The Edwardian 2020 by King Edward's School, Bath

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Headmaster

KES Community

Art

Business Studies & Economics

Classics

Design & Technology

Drama

English

Poetry Competition

Short Story Competition

Journalism Competition

Geography

History & Politics

Computing & ICT

Maths

Spanish

German

French

Music

Psychology

RS & Philosophy

Science

Sport

China

Duke of Edinburgh Awards

Ten Tors

CCF

Clubs & Societies

KESAid

Library

Lockdown Activities

Prizegiving 2019

Leavers’ Destinations

Senior Prefects

Valedictory

New Staff

King Edward’s School North Road, Bath BA2 6HU Tel: 01225 464313 Fax: 01225 481363 Email: headmaster@kesbath.com @KESBath /KESBath KESBath www.kesbath.com

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Headmaster What a difference a year makes …. I write this introduction at the end of a summer term unlike any other in the School’s 468 year history; a term in which relatively few pupils or staff have been able to be on site; a term of remote teaching, blended learning, social distancing, Teams meetings, enhanced hygiene regimes, centre assessed GCSE and A Level grades, Virtual Founder’s Day and many other concepts and practices that were, until recently, relatively unfamiliar; a term which has brought many challenges on different fronts and which has seen all sections of the KES community rise to those challenges with creativity, determination and fortitude; a term during which the perception of time seems to have shifted, and old routines and habitual landscapes have fused with new patterns and canvases, upon which we have painted fresh stories that will stay long in the memory and almost certainly change how we view and engage with the world before us. And yet …. For two thirds of the 2019/20 school year, life at KES was, well, pretty normal. And by ‘normal’, I certainly don’t mean uninteresting or unworthy of celebration – quite the opposite. It started, as it has done for quite a few years now, with news of ‘record breaking’ exam results, in this case surpassing 30% A* at A Level for the first time, around four times the national figure for all subjects. It

then continued in much the same impressive fashion to which we have become accustomed: fantastic creative writing, wonderful musical performances, stunning art and photography, wide-ranging and fulfilling sporting adventures, dozens of engaging and stimulating clubs and societies and many instructive and inspiring trips and expeditions, all reflected , as always, in the pages of this year’s Edwardian magazine. Whether on site or off, our pupils and staff have continued to throw themselves into the academic and wider life of the School with great commitment, ambition and success, making commendable progress, winning prizes, tournaments and awards, adding layers to their own lives and to others’. Despite the many restrictions and challenges faced, there was also much to recognise and celebrate in lockdown, and not just the impressive response by so many to the changed circumstances and expectations. A virtual co-curricular programme included uplifting musical performance, weekly debating, artistic and creative engagement and a Virtual Sports Day, amongst other things, whilst a very thoughtful charitable focus saw thousands of protective visors for key health workers manufactured in our DT department and a 10km sponsored run that raised over £6,000 for NHS charities.

colourful review of the year that has just gone, it is also very important, perhaps more so now than ever, to look forward to the next academic term and to the opportunities that lie ahead. Whilst the new normal is likely to differ in some respects from the old normal, the prospect once more of a full school buzzing with energy, ideas, interaction and chat in and out of the classroom as we return in September is certainly one to get excited about. This time next year, as Peckham’s most famous fictional resident was wont to say, we will hopefully be looking back on a more routinely wonderful 12 months in the history of King Edward’s! Until then, I send my thanks to everyone in the School community for their loyalty and support during these challenging times and my very best wishes for the year to come. M J Boden

Although the Edwardian is always a very engaging retrospective and a 1

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Kes Community

This Autumn has seen several major new facilities arrive at King Edward’s, beginning with the newly extended and refurbished Sixth Form Centre which opened at the start of term.

Working with local architects, Mitchell Eley Gould, KES Sixth Formers and staff were instrumental in developing plans for the new space, with suggestions being put forward for a redesigned work environment and social space. Pupils were keen that the new centre echoed the environments typically found at universities and was further able to support different workstyles and study needs. As a result, the former large common room style space has been zoned into different areas. An ‘inhabited’ 2

wall now runs through the middle of the room defining the separation between social and study spaces and provides recessed alcoves for small groups to use, seating for individuals, built-in lockers and glazed doors to the adjacent quiet room.

change of character of each area. There are hidden stories in the design as well, such as the new shelving between the main entrance and the café being modelled on the proportions of Corbusier’s modular man using a Fibonacci progression.

The café area and surrounding spaces all provide group casual work and social spaces and are surrounded by furnished areas that provide an identity to each space, with lighting and suspended acoustic panels reflecting the

The new Sixth Form Centre has met with unanimous praise, with pupils appreciating both the contemporary redesign and vibrant atmosphere that the refurbishment has achieved. K Gentle

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NEW MODERN FOREIGN L ANGUAGES CENTRE OPENS ITS DOORS Following hard on the heels of the new Sixth Form Centre, we are delighted that a new, two-storey Modern Foreign Languages Centre has just opened its doors. The new £2m MFL facility, sitting adjacent to the Sixth Form Centre, allows a more flexible approach to teaching, particularly when helping pupils to develop their listening and speaking skills, and incorporates seven new classrooms, including language labs and smaller teaching spaces, as well as a new locker area and office space. New classroom equipment and furniture completes the project.

REFURBISHED CHEMISTRY L ABOR ATORIES

NEW ALL-WEATHER PITCH AT THE PRE- PREP AND NURSERY

STEM subjects are on the rise in schools, and this has certainly been in evidence at King Edward’s over the last ten years. For science subjects, this means that it is now more important than ever to offer high quality learning spaces for pupils. With this in mind work was completed in August to refit two Chemistry laboratories in Q Block. The rows of ‘traditional’ wooden benching have been replaced by a more ‘open plan’ aspect, alongside new ICT provision and fume cupboards. The new laboratories provide the School with some first-class facilities and underpin the ambitious growth plans in science teaching and resources, which we hope will see the arrival of more new and refitted laboratories in the near future.

Elsewhere at School the start of term also saw a new all-weather pitch open at the Pre-Prep, replacing the grassed area at the bottom of the grounds. Our youngest children now have a year-round weatherproof space suitable for both PE lessons and play. Further enhancements at our Weston Lane site include a new wooden outdoor play system which has been a big hit with Pre-Prep children, rapidly becoming the focus of play at break and lunchtimes. Looking ahead, the School is currently exploring the possibility of installing a further all-weather pitch on the Meadow, which will greatly benefit the Junior School. K Gentle

The study of languages at KES continues to flourish, with over a third of GCSE pupils typically studying more than one language, including classical languages, and between a fifth and one quarter of pupils choosing to study languages at A Level.

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â†’ ART & PHOTOGRAPHY

Creative Journey 4

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In this extraordinary period of disruption, stress and sadness, and with so much being cancelled it could be seen as a difficult task to find positives and highlights to record. In a â€˜normalâ€™ year I would be describing our overseas Art and Photography Tour, and showcasing the exciting work produced in the GCSE and A-level final exams. All of course, this year were cancelled (our planned visit to Venice in 2019 was cancelled due to Brexit!) However, positives and highlights can be found. Before lockdown the department was in a period of vibrant creativity and productivity, with students being inspired to produce lots of fresh expressive artworks. A broad range of theme and technique was explored, including figures, portraits, graffiti and typeface, flowers, animals, street-scenes and landscapes. Bright

saturated colour and decorative pattern was in abundance and painting, printmaking and mixed media techniques were explored very effectively. The Photographers were producing some impressive and complex digital and analogue images and the studio walls were full of mature and refined imagery. Alongside the busy and exciting studio spaces we also had the boost that all our students were successful with their applications to Art School. This is a great endorsement of the course structure and levels of inspirational teaching and demonstrates the end of the creative journey from Preprep, via the Junior School, to Sixth Form in the Senior School. My thanks as ever go to the brilliant Art Team for all their efforts and support. The theme of Creative Journey was what I chose to talk about in

the Annual Art lecture. In my final year of leading the department I thought it appropriate to describe the creative journey on offer to our students and to talk about the ethos behind our teaching. I also used the opportunity to outline my own creative journey from Art School in the 1970s through to my current working methods and approach. Finally a real and important positive has been the out-pouring of creativity and engagement of our students during the time of school closure. I have been so impressed by the productivity and imagination they have demonstrated. The value of the creative arts and the massive importance and impact on wellbeing of making and looking at art has never been greater or more appreciated. M R Pell

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→ BUSINESS STUDIES & ECONOMICS

Hot Topics Year 12 pupils from KES attended the Portsmouth Grammar School for a day of presentations and discussion on current economic topics by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). Professor Phillip Booth of St. Mary’s College, London, started the day with an exploration of global poverty through statistics and the potential impact of COVID-19 on poverty in China. As always, the statistics painted a very different picture to the long-held views on long term poverty across the world. Students were engaged in seminar styled discussion groups with a Q&A after the lecture. Dr Steve Davis, Senior Lecturer in the Department of History and Economic History at Manchester University, explained the important and extremely complex UK infrastructure development programme to pupils, with a survey of the history of roads and turnpikes and a Cost – Benefit Analysis of the proposed HS2 link railway. This was a hotly debated topic with students from all schools asking about the potential costs of HS2 and how the money might be better spent locally rather than on a national project. The day ended with a session 6

from Julian Jessop, fellow at IEA, on the productivity puzzle, and creative solutions to low UK productivity. With productivity levels in the UK being amongst the worst in the Western world, what answers could academics provide as to human behaviour and how could we change? It was an excellent day and the journey down to the South Coast was well worth the early morning get up. My thanks go to my colleagues, Mrs Dias and Mrs Salako, for their help and good humour, as well as to the Year 12 economists for their excellent company and hard work over the course of the day.

KESents Year 12 A level Business studies students once again took over the running of KESents to organise the now annual Year 7 Autumn term disco. All the usual planning occurred under the watchful gaze of Mr Barber and the students really through themselves into the planning stage. As always, jobs and job titles were given out along with strict deadlines

and budgets to be kept to if the disco was to be delivered on time and on budget. Profits would then be invested into further potential KESents projects or given to the schoolbased charity for 2019 – 2020. The disco is an excellent opportunity for students to apply their understanding of Business studies, to-date, to the actual experience of running the business and organising an event. Food and drink were purchased, a DJ booked, and the events team put to work coming up with a number of games that would break up the evening and allow Year 7 tutor groups to compete against one another. The evening was a great success as the KES community came together. My thanks go to Mr Barber for his oversight and patience in helping the fledgling young entrepreneurs, as well as to Year 7 tutors, the Head of Year 7 and the Head of Lower School for their support and attendance. In addition, to all the Year 12 Business students without whom the disco wouldn’t run. These included: Toby Millar, Ben Blackwell, Esme Freeman, Ellie Graham, Seb Chester-Phillips, Charlotte Darvill, Oscar Bowker, Dan Stacey, Luke Lewis, Rosie Buck, Miles Carruthers and James Taylor. G Butterworth

Classics With a large portion of the academic year lost to the Coronavirus pandemic and its restrictions, this has inevitably led to an impact on the extra-curricular activities of the Classics Dept. Sadly the annual CICERO competition did not take place; we were forced to cancel our much anticipated lecture from Professor Michael Scott, as well as the Year 7 trip to the Roman Baths; and, most upsetting of all, our biennial Activities Week trip to the Bay of Naples. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all the departmental staff for all their time and effort putting these activities together and, of course, to the parents and pupils for their patience as we look to rearrange these events in the future. Whilst the lockdown and digital learning has led to inevitable restrictions and frustrations in a number of areas, it has also allowed for opportunities to arise in others. For example, the enrichment of students’ education through alternative reading, television series, podcasts and online courses has allowed our pupils to access aspects of the Classical World that they may not have otherwise met. I am particularly proud of our new academic enrichment pages on the VLE, where students can now look to broaden their classical experiences through a range of materials. Other external departments are having to adjust, and it was a real pleasure for some of our students to link up with Professor Matthew Leigh (St Anne’s College, Oxford) for a Q&A session on Zoom about studying Classics and related courses at Oxford. The Winter Term seems a long time ago now, but we were delighted to welcome back Mrs Burchell from her maternity leave and she once again organised our fortnightly Classics Extension Group lecture series. Sixth Form students spent one lunchtime a fortnight delivering talks on Classical World, including Agrippina, Gilgamesh and Athletics in the Ancient World to name but a few. In January, we were incredibly proud to hear that one of the key members of the Extension Group, Archie McKenzie, had received an offer to read Classics at Balliol

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College (Oxford), making this the fifth consecutive year that we have enjoyed Oxbridge successes within the department. Indeed, Archie went one better and received offers for Liberal Arts courses at two prestigious US institutes, Princeton and Yale. Also in January, we were very fortunate to be given a guided tour of the Ashmolean Museum (Oxford) Pompeii Exhibition by the curator himself, Dr Paul Roberts. Dr Roberts brought the city of Pompeii to life, not only through the design and layout of the exhibition but also through his passion and enthusiasm as he gave detailed background stories to a number of key artefacts. He was incredibly generous with his time and was a shining example of a passionate academic who knew how to pitch his talk exactly to the right level. I cannot thank him enough for one of the best exhibitions that I’ve been to. In February, the department made our annual pilgrimage to the British Museum and to the King’s College Greek Play, which continues to be generously sponsored by one of our own KES parents, Mr Manners-Bell. This year’s trip fortunately coincided with another outstanding exhibition, Troy: Myth and Reality, making the visit even more special. Whilst the A Level students managed to tick off a number of vases and statues from their syllabus, including the Elgin Marbles, it was really the centrepiece of the Troy exhibition that stood out. Journeying through the myths to the archaeology and forward to modern reception, this really was a real treat and a shame that we did not have the whole day to spend there. However, we needed to press on to the play, which this year was an ambitious amalgamation of Euripides’ Bacchae with Aristophanes’ Frogs, entitled ‘Dionysus in the Underworld’. The standard of acting and the production were the best that we’ve seen in the five years that we have been running this trip, and it was music to our ears when we overheard one of the students on the train home remark “That is the best school trip I’ve ever been on!” M Bull

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â†’ DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Tomorrowâ€™s (Reverse) Engineers DYSON ENGINEERING ACTIVIT Y BOX Look around. Everything around you has been designed and manufactured for a purpose. Next time you use a product consider the design-thinking that went into the product. Does it work well? What could be done to improve it? What materials have been used? With much excitement and enthusiasm, the Year 11 Design and Technology students had the opportunity do just this with the Dyson DC39 vacuum cleaner. They tested it to see how it worked and investigated a disassembled model to see the different components and mechanisms. They discovered how the cyclonic separation method works to remove particles from the air and why the pre-motor filter was made with foam while the post motor filter was pleated. In pairs, the students disassembled a carbon fibre turbine head to find out about the components and materials. Students learnt that carbon fibre is a key choice for the bristles due to its properties of high stiffness, high tensile strength, being lightweight and with high temperature tolerance. Next it was reassembly of the carbon fibre turbine head (albeit with a few screws left over!). I am hopeful that using day-to-day products will encourage questioning amongst the students about their functionality, materials and usability along with investigation into how it could be adapted to become even more user friendly. 8

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JAGUAR L AND ROVER TRIP Alicia Owens & Isobel Smith Year 10 and 11 visited the Jaguar Land Rover facility to learn about the manufacturing process. As we were guided through the plant, we saw how each step in the car’s assembly is carried out by both robots and engineers. Throughout the tour we discovered lots of interesting facts, like aluminium is used as it is lightweight and doesn’t corrode unlike steel, which is used in mass produced cars. Similarly, we found out lots of useful information that will help us in our GCSEs. After the tour, we did several activities using Lego, to discover how to repeat a process, much like the engineers who work in the assembly of the cars. The groups became quicker each time, showing us how engineers quickly become specialised in their areas. This was one of everyone’s favourite parts, with Emily describing it as, “a very exciting and enjoyable experience”. We all were amazed to find out that the clay modellers that work for Land Rover can earn approximately £96,000 a year. Ben said ‘it was interesting to find out the benefits of being employed by Land Rover, including good pay, Fridays are a day off, and the factory workers who suggested an idea for improving the streamlining of the production were rewarded by being able to drive the new models for a weekend free of charge.’ Overall it was a very useful educational experience described by Oscar as, “A trip he really recommends”.

THE DESIGN MUSEUM Year 9 had an exciting day in London at the Design Museum. It started with a trip around the permanent designer/maker exhibition, where they interacted with products that had been built over different periods in time. The spinning chair was one of the most popular interactive products.

ACTIVITIES AND CLUBS The next exhibition about life on Mars had designers such as Fosters and Partners creating ideas for how we could live on Mars, these included habitats, how food would be grown and how 3D products could be made. On display were 3D printed furniture, and cups designed for use in space so they didn’t spill. The day ended with a workshop about sustainability where pupils had the opportunity to look at products made from recycled materials like a bubble gum dispenser made from chewed gum and a packaging protector using mushrooms instead of polystyrene. These are currently being used around the streets of London.

Students In year 7-9 have had the opportunity to attend a textiles club where they can come along and make whatever they like using the materials available. Year 1013 pupils have participated in a jewellery-making club to produce rings, earrings, cufflinks, pendants or brooches using silver. M Roy

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reinterpretation of Sally Cookson’s Jane Eyre was something special!

Feeling truly ‘at home’ in The Rose building, the extra space and stateof-the-art technical equipment have continued to aid every year group’s learning and enjoyment of Drama, for classes as well as extra-curricular rehearsals. Overall, it has been a fantastic year with plenty of exciting opportunities for the pupils. Under the expert guidance of Mrs Trust and Mrs Tamblyn, 60% of the 2019 GCSE cohort achieved an exceptional Level 9. The exam board asked if this work could be viewed as high level exemplar material, a testament to the success of the teaching and the students’ talent and hard work. Our A-level cohort produced equally brilliant work and their 10

Our holistic view of theatre combines knowledge of performing, technical aspects and critical review of live theatre skills for each year group. We have seen a wealth of brilliant performances, ranging from the small-scale but incredibly impactful ‘The Extraordinary Wall of Silence’ by Ad Infinitum, a deaf theatre company, to the large-scale epic of Amelie the Musical, in Southampton. A-level pupils also enjoyed a workshop delivered by award-winning Frantic Assembly, which was exciting and physically dynamic. I don’t think all our pupils knew they could lift another person with such ease and skill! With summer visits postponed, pupils are watching many exceptional performances online, such as the National Theatre’s One Man, Two Guvnors or Gecko’s Institute. LAMDA lessons have grown in popularity to such an extent that we have hired another member of staff to join our team. Hollie Wade joined in September to teach pupils, and we have enjoyed another set of outstanding results from all our pupils this year who have chosen to take these extra lessons. This year it was a pleasure to stage the Upper School Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, of course with a little twist! Five different actors presented five different personalities

for each character of Romeo and Juliet, showing how each part of ourselves can take the lead in different circumstances. It was joy to direct and the cast gave themselves wholeheartedly to this experiment, which everyone agreed was a great success alongside phenomenal staging by James Sellick and Becca Long, who made the show look incredible! We were proud to introduce another show to the year’s calendar specifically for Year 9 pupils. This year we produced Discontented Winter by Bryony Lavery, a fresh and contemporary piece with a DJ score and lots of angry young people. It was a raging success, thanks to the direction of Mrs Stevens-Craig and technical wizardry of James Sellick and Becca Long. Unfortunately, Billy Elliot directed by Mrs Tamblyn, is postponed until next year and the fabulous cast is ready to pick up when they return to rehearsals once more. Our Summer term online teaching means we are thinking ’outside the box’ in how to support pupils. We have set new monologue projects and devising schemes, and with plenty of theatrical shows to review, our pupils continue to learn new skills and process these strange times through Drama, with technology helping us to watch each other’s work and stay in touch. S Bird

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‘ALL OUT TOGETHER, ALL OUT AS ONE’ The excitement on the faces of year 7 & 8 pupils when Mrs Tamblyn and Miss Perris revealed that the Lower School Musical would be the incredible Billy Elliot the Musical, was a pure joy to behold. Pupils had to learn difficult songs and challenging dances prior to the complex audition process, leaving the Music and Drama staff totally bowled over by the talent of our incredible pupils. Fifty-three pupils were eventually cast and Upper School students were signed up as Dance Captains (Molly Livesey, Maia West and Lollie McKenzie). Pupils, dance captains and staff threw themselves feet first (in first position, of course) into daily rehearsals. Large numbers were choreographed, songs were learned and scenes rehearsed. The cast proved to be extremely committed and energy at rehearsals was consistently high. Due to the incredibly positive attitude of the staff and pupils involved, the show was progressed at an alarmingly fast pace and work behind the scenes was coming along nicely (thanks to James Sellick and Becca Walker, our Theatre Technicians). During one of the whole-cast, after school rehearsals of the big number Solidarity, we all noticed that one of our

Billies (Joseph Walker) was becoming rather excitable whilst off stage, sitting in the auditorium of the Wroughton Theatre. Mrs Tamblyn called a much needed 5-minute break and it was at this time that Joseph informed the cast that Boris Johnson had announced schools would be shutting to slow down the spread of Covid-19. The first question the Billy Elliot cast were asking was, ‘What will happen to the show?’. During the final Friday before shutting, the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical performed a showcase to an invited audience. Nothing that was shared was polished or of performance standard, but it was a positive and heartfelt ending to the rehearsal process until we returned to school. Mrs Tamblyn announced that, ‘the show will go on’. Plans are already in place for rehearsals to start again on our return to school and hopefully Billy Elliot the Musical will be performed in the Wroughton Theatre during 2021. As Danny McKenzie (one of our brilliant Billies) so aptly said, ‘‘I’m disappointed but now we have more time to make the show even better!’ D Tamblyn

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→ DRAMA

Imagine a KES production that mashes up high octane dance tunes, House music and old school Hip-Hop classics with Shakespeare, Extinction Rebellion, ‘Eastenders’, the Tellytubbies, flash-mobs and the Royals and you still won’t come close to the crazy brilliance of the inaugural Year 9 KES production. Forget Storm Ciara, ‘Discontented Winter: House Remix’ blasted through the Wroughton Theatre at Gale Force 9, and KES drama will never be quite the same! As flashlights and sirens scream across a stage that resembles Stormzy’s Glasto set, the opening footage (created by cast members Alex Knight and Grace Lineko) is of knife crime, wildfires in Oz, bumbling Bojo and Oompa-Loompa Trump, Greta and her Climate Strikers and mass protest across the nation. This is a world brewing with discontent and throughout the play, soundbites of Shakespearean blank verse are set to raps and musical samples all devised by this talented young company in workshop sessions with old Edwardians Jake Hight, and Louis Milton, who also developed the music for this production and plays a live DJ set on stage, lending a whole new level to the phrase ‘Too Cool for School’! 12

Discontented Winter Bertolt Brecht’s masterpiece plays on the idea of concentric circles – the ripples of consequence from a single event.

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Rona (Megan Pike) is a post-Millennial malcontent - a little bit Falstaff, a little bit Peaky Blinder, a little bit Artful Dodger - she and her posse of hooded ASBO goons (Peter Weston-Burt, Imogen Thorn and Ellen Wheeler) feel lied to and betrayed by nameless, faceless authority figures. Enter Shazzer (Violet Fitzwater Bowker) - whose boyf’s in jail on a trumpedup drugs charge – who ends up in a convoluted plot to change the world by capturing a prince - or was it two princes? Jacob Coutts (Prince Ed) and Jonty Manners Bell (Prince Hal) are the ‘heir’ and the ‘spare’ galloping in on invisible polo ponies. Luckily, the right royal numpties end up ‘hoist by their own petard’, thanks to the machinations of The Men in Black, a simpering social worker (with hilarious comic inflection by Grace Blackwell), KES’s answer to ‘Just Eats’ (Eve Muir) a viciously invisible dog and expert handler Tobin Bye and a hoodlum called Pog (the lairy, gurning Alex Knight). But oops the wrong prince goes to the ball, while the rightful heir ends up in the towerblock. ‘Good Night, Sweet Prince,’ sing the goons, somehow turning the most poignant lines in Shakespeare into Looney Toons! Did I mention Serena (Neve Riley) and her shimmering posse of ‘Posh Totty’ (Ellie Martin, Lucy Smith, Abby Baxter, Grace Lineko, Barnaby Saumarez Smith, Sienna Lawrence and Clotilde Motel)? Serena is a little bit ‘Waity Katie- Middleton’, a little bit Megan Markle (the Harry years!), a whole

lot of Regina George - and totes Blair Waldorf, dahling! Her ladiesin-waiting are ‘Made In Chelsea’ meets The Plastics – gorgeously attired and quite happy to commit serious felonies to get their man. Attempting to untangle the Windsor boys from this right royal pickle are their entourage: the Beat-boxing Blues Brothers, Brotherton (Ollie Featherstone) and Towler (Joe Johnson) along with the Security Staff (Gabriel Fallon and Kaspar Alt-Reuss). Channelling the Keystone Kops via Will Smith they bungle through car chases (with no cars!) hostage situations and kidnappings with crowd-pleasing incompetence. … did I mention the aliens? Imagine Dr Spock had triplets – think Alvin and the Chipmunks become disciples of Greta Thunberg - then pop the whole thing on helium and, hey presto, you have Dotty Hodge, Katie Shepperdson and Lily Chapman delivering apocalyptic lectures on the decline of the troposphere with the Tellytubbies as their backing crew who rescue the plot, the universe and all humanity – as they turn all Prospero to sing of the stuff that ‘dreams are made of’ before whipping up a tempest with the help of stormmaking flash mob (Sahara Purdie, Chloe Kuperman-Eagles, Nina Lewis, Georgie Grobler and Edie BourneJones) to bring all the errant subplots to a suitably cyclonic climax!

message - or at least it raises big questions, then leaves you grasping for answers. When Rona delivers Hamlet’s monologue of misanthropy ‘What a piece of work is man…’ as the mini-Spock trio sing Prospero’s lyrical metatheatrical lament, and the street crew yell Prince Hal’s call-to-arms ‘Once more unto the breach…’ I found myself strangely moved. The fact that the next minute the audience are participating in a game show style ‘pick us a winner’, channel-surfing like a Netflix-addict on Fast Forward, only adds to the disorientating, entertaining, exhilarating rollercoaster ride that is ‘Discontented Winter: House Remix.’ The Year 9 production came into being because – well, there are basically just too many talented KES actors – and this production showcases the brilliance of the Year 9 company with glorious gusto. Directed by the endlessly inventive Mrs Stevens-Craig, along with uber-talented Drama Intern (and former star of the KES stage) Emily Farmer, and brought to life with the creative brilliance of KES amazing tech duo Becca Walker and James Sellick, ‘Discontented Winter’ was described by author Bryony Lavery as ‘a big show, for the bold of heart’ – and with the new Year 9 production KES drama enters a brave new world – the stuff that dreams are made of! C Bruton

After all the mayhem and madness this production has a serious

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→ DRAMA

Romeo & Juliet Teenagers avoiding their parents, bending the truth, getting into misadventurous scrapes? Scrapping with their enemies and then alienating their mates? Falling headlong into a pit of hyperbole while falling headover-heels in love? School play, you say? No acting needed, surely. “Just be yourselves, ladies and gents,” was the call from director, Mrs Bird when rehearsals began. But here’s the rub: Romeo & Juliet is a really hard play to act. It asks teenage actors, acting as teenagers, to consider their own mortality. It asks teenage actors to manage ‘adulting’ convincingly, enacting the very people they have undoubtedly pronounced to be ‘so unfair’. It asks them to meddle unhelpfully and become leaders of their mafia-like families, and then handle bereavement. King Edward’s Senior production of Shakespeare’s best-known tragedy was remarkable. The most obvious innovation was that the play was, strictly speaking, Romeos & Juliets, with five of each character appearing on stage simultaneously. The eponymous pair had their lines divided up by the multiplicit facets of their personalities. One trait could be speaking, but another trait would take over the next line, reinforcing just how this complex young pair vacillate hugely in terms of who they want to be or need to be in life. Horry Foster was lovesick Romeo. He whinged with aplomb, portraying the side of Romeo that never gets a grip. Ollie Cochran was logical, pragmatic and occasionally cynical Romeo, bringing a calm likeability. Zak Rosenfeld was Romeo the ‘lad’, acting up to his bullish kinsmen, the 14

cheekiest of chappies. Adj Moayedi was ‘fight you’ Romeo, always adjitated and adept at killing (Tybalt, Paris and himself by the end). Xander Spencer-Jones was lovestruck Romeo, conveying how much love is the overpowering drug that bends the brain far out of shape. India Purdie gave us Juliet the youthful philosopher, full of the empathy and compassion beyond her nearly fourteen years. Rosie Poole was wide-eyed, romantic Juliet, quietly amped and crazy in love. Izzy Hughes was playful Juliet – the closest to the modern teenager – impetuous and ripe for misadventure. Ella Featherstone was the old head on young shoulders, slow, steady and authoritative in speech. Lollie McKenzie was Juliet the worrier, queen of the furrowed brow. Live and recorded music gave the production extra atmospheric clout. Nina Simone’s ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ bookended and punctuated the play, with the dulcet clarity of Maddie Davies’ solo voice the essence of a tragic hero, “I’m just a soul whose intentions are good.” And whether it was Vicar Lawrence’s church choir, or a soundtrack including Beyoncé and Robbie Williams, music frequently reminded us that love hurts, intoxicates or makes us do very, very silly things. Romeo and Juliet’s downfall was aided spectacularly by further youthful folly. Mercutio, the unrepentant firestarter, was deployed with subtlety and excellent physicality by Thomas Crawford. Tybalt, equally incendiary, was brought to us with the sneering venom of Josh BernaldRoss. Nice guy Benvolio was enacted with refreshing benevolence by

Ebony Hammond. James Carney’s spot-on snivelling rendered the oily pomposity of the eminently punchable, presumptuous Paris. Those unable to act their age in a different way bridged the generation gap admirably. Rosie Cooper and Emma Boterill shared Lady Capulet duties for two nights each. Glamorous, powerful and yet movingly brittle, both could have graced a Peaky Blinders set, or a corner of Albert Square. Sam Holdsworth’s Lord Capulet was a something of a dapper Danny Dyer, equally convincing as doting Dad or self-righteous patriarch. Davide Montani and Amy Smith (Lord and Lady Montague) made it quite clear, with their shrugging exasperation, that they had lost their son from the off. The worst meddlers in Romeo &

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Juliet are, inarguably, the surrogate ‘mother’ and ‘father’ figures, The Nurse and Friar Lawrence (Vicar Lawrence in this production). Ellie Brown’s Nurse was a West Country Sarah Millican, able to turn from comic to deadly serious in a heartbeat. Issy Hodge made Lawrence very much a contemporary ‘cool vicar’ character, so eager to be ‘down with the kids’ that she resorts to one of history’s most ludicrous plans to get everyone out of the hole they’ve collectively excavated. Henry Skinner delivered many of his lines in homage to Mr Bougeard at a fire alarm – through a loud hailer. Much as we all listen at fire alarms, the loud hailer and Henry’s exasperated delivery reinforced just how little heed anyone in Verona pays to the Prince.

Capulet and Montague Gangs. Boris Adams, Matt Baker, Hepzibah Bevis, Elsie Bruton, Jazz Callen, Isabel Carney, Fabian Drew, James Ellis, Hannah Gatehouse, Iyshea Hender, Sid Kuruvilla Olivia Laughton, Minnie Leigh, Molly Livesey, Charlie McGuire, Maria Mergoupis, Annika Moorhouse, Kaiya Murphy, Benjie Poole, Georgie Sewell, Lexie Smolarek, Katie Stokes, Emma Thomas, Jemima Tollworthy, Maia West and Poppie WrefordBrown were the glue that held the whole bold enterprise in place. Shakespeare showed us how a city can get things tragically wrong. King Edward’s turned it into a thing of grisly beauty and a hope for the future by getting things spectacularly right. J Kean

As with any good school play, it was a splendid ensemble piece, with the 15

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Instead of a traditional setting, this is hyper-modern; walking into the theatre, we saw a large glass box on the stage. It had multiple uses - a confining space for the Duchess, a place of private familial intimacy with her husband, a kind of glass sarcophagus from which, once murdered, the women of the play loomed, haunting those that killed them. Frecknall keeps the women present in the story, even after the script writes them out; refusing to accept the fate decided for them by the play’s men.

English A LEVEL TRIP TO BIRMINGHAM Maddie Williams

A LEVEL TRIP TO THE ALMEIDA THEATRE, LONDON Bella Shorrock

This trip comprised of going to the centre of Birmingham to see two talks on the English Language A-Level, the interpretation of language and language change. Found in a church hidden by a cluster of other buildings, it wasn’t exactly the place you would suspect to find English Language talks but unlike its possibly uninspiring exterior, the talks were both fascinating and useful. They managed to adhere to the course content, whilst still making it relevant to real life and even humorous at times (such as examining old Tumblr ‘imagines’ about Harry Styles, looking somewhere around 12-years-old in the badly filtered photos). Worth, probably, getting up at 5:30 in the morning. Overall, a great trip that introduced me to a plethora of extra content, theory and vocabulary to be used as well as a few laughs. 16

In January, English students from years 12 and 13 went to London to see a production of the Duchess of Malfi, directed by Rebecca Frecknall. John Webster’s proto-feminist revenge tragedy was written in the 1600s – but Frecknall’s production updated the play for an audience in a modern, post #MeToo era. It follows the story of a tenacious Duchess, who disregards the wishes of her malevolent brothers, marrying her steward, Antonio – and is murdered by her brothers for her disobedience. The themes of the play – the violence, subterfuge, and exploration of female desire – have a different resonance in an era where subordination of and violence towards women is no longer accepted.

Subterfuge and spying drive the narrative; and the glass box becomes a kind of alternate stage to enhance the deception. Webster’s play is renowned for its violence – and Frecknall uses the symbolism of black, not red, blood to highlight the insidious corruption of the court. Symbolism like this worked brilliantly– a visual manifestation of the themes that we explored while studying the text in class. The production made me think about the play in a modern context – a far cry from its Jacobean origins in the candlelit Blackfriars theatre. The ‘fever and lawlessness’ (Lydia Wilson, who plays the Duchess) seems oddly pertinent in our contemporary times; and the play seems more relevant than ever in relation to ongoing conversations about the liberation of female sexuality. Wilson’s Duchess was at once fragile and regal, vulnerable and bold – her steely and intelligent performance was one of the best things about it. Even if it was a little too stylised – the glass box, the use of microphones, the titles that introduced each scene – the performance was an important update to Webster’s play. The symbolism and its contemporary resonance adds a new understanding that will invaluable for students.

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YEAR 8 WORLD BOOK DAY AUTHOR VISIT: FOX BENWELL

YEAR 7 WORLD BOOK DAY AUTHOR ‘ VISIT’ Riley Wilson On World Book Day in March, the whole of Year 7 had the privilege of an inspirational workshop with the amazing author and KES English teacher Catherine Bruton. She talked to us about her latest awardwinning book, No Ballet Shoes in Syria, and we were lucky enough to be read a snippet of the captivating storyline. Mrs Bruton then talked us through a creative technique that she sometimes uses in her own writing. We were shown five objects, one at a time, to stimulate our thoughts and let our imaginations run wild. Each one of these objects was representing a different aspect of the parts that constitute a gripping storyline. I enjoyed learning about this technique as it is full of energy and endless opportunity and I think it will help me get started with my creative writing in the future. The excitement in this technique is that the objects can mean totally different concepts to different people and also that when you substitute the objects, you can get a totally different plot or even genre playing out. Thank you Mrs Bruton!

It was a pleasure to welcome Fox Benwell to KES as part of our weeklong celebration of books and reading. YA author, champion of LGBTQ stories, studying for a PHD in the representation of disability in YA writing and, perhaps of most interest to some of our students, self-confessed ‘nerd’ and ‘wannabeknight’, Fox’s visit came just at the right time to give our students an injection of inspiration. After talking about his own work and exploring some interesting themes and ideas there was time for an impromptu writing workshop preparing students to write their entries for our Short Story competition. Having heard what some of our year 8 students managed to write during the session Fox said, ‘Goodness, there were some talented writers...Reckon I could be seeing several of their names on book spines / as bylines in a few years!’ Z Kayaçan

‘REVIEWED’ SCHOOL NEWSPAPER Bella Shorrock In 2019, a group of Sixth Form students came together and decided to start a school newspaper. While KES had had publications before, none of them had really lasted – and we wanted to create a platform where everyone could voice their opinions and write about their interests, accessible to all the students (and teachers!). While it was initially a small group of people, interest across all year groups began to grow – and soon, articles were being submitted from a huge range of students on a plethora of different topics. Once the articles have been edited by our team, they are published on our VLE page – where readers can engage with them, in the form of a poll on the questions raised by the article. Reviewed is not only somewhere where you can explore your own interests – although it is certainly that. For people whose passions lie outside the school curriculum, it can provide an amazing opportunity to research a topic that you otherwise wouldn’t get to explore. But it has also been an amazing way to meet people and expand on your individual perspective. With such a huge range of students writing, articles can be on topics from the politics of the middle east to book reviews to the science behind crystal healing. Being able to read articles on topics I’ve never given much thought to challenged and broadened my perspective – giving me new knowledge and insight that has been really beneficial. I’ve met people that I otherwise wouldn’t have – those from different year groups, who study different subjects and have different interests are all brought together by Reviewed. If you are interested in writing, editing, or learning about new and exciting topics, Reviewed could be the place for you! New voices and opinions are integral to keeping us going, and to contribute to the ever-growing spectrum of ideas. 17

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Against a backdrop of unprecedented worldwide turmoil, our young authors produced work of stunning versatility and insight, proving that KES imaginations cannot be locked down. Inspired by the work of our guest editor, poet and journalist Imogen Russell Williams, pupils wrote poetry giving voice to Unheard Voices and fiction exploring The Other Side of the Story , as well as articles exploring topics from mental health in rugby, to ham and pineapple pizza and Machiavelli! ‘I was exceptionally impressed (not to mention made terrified and envious!) by the standard of the writing submitted,’ says Imogen, who selected the winners. ‘Judging was HARD! There was a turn of phrase or an image I found arresting in every piece. The environmental and political passion was also hugely inspiring, as well as the deep-felt empathy for others.’ In Years 7-8, our judge awarded Highly Commended to four young poets: Patrick Hewett’s The voices beyond the Land and Sky; 31st January 2020 by Joseph Walker; A Sailor’s Voice by Isla Byrne; and Voldemort the Misunderstood by Elijah Fraser. There were two Runners Up in the Year 7-8 category: Barcodes by Anna Winkelman and Unheard Voices by Jeremy Hewett. The winner of the Year 7-8 Poetry Prize 2020 was Goldfinch by Lawrence Moore, and our judge commented, ‘I love the balance of humour and threat in this poem. The meditative goldfinch narrator, set apart from the other feeding birds as the only thinking witness to the sparrow’s death, is compelling. It reminded me a bit of Ted Hughes’ Hawk Roosting. The final rhyme just nails it home. Wow!’ 18

Poetry Competition In Years 12-13 two poets were awarded Highly Commended: The Emerald Necklace by Poppy Wreford Brown and Come Home, Soldier by Madeleine Williams. There were two Year 12- 13 Runners Up: A Look out the Window by Tess Xiao and Pen by Ally Darnton. The winner of the Year 12-13 Poetry Prize 2020 was Lily of the Valley by Meg Lintern inspired by Edith Wharton’s ‘The Age of Innocence’, about which our judge observed: ‘Some gorgeous imagery and description here, that feels almost tangible. There’s also a delicacy throughout which really evokes the idea of the girl-as-flower, fragile and short-lived. Lovely.’ In Years 9-11 there were three Highly Commended entries: Entomological Warfare by Rafee Jabarin; Unheard Voices by Alfie Myers; and The Expedition by Joe Reece. Runners

Up in Years 9-11 were Musings From the Mouse of Abbey Road by Ed Goodwin; Grace Burn for My Butterfly Called Hope. The Year 9-11 Winner, and Overall Winner of the Poetry Competition 2020 was O My Lady based on Grendel’s mother from Beowulf by Elise Withey. ‘The idea of giving voice to a ‘monstrous’ female character is always my cup of tea - and if I’d written this poem, I’d be incredibly proud,’ observed our judge. ‘I’ve read it over and over again and it gets better every time. Every word and phrase carries the right weight. And the last three lines – ASTONISHING!’ Our Judge’s final exhortation to our winning poet could equally be applied to all the poets in this collection: ‘Write more, for goodness’ sake!’ C Bruton

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GOLDFINCH Lawrence Moore I flutter to a branch, My majestic golden wings settle against my side. The tree is crowded with other birds, gorging themselves on peanuts. It’s not always so peaceful in the garden. The humans may think so But I watch as a sudden, dark shadow swoops down and snatches a minute sparrow, unknowing and exposed. In a split second both predator and prey are gone. Only feathers remain, drifting in the wind. No-one else seems to care. When the hawk came, they all went into a flap, Leaving just me, watching, thinking, About how only I saw this moment. Only I and the trees that wave in the wind. The other birds soon return, their loud squawks and squirps, cheeps and chirps shattering my stunned silence, settling down as if nothing had happened. As if it was insignificant. As if life had no value. I inch across my branch, worried that I might be next. The others just show off, circus performers hanging upside down, blue tit, chaffinch, even a woodpecker, join in a feeding frenzy, flicking seeds that drift to the ground. I sense danger as silhouettes emerge from the bushes below to gorge. Blackbird, pheasant, crow, strutting around as if the garden is theirs alone. I continue to eat my share, darting across the cage of food Like an insect on a leaf. The only bird that knows about the sparrow thief.

O MY L ADY

LILY OF THE VALLEY

Elise Withey Based on Grendel’s mother

Meg Lintern Based on May Welland, from The Age of Innocence The bud is ripe and full to burst, fresh with muted beauty, pale but rosy-cheeked and glowing with submissive cordiality. He fell in lust with delicacy, or the promise of growth to something great; so yet to bloom I fell into his vice-like palms Rejoicing Petals kissed the light and opened spreading bare, to praise the sky. Pure as ice, behold the beauty of Innocence, such as was I The flower opened, pistil bare exposed too soon to Winter’s truth. Deft fingers plucked petals apart to cast adrift in frost-fanged winds. Bow poised, arrow knocked, fingers brush upon a cheek then loose; so swift, so straight it flies, then waltzes slow in sweat-thick air to strike me through my heaving ribs My breath is choked, my eyes are blind but for the view, through tear-rimmed lids Of hands that brush the thorns aside, plunge through the bunch pick out the brighter, bolder one – a yellow rose, the rarest prize. The dull lily is tossed aside.

From the reeds I came, pale and silent and dripping, my lips blue as bracken flowers. Hair clung like pondweed to my face, and from behind it my eyes glinted black, two river pebbles polished smooth by the stream. Through the reeds I came, and the lilies snaked up my neck to crown my ragged head. Queen, the midges whined, darting arrowlike across the ripples. Queen of the bogs and fenlands, queen of the moors and the swamps and the places between. To the shore I came, and you trembled, fell still. For there was marshfire in my eyes, burning the cold blue of sea-ice, of winter sunshine. Choked by the muddy water, the faint daylight seemed a distant memory. The promise of violence slid slick and oily through the marsh. To you I came, and the sword gleamed cold in your hand. Bright steel, forged by peat and marshfire and perhaps a little magic, that too. A heron bowed its long neck, shore-ghost, and a moorhen took flight in a clamour of feathers. To you I came, and there was silence in the cave. My eyes shone like lamps in the darkness. A mother’s hatred burnt in those hollows, and slowly – slowly – a smile split my face like a wound. With my son’s blood on your blade, with death singing through my marsh, you came to me.

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Short Story Competition ‘I’ve always been a very passionate and involved reader, in that I often want to resolve stories which I feel are desperately unfair – to reach into a book and rescue a character,’ explained our Short Story judge, Imogen Russell Williams, talking about her collection The Women Left Behind. ‘I wanted to tell young writers - feel free to make up your own versions of the canonical, to enter sacred landscapes and meddle with them.’ So that’s exactly what the pupils of KES did! Inspired by Imogen’s collection, our Short Story Competition theme was, The Other Side of the Story, and it elicited a glorious range of responses, from retellings of ancient myths and tales – Baba Yaga, the Silkies, Helen of Troy, Romeo and Juliet - to alternative histories, the stories behind famous paintings and future dystopias.

In Year 7- 8 Highly Commended certificates were awarded to the following: Benjamin Brown Cardinal Henry Beaufort; Anna Winkelmann The Truth behind the Camera; George McDonald The Other Side of the Story; and Patrick Hewett The Servant of Fate. Runners up in this category were Chloe Barrington Mr and Mrs Clark; Minna Alt-Reuss Converging News; and Maddie Bobin Help. The Winner of the Year 7-8 Short Story Prize 2020 was Clemmie Scotland And the Moon Weeps for Me. The standard in Years 9-11 was outstanding. The following were awarded Highly Commended: Lucy Smith Death Observes Juliet; Sophie Swale Empyrean; Hepzibah Bevis Codes of Once Upon a Time. Runners Up were Elise Withey The Night Tide and Ellie Martin Feather Red. The winner of the Year 9 -11 Short Story Prize 2020

was Grace Burn From the Face that Launched a Thousand Ships: ‘A lyrical and tragic retelling of the fall of Troy which blends poetic description into a stark reimagining of the past.’ Not to be outdone, the entries from Years 12-13 showed remarkable ambition, scope and ingenuity. Highly Commended was awarded to Ben Blackwell’s Welcome to the Savannah and Luke Reynolds for Terrestrial. Runners up were Tess Xiao for The Start of Something New and Cross Examination by Guy Willcock. Our Year 12-13 Winner and also Overall Winner of the 2020 KES Short Story Trophy was Alice Mumford for The Other Side of The Sea: ‘A masterful piece of story-telling, tense, lyrical, gradually unfolding its layers to a perfectly balanced conclusion!’ C Bruton

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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SEA Alice Mumford – Overall Winner April 1923, Cambridge It was uncharacteristically warm for early spring; the oak-panelled walls seemed to confine them within the small room. Out of the window, the grass below the college, trimmed into pristine lines, was bathed in sunlight. Florence looked down at the artifacts, meticulously arranged in square boxes. She wished she could have been involved in the excavation itself; instead, her job was to catalogue the finds. The door creaked and then opened: in walked a tall, angular man in an immaculate tweed suit. He bowed slightly as he entered the room. Florence wondered why Klaus insisted upon such formality. Cecil, pointedly ignoring his entrance, continued to work. He gestured towards the next box. “What’s in this one, Florence? Anything of interest?” She read aloud from her notes: “Graves 31 and 32 (adjacent): Saxon, 450-500 AD. 31: Female (elderly) -one blue ‘melon-type’ bead; pyramidal-backed comb 32: Male (elderly) -metal tools, fragments of animal bone/antler” Klaus strode excitedly across the wooden floorboards. “An artisan!” His softly accented speech accelerated. “I have seen such tools before, near Köln. And the splendid bone comb from the adjacent grave… Who would have expected it? A Saxon artisan community here?” Cecil coughed obviously several times. “Artisan? I hardly think so, Herr Doktor.” His mouth contorted in exaggeration around the German words. “This is a Saxon grave: as crude as the Saxons themselves: barbarian raiders from - across the sea.” Cecil’s eyes rested briefly on Klaus. “All they created was chaos and destruction: the magnificent Roman civilisation ravaged by uncultured brutes.” Florence took the opportunity to step outside for a breath of air. She looked towards the excavation site… September 431, near Duroliponte The trees almost block out the sun’s weak light, thick bracken and moss-

adorned branches obscuring the sky. Her footsteps seem unsettlingly loud in the silence of the forest; the snap of every brittle twig threatens to betray her presence. Through the trees, she glimpses the pale stone of the road: it perseveres south, rigid and unrelenting, all the way from Durobrivae. Durobrivae. She closes her eyes and everything appears again, vibrant bruises embedded into her vision. Cries shatter the cold light of morning. Fragments of pottery in the dirt. Their voices, cruel and strange tongues, as sharp as their long knives. A broken necklace: azure beads are flung and scatter like sparkling droplets of water. Blemishes of blood on mosaic tiles. One final glance back at a home engulfed in foreign fire. She clutches the single remaining bead in her hand; tense fingers grip the calm, smooth curve of the glass. She walks on. A sudden sound breaks through the dense wood. Harsh, foreign syllables twist their way from through the trees with a raw force. Every instinct compels her to run. The trees are colossal columns; swordwielding, many-armed enemies she must swerve to avoid. After only a few steps, she trips, stumbles and sinks behind a wide oak tree; its coarse bark provides a comforting shield. Alone in the darkness of the undergrowth, forgotten gods traipse through her mind. They had belonged to her people, and in these turbulent times they return. Their fleeting, ancient voices disappear before she can contemplate them; but she is faced with uncertain silence, not the iron of raiders’ weapons. A distant rustle becomes an obscured call – muffled through the legion of trees. Adiuva me! The sound of her own language compels her to turn and walk back. She sees him lying on the forest floor, a pale face amongst shadowy plants. He is one of them: one of the raiders from across the sea. The slight movement of his leg, distorted at an unnatural angle, reveals a trail of crimson on the fallen leaves. She rushes forward. It is dusk when they reach the edge of the forest; supporting him, her shoulders ache, and he winces with each step. The silhouette of a building is distinct against a sky of fading,

ashy violet. The paved stones are obscured and indistinct; ivy and trailing vines creep between cracks in the marble. A shadowy sentinel guards the door – a lion, carved in smooth stone. In an instant she recognises this place: it belonged to her people. The door opens to a chorus of worried voices, overlapping in strange dialects. Hands reach out to support him; at the threshold of the villa, she stares blankly as the world becomes vague and blurred, her mind smudged with exhaustion. Blinking, she opens her eyes to the warm glow of candles. Soft, anxious voices and smooth woven fabric surround her. The scene is peaceful chaos: children dance and hide behind Corinthian pillars, sheep gather around a gilt-edged table. Jewelbright tiles are concealed by dust, folded cloth and straw. But there are no weapons. These cannot be the same people who destroyed her home. Weeks pass, and time heals. She stands, once again, at the door. She must go. If they are still alive, she will find her people at Duroliponte. The people who years ago came from across the sea cluster around her, offering farewells and gifts, warmth and gratitude. Finally, as she turns to leave, he is there. He lifts a strand of hair from her face and holds out a comb: exquisite and delicate, triangular like the peak of some distant mountain in the land of his people. She slides it between intertwining curls as he whispers to her in Latin: rich, musical, desperate words. When you return, he says, but mist-blue eyes divulge the futility of that hope. She steps onto the pale stone of the road, the road which perseveres, rigid and unrelenting, all the way to Duroliponte. When you return. August 1939, Köln Dear Florence, I write to you amidst chaos and with a heavy heart; we are packing away our museum-pieces for safekeeping against the inevitable. Are you doing the same with your Saxon treasures? I pray that it will not last long and look forward to showing you our latest acquisitions – when you return. Yours, Klaus

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Journalism Competition With a dizzying array of entries on topics ranging from Venetian macaroons to ‘factory education’, ‘Game of Thrones’, political memes, living with ASD to nostalgia for Stalinism, picking the winners was no easy task for our judge, journalist Imogen Russell Williams. In Years 7-9 she awarded Highly Commended to Charles Barden for Factory Education: An ongoing problem that can no longer be ignored; to Orla Rostom for Is Veganism just a flash in the (frying) pan?; and Caitlin Street Aspbergers’ from an Aspie’s View. Runners up were Claudia Williams for Burnt my Hawaiian Pizza – should have used Aloha temperature and Archie Maggs for his piece Mental Health in Rugby – A missed tackle? The Winner of the Year 7-9 Journalism Prize 2020 was Elise

Withey for Cakes, Caffe and Other Venetian Disappointments: ‘A witty and sardonic piece of travel/ food writing that was toe-curlingly funny as it eviscerated the restauranteurs of Venice – a perfect blend of Gordon Ramsay and Bill Bryson!’ The array of topics tackled by our Year 10 -13 entries was just as varied. Highly Commended was awarded to Martha Murray for her review of Game of Thrones; Jemima Tweedale for Killer Kelp and Guy Willcock for Britain on a Platter

- Bruising Decade Ahead . Runners up were Bella Shorrock for Was Machiavelli Machiavellian? Ally Darnton for Chemistry Collective and Meg Lintern for Will the Election be won by Memes? The Winner in the Year 10 – 13 category and Overall Winner of the 2020 KES Journalism Competition was Alice Mumford for I want to live in the USSR - again: ‘A probing and thought-provoking piece of journalism which would not be out of place in a national broadsheet.’ C Bruton

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“I WANT TO LIVE IN THE USSR AGAIN…” Alice Mumford – Winner From Red Army veterans in the Russian Far East to Kazakh teenagers, there is growing nostalgia for the days of the Soviet Union. The 23rd of February is ‘Defender of the Fatherland Day’. Aleksandr from Blagoveshchensk eagerly announced this to our group early one morning, explaining that the Russian holiday marks the anniversary of the founding of the Red Army. He shared a monochrome photo of himself in uniform, aged 20; my eyes were drawn to the unmistakable hammer and sickle of the Sovietskaya Armiya. I had joined the online group to practise my Russian but realised early on that I would be learning more than verb conjugations. Aleksandr is joined by a growing number of Russian citizens today who publicly and privately show their immense pride and nostalgia for their country’s Soviet past; some, unlike Aleksandr, never even lived during those times. A page on the popular Russian social media site VKontakte named МЫ ИЗ СССР (“We are from the USSR”) seems to embody this nostalgia, displaying a confusing mix of Soviet military memorabilia, lamentations about today’s youth and recollections of the simplicity and purpose of times gone by. The photo montage shows a grinning Yuri Gagarin; cheerful Soviet children play trumpets while Stalin observes from high above the scene. Several such pages exist and attract hundreds of thousands of subscribers, many of whom regularly engage in heated debates with anyone who dares to question their views. In 2018, a poll from Russia’s Levada Centre of sociological research showed that 66% of Russians regretted the fall of the USSR: many are young people who long for an era for which they have no memory. Born eight years after the Soviet Union collapsed, 19-year-old Nazariy from the mountainous UstKamenogorsk region of Kazakhstan confidently stated “I’m proud of our USSR” before producing a 25-point manifesto detailing exactly why he wishes he could return to a country which has long since ceased to exist.

In those days, he claimed, “every child dreamed of becoming not a rich man but a cosmonaut” and “competent comrades” managed their lives harmoniously – unlike in the dangerous, corrupt capitalist world of today. Nazariy never acknowledged that there might have been negatives to this alleged socialist utopia. But how much was he aware of the totalitarian government and brutal repressions? Russian textbooks are known for their primitive forms of Photoshop, with key figures mysteriously erased. Harvard professor and novelist Svetlana Boym describes the relationship between many Russians and their Soviet past as “reflective nostalgia”, making a distinction between this personal, non-political longing for a lost era and “restorative nostalgia”, a desire to recreate the past. Many Russians remember a time when things were simpler: their childhood, or the stories of their relatives’ childhoods. Nostalgic rhetoric revolves around a pastoral, rural utopia. Young people spent their time enrolled in Soviet youth programs, eager to serve their homeland, instead of wasting their time on the internet. The music of today does not compare favourably with Viktor Tsoi’s velvety voice. There is a collective memory of returning home to the warm aroma of Babushka’s freshly-baked bread, and how you could buy a full meal for only sixteen kopeks. The older generations in this country may bemoan the use of smartphones and social media and link these with a decline in wellbeing; in Russia, these technological and social developments are seen as directly linked with the period of perestroika and so the change of political regime is held responsible. This particularly seems to apply to Evgenia; aged nine during the collapse of the Soviet Union, her family abruptly left the remote Kamchatka military base that was their home. She witnessed her ex-military father, now unemployed, descend into alcoholism. “My dad started to drink,” she said, “just to forget about the disaster, so he wouldn’t see how our beloved country was raped and ransacked.” Evgenia vividly described her mother’s tears, attending the funerals of those for whom depression and alcoholism had led to suicide. It is no wonder that for her, the end of the Soviet Union meant more than just a

change of governments and political restructuring – it represented the shift from an innocent, comfortable childhood to trauma and the breakdown of her happy family life. Perhaps one of the most shocking aspects of the recent surge in nostalgia for the USSR has been an almost reverence towards the most infamous of Soviet leaders: Josef Stalin. The Moscow Times proclaimed that 42% of Russian respondents named Stalin as the “most influential historical figure” in living memory. In response to my tentative questions, Nazariy interjected scathing remarks about the West’s favourite president (Gorbachev) whom he credits with the destruction of the empire he yearns for. Evgenia responded quickly with a passionate defence of the “Father of Nations”, Stalin: “He gave us assurance in Tomorrow.” “I do not worship him,” she added as a hurried afterthought, “but the whole country was united with his name”. For Russians, World War II represents a brief moment of national pride and Stalin has been transformed in many people’s memory as a wartime hero. In The Stalin Puzzle: Deciphering Post-Soviet Public Opinion, the authors write that, particularly in the central Asian republics, Stalin is now “much more a national icon than a political model”. One catalyst to the resurgence of Soviet nostalgia may be the recent increase in political dissatisfaction among Russian citizens. In 2015, only 10% of those surveyed by the Levada Centre disapproved of President Vladimir Putin; now, as of March 2020, the number has risen to 36%, the upward trend continuing. One member of our group confided that if they were granted an audience with Putin, they would shoot him! Svetlana Boym writes that a nostalgic person “desires to obliterate history and turn it into private or collective mythology”. But how much of this nostalgia to return to the USSR is a deliberate decision to idealise the past? For citizens of the former Soviet Union, reality has been distorted by decades of propaganda romanticising an era of repression – to such an extent that 19-year-olds from Kazakhstan boldly and wistfully remark: “I want to live in the USSR again”

Geography

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The new academic year is always so exciting! We were delighted to welcome Mrs Livesey into the Geography Department and to teach years 7 and 8. We started with a super set of examination results with 71% of our year 11 Geographers achieving a grade 7 or above, and 88% achieving A* - B at A level. As I say every year, we are proud of the achievements of all students who have clearly worked hard and responded to the support and advice of their Geography teachers. Four of the A level students continued to read Geography or a geographyrelated subject at University. Sadly, the year 7 Ridges of Bath fieldtrip was replaced by an exciting new fieldtrip for the year 8 pupils. The Dorset coastline with Poole, Swanage, Lulworth and Durdle Door provided support for their new unit of physical Geography, Coastal Environments: all in a day! It was a logistical challenge but a fantastic chance to study the geology, landforms and processes of this beautiful stretch of coastline. Unforgettable was the boat trip from Poole Harbour to Swanage, during with outstanding views of Old Harry 24

and his wife! The weather was not kind and the waves were rather large but for many the beautiful cliff line made it all worthwhile. Each year we take the year 11 Geography students to North Wales for them to study river landforms, processes, flooding and flood management in the field. They also conduct their second piece of required fieldwork. All four groups worked hard and returned home having seen an enormous number of geographical landforms and understood their formation and management. Year 12 ventured to Cardiff Bay to consider its economic changes and the socio-economic differences. Through November, the weather was much kinder than usual and the year 12s collected interesting data which they used back in lessons. In Autumn, sixth form Geographers travelled to Bristol University for the Bristol Geographical Association A level lectures where lecturers and researchers spoke about coastal management on the north Somerset coast, tourism and human rights and the sustainable development goals in Bolivia.

In November, we hosted the Bath round of the annual Geographical Association World Wise Quiz. KES entered two talented teams and after much tension, discussion and deliberation the two teams were placed first and second. They qualified for the Bath-Bristol final in March but, unfortunately, this had to be cancelled. We finished 2020 with trial examinations for years 11 and 13 whilst the other year groups continued their geographical journeys. Unfortunately, the year 12 residential fieldtrip and the year 10 day trip to Bath both have been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, we have developed an exciting and relevant bridging course for those year 11s continuing with Geography A level. As ever, I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues in the Department for their unending commitment, support and enthusiasm for the geographical education that they provide. Dr J Knight

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History & Politics It is the job of historians to record events and argue ad nauseum on their significance, causes and so on. When those events are suitably distant, this is great fun. How far did the Black Death change the lives of the British people? How significant has Civil Rights legislation been for minorities in bringing about racial equality? These are fascinating questions, but both have a new relevance in the context of June 2020. As a department, we have spent our lockdown hours pondering these issues and how we can best help educate students around these vital questions, and others, that are so relevant to their lives now. We have also tried and failed to bake, garden and mend things, so let’s hope our revised curriculum is the success story. In more joyful news, we were delighted with the hard work and results of the 2019 A Level and GCSE groups who, perhaps, feel a shade put out having had to sit actual exams. We wish the class of 2020 all the best in their future studies and look forward to an annus mirabilis where trips can go ahead, lectures attended and rigorous in-person debate can be resumed.

MOCK ELECTION When the world was a simpler place, the Politics Dept. ran a mock election at KES with all Bath’s parties represented by our superb 6th form team. The department had expected a close-run affair, but despite the outstanding campaign speeches in our election assembly special, the Lib Dems swept to victory with a landslide, winning a majority in every year group. Congratulations to Guy Willcock who has been duly elected Prime Minister. His guidance on how to deal with the Covid Crisis would be much appreciated. Huge thanks to all who helped in vote counting, fraud detection and campaigning. S Lomon 25

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→ COMPUTING & ICT

Success at the National CyberFirst Girls Competition! Our team of four girls in Year 8 were crowned National CyberFirst Champions after a tense final in Cardiff in March. The CyberFirst Competition aims to find the brightest minds in cyber security among the UK’s year 8 girls. The Competition was launched to boost youth interest in cyber security because of female underrepresentation, with only 11% of the field’s global workforce being women, and to encourage girls to consider sympathetic subject choices for their GCSE exams and beyond. 26

The 2020 KES team, Team Red, were Hannah Blacker, Charlotte Clark, Lucy Mac Donnell & Zoya Dimov, (original team member Beech Mills Macdonald could no longer attend). As the CyberFirst Girls Competition is run by NCSC, the National Cyber Security Centre, the exact itinerary (and location) for the two days was shrouded in secrecy and only revealed on a need-to-know basis. As well as the actual competition, the KES team toured the Royal Mint,

where thousands of coins were being minted, and attempted to lift a gold bar in the museum. We dressed up for the three-course silver service dinner in the banqueting hall of Cardiff Castle and processed in accompanied by the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and their mascot, a live goat. The 8 final teams, accustomed to solving discrete problems online, instead worked on a special scenario for the day: The British Olympics games were under threat from

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hackers causing data breaches and denial of service attacks. Each problem looked at ways of preventing this. Team Red divided the work naturally – Hannah worked on the thorny problem of how the data was being leaked by the masked hacker, Zoya solved many of the code breaking puzzles while Charlotte & Lucy retrieved clues hidden around the converted chapel for their HQ. The atmosphere was collaborative and the air fizzed with concentration, broken only occasionally when a news article flashed on the room’s large screens announcing a newly discovered hack or data breach, making the whole scenario seem realistic. After lunch, KES were in the top two teams on the leaderboard. But it was still all to play for as the girls went into the final challenge: an interview with a panel of security experts (executives from the NCSC, Microsoft and an ex-Cyber First Girls winner who now works at

GCHQ). Team Red were composed and assured as they explained to the learned panel how they solved the problems and how the final data breach had happened. It wasn’t easy and they faced some tough, technical questions so the organisers could check they understood the problems they had been solving. Becoming national champions was a dream-come-true for the KES girls made real when Digital Information Minister, Matt Warman, gave them each a laptop, a medal and a crystal winners’ trophy. Warm congratulations included those from Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director. Upcoming, Team Red will have invites to 10 Downing Street, GCHQ and Microsoft headquarters, meaning this is just the beginning of an exciting journey as the poster girls of cyber security! L James

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Maths UKMT MATHS CHALLENGES This year we entered students for the Senior and Intermediate Maths challenges â€“ the Year 11 top set were the lucky intersection of that group and were actually invited to take part in both! As has become typical of late, KES students do very well in these challenges and a number are awarded certificates at all levels and some even get through to the follow-on rounds, which is an excellent achievement! At Senior level, there were 14 Golds, 31 Silver and 31 Bronze awards, with Henri in Year 13 going through to the British Maths Olympiad round â€“ well done! 13 others were through to the Senior Kangaroo, with Libby being the only Year 11 in this group, well done to all of you! At Intermediate level, there were 19 Golds, 21 Silver and 33 Bronze awards. 21 students made it through to the follow-on Kangaroo rounds and a special mention to Niels who made it through to the Olympiad. Could you do this question from the Intermediate paper?

Or, this (slightly!) more challenging question...

Remember, students can lose marks on the later questions, so as to discourage random guessing! Would you risk it? For more papers (and solutions), see the Maths enrichment page on the VLE or email your Maths teacher and they will be happy to help. S McCrorie 28

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ROYAL INSTITUTION (RI) MATHEMATICS MASTERCL ASSES AT THE UNIVERSIT Y OF BATH In February and March, eighteen of our brightest year 8 mathematicians were lucky enough to attend the popular and always oversubscribed annual Maths Masterclasses. The lectures are hosted by Bath University and featured a fascinating variety of topics, including: ‘Cauliflower, Einstein and the nature of the universe (Fractals)’

PI DAY MEMORY COMPETITION RESULTS 2020 Being on a Saturday did not stop the 2020 Pi day memory competition going ahead. This year the competition was held on Fri 13th March, the day before Pi day, and featured, for the first time, a speed competition as well as the main competition for the most digits. The main competition was notable for being the first time that the top four pupils all managed to recite over 300 digits. Alexi Cardash-Crowsley, who finished in third place, chose to mark the occasion by reciting 314 digits. Meanwhile, Oscar Long, having had a year off in 2019, came back to break his own school record with a very impressive 606 digits. Oscar’s speed was such he won both the main competition and the speed competition. The two officials needed to refer the video to the VAR to ratify the record – understandable when someone is saying 606 digits at a rate of 20 digits every 3.16 seconds! The record was later confirmed and the top results are listed below. MAIN COMPETITION FRI 13TH MARCH 2020 (filmed by Imogen Burch)

‘Hydraulic jumps: Everything including the kitchen sink’ ‘Using Mathematics to Model Forest Fires’ ‘Platonic Solids’ All the lectures were presented by professors or university lecturers and helped to give an insight into how the subject can be applied and useful in the real world. By complete coincidence, the last lecture, “Going Viral” delved into some mathematical epidemiology, and turned out to be far more relevant than they could have ever anticipated! R Pagnamenta

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Oscar Long y13 606 digits (new school record) Max Smith y11 323 Alexi Cardash-Crowsley y12 314 Hannah Blacker y8 303

The results of the speed competition were much closer at the top, but the 3 second barrier remains elusive. It provided a new element to the competition and it was good to see pupils from lower years get involved. The results are below. FASTEST TO 20 (timed by Amhar Shazuli y12) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Oscar Long 3.16 seconds (school record) Max Smith 3.17 seconds Ally Darnton 3.34 seconds Finn Williams 3.48 seconds

Thanks to all pupils who took part in the competition, as well as all of those who produced some excellent performances in their separate Maths lessons, and got into the spirit for this year’s Pi day. R Pagnamenta

Spanish

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KEEPING MY SPANISH ‘R’S ROLLING IN QUAR ANTINE Jemima Tweedale Short of doing a virtual tour of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia and scrolling through photos of the famous Alhambra of Granada, at the beginning of lockdown, I was at a loss as to how I could keep practising Spanish. And although a virtual tour was certainly tempting, I’ve recently discovered several other great ways to keep my Spanish ticking. The first idea came when my grandma bought me the first Harry Potter book in Spanish! I was super excited to dive straight into it but realised that I needed to start with smaller, more manageable books to get my language skills up. And so, I started reading books published by “leer en español”, a collection of books produced by the University of Salamanca. These books are great as they come in six different difficulty and length levels. One of my favourites is “la chica de 30

los zapatos verdes”, a crime novel unsurprisingly centred around the murder of a girl wearing green shoes.

competitions, though sadly, winning a virtual Chupa Chup is not quite the same as winning the real thing!

However, when I’d rather sit in the sun with a glass of homemade lemonade (that isn’t quite as good as the one I used to get from the café next door), then I listen to podcasts. When I started A level, I was recommended Spanish podcasts from “Hoy hablamos”. I’ve really enjoyed listening to them, particularly the ones on Christopher Columbus and the Day of the Dead, although there are also a few more historical ones on Franco, the Spanish dictator, which were useful as we learnt about him in the A level course.

Last but not least, I’ve been staying in touch with my Spanish exchange, as well as a family I went to stay with in Valencia whilst I was doing a Spanish course. We’ve been sending messages about our lives in lockdown and hearing how our countries are responding differently to the virus. I have really loved keeping in touch with them and it has made my Spanish feel all the more real and worthwhile.

And then of course there is the KES Spanish twitter page where Mrs Charlton sends links to articles from Spanish newspapers such as El País; my favourite article to date naturally being on deadly insects, though perhaps I should claim the ones more relevant to the course are best. There have also been

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SPANISH CLUB Grace Coumbe

A CHALLENGE, GREAT STUDENTS AND FOOD I arrived at KES because I wanted a challenge after working in different education environments, I wanted to leave my comfort zone and work in a school. The first day I was very nervous: “Would KES students enjoy my lessons?” I think this was the case, because I’ve had a great time and I’ve learnt a lot from them, especially since the unprecedented lockdown started in mid-March. GCSE students showed me how strong they were by taking their oral exams three days before the school closed. Year 13 students taught me the importance of resilience when they accepted that their experiences at university will be different than they expected. Year 12 and Year 10 keep surprising me every week by attending my lessons at any time despite being at home. I can’t finish these words without talking about the food at KES: It was always delicious! My favourite dish was the Broccoli & Stilton Soup, something I had never tried before and now in the lockdown I really miss it. Can someone give me the recipe? Begoña Mirones Muñoz

ONAT TI PL AY REVIEW Beatrice Butt & Hepzibah Bevis

SAN SEBASTIÁN SUMMER SCHOOL Imogen Burch

On Tuesday 25th February Spanish students from years 8-11 were given the opportunity to watch a live theatre performance from an educational theatre group called Onatti. The entire play was performed in Spanish with lots of gesture and props to assist younger year groups in understanding vocabulary they hadn’t yet learned. Throughout the performance, the two actors interacted with the audience by involving them in decisions relevant to the plot line. Two lucky year 8 pupils were even chosen to go up on stage and take part in the story! The play was very humorous, and the light-hearted nature of two teenagers prepping for a date created an exclusive atmosphere. Overall, we were delighted to welcome the company into KES, for yet another year; the experience was educational and beneficial, whilst still being enjoyable for the audience, and we are looking forward to next year’s performance.

Last August I travelled to San Sebastian to spend a week with a language school. At first the whole experience felt rather daunting, but everyone was really welcoming, and it ended up being the most enjoyable week of my summer. Every morning we had Spanish lessons, which we often spent playing games such as twenty questions which helped improve the spontaneity of my Spanish. Then, armed with new skills, we took part in a range of activities in the afternoons, for example, canoeing, surfing, exploring the old town, and visiting Roman mines. A highlight for me was spending time with my host family during the evenings and at weekends. The everyday conversations that took place improved my confidence with speaking Spanish in an unstructured way. Overall, the trip made a noticeable difference to my Spanish and if anyone is thinking of participating in something like this, I would whole-heartedly recommend it.

In Spanish club, we have been building on our learning of Spanish in a fun environment by discovering the culture of Spain, but also other Spanish speaking countries, such as Mexico. One day was themed ‘Día de los Muertos’, in which we designed our own masks, known as ‘calacas’. Another time it was about Christmas and New Year in Spain, and we learnt about their traditions by trying them out, for example, the 12 grapes. We have also made piñatas, as well as other cultural activities while listening to Spanish music and playing Spanish games, and of course, playing kahoot. All year 7s and 8s are welcome, it is lots of fun and you do not need to know any Spanish!

TR ANSITION TO UNIVERSIT Y Jemima Millar, OE When I first got my university timetable, I was quite surprised to see that I only had two Spanish language contact hours per week, one grammar and one group oral, which was quite a significant drop from the almost five I was getting throughout sixth form. After my first week, it became very clear that the progress I made in Spanish would be dictated by how proactive I was. For example, if I wanted one on one practice with a native speaker, I would have to actively seek it. Gone were my days of having the chance to chat with Daniel or Adela for up to a whole hour a week, whether I wanted to or not! Not to mention, I was also no longer receiving countless articles and website suggestions from teachers to keep my exposure up. Luckily for me, these kinds of resources from the KES Spanish department have proved invaluable for my degree. Studying Spanish at university has certainly been a wakeup call that if I want to keep up my skills, I need to be the driving force behind it. Whilst a bit of a shock to the system, it is certainly a good motivator to become an independent learner. My degree is admittedly demanding, but absolutely worthwhile so far and I have never once questioned my choice. Studying languages is so worthwhile, and my advice to anyone wanting to do the same is to make sure you have Quizlet or Duolingo downloaded! Of course, there will never be a replacement for having the subjunctive drilled into you using mini whiteboards… 31

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German AUF WIEDERSEHEN! In Autumn 2019, the German Department once again took part in our German Exchange programme with Braunschweig in Germany, taking in the sights of Berlin, the classic car museum (die Autostadt) and an award-winning interactive science museum (die Phäno) in Wolfsburg, as well as Hamburg zoo, and many other interesting cultural sites. Unfortunately, due to the current situation across Europe and the World, this is the first time in a number of years that the German Exchange will not be able to run between King Edward’s in Bath and the RicardaHuch-Schule in Braunschweig. However, my German colleague and I are adamant that normal service will be resumed as soon as possible and, in the meantime, are looking into the possibility of conducting online class meetings and setting up an online ‘pen-pal’ scheme with our German counterparts so

that students on both sides can continue the rich cultural exchange and develop our international friendship and collaboration. In March 2020, Year 10 students studying German attended St. Mary’s School in Calne to watch a play performed entirely in German. ‘Das Schlimmste Hotel’ was both funny and educational, while also providing our students with an opportunity to put their Drama skills into use by getting involved with interactive elements of the production! Since entering lockdown, the German department has endeavoured to keep the immersion going, whether that be audio calls with our German Language Assistant, Dorina Arndt, for years 10 and 12, or through interactive lessons with class teachers. We have done remote vocabulary games, remote grammar lessons, online quizzes, ‘Quizlet Live’ competitions, and watched online videos in German, and the ideas keep on coming! Though this situation is far from ideal, if we can’t go to Germany, then we are adamant that we will bring Germany to you!

When I joined the KES team last September, I was looking forward to the adventurous minds (as in our school motto) and I definitely found them. From the first day onwards, I felt very lucky to have such an amazing opportunity to practise teaching in this nourishing environment of great students and excellent staff. I loved the supportive and friendly atmosphere at KES – especially the MFL department became like a trusted family to me. The city of Bath was no less impressive than our school and my adopted sisters Constance and Begoña (aka “the trio”) made the work and free time a lot of fun. The whole England experience made me grow not only professionally but also personally. It inspired me to share my passion for the German language and culture, so I decided to keep teaching German (instead of Latin) in another country. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus chaos ended my stay too suddenly, but I will come back when I can. And I want to already say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who made my time as German language assistant so enjoyable! I wish you all the best. Stay adventurers :)

C Ferguson Dorina Arendt

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French FRENCH AND ENGLISH – ENTENTE CORDIALE OR DANGEROUS LIAISON? With lockdown all French exchanges and trips to France were cancelled, so here are some reflections on the lexical delights of learning French. A linguistic challenge for all. How do you say all the following words in English? Fiancé, blond, brunette, apéritif, hôtel, champagne, croissant, chef, pain au chocolat, papier mâché, double entendre, ensemble, cul-de-sac, pommes frites, avant-garde, carte blanche, crème fraîche, crème brûlé, sauté, fondue, liaison, après-ski ! Seen these before? That’s déjà vu. That’s right – these are now English words we have “borrowed” from the French. What did we lend them in return? Le week-end, le meeting, le pub, le manager, le brainstorming, le marketing, le leader, le scotch (sticky tape), le pull, le lifting (face-lift), le brushing (blow-dry), le baby-foot (table football), le flipper (pinball), le rugby, le brownie, le black-out, le

business, le shopping, ok, cool and hyper-cool! These and many more show how words have skipped nonchalantly across the channel. And although these words may make Franco-British conversations easier to understand, there are a number of faux amis or false friends: same words but different meanings. Bras – not an item of lingerie in France, but arms! If you are blessé you’ll need treatment for a wound. If you are sensible you are sensitive. Joli is pretty, not cheerful. A journée is a day, not a trip. Don’t try borrowing books from a librairie – you’ll have to buy them. A petit pain is not a minor nuisance, but a bread roll! French and English have had close relations for over a thousand years – and when you learn French you’ll find many words are ones you already know from English. I hope these amuse-bouche have given you a few tasters of le français: bon appétit! A Vass

MERCI POUR CE MOMENT This past year at King Edward’s was probably the best gap year I could have hoped for. Of course, teaching British youth about the French and Briton cultures for a year in a formerly Roman city is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a gap year, but as the great Edith Piaf once sang, je ne regrette rien. I was scared at first that my lack of experience would be an obstacle, but none of that happened. I was very lucky to work with a welcoming and helpful staff, teach sweet and attentive students and, on top of that, the Friday fish and chips was delicious. I will never be thankful enough for this opportunity. Thanks to everyone who made this year unforgettable. Constance Nicolas 33

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‘Forced from reaching the summit by bad weather!’ It feels like KES Music can take much inspiration from the climbers making that first attempt to conquer Mt Everest. KES Music accomplished so much in 2019-20, in what was perhaps our most ambitious Music Annual Programme to date, yet the tumultuous, pinnacle performance experience alluded us with only hours to go! This year was our first exploration into Year 3 of our new triennial Music programme with the main focus being the combining of KES musical forces in a large-scale event in the Spring Festival. From Autumn Term, the promise of great things to come was clearly displayed in the outstanding performance by the Senior Orchestra at the KES Prizegiving Ceremony of Hector Berlioz’s Hungarian March and Jerome Moross’s rousing music to The Big Country. That orchestral playing of this standard, supported by KES Baroque Group, could be achieved from a standing start in a matter of four weeks was extremely exciting. Our male voice choir, KES MEN produced a joyous concert alongside the Gallery Singers in St. Swithin Church in October and the energetic and hugely entertaining Lower School Singing Competition, themed this year on songs by the Beatles, won by 7J with Let it Be. The Autumn Colours Chamber concert in November was perhaps the most varied, inspiring, wide-ranging yet also, most accomplished we have ever witnessed. Our new KES Music Marathon fostered whole-school community spirit and looks set to become part of our overall Music programme in the future. The Whole School Assembly flashmob of Leonard Cohen’s Halleluiah by KES 16 was released on YouTube, while Tudor Rose, MEN and KES Contemporary adapted effortlessly 34

and professionally to performing in the more intimate surroundings of St. Mary’s Bathwick for the KES Carol Service. The new format of having specialised sacred (Tudor Rose) and secular/popular music (KES Senior School Singers) choirs, supplemented by handpicked chamber groups for specific performances is really exciting! The KES Masterclass series included our very first guitar session with renowned guitar expert and talented performer, Abigail James and a new “performance etiquette’’ masterclass lead by Bath Phil’s leader Sophie Langdon. The fifth KES Vocal Masterclass was hosted by the hugely acclaimed John Llewelyn Evans, professor of voice at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, who provided insightful performance guidance. Another first was Piano Masterclass with BBC Young Musician of the Year 2018 winner, Lauren Zhang. KES sponsored her first performance of Rachmaninov’s famous Piano Concerto No. 3 with our partner orchestra, Bath Philharmonia and I shall never forget the sight and sound of our lovely Kawai grand piano in Wessex, responding to her meticulous and hugely virtuosic practice. This piece has parallels with climbing Everest without oxygen for pianists! To sustain our KES Music Theatre singers and maintain the legacy of our retiring singing teacher, Mrs Adrienne

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→ MUSIC Hale, we successfully administered the LCM exams internally. This is great testament to the department’s efforts to create diverse music examination opportunities. Our young musicians now benefit from local, termly ABRSM exams, and annual Trinity and LCM exams. Amidst the stunning surroundings of the Holburne Museum in Sydney Gardens in Bath, came this year’s KES Holburne Soloist’s Chamber Concert. This special evening included musicians from every year in the school, a wonderful thermometer of the level of musicianship that KES is currently capable of attracting, teaching, supporting and guiding on their musical journeys. KES Soul and other smaller combos played in the annual fundraiser, KES UNITE, which raised lots of money for KESaid charities. The Spring Colours Concert beautifully reflects its autumnal counterpart, and along with lunchtime recitals, Lower School Concert and GCSE and A-Level recitals provides musicians of all levels with both formal and semi-formal performing experience.

KES hosted a thank-you awards evening for another KES partner, the RUH. Seven of our top soloists provided background accompaniment at the welcoming drinks party for major sponsors and donors. Our incredible Saxophone Ensemble was poised to play to patients, staff and friends in the Atrium and gardens of the RUH in March when the event had to be cancelled owing to COVID-19. We hope to return as we aim to raise money to buy a piano for the RUH’s new cancer treatment facility. The spring Gala Concert, A Night at the Musicals, marked another progressive and ambitious step in King Edward’s Triennial Music programme. We united two orchestras, two stage bands, soloists and three KES Choirs in a collaborative performance to provide our musicians with a new and memorable, large-scale, live music experience in The Forum in Bath. A showcase of our Side-by-Side project with Bath Phil, the educational backbone is a set of inspiring and nurturing musical opportunities, unique in their depth and approach, that take place throughout the year empowering KES Senior Orchestra

leader, Isabel Timson-Smidt to take the lead. Two KES concerto soloists, two principal vocal soloists and numerous other vocal soloists, who were due to reach the heights that evening, but unfortunately it was cruelly cut short within sight of the summit! Within 24 hours and after the most incredibly rewarding and promising dress rehearsals on the previous night, the Prime Minister’s announcement to suspend public gatherings was issued. After such an exciting lead-up, many hours of practice and several years of planning, it was heart breaking to miss out! Finally, I’d like to thank not only the hugely talented KES Music staff, but also the parents of our KES musicians for their tireless logistical and motivational support; the KES major events team; the Headmaster, Governors and the Senior Management Team for their continued support and belief in the value of the inspirational musical experiences we provide for our pupils. R Drury

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MUSIC MAR ATHON Goal: to put on 100 one-minute live musical performances in the shortest time possible. Aim: to raise money for KES music activities and show off all our musicians – experienced or less so – with the strong team of KES Parents and KES Music at the helm. Playing or singing for just one minute seems a lot less daunting than being part of a conventional concert performing a whole piece, and so it was that the whole KES community rallied to the cause as both pupils and staff (academic and musical) all signed up to do their bit! With solos from every conceivable style from Mozart to Muse, Schumann to Slipknot, performers came on to a stage set with pianos, drumkits, amps and microphones in groups of five at a time to perform as seamlessly as possible, as the near capacity audience warmly cheered each set of musicians with succinct enthusiasm and energy. Mrs Lineko of the KES Parents committee coordinated the fun fundraising events in the interval which saw a fab raffle to win such amazing prizes such as tickets to Wimbledon, a sweepstake on the total time to reach our 100 performances, and even a prize draw for the pupil performers for two £50 Urban Outfitters vouchers! Professional accompaniment was provided by Mrs Donovan, Mrs Cannon, Mr Howcroft and Mr Hutchings; slick stagecraft from KES Music staff; lighting and countdown clocks by Drama gods James Sellick and Becca Walker; while subtle (glockenspiel) and less subtle (tam-tam) minute reminders came from Mr Feeney. The evening came to a tumultuous climax when, due to two pupil illnesses, it looked like we wouldn’t the magical 100 performances! The day was saved at the last minute by the Headmaster, who stepped on stage to accompany his own glorious singing voice on the guitar, and the audience joined in! The room reverberated in true community spirit to sing Hey Jude by the Beatles with the first verse lead by brave parent, Mr Daniels! The real triumph was the number, musicianship and variety of pupils from Year 4-13 who all

played or sang for their special minute, whether that be as a first-time performer or as an experienced KES musician. R Drury

CAROL SERVICE Was your Christmas smaller-scale, more refined, more environmentally friendly, truer to the spirit of the season? The KES annual Carol Service of Nine Lessons and Carols in Bath Abbey is, for many of us, the joyous and much anticipated start of a traditional Christmas, but we did things differently this year! With the Abbey under exciting renovation, the KES Carol Service moved venue to the substantial, but smaller St Mary’s Church, Bathwick, where the atmosphere seemed more intimate and personal for our talented singers and readers. Responding in part to the constraints of the building, but also our new KES choral opportunities, the service was led by two choirs. Our new, unauditioned, sacred music team, the Tudor Rose (Senior) Choir (directed weekly by Shean Bowers, the Assistant Director of Music at Bath Abbey), and our earnest, promising male voice choir, MEN.

Royal. This choir contributed two further carols, a joyous arrangement of Ding Dong! Merrily on High by Mack Wilberg and the flowing Candlelight Carol by John Rutter. MEN gave a wonderfully enthusiastic and apt rendition of Let All Men Sing by Keith Christopher. The two choirs joined together to lead the five congregational carols alongside the invited instrumental players of KES Contemporary. They performed the world première of our resident composer’s beautifully lilting carol, O Child. This included spotlight roles for talented Year 13 soloists, cellist Morgan Jones and vocalists Naomi Strong and Sophia Siersted. Another particular highlight was a pupil-led quartet of 6th form singers, Sine Nomine, who sang an evocative setting of Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging, arranged by Stefan Claas and KES Head Prefect, Alexander Christopherson. This intimate centrally placed piece seemed to reflect perfectly the atmosphere of this year’s special service and we gratefully thank the team at St Mary’s for making us so welcome. R Drury

The Tudor Rose Choir created a magical start to the service with a beautifully blended, sustained and controlled performance of Will Todd’s My Lord Has Come with Bath Abbey/KES chorister, Katie Shepperdson (Yr. 9) performing the haunting solo 1st verse of Once in 37

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→ MUSIC 6TH FORM REVIEW Naomi Strong I joined KES in year 12 and a highlight of the last two years has been getting involved with the music. Whether you’re interested in singing classical music, jazz, scores from musicals, or pop, there is something for everybody. I got involved in two choirs: the Tudor Rose choir run by Mr Bowers from Bath Abbey (classical and sacred music) and KES Senior Singers. A highlight was last year’s Founder’s Day which took place in the Forum. In the lead up to Lockdown, everyone had been preparing for the annual Gala Concert. The theme this year was musicals and I was extremely excited to be performing Tonight and I Feel Pretty from Westside Story. I hope I’ll have the chance to perform them when it gets re-scheduled. Mrs Donovan encouraged me to join the Bath Abbey Girls’ Choir and successfully achieve my grade 8 singing award. Getting involved in music has provided a break from academic life and the opportunity to meet so many people outside of my classes, really enriching my experience at KES.

Marathon – performing for charity my favourite part of my favourite song Used to be Mine by Sara Bareilles was an amazing experience, second only to the Headmaster playing guitar and singing at the same concert! Over the lockdown I have finally found the time and motivation to really start writing my own songs and am excited to be able to say that I have secured the chance to play at a gig when the venues open! So hopefully KES hasn’t seen the last of me!

A SPECIAL YEAR Gil Nowak I have been a member of KES Music since Year 7. Throughout the last few years as a violinist, pianist and vocalist I have been part of the Senior Orchestra, Baroque Group, KES Men, KES Sixteen and this year I was invited to join the String Quartet.

6TH FORM REVIEW Rosie Byrne Having sung as both second soprano and alto since around the age of ten, music has been a major part of my life. When I joined KES in year 12 I remember talking to Mr Drury about all of the amazing choirs and groups that I could be a part of and signing up for auditions for everything. Now, at the end of year 13, auditioning widely was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have sung in the Senior School Choir, KES 24, and various ensembles including Sine Nomine at Christmas. I am grateful for the department’s trust in us and for the support in our rehearsals when we needed it. I also performed solos in numerous concerts and, before the Covid-19 situation, was preparing several solos for the Gala concert. I was most excited about performing I Dreamed a Dream with the Bath Philharmonia and the KES orchestra and was very upset when the concert was understandably cancelled. One of the best memories I have of the Music Programme was the One Hundred Minute Music 38

Musical life at KES is engaging and great fun with a wide range of different types of music played across the school and within the ensembles themselves. In the Orchestra and Baroque Group a variety of both classical and popular music are enjoyed by the musicians. It’s always a treat to find out what the programme will be at the start of the new school year. In addition, the Bath Philharmonia Side-by-Side Project plays a big

part of our school music life with masterclasses for all sections of the orchestra throughout the year. The input from the professional musicians makes this an amazing and invaluable experience for the pupils. The numbers of performance opportunities throughout the year are many. I have performed at the Empire and Bridgemead Nursing Home with KES MEN, The Christmas carol service was a wonderful experience at St Marys Church Bathwick and the Spring Colours concert was an opportunity for me to perform Dvorak’s String quartet No. 12, The American, with the string quartet lead by Mrs Hampson Gilbert. The Holburne Soloists Concert was a great opportunity and privilege for me to perform the Allemande from Bach’s Partita No.2. The evening encompassed talented vocalists, pianists, cellists, a guitarist, bassist and saxophonist accompanied by Mr Rupert Hutchings. Unfortunately, the Gala showcase of the year a Night at the Musicals at The Forum with Bath Philharmonia, where I was set to perform as one of the two honoured concerto soloists, was cancelled in March due to Coronavirus. This event involves a huge amount of organisation with an incredible programme of rehearsals across the whole music department culminating in an amazing evening. Hopefully it can be rescheduled so no spoilers. Music is an integral part of my life and KES Music has helped me grow as a musician.

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LOWER SCHOOL REFLECTION Emily Douglas

MIDDLE SCHOOL REFLECTION Bethan Cheshire I have been part of KES Music for three years. I play the bassoon, cello and piano in many ensembles: Senior Orchestra, Baroque Group, Cello Ensemble and KES Wind, as well as singing in the choir. I have participated in numerous concerts, but the highlight definitely has to be playing with Bath Philharmonia in two Gala Concerts. I have enjoyed participating in Masterclasses and have gained much from these events; I am learning to project my sound and am increasing my confidence slowly, but surely. I was so disappointed not to be able to play in the Gala Concert this year as I was particularly enjoying the music from the shows – this has to be one of my favourite genres. I am looking forward to playing in many more concerts in the future and am excited about next year. Playing a musical instrument can be extremely time consuming, but the benefits of playing with other people and being part of such a vibrant music department is definitely worth the effort.

Throughout year 8 in our form music lessons, we have learned to improvise and keep in time, which has come in very handy with sight reading and playing in bands. This has helped me massively with my confidence. I play flute, piano and oboe and have been part of KES Music since year 5. I love playing pieces from films with the Orchestra and Wind Band. One of my favourite moments was performing at the Autumn Colours concert – we were lacking a flautist so Mr Drury stepped in on violin and it sounded brilliant! I participate in Senior Orchestra, Wind Band, Steel Pans and Senior Flute Ensemble. I played an oboe solo in a tea party concert as a part of Steel Pans and Orchestra, showing off our cool t-shirts and songs which was so much fun. It was a great opportunity to practise playing in front of an audience and to increase my confidence! I performed in the Flute Ensemble at the Autumn Colours concert and I will also be a part of the Orchestra Gala concert in the near future. Another fantastic opportunity was playing my flute and oboe in the Music Marathon where a hundred of us each performed for a minute and raised money for charity. I’m looking forward to all the opportunities in the KES Music Programme. It’s been great having my instrument lessons on Zoom and Teams, but I really miss playing in a group with all the atmosphere and other instruments.

YOUNG MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR In October, we offered huge congratulations to KES principal bassoonist, Xavier Raynes on his truly outstanding performance at the Bath Young Musician of the Year competition, which saw him win the prestigious title. Xavier performed the first two movements of Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto K.191 accompanied on the piano by the phenomenal Maria Garcia. After an exquisitely articulated opening, it was their intense expressivity in the slow second movement, in particular, that really highlighted Xavier’s beautiful and individual singing tone on the instrument. Throughout he reacted wonderfully to not only the emotional needs of the music, but also to the reactions of the resonant acoustic of the pump rooms and the audience with a assured stage presence. They rounded this off with the brilliant fireworks of an arrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumble Bee with Xavier producing thrilling, and incredibly long and dexterous phrasing to a single breath. “This award is a huge accolade to Xavier’s intense musicianship and depth of preparation, and we look forward to supporting and following Xavier in his exciting musical future.” R Drury

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Psychology It has been an extraordinary year for everyone, particularly our Psychology students, who have been studying the very human behaviours that we are all experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our first term was spent investigating social influence and human interaction. We studied Zimbardo’s infamous Stanford Prison Experiment, evaluating how we all have the potential to behave in unimaginable ways given the situation we find ourselves in. We had been looking forward to attending Zimbardo’s summer conference in London, his last planned trip of this kind. Zimbardo was hosting a discussion of his research alongside a panel of other experts in a variety of psychology fields. The COVID pandemic put paid to our plans, although

Zimbardo was able to stream his presentation and host a Q&A session from his Los Angeles home! On our return to school we will all be eager to discuss the way the Government’s Behaviour Change department has used key elements of psychology to reduce the spread of COVID, such as social distancing and how the public have conformed to this new way of behaving. It will be interesting to discuss how this may impact on the way we socially interact in the future. The experience of social isolation and the new ways we have learnt to support one another will be a fascinating area to explore and one to which our psychologists will be able to truly apply their own collective experiences. S Utton

Religious Studies & Philosophy The Religious Studies and Philosophy Department has had (like all of us) a turbulent, but still overwhelmingly positive, year. Things progressed as normal throughout the Autumn term, with the GCSE RS and Philosophy sets once again attending the excellent lecture series run by leading academic, Dr Peter Vardy in Bristol. Dr Vardy kindly agreed some time ago to preach at Founder’s Day. At the time of writing this, I have no clear knowledge of how the school will be running these commemorations during this period of social distancing, but I very much hope the wider KES community has an opportunity to hear from Dr Vardy in some way. Before C-19 bit, Year 7 once again visited the beautiful Park Row Synagogue in Bristol, kindly hosted again by community member Tony Gordon. This gave the pupils a wonderful insight in Jewish worship and traditions at first hand and we are very grateful for the 40

kindness shown to the school by the synagogue. Sadly, Year 8 had to miss their trip to the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir and London Central Mosque. This is a real shame, but virtual tours of the places of worship online have come usefully into play to bridge the gap. Whilst further trip planning is at this point on hold, we look forward to resuming our visits and conferences over the coming years. Socrates Club has continued with purpose, moving swiftly to its Virtual Socrates incarnation over the last months. I am pleased to report that the blogged debates continue to demonstrate the excellent, wellthought-out, and strongly-held views of our pupils on a variety of interesting and important topics. Most recently they have been engaging with the virtues of space-exploration during a time of global uncertainty. We hope to be back in our usual material context as soon as conditions permit. M Buswell

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→ SCIENCE

Biology I am proud to have taken over a vibrant, successful Biology department at the start of this academic year. Comprised of eight staff, three laboratories, two technicians and over 70 pupils studying the subject at A level; the subject is clearly flourishing and functioning as a well-oiled machine. Numerous practical experiments and activities have continued this academic year from the ever-popular dissections of kidneys, eyes and hearts, to making models of DNA using sweets. Pupils have been discovered outside sampling with quadrats, peering down microscopes in the labs and in computer rooms researching deficiency diseases.

environments and honing their sampling techniques. The Year 13 also benefitted from a day after Christmas at We the Curious arts and science centre in Bristol, performing PCR and gel electrophoresis experiments, utilising equipment and practising skills invaluable at university. Year 12 and Year 13 pupils had the opportunity to enter the Royal Society of Biology’s Olympiad with considerable success, in particular Katherine Nichols and Theo Shad achieved gold awards, being placed

in the top 6.2% of the pupils who took part across the country. For the first time Year 10 were also provided with the opportunity to enter a Royal Society of Biology competition in the form of the Biology Challenge. Again, pupils achieved excellent results with four pupils achieving a gold award. Very well done to, Angus Cannock, Emma Hocking, Cosmo Sutcliffe and Freddie Honeybone! P Kirby

September saw the Year 13 brave the elements on their annual fieldtrip to Orielton studying a variety of

Chemistry We were lucky enough to have two new laboratories to teach in this year – designing and refitting these new laboratories has been a very interesting exercise. Gone are the stained, Bunsen, battlescarred dark beech benches of old, no doubt reclaimed for, and reincarnated in, some of Bath’s more fashionable kitchens. The two “new” laboratories are brighter, safer and are a fantastic learning environment. They have a deliberate clinical feel and appearance – think new hospital and you will get a sense of the atmosphere. Blackboards are long gone, and even the once cutting-edge interactive whiteboards have been replaced by Smart TVs. Of course, I am pleased to report that there is still room for a periodic table or two on the walls. The rows of ‘traditional’ wooden benching have been replaced by a more ‘open plan’ aspect, new IT

provision and new fume cupboards. Pupils have really enjoyed being taught in them - they are certainly brighter and more welcoming than their previous versions. They have made a real difference to the teaching and learning. The department has continued to enter teams into the RSC’s Top of the Bench and Analytical Competitions, together with the Salters’ Festival. Several brave Sixth Form students completed the 2020 Chemistry Olympiad and we were delighted that Finn Williams achieved a Gold

Award – a fantastic achievement. The Cambridge Challenge will continue to do exactly as its title suggests and extend our Year 12 pupils’ knowledge beyond what is expected of them at A level and they have not been daunted by completing these tasks in ‘lockdown’. You will have to wait to see what this term’s Science Week had in store – this will be postponed until a post-coronavirus time when we are all happily back in at school. We can’t wait to share our ideas with you! M Oehler 41

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Physics I am pleased to report that our young physicists have had another outstanding year. Nearly 30% of our students scored the top grade at GCSE or A level with over 75% of students securing at least a Grade 7, or Grade B, at GCSE or A level respectively. Off the back of their success, over a dozen students have chosen to extend their interest in science by opting to study a Physicsrelated course at University. With such talented young physicists, we have also seen success beyond the exam hall. This year thirty Y12 students and nearly forty Y11 students took part in the annual Physics Olympiad, a series of prestigious and challenging problem-solving competitions attempted by the most able students in the country. Typically, about 130 students, in each age range, achieve the coveted Gold award. This year we had three students achieve a Gold award in the Y12 Senior Physics Challenge, with a further two students securing a Silver award and 10 securing a Bronze award. A special congratulations should go out to our golden trio: Joe Bruton, Sam Shepherd and Isaac Taylor. An outstanding achievement! Further to this, we had a trio of Y12 and Y13 students volunteer to compete at an even more prestigious level, for a chance to represent Britain at the International Physics Olympiad. Although sadly none of them made it through to the second round, Ally Darnton scooped up a rare Silver award, which is a great honour for such a challenging and self-selecting competition. Well done Ally! Although we endeavour to make our lessons as hands-on and exploratory as possible, packing our sessions with practicals and demonstrations where possible, we do not have the space to run our own particle physics practicals, like CERN or RAL. This year our Y13 with some Y12 students, had the opportunity to visit the UK’s equivalent of CERN, the Rutherford 42

Appleton Laboratories (RAL) in Oxford, as invitees to their Particle Physicist Masterclass. Just as the news cycles were just starting to wake up to the threat from coronavirus, our students listened intently to talks on the cutting-edge research being done at RAL on Covid-19, as well as enjoying an introduction to particle physics. Prior to a lunchtime video link chat with CERN scientists, our students got to spend a few hours in their shoes, analysing collision data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in order to search for the elusive Higgs Boson. In the afternoon, they were treated to a tour round the main

synchrotron, including walking on top of the concrete housing holding the small tubes where the electrons would fly along at incredible speeds. No trip would be complete without a quiz and I am sure the fierce competition to win a RAL teddy bear will remain one of the many prized memories our students have of this day, alongside the opportunity to see the inner workings of one of the UK’s largest science experiments. S Richardson

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TRIP TO THE RUTHERFORD APPLETON L ABOR ATORY Henry Righetti & Ally Darnton Getting in a spin: the cut-throat physics trip to see accelerators. Time is not a line but a dimension, like the dimensions of space. This particular dimension had decided that the sixth form trip to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) would take a very long time indeed. Eventually, we cruised into the Disneyland of physics: RAL. Our day began in a holding pen full of the country’s most socially awkward physics students quietly nibbling custard creams. The talks were riveting and concerned particle accelerators, the cuttingedge research they were doing on Covid-19 and an introduction to particle physics. I am ashamed to admit however, that both the temperature and seat conditions were optimal for napping and I couldn’t tell where my body ended and the plush purple pews began as I slipped into the warm embrace of sleep. Feeling refreshed, we then did a workshop on analysing the data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. We had to identify the different types of collisions that happened and find out which particles were formed. It was an esoteric egg-hunt because the illusive Higgs Boson had nestled itself into

our data with a reward of RAL merch for the lucky soul who found it. There were multiple claims for the first to find it and, call me a cynic, but I think some of the claims were falsified. Who can blame them though? Wouldn’t you do it for a RAL teddy bear? The time had come for lunch in a spacious hall with polystyrene planets suspended in the air which inspired some of our more creative sixth formers to create perspective photos of pupils plucking Pluto like a plum or playing basketball with Jupiter. There had been a photo competition announced in the morning and, having seen the stakes were high with the previous rewards, there was renewed focus on getting the perfect snap to encapsulate the day. But there was foul play afoot as some of our more unscrupulous pupils had spread misinformation about the email address, thus ensuring that their (frankly mediocre) photos were the only ones submitted from KES. As we ate our food, there was a skype call to a couple of physicists at CERN. It felt like they were our new alien overlords, issuing their ultimatum, their faces streamed to every available screen.

We then took a tour round the facility and the main synchrotron (not a transformer, disappointingly) which resembled a large concrete donut, unconsumable unless you had a thirst for knowledge. It was jam-packed with scientists doing various experiments on materials and we even got to walk on top of the concrete that housed the small tubes where the electrons would fly along at incredible speed. Back at the lecture theatre we participated in a quiz with each of us using a remote to press the correct answer. It felt like a late 80s Hungarian gameshow and with no accurate way to indicate an actual winner; an opportunistic hot-shot claimed another prize. The day ended with the prize for the photo competition two KES pupils who had shamelessly sabotaged their peers. You could practically see the guilt written across their faces as they collected their reward. I hope they (Xavier Raynes and Alex Christopherson, year 13) are really happy and use the prize money for some lessons in grace and decorum. I didn’t even want to win anyway. I promise. It’s safe to say that everyone enjoyed the trip but hey, its’s all relative. 43

Rugby

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It has been another excellent Rugby season for all the players and staff involved.

This season the School has consistently fielded up to 14 teams from U12 to 1st XV at weekends, which is testament to all the hard work from everyone who contributes to the rugby programme. With a clear rugby ethos and working from the KES Games Model that is replicated from the Junior School to the Senior 1st XV, the boys have been working hard on a number of key themes throughout the year. In attack, these include supporting the ball and space, relieving and applying pressure, gaining momentum through possession and understanding momentum. In defence: slowing the ball down, reducing options, winning the ball back and transitions. The progression of the players has been amazing, and this has led to some fantastic performances from all teams throughout the year groups. Thank you to Miss A. Young, Mr Gray, Mr Kean, Mr Ball, Mr West, Mr Penrose, Mr Bye, Mr Garner-Richardson, Mr Barrett, Mr Ferguson, Mr Barber, Mr Robertshaw, Mr Fisher, Mr Oehler and Mr Tidball. The boys have benefitted from a superb team of committed and very experienced coaching 44

staff who have delivered high levels of support and consistently plan challenging and enjoyable sessions. Another big thank you must go to the captains for their hard work during the term. Here are a few comments from some of the various captains throughout the age groups, highlighting their memories of the rugby season:

U15 Cameron Finnigan

1ST X V Ben Taylor After talking to the fellow 1st XV boys, we decided the best moments of the year wereÂ beating Beechen Cliff at home, when all odds were against us, putting 50 points on Prior and the pre-season trip to Swansea that really helped shape what was a fantastic season.

Our season started like every other with a difficult match against a strong Kingswood side, where we came off second best. However, as the season progressed, we grew as a squad, demonstrating attributes such as determination and selfless ability to play for one another. Our highlight of the season was the final match against Prior - the KES derby! Everything we learnt was put in to practise and we finished the season on a high, winning 10-5.

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“The team had fought hard all match and we had an opportunity to win. I stepped up to take the kick… and it went through!! The whole team went crazy.”

U14B Finlay Jones It was the last game of term against Prior Park which sticks in the team’s mind the most. In the dying seconds of the game we were two points down and had been fighting on their try line, when we were awarded a penalty straight in front of the posts. The team had fought hard all match and we had an opportunity to win. I stepped up to take the kick… and it went through!! The whole team went crazy. We won by one point - what a great way to finish the season.

U13A Matty Rosser

U12 Thomas Fisher

It was an amazing rugby season consisting of a lot of great performances. One that really stuck in my mind is how we came back against Clifton College because the belief, the team moral and the performance was incredible in the second half.

U13B

The best part of playing rugby for me especially being new to the school was meeting new people. I really enjoyed working with new people and of course playing rugby with them. My second favourite moment was playing against Colston's. We came from behind and won the game. That was a really good feeling.

On an individual level, we can be extremely proud of many of our rugby players who are representing the School at County to Academy level. Special mention must go to Tom Bertinet and Jack Ewart, who have represented Bath Rugby in the U16 setup. George Ritchie is in the U15 DPP, seven members are in the U14 DPP whilst a further 8 members of the U13s had their DPP trials for Bath Rugby in February half term which is a superb achievement. The 1st XV rugby team had a brilliant season with some incredible performances against Taunton, Colston’s and Beechen Cliff and they finished the term in style with an emphatic 52-21 victory against Prior Park. The Year 13s can look forward to finishing their KES rugby careers in style when they attend the prestigious Sedbergh National 10s Tournament, where they will play the very best schools in the country. S Lilley

William Avent This year it has been a great season for the KES U13 B team with lots of great results against strong teams and only 2 losses all term. Some of the highlights include a testing victory against Millfield and a hardfought win against QEH in torrential rain. We have also had some of the B team players progressing into the A team and hopefully they will keep their place there next year.

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Girls’ Hockey In so many ways the COVID 19 outbreak had a dramatic impact on all areas of life. Of course, the ‘lockdown’ helped society deal with the virus, but it meant that we lost a whole term of sport this summer. The ‘sporting’ landscape will be different moving forward but, rest assured, we will endeavour to create a sporting programme that offers breadth, opportunity and challenge for all our pupils to enjoy! D Hacker

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Following in the footsteps of the 2018 hockey season, the 2019 Autumn hockey season has gone one better! For the first time in KES Girls’ Hockey history, our U14As competed in National Tier 2 Finals having been crowned as County and Regional Champions at the beginning of March. During a very tense and highly competitive day, the girls were unbeaten in their group, finishing top on goal difference, thanks to a thrilling 3-0 victory in their final group match. Despite a brave tussle in the final, the team came up just short against a very strong Bedford Girls’ School side. To finish as National runners-up is an outstanding achievement and is one which the school is very proud of. Our 1st team have also had a promising season, reaching the 3rd round of the knockout National Cup, with the highlight being an excellent 5-1 win at Warminster where they played some exceptional hockey. Sadly, their Cup run came to an end against a competitive Sherborne Girls’ team. There were also successes for the U16 girls and U18 boys Indoor Hockey teams, both teams were runners-up in their respective County Tournaments, and then they gave a good account of themselves at the Regional finals. In local tournaments our U13Bs were victorious at the Royal High School Tournament, which was a wonderful achievement for them. We have again had an incredible 16 teams competing for the School, with 126 regular matches played, and 305 goals scored across all our teams. There have been some fantastic performances and very pleasing progress made by all age groups. It is hard to pick out specific, memorable performances, as there would been too many to mention, but we would also like to highlight the U15A team, as they have been outstanding all season, having won 8 games from 9 fixtures. P Livesey

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Netball The 2020 netball season began back in October with U14, U16 & U19 squads once again demonstrating their strength in the local rounds of the National Schools Competition. Early success saw the U16 and U19 squads crowned county champions. For the U19s this was their 5th consecutive year. Both teams went onto perform well at the Regional Finals in Bournemouth missing out a place at the National finals by small margins. Despite the season being cut short there is still much to celebrate. None of this would be possible without the committed and talented team of netball staff who have given tirelessly of their time once again throughout this term, and for this we are hugely grateful. Pre-season saw large numbers of girls honing skills ready for the season ahead. We hosted two tournaments and a masterclass session from Rosie Allison, OE and England Netballer with Welsh International Clare Jones. The U12As have enjoyed an extremely encouraging action-packed season, 48

under the guidance of Miss Young, Mrs Livesey, Mrs Utton and Miss Cottingham. Their commitment and desire shone from day one at pre-season training. The team finished the season as tournament winners with a never give up attitude.  The B team finished the season with 5 wins and one draw. Players within this team have made great progress and thoroughly enjoyed their season. The C and D team fixtures were also a real success story. The tour to Exeter was a highlight, sporting their new KES socks, the C team finished the season with 4 wins and a loss and the D team 3 wins. The U13s have really enjoyed their season working with Miss Trump, Mr Barrett and Miss Richardson. Many results didn’t fall our way but the girls were tenacious in learning from their mistakes and upping their game each following week. From the A team finishing second in our own KES tournament to the D team being the only winning team against a very strong Taunton School, all girls showed what it means to be a KES Netballer.

The talented U14s worked with Mrs Pike, Miss Young and Mrs Stanford Tuck. They often showed pure genius on the court and their natural skill floated the ball effortlessly down the court. Even in the face of challenging opposition, the girls repeatedly showed determination and resilience. Lucy Smith, as their captain, demonstrated leadership with passion, energy and drive. The B team, showing their love for the game and their team-work, lost only once. An inconsistent C team saw confidence grow and smiles throughout after a strong win against Prior Park. The U15s grew in energy and enthusiasm thanks to their coaches Mrs Fuller and Miss Perris. Captained by Molly Livesey, the U15As had a couple of very close matches – St Mary’s Calne by 1 goal and Bristol Grammar by 2. They gave it their all when playing against Bryanston and Kingswood winning both convincingly. The highlight of the U15B’s tough season was beating Bristol Grammar by 3 goals after a goal for goal match. Captain Pia Comer never gave up

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and made sure the team played with a smile and a determination to win. In a season heavily disrupted with academic pressures and then a pandemic, Mrs Kean, Miss Simonds, Mrs Liddiard, Mr Tidball and Mrs Gwilliam coached Senior teams who produced netball to be proud of. The 4th team have won most of their matches and really enjoyed the recreational feel to the programme. Although it has been a mixed season, the 3rd team have fought hard and lost 2 games in the final seconds of play. A newly formed second team only lost 2 games but their experience and potential was obvious. The majority of the squad played 1st team at some point throughout the season reflecting the strength and depth within the teams. The 1st team, captained by Grace Reid, felt nervous approaching this season, coming off the back of such an impressive one last year and with the majority of the squad headed off to University there were big shoes to fill. Nerves quickly settled and confidence grew as the wins kept coming. They lost only 1 game against a National Kings Worcester side. U19 NPL player Daisy Collett switched ends of the court this season, bringing her experience to the shooting circle. The girls retained their title not only as the Best in Bath beating Kingswood, Prior and Monkton but also Royal High to be crowned County Champions. That’s a season to be proud of! We wish all the Year 13 pupils the very best for the future and thank them for their contribution to KES Netball. A big thank you also goes to all the captains for their hard work throughout this term. L Gwilliam

YR 7/8 EXETER NETBALL TOUR Short local sports tours have always been a highly valued part of the netball programme, but never have I taken 75 pupils and 7 staff on tour to Exeter! We filled two buses with girls excited for an action-packed night away. Taunton school was our first block of 8 netball fixtures. We played great netball and were pleased to walk away with 5 wins and 3 losses and all girls played their part on court. A quick after match tea, a few thank-yous and we left for tenpin bowling fun and pizza. The girls enjoyed getting strikes and showing off their moves, followed by the muchloved ice cream machine at Pizza Hut. We arrived at the Exeter youth hostel in the dark, with only time to find our rooms and settle into our new home for the night. Obviously, all the girls were quiet and asleep by 10pm!!!!! A cooked breakfast set the girls up ready for another block of 8 fixtures at our old friends’ Exeter School. It was great to have KES supporters there too (including two former KES players)! Another set of competitive matches saw us cementing our skills and developing from the previous day with 6 wins and 2 losses. Time for a quick change and then into Exeter for some lunch and retail therapy. The year 7s then headed to the cinema, while the 8s splashed about at Pyramids swimming pool. The bus journey home provided lots of singing and some awards. It felt like we had been away for ages and we all looked forward to our own beds. The girls were a credit to the school and an absolute pleasure to take away. Many thanks to Mrs Fuller, Miss Young, Miss Symonds, Miss Trump, Mrs Livesey and Miss Cottingham for making the tour such a huge success. L Gwilliam

BEING AN NPL NETBALL PL AYER FOR TEAM BATH Daisy Collett I have been in the the Netball Performance League (NPL) for Team Bath since year 9. Each of the England Superleague netball teams have an NPL team. First, I played in the Under 17 NPL team which was a great experience, helping me to develop as a player and also to push myself to see what I was capable of. Team Bath NPL teams are made up from players all around the South West. We tend to train twice a week in Bath, Taunton or Exeter plus a Strength and Conditioning session. During the season, I was asked to join the U19 NPL team which was amazing as I have really pushed myself playing with older players, and have developed more as a player as a result. There have been lots of matches this season but the furthest I have travelled for one is to Middlesborough. We tend to stay overnight if the journey is really long. The highlight for me this year was getting on court for a competitive match, for the first time with the U19 team! Also, training with the Superleague players a few times was a great experience. My ambition is to stay in the performance pathway and hopefully play in the Superleague one day too. 49

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Boysâ€™ Hockey For many reasons the 2020 Boysâ€™ hockey season will not be one easily forgotten. It was of course a great shame that the term ended so abruptly, and in particular, that our Year 13 leavers missed out on the traditional finale to their school hockey careers at the KES Hockey Festival. Nevertheless, all our players must be congratulated on what has been further significant progress on the hockey field at all levels.

Many of the Year 7s started the season as beginners and had some tough matches. However, a fantastic set of fixtures with Kingswood, including a memorable 4-3 away victory against a previously unbeaten A team, appeared to provide the impetus for the boys to train harder and smarter. The Year 7 teams finished the term playing some brilliant hockey that indicated a clear and improving understanding of the game, including coming 3rd in The Booker Shield Tournament. The U13s have continued their impressive progress from last season and across all four squads, they won 27 of their 33 matches, losing only 3! The A squad had been preparing for the Regional Tournament, which was sadly cancelled alongside so many other sports events, but it is fair to say that the boys had every chance of claiming a place at the National Finals. The U14s and the U15s both enjoyed very positive seasons, playing scintillating hockey. There were some very pleasing results from all teams. The U14 Boys had a season ravaged by injuries and illnesses, but while this was a source of frustration for those directly affected, it provided an opportunity for others to step up 50

and take on greater responsibility. The U15 boys are a strong group of players and they can reflect positively on their campaign; two brilliant performances by the U15A come to mind against Millfield and a strong Colstonâ€™s side, but the Bs showed that hard work in training really does pay off with nine victories over the season. Our senior teams yet again set a great example to the younger players in the school. The 3rd XI displayed fantastic commitment and spirit throughout. The 2nd XI enjoyed dominant performances in a number of their matches, with several players earning a place in the 1st team in the second half of the season. The 1st XI were not as consistent as they would have liked, but still showed what they are capable of in a great victory over local rivals Monkton, and two further impressive displays against strong Millfield and Prior Park sides. The future of KES Hockey is bright. We have very high numbers regularly attending training and growing numbers of boys and girls establishing themselves in the England Hockey Player Pathway. D Hacker

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Football 2019-20 SEASON This has been a most unusual season with all but three 1st X1 games in the Spring Term being cancelled due to poor weather or the pandemic.I would like to thank all those Year 13 boys who represented the school with such enthusiasm, energy and commitment at 1st or 2nd X1 level over the last one, two or even three years. The Autumn Term for the 1st X1 started with a very unfortunate and undeserved 3-0 defeat away at Bristol Grammar school but the boys picked themselves up and then played with more steel, skill and flair in the games that followed. In Round 1 of the Somerset Cup against Sexey’s School, the team convincingly won 7-2 with Tom Stacey scoring a hat-trick,

and then there were also hard-fought draws against Downside, 2-2, and the return match against BGS, 0-0. The term concluded with a rousing 3-2 victory away at Clifton College with Sam Rosser and Dan Stacey scoring late goals to win the game. Dan’s 92nd winner sent the crowd into raptures (well, Mr Chapman and the three KES subs) and the journey home was all that much more pleasant.

in some very exciting matches and I suppose honours were even in the end.

In the Spring Term, the 1st X1 played three matches with the term getting off to winning start with a 4-1 victory against Wycliffe but then two narrow 1-0 defeats against Kingswood and Beechen Cliff brought the season to a slightly disappointing close. Overall, some cracking football was played

We look forward to the new season in September when we do it all again with two new senior teams, new players, freshly cut grass on smooth playing surfaces, and hope springs ever eternal.

The 2nd X1 lost narrowly to BGS in the Autumn Term and also to Wycliffe at the start of the Spring Term, but they beat Kingswood 3-0 with Indi Jones scoring a fine hat-trick and managed a creditable draw, 2-2, against Beechen Cliff. Well done boys on an enjoyable season.

D Chapman

Academic PE Our Year 12 and 13 pupils enjoyed valuable trips to Cardiff Met University and the National Velodrome in Newport. The day began at Cardiff Met for a quick University campus tour before heading to the labs for physiological testing and video analysis. The pupils benefitted greatly from putting the theory into practice, hearing a lecture on energy systems and then witnessing these systems in play as they undertook some maximal and sub-maximal testing. It fuelled their passion with a few vowing to read Sport and Exercise Science at degree level. At Newport, we enjoyed a 2-hour track cycling experience at the National Velodrome. It was interesting to see the shocked looks on those fearless Rugby players as they eyed up the velodrome’s steep slopes and the brakeless bikes! After a few laps, nerves dissipated and they were flying round, exhilarated by speed. It was a superb day and I know the pupils took a great deal from both opportunities. 52

Our Year 10 GCSE students have unfortunately missed out on our Elite Athlete Day organised for the summer term, but our Year 11s were lucky enough to benefit greatly from a KES revision course with the expert Ross Howitt (AQA Chief Moderator). He led them through a comprehensive overview of the

GCSE course and looked at valuable study techniques that will be helpful in future. The pupils found it worthwhile and extremely valuable. L Gwilliam

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China Tallulah Brady During October half term, King Edward’s School and Beechen Cliff departed on a joint adventure to China. By staying only a few nights at each location and utilising overnight trains, we were able to explore several cities in Eastern China including Shanghai, Suzhou, Xian and Beijing. The food, accommodation and activities were phenomenal as was the mix between the anticipated tourist experiences and genuine immersion into Chinese culture. It was not unusual to spend our mornings wandering around some of the world’s most famous attractions such as the Great Wall, The Terracotta Warriors, Tiananmen Square or The Oriental TV tower only to find ourselves a couple of hours later watching a traditional sweet seller mould sugar into toffee, or be taught about the cultural significance of guardian statues by an eager Chinese homeowner. The knowledge and connections of our local tour guides ensured that we were momentarily able to lift the veil and appreciate our surroundings from the perspective of those who learn, work and live in these great cities. At Suzhou Foreign Language School, we were given a tour, learned

about traditional opera masks and were able to teach a lesson in English to primary-aged pupils. My teaching partner and I introduced the class to philosophy by adapting the classic Trolley Problem to Harry Potter themed dilemmas. Each of us spent a one-night homestay with a Chinese family. I was invited to attend a meal with my homestay partner and her extended family before being given a tour of the Suzhou High Street. As both my homestay and her cousin hoped to one day apply to a UK university, they were eager to practice their English skills and asked a multitude of questions about my views on all aspects of UK society. In turn, I was given a thorough rundown of the Chinese educational system.

trip were the unexpected moments such as coming across China’s own Derek Trotter at the foot of the Great Wall, accidentally dropping two large glass trophies moments after being awarded them, or the sheer joy at discovering over 20 flavours of Oreo at a Chinese supermarket. For me, the 2019 trip to China was an absolute highlight of my school experience. The trip helped me to learn more about Chinese culture and customs, develop an appreciation for travel and ultimately have the most enjoyable experience. It only remains for me to thank Mr Willison and Ms Moon for their ceaseless efforts to plan and support us through this adventure.

From all the experiences of our time in China, stand out moments include the Shanghai underground fakes markets where passionate bargaining led to 90-yuan (£10) Gucci Belts and Versace bags; tobogganing down the Great Wall of China; and being stunned by the seemingly effortless athleticism at the Circus City Acrobatics show. Even more than the planned activities what will truly stay in the memories of all those on the 53

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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Participating in the DofE scheme brings many varied rewards, and at the presentation evening in January it was fantastic to see so many young people receive their well-earned certificates and badges. There were impressive Gold level successes with 16 pupils completing their award. Amongst those were year 13s: Katherine Nicholls, Henri Righetti, Isabella Sim, William Sinclair, Jade Taylor, Jemima Tweedale and Lucien Wolf. Congratulations to them and OEs James Barson, Molly Buxton, Naomi Bywater, William Chantry, Freddie Daniels, Daniel O’Herlihy, Will Oliver, Edward Porter and Finn Smith. They look forward to the trip to Buckingham Palace to receive their awards soon. Completing the silver award during the 2018-2019 academic year, we congratulate Matthew Barclay, Will Burwell, Oliver Cochran, Cameron Coutts, Alex Done, Charlotte Evans, Max Fairhurst, Ben Fallon, Harry Frith, Tabby Gardiner, Evie Handle, Angus Hatfield, Iyshea Hender, Will Johns, Matthew Marshall, Martha Murray, 54

Phoebe Ritchie, Olivia Seaton, Alex Sharma, Henry Skinner, Isaac Taylor, Will Treharne, Sam Trezies, Wilf Turner, Natalie Wigfield and Josh Wood. Continuing their DofE programmes during lockdown and social distancing has presented some new challenges, but pupils have shown great resilience, adapting well to the change in circumstances and making the most of any opportunities. Many took the chance to switch to activities closer to home or online. They used exercise apps to record their runs and cycle rides, worked out with Joe Wicks, and honed cooking skills. Volunteering proved problematic, but many have been able to help community groups and charities. We have missed the camaraderie of the expeditions, which have been postponed.

Reminiscing over qualifying expeditions last summer will bring happy memories. Having endured challenging conditions on their practices, everyone was delighted to see the sun during their final expeditions. For the Bronze teams walking on the Marlborough Downs, this also coincided with the summer solstice and for those teams starting from Avebury, the addition of some rather drunken druids roaming around proved quite entertaining. Crops high in the fields threatened navigation, although this excuse couldn’t explain all the lengthy detours made. Once groups reached the camp, they efficiently put up their tents, cooked and made the most of a beautiful summer evening. We are one of the only schools that provides the bronze expedition ourselves due to the willingness of staff to support and supervise.

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The Black Mountains and Snowdonia in June were almost too sunny for the silver and gold qualifying expeditions but the scenery was beautiful and assessors praised our teams as a pleasure to accompany and among the best they have ever worked with. We are delighted that 43 Year 10s enrolled for the silver level. At KES we have always completed our expeditions on foot, but Ms McCrorie having completed her own silver expedition by canoe was keen to introduce this at KES. Although this year’s expedition plans are still in limbo, both the silver and bronze teams managed to complete their two days of training. Dr A Fewell

SILVER D OF E CANOE TR AINING The first of two canoe training sessions for our 41-strong team of Silver Duke of Edinburgh participants was on a cold and wet Sunday in March. Year 10 students arrived in good spirits, excited and keen to get on the water. After kitting up in their wetsuit, windproof top, buoyancy aid and safety helmet, they were ready for the safety briefing. They carried their canoes to the lake’s edge and embarked on the start of their D of E canoe journey. New skills were learnt by all and games to reinforce the new skills were played and enjoyed. Some groups had an early practice of capsize drills – unintentionally!! This was, however, the focus for the afternoon session, where all groups got in the cold water to practice important safety

drills. The following week’s training was just as successful, with plenty more skills learnt and developed, with far fewer unintentional capsizes by all groups. For the afternoon’s practice, all groups looked much sturdier in their canoes with better teamwork. The instructors from Wiltshire Outdoor Learning were pleased with the progress all groups made over the two training sessions, and everyone looked forward to the expedition. Many thanks to parents for their continued support of the D of E, to the canoe instructors for their excellent training, and of course to Dr Fewell and Mr Perry for their dry land support and encouragement! S McCrorie

Ten Tors The combined efforts of Storm Ciara and Covid-19 led to the cancellation of two training weekends as well as the Ten Tors expedition. It was to have been the 60th time the event took place too - now delayed to 2021. KES teams will be there! One training weekend did take place, based at Llanddeusant in the Brecon Beacons. An excellent weekend of walking and a memory to enjoy now we are all in lockdown! I am looking forward hugely to walking with KES teams next year! T Laney 55

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CCF CSgt Alexi Cardash Crowsley

This has been an incredible year for the CCF who have moved forward with the introduction of new trophies and traditions. Throughout the entire contingent we have strived to achieve and be the best that we can be, and we’ve had a great time doing it! The year started with the reoccurrence of a long-running tournament between sections of new recruits lead by NCOs. This gives the NCOs a great opportunity to enhance their leadership skills whilst pushing the new recruits to increase their knowledge. Competitions included a wide range of activities from weapon handling to a night navigation exercise. Our eventual winners were 4 Section who took home the inaugural Button Trophy, presented by Ex Cadet Rebecca Button and her parents. The Contingent’s Corps of Drums had their best year yet. It was a pleasure to watch them marching through the streets of Bath during the Remembrance Day parade, with our five musicians leading the way and keeping the pace. Our drummers also began a new exciting tradition at our annual dinner night as they choreographed and performed ‘mud cabin’ in full ceremonial uniform to kick off the evening.

As always, the dinner night was one of the highlights of the year. The Wessex building was magically transformed through the use of mirrors which atmospherically reflected candlelight around the room. After a delicious meal, with thanks to the catering team, the cadets and staff danced the night away with a ceilidh! Exercise Patch Up was a great hit and kept our junior cadets on their feet with a series of first aid scenarios to deal with. Alongside successfully treating all situations that came their way, the cadets were put through their paces in Skill at Arms training throughout the day. Finally, two new courses were offered to Senior cadets this year. The first was a weekend based on radio and communication. This was loved by all who attended and earned the contingent new PRC 710 radios.

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Russian Club Привет! (Hello!) For the first time, KES has offered an introduction to Russian through the newly introduced Russian Club. Along with a few dedicated attendees, Mr Ferguson has helped to introduce students to the Cyrillic alphabet, pronunciation, introducing yourself, hobbies, and where you live in Russian. Having made use of the brand new, state-of-the-art technology in the new Modern Languages block, students have been able to practice their Russian 56

handwriting on the smart boards, listen to native Russian speakers describing themselves and their lives, and play interactive games in a fun but competitive learning environment. Prior to lockdown, these sessions were well attended, and Mr Ferguson is hoping that this will continue to grow once school opens again! As the Russians would say, он держит пальцы скрещенными! (He is crossing is fingers!) C Ferguson

Similarly, cadets were offered a BTEC Level 2 through the Institute of Leadership and Management. Overall the year has been a huge success for all cadets and staff and we look forward to seeing what the next year has in store for us!

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Calligraphy Since September KES has been running a calligraphy club. After getting festive over the Christmas period we have been more experimental in the Spring term with fancy capitals and use of colour (gold being a firm favourite!). Juliette has demonstrated using colour in two way; firstly by writing in colour to create animal pictures and secondly using a reverse colour technique. This involves writing in masking fluid initially and then painting over with ink to create the reverse effect. Issy has used a traditional cursive stroke with some elaborate capitals in Wordsworth’s poem The Daffodils. SJ McCrorie

Lego Robotics Angus Cannock Each year the school’s Lego Robotics team enters the FIRST Lego League, a global science and technology competition, which involves designing, building and programming an autonomous robot to complete various tasks, and also a project, in which teams attempt to solve a real-world problem. This year, the theme was ‘City Shaper’, focusing on urban life and development. We worked two lunchtimes a week to prepare, refining our robot to complete the tasks. For the project we chose to try to reduce traffic congestion by increasing bus capacity during rush hours, by designing a seat that could be easily folded away when demand was high to make space for more standing passengers. As part of our project we researched the regulations around bus seats and contacted bus manufacturers.

On the day of the competition we arrived only a few minutes before the opening ceremony. We gave our project presentation immediately afterward, which went well; all our practise had paid off. In the Robot Game, despite our preparation, the robot simply refused to co-operate, but we just managed to scrape through to the knockout stage. Over lunch, through a mixture of our bugfixes and sheer luck, we resurrected the robot and rose to third on the leaderboard, which put us on track to the final. We could hardly believe it. Recalling an unfortunate incident last year, we double-checked that the robot’s batteries were fully charged. The robot’s operation was faultless. We

got the highest score in the final. We had won the Robot Game knockout. We didn’t get a trophy, because the rules were changed this year, but that didn’t matter. We learned from the experience, not just how to build a Lego robot, but how to work as a team to solve problems and complete open-ended tasks. We also learned how to work with, rather than against, competition. And not only that, it was tremendous fun.

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Table Tennis After only establishing our table tennis team last year, Tommy Franklin-Adams yet again led us in our friendly against Kingswood before Christmas. In the new year Kingswood kindly organised and held a multi-school tournament. We entered an U15 and U18 team. The U15 team, consisting of two year 7s and one year 8 did extremely well against older opposition, finishing 3rd. The U18 boys finished 2nd with some closely fought matches. It has been great to see the growth of table tennis over the last year and we look forward to playing more fixtures in the future.

Swimming It was a delight to see 21 KES students compete in the Bristol Schools swimming heats back in November. It was only our second year competing. The heat was fiercely competitive with only nine students advancing to the finals which were held in Easton, Bristol. There were strong performances from all and nice to see the Year 8s leading the way for the Year 7s. Well done to all who competed. K Trump

Equestrian It has been great to see the equestrian interest in the school grow with notable performances over the year. Jemima Tollworthy finished 5th in the West Wilts ODE (one-day event) and 3rd at the National schools’ final on her horse Tubby. What a superb year they have had. Alana McGirr finished an impressive 6th and 7th in the King Sedgemoor NSEA dressage in February. The Hetherington twins, new to the team, showed their talent at the Moreton Dressage competition. Jessica finished 6th and Rachael 1st and 3rd in her two classes. Vicki Messent flew the KES flag at the Grasslands 90cm show jumping competition in February finishing 2nd. What a year! Roll on the 2020/2021 season. Once again, a massive thank you to Alice Tollworthy for all her help throughout the year.

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Running Club This year our average weekly attendance of pupils from years 7 to 12 has grown to double figures. At Christmas we raised over £50 for Dorothy House by taking part in their elf run and we hope to expand this charity event next year. Some of the students also took part in the Marshfield Mudlark with Alex Hearn winning the U13 boys and taking part in the U16 boys winning teams. The KES Running club encourages pupils to work on their physical and mental fitness and overall well-being. Running on National Trust trails and the canal path is a great way for the students and staff to enjoy themselves and work towards their 10-run t-shirt. It is no wonder that it continues to grow in popularity. Many thanks to all the teachers who help make this club happen every Wednesday. We look forward to seeing new faces come September.

CROSS COUNTRY

BIATHLON

Of this year’s 46 runners who took part in the BANES race, 12 qualified for the county round, like last year. After some incredible performances by all, four were invited to compete at the SW Championships in Bournemouth. Amelie Rushforth (Year 7), Alex Hearn (Year 8) and Justin Davies (Year 12) did themselves proud finishing 61st, 43rd and 6th respectively. Alex went on to compete at the English schools’ National finals in Liverpool. Such an achievement considering he is a year young for his age category. Unfortunately, Justin was ill so couldn’t compete.

Eleven students competed in the Bath schools Biathlon held by Prior Park at Bath University. Charlotte Lang finished 1st in the U13 girls, with teammate Phoebe Olesen 3rd, meaning the team won overall. Alex Hearn finished 1st in the U13 boys, with brother Stuart winning the U15 category. Seven qualified for the school’s national finals (unfortunately cancelled due to COVID-19). However, Charlotte competed in the National finals in Nottingham and finished an impressive 3rd after starting the competition ranked 9th. A massive well done to all who competed this year. Let’s hope for a new surge of Year 7 biathletes in 2020-21.

K Trump

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Model United Nations

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Alice Mumford

BISMUN, the annual Model United Nations conference held at Kingswood School, would have been a significant occasion even without the events of the following months: as the last MUN event of the year and the first conference for many delegates, it marked both the end and the beginning of people’s individual journeys into debating and the United Nations. MUN can seem like its own world, refreshingly detached from normal life, in which people can develop a new side of themselves. For one weekend, disbelief is suspended, and you can be someone entirely different: someone who speaks in public with (apparent) confidence and debates

Youth Climate Summit Bella Shorrock & Katie Ghali

In a world where forest fires, animal extinctions and record temperatures reach the headlines on a daily basis, it is more important than ever for younger generations to step up and take responsibility for the way we interact with the world around us. 2019 was a year of immense change – across the world, young people took to the streets to protest the climate emergency, galvanised by the fearless activism of Greta Thunberg. Students from KES and other local schools gathered at monthly ‘Fridays for the Future’ and ‘School Strike 4 Climate’ marches. Students at KES have a long history of organising the BANES Youth 60

issues of global importance on the world stage – as well as referring to yourself in the third person (e.g. “The delegate of Kuwait believes that…”) and passing notes to new and old friends between committees via helpful Year 7 ‘secretaries’. This conference seems especially memorable because of when it took place: during the weekend of the 6th8th of March, few of us had any idea that the country would be in lockdown two weeks later. BISMUN was the last event that many of us participated in before our social world was suddenly forced to shrink; no one knows when the next time will be when we are able to attend a conference where hundreds of people will be. This one, however, was certainly a success, which we hope to continue in the future: representing Austria, China, Fiji and Nigeria, ten KES delegates won individual awards and our China delegation was Commended overall. In the Human Rights Council, the (semi) fictional emergency scenario was of the dangerous juxtaposition of the Coronavirus pandemic and the escalation of Hong Kong protests (ominous foreshadowing of the current discussion of the right to

protest amidst a health crisis). As one of the delegates representing China, it was quite an intense debate. These debates felt distinctly different, perhaps more important than others in the past: we were playing the parts of countries, arguing about important world events as they unfolded around us in real-time. Perhaps for some of us, we were practising for a distant future in which we would be the ones persuading and compromising in international negotiations, forging history without the safety of knowing that the impact of the resolutions we created would remain within the walls of Kingswood School.

Climate Summit – but the one we held in February 2020 seemed more important than ever. For the first time, the summit was held at the main school site, which enabled a record number of local schools to attend. This year, we managed to get an incredible, diverse array of speakers – from our local MP, Wera Hobhouse, to Steve Smith, a director working with the Albert project to make the film industry more sustainable. Students were engaged and interested, working with speakers in smaller groups and workshops to consider the issues and local solutions. Led by Hubbub, an ingenious organisation that uses creativity to inspire greener living, everyone in attendance made three environmental pledges to live more sustainably – these were then posted to us a month later so we could see if we had been successful! With small actions and pledges like these, we hope to encourage students and the wider community to be aware of their environmental impact, and make the shift towards a greener lifestyle! Hopefully, students who

came were inspired to think about changes they can make within their school environments, as well as having had the opportunity to engage with an array of talents and enhance their discussion and creativity skills. The day was busy, fulfilling and fun, and – with the exception of one of our speakers failing to attend (on holiday in the Seychelles!) – ran smoothly, thanks to our amazing team of facilitators in the sixth form. We were also so grateful to the generous sponsorship from local business Hartley Farm, which has sustainability at the heart of all its produce.

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Socrates

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Talullah Brady

For many years The Socrates Club has been the home to rigorous academic debate on wide-ranging philosophical, political and ethical issues. The 2019-2020 academic year was no exception. We had a number of presentations including the practicalities of gender reassignment, the relationship between God and science and the ethics of

KES Pride Rosie Byrne

Talks from ex-teachers, Old Edwardians, assembly presentations, LGBT+ film nights and school decoration show KES Pride has really spread our rainbows this year! The Q Block is our beacon: spreading awareness of and comradeship in LGBT+ community. Pride won the OE award for Clubs and Societies to fund our new film night: Love, Simon with a talk by OE Jon Monie. Invitations went to Bath schools who were inspired to hear Jon’s talk about being gay as a KES student then compared to the acceptance that is coming through schools today. We have had visits and support from KES teachers Ms Young and Mr Harrison. This involvement is important for our group and for the whole school it reminds us of the inclusivity of our school. Mr Harrison talked to us about the relationship between religion and the LGBT+ community. Assumptions are often made but the truth is there are many Christians who are supporters, if not members, of the community. These conversations keep our school community open and accepting and help to stomp out prejudice and homophobia. Pride also gave assemblies to all ages across the Senior School. One of our Year 13s gave a Lower School talk explaining language and terminology;

implementing coronavirus restrictions. The diverse nature of this year’s discussions has drawn an increasing number of lower and middle school attendees, in turn, helping to gauge a wider range of viewpoints from across the whole school. In the final term, we saw the introduction of the first-ever ‘Virtual Socrates’, whereby a dedicated

KES VLE page allowed users to read about given topics then discuss by making posts below. The regular Virtual Socrates updates have helped to keep everyone interested and engaged in current affairs, whilst also preparing us for a return to normal debate in the forthcoming year.

a Year 12 spoke to the middle school about coming out; and two of our members teamed up to give a Sixth Form assembly about acceptance.

ideas and organise activities to promote the LGBTQ+ community within the Senior School.

I look back fondly on the Thursday lunchtimes spent with KES Pride. I arrived at KES in year 12 from a small boarding school. Although I had never experienced hatred because of my sexuality, my feelings towards girls had been a topic of gossip for a long time and my sexuality, my “otherness”, was seen as a defining feature. At KES Pride, not only was I accepted and understood, but my feelings were considered normal. At the end of my final year of school, exams, summer term, prom, and those precious celebrations of fourteen years have been ripped from me and my friends by Covid-19. I realise more than ever that we need to come together. Judging others for their gender expression, for whom they love, for their opinions, for their religion, for their background, for their future plans, is unnecessary. This virus has pushed us away from our friends, our family, our work, and our schools. When lockdown is finally lifted, let’s not put unnecessary boundaries between ourselves and others. –

OE ACTIVIT Y AWARD KES Pride is the School’s support group for everyone – the LGBTQ+, label-less and surrounding community. The group aims to target LGBTQ+ phobia, and to spread awareness, self-confidence and pride. Set up by pupils for pupils, the group meets every Thursday lunchtime to provide support, share

Last year we were lucky to be awarded an OE Activity Award for 2019-2020 and the group used this to organise a LGBTQ+ movie night, and an informal talk by our very own OE actor, comedian and writer Jon Monie. The event also reached out to the wider community and invited other Pride groups from schools in the Bath area. Here is some of the positive feedback we received: “It was a great experience to watch an LGBTQ+-inclusive film and talk with an OE about stuff that’s rarely discussed in schools. I hope there are more events like this in the future, and that even more pupils and teachers across Bath will attend.” Year 12 pupil. “Was great to hear about LGBTQ+ from an OE. Hope we can go bigger next time.” Year 12 pupil. “Thank you very much for having us at the KES Pride event last night. It was a really enjoyable evening. It would be great to do something like this again if any other opportunities arise.” Kingswood School. We are very fortunate at KES to have an LGBTQ+ group, and to be able to host an event like this. We are grateful for the OE Activity Award, but most of all we are grateful that we are supported, acknowledged and respected by the KES community. D Willison

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→ CLUBS & SOCIETIES

Spelling Club It was such a pleasure to work with another enthusiastic group of Year 7s in Spelling Club this Autumn. From homophone bingo, to suffix relays, posters and performances, we managed to have lots of fun with spellings, culminating in our Christmas Party, which was complete with a spellings-themed pass-theparcel made by our wonderful Year 12 English prefect, Robyn Coombe. C Hartley

Culture Community Vultures Service Another year, another group of students wanting to take their passion for literature and culture beyond the English classroom! This year we’ve asked questions such as: Instapoetry, Is It Poetry? And we have found that the short story genre fits wonderfully into our post fish and chip lunch Friday discussion slot. The highlight of the year was certainly our visit from award winning playwright and screen writer, John Hodge, who offered us a fascinating insight into his career and talked us through the process of writing his play, The Collaborators, which perfectly primed us for our trip to see it at The Mission Theatre in Bath. Z Kayaçan

The pupils involved in this year’s successful 6th form Community Service programme have shown dedication and enthusiasm within their placements. I have been delighted to receive a considerable amount of positive feedback from our partner institutions about our pupils’ tenacity, good humour and imagination over the course of the year. Our pupils have volunteered in a range of settings from infant and primary schools to care homes and the RUH. Many have gained a huge amount from the experience and, for some, it has focused their minds on potential future careers. Looking ahead to next year, I am hoping to offer other volunteering opportunities to our pupils within the charity and arts sectors. Many thanks to this year’s wonderful volunteers, one of whom has provided her reflection below. E Grainger

Christian Union In the four years I’ve spent at KES, seeing the Christian Union develop has been one of the biggest privileges. We’ve read several of the letters from Paul, an early Christian leader, to the 1st-century church, and thought about what these letters mean for us, as we live for Christ in 21st-century Bath. We’ve read some of the Psalms -- songs of praise to God written hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Most recently, we’ve looked at Jesus’s own life through six episodes in the gospel of Luke, one of the first accounts of Jesus’s time on earth. In all these sources, we›ve seen again and again the overarching theme of God›s amazing, entirely undeserved love for us. As the Bible puts it: «See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!» (1 John 3 verse 1) When we meet together, we always 62

read from the Bible because we believe it’s how God speaks to us and reveals this love. We help each other think through how what we’ve learnt will impact our lives, and then we pray together, both in response to what we’ve read and for the things that we and our community need. The CU is a friendly group that welcomes anyone who’s interested in finding out more about God. We’d love to meet you when school reopens, so why not come and say hello? T West

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KESAid This year’s school charity has been Together for Short Lives, a charity who support children with life limiting conditions and their families to enjoy the time they have together. Members of the senior school were treated to some baked delights at two bake sale events this year, raising over £200 for the school charity on both occasions. Other events such as Christmas Jumper day have also helped to raise funds for Together for Short Lives. The school community have also supported Bath Foodbank with two large collections supported by pupils, parents and staff. On both occasions the volunteers from Bath Foodbank were able to collect a large number of crates full of tinned items, long life food and luxury treats. This is an initiative which we hope to continue every year in conjunction with our nominated school charity.

Mountains Trust and had been geared up for our second trip to Tanzania over the summer. After the outbreak of Covid-19 and the decision to postpone the trip to 2021, the school was very pleased to be able to donate all funds raised so far in order to help the beneficiaries of the charity during the global pandemic. Charity work continued while the UK was on lock down, with staff and pupils alike working on their own initiatives. Mr Tidball’s staff fancy dress quiz in which staff disguised themselves in homemade fancy dress for pupils to identify, helped raise over £300 for the school charity. Pupils and staff have been working hard at home creating masks and scrubs for the NHS, organising fundraising runs and setting up their own businesses to raise money for charity. L Perris

We have continued our working relationship with the Moving

Library We have a dedicated team of librarians but the KES pupils never fail to keep us awestruck in their broad tastes in reading and their willingness to try something new. By popular demand, we padded out some old favourites, too, like Discworld, Sherlock Holmes, Cherub and Mistborn. Online databases have proven an information life saver for many at the end of this academic year. Our programme was stuffed with cute events like Harry Potter Book Night, the Triwizard Tournament and a fabulous invitation to Share a Story for World Book day (lasting all week in KES library style). It included a smooth KES Book drop, a big literary quiz, a visit from the fantastic Fox Benwell and Catherine Bruton and, you know, dressing up! We added another library late lock-in party based on the very popular graphic novel series Lumberjanes. It was totally fun and totally veggie.

Miss Mills started a Fantastic Friday book club that broke the library decibel limit on more than one occasion with their enthusiasm for all thing graphic (novels, that is.) The Lower School book club continues to meet in the Summer term over MS Teams, and we’ve tried our best to translate favourite reading games into the virtual fun. Dark Earth was consistently edgy; we read Bacigalupi, Orwell, Sue Burke and Patrick Ness, and, of course had snacks to match! Before the school broke up early, our STEM club investigated which was more effective in stopping germs, soap and water or hand sanitisers, Mrs Jones (on loan from the Biology Department) led this in spectacularly scientific fashion and the results were tweeted by the Estates and Facilities team while the rest of us were in lockdown. (Soap and water won hands-down!) L Bowman 63

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Pupils and staff under lockdown, getting creative with teaching and learning and fundraising, and having some fun along the wayâ€Ś.

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AC KN OW LED GEM ENTS: Cover Image: Michael Pell Inside Back Cover: Ash James Photography: Artur Lesniak, Charlie Matters, Derryn Vranch, Ash James, Staff & Pupils. Assistant Editor: Lisa Bowman Editor: Neil Purcell Design: Matt&Dan Studio

Year 12 Art Students drawing at the Grayson Perry Exhibition at the Holburne Museum, Bath.

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