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PR I Z E G I V I N G

TR I P S A N D E V E NT S

HOUSES

C R E ATI V E W R ITI N G

A RT & D E S I G N

MUSIC

DR AMA

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VA L E TE

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PRIZE GIVING

o, Third Form ‘Class of 2023’, the time has come. Your time in the Junior School has come to an end. And who could have predicted the journey you’ve been on. For those of you who joined us in Rushmere in particular, the school you are leaving is very different from the one you joined. In fact, it was much more similar to the school of our guest speaker this evening, Dr Chris Van Tulleken, who we recognise not just from his brilliant and informative television programmes but from his pictures and books in the Silverlock Library, where he and his brother Xand are proudly celebrated as alumni of the Junior School. It is a huge honour to welcome you back to King’s, Chris. Thank you for joining us; we are really looking forward to hearing from you. Like Chris, those of you who arrived in Rushmere joined a Junior School that included Lower and Upper Removes and finished at 13. There were over 440 pupils (compared to today’s 283) and a different headmaster. There was no talk of Covid back then, no sense that the world was about to change beyond recognition and confine us to our homes, forcing education online. Luckily, we are almost back to normal now and many aspects of the Junior School remain safely intact. The Rushmere playground and MUGA still play host to chaotic football matches every day, teams changing as often the rules. Pupils still like to add two slices of cucumber to their lunch in an attempt to make it look slightly less yellow. The toughest of the tough still wear shorts all year round and play table tennis with their hand instead of a bat. But slowly but surely, like all great institutions, things are changing, not at the level of a global pandemic but at a gentler, reassuringly evolutionary pace. The appointment of new heads in both the Junior and Senior Schools is slowly bringing about a subtle shift in focus. Anne and I recognise the school’s reputation for academic prowess and we will certainly safeguard this, but we are aligned in our determination to communicate that excellent teaching and learning is just one strand of a much broader educational experience at King’s. You are not defined by your achievements but by your skills and personal qualities. In a world that will inevitably be increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence, the ability to regurgitate knowledge will diminish in importance compared to the ability to identify with people, motivate them and make them feel good.

PRIZE GIVING

H E A D M A STE R’ S S PE EC H

So how is that reflected in the Junior School? Well, my first initiative, coinciding with your move to Priory, was to repackage our code of conduct and ethos into five core values. We didn’t reinvent the wheel; those values of kindness, honesty, bravery, inclusivity and patience were just as much a part of your time in Rushmere, but we have tried to make them more prominent and digestible. Since then, I have sought to synthesise our mission statement even further, encouraging you to try hard and to be nice. Trying hard is notably different from working hard - we should try hard at everything that is worth our time - and being nice is more important than anything else: the idea that anyone can be too nice is an absurdity. The wonderful thing about life is that we are all learning all the time. My educational philosophy has been moulded by my two years here and as the weeks and terms go by, my views shift in some areas and become more solidified in others. This morning’s leavers’ service is a great example. Thanks to the hard work of many of the people in this room, I felt certain that we struck upon a magic formula. I cannot think of a ceremony I have enjoyed more: passionate singing, poignant readings, mass participation and universal engagement. It was pomp without pomposity and I loved every minute of it. But I’ve been missing something in my communication of our mission (or at least, the mission I would like you all to join me on) and this is something I really, really believe in: that the primary years should be about giving everything a go, trying a little bit of everything to become a well-rounded person and to discover where one’s passions lie. In short, we should be busy. Now, busy can sometimes be a bit of dirty word. I’m so busy! Not now, I’m too busy! I want to recast the notion of busy-ness in your mind. Being busy is not a chore, it is a privilege. It means that we’ve got things to do, skills to utilise, places to be, people who count on us.

“...we should try hard at everything that is worth our time...”

“...the primary years should be about giving everything a go, trying a little bit of everything to

I have already referred to the lockdowns; not so long ago, we were crying out to be busy when we were stuck at home and trying to angle the webcam in a way that didn’t point it directly up our nostrils. How we longed to be busy when our biggest decision of the day was whether to bother changing out of our pyjamas!

become a well-

My best ever teacher was a French teacher, Mr Cruden. He was a Scotsman, barely five foot tall and with a bristling moustache. He was absolutely terrifying, but he connected with me and inspired

passions lie.”

rounded person and to discover where one’s

H E A D M A STE R’ S S PE EC H me like nobody else at that time. He had a fantastic saying, which he repeated frequently. He used to say: “Five minutes is a long time to a busy person.” If ever we didn’t fancy getting on with the next task because there wasn’t long left in the lesson, out came this phrase. If ever we didn’t fancy pushing for that final try because the game was lost and approaching the final whistle, out it came. If ever we didn’t fancy rehearsing one more scale because it was almost lunchtime, out it came. Over time, it dawned on me: what a fantastic concept! If we’re busy, we can cheat time! We can accomplish more than anyone else! We can read a few more pages, run a bit further, listen to another song, play another level... If you need an example, you need only look to your teachers. I cannot think of a single one who hasn’t been incredibly busy not just this week but this term, this year, in fact, every day you have been at King’s! There is so much going on and they devote so much energy to making your Junior School experience as diverse and multifaceted and fulfilling and enriching as possible. Let’s take our leavers, for example, who are busy both at school and at home: Mr Stamp not only coaches football, rugby and cricket, he spends every breaktime and lunchtime looking after you and when he gets home he has the good sense to attend Manchester United fixtures home and away. Mr Parker not only teaches Music, he runs choirs and concerts, sometimes combining the two with a sprinkle of denim, a wig and a pair of aviators. Outside school he lives at a church, playing the organ for their services. He has also recently bought a boat! Mr Baird not only teaches History, bringing the subject to life through wonderful storytelling and real-life combats on battlefields of the past, he also has a season ticket at Fulham, is a regular pub quiz participant and perhaps the biggest sports fan I know. Mr Borton not only teaches Geography; he has turned busy-ness into an art form, managing a packed school calendar for us all, ensuring we all know where to be and when. Beyond school he is a doting father who will surely soon return to the cricket pitch to build on his formidable batting average. Ms Gillard not only teaches art, something she has done with dedication and distinction for 33 years. In her time at King’s she has learned to professionally apply theatrical make-up, coached pupils on the history of art and held two exhibitions of her own work in Cotman Gallery. She has busied herself

PRIZE GIVING

H E A D M A STE R’ S S PE EC H

further with creating the Junior School Art Show, an incredible annual event that sees every single one of you have your work displayed in a professional-style installation in Collyer Hall. And Mrs Morren. Where do I start? You might not know that Mrs Morren joined King’s over 35 years ago, teaching not Maths but Geography in the Senior School and also coaching rowing with great success She travelled all over the world on school trips and introduced PSHE to King’s, which simply hadn’t existed before. Over 23 years in the Junior School, she has worked with thousands of pupils, nurturing and protecting their wellbeing, supporting their parents through times of significant challenge and offering unstinting support to us, her very fortunate colleagues. She has had a profound influence on the pastoral fabric of King’s and done so busily, barely stopping to draw breath, always putting the safety and happiness of pupils at the top of her very long list. Let us pause for a moment to acknowledge the brilliance of your teachers, especially those who are leaving us this term. We are so privileged to have worked with you and we wish you all the very best for the future.

“Five minutes is a long time to a busy person.”

So, Third Form, the teachers, your guiding lights, are busy. Busy creating opportunities for you to be busy: lessons, experiments, fixtures, tournaments, festivals, concerts, recitals, workshops, visiting speakers, receptions, competitions, challenges, plays, trips, residentials. In the words of our school song: ‘these are the things that make King’s King’s’. Life is precious. You get one go. One go in the Junior School, one go in Year 7. One go. Seize the moment and make things happen.Think back to my poem this morning. Don’t sit in the waiting room, waiting for your hair to grow. Be busy. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, as the boys move into position to receive their prizes, allow me to explain how these are allocated. Each pupil receives a Graduation Award in recognition of their time in the Junior School.This consists of a certificate, a Senior School tie and a lapel badge, like the one I and several of my colleagues are wearing. Though a small token, this is very special to us and represents membership of our community. Some pupils will also receive prizes linked to specific subjects and activities, while the Old King’s Club Award is used to recognise a range of endeavours as well as those who narrowly missed out on other named awards. We will finish by handing out our cups.

DA R S H PA N D E Y

r. Lougher, Dr. Van Tulleken, Junior School Teachers, Parents, and Third Formers. Before I begin, I would like to share a funny little anecdote from my first day here at King’s. We were lining up outside a classroom when a teacher, who shall remain nameless, reprimanded a Senior School boy for not having his shirt tucked in. I came from a school where we didn’t wear uniform and called teachers by their first name, and I remember, to my horror, looking down and seeing an untucked shirt. Immediately, I covered it with my oversized blazer. I vowed to myself that I would never have an untucked shirt again. And here I am on my last full day of Junior School (tucks in shirt). In my last two years at King’s, I have loved everything from breaktimes to lessons. I have loved being part of the school cricket A team; it has taught me to collaborate with my teammates, and to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. I have also thoroughly enjoyed the wide range of clubs that I have experienced, from Golf Club down at Centre Court to Quiz Club with Mr. Baird. I’m still on a mission to name the 197 countries in the world. Another key standout from my time in the Junior School is the vast number of trips which we have been on. Last Week, all of Third Form went on PGL to Barton Hall, Torquay. It was loads of fun with all the activities and I think I speak for all Third Formers here. Also in the Easter Break, half of Third Form (including me) enjoyed the ski trip in France, which for many was our first time abroad without family.

A L B E RT C H A M P I O N

have one minute to tell you about all the wonderful things that have happened over the four years of our journey through the Junior School. We began learning about how to times two by two to now, four years later, doing complicated algebra, and from drafting a story about an untidy room to authoring stories some say are better than Dracula. Our minds will have these delightful memories for our entire lives. I can’t say it was a perfect, flawless four years but every good fairy tale does have its difficulties. We have had a great start to our time at King’s College. I would like to say thank you on behalf of all of us to the teachers who have gone above and beyond to make the lessons more exciting and engaging. Just to name a couple, Mr. Baird for walking to school with a few boys from Putney during Walk to School Week and Mrs. de Montfort for finding new websites to make online learning more fun for everyone. I also want to say huge thanks to the behind-thescenes staff who have kept these premises clean, tidy, and made sure the food is delicious (mwah!).

O S C A R RO S S

ood afternoon. I am going to be sharing some thoughts about Rushmere in my speech today. Rushmere was a very formative time at King’s for many of the students here today. It prepared us extremely well for the years ahead. I am sure that all of us have brilliant memories of our time in Rushmere but here is one of mine: I was on the tour of the school with a Year 7 guide. During this tour, I heard about all the sporting opportunities and the academic programme, but what really got me excited was the Rushmere Dining Hall. When we walked in, there were countless desserts, cups of squash and, most importantly, pasta! When the guide said there was a pasta option every day, I knew this was the school for me. On behalf of everyone in Third Form, I’d like to thank the Rushmere teachers for a brilliant two years of our Junior School lives. It was our teachers and staff who made Rushmere so enjoyable. If I met a Rushmere student today, I would tell them: savour your years in Rushmere, as they are truly some of the most unique years at King’s. Thank you.

PRIZE GIVING

G U E ST S PE A K E R

H E A D BOY S PE EC H E S

DR CHRIS VAN TULLEKEN

ing’s College Junior School alumni, doctor and television personality, Dr Chris van Tulleken gave an inspiring and thoughtprovoking talk to pupils, staff and parents at the leavers’ Prize Giving as our guest speaker. He gave an honest account of the challenges he faced as a young pupil in an academically-astute environment, reassuring pupils who have not yet flourished in a given subject. The captive audience was presented with the skull of a hyena to illustrate the strength of its jaws. Dr van Tulleken then outlined some of his campaigning and charity work fighting ultra-processed food and providing medical care to displaced migrants. He then ended with an inspirational message: the most important measure of success is not fame or fortune, but whether your presence on earth makes it a better place to live in.

These people are the real-life heroes of this world, educating young minds to be kind, caring and as great as Dr. Van Tulleken. To all the teachers leaving, we wish you all a wonderful future ahead. We will remember you.

I have thoroughly enjoyed everything here in the Junior School and I thank everyone for supporting me throughout my time. I will miss you all and most importantly my cherry red blazer. Thank you.

H E A D BOYS AUTUMN TERM: Darsh Pandey SPRING TERM: Alber t Champion SUMMER TERM: Oscar Ross

S C H OO L PR E F EC T S Sam Bannerman Rehan Basu Hamish Boswell-Kerr Alber t Champion Dylan Chohan Gustave Favre Sachin Gilchrist Ruben Jithendra Felix Kent Vedant Khera James Koutsovasilis Lachlan Malan Agastya Namas

RU S H M E R E RUSHMERE PRIZE FOR ART Jerome Collins RUSHMERE PRIZE FOR ICT Kareem Kerman ACTING CUP FOR THE RUSHMERE PRODUCTION Ibrahim Zulfiqar JOHN E VAN S PRIZE FOR RUSHMERE MUSIC Jacob Dyakonov, Ethan Geng, Affan Khan, Alex Liu MOST PROMI SING SOCCER PL AYER Theo Rowe CRESSWELL- E VAN S CUP FOR MOST PROMI SING RUGBY PL AYER Xander Etienne WESTON CUP FOR MOST PROMI SING CRICKETER IN RUSHMERE Raffer ty Guest TENNI S CUP FOR MOST PROMI SING TENNI S PL AYER Jack Doran MOST PROMI SING SWIMMER Freddie Casey

Darsh Pandey

LUDDINGTON CUP FOR ALLROUND CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT IN RUSHMERE Hugo Stehn

Cormac Power

PR I O RY

Tomás O’Lear y

Oscar Ross James Slatter y

11+ ACADEMIC SCHOL ARSHIP Rehan Basu, Gustave Favre, Ethan Hull, Rajveer Kejriwal, James Koutsovasilis, Aiden Mawani, Darsh Pandey, Benjamin Richards

Adam Tan

VIKR AM SINGH PRIZE FOR THIRD FORM ENGLI SH James Koutsovasilis , Aiden Mawani , Leo Ogungbemi MICHAEL SMITH PRIZE FOR THIRD FORM SCIENCE Rajveer Kejriwal, Nikita Kovalenko, Char lie Ding, Sebastian Hill, Ayaan Dhawan PY THAGOR AS PRIZE FOR THIRD FORM MATHEMATICS James Koutsovasilis CECIL VENNER FOR THIRD FORM MUSIC Agastya Namas, James Koutsovasilis, Rohan Shan-Muhammad THIRD FORM FRENCH PRIZE Ruben Jithendra, Ethan Hull, Arthur Boyer-Chammard THIRD FORM L ATIN PRIZE Benjamin Richards, Gustave Favre, James Koutsovasilis THIRD FORM GEOGR APHY PRIZE Rehan Basu, Oscar Ross THIRD FORM HI STORY PRIZE Aiden Mawani, Raphael Smith THIRD FORM RELIGIOUS STUDIES PRIZE Zac Wong THIRD FORM DESIGN & ENGINEERING PRIZE Casper Zee THIRD FORM ART PRIZE Gustave Favre NICHOL AS D’ALOI SIO MONTILL A CUP FOR TECHNICAL INNOVATION ( THIRD FORM ICT PRIZE) Zac Khan

Eashan Treanor

11+ SPORT SCHOLARSHIP Nicholas Ellinghorst, Vedant Khera

CARTER LIBR ARY PRIZE Nikita Evseev

HOUSE CUP WINNER

11+ MUSIC SCHOL ARSHIP Leo Ogungbemi

THIRD FORM DR AMA PRIZE Max Lee

11+ MUSIC E XHIBITION Alp Kucukyildiz

COLLYER HALL PRIZE FOR THE PRIORY PRODUCTION Dylan Chohan, James Slatter y

Stuar t House

J U N I O R S C H OO L PR I Z E S 2 023

PRIZE GIVING

J U N I O R S C H OO L PR IZ E S 2 023

LINDON SPE AKING CUP Rehan Basu JOHN E VAN S PRIZE FOR PRIORY MUSIC Br yan Lin, Daniel Xu, Sebastian Weetch, Alp Kucukylidiz, Leo Ogungbemi HAMPTON & SON S LE ADERSHIP HE AD BOYS’ AWARD Albert Champion, Darsh Pandey, Oscar Ross HENNESSE Y CUP FOR BEST BATSMAN Vedant Khera BEST BOWLER Darsh Pandey BEST ALL- ROUND CRICKETER Kian Suri KNOX- MURR AY CUP FOR BEST RUGBY PL AYER Max Lee BEST SOCCER PL AYER Lachlan Malan RICKY BARTLET T PRIZE FOR SPORT Ethan Hull SWIMMING CUP Kaplan Eler ORTIZ WATER POLO CUP Reggie Blaney BOLT CUP Gustave Favre DOUGL AS TENNI S PL ATE Nicholas Ellinghorst CHESS PRIZE Alp Kucukyildiz SAMIR SHEIKH CUP FOR ALLROUND CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT IN PRIORY Nicholas Ellinghorst OLD KING’ S CLUB AWARD Felix Kent, Sachin Gilchrist, Albert Champion, Leo Ogungbemi, Abhay Karna, Ethan Huang, Luis Worthington, Tomas O’Lear y, Cormac Power, Ayaan Samad, Adam Tan, Eashan Treanor, Ruben Jithendra, Charlie Ding

J U N I O R S C H OO L L E AV E R S 2 023

PRIZE GIVING

J U N I O R S C H OO L L E AV E R S 2 023 TH I R D F O R M PU PI L S Asthana, Risheet

Kucukyildiz, Alp

Austin, Char lie

Lee, Max

Bajaj, Shaarav

Lennon, Freddie

Bannerman, Sam

Lin, Max

Bartman, Edward

Lowe, William

Basu, Rehan

Malan, Lachlan

Boswell-Kerr, Hamish

Mawani, Aiden

Boyer-Chammard, Arthur

Namas, Agastya

Brazil, Felix

O’Lear y, Tomáš

Buckney, Thomas

Ogungbemi, Leo

Champion, Albert

Pandey, Darsh

Chohan, Dylan

Panna, Alex

Cochran, Xavi

Patel, Kush

d’Allance de Melo, Vicente

Percudani, Stefano

Dhawan, Ayaan

Power, Cormac

Dhillon, Vir

Ramage, James

Ding, Char lie

Rao, Ishaan

Dong, Lucas

Raza, Mahdi

Eler, Kaplan

Rehfeld, Louis

Ellinghorst, Nicholas

Richards, Benjamin

Elwell, Matty

Ross, Oscar

Favre, Gustave

Rydnik, Alexander

Fr y, Bentley

Samad, Ayaan

Garagnon, Adrien

Sandroshvili, Luca

Gibbs, Char lie

Semiletov, Leonid

Gibbs, James

Shan-Muhammad, Rohan

Gilchrist, Sachin

Sharma, Taar ush

Hill, Sebastian

Slatter y, James

Huang, Ethan

Smith, Raphael

Hull, Ethan

Stehn, Henri

Iliffe, Casper

Suri, Kian

Jithendra, Ruben

Tan, Adam

Kar na, Abhay

Tian, Ryan

Kejriwal, Rajveer

Treanor, Eashan

Kent, Felix

Vaid, Aidan

Khan, Zac

Vashista, Viraaj

Khera, Vedant

Wong, Zachar y

Kou, Victor

Worthington, Luis

Koutsovasilis, James

Zee, Casper

Kovalenko, Nikita

TRIPS & EVENTS

BAT TE R S E A TR I P

A S E RV I C E O F CO M M E M O R ATI O N FOR HER MAJEST Y Q U E E N E L I Z A B E TH I I

he King’s community joined the rest of the nation in mourning the loss of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. On Friday 16th September, the whole school gathered in front of the the Great Hall to pay tribute to our longest-reigning monarch. The moving ser vice was led by the chaplain, the Reverend Madeleine Miller, and included readings by Dr Cotton and Contingent Commander Mitchell, as well music from the choir.

L EG O L A N D

he Fir st Form enjoyed a trip to Legoland Windsor on Wednesday 14th September. Here are some of the comments 1BP made . ‘It was the most fun day ever!’ ‘As we stepped inside Legoland, there was a sense of excitement in the air and all 68 of us were really excited. From the top of the hill we saw a beautiful view of the whole of Windsor and indeed Windsor Castle . It was a brilliant way to star t the day trip.’ ‘We noticed that the union flag was at half mast on the royal buildings because the Queen had died.’

TR A N S ITI O N O UTI N G G O D S TO N E FA R M

ransition pupils all enjoyed a wonderful trip to Godstone Farm. It was their fir st outing of the year and a great oppor tunity for the pupils to get to know each other. The pupils were full of excitement, loving being outdoor s with the animals and then showing some animal-like energy in the playground at the end of the day.

D R RO L F SO N

n Tuesday 20th September, we welcomed Dr Rolfsen, a former Junior School parent, who told us all about her career as a doctor. The talk was incredibly interesting, though some of the pupils thought it was jolly unfair that doctor s sometimes have to wor k on bank holidays!

TRIPS & EVENTS

AUTU M N TE R M H I G H LI G HT S

TH E S I LV E R LOC K L I B R A RY

n Monday 26th September, 3A and 3B went on a Geography trip to Batter sea Power Station. At the star t, we stood outside the building and gazed at its extraordinar y height and length. We then recorded information in our booklets. Did you know that Apple headquar ter s is now located there , and it was almost turned into a theme par k, or a new stadium for Chelsea Football Club? We then split into four groups and visited four different areas, conducting fun environmental sur veys as we did so. Fir st, we visited the Batter sea shop, then the restaurant quar ter. Afterwards, we went to the water line of the Thames from where ships would’ve taken off, and finally the railway station, where we went inside the museum and felt the vibration of the trains going over us, as they would have at the time it was used as a Power Station. It was really fun and I would just like to thank Mr. Bor ton, Mr. Brady, Mr. Connolly and Mr. Stamp for taking us on this exciting trip to Batter sea Power Station. If you would like to visit this unique brick str ucture , it opened to the public from the 14th October 2022. James Koutsovasilis 3B

n Wednesday 21st September 2022, we welcomed back my predecessor, Dr Gerard Silver lock, to formally open our new librar y, which has been renamed The Silver lock Librar y in his honour. Dr Silver lock spent fifteen year s at King’s as Headmaster of the Junior School, during which time he made a substantial contribution to the fabric and histor y of the school, seeing many generations of happy and hard-wor king pupils through to the Senior School, where they invariably built on the firmest of foundations to achieve incredible success. Changes to the school’s str ucture saw the Junior School librar y relocated from a secluded fir st floor area to premium real estate on the quad that links Prior y, the Reeve School (Ar t and Design), the Holloway building (Junior School Science) and the new Music School. This project was one of the last that Dr Silver lock over saw, wor king with the designer s, the Head of English (Ms McGregor) and our librarian (Mr s Beddoe) to create a reading space that is tr uly ‘best in class’ for our new 7-11 age range . In addition, Ms McGregor and Mr s Beddoe have wor ked incredibly hard to revitalise our catalogue of books, magazines and various media, consolidating and updating the archive to achieve a new collection that is perfect for this age group, allowing pupils access to material that both enlivens their imagination and helps them to develop a balanced wor ld view, cour tesy of a broad and diver se range of author s. Dr Silver lock always championed reading, independent learning and curiosity, so adorning our new librar y with his name feels an appropriate gesture . The librar y is a hub at the hear t of the Junior School, where pupils love to gather and discover. During lessons, at break times and over lunch the atmosphere is characterised by an excited hush, as eager young reader s absorb themselves in mysteries, adventures, new ideas and other wor lds. The renaming ensures that Dr Silver lock’s name will continue to echo around the site long after his depar ture: a ver y fitting legacy. EHL

TRIPS & EVENTS

AUTU M N TE R M H I G H LI G HT S RO M A N WO R K S H O P

ir st Former s were treated to an engaging and dramatic wor kshop; they met Julius Caesar and acted out the stor y of Romulus and Remus.

TI M PE A K E

T N ATI O N A L A RC H I V E S

o suppor t Transition’s Histor y learning, each class visited the National Archives in Kew to sharpen their historical skills. They became historical detectives for the morning and examined original documents carefully, looking for clues to under stand more about each ar tefact.

hird Form pupils were treated to a fantastic talk from Tim Peake where he was inter viewed about his new book, The Cosmic Diar y of our Incredible Universe. The pupils walked all of the way to the New Wimbledon Theatre and returned with a fresh copy of their own. Once back at school, the pupils devoured the facts, figures and stories that Tim has so beautifully laid out in his book. Some of the pupils could be found still reading it in the playground on Friday morning...!

BAT TE R S E A TR I P

hird Formers pose outside the formidable facade of the recently redeveloped Battersea Power Station.

M AT T D I C K I N SO N

F R E N C H TH E ATR E WO R K S H O P S

he Second Form had a visit from Matt Dickinson. Matt Dickinson writes adventure novels for adults and children. Another school joined us called Robin Hood Primar y School. Matt Dickinson gave a talk about how he had climbed Mount Everest and what all the challenges were .

We had to wor k together to produce shor t chapter s based on a chain reaction plot on the theme of exploration. We produced some really impressive and exciting stories. I’m sure that the day inspired ever yone from both schools to enjoy creative writing even more . Francis Long 2J

SECOND FORM

R A F H E N DO N

n Friday 27th Januar y, we embar ked on an exciting trip to RAF Hendon, dressed as evacuees. We studied Wor ld War II in Histor y and the trip was really interesting. We visited the RAF Hendon gift shop where we could buy souvenir s; they were a fantastic reminder of our amazing day! During the trip, we had a lesson taught by a ver y nice teacher who was pretending to be strict. She pretended we had travelled back in time to a classroom during the Blitz. We learnt about the currency of money back then and did a typical maths and spelling lesson. We even wrote with ink and fountain pens. The highlight of the trip was looking at the planes from the war. Thank you again to all of the teacher s who came for being so helpful during the trip. Kareem Kerman 1W

BA R RY H A R PE R

ttending the French wor kshop was a fun and interesting event. For those who are new to the subject, it showed them a different per spective . A sense of humour is definitely needed on a Monday morning, as seen several times during the wor kshop! Learning some new French words in a different way is always enjoyed and we thank Mr Jay for organising this inspiring event as we feel ver y lucky to have these oppor tunities. Although we were fully immer sed, we were never theless able to make out some of the stories from the clues that were provided through acting. Comedy and laughter made the whole wor kshop a joyous event! Well done to all those involved. Kiaan Khosla 2G

n Thur sday 2nd Febr uar y, pupils in Second and Third Form were for tunate enough to have a visit from Barr y Harper. He told pupils about his amazing career as a police officer, and reaching many highs, including climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro and to Mount Everest base camp, reaching the Nor th Pole twice and the South Pole once , and being in the fir st group of people ever to make it across the Great Slave Lake in Canada unaided. From duvet coats to teddy bear s visiting the Nor th Pole , Prior y learnt that you could achieve anything if you put your mind to it, as anything you do takes 70% mental and 30% physical power. Mr Harper was also one of the London Olympic torch bearer s in 2012, and Prior y had the amazing oppor tunity to tr y on his duvet coat and hold the Olympic torch. Mr Harper recounted how he had near ly died in the Nor th Pole from going under the ice , and that compared to the Nor th Pole , he found the South Pole rather boring. Incredibly, the only motivation he had to do any of these amazing tasks was for charity alone; and on multiple of his expeditions, he helped disabled people reach these destinations. Prior y learnt many an impor tant lesson from Mr Harper’s talk and are roaring to achieve their own goals however big or small they may be . James Koutsovasilis 3B

TRIPS & EVENTS

S PR I N G TE R M H I G H LI G HT S

THIRD FORM

n Monday 6th Febr uar y, we had a visitor who came to tell the whole year about the famous stor y of The Three Musketeer s. Some of the pupils in our year were lucky enough to be chosen to re-enact the famous stor y led by the visitor who knew the stor y ver y well and spoke a lot of it in French, which was fun, thereby helping us to practise French phrases in the stor y. My most enjoyable moment was playing the par t of the bearded man and I could tell that most of our year thoroughly enjoyed the unique experience . It was ver y interactive which helped us to learn and under stand the stor y really well. Sachin Gilchrist 3B

D E R BY F OOTB A L L TO U R

S P O N SO R E D WA L K

n 10th Februar y 2023, the U11’s waved goodbye to their parents for what was a first spor ts tour for some of them. The bus was filled with excitement and anticipation as we made the three-hour journey to Derby.

allowed lots of rotation and oppor tunity to play. Despite two losses, they were two ver y enter taining games where the pupils enjoyed playing with friends they wouldn’t normally play with.

En route, we had a quick detour to Tudor Grange Leisure centre where the pupils had the oppor tunity to train on a 3G football pitch, which was a nice refresher for the pupils since their last school football fixture back in November. We then set off to visit the main attraction of the tour, St George’s Park. It was a fantastic oppor tunity to see what the home of English football looks like and even have the chance to use some of the facilities which are also used by the England national team. With some fitness testing in the gym and recover y work in the pool, the U11’s had a taste of life as an England football player. After depar ting St George’s Park, we headed to our hotel before going out for an evening of bowling and burgers.

After some lunch, we depar ted onto the Bet 365 stadium where we watched Stoke vs Hull City in a league match. Despite the lack of goals in the game, it was still an open game and made for a good watch, especially for those enjoying their first ever live football game experience. That evening was movie night, where we had pizza whilst watching Pelé: Birth of a Legend.

The next day, we headed towards our first set of fixtures. The A’s faced Asfordby FC whilst the B’s travelled to Mowbray Foxes FC . Both games were enter taining; in the A’s match, four goals were scored in the first ten minutes. Both fixtures split their game into quar ters as this

S PR I N G TE R M H I G H LI G HT S

TRIPS & EVENTS

S PR I N G TE R M H I G H LI G HT S

n Tuesday 7th March, pupils were sponsored by friends and family to raise money for their House charities and Ukraine . Many of the pupils ran around the 650-metre track around the games field. This event was organized by Jack Vincent and Oscar Hinxman. Special thanks to Nicholas Ellinghor st 2N who did an outstanding seventeen laps but also to all who par ticipated in this charity event. We are ver y grateful for all the money provided by friends and family. Oscar Hinxman 2B & Jack Vincent 2B

The final day saw both teams play Stratford Town FC, on their 3G Astro. The A team game was excellent; pupils stuck together and played fantastic football to win the game 2-1. The B’s struggled in their game but still showed the King’s spirit of never giving up and as a result, played some great football and enjoyed the game, despite the loss. This marked the end of the tour as we depar ted back to King’s. Overall, it was a fantastic tour with some great oppor tunities to see the life of a professional football player, whilst spending some quality time with friends. DAC

M A R K RO B SO N

ark Robson came to school to speak with us about his books and what it was like to be a fighter pilot. Mark told us that you need to do loads of GCSEs, but he made it sound like you just need to be brave and not scared of heights! He star ted his career as an author whilst he was fighting in the Falkland’s. One day, he and his fellow pilots were off duty and were stuck inside. They were very bored and getting restless. So, Mark’s co-pilot suggested that Mark write a book, so he did! Mark got out his computer and star ted writing a book called Forging of the Sword. At first it was awfully hard to find a publisher so he self- published it. He ordered 66 boxes of about 20 books. He went to all the local book shops like WHSmith and Waterstones which took 4 to 6 books each. By the end of the first week, none had gone. By the end of the second week, none had gone. So, he brainstormed ways to sell his books. Then it hit him - schools! He went to his local school in his flight suit and said “I have just released a new book called The Forging of the Sword; it can be found in WHSmith.” He went to the WHSmith at the end of the week only to find all the books gone. He went to the manager and asked if they wanted any more books because they were all gone! And that was where it all started. It was great having Mark in school. Barnaby Cartledge 2N

C H R I S L LOY D

hris Lloyd made his annual visit to King’s during Science Week and wowed the Rushmere pupils with his whistlestop tour of the timeline of Science and Invention. He brought along various, wondrous props and some pupils were able to secure a signed copy of one of his fascinating books.

TRIPS & EVENTS

S PR I N G TE R M H I G H LI G HT S

S PR I N G TE R M H I G H LI G HT S S K I TR I P

t was an ear ly star t on Saturday 25th March, as 38 Third Form pupils and five member s of staff gathered to star t the long journey to Les Deux Alpes in France . Spirits were high, and remained so for the long journey, but we were all glad to reach the resor t late on Saturday afternoon. Once ever yone had settled into their rooms, and once ski-boots had been fitted and lugged back to the boot room of the hotel, we enjoyed a delicious dinner and settled down in front of the fire for a few games before bed. Snow was falling as we awoke , and the mountain foothills around the resor t, which had been brown when we arrived, quickly turned white . We cooked our own pancakes for breakfast, and quickly learnt that this was a reason to bounce out of bed ever y morning! All the instr uctor s were so friendly and encouraging, and they split us into four groups depending on experience . There was a white out on the fir st day though, so we quickly learnt how to identify one another’s ski jackets so we could stay in formation as we turned down the

mountain, picking up pace as the fir st few days went on. On the third day the sun came out, and we could finally see the mountain – it was exciting to go up on the glacier now that we could see proper ly! Over the week, we had various different après-ski activities to enjoy. The resor t had lots to offer and we went bowling, played laser-quest and Mr Blackburn devised a ver y tricky quiz on one night that had ever yone scratching their heads as they tried, amongst other things, to match the teacher s to their dogs! It was a fantastic week, and ever yone made amazing progress in some fair ly tricky conditions. The lovely fresh snow turned into soup by the end of the week, but all four groups managed to ski through it with such enthusiasm and huge smiles; it was the teacher s who retired ear ly to rest their tired limbs at the bottom of the slopes! Thank you to all pupils for being such excellent, cheerful and fun companions on the slopes, and for remaining steadfastly out of the centre medical, and of cour se to the staff team of AJB, VJA and PKB for helping us make it happen! CPM & RR

S K I TR I P

hird Formers hit the slopes of Les Deux Alpes in France.

K I N G ’ S CO RO N ATI O N

he King’s Coronoation was celebrated across the Junior School and festivities continued on into a rare extra bank holiday across the nation.This momentus occasion will be remembered for many years by pupils and staff.

B R ITI S H M U S E U M

ransition pupils enjoyed the fascinating array of Ancient Egyptian ar tefacts on display at the British Museum to fur ther their learning of this incredible period of histor y.

TRIPS & EVENTS

S U M M E R TE R M H I G H LI G HT S

W I M B L E DO N TE N N I S

n the 4th and 5th of May, the Second Form walked to the AELTC to learn about its location and histor y. We got to see Centre Cour t and Cour t Number 1, the vast press centre , the museum, and much more . We learnt about how the tennis championships star ted and how it began as a croquet club on the other side of town off Worple Road. The wor kshop included a debate set in 1901 about whether Wimbledon should remain

in its location, or move to a location with more space in Church Road – moving won, as the locals under stood the benefits that it would bring to the area. We also watched and laughed as two of our friends were dressed in similar clothing to what the ver y fir st men’s and women’s champions wore! Oscar Hinxman 2B & Jack Vincent 2B

H O U S E D E B ATI N G CO M PE TITO N

ight of the finest Priory debaters went headto-head in the end-of-year House Debating Competition. To coincide with King’s Arts Festival, this year saw two thought-provoking motions: firstly, “This house believes that more time should be allocated to the arts on the Junior School timetable” and secondly, “This house believes that more public funding should be allocated to the arts.” Each house was represented by two participants who had already fought off stiff competition to take up their places through their effort and involvement in the weekly Debating Club, which takes place throughout the year, as well as a successful application to Mr Norman, who oversees debating in the Junior School. Pupils showed great bravery to present in front of a packed audience in the Great Hall and worked tirelessly throughout the term to prepare their arguments. Each debate concluded with thoughtful and challenging questions from the floor with contributions from pupils and staff. Stuart were crowned overall winners of the two debates, judged by an expert panel consisting of Mr Lougher, Ms Gillard, Head of Art and Design, and Ms McGregor, Head of English. CN

TRIPS & EVENTS

S U M M E R TE R M H I G H LI G HT S

A N D R E W BA K E R M B E

e are delighted that one of our teachers, Mr Andrew Baker, was appointed an MBE in the King’s first Birthday Honours List for Services to Education and the Community in Obera, Kenya. Mr Baker founded the Obera Schools’ Project in 2005 to help develop primary schools in a remote part of south west Kenya. His own connection with the community stretches back 40 years when he served as a volunteer teacher at Obera School. The project is managed in Kenya by local headmaster Mr. Johanes Kisaka, who ensures that every penny of our sponsorship is used directly to support the Project. As a result, through the generosity of the King’s community, over the last 18 years more than £370,000 has been raised and a number of significant infrastructure projects have been completed across three different schools, including building 28 classrooms, two libraries, a computer suite and a water bore hole. We are delighted that in the last month two porridge kitchens have been re-established, ensuring that 300 children, who arrive at school hungry, get a healthy breakfast every day. The project has a very special impact at King’s and is relevant and educational for our pupils. Mr Baker provides a unique and personal insight into a life that is so very different from our own in Wimbledon, nurturing an understanding at an early age of cultural and economic differences, teaching them the importance of the good that can come through our collective action and enabling them to make such a tangible and sustained impact on the lives of so many less fortunate people.This learning is enhanced through assemblies with a live link to Kenya, regular visits by Mr. Kisaka to King’s to teach the pupils about the difference their involvement is having on his community and visits by Mr. Baker to Kenya to monitor and celebrate progress, meet teachers and teach the children. Headmaster Mr Lougher says, “Mr Baker is not just an exceptional teacher but an exceptional man, devoting himself to education at home and abroad and conducting himself at all times with great humility. He is richly deserving of this considerable honour and we are incredibly proud to have a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in our midst!”

K I N G ’ S CO RO N ATI O N

unior School pupils assemble in front of the Pavilion as par t of a whole-school ceremony to mar k the King’s Coronoation in May.

C A N N I Z A RO

ransition pupils visited nearby Cannizaro Par k to immer se themselves in nature .

H A S TI N G S

he annual tradition of a trip to the famous battlefield of 1066 had extra significance this year as it was the last to be led by the outgoing Mr Baird.

R E S I D E NTI A L S F I R ST F O R M

ir st Former s mar ked the end of their time in Rushmere with a three-day residential in Kent.

TRIPS & EVENTS

AC TI V ITI E S W E E K

R E S I D E NTI A L S TH I R D F O R M

Devon.

ur Junior School leaver s enjoyed one last hurrah with a host of exciting activities during their residential in

TR A N S ITI O N W I S L E Y E XC U R S I O N

he whole of Transition was treated to a thrilling excur sion to Wisley Gardens. Two busloads of excited children clambered off the coaches eager ly as soon as we arrived. As a fir st stop, TB wandered over to the Science block and on our way, we saw a magnificent lake with lilies floating peacefully on top of it. We enjoyed playing on the interactive screens inside the Science block. After that, we visited a patch which was full of vegetables and fr uits where we played a fun alphabet game . After that, we strolled over to the adventure playground which was the highlight of the day because there were climbing frames and a huge area to explore . After lunch, we explored the glasshouse where it was fascinating to learn about all the names of the different plants and even feel the surface of each of them! Finally, we visited an amazing birdwatching hide where we stayed for a while with our eyes peeled, looking for birds. It was an amazing excur sion with lots of fun activities to do! Timothy Gussago TB

W I M B L E DO N WA L K

he annual Wimbledon Common walk was luckily met with blue skies and a healthy dose of happy chatter, leading to a delightful atmosphere for all of our intrepid Second Form hiker s.

TRIPS & EVENTS

AC TI V ITI E S W E E K

TH I R D F O R M CO L L A BO R ATI O N W ITH W I M B L E DO N H I G H

n Wednesday 21st June , the Third Form met up with their counterpar ts at Wimbledon High School as par t of the annual Collaboration Day initiative . The focus this time was on poetr y about the senses. The pupils enjoyed their surroundings in Wimbledon Common, which was their inspiration to write a poem within their mixed groups. Our pupils did a wonderful job of listening carefully to the Wimbledon High School pupils, discussing the group’s

ideas, and ended up writing thoughtful poems about our influence on nature and our duty to conser ve it. The pupils got the oppor tunity to perform their pieces in front of the other groups, and it was good to see just how well they had wor ked together. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to school. There was plenty of laughter and chatting throughout the afternoon, and it was clear that it was a wor thwhile experience .

F I R ST F O R M CO L L A BO R ATI O N

ir st Former s enjoyed a wonderful day of collaboration with local schools Wimbledon High and The Study. Pupils enjoyed a range of group activities to foster fur ther inclusivity and empathy amoungst our pupils and their close neighbour s.

TH I R D F O R M R E S I D E NTI A L

T 40

hird Formers share an oar-some experience building rafts as part of their residential in Cornwall.

HOUSES

AUTU M N TE R M

t was an eventful term with lots of house activities and competitions for ever yone to contribute . We star ted the term with House Football, and we achieved a lot of close matches and near victories, but it was the U9’s who brought it home . Well done to ever yone , because in house tournaments, all the games matter the same and we can all contribute to the house results, no matter which league . We had a ver y memor able (and muddy) House Cross Countr y r un after that, with lots of rain and puddles. The U8’s came ver y close , with second, but it was the U11’s and U9’s who took the trophies. I think cross countr y is an amazing event where the whole house can gain valuable points. Ever yone is a player in this spor t! Off the playing field, we chose the charity for our house , Motor Neurone Disease Association, which is a charity that helps people who are battling this disease which limits even basic movements, and can be devastating for the sufferer and their families. We raised a lot of money through the Christmas Fair. Thank you all for your generous contributions. In House Chess, the best four player s in each house across all year groups play against the other houses. Our team came fir st, adding yet another win to the Norman collection! If you are a keen chess player, practise over the next year, and maybe it could be you winning the trophy next time! We organized our house assembly with a quiz on Norman histor y between teacher s and students. Teacher s just nicked it by one point. We think we can get them next time . I’d like to thank Mr Norman so much for ever ything he’s done this term, and all the house staff and house prefects, for the house events, and activities. Abhay Karna 3A

S PR I N G TE R M

orman House had a great spring term, taking par t in many fun activities and events.

We had an exciting term of spor t including r ugby, r unning and swimming with lots of fantastic achievements. House Swimming on 6th March was a great success. Several Norman pupils from each year group par ticipated in many races and a relay event, and Norman put in a great effor t coming a close second to Tudor. Also, ever yone in Norman who par ticipated in the House Sponsored Walk should be proud of themselves as we raised hundreds of pounds for our nominated House charity, MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association). All the year groups also par ticipated in House Rugby, playing some great matches against fierce opposition. Transition came third to Windsor, Fir st Form came second to Windsor, Second Form came third to Windsor, and finally, Third Form came an extremely close second to winner s, Stuar t. The Third Form “B” league scored 22 tries and won all of their matches securing Norman an additional three bonus points - an exceptional effor t! All of these good results show that the Norman year groups wor ked well as teams, communicating and suppor ting each other, and that’s impor tant. From what I’ve heard, all the pupils who took par t in these events enjoyed them a great deal. Norman House also par ticipated in other enter taining activities througout the spring term. The Rushmere pupils enjoyed the exciting Science Quiz on the 13th of March where they made a notable effor t coming third overall. I know ever yone also greatly enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunt on the last day of term and the “teacher s vs. pupils” quiz which the teacher s then proceeded to win… this result was, of cour se , not so great…

HOUSES

NORMAN HOUSE

S U M M E R TE R M

t was an exciting final term of the academic year. For spor t, the Norman Prior y pupils managed to win Spor ts Day, doing excellently in all the events. Continuing on the theme of spor t, our Norman Third Form came four th in cricket, but they played well against the other houses, being narrowly defeated by Stuar t in the last game . The Second Former s managed to get third place , as well as our Transition pupils; our Fir st Former s managed to get a well-deser ved second place . In House Tennis, the Fir st Former s did well yet again to achieve fir st place . The summer term was a great term of spor t for Norman – ever yone contributed massively and wor ked hard. Moving away from spor t, the House Activities afternoon, in aid of our House charities, was a complete success. Splat the teacher was the most popular event for the entire duration of the afternoon, and we sold a huge number of cakes and cookies – yum! We did well in House Debating but we were up against the winning team in the debate . In House Music we were narrowly defeated by Tudor whose song was ‘Here Comes the Sun’, but we sang with gusto, passion, and harmony – well done! It sounded brilliant in the Concer t Hall. Overall, this term was a good one for Norman; we did well in spor ts, we raised loads of money for charity, and we wor ked hard in House Music. I would like to say a big thank you to Mr Norman for leading Norman House this year, as well as all the other teacher s who organised all the house events and activities. It was a pleasure to be the captain of Norman for this term. Charlie Ding 3A

Norman House has had an excellent spring term and I have thoroughly enjoyed being House Captain. Tom Buckney 3A

AU TU M N TE R M

S PR I N G TE R M

was immensely proud of Stuar t House in the autumn term as House Captain as we had a rollercoaster term, but Stuar t House always fought for glor y.

s always, the spring term involved House Rugby. In the U11’s, the A league team was undefeated, but ever y match was hard fought. In the B league , the touch team won all but one of their matches and gained two bonus points which meant Stuar t came fir st overall. Once again, the U10’s did tremendously, finishing fir st. In the U9’s, Stuar t House still gave a ver y good effor t and managed to secure third place .

We had many events going on over the cour se of this term, star ting with our House assembly, where we proceeded to choose our House charity for this year : “The British Hear t Foundation.” They are a charity that saves many lives and hear ts by using money from fundraiser s to having blood donated so that people who need it can have a hear t transplant or if they need more blood in their body then they are able to help. Soon after this, we had House Football, which was our strongest point in the term in my opinion. The Third Form and Transition pupils did excellently well as they won, then Fir st Form did a great job as we just trailed behind Norman for second place and then the Second Former s may have wanted to do a bit better in this but they still kept their heads up. The great thing was that ever yone had smiles on their faces and they were always laughing and that is what we love to see in Stuar t House . Then we went on to House Cross Countr y; the Transition r unner s unluckily came last but all of them tried their hardest, Fir st Form came a close second and then the Second Form and Third Form came respectably third but overall, this was not our strongest point in the term, but we kept our hopes up and no one was upset with the position they were in and that is the most impor tant thing because we still had more to come . Next, we had House Chess which went well as we were awfully close behind Norman House in fir st place and we even had our determined Transition pupils competing; they all did ver y well and ended up finishing second.

In the U8’s, Stuar t played ver y well, as always, and ended up with another victor y. Unluckily, in House Swimming, Stuar t came a ver y close four th place in a ver y tough swimming meet. In the House Science Quiz for Rushmere , Stuar t came an amazing fir st place , adding to our overall victories for this year’s House events. There was a wonderful Sponsored Walk created by two Second Former s, Oscar Hinxman and Jack Vincent. The money raised was divided between the charity Razom, who provide humanitarian aid for Ukraine and the nominated House Charities. This event took place on 7th of March for Prior y and 9th of March for Rushmere , raising a lot of money. Ever yone walked or ran with smiles on their faces, knowing they were doing this for a ver y good cause . On Friday 24th March, the last day of school, the House Prefects hid wrapped, chocolate eggs outside the Junior School office for the rest of Stuar t House to find. Stuar t did well to come second in the number of Community Merits and third in Distinctions. I was ver y honoured and thoroughly enjoyed my time as House Captain for Stuar t in the spring term. Rohan Shan-Muhammad 3MH

HOUSES

STUA RT H O U S E

STUA RT H O U S E S U M M E R TE R M

tuar t had a thrilling summer term. Our Fir st and Second Forms did exceedingly well in spor ting activities. The Stuar t Second Form came second in House Tennis, and Fir st Form managed to even reel in a victor y in House Cricket. The newer generation of Stuar t (Transitions), achieved second in House Cricket, already doing the house proud. We have some amazing athletes in Stuar t. In Prior y Spor ts Day, we managed to win a gold medal in the U11 high jump. However, we came four th overall, closely behind Windsor House . For Stuar t, Spor ts Day is all about the collaboration and contribution of our great team. Besides spor t, Stuar t are skilled in other activities. The main example would be House Debating. Our Second and Third Forms wor ked towards this event, and two representatives, Luke and Aiden, were chosen to debate against other Houses in front of the entire Junior School. The representatives were extremely brave to debate in front of so many people , so we congratulate any debater who was in the competition. Stuar t debated well, talking clear ly to the audience as well as giving solid replies to questions. In the end, Stuar t were victorious after a close competition. During this summer term, there have been victories and losses, but Stuar t’s per severance and dedication has shone throughout the whole year. To be Stuar t’s House captain for the term was a great privilege and honour, and I wish Stuar t many great year s to come . Dylan Chohan 3A

Then finally, we had the Christmas Fair for which we sold books and sweets for the British Hear t Foundation. I want to thank all the Stuar t House Prefects and staff for what they have done for me this term. Sachin Gilchrist 3B

HOUSE CRICKET

ubilant Stuart House cricketers celebrate their victory in the U8 House Cricket Tournament.

S PR I N G TE R M

AU TU M N TE R M

t was an absolute joy to be the House Captain of Tudor this term; it was an eventful one . We got off to a solid star t. In House Football, the Third Form came second and the Second Form came fir st! Ever yone did really well and put in our all and the thing I am the proudest of is that I did not see anyone getting upset, I only saw people proud of their team’s effor t. For Cross Countr y, the Third Form came last narrowly, the Seconds had a ver y impressive win, and Transitions and Fir st Form were third. Ever yone tried their hardest, that much was obvious, but there was also a tremendous fighting spirit that ever yone had just to complete it, so if you feel bad about your position, remember that it does not matter as much as the effor t you put in. Thank you to ever yone who did a House

Assembly and congratulations to the people who nominated WWF as their charity. Thank you to all the House Prefects; they did a wonderful job and were constantly enthusiastic and ready to help. At the Christmas Fair, ever yone was there having a lot of fun and enjoying themselves and I know that lots of people from all the Houses donated lots of books and sweets which I am sure would have made someone’s day. Thank you to ever yone who helped out and to all the teacher s for making it such a memorable day. I would just like to say once more , thank you to ever yone in Tudor for doing such an amazing job in the fir st term. Good luck to all future Tudor s, who I am sure will do an even better job, even though this term has been difficult to top! Agastya Namas 3A

t was a pleasure being House Captain of Tudor. A memor able moment for Tudor this term was winning House Swimming. This was because the Tudor pupils selected for the event were from all year groups. This meant that ever yone who was swimming contributed in their own way, whether it was a Rushmere or a Prior y pupil. I was also ver y pleased ever yone gave 100% effor t in House events such as r ugby or assemblies. The House Sponsored Walk was an enjoyable event for ever ybody but a special mention must go to Nicholas Ellinghor st for his astonishing 17 laps around the games pitches. You could walk or r un this event, however comfor table you felt. I must say thank you to all the House Prefects for helping out or taking par t in the event and raising money for our charities and war relief in Ukraine . A massive thank you again to Tudor’s Jack Vincent and Oscar Hinxman for organising this amazing event for the pupils in the Junior School. Tudor also won the Community Merits Award at the end-of-term assembly. I am not at all surprised as all the Tudor pupils I have met are kind-hear ted and ver y helpful towards me whenever I meet them, whether in the playground by getting my blazer or holding the door open for me when I am walking past. This is a great achievement and I hope we continue to do well in this in the year s to come . Per sonally, when I have been in Tudor I have always felt a par t of a community. I have been privileged to be House Captain of Tudor. Matty Elwell 3B

HOUSES

TU DO R H O U S E

S U M M E R TE R M

n my last term in the Junior School, I had the privilege to be captain of the best house , Tudor. During the term, Tudor celebrated some victories and also had some agonising second places. To star t off with, Second and Third Forms did exceptionally well with House Cricket, coming fir st and second. On the tennis cour ts, the Third Form team won convincingly. In House Music, Tudor sang ‘Here Comes the Sun’ by the Beatles. Dressed in our sunnies and blue Hawaiian shir ts, it was another gold! Our debater s, Rajveer and Vir also did well. There was some excellent ar t on display for the House Ar t competition. To raise money for WWF on House Activities Day, there was a cake sale and plenty of fun activities. Spor ts Day was memor able for Prior y with Tudor’s top two athletes both winning the Victor Ludor um awards. Tudor star in Second Form, Nikita Evseev won five gold medals and Nicholas Ellinghor st, the Third Form wonder, won two gold medals. It was ver y tight on points, but Tudor were narrowly beaten into second place overall. My whole time in the Junior School has been incredible . I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as House Captain, holding my breath through ever y moment of suspense and cheering as loud as possible for ever y win. I am proud of all the pupils’ achievements and effor ts throughout the term. I owe a huge thank you to Miss Attié as a fun and enthusiastic Head of House . Kush Patel 3MH

AU TU M N TE R M

uring the autumn term, the Windsor pupils performed extremely well, not just in spor ts, but in academics as well. We showed our tr ue Windsor hear ts and spirit as we battled through the challenges this term brought us. We continued to be successful and represented the colour of yellow like never before . Our community has also continued to show the core values with many pupils receiving Community Merits. A huge congratulations is deser ved by Rushmere pupils who did extremely well in the Science Quiz, bringing three huge points in. Fur ther successful results came from the Transition and Fir st Form pupils who both won their respective House Rugby competitions. And, finally we had the most Distinctions, which ever yone contributed something towards. This really highlights the effor t and determination that all have displayed. I think it is safe to say this has been a great term with some amazing moments. But most of all we showed what it means to be a par t of Windsor. Finally, I am ver y proud to be the House Captain of such an amazing House . Ruben Jithendra, 3B

S PR I N G TE R M

t was a real privilege to be House Captain of Windsor. This was an incredible term packed with loads of engaging events. Fir stly, there was House Football, an almighty challenge but still great fun. The Transitions and Second Form had a great tournament, coming second place in their competitions. Unfor tunately, the Fir st and Third Forms placed four th but I know the team spirit and spor tsmanship kept the House going. “Debra,” our chosen House Char ity needs a special mention. I am pleased that a quar ter of the money raised at the Christmas Fair went towards this international research charity, helping sufferer s of a rare skin condition. Then, it was House Cross Countr y. Probably, the biggest challenge of the year but it was still an impressive performance for the Windsorians. Transition had the best result coming in fir st place , Second and Third Form came second and Fir st Form came four th. In House Chess, we came third; it was a wonderful oppor tunity for pupils from different year s in Windsor to bond while playing an all-time favourite hobby. I am confident that we have some talented chess player s in Windsor, and I look forward to us winning a chess competition in the future .

HOUSES

W I N D SO R H O U S E

W I N D SO R H O U S E S U M M E R TE R M

eing House Captain of Windsor for the summer term was extraordinar y and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of Windsorians. We made steady progress over the cour se of the year, however the summer term is where we came alive . All the pupils put in an extraordinar y effor t and as a result we climbed the table . We achieved fir st place in many events, including Second Form House Cricket, Transition House Cricket and Second Form House Tennis. We also finished second in a tightly fought House Debate . When results haven’t gone our way, the pupils have shown great courage and per severance . No matter the final result, Windsor showed ever yone what they are capable of. It was great to see Windsor soaking up all the King’s values; we have become an array of hard-wor king and eager-to-learn pupils. When I fir st got appointed House Captain, I saw that we Windsor ians had great potential and guess what? We have taken the challenge and made it into a winning House . I am sure all of us Windsorians are winner s through our attitude and spirit. James Slattery, 3A

I am proud that in all events, the Windsorians went the extra mile , never gave up and most impor tantly, kept their smiles and spirits high. Ethan Hull, 3MH

C R E A T I V E WRITING

G O B L I N O LOGY I NTRO D U C TI O N

PI R ATE TH E M E D C R E ATI V E W R ITI N G

to it. It was wearing striped pyjamas, blue fluffy socks and a small pair of black slippers. I let it come in and it ran behind the bookshelf. Not long afterwards I heard snoring. I looked through a gap in the books, but the creature had vanished. After some research I figured out that the creature my life. Fortunately, I have since seen more goblins and I am writing this book now for you, and only for you, my dear reader. Magnus Long TDM

TR E A S U R E I S L A N D STO RY STA RTE R S

nsurprisingly, Halloween Goblins live in candy stores and at the dead of night, they stealthily creep out of their hiding places and raid free sweets. Boo’s species of Halloween Goblin are allergic to healthy foods and do not like sharing! Sometimes, Boo’s friends and family like to have a spiteful war against the Vegetable Goblins who reside next door in the grocery store. Ethan Bogerd TWL

I H T S

approached the slender pirate. I was so close I could hear his breath. He had a foul black beard and a lava green grass parrot perched gently on his shoulder. He smelt as if he had not washed in his whole life. James Coretki TB

was a goblin. From that day I searched and studied goblins for the rest of

H A L LOW E E N G O B L I N S

hen I came to the tropical island, the mist was like a blanket, covering the ocean.The ancient sinister relics and bones rattled in the freezing fog. The eerie lagoons waves washed up multi-colour coral as the crooked trees clawed the stormy sky frantically like a crocodile preying on an elephant. Oliver Tsang TDM

ne day I was in my bedroom lying in my bed reading when I heard a noise. I saw a small little creature stuck in the window. The window had fallen onto him. I slowly, very slowly, walked over

t was a stormy day; the wind was howling in his ears and the waves were as high as mountains, crashing down like boulders on the galleon, causing it to rock like a seesaw. James had a muscular, tall body and eyes like a lion. His ferocious nature had won him few friends, so he worked alone. He was passing over a beautiful reef, that contained all the colours of the rainbow, and that James would have had more time to admire had he not been trying to sail a massive galleon, as quickly as he could, through the mother of all storms! Finally, after hours and days at sea, he spotted in the distance what he had come for. It loomed over him with cliffs the size of skyscrapers. He had found it! Everyone said it didn’t exist and was fake, but James Silver had found Treasure Island! Alfie Sargeant TWL

e had diamond eyes; wide and huge. A gigantic scar came down his nose and onto his lips. He had a black eye and an angry bruise on his cheek. There were red blisters all over his back. Fyodor Wilson TB here in front of me, was a pirate. an ink-black hat was perched on his head. His chest was bulging out of his ripped shirt. A smoking gun was gripped firmly in his sweaty red hand. Alex Liu TB

uddenly a man dashed from behind the trees, a wild expression on his face. He was tall and slender like a giraffe and his clothes were split in two. A sleek looking cutlass hung by his side and an imperious parrot stood tall on his shoulder. He looked like a tough opponent. Sam Jones TB

e opened his rotten mouth and growled ferociously at me. The sound crawled down my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. As the petrifying pirate blundered towards me, he froze and flexed his broad arms. Suddenly, I saw a glimpse of his name on his leather belt. His name was Almighty Bonecrusher. Timothy Gussago TB

here on the beach was a hideous man with a large, muscular body. He had a crooked face full of jagged teeth. His hair was as long as a horse’s tail. His breath had a horrid stench and saliva dribbled onto his limp, drooping lip. His legs were the size of a moose’s legs and were covered in disgusting hair. He looked like he could crush an elephant! Oscar Korde TDM

himmering blue as the sky, water splattered onto the sun-gold beach, which was narrow, stretching out for miles and then sloping gently to the sea. The wind breezed against large umbrella-like palm trees. The beach had seas of glowing sand. Far in the horizon, was a sheer spiky mountain. Under the mountain, was a dark, gloomy cave. Behind the humongous mountain was a lush, green forest.The wind was so strong it felt like the forest was moving by itself. Above the island were no clouds, just a lovely, clear sky. Yichen Xiong TDM

is legs were an odd shape, with knocking knees which looked like a human pyramid. His heart was solid stone and blue bruises were scattered all over him. He was as broad as a bull and there were claw grazes all over him. His teeth were wonky from fistfights. Conrad Collins TB

he angry storm raged as the vicious waves swayed like a mad bull. The roaring island was guarded securely by the steep quiet and rocky cliffs. The colossal crew was foolish to be deceived by the shallow lagoon teeming with beautiful tropical fish. The sharp but smooth stones littered the shore like a jigsaw of crunchy old bones. The pointy edge of the mountain was ablaze with orange like the skin of tigers and the ruffled hair of lions. The mighty lightning bolt was throwing itself at the terrified sailors and the noisy thunder was screaming madly at them not to go an inch further. They stepped back, one sailor screamed, petrified by what he had heard. They now knew they were not alone as they clearly heard the scary voice of a pirate, shackled in laughter. Nye Hughes TDM

he native man looked young with long, messy black hair that looked like it hadn’t been combed in weeks. His hair was as greasy as butter, and his skin was dark and scarred like Anakin Skywalker’s face. He wore a sheepskin loincloth as heavy as a picture frame and five reed armbands on his gloved arm. On his other arm, he wore a papyrus band that said “Gladiator leader” in the Somalian language. He held a gladius as old as an antique clock, but as sharp as a javelin and a spear as old and rickety as a Second World War Anderson shelter. His teeth were manky and black like a rotten bone and his nose was crooked and broken. Although he looked so fierce, a twinkle in his eye hinted at friendliness. Jerome Collins TDM

C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G

TR A N S ITI O N

HELEN KELLER

BIORN “This is my chance,’ he cried. He brandished his weapons, charged head-on at the giant with a new-found energy...”

long time ago, in a land far far away… there lived a viking named Biorn. He had fought for many decades and claimed many victories. He could even lift ten elephants with his pinky! He was embarking on his final quest, to die a warrior’s death in battle and go to the sacred, glorious Valhalla, a warrior’s dream! He meandered as far as Greenland looking for a seldom opportunity to find an opponent. He found plenty of opponents but by curse or coincidence they all were killed before they and Biorn could engage in combat, either squashed by a tree, struck by lightning or being carried away by a hawk to feed to its chicks! After throwing a puny dwarf off a cliff in anger, he stumbled to his knees and put his face in his hands. Utterly defeated, he moaned ‘Is Helhiem (for your information that is Viking’s hell) my destiny?’ Sadly, he trudged the long way home through snowy blizzards and torrential rain. As if Odin heard his plea and granted him it or by just sheer luck, he came across a gigantic malicious monster ransacking a monastery with tons of fleeing, burning nuns everywhere. ’This

is my chance,’ he cried. He brandished his weapons, charged head-on at the giant with a new-found energy, and shouted ‘Aaaaarrrrrrgggghhhh,’ avoiding all the burning nuns that the monster hurled at him. After a hard-fought, tiring, and agonising battle the monster finally plunged a sharpened wooden stake into Biorn’s heart! In a flash, Valhalla appeared in all its glory as Biorn gazed, awe-struck at the wondrous place! He cautiously sauntered up the steps and received more gold swords, shields, axes, armour and feasts with tons of beer everywhere. ‘At last,’ he cried, but his celebration was short lived… Back on Earth, the miserable, mourning nuns planted Biorn’s dead body in a grave and planted a wooden cross on top… For Biorn, carefully climbing the steps to Valhalla, everything disappeared! Instead, Heaven appeared. He strolled in and the gates clanged shut behind him. Inside he saw drowsy angels and nuns yawning. ‘Nnnoooooo,’ he screeched. Jack Doran 1W

CLOAKED IN SILENCE,

Her world was cloaked in darkness.

World jumbled,

DARKNESS.

Except,

Curtains never drawn.

the darkness never spoke,

Anger power,

INJURY. FIGHTS. MISERY. TANTRUMS OF ANGER, NOTHING TO SEE,

Never whispered, or made a sound.

LIFE IS LONELY AND ROUGH. I AM DEPRIVED OF MY SIGHT,

This was Helen’s mind,

ALL SOUNDS TO HEAR.

Like an astronaut.

AND WHEN MY TEACHER CAME,

Deafness raised confusion. Miserable,

No light

Never stopping

To See,

Tantrums.

THE MOMENT OF HAPPINESS.

Clouded by her frustration.

MY EYES ARE BLIND, MY EARS ARE DEAF,

Blindness, woke the animal,

Lonely,

This was Helen world.

CAME.

Always worked.

Lost in space,

THE BIRTHDAY OF MY SOUL,

Teacher came “My soul’s birthday.

Until the day teacher came. “My soul’s birthday” Cheerful she became. Remarkable, kind.

MY SOUL CAN SEE, MY SOUL CAN HEAR,

My favourire present: freedom.

Obedient, brave

SO, I CAN SEE AND HEAR.

The words I learnt were like steps

Curiosity never ending.

Escaping a darkened and forever silent

Adventures filled the whole,

prison.”

Nothing else could fill.

I BECAME A HEROINE,

A R AC H N E “They sat at their looms and began to weave. It was a laborious battle...”

C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G

F I R ST FO R M

F I R ST F O R M

TRAVELLING TO TEACH,

ll the locals stared in awe at the art of young Arachne. It was the most beautiful thing they ever saw. “As your weaving is top standard, you must have been taught by a grand master!” Arachne was always impressed with her work.

“I shall challenge Athena to a weaving contest!”

HELPING

Suddenly, the hag turned into Athena. They sat at their looms and began to weave. It was a laborious battle. In the end, Athena screamed, “YOU WON!”

SULLIVAN HELPED

Full of light and joy

ME.

And her prison life left behind in a dark

In an instant, Athena appeared and turned herself into an ancient hag. Athena staggered slowly towards Arachne. When Athena reached Arachne, she whispered, “Arachne, your work is beautiful but you are not as good as the master, Athena.”

She poked Arachne in the forehead and Arachne instantly felt guilty. Eventually, Arachne died and Athena felt guilt-ridden herself. “What have I done to Arachne?” Athena screamed. Finally, Arachne was brought back to life and lived for eternity as a spider. Johnathan Paice 1W

PEOPLE

Faraj Dadashev 1BP

JUST

ANNIE

Her life now

memory. Matthew Cook 1BP

Her eyes could not see But in her mind, she could see. Happy forever. From the day teacher came.

Sean Oh 1BP

“Yes I am, I am better than Athena”, retorted Arachne,

M O U NT O LY M PU S

T “Fireworks whizzed up around me, exploding and falling to the ground like glitter.”

he wispy mist poured from the peak of the formidable mountain where the great Mount Olympus stood. A golden beam of sunlight shone down from heaven, illuminating the outline. Jagged rocks, where one could die, were peering over the edge of the peak. I could hear the gruesome sound of the slaughter of sacrifice all around me. Statues of unforgettable gods were planted on the side of Mount Olympus. Pillars the length of eight school buses stopped the structure from collapsing like dominoes. Now think, is there more behind those walls of wisdom than meets the eye? Atlas Aydin 1CM

BO N F I R E N I G HT

ireworks whizzed up around me, exploding and falling to the ground like glitter. The smell of gunpowder filled my nose as the fireworks shot up, making the loudest bang ever! A massive bonfire had been set alight and was roaring like a lion. It reached up to the clouds with wonderous colours. Suddenly, a flaming stick fell from the fire. The ground was set ablaze and everyone ran! Joshua Selvachandran 1CM

TH E F O R E S T

“Why was she so happy now and what was she planning to do…?”

t was early morning in the mysterious forest. Dawn was breaking and the birds were performing one of the wonders of the world, ‘The Dawn Chorus’. Spring was on the doorstep and dew dotted the grass. The flowers were sprouting everywhere you looked and the sun was shining down upon the ground. Ryan Bourne 1CM

C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G

F I R ST FO R M

F I R ST F O R M TH E M AG I C C A R PE T

ed walked down the road to meet his friends and play football. On the way, he saw something peculiar. He sprinted down the pavement chasing the ‘thing’. Since he was not looking, Ted bumped into a lamp post, a post box and a traffic sign saying ‘slow down’ before running into the park where his friends were waiting for him. The ‘thing’ landed and Ted got a proper look at it. It was a red and gold carpet which was floating…it was a magic carpet! Ted touched it and the carpet scooped him up, took him for a spin and landed by Ted’s friends. Just then, two more carpets zoomed over and landed for his friends. Ted knew he was going to have a lot of fun with the carpets, but what he didn’t know was that a prophecy had begun… Leo Kou 1CM

C H A R AC TE R D E S C R I P TI O N

s Susan strode in to work every day she looked frustrated, with heavy bags under her striking sapphire eyes. She had obviously been awake all night, trying hard to work something out. Her devious eyes glanced to the jagged cut on her hand which turned a dark red every time she fixed her gaze on it. In her terraced house slap bang in the middle of London, the bin was flooded with crumpled paper which had random numbers strewn all over it. She was always so annoyed until one day she skipped in to work, her mouth breaking into a sly smile revealing pearly white teeth. Why was she so happy now and what was she planning to do…? Rafferty Guest 1CM

T E

ven before I opened my eyes, I could tell that I was surrounded by everlasting grass plains. The smell of grass hung in the air, but

in a good way as it felt like someone had sprayed a perfume into the air that would never stop smelling nice. And then I opened my eyes and ‘wow’ was the only thought that came to my head. Huge grass hills

he sweltering heat closed around me, and the scorching desert blazed a trail in front of my shoes. The rancid smell of burning plants impaled itself into my nostrils.The only objects brave enough to fight the unbearable heat were the rocks towering in front of me like giants. The only sound I could hear was the ear-splitting screech coming from the ferocious desert hunters, the vultures, scanning the ground for any sign of food. I stopped to rest, panting, and staring at the baron landscape in front of me. I reached for my water bottle and lifted it to my mouth, nothing came out. I shook it desperate to hear the comforting sloshing noise. I forced my tired eyes to glimpse the bottle. It was empty, NOOO!!! Lucas Ginzburg Maly 1HM

dotted with uniquely beautiful trees separated far apart from each other. The light that shot onto the trees and grass felt somewhat holy, as did the puffy white clouds behind them. Alexander Kjaer 1HM

am ran out of the woods and the sight in front of him shocked him. Crystal clear water stretched as far as the eye could see,

and the tall, graceful mountains dominated the sky.

“The only sound I could hear was the ear-splitting screech coming from the ferocious desert hunters, the vultures, scanning the ground for any sign of food.”

“He could taste the sea air washing onto the rocks as the gannets dived for their dinner, plunging into the sea like torpedoes.”

en stopped at the Cliffs of Dover, the dizzying drop thousands of feet below him. He could taste the sea air washing onto the rocks as the gannets dived for their dinner, plunging into the sea like torpedoes. Ben only had seconds to soak it in as he could hear thumping feet right behind him. Daniel Hewitt 1HM

Sam let the fresh air fill his lungs and let the sound of flowing water reach his ears. It was so nice here. Too nice… Yiru Su 1HM

C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G

S ECO N D F O R M

S ECO N D FO R M

A W I T H E R I N G WO R L D

P O E TRY S L A M

The uncertain yet reassuring gaze of the sun Made us fade like a dying dream. Gone. The fresh grass below us suddenly wilted, withered As the whistling wind made the tree leaves hiss like snakes. Entire oceans could not quench this raging thirst. We could just make out The lake water dancing In the fires of misery.

wo teams of Third Form pupils took part in the first ever Poetry Slam competition hosted by Authors Aloud at the Polka Theatre. The nine pupils representing KCJS had worked with slam poet Kimba when he came into school before half-term, and the two poems that they performed were the result of this workshop, and, as such, they represented the ideas and creativity of the year group as a whole. Six schools took part, and their parents and friends filled the theatre lending their support to a truly fantastic event which was a celebration of poetry and young voices. Although we did not win, it was a great evening, and Mrs Beddoe, Mr Lougher and Ms McGregor were incredibly proud of the brave young poets who stood behind microphones and performed with such enthusiasm. Well done! CPM

“The swish of the ball Soars into the net like a rocket. But then comes the flare of pain from the tackle”

T H E L A S T P L E A O F N AT U R E On the pitch, a deafening silence… The relaxing relief, a beautiful sensation; The swish of the ball Soars into the net like a rocket. But then comes the flare of pain from the tackle And the rock-hard grass beneath. When the whistle blows, With a heavy heart, Death feels like it’s knocking on the door.

Or is it the stomach sickness like seas shifting, sprouting on your plate? Maybe it’s the grass growing like a little boy, whilst dripping with sweet dew. Is it the sudden relief of the red traffic light changing? Or is it the anger of the cars beeping when the light flashes? Or are you the pedestrian that crosses before the time, and sees no more?

The detention appears out of thin air Head shaking in confusion. What have I done? The threat takes control like poison ivy Hot vomit bubbling in the back of my throat Heart stops abruptly Sharp tears swell up in my worried eyes My chest heaving with every sob I try to keep in What on Earth am I going to tell my parents? A sinking feeling of guilt, As, out of the depths of Hell, Like a human in a pool of sharks, Laughs and jeers Fill my ears

As black doves soar above, memories of the past world flow by, Of towering trees, To glimmering seas, Nature was in control.

Crawling home on hands and knees feeling The rough rocky crunch beneath. The constant turmoil of war Devouring peaceful nature Like a tsunami towering over a frightening city, But the Earth’s heart is healing And people are connecting the Lego bricks, As a new life begins to blossom. Is it the stacks of bills that bring glee to your sore eyes?

Now, factories rise and smoke thickens, Trees fall where birds once sang. The world darkens as the void draws near. We are like aphids on the tree of life, eating up the leaves of the world. As hammers clang, it fuels the abyss, like a cat climbing closer with every step. There is hope: A small candle shining in the darkness, Waiting to be found. That one candle has the power to light a million more.

The grass dances in the wind as the aircraft landed With a gentle puff. Dead leaves dropped like rain from the trees. Millions of birds frantically scrambled and fluttered Out of the chaotic canopy The hatch of the aircraft opened with a gentle hiss. A blinding light seeped out of the hatch. A taste of shock and delight filled me as a slimy blob emerged It was like someone was holding an ice cold knife to my trembling throat. Trees are howling While the scorching heat of fire burns their barren bark. Blackened leaves flutter to the ground like dust Waiting to be rescued by a saviour That might just never come. Or maybe they will? Maybe, just maybe, We can unite and fight for our precious planet. Perhaps new leaves will bud, Perhaps new flowers will bloom, Perhaps new plants will sprout. From the ashes of our past, We may thrive once more.

“Mother nature has bittersweet memories of The breath of the trees fills the forest with a peaceful the perfect tranquillity. world she Turquoise waters run, waves lapping against the birthed, shining sand. Mother nature has bittersweet memories of the perfect world she birthed, Pained now by what a monster her child has become.

The emerald leaves dance to the ground, Millions of birds filling the crisp air with a strange music. This is nature. Where everything lives in peas and harmonicas In the city, it’s different. This sickness is spreading, A deadly decimating disease. Time is running out.

Pained now by what a monster her child has become.”

It is like the drip-drip of envy and jealousy, Poisoning every soul with ides of money, greed, evil. It is the human cruelty that has tortured the world for centuries. Why is this happening? But it is nature, A shield to protect us all from dangers that have unravelled. It is the dying force that we have to defend, if we wish to live another day. It is the world, the life, the protection: (crescendo) Our home. It is dying, and we have to save it. Rajveer Kejriwal 3OH, Zac Khan 3B, Ishaan Rao 3A, Ayaan Samad 3OH & Casper Zee 3MH

Time is of the essence. We need to light the candle. And quickly. Edward Bartman 3OH, Hamish Boswell-Kerr 3OH, Vir Dhillon 3A & Ruben Jithendra 3B

C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G

TH I R D FO R M

TH I R D F O R M

ART & DESIGN

A RT & D E S I G N

TR A N S ITI O N

Oliver Tsang TDM Junxi Ji TWL Jerome Collins TDM

Hector Pirrie TWL

Nye Hughes TDM

George Turner TWL

Aman Mishra TB

Marshal Cen TDM

Khizer Khowaja TDM

James Coretki TB

Yash Malhotra TB

Leo Flouch TDM

Joshua Storey TB

Timothy Gussago TB

Freddy Casey 1CM

Kareem Kerman 1W

A RT & D E S I G N

F I R ST FO R M

F I R ST F O R M

Joshua Lajumoke 1W

Joshua Selvachandran 1CM

Finlay O’Connor 1CM

Arjun Patnaik 1HM

Theo Rowe 1W

Lucas Ginzburg-Maly 1HM

Marco Tedeschi 1W

Gabriel Das Wermes 1W

Sean Oh 1BP

Jacob Dyakonov 1CM

Ryan Bourne 1CM

Sebastian Hidalgo 1HM

Rafferty Guest 1CM

Pedro Borges Lima 1HM

Dhruv Mahajan 1HM

A RT & D E S I G N

S ECO N D FO R M

S ECO N D F O R M

Stanley Chen 2B

Felix Garcia-Oliver 2G

Mark Andreottola 2G

Ronav Agrawal 2G

Christian Conroy 2N

Tim Gao 2G

Ethan Crews 2N

Reggie Blayney 2N

Tim Gao 2G

Samuel Chu 2B

Oliver Paik 2G

Alex Gibbons 2B

Harry Moore 2N

Nikita Evseev 2G

Milo Jarvis 2B

Viaan Chaturvedi 2G

A RT & D E S I G N

TH I R D FO R M

TH I R D F O R M

Matty Elwell 3B Hamish Boswell-Kerr 3OH

Abhay Karna 3A

Alex Panna 3OH

Kush Patel 3MH

Luis Worthington 3B

Casper Zee 3MH

Alexander Rydnik 3MH

James Koutsovasilis 3B

Lachlan Malan 3B

3A carnival masks

Nicholas Ellinghorst 3B

Felix Brazil 3MH

Charlie Ding 3A

Oscar Ross 3MH

Ishaan Rao 3A

TH I R D FO R M : D E S I G N E N G I N E E R I N G

Tom Buckney 3A

Max Lin 3MH Soldering Illumination Project

A RT & D E S I G N

TH I R D FO R M : D E S I G N E N G I N E E R I N G

Freddie Lennon 3MH

Freddie Lennon 3MH Soldering Illumination Project

3MH Animal Toy Project

Aiden Mawani 3MH

J U N I O R S C H OO L A RT C LU B

unior school Art Club had a vibrant year, developing their skills and exploring collaborative art-making. This year, they presented ‘fighter kites’, inspired by the Afghanistan tradition of kite running at the Around the World Junior School Art Show. They each constructed their frames from wooden dowels and string and decorated them with brightly coloured geometric tissue paper patterns and colourful ribbon tails. This year, Art Club has also worked collaboratively to create a papier-mâché globe, decorated with their fingerprints, as a symbol of community and belonging. They marked Chinese New Year with rabbit lanterns and sensitively painted watercolour pomegranates from direct observation.

A RT & D E S I G N

F E STI VA L S A N D CO M PE TITI O N S

A RT C LU B

K I N G ’ S A RT S F E STI VA L WO R K S H O P S W ITH J E A N E T TE BA R N E S

upils in Third Form were inspired by the work of award-winning artist Jeanette Barnes in a series of drawing workshops to launch the King’s Arts Festival.

Drawings from the workshop with Jeanette Barnes

Art Club making kites

RU S H M E R E D R AW I N G CO M PE TITI O N 2 023

he Rushmere Drawing Competition was packed with skilful, imaginative, and exciting entries. The whole school was invited to vote for their favourite work and three winners were announced in Final Assembly: Lucas Ginzburg-

Maly in 1HM, Zayne Ali in 1CM and Leo GomezFranqueira San Pedro in 1CM. A further ten drawings were highly commended by the judges. Well done Rushmere for a fabulous display!

J U N I O R S C H OO L A RT S H OW

A RT & D E S I G N

J U N I O R S C H OO L A RT S H OW

t was very exciting to welcome parents and guests to our Christmas Art Show in the Collyer Hall Theatre. Our theme ‘Around the World’ stimulated a wonderful term of visual exploration and adventuring! Pupils in Third Form had recreated iconic buildings and monuments, from the Mondrianinspired streets of New York City, to the tiled palace of the Alhambra, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia and the desert cities of the Middle East. Floating above our heads were hot air balloons made by pupils in Transition and huge bird kites by pupils in First Form. There were collaborative pieces inspired by the mosaics of the Ancient Greeks, a giant ‘flying’ Chinese dragon holding a pearl in its claws and a French grotto encrusted with shells. Taking centre stage was an ornately decorated Indian elephant rolling a globe with his trunk. Aboriginal dot paintings, Japanese kimonos, batik and applique textiles, prints, papier-mâché and ceramic pots were some of the many works on display, accompanied by a musical slideshow showing the pupils at work in the Reeve School. It was a truly magical evening - a homage to the rich cultural traditions that we draw influence from in the creative arts and a great celebration of Art at King’s College Junior School.

MUSIC

PRIORY YOUNG MUSICIAN

P RIORY FINALISTS 202 3

n Tuesday, 6th December, all Priory pupils assembled in the Concert Hall for the Priory Young Musician Competition 2022 Final. Nine finalists, three of whom also performed in a second category, played very well to a packed hall of their peers, teachers, and parents. The adjudicator, Mr David Gordon-Shute, Head of Brass at Eton College, gave each of the finalists insightful comments on their performances, while all Priory pupils listened to the feedback intently. The overall winner was Alp for his performance of J S Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in F# minor”. The first runner-up was Leo with G Pugnani’s “Preludio e Allegro”, and second runner-up was Sebastian with D Warren’s arrangement of “Keep young and beautiful” by J Iveson. Mr Gordon-Shute certainly had a very difficult decision to make, with each soloist giving an outstanding performance. Last but by no means least, a sincere congratulation must be extended to all 53 pupils who took part in the heats for the competition. RW

F I N A L I S T S 2 0 2 3 - P R I O RY Brass

Sebastian Weetch 2N

Voice

Hamish Boswell-Kerr 3OH Nicholas Ellinghorst 3B and Leo Ogungbemi 3B

String

Bryan Lin 2G and Leo Ogungbemi 3B

Piano

Alp Kucukyldiz 3B Nicholas Ellinghorst 3B Ryan Tian 3A William Lowe 3A James Ramage 3MH Sebastian Weetch 2N

Trombone

he Rushmere Young Musician Competition final was held on 30th January, showcasing the exceptional talent of Rushmere pupils. With a range of musical styles and instruments, the competition was a celebration of musical excellence.

RUSHM E RE PRI Z E W I N N E RS 2023

The young finalists showcased their skill and passion for music. The competition’s winner, Alex, stole the show with his outstanding performance on the piano. The first runner-up, Ethan, also impressed the crowd with his beautiful piano playing, while the second runner-up, Affan, demonstrated his mastery of the clarinet with his well-developed tone. In addition to the top three performers, the adjudicator, Mrs Callaway, Director of Music at Willington Prep, also recognised three highly commended performances. Jacob was praised for his stunning singing, Lucas received recognition for his exceptional performance on both cello and piano, and Neel was highly commended for his performance on the classical guitar. The high standard of the performances was a testament to the dedication and talent of the young musicians of Rushmere. Mrs Callaway was very impressed with the level of skill and musicality displayed. RW RUSHM E RE FI N AL I STS 2023

F I N A L I S T S 2 0 2 3 - RU S H M E R E Wind

Jacob Dyakanov 1CM Affan Khan 1BP

Voice

Jacob Dyakanov 1CM

String

Jayden Na 1W Neel Sumanth 1HM Lucas Ginzburg-Maly 1HM

Piano

Marshall Cen TDM Ethan Geng 1HM Lucas Ginzburg-Maly 1HM Leo Kou 1CM Alex Liu TB Jayden Na 1W Jonathan Paice 1W William Zhu 1BP

Violin

Sebastian in performance

R E S U LT S 2 0 2 3 - P R I O RY

Above: William, Nicholas and Bryan performing

RUSHMERE YOUNG MUSICIAN

MUSIC

YO U N G M U S I C I A N

RUSHM E RE PE RFORM E RS 2023

Clarinet Clarinet

violin guitar cello

R E S U LT S 2 0 2 3 - RU S H M E R E

Winner

Alp Kucukyldiz 3B

Piano

Winner

First Runner-Up

Leo Ogungbemi 3B

Violin

Second Runner-Up

Sebastian Weetch 2N

Alex Liu TB

Piano

First Runner-Up

Ethan Geng IHM

Piano

Second Runner-Up

Affan Khan IBP

Clarinet

Highly Commended

Jacob Dyakanov ICM Lucas Ginzburg-Maly IHM Neel Sumanth 1HM

Singing Piano and Cello Classical Guitar

Adjudicator and prize winners

Y E A R H I G H LI G HT S MUSIC

Y E A R H I G H LI G HT S

W E ST E N D TA L K S A N D TR I P S

TR I N IT Y M U S I C E X A M I N ATI O N S

ABRSM MUSIC E X A M I N ATI O N S In summer 2023, we ran 190 instrumental lessons on a weekly basis in addition to 31 students involved in the beginner group

BRSM examinations are held once a term with 114 pupils sitting their practical exams this year. There were no fails, 33 pupils were awarded a pass, 56 pupils were awarded a merit and a remarkable 27 distinctions. An enormous congratulation to these pupils, and also, credit to the Heads of Instruments and the 36 Visiting Music Teachers. 56 ABRSM examinations took place with 53 candidates. Well done to all of our candidates this year.

scheme for the Junior School.

AUTUMN

both ABRSM and

SPRING

hree Trinity examinations took place, these exams included:

T R I N I T Y E X A M I N AT I O N S :

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

T R I N I T Y R E S U LT S :

A B R S M E X A M I N AT I O N S :

We also had

BEGINNER GROUP PROGRAMME

he very successful Beginner Group Programme on offer each year to pupils in Transition and First Form always manages to open the door to trialling and learning an orchestral instrument. There are instrumental lessons taught in groups of two or three for 20 sessions running from October to May, which culminates in a concert to parents. Without fail, this programme seeks out latent musicians who go on to perform in, what I consider, one of the best concerts each year, the Beginner Group Concert. Some of King’s most outstanding and top musicians in the Senior School began their musical journey in this programme and this year we had a total of 31 new and emerging young musicians. RW

SUMMER

Trinity exams this

INITIAL GRADE

summer term.

GRADE 1

x11

GRADE 2

x12

GRADE 3

x12

x20

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

GRADE 6

PASS

33%

MERIT

67%

Above: Mr Ron Crocker (Musical Director) and Ms Amy Webb (Elphaba standby) from Wicked, the Musical.

Above: The Musical Director of Wicked, the Musical, Mr Ron Crocker.

Mrs Garvie and Nye performing together at the Beginner Groups Concert.

GRADE 7

GRADE 8

A V I S IT F RO M C H A R LOT TE S COT T

A B R S M R E S U LT S :

econd Form studied musicals in the summer term and were fortunate to be visited by Ms Charlotte Scott, currently performing in Guys and Dolls at the Bridge theatre, Ms Amy Webb, standby for Elphaba in Wicked, the Musical, and Mr Ron Crocket, the musical director of Wicked. They talked to the pupils and gave them insight into the backstage goings on of a West End musical. RW

AUTUMN

SPRING

SUMMER

FAIL

PASS

16%

58%

20%

MERIT

56%

33%

50%

DISTINCTION

28%

30%

Leo and Rene performing at the Beginner Group Concert.

irst and Second form pupils had an exciting visit from Charlotte Scott, a West End performer. In preparation for Second Form’s visit to see Wicked on Wednesday 7th June, pupils had their questions answered about what it’s like to be on the West End. Ms Scott also sang several favourites from the musicals, wowing everyone with “Never Enough” from the Greatest Showman and leaving everyone in both awe and stitches with the different singing styles and comedic moments of “The Girl in 14G”. RW

Y E A R H I G H LI G HT S MUSIC

Y E A R H I G H LI G HT S CO N C E RT S A N D PE R F O R M A N C E

e have numerous performance opportunities during the year with formal end-of-term concerts as well as several Soloists’ Recitals. Our termly concerts feature the larger ensembles and choirs with winning soloists from the Rushmere and Priory Young musician competitions. Our Soloists’ Recitals, which run each half term, are an opportunity for soloists of all abilities to build on their experience of performing. In addition to this, there are workshops, masterclasses and visiting guest performers. RW

Below: William performing with Jazz Ensemble.

J U N I O R CO L L EG E SINGERS

CS had an eventful year performing in three endof-term concerts, two church services and two collaborative events, one with an a cappella choir from Yale University, Redhot and Blue, and another joint event with pupils from The International School of Monaco and pupils in the Lower School. RW

Below: Abhay performing in Wind and Brass Ensemble.

Above: A joint performance with the the International School of Monaco and the Lower School Choir

Above: A delighted Priory soloist performer, Vishwam.

Above: Jacob performing at one of the many musical events in the Junior School.

PI A N O E V E NT S 2 02 2 -2 023 MUSIC

PI A N O E V E NT S 2 02 2 -2 023 PR I O RY VO I C E A N D PI A N O R EC ITA L S 2 023

n Wednesday 8th February, pupils from Junior and Lower Schools performed two one-hour concerts at 5.00pm and 6.15pm in the Concert Hall. Such was the demand to perform in this event, that we created these two concerts, with each being a most enjoyable event for all involved. All performers introduced their song or piano piece from the stage and this added to the professional quality of the evening, particularly as most were able to unearth unexpected and insightful titbits to delight the audience. It was a most enjoyable evening! MLN T H E J U N I O R S C H O O L P U P I L S TA K I N G PA RT W E R E A S F O L LOW S : Hamish Boswell-Kerr 3OH (voice)

G. F. Handel: Non lo dirò col labbro

Leo Ogungbemi 3B (voice)

E. Rubbra: A hymn to the Virgin

Sebastian Weetch 2N (piano)

R. Gliere: Prelude in D flat major, Op 43 No 1

Daniel Xu 2G (piano)

R. Schumann: From: Kinderszenen, Op 15:7.Traumerei

Charlie Russell 2J (voice)

Irish traditional, arr. H. Hughes: Little Boats

Tom Buckney 3A (voice)

F. Keel: Trade Winds

James Ramage 3MH (piano)

F. Kuhlau: Sonatina in C major, Op 55, no 3:1.Allegro con spirito 2.Allegretto grazioso

Nicholas Ellinghorst 3B (voice)

H. Purcell: Fairest Isle

Ishaan Rao 3A (voice)

B. Britten: A New Year Carol

Alp Kucukyildiz 3B (piano)

S. Rachmaninov: Prelude in C minor, Op 23 No 7

Ryan Tian 3A (piano)

G. Chen & Z. He: Butterfly Lover

Felix Garcia-Oliver 2G (voice)

H. Purcell: Ah! How pleasant ‘tis to love

Ruben Jithendra 3B (voice)

Scottish folk song, Arr. J. Rutter : O can ye sew cushions?

Casper Zee 3MH (piano)

R. Samuel: From ‘A gar land for Anne: 1. The Therapy of Moonlight

K I N G ’ S PI A N O CO M PE TITI O N 2 023

he two final rounds of our annual King’s Piano Competition took place in the Concert Hall in late April. Over 130 pianists had entered the first round via a video in March and 50 were selected to continue to the two final rounds this year. The junior finals (for years 3 to 8) took place on Wednesday 26th April, adjudicated by the Polish pianist, Eva Maria Doroszkowska, also a concert performer, a seasoned festival adjudicator and piano teacher at the junior department of the Royal Academy of Music. The adjudicator was highly impressed with the performers and our pianists certainly gave her difficult decisions to make. Her feedback was detailed, encouraging and full of useful advice for the future. We are very thankful to Ms Doroszkowska for visiting us at King’s and for her considerable expertise. The standard of playing was of a high level throughout, with almost all pianists performing from memory. As per the competition rules, each gave an introduction to their pieces and these well-prepared snippets gave fascinating insights into the music to be performed. All pianists and their teachers deserve huge congratulations for their accomplished, committed playing this year. Some of the older performers’ playing was astounding, with complicated works that would substantially challenge even seasoned concert pianists. Huge congratulations to everyone for an outstanding King’s Piano Competition 2023! MLN

J U N I O R F I N A L S R E S U LT S : RUSHMERE CATEGORY Commended

Alexander Liu TB

F. Kuhlau: Sonatina Op 55 No 3

Runner-up

Louis Gu 1CM

F Spindler: Sonatina Op 157 No 4 and M. Clementi: Sonatina Op 36 No 3, first movement

Winner

Ethan Geng 1HM

J.S. Bach: Sinfonia No 15 in B Minor and J. Iber t: Le Petit âne Blanc

2ND AND 3RD FORMS CATEGORY

Commended

Casper Zee 3MH

A Elmenreich: Spinning Song and B Bartók: First movement (Bagpipers) from Sonatine

Runner-up

Sebastian Weetch 2N

R. Gliere: Prelude in D flat and J. Turina: Sacro-Monte, No 5 from Gipsy Dances Op 55

Winner

Daniel Xu 2G

G. Ren: Colourful Clouds Chasing the Moon

JS AND LS NOVICES CATEGORY

Commended

Ayaan Samad 3OH James Ramage 3MH

Runner-up

LS Pupil

Winner

LS Pupil

A. Lasko: Tarantella and E. Milne: Mozzie J. Kosma: Autumn Leaves

Overall winner of the junior section and cup

LS Pupil

Best spoken introduction

Daniel Xu 2G

PI A N O E V E NT S 2 02 2 -2 023 MUSIC

PI A N O E V E NT S 2 02 2 -2 023

J A Z Z PI A N O A N D I M PROV I SATI O N M A S TE RC L A S S W ITH RO B BA R RO N

K I N G ’ S PI A N O PRO J EC T – M U S I C F O R T WO PI A N O S

very academic year, a special themed piano project takes place when promising pianists at King’s are individually invited to participate and are assigned repertoire. Our project was ‘Music for Two Pianos’. In order for this to happen, Kawai UK and Coach House Pianos generously loaned us their flagship Shigeru Kawai SK-EX concert grand piano to join our Steinway Model D in the concert hall. The piano was here for three weeks and used in the three events of this project and several others. Only 20 of these special pianos are produced per year by a special team of Kawai’s top piano builders in Japan. On Sunday 5th March, 22 pianists enjoyed a sixhour piano masterclass with world-famous pianists Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen on two-piano repertoire by Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Arensky, Poulenc, Shostakovich, Guastavino, Stravinsky, Lutoslawski and Adams.They were much inspired by the teaching of these two seasoned professionals, both of whom are professors as the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.They worked on areas of sound and crafting a seamless melodic line in their playing. With there being two pianos and therefore double the number of notes played, the area of balance and conversation between the two instruments was a strong theme. Both teachers were very impressed with the standard and responsiveness of our pianists, commenting later that several duos were playing at a music conservatoire level.

Rachmaninov’s “Suite No 1”, Poulenc’s “Elegie and Capriccio”, Jonathan Dove’s “Between Friends” and Milhaud’s “Scaramouche”. From the special level of rapport, it was clear in every piece that they have been playing together for over two decades. The Dove work, composed in 2019, and only receiving its second public performance here, was a remarkable achievement. Driving minimalist sections contrasted with ethereal lyricism made for an exciting journey. The composer was also present, and he gave a touching introduction to this work, which was dedicated to a dear friend, who had passed away recently. This was a superb evening, hugely appreciated by the large and enthusiastic audience. The 22 King’s pianists were then involved in a concert of the 11 works studied in the masterclass. This took place on Monday 13th March 2023 at 7.00pm in the Concert Hall. 80 minutes of some of the best music ever written for two pianos was performed by pupils from all areas of the school and ranging in age from 10 to 18. This challenging music was performed with great commitment and skill and brought our piano project to a rousing conclusion. MLN

On Monday 6th March, Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen performed an unforgettably brilliant recital of two-piano repertoire under the auspices of the Arthur Wellesley Society in our concert hall. They performed Ravel’s “Rhapsodie Espagnole”,

n Friday 19th May 2023, pianist and Steinway Artist, Dr Ben Schoeman gave an engrossing four-hour piano masterclass to 16 pianists from across the school. A highly experienced teacher and performer, Dr Schoeman treated all the participants to fantastic demonstrations on the piano and a rich historical context of the various pieces. He was both encouraging and rigorous to all, but also offered many humorous moments which every pianist responded to with enthusiasm and real purpose. Various elements of advice included ‘don’t accent a note after a tie’, ‘lift wrist for slurs’, ‘lunge into your chords’ and ‘the fingers should always be aligned with the arm’, which gave many food for thought. Another enjoyable moment was when he said – ‘I have a secret for you – scales can be fun’.

P.I. Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite (arr. Economou) – Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Arabian Dance

On top of the many ways to improvise, he talked about the grounding of a solid piano technique, pointing out that arm weight is so important in creating a good sound. Fingering and balance/voicing were also often mentioned - rhythmic stability too. It was such a pleasure to watch him work, encouraging the students and exploring these six pieces with each. A new concept to this writer, the ‘harmonic major’ was explored as both a melody and a harmony. Classical piano students can expect to be challenged with this scale soon!

Everyone left the masterclass the richer for having attended, whether as performer, or as an audience member. MLN

Perhaps the favourite advice of the day was to know the full lyrics of a song, even when playing it as a piano solo. Working on this key aspect transformed several performances and the abiding message of listening to lots of different versions of jazz and going to live performances to be in a position to find your own style was another important theme throughout. MLN

THE JUNIOR SCHOOL PUPILS TA K I N G PA RT W E R E A S F O L LOW S :

J. Ibert: Le Petit âne Blanc, No 3 from Histoires

James Ramage 3MH

O. Nelson: ‘Stolen Moments’

Sebastian Weetch 2N

E. Milne: Indigo Moon

Jacob Dyakonov 1CM

C. Mingus: ‘Jelly Roll’

Alp Kucukyildiz 3B

J. Haydn: Variations in F minor, Hob 17 No 6

Benjamin Gussago 2G

J. S. Bach: Two-part invention No 8 in F major, BWV 779

Abhay Karna 3A

F. Schubert: Moment Musical in F minor, D 780 No 3

Ethan Geng 1HM

T H E J U N I O R S C H O O L P U P I L S TA K I N G PA RT W E R E A S F O L LOW S : Sebastian Weetch 2N and Daniel Xu 2G

PI A N O M A STE RC L A S S W ITH D R B E N SCHOEMAN

n the last evening of the summer term, Tuesday 4th July, six pianists were treated to a two-hour jazz piano and improvisation masterclass with the London based jazz pianist, arranger and composer, Rob Barron. Described as ‘one of the most creative and versatile musicians of his generation’, Mr Barron immersed us all in a world of creativity and the infinite musical possibilities of jazz.

CHAMBER CHOIR MUSIC

CHAMBER CHOIR Y E A R H I G H L I G HT S

This has been a busy year for the sixteen Junior School Chamber Choir trebles, with several Evensongs locally as well as in Chichester Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral and Hampton Court Palace; concerts in Piccadilly and Southwark Cathedral and a three day tour to Suffolk.

hichester was the first away venue where the pupils much enjoyed singing some of their favourite repertoire in this intimate and beautiful setting, including Dyson’s “Magnificat in D” and Wood’s “Hail, Gladdening Light”. There was also the Remembrance Parade to sing at in the autumn term, and then it was down to work learning Christmas carols. The pupils limbered up for those by singing at the Christmas Fair. There was the annual and popular Christmas concert in St James’s Piccadilly, as well as the Community Carol Service which begins in candlelight. The pupils sang superbly throughout the Christmas events. In February, the choir headed up to St Paul’s Cathedral for their annual visit to sing Evensong. The Junior School pupils were excused the security checks as they entered the crypt where they rehearsed. The Cathedral itself never ceases to amaze and it was, as always, an immense privilege to sing in such an awesome space. Perhaps the highlight was the superb choral blend in the reflective and prayerful setting of “Upon Your Heart” by the Canadian composer, Eleanor Daley, which has now become a choir favourite.

TO U R TO S U F F O L K

or thirteen Junior School pupils, Suffolk beckoned at the very start of the Easter holidays. They joined Senior School pupils for a singing tour of Suffolk’s finest churches. A stop-off at the 11th century castle in Colchester allowed for some sightseeing, lunch, ice creams and games in the park. Moving from one medieval town to another, they arrived in Woodbridge to rehearse in the glorious setting of St Mary’s Church with its superb tower. The concert was packed out with an enthusiastic and supportive audience. The choir was on stunning form singing repertoire ranging from Purcell, Handel and Bruckner to Parry, Chilcott and Eleanor Daley, but perhaps the musical highlight was Mendelssohn’s much-loved anthem, “Hear My Prayer”, with its demanding treble solo.

A few weeks later, the pupils were singing in Southwark Cathedral for the gala concert, involving the choral society, an orchestra made up of musicians from the excellent professional orchestra, the London Mozart Players and Senior School pupils, as well as three Sixth Form soloists. The second half was entirely choral-based and the pupils sang Handel’s exciting coronation anthem “The King Shall Rejoice” with verve and dexterity. That was followed by a poised performance of Bob Chilcott’s moving “Requiem”. The concert was a resounding success

with the pupils giving total commitment and focus to their singing. The spring term having ended, the pupils headed off on tour to Suffolk, singing in three delightful churches in Aldeburgh, Southwold and Woodbridge. In the summer term, the pupils sang at an Evensong for the eve of the Coronation, a service in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace and at the soirée - a truly royal year! DGP

The first night was a short one, with the clocks going forward and so the tour party was pleased to head straight back to the hotel before a 7am breakfast on the Sunday morning. The coach headed in the direction of the coast and St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Aldeburgh, where the choir sang for the Eucharist for Passion Sunday. The Mozart setting was much appreciated and the choir gave a fantastic lead in the singing of the hymns, one of which had 12 verses and a refrain! The church community had very kindly laid on a wonderful spread for lunch, which the pupils enjoyed alongside the congregation.

The pupils then set off in groups to the seafront, with its pebble beach, crashing waves and the bracing east wind which certainly blew any cobwebs away. It was then off to Southwold, further up the coast. An hour and a half was taken to enjoy some local fish and chips, more ice creams and the rather quaint amusements along the pier, before it was then time to head to the magnificent church of St Edmund King and Martyr. Stopping off on the way back to the hotel, the pupils enjoyed a roast dinner. The choir’s singing all completed, the final return day was spent at leisure at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford. Much fun was had viewing land vehicles, boats and aircraft as well as boarding Concorde. The Upper Sixth led some thank-yous and amusing tributes on the coach home, bringing to a close another highly successful and enjoyable choir tour. It truly was an outstanding tour musically. The pupils worked and sang so well together and it was wonderful seeing the mixed ages interacting positively and enjoying each other’s company. Many thanks to all the staff who accompanied the trip too: to Mrs Phillips, Mr Baker, Mr de Voil and Mr Chevassut. DGP

DRAMA

RU S H M E R E PL AY DR AMA

RU S H M E R E PL AY H OO DW I N K E D

ing Richard the Lionheart was off on the Third Crusade and Nottingham had been left under the tyrannical rule of the Sheriffs. With those greedy Sheriffs squeezing every last penny out of the poor villagers and some of the Friars focusing more on their stomachs than those in need, who finally brought peace to Nottingham? Why, Robin Hood, of course! Robin of Locksley gathered his dedicated band of Merry Men and did his best to right the wrongs of the greedy and look after the less fortunate. He was finally free to marry his lovely Marian. Meanwhile, those Sheriffs had their plots to get rid of Robin. The students of Rushmere worked fantastically well by learning lines, practising songs and remembering rehearsals to bring this classic British folktale to life. Rehearsals were wonderfully fun with plenty of giggles at funny lines and some of the comical characters, many of the pupils showing their growing professionalism and focus. However, no show was ever built without the help of a dedicated team backstage, and the staff of Rushmere truly outdid themselves. The costumes (Mrs Phillips, Mrs McSweeney and Mrs Lewis) and props (Miss Walshe and Mr Manger) added that extra glitter to the performance, helping our blossoming actors get into character so effectively. Mrs Madge made sure that everyone was where they were meant to be; Mrs de Montfort and Mrs Walker shepherded and chaperoned; and Mrs Blight and Mr Blackburn were a pleasure to have as co-directors, helping with the running of rehearsals. Mr Baker’s beautiful posters and programme were, once again, a delight and something to be treasured by the pupils long after the stage lights had been turned off. Mr Parker’s work on the singing and music made the whole production joyful – I enjoyed the frequent sounds of the cast and chorus humming the tunes to themselves through the corridors! With the scoring of Mr Wilson and the conducting of Mr Parker, the band made our young actors feel wonderfully supported and important, a feeling we hope will last for years to come. It was wonderful to celebrate the success of the pupils, their tremendous effort and boundless enthusiasm! SLZ

DR AMA

PR I O RY PL AY

PR I O RY PL AY SHREK

t was wonderful to work with such an enthusiastic group of young actors this year, including many returning cast members from last year’s Into the Woods. From working with small groups to create our own interpretations of the script, to seeing their faces light up as they got to watch scenes and songs their friends had been rehearsing, this creative process was an enjoyable one. It’s marvellous to see friendships blossoming across year groups and hear from the students that they love their new song, line, dance, or costume and know that these memories will be with them for years to come. Although this was my first year as director, it was not a solo effor t. We relied on a host of dedicated people on ‘Team Shrek’: Ms McGregor, Mr Blackburn and Ms Walshe helped bring the characters to life in rehearsals; Mr Weber, once again, worked tirelessly with our young singers; and Jo Howcroft, Bea Cramer and Kit Chow adding all the costume, props, lighting and staging sparkle that made the play truly spectacular to watch. I’m sure the team will agree that all the shepherding and forgotten PE kits were wor th the laughs when the Piggies shouted their lines outrageously, Farquaad was being superbly disdainful or Pinocchio was telling his whopping fibs! Set over three magical days of questing, we learned how Dragon feels about her job, what Donkey went to jail for, and whether ogres are more like onions or parfait. To be fair, everybody loves parfait! SLZ

10 0

101

E X A M I N ATI O N S L A M DA E X A M I N ATI O N S

S H R E K PRO D U C TI O N

wonderful group of pupils worked hard over the autumn term, learning lines from monologues, poems and prose for their LAMDA exams.The budding thespians proved to be well-organised and self-motivated, listening to the feedback that their teachers gave in their one-toone sessions.

iraaj Vashista takes the spotlight as Donkey from Shrek.

The examiners told us how impressed they were by the impeccable manners of every pupil and how much they appreciated the various creative discussions they had with the candidates. We were pleased to receive the 24 Merits and 29 Distinctions – well done to the pupils and their teachers! SLZ

TH E L I N DO N S PE A K I N G C U P

he Lindon Speaking Cup is our annual public speaking competition, and every year, eight Priory pupils fight it out for the honour of being the best speaker, by learning and reciting a poem of their choice, and writing and presenting their own speech. This year, in their speeches, the competitors were charged to ‘teach us something new’. And teach us they did. The Concert Hall was packed with a rapt Second and Third Form audience who were delighted to learn about The World’s Weirest Cars, Fun Facts about Flags and the History of Magic.The competitors spoke with great energy, enthusiasm and immense bravery, and our external judge, Vicky Howes, from Claremont Fancourt School, was amazed by the quality of the speaking, especially from such a young cohort. Some might remember Mrs Howes who worked at King’s for many years as Head of Drama and English teacher extraordinaire; she was thrilled to be invited ‘back home’ for what has long been her favourite of all the events organised in the Junior School. It was not easy to pick a winner, however, for such a vibrant performance of his poem ‘Warned’, Dylan Chohan was awarded runner up, and for delivering a fantastic and well-researched speech, presented with intelligence and humour, Rehan Basu lifted the cup as winner. The audience set off for lunch richer for wondering whether Walt Disney really is lying under the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland and having learnt that snowboarding was originally called ‘snurfing’. Thank you to Rehan and Dylan, and Rajveer Kejriwal, Zac Khan, Nikita Kovalenko, Ayaan Samad, James Slattery and Eashan Treanor for taking part with such enthusiasm, and for teaching us so many weird and wonderful things! CPM

10 2

10 3

SPORT

W: 24 D: 3 L: 11

U8A

U8B

U8C

U8D

U8 Leopards

U8 Lions

U8 Pumas

U8 Tigers

Rokeby

2-4

1-2

3-1

6-0

2-0

0-2

4-4

Shrewsbury House

0-4

1-0

2-4

1-5

2-0

0-0

4-1

4-2

King’s House

2-8

1-2

6-3

4-2

10-0

4-0

WCPS

5-2

3-0

9-0

6-0

3-0

10-0

5-2

5-1

King’s House

0-3

3-1

5-8

2-0

1-0

2-0

1-1

OPPOSITION

* Fixtures against Dulwich College Junior School and Cranmore were cancelled.

U8A

U8B

s you can see from the results, Transition had an outstanding first season in the King’s shirt. All pupils represented the school in style and gave everything for the King’s badge. The pupils applied themselves fabulously throughout and this led to many positive results across the season. The progression was evident through the exciting attacking football that was on display throughout the term. All teams scored goals aplenty and connected well in defence to keep their opposition out. First up, the pupils travelled to Rokeby when all teams had competitive games in horrendous weather conditions. The cobwebs were certainly being dusted off as the D’s scored a whopping 6 goals and all academy teams showed excellent togetherness, helping to secure some fabulous performances, leading to terrific results. A lot of promise was on show. Both A & B teams then hosted the Centenary Football Tournament at Kingsway; it was a brilliant spectacle and one that showed a huge amount of improvement. The A’s did superbly well to come away with two wins and a draw. The draw against Rokeby was a huge step in the right direction, as they reversed a 4-2 deficit from two weeks before. They eventually lost in the quarter final. The B’s also had a great time, progressing to the plate and eventually coming out second best in the semi-final. Shrewsbury House were up next; this was a stiffer

U8C

U8D

U8 L E OPARD S

S P O RT

FOOTBA L L - U 8

test for some of our red-hot King’s teams. Having worked tirelessly on attack in training, the pupils carried on the idea of letting the ball do the work. However, it was moments of brilliance which gave some of the teams fabulous wins, with the B’s, Leopards, Pumas, and Tigers roaring to victory. The journey continued as the pupils played host King’s House were the opponents. It was another day to be proud of what they had achieved both on and off the pitch and they were commended for their great behavior and willingness to succeed. This fixture was repeated a couple of weeks later and was equally as successful. Numbers at club were certainly rising despite the weather not always being on our side. The pupils were hungry for more success, which built brilliantly into our annual House Football event.The passion on show was second to none as the pupils competed furiously to try and secure memorable wins in their first House Sport event. It was a thoroughly enjoyable event with Stuart House coming out on top. Next, the pupils’ attentions turned to WCPS. This is always a thoroughly entertaining block as some of the pupils very much enjoy competing against their previous school. It was superbly supported by a high attendance of parents and the weather was kind to help the pupils display their fabulous fun-loving, freeflowing football. U8 football was going from strength to strength as wins lit up the results board. It was certainly the pupils’ best block of results as all teams were unbeaten. The season was capped off with another fixture versus King’s House.Yet again, their behavior was exemplary on and off the pitch. Brilliant sportsmanship was on show, as King’s demonstrated all that they had learnt throughout the season. A special mention must go to the B’s who managed to turn a result of 1-2 at the start of the season into a 3-1 win as well as the academy teams who kept their unbeaten streak up.

U8 LI O NS

10 6

U 8 PU M A S

U8 T I GE RS

It is difficult to sum up what can only be described as an outstanding football season for the U8 year group in what was their first introduction to sport at King’s. All teams played a free-flowing style of football and created strong-willed team environments regardless of who they were playing for. Never afraid, their constant willingness to play in the right way brought about superb performances and well-deserved results. I am proud to say that it is certainly a strong basis from which to build and all pupils represented the school fabulously throughout. Thank you for all your wonderful support and dedication in what was an incredible season. BDJ

107

W: 22 D: 1 L: 5

TO U R N A M E N T S Royal Russell Tournanent

U9A

Winners

U9B

Runners Up

U9A

U9B

U9C

U9D

U9 Lions

U9 Leopards

U9 Pumas

U9 Tigers

Rokeby

5-2

5-1

2-0

6-2

3-0

8-1

King’s House (H)

9-1

6–0

5-0

6-0

3-1

5-0

Cranmore

1-4

4-3

1-4

2-1

1-0

1–2

King’s House (A)

1-2

4-0

1-0

5-0

2-0

1-0

2-0

Thomas’s Fulham

0-0

0-3

5-0

OPPOSITION

* Fixtures against Shrewsbury House cancelled U9 A

U9 B

s can be seen by the results table, the U9 year group enjoyed a fantastic term of football. The coaches were incredibly pleased with the progress the pupils made and the level of skill and attitude across the board was exemplary. With over 30 fixtures being played across the term, the staff tried to ensure that all pupils got equal playing time, often with teams mixing up and playing round robin fixtures; not many schools can field the strong numbers that King’s can! Rokeby - After plenty of sessions of training and organising the pupils into teams, the term started in magnificent fashion, with wins across the board. The A, B and D teams all scored over five goals, showing some serious potential for so early in the term. Special mentions here, however, go to the U9 Leopards with a whopping 8–1 win, kicking their term off in a special way. Next up, King’s hosted King’s House School. It was starting to feel like they would never be stopped, with 5 out of 6 teams scoring over 5 goals in their matches in convincing wins. Honours went to the U9 A team on this occasion, running out as 9–1 winners in their fixture, playing some scintillating football

U9 C

U9D

U9 L I ON S

U9 L E OPARD S

U9 PUM AS

combined with some ruthless finishing. The Pumas and Tigers teams did well to win in their first fixtures of the term. Unfortunately, one of our regular opponents, Shrewsbury House had to cancel a block fixture, leaving a year group hungry for more positive results to train and work on their skills ahead of a good test against Cranmore School. With their momentum put on pause by the cancelled fixture, the U9 year group travelled away to Cranmore, eager and with high hopes. It was to be a mixed day, with the A, C and Tigers finishing second best. The scoreline was an unfair reflection of the A team’s performance, in what was a closely fought contest. There was a good win from the D team and the Lions showed some great character. It was the B team on this occasion who had a special mention. With the game of the day and a last minute winner, they finished, winning 4-3 at the death! Next up was King’s House School - away this time for a second leg fixture. Expectations that King’s House would not be the same outfit as earlier in the term, meant the pupils were focused and ready for a challenge. The A team fought hard in an entertaining match, unfortunately finishing second best. All other teams picked up victories, with special mention to the D team, finishing with comfortable 5-0 win. In the final fixture of the term, Thomas’s Fulham were up next in a fixture for just the A, C and Pumas due to the rival’s small numbers. The A team played in an enthralling 0–0 draw, with both teams throwing everything at their opponents and some defensive performances many Premier League teams would be happy with. The C team fell to a 0–3 defeat against a Thomas’s B team, the pupils played well. The Pumas were the heroes of the day, finishing as comfortable 5–0 winners. The A and B teams both had the opportunity to go to the Royal Russell School Tournament. After a

10 8

S P O RT

FOOTBA L L - U9

U9 T I GE RS

frustrating couple of weeks, the A team were looking for some strong performances and to get their goal scoring form back. A special mention must go to the B team at this tournament; the pupils were playing against A teams from other schools for the majority of the day and ended up finishing runners-up in the competition, only bettered by the victorious King’s A team! Honours go to the A team on this day as they showed great character and attitude to perform their skills under pressure in every game to finish as overall winners. Very well done to all the U9 players on a fantastic term. SCSG

10 9

W: 37 D: 7 L: 18

110

U10A

U10B

U10C

U10D

U10E

U10F

U10G

U10H

Wetherby Prep

6-2

0-6

2-2

5-1

Thomas’s Fulham

4-1

1-1

2-3

Northcote Lodge

5-0

3-2

0-1

6-0

Danes Hill

3-0

2-0

5-1

5-0

6-0

Sussex House

3-4

1-2

4-1

Newland House

1-2

5-0

6-0

King’s House

5-1

2-0

2-2

6-1

3-1

0-0

Shrewsbury House

5-2

3-4

3-1

9-6

0-1

3-0

2-2

3-2

Thomas’s Battersea

1-7

4-5

2-4

3-5

Newland House

2-3

0-2

5-0

6-0

Downsend

5-3

6-2

4-2

10-0

9-0

7-0

Wetherby Prep

2-0

2-3

3-3

8-2

4-0

8-0

2-1

6-1

OPPOSITION

t was an exceptional term of football for pupils in Second Form. We were very fortunate to maintain a strong fixture list, giving all pupils the opportunity to take their football to new heights and experience all kinds of sporting scenarios on the field. The energy and enthusiasm across the year group was evident in games sessions, and this was certainly reflected in the fixtures played. The U10 campaign began with split fixtures against Wetherby Prep and Thomas’s Fulham. Victories for the U10ABH teams put pupils in high spirits, whilst the U10DG teams came away with nail-biting draws. More split fixtures against Northcote Lodge and Danes Hill reflected just how strong the U10 year group was with wins for the U10ABCDFGH teams. As we approached half-term, the fixtures came thick and fast, and the opposition was of a high standard. Sussex House and Newland House were next on the fixture list, where several of our teams played a team up. Opportunities like this are so beneficial for our pupils and pose a great challenge for them. With this being the case, the U10GH teams came away with magnificent wins, showcasing excellent performances. A handful of wins against King’s House and Shrewsbury House made it very clear that pupils were enjoying their football and making progress in all areas of the game, whilst more challenging fixtures against Thomas’s Battersea and Newland House kept players on their toes.

S P O RT

FOOTBA L L - U10

Towards the end of the term, the U10A-F went to Downsend and played some very good football in rather treacherous conditions. There were victories for all the teams on the day, which was excellent for coaches to see, making it very clear just how much the players had improved since the start of the term. The final fixture of the term was at home against Wetherby Prep, with every team playing. This was the perfect way to see out the U10 season. Across the age group, we saw some thrilling matches, particularly the 3-3 draw in the U10C fixture. Whilst the U10B’s were pipped at the post 3-2, the U10ADEFGH came away with some memorable victories. Across the term, the U10’s took part in several tournaments, giving them the opportunity to take on schools that they would not face too regularly on their fixture circuit. The U10A’s featured in the Cranmore Tournament reaching the semi-finals, performed well in the Dulwich Tournament, and reached the finals in the U10 Centenary Competition. A special mention should go to the U10B’s who finished runners up in the Fulham Prep Tournament. After an inspiring season, we are excited to see how this year group fares as they move through the Junior School. The players showed plenty of enthusiasm and maturity and took responsibility of their own development; the coaches were therefore delighted with their progress. DAC

U10A

U10B

U10E

U10F

U1 0 C

U10D

U10G

U10H

111

W: 35 D: 7 L: 17

Colours awarded to: Ethan Hull Lachlan Malan

OPPOSITION

U11A

U11B

U11C

U11D

U11E

U11F

U11G

U11H

Thomas’s Fulham

3-7

1-3

6-3

Cumnor House

2-7

3-0

0-6

Danes Hill

5-1

10-0

12-0

8-0

10-0

Hampton Prep

6-2

2-5

3-3

5-1

Cranmore

0-5

4-0

2-3

3-3

5-2

4-5

2-0

1-2

6-4

4-6

3-2

3-1

Newland House King’s House Shrewsbury House

4-3 4-3

6-0 4-3

1-1 1-8

1-3

1-2

2-2 6-4

6-1 2-4

TO U R N A M E NT S & C U P S

Beyond regular fixtures, tournaments and cup games provided memorable highlights. The U11A’s secured the runner-up spot in the Royal Russell Tournament, competing against top football schools. Not to

be outdone, the B team won the Fulham Prep B tournament. The A team then dazzled spectators at the Hampton Prep Tournament, clinching the title. LY

U11A

U11B

5-2

4-3

1-3

2-2

5-0

5-3

6-0

Wetherby Prep

3-1

14-1

8-0

6-0

6-1

2-2

3-0

6-0

Early fixtures against formidable opponents like Thomas’s Fulham and Cumnor House presented challenges, particularly when fielding a younger team. Despite some unfavorable outcomes, the year group rebounded strongly in their next block fixture against Danes Hill, with an impressive 45 goals scored and only one conceded across five teams. In October, the U11’s faced Hampton, Cranmore, and Newland House, showcasing excellent football and achieving positive results, including a remarkable 5-1 victory by the G team over Hampton’s D team. Subsequent matches against King’s House were closely contested, with four of the six matches ending in ties or just a one-goal difference. The final fixture before the half-term break, against Shrewsbury

U11D

2-2

3-2

From a coach’s perspective, this was an outstanding season.The students’ eagerness to learn and improve significantly aided their individual growth. The commitment shown was evident in the consistently high turnout at U11 football club sessions. The joy they derived from the season was clear from their smiling faces, emphasising the importance of enjoyment in their engagement and development.

Runners Up

Hampton Prep

Winners

4th

U11A Surrey Cup

0-6

0-3

Royal Russell

Falcons Prep

13-0

Rokeby

2-3

Hall Grove

3-2

S’bury House

1-2

2-3

Downsend

uccess for U11 King’s football hinged on two key factors: individual development and enjoyment.This term saw substantial progress in both aspects, making it an exceptionally successful season.

112

13-0

U 11A Tournanents

ISFA

U11C Northcote Lodge

R E S U LT S

U 11B Tournanents

Fulham Prep B

House, was a goal extravaganza, with 52 goals across 8 games. After the break, the U11’s visited Northcote Lodge, emphasising positivity and teamwork, which led to impressive results. Travelling to face Downsend, the toughest opponents of the term, once again, positivity promoted good football, resulting in four wins, one draw, and one loss out of six matches. This strong form continued into the final game of the season against Wetherby Prep, where all eight teams remained unbeaten, concluding their Junior School football careers on a high note. Despite the season’s success, noteworthy results along the way deserve extra celebration, with 35 total wins. Notable victories included three teams scoring eight or more goals against Danes Hill, showcasing their ruthlessness. Playing up against tougher opponents, such as the U11F’s victory over Thomas’s Fulham C team (6-3), the U11B’s win against Newland House A’s (6-4), and the U11D’s impressive 13-0 victory over Northcote Lodge C’s, exemplified the year group’s resilience.

U11E

U11F

U11G

U11H

Winners

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the U11 coaches for their hard work, as well as the parents for their unwavering support at home and away games. LY

113

S P O RT

FOOTBA L L - U11

ROYA L RU S S E L L TO U R N A M E NT

T 114

he U11A team proudly wear their runner-up medals after their success in the Royal Russell Tournament.

115

U8A

U8C

U 8 LI O NS

U8 P UMA S

116

U8B

U8D

U 8 L E O PA R DS

U 8 T I G E RS

OPPOSITION

U8A

U8B

U8C

U8D

U8 Lions

U8 Leopards

U8 Pumas

U8 Tigers

Shrewsbury House

10-35

50-40

45-45

20-30

50-10

20-10

25-35

40-50

WCPS

40-25

30-30

20-35

30-25

35-30

65-45

30-20

40-15

WCPS

50-40

45-35

50-45

35-35

45-30

25-35

30-20

50-0

King’s House

45-45

45-35

20-20

20-25

40-20

15-0

15-5

35-15

t was certainly another enthralling season for the U8’s. Many pupils were introduced to the fun, running game of tag rugby for the first time and as you can see from the results, they took to it well.The pupils applied themselves fabulously throughout and this led to many superb performances. A key focus for this age group was their tactical development and the phrase “the ball moves faster than the player”. This provides the pupils with fundamental skills, which will serve them well as they progress through the school.They were free to experiment at all times and this brought out the best in them with and without the ball. We certainly saw this season as an opportunity to build for the future and we were excited with the development all the pupils made. The pupils travelled to take on a strong Shrewsbury House side. Despite only having been introduced to tag for a few weeks they displayed both great understanding in defence and freedom in attack. There were some superb end-to-end games. Stand out performances came from the U8B’s who clearly knew the way to the try line and the academy teams, who secured two out of four wins as the Lions roared themselves to victory. Having worked tirelessly on attack in training and at club, the players carried on their habit of throwing the ball around; they were beginning to string together some great attacking movements to evade defenders. Scintillating sidesteps matched with pinpoint spiderman passing saw the players ready for their next fixture. It was time for the pupils’ first home game as they hosted Wimbledon Common Prep School.There were wins aplenty with the pupils showing great awareness in linking up with teammates to produce great team performances. Width and depth brought about more improvements as they ran onto the ball at pace. The Leopards and Tigers were joining their patterns well as they pounced on their opponents in two great victories.

W: 20 D: 5 L: 7

One area which was incredibly impressive was the numbers at club. The players took brilliantly to what was for some, a relatively new sport; it was fabulous to see their great application throughout all sessions. Despite awful conditions on most club nights, the players never failed to stop smiling as they continued to run free in great tag games. The tagging chiefs were out in full fettle as they learnt to get themselves in more successful positions in defense. The third block fixture saw the U8’s play host to Wimbledon Common Prep School in round two of the battle of the Ridgway. All teams were firing on all cylinders by this point, scoring more tries than ever in some superb, fearless tag rugby. It is always a thoroughly entertaining block as the pupils very much enjoy competing against their previous schools and it is brilliantly attended by a very supportive crowd. The season was capped off with an annual fixture versus King’s House. The ABCD teams rolled up their sleeves and the academy prepared their paws for one final game. The weather was incredibly kind as it allowed even, free-flowing games of tag. There has been plenty of positives to sum up the rugby term for the U8 age group. All players have represented the school and worked tremendously hard for their teammates throughout. The brand of rugby produced was very pleasing, and this showed in terrific performances and results. I think I speak for all the staff when I say that they have been an utter pleasure to teach and we are very proud of their efforts this term. It is certainly a strong basis on which to build and all pupils represented the school fabulously throughout. Thank you for an incredible season and good luck next year. BDJ

117

S P O RT

RU G BY - U 8

U9A

U9 C

U9B

U9D

U9A

U9B

U9C

U9D

U9 Leopards

Rokeby

45-40

75-60

50-50

65-55

55-50

Cranmore

50-20

65-65

50-50

30-25

50-25

Thomas’s Fulham

50-5

55-45

55-55

45-25

King’s House

50-40

95-80

50-25

45-35

Rokeby

60-40

60-45

50-40

25-20

15-10

King’s House

45-40

65-35

30-20

45-30

OPPOSITION

W: 13 D: 4 L: 12

* Fixtures against Thomas’s Fullham were cancelled.

he U9’s made considerable progress this season with their rugby, be it in contact or non-contact rugby. The standard of rugby played by teams continued to grow, leaving coaches highly impressed. Across the term, players focused on developing the knowledge and understanding of the game, learning how to pass the ball, find space and score tries.

U 9 LEO PAR D S

U9 LIONS

Unfortunately, we had a false start to the season, with the fixtures vs Thomas’s Fulham being cancelled due to frozen pitches. Thankfully, after some very cold weather, then some very wet weather, we managed to play a fixture versus Rokeby. It was great to see all students involved in the fixture and there were some brilliant matches. Highlights were the U9B team winning 7560 and the U9 Leopards winning a thrilling match 55-50.

U 9 PU M A S

For the next fixture, we travelled to Cranmore. U9ABC’s put in valiant performances against very strong opposition and the U9D’s & Leopards came away with hard-fought wins. There was excellent support from the parents, which definitely helped lift the performances.

There followed a flurry of fixtures - the first block against King’s House where the U9 B’s continued their unbeaten run with a 95-80 win and the U9D’s edged a very complete fixture 45-35. This block was followed by the return fixture versus Rokeby, again a very competitive block, with some great rugby played; the highlight being the U9C team winning 50-40. Then came the final fixture of the season, versus King’s House. It was a brilliant way to end the season with the U9ABC teams all picking up wins. Throughout the term, the U9 Pumas and Lions played mixed tournaments against Rokeby, Cranmore, and King’s House. These tournaments were excellent and allowed the pupils to challenge themselves against other schools but most importantly, have fun playing rugby. With yet another term of rugby complete, the U9’s should be very pleased with how much they have improved. Be it a win or a loss, every player has shown how applying dedication and perseverance towards training hard and supporting their teammates can benefit all. We look forward to seeing them continue to develop and improve throughout their rugby careers at King’s. KGT

Then, we played the long-awaited Thomas’s Fulham fixture; again there were excellent performances from the U9B&D teams with the B’s coming away with the only win. The pupils were starting to make excellent progress and their understanding of rugby was improving very quickly.

118

119

S P O RT

RU G BY - U9

U10A

U10C

U10B

U10A

U10B

U10C

U10D

U10E

Newland House

15 – 30

50 – 45

15 – 15

Danes Hill

0 – 20

30 – 25

35 - 35

50 – 50

Thomas’s Fulham

30 – 10

60 – 0

50 – 50

Shrewsbury House

25 – 40

25 – 30

20 – 25

35 – 45

55 – 50

Wetherby Prep

20 – 15

40 – 10

70 – 55

25 – 35

30 – 45

King’s House

35 – 10

35 – 35

50 – 25

50 – 10

60 – 15

OPPOSITION

W: 12 D: 5 L: 8

U10D * Fixtures against Downsend School, Northcote Lodge and Hurlingham School were cancelled.

the latter half of the term, where all teams competed against Wetherby Prep in a successful set of fixtures. This momentum was critical as they headed into the final fixture against King’s House, resulting in a fantastic conclusion with four victories and one draw, marking a brilliant term filled with remarkable progress and joy.

U10E

he U10 rugby term at KCS was a successful one. Despite a few unfortunate weatherrelated game cancellations, we witnessed substantial progress in both contact and touch rugby, bringing smiles to many faces. The term’s success can be attributed to the pupils’ willingness to learn and adapt. Coaches observed significant improvements in their individual skills and understanding of the game, even with new agespecific law changes.

SUR R EY RUGBY FEST I VAL

In their first fixture against Newland House, the pupils displayed unwavering dedication, adhering to the spirit of King’s, where they gave their all throughout the entire match. However, with the new U10 rugby laws still being grasped, some aspects of their game required fine-tuning, particularly their work at the breakdown. The team refocused during the following training session and made considerable progress, which was evident in more positive results, including the touch teams who had their first fixture of the season.

However, the term’s fixtures weren’t limited to traditional rugby. The touch rugby teams played a pivotal role in contributing to the overall success of King’s rugby this term. They acquired valuable skills associated with touch rugby and showcased their slick abilities in matches and mini tournaments. Special recognition is due to all those pupils who represented the school, contributing to the growth of this ever-expanding aspect of rugby.

As we reflect on this successful term, it’s essential to express gratitude.Thanks go out to the U10 coaches for their unwavering dedication and for providing the pupils with a fantastic opportunity to develop their skills. We also extend our appreciation to the parents for their ongoing support at both home and away games throughout the season. Most importantly, we want to commend and express our gratitude to the U10 pupils themselves for their incredible efforts and for contributing to a fantastic term of rugby. LY

TOUC H RUGBY - U10A

In addition to the fixtures, several memorable highlights were made during rugby festivals. The U10A’s had the opportunity to represent the school against opposition they wouldn’t typically encounter. Both the Surrey festival and Hampton Prep festival provided enjoyable and unforgettable experiences for all involved.

TOUC H RUGBY - U10B

TOUC H RUGBY - U10C

The final game before the half-term break saw the teams competing against Shrewsbury House. Despite experiencing mixed results, the quality of rugby played was outstanding and showcased significant development across all teams. This was promising for

12 0

121

S P O RT

RU G BY - U10

he U11’s had a successful rugby season, demonstrating skill, bravery, courage, and enjoyment in their play. They fielded six contact teams and two non-contact teams, all of which underwent training and match play. Despite weather disruptions, the U11A-E teams eagerly faced Downsend, delivering strong performances. The U11A’s secured a notable win, while the U11BCDE teams engaged in thrilling encounters, providing a solid foundation for the season. The U11C team also kicked off their campaign with a victory against Thomas’s Fulham.

A triangular match involving King’s, Cranmore, and King’s House was an exciting event, with all teams gaining valuable game time. Wins for the U11ABDEF teams demonstrated their dedication to training and delighted parents and coaches. Throughout the season, matches against various schools allowed the pupils to adapt their playing style depending on the opposition and weather conditions.They sometimes played in challenging wet and slippery conditions, where ball handling was a challenge, or enjoyed the freedom to move the ball to the touchlines and create opportunities. Emphasis was placed on moving the ball to space through running, passing, or kicking, encouraging calculated risks with 100% effort and commitment.

12 2

As the rugby season neared its end, fixtures against Northcote Lodge, Newland House, and King’s House encouraged a style of rugby that emphasized cohesion, bravery, and an element of risk and finesse. The wins against these schools showcased solid defence, ball movement, and support play. The U11A’s took part in the Surrey Rugby Festival, finishing the morning unbeaten with wins against Donhead, Surbiton High, Parkside, and a draw against Dulwich College. They also participated in the Rosslyn Park 7s. For those opting for non-contact rugby, games and triangulars against other schools provided opportunities to learn and play according to official ‘Touch Rugby’ laws, offering an exciting and inclusive form of the game. This term marked another fantastic season for the Third Form pupils. We look forward to their transition into the Lower School as they continue their rugby journey. DAC

U11A

U11B

U11C

U11D

U11E

U11F

Downsend

35-10

45-25

45-35

30-25

45-35

Thomas’s Fulham

35-35

55-30

Cranmore

25-0

15-10

30-20

25-5

40-15

King’s House

15-10

35-0

30-15

40-10

50-10

Wetherby Prep

50-5

35-10

50-45

50-35

25-15

Danes Hill

25-20

40-5

30-20

Rokeby

10-5

50-45

45-35

50-20

Parkside

30-0

35-10

20-5

15-15

Northcote Lodge

30-15

50-25

Newland House

30-15

50-30

45-15

King’s House

35-30

25-15

40-30

50-20

40-20

Hampton Prep

40-10

35-30

45-35

50-50

OPPOSITION

Hurlingham

W:27 D:3 L:20

Colours awarded to: Nicholas Ellinghorst Ethan Hull Max Lee Lachlan Malan

* Fixtures against Shrewsbury House were cancelled.

U11A

U11C

U11E

TOUC H RUGBY - U11A

U11B

U11D

U11F

TOUC H RUGBY - U11B

12 3

S P O RT

RU G BY - U11

S U R R E Y RU G BY F E S TI VA L

124

he U11A team celebrate their unbeaten run at Kingsway after a glorious festival of rugby.

12 5

W:18 D:0 L:4

OPPOSITION

U8A

U8B

U8C

U8D

U8 Leopards

U8 Lions

U8 Pumas

Shrewsbury House

King’s House

Rokeby

t was a very exciting and promising first term of cricket for the U8’s who proved to be a formidable year group. They all applied themselves tremendously to the cricket program and were excellent when representing the school in fixtures. A key focus we worked towards was our communication both in the field and when batting. The use of “yes”, “waiting”, and “no”, was key to the success of building up the runs which has led to some high scoring matches. In addition, it has been excellent to see the progression made in the field with the use of long barriers helping to prevent runs being scored against us. The combination of the two led to some fantastic results all pupils should be very proud of.

The first fixture saw us play against Shrewsbury House. Despite it being very early in the season, it was clear that the pupils were listening and taking on feedback as we managed to win four out of the seven matches played. A fantastic result to set us up for the remainder of the term. Most impressively, it was great to see the pupils bowling accurate balls, reducing the number of ‘free’ runs we gave to the opposition. Keeping the bowling arm straight, releasing the ball at 12 o’clock and finishing our action in the opposite pocket were key factors that led to straight balls and wickets. King’s House were our next tough opponents. However, we didn’t give them a chance. From the first ball there was plenty of energy in the field allowing us to take our catches, and because we were so switched on, we were making great decisions. The most impressive part was seeing pupils sliding their bat into the crease which is something they worked tirelessly at in training. This prevented us from being run out on many occasions and ultimately, led us to a full set of wins. We then played King’s House again in the reverse fixture and the pupils showed no mercy where, once again, we were unbeaten with some teams scoring over 100 runs! A big well done to the B team, who played our opponent’s A team and managed to win by a few runs.

was fantastic to see everything they had worked on this term coming together in a final performance. We saw a combination of long and short barriers, sliding the bat with nice clear calling, and accurate bowling. Some complete performances helped us to win six out of the seven matches played – a tremendous effort.The A team were very unfortunate to not also get the win, but I cannot fault their efforts in this match and in true King’s style, they gave it everything they had throughout the whole game. Word on the street had Stuart as favourites to win House Cricket but the other houses didn’t let those rumours have any impact. The semi-finals were fiercely fought but it was Windsor A & Windsor B who managed to get through to the final. In the other semi-final, it was a scare for the favourites who beat Norman by a single run in the B league and also just got through in the A league. The final was a superb day where we all enjoyed the perfect afternoon consisting of sunny weather, playing cricket and a barbeque – what more could you want? The cricket did not let us down with some very close results and where the overall winners had to be decided on total runs. A big well done to Windsor for being champions of U8 House Cricket! The cricket season would not have been so successful if it wasn’t for the pupils’ commitment and dedication to turn up to cricket club after-school. It was brilliant to see such high numbers each week and lots of smiling faces. Finally, thank you to all the U8 coaches for their hard work and providing a great opportunity for the pupils to develop. Thank you also to the parents for their support at both home and away games throughout the season. Most importantly, thank you and well done to all the U8’s themselves for their efforts and for a fantastic term of cricket. LY

U8A

U8B

U8C

U8D

U8 L E OPARD S

U8 L I ON S

S P O RT

CRICKET - U8

U8 PUM AS

After great success, we went into the final game of the season against Rokeby. We were on fire, and it

12 6

127

C R I C K E T - U9

W:11 D:0 L:9

OPPOSITION

U9A

U9B

U9C

265 (W)

274 (W)

289 (W)

U9D

King’s House

218

228

278

232 (W)

236 (L)

278 (L)

U9 Leopards U9 Lions

U9 Pumas

300 (W)

240

Cancelled

287 (L) -

Rokeby

227

253

307

284 (W)

250 (L)

267 (L)

243

253

243 (W)

266 (L)

242

274

Cranmore

334 (L)

308 (W)

350

261

275 (L)

293 (W)

286

276

314 (L)

306 (W)

320

256

284

U9 Tigers

290 -

King’s House

S P O RT

C R I C K E T - U9

* Fixtures against Shrewsbury House were cancelled.

U9A

U9B

hat a year it was for the U9’s! There were plenty of fixtures and development from the pupils in First Form, leaving both staff and parents very impressed. It started with fixtures against King’s House with wins across the board. Following this, there were matches against Rokeby, King’s House again and finally, Cranmore.

After a few training sessions for the players to fine-tune their skills, they faced King’s House and came away with five wins - a brilliant achievement! There were stand-out performances from the Lions and Leopards who both scored 300 runs! U9C

U9D

Unfortunately, the Shrewsbury House fixtures did not take place so the pupils had a period of two weeks to prepare for their next fixture.The staff were hugely impressed with all the U9’s, alongside their willingness and ability to learn new skills. Their next fixture was against a very strong Rokeby. The U9A’s and Tigers came away with wins, whilst the Leopards and Pumas came very close to securing victories. This block fixture served to be an ideal end before halfterm and highlighted how much progress all the players had made.

U 9 LEO PAR D S

U9 LIONS

After half-term, the U9’s had two fixtures remaining. The first of which was the second leg fixture against King’s House where there were wins for the U9A’s and Pumas, and a narrow three run loss for the U9B’s.The final fixture was an away trip to Cranmore, including four matches, winning two and losing two. With yet another term of cricket complete, the U9’s should be pleased with the progress they made. Be it a win or a loss, every pupil has shown how applying dedication and perseverance towards training hard can benefit all. We look forward to seeing them continue to develop and improve throughout their cricket careers at King’s. KGT

12 8

129

W:31 D:1 L:9

OPPOSITION

U10A

U10B

149 (W)

U10C

87 (W) -

Newland House

146 (L)

84 (W)

122 (L)

147

127

108 (L) Sussex House

120 145 (W)

87 (W)

98 (W)

126

110 (L)

115 (W)

King’s House

Shrewsbury House

U10B

U10C

U10D

U10E

U10F

43 68 (L)

73 97 (W)

U10A

87 (W)

Thomas’s Fulham

U10G

115

U10F

98 (L)

U10E

114 (L) Northcote Lodge

U10D

S P O RT

C R I C K E T - U10

94 (W)

112 (W)

99 (W)

100

106 (W)

131 (W)

37 (D)

139 (W)

188 (W)

133

111

114

151 (W)

102 (W)

86 (W)

115 (W)

90 (W)

153 (W)

116 (W)

153 (W)

116 (W)

King’s House

Shrewsbury House

Wetherby Prep

152 (W)

67 (W) -

80 115 (L)

66 101 (L)

116

125 (W)

132

53 100 (W)

t was a memorable season for the Second Form cricketers. Plenty of fixtures provided a strong platform from which the pupils have developed their cricketing skills. The introduction of more hard ball fixtures for U10B’s proved popular and the pupils took well to this.

presented. However, the U10BDF teams were not fazed and put in some fine, winning performances.

Opening fixtures against Newland House and Northcote Lodge proved to be a beneficial opportunity to see where the pupils were in terms of their understanding of the game.

There were penultimate fixtures against Wetherby with the year group performing extremely well. Downsend were the U10’s final adversary of the season and it was to be the U10DF teams who went out with two fine victories, whilst the U10AB fell narrowly short.

A mixture of wins and losses against Thomas’s Fulham and Sussex House helped pupils to identify their own weaknesses and work hard to improve these throughout the following week leading into the King’s House block. To see five wins from five against King’s House proved just how eager the pupils were to grow and develop their cricket. Shrewsbury House proved to be quite the challenge for the U10A team who learnt the importance of accurate fielding and taking opportunities when

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91 (W) -

Downsend

87 (W) -

The following week saw another clean sweep againist King’s House, with more wins for the U10FG against Shrewsbury House. U10G

Finally, a special note to the pupils involved in the Reigate 6s competition, as they went unbeaten across the day and brought home with them some well deserved silverware! Well done to all the pupils for a fine term of cricket, we really look forward to watching this year group grow as they progress throughout the school. DAC

131

W:29 D:0 L:5

Colours awarded to: Vedant Khera Darsh Pandey Kian Suri

U11F

U11G

N: 237-4 K: 222-7 Lost by 15 runs

K: 357-5 KH: 269-7 Won by 15 r uns

K: 368 KH: 285 Won by 83 r uns

K: 116 KH: 67 Won by 49 r uns

K: 401-3 KH: 351-4 Won by 50 r uns

K: 319-2 S: 273-6 Won by 46 runs

K: 312 S: 274 Won by 38 runs

K: 360 S: 300 Won by 60 runs

K: 264 S: 253 Won by 11 runs

S: 192 K: 168 Lost by 24 runs

Opposition

U11A

U11B

U11C

U11D

Northcote Lodge

K: 139-5 N: 63-10 Won by 73 runs

K: 97-3 N: 23-10 Won by 74 runs

K: 334-3 N: 256-9 Won by 78 runs

King’s House

K: 161-2 KH: 86-10 Won by 75 r uns

K: 360-7 KH: 233-13 Won by 127 r uns

Shrewsbury House

K: 126-5 S: 63-10 Won by 63 runs

K: 119-7 S: 99-8 Won by 20 runs

K: 134-2 S: 9-13 Won by 125 runs

Cranmore

C: 11610 K: 117-4 Won by 6 wickets

K: 127-4 C: 50-10 Won by 77 runs

K: 140-6 C: 12310 Won by 17 r uns

Shrewsbury House

Cancelled

Downsend

U11A

U11B

U11C

U11D

U11E

U11F

Cancelled

Danes Hill

K: 323 S: 271 Won by 52 runs

K: 199-4 N: 28-1 Abandoned

Newland House

U11E

S P O RT

C R I C K E T - U11

K: 114-8 D: 117-2 Lost by 8 wickets

K: 111-6 D: 55-10 Won by 56 runs

K: 334-6 D: 220-12 Won by 114 runs

K: 326 D: 249 Won by 77 runs

Cancelled

K: 124-6 D: 78-10 Won by 46 runs

K: 325 D: 285 Won by 40 runs

K: 294 D: 255 Won by 39 runs U11G

* Fixtures against St Paul’s Junior School were cancelled.

C U P S A N D TO U R N A M E N T S Surrey Prep Schools Cup Result

Verney Cup Result

Milbourne Lodge

K: 122-1 M: 68-4 Won by 54 runs

Emanuel

K: 201-2 S: 27-10 Won by 174 runs

Cranmore

K: 100-6 C: 99-3 Won by 4 wickets

Whitgift

W: 124-5 K: 63-10 Lost by 61 runs

RGS Prep, Guildford

R: 139-4 K: 134-10 Lost by 5 runs

St Paul’s 6s Tournament 3rd Place

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133

C R I C K E T - U11

uring an Ashes summer and in the Bazball era of English cricket, the U11’s aimed to mirror the national team playing entertaining and fear-free cricket this season. The Third Form were an excellent year group to coach and enjoyed a vast number of fixtures – my thanks go to fixturesorganiser-in-chief, Mr Cheers.

early stages of the innings. However, wickets fell at an all-too-frequent rate leaving the final pair with the unenviable task of scoring 16 off 13 balls. Heroically, they stuck at their task but ultimately fell 5 five runs short of booking their place in the final. I hope those involved will now be able to read this without feeling that stinging pain of losing a close game.

Whilst 29 wins out of 33 games was an exceptional record across the year group, our measure of success was to ensure that every pupil enjoyed their cricket, they made progress over the course of the season, and they wanted to continue to play or follow cricket in the years to come. We hope we have developed some life-long cricket enthusiasts.

The next day, the U11A team were able to put their disappointment behind them with a sparkling run chase against Cranmore, whilst the U11BCD teams put in strong performances in their fixtures. It was particularly pleasing to see the U11C team play their first hard ball game of the season, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

The season started with a strong set of results against Northcote Lodge, with the G team performing well against a D team. Winning the toss and batting first was the mantra of the season across the year group, allowing a number of players to maximise their opportunities with the bat and ball. The A team cruised to an easy victory in the Surrey Prep Schools Cup against Milbourne Lodge on a difficult wicket, whilst the rest of the year group pulled off a clean sweep of wins against King’s House.

On one of the hottest days of the year, the U11A team fell short against a very capable Whitgift team in the quarter finals of the Verney Cup. Although the game featured our catch of the season and our biggest 6 of the season (by a comfortable distance!), the team simply didn’t turn up with the bat. This was all the more frustrating having bowled and fielded with intelligence, restricting Whitgift to 124 on a good batting wicket with a rapid outfield and small boundaries.

After the frustration of a rained off block of fixtures against St Paul’s Junior School, the U11A team put in their performance of the season in the quarter finals of the Surrey Prep Schools Cup. Having bowled with discipline on a green pitch with a slow outfield, they were able to chase down an imposing score (given the conditions) of 99 runs against a strong bowling and fielding unit. One individual innings was particularly memorable, scoring more than 50% of the team’s runs and batting with great patience and clarity of thought to target the shorter boundary.

Dramatic summer storms (convectional rainfall for the geographers out there) put an end to the remainder of the U11A team’s fixtures and our internal single wicket tournament; we were the bookies favourites against Newland House after a powerful performance with the bat. The rest of the year group continued their sterling work with good victories against Shrewsbury House, Danes Hill, and Downsend. The U11B team enjoyed a very competitive fixture against Danes Hill U11A team; the adage ‘catches win matches’ was the differentiating factor between the two sides.

Another clean sweep of wins against Shrewsbury House and a particularly one-sided win for the U11A team against a developing Emanuel School side in the early stages of the Verney Cup led the way to some outstanding House Cricket and a welldeserved half-term break for all. Returning from the half-term break saw the U11A team faced with the twin challenge of a semi-final fixture in the Surrey Prep Schools Cup and the usual request to get kitted up and be filmed for the new Junior School admissions film. It was a shame the film crew were not able to stay for the entire fixture as the game twisted and turned like a Ben Stokesinspired Ashes thriller. RGS scored an impressive 139 in their 20 overs, largely built upon the back of a sensational, unbeaten innings from their opening batter.The U11A’s responded in a Duckett/Crawleyesque manner smashing boundaries for fun in the

13 4

U11 C R I C K E TE R S

edant Khera poses with his teammate Lachlan Malan.

There were too many pleasing individual contributions, minibats awarded, and notable victories across all teams to list, but I would like to praise the hard work and professionalism of Mr Hortin, Mr Connolly, Mr Chevassut, Mr Brady, Mr Griffin, Mr Cheers, Mr Yates, Mr Stamp, and Mr Lyle who all threw themselves fully into the U11 cricket this season – thank you, all! EJMB

135

he summer term saw the rackets and yellow balls come out as the Junior School pupils prepared for a busy tennis schedule. Before the fixtures began, it was fantastic to see so many keen individuals attend tennis club at lunch time, where they were able to show off their skills and enjoy playing with their friends in the warm sun (okay, maybe not so much sun!). With high numbers each week, it was a positive sign moving into fixtures where the U11’s started off by playing Hawthorns, the U10’s played St Paul’s Junior School, and the U9’s played Feltonfleet. The standard of tennis played by the pupils in these fixtures was truly impressive; they did the basics right and even against tougher opposition, they used their minds to out-smart the opposition as opposed to out-hitting them. This level of tennis could only mean one thing - some very positive results across the term. With more friendlies against familiar opposition such as Shrewsbury House, Danes Hill and Rokeby, it was great to see lots of pupils having the chance to represent the school and enjoy playing their tennis.

Colours awarded to: Vedant Khera Max Lin Leo Ogungbemi Oscar Ross Raphael Smith Aidan Vaid

In addition to the friendly matches, the U9’s, U10’s and U11’s were all involved in the Surrey League matches, which provided a great opportunity for our pupils to play some of the best tennis players in other schools. A big well done to our U9’s and U11’s who made it through to the finals of the Surrey competition and had a great day at St George’s College playing much high-quality tennis. A huge congratulations to the U11’s; both the A & B team made it through to the final and were crowned winners and runners-up respectively. To get one team to the final is a great achievement, but for both teams to get there, really shows the quality of the pupils’ tennis. Finally, to wrap up the summer tennis term, the final weekend was host to the family fun day! This was an opportunity for pupils, parents, and siblings to come together and celebrate a successful term of tennis whilst having some fun playing tennis (and to get one over their friends). High energy, competitive tennis and smiling faces sum up the day and a big well done to those families who came away with prizes and bragging rights. A big well done to all the pupils for a fantastic term of tennis. We look forward to next year and, to the U11’s, good luck next year playing in the Senior School. LY & BDJ

13 6

137

S P O RT

TE N N I S

Colours awarded to: Kaplan Eler Gustave Favre Alex Panna Alex Rydnik

I A P S N AT I O N A L S Q UA L I F I C AT I O N R E S U LT S

I A P S N AT I O N A L S F I N A L S R E S U LT S

U10

U11

U10

Medley Relay

19th

4th

Medley Relay

Freestyle Relay

8th

7th

Freestyle Relay

After a relaxing Christmas and a couple of friendly galas, it was time for the London League A final. We qualified sixth, so our chances of making the London Grand Final this year were slim. Mr. O’Sullivan’s message was: “Go out there, enjoy your individuals, and remember we are strong as a team in the relays.” So, did that message get through? It most certainly did. Following a sluggish start in the individuals, the squad did not finish outside the top three in any of the relays, winning the squadron for the second time. This gave the squad hope of making the grand final, but we knew it would be close. Meanwhile, while we waited for the gala results, we had the IAPS National

13 8

U11

4th

10th

(out of 104 schools)

(out of 106 schools)

3rd

6th

(out of 125 schools )

(out of 120 schools)

U11

ollowing a successful year, it was difficult for the pupils to live up to the same expectations this year. After a slow start against Cumnor House, the team began to gain traction against Finton House and Parkside. In recent years, we have demonstrated that we are now a very competitive school in the pool, and we look forward to major competitions such as the London League and IAPS. After enjoying last year’s London League A final, the squad was eager to return this year. They performed brilliantly throughout the qualifying rounds we hosted here at school, and we also had the fastest squadron (four First Formers, four Second Formers, and four Third Formers) of any school in the competition. The results arrived in the final week of the term as a Christmas present to the squad; they had made the final by two points!

S P O RT

SWIMMING

50m Fly

1st

Kaplan Eler

50m Breastroke

14th

Alex Panna

50m Fly

1st

(out of 90 swimmers)

Kaplan Eler

< Kaplan Eler 3B

qualifiers. After medalling in both relays last year, the U11’s (Gustave Favre, Alex Rydnik, Alex Panna, and Kaplan Eler) were confident that they would be fine for qualification as long as no disqualifications occurred on the day. The U10’s (Reggie Blayney, Alexandros Vanezi-Saffrett, Benjamin Gussago, Freddy Casey, and Alexander Lueth) all competed in their first National qualifiers, swimming brilliantly and hoping to make the finals. As the last day of spring term approached, Mr. O’Sullivan, dressed as the Easter Bunny, got to tell the squad that they had made the grand final for the second year in a row, putting us among the top six schools in London. The A and B swim squads travelled to JAGS for the London League Grand Final (top three from south of the river and top three from north of the river). This followed a qualifying round and a South London final (with over 30 schools competing). We knew it would be a tough test because King’s came in ranked third from the south. On the night, they swam brilliantly, with one of the highlights being finishing third in the 12-by-1 squadron at the end.The swimmers finished fifth on the night and second in the all-boys schools in London. Congratulations to everyone on the swim team this year, with a special mention going to Kaplan for winning the school’s first gold medal at Nationals. LOS

139

thletics continued to grow in the summer term, giving pupils the opportunity to compete and represent the school. Aldro Athletics offered the chance for a number of pupils to compete at a mixture of track and field events, who put in some fine performances, with King’s finishing 5th overall.

Colours awarded to: Nicholas Ellinghorst Gustave Favre Leo Ogungbemi

Thomas’ Athletics offered pupils from U8-U11’s the chance to compete against a variety of local schools. Congratulations to the U11’s who won the majority of their track and field events, resulting in them taking gold overall. The final athletics event of the year was the West Surrey Athletics, where a selection of athletes competed for King’s with a chance to qualify and represent their district. Unfortunately, no athletes qualified on the day but both Gustave Favre and Sholto White finished with medals. Well done to all who represented the school in the summer term! DAC Aldro Athletics Overall result

5th

U13 1500m

Gold

Nicholas Ellinghorst (3B)

U9 Cricket ball throw

Gold

Xander Etienne (1BP)

U13 70m hurdles

Bronze

Gustave Favre (3OH)

Thomas’ Athletics U11’s

1st overall

West Surrey Athletics

14 0

U13 75m hurdles

Bronze

Gustave Favre (3OH)

U13 long jump

Bronze

Gustave Favre (3OH)

U10 cricket ball throw

Gold

Sholto White (2B)

141

S P O RT

ATH L E TI C S

CHESS S P O RT

CHESS

he school’s chess players enjoyed another busy and successful year, with almost all of the pre-pandemic competitions back in the calendar. Junior School chess got underway in earnest in September with the Rushmere Championship. This year’s competition was by far the strongest we have ever held, and for the second year running it was won by a Transition player, with Ethan Bogerd fighting off strong competition to claim the shield with a score of 5.5 out of 6. Meanwhile, the Chess Ladder continued to produce excellent chess every week, with the best Lower School and Junior School pupils battling it out. It is a great sign for the future that, as the year wore on, the Junior School pupils gradually started appearing more and more frequently towards the top of the table. In another promising sign, 42 pupils took over the dining hall on a summer term Sunday to compete for the title of Junior School Champion. The top four places were filled by Rushmere pupils, with the victor, Ismail Mallick, winning all six of his games. At national level, the school entered an U9 team for the first time in the English Primary Schools’ Chess Association national competition. Having won their semi-final in Bristol, the team qualified for the final, played over two days of gruelling chess in the magnificent surroundings of the Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden. Ethan, Bogerd, Ismail Mallick, Rene Uzdin, Yichen Xiong, Arjun Singh-Raj and Ravi Singh beat the teams of all the other seven finalists to claim the trophy with a final score of 27 points outs of 35, 4.5 points ahead of their nearest challengers. It seems that the future of chess at King’s College Junior School is in safe hands. MJH

Top: Rushmere winners Centre top: JS championship players Centre bottom: JS championship matches Bottom: JS championship winners

142

Top: Players in Bristol Centre: U9’s in action Bottom: U9 winners

143

Priory Winners: Norman Rushmere Winners: Stuart

n Friday 30th June, pupils from Rushmere and Priory gathered for what is one of the most exciting house sports events in the calendar – Sports Day! Parents congregated down at Kingsway to witness some exhilarating athletic performances from both Rushmere and Priory pupils alike. Across the day we saw pupils push themselves to the limits in order to represent their House to the highest of standards. There was high jump, long jump, vortex, shot put - just to name a few. The track events proved to be extremely exciting with parents creating a wonderful atmosphere! A huge congratulations to our winners on the day: Transition – Stuart, First Form – Stuart, Second Form – Tudor and Third Form – Norman. Our overall Rushmere winners were Stuart, whilst Norman came first overall in Priory. Finally, a huge well done to our Victor Ludorum winners: Dylan Turner (TDM), Rafferty Guest (1CM), Nikita Evseev (2G) and Nicholas Ellinghorst (3B). DAC

U10’s

Record

1st

2nd

3rd

100m

14.19 R. Taylor T 2012

Nikita Evseev (T)

Alexandros VaneziSaffrett (T)

Bar naby Cartledge (S)

200m

30.26 H. Nicholls N 2014

Nikita Evseev (T)

Alexandros VaneziSaffrett (T)

Thomas Lee-Peterson (W)

600m

2.02.63 O Coleman N 2019

Thomas Lee Peterson (W)

Bar naby Cartledge (S)

Jack Vincent (T)

800m

2.45.00 M. Dodd T 2015

Alexandros VaneziSaffrett (T)

Oscar Hinxman (T)

Tim Gao (N)

1500m

5.28.00 H Klein S 2019

Nikita Evseev (T)

Woody Guest (W)

Rafa Garcia-Davies (S)

Long Jump

3.85m A. Mellor T 2008

Nikita Evseev (T) 4.03m (new record)

Ethan Crews (N)

Tim Gao (N)

High Jump

1.22m S. Hoyes W 2015

Woody Guest (W)

Alexandros Vanezi-Saffrett (T)

Barnaby Cartledge (S)

Shot Put

9.10m L. Dickinson N 2018

Oscar Hinxman (T)

Ethan Crews (N)

Shayan Patel (T)

Vortex

41.20m A. Adams T 2015

Sholto White (T)

Ethan Crews (N)

Woody Guest (W)

Med Ball throw

5.82m A. Rydnik N 2022

Nikita Evseev (T)

Saam Roohpour (S)

Alexandros VaneziSaffrett (T)

Tennis ball throw

34.51m K. Suri W 2022

Alex Gawley (N)

Alexandros VaneziSaffrett (T)

Reggie Blayney (N)

Victor Ludorum

Nikita Evseev

U11’s

Record

1st

2nd

3rd

Gustave Favre (N)

Leo Ogungbemi (N)

Nicholas Ellinghorst (T)

100m

14 4

S P O RT

S P O RT S DAY

13.54 A Gilligan N 2021

200m

27.77 R. Philpott W 2014

Gustave Favre (N)

Nicholas Ellinghorst (T)

Leo Ogungbemi (N)

600m

2.06.42 G Champion T 2019

Raphael Smith (W)

Alex Rydnik (N)

Matty Elwell (T)

800m

2.41.30 D. Lord 2013

Leo Ogungbemi (N)

Louis Rehfeld (W)

Max Lin (W)

1500m

5.14.32 W. Belton T 2016

Nicholas Ellinghorst (T)

Gustave Favre (N)

Xavi Cochran (N)

Long Jump

4.22m T.Thompson T 2014

Nicholas Ellinghorst (T)

Gustave Favre (N)

Alex Panna (T)

High Jump

1.30m T.Thompson T 2014

Lachlan Malan (S)

Tom Buckney (N)

Leonid Semiletov (N)

Shot Put

9.78m A. Adams T 2016

Ethan Hull (W)

Charlie Ding (N)

Lachlan Malan (S)

Vortex

47.50m M Rawlinson W 2019

Lachlan Malan (S)

Nicholas Ellinghorst (T)

Sam Bannerman (N)

Med Ball throw

6.91m W. Ritchie T 2022

William Lowe (W)

Alex Rydnik (N)

Rajveer Kejriwal (T)

Tennis ball throw

34.42m Z. Owen N 2022

Felix Kent (W)

Darsh Pandey (N)

Max Lin (W)

Victor Ludorum

Nicholas Ellinghorst

14 5

VA LE TE

147

have spent sixty-three terms in the office next door to Hilary connected by an adjoining door. I have seen at very close hand her utterly selfless desire to ensure that every pupil, member of staff and parent is looked after and feels safe; she has treated the most distressing and the most joyous with equanimity. She was instrumental in helping to formulate the school values of honesty, inclusivity, patience, kindness and bravery – all five of which she perfectly embodies. The last four or so years proved the biggest test. She became the Junior School’s de facto Covid Tsarina, doing her utmost to keep up morale and ensure that as few pupils as possible needed to be sent home. She and I walked around with a two-metre ruler (named Russell after the Senior School Head of sport who is two metres tall!) and we would swing an arc from the desk of the poor, positive pupil to see who was within range and who was free to stay in school. Following this, she was integral to the planning and preparation of the top two years of the Junior School moving across to the Senior School. Normally a valete is a time to poke gentle fun at some unfortunate trip or faux pas but I have racked my mind and come up with very little except for the fact that she is never happy unless she has had two breakfasts, on rare occasions she disfigures the English language with her Lancastrian burr...(butty was a former nickname when she worked in the senor school), is an inveterate list writer – rumour has it that she writes lists of the lists she has - and has a motor home! (In addition to sharing office space, I have also lived within 50 yards of her and am expecting house prices to rise significantly now that the motor home has gone!) Whilst I will relish the opportunity to play my music marginally louder than I have previously done, I will hugely miss the open door through which we have worked, chatted and laughed and through which I have been called “cheeky” on far too many occasions. After 34 years of service to King’s, I can think of no one who deserves some time off more than Hilary. DJ

14 8

rs Hilary Morren leaves King’s after 34 years, which comprise 13 years in the Senior School and 21 years in the Junior School either side of a short hiatus. Hilary has had a profound influence on the pastoral fabric of King’s, working tirelessly to safeguard the wellbeing of thousands of pupils and taking great pride in their enjoyment of school life. She has also helped countless families and colleagues to overcome difficult circumstances, not to mention her teaching of Geography and Maths, her introduction of PSHE to the school and her considerable impact as a rowing coach. I first met Hilary in 2013, when I arrived at King’s as Head of Languages and taught French to her now grown-up son! I was also a form teacher and worked closely with Hilary in my shepherding of successive cohorts of Junior School pupils. She offered excellent guidance that has equipped me and many other colleagues for the rest of our careers. Her priorities could not be clearer: care of the pupils comes first. As Hilary has taught us, children who feel secure, comfortable and happy are best placed to learn and grow. Returning to King’s as Headmaster, I have been so lucky to count on Hilary’s experience, expertise and wisdom as Senior Deputy Head. Like my predecessors before me, I have leant on her unyielding support and benefitted hugely from the steer of her professional compass, which is always reliably set on the right course! She has done so much to promote a culture of kindness in the Junior School and leaves us in a very good place. Hilary has also served on various executive groups, committees and the full Governing Body for many years, so we thank her for the tremendous contribution she has made across the whole organisation. For all her achievements, perhaps the most incredible is that she has managed 34 years of unerring service fuelled only by ‘peely-wally’ tea – her trademark brew that shows scant evidence of ever having encountered a teabag! Hilary has earned the enormous affection, respect and admiration of pupils, colleagues and parents alike. Our great challenge now is to keep the show on the road without her. I know we will manage, though, as we need only follow her magnificent example. Thank you, Hilary. EHL

VA L E T E

H I L A RY M O R R E N

hen I arrived as the new Headmaster at King’s College Junior School in September 2006, I was determined to take time to get to know the school and assess the quality of the staff. What became clear very quickly indeed, however, was that the school was blessed with an outstanding Senior Deputy Head (Pastoral). On my retirement, fifteen year later in July 2021, I counted myself extremely fortunate to have had the support, wisdom and friendship of Mrs Hilary Morren. She has been a loyal servant of King’s, first in the Senior School and then in the Junior School, for thirty-four years and worked with me longer than any of the other heads who led the school during that time. I was surely blessed! As the most senior pastoral teacher, Hilary had to manage and support pupils who found themselves in difficulties because they had made poor behavioural choices or were dealing with a variety of social and emotional difficulties. I cannot think of a time when she was anything other than utterly determined to do her best by the pupils. There were occasions when this required her to be strict with them but she loved their company and she was at her happiest when she was in the classroom teaching geography or mathematics. An early riser, she was never quite content until she had finished her third breakfast and was ready to work through the many items on her daily to-do list. My final two years were dominated by Covid and Hilary rose impressively to that challenge. She was in school most days supervising the care and education of those pupils whose parents were essential workers. When we came back into school, she ensured that we all kept to the various protocols and did all she could to keep people cheerful and positive. Her loyalty did not prevent her from pointing out to me when she thought that the path I proposed was the wrong one and she certainly saved me from error. That, of course, is what any sensible head wants from his deputy. She was a wonderful colleague and remains a true friend. I am delighted that she and her husband are able to retire to that part of Scotland for which they have such huge affection. I know that all the Common Room will join me in thanking Hilary and wishing them both many happy years ahead. GAS

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LY N DA G I L L A R D VA L E T E

LY N DA G I L L A R D

ynda has been a dynamic, nurturing force at King’s for 99 terms. As Head of Art and Design Technology in the Junior School, and as an exceptional teacher of art across both the Junior and Senior Schools, she has championed the subject of Art for all pupils.

at King’s. Lynda established Art CCA, a GCSE art course for those students not able to do this within their standard timetable. Two solo art exhibitions of her own paintings took up the whole of the Cotman Gallery, which at the time also included the upper floor level as part of the gallery space.

Lynda arrived at King’s in 1990 having completed her Art Teaching Certificate from Goldsmiths University following on from her MA in Art from The University of Edinburgh. She was employed as ‘Assistant to the Art Department’ – an archaic term for ‘Art Teacher’. The teaching of art was then based in a two-storey 1950’s building originally intended as a temporary structure. Affectionately remembered as an overcrowded site, it was nonetheless a highly creative place and a hive of activity.

Lynda saw out the old building and in 2000 the Art Department moved into the current Reeve School with Design Engineering. In the same year Lynda was appointed Head of Junior School Art and Design Technology. This was the first appointment of its kind within the new faculty. Working closely with Design Engineering, Lynda embraced Design Technology and ensured all teachers had the skills and confidence to teach the younger age groups. As new technologies emerged, Lynda was keen that the youngest students did not miss out and made sure the STEM clubs were set up to nurture their enthusiasm.

At her interview, the Head of Department, Vernon Barnes, knew immediately that Lynda would fit in perfectly well when she got paint over her coat and was not at all flustered. Lynda, armoured in her white lab coat, quickly established herself as a teacher of great distinction. From the very start she was keen to get involved with all aspects of school life. She immersed herself with costume and makeup for school theatre productions, teaching herself how to professionally apply theatrical make-up. She was a tutor in Kingsley house and a form teacher in 4K. Former tutees and form members remember Lynda fondly as incredibly kind and compassionate - an aspect that never changed over all her years

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A highlight of the school calendar was originated by Lynda. The Junior School Christmas Exhibition has become a well-established and exciting showcase for our students’ wonderful artwork. Each year a new theme is developed and teachers generate novel and creative art projects. The Reeve School, and in recent years the Collyer Hall Theatre, have been transformed into a wonderland. Over the years, with Lynda at the helm, the exhibition grew in ambition and teachers continued to devise new projects to inspire students and push teaching and learning even further. Often collaborative work

is showcased, and the outstanding cornucopia of art is proudly presented to parents, students and staff. Lynda also ensured that the Art Scholarship Club nurtured high ambition and talent in art. Importantly, all students have had the opportunity to enter drawing competitions throughout their time in Rushmere and Priory. Gallery and museum visits have also been part of the mission to inspire students. At the centre of all this has been Lynda’s drive to continually enhance the student experience. Lynda has always embraced new ideas. Pre-internet, Lynda was the first teacher in the department to request a computer. She acquired CDs from the National Gallery to present artwork to students, in addition to the slide projector which was still standard practice at the time. She has consistently been a model of exceptional practice. At all times Lynda has had high expectations, and with her positivity and kindness pupils and staff have been freely able to speak to her. She has been an excellent mentor to countless staff members - she has razorsharp judgement and is an extremely wise head. One was extremely privileged if, as a member of the department, you were paired with Lynda when teaching A level or IB classes. Senior School exam groups were pushed to new heights. The work developed with GCSE and sixth form students was never imposed. Lynda always allowed students the freedom and creativity to flourish whilst ensuring excellent technical skills were learnt. Students were incredibly fortunate to have been taught by Lynda, and the artwork created is testament to her teaching.

With her background in Art History, Lynda was also a brilliant teacher of this subject at A level and IB Standard Level, specialising in the Baroque period. There are many students who have gone on to study both Art and Art History who were inspired by Lynda’s teaching. Within the department Lynda worked extremely closely alongside the Senior School Heads of Department, Robbie Carswell and then Gillian Yuille. Her experience and knowledge being the glue binding the two parts of the school together. Lynda’s passion for Art and leadership skills have been key to her immense success. For 33 years, Lynda has been the one constant in Art at King’s, and we are immensely fortunate to have had her here for so long. Now, Lynda will have the time to give towards her own art. NAP

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G EO RG E BA I R D VA L E T E

E D BO RTO N

d joined King’s in 2018 from Whitgift School as Head of Geography. He soon became a valued and respected member of the Common Room and achieved a great deal. Ed’s contribution to the Senior Management Team as Assistant Head (Academic and Public Occasions) meant that he oversaw a number of school events that ran smoothly with every i dotted and t crossed. Ed is a highly knowledgeable and inspiring Geography teacher, who rewrote the entire Geography syllabus over the course of a year, with the pupils in the Junior School benefitting from his detailed and inspiring ‘texercise’ books from September 2019. The pupils, in leaving his lessons, would regularly shuffle past my classroom buzzing with excitement, deep in discussion about the lesson they had recently enjoyed. From the coveted half-termly ‘Geolegend’, to trips to the Nine Elms Battersea Power Station development, Seaford, and many more, Ed developed a love of Geography in the Junior School amongst the pupils that reached far beyond the classroom. Ed became the ‘go-to’ person for all things calendar related; he apparently held a comprehensive version of all the school events in his head at all times and could quickly spot a clash and offer a workable solution. Parents’ Evenings benefited from his innovation too in moving online (which was a necessity during lockdown). His clear and simple instructions for both parents and teachers made this a success, and we may never look back again!

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Ed brought his love of spor ts to his Games lessons and the pupils soon realized how lucky they were to have access to his coaching skills when his U13 E rugby team beat Whitgift by over fifty points! His calm manner meant that he delivered clear and concise messages to his teams that inevitably led to the development of each and every pupil. But, it is on the cricket field where Ed (a highly skilled cricketer himself) really made his mark. Ed would share scorecards, batting and bowling wagon wheels, and bespoke advice to every pupil in his teams to develop their skills and love for the game. There were plenty of victories along the way, but more impor tantly, Ed ensured that the pupils played in the correct manner and understood playing in the ‘spirit of the game’. Ed leaves for pastures new, with his wife Sabina and one-year-old Ar thur being at the hear t of his plans for the future. Just as he has been at King’s, I have no doubt that he will make a success of things in his new venture. We are grateful for the outstanding contribution that Ed has made to the lives of the pupils in the Junior School as well as those of his colleagues. Ed, we will miss you greatly! PKB

eorge Baird came bounding into the Junior School Common Room in the spring of 2019. There to interview for the soon to be vacant post of History Teacher, new ground was about to be chartered as the department saw a changing of the guard. He made an immediate impression as a confident and knowledgeable operator, and not only did then Headmaster Dr Silverlock go on to appoint George to the role but had already earmarked him as a marquee signing for the school quiz team. To those who have not had the pleasure, George would comfortably hold his own across the table with the Paul Sinhas of this world (especially on countries and capital cities!). None of us, however, could have foreseen the equal amounts of savoir-faire and full-blooded passion that ‘Coach’ Baird was about to bring to his U10 football, rugby and cricket teams. George’s motivating style from the sidelines spurred the pupils on to success at several sports festivals and tournaments and earned him the right to a tilt at the U10B football programme in his final season in charge. The much-needed digitisation of a lifetime’s worth of departmental resources and copious amounts of hair product aside, George brought fresh ideas and ways of connecting with the pupils from previous stints in Prep Schools. Break and lunch times in P10 quickly became the place to be as the scene of Fantasy Football – and, during tournaments, sticker book fanaticism – blended with putting practice on the infamous green carpet. Four select groups of pupils have been fortunate enough to come under George’s tutelage as members of 2B, each starting by wondering what it meant to be

a ‘good lad’ and each ending their time in no doubt whatsoever. The multitude of cards and gifts that arrived on George’s desk at least twice-yearly bore testament not only to how enormously popular he was, but to the profound sense of belonging that his unique approach instilled in his pupils. It came as no surprise, therefore, that when Eliot Watkins decided to pass on the baton, George was first in line to become the Junior School’s new Head of History. He leaves the department in rude health having successfully steered the ship through both the final throes of remote learning and the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the structural changes to the school that were brought about with the inception of a comprehensive Lower School project for Years 7 and 8. The school saw George’s influence grow again as a budding new partnership was forged with Chris Norman, and, with the relaxing of social distancing the resurrection of the much-loved Hastings trip. A true rite of passage; I cannot think of another trip in the school calendar that generates as much buzz as the excursion to Battle Abbey: allegiances sworn to either Harold or William and costumes at the ready. It is difficult to picture the school without George. Pupils and parents alike will miss him a great deal, whilst his sense of humour and generosity of spirit have won him many lifelong friends in our Common Room. I think we all secretly wish George had been one of our teachers, and his new school Cottesmore is incredibly lucky to have him. George – you have been an incredible colleague and friend, and I will look back with great fondness on the times we shared as neighbours in the P10/P11 corridor. NAJ

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VA L E T E

C H A R LI E STA M P

I A N PA R K E R

harlie has played an integral part in providing a fun and exciting learning environment in sport for our pupils this year, as well as helping steer the PE department forward. We were very lucky that Charlie was so comfortable across many sports - football, cricket and rugby - being able to deliver quality teaching to pupils in both Rushmere and Priory. Throughout Charlie’s time at King’s, he has motivated and contributed towards every pupil’s sporting experience, as well as being great assistance in the classroom for Rushmere pupils. We are delighted to see him progress to complete his teacher training at St Mary’s University. Following a tremendous year at King’s, Charlie will no doubt focus on improving his already impressive handicap on the golf course! From everyone at King’s, we wish you all the very best, Charlie! DAC

an Parker began teaching at King’s in September 2019 having come from Willington Prep. He slotted in quickly with staff and pupils alike and had a wonderful rapport with them, teaching all of Rushmere and some of Priory; as well as Lower School in recent years. He spent many enjoyable hours playing table tennis with the Priory pupils during lunch break. He has a number of Rushmere Young Musician competitions, concerts and school productions under his belt. His knowledge of technology has moulded the work taught in class and his offerings at concerts brought a fresh contemporary flavour. His quick sense of humour and ability to play by ear were a useful asset and pleasant characteristic of his teaching. We wish him well as he moves onto horizon’s new, remaining, still, in an education setting, but with a shift in focus towards finance. RW

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