The Ipswichian 2024 by ipswichschool

T HE I PSWICHIAN

The Ipswich School Yearbook 2024

Prefects and Sports Captains 2023 - 2024

Head Girl

Anya Kwatra

Head Boy

Sam Parmenter

Broke

Senior Prefects: Sam Fairs and Emily Hawkridge

Prefects: Paul Beaumont, Amy Curtis, Phoebe Greenacre, Rohan Groot-Wassink, Harold Kwan, Daisy Linassi, Arun Nayar, Bryony Seabrook, Andrew Yau

Sports Captains: Rohan Burke and Ella Rowledge

Felaw

Senior Prefects: Dylan Baker and Sophie Childs

Prefects: Alexandra Goodhand, Dominic Gozzett, Natasha Gregory, Oscar Hollis, Isobel Jermyn, Frances Roper, Rebecca Wells, Winnie Xu, Nathan Young

Sports Captains: Sophie Childs and George Howard

Holden

Senior Prefects: Rozario Lewis and Mariia Oliinyk

Prefects: Darcey Boddice, Renee Chang, Ruiying Chen, Ruby Cheung, Beth Daines, Monty Johnson, Leo Tyte, Niamh Willis

Sports Captains: Thalia Clement and Imogen Palmer

Senior Prefects: Charlie Bezant and Gracie Joslin

Prefects: Dave Amofah Owusu, Charley Butler, Eleanor Breheny, Ruby Gibson, Emmanuella Ihonor, Alex Phillips, Yehor Saprykin, Laurence Sinclair

Sports Captains: Jack Caton and Aurelia Norris

School

Senior Prefects: George Na Nakhorn and Cara Peters

Prefects: Oliver Cliff, Tom Dye, Poppy Furness, Megan Gedge, Jimmy Holdcroft, Kezia Lower, Amy Orford, Kate Wilson

Sports Captains: Connor Holdcroft and Petra Tweedy

Senior Prefects: Bo Holburn and William Woods

Prefects: Elliot Caldwell, Laura Eaden, Henry Gardner, Bethany Herron, Alice Marr, Phoebe Venables, Stanley Walker, Matthew Williams

Sports Captains: Mia Douglas and Oscar Taylor

Boarding

Senior Prefects

Sophia Lam and Kyle Choy

Sports Captains

Boys’ Cricket: Captain - Charlie Bennett; Leadership Team - Barnaby Morton, Lucas Howard

Boys’ Hockey: Captain - Oscar Taylor, Vice Captain - Louis Cannon

Netball: Captain - Petra Tweedy, Leadership Team - Kate Wilson, Sophie Childs

Girls’ Hockey: Captain - Mia Douglas, Vice Captain - Jess Tuff

Girls’ Cricket: Captain - Petra Tweedy, Vice Captain - Bella Johnson

Rugby: Captain - Mart Van der Veen, Leadership Team - George Howard, Bobby Eaton-Collins

Golf: Captain - Natasha Gregory

Cross Country: Captains - Ben Morgan, Darcy Gladwell

Athletics: Captain - Ollie Heather-Hayes

Fives: Captains – Kezia Lower, Alex Phillips, Vice Captains - Natasha Gregory, Henry Gardner

Tennis: Captain - Claudia Bozier

Library Prefects

Alice Chalmers, Oluebube Emenalor, Even To, Sophie Bennett, Lily Newland, Theo Todd, Ethan Howarth-Wedgewood, Adrian Yeung

Music Prefects

Henry Gardner, Elise Lau, Bertie Mitchem, Bryony Seabrook, Benedict Williams, Logan Williamson, Niamh Willis

Rigaud

Senior Prefects

Sports Captains

Sherrington

Welcome

Welcome to this year’s edition of The Ipswichian, our Ipswich School yearbook, which looks back at many of the successes which happened over the last school year.

This year we said farewell to Mr Weaver, who had been Headmaster of Ipswich School for 14 years. In the pages of the Ipswichian we take a look back at a variety of the school achievements under his leadership, along with an exclusive interview with him by some of our Occasional journalists.

We also welcome our new Head, Mr Gregory.

The Ipswichian reminds us of the many school trips, activities, drama productions and music concerts which our pupils have enjoyed, along with successes on the sporting field in a year which finished with our U18 girls achieving two national cricket titles in the space of a week. There is also an overview of our pupils’ exam success in their GCSEs and A Levels – it is this success over the last few years that has seen Ipswich School named as the top independent school in Suffolk by the Sunday Times Schoolsʼ Guide for a number of years.

Whilst we can’t hope to cover everything which takes place in the very busy Ipswich School calendar, we hope you agree that the Ipswichian gives a snapshot of life here and shows how we help to create extraordinary futures.

Thanks

Thanks go to the following for their assistance with this year’s Ipswichian publication:

• All the contributors for their articles and pictures

• Heads of Department, teaching staff and sports coaches

• The Occasional journalism team 2023-2024: Teju Abayomi-Taiwo, Paul Beaumont, Abigail Caton, Alice Chalmers, Adam Crispe, Hansana Gunasekera, Emily Hawkridge, Alex Kelly, Souparno Lahiri, Henry Lu, Holly Maston, Luke McGrath, Lucia Prescott, Ellie Rayner, Barbara Skorczak, Poppy Spark, Phaidra Taylor, Even To, Florence Whitley, Adrian Yeung

• Aaliyah Grant, Cora Fleming, Simon Fisher, Alison Knights, Tracy Williamson, Alex Hunt, Yvonne Gills, Reception and School Office Teams, Estates Team, Nikki Brown

Photography: Ipswich School, Tom Soper, Warren Page, Mike Kwasniak, Gareth King

Design: Ascender Creative

Print: Greenshoots

Editor: Moira Bryan, Communications Manager

Front cover: 1st XI girls’ cricket team win the national 100 ball final at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Photo by Jed Leicester, courtesy of MCC/Lord’s Cricket Ground

All information in this publication is believed to be correct at the time of printing

Follow Ipswich School:

Girls achieve national cricket double

The girls’ cricket team achieved two national cricket titles in the space of a week at the end of the summer term, becoming national U18 100 ball champions and also U18 T20 champions. Having won both the U17 and U18 T20 titles in 2023, this meant the team had four national titles to their name.

On Friday 28 June, the Ipswich School team were the first schoolgirl side to play on the famous square at Lord’s Cricket Ground, the home of cricket. In an intensely competitive match, they triumphed over Bradfield College by four wickets to be crowned national U18 100 ball champions.

Then on Wednesday 3 July, the team faced St Edward's Oxford in the semi-finals of the School Sport magazine T20 competition in Southampton. They won this match by five wickets to secure a place in the final against Epsom College, where a 58 run victory saw the girls crowned national champions once again.

Mr Weaver said: “We are so proud of these girls bringing back these trophies. They have won two National Championships, defying the odds at times with a 'nevergive-up' attitude, a high degree of skill honed through hours of practice, and a joyful camaraderie that makes them a delight to watch and to spend time with. This is a great achievement for Ipswich School and our sports programme.”

Mr Boje, Head of Cricket, added: “The way the girls performed in the finals is all down to their hard work and determination to succeed, along with teamwork, staying calm in pressure situations and their focus on getting the job done! They are a talented group of players and a pleasure to coach.”

Explaining the Extended Project Qualification

Cavendish Centre Visit

A group of Year 11 students visited the Cavendish Centre on the outskirts of Cambridge for a series of talks about different aspects of physics.

These ranged from research in Antarctica to learning how to print our names onto pens, to learning about neuro optics. Each one was interactive meaning after listening to an enthusiastic talk about the topic, we were allowed to have a go ourselves which was fantastic.

One student was able to have a light sensor on his head which monitored how thinking affects the amount of oxygen in our brains, and we were all able to look at nanoparticles through an extremely high specification microscope and experiment with a plasma ball.

Overall it was a fantastic trip which was very interesting and educational but mostly fun. Thank you very much Mr Arthur for taking us to the Cavendish and giving us such a wonderful day.

Florence Whitley, Year 11

Great School was busy in January, with this year’s EPQ exhibition, where the Year 13 students were each showcasing the product of almost a year’s worth of research. Every student set up a stall, and stood ready for extensive questions from interested parents, staff and students.

With diverse topics from ‘Artificial Intelligence: humanity’s hamartia or society’s saviour?’ to ‘A critical analysis of the social, political and economic factors involved in Rwandan economic recovery since the 1994 genocide’, it was fascinating to see and talk about all of the work that had been undertaken.

Mrs Beasant, EPQ coordinator, said: “I am enormously proud of the efforts of all 21 EPQ students this year. The time and commitment needed to carry out such a robust piece of academic research is huge and all of the students have embraced the process with gusto.”

Alice Chalmers, Year 13

Academic Excellence Lectures

A number of Year 13 students gave lectures after school as part of the Academic Excellence lecture series, featuring research carried out for their Extended Project Qualifications (EPQs).

In November Paul Beaumont and Rohan Groot-Wassink gave their lecture on battlefield medicine and the changes made from the year 1453 to 1945. They discussed compound fractures, the development of x-rays, how medicine changed after guns and the introduction of mental issues, such as PTSD. It was interesting to hear how early medicine still included a reliance on superstition for cures, but that barber-surgeons, though not formally trained, actually made some key developments by observing their patients and trialling new ideas. There was a definite wince in the audience when Rohan described the use of boiling oil by physicians to treat amputations!

Paul’s section of the lecture described just how many of the things we take for granted in medical science today were developed due to the world wars. He described the sheer numbers of soldiers involved in wars and the development of more industrialised warfare, which meant there was a concerted effort to improve medicine to keep more men alive and return them to the battlefield.

Later in the month, Emily Hawkridge gave her presentation on the 1960s Space Race, with links to two of her A Level subjects, history and physics. Looking the part dressed in a spacesuit, Emily’s lecture posed questions about the ethics of the USA/USSR Space Race - from the cost of the programme to the animal and human sacrifices which were made. Whilst many in the audience had heard of some of the issues – such as the Apollo and Soyuz tragedies – faced by the space programme, Emily discussed the Nedelin Catastrophe and other fatal disasters on the route to putting mankind into space, which are not as well known, demonstrating how each lecture was a chance to broaden the audience’s knowledge on various topics.

Ipswich School Remembers

The WWI armistice and other conflicts were remembered in the annual Remembrance Day commemorations in school.

The library team created a display out of tissue paper poppies and also put together book recommendations about war and its effects, and there was a service held in the Chapel on Remembrance Sunday for CCF and Old Ipswichians which included readings and hymns.

The Wolsey Consort provided the music, with Niamh Willis playing the Last Post, and a bell tolled for each of the Old Ipswichians named on our war memorials. A wreath was also laid on behalf of the Old Ipswichians.

Abby Caton, Year 12

The Wolsey Consort provided the music, with Niamh Willis playing the Last Post, and a bell tolled for each of the Old Ipswichians named on our war memorials.

Ipswich School Successes

The prestigious Sunday Times Parent Power Guide once again named Ipswich School as the top independent school in Suffolk, an accolade which the school has now held for eight years in a row.

The school went up nearly 50 places to 126th in the national rankings, and climbed one place within East Anglia, where it was ranked as the sixth best performing school. The Parent Power guide judged schools by their A Level and GCSE exam grades from the 2023 summer’s exams.

Ipswich School Headmaster Mr Weaver, said: “We are delighted once again to see that we are recognised in this guide for our academic excellence. Our teachers have a genuine passion for their subjects and use this to encourage all our pupils to achieve their potential, as our exam results show.”

At the end of December, NextGen XV, the rugby organisation which has broadcast many of the Ipswich School rugby matches, named Ipswich School in their Global Top 20 Schools for 2023 - the first time which Ipswich has featured in the rankings.

Ipswich School’s 1st XV came in at number 19, alongside schools from England -

Harrow and Kirkham Grammar - and schools from Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and Wales. In naming Ipswich School, NextGen said: “2023 was the year that Ipswich School went from rising force to a fixture at the top of English schools rugby, and with that a place in this year’s Global Top 20.”

Ipswich School was also named one of the top twenty schools nationally for its sports programme by School Sport Magazine, for the second year running. In addition Ipswich School was the only school in Suffolk to be named within the magazine’s top 100. Mr Weaver said: “Congratulations to our pupils and staff on this outstanding achievement. Our sports programme at Ipswich School is designed to cater for every pupil, whilst giving elite opportunities for our top athletes. I am delighted that we have been recognised with this accolade which highlights the strength and breadth of our sports provision. Well done to all our pupils and staff for their ambition, determination and support for one another.”

The school’s Catering Team has become the first school in the country to achieve the CAP Platinum Award for catering. This award is the hardest to gain of the four CAP awards - organisations have to have achieved a gold award for three successive years before they can be assessed, and have to score over 95% in each of the assessment criteria. To achieve the award, inspectors looked for high standards in high quality food, hygiene, customer service and general cleanliness and tried the food in the Senior School, Prep School and at Westwood, as well as speaking to the staff and pupils, and checking the health and safety paperwork and training logs. Mr Brace from the Catering Team said: “I am immensely proud of this result and all of the hard work of the team, especially as Ipswich School are the first school to achieve a platinum award.”

Black History Month

During Black History Month in October, Middle School and Sixth Form students received a wonderful speech from the award winning writer, teacher and music enthusiast, Jeffery Boakye. Boakye’s talk opened our eyes on multiple topics, such as how we label ourselves and how important labels can be to our identity. Also, he mentioned masculinity and problems in our society like white supremacy, homophobia, sexism and racism.

In an interactive moment, Jeffrey asked us whether the role of the host or the guest was harder. Despite the majority saying the host, Jeffrey believed that the guest has the harder job of trying not to offend the host and to decide which of their labels are safe to show to the world.

After the talk, there was time for pupils to ask Jeffrey any questions they wanted to. These included questions about their labels, teaching in a predominantly white school and how we can prevent racism. Our favourite question was about how we can express ourselves on difficult topics without offending others.

After the event, Miss Woodmansey, Head of EDI, said: “Jeffrey delivered an inspiring and engaging talk that opened students’ eyes to different perspectives and prompted them to look inwards, grasping greater self-awareness about their identities, the labels they embrace, and their core values.”

Teju Abayomi-Taiwo, Adam Crispe and Alex Kelly, Year 10

Catering Team

New addition to The Edge

An exciting new addition was made to The Edge this year, through a link with the London Interdisciplinary School (LIS), which is a new London-based university founded in 2017.

Before working in groups on their own solutions, Mr Charlie Hearl, a tutor from the university, taught the Sixth Formers about the principles of complex problems needing complex solutions, with disciplines like neuroscience, political economy, data analytics, virtual reality and AI all being relevant.

Groups of students then identified an area of inequality that most interested them, and imagined they were consultants tasked with building a dream team of professionals who understood the problem from a full range of perspectives.

We had health inequality, gender and race inequality, and education inequality all under investigation, with final ‘products’ including ideas like apps, e-petitions, urban design and virtual reality used to close equality gaps by identifying safer journeys to school, less wasted time in the ambulance service, and targeted education about multiculturalism in affordable housing schemes.

Mr Cliff, Head of Sixth Form

Lower School Disco Fun

In November, the Lower School Disco took place in Great School. The DJ played several popular songs and we finished on the classic Sweet Caroline. Most Year 7s had pizza and chips in Donachers, and the Year 13s ran a tuck shop which sold sweets, popcorn and fruit shoots for us to enjoy. As well as the disco, we got into groups of 12 and chose one person to wrap in toilet paper. Most people had successfully wrapped their nominated person but others had more of a ‘draping’ result. At the end we all had to tidy up the mess of toilet paper! Many of the teachers joined in, and had just as much fun as the pupils.

Maira Al-Ganiyu, Florence Wooldridge, Annie Joslin and Sophie Lenney, Year 7 Junior Journalists

Chamber music winners

Continuing Ipswich School’s excellent record in the Pro Corda Chamber Music Competition, the U14 Quartet were chosen as winners in their age group in the national finals of this competition which celebrates the very best school chamber music from across the UK.

Cyrus Kwong, Lily Connell, Bella Wood and Alex Blunden performed Nova Liturgia by Irish composer Katharina Baker – a string quartet with four short movements. Performing alongside some of the best young musicians in the country meant there was tough competition – so we were delighted when they were announced as the U14 national winners.

This is an accolade to their hard work and determination; their performance not only showed skill but also flair and amazing team work. A big thank you to their quartet coach Ms Farrell. Mrs Steensma, Director of Music

Students have the PhysiXfactor

In the summer term, one of the biggest Lower School competitions took place underneath the library. Each student was set PSC from the science department to create a poster based on an element of physics, with an option to make a model to emphasise their chosen aspect of physics.

These were then judged by the science teachers, and the winners from each class went through to the final, where they had to present and explain their model to other students and staff.

There were many different topic choices ranging from demonstrations on how Newton’s Laws worked to friction and black holes. Models included one of the James Webb Space Telescope and a box of special liquid you could dunk your hand in and see the chemical reaction explained in the poster.

Mr Arthur, Head of Physics, said: “Huge congratulations to everyone who made

it into the final with particular mention going to Maise Mann (Heron Fountain), Bertie Emin (Archimedes Screw), Teal Stimpson (Anechoic Chamber), Charlotte Tubb (LED) and Dhruv Sanghavi (Hovercraft).”

Sophie Lenney, Year 7 Junior Journalist

Ganzoni Art competition

With 65 entries to choose from, the Art Department had a hard task to decide on the winners for this year’s Ganzoni Art competition.

The theme was “space” and Mr Parkin, Director of Art, explained that there were lots of different creative interpretations of the theme. Some people focused on the universe, while others looked at their personal space around them or even their own head space.

Printmaking for Sixth Form artists

The Year 12 Fine Art class took part in a workshop at Old Jet Studios in January, with one of the artists there – Adam Riches. It was fascinating to be able to meet artists – including painters, photographers and writers – in their workspace as it gave a sense of what art can be like as a real day-to-day job.

Our workshop was focused on portraiture, to align with our recent studies. Specifically, we created monotype portraits, employing various techniques of wiping off and removing paint from a printing block to create negative space images.

The process was quick – albeit slightly messy – with a touch of exciting unpredictability, resulting in a multitude of dynamic and expressive prints. It allowed us to create freely and experimentally; it was a great opportunity to just get stuck into the art of creating. All in all a highly informative, engaging and practical outing.

Madeleine Weaver, Year 12

There was a full range of different art styles produced by students, including high quality fine art, textiles and photography and mixed media pieces. The senior winner was Dorothy Li (Broke) and the Junior competition was won by Art Goodman (Holden) and Sarah Liu (Rigaud)

Dorothy Li

Sarah Liu

Art Goodman

Young Musician of the Year Competition

Nine of Ipswich School’s solo musicians took part in the grand final of the Young Musician of the Year competition in March. Over 150 students took part in the competition overall, in heats for beginners, intermediate and advanced performers, over 5 nights of heats.

From the advanced competition, the following students were selected to perform in the final: Scarlett Humphriesvoice, Basti Todd - drums, Catherine Wang - piano, Ellen Hall - oboe, Colin Chungviolin, Benedict Williams - piano,

Evelyn Cook - flute, Logan Williamsonvoice and Niamh Willis - trumpet.

Whilst the adjudication by Stephen Clarke took place, the audience were treated to a performance from last year’s Young Musician winner, Elise Lau from Year 13.

After commenting on each of the performances heard that evening, Mr Clarke awarded the Young Musician of the Year 2024 title to Colin Chung from Year 11.

Spanish trip to Salamanca

The Easter holidays started with a bang for Year 10 Spanish students, who embarked upon a very exciting trip to the beautiful city of Salamanca. We flew into Madrid, and spent the afternoon exploring monuments there, such as the Guernica and the Santiago Bernabeu - the home of Real Madrid. From there we travelled to Salamanca, where we met our host families and settled down for a much needed sleep. Throughout the five days of the trip we had fun Spanish lessons in the morning,

visited the stunning Salamanca University, which is the third oldest in the world, danced in flamenco lessons, ate a lot of churros and much more.

We enjoyed exploring Salamanca, where we saw beautiful landmarks, tried Spanish delicacies like gazpacho and paella, and had fun with our friends. We also enjoyed a tapas night and a paella night, which was a three course meal at a restaurant on the edge of the city. Overall the trip was a massive success with lots of memories being made.

Adam Crispe and Alex Kelly, Year 10

Lab testing for PE and Sports Science students

In January, the A Level PE and BTEC Sports and Exercise Science students went on the annual excursion to the University of Essex for some laboratory testing in the Human Performance Unit (HPU).

In the morning, students were in a biomechanics laboratory looking at different levers in the body and their forces, and then the afternoon was spent in the exercise physiology laboratories, undertaking multiple sorts of testing to see how the body performs.

Mrs Ward, Head of PE, said: “This visit allowed students to immerse themselves in the world of cuttingedge sport science and exercise performance equipment. The students threw themselves into the testing and gained so much valuable experience being hands-on in the laboratory sessions.”

Essay Competition

Pupils in Years 7 to 11 in schools in Suffolk and North Essex were invited to write an essay inspired by Wolsey and his passion for education, with the title “Learning is an amusement and not a toil when…” This is based on Wolsey’s quote: “Pleasure should mingle with study so that the child may think learning an amusement, rather than a toil.”

The winner of the competition, which was organised by Ipswich School as part of the Wolsey 550 celebrations, was Rose Harrison, a Year 7 pupil from Trinity School. Her essay was described as “A beautiful essay, enthusiastic, detailed and well argued”, and concluded: “Education is not a chore or a toil, it is a gift. You must embrace it with open arms and explore its contents, for you’ll enjoy it and you’ll require it one day, whether that is today, tomorrow or any other day is not the point. Education aids you in your time of utmost need, education protects you and your many descendants – education even saves lives. It stops wars, it illustrates

The winner of the competition, which was organised by Ipswich School as part of the Wolsey 550 celebrations, was Rose Harrison, a Year 7 pupil from Trinity School.

harmony. But, it is also hysterically amusing and satisfying.”

The runners-up were Jaden Jones, Year 10 from Gilberd School in second place, and Lilia Cook, Year 8 from Ipswich School in third place. Also commended were Calum Button, Year 9 from Ipswich School, Lex Roosenbeek, Year 8 from Gilberd School, and Dylan Nash, from Year 7 at The Trinity School.

Business students climb the heights

Year 13 Business Studies students went to Clip’n’Climb in Ipswich, to experience the functions of the business for themselves.

We started off the day with the climbing walls that were 10m tall. There was a variety to attempt: timed walls, parts that would rotate, corular rocks, paired ones and a leap of faith!

After a small break we were given a talk by Mark and Josh, who opened Clip’n’Climb in Ipswich. They explained how it’s important to have a set of values around what you want your business to offer, which for them was to be a social place for friends and family to have fun. We also learned about how they carried out the functions of their business, especially how they had to adapt and overcome problems presented during the pandemic.

To finish off they offered us a few tips on how to make a good impression during a job interview that will be useful for Year 13 going off to university, apprenticeships, gap years and more.

Rossene Raveendran, Year 13

The winners were invited to a special reception at Ipswich School, where Headmaster Mr Weaver explained more about Wolsey’s links with the school, and awarded the prizes.

Mr Crompton-Battersby, who judged the essays, also read extracts from each of them to the audience of winners and their families.

Barbara Skorczak, Year 11

World Book Day Escape Room

On Friday 8 March, there was an Alice in Wonderland themed Escape Room held in the Library, to celebrate World Book Day. Multiple teams of four competed for the quickest time to escape.

With a ticking clock, teams had to solve puzzles and find clues in the four stations set up in the Library. These included a wordsearch, clues on teacups at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, matching pictures of characters from the book to their descriptions and solving a puzzle with giant Alice in Wonderland playing cards.

With the final piece of code in hand, the safe could be cracked and escape from the rabbit hole was guaranteed, along with a sweet treat discovered in the teapot. All the teams managed to escape from the rabbit hole, with the team with the fastest time solving the puzzles in 2 minutes and 57 seconds.

Field trips for Geography and Biology Sixth Formers

In the last weekend of the Easter holidays, the Year 12 A Level geographers went on their field trip to Sheringham, to witness the processes that had been discussed in class such as dune succession, and to use practical methods from physical and human geography methods in order to make a conclusion on our hypotheses. This involved walking around Sheringham and collecting data as well as heading over to Burnham to do transects along the dunes. These transects went 300m perpendicular to the sea and we had to continue along them no matter the terrain, which meant in some cases climbing in and around bushes as well as getting in a bog.

Abby Caton, Year 12

In May, the Year 12 biology students went on their field trip to Holkham, Norfolk. The main task for us was to collect sufficient data for the investigation of a succession of different plant species in sand dunes from the coast. Types of data collection

Annual Art Exhibition

On Friday 17 May the Art Department held the annual GCSE and A Level Art Exhibition at Anglesea Heights.

On display were textiles pieces as well as edited photography that was part of the final exams. There were many canvases filled with colour as part of the fine art section with contributions also including portraits in wardrobes as well as in huge frames.

There was a huge range of textiles pieces, including one which had grass growing in it, one which explored other worlds, and another piece which looked at the richness and synergy of heritage.

The theme for the GCSE coursework was “I Me Mine” which inspired self portraits and other artistic interpretations, whilst the theme for the A Level coursework was “Order and Disorder”.

The art on display was inspiring to all visitors.

Abby Caton, Year 12

involved were the infiltration rates of soils, soil temperature, soil samples and the percentage coverage of different plant species. The data we collected was then analysed back at school.

Henry Lu, Year 12

Student Business Success

The UK Business Olympics allows students to compete against other schools using their practical business management skills.

The Ipswich team of Crystal Li, Marco Ng and Chengyun Wu ran a virtual travel agency for eight rounds. They had to forecast monthly demand for each holiday they offered, decide the best price, where to advertise and find the best value supplier.

The team worked really well developing useful team work, spreadsheet and presentation skills finishing second, above Harrow School Online but just behind Framlingham College.

Dr Wyndham, Economics Teacher

Exam Results

Another set of excellent exam results

Ipswich School’s outgoing Headmaster, Nicholas Weaver, said how proud he was of this year’s Sixth Form leavers, as their results were announced on Thursday 15 August. He said:

“I am delighted to say that we had our best ever exam results in my 14 years as Headmaster here, with 84% of exams graded A*- B, and improvements in grades across the board. I am so proud of all our students, with particular congratulations going to the 58 young people who achieved the equivalent of 3 A grades or higher.”

He added: “Our A*- C pass rate was a phenomenal 97% and we had 100% pass rate in all the 25 subjects which we offer at A Level. In addition, 80% of our BTEC students achieved Distinction or higher, which was fantastic for this group, too. Our thanks go to all our staff who have helped our students throughout their time in our Sixth Form.”

This year saw a record number of students achieve places to study Veterinary Science or Medicine at university. Will Woods (A*, 2 As & A* in EPQ), Sam Parmenter (1A* & 3 As) and Ella Rowledge (2 As, B) will all be studying to be vets, whilst Bo Holburn (A*, 2 As & A* in EPQ), Daisy Linassi (3 A*), Rohan Groot-Wassink (4As) and Anya Kwatra (3 A* & A* in EPQ) are three of the seven students with places to study to be doctors.

Anya, Head Girl, and Sam, Head Boy, were both heading off to study at the prestigious University of Cambridge.

Other particular successes were Emily Hawkridge, who achieved 4 A* grades and A* in her EPQ exam, and has a place to study History at Durham University; Anna Bachelor, who achieved 2 A*, 1 A and an A* in her EPQ to go on to the University of Oxford to study French and German, and Amy Orford, who achieved 3 A* and an A* in her EPQ exam and will be going on to UCL to study History. Amy received an additional commendation from the exam board as one of the top students in the country for her English Literature exam result.

of every opportunity available to them. To all our students, whether they have plans for university in the UK or abroad, apprenticeships, conservatoires or work placements, we wish them all well for their exciting futures.”

A week later it was all change, and the new Head, Nick Gregory, was in school to congratulate the Year 11 pupils on their GCSE results. Mr Gregory said: “Across a year group of almost 140 pupils, it was fantastic to see that over two-thirds of all exams have been graded at 7, 8 or 9. These best-ever GCSE exam results, coming after the record A Level results, were across the full range of our 23 subjects, from performing and creative arts to STEM.”

The GCSE results show 22% of exams at grade 9, 42% at grades 9 and 8, and 67% of exams at grades 9 -7. 38 students achieved all their GCSE exams at grades 9 -7, and 100% of pupils achieved at least 5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English and Maths.

Andrew Bradshaw, Head of Middle School, said: “It was to see our wonderful Year 11 students back in school and to celebrate

Ben Cliff, Head of Sixth Form said: “I am so proud of everything our Year 13 students have achieved during their time here. With average grades per pupil of AAB, this group also contributed greatly on stage, in music, with their community work and on the sports field – taking advantage of every opportunity available to them. To all our students, whether they have plans for university in the UK or abroad, apprenticeships, conservatoires or work placements, we wish them all well for their exciting futures.”

A Level Vets and Medics

Andrew Bradshaw, Head of Middle School, said: “It was to see our wonderful Year 11 students back in school and to celebrate their GCSE results with them - many of whom I have known since they were in our Prep School. Their energy, creativity, ambition and passion have enriched our community here for five years in the Senior School, and their results are so richly deserved.”

their GCSE results with them - many of whom I have known since they were in our Prep School. Their energy, creativity, ambition and passion have enriched our community here for five years in the Senior School, and their results are so richly deserved.”

He added: “I wish them every success in their Sixth Form careers and beyond. Well done Year 11 – I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you and I know that you have bright futures ahead!”

Charity Fundraising

Entrepreneurs across the globe in low income countries, children with cleft palates, children receiving hospice care and survivors of sexual abuse and sexual violence in the local area have all benefitted from the fundraising efforts of Ipswich School pupils this year.

During the school year:

• A concert by members of the Stage Band and Big Band, alongside Ipswich Musicians’ Union raised £803 for EACH (East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice).

• Loans totalling £2,049 have supported business development through our innovative link with Lendwithcare.

• Our £2,086 will help Survivors in Transition develop new support programmes for young people.

• The fundraising for Operation Smile led by MedSoc students smashed their target, raising £2,532 to help the charity carry out operations on children with cleft palates.

The Michaelmas Term saw the new work with Lendwithcare, where each tutor group raised money to be able to make microloans to entrepreneurs in low income countries, to help them develop their businesses. In total, Ipswich School made 86 loans, helped 133 entrepreneurs and created 80 jobs.

With our help, Thuy in Vietnam has been able to invest in new fishing nets, Chhoun in Cambodia has acquired an extra

hectare of rice paddy to increase his rice production, Fayaz in Lahore, Pakistan has been able to make repairs to his rickshaw which he drives to earn a living and to provide for his family and Dona in Ecuador has used her loan to buy fertiliser and seed for her microenterprise where she grows broccoli, lettuce, cabbage and cauliflower. Once the loans are repaid, the money can be used to make further loans in the future.

In the Lent Term, the charity choice vote and link with Suffolk Community Foundation meant money was raised for local Suffolk charity Survivors in

Transition. The chief executive and cofounder Fiona Ellis visited Ipswich School to meet Mr Weaver and said afterwards: “On behalf of everyone at Survivors in Transition, I extend our heartfelt gratitude for your generous donation of £2,086. Your commitment to supporting our cause and helping survivors who access our services is truly inspiring.” The funds from Ipswich School will be used to help fund the start of a new digital therapies initiative for young people.

Throughout the year, MedSoc students carried out fundraising activities including a cake sale, 26 mile sponsored walk and a 60km run as the first school to link with Operation Smile. The aim was two-fold: to raise money to help fund cleft palate operations overseas, and also to give the pupils a chance to challenge themselves to work together on something now, as teamwork is so important whether they want to be a doctor, vet or dentist.

“The Michaelmas Term saw the new work with Lendwithcare, where each tutor group raised money to be able to make microloans to entrepreneurs in low income countries, to help them develop their businesses. In total, Ipswich School made 86 loans, helped 133 entrepreneurs and created 80 jobs.

Mr Calver, Deputy Head of Sixth Form said: “I am so proud of the engagement of the students this year as we became the only school in the UK to work with Operation Smile and become their guinea pigs in developing a template for other schools to get involved. The enthusiasm of the students was first rate and their feedback and insight have been invaluable to the charity. Smashing our target of £1,500 was amazing and the next batch of students are already looking at ways that we can eclipse the money raised next year. Keep a look out for upcoming events from September.”

Jonathan Spees from Operation Smile visited the students at the end of the year to hear how the fundraising had gone and meet the new students who will be involved with the charity next year. He said: “As a pilot for Operation Smileʼs Student Programme, Ipswich School and all of the students that participated did an excellent job. I could not have asked

“

Whether it was taking part in our empathy seminar, or hiking a marathon, or even running 60km, the students approached every challenge and opportunity with a positive outlook, and a desire to make real change happen for the people that Operation Smile work with.

for a more enthusiastic group, and I was so impressed with how eagerly they threw themselves into each task. Whether it was taking part in our empathy seminar, or hiking a marathon, or even running 60km, the students approached every challenge and opportunity with a positive outlook, and a desire to make real change happen

“

for the people that Operation Smile work with. In total, this spectacular group of young people raised more than £2,500, enough to perform almost 20 surgeries for patients that need this life changing operation, and that is just the beginning. I was so honoured to be able to work with this group of students, and I canʼt wait to see how they progress with Operation Smile and beyond!”

Speech Day

Final Speech Day for Mr Weaver

An uncharacteristically rainy day brought the school year to an end on Friday 5 July as pupils, staff, parents, governors and guests gathered in the marquee on the school field for Speech Day.

This would of course be the last day not only for the Year 13 leavers, but also for Mr Weaver, who was leaving Ipswich School after 14 years as Headmaster.

Chairman of Governors, Mr Henry Staunton, opened proceedings, looking back at some of the school’s successes over the last year, including the record number of students receiving offers to study as vets and medics at university and national champions in Pro Corda chamber music and U18 girls’ cricket. He also touched upon the change of government and the probability of the imposition of VAT on school fees, saying: “With the absence of any detailed information, we have focused on scenario planning and stress testing for the many different scenarios which may occur. Our priority will always be to maintain the excellent education we offer at Ipswich School, whilst being mindful of the need to keep parental costs down.”

Mr Staunton then went on to pay tribute to Mr Weaver, mentioning the many

developments that have occurred: “He has overseen a period of huge growth in the school that is unparalleled. During his 14 year tenure, the school has acquired a new sports centre in Rushmere, built a beautiful new music school, opened the Lodge Day Nursery and bought Anglesea Heights in order to expand our boarding provision and Prep School offering.”

He spoke of the academic success and co-curricular achievements, and reminded everyone of the leadership shown by Mr Weaver during the Covid crisis along with his presence in the school’s Big Band playing guitar which would be sorely missed by all musicians.

Mr Staunton finished by saying: “We have all come to respect Nick’s strong moral values and integrity which he encapsulated in the four key aims of

the school – care, passion, potential and communication. The staff know he has high expectations, and they too respect his wisdom, educational insights, thoughtfulness and, above all, kindness.”

Anya Kwatra, as Head Girl, and Sam Parmenter, Head Boy, then thanked Mr Weaver on behalf of the pupils. They said: “The positive impact you have had, as well as the kindness and commitment you show to every student in our school will be remembered for years to come.

Mr Weaver, we know that you have always strived to lead a school that is the most loved school in the country. As we stand here now as the voice of this audience – pupils, parents and staff – we want you to know that if you were to ask any of us, you have most certainly achieved your aim.”

Mr Staunton finished by saying: “We have all come to respect Nick’s strong moral values and integrity which he encapsulated in the four key aims of the school – care, passion, potential and communication. The staff know he has high expectations, and they too respect his wisdom, educational insights, thoughtfulness and, above all, kindness.”

Prize Winners 2024

The Business Prize

Arabella Johnson

The Academic PE Prize

Oliver Cliff

Crewe Prize for Politics

Joseph Saunders

The Economics Prize

Cara Peters

Maule Prize for Russian

Mo Frankland

Holden Prize for Latin

Anna Batchelor

Trehearne Prize for English Literature

Anna Batchelor

Caroline Barnes Prize for French

Anna Batchelor and Petra Tweedy

Peter Marsden Prize for Fieldwork

Petra Tweedy

Finch Public Speaking Cup

Anya Kwatra

Sewell Prize for Senior Music

Elise Lau

Caroline Barnes Prize for English Essay

Amy Orford

Swinyard Prize for Art

Alice Marr and Isobel Jermyn

Thring Prize for Design

Isobel Jermyn

Charles Keene Prize for Senior Art

Blythe Goodman

Parry Cup for Drama

Darcey Boddice

Mistral Prize (Dr and Mrs Monk) Academic Excellence and National Recognition in Another Sphere

Tom Dye

Hamblin Prize for History

Emily Hawkridge

T C Grice Prize for Senior Mathematics

Winnie Xu

Broadway Prize for Applied Science

Daisy Linassi

Notcutt Prize for Physics

Thomas Romanus

Tanqueray Prize for Senior Geography

Monty Johnson

Tom Lethbridge Cup for Design

Sam Allen

Bartlett Prize for Chemistry

Frances Roper

The Chorister’s Prize

Logan Williamson and Bertie Mitchem

Caroline Barnes Prize for Poetry

Emmanuella Ihonor

Paton Cup for Outstanding Service to Ipswich School’s CCF

Tristan Sheppard

Charles Steward Prize for Senior Divinity

Helen Kurnatowska

Joah Hunt Prize for Outstanding Work and Promise (Arts)

Dorothy Li

The Spanish Prize

Alice Chalmers

The Zos Austin Psychology Prize

Bo Holburn

The Notcutt Award for Adventurous Activity

Will Woods

Cowell Prize for Classics

Rohan Groot-Wassink

Rasaiah Community Service Prize

Rohan Groot-Wassink

Friends of Ipswich School Prize for Charitable Work

Henry Lu

Broadway Prize for Outstanding Work and Promise in Science

Lily Newland

Geoffrey Barnard Prize for Sixth Form Reading

Ed Marven

Hayward Prize for German Kit Fell-Clark

The Rebecca Moldram Computing Prize

Matthew Gibson

Cobbold Prize for Mathematics

Matthew Gibson

Grimwade Cup for Photography

Phoebe Ross

Kettle Prize for Middle School Geography

Shayne Choi

Josselyn Prize for Middle School Divinity

Shayne Choi

Middle School Latin Prize

Jacob Masseti

Middle School History Prize

Jacob Masseti

Michael Lee Prize for Modern Languages

Erin Hammond

Paterson Electronics

Alexander Morgan

Crewe Prize for Attainment Year 11

Gyula Rabai

Edward Poynter Prize for Middle School Art

Lily Hoyland-Linch and Sophie Morehouse

Viscount Falmouth Prize for Practical Physics

Stanley Walker

The Library Prize for Reading

Bryony Seabrook

Fisher Prize for Boarding

Harold Kwan

Howlett Prize for Senior Biology

Samuel Parmenter

Fears Watch Company DT Prize

Ella Morgan

Collins Prize for Middle School Classics

Beatrice Gilfedder

Year 11 Prize for Effort

Beatrice Gilfedder

The Reading Prize

Sahara Walker

Palmer Prize for Middle School Chemistry

Krishna Sinha

Scammell Prize for Junior Biology

Colin Chung

Wilson Prize for Music

Colin Chung and Evelyn Cook

Millington Prize for Critical Thinking

George Collis

Woodcraft Cup for Drama

Chloe Hiscock

Crewe Prize for Attainment Year 10

Charlie Dinmore and Albert Frost

Noel Sullivan Prize for Modern Languages

Harriet Blunden

Year 10 Effort Prize

Lucas Ng

Warnes Prize for History

Florence Turner

Junior Essay Prize

Lucy Purcell

Junior Philosophy, Religion and Ethics Prize

Lucy Purcell

Year 9 Effort Prize

Lucy Purcell

Crewe Prize for Attainment Year 9

Sophie McGready

Sewell Prize for Junior Music

Lily Connell

Junior Geography Prize

Amelia Jones

8A Prize for Attainment

Amelia Jones

8A Prize for Effort

Lanya Ahmed

Palmer Prize for Junior Chemistry

Anastasia Moore

8B Prize for Attainment

Anastasia Moore

8B Prize for Effort

James Vellacott

Simon Boutflour Cup for Best Cumbria Log

James Vellacott

Edward Ardizzone Prize for Junior Art

James Vellacott and Nevaeh MacLean

8C Prize for Attainment

Emma Cable

Rowley Elliston Prize for Junior Reading

Emma Cable

8C Prize for Effort

Penny Durance

8D Prize for Attainment

Sophie Kempkens

Farebrother Prize for History of Science Essay

Sophie Kempkens

8D Prize for Effort

Joel Revell

8E Prize for Attainment

Miranda Navaneethakrishnan

8E Prize for Effort

Rebecca Kelly

8F Prize for Attainment

Siddharth Durbakula

8F Prize for Effort

Charlotte Tubb

Norman Stonex Prize for Classics

Charlotte Tubb

T C Grice Prize for Junior Mathematics

Henry Connor

7A Prize for Attainment

Alice Davy

7A Prize for Effort

Alysha Crane

7B Prize for Attainment

Estelle Lau

7B Prize for Effort

Sophie Lenney

7C Prize for Attainment

Nikita Wong

7C Prize for Effort

Poppy Clark

7D Prize for Attainment

Pippa Wooderson

7D Prize for Effort

Maisie Mann

Speech Day

Mr Weaver ended on some words of advice to everyone. Firstly “Go Well” which he explained that he uses because he believes you make your own luck, secondly to work hard at the things you are not good at, as well as the things you find easy, and finally to keep it TKN – true, kind, necessary.

It was then the turn of Mr Weaver to reflect on a year in the life of Ipswich School, saying “Forgive me if I reflect a little, too, on 14 years in the life of Ipswich School.”

He started by taking the audience back to a governors meeting a week before, admitting that there was part of him that did not want to be there, not because he didn’t enjoy governors meetings, but because “this time last week at Lords Cricket Ground, for first time ever, two girls’ school teams were warming up for a match – the National 100 ball final”.

He then gave the audience a flavour of the updates he received on WhatsApp through the meeting and at lunch –having asked for permission first of course – as Mr Edmondson provided information about the team’s progress. Even though everyone at Speech Day knew the outcome, the tension was still palpable as Mr Weaver explained how Bradfield achieved 117 off 100 balls, and we had the task of keeping our run rate up, until it was three runs needed off two balls and his messages abruptly stopped.

“In the pavilion I’ve had three minutes with no messages – torture. And then, a text:

We won! Scarcely have I conducted myself with less decorum at a formal lunch.”

Mr Weaver then explained that it had been his goal to provide an education which was second to none, and to make the name of Ipswich School bigger – “That’s what our girls’ cricket team did, becoming the biggest name in the county, and it’s something which we all have done, a growth mindset applied to the whole school.”

He added: “77% of all students represented the school at sport this year, punching above our weight and putting the Ipswich name on the national sporting map, even before Ipswich Town got promoted!”

He also reflected on the performing arts successes, including the Junior String Quartet who became the biggest name in the country by winning the Pro Corda finals, saying: “Many of the memories I’ll take with me will be musical – from playing guitar alongside students in Big Band in the world class venue of Snape Maltings; to seeing the Chapel Choir putting us on the map in their choir tours all over the world. One of my most amazing memories was the New York

Choir Tour, in St John the Devine, the longest cathedral in the world. I came in the side door, there were people milling about and I couldn’t see the choir. Then there was a sound, everything stopped and I could see a blob of red in the distance – my school, our school…”

Mr Weaver went on to look at the academic achievements giving Ipswich School a bigger name – for example, up 45 places to our best ever 126th place in the Sunday Times Parent Power guide – and the support of teachers, pastoral and support staff for pupils throughout the school, saying: “I am proud that we have grown more as a kind school. Kindness is not weakness, but comes from great strength. I hope my mantra – “Is it TKN – will live with you all, for every communication you make. Is it True, Kind, Necessary?” He also explained about the school being shortlisted for Independent School of the Year in the wellbeing category, and about the work that had been developed over the year to support charities and enterprises across the world. After saying farewell to the leaving staff, he reminded Year 13 leavers of their responsibilities: “In a couple of hours time, you will leave the Chapel as Old Ipswichians, and I have great confidence you will go into the world and make it better,” and spoke about the growth mindset which is so important, giving the example of the girls’ hockey captain Mia, who had overcome her fears to read the hockey report to the whole school in assembly, and who had shared her only

two coaches awards with him in a picture – of her U12C award and her 1st XI award.

Mr Weaver ended on some words of advice to everyone. Firstly “Go Well” which he explained that he uses instead of “Good Luck” because he believes you make your own luck, secondly to work hard at the things you are not good at, as well as the things you find easy, and finally to keep it TKN – true, kind, necessary. He finished with a poem by Christopher Logue, called Come to the Edge: “I love this poem, as it expresses what we do best, when we do school well.”

Come to the edge. We might fall. Come to the edge. It's too high! COME TO THE EDGE! And they came, and we pushed, And they flew.

Once the prize winners had been presented with their prizes by the Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Lynne Mortimer, it was the turn of Mr Ben Parry, Old Ipswichian, composer and choir director, to give his guest speech. He started by telling the audience more about his time

“Ipswich School gave me the opportunity to thrive in those subjects and opened up a pathway to a rich and varied career. Being at this school was one of the most transformative things that has ever happened to me.”

at Ipswich School, where music, drama, languages and art had been the subjects he enjoyed most. “Ipswich School gave me the opportunity to thrive in those subjects and opened up a pathway to a rich and varied career. Being at this school was one of the most transformative things that has ever happened to me.”

He continued his studies at Cambridge University, graduating with a History of Art degree in 1986, saying: “As at school, it was also at university where similar creative opportunities presented themselves – more plays, cabaret and lots of singing and playing violin in concerts. It wasn’t long before I realised that the arts would shape my whole future, and so it has been ever since, combining all those skills I learnt here at school for the twists and turns of a career in the cultural sector.”

Mr Parry described some of the different music experiences he has enjoyed over the years, touring the world with an a cappella vocal group, forming his own professional ensembles, Dunedin Consort, being Director of Music at St Paul’s School in London, the Director of the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music, and Director of the National Youth Choir, as well as namedropping some of the amazing musicians he’s worked with, including Sam Smith, Kylie Minogue and Paul McCartney.

He said: “If you’d told me when I was at this school I’d have achieved all the things I’ve experienced over the last 30 or so years, I simply wouldn’t have believed you.”

Then the Speech Day audience was treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the way in which film soundtracks are made, due to Mr Parry’s work with his professional choir, London Voices. He said: “While you may not necessarily have heard of London Voices, I can pretty much guarantee that you will have heard them.”

The choir provides a choral element for films such as Harry Potter and games like Skyrim, and Mr Parry talked through what the choir did for the movie Spectre – the first choir to sing in a Bond film: “There’s a car chase scene in Rome which passes right in front of St Peter’s Basilica – the perfect moment for a choir to sing!”

He finished by reminding everyone of the purpose of school: “School allows you to explore, to learn, develop and grow, not only as a means to shape your future but also to becoming a well-rounded human being. It allows you space to connect with others, to discuss, debate, disagree and resolve. That’s certainly something which is crucial in my work in the creative industry – that human connection which can throw up all manner of issues and problems but where you can learn to collaborate and find ways of creating the best outcome.”

Farewell Mr Weaver

Ipswich School says “Go Well” to Mr Weaver

This was the year in which we said a fond farewell to Nicholas Weaver, who had been Ipswich School Headmaster for 14 years. On these pages we remember his time with us in pictures, as well as with some tributes from Senior Management Team members.

But firstly, Emily Hawkridge, Alice Chalmers and Paul Beaumont, all Year 13 students in the Occasional journalism team, interviewed Mr Weaver before they left to take their A Level

exams. They reminisced on his time here at Ipswich School, asking him about his experience as Headmaster as well as some quick-fire questions in true Occasional style.

Q: Favourite school meal?

A: I’m spoilt for choice but the curry is always good. I also enjoy hunter’s chicken and if it is a sandwich kind of day then definitely a meatball sub!

Q: Favourite moment at Ipswich School?

A: It is so hard to choose but times when I have been emotionally moved; results day, music performances (including the Chapel Choir filling the longest cathedral in the world when on tour in New York) and sports matches for example.

Q: What are you most going to miss?

A: Of course there are so many, but I loved playing with Big Band as it was always a very unique experience for a headteacher, being on the same level as students.

Q: On that subject, what has been your favourite performance with the school?

A: I have loved every performance, especially the ones at Snape, but I would say my favourite is the one that is coming up at this year’s Midsummer Soirée where I will be singing in front of the Big Band for the first and only time.

Q: What’s something that everyone would be surprised to know?

A: I worked at Deutsche Bahn in Munich, repairing trains, when I was a student.

Q: Proudest development you’ve introduced to the school?

A: Again, there are so many but Headmaster’s Assemblies used to be in Great School where you couldn’t fit the whole school and so I (and the Friends of Ipswich School) bought the chairs and built the shed where they are stored next to the Sports Hall. This meant that I was able to create a whole school assembly, something now crucial to Ipswich School life.

Q: Most interesting Speech Day speaker?

A: I have enjoyed so many speakers, especially the ones who can relate to their time at school. I really enjoyed Old Ipswichian Adam Rutherford in 2019 who gave some top tips including to vaccinate your children; little did we know that Covid was right around the corner.

Q: What are you most passionate about in education?

A: Definitely the Growth Mindset. I’m currently learning to play the drums in order to remind myself of the struggle that all students have to go through in the beginning of learning something new.

Speech Day guest speaker

Suzannah Lipscomb

2015 With National Indoor Hockey Champions U18 girls

Q: What was it like going to the Queen’s funeral?

A: It was an extraordinary and nervewracking experience watching all of the foreign dignitaries, former prime ministers and members of the royal family enter the building. I was seated opposite the lone piper and it was a very poignant moment to see him turn and slowly walk away.

Q: What’s your most interesting fun fact?

A: As a former physics teacher, it will be something related to physics. If you poured a glass of water into an ocean and then mixed all of the water in all of the oceans together, taking a glass of water out would contain at least one molecule from the original glass.

Q: Favourite suit?

A: My purple suit.

Q: Tea or coffee?

A: Both, but I drink more tea within a day.

Q: Cats or dogs?

A: I would say that this is not a binary question; dogs may get super excited to see you, but it is the same for everybody else that they see, whereas cats are typically less affectionate but can choose you specifically out of anyone to sit on.

Q: Favourite instrument?

A: The acoustic guitar or electric lead guitar.

Q: If you were a biscuit, what biscuit would you be?

A: The temptation is to say that you would be your favourite biscuit, but that's not necessarily going to be the answer. I would say Jaffa cake because I enjoy the controversy. Is it a biscuit or a cake? Is it subverting the idea of both? So I’m saying, what I would like to be seen as is quite hard to pigeonhole.

Q: If you could choose any other job, what would you choose?

A: I would probably choose a professional musician or performer as my alternative career.

Q: Is there a particular quote you would like to leave the school with?

A: Go well!

Mr Weaver has clearly done so much in his time here at Ipswich School and now that it is nearly time to say goodbye, we would like to say thank you!

Nick has a rare command of language; he always finds the right words for every situation. He has always shown that kindness is at the centre of every decision he makes. Thank you, Nick, for taking on the burden of office daily, so that we can enjoy the best bits at the coalface. It must have taken its toll. And thank you for the trust that you have put in me personally, and the wisdom that you have imparted. Ben Cliff, Head of Sixth Form

Nick has a rare command of language; he always finds the right words for every situation. He has always shown that kindness is at the centre of every decision he makes.

2016 The opening of Ipswich School Music School

2020 Addressing the school post-Covid at the Winter Wonderland event

2015 Opening of Ipswich School sports centre

2019 At the launch of the Founding Futures Fund

2018 Unveiling of the Doves exhibition

Farewell Mr Weaver

In Early Years, Nick has visited The Lodge and Lower Prep to read stories to our youngest children. They were enthralled with his animated storytime sessions, where he would entertain the children with his fun way of telling tales.

In Upper Prep, children have been given the opportunity to receive a handshake from the headmaster for notable achievements. These handshakes were taken very seriously and the children practised firm handshakes and maintaining eye-contact before the momentous occasion. This demonstrates his marvellous ability to relate to children of all ages – from cradle to adulthood. Prep School

“

2019 The purchase of Anglesea Heights

The Last Headmaster

In Ipswich School, where Nick held sway,

A headmaster kind in every way.

His motto echoed, clear as bell,

We’d hear him say “Go well, go well”

In purple suit, a vibrant sight,

He led with warmth, his heart alight.

Compassion flowed in every deed,

His time and care, a constant feed.

To teachers, he would often preach, “Be radiators!” his fervent speech.

For drains would sap the spirit's flame,

But radiators spread warmth's acclaim.

He loved a book and a red phone box

A passion for learning…and Top of the Pops!

A Star Wars fan who embodied The Force

With a Jedi’s spirit, he stayed the course.

I'd like to add something about Nick's culture of thanks, which has been so resoundingly installed as a cultural feature here, with the thank you cards that he encourages Middle School pupils to write as part of his Life Skills lessons. In such a busy school, I know that they have been fondly received by so many grateful colleagues.

Andrew Bradshaw, Head of Middle School

With growth mindset, he'd always strive,

Encouraging all to thrive and thrive.

Guitar in hand, he'd strum along,

Singing words of hope's sweet song.

In Ipswich School, his legacy grand,

Nick's spirit roams, a guiding hand.

Kindness, courage, in his wake,

A shining example for all to take.

So now it’s time, pupils say “Goodbye”

He’s grown their wings and let them fly

We truly wish him a grand new life

With his boys, his girl and his beautiful wife.

Thank you, thank you for all you’ve done,

For me, for them, and everyone

It’s hard to say but we bid farewell

My last words being “Go well, go well!”

Audrey Cura, Senior Deputy Head

2022 Commemorating the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II

2018 Playing with the Big Band at Snape

2023 Ipswich School book for King Charles III

Welcome Mr Gregory

New head appointed

In January, it was announced that Nick Gregory, an Old Ipswichian and Head at Wycliffe College in Gloucestershire, would be joining Ipswich School as the new Head in September 2024.

Henry Staunton, the Chairman of Governors, said: “I am delighted that we have found such an excellent individual with a connection to Suffolk and Ipswich School to build upon Nicholas Weaver’s 14 years of outstanding leadership.

“During Mr Weaver’s tenure, Ipswich School achieved its highest ever position in the academic league tables. Our sports teams, both boys and girls, have consistently reached the national rankings, and our musicians and actors have gone on to achieve national and international recognition. In addition, he presided over a steady growth in numbers and has enhanced the school’s estate, with the opening of several new landmark buildings and facilities, including sports facilities at Rushmere, a new Music School, and the purchase of the Anglesea Heights site.

“We welcome Nick Gregory and anticipate he will build on this legacy to take Ipswich School into an even stronger future.”

Prior to taking on the Headship at Wycliffe in 2015, Mr Gregory had undertaken a wide range of roles at schools including Barnard Castle, Merchant Taylors’ Northwood, Old Swinford Hospital and Mill Hill, where he was Deputy Head (Pastoral). Nick has an MEd in Educational Leadership. He made the switch into teaching – teaching modern foreign languages, principally Spanish – after starting his career in finance with Barclays Bank.

During his time at Wycliffe, he has improved academic standards, developed boarding, increased pupil numbers, raised the school’s

profile (both nationally and abroad), and led a wide-range of building and facilities projects. Wycliffe was awarded ‘Excellent’ for all areas of its provision in a 2022 ISI Inspection.

Nick Gregory said: “I feel exceptionally honoured to have been asked to lead the next chapter of Ipswich School’s long and illustrious history. Nick Weaver will hand on a school in extraordinarily good shape

characterised by – among many other things – a notable and richlydeserved reputation for excellence in music and the arts, outstanding academic achievement in a wide range of subject areas and a recent record of enormous success in sport (especially in cricket, hockey and rugby).”

Clubs and Activities

Duke of Edinburgh

Bronze

Heavy bags, sore feet and lots of fun were packed into the Year 10 DofE Bronze expedition. It started on a bright but mild Saturday morning when the 12 groups set off from a car park close to Sutton Hoo. We then walked around 14km with lots of breaks, snack bars and jokes. Once we arrived at Rendlesham Forest we caught the bus back to Notcutts where we would camp for the night. After we arrived it was time to cook the first of our two hot meals. A wide array of smells wafted over the campsite including a lot of pasta sauces. Washing up was difficult with minimal equipment but we got there. We then settled down for the night with full bellies and another day of walking ahead of us.

In the morning we woke up with minimal sleep but spirits were still very high. All 12 groups began making their breakfast, with dodgy porridge being made all around the camp. Later we began our long walk around Ipswich, going to all six checkpoints stated on a sheet of paper provided to us. However even with this information, some groups struggled to navigate around Ipswich and there were many short detours. In the most extreme cases it was detours which were hours long.

We arrived back at Notcutts with aching bodies and tired minds, but with a real sense of accomplishment around the groups.

Adam

Crispe and Alex Kelly, Year 10

Gold

A group of Year 12 and Year 13 students departed school on Monday 5 April to Snowdonia, in North Wales for the Year 13s to complete their final expedition within the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, and for the Year 12s to complete their Gold practice walk. En route to Wales we stopped to do the food shopping for the week, as we were staying in The Old Corris Youth Hostel, where we cooked dinner in small groups every night. On Tuesday, our first day, the Year 12s walked in one group, practicing our navigation and map skills, being careful to consider contour lines in our route, to ensure successful map reading for our final expedition.

In the evening the Year 12s split into three groups to plan our routes for Thursday, where we would be in these teams following the plotted routes to meet the teachers at a local village. On Wednesday we climbed up Cadar Idris which has an elevation of 893 meters. Unfortunately, due to strong winds and poor visibility, we were only able to walk up two-thirds of the mountain before turning around, however all of us gained a valuable experience of the terrain that we would be walking in during our final expedition. Once back at the foot of the mountain, we had a short stop at Holgates Ice Cream Shop while we waited for the year 13 group to reach the checkpoint so that we could give them more water for their final night out.

Finally, on Thursday all three Year 12 groups successfully walked the routes that we had planned on Tuesday night, and arrived at the village of Abergynolwyn, the final checkpoint where we were picked up, as well as the Year 13s. After our final night of many games of Uno, we embarked on the lengthy journey back to school on Friday. The week in Wales taught us many skills, which no doubt we will use on our final expedition.

Alice Morrison, Elena Fairweather and Ellie Rayner, Year 12

History Club and Thomas Wolsey

Members of the Lower School History Club were treated to two scenes from a play by Suzanne Hawkes, about the life of Cardinal Wolsey, performed by a local theatre group. The play was based upon the biography of Wolsey by his long term servant George Cavendish.

The Lower School History Club had been researching the life of Ipswich School’s most famous student since the summer term last year. As part of this research they visited the School Archives several times, attended the Wolsey exhibition at the Hold in Ipswich town centre and conducted their own research during

Friday lunchtimes. This research formed part of Academic Excellence Lecture which they gave in December, looking at Wolsey’s life and his relationship to Ipswich School, as part of Ipswich’s Wolsey 550 commemorations, which marked 550 years since the birth of the town’s most famous son.

The students were given an opportunity at the end of the performance to ask questions, which the actors answered. On leaving, the actors noted how impressed they were with the students’ interesting and thoughtful questions.

Miss Manson, History Teacher

Gold Expedition

LEGO

On Tuesday 5 March, two teams from Years 7 and 9 travelled to GeTech to take part in a regional LEGO Robotics Competition. The teams had to design, build and program robots to complete missions, going head-tohead with other competitors to score as many points as possible. They also had to give presentations describing their innovative solutions to a problem linked to this year's theme, which centred on the links between technology and the arts. Both teams did incredibly well succeeding in winning a trophy each. The LEGOphants won the trophy for core values and The Luminaries won the Judges' Rising Stars award.

Pippa Wooderson and Shero Hassan, Year 7

Mandarin Club

In Mandarin Club, Mrs Winter gave us the supplies to make some groovy mooncakes for the mid-Autumn festival – they were the cat’s pyjamas! You got the dough and rolled it into a smooth and tender ball that you then smack flat into a pancake shape. After this it was time to pick your filling of

Rigaud are debate winners

The inter-house debating competition finished with Rigaud very narrowly beating Sherrignton in the final, proposing the motion “This House would be teetotal”.

Rigaud proposed that the dangers of alcohol, on health, social and economic grounds mean that a societal shift away from the use of alcohol was recommended, whilst Sherrington opposed the motion with a range of striking ideas, persistently challenging Rigaud about the difficulties of implementing a cultural shift in behaviour. After a heated floor debate the judgement was given: 36 points to Sherrington and 38 points to Rigaud.

Well done to all the speakers, who showed, as always, how well rounded and skilled our pupils are, and how interesting the world around us is. In this year's competition we debated about whether public figures have the right to private lives (defeated), affluent nations should accept significantly more immigrants (a draw), the use of drones (defeated), vegetarianism (proposed), the sale of organs (proposed) and teetotalism (proposed).

Mrs Catchpole, English Teacher

choice - red bean or coconut – they were so good that my friend Conner could not stop salivating – truly a culinary masterpiece. You wrap the dough around your filling until it’s a ball and then cover it in flour. Then it was the mega cool part – put the topping shape into the ‘squisher machine’ along with the dough and bam – you have moon cakes!

Will Newland, Year 9

Chess Club

After a term of closely fought matches, the winners of the Christmas Chess Ladder were announced in December.

Congratulations went to Emil (Year 8), Henry and James (Year 7) who achieved first, second and third place in the competition, with Emil receiving a shiny, engraved medal and all three receiving a badge and some Christmas sweets presented by maths teacher Mrs Turner, the club organiser.

Music Tech record sax ensembles

The Music Tech activity group converted the Music School into a recording studio and recorded a brand new album with three of the school’s saxophone ensembles. Most of the tracks were supplied by the Advanced Saxophone Ensemble, but there were also recordings by the Intermediate Saxophone Ensemble and Saxlings - the Prep School ensemble. The Holly Road Album, with more than a nod to the Beatles’ 60th anniversary, was launched at the Winter Concert in November.

CCF

Summer Field Day

On Wednesday 19 June, the CCF travelled to Zulu training area in Thetford. Upon arrival the cadets and NCOs constructed their bashers ready for the night ahead, thankfully unlike last time, the sun was shining and there was no rain. After this, the cadets cooked their ration packs to prepare them for Wednesday night's navigation exercise.

After a brief from Mr Morgan, the cadets were split into groups with an accompanying NCO and completed the night navigation exercise, implementing the patrol formations that they had learnt and practiced in training. Cadets enjoyed the exercise and earned a much-needed sleep.

In the morning, cadets and NCOs got up early to start preparing breakfast. Having eaten, taken down their bashers and packed their bergens, the cadets were split into two groups for the day to complete two stands. The first stand was a chance for the cadets to practice and improve upon patrol formations across different terrain. They were also able to practice communication in the field by using different hand signals. This is vital in a military situation and the cadets approached it with enthusiasm and were as a result successful in patrolling across varying terrains.

The second stand was measuring distances and a stalk. The NCOs created an observation lane where the cadets demonstrated their ability to accurately measure distances between different points, again implementing vital skills that they have been taught in their CCF afternoons at school.

Over in the Army section camp once all bashers were established, the sections were split up to conduct some brief practice in patrols, conducting snap ambushes, designating rendezvous positions and more.

Blank ammunition was distributed among the cadets and battle prep began: slings were attached to rifles and magazines were loaded. This revision session was crucial for the Year 10 cadets as once the sun had set, the Year 12 NCOs led them in patrol formation to an ambush position. Three fire teams took up positions on each flank and then we just had to wait until the enemy (Year 12 officers) wandered past, before almost 40 rifles opened fire upon them, ensuring that no one was able to escape!

The following morning we were straight into more blank firing manoeuvres, allowing Year 10s the opportunity to take up leadership roles when it was safe to do so.

Overall it is these out-of-school exercises which allow the Ipswich School CCF to be so confident when on the summer army camp with other schools present. Many skills were developed and the outing hugely increased the confidence of our junior Year 10 cadets.

The CCF then returned to school on Thursday afternoon. Overall, thanks to all the officers and NCOs, the field day was extremely successful, giving the cadets another good opportunity to use their military tactics over more realistic terrain

Elena Fairweather and Henry Myers, Year 12

Annual CCF Awards

Just before the Easter holidays, the annual CCF dinner night took place at school. The dinner aims to congratulate those who have been awarded prizes and say farewell to those who are leaving us this year. Our guests were the Headmaster (Commander of the CCF), Old Ipswichians Will and Oli Bagnall, Marcus Gibson and Lt Col Clayton. The following awards were presented:

Bob Clayton Shield for the most promising Year 11 cadet (Army)Cadet I Johnson

Backhouse Trophy for the most promising Year 11 cadet (RAF)Cadet Ogilvie

Dan Milgate Shield for the most promising Year 12 Army NCOCpl Myers

RAF Paton Shield for the most promising Year 12 RAF NCOCpl Newland

Bantoft Sword for outstanding leadership, Year 13 NCOsFS Kwatra (RAF) and Sgt Venables (Army)

Allen Cup for drill and deportmentLCpl Rogers (Army) and Cpl Gebhard (RAF)

Kitchener Cup for best shot - Cpl Douglas (Army) and Cadet Watts (RAF)

Well done to all these cadets on their success.

Apache lands on the school field

On Thursday 30 November, Ipswich School had a visit from a Boeing AH-64 Apache flown by Lieutenant Colonel Harris and Captain Nash from the Army Air Corps at Wattisham.

Since it was Lieutenant Colonel Harris’ last flight, he wanted to come to Ipswich School to speak to those in the CCF about the aircraft and joining the army.

Shooting skills at RAF Honington

Ten CCF cadets, and four NCOs from the RAF and Army sections spent last Thursday afternoon honing their shooting skills at RAF Honington. They used the Dismounted Close Combat Trainer (DCCT) laser rifle range used to train soldiers to shoot prone and kneeling over targets ranging from 25m to 100m. The weapon was the standard issue armed forces rifle, but using the incredible technology showed data on everything from trigger pull, to muzzle movement, to rifle positioning and shot grouping. This meant detailed feedback on how to improve was provided, and some healthy competition to see who was best!

Many pupils and staff gathered to watch as the helicopter flew in and out over the school and Christchurch Park, whilst the CCF cadets enjoyed the chance to find out more about the Apache and what experience it takes to fly one.

Cadets take to the skies

RAF Cadets from Ipswich School took to the skies above Suffolk on Sunday 26 November with a day out gliding with the Army Gliding Club at Wattisham.

Some exceptional shooting was noted by Sergeant Sanderson who was conducting the range. Well done to the cadets on some stunning accuracy and thanks to Captain Ross and Flight Lieutenant Fredrikssen-Jones for making this training possible.

Pilot Officer Faiers, CCF (RAF Section)

Cadet NCOs Bailey, Jermyn, Kwatra, Shand-Brown and Sheppard accelerated from 0-60mph in less than 2.5 seconds as they hurtled upwards at a 45 degree angle into the air. Views across Suffolk out to the Orwell Bridge were possible from 2,000ft up in the morning, with the dropping cloud meaning lower level circuits in the afternoon. Using the ‘ground effect’ cushion to fly at high speed just 10ft above the runway was also a highlight.

Alongside being airborne, cadets towed gliders more than a mile out from the hangars.

Alongside being airborne, cadets towed gliders more than a mile out from the hangars, got involved with connecting and launching gliders themselves, and worked hard for seven hours in a freezing northerly wind to support serving soldiers and gliding club members.

Huge thanks go to Squadron Leader Morgan and Flight Lieutenant Fredrikssen-Jones for their work to make this happen.

Pilot Officer Faiers, CCF

CCF Dinner

House Reports and Ganzoni Awards

School

Head of House:

Miss C Cooley

Senior Prefects:

Cara Peters and George Na Nakhorn

I’d like to start my first School House report by thanking two people: my senior prefects, Cara Peters and George Na Nakhorn. Their leadership styles really complemented each other and throughout the highs and lows of a long school year, I have been able to rely on them to bring their efficiency and positive attitude to every job at hand; they have helped make my first year as Head of House a real joy.

An early highlight of the year was meeting each of our Year 13 students to talk through their UCAS applications. Over the course of a few months of discussing course choices and refining personal statements, I learnt about a huge range of topics, including how film-makers influence viewers’ emotions through use of colour, the impact of street sport in the

development of cities and how current politics can influence the interpretation of key vocabulary in classic French texts. Our house dinner in February was superbly hosted on the waterfront by Aurora in beautiful surroundings; with fairy lights on the tables reflected by the twinkling lamps of the marina boats, the atmosphere was magical. Both Year 13 and staff needed their sense of humour on hand as jokes, tongue in cheek awards and matching prizes were dished out by Luke Kearton and Harry Oliver. Huge thanks to these two, and also to the six house tutors, whose competence and professionalism are second to none. It will come as no surprise to those who know me, that I am a somewhat competitive person. Performances in the various Ganzoni Cup competitions are therefore a priority, and there were many high profile wins for School House this year, as we swept the floor with our competitors in rugby, hockey and netball. Our seniors won the maths competition, and were only outdone in the 5-a-side football due to some dodgy refereeing! Sports day was an absolute triumph, as we won outright in three of the four categories and set an outrageous number of school records in a range of disciplines including relays, javelin, triple jump and many, many more. Despite this, our overall score did not reflect this dominance and the lesson to learn here is to ensure full participation at every event – a target for next year’s Ganzoni Captains! Two of our leavers are taking an unusually exciting route through next year. Cara Peters came through an extremely competitive field, successfully navigating

several rounds of interviews, to be awarded a highly sought after place on the Bloomberg LP degree apprenticeship scheme. Tom Dye, one of our outstanding rugby players, was selected to play for England during the U18 Six Nations tournament, and has been awarded a professional contract at Northampton Saints, alongside studying for a degree in Economics on Loughborough University’s elite athlete pathway.

I’d like to close by mentioning an outstanding contribution to charity. This year our MedSoc sixth formers partnered with Operation Smile UK to raise funds for cleft palate surgery. Alice Chalmers was one of a small group who walked 26.2 miles along the Suffolk and Norfolk coast, from Aldeburgh to Lowestoft. She really is changing the world one smile at a time! Miss Cooley, Head of School House

Our seniors won the maths competition, and were only outdone in the 5-a-side football due to some dodgy refereeing! Sports day was an absolute triumph, as we won outright in three of the four categories and set an outrageous number of school records in a range of disciplines including relays, javelin, triple jump and many, many more.

Broke

Head of House:

Mr L Morgan

Senior Prefects: Emily Hawkridge and Sam Fairs

Life is never dull in Broke House. The level of competition for the coveted Ganzoni trophy was particularly fierce this year; however, we also managed to pack in several notable events, including house chapel and house dinner and, once again, charity fundraising.

In Michaelmas we welcomed many new people to the house – the Year 9 form, new students in Years 10 and 12, plus tutors Mr Stuttard, who was new to Ipswich School, and Mrs Steele as a sixth form tutor, joining us from School House following her promotion to Head of Geography. The term started with the familiar round of Ganzoni events, with Broke successful from the outset in the junior girls’ badminton. Early in the term, we also had our house chapel service, with the theme of ‘Time’. The service was really well attended by Broke students

and their families and provided another opportunity to sing the Broke House sea shanty, much to the amusement of all those involved.

Gentlefolk of Suffolk, Come now hear my word, A hero lies within our midst, With a fine beard and a sword, A tale of such temerity, Of gun powder and sail,

The small boy who from Ipswich School, Fought the Yankees tooth and nail.

In the Lent term, the house dinner once again proved to be a great success, due in no small part to our senior prefects Emily and Sam, who organised a fantastic event. The dinner this year was held at Venue 16, with the theme of James Bond providing the perfect excuse for everyone to dress up smartly. Students and staff had a fantastic evening with great food and music from the tracks of Bond movies, alongside a photo booth, baby photo competition and prizes awarded to members of the house in a variety of humorous categories.

Sports day was a great opportunity to test athletic ability over long and short distances and in the field events. Despite the slightly wet weather, Broke got stuck into the healthy competition, with notable performances particularly in the longer distance events. Darcy Gladwell, Lottie Hitchcock and Pip Rawlings returned from post-GCSE leave to compete, with Darcy breaking the senior girls 1500m record which has stood since 2011.

This year we have had a particularly active charity committee, led by Year 12 students, who organised a variety of events. The charity bake sale before Easter proved to be very popular, as

did the refreshments at sports day; the summer fair at the end of the year was also a great success, with stalls such as splat the rat and the sponge throwing drawing the crowds. Broke proudly raised a total of £490 this year, which is a great credit to the charity committee and other members of the house who took part in charity events; all proceeds were donated to the schoolʼs charity, Survivors in Transition.

Throughout the year, the message in Broke has always been ‘get involved’. We might not have won every competition this year, but consistency and maximum participation in the co-curricular life of the house is such an important aspect of who we are. It was very pleasing, therefore, to be awarded the Ganzoni Cup for the second year in a row!

Lee Morgan, Head of Broke House

House Reports and Ganzoni Awards

Felaw

Head of House:

Mr S Blunden

Senior Prefects:

Sophie Childs and Dylan Baker

As we reflect on another year in the mighty Felaw House, both the chapel and the house dinner spring to mind as particularly memorable events. Back in January under the much appreciated guidance of the Rev and inspired by the theme of ‘Choices’, the Felaw service provided a fitting celebration of the spiritual side of the house. With Senior Prefects Dylan Baker and Sophie Childs both heavily involved at the ideas stage especially, it was Dylan who had the opportunity to take the lead on the day, reflecting upon his own decision to come to Ipswich School. Numerous readers volunteered to help move the service along, via a Michael McIntyre ‘The Wheel’ style decision-based quiz, in which the Felaw tutor team and I were grilled as the supposed experts!

The Felaw house dinner was another classic affair. Back to the waterside, The Last Anchor kindly hosted us this year. With Sophie and Dylan inspirational from the front again, the cosy welcoming approach and excellent three course meal was appreciated by all. Back by popular demand, Bertie Mitchem’s keyboard talents were again on display as we arrived and younger brother Digby provided pre-pudding entertainment on his trusty guitar. This seemed to inspire the Year 13s, who then launched into a memorable rendition of the Proclaimers ‘500 Miles’ classic. Some might argue that rehearsals might have paid dividends on the journey, but the remaining Felawians were encouraged to participate and it may become our official house song.

The wonderful Felaw tutor team were also present, including David Young, Simon Arthur, Daniel Halford-Thompson, Dr Tim Wyndham and new entry Dr Dale Johnson, whose initials were particularly appropriate this musical year. At seemingly his final Felaw house dinner, Simon Arthur was his usual highly supportive and sociable self. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his many years of dedicated service to all things Felawian, from UCAS help to his ultra-reliable day-to-day concern for his tutees.

What can be said of Felaw’s Ganzoni challenge I hear you cry? It may be slightly too early to shed tears, but, as we speak, Felaw’s success at senior level, inspired by Sports Captains George Howard and Sophie Childs, has not quite been replicated at junior level, although there have been triumphs in both sections. Who could forget our early first placed glory in the Senior Badminton thanks to contributions by Brett Shand-Brown, Will Tassel and Esmond Wong, alongside Imi Callaghan and Gigi Gebhard. There was a similar table topping performance in the Junior Football; following our runners-

up position last year, the squad was able to go one step further this time around. Congratulations go to Austin, Sasha, Hector, Aaron, Harry, Fin and Callum. Special mention too should go to Eirlys Baidoo and Lucy Wells for their particularly high standings in the gruelling cross-country.

The sports day finale also had its heroes. In the junior event, the Year 9 and Year 10 students performed with commitment, filling every lane and securing a number of solid placings. Particular thanks to new Ganzoni Captains Anthony HalfordThompson and Gigi Gebhard and to new Senior Prefects Hannah Childs and Brett Shand-Brown.

Thank you to all those Felawians not named above, who have gone above and beyond. A particular well done to the Year 13s for their dressing-up, speed across the inflatable course and tug of war prowess, all exhibited on Leavers’ Day. This enabled victory to be secured in the legendary Golden Owl competition for the best performing house on the day – a trophy at last! Apologies to those missed here and thank you to Mrs Blunden.

Steve Blunden, Head of Felaw House

A particular well done to the Year 13s for their dressing-up, speed across the inflatable course and tug of war prowess, all exhibited on Leavers’ Day. This enabled victory to be secured in the legendary Golden Owl competition for the best performing house on the day – a trophy at last!

Sherrington

Head of House:

Mr J Steward

Senior Prefects:

Bo Holburn and Will Woods

I write this piece after the results days – not only because it gives me a full picture of the house but because it allows me to celebrate the success of the students within it. The results of course are important, but it is the smiles and moments of happiness and determination, through tough times throughout the year, that really create an imprint on my mind.

So it feels somewhat effortless to make the statement that the year, for Sherrington, has been full of successes and joy. Pupils yet again showed great willingness and love for the pursuit of the elusive Ganzoni cup, another year in which we just missed out on the final prize. Similar to Arsenal FC’s mantra – could next year be our year? I wish to thank all those who took part in the events and a big thank you to Mia Douglas, Oscar Taylor (Ganzoni Captains) and Amelia Lewis and Ben Bullen (Junior Ganzoni Captains) who did tremendous work in organising teams.

This year our sought-after ‘Sherrington Shield for Goodwill and Valour’ was awarded to the following: Kyle Choy, Zhenya Zahladko and Max Chowdhury. These pupils were nominated by peers and tutors for simple acts of kindness or courage which sometimes go unnoticed and something we cherish as a community.

Other outstanding memories of the year must include the house dinner. It was a lovely evening at Arlingtons, with amazing food, company and notable entertainment. A variety of entertainment was offered: Evie Booker and Laila Hollis

with yet again, another breathtaking performance from a raised stage playing the grand piano and providing accompanying vocals. This was followed by the legendary game of heads and tails hosted by the Ganzoni captains of Mia and Oscar, with Fran Lewis coming away victorious with the house coin.

The eloquent house speeches and awards from Bo Holburn and Will Woods will be remembered in the minds of all who attended. And lastly, the impromptu piano performance from Freddy Ng who completed a very special night. I thank everyone who took part in making it so.

One of my favourite weeks of the year takes place in June when I can spend time in the beautiful North Devon landscape, with our Year 12 Sherringtonians. It was a week full of coastal conquests and a mashup

skit performance for the ages. They have proven themselves to be a group of students ready to be the next leaders of the house and school in September.

This year’s charity event was a Christmas hamper which raised over £300 towards Operation Smile and a hamper was also gifted to the Lighthouse Woman’s Aid charity. I was astounded by the generosity of the pupils in donating money and gifts to the hamper.

Thank you to the prefect team for all they have done for the house, whether that be duties, organising events or just being positive role models around the school. My final thank you always extends to the Sherrington tutors, who are the lifeblood of the house, always there as a constant throughout the pupilsʼ school lives.

Mr Steward, Head of Sherrington House

Will & Bo’s Highlight Reel:

Our biggest highlight for Sherrington was organising and giving a speech at house dinner which took time and dedication but was well received. There was also another amazing performance from Evie and Lalia. Our Ganzoni highlight was winning both senior boys and girls house football with a brilliant team of players, while our charity highlight included giving a presentation to Sherrington House on Operation Smile – a charity for which we were later able to raise over £2,000. Finally, a huge thank you to Mr Steward for his dedication to the house, without which nothing would happen, and thanks to the prefect team for stepping up to any task, making the Senior Prefects’ job much easier.

House Reports and Ganzoni Awards

Holden

Head of House:

Mr J Orbell

Senior Prefects:

Mariia Oliinyk and Rozario Lewis

Our Holden house dinner was held at Fynn Valley Golf Club’s Terrace Restaurant, a venue we had been booked to attend in 2021, before Covid caused a postponement. It was definitely worth the wait; an excellent venue for such an occasion both in terms of the space and the food – who would have thought crab thermidor would’ve been so popular among teenagers!

The event started with a solo performance by Darcy Boddice, whose rendition of So Much Better from Legally Blonde set the tone for a brilliant evening of speeches, games and fun, all in great company. Having visited dining etiquette in an earlier assembly, table manners were first class! Turning to the Ganzoni, two performances spring to mind. In the junior maths competition, Aseem, Lucas and Laura showed great resilience and positivity to bring home the win despite being a team

member short; while the girlsʼ football team won their competition again, ensuring Holden still retain the trophy since the tournament's conception.

My proudest highlight for the year, however, has to have been the Holden Christmas Fayre. This was a charity event held at lunchtime on the final Wednesday of the Michaelmas term, where each form organised a couple of stands to raise money for Lend With Care. From a crockery smash to the cake stand, blackjack to splat the rat, the event was made special by the number of house members involved, whether on the day running the stalls and playing music or in advance by painting signs, baking and designing activities; it goes to show what the house is capable of when we set our hearts and minds on a task and give it a real go.

Finally, it is with genuine sadness that we have to say goodbye to two of our wonderful tutees. Miss Huckins leaves after three years in the house and I am grateful for all her energy and ideas; from Pacman and Tetris competitions to her beautiful tutor boards, she has made a real impact in a short time.

Mr Core leaves after 16 years, arriving at a time when the great Mr Bannan was still in charge of Holden, and I was a house tutor myself. Every one of his former tutees reading this now, will be able to recall a comical Friday tutor time story about his mis-spent past or unfortunate early years, always with a take-home message to help better those in his care. A real character, we will certainly miss him.

Jonathan Orbell, Head of Holden House

Rigaud

Head of House:

Miss I John

Senior Prefects:

Gracie Joslin and Charlie Bezant

Rigaud has gone from strength to strength this year; highlights have been actually receiving some silverware in end of term assemblies (much to Mr Morgan’s irritation) with our Junior Ganzoni competitors being particularly impressive, so much to look forward to over the next year as well.

In February, a thoroughly enjoyable and civilised house dinner at Hintlesham Golf Club was really well supported. We all enjoyed Mr Duncombe’s juggling as he attempted to demonstrate that practise gets you some of the way to perfect and that it is sometimes not always possible to keep all of the balls that you are metaphorically juggling in the air.

Gracie and Charlie did a brilliant job over the year and worked hard to make every year group feel included in house activities. Aurelia and Jack made sure that we had teams for every event, even taking part in some themselves. I should also mention Charlie Cooper, George Prentice, Erin Hammond and Faith Adetukasi, who helped massively getting teams together and taking part themselves too. The debating victory stood out as a particular triumph (Team Caton plus Joslin). Sports day also saw some fantastic performances and great teamwork and we were all thrilled to finish the year nearer to the top of the table.

My thanks to everyone who has contributed this year. We wish all our fellow Rigaudians well as they continue on their next adventure, warmly welcome our new students to the house and wish Hannah Karlsson and Oscar Spence well as they take up their Senior Prefect duties in 2024.

Izzy John, Head of Rigaud House

Ganzoni Awards

The house winners in each discipline were as follows:

JUNIOR

Art – Holden and Rigaud

Badminton – Holden

Cross Country – Broke

Fives – Sherrington

Boys’ Football – Felaw

Boys’ Hockey – Rigaud

Girls’ Hockey – School

Maths – Holden

Girls’ Netball – Rigaud

Boys’ Rugby – School

Table Tennis – Holden

Tennis – Holden

Sports Day – School

SENIOR

Art – Broke

Badminton – Felaw

Cross Country – Broke

Debating – Rigaud

Fives – Broke

Boys’ Football – Sherrington

Girls’ Football – Holden

Boys’ Hockey – Sherrington

Girls’ Hockey – School

Maths – School

Girls’ Netball – School

Boys’ Rugby – School

Table Tennis – School

Tennis – Rigaud

Sports Day – School

Overall Sports Day Winner – School

The final results of the Junior Ganzoni competition (for pupils from Years 9 and 10) saw Rigaud in third place, Holden in second place and Broke in first place. In the Senior competition, School and Broke tied for the runners-up position, with Sherrington taking the winner’s spot.

In the overall competition, Holden were in third place with 123 points, Sherrington were second with 129 points, but in first place, and claiming the Ganzoni Cup for 2024, were Broke with 145 points – well done!

Cardinal Cup

The Cardinal Cup is the Lower School interform competition, which celebrates achievements of all kinds, both inside and outside of school – academic, sports, music, drama – and both team and individual.

This year, the Cardinal Cup was won by Mr Riddick’s form 7D, having gained 129.2 points over the year. In second place was Mr Gutierrez-Aldana’s form 8B, having gained 121.4 points over the year, and in third place was Mr Bartrum’s form 7C, with 117.7 points. Well done to everyone on their hard work and achievements.

Year 8 in Cumbria

This year’s winning Cumbria Journal from James Vellacott was all written as poetry, and illustrated with a series of pencil drawings and watercolours. Here’s a selection of his work, along with photos from the week away, showing some of Year 8’s intrepid adventures.

Archery

Woken by the howling wind, Weaving through alpine trees. Pitter pattering upon the window, Specks of rain fell.

Our first day had begun. Archer the leader, A cleverly hand-crafted bow, A loaded string, Suspense building, I drew the arrow, Shooting sharp. Bullseye.

Beginner’s luck they said?

But wait… Bullseye!

Climbing

Hands icy, Cold as the bitter gusts, I crept as if a spider.

Helmet wrapping my head, A reassuringly tight hug, I climbed onward.

Hand to hold, Foot to cranny, I scrambled up the wall.

Powerful wind pushed, Fighting against mother nature, I scaled the rock face.

Class cheering, Gripping onto shards of rock, I conquered my fears.

Grasmere Hike

Past the Roche Moutennee, Into the valley of boulders. Walking through the work of ice, Up into the cotton clouds, To find an emerald cwm, Resting in a round corrie. Gazing at breath-taking views! Grasmere, The gingerbread village resting in the glacial trough, Hidden beneath sky high mountains, Carved by the chiselling ice that once flowed.

Ghyll Scrambling

Rush of water, Hushing leaves, Class encouraging, Nerves building, Breath heavy, Heart pumping, Water frothing, Current pushing, Leap of legs, Spray of steam, Jump.

Days whizzing past in a blink, Exhaustion flooding throughout, Anticipation to come home, Memories that last a lifetime, The trip ends here.

Year 12 in Devon

Many previous students of Ipswich School have said that the week in Devon at the end of Year 12 contributed to some of their best school memories. Having now been on the trip, the 2024 Year 12s can strongly agree with this statement. Upon arrival in Devon we were thrown straight into the action with an hour at a soft play venue which resulted in many scrapes, burns and bumps as well as a few vigorous games of ‘hide and seek it’.

Other activities during the week included high ropes and climbing, which ended in competitive races to see who could reach the top in the least amount of handholds, School House being victorious with significant encouragement from Miss Cooley.

Wipeout was a fan favourite with some hilarious flops on the balls and a very low success rate in making it to the second ball. Kayaking and paddle boarding was absolute mayhem with around 40 boats and boards in what can only be described as a pond. Many of the participants switched boats upwards of 10 times due to being capsized by friends!

All of these water sports required wetsuits and helmets which gave way to some very interesting tan lines, with sun cream appearing to be ineffective against the

Devon sun. However, we did find on one day that the wetsuits worn for surfing and coasteering were sadly not enough to insulate against harsh rainy weather. All the activities were excellent because they allowed prime opportunities to laugh with your friends, but surfing in particular. In this case it was due to people either not getting on the board properly when the perfect wave arrived, or when they tried to ʻpop upʼ and fell face first into the sea – both of these things were done on many occasions by all.

That evening, after washing half the beach off us in the 12 showers provided for 150 people, came the most anticipated event of the week, the house performances. Many of these included some dancing (although for some you really wish they didnʼt) as well as singing. The winners, though, displayed a humorous skit of The Edge lessons we all had experienced over the week. School House amused us with their hilarious and accurate skits, with an alarmingly similar interpretation of Mr Cliff and his aversion to pot noodles. So the question is, was this week worth the 10 hour coach journey when you forgot your headphones? Our verdict would be absolutely, in the atmosphere that was created in our own little bubble in Bideford, Devon.

Abby Caton, Year 12

Ski Trip

In the week of February half-term, around 80 students went to Wagrain in Austria for the annual school ski trip. It began at the blue gates at 4am on Saturday morning. After a two hour coach journey to Gatwick Airport, we boarded our plane to Salzburg Airport. The flight meant we were crossing through a time zone, so although we had only a two hour flight, the time in Salzburg was three hours later.

The hotel was a lovely place to stay in. The rooms were very spacious and welcoming, and the hotel itself was beautiful. The food was great, and we took packed lunches with us up to the mountains.

The weather was great throughout the week. On the first day, it was quite warm, however it got considerably colder throughout the week. On the last day, it snowed a lot and everyone came back looking like snowmen. On the last day of skiing, everyone contributed to making a huge snowman, which then made a stunning model in a trip photo!

The skiing was great fun. There were eight groups based on ability, so we could learn at our own pace and improve throughout the week. Group 1 learnt how to go down a blue slope and not fall over (mostly) and Group 8 did lots of red and black runs. Lastly, a huge thanks to all the staff who accompanied us on our awesome week away, particularly Mr Duncombe for organising our amazing trip.

Sophie Lenney, Year 7

Bath Trip

During Thursday 21st March just before lunch we left for our Year 9 Bath Classics Trip, taking a four hour bus journey to our home for the visit – staying in Cirencester at Noah’s Ark Children’s Venture.

It was like a farm with lots of animals like pigs and chickens; we were given the opportunity to feed the pigs and collect eggs in the morning if we wanted. There was also a play area and a really nice field with the best sunset. After we arrived we were given a tour and a chance to settle into our rooms, as well as exploring the games room which had pool, Jenga with massive blocks, table tennis and more.

On our first full day, many people woke up to the roosters. We had breakfast and made our lunches before packing our backpacks for Cirencester town. We took a coach into the market before going to the Corinium Museum. We learnt a lot about the Roman army and their uniform, some of us were allowed to try a kit resembling one a typical

Roman soldier would wear. Afterwards, we were given a bit more time in town before we got back on the coach and headed for the Chedworth Roman Villa, where we were given a talk and a tour of the site.

Michelle Collins, Year 9

Chedworth was a site almost unfathomably large, starting off with a modest villa, and growing over the centuries into an opulent display of wealth.

For me, the most entrancing aspect of Chedworth were the mosaics in the dining room - some sections of tesserae were as small as fingernails, and together, conjured up a mesmerising image of Bacchus and Ariadne, surrounded by the four seasons. After a whistle-stop tour of the land, and a brief encounter with a hungry pheasant, we set off back to the woods, where we fully appreciated the unfortunate comical timing of a peacock’s squawks… Finally, it was time to visit the Roman Baths where the busts of Roman Emperors greeted us. The sacred spring had an integral role in native life long before the Romans came, and they quickly realised the importance of the site, establishing the first Baths and Temples in 76 AD. It was fascinating to see how ordinary people lived in Roman Britain. Of course, most of us sampled the mineral water - maybe an acquired taste!

After a short lunch break, we set off again to climb the Bath Abbey tower, and received the most incredible view. We took a minor detour from ancient history onto the Georgian sights of Bath, visiting

the Royal crescent, which had many references to the ancient style, with Ionic columns. Finally, our time in Bath was at an end, and we headed home, with a minor stop at the St Albans theatre, to end a wonderful trip with many thanks to the Classics Department!

Lucy Purcell, Year 9

Senior Prefects’ Bradwell Weekend

Before the end of term in June, the newly appointed senior prefects travelled up to Bradwell-on-Sea, for a weekend of team building, leadership, and activities.

We learnt a lot from sessions that discussed the different responsibilities and duties we would have in the coming year, as well as the different ways of handling hard situations. Mr Cliff and Mr Calver, along with the staff at Bradwell, gave us an insight into the difficulties but also exciting parts of leadership.

The group activities included an orienteering bike ride around the village, Viking long boating, archery, and raft building which everyone threw themselves into, with a bit of healthy competition between the two groups we were split into. We learnt about overcoming challenges with a problem solving task and then tested that out on the high ropes.

After long days of activities and leadership tasks, we enjoyed a coastal walk down to the beach where Mr Cliff revealed his biggest secrets around a student-made campfire along with marshmallows.

One of the highlights of the trip was participating in some advertising yoga, spelling out ‘IPSWICH’ with a beautiful sunset in the background – even though Mr Calver had to demonstrate several times.

We all had a lot of fun and came away feeling prepared and excited for the experience we would be having over the forthcoming year, and cemented as a group.

Laila Hollis and James Wilkinson

Senior Prefects 2024-2025

Head Girl - Laila Hollis

Head Boy - James Wilkinson

Broke - Elena Fairweather and Ethan Howarth-Wedgewood

Felaw - Hannah Childs and Brett Shand-Brown

Holden - Emily Calver and George Ransley

Rigaud - Hannah Karlsson and Oscar Spence

School - Ben Morgan and Lily Newland

Sherrington - Henry Myers and Zhenya Zahladko

Boarding - Even To

Classics Trip to Pompeii

On arrival in Sorrento, which was to be our home for our four day trip, and following a very quick and very delicious pizza, we had the opportunity to visit the incredible Herculaneum. Here we ventured through the historic streets where the Romans once walked and lived their lives. We also visited many of the buildings, including ‘the house of the wooden partition’, which is one of the key buildings that we study for Classics GCSE.

Afterwards, we returned to our hotel and enjoyed a delicious three course meal which everyone loved before a quick look around an Italian supermercato and an early night before our extremely exciting day to come on Thursday.

After a good night’s rest, we headed down to the restaurant and enjoyed a delicious breakfast buffet. Once we were refuelled, we hopped on the bus and journeyed through winding roads until we reached the famous Mount Vesuvius. On Vesuvius, although it was chilly, we still had a spectacular view of the crater and the bay of Naples, which gave us a better

understanding of how the places we have been studying were destroyed.

After our walk we headed back on the coach to the historic town of Pompeii. After a very quick lunch at a very nice cafe, we were given an excellent guided tour of the ancient ruins allowing us to consolidate our class work and gain a greater understanding of the treasure of the town in all its wonder.

Once we had taken in the beautiful sights, such as the amphitheatre, or one of the many stunning villas or the forum, we also had a good look around the Pompeii museum, which gave us a better understanding of the day-to-day life of the Romans. After this we headed back to the hotel where we enjoyed another delicious dinner. Luckily, the day wasn’t over yet! We headed back on the coach where we took pleasure in a game of ten pin bowling.

The next day we visited the Greek city of Paestum, where we saw the spectacular fifth century BC temples and some very good Greek frescoes – an important part of

our GCSE course, and a great opportunity to see them in real life ahead of exams.

After this we headed back to the hotel before enjoying our final three course meal and heading off for a fantastic evening of shopping in Sorrento where we were treated to fresh gelato by our very kind teachers. With our bags of souvenirs and little trinkets we hopped back on the coach before dozing off after another action-packed day.

Luckily, we still had another full day of sightseeing in beautiful Naples. We explored the beautiful Villa of Poppea, also known as Oplontis, and saw some really spectacular wall paintings and architecture. This was followed by the famous Naples museum which was definitely one of the highlights of the trip, with its vast trove of treasures. From ancient mosaics to breathtaking statues, this museum had it all.

We ended the trip with some dinner and a spot of shopping at Naples airport, before we headed home. Overall, this trip was not only an incredible adventure, but also extremely beneficial to our GCSEs as seeing these sites in person allowed us to develop our understanding of both the archeological and atmospheric aspects of Roman and Greek life.

Thank you so much to the wonderful Miss Hutton, Mrs Deering and Mr Robson who kindly planned and took the trouble to give us this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Florence Whitley and Poppy Spark, Year 11, and Luke McGrath, Year 10

Chapel Choir Tour to Malta

We departed early on the Monday morning for Heathrow and were in the air by lunchtime. As we came in to land we were treated with a beautiful view of the island we would be touring for the week. After a long day travelling, everyone was very glad to finally arrive at our lovely hotel and get some well-earned rest.

On the second day we met our wonderful tour guide and expert on all things Malta for the week, Daniela, who took us first on a guided walk of the city of Valletta, the capital of Malta. We spent the afternoon rehearsing for our evening concert where we met both the Archbishop of Malta and the Mayor of Valletta. We were lucky enough to watch the priests process a vestige of Mary while flowers rained down from the dome of the church.

On Wednesday we took the ferry from Malta to the northern island of Gozo, where we would be performing in our second concert. While on the island we took an exciting boat trip through a narrow cave out into the sea around the island where we were shown the steep cliffs of Gozo and the coral that grows in the caves. Later we arrived in Victoria, and climbed to the highest point in the city, the ancient citadel. From the walls you can see the whole of Gozo and many pictures were taken. The evening concert was a huge success, despite the heat, with passers-by peering in the doors at the back at the church to listen in. After a hurried rush to make the ferry we made it back to Malta for the night.

We were lucky enough to watch the priests process a vestige of Mary while flowers rained down from the dome of the church.

On Thursday we met our guide Daniela again and travelled to Mdina, another picturesque city for another guided tour and some excellent ice cream. In the afternoon we had more rehearsals and then travelled again to Valletta. We found our venue for the evening to be the most beautiful church yet. A great final concert rounded off our singing success and our final full day in Malta.

Our last day began with another coach to the capital, Valletta. In Valletta we had plenty of free time to further explore the city, eat some tasty food, and buy souvenirs for family. Finally we had one last coach ride to the airport to end our time in Malta. Our flight landed back at Heathrow early evening before arriving back at school late evening.

Many thanks to all teachers involved in the trip and a special thank you to Mrs Steensma and Mrs George for organising it all.

Bertie Mitchem and Henry Gardner, Year 13

PRE and History Trip to Krakow

As I sit to type this, one rainy half term holiday morning, I know that it is going to be hard to put into words just how meaningful, just how special, our PRE and History sixth form trip to Krakow was. It started on the last Friday of the first half of Michaelmas term, with a very early morning, somewhat nerve wracking wait for the bus on Ivry Street.

The journey took us to Stansted and from there to Krakow, arriving in time for a guided visit of Schindler's factory museum. There we learnt more about the remarkable life of Oskar Schindler and his extraordinary journey from Nazi party member to the saving of over 1,000 Jewish workers in his employ, often at his own considerable financial expense. We were also reminded of the history of the Nazi occupation of Poland and its subsequent ‘liberation’ by the Soviet Union.

Exhausted, we finished the day by eating at an eccentric but charming restaurant followed by going to our hotel for a welcome sleep.

On Saturday we woke up early for the much-anticipated guided tour of AuschwitzBirkenau; the notorious death camp that sent more than 1 million Jews to their deaths. Despite over 20 years of teaching the history of the Holocaust, I still wasn’t prepared for its impact. To visit means plunging yourself into another worldly evil which is impossible to reckon with.

Saturated with emotions, we made our way back to central Krakow to finish our day with a visit to the Galicia Museum. There we met Monica, a Holocaust survivor. As her story unfolded, we were faced with yet more horror; her parents and much of her family were murdered by the Nazis. However, hers was also a story of hope, as she told us of those who had rescued her; the nuns who hid her in their orphanage and the Polish family who adopted her at their own great risk. Her final message to us was to never forget, quoting the words of Ellie Wiesel, the Nobel prize winner and Holocaust survivor who said that to forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.

Words that rang in our ears as we had some free time in the beautiful central square followed by another delicious dinner before heading back to the hotel. The final morning consisted of a walking tour of the pre-war Jewish quarter and also the site of where the Jewish ghetto was built in 1941, filling in the final pieces of the jigsaw puzzle of our learning that weekend.

As I sat on the plane home, thinking of those whose lives were cut so tragically and horrifically short, I thought about how much I have to feel grateful for; the privilege of my life and that of my family but also for the kind, intelligent, thoughtful Ipswich School students that I am so lucky to work with and whose attitude and behaviour all weekend was exemplary.

In addition, for the great company of my colleagues Miss Halford-Thompson (Matron) and Mr Rackham and for the meticulous organisation undertaken by Mrs Beasant who led the trip with her customary good humour. Yes, the trip was harrowing, but it was also surprisingly, intensely life affirming. There is no way that I, or the other 37 of us that were on it, will ever forget it.

Mrs Tollemache, Head of History

Festival of Music

The first week of October saw the thirteenth Ipswich School Festival of Music take place, with events including a Wolsey 550 concert, a Jazz Night and Evensong at St Mary-le-Tower.

Audiences were treated to excellent music from a number of professional musicians, as well as from students from Ipswich School and other high schools who played alongside them.

The opening night concert saw the Wolsey Consort perform a song by Taverner and one attributed to Henry VIII, while Mr Edgar-Wilson from the Britten Faculty of Music and Hexachordia brought Cardinal Wolsey’s story to life in words and music. There was even a visit from ‘Cardinal Wolsey’ himself, through a link with Ipswich’s Wolsey 550 campaign which was celebrating the 550th anniversary of Wolsey’s birth in the town.

The Jazz Night on Friday started with jazz violinist Ben Holder leading a workshop for Ipswich School strings students, explaining to them how to play jazz violin. In the concert, they then performed alongside him, with solos from Harriet and Colin.

The Ipswich School Big Band opened each half, playing with Ben and his band.

Ben, whose performance gained a standing ovation from the audience, said afterwards on Twitter: “All the young musicians were fantastic! The future of music is bright with so many talented musical students!” @gingerviolinguy

There was also a performance from the Prometheus Orchestra on Saturday and

high school students, including a large number from Ipswich School, were lucky enough to take part in the concert alongside them.

Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony and Beethoven’s 5th Symphony were performed with students joining in for the 1st movement and 4th movement respectively.

After an afternoon full of rehearsals, the evening show did not disappoint.

It was an incredible experience where students from both Ipswich School and others were able to perform alongside professional musicians, whilst learning from them and their expertise; it was a night to remember!

Emily Hawkridge, Year 13

Snape Spring Concert

The school’s annual Spring Concert took place on Friday 3 May at the world famous Snape Concert Hall, and featured fantastic ensemble performances from across the school.

The Prep School’s Chamber Choir and Orchestra performed, along with the Senior School Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, Chapel Choir, Wolsey Consort, Show Choir and Big Band.

As always the concert opened with a massed brass and percussion ensemble, this year performing the iconic Superman fanfare – a sight and sound to behold.

The big finale number was a ‘Les Miserables’ medley – a great opportunity to bring our many talented singers and musicians together on stage, many of them for the final time in their Ipswich School career.

Mrs Steensma, Director of Music, said afterwards that her highlights of the 2024 concert included the Dvorak played by the Piano Quintet which “epitomised the outstanding talent we have at the school.” She also praised the atmosphere of the evening, and said: “I loved the atmosphere backstage with students cheering on their peers and teachers as they performed on stage - especially the Big Band and Mr Weaver's guitar solo!”

Well done to all the musicians, and the team from the Britten Faculty of Music, for a great evening.

Senior School Musical

Return to the Forbidden Planet

Senior School Musical

30 November and 1 December 2023

After just over two months of rehearsals, over 20 students from Years 10 to 13 presented the electrifying ʻReturn to the Forbidden Planetʼ in December.

This musical sees William Shakespeare’s ʻThe Tempestʼ meet 1960s sci-fi – a tale of love, betrayal and scientific progress, set against the backdrop of a spaceship full of scientists who just cannot stop almost dying.

With no less than five potentially catastrophic events for the spaceship, the tension is high for the entire runtime of the musical. After boarding the ʻStarship Albatrossʼ on a routine survey flight, a meteor shower causes a crash landing on a distant planet, where we meet the scientist Dr Prospero, his daughter, and their robot Ariel.

After seeing the Doctor take a mysterious drug known as the ʻX-Factorʼ, said to enhance the body and mind, the ship is taken over by a horrific monster, threatening to destroy the ship and everyone on it.

As the play comes to a close, Prospero’s wife Gloria, who he had labelled as a villain, reveals that this monster which had threatened to destroy the entire ship, was actually created by Prospero’s mind using his X-Factor drug.

Before we reach our happy ending, the audience watches in horror as Prospero sacrifices himself to his monster, to save the lives of his family, and the crew he hardly knew. And that’s just the main plot – I haven’t even mentioned the love triangle between the ship’s captain Tempest, Prospero’s daughter Miranda, and the ship’s cook – Cookie.

Set to a soundtrack of classic 50s and 60s numbers, including ʻGreat Balls of Fireʼ, ʻTeenager in Loveʼ, and ʻBorn to be Wildʼ, this show was fascinating to watch and to perform in.

Though all of the songs were incredible, and the cast doubly so, I have to say that, for me, none of them beat the moment near the end of the play, when the ghost of Dr Prospero emerges from the airlock to describe the creation of his monster in ʻThe Monster Mashʼ.

Whether it was being almost killed by a space monster’s tentacle, or egging on a fight between Cookie and Ariel, or any other moment in this fantastic musical, every moment was a joy to take part in. Barbara Skorczak, Year 11

CAST

CAPTAIN TEMPEST - Liam Abernethy; BOSUN - Oscar Hollis; SCIENCE OFFICERDarcey Boddice; NAVIGATION OFFICERTallulah Dewson; COOKIE - Orla Baines (Thursday)/ Ruby Gibson (Friday)

DAMAGE CONTROL CREW: ANDIE SCEPTIC - Eliana MacFarlane; AXEL DENTHarriet Blunden; DEE TERGENTRuby Gibson; DINAH MITE - Orla Baines; KAY OSS - Sophie Childs; PROSPEROEd Parsons; MIRANDA - Zara Musoni; ARIEL - Aurelia Norris; NEWSCASTERSThalia Clement and Alice Chalmers

STARSHIP SHUTTLE CREW: Sophie Bennett, Alice Chalmers, Thalia Clement, Chloe Hiscock, Rose McDiarmid, Matilda Milgate, Barbara Skorczak, Annabelle Swaine, Lily Zhang

CREW

CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Bethan Stoll and Hannah Shields; CHOREOGRAPHY: Lois Scott and Bethan Stoll; COSTUME DESIGN: Abby Green; STARSHIP TECH/BACKSTAGE SUPPORT: Jane Chiang, Liane Chiang, Aidan Douse, Bo Holburn, Ada Huynh-Jackson, Phoebe Venables

BAND: MUSICAL DIRECTOR - Mike Wren; KEYBOARDS - Nigel Virley, Jonathan Gibbs; SAXOPHONE - Elise Lau, David Abbott; TRUMPET - Niamh Willis; TROMBONEHenry Gardner; GUITAR - Hugh Millington, Kea Emina; BASS - Alfie Harries; DRUMS/ PERCUSSION - Pearl Rapley-Gibson

Special thanks to LX Professional and Beverley Steensma; Thanks to the Prefects, Estates Team, Catering, Reprographics, School Office, DT Department, Tracy Boyle, Marketing and Communications. Drama Administrator: Annette Bean; Show Photography: Mike Kwasniak

Middle School Plays

Middle School Medley and The Mobile Phone Show

19 March 2024

The Middle School Medley in March was a rousing success, with fantastic performances from all of the students involved.

There were seven performances for the first part of the evening, which was a showcase of monologues, duologues and small group ensembles. These included a self-written monologue to open the show, and two GCSE drama performances. It was wonderful for the audience to see the culmination of all of the students’ hard work from the past term. Personally, I did one of my GCSE exam pieces, and it was great to be able to perform a piece I was proud of, without the pressure of an

examiner watching. I had really grown attached to the monologue, and I loved being able to show it to so many people.

During the Middle School Medley, Year 9 delivered a great performance of ʻThe Mobile Phone Showʼ, which they can all be proud of and will cherish for a long time to come. This show was first performed earlier in the month at the Gallery Studio Theatre in Ipswich. I enjoyed watching the show due to its themes, which explored the different

effects of mobile phones on scenarios such as the death of a parent. I am sure that this project was a brilliant opportunity for the actors – from building confidence and developing acting skills to showcasing their work and talent.

Many thanks to our drama teachers, Miss Stoll and Mrs Shields, for their help and support in the evening’s performances.

Barbara Skorczak, Year 11

I am sure that this project was a brilliant opportunity for the actors – from building confidence and developing acting skills to showcasing their work and talent.

CAST

MIDDLE SCHOOL MEDLEY

Grey Crompton-Battersby (Self-written monologue based upon the play of Dorian Gray)

Souparno Lahiri (Presley from The Pitchfork Disney by Philip Ridley)

Barbara Skorczak (Nora from A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen)

Bunny Crompton-Battersby and Skye Chambers (Juliet and Ophelia in Anger Management by Lindsay Price)

Owen Polkinhorn (Aston from The Caretaker by Harold Pinter)

Pamela Ren, Catherine Wang and Laura Yang (Laura, Hilary and Kenneth from The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband by Debbie Isitt)

Chloe Hiscock (Leah from DNA by Dennis Kelly)

MOBILE PHONE SHOW

1 - Toby Orford; 2 - Kate Elliott; 3 - Arwen Thompson; GeorgieSara Bhattacharjee; SammieFlorence Turner; Billie - Amelie Quinn; Phoner Loner - Albert Patterson; Presenter & BB - James Bailey; BrainsOwen Polkinhorn; Dono - Asha Nayar; Natty - Maggie Garside; TJ - William Newland; The Voice - Grace Mutton; Ensemble - Eliza Fairbrother, Yezel Sterno, Bobby Hall, James Bush, Thomas Caton

DIRECTORS: Hannah Shields and Bethan Stoll; WARDROBE AND COSTUME

LEAD: Abby Green; DRAMA ADMINISTRATOR: Annette Bean; PHOTOGRAPHY: Mike Kwasniak

THANKS: Estates Team, School Office, Tracy Boyle, Andy Sadler, Moira Bryan, Gallery Studio Theatre

Lower School Play

The Boy Who Fell Into A Book

Lower School Play

24 and 25 June 2024

The Boy Who Fell Into A Book saw over 50 pupils from Year 7 and 8 taking part, both on stage and in costume or backstage roles. It was a fabulously energetic and colourful production where the cast created a magical atmosphere, immersing the audience in each new book. Audiences, and indeed the cast, seemed to love the chaotic farcical quality of the stage combat which more often than not resulted in someone being dragged off stage!

The Year 12 students worked incredibly hard during rehearsals on the ensemble numbers and this was evident in the snappy fast paced rhyming couplets of the Grimm marketplace, the haunting UV lit rendition of ʻI Put a Spell on Youʼ and the dramatic high stakes giant chess game. Favourite moments could be picked from all aspects of the show but some that were remarked upon by various audience members were: the fantastic accents ranging from American to Scottish, the Woobly Jelly fight with pom poms galore, the Ghostbusters chase (not where Kevin fell down the stairs!) and the terrifying, if slightly comical, appearance of The Headless Monk. Our thanks and congratulations to all those involved in a wonderful production.

Miss Stoll, Head of Drama

CAST

BOOK 1 - ROCKFIST SLIM AND THE CASE OF THE GREEN SHARK MUM: Sky Chambers; KEVIN: Madeleine Dedman; ROCKFIST SLIM: Sophie Lenney; MONIQUE: Maira Al-Ganiyu; BRUNT: Alice Davy; GANGSTERS: Alessandra Al-Nammari, Bunny Crompton-Battersby, Francesca Bennett, James Dolphin, Penny Durance, Teal Stimpson, Florence Wooldridge, Isabella Wyndham

BOOK 2 - A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO CHESS

KEVIN: Thomas Butler; ROCKFIST SLIM: Ivie Okpiabhele; A WHITE PAWN: Alexander Smith; A RED BISHOP: Charlie Clarkson-Fieldsend; GARETH (A RED KNIGHT): Luka Nye; THE WHITE QUEEN: Carys Bradley; MONIQUE: Maira Al-Ganiyu; CHESS PIECES: Alex Blunden, Sky Chambers, Poppy Clark, Beatrice Gaskin, Rebecca Kelly, Jessica Masseti, Charlotte Tubb

BOOK 3 - GRIMM FAIRY TALES

KEVIN: Scarlett Humphries; ROCKFIST SLIM: Leo Porter; RUMPLESTILTSKIN: Jessica Page; GRANDMOTHER/WOLF: Maisie Mann; LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD: Charlotte Tubb; MONIQUE: Maira Al-Ganiyu; GRIMM FOLK - ELF: Daisy Barber; RAPUNZEL: Clemence Drummond; THE WICKED QUEEN: Penny Durance; BELLE: Beatrice Gaskin; GRETEL: Catherine Hall; HANSEL: Shero Hassan;

CINDERELLA: Catherine Keeble; THE SHOEMAKER: Anastasia Moore; MALEFICENT: Poppy Williams

BOOK 4 - KIDNAPPED

KEVIN: Izzy Gebhard; ROCKFIST SLIM: Emma Cable; JENNET: Anastasia Moore; EBENEZER: Alex Blunden

BOOK 5 - THE WOOBLY PICNIC

KEVIN: Matilda McLean; ROCKFIST SLIM: Nevaeh MacLean; VOICES/NARRATORS: Emma Morehouse and Sadie Annis; DADDY WOOBLY: Shero Hassan; MUMMY WOOBLY: Teal Stimpson; BABY WOOBLY: Bella Gammage; WOOBLY FRIENDS: Annie Joslin, Maisie Mann, Livvy Swallow, Poppy Williams, Florence Wooldridge, Chloe Wignall

BOOK 6 - THE BOOK OF GHOST STORIES

KEVIN: Joel Revell; ROCKFIST SLIM: Bunny Crompton-Battersby; THE HEADLESS MONK: Francesca Bennett; MONIQUE: Isabella Wyndham; MUM: Sky Chambers; GHOSTS: Alessandra Al-Nammari, Poppy Clark, Clemence Drummond, Izzy Gebhard, Isla Hodge, Imogen Hodge, Scarlett Humphries, Catherine Keeble, Jessica Page

CREW

DIRECTORS: Bethan Stoll and Hannah Shields; CO-DIRECTORS: Liam Abernethy, Eveny Gill and Eliana MacFarlane; FAIRY GODMOTHER SUPREME: Annette Bean; WARDROBE AND PROPS: Abby Green; COSTUME AND

MAKE-UP SUPPORT: Charlotte Tedbury and Lauren Horsfield-Burton; LIGHTING DESIGN AND OPERATION: Caleb Bond and Calum Button; TECH CREW: Richard Batchelor, Conner Mayhew, William Newland, Owen Polkinhorn and Leonardo Urban (members of the Technical Theatre activity); BACKSTAGE: Scarlett King; SET DESIGN/BUILDING: Dave Herman, LX Professional; PHOTOGRAPHY: Mike Kwasniak; THANKS: Andy Sadler, Tracy Boyle, Moira Bryan, Bev Steensma, Year 7 and 8 Heads of Year and tutoring team, Catering, Estates, School Office.

Sport

Girls’ Cricket

Girls’ cricket at Ipswich School had another successful season, with the U15A team finishing as runners-up in the 100 ball national cup final and finishing in the last 16 of the T20 national cup. The 1st XI team won the 100 ball national cup at Lord’s on a special day that will stay with them for the rest of their lives, and also became the T20 national champions.

This year, 190 girls have represented the school in 60 fixtures with a winning percentage of 78%. Not only have more girls played cricket, the standard and ability across the school have improved too.

The U12 girls, many of them new to the game, picked up cricket very quickly; their progress was impressive with several of them also getting the chance to play up in various U13 teams. They achieved victories against Felsted, OBH and Culford.

The U13 girls finished the season as county cup winners and also finished as runners-up in the ECB national indoor finals played at Lord’s. It was the second time in a row that the school had a U13 side making the indoor finals day.

Our U14 and U15 girls continued to represent the school with a great deal of success, following in the footsteps of the national champions who went before them. The group finished second in the 100 ball national cup competition and finished in the last 16 of the T20 national cup.

U15A

U13 Schools Cricket Finals

Girls' Lord's Win

Schools Open FInals

100 Ball Final photos courtesy of MCC / Lord's Cricket Ground

Coaches’ awards

U12C – I Hammond

U12B – M Mann

U12A – L Horsfield-Burton

U13D – S Chambers

U13C – M Debenham

U13B – I Stevens

U13A – L Cook

Junior 2nd XI – P Stimpson

Junior 1st XI – A Gharabeigi

1st XI – P Tweedy and B Johnson

Full Colours: A Johnson, P Tweedy

Half Colours: J Tuff, H Bishop, P Venables

Our senior girls finished the season unbeaten, having played magnificently for the whole season. Achieving an unbeaten season and becoming double national champions is a very rare feat!

It was another year of huge progression for the sport of girls’ cricket. Thanks go to the coaching staff for their dedication and encouragement throughout the term, and to the players for their focus and efforts on and off the pitch.

Boys’ Cricket

The Boysʼ teams had another successful summer of cricket, being crowned county champions at U14 and U15 level and achieving a 60% win ratio across the board. Over 200 boys have represented the school in over 70 fixtures with many individual and collective highlights to celebrate. Many of the U12 boys played hard ball cricket for the first time, developing well throughout the season and achieving a notable victory against Orwell Park. The U13A boys finished in the last eight of the David English/Bunbury National Cup, losing out to a very strong Epsom side but having achieved victories against Langley School, Belmont, Mill Hill Prep School and The New Beacon School.

the school but being prepared to step up and push themselves when given the opportunity to play into senior teams.

The 1st XI squad had a slow start to the season but finished the season with strong performances against RHS and Felsted. A special farewell and thank you to our Year 13 leavers who have given a tremendous amount to the school cricket programme during their time here. We hope they continue playing and wish them well for the future.

The U14 boys also had a good season, recording 11 wins from 15, with notable victories against Brentwood, Framlingham and Felsted. The U14A boys also finished third in the HOBBS Trophy invitational competition with wins against Oundle, The Leys and Clifton College.

The U15A boys had a steady season with wins against Gresham’s, The Leys and Felsted. The U15B boys finished the season unbeaten under the guidance of Mr Swindin. This year group have been brilliant at not only performing well for

Coaches’ awards

U12C – G Perrin

U12B – D Kazi

U12A – F Brown

U13E – L Andrews

U13D – H Shi

U13C – J Lower

U13B – L Gharabeigi

U13A – H Silverwood & T Golding

U14B – C Buchanan

U14A – J Blackwell

U15B – J Cliff

U15A – F Oliver

2nd XI – M Chowdhury

1st XI – B Morton

Full Colours: C Bennett, B Morton, L Howard

Half Colours: M Williams, S Fairs, J Maynard, E Caldwell

T20

Schools Open Finals

U13A

U15B

Sport

Rugby

The Lower School teams had a number of wins this season, with notable victories for the U12Bs – 50-5 over RHS – and the U13As – 65-5 over St Jo’s. The U14As had their first season playing 15-a-side, and took the new format of the game in their stride. They won nine of their 12 games and narrowly lost to Campion in the later stages of the national cup. The U14Bs achieved an impressive 65-5 win against Woodbridge School’s A team. Both U15 teams achieved unbeaten seasons. The U15B were undefeated for the third season in a row and only conceded seven tries across all games. The U15A continued their cup run into the last 16 in the country and achieved notable wins over Sedbergh, Stowe and Whitgift. The U15Bs went undefeated for the third season in a row as well as only conceding seven tries across all games. An outstanding achievement by both teams, and a very exciting age group. The U16As played some of the top U16 sides in the country and achieved

hard-fought victories against Stowe, Uppingham and Norwich, whilst the U16Bs also found success with a small number of fixtures played, including a memorable win against Rugby School. Our Senior squads had their best season to date. The 2nd XV proved they can compete against 1st XVs, with some great performances most notably against Northampton School for Boys on the livestream, as well as a narrow victory over Sedbergh. The 1st XV started the year on a high, with their most famous victory over Sedbergh, and with other historic wins, they achieved a third place in the country on the NextGen table. NextGen also named Ipswich School in their global top 20 for rugby schools. A strong Harrow team saw their only defeat in the Michaelmas term, and the team should be proud of all their achievements.

Hurst Boys

1st Team - Seaford 10s

1st Team - Rosslyn Park

Sedbergh 10s

U15B

U14

U12B

Rugby 7s

U13s: The U13s played at the Oundle 7s festival and the Rosslyn Park Junior Competition. Both tournaments were waterfall competitions, however the boys went undefeated in their games throughout the term, which we hope will translate into similar success next year.

U14s: The U14s had a very successful season, performing well at multiple festivals and winning the Stowe 7s tournament. At Rosslyn Park they managed to get into the Plate Final, losing narrowly to Sedbergh. The boys showed great character throughout the two days and were very unfortunate at the final hurdle against a quality Sedbergh side.

U16s: Our U16s similarly performed well with strong showings at the Gordons 7s tournament and winning the Plate final at the Oakham festival.

At Rosslyn they were very unfortunate to not progress to day two, having won two games and scoring over 40 points, but losing a close first game against Langley was to be the barrier to progression.

2nd VII: The 2nd VII at Rosslyn showed really good glimpses throughout their group's games, but unfortunately, much like the U16s, they came up short in their first group game. This meant they didn’t progress onto the second day, even though they won their final group games in brilliant fashion.

U16 County Champions

1st VII: The 1st VII lead into Rosslyn contained many good performances at festivals including winning the Hurstpierpoint festival. At Rosslyn they performed brilliantly in all their group games, showing some really mature performances against Trinity and Hurstpierpoint to progress to day two.

Coaches’ awards

U12B - D Kazi

U12A - C Fairbrother

U13B - T Humphries

U13A - D McArdle

U14B – L Adehokey

U14A - H Batts

U15B - D McArdle

U15A - W Hart

U16A - B Bohmer

2nd XV - O Cliff

1st XV - B Eaton-Collins

Mortimer Cup for Most Promising Player - B Bohmer

Full Colours: D Amofah Owusu, R Burke, T Dye, B Eaton-Collins, D Gozzett, C Holdcroft,J Holdcroft, G Howard, Z Mathews, D Meijers, B Nevison, B Reid, M Van Der Veen

Half Colours: O Cliff, L Kearton, R Lewis, J Maynard, S Parmenter, S Windridge

Unfortunately

on day two in the rain, they couldn’t find their winning form again.

Sedbergh 10s: The senior squad made the trip to Sedbergh for the third year in a row, looking to continue their success from winning the Seaford 10s tournament. Day one saw the boys top the group leading into the Cup competition for day two. Unfortunately, the second day saw typical Cumbrian weather and two losses for the boys. However, they re-grouped for their final game, winning 12-5 against a fantastic Sedbergh side, who were the eventual tournament winners.

U16 Boys 7s

U16A Boys XV

U16 Oakham

1st XV

Sport

Netball

This season has been an exceptional one for Netball across the school. We played over 160 fixtures, scoring over 3,500 goals and travelling lots of miles!

Once again we saw every single Year 7 and 8 girl take to court to represent the school in netball fixtures. Notable results for our U12s and U13s this year include a clean sweep against Woodbridge in block fixtures, and excellent performances in the Norwich School Development Tournament, with the U13C team being unbeaten all day.

Some of the U13 girls were also able to help out in our U14A and B teams this year. The U14s achieved a number of notable wins, and the U14As competed in the Suffolk finals before Christmas.

Our U15B team have had a super season, with a number of players representing the school at fixtures and regularly attending training, while the U15A squad only narrowly missed out on qualification to the east region finals, finishing third at the county finals.

The Senior girls enabled us to field three teams over the year, with the second team competing regularly against other schools’ first teams in tournaments. They took some great wins in block fixtures against St Felix, Haileybury, Norwich, and Framlingham, ending on a great win against Felsted.

Our first team saw 18 pupils represent the school at the highest level, testament to their commitment to training. For the first time in 10 years they took the county title and went on to compete in the East

Coaches’ awards

U12D - E Mayne

U12C - E Bostock

U12B - P Wooderson

U12A - I Okpiabhele

U13D - L Blackburn

U13C - I Stevens

U13B - B Gaskin

U13A - L Cliff

U14B - M Collins

U14A - E Fairbrother

U15B - E Croome

U15A - L Herbig

3rd VII - H Marsh

2nd VII - K Lower

1st VII - K Wilson

Full Colours: P Tweedy, K Wilson, S Childs, M Gedge

Half Colours: B Herron, H Marsh, K Lower

In the Easter holidays, 33 players from Years 8 to 10 took part in a netball tour to Salou. The tour included relaxing at a theme park, sightseeing in Barcelona, a masterclass training session and of course, a netball tournament – with great success for the U13 girls who won their event!

Region finals. Narrowly missing out on a win against one team meant we didn't qualify for semis, but the team spirit, skill on court and amazing attitude was a credit to the girls and the school.

A great Lent term saw the season end in fantastic style as the team reached the final of the St Jo’s Festival and were delighted to achieve the runners-up spot at the first time of entering.

In January we hosted our first ever performance tournament which saw 22 teams from around the country use our fantastic netball facilities to get ready for regionals. Both our U16s and 1st team finished in third place overall. In the Easter holidays, 33 players from Years 8 to 10 took part in a netball tour to Salou.

Our U15B team have had a super season, with a number of players representing the school at fixtures and regularly attending training, while the U15A squad only narrowly missed out on qualification to the East Region finals, finishing third at the county finals.

U13

U15A TOTW

“

1st Team TOTW

The tour included relaxing at a theme park, sightseeing in Barcelona, a masterclass training session and of course, a netball tournament – with great success for the U13 girls who won their event!

Sport

Girls’ Hockey

Our junior girls had a busy season, with numerous tournaments and midweek fixtures. Every girl in Years 7 and 8 was selected to represent the school in hockey, demonstrating a fantastic enthusiasm for the sport. Both the U13A and U12A sides were county champions, going on to represent Suffolk in the East region tournaments. In the ISHC competitions, the girls had a good win against Woldingham in the second round before losing to Queenswood School on strokes. Special mention must go to both the U13B and U13C teams who were unbeaten in their seasons, winning all of their games.

Coaches’ awards

U12D - C Tedbury

U12C - M Mann

U12B - F Bennett

U12A - E Mayne

U13D - S Kempkens

U13C - B Gammage

U13B - L Williams

U13A - A Hodgkinson

U14B - A Gould

U14A - E Fairs

U15B - F Hunter

U15A - P Stimpson

2nd XI - M Milgate

1st XI - M Douglas

Full Colours: M Douglas, J Tuff, R Wells

Half Colours: H Bishop, I Jermyn, A Johnson, Y Ridgers, P Tweedy

This year, our U14s, U15s and Senior Girls went on a pre-season tour to the University of Nottingham. They were able to train and play at their world-class facilities as well as take part in several beneficial fixtures.

The U14 age group had a successful season across both A and B squads. The B team had several impressive wins, notably two 7-0 victories against Culford and Felsted. The U14A team overcame sides such as Oakham, Gresham’s and Norwich to progress to the quarter-final stages of the England Hockey Tier 1 competition. A difficult away trip to Solihull saw our girls put on a mature display, walking away 3-1 winners and progressing to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, they were drawn at home to Repton. Some fantastic hockey from both sides saw the game finish 3-3 at full-time. Unfortunately, the girls were unable to overcome the hurdle of penalties, but we are extremely proud of them, finishing tied third in the country.

The U15s represented the school in the ISHC competition. Wins against Framlingham, Norwich and Kingston saw them progress to the last 16 stage where they were unfortunately beaten by Wellington College.

The girls’ U16 indoor team once again progressed through the county rounds with a tight victory over Framlingham College. Unfortunately, despite remaining unbeaten throughout the regional tournament, the girls narrowly missed out on qualification for the national finals by only one goal scored.

The 2nd XI had a strong year this year, entering the England Hockey Tier 4 competition, made up of schools’ 1st XI teams. They progressed out of the

county stages with strong wins against Culford, Ipswich High, Woodbridge and Finborough – the first time our girls’ 2nd XI have won a county tournament. They progressed to the regional stage but unfortunately, despite not losing a game, they finished second in their group.

The girls’ 1st XI also had a strong year. They competed well in the England Hockey Tier 1 competition with excellent wins against St John’s Leatherhead and Godolphin and Lattymer School, but unfortunately they did not progress out of the group stage. In the ISHC competition, the girls progressed to the fourth round with victories over St Edmund’s and Gordon’s before unfortunately losing to Haileybury in Round 4.

U13C

1st XI

U14

U14A

U13A

Boys’ Hockey

The U12 teams had their first taste of Senior School hockey, representing the school with real passion, with all of them playing in hockey fixtures. The U12A side became county champions, going on to represent the school at the regional finals, where a win over New Hall saw them finish third in the region. In the U13 teams, we were able to field five teams across the year, a testament to the year group’s enjoyment and enthusiasm for sport. The U13A side placed second in their county tournament and represented the school well at the Regional Finals. They also progressed to the quarterfinals of the ISHC competition, unluckily losing to a strong Kingston Grammar School. There were dominant victories for the U13C team – 8-0 win over Norwich School – and the U13D team –10-0 win over RHS.

The U14 boys, not wanting to be outdone by their counterparts in the U14 girls, had a fantastic season. The U14A boys started their England Hockey Cup campaign with victories over Gresham and Framlingham. They met The Perse in the last 16 of the competition, winning the shootout after a tight game and progressing to the quarterfinals against Uppingham. They dominated this game to come up against Taunton School in the semifinals and a shootout once again. A victory in the penalties took the boys to the national outdoor finals against Whitgift

School – the first time that an Ipswich School boys’ side has reached a national outdoor final in 15 years.

At U15 level, the B side competed brilliantly with some excellent wins against Culford and Norwich School, and the A team won eight games out of 13. In their ISHC cup campaign they reached the last 16 against St George’s Weybridge, but two unfortunate goals against the run of play saw the boys exit the cup.

In the Seniors, the 2nd XI put on a good showing at the county tournament, placing second, at a tournament made up of schools’ 1st XI teams. This result saw them enter the regional finals, where they needed to finish top of their group to progress. Despite starting with two wins, and putting on a valiant display of hockey, a clinical Watford Grammar took the game out of reach. This is the highest our 2nd XI have placed in several years.

Our 1st XI had a mixed hockey term, where victory against Oakham in the tier one competition was unfortunately not enough to qualify out of the group stages. However, in the ISHC competition, the boys fared better. Good wins against Framlingham, Norwich and Eltham College set up a quarter final against St George’s Weybridge. A valiant display by all involved led to a tight game, but unfortunately, tiring legs in the dying stages of the match saw St George’s finish winners on the day. In the indoor competition, the U18 boys reached the national finals, where they topped their group with wins against Yarm and Peter Symonds College and a draw against Dean Close. In the semi final they almost forced Whitgift to penalties, but it was not today, and so they finished in third place nationally.

Well done to all the Year 13s for their efforts this year and throughout their time at Ipswich School. You have represented the badge with pride, passion and a great level of enthusiasm and effort.

Coaches’ awards

U12D - T Anderson Davey

U12C - T Lucas

U12B - J Dolphin

U12A - A Swindin

U13D - J Lower

U13C - L Smith

U13B - J Smith

U13A - H Hindle

U14B - M Chan

U14A - C Buchanan

U15B - R Hargreave

U15A - G Prentice

2nd XI - W Woods

1st XI - O Taylor

Full Colours: L Cannon, O Cannon, L Howard, H Green, O Taylor, S Walker, M Williams

Half Colours: E Caldwell, W Woods, L Sinclair, S Fairs U14A

U14A

3rd XI

U14A

U18 Indoor Boys

Sport

Cross Country

The cross country team had another busy year, competing in an extensive programme of local, regional and national races, with notable success along the way.

The season started in October, with the first qualifying round of the Suffolk Schools’ Championship, held at RHS. In races against schools across South Suffolk, a team of nearly 60 runners, across Years 7 to 13, took part, with some strong performances from experienced runners alongside many running for the school for the first time.

In a separate competition, the National Schools Cup, our particularly strong inter and senior girls teams competed in the county qualifying races at Farlingaye School in October, with the senior girls coming first and both teams qualifying to race at the regional heats in Southend in December; sadly both teams failed to progress to the nationals as a result of injury.

The final round of the Suffolk Schools championships took place in early January on the familiar undulating course at Woodbridge School. There

were some standout performances, with Charles Fairbrother, Elizabeth Whall, Ottie Heather-Hayes, Darcy Gladwell, Lottie Hitchcock and Ben Morgan all selected to run for Suffolk at the regional championships. In the Anglians race, all six runners performed well, helping Suffolk to win the overall team competition for the second time in a row; Darcy and Lottie were also selected to represent Suffolk in the English Schools National Championships at Pontefract. All runners who competed in the schoolʼs cross country races should be proud of their performances, but Darcy and Lottie once again placed Ipswich School cross country on the map, representing the school and the county at national level.

The East Anglian League again provided significant opportunities for runners of all standards to race against teams from Gresham’s, RHS and Norwich schools. Ipswich School won the junior boys’ and junior girls’ series, and came in second place in the remaining team competitions. Individual trophies were also awarded to Jonathan Lower and Elizabeth Whall.

Congratulations to all of the runners that have competed for the school so successfully throughout the season.

Sports Day

Monday 1 July, Notcutts

Event Winners 2024

Year 7 Girls: 100m - R Birch, 200m - F Bennett, 300m - I Hammond, 800m - L Swallow, 1500m - E Whall, Long Jump - F Bennett, Shot - T Stimpson, Javelin - C Wignall, 4x100m - 7B

Year 7 Boys: 100m - A Bellamy, 200m - C Fairbrother, 300m - F Brown, 800m - C Fairbrother, 1500m - C Fairbrother, Long Jump - C Fairbrother, Shot - M Risdale, Javelin - A Saleh, 4x100m - 7B

Year 8 Girls: 100m - P Farmer, 200m - M Debenham, 300m - B Laws, 800m - I Pashby, 1500m - R Kelly, Triple Jump - I Gebhard, Long Jump - L Baldwin, Shot - A Hodgkinson, Javelin - E Hughes, 4x100m - 8C

Year 8 Boys: 100m - W Kershaw, 200m - L Ashmore, 300m - D McArdle, 800m - H Kelly, 1500m - J Lower, Triple Jump - G Baker, Long Jump - T Butler, Shot - H Kelly, Javelin - H Silverwood, 4x100m - 8E

Junior Girls: 100m - J Lamprell, 200m - E Noordhuis, 300m - N Shelley, 800m - E Younger, 1500m - O Heather-Hayes, Long Jump - Year 9: E Fairs, Year 10: S Li, Triple Jump - Year 9: A Kelly, Year 10: S Li, Shot - Year 9: M Collins, Year 10: J Lamprell, Javelin - Year 9: K Elliott, Year 10: J Lamprell, 4x100m - School

Junior Boys: 100m - M Bozier, 200m - H Underhill, 300m - W Gould, 800m - W Gould, 1500m - J Pennington, Long Jump - Year 9: G Notcutt, Year 10: H Carter, Triple Jump - Year 9: L Maclean, Year 10: I Ihenacho, Shot - Year 9: R Kiy,

Coaches’ awards

Minor Girls - E Whall

Minor Boys - C Fairbrother

Junior Girls - I Gebhard

Junior Boys - J Lower

Inter Girls - D Gladwell

Inter Boys - F Millar

Senior Girls - E Fairweather

Senior Boys - B Morgan

Half Colours: G Na Nakhorn

Year 10: J Notcutt, Javelin - Year 9: G Peters, Year 10: X Silverwood, 4x100m - School

Senior Girls: 100m - M Douglas, 200m - L Hollis, 300m - E Calver, 800m - l Hitchcock, 1500m - D Gladwell, Triple Jump - L Foster, Long Jump - L Hollis, Shot - A Huynh-Jackson, Javelin - E Booker, 4x100m - Sherrington

Senior Boys: 100m - N Woodhouse, 200m - E Todaro, 400m - H Foxwell, 800m - H Evans, 1500m - M Suergers, Triple Jump - N Woodhouse, Long Jump - H O’Reilly, Shot - S Walta, Javelin - O Heather-Hayes, 4x100m - School

Top Female - Victrix Ludorum: L Hollis; Top Male - Victor Ludorum: N Woodhouse Inter-House Trophy: School

Junior Cross Country

Eton Fives

2023-24 was an excellent year for Ipswich fives, with much to celebrate. Pupils played in 15 tournaments, four fixtures and in the Schools’ National Championships. Once again the OIs had the upper hand in the men’s match but we were able to draw the women’s game.

Our keenest year group, the U13s, were also our most successful, Harry Silverwood and Kishen Soni becoming national champions and Millie Hodgkinson and Betsy Laws being runners-up in the girls’ competition. Anastasia Moore and Izzy Gebhard were semi-finalists and Carys Bradley, Bella Wyndham, Rebecca Kelly and Emily Hughes quarter-finalists.

The warm-up for the Boys’ Championship was the three pair team competition in which we came second by a single point. For the U14s, Jake Shelley and Max Williams were our most successful pair, making the last eight.

George Prentice and Callum Warnes reached the last 16 in the U15s, and in the

Coaches’ awards

Year 7 Girls - A Sadler

Year 7 Boys - T Lucas

Year 8 Girls - C Bradley

Year 8 Boys - A Ingram

Year 9 Boys - J Cooper

Year 10 Girls - A Gammage

Year 10 Boys - C Warnes

Year 11 Girls - M Lee-Steward

Year 11 Boys - A Butler

Year 12 Boys - J Servant

Charlotta Cooley Cup (Year 8 Girls) - M Hodgkinson and B Laws

Peter Forrest Cup (Year 8 Boys)H Silverwood

Martin Shortland-Jones Cup (most promising senior player)W Woods

equivalent girls’ event Betsy and Millie were semi-finalists. Charlie Dinmore and Daniel Ingram, playing up a year in the U16 competition, came very close to a semi-final place, whilst Will Burton and Will Davison made the last 16.

Maddi Lee-Steward and Emilia Oxborrow played superbly to reach the semi-final of the U16 girls event, defeated only by top seeds Shrewsbury. We were pleased to have two senior pairs seeded for the boys’ open competition. Alex Phillips and Elliot Caldwell did well, reaching the last eight and Henry Gardner and Will Woods the last 16.

Outside the Championships, highlights included Henry Gardner and Alex Phillips taking a semi final slot in the U25 Competition; our senior team coming

second in the mixed team event; Kishen Soni winning the EFA U13 tournament, with Alex Blunden runner-up; Sam Cook and Daniel Ingram being denied the Midland Festival title by the narrowest of margins and Alex Phillips and Daniel Ingram semifinalists in the London Festival.

There were great performances in the Turnbull Trophy – Alex Phillips (semifinal), Elliot Caldwell and Sam Cook (last 16). Anastasia Moore won the EFA U14 girls’ tournament at Repton, with Guy Peters runner-up in the boys’ event. Perhaps the most impressive performance though was that of Alex Phillips and Elliot Caldwell entering the UK Open and winning the much-coveted Pepper-Pot Plate trophy.

New Staff

New Staff 2023-2024

We were delighted to welcome a number of new staff to Ipswich School this year.

Senior School Teachers

Jane Anderson Head of Psychology

Sarah Duncombe-Jones Head of Biology

Michela Luiselli Head of German

Lorine Montagnard-Milbank French Teacher

Ross Rands Mathematics Teacher

Billy Riddick Physics Teacher

Hannah Shields

Drama Teacher

Bethan Stoll Head of Drama

William Stuttard Geography Teacher

Katie Turner Mathematics Teacher

Martin Willis

EAL Tutor

Support Staff

Charlotte Golding Executive Assistant

Carole Hood

French Conversationalist

Bethan

Stoll

Head of Drama

Alyson North Examinations Manager

Julie Whent Reception Team Leader

Ed Pugh

ICT Apprentice

Jon Pritchard

Estates Manager

Karen Wesley

Estates Office Manager

Kevin Vincent, Clement Williams

Estates Operatives

Kain Bolt Groundsperson

Peter Abu-Jabir, Vanessa Audas, Anna Carter, Judy Stephenson, Ed Christian Invigilators

Ian Simpson Assistant Chef

Katie Pordham

Deputy Catering Manager

Carly King, James Brown, Tracy Dowers

Casual Catering Assistants

Agnieszka Panek, Rhys Roberts Cleaners

Alona Kotova Assistant House Parent

Before I came to Ipswich School, I trained at schools in Devon, then moved to Yorkshire. I worked at Giggleswick School for five years before moving south to Suffolk and becoming Head of Department at King Edward VI School. This is certainly the driest county I've ever lived in! Building a new department team in my first year here has been busy and rewarding.

The pupils are confident and are willing to take creative risks which means the atmosphere in the classroom is a wonderful environment for us all to work in. I adore rollercoasters and am a bit of an adrenaline junkie so if I was going to work in any other area I would probably be an outdoor adventure instructor – because who wouldn't want to spend their time climbing trees and zip wiring down mountains? It's probably rather fitting that Tarzan is one of my favourite Disney movies.

Sylvie Bull, Amanda Breitsprecher

Bar / Café Supervisor, ISSC Rushmere

Sports Staff

Dougie Hondo

2nd i/c Cricket

Joe Collier, Callum Hall, George Loose, Finlay Harrison, Leah Nolan, Erin McKee

Sports Graduates

Tea Townshend, Catherine Levick

Casual Hockey Coach

Prep Staff

David Booty, Sophie Bugden

Prep Teachers

Hannah Wainwright

Prep Teacher of Music & Drama

Jenny Jones

Prep Late Stay Assistant

Poppy Baker

Prep Gap Student

Lodge Day Nursery Staff

Olivia Clark, Amelie Steward, Grace Abbott, Elise Fairweather

Casual Nursery Assistants

The pupils are confident and are willing to take creative risks which means the atmosphere in the classroom is a wonderful environment for us all to work in.

Hannah Shields Drama Teacher

After university I spent a year working in the TV industry before realising that what I really wanted was to recapture the joy I felt when I was studying drama at school.

Katie Turner Maths Teacher

After university, I became an accountancy software tester – this was a sit down office job in which I was constantly clock watching, wishing the days to end so I could go home for a run and cook something tasty.

So, I went back to my old high school for some work experience and I was smitten. I then worked my way up the ladder, gaining experience as a teaching assistant and in student support before being accepted into teacher training, and the rest is history. At one point in my old school I was teaching drama to 500 different students a fortnight – a school record!

Being at Ipswich School this year has been magical. The shows, the costume department, the gorgeous stage and

“

so many lively performers that just can't wait to act, I have looked forward to teaching every single class on my timetable. However, if I had to choose to do something else, my absolute dream job would be a puppet maker. I love any excuse to direct shows with any type of puppetry and it's my retirement plan to attend the 'Curious School of Puppetry' and set up a puppet show company!

Being at Ipswich School this year has been magical. The shows, the costume department, the gorgeous stage and so many lively performers that just can't wait to act, I have looked forward to teaching every single class on my timetable.

It was also the position that spurred me on to become a teacher – a job that would never be boring! I’ve been a maths teacher now for 19 years. I started my teaching career at Framlingham College. After a few years, I moved to Colchester Girls Grammar and was there for 10 years. I then taught only sixth form for six years but I really missed the energy and sense of community of a school.

When a teaching position came up at Ipswich School, I jumped at the opportunity. I have very much enjoyed my first year here. The students are lovely. I have enjoyed the enthusiasm

“and liveliness of the Lower School and also the responsible and hardworking attitude of the Sixth Form. My favourite moment of this year was running the Pi day competition and meeting people who were as excited about Pi as me!

If I could do any job, I would open up a vegan café somewhere gorgeous near the coast. I would encourage people to try my beetroot lattes, macca mochas, super power cocoa brownies and the best banana bread ever. I’d miss the lovely long holidays though.

When a teaching position came up at Ipswich School, I jumped at the opportunity. I have very much enjoyed my first year here. The students are lovely. I have enjoyed the enthusiasm and liveliness of the Lower School and also the responsible and hard-working attitude of the Sixth Form.

New Staff

Lorine

Montagnard-Milbank

French Teacher

My career started 13 years ago as a primary school teacher in Mauritius, where I am originally from. Teaching was always something I looked up to as a child, having been inspired and surrounded by some of the most outstanding teachers I've had from preschool all the way through to my A Levels.

Additionally, growing up in Mauritius, the disparities in the accessibility of quality education to all children – especially those from minority backgrounds –became obvious to me and I wanted to make a difference. I thoroughly enjoyed the years I spent teaching in primary school but then I moved to the UK and I quickly realised that primary school here wasn't for me!

I retrained to teach in secondary school, got a job in a school in Southend, learnt a lot but most importantly, that's where I became more resilient than ever before! I like to think that eventually all the major life choices I've made so far have led me to Ipswich School. I like how passionate everyone is at Ipswich School – teachers and students. It is so refreshing to work in a school where students put so much effort in their learning, even if they find the subject challenging.

My childhood dream was to become an air hostess but I think I never grew tall enough for that! Now, thinking about it, if I could do anything else I'd be an artist. I'd dedicate my time to painting and all things creative.

Will Stuttard

Geography Teacher

This has been my fourth year teaching geography in secondary schools. Before Ipswich School I worked in a school in Essex for two years, and previous to that I flirted with being an academic geographer in university, and I've also had a variety of jobs in events, retail, hospitality and outdoor education.

I worked for a brewery for a while, and I'm still a qualified fencing instructor, which is the most unexpected qualification that I have – as I have very little expertise in fencing!

The staff and students are friendly and welcoming at Ipswich School, and it's a pleasure to teach people who are interested in doing well. The best thing about the job is the sense of purpose it gives me.

If I wasn't teaching, I'd like to be a farmer, but on an idyllic, small farm like I imagine they used to have in 1924. I think it would be nice to grow your own food and take care of the land and the animals.

Martin Willis

English as an Additional Language (EAL) Tutor

After graduating from LAMDA, my first job was teaching speech and drama at the Paragon Prep School, Bath. My interest in EAL/EFL developed as we often had foreign students homestay with us during the holidays.

I then taught English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Italy and Poland for a number of years. In Poland I had the joy of combining EFL teaching with drama at a teacher training college.

On returning to the UK, I worked in various language schools in Bournemouth, completed my Cambridge Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and went on to teach at Bournemouth University and then Glasgow University. Currently as well as teaching at Ipswich School, I teach at Suffolk New College as an ESOL Lecturer to refugees and asylum seekers.

The best thing about my first year at Ipswich School has been the positive mindset of international students in overcoming language barriers in the classroom and their ability to adapt to a very different cultural norm; also the warmth and friendliness from both international students and staff, especially in the boarding houses. Hats off to the chef for the delicious cooked breakfast at Westwood on a Saturday morning!

If I wasn’t teaching, my dream job would have been to have sung professionally in an opera or West End musical. I sometimes show up in a local musical production instead!

Dr Michela Luiselli Head of German

Before becoming a Modern Languages teacher I worked for several years as an Egyptologist in academic research and teaching in Italy, Switzerland and the UK. I worked in research groups, including German and Italian excavation teams in Egypt, I taught at university and I published academic works mainly on Egyptian religion. After completing a Masters degree in translation studies and working as a freelance interpreter I realised, perhaps for the first time, how immensely lucky I was to speak four languages fluently and I decided to embark on a career change and train to teach Modern Languages.

The best things about my first year here have undoubtedly been both the incredible staff and the warmth and kindness of the pupils. Ipswich School is a place where the support and bond among staff is immense and I can’t remember any other place where I have experienced this.

Since then, I have worked as an MFL teacher in schools including Edgbaston High School for Girls in Birmingham, Solihull School and the Seckford Education Trust.

The best things about my first year here have undoubtedly been both the incredible staff and the warmth and kindness of the pupils. Ipswich School is a place where the support and bond among

staff is immense and I can’t remember any other place where I have experienced this. Both the support of my colleagues and the pupils’ kindness made me feel as if I belonged to the community of Ipswich School from the very first day.

As part of my past career in research I have published two books and several academic articles, but I also worked as co-editor of books on a few occasions. I enjoyed immensely reading other scholars’ contributions to a research topic, learning from their knowledge and helping them transform their script to what was expected by the publisher. Therefore, if I had to choose another career, I would definitely work in the publishing sector, maybe on the editing board of a magazine on archaeology or modern language teaching.

Ross Rands

Maths Teacher

I began my teaching career at Copleston High School (where I used to go as a pupil) in 2012 and enjoyed working there for four years, until I realised that I had spent too much of my life walking the same hallways and needed a change!

I moved to Ipswich High School, where I was for seven years, enjoying roles as a Head of Year and Head of House alongside my main efforts teaching Mathematics.

The best thing about my first year at Ipswich School has to be the staff

chocolate club on a Thursday breaktime and schooling the Sixth Form in how to play football on a Thursday afternoon (filled with energy from all the chocolate!). If I could choose any other job in the world, I would like to be a diving instructor somewhere beautiful such as the Great Barrier Reef. I love working with people and I could enjoy the physical nature of the job in beautiful surroundings with wonderful wildlife.

Leaving Staff

Leaving Staff 2023 - 2024

We would like to say goodbye and thank you to all the following staff who left Ipswich School this year. We thank you for your service and wish you well for the future.

Senior Staff

Nicholas Weaver Headmaster

Tracy Boyle Director of Co-Curriculum and MFL Teacher

Anna Caston Head of Lower School and Maths Teacher

Senior School Teaching Staff

Simon Arthur Head of Physics

Matthew Core Head of Maths

Elena Huckins Teacher of Science

Richard Parkin Head of Art

Nick Sterno Teacher of Maths

Jon Thompson Head of MFL

Katherine Wells Head of Russian

Support Staff

Andy Caley

Estates Site Manager

Leanne Castle Events and Alumni Relations Officer

Dominic Ellis-Peckham Director of Chapel Choir

Karen Hills

Estates Office Manager

Matthew Core

Head of Maths

Alyson North Exams Manager

Sandra Boon

Paula Millar

Ciara Mason

Catering Assistants

Jo Cole Assistant Chef

Martyn Cull Head of Grounds

Oliver Jones

Groundsperson

Helder Lopes

Neil Whinney

Estates Operatives

Nicola Stevenson

Dominique Vermorel

Debra Pryke

Heather Stewart-Griffin

Tracey Walker Invigilators

Hanna Adams

Sue Adams

Susan Dixon

Phil Allen Cleaners

Ali Livingstone

Casual Duty Officer ISSC

Sports Staff

Sally Carns Head of Netball

Jacob Ford Head of Rugby

Ben Kelland Rugby Coach

Mr Core has overseen numerous comings and goings in the department over his 16 years here and his sense of spotting a good recruit has helped shape a strong and successful team who work with a great spirit and are always willing to help one another.

The department camaraderie even remains intact with his distinct lack of good quality (or even any) biscuits in Department Meetings. One of Mat's best assets is his confidence to face up to adversity and not be ashamed to voice his viewpoints, as the other Heads of Department and a selection of Governors

I'm sure will testify.

Archie Bourne, Callum Hall, Leah Nolan, George Loose, Finlay Harrison, Erin McKee

Sports Graduates

Tea Townshend, Oliver Jacklin, Catherine Levick, John Levick

Casual Sports Coaches

Sam Bennett-King Cricket Coach and Lettings Administrator

Lodge Day Nursery Staff

Natalie Goulding, Sophie Taylor, Rhian Wright, Sarah Stack, Billy Jordan, Annie Murphy, Rachel Murphy, Kayleigh Norman, Olivia Core, Liam Earley

Nursery Assistants

Lydia Cordle, Jasmine Poole

Room Leaders

Nikki Turner Admin Manager

Prep Staff

Kevin Goldsmith

Prep Teacher

Mrs Kate Frankland

Prep Admissions Manager

Siobhan Rudd, Sally Hart

Prep Teaching Assistant

Hazel Hall

Late Stay Supervisor

Nico Boje, Poppy Baker Gap Students

It's no secret that Mat loves his food and frequently relates stories of his weekends cooking curries from scratch with his wife and daughters. It is known that no cheese is safe in the presence of Mat, and on one particular wine tasting event he left with great blocks of the stuff hanging out of his pockets for himself to enjoy later.

With warmest wishes we bid you farewell, thank you wholeheartedly for your contributions, academically, pastorally and socially. Thank you on behalf of the whole department for being supportive and largely just fun, and know that you will be hugely missed by all your colleagues here.

Anna Caston Head of Lower School and Maths Teacher

Ms Caston joined Ipswich School in September 2010. Prior to this she was at Copleston School for five years and, before that, she taught in several other schools in London and Southampton.

Anna is also an ex-police woman which might be a little known fact – I wonder whether the skills learnt here equipped her for her excellent class management!

Anna is an excellent teacher; pupils are encouraged to be curious and excited about their mathematics where everyone, no matter what their ability, can achieve good things. She always gets pupils onside where everyone feels confident and happy to contribute to her lessons.

It soon became very apparent that Anna had the nurturing and leadership skills to take on a pastoral role in the school and she duly became Head of School House two years later. Incredibly, alongside her House duties, Anna was also tasked with improving the staff development programme for teachers, organising

“

staff INSET, new staff induction, and the provision for our NQTs and PGCE, and staff socials.

Ms Caston then became Head of Lower School aiming to fill the very big shoes left by Mr Cliff as he moved to look after the Sixth Form. She has absolutely excelled in this role and I know that pupils and parents alike will be hugely grateful for all her kindness, support and expertise in what is such an important and challenging job in the school. Of course, it would be remiss of me not to include a quick mention of when things didn’t always go quite to plan – the legendary Lower School disco which turned into a germ spreading fiasco! Did anyone count the number of pupils and teachers that were off sick the following week?

Anna gives her time freely, and she has been on numerous school trips to Russia, Spain and Italy (twice) as well as, of course, Cumbria and Devon. She also set up our Refugee homework club (of which four pupils subsequently received scholarships to Ipswich School) and helped to set up the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion club, Consciousness Club and has been the lead behind countless Pride and International Women’s Day events.

Thank you for everything you have done and achieved at Ipswich School we all wish you the very best of luck for the future.

Katherine Wells Head of Russian

We are saying a sad farewell to our Head of Russian, Katherine Wells, who has been an integral part of the Russian team for over 10 years now, although we have occasionally lent her out on a free transfer elsewhere!

Having originally joined us as the Russian conversation assistant, we soon trained her up to be a classroom teacher, as she displayed a natural talent for every role she attempted. Having quickly added French and German to her repertoire, she became a key part of our teaching across the whole department.

It is no surprise that she was able to step into the Head of Department’s shoes when required two years ago, and that she has continued to fuel the students’ enthusiasm for this unique language which has been a hallmark of its inclusion in the curriculum. Having always played a full role in the departmental scheme of trips and visits, she recently added trips to the ballet in support of the A Level topics of study, to compensate for lack of opportunities to visit Russia itself.

Katherine is not only leaving us, but also leaving teaching, at least for now – a sad loss to the profession of a talented practitioner. She will, however, be taking up an organisational role with the National Education Union, as well as becoming a marriage celebrant. Thank you so much for all your contributions, we will miss you greatly, and wish you much fun and fulfilment in your new roles.

Leaving Staff

Jon Thompson

Head of Modern Languages and French

Ipswich School welcomed a new era in Modern Languages with the appointment of Jon Thompson 17 years ago. He has since created a modern multicultural department, with interactive screens, colourful displays and many native speakers for teachers, using his wit, charisma and expertise to shape the department.

He mastered French and German at Oxford university, but he has an incredible ability to grasp new languages, whether it is Spanish, Russian or even Mandarin, he speaks it all, sometimes with a Scottish accent. Back in 2007 he was given the task to introduce Spanish in Year 7 for the first time, so he quickly got himself up to scratch to teach it and even organised the first ever Spanish trip to Barcelona that same year.

Jon has led the department through countless changes in specifications, a pandemic, teaching online for six long months and more recently, some very

tough challenges, including the passing of one of our beloved colleagues in the department.

Jon's contribution to Ipswich School goes far beyond his linguistic expertise. He has been a mentor, a guide, and an inspiration to both students and colleagues. His dedication to fostering a multicultural and inclusive environment and his passion for languages have enriched countless students over the years. Whether it be a sixth form lesson on the short stories of Guy de Maupassant or a Year 7 class on food and drink, Jon’s lessons were never just about grammar and vocabulary. His humour and ability to make language learning engaging, relevant and fun have left an indelible, some would say unforgettable, mark on all who had the privilege of being his students.

Jon's contribution to Ipswich School goes far beyond his linguistic expertise. He has been a mentor, a guide, and an inspiration to both students and colleagues.

He was also a much loved, and hugely reliable form tutor in Sherrington House, where he got to know his pupils so very well, enriching their lives with his pastoral knowledge, amusing YouTube moments, French rap, or a review of the La Liga results. Jon, we wish you a well-deserved retirement in York, filled with joy, relaxation, perhaps a few more language adventures, and maybe even a breakthrough in how to cultivate the best olives in the county.

Simon Arthur Head of Physics

When Mr Arthur joined us from Hartismere High School, the Physics Department was ready for new blood and Simon started single-mindedly working on implementing his vision. Physics trips and activities have helped bring his subject to life with Cambridge lectures, Lego Robotics competitions, the Physics X Factor, Physics at Work exhibitions, plus countless trips to

Iain Gall

Hockey Coach and Boarding Tutor

So much a part of Ipswich for so long in so many ways, Mr Gall is a much loved member of staff, both in the common room and amongst the pupils. He has held various roles in his time at the school from PE teacher to head of rugby to scholarship manager to sports leader coordinator to hockey coach to cricket coach.

Just in the last five years, Gally’s tally of hockey successes include national U18 indoor champions, national U16 indoor silver medallists, national U18 indoor bronze twice, national U16 indoor bronze, and national U14 outdoor silver medallists. It is the end of an unbelievable journey and many people will treasure the experiences they have had together with him, as well as being eternally grateful for his commitment and spirit.

The boys have loved their time with him and we can only hope that our paths will cross again in the future. Thank you Gally for everything.

Sizewell, Huawei, BT, Diamond Light Synchrotron and of course ‘24 hours in CERN’ – these are highlights of the extraordinary opportunities given to pupils.

Deep thinking and patient, pupils have really appreciated the teaching and the support given by Simon – his clinics sessions have included the spectacle of ALL A Level practicals in a single lunch time, basically Everything Everywhere, All at Once. With hard shoes to fill, his career will progress to the benefit of St Alban’s.

Richard Parkin Director of Art

After eight remarkable years at Ipswich School, Mr Parkin is setting off to pursue his dream of being an artist in the beautiful landscapes of Spain. Richard’s story with Ipswich School is truly special. He came back to teach at the very school where he was once a student, but before rejoining us, he had an impressive career in television, contributing to popular programmes like Animal Hospital and Grand Designs. His experience in media brought a fresh and exciting perspective to his teaching, making his classes anything but ordinary. From the moment he returned, Richard showed us he’s more than just ambitious – he’s a visionary. His creative projects,

like the inspiring Doves installation, have left a lasting impact on our school. He also launched both GCSE and A Level Photography courses, providing students with new avenues to express themselves and explore their creativity. Thanks to his guidance, these courses have flourished, with students consistently achieving high grades.

But it's not just about the grades. Many of Richard’s students have gone on to successful careers in the creative industries, a true testament to his mentorship. His classroom has always been a place where creativity is celebrated, and every student is encouraged to shine.

And let's not forget Richard’s talents as a portrait painter. His beautiful portrait of Dr John Blatchly in The Hold is just one example of his incredible skill and attention to detail. His artwork has enriched our school's artistic landscape and inspired countless students.

As we say goodbye, we’re filled with mixed emotions. We’ll miss his presence and energy, but we’re also incredibly excited for him as he embarks on this new adventure in Spain. We can't wait to see what amazing art he’ll create next and his dedication, vision and enthusiasm has left an indelible mark on our school – his legacy will continue to influence us all. “

Elena Huckins

Teacher of Science

Elena was appointed during a lockdown and managed to show off her bubbly enthusiasm during a Google Meet lesson. A key strength of hers that she takes with her to her new post is her ability to engage so positively with her classes and unusually, she has taught across all three sciences in the Lower School. A careful lesson planner and an active producer of shared resources she has contributed particularly well to the Biology department. This year she agreed to mentor a PGCE student. A slightly adapted Star Wars quote “Ready she was, to teach an apprentice. To let go of her pupil, a greater challenge it will be. Master this, Elena did and Bella will become her replacement!”

Andy Sadler

Reprographics Manager

Andy has been at the school for 12 years and has seen a huge change in our reprographics offering with so many of our publications and publicity materials now printed in-house.

This has been such a luxury for the school and Andy's skills have often meant he is expected to turn things around in double quick time to deal with the many requests made of him.

Whether it’s printing posters for a display, assessment papers and revision handbooks, a music programme or the school prospectus, everything is done professionally, and with huge attention to detail. How he has managed to stay so calm with his in-tray as full as it is, highlights just how patient he is – he is an all-round nice guy, one of the very best, who will be a massive loss to so many of us.

Adnan Zakir

Hockey Coach

Adnan joined us on what has been a weird and wonderful journey through East Anglia for him.

He has been a revelation, a truly unique coach with a unique perspective on skill acquisition in hockey, who gives 1000% to every second of every day but particularly in the contact time he has with the pupils – he is so well loved by them. We would not have been able to achieve the national successes without him – particularly his highlight of winning the U18 Indoor National Championships –and we will miss him a great deal.

Ben Kelland

Rugby Coach

Mr Kelland was another excellent addition to the rugby programme. Universally popular for his blend of impeccable manners, dry humour and banter, he has been a huge part of the success of all the teams across the school and he should be proud of every one of those accolades that have been bestowed on the Rugby Dept – they would not have been possible without him. He will be missed but a PGCE awaits and he will undoubtedly be a major success at Northgate next year.

Leaving Staff

Jacob Ford

Head of Rugby

From behind the touchline of Notcutts v Haileybury, to the muddy fields of Sedbergh and Rosslyn Park, the sideline at Harrow in the pouring rain, the broken camera at NSB and the amazing day and night of the Sedbergh game this season, Mr Ford (Fordy) has been the constant in the rugby programme here.

Nick Sterno

Maths Teacher

Dr Sterno joined the school in September of 2015 – previously he had worked as a trader in London so clearly it wasn’t the salary that attracted him to teaching! In fact, it was whilst teaching undergraduates as a PhD student that Nick first realised that this was something that he would eventually want to pursue. Nick quickly settled in and soon gained a reputation for being an excellent maths teacher; meticulously prepared lessons, zippy IT presentations, and real world examples of mathematics in use would

Even at times when it felt like the rest of the world was against us, he has always kept going and been steadfast in his approach to success, and as a result has achieved so much both in school and outside. His impact has been bigger than just his department, he has helped raise the name of the school to the national standing that it holds today. We wish him well on his coaching adventure where we are sure he will go from strength to strength.

be his trademark. His excellent subject knowledge and explanations left pupils in no doubt that they would always be getting the very best service under his instruction. Nick became assistant Head of Sixth Form in 2016 where he was mainly responsible for improving our provision for pupils applying to Oxbridge; as a result of his hard work, our success rate increased significantly and many pupils will be indebted to him for all his expertise and sound advice. In 2019, Nick became second in charge in the maths department and his contribution to the growth of the department has been invaluable, organising maths trips, visiting speakers, competitions and team challenges with local schools.

Beyond the classroom, Nick was also responsible for setting up the Middle School Athenaeum, coaching the U13Bs rugby team and, of course, football on a Thursday afternoon. Nick will have many great memories of his time at Ipswich School; whilst the Russian trip in 2018 might be one of the highlights – being picked out of the crowd to perform a Russian folk dance on stage might be something he would wish to forget!

We wish him all the best at his new job as Head of Maths at Benenden School in Kent.

Kevin Goldsmith

Prep Teacher

Mr Goldsmith started at Ipswich Prep School in September 1991 –33 years ago! During these many years, he has taught games, PE and maths, and headed up the Prep Sports Department.

Kevin has also been House Tutor for Notcutts and has headed up the Prep Eco Council. Old Ipswichian and former England and GB hockey player George Pinner IO credits Kevin with inspiring him to play in goal and become an Olympian.

Mr Goldsmith has loved all the sports at Ipswich School and all the fantastic opportunities that this brings. He has been on many trips, including one to Wimbledon in his last term, and a visit to the Houses of Parliament with the Prep School Council. He has regularly enjoyed cricket tours to Guernsey and took a group to the Paralympics in London in 2012. His proudest moment was when both U11 boys’ and girls’ hockey teams won their regional finals on the same day and represented the school at the national finals in 2004. We were also delighted when Mr Goldsmith was shortlisted as an ‘unsung hero’ in the Independent School of the Year awards this summer, recognising all the times when he has gone the extra mile for pupils and staff at the Prep.

Kevin will not be leaving us completely as he will be returning in September to help with some games lessons, clubs and fixtures. However, we wish him all the best as he starts his retirement from full time work.

Tracy Boyle

Director of Co-Curriculum and Teacher of German

This year we said a very sad farewell to one of our longest serving teachers, Mrs Boyle.

Tracy was an important gain from Chantry High School 31 years ago, and soon became a popular teacher of French and German across the school. Pupils were quick to express enjoyment and appreciation of her lessons, while her tutees in School House always loved her motherly touch.

Over the years she focused more closely on teaching German, becoming an essential part of the A Level team, where the topic of the post-war divided Germany became her specialism, researched and resourced in great depth. Alongside contributing to the development of new schemes of work as exam specs changed, she also ran the German Christmas Market trip many times, introducing students to the delights of Lebkuchenherzen, Räuchermännchen and Weihnachtsplätzchen.

In fact, Tracy’s experience with running trips and events made her the prime candidate for the new role of Director

of Co-Curriculum, and she was duly appointed. No-one can be in any doubt about the importance of this side of the school’s offering, and it is testament to Tracy’s abilities and dedication that we have been able to reconcile so many competing demands on the time of our teachers and students, and to achieve such high-profile success in so many fields of endeavour.

We give enormous thanks to her for her utter devotion to the role, the hours she has sacrificed in support of our performers whether on stage or on the sports field.

In July, anyone who came to the Midsummer Soirée, in the light of the news of our national cricket victory at Lord’s, will have witnessed some of the outstanding achievements which all depend on Tracy’s guiding hand in the background. We give enormous thanks to her for her utter devotion to the role, the hours she has sacrificed in support of our performers whether on stage or on the sports field.

Tracy, the whole school owes you a huge debt of gratitude for your years of selfless service – on behalf of the whole community, thank you, and Go Well!

The Boyle family have been an Ipswich School fixture for many years, and so many people will be wishing Mrs Boyle well as she steps back from her co-curricular and teaching responsibilities, embarking on her own gap year, with plans to travel to far off places, see new sights, and do new and interesting things.

Tracy, the whole school owes you a huge debt of gratitude for your years of selfless service – on behalf of the whole community, thank you, and Go Well!

Sally Carns

Head of Netball

Sally was part of the “Covid Cohort” who we employed online and who joined at a very strange time, where we had professionalised a programme only to find we weren't allowed to play sport. But Sally showed her true character through these early days where we found ourselves doing jobs we were never employed to do – she was brilliant.

Once up and running Sally was able to build the netball programme around some very successful teams and move us into the position of looking at county titles as something that should be won rather than could be won. The highlights for her could be many and varied, as her love for the players and the sport isn’t just centred around the elite. Highlights could be the regional performances of her 1st team for the last two years but could equally be her wonderful tour of Spain or the “everybody plays” tournament for Lower School. She has been a wonderful addition to the school and we wish her all the best as she takes the next step in her career leading up Guernsey Netball.

Obituary

Sophie Meudec

We were sorry to learn of the death of Sophie Meudec, our French language assistant, who died in January after a short period of ill health. She was one of the longest serving members of the MFL department, where her strong personality, dedication to her students' understanding of conversation and French culture, and her gales of laughter are much missed.

Development Office

A message from the Development Director

It has been quite a year, the planning for the Giving Day started in November 2023 to be ready for June 2024, and it turned out to be a truly great 36 hours where we all supported our school!

One of the most heartening elements of the work of the Development Office is finding out how an Ipswich School education has impacted people’s lives. During the Giving Day we heard from Mariia, one of our pupils who joined us from Ukraine, as well as Mart who joined us

2024 Impact Report

You can read more about the Giving Day and the fundraising initiatives of the future in our 2024 Impact Report.

We are facing an extraordinary amount of change and challenge. However, our dedication to delivering an excellent education remains and we must react to the current climate by making this school the very best that it can be. As indicated in the Head’s opening words in the Impact Report, alongside supporting

on a special sports scholarship funded by a generous Old Ipswichian. We also heard from Bob who started the Phoenix Fund to support children who experience a change of familial circumstances whilst at the school. He and his twin brother Roger were themselves supported at Ipswich when their funding ceased as teenagers in the 1950s and they wished to pass this good fortune onto others who find themselves in a similar situation.

Now more than ever we need support to ensure children are able to remain educated at Ipswich School and I thank you for your part in the Giving Day to help us in this endeavour.

The Development Team:

Nikki Brown Development Director nlb@ipswich.school 01473 298961

Caroline Gould Development and Alumni Relations Manager cog@ipswich.school 01473 408324

bursaries, the focus now must be to support our estate.

Our buildings on Henley Road are now more than 170 years old and some of our newest buildings, like the library, are in need of refurbishment and upgrades. There is a huge desire to update our facilities in the coming months and years with focus on some key projects to ensure we offer the very best education possible. This helps us to give our pupils a wonderful educational experience including an outstanding co-curricular offering.

During the Giving Day you helped us raise money for The Capital Fund. This fund allows us to update and maintain the buildings and facilities at Ipswich School as well as direct funds to individual subjects. Some key projects we would like help with include:

• Refurbishment of the Pavilion and Library.

• A complete overhaul of our school field cricket nets.

• Opportunities to improve teaching facilities in Art and in Biology.

Alongside this massive fundraising feat we have also been organising events and communications for our Old Ipswichian Alumni community.

The OI community is lively and strong with 8000 members, many of whom return to visit to offer career support and attend events here at the school. We hope you will also be proud to be an Old Ipswichian when you leave the School, and be an active lifelong member of the alumni community.

Nikki Brown, Development Director

Tina Harvey Development Administrator tmh@ipswich.school 01473 408276

Caleb Howgego School Historian cth@ipswich.school 01473 408276

• The installation of a state-of-the-art 'Tech Desk' into Great School to support Performing Arts of all sorts.

• Investment in boarding on the Anglesea Heights site on Ivry Street.

• The creation of a brand-new strengthand-conditioning fitness suite.

In the past we have been fortunate enough to receive support from Old Ipswichians, parents and supporters of the school who have helped realise some wonderful projects including the Chapel lighting (Philip Ind OI) The Lingwood Pavilion (Nigel Lingwood OI) and The Lodge Day Nursery (Roy Towns OI).

Get in touch with Nikki Brown, Development Director on 01473 298961 or nlb@ipswich.school to discuss opportunities to be involved in the reshaping of the School.

Read Impact Report here from December 2024.

The Giving Day

This year we celebrated our second Giving Day and were overjoyed with the support given by the school community, both here at Henley Road and further afield.

It was a wonderful occasion where we supported our three main funds; The Bursary Fund, The Phoenix Hardship Fund and The Capital Estate Fund.

The day kicked off with a mass workout on the school field where the pupils had a great time making their way around 12 high intensity impact training stations. You can see from the photos that it was a beautiful morning with everyone in high spirits. Our thanks goes to Mr Morgan, the CCF and all our

wonderful teachers who donned their kit to lead the warmup!

Cakes and ice cream are always a winner and the 36 hour event saw a massive sale of both to raise more funds. The Prep children visited the tuck shop again this year to enjoy the facility that the ‘big kids’ love and that Old Ipswichians will remember from their time at the school. It has been a tuck shop for at least 70 years!

We had so much support from our wider community and despite a serious email glitch which sent a lot of our correspondence to junk folders, the day raised £97,000 for the school.

House took home the ‘most supported house’ trophy and we had donations from Old Ipswichians in 12 countries from around the globe.

A wonderful day celebrating all of the special things about being part of this amazing community.

Thank you from Mart

“I came to the school almost two years ago and have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I am so very lucky to benefit from a fully funded rugby scholarship given to the school by generous supporters from our wider community. For this I will be eternally grateful.

This education has changed my life, I have made friends I will keep for my lifetime, I have skills I will draw upon both on and off the rugby pitch and I look forward to my future. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you, and to encourage others to help young people like me fulfil their potential through education. Thank you”.

Felaw

Friends of Ipswich School

Friends of Ipswich School (FOIS)

The second hand uniform sales go from strength to strength and the biennial Ball was another fantastic night.

During the 2022-2023 academic year the FOIS second hand uniform shop opened on Anglesea Heights and it has been a massive success raising thousands of pounds annually. This year FOIS have raised £8,150 to support “extras” for the pupils at school. This year they have supported the purchasing of House t-shirts, Senior School t-shirts, the yearbook and leavers hoodies.

They also use their biennial Ball to raise funds for local charities and raised £6,000

this summer in the event on the school field. The Friends volunteers work hard to support cohesion of the parent body with their regular events including the Year 7 welcome picnic to familiarise new class members with each other before the

Keep in touch

Chair - Ed Dewson

Secretary - Helen Dewson

Treasurer - Sally Peace

info@friendsofipswichschool.co.uk

first day of Senior School, the FOIS Quiz held at Rushmere Sports Centre and the biennial FOIS Ball. Thank you to all the members of the FOIS and parent body for your support this year.

@ipswichfois

Friends of Ipswich School (FOIS) @FOISIpswichSc

OI Club

Introduction

Membership to the Old Ipswichian alumni network is a unique benefit of attending Ipswich School that will last a lifetime. In our time working with Old Ipswichians we have heard stories of lifelong friendships, marriages and business partnerships that all stem from this amazing school.

Your contact with the alumni starts early, indeed quite a few of your teachers belong to this group! In the Sixth Form, your contact will increase as you start to ask for advice about your chosen

Keep in touch

career and in your first years after leaving Ipswich School we will be in touch, to invite you back, engage with our first five year’s out event in the winter and join our networking opportunities.

We have so much to be proud of in our Old Ipswichians and this year they have once again shown us what remarkable people they are and what varied careers they pursue. Read on to discover OI stories and be inspired by those who have walked these corridors at the oldest school in Suffolk.

OLDIPSW ICHIANS SEMPER EADEM

We have so much to be proud of in our Old Ipswichians and this year they have once again shown us what remarkable people they are and what varied careers they pursue.

The Development Office works with the Old Ipswichian Club Committee to develop our alumni programme and are always happy to hear from you. Please do get in touch.

Nikki Brown Development Director Sally Webber (OI 1993-95) OI Chair

Please do not hesitate to contact the Development Team or OI Committee to discuss how we can support you as you take your next steps into the world. Be sure to follow the Old Ipswichian Instagram, facebook and LinkedIn pages. And don’t forget to make sure we have your most up to date contact details so that we can stay in touch. Just email oldipswichians@ipswich.school.

Benefits of being an OI

• To be part of a unique network of individuals who help and connect with each other.

• Careers and university advice and mentoring.

• OI events including sports events and domestic and international reunions.

• Monthly eNews: a regular email with news, OI stories, opportunities and event details.

• A copy of the annual OI Journal

• A copy of the Ipswichian if requested.

• Up to date news from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

• Access to the Club’s online portal https://oldipswichians.ipswich.school/

Many events are provided free of charge and partners are welcome too. The annual dinners are run at competitive rates with subsidised tickets for younger members.

Email: oldipswichians@ipswich.school

Web: www.ipswich.school/old-ipswichians

Instagram: @oldipswichians

Facebook: www.facebook.com/old.ipswichian

Linkedin: search for Old Ipswichians

OI Club

‘I do the best I can on any given day’ I was delighted to chat with the 2024 Wimbledon Men’s Doubles Champion Henry Patten (OI 2007-12) since winning the Grand Slam in July.

Henry looked back fondly over his time at Ipswich School, with sport forming a large part of his memories. He remembered teachers including Mrs Hoskins (Maths) who he referred to as ‘more of a ‘life’ teacher than a maths teacher’. As a child he played in tennis clubs starting at age five, and many family videos show him

with a tennis racquet in hand. After leaving Ipswich School, he went to sixth form at Culford and progressed further into tennis. He went to the University of North Carolina on an athletic scholarship, where the advice was; while you can, ‘go and play tennis’. The rest is history!

Henry’s early influences include the greats, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Jokovic, and Andy Murray. His all time heroes are the Bryan Brothers who had lots in common with Henry and his brother Arthur (OI 2009-16). The Bryan

Olivia's brand, Roekate is a range of sustainable athleisure wear for the eco-conscious consumer. Made in the UK all the range is made from the finest natural and eco-friendly fibres to create loungewear that is kind to the planet as well as being luxurious.

After enjoying sport and art at Ipswich, Olivia then left to study Combined Social Sciences at Durham University. During Olivia’s time at university she did a sustainability internship at the British-born, Norfolk based demifine jewellery brand Monica Vinader (MV), and continued to work with them whilst she completed her final year and launched

Roekate. She still works for them full time alongside running Roekate. Roekate was born out of Olivia’s frustration as a consumer that she couldn’t find any really good quality loungewear that looked good with minimal harm to the planet. The current loungewear sector has two polarities, high street fast fashion and high-end luxury cashmere and silk, so she saw there was a gap in the market – affordable luxury.

Olivia says: “The last year has absolutely flown past. I haven't had any formal business training and have pretty much taught myself everything I know,

Brothers were the most successful duo of all time. Inspirational indeed!

Henry’s family have been incredibly supportive with ʻhuge encouragement to chase the dream of tennis’.

To prepare, Henry has a nutritionist, doctor, fitness trainer and a team of analysts. Before every match they will have a scouting report on their opponents. Post-match they will review to maximise their own performance.

Henry met Harri Heliovaara in March 2024, they hit it off straight away, reaching a career high at Wimbledon in July!

His message to his younger self would be ‘be confident in yourself and who you are. Enjoy your life at school, sixth form and college – it’s the best, so make the most of it’.

By Caroline Gould Development and Alumni Relations Manager

especially about the fashion industry. Luckily, my dad has run businesses throughout his professional life so he has been an incredible sounding board for advice and support.”

Olivia juggles Roekate with her full time job. It is a constant struggle and a balance that is hard to get right but Olivia is really enjoying the freedom and creativity of running her own business. We look forward to seeing how it grows in the coming years.

To find out more about Roekate visit roekate.co.uk

OI Cricket and Family Day 2024

It was a thrilling encounter at the Ipswich School grounds as the Old Ipswichians were victorious against a young school team. The match was highlighted by an impressive innings from Will Froggatt OI, who remained unbeaten with a commanding 62 not out. Nico Boje OI and James Hodgkinson OI also made contributions, scoring 41 and 38 runs respectively to bolster the Old Ipswichiansʼ total.

The schoolʼs bowlers put up a spirited fight, with wickets being shared among them, but they couldnʾt contain the experienced OI lineup. Despite a valiant effort from the Ipswich School batsmen, the Old Ipswichiansʼ disciplined bowling and tight fielding ensured they fell short of the target. The opening wicket of Archie Magnus, bowled by his dad Olly will live long in the memory. OIs demonstrated their class and experience and showcased the lasting legacy of cricketing talent at Ipswich School and we hope you will join us at this event in the coming years.

The family day was also enjoyed by the young and possible upcoming cricketers

of tomorrow with practice nets, coconut shy, face painting, creative and soft play zones. On what turned out to be a very warm day, the shaded chill out area also proved popular, but not quite as popular as the ice cream van and sweet cart. Spectators brought along their picnics and catering staff put on an amazing spread for the players. The bar proved a welcoming sight for those seeking some shade and refreshment from the extremely warm weather we were lucky to have.

This is an event open for the whole school community, so please look out for the date this coming year to enjoy a relaxed afternoon on the school field.

OIs demonstrated their class and experience and showcased the lasting legacy of cricketing talent at Ipswich School and we hope you will join us at this event in the coming years.

First Five Years Out Event

60 recent leavers joined us at the First Five Years Out Networking Drinks event at Arlingtons in December 2023 to see each other after time spent away, and also see their teachers to catch up.

This is one of the first events you may attend after leaving Ipswich School and it’s a great one to reacquaint yourselves with each other after going off in dozens of different directions after Year 13.

150 Old Ipswichians and their guests joined us for a wonderful drinks reception in the bar before being encouraged to take their seats by the MCC stewards. Everyone walked through into the historic Long Room which is passed through by both the home and away teams as they make their way out onto the field.

The food and wine were expertly served as our speakers, OI President Ray East, guest speaker, former cricketer Geoff Miller and Headmaster Nicholas Weaver spoke.

Roars of laughter were heard throughout the room as Geoff Miller gave a lively and wonderfully funny speech. He then auctioned a signed cricket bat with proceeds going towards the School Founding Futures Bursary Fund and Prostate Cancer UK. Thanks goes to all who made the event so memorable. We hope you will join this event in the future.

A Year in Review

Celebrating some record A Level and GCSE exam results

JUNE A massed bootcamp on the school field launches the second Giving Day inspires Year 7 with her resilience

DECEMBER Return to the Forbidden Planet is the school musical

From Nursery to Year 13 – it was the end of Ipswich School for these students and all our Year 13 leavers

JULY We said farewell to Mr Weaver at Speech Day after 14 years as Headmaster

APRIL Gold DofE candidates enjoy their Snowdonia expedition

FEBRUARY Mandarin Club celebrate Chinese New Year

SEPTEMBER Visit to Cavendish Labs for Year 11 Physics students

NOVEMBER Boarders enjoy a visit to the Helmingham Hall festive lights

JANUARY Rugby squad is named in the global top twenty

OCTOBER Students join jazz violinist Ben Holder at the Festival of Music

The Ipswichian 2024

T HE I PSWICHIAN

Prefects and Sports Captains 2023 - 2024

Senior Prefects

Welcome

Contents

Thanks

Girls achieve national cricket double

Explaining the Extended Project Qualification

Cavendish Centre Visit

Academic Excellence Lectures

Ipswich School Remembers

Ipswich School Successes

Black History Month

New addition to The Edge

Lower School Disco Fun

Chamber music winners

Students have the PhysiXfactor

Ganzoni Art competition

Printmaking for Sixth Form artists

Young Musician of the Year Competition

Spanish trip to Salamanca

Lab testing for PE and Sports Science students

Essay Competition

Business students climb the heights

World Book Day Escape Room

Field trips for Geography and Biology Sixth Formers

Annual Art Exhibition

Student Business Success

Exam Results

Another set of excellent exam results

Charity Fundraising

“

“

Speech Day

Final Speech Day for Mr Weaver

Prize Winners 2024

Speech Day

Farewell Mr Weaver

Ipswich School says “Go Well” to Mr Weaver

Farewell Mr Weaver

The Last Headmaster

Welcome Mr Gregory

New head appointed

Clubs and Activities

Duke of Edinburgh

Gold

History Club and Thomas Wolsey

LEGO

Mandarin Club

Rigaud are debate winners

Chess Club

Music Tech record sax ensembles

CCF

Summer Field Day

Annual CCF Awards

Apache lands on the school field

Shooting skills at RAF Honington

Cadets take to the skies

House Reports and Ganzoni Awards

School

Broke

House Reports and Ganzoni Awards

Felaw

Sherrington

Will & Bo’s Highlight Reel:

House Reports and Ganzoni Awards

Holden

Rigaud

Ganzoni Awards

Cardinal Cup

Year 8 in Cumbria

Archery

Climbing

Grasmere Hike

Ghyll Scrambling

Year 12 in Devon

Ski Trip

Bath Trip

Senior Prefects’ Bradwell Weekend