Kestrel No 27

The newsletter of King Edward’s Witley

Buzz of the Square Mile

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Chocolate guru sweet talks pupils

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Barcelona football tour

ISSUE 27 AUTUMN 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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This issue of Kestrel comes to you with input from the Sixth Form journalist and photography teams.

Top for academic success 2014 has been a very exciting year in many ways for the School but on the academic front, we’ve had an abundance of news to share.

Return of A-levels In July we confirmed that after a four-year absence, King Edward’s would be reintroducing the option to study A-levels at the School in September 2015. Our decision follows the Government’s reform to A-levels which will see a return to the more rigorous study of subjects in depth over two years. By offering the new A-level it means that for those pupils who wish to specialise early, or whose aptitudes don’t necessarily suit the International Baccalaureate (IB), we will provide a choice of paths to achieve success and an alternative route to University. Our decision also reflects that there is a small number of subject combinations that pupils might wish to study that the IB does not allow but which are provided for by A-levels. For example there is the scope to take all three Science subjects at A-level, which is not permissible within the IB. Whilst the School still regards the IB as the best choice for the majority of students for its depth and breadth, pupils at King Edward’s who decide to follow the new reformed A-level courses will still benefit from some of the valuable components of the IB programme such as the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge, as well as undertaking worthwhile community and social work responsibilities as part of the CAS (creativity, action, service) programme. This will give them the best of

both worlds and will continue to distinguish them from the crowd in terms of their university applications.

Outstanding IB results This summer we were delighted with the 100% pass rate achieved by our Sixth Form pupils in their IB Diploma exams. An impressive 75% of grades in the exam were at the equivalent to A-level A*-B grades and the average score was 33.6 points, which is well above the international average and represents our best result since 2009.

Hannele Burmeister scored 43 points (out of 45), Denys Natykan and Anton Sharapov both scored 42 points – the worldwide average score for IB students is 30 points out of 45. Denys has taken up a place at Cambridge University to read Computer Science, while Anton is studying Aerospace Engineering at Imperial College, London. River Clarke achieved 41 points, which provided her passport to study History at Bristol University and Charlie Beckwith secured his place at Edinburgh University with a score of 38 to read History and Politics in 2015. Congratulations to all of our Sixth Form pupils on these excellent results!

IB superstars River Clarke and Charlie Beckwith

GCSEs: King Edward’s bucks the national trend

Hot on the heels of our Sixth Form pupils’ success in the IB, our 5th Form pupils celebrated exceptional GCSE results this year.

Bucking the national trend for falling higher grades, almost a fifth of grades achieved were the top A*, which represents a new record in the School’s history. The 2014 results also reflect the best A*-C pass rate for five years (92%) and the second best ever. Personal triumphs included day pupils Josef Moore from Milford (7A*, 4A) and Anya Hoffmann de Visme from Godalming (6A*, 3A).

@keswnews TOP TWEETS • After a hard fought summer contest for #KESWtour #Teamwakefield were the victors winning pizza for the whole house!

• King Edward’s Culture Club success! 53 pupils, parents & staff enjoyed the Philharmonia at Royal Festival Hall.

• Roll up for our fantastic demonstration of how to make a crepe suzette by our Head Chef @HolroydHowe

GCSE triumphant duo Anya and Josef 01

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• Extremely proud of the cast & crew of ‘The Tempest’ @SSF_UK last night #KESWDrama KESTREL } AUTUMN 2014 } ISSUE 27

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ACADEMIC

German exchange pupils welcomed to Surrey With our own pupils visiting North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany during the Easter break, in June King Edward’s played host to pupils from the EmslandGymnasium for the return UK leg of the annual German exchange programme.

The older German pupils took on work experience roles in local schools and one worked in a café.

They were joined by the King Edward’s exchange partners and by their teacher, Paul Meistermann, who takes up the story.

Business and Finance Centre grand opening

Buzz of the Square Mile Alderman Sir David Wootton, Lord Mayor of the City of London in HM The Queen’s Jubilee Year and Vice President of Bridewell Royal Hospital, officially opened King Edward’s brand new Business and Finance Centre on 25 September.

The launch of the Business and Finance Centre marks the arrival of an innovative resource designed for pupils following Economics and Business Studies options. It will be used primarily by those studying at IB and A-level but will also be pivotal to the introduction of financial and business education throughout the School. The latest stage in a multimillion pound investment into the School’s facilities, the Business and Finance Centre, which was solely funded by the School, provides a learning environment which mirrors the business world rather than a school classroom.

Work was completed on the Business and Finance Centre in time for the start of term and involved the conversion of the top floor of an existing teaching block, transforming it into a state of the art business centre. Key features include a boardroom which seats 24 with full conferencing facilities and multimedia screens; two glass-walled meeting rooms (seating 16) that can be opened up to create a further large meeting room also incorporating conferencing and projection facilities, and a departmental office that

can also function as a breakout room.

Commenting on the opening of the Business and Finance Centre, the Headmaster, John Attwater, says “We are delighted to be honoured with Sir David Wootton’s presence today. As a leading figure in the City, but also Vice President of Bridewell Royal Hospital, which is the School’s parent foundation, it is particularly fitting that Sir David is here to witness the next exciting development in King Edward’s Witley‘s rich history. The new Business and Finance Centre is a strong reminder of the School’s celebrated links with the City of London, which stretch back to our foundation 460 years ago. We intend to build upon our City heritage, along with our excellent network of contacts in the world of business and finance, to evolve as a centre of excellence for business education. Effectively, we want to introduce a little bit of the buzz of the modern Square Mile into school life to help our pupils prepare for the increasingly competitive world of work that awaits them when they leave King Edward’s.”

On the first day, after a typical English breakfast, the hard work started for the six work experience pupils of Sixth Form age. One of the German boys worked in a café in Guildford, two girls headed to Hambledon Nursery, another went to Witley Infant School, whilst two other pupils were busy at Chandler Middle School in Witley. Although their new roles were a bit unfamiliar at first, the pupils got into the swing of things soon enough. The weekend saw the group take an exciting trip to London, with shopping, sightseeing and relaxation on the agenda.

For the group of 14 year old German pupils, there was a week packed full of activities. Monday saw a trip to Portsmouth to see the Historic Harbour, they visited the main London attractions on Tuesday, on Wednesday King Edward’s pupils joined their German counterparts in a great day out to Thorpe Park and on Thursday the German pupils were treated to a shopping trip to Guildford.

Finally, on the Friday, all the visiting pupils from Emsland-Gymnasium experienced the school day at King Edward’s. After lunch, it was time to say goodbye to King Edward’s and our new friends, as we headed back to Gatwick to fly home. We would like to say a big thank you to Mr Forster and Miss Brown for arranging this trip and who helped us enjoy our stay in England enormously.

Sixth Form pupils 02

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ACADEMIC

Release your inner public speaker Following the resounding success of the Presentation Skills Workshop with the Upper Sixth last November, Daniella Gibb (actress, freelance writer and LAMDA teacher) returned to run a similar workshop with the Lower Sixth. Presentation skills are important in many parts of the IB Diploma and are essential for interviews and many careers require them. Mrs Alison Saunders, Head of Sixth Form, reports.

Over three evenings in May, groups of pupils from each Senior House were introduced to breathing exercises, practised voice projection and modulation. Some excellent tips were also given about how to prepare for presentations. Apparently, banging on your chest and pretending to be Tarzan helps release your inner public speaker!

Under the positive guidance of Daniella, the pupils practiced a variety of techniques, then they were

asked to prepare and present a short advertisement of their own choosing. The group advertisements were inventive, informative and often hilarious. Most importantly, they clearly demonstrated the skills the pupils had learnt in the course of the evening.

The final activity of each evening involved three brave volunteers, who were each given a topic and a few minutes preparation time before presenting to the rest of the group. We were all amazed at the

quality of the brief presentations. The volunteers impressed us by demonstrating the tips and techniques they had learnt in the session, delivering well-structured speeches.

At the end of the evening, the pupils returned to their Houses having learnt new, or re-visited old, skills.

All, however, left feeling positive and a little more confidence about making presentations in the future.

Hannah Grealish 21 year old former King Edward’s pupil Hannah Grealish from Milford, Surrey joined the academic elite, having achieved a first class degree in Land Economy, from The University of Cambridge.

Hannah, who studied at King Edward’s as a day pupil for seven years, moved to Murray Edwards College, Cambridge in 2011, to follow the UK’s only Land Economy degree course. “Of course I am delighted, particularly as I wasn’t really expecting a first”, says Hannah, who as well as achieving considerable academic success at King Edward’s also showed great prowess on the sporting field during her time here, especially in football, netball, rowing and cross country. Mr Andrew Wyciechowski, Girls Football Coach, recalls “Hannah captained the girls U14 to their first every trophy in 2006 and the U16 in their second trophy win in 2008. She was the driving force behind girls’ football and, thanks to her, the legacy lives on.”

Hannah has now headed off to London to take up a Project Management role for Turner & Townsend, the construction company.

CSI Witley In the Summer Term, some light hearted fun was had with the fake but no less gruesome murder of Miss Watt, Queens’ matron, who was found “dead” on 17 June just outside Queen Mary House.

After an initial briefing by Detective Inspector Emsley and following three weeks of intense scientific investigations using psychological profiling, handwriting analysis and even DNA testing, on 3 July a major court case took place as eight teams of 3rd Form budding detectives and barristers took to the Lecture Theatre to present their cases. Remi Trovo picks up the story.

The atmosphere was tense as the respective teams attempted to prove that their clients were either innocent or guilty of the murder of Miss Watt. Each team frantically pieced together the final pieces of evidence.

The aim was to convince the Right Honourable Justice Pugh to either convict or release their respective client. After the subsequent debates considering all available evidence, Mr Day, Edward House Master and a former trained assassin, was found guilty of the murder of Miss Watt, beyond all reasonable doubt.

The day was immensely exciting. Remi’s advice to next year’s CSI Witley team would be: “Keep calm, consider your evidence, case, and most importantly nail your man if you can!”

Sleuth and a resurrected Miss Watt

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CO-CURRICULAR

Chocolate guru sweet talks pupils Pupils and staff at King Edward’s were in for a real treat on 10 October, when cocoa farmer and chocolate guru Duane Dove visited the School.

Duane delighted pupils and staff speaking about his entrepreneurial journey to set up the first and only single estate chocolate created from 100% Tobagonian grown cocoa beans. Pupils were able to see real cocoa pods opened in the traditional way by machete, taste fresh cocoa beans and learn the whole bean to bar process of chocolate making.

Duane Dove is a Tobagonian born sommelier with a passion for chocolate, whose quest to find the perfect accompaniment to complement his rum and wine tastings led him to discovering that chocolate and rum represented the ultimate combination. Armed with this knowledge, he set out on a journey to position Tobago once again as one of the big five cocoa producers, growing and supplying the world with the finest chocolates using cocoa from Tobago termed ‘Tobago’s Black Gold’. His vision led him to establish

Tobago’s first ever single estate chocolate from scratch, starting with clearing a plot of land and planting cocoa trees in 2004. After five years and over 56,000 manhours, Duane Dove made history by launching the first chocolate bar made from 100% Tobagonian grown cocoa beans.

In addition to hearing the fascinating story detailing the challenges faced and overcome to bring the award winning Tobago Estate Chocolate to market (the chocolate has just been acknowledged as a 3 star

product in the prestigious Great Taste Awards 2014, the highest accolade awarded by the London Guild of Fine Foods), pupils and staff also tasted five different chocolates from around the world including Duane Dove’s very own chocolate made just last month from the recent harvest. One Sixth Form pupil, Claudia Bakare, commented, “I found it inspiring as I do Business Studies as a subject. He was very interactive with us, it was really fun and was a whole new tasty experience!”

Scrap Heap Challenge Over a very fast paced weekend on 15 June, the annual eco-friendly Scrapheap Challenge took place. The Houses were judged on four categories: cookery, art, fashion and film. Points were awarded to the teams that managed to use local ingredients, recycled materials and execute their informative video with panache.

The competition sparked a whirlwind of creativity, particularly in the kitchen, with notable entries such as mini-burgers from the Ridley boys, and chocolate-coated strawberries from Queens’.

The cookery contest was followed by the premiere of the short films produced by each House, and a fashion show. The films were impactful, communicating strong messages about environmental issues, whilst retaining a comic streak. The fashion show was a brilliant showcase of creative talent, with outstanding creations, such as the ‘Four Element’ collection from Wakefield and Elizabeth being modelled on the catwalk.

To wrap up the competition, the pupils put on an art exhibition. All the exhibits were inspired by the theme ‘Sea Pollution’. The result was a selection of emotive pieces, all created by the pupils.

The victorious teams were from Wakefield and Elizabeth, scoring an incredible 403 and 390 points apiece. The weekend was an all-round success, allowing the pupils to work together, producing an incredible array of work, whilst enjoying themselves immensely.

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CO-CURRICULAR

Duke of Edinburgh Peak District trip On 17 October a group of Sixth Form pupils travelled to the Peak District for a five-day expedition. Emma Willett, a Sixth Form pupil, reports.

Jeremy Hunt MP visit King Edward’s was delighted once again to welcome Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt who addressed pupils as part of the Bridewell Lecture series. The Member of Parliament for South West Surrey and Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt visited King Edward’s for his biennial visit on 3 October. Sixth Form pupil, Matthew Reed, reports.

Convening after break in the newly refurbished Selborne Room, a quiet excitement descended among the 120 Sixth Form pupils present and we listened keenly as the MP spoke eloquently about his life and roles in parliament followed by a hard-hitting question and answer session.

Some pupils experienced Duke of Edinburgh for the first time doing their Gold practice expedition, learning navigational skills and putting them into practice by walking across the Peak District without help from the teachers.

Others showed what they were made of on their assessment, having already climbed Ben Nevis in Scotland during the summer holidays. They showed off their skills and perseverance, navigating the harsh slopes that the Peak District has to offer.

The whole trip was a great success despite temperamental weather conditions, including heavy storms and hail. As well as learning basics skills needed to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award they learnt about the history of the area, visiting the sight of a WWII plane crash and the reservoir that was used in the development of the famous bouncing bomb. The Upper Sixth group now look forward to completing the Gold Certificate with the Lower Sixth going on their expedition in the Summer Term.

Emma recalls, “It was an amazing trip; I learnt a lot of new things about the area and map reading. Everyone had a great time; even if we did get cold and wet we all got through it together. I look forward to doing it all again in the summer”.

This year has seen a record number of King Edward’s pupils partaking in the award at all levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. In June the School organised a challenging 16km Lower School hike, followed by a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh assessment hike to Tilford for 4th Form, and a Silver assessment in the New Forest, to name but a few.

Hot on the heels of this most recent Duke of Edinburgh trip, the Headmaster was present at St James’s Palace to see seven ‘Old Wits’ being introduced to HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and collecting their Gold Awards in October. We are proud of you all!

Jeremy Hunt began his speech with stories of his prior career routes and explained to the assembled Sixth Form how he had become a politician. He talked about his involvement first in the corporate sector before heading into politics and gave advice on how important it is to have perseverance when facing obstacles - a valuable inspiration to us all doing our IB Diplomas.

Another main focus of his talk was on the importance of giving back to society and he was challenged by one pupil, “What do you do to help society?” Remaining constantly calm under pressure, the MP spoke about how the privileged, as King Edwards’s pupils are with a quality education, must try and give back to society as he has done with his career in politics and business ventures alike. He also set up a charity to help AIDS orphans in Africa in which he continues to play an active role.

We are very grateful to Mr Hunt for once again taking time out of his busy schedule to visit King Edward’s.

D of E Survivors!

Marvellous Marwell Zoo In the Summer Term, King Edward’s 3rd Form pupils got the chance to head to Marwell Zoo, set in 140 acres at Owslebury near Winchester, Hampshire for a fantastic day out. Whilst a day at the zoo is rather fun, King Edward’s pupils had some important lessons to learn. Head of Science, Mrs Ann Hill, reports.

The day was filled with promise, as we set off, with the British weather smiling on us. On arrival, we took part in a conservation workshop. We considered the effects of the exotic pet trade, deforestation, hunting and pollution on diversity in nature.

Next, we dived into the tropical world, and were fascinated by a display of leaf cutting ants. Our observation of these insects allowed us to examine and interpret the different roles in the ant colony.

After lunch we spent lots of time with the playful penguins, watched a cheetah attempt to stalk a young giraffe (happily there was a fence in the way), and had a great day looking at animals that were either being conserved (through captive

breeding programmes) or were there for our interest. The 3rd Form were a pleasure to take out, being both interested and very polite.

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ART, MUSIC, DRAMA

Street Child, the story of Dr Barnardo Street Child is the story of events leading up to Dr Barnardo (played by Solomon Thomas) setting up his Ragged School in the East End of London in 1867, shortly followed by homes for orphaned, homeless children. In late June, the Lower School Theatre Company of King Edward’s Witley directed by Mrs Kerry Wilson painted a graphic picture of inner city Victorian slum-culture for us. Mrs Sharon Gleave reviews the play.

A simplistic set design with dim and moody lighting helped to portray the grimy streets of the East End, and the whole company, bedecked in soiled and tattered garb, told the stories of extreme poverty, deprivation and cruelty that the poorest people had to endure in those dire times.

Talvin Blake expertly portrayed likeable urchin, Jim Jarvis, who is central to the storyline, becoming an orphan after his mother is forced by circumstances to place his two sisters into service, and becoming ill herself, dies in the workhouse. The audience were visibly moved by Ma (Beth Awojobi’s) heart-rending rendition of Amazing Grace, as she departs her mortal coil.

Jim becomes the first orphan Barnardo takes in, and his wretched story is the catalyst for Barnardo’s philanthropic work, that continues to this day, a story which he retold in pamphlets to persuade his peers to raise funds for his homes for orphans.

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Barnado listens intently to Jim’s story as it bobs and weaves across the docklands, introducing over 60 characters, played by 35 Lower School pupils. You cannot fail to be shocked and impressed in equal measure by the deplorable conditions these people survived, against all odds, and their resilience of character is emphasised by a dedicated cast.

There are many cameo roles worth mentioning: Shrimps (El’Noam Afe-Aidelojie) a boy full of life one day, struck down by illness and death (most probably consumption) the next; Rosie (Emily Trappen) who tried to offer shelter to young ‘Skippy’ Jim, only to be thwarted by mean Grandfather (Kai Walcott) who ‘sold’ him to violent bully Grimy Nick (Harrison Martin).

Some welcome glimpses of humour within this largely gritty drama was provided by Grandmother (Willow Davies), and Ma and her two daughters (Shannon White and Rebecca Wallis Downham) gave us a convincing framework at the beginning of the play, setting the scene beautifully.

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ART, MUSIC, DRAMA

Commonwealth Musician of the Year, Huw Wiggin On 24 September, King Edward’s hosted first a pupil masterclass and later an evening concert as part of their Culture Club series by acclaimed musician Huw Wiggin (praised by The Times for his ‘liquid gold tones’). As Commonwealth Musician of the Year, First Prize and Gold Medal winner of the 2014 Royal Overseas League Annual Music Competition, Huw Wiggin is one of the most popular saxophonists of his generation.

During the masterclass, Huw listened to pupils performances, gave tips on stage presence, expression, communication with the audience and general musicianship. An array of budding musical talent from King Edward’s was expertly critiqued by Huw from voice (Emily Trappen, Henry Hampshire and James Wood), piano (Keith Wong) and euphonium (Felix Rockhill).

During the evening concert, which included music by Bach and a stunning arrangement from West Side Story, Huw, accompanied by up and coming musician James Sherlock whose mother Rachel is in fact an ‘Old Wit’, held the audience in the palm of his hand.

Commenting on the concert, Director of Music, Mr Stasio Sliwka says “it was an incredible privilege for King Edward’s Witley to welcome such an accomplished musician to the School. The Culture Club series represents an exceptional opportunity for parents, pupils and people in our local community to enjoy a top rate musical performances here in the county of Surrey. We thank Huw very much and we look forward to the next concert “A Recital of English Songs” with pianist Iain Burnside and mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley on 4 February.

Composer Karl Jenkins visits On the evening of 8 October Karl Jenkins, the world’s most performed living composer and one of Wales’ most multipurpose and criticallyacclaimed musicians, visited King Edward’s music department to meet some of our IGCSE and IB pupils.

He was accompanied by his wife, composer, lyricist and music education specialist Carol Barratt.

Caitlin and the other budding young composers tips for their own compositions.

Upon arrival, pupils were waiting in the Music School to welcome the guests, and put an array of musical questions to our visitors. Sixth Form IB pupil, Caitlin Riley, was able to play her own composition in our music Mac suite to Mr Jenkins, who in return gave

Making his mark initially in jazz, Karl Jenkins is also well known for composing the Adiemus album series, which was used for the famous Avatar movie trailer and for the credits at the end of the movie. Much closer to home and King Edward’s, 16 October saw

the world premiere of ‘The Healer’ at St Luke’s Church in Grayshott performed by the Excelsis Choir who rehearse at the School.

It was a real honour for King Edward’s pupils and staff to meet the composer and a great credit to King Edward’s that he chose to visit.

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OUTREACH

Junior Netball Tournament King Edward’s Witley’s newly refurbished netball courts were put to great use at the start of term with our annual Junior Netball Tournament.

We were delighted to welcome almost 200 Year 5 and 6 girls from local prep schools for this ever popular event.

The day began with a warm up session led by Amanda Davis, Surrey Storm player and Community Coach, who was able to stay a while and support the teams in their opening games, passing on some handy advice and sharing stories of her time competing with Surrey Storm in the Netball Superleague.

Following last year’s disappointing cancellation due to bad weather, this year’s tournament seemed to be blessed with glorious sunshine as the girls began their first matches. Unfortunately storm clouds soon gathered, but the girls were not deterred, voting unanimously to continue the tournament!

In a change to previous years, this year’s round robin format kept all teams involved right to the end and able to participate in the prize giving, where all competing players were presented with a King Edward’s Netball

Tournament pennant, and prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category. This year’s U10 victors were Hoe Bridge School followed by Thomas’s School Clapham and The Study School, Wimbledon.

Retaining the U11 trophy for yet another successive year, Thomas’s School Clapham were closely followed by their Fulham couterparts with Tormead coming in 3rd place. We look forward to hosting the event again next year.

Maths and Science Challenge Day Our programme of activities for pupils from local prep and junior schools continued in the Summer Term with our annual Maths and Science Challenge Day. Eleven schools took part in this year’s event, each sending six Year 5 pupils to compete in this friendly competition.

Each school was split into two teams of three, with each participating in a half day of Maths Challenge and the other in our science laboratories carrying out experiments.

The Maths Challenge saw the pupils faced with a series of 40 fun puzzles, testing not only their arithmetic, but also their powers of logic and deduction.

The Science Challenge gave the pupils the opportunity to turn detective as they become forensics experts. Taking their bag of evidence they were guided through a series of experiments to deduce who tragically murdered Ronald MacDonald, through examination of evidence left at the crime scene.

Gemma Mitchell, Head of Mathematics at St. Hilary’s Preparatory School, said “Thanks for such a fantastic Maths and Science Challenge Day…. the girls had such an amazing day”.

Stage combat workshop

World Arts Carnival Week Boys from Aldro Preparatory School joined us for some of the workshops as part of our inaugural World Arts Carnival Week. During the week King Edward’s Witley ran a series of events in celebration of the Arts in all their various forms and encompassing cultures from across the globe.

The group of Year 8 boys joined our own pupils in an African Drumming Workshop. By the end of the 2 hour session all the pupils were playing, singing and evoking the true spirit of Africa, leaving them enriched and energised at the amazing sound they had created.

Later in the week, Aldro joined us again to take part in a Stage Combat Workshop, discovering how actors make a fight look convincing without getting a bloody nose.

Using a combination of carefully planned choreography and a variety of props, the boys recreated famous fight scenes from the movies. From King Edward’s to Hollywood!

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Mr Stasio Sliwka was appointed as Director of Music from September. Mr Sliwka previously taught Music and directed the choir at Downe House School, where he worked for 20 years. A Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, he has a BMus degree from Cardiff University.

PROFILES

Stasio Sliwka

Mr Sliwka says, “I am delighted to have joined the Music Department team at King Edward’s in September. Having taught for twenty years in a large Music Department at Downe House in Berkshire, I am relishing the new challenge and leading a team of gifted musicians. As an organist, I am keen to continue in building upon King Edward’s fine tradition of choral music. I have also been struck by the breadth of instrumentalists at the School and am excited to further develop and expand the many possibilities for instrumental ensembles at King Edward’s.”

We are delighted to welcome Mr Sliwka to King Edward’s. Music is a hugely important part of life here and we look forward to seeing how the opportunities for education, personal growth and fun which learning, performing and hearing music provides develop under his leadership in the years to come.

James Hole Mr James Hole has taken up the post of Deputy Head (Academic) from September. Mr Hole was previously at Cheltenham Ladies’ College where he worked for ten years, the last six as Head of Sixth Form and previously as teacher of English, in charge of debating and Head of Critical Thinking / Theory of Knowledge.

An English specialist, Mr Hole holds a BA in English and American Literature and an MA in English Literature. Throughout his teaching career Mr Hole has coached public speaking and debating, preparing teams for a variety of regional and national competitions and has a keen interest in this area.

Mr Hole says, “I feel privileged to be joining the staff at King Edward’s and look forward to building on the great work already in place. I believe my appointment will be instrumental in continuing to raise standards and providing pupils with an outstanding education. I hope the experience gained throughout my career will help me play an influential role in the next chapter of the School.”

We are very pleased to welcome Mr Hole to the senior team. He brings a wealth of experience and intellect to the role and is joining the School at an exciting time for us as we develop our plans for the future.

Sheila Butler Mrs Sheila Butler joined the School as Head of Learning Support and SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) in September.

Mrs Butler studied History at the University of Cardiff before following a PGCE at Exeter University.

She takes up the role at King Edward’s Witley having held a Deputy SENCO position at Canon Palmer Catholic Academy, in Ilford, Essex. Mrs Butler brings extensive experience of working directly with pupils who might require specialist attention to help them meet their learning goals and is currently finalising her Masters of Education: Inclusion and Special Needs.

Commenting on the new position, Mrs Butler says “King Edward’s enjoys a strong reputation for its exceptional commitment to welcoming pupils from a broad range of academic, social, economic and cultural backgrounds and providing the necessary guidance to ensure each student has the opportunity to achieve their personal best. My role is essentially to enable all students to maximize their enjoyment of the academic opportunities open to them via the varied programme of studies on offer at the School.

My decision to join the team here was greatly influenced by clear evidence of the nurturing culture that pervades the School and the compassionate community that has been created for any child attending King Edward’s Witley. I am delighted to be playing a pivotal role in King Edward’s pioneering approach to bringing valuable learning support to the independent school sector.

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SPORT Triumphant Ironman swimmer George

Ironman Swim

Not for the faint-hearted, two King Edward’s pupils, George Gregory and Gemma Swan, recently swam the River Arun over the classic Ironman distance of 3.8km from Ford to Littlehampton.

With over 350 competitors, mostly adults, this was going to be a difficult race for the King Edward’s pupils, neither having taken part in such an event before. To put this into context, 3.8km is equivalent to 152 lengths of the school pool, or in terms of distance roughly from the School to the outskirts of Godalming. This in itself is tough enough, but the start involves the competitors getting into the water and when the timekeeper blows the horn everyone starts at the same time.

The event is a pure act of speed. No concessions are made to age or gender, it’s simply who has the fastest times. It is therefore to their credit that Gemma came 111th out of 350, and George 124th. Well done to the pair of them. We hope that their success may encourage more pupils to take part next year.

Brand new fitness suite

Amongst the great many refurbishments and improvements that were made to the School over the summer holidays, we are delighted to unveil our six new floodlit netball courts and brand new fitness suite and weights room in September.

Previously in two rooms, the fitness suite and weights room now make up one large gym.

Supervised by sports staff and open each morning, evening, during the day time and on weekends, it has instantly become one of the most popular places for free time activities. The fitness suite is equipped with over twenty new pieces of equipment including cardiovascular machines with cross trainers, treadmills, bikes and rowing machines as well as functional trainers, leg presses and free weights.

King Edward’s U16 squad with P B Cinc Copes

Barcelona football tour Over the autumn half term, the School took the U16 boys’ football squad for a ‘warm-weather’ training camp in Barcelona. The camp included three training sessions, two ‘mental fitness’ workshops and two matches. Despite the heat, Director of Football, Mr Dan Abraham didn’t let the boys off lightly and they had to work hard in their training sessions!

watching the Spanish La Liga game Barcelona v Eibar, the match finishing 3-0 to home side Barcelona.

Away from the football field, the players had a guided tour of Barcelona which included visiting the Olympic Stadium, a walk through La Rambla and had a tour of Nou Camp Stadium, home of Futbol Club Barcelona since 1957 and Europe’s largest stadium. On 18 October, the players experienced a great evening

The second game was against English opponents, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, which King Edward’s won 3-2 in an exciting end to end match. It was a pleasing end to the tour, although the players were less pleased when they had to have iced baths after the match!

King Edward’s U16 squad played two matches. The first game was against PB Cinc Copes, a talented youth set-up based in the City Centre. Both teams played some good football but both also defended well and the game ended 0-0.

Sports Day We were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day for this year’s Sports Day. Pupils competed in their Houses in athletics, track and field events.

The Senior Houses produced outstanding performances in particular from James Frudd for the boys’ 1500m and Bola Abayomi for the girls’ 1500m. Awards for the boys went to Jake Miller for inter field events, and Nathaniel Wicks and Ben Kisala for the senior field events. For the girls, top sprinter Lianne Lafreniere broke the 1986 school record for the 800m in 2 minutes 31.16 seconds and Malika Cholwe collected the award for inters, senior girls’ field events and the gold award for shot put. As scores were counted, tallied up and re-checked everyone held their breath for the final result. Wakefield won overall for the boys and the girls were dramatically tied with joint winners Queens’ and Elizabeth.

Sports Day awards for the Lower School went to Adam Boult for 1500m, Shannon White for 800m, Luke Harmsworth for boys’ field events and Sophie Cummings for girls’ field events. Overall for the Lower School, Wight House triumphed for the boys and Teresa for the girls.

Sports Day was notable for the presence of the Meath Epilepsy Trust, our chosen charity for the term, for whom £1130 was raised.

Lianne breaks school record 10

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OLD WITLEIANS AND DEVELOPMENT

2009 cohort with Mr Stephen and Mrs Sandra Pugh

2006 IB pioneers: Emily von Eschwege, Sophie Neuhann, Lara Thomas and Dinazad Tutcuoglu

IB pioneers return to Witley to celebrate 10 Years of the IB

A celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of King Edward’s running the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma was held on 27 September. Old Witleians from the earliest through to the most recent cohorts joined current and former staff for an evening of dinner, dancing and special guest speeches in the newly refurbished Selborne Room.

Almost 100 Old Witleians returned to Witley for the event from as far afield as Germany, Italy and Singapore. They were joined by IB pioneer former staff including Robert Uffold, Brian and Jenni Tuner, Jan Millington, Richard Meanwell, Richard and Suzanne Bird and special guest, former Headmaster Kerr FultonPeebles, who had travelled with his wife from Australia for the event.

In his speech Mr Fulton-Peebles emphasised the value of the IB and how the success of his former pupils before him was testament to that. IB Old Wits have gone on to train as lawyers, bankers, engineers, film makers and teachers and many are still studying at university in the UK and overseas.

Mr Fulton-Peebles’ toast was returned on behalf of the Old Wits by Lennart Boerner, Wakefield 2005-7, who paid special thanks to Christine Meharg, Director of the IB at King Edward’s, who has driven the success of the programme and

Robert Uffold, Jenni Turner, Bettina Waters and Brian Turner

whose retirement next year we also celebrated. Christine surprised guests with her own special Head Girls’ Prologue, which was both moving and funny, and which preceded an excellent dinner by our caterers Holroyd Howe.

In our video interviews at the event Rebecca Gray, Tudor 2001-8, and former Head Girl, reflected “I loved how IB brought new people into the School: different backgrounds, different nationalities”. Anna-Lena Theobald, Elizabeth 2005-7, said “King Edward’s was like having a family. We had left our families, we grew up together, we have a connection”.

When guests were asked where they see themselves in 10 years’ time, this reply sums up almost all of the answers, “We hope to be still in touch, coming back to the School, here for another reunion”.

See you in 10 years, if not before!

2011 cohort: Thomas Jarvis, George Fawcett, Storm Lindenberg, Massimo Lo-Muto and Ben Evans

How many of you remember the ‘old Selborne Room?

Looking different after a major refurbishment this summer!

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OLD WITLEIANS AND DEVELOPMENT

Old Wits’ annual summer reunion It was a great pleasure to welcome Old Wits and their guests to the Annual Reunion on 28 June.

Despite a mixed day weather-wise, our spirits weren’t dampened and the full programme was able to take place with only one variation – we had to move hastily back indoors for the group photograph! Two high spots were the usual excellent lunch and a thoughtful and inspiring Chapel service, which included singing from a combined King Edward’s and Old Witleans Association choir. See the Old Wits’ section of the School website for full event report and cricket and tennis match reports at www.kesw.org/owa

Thanks to everyone who contributed to making this such an enjoyable and happy occasion, with particular thanks to Marilyn Wilkes, School Archivist and OWA Heritage Ambassador, for a superb archive presentation, display and discussion. Marilyn has also been busy creating memorial articles in remembrance of Old Witleans and staff who died as a result of World War 1. These and an article on the original Wormald-Filgate WW1 memorial are now in the In Memoriam section of the Old Wits’ section of the School website.

D I A R Y D AT E S Friday 12 December 2014 Bridewell Fellows’ Lunch & Christmas Carol Concert, Witley (by invitation) Tuesday 10 March 2015 Bridewell Service, St. Bride’s, and lunch at the Guildhall, London (by invitation) Thursday 19 March 2015 1553 Guild & 1867 Society joint event, Witley (by invitation) Saturday 27 June 2015

Pledging a legacy to the Bridewell Foundation

Old Witleians’ Annual Summer Reunion, Witley Wednesday 8 July 2015 King Edward’s Golf Day, Venue TBC For more information contact oldwitleians@kesw.org

In March this year we organised the inaugural event for members of the 1553 Guild for those who have pledged a legacy to the Bridewell Foundation. Guests enjoyed an afternoon tea and the chance to preview the IB Art exhibition of works by Upper Sixth pupils.

Autumn sports reunion Making a gift

We are grateful for every gift to the Bridewell Foundation which supports King Edward’s School. Donations can be made in a number of ways.

• By posting a cheque or CAF voucher made payable to ‘King Edward’s School Witley’

Keep up to date with news and events at www.kesw.org/owa

The 1553 Guild Pledging A Legacy

• By credit card at www.kesw.org/support-us/bursaries-fund • By bank transfer or standing order through the Development Office

John Attwater, Headmaster

• By the sale or transfer of stocks and shares

SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL’S FOUNDING MISSION

• By a gift in your will of cash or property If you are a UK tax payer, we can reclaim gift aid at 25% on your gift. If you are a higher rate tax payer, gifts to charity can be deducted on your tax return.

Donors in the United States may give tax efficiently to King Edward’s School Witley through the British Schools and Universities Fwoundation, Inc, at www.bsuf.org.

Football: King Edward’s 2 Old Wits 1 For further information on how to give and a gift form, please contact: The Development Office King Edward’s School Witley, Godalming, Surrey GU8 5SG. T: 01428 686773 E: development@kesw.org

Legacies to the Bridewell Foundation have been vital to our founding mission over the centuries, enabling us to provide bursaries for children in need of a boarding school education and pastoral care. This need continues today at King Edward’s School Witley.

I want to be sure that my legacy will be used for a cause which is meaningful to me.

Chris Cooper OW 1977

Please consider a legacy to the Bridewell Foundation and join the 1553 Guild of legacy pledgers. 1553 Guild members receive a certificate from the Headmaster and invitations to special events throughout the year.

As a registered charity (no. 311997) a legacy to the Bridewell Foundation is in most instances tax free and if you leave 10% or more of your taxable estate to charity then you will qualify for a reduced rate of inheritance tax.

For further information and advice about pledging a legacy please contact the Development Office: T: 01428 686773 E: development@kesw.org

Bridewell Royal Hospital Foundation Registered Charity No. 311997

Mixed hockey: King Edward’s 0 Old Wits 5 12

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