Mayfield Cornelian 2021/22

Mayfield Cornelian

Welcome

Coming back to school this term has had many benefits for me, not least being able to see the School with fresh eyes. Looking back over what the School community achieved over the last year, as we emerged from the pandemic, fills me with renewed pride. This latest edition of the Cornelian magazine endeavours to capture some of the magic of life at School across the last academic year. Girls and staff have become more resilient and adaptable, skills which will doubtless serve them well in the future, and now we are looking forward and if not quite picking up where we left off, at least restoring what was important and building on the good things and improvements which came out of lockdown.

Last year saw a double celebration, marking the end of the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ), as well as the beginning of celebrations to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of our School at Mayfield, on the site of The Old Palace. While we should never need an excuse to celebrate all that the School represents, this year has and will provide opportunities to celebrate not simply its history but also its values; with an array of innovative activities and events to bring people together and have fun. After all, Mayfield is nothing without its people, their positive relationships and the joy they bring.

The ability to respond generously to challenges is a characteristic of a Mayfield education and the conflict in Ukraine brought out the best in our community, with many fundraising initiatives started by the girls, staff and The Friends of Mayfield. We were delighted to welcome a number

of Ukrainian girls into School and, among other things, our International English Department organised English lessons for local Ukrainian families. Mayfield has always been an inclusive community and it is good that we have

as a community as we leave the COVID years behind.

been able to show our current girls the importance of helping those in need through actions not words. Encouraging the girls not just to think about others, or simply donate to worthy causes, but to engage actively and share their skills and talents, or just their time and energy, for the common good, is something we want to focus on more

Finally, our congratulations go to all the girls who took public examinations in person for the first time in three years. There were some outstanding individual results in GCSE and A Level (see pages 9-10 ) both in terms of grades achieved and adversity overcome: sometimes a C can be a greater achievement than an A*. We were delighted that Victoria and Valeria B, Victoria D, and Jemima B were able to accept their places at Cambridge University, and also celebrated our first degree apprenticeships: with the Metropolitan Police and Goldman Sachs. Wherever they find themselves ultimately, what is important is that we give our girls the skills, values and confidence, as well as the best possible grades, to ensure that they are able to make the right choices for them.

Antonia Beary Headmistress

Mayfield is nothing without its people, their positive relationships and the joy they bring

IWD 2022

In March, to mark International Women’s Day, OC Lizzie Cranfield joined the school assembly to talk about her experience of working in a male-dominated environment in the Army. After studying English and Latin at Bristol University, Lizzie joined the British Army and was commissioned as an Officer from Sandhurst to become a helicopter pilot in the Army Air Corps. She has since served in Germany, Afghanistan, Kenya, Northern Ireland, London and Middle Wallop.

Here’s what Coco had to say about Lizzie’s talk: “I thought it was very inspirational! For quite a long time I have been considering a role in the army as a possible career option. However, I am not the bravest of people, but hearing Lizzie’s assembly today made me feel hopeful and inspired as she said that she also struggled with self-confidence and fear. I personally found Lizzie really empowering and I am now definitely considering this as a career option!”

Foundation Day

In October, the whole School enjoyed celebrating the 175th Anniversary of the founding of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) with a host of special events and activities. The day began with Mass and was followed by a series of Inter-House activities including Music, Hockey, Debating and a General Knowledge Quiz. There was also a blessing of St Cecilia’s Music Centre, followed by the planting of a beautiful cherry tree, gifted to the School by Sister Jean and Sister Maria of the SHCJ, to commemorate the anniversary.

Mayfield Day

Mayfield Day on Saturday 25 June to

the year. Our guest speaker was Judith Lancaster; Sister Judith is

member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) and was Deputy Headmistress

1982 to 1986.

The girls also showed off their amazing baking and creative skills on Mayfield Day in the Summer themed cake competition. The cakes were judged by Ollie Hunter (chef and owner of The Wheatsheaf in Wiltshire and author of sustainable cookbooks) and Head of Food and Nutrition, Sue Smeaton.

In the afternoon it was a joy it was to witness so much talent, and to see our girls compete so fiercely, yet graciously against each other in the Inter-House Athletics. They showed resilience, courage and great team spirit. A big thank you to friends and family for supporting from the sidelines, as well as all of the staff who helped keep the day running smoothly. Finally, congratulations to Glennie, who won the Inter-House Competition.

afternoon.

special occasion.

It was wonderful to welcome everybody to

celebrate the girls’ achievements throughout

a

here at Mayfield from

We were blessed once again with the weather, ensuring an exciting Inter-House Athletics competition in the

A huge thank you to the whole School community for making it such a

Michaelmas Fair

At the end of September, The Friends of Mayfield held their annual Michaelmas Fair, featuring a plethora of stalls, including Year 13 Alice, who was selling her own jewellery designs! Many thanks to all those involved in the organisation on what proved to be a fantastic occasion.

Live Crib

Live Crib, one of our oldest, and proudest, traditions, took place in the run-up to Christmas, with three performances, each featuring a different cast.

This year’s Live Crib charity was the Cardinal Hume Centre – thank you for your generous donations.

Mayfield shortlisted for Independent Girls’ School of the Year Award

Mayfield was delighted to be shortlisted by Independent School Parent magazine for their awards programme, Independent Schools of the Year 2022. Now in their fifth year, the purpose of the awards is to highlight the excellence of the student experience that the UK’s amazing independent schools provide.

GCSE results

In the year that saw students return to sitting public examinations for the first time in three years, Mayfield’s girls excelled in creative subjects, including drama, music and ceramics, alongside traditional STEM subjects, languages and humanities.

Isabella achieved eleven grade 9s, including Maths and Further Maths. She is both a Sport and Academic scholar at Mayfield and represents the School in Athletics and Netball. She said: “I worked really hard for these exams and I’m proud I’ve been able to achieve the grades I wanted. Through the pandemic, it has been hard for all of us to stay motivated and focused, but thanks to my friends, family and teachers we made it through.”

Cherrie achieved an outstanding nine grade 9s in her GCSEs. She only joined Mayfield a year ago after relocating to Tunbridge Wells, having previously attended school in Hong Kong. She is also an accomplished musician who plays the violin, piano, and ukulele, and has been awarded a Sixth Form Music Scholarship at Mayfield. She said: “Joining in Year 11 and adapting to a new life in the UK has not been easy, but I’m very grateful to have knowledgeable and helpful teachers, and supportive friends, to help me through this massive change. Thank you Mayfield for giving me a place to study in a lovely atmosphere, allowing me to discover my interests and meet lovely people.”

Lizzie achieved ten grade 9s and a grade 8 in her GCSEs. Lizzie, who plays cricket for Mayfield and is part of the Sussex County Cricket team for her age group, said: “Thank you so much to my teachers for all their invaluable help throughout my GCSEs. I’m extremely grateful for my results and can’t wait to continue into Sixth Form at Mayfield doing Maths, Further Maths, Physics and History.”

Megan achieved eight grade 9s and three grade 8s. She is a keen scientist and regular attendee of our STEM Club and has been awarded a Sixth Form Science Scholarship, where she will be studying Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths. She also enjoys drama, achieving the top grade at GCSE, and has recently taken her grade 7 LAMDA exam. She said: “I am delighted with my GCSE results and grateful to all the amazing teachers at Mayfield, I am looking forward to Sixth Form!”

Almost all of Mayfield’s Year 11 students who took Drama achieved a grade 8 or 9, including Yaa, who was awarded the top grade having earlier this year been invited to join the National Youth Theatre. Yaa said: “I am especially proud of my grade 9 in drama. With thanks to my inspiring drama teacher Mrs Gerstmeyer. I cannot wait to continue my Mayfield journey as I enter Sixth Form in September.”

Year 11 BBQ to celebrate the end of GCSEs

Yaa

Cherrie

Megan

Lizzie

A level results

In August, Mayfield celebrated an impressive set of A level results after what has been a challenging few years for those sitting Public examinations.

Mayfield’s Upper Sixth girls secured places at leading universities to study a wide range of courses including Architecture, Fashion, Fine Art, Law, Modern Languages, Medicine, Natural Sciences, Psychology, and Veterinary Medicine.

The girls secured places at universities throughout the UK, including Edinburgh, Exeter, UCL and Royal Northern College of Music, with over 10% heading to Cambridge University, including twins Victoria and Valeria, who each achieved an outstanding four A*s, Distinction in AEA Maths and an EPQ.

The most popular A level subjects were Maths, Psychology and Chemistry and these were often combined with creative subjects such as Art or Ceramics. In fact, eight Mayfield girls took Ceramics, all receiving the highest grades. These included Jemima - who studied Chemistry, Maths, Biology and Ceramics, achieving four A*s and a place at Cambridge University to study Veterinary Medicine – and Dii Dii from Tunbridge Wells, who studied Chemistry, Geography and Ceramics and will be joining the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship programme.

Victoria, an international boarder, achieved an incredible six A*s, Distinction in AEA Maths and an EPQ, and will be going on to study Medicine at Cambridge.

Miss Beary said: ”This year perhaps more than ever, we are immensely proud of all that our Upper Sixth Leavers have achieved. Everyone holding an offer for this year, or deferred entry, has secured her place at University. At a time of uncertainty, they have shown a resilience and positive approach which has been rewarded by an impressive array of results. At a time when faith in young people is being questioned, I am confident that our Mayfield leavers of 2022 are well prepared for the next stage in their journey, whether that be degree apprenticeship with the Metropolitan Police or Natural Sciences at Cambridge; studying everything from Architecture to Veterinary Medicine throughout the UK and overseas. Not only have they confirmed that they can pass examinations, but more importantly, they know that they are part of an inclusive community providing a lifelong network of supportive friends and peers. They have the interpersonal skills and talents, not to mention the technical expertise, practised and honed over the lockdown and COVID years, to make the most of the opportunities

ahead of them. I would also like to pay tribute to the teachers who have walked with them and supported them, particularly through the last few challenging years.

I am sure that our Mayfield girls will embrace the joys and challenges of the next stage of their education with their customary enthusiasm. As ever, we look forward to following their continuing progress with pride.”

Victoria

2022 Leavers

Jemima

Class of 2022 University Destinations

Destination Course

Aberdeen Geography and International Relations

Bath Management

Birmingham Business Finance

Cambridge Natural Sciences, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine

Cardiff Law, Ancient History and History

Destination Course

Newcastle Fine Art, Geography, Politics and International Relations

Nottingham Architecture

Oxford Brookes

Business and Marketing Management, International Business Management

Plymouth Physiotherapy Reading Psychology

Exeter

Classical Studies and Modern Languages, Liberal Arts Kent Anthropology Lancaster Psychology

Leeds Law, Classical Civilisation and Philosophy

Leicester Physiotherapy

Metropolitan Police Force Degree Apprenticeship

Royal Agricultural University International Equine and Agricultural Management

Royal Northern College of Music Composition

Surrey Nursing Studies UCL Psychology

University of the Arts London

Fashion Coutour, Fashion Photography

University of Warsaw Dentistry

Farewell to our Upper Sixth

At the end of June, the Upper Sixth enjoyed their final goodbye with parents and staff. The evening began with Mass in the Chapel followed by the Leavers' Celebration in the Concert Hall with Miss Beary and OC Chelsea Henshaw, a 4th year medical student at Bristol University and former Head Girl. The night was rounded off with drinks on the lawn and supper in the Sixth Form Dining Room, where parents, staff and girls enjoyed a beautiful three-course meal; there was lots of laughter, and some tears but everyone enjoyed a great evening, giving the girls the best possible send-off. We wish you all the best Class of '22!

Staff Farewells

We said goodbye to a number of staff who retired or moved on to pastures new. We wish them all the very best for the next stages of their lives and thank them for all they have given to the School.

Katy McCulloch Assistant Housemistress, St Dunstan’s

Magnus Whittle Teacher of Mathematics

Marcio Dowgan Teacher of Music

Safiya Qureshi Graduate Assistant

Claire Holmes Head of Psychology

Bella Ewing Teacher of History

Stephen Oliver Teacher of Classics and Religious Studies

Amanda Glubb

Head of Careers and Duke of Edinburgh's Award Manager

Christopher Pierce Teacher of Religious Studies

Spencer Senior Teacher of Physics

Terri Budden – Head of Textiles

Terri joined Mayfield 21 years ago, initially working in the School Shop and with the Drama department, where she worked tirelessly making and stitching various items for the School, including an incredible number of stunning costumes for productions. Naturally, the girls wanted to learn from Terri, and they petitioned for her to start teaching them how to sew, which is where the Textiles department as we know it began. She often worked late into the evening with girls spilling out of her room, stitching on the grass outside. Extra-curricular Textiles grew and grew until it was offered in Year 7 and 8,

Rosemary

Jackson – Teacher of Physics

then Pre-U in 6th form, and finally at A level. All the girls loved Terri because of her patience, humour and dedication to their personal and academic success. Terri continued running extracurricular lessons, offering the opportunity to learn complex dressmaking techniques, as well as to have fun and to build confidence. Terri could also often be found saving the day for staff and pupils, from altering ill-fitting prom dresses with an hour to spare to repairing clothing or objects with treasured memories. She always took so much time, care, thought... and sometimes numerous attempts to ensure it was perfect.

The entire school community will miss Terri so much. She is off to travel, learn, make, and spend time with her gorgeous family.

Juliet Alcaraz

Rosemary has been a key member of the Physics department at Mayfield since 2007, when she joined us from the Old Palace School. However, long before that, I feel I have been following in her footsteps, as I, like her completed my degree at Durham and then went on to experience the influence of Brenda Jennison MBE, who was the Physics PGCE tutor at Cambridge University where we both studied. Over the years Rosemary has retained Brenda’s early influence on her teaching by having many of the attributes that she herself held dear in a good physics teacher, notably: ‘A love of physics and wanting to learn more, enthusiasm to hold a conversation with students about physics and finally a willingness to get involved beyond the school walls’. Indeed throughout Rosemary’s career, she has always put the students first, whether that was as part of Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, Saturday activities completing Rudolph Christmas cards, spending hours helping girls with Physics problems, or returning comprehensive feedback on their written work. I wish her all the best in her retirement.

Victoria Williams – Teacher of Geography

Victoria joined us full-time as Miss Brown in 2010 and enjoyed a highly successful career in the Geography Department. After getting married to Craig and becoming Mrs Williams and then giving birth to two wonderful daughters, she worked part-time with undiminished energy, enthusiasm and commitment. She is sadly leaving Mayfield, but it is understandable for her to want to spend more time with her family. Not only is Victoria a most gifted and extremely talented teacher, but she has also been very active across the school community and will be sadly missed. She has distinguished herself in many roles such as Assistant Head of Sixth Form and has been a mainstay of the DofE expeditions across the years. She has been on numerous

Geography trips, notably to Morocco and also to Iceland, as well as leading local fieldwork. Her calmness, rigorous attention to detail and professionalism both inside and outside the classroom is unparalleled.

Kindness personified and a strong academic, Victoria has been consistently determined that the girls in her care always have the best. Victoria is an outstanding guide – in the literal sense when her Head of Department gets hopelessly lost in the souks of Marrakech or the back streets of Stratford – but also in the spiritual sense whenever she is with a group of Mayfield girls.

We all fervently hope that one day Victoria will return to Mayfield to share her passion for, and commitment to, Geography, and her love for learning.

Steve Gough

Annabel Bunce

We also said goodbye to the following staff, whose time at School exceeded 10 years.

Debora Downing – Head of Classics

DD was an inspiration to both students and staff alike during her time at Mayfield. She will be greatly missed for her daily acts of kindness, advice and support, not to mention her fascinating lessons and her plethora of incredible anecdotes. She will be remembered for her enduring passion for the Classics, exhibited by regular re-enactments, along with her love of the ‘underdog’, her positive outlook on life, and her hilarious sense of humour. A Year 8 pupil said DD was ‘a once-in-a-lifetime teacher who takes the Mayfield values and represents them with her character and charm… and you can’t help but giggle at her stories’. A Year 13 pupil described DD as ‘a kind and nurturing teacher, educating not only on classics but on the world, the brain, and the innermost human experience’ and she went on to say thank you to DD for being 'an unforgettable teacher, mentor, entertainer, and human being’. To quote Pericles: ‘what you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others’. There is no doubt that DD did everything in love, and we wish her many happy years of new adventures ahead.

Anna Maimi

Margaret Bushell – Teacher of History

The departure of Margaret Bushell from Mayfield marks the end of an era. Margaret Nicol joined the staff for the first time in 1978. Yes, you did read that correctly. She left for a period before returning to her spiritual home after the birth of her three daughters. A true teacher of the old school, teaching History was her vocation.

Margaret was a polymath and could reliably inform you about any historical era you cared to mention, but in a spirit of genuinely shared interest and to engage in scholarly debate, without any hint of arrogance or intellectual snobbery. Out of the classroom too, she very generously treated everyone as an intellectual equal, a compliment few of us truly deserved, and was very happy to while away the hours in discussion, especially if she could be tempted to a little glass of wine… as invariably she could.

Sceptical of bureaucracy and despairing of an increasingly tunnel-visioned, assessment-objectives-led exam system, which she saw as an enemy of the wide-ranging, interdisciplinary education she championed, Margaret nevertheless soldiered on. She would go out of her way to give up as much time as any girl needed to ensure that the topic was mastered, the coursework finished, or the revision notes were clear. Although happy to embrace technology when it served a valid purpose, nothing surpassed traditional teaching for Margaret, and she was disdainful of gimmicks and anything which she saw as standing in the way of the girls metaphorically getting their hands dirty and engaging with History first hand.

A true historian passionate about her craft, she would carry along an entranced class with stories - with the little extra details making all the difference. Many a girl was entranced by her stories of the classical world, medieval England or American civil rights. And if they weren’t, she didn’t mind (and sometimes she didn’t notice!).

There were memorable trips too many to mention, in the UK and further afield. I have visions of Margaret striding along heroically leading a gaggle of girls through some forgotten field, or stoically bringing up the rear and ensuring no stragglers were left behind. As a colleague, Margaret was always the member of staff you could rely on and needed in an emergency. She embodied the Dunkirk spirit; the stiff upper lip; the ‘if it needs to be done, just get on with it and don’t complain’ mentality. Always ready to help in any way: nothing was ever too much bother if she was needed. An immensely sensitive soul, she was great fun too, and always ready to laugh, never standing on ceremony and happy to muddle along – although on a tennis court, you underestimated her at your peril.

Her generosity was not just of spirit: she would happily offer a home to anyone in need – from girls who were not able to travel home, to dogs whose owners couldn’t take them away for the holidays. A loyal friend to all, not least to colleagues who hadn’t lasted quite as long at School as she had, she would visit those who were lonely and housebound to share memories and anecdotes.

Margaret is the institutional memory of not simply the School, but the historic Old Palace site. Her voluminous memory draws together information – the more scurrilous the better!about Archbishops of Canterbury and of the post reformation inhabitants such as Sir Thomas Gresham, encompassing SHCJ anecdotes, right up to the present day. Her tours of the School were legendary, and who knows how many lighted splints she must have thrown down the Well prove there was water at the bottom. Woe betide the famous OC trying to hide their roots: literally and metaphorically ‘in the school of’ Sr Jean, Mrs Bushell fondly remembers the moments you may have thought safely forgotten.

In typical unassuming style, Margaret was away on the Battlefields trip at the end of term and avoided any official ‘send off’. I am secretly hoping that it is because she hasn’t really left: she is just taking a sabbatical and will be back to organise the archives and write her promised magnum opus on Cornelia and Mayfield…

Antonia Beary

New Staff

Robert is Mayfield’s new Teacher of History, Politics and PE. Before joining Mayfield he worked at Buckswood School and at international schools in Sri Lanka, Colombia and Costa Rica. He has a degree in History from the University of Newcastle and completed his PGCEi at Nottingham University. In his free time he enjoys playing football, cricket and going fishing.

Miss Annabel Keoghane

Annabel joins Mayfield as a Teacher of Classics. She studied at the University of Kent and the University of Exeter, where she obtained a BA in Ancient History and an MA in Classics, specialising in Augustan Rome. She then went on to achieve a PGCE in Latin and Classics at Homerton College, Cambridge. In her free time, Annabel enjoys travelling, skiing, and baking.

Before joining Mayfield as our Mandarin Teacher Melody was a GCSE Mandarin Tutor. Her BA in Chinese language and literature was obtained at National Taiwan Chengchi University. She has a passion for learning language and has studied in Boston, Nantes, and Barcelona!

Chris is Mayfield’s new Head of Geography and joins us from The Skinners’ School in Tunbridge Wells. He has completed an MSc in Environmental Management and is the current co-chair of the local branch of the Geography Association. His love of Geography developed due to many holidays in the contrasting landscapes of Wales and living on the edge of London, giving him access to both the countryside and a bustling metropolis. A love of natural history and voluntary conservation work supported his understanding of the environment and the need for sustainable development.

Miss Charmaine Noyes

Charmaine is Mayfield’s new Head of Psychology. She has taught Psychology for 16 years and ran the Psychology Department at a large sixth form college for almost a decade. After achieving her Psychology degree at Swansea University, she spent many years working overseas as a Tour Manager. Her interest in travel prevails and is often incorporated into lessons when looking at cross-cultural studies in Psychology. She is also keen for students to embrace the importance of research methods in the study of Psychology and you will often hear her say, ‘remember, Psychology is a science’!

Mary is our new Head of Careers and DofE Manager. Having spent the last 29 years as a primary school teacher, Mary is very excited to be starting a new chapter in her career at Mayfield School. She studied Geography and History at the University of Surrey (BA Hons) along with a PGCE from The University of London (Goldsmiths). Mary has always enjoyed being in the outdoors, whether it be fieldwork, camping or map reading. She looks forward to advising and guiding the girls at Mayfield to fulfilling careers and around deepest East Sussex, The South Downs and our many beautiful National Parks.

Ms Melody Kimmons Tsai

Mr Christopher Adams

Mrs Mary Saunders

Mr Robert Meek

Emily is joining Mayfield as a Teacher of Physics and Biology from Bennett Memorial Diocesan School. She achieved a BSc in Biology from Imperial College London, before moving on to gain a PGCE in Secondary Science from Brighton University. In her spare time, Emily enjoys crocheting and spending time with her two cats.

Helen is our new Assistant Housemistress of St Gabriel’s House, where our Year 9 and 10 girls board. She has experience of working with young people through the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. In her free time, she enjoys baking, sewing and various forms of craft.

Nicky joins us as a part-time Teacher of Classics, specialising in Latin Literature. She is also Head of Classics at Battle Abbey School. She has a first class degree from the University of Exeter and a masters from the London School of Economics. Nicky loves good novels, long country walks and pub quizzes.

Jessica joins us as Assistant Housemistress of St Dunstan’s House, and also supports the Music Department. Previously she worked as a church administrator and youth group leader, but always wanted to work in education. Jessica has a BA in Theology and Religious Studies from York St. John University, and a PGCE in Music at the University of Sussex. In her free time she enjoys playing violin in a local orchestra, reading, bellringing and volunteer work.

Mrs Emily Woodfield

Miss Nicky Bishop

Mrs Helen Lavery

Miss Jessica Tompsett

Rachel joins us a Teacher of Physics from the Weald of Kent Grammar School.

Mrs Rachel Earl

Mrs Jill Harris

Christina and Elizabeth win Arkwright Scholarships

In the Autumn term, Sixth Form students Christina and Elizabeth were both awarded prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarships for their innovative design projects. Arkwright scholarships are awarded to inspire potential future leaders in engineering and the girls had to go through a rigorous selection process.

Christina’s project was based around engineering solutions to help reduce coastal erosion. Her research focused on the ways in which building infrastructures on the sea bed can help dissipate the energy of waves as they hit the coast, by simulating the impact in a wave machine using a variety of shapes created with a 3D printer.

Elizabeth won her Scholarship for her project aimed at reducing cot deaths. She created a tiny computer component that can be sewn into a baby grow and measures the temperature and orientation of a baby whilst sleeping. Alerts can be sent to a phone in the event of a problem.

As part of the scholarship, the girls are being sponsored by Ward & Burke Construction Ltd and tlmNexus, a technology company based in Brighton. Support is offered in various ways, through valuable hands-on work experience, support for their project and a personal mentor who can help them with their studies as well as career planning.

Here they are receiving their award. Congrats!

Physics Explorer Competition

Congratulations to Upper Sixth students Victoria and Valeria on their second place in the Physics Unlimited Explorer Competition. Every year, hundreds of high schoollevel students from around the globe form teams and compete by responding to an open-ended research-based assignment containing questions inspired by groundbreaking discoveries in physics. A fantastic achievement for our Physicists!

A level Maths Conference

In June, we were delighted to welcome Beacon Academy, Hailsham Community College, Ark Alexander, St Gregory’s, Roedean and BHASVIC to our first A Level Maths Conference, supported by the Advanced Maths Support Project. Students were able to: revise and consolidate areas of the curriculum in the Mechanics, Statistics, Differentiation and Polynomial workshops; explore new areas of Maths in the Cryptography and Graph Theory workshops; look to the future in the workshops covering STEM careers and University Entrance Tests. The day was rounded off with a keynote talk on ‘The Future of Maths and its Applications’ from Nicole Couzens, who addressed developments in STEM and what revolutions might be around the corner.

Here’s what attendees had to say:

Mia - I particularly enjoyed the cryptography workshop, where we were able to use our knowledge of the structure of the English language to decrypt messages that we didn’t know the key for. Overall, the workshops throughout the day were very interesting and inspired me to think about the many applications of Maths in the STEM field.

Amelia - The Future of Maths talk was a great way to learn about all the fascinating things that could become possible because of developments in Maths.

Charlotte - I found the end session about space and mars very interesting as I’m looking towards doing a degree in physics, which may focus on cosmology.

Trip to Royal Society Lecture

In April, A level physics students travelled to London to attend a talk on ‘The Many Universes of Quantum Materials’ given at the Royal Society by Oxford lecturer and researcher Stephen Blundell.

A wide range of fascinating topics related to Condensed Matter Physics were discussed, from Conway’s Game of Life, used to simulate a universe with its own rules and features much like within the crystals of quantum materials, to muon spin rotation, used to study the microscopic properties and structure of a variety of materials.

Overall the trip was a fantastic opportunity to meet other Physics students and delve deeper into the mysterious quantum world.

Maths Feast

Maths Feast is a fun educational challenge for Year 10 students which tests problem-solving and teamwork skills. In March, teams of four students tested their maths skills with our allyou-can-eat feast of problems! We were delighted to have the opportunity to welcome students from local schools. They all very much enjoyed both the questions and the cookies!

Visit to Science Live

In

The Intermediate Mathematical Challenge

In February, students from Years 11, 10 and 9 took part in the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge. The Intermediate Mathematical Challenge is a 60-minute, multiple-choice competition aimed at students across the UK. It encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems. The problems on the Intermediate Mathematical Challenge are designed to make students think. Most are accessible, yet still challenge those with more experience.

Well done to the girls who took part. This year 20 bronze, 14 silver and 3 gold certificates were awarded. Five students also qualified for the follow-on round - congratulations to Iris, Wing, Ellie, Katrina and Abigail.

March, Year 10 girls visited Science Live in Brighton, where they listened to talks given by eminent scientists - including Professor Steve Jones, Dr Helen Czerski and Professor Lord Robert Winston – on a range of topics, from Nuclear Fusion through to the nature of DNA. An inspiring day!

Who was the fattest knight at the round table? Sir Cumference. He ate too much pi. (Year 11 Sophie)

A festive light show

In the Autumn term, Year 7 girls started the Physical Computing module as part of their Digital Literacy and Technology (DLT) lessons. Using Micro:bits, together with the Make Code app, the girls coded LEDs to brighten up the class with a festive light show!

Chemistry Olympiad

There were some notable achievements by Mayfield’s Sixth Formers in this year’s Chemistry Olympiad.

•

•

•

B

•

•

• Janna

Congratulations!

Biology Olympiad

All our Year 13 pupils who entered the Biology Olympiad were awarded medals this year. Jemima gained Gold, Ewa and Victoria D Silver, and Awujo Bronze.

The Biology Olympiad is a national competition that challenges and stimulates students with an interest in Biology to expand and extend their talents. It enables students to demonstrate their knowledge and to be suitably rewarded and publicly recognised by the award of medals or certificates. In 2022 more than 10,000 of the strongest biologists in Year 13, from over 700 schools across the country, entered the competition with only a minority of students receiving medals.

Both Ewa and Victoria were within 1% of winning a gold medal, which equates to less than 1/10th of a second, had it been a 100 metre Olympic race!

Gold awards for

Victoria D

Victoria

Valeria

Silver award for

Ewa Bronze award for

Jemima

Physics Olympiad

There were medals aplenty for our Year 13 girls in the first round of the British Physics Olympiad.

Mathematical Olympiad

Many congratulations to the following girls for their achievements in the Mathematical Olympiad: Year 12 Elizabeth – Merit; Year 12 Christina – Merit; Year 13 Victoria – Distinction; Year 13 Valeria – Merit; Year 13 Helena – Merit.

Design challenge

In the Summer term, Year 7s developed their teamworking and entrepreneurial skills whilst learning what happens to waste plastic. The challenge was to design a product made from waste plastic and consider the marketing strategy. The ideas the girls had were brilliant, including tents made from plastic bags, houses for the homeless, tables, plant pot holders and toys.

Maths in Action

In November, Year 12 and 13 A Level Mathematics students attended a series of Maths in Action lectures, during which they had the opportunity to listen to a team of mathematicians, engineers and statisticians including Sophie Harker from BAE Systems, Karen Page from UCL, author and broadcaster Alex Bellos, mathematician and musician Ben Sparks, and Maths communicator Kyle Evans. The speakers explained how Maths could be applied to make advances in different fields such as the aerospace industry. It was incredibly interesting to listen about the impact of Mathematics on our lives and the girls enjoyed seeing Mathematics outside the classroom.

(Year 11 Annabel)

Top Gold

Victoria B Gold Valeria B

Bronze Victoria D

Which king loved fractions? Henry the ⅛.

The Senior Mathematical Challenge

At the beginning of November, some of our Year 12 and Year 13 Mathematicians took part in the UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge, a 90-minute paper of challenging Maths questions. The following girls received awards:

Gold Victoria B, Valeria, Victoria D and Sheraine.

Silver Jemima, Charlotte and Elizabeth.

Bronze Helena, Janna, Saskia, Christina, Vera, Jamie, Charlotte, Natali and Mia.

Congratulations to everyone who took part.

The Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo is a followon round to the Senior Mathematical Challenge. It is a 60-minute challenge consisting of 20 problems. The UKMT invite high-scoring students from the Senior Mathematical Challenge. This year four of our students were invited to take part: Sheraine, Victoria D, Victoria B and Valeria. Congratulations to Sheraine, Victoria B and Victoria D who were in the top-scoring 25% of participants. They each receive a Certificate of Merit.

Integration Bee

In November, Mayfield hosted the inaugural Integration Bee, a Maths competition involving our Sixth Formers alongside pupils from Tonbridge School, Skinners School and Uplands College.

James H and Winner S from Tonbridge School were jointly crowned ‘Master Integrators’, scoring an impressive 120 points.

The day proved a great success, with the following feedback: “Our boys were buzzing about it today!”

“This was a great chance to extend ourselves beyond the typical Maths curriculum, in a fun and competitive format. Thank you very much to Mrs Motoc and the Maths Department for their hard work organising the Competition!”

Architecture Workshop

In March, the Year 8 girls could be found in the school gym surrounded by wooden poles of various sizes and a vast quantity of rubber bands, ready for their architecture workshop. Using the poles and bands they busily learned how to construct triangles, tripods and tetrahedrons, the foundation structures for their bridges. Through practical experimentation, they were able to discover and suggest which shapes were more robust. After a brief demonstration of the different types of bridges they could create – suspension, cantilever, truss, cable-stay – they then worked as part of a team to design and make their own bridge.

The girls then had the opportunity to ask questions and learn a little more about how architecture combines practical maths, design and the environment as well spatial awareness and collaborative working.

Innovate

As part of their Innovate lessons, girls in Year 9 learnt how to use 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to design prototype devices and tools to assist individuals with disabilities. Each group focused on a particular disability and identified some challenges their user might face in their day-to-day life. They then designed and 3D-printed a custom-made solution. The girls were delighted to see their final product emerge.

Hour of Code

In December, Years 7 to 10 took part in a worldwide celebration of coding. The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. The girls tried out some of the 500 tutorials including coding a dance party using block code, Code Combat using Python, and exploring how Artificial Intelligence can be used to address world problems.

Visit Hour of Code to have more fun!

Sarah and Ximena designed braille cable labels for blind people

Erin and Catherine created a chopping board for someone with one hand

Mabel, Lynn and Wing customised a prosthetic foot that can easily attach to an artificial limb

Art Gallery

Creative Arts

Art and Design trip to Hastings

In September, the Art department took Year 10 GCSE and Year 12 A Level Art and Design students to Hastings Old Town for the day to develop their photographic skills and gather visual research for their coursework projects. They sat in the sun sketching and took exciting photographs based on themes such as sea life and fish markets, street photography, graffiti and portraits.

In School, the students continued exploring their theme through techniques such as photoshop, drawing and painting, experimenting with different ways of working to develop their ideas and art work.

Potters’ Day

In September, Ceramics students in Years 10 to 13 were treated to a fantastic online lecture by Phoebe Cummings, who inspired the girls with her unique approach to clay. ‘Potters’ Day’ has always provided our ceramists with fresh ideas and processes, and an insight into how artists work and develop.

Meryl’s amazing ceramic sculpture

Mrs McFadyean’s Ceramics Class had a wonderful time decorating their Christmas lanterns in December.

Christmas lanterns

Meryl in Year 9 reached the finals of the Boarding Schools' Association Best Artwork Project Award with this amazing creation. Congratulations Meryl!

Music

Mayfield Festival of Music and the Arts

After an enforced absence the biennial Mayfield Festival of Music and the Arts returned for 2022. The festival is held over two weeks and boasts an eclectic mix of musical genres and art forms, with over 20 events in total, several of which are hosted at School.

The opening concert of the 50th Mayfield Festival took place in St Dunstan’s Church on Sunday 24th April with the girls of the Mayfield School Schola Cantorum taking a leading part in the performance. It saw the world premiere of ‘The Cantata of St Dunstan’ by Nick O’Neill, written in 2019 and combined here with a new mass setting by Andrew Benians (who tutors piano, singing and organ at the School) and a Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis by former Director of Music Kenneth Pont. In each of these pieces, the Schola joined with the Mayfield Festival Choir and the Chelsea Camarata, under the inspiring direction of Jeremy Summerly, Festival Artistic Director. The girls acquitted themselves with style and confidence, singing the soaring lines of Pont’s Magnificat and the medieval-inspired melodies of O’Neill’s Cantata with equal panache.

In May, thirteen of our Music Scholars and gifted and talented musicians gave a lunchtime concert as part of the Festival. As well as soloists on piano, violin, saxophone, cello and clarinet there were vocal performances and two chamber ensembles; the music included jazz, musical theatre and classical music from across three centuries.

The School also hosted several other events across the Festival, including a recital of works by Brahms and Schumann given by pianist Sam Haywood and cellist Guy Johnston; Liz Grand’s one-woman play about Clementine Churchill; and the semifinal and final of the Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition, won by cellist Edvard Pogossian.

Sir James MacMillan composes work to celebrate our 150th anniversary

In June, the celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of the School in Mayfield began with a Mass of Thanksgiving in the School Chapel. The Mass included the world premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s new setting of Ven. Cornelia Connelly’s prayer ‘Let us love one another’, commissioned for the occasion by the School. The motet, and other pieces of music written for the School over the past fifty years, was sung by the Schola Cantorum and around fifty Old Cornelians who returned for the Mass, as well as singers from the local community. These singers spent the day rehearsing the music, and before the Mass enjoyed a live-streamed interview with Sir James MacMillan, who explained that he was attracted to Cornelia’s prayer because it summarised the essence of the Christian message.

Summer Music Concert

This year’s Summer Concert took place in a full Courtyard during the usual Teatime Concert slot. The performers gave a varied programme, with impressive solo performances from Yueshi (Year 12, voice), Mia (Year 12, clarinet), Teresa (Year 12, cello) and Catherine (Year 9, violin) and ensemble performances from the Flute Ensemble, Jazz Collective and Chamber Orchestra. The Chamber Orchestra were joined for one item by Helena (Year 13) who performed a rarely-heard keyboard concerto of Johann Christian Bach, the so-called ‘London Bach’ for his work in the city during the mid-eighteenth century. All the performances were of the highest quality, and it was a delightful event.

Piano recital

Given by Helena (Year 13), leaving Mayfield this year for the Royal Northern College of Music, this was a rare treat: a programme of exciting and unusual works from the 20th and 21st centuries performed to a packed Courtyard full of students, staff and some members of the public.

Helena enjoined the audience to ‘keep an open mind’ as she took us on a journey of discovery from the Romantic arabesques of Cécile Chaminade’s ‘Étude Humoristique’ (1910) to a world premiere of a composition by Dr Ward, ‘Arches of Ice’ (2002), taking in along the way the astonishing sounds of György Ligeti and Rodion Shchedrin and a suite of ‘Bucolics’ (1952) from Helena’s fellow Pole, Witold Lutosławski. Helena finished the concert with the magical soundworld of Alvin Lucier’s ‘Nothing is Real…’ (1999) for piano and amplified teapot. The audience were entranced and enthusiastically demanded an encore, which Helena duly provided in Chopin’s Impromptu in Ab major, bringing her musical journey at Mayfield to a close in style. We hope this will not be the last we hear from Helena, and that she will return in future years to share her enthusiasm and musicality with us again.

Jazz Collective

In February we held a music improvisation workshop for the Jazz Collective, Mayfield’s music ensemble, and for our Scholars and GCSE pupils, led by Mr Simpson. It was a fantastic opportunity for the girls to experience an important aspect of Jazz and Blues performance. As well as learning some of the principles behind this intricate art, they all improvised together on their instruments or by singing. All seemed to have a great time performing amidst all the spontaneous melodies they created.

St Cecilia’s Concert

In November, the Music Department hosted the annual St Cecilia’s Concert featuring performances by our Music Scholars. The music covered everything from ‘The Bare Necessities’ to ‘O mio babbino caro’, from ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ to Chopin Nocturnes, and so had something for everyone.

Music Masterclass with Rosalind Ventris

In September, the School was privileged to welcome Rosalind Ventris to give a performance, talk and masterclass to our Music Scholars and Gifted and Talented musicians. Rosalind is a professional violist, Artistic Director of the Cowbridge Music Festival, and has recently been appointed Director of Performance and Performance Studies at the Music Faculty of the University of Oxford. A fantastic way to begin the new year in Music!

Christmas Music Concert

Mayfield’s Christmas Music Concert took place in front of a live audience, creating a warm and hugely supportive atmosphere. The Lower School Choir began and ended the concert, which included a performance of Dr Ward’s setting of ‘Love Came Down at Christmas’. Between these performances, we had chamber music and larger ensembles performing a wide range of music. The Orchestra was back in action after a year, divided into string and wind groups, and played two dances under Dr Ward’s direction, by Mozart and Price. It was a real pleasure to perform again with a live audience.

Ceramics Gallery

Lizzie - Year 11

Sara - Year 11

Urenna - Year 11

Tatiana - Year 11

Sophie - Year 11

Maddie - Year 11

Sahana - Year 11

Sophie - Year 11

Humanities

Battlefields trip

After several years of Covid disruption, the History Department was delighted to finally take 44 Year 9 girls to France and Belgium to visit the WW1 Battlefields.

Girls developed their knowledge of the war from their History lessons, at the Passchendaele Museum, before visiting both a British and German military cemetery. We then headed into Ypres for the moving Last Post ceremony where Isla, Sarah and Mabel laid a wreath on behalf of the School.

The next day we followed in the footsteps of the British soldiers at the Battle of the Somme, starting at the enormous Lochnagar crater, the remnant of an underground explosion that preceded the attack. We then followed the trench lines forward and crossed “no man’s land” at Newfoundland Memorial Park, before paying our respects to the fallen at Thiepval Memorial.

We were very pleased with the way in which the girls engaged with the visits and the sometimes challenging and emotional nature of the experience. Many thanks to Miss Ewing, Mr Ferguson, Mrs Bushell, Miss Auer and Madame Testa for giving up their time and for their fantastic support throughout.

Geography expedition to Flatford Mill

On the first weekend in July, a large group of Year 10 girls ventured up to ‘Constable Country’ in Suffolk for an intensive weekend of Geography fieldwork. The main purpose of the expedition was to examine how field data compared with textbook theory and then collectively working on reconciling any differences between the two. On Friday the girls coped well with the ‘Bucket Challenge’ whereby they had to use the equipment they were given to develop hypotheses and then test them in a range of small local ecosystems. We had a full day testing the Bradshaw Model on the River Brett

on Saturday in golden sunshine and beautiful surroundings. On Sunday we travelled to Ipswich to investigate contrasting ‘Quality of Life’ in the suburbs and inner city.

We did manage to find time for some relaxation as well. On Friday evening the girls split into small groups and became ‘Green Artists’ in the style

of Andy Goldsworthy, using petals, leaves, stones and sticks in their creations – and then presenting them in turn. On Saturday evening a woodland campfire complete with marshmallows on sticks and hot chocolate was made even more memorable with funny stories, singing and dancing.

Modern Foreign Languages Day

As part of Activities Week in July, all the Year 10 girls not taking part in the DofE expedition were treated to a day of foreign culture, beginning with an explanation about the origins - and a demonstration - of Flamenco dancing by Ana León Dueñas from Academia Flamenca in Brighton. The girls were then divided into three groups and participated in a Flamenco dancing workshop, cooking “Pisto manchego” (and eating!), and a Pétanque tournament. In the afternoon, the girls relaxed in the Hub watching a French comedy, Rien à declarer. A good time was had by one and all.

Trip to Les Misérables

Year 10 learnt about some of the themes and characters in Les Miserables as part of their Religious Studies' GCSE coursework. During Activities Week in July, they went to the Sondheim Theatre to see the musical which was just extraordinary. The acting and singing were exceptional and the show ended with a standing ovation for the cast.

In May, our Year 7 Geographers spent the day at the coast, collecting beach data in order to test hypotheses about sediment attrition and longshore drift at Birling Gap and Holywell, Eastbourne. The girls enjoyed a picnic lunch at the National Trust Visitor Centre, and after further data logging and identification of some Cretaceous fossils, there was time for an ice cream each before heading back to school.

Geography trip to Birling Gap Hindu Shrines

In June, Mr Pierce’s Year 7 Religious Studies class gathered for an exhibition of Hindu Shrines designed for the home. Each designer presented their ideas in a Dragon’s Den style pitch! The creations were beautiful and there were interesting theological justifications for various creative elements; from reasons for choosing a particular deity,

homemade flowers and candles, and even some food offerings for the gods. Afterwards, we took time to review each classmate’s creation as if they were in an art gallery, whilst enjoying music and light refreshments. The event was a joyful one and a lovely way to end the year and celebrate achievements in Religious Studies for Year 7.

History trip to London

Year 12 Historians visited the Tower of London and the Imperial War Museum in May. A sources workshop at the Tower complemented their Wars of the Roses studies perfectly; the girls said after that it brought the evidence they’ve been studying this year to life vividly. The day concluded with a chance to contextualise their studies of Cold War politics in the Imperial War Museum’s Peace and Security 1945-2015 gallery.

Arctic link-up with Alex Hibbert

In January, the School were delighted to be able to set up a live satellite link from Arctic Alaska with polar explorer and author, Alex Hibbert. Despite the temperature of -20 ° impacting heavily on battery life, Alex was able to chat with pupils for 30 minutes in a session that was hosted by Mr Gough and attended by Year 8 and Sixth Form Geographers. Alex answered questions about the environment, native people and wildlife of Alaska, as well as discussing his forthcoming expedition that will take him across 600 miles of the Alaska North Coast!

Historians go back in time

To build on their GCSE studies on Queen Elizabeth I, Year 10 Historians visited the National Archives and Westminster Abbey in April. At the archives, girls had the opportunity to get hands-on with genuine documents from the time, including a letter sent to Mary Queen of Scots. The girls enjoyed deciphering the handwriting and old English to unpick the general meaning of each document and were able to fit this into the wider context of Elizabeth’s rule from their own knowledge. The Archives’ educator commented that the girls came across more like A Level students than Year 10s so well done girls! After lunch, we enjoyed a guided tour around Westminster Abbey

focusing particularly on the Tudor tombs and what they tell us about how each monarch was regarded by their successor. Overall the day served to greatly enhance the girls’ understanding of this period and also as an ideal refresher to help them prepare for end-of-year examinations.

Urban fieldwork in Stratford

In December, our Year 12 and 13 Geographers undertook urban fieldwork in East London. The contrasts between the older parts of Stratford and the regenerated East Village were stark. The girls collected data on the quality of the environment and undertook questionnaire surveys as part of the A Level ‘Changing Places’ unit.

History of Art conference at the National Gallery

In November, Sixth Form History of Art students attended the annual ‘Ways of Seeing’ schools’ conference, organised by the Association for Art History at the National Gallery in London. The topic this year was the Edexcel History of Art A Level Theme: Identities.

The most popular lecture with Mayfield students was from Susan Jones, New College of the Humanities, on ‘Jan van Eyck and Identity’. Year 13 Lucia said: “It was very interesting to hear all the different ways in which people see identity. I particularly enjoyed the lecture about van Eyck as I got to know more exciting facts about an artist whose works I had already read about.”

Another popular talk was from Sixth Form student and ARTiculation competition finalist, Rosy Akalwu-Ellman on Steve McQueen’s work ‘Year 3’. There were also talks by Beth Hughes on the Arts Council Collection, and Sadie Coles of Sadie Coles HQ on running a commercial art gallery; for Year 12 Izzy this meant she “learnt more about career opportunities.” Overall, Year 13 Alice found “It was really insightful to listen to many different approaches towards the way in which we view art and how it can contribute to other subjects.”

Black History Month

Lower School History Club students researched inspirational black women across 200 years of British history for a special assembly in School during October’s Black History Month.

Year 8s Mathilda and Ramona, and Year 7s Annette, Michelle, Deborah, Eva and Emilia, chose to talk to the girls about Mary Seacole, Ellen Craft, Fanny Eaton and Margaret Busby, and why they found these remarkable women to be so important.

Mathilda said she chose Mary Seacole because “I know the NHS is really important at the moment, and Mary’s contributions to care were really important and inspiring.”

Ramona chose Ellen Craft because “The story of how she escaped from being held as a slave is just so interesting.”

Emilia and Sonya were interested in Margaret Busby because “She wants to tell the stories that nobody else would, and she wants to inspire all women.”

Geographers visit Ashdown Forest

Year 8 Geography pupils enjoyed an autumnal day of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ in Ashdown Forest in October. The day was spent testing hypotheses on footpath erosion, carbon storage in pine and deciduous woodland, and species diversity in managed and unmanaged areas of heathland. In the afternoon the girls enjoyed a guided tour of the forest by a Ranger who showed us how quickly areas devastated by wildfires regenerate.

Our MESSy Prefect, Daisy, made this wonderful poster ahead of COP26 which took place in Glasgow in November.

History of Art trip to Tate Modern and Tate Britain

In September, Sixth Form History of Art students had a brilliant trip to ‘The Making of Rodin’ exhibition at the Tate Modern, and to Tate Britain where they enjoyed discussing the amazing Pre-Raphaelite details in Millais’ ‘Christ in the House of his Parents’.

Le Petit Café Français

The European Day of Languages is celebrated every year on 26th September and, this year, to mark the occasion, the French Department organised a French Café experience for the girls in Years 7 to 11.

Economics and Politics Students meet MP Nusrat Ghani

In September, Sixth Form Politics and Economics students took a trip to the Houses of Parliament. The girls were given a tour and learnt about the history of the buildings, and the workings and role of Parliament today. After the tour, the girls took part in a workshop on how laws are made and were joined by Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden. Ms Ghani spoke about her work as an MP and her role in highlighting the plight of the Uighur people in China.

Geography fieldwork in Newhaven and Seaford

In September, our A Level Geographers enjoyed collecting numerous data sets to test theories concerning sediment transfers, marine processes and landforms. They saw a ‘jackup platform’ moored in the estuary, which is an encouraging sign, as this type of vessel is used to make sub-sea surveys and foundations for the next generation of wind farms which will reduce the UK’s use of fossil fuels.

Textiles Gallery

Here are a selection of our entries for this year's Royal Opera House Design Challenge, with a theme of 'Alice in Wonderland'. Enjoy!

English and Drama

Trip to Shakespeare’s Globe

Girls in Year 8 had a wonderful day at Shakespeare’s Globe in the final week of the School Year in July. We arrived at Bankside in glorious sunshine and enjoyed a walk across the Millennium Bridge with Ms Bell as our tour guide. She told the girls all about what it would have been like to visit The Globe in 1599. They learned about bear-baiting, cockfighting, ‘penny-stinkers’, and even what delicacies theatregoers would have enjoyed (oysters and sweetmeats, anyone?).

After a spot of lunch by the river, we enjoyed a tour of Shakespeare’s Globe. We were even treated to a sneak preview of some combat scenes from the afternoon’s performance of Henry VIII! Two professional Globe actors also ran a drama workshop for us, focusing on ‘Twelfth Night’ which we have been studying this term. The girls had the chance to perform a scene between Olivia and Viola and to experiment with the language in the play.

Finally, the girls tested their knowledge with a challenging Globe quiz and a creative writing activity. It was a wonderful day and the girls made the English Department very proud to be their teachers, as always.

National Youth Theatre workshop

In January, students in Years 10, 11 and 12 took part in a National Youth Theatre workshop with practitioner Fumi Gomez. The three-hour workshop was an introduction to the company and a substantial warmup for the auditions that followed afterwards. Each student was given the opportunity to perform a prepared monologue for the Director.

Following the auditions, Yaa was invited to join this prestigious company. Yaa said, “I am so excited to be a part of this and to engage in the promising courses that they have to offer for aspiring young actors and actresses. I hope to one day become an actress and I believe this is a step in the right direction”.

The Drama Department would like to congratulate Yaa and all those that auditioned.

World Book Day

In March, on World Book Day, award-winning historical fiction author Paul Dowswell visited School. He spoke to all the girls in Years 7 to 9 in the Concert Hall, and in the afternoon held a creative writing workshop with our 500 words competition winners. A literary treat!

We also held our annual World Book Day Parade for Years 7 and 8. There were some amazing costumes on display!

Trip to Charleston Farmhouse and Monk’s House

In October, our Sixth Form English Literature students had a wonderful day walking in the footsteps of Virginia Woolf, visiting Charleston Farmhouse to learn about the Bloomsbury Group, and exploring the beautiful modernist home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. The girls loved touring the house which was the beating heart of this amazing group of writers, painters and intellectuals. Every wall, fireplace, bookcase and available surface is a work of art!

We then travelled to Rodmell for a picnic in the lovely cottage garden at Monk’s House. The girls were able to step into Virginia Woolf’s Writing Lodge, where so many of her works took shape, before enjoying a tour of the main house. Everyone agreed that it felt as if they had just popped out for a walk and would soon return to their beloved home.

RADA Award for Anna

Year 10 Anna took part in the RADA Messenger award, a short course delivered by the prestigious acting school. It resulted in her performing Puck from a section of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and although she was the youngest member of the course, she passed to a high standard. The Drama department is proud of her achievement!

Shakespeare Off By Heart

Years 7, 8 and 9 competed in the final Shakespeare Off By Heart competitions of the year in July. The standard was exceptionally high and our judge, Mrs Jen Junemann, had a very hard time choosing her winners. In Year 7, the winning group was awarded to Freya and Sofia for their moving performance of Act 3 scene 5 from ‘Romeo and Juliet’, with Sofia also winning best overall performance. Claudia was awarded best monologue for her wonderful Portia from ‘The Merchant of Venice’, with Michelle’s Catherine of Aragon a very close runner-up. In the Year 8 category, the best group performance was awarded to Kamsy, Maggie and Alice for their spirited performance of Act 1 scene 3 from ‘Twelfth Night’, with Honor and Alice coming a close second with their convincing portrayal of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The best overall performance was awarded to Annalise

for her very spirited Sir Andrew Aguecheek from the play ‘Twelfth Night’.

In the afternoon it was the turn of Year 9. The winning group was awarded to Onnae and Daisy for their hilarious and committed performance as Bottom and Titania from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, featuring lots of physical comedy and some amazing singing! The runners-up were Erin and Sarah for their sparring Beatrice and Benedick from ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. The best individual performance was awarded to Ioanna for her beautiful and very funny rendition of a lovestruck Claudio from ‘Much Ado’. Onnae was a well-deserved runner-up for her excellent singing and impeccable comic timing as Bottom from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

Mrs Junemann said: “It was such a joy to judge such committed and heartfelt performances. The standard

was extremely high this year, with brilliant stagingb and even some stage combat! I was particularly impressed with the textual understanding of all the performers. I laughed, I cried and my five-month-old baby Matilda did so too! It was wonderful to be welcomed back to Mayfield with the words of the Bard – and to show the girls that parenthood and work can coincide.”

Narnia comes to Mayfield

In May, we saw three wonderful performances of the play The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, by Mayfield Theatre Company Seniors. The company, made up of pupils from Years 9 and 10, and consisting of performers, technicians, and stage management, worked together to produce a well-accomplished piece of theatre. They brought the charming story of good versus evil to life through creative characterisations and clear staging.

Mrs Gerstmeyer, Head of the Drama Department, said: “It was wonderful to work with this company and witness them becoming good friends, supporting one another and ultimately pulling together to accomplish a well-crafted piece of work that will remain in their memories forever.”

Lucy, who played the White Witch, commented: “I really enjoyed being a part of ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” as Mayfield Theatre Company is such a lovely group of people and it is such a welcoming environment, especially to a new member who has never performed with this group before. I had such a good time working with the cast and directors and I can confidently say that the rest of the cast did too!”

This year saw the English department launch Poetry Please, a series of poetry competitions designed to inspire the whole Mayfield community to engage in poetry writing. Below are two entries to our Sonnet competition.

Sonnet to the Stars by Kitty in Year 7

The stars were shining in the dark night sky. The swirly dust grew tall towards the moon.

As the sun went down, I let out a sigh. The gloomy night sky will appear very soon.

I lay on the ground looking at the stars.

I have spotted a shooting star skiing. I lay on the ground and can only hear cars Like I am the only human being.

I can hear the whispers on the soft wind. The stars light up the night and tend to shine.

I cannot move, I am on the ground pinned.

I look at the dark trees; I see a pine.

And as I fall asleep, I dream about If I would be here if stars I was without.

Cherry Blossom by Elsie in Year 8

Cherry blossom blooming on a bright tree Glowing radiant All Through the Night I love the way you glisten peacefully Oh, cherry blossom makes me want to write

How are you like a Japanese maple? You are more perfect, gracious and fancy Colours of your leaves a fashion staple You’re a Roma more bright than a pansy

What ways do I love you? Oh, oh, there are many I love your sweet leaves flowers and petals

Your bark more brown than my grandma’s old penny My love for you most sharp like nettles

I go even though I feel full of Sorrow Know what’s said or my heart will be hollow

Eliza accepted into Globe Youth Theatre

After auditioning for a place, Eliza in Year 9 was accepted into the Globe Youth Theatre. She has joined Erin and Ioanna who are also currently attending. Eliza is now attending the prestigious Theatre every Saturday to train. She says, “At the Globe we are currently focusing on the play ‘Julius Caesar’. I enjoy working with people who are older than me and everyone is very nice. We normally do a warm-up, an improvisational game and then we work on a script. We have half an hour to practise with a partner and then we show the rest of the group our work”.

The Drama Department would like to congratulate Eliza on her achievement.

Trip to Come from Away

In March, the Year 9 girls watched Come From Away at the Phoenix Theatre in London. The story focuses on a small community in Newfoundland that took in the ‘Come From Aways’ – aeroplane passengers who had been grounded in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. This energetic musical contained many Brechtian devices and will inform the current scheme of work on the practitioner’s theatrical style.

Drama Scholar Anna said: “I found the play very captivating as I had never thought of the planes being diverted during the tragic event of 9/11 so I learnt something that way. The piece of theatre also restored my faith in humanity as they did everything that they could to make sure the people had a place to sleep. Overall, the play incorporated a strong sense of family and love, and some feminism as one of the characters was one of the first female commercial pilots!”

Shakespeare Off by Heart

This year we had extremely high standards of performance at the Year 10 Shakespeare Off By Heart final! It took place in the Dance Studio and it was great to see the finalists making the most of the space’s dimensions. Most scenes performed were from our set text, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, with a refreshing interlude from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. There was also some superb creativity on display from Katie who created a “Prologue Remix” to begin proceedings. Her group received a special mention. The runner-up group was Nicole and Greta as Tybalt and Capulet,

and runner-up individual Rosie for her heartfelt Juliet. The winning group was Breanna and Angela as a lively, physical Puck and a cool, ironic Oberon. Breanna was also the best individual, showing exceptional understanding and commitment. We are very grateful to our guest judge, Julie Batty, an actor and specialist in Renaissance Literature who has performed in ‘Othello’ alongside Andy Serkis. She also worked in radio producing ‘Women’s Hour’ and interviewing famous people including J. K. Rowling for ‘Desert Island Discs’. We are very grateful to Julie for joining us!

Performing Shakespeare Regionals

In May, Alice, Eliza and Ioanna took part in the regional final of the national ‘Performing Shakespeare Competition’ at Sevenoaks School. Congratulations to all three girls who delivered beautiful performances. Alice’s delightful portrayal of Viola won her the prize of runnerup. The Head judge said that, genuinely, he had never seen such a ‘persistently high standard of acting in any regional final.’

Poetry Day

In June, Mayfield welcomed Cecilia Knapp, a wonderful poet, novelist and playwright to run a day of readings and workshops for Year 9 and 10 pupils, as well as judge our Lower School Eisteddfod. The recent Poet Laureate for London, Cecilia visits many schools to promote poetry, but also creative thinking and writing in many forms. She believes that everyone is, and should be, creative; we can all find ways to express ourselves and writing is often a useful way to deal with complex feelings and to negotiate a worrying world. Devoting time to creativity is not only good for mental health but also a useful tool for many academic areas as well as benefitting work and relationships.

Years 9 and 10 listened to some poems that Cecilia had chosen which, along with other prompts, inspired them to do their own creative writing. Many of their responses are wonderful and demonstrate the fact that they were, indeed, inspired (see example below).

Years 7 and 8 Eisteddfod finalists performed their poems with great energy and commitment. Cecilia chose the winners for their emotional connection with the words, their expression and their ability to communicate the poems vividly. She was full of praise for the high standard of all performers and gave encouraging feedback to everyone. Congratulations to Year 8 winners Ivana and Annalise, and Year 7 winners Eva and India, Michelle, Hester and Eva, and Sophie.

I remember by Mathilda in Year 10

I remember

I was in Vienna when I was little, Looking through my grandad’s window It was with a left-sloping roof and bars on the outside. We used to so sit there for hours seeing the few cars come and go Playing with our teddies, having foot wrestles. Having the sweet smells of semmels in our noses, The sweet honey from Herr Holzmuller, And the freshly stewed jam from Omi. Taking pictures with our little blue and purple digital cameras. Every time there was a free minute, I would find myself on the windowsill, Usually sharing it with Heli.

The windowsill barely fits me, let alone two little girls. At night when it was dark you could see the top of Stephenson, The ladder light up all the way to the top with the Christmas light alight as well. That was my favourite place to be. I would run my fingers over the walls which had a pebbly texture.

Historical Fiction

From hope to despair

By Amelia in Year 9

It was soon after lights out when her whimpering began. No one was asleep, too terrified to even doze in case the guards appeared. But as the hours passed, one by one they slowly dropped off. That was when it began. The cries my baby sister was making grew louder under the threadbare blanket and before long they were too noisy for the women around us not to stir. I crept around the edges to where my mother sat on guard. “She’s getting worse,” I murmured to her.

“Keep calm my child, she will get better, I promise you,” my mother whispered to me.

I had never doubted for one moment that we would all get out of this together; my Papa had always said so and Papa was never wrong. But now as I sat here listening to my baby sister struggling to breathe, I started to think, maybe Papa may have been wrong, what would happen if he was, what would happen to me if Baby wasn’t the only one to leave me.

We sat there in almost silence, occasionally whispering words of comfort to Baby. Typhoid came for Baby 3 weeks ago and we have no medicine to help her and nothing for her to eat in sight. The hope that we brought with us to Auschwitz has been slowly decreasing, along with Baby’s health.

As the hours ticked by Baby’s crying had slowly diminished, leaving a dry cough behind, occasionally she whispered “Mama, I’m cold.” Or “Mama, my head hurts.” And it left me with despair to know we could do nothing to help her but sing lullabies and bundle her up with rags from old dresses that before this, only knew the life of swirling frocks and lively rhythms.

It was nearing the guards’ round when Baby’s breathing began to quieten and her cough turned into wheezes; Mama looked at me with sadness dripping from her eyes and a shake of her head so slight it was barely noticeable. Confusion floated through me until understanding blurred my vison and all at once heartbreak consumed me. Distress shot through me, and a scream ripped through my lungs. I didn’t care who heard me, I didn’t care about being found, all I cared about was her. My baby sister. The 2 years I spent with her was nothing in comparison to the ones I’ll have to survive without her. We were supposed to be each other’s forever, the kind of bond that couldn’t be broken, a bond that only siblings could have. A bond that had now been stolen from us; one we could never get back.

The hope my sister had brought to Auschwitz, through her giggles and her eyes, which held wonder only a child could possess, who clutched at the hearts of the women surrounding us, had died with her leaving despair and anguish in its wake. For now, we had no one to live for. And no one to save.

Twelfth Night at The Globe

In September, Year 10 enjoyed a trip to The Globe - a replica of the theatre that existed on the same spot in Shakespeare’s lifetime - to see a performance of ‘Twelfth Night’. During the play, the striking set, elaborate costumes and comic scenes entertained us all, although many girls offered thoughtful, conceptual critiques as well as praise. It was a pleasure to be out on a theatre trip again and the girls were excellent company.

A Trilogy of Grecian Tales

In June, Mayfield Theatre Company Juniors performed in ‘A Trilogy of Grecian Tales’ in the marquee. Twenty-eight pupils from Years 7 and 8 collaborated to produce three short plays: Theseus & The Minotaur; Daedalus & Icarus; and Echo & Narcissus. The company had engaged in a devising session once a week, where they worked together to stage the dramas. Everyone who took part rose to the challenge and worked well communicating the narrative with a creative and polished performance. Congratulations to all the actors for their hard work and resilience and for supporting one another.

To Kill A Mockingbird

At the end of April, pupils from Years 10 to 12 attended a performance of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ at the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End. The new adaptation by Aaron Sorkin delivered a version of the classic book that was powerful and moving and conveyed the essence of Lee’s story with an added sleekness in the dialogue. The well-crafted production was enjoyable and gave us an opportunity for in-depth discussions about the themes and how they were conveyed. A standing ovation for the cast was thoroughly deserved.

This year saw the English department launch Poetry Please, a series of poetry competitions designed to inspire the whole Mayfield community to engage in poetry writing. Below are two entries to our Sonnet competition.

My Name by Sarah in Year 9

My name is Sarah Elizabeth Davids. Named like the Queen? No, like ALL the greats that came before me Not the fame nor the big names, but individuality Eliza, Elissa, Elsie and Elise Lisette, Lizzy, Lib and Libby.

The girls that stood behind their man And the girls that stood up and thought of the next great plan. But that’s just the middle, a small part of what makes me, me. My religion stands represented whenever my name is remarked And I can say with a smile, that ‘Sarah’ is now a part Of the Welsh community and fellow British company. The Indian dish that stands for English nationality Is my favourite which suits my love for diversity. So, I’ll wave my flag – a red cross not a first aid sign –And watch as English, Welsh and every other part of me combine.

Mayfield June morning by Nicole in Year 10

This morning I wake up with sun Hammering its way through my window I can barely hear the sounds of cars and trucks Surrounding nature’s wonders as they rock. We must trust that Blessed Cornelia will Pray and guide us throughout this day. Spring will be an artist’s palette As all Mayfield’s flowers burst into bloom. As the trees regain their life, I cannot help but admire the lone cherry That blooms through all adversity Sprinkling the ground with pink Oh! What a sight – I cannot blink. And although we cannot feel it yet We all must not ever forget To wish our beloved Queen A very happy jubilee.

Inter-House Drama

The annual Inter-House Drama competition took place on the last day of the Spring Term. This year our presiding judge was Old Cornelian and former Head Girl, Amelia Gabriel (Class of 2015). Amelia is a professional actor and is currently working with the theatre company, ‘Nine Inch Fools’. Each House presented a 15-minute piece of drama that they devised based on the idea of a person they considered to be ‘a legend’. The chosen four were Amelia Earhart, Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe and Odysseus! A lot of effort had been put into each piece and everyone who took part should be proud of their achievements. The winners included Brontë for Best Sound Effects and Lighting, Curie for Best Programme, Yaa in Astor for Best Supporting Actor and Anastasia in Glennie for Best Actor. This year the overall winning House was Glennie. Well done to everyone who took part.

LAMDA success

In May, 65 candidates took part in LAMDA examinations and this cohort proved to be our most successful ever! 91% achieved a Distinction, whilst the remaining students achieved a High Merit. A special mention to Jemima, Phoebe C, Matilda, Rachel, Olivia S, Sissy, Olivia G, Freya, Phoebe W and Issy who all completed Grade 8 (Gold award) to Distinction level. A big thank you to Mrs Watkiss, Mrs Brooker and Mrs Junemann for their excellent teaching.

Blue Stockings

In the Spring term, Caedmon Theatre Company performed Blue Stockings by Jessica Swale in the Concert Hall to an invited audience. Set in 1896 the ‘blue stockings’ were young women who were among the first females allowed to be educated at Girton College Cambridge. Despite the Girton girls studying ferociously and matching their male peers grade for grade, they are denied degrees.

The cast members of Caedmon demonstrated professionalism, resilience, and creativity. Each one rising to the challenge and coming together to create an entertaining and thought-provoking play. A big well done to all of those involved!

Historical Fiction

The Empiric

By Francesca in Year 10

As he ascended from his irregular mattress that was stuffed with hair, straw and old rags from previous medical experiments, William inhaled the bitterly cold breeze. The crisp, sterile air flooded his lungs cleansing him of the toxic plague he had engulfed himself in just yesterday. With the raging spread of the Black Death that banged on the doors of every house, on every street in London, 1665 was a year of terror: especially with a killer on the loose.

He called himself the Empiric. Masked by a beak of petals that he had viciously ripped from vibrant plants, just like the way he ripped lives of his victims. He was heartless, cold and callous and numb to his crimes: as far as the Empiric was aware, his deeds were of benefit to others. Most murderers, however, would think like this. After all, robbing the lives of people diseased with the fatal plague, preventing the infection towards others was considered heroic in his sunken eyes. The Empiric struck during the day, to avoid suspicion. He cleverly shielded the wounds that excreted the life of his sufferers with cloths that he wrapped around them but left their bodies carved and cut up for others to find, as if he were screeching to be caught and rescued from himself. For the final step, the Empiric would paint the blood of his victims on their doors as a signal that he had pounced.

As the glowing orange peeled back its layers, climbing higher in the sky, William grabbed his beaked mask and cloak in his routine fashion. He had been experiencing headaches and chills for a few days; however, today was different. Today way more intense. Still, he kept moving towards his first victim of the day.

The sky was a haze of reds, stained with the blood of William’s patients that he had relieved of pain. Humming innocent songs sung by children, William reached into his bag and clutched a small bunch of petals, soft and supple to the touch. He neatly arranged the roses, tulips and daisies in a ring around the woman, bereft of life. Her cheeks were still a pale blush but were fading rapidly. The boils on her skin had outlined by fine scratches, cutting deep. Blood trickled endlessly from the stabbings leaving a stench of rusted iron that lingered in the air. Continuing the hum, he moved in agony towards the front door, by this point of the day, William was barely able to function. He mindlessly painted the cross on the front door and trudged home.

In the frigid air, William keeled over to lie in a tranquil field of roses, which he always strode through on his way home. The area was desolated. Grasping himself for warmth, he could feel swellings on his back, just like the ones found on his victims. The breeze washed over him, capturing his soul as he lay surrounded by petals. William lay still. Breathless.

Drama Scholars’ Showcase

At the beginning of February, the Drama Scholars showcased monologues and duologues to an invited audience. The texts were diverse and ranged from plays by Shakespeare to the modern day. It was warming to see the combination of different year groups supporting and encouraging each other. Well done to all those involved!

Ioanna and Erin shine on stage

The Woman in Black

In October, Drama Department examination classes went to the Fortune Theatre to see the thriller, ‘The Woman in Black’ by Susan Hill, adapted by Stephen Mallatratt. The production lived up to its reputation as a tense and, at times, rather scary show.

The production used a combination of acting techniques, along with sound and lighting effects, to create a mysterious mood and atmosphere throughout. The girls enjoyed the play immensely and have since been able to draw upon it for inspiration in their Drama classes.

Congratulations to Ioanna and Erin in Year 9 who were both selected to join the Shakespeare Youth Theatre Group!

Cross-curricular days

Year 7 Olympics Day

The final cross-curricular day of the year in July was themed around the Olympics, incorporating aspects of Geography, History, Art, Sport and Technology.

It was an inspiring start to the day, with the girls discovering the world of the ancient Olympics before going on to learn about the Modern Olympics and watch part of the London 2012 opening ceremony and highlights from Tokyo’s recent Olympic games. They then were split into five lesser-known Olympic countries and asked to research the culture, traditions, identity and sports within those nations.

The afternoon was spent designing, and then participating in, their own mini-Olympics. Each country had to come up with an original event that reflected their own culture, a kit design, which was then made and worn in the form of t-shirts, and a mascot.

Congratulations to Mongolia, who were crowned champions after the five events, and also the individual girls who were awarded prizes for demonstrating the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship throughout the day.

Year 7 Festival of Spain

In March, Year 7 took part in the “Festival of Spain” cross-curricular day, with the girls working in groups to research three Spanish regions: Andalucia, Basque Country and Catalonia. They learned about food, festivals, famous artists and architects, and music and dance in these regions. They worked collaboratively to present their findings in a PowerPoint presentation and showed a very competent use of technology. In the Art session, they made a fantastic mosaic creation depicting different aspects of the region studied. With the help of Mr Dowgan they explored the regional music and practised the music and dance routine for “Sevillanas, sardana and El aurresku”. In the afternoon teachers and students enjoyed the presentation of each group’s research and the art and music pieces.

Year 7 The Cookie Project

In January, Year 7 took part in a cross-curricular day called ‘The Cookie Project’, styled on the TV programme ‘The Apprentice’, with the girls working in teams to produce cookies, packaging, a presentation and a short advert promoting their product. The day was a huge success and there was much creativity and teamwork on display.

Year 8 Moon Camp Challenge

At the end of June, Year 8 girls embarked on their final cross-curricular challenge of the year: a two-day Moon Camp. Their task was to work as a team to design and pitch an idea for a base on the Moon. Each member of the group took on different responsibilities and aspects of the challenge with some conducting scientific experiments to evaluate window designs to withstand the lunar environment and then exploring the challenges of living, working, eating and exercising in low gravity. Others used 3D CAD software to create a model of part of their moon base, while a third sub-group used their creative skills to produce promotional artwork and logos to build a brand identity.

Girls quickly learnt the importance of effective communication within the team and on Day 2 brought all of their work together by creating a bespoke website or video that they used to present and pitch their proposed Moon Camp to a panel of judges. The judges were impressed by the innovative ideas on offer as well as the in-depth exploration of, and engagement with, the issues of living and working on the moon.

Year 8 Codes Day

In October, Year 8 took part in the new cross-curricular days, the first of which was themed around codes.

The girls worked in mixed groups, starting the day with a literary-themed escape room, helping Sherlock Holmes avoid his arch nemesis, Moriarty. Following this, a carousel of activities based around History, Maths and Science, as well as a fascinating introduction to British Sign Language with Marcel, really captured the girls’ imagination. His workshop helped the girls appreciate just how dynamic and creative sign language can be.

The afternoon saw the girls making semaphore flags to send coded messages –we all certainly learned how difficult semaphore can be to send and decode! The day ended with a big quiz, testing all the knowledge acquired during the day. The tasks were fun but the main focus was to actively develop leadership, collaboration, time management, and task prioritisation - all essential skills for School and the wider world.

Year 8 Heroines Day

In April, Year 8 pupils participated in a cross-curricular day, the theme of which was ‘Heroines’. They spent the morning in Competitive House groups learning about, and researching, heroines from a range of subject disciplines. They then planned, filmed and edited short promotional videos that championed their respective heroines.

Congratulations on winning the peer-voted awards to the Antigone group (Most Entertaining), the Greta Thunberg group (Most Persuasive) and the Sophie Scholl group (Best Presented).

Year 9 World Religions Day

In June, Year 9 pondered the infinite and found connection with the transcendent nature of the Divine by developing designs for tiles, prayer mats and ceiling decorations for an imagined new mosque. Using watercolour, crayon and pencil, we made abstract designs and calligraphy while contemplating aniconism, the belief that the creation of living beings belongs to God alone. We listened to Islamic music while we painted and drew.

We also watched a film exploring the friendship between the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the joy these ‘mischievous brothers’ found despite hardship; and we designed posters to advertise Ancient Greek religious festivals: the Oracle at Delphi, Zeus at Olympia, the Great Dionysia and Greek women’s festivals all received some new publicity.

Our synagogue trip as part of World Religions day was amazing! We were given a tour of the synagogue in Brighton and asked all our burning questions to Roger, our host. We had the privilege of tasting Challah bread and watching it be made by Juergen,

a Great British Bake Off star whose wife is a member of the synagogue. We also tried the elements of the Seder plate and a Purim treat.

We were so welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Year 9 Fusion and Diversity Day

The theme for February’s Year 9 cross-curricular day was ‘Fusion and Diversity in Britain Today’, with pupils attending sessions on People Power, Festival Fusion, Food Glorious Food and Words, Words, Words. The idea was to encourage the girls to reflect on how diverse cultures have enriched all aspects of our lives.

Year 9 21st Century Parenting Day

In November, Year 9 took part in a themed cross-curricular day on ‘21st Century Parenting’. The day kicked off with talks from a local midwife and health visitor, followed by a range of workshops on Parenting Styles as depicted by art through the ages. The girls also looked at Practical Parenting by planning a week’s shopping for a family on a budget of £100, and Animal Parenting by considering how different organisms look after their young.

The sessions ranged from cooking food from cultures represented in British society to making maps with immigration at their heart. The girls produced posters about festivals from different cultures and wrote poems inspired by those from across the ages and cultures. The day ended with a quiz, asking questions relevant to the day. During this, they ate the pierogi, pizza, samosas and Victoria sponges they had made earlier.

Year 11 Pride & Prejudice

In February, all Year 11 English pupils took part in a cross-curricular session organised by Dr Weddell, Head of History of Art, that challenged them to understand Jane Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice’ from the perspective of its historical context.

Pupils took part in a variety of activities, including studying the front page of The Times newspaper from 1797, analysing Regency portraiture, and investigating Austen’s family background.

Teambuilding Trips

Year 12

Teambuilding

In September, we were delighted to welcome a new cohort of students to the Sixth Form. Shortly after the beginning of term, they all participated in a teambuilding session at Bowles Outdoor Centre where they took part in archery, climbing, ‘the leap of faith’ and high ropes!

Year 7 Teambuilding

In September, all the girls in Year 7 came together to enjoy teambuilding activities at Bowles Outdoor Centre. The activities tested their lateral thinking skills and gave them an opportunity to forge new friendships.

Lower School trip to Broadstone Warren

In the final week of the Summer Term, Lower School pupils enjoyed a trip to Broadstone Warren. Activities included Archery, Backwoods Cooking and Orienteering, as well as the infamous Leap of Faith for Year 8s! This represented a wonderful opportunity for the Lower School community to round off a fantastic year together.

Year 9 Teambuilding

In October, Year 9 travelled to the Windmill Hill PGL Centre for their teambuilding trip. The girls participated in activities including zip-lining, archery, and raft building, alongside the Giant Swing and Jacob’s Ladder. Each activity was specifically designed to hone the girls’ team working and communication skills. The girls and tutors alike thoroughly enjoyed themselves!

Lectures & Talks

McLaren Engineers visit Mayfield

In June, two inspiring female Senior Automotive Engineers, Holly Yeomans and Ella Podmore, came to Mayfield. Working at McLaren, they gave a fantastic careers talk filled with motivating career insights. Many girls came away with a renewed sense of curiosity and are now eager to learn more about STEM and engineering possibilities.

OC Shawn Kwan on her Gap Year

In June OC Shawn Kwan (Class of 2014) spoke to the girls in Year 12 about her gap year experience with CAFOD as part of their ‘Step into the Gap’ programme. She is working as a Gap Year Chaplain at St Mary’s Catholic Academy in Blackpool as well as volunteering for CAFOD. Shawn shared her experiences with the girls, describing it as a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity.

Scholars’ Tea

Environmental Activist Laura Coleman

In March, the girls enjoyed a great evening with writer and environmental activist, Laura Coleman. In what was a very honest, personal and inspiring talk Laura covered many important themespersonal growth, career, conservation, and our relationship with the natural world.

In October, our Gifted and Talented Teatime Talk featured Year 13 Academic Scholars, Valeria and Victoria, who talked to the younger girls about their Extended Project Qualifications (EPQs). The benefits of vertical learning across different year groups are immense, and we hope that the younger scholars will be inspired to not only pursue the EPQ themselves in Sixth Form but also to engage in independent research into things that they are interested in as a result.

OC Lisa Tweedie on Software Engineering

In May, OC Dr Lisa Tweedie gave a fascinating Tea Time Talk on her career in software engineering, showing the girls her route through education to her current role. She was honest in revealing difficulties along the way, stressing the importance of resilience and learning from failure. She is passionate about talking to young women and showing them that life trajectories are often not linear and that this is not just OK, but often a positive thing, teaching us lots of valuable lessons along the way.

Katie King on Artificial Intelligence

In October, we were delighted to welcome Katie King for a fascinating Cornelian lecture on AI. Katie is a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group task force for the adoption of AI and has delivered two TEDx talks. She talked to the girls about harnessing AI for good and how it will shape future careers.

Year 12 Lifeskills Day

In the final week of the Summer Term Year 12 had an entire day devoted to Lifeskills. In the morning, sessions were run on fertility and pregnancy, thinking about future family life in conjunction with careers and an exploration of natural family planning. Jen Junemann led an Everyone’s Invited session which gave girls a space to discuss toxic masculinity, unacceptable and aggressive behaviour and attitudes towards women and to empower them to identify it and speak up and out against it.

In the afternoon girls were able to access the experience and specialist expertise of Tim Champion, formerly Metropolitan Police National County Lines Silver Lead, who discussed the drug economy, national and local drug trafficking, County Lines and gangs, and Bob Tait of Drug Education UK, who led a highly informative session on the direct and indirect effects of prescription medication as well as the ramifications of experimentation with Class A and B drugs both in the UK and abroad.

A Year 12 student remarked, “The last session was really interesting, he was super engaging and explained things in a frank way, It didn’t feel like he was talking down to or lecturing us in any way.”

Lower School Careers Day

The Year 7 and 8 girls took part in a Lower School Careers Day in June, enjoying hands-on interactive sessions learning about careers in healthcare and sport. The girls learned that the NHS is the largest employer in the UK and the fifth largest employer in the world, offering 350 different careers. Dr John explained some of the very different healthcare roles within the NHS and talked about the different skill sets required for each. The girls then got hands-on with the medical equipment – trying on different types of glasses to simulate the effect of cataracts or macular degeneration on vision, testing their reflexes, looking at bacteria on their hands, suturing, doing an ECG, and practising key-hole surgery. In the careers in sport session, the girls were invited to think about sport as a business that requires people with varied experience and skill sets including marketing, finance, filming and editing to commentating, playing, managing and coaching.

Careers education at this level is all about engagement and raising awareness of the range of jobs and career opportunities available. Both workshops encouraged the girls to think about their own interests and strengths, and to help them understand that the activities they do outside the classroom are a very important way to develop vital soft or transferable skills.

Careers Information Evening

The Careers Information Evening for pupils in Years 9 to 13 took place in March, with a breadth of career areas covered, including aerospace engineering, acting, the civil service, advertising and PR, finance, accountancy, investment management, law, medicine, teaching and veterinary surgery. The evening was an excellent opportunity for pupils to learn about different careers, as well as exactly what the job involves and where it can lead. Making decisions about one’s future can be tricky and hopefully this event has played a helpful part in this process. Judging by the number of questions from girls the speakers certainly captured their imaginations, so a very big thank you to all the parents and OCs who very kindly gave up their time to prepare and give the talks.

Debating

Magdalen College School MUN 2022

In March, 16 girls in Years 9 to 11 represented the UK and Eritrea at the 9th Magdalen Model United Nations conference with over 300 pupils from 26 different schools participating. The girls debated a wide range of issues including female genital mutilation, the question of genetic engineering in vector control, and establishing democracy in Eritrea.

In addition to their committee debates, delegates heard speeches from acclaimed historical novelist Helen Pike and women’s rights activist and Afghanistan’s first Schwarzman scholar, Sveto Muhammed Ishoq.

The girls had a fully packed two days with several walking away with delegate commendations, namely Rosie and Iulia in Year 10, and Erica, Cosima and Sahana in Year 11. With so many delegates and debate of such high standard, they should be really proud of their achievements and their super representation of Mayfield.

Felsted Model United Nations

In February, Year 12s Charlotte, Gabriella and Angela attended the 2022 Felsted Model United Nations conference as delegates for Pakistan on the committees for Ecology and Environment, ECOSOC, and Human Rights. Over two days the girls debated issues including investment

in space travel, closing the gap for sustainable energy, and the right for all to procreate and foster human life. The overall theme of the conference was ‘Striving for greater global cooperation and unity’, which was very apt for the current times and gave us lots of food for thought.

Lower School Inter-House Debating Competition

The final of the Lower School InterHouse Debating Competition was held in June, with the motion being ‘This House believes that it has never been more difficult to be a child or teenager than it is today’. Honor and Kitty (Astor) proposed the motion, arguing that without proper education and support, social media and mental health issues can plague young people today. Meanwhile, Ivana and Teresa (Curie) opposed the motion, arguing that far fewer people today struggle to survive on a basic level. It was a very close debate, but Curie won overall. Well done to all the girls involved in the competition!

Middle School Inter-House Debating

Sixth Form Debating Final

In November, the final of the Sixth Form Inter-House Debating competition took place, with the following motion being debated: ‘This House believes that contemporary Western societies favour women over men.’

Poppy and Mofe, on behalf of Astor, made a strong case for the motion, arguing that women in the west have better life expectancy and life satisfaction than men. Gabriella and Jemima, on behalf of Glennie, referenced the ongoing gender pay gap and violence against women in their arguments against the motion.

All the debaters used well-researched and powerful arguments but, in the end, the judges made the extremely tough decision to award the debate to Poppy and Mofe. Well done Astor!

Spring term saw House teams from Middle School debate the motion ‘This House would abolish the monarchy’. In what proved to be a lively final, Astor - featuring Rosie and Angela as speakers - won the day, putting up a strong defence of the monarchy, and overcame Brontë’s team of Sahana and Lizzie. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme

Silver DofE Expedition to South Downs

Congratulations to all the girls who took part in the assessed Silver DofE expedition on the South Downs in July. With sunny skies, blue seas, green woodland and skylarks singing, the girls really enjoyed being out in nature with their friends, despite the challenges that Silver DofE brings.

All the girls who took part should be very proud of their achievements and hopefully they will carry their newlydiscovered determination, self-belief and knowledge of what they can achieve through into other areas of their lives.

DofE Bronze Assessed Expedition to Ashdown Forest

In late May, around 40 Year 9 girls travelled to Ashdown Forest to complete their assessed expedition for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. They had to plan and navigate a 14km route through the beautiful countryside on both days and be self-sufficient by carrying all of their food, tents and other kit. The groups all showed great improvement from the practice expedition, with an overall faster pace and more accurate map-reading.

There were of course a few instances of getting lost, but girls managed to correct themselves and all made it to the finish in good time. They all enjoyed the overnight camp at Broadstone Warren, surrounded by lovely woodland and bluebells, and cooked a variety of meals ranging from noodles and pasta to curry. The girls should be proud of their teamwork and also the physical achievement of completing the expedition – well done girls!

Gold DofE Practice Expedition in South Wales

Over October Half Term, 13 Year 12 and 13 girls journeyed to the Black Mountains in South Wales for their Gold DofE Training and Practice Expedition. After an early start in Mayfield, they arrived in Felindre to meet their expedition leaders who would be training and supporting them over the next five days.

Forming two groups, there then followed a lot of walking, a lot of camping, a lot of weather, and a lot of learning. Mia commented: “Despite some unwanted rain and wind, our group enjoyed the practice expedition greatly, particularly the picturesque scenery of the Welsh countryside.“

Clubs and Societies

The annual Activities Fair took place in the first week of the Autumn term. Our students were able to make their way round a series of stalls to experience many of the different Extra-Curricular Activities on offer, with Staff on hand to answer questions.

Extra-Curricular Activities Fair Carnegie Book Club

In February, Mrs Gabriel accompanied girls from the Carnegie Book Club to the presentation ceremony for the Southern Schools Book Award at Hurst School. The Southern Schools Book Award is presented annually to the author of the book judged by students to have been the best book published for 13-14 year-olds during the year. More than 20 schools in the region take part in the award every year. The girls met all of the shortlisted authors - Frances Hardinge, Julian Sedgwick, Chie Kutsuwada, Vincent Ralph, Patrice Lawrence and Kevin Wignall - together with last year’s winner Bex Hogan and illustrator Chris Riddell. Vincent Ralph was the winning author, with his book ‘Lock the doors’, an engrossing thriller, whilst Kevin Wignall received the ‘highly commended’ award for his title ‘When we were lost’. We have copies of all of the winning titles in the Library.

In June, the Carnegie Book Club met to watch the 2022 winner’s award ceremony for the Yoto Carnegie

Greenaway Award. We read, discussed, reviewed and reflected on the eight shortlisted titles over hot chocolate and cake. Finally, each book club member cast their vote for their favourite book. We were all amazed

when the winner was announced - October, October by Katya Balan. Mayfield Book Club members had all voted for other titles! Just proving that books can appeal to different people in different ways.

Oxbridge Reading Group

In the Autumn term, the Oxbridge Reading Group enjoyed a shared reading of James Joyce’s epic Modernist novel ‘Ulysses’ to celebrate the work’s centenary. Miss Staunton said, “It’s an extraordinary, notoriously challenging novel and the readers really stretched themselves. We’ve had a great time and feel a strong sense of achievement even if we skipped a few

passages here and there! We’ve learned a lot about Modernism and about the Irish literary tradition. It’s inspired us to think about what narrative means, who gets to tell stories about whom, and left us wanting to read more experimental fiction.”

Welly Walking

Welly Walking was a welcome addition to our range of clubs last year. The girls managed to get out and about in a variety of conditions! Happy days!

Cookery Club

Cookery Club is always popular and this year was no exception. At Christmas, the girls made festive treats, with Lower School Cookery Club making and packaging some very tasty Christmas truffles, whilst Middle School Cookery Club had great fun decorating their homemade biscuits with melted snowmen. The Saturday Boarders’ Cookery Club also got creative, making savoury Christmas crackers!

British Sign Language Club

Members of Mayfield’s British Sign Language (BSL) Club signed two hymns – ‘Away in a Manger’ and ‘Silent Night’ - at Live Crib this year. Marcel, BSL teacher, taught the girls the hymns during their extra-curricular lessons and four girls from the Club bravely signed at each performance!

The Club has taken off this year after a successful launch in the summer of 2021 and 16 girls from across all year groups are undertaking a 20-week ‘Introduction to BSL’ course. The Club is run as part of Mayfield’s Actions not Words Programme with Ronan and the Learning Support Department.

In the Autumn term, an enthusiastic team of Sixth Form students helped celebrate our new History Society, which has already hosted several student speakers on a wide variety of topics, including ‘Animals in War’, ‘Medieval Spain’, ‘The Watergate Scandal’, ‘Evolution’ and ‘Art in History’.

History Society Chill Out Club MESSy

Farm Club

In the Autumn term, Chill Out Club members took part in a range of relaxing craft activities, including designing friendship bracelets, origami, mindful colouring and making felt Christmas characters. They made the most of the opportunity to sit and chat with like-minded people while enjoying some creative ‘me-time’.

Farm and Land Management is an Enrichment activity for Year 12s and involves weekly visits to Froghole Farm. In January, the girls helped to feed the pigs and calves. In March, they were milking the cows and learning about the importance of hygiene for the welfare of the animals, as well as ensuring integrity in the food chain. In May, the girls helped farmer Guy Brickell to bring the dairy herd in for milking!

Mayfield’s Environmental and Sustainability Society cleared Eastbourne beach of plastic rubbish in July. They worked their way from near Cow Gap to Hollywell - a surprisingly large amount was collected. Ice creams at the Hollywell tea chalet brought a rewarding end to the afternoon.

Mayfield Dance Show

In Spring term, we were thrilled to welcome a live audience to the Concert Hall for Mayfield’s annual Dance Show. The show featured soloists, duos and group dances, with over 100 girls showcasing styles ranging from hip hop to contemporary to ballet. Many of the dances were choreographed by the girls themselves. Congratulations to all involved - the dancers, as well as those backstage and front of house - for what was a fantastic show.

Food and Nut

Platinum Jubilee Pudding Competition

In celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we launched a competition in search of a pudding fit for the Queen. We were delighted to welcome Samantha Rain, Bake Off Crème De La Crème Winner 2016 and current Development Chef at HB ingredients, to help judge the puddings, alongside Christopher Moore, Mayfield’s Director of Catering. Congratulations

to Liberty and Lucia from Glennie, who won the Seniors Competition for their mini Victoria sandwich, and Brontë’s Alice and Sonya, who won the Juniors Competition for their Barbados cream, shortbread sticks and syrniki. The winning puddings were recreated for everyone to enjoy at lunchtime in June. What a treat!

Junior Inter-House Pudding Competition

Our Junior Inter-House Pudding Competition took place in May, with some amazing creations by the girls in Years 7 and 8.

Food presentation skills

Festive Food

The girls were busy making festive treats in December. The Year 7s made Christmas pudding for everyone to enjoy at the Christmas lunch; the Year 8s demonstrated their pastry skills by making mince pies; the Year 9s made good use of the Christmas cutters to make some spiced Christmas biscuits; Year 10 developed their skills by making homemade puff pastry for cinnamon Christmas trees; and Year 12 used their culinary skills to make a festive sausage plait, snowflake “share and tear” bread, and a ‘Scandi style’ chocolate and gingerbread Christmas cake; while the Sixth Form Enrichment Group made a yule log from scratch, including the Swiss roll.

Easter Delights

From

Year 10 Food and Nutrition students practised their plating and presentation skills in May, by using their homemade meringues to impress! You be the judge!

Easter cakes (Year 12 Culinary Skills students) to cheesecakes (Middle School Cooking Club and Leeds Saturday Morning Cooking), from cinnamon buns (Year 10 Food and Nut) to hot cross buns (Leeds’ boarders). A feast for your eyes!

Boarding Life

Reaching new heights

Paddle boarding in Ashdown Forest

Boarders’ trip to Battle

The final Saturday of Spring term saw a mixture of Year 9, 10 and Sixth Form boarders venture to the small town of Battle in the Sussex countryside to see the site of the Battle of Hastings, which famously took place in 1066. In the grounds of Battle Abbey, Mrs Downing led a session in which she created thought-provoking scenarios to allow the pupils to understand the different stages of the battle. The girls also enjoyed a walk around the grounds, which were stunning on such a beautifully sunny day.

In February, Leeds House boarders visited Clip ‘n Climb in Tonbridge, where they had the chance to climb over 40 different climbing walls, with some girls attempting to do all of them!

On a sunny weekend in June, Gabs’ boarders had a fantastic time paddle boarding and kayaking at Ashdown Forest Water Sports.

Clay Pigeon shooting

Micks’ and Dunstans’ boarders had an exciting afternoon of Clayzer laser pigeon shooting over the May Bank Holiday weekend. Using real shotguns which were deactivated and modified with infra-red technology, the girls fired a beam at clays launched from a conventional clay trap. When the trigger was pulled a digital shotgun ‘bang’ was heard and the girls awaited with anticipation to see their score. Yaa was the Year 11 winner and Natalie the Year 12 winner, achieving the highest possible score of 30 in a fantastic final round!

An afternoon of relaxation Boarders go stargazing

Leeds’ girls enjoyed a pampering afternoon in June, where they practised hand, feet, head and shoulder massages followed by a guided relaxation. It was lovely to see their happy faces and giggles as they started to feel the benefits of the relaxation.

In September, the boarders went stargazing with Dr Corvan. They looked at the various constellations in the night sky and used the School telescope to find Jupiter. They were able to see its coloured bands as well as its four Galilean Satellites - Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

Trip to Raystede Animal Sanctuary

On a glorious Saturday afternoon in May, Leeds’ girls visited Raystede Animal Rescue Centre and Sanctuary. There wasn’t a dull moment with lots to see and do, from fluffy cats and dogs to goats and horses and exotic birds in the aviary.

Trip to Middle Farm

In April, Leeds’ girls visited Middle Farm where they had the opportunity to feed the lambs and see other farm animals, including rabbits, goats and pigs. A great day was enjoyed by all.

Just an illusion!

In May, Gabs’ boarders undertook a crash course in illusion photography, with some impressive results!

Maypole dancing

Mayfair - the Mayfield village festival - took place in May, with boarders from Leeds House and Gabs in attendance. Both Houses had a stand, with activities ranging from splat the rat to cake sales to pom poms and bracelets. The highlight though was the maypole dancing and the Leeds’ girls performed their routine beautifully.

Alton Towers

Gabs’ and Leeds’ girls had great fun over the May Bank Holiday weekend, travelling up to Alton Towers. They arrived in time for a couple of rounds of crazy golf before dinner, before getting an early night ahead of a day of rollercoasters. ‘The Smiler’ rollercoaster proved to be a firm favourite and a great time was had by all!

A weekend of hard craft!

March saw many of the Leeds’ and Gabs’ girls participating in Easter themed craft activities. After two hours of steady work cutting out, gluing and sewing felt, every girl had made an Easter bunny with a chocolate creme egg in its tummy!

The Newspaper Fashion Show

In February, Leeds House boarders ran ‘The Newspaper Fashion Show’. The girls’ enthusiasm was matched only by their creativity, which was amazing. From headdresses through to handbags and shoes to stylish garmentsthey were able to make it all from newspaper!

Gabs Got Talent

St Gabriel’s held their ‘Gabs Got Talent’ show in the Summer Term and it turned out to be an extremely successful evening. The acts were innovative and entertaining, and even impressed our guest judge Simon Cowell!

Trip to London

In March, all the boarders had an exciting day out in London. Starting in Trafalgar Square, Mrs Bushell led a tour and explained the history behind the formidable monuments, ranging from the imposingly tall Nelson’s Column to Britain’s smallest police station! After catching a glimpse of the festivities of St Patrick’s Day celebrations, everyone got to experience culture at the National Gallery, marvelling at the temporary exhibitions of contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley and Gainsborough’s Blue Boy, as well as re-visiting old time favourites in the permanent collection. The afternoon was spent of their own choosing with some deciding to enjoy lunch in Chinatown, others shopping with friends in Covent Garden. Overall, despite the chill and the drizzle, everybody had a great time!

Celebrating Chinese New Year

Leeds

Gabs’ Netball

In June, the Gabs’ girls took to the Netball court together for one last time. A lot of our one-year boarders were beginners at the start of the year and grew to love the sport. They wanted one last game together before leaving and it proved to be a fitting occasion.

Learning a new skill

In January, Leeds House boarders took part in a sign language activity, led by three girls – Martha, Alice and Eleanor - from our British Sign Language (BSL) Club. The girls learned the BSL alphabet and how to say some basic words like please and thank you. A great time was had by all.

House boarders celebrated Chinese New Year by making lanterns and a lovely dinner of Chinese food which was enjoyed by all.

Spooky Sunday for Micks’ girls

At Halloween, the girls in St Michael’s enjoyed a spooky party, with an evening filled with games, fun and lots of food!

Trip to Brighton

The Year 9 girls from Gabs went ten pin bowling at Brighton Marina in February. It was lovely to see everyone have a lot of fun, particularly the Spanish girls who celebrated every ball like it was a Strike!

The Year 10 girls from Gabs went to Globalls, where they enjoyed taking part in mini golf with an aquatic theme!

Gabs’ girls bake off

In March, Gabs’ girls had a fabulous Sunday afternoon of baking, creating delicious layer cakes for our competition. There was much crushing of Oreo cookies as well as some precision icing before the winners were announced; Katrina, Charlotte and Katie in Year 10 and Sabrina, Meryl and Janis in Year 9. Congratulations! The cakes were rather special to look

Chocolatiers in action

In January, boarders from Leeds House took part in the Temper Temper Chocolate workshop. One of the things they learnt was how to test the perfect chocolate truffle mixture; you turn the bowl with the mixture over the volunteer’s head, and if it doesn’t fall, the mixture is ready. If it does…!

Gabs’ boarders show ninja skills!

Ready, set, go! In March, Gabs’ boarders visited Ninja Warrior in Eastbourne, where they unleashed their inner ninjas. From racing around the inflatable obstacle course, to bouncing across the big red balls, to running up walls.

British Sign Language (BSL)

In May, Gabs’ boarders signed up to do an ‘Introduction to BSL’, led by our fantastic Sixth Formers, Charlotte G and Charlotte N, with Year 7 Martha also helping. They did a great job introducing the girls to BSL and its culture. There was lots of laughter!

Trip to British Wildlife Centre

In October, Leeds House boarders spent a lovely afternoon at the British Wildlife Centre in Lingfield.

Urban Jumpers

In October, Leeds House boarders had a great time bouncing around at Urban Jump in Heathfield.

Poetry workshop

Buzz Active adventures

In September, Lower School boarders had a real adventure at Buzz Active in Eastbourne, where they were able to try out windsurfing and sailing.

International Fair

In April, boarders from Years 7 to 10 attended the International Fair, designed to help the girls learn about different cultures of the world. In Gabs, Year 10 girls helped teach Chinese calligraphy, make red Tiger window grills and wrap some Chinese Dumplings. In Lower School, Maria and Valeria from Year 10 helped the girls decorate Year of the Dead face masks (Calaveritas) and treated the girls to some delicious Mexican cake (Rosca de Reyes). In the Spanish room, Bibi and Rosanna enjoyed some torrijas and tested the girls’ knowledge on Spain with a Kahoot quiz, before ending proceedings with the Macarena dance!

Lower School boarders had fun creating haikus, limericks and nonsense rhymes in January. The girls wrote poems on a range of subjects, from caterpillars to red trousers, and performed their poems aloud to one another in the Courtyard.

On a Saturday afternoon late in June, Gabs’ boarders visited “Temper Temper” in Southborough for a chocolate workshop. The girls made chocolate moulds, lollipops, chocolate bowls, florentines and truffles. It was a fantastic opportunity to get creative and the girls had great fun.

Micks’ girls make sushi

The girls in St Michael’s really enjoyed making sushi in September and they enjoyed eating it even more!

Chocolate workshop International English lunch Basketball Play-off finals

In January, our annual International English lunch took place in St Dunstan’s. On the menu this year was a delicious lunch of pork dumplings, corn and carrot soup followed by pork and onion, vegetable stir fry and chicken wings in Coca Cola! For dessert we had egg tarts and fruit salad. Everyone had a really good time and was full by the end of the lunch despite having to use chopsticks!

In May, 26 girls from Years 8 to 13 headed off to the O2 Arena to watch both the women’s and the men’s British Basketball Play-off Finals. An amazing day was had by all!

Gabs’ girls get glittery

Christmas party

Leeds House boarders had a wonderful time at their Christmas party, enjoying games, gifts, lot of laughs and a lovely meal.

Christingle

During the advent season, the boarders took part in a Christingle making activity. Christingle means ‘Christ’s Light’ and it is a symbol of the Christian faith. Lots of churches hold Christingle services around Christmas time. The girls made their own Christingle and then went to our beautiful chapel at dusk with our Christingle candles for a brief service.

Festive fun in Tunbridge Wells

In December, over 80 boarders went to Tunbridge Wells, where the girls enjoyed ice skating and Christmas shopping on the Pantiles.

Christmas arrived at St Gabriel’s House in December, complete with glitter! The girls decorated the House, baked Christmas biscuits and watched a Christmas movie.

Pastoral and Spiritual

Feast of the Ascension

In May, we celebrated Mass as a whole School community in the Chapel on the Feast of the Ascension. Father Benedict reminded us that Ascension is a time of hope. During his homily, he spoke about his recent experience in Ukraine, where the churches were full and there was a sense of joy - in what are sombre times - as the community came together to celebrate their Faith.

A very special celebration

Congratulations to all the girls who were confirmed in June. We were delighted to welcome family, staff and pupils for this very special celebration.

Launch of The Wellbeing Hub

During Children’s Mental Health week in February, we launched The Wellbeing Hub, an interactive online portal for the whole school community, providing advice, support and tips to help manage mental health and wellbeing. Alicia Drummond, Teen Tips’ Founder, spoke to the girls about wellbeing and how to make the most of these new resources. Find out more at www.teentips.co.uk

Days of Recollection

Every year we take each year group out for the day to spend time together and undertake a series of activities based on one of our seven Cornelian values. It’s an opportunity to reflect, pray and take part in a series of fun activities with colleagues in your year group.

“From our day of recollection, I have learnt so much about compassion and wrapping ourselves in kindness and putting ourselves into other people’s shoes before we talk. The natural surroundings set a perfect tone for reflection, and I think everybody will be kinder and more considerate because of it. My favourite part was looking at all the inspirational quotes Ronan found for us because it was very peaceful, and you could tell everyone was genuinely thinking about all of them. Thank you, Ronan, for the amazing day and opportunity and we are all very grateful.”

Alice, Year 8

YEAR 7

YEAR 8

YEAR 9

Joy

Cornelian principle: “We find joy in all we do”

Cornelian principle:

Compassion

YEAR 10

Cornelian principle:

YEAR 11

Cornelian principle:

Cornelian principle: “We

Integrity

YEAR 12

Cornelian principle:

Generosity Gratitude Respect

YEAR 13

Cornelian principle:

Courage

“We have the confidence and resilience to make the right choices”

“We nurture a spirit of charitable giving and kindness for all”

“We are thankful”

“Through our actions we show that we value all”

“We cultivate empathy”

develop strong moral values”

Actions Not Words

Young Minds chosen as School Charity

In September, the girls chose Young Minds as the School’s charity for the academic year. They felt that following two lockdowns, young people needed to look after their mental health and that of their peers more than ever. Mental health provision in this country is under pressure and the girls wanted to ensure that the Mayfield community helped to make a difference in its own small way.

Emily, our Mental Health and Wellbeing Prefect, launched a number of initiatives in the Autumn term, including ‘The Snug’, a room where girls from any year group can go to talk to a Sixth Form student about any issues they may be facing, or just have a quiet place to sit. Emily also created a display board which features wellbeing tips for the girls and information on who they can talk to about any problems they may have.

In October, our Wellbeing Prefect, Emily, and our Charity and Community Prefect, Saibh, organised 'Hello Yellow Day' at Mayfield. The girls raised money for Young Minds by wearing a cheery array of yellow clothing, and baking cakes and treats to sell in School. Special mention goes to Mr Smith for his banana costume!

Hello Yellow Day Year 9 Charity Day

It was the turn of Year 9 to host their Charity Day in June. This involved planning, organising and running stalls, ranging from a duck-themed stall to sweet treat stalls to the ever so popular ‘Soak a Teacher’ stall. Over £450 was raised for the School Charity, Young Minds. Thank you to everyone who donated.

On the final day of the Summer term, girls and staff took part in a sponsored walk around Mayfield for Young Minds. We raised £1,042 for this fantastic cause. Thank you to everyone who donated so generously.

Whole School sponsored walk Pyjama Party Charity Day

In February, the Year 11 girls did themselves proud by raising £456 for our School Charity, Young Minds. They designed and planned a fun ‘Pyjama party’ themed day. Many of the girls (and some brave staff!) came dressed in pyjamas or onesies and enjoyed taking part in the activities and contributing to this great cause.

The Diana Award

In June we introduced Mayfield’s eight Anti-Bullying Ambassadors - Maggie, Sonya, Alicia, Alexa, Francesca, Izzy, Julia and Anna – after they completed their ambassador training. The Diana Award’s Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme (ABAP) engages young people, parents, carers, and teachers, to change the attitudes, behaviour, and culture of bullying by building skills and the confidence to address

Ukraine Crisis Appeal

In March, we launched our Ukraine Crisis appeal, with funds going directly to CAFOD, who are providing humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees. In true Mayfield spirit, the girls came up with a variety of ideas to fundraise.

Mufti Day raised over £1,500, with the girls wearing yellow and blue in return for a £1 donation, whilst the sale of ribbons, made by Erin in Year 9, raised over £250, and a charity car wash brought in almost £170. Thank you everyone!

English lessons for Ukrainian families

Friends’ Curry & Quiz Night Tenner Challenge

The Friends’ Curry & Quiz Night in March helped to raise over £3,000 for UNICEF, who are working tirelessly to provide food and water to children and families in Ukraine. It was a great evening with delicious food. After six rounds of questions, including the maiden name of Cornelia Connelly, What Would Bear Grylls Do! and various table games, the worthy winners were the Quizzy Rascals. Thank you to everyone who helped make it a special occasion!

In May, the International English Department started offering lessons to the Ukrainian families staying in the village as part of a joint initiative with MAYFACS (Mayfield and Five Ashes Community Services). While the adults had lessons downstairs, Miss Alcaraz and Mrs Robertson worked with their primary-aged children upstairs, playing games in English and generally having fun. The children also loved meeting and hugging Mrs Kilvington’s dogs, Lyra and Dotty, who were there to meet them in their Ukrainian bandanas. The enthusiasm and positivity across the classrooms was fantastic.

In May, a group of girls in Year 8 created a car washing venture called H20 as part of the Tenner Challenge. The girls managed to raise £205, all of which is going to our Ukraine Crisis appeal. Well done girls!

Welcome to Wadhurst Brownies

In November, we welcomed Wadhurst Brownies, who visited us to begin work on their Science Badge. In their first session, they made mayonnaise, observing the chemical reactions that occur, and in the second session, on aviation, they made plastic bottle rockets, investigating different ways of launching them. The results were spectacular.

Megan raises £850 for Little Princess Trust

Megan in Year 10 tells her story: “The Little Princess Trust helps support little girls who are going through cancer and have lost their hair. The Trust gives wigs to girls to give them some normality in their life and to feel like they are the same as everyone else.

In March, I decided to cut off some of my hair to give to those in need and set up a ‘GoFundMe’ page to raise money for the Little Princess Trust. My goal was to raise £300, but lots of people were massively generous and I have been able to raise £850! In April, I had my hair cut and now it is just on my shoulder. I think it is always important to be thoughtful of others and if possible, try and support them as best you can.”

Well done Megan!

Christmas appeals

Year 12 Sissy, who organised the collection of essential household items for the Hygiene Bank’s Christmas appeal, shared this lovely note of thanks from the team at the Hygiene Bank:

Lucy’s charity walk

In April, History Teacher Lucy Lawson, along with friends and family (including Ralph and Bear – the dogs), completed her charity walk in 6 hours and 20 minutes, covering 22,000 steps in the hilly terrain of Ashdown Forest, with baby Beatrice in the carrier. All proceeds for the walk went to the Down’s Syndrome Association. Well done Lucy!

“I wanted to drop you a note to thank you and your classmates for the amazing donations to the Hygiene Bank. I was utterly blown away by the amount and the quality of the items which you all donated - it came to over 80kg in total - seriously impressive!

We also received this note of thanks from Nicky at Crowborough Foodbank: “This morning your Chaplain, Ronan, dropped off a large amount of food at the Crowborough Foodbank. We would like to thank you very much indeed for the very generous donation.”

For Lower School Charity Day, Year 8 girls hosted a bake sale with delicious homemade treats, while the Year 7 girls all ventured out on the Mayfield Circular Walk. Between the two year groups, the girls raised a grand total of £906.71 for Children in Need! Well done girls and many thanks to all the friends and relatives who donated to this worthwhile cause.

Hockey

In September, Mayfield’s two senior squads played Kent College Pembury and came away with two wins and two clean sheets!

Lower School teams shine at Brighton College

In November, Lower School played a series of fixtures against Brighton College, with the U12A, U12B and U13B teams all winning!

U15s impress at Worth

There were a series of impressive performances against Worth in December. The U15A team produced their best performance of the season, scoring an impressive eight goals in a well-deserved win! The U14A team worked tirelessly and was rewarded with a 2-0 win, whilst the 1XI and 2XI both drew their matches.

Christmas Hockey

The end of the Autumn term saw the return of Christmas Hockey, helping the girls to get into the festive spirit!

Inter-House Hockey

Congratulations to Glennie, who won this year’s Inter-House Hockey competition. It was pleasing to see so many girls take part, with each House fielding two teams in the Lower School competition. Well done to all involved.

Block win vs Lancing College

Mayfield’s Senior Netballers began the season in emphatic fashion in January, with a fantastic block fixture win against Lancing College! There were wins for the 1st team, 2nd team and U16As.

Fortis Cup

In February,

Mayfield joins Tonbridge Netball League

In October, Mayfield’s Senior Netball Squad played their first-ever fixture in the Tonbridge Netball league, giving the girls the opportunity to play against adult teams, such as the Greyhounds and Pembury Pinks!

25-23,

Mayfield soar at SISNA

This year saw Mayfield’s best results across all age groups for many years at the Sussex Independent Schools Netball Association (SISNA) Tournament. It was a joy to see the girls, who have missed out on so much competitive Netball over the past two years, back playing fixtures and enjoying themselves.

Mayfield’s U19 Netball team overcame Collyer’s in the U19 Fortis Cup, winning a very tense match

with the girls showing great persistence and desire.

U16s & U18s at SISNA – both teams finished in 6th place

Inter-House Netball

Our annual Inter-House Netball competition took place on a sunny day in March. The Sixth Form girls kicked off the festivities, emerging with their housetops, face paint, and oodles of enthusiasm. This theme continued throughout the day with every house fielding teams in each age group. It was a brilliant day that was full of amazing, closely contested Netball.

Mayfield High 5 Netball Workshop and Tournament 2022

In February, ten of Mayfield’s Senior Netballers ran their first Enrichment event, in the shape of a Primary School High 5 Netball Workshop and Tournament. As part of the Year 12 Enrichment programme, girls are offered the opportunity to do the Nationally recognised Level 3 Sports Leaders Award, learning new skills and earning UCAS points.

This year the girls assisted Miss Auer with the Annual High 5 Netball Tournament, open to local Prep and Primary schools. The girls delivered a workshop that was aimed at three core elements of the game - shooting, footwork and decision-making. After this workshop, the Sports Leaders were then responsible for a school each, where they either coached and officiated, or oversaw the running of the score table and timing of the tournament.

Well done to our Year 12 Sports Leaders - Freya, Evie, Tilly and Sophie - for their organisation of this event and also to the senior squad Netballers - Amelie, Lottie, Anabelle, Molly, Poppy, and Alex - for their outstanding contribution to coaching and officiating.

Quad Series Netball Tournament 2022

In the Spring term, we hosted our first-ever ‘Quad Series’ Netball Tournament for Years 7 and 8, featuring Great Walstead, TGS, Broomwood Hall and Mayfield. There was some fantastic Netball on display and the atmosphere was one of pure joy, helped along by the great sportsmanship displayed on court by all schools. The Seniors - Sophie, Amelie and Dii Dii - led warm-ups, scored matches, and took drills. Great Walstead came out on top in both year groups, displaying some fantastic Netball.

Mayfield Netball specialists out and about

In the Autumn term, Mayfield’s Netball specialists, Miss Auer and Miss Jones, had the pleasure of visiting three local prep schools to deliver Netball masterclasses to girls ranging from Years 3 to 8. They also delivered a twilight ‘staff inset session’ to boost the confidence and skills of non-Netball teachers delivering Netball to prep school pupils.

Lily and Mia selected for County Netball Squad

Huge congratulations to both Lily and Mia, who were successful in gaining a place on the highly competitive U13 (Lily) and U15 (Mia) Kent Netball Squads. They are both now officially on the Vitality England Netball Pathway and one step closer to achieving their dreams and goals of playing in the Vitality Netball Super League development programme!

Cricket

Mayfield welcome the MCC

On Saturday 11th June, Mayfield’s Cricketers were delighted to welcome the MCC for just the second time in their history. The girls played two T20 fixtures against a women’s representative side from the MCC, containing two exinternational Cricketers.

On both occasions, the MCC won the toss and elected to bat first. On a warm and sunny day, they were able to make the most of the conditions to set a tough target for Mayfield’s young cricketers to chase down. Despite some great batting performances from Lizzie (39*), Zara (35) and Flo (26), the girls fell just short in their run chase in both games. Congratulations to Dii Dii (Year 13), who was awarded a MCC cap for encapsulating the ‘Spirit of the game’ in the first match, and Zara (Year 10), who won the award in the second match.

Mayfield hosts Cricket tournament for local schools

In June, we hosted our first Primary and Prep School Kwik Cricket Tournament here at Mayfield, welcoming seven schools to Mayfield on what was a beautiful, sunny day. Skippers Hill and Sacred Heart won their respective groups to progress to the final, where Skippers Hill came out on top.

Well done to all the schools involved as the standard of Cricket was outstanding. Also, a huge thank you to all the Year 12s that helped on the day - Lottie, Alex, Amelie, Tilly, Sophie, Evie, Freya and Annabel.

Lady Taverners County final

In March, our U15 Cricketers attended Bede’s school for the county finals round of the Lady Taverners indoor tournament, having qualified earlier in the year with wins against Bede’s, Roedean A, Roedean B and Brighton Girls. The girls made a brilliant start to the county finals by beating Durrington High, setting up a ‘winner goes through’ game against Hurst. After a phenomenal bowling and fielding display, we were faced with a target of 77 to win. Some good Hurst bowling meant we were unable to chase down the target and bowed out of the competition. The girls should be immensely proud of their efforts in coming so close to qualifying for the regional finals.

Cricketers selected for County

Congratulations to Amelia, Jess and Lizzie, who were selected for the Sussex County Cricket First Team in their respective age groups. Well done girls!

Mayfield named in Top 20

Lord’s Trip

In September, our Sports Scholars visited ‘the Home of Cricket’ - Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The girls were treated to a marvellous tour of the ground including the Media Centre, Warner Stand and the historic pavilion. To top off the day, the girls even spotted a familiar face pictured in the museum, our very own Miss Starr!

In November, Mayfield was once again named a Top 20 Girls’ Schools for Cricket in the UK by The Cricketer magazine! We congratulate and acknowledge the commitment and determination of the girls and staff, especially Miss Starr. A wonderful achievement!

Tennis

U15s reach Aegon league final

Well done to our U13 and U15 teams who competed in the Aegon league, with matches against Bede’s, Burgess Hill, Roedean and Steyning Grammar. The U15s had a very successful season and qualified for the Aegon B Final, sadly losing to Lancing, but a fantastic achievement, nonetheless.

Inter-House

It was great to see so many girls take part in our annual Inter-House Tennis tournament. After some competitive games, Astor emerged victorious in the Junior Competition, Glennie in the Inter Competition, and Bronte in the Senior Competition.

Tennis - it’s a hit!

Swimming

ESSA Relay Championships

In October, the Juniors competed in the County round of the English Schools’ Swimming Association Team Relay Championships at Horsham. They did exceptionally well, coming fifth in the medley relay and sixth in the freestyle relay. A great result for such a new team in a very competitive championship.

In February, we welcomed Vinehall’s junior swim team to Mayfield. Our girls put in some excellent performances and came out on top by 60-37 points. The gala was great for confidence as we used a large squad, with many girls racing in their first gala.

In February, our Inter and Senior swimming teams travelled to Eastbourne College. The whole squad had a brilliant evening, recording many PBs. The gala kicked off with a resounding win for Year 7 Kitty, swimming against much older girls, in the individual medley. Congratulations also to two of the younger swimmers in the squad; Maria (Year 8) who won her 50m Freestyle race and Erin (Year 7) who won her 50m Butterfly race.

Home and away vs Sevenoaks School Athletics

In December, the swim squad took on Sevenoaks School in a home gala, winning the combined Inter/Senior age group. There were excellent performances from Amelia and Freya in Year 7, who shaved seconds off their previous best recorded times, and Year 8 Maria, the Junior Captain, who led by example.

In January, our full swimming squad took on Sevenoaks School in the return leg. There were excellent performances from Senior Swim Captain, Sarah, in the breaststroke, and Mia, who won the individual medley.

Inter-House Swimming

It was exciting to see over 60 swimmers take the plunge in March for our Inter-House Swimming competition. Competitors ranged from our usual club swimmers to girls who were keen to just help get points for their House. Congratulations to overall winners Glennie! It was a pleasure to see so many girls enjoying competitive swimming and the noise from the Lower School girls watching kept enthusiasm high.

English Schools Athletics

In May, the Juniors and Inters competed at the English Schools Athletics County round at K2 in Crawley. Many congratulations to the Inter Team (Years 9 and 10) who finished in third place and qualified for the Regional Round of the competition. A huge well done to all those who participated, with many new personal bests (PBs), notably Sofia (Year 8) who set herself a new High Jump PB of 1.38m, and Lydia (Year 10) who ran the 300m in an impressive time of 46.9 seconds.

In June, the Inters travelled to the K2 stadium once again to compete in the Inter Regional Round, where they performed valiantly to cap off a great season.

Diamond League

Mayfield’s track and field athletes compete in the Sussex Diamond League and this year’s meets took place at Eastbourne, K2 in Crawley, and Hurst. Notable performances included a silver medal for Darcy in the 300m at K2, high placings for Allegra and Siena in the 100m, and a third and fourth place for Sofia (Year 8) in the high jump and hurdles, despite competing against students in the age group above.

Inter-House Athletics

It was an absolute pleasure to welcome everybody back for Inter-House Athletics on Mayfield Day. What a joy it was to witness so much talent and to see our girls compete so fiercely, yet graciously against each other. They showed resilience, courage and great team spirit, and we thoroughly enjoyed watching them all in action.

Football

A Football First!

March saw Mayfield play their first ever Football fixture, with our U13s hosting Sevenoaks Prep. The anticipation and excitement had been building for some weeks and when the game finally arrived, the girls didn’t disappoint. Alongside being fantastic hosts and demonstrating great sportsmanship, they also played some amazing football, resulting in a 3-1 win. Congratulations to everyone involved, especially Eva, who scored two goals on her debut, and Fleur and Eleanor, who were named girls of the game.

U15s off to a winning start

In April, the U15s followed in the footsteps of the U13 team, when they played their first-ever football fixture, taking on Lancing College. Mayfield ran out 6-3 winners, with Ines scoring a hat trick after a fantastic performance in midfield. Siena was instrumental throughout and was consequently awarded Player of the Match. What a start to life in the ISFA league!

Skiing

Mayfield Ski Team compete at Chatham

In September, the Mayfield Ski Team had its first competitive race of the year at Chatham’s outdoor snow sports centre.

Year 12 Darcy came 9th overall and placed 6th in the Under 16 category. Year 9s Siena and Julie, and Year 7 Imogen were all racing in the Under 14 category. Siena came 17th, Julie came 21st and Imogen came 30th. This was an impressive performance from the girls, especially considering how limited skiing has been over the past 18 months!

Equestrian

During October Half Term, the Equestrian Squad had a very successful weekend competing in the NSEA National Schools Championships at Keysoe. Annabel, Evie, Fran and Ella were crowned National 1.10 Show Jumping Team Champions, and Issy, Eloise, Alice and Fran became National Dressage Team Champions. Ella also won the 1.20 Individual Show Jumping Championships as well. A fantastic achievement!

Triple success at National Championships Big weekend at Hickstead

In May, our Equestrian team won two National titles at the NSEA (National Schools Equestrian Association) InterCounty Dressage & Show Jumping Championships at Hickstead.

In Dressage, Mayfield won the InterCounty Team Championships for a fifth year in succession, with the team comprising Year 13 students Eloise, Alice and Isabella. Eloise also came out on top in the individual standings, winning the Preliminary County Dressage title.

Mayfield’s Show Jumping Team, featuring Ella, Anabelle, Daisy and

Eloise, followed this up by winning the Inter-County 1m Show Jumping title for the second year in a row.

Mayfield’s Equestrian Captain, Ella, said: “Mayfield’s team rode really well in a tough class with lots of competition, to jump off and take the win in the 1m Hickstead national county finals. Each member performed amazingly on the day to come together as a team and finish with 0 faults. A huge thank you to my teammates and to those who helped and supported us, making it a memorable day.”

Grass Roots Regional Finals

In

Mayfield win at Moreton

The Mayfield Equestrian Squad had great success at the Moreton Three Day Event at the beginning of the school year, winning the Open Team Class having competed in Dressage, Roads and Tracks, Steeplechase, Cross Country and Show Jumping. A big well done to the Squad which comprised Fran P, Eloise VP, Flo B and Alice A. Many congratulations also to Fran who was the individual winner, Eloise who came second and Flo who came third.

Matilda wins at Hickstead

Many congratulations to Year 8 Matilda, who won the Individual Junior Show Jumping Championships at Hickstead’s International Arena in July.

December, our Mini team – Mimi, Emilia, Sophia and Charlotte – won their first Championship title at Felbridge. Hopefully the first of many!

A Year of Sporting Accolades

Isabel qualifies for Triathlon Elite Super Series

Isabel qualified for the British Triathlon Elite Youth Super Series at the National British Elite Trials, held in North Wales over the Easter holidays. Each event comprises an open water 400m swim, 10km bike and 2.5km run.

During October half term, Isabel won the South of England Inter-Regional Duathlon Championships in Gravesend. This involved a 2.6km run followed by a 10km cycle and then another 1.3km run. Congratulations Isabel!

Success for Jess

Jess had an amazing weekend of dance at Sevenoaks in May. She won awards in all of her four solos: 1st Lyrical; 2nd Modern; 2nd Hip Hop; & 3rd Acro. But even more impressively, she was awarded the “Miss Junior Inspirations” prize as the best overall dancer across all categories in her age group.

Chloe wins Kent U15 Trophy

Chloe, who plays rugby for Tunbridge Wells U15s, enjoyed a successful season, winning the Kent Cup Final on Bank Holiday Monday at Medway RFC against the Crimson Roses. Well done Chloe!

Dancing Queen!

In March, Tabatha had a wonderful experience dancing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in front of over 40,000 fans. She was dancing as part of The Showdown Rugby series at the match between Saracens and Bristol Bears.

Tabatha trains with the Catherine Bellinger School of Dance in Ballet, Pointe, Modern and Musical Theatre, and every Saturday she volunteers, teaching dance to pre-school classes.

Sophie attends British Rowing World Class Start Camp

GB Selection for Lucia

In October, Lucia was selected to represent Great Britain in Fencing, following two top 10 finishes at the British National Fencing Championships in Nottingham. Well done Lucia!

In November, Sixth Former Sophie attended the British Rowing World Class Start Camp in Nottingham. Well done Sophie!

Mayfield School, The Old Palace, Mayfield, East Sussex, TN20 6PH mayfieldgirls.org