Marketing & Communications

As news came of yet another lockdown, it was clear that we would not be able to host our Examination Day in January as usual. We would normally welcome students to Halliford on a Saturday morning, where they would be split into small groups and taken by our teachers to their respective classrooms to sit their assessment. In their morning break, they would enjoy delicious treats baked by our school chef, Mr Murphy, and they would receive a Halliford goodie bag at the end of the morning.

As we could not host our Examination Day in person, we started thinking about how we could still bring some Halliford magic to our candidates. It can be a worrying time for students and parents, and we wanted to do all we could to set their minds at rest and bring some much-needed joy at this difficult time of lockdown.

We decided on the idea of a personalised Halliford School Lockdown Survival Kit with branded earphones, a face mask, pen, and pencil, a bar of chocolate and a cookie baked by Mr Murphy.

Lastly and most importantly, we included a Good Luck message from the Headmaster and a postcard from our Head Prefect.

It was all hands on deck preparing the kits in time for our candidates to receive them for the Examination Day, with Mr Davies hand-delivering them to the Post Office.

We had some amazing comments from the boys and their

52

parents and were delighted that it brought some much-needed cheer at this tough time. One parent commented, “The boys loved everything, and the cookies vanished in front of our eyes in seconds!!!! The postcards were a very personal and welcome touch. As parents trying to steer our boys through the pre-test process, it would always have been tricky, but during Covid, it has certainly been different. We have had the benefit, I guess, of seeing how the different schools have adapted their processes as a result of Covid and we have been blown away by how much Halliford have kept the children’s wellbeing first and foremost.

We know your approach is different and more nurturing than other schools and this has shone out very clearly in your adaptations of your friendly interview, exams and your survival kits. It has been noticed and appreciated! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Spring Highlights

Haiku Poems

by Mr Joseph McElroy, Teacher of English During the first week of the second lockdown, our Year 7 students were just getting started on our ‘Introduction to Poetry’ module.

We began by discussing the effects that certain images can have on our emotions and how we can most easily see this in haiku poems that concentrate on presenting a specific idea through one image. As you can see, the students did a fantastic job of expressing themselves clearly and creatively. We went on to study other poetry

by Seamus Heaney, William Wordsworth, William Carlos Williams, Walt Whitman, and Phoebe Stuckes, to name but a few.

Where humans hear music cats hear hideous screams while you have vivid dreams

By Jenson Waite, 7D

The dashing car speeding past left a wet path

By Joseph Kalenderidis, 7D

Birds flying in the sky.

The sound of chirps following them as they flood the sky with colour.

By Torin Kirby, 7W

In the dark wood ominous signs of dreary times

By Jonty Wright, 7D

This dead tree outside of my house is so poor and deceived, just sitting there patiently waiting for their leaves to come to life.

By Ben Parker, 7D

Snow falling on my face like cold kisses the sun shining so happily

By Rocky Lehmann, 7D

The hum of nature the call of the birds the roar of humanity

By Ryan Mills, 7G Snowflakes are our friends, they descend when winter comes making white blankets.

By Rajveer Johal, 7R

The whisper of the poor the voice of the rich the command of the government

By George Dwyer, 7W Showering the grass like a cold drink for flowers pitter patter sploosh

By Hugo Callington, 7G

53

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Inter-House Challenges

by Mr Sean Slocock, Assistant Head Co-Curricular

Who would have thought that spring would have brought about the need for new lockdown challenges?

However, in true Halliford Spirit, there were plenty of opportunities for students to throw themselves into and keep the Inter-House spirit alive. All in all, this lockdown saw an increase in the number of activities, challenges or clubs on offer with 59 different opportunities provided, an increase from the 52 offered during the lockdown last summer.

New external clubs had been planned for students to take part in at school. These included the introduction of fencing, expansion of golf training with a professional at Sunbury Golf Club and a further session of Self Defence. Unfortunately, these were put on hold. Mr Greggor remained his creative self, providing a weekly physical challenge and continuing with his Joe Wicks style exercise videos to help students (and parents) remain active. The winners of these challenges were: Inter-House Challenges – Sit-ups 1.

Lewis Mansey, 7R - 53 2.

Ben Chapman, 7D - 48 3.

Natty Schofield, 7W - 42 Inter-House Challenges – Press-ups 1.

Frederico Polosa, 9G - 52 2.

Archie Brake, 9W - 47 3.

Sam Griffiths, 9D - 44 Inter-House Challenges - Keep ups Challenge 1.

Felix Porter, 8R 2.

Jamie Lamprell, 9G 3.

Daniel Bootle-Wilbraham, 9D Inter-House Challenges – Stork Stand 1.

Felix Porter, 8R 2.

Jamie Lamprell, 9G 3.

Daniel Bootle-Wilbraham, 9D There were also new initiatives with Mr McElroy running a Reading Challenge. Students were encouraged to list all the books that they were reading and highlight genres and titles that they have completed. There were various categories, and points were awarded for each. The results were as follows: Inter-House Reading Challenge Winner: Jenson Waite, 7D Winning Class: 7D Winning Tutor Group: 9R Wining House: Russell – 209 points Desborough - 166 points Wadham - 5 points Greville – 0 points

during tutor time. Each week I sent out the Quizizz code to students and teachers, and parents were also invited to participate.

The competition was hotly contested, with very little between the houses all the way through the competition. Students, teachers and parents were kept informed on the progress and weekly winners, but overall, the results were: Inter-House Lockdown Quiz 1.

Russell (140,642) 2.

Desborough (137,495) 3.

Greville (137,475) 4.

Wadham (135,157) Following on from the successful photography challenges in the Autumn, we organised two different photography competitions.

Ms Hetherington, once again, stood up as the chief selector and organiser of the events that saw many fantastic entries. A little winter snow allowed for the first competition as students provided outstanding evidence of the various snowmen they had managed to build, from one that was over 6 feet tall to others that had been dressed up. In the end, the results were as follows: 1.

2.

3.

Liam Nicklette-Doyle, 7G Kian McGrath, L6R (his snowman was 6ft 2in) Joshua Turley, 9W

Ms Hetherington enlisted the help of Sixth Former Sam Martin, to judge the main photography competition for the term, the ‘First Signs of Spring’ Competition. They were inundated with entries, and the competition was incredibly fierce. They were able to provide a shortlist which allowed the Headmaster and his team to choose the eventual winners: Photography Challenge: First Signs of Spring 1.

Jakob Holder, 8W 2.

George Dwyer, 7W 3.

Amar Ghotra, 9G The Prefect Team created further challenges during Spring lockdown that students were invited to enter. They produced video examples of their own challenges, and these were shown to the students to encourage participation. Each week provided a new challenge which included:

The weekly Lockdown Quiz returned on a Thursday morning • Mannequin Challenge – Chris Sanders and Nicholas Atherfold

54

Spring Highlights • Isolation Games • Gesture Challenge – Louis Mercer, Remy Matthews, William Cannell and William Bourne • Try Not to Laugh Challenge – Gallagher Dillon and William Wheeler • Crazy Golf Challenge – Mr Churchill The final challenge of the term was to raise money for charity.

To this end, the Prefects wanted to select a charity that helped students from disadvantaged backgrounds to get access to technology that would help them during the lockdown. The Charity, Laptops for Kids, was chosen and, with the help of Mr

Greggor, set the school a challenge to work together by adding together everyone’s totals and seeing how far they could travel, from Halliford School around the world! This was done by everyone in the Halliford community counting every distance they walked, ran or cycled. Some even entered swimming and skipping distances. These distances were multiplied by every family member who had taken part and the results were sent to Mr Greggor who kept a tally. In the end Halliford school raised a whopping £1,691.82, and the school community had travelled an incredible 14,133.15 km, with the Symons family leading the way.

Well done to everyone who took part.

By Cosmo Sumner, 9R

By Joshua Turley, 9W

By Liam Nicklette-Doyle, 7G

By Lucas Bullen, 7W

By Kian McGrath, L6R 55

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Lockdown Bushcraft Club

by Mr Tom King, DofE Manager

With seemingly unending lockdowns and the resulting screen time, both students and teachers were craving fresh air. With that in mind, I started the Lockdown Bushcraft Club, designed to channel our students’ inner Ray Mears and inspire them to find enjoyment in the great outdoors. For as long as I can remember, I have been obsessed with bushcraft and outdoor adventures, spending as much of my free time camping and learning traditional crafts as possible.

I wanted to share this hobby with our students and hoped to transfer my enthusiasm for the topic into a newfound interest among the lads, as well as helping foster a respect and appreciation for the natural world. With the limitations of lockdown, I was confined to my garden and committed to sharing skills with the boys via a weekly live stream or lecture and created a new skills video each week. I loved running this club and sharing my love of adventure and woodcraft. In fact, it was the highlight of my lockdown and something that left me with a sense of achievement at how well they had all got on.

The first week of the club focused on introducing the topic of bushcraft, where I demonstrated lighting a fire by friction (or rubbing sticks together) and discussed why this area of learning is so fascinating. Many of you are probably asking the same question as the students were on week one. “What exactly is Bushcraft?” The term bushcraft encompasses all outdoor or wilderness living skills, building upon essential techniques for surviving and thriving in a remote area such as woodland. By studying bushcraft, you learn to use the natural resources of the area to help make yourself comfortable whilst also staying sustainable and leaving very little trace of your presence. It teaches you to camp more traditionally, changing your perception and bringing you closer to nature. It includes crafts such as green woodworking, carving, basketry, shelter building, and so much more.

As the weeks went by, we studied basic survival priorities, survival theories, bushcraft equipment, learnt important knots for camping, discussed shelter building using a tarp to shelter from the elements. With these skills covered, we progressed to fire lighting skills, including traditional flint and steel and solar fire, discussed using tools safely and carving, and even cook traditional ‘bannock’ bread over a campfire. The boys learned to identify some basic trees and understand the natural world 56

Spring Highlights more intimately.

The students did so well to rise to the challenge, with a cohort that continued to expand as lockdown went on. Many showed real engagement with the projects and lessons, some spending their pocket money on outdoor books to read around the subject, others putting up tarp shelters in their gardens, some filming outdoorsy videos of their own, and most trying out the knots and skills we studied at home. Seeing them loving learning and actively seeking knowledge was massively rewarding to witness, and I really hope some of them continue with this hobby after lockdown becomes a thing of the past.

When asked about the club, the students were keen to comment on their learning and experience. Theo Maroussas, in Year 8, had this to say: “During each weekly meeting of the Bushcraft Club, my interest in bushcraft and survival skills has rapidly increased. Mr King’s love for bushcraft is extremely infectious, and his knowledge is endless. I have really enjoyed participating in this club and have learnt so many things, from the five C’s of survivability, to how to recognise a birch tree. It definitely made my lockdown a lot more interesting and enjoyable.”

Another regular member of the club, Miles Cobley, had this to say: “I really enjoyed Lockdown Bushcraft Club! I thought it was really good to have Mr King as the teacher as he loves the outdoors, and we could tell this enthusiasm from the videos. I found each episode very practical and have already started using the skills we learnt.

Following the guidance on making a birds nest, I successfully lit a fire for my family in the garden.”

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Hugo Callington, 7G I decided to come to Halliford because of the buzz and feel I got from walking around the school on the Open Day. The school felt very welcoming and impressive with its facilities and staff. I was quite nervous and excited on my first day, but everyone was so welcoming that it made me feel more comfortable with my surroundings. I was relieved to not get too much homework as one of my main concerns was keeping on top of my work, so it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I really enjoy Art and Drama because it is so free and creative and demands a certain skill. As well as the creative subjects, I have started to enjoy Maths a lot more, which I am happy about because I do find it quite hard. Halliford is so different from my previous school in many ways. The teachers and the overall hard work and drive of the school make a big difference. I have taken part in Art Scholars Club, Rugby after school and Conspiracy Club when I am able because of my piano and LAMDA lessons. I am mainly involved with Rugby but have been taking part in other sports in PE.

57

TheHALLIFORDIAN

The Halliford February Half Term Challenge

by Mr James Greggor, Director of Sport

In February, I set an activity initiative to keep the Halliford community active over the half term period whilst in lockdown. The PE Department had already been very creative with online PE lessons, remote extracurricular clubs and a 5K challenge previously. However, we felt this would be a good way to focus the mind and get the Halliford community working together in a time with so many restrictions.

The challenge began on Saturday 13 February and ended on Saturday 20 February. The purpose was for students and families to log kilometres on a shared Microsoft form. Every time a student went for a walk, cycle or run, they would log the distance. By the end of the week, I calculated which destination in the world we had reached. The Headmaster and Mr Slocock also felt this would be a fantastic event to have a charity focus due to the hardship of the lockdown situation. Laptops for Kids was the selected charity. This felt like a very appropriate cause as throughout the pandemic, the media had expressed how many children were struggling to access education from home due to a lack of devices in their household.

Laptops for Kids is an organisation that looks to provide electronic devices to those individuals who would not otherwise be able to afford them. A JustGiving page was set up as part of the initiative for families to donate if they could.

I was extremely impressed with the Halliford community and the involvement of the students and their families. I posted a daily total and destination on the @HallifordSport Twitter page throughout half term.

Following the first weekend, the school had travelled 2,521.14 kilometres to Istanbul. As the half term week progressed, we travelled to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Port Ghalib, then to Massachusetts, Georgia, the Grand Canyon National Park, and Paraguay, finally completing our journey in Papua New Guinea.

In total, 592 responses were entered on the shared Halliford community Microsoft form, in addition to some emails sent directly through to me. Achieving a final total of 13,612.79 kilometres was fantastic and something of which we should be proud. The outstanding contribution of the week goes to the Symons family, who took the challenge to the next level! As a family, Mr Symons and Mrs Symons contributed 632 kilometres and 458 kilometres respectively, and Lucas in Year 7 managed 317 kilometres. This is a truly remarkable achievement.

58

Spring Highlights

Oxford Schools Debating Competition

by Mr Ciaran Lee, Teacher of English

Two students from Lower Sixth and one Upper Sixth student represented Halliford School in the most prestigious schools’ debating tournament in the country.

Elliott Saunders, Dominic Rose, and Alex Donnelly competed against impressive teams from KCS Wimbledon, Brighton College, Putney High School and the City of London School for Girls in the Oxford Schools’ Debating Competition. Both debates forced the Halliford team to grapple with complex, topical and philosophical issues. In the first debate, our boys had to support the decision to ban Former US President Donald Trump from social media and, in the second debate, they had to

make a case in support of unconditional love.

While all our speakers spoke well and received high praise from the Oxford Union judges, we did not make it through to the finals on this occasion. The boys performed admirably and certainly gained valuable experience in what was a true ‘baptism of fire’ in the sharp end of competitive debating. They should be highly commended for their efforts.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Elijah Wilkinson, 7W I decided to come to Halliford School because everyone seemed warm and welcoming on the Open Day, and it had a really nice atmosphere. I didn’t feel that I did very well on the entrance exam and thought I wouldn’t get in, but I did. The moment I got that letter was amazing. I was extremely nervous on the first day and week. It took me a little while to really feel settled in, but it felt good after the first term. Doing some of the lunchtime clubs helped because I was keeping busy. I enjoy my Latin, English and Drama lessons, and I was relieved not to get too much homework because I had heard that you get loads at senior school. It took me until the second week to make my first friend because I was shy and kept to myself.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Ethan Jansen van Rensburg, 7R I decided to come to Halliford because it is a very sporty school and a lot of my friends were coming too.

It is also very good for dyslexia. I visited the school’s Open Day, and I really liked the school because it is not huge. I felt like the entrance exams went well in Maths but not in English as it is not my best subject. When I started at Halliford, I felt excited and nervous because it is the start of a new school.

I made quite a few friends in the first week, and the teachers didn’t give us too much homework so we could get used to the school. I enjoy Maths as I find it fun and not too difficult and I also enjoy PE and Games as I like athletics. The biggest difference between here and my old school is that Halliford is a bit larger and sportier. The worst thing about online learning was not having all the after-school clubs.

The best thing was not having to wake up at 6:55am. I tried to keep fit a healthy by walking and going on 5k runs every other day.

59

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Planter Project

by Mr Sam Watson, Teacher of Design & Technology

As part of their Design & Technology lessons, our Year 7 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 plants or 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 plants and vegetables from seed. Mr Watson commented, “It is great to see the Hallifordian value of creativity coming through with these amazing designs by our Year 7 students.”

Andrew Razza, 7D

Ewan Hill, 7W

Felix Armes-Ward, 7R

Harry Jennings, 7R

Hugo Callington, 7G

Jack Crichton, 7G

60

Spring Highlights

James Dow, 7R

Jack Giddens, 7D

Joseph Kalenderidis, 7D

Lucas Bullen, 7W

Jenson Waite, 7D

Richard Baker, 7W

Rory Cantouris - 7R

Omar Eldemerdash, 7W 61

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Jakob Holder, 8W - First Place

Inter-House Photography Competition

by Ms Hetherington, Head of Art

Photography Club remains a huge success and continues to grow in popularity. Led

by Sixth Form student Sam Martin, the boys sharpened their photography skills using a DSLR camera and developing their photographic capabilities and techniques. They took some stunning photos through a series of games, activities, competitions and group work.

Students got snapping and entered our annual photography competition. The theme was ‘First Signs of Spring’, which was interpreted by each photographer very differently.

After careful consideration, Sam awarded Jakob Holder from Wadham House as the winning entry, followed by George Dwyer in Wadham House who took second place, with third place going to Amar Ghotra in Greville House. Special recognition went to James Dow and Alfie Saunders.

Well done to everyone that took part. The winning entries were published on the school website and displayed around the school.

62

Spring Highlights

George Dwyer, 7W - Second Place

Amar Ghotra, 9G - Third Place

Alfie Saunders, 7D

Laurence Hodson, 8G

Jakob Holder, 8W

James Dow, 7R - Special Mention

Josh Hawksley, 8G

Louis Clark, 8G

Jake Fernandes, 11R 63

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Oliver Hume Year 11 ABRSM Grade 5 (Distinction) Piano

Riley Whittington Year 11 ABRSM Grade 5 (Distinction) Alto Sax

Music Exam Results & Presentation by Mr Alastair Wright, Director of Music We were absolutely delighted to present our music students with their exam certificates in March. 13 students took exams in trumpet, piano, alto sax, trombone and singing with six passes, five merits and two distinctions.

It is truly outstanding to see two Year 11 students receive their Grade 5 awards in piano and alto sax with distinctions. Just brilliant and testament to the strength of our Music Department here at Halliford School. Congratulations to all the boys that passed their ABRSM and Trinity music exams last term. It was fantastic to get a 100% pass rate, with two distinctions at Grade 5. These results are especially impressive given the challenges we have faced in music for the last year. Well done to all.

Mr Davies, commented, “As a fellow musician, it is splendid to be able to see our boys today in person and to present them with their ABRSM and Trinity College London music certificates. It has been a difficult time for many but I know that enjoying their musical instruments has kept these boys going and it was a real pleasure to be able to accompany many of them for their examinations in the Autumn Term. I look forward to seeing them continue to develop their exceptional music potential.”

Tom Wittke Year 13 ABRSM Grade 4 (Merit) Singing

Ruaridh Bell Year 8 ABRSM Grade 4 (Pass) Trumpet

64

Spring Highlights

Joshua Turley Year 9 ABRSM Grade 3 (Pass) Singing

Dominic Rose Year 12 ABRSM Grade 3 (Pass) Piano

Charles Moria Year 8 ABRSM Grade3 (Pass) Flute

Oliver Hill Year 9 ABRSM Grade 3 (Pass) Alto Sax

Jivraj Singh Year 10 ABRSM Grade 2 (Merit) Piano

Cosmo Chippindale Year 10 Trinty Grade 2 (Pass) Trombone

Sam White Year 8 ABRSM Grade 1 (Merit) Piano

Jonty Whelan Year 8 ABRSM Grade 1 (Merit) Jazz Alto Sax

Hamish Greany Year 8 ABRSM Grade 1 (Merit) Trumpet 65

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Virtual Easter Concert

by Mr Alastair Wright, Director of Music

As we entered another lockdown after the new year, students at Halliford continued with their music-making from home. Whilst it was not possible to run the instrumental ensembles online, the Barbershop and Key Stage 3 Vocal Group admirably persevered with online rehearsals. Peripatetic lessons also continued, and students were encouraged to send in performances of the pieces they had been practising.

These videos inspired the Virtual Easter Concert. The majority of the performances were from home, recorded by a willing family member on a mobile phone, with a couple of audio performances from those who were less confident appearing on video.

Nicholas Atherfold commenced the concert with a joyful rendition of Mozart’s Der Vogelfanger, before Nathaniel Kinmont in Year 7 treated us to more Mozart, this time on the violin. The Year 8 music scholars, William Dobby and Henry Crowther, were hard at work preparing for their Grade 5 singing exams, and both sent in accomplished performances of their exam pieces. The (severely depleted) Key Stage 3 orchestra gave a touching performance of Can You Feel the Love Tonight, which was the one performance that was recorded in school. Brass was included in the concert, with Daniel Bootle-Wilbraham and Will Shanley jazzing it up on the trumpet and trombone, bringing an end to the ‘classical’ part of the concert.

The more rock and pop half of the concert included some very accomplished drumming from Oscar Wort and Josh Guild in Year 10, displaying great technical skill. Ben Wittke gave a moving performance of Elton John’s Your Song, and Arya Shafighian gave a wonderful performance of the extremely challenging Portrait of Tracy by Pastorius. Lastly, Jules Wain mastered the guitar solo to Hotel California and performed this with typical flair.

We finished the concert with the Halliford sea shanty, Spanish Ladies. Sea shanties became very popular during lockdown owing to the work of Scottish postal worker Nathan Evans. Members of the Barbershop group, along with cameos from First Mate Shales and Quartermaster Slocock, donned sailor outfits to put together a rousing rendition of the British Naval song.

Well done to the students involved in making the virtual concert a success and thank you to the parents and siblings who helped with the recordings.

66

Spring Highlights

The Woodward Building

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster

We are delighted to announce that Spelthorne Borough Council have approved our plans for an ambitious new building on our school site and the Governing Body have therefore given approval for the scheme which will be at the centre of the School’s Centenary plans in the forthcoming academic year.

It is a source of great pride that sees us name this building in honour of our Chair of Governors, Mr Ken Woodward. Ken has served as a Governor for twenty years and has led the school successfully as Chairman for the last eight years. His son attended Halliford School, and Ken has always sought to give so much back to the school community and so it now seems entirely fitting to name this building in recognition of all he has done and continues to do to secure the future of Halliford School. It is especially significant for Ken as the building will be placed at the rear of our Sports Hall and will look over Ken’s treasured allotment site.

The Woodward Building will enable us to create a vibrant new Learning Resource Centre on the ground floor, which will offer our students the very latest in collaborative working spaces and superb Library facilities.

Above this and overlooking our sports field will be six bright and spacious new classrooms and associated staff offices. The building will also house some much-needed further washroom facilities for the school.

The building will be constructed using the latest modular techniques, and so it will be built in a relatively short time frame for a building of this size and scale. Work will commence mid-May, and the building is due to be opened as the school returns from the October half-term break. To keep disruption to the school and our local residents to a minimum, the main sections of work will take place during the May half-term and the Summer holidays. We are extremely excited about the opportunities this amazing space will offer to our students and the space it will free up across the site for future projects.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

James Grant, 7R I chose to go to Halliford School because I had seen that everyone was friendly and supportive on the Open Day. In my opinion, the entrance exams went well, and they must have done, as I was offered a place at the school. On my first day, I met my teachers and peers. I was nervous and excited, but I was helped along the way by my teachers, and soon the nervousness had gone. The lessons I find most enjoyable are History, Geography and Science. The most significant difference between Halliford and my previous school is the food. The Halliford food is much better than that at the school I went to before. Lockdown was a bit of a surprise! The worst thing about online learning was that my internet connection was horrible! I kept dropping out of meetings. I managed to keep myself fit and healthy by going on a walk most afternoons.

67

TheHALLIFORDIAN

A Symbol of Hope

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster

At the end of the Easter Term this time last year, we gathered together for the last time as a school on the fields, and I sent each of our students away with an Easter Egg as we contemplated what a lockdown actually meant.

I wanted our students to have hope and courage to face whatever lay ahead, and with our Hallifordian values of Resilience and Teamwork coupled with our enduring ability to be Warm-Hearted, I knew that each individual would be incredibly brave and rise to the challenges that lay before us all. To say that they have surpassed themselves over the last year would be an understatement.

It has been an absolute honour to see our community truly blossom during this time as staff and students have maintained contact in new and exciting ways and shown true creativity in blending technology and good old-fashioned manners to make the very best of the two periods of remote learning.

As we arrive here a year on though from a time when none of us knew what a Lateral Flow Test or an Asymptomatic Carrier or even a Teacher Assessed Grade was, I recognise that all of

68

us have been on the most amazing journey of discovery and learnt so many new skills and so much about ourselves. As Headmaster, I am determined to continue building on this rich skill base as we move forward. We will continue with new and exciting methods of online working and collaborative approaches to further develop our students’ digital skills.

At the end of term, as a mark of the amazing work our students have undertaken this year, I once again went and purchased Easter eggs for each of them. The egg is a symbol of hope and new life at Easter. In a world where we have not seen a great deal of hope over the last few months, I believe that we are now finally turning a corner and have much for which to be hopeful.

The Easter message spreads hope for a new life beyond this one, and we have a chance as we head into our Easter holidays to give thanks for all that the last twelve months have taught us and how we have all not just survived but thrived in so many ways.

Spring Highlights

As I handed out Easter eggs at the gates, I gave them to young people who are not a lost generation as the press would have us believe, but instead to individuals who are braver than we could ever imagine and equipped now with the skills and abilities to think differently that will last them a lifetime. You are a generation who survived something so much bigger than yourselves, supported by the values we hold at the very core of what it means to be a proud Hallifordian.

It was our pleasure to be able to donate our remaining Easter eggs to Bags of Food, a scheme run by Jubilee Church in Shepperton which helps families in crisis. They distributed our donation to 15 families in the local area before the Easter weekend.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Lewis Mansey, 7R I decided to come to Halliford School because I wanted to keep playing sports. My Open Day experience was cool as I got to see around the whole school. On the first day of school, I was introduced to my tutor Mr McElroy and the other Boys in 7R. After that, I had a lot of fun meeting my new teachers and making new friends. The lessons I like here the most are Maths and P.E. because they are challenging.

It is different to my old school because there are lots of opportunities to play different sports. During the lockdown, I was prepared for my routine to change for a little while. I got up at 8am and sat at my desk, ready for registration at 8:30am with my Microsoft Surface Go. The best thing about online learning is that I studied and worked very hard and had FaceTime calls with my friends. I exercised as normal and did after-school rugby and football training. I have really enjoyed some of the clubs and societies here, like Conspiracy Club and Chess Club. Overall, I am happy I came to Halliford School because I like the sports on offer, and I have made great friends.

69

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Virtual Open Events

by Mrs Olivia Oakley, Marketing & Communications

We thoroughly enjoy welcoming prospective parents to Halliford so they can experience what makes our school so special and unique in person. However, to keep our Halliford community as safe as possible during the pandemic, the Headmaster took the difficult decision to continue hosting virtual open events throughout the year.

Our virtual events have been a great success with record Mrs Clatworthy has received some wonderful feedback from attendees, and superb feedback from prospective parents her tours: about how inspiring and informative the online sessions were, “Halliford is the best school I have seen so far for our son. I love the with comments that the school is clearly very nurturing and friendly and down to earth atmosphere, and the first impressions well-rounded. We are delighted that we could showcase our of the staff too. I can see our son would be happy there and make wonderful school despite being only able to host virtual open lots of friends. He would particularly like the sport, drama and mornings and evenings for our Sixth Form. music facilities. I think he would find his niche and thrive there.”

Our virtual tour prepared by Venue View, which showcases the “A huge thank you for your time today. I appreciate how hard it amazing facilities we have at Halliford, has been viewed nearly must be to accommodate all the children who are keen to take a 9,000 times. A key part of our virtual events for prospective look at the school. We loved the way you directed the tour to our families is hearing from our students. Our thanks go to the son, rather than just the parents, and it speaks volumes about the Prefect Team, William, Louis and Gally, Year 9 student Ed, and culture at the school.”

Charlie and Richard in Year 7, who all gave so generously of their time. We are also grateful to their parents, who helped on many We have also received greater interest from female students wishing to join our Sixth Form, and we are excited about occasions too. welcoming five new Lower Sixth girls this September. At Year Despite not being able to host our events in person, we were 9 entry, we have had countless enquiries and have an extensive delighted that registrations for Year 7 places for 2021 were up waiting list for Year 9 2022 and 2023.

31% as Halliford continues to grow ever more popular in the So, despite the challenges the pandemic has posed, we as a local and surrounding areas. school community have pulled together and truly shown what Before the start of the school day, the Registrar, Mrs Clatworthy makes Halliford so special. has hosted personal single-family tours to over 50 prospective families. As a direct result of these tours, we have already received registrations for Year 7 students looking to join us in September 2022.

70

Spring Highlights

Noisy Cities: A Mental Health Drawing and Collage Workshop

Freddie Humphreys, 9W

by Ms Tamarind Hetherington, Head of Art

The Year 9 students took part in an online workshop focused on drawing and collage run by the artist Daksha Patel and Rhiannon Thompson, a PhD student at Imperial College London.

Olly Betts, 9D

Rhiannon is working as part of the SCAMP (Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones) study, investigating the impact of pollution on young people’s mental health.

Rhiannon teamed up with Daksha Patel to discuss her work and explore how the creative process and artistic techniques such as mark-making, abstract expressionism and collage processes can reveal our embodied emotional response to the physical stressors of city life.

As part of the workshop, students engaged in discussions concerning the impact of environmental change on wellbeing whilst creating abstract expressionist cityscapes.

The students found this workshop interesting and enjoyed learning new skills. After creating their abstract cityscapes, they created a series of abstract landscapes that linked with their Google Earth project. A selection of their work can be seen below.

Tom O’Grady, 9D

Cassidy Wyeth, 9G

Amar Ghotra, 9G

71

HALLIFORD LIFE

onderful Schoo Gifts from our W

l Parents

Halliford in the Snow

Mrs Crosbie’s Maths Class The Halliford Hound

72

Spring Highlights

HALLIFORD LIFE

staff wearing our The Headmaster & Hallifordian branded face masks

Pop Art by Hugo Ca

llington, 7G

Toby Hill in 8R enjoying Mr Bruno’s D&D Club Year 7 Drama Challenge

73

TheHALLIFORDIAN

James at the Paris World Cup in June 2021

Old Hallifordians Secure their Place at the Tokyo Olympics

by Mrs Olivia Oakley, Marketing & Communications

We are delighted that two Old Hallifordians have been selected to represent Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics in their respective sports.

Former Deputy Head Prefect, James Woodgate, has been selected as one of the six archers to compete this year. James left Halliford School last year, and at just 18 years old, is the youngest member of the archery team to be selected for Tokyo.

Upon leaving Halliford last Summer, James commented, “I am really happy with my A Level results and feel very lucky under the circumstances. I am grateful to all the Halliford teachers for their hard work and support. I now plan to take a gap year to focus on my archery in the Olympic squad.” We are so proud to see that James’ hard work and dedication to the sport has been rewarded.

James picked up the sport at the age of seven, started competing at the age of nine, and has always performed well in his age group, placing in the top 3 at National Championships several times. In 2018 he won the Surrey Junior Outdoor Championships and became the reigning Southern Counties Archery Society

74

James Woodgate

Summer Highlights champion. He was then nominated by Archery GB as one of the four cadet recurve men to represent Great Britain at the European Youth Cup 1st Leg as part of their development programme. He finished the season with the gold medal at the Archery GB Key Event Finals held in Caldicot Castle in Wales. From here, he has gone from strength to strength.

Old Hallifordian Toby Penty has been selected for the Team GB Badminton Squad. Toby started playing badminton aged nine, and with 200 career wins to his name, he is England’s leading men’s singles player. The left-handed shuttler has been a member of the National team since 2011 and made his international debut at the 2012 Thomas Cup. He reached the semi-finals of the Saar Lor Lux Open in late 2019 and continues to sit around the top 50 position in the world rankings.

Headmaster James Davies said, “I am absolutely thrilled to hear this amazing news for not one but two Old Hallifordians. James and Toby possess all the Hallifordian values of being brilliant team players and showing superb resilience, which will enable them to be splendid members of Team GB in Tokyo. As the brother and son of two former Olympians, I know some of the delights and demands that James and Toby will have ahead in the coming weeks and months and will be cheering for them on every step of their Olympic journey. There can be no greater honour than to represent your country, and we are immensely proud of these magnificent achievements and send James and Toby and their fellow GB athletes the very best wishes of the entire Halliford School family.”

Toby Penty

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Maxwell Hurn, 7R When I first came to Halliford, I was nervous and worried I would not make any friends. But when I came into my form, I was no longer nervous because everyone was nice and welcoming. As everyone knows, this year has been full of ups and downs, especially from COVID-19. We have had a lockdown in the middle of the school year, and that was certainly very tough since there was very bad internet in my house. But when we came back, there were only two weeks until the end of term. But on the bright side, I got to see my friends for two weeks. My favourite lesson in Halliford is PE because the running and the sport have been so fun and exciting. When I came back to school, it was amazing that I could see all my friends again.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Nathaniel Kinmont, 7R I decided to come to Halliford school as the size seemed right and I was impressed with the Art, Music and Drama Departments. I enjoyed looking around the school on Open Day and seeing where places were and how things worked. I liked the look of the DT Workshop and I liked the way most of my lessons were in the same building. I was excited to go to such a good school and I wanted to do a lot of things, but I was also nervous about making new friends and making a step up to another year. I was glad to make friends fast and have people to help me if I was sad. I really enjoy DT as I like to build things and I also like music. I play the violin which brings me peace and makes me calm. The main differences are how at my old school all the lessons would be in the same room and I would go outside to a small playground with only my year at a time. At Halliford the lessons are taught in different rooms so I can walk between lessons and stretch. I also like to chat and play on the large playing field.

I am happy to go to Halliford as it has a wide variety of things to do like clubs and sports, and the teachers are nice and friendly.

75

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Inter-House Mental Health Awareness Week Art Competition

by Ms Hetherington, Head of Art

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, during May, the Art Department ran a competition to support mental health and to see how students engaged with the theme. To take part in the competition, students had to submit their understanding and experience of mental health through various mediums.

Students were encouraged to utilise creativity to practise and promote positive mental wellbeing. The resulting 50 entries showcased thought-provoking, eye-opening, and stunning imagery. These simply must be seen to be fully appreciated.

The Art Department would like to acknowledge the following: •

The photo best linked to the competition theme was Jakob Holder in Wadham House

•

The best digitally manipulated entry was submitted by Bill Ferguson in Wadham House

•

The best fine art entry was submitted by Hugo Callington in Greville House

Bill Ferguson, 8W

Jakob Holder, 8W

Hugo Callington, 7G

Humphrey Pedlar, 8W

Jack Farrow, 8R

George Dwyer, 7W

76

Summer Highlights

This year has been difficult, but it has also inspired a wealth of creativity, allowing reflection, unexpected inspiration, and much-needed calm. The boys have embraced the opportunity to express their emotions and interpretations of the challenges of Covid through Art.

James Grant, 7R

Joshua Newlands, 7R

Loris Jackson, 8G

Louis Clark, 8G

Miles Cobley, 8D

Rui Amoroso, 8D

Seb Roberts, 7W

Toby Hill, 8R

Alex Ampleford, 8W 77

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Mayoral Mock Election

by Mr John MacLean, Head of Sixth Form

During the first week of May 2021, Halliford went back to the ballot booth and participated in a Mock Election where they voted for London Mayor. The election was run by the Lower Sixth Politics class of William McGuigan, Christopher Cole, and Dominic Rose and was quite unlike the American Mock Election we ran in November, as the voting system is very different.

The students recorded a wonderful assembly outlining the voting process involved with the Single Transferable Vote (STV) voting system and then ran through the candidates standing for election.

This year has been another busy one for political figures as the world has continued grappling with the challenges associated with Covid19, so the outcome of this election was sure to be an interesting one. The candidates ranged from the major parties to independent candidates such as Count Binface and Niko Omilana (a YouTube star - or so I am told).

Halliford was very clear in its decision making and elected Niko Omilana with a staggering 74% of the vote; such an extensive victory that there was no need for a second round of counting!

Chris Cole commented, “It was really interesting to be able to apply our understanding of the voting system we have learned about in class in practice - even if the outcome did somewhat surprise us!”

Dominic Rose said, “What a wonderful way to bring the subject to life!”

The real victor was the students’ understanding of democracy and the importance of voter participation! Well done to the Lower Sixth Politics class for their efforts in organising and running this opportunity.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Harry Jennings, 7R I decided to come to Halliford School because I visited many Open Days and saw all the facilities.

I thought that they were fantastic, especially the Sports Hall and the music studios. The entrance exams were tricky, but with a lot of help from my old school, I got a place at Halliford and I was thrilled.

On the first day, I was very excited and not that nervous because I knew two other students from my old school. I was very happy not to get much homework. The lessons I like here most are Games, History and Computer Science. The biggest difference between Halliford and my previous school is that Halliford has loads of sports sessions compared to my old school. I really enjoy the sport here, I’m in the A team for cricket and football, and hopefully, I can get in the team for rugby too. I am really pleased I came to Halliford School because of the amazing facilities and the great teachers.

78

Summer Highlights

A Song of The Sea

by Mr Joseph McElroy, Teacher of English

Congratulations to Mr Joseph McElroy who who came joint first place in this year’s Elmbridge Literary Competition. You can enjoy his submission below: The flint-grey waves swashed up the beach with the rhythmic She continued to stare. Never had he seen someone so perfectly, certainty of a mason’s trowel. Each swell’s scrape smoothed the almost organically, in tune with her surroundings. Her hair was a edges of the sand-scattered stones, and sleeked the gnarled, shock of silver, the colour of the foaming tide; her skin, weathered rotting, tree branches that were half-buried in the dunes. This as an overturned hull, was only missing the barnacles. But it was stretch of Suffolk coast had been caressed away over the years, fat her eyes that arrested his attention most: behind the film of grey slabs of sandstone lured into those memory-less waters: a siren- lay two black orbs that glistened darkly. Although she couldn’t song that was as inevitable as it was heartbreaking. He knew that see, her stare pierced. a hundred years from now all of this would be a mere charcoal “Let me state my business. I work for the Academy and I suppose smudge, or worse, a peeling photograph on a public house wall. you could call me a collector of songs-” But at least the waves’ song would never change.

“And you come up here to take a song from me, is it?” Her voice Pointing the phonograph towards the sea, he turned the handle crackled like shaken shingle. “Yes, if that’s not too much trouble-” vigorously until the stylus had scratched the sound into the record.

He had spent the last ten years travelling up and down Suffolk “You don’t want the one song I have, Academy Man.” She went to close the door, but his boot barred the way. roads, crouched by the hearths of fishermen’s cottages, recording the songs of a folk tradition that was rapidly disappearing. He “I apologise again, madam, but may I at least come in to shelter wanted to capture those tunes in the same way that one might from the rain for a moment?” She wavered before shrugging, “Suit pin desiccated butterflies or wildflowers to a cabinet wall: having yourself. But you’ll not feel much difference.” them was what was important. Once recorded, the songs could She was right. He felt the cold keenly. As long as the wind coming never be smashed and churned as had happened to the landscape of his childhood. He would capture them and keep them forever in through the gaps in the eaves didn’t disturb the recording, it would be fine. This shouldn’t take long. safe, locked away from time.

He checked his watch: quarter of nine. A reasonable hour to visit. It began to drizzle as he loped back up the hushed dunes. He hoped that he might have one more song to record, one that would allow him to finally present his work to the Academy next month. This was the last place left to visit. Although, there wasn’t much there as the village of Scarshore had been swallowed up by the sea in a storm fifty years before: entire families lost, chapels and hovels vanishing into the murk. Only one house had been left standing.

“I am so sorry to pester, but it really wouldn’t take a moment.

Of course, you will be compensated for the singing. Would five shillings suffice?”

He hadn’t offered more than a shilling for the other recordings, but he was anxious to wrap this up, so he could finish preparing for the Academy Recital next month. He would begin the arrangements as soon as he returned to London, leaving this desolate place behind for good. She shook her head. “You really don’t want it.

Dry off and be on your way, once the weather breaks.”

Surely no one could be still living here? It was a shivering old wreck that teetered on a cliff edge. Its striated clay roof was peppered Exasperated, he slumped in a chair. “Thank you. That is most with abandoned birds’ nests; the many black gaps in the walls disappointing. May I ask why not?” and eruptions of droppings from peeling window frames made it look scabrous and ill. Trembling at the thought of completing his “You can ask,” she chuckled. “Truth is there ain’t no forgetting this grand project, he thumped firmly on a moss-bruised door, half- song. It stays with you. Like the tide, always coming in. Going out.

Turning and churning your mind over and over until there ain’t afraid that the whole edifice would collapse. much left but the sea itself...”

At first, he could hear nothing but the gargling swash of the North She trailed off, staring. “I remember once when I were a little Sea and the drumming of the squall that had started. Then, a girl, back before people like you knocked on doors with your nosy scratching. Birds? A shuffling. Rats? And then the groaning croak machines and your noisy thoughts. When we just sang to the sea of rusted hinges, as a pinched white face peered out of the wet and, if you listened well, the sea would sing you back. gloom. She stared.

“G-good morning, madam. I apologise for disturbing you. I was wondering if you might be able to assist me?”

“There were one night, one of them evil nights when the wind’d sweep you up off a cliff and drop you into the everlasting. A young girl came a-knocking, no more than thirteen she were, looking like

79

TheHALLIFORDIAN a drowned rat. She were human like you or I, but her hair were knotted with kelp and her skin were green like the moss on that door. She looked for all as if she’d dragged herself right out of the ocean.

“Mother invited her inside, wrapped her in a blanket, and asked her about her relations. But she didn’t speak a word. Just stared into the fire as if she’d never seen one before, and drank cups and cups of tea, before dunking her head in our bucket and glugging water like a sailor would his dram. Her breathing were ragged as if she were fighting for air, but once she’d drunk her fill, she calmed.

Mother were scared of her then; she ran out to get help from the neighbours.

“That’s when she looked at me, the girl. Stared at me with eyes blacker than ravens, she did. I couldn’t look away and I stared back.

Then she said, but not aloud, not in words, but in my head, You’re not like the others. You’ve given me shelter. You’ve been kind and welcoming. You will hear the sea from Above, not from Below like the others.

“I couldn’t move for sheer terror, when Mother whirled back inside, eyes wide like lamps. She whispered, I checked on the Deaths first, and then the Kerseys, and all of the houses, even the pub, but they’re all...gone. As if they just vanished into thin air. She then pointed at the girl, She must know. Where are they? Screaming now, gibbering, she lunged for the girl, stretching out for the kelp in her hair.

“The girl stared at Mother now and Mother froze. She then opened her mouth, and deep from within her and out, she gushed out the sweetest song you could ever hear.”

At this the old woman began to hum. The tune swirled around him, anchoring him to the spot. Sweat beaded his collar.

“The power of the song were incredible. It were so strange but at the same time it felt like it’d been inside me the whole time, like from before I were born. It were like the world opened her lungs and lullabied the universe, spilling all her secrets. At the sound of it, Mother made no noise, turned away and stepped out, lost to the storm.”

The old woman’s hum changed to words, guttural and flowing, in a voice sweeter than honey and with overlapping harmonies that washed in and out rhythmically like the swash of the sea. Over and over. The notes crashed, the melody swelled: it felt warm, womblike, safe.

She sang on, but her words now echoed in his head, You see, Academy Man, this song were her gift to me and my curse. The sea laid claim to them empty houses the same night as the storm but not before she took away those that’d been in them.

She sang, as he trudged past the moss-beaten door, phonograph tucked under his arm, and out onto the marram grass, no longer feeling their sting or the cold slush of muddy sand. She sang as the icy water lapped at his ankles and caressed his knees. She sang on and on, over and over, embalming him with the swash of the tide; he could hear it in her words, could hear it in the shingle, gurgling and swooshing, before his head finally disappeared under the black water. The song was the sea, and the sea was the song.

And the waves’ song never changed.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Ryan Mills, 7G I decided to come to Halliford School because my brother was already at the school. I came to the Open Day and enjoyed the diversity. On Examination Day, I was anxious until I got the hang of things.

On the first day, I was a little nervous because none of the people from my school had even tried for the school. Mr Cunningham helped me find my way. I was startled by the homework because in my old school they didn’t give any. Charlie Grant and Thomas Reid were my first friends. Life at Halliford settled down and I soon got used to the routine. The lessons I like the most here are Maths because I am very good at it and I find DT interesting. Halliford differs from my old school mostly because we have tests for every subject, not just Maths and English. I’m really enjoying the sport at Halliford. I play cricket, rugby, and golf and do athletics. Overall, I am really pleased I came to Halliford School because I am accepted by the other boys and teachers, especially Mr Cunningham.

80

Summer Highlights

The Festival of School and College Arts

by Mrs Olivia Oakley, Marketing & Communications

On 28 May 2021, we took part in the Festival of School and College Arts by celebrating the creative achievements of our students on Twitter using the hashtag #EduArtsFest.

The event aimed to fill the platform with the voices of children and young people playing music, performing drama, sharing artwork, poetry, singing, or dancing - championing the vital role of the arts in schools and colleges around the country and the fantastic work created by children and young people. This day of celebration was very much welcome after the challenging time we have all experienced throughout the pandemic.

The Festival was a joint initiative between ASCL and the Association of Colleges (AoC), Confederation of School Trusts (CST), the Independent Schools Council (ISC), National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), the NASUWT teachers’ union, National Education Union (NEU), the National Governance Association (NGA), and the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA). The event was also supported by the Cultural Learning Alliance, which champions a right to arts and culture for every child.

Head of Art, Ms Hetherington, commented, “Halliford students’ artwork has inevitably been coloured by their experience of the coronavirus pandemic and has added colour to a monochrome period of lockdown. Much of the students’ work, as with their animated Teams discussions, reflects the nature of their experiences and has provided an outlet for feelings of loneliness, fear for the future and losses in all its forms. Art during the pandemic has proved to be a vehicle of self-therapy during these difficult times, providing a medium for anger, distress and at times, humour. It has promoted discussion, communication, connections, well-being, and excellence!”

We were delighted to share photographs of our Hallifordian artists, musicians and performers engaged in their craft. It was a joy to take these photos and a joy to share them on social media.

81

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Durham University Economics Competition

by Mrs Leila Brown, Teacher of Economics & Business Studies

Durham University held an Economics competition that was open to Sixth Form students. There were 800 entries from students in 35 countries, including Lower Sixth Halliford Economists Kian McGrath, Dominic Rose, Max Connelley, Will McGuigan and Owen Morris. We held a few lunchtime meetings to discuss essay plans and possible arguments, as there were six titles from which to choose, ranging from environmental policy challenges to the effectiveness of central banks’ mitigatory efforts in the COVID-19 pandemic.

I am very happy to share Owen’s entry below.

Evaluate the effectiveness of a wealth tax in fighting inequality

By Owen Morris, Lower Sixth The inequality gap has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused waves of economic duress as a result of methods implemented by the government to prevent the spread. These cases of intervention caused millions to be reliant on the government to sustain a proportion of their income, thus, as a consequence widening the gap between themselves and those who managed to retain their jobs and lifestyle. This issue of an inequality gap is one of a high priority that needs to be solved, one method which has reignited the debate over the wealth tax involves a charge levied on the total or market value of a person’s assets once they reach a certain threshold. In essence, this would mean those that are wealthiest have less money which can be redistributed to those at the bottom, however it is not as simple as this, it is also accompanied by many negatives.

Firstly, the inequality gap has spiralled out of control with a solution now a necessity for those in power, in the United Kingdom in 2018 the ONS (Total wealth in Great Britain - Office for National Statistics, 2019) reported that the wealthiest decile of the population held an accumulative £6.5 trillion in assets, this sum is just over 300% of GDP. Whereas, graph 1 shows that those in the lowest wealth decile have negative net financial and net property worth on average (debts exceed assets). The lowest decile’s estimated net financial worth has fluctuated over time but has decreased in the last two survey periods (increasing debt). There is evidently a stark contrast of inequality between the highest and lowest decile. The poverty issue in the United Kingdom now places 4.1 million children in poverty (Benefit expenditure in the UK 2020 | Statista, 2020), which ethically should never be the case as every child should receive a minimum standard of living.

82

(Total wealth in Great Britain - Office for National Statistics, 2019)

Currently, in a bid to resolve this problem, the United Kingdom government utilises a tax and benefits system in which it takes proportionately more tax from those on higher levels of income and redistributes it through welfare benefits to those on lower incomes. In addition to resolve inequality, the government provides cash benefits to aid those on small incomes or none at all. This can be done either through contributary or noncontributory benefits, such as job seekers allowance, housing benefit and child support. Another method is a Universal Credit which is likely to lead to a fall of 300,000 in the number of people locked in poverty in working families. The number of children in working families in poverty is expected to be reduced by 200,000 by this change (Barnard, 2019). Whilst this government intervention allows those worst affected by inequality to be supported financially, it has unintended consequences, as it can cause a disincentive effect. If they were to take up work offered to them, they would lose more money due to higher taxes now demanded. In addition, it can

Summer Highlights lead to a moral hazard by which people are reluctant to work as the state provides them with an insurance policy against poverty unemployment and disability (Policies to reduce inequality | Economics Online | Economics Online, n.d.) Last year the government spent £192.4 billion on welfare benefits, an increase of £8 billion from the previous year. This drain in expenditure limits investment into sectors like healthcare and education which create an array of positive externalities, such as an increase in aggregate supply and demand, as well as a greater potential for the economy to meet its maximum output.

If this increase in inequality is to continue the government urgently needs to discover a method to increase its revenue.

If a wealth tax were to exist, it would be able to generate an extensive amount of additional government revenue which can be directed towards those in the lower deciles away from a sector of society which can only consume so much. This tax would help financial markets return to their economic function of price discovery and efficient capital allocation (Bond, 2021).

Furthermore, the added revenue would reduce the need for government intervention through demand side policies such as monetary policy which can lead to zero interest rates and quantitative easing, which whilst positively affecting the wealthy don’t do the same for those less well off. It will also limit the frequency of boom and bust cycles, rising debt levels and diminishing productivity. In regard to shrinking the inequality gap, in America research has revealed that if used the tax rate applicable to the wealthiest 400 families would rise from 23% to 46% (Pros and Cons of a Wealth Tax. Explained in 6 Research-backed Reasons. — The Thread, 2020), thus greatly reducing the divide. Similarly, in the United Kingdom if a wealth tax were to be implemented on the wealthiest 10% of even 1% of their net worth it could generate funds of up to 3% of GDP, which can then be distributed through the deciles.

A reduction in the inequality gap supported by a wealth tax will have an impact on the generation of the future as the standard of living for those living in poverty will be increased. The idea of a wealth tax has received support from 19 billionaires and multimillionaires in America in 2020 stating that they have a “moral, ethical, and economic responsibility” to improve the economy, health outcomes, and democratic freedoms (An Open Letter to the 2020 Presidential Candidates: It’s Time to Tax Us More, 2019). A Reuters poll in January 2020 found that 64 per cent of respondents favoured a wealth tax. Even though, this support is in America it demonstrates that it is not just those on low incomes that believe the wealth tax is necessary to help regenerate our economy and narrow the inequality gap but those who would be affected by it as well. They believe that the effects of a wealth tax on promoting a smaller inequality gap greatly outweigh the negatives of the tax. According to Stiglitz and Piketty if the government implements a monetary

policy in the same way as in 2008 and 2012, it’ll boost inequality as stocks boomed alongside real estate, therefore if we do the same to recover from Covid a wealth tax may be necessary to level out these advantages placed upon the rich. To summarise, a wealth tax will not only lift the burden on government expenditure allowing them to maintain their spending but will at the same time shorten the bridge between the wealthy and the poor. This redistribution of wealth will lead to a more equal society whilst only slightly impeding Britain’s most wealthy.

Despite having clear benefits as stated in the introduction there are also limitations to a wealth tax. A common unintended consequence of a wealth tax is for those who would be taxed millions to leave the country. This was the case in Sweden for the founder of IKEA Kamprad (Brannon, 2021). This makes the implementation of a wealth tax very risky as if the wealthiest people in the United Kingdom decide to move abroad, they will contribute very little tax compared to what they would have normally paid. Furthermore, it prevents the wealthy from reinvesting back into the economy which will prohibit innovation and further economic growth. It must also be remembered that a wealth tax does not eliminate the deficiencies in our income tax system (Stiglitz and Piketty, 2020). Another disadvantage of a wealth tax is that it is extremely difficult to administer. This cost can sometimes be greater than the profits received by the government (The Role and Design of Net Wealth Taxes in the OECD | READ online, 2018). If the redistribution of wealth is improperly focused, the wealth tax will not actually benefit those on low incomes, but the middle class. If like in America, the focus was free college education only the middle class would benefit as there is still the stigma surrounding education for those in the lower classes who may not want to or cannot utilise that opportunity due to their view on life (Brannon, 2021).

The philosopher Jean Baptist Colbert famously said that the art of taxation is to pluck the feathers from the goose with the least amount of hissing. A wealth tax produces a lot of hissing and no feathers.

To conclude, there is a growing inequality gap in the UK. The wealth tax is one solution to this problem; whilst the wealth tax would in the short-term lead to a windfall in financing for the government it requires careful implementation. The lack of innovation and hindered economic growth that can be derived from a high wealth tax does not outweigh the short-term increase in revenue. This tax would be effective if coupled with other forms of taxation such as a corporation tax, or alongside methods of government intervention. The risks that associate this tax cannot be forgotten, nor can its numerous advantages.

83

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Devised Drama Performances

by Mr Roberto Bruno, Head of Drama

At the end of May, the Drama Department was happy to have an audience back in the theatre. Despite the lockdown periods, the Year 10 and Lower Sixth Drama classes have been working tirelessly creating their own devised performances. The students were given a choice of stimulus material and then let the creative process take over and started making meaningful theatre.

The Year 10 students worked incredibly hard to create some thought-provoking theatre. The first performance by Lucas Lindstrup, George O’Loughlin, Tommy Ballard, Nathan Linde and Joe Haines investigated the conspiracy theory around the death of Princess Diana. This performance was both creative and thought-provoking, showing the opinions of the people at the time.

The second group, consisting of William Shanley, Harry Tuckman, Mannat Virk, James Hallett, Millen Richardson, and Hayden Haslam-Baker on the lights, created a harrowing story inspired by human trafficking and the Japanese death marches. The acting was strong, and the lighting really gave this performance the atmosphere it desired.

84

Summer Highlights

The third group of the evening with Freddie Robinson, Harley Reynolds, James Banks, Carter Green, Bailey MacDonald and Callum O’Brien on the lights, created a performance about the life of El Chapo. This performance had an inspiring use of props and outstanding acting where the boys really displayed their physical theatre skills.

The final group of the evening created an excellent performance that investigated the life of soldiers when they arrive home from war. This performance highlighted some of the hardships that soldiers go through. Well done to Jivraj Singh, Nate Broadhurst, Oscar Wort, Thomas Wilkin, and Louie Paterson for making such a good performance.

The Lower Sixth students created an outstanding performance that showcased the performance styles of Bertolt Brecht and Artaud. This performance was inspired by the play Attempts On Her Life. From this stimulus material, the Lower Sixth boys created a performance about sexuality in the format of a series of TV shows. This multimedia performance challenged the audience to think about society’s views on everything to do with sexuality. This performance was designed to make you laugh in places and be shaken to your core in others. The audience agreed that this performance was successful in both. With a strong political message, these boys showed how Hallifordians can tackle a performance using satire and humour. The play

was created and performed by Cormac Evans, Charlie BarkerBroe, Max Pillinger, William Jones, and Charlie Poulter was the technical student.

After a lengthy period of no theatre and two lockdown periods, these students have shown that nothing can stop the creative flow of a Hallifordian, and they have made the Drama Department proud.

85

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Headmaster at the helm

Halliford School Supports New Sunbury Ferry

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster

We are delighted to support a wonderful new local initiative to bring a new ferry service to the River Thames in Lower Sunbury. This marvellous volunteer project has been launched with the support of the local council and will link Lower Sunbury with Walton on the opposite bank. Halliford School has many links with local charities and businesses, and this project had a particular appeal.

Prior to moving to Lower Sunbury and taking up my position as Headmaster at Halliford School, I had worked for a number of years as a Volunteer Crew Member with the RNLI serving on both the East and West Coasts of the UK on both offshore and inshore lifeboats. I was keen to put my prior experience to good use to help the local community and am delighted to have been offered a place as one of the four Lead Skippers on the project.

In addition, Halliford has undertaken to cover the cost of the crew uniform as one of the project sponsors and we have provided the meeting location for the extremely popular community meetings to get the project launched. It is very much hoped that as the project grows, there will be opportunities for students at the school to get involved and support in a variety of ways as part of the many volunteering projects they take part in locally.

It is a magnificent opportunity for the school to get involved in this splendid community project, and I have been so inspired by the work undertaken by Neil and Simon from the Sunbury Ferry Project. What they have achieved in the short space of time is truly remarkable, and I am delighted to use my skills and the support from the school to help the project in this early stage become a wonderful success. I can’t wait to get on the water again and to get to meet lots of people who will hopefully enjoy this new service!

86

Summer Highlights

PHA Programme

by Mr Joseph McElroy, Teacher of English

PHA stands for Potential High Achievers, which is Halliford School’s Gifted and Talented programme.

Looking at the results of the previous year’s exams and assessments and teacher judgement, we select the top 10% of students most likely to attain high grades across multiple academic subjects. This list is revised annually, contingent on academic performance, attitude to learning throughout the school, and demonstrated enthusiasm for the PHA programme.

The programme is split into two groups. We have PHA Juniors for Year 8 and Year 9 students and PHA Seniors for Years 10 through to Upper Sixth.

This year with the juniors, we did online lessons on Cognitive Biases. Students learned about how these biases such as confirmation bias and anchoring effect can affect how we make decisions, and they might have arisen as a result of evolutionary demands – why would a caveman need to make a quick decision using this bias to avoid predators. They would use that knowledge to inform their GCSE options in Year 9. We finished the year with an EPQ-style extended project in which each student chose to create a resource that demonstrated what they had learned, including a blog, a computer game, a board game, a quiz, and posters.

Next year, I hope to teach them about the main principles of cognitive psychology, leading them to teach other students how to do something that they already know how to do well.

This will help them understand more about the learning process and the most efficient ways of sharing knowledge.

I have also offered drop-in clinics to the PHA Year 9 students on which subjects to take at GCSE, and monitor their progress and implement interventions throughout the year for those missing their challenge targets in academic subjects.

This year with the PHA Seniors, we did online Symposium sessions in which teachers shared their expertise to lead discussions on topics that go beyond the curriculum, e.g.

Racio-Linguistics of English in light of the Black Lives Matter movement; the Science of Sleep; the Power of Geography to determine the development of societies; the New Globalisation of China’s Belt and Road strategy, etc. Each session takes the form of a 45-minute introductory lecture that allows for questioning students’ understanding and ideas about a given topic, followed by around 30 minutes of student discussion/ debate. This engendered some lively discussions from the students, and it was wonderful to see how they responded to having their assumptions challenged.

Next year, I would like to move these sessions online with visiting speakers and host a careers evening led by several non-teachers.

I offered drop-in clinics to the PHA Year 11 students in support of their mock exams and PHA Year 12 interviews for next steps, supporting in preparation for university applications, as well as monitoring progress and implementing interventions throughout the year for those in all year groups who missed their challenge targets in academic subjects. I will also run mock Oxbridge interviews with subject specialist teachers early next year for those students applying.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Thomas Reid, 7G I came to Halliford School because I visited the school on an Open Day, and I immediately loved it. I had an amazing welcome from the Headmaster. On the first day, I was nervous and worried I wouldn’t make any friends, but Mr Cunningham helped me settle into the new classroom, and I made lots of friends the first week because I talked to lots of people. For the first term, we didn’t get much homework. In my old school, we didn’t get any homework, so it was a big step up from my previous school. I enjoy Computer Science because I like learning about computers. I also like R.S because it is very interesting, and the teachers are so nice. I’m not very sporty, so I am not involved in lots of sports, but I have joined Photography Club, Code Breaking Club and Conspiracy Club this year.

87

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Upper Sixth Leavers Celebration Day

by Mr John MacLean, Head of Sixth Form The last day of school is always an exciting prospect, and this was certainly the case for the Upper Sixth this year. After a challenging year of remote learning, Covid restrictions, one-way systems, and a modified examinations process, the end of the school year was hotly anticipated.

This year we chose to celebrate with the Upper Sixth in school and hosted a range of events for them. The day started with a delicious feast prepared by Laura and Vic in the Vibe Café, where the boys had a chance to catch up with each other over a hot breakfast and some tasty sweet treats. The Common Room was then filled with the noise of ping pong, gaming consoles, and laughter as they engaged in several competitions. There was a chance for some final photographs, both formal and informal, and then for lunch, the boys were treated to truly British BBQ – by which we mean that we had to have it indoors as the weather was rather wet!

In the afternoon, the boys completed a reverse-escape room where they took on the role of bank robbers

88

Summer Highlights

and had to break into something rather than try to escape from it. It was a brilliant activity that forced them to think logically, creatively, mathematically, and establish some interesting patterns. The tension was palpable, but the final victors were Tom Wittke, Piers Bowater, Nicholas Atherfold, Chris Sanders, Louis Mercer and Elliott Saunders.

It was an enjoyable day for all and a lovely end to what has been a fantastic seven years. Well done boys!

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Lucas Symons, 7G I came to visit Halliford School on the Open Day and really liked it. I was slightly nervous but mostly excited about starting school, and I soon settled into school life. I was also lucky to have some of my other friends coming from my old school. My favourite lessons are DT and Science because I find them interesting and fun. Then lockdown happened. It was a bit of a shock at the start, and we all had to get used to new ways of working. I have been getting involved in quite a few clubs at Halliford. I have been doing Touch Typing Club and Conspiracy Club on both Thursday and Friday. I have been enjoying playing football, rugby, and cricket, plus I have joined the after-school Fencing Club, which is so fun.

Outside of school, I have been playing hockey and sailing in my boat ‘Blueberry’. Overall, I am so pleased I came to Halliford as everyone is so kind.

89

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Year 11 Leavers Celebration - Rafting

Year 11 Leavers Celebration Day

by Mr Matthew Shales, Head of Latin This year we wanted to do something special for the Year 11 boys given all the difficulties they have had to deal with for the last 15 months, and so Mr Slocock arranged for us to visit the Lee Valley Olympic Park for some White-Water Rafting. Upon arrival at school, the boys were treated to a wonderful brunch in The Vibe Café. Students and staff alike enjoyed a mixture of Full English and Continental breakfasts. Following a bit of downtime at school, allowing the boys to socialise and play a bit of football, we headed onto the coaches for the journey to North London.

The journey there seemed to suggest that we were lying to the boys and that we were going on a sightseeing tour of the M25. However, an hour or so later than scheduled, we arrived in the pouring rain. Fair play to the lads. They did not let the weather dampen their spirit or their enthusiasm for the day. What awaited them was a combination of team building activities and time on the Olympic White-Water Rafting Course.

The team building certainly tested the boys’ minds and ingenuity, but they

90

Summer Highlights

Year 11 Leavers Celebration - Team Building persevered and got a lot of fun out of it despite the horrific weather conditions.

Certainly, the highlight of the day was their time on the water, and the boys certainly did not waste this opportunity. There was plenty of opportunity for fun and frolics, along with showing some skills of working as a unit. The main aim of the day for our students seemed to be ensuring they pushed each other out of the raft and into the rapids. Rumour has it there was a £20 reward for whoever could push Ms Hetherington into the water!! There were certainly several boys who tried and were successful in doing this, although I am not sure any money changed hands in the end.

The end of the day was not without drama, as there was a mad rush to get back to school for the England v Scotland match. We did make it back, although I am not sure it was worth the stress!

Thanks, in particular, must go to Mr Slocock who organised the whole thing, and great credit should go to Mr Aarons, Mr Arriandiaga, Mr Harden-Chaters and Ms Hetherington for being such great sports on the day.

91

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Charlie Thorpe, 9D

LAMDA Evening

by Mr Roberto Bruno, Head of Drama

On Tuesday 22 June, the Drama Department hosted its second LAMDA evening. This evening is an opportunity for all our LAMDA students to showcase their hard work to an audience, even if that audience was virtual this time!

Students who study for their LAMDA exams take an extra Drama lesson every week with Miss Woodley, who works closely with the boys choosing texts they enjoy. Miss Woodley is fantastic at seeing her students’ acting potential, and she brings out the performer within.

The evening gave the boys from Years 7-9 a chance to show off their progress this year. The very talented Aidan Tattersall opened the evening with his Monologue from The Siege, and what an opening it was. It was a delight as the Head of Drama to see so many boys performing to a high standard, and it was so heartwarming to see the boys cheering each other on and clapping extra hard as the audience were all watching remotely.

The boys all performed so well, and I hope you were all chimed in to watch them. The full list of performers is below. All these boys had their final LAMDA exam on Tuesday 6 July, and I am positive that every single boy has passed with a high grade.

92

Finley Camino, 7G

Summer Highlights

Hugo Callington, 7G

NAME Aidan Tattersall Torin Kirby Cameron Bird Cassius Buckle-Wright Hugo Callington Bill Ferguson Tom O'Connor Rohan Needs Finley Camino Rufus Shillington Ashwyn Needs Toby Hill Toby Groombridge Charlie Thorpe Rocky Lehmann Felix Armes-Ward Thomas Perrin Lucas Bullen Ruaridh Bell Carter Robinson

Toby Groombridge, 7G

PERFORMING The Siege The Legend of Podkin One Ear Sucker Punch The Scarlet Pimpernel Sammy’s Consent The Owl & The Pussycat Went to See Opening Night Mobile Madness Magician’s Nephew Kes Journey to X Johnny and the Dead How to Train Your Dragon Herbert Glerbett Danny, the Champion of the World Dragons at Crumbling Castle Calvin Body Talk Beowulf Apologia 93

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Bronze Assessed and Silver Training Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions

by Mr Tom King, DofE Manager

The last weekend in June saw a troop of over 80 Hallifordians head out into the Surrey countryside to take on the challenges and adventure of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Having had last year’s Bronze expeditions postponed due to the pandemic, we had two separate cohorts of Bronze participants eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get out hiking. On top of that, we had a group of dedicated Silver award students ready to take their outdoor adventures to the next level.

94

Summer Highlights

Weighed down with heavy packs (some students opting to carry additional satchels containing nothing but sweets!), and their new leather walking boots creaking under the strain, our boys set off across fields and forests, using their map skills to orient themselves.

We saw several lads rise to the challenge, take leadership roles in their groups, encouraging and helping their teammates.

The routes weaved through beautiful villages, across lovely farms and into dense woodland, really showing our students how beautiful the North Downs really are. Despite the miles taking their toll physically (lockdown wasn’t the best preparation for hiking), our students powered through and did us proud.

The campsite was impeccable, with tents neatly organised around a central football pitch, and it wasn’t long before a hearty game started up. Many groups attempted some extravagant cookery, opting to make fancy home cooking on their little Trangia stoves.

Whilst this had mixed success (Gordon Ramsay would have had something to say about a few of the flavour combinations), it was heart-warming to see the students out and about with their friends and enjoying the outdoors, away from screens and phones.

Once again, students showed determination and grit when things got tough (and hills got steep). A hearty congratulations to all involved, and I hope to see many of these students continue their DofE journey.

95

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Extended Project Qualification

by Mrs Leila Brown, EPQ Coordinator

Despite lockdown, Halliford’s Lower Sixth students beavered away on their EPQs culminating in a Presentation Week just before the end of term. The EPQ gives students the opportunity to develop university academic skills whilst enabling them to investigate a topic of their own choice. This year there were many topics ranging from otter conservation, hyperloop travel, sports psychology, financial market crime and trading strategies to testing biofuel on a family car.

A selection of comments by students on their EPQ follows: Alexander Donnelly – Head Prefect 2021-2022 Topic: Football Financial Fair Play – is it fair?

When given a free choice of topic, I was surprised by how long it took to decide on what to focus. The EPQ is unlike all other qualifications when you are being guided through a specification of knowledge content. The skills I learnt and which I feel are the most important ones for me are time planning and essay writing. Time management was important as I set myself deadlines to complete work, and I had to monitor my progress. Another skill I learnt when doing my EPQ project was structuring an essay whilst keeping my arguments succinct and keeping the focus of my essay on answering the question. I faced some challenges throughout the EPQ; these were overestimating how quickly I would finish my project. I set myself the target of finishing the project by March, which was ambitious. If I were to do the EPQ again, I would set more realistic deadlines, as I now understand how long activities such as research can take. Overall, I think the EPQ was a very positive experience despite the challenges I faced and would highly recommend others to complete the project as I feel it is a good way to experience what university-style work will be like, and I gained a very valuable skill set.

96

Summer Highlights

Dominic Rose – Deputy Head Prefect 2021-2022 Topic: An investigation into China’s Economic and Political influence in Angola Initially, I chose to do an EPQ as I wanted to broaden my knowledge on a chosen topic. I have always had a great interest in foreign affairs, and I wanted my EPQ to be centred around this, especially China. The EPQ gave me the opportunity to develop research and referencing skills, including citation methods. It made me aware of issues such as plagiarism and how seriously universities take it.

I was aware of the China Belt and Road initiative, the global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 through my economics studies. I read the book Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, which made me consider the geopolitical influence that economically strong countries can have over others.

Angola is a country known for its large oil reserves, and China became the largest importer of Angolan oil in the world. China built a strong relationship with Angola through this oil credit line and started helping Angola by building its infrastructure. However, there are increasing concerns that Angola is falling into a bigger debt trap.

Charlie Poulter – Deputy Head Prefect 2021-2022 Topic: Making a Chopping Board I wanted to do a ‘practical’ EPQ so I could develop my woodworking skills. My original idea was to make the most sustainable chopping board, but I soon realised that chopping boards were a much more complicated item than just how sustainable they were.

Over the course of my research, I looked at four key categories that I believe are pivotal when producing a chopping board: hygiene, sustainability, consumer opinion and the overall cost of making a chopping board. These categories formed part of the write up that accompanied the board that I made.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Rajveer Johal, 7R I decided to come to Halliford School because it seemed to be quite academic, and I love learning. The sports facilities are good here, and I am very keen on sports. I have been here on Open Day, and the exams went well, even though I was a bit nervous about taking them. I felt like I could have a good future here at Halliford. I was quite excited to be at Halliford but nervous at the same time. Luckily, I made a bunch of friends and enjoyed my first week. The lessons I like the most are Maths, Drama, Spanish, and P.E. because they are all very fun to learn. Halliford makes me more independent and intellectual than my previous school. I have enjoyed some of the clubs and societies here, such as cricket which is fun. I mainly do sports and explore Halliford by trying new things. Overall, I’m really pleased I came to Halliford School because of the great sports facilities and the great academic learning.

97

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Young Enterprise

by Mrs Leila Brown, Teacher of Economics & Business Studies

Hallidex were the Halliford Young Enterprise team for 2020/2021. In Young Enterprise, the students make all the decisions, from deciding the company name and product to selling their products at public trade fairs and managing their finance, marketing and operations as they progress. Led by Kian McGrath, they had a tough year due to the pandemic, as they could not take advantage of several of the traditional Young Enterprise fundraising activities, such as cake sales, selling refreshments at a music event or attending the Shepperton Big Tree Night. As Kian said, “Not everything went to plan, sometimes it was our fault and other times events and decisions were outside of our control.”

However, despite the setbacks, the team still managed to sell Christmas cards and decorations. Aidan Saunders, in charge of decoration production, commented that access to the workshop was tricky because of the bubbles, but they are very grateful for all the support they received from the Design Technology Department. Yet again, in conjunction with the Art Department, the team organised the sale of the annual Halliford Christmas Card, whereby the Headmaster selects the winning design. The weekly meetings with the Young Enterprise advisor had to move on to Teams, and several Young Enterprise events moved online or were postponed. Despite the Covid challenges, the Hallidex team still managed to run regular meetings, make decisions, dispatch cards and decorations, improve their communication skills, learn about production processes and handle finance. I am pleased to learn that a few of the boys still have business ideas that they may turn to in the future.

Hallidex would like to thank the school, staff and parents for their support.

98

Summer Highlights

Year 7 Residential Trip to Wales

by Mr James Davies, Headmaster

After a year that had seen our Year 7 students unable to participate in so many of the activities that help them feel such a valuable part of our Halliford Community, I was determined to try and organise a residential trip for them at the end of such a challenging year.

We wanted an opportunity for them to get to know one another away from the classroom, challenge themselves and develop some of our Hallifordian values. With that in mind, we set off for three days in North Wales at the Arete Adventure Centre. The boys were asked not to bring mobile telephones and, despite some initial grumbles, soon settled down to great conversation and coach games as we travelled north. An eagerly anticipated stop at the services gave a chance to spend their pocket money on some ‘interesting’ items, and before we knew it, we had arrived in a beautiful sunny North Wales in the stunning surroundings of Llanberis.

After a hearty meal and a chance to learn how to make a bed, it was out into the fresh air for an evening orienteering walk ending up high in the hills above the centre. There was much laughter and joking with Mr Churchill taking on the job of re-enacting a scene from ‘Fortnite’ with his group! Our group soon discovered that some people were better map readers than others but not before taking an additional half-mile extension route!

To see the boys all together sitting on top of a mountain, chatting away to one another with smiles on their faces after the year we had

all been through, was a truly magical moment for my colleagues and me to enjoy.

The bracing walk seemed to do the trick as after a few failed attempts at dormitory raids, the boys were soon sound asleep and looking forward to the day ahead.

Following a Welsh breakfast, the boys were fitted with wetsuits and climbed aboard the buses to head for either gorge scrambling or coasteering. These were activities we had selected to push the boys outside their comfort zone and to help them work together and test their already finely tuned sense of resilience. Clambering around the valleys and coastline up and down cliffs and in and out of the water made for a day I don’t think any of us will ever forget.

Seeing the boys help and support one another as we all conquered our various fears was superb. Once again, being outdoors, far away from any electronic devices, gave the boys a real chance to cement existing friendships and make new ones. The fact that we had only been back on our bus for ten minutes on the return trip back to the centre before everyone was fast asleep rather said it all!

After another delicious homecooked evening meal, it was back outside for some nightline activities with the occasional extra

99

TheHALLIFORDIAN obstacle added in by the staff for the boys as they proceeded blindfolded around the course. Mr Churchill ran the very popular tuck shop before we all came together for a campfire and marshmallows, followed by a bit of drone chasing before bed.

The final day saw yet more glorious weather as we headed out to the beautiful surroundings of Llyn Padam for a variety of water sports, including paddle boarding and kayaking. After the hilarity of the Headmaster going headfirst into the water trying to get onto my paddleboard, everyone else showed me how it was done, and we headed out into the lake for various games and more than a few capsize manoeuvres – some more planned than others! Once again, there was lots of fun and laughter and lots of memories being made as we all enjoyed one another’s company.

The long trip home was then made all the more bearable by the England World Cup game and a well-deserved stop at the services for a McDonalds dinner!

Our thanks go to the wonderful staff at the Arete Centre for being so accommodating in planning our trip and looking after us all and to my colleagues from the staff Miss Foster, Mrs Peacock, Mr Churchill, Mr Lee and Mr Wright. Thank you also to the magnificent young men of Year 7 for such wonderful company and being such outstanding Hallifordians!

By Harry Jennings, 7R My trip to Wales was really fun. It was great to do some activities that pushed me and spend a great time with my friends. On the evening we arrived, after dinner, we went on a walk up a mountain. In my group, Seb helped us navigate a path using a booklet of directions. The first full day we were there we went coasteering. It was amazing climbing along the rocks and cliffs, and then jumping off the rocks. It was quite scary at one point because I entered a narrow passage with Charlie and Max, and it was very tight to squeeze through. At one point we got stuck so we had to climb on top of the rock which made the opening even narrower, but we did get out to tell the tale! That evening I managed to catch up with lots of my friends and we toasted marshmallows on the campfire whilst we discussed the events of the day. The next day we were leaving at lunchtime, but we still managed one activity which was kayaking, and this was great fun. I had tried this before, so it was nice to have a bit of experience. The coach journey home was a long one, but the McDonalds helped!

By Lucas Symons, 7G I arrived a bit late in Wales after being at a sailing event at the Arete Centre in Snowdonia. There was a small amount of relaxation and time to get to know my group and then we went off on a short hike up one of the mountains near the centre navigating as we went. At the top there was an amazing view

100

of the surroundings. All we had to do then was follow the road back down which was harder than it should be with Jacob falling over and looking like he had been shot and Mr Lee taking us down the wrong road – thanks Sir! After we did finally get back, we had some tea and went to sleep.

The next day we did coasteering in Anglesey. It was an hour long drive to get there where we set of along the cliffs to get to the site where we descended down to sea level where we had to work together to scramble along the rocks and sometimes swim from one to another. This was interrupted slightly by the sighting of two fighter jets training overhead. We then had a short break for lunch then set off again to go back down the cliff where we jumped off the rocks, which was extremely fun.

After that we all got back on the bus on an ice cream hunt that was thankfully successful. Then after a second jet sighting we arrived back at the centre.

In the evening, the tuck shop opened, selling everything from key rings to Welsh dragons. After that we had our evening activity where we did the night trail with everyone blindfolded and had to complete an obstacle course that included lots of tyres and having to go through multiple bushes that was not very comfortable given I was wearing shorts! Then we were being tracked by the Headmaster’s drone and had a chance to try and find cover. Finally, we went to sleep again after a long day of activities.

The next day we cleaned our room and packed our bags and went rafting. I did plan to not get wet but that was sabotaged

by Mr Lee pulling me in. Then we went home travelling through the long tunnels accompanied by our singing – I’m not sure Mr Wright was too impressed! We stopped off at the service station where Mr Davies treated us to McDonald’s. We watched the football on the way back with great commentary from Mr Churchill and Mr Davies. We arrived back at school and when we got home had a proper sleep after being exhausted but the next day was Sports Day so no rest for us just yet! Thank you to everyone for a great time.

By Nathaniel Kinmont, 7R I really enjoyed coasteering as before I feared deep water but now not so much thanks to the staff and my friends for helping me along. I really enjoyed working together as we scrambled from hand to foot, looking for space on the small ledges. I also loved jumping off the rocks as it brought thrill and made my heart beat a bit faster! I liked the walk we did as I loved the beautiful view over the valley and the tall mountains hiding their heads in the clouds. I also really enjoyed kayaking as it was not completely the same as the warm waters of Greece or the dangers of the Ardèche, but it was still fun to go out, fall in and have a fun time all the while exploring a large lake. Thank you so much for this trip, I really enjoyed it. I got to go home with a lot of joy and happy memories.

Summer Highlights

Year 8 Residential Trip to Kent

by Mr Sean Slocock, Assistant Head Co-Curricular

We took our Year 8 students to Kent for their end of year residential trip. The boys were split into two groups, with one completing a rafting exercise and the other canoeing from Tunbridge to Allington Lock before swapping around the next day. Thankfully, the activities were water sport activities because the terrible weather we experienced in Kent meant that students were continuously wet for 48 hours.

The rafting was led by Medway Watersports Centre, a fantastic charity involved in providing the opportunity for underprivileged people with disadvantaged backgrounds to experience sailing and watersports along the Medway. Run by a wonderful woman called Syd, students had to complete a series of teambuilding tasks to earn ‘Medway pounds’. These pounds, in turn, were used to purchase materials to build the raft they had designed. Students had to build their raft with help from Syd, Catherine and Paul from Medway Watersports. Each day, the grand finale was when the students would race against each other in the raft they had designed and built.

There were varying degrees of success in the raft designs. The vast majority disintegrated soon after launching into the water.

Ultimately there were only three rafts that stood the test and, amongst those three rafts, only one survived going out and coming back again on numerous occasions. The team led by Daniel Gray

had a unique and extremely streamlined raft with a well-thoughtout design. Sadly, it lacked stability and the balance needed and ended up rolling over in the water. Many of the other rafts shared similar designs, but the knot tying perhaps let some down more than others.

On the final day, in the final race, it was quite fitting that it came down to just two rafts. Some might say that there was some industrial espionage going on as they shared very similar designs, but in the end, it probably came down to who paid better attention to how the knots should be tied and, probably, the number of knots that were tied overall. This combined with greater stability when getting on and off the raft and true grit and determination.

Connop’s Crew, however, proved to be the most adept at making rafts with a superb effort that took quite a while to dismantle at the end of the session.

101

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Whilst this activity was going on, the other groups were out along the Medway in a canoeing activity led by Dan Daley and his team from Rock the Boat Activities, paddling for seven hours or so whilst taking on runs of various lengths. Students and teachers alike were enthralled and entertained despite some terrible weather. Some students ended up capsizing on the odd occasion and, whilst Leo might blame the conditions down the weirs, it was quite fun to watch him time and again.

The evening activity was multi-sports in the park with students running around playing football and cricket or just taking in the wonderful Medway scenery. We hosted a quick birthday party for Thomas Povey with the obligatory chocolate cake. The evening was rounded off with some excellent football, although rumour has it that at least one of the tour party was more interested in watching Love Island!

All in all, some weary and suitably tired students returned home happy with their first school residential trip in 18 months.

102

Summer Highlights

Year 9 Residential Trip to High Ashurst

by Mr Matthew Shales, Head of Latin

This summer, we took our Year 9 students to High Ashurst Activity Centre set in 56 acres of woodland on Box Hill for a two-day residential. The forecast was awful, but thankfully the weather held, and the boys showed great energy and determination to enjoy the activities, especially considering that the majority had just finished DofE the day before.

The first activity undertaken was a series of physical and mental challenge tasks that tested the boys’ ability to think laterally and work as a team. After lunch came the High Ropes Course. This was split into three different sections: Balance Board, Crate Stack, and Trapeze. These required the boys, and female teachers, to show a lot of strength and balance, which they did superbly.

After a very good and filling dinner, the boys put their hands to Woodland Skills. This included testing their fire lighting skills and their ability to build various things out of the natural materials available. Bryn Griffiths made a brilliant rope swing that provided endless fun for the boys. Joshua Rowe, Carson Curtis, Scott Smith, Sam Griffiths, and Cassidy Wyeth built a fantastic shelter, complete with a front door on a hinge and an escape tunnel! The evening saw the boys retire to their luxurious tepee accommodation. At least it was luxurious before they got in there. Thankfully their exploits over the

previous days and the 7.15am breakfast meet meant that the boys got to sleep very well.

After a very hearty full English Breakfast, the boys got on with their final activity, Team Tasks. This entailed the boys solving clues to navigate themselves around the site with some physical challenges along the way. Credit must go to Edward Gentle for safely navigating me blindfolded around an obstacle course. I am sure it took a lot of willpower not to lead me astray and into trouble. After yet more food, the boys had a 45-minute walk to find the coaches before departing back to school after an incredibly enjoyable and successful trip.

My thanks go to Mr Diamond, Mr Greggor, Ms Hetherington, Mr Hodgkinson, Mr Morriss, Mrs Turner-Smith and Mrs Wilbraham for their help, assistance, and good humour throughout the trip.

103

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Year 10 Activity Days

by Mr Sean Slocock, Assistant Head Co-Curricular

Halliford students came together to celebrate their end of year activities days by visiting Thorpe Park and testing themselves on the ski slopes of Chatham ski centre.

Thorpe Park remains entrenched as a fun and adventurous activity for every teenager as they brave the queues to try their hand and challenge each other on the rides. It was incredible to see who had the mettle to brave the most rides, whether it was the ten exhilarating inversions, including a vertical loop, cobra roll, double corkscrew and the UK’s only quadruple barrel roll on the Colossus or who could stand a vertical drop of 100 degrees, from a height of 100ft before plummeting towards the ground on SAW. The second day of activities meant a trip down to Chatham in Kent, where students had the opportunity to do something many had never tried to do before, and most had not had the opportunity to do in almost two years, ski. With beginner lessons put on for the newbies and an incredibly long, albeit artificial, slope for more experienced skiers, there was plenty to enjoy.

Thrown in for good measure was a toboggan ride filled with Cool Runnings twists and turns that proved to be too steep for some.

A huge thank you must go to all the staff who helped the trip to go ahead, but in particular to Mr Bruno, who stepped in at the last minute to lead these excursions.

104

Summer Highlights

Lower Sixth Activity Days

by Mr John MacLean, Head of Sixth Form

In the final week of the Summer Term, the Lower Sixth had two days of activities to bring the year to a close. As this is an important transition point where some very important decisions are being made, the two days were split into a day of looking to the future, in the form of a Careers Day, and a day of relaxation and excitement in London.

On the Careers Day, the Lower Sixth took part in a UCAS Personal Statement workshop in the morning, where they drafted this hugely important part of their UCAS application. This involved reflecting on their skills and achievements over the last six years of their education and trying to fit all of this into a single document. After this, the students were split into their house groups and then took part in a carousel of four careers-based activities led by members of staff and an external careers advisor. The four activities were: How to write a convincing CV, Interview Skills, Communication in a professional environment, and How to find work experience.

On the second of our activity days, the Lower Sixth visited London for the day.

We took the train from Shepperton to London Waterloo and then walked to Trafalgar Square, where the students took part in a Scavenger Hunt where they had a range of challenges to complete. This was an opportunity to work as a team and engage their creative minds in a fun activity. We then visited Greenwich and enjoyed a picnic on the grounds of the Royal Naval College before visiting the Gaia Exhibition in the Painted Hall. All had an enjoyable day, and we were delighted that the weather was fair to ensure we also had a dry day in London.

105

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Summer Term Sports Report

by Mr James Greggor, Director of Sport This academic year has been a year quite unlike any other, with year group bubbles, restrictions on sport, internal fixtures, and no spectators, to name a few. As Director of Sport, I am proud of the opportunities we have still managed to provide our students in challenging circumstances. Prior to the start of the Summer Term, we still maintained a full extra-curricular programme. Furthermore, as soon as government restrictions allowed, even before we could play other schools, we managed to offer many internal opportunities on Saturday morning for our students.

Following the return to school after the Easter holidays and an enjoyable pre-season training schedule in the holidays, we were delighted that the government confirmed we were once again able to play other schools. This term, as usual, has been a busy one in the PE and Games Department. We have had cricket fixtures, athletics competitions, a national golf competition, two football matches, InterHouse competitions and plenty of extra-curricular training opportunities, including lower school rugby training for the students to enjoy. Huge thanks must go to the PE and Games staff for their ‘can do’ attitudes in ensuring all these activities were able to run in COVID safe environments.

My great thanks go to the student body, whose enthusiasm for the activities on offer continues to be fantastic after a challenging and frustrating period where sport has been very restricted. Also, my thanks to our parent body, who encourage and support the sporting opportunities we offer.

Staff and students have taken real pleasure in being able to resume our competitive sporting programme this term. Despite some challenging weather at times that saw some activities cancelled, we have managed to provide plenty of sporting opportunities this term.

It has been great to play some competitive fixtures this year finally, and the U12 teams have been hugely keen to put the Halliford kit on for the first time. There has been an enormous amount of enthusiasm for cricket this term, and this has been epitomised by the lunchtime cricket they play in the courtyard.

With huge numbers at pre-season training, we were able to put out two healthy size squads, with the B-team having 16 players at times.

CRICKET

Year 7 Mr Hodgkinson

106

The A-team had a good season overall, with the team progressing very nicely, and they were led exceptionally well from the front by Caleb ‘The Mallard’ Baker. The boys were put into bat in the first game of the season by Newland House and struggled a little bit to gain any defendable total. Despite only hitting 63 all out, the bowling was exceptional; the match came down to the last ball of the day in which Newlands managed to run a leg bye to win. The team knew if we could get some batting practice in the nets, our fortunes could change dramatically. Into game two and what turned out to be the most dramatic match of the term against Salesian College. Putting them into bat, Halliford restricted them

Summer Sports Report to 133, and on the back of their last batting performance, Halliford were anxious. Halliford had Raj Johal however, who waited for the last ball of the innings to see his team through with an unbeaten 40. There was a minor pitch invasion by his teammates and the Headmaster alike; jubilation would be the word.

He was supported well by Jonty Wright (20) and Jack Giddens (16) in a much-improved performance. A convincing loss to Tiffin followed who had one particularly exceptional batsman and then rain hampered the next few fixtures unfortunately. The final match was against Latymer over in Chiswick. Caleb put the side into bat and the boys set a good total of 125, with Dexter Lee hitting a 50 before being retired. The boys were confident going into the field and some great catching and fielding from Freddie Nash put Halliford in a very strong position leading into the last over. Out of nowhere Latymer’s No. 7 batsman hit four 4’s in a row to reach the required 14 of the last in no time. This was a bit of a shock and against the run of play, but that’s the beauty of sport. The final game of the season against King Edwards Whitley saw a fantastic win and well deserved half century for Jack Giddens and his first for the school.

The boys have a bright future ahead of them. From 1-12 they could all bowl very well and going forward as their batting skills improve, they will be a team to watch.

The B team had incredible numbers all season and it was only the minibus that restricted the numbers really. Led very well by a future talent and brave wicket keeper in Alfie Saunders they had a strong season. In our games we used up to eleven bowlers per match, and the numbers at training were superb.

After the restrictions on sport this year it was fantastic to see the boys out representing Halliford in competitive fixtures. Confidence and understanding of the game continue to improve for the boys, and judging by the numbers we have to pick from we will have great strength in depth as the boys move through the school year groups. Felix Armes-Ward has maintained very economical bowling figures throughout the season and Ben Chapman and Charlie Powell have scored valuable runs.

Year 8 Mr Churchill

This season has been one like no other. In addition to the global pandemic, the weather, traffic, and a host of other factors have made it a tricky one to gain momentum. Despite this, the U13s have had a positive season with some excellent results against tough opposition. There has been a host of outstanding performances with both bat and ball. The attack was led excellently by Theo Maroussas, who finished with seven wickets in five games. This effort was matched by all the frontline bowlers who contributed to wickets and outstanding economies throughout the season. The side’s batting was equally as impressive, with runs coming from a range of different players. Leading run scorer Felix Porter made good contributions in all fixtures this year but was often matched by Morrison, White and Johnson, who all contributed valuable runs in difficult situations.

This season has also seen development for the B team. Although results haven’t gone their way, the talent in the group is clear to see. A team debuts were given to a variety of the side, including captains Franklin and Fenton, bowler Crowther and all-rounder Henderson. These players stepping up and the development in the group all make for a very positive outlook going forward.

107

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Year 9 Mr Morriss

The U14 Cricket season seemed to replicate the inconsistent year that was 2020/21. Following our return to school and a big turnout for pre-season, anticipation and positivity was in the air. Unfortunately, after a good few weeks, the weather intervened, and it became a story of ‘not again’.

The 1st match of the season was away at Ibstock Place, and the tone was set by Cameron Terry, batting three, who was retired on 51*. Tom Lever and Charlie Thorpe also impressed in their first matches for the school with 17 and 18 respectively, but unfortunately there was little resistance from the bowling attack, and a good total of 157 was chased down with relative ease.

Match two against Salesian was certainly a lesson in schoolboy cricket as the opposition dominated from the first ball to the last. Setting a commanding total that was never in doubt meant that the game was always too far out of reach, despite some valiant efforts.

Churcher’s College was then the destination for a late-afternoon Monday fixture, but the travel took its toll on the team, and despite the return of captain, William Hamilton and a valiant 32*, he ran out of support and a paltry target of 74 was soon chased down within the 16 overs available.

After rain and cancelled matches, the boys finally got to take to the field once again, this time against Latymer Upper. This also proved to be the turning point, with hours of netting practice finally paying off. Felix Labaki was in superlative form and had the ball on a string from the opening over, taking five for ten. Jed McGuire, Charlie Thorpe, and Cassidy Wyeth also had superb bowling figures as the hosts were limited to just 95 runs. William Hamilton (36*) and Cameron Terry (37) were rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard ticking over nicely before Sam Griffiths came in to see the game finish in style with ten* from four balls. Unfortunately, matches five and six were rained off, meaning the season succumbed to the disappointing weather once again and ended with a very damp whimper.

The B team has been one of the teams of the season, having only lost one game and having a squad that is never ever short of players. The enthusiasm and team morale are superb, with every boy playing for one another and trying to set the bar higher each game. This is largely down to their committed, passionate, and ever-reliable captain, Archie Ferguson. Several of the boys deserve a lot of credit as they have moved between the A/B team depending on availability, not once complaining, or failing to perform up to task.

The 1st match versus Ibstock Place was certainly a great friendly fixture to start the season and get some of the boys some very much needed practice, having perhaps not played since 2019. A target of 140 was set with excellent batting displays from Cassidy Wyeth (26 ret.), Jack Warren (15*) and Cameron Bird (18*). Bowling was shared amongst the team as the opposition was restricted to 121 in reply, but Arjun Pahuja (4/1), James McCummiskey (7/1), Zach Johnson (12/1) were the highlights.

Match two was the long away fixture with the A’s to Churcher’s College and the boys’ only defeat of the season. Despite the best efforts of the player of the match and all-rounder, James Ross, they could not

108

Summer Sports Report get the final few wickets and lost the game. James finished the match with a knock of 17* and 6/3.

Their 3rd match of the season was an intense affair at Latymer Upper as the victorious result only came from the final few balls. There were several great displays with both bat and ball, suitably impressing the manager for the day, Mr Slocock. It was a shared team performance as every single player contributed in some form. The standout performances though were from Amar who took four wickets with a marvellous bowling performance to set the tone, followed by a partnership of 47 from Arjun Pahuja and Usman Nasser. Unfortunately, their remaining fixtures, like the A-team, were curtailed with weather intervening and bringing an abrupt end to their season.

Year 10 Mr Greggor

This year group has some talent in the squad, which bodes well for future years in the 1XI. Their season has been a little disrupted with the need to bolster the first XI on occasions. Captain Jivraj Singh, Manat Virk, William Shanley, Michael Van Rensberg and Tom Wilkin have represented the 1XI a few times this season, coping well with stepping up to this stage. Captain Jivraj was also involved in the school fixture against the MCC, which was quite an achievement as an U15.

The season has been a little inconsistent, with some performances needing more consistency in both disciplines of the game. Early in the season, matches took place where we were on the wrong side of results due to lacking in one key discipline. In some matches, we fielded and bowled superbly, however runs were lacking. In others, runs seemed abundant where fielding and bowling were a little loose.

When this team put in a complete performance, they demonstrate real quality, demonstrated by Virk and Wilkin scoring half centuries. The bowling attack also has great depth. Shanley bowled a superb spell in our final game of the season against Wimbledon College, and this was key to restricting the opposition’s run rate to win the game. Singh, Van Rensberg, Wilkin, and Virk have also been consistent with the ball throughout the season and gained some key wickets.

Freddie Scott has been the find of the season. He was moved to wicket keeper in the second game due to an injury to Oliver De Gruchy, and he has really gained confidence with this role. He has been very reliable for the side and taken some superb catches behind the stumps.

I have no doubt the depth in this year group will significantly bolster our Senior Cricket next year. Many of the boys have had a taste of Senior XI Cricket this season, so moving forward this is very encouraging.

One slight frustration with this season was the constant rain. Sadly a few midweek and weekend matches had to be called off due to heavy rain during the day or throughout the Friday night and into Saturday morning. After the restrictions on sport this year, we were relieved to have the students back out representing the school in competitive fixtures.

109

TheHALLIFORDIAN

1XI Mr Shales

The 1XI have had a much-improved season from previous years. Helped by having a consistent squad throughout the season, the boys have been able to put in some strong performances, with many individuals shining. Sadly, the weather intervened on a few occasions, causing the Churchers, KEW and Shiplake fixtures to be cancelled.

The season started with a trip to St Benedict’s Ealing. After winning the toss and batting, Chris Cole (56) and Jivraj Singh (34 no) helped us recover from a slow start. Some powerful late innings hitting from Josh Burson (26) helped us to an impressive total of 184 for nine off 35 overs. Our bowling and fielding were superb, with some brilliant catches taken by Chris Cole, James Taylor, Dom Rose, and Tom Wilkin. The bowlers kept things tight and made life difficult for the opposition. In a tight finish, we won by ten runs, bowling them out for 174. Wickets were shared between Archie Evans, Jivraj Singh, Ben Cooper, Euan Cole, Michael Van Rensburg, and Max Pillinger.

Next, we travelled to Valley End CC to play Gordons. Given the monsoon-like weather, a game of water polo would have been more appropriate. We batted well scoring 132 for four off our allotted 16 overs.

Chris Cole made 55 and Archie Evans 49, not out. Sadly, when it came time to bowl, the ball was like a bar of soap, and we were unable to maintain our line and length. Gordons were able to chase the total down with a couple of overs to spare.

After a break of over a month, we travelled to Latymer on the hottest day of the year. Against some very tight bowling, we struggled to break free, eventually ending up on 108 for six off our 20 overs thanks to good contributions from Archie Evans, Will Shanley, and Alex Donnelly.

We then hosted the MCC in the annual match at Shepperton CC. We were superb with the ball. Archie Evans and Alex Donnelly (two wickets) put the pressure on with a really good opening spell. This was followed up by Ben Cooper and Charlie Barker-Broe (one wicket). The MCC eventually declared on 229 for four off 45 overs. Sadly, our run chase never really got going despite useful contributions from Chris Cole (24), Jivraj Singh (29) and Ben Cooper (22). However, we found ourselves in a position of needing to survive the last two overs for a draw with two wickets remaining. We lost Ben Cooper to the first ball of the penultimate over, and Charlie Barker-Broe did well to survive the next five balls. This left Alex Donnelly to negotiate the final over. Sadly, he was undone by the first ball from the wily off-spinner who took five wickets and was bowled, meaning that we were five balls short of the draw. Undoubtedly this was our best performance against the MCC, and we pushed them really close.

Cricket Colours were awarded to: Charlie Barker-Broe, Josh Burson, Euan Cole, Alex Donnelley, William Jones, Max Pillinger, Dominic Rose, Jivraj Singh, and James Taylor.

110

Summer Sports Report

Headmasters Select Cricket Squad 2021 As every sporting season draws to a close, the PE and Games staff sit down and always face the difficult decisions associated with putting the Headmaster’s squads together. The Cricket season is no different.

Below is what we have settled on for the Headmasters XI this year.

Christopher Cole Captain Year 10 All rounder

Theo Maroussas Year 8 Bowler

William Hamilton Year 9 All rounder

Felix Porter Year 8 All rounder

Tom Wilkin Year 10 Batsman

Cameron Terry Year 9 Batsman/Wicket Keeper

Jivraj Singh Year 10 All rounder

Archie Evans Year 12 All rounder

Mannat Virk Year 10 Batsman

Rajveer Johal Year 7 All rounder

Jonty Wright Year 7 Bowling

111

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Cricket Colours Ties Colours ties are presented to senior students who have performed regularly for and impressed in our first XI this term. They have been awarded to the following students: Year 10: Jivraj Singh Year 11: Euan Cole Sixth Form: Alex Donnelly, Dominic Rose, Charlie Barker-Broe, Max Pillinger, James Taylor, William Jones, Josh Burson

Inter-House Cricket Inter-House Cricket took place during allocated Games afternoons this term. Houses played each other in eight over innings in an 8-10 aside format depending on the year group size and availability of cricketers in each form.

The competition is always great fun, and all Inter-House competitions are popular among the students. This year’s results are below:

U14

U13

U15

U12

1st

Russell

Russell

Russell

Russell and Desborough winners

2nd

Desborough

Desborough

Desborough

Wadham and Greville runners up

3rd

Greville

Greville

Wadham

4th

Wadham

Wadham

Greville

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

112

Summer Sports Report We look to attend as many Athletics competitions as possible, usually attending fixtures at Claremont Fan Court, St Georges College and Orleans Park. Due to the restrictions in place, some schools took the decision not to run these events this term. Claremont Fan Court did, however these were scaled down with fewer schools attending due to rules on group gatherings. Despite losing a couple of these competitions for Year 9 due to poor weather, we did manage competitions for Year 7 and Year 8, which was excellent. The boys represented the school superbly with some impressive performances. With restrictions lifting, we will look to organise our full range of competitions ready for next year.

ATHLETICS

Golf continues to go from strength to strength at the school. We have developed our provision of this, offering two extra-curricular club slots per week at Sunbury Golf Centre. This year, rather than simply making use of the driving range, the students are provided with coaching by the resident pro. This has really motivated those attending as they see some real improvements in performance.

This year, only one golf event took place, the National Golf Competition held at The Warwickshire Golf and Country Club. The team of Archie McGuff, Josh Rowe, Jasper Stimson and Josh Stimson competed against the best schoolboy golfers in the country on a very tricky course they had never played before.

There was some incredibly good golf on show from an 80 strong field. The boys equipped themselves very well, however despite playing some good golf at times, they struggled to find consistency over the 18 holes. That being said, we had the youngest team in the competition and in the respective age groups our boys were again among the youngest competitors. Hopefully, the experience of the day will set them up for next year and the National Knock-Out Competition that we will be entering for the first time.

GOLF

113

TheHALLIFORDIAN

SPORTS DAY 2021

114

Sports day took place on Wednesday 30 June this year. Having been in lockdown last Summer and running a virtual event, it felt very special to be back as a community even though bubbles were still in operation and we were still not able to welcome parents as spectators. Sports Day is a favourite event among staff as it achieves a true mass participation element. Throughout the day, boys and girls competed in a range of track and field events. There were many excellent performances all around from students however some highlights included a new senior school record set by Spencer Bateman of 4.19.87 in the 1500m, beating the existing record which had stood since 2009. The Senior Russell House 4x100 relay team consisting of Pillinger, Suseelan, Whitlam and Connelley also set a new record of 47.84, beating the existing record which had stood since 1995. In the field, Anthony Robins–Kent was impressive in the Senior Long Jump. Hayden Barrett in Year 9 was a dominant winner in both 1500m and discus. Tom Perrin competing in his first Sports Day for Halliford also impressed in the 800m.

Summer Sports Report

Hallifordian Sporting Accomplishments Jakob’s swimming has been very stop-start over the past year due to COVID restrictions, but over these latest lockdown months, his club has run a challenge for who could log the most aerobic exercise in their own time. Jakob threw himself into it on the bike, boosted by Halliford’s lockdown PE and sports lessons and amazingly came first overall, with his regional development squad also winning the team competition. Jakob has now returned to the pool and resumed his usual training schedule.

Jakob has performed well in recent Swim England’s Level X national events. He set PBs in both events and topped his age group for both strokes/distances in his peer group at Teddington Swim Club.

SWIMMING

Jakob Holder, Year 8

The backstroke time puts him second fastest across all clubs in Middlesex County, third fastest across the London region and 29th in the UK. Based on times from previous years, it would count for Regional qualification. The front crawl puts him fifth fastest across all clubs in Middlesex County, ninth fastest across the London region and 63rd in the UK.

It’s great to be racing again!

As lockdown restrictions have been slowly lifted across the UK, racing and competitions have started again, albeit very different to 2019, staggered starts, no spectators, face masks and hand sanitiser!

My first race of the year was the Eton Sprints Weekend Triathlon which is often associated with the official start of the UK triathlon season. This event takes place at the fantastic Eton Dorney Lake, one of the iconic venues of the 2012 Olympic Games. Competing on the Sunday, I took part in the ITU Age Group team qualifiers which is a 400m open water swim, and a 21.2km bike ride, finishing with a 5km run.

As this was a ITU Age Group qualifying event, it also meant I was trying to gain a qualification place to give me the right to wear a GB tri-suit – it also meant it would be a competitive field.

Eton is flat and fast, which means it really favours the super strong cyclists and whilst I am a good cyclist, I’m not in the same league as some of the 25-year-old men with their expensive time trial bikes.

I did, however, have a good swim despite the water temperature only being twelve degrees, a solid good transition and a decent bike – averaging 33.65 km/h, finishing with a strong 5km run. I finished 9th in my age category which I was pleased about as I am now racing in the U20’s. I’m not sure yet if I have qualified for the 2022 World Spring Distance Championships as I finished 5th for the qualification and only the first four are given automatic places, but as there are 20 spots in the age category, there is a chance that I will be able to qualify based on my placing/finishing %.

TRIATHLON & BIATHLE

Spencer Bateman, Lower Sixth

My second race was something a little different to Triathlon, a Biathle. Biathle is part of the Pentathlon competition and is something I did a few years ago and really enjoyed. It is a continuous run, swim, run and is fast and furious. The National Biathle Championships were held in Milford School in Somerset, which is one of the largest boarding schools in the UK, with approximately 1,240 pupils, 950 of which are full boarders.

115

TheHALLIFORDIAN With Biathle, I try and make the most of my fast run to give myself as much as a lead on the swimmers as possible, and this race was no exception. I entered the pool with a good 20 seconds lead but was caught on the last lap of the swim, a fast transition got me back on the track, and I was able to close the gap and maintain it, which saw me take 1st place. As this was the National Biathle Championships, it gave me qualification to both the World & European Championships representing Great Britain. Having not really competed much in Biathle, I was flattered to read the race report on the Pentathlon GB website.

“There were convincing wins in both the U17 and U19 competitions. In the U17s James Dargan and Zoe Gilbody were clear winners, but it was in the U19 competition where two of the most impressive wins were produced with Spencer Bateman and Natalie Hatfield both finishing at least 30 seconds faster than those chasing them.”

My next race was at the AJ Bell World Triathlon Series in Leeds, which was a great experience, as it is probably the largest triathlon that I have competed in. The transition was on the cricket pitch by Hill 60, named after Hill 60, south of Ypres in Belgium, in memory of the Leeds soldiers who lost their lives.

It was a huge transition area, probably the largest I have seen. The swim was an open water swim with a pontoon start although due to COVID restrictions we were started with 5 second gaps. I had a really good swim and managed to catch and overtake quite a few other competitors but not get overtaken myself. The run to transition was really long – around 500m and then I had to find my bike in the massive transition! The bike was very hilly, consisting of 20km which was several laps, coming off the bike it was back into the huge transition for a 5km run. I thoroughly enjoyed the event. The general public follow the same course as the Pros and Elites completed on the Sunday. We were fortunate to have tickets into the VIP hospitality on the Sunday which allowed us to have front row seats for both the women and men’s elite races. I was delighted to see Alex Yee win, as he came up through the London Academy where I am now, and when I was younger, I remember Alex racing at the same events I attended.

Over the summer I have some more events planned, some athletic meets where I hope to get back to form for both the 1500m & 800m after almost two years out. I also have some British Triathlon Super Series events to participate in as well as a Performance Assessment weekend which are all part of the Talent pathway I am on, but I also hope that I will find some fun races to enter over the summer.

116

Summer Sports Report In May, Lucas competed in the second event of the South East Topper Traveller Series at Medway Yacht Club. Lucas finished first in the 4.2 class in all three events winning the 4.2 class overall. In the second event, given the forecast of gusting winds and the added feature of tidal waters, Lucas chose to race with the smaller 4.2 class sail, in which he currently competes. Next year Lucas is hoping to go into 5.3, full rig class. It was a tiring day with over five hours of sailing, of which only two of those were racing due to the unpredictable wind that kept shifting. The first two races in the morning went well despite the two general recalls that meant the fleet ended up getting a U flag. There was a very strong tide in the third race, and it was taking Lucas and the other 4.2 fleets 20 minutes to get up the 200m long windward leg (bottom to top buoy) and about two minutes to get down. It was a good day with a fantastic result, and Lucas is looking forward to the next event at Downs.

This year has been a challenging season for Chris, with Covid-19 impacting his travel and training during the winter. He has managed it well with Ed Young, the school coach, who visits weekly to fine-tune Chris’ skills. Training with Surrey Academy, Chris could keep playing under the elite player guidance. As the season started, Chris looked in good shape with a 50 for the 1st team contributing to a great win. Chris has been consistently performing at his club, picking up his first 5fer with the team sitting top of the league. As a great school season ended, Chris turned his attention to Scotland. He played for Scotland U19 in two trial games picking up three wickets in each, earning selection for Scotland U19 against Northumberland for two games which shows his progress. These games lead towards the U19 Qualifiers for the Cricket World Cup in Spain, for which Chris aims to be selected. We will continue to support Chris with extra training to facilitate his development whilst following his progress closely.

Following the lockdown period, Felix was told he had retained his position in Surrey’s U13 Performance Squad, based on last season’s performances. He has enjoyed returning to Cricket at school, Esher CC and for Surrey. He has experienced a training session at the Oval post lockdown and has so far had two performance matches at Whitgift School, where he opened the bowling on both occasions, taking one wicket. This could have been increased as there were three dropped catches off his bowling in the field in these fixtures. Over the summer, he plans to continue representing his club and has five performance matches scheduled in our time away from school. We look forward to finding out how these matches go.

SAILING

Lucas Symons, Year 7

CRICKET

Chris Cole, Lower Sixth

CRICKET

Felix Porter, Year 8

117

TheHALLIFORDIAN

CRICKET

Following the lockdown period, William resumed training with Surrey, and he was selected for the inner county squad. Selection for this is based on performance games where Surrey U14’s play Surrey U14’s and following strong performances advance into the Inner County Squad. Over the coming weeks, William’s performance in training and matches will be monitored, and if successful, he will be selected for the County Age Group (CAG) fixtures against other counties. William has had good feedback from age group training sessions and is hopeful of making the CAG Squad. William plays his club Cricket at Egham, and this year as a U14 has played Senior 20x20 midweek and 50 over matches at weekends, often rushing off to senior matches after school morning fixtures. Recently in his first senior T20, he opened the batting scoring 41 runs. William captains Halliford’s U14A team and has been a key player this season, following his recovery from a hip injury. We wish him the best of luck with the Surrey selection process.

CRICKET

Rajveer has impressed the PE staff with his abilities this year, and he has also been a key player for the U12A team throughout this season. Rajveer plays his club cricket at Sunbury, and was selected to represent Hounslow Borough U12s within the Middlesex cricket pathway this year. He was made captain for the first fixture against Harrow Borough, which took place in May, where he made a good start with opening the bowling and returning figures of two for 14.

William Hamilton, Year 9

Rajveer Johal, Year 7

GOLF

Richard Baker, Year 7

118

Richard has had a fine first year at Halliford and has impressed in the U12A team for cricket this term. His real passion is golf!

He was recently invited to participate in the Surrey Junior Golf Development Programme for his age group. It is a highly selective program and is a great experience for him. We have no doubt this will develop his golf game further, and we keep our fingers crossed he is able to take advantage of this opportunity.

Summer Sports Report The hockey club season resumed in early April, followed by trials in May for the England Hockey (EH) Pathway Academy Centre for Middlesex. Nishaan was really pleased to have been selected to join the Middlesex County Squad for training. Nishaan has been selected for the core Middlesex Squad for the inter-county matches, despite a short training programme and intense competition. In atrociously wet and windy weather, he played in defence for the first round, which unfortunately they lost 3-2 against Surrey. His coach’s feedback is that he is an outstanding player with great potential to go further on the EH Player Pathway Programme. His club (Walton and Sunbury HC) have also recognised his potential and given him the opportunity to play in the Men’s 5th team, where he has quickly established himself as a key player. Nishaan’s next inter-county match is against Berkshire, and he is convinced that Middlesex will win. The family will be travelling with him to Reading in support.

Following the easing of restrictions, both Oscar and Paul-Louis were able to resume training with Harlequins Developing Player Programme at Surrey Sports Park. They have been training every Sunday and will do throughout the summer, and throughout the school holiday, they will also have additional midweek sessions added to the training regime. The training has been intense, and the boys are constantly being evaluated due to the loss of the season. They will also be provided with the opportunity to play against other Academies in a tournament format, giving them both an opportunity to showcase themselves on a quality stage. We hope the summer training period goes well for the boys and wish them lots of luck as the evaluation of individuals involved in the programme takes place.

Harry is a talented athlete who has been frustrated by the loss of the last athletics season due to the lockdown period. He regularly represents the school in athletics competitions arranged in the Summer Term and always impresses in House Cross Country and Sports Day events. In the recent Surrey Schools Championships, he chose to do the 800m (despite 1500m being his preferred distance) and beat his PB by an incredible ten seconds to 2.12.51. It was his first competition in 20 months, and he will take great confidence from this race. Harry did have a frustrating period when managing a knee injury, which caused lots of pain, particularly when training. We are delighted that this has passed, and he is finding his best form on the track. Over the summer, Harry will focus on club competitions for Walton, who he represents.

HOCKEY

Nishaan Bains, Year 8

RUGBY

Paul-Louis Howard and Oscar McArdle, Year 11 Harlequins DPP

ATHLETICS

Harry Tuckman, Year 10

Follow us on Twitter We use Twitter to post about our sporting progress. Please follow us @HallifordSport

119

HALLIFORD LIFE

Speech Day Reception Drama in the Theatre

Upper Sixth PSFor HE m WeLeavers’ Pro ek

m ens emetbeNra mick s e op etnc enhoofolRe rd Ga Cr The Joseph Sc rAfte

120

Summer Highlights

HALLIFORD LIFE

Speech Day

Sports Day

Lower Sixth students take part in BP Interviews Mr Slocock’s Whole School Assembly Break the Stigma of Mental Health

Sixth FormYear students help at the TripPTA Ball 9 Residential

121

TheHALLIFORDIAN

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Marley Tavaziva GCSE 122

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Freddie King GCSE 123

TheHALLIFORDIAN

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Ben Gale GCSE 124

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Daniel Madden GCSE 125

TheHALLIFORDIAN

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Isaac Foggon GCSE 126

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Jonny Haywood GCSE 127

TheHALLIFORDIAN

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Kardo Mutabchie GCSE 128

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Scott Martin GCSE 129

TheHALLIFORDIAN

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Luke Elliott GCSE 130

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Ethan Holder GCSE 131

TheHALLIFORDIAN

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Joseph Taylor GCSE 132

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Joseph Taylor GCSE 133

TheHALLIFORDIAN

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Oliver Fisk A Level 134

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Oliver Fisk A Level 135

TheHALLIFORDIAN

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Danial Matoorian-Pour A Level 136

– Art Exhibition 2021 –

Danial Matoorian-Pour A Level 137

TheHALLIFORDIAN

DESBOROUGH House Report

by Mr Vincent Harden-Chaters, Head of House

House Captain: William Bourne

Maroussas (200m A & 100m B), Josh Morrison (Shot Put & Hurdles B), Billy The 2020/21 academic year has Dobby (800m) and Nishaan Bains (200m been another one dominated by the C). The winners of the U14 competitions Coronavirus pandemic and the significant As we moved into a period of lockdown were Lewis Gomez-Moore (400m A & impact it has had on our way of life. At the in the latter half of the Autumn Term, we Shot put) and Thomas Lever (Javelin). In time of writing, the current landscape were unable to play sport therefore the the hugely competitive U15 category, the offers much more hope than even this House rugby was not finished. However, winners were Harry Tuckman (1500m & time last year. With around 90% of all the Spring Term brought the pupils 800m), Matthew Jackson (High Jump & adults in receipt of at least one of the back with vigour to compete in House 100m B), Hayden Haslam-Baker (Hurdles plethora of vaccines, it looks like we are football. After several years of second A & 400m B), Lucas Lindstrup (400m very much in the end game of our time place finishes the boys excelled in all A), Ethan Manzi (Javelin), Ben Gusterson with the virus. Throughout this year, year groups winning the U13 and U15 (Discus), Monty Conway (100m C) and there have still been many positives competitions, finishing second in the Luca McKenzie O’Neill (200m C). Finally, to celebrate, and for me, the sense of U12 and third in the U14. This was an the winners of the relays in Desborough community at the school has been one of astounding set of results after being the House were the U12A, U12C, U13A and the biggest ones. The way the teaching bridesmaid in this competition for so U15B teams. My thanks go to all of those and support staff have worked together many years. who took part in all competitions for the to keep the pupils engaged, motivated House. and intellectually curious during such Moving onto the cricket season, there an uncertain time has been marvellous. were some standout performances The final competition of the year goes on The support, thanks and kind words from throughout, but a special mention for the longest, the Inter-House Merit the pupils and their parents show what a must go to Theo Maroussas for making Shield. We won again this year with a vibrant and caring school we have. Since the Headmasters select. In addition, total of 3,522 merits, a whopping 323 returning in September, I have seen the congratulations must go to the U12 team ahead of our nearest competitor, so a best in each of the boys in Desborough for being joint winners in their House huge congratulations to you all.

House. They are all dynamic and competition and to the U13, U14 and U15, enthusiastic young people with a passion who all finished in second place.

I would like to offer my thanks to my for learning and bettering themselves, tutor team, who undoubtedly hold which they will undoubtedly carry into Sadly, in the last week I was absent the House together and have been a their future lives and careers. from school and missed Sports Day, but continued source of support for the thankfully, Mr Greggor provided me with pupils and myself. Their dedication and With such a fractured year, the normality a breakdown of the results, and I must say professionalism have seen the pupils of starting the year with House singing it made for fantastic reading. In the U12 continue their path to firmer things. had to be put on hold as it was not safe competitions, I would like to mention the to hold this event again. However, it following winners: Christian Fleming- In closing, I would like to leave you will return next year, and as it is a rite Jenner (200m B & Long Jump), Nathan with a quote from Maya Angelou that I of passage to be involved in at least Jones (100m B & High Jump), Jenson shared last year but which seems even once during your time at Halliford, we Waite (400m B) and Charlie Powell more fitting this year. “I’ve learned that will have all of Year 7 and Year 8 in (400m A). In the U13 competitions, no matter what happens, or how bad it Desborough House involved next year, so congratulations on winning to Jake seems today, life does go on, and it will please ensure your vocal cords are ready Goodman (1500m & 100m A), Theo be better tomorrow.”

138

by practising Three Lions (Football’s Coming Home) to support England in the Final this Summer.

Desborough

House Reports

L E AV E R S 2021

Remy Matthews

William Bourne House Captain

Kai Roff

Finlay Crichard

Archie Rabett Vice House Captain

Ethan Stewart

Elliot Howard

Christopher Sanders

Ben Cooper

139

TheHALLIFORDIAN

GREVILLE House Report

by Mr Darren Howard, Head of House

House Captain: Ciaran Griffith

Year 9 came second in theirs. Thank you to all of you who represented Greville Thankfully, after the summer break, the House in those bruising encounters new school year got underway back during this tournament. on the school site. Stay Safe measures, lateral flow testing, and the national The Spring Term was largely lost to vaccination programme allowed students another national lockdown, and this and staff to return to Halliford School. saw a return to online school life. It was Indeed, it was nice to hear the vibrant pleasing to hear how Greville House sounds of school life again rather than students quickly adjusted to this situation staring at a computer screen. For the again. You should be congratulated on foreseeable future, however, an online how you conducted yourselves towards element would still be present in our your academic studies during this difficult daily lives. Restrictions on the mixing of period. Unfortunately, the Inter-House bubbles and size of gatherings meant Cross Country event fell afoul of this that assemblies had to be streamed to pandemic. On our brief two-week return, individual tutor groups. before the Easter break commenced, the Inter-House Football competition Along with these restrictions, a took place. There was no overall win for government ban on singing in schools Greville, but we were very consistent meant that the Singing Competition with where we finished in each age group. could not kick off the usual Inter-House Thanks to all those who took part but rivalry in the Autumn Term. Greville hopefully, it will be ‘coming home’ soon.

House would not, therefore, get the opportunity to defend our 2020 title. A After the rain cleared and the weather lucky escape? Maybe, but we are still got warmer in the Summer Term, Interthe reigning champions! Hopefully, this House Cricket took place. While there much-loved event will be making a return were some good individual performances, in 2021-22. Rumours are floating around no age group managed to win overall. The that next year, Mr Wright is going with Year 7 students were runners up, with Year a slightly different format, a full House 8 and Year 9 coming third in their ages. song and a smaller band piece.

After the Activity Days had finally allowed us to escape the confines of the school, Online Co-Curricular activities such as after two years, the ‘piece de resistance’ the Inter-House Quiz, continued every of Inter-House competitions took place, week, and towards the end of the term, Sports Day at the Xcel Leisure Complex Greville House and its adversaries went in Walton. On a day better suited to the head to head in the Inter-House Rugby competitors than officials, there were competition. Again, whilst there were some fine displays of athleticism on some great team performances in the both the track and field. The spirit that fiercely competitive matches, there were, runs through Greville was displayed in unfortunately, no overall wins in the Junior, abundance by Year 10, who managed to Intermediate or Senior competition. Year fulfil all their events in an organised and 8 managed to win their age group and selfless manner, whilst short on numbers.

140

Whilst only finishing third in the InterHouse Athletics Cup, Greville managed to clear up most of the remaining silverware. Individual performances from Hayden Barrett (Ashfield Shield Intermediate 1500m and Intermediate Sports Champion Cup), Harry Curling (Senior Hurdles) and Anthony RobinsKent (Carrington High Jump Cup and Long Jump Open) helped to complete this pleasing haul. While narrowly missing out on the 800m record, Spencer Bateman knocked nearly 5 seconds off the 1500m time set in 2009 with a new record of 4:19.87. Many congratulations!

Along with Anthony Robins-Kent, Spencer Bateman was awarded the Victor ludorum for being the most successful senior athlete at this year’s competition.

Thank you all for your efforts towards the sporting events that took place throughout the Summer Term.

For those students, both in the Upper Sixth and Year 11, who will not be returning next term, we wish you well in your future endeavours. Whether at university or in a new Sixth Form, please stay in touch and let us know what becomes of you. A big thanks to you all and to Ms Wilcockson, who retires this year, for your services to Greville House during your time at Halliford School. Bonne chance.

Finally, I hope that you all manage to have a restful summer and look forward to seeing you all, maybe in a more normal school environment, in September.

Greville

House Reports

L E AV E R S 2021

Yousef Alsaeedi

Ciaran Griffith House Captain

William Wheeler

William Cannell

Sam Martin

Piers Bowater

Oscar Gammon

Jacob Fuller

Jack Mitchell

Eldar Jafarov

Brandon Paul

141

TheHALLIFORDIAN

RUSSELL House Report

by Mr Matthew Shales, Head of House

House Captain: Robert Pleasance Sitting down to write this report a year ago, I naively thought we wouldn’t need to go through remote learning again.

How foolish I was!! Undoubtedly the pandemic has denied our students a number of opportunities. However, I do not wish to dwell on the negatives, rather focus on the positives. Some of the skills that our students have had to develop this year will certainly stand them in good stead as they grow older.

The resilience they have had to show has been incredible, and without exception, they should be incredibly proud of how they have coped and managed this year.

I have been so impressed with how they have conducted themselves throughout the year. Having them back on-site for parts of the year has been great, and it has been a real joy seeing them interact and engage with each other so positively.

I love this time of year for many reasons, however the part I look forward to the least is saying goodbye to the Upper Sixth, and what a truly fantastic year group they are. It has been a real pleasure getting to know this fantastic group over the past seven years and watching them develop from boys to cracking men. I will truly miss their fantastic sense of humour (although maybe not the amount of stick they used to give me!!). They are superb examples of what a Hallifordian should be, and I would like to wish them every success in whatever the future has in store for them. They fully deserve it.

these was rugby, and once again, Russell House equipped themselves brilliantly on the pitch. Year 7 came second, and Year 8 came equal second. Year 9 and Year 10 and the Seniors all won, meaning that we came second in the Juniors but won the Intermediate and Seniors, and were the overall winners. Once again, we proved our dominance on the rugby pitch and hopefully, we can continue this next season when contact returns. At the end of the Easter Term, we managed to get some Inter-House Football in. It was highly competitive this year and as always, we were very competitive. Year 7 came first, a great effort from the new boys, and Years 8, 9, and 10 came second.

being the Junior Sports Champion, Ben Hughes for winning three events, Louie Patterson for running the fastest 100m on the day, Kian McGrath for winning the Senior Shot and Ben Holmes for winning the Senior Discus, Max Pillinger for winning the Senior Javelin. The Senior Relay Team of Max Connelley, Max Pillinger, Sankaran Suseelan and Ben Witham won the Senior Relay and broke the School Record, running it in a time of 47.84, two seconds faster than the previous record. The final results were in, and once again we were crowned Sports Day Champions for the sixth successive year, a fantastic result and a just reward for all the effort of the boys.

We were able to get back on the cricket pitch this season and complete the Inter-House fixtures. Year 7 came equal first and Year 8, Year 9, and Year 10 all won. This meant that we were victorious across all sections of the competition.

Again, this was a fantastic achievement, and shows just how committed the boys were to compete for the House.

Congratulations go to Max Pillinger on being awarded 1 XI Cricket Colours. Also well done to Rajveer Johal (Year 7), Felix Porter (Year 8), William Hamilton (Year 9), Cameron Terry (Year 9), Thomas Wilkin (Year 10) who were selected for the Headmaster’s Cricket XI.

Next year’s Senior House Prefect will be Max Pillinger, and I am really looking forward to working with him. Max commented, “I am really looking forward to leading the House next year. It was a great start to win Sports Day and be part of the record-breaking 4x100m relay team. It’s Russell’s year, come on the boys.” The two of us have already started plotting how we might win back the singing competition.

This year we were able to hold a normal Sports Day and were looking to retain our winner’s crown. As always, what filled me with such pride was to see the effort that the boys put in, especially from those for whom Athletics is not This year we were able to get back on the easiest of things. A number of boys the sports pitches and compete in some won individual events, but particular Inter-House Competitions. The first of congratulations go to Dexter Lee for

142

I would like to wish you all a fantastic summer. I hope that you are able to get away somewhere, rest, relax and enjoy the company of friends and family.

Russell

House Reports

L E AV E R S 2021

Samuel Imperato

Robert Pleasance House Captain

Oliver Fisk

Louis Mercer

Harry Gibbons

Harry Curtis

Gallagher Dillon

Elliott Saunders

Danial Matoorian-Pour

Brin Dorrell

Bradley Marshall

Ben Ingles

143

TheHALLIFORDIAN

WADHAM House Report

by Mrs Jackie Butler-Smith, Head of House

House Captain: Maximilian Morrell

and I would like to thank them for the wonderful work of our Tutor team: representing and leading the House and Mr Willcox, Mrs Turner-Smith, Mr Todd, I would like to begin by saying that this the school in so many ways during their Mrs Mitchelmore, Mr Diamond, Ms has been a year like no other, but (sadly) time as Hallifordians. I am very excited Armstrong, and Mr Hodgkinson for all this has been a year exactly like the last. to announce that our student leadership of their magnificent support during this While we have seen rising coronavirus team for next academic year sees Wadham difficult time. We are indeed very lucky to numbers, another school closure and boys take the reins yet again, with Alex have such an experienced and supportive remote learning, our boys have yet again Donnelly becoming Head Boy and Charlie team of tutors in Wadham House! The risen to the challenges faced. When we Poulter his Deputy, and I could not be Halliford teachers and leaders work have been at school, the students have prouder of them both. Wadham House tirelessly to support our students’ day shown phenomenal maturity, following will see Archie Evans take the position after day and year after year, but the last the social distancing, mask-wearing of House Captain, and I look forward to two years have been particularly trying, guidelines and complying with the one- working with him to make 2021/2022 just and we sometimes forget that many of the way systems that have kept us all so safe as successful as previous years. teachers at the other end of a Teams call for so long! also have young children who are sharing On the face of it, we may not be the their remote learning spaces. I would like As we look forward to September, we sportiest House in the school, coming to point out the phenomenal job that Mrs all hope for a little normality to return in last on Sports Day! However, what Mitchelmore and Mr Hodgkinson have to our daily routines. While we don’t we do have is buckets of enthusiasm done supporting some very confused know exactly what the coming academic and pockets of real sporting excellence. and often frustrated examination pupils year will hold, we do know that we will Christopher Cole never ceases to who have been directly affected by get through it together. Halliford as a amaze with his all-round sporting changing government legislation around school always strives towards excellence, talent, particularly on the cricket field. grading. The expertise required to keep not just academically and pastorally, but Christopher will be training with the students motivated and focused in such with high expectations of the community, Surrey Academy over the winter with circumstances cannot be underestimated. the school grounds, and our facilities. a view to being selected for the Under It is thanks to their care and guidance We are very excited to have seen the 19 World Cup Qualifiers. Jivraj Singh that we have secured so many first-choice beginnings of a fantastic new facility in is another great cricketer and member university places and will be seeing so the shape of the Woodward Building, of the House who has received two many of our Year 11 students join us in the giving the students and staff a fantastic awards this year as Batsman of the Lower Sixth in September. new learning resource centre and some Year and Junior Cricketer of the Year wonderful teaching and learning spaces for Hampton Wick Royal Cricket Club. Wadham House will continue to do what from November 2021.

Turning to rugby, we are thrilled with Wadham House does so well; to strive the efforts of Paul-Louis Howard and for excellence personally, academically, I would like to say a fond farewell to our Oscar McArdle, who have given so much and in the wider community under the current Upper Sixth: Nicholas Atherfold, of themselves to their sport. Finally, I mantra ‘non vobis’. I look forward to Max Morrell, Seyon Satha and Thomas want to acknowledge the success of welcoming all of Wadham back to school Wittke as they move on to the next phase our very own Max West-Cameron, who in September, following a much-needed of their academic careers. I would like has managed to perform so well this summer break! to thank them wholeheartedly for their year that he competed in the U15/ U16 contributions to the Halliford community Surrey County Championship. Well and to Wadham House specifically. Max done to all of you!

Morrell has been our House Captain this year, and Tom Wittke his Deputy, I could not sign off without acknowledging

144

Wadham

House Reports

L E AV E R S 2021

Maximilian Morrell House Captain

Seyon Satha

Nicholas Atherfold

145

TheHALLIFORDIAN

Old Hallifordians News

by Mr Sam Lawrence, Chairman of the Old Hallifordians In what has been yet another difficult year for all, we are all starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Old Hallifordians have enjoyed another year of preparing, building, and planning for the school’s upcoming Centenary and steadily increasing our foundations to build on the great strides we have made whilst we haven’t been able to see each other face to face.

We now have a thriving Facebook group that is continually growing and reconnecting old friends. One particular favourite story came from William Stringer (1997-2001), who moved to Canada a number of years ago and recently struck a conversation with a ‘fellow Englishman’ discovering that he had met a fellow Old Hallifordian in Michael De Wilde (1953-1955), proving that whilst the rest of us have been socially distanced for the last 18 months, the world is still a very small place! We have also seen excellent contributions in the form of photos, memories and anecdotes that will prove invaluable to documenting the school’s history in the years to come. We are also still establishing ourselves on LinkedIn to support Hallifordians entering the world of work and would be delighted to connect with any Old Hallifordians who might have opportunities to help in that endeavour.

The OH Committee is now turning its attention to the Centenary celebrations in the 2021/22 academic year, which will be announced shortly. We are working in tandem with the school to create a calendar of exciting events which will benefit the school and bring Old Hallifordians, old and new, together. I am very excited to return to normality and get back to our seeing all our Old Hallifordians at one of our events next year.

As a reminder, we do have a dedicated space on the website for you to get in touch with us and register your details for any updates to be sent directly to your inbox. We are always looking for new committee members to help us develop our Alumni network. If you would like to join us, please do get in touch.

Finally, I would like to thank the school for all its support and involvement in helping to develop the Old Hallifordians by welcoming our contributions for the Centenary arrangements and a big thank you to the school’s Marketing Officer Olivia Oakley whose hard work does not go unnoticed, and the continuous improvements we are making are largely thanks to her fabulous and efficient implementation!

On behalf of the Old Hallifordian Committee, I sincerely hope you have a fantastic summer and look forward to seeing many of you throughout the 2021/22 academic year.

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Johnnie Collins, 7G When I joined Halliford School, I was a bit nervous but mostly excited as it was the school I wanted to go to and where I really wanted to be. When I got in, I was more than excited after seeing the amazing things at Halliford School from the Open Days. The first day was great, and I settled in very quickly.

Taking part in the sport is one of the best things at Halliford, especially after school. Getting better at rugby was a highlight as I did not play it at my old school and progressing at it was definitely very fun.

During the lockdown, I soon got used to the routine as I was very used to it from Year 6 and on the plus side, I got to learn a lot more about computers! I have loved my time at Halliford School so far as I have been able to try new sports and learn loads of new things in all the lessons.

146

Autumn Old Hallifordians Highlights

Old Hallifordian Society As always, we encourage all Old Hallifordians to get involved and help us to develop the society.

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.

LinkedIn Our LinkedIn group can be accessed by visiting: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3929687/

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. Please visit: www.hallifordschool. co.uk/about/old-hallifordians

OLD HALLIFORDIAN CONTACTS Old Hallifordian Committee Chairman – Mr Sam Lawrence Committee Members – Mr Joe da Costa, Mr Alex Lenoel, Mr Justin Holder, Mr Ben Connop, Mr Adrian Wetherill Are you vibrant and enthusiastic?

Then why not come along and join the OH Committee?

For more details, contact the Chairman by email: sam@bwwrecruitment.com or call +44 7917 761 012

MY HALLIFORD SCHOOL STORY

Sam Walker, 7G I I decided to come to Halliford because the teachers were nice on the Open Day and the food was good.

I found the entrance exams quite easy. On the first day, I was introduced to my tutor Mr Cunningham and the other boys in 7G. After that, the first week flew by! The lessons I like the most here are PE because it is fun. This school doesn’t have girls until Sixth Form, and it is a private school.

During the lockdown, instead of getting up at my normal time, I got up at 8am and worked at my desk.

The worst thing was not seeing my friends, but the best thing was no homework. I kept fit by going on a Peloton. I have enjoyed some of the clubs and societies here, particularly Manga Drawing Club. I’m really enjoying the sport here too, football is great fun.

147

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