KIng Henry VIII School - Coventrian Termly Newsletter
HENRY
It has been another truly tremendous term of accomplishments and achievements, which started with our outstanding examination results. Following the stellar successes of our graduating Year 13 pupils (who included no fewer than 14 Medic this year) our Year 11 cohort swept across the board with an incredible 67% 7-9, our highest (pandemic alterations notwithstanding) in over ten years that saw us ranked in the top 5 independent schools across the West Midlands.
Outside of academic success, this has certainly been a term for incredible Performing Arts. There has been a multitude of musical sounds across the school with the advent of our Phipps Music Programme, which has seen every Year 7 pupil pickup a musical instrument for the first time augmenting our existing fabulous range of groups, all of whom were given the opportunity to perform at the Autumn Concert. This was followed by a simply amazing performance of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol, led brilliantly from the front by Stephan Heathcote as Scrooge, accompanied by one of the largest ensemble casts I have witnessed at a Henry’s production.
Please take a few moments to digest and indulge in the terrific activities and events happening across the school and a quick mention of course for the reopening of Swallows too!
NEW STAFF
In September we welcomed the following new staff:
Ms Eleanor Kavanagh
Ms Kavanagh joins us from Langley School in Solihull where she was also a second in English. She is an English Graduate from Aberystwyth University and completed her PGCE and MSc in Learning and Teaching at Brasenose College, Oxford, where she was also part of the rowing team. She is currently completing an NPQ in Leading Literacy and is an avid reader.
Mr Sam Myers
Mr Myers moved to Coventry in 2010 to attend Warwick University. Having taken a year out with a local church to work on a variety of social action projects, he trained as a teacher at Warwick University. He has worked at Blue Coat School in Coventry for 8 years, including 3 years as an Assistant Head of Sixth Form, and joins us now in the Maths Department.
Miss Ciara Fennell
Miss Fennell joins our PE Department as a Graduate Sports Assistant, having completed her Sports and Exercise Therapy degree at Leeds Beckett University. Her main sport is netball, having represented Coventry and Warwickshire, as well as playing for the Wasps U19 teams.
In addition, our two volunteers from last year Tom and Will Crowfoot, will also be joining us as Graduate Sports Assistants, further enhancing our PE and Games provision for this academic year.
PW7 Foundation
Year 11 organised a non-uniform, sports shirt day and collected over £1000 for the PW7 Foundation, established in memory of former pupil and professional footballer, Peter Whittingham.
Peter sadly died in 2020 following an incredibly successful career with Aston Villa and Cardiff City. The PW7 Foundation was established by Peter’s family to support charitable causes that were important to Peter in his lifetime and his family after his passing.
Taekwondo & Dance Success
Lauren in Year 11 has been incredibly busy this term, with outstanding performances in both Taekwondo and Dance!
In November Lauren competed at the TAGB British Championships, competing in the Cadet Girls age category against 1st and 2nd Dan Black belts. Lauren came second and was awarded the silver medal in the individual sparring competition (competing in the light heavyweight division). In the team patterns competition Lauren and her team came first and were awarded gold medals becoming British champions.
Not only this, but Lauren has also competed in the Taekwondo International World Championships in Coventry. She came second and was awarded the silver medal in Musical Patterns, which is an event exclusive to the world championships. Lauren also won gold in the Team Patterns event with her teammates from Daventry Taekwondo.
Lauren’s successes continued at the UKA Dance Premier event at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool, where she came third in both the Ballroom, dancing Waltz and Tango, and Latin, dancing the Samba and Cha-cha.
Well done Lauren! We are very proud of your achievements.
MINCE PIE COMPETITION
The end of term saw what we hope is going to become a great Christmas tradition, with the inaugural Staff v Sixth Form Mince Pie Competition . The contest was fiercely fought, with Mrs Dowding emerging victorious, closely followed by Alice in Year 13. A huge thank you to all the entrants, the expert judging panel and especially Miss Rees for organising the event. With the staff now 1-0 ahead, bring on the challenge in 2024!
Interview preparation
As university applications began for the Upper Sixth, early October saw our annual Speed Interview Event. The year group were put through their paces by a team of 14 interviewers, practising what they had learnt about navigating a Competency Based Interview in previous PSHE lessons. Thank you to all our interviewers for their time and expertise - the students found the feedback really useful and are now brimming with confidence!
ACADEMIC COMPETITIONS
The Bebras Computing Challenge is run in over 60 countries and is designed to introduce computational thinking skills to children across the world. In November over 365,000 students took part in the UK and over 3 million worldwide. Thirty-eight students at King Henry’s came in the top 10% of their age group, achieving a Gold Award. They have now been invited to take part in the Oxford University Computing Challenge (OUCC) in January. Special congratulations to Bosco & Siddhanth (Yr 7), Nate (Yr8), Laura-May (Yr9), Johdh (Yr10) & Ben (Yr12) who ranked Best in School in their age category.
All Year 8 students are challenged to complete the Bronze iDEA Award as part of the Computer Science curriculum. The programme supports students’ classroom learning and also helps develop digital skills in areas that are of individual interest to them. Not only have the following students achieved
the Bronze Award, they have gone above and beyond expectations and have already completed the Silver Award. Well done Chuanyu, Nate, Issac, Temi & Kenisha!
This year, 3 teams from the Year 12
Further Maths group (and a Year 6 student!) entered the National Ritangle Maths Competition Imaginatively named Gerber’s Genius Gang, Gerber’s Arithmetic Arsenal, and Gerber’s Girlies, the 3 teams had to tackle a series of 28 questions over a period of 2 months, each unlocking clues to solve a challenging puzzle in order to qualify for the final round. Gerber’s Genius Gang managed to prevail over the other Gerber teams, completing all the puzzles, before narrowly falling short in the final round. Well done to all involved!
to Edward and Aneel - this puts them in the top 25% of the top 11% of studentsor top 2.75% - of those who do the SMC nationally! Great work!
Year 7 pupils were invited to enter the Cambridge Schools Classics Project Ovid Competition . Cheryl wrote a creative re-imagining of the myth of Demeter and Persephone, making it through to the finals. The competition organiser described her story as ‘beautiful’.
After the success of the Senior Maths Challenge and Maths Olympiad for Girls , we are pleased to announce the top mark of a Merit was awarded
On Saturday 18th November, two teams of KHVIII pupils from Years 9 - 11 took part in the Royal Society of Chemistry “Top of the Bench” quiz. The pupils answered rounds of GCSE level questions in topics such as formulae writing, atomic structure and electrolysis. After being treated to lunch, they then had a tour around the impressive Science and Health building and got to see the laboratories and mock houses used in collecting evidence for Forensic Science testing! One of the teams qualified for the regional round to be held at Birmingham University in January. We wish that team the best of luck!
Art Success
Congratulations to 2023 leaver Hope Bland who has won the Youth category of the prestigious Rugby Open art competition. Over 500 pieces were entered and four King Henry VIII students were selected as part of the exhibition, which will be on show in the Rugby Gallery until February.
In winning the award, Hope received a prize of £250 and is invited to become a judge in the 2024 competition.
Memorial Garden
In early November the Quad was once again transformed into a Memorial Garden, commemorating former pupils who lost their lives in conflict.
During a moving assembly we remembered in particular four Old Coventrians who had been killed in the Blitz before the Last Post, expertly played by Ben in Year 8, and the School bell sounded the start of the two-minute silence.
ITV Central News cameras joined us to observe the laying of a wreath in the Memorial Garden, which this year included
two recent discoveries, Harvey Carter MC of the Worcestershire Regiment, killed by shellfire in October 1918, and Raleigh Chapman who died while serving in Italy with the Army Service Corps.
Our heartfelt thanks goes once again to Mr Holmes and his team for the care and expertise they provide in creating such a moving tribute each year.
Christmas Carol
In December, approximately 70 students participated in the school production of ‘A Christmas Carol’. This was a new adaptation of the novella that we created ourselves. Our goal was to be faithful to the Dickens’ original with a few surprises along the way. There were three public performances and also a matinee for our junior school pupils. The classic tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge proved very popular with our audiences with plenty of wonderful feedback. One parent told us that she was impressed by how professional the show looked and another how moved she was by the journey Scrooge goes on.
There were plenty of special effects which the story very much invites. This included a revolving stage, a fire pit, a snow machine, live music and lots and lots of smoke and haze! Many audience members commented on the entrance of the Ghost of Christmas Future being especially eerie and effective. The set, lighting, sound and costumes really came together to create moments of spectacle and magic.
The cast and musicians did a fantastic job. All year groups featured in the cast. A very special mention of Stephan from Year 13 must be
made, who excelled in the role of Scrooge. He had so very many lines to learn and emotional highs and lows to depict. Well done, Stephan. We also had a guest appearance from two junior school students, Ming He and Bennet from Year 5, who shared the role of Tiny Tim. They were both exceptional and heart melting in the role. An ensemble piece, all students had their moment to shine and shine they did. Congratulations to them all!
An enormous thank you to the very many staff and students that were part of the crew. Just like the cast, the crew was made up of students from all year groups. There was unwavering enthusiasm and a fantastic team spirit (pun intended) across the crew. They handled the complex demands of this show with admirable skill and creativity. Talk has already turned to what the next show might be ... watch this space! We’re very much looking forward to doing it all again later in the year!
Coming soon… SLEEPING BEAUTY
MUSIC
The Autumn term was a full one for music with fantastic participation from across the Senior and Junior schools.
The highlight of the term happened outside the concert hall: the Year 7 Instrumental Scheme. This enables every Year 7 student to have two terms of free instrumental lessons as well as having access to instruments to use. It has already proved a success and it should have a long-term positive impact across the school.
Other highlights include Whole School House Music, a student-packed Burgess Hall saw Hollands take a deserved win in a closely contested competition. The Autumn Concert featured a host of impressive performances, none more so than the Year 7 Choir who gave an exciting rendition of ‘Mr Blue Sky’.
The Junior School Harvest Festival was an absolutely charming performance with great contributions across the board as well as some notable solo moments, especially from the farmer’s dog.
The Christmas Concert was similarly full of gems, especially the combined choirs performing ‘Torches’, the always brilliant Junior Choir, and Henry’s 9 closing the term with ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas’.
The term also featured another new venture for the department with our first outreach carol service in Coventry Cathedral. We invited four local primary schools to take part in a full carol service along with some support from Junior School students. It was a lovely event and inspiring to see the Cathedral full of participants and parents.
Other events during the term included a number of tea-time soloists’ concerts, the Music Scholars’ Recital, performances at the Christmas Fayre from Senior and Junior groups, regular assembly performances, and music at the Remembrance Assembly.
The Junior School has been equally busy with the Year 6 Shakespeare Festival, performances at Zoe’s Place, the Year 4 Music Morning, tea-time soloists’ concerts, a trombone recital from Alex Crutchley, and plenty of Junior students taking part in Senior ensembles.
Certainly, lots to look back on with pride!
VEX IQ Full Volume
Wow! What a start to the new season. Seven teams, three competitions and eight trophies!
We got underway with our home event in the Burgess Hall. Four new teams of Year 7s had their first experience of a robotics competition and showed great promise for the season ahead, but the event belonged to 1408H (Dominic, Nicholas, Krish & Aadi) who won the Skills competition and the prestigious Excellence Award, securing them a place in the national finals in March.
Just days later we were in Nottingham where 1408R picked up the Judge’s Award, while rookie 1408A (Henry, Jedidiah, Riley & Saba) were crowned Teamwork Champions!
This first half of the season concluded with a trip to Arnold Lodge in Leamington. King Henry’s dominated throughout, coming away with four of the five trophies on offer. 1408C (Siddhanth, Leon & Ahasan) were presented the Judge’s Award, 1408R (Sid, Monty, Robbie, Vihaan & Joshua) won the Skills event and received the Excellence Award while last minute entry 1408T (Yousef, Chinmay, Rohin and Temi) became Tournament Champions!
A fantastic start to the season… roll on nationals!
ROBOTICS
The competitions have come thick and fast for our VRC robots this term. Two of our senior teams have won or been finalists at regional Robotics Tournaments at Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet and St Olave’s Grammar School. The Sixth Form team of Fred, Syed and Sachit have qualified for the UK National Championships, having won 2 tournaments so far this season and are now rebuilding in preparation for the finals in March. However, it’s great to see our Year 9 & 10 teams making excellent progress and the experience they are building up this season will certainly benefit them as they move up the school.
Primary Robotics League
December saw King Henry VIII host the first ever VEX robotics league event to be held in the UK. Eight teams from Earlsdon, Howes and Broad Heath primary schools
display. We’re looking forward to welcoming the teams back for further matches in January and February, and are delighted to announce that they will be joined by Stivichall. The future of Coventry robotics is looking very healthy indeed!
JUNIOR SCHOOL
HM Welcome
Hales is a truly joyful place to be and the children of the Junior School combine the fun of learning with the ever-present challenge to always give of their best, whether that is in the classroom, on the sports fields, on a stage or on a trip. As ever the children are the most incredible young people and we’re exceptionally proud of everything that they do. Here we feature a small sample of their endeavours, and I hope the photographs offer just a little insight into the wonderful world of our Junior School.
Service
Josh Holtby
Year 2
In November the Year 2 children took part in a Great Fire of London workshop and were transported back to 1666. They were tasked in advance with making a building in the style of houses from 1666 to use in a re-enactment of the fire. Once the city had been laid out, the fire was started in Pudding Lane and the children watched, from a safe distance, as the blaze spread.
Leaving the fire to do its worst, the children became apprentices on the streets of London, learning skills common for workers of the era: leather working, metal working,
Year 4
Year 4 have had a hard-working term with learning aplenty having taken place. One of this term’s highlights for the children has been to prepare and perform the story of ‘Tattybogle’ as part of the whole school Harvest Festival. The children acted, moved around the stage and sang the various songs brilliantly. Another highlight was our Ancient Greek morning, where the children dressed up as people from those times and explored a multitude of artefacts. The understanding of life in the past developed exponentially after this experience.
sewing, etc. As the children learnt their trades, the fire continued to spread. With the flames drawing closer, the children needed to take action to stop it, including forming fire lines and tearing down local buildings.
In the afternoon, the children excavated what was left of the charred city, looking for personal belongings and important legal documents that could help the city start the process of rebuilding.
A fantastic day was had by all!
JUNIOR SCHOOL
Year 6
Year 5
In September, Year Five travelled back to Tudor times visiting Holdenby House. Time was spent in a Tudor kitchen learning to prepare subtleties ‘fit for a Queen’, learning the games were popular with children and touring the beautiful estate.
As part of their Science learning on separating materials, Year Five experienced the Severn Trent’s ‘sewer soup’ workshop. It was interesting to learn how Severn Trent work to make our dirty water clean again and we were surprised at
all the different things that can end up being washed or flushed away!
Year Five’s Shakespeare production included excerpts from Richard III’s battlefield, Macbeth’s three witches, Midsummer Night’s fairies and sprites and Ariel and Prospero’s mighty Tempest. Add to that a sprinkling of songs and the show was complete. Following their trip to the RSC on the Monday, all pieces were workshopped and made ready to be performed in a week!
Year Six have had a busy and exciting term full of competitions, outdoor learning and visits and lessons with their parents! The children started the year with a bang, visiting The Black Country Museum to enrich their Victorian learning experience.
Our school community has been working hard this term with parents joining the children for a Victorian history lesson and accompanying the children for an afternoon tea. The tea was part of our brilliant Bake Off where the children’s culinary talents were put to the test in a fierce competition! A wonderful start to the year!
We have braved the muddy outdoors with a wonderful walk led by Mrs Jones, our outdoor education specialist from the senior school. In this walk, the children were able to use OS maps to navigate a route through the Kenilworth countryside and even use their compasses!
Year 7 Residential
As their first half-term at King Henry’s came to an end, Year 7 embarked on an exciting three-day trip to Hilston Park in South Wales. Surrounded by the rolling Ribena blackcurrant fields, the group enjoyed a wide range of character and team building activities, including climbing, canoeing, raft building archery and the ‘leap of faith’! Rain did not dampen spirits as lifelong memories were created and friendships were formed around the camp fire. Reminiscences of sharing of a group curry and experiencing yoga as the sun rose will live long with the Class of 2023!
Paris Netball Tour
On the 22nd October 2023, the Year 8 and 9 netball squads travelled to Paris for the Disney Netball Tour led by Sportsnextgen and hosted by Elite Netball
The first day was a high-level netball masterclass designed to prepare us for the upcoming tournament. We were coached on many aspects such as: defence, attack, and shooting. Even the staff were encouraged to get involved and have a go at some of the challenges. We were extremely privileged in the fact that our teams were given the opportunity to meet Welsh netball star Betsy Creak and England Super League player Jessica Shaw. Questions were asked by our squads focusing on aspects such as training, the level of commitment required and their
Girls’ Hockey
Well, the girls did us proud!
Numbers to training and the girls’ passion and drive to improve, learn and grow were evident throughout the term. We had a fixture card which was both ambitious and levelling at times and the girls certainly stepped up.
Our 1st XI developed their on-pitch structure throughout the term, gallantly led by Captain Eesha and Vice Captain Irina. Highlights included competitive fixtures V Leicester Grammar, Alcester Grammar, Solihull 2nd XI, Princethorpe 2nd XI, Kinglsey, Kimbolton & Bablake. I commend the way that the year 11 girls have stepped into senior hockey, seemingly unphased and thank Eesha and Irina for their time and engagement with hockey throughout the BKHS teams and back to establishing the King Henry VIII team. They leave a fantastic platform for the years below and we will miss them greatly. Well done to the juniors that have stepped up to play senior or U16 hockey this year – the future is bright! Highlights also include the U16s qualification for the Tier 3 Midlands Finals, losing in the semi-final – here’s hoping we go one better next year!
The U15s finished the season well with an impressive display against KEHS. Despite losing, it was a much closer game than last year and you could see their growth in skills and game understanding. The U14s enjoyed the
most memorable moments. After half a day of hard work, we were given the opportunity to travel to Val d’Europe shopping centre for the afternoon.
On day 2, the squad was split into 3 teams and each played a series of matches in their allocated pools. Depending on their success, they were placed into different leagues. The A team made into the highest league, which was the cup. The B team qualified into the plate and the C team competed in the shield. The A Team won their finals match with an amazing stoppage time ‘golden goal’, and achieved an incredible 7th place out of 23 competing teams. The B and C teams won all their matches in their respective leagues, getting to the finals and both achieving a well-deserved 2nd place after
an exhausting, action packed day of netball. The U14 squad also received the Umpires Spirit of the tournament award due to the energy and sportsmanship that the team displayed.
The last day of the tour was spent in Disneyland. This day was filled with amazing rides, food, shopping, and a great deal of fun! Towards the end of the day, we were lucky enough to watch the spectacular Halloween parade. This was a fabulous day for all and definitely one to remember.
We would like to thank Miss Ainsworth, Miss Powell, and Mr McKee for giving up their half term to give us this once in a lifetime experience. We are very grateful to have been presented with this opportunity and hope they enjoyed it as much as we did.
Myah and Lauren
freedom and space that the 11-aside game allows with fantastic matches V Leicester Grammar, WGS and KEHS. Our U13s finished with their performance of the season V Wellingborough in the last weekend of term, showing strength and resilience and were the stronger team on the day. We can’t wait to see them on a full pitch next year. Finally, our U12s, the definition of resilience. At the losing end a lot, they never gave up and became
more masterful at the hit out as the season progressed – keep coming to training, and we look forwards to their continued development. Hockey training continues, with U12 & U13 still to play their In2Hockey tournaments, U13 and U15 to play their County Tournaments, with the term finishing with the Senior Girls off on the Bath Hockey tour. Well done to all.
RUGBY
Boys’ rugby has returned with force, and we were delighted to welcome the new Year 7 students to the Programme. They have embraced training on a Wednesday evening with Mr McKee and certainly show plenty of promise for future years. The U12 A-D all enjoyed the experiences of matches against KES Birmingham, Lawrence Sheriff School and Bablake with loads of tries scored by boys making their rugby debuts.
The U13 team welcomed some new faces in the team and again started on the front foot. A great performance against Solihull has been the real highlight of the term. All teams had worked hard with Mr Fitt and Mr Eames particularly enjoying the progress of the U13C team.
The U14 team have had a few new faces also join. Players like Bennett, Powell, Wilding, Stevenson, and Gupta all lead from the front throughout the term. The U14 boys have been trialling for the RFU (Rugby Football Union) development groups and we are pleased to announce that Rowan Bennett has been selected to be a part of the 35-player squad from Warwickshire. Over 90 players trailed over the past two Mondays in what was a very high standard of rugby player.
The U15 worked well with Mr Thompson throughout the year and were beginning to show some good potential. They showed real character in the games against KES, Stratford, and Lawrence Sherrif. Lewis Crawley deserves a mention for his outstanding commitment to school rugby and will certainly be pushing for 1st Team honours next year.
The Senior Programme has been back in full swing since late August with many of the boys touring South Africa as a BKHS unit. The group then took on Ratcliffe College (14-0 W) and KES, Birmingham (0-7 L) in a pre-season Triangular before our first competitive fixture against Princethorpe (31-18 W) in the NatWest Vase Rd. 1. Beating Princethorpe sent us through to play our close neighbors Bablake. Before this, tough challenges against Solihull (31-20 L) and KES, Stratford (11-6 W) faced the group captained by Oskar Young. A Bablake fixture is never a great game and both teams shared plenty of mistakes for each other to capitalise on. Neither team really controlled the game, however, Henrys were able to score more points when required and, in the end, ran out victors 22-14. It would be unfair to single individuals out but certainly captain Oskar, has been really well supported
but VC Tafara, Max and many of the other senior players. Another game against Bablake soon followed down at the Butts. Certainly Mr Fitt and Mr Gerber were very pleased with how their players conducted themselves on the evening of the Mike Hibbert Shield game. The senior team really gelled as a unit in preparation for the fixture and their efforts shone through as they beat our local neighbors 25-7. Beating Bablake twice, is a definite highlight of the season. We continued with the same mentality as the team then disposed of Bishop Vesey Grammar School 24-14 in the 3rd Rd of the NatWest Vase to set up a big game away against Kings Worcester on Wednesday 8th November. The boys were outstanding, and all the coaching team were so impressed with the focus shown, especially in the first half of the game. The boys gave everything and led at different points during the game but sadly they just couldn’t hold the home team out for long enough and went down 36-20 chasing the game.
For a school of our size, to get to this stage of the competition and compete shows the cohesion of the team and how hard they work for each other.
This first year back as King Henry’s has certainly had its challenges as well as some outstanding highlights, a massive well done and thank you to all the boys who have represented the school over the year. Let’s work hard in the off season and build towards a successful 24/25 Season, particularly with the upcoming South Africa tour.
Team of the Term
HERITAGE OPEN DAY
September’s Heritage Open Day tours of the school attracted more than 100 visitors. Expertly guided by Rob Phillips and Peter Huxford, with the enthusiastic support of OCA and school prefect volunteers, guests had an enjoyable and interesting afternoon whether or not they had any previous connection with the school.
Bowls
The annual OCA Bowls tournament on 1st September was won by Martyn Cooper (class of 1967). We extend our thanks to Peter Owen and Peter Huxford for arranging the date and venue, and to Gordon and Pat Harris for hosting at the OC Bowls Club, Tile Hill Lane. All members of the KHVIII community can contact OCSports@csfoundation.org. uk to take part in 2024.
Old Coventrians’ Association
100th OCA Dinner
When Rev. AD Perrott, the school’s Headmaster and President of the fledgling Old Coventrians Association, welcomed former pupils to the inaugural dinner on 22nd December 1908, we doubt if he realised they were establishing a tradition that would last a century and more. But that dinner in the Masonic Hall, Little Park Street, was the first of the one hundred that have now taken place, after the landmark 100th dinner in the School’s Burgess Hall on 25th November 2023.
Those 75 or so pioneers, most of them quite young but some who had attended the school as early as the 1850s, feasted on Tomato Soup, Sole, Sweetbreads, Roast Beef, and Old Boys Pudding! In 2023 we had double that number of attendees, who enjoyed Steak & Ale Suet Pudding or Ricotta & Spinach Arancini.
Whilst we could not expect our 1908 forebears to imagine what life would be like by the time of the 100th dinner, the theme of the latter, with a nod to the time of year
and Charles Dickens, considered KHVIII Past, Present and Future. To this end, technology was imaginatively deployed, and many memories were stirred by extracts from recordings of previous dinner addresses by Jeff Vent, who, if not literally the founder of the feast, was at least the instigator of its modern format. Hearing JBV’s distinctive Lancastrian tones again delivering those characteristic witticisms and anecdotes was a special moment for those of us who were here in his time - amongst these were recollections of arriving for his interview to join the staff and mistaking Headmaster A.A.C. Burton for the under-gardener, and the school secretary who “did not so much knock at the door as bring it in with her”. Headmaster, Phil Dearden, with a nod to the troubles of the last few years, looked forward optimistically to a vibrant, independent, future for Henry’s, before Stephen Teers at the piano accompanied a rousing rendition of the school song.
OCs in the NEWS
Joe McGough (Class of 2014) took part in the quiz show University Challenge on BBC2, on the University of Sheffield team, facing Loughborough University.
Cynthia Shanmugalingam (Class of 1993) was on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen on 29th July. After years of research and time spent in Sri Lanka, she has opened her own Sri Lankan restaurant, Rambutan, in Borough Market in London. She has also published a successful cookbook, Rambutan: Recipes from Sri Lanka.
Classes of 2013 & 2014 Reunion
With their traditional leavers events having been hampered by the pandemic, it was wonderful to welcome back members of the Classes of 2013 & 2014 and catchup on their adventures since leaving school.
OC Andrew Knox (Class of 1991) has received an MBE for his work in Primary Care and health inequality in the Northwest of England. Contemporaries will remember him as Cookie, in Return to the Forbidden Planet, a rugby player, fantastic flautist and winner of the KHVIII 1997 ‘General Election’, representing the Monster Raving Loony Party!
Sharandeep Sahota (Class of 2016), who successfully completed her Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, has been selected as the winner of ‘This Is Youth 2023’. From the Gold awardees across Great Britain, This is Youth recognises and celebrates the amazing stories behind The DofE Award. It showcases young people and the adults who support them doing what they do best: rising above today’s challenges and making their mark on the world. Sharandeep collected her Change Maker of the Year award from Dame Tanni Grey Thompson for her work with Carers Trust.
Former Staff Coffee Morning
As term finished the Senior Common Room once again played host to the Former Staff Coffee Morning, accompanied by a few warm mince pies! Around 30 ex colleagues, from Henry’s Senior, Junior and Cov Prep enjoyed a pre-Christmas catchup, as well as hearing an update from Mr Dearden. The next gathering is expected when term finishes in July. Any former staff wanting to be kept informed should email rjp@csfoundation.org.uk
CRACKLEY RUN
On December 23rd, sixteen hardy Old Coventrians - and one unconcerned dog - took part in the annual Crackley Run. Despite HS2’s determination to restrict the running largely to the woods and the Greenway, the wide range of ages appeared to enjoy the exercise, and each other’s company. It was great to catch up with so many this year, and that Emie Norrish, widow of the school’s running legend Ted, was able to attend. She was able to present the trophies to Alistair Galt (Men’s Race) and Emma Garnett (Women’s Race for the third consecutive time).
As School departed for the Christmas holiday, the news broke that Swallows will be reopening in September 2024. Principal, Mr Chris Staley told parents:
“I am delighted to announce that, following a comprehensive feasibility study, we have received approval from Governors to reopen King Henry VIII Pre-Prep School, affectionately known as ‘Swallows’ and situated on Kenilworth Road, just a short walk from King Henry VIII School.
Our aim is to welcome children to King Henry VIII Pre-Prep in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 starting from September 2024. The opening of King Henry VIII Pre-Prep will reinstate the educational pathway for children to progress to KHVIII Junior and Senior Schools.”
There will be more on this wonderful news in the next edition, where we hope to take a look at the history of Swallows, as well as discussing its exciting future!
KEY DATES SPRING TERM 2024
Please refer to the full calendar for further information
JANUARY
Tues 9th – Term commences
Thurs 25th – Sat 27th – Sleeping Beauty
Fri 26th – Open House
Wed 31st – 52nd KHVIII Relay Race
FEBRUARY
Thurs 8th – Half term commences (4pm) Fri 9th – Classics & PRE Rome trip (returns Mon 12th)
Mon 19th – Term resumes
MARCH
Fri 8th – Spring Concert, Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre
Sat 9th – Classes of 2006 & 2007 Reunion
Mon 18th – Rock Concert
Wed 20th – Open House
Fri 22nd – Term ends (4pm) Sat 23rd – Ski trip departs
EDITORIAL TEAM
Rob Phillips, Phil Dearden (editorial)
Suzanne Jackson, Rob Phillips (photography)
Please send items for inclusion in the next issue by email to RJP@csfoundation.org.uk
