The Vigornian 2020-21

The

Vigornian

2020 / 21

THE KING’S SCHOOL FOUNDATION, WORCESTER

This year would not have been possible without the amazing, resilient and dedicated cleaning team.

Led by Nicky McNamee, our ‘COVID angels’ have our most heartfelt thanks.

The Vigornian 2020/21 Number 257 Editors: Emmah Ferguson, Andrew Maund and Emma Kate Trow-Poole Designer: Catherine Perera Published by: The King’s School, Worcester Printed by: Print Giants Limited © 2021 The King’s School, Worcester

The

Vigornian COMMON ROOM NOTES

4 2

ACADEMIC

13

CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS

35

SPORT

43

CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES

61

PASTORAL

77

KING’S HAWFORD

87

KING’S ST ALBAN’S

91

OLD VIGORNIANS, DEVELOPMENT TRUST AND ARCHIVES

95

Editorial seen. Any good historian, however, would argue that while this is true, we can actually learn more by analysing this double lens.

Not only can we gain an insight into past experiences, but we can also determine the values that were held at the time the source was created. I am hopeful that this edition will demonstrate to our readers, contemporary and future, that while COVID-19 dramatically affected the dayto-day experiences of our pupils, it has not taken away the values of compassion, love, resilience, kindness, humility, and ambition.

My vision for this year’s edition was to shine a light on how the school adapted to changes and how, despite the challenges, there was still magic and delight.

The more time I spend on this wonderful magazine, the more its importance resonates with me. Certainly, as a celebration of the academic year. Another wonderful group of pupils joined the King’s family, and another were waved off on their next adventure, with all the magic and delight of a school year in between.

For me, however, the most significant feature of this magazine – and why I feel so passionately about it – is as a record, a tool of communication between us and the Vigornians of the future. Of course, as any historian will tell you, sources are to be treated with caution. They are a window into the past, but the author will always have drawn the curtains to help direct your view. Perhaps a more modern example is seeing it as an Instagram post: users post images to share their life as they wish it to be

2

The Vigornian

The saying, ‘change is the only constant in life’ is attributed to the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, around 500BC. Through the centuries, our adaptation to change has taken many forms, but this phrase rings no less true now than it appears to have over two millennia ago. 2020-21, in particular, has had consequences so far-reaching and unprecedented for most that the impacts on all our lives have been profound. A change on any scale can be derailing but it is these situations that challenge us and force us to step outside of our comfort zone. It is how we build resilience and grow.

Typing this makes it sound easy, but words and actions are not the same. The level of challenge faced by all should be recognised and to make light of this last academic year does a disservice to the resilience, love and

kindness that were so regularly displayed.

Before I thank the team for their dedication to this edition, I thought a note on the front cover may be of interest. Each year, we spend considerable time deliberating which image will best reflect and celebrate the year. As the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words. For 2020-21, we hope that it illustrates the way in which King’s has navigated its way through the pandemic thus far.

To finish, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to the Vigornian Team. Their passion, dedication, support and good humour has meant that the publication is one in which we are proud. Catherine, Emma Kate and Andrew, you inspire with your creativity and encourage with your kindness, thank you.

I hope that you enjoy this year’s edition of The Vigornian.

Editorial: Editorial team:

Emmah Ferguson Emmah Ferguson Emma Kate Trow-Poole Andrew Maund Sarah Brown Felicity Quinney Imogen Brinksman Jack Wharton

Designer: Proof reader:

Catherine Perera Suzanne Nevitt

A Message from the Headmaster Little did I realise upon my appointment to the Headship of King’s in November 2019 that when I took up my post the world would be so different. The intervening months between the start of the pandemic and when Jess, Humph, Persie and I moved into 9 College Green were filled with ensuring my old school was running effectively whilst remotely providing as much support as possible to Jon, Richard and Jim, trying to get to know King’s and its operation before we were thrown into the bubbled, marquee madness that was the leitmotif of this academic year.

have under the rules, continued societies working both in person and remotely, all these changes meant we could continue our mission and delivery as close to normal as possible.

Schools go through challenging times.

King’s has had its fair share of epidemics and pandemics to deal with in its near 500 year history. Although our school escaped the Black Death, the monastery which makes up some of our buildings will have suffered. Since 1541 pupils will have faced bubonic plague, sleeping sickness, and numerous ‘flu pandemics. COVID-19 is but the latest on the list of deadly diseases that have befallen our nation and our school.

This all has taken tremendous teamwork.

As the new Headmaster, I am very grateful to Richard Chapman, Jim Turner and later Jennie Philips, who joined us as the new Head of Hawford. Alison Oliver and Katie Beever have not stopped in their leadership of both the staff and the academic aspects of our community in the Senior School.

Helen Jackson, our retiring bursar, worked hard alongside Adam Winter and the Estates Team to ensure that we had our provision in hand. Nicky McNamee, our Head of Cleaning, and her team never stopped in making sure that when cases arose our classroom and facilities were clean to the required standard.

In my first assembly at the start of the 2020 academic year I reminded pupils about what is fundamental to their success. I explained that when everything is gone, when material riches pass, when the bareness of life is exposed, it is love that endures. Love is what endures through those times which are not easy, either professionally or personally.

I explained, and have continued to explain, that success in life is not measured by how high you fly, but by how well you bounce.

It’s about how you move on from tragedy, personal disappointment, and professional pushback. It’s about how you encourage and propel yourself, not letting the fear of failure become a barrier standing in your way.

This last year has shown the King’s community to have bounced back with enormous determination and spirit. It is true, there have been some dark times when both pupils and staff will have felt depressed by the challenges the pandemic has created, or forlorn at the rites of passage missed or opportunities lost. The pupils who couldn’t sit the exams that they deserved. The sports teams who never played the matches that they aspired to win. The rowers who couldn’t lift the cup that they earned. The lost trips.

The list is endless.

And when we needed to undertake a whole-school testing programme, as we reacted at speed to last-minute decisions from the Department for Education, we did so efficiently and expediently. Through the year, due to our marquees and outside bubbles, we had fewer cases of COVID than commensurate schools.

I am especially proud of the school community – the teachers who have never stopped adapting to change, the challenges faced and overcome with Teacher Assessed Grades, the way in which the pupils have been buoyant even in the lowest of moments. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been easy for anyone, and at times we have all collectively felt that we are driving a dinghy whilst spinning plates and shooting crocodiles, but we’ve bounced through, and I believe the community is the stronger for it. I’d like to give a special mention Liv Howard, the Head of School,

ably supported by Tom Angell and Will Hunt. They have been an amazing support to us all this year; Liv especially has been exceptional, and her speech on King’s Day was a joy to hear.

Being appointed as Head of King’s is one of the greatest privileges any Head can be given, and I will always be grateful to the Governors for putting their trust in me. However, I want to say a special thank you to Jon Ricketts who as Acting Head, kept watch during a challenging time and gave me great support immediately I was appointed as Headmaster. He had a challenging time, as the entire community did, upon the sudden tragic loss of Matthew Armstrong in August 2019. King’s, and I, owe Jon a great debt of gratitude.

Enjoy this wonderful publication, edited by my Head of Department, Emmah Ferguson.

It is a testament to a community that got itself fully going when the going got tough.

And it is a testament to the ability of a community, ambitious in its mission and fuelled by love, to bounce back when faced with adversity.

Gareth Doodes

But the King’s community didn’t wallow in this challenging time. It didn’t casserole in its own melancholy. Rather, it used the crisis as an opportunity. Hybrid learning, adapted concerts, plays, assemblies and presentations, as much sport as we could

The Vigornian

3

T PI EC

THE TWELVE DAYS OF KING’S-MAS! On the First Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…a school motto in a pear tree!

ST

IE

CE

STU

EN

E

D

UDENT

P

In 1887, after a three-year restoration project on the noble Old Hall, or as we now know it, College Hall, the King’s School’s motto was introduced. The earliest known record of the motto was seen in the 1887 November edition of The Vigornian beneath the title and even today, the Greek platitude can be seen inscribed on the table that sits on the stage of College Hall and also in the library. “τα μεν διδακτά μανθάνω, τα δ’ ευρετά ζητώ, τα δ’ ευκτά παρά θεών ητησάμην” I learn what may be taught; I seek what may be sought; My other wants I dare To ask from Heaven in prayer.

On the Second Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…two figures on the school insignia.

The school’s coat of arms is derived from those of Worcester Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. In turn, these derive from those of Bishop Godfrey Giffard (1268-1302). The Cathedral’s blazon shows roundels arranged 4, 3, 2, 1, and on a blue square positioned in the upper corner of the shield, the Virgin with Child. Traditionally, the square would have obscured the upper-left torteau.

On the Third Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…the King’s Third Master.

William Henry Helm was King’s first Third Master, appointed in June 1856. In June 1859, Mr Helm overexerted himself rowing on the river and collapsed. Mrs Helm gave birth to their son in 1860, whom she named William Henry after her deceased husband: the boy grew into a leading writer.

4

The Vigornian

On the Fourth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…four Discontinued Houses.

Today there are nine Houses in use at King’s: Bright, Castle, Chappel, Choir, Creighton, Kittermaster, Oswald, School and Wulstan.

College House is one of the four former Houses at King’s. It was established as a boarding house for Sixth Form girls at King’s in 1997.

Number 15 College Green (The Guesten) was built in 1745 over the sites of the almonry and the original Deanery and was the location of College House. The house continued until the end of boarding at King’s in July 1999.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…Fives courts.

In the 17th Century at Eton College, students played a game while waiting for chapel involving hitting a ball against the wall. It became a success that soon became a nationwide sport with courts based on the chapel’s architecture up and down the country. There are several codes of the sport including the popular Eton Fives (a 3-wall game) and Rugby Fives (a 4-wall game) which was formalised at Rugby School, hence the name “Rugby Fives.”

Eliot House was formed in 1986 as a day house for Sixth Form girls. This was based at Number 12 College Green. Eliot house was short-lived and closed in September 1992.

Hostel House was formed in the summer term of 1903 as a boarding house before King’s became co-educational. It was closed in 1999.

Natland House was established in 1919 when the increase in the number of boarders after the First World War led to the introduction of a fourth boarding house. In 1932, the decision was made to sell Natland House. though technically out of bounds, had to be explored in search of lost balls. It had been provided by a fund subscribed by the Dean and Chapter, Masters, O.V.s and other friends of the School.

Below, Mr.A.P. Bolland contributes some information which suggests that not all the enthusiasm was due to pure love of the game:

The first Fives court at King’s had been built some few years before 1879 in the corner of the old playground on the Promenade backing on to the ruins, which

In 1889, two Rugby Fives Courts were built in the new playground. They were opened by a match between the Headmaster (Mr. Bolland) and the Headmaster of Malvern College (Rev. W. Grundy) but history seems not to have recorded the winner.

The restoration of these courts, and the provision of a third to the east of them, was part of the War Memorial.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…six other King’s schools.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…seven Netball players.

King’s Worcester is one of seven “King’s Schools”. Henry VIII established the new Foundation to provide education to “forty boys, poor and destitute of the help of friends, of native genius…and apt to learn.”

A blast from the pass! In a successful 1986 Netball season, Clare O’Riordan captained the first VII team which was coached by Mrs. Anstey. The weather throughout the season, during which the first team played ten matches – winning six, drawing one and losing only three, was remarkably kind. Goal Attack and captain of the team, O’Riordan along with Alison Mackenzie (Goal Shooter) scored the team’s 163 goals while the defence only allowed their opponents to score 149 goals. The centre court players also fought well throughout the season to provide the shooters with goal-scoring opportunities.

On Tuesday 12th November 1991, in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke Of Edinburgh, the combined choirs and orchestra of the King’s Schools of Canterbury, Chester, Ely, Gloucester, Peterborough, Rochester and Worcester presented ‘A Celebration of Kings’ at The Royal Albert Hall to mark the 450th anniversary of their foundation or re-foundation by King Henry VIII.

At the end of the season, full colours were awarded to O’Riordan and Wing Attack Mandy Harvey, while half colours were awarded to Centre Julia Simcock, Goal Defence Catherine Phillips, Goal Keeper Jo North and Centre of the second team, Kate Amphlett.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…eight oarsmen.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…ten dots.

An oar-some success from the past!

Each of the torteaux on the Cathedral’s coat of arms represent the ten parishes which comprised the City of Worcester at the time of the re-foundation of the Cathedral Church by King Henry VIII.

After the Worcester King’s School eight won the junior eights trophy at Marlow Regatta held on the Thames in 1960, the crew set their sights on competing at Henley the following year. Coached by Mr. R. D. Knight, Martin Hook (Chappel House 1951-1961) was a member of the first crew that went to Henley in 1961. In the 31st issue of ‘Connect’ celebrating the King’s Boat Club’s 135th Anniversary, Hook contributed some of his memories from his time rowing at the school: “Because of the discipline and punishment regime of the day during our junior years, we always had a full crew that turned up on time – no going out in an eight with one of the seats tied up”. He said that with the background of King’s and its excellent training stretch, they “had no excuse for not giving the opposing crew ‘a real race’”.

Below is the selection list for the Princess Elizabeth Cup, Henley 1961 – an early start!

The Church of St Michael was located within the Cathedral cemetery (close to the presentday war memorial) and also the church through which the Cathedral Foundation maintained a link with city parishioners. The church was demolished in 1843 as was its replacement on College Street in 1965.

The Church of St Peter, located on St Peter’s Street until its demolition in 1976.

The Church of St Alban on Deansway, now Maggs Day Centre.

The Church of St Helen, at the south end of High Street which is now under the jurisdiction of All Saints Church.

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…eleven figures on Edgar Tower.

On the east facing entrance façade of Edgar Tower, there are decorated hollows situated to the sides of the windows. These hollows contain eleven terracotta figures of kings, queens and bishops.

Below, freak photographs of these Edgar Tower statues show the faces of R.J. Castley (KSW Staff 1903-1934) and H.E. Nichols (KSW Secretary 1921-1957) as Ethelred Dux and Ethelflaeda. The photos were created by A.D. Franklin (KSW Staff 1922-1966).

Originally, Edgar Tower was the main gate to the castle and priory, known as St. Mary’s Gate. The present tower dates from the 14th century but was originally built on King John’s orders from wood and stone. For many centuries there was a statue of King Edgar and this is why it became known as Edgar Tower.

The Church of St Martin, known as Old St Martin’s at The Cornmarket since the opening of a new church on London Road in 1911.

The Church of St Swithun at The Shambles retained its Tudor Tower but was otherwise rebuilt in the 1730s. In 1977, the church was adopted by the Churches Conservation Trust.

The Church of St Andrew on Deansway which was partly demolished to create a garden of remembrance in the 1940s. The church is known locally as ‘The Glover’s Needle’ in reference to Worcester’s former leather and glove-making industries.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…nine dots.

There are many previous forms of the school’s coat of arms which have either displayed nine or ten dots within a variety of differently shaped shields.

At some point, the Cathedral developed a variation on the badge of the Diocese where the top left-hand torteau (red dot) is hidden behind a canton (small square) in which is a representation of Mary and the baby Jesus, leaving only nine dots as opposed to the original ten. The background colour of the canton is sometimes red and sometimes blue for the Dean and Chapter. The coat of arms can be seen all around the Cathedral, on the text blocks of Worcester’s medieval manuscripts and on some of the postmedieval books belonging to the Cathedral.

But some of you may just know it as “Nine dots, Nine bars” – the annual leaver’s bar crawl through Worcester!

The Church of All Saints at the junction of Deansway, Broad Street and Bridge Street.

The Church of St Nicholas, The Cross, was de-consecrated in 1989 and has been a popular bar since the mid-1990s.

Finally, the Church of St Clement which relocated to the western bank of the River Severn in 1822.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas my true love gave to me…twelve Cathedral bells, eleven figures on Edgar Tower, ten dots, nine dots, eight oarsmen, seven Netball players, six other King’s schools, Fives courts, four disused houses, the King’s Third Master, two figures on the school insignia and a school motto in a pear tree!

Worcester Cathedral has a ring of twelve bells which are very special because they are the fifth heaviest ringing peal and are considered one of the finest rings of bells in the world. The bells are hung in a frame, high up in the Cathedral tower and are attached to a wooden wheel with a rope

Joseph Mallord William Turner: King Edgar’s Gate, Worcester, 1794

running round it which dangles into the ringing room below. The bells are made of bronze, and each has a clapper inside which swings with the bell.

In the tower is a ring of twelve bells, with an hour bell and three-quarter bells put up by Taylor of Loughborough in 1868. The twelve bells of the ring are each inscribed with the name of an apostle, and the tenor weighs 2.5 tons. The names of St. Paul, St. Mark and St. Luke are inscribed on the three quarter or half-tone bells. The hour bell weighs 4.5 tons with a 6 ft. 4.5 inch diameter. It bears the Cathedral’s coat of arms.

Felicity Quiney The Vigornian

5

Leaving Staff 2020/21 Helen Airdrie Helen joined King’s in May 2018 as Head of Careers, with an established wealth of knowledge and experience in the role.

During her time running the Careers Department, Helen has brought a passion and enthusiasm to everything which she has done. Alongside writing careers learning modules for the School’s PSHE programme, designing and delivering careers modules in Key Skills sessions and building an extensive careers resource library on Firefly, Helen has always had her door wide open to pupils in all year groups to offer them one-toone careers support and guidance.

In the last three years Helen has tirelessly advocated the importance of incorporating careers-based learning into all areas of the school. She has seized every opportunity to promote the importance of careers to all pupils, running a number of assemblies for the Fourth Forms, as well as for pupils in the Middle Years and those in the Sixth Form.

Helen has never shied away from a challenge, organising several conferences during her time here.

These have included a Healthcare Conference and a ‘21st Century Careers’ conference, which included hosting 50 pupils from local schools. Impressively, even the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t dampened her ‘can-do’ attitude.

Throughout this challenging period she has organised and hosted several online careers insight evenings, with themes including Studying in North America, Careers in Engineering, Careers using Languages and Careers using English. She even initiated an online ‘Meet the employer’ event for our Upper Remove pupils, when the scheduled speed-dating event had to be cancelled at the last minute!

The list could go on, but what is clear to see is that during her short time with us at King’s, Helen has contributed an enormous amount in shaping the futures of our pupils. We wish her a very long and happy retirement.

Josie Bullock Josie Bullock retires after 29 years of service. She has many tales to tell from her time at the school, including memories from when the school had infant boarders, the dormitory being full to the brim with cuddly toys and odd socks! Josie retires as Supervisor of the St Alban’s cleaning team and is looking forward to the rest and having time in her garden.

Nicky McNamee Carmel Callaghan When Carmel joined us in the September of 2012, the role of Counsellor was new to the school.

Like many good ideas, we would now not know what to do without such support for pupils.

That we find ourselves in that position is testament to Carmel’s hard work and commitment, the vast majority of which was done behind the scenes with only a small number of individuals truly aware of the difference she made to the lives of so many young people. When I heard she was retiring, I could not quite imagine the school without her and, while I am sure the decision was right for her, the school community will miss her tremendously. Never one to seek the limelight, Carmel preferred to not have a high profile; regardless of that, she very much deserves our very public thanks and best wishes for the future.

Alice Evans Alice was a key member of the Development and Alumni Relations team for just over three years.

She was a kind and gentle member of the department, conscientious and diplomatic, working her gentle magic with many of our Old Vigornians.

She was especially popular amongst many of our retired members of staff.

Alice worked wonders during her time with us, creating a whole new level of OV news reporting and sharing. Our social media presence grew impressively with her daily engaging posts and the OV weekly newsletter, which goes out to all staff and over 200 OVs, was really well received and, especially over the last year, was a brilliant means of keeping in touch with OVs and others in the King’s family, particularly for those OVs who weren’t able to get out and about and loved hearing from their old school.

Adrian Ford It was great to welcome Adrian back to King’s two years ago, if only for a short amount of time. Having left as a History teacher who contributed significantly to the sports programme, he returned as Deputy Director of Sport and Head of Rugby.

His real passion is for Rugby and he made a significant impact on the 1st XV in his first season, the highlight being a convincing win over RGS. During his second spell with us, he has put in a huge amount of energy and time under difficult circumstances. After dealing with flooding issues during his first year, his work, along with that of the rest of the PE department, has been crucial in engaging the school community in physical activity and sport during challenging times. The summer term eventually saw some normality return to competitive sport, where he was heavily involved in the athletics programme. His strong sense of humour, his enthusiasm and his ability to build positive relationships with pupils will be greatly missed and we wish him and his family every success in the future.

Jo Ford Jo Ford returned to King’s in the Spring of 2019 and saved the day, following the promotion of one of the History department. This seems to be something of a theme for Jo, who has brought nothing but magic to both the History and Classics departments ever since. Her “can do” attitude, combined with her sparkling positivity and caring nature, has rippled across the department and for that we will forever be grateful. From her enthusiasm for department competitions and icons all the way to her determination to ensure that her pupils develop skills of empathy and understanding, she is an allrounder in every sense of the word. This was evident in her approach to the cocurricular systems which she coordinated this year, solving problems and leading by example in her much-loved baking club.

Additionally, Jo has continued to make an enormous contribution to the Boat Club and it is impossible to overstate the value of her input into hundreds of children’s lives. Her nurturing and empathetic approach with the children, combined with her passion for rowing, made her not only an outstanding coach but a wonderful mentor, confidante and role-model for us all. The coaching team have many fond memories of working with Jo in all environments, all over the country well as at venues in Europe; she is always so positive, professional and brilliant company.

EF We will miss Alice’s work ethic, commitment and kindness; we wish her all the very best in her new job in the timetabling team at Worcester University.

6

The Vigornian

The History Department and Boat Club community will miss her terribly, but wish her and her family the very best for the future.

Penny Hope Penny was the Deputy Bursar for 24 years and witnessed many changes in her time at King’s, including four headmasters and two bursars. I asked Galen Bartholomew, my predecessor, if he would like to comment and he wrote as follows: “I was fortunate to appoint Penny early in 1997, nine months after taking over as Bursar and Clerk to the Governors, and she was my Deputy for nearly 20 years. While not a person who sought to be “in the limelight”, Penny had the highest professional standards and a huge capacity for hard work, which enabled the bursary to be run efficiently and effectively. She has great integrity, and I had no hesitation in trusting her with sensitive issues. Penny was widely respected by the staff because she genuinely cared about them and would always take the trouble to ensure that they were treated properly and fairly”.

I endorse everything Galen has said and would add that Penny’s dedication, straightforward nature and integrity meant that she was not afraid to challenge, and her passion led to some very lively discussions on a wide range of subjects, not always financial! Penny’s sense of humour and fun cheered up many meetings and conversations and I am very grateful for her support during my tenure.

As many of you will know, Penny is a great knitter. In my first winter there was a problem with my office heating and my hands were getting cold typing; I am now the proud owner of a genuine pair of Penny Fingerless Gloves that I will continue to wear and treasure.

The day Penny was appointed was a good day for the School; she is a great supporter of King’s and we wish her well in her new life.

Helen Jackson When Helen joined King’s in September of 2016 from Tudor Hall, she brought with her a drive, commitment and enthusiasm that has not diminished in any way during the intervening five years.

She remained undaunted by her unusual experience in the final round of interviews for the post of Bursar, which took place in the newly commissioned Vigornian room.

The overhead windows worked entirely as advertised and opened to ventilate the room as carbon dioxide levels climbed but there was no triangulation with the weather conditions; this left Helen facing a panel of governors enduring the steady drips provided by a spring shower.

Helen’s tenure as Bursar has witnessed a tremendous amount of change for the school and she has consistently shown great character in facing the associated challenges. The Keyes building should have been completed well before Helen’s innings Jill Knipe Jilly first started working at King’s way back in 1996, under the then headmaster, Dr John Moore. King’s took boarders in those days and Jilly was appointed to teach English to overseas pupils. After a short break away, she came back to King’s in 1998, now under the headship of Tim Keyes. Boarding was gradually phased out and the emphasis of her work changed from EFL support to helping those with specific learning difficulties. There was no real learning support department in those days and lessons involved teaching oneto-one, hidden away in various cupboards around the school.

We first met in 2006. At that time, our base was a cold, dank room in Castle Place, which doubled as storage for Peter Iddon’s sports gear. My first memory of Jilly was her dressed up in three oversized cricket jumpers, trying to keep warm; she wasn’t too happy at the time as Peter’s dog, who also shared the room, had just eaten her lunch.

commenced, though successive delays meant that the first order of business was addressing a snag list of immense proportions.

She rose to this challenge as she did to all the others, with her professionalism, sound judgement and persistence always in evidence. A gifted project manager, she was agile and resourceful when faced with the unexpected. This is well-illustrated by her tenacity when dealing with a group of travellers who had chosen the playing fields as their next pitch. A day later, despite predictions of six weeks of disruption to school sport, our visitors had elected to search elsewhere for an alternative location which might offer more comfort and peace.

As ever, Helen had chosen the right people for the job and normal service was restored.

Helen has provided unfaltering support for two Heads and an Acting Head, as well as providing wise counsel to the governing body in times of great uncertainty. King’s has been most fortunate to have had her services and we wish her well as she embarks on the next chapter of her life.

One the many things I value about Jilly is her humour. For eight years, Jilly combined her time in the Learning Skills Department with her role as SENCo at St Alban’s, which provided her with countless amusing anecdotes including one lesson with a group of Year 6 pupils, one of whom thought he was just that little bit cooler than the rest. When one of the others asked how old she was Jilly said, “Oh 21”. The cool lad turned to the group and said, “Ha! I bet she is in her 30s.” What is not in dispute is her boundless energy for everything she does.

With her depth and range of expertise along with her firm, kind and reassuring manner, Jill has not only given generations of pupils strategies and skills to cope in the classroom and in the world beyond King’s, she has also given them the gift of self-belief and confidence.

Thank you, Jilly, for being a fantastic colleague. We miss you hugely.

In those early days, Jilly combined her work at King’s with working at The Chase in Malvern so that when the Learning Skills Department was set up in 2008, her knowledge and experience of working in the state sector proved invaluable.

Together we built up the Learning Skills Department to where it is today; it was very much a joint success.

The Vigornian

7

Rhiannon Lewis Rhiannon re-joined the Classics Department as a part-time member of staff in 2012 and has achieved much in that time. She has taught Latin and Classical Civilisation throughout the school, from the basics in the Lower Fourth year to the challenges of A Level. At all times she has conveyed her passion for the subject and her belief that it should be accessible to all.

This has been particularly evident in her teaching of the Aeneid to the Upper Sixth Classical Civilisation students. On their return visits to school years later, many will describe their fond memories of these lessons.

She has made a huge contribution to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme.

Rarely (if ever) has Rhiannon mutter the words “no” or “I can’t do that” when asked to help on expeditions.

Usually she volunteered before being asked. She willingly drove minibuses, led groups, camped overnight in the wet, the cold and even in snow. In time she played an instrumental role in the running of the Bronze DofE Award, advising countless Upper Removes on all sections of the Award. She has also given invaluable support with both Silver and Gold expeditions. Rhiannon’s years of experience, remarkably positive attitude (even when wet, cold, or tired) and willingness to go that extra mile no matter what will mean she will be greatly missed.

Rhiannon also willingly volunteered to help with the annual Lower Remove Camps. She brought boundless energy and positivity to any group that she worked with and was enormous fun.

Always perceptive and deeply caring, she would notice any pupil struggling or out of their comfort zone and gently give them encouragement and support.

Rhiannon also joined the Learning Skills Department, where she worked with pupils in small groups and on a one-toone basis. It was during this time that she gained her OCR Certificate in Specific Learning Difficulties. Her kind and gentle manner, along with her patience and genuine interest in her pupils, was appreciated by her colleagues Joanna Lucas and Jill Knipe and she was greatly missed when she moved out of the department to allow time to pursue her deep interest in counselling.

8

The Vigornian

Rhiannon has been a Year Group Tutor in Bright House since 2014. She has looked after the day-to-day welfare of her tutees with genuine kindness and she cared deeply about her pupils, who always felt supported, encouraged and thoughtfully guided. A measure of her sincere compassion is illustrated by a comment from one of her pupils who joined the House from another school and observed that she had never known any of her previous teachers care about her wellbeing as much as Rhiannon did. This support and concern typify her approach to the pastoral side of her teaching. She was always present at House events, cheering on her tutees, and she was never afraid to muck in herself with activities such as canoeing and climbing at the Old Chapel. Her care and compassion for the pupils and her positive outlook and good humour will certainly be missed by pupils and staff in the House each morning.

Rhiannon is not retiring; in recent years she completed with merit a postgraduate diploma in counselling and psychotherapy, with additional training in counselling children and young people, and is changing career to work as a counsellor in a school, private practice and the wider community.

Most of all, Rhiannon will be sorely missed by her friends in the Classics Department who have valued her wise words and caring and kind nature.

Her comedy moments are legendary, whether it is regaling, in suitably vivid, gesticulating style, her rescue of a swan on the main road by the river while she was cycling into school or e-mailing us in the in the style of Homer as she hunted down missing textbooks. Quite simply, she is irreplaceable; September 2021 will feel very different without her.

I know she will use this next phase in her life to keep up her enjoyment of the great outdoors and that she will look forward to spending more time with Katie, Anna and Daisy the cat.

Jasmin Williams Jasmin Williams joined the Art department in 2019 and quickly established herself as a dedicated and inspirational teacher. Her praise and encouragement filled even the most tentative pupils with the self-belief to produce original and exciting work that often exceeded their expectations. Her lessons were always meticulously prepared and delivered in a calm and focussed manner that fostered purposeful creativity. Although her training was in textiles, having studied at The London College of Fashion, she taught every discipline from painting and printmaking to sculpture and computer design and if there were any skills that were unfamiliar to her, she picked them up with ease. Beyond the classroom, she ran an Arts Award club and was always to be found in the studios, assisting pupils long after lessons had ended. She was also a Fourth Form Tutor, a role well suited to her compassionate and caring nature. Never one to rest on her laurels, she was always experimenting and learning new techniques, both for her own practice and for the benefit of her pupils, and it is this desire to explore new avenues that prompted her to make the move a few miles up the road to Bromsgrove School, where, along with her Art teaching, she will also be involved in the extra-curricular and boarding life of the school. She leaves with our very best wishes and we look forward to making the short trip up the M5 to pay her a visit in the very near future.

Chris Haywood Bex Wood Rebecca Wood (Bex) joined King’s as a PE and Girls’ Games maternity cover in September 2017.

She quickly established herself within the King’s family, acting as tutor to the U6 year group (2021) in Choir House and also coaching many different teams within the hockey, netball and cricket programmes. She recently completed an MA, reading Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, researching teaching styles in PE and how teachers can be supported to adopt multiple pedagogies into their practice.

Bex’s passion for innovative change within PE and her desire to try new ideas has been refreshing and I know that Akeley Wood will make the most of her creativity. Bex is a kind, caring and supportive individual and will be greatly missed by the department and the pupils. I know that many of us will stay in contact with Bex as she is someone who, over the years, has become a good friend to many. We wish her all the best for the future in her new position as PE Teacher at Akeley Wood.

Caroline Mitchell-Wise Caroline covered maternity leave for Sophie Borrillo-McLellan and we were very grateful for all her hard work in such difficult circumstances, especially in terms of arranging events which then had to be postponed or cancelled. These were not normal times, especially for a team who love to meet OVs, show them around the school site and host reunions, none of which could happen during Caroline’s time with us.

Caroline was a diligent and conscientious team member and she maintained an active correspondence with many OVs over email and the phone. She produced two magnificent editions of ‘Connect’ magazine, packed full of engaging articles.

We wish Caroline all the best in her job at Sanctuary Care, although we do not lose her completely as both her children remain at King’s.

Lydia Wolsey Lydia leaves us after two years in the department.

Looking at her achievements, you’d be excused for thinking it was much longer. From day one, she worked with 100% commitment, and to the highest of standards. She managed, in 3 days a week, what takes many of us 5! Her extremely high expectations of the work of her students and indeed herself, were clear for all to see.

Lydia leaves us to focus upon the business that she’s been running alongside her teaching career and a quick look on her Instagram account will show you just how talented she is.

The DT department was lucky to have had her as part of the team and we will miss her humour and friendship.

We’re losing a talented, hard-working and inspirational teacher who will be a big loss to the department. A colleague whose organisational skills put Outlook Calendar to shame. But we wish her very every success for the future!

New Staff 2020/21 Robin Booth Robin Booth returns to King’s, but this time as a Teacher of DT and Art as well as an experienced Rowing coach. Following a number of years working at the Senior School, in Marketing, Reprographics and the Boathouse, Robin was inspired to complete his PGCE in Design and Technology. After studying Design at university, Robin worked in marketing for several years before moving to King’s. A strong belief in the importance of teaching his subject and his involvement in coaching led to Robin changing careers and becoming a teacher. In his spare time Robin is an experienced photographer and enjoys spending time outdoors.

Chloe Carchrie Chloe Carchrie joins King’s as a Sports Coach, Netball specialist. She has played Netball since she was 14, with playing achievements including the England Pathway and being a part of the Severn Stars franchise for four years. Chloe is in her final year of studying Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Gloucestershire. As a part of her degree, she completed a placement term here at King’s last school year, where she thrived in the enthusiastic and sportloving department. She is now excited to be a part of this and share her knowledge to help the students develop their Netball skills.

Katie Collins Katie Collins joins King’s as a part-time teacher of Physical Education. She joins us from Bloxham School and is excited about the prospect of teaching at King’s following the birth of her 9-monthold daughter. She began her teaching career in 2011 after completing her studies at the University of Bath, followed by undertaking her teacher training at Shrewsbury School.

Katie is looking forward to bringing her wealth of experience to King’s, particularly on the sports field. Having previously led numerous Hockey, Netball and Tennis teams, and also having been Head of Girls’ Cricket, she is very passionate about fully immersing herself in not only curriculum PE, but also King’s extensive extra-curricular programme.

Simon Holden Simon Holden joined the Foundation on 9 August 2021 as the newly appointed Director of Operations.

Prior to moving into the Education Sector, he was a senior Army officer. His career saw him travelling all over the world on operations but, after 21 years in service, he retired to spend more time with his family. Simon comes to us from Malvern St James Girls’ School, where he was the Director of Operations and Compliance. Being a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and having a Master’s in Management and Leadership, backed up by 20+ years senior management experience, Simon has a lot to offer the Foundation.

Lucy Herdman Lucy Herdman joins King’s this year as a Sports Coach, Netball Specialist.

Lucy graduated with a First Class (hons) degree in Sports Development and Coaching at the University of Worcester.

Following this, she has undertaken a Master’s degree in Sports Coaching, which she will finish this year, alongside working at King’s.

Lucy has a wealth of experience in Netball Coaching, having coached since she was 16.

She has coached all age groups, with varying abilities, from Primary years up to adults.

Lucy currently plays in the Vitality Netball Super League for Severn Stars and is looking forward to sharing her Netball knowledge, as both a coach and an elite player, with the King’s pupils. She also plays other sports to a high standard including Tennis and Basketball. Having previously played for the Worcester Wolves Ladies, she is looking forward to coaching the Basketball club at King’s. Lucy has a passion for ensuring that each athlete she coaches reaches their full potential and she relishes supporting them on their journey. She is excited for what she hopes will be a successful year and working with the pupils to develop their talents.

The Vigornian

9

Rebecca Kent Rebecca Kent joins King’s this year as Head of Psychology and a Lower Fourth Tutor.

She found her passion for Psychology after studying the subject at A Level, followed by reading Psychology at the University of Wales. Rebecca completed her PGCE at Keele University and, once qualified, started her teaching career at Arden Academy in Knowle, where she has taught A Level Psychology for the past nine years.

During her teaching career she has had several pastoral roles, and most recently as Head of Key Stage Four and intervention. Rebecca is incredibly excited to become part of the King’s community, in particular having the opportunity to launch Psychology A level for the first time at King’s.

Rebecca is looking forward to challenging her pupils and developing their understanding of what makes people tick, and how this understanding can help address many of the problems and issues in society today.

Katie Knott Katie Knott joins King’s this year as a part-time teacher of PE and Girls’ Games.

Having been at the school for a year on a maternity cover, she is excited to return to this vibrant community. After completing her PGCE at The College of Mark and St John, University of Exeter, Katie has worked in two schools in Worcestershire, but rejoins us after a term at Stratford Girls’ Grammar School. As a former Head of Department, and part of the Initial Teacher Training Team at Prince Henry’s High School, Katie now values the practical side of teaching, and believes in making PE and games accessible for all. Having been a keen Hockey player for many years, Katie now enjoys running, cycling and open water swimming. She is looking forward to working with the students and staff at King’s and contributing to this thriving school.

10

The Vigornian

Edward Low Edward Low joins King’s this year as the Head of English and a Year Group Tutor. He began his teaching career in 2012 after reading English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Durham between 2004 and 2007. Having previously worked in finance and sales in London and Birmingham respectively, Edward converted to teaching in 2012 and has spent the last nine years in a high-achieving maintained school where he has enjoyed delivering whole school teaching and learning initiatives and raising academic standards. He has a passion for literature and firmly believes that English operates as the foundation of a strong education, whilst also recognising the pivotal importance that the study of English has in developing a pupil’s empathy and compassion. Edward is very excited to join the King’s community and is looking forward to helping the pupils at King’s develop their love of learning and instill a lifelong passion for literature.

Georgina Mason Georgina Mason joins King’s this year as Foundation Director of Finance and Business Development. Georgina completed her Accountancy degree at Cardiff University before training to become a Chartered Accountant. After gaining experience in practice, Georgina choose to move into industry and joins us after 12 years in manufacturing, most recently as Finance Director at a multinational engineering company. Georgina is excited by the challenge that comes from a change in sector and is looking forward to getting involved in the School community, helping to ensure that the School is in the best position to build on its illustrious history.

Oliver Shone Oliver Shone joins King’s as Teacher of Special Educational Needs, situated within the Learning Skills Department.

After working as personal tutor to several families in London, he completed his Degree at Bath Spa University before training as a teacher at the University of Cambridge. Oliver has experience of teaching at all levels of education, and with particular interest in the acquisition of skills and strategies for pupils who have Dyslexia and Autism, he is ideally placed to identify and address challenges in our pupils.

Amanda Sutcliffe Amanda Sutcliffe joined the Development and Alumni Relations Team in April 2021 as Development Assistant.

Amanda is the main point of contact for Old Vigornian (OV) news and co-ordinates OV event bookings, processes donations, and looks after the OV social media accounts. Amanda brings many skills to her King’s role, with a varied career in Public Relations and Business Development behind her. She is most excited to join the close-knit King’s Foundation family, as she is married to an OV and their child is currently enjoying King’s Worcester, having graduated from King’s St Alban’s.

Richard Ward Richard Ward joins King’s this year as a teacher of History and Politics.

After graduating from the University of Exeter with a degree in Politics and International Relations, he completed a Master’s degree in the same subject at the University of Bristol, before going on to work in consultancy. After completing his PGCE at the University of Nottingham, Richard began his teaching career in 2019 at the Holt School in Berkshire, where he also took on a Sixth Form pastoral role specialising in academic mentoring. He is looking forward to working alongside highly committed and passionate teachers in a supportive and inspiring environment, whilst contributing to the school community and getting to know the pupils. Richard is passionate about Politics and History and the ways in which students can develop both the knowledge and skills necessary for a comprehensive understanding of our past, and of our current political institutions and processes.

Benjamin Williams Benjamin Williams joins King’s this year as Teacher of PE and Choir House’s new Lower Remove Tutor.

He is excited to start his career in teaching at King’s, after completing his PGCE at the University of Worcester last year. Benjamin gained a first-class degree in Sports Conditioning, Rehabilitation and Massage from Cardiff Metropolitan as well as gaining the Mike Wandsworth Award for best academic performance in the cohort. Upon completing his undergraduate degree, Benjamin signed a professional contract with Ealing Trailfinders in the English Championship. He is an experienced coach and mentor who is excited about leading the Under 15s rugby, as well as embracing and contributing to all that King’s has to offer.

Moreover, Benjamin is passionate about Physical Education and is a strong advocate for children living healthy lifestyles which will be evident in his enthusiastic delivery.

Babies

Weddings

We would like to formally welcome and send congratulations to the proud parents of the new additions to the King’s family.

Mabel Rose Falzon

Emmah Cameron Emmah and Niall Ferguson were married on a sunny day in Gretna Green on the 4th June 2021. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, they had a very special day and were able to share it with their closest family and friends.

Mabel Rose Falzon was born to Kirsty and Alastair three weeks early on the 10th November 2020, weighing 8lbs 10.5oz. She is a little sister to four brothers and two sisters who are all absolutely delighted.

Katie Joy Loveridge

Emma McKenzie Emma and Dan McGinley finally got married on the 31st July 2021 at Tawstock Court, Barnstaple having had to delay for 12 months due to the pandemic. It was certainly worth the wait as they were able to share their special day with all of their family and friends in attendance.

Esther Loveridge and her Husband Michael were very pleased to welcome their third child, Katie, to the family on 3rd June 2021. She is already much beloved by her two older siblings, Isaac and Pippa and taking a very laid-back approach to life so far. Long may it last!

Joshua James Terry

Erin Preece and her partner James welcomed their second child Joshua James Terry on Friday 10th January 2020. Joshua promptly arrived on his due date weighing 8lb 3oz. Ella is thrilled to have a baby brother who she calls JJ and smothers with hugs and kisses.

The Vigornian

11

ST

UDE NT PI EC E

Worcester Castle ST

D

U

You’ve probably not paid that much attention to Worcester Castle. That’s understandable considering it is not exactly known for its impressive ruins.

There are, however, several interesting reasons behind why it came to look so dishevelled. Many of these reasons were uncovered by archaeologists funded by King’s who, in doing so, have provided evidence of a vast history of people who occupied these grounds long before us.

EN

T P IECE

With information provided by the King’s archives, you can see that the castle, or at least the area it takes up, dates back to the Iron Age and even late Bronze Age. Traces of these periods were left behind in the form of everyday objects (e.g. pottery, flint tools, currency), most of which were discovered by archaeologists on the King’s site.

It was later used by the Romans who first started to develop Worcester (known to them as Vertis). The Romans, like King’s rowers, enjoyed the easy access to the river, only the Romans wanted it to easily export iron due to its close proximity to the River Severn. The Romans also built a wall around Vertis, defending it from outsiders, and also to show off their status. Parts of this wall still remain and can be seen on the outskirts of the river side of the school.

After being abandoned by the Romans, a Norman fortification was built up between 1068-1069 by Urse d’Abetot on behalf of William the Conqueror.

However, it is not the same castle that can be seen today, as this one was made out of wood and included design features such as a motte-and-bailey. This meant it was on high ground with a wall around it and therefore was great at keeping out its enemies, but not so good when it came to preventing fire. Worcester Castle (or castles) received fire damages roughly three times in the 12th and 13th centuries, the most notable being 1113 when the entire castle was burned down.

Eventually the castle was rebuilt out of stone but this did not stop its unfortunate tendency to be obliterated every few decades. A prime example of this was the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Worcester was in support of the Royalists who, even with the defences they had, were overthrown by Cromwell and the Parliamentarians within five days, destroying a good portion of the castle in that time.

12

The Vigornian

Its demolition took place In 1822, when the site was purchased by a business man named Thomas Eaton. In the process of knocking down part of the castle and the buildings around it, several archaeological discoveries were made which gave us the knowledge we have today. For example, in the removal of a building near the castle, old floor boards were found to have scorch marks on them, dating back to the early years of the castle. This can be linked back to the many fires which occurred between the 12 and 13th centuries.

Although a lot of the castle was destroyed over time, parts of it can still be seen on the outskirts of the river and inside school. Evidence of Worcester’s past is all around us. Whilst the walls may be dull now, these slabs of stone outline the areas of where it stood in its former glory, the most obvious part being the wall next to Choir House. Visual history like this brings an even more unique experience to going King’s, encompassing school life into the thousands of lives that have been there before you.

Imogen Brinksman

ACADEMIC King’s Day 2021 Reeves prize for Further Mathematics Robert Saunders Mathematics Anya Turk Physics Ben Hale Cavenagh prize for Biology Callum Wright Chemistry Alessia Morris Gouveia Physical Education Josie Armstrong Design and Technology Bethan Fox Michael Blake Drama and Theatre Studies prize Ella Fidlin Music Katie Beckett Geography Matt Doughty Art Ischia Turk Business Mia Mathewson Winslow prize for History Charlotte MacDonald Computer Science Jamie Hartshorne Extended Project Qualification Milly Short Ashley Shameli prize for Politics William Hunt Religion and Philosophy Eszter Horvath Latin Grace Tivnan French Olivia Burden German Ellie Overfield Spanish Izzy Hodges Maurice Day prize for Classics Daisy Beedie Bishop Fleming Rabjohn prize for Economics Arun Saimbi English Literature Olivia Howard

Cobb Shield for extra-curricular Drama Ella Fidlin Cup for contribution to extra-curricular Music Bethan Fox Neil Bowler Cup Owen Preston Nicky Wilson Cup Georgina Thorp Robert Harley Award Grace Tivnan OV Service Awards Elizabeth Gates

Ella Haines-Messenger

Maddie Hinchliff

Thomas Holland

Lani Overfield

Megan Pitts

Matt Whiteside

Sophia Winfield Senior Scholar Prizes

Henny Hodges Thomas Angell

Michael Harvey-Good

Olivia Howard William Hunt Thomas Angell

The Vigornian

13

Art Department The unprecedented events of the year may have disrupted some of the Art Department’s activities, but we were determined to maintain as much normality as possible despite the difficulties of social distancing and lockdown. Lessons were adapted to stream live demonstrations, video tutorials were recorded for pupils to access from home and packs of art materials were posted out to pupils. As we were unable to celebrate the end of the last academic year with our usual show, we began this year with a new 3D virtual exhibition of Upper Sixth work that could be viewed online. The virtual show may not have had quite the same impact, but it gave students an idea of how their work would look had we been able to hold our annual exhibition. The impressive piece of software

proved to be so successful that this will be one initiative prompted by lockdown that we will maintain once restrictions are completely lifted. Although we were not able to exhibit all Upper Sixth work, we did manage to show a number of last year’s students in more modest exhibitions in our gallery and we were pleased to be able to invite those students who had remained in Worcester to come and view their work.

We continued to invite visiting artists to come and inspire the pupils; Ian Murphy spent a week working with Lower Sixth students and exhibited his impressive paintings in the department’s Sir Terry Frost Gallery, and Robert Stockley visited throughout the year, developing ceramics in the department. Our annual GCSE

trip to St. Ives also fell victim to COVID; however, rather than let the Fifth Form lose out completely, we staged three days of workshops for the pupils that gave them the opportunity to produce sustained and experimental work that would not be possible in lesson time. Pupils mixed their time between workshops in the department and exploring painting and drawing techniques in the local Piper’s Hill forest. The extended time allowed pupils to build a substantial body of work that contributed to their GCSE coursework at the end of the year.

The switch to more digital work continued with other online virtual exhibitions, including an exhibition of Lower Fourth work produced in response to the theme

Year 7 Fish Printing

Upper Sixth Virtual 3D Exhibition

Exhibition of Fourth Form work

14

The Vigornian

Decorated elephants ready for the St Richard’s Hospice Christmas tree

‘Fauna and Flora’ and a ‘Landscape a Day’ project in which pupils, parents, OVs and staff were invited to submit their own landscape paintings, drawings and photographs. The chosen images were posted online every day throughout the month of March and it was impressive to see the creativity of the whole of the King’s community. The month-long event culminated in another virtual exhibition that featured over 100 of the entries. Other notable achievements included Lower Sixth student Alice Crosby participating in the regional final of the Articulation competition. This national event, in which students deliver a ten-minute presentation on an art work of their choice, is designed to develop students’ analytical skills and Alice’s presentation on the work of

Visiting artist Ian Murphy talking to St Alban’s pupils about his work.

photographer Agustin Martinez Castro was both sensitive and thought provoking.

at least two exhibitions a year for over a decade.

Our OVs also enjoyed great success, as we saw Lily Stringer’s sculpture exhibited in the Royal Academy’s Young Artists Summer Show and Anna Porter’s Sixth Form painting selected for the prestigious Jackson’s Painting Prize. This achievement is particularly impressive when you consider that this is an international exhibition open to professional artists. We were also delighted to hear that another OV, Lucy Teasdale, was continuing to enjoy great success with her latest show: The Way Through the Woods, at Galerie Born in Berlin. The award-winning sculptor is currently dividing her time between Berlin and Copenhagen and has been holding

We ended the year by celebrating the creativity of our pupils with work included in the Young Voices and Visions exhibition in Worcester Cathedral cloisters and, after a one year break, we were delighted to present our Upper Sixth End of Year Exhibition in the Art Department. Despite the restrictions we have encountered this year, the creativity and originality of our pupils continues to inspire and delight us and it is a great testament to their resilience and ingenuity that they have not let the events of this year diminish their flair and enthusiasm for the visual arts.

CH

Visiting artist Ian Murphy’s exhibition

One of the winners of the Landscape a Day Project

One of the winners of the Landscape a Day Project

5th Form Workshop in Piper’s Hill

5th Form Workshop in Piper’s Hill

Sixth form pupils taking part in Ian Murphy drawing workshop

The Vigornian

15

Articulation Finalists

Work exhibited in Worcester Cathedral for Young Voices and Visions

Exhibition of 5th Form textile prints

Sixth Form work in the Sir Terry Frost Gallery

OV Exhibition

16

The Vigornian

Annie Park receiving the George Terry Art Prize

OV Exhibition

OV Exhibition

Chemistry Department Chemistry started the academic year with a new Head of Department, Mr Ison. They say a new broom sweeps clean and that is literally how the year started: almost a skip full of old and redundant materials being thrown away; some of the items were from the 1960s! However, Mr Ison was still keen to keep the same high standards that his long serving predecessor, Mr Geary, established: quality lessons with a solid practical element.

from the technicians who had to serialise, treat with Milton and wash countless goggles, test tubes, beakers and equipment to ensure that practical work could still take place. In the run-up to Christmas Mr Ison was keen to engage in the Head’s Christmas Decoration Competition; to say he took this seriously might be an understatement!

A multi-sensory, Chemistry Christmas experience was created to bring a little hope in dark times; we were ecstatic to win.

Despite the COVID-19 regulations, practicals still went ahead with a herculean effort

As we were catapulted into the January lockdown, schemes of work were modified

and changed for the lower years to adapt to the home learning situation.

We ensured that chemistry was still taught as a practical subject and we looked into the chemistry of cakes, bread, paint and a variety of other common items. On return to full school a series of assessments and TAGS dominated but our students were still glad to be back learning in the classroom and doing “proper” practicals. We are looking forward to more fun in years to come under the leadership of Mr Ison.

LHI

Classics and Latin Department One afternoon after school Sophie decided to write a poem about Daedalus and Icarus.

The poem focuses on the dramatic moment they escaped the Labyrinth.

Icarus I melted wax onto the fea thers And the feathers to ou r blades, Then we escaped out to the air.

But they were faulty, do n’t you see?

Hadn’t left enough tim e to dry, I had tried to warn him of the danger, Tried to tell him not to fly high.

But he ignored my sure precautions As he flew into the sun and sky Doing loop-the-loops Against the water and its sky.

We flew into the sunset That burned up all the sea.

The sunlight Played the water And Icarus sung the sea And onwards flew Icarus Icarus and me.

But then his wax was bre aking As far too high he flew The feathers in turn we re drooping And both he and wings fell into blue.

Then Icarus stopped his screaming As his body hit the waves Swallowing him like mu d The sea and all the waves .

Then the water glistened like evil, With both his metal and his blood.

I tried to warn Icarus, Tried to teach just how high Yet his very saviour Was the very same hand at which he died.

I used to fly with Icarus , But now I fly alone, Now it’s just me I, Daedalus, Daedalus and me.

Daedalus is me.

Sophie Ruane

Women in Mythology One of the reasons I enjoy studying Latin so much is the parallels I can draw from Roman history and ancient mythology with modern day life. The Republic’s focus on democracy and the importance of rhetoric are what our society is built on.

There are, however, some continuations that should have died with the Empire: one of which being their treatment of women in mythology. Medusa was turned into a monster after Poseidon sexually assaulted her in one of Athena’s temples, Io was turned into a cow after one of Zeus’ many affairs, Semele was tricked into death

by Hera after Zeus impregnated her. In modern times we see a culture of shame, which whilst not literally turning women into monsters or setting them alight does so figuratively. Surely, we should look to moving on from these millennia old practices. Instead of focusing on the heroes

of the ancient world, we should appreciate the fact that these were the ancient times.

Therefore, whilst enjoying the stories, we should look at what we can learn from them and more importantly how we can apply these lessons to modern day life.

Madeleine Hales The Vigornian

17

The Colours of Ancient Rome The first thing that most people think of when they think back to the Ancient World is large, polished marble structures; however, many don’t know that they were not originally like that. The statues and monuments in both Ancient Rome and Greece were originally painted with bright, and often garish, colours. This is not how we imagine them today as the colours found on statues uncovered during archaeological digs are often nearly impossible to detect.

We have also been taught over decades to believe that Roman and Greek statues were just as white as they are depicted in museums around the world.

In recent years, however, historians around the world have uncovered further evidence to suggest that the majority of the most famous statues, such as the Prima Porta statue in Rome, were formerly painted with vivid colours. One of the first museums to display these findings was the Ara Pacis Museum, who projected the true colours onto the Ara Pacis monument as part of an exhibition commemorating two thousand years since the death of Augustus. On 19th August 2014 (exactly two thousand years after Augustus’ death on 19th August 14 AD) they hosted an evening exhibition called The Art of Command: The Legacy of Augustus where they projected the colours that have been found in small flecks on the monument in order to allow visitors to see what it truly would have looked like for the Romans. The Ara Pacis was constructed between 13BC and 9BC and was dedicated to Augustus by the Senate following his successful campaigns in Spain and Gaul (now France). It depicts many images of Rome thriving as it was used as propaganda by Augustus to highlight his Golden Age and the good that he was bringing to Rome. It was also an important religious building as the name Ara Pacis means Altar of Peace and the Vestal Virgins performed a sacrifice on its opening and every year after. The procession on the North and South sides represents the ideals of the Augustan Regime and shows how everyone in Rome was willing to comply with Augustus’ reforms in order to live in the Golden Age that he brought to Rome.

Although it represents the procession that happened at the opening of the Ara Pacis, it is more likely being used to demonstrate the ideals of Augustus’ Regime as it contains figures such as Agrippa, who was a great friend and military commander to Augustus, but died before the Ara Pacis was completed. The floral motif underneath the procession emphasises that Rome is thriving as Augustus has brought peace and a new Golden Age. The West Side of the Altar depicts the origin stories of Rome with Romulus and Remus on one side and

18

The Vigornian

The Ara Pacis with the colours projected onto the West Side

The Ara Pacis with the colours projected onto the West Side

Aeneas on the other which was significant as they reminded the Roman people of Augustus’ family lineage and the origins of their city. The true colours make certain figures stand out and would have made it easier for the people to notice key details, such as the creatures hidden throughout the floral motif.

The Prima Porta statue, found in Livia’s Villa during an archaeological dig in 1863 and believed to have been created in 20BC, has only ever been seen by the public as white marble, however it too was originally painted in particularly bright colours. The statue is believed to be a copy of a bronze original and commemorates Augustus’ successful negotiation of the return of the Roman Standards from the Parthians after their humiliating loss by Crassus in 53BC. Unusually, when it was found, traces of the original colour were still visible to the naked eye and, in 2004, Vatican Conservators created a coloured reconstruction of the Prima Porta in plaster of Paris which radically transformed the statue. To our eyes, the colours appear garish and gaudy but to the Romans these would not have

The Prima Porta statue with its true colours

been unusual which begs the question why have we never been exposed to statues in their true colours?

The debate among scholars and historians over recent years continues to question why Westerners remained so blind to the colours of statues when, if looked at closely, many statues showed pigments of colour which could be seen by the naked eye. Debate has also turned to the need to educate people that statues and the actual people of Rome were not all white and that should not be our perception of them. The fact that the Roman Empire stretched from Scotland to North Africa means that it is a given for scholars that it was ethnically diverse but the majority of students may not always realise this, therefore it is important to show reconstructions or projections of colour alongside the white marble version of the statue or monument.

It is also an important issue as the coloured statues were how the people of the Ancient World intended them to be and they could reveal further details about their world.

Sarah Brown

Computing Department September 2021 saw a return to school for all pupils after the first lockdown, and it was the first taste of Computing at the Senior School for our new Lower Fourth. Our first priority as staff was to make sure that new pupils could use our online systems in case of illness, isolation or further lockdown.

So, pupils were quickly upskilled in email etiquette, Microsoft Teams and Office 365, and in FireFly - our online learning platform.

Pupils were also upskilled in how to wash their hands and how to clean keyboards, mice and desks in between use to preserve their year group bubbles, something that we maintained all year. We then spent the next few weeks teaching pupils in hybrid lessons. This involved having the majority of the class in front of us in lessons and the occasional pupil/s appearing on our screen through Teams because they were at home as a result of track and trace isolation.

November saw a second lockdown across the country, but schools remained open and it was simply business as usual with a few more pupils learning remotely from home in our hybrid learning approach.

The annual Bebras Competition happened once again in early November for all Lower Years, Lower Remove and Sixth Form students studying Computer Science.

The competition aims to improve the computational thinking of pupils by solving puzzles that need pattern recognition, shortest routes finding or cipher

decrypting. Some pupils did exceptionally well once again, but the most noticeable achievement was that of James Capell (Lower Remove) who gained full marks at Inter-level, something not achieved at King’s before. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the finals were not running this year so a trip to Oxford University hasn’t happened for James, yet.

January arrived and so did another lockdown but this time pupils were told to stay at home and teachers were uplifted to key worker status. Therefore, it was back to hybrid learning once again, but this time flipped the other way around with a few key worker pupils face to face in front of us in the classroom with the majority of pupils at home learning remotely live though a screen. This meant a big change in our curriculum ordering as pupils could not access the software or hardware required whilst at home. Code Combat is a brilliant online coding platform that we used with the Lower Years. It centres around teaching coding basics through problem solving and game creation. Pupils also had another taste of IDEA (Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award) which was one of our triumphs from lockdown one last year with those in Upper Fourth continuing and extending where they finished last year, once again working their way through badges in the four sections – Citizen, Worker, Maker and Entrepreneur.

When pupils finally arrived back in school it was a chance to break out the hardware and software that they could not access from home, so it was Physical Computing time. Lower Fourth pupils used Microbits while the Upper Fourth used Arduino Uno boards both controlling LEDs, buzzers and taking input from switches. It was a pleasant change from teaching through a screen now that we could walk around our classrooms, fully masked of course, helping pupils directly with their learning.

Over the last 12 months, five Upper Remove pupils have been working their way through some very rigorous and challenging rounds of the National Cyber Discovery Competition. We must once again congratulate Lola Morgan for reaching the final, which is a testimony to her perseverance and dedication. Along the way she has developed industry standard skills in information security and ethical hacking which have given her great insight into a seldom understood industry.

Here we are with another year completed.

A very unexpected year with massive changes and disruption to our daily lives but we adapted as a department, and our pupils still made huge progress through these very difficult times and should be congratulated. Well done to all.

DNB

Work Experience in the Financial Sector Since Lower Fourth, now Lower Sixth, John Davies has made the most of many opportunities at King’s. This Summer was no different. Studying History, Spanish and Latin, John hopes to study History and Spanish at the University of Oxford.

As part of his wider experience he spent some time at the reputable private equity investor company, Bridgepoint. He writes the following.

I was notified of this opportunity from the school’s then careers advisor, Mrs Airdrie. My experience on a weeklong work experience course with Bridgepoint was just as phenomenal as my previous work experience with Pfizer.

Since I had already received a taste of working in the pharmaceutical industry, I decided to expand my horizons by exploring the world of finance this time.

Bridgepoint is an extremely well-renowned and prestigious firm, so I was grateful that I had been granted the opportunity to participate in such a selective and highquality work experience programme.

The staff at Bridgepoint were very kind and helpful to me and the other students taking part in the course. I managed to acquire a solid understanding of the way private equity companies stimulate the growth of businesses through long-term investments and the general experience of working in the sector. Several high-ranking Bridgepoint employees gave inspirational talks to everyone on the work experience program. Moreover, we were given useful advice for other skills essential for pursuing a successful professional career, such as corporate networking. By the end of the week, we all delivered presentations in

groups to our supervisors about what we believed Bridgepoint’s social media strategy should look like.

As a result of this experience, I now know that working in the financial sector would provide a long-lasting, varied and rewarding career. I would certainly consider private equity as a potential future career direction. Clearly the company culture at Bridgepoint is fantastic due to its supportive, nurturing nature. I would recommend to anyone to apply for this valuable work experience programme in future.

John Davies

The Vigornian

19

Design Technology Department ‘The Journey’ Fundamental to both the development of our students, and the department itself are three principles. When you look closely, you’ll see these principles influencing everything we do.

They are: Iterative designing, Kaizen and problem-solving.

Iterative designing is the non-linear process of developing a resolution to a design problem by designing, prototyping and evaluating, before going back through the cycle again and again, endlessly refining the outcome.

Kaizen is the Japanese principle of continuous improvement, where everyone is a stakeholder, and is encouraged to suggest changes for the better, however small.

Problem-solving is the ability to see beyond the obstacles we face, and to find answers where others can only see difficulties.

This last year has presented us all with more than our fair share of obstacles. In Design & Technology at King’s, we’ve endeavoured to approach things from a different direction. Fresh perspectives continue to enable us to view obstacles as opportunities, and we encourage our students to meet challenges this way too.

One of the fundamental elements of designing, is to understand the problem from the perspective of the person experiencing it. They are the expert in what they’re finding difficult. The elderly person with arthritis and mobility issues is an expert in the difficulties of climbing the stairs, opening a jar or pouring boiling water from a kettle. The job of the designer, the engineer is to become as expert in the problem as the client, and then to bring their problem-solving skills and creativity to the iterative design process, in order to resolve it. The next ingredient in the mix is technical knowledge. You could be the most empathetic, the most in-tune with the client, the most understanding of your client’s needs, but without a secure understanding of material properties, manufacturing processes and engineering principles, you will never be the best designer.

Building these skills and knowledge is an important aspect of our curriculum, but there is a further element that requires our attention. This is a difficult one to encapsulate in a few words, a difficult skill to teach, a softer skill which is often in conflict with the students’ instinct. I’m

20

The Vigornian

Alex Checkley’s Designs

referring to a willingness to experiment, a readiness to make mistakes, and an acceptance of simply getting it wrong.

We have focused heavily upon this approach across all the year groups since the introduction of our new GCSE and A Level courses a few years ago, but the events of this year have further concentrated the efforts and renewed the passion. We are always a little concerned that cardboard modelling can look basic and even uninspired to the casual onlooker, but it is much more than it appears to the untrained eye. A series of messy cardboard models, put together with tape and hot glue will be testing concepts, building understanding and skills, and will be a catalyst for further discussion with the client. Just have a look at James Dyson’s prototyping for his first cyclone vacuum cleaner. He invested 4 years in making over 5,000 models and prototypes, many in card and foam, to develop, test and refine his idea.

Our students have embraced the freedom of this concept, and we are finding that their ability to problem-solve is improving dramatically.

Sketching, modelling and prototyping are no longer about producing artwork, these processes focus in on communication and proving, or disproving concepts.

So how do we offer our students the scope to develop these skills? There’s always plenty of room for quick sketching and rudimentary model making in card and foam, but we quickly move into the virtual world, after all, we want to prepare our future designers and engineers for what’s happening beyond school.

Working with CAD, generating virtual models that can be viewed from any angle, and rapid prototyping with our laser cutter and 3D printers enables our students to have that next level of conversation with their client. Armed with a mix of sketches, virtual models and physical prototypes, the feedback given by the client to the student, pushes the iterative design process to

continuously build in momentum and value.

Regardless of age, even when the stakes are higher because the work feeds into a national qualification, our students seem to relish the opportunity to pin their learning upon the premise that it is good to make mistakes.

Kaizen encourages new ways of looking at old problems, but it also values input from new eyes. On the basis that we should practice what we preach, we aim to foster an environment where students feel empowered to offer their thoughts and ideas upon where we can make improvements in any aspect of the provision of DT at King’s.

You could say that we’re on our own iterative design journey; keen to work closely with our client, towards the mutual goal of resolving their needs.

One of the opportunities presented by the pandemic was the redesigning of some of our schemes of work. Who would have thought that students up and down the

country, would be uploading photographs of their schoolwork, for teachers to mark?

Across all subjects, teachers have been struggling over photographs of varying quality, often blurred, shadow-ridden and difficult to read. This nationwide problem made a challenging design brief for our students to exercise their creativity. ‘Using recycled/recyclable materials, design and prototype a flat-packed device to position a mobile phone the correct distance from an A4 sheet of paper, to enable the quick, efficient and consistent photographing of work for uploading to the school network’.

While the students were putting their problem-solving skills to test, many DT teachers across the country were using their creativity to help address the national shortage of PPE. Indeed, one current King’s student was developing a product to gently blow cool air across the face of mask wearing frontline medical staff, whilst another was leading a design team in development of his ventilator splitter

concept, aimed at increasing capacity in intensive care units.

The notion that Design & Technology places emphasis upon producing beautifully finished products that would grace the local boutique or high-class furniture outlet is outdated and belittles and undervalues the energy, effort and thought that our students invest in designing products to improve our lives, and the lives of those around us.

Every one of us is on a journey. Without always considering it, we continuously learn, adapt, develop and seek out ways to improve the quality or worthiness of that journey.

It is important to the Design & Technology staff, that when we join our Year 7 students on the next leg of their journey, that we encourage them to explore, free from the fear of failure and ready to embrace their mistakes as opportunities to develop and improve.

CWSW The Vigornian

21

Drama Department

After the unexpected and unprecedented challenges of the previous academic year, we returned to face-to-face teaching in the Drama Department with high hopes. The joy of simply being able to get drama ‘up on its feet’ again instead of behind a screen was permeating the work in all the classes.

We weren’t ignorant of the wider situation and, whilst we might be back in school, it certainly wasn’t business as usual. The Autumn Term should be bringing a fullscale production for the Seniors (Fifth Form, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth) but we had to be very realistic about our expectations. We wanted a small ensemble cast piece, with a simple single location setting, in a manageable one-act format, that might have a licence available for streaming if a live audience was not possible. We discovered Terence Rattigan’s sparkling gem Harlequinade - a one-act farce set during rehearsals for a touring production of Romeo and Juliet filled with tongue-in-cheek witticisms about the very nature of playmaking! We assembled a superbly talented cast, a mix of ‘old hands’ for whom this would be their final KSW production and welcome newcomers who had just joined our Sixth Form.

We managed two Saturday rehearsals before restrictions started to tighten.

Before long, we were having to make do with ‘touching base’ on Teams and negotiating with the performing rights owners to defer our license. By this point, Theatre Manager Paul Haynes had already built most of the set. The courtyard of a Veronese villa, as imagined by a 1940s provincial touring theatre company, became a surreal backdrop to the weekly online assemblies which became a key feature of our return to remote learning.

By the time we got to May – yes, May – bringing Harlequinade to an audience had gone well beyond Plan B and was probably more realistically on Plan Z. The final roll of the dice was to aim for intensive rehearsals during the May Half Term period leading to a Friday film shoot that could be broadcast as a streamed production. Although the

22

The Vigornian

change of plan sadly meant we lost a couple of original cast members we were delighted to welcome several superb understudies.

The atmosphere during production week was joyous. It was not just that the drama was excellent – the experience recaptured that spirit of camaraderie that is at the heart of live productions. The full review of the production itself is available later in this edition, but the simple fact was that making that production available to the King’s Community as a streamed performance at the start of June was a proud moment for the whole department after the challenges of the year.

That is not to say that we had not been our creative selves throughout the rest of the year! Our examination classes continued to excel in creating performances fit for a public audience, however, with no such audiences available it’s safe to say we were all disappointed! The Fifth Form devised pieces were performed at the start of November. These original works spanned a range of styles and narratives, and the performances and design work were outstanding. At least the groups got to experience each other’s superb creativity. Similarly, the Upper Sixth cohort performed their scripted assessment at the end of November. Both groups had chosen to stage a Shakespearean extract, but the two pieces could not have been more different. One, a disturbingly comic, Berkoff-inspired extract from Hamlet; the other, an evocative atmospheric Brookinspired extract from Richard III. The range of skills on display reflected the exceptional talents of this group and this was certainly reinforced in March when they staged their original devised pieces. The performances were thoughtful, thought-provoking and utterly engaging. This was even more remarkable given the fact that much of the creation had evolved through online platforms during the remote learning period.

The Fifth Form showed equally remarkable talents on their return to school in March.

Their final performance assessment of the year should have been their scripted

performances. Without the luxury of group rehearsal time, they had worked individually on a range of scripted monologues during the lockdown period.

Being able to perform these back on a live stage, entertaining their peers at a remarkably high standard was a fitting end to the practical side of their course and a testament to their resilience over these past two years that their creative talents could still shine through.

For as long as in-school teaching was possible, creative clubs kept operating and Lower Fourth and Upper Fourth Drama Clubs were as popular as ever. Again, a live audience experience was not an option for the traditional Lower Years Christmas Show but that didn’t stop pupils putting together videos of sketches, songs and dances for a digital version enjoyed by so members of the King’s Community at home. Whilst a full-scale production has not been possible for the Lower Years this year, the performances that have taken place in Drama Club bode well for next year and a hoped-for return to something resembling creative normality. The technical theatre club has also been in full swing throughout the year, acquiring new skills along the way as Paul Haynes expands his film studio empire and trains his minions! Joking aside, the technical work on filming and digitising so many school-wide events has been incredible and the opportunities it has opened up for pupils to develop their filmic skills have been invaluable.

For the Lower Remove, time and luck was on their side. On their return to inschool teaching and the publication of the government’s ‘roadmap’, it looked likely that not only could they rehearse and stage their own production but that we may be able to invite a live audience. Burning Bird at the end of June saw a public audience sit in the John Moore Theatre for the first time in well over a year. It was certainly worth the wait and there is more to read about the work of the talented Lower Remove actors and Lower and Upper Removes crew in the Burning Bird review.

English Department

Many of our students hone their performance skills working with our wonderfully dedicated LAMDA team on individual speech and drama lessons.

John Hollyhead, Sally Harper and Lesley Simms, did a truly outstanding job keeping the students inspired and their skills developing via online lessons. After the immense challenges of rescheduling a succession of cancelled examinations, we were delighted to showcase the talents of 80 of our LAMDA pupils to the visiting examiners in July and we have our fingers crossed for the results due to be released in the Autumn.

Our usual raft of theatre visits have been unable to venture out this year but we have tried to offer our support to the companies working on Digital Platforms.

We were delighted to be able to team up with Stage-Ed for our traditional GCSE workshop on Blood Brothers - albeit in a digital fashion this year with an interactive Teams event. We have been similarly grateful to the online opportunities offered to our students by Splendid Productions and Theatre Alibi.

There have been some sad closures this year, such as that of the Worcester Arts Workshop, and we are hoping we can contribute next year to supporting live theatre again and preserving what remains of such a vital industry. If the challenges of this last year have reminded us of anything, it is of the immense importance of the creative life of a community to its overall well-being. Experiencing the arts – whether as a participant or an audience member – allows you the opportunity to view the world through somebody else’s eyes.

After the disconnection of the lockdown experience, empathy has become an even more valuable commodity. The Drama Department has been proud to have been able to have been able to preserve as many of our pupils’ creative opportunities as we have, and we hope to be able to continue to nurture and inspire in better circumstances next year.

Poem XLIX of AE Housman’s much-loved collection ‘A Shropshire Lad’ includes the lines, “Oh, ‘tis jesting, dancing, drinking/ Spins the heavy world around.” The continuing experience of ‘lockdowns’ in response to the COVID-19 pandemic serves to remind us how much we miss those opportunities for enjoying one another’s good company at work and at play; the world may feel heavy indeed in these challenging times. English relies so much upon collaborative working, discussion and debate that the physical separation that the continued disruption to our ‘normal’ life in school was once again felt very sharply in the English Department as we continued not to be able to develop as we should have liked the innovations introduced in previous years to run alongside our regular programme of teaching and extracurricular activities.

However, one very welcome addition to our provision this year has been a regular creative writing activity for Lower and Upper Fourths at the instigation of Mrs Lucas, who joined us at the beginning of the academic year, bringing further rich experience and imagination to the teaching of English. She has already become greatly valued as a member of the departmental team and is providing wonderful support to her colleagues and her classes alike. Examples of the work of some of these writers can be seen elsewhere in this magazine. Mrs Walmsley has also been running a regular creative writing activity with the Removes, whose understanding of and talent for writing has developed greatly through the year.

As we are each year, we were blessed by the enthusiastic and engaged students who joined the Lower Sixth to study English and who have produced excellent work throughout the year. We have very much enjoyed their company, both remotely and in class, when that has been possible; this has also been true of our very talented and committed Upper Sixth students, who have really flourished in their two years in the department, despite the significant disruption to their work last academic year and this. In particular, the coursework which they produced was quite excellent and their futures look bright indeed; the resilience that these two years have taught them will be most valuable throughout their lives to come, even if their experience of English Literature in the Sixth Form has been deprived of so many of the trips and wider experiences which have been a part of our Sixth Form provision in previous years.

This year is my twentieth and final year as Head of English at King’s. While I will still be teaching here next year, I am taking up another role and handing over the reins to a new Head of Department. I am immensely proud of the department, the working atmosphere we have in all our classes and particularly my team of colleagues; it has been a privilege to serve as their Head of Department. They have such a blend of talents, experience and enthusiasm and no Head of Department could ask for more support than they offer. I would particularly like to thank Mrs Walmsley for all she does as Second in Department – often the thankless but essential tasks that facilitate our delivery of the very best education in English Language and Literature. I would like to thank all the teachers of English for all their generosity, support and all they do to make the experience of English at King’s such a valuable, enlightening and, most importantly, enjoyable one for the students and for one another.

Poem XXXII of A Shropshire Lad ends thus: “Speak now, and I will answer; / How shall I help you, say; / Ere to the wind’s twelve quarters / I take my endless way.”

As our students take their endless way to the wind’s twelve quarters, we trust that something of that which has been spoken in our classes will be of help in the twists and turns, the highs and lows of the lives that lie before them.

AJMM

SP

The Vigornian

23

EPQ Department A Translation of Greta Thunberg’s ‘How Dare You’ Speech Into A Shakespearean Soliloquy Introduction My fascination in the TED talk 1 ‘Shakespeare is everywhere’ lead me to think about how I could apply Shakespeare to a modern day concept. Thus, I wanted to apply it to an issue I was interested in.

My interest in the climate crisis, current affairs and feminism was embodied in Greta Thunberg1, an ecofeminist2, after watching her ‘How Dare You’ speech3 that she read at the United Nations4. Thus, by pairing my interest in Greta Thunberg with the TED talk1 ‘Shakespeare is everywhere’, and therefore my interest in English Literature, I decided on the final title of my artefact ‘A Translation Of Greta Thunberg’s ‘How Dare You’ Speech Into A Shakespearean Soliloquy’.

My aim from the beginning of this project was to create an artefact as a result of research and resource synthesis relating to these topics. By focusing the artefact on the ‘translation’ it made sure that this was a research project and not a creative endeavor, due to my lack of knowledge about anything to do with this before the beginning of this project.

The aims I decided to apply to my project were in line with the assessment objectives of the exam board, based around the four aspects ‘manage’, ‘use resources’, ‘develop’ and ‘realise and ‘review’, they were: 1.

To create a project that was not a creative endeavor but a manifestation of the title as a result of research.

2. To use a wide range of resources to produce an accurate artefact.

3. To provide evidence of detailed research that was relevant to the project title.

4. To apply and analyse the resources used in order to create an artefact.

5. To show clear evidence in the dissertation of why decisions were made relating to the production of the artefact.

6. To stay on track with my agreed project plan.

7. To present the artefact in a relevant way to its content that is appropriate and relates to the research done.

8. Create a clear presentation in the Autumn presentation evening.

The outcome of my project, as a result of my aims and research done, is a Shakespearean soliloquy translated by compiling many resources and after research into many areas. This project has also led to personal

24

The Vigornian

outcomes of understanding of how to synthesise many resources, reference and cite these resources and a new ability to carry out a research project.

Contextual Research In order to complete this project effectively and thoroughly I structured my research into categories. These were: research into Greta Thunberg’s character, research into Shakespearean plays, Shakespeare’s writing techniques, Shakespearean words and Shakespeare’s presentation of a soliloquy/ piece of drama. I carried out my research in the order of these categories as I felt it necessary to have done one before I could move onto the next.

I then split each broad section of research into smaller sections which allowed me to find a range of resources and then compile these together to come to a conclusion on each section.

Application of my research and resources in relation to my artefact: Danson says in his book5 ‘Shakespeare’s plays fill the expectation appropriate to their kind’, and thus whether the play is a tragedy, a comedy, a romantic comedy or a history the contents must fulfill the expectation laid out by the genre. Placing my translation within the historical genre was already discounted from the beginning of this project as a history is a play ‘based on a historical narrative, often set in the medieval or early modern past’6 and thus when placed in the context of Danson’s belief19 ‘Shakespeare’s plays fill the expectation appropriate to their kind’, this soliloquy could not appropriately fill the expectation of a history as it is about an issue in the present day.

Aristotle said that comedies ended joyfully and tragedies with man’s nobility ending unhappily.7 I had already decided that Greta’s character would be the protagonist of the play the translation fit into, so in order to decide which genre would best suit her character I researched the conventions of a tragic heroine8, and a comedic protagonist whilst keeping in mind that comedies usually ended joyfully9 whilst tragedies where the opposite23.

However during my research I read an article by NASA which stated that there is no clear image of how the climate crisis will be solved, in the present day10, I decided that this translation could not be placed within the comedic genre as there is no ability to say whether things will end

‘joyfully’ from the speech I was translating.

So, by combining my information about Aristotle’s view on comedy21, the state of the global climate crisis24 and Greta Thunberg’s speech4 I decided not to place this translation in the context of a comedy.

I then researched the genre of Shakespearean tragedies. An article

by Bratchell suggested that characters must have a ‘compelling inevitability of a revenge’11. Greta’s ‘How Dare You’ speech fits well with this as it has the potential for Greta to want revenge on governments and those in power. The speech also has elements of an Aristotelian catharsis which involves pity and fear27, an idea present in Shakespeare’s tragedies. The ‘How Dare You’ speech instills pity within the audience towards the younger generations, in lines such as ‘the young people are starting to understand your betrayal’4 and fear for the future state of the planet in the lines ‘with today’s emissions levels, that remaining CO2 budget will be entirely gone within less than eight and a half years.’4 Thus, it seemed apt that this translation was placed within the tragic genre as many of the conventions of a classic and Shakespearean tragedy are present within the speech from the research I had done.

However, I finally decided on the title ‘A Translation of Greta Thunberg’s ‘How Dare You’ Speech into A Shakespearean soliloquy’ which does not specify a ‘Shakespearean tragic soliloquy’. This was after listening to the podcast ‘How did Shakespeare Write a Play’12 and reading ‘The Definition of a Tragic Hero’,13 as I understood the requirements of a tragic heroine more clearly. The tragic hero or heroine, who is the protagonist of the play, must reach a tragic fate after falling from their high status due to their own fatal flaw meaning they possess ‘hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis and hubris’ 28.

Although this was a principle laid out by Aristotle, the article by Bratchell I read also commented on the incorporation of such Aristotelian ideas in Shakespeare’s own work14. When this crucial part of a tragedy is applied to my translation it is not accurate that Greta, the protagonist of this piece, be a character who succumbs to a tragic fate as a result of her own actions. This is because, as mentioned in my previous section, she is an ‘eco warrior’3, who works for her cause out of a passion for the environment and what she does. So by

using my research into the traditional view of tragedy, Shakespeare’s tragic heroes and the research from the previous section ‘Greta Thunberg’s Character’ I came to the conclusion that Greta as a character did not have the capacity to be formalised as a tragic heroine if I were being authentic to her character and the speech I was translating.

Thus, the translation I have produced is a soliloquy that best fits a tragedy but to make it so is preemptive as we do not know the ending of the climate crisis and the research, I did into Greta Thunberg’s character means she does not fit the criteria of a tragic heroine. Furthermore it is more authentic if the translation sits outside of a specific dramatic genre as it did not fulfill enough of the criteria to be assigned one dramatic category.

Expert Review In order to add validity to my conclusion I got my project assessed by an ‘expert’.

I contacted Trevor Wright who was an education consultant and writer with specialism in secondary English. He is also the author of ‘How to be a Brilliant English Teacher (Routledge) and formerly

a Lecturer and Fellow at the University of Worcester, in charge of English teacher education. Thus, he has had many years’ experience in the field of English Literature and is experienced enough to cast a judgment on my artefact.

I asked him to comment on the accuracy of my artefact as a piece of Shakespeare as it is in line with my aims of the project as well as any other comments he felt appropriate.

What I am most proud of in his comments is his opinion of the tone in the soliloquy.

Having spent much time researching Greta’s character in order to create the correct tone and piece of Shakespeare, something I felt was integral to the piece, I am glad he noticed it and said it was ‘well achieved’ in translation and continued to say ‘some of the irritation reads authentically as Shakespeare’.

He also commented on the good use of punctuation and vocabulary, his opinion was that many of the word choices fitted very well with the tone, especially, ‘Zounds!, conceive the extremity, trow, damnable, abide, sphere and mannish’. Punctuation

was also used effectively as the rhetorical questions and exclamations ‘generated some rhetoric which has a Shakespearean feel’.

These comments have validated what I researched and the process of the translation as many of the key aspects I wanted have come through in the translation did.

Having tried to use some meter in my translation this was commented on by Mr. Wright, who said that ‘the use of detailed rhetoric argument is Shakespearean, as is the speaker’s determination and confidence as well as her sense of audience.’ As I tried to use the meter to convey this, again it adds validity to my methodology and conformation that my research was relevant. However, he said that the meter ‘hints at blank verse’ due to the decasyllabic lines’, something which I am glad he picked up but as you can tell by ‘hint’ this is also the area that, if done again, I would try to improve on the most.

He elaborated on the idea of blank verse as I had asked him to let me know what areas needed to be improved on, as I am not an

The Vigornian

25

expert. As said the use of Blank verse is where most mistakes lay. He commented that ‘at times I am trying for blank verse’, however it is not obvious all the way through.

This is because some of my lines have 10 syllables with 5 stressed and 5 unstressed however I was not able to do this on every line as the words meant that sometimes there were 9 or 11 syllables per line.

carry out all the research necessary as I did not fall behind on my project plan.

Therefore, if I were to do the artefact again, I would change the words used into a synonym with the appropriate number of syllables to fit the Blank Verse in the translation.

I have made a video, which is a recording of my presentation on PowerPoint. I have tried to make this clear and descriptive to show how I researched and created my artefact, the decisions I made and tools I used along the way. It is up to my supervisor whether this presentation is successful as she will watch it and can make a decision on whether it is informative and clear. This aim, (aim 8) was more of a personal aim, as my topic is quite niche. This means that people may be unfamiliar to the content of my EPQ. Making my presentation clear means that those who have not done any research into my EPQ can understand what I have done and the process it took to get there.

I found Mr. Wright’s commentary extremely useful and very insightful. I am grateful to have had the feedback in order to validate my research and artefact but also for the information I gained from it.

Conclusion I outlined in my introduction that I had eight aims relating to my Extended Project Qualification.

The presentation of my artefact was as a result of research done, this I have explained in my dissertation, so again I believe I have met this aim, aim 7, of my project as I have shown evidence for meeting this aim in my dissertation.

These were: 1.

To create a project that was not a creative endeavor but a manifestation of the title as a result of research.

2. To use a wide range of resources to produce an accurate artefact.

3. To provide evidence of detailed research that was relevant to the project title.

4. To apply and analyse the resources used in order to create an artefact.

5. To show clear evidence in the dissertation of why decisions were made relating to the production of the artefact.

6. To stay on track with my agreed project plan.

7. To present the artefact in a relevant way to its content that is appropriate and relates to the research done.

8. Create a clear presentation in the Autumn presentation evening.

Throughout my dissertation and on the presentation evening I believe that I have met all of these aims.

The first five aims are shown throughout this dissertation. Having used over 40 resources and explained how and why I used the different resources I did I believe I have shown evidence for these aims. Not only this but having had an expert review my work I am also able to say I have met these aims with another level of confidence as Mr. Wright’s feedback confirmed my meeting of aims 1,2 and 4.

My sixth aim, I believe, has also been met as I sent the draft of my project into my supervisor on the agreed deadline and I managed to

Although I believe I have created a successful project, looking back on the process there are areas which I believe I could have improved on or carried out more effectively if I were to produce an artefact again and thus it seems appropriate to include them in the conclusion. These improvements are all related to the timing of my project.

1.

2.

3.

The time it takes to research.

The time it takes to produce the artefact itself.

The time taken to reference.

When creating my project plan I did not realise the time it would take to do each task and read/use each resource on my plan. I managed to keep on schedule completing the tasks each week however I ended up having to plan more time into the week to allow me to do my EPQ. As I was remote learning as a result of covid – 19 this was not too stressful as I saved a lot of time commuting to school and back, time which I dedicated to my EPQ. Therefore, if I were to plan another research project, I would be realistic with the time each task would take and make sure to add in more weeks that had no work so I could catch up on any I may have fallen behind on, as well as time in the writing of the dissertation for referencing as this was a more rigorous task than I originally thought it would be.

However overall, I believe this to have been a successful project on a personal level as I have learned how to research, reference and write up a research project, something which I know will help me in my future.

Olivia Howard

26

The Vigornian

Geography Department Known for its fieldwork, it was frustrating that the Geography Department was confined to the classroom in the Autumn Term as field trips were forced to be postponed. However, this did not stop the Upper Sixth from completing their Personal Fieldwork Investigations, with investigations on topics as diverse as gentrification, place identity and carbon sequestration. As Christmas approached, a competitive Geography House Quiz challenged 90 students in year group bubbles over several lunch breaks. Pupils from the Lower Remove and above accumulated points for their House, resulting in a narrow victory by Bright over Chappel. In the Spring Term, Lower Fourth Student lecture reviews Maia Roncal-Montini (Lower Sixth): “From our daily commutes to school and work to predicting the commutes of criminals, geography has proved to be an inherent part in understanding our nature as human beings and is an imperative source of information for the Police in monitoring crime. This lecture vocalised clearly how crime analysis has become increasingly dependent on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) using maps and data to help protect and sustain the safety of our communities by isolating the geographical components included when crime is present. Factors such as population density, age and gender profiles, religion and sexuality can all be plotted on a map, indicating clearly which environments may be the most fertile for crime. This innovative movement to view crime as a sum of external geographical factors as opposed to random occurrences helps the Police to discover patterns, allowing them to predict where crime may be

E and Upper Fourth E respectively won the Fourth Forms Geography Quiz. Lower Remove Geography Club also met weekly to explore current geographical issues.

A benefit of online learning has been having greater opportunities to provide enrichment talks. Mark Meyrick (OV) gave a fascinating talk about sustainability and careers in the energy sector, and lectures from the Geographical Association and Royal Geographical Society inspired both Middle Years and Sixth Form students on a variety of topics ranging from urban planning, COVID-19 mapping and how the Police make use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to manage crime.

The Summer Term began with a sense of normality, and it was so refreshing to jump in a minibus to visit fieldwork sites.

As well as a day of fieldwork activities in Worcester, the Lower Sixth visited the Lickey Hills to investigate the role of woodlands in mitigating climate change.

It was so good to see them enjoy “real” geography in the fresh air away from screens. There is currently a good deal of interest in reading Geography at university and I am grateful to Olivia Howard (Upper Sixth) who gave a helpful presentation to some of the Lower Sixth on the application process. We look forward to supporting them with their aspirations.

SCC

more likely to occur and to help prevent criminal activity in advance. This lecture was extremely interesting in enriching my knowledge of further uses of geography, highlighting the significance of data in our everyday lives which is the key to unlocking the progress of our society.”

Alice Clarke (Lower Sixth):. The talk also provided insight that complemented both the GCSE and A Level specifications, including information about the change in energy production for the UK over time and future possibilities, including expanding current green energy sources like offshore wind, and developing new ones like tidal power (which makes use of the unique position of the UK as an island). The talk also touched on international efforts related to climate change, such as the Paris Agreement and COP26, and the impact of these efforts. The talk was a great extracurricular opportunity to accompany my A

Level studies. It raised my awareness of power generation at various scales and its effects. Furthermore, I have a greater understanding of the international connections involved and the necessary interdependence between countries with different energy demands and supply. I also have a greater understanding of the breadth of employment opportunities available through Geography, in the green energy sector, which is an area I am passionate about. It has also developed my understanding of the international agreements which will affect my future and the role I can play using geography. I want to study Geography at university, and this talk has given me a valuable resource to discuss in my personal statement as well as a deeper understanding of this area of geography and the opportunities it presents.”

The Vigornian

27

History and Politics Department Lower Sixth Politics Workshops Normally, Sixth Form Politics students visit the Houses of Parliament and, on occasion, the Supreme Court in London. As you will have read in much of this magazine, the pandemic meant that we had to move everything online. While nothing can truly replace an in person visit to London, surrounded by historic and spectacular buildings, the webinar certainly did its best to bring much of parliament to us. The Parliament Education Team led a discussion on law making and the process by which they are scrutinised. There was also a topical debate where students readily engaged and learned a lot from the discussions.

Perhaps the highlight of the afternoon was

History and Politics Essay Prize the guest speaker. Currently working for GCHQ, our guest explained how she went from a Politics degree, to working for an MP in the Commons, to Citizens Advice and on to her current position. Our Sixth Form were particularly interested in how she worked on David Cameron’s campaign, but especially on the reasons that she chose to study Politics. Of course, it’s 2020 so we were all interested in her experience as a woman working in parliament, and how she overcame any obstacles. What is clear is that for all at King’s, Politics gives you an insight into the workings of the nation and opens many doors.

EJF

OV Guest Lecture from Marcus Ferrar The Upper Remove were delighted by the visit of Old Vigornian, Marcus Ferrar, in the Summer Term. While at King’s, Marcus attended both St. Alban’s and the Senior School. He was in Creighton House, was Head of School in the Upper Sixth and left King’s in 1963. Particularly interested in languages, he went on to study French and German at the University of London.

Since then he has enjoyed a fascinating and diverse career. He worked as Foreign Correspondent at Reuters as well as in the Senior Management. His time as Foreign Correspondent saw him cover Eastern Europe during the Cold War, Portugal during the 1970s revolution, Prague after Soviet invasion and he was the sole Western correspondent in East Berlin.

As part of the IGCSE course here at King’s, our pupils take an in depth look at Germany in the first half of the 20th Century. Included in this study are the effects of Allied bombings on German civilians. Marcus

was able to help our pupils understand with greater awareness and a mature complexity some of their experiences.

His own experiences working as the only western journalist ‘behind the Wall’ offered a fascinating insight and provoked much enquiry from pupils. Marcus’ captivating talk focused on the city of Dresden.

Starting with a background of the British motivations behind the bombing of this historic city he then provided an insight into the effects of the February 1945 firestorms.

The talk’s theme of reconciliation and the way in which the nations commemorate those who lost their lives, as well as try to heal the deep wounds of war, was incredibly powerful. Marcus highlighted the importance of History in allowing peaceful recovery and harmonious relations.

We were very grateful for the time that Marcus spent with our pupils and look forward to welcoming him back to work with the Sixth Form next year.

EJF

This year, King’s Governor Andrew Reekes challenged our Middle Years pupils to submit an essay. We had a superb number of entries, with many wonderful pieces. Our pupils proved once again their passion and ability to consider multiple perspectives and reach conclusive judgements. The winner this year was Henry Halford.

Should historians have to apologise for Britain’s Imperial past?

Imperialism is defined as a system in which a rich and powerful country controls other countries through colonization, use of military force, or other means. In setting out to establish their overseas Empire, Britain engaged in imperialism from the Sixteenth Century. Starting in parts of North America, the Empire, along with the power of Britain, grew over the next three centuries. In 1922, the Empire reached the height of its power with a quarter of the world’s total land area being British owned. Following the devastating impacts, however, of both the First and Second World Wars and the subsequent emergence of many independence movements from colonies, the British Empire had disbanded by 1997. Many argue that Britain improved the welfare of some of its colonies, and also believe that what happened in the past is not the fault of the people living in today’s society. Despite this, Britain’s imperialism had detrimental impacts on the countries who were under their control and the consequences of the Empire’s colonisation are still being seen today. It is my belief, therefore, that Britain should apologise for its imperial past, however, to put the responsibility solely upon historians attempts to cover up a wider issue at hand. More needs to be done to educate the current population about the atrocities of Britain’s imperial past and to aid the countries that were oppressed for hundreds of years.

Many argue that the Empire should not be apologised for. According to a survey conducted by The Guardian, it is believed by over one third of Britons that the Empire helped countries that Britain controlled and that these colonies were better off living under Britain’s rule. In some cases, the Empire did help some of its colonies by helping build new governments, infrastructure and education. In the vast majority of cases, however, the negative impacts upon these colonies heavily outweighed the positive ones. For example, prior to its colonisation, India owned 23% of the world’s economy which, at the time, was

28

The Vigornian

more than all of Europe put together. The result of British imperialism, however, left India owning over five times less than that.

Furthermore, Britain enslaved indigenous people and used force to take these countries for themselves, single-handedly denying the invaded an opportunity to create a future for their own country. Who is to say how these countries would have fared without Britain? It, therefore, cannot be concluded that the British Empire helped the countries under its control.

Another argument offered by Empire nostalgists is that we now live in a ‘different world’ and the wrongdoings of our predecessors are not something that today’s generation should be responsible for. Although the logic in this is very reasonable and it is true that we should not dwell on our past mistakes, many people who argue this reap an abundancy of benefits from Britain’s imperial past.

In a world in which white Europeans and the descendants of white settlers are inordinately privileged in comparison to those whose peoples they conquered, the foundation for their favourable positions in a capitalist system were firmly established in Empire. As a white onlooker, it is easy to deny that this is the case, but this institutional advantage is a harsh reality that many people of colour and ancestors of the invaded face daily. Consequently, the argument that this is simply ‘not our problem anymore’ is heavily flawed due to apathy from people who believe this and a lack of education on the subject.

Although arguments denying any apology from Britain are plausible, the arguments against- to any neutral onlooker- outweigh them heavily. Firstly, it is a fact that Britain and its Empire deprived countless colonies of basic human rights. This was depicted countless times across the span of the Empire, the Bengali Famine being just one of these. After a severe drought throughout the South-East of the city in 1769, crops fell short and many Bengalis were left with little food to live off. Despite their responsibility to look after India and its trade, the East India Company left millions of Bengalis to starve. There was no aid offered from the Company, in fact, the Company responded by increasing tax on Bengalis in order to retain the same revenue from the plantations as before the famine.

It is estimated that over 10 million Indians in Bihar and Bengal died during 1770: a result of the greed and lack of empathy from the British. To further illustrate the extent of

the brutality of the Empire, one needs to look no further than the Amritsar Massacre of 1919. When peaceful protesters defied a government order and demonstrated against British colonial rule in in the Indian city, they were blocked inside the walled Jallianwala Gardens and fired upon by the British Army. This demonstrated just how far Britain was willing to go to keep their empire together- even if it meant killing innocent people who stood in their way. These two events demonstrate the atrocities committed in British colonisation, thus, aid the argument that the actions of the Empire cannot be defended and must be apologised for.

Although one would think the atrocities of Britain’s Imperial past are clear, much of the British public are blissfully unaware of just how destructive the Empire was to the countries that Britain ruled over during its dominance. Schools teach little about the Empire, and it doesn’t go into nearly enough detail of the many immoralities that occurred. This heavily contrasts to how children in Germany are taught about their country’s horrifying past. German school children are taught every detail of the holocaust, anti-Semitism, racism and homophobia that was abhorrently evident in the 1930s. However, signs of people becoming more educated on the subject are starting to emerge. The recent destruction of statues depicting slave traders and notorious imperialists in light of the recent ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, although unprecedented and extreme, demonstrate the growing anger due to the exaltation of the Empire that is still present today. For many, these statues that still stand, as well as awards associated with the Empire, are a constant reminder of the atrocities of the Empire for the thousands of people that were, and in some cases are still being, affected by it. By

people becoming more educated, there is hope that more action will be taken to peacefully deglorify these marks of a country that appears to be unapologetic for their past actions.

Overall, historians are very aware of the atrocities of the Empire, however, it is the general public that need to be educated and apologise. To put the burden of apology on the people who are the most educated on the topic severely undermines the sincerity of this apology if only a small minority of people are educated enough to speak on the subject. It is very easy, however, just to say Britain should apologise, but the way it is done is crucial to making a change in society today. Although state apologies can be empty, atoning for past wrongs can play a vital role in asserting the values we believe we should put into practice today. Furthermore, they can be important starting points for discussions on what can be done in reparation. Apologies that could lead to aid packages, monuments, or museums are much better than nothing at all.

Additionally, the teaching of the Empire in schools must become more reflective and educate children of the true horror of Britain’s Empire. Even though it may be hard for nationalists, members of the government and others to accept, it is paramount that the children of today are fully educated on Britain’s past mistakes.

It is only then that people can learn from it and steps forward can be taken. As Shashi Tharoor writes in his book on the British Empire in India, “History belongs in the past, but understanding it is the duty of the present.”

Henry Halford

The Vigornian

29

MFL Department

Maths Department Inspiration Lectures For a number of years we have taken Fifth Form and Sixth Form students to watch the Maths Inspiration lectures. These lectures have always been inspiring and have opened students’ eyes to the wide range of uses for their knowledge of mathematics. This year we were able to share live shows screened on YouTube instead. There were offerings targeted at pupils from Year 9 to Year 13.

The shows were all hosted by Matt Parker, a mathematician, author and comedian. His book, Humble Pi, was the first maths book in the UK to be a Sunday Times number one bestseller.

A level mathematicians were able to watch shows on surprising mathematical connections, mechanics and modelling and probability. Speakers included author Rob Eastaway, author Dr Hugh Hunt, fellow of Trinity College Cambridge, and David Stevens, the CEO of Admiral Insurance. The shows focused on explaining Maths in the world around us and the real-world applications of topics covered in school.

Lower Remove to Fifth Form pupils were offered shows with themes of the USA and Christmas. Speakers also included Rob Eastaway, James Grime, from the Enigma Project and Hannah Fry, who regularly appears on Radio 4.

Maths Challenges This year we gained some excellent results in the Senior Maths Challenge. Jamie Elsdon (L6) scored the highest score in the school, earning himself a gold certificate and a place in the Kangaroo round. Five silver and 14 bronze certificates were awarded altogether.

The Intermediate Maths Challenge took place in lockdown and was therefore held online. A number of our pupils took part and scored some very good results!

Henry Halford (FF) scored the highest mark in the school and won a place in

the Pink Kangaroo round and a Gold certificate, along with Alex Dalton (FF), Ruby Kimber (FF) and Grace Miller (FF).

Joseph James (LR) qualified for the Grey Kangaroo round. Pranav Mayilvahanan (U4) qualified for the prestigious Cayley Olympiad which is an excellent result!

Altogether there were five gold, 16 silver and 37 bronze certificates awarded. Henry scored an impressive 86 points in the Pink Kangaroo and Pranav scored highly in a number of the written questions in the Olympiad. Both were awarded a merit.

The Junior Maths Challenge was able to proceed normally in school in April and we had over 80 pupils from Lower Fourth and Upper Fourth taking part. Altogether there were eight gold, 21 silver and 20 bronze certificates awarded. Dan Arridge (U4) scored the highest mark in the school and earned a place in the Olympiad.

Charlotte Akiki, Samantha Capell, Pranav Mayilvahanan, Elizabeth Shilvock, Anna Wales (all U4) and Ethan Tan (L4) earned places in the Kangaroo round.

Many congratulations to all of our qualifiers and to everyone involved in Maths Challenges this year!

Maths in Motion The Maths in Motion team gained several new members this year, who enjoyed designing their virtual cars and racing them against hundreds of schools from around the world. There has been a change of format, with a Racing Series taking students to different race tracks, including Monaco, Silverstone and Anderstorp. George Parker gained an honourable 8th place in the final race, narrowly beating Mr Heydon by two seconds. Bella Reeds also displayed her skills by achieving 11th place in this race.

Harry Chandler and William Gamble are also to be commended on some sterling machine design efforts and their rapid motors. The King’s team proved its status as a global force in Maths in Motion with an overall finish of 7th place world-wide in the Constructors’ Championship.

DJS, ELD & EJL.

30

The Vigornian

Exchanges, study trips, theatre visits, work experience abroad, Media Day, guest speakers, visitors from partner towns, Linguistics Challenge, language immersion, language ‘Boost’ sessions, culture evenings, celebrations, department meetings, meals out, speaking test preparation, ad hoc chats. What would normally be part and parcel of a year of language learning at King’s became another series of opportunities and flexible adaptations.

From face-to-face year group ‘bubbled’ presentations and events to weekly online speaking practice culminating in speaking exams, from virtual exchanges to a competitive inter-House year group Languages Quiz, from recipe-testing and food tasting to video stories told with Playmobil, communication, interaction, culture and travel of the mind continued throughout lockdowns and hybrid lessons.

Under the auspices of our Careers Advisor Mrs Airdrie, we welcomed half a dozen OVs who gave insights into their languages-inspired careers whether as a Wealth Manager, running the Tik Tok account for Bleacher Report, managing communications with IKEA or working abroad as an engineer or international lawyer (not a teacher or translator amongst them). Together with the History Department, Germanists benefited from the expertise of OV Marcus Ferrar, the only Western reporter based in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War, who contextualised the state of modern Germany and explained its modern-day dominant role.

Links were established with our new Spanish partner school in Algeciras ready for 2022 (fingers crossed), with virtual exchanges set up in France, Germany and Spain. Whilst only a small number of Fifth Formers maintained contacts with their partners throughout, daily contact has enabled greater confidence and fluency for some. The promptly organised and effective online video lessons with our languages assistants meant that Sixth Formers too were able to test their skills for examination and Fifth Formers could maintain speaking skills ready for A levels and GCSE Endorsement.

We also welcomed OV Sam Ness who filled in expertly as Spanish assistant and conducted Upper Remove speaking tests whilst former Head of MFL Gordon Leah, now into his 80s, came out of retirement to test the Lower Removes’ speaking ability in German in the Summer Term, despite screens and distancing. Exeter University’s Professor Fiona Cox shared advice and

insights into university life over lunch with Upper Sixth linguists, having previously successfully encouraged attendance at a crosscontinental collaborative Zoom performance of a Molière play. French revolutionary fervour persisted with intriguing presentations in the Upper Remove, as you can see in the photo.

St Alban’s pupils benefited from an entertaining and interactive live Teams session delivered in German and Spanish by some of our Fifth Form dual linguists to complement their French skills and the Upper Fourth managed to hold the annual

competitive MFL Poetry Reading competition as one of the European Day of Languages events, won this year, by unanimous consent,

by Pranav Mayilvanahan (beware eating a mouse even if you’re a giant!). To cap it all, we also welcomed Amandine Lam as our cherished and effective student teacher before she sets off for North America for the next stage of her career.

The pace has not lessened over the COVID-19 year(s) for the department but the eagerness for next year’s opportunities, and the hope for more international human contact, friendships and multi-lingual communication are all the greater.

RAB

Mandarin Club A global welcome for any age and any level I joined Mandarin Club earlier this year and have thoroughly enjoyed and looked forward to the lessons every Wednesday evening.

After joining the club in September, I was both nervous and excited about learning about the different Chinese culture and about how to write the Chinese characters.

At first the lessons were quite difficult as the language is very different from English.

However, after attending every single lesson this year, I have learnt to love the language and I have made lots of progress this academic year and am extremely excited to return to it next term. We have learnt about what people in China like to eat, how the different Chinese names are formed, how to express our opinion, how to write and recognise the Chinese characters and how to talk about the different school subjects and also who is in our family. Furthermore, to anyone who is interested in joining the club, I would highly recommend it and even if you find it difficult at the beginning, keep trying as the club is an excellent opportunity.

In addition, it is a very rewarding and useful language to know and study. I hope this writing has been able to inspire you to pursue your dreams in the future.

Bentley Lawrence

Mandarin Club is an outstanding club to join. Mandarin may seem difficult at first, but when you learn the basics, it gets easier. Mandarin is the second most widely spoken language in the world after English.

China is a great country to visit with a beautiful countryside and amazing cities.

Mandarin would be very useful in China.

Ethan Tan I joined Mandarin club because I thought it would be fun to learn a new language and because Mandarin is a very hard language to learn. I didn’t think it would be this interesting but it is very enjoyable once you get into it and get past the fact that it is not easy to learn. Many people want to learn how to write the characters which we get to do and we also learnt the order in which to write each stroke, as well as the stroke names. I like learning the pinyin.

I find it quite difficult to read characters without my book, although there are some characters I can remember such as the numbers and ‘ma’ because it looks like a face. I would like to go further in Mandarin and take it as a GCSE and would suggest to other students to start Mandarin as it is useful and confusing, but it is nice to have a challenge. You learn many helpful things that you could use if you travelled to China, such as what food you like, simple greetings, family members and numbers. I look forward to coming back next year and taking my knowledge further.

Ava Town

In the space of a few months, I have gone from knowing nothing about Mandarin to feeling confident in using basic conversation such as where we live, where we are from, numbers, food and many more. Although at the start I was nervous that it would be far too challenging for me as a beginner, the support of our excellent teacher and all the other pupils helped everyone to progress.

As well as providing knowledge of the magnificent and extremely useful language, this club can also provide an insight into Chinese culture. We have had many specialised lessons which has enhanced the entire experience, such as learning about Christmas in China and Chinese New Year while making lanterns and even trying some fan-dancing. Overall, the immersive experience of the club is fantastic, with its great mix of fun and laughs which complements the fascinating learning. I will definitely be going back next year.

Maxwell Lea

This is a sample of what I can do now.

Bentley Lawrence’s Mandarin

The Vigornian

31

Physics Department As has been the case with most things this year, the pandemic imposed a significant limit on the extra-curricular activities that the Physics Department were able to provide for our students this year. One of the most significant aspects that we (initially) were not able to provide for our Lower Sixth this year was the Engineering Education Scheme. The pandemic outbreak in 2020 meant that local companies had to revise their policies regarding visitors and many companies that we have partnered our students up with before were not able to take part this year. Initially the plan was for the Engineering Development Trust to run a smaller version of the Engineering Education Scheme, but plans for that were immediately cancelled with the announcement of the January lockdown.

We are very much hoping that this scheme will be able to run again in the future and we can be assigned a company with whom to work, even if, for the time being, it is in a more limited capacity.

British Physics Olympiad Friday November 13th 2020 With the school still open in the Autumn Term, our students in the Upper Sixth still had the opportunity to participate in the British Physics Olympiad on Friday November 13th 2020.

This is something that the Department has run for a second year now, so it was good to get as many of the Upper Sixth involved as possible. It definitely provided the participants with the opportunity to develop critical thinking and encouraged further reading. Out of all the competitions, the British Physics Olympiad really is the flagship competition throughout the year to challenge and reward as many A-level Physicists as possible.

Out of the seven students who chose to have a go this year, three of our pupils, Alfie Parry, Ben Hale and Jamie Hartshorne, achieved Bronze certificates. Out of the 3,700 entries nationally this year, only 271 students secured a Bronze award, so we were really pleased for all three! We will certainly be running this in school with our new Upper Sixth in the Autumn of 2021.

32

The Vigornian

Virtual Physics Big Quiz Friday 21st May 2021 Normally the Physics Big Quiz run by Birmingham University involves a day out at the University, the quiz being run with all schools present in the University Great Hall. Having originally thought that there would be no quiz this year due to the pandemic, it was thanks to the resourcefulness of the University Outreach Department that they were able to co-ordinate and run the quiz online with school teams participating using the ‘Kahoot’ learning platform. As usual, 16 Lower Remove students took part in four teams of four, so the school was very well represented. Owing to the nature of how the quiz was run this year, there were not as many participating schools as usual, but there were a total of 62 teams taking part. The teams battled it out over several rounds on ‘Electricity & Waves’, and ‘Mechanics’, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What am I?’, where the teams were given a selection of photos of famous physicists including Stephen Hawking, Brian Cox and Marie Curie and were also asked for what they were famous. After lunch, the students heard a talk from one of the leading academics at the University, putting elements of their research into the wider context of applications in the

modern world. The final round was a specialist round which this year was all about medical applications of physics.

The students had had the opportunity to use a selection of resources to prepare themselves as well as possible before the event.

Unlike when the event is run at the University, using ‘Kahoot’ students were able to see their progress after answering every question. The ‘Kahoot’ learning platform gives points not just for the correct answer but also for the speed at which a response is selected. It was fantastic that there were always teams from King’s occupying podium positions and this added quite a competitive edge the quiz which does not normally happen!

At the very end of the quiz we were thrilled that one of our teams were runners up.

This team consisted of George Allan, Emily Andrews, Caitlin Clements and Rosa Jukes. Special congratulations should also go to the team of Sam Taylor-Edwards, Connor Yates, James Capell and Joseph James, who won the whole competition!

This really was an excellent achievement for all of them. We will definitely be entering four more teams next year.

Upper Remove Junior Physics Challenge June 2021 One of the other competitions organised by the British Physics Olympiad is the ‘Junior Physics Challenge’, a competition open the students in the Upper Remove.

Last year, as the school was completely closed, we were unable to run it, so it was good that we finally got around to being able to run it this year in the summer term.

The challenge consists of pupils sitting two online multiple-choice quizzes. This was run this year to engage and challenge students regardless of their ability by offering them a range of problems to solve. The key aim of running this for our Upper Remove pupils is for them to enjoy taking part and to encourage them to push themselves more in the subject by recognising what they are capable of achieving in a national competition. It achieved the aim of being

inclusive rather than just discriminating between the most able students very well.

The whole of the Upper Remove had the chance to participate and overall achieved 32 Silver awards and 87 Bronze awards. It was really pleasing that Ben France, Nicholas Abdullah, George Campbell-Ferguson, Jack Janes and Luke Ranasinghe all achieved Gold awards. The Upper Remove are to be highly credited with achieving what they did given that nationally, 14% of pupils achieved Gold, 30% Silver, and 44% Bronze. Very well done to all. We look forward to running this competition in school again next year.

AJK

ST

UDE NT PI EC E

ST

Genocide Foreword: Personal stories have always had an immense and irreplicable value for me, and the following story is a perfect example of why this is the case.

On the one hand it’s been a source of inspiration and pride for both myself and my family for many years, but on the other hand it can serve both to remind the reader of the heartless nature of discrimination and also just how cruel the world can be sometimes. Regardless of its harrowing topic, I hope you can find as much meaning, inspiration and reflection in this story as I can.

There exist few words that carry an emotional weight comparable with that of the word genocide. The term amalgamates itself in the mind with horrific images of death, suffering and discrimination; although its first usage was in 1944 to describe the events of both the Holocaust and the previous Armenian Genocide, the term can retrospectively be attributed to many tragedies across the globe. Such events can change the foundations of societies and present to the world the true extent of human suffering that can occur when state-sponsored violence sets its ugly sights on an oppressed minority group. It is my intention through this piece to tell the story of my uncle, whose experience of genocide in Rwanda has shaped the course of his life, and the lives of myself and my family. Obviously, shock and horror are part and parcel of tackling a subject such as genocide, but I hope nevertheless that the overall message of this piece is one of hope and inspiration, a story of success and true growth and fulfilment in the face of pogroms, murder and hatred.

Firstly, some contextual knowledge of the world and Central Africa in 1994: while the end of the Cold War had brought peace of mind and stability to the West, little of this stability was exported to Central Africa. A region still recovering from the horrific and often murderous consequences of western imperialism found itself now internally divided, with hostilities and attacks between segments of the population becoming commonplace as opposed to rare occurrences. Poorly drawn borders and the brash attitudes of the Belgians (and Germans before them) had left Rwanda with an impending ethnic struggle that

would go on to cause the deaths of over a million people. Of the two groups involved in the struggle, the Hutus and the Tutsis, the former was far more populous in Rwanda, due not simply to popular distribution but also in part to a revolution instigated by the Hutus in 1959, which had caused around 300,000 Tutsis to flee to neighbouring countries. The actions of a more moderate Hutu government during the 1970s and 80s still arouse controversy today, with some labelling them as a genuine attempt to fix the ethnic divide and others condemning them as disingenuous and lackadaisical.

Nevertheless, such analysis does nothing to change the fact that the measures did not work. Feelings of contempt grew on both sides.

Despite Hutu brutality, it could be argued that the resurgence in ethnic fighting was jump-started by the 1990 invasion of Northern Rwanda, led by the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a Tutsi fringe group seeking a right to return to their homeland, along with the support of neighbouring Uganda.

The RPF and their increasing boldness agitated the Hutu government, and its president at the time, Habyarimana Juvénal. Across Rwanda, arrests of those accused of collaborating with the RPF were commonplace, with almost all those arrested being of Tutsi ethnicity; soon arrests turned to murders, with hundreds of lives being lost due to ethnic discrimination, a disturbing omen of what was to come.

In time, Habyarimana and his Hutu government entered peace talks with the RPF: a ceasefire was agreed upon in 1992, and a new, power-sharing government was created the following year. As one can imagine, the incorporation of the RPF into the government of Rwanda angered many Hutu supremacists and extremists, who called for the new government to be dismembered by any means, peaceful or otherwise. These radical calls for violence grew progressively louder, and thus they became normalised; the foundations for state-sponsored atrocities had been laid, and for those with such ungodly intentions all that was needed was a catalyst, an event that they could use to justify their agenda.

My uncle Yves remembers hearing thunder on the night that such an event occurred; said thunder was not some sort of pathetic fallacy, or the wrath of an angry God, in fact it wasn’t thunder at all. My uncle, eight

D

U

Ancient Greek – γένος: “people, race”. Latin – caedo: “the act of killing”

EN

T P IECE

years old at the time, heard the death of President Habyarimana Juvénal. It can be difficult to comprehend, that the shooting down of a small private jet over the Rwandan capital of Kigali would create such unimaginable suffering in the years to come, but the assassination of President Habyarimana and the Burundian President Ntaryamira birthed upheaval and anger that would soon give way to a thirst for Tutsi blood. The Hutu extremists in government pointed their fingers at the RPF and nothing could’ve convinced them that the culprits lay elsewhere. The extremists had long since devoted themselves to genocide and war; for them, anything less would’ve been a betrayal of their race, and of their beloved late President. Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus across Rwanda had been living in uncertainty since the invasion of the RPF some four years earlier, but something changed on that fateful April evening in 1994. A spark kissed the tinderbox, and the flames began.

Ethnicity in Africa is a complex topic, made no simpler by the meddling and experiments of European colonialists, but in order to understand the story of my uncle, all one must know is that different physical traits were associated with different races and this was the primary distinguishing factor between ethnic groups. My uncle, born to one Hutu parent and one who was a mixture of Hutu and Tutsi, has the appearance of a Tutsi, and thus was treated as such, forced to hide and stay ever vigilant lest he be seen and either killed where he stood, or tracked down and hunted like game by Hutu killing squads.

The age of eight is no age to fear for your life, to fear death by machete for reasons you don’t yourself fully understand, and yet this was the situation that Uncle Yves found himself in. The roar of artillery and gunfire battered Kigali throughout the night, and my uncle held tight to his father, scared for himself and for his family. Uncle Yves remembers his family bringing mattresses into a corridor of their home, as far away from the windows as possible, and waiting for daybreak to reveal to them the nature of their situation, terrified of what was to come.

The sun rose that morning on the hills and valleys of Rwanda, the Nyabarongo

The Vigornian

33

river and the Eastern shore of Lake Kivu, the immense beauty of a nation in direct contrast to the perverse and depraved actions of its inhabitants. Sunlight shone too on the roadblocks being formed from the corpses of the slaughtered, on the killing squads roaming the streets with machetes, seeking out names on a crude yet murderous list. Birdsong could still be heard but interlaced with gunfire and the screams of the condemned, the radio played little music, favouring the savage dogma of the government: “we must turn the rivers red with the blood of Tutsis”: a dire situation for my uncle and for his family, who fell into the category of “moderate Hutus”, opposers of genocide and thus enemies of the state.

Groups of soldiers and civilian paramilitaries roamed the streets around where my uncle and his family lived, each gunshot the earthly departure of a neighbour, a family friend or a relative.

Uncle Yves tells me of soldiers coming to his house, with the intention of killing his father. My uncle saw the soldiers approaching and fled with his cousin to the house next door; his mother, being six months pregnant at the time, was not so quick to move. Forced against a wall, staring down the barrels of assault rifles and told to beg for their lives, the parents of my uncle refused still to submit, to fall to their knees or plead with murderers.

They acted with honour, dignity and pride in who they were; perhaps that was what aroused hesitation in those soldiers. This hesitation would prove to be the deciding factor as to whether my uncle was to be made an orphan that very day. The soldiers had seen the portrait of Habyarimana Juvénal that hung in the family’s front room, a portrait of the man they mourned, the man who they sought to avenge, hung on the wall of the enemy in pride of place. I would like to think that moment was reflective for those soldiers, that the violent haze occupying their heads was for a moment lifted, and they were allowed to question the true meaning of their actions. They did not kill my uncle’s parents that day.

Jack Wharton

ST

UDE NT PI EC E

The Vigornian

One day, a group of government soldiers arrived at the abbey. Those hiding there, fleeing the murderous wrath of these very soldiers were understandably terrified, but the soldiers had not come to kill; they were in fact themselves fleeing from the Rwandan Patriotic Front. This change in circumstance was a death knell for all involved, and my uncle and his family knew it; when the RPF soldiers arrived, the abbey would become a bloodbath, and few would escape alive. So, my uncle and his family decided they had to leave Rwanda, eventually finding safe passage out of Rwanda and into DR Congo (called Zaïre at the time). Once in Zaïre, they stayed with some relatives who had been living there for around two years; they appealed to the UN for aid in leaving the region as a whole and being resettled in a safer place elsewhere in the world.

Uncle Yves overcame such gargantuan obstacles that one can be forgiven for being surprised at his current situation, but once the surprise has set aside, I hope one can feel invigorated and inspired by his story, and how he is one of the happiest, most lovable people I know. Tough times never last, but tough people do, and my uncle has such resolve that to call him anything less than both tough and incredible would be a colossal disservice to him. Thank you, Uncle Yves, for keeping me focused on what matters and always being a source of motivation when I need it.

D

U

34

Over the following days, my uncle and his family formed a plan to leave Kigali.

The uncle of my own uncle would help those who did not appear Tutsi to escape in a vehicle, with the others hiding under luggage, piles of clothes and blankets.

Bribery and personal favours allowed such a plan to fall into place, and thus in a strange sense I’m thankful to the military corruption in Rwanda at that time. My uncle, his mother and the remainder of his family were able to escape this way to an abbey.

The vehicle in which my uncle hid faced eight roadblocks in a single 2km stretch on the way out of Kigali, but eventually they arrived at the abbey, along with hundreds of other fleeing families from the region. In a matter of days, my uncle had gone from eating three meals a day to competing over cornflour with other families. The abbeys and monasteries of Rwanda had become points of salvation for Tutsi refugees, but at times they turned to prisons, with the advancing government forces frequently targeting them and slaughtering hundreds at a time or using them as strongholds against the opposing Rwandan Patriotic Front soldiers.

It was through this process that my Uncle Yves came to be just that. The UN sent refugees from Rwanda all over the globe, and my uncle just happened to land in Wednesbury, at the school where my grandma taught. With his English being understandably imperfect and his GCSEs fast approaching, my grandma helped him to prepare for his exams and become better situated in his new home; upon learning of the extent of his situation, my grandma insisted he move in with her and my other uncles, who were of a similar age. While my grandma’s kindness and teaching certainly helped him to achieve his goals and truly thrive, it was his incredible work ethic that makes him an inspiration. My Uncle Yves, and I am incredibly proud to call him uncle, surpassed all expectations by excelling at GCSE and A Level, and then being accepted into Oxford University to read Medicine (and he is still thus far the only one in my family history to go to Oxbridge). Years later, following his graduation from Oxford, he was finally able to reconnect with his mother through a posting of names and addresses on a UN bulletin. His mother, who had relocated to Detroit in the USA, is still very much alive and obviously immensely proud of how well Uncle Yves has done.

ST

The next day, the need to leave Kigali grew ever more urgent for my uncle and his family. The killing squads roaming the streets had once again descended upon my uncle’s neighbourhood, shooting and killing the brother of their neighbour, a Tutsi who died a swift death; the same could not be said for many in Kigali. As the days went by, the piles of corpses forming rudimentary roadblocks grew taller; some on the top

of the piles not yet dead, waiting for death from exsanguination, haemorrhaging or severe brain trauma. Unborn Tutsi children were ripped untimely from their mothers’ wombs, brothers betrayed brothers to save themselves and fear was a constant.

My uncle remembers his family, and many others under threat in the neighbourhood, crowding round the house of a man who owned a pistol, hoping for a promise of protection if the worst were to come. The man, defeated, told them that the only use for his pistol would be suicide, to save himself from the hacks of a machete.

EN

T P IECE

CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS

Dance Dance at King’s has had an interesting eighteen months during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were many changes throughout the year and one of those was the ability to run successful virtual dance classes from home. Most of our dancers here at King’s really enjoyed the option to let off some steam. The ability to do some physical exercise and continue their dance practice while in lockdown helped them to build resilience and only furthered their commitment to this Art. In a normal year, we would hold three performances, but in the circumstances, we

were delighted even to hold one: The End of Year Dance showcase. As the Summer Term progressed, all the planning and rehearsing was on track and all the dancers were incredibly excited. Unfortunately, however, the day before the show events took a turn for the worse. Increasing positive cases meant that a whole year group had to spend the last two weeks working from home. This also meant that we made the decision to move to a virtual performance.

As a result, our dancers, who had missed a full year of performing, only had limited time to make last minute adaptations and

practice only a couple of times on stage.

I would like to commend Harriet Killman, Katie Rhead and Rebecca Darnborough for their incredible adaptability in changing what would have been a 9-person dance to a trio just minutes before recording. I should also thank Harriet Killman on being a fantastic Senior Dancer in such a challenging year. I would like to welcome Amelia Davies, Dixie Stone and Phoebe Walters-Dowell on taking on the Senior Dancer role this next year.

KEL

The Vigornian

35

Arts Award

The Arts Award started the year by welcoming three new Advisers to the team – Miss Gamble, Mrs Hooper and Miss Williams. Miss Hewitt, who is already qualified to assess at Bronze and Silver level, undertook her training with Trinity College, London, to become a Gold Arts Award Adviser.

One of our first and very satisfying duties was to ensure that the resilient cohort of 2020 received their well-earned certificates. Mr Doodes joined us for a (socially distanced) celebratory photo!

In September 2020 interested recruits teamed up with an Arts Award Adviser to start planning their creative journey. As most arts venues remained closed there were obvious challenges to face. But, despite the obstacles to arts participation, the mood was still buoyant with pupils keen to explore the ever-increasing crop of digital arts opportunities emerging.

Then, of course, we faced another national school closure. Conscious of the pressures being placed on pupils, there were no compulsory Arts Award sessions online but those keen to keep their creative spirits up were supported by independent learning projects. It became obvious just how passionate our pupils are about their creative experiences. Many student-led projects started to pop up online with pupils getting together via Zoom calls to share reviews of online arts events and even running workshops on Teams to keep younger pupils creatively engaged.

Returning to school in March became a race against time to support the pupils in getting their portfolios finished for this academic year. One of the common misconceptions about the Arts Award qualification is that it measures the quality of a particular arts outcome. The essential part of the Arts

36

The Vigornian

Award is that students take responsibility to achieve a particular outcome. They must research relevant pathways and articulate reflections on their progress at every stage.

All while actively engaging with fellow artists at every turn.

The Gold Arts Award is particularly demanding, yet hugely satisfying. Students start by identifying a new area of the arts they wish to explore and contact an arts practitioner to shadow. They document their progress until they are ready to share their new work with an audience. This is in their own original art form but should be influenced by what they have learnt during the process. They move on to exploring how their skills fit into the current professional landscape. They then research training and career opportunities and work alongside an industry professional to gain insight into their creative practice, either through work experience, shadowing, volunteering or workshop participation. There are further research skills required for the next unit, investigating the creative output of specific artists to write informed reviews of at least two events. These reviews must be shared in some format to allow debate on the points raised with other arts practitioners and all these interactions must be documented in the portfolio as well as the reviews themselves. A further unit demands a similar approach: students must research and formulate an opinion on a prevalent arts issue, articulating their final viewpoint on a public platform and engaging in debate about the issues.

As if all that was not enough, students must demonstrate their leadership skills by taking responsibility for a public arts event – managing both the creative content and the audience experience – and documenting the entire process!

With all those criteria to fulfil, it is easy to see why this year has been particularly

challenging. As so many arts organisations have been left in crisis, unable to operate as they usually would, opportunities to engage with practitioners have been limited.

Even where professionals have continued with their creative output, regulations have restricted most meaningful forms of contact and collaborative opportunities.

The ingenuity of this year’s students – harnessing the positive power of social media to engage with artists – has been spectacular and has included such surreal highlights as a student debating recording techniques with a sonic artist from Norway!

Our Silver and Bronze students have been equally ingenious, ingratiating themselves with the coordinators of various online arts events and coming away with fascinating recordings of impromptu interviews about these artists’ working lives.

Knowing the challenges they faced in a pandemic situation, it was even more important that traditional support was in place where it could be. Gold Standard, the in-house magazine that publishes the students’ views on prevalent arts issues, went to print as planned in the Spring Term. The magazine was, unsurprisingly, dominated by issues raised by the pandemic but there was nothing ‘doom and gloom’ about the tone. There were also some very original topics making their first appearance. To whet your appetites, you can read Alice’s interesting perspective on the ‘Fan girl’ phenomenon. The whole of the Spring 2021 issue is available online at madmagz.com/magazine/1893962.

The challenges have been immense, but the spirit has been breathtakingly positive from this year’s cohort. At the time of writing, we have 40 portfolios entered for moderation

by Trinity in July and we really hope that we will be able to start our round up for the 2022 Vigornian with a celebratory photo of those successful pupils!

SP

Gold Standard Article Are fan girls really ‘crazy’ or is the music industry just sexist?

Over the years I myself have come to embrace the term fan girl because truly that is what I am. I am a fan of a musician who is female (you probably know one yourself) but if only the term was that simple. The motivation behind the term ‘fan girl’ is something quite different to what it actually suggests. It is surrounded by stigmatism and discrimination to anyone who claims to be a fan girl. I have always been in contact with this discrimination and have wondered what the motivation was behind bringing young women down who are into a certain musician, book series, movie etc.

I have faced criticism and judgement due to being a fan girl for a few years now, and my ‘obsession’ with Harry Styles (as many people in my life will know) is commonly seen as weird or not normal in the media world, and I don’t fully know the reason.

Although I am pretty sure it has something to do with the fact, I am a young teenage girl, who is a fan of a young male solo artist. Harry has truly changed my life in ways I can’t fully explain with only a few words, and I know many other people who have similar relationships with other musicians. They also are judged because of it. Similarly, they are young girls...

Does sexism really drive the stigmatism behind fan girls? Well, I believe so. Everyone has their own reaction when they think of a fan girl, maybe it’s my reaction of enjoyment when I find out someone else feels that incredible connection to a musician like I do, something we can relate on and talk about for hours. Or maybe you think fan girls are “crazy, obsessive, desperate, shallow, hysterical teenage females, who only care about the attractiveness of the artist or band members in question.” And no, I have not just made that up to make my point, that is genuinely what a reporter for a popular gossip magazine has described a fan girl to be.

Female fanbases of musicians are judged more because of the older generation’s opinion on them, but those people are the ones that were fans of The Beatles and similar artists in their time. So, how can they judge the young girls of now when the fan bases of One Direction and The Beatles (for example) are/were so similar. Both groups of girls change the music industry for good, with many records being broken and expectations changed. Fan girls have been celebrating artists unapologetically for years but are still continually judged no matter the decade.

A term commonly thrown around when talking about fan girls is hysteria. You might have described the screams of excited girls

at a concert hysterical, but you probably don’t know the history behind the term.

Hysteria is a pejorative term that is defined as “ungovernable emotional excess,” however, in the 19th century hysteria was considered a “diagnosable physical illness in females” which later shifted to a mental illness. At the heart of it, it is a term used to undermine women. Which is probably why it is then used by sexist journalists to describe fan girls and their natural reaction to something they love, to push the sexist narrative around the globe.

In the One Direction movie ‘This Is Us’, there is a short clip of a neurologist explaining why girls freak out when they see One Direction or listen to their music.

To summarise, he says that when listening to their music, dopamine levels start to increase. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls the brain’s pleasure. When eating your favourite foods, dopamine is released. That release is then what makes you happy and even excited, and dopamine is even addictive, when you have a high level of dopamine once it is something you want to repeat and continue to experience since it makes you truly happy.

Something else which releases high levels of dopamine is football, and guess what there are millions and millions of football fans all over the world. But you have probably never heard any of them described as hysterical, being a football fan is something excepted and almost appreciated because football brings people together and feel connected with one another. Although I am thinking, where is this same reaction when describing young fan girls? Male fans can be just as obsessive over things as fan girls, have you ever encountered a football fan whose favourite team has just lost an important match? The emotions are absolutely through the roof. Yet, when a girl dares to declare her love for her favourite musician, it could only be because she fancies them or she’s displaying too much emotion for people to be around…

Fan girls however are far from the naïve and shallow stereotype society wants you believe; I would know I am one. The artists these fan girls support don’t follow this narrative either, just ask Harry Styles. In his Rolling Stone cover story back in August 2019, he stated, “We’re so past that dumb outdated narrative of ‘Oh, these people are girls, so they don’t know what they’re talking about’. They’re the ones who know what they’re talking about. They’re people who listen obsessively… They’re running it.”

(Styles, 2017) This close relationship between Harry Styles and his fans (an example for a fan/ artist relationship to beat any) is something

which has helped me get through this stigma around being his fan and a young girl. Which I didn’t expect to be something I would have to face when I slowly became more and more of a fan over the years.

At one of Harry’s gigs he said, “If you are black, if you are white, if you are gay, if you are straight, if you are transgender – whoever you are, whoever you want to be, I support you. I love every single one of you.”

And those words have shown me and many others the love he has for us fans no matter what the press or even people around us may say when we openly express our love for him and his music.

I use the One Direction fandom (and the Harry Styles fandom) as a repeated example because they have been used for years by the press to stain a negative view onto fan girls and the artists they support (and because I am a fan of them and will talk about them whenever I can).

After an unofficial documentary came out about the 1D fandom being one of the craziest in the music industry. The band spoke out to their fans telling them how much they appreciate all the support and didn’t believe the silly documentary which had no idea what actually goes on within their fanbases or the girls’ lives themselves. Shortly after One Direction came out with the song ‘Girl Almighty’ on their album ‘Four’. Which was purely written for the fans and dedication they give to the boys and their music.

As you can probably see you don’t have to go far to see examples of sexism within the music industry and the gossip world. It is something which comes up frequently in magazines like The Sun, Daily Mail, etc. Almost every week a new article comes out about fanbases of any kind which supports a negative view on young fans. This is because in their world, every young girl wants to date their favourite musician, and grown women want to sleep with every male celebrity they buy an album from or watch a movie of. Sexism applies when young girls/women are brought down by the image of craziness put upon them because they support a male artist. This negative air around being a fan girl is something which can make young women start to think less of themselves and start to believe they are in fact crazy. I want this narrative to change for all the fan girls I know, and you might know. At the heart of it a fan girl is a part of an incredible loving community – you football fans should know that – with other people who have an equal love for the musician. There should be no shame in proclaiming your love for your favourite musician, actor, or sports star. So, go ahead, call me a fan girl. If it means that I love Harry Styles with all my heart, then I am proud to be one.

Alice Crosby The Vigornian

37

Drama Burning Bird By John Donnelly; Removes Production 23rd & 24th June 2021 After 15-months of empty seats in the auditorium, the John Moore Theatre opened its doors to a live audience to celebrate the Lower Remove production of Burning Bird. The play follows Daisy (expertly performed by Maya Sumera) on her fifteenth birthday. It is the height of Summer, and trouble is brewing. Forced to decide between right and wrong, Tyrone (impressively played by Fin McGill) and Morell (comically performed by Eric Dykes) aid Daisy on her journey to the acceptance and understanding of her upbringing. Set during the 2011 London Riots, a curfew is in place as looters take to the streets following the shooting of Mark Duggan in North London. When Morell pressures Daisy to unlawfully involve herself in the chaos on the streets of London, Mrs Thurbin (played by Caitlin Clements) finds herself on the wrong side of their temper.

Burning Bird questions the decisions we make and explores the freedoms we find when authority goes missing.

Championed with an ensemble of narrators (Emilia D’Adda, Ellie Cartwright, Rosa Jukes, Milly Yates and Connor Yates), strategically cast to represent humour, sarcasm and confusion, the Removes company pulled together to deliver a realistic portrayal of teenagers caught in the midst of the London Riots.

One of the things I enjoyed the most about being in the production was working with the amazing crew and cast. It’s theatre and it’s an opportunity to do what I love!

I love performing and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. I think school plays are the perfect way to get involved in drama as it introduces you to what it is really like in the drama industry, while still being super fun. Working with a cast of creatives is so comforting as I knew that I wasn’t alone in this and that everyone cared about this performance equally. I find it so amazing how all these different people come together to create a performance like this one- The actors, directors, backstage crew all came together to create this and all played a very important role doing so.

Directing the Removes production this year has been a thoroughly enjoyable and exciting experience and a joy to see a project through in such testing times.

In line with government guidance, it was an exhilarating moment when we discovered that we could, in-fact, have a live audience. In a ‘new normal’ where screens have replaced so much of what we take for granted, being involved in and experiencing live theatre is an important event which brings together community, culture and creativity.

Maya Sumera

Caitlin Clements

I personally really like participating in the drama productions as I like the ‘buzz’ of the performance and the cast’s comradery.

Learning the lines and then putting them into practice for the rehearsals is fun as well. I have enjoyed seeing the play come together. This year I particularly wanted to audition as it helps with my acting and speaking skills and last year the play was cancelled due to Covid-19. I enjoyed working with the cast of creatives as they are very experienced and fun to work with.

Fin McGill

During the production of Burning Bird, I have had such a great experience. I would have to say, the best part about the experience would definitely be making new friends and connecting with old ones, everyone one there is so fun, and we always had a laugh! I auditioned as I love taking part in the school productions as they are always so much fun. I love acting and being in an environment with other people who love acting. I think productions are a great opportunity for people to really get out of their comfort zones and try something new.

It is also really interesting thinking about all the different aspects of the show, such as the tech crew and set designers. we have also got to appreciate all the members of staff helping out, it wouldn’t be possible without them.

Eric Dykes

38

The Vigornian

This production has been so fun. I’ve loved having the chance to get back into theatre after 15 months. I’d missed the community and support you get from other cast members.

Overall, everyone involved in Burning Bird had a wonderful time putting this show together. The commitment, focus and talent of our cast and crew has been truly commendable.

ALW

Harlequinade For most of the King’s community, May Half Term was a time to rest and recharge after months of uncertainty. During this incredibly challenging year, with events trapped in a loop dictated by COVID-19 guidelines, plans for the King’s Senior Show were rewritten again and again. This left a cohort of eager young performers waiting on tenterhooks to perform their rendition of Terence Rattigan’s comical farce Harlequinade. Lines were learnt with weeks to spare, designs were placed carefully in drawers, and a set waited onstage behind recorded assemblies, ready for the all-clear.

Finally, the production was given the green light. The cast gathered with a singleminded determination; block, rehearse and film an hour-long performance in only a few days. The stage was set – all that was needed was the show. With a fleet of cameras ready, this would be the first show King’s premiered to a virtual audience.

Harlequinade follows the misadventures of a theatre company as they perform their rendition of Romeo and Juliet.

Set against the backdrop of post-war Britain, the Midlands town the players are performing in holds more than a few recognizable landmarks, as well as its fair share of memories, scandal and drama. The company is led by two ageing principals struggling with their portrayals of Shakespeare’s youthful lovers; the famous theatrical couple Edna and Arthur Gosport, expertly played by Ella Fidlin and George Capell respectively. With talcum powder and ageing makeup at the ready, both superbly captured the eccentricity of their two characters, not only through their gushing reassurances of each other’s youthful glow, but also with their hilarious background antics as they fiddled with the perfectly curated set around them. Quite possibly the unsung star of the performance was the perfectly manicured potted-plant, who rotated positions regularly as a silent war broke out between the characters as to where it should sit, making moments behind the dialogue side-splitting to watch. As these ageing actors prepare for their opening night, their footsteps are dogged by the exasperated Stage Manager Jack (Darcy Scott-Worrall) and his sister Jill (Sophie Pitts). Though originally a single role, both Darcy and Sophie’s rapport with each other and division of the over-worked stage manager’s lines created a comedic duo reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy, both navigating the Gosports’ outrageous requests with off-the-cuff responses and more than one instance of dashing off stage with expressions of hilariously

believable consternation.

As the company prepares, we see them dealing with the typical last-minute disasters - actors dropping out, lighting woes and unhelpful advice, courtesy of one Madelaine Hinchliff donning the garb of the famous Dame Maud, a theatre legend with more than a few opinions she is willing to share.

Her grand skirts swishing as she ascends the balcony to give Edna some ‘helpful tips,’ it is easy to imagine the viewers at home being unable to contain their laughter at her flamboyant portrayal, spectacles glinting as she helpfully advises the cantankerous George, played by James Capell, how to properly enunciate the insult whispered behind her back, O-L-D B-A-G, BAAAG. Shakespeare, however, is not the only place family drama plays out in Rattigan’s farce. A young couple, Muriel and Tom Palmer, played by the convincingly nonplussed Hazel Zurich-Ball and Jamie Reid, appear looking for Muriel’s – Mu for short’s- father, a certain actor by the name of Arthur Gosport. Following a hilarious set of admonitions from his furious wife, as well as some truly hysterical facial expressions from Dasy Beedie hiding in the background behind the potted-plant that had the crew stifling their laughter to avoid ruining their take, the truth of Arthur’s careless past comes to light. Muriel is not even illegitimate, as Arthur is bigamously married! What follows is a mad scramble, as everyone tries desperately to stop the news from spreading and ruining opening night. Plant-pot clutched to his chest, Jack dashes from one end of the stage to the

other, hindering both the curious questions of a mistakenly summoned police-officer, played by a wonderfully serious Rhys Watkins starstruck in the presence of such well-known names, and the ultimatum presented to him by his fiancée Joyce.

Madeleine Cartelet’s softly-spoken Joyce provides a brilliant comparison to the boisterous activities of the theatre crowd, perfectly aiding the believability of her request that Jack abandon the Gosports and work for her father’s firm. As the play reaches its climax, a rehearsed swordduel interrupts a very real argument as Joyce, finally losing her patience, tearfully proclaims that Jack will never be able to leave this ‘madhouse’ and announces that she is leaving him. Jack’s rebuttal makes perfect sense to anyone who has spent time in a theatre - “This isn’t a madhouse, it’s a perfectly normal dress rehearsal!”

Though by no-means a ‘normal’ production, the experienced direction from Shara Parry coupled with the classically Italian style designs of Paul Haynes created an environment in which only creativity could thrive. Though the idea of less than a week to put on a show may instill panic in some, the calm, productive energy in the John Moore Theatre resembled that of a professional film set. On tech was Timothy Morris, calling the shots as he kept everything flowing smoothly during each live recording, his lighting and sound making the production as close to resembling a live show as possible.

Finally, when tweaks had been made and a final edit pulled expertly together by Paul Haynes, the show went live, ready to be enjoyed from the comfort of everyone’s homes.

The dedication and determination of the students and staff involved in Harlequinade cannot be understated. During a time when theatres have lain dormant, those involved showed they were capable of adapting to anything COVID-19 could throw at them.

CG

The Vigornian

39

Music

At the beginning of the year, we were delighted to welcome three Music Gap Students to King’s; Isobel Reid, Joe Banerjee and Euan Chalmers spent the year as Choral Scholars at the Cathedral, as well as assisting with music ensembles and classroom activities both at King’s St Alban’s and the Senior School. During the year we also said goodbye to one of our much-loved peripatetic music teachers, Robin Walker. Robin has taught piano and organ to many King’s pupils over the past 10 years, as well as accompanying a multitude of exams and concerts. We wish him a long and successful retirement.

Sadly, COVID-19 severely restricted our co-curricular music provision. Our large ensembles, the School Choir, First Orchestra and Wind Band, have not performed together since March 2020. The enjoyment and skills learnt by pupils participating in these groups have been sorely missed and we cannot wait to make music all together once again. In their place, however, we created various year group ensembles. In most cases it is fair to say that only a few of the pieces rehearsed reached a standard appropriate for a school concert, but the simple pleasure of performing music with others was the main purpose of these sessions. Mr Gunter and Mr Allsop particularly enjoyed assisting in the creation of names for the groups which included Keep UR Distance, Orchestr8, and (not to be confused with the world-famous choir that also has this name) Voces8!

The Chamber Choir has, for the most part, been able to keep socially-distanced rehearsals going for much of the year in College Hall. They were an integral part of the School’s Remembrance Service recording, featuring two performances.

The anthem was John Ireland’s Greater

40

The Vigornian

love hath no man and the motet was For the Fallen, by Richard Quesnel.

The School’s Christmas Carol Service is one of the highlights of the year for members of the King’s community. This year’s was a smaller event due to social distancing guidelines but it did give the Chamber Choir the opportunity to sing the whole service in the absence of the School Choir and Choristers. Mr Allsop put together an excellent range of carols both old and new.

At the end of term, the Chamber Choir also took up the invitation to perform at The Worcester News Carol Services in the Cathedral. The Cathedral Choir was unable to perform, which gave our Chamber Choir a further opportunity to show off their repertoire. They performed at two services in one evening, the second of which was live-streamed and was watched over 10,000 times during the festive period.

Over the course of the year we were able to present four Young Performers’ Concerts.

We began with a concert in the theatre in October, in which the performers doubled as the audience in a live concert which, as well as featuring a good number of soloists, included a performance by the Upper Fourth Orchestra.

By the Spring Term it had become clear that live performances were not going to be possible for a while, so in March we released a concert of videos submitted by pupils across the lower three years of the school. This event proved so popular with the pupils that we released it as two separate events, one for the Lower Fourths and the other for the Upper Fourths and Lower Removes. The Summer Term saw the return of live concerts, although sadly still without audiences, so two further

concerts, in May and June, were given by pupils in the school theatre and released as videos on Firefly. It is hugely impressive that our young musicians have continued to work hard on their instruments, attending lessons that have often been online, practising regularly and taking part in these concerts. It has been a delight to share their talent with the wider King’s community this year.

Open Mic Nights are very popular occasions at school and they have been sorely missed as live events. In their place we produced two on-line gigs in March and July. The Spring Term OMN featured 16 performances and involved 40 pupils. Most songs were recorded at home and edited together by the music staff, though the first act was a live recording of a Sixth Form band performing in the John Moore Theatre. The evening continued with a mix of solo songs and duets with backing tracks, as well performers accompanying themselves on piano or guitar.

There were a number of debuts from new pupils to the school as well as performances from seasoned veterans! Some staff took up the offer to have their ‘Top of the Pops’ moment and introduced some of the acts, and there was a surprise guest introduction from OV Chris Tarrant as well! The evening finished with a massed virtual performance of Demons sung by five Upper Remove boys who had recorded their parts separately at home and three Lower Sixth girls who recorded the backing vocals in the theatre.

The large number of comments made in real time during the Facebook Live event from pupils, staff, parents and the wider King’s community confirmed how successful the evening was. Plans for the second OMN had to be changed at short notice due to the Lower Sixth and some other performers isolating at home. Numerous recordings were made in the theatre a few days beforehand

while others were made at home. In some cases these recordings were combined together such as that by Riya Mayilvahanan, who recorded her vocals and piano to Gloria Gayner’s I Will Survive in the theatre with Jack Barnett on drums before Jamie Kemp and Tom Kingsford-Dowd added their funky guitar parts at home. Jamie and Tom helped coordinate the event brilliantly as part of their Gold Arts Award.

In March the Music department hosted a virtual evening with OV and internationally acclaimed conductor, Nicholas Cleobury (Ch 58-68). We were delighted to be joined in the Zoom event by nearly 100 members of the King’s family: OVs, current pupils, current and former staff. Nicholas spoke about his time at St Alban’s and the Senior School and the significant influences on his life from staff such as the Director of Music at the time, Harry Bramma. During the evening, music was shared with the guests, featuring musicians who have influenced Nicholas’s life, alongside stories and anecdotes from his time at King’s and his long and distinguished career. He was interviewed by our very own ‘Terry Wogan’, Mr Allsop, and at the end he asked Nicholas, “As music re-emerges and re-awakens after this pandemic, is there anything you would like to see change or develop?” Nicholas replied, “I hope that we have all realised that music is not an add-on but an essential part of life. We will come back appreciating it and I hope that music of quality is not thought to be elitist. Music is for everyone, no matter your colour or sexuality.

Let’s appreciate it and not denigrate it.”

Nicholas has offered to support the Music department with some coaching of pupils and ensembles, and we very much look forward to welcoming him back to King’s.

The termly concert which showcases King’s more senior and advanced

musicians has been renamed the Cleobury Concert in honour of two distinguished musical brothers and OVs, Nicholas and his brother Stephen. The Spring Term concert featured 17 soloists as well as the flute group, with the majority of performances recorded at home. Their joy at sharing their musicianship was evident. This virtual concert was presented as a Facebook Live event enabling those watching to comment in real time. The final concert of the school year in the last week of term was the first concert for over a year which parents and guests were able to attend. It featured a superb range of soloists, including Upper Sixth pupils Emma Morland and Bethan Fox, who both achieved distinctions in their ARSM diplomas during the year. The Chamber Choir has been the most active ensemble during the year and began the concert with three pieces, concluding with a beautiful performance of the spiritual Stand By Me arranged by Moses Hogan. We also very much enjoyed the Chamber Orchestra and King’s Swingers’ first performances for over a year. The strings played two of the most contrasting pieces you are likely to come across in a concert – Elgar’s popular Salut d’Amour alongside one of the earliest examples of minimalism and aleatoric music (no performance is ever the same!), Terry Riley’s in C. The Swingers’ first rehearsals of the school year took place at the start of the Summer Term in the garden of No.12 (as did rehearsals with the Lower Years Choir and Second Orchestra).

They concluded the evening with two up tempo numbers, the theme tunes to Peter Gunn and Feel the Funk.

Over the course of the year more than 100 pupils have passed practical music exams. It is a great credit to them and their instrumental teachers that so many pupils

have been able to continue their learning through lessons at school or in on-line lessons at home. The school has hosted two exam sessions with a visiting examiner and many pupils have also taken advantage of the new performance exam, which enables pupils to record their pieces and send these recordings to the exam board. Huge thanks to Mr Allsop, who has accompanied virtually all of these recorded exams. In addition to the two Upper Sixth pupils already mentioned who have achieved diplomas, we should also celebrate Fifth Form pupil David Wills, who is the third pupil this year to achieve a distinction in the ARSM diploma, this time on the oboe.

Upper Remove pupil, Riya Mayilvahanan, is another pupil to have achieved a diploma this year, in Musical Theatre.

The pandemic did its best to hinder music-making across the world. Hymns have not been sung for over a year; our large ensembles have not rehearsed or performed for over a year; audiences have not been allowed for over a year. Through all that, however, the determination of staff and pupils to think outside the box has resulted in the production of a huge range of performances and concerts. All those involved should be very proud.

The school’s social media channels are full of videos from pupils and OVs that have been made throughout the year. The way we showcased our music provision has had to change but the quality continues to remain extremely high and we look forward to increasing our musical output next year.

To quote Michael Tippett, as referenced by Nicholas Cleobury, “If, in the music I write, I can create a world of sound wherein some of my generation can find refreshment for the inner life, then I am doing my work properly.”

ST The Vigornian

41

T PI EC

ST

IE

CE

STU

EN

E

D

UDENT

P

Lockdown and the Theatre Lockdown has had a huge impact on the arts industry and theatres. Theatres have lost thousands, if not millions, of pounds due to being forced to close and performers have been without any income for months.

This has left many unable to get another job, or having to take on jobs which they do not enjoy.

As some shows such as Six, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and The Play That Goes Wrong reopened, smaller, more local theatres were unable to do this as opening with social distancing would mean they would not get enough revenue. This has forced many theatres to shut down, and others are at breaking point. Thankfully, since the dropping of COVID restrictions, these smaller venues have been able to reopen some shows, providing a lifeline for the industry.

The King’s Speech contacted Worcester Live, who run the Swan Theatre and Huntington Hall, in September 2020. They responded by saying that, “COVID-19 has

had a devastating effect on the theatre and entertainment industry and the Swan Theatre and Huntingdon Hall are definitely feeling the effects of the pandemic.” They went on to say that “we have had no shows at either venue and therefore no ticket income for the last six months; to open under socially distanced conditions is very limiting when a theatre of 350 seats becomes reduced to around 90. This is simply not a financially viable operation.”

Isolation became a major problem, however, for these shows. In a cast, no matter how big or small, if one individual contracted COVID-19, the whole show had to shut down for 10 days. This had a major effect on the mental health of the performers as there was worry about the fact that if you caught the virus, all of your fellow performers would be stuck at home with no income for 10 days, after there being no work for over a year. Many shows were affected by this, including The Prince of Egypt, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s

Cinderella, Heathers the Musical and Six the Musical tours. This left thousands of audience members disappointed as their shows were cancelled, but also had a massive toll on the mental health of the performers involved. Since the lifting of restrictions, this is no longer an issue.

However, the financial toll on these shows will not have a quick solution.

The feeling of getting back on a stage in front of a crowded audience is indescribable. I felt emotional when sat in a theatre at full capacity, and so I cannot imagine the feelings that are encompassing the performers. Jen Caldwell, who is currently in the tour cast of Six the Musical, described the feeling of the show reopening again. ‘It felt wonderful! You could really feel the buzz from the crowd and the girls onstage. It’s a feeling I’ll never forget.’ This description of how it felt shows how truly magical theatre is and the feelings that it can provoke, especially when we have not been able to watch it for so long.

Sophie Atkins

42

The Vigornian

SPORT

The Vigornian

43

Athletics

The ESAA Track and Field Cup saw our four teams, Junior Girls, Junior Boys, Inter-Girls and Inter-Boys, including pupils from Lower Fourth to Upper Remove compete against other teams across Worcestershire and Shropshire. This is a unique event where every member of the team must compete in both a track and field event. This adds an extra dimension to the competition, particularly when it comes to the relays.

There were some fantastic performances and a number of pupils achieved personal bests, which was good to see. A special mention to the following pupils who achieved over 18 points in an event, which is often seen to be a benchmark standard:

Unfortunately, like so many of our sports, the Athletics season has been significantly impacted by both the Coronavirus pandemic and the weather conditions. There were no County Championships, which is always the pinnacle of the season for so many of our athletes, no Combined Events, where pupils often have their first experience of multieventing and no qualification for the ESAA Track and Field Cup. Despite these hurdles to our ‘normal’ Athletics season, it did not stop pupils from throwing themselves back in to the competitions that did take place and it was just excellent to have so many pupils back competing after no Athletics season at all last year.

The Lower Fourth team had the opportunity to compete in a friendly fixture with Bromsgrove Prep School. It was the first time that many of the team of over 30 athletes got to represent King’s in an Athletics fixture and they all displayed an excellent effort. Pupils were involved in one track and one field event as well as a relay.

The highlight of the afternoon was seeing the pupils put all their hard work from Athletics Club into action and many pupils significantly bettering their personal bests.

We have been delighted to see six new school records be set in the season: Ella Purves (Unde 13 800m), Phoebe Martin (Under 13 1500m), Will Mason (Under 15 Javelin), Maisie Lyons (Under 17 Shot), Oli Hill (Under 17 Hurdles), Amy Hughes (Under 17 Hurdles) and Louisa De Vos (Under 20 Long Jump). Some of these records have stood for over 20 years, so it is brilliant to see these new records being written into King’s history.

Junior Girls – Anna Chapman, Frankie Barry, Ella Purves, Phoebe Martin, Lucy Tebbets

Our Saturday Athletics programme, saw us travel to Rugby School, King Edward’s Birmingham and to several fixtures at Bromsgrove School. These fixtures enable pupils to compete against some of the top schools in the region, with the high level of competition spurring many pupils on to significant personal bests through the season. One of the highlights of the Saturday programme was seeing pupils from Lower Fourth to Upper Sixth, both girls and boys, come together to compete and support one another.

Junior Boys – Dan Arridge, Ben Gooch, Will Dorrell Inter-Girls – Phoebe Reuben, Maisie Lyons, Lucy Wadley, Lottie Kilbey, Millie Dobson

The highlight of the season was most certainly having pupils back on the track and representing King’s, something they had been denied for too long. With over 75 pupils attending Lower Years Athletics Club, the future is certainly bright and we look forward to a return to the full programme next season.

Well done to every pupil that has attended Athletics Club and been involved this season.

Inter-Boys – Ollie Tranter, Harry Paddock, Oli Palmer, Zach Mason, Oli Hill, Oli Rooksby, Will Mason.

The final placings were as follows: Junior Girls 2nd, Junior Boys 3rd, Inter Girls 4th and Inter Boys 2nd.

LMS

Sports Day Removes It was excellent to see the return of Removes Sports Day, after flooding in 2019 and the pandemic in 2020 had caused the event to be cancelled. This also meant that it was the first Sports Day for both year groups as part of their House. The pupils certainly enjoyed this opportunity to come together, with excellent camaraderie and sportsmanship on display throughout the afternoon. Sports Day is never just about those winning events, but those that battle for every point, push themselves to try a new event or fill in last minute for a teammate who can longer compete. Choir continued their fine form, backing up the win in the Senior event with a win in the Removes as well.

Senior In a first for a number of years, Senior Sports Day has made a return to our Slingpool track, rather than the usual trip to Nunnery Wood.

This led to an excellent atmosphere and huge support for all pupils who took to the track or field to score points for their House. For the Upper Sixth, in a year where the opportunities to play sport for school were severely limited, it was that last opportunity to compete in a King’s event. It was a very tight affair with just a couple of points separating the top Houses in all the individual year group competitions.

As is always the way, the House that had a representative in nearly every event, Choir were crowned champions and it shows the value of the whole House joining together and supporting each other.

1st 2nd 3rd

FF Girls Bright Oswald Wulstan

FF Boys Chappel School Choir

6th Girls 6th Boys Wulstan Oswald Choir Choir Castle Castle

Overall Choir Wulstan School

The individual Victor and Victrix Ludorum trophies, which are presented for the best results in 3 individual events, went to the following pupils in each year. (right)

44

The Vigornian

1st 2nd 3rd

LR Girls Oswald Choir Castle

LR Boys Oswald Choir School

UR Girls UR Boys School Choir Chappel Creighton Bright & Wulstan Choir

Overall Choir Oswald School

Lower Years All those in the Lower Years got to experience their first King’s Sports Day and the afternoon certainly did not disappoint. There were some fantastic closely fought races, with pupils battling for every position to earn points for their form. In the field, many events were separated by just a couple of centimetres, showing the strength in depth in all the forms and how hard they have worked to develop their technique through the season. Despite there being 13 events, in a first ever, the Lower Fourth title was shared between A and E and in the Upper Fourth competition, C ran out worthy winners.

1st 2nd 3rd

L4 A&E B

U4 C D B

6th Girls Louisa De Vos

6th Boys Louis Hira

FF Girls Eleanor Bennet & Amy Hughes

FF Boys Joe Ward

UR Girls Maisie Lyons & Lucy Wadley

UR Boys Oli Hill

LR Girls Lottie Kilbey

LR Boys Ethan Gill

U4 Girls Kitty Rice

U4 Boys George Tonkinson

L4 Girls Freya Ready

L4 Boys Jack Fletcher

Cricket 1st XI After the difficult year we faced in 2020 and the cancellation of the entire season, it was brilliant to be able to have a full season of competitive cricket back at King’s this year.

Due to the restrictions in place for other sports, the season started in September and seven fixtures were squeezed in. After losing eight of the previous 1st XI players, these fixtures were useful for our young players to gain some valuable experience and take some areas of development into the Winter Programme.

It was always likely be a difficult season, with only two of this year’s regular 1st team being from the Upper Sixth. This was not helped by the fact that further restrictions and another lockdown meant we were only able to do a very limited amount of preparation during the Winter.

As in previous years, our bowling was the stronger discipline and George Bartram (13 wickets) led the attack very well, more often than not bowling a tight spell in the opening overs. Edward Thrush (14 wickets) impressed with his off spin and provided us with control and a genuine wicket taking option in the middle overs. Both were ably supported by Monty Jelfs, Sam Hawes, Oliver Annable and Jonny Sproule but a lack of real penetration meant we had to work very hard each game in order to restrict teams.

With the bat, captain Owen Preston started the season like a train, scoring back to back half-centuries but unfortunately ran out of steam after half-term, finishing on a total of 228 runs for the season. Josh Richardson and Cam Jones were our other main run contributors, both scoring fifties against MCC and The Royal Grammar School respectively. Jones also kept wicket superbly all season and even received the

man of the match award for his performance with the gloves against the MCC. A shortage of regular runs, however, meant chasing big totals and setting competitive scores made wins hard to come by and a lack of experience and preparation really showed.

Nevertheless, it was pleasing to see the team develop well throughout the season and continue to improve as a group, thanks to their excellent work ethic and attitude during training. Our standout performances came in the latter stages of the season - against MCC, losing a thriller by 4 runs after an exceptional bowling and fielding display, and against the Gents of Worcester, where Alex Terry scored a blistering 78 and Edward Thrush took 5 for 27. ‘You either win or you learn’ is a quote we could relate to and hopefully the learning that has taken place this season will only help further their development as cricketers.

There were many highlights throughout the season and the prospects for next year look positive. Monty Jelfs made regular

contributions with both bat and ball and it was impressive to see a pupil in the Upper Remove opening the batting and the bowling in most of the games. Ollie Yip also showed a lot of promise when he came into the side and in the final game of the season against the Old Vigornians scoring 31* and taking 3 wickets.

Huge thanks must go to Mr Gillgrass who was ever-present at all training sessions and once again provided excellent support for the 1st XI cricketers. Current Worcestershire professional, Charlie Morris, was an excellent addition to the coaching team and we look forward to welcoming him back next Winter in order to continue the development of our seam bowlers. Thanks must also go to our fantastic grounds team who prepared excellent wickets for both matches and training, especially seeing as both squares had to be re-seeded due to the flooding in the early part of the year.

Their continued effort and support is much appreciated.

SNG

The Vigornian

45

2nd XI The 2nd XI this year were a joy to be around and it would be hard to find a team that were more enthusiastic about their cricket and playing together as a team. It was therefore a real shame for their season to be affected by the weather and COVID-19: only three fixtures were possible.

The season started brightly thanks to a solid team performance away to KES Stratford.

Charles Pillman and Rory Crichard were the chief destroyers, taking two wickets apiece.

Excellent support from Jack Havercroft and Marc Koliasnikoff helped to restrict the hosts to a measly 98. The team got off to the worst possible start in reply, losing captain Ben Bartlett in the first over with the score still on 0. Despite this, Will Wrout and Will Moorhouse showed excellent patience, before taking the attack back to the bowlers. Will Wrout eventually finished on 60 and put the game beyond doubt.

The team then had to wait until after half term for their second game - against a strong Cheltenham College team, but what a game it was! The picturesque Cheltenham ground was a fitting setting for one of the best games of cricket you are likely to see. Once again, the bowling and fielding performances were outstanding and very soon the hosts were reduced to 56 for 6, with Jack Havercroft (4 wickets) and Oliver Annable (4 wickets) sharing the wickets between them. A fightback and a loss of concentration, saw Under 14 This year was a difficult one for the Under 14 A team. We won one match and lost the others, but had some close games along the way that could have been victories for King’s. Having not been able to field a full side on many occasions, our quest for wins was made more difficult.

Looking to the future I would like to commend the team for the progress they made in commitment, conduct and performance. Will Mason was impressive with bat and ball. Ollie Yip was excellent behind the stumps and with left arm spin. His batting shows real potential; several times I thought he was on for that match-winning fifty! Sam Edwards bowled with pace and aggression; a real prospect. Felix Forrester and Will Fleming showed a great deal of determination to do their best for the team.

I am also very proud of, and grateful for, the part-time cricketers who often agreed to help us out at the last minute.

This team has the ability to improve, but must stick together and support each other when faced with difficult situations. I am sure they will develop next year.

MWW 46

The Vigornian

the hosts reach an imposing total of 141 from their 20 overs. Against a good bowling attack run scoring wasn’t easy and at 81 for 6 after 11 overs, the 2nd XI had it all to do. However, a whirlwind 61* off only 40 balls from Joe Clive and a much needed 15* from Will Chater saw the boys home with three balls to spare.

Sadly, an unbeaten season was not to be as we were comfortably beaten by the Old Vigornians on the final day of the season.

Huge thanks must go to Mr Berlet and Mr Ison for their support at training and the time and effort they put into coaching the team.

SNG

Under 15 This proved to be a very enjoyable season spread over two terms due to COVID regulations. A small squad of 13, which became 12 when Monty Jelfs was promoted to the First XI, trained with genuine enthusiasm and a strong individual focus on improving batting and bowling techniques. Defeats against a talented Malvern side and the Royal Grammar School, plus the loss of our captain, gun bat and quickest bowler, did not bode well for the rest of the season.

Things, however, quickly looked a lot brighter. Jamie Thorp took over the captaincy against Hereford Cathedral and his aggressive half-century partnership with Jack Flood was pivotal in our sixwicket victory. Ed Bowers was pick of the bowlers with 3-12 and was backedup by some outstanding team fielding; George Campbell-Ferguson’s one-handed running catch was well received! Our next game against Malvern really highlighted the big strides (no pun intended) the team were making. On a tricky surface Ollie Press batted the entire twenty overs for 44 not out – a fantastic display of concentration and shot selection. Malvern

starting confidently but discipline bowling and more excellent fielding (including a stunning one-handed grab from Jamie at slip) soon reduced them to 70-7 (chasing 104). Malvern eventually got home by two wickets, but King’s rightfully gained a great deal of confidence from this performance. The high level of fielding and bowling was maintained in our return match against the Royal Grammar School. Batting first the Grammar made just over eighty off their thirty overs and we reached our target quickly through a sensibly aggressive 37 not out from Jack. Our two front-line spinners, Luke Ranasinghe and Jamie, bowled with outstanding control to return combined figures of 9-1-20-6. Hugo Chapman and Ed again bowled with good pace but little luck.

After losing so much sport to COVID it was simply great to be out there playing again!

MCP

Under 13 How nice it is to be able to write an Under 13 cricket report after the disappointment of losing the 2020 season to Coronavirus!

With the restrictions in place over the winter, we weren’t able to run the usual indoor net sessions. By the time that Easter arrived, however, the restrictions had begun to ease and we were able to hold a pre-season training day for the players at the fields. The fact that 30 Under 13 players turned up in the middle of their holidays indicated that this was a very keen group.

Their appetite for training throughout the Summer Term was encouraging – each week 30-35 pupils attended after-school net sessions without fail. The attitude of all who attended training was faultless and this has made it a pleasure to coach them.

After the disruption to school sport caused

by COVID-19, it was a desperate shame that we then had to endure a very wet May and hence lost several fixtures to the weather.

By early June the skies had cleared and the Under 13A side still managed to complete seven fixtures, winning all of them bar a close County Cup Final against Bromsgrove, Under 13B A very ‘rainy’ summer unfortunately meant that our competitive fixtures were severely curtailed. The pupils did, however, stay enthused across the whole term. Numbers at training were high every week, and the effort and enthusiasm were always very good. In any other year, a number of our players would probably have been given a lot of game time in the A team and it was a testament to the strength of King’s cricket at this age group that the B team contained so many talented players. Our bowling got more consistent as the term progressed and we worked on shot selection in the nets. In the matches that we did play, the team were able to put these skills to good effect. We also worked really well as a team, and encouraged other. We had three excellent victories but the highlight of the season was probably beating Abberley Hall’s A team in well-contested fixture, played in great spirit.

A special mention should go to Charlie Flood and Sufiyaan Riaz, who managed to score half-centuries this term, not often seen at this level.

CJA

which they lost in the last over. Particularly pleasing were a couple of victories against a strong Solihull School side, containing several Warwickshire county players, where the Under 13s showed an ability to keep their nerve under real pressure. They also beat a Worcestershire Under 13 side in a T20 game. The B team won two of its three fixtures – losing only to The Elms A team. The C team won both of its matches.

There is quality throughout the Under 13 squad. In fact, the B team has been full of players who in a ‘normal’ year group would be A team players every week. I urge all the players, regardless of which side they played in this year, to stay keen and work on their game. Young players develop at different rates and chances will come as they move up the school, so long as the right attitude and skills are being shown in training.

Having the right attitude means wanting to improve fielding skills too. It is worth noting that athletic fielding and aggressive running between the wickets in the A team has made all the difference in the games against stronger opposition. Consequently,

we will continue to put a heavy emphasis on fielding and fitness next season.

To my mind, cricket is predominantly a team game and it is the collective that is most important. All players in A, B and C teams had a crucial part to play. Having said that, I feel I should mention a few individual performances for the 3 sides as follows: Half centuries were scored by William Thorp, Henry Hawes, Noah DuPont, Sufiyaan Riaz and Charlie Flood.

William Thorp scored 283 runs at an average of 47.1 for the A team.

Hassan Fiaz took 4-8 and Bryony Gillgrass took 4-12 for the A team Freddie Yorke-Brooks took 14 wickets at an average of 5.8 for the A team (including a remarkable hat-trick against Solihull).

GLW

Under 12 Had it not been for three back-to-back weekends of wet-weather cancellations, it’s highly plausible this fantastic squad of players, could have remained undefeated (excluding a cup match defeat) for the whole of the 2021 season. With one game to go, the ‘A’ team currently have played seven, won seven.

Little did we - Mr Benham and Mr Davis know what lay ahead for 2021. Both in terms of outstanding attendance (weekly, we’d see 38 attend training) and a deep commitment to play and have fun.

This group of players (and very pleasingly, including four girls; Poppy Wrout, Eleanor Riley, Grace Kitchen and Lily Widmer) are led by two outstanding leaders; Liam Banks (Captain) and Arthur Mears (Vice Captain).

They lead by example; their conduct was peerless; they inspire; and both lead with gentleness and humility. In the 25 years I’ve mentored and appointed Captains, and Vice Captains, these are some of the very best.

In trying to somehow explain and sumup the season, it’s almost impossible to single out individual performances, there has been so many from across all the three teams. This fantastic group must be put together as a whole.

We have witnessed pupils progress at astonishing rates (Dexy Clifford, Ted Smith, and Matteo Sobey); multiple pupils go from disbelieving to believing in themselves;

batters reaching half centuries (Liam Banks and Ben Eost) or personal bests; bowlers getting their first ever hard-ball wicket; six wicket keepers being trained throughout the season; self-worth rising; and cricketers shadow-bowling, or batting, down Worcester High Street!

Mr Davis and I, are beyond proud of this wonderful group. It’s been a joy and great fun, not only to teach, coach, and mentor them, but also to simply stand back and watch them flourish as group, whilst they play and train. Alongside this, we are also very grateful to Mr Greenall and Mr Berlet for their help and support!

TB The Vigornian

47

Girls’ Cricket Under 14 and Under 15 Despite introducing girls’ cricket fixtures in 2019, the pandemic prevented us from introducing the hardball format. Therefore, this is the first season the girls have pursued a hardball season and what a first season it has been!

The Under 15 Girl’s Cup Team faced three schools as part of their area cup competition.

The kicked off their campaign against Malvern St James where they scored 90 of 20 overs for 10. Strong bowling and fielding from King’s kept Malvern St James to a moderate score of 70 for 7, thereby winning by 20 runs. Their second game was a test of resilience and perseverance as they faced Rugby School in one of the wettest cricket games in King’s history to win by 7 wickets. Rugby School batted first and scored a respectable 76 for 6, King’s were able to chase the score with two overs to spare and won by 7 wickets.

Their final area game, the girls travelled to Bromsgrove School, the shorter boundary meant that King’s were chasing a score of 138, where they were able to chase down with overs to spare. As a warmup game in preparation for their next round of the cup King’s hosted Malvern College, Malvern batted first scoring a strong 96 runs for 3, however, King’s were able to chase down their score achieving 100 for 2 winning by 4 runs. From this King’s were drawn against The Perse School, Cambridge. The established cricket school made the long journey to King’s on an extremely glorious day. King’s fielded first and despite some excellent batting

by The Perse School, we were able to hold them to 116 all out. Sadly, after the first

wicket, King’s suffered a batting collapse and were all out for 38, not a performance the girls wished to finish on, but all credit to the Perse School who we wished well in the next round.

Although the girls were disappointed by their final performance, they can be extremely proud of themselves coming together for the first time. We had no expectations other than to offer opportunity and the girls have grabbed it with both hands. The Under 15 cup side has been represented by 15 girls in Upper Remove, Lower Remove and Upper Fourth which means that next year we can build on the excellent success from this season.

Under 15 and Under 14 Softball Alongside the Under 15 Hardball Cup, 24 of the Lower Remover and Upper Remove have represented the school in softball matches this season. Through their commitment to training many of these girls are looking to move to hardball next season. The format for many of these matches has been pairs cricket encouraging all players to develop their skills as bowlers, batters, wicket keepers and fielders.

Under 15 girls’ softball squad: Isabella Green, Lucy Pritchard, Jaime Lewis, Lucy Wadley, Amelia Taft, Katy Campbell-Ferguson, Riya Mayilvahanan, Louisa Kerton, Francesca Sly, Meg Sweeney, Freya Sinclair, Laura Arundale should be proud of their efforts this season.

The Under 15 softball team have had a varied season, but improved with every performance. Finishing on a high with their win in the local darby match against the Royal Grammar School Worcester, where they won by 4 wickets. Experienced players such as Izzy, Lucy, Lucy and Jamie have provided invaluable support to their peers, with Amelia Taft, Katy Campbell-Ferguson and Riya Mayilvahanan making significant contributions throughout the season and transitioning to the hardball format.

Back row: Rebecca Nosworthy, Anabel D’Auncey, Tilly Cook, Amelia Venables, Jess Newman Front row: Kate Lambourne, Lola Bell-Ruiz, Ruby Ingles, Evie Thrush, Josie Lloyd-Adams Missing: Eva Frost & Lottie Kilbey

48

The Vigornian

Under 14 As the season has progressed they have really bonded as a team, and despite not always getting the score they desire they have made steady progress and are an exciting prospect for next season. A special mention to Tilly Cook and Anabel D’Auncey who have led and supported their peers throughout the season; their encouragement and commitment has been outstanding, and I look forward to seeing them thrive as leaders next season.

Lady Taverners Under 15 Schools County Finals The Under 15 and Under 13 girls’ cricket teams attended the Lady Taverner’s cricket festival at Kidderminster Cricket Club.

Normally an indoor competition held in the Spring Term, we were keen to participate after so much opportunity has been lost due to the pandemic this year.

Due to a number of schools pulling out of the Under 13 competition, the Under 13 girls competed against the Under 15s. The girls played RGS Dodderhill, Studley High School, finishing with a final group game against each other. The Under 15s batted first scoring a respectable 69 runs with the Under 13s needing to score four off the last two balls due to excellent batting by the likes of Esther Good and Bea Winfield.

Excellent bowling by Lucy Wadley denied the Under 13s victory finishing on 68.

This final game placed King’s Under 15 team first place in the group and the

Under 13s second in the group. After a break for lunch the both teams played each other again in a first place play off.

Sadly, Martha lost her winning streak of rock, paper, scissors and the Under 15s decided to bowl first. Keeping the Under 13s to a respectable 51 runs, the Under 15s were able to knock these off with 5 wickets to spare taking the title of Lady Taverner Winners. To all the girls involved they demonstrated excellent bowling,

fielding and batting along with some more comic moments. The girls demonstrated assertiveness, leadership, endeavour and a real camaraderie and support for each other. It was a joy to observe. The girls were independent, self-sufficient and finished off a fabulous season.

Despite the indecisive weather and limited practise due to a COVID-19 pandemic the girls have made huge steps forward. We are proud of Bryony Gillgrass Under 12 Having made the complete shift from rounders to cricket, the Under 12s are reaping the rewards of playing different conditioned games whilst at club. This has encouraged tactical awareness and decision making. These two areas have been a focal point for them in matches, working hard to attack their batting opportunities, being proactive whilst fielding and becoming more consistent when bowling.

Back Row: Riya Mayilvahanan, Katy Campbell-Ferguson, Lucy Pritchard, Ani D’Auncey, Tilly Cook (Captain), Lottie Kilbey, Lucy Wadley, Jamie Lewis Front Row: Jess Meci, Esther Good, Lillie Sawyer, Eliza Pritchard, Sonali Prasad., Bea Winfield, Phoebe Saxon, Martha Burden

With at least twenty girls attending each week, competition for a spot in the representative team was highly competitive. The team had a number of fixtures and their performance improved each week, with a highlight being a triangular at Cheltenham Ladies College.

This squad have real potential and I have no doubt that they will continue to improve.

EKM

I have really enjoyed training each week, and feel that my skills have improved. In the matches that we played, we worked well as a team.

The Vigornian

49

Equestrian Despite COVID-19 restrictions preventing any travel or competitions, the NSEA Online Pop-Up Dressage Series started off our 2020-21 season. Riders competed from home by filming their tests and sending them into NSEA headquarters to be marked by accredited judges.

Georgie Driver ‘I really enjoyed being able to continue training over the Summer with some online events to work towards. We

50

The Vigornian

used Teams to share competition schedules and news while we were unable to attend school in person.’

As national lockdowns eased, pupils took the opportunity to compete against others at socially distanced NSEA events. Despite being out of practice having not competed since September 2019, James Gage and his pony Chino were able to compete at Allen’s Hill Competition and Livery

Centre. They successfully qualified for the National School Equestrian Association Championship Plate which will take place at Keysoe, October 2021.

Several members have also been competing on the British Eventing circuit with Georgie Driver and Holly Wylde riding at Bradwall.

Both went clear round a tough BE 100 cross country course with Holly finishing a very respectable 5th.

GMO

Football September 2020 started off with fantastic weather and plenty of enthusiasm.

Having had the lockdowns the previous Summer Term and with the easing of some restrictions Football training was able to resume in school from the start of the academic year. Senior footballers trained every Wednesday and Friday to what we hoped would lead to a pre-season tour to Chelsea FC during the Christmas break.

Participation was fantastic with around 50 senior footballers turning up to training on a regular basis, with different year group bubbles being able to mix once again, at this stage.

Sadly, when restrictions tightened up in the second half of the Autumn Term we were no longer able to mix year groups and train in the same manner. Be that as it may, we managed to continue training in year groups.

Unfortunately, however, the over 90 football fixtures that had been planned could not take place between January and March 2021.

Junior footballers also managed to get extra football in as rugby fixtures with other schools were not allowed so many opted to play football during Games periods. On a regular basis there were over 35 junior footballers developing their skills.

Fixtures have been scheduled for 2022 for all age groups and the tour to Chelsea FC will hopefully go ahead at Christmas time.

Outside of school, Ollie Powell continues to play at Cheltenham Town Academy and Noah DuPont with West Bromwich Albion Academy. Well done to both of them.

JS

Jantastic Jantastic reached a conclusion at the end of January after a month’s worth of activity for the Senior School pupils and their families. The aim of the challenge was simply to get active for 30 minutes each day. During a difficult time for all members of the King’s family, we thought that sport and physical activity could play a massive role in getting people to feel more positive and the challenge was designed to help people become healthier in both body and mind.

the thing about which they are passionate.

Pupils and families were guided towards a range of activities from Yoga to Boxercise, Running to Pilates.

The second part of the challenge was to get pupils to try new things. We are fully aware that whilst many pupils access the major sports at school, it takes some pupils a little longer to find

Jantastic enabled pupils to get into good healthy habits at the start of a new year and the flexibility of the challenge got them away from their screens.

Sport at King’s is about far more than what usually grabs the headlines and there will never be a bigger win than pupils and families becoming healthier through sport.

The level of involvement was really pleasing and it was great to see whole families getting involved. A full range of activities was undertaken including Cycling, live circuit sessions, Indoor Rowing, cooking challenges, mindfulness colouring and lots of dog walks!

AJF

The Vigornian

51

Hockey to work on some of the more technically demanding skills, like drag flicks, aerials and reverse stick hitting.

Unfortunately, as for so many of our sports, it has been an inevitably disappointing season for our Hockey players. The Coronavirus pandemic put a stop to the majority of outdoor fixtures and no Indoor Hockey could be played at all. For large parts of the Autumn Term, the prospect of fixtures was always on the horizon, although with the ever-changing picture of the pandemic, just one fixture was played for the Under 12 ABC, Under 13 ABC, Under 16 and Under 18 hockey teams. The Junior Saturday fixture against King’s Gloucester was a real highlight for many of the girls, especially the Under 12s, who represented King’s in their first ever fixture. It was particularly exciting to have nearly 30 Lower Fourth girls playing Hockey on a Saturday; it was just a shame that this could not have continued throughout the season.

The final Saturday of the Autumn term saw the inaugural ‘Christmas Hockey Festival’, with over 70 Lower Years players attending a fun tournament. Christmas outfits were essential and it was brilliant to see so many smiles on faces as they had the opportunity to put skills previously practiced into action.

Later in the year, the Lower Years were also able to play their inter-Form competitions and the teamwork and skills on show were a pleasure to watch. The winners were Upper Four B in the Upper Fourth competition and Lower Four D in the Lower Fourth competition. The real highlight was seeing every girl in both year groups working hard for each other and finishing the afternoon with big smiles on their face.

Despite the lack of fixtures, the girls showed excellent commitment to both their after school sessions and additional Saturday morning training. It was a great opportunity to spend time developing individual skills, tactical understanding and problem-solving through game play.

The girls particularly enjoyed the chance

It has also been a disjointed year for those in the England Hockey Pathway, with no JAC hockey and limited sessions for those in PC. The following pupils have been involved in PC and are looking forward to a return to more action next season: Bryony Gillgrass (Upper Four); Jaime Lewis; Bea Morgan; Amelia Taft; Lucy Wadley (Upper

52

The Vigornian

Remove) and Lucy Short (Fifth Form).

It has been excellent to hear of Amy Hughes’ (Fifth Form) recent selection to the Welsh U18 team; she played a three match test series against Ulster and, after her fantastic performance, she is now in contention for the upcoming U19 Home Nations series. Matt Whiteside (Upper Sixth) has continued to be part of the England Hockey Under 18 training squad and we look forward to seeing his progress over the next few years.

We feel for the Upper Sixth who have missed their final opportunity to play the sport they love for King’s one last time.

They have given so much to King’s sport over their time at school and we wish them the very best of luck as they move on.

We are really looking forward to next season and the opportunity for the girls to reunite on the pitch and enjoy playing sport again. The experiences, life skills and bonds pupils make through sport have been severely missed and we know the girls can’t wait to throw themselves back into this next year.

LMS

Netball Netball this year has certainly been different from previous years; with the addition of new rules, minimum players on a court and bubbles it hasn’t been easy but we have attempted to make the most of a difficult situation.

Scrolling through the @KSWNetball twitter feed it was hard to believe that the teams have not had much time on the courts. Back on the 5th September the Lower Years’ coaches welcomed the current Lower Four and Upper Four to the courts for their annual Netball Festival, a morning to welcome back the rising stars of the Upper Four and to welcome and introduce the Lower Four to how Netball runs at King’s.

Netball clubs continued in bubbles and the introduction of strength and conditioning sessions in the gardens allowed athletes the chance to improve their fitness through Friday evening workouts with Harry. Senior teams were slowly preparing to play Cheltenham Ladies’ College and although the first date had to be cancelled, due to Storm Alex, they did eventually get to play, with 50 girls representing King’s.

With limited opportunities to train physically as a team and with friends, Zoom appeared to be the next best thing, so Bethan Dyke (Severn Stars Senior VNSL player and Welsh International) ran a technical session for all athletes, covering a warm-up, simple ball handling and technical skills from her living room.

All athletes contributed miles and money to the “Around the World in Eight Days Challenge” with 1st VII captain Mia Mathewson leading her team from the front, while Sport Ambassador Jess Brown completed 2800 squats throughout February to raise funds for Teenage Cancer.

Lastly, Maisie Lyons and Maddie Worth walked a marathon, raising over £1000 for cancer research.

Our season could not end without the coveted Easter Netball Tournament (this year an on-line quiz) with the Sixth Form leading the teams and Mrs Hawthorne acting as quiz-master.

Mixed Netball continued into the Summer term as the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth battled it out each week, ending with a 1st VII v 1st boys’ team game, the first and last game for the 1st team this season, which saw them take the win 18-9.

Focussing on the positives has been a theme of the netball coaching staff this year and, reading back through, what they and the players have achieved is remarkable. It is a real shame that the 1st VII did not get the season that they so desperately wanted, however, we have all learned so much about each other and the importance of sticking together when the whole world is changing around us.

EKM

The bigger the dream, the more important the team

Back to our courts and time for the Lower Years to get competitive in their eagerly anticipated inter-form competitions.

Having not had a competitive fixture against another school, the stakes were high, with Lower Four A and Upper Four C taking the titles this year.

With Christmas fast approaching and the realisation that netball was not getting back to normal anytime soon, our senior netball players Sophia, Georgie and Jess spoke on the King’s Voice, to talk through the changes to which they were having to adapt with netball and what they were doing outside of school in order to keep fit and healthy. The Lower Four, however, had the final say before Christmas, ending the year with their annual “Christmas hats” game.

The new year brought around another lockdown, but this was not going to deter the netball athletes. Harry’s sessions went viral and there was an abundance of players who logged in and completed numerous sessions each week. Senior ambassadors trained outside, leading the way with #Jantastic, and the 1st VII completed weekly Zoom training sessions, focussing on fitness, skills and ultimately morale whilst Emelia D’Adda (Lower Remove) got to the final of the “Home Shoot-Out Challenge”.

Representative honours Severn Stars U19

Sophia Winfield, Georgie Thorp, Jaz Franks

Wasps U19

Mia Mathewson, Emily Seymour-Perry

Severn Stars U17

Jaz Franks, Emily Diaz

Severn Stars U15

Freya Sinclair, Maisie Lyons

Severn Stars Nova/Wasps hub representation

Emily Diaz, Abby Sly, Meg Sweeney, Francesca Sly, Olivia Sproule, Lydia Goodman, Lizzie Poole, Abbie Diaz, Lucy Wadley, , Maddie Worth, Maisie Lyons, Freya Sinclair, Poppy Sawyer

The Vigornian

53

Rowing The Boat Club has so much to celebrate, once again overcoming the adversity presented by the disruptions of the global pandemic. The early part of the year began with a terrific intake from the Lower Remove, as most of the year has been involved in Rowing. Great progress was made by the younger members of the club, with vital skills developed in the single sculls, before the weather and restrictions resulted in limited water time. The pupils managed brilliantly with on-line training sessions and the reduced time on the water with their usual indomitable spirit. Events such as the Boat Club Teams Challenge alongside Mr Houghton and Mr Sharp’s games sessions were well attended, with all the personal challenges keeping the rowers motivated.

The lockdown made us all really appreciate that our beautiful Boathouse is only lifeless bricks and glass without the pupils and when they were finally allowed back all the excitement and life of the club returned.

The last few months have seen the club emerge from hibernation. We enjoyed two weeks of intensive work at our Easter Senior Boys Coach – Mr Chalmers Despite a thoroughly disrupted season, progress has far from halted with the Senior Boys squad this year. September presented itself as seemingly normal, which gave us an opportunity to knuckle down and focus on any areas of training we had been neglecting over summer, meaning more ergo work and a focus on building our aerobic capacities in preparation for the year ahead.

As mixed year crew formation seemed like a distant fantasy, any on-water assessments were done in single sculls, highlighting both the physical and technical capacities of athletes and outlining areas that could be sharpened for future assessment.

Our Easter school-based rowing camp provided us with the first opportunity to form crews with both Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth rowers. A final singles time trial was undertaken, followed by the formation of a Championship Quad and Second Quad, all in preparation for the now forthcoming National Schools’ Regatta. Once crews had been selected, we had three more intense training days on camp, where we could bond and start working on perfecting rowing as crews.

After many more weeks of gruelling water pieces and technical sessions, allowing us to learn to row and work together even better,

54

The Vigornian

Training Camps, this year delivered from the Michael Baker Boathouse. The regattas commenced in May, with national events held at Dorney Lake and the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham. We also participated at local events, with matches against RGS and in the Worcester Junior Regatta.

The rowers proved that nothing could detract from their drive to perform, and we celebrated another fantastic performance from our team at the British Rowing Indoor Championships; a magnificent result for our mixed relay teams secured the Gold and Silver Medals. Individual performances from Maple Unwin and Alice Baker were outstanding and increased our Gold and Silver Medal total; Alice qualified for the World Rowing Indoor Championships.

She went on to take the silver medal at the World Championships, in a time of just under seven minutes for 2000 metres, which is exceptional for a Junior Woman.

Alice paired with Georgie Thorp on the water and their pair, along with Luke

Beever in a single scull, qualified for the Great Britain Rowing Junior Team trials.

They all performed exceptionally well but unfortunately the British Team is no longer able to send teams to the international events. The disappointment felt by the entire Senior Girls squad has been magnified by their inability to race at Henley Women’s Regatta due to the pandemic.

At the time of writing, we hope to be able to attend the British Rowing Junior Championships and a delayed Henley Royal Regatta.

Club Awards Senior Girls Rower of the year

JHC Alice Baker

Crew of the year

Alice Baker and Georgie Thorp

Coxswain of the year

Eleanor Hill

Most Improved Rower

Matthew Daniels

Services to Rowing

Olly Timlin, Anna Fryers and Louisa Kenny

Club Woman of the Year

Georgie Thorp

Clubman of the Year

Olly Timlin

the National Schools’ Regatta was just around the corner. With perfect conditions and a nice warm day, both crews performed exceptionally well in their respective time trials, allowing them to get into B finals in the afternoon. When the finals came, both crews fought the whole way and ended up placing third in the Second Quads and fourth in the Championship Quads.

Luke Beever, Ned Meredith and Jack Barclay rowed the time trial over ten seconds quicker with a time of six minutes and eight seconds putting them in joint seventh place and a great B final to come. Due to a much more prestigious draw, the quad came out even higher than they previously had, placing third in the B final, which made prequalification even more promising.

With the championship boys’ quad aspiring to Henley Royal Regatta later in the year, Marlow Regatta presented itself as another opportunity to present data for the crew with the aim of pre-qualification for Henley Royal. With a clear improvement since National Schools’, the quad of Olly Timlin,

With much of the season still to come, the whole of the Senior Boys’ Squad is excited to push each other even further and making our boats go even faster in preparation for eight and quad racing at Henley Royal Regatta.

Olly Timlin

Senior Boys Most Improved Rower

Thomas Holland

Senior Boys Rower of the Year

Luke Beever

Senior Girls Coach – Mr Bird The Senior Girls have made the most of the challenging circumstances and have had a great season. After learning to adapt to the new rules throughout the country, School and in the Boathouse, the girls settled into their training, whether at home or on the water.

The year started off with no mixing between year groups, meaning the usual senior squads could not immediately be formed.

This led to a large amount of training being done in smaller boats, including single time trials throughout all year groups to test our fitness. The Lower Sixth girls were challenged by having to learn the sweep discipline in a short space of time.

Our Easter camp was the first real opportunity for the Senior Girls to form mixed crews within the Sixth Form. The training was focused on the forthcoming event of the National Schools’, in which

an eight, quad and a pair were entered.

Although the long days of training were tiring, the opportunity to row as a whole squad made it most worthwhile and we went into the final weeks before the race feeling prepared.

The National Schools’ Regatta was very successful for the Senior Girls. Thankfully, warm weather and great conditions over the weekend made the racing enjoyable.

The eight was first up, qualifying seventh in the time trial and later improving to secure sixth in the country in their final. The quad also rowed well in their time trial. The pair of Georgie Thorp and Alice Baker raced on the following day, having a successful time trial and race finishing fourth overall. Well done to the whole squad!

Training continued, with the next aim being Henley Women’s Regatta. The Senior Girls

were put through multiple sessions of seat racing to determine who would make the squads. After completing the selection process, the girls settled into their crews and continue to work towards the event.

Worcester regatta provided a break from the usual training sessions and the girls were mixed up and put in multiple different crews. The day proved to be very enjoyable and resulted in some great racing!

On behalf of the whole squad many thanks have to be given to our coaches, especially Will, who somehow manages to put up with all our complaining!

Georgie Thorp Senior Girls Most Improved Rower

Alex Barry

Senior Girls Rower of the Year

Georgie Thorp

The Vigornian

55

Fifth Form Squad Coaches – Mrs Ford and Mr Houghton The year started with socially distanced pre-season training, where we rowed in singles, gaining confidence after not having rowed on the water for nearly six months!

It was such a lovely opportunity to meet up with friends and coaches whom we had not seen for so long. We quickly became used to the hard winter training that would prepare us for competitions later in the year. This consisted of many core circuits, erg tests, and our first single time trials certainly exciting (though nerve-wracking) experiences.

The autumn term culminated in the British Rowing Indoor Championships, which were held on-line and saw athletes from over 42 Countries compete. Henry Halford performed well in the Fifth Form boys’ six-minute race, finishing 15th overall in a tough international field, whilst Maple Unwin stormed the Fifth Form girls’ age group. After being denied gold by just metres in the six-minute race, she came back to win the 500m race by a clear margin, making her British Champion.

She later teamed up with Sixth Form rowers to clinch silver in the Mixed Relay.

Despite not being able to train in school due to the lockdown in early 2021, many of us teamed up by working out together on Zoom and going on runs (socially distanced of course!). When we came back in February, we were raring to go, training hard in crew boats and even having a go at sweep rowing!

Rowing camp was a highlight for many rowers, taking place in the last week of the Easter holidays. We trained intensely throughout the week, with many time trials and races, everyone fighting for crew selection for regattas during the summer term. We must thank all the coaches, but especially Mr Houghton for masterminding the highly entertaining themed days of the week, ranging from Pink Day to Beatles Day. At the end of May, we took one crew each to the National Schools’ Regatta and Junior Sculling Regatta respectively. The boys’ quad of Henry Halford, Bobby Riddell, Will Probert and James Stevens performed well in their first race together to come in 19th place overall, just seven seconds off making

the final. The girls’ double, comprised of Rosie Stanley and Sophie Pitts, put in an excellent performance to place 25th.

Nearly all of us took part in the Worcester Regatta in June. It was a glorious day with lots of great racing. With crews being seeded into side-by-side races after a time trial, many crews excelled in their divisions.

The girls’ quad of Erika Jones, Rosie Stanley, Anna Morrison and Poppy Sawyer came first in their division, as did the boys’ coxed four of James Stevens, Will Probert, Bobby Riddell and Charlie Webster (coxed by Henry)- this was their first-time racing in a sweep boat!

Ben Beedie and Alex Dalton rowed well to come an impressive third in their category.

In the afternoon, the boys raced in singles for the first time and the girls were in two doubles. Henry did well to place first in the single scull, with Will Probert coming close behind in second place and all six boys who raced placing in the top eight. For the girls, Erika and Rosie rowed superbly together to come narrowly in second place, with Anna and Poppy coming in third.

We sent four crews to the Great Britain Rowing Team J16 Summer Event: a quad and a double scull for both boys and girls.

This national event was fiercely competitive, with great performances from all our boats.

Henry Halford and James Stevens excelled in the double scull, gaining fifth place in a very tight final.

It has been a challenging but rewarding years’ rowing and we cannot wait to get back on the water next year. Finally, both the boys’ and girls’ squads would like to thank Mr Houghton, Mrs Ford and all the other Rowing coaches for coaching us so well through tough circumstances and making the year such fun!

Henry Halford FF Boys Most Improved Rower

Bobby Riddell

FF Boys Rower of the Year

Henry Halford

FF Girls Most Improved Rower

Poppy Sawyer

FF Girls Rower of the Year

Erika Jones and Rosie Stanley

Upper Remove Boys Coach – Mr McDonald When I first started Rowing in Lower Remove, I only managed to make it onto the water five times throughout the entire year! This was because of horrible weather conditions and flooding. Despite this massive setback, this year our brilliant coaches managed to train us back up to the same level, fitting two years of training into just three terms! This included many lovely sessions on the water, (far more than five!), and quite a few capsizes… The top quad competed at Dorney lake in the Junior Sculling Regatta, unfortunately not making it into the final race. However, we did claim victory over RGS in a mini regatta taking place in a games session, and all rowers performed amazingly at Worcester Regatta.

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend these events, as I was off sick because of pneumonia, but I was still supporting from my hospital bed! Overall, this year has been incredible in terms of rowing, with massive improvements from everybody. Surprisingly, Rowing Camp was still able to take place, and it was handled extremely well by all the coaches. This was just one of the many ways that the Boat Club staff supported all the pupils, keeping a very tightknit community together throughout a global pandemic, (socially distanced of course!); so, to them, I would like to say an enormous thank you!

Max Barclay Lower Remove Boys Coaches – Mr Sharp and Mr Emsley This year has been a busy and exciting one for the Lower Remove boys. Because of restrictions last autumn, our first experience on the river was in single sculls with ‘Wraptors’, a form of stabilizer for the boat. This really helped us get a feel for the sport. After taking our first tentative strokes and learning to keep to the right side of the river, progress was fast, and we quickly went from strength to strength. Boys and girls alike approached the new challenges of balance and steering with great vigour and panache; visible improvements were soon evident and the ‘Wraptors’ could be quickly removed.

This allowed us to go faster - and capsize more often! Throughout the year every pupil made a great effort both on and off the water, socialising with friends, sharing stories of triumph and disaster, and working with rowing coaches to improve technique.

Unfortunately, during the lockdown early in the spring term rowing was put on hold.

56

The Vigornian

Upper Remove Girls Coach – Mr Booth The Upper Remove rowers were unlucky with lockdown at the start of this year and missed crucial months of training and regatta experience. However, we bounced back in March and were eager to get out training on the water. At the start of April, a group of Upper Remove rowers were lucky to be selected to compete in the Junior Sculling Regatta. The Upper Remove girls raced the octuple scull, which is not a typical sculling boat; however all girls took on the challenge and raced their hearts

out. It was a brilliant experience for all to race at Eton Dorney Lake at such a high level and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who took part. As well as this, recently Worcester Rowing Club hosted a regatta along the river where King’s competed against RGS, Worcester Rowing Club, Stourport Rowing Club and others. It was an amazing day, full of time trials and side-by-side races against various boats, with spectators watching the races and our coaches and pupils from other years cheering us on!

UR Boys Most Improved Rower

Ben France

UR Boys Rower of the Year

Ollie Bladon

UR Girls Most Improved Rower

Claudia Sobey

UR Girls Rower of the Year

Ellie Nosworthy

Club Award Most Improved Coxwain

Louisa Kerton

Posie Forrester

This was highly frustrating for many, but it did not stop the Boat Club hosting live rowing sessions throughout this period during Monday Games. These sessions focussed on core strength with regular workouts, advice about healthy eating and included live demonstrations of healthy recipes to cook at home.

Happily, with lockdown restrictions easing

by April, Easter Rowing Camp could take place. This event was one of the highlights of our year and we were able to get out on the water once again with our friends after a long period stuck at home. This time we could go in coxed quads, our first experience of being in a crew. We were very fortunate with the super weather throughout the camp, which made all the difference.

Moving into the Summer Term, a magnificent informal regatta against RGS was held during games so we were able to put our training into practice in a competitive event. The stakes were high,

but we came through the afternoon with many victories in the sprints from the Sea Cadets up to the Diglis Hotel.

Building on this first success, in June many Lower Remove boys and girls from the Club took part in the Worcester Regatta.

This involved a 2000 metre time-trial followed by a side-by-side race against a boat of similar pace. The strength in depth of our squad was shown by our entries: two doubles in the morning division and no fewer than four boys’ coxed quads in the afternoon. The riverbank was full of friends and family supporters from various boat clubs around Worcestershire, so it was a special occasion for all of us. Everyone was very kind and supportive to each other whilst all races were hard-fought in a highly competitive spirit, which suited the King’s crews. All the Lower Remove crews came out of the event with great credit; the doubles steered expertly and three of our four quads won their side-by-side races after close contests.

Finally, I could not finish without commending the support, time and effort that all the coaches have dedicated to the Boat Club, with this fantastic opportunity enabling the pupils to take up the sport and excel.

Edmund Roberts LR Boys Most Improved Sonny Brown and Thomas Rower Watson LR Boys Rower of the Year

Elliot Baird

LR Boys Coxwain of the Year

Finn Irwin

The Vigornian

57

Lower Remove Girls Coach – Mrs Bladen, Miss Ellender and Mr Blakemore This year, the Lower Removes’ introduction to rowing was in single sculls with Wraptors attached to a rope and a coach on the other end! Normally, we would spend time on the ergs explaining the stroke sequence before heading out in a quad with a senior rower in the bow, but COVID-19 restrictions prevented any indoor training or use of multiple occupancy boats. This did not dent the confidence of our Lower Remove rowers, who were quickly released from their ropes and left to have fun and play about in their singles with stabilisers, all closely supervised by coaches on the bank and in launches.

Once the Wraptors were off the Lower Removes very kindly helped our coaches brush up on their capsize rescue skills.

Initially, there were a few incidents involving the foliage along the riverbanks, but as the weeks went by, their skill level increased, and the girls can now confidentially steer their single scull on the correct side of the river between the Cathedral Steps and the houses below the Diglis Hotel.

During our Easter break the Lower Remove girls had their first experience of Rowing Camp which this year took place here at King’s. The Camp was split into morning and afternoon sessions and for some of the girls’ sessions the weather was

58

The Vigornian

character-building, but they remained cheerful throughout, enjoying gourmet burgers, pork baps, homemade cakes and hot chocolate. Our water sessions focused on developing technique and how to move together in crew boats as an easing in COVID-19 restrictions allowed us to use our fleet of quads. Training in singles looked at how to manoeuvre the scull around an obstacle and complete a 360◦ turn.

Usually, our Summer Term allows the Lower Removes to take part in several local regattas, but unfortunately this year racing has been in short supply. After Half Term we hosted an event during games against the RGS Year Nine rowers. The Lower Remove girls had a fantastic afternoon racing upstream in their quads and this was quickly followed by a local event hosted by Worcester Rowing Club involving King’s, RGS, Stourport Rowing Club and Pengwern Rowing Club. The racing consisted of a 2000m time trail from Diglis Lock to Worcester Rowing Club to create a ranking system whereby boats with a similar time would race against one another in a 500m side-by-side sprint. The girls put in a tremendous effort during the time trial and raced against singles and doubles in their sprint races. It was a wonderful day of racing as the weather was perfect, the crowds were cheering and coaches were urging crews towards the finish line.

Despite an unsettled year, the Lower Remove girls have had a great year of rowing and will hit the ground running in September, ready to take part in competitive racing in Upper Remove. Well done!

To finish, a review from Ellie Cartwright All things considered, rowing for the Lower Removes has been terrific this year. We have had many opportunities to get stuck in and do something new and exciting.

Many of the girls have said that it is a great community, one which always made room for us to be involved even when we were not able to go on the river. It challenges our abilities, drives our determination, and the Easter Rowing Camp and the Regatta certainly helped us put this into practice.

The sport is filled with variety; we could be in quads one week, singles the next, and no matter what, it would always be fun.

Rowing on the river is great for relaxing into the sport as it requires focussing on the movements without getting distracted and concentrating on trying not to fall in! We are so lucky that we were able to row this year, particularly on the beautiful River Severn.

LR Girls Most Improved Rower LR Girls Rower of the Year LR Girls Coxwain of the Year

Tilly Bayliss Emily Andrews Ruby Ingles

Rugby Unsurprisingly, it has been a quiet year for Rugby at King’s as the pandemic halted contact Rugby and competitive fixtures across the country. In a school with such a strong tradition of Rugby, it was important to continue with as much as we could, and we spent the Autumn Term preparing for a season that we hoped would eventually arrive. We wanted to keep the boys as active as possible but also use the time to develop their skills, decision making ability and game awareness. Each week we held training sessions and every Saturday we hosted a number of intra-squad fixtures and sessions with over 150 boys attending each week. It was clear that the appetite for Rugby was there and that the time spent on the training field would serve the school well in the future.

We were hoping for fixtures post October Half Term but when this seemed unlikely we planned a series of fixtures against the likes of Malvern, Warwick and Stourport Sixth Form College throughout January and February. Unfortunately, this wasn’t to be as the COVID-19 situation did not improve therefore no fixtures were played.

However, we were able to host a ‘Super Rugby’ touch tournament which saw over

60 senior Rugby players represent different ‘franchises’ in a Saturday tournament. It was brilliant to see so many boys enjoying their Rugby with the ‘Hurricanes’ led by Owen Preston coming out victorious.

The ones to miss out most were the U6th who had given six years to King’s Rugby and would have undoubtedly made up the core of a very good 1st XV. I hope their hunger for the game means they continue beyond school and go on to be very successful in the university and club game.

Outside School Rugby there were a number of boys active in the Worcester Warriors Academy System. Four of the Lower Sixth (Ben Williams, George Boyle, Will Chater and Alex Terry) played for the Under 18 team against Bristol, Gloucester and Harlequins in the latter part of the year. All four will play a key part of next year’s 1st XV. There was also an England Senior Call up for former pupil Sean Robinson (OV. 09). After studying Physics at Durham University, he has enjoyed another successful year at Newcastle Falcons and was justly rewarded with a call up by Eddie Jones this summer.

Joe Richardson (OV. 20) has also signed an extension to his professional contract

with Worcester Warriors. Whilst we are immensely proud of these successes at the top level, we are equally proud to see boys continuing their Rugby journey beyond school. It is always good to see boys representing their university sides or local club sides and it was fantastic to see a large number of former pupils turning out for Pershore RFC in recent months.

I am pretty sure this would have been a season where the 1st XV would have been undefeated, won the National Cup and the Roslyn Park Sevens but it will certainly be a tale of ‘we will never know’! However, I am certain that next year will see lots of boys eager to put a Rugby jersey back on and get together with their friends for a game played in good spirits. Harlequins won the premiership this year playing an attacking brand of Rugby that I am sure King’s teams will be eager to emulate next year. The game has been absent from the fields at Slingpool Walk for far too long and, when it returns, it will be time to throw the ball around and make those schoolboy memories and friendships that cannot be forged anywhere else!

AJF

The Vigornian

59

Swimming As with everything else, Swimming came to an abrupt halt during 2020 due to the pandemic. This has been very frustrating for the swimmers as they saw the two big competitions we annually attend cancelled.

The swimmers all remained positive over the Summer and kept fit as best they could.

When the restrictions were finally lifted in March, and the pool was available for use again, the children flocked to the Friday after school club in droves. It was so lovely to see the pool come back to life and lots of happy faces.

looks promising and the competition diary is beginning to fill up. The Seniors are entered for the prestigious ESSA (English Schools) relay competition before Christmas and Bromsgrove School have invited us for a school gala, a first for Senior School swimmers.

With life getting back to normal, the future

LM

Tennis Under 15 Boys The Upper Remove boys made excellent progress in their skills and match play over the Summer Term, with many regulars attending on a Monday afternoon for coaching sessions and fun matches. Joel Chumbley and Ollie Hill attended every week, and their matches turned into a Federer/Nadal rivalry by the end of term. Jamie Willetts and Maxie Willetts have also played well in these sessions. The highlight of the term was the victory over Bromsgrove School. Not even a blustery and rainy Thursday afternoon could dampen the spirits of the eight boys. At one stage an umbrella blew across the court, the balls were heavy, and winds made serving difficult, but King’s came away with a victory in both their Division 1 and Division 2 matches. Jack Bulbulia, playing students two years above him, won his Division 1 singles match and set the ball rolling for a positive fixture. Ollie Whiteside, Harry Waters and Tom Edwards also won their singles and doubles matches, meaning that King’s Division 1 came away with a 12-0 victory of unbeaten mini sets.

In Division 2, we had singles victories for George Campbell-Ferguson, Joel Chumbley, and Jamie Willetts and, after a close defeat for George and Joel in the doubles, Jamie and Maxie Willetts brought home a final victory in true ‘Bryan Brothers’ fashion. An excellent 12-0 win in Division 1 meant the team progressed to the regional finals. The Division 2 team also won their fixture 8-4.

Well done to all the boys involved.

TWP

For the first time in the history of King’s, a boys’ tennis team qualified for the next round of the LTA Division 1 National Competition. Following their win in the county group the boys drew Ivanhoe College and travelled to Ashby De La Zouch to play. They came up against strong opposition but played some fantastic tennis to win the tie 10-2. Ollie Whiteside, in particular, served and returned very well to outplay his opponent. Jack Bulbulia and Ollie then teamed up to put in a dominant display in the doubles, winning the match with a superb drop shot. Harry Waters and Thomas Edwards were dominant in both their singles and doubles matches, winning their three sets and only dropping three games. This took the boys into the next round against King Edward’s, Birmingham, a strong tennis school. Despite facing a junior international and all four opposition players being of a higher ranking, the boys gave it their all and battled hard in the windy conditions. They lost the match 2-10 but should be very proud of their performance and their excellent run in this competition.

LMS

Under 15 Girls Six girls have represented the Under 15 Tennis squad this season as part of the LTA League Competition. Impressive wins against Bromsgrove School demonstrated resilience and perseverance when Meg Sweeney and Milly Dobson held their nerve in a thrilling tie break, winning 119. The elements have not been kind this season, making matches against Malvern College and Malvern St James a challenge.

Amelia Taft has demonstrated sound tactical awareness and control winning her singles matches. Overall, the girls have demonstrated impressive performances in all their games, especially in their ground strokes and their serving. With two of the squad still eligible to play next season, we are looking forward to further success in the future. Thank you to Miss Wood and Mrs Longley for expertly guiding the girls through their games and I thank Meg Sweeney, Freya Sinclair, Francesca Sly, Amelia Taft, Anabel D’Auncey and Millie Dobson for being a pleasure and delight to have in the squad.

EFP Under 13 Under 13 Tennis Club has been a popular co-curricular activity this term, with many girls and boys wanting to improve their Tennis. There were several fixtures for both at the beginning of the term, which enabled the players to showcase what they had learnt at club. Consistency has been a clear focus for every member; whether playing strokes from the baseline, serving, or stringing together tactical shots in order to win a rally.

Due to the enthusiasm surrounding Tennis, we were able to send four pairs to MSJ for a competitive round of games, winning 107. Whilst we encourage all players to play singles, they all then partnered up and played a set of doubles. It was brilliant to see the players learning whilst playing and communicating effectively with their partner to score efficiently.

EKM

60

The Vigornian

CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES

The Vigornian

61

Careers Usually the brain that contains the problem also contains the solution- often the best one (Nancy Kline) Career decisions can feel really difficult.

This is, in part, because they will affect every aspect of our life. Decisions can have an impact upon our lifestyle, our happiness, our mental health and our wealth. There are so many possible options and ultimately there isn’t a right or wrong decision to be made.

Effective careers guidance helps individuals to identify their priorities, values and potential barriers and enables them to make informed decisions about the choices available. Informed decisions require knowledge. Inspiration and awareness about the world of work can come from many directions and in the Careers Department we continue to strive to facilitate this. Our OV and parent community and local employers are incredibly generous with their time and have again helped to inform a range of careers-related activities over the past year.

Students from the Upper Remove and above have had several opportunities to interact with our expert panellists during our Career Insight Evenings. They have explored career sectors as diverse as English and Foreign Languages, Architecture, the Green Energy Industry, Engineering and Law. Hearing about the career routes both of recent school leavers and those further into their careers helps to build confidence in achieving aspirations.

Our panellists are generous in their advice and have provided realistic insights into work life, both its joys and its challenges!

Given the impossibility of holding the traditional Careers Speed Dating Event for Upper Remove pupils in the Spring, the project was redesigned for lockdown. The primary aim has always been to broaden pupils’ awareness of the jobs market and to have an opportunity to interact with a range of professions. During the Spring term, pupils worked together in their tutor groups, selecting a professional and compiling questions. Class representatives then created a recorded interview to share with the rest of their year. The pupils were fantastic in rising to the challenge and our professional volunteers equally awesome, sharing their experiences and insights into their sectors. Pupils have gained insights from a Broadcast Journalist, an F1 Engineer, an RAF Chief Engineer, a Biomedical Scientist, a Graphic Designer, a Consultant Geneticist, a Product Designer, a Police

62

The Vigornian

Detective Inspector and a company Chief Financial Officer.

Pupils found the project really beneficial.

Comments included, “A really eye-opening experience” and “It was interesting to learn how it is possible to change direction”.

Pupils also discovered that career paths are not set in stone from the examination subjects they decide to take at 14 years old, with one pupil saying, “I’ve learnt that your future career is not limited by your GCSE and A level choices”.

The increased familiarity with video meeting platforms has also opened opportunities to ‘beam’ visitors into assemblies. From the Fourth Forms through to the Sixth Form wider we have welcomed speakers from a diverse range of industries, again raising awareness of the world of work and inspiring pupils’ ambitions.

Virtual work experiences have multiplied in availability as companies have continued to think of creative ways to interact with pupils. Many pupils have made the most of the opportunities on offer and whilst everyone agrees that ‘it isn’t quite the same’ we all recognise that COVID-19 has changed the work place irrevocably for everyone. Pathways into professions are also changing rapidly so it is important

that pupils are equally informed about the apprenticeship routes now available.

Apprenticeship assembly presentations to both Sixth Form and Removes have laid the framework of understanding, embedded by further learning in Key Skills and the careers modules within the PSHE programme. However, personalised one-toone support is always additionally available from the Careers Department for those pupils choosing this or any other pathway.

With employers increasingly focussed on skills rather than qualifications, helping pupils to develop and recognise their wider skills is essential preparation for the workplace. Life at King’s offers so many broad ranging opportunities, both within and beyond the academic curriculum, and the Careers Department continues to contribute to the ongoing programme of pupil career development throughout the school.

HCA

CCF From the Contingent Commander Despite the challenges that this year has dealt us, the CCF has continued to be very busy. Whilst we haven’t been able to deliver our conventional calendar of opportunities and training, we’ve still been occupied with laying down the foundations for when we can return to normality.

It is my first year as Contingent Commander here at King’s and I am incredibly proud of every Officer, Non-Commissioned Officer and Cadet for how they have dealt with every set back, change of plan, postponement and cancellation. I am also so proud of what they have achieved. On Fridays, Cadets have been working hard to complete their proficiency awards and

Army Section This last academic year has been fraught with uncertainty and interruption.

However, despite being out of school and unable to train at times, the Army Section has persevered.

Even with the interrupted programme last year, the new Army Section cadets have now trained in a variety of fields, including; advanced drill, patrols, tactics and an extensive First Aid course in which they were trained on the use of a defibrillator.

Some of our more advanced cadets underwent the method of instruction training, and have been learning how to deliver a lesson in the approved military style on both fieldcraft and weapon handling.

The seniors have been putting their experiences from doing this course last year to use, as they are now instructing the new recruit sections on weapon handling.

Along with all this, the new training wing has been working in tandem with the rest of the contingent to provide support and experience wherever it is required.

engaged really well with our online learning system during lockdown; learning skills such as First Aid and navigation as well as understanding the principles of flight and communication. Fifth Form and Lower Sixth cadets have been training and many qualified as instructors. This year’s recruits have ‘stuck with it’ and are now trained and ready to join their chosen sections from the end of this term.

Senior Cadets ran Teams sessions during lockdown and a lecture series was arranged to give cadets insights into the military world from the commissioning process and expeditions to flying Apache helicopters and drones. We have been able

RAF Section It has certainly been a challenging year for the RAF section! With one of the biggest cohorts passing off and joining the section. the new RAF cadets have approached their training with enthusiasm and commitment.

We’ve had a mixture of online, lunchtime and Friday evening training and whilst we have not been able to train at the level we normally would, the cadets have still been successful in learning some basic First Aid, navigation skills and plenty of drill.

The Fifth Form cadets have been working hard to get their MOI qualification (Methods of Instruction) in preparation for next year, where they will either be working closely with the new recruits or honing their own skills teaching the new RAF cadets. Well done to those who have successfully delivered their lessons and passed their final stage which involved being observed when teaching the new recruits.

to train Senior Cadets in leadership skills and Junior Cadets in skill at arms during periods when national restrictions were eased. Two thirds of the unit went to our summer camp: a record turn-out and, just in case that wasn’t enough, a number of cadets have attended training courses over the summer as well.

I am looking forward to being allowed to offer our cadets the best possible opportunities next academic year. If they can achieve this much in a year full of lockdowns then the next one is sure to be a bumper year!

SKE

Whilst there has been limited opportunity for gliding and flying, the cadets were recently able to take advantage of the flight simulator package offered by RAFAC. Sergeant Sach-Brian was on hand to train some of the Upper Remove cadets about the basics of flying a glider and many successfully landed it without crashing!

All this would not have been able to happen if it weren’t for the sterling support of the RAF NCOs. They have done an amazing job with whichever role they have been given and are always happy to plan lessons, deliver drill and teach a wide range of topics. A huge thank you from me for all their help, and of course, a big thank you to all the staff involved in the RAF section and wider CCF – without whom we couldn’t manage to do the range of activities we normally are able to do!

RAR

Outside of regular training, a new online training regime was introduced over lockdown, which included optional courses and tasks, as well as weekly challenges to complete for a competition between sections. On top of this, many of the cadets were involved in weekly Teams meetings with their sections and seniors, to discuss the training and partake in activities.

Despite everything, this year has been a good one for the Army Section and we look forward to future training.

Ollie Flanagan

The Vigornian

63

Charity Committee Like everyone else, the Sixth Form Charity Committee has had to adapt events and fund-raising schemes this year. Instead of the Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party in December, the Committee made Christmas cards and wrapped presents to send to about 60 of the guests who would have been at the cancelled party – a few heartfelt messages in thank you letters and tears from some of our contacts showed that this was a worthwhile activity.

Our fund-raising activities began in October with Pink Day. Cake sales were cancelled, so instead we sold sweets in a COVID-safe manner, the Sixth Form year groups paid to wear pink, instead of their normal smart suits, and we raised £825 for Cancer Research.

Christmas Jumper Day, in December, proved to be another COVID-safe way of raising funds; this time we selected Worcester Community Trust to receive the £802 raised, as the Committee felt that this was a good way to support local people affected by the pandemic.

The Upper Sixth members of the Committee

decided – during their last three weeks in school, narrowly avoiding examinations – to run an event for MIND, an organisation which supports older pupils and staff, and raised £300 in a very short space of time indeed, just at a time when so many people were needing support in managing their mental well-being.

The Fort Royal Party, which is run annually for pupils at our local Community Primary Special School, has now not taken place for two summers, so we are really hoping June 2022 will see us organising beach games, face-painting and musical and drama entertainments as usual, but Green Day - our final event of this year - was very successful in raising awareness and raising funds for environmental causes.

Green Day began a week early with a litter pick, during which members of the Fourth Forms Eco-club joined (at a safe distance, of course!) the Committee members in a general clean-up of riverside paths near the school. Many thanks to the Duckworth Trust for the loan of litterpicking equipment. Green Day itself saw the Charity Committee selling 100 portions

of locally-grown strawberries with cream in about five minutes flat! We are considering a bigger scale strawberry sale next year.

Thank you to Philip Owen in Little Witley for the most delicious strawberries we’ve tasted in years, and for supporting our fund-raising efforts. Pupils wore green and blue clothing and paid a donation to raise money for the Duckworth Trust locally and for the World Wide Fund for Nature internationally, both of which carry out important work to protect our environment.

We were also delighted to welcome Philippa Gilfillan from Pack-It-In, our local plastic-free shop, to give talks to Lower Four Geographers and Lower Remove Biology students, as well as a Sixth Form assembly, to raise awareness and give advice on moving to a more plastic-free lifestyle.

Congratulations to all Lower and Upper Sixth Formers involved in turning what could have been a disappointing year into an opportunity to support our local, national and world-wide community with such positive and worthwhile events.

CY

64

The Vigornian

Chess

Christian Union

Climbing

Chess Club has, like so many areas of school life, been affected this year by the pandemic. Year group ‘bubbles’ have meant that only the Lower Years and a select band of Lower Sixth have had access to the club.

Upper Fourth have been incredibly keen this year with over 20 pupils regularly in attendance. Whilst standards of play have varied, many pupils have taken the opportunity to play and beat the organiser, Mr Warren. This, in itself, is not a measure of great chess, merely a reminder of Mr Warren’s generous spirit and lack of ability!

Lower Fourth have been fewer in number but this has meant scope for some detailed coaching on various aspects of the game.

Lower Sixth have played in a separate ‘bubble’ amongst themselves, improving their skills.

Christian Union has had to adapt to the changing circumstances of COVID-19 this year, but fortunately we have managed to meet on several occasions. We’ve seen the return of chair football amongst some other games and continued to explore and discuss The Bible, adapting some resources from The Bible Project. In the summer term we managed to get outdoors and play some games in the “secret garden” with king of the hill seeing a return as well as some silky football skills from David Gee.

At the start of the Autumn Term, pupils were excited to have the opportunity to return to climbing. Initially run in yeargroup bubbles, sessions on the McClatchey Wall ran twice weekly. Ben Webb (U6th) continued to push his grade and showed real tenacity, tackling the toughest routes on the wall, whilst Dan Munn (L6th) and Jamie Waters (L6th) have both progressed rapidly with the hope of soon surpassing Ben’s achievements. With the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions later in the year, it was great to welcome several budding climbers from the Removes and witness their enthusiasm and teamwork. Climbing has the ability to free the mind and has been a very welcome activity this year.

Josh Clarke (LRCA) has continued to represent Worcestershire at junior level in games played over the internet throughout the pandemic. He has also reached the Delancey UK Chess Challenge Gigafinal, an area competition for young chess players, again played online due to COVID. Well done Josh and good luck!

Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to go on our yearly weekend away due to the restrictions and we very much look forward to again being able to make this happen.

The weekend away has always been a special time and we hope this will feature again next year.

SCC

As always, we very much encourage those who are just interested and are having a look to pop in and join in the fun, as well as those who are more established in their faith.

JNG

MWW

The King’s Voice

Despite many clubs having to stop their proceedings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The King’s Voice only had to make minor changes before allowing students to start presenting and producing shows again. Instead of students accessing the physical desk stationed up in PH3, students took it upon themselves to record shows at home, and to submit them to the station. Many students even edited their own shows during the lockdowns using software at home.

The second year of the station started with an introduction to our new Headmaster, Mr Doodes, who spoke honestly about his career, ambition for King’s and his Desert Island Discs song choices. The show is still the most listened to podcast to date.

Following the momentum of this, The

King’s Voice regulars Joseph Young, Tom Watson, Edmund Roberts, Freddie Pugh and Jack Barnett were back producing shows. School News and the 21st Century Boys started Series Two with a plethora of genres to entice the listeners, as well as discussing the ever-important local, national, and international current affairs. Sam Wiseman and Max Manning also returned for another instalment of Unwritten Tech.

Over the Christmas period, the station released a festive, COVID-compliant competition, Christmas Number One, where students representing their House recorded themselves singing a Christmas song and sent it into the station. Well done to Olivia Filmer-Hare for winning.

This year was less about timetabled weekly shows, but more about one-off specials. Tom Holland released a medical podcast for his EPQ, and the 2020 Sports Ambassadors were interviewed about how their sport has helped them through lockdown and their plans for the future. The Politics Show presenter Will Hunt interviewed viral

sensation Jackie Weaver about her rise to fame and inspiring a new generation of young adults interested in Politics, and KSW Library worked with Head of School, Olivia Howard, to bring a special World Book Day special on the Great KSW Book Exchange, where books were reviewed by many students across several year groups.

Dr Kate Mason joined King’s as our new Clinical Psychologist and had an excellent idea to start a podcast named Psyched!

These have been extremely popular across the foundation and community, with House staff even playing them in House Time. Topics covered include eating disorders and staying physically and mentally well during lockdown.

I have been really impressed with everyone who has been involved in The King’s Voice in its second year of running. I am looking forward to a big relaunch of the station in September 2021 where we will have a new cohort of potential radio DJs. All podcasts are available at mixcloud.com/ TheKingsVoice/.

TWP

The Vigornian

65

DofE 90 Upper Removes began their Bronze Award at the start of the year in challenging circumstances as many planned activities for their Physical, Skills and Volunteering Sections were interrupted by COVID restrictions.

This did not deter the great majority as they showed initiative and flexibility in adapting their programmes. One of the many things that the pandemic has taught us is the need to value our local environment and look after others. Several Bronze participants stepped out of their comfort zone by organising community litter picks, helping neighbours with weekly chores such as gardening or shopping and writing letters to the elderly.

Others engaged in environmental work helping the local wildlife, clearing up flood damage and church cleaning. At Silver and Gold levels the commitment is longer and consequently the service to others is even more rewarding. Examples include assisting in COVID vaccination centres, cooking food for the Salvation Army, coaching sports, teaching music, supporting the elderly and contributing to the global “Missing Maps” project which helps relief agencies know where to bring aid to remote regions of the world.

Team sports, climbing, walking, swimming and fitness have been popular activities for the Physical Section. For the Skills Section, it has been good to see many participants develop their culinary skills with evidence of creative baking and delicious looking roast dinners. Others have progressed with music, LAMDA, learned to drive, completed a sign language course or learned computer coding. Those doing Gold are required to complete a five-day residential;

this summer seven students from the L6th completed residentials attending outdoor activity camps, conservations camps and residential cooking school.

In June, seventy-one UR pupils completed their Bronze Expedition (with a difference).

The weekend was a great success, despite a new COVID model having to be followed.

The pupils determinedly completed a series of school-based activities including orienteering, map-reading, and campcraft challenges. They also spent a day trekking in the Malvern Hills District, having to navigate footpaths which were difficult to find amongst the jungle-like fauna. Staff greatly enjoyed their company on the expedition and were impressed by their eagerness to take on new challenges.

Towards the end of the Summer Term twenty-three Fifth Formers went to the Black Mountains for a Silver Practice expedition.

Training included route setting, navigating on a compass bearing, food selection and packing expedition rucksacks – not as easy as it sounds considering the length of the kit list! The first day involved a micronavigation exercise in glorious sunshine on Llangorse mountain, led by King’s staff. The expedition then continued in some pretty awful weather conditions which forced the groups to put theory into practice. The groups coped admirably and the staff were impressed with their navigation, teamwork, and enthusiasm to be outside. All returned wet and tired with huge satisfaction from completing a tough challenge that will prepare them well for Gold.

Proceeding with Gold expeditions this year has been a particular challenge, but after numerous attempts, expeditions ran for both the Lower Sixth and the leaving Upper Sixth. Eighteen Lower Sixth spent six days in the Black Mountain area of South Wales at the start of the summer holiday, completing a very successful combined training and Practice expedition in blistering heat.

Thirteen Upper Sixth working towards their Gold Award showed real determination and commitment by attending a combined Practice and Qualifying Expedition in midAugust. Back-to-back expeditions are not normally permitted for obvious reasons, but the special circumstances this year allowed it to proceed being the last opportunity for the Upper Sixth. A day’s training and preparation at school was followed by a three-day Practice expedition in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Both groups coped very well with the tough terrain and heavy rucksacks. An afternoon’s rest at the Old Chapel on day four provided a welcome break when food supplies were replenished and sore feet attended to. That evening an enjoyable meal shared around the campfire served both as a celebration of what had been achieved and preparation for what was to come. The next four days were spent backpacking over the Black Mountains, staying in remote campsites. Both groups worked brilliantly, coping with the wet, the wind and the heat. On Day Eight there was absolutely nothing stopping them from reaching their end points; adrenaline triumphed over exhaustion and the sense of achievement was justly celebrated before returning home.

Participants at all levels should be congratulated for their progress with DofE this year. Special mentions go to Anna Fryers and Jonathan Stratton of the Upper Sixth for completing their entire Gold Award, and to the eight OVs who are now waiting to receive their Gold from the Palace. Perhaps more significant, though, is the positive impact many DofE participants have had on their local community through volunteering. This sense of service to others as well as giving young people the opportunity to discover themselves are at the core of what HRH Prince Philip wanted DofE to stand for. Long may this continue.

SCC

66

The Vigornian

Extracts from Assessors’ Reports: Bronze Volunteering – Supporting the elderly “I have been really impressed by Lara’s enthusiasm and thoughtfulness in her volunteering activity. She has been in contact with an elderly neighbour each week, getting him involved in the activities she has been doing at school. It is clear that she approached this project with kindness and sensitivity, and that she put a lot of thought into keeping each contact interesting and upbeat. I am sure that the elderly person looked forward to their conversations and that his sense of isolation was significantly reduced. Lara has had to learn and use listening skills, empathy and compassion to ensure that the conversations were beneficial to him.

Well done, Lara.”

Bronze Skill - cooking

Silver Volunteering – supporting the elderly “Oscar has been a real help to me over the past few months. Always available when I asked, he has become a very good friend to my dog which he has walked a lot. A nice young man to have in our community, and I thank him very much.”

Silver Skill – LAMDA “Grace has achieved numerous things in her LAMDA career this year. A particular highlight was her and her duologue partner winning the 16-17-year-old division at the Worcestershire Competitive Arts Festival and receiving an honours from the adjudicator. It has been amazing to watch her confidence blossom not only on stage but in herself too.”

Gold Residential – Wickedly Wonderful Activity Summer Camp for children aged 6 to 14 “I would say the biggest thing learnt was how to cope with a group of children who you have never met before and to care for them without their parents. I made sure they had a good time whatever the weather and unexpected situations, staying in a field with no electricity.”

“Felicity was an absolute delight to have on the camp; she was positive, bubbly, smiley, she was hard working and flexible. She was involved with all aspects of camp, easily got along with her peers, and both the staff and children, she adapted well to all situations. She used her initiative, she was kind, thoughtful and caring.”

“Throughout the three months Jack has grown in confidence in the kitchen and is very competent. He definitely has inspired others to cook and has developed a passion for cookery, especially desserts, and he loves sharing his recipes with others.”

Silver Volunteering – helping the community “George’s splendid efforts in cleaning the church have been greatly appreciated by everyone and we all thank him for his hard work contributing to the community. He has consistently kept the village church immaculately clean, and worked with the Church Warden to learn and implement COVID restriction procedures that have applied to the church at various stages of lockdown.”

The Vigornian

67

Lower Years Running Club Lower Years Running Club got off to a great start in the Summer Term. Students of all abilities joined each week to improve their running and fitness. We undertook several different running activities, including interval training on the athletics track (excellent practise for Sports Day!), and longer runs along the river and around the Racecourse. We were very lucky with the weather, allowing us to really appreciate the glorious surroundings we were fortunate enough to be running in. Some activities were timed, giving students the opportunity to ‘beat’ their previous time and see the progress they made.

We saw some wonderful running as well as excellent examples of teamwork: with friends working together to support and encourage each other throughout every activity.

HL & GMO

Quiz Clubs After a summer of riotous lockdown lunchtime Kahoots of last year, Senior Quizzing this year has had to be a little more rigid. Unfortunately, the fact that year bubbles couldn’t mix has made our usual format impossible, but the Fifth Form have been regulars up in Edgar Tower on Tuesday lunchtimes, and it has been lovely to welcome many new faces as well as some old hands. We have had to use a slightly different set-up to allow for regulations but we have followed broadly the University Challenge/Schools Challenge format in terms of the questioning and buzzers. Competition has been hotting up and we cannot wait for the Schools Challenge to recommence next year so we can get our teeth into some national competitions again.

EAS Junior Quiz Club has been popular once again this year! Due to COVID-19 restrictions we had to divide into two groups. Nonetheless, both Lower Fourth and Upper Fourth teams were true to the spirit of King’s and remained loyal and enthusiastic competitors throughout. Pupils have enjoyed having their knowledge quizzed on topics ranging from the solar system to cricket and from Disney movies to the Second World War. The competitive element (for chocolate prizes!) between teams has added to the fun. To end the year, pupils devised their own quiz questions to put their friends to the test.

After plenty of practice, we look forward to some inter-school competitions next year.

DRD 68

The Vigornian

MUN

Senior Debating

This academic year has certainly been busy for the Model United Nations! Pupils of all ages from the Upper Fourth through to the Upper Sixth have attended weekly debates, both in person and via Microsoft Teams, as well as two online conferences.

The debates have covered a large range of topics with active participation from members new and old.

2020-21 has been a very successful year for the Debating Society. Despite all the pandemic threw as us, our membership has grown and we have had continued success in national debating competitions.

On 6th March we attended Bath International Schools’ MUN. Hosted by Kingswood School, King’s represented delegates from Kenya. This was the first online conference in which we had participated, and despite having plenty of experience with online school, the conference still felt unusual to the team. Having said that, the delegates were so excited to actually attend a conference, it did not matter. Delegates took part in high quality debates on issues ranging from the conflict in Tigray, and vaccine nationalism, to Uighurs in China.

The students were very successful in their debates, passing many of their own amendments and winning multiple awards.

Madeleine Hales won Highly Commended Delegate in her committee and George Capell won a Commendation in his. Overall, King’s won Commended Delegation, against very strong competition.

That same month, the delegates took part in a second online conference. This time organised by Cheadle Hulme School.

We represented Germany and debates included education during COVID-19 and the issue of Jerusalem. The debate quality was high, and the delegates continued their successful streak. Madeleine Hales won Highly Commended Delegate in her committee once more, with Will Hunt, Henry Halford and George Capell all winning Commended Delegate in theirs.

Despite the disruption caused by social distancing and lockdowns over the course of last year, the MUN has continued its weekly sessions in its new home of College Hall. Many new members have joined from across the School and have contributed enthusiastically. The MUN would also like to thank Mrs Shearburn for her hard work and support throughout this year. Without her dedication, the club would not have overcome the restrictions. Thank you!

George Capell

When School wasn’t locked down the Debating Society would meet each Tuesday to debate and discuss a range of interesting and topical issues. The new membership contributed brilliantly, forming strong and insightful arguments, and finally boosting our membership to double figures!

In January the Debating Society entered the English Speaking Union’s Mace Competition, the oldest and one of the largest in the country. King’s submitted a team of three debaters, Will Hunt,

Young Enterprise Like many activities this year, Young Enterprise has had to adapt to the restrictions caused by Coronavirus.

Nonetheless, our three companies started out in September, eager to learn about setting up and running a business.

In weekly meetings, they decided on directors’ roles and discussed the pros and cons of various product ideas. Impresa decided that they wanted to help those who felt cut off from friends and family due to the pandemic. They designed greetings cards, to enable people to drop a quick and cheerful note to friends to keep their spirits up. A Little Taste of Worcestershire wanted to show off the local area and their ‘Taste of Worcester’ boxes did just that. Containing the best of local produce, including confectionary, pickles and jams it was impossible not to feel a sense of Worcestershire pride when looking at their offering. Just in Case focused their efforts on young people and their love of mobile phones, designing funky phone cases. This team put a lot of effort into market research, with a survey of pupils’ likes and dislikes.

The second lockdown not only sent their meetings online, but it also deprived the students of their chance to sell directly to the public at local markets. This made it hard for them to make strong profits, but they all entered a regional competition to design their trade stall, with Impresa coming runner-up. The Showcase Event, the Worcester and Hereford round of

Louisa De Vos and George Capell. The debate motions were given in advance, so the team could prepare. Although preparation was more challenging because it was done virtually, the team performed very well and beat their opponents King Edward’s School by opposing the motion ‘THB Government economic policy should prioritise the collective happiness and wellbeing of the population over economic growth’. This put them in the top two of their group, meaning they were through to the next round. In the regional finals in March, the team went up against Rendcomb College, opposing the motion ‘THB that national health decisions should be made by a panel of scientific experts rather than government’. At the end of an exhilarating debate, where the government’s handling of the pandemic

was put under intense scrutiny, King’s was delighted to win, making it into the national semi-finals. This victory meant that not only was the team in the top 12 school debating teams nationally, but they also beat longtime rivals, The Royal Grammar School.

Like all the competition debates, the semifinals were held online, however, Will, Louisa and George were able to meet up at school for the debate. King’s opposed the motion ‘This House would ban essential service workers from striking’. This time, up against Brighton College, one of the most competitive debating schools in the country. Although King’s didn’t get to the finals, they still managed to debate remarkably well against extremely experienced debating teams. Louisa’s performance was particularly impressive because this was her first ever competition.

Despite the pandemic meaning that there were no in-person competitions, the success in the ESU and the enthusiastic new membership has meant that this year has been a good one for the Debating Society. We would all like to thank Mr McGarvey enormously, whose has been very supportive of the Society, giving up his time to help us to prepare for debates.

With debates hopefully taking place as normal, we are all looking forward to what promises to be an exciting new year for the Debating Society!

George Capell

the competition, had to go online again, with each company having to submit a 10page report and a four-minute recorded presentation. This was followed by a rather probing interview by a panel of judges on Teams. All three companies conducted themselves well. Impresa were awarded the prize for the best social and ethical company as the judges were impressed by their efforts to combat mental health challenges. This year, the students have learnt more than ever how difficult it is to run a business, especially during a global pandemic, and the skills needed to succeed.

They have taken away precious lessons from their experience: lessons about the need for teamwork and perseverance, the value of target setting and supporting each other but also the enjoyment of working towards a common goal.

RMR

The Vigornian

69

The School Library in a Pandemic Year Throughout this extraordinary year, the Library has had to adapt and find new ways to promote our resources and provide access to them. The emphasis was on keeping our staff and pupils safe whilst providing alternative means of accessing and delivering library resources and taking the opportunities to extend our services and resources beyond the limits of the physical building. We are passionate about the many ways in which reading can contribute to well-being, and of course during Lockdown when we could not travel, books gave us the opportunity to explore multiple worlds and points of view. It was therefore our priority to maintain access for the pupils and staff to our collections.

For example, our Library Management System was adapted to automatically quarantine books for three days on return, and to encourage access to the library catalogue we moved to a hosted platform so that the catalogue could be accessed from home via Firefly. And in a very exciting development, we extended our collections to include eBooks. Following a successful summer trial of Wheeler’s eLibrary Schools’ collection of over 2000 ebooks (principally contemporary fiction), in October we were able to launch this as a permanent collection and it has been well-used throughout the year. We also subscribed to the Wellness Collection of eBooks and audiobooks designed to support pupils with their mental health and to flourish in a constantly changing, ever more challenging world. In July we received the very exciting news that we have won a Twitter competition giving us a year’s access to Wheeler’s audiobook collection of over 850 books to add to our eLibrary!

We were very relieved that the Lower and Upper Sixth were able to have most of their study periods with us (in their bubbles) and each year group had access to the Library during Long Break for one day a week. We were also very lucky in that WRAITH (the Library Book Club) meetings were able to go ahead as they were already in year groups. To start the year, Lower Fourth Library Inductions were adapted to take place in classrooms, enabling us to take advantage of the big screens to show pupils our shiny new virtual tour of the Library, and also demonstrate our online resources, eLibrary and Library Catalogue.

We were also able to run successfully all of our Bookbuzz sessions (a Booktrust initiative which enables each pupil to choose a free book from one of 12 carefully chosen titles) in the classrooms.

Meanwhile we were able to mount our usual displays in the Library in support of national 70

The Vigornian

@KSWLibrary

and in-school initiatives. In October it was Black History Month and our resources were well used for PSHE projects and by our book clubs. After Non-fiction November (2021 theme ‘The planet we share), we were delighted with our third placing in the Headmaster’s Christmas competition for the best decorated department, with our book tree and seasonal literary offerings!

During Wellness Week in January we had a physical display of Comfort Reads (the book equivalent of a warm hug) for staff and keyworker children, and curated a Mood-boosting books for Lockdown collection on the eLibrary with a selection of uplifting, comforting and humorous fiction and self-help non-fiction.

hange The Great KSW Book Exc this year was hts hlig hig ’s “One of the library hange. This allowed The Great KSW Book Exc love of reading the school to share its y Quiney icit throughout lockdown” Fel losing our pupils After the sadness of y, the start of to Lockdown in Januar of The Great nch lau February marked the an exciting E), KB (TG ge KSW Book Exchan envisioned by our whole school project, nitors and made Head Girl and her Mo reality by the Library. ught our school’s “The monitors and I tho and the Library’s shared love of reading pil’s daily life at pu central role in every stay connected in to y wa at school was a gre physically apart… a time when we were all hange meant we Being part of the book exc pils’ favourite pu er could experience oth ughts on the tho n ow our reads and share rd same books” Olivia Howa a and we loved This was a brilliant ide via to bring it Oli h wit working closely Firefly (and the to fruition by means of Mail!). The basis services of the Royal that pupils and s of the exchange wa which other oks bo ed nd staff recomme uest. There were pupils could then req ndations, which some superb recomme of reading and joy resonated with the ok. bo ct rfe pe t with finding tha

s inspiring, but it our pupils and staff wa gave this project t tha nts was the comme ality. This was also real flavour and person passion for books a chance to share our ff and pupils have sta and to find out what ng. been reading and enjoyi s, with over 260 “It was a huge succes and over 70 ed books recommend D as well as U4 and F requested. L4 eived chocolate Chappel House rec holidays for the prizes before the Easter ommendations rec of highest numbers congratulations and returns - a huge But I also want and thank you to them! you to everyone to say a huge thank Exchange as it the who took part in ay we have so means in the Library tod mendations and many permanent recom books to keep comments on so many literature. This on d or get people hooke of my favourites project has been one w many of the of the year, and I kno look forward to I Monitors feel the same. s exchange can thi m seeing how ideas fro rs to come.” yea for ary libr be used in the Olivia Howard

ir comments were All of the books and the project’s Firefly the then posted up on enabling pupils m for a h pages along wit ts. February saw us and staff to make reques recommendations joyously busy, receiving the project pages ng and requests, populati books through ted ues req and sending like the centre the post. The Library felt enjoyed receiving of the universe. We so and having the ns the recommendatio to share them ge han Exc means of the ding connections in order to inspire rea The range and within our community. r suggested by tte ma variety of reading

until our pupils The Exchange itself ran ame the gift bec it t bu rch returned in Ma the rest of the that kept on giving for ed to school urn Spring. When pupils ret display in cal ysi ph a in March we had Form and House the Library with many the books that had groups visiting to view their year groups. been recommended by from their peers ns atio Book recommend in encouraging are a powerful force re. The spirit of pupils to read for pleasu ed Staff book pir the Exchange even ins us during the g tin nec chats via Zoom, con idays.

February and Easter hol

Virtual World Book Day 4th March Our first (and hopefully last!) remote World Book Day was a big success (following a steep learning curve). We felt challenged to provide a better World Book Day than ever, despite our pupils being at home. We were very proud that we launched our first ever virtual competition, hosted our first ever virtual author visit, and compiled our first ever iMovie staff film!

The Library launched a virtual (via Firefly) Guess Who’s Reading competition for all pupils with many of our staff having been great sports in either submitting photographs or having submitted to Library staff ambushing them and taking their photograph! The staff faces were mostly obscured by a book and the pupils had to guess who was who from ears, hair and the book titles!

We also put together a film which was played in assemblies in which 15 members of staff, representing all areas of the school, talked about ‘The book that defined me as a reader’. We had wonderfully varied interpretations of the brief with so many beloved books, so many reasons for reading! One viewer commented that it was ‘little windows onto the soul’.

The Remove years benefitted from a virtual author visit (via Zoom) with contemporary young author Sarah Ann Juckes talking about her new book The world between us which was actually published on World Book Day. It was such a different experience to have an author right in front of us on our screens rather than strutting on the College Hall stage, but a very intimate and powerful one. Her sparkling webinar (which was a masterclass in how to present a virtual author visit with great aplomb, engaging and inspiring her audience) took us head-hopping into different perspectives - including her own as an author - and gave us insight into the lockdown world of chronic illness, whilst encouraging empathy during this lockdown. Technology has the potential to enable powerful emotive connections; this webinar was proof of that.

“Sarah Anne Juckes’ author talk was a real highlight. She spoke about how to write as well as talking about her own book. Her talk gave us a different perspective both literally and figuratively. She was very normal but seeing her set-up at home and how she writes was a truly amazing experience”

Ellie Cartwright A big highlight of the day was a special broadcast of The King’s Voice podcast which focused entirely on The Great KSW book exchange. We heard from some of our brilliant pupils who have engaged with the Exchange and discovered what inspired them to recommend or borrow particular books. We also found out about about some of the lovely connections that this wonderful project has made. I was the proudest Librarian in the world listening to these inspirational pupils talking about what reading meant to them. Thank you to Will Hunt, Olivia Howard, Saffa Shah, Henry Halford, Amy Hall, Max Barclay, Riya Mayilvahanan, Izzy da Silva, Sophie Ruane, Samantha Capell and Dr Brown.

Here are some transcribed:

of

their

comments

When you pick up a book…it’s a nice way to escape stresses and worries. When I’m reading I’m focused on the book.

Henry Halford I read because I enjoy stories and I enjoy getting lost in them, and living multiple lives at once. If you read you can be anything

Sophie Ruane Go to the library, because in the library there will be people there who like reading and will be more than happy to recommend a book Samantha Capell Fiction is really good for relaxing; autobiographies/biographies are really good for understanding the world around you, especially in lockdown when you can’t go anywhere, but you want to get more life experience. Books can give you that experience while you’re sitting in your home, which I think is what is so magical about books.

Riya Mayilvahanan

There’s always going to be a book for everyone, whether you’re good at reading, or not so good – the Book Exchange is so good because you can scroll through so many different books…

Amy Hall I love reading, I read all the time – I have to be careful that I don’t ignore my family in favour of reading! It transports you somewhere else, you can live different lives and experience different things, and use your imagination Dr Brown When our pupils returned to school in March, the Library team were there to greet them but not in the Library! We were part of the COVID-19 mass testing working in beautiful College Hall with the names of our war dead, scholars, and Headmasters since Foundation all looking down on an unprecedented repurposing of this ancient building. It was really fun and energising working with a fantastic team of parents and staff on this superbly run project. The camaraderie between testers was lovely, and the pupils all seemed to take it in their stride; the whole atmosphere was so positive and purposeful, we were very glad to have been part of it.

In May we celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week (2021 theme ‘Connect with Nature’) to enable pupils and staff to immerse themselves in a wonderful and diverse selection of beautiful books which all celebrated our connection with nature and the great outdoors. We were able to share these resources with Form and House groups for some bibliotherapy to start the day!

7th June marked Empathy Day (2021 theme ‘Read Connect Act’) The world needs more empathy - and books are a great way to walk in other people’s shoes and boost empathy. We were proud to display the wonderful books from Empathy Lab’s Read for Empathy annual collections. As pupil Amy Hall said in the WBD podcast,

“Reading helps you learn about the world and gives you many different viewpoints on subjects ….it can help you grow your empathy. …it’s really important for everyone to see the world from as many different views as possible”.

The Vigornian

71

We approach the end of term busily updating our Sixth Form Extended Reading lists and planning House and Form reading crates for next term. We are feeling optimistic for a more normal re-opening in September although we will take forward with us some of our adaptations that worked really well. We are genuinely proud of how we managed to adapt our Library this year, and to maintain connections with our wonderful staff and pupil borrowers who enthusiastically made the best of their time with us. It is especially heartening to hear from some of our leaving Upper Sixth and to know that we had such a positive impact on their time at King’s. I would therefore like to give them the final word!

WRAITH

Getting together to discuss books with our WRAITH groups is a highlight of every year, but perhaps this year we appreciated being able to meet up more than ever. WRAITH had the distinct advantage of already having a group for each year, so all Mrs Capell had to do was to split up the Sixth Form into two groups, and we could go ahead! We even managed virtual meetings over Teams during the Spring Lockdown, with plenty of book chat but also snow chat, “I am genuinely so thankful for everything pet chat, lockdown life chat and an 18th the Library has done for me and given me birthday to celebrate! Best of all it was over the past seven years; there is nowhere just lovely to reconnect with some of our quite like it in the school, or any school in wonderful members. This year we were the country. Thank you again, I can’t wait to also extremely proud of the WRAITH see the library continue to thrive”. members who discussed their love of

Olivia Howard reading so eloquently in the World Book Day podcast [please see Library article].

“I have so many memories of my time in the library. My highlight was when Clare One of the overriding themes from all Balding visited the school to do an Author’s the groups was that WRAITH helps us talk. I remember going with Wilfy, Tom and to try books and genres we wouldn’t Alita to meet her in College Hall. We took normally read. Book clubs by their a photo and when doing this I remember nature encourage us to break out of wellcrossing my arms and Clare then doing the trodden paths and explore new avenues. same. She said, “let’s pretend we’re all in an important meeting.” It is a great memory.

Lower Fourth (Mrs Capell) I have had the pleasure of welcoming our There are many more. Whether it was Lower Fourth to WRAITH this year. They talking to Mrs Jeffery after my Oxbridge are a lovely group with a healthy variety interview or presenting a podcast episode of reading interests. Here are a few of on the King’s Book Exchange, the library their thoughts on WRAITH and the books and the people in there have shaped my we’ve read – which this year have covered time at King’s.”

Will Hunt historical time travel, Russian folklore, refugees and environmental disaster: “The number of books available is constantly growing and as such, there is “It was just marvellous, exceptional and always something new and exciting to amazing…I would suggest this club to discover along with old favourites. I find I everyone” Maxwell Lea can always find something new that piques my interest whenever I go by the shelves “Enjoyable and had me read stuff that and the feeling of finding something new I wouldn’t usually read. It’s a friendly and exciting which goes along with it never, group” Merri Levett ever gets old. My advice to everyone is do not stop reading as there is always a new world, story or universe which is just a few page turns away and which is just waiting to be discovered. My favourite place in the school has always been the library”.

Rowan Dash ACJ 72

The Vigornian

“My favourite book was Boy 87 (Ele Fountain), I thought the plot was interesting and I cried quite a lot, I liked how it hooked you in with a passage from later in the book” Millie Goldby “I really enjoyed going to WRAITH because it made me read books I wouldn’t normally read. But I enjoyed all of them and some of them have been my favourite books”

Ella Purves Upper Fourth (Mrs Walmsley) This year our group grew encouragingly, as word spread that there were some exciting and challenging books on the agenda. First up, we engaged with Black History Month by reading Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry (Mildred Taylor) and Coram Boy (Jamila Gavin), both of which gave rise to some important and thought-provoking discussions about racial issues of the past. In addition, we have explored the brilliant and addictive Science Fiction tales of Ross Welford, and read a number of titles from the Carnegie Medal Shortlist, including Run Rebel (Manjeet Mam) and On Midnight Beach (MarieLouise Fitzpatrick), as we awaited news of the winning book. As ever, meetings were energetic and friendly, and fuelled by cake.

I love WRAITH, I genuinely look forward to our monthly meetings. It’s great to chat to other readers, discuss books - and eat cake!”

Connie Pollock WRAITH is a very inclusive environment where everyone can share their opinions about books. It is always fun to meet with the others. And of course, that is not mentioning the cake!” Pranav Mayilvahanan “WRAITH has been a really enjoyable and fun club this year to a part of. It has been like being a part of a small community who share a common love for reading. We always have something new to read and we can easily discuss our thoughts, feelings and opinions on them as we eat cake or biscuits! It’s always interesting to hear what others have to say about the books we’ve read and see how they have interpreted and found them.

The books are always of a certain topic and they are interesting and fun to read. I would recommend joining WRAITH for anyone who has a passion for reading and enjoys eating biscuits and cake!“ Bentley Lawrence

Lower Remove (Miss Jeffery) It is always an absolute delight to meet up with this passionate group of readers and keen Library borrowers. We started the year with books which highlight issues of race and racism for Black History Month. These included classics such as Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Mildred Taylor), modern fantasy such as Children of blood and bone (Tomi Adeyemi) and the verse novel The Poet X (Elizabeth Azevedo) (both of which proved popular choices). Over Christmas we ventured boldly into the galaxy of Science Fiction. Many of the group really enjoyed Otherworld by Jason Segel, and went on to read the other books in the trilogy. Replica

by Lauren Oliver was another favourite. In March the group read The world between us

by Sarah Ann Juckes, our virtual World Book Day author, and all received signed copies (as did the Upper Remove). This Summer we chose titles from the YA Book Award shortlist. Wranglestone (Darren Charlton) was “really good, with lots of plot twists and an interesting storyline” (Joseph James).

Hold back the tide was also an addictive read.

“It answered all the questions, but in a gradual way that kept you hooked into the book. I could not stop reading it.” Milly Yates Upper Remove (Mrs Walmsley) Once again, this year group yielded a high number of keen readers, all eager to try out new titles. As part of Black History Month, we read some quite challenging texts – most notably Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race (Reni Eddo-Lodge) and The Hate you give (Angie Thomas).

The Upper Remove conducted some very intelligent discussions in response to these.

Over Christmas, we indulged in some seasonal literature, including a compilation of festive murder mysteries entitled Murder on Christmas Eve and the rather un-festive but very powerful novel After the snow (S.D. Crockett). The New Year lockdown did not deter us, as the UR were able to take part in a fantastic online author event with Sarah Ann Juckes, whose novel The world between us, about a chronically ill girl who experiences the outside world via other people’s webcams, we subsequently read for our first meeting in March. It has been a highly productive year, and the UR go from strength to strength in their reading.

Fifth Form (Miss Jeffery) Fifth Form Wraithers have matured into a committed bunch of articulate and fabulous individuals; a team of readers who love getting together for our meetings which always include plenty of laughter and extremes of opinion! I am really looking forward to welcoming them all back in the Sixth Form. We will miss Amélie HarrisonHard who has been a delightful contributor for five years and we wish her all the best at Worcester Sixth Form.

This year our themes have been Black History Month, Modern Classics, and Historical Fiction. Here are some of the books that we enjoyed, with comments from our members: The color purple (Alice Walker) “Really enjoyed this one. Quite a tricky read” Martha Good “Depressing but so insightful” Mary Head Brave new world (Aldous Huxley) ‘Loved the world building’ Becky Ye ‘Masterpiece’ Salvador Kent I, Robot (Isaac Asimov) “One of my favourite WRAITH books to date highly recommend” Martha Good The Doll Factory (Elizabeth MacNeil) “Enthralling. I would read this again” Thora Dykes Fatherland (Robert Harris) “The characters felt so real. I really felt sorry for them” Becky Ye A town like Alice (Neville Shute) “An extremely beautiful book with a fascinating story line!” George Capell Circe (Madeline Miller) “An amazing book for classics enthusiasts to pick at and dissect” Coco Hamilton-Holbrook “Extremely good. Widened my prior understanding. Highly recommended” Amy Hall “Spoke about so many important themes and classical hierarchy” Amélie Harrison-Hard All quiet on the Western Front (Eric Maria Remarque) “ A heart-wrenching novel to make anyone interested in WW2” Coco Hamilton-Holbrook

Sixth Form (Mrs Capell) I have been lucky enough this year to have not two but three Wraith groups on the go.

Our usual combining of Lower and Upper Sixth couldn’t happen - which was definitely a silver lining of the COVID-19 cloud.

My Lower Sixth group goes from strength to strength, with new members joining this year.

We have covered racism, the fashion industry and creepy Gothic tales. We began the year with a superb book suggestion from Sammy Hadley (Punching the air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam).

“WRAITH is one of the many co-curricular activities that has had to adapt to the coronavirus situation, with meetings in January taking place via Teams, and the need to have two Sixth Form groups. What has remained the same, however, is every member’s enjoyment of various aspects of WRAITH, from discussions about books to eating homemade cakes! Highlights this year have included books educating the group about social issues such as racism, as well as highlighting the works of author Juno Dawson and reading various different genres such as romance and mystery along the way. As ever, we are extremely grateful to Mrs Capell and Miss Jeffery for their committed support to WRAITH and we look forward to another enjoyable year of WRAITH next year!” Sammy Hadley “WRAITH has been great fun this year. There has been a fantastic range of books from lots of different genres which I have really enjoyed. Our meetings give the group the opportunity to discuss and share enthusiasm or sometimes disappointment for each read, over a slice of cake made by Mrs Capell! The discussions are engaging, and it is interesting to hear other people’s thoughts about books which we might not have otherwise chosen to read” Felicity Quiney For my Upper Sixth it was time to say goodbye. As half of the group had been coming to Wraith for seven years this was not an easy task, but I have many, many happy memories of our meetings, and feel confident that this delightful group of people will be readers for life. What more can one ask? I’ll leave Rowan with the final word.

“A really enjoyable way to spend Long Break, the small community we have is glorious and the books are always a joy to read” Greg Smith “WRAITH this year has been a really nice escape from the stress of everything. A lovely chance to sit down and talk about a good book with some biscuits does wonders for mental health! Also, it has encouraged me to keep on reading and taking time for myself during the pandemic. It’s been amazing!” Max Barclay

“I have always enjoyed WRAITH and the selection of books at each meeting is always interesting with varied topics every time. A lot of my all-time favourite books and authors are ones that I have discovered through WRAITH and the meetings are a highlight of every term.” Rowan Dash

Write for Real Bubbles of year groups have been crafting their writing skills in Write for Real, a cocurricular club, run by Mrs Lucas. Each week they have met to try their hand at different types of writing, from descriptions of tomato fights at La Tomatina festival in Valencia, unwrapping chocolate bars using their senses and trying their hands at vocabulary games.

During the Summer Term the group had been given three mysterious objects: a silk evening glove, one broken earring and a shard of glass. Using their creative skill, they had to construct a story, showcasing their imaginations.

The Mystery of the Glove Bankers. Leaders. Businessmen. If you did not fall into one of these categories, then you probably were not on the very selective guest list. And if you fell into a category? You probably still would not make it. Why? Because the Silvamoore Annual Cruise was for the richest of the rich, the most famous of the famous, the worst of worst. And we are not talking about lottery wins or hacking for fun.

We are talking the big leagues of wealth, fame, and wickedness. Why? Because when you claw your way to the top, you have to get a bit of dirt under your fingernails, right?

“Okay, so I’m going to go through the guest list one more time.”

SML Bree picks up another earring and tries to attach it. “Just like the last 20 last times.”

The next few pages provide examples of their work.

“I’ve told you already. I need to make sure that you know everything about everyone, no slacking. This is a top tier case, so it must be executed with no loose ends. Now, so first there’s -” “Mr Helianthus. Descendant of the wealthy Djiboutian clan now owns stocks in all major companies, he is also second cousin of the Tesla founder/CEO. Mrs Helianthus has borne 18 children and is 37 years old. She is a stay at home mum but lots of her children go into day-care, so what does she really do in all her spare time? We will find out soon as two agents have been assigned to find that out. So far, we have found that she is seeing 10 other married men and only speaks Icelandic to them, when all of her relatives are Portuguese and there is no record of her ever speaking or knowing it previously.”

A History of Repeats unding footsteps Terrific thumping of po the door made and the creaking of ediately follow imm an Seiko and Norm e under the truck. their instincts and hid s demon looking Suddenly, two monstrou doorway along the creatures came out of between the in s wa o with Isabella, wh very concerned ghastly beasts with a look on her face. an be found out Would Seiko and Norm rious beings that by these new myste bella? What has appeared alongside Isa Connie and her ad happened to the de precious earrings?

Eva Lochbaum

74

The Vigornian

“Then there’s Mrs Green. Wife of Mr Green who has contacts in the Mafia, he always wears brown suits which have Nazi detailing on the interior. He also owns over 200000 factories making him the person with the largest carbon footprint in the world. Now back to Mrs Green, she has 3 children which are totally untraceable. As far as we know they visit private healthcare and have homeschooling which are two impenetrable fields, however kidnapping has been ruled out as their current whereabout.”

“Next there’s the Hunters. A set of two marriages, and two sets of identical twins.

There was Pandora and Athene Lincoln, yes as in the president, who respectively married Hunter and Bear Hunter. Yes, the prior was called Hunter Hunter. The couples are neighbours now but, as per pompous ridicules, have to practically

live the same lives. They have the same number of children, of the same genders, and each couple have been indicted the same number of times. 234 to be precise.

They are close with, or more specifically they are related to, the chief commissioner, so there’s been a lot of hush-hush.”

“Now we move onto my personal favourite, Mr Fedorov. 100% Russian ancestry, and not the humble kind. Putin was his late father’s best mate; and we begin to wonder why it’s his ‘late’ father. Anyway, he has made a life for himself for sure. Rumours have flown around that he is the famous ‘Marshmallow’ but nobody really knows.

However, his biggest achievement was embezzling 2 trillion dollars; from charities.

With that he then bought the whole of the East border of Russia - and 3000 slaves off the Black Market to upkeep it. He then, ironically, sued a slavery-prevention charity for coming to one of his brothers’ estates and speaking to one of their “Employees”.”

Bree said with air quotes. “About the weather.”

“We can’t forget the Riolin family.

Extremely musical – especially when it comes to facing the music of others. They know everyone and everything about them. Their business? Blackmail. So just about everyone hates them.”

“And then there’s the Ciudad couple; who look identical – especially good for alibis, the Lochmartins; Scottish heritage but always hidden – probably for placing bombs on every corner where latitude and longitude lines cross, after that there’s the Franciums; who hate the Lochmartins, and finally the Passeters, innocent couple of teachers until they were caught kidnapping their students.”

“And most intriguing of all is Miss Silvamoore; 3rd cousin of the host but she has to be there for a reason. What is that reason? I’m pretty sure the 25 investigators we have got on her would like to know that. Oh, that is the 25 left. We set out with 50 who either went missing or are downright dead.”

“Okay, okay, is that last detail really necessary?”

“Just need to know what we’re up against,” Bree smirked with a vicious clip of her high heel clasp.

Olfactory sighed. “Regardless, I think that your understanding is sufficient. You are being dispatched tomorrow at 9pm, from then you will be carried to the dock for 10:30.

The yacht leaves at 11 which gives you enough time to survey the yacht. Your partner will be wearing a flowing, flirtatious Ted Baker

crimson skirt and a stunning gold threaded with pansy detailing blouse.” “Oh God, who let Frilly Fiona write the agent detailing?”

“May I remind you that ‘frilly’ Fiona’s father is the main financial supporter of this organisation?” “He must have coughed up a lot of cash to get her to work for us.” Bree smirks with an adjustment of her headband.

“You do realise that he pretty much pays your salary?” “You do realise that it was never about the money for me?” Bree says, face hardening, eyes narrowed, hand tensed on clutch bag.

Olfactory lowers down into a chair. “You need to stop chasing this. We don’t know that this is going to lead to them.” “We? You might not, but I certainly do.”

Bree tips off the cap on some glistening perfume and sprays the whole of the back seat with a wandering wrist.

“I didn’t realise you were going on a date.” voiced Marmy, “I also didn’t realise dates these days required a pint of perfume.” He smiles softly.

“Yeah right. I am only spritzing back here because of Miss in the back. Who and cause?”

“Miss Joline. Undisclosed.”

“Seriously? You know I’m not going to tell anyone.”

“I know, but when I say undisclosed in this context, in means we just don’t know what killed her.”

He revs the engine and speeds up.

“But why’s she still gracing us with her presence? It smells like she’s been in here a month.” Bree murmurs, pinching her nose.

“New corporate tactic. We found a tracker implanted in her. We’ve got to let them find us.”

“That’s smart apart from the fact that they could attack you as you’re solo?”

“I have you though.” He smiles into the wingmirror.

The Range Rover pulls up in a U-Bend entrance to the dock. A valet driver in a tux swiftly pulls open the door, letting Bree slide out. He attempts to open the door for Marm, but Marm quickly pulls it back. Suddenly, the window rolls down…

Izzy Da Silva

Midnight at the Hall One shot. One shot is all that it would take, but whether to take it was the question.

Taking the shot now would be a guaranteed hit but there was the chance of someone seeing it happen or, the second option.

This would involve following the target for another few hours with only a hope that another chance would come, a more conspicuous kill perhaps, but that was not guaranteed. It was already half eleven and time was running short, the night would be over soon and any chances of confirming the kill would have faded away. This was by far the most important bounty for the plan to go ahead. She was the duke’s eldest, she was first in line for the inheritance of the duke’s estate and money and would claim everything before she could be stopped, then it would be back to square one again.

As midnight drew closer and closer, Emily began to recap the events of the wild night as she strolled down the path with a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild in her hand with friend Charlotte. The two of them were happily chatting away until something sealed their mouths shut and rooted them to their spot. It was nearly invisible and if the bang did not come about half a second earlier, they wouldn’t’ve noticed it, a bullet.

Emily knew she should run, she knew that she was the target the small silver missile was looking for, she knew that whoever fired the shot was unlikely to miss the next one. Yet with all this racing through her mind, nothing. Remaining rooted to the spot and dead silent, Emily caught a glimpse of Charlotte giving up trying to pull her to safety and decide to escape for herself through the trees and towards the main road. A mocking voice taunted to her from the bush “You’re a smart one ain’t ya?

Not like yer brother, he ran from that knife

like his life depended on it, which it did.” was the last thing Emily heard followed by a chuckle before she dropped to the floor in a puddle of scarlet blood and wine.

“This is a disaster!”

“Who would do this?”

“An outrageous psychopath that’s who!”

Shouts echoed off the high ceilings of the family dining hall as seven of the ten Buchleys, some sat, others stood had a frightened and considerably quiet screaming match. Their numbers had dropped three in the past week, Emily the eldest by gun, Richard, the third child by knife and Charles the second oldest by a falling chainsaw. There was conversation in the hall of it all just being a coincidence, the big city is a dangerous place, there are people who threaten you with knifes and kill you, there are people who own fire arms and don’t know what they are doing with them and there are accidents and falling objects when an apartment is being renovated. Although that was what everyone wanted to believe, they knew they couldn’t because deep down they all had the gut feeling that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Harold hadn’t said a word over the course of breakfast which had formed into a colossal argument. Everyone knew he was nervous, and if you didn’t you could tell by the beads of sweat slowly rolling down his face and the shake in his hand that was causing him to fling his cereal everywhere across the 400-year-old oak table that they acquired from an auction last month.

Maxwell Lea

The Ghost of Hallow Manor Eroded, the old, crumbling manor looms Mother and Father used to always be above you. Smashed windows covered in the gardens; they barely ever stayed by vines of ivy. Cracked walls and a small inside. Dancing in the rain, having picnics crevasse in the doors, just big enough in the meadow and cloud watching. When for you to peer through. The gardens are I was little Mother and Father - when they unkept, overgrown and full with piles of weren’t out together - would play hide and decayed leaves and twigs all over the place. seek with us kids. It was almost impossible to win as seeker because new hiding spots were always being found.

This is my house now, but, before, before it all went wrong. It was unimaginably beautiful.

I remember the day as though it was yesterday. I was brushing my hair when The gardens were well kept and the beds I heard it. A loud ear-piercing scream were full of flowers. Walls of blooming rose reverberated throughout the house. Ringing bushes all around. In the winter the flowers out through the hallways, resonating up the hid and in their place blades of grass stood, stairs. I froze. Only for a small second, but sometimes covered in a thick blanket of snow. time seemed to stop for eons.

Fallen leaves were raked neatly into piles and placed on the compost heap, left to be made into soil that was then used in the spring. Tall Phoebe Dawson trees danced to the songs of the wind.

The Vigornian

75

Story 1 “Nobody has driven on this part of the road in twenty-three years,” I think aloud staring over the flat, dusty tarmac that stretches for miles. I am up on the bridge that no one ever uses. Undisturbed. Alone.

The only other people who know about this are Bentlee and Noah, my best friends in the whole, wide, messed-up world. Only the world wasn’t always messed-up, it used to be a beautiful place filled with rainbows and bunnies and whatever else makes people happy. Not anymore. Then the rebels came and tore apart the monarchy and the anarchists were too stupid to do anything useful and the whole planet descended into chaos. A good amount of the population was killed off; fights were fought just for the sake of fighting; all the resources were slowly drained away.

This is when The First rose to power.

Nobody I know knows The First’s real name, only that he is the first king after the war (shockingly). The monarchy was basically replaced with a worse monarchy.

Around fifty years ago, The First rounded up all the worthwhile survivors – the rich, famous and most intelligent – and bought them all across the ocean to his island.

Except it isn’t really an island, it’s mostly made of plastic, metal and concrete and it reaches all the way to the bottom of the ocean. Supposedly all the other survivors of the war died out, but not even The First knows for sure. He eradicated all diversity; the only language we learn and speak is his language which used to be called English, and all religion was eradicated aeons ago.

I wouldn’t be religious even if religion weren’t illegal, because if there is a higher power or higher powers; it wouldn’t leave the innocent to suffer and The First would have died a long time ago.

We’re all orphaned – Bentlee and Noah and me – living in the upper-class orphanage, because somehow our parents managed to be the upper upper-crust. The regular upper crust live on lower levels and the lower upper-crust live right at the bottom.

Only the poorest live on the Surface. Being upper upper-crust means that we have to dress nicely; and speak properly and read classic literature; and walk with utmost poise. It isn’t a perfect deal, but it’s better than most get and we all swore a sacred oath that we were nothing if not grateful.

So yeah, our nation is pretty much the worst. I don’t mind too much; I have a bed and more than one set of clothes and one pair of shoes and two good friends. I get by.

We all do.

Somehow.

76

The Vigornian

Story 2 Our story begins when yours truly fell in a puddle.

Of course, it wasn’t just any puddle. In fact, it wasn’t really a puddle at all, more like a portal, but that’s not the point. The point is where the puddle took me, which permanently changed my life. For the better or worse I haven’t decided.

I was with my mum when it happened, though I’m told she’ll have no recollection.

We were out walking. I’ve never seen the point in going for walks – there are much better things that I could do with my free time – but mum is convinced that they’re good for us, so I get dragged along anyway.

The walk itself is unimportant to the story, it was just a regular walk. Until it wasn’t.

At one point we reached this cave, admittedly it did have a DO NOT ENTER sign, but that made it more tempting.

Naturally, I went in.

The cave itself was everything you’d expect from a cave: damp, mustysmelling and carved out of stone. Except there was a glow. A very interesting glow that seemed almost magnetic. I walked towards it, which was exactly as stupid as it sounds written down, a little voice in the back of my mind was screaming don’t do it, literally nothing good can happen if you do it. So, I did it. Obviously.

I wanted to know what was making the light, and I already knew that if I didn’t check it out I would be losing sleep for days, wondering what it was.

I walked straight through the cave and up to the light. It was coming from a sort of stone; shaped like a leaf, acid green, about the size of my fist and carved with rune-like characters that I didn’t understand. Of course, I stepped closer, as any unsuspecting Innocent would (Innocents is the term for non-witches, who are ignorant to magic and far too trusting).

At the time I had noticed the puddle.

I feel a bit ridiculous explaining how I was more or less a complete idiot, but the story wouldn’t make much sense if I didn’t, so I guess I’ll have to.

Innocent-ly I just stepped straight in.

No hesitation, no second thoughts, no nothing.

I was in brown, murky water above my head for just long enough to think I’m going to drown before I popped out the other side.

The other side was utterly bizarre. If nearly drowning in a puddle wasn’t already bizarre enough, the room I fell into – completely dry – was even weirder.

It was entirely white: the domed ceiling I’d just fallen through; the marble floor and stone columns; the walls; and the several passageways leading out of the room. There was an enormous tree, right in the centre of the hall, with silver bark and metallic, dark-grey leaves. It sat in the middle of a clear, pale-blue pool swimming with multicoloured fish.

And if the room itself wasn’t weird enough, if you like things really weird, the people in it were even stranger.

There were around a hundred teenagers milling around in groups, a bit like school – ew school. They were dressed in black, like all black. And some of them had swords. Some of them had damp hair, as if they’d just been swimming; others wore sports clothes or flowing robes; most of them walked in groups of three or four and a few wore a pointed hat. Like I said: bizarre.

Story 3 The floor is littered with shards of glass, from where the chandelier dropped mere moments ago. There is very little evidence that Emily Pritchett, the leading lady, stood on that exact spot under a minute before: only a cream silk glove; a bent ruby earring and the steadily growing red stain seeping out from under the remains of the chandelier.

Staining the floorboards crimson and tinting the shattered glass. The scarlet pool blossoms across the already-red carpet, eventually reaching a pair of black dress shoes.

The owner of the shoes does not flinch.

The owner of the shoes smiles a devious smile, a smile that only the cruellest humans can make – the smile of a murderer.

The owner of the shoes tucks away a pair of bolt cutters.

And everyone else was too preoccupied to notice.

Millie Goldby

I fell.

PASTORAL

The Vigornian

77

Bright House It has been a very busy year for our pupils in Bright House, both in school and beyond.

Despite the challenges of the last year, I am proud to say we finished the year with many achievements to celebrate. Bright continues to support and guide the pupils, ensuring that they are happy, enriched and have a rounded education. We aim to encourage pupils to be resilient, organised and independent. This year Bright has been particularly productive across all aspects of curriculum and co-curricular activities.

In terms of sport, the Lower Remove pupils have had the chance to try rowing and get out on the water for the first time. Jude Austin, Jack Barnett and Lucy Fryers won their first race and are immensely proud of their achievement. William Allardice continues to be involved in high level Fencing. In the Upper Remove, Freya Sinclair has been selected to play for the Under 15 Seven Stars School games squad. Freya S, Abbie Diaz and Maddie Worth have been training and playing with their respective Nova Academies. Jaime Lewis continues to chase her hockey ambitions.

In the Fifth Form there was success at Sports Day with a first-place win for Bright House Girls, and an impressive all-round effort from the boys. Amy Hughes continues to follow her Hockey and Athletics ambitions. Having impressive achievements in both sports, notably ranked second in the West Midlands, third in Wales and twelfth in the UK for Under 17 long jump as well as being recently selected to play in the English Schools’ Championship.

In the Sixth Form, we are very proud of the

achievements of our pupils, including the success they have achieved at swimming, rowing, riding, canoeing and climbing in and out of school.

from Toby during the first lockdown he has been recognised by The Engineer Magazine by wining the Young Innovator award. We are really proud of his achievements.

What is particularly impressive about Bright House is the enthusiasm and good humour they show in everything they do.

This was exemplified in the Removes and Senior Sports Day. The greatest sporting achievement for Bright is the resilience and effort that went into the afternoon. Each and every pupil, from participant to spectator brought something special to the day, their willing spirit, dedication and team work was something to be incredibly proud of.

While individual achievements have been a notable feature of the past year, these achievements do not fully represent the commitment or spirit that Bright House has put into all they do. Throughout the school year many showed off their baking skills in the widely celebrated King’s School Spring Bake Off, which saw Sixth Formers Ollie Flanagan and Felicity Quiney placed first and second with their impressive creations.

We also were very proud of Bright’s contributions to the School’s Around the World in 8 Days Challenge.

Musically, too, this year gave the opportunity for many Bright House students to try out Virtual Open Mic Nights, as well as to take part in this year’s production of ‘Harlequinade and Burning Bird’. All brilliant shows and many pupils in the House were involved; from leading role such as Maya Sumera’s captivating performance as Daisy, to behindthe-scenes support. Other congratulations must also go to all pupils for their ongoing commitment to school music, with a special mention to David Wills who impressively achieved distinction in his Oboe Diploma and Jack Barnett (Lower Remove) who has performed with his band to 200 people and continues to play Bass, piano and guitar to a high level.

Toby Weymouth used his spare time to work on a detachable cooling device for key workers’ PPE visors. Following the pioneering work

Bright continues to champion charitable causes from Cancer Research to Reducing Plastic Waste, with impressive efforts from the Upper Remove and Lower Sixth. We would like to say a special thank you Bright’s friends and family as their generosity allowed us to support Worcester Food Bank.

A special thank-you to our leaving Heads of Houses, Jack Catchpowle, Ed Cosson and our Deputy Head of House, Bella Fielden, for your support this year. We will miss all our Upper Sixth and send them on their way with love and best wishes.

None of this would be possible without our tremendous team of Year Group Tutors who remain as supportive and invaluable as ever.

RAE

Castle House This year Castle House has continued to stay positive and make the most out of the changes the pandemic brought to school life.

With House time being primarily online and in Year Group bubbles there was sadly no inperson interaction with other years. Despite this, Castle found a way to bring everyone together through a variety of activities.

In September everyone was back in school, seeing friends in-person for the first time in months. The atmosphere in Castle House was excitable and there was a determination to make this year no different from the rest: particularly with regards to attitude and willingness to participate in events. The first inter-House competition was the Languages Quiz. With such limited opportunities to show off Castle’s talented pupils, we knew we had to make everyone count. Castle came first in the Languages Quiz beating Chappel by just 2 points. Thank you to everyone who contributed to Castle House’s win.

Another memorable House time activity was Pictionary. This was the first time the 78

The Vigornian

Lower Remove and Upper Sixth got to meet each other face-to-face albeit through a window. It involved drawing on the Keyes Building glass doors with either the Upper Sixth inside and the Lower Remove on the outside or vice versa.

After Christmas we were back in Lockdown.

Again, spirits remained high in Castle House with the Sixth Form delivering presentations on any topic of their choice to the rest of the House. The Upper Sixth went first with topics ranging from university choices to Anxiety and even to the similarities of The Bible and The Matrix.

All the presentations were captivating and showed the sheer amount of interest the Upper Sixth all have in their chosen topics.

The Lower Sixth were next, each with a completely unique subject in which they chose to talk about. Alice Baker’s ‘Benefits of Breakfast’ Jonny Raggett’s presentation on Stocks and Theo Edgerton’s talk about his love of racing. Many more inspiring themes provided an enjoyable 10 minutes for Castle House pupils to not only learn

about these subjects but also find out a bit more about their Sixth Form peers.

When back in school the whole House online meetings were as lively as ever with quizzes, Kahoots and different games being played. A Castle House favourite is Linkee.

Towards the end of the year Sports Day took place. Castle House came third in the Sixth Form Girls events. This was mostly down to Louisa De Vos, thank you, Louisa!

The COVID-19 pandemic made this extraordinary year not only perplexing but memorable because of the changes to ‘normal’ life and most importantly for the way each individual has adapted and overcome every obstacle thrown their way. I want to thank all the teachers and students for making this year a year to remember. I wish the best of luck to all those leaving Kings this year and to the new Heads of House, Hazel Zurick Ball, Florence Edmonds and Will Emsley. Let’s hope next year is a bit more normal!

Lani Overfield

Chappel House 2020-21, a year of masks, marquees and mass testing; a year to test the mettle of us all yet I feel prouder than ever how Chappel pupils have pulled together (socially distanced, of course!), embraced the new normal and demonstrated a resilience and determination beyond measure. The new academic year began with Chappel moving into their temporary new home of No12. We would like to thank the History Department for their hospitality and the Music Department for serenading us every Monday during their outdoor Jazz band practice. As much as we have enjoyed the space and facilities of No12, we are looking forward, in September, to returning up the winding stairs to Chappel’s true home.

Despite being unable to physically be together as a House, this didn’t stop us from having fun through virtual quizzes, competitions and assemblies led by various Year Groups. We had representatives from all years for the Language and Geography inter-House competitions, where we were pipped at the post on both occasions.

The Bake-Off competition brought some marvellous creations and I thoroughly enjoyed the Photography Competition, looking at the wonderfully artistic pictures that came in for the various categories each week. Inter-House Table Tennis ignited fierce competition, with our Removes and Fifth Form now regularly improvising with desks and a portable net! The Lower Sixth have gone a step further, with Table Football; a double whammy of House activity due to assembling the table before they could actually play! Senior Sports’ Day was fantastic fun and although we failed to claim a victory, it was not through a lack of

trying. A special mention must go to our Fifth Form Boys’ Relay Team, consisting of Ben Withnall, Laurie Checkley, George Hira and Ed Jukes who completely trounced the opposition with an amazing race. Removes Sports’ Day also demonstrated how well we work as a team, with our Chappel pupils willingly stepping in to fill events and pushing themselves to the limit each and every time. We may not have won Sports’ Day but we were proud winners of the Great KSW Book Exchange with our pupils recommending and borrowing more books during lockdown than any other House.

This year, we have missed the opportunity to host the annual Chappel Charity Quiz, our legendary Christmas Party and Sixth Form Afternoon Tea but I know these will return, even bigger and better than before, as soon as we are able. We are known for our charity work, so were extremely proud to participate in the whole school collection for this year’s Food Bank appeal. Several of our pupils have also been volunteering at vaccination centres across the county and I know that many a neighbour has been assisted throughout the pandemic, be it mowing the lawn or delivering banana bread – there is much to be proud of!

Some tutors, being keen gardeners, were delighted in hearing the gardening escapades of our youngsters. A highlight was watching Edmund Roberts on Gardeners’ World showcase his cacti with a masterclass on propagation; seeing how many Chappel pupils have enjoyed their gardens through the lockdown and beyond is really heart-warming. We have been treated to assemblies from all year

groups on various points of interest from the hidden meaning in films through to ‘Hobbies and Interests’. For my own technically unadvanced assemblies, Snoopy has played a key role in supporting me. For some of our pupils, it was their first time being introduced to the imaginative and genuinely happy dog and he soon became part of Chappel House culture as he managed to adapt himself to all life’s richness – a true reflection of our pupils!

As we bid farewell to our Upper Sixth, a special thank you is extended to Libby Evans and Henry Pickering for being our Heads of House during quite exceptional times. They managed to produce some excellent quizzes and even tried to organise a virtual sing along with the whole house, in lieu of not being able to defend our title as House Song Champions! The Upper Sixth had a fabulous Leavers’ Day with some impressive fancy dress, a celebratory House breakfast and time to reflect upon the years they have spent with us. They will be hugely missed and we look forward to hearing of how they make their mark on the world. Libby and Henry hand the baton over to Sophie Spencer, Sophie Lloyd and Gabby Singleton who have already been busy welcoming our new Lower Removes, Lower Sixth joiners and tuning us all up for the House Song in October.

It has been wonderful to reflect upon a year in which school life has been so different but, there is no doubt, I am looking forward to the new academic year where I am hopeful we can once again unite as a House and do what Chappel does best – being together.

NJS

The Vigornian

79

Creighton House This has certainly been a unique year in the history of Creighton House. It is a year that has presented many challenges, but with every challenge comes opportunity, and the pupils and staff of Creighton have proved to be adaptable, resilient and determined.

COVID-19 restrictions led to the scaling back of the inter-House competition, but we still managed to take part in a range of quiz events and concluded the academic year in style with Sports Day. On top of this members of the House threw themselves into a wide range of musical, dramatic and sporting opportunities that clearly demonstrated the breadth of talent in Creighton.

The Upper Sixth did a great job leading by example. Grace Tivnan and Woody Thrush were brilliant in their roles as Head of House and kept us together with frequent games and quizzes via Teams. Bethan Fox, Ellie Overfield, Owen Preston and Tom Angell all gave superb Monitors’ addresses, demonstrating a calm and confident delivery to the school community. This was especially impressive given the challenge posed by speaking in the Theatre, with a partial audience in the seats, but with hundreds of people watching via Teams.

Tom Angell gained a place to study Medicine at Balliol College, Oxford. This phenomenal achievement stood out, given the extra competition for university places this year. His success is extremely well-deserved and comes as a result of his phenomenal and sustained work ethic over his school career. We are very proud of Tom’s achievement and know that he will go on to have a fantastic career.

Miss Trow-Poole would like to thank the Creighton Upper Sixth for all the laughs and memories over the past four years.

This was her first tutor group since joining King’s, and she will always miss her original Creighton family.

The Lower Sixth have grown in confidence over the course of the year, and we are delighted to see Holly Wylde and Ben Bartlett accept the invitation to be next year’s Heads of House. We know that they will lead Creighton with pride, in what, COVID-19 permitting, will hopefully be a more complete series of House events.

James Pattern contributed to the Music Department’s lunchtime concerts series, impressing with his lively rendition of the first movement of Haydn’s Cello Concerto. If you would like to hear James’ amazing performance, then please scan this QR code: James features three quarters of the way down the web page.

80

The Vigornian

Congratulations should also go to Holly Wylde who achieved an impressive 5th place in the Under 18 100 British Eventing One-Day Competition in Bradwell. Daniel Munn has impressed with his dramatic improvements in the triple jump, winning the event for Creighton on Sport Day, and excelling when representing the school at Athletics’ meetings throughout the Summer Term.

The Fifth Form and Upper Remove have done well to juggle their GCSE studies with a wide range of co-curricular activities. Sports Day proved a particular highlight of the year, and Hennie Allan was an absolute star, throwing herself into a great variety of events in order to support the House. Florence Price did much the same in the Upper Remove, stepping up, running back-to-back races that were not her favourite, when we were short on competitors due to injury and illness. Both girls demonstrated the true House spirit that is central to what we stand for in Creighton.

In the boys’ events, we also had some fantastic performances, with Ollie Tranter and Ollie Hill both winning multiple events.

Ollie Hill went on to win the prestigious Victor Ludorum Award as a result of his victories in the 1500m, 400m and the Triple Jump.

Winning such diverse range of events is a very impressive achievement and made him a very worthy holder of the Victor Ludorum Award. Lydia Goodman, Bea Morgan, Alex Evans, Ollie Tranter and Ollie Hill have all done especially well in regularly representing King’s at weekend Athletics meetings.

Beyond the sporting arena, there has been fine musical achievements. Will Brebner, in particular, shone with his performance in the Music Department’s lunchtime concert series. He produced a fine performance of Consolation No. 5 by Franz Liszt. If you would like to hear his performance, then please scan this QR code: Will features around three quarters of the way down the web page.

The Lower Remove have done especially well since joining Creighton back in September 2020. They rose to the challenge of embracing a fresh start in the House system, and gave their Year Group Tutor, Mrs Lucas an especially warm welcome, as she too was new to King’s.

The Lower Remove have proved to be an unstoppable force. Second place finishes in the Geography and Physics competitions were impressive. On top of this, they threw themselves into a wide range of cocurricular activities, including school plays and the opportunity to try out rowing.

Lower Remove achievements include Jess Newman and Kate Lambourne enjoying cricket and Tilly Cook representing Under 15 Worcestershire in County Cricket, Anabel D’Auncey and her myriad of county sports and Fin McGill, playing Tyrone in the school play Burning Bird. Will Poole has been busy with Digital Media club, Charlie Felton with his football and cricket, George Allan busy with his languages and Will P with rowing and rugby. Hattie Jackson is in the British Show Jumping Academy while Harriet Montgomery is busy with LAMDA and singing in the school musical “Six.” James has relished the Lower Remove opportunities including CCF and MUN. James Capell , Connor Yates and Amelia Venables also enjoyed taking part in their first rowing regatta.

Congratulations go to Amelia Venables who took part in a competition called ‘Beat the Pathologists’ organised by the University of Warwick. She produced a phenomenal performance to win the Secondary Schools category. The competition was designed to inspire young people about the work of pathologists in helping to diagnose disease.

It demonstrated what pathologists do, and also showed the significant advances being made in the area as pathology becomes more and more digitally based.

Major projects worldwide are developing algorithms and artificial intelligence applications to help pathologists diagnose more accurately and faster, for the benefit of the patient.

Throughout a very turbulent academic year, the members of Creighton House have stood firm, supporting each other along the way. We look forward to the new academic year, where hopefully COVID-19 restrictions will ease and we will be back into the full breadth of House competitions and activities.

WJJ

Choir House Choir House started the new academic year by saying goodbye to Mr Owen, who moved on to take up a Head of English post at another school, and welcoming Mr Hooper as Year Group Tutor for the Fifth Form.

From an early stage it was clear that this was to be no ordinary year for Choir House; masks, separate rooms for each year group and assemblies via Teams all took some getting used to. The House Song was sorely missed by some, but perhaps not by those members of staff who have to work near to where pupils traditionally rehearse! Despite the restrictions, we continued to involve

pupils in House activities via Teams and the commitment and attitude shown by all pupils in adapting to the new situation was very much appreciated.

During the lockdown period in the spring term, the pupils were exemplary in their attendance at remote lessons and I must pay tribute to the Year Group Tutors for their care of the pupils and their enthusiasm in House sessions each morning during this very difficult period. It was fantastic to see the pupils back in March and to begin what is hopefully a sustained route towards normality.

Both Sports Days in June were a real tonic, and victories for Choir in both the Removes and Senior competitions were a fabulous way to end the year; we have plenty of elite performers but also lots of pupils who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and compete in events for the good of the House. As usual I must finish by wishing our departing pupils the best of luck for the future. The Upper Sixth have been fantastic role models this year and have worked incredibly hard in their subjects; they deserve every success. My special thanks also go to Josie Armstrong and Molly Smith in their roles as Heads of House in what has been an incredibly turbulent year.

RJJ

Kittermaster House 2020-2021 we will be a year to remember for Kittermaster. Bubbled up in rooms spread across the school we did our best to ensure that our community thrived; I will be ever grateful to the House staff and our Heads of House, Elsa Bishop and Lydia Summerwill, for their unwavering positivity.

With the Lower Sixth banished to the Edgar Tower and Upper Sixth dislodged to K8 in the Keyes Building I was sure to get my steps in each day visiting everyone. During the summer term, flecks of normality began to shine through and we have begun to reassemble in Choir House.

The Upper Sixth have been a wonderful group who have risen to the challenges presented to them with determination. We spent a fantastic Leavers’ Day together and Miss McKenzie created a Kittermaster House cook book for all to take away. This

was a result of the recipe sharing that had gone on during the lockdowns; excellent preparation for the future.

We welcomed five new members to our Lower Sixth - Angad Sangha, Dixie Stone, Elena Morville, Pavan Jawanda and Anja du Toit - and it has been such a delight to watch them flourish. Liv spoilt us with her Christmas No.1 entry where she took victory with a stunning rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I very much look forward to Maggie Marshall and Ben Amos taking over the leadership of the House with Amelia Davies (Mim) and Rhys Jones also working on the leadership team. Liv FilmerHare and Dixie will take up their Monitors roles from September too- well done!

In our Middle Years, we have had 11 new Lower Removes join us and it has been a

delight to see them settle into our routines with such ease. We have recently found that they share the same passion for karaoke as Mr Wilson…watch this space! Our Upper Removes have also grown into a close group and Mr Sharp has made sure that they are all confident bird spotters. The Fifth Form have focused on their exams and have never failed to keep Mrs Shepherd entertained.

With inter-House sport restricted there were fewer opportunities for us to shine but our spirits have not been dampened. In true Kittermaster spirit we performed admirably at all of the Sports’ Days. Ben Harle (Lower Sixth) and Lottie Kilbey (Lower Remove) both stood out for their runs in the long-distance events.

I very much look forward to the future in the House and as ever, we will continue to focus on our mantra of Kindness.

CMN

The Vigornian

81

Oswald House This year, Oswald has shown great perseverance and resilience in the face of uncertainty. Various lockdowns and restrictions throughout the year have caused a rethink of how Oswald functions as a community within the school. As a group, we have risen to the challenge with great effect.

To start the year, each year group remained in their separate bubbles, however, we stayed connected through Teams with various assemblies and quizzes from our Heads of House, Ben Tyson and Josh Matthews. In our respective year group bubbles, we also did many activities in House time, such as paper plane competitions, boules, and table tennis.

As we moved into a lockdown in January, Oswald kept with the community spirit by meeting every morning on Teams, as we would at school. This was a fantastic way to catch up with friends and take part in quizzes and challenges. Outside of morning meetings, we also took part in various lockdown challenges, such as Taskmaster tasks and baking. A main event during lockdown was the Education East Africa Charity Event, where many members of Oswald put on their trainers to run 2km. A massive congratulations to everyone who got involved and help raise money.

Throughout the year, many of us represented Oswald in various inter-House competitions, such as cross-country, table tennis, and the Language and Geography quizzes. The King’s School Bake-Off was a massive hit in the spring, with Evie Thrush placing 3rd for the Middle Years with her wonderful baking.

The arts have been a big part of Oswald this year. Though, sadly, we were not able to do the House Music Competition at the start of this year, many members of Oswald have taken part in various other events.

The senior production Harlequinade was a remarkable success, with wonderful performances from Ella Fidlin, Daisy Brighton and Rebecca Darnborough.

Oswald members have also represented the school in wider competitions outside of King’s. A huge congratulations to Riya Mayilvahanan, who made it to the final of the Bromsgrove International Music Competition. Recently, Imogen Brinksman

School House and Sarah Brown were part of the school journalism group who have been awarded the ‘Rising Star Award’ at the Shine School Media Awards. To round off the year, we had wonderful performances by Émilie Cartelet in the Summer Dance Show, and Riya, Tom Kingsford-Dowd and Jack Bullock in the summer term’s Open Mic Night. Congratulations also go to all the students who have completed either their Bronze, Silver or Gold Arts Award.

Senior Sports Day was a fantastic opportunity to return to normality and represent the House in a variety of events.

Our Sixth Form boys managed to place first, and Fifth Form girls placed second across their respective year groups. A particular well done to Louis Hira who was awarded the Victor Ludorum (Upper Sixth boys). As for the Removes’ Sports Day, we saw the Lower Remove boys and girls successfully rank first place which helped Oswald to reach second place overall. A special mention to Ethan Gill, who has recently joined the House, for achieving the Victor Ludorum for his year group. Oswald has also seen many more impressive sporting achievements, with many members of the House taking part in sport across the school from rowing to climbing and football.

Monty Jelfs has represented Worcestershire Cricket at his age group and has trialled for the Under 15 Bunbury festival. In addition to this, Megan Sweeney and Francesca Sly have been named in the Severn Stars Nova Academy Squad for Netball. Finn Watkins, Leo Randall-Baker and Amy Yorke Brookes represented KSWBC at the National Schools’ Regatta at Dorney Lake and placed thirty third in the country. A big congratulations for this achievement.

Another rowing achievement this year was Émilie Cartelet and Louisa Kerton being selected to row at the Junior Sculling Regatta. Rowing achievements this year have not all been on the water, however. A massive congratulations to Maple Unwin, who won a gold and 2 silver medals at the British Indoor Rowing Championships.

Finally, we would like to say a big ‘Thank you’ to Mrs Ford who leaves us this year, she has been a valuable member of Oswald House and we wish her the very best for whatever the future may hold.

CRR

In September 2020 I took over the House Tutor role from Stephen Gilbert, who left King’s at the end of the 2019-20 academic year to pursue a new teaching post in London. Despite COVID-19 restrictions, I wanted to carry on the excellent work he achieved in making the House a place where students could feel welcome, celebrated for their passions and achievements, and where they could be supported both pastorally and academically. The infamous House Song Competition was cancelled, as were many other annual highlights in the pastoral calendar, but there were still plenty of opportunities for students to represent their House.

Harry Waters and Ben Patten started off the year well, with victories in Table Tennis for their respective year groups. We also had numerous Zoom quizzes hosted by our excellent Heads of House from this

Wulstan House We started the new academic year by saying goodbye to Mr Barnard who had done sterling work in preparing our departing Upper Sixth for the next phases of their lives; his wide educational experience, calm persona, constant positivity, and genuine interest in all the students he worked with, were appreciated by all.

Mr Batchelor joined us as the new Lower Remove tutor and has done a fantastic job in difficult circumstances.

In an extraordinary year, the personal experience of Elliott Baird is worth telling.

Elliott joined us from an international school half-way through the year and didn’t get the chance to meet any of his classmates or teachers for a whole term; it was a further five weeks before he was able to share a smile! Elliott is now enjoying

82

The Vigornian

year, Jessica Brown, and Ben Thorpe. An @ KSWSchoolHouse Twitter account was set up, with the aim of celebrating activities that students were involved in both in and out of school. Ella Day took part in a brilliant circus camp, and then recorded a video for the rest of the House, which can be found on our account. Maisie Lyons and Jessica Brown also completed charity events for Cancer Research related charities. Well done to them.

As restrictions eased, Senior Sports Day was the first opportunity for many students to represent the House. Overall, School House achieved a podium Bronze finish, with some exceptional solo performances along the way. In the Fifth Form, Edward Kerton performed well across many events, securing the second place Victor Ludorum.

He was also instrumental in supporting the House with banners and encouragement with Cole Evans. Theo Hamilton-Holbrook and Thora Dykes ran excellently in their long-

school greatly, received an excellent set of reports and has thrown himself into several new pursuits and activities.

In the recent Removes Sports Day Wulstan House came a respectable fourth. Elliott ran at least one more race than the rules dictated but no one was going to make a fuss. Many other students competed in events they had little or no experience in, and two of our girls volunteered to do the relay for another House who were short because of injuries. A real sense of community spirit was evident all afternoon; the buzz of conversation, smiles and laughter made this a special day.

There was plenty for us to adapt to this year but adapt we did. Year Group Tutors displayed enormous energy,

distance races, and Oliver Edwards won his 400m race. In the Sixth Form, Andrew Smithson won is 100m A race, and there were also his promising performances from Matthew Whiteside and Luke Beever.

On the topic of sport, rowing events have also been a firm favourite in the Sixth Form groups, and a special mention goes to Georgie Thorp who leaves King’s this year with many rowing triumphs behind her. Theatre has restarted, and as I write this, I am looking forward to watching Phoebe Reeley and Caitlyn Clements perform in Burning Bird with Ella Day helping back-stage.

As we progress to next year, I want to wish all the Upper Sixth leavers the best of luck, and a big ‘Thank you’ again to our Heads of House, Jessica, and Ben, who are replaced by Alice Atherton and Ned Meredith.

TWP

professionalism, and no lack of ingenuity in making Teams sessions varied and fun, and our students generally responded with commitment and understanding. Some of the students who shone most brightly during this period were not necessarily the ones you would have expected either!

In recent weeks we have been trying to carry out the usual transition events which are so important in helping our new students start September with a sense of confident anticipation.

I have been enormously impressed by the willingness of our current students to help out – they have made a real difference.

I think we all agree that this year has been particularly difficult for our Upper Sixth leavers. In addition to their academic goal

posts changing on a regular basis they have all missed out on special opportunities and occasions which they been looking forward to for some time. These things, however, have never been used as an excuse; they have worked incredibly hard on their academic subjects, and shown fantastic empathy and support for their mates when this has been needed. Our two Heads of House, Matt Hall and Molly Clarke, have set a great tone throughout and Mr Greenall and myself have been very grateful for their constant enthusiasm, positivity, advice and direction. I very much look forward to finishing our pool tournament and not just because I see myself as one of the firm favourites!

MCP

The Vigornian

83

Lower Years ‘Join in!’ and ‘have a go!’ are words frequently heard around the Lower Years – stepping out of our comfort zones is something we should all endeavour to try more often and I am thrilled that this is one of the many skills that we are engendering in our young people. This year has also required more resilience than ever and that has been at the forefront of many of the events we have organised.

We were lucky enough to take all the Lower Fourth pupils to Blackwell Adventure Centre in September and we were rewarded with a fantastic day. The sun shone, the activities were thrilling and I was so proud of the teamwork and encouragement that was on display. Whilst the zipwire looked daunting, I was filled with pride to hear reassuring shouts of ‘you can do it!’ and ‘it’s not that bad if you close your eyes!’ from members of each Form. The same positive attitude was heard at the Crate Stack and the Tree Climb and has, I am proud to say, been a recurring theme amongst the youngest pupils in the school. It was particularly heartening to hear similarly encouraging cries at Sports’ Day where, for the first time in King’s History, Lower Fourth A and Lower Fourth E ended up in joint first place, level on points.

Throughout this year, the Lower Years pupils have actively embodied our Core Values of Love, Kindness, Compassion, Resilience, Ambition and Humility.

Friendship and support for each other has been at an all-time high, with everyone being willing to support each other when times seemed tough and ensuring no-one was ever left on their own. The attendance at co-curricular clubs has been high, with pupils trying to fill as much of their time as

84

The Vigornian

possible. Whilst COVID-19 initially stopped some of our activities from taking place, the pupils certainly made up for this when restrictions lifted, with a record 70 pupils attending an Athletics Club after school on Monday.

Ambition is in great supply across the Lower Years, with pupils willing to take part in a wide range of activities, from CrossCountry competitions during Games time to undertaking new academic challenges in lessons and during their breaks. This has been further emphasised by the commitment to county representation in cricket and swimming, and the wide range of music events in which Lower Years pupils have been involved. From Young Performers concerts to open-mic nights to the Worcester Competitive Arts Festival, the Lower Years pupils need commending on their confidence and their successes.

There were Gold Awards with Distinctions won at the Worcester Competitive Arts Festival, whilst Angelina Martin and Ava Hackett both deserve special mention for their performances in the Open-Mic events as this is usually only entered by our older pupils. In addition, over 50 external music examinations have been taken, either virtually or in-person. These all involve commitment and an ability to take on new challenges, as well as the determination to participate rather than the easier option of not joining in.

Being proactive about taking part in activities together and interacting with each other is a positive approach to building their interpersonal skills as well as developing strong relationships.

Throughout the year, we have also enjoyed a variety of inter-form competitions and

it has been a delight to see the number of pupils getting involved. From Izzy DaSilva’s winning entry to the Winter in Lockdown photography competition, to Sophie Johnson, Harry Chandler and Connie Pollack achieving the top 3 Lower Years entries to the King’s Bake Off, to Lower Fourth E and Upper Fourth E winning the inter-Form Geography competition, the challenges on offer to our young people are extensive and, despite a winter spent in lockdown, pupils have enjoyed taking part. We were able to listen to poetry read

by Upper Fourth pupils in French, German and Spanish by sitting in the marquees and pupils accessed assemblies online rather than in the theatre.

Of course, we mustn’t forget that the past 12 months have been challenging and it would be wrong not to mention the difficulties and challenges faced by the youngest pupils in the school as a result of bubbles, marquees and masks. When we reflect on this period of time in the future, it may all seem a little surreal but our pupils have been, on the whole, unfazed. Keyworker children enjoyed lessons and Form time in school, occasionally with Hot Chocolate Fridays, whilst those at home were able to participate via Teams. They have treated each other with kindness and with respect, been compassionate to those who have had challenging experiences, and all demonstrated high levels of perseverance and resilience to get to where they are now. Whilst the list of challenges seemed endless and our expectations seemed to always be high, we are able to end the year by celebrating all that the Lower Years pupils have done so well. They have risen to challenges, succeeded in lessons and are ready to embrace the new opportunities that lay ahead next year.

COVID-19 Testing System

Just after Christmas we opened the King’s Asymptomatic Testing Site in order to enable us to operate safely through what were to be some of the darkest days of the pandemic. It was an incredibly steep learning curve as we were all discovering so much about COVID-19 on a day-to-day basis and the guidance of how and when we dealt with the virus was changing frequently, sometimes even on an hourly basis!

College Hall was to become our home for the majority of the Spring Term and despite all of its previous uses, this was to be a first. With an army of parent

volunteers, we tested all the key worker children and staff twice a week. It was a brilliant thing to do and those involved are very proud to have answered the call of duty and done their part for both King’s and the wider community.

Running the King’s Asymptomatic Testing Centre would not have been possible without the founding members of the testing team: Marion Capell, Robin Booth, Annabel Jeffrey, Pauline Bladen, Chloe Gamble, Paul Haynes, Adam Winter and Clare Furber. They went on to train our amazing parent cohort who worked tirelessly to deliver the 10,000 tests over

the second lockdown. It would be remiss not to mention their names and they should be remembered for their selfless support of our great school: Catherine Swire Karen Hodges Rebecca Barclay Louise Ruane Claire Pearson Natasha Carr Sara Downing Lisa Atherton Beverley Quiney Lindsey Swift

Fiona Layton Amanda Daniels Lisa Stanley Lesley Driver Tania Derrett-Smith Jane Lloyd Alicia Stallard Caroline Miller Jonathan Barclay

The Vigornian

85

A View from the Marquee er Fourth): quite Ava Town (Low marquee was after At first, the al rm no e it becam kn unusual, but . We ew eeks at school the first few w only year as we were no difference perienced ex had never sevens and e found it W . ithout them ‘Big King’s’ w ace and no due to little sp hard at times wet days, ound. On the area to run ar ve a roof ha as nice to however, it w from the n tio ec and prot over our head g cage on as a restrictin wind, but it w glad the ys. I’m actually hot, sunny da ve the ha w ne as we no go is ee qu ar m without retch our legs freedom to st it is very ble. Although getting in trou ee will qu out it, the mar different with

d. se is m d but not be remembere Sonny Brown (Lower Remove): Life in the Lower Remove over the past year has been the tale of two stories. On the one hand we are in school, distanced, separated, and wearing masks. However, on the other hand we are at home, staring at screens. Every year, the old Upper Fourths become Lower Removes and are immediately presented with the new challenges that come gaining more independence. This year, however, we faced a challenge no student has before, the Coronavirus Pandemic. On our return to school, we saw the addition

r – Felicity Quiney King’s Under Cove (Lower Sixth) m months away fro After almost six an en be s to learning ha school, returning ugh awaited time, altho glon exciting and has it , es nc sta m t circu under the presen the of challenges. One also posed many ve ha we changes that most significant of e us e th is this year had to adapt to inly rta ce s ha It s. ee arqu our year group m k and ual spending brea us un er th ra been year e tir en ee with our lunch in the marqu to ing m co ll sti of us are group, and many t. en em ng ra w ar terms with this ne with d very different, School has looke oup gr ar ye e es and th one-way systems to ce an ch a s er off e rque marquees. The ma ce sin d tween lessons an see friends in be ow kn to sy ea e to go, it is there is nowhere els 86

The Vigornian

Samantha Capell (Upper Fourth) The marquees quickly became a central point for each year group.

As it was where th e whole year gr oup gathered it was na turally very loud.

We all hung out durin g breaks, cramm ed together and addi ng to the noise lev els simply trying to be heard! Peop le naturally split int o their social grou ps – a sociologist’s dr eam – it was a gr eat place to have a ch at and catch up wi th people you had not been in lesso ns with. Overall, th ey were far fro m perfect, but I wi ll never forget th ose cold winter days when we all crow ded around the heater s trying to get wa rm.

of marquees and at first, I felt restricted and ‘caged up’; but, over time I looked at the positives. I felt like it brought our year group closer together. Forced us to talk to one another. We bonded, made new friends, and became closer than ever before. Wearing masks was difficult at first but we did not complain, and all the Lower Remove adapted astonishingly.

Overall, I have found that despite the sudden changes, we did not shy away from the difficulties this year brought and that we are prepared and ready to continue our time at King’s.

g of ll be! At the beginnin where everyone wi ce an ch a us en giv d , it ha the year especially d an p w to our year grou to mix with those ne ’s. ng Ki lcome here at make them feel we new to a group of After speaking this r ned in Septembe students that joi see to g tin at it is interes year, they said th d ha ve ha d an l groups the different socia le. op pe w ne th wi mix the opportunity to n and arrival of Autum Despite this, the e the ad m s ha months looming winter king loo all e ar e W ! illy marquee rather ch as ing at addition of he forward to the as , lly na rso , however, pe promised! Overall to ul ef at gr am I hers are, I am sure many ot ng’s Ki e th of rt pa d an be back at school times e unprecedented es th in ity un m m co e. y one by on as we take each da

George Campbell-Ferguson (Upper Remove) The return to school in September 2020 felt very unusual. In the beginning, the prevailing feelings appeared to be a universal joy, as friends were reunited after too long apart, and general interest in how it was all going to work. All the new one-way systems, sanitizing, COVID testing, year group bubbles, mask-wearing, and lavish marquees were almost exciting, for some time anyway. However, as the Autumn Term dragged on, the novelty wore off. Funnily enough, the process of sticking a swab that far up my nose for lateral flow testing lost its appeal rapidly. As the days darkened and cold came, with very few extracurricular activities to lift student sprits, school became tedious and dull. The Upper Remove marquee became noisier and more unpleasant, as the number of nonbroken chairs steadily declined and the walls and floors looked more and more battered. Worst of all, however, was the uncertainty and unpredictability that now surrounded every aspect of school life. Nonetheless, I somehow managed to stumble through into the Christmas holidays without falling flat on my face.

After a good rest at home, I was ready and eager to return to school in January and then another lockdown was announced. Thankfully, we were extremely fortunate that the school was prepared for this possibility so the switch to online learning was frictionless. Lessons were still being delivered to a high standard and I continued making good progress.

Returning to school in March after the second lockdown was much different, as we were wary of all the difficulties we were facing. Conditions improved greatly for my year group, however, as our marquee location was upgraded from the library’s front lawn to the summer gardens. It was much nicer to relax in the sun on a bench or the grass, rather than perch precariously on your bag when you arrived too late and there were no chairs available in the marquee.

Quite unexpectedly, the weeks seemed to fly by as the weather improved and restrictions were lifted. School exams were taken, cricket and tennis matches were played and everything seemed to be returning to normal. Then, at long last, came the moment of pure, yet underwhelming bliss; when all the white marquees were finally folded up and carted far away. And just like that, with the muddy lawns revived and masks no longer required, it appears that on the surface, everything had returned to ‘normal’; no we wait and see if it ever really will.

KING’S HAWFORD This year King’s Hawford has demonstrated just how strong our community is. We have continued to face the disruption caused by the pandemic with determination, resilience and our trademark good humour. The staff have worked alongside parents and children to keep levels of engagement and academic achievement high, whilst always placing the children’s happiness and wellbeing at the heart of the school experience.

This year we said a very fond farewell to our much-loved Head, Mr Jim Turner, and wish him all the best for his retirement. King’s Hawford has also welcomed Jennie Phillips as the new Head and looks forward to seeing the school flourish under her leadership.

The Vigornian

87

Academic Success We were delighted by the resilience of our Year 6 pupils in the run up to the King’s Senior School entrance exams. This year the format was rather different, as the children completed their online assessments at home. Throughout the process they remained focused and determined and produced some excellent results. All the pupils were offered a place at King’s Worcester, with half of the year group being offered some form of scholarship or exhibition.

Our congratulations to Benjamin Adam and Joe Taylor-Edwards for their Academic scholarships. Alexander Foster received an Academic and Music scholarship, and no less than six All-Rounder awards went to Florence Bellairs, Archie Dorrell, Charlotte Hibbert-May, Thomas Launder, Hayden Sarfo and Ryan Widmer. A final mention to Bluebell Murton for her English award.

Eric Gregory received an academic scholarship to the Royal Grammar School, where Arthur Hasling was awarded an Academic and Music scholarship, Cameron Henry (Academic and Sport), Daisy Jenkinson (English/Drama) and Jack Jones (Sport).

Congratulations, too, to Rose Gregory (Year 4), for her prize-winning entry to the Worcester LitFest Young Writers Competition.

Throughout the lockdown, engagement levels were high, and we were absolutely delighted when the data demonstrated that, not only had there been no loss in learning, but that good progress had been made by pupils of all ages across all areas of the curriculum. The staff team must be congratulated for their enormous efforts in providing an online learning experience that was engaging, interactive and fun.

A key objective of the School Development Plan was the sustainability drive, led by Assistant-Head, Lorne Stigant. A new EcoCouncil elected members from Reception to Year 6 who began working towards earning an Eco-Schools Green Flag. We ran an audit to identify the three key areas to develop at Hawford - Biodiversity, Global Citizenship and Energy and have started projects in these areas. The EcoCouncil ran the ‘switch it off’ competition and built links with Project Gambia who we supported with a large donation of old-style uniform. Sustainability is also now embedded in curriculum through Humanities and Skills sessions such as Eco-Artists, Gardening, Outdoor Explorers, Sustainability Broadcasters and KH Radio’s Big Green Idea.

PE & Games Due to the continual threat of COVID-19 during the 2020-21 academic year, school sport, whilst remaining a critical aspect of school life, looked very different indeed.

We were presented with a minefield of challenges and restrictions including the inability to mix year groups, the loss of competitive inter-school fixtures over the first two terms, the inability to play contact sport over the first term and the continual sanitising of equipment, facilities and children!

In true Hawford style, the children adapted with admirable resilience, positivity and enthusiasm in spite of any frustration that they were feeling. With the necessary alterations that were introduced, it was delightful to witness the manner in which the boys and girls played together within their year group bubbles; having fun whilst learning new skills and breaking down the obsolete, traditional gender stereotypes that are all too often present in sports.

The opportunity to have boys and girls competing alongside each other in hockey, tag rugby, netball, football and cricket was hugely worthwhile and provided the children with an increased respect for one another.

Physical Education has remained a vastly popular subject within the school timetable with children throughout the school from Kindergarten to Year 6 looking forward to their weekly lessons in the Barn or the pool.

Despite losing a term due to lockdown, the majority of children were still able to

88

The Vigornian

access their timetabled PE lessons with Mr Hodgkins via live Zoom sessions. They continued to impress with outstanding levels of maturity, creativity and determination whilst completing distanced, fitness-based lessons where they learnt a wide variety of training methods and the relevant scientific principles that underpin them.

The Summer Term not only brought the joy of the sunshine but also the relaxation of restrictions and, subsequently, the welcome return of competitive sport! It was a breath of fresh air to welcome other schools on site for cricket fixtures, albeit with COVID safe guidelines in place. All children in Years 3 to 6 enjoyed regular fixtures against the schools on our local

circuit and the pride and excitement of representing King’s Hawford once again was there for all to see.

We were thrilled to cap off a challenging year with our wonderful sports days. To finally be able to welcome parents back on site, in a safe manner, and bring the children together to compete in the Early Years, Pre Prep and Prep Sports Days was fantastic.

The children embraced the return of the cheering crowds and produced a range of outstanding performances. Whether it be a child showing super resilience, attaining a personal best or smashing a new school record, we are hugely proud of every single one of them.

Events and Charitable Fundraising Undaunted by ever changing regulations, the whole school community were determined to continue to keep the Hawford spirit alive this year. We enjoyed a full and varied programme of events, including some tried and tested favourites and many new ideas developed to meet the challenges presented by a global pandemic.

In line with our desire to make Hawford a more eco-conscious school, we chose to support two main charities this year with strong sustainability credentials Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), which offers a global conservation perspective and the Canal and Rivers Trust, which has allowed us to see sustainability in action on our doorstep.

The charity year kicked off with Masked Mayhem, with pupils across the school making and wearing masks based on one of the 14 endangered animals we ultimately went on to adopt with WWF. There were also masks, painted faces and spooky outfits in every nook, cranny and dark recess of the school on our Halloween Day. Witches, wizards, zombies, werewolves and ghosts all joined in a carousel of ghoulish activities, including a thriller dance party.

Although a simple activity, our sponsored Towpath Trek was a huge hit with the children. This whole school sponsored walk took our trekkers up to three miles along the canal towpath from school. All children from Reception to Year 6 took part in the challenge and they just loved the

opportunity to get out, walk with friends, enjoy the local countryside and, of course, the canal.

We took a chance on an ABBA Day and it paid off, with more Money, Money, Money kindly donated for our charities. During the day many children (and staff) dressed in seventies chic. We built miniature Ikea furniture and undertook a highly competitive ABBA themed treasure hunt before the highlight, our evening ABBA concert. A Zoom audience of around 280 people watched children and teachers perform brilliantly, covering many of the ABBA classics. Mr Turner and Mrs Adams’ rendition of ‘Money, Money, Money’ will never be forgotten by those watching.

The Green Charity Day and Sustainable Fashion Show was a great way to end the charity year, with virtually the whole school sporting an outfit or accessory that they had designed, manufactured and were now modelling. After some hard-fought year group heats, winners were chosen to strut their stuff on the runway in our final gala. It was clear to anyone watching that London, Paris and Milan just can’t compete with Hawford for sustainable haut-couture or high-class fashion modelling.

The generosity of the Hawford community meant that we raised an incredible £6500, which will be split between our charities.

We were also pleased to be able to make contributions for the Worcester Food Bank through our Harvest Festival donations and

the highly enjoyable cereal packet domino rally on Green Day. Beyond the specific charity events Hawford, once again, was able to show huge diversity in the range of activities that the whole school revels in taking part in, from the Christingle service to the Talent Show. We also ran four great days linked to the curriculum through our MFL, Science, Maths and World Book Day events. House events such as the Tug of War, Quiz and Bake off were, as ever, massively competitive and highly entertaining.

It is the unique events of the year, built to withstand the rigours of lockdowns and restrictions, that may well live longest in the memory – The PA sponsored ‘For the Love of Hawford’ video and Duvet Day linked to a Valentine’s theme; England and Warriors rugby player Ted Hill taking questions from pupils on Zoom; the entire school filming a special Hawford rendition of Country Roads and of course ‘Jim Turner Day’ to celebrate all things ‘Mr Turner’ to mark his retirement.

It was lovely to see the children really enjoying the end of year celebrations as the Great Pizza Oven Build and Bake Day led almost seamlessly into the Summer Fete, in which we saw our children at their very best – having fun, enjoying each other’s company and soaking teachers with sponges and super soakers in the Revenge Zone.

The Vigornian

89

Arts Review The academic year 2020-21 has had some wonderful musical highlights along with challenges embraced by all, with particular government restrictions on singing and playing instruments in ensembles. Not to be defeated, technology was embraced to piece together concerts, dance showcases, and assemblies, streaming live performances from both home and school to relatives far and wide.

The Year 5 and 6 production is often the musical highlight of the year, especially for many Year 6 children before they leave to head on to the Senior School. This year’s show, ‘Ye-Ha!’ (by Craig Hawes), was no exception. To give Year 3 and 4 a performance opportunity (having been unable to perform a Junior production in the Spring Term), the decision was made to include the whole of Prep in the Summer show. At the start of rehearsals, not knowing whether we would be allowed to mix year groups proved challenging. With Year 6 cast in the speaking roles, rehearsals ran smoothly. Years 3, 4, and 5 learnt several songs, and each year group learnt a themed class dance and a song to perform along with two full numbers. Year 5 were naturals as Native Americans, Year 4 were cool as cowboys and cowgirls, and 3 made perfect prisoners. The Year 6s demonstrated numerous strong performances, from the determined heroine Billy-Jo (Phoebe Troughton), who sang effortlessly as she performed complicated choreography, to the bumbling Mad Dog Gang of hoodlums. The meek character Wilbur (Henry Friend) impressed with his tuneful singing, and the audience were wowed by the stunning violin ‘Hoedown’ played

by Arthur Hasling, who also performed the roles of Chief and Rooster. The Year 6 cast mastered American accents and gave entertaining and believable performances.

The choreography was quite astonishing, with the huge number of children involved in the year group dances and in some of the smaller numbers too. The fantastic Wild Western Town set, crafty staging and excellent costumes gave a further boost, and seeing all the Prep children collaborate was the icing on the cake.

At Christmas, the Early Years and PrePrep enchanted us with their singing and smiles in their nativities, ‘Bundle of Joy’ and ‘Santa’s Setbacks’. It was pleasing that these two productions could be filmed to share with families and friends, to treasure these precious memories.

Due to COVID-19, unfortunately, the Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts was cancelled, and the Worcester

90

The Vigornian

Competitive Arts Festival went online, preventing ensemble entries. Nonetheless, several children enjoyed solo successes and a small number of pupils entered additional online festivals in the region and further afield in London.

Throughout the year we have managed to continue offering performance opportunities to our 130+ musicians. With pre-recorded assembly performances and a mixture of pre-recorded and live concerts, the children have maintained high levels of practice and made the most of their chances to demonstrate their skills. It was wonderful to resume choir and orchestra with Year 5 in the last term, abiding by the government guidelines for performing, and we enjoyed the regular Brass Group performances throughout lockdown, including the superb ‘Super Trouper’ for the amazing ABBA Charity Day Concert.

Wonderful successes in ABRSM, LCM and Trinity music examinations have continued throughout the year with 60+ results and good interest shown in the new ABRSM Practical Music exams, which could be recorded at home. 2021 has seen two of our Year 6 musicians offered Music Scholarships as they move on to senior school. Congratulations to Arthur Hasling and Alex Foster and long may your musicmaking continue! We were delighted to award Music Scholarships to children at Hawford who showed great musical discipline and promise: Year 3, Harry Clay and Year 4, Edith Dean. We are also proud that several King’s Hawford pupils now attend the Worcester Cathedral Voluntary Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs.

We are grateful to our inspirational, talented and supportive peripatetic music team who have risen above the challenges presented by teaching via Zoom, to continue to inspire their pupils both in their daily practice and in helping the children nurture their love of music-making while realising their musical potential. The focus has resulted in some tremendous progress this year. We look forward to our normal offering of extracurricular music provision returning next year – there is something for everyone!

Staff Matters At the end of the Spring Term we bid a fond farewell to Mr Turner, who retired after 15 years at the helm. Mr Turner was very well loved by everyone in the King’s Hawford Community. His enthusiasm, love of the great outdoors and wish to make each and every day at Hawford joyful is a great legacy. I am honoured to have taken the reins from him. Jim oversaw a huge amount of development and change during his time at Hawford, with additions such as the pool roof, the reinvention of the Cobb, the stable block and most recently our beautiful Barn, to name just a few. Jim’s greatest legacy is a generation of children who are polite, enthusiastic, resilient and well equipped for future success. They will all remember him and their time at this magical school with great fondness. I am sure that they will also continue to heed his daily advice to never forget to greet people with a polite ‘Good afternoon’, with eye contact and a smile!

We also said goodbye to Miss Jodie Howland at Easter, who has been a valued member of our Reception staff team. Jodie is a talented and empathetic teacher, who is also blessed with a beautiful voice. We look forward to welcoming her back to Hawford to perform for us in the near future.

At the end of the Summer Term we also said our farewells to Tom Ottley. Tom is an exHawford pupil who has been an excellent role model for the children in his role as Sports Assistant. He joined us for his gap year and became an invaluable member of the community. We wish him well as he heads off to university to read Politics.

Anna Turner also leaves the team. She is a much-loved member of staff who grew up at Hawford, and went on to become an excellent Teaching Assistant in our Reception class. Anna is calm, patient and has a lovely rapport with the children. We wish her the very best of luck for her new career in the baking industry. Her regular delivery of home baked cakes will be sorely missed in the staff room!

Jennie Phillips

KING’S ST ALBAN’S 2020-21 has been the most remarkable, unpredictable and challenging year for all schools! When the pandemic started, over four terms ago, nobody thought that its effects would still be felt today and that life, certainly in school, would still be very different to that of life pre-pandemic. We have had 16 months of onerous guidance telling us what we can and cannot do without really having any control over the situation. We have all had to be flexible and agile in order to adapt as best we can. Ultimately, we have had to stay positive and remind ourselves that we can only ‘control the controllables’.

Despite all of this, King’s St Alban’s has remained in good health; our academic and pastoral reputations remain strong, the (still newish) Nursery is thriving and very much feels part of the place, and we remain proud to be part of the King’s foundation. A parental survey conducted

by RSAcademics in December, and a review by the Good Schools Guide in March were both very positive and encouraging.

Nomenclature might seem unimportant at present, but the decision to confirm King’s St Alban’s as a Prep School gives

us a sensible steer as we emerge from the uncertainty of school life, COVID style.

Despite everything, there is a lot to report on and so much to celebrate at King’s St Alban’s in 2020-21.

The Vigornian

91

Lockdown and Remote Learning The children, resilient and adaptable as they are, will not appreciate just how strange and unusual the past 12 months have been! The year started quite normally in September; bubbles were in place and observed, the quad was covered in AstroTurf, acting as a second playground, and there were no fixtures or whole school activities such as assemblies, which were conducted on Teams. But lessons happened as normal, children played, forest school was back and a new normal was found. Like all schools, we had a few positive cases, cohorts were sent home and remote learning kicked in. Overall, however, the Autumn Term was relatively normal.

The beginning of January was remarkable!

We enjoyed a staff training day on the fourth of January considering our approach to children’s mental health and planning for the return of the children the following day. The training was of its time: indoors, windows open, staff spaced out and cold!

There was an air of uncertainty and unease.

COVID-19 numbers were rising sharply and there were lots of rumours about government policy. As we are all aware, by five o’clock that day it was announced that schools were to be closed to all except key worker children with immediate effect. And so, the ‘back to remote learning’ button was pressed, and we returned to key worker bubbles, remote timetables, checking-in on the phone, virtual assemblies, live form

periods and, in time, virtual clubs, concerts and even a virtual gala.

Life was not easy for anyone. As teachers taught from home, a combination of teaching assistants, games staff, matrons and others acted as ‘facilitators’ to the key worker bubbles, sometimes having to support six virtual lessons at one time, keeping order and responding to the inevitable IT issues.

The teachers were magnificent and audits of Showbie and Class Dojo revealed that a lot of work was submitted between the fourth of January and the eighth of March with a great deal of learning taking place. Unsurprisingly, some children found these two months harder than others. Let’s hope we never have to go through such times again.

As with everything in recent times, a great deal of planning went into the reopening of school to all children on the eighth of March. The timing was good, a three-week window before the Easter break. The plan then was to get all children ‘happily back into routines’ and to emphasise (as ever, but especially at this time) pastoral care.

And there we were, back to school life as it was in the Autumn Term. And what a joy and relief it was for the children and teachers to have actual, proper lessons!

The Summer Term continued in similar vein, but the threat of a positive case continued to loom large. Strict enforcement of our COVID-19 policies, management of bubbles,

sensible decision-making and a bit of luck meant that we bumped to the end with a full school. In many ways, the end of the Summer Term was one of the most joyful and positive of my lengthy career. Restrictions were gradually eased, guidance followed, and we were allowed to do more. As we had throughout the pandemic, we tried to do as much as possible, whatever the format, in a safe manner. And so, some fixtures came back on board, we had outdoor Pre-Prep assemblies with parents, two wonderful sports days, a summer show in the theatre, a live Year Four/Five play and a Speech Day with all Junior children and Year Six parents. Having (probably) taken such events for granted in the past, it is fair to say that we ended 2020-21 on a high!

Throughout all of this, the staff and children were amazing. A Growth Mindset is firmly embedded within the culture of the school, and I think such an attitude got many of us through it. The whole school community showed adaptability, resilience, determination, and stoicism in so many ways and on so many occasions.

Each class has put together a COVID time capsule to open when they leave King’s at 18. And so, in anything from seven to fourteen years’ time, our children will open the capsules as young adults and perhaps reflect on the most unbelievable of years. Did it really happen?...

Academic News Despite the impact of COVID-19, the academic life of the school continued to progress in 2021-21 with the following highlights: 15 of our Year Six children received scholarships or other awards to King’s, and 42 will make the journey over the road in September.

We have worked hard to reinstate education visits, and all years from Reception to Year Six have had at least one trip in recent weeks - including a Year Two residential.

We have continued to embrace ‘pupil voice’ in many ways through a new and very busy school council.

We have now formed an eco-club, and its members have had a number of exciting and practical meetings. We remain very committed to this area and are working towards ‘green flag’ status over the coming year.

As ever, and despite COVID, we have been quick to embrace national learning

92

The Vigornian

opportunities and have had activities to mark Number Day, Book Week, World Kindness Day, World Mental Health Day, Languages Day and even Elf Day!

We launched a new PSHE scheme with revised provision for RSE in September, and, despite bubbles and lockdowns, have manged to teach the course.

Our GYM (Grow Your Mind) homework weekends continue to be enjoyed by our children, and the projects the children do seem to get more and more innovative! The week after a GYM weekend is always special as I see many, many children to discuss their GYM and normally give out bumper numbers of Head Teacher’s Awards.

We have continued to be mindful of and proactive with our children’s mental health.

An assembly about rugby player Kyle Sinkler reminded us that ‘it’s ok not to be ok’ and that it is good to talk. Mindfulness is taught at many stages, and Year Six enjoyed a course in dot breathe, which focused on managing transition.

The Nursery

Staff

Charity

The King’s St Alban’s Nursery is now approaching its second birthday, having opened in September 2019 with nine children. Although the pandemic has meant it has operated as its own bubble for most of its fledgling time, it has felt very much a part of the school, and the King’s warmth and a real buzz are very much evident when you enter its rooms. Numbers have risen quickly, and we start the new year with around 30 children, and thoughts on how we might expand! Feedback has been consistently excellent, with the highest rating on the well-regarded daynurseries. co.uk and indeed a place in its ‘top 20 recommended small nursery group in the UK.’ The Nursery is now well-established, very much a part of King’s St Alban’s, and this national award is well deserved.

We said goodbye to Katy Hadfield in March as she moved with her family to Oxfordshire.

Katy was part of the original team when we opened our Pre-Prep in 2009 and was highly regarded as a Pre-Prep teacher and forest school leader. Latterly, she was an excellent Assistant Head, and she leaves to be Head of Pre-Prep at Pinewood School.

Miss Briony Cartwright took over as Assistant Head, Pre-Prep, at the start of the Summer Term.

We have done a significant amount for charity this year, with most suggestions coming from the children.

Recent initiatives have involved the RSPCA and Maggs Day Centre. We are very proud of Leo Slevin in Year Four.

Leo was upset about food imbalance and child food poverty in particular. He vowed to do something about it. His charity walk in February raised nearly £1500 and his drive, passion and hard work, including working with major supermarkets, raised a great deal of awareness within the school.

Mrs Amanda Withnall has been a kind, thoughtful and valued morning matron for a number of years; her calm and unfussy manner has been much appreciated by children, staff and parents. She moves to join our Nursery team in September.

Mrs Sarah Saundry takes over as morning matron next term.

Mrs Lisa Kilbey, appointed Assistant Head in January 2020, becomes Deputy Head in September 2021.

Sport In the Autumn Term we were able to play rugby, football, hockey and netball in school, and although we were unable to compete against other schools, we had some extremely competitive InterHouse Tournaments. All the age groups competed in the swimming pool, entering the Warwick Prep School virtual swimming gala, and many of our Year Six pupils chose to compete in the National Prep School’s Virtual Cross-Country Championships.

This was a timed three kilometre run along the river, and we were delighted to hear that several of our children did well in the competition. We also entered the Worcestershire Virtual School Games Pentathlon where the children had to compete in five athletic events and again, we performed very well as a school.

had expected. We more than doubled our target of 612 miles and travelled 1288 miles!

Finally, with a bit of normality returning, it was with great delight that we returned to playing competitive fixtures against our local friendly group of schools. There has been a very impressive number of children (both girls and boys) participating in cricket clubs and fixtures this term. The sports staff has thoroughly enjoyed teaching all the cricket lessons mixed, across the year groups, and many of our fixtures have been

played with mixed teams. It has been a great opportunity for the boys and girls to compete alongside each other.

The enthusiasm and numbers at running club have been outstanding. Hill climbs, interval runs, relays and the bleep test were all popular.

And so, despite the enormous challenges, the sporting year has been both busy and successful and was rounded off in great style with Prep and Pre-Prep Sports Days.

Due to the sudden lockdown in January, we tried to get all the children active at home which involved them participating in our ‘KSA Kick Start 2021’ fitness challenges set each day. We were impressed by the response and thrilled to see so many pupils keeping active in so many different ways.

We were inspired by Leo Slevin and his efforts to raise awareness and money for ‘The Trussell Trust,’ and so invited all our children to set themselves a challenge to walk the same distance as Leo would as he walked the Malverns. We had a fantastic response with children running, walking, scootering, horse riding and cycling. This saw them travel many more miles than we

The Vigornian

93

The Arts This has been an incredibly challenging time for the arts across the world, as the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to keep concert halls, theatres and galleries closed.

In light of this, we are really proud that we have managed to keep a vibrant arts programme running throughout the year, even though this has had to be adapted to fit the guidelines and keep everyone safe.

In Dance, the year got off to a fine start with ‘Chance to Dance’, recorded in the John Moore Theatre with exciting sound and lighting which really added to each performance. Dance clubs were excited to be able to return to the stage at the end of term to contribute to the drama club’s Christmas production. In March, Year Five really enjoyed performing to ‘This is Me’ and ‘A Million Dreams’ from ‘The Greatest Showman.’ Fantastic costumes, lighting and the chance to perform in front of each other made this a very special postlockdown event.

In Art, Year Six were able to experience a superb architectural workshop early in the Autumn Term. They had to work collaboratively on their designs, and they all learned a great deal. During Spring lockdown, one of the Art challenges was

to create a design for our baby elephant sculpture for the Worcester Stands Tall Exhibition. There were so many great ideas that Mrs Cain combined lots of them into a collaborative design – ‘Eleking’ is part of the Big Parade this summer, in support of St. Richards Hospice.

Drama Club somehow managed to happen during the Autumn of 2020; as they say, the show must go on! And the show was Harry Rings, Lord of the Potters, a fusion play.

The cast proved pleasingly enthusiastic and equal to the ludicrous logic of this ‘two plays rolled in one’ format. In the summer, Drama Club turned its attention to Spellbound, a play about witches and royalty squabbling over who is really in charge. The performance took place in July to a small audience; something of a novelty for the arts in 2020-21.

The Music Department has been very busy as well, with weekly rehearsals involving many children in year group ensembles – a change from our usual ensemble offering.

We recorded a very successful concert in November, and then the ensembles worked incredibly hard to learn Christmas pieces for a second recording session two weeks later. Each year group bubble

Choristers We remain very proud of our 10 Cathedral choristers; these boys have worked

enjoyed learning songs for these events, and our Christmas offerings were certainly different from the usual Carol Service repertoire! Year Six did themselves proud in the Carol Service in the Cathedral, coping well with the difficulties of socially distant singing in such a large venue. We missed our usual large congregation, but this was nonetheless a very special occasion.

Throughout the year we have continued to hold regular Informal Concerts via Zoom.

This has been a highly successful format that has allowed friends and family to join from the safety of their homes.

The final arts event of the year took place in July and was rather special! Our Summer Show traditionally combines Dance, Music and Drama and is a real celebration of the arts. This year it allowed all our Year Six children to perform five exciting pieces that they choreographed themselves during dance lessons this term, alongside musical items rehearsed by the year group ensembles. The dances were based on their reflections of lockdown and encompassed the themes of Hope, Unity, Freedom, Joy and Kindness. Combined with poetry and a pre-recorded Year Six song, and performed in front of a small live audience, this was an uplifting and moving end to the year.

IAPS hard in challenging circumstances this year. Rory and Ralphie were awarded their surplices and Benedict, Giles and Sebastian medallions earlier this year.

2021 was a ‘home year’ for the Three Choirs Festival and so all our Choristers were involved in this exciting fortnight.

Boys as young as eight were wonderfully committed and performed alongside professional musicians. We are excited about the opportunities for both boy and girl Choristers in the future.

King’s St Alban’s remains proud of its IAPS (Independent Association of Prep Schools) membership. IAPS has over 660 schools in membership and is well-regarded both nationally and internationally. In a year of crisis and regular uncertainty, the support and advice offered by the staff at IAPS has been significant and appreciated. I was delighted to be appointed as Chairman of District 6, representing 45 schools in the Midlands area, and member of the IAPS board, in Autumn 2020. This should be a positive appointment for King’s St Alban’s.

Moving On One of the highlights of the year came on Upper Sixth Leavers’ Day when a group of seven leavers came back to King’s St Alban’s. This group were part of the first ever Year Two class here when the PrePrep opened in 2009. The King’s journey is a special one; memories are made over the years. I am incredibly proud of the KSA Year Six, and these were my words to them on Speech Day: ‘You have blossomed as this year has gone

94

The Vigornian

on and I am very proud of all of you. You have had a tough year and not had the Normandy or Old Chapel trips to end with.

But, you have been remarkably stoical and resilient. You have not made a fuss and just got on with whatever this crazy year has thrown at you. You have bonded well with each other which is probably a good thing as you’ve been bubbled up for 12 months!

I personally think that the skills you have had to develop will put you in good stead for your move to Senior School and indeed

throughout life. Within our Growth Mindset wheel, never before have attributes like resilience, flexibility, independence and responsibility been more important. You have been super role models for our younger children and set the tone as Year Six. You have learned a great deal during this year and been great fun to work with.

You are now on an exciting journey as your time at KSA comes to an end. I wish you all the very best for the future!’

Richard Chapman

OLD VIGORNIANS, DEVELOPMENT TRUST & ARCHIVES

The Vigornian

95

The King’s School Worcester Development Trust your education, and you want the best for yourself and you’re willing to work for that, the Bursary Programme gives you the chance to work for a better future.”

The film of Louise’s interview of the Headmaster can be found on the King’s website, at: www.ksw.org.uk/alumni/ support-kings/headmaster-on-kingsbursaries/

The Development & Alumni Relations Team The team comprises Liz Elliott, Development Director who looks after development and fundraising strategy; Sophie Borrillo-McLellan, Head of Alumni Relations; Amanda Sutcliffe, our Development Assistant who co-ordinates all event bookings, processes donations and is in charge of our social media and OV newsletters; and Cath Williams, Database Assistant who ensures we maintain accurate contact details and records for all our alumni.

We are very grateful to both Caroline Mitchell-Wise (who covered for Sophie’s maternity leave) and Alice Evans, our former Development Assistant, who moved on to work at Worcester University in January 2021.

Alice worked for our office since 2017 and she was a conscientious and very much valued member of the team. We were sad to say goodbye and wish her well in her new role.

However, we are delighted to welcome her replacement, Amanda Sutcliffe to our team.

Amanda has a degree in Social Psychology from the University of Kent and has worked in a number of countries, particularly enjoying a stint in Naples where she lived and worked with husband, OV Edward Sutcliffe (Cl 8292) who was a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy. Before joining King’s Worcester, Amanda worked with brother-in-law Duncan Sutcliffe, Old Hawfordian, as Business Development Manager at Sutcliffe & Co Insurance Brokers. Amanda brings many skills to the role and she is really enjoying getting to know members of the School community – both the staff at King’s Worcester and also OVs, parents and friends of King’s. Amanda and Ed also have a son currently in the Fourth Form at King’s Worcester.

Open the door to King’s Bursary Campaign Our Bursary Campaign has raised over £1.1m since its launch in May 2018 and some thirteen full bursaries were supported by the Trust in 2020/21. We are enormously grateful to those individuals who have chosen to support this critical programme, whether via a single substantial donation, which is used to support specific individual 96

The Vigornian

pupils at King’s, via smaller regular donations by standing order, or by leaving a bequest to King’s in their wills. Without their assistance, the Trust would be unable to provide these bursaries that can make a real and lasting difference to the life of a young person.

Individually-funded bursaries and significant donations to the Trust We are delighted that, from September 2020, there are six pupils at King’s being personally funded by three individuals: • John Weston (S 62-69), through The Weston Bursary (which will provide one bursary place at School for the foreseeable long-term future), • John Foley (Cl 64-74), through the Foley Family Bursary (the Foley family have kindly committed to funding a full bursary at school every year for the foreseeable future) • Mark Haworth (Cl 81-88), whose wonderful generosity is currently providing funding for a number of pupils at the School.

In addition, we are indebted to the trustees of the Kildare Trust who made a generous donation to the School for bursaries during the year. Also to Julian Slater (S 70-76) and David Blundell (Ch 48-57) for their major donations to the Bursary Campaign, acknowledging that their own education was funded for them (whether through the Direct Grant government scheme or from the generosity of a relative).

King’s bursaries really do change lives, and we were delighted that one of our former bursary pupils, Louise Turner (Br 11-18) came back to School to interview new Headmaster, Gareth Doodes, to understand his views on bursaries. Louise herself talks about the opportunities enabled by a King’s bursary, saying that a bursary to King’s: “levels the playing field for everyone. If you’re involved and actively engaged in

Anyone who might be considering making a donation can contact Development Director, Liz Elliott on 01905 721719, or by email on eelliott@ksw.org.uk and further information about King’s School Bursaries can be found on our website: ksw.org. uk/alumni/support-kings. We are always very grateful for donations to the Trust, at whatever level.

1541 Society The 1541 Society recognises all those who have made a major contribution to the Development Trust through legacy pledges, major donations, or by volunteering their time and expertise. We are indebted to those who have committed to remember King’s Worcester in their will; this is a very powerful and meaningful way of supporting our Bursary Appeal and ensuring that a child in the future can attend King’s Worcester, who would not otherwise have the opportunity.

Each year, the Chairman of the Trust hosts an event for the members of the society and the Headmaster reports on current activities and future plans for the School.

Unfortunately, due to Covid, we have been unable to hold our 1541 event for the last two years. However, we have plans for a special event in the coming year and are keen to be able to thank our 1541 members for all they do for King’s in a meaningful way.

If you wish to know more about leaving a Legacy to King’s, please call Liz Elliott, Development Director on 01905 721719 or email on eelliott@ksw.org.uk.

Alternatively, more information can be found on the School website: ksw.org.uk/ alumni/support-kings/leave-a-legacy Development Trust Funds Since the formation of the Development Office in 2000, over £8.3 million has been raised by donations into the Development Trust.

Please remember to keep us informed should you move house or change your email address: alumni@ksw.org.uk Donations to the Trust are either invested in an Enduring Fund – where the principle is to retain the capital element and apply investment gains towards financing bursaries – or they are applied into a Fellowship Bursary fund, which supports bursary places currently in the school. One of the key roles of the trustees is to ensure that there are sufficient funds to provide for future bursarial support, whilst maintaining the current level of bursary places in the school. In the year to July 2021, some thirteen full bursary places were funded from donations to the Trust and, despite the challenging economic climate, the current fund for bursaries stands at £3.6 million.

The aim is to have a fund of £5 million by 2025 and, in the longer term, to be in a position to provide for 40 places, to recognise the founding principles of the School, by Henry VIII when he re-founded the school in 1541.

Updates in Data Protection Legislation We are committed to ensuring that contact details are kept up to date and we also work hard to ensure that all members of the Kings family hear from the Development & Alumni Relations Office as they wish (giving options for individuals to personalise the method and purpose of communications).

On all correspondence from the office, a link is provided to personalise communications preferences and we adhere to GDPR legislation - using legitimate interest as our basis for processing data - when communicating with all individuals, for whom we hold contact details. Our Privacy Notice in relation to development and alumni activities of King’s can be found on the alumni/about/alumni-developmentprivacy-notice section of the King’s website.

The past year has been challenging for so many of us. Given the difficult economic climate and challenges faced by many of our community, we were so grateful that our fundraising was supported by some very generous donations from key individuals, as well as by those who have continued to support the School, via the Development Trust charitable arm, through their regular standing order payments, which provide much needed stability in times of difficulty.

The School’s main fundraising priority continues to be for pupil bursaries, which are as important and impactful as ever.

We are also indebted to the work and commitment of our trustees, who continued to serve the Trust throughout the year, and who represent various areas of the King’s family. They are: Andrew Reekes - Chairman of the Development Trust, Governor and Chairman of the Education Committee and OV Katie Beever - Staff member and current parent Hugh Carslake - Chairman of Governors and former parent Nick Clark - OV, current parent and OV Committee member Linton Connell - OV and former parent Douglas Dale - Governor and Chairman of the Finance and General Purposes Committee

Hannah Edwards - current parent John Foley - OV and former parent Fanos Hira - Chairman of Trust Investment Committee, OV and current parent Donald Howell - former Chairman of Governors and OV Carl Jury - former Chairman of Parents’ Association and former parent Pat Preston - Governor and former parent Leanne Sheen - OV John Weston - OV

We were delighted that Gareth Doodes, as Headmaster, joined the Trust as an Executive Officer, and serves alongside the Development Director and Bursar. More information about our trustees can be found on the King’s School website at: ksw.org.uk/alumni/about/the-trust

OV Club Having had to unfortunately postpone the Annual OV Reunion weekend twice – from May 2020 to September 2020, then to September 2021 – as I write, the wheels are still in motion for this latest date and we are very much looking forward to seeing you on 18 September 2021 for the 118th Annual OV Reunion weekend.

It has been a long time since we were last able to get together for a proper reunion!

The OV Club is keeping our fingers crossed that all goes according to plan, and we will once again be able to celebrate at OV events and reunions.

Nick Stephens (Br 77-84), OV Club Hon Secretary

2020-21 Committee and Officers David Ogle - President Vacant - Vice President Richard Underwood - Chairperson Nick Stephens - Hon Secretary John Potter - Hon Treasurer

Gareth Doodes - Headmaster Sophie Borrillo-McLellan - King’s School Alumni Representative

Committee Members Alec Mackie - Members Emeritus Elected Members Julia Annable (2018) Helen Kennedy Nick Clark (2016) Will Kerton (2016) Simon Cronin Mike Page Rebecca Day (2018) Claire Turner David Head (2018)

The Vigornian

97

OV Events We were ever hopeful of holding reunions and events throughout the year however, despite our optimistic approach, we were thwarted by the restrictions necessitated by covid and, like many other schools and establishments, we embraced the newstyle Zoom meeting to involve OVs in the school calendar and programme. We are enormously lucky to have such a diverse and talented group of people amongst the OV and wider King’s community, who are willing to give their time and advice to our current students. Equally, the commitment and hard work of King’s Head of Careers, Helen Airdrie, in organising so many engaging and informative events for the students, meant that we were able to welcome back to School – virtually – a large number of OVs and other members of King’s families.

In between lockdowns, we were delighted that OV, Edward Cumming QC (Br 9001) was able to come back to School in person for our Barnabas Day Speaker.

It was a real shame that we were not able to welcome visitors into School on Remembrance Day. However, King’s Theatre Manager, with the assistance of the School IT team, compiled an impressive online service for pupils and guests. The service included the School choir and the CCF, along with members of the School body saying the prayers (Hon OV, Andrew Maund) and laying the wreaths to remember those killed during the wars (Head of School, Olivia on behalf of the current pupils and Head of Sixth Form and OV, Josh Hand (Cl 91-01) on behalf of the former pupils). We were honoured that OV Major James Scott (Os 90-01) joined the service remotely as speaker and talked movingly about the nature of conflict, using an excerpt from Emily Mayhew’s book Wounded about a WWI doctor treating wounded soldiers in terrible circumstances.

Major Scott invited us to think not about great heroes but about the ordinary people who were involved in the horrors of war.

We were very grateful to Major Scott for taking the time to speak to us.

We have been delighted that, in the absence of in-person events, OVs have continued to be involved virtually in activities taking place at King’s. A number of virtual careers sessions have been hugely successful and we are very grateful for the following OVs – amongst others - who have joined King’s via remote video links over the past year.

Over 25 students from the Upper Remove to Lower Sixth joined online to hear four guests, including three OVs, speak about their

98

The Vigornian

experiences within the fields of Mechanical, Robotic, Civil, Aerospace and Chemical Engineering in both technical, management and business development roles. Our thanks go to OVs Chris Crabtree (W 03-05), Ben Alexander (Ch 06-13) and Jon Feldman (Ch 96-05) and also to Adam Jones from Costain for sharing their insight and expertise. The audience was offered good advice including, “Work is about the skills which you bring to the role, not just about knowledge”.

Each year at King’s a key skills session is organised where young OVs return to School to give insights into their gap years, to the current sixth form students. This year, due to Covid restrictions, the session was run online and we are grateful to Head of Key Skills, Catriona Rees, for organising the event.

Our thanks go to Francesca Descher (Cl 1017) who worked at an international school in Egypt, Archie Jury (K 12-19) who did volunteer work in Nepal, Maggie Bullock (Os 12-19) who worked at a school in South Korea, George Gudgeon (Os 08-15) who travelled to Australia and Miles Maley (Cl 12-19) who spent time in China and Hong Kong. This year, inevitably gap year plans were affected by the pandemic and Miles included in his talk the Chinese phrase, “where there’s change, there’s opportunity” and he also reflected, in a freshly positive light, that Covid-19 has given people the chance to shine.

OVs Josh Wickens (Os 04-11), Lydia Robinson (K 91-98) and Lizzie Turner (née Baxter, S 03-10) all shared their experiences in Architecture, as well as King’s parent, Kwesi Marles and Mark Martin, Director of a Worcester-based multi-disciplinary integrated design company. Josh is currently doing his Part III Architecture training and he said, “I get to do what I love everyday”. He also shared with the students some of the projects he has worked on already, saying that “with this profession, you give a bit of yourself to each project”. Lydia is Creative Director of, and heads up, an architect firm in Cheltenham and said that what she loves about being an architect is that you “make a difference to people’s lives, and that’s very rewarding.” Her company has been shortlisted for a number of awards, including winning the RIBA Regional Award & Conservation Award for a renovation project in 2017. Lizzie talked about her experience of Interior Architecture and what her route into this profession has been. She talked about

working for Martin Brudnizki Design Studio in a PR and Communications role, which gave her exposure to some incredible projects.

OV, Joe Fowles (Cl 05-12) joined the Upper Sixth in an assembly to talk about the importance of inclusivity and diversity in the workplace. Joe works for global strategy consulting firm Oliver Wyman, which advises public sector bodies and he encouraged the pupils to educate themselves about diversity, to have difficult conversations, to get connected and engage politically and, in this way, they can go on to make a real difference in the world.

An enthusiastic group of King’s pupils were treated to a virtual session with OV, Mark Meyrick (H 69-70, Cr 71-74) as he talked about the very relevant subject of Climate Change and how this affects us all. Mark pointed out important milestones in protocols and international summits and showed how sustainable companies are becoming more and more popular for consumers as well as investors. He then explained the huge range of jobs that may appeal to the students, which are a product of climate change, sustainability, environmental awareness and renewable energies.

In March we were honoured and thrilled that the King’s Music department hosted ‘An Evening with Nicholas Cleobury (Ch 58-68)’, with internationally acclaimed conductor, Nicholas being interviewed by Hon OV and Assistant Director of Music, Christopher Allsop. We were delighted to be joined in the Zoom event by some 80 members of the King’s family: OVs, current pupils, current and former staff. During the evening, favourite music pieces were shared with the guests, featuring musicians who have influenced Nicholas’s life. You can read the full write-up from this scintillating evening, watch the recorded interview and listen to the selected pieces of music, on the King’s website, at www.ksw.org.uk/anevening-with-nicholas-cleobury A fascinating virtual session offered an insight into Languages and Careers. Helen Airdrie ran the evening alongside Head of Modern Foreign Languages department Richard Ball (Hon OV) and his department. The OVs who took part were Sam Maitland (Ch 0512), Donald Jackson (Cl 80-82), Edward Wilson (Cr 05-09), Leanne Sheen (W 99-

06), James Gilbert (Cr 90-01) and Abi Hyde (Br 12-19). Feedback from the evening was incredibly positive with pupils feeling “amazed by the different life-changing opportunities that studying languages at school can offer”. Most powerful was feedback that the “message that stuck the most was that languages take you wherever you like and as far as you wish”.

OV Marcus Ferrar (Cr 53-63) generously gave up a day to come back to King’s and talk to both linguist and historian students. Marcus is an author and communication consultant who spent over 30 years working for Reuters as both a Foreign Correspondent and in Senior Management. Armed with information on the curriculum from Richard Ball (Hon OV) and Head of History Emmah Cameron, Marcus gave three fascinating presentations.

As the sole Western correspondent in East Germany before the fall of the Wall and as a correspondent based in Europe during the Cold War, Marcus was well equipped to give an overview of what has shaped the modern Germany of today, for the pupils who study the cultural life of Berlin and the German political system. Pupils also had the opportunity to practice their German speaking and ask Marcus various questions. In the John Moore Theatre, Marcus spoke with Upper Remove History pupils, giving his presentation ‘Dresden: Reconciliation after Destruction’, which put into context the horrendous bombing at Dresden when in one evening – overnight on 13th February 1945 – 25,000 people lost their lives and 78,000 dwellings were destroyed by the British. Marcus’s final talk was to all the King’s Germanists where he spoke on modern Germany, using a selection of photographs from 1945 to the present day, covering politics, economics, reunification and much more to illustrate the journey of Germany.

Our many thanks to OVs (as well as King’s parents) for generously giving up their

time to spend advising pupils on possible career options and life beyond King’s.

In the absence of OV visits to School, we were thrilled that Director of Music, Simon Taranczuk produced a series of virtual music performances impressive in the form of a weekly OV recital. These recitals took place on Fridays and included a wide variety of musical styles and performances.

OVs who took part and performed were: Peter Holder (Br 01-08), Ollie Wild (Ch 10-17), Shannon Asplen (Ch 10-17) Penny Ashmore (Cl 14-16) and Dani Brennan (Br 12-19).

The OV community came out in force to support a King’s challenge; to travel the official distance needed for a record trip ‘Around The World’. You will be aware of the famous book ‘Around The World in 80 Days’? The ambitious target that King’s set itself was to do it in just eight days!

The plan was to run, cycle, walk, swim or row the equivalent of the 18,000 miles for the charity The Mental Health Foundation, chosen by King’s Monitors and Heads of Houses. The following OVs took part: Mark Meyrick (H/Cr 69-74), Martin Smith (K 87-94), Josh Hand (Cl 91-01), Hayley Simmonds (Cr 99-06), Anthony Lock (W 05-11), Ben Alexander (Ch 06-13), Becky Brunt (Br 06-13), Tess Titmuss (Ch 06-13), George Fairlie (W 06-13), Tegan Parsons (Ch 08-13), Sasha McNeily (Ch 09-13), Pippa Leith (Cl 09-13), Niels Emmerson (Os 06-13), George Jeavons-Fellows (Ch 06-13), Georgie Ormandy (Ch 0613), Daisy Nichols (K 08-16), Kate DunnMassey (Os 10-17), James Smalley (Br 1017), Matthew Green (Br 16-18), Will Gorner (K 12-19), Cerys Preston (Cr 12-19), Immie Gillgrass (W 13-20).

Whilst holding reunions and events in person has not been possible this year, we are

delighted that our weekly OV e-newsletter has seen a tremendous growth:

If you would like to receive our weekly OV newsletter please let us know at alumni@ ksw.org.uk . We have also been looking to grow our social media engagement and Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have been valuable means of communicating with OVs and the King’s family (watch out for the launch of OV Instagram in the coming year!). You can find us on these sites by searching for ‘Old Vigornians’.

We always love to hear news of OVs’ achievements and activities and our OV newsletter continues to be bursting full of interesting articles. You can read our previous news articles on the King’s website: www.ksw.org.uk/alumni/newsand-stories/news/ and please do email us with your own news on alumni@ksw.org.uk At the end of the school year we were cautiously welcoming OVs back into school, however we are very much looking forward to more OVs and friends of the school coming back to visit King’s in the future. If you would like to come for a visit to King’s, please give the Development & Alumni Relations team a call on 01905 721737 or email us at alumni@ksw.org.uk .

The Vigornian

99

OV Babies

OV Sophie Le Marchand (Cl 96-07) and husband Lewis Jacques were joined by Margot, their first child, on 3 November 2020 and she is already quite a character! Margot is very active, and there’s a strong chance that as you read this, she will have already taken her first independent steps. Margot is also completely in love with their dog, Jem, who truly believes Margot is her puppy; they are thick as thieves already and going to be such double trouble when they’re older!

Our many congratulations to Alice Smith (née Rees Phillips) (Os 00-05) and Matthew Smith on the arrival of their first child, Theodore Frederick Smith, who was born on 7 September 2020.

A King’s School welcome to Emily Artemis Humphreys, born on 14 November 2020, and congratulations to new parents Stephen Humphreys (Ch 98-05) and his wife Alicia.

Damian Warburton (Cr 85-92) and his wife Kelly are delighted to announce the birth of Henry Francisco Warburton on 20 August 2020, seen here at about three months old; what a smile!

Wonderful news from Sam Keyes (Cl 03-05) and Collette on the birth of Mabel Poppy Adeline Keyes, born 21 June 2021. Mabel joins sister Martha who was two in May.

OV Weddings

Sam Perry-Evans (nee Perry) (Br 0007) married Tom Evans, a surgeon from Cardiff on 27 August at Hampton in Arden Church. Due to Covid restrictions it was a small ceremony and the couple plan to enjoy their postponed large celebration and reception on their 1 year anniversary.

OVs Cat Cranton (Cr 01-07) and sister Beth Senior (03-10) were bridesmaids, and brother in law Joe Senior (S 03-10)

100

The Vigornian

was also at the ceremony. Sam looks forward to celebrating with many more OV friends at the postponed reception. Sam’s husband, Tom, attended Christ College Brecon and remembers playing rugby and cricket against King’s. These gorgeous photographs were captured by another of Sam’s bridesmaids, Rebecca Fulton, who was recently photographer at Boris Johnson’s wedding!

On the 21 September 2019 Kerry Doyle (nee Foster) (Ch 11-13) married Simeon Doyle at Hallow Church. The ceremony was followed a marquee reception at Upton upon Severn complete with many sunflowers and bunting, yummy food, a cèilidh, and fireworks.

OV Fran Szymanska (Cr 06-13) was a bridesmaid and OVs Hilary Brown (Cr 06-13) and Sophie Jacob (S 06-13), Kerry’s “beautiful King’s friends, who I absolutely treasure!!” were there to enjoy the special day too.

Ben Allsopp (S 07-12) married Ana Hernandez of California on the Hornblower Cruise Ship in the San Francisco Bay, on 24 July 2021. This was followed by a wedding reception the next day at Ana’s family home in Manteca, California. They had been dating for over four years, having met in Syracuse, New York, and having studied for a year together in Florence, Italy, on their MA programme in Italian Renaissance Art History. Ana will be moving to Baltimore

this August to begin her new job as the Assistant Director of Donor Relations at the Johns Hopkins University, the University where Ben is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Art History.

A few of Ben’s closest friends from King’s School were hoping to fly out for the wedding, but sadly COVID travel restrictions wouldn’t allow it and they were greatly missed.

Hannah Motley (nee Lucas) (Cr 01-08) and Tom Motley’s wedding went ahead in July 2021, one year and one week after their original date and, despite the preceding months of Covid uncertainty and significant reduction of the guest list, it was a truly wonderful day full of happiness and laughter. Even the weather was glorious.

Sadly, their photographer OV Elspeth Hole (2001- 2004) had to isolate but Cat Stephens Photography stepped in to take some fantastic pictures, as you can see.

The Rev Canon Dr Alvyn Pettersen (Hon OV and former King’s Worcester Governor) returned to Worcester to perform the marriage ceremony. Bridesmaids included Holly Mitchell (Cl 01-08) and Alice Brunt (Hon OV) with usher William Lucas (W 04-09). Both Hannah and Tom are former choristers and practising musicians, so music and words were central to their day. Hannah’s father, Adrian Lucas, Master of the Choristers and Organist 1996-2010, composed and dedicated an anthem based on a poem by Rabindranath Tagore for the occasion. Hannah’s mother, Joanna Lucas (Hon OV), made her wedding dress. Guests included a host of OVs who came from far and wide to attend the service.

The Vigornian

101

Barnabas Inspired by St Barnabas, ‘son of encouragement’, our Barnabas speakers are distinguished, inspirational OVs who have excelled in their chosen profession and come into School to share their experiences and inspire current pupils.

Edward Cumming On Thursday 22nd October 2020 we welcomed OV Edward Cumming QC (Br 90-01) back to School as Barnabas Speaker. St Barnabas was a fellow traveller with St Paul on his missionary journeys & is described in the Acts of the Apostles as “son of encouragement”. Distinguished OVs are invited to join our Barnabas Group & return to speak in College Hall to share their experiences & life lessons with pupils.

Edward gave an inspiring address in College Hall talking about the Law that governs our society and to which we are all subject no matter what our position. He talked about his own career beginning with his studies at Dowling College Cambridge and then a scholarship to study at the Wharton Business School, which is part of the University of Pennsylvania, and finally his training to become a barrister.

Edward talked with enthusiasm about the breadth of cases that he has been involved in and the types of people he has argued cases for. He spoke of his love for his profession and the aspects of the role that particularly appealed to him.

Edward continued by telling the pupils that each of them has something inside them which excites them and ignites their energies and that they should use the opportunities they have at King’s Worcester to discover what it is, to find their passion whatever it is, and then when they know what it is, to fight for it.

Following this, Edward met Year 6 children at King’s St Alban’s (where he had also

102

The Vigornian

been a pupil) for a Q&A session in the Chapel followed by a tour.

He met with Headmaster Gareth Doodes and Head of School, Olivia, to sign the Barnabas Book and be presented with his Barnabas Shield.

Edward then met some of the Oxbridge candidates over coffee to advise them on the application and interview process and then visited a Sixth Form Maths lesson.

A tour of the School followed, including a visit to the Boathouse, Keyes building and Library, which were all built after Edward had left the school. He was impressed with the sporting facilities on offer and the bright and friendly atmosphere in the library. Some of the school rooms were very little changed since his time at King’s and he enjoyed visiting familiar haunts, which evoked such strong memories. Edward particularly enjoyed a visit to the Archives in Edgar Tower where school archivist Harriet Patrick showed him old school photos and past copies of The Vigornian where he featured. Edward was delighted to pick out the faces of his old school friends and teachers on this trip down

Memory Lane. Edward was also impressed with the facilities in the new art block and the talent on display.

After the tour, Edward joined the Headmaster Gareth Doodes, Head of Sixth Form and old school friend OV Josh Hand (Cl 91-01), Head of Alumni Relations, Caroline Mitchell-Wise, Head of School, Olivia and Deputies Tom and Will for a delicious lunch in the Vigornian Room.

Edward was very keen to hear about the Sixth Formers’ study plans and to offer advice and encouragement.

After lunch Edward gave a careers session on Law in the Bolland Room to a group of Lower Sixth students with Fifth Form and Upper Sixth participating via Teams. If you would like to find out more about Edward’s advice for law students then please get in touch for our full careers report.

He ended his day with a visit to King’s Hawford where a group of excited Year 6 pupils grilled him on his career and experiences.

A full and rewarding day and a much deserved recognition for this OV.

Obituaries

Harry Allsop (Ca 46-54) 1938 - 2020 Like me, Harry was a homeless evacuee taken in by Miss K.M. Rammell towards the end of the war. Having founded Castle House with her brother, T.E. Rammell, she retired about 30 years later to live in Whittington, near Worcester.

Harry started as a Day Boy in 1946 in those days in Choir House under the benign rule of Mr Wilson. Most days, Harry was given a lift to School by an old friend of Miss Rammell’s who live nearby, Michael Craze, well known author of ‘The History of the King’s School’ and a very kind gentleman.

In time, Harry moved on to Castle House, where he made many lifelong friends, and played cricket and Fives for the School.

On leaving School in the mid-Fifties, he joined the Royal Navy in order to travel the world, and on discharge he entered the world of education, ultimately becoming an official of the Canterbury School of Art. His ashes were scattered on top of Whittington Tump, well known to all King’s School cross country runners in our day.

Harry and his wife left four children, all of whom are hale and hearty.

Stanley Allsop (Ca 46-51) Philip Bannister (Cr 51-60 and King’s St Alban’s) 1942 - 2020 On leaving King’s School Worcester in 1960, Philip opted for a career in Local Government. In true style, he quickly gained promotions, firstly in Worcestershire County Council’s Motor Tax Office, where he stayed for six years, then in the Health Department where he met and eventually married his wife, Eileen. It was here that he became involved in trades’ union activities serving on the Branch Executive Committee and eventually becoming the Honorary Secretary of the Branch, managing to carry out the role combining it with quite responsible and senior jobs.

In 1970 he felt it was time to move on and successfully applied for a post with

the Worcester City and County Probation and Aftercare Service. This led to his appointment as Chief Administrative Officer for Hereford and Worcester Probation and Aftercare Service on Local Government reorganisation in 1974.

At this stage, Philip had no intention of pursuing a trade union career and was not a particularly active or political animal.

However, over the years he had become more involved with the structure of the Union and when, in 1977, a vacancy arose at the Regional Office in Birmingham, he was persuaded to consider and successfully applied for the post of District Officer. He held this post until 1992 when, following the merger of NALGO, NUPE and COHSE, UNISON was formed and he was appointed Senior Regional Officer. He became West Midlands Head of Higher and Further Education and Transport Sector and Head of South Team, covering 30,000 UNISON members in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Coventry and Solihull.

Alongside his full-time paid jobs with the County Council, Philip was involved in many other activities, including serving on the BBC Hereford and Worcester Local Advisory Council where he was Chairman for a time, and a representative on the BBC West Midlands Regional Advisory Council.

He was also a Governor at a Birmingham Community High School for over twenty years again serving as Chairman or Vicechairman and was Chair of its Personnel Committee.

From 1998 to 2003 he was a Director of the Hereford and Worcester Chamber of Commerce Training and Enterprise and on his retirement, and until 2008, became a member of the Hereford and Worcester Learning and Skills Council.

In what spare time he had, Philip enjoyed travelling (and holidaying in Devon and Cornwall) and gardening but his great interest was public transport, particularly railways ancient and modern. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Severn Valley Railway and the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway donating considerable funds and supporting events to help complete the building of the new station at Broadway.

buggy driver at Hanbury Hall, near Droitwich. For 10 of those, he was Chairman of the Volunteers Club there, organising trips to other properties and social events.

He was a popular member of the community and a friend to many but will be remembered most for his reliability, quiet efficiency and wonderful sense of humour.

Philip was so grateful to King’s School Worcester for giving him such a rounded education and was happy to support the school and its development in whatever way he could.

Eileen Bannister Philip Baylis (Ch 68-78) 1959 - 2020 Former head chorister in the Cathedral Choir, Phil Baylis, passed away on 24th October 2020 aged 60.

At the age of eight, Phil followed his brother, Robert (Ca 63-71), into the cathedral choir and King’s School. He spent his first five years in St Alban’s with Wilf Thomas as housemaster and then progressed to Peter Curle’s Choir House. Among his achievements in the choir was being chosen, at the age of 10, to sing the solo in Allegri’s Miserere both in the cathedral and later with two other choristers in Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral during a tour by the choir. Phil enjoyed his time in both the choir and the School as a boarder. He made some good friends and had many fond memories of those days.

Phil worked initially in the National Health Service (NHS) as a haematologist, where he met his wife, Jane, in the early 1980s.

Not long after, he developed a particular interest in computing. Subsequently, he joined hospital computer systems company, Shared Medical Systems, as a Principal Information Consultant and Senior Project Installation Director. In 2003, Phil became a Project Manager and Account Manager for FileTek UK, then Millennium MIT and finally Client Services Executive with Meditech UK managing the provision of key IT services to the NHS.

He also enjoyed watching cricket and football and, although latterly an armchair supporter, he was a season ticket holder at Villa Park for many years travelling to matches home and away.

In recent years, Phil rediscovered his love of singing and had a well-rounded bass voice.

He was a member of the Rivendell Singers, a mixed voice choir of around 30 members performing a wide range of music in and around Cheshire. He was also taking singing lessons to help him in his ambition to be a soloist and duetist.

Philip enjoyed visiting National Trust properties and for 17 years was a volunteer

Phil had a profound faith that stayed with him throughout the last seven months

The Vigornian

103

of his life after being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. He was a wellrespected member of his local church, not only as part of the church family but also as Warden, bell ringer and church choir member. At his funeral, the church bells were tolled in his honour and a recording of Allegri’s Miserere was played at the start of the service. The procession at the end was accompanied by ‘For All The Saints’ in a recording of the Cathedral Choir at the time that Phil was head chorister. Faith, music, and family were Phil’s main loves and there have been many tributes to him as a loyal, compassionate, lovely man with a quick sense of humour. He touched and impressed a great number of people in the UK and across the world.

Phil is survived by his wife, Jane, and their two sons, Josh and Chris. He often said that he wished he had not had such a wonderful marriage as it made time pass too quickly and 31 years together had gone in the blink of an eye.

Robert Baylis (Ca 63-71)

first films of the school, and became Head of School, later heading off to work for Pierce Leslie India. David, who died in 2012, was also an active Old Vigornian.

Tony was the last of this line. Neither he nor his younger brother, Patrick, had any children, so the stain-glass window is his lasting memory.

Patrick Bolland (S 59-63) Alan Bufton (Ch 49-57) 1939 - 2021 Alan Bufton died on December 31st 2020. He lived his 81 years with compassion, generosity and humour.

These qualities endeared him to friends all over the world and family who miss him very much. He married his wife Norma in 1964 and they shared a wonderful life together. Their love was true and stood the test of time. Sadly, Norma passed away a few months before Alan and they are both buried at Arley Church.

Tony Bolland (S 52-60 and King’s St Alban’s) 1943 - 2021 Tony died peacefully at the age of 78 on 22 June 2021 in a Salisbury nursing home. He had retired to Devizes (20 miles away) after a much-respected career as a design architect, initially in Nairobi and Qatar (before the Boom), later hotel projects (uncompleted) in Malta and Brunei.

His family and early history centred around Bufton’s hardware store in Stourport - on -Severn.

In Devizes, Tony studied and made stainglass, mostly almost-abstract images of the Wiltshire countryside. For Tony, this was more a labour of love, although he had several clients and an exhibit in the Devizes Museum. His most complex piece has become a major ‘cultural object’ at King’s School Worcester: the stained-glass window in the School House Library. The world of different languages, different cultures, the past and the future, no precise message but an easily-digestible kaleidoscope of “advancing learning”. The work had been commissioned in 2008 to commemorate the building of the new library.

At nineteen, Alan was called up for National Service. His three-year service took him to Singapore, Malaysia and Borneo. He found this a very enriching life experience, and went back to visit with Norma for their 25th Wedding anniversary.

Tony’s trajectory is also a King’s Worcester dynasty: William E. Bolland, Headmaster from 1879-1896, had converted the King’s School from little more than a parish classroom annex to the Cathedral into a boarding school, with an impressive curriculum and a respectable reputation on the Public School circuits. His son, Arthur P. Bolland, became head-boy before leaving for Sudan. Tony’s uncle, David Bolland OBE (S 32-37) has the distinction of making the

Norma and Alan settled in Shatterford near Bewdley with their two daughters.

Locally they had many friends. They enjoyed holidays, family, sport, social events and celebrated milestones of life.

Alan appreciated the enrichment of friends in his life and in later years they provided support when his mobility issues and dementia took hold.

104

The Vigornian

He attended King’s School as a border in Choir House. He thoroughly enjoyed his time there, often reflecting on friends and good times they had. Alan played cricket and hockey and carried a passion for sport throughout his life. Squash, cricket, hockey, rugby, golf; if he wasn’t playing he was watching or listening on the radio.

Alan had a rewarding career in computers.

He started with International Computers and Tabulators in 1964, moving to Honeywell in 1975 where he stayed until retirement. Honeywell’s head office was in America and he very much enjoyed his trips over the pond and the lasting friendships he formed throughout the years.

Active in the community Alan was a

member of Bewdley Rotary. He enjoyed this very much and supported the charitable work both locally and abroad.

He was granted Honorary Membership in recognition of his 28 years’ service.

As a father and grandfather, he was generous, kind and supportive. He was full of grace and knew how to live life to its fullest. His legacy is the happy memories he leaves to all that knew him.

Pippa Norfolk (née Bufton) Michael Cutler (S 42-46) 1928 - 2020 As Michael’s son, I am honoured to be able to write about the wonderful life of my father, who I loved and greatly admired and I do so now on behalf of Michael’s family, in particularly his wife June, his children Sarah, Katherine and I, as well as his grandchildren Charles, Edward, David and Ella.

Dad was born on a farm in Leigh Sinton, which is in sight of the Malvern Hills. It was in this idyllic location that he acquired a love and fascination for nature and the countryside. Until his brother Colin was born, Dad spent his early years nurturing the animals on the farm, particularly the pigs, which became his early play companions. In later years, I know June found it endearing that Dad always invited her to say hello to any pigs they encountered on country walks.

Dad attended King’s School Worcester where he developed his love of sport. He was able to use his height and strength to great advantage playing rugby, rowing and athletics. In his last term of school, Dad was asked by the head teacher to stay on and teach the younger boys Latin – to those who knew him, becoming a Latin scholar was perhaps an unlikely path for him! He did however retain his interest in history and the classics.

When my sisters and I were growing up, he would often quote Latin phrases such as ‘Semper in Moderatum’ – meaning ‘Always in moderation’ – good advice for teenagers!

Inspired by his love of animals, Dad applied for, and was accepted, for a place at Veterinary College which was deferred as he was called up for national service.

On being commissioned, he applied for a posting abroad and was posted to take command of a farm in Egypt run by battlehardened Italian prisoners of war. This task would have daunted many at his age,

however Dad was able to make a success of the situation given his strength of character and ability to adapt to new situations.

put it on board and bring it back to Warners where it is still used today. Recycling was another one of his many virtues!

He had now acquired a love for Africa and on being demobilised, Dad wanted to find a way to return. Instead of taking up his place at Veterinary College, he joined the Norwich Union Insurance Company and as soon as he could, he accepted a role in Norwich Union’s office in Kenya.

Dad and June’s hospitality made Warners a wonderful place for family and friends to visit – this could include a game of croquet on the-always-pristine lawn, summer drinks or BBQ, a marquee wedding reception, dinner parties or Sunday roasts in front of a roaring fire. The grandchildren have always enjoyed playing and exploring the beautiful garden and barns and visiting their trees which were planted by Dad and June to commemorate their births. Warners and Mathon were very special places for Dad, and because of June’s love, dedicated care and support, he was able to remain in his beloved home until the end.

He arrived in Mombasa by boat in 1952, without knowing anyone, but quickly made Kenya his home. His bon viveur, sociability and hardworking nature made it easy to fit into the ex-pat community and he was promoted quickly by his employers.

He chaired the East Africa branch of the Round Table and the picture on the back of the Service Sheet is of his time there.

Each year they took over the national radio station, the VOK, to host a sponsored phone in show. This was long before the BBC came up with the idea for Children in Need. As with most things he organised, it was great fun.

During the period prior to Kenyan independence, Dad was called up again into the Kenyan African Rifles to help create national stability and enable a peaceful transfer of power. At the formal transfer of power ceremony, Dad – in his capacity as Chair of the Round Table – was asked to manage refreshments for all the dignitaries and Dad enjoyed the symbolism and opportunity to relay his own personal good wishes to both Prince Philip and new president Jomo Kenyatta.

Dad continued to excel in his career in Kenya and was asked to set up a Kenyan based insurance company, the Lion of Kenya, which still exists today. He often said that successful and resilient companies are based on their staff and Dad had a great knack of unearthing the talents of his staff and promoting them solely on the basis of merit. He kept in touch with many colleagues and staff during his retirement.

In 1981 Dad returned to the UK and there was never any question of him returning anywhere other than to the Malvern area, and it was at Warners, here in Mathon, that he settled. A charity that he supported was the RSPB and this is how he met June. Throughout their life together, Dad and June went on a number of wonderful birdwatching and tennis holidays – another shared passion – with many different groups of friends. On one of these trips to the Orkney Islands, Dad came across a discarded, but perfectly good, iron bath and he was able to persuade the coach driver to

Dad appreciated the good wishes and offers of help during the last couple of years. His immobility prevented him from joining in local social activities which he enjoyed so much.

In conclusion, I think it’s comforting for us all to reflect on Michael’s full and happy life in which he achieved so much and bought fun and joy to so many. Perhaps the Latin phrase ‘Carpe Diem’ meaning ‘seize the day’ aptly sums up the spirit of how Dad led his life – and I think this is one way he would like to be remembered.

Richard Cutler (Hubert) Martin Davies (S 43-50) 1931 - 2021 Hubert Martin Penn Davies - Dad - was born on 15th March, 1931, at St Mary’s, Paddington, London.

His father, Arthur Philip Davies, was ordained a priest, and his mother, Frances Hopper, was a history teacher.

In 1933, the family moved to Bilbao, Spain, where his brother, John Davies (S 43-52) was born. They fled the Spanish civil war in 1936 and returned to live in Buildwas, Shropshire, where his father became vicar.

Dad was sent to Worcester Choir school and then King’s School Worcester. He loved being a chorister, but says he was “bored by everything but the music”! He took time to settle at King’s, but was eventually happy.

It was there that he gained insight into art and careful scholarship of music and also enjoyed a stint as Head Boy. He did his National Service from 1950 - 52 and in 1952 he came 2nd in the British Army of The Rhein 5000m championships. He then went to Christchurch, Oxford, where he gained his degree in English Language

and Literature. It was here, too, that he met his lifelong friend, Alistair Elliot.

Dad’s first career path took him to hospital administration and there were many times he would tell us about his portering duties at King’s College Hospital in London. However, travel in this direction was short-lived and he then started teaching at Canford School in Wimborne and discovered that he loved it. He subsequently taught at King’s School, Canterbury from 1958 - 1965, where he met David Miller, who was struck, as so many of you mentioned, by Dad’s immediate and warm welcome and an ensuing friendship of 58 years.

In 1960 he met Diana Gillespie and they were married in 1961. Over the following seven years they had three children, Caroline, Jennie and Richard.

From 1965 - 1970 he taught English at Loughborough College of Technology, now Loughborough University. He also gained a valuable sabbatical year at University College London, where he tried teacher training.

It was in 1971 that the family moved to Dunblane, so that Dad could take up a post at the University of Stirling, in the Education Department and the English Department, jointly, and then just the English Department.

His passion for teaching and trying to get the very best for his students and those struggling to learn because of misunderstandings of their linguistic needs in the classroom followed him throughout his life. In his later years he worked unstintingly on the topic of learning and dyslexia and it was only very recently that he finally managed to submit his paper, “Reading for Meaning and Dyslexia” to the Cross-Party Group on Dyslexia of the Scottish Parliament. I know the initial feedback for this has been very good, and we are all so pleased for him in this respect. Derek Davy, who supervised Dad at University College London in 1970, has written, “Congratulations on a very satisfying piece of work”.

Dad’s other passion was music. He played the organ and the piano and loved nothing more than to make music with groups of other musicians. Dad’s exuberance and joy in music is mentioned by many, many people.

So, too, are the long summer and winter afternoons spent in Mum and Dad’s house, Marlands, playing music and followed by tea and cake and conversation. An abiding memory for all of us is of the sound of piano solos, quartets and trios of all combinations, floating up through the house.

The Vigornian

105

Dad also travelled a lot, both for work and for pleasure, with Mum. They have both been very loyal friends to so many over the years, both local and afar. They travelled on ‘grand tours’ of Britain and Europe to visit friends, as well as more intrepid trips to Russia and China.

As I am sure you all know, Dad loved words.

Typically, he had a folder filed under “D” for Death! Some of the chronology for this piece came from his notes in that file. Tucked at the back was a little leaflet called “What happens when someone dies”. Underneath, in his own, tiny little handwriting, were the words “They shut up”!

Jennie Marshall (née Davies) Robert (Bob) Dibben (S 59-63) 1944 - 2021 Robert Dibben (also known as Bob) started attending King’s School Worcester in 1959 as a boarder in School House.

He studied languages but felt that A-Level was beyond him so he left to become a trainee at Lloyds Bank. He quickly demonstrated his methodical mind and rose in the ranks.

In 1975 he met and married Cathy who was working in another branch of Lloyds.

In 1979 and 1982 his two sons Michael and Paul were born.

In the 1990s after working up to a senior position in Lloyds, Robert decided to try a short spell of self-employed consultancy based from his home in Kent but this was not successful so he took an appointment with Yorkshire Bank working on business loans. He moved to Wetherby and worked successfully for several years in Leeds.

After retirement, he chose to move nearer to his sons and bought a house in Wem, Shropshire. In 2018 he developed Myeloma and with complications this meant regular visits to hospital in Shrewsbury. Sadly, his condition worsened in 2021 and on the last visit to Shrewsbury, he contracted Covid and died within a matter of days.

He leaves two sons, four grandchildren and his widow Cathy who has stayed in Wem for now.

Nigel Dibben (S 61-68)

106

The Vigornian

Ken Ellson (S 46-53) 1937 - 2021 Mr Kenneth Eugene Ellson, age 84, sadly passed away on 2 February 2021. He was a student at The King’s School, Worcester from 1946 to 1953 and very much enjoyed and valued his time there.

Whilst at Durham, Neil met Alex McComas who was his best man and continued to be a lifelong friend, but even more significantly was Carol. According to Alex, he clearly recalls the moment in the dining hall when Neil told him that he’d met the girl he was going to marry….and that, of course, was Carol. Not long after that, they were married in Hutton Buscel church. A few years later Sally and Tom arrived.

He lived a very full life and worked for Lodge Cottrell for over 45 years. Visiting over 40 countries for Lodge Cottrell and was fluent both in French and German.

During his teaching career, his love of drama could be seen in the many plays and musicals that Neil produced and directed, being instrumental in every part of the production from the set, music & lighting to the makeup and costumes. His enthusiasm for theatre, creativity and drama inspired many pupils that he taught over the years.

He will be very much missed by his wife, Jill, sons Simon and Paul, plus step children Paul and Louise.

Jill Elson Neil Gardner (Hon OV) Staff - Headmaster of King’s St Alban’s 1990-1995 Neil meant so much to so many as a husband, a father, a brother, a friend and of course as a teacher and Headmaster. Eric Idle of Monty Python had it right: “Always look at the bright side of life”! Neil embraced this motto wholeheartedly, most particularly when faced with his long illness, which he faced with bravery and optimism over 10 years.

Whilst Neil’s death has come too quickly, amidst our grief, we can celebrate his life and give thanks for all he gave to us.

Neil was born in Sutton Coldfield and had a happy childhood with his parents Clive and Margaret, and his older sister Janet. Neil’s Grandparents lived nearby and in those early years, and throughout his life, Neil’s grandfather had a great influence on him, instilling in Neil a love of drama and Theatre.

In his teenage years, Neil moved to Worcester and after leaving school he explored a career in Law, training as legal executive with the full intention of going on to become a Lawyer. However, following a serious bout of Glandular Fever, Neil reassessed his career choice and realised that law would not allow him to use his creative and artistic gifts, instead he applied to Durham University to train as a teacher.

Whilst in Worcester, Neil’s love for water sports began through getting involved in sailing and even building his own dingy.

This love carried on at Durham University where he became part of the rowing team, going on to become a successful cox and in his final year being named as Captain of Boats at Bede College.

Never one to shy away from a challenge or a new opportunity, at every school where Neil served he made a huge impact in the lives of the pupils, the staff and the community. His passion, creativity and professionalism, helped both children and staff to aim high and to be successful. Neil, as a teacher and as a person, positively changed lives.

Neil and Carol moved to Hornbeams in Hutton Buscel after his final headship. Never one to sit still, Neil quickly became involved in teaching and drama at both Bramcote and latterly Scarborough College - both of which he loved. In retirement, he was invited to become a member of the board at Scarborough College, only stepping down last summer due to his ill health.

During his retirement, Neil pursued many hobbies and interests with typical enthusiasm including, fly tying, bee keeping, playing his guitar, walking, gardening and creative writing. But his lifelong passion was fly fishing. Two of Neil’s most treasured annual events were with friends, salmon fishing on the Black Isle, and on the River Spey.

The greatest source of pride for Neil was in his children, Sally and Tom, and in watching them grow and subsequently their careers flourish. His unconditional support and guidance throughout their lives is one of his greatest achievements. When his grandchildren, Bella, Phoebe and Emily came along, they brought added joy and happiness to his life.

Neil gave so much to so many, and there are countless stories and memories that people have shared about him, that this eulogy could last for days! It is testament to the kind of person Neil was, that so many people have felt moved to give their tributes to him.

Tom Gardner

Dr (Alfred) Richard Green (Ca 57-62) 1944 - 2020 Richard was born in Windsor, the only child of Alec and Nina Green.

He attended Windsor House School in Slough and, having passed the Eleven Plus, he was offered a place at Slough Grammar School. Instead, at the age of 13 he won a maths exhibition to the King’s School Worcester. During his years at prep school the family moved to a house close to the River Thames and Richard got to know and assist the lock keepers. He also spent time exploring the river in a small rowing boat his father built him and thus developed his life-long love of rivers and canals. During his years at King’s Worcester, he rowed for the school in many competitions, his father said even to the cost of his studies. His father was proved correct as Richard failed his Physics A Level. But ever positive, he greatly enjoyed his year working in the Mars factory in Slough while attending a ‘crammer’ for his missing A Level.

Richard continued to row competitively when at Chelsea College London (now incorporated into King’s College, London) where he obtained a combined Chemistry and Physiology degree in 1966. At that time Chelsea was quite a centre for training future pharmacologists. Richard’s father was a government entomologist and obviously influenced Richard’s career choice, as he always said that he considered nothing other than being some form of biologist.

Richard gained his PhD working with Gerald Curzon at the Institute of Neurology and it was at this point that he first came upon serotonin. Gerald Curzon, through work on tryptophan metabolism, became interested in brain serotonin and depression. Richard’s PhD was on the influence of steroids and stress on tryptophan metabolism and he was rightly proud that he was the lead author (with Gerald) in his second publication, a full paper in Nature in 1968.

Richard also developed an excellent assay to measure brain serotonin and its main metabolite 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) in small brain regions. This assay reigned supreme from its publication in 1970 until the arrival of HPLC and electrochemical detection about ten years later.

For most young scientists with a newly awarded PhD in the 60s and 70s the next step was a spell abroad - very often in the USA and Richard was fortunate to spend the next three years at NIMH in Washington DC working with one of the

most charismatic neuropharmacologists of the time, Eminio Costa. It was around this time he got married and had two daughters. He also became a Black Belt in Judo and took up riding. The latter to the benefit of his daughters who have both had careers connected to the equestrian world.

In 1973 Richard joined David GrahameSmith, another charismatic clinical scientist, at the newly established MRC Clinical Pharmacology Unit in Oxford.

Here Richard spent 12 very productive years becoming Assistant Director of this successful unit. It was at this time that Richard really became known for his impact on the understanding of the involvement of serotonergic mechanisms in depression.

All MRC units have a defined life span.

Richard had to think about a new future and he made a bold step in 1985 to become the first Director of a newly established research unit set up by Astra (Sweden) at The Institute of Neurology in London. The initial research aim was Alzheimer’s, but over time the focus became stroke and development of neuroprotective agents.

The closure of the Astra Unit in London, following the purchase by Astra of Fisons in Loughborough, prompted Richard’s move to the Midlands as Astra’s Director of Global Discovery CNS and Pain in 1996.

These events were to the advantage of the University of Nottingham as the School of Life Sciences were able to appoint Richard to an Honorary Professorship of Neuropharmacology in which he made lively contributions to teaching, postgraduate supervision and research until his death.

Richard published approximately 350 scientific papers in leading journals, four books and 40 book chapters. In recent years Richard worked with collaborators to publish several informative articles on the history of scientific societies and of the development of medicine which are a fascinating read.

Richard was an outstanding neuropharmacologist who made very significant contributions to serotonin and stroke research. He was also an essential part of the wider world of pharmacology with his extensive activities within the British Pharmacological Society where he was made a President Emeritus and an Honorary Fellow. He served terms as President and as Treasurer/Secretary and became an Honorary Member of The International Society for Serotonin Research. He was a member of Council and a Chair of the Governance Panel of the British Association for Psychopharmacology (BAP). The BAP presented him with a Lifetime Achievement award in 2010

in recognition of his contribution to pharmacology. He also received several prizes and awards and guest lectureships.

He contributed greatly to the success of several journals, most notably to Neuropharmacology of which he was Executive Editor for 27 years. He held editorial roles over many years for the British Journal of Pharmacology, Journal of Psychopharmacology and Psychopharmacology and European Journal of Psychopharmacology. In every aspect of his professional career Richard was known to be calm, generous and supportive of everyone regardless of their position. Richard had a special enthusiasm for science and the people involved, combined with a unique ability to transfer this enthusiasm to others. The pharmacology community have lost not just a wonderful scientist but also a great friend to many of us.

Richard never really retired after leaving his final paid employment with AstraZeneca. In addition to his many years as an Honorary Professor at Nottingham, he also served as an Honorary Professor at De Montfort University, Leicester and as a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. He continued to give lectures, to attend and present papers at scientific meetings and his last publication was only a few months before his death.

However, retirement was not all work and Richard was finally able to realise his ambition to own his own narrowboat.

Together with his wife Geraldine and their dog Jodie they enjoyed 13 years exploring the canals of England. Richard became a volunteer lock keeper on the River Trent and a crew member for a local charity that provides narrow boat trips for disadvantaged groups in the community.

Everyone who knew Richard - his family, friends and scientific colleagues - remember him as unfailingly friendly and generous. He enjoyed engaging with people from every walk of life, from the ‘live-aboard’ neighbours who had chosen the simple life afloat on the canals, to the Nobel prize winners of his profession. He will be greatly missed by all those whose life he touched.

Geraldine Green

The Vigornian

107

Derek Hook (Cl 49-60) 1941 - 2021 Derek John Hook died on March 13th, 2021 aged 80, at home in London.

He attended the King’s School Worcester, where he was inspired to study History, which became a life -long interest. Derek went on to read History at Keble. During the last part of his degree, he started to study Economic History and found that it was Economics that he really enjoyed. So, after gaining his degree, he went to London and started at a small accountancy firm.

The firm grew and was taken over by Touche Ross. He said that he worked hard and long hours, but was good at his job and successful.

Later he set up independently, becoming a friend as well as a consultant to many. He was interested in cricket and rugby, often attending Worcester County Cricket Club and Twickenham. He travelled widely.

As a friend, advisor and uncle, he will be greatly missed.

Jennie Westoby Julia Kinnish (Hon OV) Staff 1937 - 2021 Julia (Hughes) Kinnish served the King’s Community with loyalty and commitment between 1989 and 1999.

She was a first-rate colleague with a fine intellect, having gained degrees in Psychology from Sheffield University and Theology from Birmingham University.

She had a sharp mind at all times, regularly doing the Daily Telegraph Crossword well into her retirement.

Whilst at King’s School Worcester, she taught Scripture/Biblical Studies to all levels of the School. She particularly enjoyed teaching the Fourth Forms for their enthusiasm and willingness to learn, and the Sixth Forms for the academic challenges they presented. Very much a traditional teacher of Religious Studies with the Sixth Forms, she taught a number of top-class pupils who achieved some excellent grades.

Outside of the classroom, Julia also helped with extra -curricular activities.

Julia and I, together with a number of other members of Staff (GNL, ER, JC, CC) formed the Community Service Group, which helped various people within the

108

The Vigornian

wider area of Worcester for a number of years on Tuesday afternoon and latterly on a Saturday morning. Julia was particularly adept at chatting to older members of the local community, offering a friendly voice, with pleasant conversation.

Her presence as a member of Staff was always one of reassurance and calmness.

However, she was not one to be swayed when she did not agree with others. She would stand her ground and very often her opinion and differing ideas caused others to rethink their position.

Julia spent her retirement in Budleigh Salterton and latterly near Southampton, to be near her daughter Sarah and her family.

Sarah (Co 81-83) and Peter (Os 76-85), her two children, were both fine scholars and sports players for the School. Each has become a specialised clinician in their own chosen field of Medicine.

The School gives thanks to Julia for her devoted service and her extremely friendly nature as a colleague.

Christopher Gallantree-Smith (Hon OV) Staff Antony Kwan (Ca 75-85) 1963 - 2021 Tony was born on the 25th June 1963 in Sandakan, Malaysia on the 5th day of the 5th month of the Chinese lunar calendar.

It was the day of the Double 5 Festival, which is better known in the UK as the Dragon Boat Festival. It is a time when Chinese people gather to share and eat rice dumplings; Tony was a great advocate of gatherings to share food and joy.

As a little boy, he was curious and inquisitive with a mischievous sense of fun. He was joyful and easy going. He had an easy charm about him and on one occasion, he was able to persuade his mother to buy a litter of six puppies when he went to market with her. Although his mother says he was a very naughty child; he was in fact the apple of his mother’s eye.

Before heading off to the UK, he enjoyed playing with his cousins, cycling around the yard, climbing mango trees and playing the Malaysian version of conkers with rubber tree seeds.

Tony joined King’s Worcester as a boarder in 1975, aged 12, having found out that Tony Wong’s older brother had gone to the King’s a year or so earlier. He’d heard all about

King’s from his friend and thought it’d be a good idea to follow. He suggested this to his father who agreed and he was subsequently enrolled along with Tony Wong.

It took a long time to travel from Malaysia to Worcester in the 1970s. The journey involved three plane flights between Sandakan and Heathrow, via Hong Kong and Dubai, followed by a tube journey to Paddington Station to take a train to Worcester. It took over 36 hours, door to door.

Tony had a huge sense of adventure and, with his easygoing manner, it didn’t take long for him to settle and earn himself a new nick name. He was known as ‘Johnnie’ at King’s. There was a lot of camaraderie, jolly japes and Tony was a popular pupil. He was a fast runner who is remembered for his rugby playing on the wing and sprinting the 100m and 200m in athletics.

Tony’s younger brothers Michael and Philip followed him and joined King’s in 1976 and 1981 respectively. He and his friends started somewhat of a trend in the 70s. The word spread that King’s was a good school and others from Sandakan also attended King’s in the 1980s including Ida Mok and Andrew and Eric Leow.

In his last year at King’s, Tony’s father passed away in January 1982 and he became the head of the family at the young age of 17. He had to look after a 10 and a 14-year-old brother as well as console a grieving mother. He fulfilled this role with consummate ease as he never lost his composure or was never shaken by the weight of responsibilities placed upon him.

When he left King’s Worcester, he attended an accountancy course in London and shared a flat with his brothers and Ida. Having met and dated at King’s, Tony & Ida got married in 1990 at St Barnabas in Finchley and they had two sons, Aidan and Ryan, who were born in 1997 & 2000. Tony relished family life and enjoyed spending time with friends, as well as cooking, skiing, tennis, golf, gardening, rummy, mah-jong and going on family holidays. He enjoyed many holidays with his family and he taught most of them how to ski.

Meanwhile, his accountancy career strengthened and he co-founded K&H Accountants in 2004. By the noughties, Tony was complete with a loving wife, children and a solid business surrounded by friends.

Everything had worked out; he had an immoveable belief that everything would be fine and this was rooted by his faith in God. Tony unexpectedly passed away at home surrounded by his family having contracted

Covid-19 in January 2021. He tested positive and had been ill for several days.

It appeared that he was getting better.

However, he suffered hypoxia as he rested and despite the excellent attempts by the ambulance crew to bring him back, he was ultimately too weak and perished.

Not so long ago, he said to his sister in one of their long chats: “We will lose many things along the way in our lives, things come and go; people come and go; including family members. Our lives are all planned for us and we should embrace whatever comes our way, for God will always be here for us.

We have nothing to fear as long as God and his Holy Spirit are with us.”

He is very much missed by his family and friends.

Philip Kwan (Ch 82-90) Jeremy Lyon (S 54-59) 1942 - 2021 Jeremy enjoyed his time in School House with the legendary Dan McTurk. He played 1st XI Hockey and represented the King’s School at rugby and cricket. Whilst a passionate and talented sportsman, he paid less attention to his academic studies and so did not much trouble the Examination Board.

After leaving King’s, he stayed some months in Uganda with his parents, where he met Hannah who became his wife and the mother of his children.

Jeremy began a career in the City which spanned 62 years. Starting as a junior Red Button he worked as a Stock Jobber rising to be Partner of one of the largest firms, Pinchin Denny. At Big Bang in the City his firm was bought by a bank and Jeremy continued as a Market Maker and then as a Stock Broker.

During his long career his hard work, charm and easeful approach won him many friends. In his last years, he achieved a certain celebrity by being interviewed by a Finance Channel every week for comments on the market.

He continued to be active in sport playing hockey for Blackheath and Haslemere, and took up sailing, studying for and obtaining a Master’s Ticket.

He became a member of the Dyers’ Livery Company at a young age progressing to Prime Warden in 2006/7. Thereafter, he continued to be a member of the Dyers’ Finance Committee and was the Senior Assistant for the Dyers’ Court Almshouses

where he was much loved by the residents and staff.

Jeremy dealt with his last illness with extraordinary courage and resilience. Due to the arrangements for Covid he was able to work from home for his clients and the Dyers’ Company until the end. He was nursed at home by his family and by his longstanding partner Lucia. Throughout, he remained close to his four children and his nine adoring grandchildren.

Lawson Lyon (S 58-64) Peter Maxwell-Stewart (Os 98-03) 1985 - 2021 Peter Maxwell-Stewart (18 December 1985 - 28 February 2021) died this year leaving a muchloved wife and young son.

His tragic and untimely death is a terrible blow for them, for his parents, Janet and Alasdair, and for his brothers, James, Duncan and Simon.

His boundless energy, passionate spirit, kind heart and loving nature will never be forgotten by his family nor by his many colleagues and friends, particularly in the climbing world.

As a successful Software Architect for Dassault Systèmes he had worked with McLaren F1, Airbus and EDF amongst others.

Peter greatly enjoyed renovating an old VW camper van and tackling all manner of DIY in his spare time. He is very much missed.

Janet Maxwell-Stewart (Hon OV) David Moore (S 53-56) 1939 - 2020 David passed away during the night of November 2nd to 3rd 2020, peacefully at home in his sleep in our home in Braunschweig, Germany, after having worked virtually to his last minute alive as a self-employed translator, after having suffered from a serious heart condition.

David frequently told me about his time at King’s School Worcester as a precious memory.

David and I had been together for over 21 happy years, the best part of 19 years as a married couple.

Viola Moore

Lady Morrison (Hon OV) Patron, Former Governor and Former Trustee 1946 - 2020 The Hon. Lady Morrison (Hon OV) passed away on Friday 16th October 2020.

Lady Morrison was a great supporter of The King’s School as a Patron, Governor, Trustee and Benefactor. She was appointed Governor (as an appointee of the Dean and Chapter) from 14th March 1997 until 24th June 2016 and was a Trustee on the King’s School Worcester Development Trust from September 2005 to May 2009.

Lady Morrison was well-known locally as patron to many charities and voluntary organisations and was Vice LordLieutenant of Worcestershire.

Roy Padden (Cl 4652) OV Club Committee Member Emeritus 1935 - 2020 Roy Padden was born on 27 November 1935 in Hereford to Frederick Padden and his wife Dorothy. His father, who was a Master Baker, moved from Hereford to Bristol and then to Worcester. They lived in Grove Crescent, St. John’s, on the edge of the Worcester boundary where he first when to St. John’s Boys School, then to Worcester Cathedral King’s School. He left school in 1952 after his father passed away and he was apprenticed to Heenan & Froude for five years.

In 1957 he was drafted into the Army, serving in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers for two years where he enjoyed playing rugby for his Unit.

On his release from National Service, he worked for Heenan & Froude becoming a commissioning engineer, a role that took him all over Europe, Scandinavia, and the Middle East, repairing equipment and providing advice. Subsequently he worked for Eflow Developments and a water treatment company.

It was at Easter in 1958 that he met Kath, his wife to be, in North Wales. She was a State Registered Nurse who came from Bury in Lancashire and who moved to Worcester Royal Infirmary in 1959. They were married in Bury in 1961 and produced three boys.

The middle one, Christopher, emigrated to New Zealand, while Andrew and Jeremy are still in Worcester. Roy and Kath visited New Zealand several times to spend time with their son and his family.

Roy was always keen on the Scouting Movement and he was taken into the Crown East Cub Pack and then into the

The Vigornian

109

Crown East Scouts. At the age of 15 years, he became a Senior Scout, followed at the age of 18 by joining the Rover Scouts.

He spent many years within the Scouting Movement ending up as Chairman of the Scouting Appointments Committee and receiving the ‘Honorary Scouter’ award for his dedicated service to the Scouting movement. He continued to be part of Scouting until the end of his life.

In the late 1950s, he began attending the Old Vigornian’s Annual Dinner with his good friend Peter Venables (Cl 49-55). In about 1975, Roy took up the role of Social Secretary for the OV Club Committee, which he undertook for some 20 years following which he became President for, what was usual then, one year. He then became Chairman for a further 20 years and finally, on his resignation, was made an Honorary Member of the OV Club Committee for life.

In 1977, Roy became interested in Freemasonry and was initiated into the Sabrina Lodge No 6595 in Worcester on 10 November 1977, becoming Master on 3 March 1988. He also became a member of several other Lodges and he spent many hours working on the Masonic Library and Museum and visiting other Lodges in the county as a Visiting Officer. Roy’s other Masonic connection was with the Masonic Motoring Club, in which he enjoyed taking his MX5 on some spectacular runs.

I remember my first meeting with Roy: it was at Tipping’s Tuck Shop, where we used to be able to buy small bread rolls.

I believe that is was his first day at King’s School Worcester and we remained very good friends from that day on. As a day boy at King’s he was always keen on rugby, operating as a Scrum Half. On leaving School he joined Worcester Rugby Football Club playing in his favourite Scrum Half position. When his sons began to play rugby, Roy became a staunch supporter and eventually, as Rugby became professional, he took up membership of the WRFC with an annual season ticket, to watch the professional game.

Rowing was his favourite summer occupation. After rowing at School, he joined Worcester Rowing Club, however, his work taking him abroad on a fairly regular basis, caused his interest to lapse.

Roy died of cancer, surrounded by his family, on 26 November 2020.

Malcom Joyner (Cr 44-52)

110

The Vigornian

Alan Pratt (Cl 58-65) 1947 - 2021 Alan Christopher Pratt was born in Worcester on 9th May 1947, to Arthur and Margaret Pratt. The family moved to Hallow in 1953 and when Alan passed his 11 plus exams, his parents opted for him to attend King’s School Worcester. He was a member of the rowing teams.

Having received a degree in chemistry in 1969 from Lancaster College of Technology (later Coventry University), Alan started work as a development chemist at Uniroyal, Stoke Works. In 1974, he became a shift manager at Witco, later moving to their Derbyshire plant as works manager. Alan then became a shift production manager at Abbott Laboratories, Queenborough, Kent, in 1979 and over the following years he took on the roles of training manager and health and safety manager, taking early retirement in 2004. He then worked part-time for Victim Support Kent as Finance and Training Manager for the next four years.

Alan gave back to the community as a volunteer for Victim Support in Kent, specialising in supporting those who had lost a family member in tragic circumstances. He helped to train new volunteers and acted as chair of Victim Support Swale and vice-chair of Victim Support Kent. As a committed Christian, Alan was elected to the PCCs and Deanery Synod at the churches he attended, especially in Sittingbourne, Kent, and latterly Ledbury, Herefordshire, where he was PCC Secretary for 11 years. He was also instrumental in setting up a Food Bank in Ledbury, acting as Treasurer for four years. Upon moving to Ledbury in 2008, Alan became a member of Probus, serving as Chair for a year and Social Secretary for several years.

In 1971, Alan married Lois, an American who had been one of the first group of American exchange students to attend the then Worcester College of Education in 1969. They met when Rotary members and their families were asked to invite one of the students to their homes for a meal.

Alan and Lois had three children, Kirsten, Charis and Christopher, who have given them seven grandchildren, plus a stepgranddaughter and step-great-grandson.

He was devoted to Lois and the family.

Alan enjoyed reading, going to the theatre, the computer, and travelling, especially to the USA, where he and Lois did several long road trips.

Alan died on 5th February 2021, of myeloma, which had been diagnosed in 2017.

Lois Pratt

Hugh Scurfield (Cl 43-54) Former Trustee 1935 - 2020 A warm-hearted and energetic man, a brilliant mathematician, dedicated sportsman, an excellent manager, team leader, and fundraiser. Hugh Scurfield (Cl 43-54) was a loving brother and husband, first to Ann, and then Jill, and a jolly old Grandad, and we think he had a special talent for being a Dad. He really was a great, can-do, enthusiastic father. We saw him bring out the best in people. We miss our long telephone conversations, his gentle questioning, teasing, his laughter.

And he did have an enormous smile!

He would have been 85 years old on 9th December 2020. A good, long life, starting in Worcestershire, then Oxford, Norfolk and many happy years in Shropshire. The third of 4 children born to Bill & Bill, (William and Elizabeth Scurfield), he often talked about his happy war time childhood. He told us proudly of his long cycle rides to school, several miles there and back. It was no surprise then when he bought a new bicycle in his late 70s, an electric bike, and could be seen speeding through the narrow Shropshire lanes down to Reg May Butchers in Ditton Priors to buy a cherry pie, and to the garage for his Times.

Cycling was his last outdoor pursuit, after a lifetime of sporting achievements; he found great solace walking the hills of Shropshire and the Welsh borders, he loved sailing the Norfolk broads with his young family, and, of course, there was Rowing. He won the Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta in 1959 with his lifelong friend, Richard Norton, and in 1966 won the Wyfold Challenge Cup, again at Henley, this time leading a Norwich Union crew. Indeed, he said that of all the satisfaction rowing had given him it was the many friendships that ranked highest.

Hugh’s love of rowing began at King’s School Worcester, where he spent many a happy hour on the water. A member of the School’s boat club, he was not only in the 1st Rowing crew, but also appointed Captain of Boats – this alongside his duties as Deputy Head of School, Head of Chappel House and a School Monitor all the while maintaining his studies as a King’s Scholar.

An impressive feat by anyone’s standards.

The connection with King’s Worcester was never forgotten, and Hugh was a wellrespected member of the OV community, who gave back to King’s through his work as Chairman of the King’s School Worcester Development Trust. He was also one of the driving forces behind the Michael Baker

Boathouse project and the creation of the Trust’s Enduring Bursary Invested Fund.

Hugh was a people person. He sought connection with people. Young people gravitated towards him the older he got, and he was a mentor to nephews, younger colleagues, and our school friends! His long career at Norwich Union Insurance, as Actuary, culminated in his becoming Manager of the Life Society in 1984. He encouraged transparency and honest competition within that industry, and steered the company into the 21st century.

In 1990 he was asked to be President of the Institute of Actuaries, an honour he relished. Even in retirement he took on big responsibilities as Director of Shrewsbury Hospital Trust, and Help the Hospices, wanting to help people, to solve problems, to make progress. He was smart and generous, and he gave back a lot with his wealth of experience.

Dad never looked back. Always the first to embrace new technologies, as long as they led to sustainability. He was so worried about climate change that he installed a wind turbine behind his house in Abdon, and supported his grandchildren’s primary school in London in a competition to win Solar Panels. I don’t think he would like it if I missed this opportunity to remind you all today to focus now on Saving the Planet!

Hugh was an inspiration to many, an expansive, positive personality. Even in his last years in the Wheatlands nursing home he was unfailingly courteous to all the staff who cared for him so well, showing an interest in them. I always felt him urging us to enjoy life. He gave us so much, so much good guidance and protection and fun.

Thank you, Dad! Jane Heerbeck (née Scurfield) Grant Strover (Cl 87-97) 1978 - 2019 Dear Grant, When we first met, I was at a turning point in my teenage years. I knew there was more to this life, but I couldn’t fully see it from the situation I was in. The way you looked at the world with pure optimism and curiosity, rejecting limitations and refusing to be deterred by the nitty gritty, shone so brightly. I knew instantly you were someone truly special.

Sometimes you would wander into perilous situations that a few of us would often help steer you away from. I was never sure whether it was an innocence, a certain naivety to city life or that you genuinely didn’t let negativity enter your world. I like

to think it was the latter and you helped open my eyes and show me there was more to the life than the city walls, to not be scared and to take chances, be curious and look for new adventures.

You taught me about compassion to others and how people were just people, regardless of who they were or where they lived. We’d often walk down the street and you would stop to talk to those some would have viewed less fortunate than us, not that you ever thought that, and would often give them the last pennies in your pocket or just taking the time to talk with them.

You always treated them with dignity and respect like you would anyone else, whilst many others wouldn’t have given them the time of day. Arthur was one such friend. A man who had fallen on hard times but was always pleased to see you as we would stop to chat on the cinema steps, sharing a roll up and a swig of cider. I’m not sure how many people’s parents would have been quite so understanding to see Arthur sitting at their kitchen table tucking into a well needed meal. But your mum and dad always trusted you and knew that this was someone in need and was therefore welcome. Like we all were at Britannia Sq. The code to your back door was etched into many of our memories. A doorway into a safe place where we were free to discover who we wanted to be. Squirrelled away upstairs listening to Bob, looking out of the attic window across the square talking and giggling about girls, next adventures, or debating who would win between a great white and a grizzly. That house was the centre of everything we did. Annoying Rosie and Luke until they finally let us hang out with them and give us lifts to the ressie or British Camp when the snow arrived, we had a crew and with that crew, the possibilities felt endless.

Another home from home for us was Cornwall. That first trip down to Porthtowan, where we arrived at midnight, taken refuge under a ground sheet and piece of corrugated metal on Thistle Hill in the driving rain was so exciting. We laughed until the sun rose before knocking on your sister’s door, unexpected, for some breakfast and hot tea before heading down to the beach to find something new.

Towards the end of our teens, we embarked on a mission to the Alps to finally live our dream of being in the mountains. Setting off in that tank of a VW camper, we were full of chat and hope about the adventures we were going to have. Remember how that dream could have ended quickly an hour from Dover when the fuel pipe broke and covered most of our belongings in

diesel? But we persevered and fixed that truck with our own hands, continuing on our journey across France and up into our new home.

And I guess that’s when things changed.

I never fully understood what happened after your accident, but I remember visiting you in that hospital bed in Grenoble and being so scared at how hurt you looked. That truck never left the Alps and I sometimes wonder if the real Grant, the one I had met some five years earlier, never left either.

I knew that you were hurting G and I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you more later in life.

I hope you’ve finally found some peace and that you, Rosie and Tigger are somewhere all together.

As Arthur would always say as we left him, “go steady”. So go steady my friend.

Olie Arnold

OV Deaths reported since publication of the 2019-2020 Vigornian Harry Allsop (Ca 46-54) Richard Atkinson (Ca 59-64) Philip Bannister (Cr 51-60) Phil Baylis (Ch 68-78) Paul A Beech (W 73-80) Anthony B Bolland (S 52-60) Alan Bufton (Ch 49-57) Timothy Caton (S 61-65) Michael Cutler (S 42-46) (Hubert) Martin Davies (S 43-50) Robert (Bob) Dibben (S 59-63) Ken Ellson (S 46-53) Paul Foster (Ch 46-54) Neil Gardner (Hon OV) Staff Raymond Goss (S 39-43) (Alfred) Richard Green (Ca 57-62) Derek Hook (Cl 49-60) Mark James (S 75-83) Julia Kinnish (Hon OV) Staff Antony Kwan (Ca 75-85) Jeremy M Lyon (S 54-59) Peter Maxwell-Stewart (Os 98-03) David Moore (S 53-56) Lady Morrison (Hon OV) Patron, Former Governor and Former Trustee Roy Padden (Cl 46-52) OV Club Committee Member Emeritus Alan Pratt (Cl 58-65) Jonathan C Rogers (Cr 51-60) Hugh Scurfield (Cl 43-54) Former Trustee Brian Smith (Ch 52-59) Grant Strover (Cl 87-97)

The Vigornian

111

Archivist’s Report Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic the Archivist was once again on furloughed leave throughout the 2021 Spring term. To that end the School Archive was closed and no work undertaken after the national lockdown was implemented in January until schools fully reopened in March 2021.

Nonetheless, the department saw very busy Autumn 2020 and Summer 2021 terms.

Leamington College Research In December 2020 the Archivist was contacted by Mark Ryan, an historian based in Leamington Spa, requesting assistance with research into the history of Leamington College, a minor public school formed in 1845 that closed in 1902, and its prep school, Beech Lawn. A small number of former Leamingtonians subsequently came to The King’s School. Throughout 2021 Upper Sixth members of Archives Club, Henny Hodges and Amy Yorke Brooks, undertook detailed research of nineteenth- and early twentiethcentury King’s School registers in order to identify eight such pupils and provide Mr. Ryan with biographical details. Further details on some of these individuals can be found below.

Archives Volunteer Owing to the pandemic the School Archive was unable to host a history student on placement from the University of Worcester this year. However, the Archivist was delighted to have Sarah Brown (L6 Os) volunteer in the School Archives during March and April 2021: Sarah has done sterling work cataloguing a series of school sports photographs into the archives collection. Thank you very much, Sarah!

Old Vigornians’ Cricket Club Research In March 2021 the Archivist was contacted

by Phil Mackie (Cl 1973-1983), who is researching the history of the Old Vigornians’ Cricket Club. Although the OVCC wasn’t officially formed until 1947, matches between the School and Old Vigornians were played annually at OV weekends from the 1880s onwards. The Archivist has provided scorecards and match reports from back issues of The Vigornian, 1884-1947, as well as biographical details of several early members of the OVCC upon request including the Koechlin brothers (KSW 18941901 and 1895-1899), the Jeans brothers (KSW 1897-1904 and 1902-1909), and J.T. Chamberlain (KSW 1885-1893).

Centenary of King’s First World War Memorials 18 June 2021 saw the one hundredth anniversary of the unveiling of the School’s First World War Memorials: the Cricket Pavilion, Memorial Window in the Cathedral Cloisters, and Roll of Honour in College Hall. As part of events to mark this centenary the Archivist wrote an article on the memorials’ history. Meanwhile Simon Taranczuk (Hon OV) conducted the Cathedral Choir in a recorded ceremony in College Hall, with an introduction by Headmaster Gareth Doodes and prayers led by Mark Dorsett (Hon OV). A video of this event was released on Firefly.

Research undertaken by Henny and Amy

Durham University Thesis Research Just before Easter the Archivist was contacted by Laura Anderson, a mature student working towards her MA in Archaeology at the University of Durham, whose thesis compares Medieval and Reformation English Grammar Schools. The King’s School is to be included as a case study in this thesis, and the Archivist was able to provide detailed background information on King’s foundation, early history, and College Hall. The Archivist provided copies of exhibition panels made for the School’s 475th anniversary exhibition in Worcester Cathedral in 2016, scans of pages from school history volumes, and copies of historical photographs of College Hall from our collections. It was also wonderful to be able to share the school’s ‘360 degree interactive virtual tour’ with Ms. Anderson as part of this response. The tour, available on the School website, was constructed by the Marketing Department and others to enable interested parties to ‘visit’ the School during national COVID-19 restrictions.

Enquiries The Archivist has received many enquiries on a wide range of subjects this year. Aside from those already highlighted above, these have included: histories of Edgar Tower and Numbers 10 and 12 College Green, school uniform, the history of Rugby at King’s, history of the School insignia, St. Alban’s Home for Girls (the orphanage run by the Sisters of St. Margaret, now King’s St. Alban’s), and numerous enquiries regarding OVs and Hon OVs.

Archives Club As reported above, Upper Sixth members of Archives Club Henny Hodges and Amy Yorke Brooks have been very busy this year undertaking research of early-twentieth-century OVs who were previously pupils at Leamington College. Vigornian readers can find a taste of Henny and Amy’s research on three of these individuals, below. They also provided wonderful assistance with displays, including the Long Gallery Display for 2021 King’s Day showcasing the history of the School Library. Thank you very much, Henny and Amy!

Eric Vernon Overell (KSW 1900-1905) E.V. Overell was born on 12 May 1887, the son of A.E. Overell, Esq., of Leamington Spa. According to The King’s School register Overell entered as a King’s Scholar and boarder of School House in January 1900, having previously been a pupil at Leamington College Prep.

Nineteenth-century OVs previously educated at Leamington College or Beech Lawn

From back issues of The Vigornian we discover that Overell obtained his Higher Certificate in 1905. After leaving King’s in July 1905 Overell won the Meeke Scholarship at Hertford College, Oxford;

112

The Vigornian

Overell was a prominent member of The King’s School: Captain of the Gymnasium, Captain of Boats, Secretary of Sports, and a member of both the Football and Cricket 1st XI teams.

OV Reunion The (joint) 2020 and 2021 OV Reunion has been postponed to September 2021 owing to the pandemic.

he obtained a Third in English Language and Literature in 1910. He served with the Machine Gun Corps during the First World War; but what became of him after peace was restored is unknown.

Leslie Dean Overell (KSW 1904-1907) L.D. Overell was born on 29 April 1889. The King’s School register records his entry to King’s in January 1904 from Leamington Preparatory; like his elder brother Overell was a King’s Scholar and boarder of School House. According to back issues of The Vigornian, Overell was involved in many aspects of school life: a flautist in the School Orchestra; singer in the School Choir; a member of the Rowing IV; and part of the Cricket 2nd XI and Football 2nd XI teams. After he left King’s in July 1907 Overell was articled to his father, a solicitor in Leamington Spa, and married Alice Ann Ward in January 1914.

Visitors It was wonderful to welcome School House to the School Archive during the Autumn Term. School House pupils and accompanying staff visited the Archive in their year group bubbles during House Time in September and October 2020 to view an archives exhibition regarding the history of School House (established in 1888).

In addition, three Lower Sixth pupils made extensive use of the School Archives to undertake research on articles written for King’s Speech. Sarah Brown (L6 Os) researched past epidemics at King’s; Imogen Brinksman (L6 Os) researched the history of Worcester Castle; and Felicity Quiney (L6 Br) researched numerous subjects including the School motto, Third Master, Fives Courts, past sports teams, and Edgar Tower statues for her “Twelve Days of King’s-Mas” series of articles.

It was also wonderful to welcome Barnabus Speaker Edward Cumming (Br 1990-2001) to the Archives during his visit to King’s in October.

Owing to national lockdown and furlough restrictions it was very disappointing to be unable to accommodate Lower Fourth pupils to the archives this year, nor to be able to welcome new staff as visitors. Neither could the Archive welcome Year 6 pupils during King’s usual annual Stretch Day.

Accessions Clare Hurle (Co 1983-1985) donated a 1919 printed pamphlet, ‘The Worcester Cathedral King’s School’ by James W. Wilson, a former Canon of Worcester Cathedral. Richard Cunningham (Cr 1959-1966) donated a number of 1960s KSW rugby photographs.

Derek Sheffer (Ca 1955-1960) sent in his school reports, collection of school sport fixtures, photographs, and newspaper cuttings from the 1950s and 1960s. Caroline Roslington (Hon OV) deposited a number of newspaper cuttings from the 1990s and a selection of items about Worcester Cathedral written by Michael Craze (H 1919-1925).

George Griffith (S 1965-1970) donated a collection of 1960s School House and Cricket photographs, and his school reports. Finally, an interesting item was received from a Mr. Norman McKenzie, who found it among the possessions of his father-in-law: the Champion Gold Medal awarded to Douglas Vernon Laurie (KSW 1890-1892) for the school’s Athletic Sports in 1892.

• “Call and Response: The University of Glasgow and Slavery”, November 2020 • “What’s race got to do with it?”, January 2021 Thank you very much to all those who have given material to the school archives: if you have any former King’s School material that you would like to donate, do get in touch!

Building Work Although the building work outside on Edgar Tower has finished, plastering and maintenance work needs to be carried out before everything can be returned to its rightful place and the Archives Exhibition Room can be fully restored to its former glory.

He served in the First World War as a Captain in the 7th Royal Warwickshire Regiment; he was wounded in 1918, but survived the conflict. What happened to Overell after the Armistice is not known.

Sinclair St. George Sutherland Kingdom (KSW 1907-1912) S.St.G.S. Kingdom was born 23 April 1904, the youngest son of Revd. E.W.S. Kingdom of St. Mary’s Vicarage, Leamington Spa. He joined King’s from Beech Lawn in September 1907 as a member of Form V and boarder in School House, and was awarded a King’s Scholarship in 1908. A prominent member of the School, Kingdom won numerous prizes, was Secretary of the Debating Society and Sport, an editor of the Vigornian, a School Monitor, and eventually became Captain of the School in 1911. He left King’s in July 1912 for Magdalen College, Oxford with a

Continued Professional Development Away from King’s, the Archivist is part of the committee for the Archives for Learning and Education Section (ALES) of the Archives and Records Association (ARA), the professional body for Archivists and Records Managers. In January 2020 the Archivist took over as ALES’ Secretary (Maternity Cover) and was responsible for organising committee meetings (initially held over the telephone, but switching to Microsoft Teams from March 2020), circulating agendas and compiling the minutes. Following the return of its regular Secretary in November 2020 the Archivist has remained on the ALES committee as Publications Officer and as such has written the “Opening Lines” article for the July/August 2021 issue of ARC Magazine.

Over the 2020-2021 academic year ALES organised and hosted a series of bi-monthly, virtual training sessions on Microsoft Teams open to all ARA members, including:

• “Using History Hackathons to foster creativity, collegiality and (careful) fun with archives”, March 2021 • “‘How did they make babies in the Stone Age?’ Museum in the Park’s adventures into the strange world of delivering learning sessions remotely”, May 2021 Two more sessions are planned for July and September 2021. It has been wonderful to be part of such a dynamic and proactive professional committee.

Harriet Patrick, Archivist

classical Demyship and Stratford Leaving Exhibition. He served as a member of the 9th Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the First World War; and married Gwendolen Lelia Sylvia Hensley at his father’s church whilst home on leave. After being wounded in 1917 Kingdom joined the staff at G.H.Q in France and became a prisoner of war in 1918. He was repatriated from Germany in December 1918 and briefly worked at the War Office before being appointed assistant clerk in the House of Commons in 1921. During the Second World War Kingdom held the temporary offices of Assistant Serjeant at Arms and Deputy Serjeant at Arms in the House of Commons, and was awarded an OBE in recognition of these services. He died in 1947.

The Vigornian

113

King’s Worcester Staff 2020/21 G.E. Doodes MA FRSA Headmaster J.R. Ricketts BSc Senior Deputy Head A.R. Oliver BA, MSc Deputy Head (Staff and Co-curricular)

K.H. Beever Ma, CEng Deputy Head (Academic)

E.K. McKenzie BSc Games R.J. Davis BA, Head of R.J. Shearburn BA Head of Spanish

UCAS Applicatons English M.W. Warren BA, MA English J.N. Gardiner BSc Maths T.R. Sharp MA History A.R. Gamble BSc Physics J.O. Hand BA Head of Sixth Form, Maths M.C. Poole BSc, PhD Chemistry, L.A. Beard BSc Biology J.R. Hewitt BA Art

Wulstan House Tutor M.R. Dorsett BA, MTh, PhD Religion & Philosophy Cert Theol (Chaplain) N. Essenhigh BSc

Biology

A.A.D. Gillgrass BA

PE, Games, Politics

S.C. Cuthbertson BA

Head of Geography

C.T. Haywood BA

Head of Art

M.M. Longley BEd, Cert Ed Games J. Knipe BA, Dip Sp LD

Learning Skills

A.J.M. Maund MA, M Phil

Head of English

C.W. Wilson BA, Cert Ed Head of Design & Technology

A.J. Fellows BA

English

S. Greenall BA

Games

G.L. Hardy BA

Art

L.H. Ison BSc

Head of Chemistry

R.J. McLaverty-Head BA. MPhil, PhD

Head of Religion & Philosophy Head of Oxbridge and Academic Enrichment

E.K. Trow-Poole BA

Classics

E.L. Woodward BA

Geography

R.L. Wood BSc

Games

E.L. Darby MA

Maths

N.J. Blakemore BSc

Computing

R.M. Lewis MA

Classics

D.R. Drew BA

MFL

N.J. Sears BA

History, Chappel House Tutor

J.A. Ellis MA

Art

O.J. Heydon BSc

Head of Mathematics

A.N. Falzon MA

MFL

W.J. Joyce BSc

Geography, Creighton House Tutor

E.F.E. Preece BSc

Games

C.J.B. Allsop MA, FRCO

Assistant Director of Music

J. Sarriegui BA

MFL

C.R.S. Rees MA

Head of PSHE & RSE, Oswald House Tutor

J.K. Ford BA

History, Head of Co-Curricular Systems

A.J. Ford BA

Assist. Director of Sport, History, Politics

R.A. Ball MA

Head of MFL

J.J. Mason BSc

Director of Sport

C. Atkinson BSc

Games

R.J. James BSc, PhD

Chemistry, Choir House Tutor

C.L. Brown BSc, PhD

Biology & EPQ, Head of Staffing Systems

E.I. Lummas BA

Design & Technology

D.J. Clarke BSc

Maths

M.D. Parkin MA, PhD

Head of Biology

E.D. Houghton BA

MFL

R.M. Rutter BA

MFL

E.A. Shepherd MA

Classics

L.C. Wolsey BA

Design & Technology

A.R. Swarbrick BSc

Maths

R.A. Worth BSc Asst Head of Lower Years Biology G.M. Gunter GTCL, LTCL

Music

A.M. Simpson BSc

Religion & Philosophy

S. Taranczuk MMus, FRCO Director of Music

G.V. Ward BEng, Ceng, MIET Maths

I.R. Davies PhD Head of Middle Years, Chemistry T.W. Pearson BSc

Physics, School House Tutor

K.E. Arnold MSc

Head of Lower Years, Chemistry

E.S. Loveridge BSc

History

L.C. Miller-Symonds Assistant Director of Sport BSc, PGDipEd

J. Williams BA

Art Design & Technology

D.J. Salkeld BSc

Maths

R.A. Roberts MSci

Chemistry

L.C. Wolsey BA

S.C. Bradley BA

Head of Classics

L. Ruiz Pelaez BA

MFL

G.M. Ormandy BSc

Geography Physics

E. Friend BA Head of Economics & Business

R.A. Ellender BA

Design & Technology, Art, Bright House Tutor

C. Petchsingh DPhil A. Hooper BEng

Physics

J.H. Chalmers B.Appi.Sc

Rowing, Biology

A.J. Knights M Phys

Head of Physics

C.L. Hooper BA

English

C.M. Neville BSc

Assist. Head of Sixth Form Geography, Kittermaster House Tutor

S.L.E. Parry MA

Head of Drama

A.R. Batchelor BSc

Economics and Business Studies

K.E. Lane

Dance

W.P. McGarvey BA

History & Politics

A.G. Deichen BA

Design & Technology, Castle House Tutor

C. Yates BSc

Head of French

A. Fitzpatrick BSc

Maths

D.N. Branchett BSc

Head of Computing

L.A. Walmsley MA

English

K. Knott BSc

Games

G.S. Hawthorne BA

Classics

J.L. Lucas BA, Dip Sp LD

Head of Learning Skills

A.L. Williams BA

Drama

G.L. Williams M Ed, BA

Economics & Business

E.J. Cameron BA

Head of History & Politics, Assistant Head of Middle Years

S.M. Lucas BA

English

E.J. Lewis BSc

Maths

H. Lacey

Biology

School Monitors Head of School

Olivia Howard

Deputy Heads of School

Will Hunt

Tom Angell

Heads of House

Alfie Parry Georgie Thorp Olly Flanagan Megan Pitts Aston Campbell-Kerr Owen Preston Mia Mathewson Louisa Kenny Darcy Scott-Worrall Jamie Reid Sophia Winfield Izzy Hodges Tom Holland Will Chapman Ellie Overfield Lizzie Gates Alice Martin Olly Timlin Milly Short Amy Yorke Brooks Bethan Fox Matt Doughty Henny Hodges Matt Whiteside Beatrice Beaver

Bright

Castle

Chappel

Choir

Creighton

Kittermaster

Oswald

School

Wulstan

Monitors

Jack Catchpowle Ed Cosson Bella Fielden Lani Overfield Eszter Horvath Eli Edwards Libby Evans Henry Pickering Josie Armstrong Molly Smith Grace Tivnan Ed Thrush Elsa Bishop Lydia Summerwill Ben Tyson Josh Matthews Ben Thorpe Jess Brown Molly Clarke Matt Hall

114

The Vigornian

Scholars Senior Scholars Henny Hodges

Os

Upper Sixth Hannah Dixon S Bethan Fox Cr Elizabeth Gates K Ben Hale Cl Matthew Hall W Izzy Hodges K Olivia Howard Cl Alessia Morris-Gouveia K Alfie Parry W Owen Preston Cr Amy Yorke Brooks Os

Lower Sixth Alice Baker Ca Luke Beever S Lousia De Vos Ca Alex Lloyd K Cerys Osborn Cl

Tom Angell

Cr

Fifth Form Grace Miller Ca Bobby Riddell Cr David Wills Br Becky Ye S

Upper Remove Max Barclay W George Campbell-Ferguson Cr Ben France Ca Riya Mayilvahanan Os Lucy Wadley Ch

Bursar Deputy Bursar HR

Bursary Staff

Bursar’s Secretary Headmaster’s PA School Secretaries

Registrar

DMR FDO

Marketing

Compliance Manager Health Centre

School Library

Archives Careers Theatre

ICT Support

SIMS Examinations

Health & Safety Technicians

Language Assistants

Coaches Catering

H.L. Jackson P.F. Hope BSc, ACA K.L. Turner G.S. Harding A.S. Grove S. Hewitt BSc, ACA A. Cross M. Hacklett A. Ellis C. Tedino A. Stanley C. Nesbitt M.P. Quigley M.L. Richardson C.M. Williams M.D. Guest D. Paddock P. Bladen V.C.L. Peckston BA S.E. Nevitt BA C.M. Perera BA E.J. Elliott BSc S. Borrillo-McLellan BA A.F. Evans C.M. Williams E.J. Ward A.J. Taylor S. Velasquez E. Southall L. Newman E.B.S. White C. Furber RGN, Dip N.ENB100 E.L. Rossiter RGN, BSc A.H.C. Jeffery MA, DipLIS M.J. Capell BSc, MSc H.M.B. Patrick MA H.C. Airdrie PGDip Careers, MSc P.R.J. Haynes HLTA, ABTT, STSG C. Gamble S.R. Tongue D.A.J. Cox A. Rowberry J. Nash H.R. Hateley M.A. Glarvey BA K.A. Thurgood BA A.F. Woodward J.L. Timlin BA J. Harrell K. Watkinson S. Bain L. Saunders A.F. McNeilly BSc J.A. Palmer C. Stand B. Gamble A.C.M.P. Rolland R.D.P. Wilkes K. Lloyd-Adams A. Azzopardi H. Zhang T.M. Benham BA I. Cunningham-Martin K. Webb K.T. Spink J.M. Bennett A. Balcerzak I.K. Carson A.H. Choudhury

H.E. Dutfield

R.J. Gough

S.J. Kings

C.L. Kings

G.M. Knight

K. Mol-Drygas

I.C. Palmer

M.A. Thomas

D. Thomas

M.M.R. Vilhena

L. Webb Estates A.C. Winter BSc

R.J. Barker

N.M. Clines

S. D’Ambrosi

T. Price

M. Tedino

S. Kilminster

T. Harper Caretakers D.J. McFee

D.A. Starkey Dip IFE Cover A.E. Sansome BA Pupil Supervisor T.A. Pardoe Grounds P. Tyrrell

G. Collins

W.E. Calvert

I.R. Hobbs Transport

D. Grinnell Bed

P. Harding

Boathouse/Rowing

Cleaning

W.M.S. Bird B.J. Young N. McNamee T. Hundley J. Bullock T. Skilbeck A. Fowler C. Bialy P. Wise G. Day G. Pugh M. Jelfs C. Webster P. English F. Duque D. Field D. Mobberley J. Griffiths W. Warner B. Harrison

J. Slikbeck A. McNamee J. Bialy N. Tamulyniene R. Everton K. Bendall P. Kilpatrick N. Akthar J. Langdell D. Harrison M. Byrne J. Woodward J. Miler T. Powell S. Aamir A. Ruston

King’s Hawford Staff 2020/21 Headteacher Deputy Head Assistant Head Assistant Head Head of Lower School Head of Early Years Digital Strategy Coordinator

Mr J M Turner BEd, DipEd, ACP Mrs C Knight BEd (Hons), OCR Mrs A Marshall-Walker BA (Hons)

Mr L Stigant, BA (Hons) Mr O Roberts, BA Ed (Hons)

Miss A Kingston BA (Hons), PGCE

Mr R Cook BSc (Hons), PGCE

Junior School Teachers (Years 3 to 6) Mrs J Atkins BA Ed (Hons) Mr S Hodgkins BSc QTS Mrs S Hughes BA (Hons), PGCE Mrs L Hyde BA (Hons), PGCE Mrs T McCullough BA (Hons), PGCE Mr I Percival BA (Hons), PGCE Mrs C Rawnsley BA (Hons), PGCE Mrs J Redman BEd (Hons), MEd, MA Applied Linguistics Mrs L Fullelove BA (Hons) Performing Arts, PGCE Mrs P Gregory Bed (Hons) Miss G Owens BA Ed (Hons) Mrs V English, BEd (Hons), PGCE ASD, Cert SpLD Miss G Holtham, NVQ3 Mrs J O’Brien, NVQ3 Pre-Prep Teachers (Reception to Year 2)

Miss J Howland, BA Ed (Hons) Mrs J Rand MSc, PGCE Mr R Marsland BSc (Hons), PGCE Mrs A Leatherdale BSc (Hons) PGCE

Miss H Willis, BEd (Hons) Mrs S Danks, NVQ3 Classroom Assistants

Mrs A Jeavons BA (Hons)

Mrs S Doorbar WPQTA Mrs K Edwards NVQ3 Miss S Routledge

Mrs W Goodman NNEB Mrs L Heath Miss A Turner, NVQ3

Mrs C Taylor-Edwards NVQ3

Kindergarten Staff Mrs D Field, NVQ3 Mrs J Hooper, DPP3 Mrs J Obrey, NNEB Mrs S Watts, Cert Ed Mrs A West, NVQ3

Mrs S A Gwillam, BA (Hons) Mrs M Jones, NVQ3 Mrs S Powell, BA (Hons) Mrs J Simons, Fdn Degree

After School Care Mrs D Hodgkiss Sports Assistant Sports Assistant Mr D Turner NVQ3

Mrs Y Hutton Mr T Otley Miss V Lake

Matron

Mrs J Shukla, B.Sc., RGN Mrs K Goodman, NNEB, RGN

Office Staff Registrar Head’s P.A. School Secretary

Mrs M Adams Miss L Crowe Miss G Woolley

Maintenance Mr N Vaughan Grounds Staff Mr A Callow Mrs T Widdows Catering Staff (Head of Kitchen) Mrs C Barker Mrs M Bates Mrs S Hand Mrs C Scott

Mrs H Chapman NVQ3

Choristers Frederick Edmonds L4E Toby Auty U4B Felix Tunnell U4A

David Marlow Ollie Perkins

LRS LRW

King’s St Alban’s Staff 2020/21

Headteacher Mr R Chapman Assistant Head Mrs L Kilbey (Chairman) Mr Hugh Carslake BA, LLB Director of Studies Mr D Braithwaite (Vice Chairman) The Very Rev. Peter Atkinson Assistant Head, Pre-Prep Mrs K Hadfield MA, Dlitt (Hon), FRSA The Rev. Canon Dr Michael W Brierley Junior School Teachers (Years 3 to 6) Ms Caroline Hoddinott Mrs F Atkinson Miss A Jordan Mr Douglas Dale MA, FCA Mrs N Ricketts Mrs E Lewis Mr Jeremy Goulding MA Mrs L Hand Mrs E Majhu Mr Laurence Green Mrs K Beauchamp Mrs J Pitts Mrs Jane Jarvis BA (Hons), MCIPD Mrs N Cain Mrs V Gunter Mr Rob McClatchey MA Mrs H Haggarty Mrs K Etherington Mrs Carolyn Pike OBE LLB (Hons) Mrs Patricia Preston MA (Oxon), DipM Pre-Prep Teachers (Reception to Year 2) Mr Andrew Reekes FRSA Mrs K Chatterton Mrs L Thorp Professor Leah Tether, BA Hons, MA, PhD, SFHEA Miss E Chadwick Mr Andrew Underwood Professor John Vickerman BSc, PhD, DSc Mr Paul Walker BTech, MPhil, CEng, MIMMM

Governors List

Learning Support

Games Staff Mrs J Clark Mr T Benham

Mrs M Knipe

Head of Boys’ Games

Mr C Hooman

Organist

Mr N Freestone

King’s Nursery Nursery Manager Miss G Hill Miss A Lewis

Mrs S Pugh Mrs H Evans Miss H Newman

Miss R Woodger Mr J Taylor

The Vigornian

115

Name

University

Subject

Name

University

Subject

Thomas Angell

University of Oxford

Medicine

Josephine Lorna Armstrong

University of Nottingham

Criminology and Social Policy

Annie Sarah Molly Darwent

King's College London, University of London

Nursing with Registration as an Adult Nurse

Rowan Dash

Swansea University

Software Engineering with a Year in Industry

Amelia Baggott

University of Exeter

Geography

William Alexander Banner

Durham University

Economics

Kate Beckett

Nottingham Trent University

Psychology with Counselling

Daisy Katherine Beedie

The University of Edinburgh

Classical Studies

Beatrice Grace Stow Beever

The University of Edinburgh

Archaeology and Social Anthropology

Elinor Edwards

University of Bristol

Physics and Philosophy

Oliver Bidwell

University of Nottingham

Management

Elizabeth Evans

University of Reading

Real Estate

Isabel Siobhan Dimmock

University of York

Psychology

Hannah Jane Dixon

University of Liverpool

Medicine

Matthew Doughty

University of Bristol

Politics and International Relations

Nemi Thea Helen Lettie Hypatia Edwards

Swansea University

Zoology

Samuel Binnion

University of Nottingham

Sociology

Matthew Ferris

University of Warwick

Law and Sociology

Elsa Bishop

University of Leeds

Fashion Marketing

Ella Fidlin

University of Manchester

Drama and Film Studies

Marcus Booth-Scrimshaw

Edinburgh Napier University

Web Design and Development

Isabella Fielden

University of Exeter

Classical Studies and English

Alexander Paris Bower

UCL (University College London)

Law

Thea Emily Boyce

The University of Edinburgh

French and Business

Thomas Brebner

University of Leeds

Banking and Finance

Benedict Atticus Thomas Brown

University of Exeter

Jessica Charlotte Brown

University of Reading

Oliver Flanagan

University of Bath

Mechanical Engineering

Bethan Catherine Fox

University of Sheffield

Bioengineering with a Year in Industry

Charlie Francis

University of Liverpool

Politics and International Business

Law with Business

Anna Ruth Fryers

University of Warwick

Politics, International Studies and French

Accounting and Finance (with Placement Experience)

Elizabeth Ella Gates

University of Nottingham

Medicine

Grace Elizabeth Gumbley

University of Plymouth

Occupational Therapy

Keele University

Neuroscience and Psychology

Laurence Bryan-Brown

Cardiff University

Engineering with Foundation

Ella Charlotte HainesMessenger

Olivia Burden

Durham University

Modern Languages and Cultures (with Year Abroad)

Benjamin Theo Hale

Imperial College London

Physics

Matthew Hall

University of Bath

Economics

Jamie Hartshorne

University of Bath

Integrated Mechanical and Electrical Engineering

William David John Head

Cardiff University

Religion and Theology

Benjamin Heath

Cardiff University

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Sophie Burden

University of Exeter

Philosophy and Sociology

Michael Bussey

UCL (University College London)

English

Aston Campbell-Kerr

Nottingham Trent University

Business Management and Marketing

Olivia Campbell-Kerr

University of Bath

Management (with Placement)

Jack Grant Catchpowle

University of Sussex

Joseph Heydon

University of York

Economics and Finance

Anthropology

Madelaine Alexis Hinchliff

Keele University

Rehabilitation and Exercise Science

Oxford Brookes

Business Management

William Chapman

Imperial College London

Civil Engineering

Louis Hira

Alexander Crispin Bruce Checkley

Loughborough University

Product Design Engineering (with placement year)

Isabelle Kate Hodges

Cardiff University

Midwifery

Henrietta Hodges

University of Bristol

Mechanical Engineering

Molly Clarke

Cardiff University

Business Management (Marketing)

Eszter Horvath

University of Birmingham

Psychology

University of Bristol

Geography with Study Abroad

Amelia Jane Connor

Leeds Arts University

Fashion Design

Olivia Mary Howard

Phoebe Conyers

University of Nottingham

Management

Willem Humphreys

Jack Cope

University of Liverpool

Law and Criminology

Nottingham Trent University

Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management

Edward Cosson

University of Bath

Civil and Architectural Engineering (with placement)

Zack Humzah

Cardiff University

Civil and Environmental Eng

William Hunt

Luke Coupland

University of Nottingham

Politics and International Relations

UCL (University College London)

Politics and International Relations

Louisa Grace Kenny

Imperial College London

Amelia Frances Elizabeth Cove

University of Exeter

Physics

Civil Engineering with a Year Abroad

116

The Vigornian

Name

University

Subject

Name

University

Subject

Harriet Killman

Cardiff University

Media and Communications

Arun Saimbi

Cardiff University

Business Management

Lucy Annabelle Kirkby

University of Exeter

English and Drama with Employment Experience Abroad

Robert Saunders

University of Birmingham

Mathematics

Darcy George ScottWorrall

University of Warwick

Politics, Philosophy and Law (PPL)

University of Birmingham

Physiotherapy

Evie Lyman

Liverpool John Moores University

Events Management

Emily Seymour-Perry

Charlotte MacDonald

Cardiff University

Urban Planning and Development

Shaiyan Saqib Siddiqui

University of Liverpool

Medicine

Molly Smith

University of Exeter

Business and Management

Jack Smith

University of Exeter

Business and Management with Industrial Experience

Jonathan Sproule

University of Bath

International Management and Modern Languages Spanish

Archie Stephan

Reading

Building Surveying

Jonathan Stratton

Nottingham Trent University

Real Estate

Poppy Madden

University of Exeter

Owen William B Marles

Queen's University Belfast International Business with Mandarin

Philosophy and Sociology

Alice Martin

New College of the Humanities

Law with Politics & International Relations

Mia Mathewson

The University of Edinburgh

Business with Marketing

Josh Matthews

University of Southampton

Economics and Finance

Lucy Moffat

University of Exeter

Psychology

Lydia Summerwill

University of Leeds

History of Art

Oliver Taylor

Swansea University

Aerospace Engineering

Emma Morland

University of Plymouth

Medicine

Alessia Morris Gouveia

University of Birmingham

Chemical Engineering (Industrial Experience) (5 years)

Grace Anna Moseley

Loughborough University

Politics, Philosophy and Economics (with placement year)

Jemima Moss

University of Birmingham

Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences

Grace Tivnan

University of St Andrews

Medicine

Luke Bernard Mushing

Leeds Beckett University

Business & Management

Jessica Tudor

Madrid

Charles Ness

University of Reading

Quantity Surveying

International Relations and Modern Languages

Robert Newman

Cardiff University

Ancient Hist

Anya Turk

University of Bath

Civil and Architectural Engineering (with placement)

Ischia Turk

University of Sheffield

Zoology with Placement Year

Stephen Turvey Aguilar

Swansea University

Population Health and Medical Sciences

Ben Tyson

University of Nottingham

Religion, Philosophy and Ethics

Alexander Vickers

Bristol, University of the West of England

Illustration

George Walker

Reading

Real Estate

Georgina Thorp

University of Nottingham

Psychology

Benjamin Robert Thorpe

University of York

Environmental Science

Olly Timlin

The University of Edinburgh

Civil Engineering

Duncan Timm

Heart of Worcestershire College

Computing

Theo Osborn

Durham University

Natural Sciences

Lani Overfield

University of Bath

Biomedical Sciences

Elena Overfield

University of Warwick

Modern Languages with Linguistics

Henry Palmer

University of Nottingham

Classical Civilisation

Alfred Parry

University of Exeter

Mathematics

Henry Cameron Lewis Pickering

Queen's University Belfast Medicine

Megan Louise Pitts

University of Plymouth

Medicine

Alexandra Ward

Loughborough University

Psychology

Edmund Poel

Durham University

Philosophy and Politics

Ben Webb

University of Bath

Dominic Simon Porter

University of Leeds

Economics

Chemistry for Drug Discovery with Industrial Placement

William Powell

University of Bath

Accounting and Finance

Tobias George Weymouth

Cardiff University

Civil Engineering

Owen Preston

University of Leeds

Economics

Law

The University of Edinburgh

English Language and Literature

Matthew George Whiteside

University of Exeter

James Reid

Sophia Winfield

University of Nottingham

Katie Rhead

University of Nottingham

Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience

Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience

Emily Wood

Liverpool John Moores University

International Relations and Politics

Isabella Woodcock

University of Nottingham

Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience

Charles Leonard Riddell

University of Reading

Business and Management

Edward Robert John Robins

Loughborough University

Aeronautical Engineering

Christopher Rodgers

University of Bath

Economics

Callum Wright

University of Liverpool

Veterinary Science

Amy Elizabeth Yorke Brooks

Durham University

Natural Sciences

The Vigornian

117

Upper Sixth Class of 2021