The Dolphin - 2022

THE

2022

DOLPHIN

Pupils arriving at St Mary’s for the Commemoration Day Service

THE DOLPHIN

The Dolphin Magazine, Christmas, Easter and Summer Terms 2021/22 Presentation of Governors’ Prizes

Cups & Prizes 4

School Community

The Headmaster Reflects 8 A few words from our Heads of School 9 What King's has meant to our Prefects 10 House News 12 Valete 26 Remembering Amy Williams 30 The Old Brutonian Association 32 Events & Friends of King's Bruton 34 Our King's Chaplain was Ordained 36 Commemoration Day 37 Wellbeing & Mental Health Awareness 38 The King's Cavaliers 41 King's community supporting charity 42

Interesting Times

Wellbeing Hobbies - The Headmaster, Model Making 48 Wellbeing Hobbies - Reverend Beverly, Horology 49 Old Brutonians memories of King's Re-enactment 50 years ago 50 A King's rugby colours cap from 1926 52 A great day out at the clay pigeon shooting competition 53 Archie spent his half-term on stage in Bugsy Malone 54 Grace, stepping into the lights onstage, in Grease 55 The preparation and joy of competing in a Biathlon 56 A powerful ‘Question Time’ about sexual harassment 57 From Uzbekistan to Bruton - My time at King's 58 From China to Bruton - Far East to South West 59 From Germany to Bruton - Our King's Experience 60 Weaving the world back together one stitch at a time 62 India, playing for the U18 Team Bath Netball Squad 64 The Graeme Akhurst Cups 65 The Sixth Form Club 66 The story of Inter-House Debating: Lyon’s Perspective 67 Old Brutonian, Alex Baxter, on completing Gold DofE 68 Covid-keepers and mental health at King's 69 Volunteering at my local foodbank 70 Volunteering for the Ocean Youth Trust 71 King's pupils have recorded and produced an album 72 The Chinese educational system from a Chinese perspective 74 Dolphin Interview - Mr Amaglo, My experiences of racism 76 Learning Arabic through lockdown 78 A digital comic strip inspired by ‘Othello’ 79 Celebrating Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee 80 The exciting new world of KSB MotorSport 82 ‘Pride’ at King's Bruton 84 Working for the Somerset Youth Parliament 85 Helping the people of Ukraine 85 Dolphin Interview - Mr Miller, a full and active life 86 An update from Old Brutonian, Archie Coulsey-Belgeonne 87

Remembering bravery during the Falklands War From Bruton to Amsterdam to DJ A year on from King's, -Amy Hurst Alexina, cooking up a storm A successful year for the Eco Committee

An Eventful Year

An academic Roundiup 3rd Form Creative Writing 5th Form Creative Writing Music Performing Arts Art Design & Technology The Arkwright Engineering Scholarship BTEC Hospitality The Sixth Form King's pupils gain top apprenticeships Old Brutonian, Emily Wastell on college in the USA U6th Form Leavers 2022 English as an Additional Language Learning Support The Classics The Chess Year Remembrance Day Community Service The Astrophotography Club 3rd Form teambuilding at Mill on the Brue Chaplaincy CCF Dolphin Productions Director of Sport Rugby Girls’ Hockey 1st XI Football Badminton Boys’ Hockey Netball Cross Country Table Tennis Tennis Cricket Athletics Swimming Health Related Fitness Equestrian Team Photographs

88 89 90 91 92 96 98 103 104 110 118 126 127 128 130 132 133 134 136 138 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 146 148 152 153 157 161 162 162 166 172 173 173 174 175 178 178 179 180

Contents

Contents

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Presentation of Governors’ Prizes

THE DOLPHIN

Cups and Prizes

BTEC Sport Davina Ellis

Third Form

Achievement Prizes for academic excellence Charlotte Allen Erica Wettern Samuel Hooper Jamie Zagoritis Clara Lennhof Oscar Bell Emma Russell

Presentation of Governors’ Prizes

Spanish Luke Hutchinson

Commendation Prizes for sustained hard work Greta Boldt Jenna Coverdale Rose Cobden Max Mackintosh Eleanor Duval Francesca Hayward

Commendation Prizes for sustained hard work Violet Williams Abigail Waller Olivia Rolls Theodore Birkbeck Fraser Harrington Archie Atkinson Ashtyn Taylor

Lower Sixth Form

Fourth Form

Design & Technology Bertram Hopkins

Achievement Prizes for academic excellence Harriet Vallings James Squire Winifred Dawes Adam Mulford Annabelle Rundle Yiling Yang Sebastian Young Commendation Prizes for sustained hard work Emily Weeks Zhenghe Chen Lucy Duval Thomas Buck Sandra Jaque Burgos Sophie Coverdale

Fifth Form

Achievement Prizes for academic excellence Harry Allen Isabel Waller Skyla Cannon Georgia McDade Samantha Howe Anouska Loveridge

Subject Prizes Biology Laila Squire

Business Studies Thomas Curry Chemistry Laila Squire

Economics India Finch-Hatton History Amelia Blunden English Jemima Hurst French Lena Hassler Geography Jodie Glover Latin Amelia Blunden Further Mathematics Bodo Wirth BTEC Hospitality Alexia Smith Mathematics Yijie Yang Philosophy Charlie Warburton Physical Education William Owen Psychology Mia Jessett

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BTEC Enterprise Isabella Mason BTEC Performing Arts Agatha Dawes

Upper Sixth Form

Subject Prizes (Subject prizes are awarded for effort, application and attainment within a subject area and are not entirely based on examination results) Biology Henry Wareham Business Studies Isabella Turton Chemistry Elizabeth Ingvaldson Design & Technology Edward Weekes BTEC Performing Arts Alexander Martin Economics Isaac Baxter English Olivia Nicol Further Mathematics Isaac Baxter French Thomas Matkevich Spanish Emily Gilmour Geography Henry Wareham History Thomas Bickerton Mathematics Thomas Bickerton Philosophy Sophia Shone Physical Education Felix Mornement

BTEC Enterprise James Newcombe

EPQ Prize Alexia Smith Davey Prize for creative writing Samantha Howe

BTEC Hospitality Isabella Turton

3rd Form Reading Prize for outstanding performance in the Accelerated Reading Scheme Polly Clapp

Music Prizes

Yusof Memorial Cup awarded to a 3rd Form pupil for their outstanding contribution to the School community Ashtyn Taylor

Slogrove Trophy Amelia Warren Headmaster’s Prize for Music Phoebe Slight Headmaster’s Prize for Music Olivia Wastell Headmaster’s Prize for Music Thomas Matkevich Moore Cup for Outstanding Contribution to Choral Music Amelia Warren Bill Gordon Jazz Trophy Oliver Mepham Band Shield Thomas Bickerton

Art Prizes Senior Award Sophie Doig Junior Award Eleanor Grieve History of Art Freya Smith Bruton Art Society Award Isabella Jones

Toby Proctor Millie Venner-Coombes Felix Smith The Alex Edwards Cup for loyalty and service to the School community Isaac Baxter

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BTEC Sport Grace Freeman

Named Prizes

The Sir David Allen Prize for public speaking Grace Wilkes The Sloman Cup for contribution to the dramatic arts Hannah Branfoot The Gibbs Cup for Drama Charlotte Burton

The Fleischmann Prize: for excellence in a second language Millie Hutchinson

The Galbraith Cup for contribution to girls’ sporting achievement both in School and at representative level Strayt Prize for Biology (Junior) Anya Evans Georgia McDade

The Coney Cup Most improved English as an for contribution to girls’ sport on additional language (Senior) and off the field Xin Lin Sophie Gould Most improved English as an The Pineo Bowl additional language (Junior) for contribution to boys’ sporting Philipp Bruhns achievement both in School and at representative level O.B.A. Prize Jay Terry for excellence in G.C.S.E. Amelia Blunden The Ridley Cup for contribution to boys’ sport on The Viney Prize and off the field for achievement in G.C.S.E. Christopher Wood India Finch Hatton The Tremlett Prize for historical work Christopher Wood

Headmaster’s Prizes

Henry Deanesley Prize for Chemistry in the Sixth Form Rosie Longman

For Outstanding Academic Achievement Bodo Wirth

OBA Progress Prizes for progress not exclusively academic Aled Downes Hannah Branfoot Lillian Crossfield Lewis O’Grady Elinor Harper

For the Deputy Head Girl Charlotte Burton

Hugh Sexey’s Memorial Prizes for contribution to School life outside the classroom Olivia Nicol Dylan Millard Gabriel Galley Javdat Muminov

For the Head of School Christopher Wood

Presentation of Governors’ Prizes

Psychology Sophia Shone

For the Deputy Head Boy Isaac Baxter For the Head of School Emily Gilmour

George Bailey Beak Trophy for the Top Performing House

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Community

THE DOLPHIN

The Headmaster Reflects...

Ian Wilmshurst

The Headmaster reflects...

Headmaster

The massive impact of the pandemic on school life at King's seems finally now to be receding, and it is interesting to see how quickly we are all reverting back to normality. Life at King's is now as busy and hectic as it was before COVID-19 hit us, with the Memorial Hall and Fitzjames Sports Hall regularly hosting pupils for their GCSE and A Level examination papers. Exams bring their own challenges, but it has been far better for pupils, and indeed for teachers, to have exams back rather than relying on the complexities and idiosyncrasies of CAGs and TAGs. King's has been growing in popularity over the past few years, and this has resulted in an inevitable growth in pupil numbers. I anticipate that we will have over 370 pupils starting at King's in September, with 200 boys and over 170 girls. We are, therefore, now a fully coeducational school, but I have made it clear to our Governors that I think we should not be looking to expand further. Parents value our relatively small size, and the focus will be on ensuring that we always provide an outstanding, holistic education within the parameters of a maximum of 370 pupils. Size and quality combined have ensured our sustained success and I am determined that this will continue, regardless of external challenges and changes that the School may face.

It has been wonderful to have live concerts back on in The Queen Elizabeth Music School, as the pandemic-enforced

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restrictions probably hit music as hard as any other school activity. The Music School is clearly a new focus for the School campus and has regenerated the historic core of the School. We are carefully considering the best options for the new use and refurbishment of Old House but, in time Old House will again be a key, busy and multi-purpose building at the heart of King's.

The rapid increase in building costs was looking likely to adversely affect the plans for The Sir Peter Squire Memorial Pavilion project, but I was delighted that the School received a most generous, and most unexpected, six-figure legacy donation from an Old Brutonian, which has allowed us to proceed as planned. We are looking to have the refurbished pavilion and adjacent new changing rooms open in use for the 2023 school cricket season.

We are working hard on several levels to ensure that all pupils are valued, respected and supported at King's; equality, diversity and inclusion are now all front and centre of school inspection regimes and Department of Education directives. Life for teenagers is, in many ways, more complex than it has ever been before and social media, whilst providing many exciting opportunities, also brings its own levels of stress and anxiety. Support for mental health is central to our pastoral support and the School ensures that there are many avenues for a pupil’s voice to be heard.

A new pupil Eco-Committee has secured Green Flag status, with Distinction, for King's. The EcoCommittee decided to focus on ‘3 Rs’ - Recycling, Reducing food waste and Rewilding. I know that this is only the start of many other initiatives to make King's as eco-friendly as possible.

It was with very mixed emotions that we welcomed Amy Williams’ family, and many of her Old Brutonian and university friends, for her Memorial Service at St Mary’s Church, and then at King's for a reception. Amy was a pupil through both Hazlegrove and King's, in Priory House, and her memorial service was a fitting way to celebrate all that she achieved in her life.

I am very grateful for all the support our Governors have given King's over the past two years. The future for King's is bright and, arguably, we have come out of the pandemic a stronger school than we were when we went into the pandemic. Our popularity continues to grow, so we are having to manage our size sensibly to ensure that we continue to provide quality education for all our boys and girls. I am working closely with our Governors on strategic planning to ensure that King's remains an outstanding school, and cements our place in the UK as the market leader in smaller independent schools.

Emily Gilmour Head of School Wellesley House It has been a privilege, to say the least, to have been part of this extraordinary community for the past 5 years. King's is a very unique school, and one in which I take pride in being able to wholeheartedly say, has shaped me into the person I am today. I will be leaving King's with great confidence, thanks to the exemplary quality of academic and social education I have received during my time here. I have no doubt that such an experience will help me in the future as I go on to study International Business (with Spanish) at Bristol University.

Kit Wood

Head of School New House On behalf of the Upper Sixth, I would like to thank King's for facilitating our growth and development into young people superbly equipped for life after school. As a cohort, we have experienced almost two years of school life disrupted by covid restrictions, and this has brought many challenges which we have overcome. I believe that this has made us value the multi-faceted life at King's even more than before, from sport fixtures to concerts and even to lessons!

Joining King's mid-way through a school term was a daunting prospect for me, but the welcoming, inclusive, and kind environment at King's made this transition smooth, and has essentially fostered my development and enabled me to thoroughly enjoy my time at King's. The holistic education on offer

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This year, King's experienced its first full uninterrupted (by Covid) academic year since March 2020, and I can say with confidence that the School hasn’t taken a step back, if not a convincing stride forward, to meet the needs and wants of both its pupils and staff.

The constant desire by the School to modernise and set the example for its pupils on how to be forward thinking in a constantly changing world, whilst also kitting them out with the skills required for them to be the best version of themselves, and allows pupils to be ready to experience the world that awaits, is truly admirable and no mean feat. I can only say how grateful I and my peers are to have been able to experience this wonderful school.

The unique nature of King's allows every pupil to find their niche freely and be encouraged in whatever path they desire. Throughout one’s time at King's, one’s confidence develops due to that encouragement which subsequently results in a confident, but crucially, not arrogant young adult who is ready to take on the challenge of the working world. The core values of the School revolve around its critical core which is its community. Such a community has allowed us to build friendships and connections that we will treasure dearly as we prepare ourselves to head out of the safety of Bruton, but with the security that we will remain part of this special King's community.

at King's has allowed me to make use of various opportunities and develop useful skills. For example, ahead of this year, I was not a very confident public speaker, but through debating for New House and speaking in Assembly, I have become more assured at speaking to an audience, and as a result, I urge King's pupils to push themselves out of their comfort zones to make the most of the variety of opportunities that King's offers while you can.

pupils are valued as unique individuals with our differences celebrated. As King's is a relatively small school, the strengths of individuals are often accentuated, and this teaches pupils to be humble and modest early on in their development.

The strength of the King's community has been reflected in its ability to adapt to, and move past, Covid restrictions with ease, and it has been great to see a return to a sense of normality in daily school life, evident in the inter-house competitions.

I have enjoyed the competitive but friendly atmosphere across the School, particularly within sport. This has helped me to develop humility, resilience, and a greater sense of ambition to improve myself, and these are attributes which I’m sure will help me as I try to navigate through life after King's.

It’s been a privilege to be a part of the Prefect team. We have tried to represent the pupil body and worked on improving the functioning of daily life at school. We have discussed the School’s response to mental health issues, sexual harassment, bullying and food waste, while trying to take a proactive stance in combating these issues. We have worked well as a team and I am confident that, collectively, we have represented King's well. Throughout my time at King's, the special community here has ensured that

A few words from our Heads of School

A few words from our Heads of School

I will miss King's greatly, but I have made fantastic memories that I will cherish, and I look forward to coming back as an Old Brutonian.

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THE DOLPHIN What King's has meant to our Prefects 10

What King's has meant to our Prefects Isaac Baxter Deputy Head of School I could throw so many words and phrases at the idea of what King's has meant to me, but the one I’ll go for is, opportunity. 5 years ago, I never would have thought I would have done all of the things that I have in my King's career. Beyond academics, was the choice to study Economics, and the involvement in team sport, the acting, the activities within Lyon House, and of course, my beloved debating. The opportunity to take part in so many different parts of life, and not be put into a box, as I expected myself to be when I first arrived at King's, has helped me grow as a person more than anything else could have.

After King's, I am going on a gap year before applying to study Economics at university, and I know that the skills and mindset that King's has given me will send me far.

Charlotte Burton Deputy Head of School I joined King's in 4th Form, and I can certainly say the last 4 years have whizzed past. King's is a very special place, and I believe that is due to the wonderful staff and key values they hold. King's has allowed me to thrive in many different aspects of life that I didn’t think I would ever discover! Although we faced disruption from the pandemic, King's never failed to provide me with the support that I needed as an individual, and for that I will always be grateful. I have learnt many lessons at King's, not just academic ones, but lessons that I will keep with me as I grow up and move through life.

Over the last 4 years, I have matured as an individual, met some amazing people and made friendships that I will treasure forever. If all goes well, I hope to go onto university to study Psychology.

Hannah Branfoot Over the past year, I have been able to get a unique perspective on the School and the way it runs, from discussing whether to get a new school coat, to seeing all the behind the scenes work that is put into one event, or simply to keep the School running from day to day. I have also appreciated being able to have my say in the goings ons and be able to do my own events, such as doing Assembly for Pride month, which is a topic very close to my heart, and I am so happy to be able to talk about it.

Sophie Gould I have thoroughly enjoyed every second of my time here at King's.

From Third Form to Upper Sixth, there has never been a time where I haven’t felt involved or welcome in whatever challenges I may have faced. Whether this be on a sports field or in a music hall, King's has prepared me for every opportunity and challenge that the future beyond King's may bring. The vast range of exciting options and extra curriculum activities on offer, provides everyone with a chance to try something new

and unexpected. This enabled not only myself, but the rest of the School pupils to explore different aspects of school life and exceed expectations in many undiscovered talents, whilst King's was always there to pick up the pieces after any set backs or failures. King's sees every pupil as an individual, allowing for change to occur whilst growing up in a safe environment, catering for every individual need, making it the perfect place for any pupil, especially myself, to have confidence for the future.

Lily Ingvaldson My time at King's has been hugely important. I will look back at King's as one of the most impactful places of my life. The strong sense of community has supported me through all ups and downs and has equipped me with hugely important skills for life. During the 5 years spent here, I have made amazing memories and friendships which will last a lifetime. After King's I plan on taking a gap year before going off to university.

King's has given me the ability to go about everything I do with confidence and integrity.

Dylan Millard King's has been hugely influential on my development into adulthood, and I have been so grateful to have had the opportunity to give back to the School and the School community as a School Prefect. It has been a brilliant

Felix Mornement My time at King's has been short lived having only joined in the Lower 6th.

Despite this however, the School has enabled me to exceed my expectations of what I thought I could have achieved, and who I have been able to become as a result of my time here.

I value greatly the lessons I have learnt. Not

Javdat Muminov King's has built who I am in these last 5 years.

It has been a joy making friendships that I feel certain will last forever. I came here as a quiet international student, having to adapt to the new environment and new country, and I am walking away with many skills. I will look back on all the fond memories I have made with fellow students, teachers and my Housemaster in the classrooms or out on the sports field, or indeed, anywhere around the School. I

am hoping to go on to study Sustainable Development at Edinburgh, which I know I can face with confidence with all the skills I have acquired during these last 5 years.

James Newcombe I joined King's in 2017 from Hazlegrove. King's has allowed me the time to develop and understand the importance of vital skills such as a strong work ethic. This is partly due to the full-on schedule which is on offer. These values have already helped me to achieve one of my goals of securing an apprenticeship and hopefully, set me up well for success in the future. I have also been given many opportunities, such as Ten Tors and the ability to make lifelong friends which is something I will cherish. I look forward to my future however, I will be missing the great memories and times I have had at King's.

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only those lessons in the classroom, but primarily the lessons I have learnt about myself, about others and the wider world.

King's has allowed me to form lifelong friendships with likeminded and ambitious people. I will look back with very fond memories of the School, and I will miss it as we all move onto the next chapter.

What King's has meant to our Prefects

experience working together with my friends, the Headmaster and the Deputy Head, and I have learned skills which leave me in good stead for the future. King's has been a second home to me for more than 3 years now, and I have loved every second of it. I will miss everything about this school, but I am ready to take the next step on my journey. I am so thankful to everyone in the King's community, and I look forward to coming back in the future.

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THE DOLPHIN House News - Arion

Arion House @KSBArionHouse

We have finally seen the return of our true Arion House this year after 2 strange years and it has been fantastic to be back! To be one large pink family again, to see friendships growing between all year groups, to hear constant fun and laughter around the House and to be unstoppable in so many Inter-House events this year. What a year it has been!

Our Thursday nights have continued to be a highlight of life in Arion House, and this year we have seen an even bigger array of fun activities. From glow stick dancing, B&M shopping, various fire pits, ice-cream vans, talent shows, Mrs Goffe’s music challenge to modelling in Love Alice and guess the baby quizzes, to name just a few!

Aside from our House Nights, there are also huge amounts of other events going on in our House, and I cannot thank Ms Bell-West enough for the energy she pours into the House too.

This year my highlight must be “I’m an Arion girl, get me out of here” alongside her drive with the L6th Form to provide our local homeless shelter with their own Christmas gifts.

As a House we travelled to Bath for a brilliant afternoon of ice-skating as our Christmas treat, which was all part of a busy build up to Christmas. St Nicholas visited us, we ran a successful stall of hot chocolate and mulled wine in the Bruton late night shopping evening, and we partied hard at the Kitchen at Kimber’s for a House Christmas and summer do!

However, the real major event of the year that brought us together as a House was our fantastic House performance of The Witches. With our U6th Form producers, Charlotte and Phoebe, taking the lead, they produced an outstanding House play. It was one of my proudest moments of the year, watching the girls take full ownership of the play, it was a full House effort and one that I can take no credit for!

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I really believe that Arion House is the dream team. I am hugely grateful to our wonderful House tutors who all go above and beyond to support the Arion girls and myself, thank you Ms Bell-West, Mrs McMunn, Mrs WilsonBrown, Madame Webb, Mrs Carpenter and Mrs Goffe. Also anyone who has visited our House will know how important our matrons Sue and Emma are to us. There is a never a dull moment in our House, or a quiet moment, and they are usually at the heart of this!

Whether it’s games in the office, a catch up on the sofa, there is no doubt that every Pink Lady’s favourite time of the week is Friday at 4pm when they arrive in the office to collect their ultimate gooey, warm brownie.

It’s not only the staff that create this dream team though - it’s the girls in the House too. This year we have had a fantastic Sixth Form who absolutely led by example. They have poured their hearts and souls into the House, they have energy and enthusiasm for all they do and I cannot praise them all highly enough. Our Head and Deputy Head

of House, Hannah and Abi have been the true leaders this year, and I would like to thank them for all that they have done for me and for the House, they have played a huge part in making Arion a wonderful home.

Under their leadership we have been presented with so many trophies.

Including the Inter-House Swimming, Senior Inter-House Netball and Tennis, the Relays Cup at Sports Day, the InterHouse Golf and Shooting, we regained our advent calendar eating title and the best dressed team at the New House charity event. Above all of this though, there is one trophy which stands out from the rest - the one we all want! It’s been a few long years since we won this title, but this year, under the leadership of Olivia, we won the House Ensemble, with Ashtyn and Phoebe being placed in the Solo Rounds and we were over the moon to be crowned Inter-House Music Champions. What a year it has been! Time for a rest now, before we do it all again…

Bethany Griffiths Housemistress

THE DOLPHIN House News - Arion

Arion has been my home for the past 5 years, and I wouldn’t have changed anything. I was honoured to be Head of House for my final year. Arion is such a wonderful House, there is always something going on, whether that be a fire pit or a spontaneous spoons game, everyone is always welcome with what is going on. As of writing we have done very well in the Inter-House events, it’s always nice to see everyone come together to represent the House in a way that reflects the House and its ethos - of being kind, caring and making sure no one is left out. I will miss Arion greatly next year.

Hannah Branfoot Head of House

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THE DOLPHIN House News - Blackford

Blackford House @KSBBlackfordHse

It has been a ‘funny old year’ as we strived to remember what normal looked and felt like. All those things that we used to do regularly, became more difficult as we struggled to remember life at school pre-Covid. Perhaps the most difficult part of the equation is getting the boys used to living in a boarding house again, and getting used to sharing their space with so many others. This is no mean feat as the House is bulging at the seams with 60 boys here, 42 of whom are boarders. However, as we always say, ‘a full House is a happy one’!

This year we have welcomed into the Blackford fold a huge number of new boys - 28 to be precise. Four of them (Josh Hyland, Felix Mornement, Toby Gillam and Will Hawkins) came from Old House when it closed; they settled in remarkably quickly and it has been great getting to know them. The 3rd Form were the biggest that we have had in a decade, numbering 16 in total (namely Joel Anderson, Archie Atkinson, Theo Birkbeck, Freddie Carter, Sihan Chen, William Childs, Kit Dixon, Felix Empson, Harry Grieve, Will Hoskins, Daniel Jenkins, Leo Jennings, Harry Lewis, Oliver Weir, George White, Jamie Zagoritis). Between them, they come from nine different schools, which has meant that there has been a great deal of ‘getting to know you’. Further up the School we welcomed Sunny Jessett and Fernando Bernier Bermudez de Castro in the 4th Form, whilst in the 5th Form we welcomed Julius von Velsen, whose two brothers had also previously spent a year in Blackford.

Into the L6th Form we welcomed George Field, Alex Hutchison, Oliver Wade, Lucas Weinrich and Louis Whitaker. All these ‘new’ boys settled in incredibly quickly, which says much about them and the welcoming attitude of the ‘old hands’. It has also been great to welcome several new Tutors to the Blackford team, namely Mr Amaglo, Mr

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Miller, Mr Danskin and Mr Gordon they are very welcome and have already settled in seamlessly.

It has been a very successful year for Blackford. Inculcating such a high percentage of new boys into the ways of Blackford was key to this success, and I am grateful to Javdat, Ed and the House Prefects for all that they did to ensure that the rich vein of politeness and academic effort was maintained. The boys have, for the most part, worked hard this year and have regularly been the best performing boys’ House when it comes to effort grades. There have been some notable high points in other successes for the House too.

The Senior Rugby, Senior Hockey, Athletics and Golf trophies are safely ensconced on our shelf for another year, and I was really impressed with the debating team who were beaten only by the narrowest of margins in the semifinal. Results will wax and wane, but provided the Blackford boys approach all inter-house competitions with the spirit of sportsmanship and healthy competitiveness that they have this year, then I am happy. Learning to win and lose with good grace is an important life skill.

The end of the academic year is always a bitter-sweet moment, mainly because we have to say goodbye to those who are fleeing the nest. The ‘early’ leavers include Fernando Bernier Bermudez de Castro, Julius von Velsen, Alex Fuller, Nathan Griffin-Raphael, James Warburton, Daniel Joseph and Darius Joseph. The ‘full term’ leavers are Aled Downes, Joshua Hyland, Felix Mornement, Javdat Muminov (Head of House), Lewis O’Grady, Toby Proctor, Isaac Pugh, Henry Strevens and Ed Weekes (Deputy Head of House).

Whether they have been with us a year or five, they go with our very best wishes for the future and we hope that they will stay in touch.

Blackford House before winning the Athletics Trophy

A winter fire pit evening

Togetherness, Blackford style

Blackfordians in the Military Band on Remembrance Sunday

And so, we look forward to another academic year, safe in the knowledge

that this one has been a triumph. I congratulate the boys on their good humour, politeness and hard work.

I hope that the younger years learn from the U6th Form role models who are leaving us, as they have all been very impressive. They take their place amongst the very best that Blackford has produced in the eleven years that I have been Housemaster.

Nick Bunday Housemaster

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and Mr Miller - I am grateful to them all. Sadly, however, we will also be saying goodbye to Mr White and Mr Amaglo. Both will be missed, especially Mr White, who has been such an excellent support and help to me as the Resident Tutor. Finally, and certainly by no means least, I thank Gilly for her continued support of me, the boys and Blackford in general.

House News - Blackford

Once again, I am indebted to all the staff who support the boys (and me) so well. The Domestic Ladies, namely Hayley, Siobhan and Clare regularly go the extra yard to ensure that the House always looks as good as it does. We are blessed by having a wonderful triumvirate of Matrons, Anna and Angela, expertly led by Janice.

The Tutors have yet again been first rate: Mr White (Resident Tutor), Mr Amaglo, Mr Gordon, Mr Thompson, Mr Danskin, Mr Barrow, Mr Hambleton

Blackford U6th Form leavers

Will Jackson and Fred Walburn crossing the Ten Tors finish line

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THE DOLPHIN House News - Lyon

Lyon House @KSBLyonHouse

It has been a terrific year for Lyon House, in every respect. When I arrived as the new Housemaster, I knew almost all the boys, but I was not prepared for such a warm welcome, and to find such a helpful group of young men. The new pupils quickly slotted into the routine and the boys who had moved from Old House were treated very much as Lyon House boys from the start. The House ethos was strong, and the boys were looking forward to what this “normal” year would bring.

The year began well, with the addition of the new 3rd Form pupils and one or two other additions across the board.

The new 3rd Form quickly established themselves in the School and have been superb value throughout this year. They have been successful both academically, and on the sports fields, and are great value in the House.

As September rolled on, I was particularly pleased with the initial surge of Commendation worthy work that was being noted by the academic staff, which has been maintained particularly well in 4th Form throughout the remainder of the year. This is not to say that the other years have not done well and the 6th Form have gone from strength to strength academically. Allin-all, I have been really proud of a lot of their efforts over the year. As I write this we are in the thick of examinations, and I am looking forward to seeing the rewards for all their efforts.

The Lyon House Debating team (led

by Isaac) was a force to be reckoned with and sliced through the opposition this year. They were ruthless and skilled; they spoke with well researched arguments, and they were clear in their understanding of the rules and the aims of debating. To have come through the year totally unbeaten is a superb feat, and testament to the hard work of Isaac, as well as the other boys who took part.

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It will be a hard act to follow, and I am hoping that some of the “Baxter Magic” will be left behind.

There was success in lots of other disciplines as well, starting with Rugby, through Cross-Country, Music, then Swimming and ending with the Junior Athletics victory (and Will Owen winning the Senior Victor Ludorum). The Cross-Country team were particularly successful and showed themselves to be tough and resilient competitors. They gave nothing short of their best efforts and Lyon House had some absolutely fabulous performances, their pride in representing Lyon shone through.

The boys of Lyon House are always proud to participate in any event and they are particularly honoured to represent their House. When they take part, regardless of their age or their ability, they give it everything and I have very much enjoyed supporting them this year.

Throughout the year, a sense of fun has pervaded the House, and the boys have always been ready to take part in, and at times lead, the frivolities. This has been fabulous to see, and I have very much enjoyed their drive, enthusiasm and their delight in all aspects of the School. From watching some stunning play performances by Isaac Baxter and Adam Mulford; to getting dressed up for a “Theme Night”, the Lyon House boys have worked hard at playing hard and I do think this is fundamentally important in school, and the wider society.

Ben Fry has been an outstanding Head of House. He has come in to fulfil a role that has been (after 2 years of Covid) more crucial than ever. As we all recover from the effects of two lockdown terms and get used to things being back to normal it has been both reassuring and important to have had Ben at the helm

Preparing for Inter-House Cricket

of the House, and I cannot thank him enough for his time and his efforts. He has been calm, helpful, thoughtful, and in many ways the perfect candidate for the role. At the time of writing this, I am looking towards next year and I hope that the next Head of Lyon House is able to take on, and develop, the position as well as Ben has, in unusual circumstances. Well done Ben, you made it, and now the world is your oyster and I cannot thank you enough.

Lyon House has been supported superbly by Mr Eriksson, who has been indefatigable in his role, and the wonderful Julie, Mel, Debs and Angela.

Debs has moved on to another role at Hazlegrove and we would like to thank her for all she has done; as well as wish her luck for the future. We are also losing Mr Keogh and we wish him all the best, he has been an outstanding tutor in his time here, as have Mr Stainton, Mr Fletcher, Mr Ericson, Mr Higgs and Mr Harkness. Our cleaners (Nicky, Kat and Sophie) remain cheerful in the face of unmade beds and messy boys, and both the Estates and Caretaking Teams have given us so much time and effort throughout the year, to keep Lyon House looking its best. Lyon House is a stunning place to live and work and the boys have done so well in many respects. It has been a privilege to spend my first year here and I would like to wish “good luck” to all those who are leaving.

Malcolm Jeffrey Housemaster

THE DOLPHIN Ben Fry, Head of Lyon House, 2021-2022

The winning Cross Country team ably led by Luca (front left)

4th and 5th Forms putting lots of effort into a JCR Theme Night

House News - Lyon

Simply unbeatable, the Debating team with Isaac at the helm (centre front)

The new 3rd Form on their first day at King's

Getting ready for Sports Day

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THE DOLPHIN

New House @KSBNewHouse

House News - New

It has been wonderful to gradually emerge from the veil of COVID-19 restrictions, and for a normal range of activities and greater sense of House spirit, to return during the past year.

Once again, New House has had success in sport, music and drama and where inter-house competitions have been possible. House events are one of the most inclusive aspects of each of the Houses at King's, where all pupils put their best foot forward and get involved, whether it be in sport, music, debating, chess or doing your best academically.

I am incredibly proud of the wideranging achievements of all the boys.

Each year we bid farewell to the U6th Form, along with other pupils who move to pastures new, and they leave with our every good wish. Finally, my grateful thanks go to our fantastic team of Tutors and Resident Tutors along with Claire, Anna and Sandie, our matrons, and the cleaners for supporting the boys throughout the year.

Ashley Marshfield Housemaster

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While the Summer term has been preoccupied with the return of examinations for the 5th and U6th Form, we have continued to enjoy many House nights and trips. Our annual trip to ZaZa Bazaar at Christmas is always a firm favourite amongst all year groups and House nights, such as joint evenings with Priory House and the highly anticipated New House blackout, along with our annual end of year meal at the Montague Inn. The U6th Form have had a focus this year to reignite House spirit in

We have seen the return of InterHouse Rugby, Hockey, and even the highly contested Inter-House Athletics and Chess Competition. We have had success on the athletics track, winning the Senior Boys’ Trophy and the Senior Boys’ Relay Cup! Winning the InterHouse Chess has been particularly rewarding with the lovely chess table taking pride of place in the New House common room after a long spell in Blackford House! We have even had success in the Inter-House Debating,

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the participation of inter-house events. It has been a challenge after the segregation due to COVID-19 restrictions of year group bubbles, but through House nights, events and creating a friendly environment, we have managed to achieve this. Once again, the line between year groups has become blurred and year groups are mixing fully once again. New House is a fun, welcoming environment which the U6th Form are proud to have been a part of for the past five years, and are sad to leave, but optimistic for its future.

placing 3rd overall with some fantastic individual performances.

New House boys have a wide variety of talents and have given their all.

However, it hasn’t always gone our way this year. After much preparation for the Inter-House Music Competition, led by the excellent music coordinators Thomas Bickerton and Tom Matkevich, the ensemble performed an exemplary performance of Strasbourg St Denis, supported by a winning Junior Solo and a top three Senior Solo. However, unfortunately, New House narrowly lost to Arion and came 2nd place overall. An unfortunate result, but a superb effort, nonetheless.

Tom Bickerton & James Newcombe Heads of House

House News - New

New House has grown to over 70 boys making us, officially, the largest boys House in the School. It has taken some time to adjust to a packed common room at roll call, but it has been a successful year. We have seen inclusivity and connection between year groups flourish, returning to normal after the disruption which COVID-19 had caused to the usual House dynamic.

However, there remained some disruption such as the Inter-House Music Competition which consisted of solo and ensemble performances only this year; the whole House presenting a House song was sorely missed, as this is always a highlight of the year at King's and an event that sees the whole school participate.

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THE DOLPHIN House News - Priory

Priory House @KSBPrioryHouse

One of the best things I love about Priory are Thursday nights - our House nights, as it is the time in the week when the girls and staff can really relax and enjoy activities together. This year it has been extra special, after Covid, to be able to join as a whole House for BBQ’s, quizzes, baking evenings and disco dancing. Twinning with Lyon in the Spring term and New House in the Summer term, we have really enjoyed the boys company especially on our Scottish dancing evening with New House. Our new Third Form have entered into everything with great gusto and have all added to the Priory spirit and the tremendous family atmosphere of which we can boast.

However, it is time for Bella Andrew, Lily Crossfield, Lily Ingvaldson, Bella Turton, Sophia Shone, Freya Smith, Amelia Warren and Georgie NevilleRolfe to move on to new academic challenges. We will miss them all and a huge thank you in particular to Bella and Lily for being a superb double act as Heads of House. Moreover, we are going to miss having Miss Gea Neff as a Priory Tutor, as she leaves us for her new school in Salisbury, and also Miss Fonolla who moves out as Resident Tutor. Miss Fonolla has been enthusiastic, patient, kind, and a wonderful role model to the girls this year, but at least she will remain a Priory tutor and we all wish her the very best for her wedding this summer. Thank you also to all of the Priory tutors - Ms King, Ms Checketts, Mr Owens and our new very enthusiastic and dedicated L6th Tutor, Dr Larsen, and to Jane, Emma & Angela our fantastic matrons for helping to make it another terrific year in Priory. We are very much looking forward to 2022/23.

Emily Simper Housemistress

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Priory held a Fun Run to raise money for the charity “School in a Bag”; it was great fun with many of the boarders and Priory staff joining in. An especially exciting achievement for Priory this year was getting through to the semi-finals in the Inter-House Debating; well done to our hard-working debate team Freya Smith, Amelia Warren, Mima Hurst, Lexi Smith, Rachel Tudhope, Lily Innes, Harriet Vallings and Alexina Andrew what a great achievement!

A massive thank you must go to all the staff in Priory who have been there to support us, and they never fail to keep the spirit up and make the House have an enjoyable atmosphere. Mrs Simper has been an incredible Housemistress and has led us through sometimes uncertain times,

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All the girls within Priory are talented and driven, but to highlight a few achievements some individuals have accomplished this year: Mima Hurst in L6th won the 2022 Taunton Young Music Theatre Singer Competition, whilst Tia West in L6th won the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship; massive congratulations to both of them.

Furthermore, an immense well done to Harriet Vallings, Minty Wakelin, Anna Ingvaldson, Lucy Duval and Flo Wood on their completion of the Ten Tors challenge this summer term - their hard work and perseverance was astonishing. Lastly, a great achievement from Emily Weeks, who has been longlisted to represent team GB in equestrian - a massive success and we wish her the best of luck. The girls in Priory never fail to surprise us with all the amazing activities they immerse themselves in every year.

certainly at the beginning of term when restrictions were still in place. It’s hard to put into words how thankful we are for her commitment and caring nature. We have a bittersweet goodbye to say to our amazing resident tutor, Miss Fonolla, as she leaves Priory; but she will remain a Spanish teacher within school, and a tutor in Priory. We also wish her all the luck with her wedding this summer - we know she will look stunning!

We speak for all the Upper 6th Form, when we say that we will miss Priory and the girls that make the House what it is, but the memories and the joy that we have experienced since joining, is something that we will never forget, and we wish all the girls within Priory the best of luck and we will miss every single one of them.

Thank you for all the good times.

Lily Crossfield & Bella Andrew Heads of House

House News - Priory

As another academic year draws to a close in Priory, we look back on all the fond memories we have created. As we emerged back to some sort of normality, we are thankful we got to undergo all the activities we love again. This year has been full of achievement for us including the performance of a beautiful House Ensemble of “The Night We Met”, directed and written by the very talented U6th Amelia Warren, and along with the talented girls Lily Ingvaldson, Freya Smith, Jemima Hurst, Lily Innes, Georgie Neville-Rolfe and Jenna Coverdale. As well as this we kept the title of Sports Day Champions for another year, with all the girls contributing to this success, and our Junior Teams have won the Inter-House Hockey, Netball, Swimming, Cross Country and Tennis competitions.

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THE DOLPHIN House News - Wellesley

Wellesley House @KSBWellesleyHse

It has been a year of impressive growth for Wellesley with the expansion into the previous Housemistress flat welcoming a further 6 pupils. This change has brought a new buzz to the House and we have also had some impressive Inter-House sporting wins in Hockey and Athletics.

Kindness has remained the keystone to life in Wellesley, and I am proud of the older girls for leading by example.

Wellesley remains a family which is both a support and haven for the girls, whilst also being a fun and warm environment for Wellesley girls and visitors alike.

It has been a delight to welcome back “normal” life after 2 years of Covid and we very much look forward to seeing all that the House will achieve next year.

We are very sad to be saying goodbye to this year’s U6th Form: Rosie Longman, Olivia Nicol, Elinor Harper, Millie Venner-Coombes, Emily Gilmour, Isabella Jones, Grace Sansom, Kitty Walker, Anya Evans, Sophie Gould and Isabelle Hancock. An exceptional group of young women who have been an incredible support to the House. We also say goodbye to Dr Corrigan (as a tutor) as she embarks on maternity leave and increased responsibility in the School. Once a Wellesley girl, always a Wellesley girl!

Huge thanks must go to the Wellesley Team - Donna, Angela, Dr Corrigan, Dr Brown, Miss Flavell, Mrs Richards, Miss Townsend and Miss Ling. Their care for the girls enables them to be the successes that they all are.

Emilie Loveless Housemistress

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It goes without saying that the House has made some great achievements this year, not only on the sports field but also in the classroom. Starting with sports, Wellesley has seen success in many of the inter-house sporting events, such as athletics and hockey, where the senior

A particular highlight of Wellesley’s achievements this year, must be the nailbiting Inter-House Debate Final, where Laila Squire and Amelia Blunden in the Lower Sixth Form led the debate team with determination and excellence.

Although we narrowly missed out on the winning title by one point, the hard work of the debate team made the entire experience very memorable for everyone who attended the final.

In addition, Wellesley showcased their talents at the Inter-House Music event in both the ensemble, and individual

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girls have managed to come out on top.

In addition, the girls have represented the House in Inter-House Cross Country, swimming, and even golf! We have also had a few personal sporting achievements from Wellesley girls, and we give a particular mention to Anya Evans in the Upper Sixth Form who has been chosen to represent Great Britain in the Biathlon. In the Christmas term, Wellesley also hosted a charity hockey event to raise money for the School charity, ‘School In A Bag’. The event was a great success, not only in terms of funds raised, but it was also a fun day out for all the boarders (and a few day pupils too!) on a Sunday afternoon, and we thank all the staff and pupils who helped to make the day run smoothly.

junior and senior solos.

Finally, aside from academia and sports, we have been grateful to enjoy lots of entertaining House nights which give the girls a nice opportunity to detach from school life. My particular favourites include the Arabic cooking night and the 80’s themed party, both of which were in the Summer term. We have also had time to relax at events such as the Christmas House meal at the Roth Bar & Grill, the Junior Snow Ball, and the Sixth Form Dinner.

Wellesley House will continue to be special to all the leavers this year and I would like to thank all the members of the House for making the last year of my school career one to remember!

Rosie Longman Head of House

House News - Wellesley

It is often said that Wellesley is like a second home for many of the girls in the House, and this year, with the return to normality from the Covid-19 pandemic, this has never felt more true. The “House spirit” is something that really makes Wellesley stand out, and no matter the year group, every girl in Wellesley has a part to play in representing the House.

We have been lucky enough to welcome our lovely Third Form into the House, and they have certainly fitted right in to, not only the Wellesley community, but also the wider school community.

We have also welcomed a few girls in other years, and we will be sad to see some of them leave as we reach the end of this academic year. Although, it is clearly not just the pupils who make up Wellesley House, but also all of our wonderful year group tutors and Donna and Angela our matrons. Lastly, I must give a huge thanks to Mrs Loveless for governing us through this tough year and being a caring and understanding Housemistress for all year groups.

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Some of the fun in the Houses this year THE DOLPHIN

Some of the fun in the Houses this year

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Christmas Term House Twitter Compilation

Easter Term House Twitter Compilation

The Snow Ball Click on or scan the QR Code to watch.

Summer Term House Twitter Compilation

Some of the fun in the Houses this year

Skirmish Paintballing Click on or scan the QR Code to watch.

Prison Break Click on or scan the QR Code to watch.

Haynes Go Karting Click on or scan the QR Code to watch.

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THE DOLPHIN Common Room - Valete

We say goodbye to... the exciting work he has been doing on ACL rehabilitation. I know that I speak on behalf of the whole King's community, when I say good luck, and that we wish you every success in your exciting new venture.

By Henry Eriksson

He brings a calmness and professionalism to the department, and he has undoubtedly taken our Athletic Development Programme forward this year. Most notably, the relationship and partnership Atis has developed with the world renowned ‘Speedworks’ programme is a legacy that he will leave behind and should be proud of. Not only has Atis been an outstanding role model in the gym and on the rugby pitch, but he has made a significant contribution to school life in general, and I know the open, honest and brave way he spoke to the School about his experiences with discrimination and racism was a moment which had an impact upon us all.

Whilst we are all sad to see Atis leave King's, the opportunity he has been given is too good to miss. He is returning to his native Cornwall to run a gym of his own, as part of Cornwall High Performance, as well as continuing 26

As a Resident Tutor and Acting Housemistress, Kirsty was a natural and the Priory girls loved having her play such active roles within the House. Kirsty’s empathy, compassion and energy left a lasting impression on her tutees and all within the Priory community. Kirsty was a huge support to Emily and the rest of the staff and pupils in Priory and she has been greatly missed by them all.

Atis Amaglo Atis joined us as our Head of trength and Conditioning in September 2021, having worked for Cornwall High Performance, Exeter Chiefs Academy and Truro College. Despite Atis only having worked at King's for less than a year, the impact he has made has been huge and both staff, pupils and parents alike will be sad to see him leave. Atis has been a fantastic coach, colleague and mentor this year.

teaching and organisational skills to be recognised, and soon she took on the role of Head of Psychology. She changed the way the subject was being delivered dramatically - with brain dissections and ‘egg nurturing’ - and the uptake of the subject by pupils reached a record high. Before long she was having to cut down her Science hours, as she had two classes in both the U6th and L6th years, which was unheard of for the subject - this speaks volumes about the impact she had on the School curriculum and the pupils.

Kirsty Fear

By Kate Flavell Kirsty started King's in September 2017 as a GCSE Science Teacher and Resident Tutor in Priory. On a personal note, it was so lovely welcoming back a past Wellesley 6th Former to King's, and it didn’t take long for her to fit in perfectly with the teaching side of the School.

Kirsty left King's in December 2021 to take on a new role at Richard Huish School, it has been brilliant to hear how well she has been getting on there - the pupils and staff are lucky to have her.

A huge thank you to Kirsty for all that she has done for King's, whether it be in the classroom, on the sports pitches, amongst the School community or in Priory House. Kirsty has left a legacy here, that is for sure.

As soon as Kirsty joined the Science Department, she brought with her enthusiasm, positivity and fresh ideas.

Before long we had Biology board games being devised, guinea pigs introduced, and David Attenborough style documentaries being filmed.

Kirsty really gave her Science teaching her all, and I know the younger years greatly appreciated her time, energy, and dedication she put into her lessons.

The hand painted ‘organ system aprons’ are still on display in the Biology Department - a mark of her creativity which she has left for teachers to use in years to come.

It didn’t take long for Kirsty’s

Simon Griffin-Raphael, Head of DT, left King's Bruton in 2022

Now, it is our turn to say: ¡Gracias, señorita! Thank you.

Inmaculada Gea-Neff

By Ana Fonolla-Rodriguez Señorita Gea-Neff (or Inma, for us), is leaving after two years of being part of the King's family. The first thing that impressed me when I started working with her, was the great achievement of training the whole school to pronounce her surname with proper Spanish pronunciation in less than a year, not necessarily an easy task!

Mike Keogh

By Nick Bunday

Inma started her adventure in King's at a crucial moment for the MFL Department, taking the weight of the Spanish Department on her shoulders and teaching the subject from 3rd Form to U6th. Her lessons are characterised by the high standards she sets. In conjunction with her firm but fair approach, this has resulted in pupils across all year groups leaving with a smile on their face and a cheerful ‘Gracias, señorita. ¡Adios!’. However, Inma’s duty of promoting love for Spanish goes beyond the classroom, as she teaches the wonders of Hispanic cookery in her popular afternoon club, where pupils have created the most mouth-watering dishes!

A man of infinite patience, a man of infinite good humour and a man of many jobs, Michael (Mike) arrived at King's in 2015 as short notice cover in the English Department and never left. Mike was adept at taking on additional roles owing to his flexibility and desire to do the very best that he could for the pupils. He soon became the School Librarian, ran the 6th Form Club, organised travel for the pupils, assisted in the EAL Department, taught assistive technology on behalf of the LS Department and a loyal Tutor in Lyon House. All these roles required a great deal of time and initiative, which Mike was always happy to contribute in spades.

Inma has also been a tutor in Priory, and I have witnessed the great relationships that she has built with the girls, as is obvious from the laughter coming from the office and the chats with them in her duty nights in House.

As Librarian, Mike oversaw the move to the Hobhouse Block which required the thinning down of the stock to squeeze into a significantly smaller space. As Librarian, Mike also oversaw the junior members of the School who, for whatever reason, had a gap in their timetable and used the library to work in. His caring persona meant that he often picked up on issues in that forum and was able to alert House staff.

Running the 6th Form Club meant that

I must admit that, when it comes to talking about Inma, I am without a doubt biased, as she has been like another mentor for me in my first year in King's. I will deeply miss our chats,

Out of school, Mike has been a fine ambassador for King's. He took on regular shifts on the Samaritan phone lines in Yeovil and would occasionally say when asked, very modestly, that he had ‘saved someone’s life’ - and there are not many of us who can claim that! He also sat as the Buddhist Representative on the Somerset Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education. As a Religious Education and Philosophy teacher he also helped local RE teachers with in-service training. During Covid, Mike did a huge amount for the local community and galvanised many staff members to assist with grocery deliveries to the old and infirm.

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during term time Mike gave up every Friday and Saturday evening allowing the 6th Form a safe space in which to let their hair down. Perhaps Mike’s main task, however, was the organising and liaising with pupils, parents, and House staff over the travel requirements.

Exeats, half terms and end of terms saw Mike produce a gargantuan spreadsheet to coordinate the many different requirements as pupils bomb-burst not just all over the country but all over the globe. It was always a plan of many moving parts, and many are the times when Mike himself has picked up minibus keys and headed to pick up stranded pupils who have been let down by taxis or delayed by airlines. As a tutor in Lyon House, he was always quick to support his tutees with praise or empathetically pointing out the error of their ways and getting them to understand other perspectives.

Common Room - Valete

our jokes and having her as a, sometimes what feels like infinite, source of advice.

However, it is time for a new adventure, and we wish her the very best of luck in her new teaching role in Salisbury.

What I will remember the most, is Mike’s great capacity to laugh (often at his own expense) and his unselfish giving of his own time to the cause of making the pupil’s King's experience the very best that it could be. Kindness and humour were always in abundance with Mike. To say that he will be missed is a cliché, but it is a phrase that has never been more applicable than when used in reference to Mike. The number of roles that he has filled throughout the School will take a great deal of filling, but his larger than life persona and his readiness to laugh will be irreplaceable.

We wish Mike well as he heads east towards his family in Brighton, where 27

he hopes to return to his first love of teaching RE and Philosophy. His many friends at King's, amongst whom I am proud to be numbered, hope that it will not be too long before he returns to visit those of us saddened that we will no longer have Mike around to cheer up the darkest of days. Good luck Mike!

that will make her such a good teacher.

Much as we are very sad to see her go, we know that she is destined for greater things as she embarks on Teacher Training with Bath Spa. We have known for a long time that she wants to teach and is a natural with pupils and they respect her opinions and experience.

Ultimately Annie is a kind soul who is always thinking of others and is selfless in her contribution to the School and the food department. As a team, we would like to wish Annie lots of luck and best wishes for the future as we know she will throw her all into her studies and become a fantastic teacher.

Common Room - Valete

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We say goodbye to...

By Emily McMunn

Annie’s expertise in sport, through management roles at Wincanton Leisure Centre, has been utilised in CCF, with trips sailing and training pupils. She is always willing to go the extra mile and has been an integral part of this programme. I’m sure her fellow CCF and Ten Tors colleagues will miss her as much as we will. It is these qualities 28

His department team have emphasised his positive leadership and communication skills with regular departmental meetings, featuring an ever-changing variety and supply of cakes and biscuits to keep up the morale of the team. Alan cares about pupils and staff alike, always checking in on those who he knows are having issues, lending a listening ear, if needed. This is also reflected through his work with the Samaritans, where he has now become a qualified ‘listener’.

He will be remembered for his sharp dressing, positive outlook, on topic witticisms and his drive to guide pupils to discover the wonders of mathematics.

Alan is passionate about inspiring more girls to take up mathematics at A Level.

We wish him well and every success in his new appointment at Hayesfield Girls School and Mixed Sixth Form.

Annie Miles Annie has been a valued member of the Food team, and she also makes incredible contributions to the School through Ten Tors and CCF. I have only had the pleasure of working with Annie since September, but her enthusiasm and hard work has been noticeable from day one. Without knowing it, she makes everyone’s day just a little bit more manageable and has an amazing rapport with the pupils. She always comes to school with a smile and has boundless energy. She is diligent, organised and always looking for ways in which she can help, especially during busy times and during Hospitality events.

the blue uniform. This was over and above his sports commitments, which Alan used to strengthen his working relationships with pupils. When asked about what they will take from having Mr Parks as their teacher, pupils have consistently commented on the manner in which he has made mathematics ‘real life’, highlighting the importance of numerical skills in the wider world.

Above all his sense of humour has prevailed.

Alan Parks

By Kirsty Moran Mr Parks joined King's in 2020, taking up the post of Head of Mathematics, having previously been Head of A Level Mathematics in Berkshire. He gained his first-class Honours degree from Reading University, giving him excellent subject knowledge to take forward into teaching and subsequently achieved his PGCE with Distinction.

Alan quickly became immersed in school life, fulfilling the role of House tutor in New House and volunteering with CCF, trying out both Royal Navy and Army sections, finally deciding that he preferred the green uniform to

By Nick Bunday Chris White returned to King's in 2020 after an absence of four years, to take up the post of Head of Cricket and Deputy Head of Hockey, as well as taking on the role of Resident Tutor in Blackford House.

As a pupil at King's, Chris was ‘Mr Sport’ representing the School 1st XI in hockey and cricket, both for an impressive four years. He was in the first King's team to get through to the national outdoor hockey finals in 2014, where they came an impressive fourth in the country. Following his time at King's and a short stint working with Jack Cropper, an erstwhile hockey coach at King's, Chris headed off to New Zealand to play alongside those Kiwis that had spent a season at King's and living in Blackford, namely Matt Lake, Josh Meates, Peter McGregor and George Baker. Whilst in New Zealand, he played league hockey for the Maorists, and coached at St Bede’s School where King's already had a firm link. On his return to this country, Chris returned to work at Stamford until 2020.

Whilst working as Head of Cricket at King's, Chris has coached and organised several seasons during which time the School played their first full, competitive girls’ cricket fixture (which they won) against Sherborne Girls’ School. As an inspirational hockey coach, Chris has spent much of the competitive seasons coaching the U14A teams (both boys and girls) helping their transition from seven to eleven a side hockey. Chris has been a superb

With Chris back at King's, it was perhaps predictable that another former Head of Hockey at King's, Ben Dudley, should encourage him to play for the league team that he was coaching, namely Bristol University. This year they won promotion from National West Conference League to National Division 1, in no small part down to Chris’s contribution. As much as Chris loved his job, it was also clear that he relished playing competitively once again.

THE DOLPHIN Common Room - Valete

Chris White

Resident Tutor in Blackford. His easy manner with the boys has meant that he had their respect from the very start, and it only grew the longer he was here. Having been through what they were going through, Chris was able to empathise and lead them through many potential issues. It is also worthy of note, however, that Chris has a welltuned antenna and is quick to offer the House staff assistance when the many pinch points occur. Generous with his time, and good company, Chris did much to ensure that Blackford ran with the minimum of fuss, filling in many gaps with no complaint.

Chris is a fanatical skier who has experience of the slopes all over the world. The one experience in his portfolio that is missing, however, is Japan. When the opportunity to do a prestigious instructor’s course came up that would enable him to continue working in the Niseko Resort, it was an easy decision for him to make.

The disappointment of losing Chris is made a great deal easier to bear by his excitement at this new opportunity.

Whilst it takes him away from the sports he loves, it will enable him to have a wonderful experience in Japan, and therefore, we can only wish him bon voyage and remind him not to become a stranger to King's. Chris, thank you for the time, energy and initiative that you have invested in Blackford, in cricket and hockey. Thank you also for your friendship and support over the past two years in Blackford.

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THE DOLPHIN

Remembering Amy Williams Emily Simper

Remembering Amy Williams

Housemistress Priory House “I imagine there will be many tears from Amy and her family when she leaves King's, as she has achieved what many thought impossible, and she must be congratulated for her perseverance.”

These were the words I wrote in Amy’s Leavers’ Report in June 2018 and how prophetic they were to be.

Amy went on to be awarded the Alex Edwards Cup on Speech Day of that year and many silent tears were shed as we watched Amy bravely walking up to collect her award.

And that is how I shall remember Amy. For she was one of the bravest people whom it has been my privilege to meet. She coped incredibly maturely

I had the enormous privilege of knowing Amy at both Hazlegrove and King's and can fully attest to her sparkling personality. She had the sought after ability of lighting up every room she was in, creating a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere.

Without a doubt, one of the most caring and loyal friends I will ever have had the pleasure to know. Her strength will forever be so commendable and inspiring.

Francesca Redpath (Priory 2013-18)

and positively with her cancer diagnosis, during her time among us in King's, and her determination was rewarded when she was made Captain of the Swimming Team and then she went on to pass her driving test! I shall never forget her beaming smile when she accomplished her climb to the top of the Dovecote, and of course, she left King's to go to Bolton University to do a Special Effects Make-up Course and made many great friends.

Amy left us with wonderful memories of her time here, pieces of her beautiful artwork and, to those of us who knew her, her room in Priory will always be ‘Amy’s Room’. She dealt with her frustrations and restrictions with such

patience and courage. Her motorized scooter became quite a feature around the House and always she found solace and strength from the support of Jane, the Priory matron and Sally and Di, the Priory cleaners.

On a very personal note I learned a lot from Amy. She taught me in ways she may never have imagined… about how precious life is and what is truly important as we live our lives. There are always pupils whom one will remember long after they leave… Amy is one of those pupils; one who lit up our lives and taught us to see beyond ourselves for the brief time she was with us. May she now rest in peace.

Amy had the prime artist space in the studio where she could work and look out to the JCR and Orchard Block.

I have fond memories of coming into the department and being greeted at the window with Amy’s bright smile. Amy had a sofa where she would rest and reflect on her work and the kettle was often on to make a cup of tea.

It was so lovely to see that Amy made the art department her second home at King's.

Sandy Ling Amy’s Art Teacher

The first time we met Amy, was when she was at Hazlegrove and she attended the Scholarship day at King's. We were so impressed with her work that we awarded her an art scholarship. She continued to impress us with her skills and diversity all the way through her education. Her passion for prosthetic make up inspired others around her, and she was integral to the department, organising its first ever trip to the Prothetics and Make up Event in Birmingham, presented by Niell Gorton. Amy was passionate about the subject, and often regaled in stories of galleries and work that had inspired her. She had a skillful eye and was equally as proficient in both 2-D and 3-D. Amy’s encouragement of others and her selfless approach to art made her a popular peer within the department. Her warm smile, talent and infectious personality is still felt in these walls.

Seamus Harkness, Amy’s Art Teacher 30

THE DOLPHIN Remembering Amy Williams Amy, was the strongest and bravest person I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I have learnt so much from her and will be eternally grateful for our friendship.

Sophie Williams (Priory 2013-18)

As Amy’s tutor in 6th Form, I spent a brutally shortened length of time getting to know her well. In that brief time, she was able to be a full and active part of the tutor group, she brightened any room she entered with her radiant smile, a smile which I soon discovered hid a mischievous sense of humour. Amy was figure of grace, poise and unbelievable resilience, who sharpened all our priorities and deep held beliefs; she will be an important figure in the King's community always.

Maggie King, Amy’s Tutor

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THE DOLPHIN

The Old Brutonian Association Emilie Head

The Old Brutonian Association

Old Brutonian Association Assistant Secretary This year marked my inauguration into the Old Brutonian London Lunch - an event attended by around 150 OB’s and hugely popular - last year tickets sold out in less than 48 hours.

The event takes place on a Friday lunch time, early in December (with the after parties continuing into the wee hours). This year was extra special for two reasons - the Rugby Tour of New Zealand and Fiji, 1991 gathered together at the lunch (ably organised by John-Kai Fleming B88/93) and it was joyous to see ex pupils and ex staff fall back into a comfortable camaraderie with each other - the 30 years that had passed were no barrier.

There is an increasingly strong presence of younger OB’s (for many it is a ritual that they come together once a year to reminisce and catch up) and everyone, no matter of their vintage, mixes freely and easily. My advice to you would be, if you can make it to a reunion event - do! You will meet some fantastically interesting people and there is a strong sense of supporting Old Brutonians. I am keen to facilitate more networking and mentoring between Old Brutonians in the future. During your time at King's, you will have seen OB’s speak at careers conventions and been interviewed by them at 6th Form interviews - overwhelmingly, the Old Brutonians I speak to are keen to help younger OB’s get a foot on the ladder, so please don’t hesitate in reaching out.

Some of you may know, that for the first time in history, we have both a female OBA President (Gemma Brunton W92/94) and Vice-President (Janey de Borchgrave d’Altena W95/97). For me, this is an important step - reflecting 32

that King's is an inclusive school and demonstrating the strong female alumni the School is so rightly proud of.

The OBA are keen to make up for lost time and hold more face to face events. Already planned are drinks in Bath, the AGM, a book launch in Bruton, the OBA Lunch and all of that is before Christmas. We would love to get more regional reunions happening as well - please do let the OBA office know if you meet up with fellow OB’s it encourages others to do the same and helps reconnect people. Old Brutonians are spread far and wide - so no matter which country or city you end up in, there will undoubtedly be another OB there. I spend some of my time putting people back in contact with each other and this is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

In addition to social activities, the OBA also maintains a charitable trust that finances charitable activities, including Bursaries to current King's pupils.

The London Lunch

Thank you to everyone who has signed up on the King's Bruton Community Website - this is the best way to keep in touch with school news, and you can use the search function to find fellow OB’s - with over 1,200 registered members (which is similar to those of much, much bigger schools) - it will hopefully, be an important resource as you start moving into further education and careers.

Click on or scan the QR Code to go to The OBA website.

OBA President, Gemma Brunton

THE DOLPHIN The Old Brutonian Association Rugby Tour of New Zealand & Fiji, 1991

Rugby Tour Reunion

Newest Honorary Old Brutonians - Zanna Wilson-Brown, Craig Barrow & Maggie Smith (centre) Janice Jeffery (right)

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THE DOLPHIN

Events & Friends Penny Bird

Events & Friends

Events Manager Events and Friends are intertwined at King's providing a social network for parents, whilst raising funds for additional projects. A termly subscription (£10 per term), is collected via the School Bill and events are regularly held throughout the year. Funds raised purchase additional equipment, facilities, fund projects and provide a small budget for the Boarding Houses, with the aim of enhancing the education and welfare of the pupils.

Over the past few years, through the generous efforts of parents we have been able to provide items such as the shelters at Hippisley hockey pitch, benches for the re-wilding area, a concert bass drum for the Music Department, cooking equipment and air beds for the Ten Tors team, a livestream camera and stand for the Sports Department, table football for Blackford House, candles for the Chaplaincy, a BBQ for Arion House, and outdoor furniture for Priory House to name but a few.

As we emerge from the last two years, Events at King's are certainly back in full swing. In true King's style, we were back up and running with 3 major events in The Memorial Hall within a week, with the Sixth Form Formal Dinner, the Community Concert and Swing Into Spring for 120 parents. It was quite poignant that we went into lockdown two years ago straight after the 2020 Swing into Spring and we emerged from the pandemic with Swing Into Spring 2022!

The first Saturday in March, saw the 6th Form Formal Dinner take place in the Memorial Hall. It was fabulous to see the event being able to take place again.

The Pupils all looked stunning and were obviously delighted that finally they were able to enjoy this important social occasion once again. It is the first chance they have to socialise as a whole 6th Form, and importantly, sets the scene for the rest of the year.

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The following Friday, we were delighted to welcome back guests from Hugh Sexey’s Hospital, Candlelight Care and Active Living to our Community Concert and Afternoon Tea. The guests enjoyed an outstanding Concert from the King's Military Band and a delicious Afternoon Tea, baked and served by the BTEC Hospitality Pupils. It was wonderful to see the Memorial Hall full of smiles, laughter, companionship and music again. The guests thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon out, and for many it was the first social occasion in two years. Cherry Catley-Day from Candlelight Care said “Everyone so enjoyed the afternoon, as usual, King's did everything to perfection, and for a few hours we were all transported away from these troubling times.”

The next evening, the volume was dialled up as the King's Big Band headlined a fantastic evening of fun, food and dancing - ‘Swing Into Spring’. The atmosphere was convivial and it was evident that everyone was happy to be out, out once again! The evening started with the ‘Groove Ensemble’ providing some excellent pre-dinner entertainment, performing to a very high standard.

They were followed by two sets from the King's Big Band, combining some of the best traditional swing numbers with more up-tempo pop and rock classics and accompanied by soloists, Tom, Lily and Amelia. Guests certainly danced the night away and as the evening came to an end there was loud shouts of ‘encore’, ‘more’!

All whilst being served dinner by King's Hospitality pupils. If you didn’t manage to come this year, it is a great evening out and a highly recommended date for your diary.

In April, the Sports Department hosted the 1st Team Formal Sports Dinner, which was a hugely enjoyable event. It was an event which celebrated the commitment, performances and successes of the 1st Team players. It was also an opportunity

for the Sports Department to recognise the significant contribution that the pupils at King's make to sport, week in and week out - it was great fun for the Sports Department staff to serve the pupils their three course meal! There were excellent speeches reviewing the season from each of the Sports Captains, with a lot of humour and friendly competition all round.

As we go to press, we are looking forward to the 5th Form Dinner, which will mark the end of their GCSE exams and also their time as Juniors before they look forward to the next stage! Most excitingly we are busy planning the Leavers’ Ball once again, which is the final celebration for our U6th pupils time at King's and one they all look forward to, lots of laughter and lots of tears as they realise they might just miss King's!

Looking ahead we have a full programme of events planned in September and beyond. Please do save the date for the Midsummer Party, Saturday 24th June 2023, which we hope will be a chance for the whole School community to come together and celebrate.

We want to offer as many fun events and networking opportunities as possible.

The aim is (for those who want to), to be able to come to a huge variety of events, meet friends and feel connected.

If you have any ideas as to events you would like to see happening, run workshops or courses which you would like to offer to the King's community, or would like to be a point of contact for your year group, please do get in touch me, Penny Bird, Events Manager at pjb@kingsbruton.com.

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Events & Friends

THE DOLPHIN

THE DOLPHIN

Our King's Chaplain, was ordained Rev’d George Beverly

Our King's Chaplain was Ordained

Chaplain On Saturday 25th September, I had the immense privilege of being ordained into the Church of England as a deacon alongside sixteen other men and women from the Diocese of Bath and Wells.

So, what is ordination? And what does it mean to be ordained as a deacon? In one regard, this is a culmination of several years reflecting, praying, discussing and training. I have felt a tangible call to full-time Christian ministry since my days at university.

After working for a church in North London and spending a few years here in Somerset, during which I chatted through this sense of calling and tested it out in various contexts, I decided to begin the Church of England’s process towards being ordained as a minister within the church whose articles of religion, creeds and structure I passionately believe in. In 2018 I was successfully selected for such ordination and began three years of training part time at St Mellitus College in London whilst still working at King's.

But ordination is also much more profound than a mere culmination or graduation as a “Reverend” at the end of a process of training. It is a public commitment to set one’s life apart for the ministry of the Gospel within the Church of England. What does ministering the Gospel actually look like? Well, during the service on Saturday, the Bishop said the following piece of liturgy: “Deacons are to proclaim the gospel (amazing message of salvation found in Jesus Christ) in word and deed, as agents of God’s purposes of love. They are to serve the community in which 36

they are set, bringing to the Church the needs and hopes of all the people. They are to work with their fellow members in searching out the poor and weak, the sick and lonely and those who are oppressed and powerless, reaching into the forgotten corners of the world, that the love of God may be made visible.”

So when one becomes ordained, you’re saying: “this is me, I hope and pray to lead a life where I will proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, both verbally and in the actions I do. Moreover, I long to have a special concern for those who are neglected, hurt and forgotten in the world around me.” Indeed, my training in many ways has equipped me for this task. Yet at the same time, as the Bishop also said, “You cannot bear the weight of this calling in your own strength, but only by the grace and power of God. Pray therefore, that your heart may daily be enlarged and your understanding of the Scriptures enlightened.” Thus, as an ordained minister in the Church of England it is crucial that you lean on meeting God through prayer and reading the Bible to be strengthened in this work. Moreover, as the Bishop laid her hands on me, she asked for the Holy Spirit to richly be at work in me and all the other ordinands - that we would walk closely with the almighty helper in the various ministries we embark upon.

Saturday really was a special, emotional and profound day. It was a joyous and weighty occasion. Above all I’m full of thankfulness - to God for all the many ways he has richly blessed me in his mercy. To St Mellitus College, St John’s Church in Yeovil, The Diocese of Bath and Wells, my family/friends, and King's Bruton for all the support they

have shown me these past three/four years and going forward. Will I wear a dog (clerical) collar? Yes, sometimes, but not all the time. I hope that more importantly I’ll wear the call to serve those around me day in, day out. Do I expect people to call me Rev? Not at all.

Call me what you want (within reason!) whatever is comfortable for you. Above all, know that, as your Chaplain, I long to look out for you, share with you the joy of the Christian faith, and humbly walk alongside you as much or as little as you want, no matter where you are on the spectrum of faith / no faith.

THE DOLPHIN

Commem illustrated the strength of our school community & the quality in all that we do at King's Headmaster The King's Bruton Commemoration Service is one of our three key whole school events, along with the Carol Service and Prizegiving.

Obviously, we have not been able to undertake our Commemoration Service since 2019, due to the pandemic, but there was no drop in quality or ceremony after a two year gap. The School should be very proud of how they all behaved and performed in such a high profile event. The procession was sensible and graceful, all the pupils looked smart, but relaxed, in No 1 uniform, while the Choir was outstanding.

Commemoration Day Service

Ian Wilmshurst

Few schools can match our history, or the significance and longevity of our Commemoration Day and, yet again, Commem illustrated the strength of our school community and the quality in all that we do at King's Bruton.

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THE DOLPHIN

Wellbeing and Mental Health Awareness Alison Grant

Wellbeing and Mental Health Awareness

Deputy Head ‘Bold Voices’ trained the School on Gender Equality

Natasha and her team from ‘Bold Voices’ arrived in the first week of term to set a standard and raise awareness.

Pupils had to reflect on sexual harassment and gender inequality at school. Pupils were educated on low level banter which feeds a culture of sexual harassment and sexual violence.

Pupils were pleased to have had the opportunity to understand how others think, they felt their opinions had been heard and that it had been important to begin to challenge and disrupt what had become normalised behaviour. All issues raised were discussed with the newly formed Equalities Committee.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about this

Health Awareness Policy

This new policy was launched and publicised. The Mental Health Committee contributed lots of suggestions to the policy.

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School Prefects’ Training

School Prefects are trained in Safeguarding and Sexual Harassment.

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Rob Lowry, trains the Prefects in situations they need to be alert to, how report into Whisper and how to report concerns to staff. They were also made aware of outside agencies to contact such as Childline, NSPCC etc.

This year has been one of change - changing minds on what is and is not acceptable, through the voices of the pupils.

Kindness and community is at the heart of all that we do at King's Bruton.

Once a month on Friday afternoons - Dog Petting

Parents and pupils have brought in their well-behaved dogs after lessons on Fridays. There is usually a puppy or two and the whole event is extremely popular. The dogs have been therapeutic and fun for the pupils.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about this

Equality Committee and Mental Health Committee

This group was established in response to the Instagram account, ‘Everyone’s Invited’ but grew into the Equalities Committee and linked up with the Mental Health Committee. This year, the pupil group, which numbers up to 20 senior pupils, created 2 teaching videos for staff which relate directly to life at King's on: • Sexual harassment • The use of poor language Educating staff on these live issues is important, as it ensures teachers are alert to a culture which could otherwise remain hidden. Pupils also explained the effect this had on them on a personal level. Being open and honest is the first step to changing a culture.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about this

The Prefects gave an Assembly on Bullying

The School Prefects explained the different types of bullying and set the tone of zero tolerance at King's. An online reporting tool called Whisper was also publicised. This is an anonymous online reporting tool, which when submitted, goes to the Foundation Designate Safeguarding Lead, Rob Lowry.

The Sexual Health Circus spoke to the 3rd, 4th and 5th Form about consent, pornography, respect, the importance of communication and lots more. They covered all the new statutory guidelines from the DfE. Led by a sexual health specialist, who is also a circus performer, she brought her troupe to perform circus acts, whilst educating on an important topic.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about this

Andy Kirk - Talk on Addiction to Pornography

In March we welcomed Andy Kirk, a former rugby league player, to talk about pornography. He used his own story of addiction to convey this important message to the School.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about this

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about this

Facilitator Training on Gender Awareness Question Time on Sexual Harassment Odd Balls Talk to the 6th Form

To recognise International Mens’ Week, Odd Balls Foundation came and spoke to raise awareness of Testicular Cancer. It was good to welcome George Hobbs, an old Downside pupil, who used to visit King's to play rugby.

George encouraged ‘Fumble Friday for boys to check for changes. A serious topic and well received by the 6th Form.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about this

King's hosted a ‘Question Time’ event for 6th Form pupils on sexual harassment and the issues raised by the website Everyone’s Invited. It was fantastic to have such powerful speakers, including an Old Brutonian, Daisy Mant, currently working for Everyone’s Invited, our Senior Warden, Stephen Edlmann, a senior lecturer Dr Finn Mackay from UWE, Federico Beard, who works for Voicebox and a local Dorset lawyer, Katy Jack. With thoughtful questions from the audience, it proved to be one of the most powerful external speaker events that has been held at King's.

THE DOLPHIN

An ex-BBC journalist visited to discuss his experiences on the importance of healthy masculinity and mental health.

As a teenager, he was negatively affected by trying to fit into a stereotype of lad culture in sport and school. He explained that he created a persona that was not real and which had made him ill.

The pupils were struck with his honesty and how his story related to them. The talk was highly impactful and generated discussion for days afterwards.

Sexual Health Circus

The L6th Form pupils ran small group workshops to educate the 4th Form in gender awareness. This was brave, as none of them had taught pupils in a formal setting before. However, they felt passionately about encouraging a kinder environment and worked to ensure they encouraged positive conversations and challenged set behaviours.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about this

Wellbeing and Mental Health Awareness

Chris Hemmings - Toxic Masculinity Talk & Discussion

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about this

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THE DOLPHIN

Mental Health Awareness Week Emily Simper

Mental Health Awareness Week

1st Designated Safeguarding Lead Mental health is so important and good mental health allows children and young people to develop the resilience to cope with whatever life presents them. Promoting good mental health and wellbeing is the first building block to building emotional resilience to help with such challenging life events.

on Thursday saw the whole school pupils, staff and dogs come together for a 15 minute walk around the beautiful ground of King's. The pupils loved their whole school House night with ice creams, BBQ, games and fire pits, whilst the 3rd Form really enjoyed a taste of Scottish dancing on Tuesday.

Together with Lower 6th Form House Reps, Mia from Wellesley, Will from Lyon, Tia from Priory, Rafe from New, India from Arion and Harvey

The Chaplain preached a superb sermon in Chapel on the Wednesday on loneliness, and he also provided the staff with excellent and very useful tips during the week on combatting loneliness. The early morning jog to the Dovecote was another highlight, and those of us who did it enjoyed it so much that we said we would try and do it every Friday morning until the end of term!

from Blackford, we came up with a programme of events for Mental Health Awareness week. The theme this year was loneliness and how together we can tackle it. Loneliness affects millions of people in the UK every year and is a key driver of poor mental health.

Our programme was designed to be stress free for both pupils and staff and enabled pupils to spend time with their friends. The week started with an Assembly when the reps introduced the theme and the activities for the week ahead, and it was wonderful to see a sea of green that day as all pupils and staff rose to the occasion wearing items of green to raise awareness for Mental health. Every afternoon there were teas on Paddock for the pupils which were gratefully received by pupils as a time to get together with their friends and have a break. Our Walk and Talk event 40

The pupils also really enjoyed the individual and twinned House activities especially having their own House dog for the week. I do feel that during this week as a School, we successfully raised awareness about mental health issues, particularly loneliness, and also helped the pupils to have some time to relax.

THE DOLPHIN

The King's Cavaliers

Blackford Housemaster Many may be unaware that the School has, what is ostensibly, a staff cricket team - the King's Cavaliers. The Cavaliers comprises not just of staff, but also some parents. We occasionally back fill the team with a few pupils where necessary. The team play our feeder prep schools and we hope that by doing so we can encourage more prep school staff and parents to come and see King's for themselves. This has occasionally led to us picking up an additional pupil or two which is always welcome. We also play a brewery for obvious reasons! The Cavaliers cricket season is a great release for staff who spend many long hours coaching and umpiring matches for the pupils. However, it is also a wonderful opportunity to play alongside the pupils and to show them that fun cricket has a longevity that lasts way beyond their school years.

The King's Cavaliers

Nick Bunday

The pictures shown here are from the King's Cavaliers vs the Port Rejects.

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THE DOLPHIN

King's Community Supporting Charity Rebecca Dixon

King's Community Supporting Charity

Learning Support Teacher This year King's has raised money for School in a Bag. This is a local charity based in Somerset to raise money for children around the world who have no access to school books, pencils, a lunch box and water bottle. Each bag is sent to a disaster area where children are in need and each of the bags is tracked so that King's knows where in the world we are helping.

King's Bruton pupil, Izzy, walked a half marathon in aid of Macmillan

The charity was established as a result of a huge fund raising effort by family and friends of Luke Simon who lost his twin brother, Piers, in the 2004 tsunami in Thailand whilst on holiday.

As our normal charity events have not happened as usual, we are extending support for this charity next academic year, when we hope to have raised a sizeable sum for School in a Bag. The King's community have also been active in supporting many other charities too this year. These are some of them.

Scan or click the QR Codes to read more about each event.

Camaraderie and fun at the Wellesley charity hockey tournament 42

Harvest Chapel Service donations to Bruton Larder Foodbank

King's Bruton Science Technician walked 26 miles to raise funds for Macmillan

Blackford House charity film night in aid of School in a Bag A great evening of raising money for charity at the Bruton Town Christmas Fair

THE DOLPHIN Staff sent out toiletries, nappies and baby equipment for the people of Ukraine

Bruton Larder Foodbank

Warm clothing was collected by Arion L6th Form pupils for the homeless

Priory House Fun Run for School in a Bag

King's Community Supporting Charity

The Friends of King's raised over £2000 with the House Raffle for School in a Bag

KING'S BRUTON REWILDING

Two of our King's staff are Samaritan Listeners. Read why they chose to volunteer 43

THE DOLPHIN

King's Community Supporting Charity Rebecca Dixon Learning Support Teacher

BTEC Enterprise pupils ran a charity fête

King's Community Supporting Charity

The King's Bruton School in a Bag Ukraine Crisis Appeal This year, the King's community decided to continue our support for local charity, School in a Bag, owing to lockdown restrictions limiting last year’s fundraising opportunities. When the Ukraine crisis escalated, School in a Bag made a commitment to help the displaced children of war-torn Ukraine, by providing them with trackable rucksacks of educational and hygiene equipment, along with a lunchbox and water bottle.

The response to our Ukraine Crisis appeal, from pupils, staff, family and friends has been nothing short of fantastic, with charity events continuing well into the latter part of the summer term. At the time of writing, we have raised enough money to send over 300 bags to the children of Ukraine who are living in frightening and uncertain times; we hope that by supporting their ongoing education, we can help provide a sense of normality.

I would like to reiterate my thanks to all the pupils who have supported our appeal with their creativity and generosity; it’s been a joy to see what our community can achieve, when called upon to help others.

The King's Bruton School in a Bag Ukraine Crisis Appeal

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The Wellesley 4th Form held a bake sale in aid of School in a Bag Ukraine Crisis Appeal

Pupils had fun performing in their Charity Concert to raise funds for Ukraine

King's Bruton welcomed School in a Bag Founder, Luke Simon

New House charity rounders match

L6th Form Priory organised an ‘Eggcellent’ Charity Easter Egg Hunt

Arion House charity netball

THE DOLPHIN King's Community Supporting Charity Click or scan the QR Code to read more and watch the video 45

Interesting Times

THE DOLPHIN

Wellbeing Hobbies The Headmaster, Model Making

Wellbeing Hobbies - The Headmaster, Model Making

Amelia Blunden, Agatha Dawes & Rafe Burfield

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Wellesley & New House Dolphin Editorial Team

The Headmaster, Ian Wilmshurst, has an interesting hobby. Agatha, Rafe and Amelia went see him to discuss the truly intriguing topic of model making. They found it so interesting to gain an insight into the Headmaster’s hobby, which he is clearly so passionate about - and were all surprised by how intricate the process of model making truly is!

Click or scan the QR Code to watch the video interview

THE DOLPHIN

Wellbeing Hobbies Reverend Beverly, Horology Amelia Blunden & Agatha Dawes

Reverend Beverly’s hobby is horology, the study of timekeeping and the art of restoring antique clocks, often with a personal connection to him.

This hobby, has meant that Reverend Beverly has had to learn new skills, but it has also enabled him to work with his father and develop the woodwork skills that he founded in his childhood.

Overall, Reverend Beverly underlines the importance of having a hobby, as well as why his hobby is important to him, with a focus on mental wellbeing.

Click or scan the QR Code to listen to the Podcast

Wellbeing Hobbies - Reverend Beverly, Horology

Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team

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THE DOLPHIN

Old Brutonians memories of King's own Re-enactment group 50 years ago

Old Brutonians memories of King's own re-enactment group 50 years ago

Bill Burrough

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Click or scan the QR Code to read Hannah’s article from the Dolphin 2021

(Old House 1967-72) I read with some interest Hannah Branfoot’s article “Re-enactment and Me” on page 63 of The Dolphin 2021.

Hannah may not be aware but there was a time when King's Bruton had its own Royalist Company of Foote.

Originally, we were part of Sir Bevil Grenville’s Regiment in the Sealed Knot Society, with Count Nikolai Tolstoy as our Colonel. Subsequently, Nikolai had a falling out (he was always a larger than life character who would invariably greet you with a “Russian bear hug”) with Brigadier Peter Young (the founder of the Sealed Knot Society).

Nikolai then formed the King's Army of the West and we became part of Sir Thomas Lunsford’s Regiment of Foote.

We re-enacted numerous engagements around Somerset including Babylon Hill in Yeovil and Lansdown in Bath (where Sir Bevil Grenville was killed with a pole-axe and a monument to him erected in 1714) and some of us travelled further afield to larger battles such as Edgehill. Many of us continued with battles all around the country well after leaving school, which was a good way of keeping in touch with other OBs. Weekends dressing up in 17th century costume, camping with thousands of other like-minded revellers and taking over all the local pubs were great fun.

While I now live in Australia, online images of the English Civil War societies suggest that this escapist form of recreation is still being enjoyed 50 years on.

On a personal note, as KSB numbers finally tailed off, I turned coat and joined the Parliamentarian cavalry.

Charging at the gallop with cannon and musket firing, and riderless horses passing you, certainly got the adrenaline flowing. One of my cavalry comrades noted that when he was hunting with the Quantock Staghounds, he could see the obstacles ahead, but when a cannon goes off on your flank, there was no telling what your horse might do!

In or around 1972, we actually had a re-enactment (although perhaps not so much a re-enactment as an all-in brawl) at the School. Nikolai (without

consultation as per normal) had challenged the local parliamentarians who turned up in force one weekend.

We quickly mustered on Abbey Field.

The Headmaster (and he was not alone) was taken by surprise, but could only watch as battle was joined. I include some photographs which may give some idea as to the mayhem which ensued.

My good friend Bill Burrough has forwarded me his emails to you about the Battle of Bruton. I consulted my rather sparsely annotated diary of 1971 and discovered that Battle was joined on Abbey Field and what we think was then called The Glebe (where the Headmaster’s house now is) on Sunday 28th November 1971, 50 years ago.

My diary records that Count Nikolai Tolstoy came for lunch on 7th November 1971, and we held a drill with our assembled volunteers to prepare for the Battle to come. Bill was Lieutenant and I was Ensign, carrying the KSB flag. Mine was a more dangerous occupation than you might imagine, as capturing the opposition flag is a hugely significant and sometimes final act in any engagement!

The Battle of Bruton was officially fought between Companies of Sir

A re-enactment, as Hannah would agree, is the closest anyone will ever come to living history. We got familiar with the language: “Have a Care” when forming up, “March On” instead of “Quick March”, and cries like “Church and the Lords!” and “Pox on Parliament!” to demoralise the Parliamentarians. Standing in the front

row of a regiment of pikemen, facing serried ranks of the enemy in red, such as the much-feared Waller’s Regiment, was one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever done. Bill and his friend Steve were in the rank behind me at the Battle of Worcester. The process is this: you hold your pike at high port, the point upwards. At the command to advance you bring your pike down, pointing at the enemy. Shortly before engaging, the command is given to high port, or “comport” your pike so that you don’t kill anyone. Of course, in the 1640s, regiments were “at push of pike” for hours, till one side gave way. In the Battle of Bruton we were also at push of pike, but supposedly safely with the points uppermost. No-one was killed!

The photographs at the Battle of Bruton are the only ones I’m aware of that show us in action. It was a bit of a Golden Age when Health & Safety and even policing was left to common sense rather than the legal system. Bumps and scratches aside, the KSB contingent all survived.

THE DOLPHIN

Old Brutonian

Beville Grenville’s Regiment under Count Nikolai Tolstoy and roundhead contingents of Alexander Popham’s regiment (established in 1969 by Dr John Wroughton, later Headmaster of King Edward’s School, Bath). As you can see from the photographs, the roundheads were a good deal better equipped than the KSB company, since they had helmets and even halberds. On our side we had evidently been keeping some worthy seamstresses busy making scratch uniforms, with white collars and blue sashes. School socks are also certainly in evidence, together with a variety of headgear. Bill as Lieutenant was perhaps the best armed and best dressed!

Old Brutonians memories of King's own re-enactment group 50 years ago

Simon Tyler

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THE DOLPHIN

A King's Rugby Colours cap from 1926 which belonged to Francis Powys Andrew Leach

A King's Rugby Colours cap from 1926 which belonged to Francis Powys

School Archivist

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We recently acquired this Rugby Colours cap which belonged to Francis Powys (King's Bruton 1923 to 1926).

It was kindly sent to us, along with a few other items, including this photograph taken during a match at Monkton Combe, by his daughter-inlaw, Amanda Powys.

Francis was described in The Dolphin as a ‘dashing forward’ in the rugby team.

‘In attack he is exceptionally good and has (scored) several tries simply because he somehow always is ‘up’ with the ball. A useful dribbler, but his passing is often rather wild.’ He once said that rugby involved ‘lots of pushing and mud’, and despite suffering broken toes, he clearly loved the game.

Francis was the nephew of Littleton Powys who taught at King's in the 1890s and eventually became Headmaster of Sherborne Prep School, as well as a Governor at King's Bruton.

On Thursday 4th December, we were invited to participate in the Millfield Challenge Clay Pigeon Competition at Mendip Shooting Ground. Having previously attended in 2019, this year we took 23 pupils across 6 teams: 3 boys teams, 2 mixed teams and 1 girls team.

This is the highest number of pupils we have taken to the competition, and I hope that we can arrange more in the future.

There were two competitions during the day: a 40 bird flush (all team members shoot at the same time) and an individual 40 bird sporting. Both competitions were highly competitive with a large number of schools in attendance despite the pandemic. The weather was excellent, cold and dry, which suited all the competitors and provided excellent conditions for the spectators. It was great to see all pupils so smartly dressed and the best dressed award goes to the 4th Form Lyon pupils.

Throughout the day all pupils supported each other successfully, helping with loading and talking through each trap and stand. They approached the day with huge maturity and also appeared to enjoy the opportunity to compete.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day out, and great to be able to take part in inter-school competitions again. Very many thanks to the numerous parents who came to support the event, and to Mrs Grant for supporting the teams on the day. Finally, thank you to Millfield School and Mendip Shooting Ground for organising and hosting.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more, view the photographs and watch the video

THE DOLPHIN A great day out at the Clay Pigeon Shooting Competition

A great day out at the Clay Pigeon Shooting Competition

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THE DOLPHIN Archie spent his half-term on stage in Bugsy Malone 54

Archie spent his half-term on stage in Bugsy Malone Bugsy Malone is set in 1929, during the prohibition period in America. The play is set around this one character, you guessed it, Bugsy Malone, who picks the side of Fat Sam - a gangster who is fighting over territory and reputation with Dandy Dan and her hoodlums.

This play mocks the gangsters of the time by having the characters larger than life and over exaggerated.

up. One of those roles was Fizzy, the lonely janitor, who wants to be a dancer, and yet is continuously told to wait for tomorrow for his audition. That role got offered up to me on top of my role as Cagey Joe. I mulled it over, and eventually agreed to pursue the role. It was supposed to be performed in August of 2020 and later was performed in October 2021 during half-term.

I was involved in a performance of Bugsy Malone at Frome Memorial Theatre. This was with a company called Spellbound. There was a weekend audition process in February 2020, and I auditioned for the part of Cagey Joe (who was the head trainer at Slugger’s Gym).

When show night rolled around, all the cast was nervous and excited - this play had been almost two years in the making and finally, we got to perform it. There were three performances - one matinee and two evening performances.

It was a riot of a good time to practice and perform. My favourite part in the whole performance was the splurge gun fight (splurge was foam which was the substitute for guns). This was because by the end everyone was a white mess and slipping all over the place.

I did get the part, and every Tuesday and Wednesday, I went to rehearse at the Memorial Theatre. But then, the Covid-19 pandemic struck, and the play was postponed. I continued to learn my lines and practice my role throughout the summer. Just when we thought that the pandemic had calmed down and life had returned to normal, the second national lockdown struck so the show was then cancelled for good.

Miraculously, in February 2021, the company decided to put it back on again. However, with the show being cancelled for some time, some of the older members of the cast had had to move on. So, some other roles opened

Spellbound does a different play every year. Next year’s performance will be of The Little Mermaid in August 2022.

I would recommend getting involved with the production as it has been a brilliant experience in the past.

Archie Stewart-Cox Lyon House 5th Form

Wellesley House 3rd Form For the past 6 months, I have spent every Saturday rehearsing for the show ‘Grease’, performed at the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil. Over the course of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th June, I played Jan in all 4 runs of the show with my theatre group of 5 years, Castaways.

Auditions had taken place in the Christmas holidays, and they were an amazing experience. Because of it being Grease, there were so many iconic characters to audition for and so many classic costumes in use. I auditioned for the part of Jan, the funny, pushy, quirky member of the Pink Ladies and later on the same day I was told I had got it! I was thrilled and the rehearsals have definitely lived up to every expectation. Everyone was amazing to work with and the whole cast had so much energy in rehearsals, we were all exhausted after every one!

I have been with Castaways for 5 years and cannot imagine my life without them.

The director and musical directors are all such lovely people and could not have been more supportive. During the whole rehearsal process, they, of all people, understood the work we had all put in to achieve what we were bringing to the stage and that really made us all strive to make them proud.

from a previous user and would just not stay taped on, a very stressful experience! There were many nights I remember having to slip off stage at appropriate moment, where it wouldn’t be noticed, so I could get it re-taped by the Stage Manager. In the end I had to have an over the head-type mike instead because there wasn’t enough time between opening night and the mike-incident to find a way to straighten it. Then, on top of all this, there were the quick changes!

Despite any challenges faced in the previous rehearsals, you still never manage to forget the feeling of opening night. It is one of the reasons I love theatre and cannot be compared to anything else. It’s like a type of buzzing energy going through you, in a wave of not quite nerves but anticipation.

The anticipation in the moment of calm before you hear your queue and step into the lights is my favourite feeling in the whole world. The first night Grease ran, it was almost sold out in the theatre of over 600. The next few nights were close seconds and, I’m pleased to say, ran without

the panic of the previous rehearsals.

By the time the last show had finished there was such a proud feeling, that we had achieved our goal, spread throughout the cast. There were lots of flowers, presents and cards littered around the dressing rooms as we packed up to leave, and many tearful goodbyes to members who were leaving after Grease. Out of all the moments in the show I think my favourite would have to be the Pink Ladies’ Slumber Party or my duet song ‘Mooning’ (both scenes where I could really let myself go and have fun with the character).

Later on this year, in August 2022, Castaways Theatre Group are going to perform at Disneyland Paris for the second time, and it was such fun last time, I cannot wait! There are always shows every year as well as various showcases and extra’s, but Grease is going to be a tough one to beat!

Grace, stepping into the lights onstage, in Grease

Grace Stafford

THE DOLPHIN

Grace, stepping into the lights onstage, in Grease

As soon as all the intense rehearsals started to draw out in preparation for show week, I suddenly started to realise that this was it. All the months preparing had fallen into almost a blur and opening night started to become a few mere weeks away. Despite this, a new form of energy had started to arise in me, and I think everyone involved, when we began dress and tech rehearsals.

Not everything went so smoothly though, as for the first few nights my mike would never stay in place! It had been bent 55

THE DOLPHIN The preparation and joy of competing in a Biathlon

The preparation and joy of competing in a Biathlon I have been competing in the Biathlon event since the age of 9, encouraged by my parents, and later, competing for the love of it. The event involves running a set distance around a track before recovering and swimming later in the day.

Depending on your age, the distances are less (starting with a 400m run and 50m swim for the youngest competitors) and gradually get longer the older you get (1600m run & 200m swim for me).

To take part in competition at such a high level, proper training is essential. I have been swimming for Yeovil District Swimming Club for over 10 years and have ran with Yeovil Olympiads for the last 3. There is no way that I could compete at the level that I do without the support and friendships that I have made at both clubs, making every soggy track session and 5am wake up for swimming worth it - some of them truly are like a second family.

During the days leading up to a big event, I make sure to look after my body by resting and decreasing the distances that I run. The night before a race, I also make sure to eat a big bowl of pesto pasta and chicken to properly fuel myself for the competition, ensuring that there is a bit left over for lunch the next day.

Timing my meals between races is also important to make sure that all of my food has digested before having to go again. I often snack on cereal bars and individual pieces pasta to keep me going.

Something that I love about racing, year in and out, is that I always see the same people at every event, making friends along the way and watching everyone grow around me. The part I enjoy most however, is that I am able to completely focus all of my attention on going as fast as I can, pushing my body to its limits in order to achieve a time to be proud of. I love that I can completely switch off from everything else by playing loud music and getting

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myself in the zone whilst I warm up, going into the race knowing that I am 100% ready. At the end of the race it’s really rewarding to look at all that I have accomplished, and know that I left it all out on the track.

For anyone who believes running, swimming or getting active is too hard, all it takes is one step forward, then another and another.

Anya, and her brother, Angus, have been selected to represent GB at the European Biathlon Championships in Athens in August. We wish them the best of luck.

Anya Evans Wellesley House U6th Form

THE DOLPHIN

A powerful ‘Question Time’ about sexual harassment Amelia Blunden

Talking about sexual harassment: a progressive and powerful ‘Question Time’ event.

In response to ‘Everyone’s Invited’, a platform that enables survivors of sexual harassment to tell their stories, King's Bruton Deputy Head, Mrs Grant, organised a ‘Question Time’ style debate, which invited expert

panellists to discuss the issues raised on ‘Everyone’s Invited’. The debate was chaired by Rev’d Beverly, who received questions from sixth formers which were passed onto the five panellists. The panellists came from a diverse group of individuals, including academics, a lawyer, writer, governor, and university student, who is also involved in the creation of ‘Everyone’s Invited’. It

could be argued that this was one of the most powerful events at King's, in terms of enabling a discussion around toxic masculinity, consent, and sexual harassment. Overall, the debate was often fast paced, but always thoughtful, encompassing a foreward thinking approach, while also highlighting that there is a lot that we still need to learn.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about the debate and watch the video

A Powerful ‘Question Time’ about Sexual Harassment

Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team

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THE DOLPHIN

From Uzbekistan to Bruton My Time at King's

From Uzbekistan to Bruton - My Time at King's

I have been at King's for the full 5 years. Being an international pupil, it has been a journey with ups and downs along the way and plenty of challenges.

However, in those 5 years I have grown into the person I am today.

I remember how nervous I felt as I arrived in the 3rd Form, but the year flew by. I was happy to be at King's, but at the same time it was a struggle to be so far from my family in Uzbekistan.

I had times of being home sick and times where I just wanted to go back, but there were people around me, especially in Blackford, who helped me through my journey. I quickly got used to the environment I was living in, as I had a lot of support around me, not just from the staff, but the other boys in the House. Since my family were still living in Uzbekistan, I used to fly back at the end of every term, and stay at my guardians at other times which was also quite hard as I could only see my family during the holidays.

The 4th Form, was a year where I built my confidence, I was no longer the youngest at the School, and I started my GCSE courses, which I really enjoyed, especially doing Geography, German and Physical Education.

The 5th Form was a year of ups and downs, not just for me, but for the entire world, as Covid appeared on the scene.

I had no idea whether I was going to come back to school and sit exams, or what form my GCSEs would take. That summer during the lockdown, we had

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lovely weather, and I made the most of it while getting ready for the start of Sixth Form - another big stage in my life.

In the L6th I chose to study Biology, Business, Economics and Geography.

Another lockdown hit and that was a tough time for me, as we only had online school, but I kept on talking to people around me both in terms of family and my friends (albeit virtually) and they helped to support me. I have also enjoyed the U6th year, and I will be very sad to leave at the end of this year, but at the same time ready and excited for my next stage in life and all the challenges that that will bring.

My journey through King's has built my character. I have made mistakes along the way, but I have been allowed to learn from them. These lessons and memories will help me in the journey ahead.

After King's I am hoping to go study Sustainable Development at Edinburgh University, I am very passionate about this subject, as I can see how much climate change has impacted Uzbekistan, the country where I was born and grew up.

I hope to visit King's many more times in my lifetime, as I have built everlasting friendships and made some memories that I will cherish for life. I wish everyone else luck with their studies and life ahead, and thank everyone at King's for everything that they have done for me in the last 5 years.

Javdat Muminov Blackford House Prefect

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From China to Bruton Far East to South West

During the first weeks, I didn’t really like it here, the students were different to what I was used to, but over time, my impressions of this school and students changed a lot; I would talk to them, and realised that they were just kids like me. I grew to really like them, and discovered they are lively and cheerful. Of course, I feel much more comfortable at King's than before, and I like this school even more than ever.

As a foreign student, we have EAL lessons instead of having other language

lessons. When I came to King's, I realised my lack of English ability and the importance of EAL lessons for me. Actually, of all the lessons in the whole day, the ones which I really look forward to are EAL lessons, because if my English improves, it must make other subjects much easier to learn. At some point, I do think if my English becomes better, I can do much better in all the subjects.

Let’s change the perspective from me to the teachers, I had a little interview with two of my teachers and asked them several questions. I learned more about British culture, the education system and responsible teaching. Britain is an open country, that will accept all kinds of culture, students can discuss problems with their teachers harmoniously, and the teachers are responsible for each unique student. The teachers that I interviewed also told me that they tried to adapt their lessons to make the international students feel comfortable, such as they will try to speak as clearly

An International Pupil as possible, repeat difficult terminology and they find that seating international students next to native speakers can help them. In practical lessons, my teacher demonstrated lessons, instead of just speaking or reading the instructions, that was very helpful.

Also, both of my teachers said they have a huge benefit from having international students. For example: the local students and teachers can learn about their culture and the food they have available in their country.

My teachers said that international students contribute a great deal, as they teach all of us to appreciate diversity of culture, language and to celebrate difference. It’s a great pleasure for me to hear that from my teachers.

From China to Bruton - Far East to South West

When I came to King's for the first time, huge amounts of uncertainty made me feel uneasy. Fortunately, I didn’t feel helpless. This is the thing that I very much appreciated, because lots of teachers helped me a lot when I needed help, especially Mr Jeffrey, my Housemaster. My English was really bad at first, so I couldn’t really understand many notices from school during the roll call. When I asked him questions, he would patiently explain to me.

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THE DOLPHIN From Germany to Bruton - Our King's Experience

From Germany to Bruton Our King's Experience What is King's to us? We are three students from Germany who have spent one year at King's, and now we are going to introduce you to our lives as international students here at King's and how this became so much more than just a school for us.

We want to give you an impression of our highlights this year. But firstly, we are going to introduce ourselves: Julia is from Berlin and Beni and Emma are from Munich; all of us three are passionate hockey players.

What united us were the joy and expectations of this year abroad, which were more than fulfilled.

Our first highlight was the hockey season in the Christmas term. Of course, being new and making friends is always hard, but hockey helped us massively to find our way into the School community. Right from the start Mr Eriksson, Director of Sport, and all the players welcomed us and gave us a feeling of being part of the team. In Germany, we all play for local clubs, but at King's it was a completely different feeling of community. No matter how stressed we were from the School day, the hockey training always distracted us, and with the other team members we always had a good laugh.

We have not only been successful with our team on the field, but were also given the opportunity to play indoor hockey. After a good performance in the Counties, our team went to the Regionals in Cheltenham where we had a day of challenging matches.

Although we couldn’t qualify for the Nationals, it was a fun experience at a high level of sport. The win against Millfield, in the very last second of the match against them, made us especially proud, and was a huge consolation after our unfortunate elimination from the

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Nationals tournament.

As a successful conclusion to our hockey season at King's, we were invited to the 1st Team Sports Dinner.

The evening was a perfect ending for the season, and we were able to reflect on our sporting careers at King's.

Besides Hockey, many things have helped us to feel like home at King's.

The warming and caring spirit in House (Wellesley) made us feel welcomed, and we immediately got to know all the lovely girls. We also really enjoyed the inter-house competitions, as they gave us a chance to represent our House and be proud Wellesley girls.

But King's has more to offer than just hockey. We particularly enjoyed the many trips on the weekends where we had a chance to see a bit more of Somerset. On Sundays, we visited many places including Bath and Bristol where we gained cultural experiences, as well as having time to go shopping and to spend time with our friends.

Regarding the academic side of our year, we were held back a little in the beginning because of the language and had to get used to a completely different school system. However, thanks to the relaxed atmosphere in class and the intensive help from the teachers, we quickly found our way around. We were also very impressed by how the needs and interests of each student are considered here, and that everyone always receives the necessary support.

We especially liked how many subjects were offered that we didn’t know from Germany. Therefore, we were able to pursue our interests in new subjects such as Business, Psychology and History of Art. With all the help available, we improved our language skills after a short time and were able to participate more in class and outside of class. We

were also helped by the openness and understanding of our classmates, who encouraged us in our learning process, so that we now speak English with more confidence.

All in all, you can’t put all these wonderful experiences we had at King's into words at once. But we are grateful and thankful that we could be a part of this amazing school. In general, what we take away from this year are great friends, new experiences and one of the best years of our lives.

THE DOLPHIN

Julia Heidersdorf

Emma Walter

Wellesley House L6th Form

Wellesley House L6th Form

Wellesley House L6th Form

From Germany to Bruton - Our King's Experience

Benita Hipp

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THE DOLPHIN

Weaving the world back together one stitch at a time…

Weaving the world back together one stitch at a time…

Amelia Blunden, Agatha Dawes & Rafe Burfield

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Wellesley & New House Dolphin Editorial Team Kirstie Macleod has spent nearly thirteen years creating a dress that has travelled around the world, with over 264 embroiderers stitching their stories into the burgundy silk dupion. Some of the artisans who have contributed include victims of war in Kosovo, Rwanda, and DR Congo, as well as refugees from Palestine and impoverished women across the world.

The project has given 259 women and 5 men from 29 countries a purpose in life, as they were given the opportunity to devise their own creations that tell their often tragic stories.

Click or scan the QR Code to watch the video interview

King's Bruton was delighted to welcome Kirstie Macleod, who brought The Red Dress to the art department, and she also gave inspiring workshops to art pupils. The dress has been displayed across the world, and even had features on the BBC. Many pupils were amazed by the dress, which was a statement art piece intertwined with humbling stories of war, domestic abuse, and poverty.

The Dolphin Editorial Team interviewed Kirstie. Her enthusiasm for the project was clear, and in the interview she explained some of the

stories that have been stitched into the dress, as well as how the idea for the dress came about and the process of creating it.

The dress has been influential for artisans across the world. It proves that while the world is at one of its most divided times in history; art can unite us. Thus, the dress epitomises the phrase sewn into it; ‘weaving the world back together one stitch at a time’.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more and view the photographs

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Weaving the world back together one stitch at a time…

THE DOLPHIN

THE DOLPHIN

India, playing for the U18 Team Bath Netball Squad

India, playing for the U18 Team Bath Netball Squad

India Finch-Hatton

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Arion House L6th Form I started down the road in 2020, trialling for Team Bath Netball, but didn’t get in the first time round. This boosted my determination to get in the following year.

I trained hard and put my heart into the game and was eventually selected for the Team Bath Netball Academy at the beginning of September this year. They put me forward to trial for the U18 Squad, and I was so happy to be accepted into the team. It means so much to me to have this opportunity as netball has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember.

After being at the Team Bath Academy Development Centre and the Team Bath U18 Squad this year, I have learnt so much in terms of developing my netball, but also many life lessons.

The training sessions week in and week out have improved my game of netball so much, and I have thoroughly enjoyed every session. It has improved my fitness and sports mindset and means I have ended up a better netballer and better athlete all round.

I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity this year to be a part of this, and I am excited for the future of my netball journey.

THE DOLPHIN

The Graeme Akhurst Cups

Andrew Leach These are just a few of the athletic cups won by Graeme Akhurst, Old Brutonian (1945 to 1951). He recently offered these to us, and we are most pleased to receive them into our School Archives. Graeme was a fine all-round sportsman who captained the First teams in both Rugby and Cricket and dominated certain events in the School Athletic Sports each year, most notably the high jump, 100 yards, hurdles, and throwing the cricket ball, often breaking records along the way. He won the Junior Victor Ludorum Cup in 1948 and the Senior in 1949.

The Graeme Akhurst Cups

School Archivist

Graeme was a member of Priory House and became Head of School in his final year. He was also CSM in the CCF. On leaving King's he went to RNC Dartmouth, and then St. Catherine’s College, Cambridge. He went on to have a most successful career in the Royal Navy.

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THE DOLPHIN The Sixth Form Club

The Sixth Form Club Sixth Form Club, lead by Mr Keogh, sits at the heart of Sixth Form life. The club brings people together, allowing the twoyear groups to merge and socialise, whilst enjoying a nice cold beer in the sunshine, or being inside on the dance floor. Sixth Form Club every Saturday, gives the week an exciting end and means there is something to look forward to throughout the weekdays. The club itself is such a joy to be part off, whether that be coming up with ideas for theme nights, setting up the lights and music ready for the night or making sure that the club comes to life so the evening is a success for all.

We feel very grateful to have been named co-presidents of this amazing club and have so many fond memories within its walls. Our favourite part of Sixth Form Club is when everyone is dancing having a great time. Anyone and everyone in the Sixth Form can come, as we make sure the club maintains a welcoming ethos so people can relax or party, leaving behind any stress or issues that come with school life.

Theme nights are spectacular evenings that take place in the Sixth Form Club.

This year’s theme nights have been successful including a Hawaiian, a Venetian masquerade and Après Ski night.

Everyone can dress up however they like, and still come and enjoy a wonderful evening in the club. We are so fortunate to have plenty of the space in the club with a sofa room, tables and chairs, a dancefloor, and a pool table, to cater for all needs and wants.

The club stands for inclusion, positivity, and respect of others. It is such a special place to be in and all Sixth Formers benefit from the joy and excitement it brings to King's.

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Jemima Hurst

India Finch-Hatton

Priory House L6th Form

Arion House L6th Form

THE DOLPHIN

The Story of Inter-House Debating: Lyon’s Perspective

Lyon House Prefect The 2021-22 Inter-House Debating Competition has been an honour to be a part of, and eventually win. I’ve been debating since I joined in 2017, and this year’s competition has been of a standard that I simply had never seen before. I can only tell this year’s story from the perspective of Lyon House, but as we were fortunate enough to debate every other House this year, I’ll hopefully be able to give full credit to each House along the way.

The 1st Preliminary Round saw us up against Blackford. Our debate against Blackford saw what I think was the best first speech I’d ever seen a junior give, given by a member of the Blackford 4th Form, Sunny Jessett. It was clear that he had the natural talent and work ethic to become a fantastic debater, and was already an amazing public speaker.

Adam Mulford of the Lyon 4th Form gave what I, in my slightly biased opinion, would call a better first ever speech, in Lyon’s second preliminary debate, this time against Priory. His conviction, passion, and control of an audience of 6th Formers was astounding to watch.

Not only this, but this debate was an insight into just how well every House was running their debates this year, with Priory’s argument being incredibly well researched and intricate, all the credit to Freya, Amelia and the whole Priory team.

The 1st Knockout Round had Lyon, as the number one seed, due to high scoring in the two prelim debates, up against Arion.

It’s quite easy as a top seed going against a bottom seed to become overconfident, and end up making the debate much closer than it should be. Fortunately for us, we didn’t end up doing that, and Arion

came at us with an excellently crafted and delivered argument, with India Finch Hatton’s middle speech standing out to me. The level of research, the precision of argument, and the overall polish on their process was clear. It was at this time that I began to notice the incredible progression of Lyon’s main middle speaker this year, Joe Walsh. Joe began the year with an highly motored speaking style. However, his four speeches in this year had a story to them, with Joe turning from this high motor to a calm, educated, informative speaker, and one that I’m very thankful to have had on my team this year.

The Semi Final saw us against New House, with two more 4th Formers standing out for me, one for both Houses.

James Squire of New House gave one of the most balanced, informative, and confident speeches I’d ever seen from a junior. His poise and understanding of what he was saying was clear throughout his two minutes. On Lyon’s side, Ben Longman, also had incredible style.

The final was the best debate I’d ever been a part of. Adam and Joe gave the best speeches I’d seen from them all year, delivered with the same passion and poise from before, cranked all the way to 100%, with Adam learning his entire twominute speech off by heart.

Wellesley’s 3 speakers were also fantastic, Grace Wilkes giving an excellent introduction speech as a 3rd Former, showed her immense talent, and Amelia

Blunden and Laila Squire being as talented and prepared as they always have been.

The debate coming down to nothing but timekeeping, truly showed to me how incredible every single speaker was.

As I stood in the Hauser and Wirth Recital Hall, giving what I knew was my last line of my last ever speech in InterHouse Debating, I realised how incredible this competition is. Taking me from a nervous 3rd Former, shaking on the stage as I read out two sides of A4, to an Upper 6th Former who can stand up and improvise his way into a 3-minute speech five times in one year, is all credit to this competition, and those who came before me inspiring me to become better.

Every single debater in every single House put in time and effort to give their fantastic speeches, every House’s team has put in hours of effort into each debate, and our victory this year would feel nowhere near as good if the competition wasn’t of such high quality, due to all of their hard work. I know I have left Lyon’s team, and the entire competition, in good hands.

Good luck to all Houses next year.

The Story of Inter-House Debating: Lyon’s Perspective

Isaac Baxter

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THE DOLPHIN

Old Brutonian, Alex Baxter, reflects on collecting his Duke of Edinburgh Gold award Alex Baxter

Old Brutonian, Alex Baxter, reflects on collecting his Duke of Edinburgh Gold award

Lyon House (2016-20)

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On 20th May 2022, my mum and I embarked on our long-awaited trip to Buckingham Palace Gardens for my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award ceremony. Though I finished my Gold while still at King's in 2019, the pandemic meant that I, and many others, were not able to officially celebrate our achievement until now.

The gardens were an absolutely stunning setting, and the ceremony was a lovely affair. We entered in the afternoon and were allowed to mingle initially, with free tea and cake. I was really pleasantly surprised to run into a lot of my friends there, including some

Old Hazlegrovians who I had not seen since I was thirteen. There were many really interesting speakers, which we were free to choose between, including The Apprentice’s Nick Hewer, James and Oliver Phelps (who played Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter series) and of course the future Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward himself. It was overall a great day, and an ideal chance to bring out my old Lyon House colours.

DofE was a brilliant experience in that it really allowed me to exploit all of the opportunities afforded to me at King's, from improving at my sport and music,

to volunteering in the Military Band and giving back to the local community.

The Gold expeditions, specifically, were a real step up in that we were given much more respect and freedom to tackle the outdoors than on Silver; I built a real rapport with my teammates and the instructors, and gained memories that, though tough at times (camping halfway up Mount Snowdon being a real highlight), I still reflect on very fondly today. I couldn’t recommend participating enough - the effort is worth it.

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Covid-keepers and mental health at King's Bruton Ian Wilmshurst It may seem slightly counter-intuitive to think about what we would like to keep from the pandemic, given the disruption, illness, and damage to mental and physical health, but we all have lived through such a seismic event that it is inevitable that we look back now and wonder what our COVIDkeepers should be.

Schools have had to adapt quickly and extensively to the challenges set by COVID-19. I am very proud of how the whole school community has coped over the past two years. King's Bruton has come through so strongly, and our virtual teaching and learning experience was of high quality.

The obvious first COVID-keeper has to be the significant development and improvement in our IT literacy and capability. Pupils and staff are now very comfortable with all aspects of MS Teams, and we are far nimbler with our use of IT in lessons and in meetings. It is fair to say that across the whole school, our IT proficiency is now three to four

years ahead of where it would have been if there had been no pandemic.

Necessity was certainly the mother of invention.

Many parents have appreciated the ease and efficiency of online parents’ meetings and we will combine these with live parents’ meetings in the future.

I have also reflected on the termly open mornings that we routinely held, which obviously did not happen during the pandemic, and I have decided that our social media activity and school website provide so much information, that individual prospective parent tours are more effective, particularly in a small school like King's, than larger open mornings. Therefore, the next COVID-keepers would be continuing with online parents’ meetings and discontinuing with whole school open mornings.

We have developed more sporting options because of COVID, including football and golf, and this increased variety is certainly something that we

will build on. The experiment to playing cricket in September worked well under the government restrictions and guidelines at the time, but is not something that we would necessarily plan to continue, mainly because the late afternoon light and dew adversely affected the quality of the cricket played.

Finally, it is clear that we are dealing with more concerns surrounding mental health. We are working very hard to support all the pupils and staff, but one positive COVID-keeper is the increased awareness and acceptance of the importance for us all of successfully managing our mental health. PSHEE, RSE and counselling have all become more central to the King's education, and once the pandemic is a thing of the past, I am confident that the School will be a stronger and safer community now that we are all far more aware of the importance of looking after our mental health.

Covid-keepers and mental health at King's Bruton

Headmaster

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Volunteering at my local foodbank

Amelia Blunden Volunteering at my local foodbank

Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, in the summer of 2020, I have been a volunteer at my local foodbank in Hillingdon, West London.

and slipping under the support schemes of the government; I knew that the Foodbank would be the best place to volunteer at.

The Hillingdon Foodbank is part of The Trussell Trust and is of huge importance to the Hillingdon community, and so I am proud to be just a small cog, in this great place, helping those in the community who are still struggling from the pandemic.

It certainly was. Not only did I begin to understand how valuable the Foodbank is within the community; I also met new people and talked with those from all walks of life. This has continued the longer I’ve volunteered, and so not only have I developed more compassion; I have also enjoyed my work. The jobs I do at the Foodbank vary from packing food parcels, with lists allocated by the local council, dating items that have been donated by local churches, schools and businesses (most notably, a novel

When I started volunteering in the summer of the first lockdown in 2020, wanting to give physical and useful help to those in the community who were struggling due to losing their jobs

ten-year out-of-date tin of spam, and a half-eaten chocolate bar, among other unusual items). I also do admin work to ensure everyone who needs a food parcel is receiving one, and parcels are not being wasted.

While volunteering at the Foodbank, I have developed new skills. In addition, I have been able to feel I have engaged in society and have done something very different from the bubble that is school and exams. Therefore, I am grateful for the time I have spent volunteering and hope to continue meeting new people and helping others at the Foodbank.

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Volunteering for the Ocean Youth Trust

Lyon House 5rd Form I am a newly appointed Bosun for the Ocean Youth Trust. I have been sailing with the charity for about five years now, two of which have been as a bosun, three as a crew member.

The process of becoming a trainee bosun takes a while, and is a little bit complex, a candidate must receive a nomination from either the staff skipper, or a relief skipper. They must then fill in an application, and a form for an enhanced DBS check. Getting a nomination means your potential has been seen, and the Skipper believes you are of a reasonable level of competency and ability.

Once you have been accepted as a trainee, you must complete approximately 8 hours of online training to gain a qualification in both child protection and safeguarding and food hygiene and safety. You must also

provide proof that you hold a minimum of an RYA competent crew certificate.

Now the real hard work begins.

To be signed off as a fully trained Bosun, you must be observed completing 65 competencies’ whilst onboard and at sea, your assessor will then determine whether you have passed or failed. If you pass, you can do certain jobs onboard independently, and chances to learn and develop new skills start to open.

The best part about the role is the sporadic nature and variety of jobs and things to do. I could be relaxing after my watch one minute, and then have multiple things break at once, and I must go and try and fix them. I have been to some lovely places around the UK coast. I have also completed a few milestones in the short time I have been sailing with OYT, the most memorable is a complete circumnavigation of the Isle of Wright, but there are many more to come!

Once I turn 18 in January, I can start looking at preparing myself for another

assessment to become a Third Mate and Watch Leader.

The Ocean Youth Trust has played a massive part in my life over the last five years. The boat for me is a stressful, but relaxing place to go. I have met some amazing and inspirational people in my time with the charity and learned things I would never have been able to learn on land. Sailing is something I would recommend everyone tries at some point in their life.

Volunteering for the Ocean Youth Trust

Harry Lack

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THE DOLPHIN King's pupils have recorded and produced an album - Amie Wren 72

King's pupils have recorded and produced an album - Amie Wren Amelia...

Alex...

Initially, the thought of putting an album together was daunting, as it’s a huge undertaking, let alone the fact that both Alex and I are in our exam year.

But it sounded like a lot of fun, and so I put a list of folk, pop and original songs together.

The process of recording ‘Amie Wren’ was a great experience! It consisted of going up into the studio after school hours, sometimes every day, to record instruments ranging from a flute to a full 8 piece choir ensemble, and the feeling of being at the helm of such a great project was amazing!

The next step was to record demos of the tracks, and Alex and I sat down and decided the instrumentation for each song; we finalised a track listing of 12, with covers of both pop songs and traditional folk songs, and a couple of original tracks as well.

As soon as recording got underway, everything moved very quickly, and it took us roughly 2 months to get everything recorded. We ended up cutting down our list to 10 tracks, as we didn’t want our album to last longer than about 30 minutes.

My favourite track we put together is probably ‘Hanging Tree’. I had always wanted to do an acapella cover of this song, and I came up with a 5-part harmonic arrangement complete with a bass drum. It took roughly 3 hours to get all eight singers recorded - 2 to a part, and after that we recorded my vocals and then synthesised the drum on top. It was great fun putting it together!

I’m so proud of what Alex and I have achieved, and ‘Amie Wren’ wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible talent of Hannah Branfoot, Jenna Coverdale, Gabriel Galley, Robin Groden, Thomas Hyde, Lily Innes, Matilda Morley, Georgie NevilleRolfe, Toby Proctor, Phoebe Slight, Lluc Tupman, Olivia Wastell and my wonderful producer Alexander Martin.

In the span of a few months I had everything recorded and down to a rough draft of a final mix, this was then followed by running and glossing over and over again, combing through the fine details and correcting them until a definitive end, and reaching that goal with all the boxes ticked was a phenomenal feeling.

I would love to turn this into a freelance career for myself as it means fresh material will constantly be coming through in a creative environment.

Ashley Marshfield Director of Music Over the past few months, Alex and Amelia have been working hard to record and produce an album of music featuring original compositions and cover songs by various artists. They have worked exceptionally hard on the project, and several of the songs on the album feature other King's musicians. It is an exciting moment as this will be the first pupil-produced studio album and the first available on Apple Music and Spotify! Well done and congratulations to all involved in the project, and particularly Alex and Amelia who have masterminded the project.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more and listen to the album

Alex Martin

Priory House U6th Form New House U6th Form

King's pupils have recorded and produced an album - Amie Wren

Amelia Warren

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THE DOLPHIN

The Chinese educational system from a Chinese perspective

The Chinese educational system from a Chinese perspective

For an international student, what surprises me most is the difference in the education system and ideology between British and Chinese schools.

The education system in China is exam-oriented education, and what is exam-oriented education? In high school in China, you need to spend three years to learn knowledge only for the exam called College Entrance Exam.

This is everything you are learning for in China, just like you spend three years of your youth to prepare for the exams and prepare for your future.

You may think it sounds like a good idea, preparing for your future, but this is not as simple as you think, because in China’s education system, the idea of comprehensive development is basically eliminated. For example, we don’t have Music lessons or Art lessons when we are in Grade 9, but will focus on Chinese, Maths, English, Physics and Chemistry. So, some students don’t even know that they have untapped talent in a field outside of their studies. Because in these three years, they only learn for the exam, and not to find themselves, to understand themselves, nor to accept themselves.

Now you might be wondering, what does it mean by preparing for your future? In China, your CV is everything, and getting a good job is the goal for most people, even if this job is not the job that you really want to do. And if you want your CV to look impressive, you must have a high degree of education.

Let’s get down to the business, I think you want to know, how do the teachers in China prepare us for the exam and what is the education system like in China? When new students first enter the school, the school will put them into different classes in advance, with an average of about fifty students in 74

each class. So, in China we don’t group students according to what subjects they are good at and what subjects they are not good at. Generally, there are twelve to thirty-two classes in a grade, depending on the size of the school. Non-residential schools have nine lessons a day, while residential schools have twelve lessons of forty minutes each, with a ten-minute break between every two lessons. From the end of the last lesson in the morning, to the beginning of the first lesson in the afternoon, there are about two hours for lunch and break, and normally, in a non-boarding school, lessons finish at a quarter to six.

In China, students don’t need to move classrooms, teachers go to different classrooms to teach in each class. Each lesson moves very fast, so that you don’t even have time to pick up a pen that drops on the floor. On average, there are several black board notes to do in each lesson, which is quite hard. Not only that, in order to ensure that we

An International Pupil

have done enough practice, the teacher will assign a lot of homework, after the lessons every day, which generally must be handed in the next morning when we arrive at school. To finish the homework with quality, even the students with high grades spend at least three hours on all the homework.

At this moment, you will think that studying in China is to experience a hard and boring childhood. Yes, it’s hard and boring, but I benefit from this education system in terms of advanced problem-solving skills, perseverance, toughness, resilience, self-control and ambition.

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Dolphin Interview Dr Larsen - Head of Psychology Amelia Blunden Dr Larsen is our new Head of Psychology. In this interview, she explains her interest in the subject, her favourite aspect of teaching, along with her progressive research that she conducted in her PhD on collaborative memory.

Click or scan the QR Code to listen to the Podcast

Dolphin Interview - Dr Larsen - Head of Psychology

Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team

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Dolphin Interview Mr Amaglo My Experiences of Racism

Dolphin Interview - Mr Amaglo - My Experiences of Racism

‘Wise men shouldn’t argue with stupid people, because from afar people can’t tell who is who’.

Racism is a harmful and scarring ideology which does no good to society and for human beings individually, especially for their mental health.

Equality is something this modern world has still not balanced, although there have been obvious progressions since the start of the 21st century, most recently the rise in the Black Lives Matter movement, which was stimulated from the events of George Floyd. The movement has triggered widescale conversations as well as a wakeup call for the world, and for Mr Amaglo, our King's Strength and Conditioning Coach, this movement was ‘a poignant moment in time’ for him. The movement not only ‘opened up conversations with my friends and family’ but was also ‘a very emotional time’ as it was a time that brought up emotional trauma for Mr Amaglo, in which we, as a school, should be a listening ear, so that we can learn to stand up against racism and spot it in day-to-day life.

Mr Amaglo’s Assembly sparked numerous conversations around school, in which we, as the Dolphin Editorial Team, felt we needed to record to highlight the importance of this conversation. Something that really stood out in conversation with Mr Amaglo was that ‘it’s okay to tell people they are wrong’. This is something us as humans learn from. We learn from our mistakes, and people on the receiving end of our mistakes should not have to suffer, but sadly this is normally the case.

Mr Amaglo’s advice to anyone who is 76

experiencing racial abuse is to ‘talk to someone’. Talking can help share the problem and can reduce the repression which one may feel when experiencing racism. Mr Amaglo recalled that the effects of racism, especially at a young age, has meant that he ‘is cautious on how he approaches things’ and has become ‘more hesitant and made me think deeper about what and when I can say things’ resulting in ‘overthinking situations.’

Even from hearing just a snippet of Mr Amaglo’s thoughts, it is clear racism is something which impacts one’s confidence, internally and externally.

Understanding the effects of racism to someone like Mr Amaglo will hopefully raise awareness about how and what people say to each other. ‘Education about why things people say can be difficult’ is something we all agreed on when interviewing Mr Amaglo. It is so easy to teach the concept that words can hurt, but we forget that we need to start to educate on the effects of those

words/insults and why they can be difficult for people to hear.

Mental health, a critical part of one’s wellbeing, can be damaged by racism and racial abuse. Racism can trigger insecurities, loss of identity and could even lead to further mental health issues, which is why racism needs to be called out and stopped to save individuals from such damage.

Mr Amaglo explained that racism ‘has affected my mental health to an extent’ which has meant ‘I think about situations far more than I need to, so it won’t manifest as anxiety as much’.

Luckily, Mr Amaglo had his love for sport, especially rugby, as an outlet for such abuse he received. Helplessness was an emotion that comes to mind when thinking about people who have experienced racism, which stemmed from picturing a child such as Mr Amaglo when he was a young boy at school, receiving such racial abuse.

We asked Mr Amaglo his thoughts on

Mr Amaglo outlined that for him, the meaning behind his grandfather’s quote is that due to social conditioning and structural racism, when a mixed-race man is seen to be arguing with someone who is racist, from a distance, often people make assumptions that he is the aggressor, fulfilling the stereotype of the ‘angry, black man’. Thus, perpetuating the narrative of black people ‘always causing trouble’, which is clearly wrong.

Knowing this powerful message, helped Mr Amaglo during his hard times, knowing that he ‘has a wiser head on his shoulders - I didn’t feel so helpless.’

When speaking in terms of King's Bruton, and combating racism, we agreed, as pupils alongside Mr Amaglo, that ‘there needs to be guidelines in place just like other topics’, where there are rules and education on racism in schools, and more so at King's, meaning that us, as a student body in the future, we can be equipped with good morals and healthy ideas to become accepting members of society. We all want to live in a world where black lives matter, and to create a school environment clear from racial abuse or insults will encourage this.

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Rafe Burfield

Agatha Dawes

New House Dolphin Editorial Team

Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team

We as a school need to learn that approaching these difficult conversations is something that we should be doing more often ‘the school needs to bring more light to the matter’ and have pupils who are ‘aware of the wider world’ as racism is not just a problem that will go away in a second.

It needs to be realised and combated.

We need to stand as equals together in the movement and be the ‘wise men.’

Click or scan the QR Code watch Mr Amaglo’s video Assembly

Dolphin Interview - Mr Amaglo - My Experiences of Racism

these emotions, to which he quoted his grandfather’s words that ‘wise men shouldn’t argue with stupid people, because from afar people can’t tell who is who’, which heavily supports the message that the ‘stupid people’ need to be educated in what they say, and to know the effects of what they say on others. In addition, the awareness that the ‘wise men’, the victims, should not have to carry the weight of other people’s harmful words. Instead, they should be able to live in freedom from such insults and know that arguing isn’t going to solve the problem, and instead would result in a rise of anger and hatred.

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Learning Arabic through Lockdown

Learning Arabic through Lockdown

Amelia Blunden

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Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team meaning ‘We speak’ in Arabic is the name for a social enterprise organisation that enables refugees to teach Arabic, Urdu, Kurdish and other languages online. This encourages economic empowerment, purpose, and re-gained dignity for those who have had to flee their homes.

It was Laila’s idea, during the summer lockdown of 2020 to learn Arabic with a Syrian refugee online. This is because we both have a connection with the Middle East, as Laila is of pan-Arab nationality, and I grew up in Oman.

Thus, it has been, and still is, great to be able to learn a language that we both love, together.

Usually once a week, we have a thirty minute or sometimes one hour session with our teacher, Yara, over Zoom.

Yara is a Syrian Refugee who lives in Lebanon, and she has helped Laila and I gain confidence in holding a conversation in Arabic.

We have also focused on the more difficult discipline of reading and writing Arabic script, which can, at times, be very challenging. However, we both hope to continue following our passion for the language and culture of the Middle East. Our learning of Arabic has helped us on this journey.

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A digital comic strip inspired by ‘Othello’ Charlie Warburton My Lower 6th Form English A Level class has been studying Shakespeare’s Othello.

In this tragic play (spoilers ahead!) there’s a scene where the main character, who has gone near-insane, sneaks into his wife’s bedroom at night to murder her. This scene really struck me as we read through it, and I could visualise it playing out in my head like a movie, so I decided to digitally draw a comic strip for the opening part of the scene.

Being my first digital comic strip from scratch, it took around five hours to make, and I would have loved to make more pages for the rest of the scene, but I fear it may interfere with my A Levels!

Watch a video of Charlie’s timelapse inspired by William Shakespeare’s Othello

A digital comic strip inspired by ‘Othello’

Arion House L6th Form

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THE DOLPHIN Celebrating Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee 80

Celebrating Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee This year marks Queen Elizabeth II’s It is important to remember amidst seventy years of service to the United the celebrations there is still a global Kingdom and the Commonwealth. environmental issue to be conscious of, an issue which is important to Her King's Bruton was lucky enough to Majesty and the world. However, ‘if have a royal visit from Her Majesty we harness the very best of humankind in 2019 to mark the School’s 500th and restore our planet, we will protect it Anniversary. Therefore, it was terribly for our children, for our grandchildren important as a school to celebrate Her and the future generations to come,’ Majesty’s service with a special church so there is still hope for us all, and in service to show our gratitude as a school. celebration of Her Majesty’s seventy years we should also be appreciating In terms of the UK, many of us were the planet that we live on as well as her a part of the 11.2 million people who and her family’s services to supporting tuned into BBC One to watch the Jubilee these efforts. celebrations in London: the Trooping of the Colour, the flypast, the Platinum The London atmosphere was inspiring Party at the Palace and the celebratory during the Jubilee, similar to that of the pageant. Additionally, street parties 2012 Olympics where British pride was and community celebrations took place overflowing. across the UK in Her Majesty’s honour.

Pupils, staff and their families here I was lucky enough to be one of at King's also shared in the exciting the 22,000 people who attended the events on the four-day bank holiday Platinum Party at the Palace, which was by getting together for picnics, fêtes, a spectacular display of music, dances barbecues, street parties or afternoon and inspiring speeches. A message I teas. Her Majesty said she was ‘humbled took away from the Palace, was in HRH and deeply touched’ by all efforts Prince William’s Climate Crisis speech of celebration this year and that she where he said, ‘today in 2022 as The remains a committed serving monarch Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee to us all as she hopes ‘this renewed the pressing need to protect and restore sense of togetherness will be felt for our planet has never been more urgent.’ many years to come’.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more about the Platinum Jubilee Service at St Mary’s Church

Views of the beacons and fireworks from the Pen Selwood beacon field

THE DOLPHIN Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team

Tom Hyde lit the beacon at The Windmill Hill East Knoyle

Monty Hopkins and his grandfather took part in the Jubilee Regatta on the Taw-Torridge Estuary, near Biddeford

Celebrating Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee

Agatha Dawes

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The exciting new world of KSB MotorSport Bertie Hopkins

The exciting new world of KSB MotorSport

New House L6th Form Our journey began in early September 2021, when I noticed that there was a chassis of a single-seater electric car sitting in the foyer of the DT department. I asked the DT teacher whether it would be possible to gather a team together and get it racing, as its intended purpose had been this when it was originally built in 2016. He agreed to this and so KSB MotorSport began.

Our progress through the first term was slow as we got to grips with the car and worked out what needed changing through testing the car around the Prefect’s Lawn. Quickly enough we had reached the Christmas holiday, and little had been changed on the car.

However, work ramped up significantly in the Easter term as Will and I reassembled the suspension to allow for a higher top speed. February saw the launch of our first sponsorship campaign, raising a total of £1175 in just over 24 hours. We then launched a second sponsorship campaign later in the month raising another £250. The huge generosity from our sponsors allowed us to purchase lighter bodywork, new gears, a new chain, and a new foam lining for the cockpit.

By the middle of March, we had fitted the new gears which would allow us to have a higher top speed. This involved removing the rear axle which was a large task in itself. At the end of March, we began to cut our new aluminium bodywork to shape, for this we used a cordless jigsaw. The side panels were completed by myself, Luke, and Jack, whilst the top panel was done a few weeks later, after half term, by Ben and Harvey. At the end of April, we began 82

to fit the panels to the car, we did this by drilling holes into the bodywork where there were fixing points on the chassis, Bodo played a key role in this bodywork fitting process. Once the bodywork had been fitted to the chassis, we began reassembling the car and putting the sponsors’ logos onto the car.

On Friday, 6th May we tested the car around the Prefect’s Lawn once again, but discovered that there was an issue with the gears and chain and so our testing session was brought to an abrupt finish just a few laps in. We worked flat out for the remainder of that afternoon in order to fix the issues that we had discovered, ahead of another test that we decided to do on Saturday afternoon to ensure that the car was in full working order for the race on Sunday. This second test was much more successful, and so we packed everything into the trailer before a 6.00am departure the next day.

We arrived at Goodwood Motor Circuit at 8.30am on Sunday, after our Headmaster, Mr Wilmshurst, kindly volunteered to drive us up to the track.

We went to a team briefing at 9.00am before taking our car to scrutineering and getting out onto the track in time for the start of the practice session at 9.30am. After what felt like a good lap for me with no issues, I rounded the final corner and suddenly heard a loud banging from behind me, I pulled into the pits and after a thorough inspection from Harvey’s dad, Mr Weekes, it was discovered that our rear axle had been sliding through the tighter corners.

This led to a few hours of challenging work in order to get our car ready

for 1.30pm. This fix was successfully completed, and we rolled the car to the grid. The race began a few minutes late at approximately 2.15pm, and I made an amazing start, gaining 5 or 6 places before the first corner, unfortunately, this pace was short lived as our motor slowly began to overheat and we were forced to stop on the side of the track with just five minutes remaining. We did, however, all have an incredible experience and learned a lot.

Looking to the future, we still have three races remaining in 2022. We have more upgrades constantly being added to optimise our performance. After the International Final in October this year, we will hand our project to next years’ L6th Form, and hopefully KSB Motorsport will race for many years to come.

I would like to thank everyone involved for making this possible, from all our sponsors, to staff and, of course, the team itself.

Click or scan the QR Code to read more and watch a video of the Goodwood race

THE DOLPHIN The exciting new world of KSB MotorSport Luke Cortes, Bertie Hopkins, Ben Sheldon, Harvey Weekes, Bodo Wirth, Will Owen, Jack Binns.

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Pride at King's Bruton Hannah Branfoot

Pride at King's Bruton

Arion House Prefect During this year, I had the honour of being a School Prefect and Head of House, and one of the things I set out to do over the year was to make sure that Pride Month was acknowledged in some form.

In May, I started planning what I wanted to do, I asked some of my friends for their opinions, which quickly became a small group of people all working on the idea. Being able to collaborate with people in this way was helpful, as we were able to come up with many ideas and find resources much faster, it was also a huge help to me, as when I started, I was worried about having to find resources while revising for my A Levels. The School were very appreciative of our ideas and our initiative to present a fully-fledged plan, and took on a lot of our ideas.

Pride is incredibly important, becoming more so each year. 2022 marks 50 years since the first official Pride parade in the UK, this is a very big landmark and means a lot to many people. Whilst it is great to enjoy and celebrate, it is also an important moment to remember that 50 years isn’t that long ago, and that in the UK same-sex marriage was only legalised in 2020 (with England, Scotland and Wales legalising in 2014), in 69 countries, however, it is still illegal.

LGBTQ+ rights and understanding has grown recently, with many famous faces coming out, for example: Elliot Page (actor) coming out as trans, Sam Smith (singer) coming out as non-binary, Jake Daniels (footballer) becoming the first openly gay active footballer and many more. This has been an absolutely amazing thing to witness, as ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’, so to have so many public figures coming out, and to show the world who they are, is such an inspiration to people all across the world, 84

from people who are struggling with their own coming out, to people who are fully comfortable in themselves.

Something that also gets overlooked during Pride, is just how important having straight allies is, particularly those who are willing to speak up for the community and willing to learn and broaden their understandings. Pride is for coming together, no matter who you are, for one common goal to make people feel safe and happy in their own skin and to reach out to those who are struggling, those who want to learn more, or anyone who is questioning their sexuality or gender, this is something we can all help with. It is one of the reasons why Attitude Magazine (one of the most famous gay magazines) decided to put Sebastian Vettel (4 times F1 world champion) on the front cover of their Pride Month issue, despite him being a white straight cisgender man, he has never backed down from raising awareness of the queer community and laws in other countries. When he was racing in Hungary, he wore rainbow converse, shirt, mask and helmet (despite a reprimand) to raise awareness of the government banning LGBTQ+ literature, and speaking out about it many times since.

Pride is an incredibly important time of year, and it is great to see the School doing something about it, I hope that this kickstarts a change for the next few years and Pride Month only gets bigger and better in the future.

Hannah Branfoot (they/him/her), with special thanks to Charlie Warburton (they/them), Laila Squire (she/her) and Tia West (she/her)

THE DOLPHIN

Working for the Somerset Youth Parliament Rafe Burfield

I have really enjoyed being an elected member as it has allowed me to work with youth advisory groups from all

over the county, bringing a wide range of experiences, opinions and abilities, which makes the group interesting, strong, fun and better able to represent others.

Throughout my tenure in office, I worked alongside elected councillors and parliamentarians to raise youth issues throughout the county. I had direct responsibility for managing the Youth Parliament response to the Police and Crime Commissioner elections of 2021, co-ordinating the campaign

surrounding the creation of carbon neutral schools, and assisting in Youth Parliament’s social inclusion programme - working with officials and various NGO’s to reduce youth unemployment and homelessness. This has allowed me to advance a variety of youth issues, raising the concerns of members to Conservative MP’s - subsequently working with Rebecca Pow MP to secure environmental filtration systems for youth centres and schools around Somerset.

Helping the people of Ukraine After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, millions of innocent and helpless Ukrainians were forced to evacuate their homes.

Over the past academic year, despite exam season and the prospect of the summer holidays, the School community has partaken and organised countless charitable events in aid of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, subsequently raising (at time of printing this magazine) over £6500. Bake sales were popular with both the Wellesley House 4th Form and the U6th BTEC Enterprise class, who sold crêpes, shortbread, milkshakes and sweets making a profit (from both sales) of over £220. Furthermore, our talented musicians organised a charity concert,

live from The Queen Elizabeth Music School, raising an impressive £321.

allowed us to pay our respects while commemorating the founding of King's Bruton by Bishop Richard Fitzjames.

The crisis in Ukraine reminds us, as a school community, how integral mental and physical health is to a persons overall wellbeing. Earlier this term, King's pupils dressed in green to vocalise support for those struggling with loneliness. Our connection and relationship to other people and our school community, defines who we are as King's pupils, and is fundamental to protecting our mental health.

In honour of the people of Ukraine, the Chapel Choir performed “A Ukrainian Prayer”, a short choral piece composed by John Rutter at this years Commemoration Service, which

Click or scan the QR Code if you would like to donate to the King's Bruton School in a Bag Ukraine Crisis Appeal

Working for the Somerset Youth Parliament & Helping the people of Ukraine

During the national lockdown in 2020, I was elected as a member of the Somerset Youth Parliament for the District of South Somerset. SYP consists of three elected members and their deputies (aged 11-18) who represent Somerset at the national UK Youth Parliament. They are elected through schools, colleges and youth clubs across Somerset every two years.

New House Dolphin Editorial Team

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Dolphin Interview Mr Miller - A full and active life Agatha Dawes

How to maintain ‘a full and active life’ like Mr Miller

Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team From only six years of age Mr Miller had mapped out his career in the army.

A career in which Mr Miller spent 38 years dedicating his services to Her Majesty and the country, before moving into an exciting new chapter teaching his beloved subject of physics to us at King's Bruton.

Mr Miller’s journey began in September 1983 when he joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and completed his electronic engineering apprenticeship. After a short period, he was selected for the Artificer Radar training programme. The training focussed on radar and guided weapons mechanics, an area with a deep pedigree in physics to spark Mr Miller’s interests.

In 1999, Mr Miller was promoted to a Warrant Officer Class 1, which is the highest rank for a non-commissioned officer before he then Commissioned in 2001 in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. It was as an officer that Mr Miller developed technology which would enhance the future of military training, working on software such as virtual reality and protective mobility simulations.

From here, Mr Miller went onto capability management and acquisition (programme and project management) in various defence organisations before becoming Second in Command (2IC) of an engineering battalion, responsible for the repair and maintenance of systems such as electronic counter measures and power pack repairs. Throughout his career Mr Miller was deployed in many operational tours of duty as part of his military service. It wasn’t until Mr Miller became an instructor at Sandhurst, and later at the Defence 86

Academy base in Shrivenham, that he discovered his passion for teaching and educating young people. This passion later became the driving force for Mr Miller’s next career as a teacher at King's.

A moment that Mr Miller described as his ‘greatest achievement’ was in December 2015-16 when he was Chief of Staff of the Counter Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) Cell in Baghdas, Iraq. The operation was planned and co-ordinated by Mr Miller himself to lead his unit and the UN forces to clear IEDs and push ISIS out of the area. He worked with a complex network of International Interagency and Non-Governmental Organisation stakeholders to synchronise the planning, coordination and delivery of C-IED training and clearance support in post Da’esh Iraq. This operation was very successful and in total took 7 months of hard work from Mr Miller and his team. On returning from Iraq, Mr Miller went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as an instructor.

Then by 2018, Mr Miller was deployed on his final tour as Chief of Staff for the newly formed Defence College of Management and Capability Integration, where he spent time working in Battlespace Technology, Cyber, and Information Warfare, all deeply science and physics related disciplines.

Finally, on 29th of September 2021, four weeks after starting his

new job at King's Bruton, Mr Miller officially retired from the British Army.

Mr Miller describes that his time in the army ‘not only (taught him about) upholding British values of democracy, but also teaching life skills,’ which Mr Miller keenly imparts to both his tutees and also his physics classes, helping them to prepare for success in their future lives and careers.

Reflecting upon his time in the army, ‘no two jobs were the same’ and Mr Miller also mentioned the ‘rewarding feeling’ he received from his operational tours, which really shaped the person that he is today. ‘Learning all the time,’ he was constantly learning new skills.

Mr Miller also said that continuous personal and professional development are the keys to success in any career. In his chosen career, physics GCSE and A Level is the foundation knowledge,

For Mr Miller it is important that young people have a better understanding of the world and believes that ‘physics will help to solve the problems we are facing from climate change and renewable energy to exploring the universe.’ He takes great satisfaction from ‘penny drop moments’ and watching his pupils excel. But it’s not all about the classroom for Mr Miller. He has also been a keen skier, mountaineer and general outdoor pursuits enthusiast.

He became an Army instructor and was selected for regimental race teams.

Mr Miller has skied all over the world including the Himalayas and the Snowy Mountains in Australia (where he also became a diving instructor for 3 months).

Mr Miller’s love for the Army never has and never will stop. It is from that career where he draws so many parallels to life working in a boarding school. He gets enormous satisfaction from teaching at King's and supporting other activities too, such as helping to coach the U14B rugby team, working with the CCF, and helping with the Ten Tors 2022 victory.

It is the contributions to the wider school life that have all felt like triumphs in his first year at King's Bruton.

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Mr Miller described himself as a ‘career person not a job person,’ a quote that really stood out to me in this interview, as it exposed Mr Miller’s determination and dedication to his chosen fields, something I am sure myself and many will aspire to be like.

An update from OB Archie Coulsey-Belgeonne Old Brutonian, Archie, is working with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.

I have now settled into my role at Mercedes! We’ve been busy manufacturing the upgrades that the designers have been working hard on to resolve our bouncing issues. Whilst we haven’t been in the usual position of fighting for the wins this year so far, we have been consistent with George Russell, who is the only driver to remain in the top 5 finishes all season, and both our cars have finished every race.

As for myself, I’ve been working hard to gain as much experience as I can in all areas of composites and gaining training for the operation of the forklift and new hoist. I’ve learnt so much about composite materials in my role as an Autoclave Operator and Breakout Op. I wish all the best for the GCSE and A Level pupils this summer and have a lovely summer holiday!

An update from OB Archie Coulsey-Belgeonne

and the Army allowed him to apply that knowledge to a range of capabilities and problems.

Overall, Mr Miller’s top career advice is to ‘identify what you want to do then pursue it, relentlessly, but most importantly choose something you enjoy.’ It was a sad wave goodbye to the Army however, ‘as you get older you have to evaluate what’s important in life’ and for Mr Miller physics was important to keep pursuing, alongside keeping up his love for teamwork and outdoor activities. ‘Watching people grow,’ having adventures, being a leader, working as a team, maintaining his love for the great outdoors, and most of all, being an educator is how Mr Miller has maintained a full and active life. A great example to us all.

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Remembering bravery, strength & resilience during the Falklands War

Remembering bravery, strength & resilience during the Falklands War

Amelia Blunden

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2022 signifies the 40th Anniversary of the Falklands War, which began on 2nd April 1982. Fought between Argentina and Great Britain, the ten-week war is still significant for the history of Great Britain today. For the King's Bruton community we remember, as an Old Brutonian and former governor, Sir Peter Squire, Chief of the Air Staff, who fought in the war. He sadly passed away in 2018, but had many stories to tell from the war, that seem important to remember as we reach the anniversary of the campaign.

Sir Peter Squire commanded the RAF Harrier Squadron in the Falklands War and became Air Chief Marshal in 2000.

During the battle for the Falklands, he became the first RAF pilot to launch a laser-guided ‘smart’ bomb in combat, as well as attacking Argentinian forces at Mount Longdon. In addition to this, he had some narrow escapes. One such

event, on 8th June 1982, occurred when a bullet, fired from the ground, hit his Harrier’s cockpit, causing the RollsRoyce engine to fail, and leading to him crashing the aircraft at San Carlos. He was also forced to eject from his Harrier in November 1982 over low altitude near Cape Pembroke, and was rescued from the sea, remarkably uninjured, by a Royal Navy helicopter.

Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team

These close escapes and the leadership of Sir Peter Squire led to him being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. His passion for his team, as well as his determination and bravery made him an extraordinary figure in the Royal Air Force, leaving a great legacy that would be impossible to fill.

while his grandchildren now attend.

He was also a long-serving governor of King's as Senior Warden from 2004 to 2011.

Moreover, Sir Peter Squire was also a key figure within King's Bruton and Hazlegrove. Educated here as a child, his three sons attended the School,

Forty years on from the conflict, we must remember the bravery, strength and resilience of Sir Peter Squire and the men and women he worked alongside.

In 2017, Scott and Austin Smart (founders of Future DJs) came to King's to play an ‘Introduction to DJing’ set. Future DJs, at the time, was a newly founded company which was educating children across the country in the electronic side of music, focusing mainly on production and DJing. AQA had just started to recognise the DJ Deck as an instrument, and Scott and Austin wanted to encourage kids of all ages to put on a pair of headphones and start making music, hence ‘Future’ DJs. The Smart brothers played their introduction set outside the JCR during a morning breaktime. I remember walking down from the Science department being able to feel the bass of the music in the floor, and I was intrigued. I went over to see what was going on, and decided to sign myself up for DJ lessons, and I haven’t looked back since. I did 2 years of lessons with Scott, and when their company started to take off, I had both online and in person lessons with various members of their team, all of which were incredibly talented.

Scott and Austin reached out in 5 Form to ask me if I’d like to open a Festival in Amsterdam in June 2019, and I was thrilled!

I had only just started putting a set together when the UK went into lockdown, and, unfortunately, the Festival was cancelled. I thought that that was that, but in mid-May 2022, Scott reached out again to tell me that the Festival would be going ahead this year, and that I still had a slot if I wanted it. I did. th

The next few weeks went very quickly as I put my set together, practised like mad, had various video calls and interviews with people in the Future DJs team in Manchester and the team in Amsterdam (for marketing purposes), and soon it was time to get on a plane to Schiphol.

I went out with Hannah Branfoot (from Arion House), who acted both as my best friend and manager, and supported me faultlessly throughout.

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Watch a video of Amelia’s trip to Amsterdam

Arriving at Bristol, we met Mark Crawford, our videographer. His job was to create a mini-documentary of the experience for both Future DJs and the Amsterdam Open Air Festival to use in the future, as marketing and promotional material. Being followed around by a camera was a very new experience, and I’m still not quite used to it! Upon arrival in Amsterdam, we spent the night in the airport hotel, and the next morning took a shuttle bus to the Festival itself.

I couldn’t quite get over the size of the stage - I had assumed I would be playing in a dark corner somewhere! It was the main stage, and had lights that flashed along with the music you played, an intermittent smoke machine and a camera that projected your face onto a huge screen behind you. The whole stage was actually rather daunting, but Hannah, Scott, Austin and Mark were all incredibly supportive, and I managed to keep my nerves at bay.

Amelia Warren Priory House U6th Form without me even realising. When the DJ after me arrived, he transitioned out of my last song into his first, which was seamless, and I started packing everything up.

I was on Cloud 9 for at least four hours after my set. It was such a fantastic experience, and I’m so grateful to Scott and Austin for giving me that opportunity - it’s something I’ll never forget.

From Bruton to Amsterdam to DJ

From Bruton to Amsterdam to DJ

The first call of order was to get a footstool, because, as is often the case, I was too small for the booth! Once that was sorted, I did a few soundchecks and set up all my equipment, and I was ready to go.

All too soon it was 12pm, and the compère for the mainstage introduced me first in Dutch, and then in English.

When I started my set, the gates of the Festival opened, so at the beginning it was only my faithful crew to support me, but as time went past more and more people walked past, stayed, danced, moved on.

That was one of the things I liked about the Festival - there was so much to see and do, and such a variety of music being played. Walking around it later was really fun, as I was able to listen to at least four different genres of music at any one time.

I ended up having to extend my set slightly due to exigent circumstances, and my 1 hour set become 1 hour thirty 89

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A year on from King's, we catch up with Amy Hurst Amy Hurst

A year on from King's, we catch up with Amy Hurst

Head of School Wellesley House (2017-21)

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I finished King's last summer and chose to take a gap year before starting Bristol University in 2022, where I will be studying International Relations and Politics.

At the beginning of my gap year, I worked for At The Chapel, in Bruton, along with four other King's friends.

We all had a great time learning the workings of the hospitality industry, being surprised at how physically exhausting it could be. We all usually worked evenings, so shutting down the restaurant became a very competitive time as we raced, whilst mopping floors and polishing cutlery, occasionally getting into water fights, as we are all still children at heart.

By the time it reached December, we all decided to spend the money we had saved and headed to Kenya where we stayed with Leo’s family. His family were incredible at taking care of us and we were lucky enough to experience

some incredible things because of them. The time we spent in the Mara was particularly special as we saw such a variety of wildlife and became accustomed to seeing giraffes and zebras so close. It seemed all the wildlife had just had babies before we arrived, so our experience was made even more incredible. It was an unforgettable trip filled with lifetime memories.

I am now travelling in Australia with my boyfriend. I first spent a month in Tasmania with my Aunt, Uncle and Grandpa which was amazing, but my introduction to Australia consisted of unveiling a nest of huntsmen spiders when taking apart their old shack!

I am now in Cairns, where we are driving around in a van marvelling at the difference in scenery and meeting welcoming locals along our travels. It feels as though we are in the middle of the rainforest here, and the spiders seem to consistently be increasing in size! We hope to head down the East Coast soon.

I head home in August, and will definitely be visiting King's before I head off to university in September.

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Alexina, cooking up a storm at the Young Somerset Chef Finals

On the day of the competition, I travelled down to Taunton and Bridgwater College with Mrs McMunn (Head of Food Studies). On arrival it very nerve-wracking, but all of the judges and organisers was so kind and helpful.

We had 90 minutes to cook and prepare our dish, which in the cooking world is not very long at all. One of the requirements for the competition was that all ingredients had to be made from scratch (with the exception of homemade stocks), and all the ingredients had to be locally sourced.

I had chosen Beef Wellington as my dish with a mushroom gravy, roasted asparagus, crushed new potatoes and a mustard butter. This was quite a challenging dish, as I had to make my own pastry, and I had to make two portions.

During the 90 minutes the three judges were going round all the contestants and asking questions, whilst noting down everything you were doing, this made it all quite scary. The judges at the event were - Chris Cleghorn (a Michelin-starred Head Chef at The Olive Tree, Queensberry Hotel, Bath), Andrew Swann (Head Chef at the Castle Hotel, Taunton), and James Jones (Chef Lecturer at Bridgwater and Taunton College). All three judges were very nice and asked lots of questions during the competition.

and the other was to be displayed for everyone else to see. It was an incredible opportunity for me to cook in a proper industrialised kitchen and also have the chance to try out induction hobs.

After a very long wait, the judges spoke about everyone’s dishes and awarded certificates to all the finalists, then they announced the winner. I was very shocked and very pleased to have won as I worked really hard with my dish and all my hard work had paid off.

(I was also very proud of the feedback and that a Michelin starred Chef had said my pastry was amazing).

Now that I have won, I will have Andrew Swann as my mentor and I will be given the opportunity to go to the Castle Hotel in Taunton and cook my dish with him, whilst he helps me to make my dish even better. In October this year, I will be traveling down to Exeter to compete in the finals of the South-West Young Chef of the Year Competition. I will be representing Somerset County and am very looking forward to this incredible opportunity!

Alexina Andrew Priory House 4th Form

Alexina, cooking up a storm at the Young Somerset Chef Finals

On Tuesday 14th of June, I was given the opportunity to compete in the Young Somerset Chef of the Year Finals and the Young Somerset Chef of the Year Semi-Finals. It was an amazing opportunity for me just to get through to this round.

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A successful year for the Eco Committee Alexia Smith

A successful year for the Eco Committee

Priory House L6th Form This year, is the Eco Committee’s first year at King's Bruton and it has been a hugely successful and rewarding one. We started in September, thanks to Harriet Vallings’ proactive attitude and interest in the cause, with our first meeting packed full of pupils from all year groups, looking forward to making our school more eco-friendly, and we’ve continued with our committed approach all year.

Our main aim this school year was to earn an Eco Schools Green Flag award, which we recently succeeded in - with a Distinction! Earning this flag took a lot of dedication in a number of areas and it was very rewarding to find out that our hard work had paid off. Working towards this award was also very useful in making us consider lots of aspects of environmental friendliness in our school, such as food waste and recycling, which have been at the forefront of our focus this year in accordance with our new Eco Code of ‘recycle, reduce, rewild’.

Starting in the Christmas term with some fundraising, a sweets sale and a stall at the Bruton Christmas Fair, we began to plan our aims for the rest of the year and earn money for working towards these. Our meetings were productive times, filled with postermaking, speech-writing and discussion.

Taking on our first aim, reducing food waste, very confidently, we prepared a speech for Assembly, featuring some surprising statistics on food waste calculated by eco committee members; we were very pleased to find that the catering staff had actually noticed an increase in conversation about food waste in the dining hall afterwards, as well as a reduction in the amount of 92

food wasted at lunch.

We’ve also prioritised recycling, and providing mixed-recycling bins for all classrooms and boarding houses. This simple change will help promote more sustainable practices within the School and reduce the amount of waste simply going to landfill.

Finally, we also looked towards rewilding areas of the School which were unused and could be used to attract wildlife; rewilding means allowing land to return to its natural state so that nature can thrive and is an exciting process to watch happen. For example, we’ve worked on rewilding the riverbank, by planting wildflowers and creating a re-wilded path, and this is becoming an appealing and relaxing place for pupils to visit in the future to feel surrounded by nature. Particularly in the warm weather, I feel that this will

be a really exciting place to relax and socialise in, and we’re very grateful to the Friends of King's Bruton who have bought us benches to use in these areas.

Overall, this year has been very successful, and it’s felt very rewarding to be part of something like this. We’re already looking forward to next year, when we’ll be embarking on a number of new ventures such as creating ecofriendly Christmas decorations and setting up a Sustainability Week in September to raise more awareness about our aims. I’m very proud of our team and what we’ve achieved this year, and a big thank you is owed to Dr Corrigan and Mr Godfrey for their leadership!

If you’d like to keep up with our projects, you can find us on Twitter at @KSB_Eco as well as on our webpage on the School website.

THE DOLPHIN A successful year for the Eco Committee Click or scan the QR Code go to the Eco Committee web page 93

An Eventful Year

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An Academic Roundup Dan Cupit

An Academic Roundup

Deputy Head - Academic

There has been much to enjoy and celebrate this academic year, with the return to a much greater sense of normality and having all pupils back in Bruton. It has been fantastic, after such a disjointed few years, to have all pupils back on site and to see the campus full of energy and laughter.

I have been delighted to welcome families and visitors back to King's for Parents’ Meetings, musical events, drama productions and enrichment talks/ events. It has been a real pleasure to welcome everyone back on site and it has been a further reminder of just how special the King's community is.

After extensive periods of remote learning in 2020 and 2021 during the national lockdowns, it has been brilliant to have an academic year which has seen a return to full classroom based teaching.

However, the valuable lessons learnt during the period of remote learning, and the infrastructure put in place across the School, have not gone to waste, as remote learning has continued to support pupils who have, unfortunately ,been absent whilst isolating. MS Teams

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has also become a valuable resource that is being used across the School to support teaching and provide pupils with access to fantastic resources. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all colleagues, pupils and parents for the support that they have given throughout the pandemic, and especially with the programme of remote learning.

I have particularly enjoyed the opportunity to tour the School and drop in to many departments to observe the fantastic lessons that are taking place, and view the incredible work being produced by pupils. Whether that has been viewing the light painting done by the 3rd Form in Art, reviewing the U6th coursework in Design and Technology, or dropping in to sample the BTEC Hospitality creations, it is always fantastic to see the pride that pupils take in their work and the projects that they are completing.

This year we have also seen the longawaited return of full examinations following the cancellation of examinations in 2020 and 2021.

Anyone involved in the CAG and TAG process in 2020 and 2021 respectively, will appreciate the considerable undertaking that this was for both pupils and schools, as well as the additional levels of uncertainty and anxiousness during a difficult period for all. However, I have very much welcomed the return of examinations in 2022 as I believe that this is the fairest way for pupils at King's to be assessed this summer. I have been incredibly impressed by the approach that so many pupils in the 5th and 6th Form have demonstrated in the build up to the examinations, and the ambition and determination being shown by so many.

Whilst the examinations this summer are a big step to normality, I don’t underestimate the challenges that many pupils will have faced in both preparing and sitting these examinations after 2 years without external examinations.

However, I am delighted that so many pupils at King's have demonstrated that they are in an incredibly strong position for the examinations and ready to tackle the challenges that the exams pose. I wish all pupils every success with their

THE DOLPHIN There has been so much to celebrate this academic year with incredible success achieved by so many. A measure of the fantastic work ethic being displayed by so many pupils was evident with the highest effort grades on record being recorded. Particular mention must go to Adam Mulford (Lyon House) who achieved 20 commendations in a term, as well as many more pupils for their ongoing efforts in achieving both commendations and distinctions throughout the year. Pupils in the 3rd Form deserve a particular mention for settling in to senior school so well and for a very impressive first year.

I have also very much enjoyed seeing pupils achieve fantastic success with brilliant GCSE, and BTEC results being achieved already this year, with a number of pupils gaining the top grades of 9/ Distinction*. Our international pupils have built on their successful time at King's by achieving outstanding

success with their English language qualifications. The foundations for success, both this summer and beyond, have been set by so many through their excellent efforts and hard work to date.

A particular highlight of the year is looking back at the journey that all pupils at King's have taken on their way to reaching the end of the U6th Form.

I often recall the many challenges that pupils have overcome, whether that be academic, social, or on the sports pitches or stage. With that in mind, I am always delighted when pupils gain incredible university offers, apprenticeship places, gap year placements or opportunities in business/ employment. This year it has been great to see success as some of the most competitive educational institutes in the world, with pupils achieving Oxbridge success, gaining places at top international universities, and pupils having success with highly competitive degree apprenticeship courses and sponsored degrees. It has also been brilliant to see pupils in the L6th be ambitious with regards to their future options, with pupils accepting

places on the very competitive Yale Young Global Scholars course and the Harvard Summer School.

At this stage of the year the plans for the 2022-23 academic year are in full swing, and whilst I don’t want to wish away the current academic year, I am very much looking forward to welcoming pupils back in September and for the start of a new academic year. With numerous new enrichment opportunities, exciting curriculum developments, such as the introduction of Politics at A Level.

An Academic Roundup

examinations and hope that they get all what they deserve when the results are released in August.

I hope that all pupils can look to build on the success of those that have gone before them and take advantage of the amazing opportunities available to them. I wish all pupils, parents and colleagues a fantastic summer, and I wish all pupils set to gain exam results in August the very best.

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3rd Form Creative Writing Dystopia-inspired short stories

Creative Writing

Black Hole The depth of my soul shudders at what has become of reality. I study the towering concrete jungle that envelopes me. The giant building soars above the cloud line; so gaunt it waves in the wind and may fall down at any given moment. But they have roots buried firmly in the ground beneath, yet some have been uprooted and just lean against others or lay their rubble across the crackedup pavements. No one else is in sight. No hunched figure, vulnerably limping into sight. Maybe they are lurking in the vast obsidian shadows, cast by the altitudinous structures masking the gloomy sky. The world is static. No movement, no sound, other than the occasional murmurs of the whispering, conspiratorial breeze.

I half expected to hear the crocking giggles of big brother’s henchmen, striding over to snatch me up, all the while chanting “big brother is watching you”. Sure enough this twirling, twisting maze is vacant.

I start drunkenly tottering through the gloomy miasma consuming me, like a predator to its prey. Much like a boa constrictor, this vapour compressing all the life out of you.

Suffocating you to the point you’re gasping; not restricting enough for you to black out, just enough for you know it’s killing you. Leaving you to struggle. After a protracted tour of the concrete wasteland, I reached the end. The wall. I ascend the steep decaying staircase. Looking down, testing every step before putting my full weight on it, so as not to step on a faulty bit, and for the worn away slab fall down the extensive cliff to my guaranteed death. I didn’t need 98

Isla McIntosh to worry about slipping seeing as rain was scarce and no plants such as moss or algae could grow in such conditions. I approached the peak, crossing the threshold and looking over what was once lush countryside.

Something of this beige boundless desert triggered a memory. It wasn’t always like this. Hurrying, dashing, practically taking off. I glance around the desolate uninhabitable terrain, wondering if they are still following me. Stumbling through the sand and rocks my vision fixes on a lanky faceless silhouette peering out from behind a rough, rugged rock.

Suddenly it darted out and made a b-line straight towards me. I snapped my vision back to the path ahead, and to my relief, but disbelief, I saw what I had been searching for. The colossal city surrounded by that famous alpine wall. Not stopping until I reached the concrete mass, feeling the presence of ‘it’ cantering behind me. I snapped out my dilution, never wanting to relive that nightmare again. I know it is still out there, and more of them too.

Since the apocalyptic crash, that’s when they first appeared. They killed everything. From rabbits and bears to trees and plants. This municipality is the only place they cannot breach, that we are aware of at least. There may be more. In this vast course, dead wilderness that stretches as far as the eye can see.

Turning away from the dusty plains dotted with dead trees, bowing like a night before their queen (not that there was one anymore). The sky reflected the dawning feeling in everyone’s chests and brains. The feelings that

Wellesley House 3rd Form

were slowly devouring us from inside out. Inescapable gloom. Mild wind to match the temperature, and still no rain yet no sun. Inspecting the tower passing through the dark cloud line, and reaching up into the havens. Fantasising about what it would be like up there, with all the wealthy snobs that got to pretend the world wasn’t dying before our very eyes. The only way someone like me could make it to the heavens.

However, wouldn’t be to take some fancy elevator, it would be a more drastic... and irreversible. It was as if the whole world revolved around that one building. It was always in the eye of the storm, with just that beam of golden sunlight breaching it then the clouds getting darker and darker the more you go away from it, till it is pitch-black. All the clouds revolving around it, with their deep bruised texture blurring the sky, it looks as if a child has painted them.

Everything looks unrealistic.

This whole city is like a black hole.

It sucks you in and traps you. It is like being stuck in a block of pure obsidian. This is a simulation, being controlled by them.

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The Universe What on Earth is the worst thing that could happen? A meteor could strike the globe like a million hydrogen bombs. Political instability might lead to nuclear holocaust. Well that happened (46 years ago) and left us with a population of 1078.

We left on a few aircraft in the hope for a better future; a brand new start for the generations to come. But no.

Life is rough and gloomy. No seasons come and no seasons go. A permanent bruised matt-black sky is painted against the heavens above.

It wasn’t always like this. I remember when we used to play in the park with my family. I remember the vibrant colours and the sweetsmelling flowers bursting from side pavements. I remember the the streets

Priory House 3rd Form

filled with the clamour and laughter of life. I remember when the smiles were real. We lived in a quaint little cottage by the creek, with wisteria climbing upwards, digging its roots into the old foundations. Every morning our family used to wake up and watch the sunrise over the landscape, lost in our own world. I never felt so peaceful holding my father’s firm hand. I was free in his eyes. The sky was a bluish-purple hue, painted with gentle strokes like a renaissance masterpiece. A perfect bright sun with silhouettes hugged the grass. I had never felt such a warm feeling; it soothed my soul.

The skyscrapers hugged the thundery sky; clouds folded over, clinging, reaching to the mysterious universe above. Screeching and booming strikes of thunder and lightning reflected in the concrete and glass. Workers tilted their heads to the immense sky like terrified prey, and their eyes rested on the clean apartments towards the summit of the building. Steel barriers guarded the magnificent, gilded entrances, with reflected glass panels a thousand

feet high. My dream was to get to the top; to be take my place among the people at the top; to get real food and to feel alive again; to get real sun shining on my face; to feel smooth fabrics against my skin, not cold metal. I would do anything to breath fresh air, even if it was artificially blow to us through air vents.

Creative Writing

Painfully, I reach out for breakfast; a multi-coloured acidic tasting pill nestles in the palm of my hand.

It’s supposed to give us all the nutrients we need; a balanced diet.

It’s the simple things that you miss.

Truthfully, I miss the taste of a full English. I miss the overpowering flavours of life before. I continue aimlessly down the charcoaled street, people’s faces frozen in a shocked half-smile. Artificial birds hover over small buildings, intended to give a sense of hope but only acting as a fake reminder of the real thing. Leaves scatter around, swirling into minitornados, sweeping up the dust that falls from the sky each night. Redfaced men in verdant overalls stagger along side, with straight backs, heavy bags and tired eyes that could recall a thousand half-remembered memories.

They waddle insignificantly, minding their own business, murmuring pointlessly under their breath

Grace Crossfield

I pushed open the door with all the force I could manage. Entering my unkempt ground floor apartment, I sat on my cold, metal chair, plugging in my breathing machine while it snarled at me, whirling away. I switched on the online pac-man machine and entertained myself for the evening. I must remember to water my fake flowers, hanging in a basket on the wall. Just then, the 8:00 alarm sounded. I reached over to my table and took a brown pill, gulped down with a cube of water.

Could life get any worse than this?

And would life be any different if that nuclear bomb hadn’t wiped out our world? Would I still have my family here with me? And are we the only humanity left in this wide universe?

Where are we?

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THE DOLPHIN Creative Writing

3rd Form Creative Writing

The Forgotten Building The verdant ivy seemed to be consuming the old stone wall. I stumbled through the dusty rubble of the broken city. Although my wounds were dirty, that wasn’t my biggest problem. This place was a frozen, misty hell; this was a concrete jungle that was being taken back by the trees and plants it once suffocated. The buildings were grainy and uneven, tilting and looming over one another.

The clouds were swamped, casting grim shadows. The rain was bitter on my tongue as I trudged on.

Anxiously, I limbered past the eroded towers to reach for a way past the burnt bushes that stood eight feet above me. The roots of the dead tree seemed to sliver into the ground like snakes. The bark of the tree was smooth and leathery against my grip, as I trekked my way over the hedge. Towering over the stale pavements, I glimpsed the redundant

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Otis Burfield New House 3rd Form

roads that were bumpy, broken and uneven. Almost tripping over them, I perceived a faint poster stuck onto a gravelly wall, with “Escape while you can” scrawled across it in spidery lettering. Written in a rush.

It wasn’t always like this. I used to love lying on the grass, glistening rays of sunshine sailing over, around and through us. The old apple tree created dappled patterns on the ground. This used to be a quiet but remarkable place to sway away from society. The quiet symphony of birds chirping in my ear, they would glide and flutter amongst the branches above. I miss it so much. Now, it’s derelict, crumbling to nothing.

The old pool now resembled a trench or a crater, sinking lower into the ground as insects scuttled their way here and there. The stench of overgrowth and death attacked

my nostrils as I limped into the concrete dug out. Water dripped. I couldn’t climb up the stairs as they were grimy, scattered with rubble. I looked around and saw no way out this fragment of ruin and wreckage.

I tried leaping up the steep slope but tripped over the dust-covered debris.

A thin, feeble rope hanging over the edge offered escape; I heaved myself over the creeks and onto the side.

I headed for the one safe building in the abysmal place. The sky sulked over me, without even the power to shake its acid tears down on me. The dew from the morning had seeped away. Wafting my hand through the rising fog, I saw the entrance in the musty mist. I took a breath felt the fake air tighten my lungs. I threw myself towards it; the forgotten building.

Warily, carefully, cautiously, I staggered away from the edge. My mind was still burned in with the image, but I managed to look around. A satchel, his tawny brown bag he kept with him everywhere he went.

Gently, I pulled it towards me. I held it like a baby, cradling it tenderly as if it was the last thing keeping me on this earth. It was; it was the last piece of him. Slowly, I undid the clasp, the texture was coarse on my fingertips, like leather. Unfolding the top laid paper, possible 20 pieces. Anxiously, I slipped the papers out of the satchel, treating them with such care. They smelt old and musky, as if they had been sitting there with dust settling on them. Perhaps they were, I won’t know now; ever. It was suffocating me, just how much they smelt of him. I shuffled through them till I stopped my search. There was a picture, not a piece of paper. Something so rare to us middle class that I haven’t seen one in months. Steadily, I flipped it, it left me breathless. It was us as children, standing there in the snow (which was the last snow to ever of fallen as of today).

The time before all this occurred, rarely crosses my mind because why would you dream of something that will never happen again. We were children, barely even 8, the best of friends. I remember this because it was the moment that made me smile. He always complained that I never smile, that I was never happy or laughing. I feel bad now, he always begged to see me happy for

THE DOLPHIN

Gazing over the ragged, murky city, I stood on the top of the skyscraper with him.

My notebook was in my hands as I reached out to him, his body toppling over the edge of the building as the breath left my lungs in fright. I screamed his name, striding over to the edge till I came to a halt. He was gone.

Though I saw the relief in his eyes as he finally descended, I still hated him for this; But he hated this world, I knew this would happen. Then I noticed the sky, it was gloomier, even more bitter than before. It was scorching hot, it was normal nowadays though, we had gotten used to the heat as it slowly rose. There were barely any carpets of ice that roamed the desert. It was hot, yet barely any sun was out.

once. That day was his favourite, he had always told me how much it meant to him.

It was one of the first and last days I had ever enjoyed myself, well, showed it.

The snow was soft, but thin. It was more than we had most years due to the world changing so rapidly that the weather conditions started to fault. He was always jealous of the past though. Just the fact they they got so much more than us, environment wise. He got excited over so many things. Even if it was a postcard his father got him of the bare desert, with a few cacti scattered around feebly. He made me feel vulnerable at times, even though I had muscle, he could break it down; he allowed me to feel.

As I refocused, I noticed the clouds start to close in on each-other, as if they were embracing each-other. There were spirals of different monotone colours in them, like marble. It was going to rain soon if I didn’t get out of here. Slowly, I looked back at the buildings, watching them with a keen eye. As I watched the windows of the skyscrapers, I saw people moving around, their rain alarms going off which were silent to my eyes. I should go back inside. His body was going to get dissolved by the acid, to never been seen again or remembered by anyone but me. The skyscrapers let off an unimpressive yet prominent shine; as if they were ghosts, from the dead. It could be, to be fair. From the number of bodies absorbed into the gravelly floor from the first week of the darkened world.

Suddenly, the air felt a bit more suffocating the more I stood alone, the clouds crowding me like a halo, as if I was in heaven, it was blurry, as if I was in a storm but I had a spotlight of clearness. Everything suddenly looked a bit more beautiful to me the longer I thought about it. Maybe it was the fact that I was starting to acknowledge his death, it suddenly sinking into me just a ship. I felt my eyes bubbling up, I felt my heart start to ache, I felt the emptiness fill me up as if I was an empty glass, I felt it all in the span of a few minutes. It was as if I was hit by a wall of heartache, it had been graffitied all over with harsh words such as “he is gone”, “he would never of loved you anyway”, “you will never see him again”.

Just simple words. He had died. He was the one that jumped, that even though I was right there begging for him to stop, turn to

Eva Quin Arion House 3rd Form me to come back to me, he still did it. “I wasn’t good enough…” I murmured under my breath; the sound hushed as if even the wind was terrified to touch it. If I had been better to him, maybe he would still be here, making food for us to eat at our small, wooden table.

Then I felt it. The soft dribble of rain onto my skin, then the burning sensation after it, the destroying of my cells. It smelt rich, as if there was too much of something added, giving it a sharp scent. I looked back at the door to our, my apartment, it was closed, but in the window a soft, beige colour was welcoming me in, the warm glow was soothing, the kettle was boiled, a sweet trail of steam followed out of it. It made me feel faint with how much of my life had I been living in there. I padded over to the door, pressing my hand after the dark, plum coloured knob, I twisted it. The smooth slope was easy on my skin, and I sighed in relief as I opened the door and stared inside. The rain had yet to pick up, only small dabbles dropped onto my clothes. I paused, closing the door again. I stood there, nulling my emotions as the rain picked up.

Creative Writing

Without you, I’m nothing

He wouldn’t be there if I went inside. So I stood there, just so I wouldn’t be alone. As it happened, I watched the colossal buildings protect the people from the rain; suddenly, they didn’t seem so insignificant as people told them to be.

“He should’ve had a better life, he deserved to be born in the 2000’s” I muttered to myself as I was swamped with images of what we could’ve done if we had been born years before. Perhaps we both would’ve lived.

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THE DOLPHIN Creative Writing

5th Form Creative Writing

Write about an unexpected event Cocooned within the sanctuary of my train cab, I peered out at the eruption of chaos. Hundreds of them.

Rush hour. I glanced outside as the drivers arrived, as they do every morning at seven o’clock on the dot.

Swarmed. Girls huddle around them, ready to strike, like a bee does to honey if it senses an incoming theat.

Instinct, for them I assume. My focus was soon blurred and I lost them in the crowd to the chaos.

My attention was captured by a rugged, lone traveler who stumped along the platform. Age had unquestionably taken it’s toll of him.

He looked as though he had fought many battles. Not his eyes. No. His eyes had the depth of the ocean and the blue of a sky on a serene summer’s morning when the birds chirp their blissful tune. They were portals into a world I longed to visit. So much history. Endless knowledge. Beaten,

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Isabel Waller Wellesley House 5th Form

worn, baggy, his clothes were that of the youngest sibling in a family of ten.

His smile was a hyenas. A piercing grin. “Next stop Scarborough” the tannoy interupted.

I remember my summers in Scarborough. Summers well spent.

Glancing, at the shimmering lukewarm boundless ocean whilst I lay on a blanket of sand, kindly warmed by the sun’s outstretched arms. It was the work of a painter; perfectly curated. No, it was the work of an artist who understood every medium. I remember the vibrant warm tones that streaked the sky during the early hours, and the crisp morning air that tickled your nerves. I remember the melodies of the seagulls and the hymns of the sea. Harmony.

Tranquilty. I recall evenings in our cosy cottage watching the acrobatic performance of the fire compiled with turns, twists and tumbles as we

fought for front row seats to observe the spectacle.

“Is this seat taken?” asked the lone traveller as he hoisted open my carrage door. Hesitantly, I nodded. I always travelled alone. I was prepared to sting if I came to close. His very presence threatened my comfort.

I enjoyed travelling alone; it was all rather unexpected. He perched on the seat opposite me. His eyes, now like knives, stabbed me as they surveyed my figure, warning me not to approach a conversation. Wrinkles grew on his face like ivy; they couldn’t be tamed. Uncontrollable.

“We have now reached Scarborough” announced the tannoy.

Hurriedly, I grabbed my bags, threw them over my shoulder and evacuated the cab. A sanctuary awaited me.

THE DOLPHIN

Samantha Howe

Lost, his eyes wandered aimlessly.

Searching for something, anything that would trigger a memory.

Anyone could tell that this man had lived an adventurous life. His face was a map, his wrinkles were the paths of the journeys he took. Like waves his wrinkles washed to and fro on tainted skin, worry etched on one and joy found on another. Each stain on his skin was a story, one that you would listen to with awe as you became submerged in this fantasy that was reality for him. His beard was thinning, grey and rough to touch, but it kept him warm when he lacked the heat from another’s affection. His hand found comfort in his pocket where only the fondest memories were kept. Pulled out from the worn out jacket was an old photograph.

Torn at the edges, not from regret or despair but love. Relieved at the sight, the old man brushed his thumb over the picture to remove the layer of dust that had formed. Rough skin

made contact with the drooping paper; black ink imprinted on his skin like the memory imprinted in his heart. In the picture a youthful version of him and his friends was found. They were outside the post office where they had enlisted for the war. A smile found a way onto his solemn face, it was bright and shining, a light in his once dark demeanour. Tears poured down as if his pain had at last condensed into a deluge of rain.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Recognition shone brightly in his now softened muddy brown eyes, the memories that had been buried so deeply were now playing like a reel in his mind. He remembered everything.

He remembered the glint in his eyes when he enlisted, they were going to be heroes. Images of attention

and pride smothered the naïve boy’s mind. He remembered the deep muddy trenches that became home, the rats that became company and the letters that became a treasure.

He remembered the silence at night, those nights where all he could hear were his own thoughts, all that filled the void was his unsteady breath, a painful reminder that he was still alive. Pain shot through him like a bullet every morning and every night as he lay in his bed, still alive, still alone.

Creative Writing

Arion House 5th Form

Even to this day you could see the young, eager boy in him wanting to return to his youth, where the biggest problem was who was going to get the girl. His soul was with his friends, losing that half of him, left him with only memories of what would never be again. Yet despite his saddened life, he could always find those happy moments to share.

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A Year of Music Ashley Marshfield

A year of music - Christmas Term

Director of Music It has been wonderful to be able to return to a pre-pandemic way of working in the Music School, with a full schedule of over 20 ensembles meeting to rehearse each week across all year groups and live audiences welcomed to concerts once again. As ever, I am enormously proud of the many achievements made by pupils, and to the professionalism and creativity of all the music teachers who work tirelessly

A positive that has come from the disruption of the pandemic is that all concerts are now livestreamed enabling parents, family, friends and supporters to watch performances from the comfort of their homes.

Christmas Term New Musicians’ & Award Holders’ Concert Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

The Woodwind Concert Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

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hard to provide a stimulating and exciting environment in which pupils can realise their musical potential.

It was a huge shame that once again the Inter-House Music Competition (usually a highlight of the year for the Music Department) had to be limited to soloist and ensembles due to the Covid-19 situation at the time. Nevertheless, the pupils put their all into preparing a Junior and Senior Soloist and House Ensemble; we were fortunate to welcome Mrs Nicki Sclater, Director of Music at Hazlegrove, to adjudicate this year.

The news articles released throughout the year provide a glimpse of the talent and variety we have at King's. It is a pleasure to read back and reflect upon pupils’ achievements within the 35 concerts and music events held this academic year. Well done and congratulations to all involved including pupils, Mr Higgs and Mr Tupman along with our dedicated team of peripatetic music staff. My thanks also go to Mrs Warren who does an amazing job at photography and producing programmes for all concerts.

THE DOLPHIN

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

Chapel Choir sing Choral Evensong at Exeter Cathedral

The Winter Concert

A year of music - Christmas Term

An excellent A Level Musicians’ Teatime Recital

A beautiful Ceremony of Carols by Candlelight Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

Two wonderful Carol Services to end the term Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

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Easter Term 1st Place at the Taunton Youth Music Theatre Competition for Jemima Hurst

A year of music - Easter Term

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs.

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs.

A great Junior Vocal Concert

The Chapel Choir sang Choral Evensong in Chichester Cathedral 106

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs

An outstanding Senior Vocal Concert

A delightful A-Level Musicians’ Teatime Recital

Pupils had fun at a DJ workshop and demonstration

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs

A wonderful Spring Concert

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

THE DOLPHIN

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

A year of music - Easter Term

Arion House won the Inter-House Music Festival

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Summer Term Pupils had fun performing in their Charity Concert to raise funds for Ukraine

A year of music - Summer Term

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

Chapel Choir sing Choral Evensong at Wells Cathedral Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

An impressive Brass and Percussion Concert, the loudest concert of the year!

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

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THE DOLPHIN

Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

A wonderful Piano & Strings Concert Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

A year of music - Summer Term

An excellent King's Bruton & Hazlegrove Joint Concert

A fantastic and uplifting Musical Theatre Concert Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

This magazine was printed before these concerts took place, but by the time you read this, there will be photographs to view and videos of the concerts to watch. Please click or scan the QR Codes.

The Summer Concert

The Leavers’ Concert

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Performing Arts Will Stainton

Performing Arts

Head of Performing Arts It has a been another brilliant year for the Performing Arts. There have been some incredible performances on the Fitzjames Theatre stage, and I am so happy that live theatre is back to engage and entertain the pupils and audiences.

GCSE Drama The numbers have continued to grow in GCSE Drama which has been great to see. This has increased the range and quality of the work the pupils have created this year including adaptations from The Woman in Black, Mistero Buffo, Shakers, and Swallow.

Alongside this there have been devised performances as part of the coursework element of the GCSE Drama program.

The stimuli this year have included The Isdal Woman, The Calais Jungle, and the first ascent of Mount Everest. The pupils have taken these and created some incredible pieces of devised theatre.

I hope to see many of the current 5th Form pupils continuing onto BTEC Performing Arts next year.

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BTEC Performing Arts The BTEC Performing Arts course has continued to grow from strength to strength. The year started with a workshop with local photographer, Mark Pickthall, working on characterisation and expression. This

was a great experience for all of the pupils, and they came away with some fantastic photos which have been used for applications and portfolios.

During the Christmas term, the L6th Form focused on a range of practitioners, culminating in an excellent performance based upon The Stanford Prison Experiment using verbatim text from Dr Phillip Zimbardo. In conjunction with the A Level Psychology class, the pupils created a piece of devised theatre inspired by practitioners such as DV8, Frantic Assembly, Steven Berkoff and Bertolt Brecht. Throughout the Easter and Summer term, the L6th developed these skills further for Unit 2 of the BTEC course, focusing on Equus by Peter Shaffer. They expertly and maturely weaved physical theatre into the original text, focusing on a theme of worship, taking three scenes, and combining them for the final performance. I was incredibly impressed with their work which showed a thorough understanding of the style and form.

Throughout the Easter and Summer terms, the U6th were tasked with an externally set devised task. The stimulus was released by Pearson and the pupils had approximately 6 months to research, create, rehearse, and refine an

After researching the photo, it was discovered that it was taken in the 1950s in Highgate cemetery. Over the Christmas Holidays, some of the class visited the cemetery and were inspired by the epitaphs on the graves and how the vast, colourful lives of these people were reduced to just a few words.

Dance The introduction of dance this year as an activity has been a great addition to the performing arts program. Nicole from Danceworks in Bruton has been running a weekly Jazz and Modern Dance activity on Mondays, covering an incredible range of music and techniques. The development of skills and confidence has been inspiring to see, and I hope to see many more pupils take part next year.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has supported the shows and the department this year. Without the support of you all, much of what we do would not be possible.

I look forward to a New Year, fresh challenges, and many more outstanding moments of theatre at King's.

THE DOLPHIN

original piece of theatre.

Performing Arts

Meanwhile the U6th focused on updating a historic text for a contemporary audience. They explored three significant time periods, Greek Theatre, Elizabethan Theatre and Restoration Theatre. Their performance was of an extract from Lysistrata by Aristophanes, a Greek comedy.

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THE DOLPHIN Performing Arts - The Crucible

It was a huge pleasure to tackle the Arthur Miller classic, The Crucible, as the whole school production this year. With COVID-19 still impacting rehearsals the performance dates were changed during the early stages of the rehearsal process with the hope of a live audience.

The challenge of navigating absences from rehearsals, alongside the mature and controversial topics involved in the text, presented the cast with a tricky project. The language, based on the rhythms and speech patterns from the King James Bible, is very different to that of today, but the cast embraced this challenge and transported the audience to 1692 with aplomb. I was incredibly impressed with their attitude throughout, most notably the leadership shown by the lead actors and 6th Form pupils.

The final performances were livestreamed with a small audience each night of parents, 6th Formers, and staff. It was a shame that we were still slightly affected by COVID-19, but this did not affect the quality of the performances. It was the first time for two years that we could welcome an audience into the Fitzjames Theatre, and they were certainly not disappointed. The concentration of the cast and crew throughout both evenings was incredible. They were completely in “Salem” and drew the audience into the world of The Crucible with

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convincing characterisations, atmospheric soundscapes and tense lighting. I was, and still am, proud of this production, but predominantly the work and attitude of the pupils involved.

Special mention must go to Isaac (U6th Form, Lyon) for his superb performance of John Proctor. He had approximately 700 lines to learn and did not falter on one whilst captivating the live and livestreamed audience. Well done.

However, I think next Christmas we will be aiming for something slightly more light-hearted!

“A real credit to all the actors , set designer, lighting, costume, make up, sound scape and all else for a very atmospheric and thought provoking realisation of the play. To have had the delays you had, as director, and then the challenges of going ahead without a large audience must have been so wearing, but my goodness, it was worth the wait. A real triumph.”

“The whole cast and the backstage team did themselves proud. A hugely entertaining and thought-provoking evening. Some truly outstanding performances from the leads. Really, really great entertainment.

We would also like to thank the hospitality team for their wonderful and delicious canapés served at the interval. Not only were they delicious, but also so beautifully and neatly presented.”

THE DOLPHIN

The Crucible Review

The play followed the descent into chaos of the people living in Salem, America, in 1692, as witch-hunts took over, destroying moral judgement, and dissent was interlinked with satanism.

We gain a snapshot of the women accused, all victims to the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. The tragedy is enhanced by the trials of these women, along with Elizabeth and John Proctor who have children that they would leave behind

if they were sentenced to hang. The cast successfully identified the difficult interpersonal relationships between the Reverends, the law courts, and the people of Salem. The judiciary needed to be kept separate from personal affairs. However, when these were woven together as the play developed, as an audience, we truly understood the huge loss because of these witch-hunts.

By the end of the play, the audience gained a huge sense of catharsis, especially when John Proctor is freed from trial as he admits his dealings with the devil. Yet, we are still left questioning how a society such as that in Salem, could become so chaotic and paranoid. This reflects some societies today, as mass media make this play pinnacle to the present day. Therefore, the play is almost a warning to the importance of law and order, as well as following facts, rather than opinion, which is now more crucial than ever as we live in the digital age.

The production of The Crucible was a powerful experience for the audience, with the scent of incense in the theatre encapsulating the supernatural, macabre background music and lighting that gave us a taste of the undercurrent of

Amelia Blunden Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team

fear in this play, and, of course, the characters, who transported us to Salem and corrupted our minds with witchhunts and excitement.

It was an excellent production, that underlined not only the diverse skills at King's Bruton, but also the commitment and energy that pupils put into their passions, as this was a difficult play, which was completed alongside study for GCSEs and A Levels. The costumes, make-up and behind the scenes work were also what made the play a success.

Certainly, a five-star review from the Dolphin Editorial Team!

Performing Arts - The Crucible

Actors of King's Bruton performed ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller. A chilling play, that encompassed mass hysteria, fatality, and a psychological disintegration of society, performed skilfully by pupils from the Third Form to U6th Form. The director of the play, Mr Stainton, crucially reminds us that this play was “harder to act than Shakespeare” as it mirrors the language of the period, which is often difficult to learn, with lengthy speeches and colloquialisms from 1692 (when the play is set), along with metre that follows the patterns of the King James Bible.

Thus, the performers must be given a huge amount of credit for the skills they demonstrated on stage, which signified that King's Bruton has a diverse range of talent, which was perfectly utilised in this play.

An amazing School Production of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

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THE DOLPHIN Performing Arts - The Arion House Play, The Witches

Following on the theme of “witches”, Arion House staged a fantastic performance of The Witches by Roald Dahl. With the whole House involved, it was a brilliant example of a House play. With three members of the U6th BTEC Performing Arts class taking the directorial lead, they were certainly in safe and capable hands. This was apparent in the final production and the enjoyment of the entire cast and crew.

I had a great time working with the cast in the final stages of the rehearsal process and the production week. The audience were treated to a brilliant evening of entertainment with excellent refreshments.

This year, Arion performed ‘The Witches’ by Roald Dahl as our House play. It was a huge success with everyone involved, from individuals acting on stage, the whole way through, to managing front of house and creating props, and we all thoroughly enjoyed producing it. I played the role of ‘The Grandmother’ and it was so nice to work with younger years including two third formers, Annabel and Ashtyn, who played ‘The Boy’ and ‘Bruno’, as well as the older years with Charlie Burton and Phoebe Slight directing the production and rehearsals. The play really began to come together in the few weeks before the performance, with crazy costumes and props being created (including fake noses and a life size cardboard sandwich)! I had so much fun being a part of the play and it was lovely to see everyone coming together and working as a House to produce this incredible production!

Jocelyn Chappell L6th Form, Arion House who played The Grandmother

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The Witches Review

We were lucky to have many seasoned actors within the House, but also a variety of new faces on the stage.

The whole House got completely stuck in and listened to all directions given.

Offering enthusiasm, commitment, and support for one another, which was brilliant to see.

The stage is not everyone’s preferred location, and it can be daunting for all, however, most of the House came up and stuck on extremely frumpy dresses and long witches’ noses, participating in scenes with bald caps and chants that were certainly outside many comfort zones, and we couldn’t have been prouder of them all.

A few special mentions to Ashtyn and Annabel (3rd Form) who played the parts of the 2 ‘boy mice’, they had brilliant comedic timing, and the dedication to coming to rehearsals and line learning was exemplary to all. Jocelyn (L6th)

played the part of Grandmother very well, with her spooky storytelling and guiding the younger actors throughout the performance. Another mention to Samantha (5th Form) who, despite doing her GCSEs, was dedicated to her role and directed the rest of the witches with skill and enthusiasm.

With hilarious chefs, a bossy High Witch and over 20 cackling witches, we all worked together to create a fun recreation of Roald Dahl’s: The Witches story and put it onto the stage. We had a killer backstage crew, which kept the transitions swift and smooth. A thank you to Ms King for her help with all the costumes, and to Sue our lovely matron who took on the job of creating a ripping shirt using Velcro…!

As a House, we managed to raise £250 from donations and refreshments consisting of a collection of different Halloween themed sweets created by the 3rd Form and some witchy cakes baked by our U6th girls, which is just amazing!

It was so nice to see everyone getting so stuck in and getting involved in any way they can. There were many times when we were in hysterics, whether it was Martha dressed in her frog costume

Charlotte Burton Arion House Prefect

or Ashtyn munching her inflatable bananas. Through doing the play, as a House we have all grown and created new relationships with one another which has contributed to our tight knit Arion community, something that has been jeopardised by the pandemic.

Overall, we are so proud of our pink ladies, we had so much fun directing and putting this together, especially as it was our last performance at King's. What a high to end on! Huge thank you to Mr Stainton, Mrs Griffiths, Ms BellWest, Mrs Warren, Mrs Pitt and Ms King.

Performing Arts - The Arion House Play, The Witches

This year it was Arion’s turn to take part and create a House play, the first after 2 years of no performances!

Therefore, the pressure was on, and we had to set the bar high, and we like to think we certainly did.

The Arion House Play The Witches, is a triumph Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

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THE DOLPHIN Performing Arts -The Junior Play - Gosforth’s Fête

The last Junior Play staged at King's was in 2019, with the now U6th in 4th Form.

I was so pleased that we were able to get one on stage and with two live audiences. Gosforth’s Fête was taken from a collection of one act plays called Confusions by Alan Ayckbourn. It is a farcical comedy based around a village fête in a small English village. The cast of five were superb throughout and developed some incredible characters that entertained large audiences both evenings.

The Juniors began rehearsing in the Spring term just after half term, having been cast before the break. Lines were learned quickly, which made the rehearsal process smooth and enjoyable for all. Although a short, one-act play, Gosforth’s Fête requires skill: sharp comic timing, energy, physicality, the navigation of prop heavy scenes, and excellent concentration for the denouement. The small cast rose to the challenge admirably and realised the comic potential in the writing even in the first read-through. Introducing the props injected rehearsals with extra excitement, as we worked out how to use the microphones, tea urn and hundreds of cups and biscuits! Thankfully the cast and crew peaked at the right time, delivering two strong, slick performances to appreciative audiences. The cast and crew have been a pleasure to work with throughout rehearsal and performance. I very much look forward to seeing them on stage and in the theatre again soon.

Maggie King Director of Gosforth’s Fête

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Gosforth’s Fête Review

The play consisted of a five-person cast, all in which showcased the amazing acting talents of Grace Stafford, Winnie Dawes, Lila Burks, Adam Mulford and Dougie Woods.

The play got the audience laughing as well as taking us on an emotional rollercoaster through the fast-paced dialogue, wonderfully crafted staging and astounding acting skills. It was clear on stage that all performers involved

had worked very hard to prepare for this performance, which was evident in their spectacular characterisations.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed watching the chaotic events unfold which created a dazzling atmosphere on stage for the cast to perform in.

Backstage crew included Hannah Branfoot and Maddy Hooker. Lights and sound by Alexander Greenwood with overall direction from Ms King.

Everyone involved exhibited their talents wonderfully and should be very proud of their hard work and dedication. A 5-star rating from The Dolphin Editorial Team.

Agatha Dawes Wellesley House Dolphin Editorial Team

Performing Arts -The Junior Play - Gosforth’s Fête

A 5-star, 5-person play - ‘Gosforth’s Fête’ by Alan Ayckbourn, taken from his collection of short one-act plays, was this year’s Junior Play.

Gosforth’s Fête was performed brilliantly to appreciative audiences Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

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A Year of Art Seamus Harkness

A Year of Art

Head of Art It has been another incredibly busy year in the Art Department at King's Bruton, with record numbers now taking the subject at GCSE and a healthy intake at A Level. The Art, Craft and Design course allows for a rich variety of creative pupils to excel, and this year has been no exception. The A Level work included video, installation, ceramics, painting, printmaking, photography and textiles. The pupils were intent on providing a personal and interactive exhibition, their first at school due to the Covid era.

Please click or scan the QR Code to view the Virtual Art Exhibition

Sophie Doig, U6th, is off to study a degree in Fine Art at Falmouth University, so we wish her all the best with her onward journey. Sophie has been an outstanding practitioner over the last 5 years at King's and we are very grateful for all that she has achieved.

The GCSE exhibition offered a rich variety of skill and creativity with some excellent work. Once again, our pupils were determined to tackle big social and economic topics, making personal links to their chosen artists. The heady mix of both 2-D and 3-D work showed great diversity and allowed the pupils to excel in their own field. Their trip to St Ives last year provided an excellent platform from which to launch their thematic project. It was a shame that the examination year groups missed out on taking the exam this year but it was for the best. It will be back next year.

The 4th Form and L6th had the opportunity for plenty of workshops and gallery visits. We were visited by the incredible Katy Rundle who 118

gave the pupils a masterclass in textile techniques. The pupils were able to create some wonderful outcomes in a short space of time. We also had an inspiring visit from local potter Sas Wright, whom we are grateful to for stirring so many pupils to take more of an interest in ceramics with her wellconstructed, ghostly landscapes.

Our annual trip to Roche Court is always a highlight and the 4th Form revelled in the opportunity to look at some large scale 3-D sculptures amongst a beautiful landscape. It was wonderful to be able to give them the chance to talk about current artists, Richard Long and Laura Ford, whilst stood in front of their work.

In the Spring term, we had the chance to visit a local educational space, The Old Stores Studio in Evercreech. This was the first time we had visited, and the pupils loved the experience. They had a chance to create some screen-prints as well as gel plate mono-prints. To be able to give the pupils the opportunity to broaden their experience is crucial to our ethos and they certainly gained lots from the day. Whilst half the group were in Evercreech the other half were at King's learning lino print reduction techniques from local artist Charlotte Marshall. It was an encompassing day with some excellent practical results.

We have truly made the most of having an international gallery on our doorstep by giving our pupils the opportunity to experience contemporary and modern art on a regular basis. Highlights from our recent visits to Hauser & Wirth Somerset, includes Thomas J Price’s exhibition, as pupils enjoyed his largescale figurative sculptures. His work is progressive and looks towards changing narratives of representation. In essence

his work challenges the viewer to consider who do we expect to see in public monuments?

There are many memorable experiences with gallery activities, sketching and workshops in the implement shed across all year groups. However, the anticipation and buzz surrounding the latest Henry Moore, ‘Sharing Form’ exhibition has proven to be a real smash hit! The curators have retold the story of this Modern British Sculpture by reframing his work in relation to his visit to the Neolithic site of Stonehenge, Wiltshire. After studying at the Royal College, he went to visit Stonehenge in the 1920s to experience the stones at midnight. This has provided the catalyst for the exhibition which takes us on a journey as Moore work looks to capture a shared experience through the ages by taking old ideas into new places.

Moore is celebrated for his reclining figures in the landscape and move towards abstraction. A huge thank you to Matilda (Education Assistant) and the team for making us feel most welcome. Along with all the additional support given to help enrich our pupils experience by sharing lots of insights into the ideas, context, materials, and processes behind key artworks.

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THE DOLPHIN A Year of Art

This year saw the inaugural overnight L6th Form Art and History of Art trip to London. Due to popular demand pupils visited the major galleries and museums in London as they kick started their personal investigation projects. Their trip has provided a springboard to generate a series of ideas, and pupils have truly made the most of their time out of the classroom. There’s a great sense of momentum building and a wealth of inspiration and creativity taking place within the Art Department, and we look forward to working towards the next year’s Summer exhibition.

The 3rd Form scholars will be exhibiting their work in response to the planned Sustainability Day. The scholars have been working hard to create thought provoking work which will be presented as part of the evening.

It has been wonderful to be able to encourage so many fine young artists in the group and have them working towards a common theme. The work is designed to address the current issues that we are facing with climate change.

This year’s photography competition is also based around the theme with the winners being exhibited as part of the Sustainability Day exhibition.

We have once again been able to offer a rich variety of activities in the department this year. The Ceramics Club has been well attended by the 3rd Form, with some beautiful sculptures being made. A handful of pupils have developed a taste for the wheel too, creating some impressive pots, bowls and cups. More pupils continue to attend the Photography Club, learning about both digital and wet photography as well as PhotoShop. Miss Ling ran the Textiles Club for the juniors, showing them all sorts of techniques with a particular eye on being able to improve their skills for GCSE. Thanks must also go to Naomi Warren, who continues to inspire the pupils with her beautiful silversmithing.

They were able to make pendants, rings and bracelets. The department is one of noisy productivity on a Tuesday afternoon when all the hammering of the silver is in full flow.

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In the Summer term we were fortunate to have Eloise White join us as part of her teacher training. Eloise is from the Isle of Man, where she is currently teaching and she ably helped out for 6 weeks. With her interest in animation the pupils benefitted extensively from her passion and expertise. Eloise fitted in seamlessly to the department and we are so grateful for all that she contributed and achieved.

The annual 4th Form four day pilgrimage down to St Ives to experience the eclectic mix of art, local culture and the sea was a great success. On the first day, we visited the Barbara Hepworth Garden and Museum, and the Tate St Ives follwed by some surfing and rounders on the beach. On the second day we visited the beautiful Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens. That afternoon we headed to Marazion beach, overlooking St Michael’s Mount, to have a silversmithing workshop. That evening we watched ‘Maverick’ at the cinema.

‘Don’t think just do’ a quote from the film, ended up being the mantra for the rest of the trip. The next day, a trip to the Leach Pottery for a guided tour of the museum and studios, followed by a pottery workshop. We then headed to Penzance to take in the work of Walter Langley and the Newlyn Art Group at the Penlee House Gallery and Museum.

In the afternoon, the pupils visited artist, Rachael Kantaris, at Porthmeor Print Studios in St Ives, and learnt all about Collagraph printing. That evening we feasted at the Waterside Meadery for an authentic Anglo-Saxon experience, before heading off to the Minack Theatre for Jane Eyre. The setting is unmatched, and the staff and pupils were in agreement that it must be one of the most beautiful outdoor theatres in the world. On Tuesday, we headed back to Porthmeor Print Studios and the pupils created the most wonderful prints. They all came away with something that will be used towards their coursework.

All in all, it has been another hugely successful year in the department. The visiting GCSE and A Level moderators each commented on the diversity and freedom of the cohort and how much they enjoyed viewing the work. Our ability to be able to teach confidently

across all the different disciplines is being recognised and it is benefitting the pupils. It is our goal to keep striving for success and not only create incredible work but to give the pupils the skills and confidence which they can take forward into different areas of their lives. Thanks must go to the U6th pupils for their outstanding contribution to the department over the last 5 years. They have been a pleasure to teach.

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Art Enrichment George Cole

Art Enrichment

Art Teacher It’s been a call to action with our Art & Textiles Enrichment cohort, as our cultural institutions once again open their doors. As a group we’ve embarked on the theme of ‘Place’ and had plenty of opportunity to experiment with a wide range of multi-disciplines such as mural art, photography, sculpture, shadow puppetry and much more. Our aim has been to investigate how we connect with a sense of place, and use this as an opportunity to explore our local surroundings and discover what makes the south-west so rich in culture.

Throughout this academic year we took part in many trips to Hauser & Wirth, The Roman Baths, Holburne Museum, Bruton Museum, Wells Cathedral and the Mendip Museum.

This also, included a range of workshops from contemporary artists with the aim to provide alternative voices, ideas, and an opportunity to learn new skills.

During the Christmas term, we ran a series of workshops working collaboratively in small groups as we designed a series of stained-glass windows, inspired by Matisse and Hockney. Pupils enjoyed translating their initial Matisse cut-out designs, inspired by simplifying natural form motifs from our local surroundings, onto a series of windows in the Art Department. The Posca pens, waterbased paint markers, were a smash hit and pupils enjoyed installing their stained-glass inspired window designs to add a bit of vibrancy during the winter months.

To generate further inspiration, we ventured to Bath, and on a brisk autumnal afternoon, we made our way through the historic streets of Bath. We began with a visit to the Roman Baths to give an opportunity for our pupils to gather first-hand inspiration in response 122

to their current theme, Place. This was an exciting chance to step into a time gone by and immerse ourselves in the expansive history and prepare for and gather inspiration to enrich their future projects.

city, to explore medieval and modern forms of art. The catalyst for the trip centred around a new sculptural work

by Antony Gormley entitled DOUBT. Installed on the West Front of Wells Cathedral in the Summer 2021, Gormley aims to challenge the concept of belief. This provided us with a further opportunity to explore figurative sculptural representation and combine figures with geometric patterns. The architecture of the West Front of the Wells Cathedral provided much discussion as we considered the concept of belief, time, and the power of storytelling.

As pupils returned in the Easter Term, we focused our attention on generating ideas for a potential site-specific installation. Working collaboratively, we began to respond to music using colour, shape and form inspired by Kandinsky abstract works to kick start our latest project. As a group we began to explore ways of capturing the figure in motion and to explore the combining of multiple elements, such as their initial response to music​, with a range of dancing figure silhouettes inspired

by Matisse and Allen Jones’ dancing figures.

The Summer term continued with the theme of storytelling inspired by Ida Applebroog’s exhibition at Hauser & Wirth, Somerset. Applebroog investigates the lives of ordinary people. She records life as it is, using images stylistically reminiscent of comics and film stills as she represents her characters in ambiguous scenarios.

This helped sharpen our focus as our pupils experimented with telling their own stories using imagery and text. We planned a series of activities aimed at encouraging pupils to consider how they can use images to tell a story, linking to the theme of ‘Place’ and recording their personal life journey.

We created a range of 2D designs ​ using vibrant colour, shape and pattern, in combination with the dancing figure silhouettes, in an attempt towards moving into abstraction by simplifying form. In the final weeks of the term, pupils began to work 3-dimensionally, considering ways to create motion, energy and dynamism into their work by creating a series of mini-maquettes of dancing figures inspire by Giacometti.

Finally, we joined forces to create a shadow puppet performance as a group to raise awareness of environmental issues, inspired by Greta Thunberg and the book “Greta and the Giants”. This recorded shadow puppet performance will be shared with the wider community to further help champion environmental advocacy and to promote greener practice.

This was a great opportunity to get messy and experiment with creating armatures to create figures out of wire, before adding layers of mod roc and plaster to create texture. The focus was to create a sense of motion with a range of mark making into the surface of the figure.

Following on from this we had a golden opportunity to venture to Wells and explore multiple venues across the

It has been another successful and rewarding Art and Textiles Enrichment Program, and we are proud of all the effort and commitment shown by our talented cohort of young creatives.

We are delighted to share our results of this wholly co-operative process, from the stained-glass Matisse inspired windows, abstract dancing figures and shadow puppetry performance. A huge thank you to all involved and enjoy browsing through our photographs of experiments, outcomes, and film.

THE DOLPHIN Art Enrichment Please click or scan the QR Code to read more and watch the shadow puppet performance 123

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Art Textiles Enrichment Sandy Ling

Art - Textiles Enrichment

Art Teacher It’s been a busy year for the Textiles Enrichment group. In the Christmas term, we investigated the effects of denim on the planet. Pupils were shocked to learn how denim production is having huge impacts on our rivers through manufacturers not disposing of their dyes responsibly. Kimi Nadoo of Greenpeace states “The fashion industry is destroying our rivers”. We upcycled unwanted denim jeans into new fashions so that we could work sustainably and gain skills on deconstruction.

Throughout the year, the group enjoyed combined trips with the Art Enrichment group to support and enhance their two projects. The Bath Fashion Museum trip gave us inspiration for design features and an insight into how fashion has developed over the years. Our denim creations showed great creativity and helped the group to develop their designing and making skills.

After Christmas, we prepared for a visit by the artist Kirstie Macleod and her thirteen-year collaborative embroidered

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Red Dress project. This visit came with great excitement, as one of our pupils, Sophie Doig, had been involved with this collaboration. The pupils researched Kirstie’s project and created posters and mini red dresses in preparation for the visit. The pupils enjoyed the process of hand embroidery, describing it as being very therapeutic, even though it takes a lot of time and skill to achieve beautiful stitching. During this term we also explored Well’s Cathedral, where we saw beautiful seat backs in the choir stalls that dated from 1933 to 1952.

Pupils also looked at how architecture has influenced fashion designs over the years. The highlight of this term was for pupils to see ‘the Red Dress’ project and experience first-hand Kirstie’s amazing stories behind the 264 embroiderers who contributed to the dress.

Summer term involved a local trip to Hauser & Wirth to see the Ida Applebroog exhibition, and although the artist uses different medias to textiles and fashion designers, it was interesting

to learn of her concept for combining imagery to create new compositions which is a similar concept to fashion designing. The group continued this term either hand embroidering or working independently on small garment projects such as wrap over skirts, bags and jumpsuits. One pupil learnt to draft her own pattern from an existing jumpsuit and worked with different stretchy fabric.

It has been a fun year in Textiles where pupils have extended their skills through some fantastic outcomes. The highlight for me was meeting Kirstie Macleod and the Red Dress. Kirstie’s concept for merging diverse cultures through selfexpression, and her passion to support these cultures, is truly inspirational, and I count King's Bruton very fortunate for having the opportunity to have Kirstie visit. We hope to re-engage with Kirstie later in the year to hear updates on the journey of the Red Dress.

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Design & Technology Nick Hart

Design & Technology

Head of Design & Technology This year has been a year of development for the superbly equipped Design and Technology Department here at King's Bruton, and on the back of this we will all have an exciting year to look forward to.

The 5th Form and U6th Form can be very proud of their efforts this year, and they did well to complete a variety of creative and incredibly well-thought through projects as part of their NonExamined Assessment.

This year we are already seeing some high standards and high levels of innovative thinking and problem solving from the L6th Form and 4th Form, as they embark on their own journey of design.

The Non-Examined Assessment (NEA), that our Pupils complete as part of the examination programme, offers amazing opportunities. Initially the pupils will explore a context and identify a number of design possibilities, which solve some real-life problems that they have carefully identified. Following this, the project leads the pupils through detailed research - investigating the needs of their clients, examining current solutions for inspiration, and gaining inspiration from existing products.

Throughout these processes, there is a major focus on sustainability and the environmental consequences of our choices as consumers and designers/ makers.

All this helps the pupils to create a variety of initial designs before they hone these down, eventually arriving at their final design idea. They then manufacture their prototype in our workshops, where we have an extensive selection of tools and machinery 126

available, ranging from 3D Printers and CNC Routers to woodworking lathes and welding equipment.

Our Third Formers enjoy a variety of experiences, which helps to develop life skills and experience, even if they don’t choose to go forward with the subject to GCSE and A Level. This year, they have developed their Computer Aided Design and Manufacture skills together with an electronics project.

We have also been fortunate to be able to work with a London design agency, in a new creative thinking project under development where pupils can develop their own Intergalactic Athlete.

Next year, there are plans afoot to participate in the award-winning design and enterprise competition run in conjunction with The Design Museum.

The Design Ventura programme allows pupils to design a product which will be manufactured and sold in the Design Museum Shop. It places developing design skills in a real-world context and is an incredible opportunity for participants.

We are also looking forward to running some Extra Curricular Clubs, including the hugely engaging Greenpower Race Car and trips, and we will be working again with The Arkwright Scholarship programme, which one of our current Lower Sixth pupils, Tia West, has successfully achieved access to.

It looks like a great year ahead in Design and Technology.

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The Arkwright Engineering Scholarship Tia West As part of the application process for the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship I was asked why I wanted to go into engineering, what had inspired me, and where I saw myself in 10 years time. I was also asked to give details of a STEM project I had completed, my specific engineering interests, and any leadership roles I had previously had.

What I’m most excited for, is how I am being given all of the tools I need to prepare me for the future, and to allow me to become more independent. As I progress through this experience, I will learn more and more, and I will be given all of the opportunities I need to ensure that I am prepared for a successful career as an engineer.

Over 1000 people applied for the scholarship and only half got through to the interview stage. During my interview I was asked to give a 4 minute presentation which gave details of how my STEM project has progressed and my engineering interests. After that, I was asked some more questions. The interview lasted about 30 minutes and after that, all I could do was wait for a response. When I got my email, the first person I told was my best friend, and then I made sure to give the rest of my family a phone call! Soon afterwards, I attended the Virtual Awards Ceremony and then joined a Microsoft Teams meeting to meet with my sponsor and the other 3 applicants who were sponsored by the Royal Navy.

Recently, I attended a connect day at Nottingham University. The staff had planned a dinner for the scholars and their parents the evening before to give everyone the chance to meet each other prior to the event. I spoke with the staff about student life and I was also able to meet all of the other Arkwright scholars. It was really inspiring to hear how everyone’s plans for the future were different, but it was also nice for us all to share our experiences of the Arkwright Scholarship Scheme. Since we were all in a similar situation, it was easy to get along well and it was really beneficial for us to ask the second year scholars for advice.

Arkwright Engineering offer the opportunity for Connect Days which will allow me to meet like-minded people, as well as learn things first hand.

These will be on offer throughout the 2 years of the scholarship, and I intend to go to as many as possible. They will give me fantastic experiences which will prepare me well for the future. I will also be given a Mentor by the Royal Navy who will be able to help me learn about the different job roles I could have, as well as helping me to learn more specific things about aircraft and defence engineering.

from the University students who were there, as well as my peers I was in a group with. I was shown more about what the electrical engineering course was like, as well as some more things about the Arduino software.

Overall, the day gave me a clearer view of what student life would be like, and it opened my eyes to the different career paths that are open to me. While I loved the workshops, I think my favourite part of the day was getting to meet all of the other scholars for the first time and share the day with likeminded people.

The Arkwright Engineering Scholarship

Priory House L6th Form

The next day we met up again in the morning for a brief about the day, and I then went for an Aerospace Engineering Workshop. I met the teacher in charge of Aerospace Engineering at Nottingham University, and she explained what the course included, as well as the entry requirements they typically look for. I was then put in a group of 4 and given the task to make a ‘balloon rocket’. It was fun being able to test and combine all our ideas, but it was also really nice to work in a group of like-minded people. In the afternoon I had an Electrical Engineering Workshop. This was something I had not previously explored, so I really enjoyed learning 127

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BTEC Hospitality Emily McMunn

BTEC Hospitality

Head of Food Studies It has been a productive year after so much disruption due to Covid-19 over the previous two years. This is my first year at King's, and I have been thrilled that we have been able to get stuck in and start up events again. We have provided Afternoon Tea for the Community Concert, Mocktails for the 5th Form Snow Ball and a Showcase Culinary Event for local hospitality businesses, to name but a few.

Pupils have been wonderful and have certainly set a precedent for next year!

Their hard work and dedication has seen them progress from capable cooks to competent chefs running their own showcase event, and they should be incredibly proud of their achievements in the face of adversity. BTEC Hospitality remains a popular choice for pupils at King's, and I am thrilled to Head up Food and Hospitality. Here’s what my Upper Sixth have said about their year.

Bella Turton - Priory House

“Through the course of this year, Hospitality has been a subject which I have thoroughly enjoyed, and I feel as though the knowledge and skills that I have gained from both the events and the teaching has been extremely valuable. The events have not only boosted my confidence to new levels, but have given me realistic life experience which I believe to be so important especially within the final year of school, when real life is fast approaching.

Our most recent event included the Culinary Showcase. We were given the task of creating a 6-course taster menu for local chefs and business managers. This even included Chris Cleghorn from The Great British Menu, Head Chef Paulo Mauceri from The Old Pharmacy and The Newt Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart. For many of us this was daunting to be serving chefs whose standards of foods are both inspirational and award-winning. However, the pressure only accelerated our team’s motivation, enabling us to provide the best results possible and leave a memorable mark for the high-quality service and food that they would be receiving.

The event was organised in a logical manner, where we had to apply for different job roles for the event and justify why we should be chosen. I applied to fulfil the role of the Sommelier, and with much luck I was awarded the position alongside another Head Sommelier and two Deputy Sommeliers. This role was extremely fun, and we were able to take a visit to the Cellar Hand in Bruton and find different wines which would pair well with the variety of food placed on our tasting menu.

This was a skill that I’m sure I will carry with me for a lifetime, and will be a memorable event to look back on in future years. The results of the event concluded with high levels of praise from our guests, and everyone put in full levels of effort which ended in a well- rounded and successful event.”

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BTEC Hospitality

“My experience of BTEC Hospitality at King’s has been one of a kind. Even with Covid-19 restricting our freedom of events in Lower Sixth, we still managed to showcase our skills as a team when serving, creating and presenting dishes, as well as our front of house skills. A critical event, which demonstrated this, was the Culinary Show Case. This consisted of our team being split into focused sections, for example the kitchen team and front of house team. Together we worked to produce a six course taster menu to a range of different guests and teachers. However, for me, I believe that King’s Bruton’s Hospitality incorporates more aspects than just the events. We are a tight knit unit, who either have a passion for what we are doing, or thought it was an easy option! I think it’s fair to say those who believed the latter, were quickly proved wrong. With coursework throughout the year, there is no exam as such. This subject has developed personal, as well as team skills in the kitchen and generally. You get back what you put in!”

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Millie Venner Coombes - Wellesley House

Grace Freeman - Arion House

“Over the past year, I have been given a wide variety of different opportunities with the Hospitality course.

This year, we have been focusing on European cuisine, and therefore, have cooked dishes from all over Europe including Coq au vin and Dauphinoise potatoes, Carbonara, Arancini, and a fun project of making and decorating a gingerbread house at Christmas. In addition to the cooking projects, we have also put on a variety of different events this year including mocktails for the Snow Ball, drinks for the Arion House Play and putting on a Culinary Showcase at the end of the year to show off the skills that we, as a year group, had developed over the two years we have been studying Hospitality. The different events have allowed for me to learn new skills, the mocktails at the Snow Ball allowed for me to learn how to make the different drinks and serve them. For the Arion House Play, I was part of the organisation of it, and this allowed for me to gain an idea of what it is like to organise an event. Finally for the Culinary Showcase, I was project leader, and this event allowed for me to use all the skills that I had gained throughout the year. Overall, I have really enjoyed the Hospitality course this year, and throughout the yea, I have gained a variety of different skills which I will take forward with me.”

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The Sixth Form Will Daws

The Sixth Form

Deputy Head - Sixth Form The 2021-2022 academic year brought a welcome return to something closer to ‘normal’, for life in the Sixth Form. Indeed, it was a busy year for the Sixth Form, with much going on and many individual achievements for Sixth Form pupils.

Shaping Futures

A critical and significant focus for the Sixth Form, is looking ahead to those initial years beyond the School.

This encompasses the exploration of opportunities, particularly for the Lower 6th, along with preparation and applications, a focus for the Upper 6th.

In their explorations, it was wonderful to be able to once again meet with universities at in-person events, whilst benefitting from the lockdown-enforced technological advances, which continue to offer opportunities to interact with university admissions officers from across the globe. Universities, such as Lancaster, Southampton and Winchester, along with international university advisers and scholarship experts, were once again able to visit King's offering both exposure to their universities, but also critical advice to guide and inspire pupils. The Lower Sixth also enjoyed visits to a Creative Futures Fair in London, focussed on university courses (and careers) in creative fields, the UCAS Exhibition in Exeter with 150 universities in attendance, an engineering fair in Bristol and more.

A particularly ambitious group also enjoyed an overnight trip to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

There they enjoyed talks and personalised tours of Lady Margaret Hall and Queens’ College respectively, whilst also touring the cities, gaining inspiration and direction in their future plans.

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Marie Goffe, Will Daws & Dr Emily Corrigan

Alongside university explorations, other pathways have also been explored.

The interest in higher and degree apprenticeships, under the guidance of King's Apprenticeship Adviser, Mrs Goffe, has grown significantly, with many applications anticipated for the 2022-2023 year.

Careers exploration has also featured heavily through the year, with the annual highlight of the Lower 6th Careers Forum returning in full form.

Two fantastic Old Brutonian keynote speakers, Janey de Nagle and Callum Thorner, intrigued and inspired pupils with their experiences within the property and aerospace industries, helpfully showing the path that they followed from A Levels to careers.

This was then followed by seminars with eighteen different career fields represented for the pupils to learn about from the volunteer delegates, whilst the parents were guided by Mr Daws in the next steps for their children in the career and university choices. Pupils developed their own career profiles through informative work experience, both in person and virtually, and through the hugely valuable Wessex Water Young Person’s Panel.

The Upper 6th were equally engaged in exploring their futures, but critically they transitioned to creating strong applications. Pupils were guided in a variety of areas, from creating CVs and application letters in the build-up to the successful practice interview morning, to compiling effective university and apprenticeship applications.

The challenges facing pupils applying to universities and apprenticeships this year have been widely publicised. The knock-on effect of TAGs and CAGs, along with a significant demographicinfluenced increase in the number of

applicants to universities, made for a difficult cycle in which to get offers.

Particularly at the highest ranking institutions, university courses that would traditionally have readily accepted applicants, were far more limited in the proportion of applicants to whom offers could made. In spite of this, pupils in the Upper 6th at King's achieved some fantastic offers and, at the time of writing, anxiously await their public examination results to see if they have reached such offers!

Outstanding offers from high ranking universities, such as Oxford, Edinburgh, King's College London and more, were accompanied by similar levels of success for individuals gaining offers from their matched universities, be that Surrey, Northumbria, UEA or on art Foundation Courses at Leeds Art University or Falmouth. Across the board pupils found the best fit for themselves, supported throughout by their tutors along, with Dr Corrigan and Mr Daws.

Equally delightful were international university successes, such as Amelia Warren’s offer from Berklee College of Music, and recent OB acceptances at Les Roches in Switzerland and International Hospitality Management at the Hague Hotel School in the Netherlands.

It has not just been university offers that have been harder to gain this year, degree apprenticeships have also been highly sought after. James Newcombe’s successful application, to a degree apprenticeship surveyor position with Cushman and Wakefield, saw him gain one of fewer than 15 places from a field of nearly 3000! Similarly, Luli Loveridge impressively gained a PWC Flying Start sponsored degree place against a competitive field.

2021-2022 saw some fantastic speakers visit Kings with really enriching talks. A particular highlight was Rick Findler, a war photographer, who captivated the Sixth Form with his powerful images and reports from war zones in Syria, Afghanistan and more.

The Sixth Form also heard excellent talks from an explorer, a nutrition expert, a recovered sports gambler and more.

Early in the year, the Upper 6th, enjoyed a challenging workshop on leadership, led by experienced business executive Andrew from Inside Knowledge, who helped them explore the critical components of successful leadership and how they can model this in their approach in the final year of their school careers. Meanwhile, fresh into the Sixth Form, the Lower 6th considered their aspirations for the year under the guidance of Peter Radford from Beyond This.

Enrichment continued elsewhere in the Sixth Form. The Headmaster’s Essay Society has been a particular highlight through the year. Whether tackling the finances of the Islamic State, the effectiveness of Nato, Gender Bias within the art world or far more besides, the pupils impressed as they grappled with complex and fascinating issues.

The depth of thought was particularly impressive and testament to a high level of academic engagement.

The Sixth Form enjoyed the gradual return to normality of the Saturday evening Sixth Form Club, enjoying a chance to relax in the company of others.

Theme nights have been a particular hit, amongst which the recent masquerade evening, complete with Italian pizza van, proved very popular.

It was also excellent to be able to have the first Sixth Form Dinner for over two years, with the black-tie occasion seeing almost all of the pupils coming together for a fantastic evening of fine dining within the Memorial Hall.

The items in this report only scratch at the surface of what the Sixth Form have been doing this year. They have led in so many areas of the community and achieved so much as they emerged from the previous years’ lockdowns, be that in fields of sport, the arts, Duke of Edinburgh, CCF, or within important leadership roles within the School.

They have also risen to the challenge and persevered in their work and the approach of the Upper 6th to their exam preparation, an unfamiliar experience for them after the cancellation of their GCSEs, has been particularly impressive and bodes well for August’s Results Day.

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The Sixth Form is a key time for individual personal development and year group enrichment.

The Sixth Form

Enrichment & Development Sixth Form Club & Dinner

The Upper Sixth leave for exciting gap years, university places and jobs, for which we wish them every success and happiness. For the remaining Lower 6th, the step up into the Upper 6th beckons, and an exciting year ahead as they take on the mantle as leaders in the School.

There is much to look forward to!

Introduced for the first time at the end of the 2020-21 academic year was the inaugural Lower 6th Strategy Day, led by Miss Bell-West and Mrs Goffe.

The full day challenge saw pupils take on a range of roles from creative design, to marketing, pitching and finance, as they worked in teams to come up with the best plans to revitalise an underused commercial space in Bruton. At the time of writing, plans are set for the designing and marketing of a commercial summer festival event space in Somerset at the end of the Summer Term 2022!

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King's pupils win places on top Apprenticeship Schemes Marie Goffe

King's pupils win places on top Apprenticeship Schemes

Head of Business & Economics Apprenticeship Advisor King's pupils Luli Loveridge and James Newcombe are celebrating success after securing places on highly competitive degree apprenticeship programmes, having beaten thousands of other applicants. Marie Goffe (King's Apprenticeship Advisor) interviews the pupils about their experience of the application process.

Can you briefly describe the apprenticeship position you applied for?

James: I applied for a Commercial Surveying Degree Apprenticeship at Cushman and Wakefield, one of the biggest real estate companies in the UK. I will be based in Manchester and will work across several different departments learning a wide range of skills, whilst studying for my degree from Reading University.

Luli: I applied for an accounting ‘Flying Start Degree’ course, an apprenticeship at Newcastle University sponsored by PWC, one of the ‘big four’ accountancy firms.

When do you start and how long is the programme?

James: I start the 5-year programme in September, and will spend the first 3 years completing my degree before being transferred to the graduate programme for the remaining 2 years to complete my professional qualification.

Luli: I start the programme in 2023 as I have deferred to take a gap year. It is a 4-year programme, the first year being spent at university. In years 2, 3 and 4, I will spend just one semester at university and the other semesters working for PWC full time (on a competitive salary) in a city of my choice.

Why did you choose this pathway?

James: Firstly, it was about the cost. I am 132

getting both my degree and professional qualification paid for, I also get a salary which will cover my living costs. This means that at the end of the 5-year course, I will have no debt and a job! I also much prefer this ‘hands on’ way of learning and was keen to start my career as soon as possible.

Luli: I chose this because I thought it would help me get into my career sooner whilst I am still able to get the full university experience.

Can you briefly describe the interview process?

James: The process started with a typical application then moved to a series of online questions and aptitude tests. The final stage was an entire day of interviews, some with a group of other applicants and others as 1:1 with directors. Questions included being asked my opinions on things such as the future of various sectors in the commercial real estate.

Luli: The interview process was five stages. After an initial standard application, I completed behavioural, maths and verbal reasoning tests. After successfully completing these, I moved onto a more rigorous interviewing stage. This included

interviews with a group of applicants, case study work and a 1:1 40-minute interview.

Do you have any tips for next year’s apprenticeship applicants?

James: I would say make sure that apprenticeships are for you. Do lots of research about what companies offer as there are a wide range of options. I wanted an apprenticeship in a city near a Uni so that I still got the social aspect. Try and sound as passionate as possible at every stage and try to get some work experience beforehand. For the final stages, make sure you know absolutely everything about the company such as their history, revenue, examples of projects they have recently completed etc.

Luli: Make sure you read up around your subject before going into any interviews, and make sure you are aware of things going on in the world that can relate in any way to your topic as they will try to catch you out with facts and questions. But also be yourself because they are looking for someone who will make a good team member and it is not necessarily all about how ‘clever’ you are, but about how hard you work and what you will bring to the team.

The decision to go and study in America was not a difficult one, rather one that was full of excitement and opportunity. Having finished at King's in July 2018, I was off to Saint Louis University (SLU) less than two months later to study and play hockey for 4 years. On arrival, I was immediately thrown into training, conditioning, studying and travelling, with no time to think about the fact that I was over 4,000 miles from home, and I am certain that this eased the transition, with the years that would follow full of amazing people and great memories.

I have been asked a few times recently what my biggest takeaway is from the experience, and I maintain that it is the people I met that formed the experience for me. From the first day on campus, everyone was very willing to help and so eager to be friendly. I now have friends all over the world that I will stay in contact with for the years to come, many new places to visit and I can’t wait to make my travel plans for the next few years.

Being an athlete in the US is an extraordinary experience. Academically the system is very different to the UK, and therefore the adjustment to their way of life was certainly a challenge, but after my first year I felt like I had a good handle on what was required of me. My weeks were filled with hours of classes and meetings, and on top of that 20+ hours of hockey, gym sessions, recovery, film sessions and matches.

Matches were played either at our home pitch or by travelling to other universities, the closest of which was a five-hour bus

ride. When playing away it would always be on a three, four or occasionally five-day trip. I travelled to many different states, saw several different cities, and got to fly to the east coast multiple times to play hockey.

Whilst this was an exhausting schedule and took up most of my time, it was great fun and incredible to be a part of.

Playing a sport at such a high level combined with being so far from home is understandably going to come with some ups and downs, and while I will enthusiastically outline the positives, it would be wrong not to mention some of the difficulties. These most notably came in the form of COVID and injuries. The pandemic began in the middle of my second year, the university moved online, and we were sent home. Our hockey season, which runs from August-November, was cancelled in 2020 and moved to the spring of 2021.

However, I count myself lucky that I was still able to return to campus and take part in some training with the team during this time although the effects of the pandemic continued to be felt up until my graduation.

Injuries were also a big part of my experience in the last two years, however, I had access to some amazing professionals and whilst difficult, they in no way were defining of my experience.

Outside of the hockey team, I was a peer instructor for a first-year class, a student-athlete mentor and also part of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Psi Chi, an International Honours Society for Psychology. These opportunities

allowed me to meet new people and expand my interactions both in the athletic department and on campus within my major (psychology). Campus life was great fun, with watching our numerous sports teams being one of my favourite things to do.

There were always different activities and events happening, and when the weather was good the atmosphere was unbeatable.

Beyond studying and life on campus, university breaks allowed me to travel further, with some highlights including a 14hour road trip to Florida with 5 teammates, hiking in Colorado Springs, and a week in the Dominican Republic during spring breaks. More recently following graduation, I travelled to visit friends in Connecticut and New York City. Most importantly, I loved living in the city of St. Louis and taking advantage of everything it has to offer, most notably the thriving food scene and going to Cardinals (Major League Baseball) and Blues (National (ice) Hockey League) games.

Having recently graduated, I am proud to be able to say that I am a graduate of SLU and am so grateful that I was able to have this experience. Graduation was the culmination of four years of hard work both academically and on the hockey pitch. I look back on my time at SLU with fond memories and plan to go back and visit as soon as I can. In the meantime, I have been applying to master’s programs here in the UK to study Sport and Exercise Science with a view to working with elite and professional athletes to optimise sports performance, and I can’t wait to see where this takes me in the future.

THE DOLPHIN Old Brutonian, Emily Wastell, has just graduated from Saint Louis University

Old Brutonian, Emily Wastell, has just graduated from Saint Louis University

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THE DOLPHIN U6th Form Leavers 2022 134

Isabella Andrew

Martha Bartlett

Isaac Baxter

Thomas Bickerton

Hannah Branfoot

Charlotte Burton

Grace Freeman

Ben Fry

Gabriel Galley

Emily Gilmour

Sophie Gould

Izzy Hancock

Lily Ingvaldson

Freddie James

George Johnson

Izzy Jones

Rosie Longman

Luli Loveridge

Tilda Morley

Felix Mornement

Javdat Muminov

James Newcombe

Liv Nicol

Lewi O’Grady

Sophia Shone

Phoebe Slight

Felix Smith

Freya Smith

Henry Strevens

Abi Taylor

Henry Wareham

Amelia Warren

Olivia Wastell

Edward Weekes

Luca Wigley

Kit Wood

THE DOLPHIN Sophie Doig

Aled Downes

Anya Evans

Elinor Harper

Freddie Hayward

Max Hayward

Murray Hendrie

Joshua Hyland

Angel Mackintosh

Alex Martin

Tom Matkevich

Oliver Mepham

Dylan Millard

Oscar Price

Toby Proctor

Isaac Pugh

Jonathan Read

Grace Sansom

Bosley Thomas

Bella Turton

Ella Unwin

Millie Venner Coombes

Kitty Walker

U6th Form Leavers

2022

U6th Form Leavers 2022

Will Cundy

The majority of these photographs have been reproduced by kind permission of Gillman & Soame

Lillian Crossfield

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English as an Additional Language Nicola Checketts

English as an Additional Language

Head of EAL What a joy to have our EAL pupils back in school this year! And to welcome so many new pupils as well! By EAL, we refer, of course, to those pupils who do not have English as their first language, or perhaps even as a second language, but those who have English as an Additional Language; perhaps even a third language.

Despite the uncertainties caused by the pandemic, one certainty remains: King's is an attractive choice for pupils from many different countries. In September we welcomed (and welcomed back) ten Chinese pupils, one Uzbek, one Azeri, two Japanese, four Spanish and some twenty one German, and a young Belgian pupil into our midst, and what a joy to have them with us. Not all of them have needed or wanted to study English as an Additional Language, but they have all contributed hugely to life at King's with their talents, personalities and culture.

Academically, there have been the usual challenges to overcome: A Levels and BTECs, GCSEs and, of course, the Cambridge ESOL Advanced and First examinations for those who were keen to gain these important language qualifications, so the year has been principally focussed on the hard work and language learning needed to prepare for these qualifications. Mr Keogh’s expertise and Ms King’s welcomed return to the department after Christmas, have been key to our successes over a year which was initially marked by recuperating ground lost during the lockdowns.

From a cultural point of view, sadly we were unable to offer the Houses of Parliament visit this year, nor the Globe Theatre trip due to Covid restrictions, but have received confirmation that the Houses of Parliament visit is back in September 2022. So that is something to look forward to! The EAL pupils did have 136

an enjoyable day out in Bath, visiting the Roman Baths and the Fashion Museum.

Our Chinese pupils celebrated the Moon Festival and Chinese New Year, with a pupil-led cook- up of their favourite dishes (kindly supported by the Hospitality Department). The year was rounded off with a trip to Longleat House and Safari Park, which always affords interest and fun. The individual Boarding Houses have continuously been active in involving the international pupils and celebrating their specific cultural occasions and events.

Our 6th Form EAL pupils have contributed to many areas of school.

Javdat has been a superb Head of House for Blackford and a School Prefect, Benita, Emma and Julia have excelled on the hockey field (read their report on their year at King's in this magazine), those studying Hospitality, presented some of the most delicious mini bites for the ‘ Village Fete Tea Party’ refreshments which accompanied the Junior School Play. Johnny has taken the Maths and Physics Departments by storm; he and Bodo have kept Mrs Ashworth smiling with challenges which go over and above curriculum material. Philipp, and Lucas (who stayed for 2 terms only ), were brave enough and worked hard enough to sit the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English, preparing for it in only two terms. What an achievement! Heydar, who joined in September, has settled and made significant progress, both with his English and his A Level subjects. Heydar contributed a noteworthy piece of work for the Eco Committee on the use of recycled glass, therein practising his IELTS academic writing skills.

GCSEs have, of course, been the predominant focus for our 5th Form pupils. Mats from Germany, who originally intended to stay only for one

Last September, the 4th Form welcomed Jonathan from China who contributed illuminating articles into the cultural challenges of being a new pupil in a foreign country and settling at King's, and we have had two French pupils join us for the summer term. They are among the five of our 4th Form international pupils to have sat the Cambridge First exam.

Results are due in July.

Our two 3rd Form EAL pupils, Juan and SiHan have made their mark. Juan, whose English is excellent and everimproving, apart from achieving a strong Cambridge First result in March, has been an ace on the tennis courts - his passion, (there is nothing he cannot tell you about Rafael Nadal). It has been great

We are always impressed by the EAL pupils’ contributions and involvement across the School. Jasmine, Johnny and Lynn have performed in the School concerts, Lynn giving an impressive solo piano recital of a piece by Kowalewski in the Piano and Strings Concert. Johnny and Steve have persevered to overcome the challenges posed by the Duke of Edinburgh Award excursions, and Leo has become a strong rugby player. We also discovered that SiRu and Leo are rather good Scottish dancers! What fun for them to learn to reel at the Priory and New House Scottish dancing evening! Miya and Hannah continue to demonstrate their talent in Art, and Miya will pursue this subject for A Level.

It has indeed been a varied and busy year for EAL both from an academic and cultural point of view. We look forward to more of the same, and more, next September.

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to see SiHan sporting his cricket whites this Summer term, tackling this sport so new for him, and going all out to score as many wickets as possible (having bribed Mr Hawley with the promise of chicken nuggets). SiHan also submitted a superb project on Food Waste for the Eco Committee and, showing great spirit, made a star performance sporting a pair of Christmas pudding spectacles at the EAL pupil Charity Cake Sale in aid of the Eco Committee rewilding project.

English as an Additional Language

year, extended his stay into 5th Form and has taken a full set of GCSEs in a second language! For the Chinese, this year has been an incredible challenge, as they endured the year’s remote learning from within a different time zone with frequent and significant connectivity issues, and so have missed out on so much of the English language learning. We wish them all the very best, and they have our greatest esteem for managing being away for a year, and then back in England again, but unable to return home during holidays because of restrictions in their home country. On another important academic note, eight pupils sat the Cambridge First exam with a 100% success rate and two of them achieved grade As.

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Learning Support Kirsty Moran Head of Learning Support

Learning Support and the Classics

Another ‘first’ year for the department, Mrs Dixon and Miss Moran both started at King's in September 2020 and into a very different system of teaching, in fact a very different way of school life altogether. So, it felt like starting as newbies again, for the new academic year, with the progressive lifting of restrictions, as the year carried on.

The department has continued to thrive, no more so than the drop-in sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. These sessions provide time in which pupils can learn new strategies, develop new skills, offload concerns and most importantly have a laugh. A certain level of competition has set up on Tuesdays, where specific games are used to increase vocabulary, improve spatial awareness, acquire memory and revision skills. Chocolate biscuits and fruit bowls always on the table.

We have continued to integrate the learning support staff into the whole school community; Miss Moran taking on the lead role for CCF RN cadets, and also supporting Ten Tors training, Mrs Dixon volunteers with DoE and is a member of the School Choir, finally Mr Mitra, as well as being an English teacher with a dyslexia specialism, organises the cross country running. Sadly, we are saying goodbye to Mr Keogh who has been a stalwart for the department. His role with assistive technology will now be passing to Mrs Dixon.

I would like to personally thank Mrs Dixon for her tireless and dedicated work co-ordinating the King's Ukrainian charity appeal. The response from pupils, families and staff has been quite overwhelming.

Learning Support offers a holistic approach to learning, not just academic assistance but developing awareness of metacognition and self-study skills; all aspects of this work being underpinned by boosting self-confidence in each pupil. We look forward to continuing this support and are always happy to welcome new faces.

Miss Moran and Mrs Dixon on their way to the Sixth Form Club Masquerade Night

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The entrance to the Learning Support department, painted by King's pupils

The Classics Dan Lovell

Head of Classics What a year it has been in the Classics department! We’ve journeyed through several dramatic narratives this year: Cicero has befuddled the jury into acquitting Cluentius; Narcissus has fallen for his own reflection; Echo has wasted away; Catullus has run the whole gamut of emotions - from A-Z and back again.

We have also enjoyed recreating the casts of Pompeii, bringing to life the destruction of 79AD, and built (using a surprising number and variety of media) Roman baths and temples.

Pupils within the Classics department have also taken part in the UK Linguistics Olympiad, a national competition in which competitors attempt to solve linguistic data problems. The UKLO is a national competition in which pupils attempt to solve problems using linguistic data; essentially they break codes in foreign languages. In a first for King's, Gabriel and Amelia earned a Silver and Bronze award respectively.

We are incredibly proud of them.

Tomi Owens Head of Chess

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The Chess Year

One of our aims is to encourage more girls to play chess, so we kicked off the Autumn Term with an all female Staff versus Pupils chess competition. Mrs Simper, Mrs Dixon, Ms Checketts and Mrs Haselgrove were all brave enough to sign up and took on a selection of girls from Priory and Wellesley over an afternoon of chess and tea.

A Year of Chess

This year we were finally able to play chess with almost no restrictions, which meant that pupils from all year groups could attend Chess Club and play against each other. The club met weekly and maintained good numbers all through the academic year.

Surges of Covid in other schools in the area meant that it was hard to arrange fixtures for our chess team, but in November King's hosted a qualifying tournament for the English Chess Federation’s Under 19 National Schools Chess Championship. Our team from King's was joined by one team from Sexey’s School, one team from Taunton School and two teams from Millfield School for an evening of chess.

Games were played face-to-face with masks when we started the Inter-House Chess Competition in December, but we had to have a pause in January when the surge of absences due to Covid made play more difficult to organise.

Nevertheless, we finally played the last two rounds in March. The winners were New House, thanks in part to individual skill and in part to an impressive team effort. It was great to see the trophy change hands after two years of domination by Blackford.

We completed the year with the sun shining and games played outdoors with our giant chess set contributing to the happy atmosphere in Mental Health Awareness Week.

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We Will Remember Them Ian Wilmshurst

We Will Remember Them

Headmaster Remembrance Sunday started with a short service in the Memorial Hall, conducted by the Chaplain and, due to COVID restrictions, attended only by Rose Vigers from the Old Brutonian Association and myself.

Rose laid a wreath from the OBA at the foot of Ben Ross’s panel. However, this year we did manage to have a full town parade and service at the war memorial outside St Mary’s Church.

The King’s Military Band led the parade excellently, and I know that the Bruton community are very grateful that our Military Band provides this focus for the town’s remembrance. Tom played the Last Post well, Harry laid the King’s wreath, while Laila lowered the flag during the two-minute’s silence.

Lily and Anya impressively carried the school CCF standards throughout the parade and service, while the Chaplain helped the Rector officiate throughout.

Remembrance Sunday then finished with a short wreath laying at the graves of the Salmond family, a ceremony that the School has undertaken every year at the family’s request. It was good to have more normality this Remembrance Sunday, and I was very proud of the excellent way that King’s Bruton helped support this important day in the town’s calendar.

To read more from Rev’d Beverly, the School Chaplain, click or scan the QR Code.

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Community Service Martha Bartlett

Reflections on the importance of Community Service, especially following a Pandemic.

Throughout the last two years as a community, we have all been challenged, through not being able to see family and friends, or that our favourite places were closed and we had to stay home. This affected a lot of the local community and was especially hard for businesses: as customers were no longer allowed because of covid. However, from meeting up with those from the Bruton community, it was clear how they had all helped each other through it. For example, writing letters or taking socially distanced walks. For those that were doing Community Service last year, such as myself; we made sure to stay in contact, through letters or emails, with the lovely elderly Bruton residents we had already got to know.

Talking with some of the elderly people in the Bruton community, they have informed me of how hard and lonely it was, especially for those who live by themselves. Because of this, since lockdown ended, we have been working hard to meet up with people within the community who had struggled because of the pandemic. From the smiles on their faces, and meeting people from the Bruton community, we aim to spread a little bit of love, which is the aim of those who take part in the School Community Service. From talking to everyone who has taken part; everyone has enjoyed meeting new people and giving back to the Bruton community.

One of the people I help on a Friday afternoon said that it was their favourite time of the week, and they always look forward to seeing me and my friend.

This just shows how what we do really

does have a positive impact on those in our community.

Pupils on the Community Service programme have been able to complete a wider set of placements than last year. This has included befriending Bruton residents and helping with their gardens, and helping at local Primary and Nursery schools in Bruton, Wincanton and North Cadbury, as well as Hazlegrove and All Hallows and Mendip Special Needs School.

They have also helped to maintain the vital weekly shopping supply line from Church Bridge Stores to Sexey’s Hospital, and helped with gardening at Mill on the Brue and Sexy’s Hospital, and helping the Bruton Footpaths group, by walking and monitoring the conditions of local footpaths.

Community Service

Arion House U6th Form Prefect of Community Service

Even throughout all the restrictions, as a school community we were able to make the most of what we could do, and still have a positive impact on the Bruton community.

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The Astrophotography Club Paul Brice

The Astrophotography Club

Maths Teacher

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The Astrophotography Club aim to take photos of deep sky objects using a telescope attached to a tracking mount and guided by a second telescope and camera. This allows for very long exposure times to enable fine detail to be captured.

The Astrophotography Club have spent their time deciding which areas of the sky to try to photograph. They have been improving their PhotoShop skills to help show the detail that can be found. They have focussed on the Orion Nebula (M42), Horsehead

Nebula (IC 434), Heart Nebula (IC 1805) and the Rosette Nebula (NGC 2244). All of the photographs shown were multiple exposures of either 2, 5 or 10 minutes which were stacked in DeepSkyStacker and then edited in PhotoShop.

The Soul Nebula

The Rosette Nebula

The Orion Nebula

The Heart Nebula

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The 3rd Form teambuilding at the Mill on the Brue Agathe Webb An exciting start at King's for the 3rd Form. It was the first Sunday of the term, and the vast majority of the 3rd Form pupils took a trip to the Mill on the Brue. Once divided into teams, the groups spent the afternoon attempting a number of outdoor activities. They had to traverse a river using ropes and work as a team to stay as dry as possible. They climbed up large wooden poles (some even decided to do this whilst blind folded) to then throw themselves onto a swinging ball, all some feet off the ground. The weather was amazing and the children had a great time and really enjoyed some natural fun.

To watch a fun video, click or scan the QR Code.

The 3rd Form teambuilding at the Mill on the Brue

Head of MFL

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Chaplaincy

galore, dodgeball, and even a ceilidh!

Rev’d George Beverly

Chaplaincy

Chaplain Jesus Christ proclaimed that, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full!” What glorious news!

Jesus Christ didn’t come to restrict, to dull down, or to be a “party pooper.”

Quite the opposite - he came to bring us joy, celebration, and a vibrant new relationship with God that goes into eternity! As the School has emerged from the COVID pandemic’s restrictions, it’s been great to see more and more of the joys of life being celebrated. We’ve been able to gather physically for Chapel Services and assemblies, there have been House nights and formal dinners, trips out and plenty of activities in school. Praise God! Indeed, it was wonderful to get Sunday Chapel Services underway again back in September when the year began. A chance to ponder life’s biggest questions in a much more informal setting (the Fitzjames Theatre), with a healthy dose of games, video clips, and singing mixed in. At the end of September, I was delighted to be ordained into the Church of England at Wells Cathedral.

It was especially touching to welcome the Headmaster and other members of the School community to the service.

This was the culmination of three years’ of training for which I give great thanks to God and also to the School for their support. Ordination sees people (deacons) promise to set their lives apart for the service of God. In the service, the bishop proclaims that, “Deacons are to proclaim the gospel in word and deed, as agents of God’s purposes of love. They are to serve the community in which they are set.” Indeed, it is my hope and prayer that would be the shape of the Chaplaincy’s ministry at King's.

The Christmas Term Wednesday Chapel sermon series saw us focus on the fruits of the Holy Spirit as outlined in Paul’s letter to the Galatian Church in the Bible. It was fantastic to ponder 144

what the Bible tells us sits at the heart of: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Spoiler alert: they’re all perfectly modelled by Jesus Christ! Due to ever present COVID numbers, we were back to videos for the duration of the term up until the end of November.

However, the videos sought to be as interactive as possible, getting pupils to complete various mini challenges and games in their tutor groups!

Throughout the sermon series, we paused at various significant moments to mark certain occasions. October saw the School Community dig deep to donate a record amount of food to the Bruton Foodbank as part of our Harvest Festival Service. November, saw us mark the National Act of Remembrance on the 11th with a livestreamed service from the King's Bruton Memorial Side Chapel in St Mary’s, followed by the Town’s usual Remembrance Sunday activities. My thanks to all the pupils and staff (especially in Music and the CCF) for their excellent support. The start of December, of course, saw us mark Advent - the glorious news of Christ coming into the world and promising to return one day. Who will forget the Inter-House Chocolate Advent Calendar Eating Race?!?! Well done to Arion House for claiming victory for the second year running!

Throughout the Christmas term, it was also a genuine delight and privilege to regularly pop into the boarding houses to take short informal services in their common rooms. These have been one of the many innovations brought about by COVID which are firmly remaining moving forward!

Alongside the services, it has been fab to join the Houses for dozens of House night activities - I’ve done black tie drinks, firepit parties, sparkler craziness, Christmas decorations judging, pancake flipping, blackout playing, quizzes

As always, the Christmas Term ended on a high with two significant services.

The first, on Saturday 4th December saw twenty pupils make the decision to be confirmed (including one baptism).

What a cheerful occasion it was to see these pupils seeking to publicly profess their faith, and seeking to live lives following Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Our thanks must be extended to Bishop Rob Martin for conducting the confirmations and delivering a fantastic sermon. The second major service was our Christmas Carol Service.

Due to COVID, we held two separate services - one for the 3rd to 5th Forms and one for the L6th & U6th Forms. It was marvellous to sing carols and to have the Chapel Choir back on form.

We focused on thinking about that famous line about the Emmanuel in the carol Hark the Herald: “Born that man no more may die.” A particular thanks to Mr Hambleton for lending Geraldine (one of his chickens) to help illustrate that amazing truth that Christ came to give…you guessed it…life!

The Easter term kicked off with us returning to video services, due to another surge in COVID cases. We considered wisdom from Ecclesiastes in the Bible, alongside the evils of Modern Day Slavery, and the life-changing encounters Jesus had in Luke’s gospel.

In January, we were pleased to welcome James Cary, Christian writer, speaker and comedian to speak at TISCA (The Independent Schools’ Christian Alliance) regional meeting hosted at King's. James sits on the Church of England’s Archbishops’ Council, hosts numerous podcasts and writes comedy for the BBC (e.g. Miranda, Hut 33, Bluestone 42, Think the Unthinkable) often alongside Milton Jones. Have you ever considered how the Bible is jampacked with weird accounts: Baalam’s donkey talking! The transfiguration!

Absalom’s long hair getting tangled in a tree, leaving him stuck hanging until he was captured! The physical resurrection of many bodies from tombs in Jerusalem when Jesus Christ rose back to life - and they walked around Jerusalem talking to people - a bit like zombies! What do we do with such accounts? Shy away from

February saw the start of the horrific war in Ukraine. It was powerful to see hundreds of pupils and staff choose to go to St Mary’s Church to pray, reflect, and light a candle to show solidarity and remember Christ as the light in an oftendark world. It has been astonishing to see the scores of charitable initiatives the pupils have organised to raise money for the charity School In A Bag to help Ukrainians affected by the war. To date, a staggering £6,500+ has been raised - wow! February also saw Hazlegrove’s Year 1 pupils visit St Mary’s to learn all about Christian worship - never underestimate the questions a five-year-old might ask!

March saw 37 staff choose to read the Lenten daily reflections book, “Forty Women”. In this book, the author Ros Clarke uncovers the women of the Bible who are essential to the Easter weekend.

From Eve to the Shummamite, and from Deborah to Ruth, the book opened our eyes to the power of the gospel!

By the end of the Easter Term, we were back in the theatre for Sunday

chaplaincy events that have taken place.

Not forgetting the numerous chats with pupils and staff, plus encouragements along the way. It certainly has been “life and life to the full!” The Chaplaincy’s door remains open to anyone and everyone, regardless of belief or lack of.

It is our hope and prayer that you would indeed come to know that “life - life to the full!”

THE DOLPHIN

Chapels. As Easter approached, it felt fitting to consider the amazing account of the prodigal son - God has a heart for the lost! Of course, the Easter term ended with Easter Services; COVID restrictions had eased allowing us to do this in-person inside St Mary’s Church hurray! It was also excellent to be invited to speak at Port Regis and Hazlegrove’s Easter Services and share with them the brilliant hope the good news of the cross and resurrection brings us all!

And so, we find ourselves in the Summer term! What have been the highlights? Sermon series considering the character of God and what we can learn from various animals in the Bible. Mental Health Awareness Week saw us reflect on loneliness and how God’s plan has always been for us to be part of community and have friendship - especially friendship with him! Commemoration Day was back on after a two-year pandemic absence, and the School processed with perfect precision - all that rehearsing was worth it! More importantly, we are most grateful to Adrian Youings, Archdeacon of Bath coming to deliver the address at the service. Immediately after the half term holiday, we gathered to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. As a royal and ancient foundation, it felt right to mark this occasion and reflect on the servant Queen and the King she serves. Lastly, as I type this now, we are busy preparing to remember Amy Williams (pupil of Hazlegrove 2007-13 and then Priory House, King's Bruton 2013-18) who sadly passed away at the end of March after a long battle with cancer. Amy’s joy for life and her perseverance in the face of huge challenges deeply impacted so many of us here at King's. Amy’s life is being celebrated with a service on 19th June and also a tree is being planted in her memory at Hazlegrove. The plaque with the tree reads as follows: “The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.” How true these words are.

Our prayers and thoughts continue to be with Amy’s family and friends.

Deo Juvante!

Chaplaincy

them? Focus on the more “rational” sections of scripture? Try and explain them away as deceptions that tricked supposedly gullible people thousands of years ago? No - none of those are wise or responsible approaches to make.

We believe in a God who made the very laws of science, who is all-powerful and created everything. Thus, he is not constrained by such laws. The very fact he brings about miracles, shows he is God. James commended us to not shy away from the weird and controversial aspects of scripture. God has given us these passages and they richly overflow with the message of his gospel love.

Moreover, as teachers/chaplains/ staff in schools, we are surrounded by children and teenagers whose world is immersed and full of an obsession with the weird and wonderful. Consider: Star Wars, Marvel, Narnia, Harry Potter and so much more. Best of all, as we engage with scripture’s stranger segments, it often prompts genuine discussion and enquiry between pupils and staff - and isn’t that wonderful! What could be more important and fascinating than debating and discussing the message of the one who claims to hold the answers to life’s biggest questions?!?!

Thus, that is the Chaplaincy year! They say that “time flies when you’re having fun” and it certainly has flown by this year! The above account has, of course, failed to mention all the TGIs, Forums, Hazlegrove Chapel Services and other 145

THE DOLPHIN CCF

CCF 2021 to 2022 has been a year of thriving activities for the King's Bruton Combined Cadet Force (CCF) as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has waned. This has meant that the epitome of CCF, which is teamwork, has been returned to the cadets and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) of King's Bruton.

Friday afternoons have involved a variety of activities for the Navy and Army sections, including fieldcraft, competent first aid training, weapons handling, battle drills, and sailing. It has been an especially exciting term for the 5th Form Advanced Infantry, who started the year off with an exercise at Yoxter, which involved an overnight observation of an enemy position and three section attack, as well as an afternoon spent at the live firing range.

The CCF also gave more responsibility to the Sixth Form NCOs this year, which involved them teaching the cadets first aid and field craft, while also working collaboratively to devise Exercise DYNAMIC DEFENDER. An urban exercise, that simulated the Memorial Hall as being under siege by terrorists. The Advanced Infantry worked to secure the building, remove any casualties, and take them to a Medevac point on Abbey. This was a successful exercise which drew on the knowledge that the cadets had gained during their time in the CCF. The 4th Form have equally enjoyed a great year of CCF. The army section has experienced the outdoors, with field craft skills, building bashers, and using camouflage cream, while also learning the importance of life saving first aid. In addition, the Navy section has benefitted from, sailing at Cheddar Reservoir, which has taught the cadets the importance of teamwork. It is clear from the plethora of activities that the King's Bruton CCF have offered over

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Yoxter Ranges Click or scan the QR Code to read more and watch the video the past year, that the cadets have been able to step out of their comfort zone and work collaboratively outside of the classroom.

Furthermore, a selection of 4th Form cadets completed the challenging and demanding Ten Tors event, with two teams who worked hard together to generate the best team outputs. Their enthusiasm and commitment to their goal, whilst also having the mental and physical determination to trek through 35 miles of Dartmoor, proves their huge achievement, and special thanks must go to the teachers involved.

The 3rd Form have also enjoyed an introduction to the CCF, in a Friday afternoon club session, and we look forward to welcoming those who choose to continue with the CCF on Parade next year.

From September, it is expected that the CCF at King's will continue to thrive, with the Biennial inspection due to take place, which involves the CCF and Military Band. We also look forward to the NCO dinner, which was sadly cancelled this year due to the pandemic, as well as further exercises 4th Form Field Day Click or scan the QR Code to read more and watch the video

with the cadets, to continue expanding their knowledge.

Overall, a successful year has been had for the King's Bruton CCF, and it is only expected to continue flourish next year, with the hope of more events and a further return to ‘normality’.

THE DOLPHIN

Sgt Amelia Blunden

Sgt Agatha Dawes

Dolphin Editorial Team

Dolphin Editorial Team Ten Tors Click or scan the QR Code to read more and watch the video

CCF

CCF RN Promotions Click or scan the QR Code to read more and view the photographs

Sailing at Cheddar Click or scan the QR Code to read more and view the photographs

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Dolphin Productions Lluc Tupman

Dolphin Productions

Recording Suite Manager I’m pleased to say it’s once again been a busy few months for the Dolphin Productions studio and Hauser & Wirth Recital Hall. After feeling the extended effects of Covid, and unfortunately experiencing the detrimental effect it had on the music world, it’s been great to open our doors and help produce some fantastic new projects. Not only have we had some brilliant professional acts, but our in-house pupils have also been hard at work on some great projects and producing some fantastic work.

I was first contacted by Jeremy Thomas in the Autumn of 2021. He was looking for a venue in the South West to film a series of shorts about mental health.

We soon had a myriad of ideas evolving around the Hauser & Wirth Recital Hall involving lighting, props and a link to the studio for professional voice overs and green screen shenanigans.

Known now for his Shed Talks - “A good humoured podcast show about mental health and coping with life what happens when things go wrong, and what you can do to get better and stay well.” Jeremy wanted to bring his new show ‘How to Stay Sane in an Insane World’ to life and capture the vibe of his talks in a creative film format.

Enlisting the help of videographer Ben Sommers, of Seeing Voices Creative, we had a small professional team assemble at Dolphin Productions to bring the project to life. It was a pleasure to host the team here, where we worked into the night to create the set, set up lights, sound check and make sure the environment was ready for the creative process. The videos are currently being edited and I look forward to seeing the final cut!

Jeremy talking about Dolphin Productions: “Working at Dolphin Productions in King's Bruton School was a pleasure. Lluc Tupman was a super helpful and able studio manager, and for whom nothing was too much trouble. We enjoyed filming and recording in the concert/ theatre facility, not least because of the space and ambience, but because everything electrical worked and things like dressing rooms, kitchen and loos were so accessible. The control room was modern but cosy!

It was a really good experience, not least because of the surrounding environment of blossom trees, bridge and river - essential to the wellbeing of all taking part.”

Jeremy Thomas Blue Baltic Entertainment MAY 2022

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I was pleased to welcome Orlando Lindop-Taylor into the studio to work on tracks for his forthcoming EP project. Based around ambient world music and incorporating elements of jazz and prog, we had an amazing time producing 10+ minute tracks with a combination of instruments including congas, bongos, grand piano, bass, drums and trumpet… just to name a few.

It was great to mic up our Bechstein piano once again and capture the grand piano in its element in the recital hall.

The natural reverb makes it shine and cut through the mix with a bright and full tone encapsulating a live feel. We recorded in practically every live room in the building, miking up a full drum kit, bass and guitar cabs and using the vocal booth for layered harmonies. I hope to welcome Orlando back in the future for another experimental musical journey and look forward to seeing what else we can create.

THE DOLPHIN

It was great, once again, to host Hauser & Wirth, Somerset for a screening of ‘Call Her Applebroog’, an independent film about renowned artist Ida Applebroog, directed by filmmaker, and the artists daughter, Beth B. From the Hauser & Wirth website:

Dolphin Productions

“This deeply personal portrait of acclaimed New York–based artist Ida Applebroog was shot with mischievous reverence by Beth B. Born in the Bronx to Orthodox Jewish émigrés from Poland, Applebroog looks back at how she expressed herself through decades of drawings and paintings, as well as her private journals.”

The evening was a great success with a sold-out crowd of 120 guests joining us in the foyer for pre drinks and Hall for the screening.

Building on his Music Tech A Level skills, Alex Martin of King's Bruton 6th Form has been very busy in the studio throughout the last year. He and Amelia Warren, a 6th Form performer and composer, used all the techniques we had covered in the Music Tech classes to record and produce ‘Amie Wren’ their debut album. I was pleased to see Alex using the vocal booth and mixing the album utilising the desk, and all the Logic skills he had learned from our 1-1 sessions as well as confidently navigating the studio.

There is a vast mix of tracks on the album including a full band, vocal harmonies, real and virtual instruments and some impressive layering of Amelia’s voice. Both worked hard on the project outside of their studies and I was pleased to help Alex in the studio during the creative process. The album has been released and can be streamed on Spotify! They now have a fantastic

portfolio of work ready for their university applications.

We have a full class of Music Tech pupils to come, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they create in the coming year. Having done some impressive workshops with them already, I know there will be things to look forward to, including studio project and live sound mixing.

Dolphin Productions is taking bookings right now so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if we can help bring your future project to life.

Click or scan the QR Code to go to the Dolphin Productions webpage 149

Sport

THE DOLPHIN A year of sport

A Year of Sport Henry Eriksson Director of Sport

It has been wonderful to see school sport return this year with some semblance of normality as full interschool fixtures, including spectators and match teas, has returned and I am delighted with both the performance and participation levels of our King's Bruton pupils.

Whilst our teams in the major sports of rugby, hockey, netball, cricket and tennis have continued to go from strength to strength, it has been wonderful to also see fixtures taking place for our football, badminton, table tennis and golf teams. For a school of our size, I continue to be proud of the sports provision available, and the opportunities that the wonderful staff common room, provide for pupils on the sports pitches. Our Health-Related Fitness programme has also provided pupils with the opportunity to develop their fitness and general wellbeing through participating in a structured, inclusive and nurturing environment.

There have, of course, been some exceptional performances of our teams this year, who continue to punch well above their weight. One of the highlights of this year has been the full return of school rugby and it is an exciting time for rugby at King’s as there are some very exciting junior players progressing through the School, and I am grateful to Ben Hawley for his continued expertise and guidance. The girls’ U15A hockey team reached the Independent Schools’ Hockey Cup National Plate Final, whilst the girls’ U18 indoor hockey

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team narrowly missed out on a place in the National Finals following a narrow 2-1 defeat to Dean Close in the Regional Final. Both boys’ and girls’ 1st teams’ progressed to the last 16 of their respective National competitions, whilst it was also wonderful to see Old Brutonians, Sophie and Olivia Hamilton, achieve their first senior England caps. We are also incredibly proud of siblings Anya and Angus Evans who gained selection to represent Great Britain at the European Biathlon Championships in Athens in August, whilst 1st XI cricketer Jay Terry made his Somerset Men’s 2nd XI debut, which is another fantastic achievement. It is great to see King's Bruton pupils progressing so well along the performance pathways,

and I am grateful to the whole sports department for the level of support they offer the pupils.

As always, the strength of the sports programme at King's is down to the brilliant staff team who commit so much in terms of their time, effort and enthusiasm in order to give King's Bruton pupils the best possible sporting experience. This is everyone; from the caterers, to the academic members of staff, to Naomi Warren in Marketing, and to Graham Kitley and his outstanding grounds team. It is a complete team effort and one which makes us a school which others want to have on their fixture cards.

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Rugby After a full rugby season out of action, Ben Hawley was extremely excited to get the season up and running in September. Players were fully aware of the potential we had last year, and we wanted to put into practice what we have learnt over a year with no rugby.

Ben Hawley After pre-season and a week of training, we were ready to play one of the strongest teams in our block.

Dauntsey’s are generally quite big, and love to maul, so we needed not to give any penalties away, to allow for lineout territory. We started well, with a clean backs break putting Isaac in a lot of space down the touchline. Our captain Lewis led from the front with his game management, Javdat made his mark with some fantastic tackles which stopped their momentum and George carried the ball well.

The next game was against our rivals Downside in Round 1 of the NatWest Vase. Downside School is always a hard place to go to, but the lads played fantastically, yet again, Lewis kicked us in the right areas, and we had plenty of opportunities to score, but we just couldn’t find ourselves over the line. We managed to hold them for 60 minutes and in the last 10 minutes, they scored a try to secure their win, the final score 9 -17. This hurt for a few weeks, but we did not have time to dwell as we had Wycliffe the following week.

Wycliffe was the game where I felt it started to click more. In the first 10 minutes, we had George and Javdat making huge gain line breaks with great support play from Tommy and Luke to create quick ball for our backs.

Isaac was close to finishing off a lovely cross-field kick to score in the corner but just got tackled into touch. King's kept their ruthless attack up and started to put real pressure on Wycliffe. From a 5m lineout, we went to the front with no lift and James Newcombe scored off

Rugby

1st XV

a driving maul. In the second half, Isaac scored a first phase try from a scrum from a well-executed backs move. The game ended with Lewis converting a penalty to make it our first win of the season, final score, 15 – 0.

On the back of a fantastic win, we then travelled for the first leg of our back-to-back fixtures with Monkton. It was a wet day which stopped the likes of Josh and Felix from getting much ball. George Field defended well and Oscar Baldwin-Battersby brought the physicality. The score ended in a 13-13 draw which, looking back, was probably a fair result but nonetheless frustrating.

The try scorer was Isaac Pugh whilst Lewis kicked all of his kicks.

ruck to allow our backs to pass it down the line for Isaac to score in the corner.

In the last 5 minutes of the game Exeter scored from poor discipline and the match finished 15 – 15. It is rare to get a draw but to get two draws in a row was tough to take, especially as we felt we had Exeter the whole game.

After that game, we identified we needed to close out games better. We like to play fast and expansive rugby but sometimes slowing the game down and kicking for territory and playing in the right areas was just as important.

Monkton Combe was one we have had in the back of our minds. Whilst I was not there for the game, Mr Barrow

Exeter was the next game and historically we haven’t beaten Exeter for over 6 years. I knew this was a big opportunity to do so with the team and momentum we had. Lewis and Felix were connecting fantastically at the start of the game. Lewis then went for a chip and chase and made 40 meters to then pop it up to Freddie to score a brilliant try. Luke Hutchinson got over as well from a pick and go 5 meters out.

We then allowed Exeter back in from poor defence around the ruck to score 5 minutes after us and gave a penalty to make it 10-10. George Johnson bounced off one defender, which created a quick 153

THE DOLPHIN Rugby

and Mr Charlton combined like old times and took charge of the 1st XV. It was not the best of starts at home and King's conceded 3 tries early on in the game. At halftime, Mr Barrow and Mr Charlton gave an inspirational halftime team talk, and they came out a completely different side, with Freddie scoring in the last minute to make it 3028. It was good to get back to winning ways and we carried on our winning when we came up against Clayesmore, final score 26-13. We didn’t play our best rugby, but we managed to get two wins on the bounce.

It was grudge match time, Downside on paper had their strongest team out with a lot of their Bath Academy players back in action. We knew we had to start well, and with some fire in our bellies. Javdat once again stepped up to the mark and made some bonecrunching tackles, Josh was having a fantastic game before he then dislocated his shoulder with also Jonathan Read coming off injured. The boys could have easily backed away, but they stepped up. Downside started well playing a lot of expansive rugby. Downside scored early on, but we didn’t let this phase us.

With a quick tap and go from Javdat 5 meters out, we then went on to score out wide with Kit. In the second half, Downside scored a soft try through the middle from a first phase attack. We battled hard, Archie Frost and Felix Mornement tackling well and Will Owen, and Tommy Hodge carrying well which tired the Downside defence.

Downside cleared their lines poorly for Lewis to then break through 50 meters out to put Isaac in the corner. Lewis converted the try and the score was 12-12. With the last play of the game, Downside gave a penalty right on the 22 meter touchline. Lewis stepped up to take the penalty and converted it to win the game 15-12. This was the highlight of the season; they have worked so hard to finish out games and it made it even better it was against our big rivals Downside.

We then had a slightly easier end to the season beating Warminster, Sexey’s School, and Millfield 2nd XV. This allowed me to see players for next season and for us to recover from injuries. I am so proud of this season. The boys had a great attitude, their leadership was fantastic, and you can tell they were just loving their rugby every weekend.

From only winning 1 game in their 4th Form year, to now losing one game in their U6th year, just goes to show how much hard work they put in and the attitude of wanting to improve.

A big thank you to all of the staff who contributed to a successful season and all of the supporting parents.

2nd XV

Dan Cupit & Craig Barrow Dan Cupit and Craig Barrow relished the opportunity to work with a young 2nd XV. This was always going to be a tough season for the 2nd XV, as is often the case when the 1st XV lose a number of pupils from the previous season, following their successful completion of the 6th Form. The 2nd XV for the 2021 season lacked the experience and understanding of senior rugby that previous teams have had, partly due to a number of younger pupils stepping up in to the team, but also because of the disruption caused by the pandemic.

Whilst the team lacked experience of senior rugby, they had a huge amount of commitment, skill and passion for the game. The team benefitted from a fantastic team spirit which meant that they trained hard, loved nothing more than taking contact, and loved match days.

A further challenge the team faced this year, was that on occasion the opposition were 1st XV or 1st XV development teams, which meant that on occasion the 2nd XV were playing against more experienced players.

However, this led to some fiercely competitive fixtures against local rivals Clayesmore, Monkton and Downside, with the teams being separated by only one or two scores.

As the season progressed, the team developed a greater understanding of what is required at this level, especially the importance of being strong around the contact area and keeping hold of the ball in attack. This led to some fantastic tries being scored, with very close games against both Wycliffe College and Downside School.

This season also saw several members of the team take the step up to playing in the 1st XV, as well as a number of players demonstrating fantastic progress having joined from the 3rd XV. Joseph Walsh, Charlie White and Toby Gillam in particular thrived playing senior rugby and put in some outstanding performances. Max Hayward joined

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The 2nd XV should be incredibly proud of what they achieved against experienced opposition teams, and in time, all that they have learnt from this season will pay dividends. Well done to the 2nd XV on some outstanding performances this season.

There is one fixture in particular that will be remembered for some time. The results of these games are unimportant, but the performance of the squad on both occasions reflects how far they have come as a squad and shows how hard they worked throughout the season.

This match, on a very cold and windy Saturday 27th November, saw King's take on a strong unbeaten Warminster side in the last away match of the year.

Ludo Weston gave King's an early lead with scoring a breakaway try after a huge defensive effort. He then narrowly fell short of another as his try was disallowed.

Half time came and King's maintained their 5-0 advantage. Second half Warminster came out fiercely. King's showed great character and held strong being rewarded with a second try.

Warminster replied quickly with a try of their own and narrowly missed the kick to make it 10-5 King's. No more points were scored in this match but what followed was a monumental team effort by the 15As, making try saving tackle after try saving tackle. This match had brought together everything the team had been working on throughout the season.

The team is full of talent and future prospects. None more so than Angus Croft and Jeevan Macro who are in the DPP and Henry Heggarty who has recently been selected for PDG. Overall, a promising year for the U15s rugby team, with a bright future ahead. Well done.

THE DOLPHIN

The boys grew as a team as the season went on. They went from being a group of talented individuals to a hardworking and selfless team which scored some brilliant team tries in the process.

Rugby

the 2nd XV having started the season in the 3rd XV and quickly became an integral part of the team, demonstrating a ruthlessness in the contact zone. This was very much a development season and that is exactly what the boys took away from their first full season back post pandemic. However, a huge amount has been gained and many younger players now have experience of playing senior rugby and have another 2 years ahead of them.

U15B

Will Danskin & Oliver Higgs Will Danskin and Olly Higgs had a fantastic season with the U15Bs who showed a huge amount of grit and determination and no shortage of eyecatching rugby.

After an opening-weekend loss against Daunstey’s, the boys bounced back terrifically and went on to win three and draw one of the remaining four fixtures. They did so in dramatic fashion; a 2-point win away at Monkton Combe was followed by a last-gasp draw against Clayesmore thanks to Joe Kilbee’s ice-cool conversion with the last kick of the game.

There were many notable performances, including outstanding efforts from captain Sunny Jessett, key forwards Oliver Price and Hayden Hubbard, and eye-catching backs Louis Roberts and Max Cole. All the boys should be proud of their

U15A

Atis Amaglo & Malcolm Jeffrey Atis Amaglo and Malcolm Jeffrey reflect on a great season for King's U15A Rugby, and one that showed teamwork, determination and lots of success.

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efforts throughout the season as huge improvements were made by many, in particular Hector Matkevich, Freddy Watts and Fernando Bernier Bermudez de Castro. Overall a memorable season which was thoroughly enjoyed by myself and Mr Higgs, and we look forward to seeing how the boys progress with their rugby next year.

U14A

Rugby

Will Stainton & Paul Brice Will Stainton and Paul Brice had a brilliant season with the U14As. Having had two years without competitive fixtures, it was great to see such a talented and competitive group of young men representing King's Bruton in their first term at senior school.

This was an incredibly enjoyable and successful season for the U14A rugby team. The progression of skills and ability was a testament to their hard work and ambition. The fixture list was varied, but also allowed return fixtures which evidenced the growth of the team throughout the season.

The first fixture of the season was a training match against Dauntsey’s School which allowed the team to play 4 x 10-minute games to trial positions, tackling and game play. It was a hugely valuable fixture which saw all those wanting to take part in rugby have some time on the pitch.

The first competitive game was away at Clayesmore School. This was a challenging fixture but provided us with an opportunity to experiment with positions with a large match day squad.

On Saturday 2nd October, the heavens opened prior to a home fixture against Monkton Coombe School. The four weeks of training and preparation came together, and the team were sensational winning 45-0. A superb effort in adverse conditions.

In a fixture marred by injury, a pitch change and unseasonably warm weather, the trip to Exeter School was not a successful one. Lack of concentration in the midfield resulted 156

in three interception tries and despite a promising second half with much of the possession, it was too late to close the gap. We lost this fixture 12-36 but learnt some valuable lessons for the rest of the season. This was the last loss of the season and was the lesson we needed.

The next 6 fixtures included 5 wins and an away draw. A brilliant end to the season.

The return fixture at home against Clayesmore School was a display of the journey the team had come on since the beginning of the season. With Mr Wilmshurst refereeing, we were all hoping that the team showed up for the fixture with the determination to reverse the result from earlier in the season. We kicked off straight to their inside centre, who proceeded to run round the U14s and score under the posts - 30 seconds in - 0-7 down. With heads in hands, the boys needed to pick themselves up and get straight back into it. We won this fixture by scoring 48 unanswered points, finishing 48-7. It was a superb display of grit and teamwork.

Overall, a fantastic season with a team showing incredible and exciting promise for the future of King's rugby. I look forward to seeing the development of this team over the next few seasons.

U14B

Guyan Mitra & Martin Miller Having missed a couple of years of contact, competitive rugby, there was much hesitation amongst the U14B squad in the early days of the season back in September. Tackling, rucking, mauling all had to be relearned, so we eased ourselves in with a couple of games of touch and semi contact.

The first proper game of the season in October was against Monkton Combe, where a bruising outing by Oscar Bell saw us overcome them by a ten point margin. Two home and away try fests against a much bulkier Bryanston were our only losses of the season, with comfortable wins against Clayesmore, Sexey’s and a rematch against Monkton rounding off our season with victorious aplomb. Notable performances by scrum half, Freddie Carter, ensured we played with pace and dynamism all season.

While SiHan Chen and Will Childs were our fiercest tacklers, chopping and jackling all comers.

A superb season by all. Roll on next autumn.

team and to secure a 2-0 victory in this match, which saw a number of U15 girls make their 1st XI debut, was a wonderful way to finish and also demonstrates that the future is bright for girls’ hockey at King's. I am hugely grateful to the departing U6th (Anya Evans, Sophie Gould, Kitty Walker and Millie Venner Coombes) for everything they have given to hockey during their time at King's.

As always, none of the above would be possible without the unwavering support from the academic members of staff who spend so much of their time planning and delivering excellent sessions to ensure the pupils at King's Bruton enjoy their hockey.

1st XI

Henry Eriksson The 1st XI had a wonderful season as they set high standards of themselves, which they maintained throughout the course of the season. Led superbly by captain Sophie Gould, the team had notable victories versus Exeter School, Sherborne Girls and Kingswood, whilst they reached the last 16 of both the Independent Schools’ Hockey Cup and National Schools’ Tier 2 competition.

The team played an exciting brand of attacking hockey which saw them score a huge number of goals. Benita Hipp finished as top goal scorer with a very impressive 19 goals, whilst Sophie Gould (8), Kitty Walker (5) and Emma Walter (5), also contributed. The

defence of Jenna Coverdale, Luise Braun, Davina Ellis, Millie Venner Coombes, Greta Boldt and the outstanding Julia Heidersdorf provided the team with a solid foundation, whilst the midfield, including Marcia Kennard, dazzled the opposition with their speed, athleticism and skill levels. Georgia McDade in goal, gave the team huge confidence with her consistently high levels of performance, and in particular during the U18 Regional Indoor Competition, where she was outstanding and a big reason for knocking Millfield out in the semi-final.

The season finished with a fantastic match versus a Millfield development

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I am immensely proud of the girls’ hockey teams and the way they both performed and conducted themselves this season. As always, the aim is to have a 50% win ratio across the course of the season, and to finish with 54% is an excellent achievement, particularly with the strength of the fixture list. Equally, the ultimate accolade is the fact that we continue to field both four senior and junior teams, which demonstrates the positive culture that has been created, and particularly as a number of larger schools cannot field the same number of teams.

Girls’ Hockey

Girls’ Hockey

2nd XI

Josh Godfrey & Tim Fletcher Josh Godfrey and Tim Fletcher guided their 2nd XI to an unbeaten season, whereby the team was named ‘Team of the Term’.

The 2nd XI had a near perfect season, amazingly winning every game that they played. The team’s success was built on a solid defence, with them remarkably only conceding a solitary goal across the whole season, with the three full backs; India Finch Hatton, Ellie Grieve and Martha Bartlett deserving a special mention. At their best, the girls played free flowing hockey with very few errors, which is truly impressive for a 2nd XI, and ultimately proved too good for any other school we faced.

The midfield trio of captain Rosie Longman, Luli Loveridge and Lily Ingvaldson were formidable, with consistently composed and high-energy performances. Goals were not always easy to come by, and these were shared around the team, but with Skyla Cannon proving herself to be the most clinical in the opposition circle. The highlights of the term include a comprehensive 4-0 victory away against Kingswood, who are always a tough opposition, 157

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and a resilient ‘smash and grab’ win away at Sherborne towards the end of the season, when it looked like our 100% record was in danger. The 2nd XI were awarded the team of the term, and fully deserved their success due to the positive attitude towards training that they showed throughout the term, with their good humour and desire to learn and improve making them a joy to coach.

We would especially like to thank the crop of U6th girls who played their final season of hockey at King's, setting an excellent example to the younger members of the squad, and we wish them all the best for the future.

Player of the Year - Rosie Longman Squad: Martha Bartlett, Charlotte Burton, Freya Cameron-Clarke, Skyla Cannon, Rose Cobden, Sophie Doig, India Finch Hatton, Phoebe Freeman, Hayley George, Emily Gilmour, Ellie Greive, Greta Haller, Honey Halperin, Lily Ingvaldson, Mimi James, Rosie Longman (Capt.), Luli Loveridge, Lottie Rundle, Sara Styra, Tia West.

3rd XI

Kate Flavell & Dr Emily Corrigan Kate Flavell and Milly Corrigan had a great time coaching the 4th XI who were a pleasure to coach. From the outset, the girls showed drive and determination and were keen to learn and improve every step of the way.

The first match of the season was a friendly against Monkton Combe, which was played in sweltering conditions. The girls played well and started to get used to their positions and players around them which resulted in a strong 3-0 victory. Alice Forrester started strongly in midfield. Hayley George was unanimously named Player of the Match due to her fantastic goal assists and forward drives.

The girls took great confidence from this first match going on to win their second game of the season against Bryanston 5-3. Star of this match was Lilian Crossfield, with her hattrick and superb attacking play.

Our best match of the season came next with a 0-0 thriller against Kingswood.

A real end-to-end game which could have gone either way but our defence held up and was managed brilliantly by Sophie Doig in goal. Phoebe Lennard was instrumental in transferring the ball up to our attacking players.

The next two matches against Dauntsey’s and Blundell’s, unfortunately, resulted in losses, due to illnesses and squad changes. However, there were some shining moments in both matches and fantastic play from Florence Carter, Lucy Hackney, Agatha Dawes and Nele Peya kept us in it right until the end. Special mention has to go to Rachel Tudhope for her shear tenacity and bravery which resulted in her saving a short corner with her head - true dedication to the team!

With the last match of the season cancelled, the 3rd XI truly finished on a high with a 4-0 victory over Monkton Combe, with Olivia Hooker being awarded Player of the Match and an 8-0 victory over Clayesmore. The girls played really well as a whole team

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and this match allowed us to see the diversity of the players with the likes of Georgie Neville-Rolfe and Jocelyn Chappell scoring goals.

Although the 3rd XI did not have a fixed goalkeeper, we were hugely grateful for all the amazing goalkeepers who played for us including Sophie Doig, Charlie Warburton and Greta Haller. Without them the results could have been very different!

At the end of the season, special awards were given out, with Florence Carter receiving Player’s Player of the Season, and Samantha Howe receiving the Coaches’ Player of the Season - both girls put their all into every match and adapted to each situation brilliantly. We also said a big thank you and farewell to our amazing captains Lilian Crossfield, Isabella Turton and Sophia Shone. Lilian certainly achieved top goal scorer, Isabella was formidable in defence throughout the term and Sophia’s goal strikes with her floppy trainers and graceful falls will not be forgotten for a long time! They all lead by example and really took the younger

4th XI

Heidi Bell-West & Hannah Townsend Heidi Bell-West and Hannah Townsend had a hugely enjoyable term with an enthusiastic and hard working 4th XI. The 4th XI Girls’ Hockey team started the season with lots of enthusiasm. From the very start of the season, the girls were keen to learn and had a brilliant attitude both on and off the pitch. The first match was against Bryanston at home, with a win that gave the girls the boost they needed to start the season off flying high despite the girls having to deal with some nasty injuries, yet they remained united which was brilliant to see. The girls were outplayed by Kingswood in their

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It was an immensely enjoyable season, and despite challenges along the way the girls really stuck together, and their enthusiasm was infectious. We look forward to seeing most of these girls back out on the pitch next year!

second match but were entertained by Miss Townsend at half time who always had the ability to make them laugh. This team spirit led to a fantastic game against Bruton School for Girls, which was a draw but a thrilling game from start to finish with Miss Townsend losing her voice from cheering!

The next two games of the season unfortunately resulted in losses, despite them being closely fought and no matter what mascots were carried along to matches. Hats off to Francesca Hayward for her heroic dive and smack to the eye standing there saying “I want to go back on!” with Player of the Match Eleanor Williams in fine form.

Girls’ Hockey

members of the team under their wings.

The team finished on a high with the final match a 7-0 win against Clayesmore.

The girls all played so well, but they pushed themselves, and gave Isabella Mason (Player of the Match) the chance to go for more than a hattrick!

All in all, the 4th XI had an enjoyable season. We may not have won every match, but their skills and confidence improved no end. They were a pleasure to coach, and we look forward to seeing these girls back out on the pitch next year!

U15A

Henry Eriksson & Kirsty Fear The U15As had a simply fantastic season, which ran from September through to the very end of the Easter term due to their outstanding cup run. Henry Eriksson and Kirsty Fear hugely enjoyed working with this group.

Despite losing their opening match in a pre-season fixture with Monkton Combe, the King's girls quickly demonstrated their ability with impressive victories against Bryanston (5-1), Sherborne Girls (3-2) and Kingswood (3-2). They went into their ISHC R2 cup match with Millfield School full of confidence and having dominated the first half, King's found themselves 1-0 down at half time. This brought a reaction from Millfield, but the girls kept fighting and managed to get the game back to 2-1 down, however with only seconds left to play, Millfield secured the win with a goal at the death. With

further victories against Exeter School and Dauntsey’s, King's embarked on a hugely impressive run in the ISHC Plate competition. Having comfortably beaten Truro School and King’s Worcester, the team travelled to Grammar School at Leeds for the quarter final. This long away trip demonstrated just what this team is about as they performed brilliantly to win 3-1 and set up a semi-final with Ratcliffe College from Leicestershire. This game was a highlight of the season as it was played at home in front of a large crowd who were certainly treated to a thriller. With King's taking a very early lead, Ratcliffe somehow stayed in the game and equalised with only minutes to go. However, this set up a grandstand finish as King's were awarded a penalty corner on the final whistle. A well worked routine resulted in Emily Weeks scoring which brought scenes of jubilation as King's won 2-1. The final versus Kent College Pembury was a brilliant experience for the team and a lesson in what happens if you don’t take your chances. With King's having a 1-0 lead at half time, the game should have been out of sight, however, credit to Kent College who fought to stay in the game and who themselves scored two very late goals to win 2-1, a cruel way 159

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to end the season, however the team will be stronger for the experience and I very much look forward to them moving into the senior teams next year.

The team’s success was built on a solid defensive platform provided by Alex Griffin, Sophie Coverdale, Florence Wood, Emma Sheldon, Belle Rundle and the outstanding Lucy Duval. The dynamic and exciting midfield of Harriet Vallings, Minty Wakelin, Matilda Green and Lilith Ulrich provided the forward line with great service and who scored an impressive fifty goals in the season. Emily Weeks, Anna Ingvaldson, Lilah Bird, Evie Sansom and Ruby Andrews contributed a huge number of these goals.

U15B

Nick Bunday & Inmaculada Gea Neff Nick Bunday and Inmaculada Gea Neff thoroughly enjoyed their season with the U15Bs, who were a super bunch to coach and who were not without talent either.

Captained by the ever-vocal Samira Porter and based very much on the determined efforts of Centre Half, Winifred Dawes, the girls won their first and last matches of the season against Monkton Combe and Queen’s Taunton respectively. The intervening four games were, sadly, lost: the matches against Bryanston and Dauntsey’s could have gone either way but, in the end, were decided only by a single goal. The match against a very skilful Blundell’s team was a really good game and the goal that the girls did score

was really well worked and showed that they could compete against a very good team. The less said about the match against Kingswood the better, as the girls really failed to show up which was a little disappointing!

The skill levels of all the girls improved markedly throughout the season because they listened and trained well. Impressive was the hard running of the likes of Hannah Motojima, Maisie Rees, and Cara Buck which was fundamental to the team’s performance. Also worthy of note were the efforts of Lynn Yang, Sandra Jaque Burgos and Carlotta von Klitzing playing in their first ever season. All in all, whilst reviewing the entire season, the girls should be congratulated on their level of commitment and improvement. Results count for very little in the final analysis as it was clear that the girls enjoyed their season and improved steadily throughout - what more could the coaches ask for?!!

U14A

Chris White Chris White had an enjoyable season coaching the U14As for their first season of hockey at King's.

The girls had a good first season of hockey at King's Bruton and as it was the first time a lot of them had played together, it took a while for everyone to learn and understand the ways each other player. The team played some exciting, attacking hockey throughout the season, and one of the stand out 160

moments was Ashtyn Taylor, Lucy Belben and Tilly Fisher being selected to play for the U15 side in their exciting cup run. As an U14A side, a major highlight was the game versus Taunton School in the County Tournament where they secured an excellent 2-0 victory. The girls should be very proud of their efforts, and they certainly have an exciting time of Hockey ahead of them at King's.

U14B

Emilie Loveless & Anabel Fonolla-Rodriguez Emilie Loveless and Anabel FonollaRodriguez were so impressed with the improvement and progress that the U14Bs made throughout the course of the term.

The U14Bs worked hard all season to improve and grew enormously as a team.

They learnt to communicate effectively and by the end of the term had improved stick skills, developed offensive and defensive strategies and importantly finished with an impressive 5-1 win against Clayesmore. The whole team showed tenacity and determination and should feel proud of the improved score lines week on week.

Gareth Thompson and George Cole relished the opportunity to run a more formalised football programme at King's as part of the games programme, and it was a competitive season with fantastic attitudes shown by all, with the boys up against teams who had far greater experience.

King's Bruton 1st XI Football squad put up a brave performance in their opening match of the season against Wells Cathedral School. The match began well with a strong strike on goal from Jay Terry. With Wells now on the attack, the King's defence performed with admirable determination as Captain Ed Weekes repeatedly put his own body on the line to keep the ball out of the King's 18-yard box, with goalkeeper Dylan Millard saving those few which got past Ed and the rest of the defence. Sadly, as the match drew on, the Wells team’s experience proved to be the deciding factor, and they eventually won the game 5-1. Jay Terry was deemed Man of the Match by the coaching staff, but all of the players should be really proud of their first performance which demonstrated good teamwork and a positive attitude throughout.

Final Score: 1-5 Man of the Match: Jay Terry

Best performance of the season by a mile, was the away match at Downside.

Having drawn 2-2 at home, we had tentative hopes that we may achieve a positive outcome from the away match.

Playing the first half uphill on a very sloped pitch, we started slowly and were down a goal after 3 minutes and were being overrun in midfield, but as the half matured, the boys took more and more control of the game. From 15 minutes onwards, we were the dominant side, creating attacks which involved the whole team, and which the Downside defence struggled to deal with. The team have practiced passing and moving with intelligence and pace and, as they settled, this came to the fore. We came in at half time 1-0 down but encouraged that we could come back.

During the second half we were camped out in their half more and more as the game wore on, but prone to the counterattack, we were undone, and it was 2-0. More excellent passing and moving led to a pass across the box and Bosley Thomas struck a firm shot that the keeper could not keep out, 2-1.

We had our tails up, but disaster, an intercepted pass left the defence exposed and another breakaway goal doubled the deficit. Attack after attack, chance after chance came and went

until moments from the end, a shot was parried and Felix Stephens was there to smash it into the back of the net, sadly there was not enough time to find an equaliser and we ended up losing 3-2 in a game which we dominated for 55 of the 70 minutes. Bodo Wirth was Man of the Match, as a constant thorn in their side with his creativity and defending from the front.

Final score: 3-2 Man of the Match: Bodo Wirth The final King's Bruton 1st XI Football match of the term took place on Thursday 2nd December against Stonar School. Stonar were keen to get the game underway as soon as they arrived, and that quick pace carried on into the match when they scored an early goal from a corner within the first five minutes.

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Gareth Thompson & George Cole

Football

1st XI Football

The King's team refused to be downhearted and redoubled their efforts to match the intensity of their opposition. Sadly, furious midfield battles between the two teams often ended with Stonar controlling the ball, and King's conceded a second goal before half time.

After a pep talk, the team was ready to try again, and the momentum did seem to shift towards King's for much of the

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second half. An excellent pass into the box from Jack Binns was disappointingly intercepted by the Stonar defence before King's could press the attack, and Captain Aled Downes continued his quest to play in every possible position by rushing around the pitch like a man possessed. As the final whistle blew, the match finished 3-0 to Stonar.

Badminton

Final score: 0-3 Man of the Match: Aled Downes In conclusion the 1st XI has had a challenging first season in 2021, but the coaching staff remain hugely impressed with all of our players and are certain that the team will be able to build on the successes they have had in 2022.

There were some memorable moments throughout our campaign which include Bodo’s sensational flying headed goal against Downside at home.

Including Sam Loughrey’s memorable outstanding flying save against Milton Abbey along with his shot stopping ability from range was a tremendous asset to the team during Dylan’s absence with a broken arm. Dylan’s commitment to the team did not go unnoticed as both goalies put their bodies on the line even against the run of play.

We look forward to growing as a team and improving on results in the coming season, as we’ve been working with the junior and senior boys teams during activities session to build on the culture of Football here at King's.

Most Improved Player of the Season: Luca Wigley Players’ Player of the Season: Bosley Thomas Coaches’ Player of the Season: Jack Binns

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Badminton Callum Forder & Tomi Owens Callum Forder and Tomi Owens took great joy in overseeing the badminton programme in the Christmas term.

This was a highly successful and enjoyable term of badminton for all pupils involved. They started off the season well and their second match was against a very strong Wells Cathedral team, which included some players who regularly compete at national and international tournaments.

In the doubles, Harry Allen and Felix Smith played some of their best badminton of the season so far against some very skilful opponents. They displayed good technique and good movement throughout the entire match.

Even though they didn’t secure the win they both took many positives from the game. The first King's doubles pairing of Johnny Yang and SiRu Chen also played well, drawing admiring comments from the Wells coach for their touch and flair, and they enjoyed some intense rallies with the Wells players. The 1st team also had some memorable matches against Sherborne and Downside, with all matches being played in good spirit and with a positive attitude.

It was a pleasure to be leading badminton this term and I can say with confidence that because of the challenging drills and exercises set during games session, all pupils have improved their technique and overall badminton ability.

Boys’ Hockey Despite the boys’ hockey teams collectively finishing the season slightly below the targeted 50% win ratio, fundamentally, it has been fantastic to see a full boys’ hockey season take place again, having not happened for two years. What pleased me most was the progress of all the teams throughout the course of the season and the undoubted improvement of all the teams is representative of the quality of coaching and support that staff give the pupils.

1st XI

Henry Eriksson The 1st XI were certainly evidence of just this as they produced arguably their best performance of the season in their last match versus a talented Dauntsey’s side. Despite being depleted and missing some players, they all stepped up to win 4-2, with goals from Oscar Price, Malte Weizmann and Archie Frost securing victory. The side should also be congratulated on reaching the last 16 of the Independent Schools Hockey Cup as well as the Tier 3 National Schools’ Competition with both competitions seeing the team produce some excellent performances.

There were some excellent performances throughout the course of the season, with the back four being well marshalled by Mats Sander and Will Bird, whilst Will Owen was the most improved senior player as well as one of the standout 1st XI players.

Both Julius Von Velsen and Sam Loughrey performed consistently at half back with the midfield of Aled Downes, Kit Wood, Archie Hunter and Hugo Fisher, providing dynamism, competitiveness and quality on the ball to launch our attacks. The forward line of Oscar Price, Dylan Millard, Archie Frost, Malte Weizmann, Freddie James and Hugo Walker all contributed goals with Freddie and Aled Downes finishing top of the goal scorers chart.

A huge thank you must go to captain

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Aled Downes and vice-captain Kit Wood for their outstanding leadership shown throughout the course of the season.

Not only did they lead by example, but they were exemplary both on and off the pitch, and were instrumental in driving high standards and expectations of one another. Thank you also to the U6th leavers for all of the time and effort they have given to hockey in their time at King's.

2nd XI

Will Stainton & Tim Fletcher Will Stainton and Tim Fletcher enjoyed a season of 2nd XI hockey, whereby the boys showed their competitive spirit throughout the season.

Boys’ Hockey

Most notably, the victory on penalty strokes versus King’s College Taunton was a particular highlight as Murray Hendrie in the King's goal pulled off some incredible saves. Equally, the 2-1 victory versus a strong and confident Wells Cathedral team demonstrated the potential of this team, as goals from Hugo Fisher and an outstanding team goal finished by Freddie James was enough to give the team victory.

Other highlights included the hard fought 2-1 victory versus Exeter School which showed the fighting spirit and togetherness of the team, which was a feature evident throughout the course of the season.

It was great to see a 2nd Team with so much opportunity and flexibility.

The team was never the same for more than one fixture, with players moving to and from the 1st and 3rd XI. Despite a lack of continuity, this bore a fiercely competitively spirit which translated into the fixtures at the weekend.

After a slow start to the season against Monkton, we saw a growth throughout the rest of season and a series of closely fought fixtures.

At the end of January, the team travelled away to face Wells Cathedral School. Coming off the back of two draws, it was a must win game for the team. All of the squad pulled together, scoring three well worked team goals

and kept a quick, counter-attacking team from scoring.

The most difficult game of the season came next, at home to Kingswood School. After watching the 1st XI play, the team knew they were in for a tough afternoon on Tyndall’s. However, the team worked exceptionally hard and were only 1-0 down at the break. With much of the position in the second half, the equaliser evaded the team and Kingswood were clinical from a short corner. Despite the loss, it was an incredible team effort with some fantastic hockey on show.

Unfortunately, a couple of weeks off meant a drop in the intensity, and this was evident in a subpar performance against Clayesmore School. Despite having much of the possession, the goals evaded the team, and the boys were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.

This was certainly the motivation they needed, and two wins back-toback followed against Queen’s College, Taunton at home and Wellington School away. Two brilliant results 163

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against good opponents. The final game of the season was away at Dauntsey’s School, a notoriously tricky fixture. It was a beautiful sunny day, with a keen wind, but perfect conditions. The game started well with shared possession and territory. However, the 2nd XI lacked poise in front of the goal and missed a couple of opportunities. Unfortunately, Dauntsey’s managed to score a goal in each half to win the final game of many of the teams’ hockey career at King's 2-0.

Boys’ Hockey

Overall, a good season with a brilliant bunch of young men.

3rd XI

Gervase Gordon Gervase Gordon thoroughly enjoyed his first season of coaching hockey at King's Bruton and with the support of Will Daws, saw the 3rd XI have a good season. The 3rd XI enjoyed an inconsistent, but exciting season of competitive hockey, and it was fantastic to be able to enjoy a full term of fixtures, after the turmoil of recent years. The ‘spine’ of the team - Keeper Joe Walsh, Centre Backs Barnaby Charles and Felix Burton, Centre Halves Bertie Hopkins and Oliver Lock, together with Centre Forward Felix Stephens - were compact and often gave us a competitive edge.

When working together, they had the ability to produce periods of dominance and moments of dazzling teamwork.

The team’s performances improved significantly as the season progressed, culminating in a convincing 4-1 victory against Clayesmore (including a Felix Stephens hattrick) which represented a 6-goal swing from the first fixture earlier in the season. Other big wins came against Monkton Combe (5-1), Blundell’s (3-0, with prolific scoring from Oliver Mepham) and Wellington (6-1).

The most improved player was arguably Carl Luring - promoted to the team from the 4th XI, he made an immediate impact with his tenacious tackling in defence and his probing runs into midfield. A special mention must go to Joe Walsh, who often led from the back and saved us in key moments - opposition coaches frequently commented on his mature control of the defensive area and his complete commitment to the cause.

In summary, despite a couple of disappointments, it was a fun, successful season with some memorable highs along the way.

4th XI

Duncan Ericson & Dan Cupit The 4th XI squad worked closely with the 3rd XI this year, as players moved back and forth between the two groups creating an easy camaraderie between the teams. The 4th XI developed well over the course of the season as our tactics, and our results, improved. Archie StewartCox has grown into a capable defensive leader who understands how to make the most of his fellow defenders, to tackle and mark attacking players appropriately.

Joe Walsh’s enthusiasm for his role as goalkeeper was truly infectious, and everyone was deeply impressed when he stepped up time and again in matches for both the 4ths and the 3rds. Darius Joseph excelled in motivating his teammates and always kept morale high on the pitch. He formed a very effective partnership with Toby Gillam, as the two players were able to move the ball well and find good positions to attack the opposition. It’s a great shame that several matches were cancelled this season when opposition teams could not field enough players.

The 4th XI would only have improved with more match time. As it was, they finished the year with a respectable win-

loss record of played 6, won 3, lost 3.

Both coaches, Mr Cupit and Mr Ericson, look forward to seeing how the players improve their performance in their future seasons at King's.

U15A

Josh Godfrey Josh Godfrey was delighted to see his talented U15A team be named Team of the Term after an excellent season. After a slow start in the first weekend of the season against Monkton, the U15As enjoyed a hugely successful season, losing only one further match of their remaining block fixtures. The team conceded very few goals across the matches that they played, and opposition teams found it very difficult to create chances against us, with a defensive core of Felix Mounde and captain Ben Longman dominating this area of the pitch. When chances were created, Ronnie Frost was on hand in goal to produce saves and keep us in matches.

As the season progressed the regular work in training on goalscoring began to pay off, and we were able to start beating teams by larger margins. Charlie Galpin deserves special mention for leading the forward line with outstanding energy, and he was rewarded by being able to add to his goal tally in the final few games. In addition to their weekend matches, the U15s also had a brilliant cup run, making it through to the last 16 of the Independent School’s Cup after a nail-biting win on penalty strokes against Bristol Grammar School, before being knocked out by a very strong team from Reed’s School.

This was an extremely enjoyable group to coach, with lots of natural talent, but also a desire to learn and improve, who all contributed to the success that they had. I very much look forward to seeing all these boys playing an important role in senior hockey sides over the coming years.

Player of the Year - Ben Longman Squad: Harry Bishop, Max Cole, Angus Croft, Jago Edmundson, Harry Foot, Ronnie Frost, Charlie Galpin, Tom Hackney, Joe Kilbee, Ben Longman

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The boys began the season well, with thanks to the twelve weeks of training in the Christmas term. This certainly helped the boys to understand the style in which they all play and to start building connections and relationships on the pitch. I was delighted to see Freddie Longman, Tommy Walsh and Rory Micklethwaite be selected to play for the U15As in their successful cup side which reached the Last 16 of the Independent Schools’ Hockey Cup. However, my major highlight was how the boys played in their final games of the season, defeating Wellington School 4-2 before then giving a strong Dauntsey’s team a very good run for their money, eventually going down 4-2. Well done to all of the boys in their first season of hockey at King's and the future is most certainly bright.

(Capt.), Dan Longman, Jeevan Macro, Felix Mounde, Benji Pugh, James Squire.

U15B

Nick Bunday & Will Danskin Nick Bunday and Will Danskin look back upon a highly enjoyable and competitive season of U15B hockey.

The U15Bs had a very competitive fixture list this year which saw us win two, draw one and lose three. Those that we lost were by fine margins and were generally good games which might have ended differently on another day.

The most gratifying thing however, was not the results, but rather the manner in which the team blossomed as the season progressed.

The team was very much built around our midfield power houses of Toby Farragher and Sunny Jessett (captain and vice-captain respectively) as well as a hard running inside forward in Oliver Price, a strong full back in Thomas Buck and a very good goalkeeper in Louis Roberts.

If this was the framework of the team, the remainder of the players provided flair and endeavour. The boys were great value and approached their hockey with enthusiasm and good humour and fought hard in every game. Their skill levels improved markedly throughout the short season and this bodes well for the future.

It was great to see Sunny Jessett be awarded with the Most Improved Junior Player of the Season - an accolade that he richly deserved.

The game of the season was, without doubt, our fixture against Kingswood who had beaten all before them. We held them up until the last ten minutes eventually losing 1–3. However, playing away against a strong side, on a bitterly cold day (on top of Lansdown Hill!) and providing such stiff opposition was a very commendable effort from the boys.

All in all the boys can look back on a good season which, with a little bit more luck, could have been better in terms of results but the measure of a team such as this is the level of improvement which was high. Mr Danskin and I thoroughly enjoyed our season!

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Chris White Chris White and his U14A side certainly hit the ground running following the training they did during the Christmas term in preparation for the season ahead.

Boys’ Hockey

U14A

U14B

Oliver Higgs & Alan Parks Oliver Higgs and Alan Parks reflect on a season with a difficult start but hugely positive second half.

The U14Bs had a tough start to the season, with a draw to Monkton Combe followed by some heavy defeats to some larger schools. This didn’t dent their resolve, and they continued to work hard on their stick skills, passing, and teamwork in training and came together as a team towards the middle of the season. A nervy win at home to Clayesmore proved to be the springboard for an excellent second half of the season. This led to a superb display away at Queen’s Taunton, in a match that was the highlight of the U14Bs season. A third win in a row followed and spirited loss against another large school capped off a season of two halves, in which all the boys showed a great deal of progress, skill, and leadership. Well done to all of the players for their efforts!

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Netball Alex Ireland reflects on an outstanding year of netball where the 1st VII were awarded the Barber Challenge Cup for being the best performing 1st Team across all the sports.

1st VII

Netball

Alex Ireland Having missed a whole netball season, some of the seniors had not played any netball since 3rd Form! However, far from being a concern, this seemed to raise the level of commitment, competition and talent within this group of girls. Ably led by Millie Venner Coombes, in her 4th season in the 1st team, the squad was made up of girls from a mixture of year groups, made up a large squad of 11 girls as the race for a place in the squad was highly competitive.

Squad members - Millie Venner Coombes, Alice Forester, Jenna Coverdale, Sophie Gould, Georgia McDade, Marcia Kennard, Davina Ellis, Anouska Loveridge, Mima Hurst, India Finch-Hatton, Kitty Walker.

The season started with a very competitive game against Wells Cathedral School, with excellent shooting in attack, their shooting was disrupted by player of the match Jenna, in an outstanding debut for the 1sts,

resulting in a 23-19 win.

The next match was possibly the best start to a senior school netball match I have seen at King's Bruton. With confidence growing and a starting position being highly sought after, work rates and effort were at an all time high. Everything seemed to fall into place with even mistakes resulting in goals somehow! After going 10-1 up in the first quarter there was space to make changes and try combinations, all of which continued with great success.

This resulted in a very good 39-28 victory over Monkton Coombe, with India being unstoppable in the shooting circle.

Kingswood is always one of the toughest opponents, often resulting in the best game of netball for our girls, and it was no different this year. With some outstanding Team Bath players within their squad their play was fast and accurate, but encouraged much better performances from King's.

Anouska worked tirelessly in centre court, with the result going against us but the standard of play improving again.

The following weekend was affected by county cross country and Team Bath commitments, however, a slow start meant we were under pressure from the start. Once we re-organised and focused, the expected standard returned and we managed to shoot our way back to a draw, thanks to a cool

and calm performance by Kitty. The following weekend was a triangular hosted by Wellington, including King's and West Buckland. With Issy and Phoebe stepping up to the 1st squad we played 2 fantastic games, despite the physicality, and with Marcia being dominant in centre court won both games comfortably.

Despite another strong performance from Marcia, the following game against Blundell’s, led to only the second loss of the whole season. With more regional team players on the opposition team this was another brilliant game, and again raised the standard of our play.

Building on these performances is paving the way for future improvements in both individual and team play. The final game before half term was against Clayesmore and Anouska again shone in centre court to lead them to a very pleasing win 45-30.

After half term we resumed with a competitive game against King’s College Taunton. After recovering from the shock of having to play outdoors and the subsequent slow start on court, the girls played very well, winning 3124, with Marcia competing positively against a strong willed centre.

The U19 squad then travelled to Taunton for the County Cup. With Taunton School drawn first, we set off at a high pace and kept our cool to pull off an unbelievable draw 9-9! We then proceeded to play very well against

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The final games of the season turned out to be much less competitive than usual and although fun somewhat detracted from the progress we had been making in the more competitive games.

The match against Bryanston was very one-sided and although everyone got to play a range of positions at 1st Team level, was a little deflating. However, Georgia’s progress as a shooter must be recognised! We then played Downside, with a lack of serious competition throughout the court. India shot very well, against their strongest player, leading the team to a 26-9 win. The final game against Prior Park was also a little one sided, however Marcia again led by example in the centre court, with a 52-20 win ending the season on a high.

Overall this was one of the best seasons of netball I have coached at King's Bruton. Marcia was voted Players Player of the Season and India Coaches Player.

Full colours were awarded to India Finch-Hatton.

Half colours were awarded to Millie Venner Coombes, Kitty Walker, Alice Forester, Marcia Kennard and Sophie Gould.

India was also selected to play for Team Bath U17 squad which is a fantastic achievement. We look forward to having the chance to watch her playing in Blue and Gold in the future.

2nd VII

Kate Flavell Kate Flavell reflects on a hugely successful and exciting season for the 2nd

The season got off to a strong start with a closely fought match against Wells, played in the midst of a thunderstorm, in which we held on for an 11-11 draw.

The girls got used to playing together as a team and Emily Gilmour and Isabella Mason worked tirelessly in defence never giving up and making it very hard for the opposition to get into the circle.

They proved to be a formidable pairing.

It was an exciting game to umpire as it showed the true potential of the team so early on in the season.

The second match of the season against Monkton Combe really showed the 2nd VII getting into their stride, they played effective and productive netball and secured a win of 31-23.

Grace Sansom was instrumental in controlling the ball in the centre court - her interceptions and defensive moves were very impressive.

Grace also impressed in the next match against Kingswood, in which she was awarded Player of the Match.

Unfortunately we were unable to match the strong Kingswood side and despite playing well we couldn’t keep up with them resulting in an 11-23 loss.

The next 8 matches were wins and the girls grew in confidence after each match. It was a joy to watch. Particular highlights have to be winning the triangular tournament against Wellington and West Buckland. Eleanor Grieve played superbly in defence and her flying interceptions resulted in many a turnover. The goals were also racked up by Lillian Crossfield, who moved beautifully around the attacking circle and showed consistency and accuracy throughout.

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VII Netball team this year and they were an absolute pleasure to coach. Although a larger squad than usual, the girls rallied together and showed eagerness to learn and improve throughout the term.

Netball

both King’s College and Queen’s College Taunton, winning both games more comfortably. In the semi final we came across a very strong Richard Huish side, loosing at this point. This put us in the 3rd 4th play off where we met Wells Cathedral. They were aiming to overturn the earlier school fixture result, but we held on for a very close 6-5 win! Some fabulous netball to finish 3rd in Somerset.

Another highlight was the 34-23 win against a strong Blundells side - the girls started strongly and with more excellent defending by Emily the opposition didn’t get a look in. The win against King’s Taunton was one of the best matches of the season, with fantastic centre court play by Phoebe Freeman she really showcased her versatility and strength on the court and coupled with Isabella’s strong defence we secured a closely fought 25-22 victory.

Lily Innes and Lily Ingvaldson showed guts and determination throughout the season, but this was highlighted in the tough fixture against Bryanston’s U16 team. Their feeds into the attacking circle were on point and this resulted in a 19-16 win.

Our final success of the season was against Downside. Although by this stage in the term there were a lot of tired girls on the pitch, they did not give up for a second. Jocelyn Chappell’s accurate and skillful shooting, along with Anya Evan’s sublime control in the centre court, and phenomenal work rate, meant that the 2nd VII came out on top 26-13.

Although the last match of the season against Prior Park was a loss, it was one of the best matches played and showcased the hard work that every player had put into making the 167

THE DOLPHIN Netball

season such a success. The Player of the Match was Olivia Nicol, which was very well deserved as she had led by example all season and captained the team with empathy, understanding and enthusiasm. Always dependable on court - it was only fitting that she finished the season with the award.

The 2nd VII girls were a complete joy to coach, there was always laughter and smiles at every training session, and they should all be really proud of their successful season. They worked hard, but above all enjoyed playing together as a team. I am already looking forward to seeing them out on the court next year.

Played 12: Won 9, Drew 1, Lost 2, Goals For = 294

3rd VII

Heidi Bell-West Heidi Bell-West looks back upon a mixed season for the 3rd VII where out of their twelve fixtures we lost 5 and won 7.

The matches, however, were close and the challenges were huge. Our shooters were exceptional throughout and at times had real fun with it, challenging each other to shoot from a distance. Niamh Wright was our Player of the first match against Wells Cathedral School with some great shooting and anticipated play. Olivia

Wastell took on the role after this as an extraordinary shooter for the entire season. Gaining her Player of the Match by the opponents on many occasions.

Especially in our second match against Monkton Coombe.

netball team who had another brilliant season this year - there is no doubt that their enthusiasm, determination and adaptability were the reason that they achieved an impressive 7 wins out of 8 for the season.

In many matches throughout the season our defence really shone through with Isabella Andrew as Goalkeeper and Freya Cameron-Clarke as Wing Defence showing their undeniable skills at intercepting.

We started our first match of the season with keenness and resolve against Wells Cathedral School securing an impressive 10-3 win to kick off the season; driven by Holly Hashmi’s tireless play in the centre court. Next up on the fixture list we faced a wellprepared and skillful Kingswood side.

This was always going to be one of the tougher fixtures of the term, against a much bigger school than King's, but the whole team fought incredibly hard and unified as a team, went on to win convincingly 16-8. It was Martha Bartlett who was awarded the Player of the Match by her teammates for her sheer determination to reach every ball.

As the season progressed more exceptional play and teamwork was practiced, with Charlotte Rundle and Rose Cobden highlighting this with their excellent attacking and Florence Carter and Jessica Vallings holding centre, giving the team all the support and movement it needed.

A great team to coach and work with.

Such a fun atmosphere at all times!

4th VII

Dr Emily Corrigan Emily Corrigan coached the the 4th VII

The next two fixtures of the season saw us face Blundells and Clayesmore where our shooters were the stars of the show. Niamh Wright and Mimi James were awarded the respective players of the match for their consistent and calm approach to shooting. We went on to win both these fixtures quite comfortably 15-12 and 18-5.

Just after half term, the 4th VII team travelled away to King’s College Taunton, for a block fixture in less-thanideal weather conditions. Undeterred by the wind and rain, the team fought incredibly hard through the match, notable performances were from Martha Bartlett and Florence Carter, who were tenacious in their approach to the centre court, working tirelessly to make some incredible interceptions against the very strong King’s College side. Ultimately, we were outplayed by the Taunton side and ended up losing 9-20; this was a very tough fixture away from our home ground and against a well-rehearsed and strong side.

Unphased by the loss at King’s College, we went in to the final three matches of the season with a renewed determination to succeed and a desire to end the season on an upward trajectory.

We faced Bryanston, Prior Park and

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The 4th VII season was a hugely successful one, beating several sides that on paper we should have lost to. Ultimately, the girls worked well together as a team; they were convincing going forward but stalwart in defence too. Thank you for a brilliant season girls; all of you added great skill and fortitude to the side - well done.

5th VII

Rebecca Larsen Rebecca Larsen, in her first term at King's, was delighted at having enough very keen girls to be able to field a 5th team throughout the season.

There was even too many girls wanting to play competitively, resulting in team selections for the fixtures. Sadly, very few other schools can field 5 teams, meaning they played in less games than for the other senior teams. This didn’t dampen the girl’s enthusiasm, desire to learn and team spirit across the season and we have been delighted with the progress that they have made. The girls played 5 fixtures, with the 6th sadly being cancelled.

The season started with an incredible win against Kingswood school in Bath, with the team performing very well together and shooting especially well.

Before half term they played Blundell’s,

U15A

Paul Brice Paul Brice enjoyed working with the talented U15A team this year who worked on improving with every game they played.

The U15A team started the season steadily but found it difficult to maintain consistency throughout a game. They beat Wells Cathedral School comfortably and then lost to a very strong Monkton Combe School team; despite the score line they did compete really well playing much better

than they had in winning the first game.

At times the speed of movement from defence to attack was a joy to see, but this also became their Achilles Heel, where the lack of accuracy playing at such speed often turned the ball over. The team was led well

by Emily Weeks with Emma Sheldon and Harriet Vallings improving their understanding throughout the season ending with much better movement in the attacking third. Lucy Duval excelled at interceptions in the second half of term while Anna Ingvaldson and Matilda Green started to dominate the defensive third. Sophie Coverdale, Lilah Bird and Minty Wakelin fed into the circle with growing confidence as the season progressed. The middle of the season followed a similar pattern, the team would play a fantastic quarter or two but lack of consistency allowed the opposition to stay in games. All of the players worked hard in training to improve this key area but improvement was slow initially.

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resulting in a narrow loss and then a strong victory against Clayesmore.

After returning from the break the girls then played King’s Taunton and Bryanston, both of whom have much larger numbers than us, but despite 2 fantastic team efforts the results went against us. We are delighted to be able to field competitive fixtures at this level and hope to build on this fixture list in the future. Well done to all those who played.

Netball

Downside in quick succession as we neared the end of a brilliant season and following a few personnel changes, we had a team that was working hard for each other and demonstrated that with teamwork and resolve anything was possible. We went on to win those final three fixtures 19-12, 15-15 and 29-7 with Isabel Waller, Hayley George and Luli Loveridge being awarded Players of the Match for each of the games.

The highlight of the season however had to be the final game of the season against a strong Prior Park School.

They finally slowed the pace of their game down, improving the accuracy of their passing and played a truly outstanding game from start to finish.

The game was close throughout with there only ever being a couple of points in it either way. In the final quarter they dug in deep showing all the skills that they had worked on during training to take control finally winning 25-23 in the final minute. I hope that they take great confidence from this as they move into the senior teams next year.

U15B

Paul Charlton Paul Charlton reports on a very pleasing 50/50 season for the U15B netball team.

V Wells won 17-4. A good way to start the season, apart from playing in heavy rain and cold, all the girls demonstrated some good skills and fantastic commitment pulling off a very good win. Player of the Match - Alexina Andrew.

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V Monkton Combe lost 21-9. The girls worked hard throughout but came up against a very big and physical side, playing well in the 1st quarter 4-5 down but then seemed to lose focus for the rest of the game after two injuries. Player of the Match - Cara Buck.

V Queens won 24-4. The girls put behind them last week’s result and played an impressive game putting into practice skills covered in training sessions from the previous week.

The whole team was consistent, but Maisie stood out with her exceptional interceptions and Alexina and Evie working well together in the D. Players of the Match - Maisie Rees and Alexina Andrew.

V West Buckland won 14-3 and Wellington lost 9-3. Another good game played against West Buckland by the girls, showing some very good movement of the ball through the whole court, the shooting duo scoring well but praise must go to the defenders limiting West Buckland to only 1 goal in first quarter and 2 in the last, the standout player from them was Player of the Match Flo Woods. The game v Wellington was a different story as we had to play with only 7 players as Flo and Winnie had to leave for Ten Tors Training on Dartmoor, the team work hard by lost 9-3.

V Blundell’s lost 22-3. Going to Blundell’s knowing it was going to be

a big ask with players still off turned out to be right, the girls played hard throughout but Blundell’s were just too strong. Players of the Match - picked by Blundell’s, Flo Wood & Winnie Dawes.

V Clayesmore lost 25-8. Not the best way to finish this half of team again having players away at Hockey and Clayesmore playing a few A players made it a hard task for the girls. The team worked hard throughout and played some very good netball in the middle thirds and can come away with heads held high. Players of the Match - Olivia Walker & Alexina Andrew V King’s College lost 29-5. Again, coming up against a very strong B team, the girls continue to work hard and do not let they heads go down.

We just need to keep the attitude and commitment up for the final 2 games. I would like to thank Edie who stepped up from the Cs to play for the Bs and played very well. Player of the Match - Flo Wood playing Centre & Alexina Andrew.

A great end to the season for the girls winning both games, at home V Bryanston won 18-5 player of the match Maisie Rees then away V Prior Park winning, 12-8. Players of the Match - Hannah Motojima and Winnie Dawes.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the final two games due to Covid. I

would like to thank the girls for their hard work and enthusiasm shown throughout the season, in training and on match days. Each member of the team was a delight to work with.

U15C With the number of girls continuing to grow at King's, it is exciting that we can now produce an U14C and an U15C team and places were competitive!

They kicked off the term with a tough match against Blundell’s where Edie was crowned Player of the Match in her first game for King's, this was followed quickly by a brilliant 13 all draw against Clayesmore with Flo Kay and Coralie Smith as Players of the Match. Then after a quick half term break they faced King’s College Taunton and although this was a tough defeat, with Flo Kay and Jessica Russell claiming players of the match, the U15Cs quickly bounced back and ended the term with a brilliant double win. First against Bryanston (Player of the Match - Alicia) and then the following week against Prior Park (Players of the Match Satine Miles and Jessica Russell). It was wonderful to watch them end on a high as their last time in their year group and we look forward to watching them all progress into the senior team next year.

U14A

Beth Griffiths Beth Griffiths thoroughly enjoyed working with this talented group of netballers.

After a long 2 years with very little netball and 19 months without a fixture, we were ready to hit the ground running with our new 3rd Form pupils this year. The girls attended a preseason session in September, and we appeared be starting another year with a strong group of girls who all had a great attitude, fantastic potential and a lot of competition for team places.

The first goal was to hold our own in the Somerset County Tournament and that’s what we did. With lots of new 170

U14B

Emilie Loveless

combinations to try, the girls produced some promising performances, they worked hard for their place on the court and we all left wanting more netball!

When the netball term finally arrived we reduced the U14A team to 9 players and it was clear to see that we had lots of centre court players, but fewer comfortable playing at either end, however, the girls were all happy to try all sorts of different line ups. We knew we had a tough fixture list though and we started with a small 9-13 defeat to Wells Cathedral (Player of the Match - Polly Rawlingson-Plant) we bounced back with a great win against Monkton Coombe 27-8 goals (Player of the Match - Ashtyn Taylor). Once again another narrow defeat to Queen’s College, losing 7-13 (Player of the Match - Abigail Waller). Then came my match of the term with a nail biting draw 20 goals each against Wellington (Player of the Match - Olive Evans).

Emilie Loveless ponders a season which was a tale of two halves for the U14Bs. The team started with four convincing wins, but as the term went on, the level expected of them increased against some very strong teams and they finished on 50% win to loss. Special mention to Mae Larsen and Grace Crossfield for their excellent shooting and Eva Quinn for her aggressive defence as GK. The whole team grew tactically as the term went on and displayed excellent team spirit stepping into positions when needed.

After 2 years away from the netball court it was great to be able to see every 3rd Form girl playing in a team this year.

Some with more netball experience than others but all full of energy and enthusiasm! Their fixtures started on an incredibly wet Saturday with a brilliant 7-2 win over Wells Cathedral, with Lilah Burke taking a great lead on the court and quite rightly earning the Player of the Match for their opening game. This was followed by a tough loss against Wellington with Isla McIntosh being recognised at the Player of the Match. The girls bounced back with a nail-biting 7-6 win over Blundell’s with Grace Wilkes as our Player of the Match. On a winning roll they then had their most successful match beating Clayesmore 10-2 in unstoppable fashion, with Jemma Webb and Grace Stafford as Players of the Match, and then another memorable win beating King’s College Taunton 16-14 with Jemma and Lilah gaining their second Player of the Match titles.

Unfortunately ended the season with a tough defeat against Bryanston but they can look back at a very successful season of 4 wins and 2 defeats with pride. As a team they progressed well and some of the players should be pushing for a place in the Bs next year!

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U14C

Netball

and was quite righty awarded with the most Improved Junior Player of the Year. She went from strength to strength, more and more interceptions as the games progressed and I think she has an exciting netball future ahead of her. I have been delighted with the skills and tactics that the whole squad has developed this season, their positive attitudes and determination to succeed, and look forward to coaching and watching these players in the future.

We then ended the term with three big tough fixtures. Blundell’s, King’s College Taunton and Bryanston. I was incredibly impressed with their performance against Blundell’s even though they lost by 4 goals, they truly raised their game against a good team (Player of the Match - Indigo CameronClarke, with Tilly Fisher and Olive again for the final 2 games).

Our Player of the Season went to Polly, who worked tirelessly in defence, 171

THE DOLPHIN Cross Country

Cross Country It has been wonderful to see Guyan Mitra take on the organisation of the cross-country programme and he has enjoyed his first term at the helm.

Running over the icy mud trails of January through to the blossoming daffodil fields of March, the seasonality of Spring term cross country is always a joy. More so this year with the return of competitive meets. Max Palmer was at the head of the field for most events - winning the individual Downside season opener at a canter. Max spent most of the season ‘running up’ an age group, competing with runners two years older, regularly finishing in and around the podium places. The team, led by captain Luca Wigley, performed admirably at the Bryanston and Clayesmore meets, while the toughest relay on the circuit - according to reputation - was hosted here at King's.

The girls performed particularly well at our home event: Anya Evans finishing second in the senior category.

The highlight of the cross-country calendar, the annual Inter-House Cross Country event, saw 96 pupils complete the gruelling 2km relay, in suitably swampy conditions. In both the senior and junior boys’ competitions, Lyon House galloped to victory. The Lyon juniors coming in over 5 minutes ahead of the second place New House competitors, with Ben Longman clocking the fastest junior lap at 9.48.

Max Palmer recorded the fastest time of the day at a lightning 9.06. In the girls’ events, Priory did the double in both junior and senior events. Lucy Duval leading the juniors with a time of 10.53 and Anya Evans at the head of the senior pack at 10.19.

The tri-weekly - all welcome, all ability - training sessions saw us traverse the surrounding hills, fields and woodlands of the surrounding valley ably assisted by the team: Mr Jeffrey, Mrs Simper, Mr Hambleton and Mr Barrow. Many thanks goes out to them for their ceaseless energy and assistance.

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The Inter-House Cross-Country was great fun, despite the swampy conditions Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs.

The first cross country Marden Trophy for 3 years Please click or scan the QR Code to read the news story, which includes photographs and video.

The 1st Team enjoyed some nail biting matches during the course of the season where they had some tough battles and close encounters, and because of this, their table tennis skills developed immensely.

They started off the season playing against an experienced Downside team where Johnny Yang and Phillipp Bruhns both started off strongly, having some close matches in both their singles and doubles. However, they triumphed after some long cross court exchanges where they both managed to win their singles matches. Harry Allen and Louis Whitaker also displayed some consistent rallying, particularly with the forehand drive, unfortunately, they both made some unforced errors at pivotal moments which cost them the game.

It was wonderful to see table tennis offered as a full games option and it has provided us with a foundation upon which this programme can grow in the coming years. It was a huge success and all pupils stepped up to the occasion and gave it 100% in all matches. As a result of this I am confident that table tennis will continue to grow at King's in the future.

Callum Forder has been delighted with the large number of pupils opting to play tennis and is highly encouraged with both the participation and performance of the teams.

I would like to start by thanking all staff for their commitment and dedication this term. All staff have done a great job of keeping almost 100 pupils engaged during training sessions and matches.

It has been a fantastic season so far with some memorable matches being played.

The boy’s 1st Team competed in the LTA National Schools Championships for the first time. They were up against a strong West Buckland team, which included pupils who regularly compete in international tournaments. Archie Martyn-Smith had an epic opening singles match with some lung busting rallies. He managed to win 7-5 2-6 (107) in just over 2 hours. Oliver Wade also had a tough match against the number one ranked player in England for the U14 age group. Unfortunately, despite fighting hard until the last point, he lost 6-1 6-2. This was a great experience for the 1st Team in which they took many positives from.

mistakes made against Taunton and defeated all three Downside teams in a match that was played with good intensity. India Finch-Hatton, the 1st Team captain, and her partner Jemima Hurst have maintained an impressive win percentage. In their most recent match versus Clayesmore, they managed to win all three matches comfortably.

I have been impressed with the level of tennis across all teams. They have managed to take the information from lessons and apply it on the match court. They not only have continued to develop as tennis players, but as individuals too. Well done on a fantastic season of tennis.

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Callum Forder and Tomi Owens enjoyed running table tennis as a full games option in the Easter term.

Table Tennis and Tennis

Table Tennis Tennis

The U15A had a fast start to the Summer term. They started off with four wins in a row against schools such as Taunton, Wells Cathedral and Downside. The 1st pairing of Lilah Bird and Victoire Daulon finished the first half of term by winning an impressive 12/15 matches. The U15B have also had some very close matches. The most recent win was an impressive 9-0 win over Clayesmore.

The team included Flo Wood, Lucy Duval, Indigo Cameron-Clarke, Tilly Fisher, Emily Young and Sami Porter.

They all demonstrated consistent groundstrokes, accurate serving, and good footwork in all three matches.

The senior girls have had a tricky fixture list with some tough matches beginning the summer term with an 8-1 loss to Taunton. However, the following week they rectified the 173

THE DOLPHIN Cricket

Cricket Chris White is proud of the high standard of cricket being played this term.

We have managed to field three senior sides, four junior sides and two girls’ sides most weeks, which is excellent because we are giving all the pupils who want to participate in a cricket fixture the opportunity to do so. The girls’ programme has been a popular option which has been great to see this summer, and they played the first ever girls’ competitive fixture vs Sherborne which King's won with Florence Carter taking 5 for 10 off her 4 overs. The 1st XI and U15A teams have taken the challenge upon themselves to take on some bigger schools this year including Blundell’s and Sherborne. The positive result we achieved versus Blundell’s in the 1st XI fixture was excellent, beating them by 6 wickets with everyone in the team having a role to play. A couple of standout performances from the season included Will Owen getting 5 for 31 against the MCC and Daniel Joseph getting 5 for 5 against Warminster School.

The U15s had a slightly tougher season, due in part, to having lost the likes of Ben Longman, Felix Mounde and Ronnie Frost to the 1st XI on occasions. However, with these boys playing up in the 1st Team, it gives the others a real opportunity to perform with both the bat and ball but at the same time also challenges the likes of Ben, Felix, and Ronnie in the 1st Team.

Another exciting fixture we played was our first T10 competition at Downside, with the King's boys defeating both Downside and Wells very comfortably.

The cricket is growing in strength with each and every year, and it is an exciting time for new Head of Cricket, Ben Crump, who has got a really good group of new 3rd Form coming in next year. With the talented 4th and L6th moving into the 5th and U6th it will mean they will get the opportunity to play with each other week in week out

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with each other. Credit must also go to our cricket professional Mark Davis for the extensive work that goes into the off season with a focus on pupils improving their technical game in preparation for the Summer.

Finally, I would like to say thank you and well done to a few individuals.

We thank Daniel and Darius Joseph for all they have contributed to the King's Cricket Programme and we congratulate Jay Terry who has made his debut for the Somerset Men’s 2nd XI whilst continuing to excel in a strong Somerset academy side. 2022 has been a fantastic season and huge credit must go to all the staff and players.

Combined Events

The season started very quickly with the Somerset Combined events competition held at Yeovil Arena. We entered 2 boys who showed enormous promise in early training, but who had never even been onto a tartan athletics track before! The boys had 2 weeks training to learn the 5 events required for junior boys pentathlon - Hurdles, High jump, long jump, shot putt and 800m.

Rory Micklethwaite and Robert Brand started the competition with a fantastic hurdles event, Rory winning it and Robert producing a strong PB. Rory then threw a massive 9.42 in shot, with Robert throwing 7.87. In long jump Robert jumped a promising 4.37m and Rory a huge 4.93. The high jump was going to be an influential event and with limited practice and no competition experience the nerves were running high.

However, both boys did exceptionally well, with Robert winning the event with 1.55 and Rory close behind with 1.52.

With only the 800m left, and the boys lying in 1st and 4th overall this was an important event. Neither had run an 800 before, but Robert stayed with the pack and produced a good time to move in to 3rd place in the competition. Rory was more worried and set off a little slowly but completed the event, and although he dropped to 2nd overall, he was behind a guest and Rory was therefore crowned Somerset County Champion! Both boys have been selected to represent Somerset

One of the best competitions of the athletics calendar is the English School Cup team competition. This is run in 2 age groups, of which we have Inter girls and boys, from 3rd and 4th Form. Each team is made of 14 athletes, covering 22 events plus a relay - 2 events per athlete, one track and one field. This often means pupils are required to learn a new event or compete at a new event to ensure the team has the best chance to score the most points. The scores are made up from a points chart, according to the actual performance rather than the finishing position. The top 8 scores from the Southwest go forward to the A final and next 8 to the B final.

We had a very strong team in both the girls and boys events, with pupils who often compete in tennis or cricket as well.

The field events are run first, with notable performances from Robert - High jump, Benji and Emily - Triple jump, Matilda Discus and Minty - Javelin. This left both teams in strong positions going into the track events. With very good hurdling from all 4 athletes - Benji, Emily, Polly and Rory, great 1500 from Charlie and Lucy, 800 from Henry, Matilda and Harriet the teams finished the day in a very good position. Both teams finished the day in 2nd place, with over 150 points. This was also enough to qualify for the B final in Exeter after half term.

The Regional round of the English School’s Cup was held straight after half term, and unfortunately clashed with the art trip, meaning a few key athletes were unavailable. This, however, did mean that other pupils were given the chance to participate and experience competition at this level. This round had a higher standard and better competition in every event. However, the boys team really stepped up their performances and with notable high scores coming from Robert, Henry, Benji, Ben and Charlie over the 2 events. Sidney who competed for the first time scored 21 points in just one event, with Harry stepping into the 300 and performing especially well. Together they scored 379 which is better than the first round. The girls were missing far more of their original team, and we were

Before half term we had the first area athletics competition since C19. This is the event where all schools from Yeovil area nominate their top 3 athletes from every event to compete for a place in the county trials. We took over 50 pupils to Yeovil athletics arena and had 38 selected to represent Yeovil at the Somerset County trials. Significant performances came from Robert, Rory, Sam, Lucy, Ashtyn and Polly in 3rd Form.

Emily, Lucy, Matilda, Harriet, Benji, Charlie, Ben, Henry, Sunny, Toby and Anna in 4th Form. Despite many of the older pupils being unable to compete due to exams or low numbers many of them were selected on past performances.

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Alex Ireland reflects on of the most successful athletics seasons in recent times, made even more pleasing by the fact that it is the first full season in three years.

Meets

delighted with the effort and enthusiasm shown by the girls who completed the team. Top scorers were Matilda, Emily, Polly and Minty, with Olive and Eddie giving a valuable contribution in their first competitions. Well done to everyone who competed in this very prestigious event.

Athletics

Athletics

in the Southwest event at the end of term.

Somerset Athletics trials were held on Saturday 11th June at Yeovil Arena. We had 38 athletes selected in various events.

The day started with a fantastic personal best by Robert, jumping 166 in high jump to be crowned County Champion and only 4cm off the National entry standard. Rory came runner up in the long jump and then went onto the track and won the junior boys hurdles. Polly also ran well in the hurdles finishing 2nd.

In the distance events Joe came 2nd in the senior boys 800m, James 3rd in the senior boys 1500, Anya 2nd in the senior girls 1500 steeple chase and Max 2nd in the inter boys 3000m.

In the field events we had 2 county champions in triple jump - Emily and Benji, both in the inter age group and Ben won the pole vault in his first competitive event. Matilda was runner up in the inter girls discus and Anna came 3rd in the inter girls 300m. Sunny was 2nd in the triple jump and Luke was 2nd in the senior boys long jump.

Overall we had 5 County Champions and wish any of them who are selected the best of luck in the South West competition later in the season.

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Swimming Heidi Bell-West reflects fondly on an enjoyable term after the significant disruptions Covid has caused swimming.

Swimming and Health Related Fitness

Following the success of the InterHouse swimming event at the start of the Summer term, the swimming squad has gone from strength to strength. It has been a few years since we had a swimming team and it is looking very promising for next season already!

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Delays due to Covid and swimming pool closures meant that the pupils were not always able to train, let alone race.

However, we took a girls’ team initially to Godolphin Girls School in Salisbury for their first race in November. The standard was very high and the losses many. This did not deter any of them and the fun of it all meant that more pupils were keen to participate in the

next round. We decided to take on Godolphin again and this time it was a different story. We lost but only by 6 points with the races being very close and the cheering very loud!

In the penultimate gala of the year, we took a mixed team of 16 swimmers to Queen’s Taunton. This was a thrilling match with some very close races. The winning score really doesn’t do justice to Queen’s who put up a fight throughout the gala. However, our dominance in the relays gave us a win of 29-9.

Inter-House swimming will be back in its usual slot at the end of the Christmas term at the Hazlegrove pool, and I would like to thank them for all their support and use of the pool for training each week.

Health Related Fitness Under the guidance of Marie Goffe, the Health-Related Fitness games option has continued to grow and be a meaningful option for those less motivated by playing team sport.

We have had another great year in Health-Related Fitness, the games choice for those that do not take part in Team sports. This year’s options included yoga with our resident professional Clare Torday, weight training, 5km runs, aerobic fitness, tennis and rounders. The year ended with an option to take part in mixed football. Whilst the pupils have had lots of fun, they have all also improved their fitness levels. HRF will certainly be back next year!

Last season ended with a team trip to Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire for the British Showjumping Just for Schools National Finals. The teams qualified for both the 90 and 1m classes and we knew they had a good chance in both. Set in an amazing venue, the atmosphere was very electric. The team of Anouska Loveridge, Emily Weeks, Lilah Bird and Freya Cameron-Clarke.

The 1m team came a close 2nd and in the 90cm class the team won, being crowned National Champions!

Anouska was crowned County Champion at KSEC in December, in the NSEA Inter School’s County Finals, winning the 1m class and coming 2nd in the 90cm class. The team also won this competition, qualifying for the finals, however, due to other riding commitments the team couldn’t go to the Finals. This meant that Anouska travelled as an individual to the National finals at Hickstead in May. Anouska competed at these championships and finished a very pleasing 10th in the 90cm and 9th in the 1m class. Well done!

Throughout the winter we have entered several Eventers Challenge competitions. The highlights of these have been Emily coming 5th in the 1m class at KSEC, and Marcia qualifying

for the finals at Hickstead, coming 3rd in a later competition. Well done to everyone who competed.

The riders are also competing at a high level individually which is a pleasure to watch. Emily Weeks has been longlisted for Great Britain Pony Trials Squad, with the view to competing in the European Championships in Poland in August. This is a fantastic achievement, from years of hard work and dedication, working through the British Eventing levels. She also represented the South West team at the BE U18 Championships.

Marcia Kennard has begun eventing at British Eventing Novice level. She won her BE U18 in October and has

success over the summer. Well done to all the riders who’s time and effort has earnt them a huge amount of success this year.

THE DOLPHIN

Alex Ireland can once again reflect on another season whereby the the equestrian team have excelled themselves in a range of competitions this year, with some national finals still to come over the summer holidays.

Equestrian

Equestrian

now moved up a level on her new horse.

We look forward to seeing her progress.

Anna Ingvaldson was also selected for the BE 90 U18 South West team. She is currently aiming for a place on the South West team again this summer.

We also had a team qualify for the very prestigious Windsor Horse Show Inter Schools Competition. The team made up of Lilah Bird, Anouska Loveridge, Anna Ingvaldson and Freya Cameron-Clarke travelled to Windsor in May. They competed very well and finished a very promising 5th. Anouska was also the winner of the class, as the best individual. We hope to go one better than this next year!

We look forward to hearing of more 179

THE DOLPHIN Team Photos

1st XV Rugby

Standing (L to R): T. Hodge, A. Frost, W. Owen, L. Hutchinson, J. Muminov, F. Mornement, O. Baldwin-Battersby Middle (L to R): O. Gasson-Hargreaves, I. Pugh, G. Field, G. Johnson, R. Dicker, J. Hyland Sitting (L to R): O. Price, F. James, K. Wood, L. O’Grady, M. Hendrie, J. Newcombe, J. Read

U14A Rugby

Standing (L to R): H. Hepburn, H. Grieve, L. Jennings, T. Richards, H. Lewis, F. Longman Middle (L to R): J. Anderson, J. Veysey, O. Burfield, K. Dixon, W. Hart, S. Hooper, T. Ashraf Sitting (L to R): O. Weir, B. Harris, F. Carter, L. Dicker, S. Moore, L. Edgar, T. Walsh, G. Small

3rd XI Hockey

Standing (L to R): F. Carter, S. Howe, A. Forrester, G. Neville Rolfe, J. Chappell, N. Peya, L. Hackney, L. Hooker, R. Tudhope Sitting (L to R): P. Lennard, A. Dawes, S. Shone, L. Crossfield, L. McDade, I. Turton, C. Warburton

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2nd XV Rugby

Back Row (L to R): O. Mepham, M. Sander, F. Burton, W. Hawkins, H. Fisher, L. Cao, M. Hayward, A. Hunter Standing (L to R): H. Walker, C. White, C. Smith, A. Stewart-Cox, A. Martyn-Smith, T. Gillam, C. Meyer, L. Farrell, O. Wade, W. Riley, W. Bird Sitting (L to R): L. Cortes, C. Luring, R. Melillo, B. Haywood, B. Fry (C), H. Strevens, J. Von Velsen, O. Stuart, E. Weekes

U14B Rugby

Standing (L to R): J. Owens, D. Jenkins, W. Childs, A. Atkinson, A. Greenwood Middle (L to R): F. Empson, F. Harrington, O. Bell, R. Brand, J. Hashmi, E. Bowles Sitting (L to R): J. Perez-Villamil, J. Zagoritis, A. Starkey, G. White, O. Curry, S. Chen, T. Birkbeck

4th XI Hockey

Standing (L to R): H. Hashmi, R. Thornton, F. Hayward, I. Waller, D. O’Connor, E. Williams, F. Jones, N. Koegel, M. Millie, G. Kay Sitting (L to R): M. Jessett, J. Hille, E. Harper, I. Andrew, G. Sansom, I. Mason, C. Warburton

THE DOLPHIN 1st XI Hockey

Standing (L to R): S. Styra, E. Walter, M. Kennard, D. Ellis, K. Walker, M. Venner Coombes, L. Innes, B. Hipp, G. Boldt, E. Duval Sitting (L to R): S. Doig, A. Loveridge , J. Vallings, S. Gould (Capt), A. Evans, J. Heidersdorf, G. McDade

U15A Hockey

Standing (L to R): B. Rundle, H. Vallings, F. Wood, A. Ingvaldson, E. Sansom, L. Bird, M. Wakelin Sitting (L to R): E. Sheldon, R. Andrews, L. Duval, L. Ulrich, A. Griffin

U15B Rugby

Standing (L to R): D. Woods, F. Bernier, F. Walburn, H. Hubbard Middle (L to R): L. Roberts, F. Watts, H. Foot, A. Scott, S. Young, T. Poyntz, M. Cole, D. Bradbury Sitting (L to R): H. Matkevich, O. Price, W. Jackson, S. Jessett, C. Binns, J. Kilbee, C. Carr

Team Photos

U15A Rugby

Standing (L to R): B. Longman, A. Mulford, K. Cierach, H. Bishop, C. Galpin Middle (L to R): T. Farragher, T. Hackney, F. Mounde, R. Frost, L. Weston, B. Pugh, J. Macro, R. McGlynn-Fry Sitting (L to R): M. Hopkins, J. Squire, D. Longman, H. Heggarty, T. Buck, K. Gray, A. Croft

2nd XI Hockey

Standing (L to R): L. Ingvaldson, P. Freeman, T. West, S. Cannon, A. James, I. Finch-Hatton, E. Gilmour, F. Cameron-Clarke, E. Grieve, M. Bartlett, C. Rundle Sitting (L to R): L. Loveridge, R. Cobden, C. Burton, R. Longman, H. Halperin, H. George, S. Styra

U15B Hockey

Standing (L to R): J. Russell, A. Penuelas Arino, S. Hall, G. Jenkins, C. Von Klitzing, L. Mendoza-Wilson, I. Slade, H. Motojima, S. Jaque Burgos, C. Smith Sitting (L to R): S. Miles, C. Buck, M. Hooker, S. Porter (C), W. Dawes, L. Young, O. Walker

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THE DOLPHIN Team Photos

U14A Hockey

Standing (L to R): O. Rolls, F. Gwynne, P. Clapp, L. Belben, O. Evans, P. Rawlinson Plant, A. Reader, T. Fisher Sitting (L to R): F. Smith, G. Wilkes, G. Crossfield, I. McIntosh, H. Firmstone, E. Wettern, I. Cameron-Clarke

1st XI Hockey

Standing (L to R): M. Weizmann, O. Baldwin-Battersby, W. Bird, A. Frost, A. Hunter, H. Walker, W. Owen, H. Fisher, M. Sander Sitting (L to R): F. James, O. Price, D. Millard, A. Downes (C), K. Wood (VC), J. Von Velsen, M. Hendrie

U15A Hockey

Standing (L to R): A. Croft, T. Hackney, B. Pugh, F. Mounde, J. Edmondson, J. Macro, H. Bishop Sitting (L to R): J. Squire, H. Foot, M. Cole, B. Longman (C), C. Galpin, D. Longman, J. Kilbee

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U14B Hockey

Standing (L to R): J. Webb, A. Waller, M. Langley-Thexton Sitting (L to R): V. Williams, L. Burks, C. Lennhof, G. Wilkes, E. Russell

2nd XI Hockey

Standing (L to R): J. Binns, O. Stuart, B. Fry, T. Matkevich, H. Wareham, . Read, T. Hyde, E. Weekes Sitting (L to R): P. Dick-Read, W. Hawkins, M. Hayward, S. Loughrey, N. Firth, B. Haywood, R. Dicker

U15B Hockey

Standing (L to R): W. Jackson, H. Hubbard, A. Mulford, S. Jessett, A. Scott, S. Young, T. Poyntz, L. Weston, D. Woods, F. Walburn, D. Bradbury, F. Bernier Bermùdez De Castro Sitting (L to R): T. Buck, M. Hopkins, C. Carr, F. Watts, T. Farragher (C), K. Gray, O. Price, H. Matkevich, C. Binns

THE DOLPHIN 3rd XI Hockey

Standing (L to R): A. Martyn-Smith, L. Farrell, F. Hayward, T. Gillam, F. Stephens, A. Evans, L. Millard Sitting (L to R): C. Luring, F. Burton, T. Hodgson, J. Walsh, B. Charles, O. Mepham, O. Lock

U14A Hockey

Standing (L to R): O. Burfield, H. Grieve, S. Moore, R. Micklethwaite, S. Hooper, H. Hepburn, J. Veysey, JJ. Pryke Prieto Moreno Sitting (L to R): T. Walsh, G. Small, L. Edgar, F. Longman (C), O. Curry, O. Weir, J. Zagoritis

Badminton Squad

Standing (L to R): S. Xu, T. Hodgson, P. Bruhns, J. Chen, A. Fuller, A. Hutchison, S. Chen Sitting (L to R): H. Allen, J. Warburton, A. Taylor, F. Smith (C), J. Yang, P. Slight, W. Lumsden

Team Photos

1st XI Football

Standing (L to R): J. Black, T. Matkevich, J. Banks, T. Curry, D. Millard, I. Baxter, F. Stephens, L. Wigley, H. Wareham, J. Binns, O. Lock, N. Griffin-Raphael Sitting (L to R): B. Wirth, T. Hyde, W. Cundy, F. Hayward, A. Downes, J. Terry, S. Loughrey, H. Jones, L. Weinrich

4th XI Hockey

Standing (L to R): E. Smith, A. Stewart-Cox, B. Sheldon, D. Kittermaster-Judd Sitting (L to R): H. Jones, A. Martin, C. Smith, J. Walsh, H. Aisher, D. Joseph, J. Warburton

U14B Hockey

Standing (L to R): E. Bowles, H. Lewis, F. Harrington, O. Bell, L. Dicker, L. Jennings, R. Brand, J. Hashmi, T. Richards, K. Dixon, J. Anderson, D. Jenkins Sitting (L to R): A. Starkey, J. Owens, T. Birkbeck, B. Harris, A. Atkinson, G. White, W. Childs, F. Carter, S. Chen, A. Greenwood, T. Ashraf

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THE DOLPHIN Team Photos

1st VII Netball

Standing (L to R): A. Loveridge, D. Ellis, J. Coverdale, I. Finch Hatton, J. Hurst, G. McDade Sitting (L to R): M. Kennard, K. Walker, M. Venner-Coombes, S. Gould, A. Forrester

5th VII Netball

Standing (L to R): F. Jones, E. Williams, J. Hille, E. Burgess Sitting (L to R): G. Neville-Rolfe, R. Tudhope, M. Xiao

U14A Netball

Standing (L to R): T. Catley, L. Allen, A. Waller, O. Evans, M. Fisher Sitting (L to R): A. Taylor, P. Rawlingson-Plant, L. Belben, E. Wettern, I. Cameron-Clarke

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2nd VII Netball

Standing (L to R): E. Grieve, L. Crossfield, I. Mason, J. Chappell, E. Gilmour, G. Sansom Sitting (L to R): L. Ingvaldson, P. Freeman, O. Nicol, L. Innes, A. Evans

U15A Netball

Standing (L to R): M. Green, A. Ingvaldson, H. Vallings Sitting (L to R): S. Coverdale, L. Duval, E. Weeks, L. Bird, A. Wakelin

U14B Netball

Standing (L to R): F. Gwynne, P. Clapp, E. Quin, M. Larsen Sitting (L to R): G. Wilkes, G. Crossfield, H. Firmstone, O. Rolls, E. Wettern

THE DOLPHIN U15B Netball

Standing (L to R): F. Wood, E. Sansom, R. Andrews, O. Walker, A. Andrew, H. Motojima Sitting (L to R): W. Dawes, C. Buck, A. Griffin, M. Rees, S. Porter

U14C Netball

Standing (L to R): I. McIntosh, G. Stafford, J. Webb, M. Langley - Thexton Sitting (L to R): L. Webb, L. Burkes, C. Lennhof, V. Williams, E. Russell

4th VII Netball

Standing (L to R): N. Wright, I. Waller, M. James Sitting (L to R): M. Hutchinson, S. Howe, M. Bartlett, H. George, L. Loveridge

Team Photos

3rd VII Netball

Standing (L to R): J. Vallings, G. Freeman, E. Harper, I. Andrew, F. Cameron-Clarke, C. Rundle Sitting (L to R): R. Cobden, F. Carter, O. Wastell, H. Halperin, H. Hashmi

U15C Netball

Standing (L to R): S. Hall, G. Jenkins, C. von Klitzing, F. Kay, C. Smith, L. Yang Sitting (L to R): E. Kimber-Holloway, A. Penuelas, E. Young, S. Jaque Burgos, I. Slade, J. Russell, S. Miles

Table Tennis

Standing (L to R): J. Xu, D. Moore, L. Whittaker, Z. Chen, H. Huseynli, A. Philippart, H. Lack Sitting (L to R): W. Lumsden, L. Weinrich, P. Bruhns, Y. Yang, H. Allen

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THE DOLPHIN Team Photos

Rugby 7s

Standing (L to R): O. Price, W. Owen, J. Hyland, H. Strevens, G. Field, G. Johnson, I. Pugh, T. Hodge, O. Wade Sitting (L to R): M. Hendrie, F. James, J. Muminov, L. O’Grady (C), K. Wood, F. Mornement, O. Cheffings

3rd XI Cricket

Standing (L to R): C. Smith, T. Gillam, E. Smith, B. Charles Sitting (L to R): J. Warburton, W. Hawkins, O. Stuart, A. Stewart-Cox, S. Chen

U14B Cricket

Standing (L to R): F. Harrington, T. Richards, G. Minto, L. Jennings, F. Empson, W. Hoskins Sitting (L to R): F. Carter, J. Owens, A. Starkey, D. Jenkins (C), G. White, S. Chen, T. Birkbeck

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1st XI Cricket

Standing (L to R): O. Cheffings, D. Joseph, F. Mounde, R. Frost, D. Joseph, W. Owen Sitting (L to R): K. Wood, J. Terry (C), A. Frost (C), B. Fry

U15A Cricket

Standing (L to R): G. McDade, C. Galpin, M. Cole, J. Macro, L. Weston, A. Mulford, J. Edmondson, H. Bishop Sitting (L to R): K. Gray, H. Foot, B. Longman (C), O. Price, D. Longman

Junior Girls’ Cricket

Standing (L to R): O. Rolls, L. Burks, G. Stafford, E. Quin, O. Evans, I. McIntosh Sitting (L to R): V. Williams, G. Wilkes, M. Larsen, G. Crossfield, L. Webb

THE DOLPHIN U15B Cricket

Standing (L to R): T. Hackney, S. Pole, D. Bradbury Sitting (L to R): C. Carr, C. Binns, J. Macro, T. Buck, A. Croft

1st Senior Boys’ Tennis

Standing (L to R): G. Field, L. O’Grady Sitting (L to R): J. von Velsen, O. Wade, A. Martyn-Smith, T. Matkevich

2nd XI Cricket

Standing (L to R): J. Read, M. Sander, A. Evans, A. Stewart-Cox, A. Hunter, O. Baldwin-Battersby, G. McDade Sitting (L to R): A. Evans, O. Price, F. James, G. Sansom, I. Baxter, M. Hayward, E. Weekes

Team Photos

1st XI Girls’ Cricket

Standing (L to R): G. Kay, S. Howe, E. Grieve, G. Neville-Rolfe, F. Carter Sitting (L to R): R. Cobden, K. Schofield, E. Burgess (C), R. Edgar, P. Lennard

U14A Cricket

Standing (L to R): W. Childs, J. Anderson, F. Longman, J. Veysey, H. Hepburn, O. Weir Sitting (L to R): L. Edgar, S. Hooper, J. Hashmi (C), S. Moore, H. Grieve

2nd Senior Boys’ Tennis

Standing (L to R): D. Moore, A. Hutchison, H. Walker, T. Curry, M. Palmer, J. Binns Sitting (L to R): J. Perez-Villamil Montoro, JJ. Pryke, B. Wirth, T. Walsh

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THE DOLPHIN Team Photos

1st Senior Girls’ Tennis

Standing (L to R): S. Doig, I. Jones Sitting (L to R): N. Peya, I. Finch-Hatton, J. Hurst, L. Nicol

U15A Tennis

Standing (L to R): M. Green, C. Lennhof Sitting (L to R): H. Vallings, L. Bird, V. Daulon, S. Coverdale

2nd Senior Girls’ Tennis

Standing (L to R): M. Kennard, M. James, I. Mason, C. Rundle Sitting (L to R): H. Halperin, A. Loveridge, L. Loveridge, A. Dawes

U15B Tennis

Standing (L to R): F. Smith, E. Young Sitting (L to R): C. Veneau, L. Duval, F. Wood, S. Porter

1st Golf

Standing (L to R): T. Hyde, B. Hopkins Sitting (L to R): B. Haywood, A. Downes, D. Millard, K. Wood, Mr O.M. Higgs

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THE DOLPHIN 4th Senior Girls’ Tennis

Standing (L to R): F. Jones, E. Williams Sitting (L to R): P. Freeman, F. Hayward, M. Moore

U15C Tennis

Team Photos

3rd Senior Girls Tennis

Standing (L to R): P. Lennard, B. Hipp, E. Gilmour, F. Cameron-Clarke Sitting (L to R): S. Styra, G. Boldt, J. Heidersdorf, L. Hassler

U14A Tennis

Standing (L to R): F. Kay, C. von Klitzing Sitting (L to R): J. Russell, R. Andrews, A. Reader

Standing (L to R): P. Clapp, I. Cameron-Clarke Sitting (L to R): T. Fisher, E. Russell, H. Firmstone

Athletics

Back Row (L to R): N. Wright, A. Atkinson, L. Belben, K. Dixon, A. Ingvaldson, S. Gould, T. Farragher, H. Allen, W. Hart, F. Gwynne, F. Longman, H. George Middle Row (L to R): A. Taylor, P. Rawlingson-Plant, J. Webb, H. Hubbard, B. Pugh, J. Muminov, H. Weekes, S. Jessett, S. Young, A. Scott, S. Loughrey, L. Cao, F. Walburn, J. Macro, L. Roberts, O. Bell, E. Weeks Front Row (L to R): G. Galley, A. Forrester, M. Jessett, L. Wigley, R. Micklethwaite, J. Black, F. Mornement (C), I. Pugh, B. Sheldon, J. Banks, F. Burton, J. Chappell, D. Ellis, B. Harris

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The Dolphin Editorial Team (From left to right) Amelia Blunden (Wellesley House) L6th Form Rafe Burfield (New House) L6th Form Agatha Dawes (Wellesley House) L6th Form

The Editors thank you for your contributions to this edition of The Dolphin and we hope you enjoy reading it. Huge thanks to Penny Bird for proof reading, a mammoth task!

Acknowledgements Formal pupil photographs have been reproduced by kind permission of Gillman & Soame photographers and can be re-ordered by contacting Gillman & Soame directly, by email to action@gillmanandsoame.co.uk.

Click or scan the QR Codes below to read previous Dolphin magazines.

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