Kingswood In Focus 2018/19

KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS

2018/19

KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | HEADMASTER’S WELCOME

HEADMASTER’S WELCOME Dear Parents and Friends As I enter my twelfth, and final, year as Headmaster, it occurs to me that this is likely to be my final opportunity to write some words of introduction to Kingswood in Focus.

It is always such a pleasure to have this opportunity to contribute to our annual chronicle; it is a particular pleasure this year to be able not only to reflect on the past year, but also to consider more broadly how the School may have developed over the past decade or so.

The great privilege, and at the same time challenge, of leading a school such as Kingswood lies in marrying the needs of a school with extraordinarily strong foundations and a rich and enduring ethos with the dynamic needs of a modern school which is preparing its students for life in a fast-changing and increasingly unpredictable world.

This task is always at the forefront of my mind as I work with staff and governors on developing the School’s strategy and direction.

The strength of our heritage, firmly rooted in the teachings of our founder and carefully interpreted to meet the needs of the 21st century, is fundamental to this overriding objective. The centrality of chapel life, the sense of service and the absolute commitment to and embracing of community values such as respect, dignity and inclusion remain at the very core, as do those of healthy ambition and innovation, framed always according to the impact they can have on others’ lives.

We have sought over the past decade to be exceptionally bold with our ambition. We want to be one of the country’s leading schools, recognised for the very high quality of all-round education in the purest sense, that is where the needs of each individual in each area of their school experience are absolutely paramount. If we are to be judged, then it should surely be on how each individual child has been supported, encouraged and nurtured in each area of their school life to become the very best person they can be.

The outward signs of growth and confidence which the provision of new facilities, and the past decade has certainly been a period of significant development in this regard, brings is certainly important, but not nearly as important as the way these developments can impact on the lives of individuals or on the wider work the School does to broaden access and reach out to the world beyond the school gates. In providing bursaries, building partnerships with local maintained schools and focusing on a wide range of charitable activities, we are seeking to be true to the values and principles of our founder, whilst also recognising the

Caroline and Simon Morris at the Sixth Form Charity Dinner

…community values such as respect, dignity and inclusion remain at the very core… intrinsic responsibility which must accompany our evident privilege.

I do hope that this current edition of Kingswood in Focus properly illustrates the type of school which I think we are, and certainly which we would wish to be: unashamedly ambitious and high achieving in every area of school life and with many individual success stories to tell, but absolutely not isolated from the world beyond Kingswood and deeply committed to actions which make a true difference.

As I step down in the Summer of 2020 and Andrew Gordon-Brown succeeds me as Headmaster of this very special school, I feel confident that he will inherit a school with an exceptionally strong ethos which he can lead ever further towards achieving our ambitious objectives.

Yours sincerely

Mr Simon Morris (Headmaster)

CONTENTS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

CONTENTS

HEADMASTER’S WELCOME

COMMUNITY & WORLD ACTION 2 From the Chaplain 4 Charities 5 Alumni Feature: Ben Juliano 6 Sustainability 7 MUN 2019 ACADEMIC 10 Exam Results 11 Prize Giving 2019 14 Leavers’ Destinations 16 Academic Enrichment HOUSES 22 Westwood 24 Fonthill 26 Hall 28 Middle 30 Summerhill 32 School 34 Upper 36 Boarding Community

CREATIVE ARTS

37 Art 40 Design & Technology 42 Drama 47 Theatre Tech 48 Music 54 ‘KATS’ Music & Drama Awards SPORT

56 Girls’ Hockey 58 Rugby 60 Netball 62 Boys’ Hockey 64 Orienteering 65 Cross Country 66 Cricket 68 Football 69 Boys’ Tennis 70 Girls’ Tennis 72 Athletics 74 Swimming 76 Athletic Development 77 Equestrian 78

99 100 101 102

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES STAFF & LEAVERS Teaching Staff & Governors List Head Girl & Head Boy Reflections Leavers 2019 Staff Farewells

104 Kingswood International

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KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | COMMUNITY & WORLD ACTION

FROM THE CHAPLAIN A PLACE WHERE THE LIGHT GETS IN What is the beating heart of Kingswood?

Are we not a school that lets the light in?

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hat’s the vision for Methodist schools. In a world in which relationships and questions of purpose and meaning are easily pushed to one side, we need places where young people are given the space and the opportunity to think about bigger issues: places where the light gets in, so that they can become people through whom the light shines out.

light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16).

A fairly free translation of those words puts it like this: ‘Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the flavours of this earth’.

If you are a fan of salted caramel flavouring in ice cream, chocolate, coffee, you’ll know that the salt brings out the sweetness of the caramel.

Jesus talked about his followers being the salt of the earth and the

What a wonderful way of looking at life – and particularly at the task of education: we are here to play our part in bringing out all the flavours of life for the young people we serve.

That free translation continues: ‘Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the colours in the world … We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.’

At the heart of Methodist schools is the conviction that the gospel is unimaginably enriching.

At the heart of Methodist schools is the conviction that the gospel is unimaginably enriching. There is a view of faith in wider society that sees it as diminishing in life, taking away, impoverishing people, holding them back, taking out all the fun. We present a different vision here, of good news that is unimaginably enriching, bringing out all the colours of life.

COMMUNITY & WORLD ACTION | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

That’s what we celebrate in Chapel, week in week out, a heart that beats throughout the whole school. We also celebrate it in special services, in weddings and baptisms. The most wonderful part of the baptism service is when the minister looks the one to be baptised in the eye and says these words; at the heart of Methodist schools is the conviction that these words are for each and every one of us: For you, Jesus Christ came into the world.

For you, he lived and showed God’s love.

For you, he suffered death on the cross.

For you, he triumphed over death, rising to newness of life.

For you, he prays at God’s right hand.

All this for you, before you could know anything of it … we love, because God first loved us.

That is a way of looking at life we present and propose here. It’s a way of looking at life which imbues the task of education with awesome responsibility, because if each and every person is made by God in the image of God, and is known, loved and called by God, then we can join in the work of God in helping each to flourish in every possible way.

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Once again, Kingswood pupils and staff came up with numerous imaginative ideas to raise funds for many local, national and overseas charities.

These included:

Westwood Charity Bake Sale – Freedom4Girls UK

Bath Cats & Dogs Home Bath Foodbank Beauty Banks Jamie’s Farm visit

Hall House Valentine’s Dinner – CoppaFeel!

Dorothy House Concert

CHARITIES Big Bath Sleep Out – Julian House

Breast Cancer Care The British Heart Foundation Cancer Research Comic Relief CoppaFeel!

Dorothy House Freedom4Girls UK The Genesis Trust Help for Heroes Hope and Homes for Children Jamie’s Farm Julian House Kenyan Restart Centre

1000 Mile Challenge – Help for Heroes

Mad about Harry MIND Open Arms Infant Home, Malawi Rainbow Railroad The Royal British Legion The RUH Forever Friends Appeal Sue Ryder Leckhampton

Splat the Teacher – Comic Relief

The William Cross Foundation Pretty Muddy - Cancer Research

Young Minds

THE CHAPLAIN’S AWARD FOR CHARITY This is awarded in recognition of a student’s work to support charitable causes as an expression of our Wesleyan commitment to ‘do all the good we can…to all the people we can’. This year the award went to deserved winner Emily Becconsall who made an

outstanding contribution in this regard, including co-ordinating the Kingswood team for the Pretty Muddy run in aid of Cancer Research UK, organising the Fun Run for Rainbow Railroad as well as leading the development of the School’s links with Jamie’s Farm, through initiatives such

as the Sixth Form Showcase musical evening. Emily also masterminded one of the highlights of the year, the wonderful Sixth Form Charity Dinner which raised around £1300 in support of Open Arms, Hope and Homes for Children and Jamie’s Farm.

COMMUNITY & WORLD ACTION | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

ALUMNI FEATURE: BEN JULIANO (KS 2016-2018) enabled me to step into that role with confidence during my Lower Sixth year. Staff really push each of their students to perform at a level of intensity unmatched by few other places so that students can walk out ready to go where they want to go and make an impact along the way.

Near the end of his life, Kingswood’s founder The Revd John Wesley left one simple instruction for his followers: “Take care of the rising generation”.

250 years later, the School continues to excel at that task. I left in 2018 with experiences and skills that completely changed my life.

Life at school in Bath isn’t all work though. I loved leading Whole School Services and it was experiences like that that prepared me for speaking at the Royal Albert Hall this past May in front of 5,000 people. I will never forget that it was things I did at Kingswood that put me on the path to meeting my great friends and heroes Nicky and Pippa Gumbel and put me on that stage in London. An Old

Kingswoodian came to speak to me after the crowds had filtered out and it was then that I realised there really is a bond between the School and everyone that learns and works here.

It was at Kingswood that I saw real snow for the first time (we don’t get much of that in Florida), went to my first cricket match in Cardiff and enjoyed my first theatre productions by our wonderful Drama department. There are days and times when I wish I could do it all over again. Life may go on but Kingswood will always stay with me. I can’t wait for the next time I have the opportunity to visit.

Ben Juliano

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told Simon Morris when he visited me at my home in Florida on his final trip as Headmaster earlier this year that the most important difference Kingswood made for me was the development of work ethic. I came out of my time in Sixth Form with a drive to complete any tasks quickly, efficiently and to a high standard. It doesn’t exactly make for nice pictures in a glossy brochure but I think it’s a skill that sets Kingswoodians apart.

Perhaps the most exciting chapter of my Kingswood story was interning in Parliament with an MP who now sits on the frontbenches.

It was my time at school that

...there really is a bond between the School and everyone that learns and works here.

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Beach Clean

SUSTAINABILITY This year the urgency of the global climate emergency has become increasingly clear with protest and action played out in court rooms, parliaments and on streets across the planet.

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ur community at Kingswood has been galvanised by this increasing focus and the opportunity it brings to enable us to take action and deliver positive change. Students have led from the front and it has been impressive to see them stand up for our planet through the organisation of Climate Strikes and marches, as well as through their facilitation and involvement of Kingswood School events.

Youth Climate Strike

Indeed, climate change and environmental degradation is never far from the agenda at Kingswood, with numerous activities, assemblies and events on offer. This year these events have included:  Two weekend Beach Cleaning trips to Porthcawl, South Wales  Sixth Form Environmental Dragon’s Den Challenge  BANES Youth Climate Summit  Kingswood Earth Day  Year 9 ‘Better Earth’ project  Sustainable Development Society stand at the Malawi Market

Youth Climate Summit

Y9 Better Earth Project

 Pupil involvement in numerous Youth Strikes for Climate.

We all have a role to play in delivering a better future and such events and opportunities help educate and facilitate us in this. One member of our community who understood this very well was Mrs Patterson and her passion and commitment to the environment, and in particular the protection of wildlife, will be sorely missed as she retires. We must therefore endeavour to continue to drive our School along the journey that Mrs Patterson was helping to steer and in the spirit of the school, ‘do all the good we can’ for the sake of our planet’s future.

Mr Will Musgrove (Sustainability Development & World Action Co-ordinator)

COMMUNITY & WORLD ACTION | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2019 In the weeks leading up to this year’s MUN all those of us involved in the conference watched the weather forecast with more than our usual passing interest. In March 2018 the heavy snow associated with the so-called “Beast from the East” had forced the cancellation of the conference, a first in the history of BISMUN, and the thought of the event falling victim to the elements for a second time was something no-one wanted to contemplate.

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he shadow of the 2018 cancellation was also felt in other ways. For decades, the Sixth Form chairs, on whom so much depends, had learnt the art of leading a committee whilst serving as junior chairs in the Lower Sixth, before going on to assume the lead roles themselves in the Upper Sixth.

The snows of 2018 had robbed us of that all-important training

opportunity and, as a consequence, a big question mark hung over the 28th BISMUN: having not served their customary apprenticeship, would the chairs prove equal to the task? Would the Sixth Form even want to get involved at all?

I need not have worried. Nearly sixty sixth formers signed up to take part as chairs, an incredible quarter of

As always, our agenda was varied and challenging... the entire Sixth Form. The leadership of the committees fell to the core group of students who had attended numerous conferences as part of Miss Jones and Mr Newbould’s MUN group. Poppy Hasoon, Jo Vaughan, Charlotte Cutter, Leo Osipovs, Josephine Learoyd, Megan Lloyd-Evans, Davida Samikwa, Uliana Akimova, Kate Soldatenko, Rin Watanabe, Zoey King and Hattie Foster were all able to draw on a wealth of experience from their time as delegates, providing the expertise in procedure and insight into the

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ways of MUN on which a successful conference relies. They were ably supported by dozens of sixth formers for whom this was their first MUN, but who rose admirably to the challenge, inspired perhaps by the knowledge that they were custodians of an event that has become an essential part of the fabric of a Kingswood year. It says everything about how well they performed that numerous visiting teachers sought me out over the conference weekend to say how well the chairs were doing, praising their professionalism and the warm welcome they had offered to their students. I couldn’t have been more proud.

Approximately 400 students took part in the conference, representing 70 member states of the UN. As always, our agenda was varied and challenging, with delegates asked to debate issues as diverse as the situation in Yemen, mental health, press freedom, deforestation, weapons of mass destruction, and the rights of women in the Middle East. The conference was opened by our guest speaker, Mr Angus Forbes. Angus had previously visited Kingswood as part of the Wesley Society programme of speakers, and at our Opening Ceremony he again spoke powerfully and persuasively of the need for action to tackle the imminent catastrophe of Climate Change. Poppy Hasoon, one of our two Secretary Generals for this year’s conference, also spoke, outlining some of the challenges confronting the global community and making an impassioned plea for the importance

of education as we move forward into the twenty-first century.

The second day saw the conference participants break up into their separate specialist committees, whilst, on the third, the conference climaxed with the always popular emergency scenarios, where the delegates were asked to respond to an unexpected international crisis; this year these ranged from a biological weapons attack at two of Europe’s major airports to a Russian invasion of Estonia. Jo Vaughan, sharing the role of Secretary General with Poppy, presided over the final General Assembly and delivered a closing speech in which she reflected eloquently on a range of global issues.

With so many students involved in chairing the event, Kingswood fielded two relatively junior delegations at the conference, representing Malawi and Yemen. Despite their comparative inexperience, both delegations enjoyed considerable success. Alma Bode in Year 7 was named Best Junior Delegate in Human Rights 2, whilst Oliver Ellis in Year 10 was commended for his work on the Environment Committee.

Tara Wynne Edwards impressed as the representative of Yemen on the Middle East Committee, and was named Best Junior Delegate at the entire conference, a magnificent achievement.

The technical crew ensured that all the technology worked well over the conference weekend, and the army of secretaries from Westwood once again did a phenomenal job in supporting the work of all the committees.

The shadow of the Beast from the East has been exorcised.

On now to BISMUN 2020!

Mr Craig Woodgate (Head of Sixth Form)

COMMUNITY & WORLD ACTION | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

OXFORD GLOBAL MUN In November, Kingswood sixth formers travelled to Oxford for the three day Oxford Global Model United Nations Conference.

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eaturing delegations that had travelled from as far away as China and Canada, this conference was a wonderful opportunity to engage in high level debate with other students from across the world in the peerless setting of the historic Oxford colleges. Students experienced a taste of Oxford University life with fine dining in the beautiful dining halls of New College and Balliol College, as well as having the opportunity to ask questions to current undergraduate students, including what makes an Oxbridge worthy personal statement and what it is like to live and study in one of the world’s greatest universities.

PRE-SEASON MUN In October students attended the Pre-Season MUN conference at Wycombe Abbey School.

There were a number of traditional MUN committees such as the Human Rights Council on which Megan Lloyd-Evans served as Panama. Also representing Panama was Joanna Vaughan on the Development Programme Committee. The EU council saw Kate Soldatenko and Leo Osipovs thrashing out some of the major issues facing the European Union today. The special political committee was attended by Davida Samikwa as the delegate for Canada, whilst Poppy Hasoon sat as a judge on the International Court of Justice. This conference also featured some more unusual opportunities for Tosin Ogunribido and Harriet Foster to represent leaders in the Columbian Drug Cartels and debate a historic crisis as well as arrange for the assassination of a fellow delegate. Looking to the future were Jo Learoyd and Uliana Akimova as rival Republican and Democrat senators facing an imagined political crisis in the 2025 Presidential election.

Congratulations to Joanna Vaughan and Harriet Foster for winning nominations as outstanding delegates.

Mr George Newbould (Teacher of History and Politics)

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his was a fantastic opportunity for students to experience MUN for the first time or to dust off the cobwebs ahead of future conferences.

Delegates got to grips with MUN debate procedure and how to write resolutions in the morning before getting to put these new skills into practice in afternoon committee sessions.

These looked at a number of different current issues including the rights of prisoners, the international drugs trade and the impact of climate change. For many this was their first time attending an MUN conference and it gave great hope for the future of Kingswood in further conferences.

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KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | ACADEMIC

EXAM RESULTS A LEVEL Students celebrated excellent A Level results, with approximately two thirds of all grades at A*- B, over 88% at A*- C and a 100% pass rate.

GCSE Students once again celebrated very strong GCSE/IGCSE results this year.

With 38% 9/8 and 62% 9/8/7, students achieved very highly across both GCSE and IGCSE examinations.

Amongst many excellent individual performances, the highest achievers with ten 9/8 grades were Charlotte Davis, Timothy Green, Iris Marrack and Oliver Tonge. We are delighted that 41 individual students achieved at least five 9/8 grades.

...very pleased to again achieve such strong results...

THE DEPUTY HEAD ACADEMIC COMMENTED: ‘We are very pleased to again achieve such strong results in the newly-reformed GCSE qualifications. It is a testament to the hard work of our pupils and teachers that we have been able to sustain such high standards, despite the increased rigour of the new GCSE qualifications, and whilst maintaining our strong commitment to a holistic and balanced education for all. We are very pleased with the performance of this cohort, and now look forward to helping them develop even deeper knowledge and understanding in our Sixth Form over the next two years.

They certainly should have every confidence that they are well-prepared for the academic challenges to come.’

Amongst the many high achievers, particularly outstanding results were achieved by Jade Hartley and Rin Watanabe with 4 A* grades, and Charlotte Cutter, Daniel Greenslade, Lexi Hart and Jack Hau each with 3 A* grades. 18 students achieved at least 3 A grades.

THE HEADMASTER COMMENTED: ‘I am once again delighted to see so many students excelling in these very demanding examinations, allowing them to take up their places at a range of prestigious universities, including Oxford and Cambridge. Whilst a Kingswood education is about so much more than examination results, it is good to recognise how students who have contributed across a host of areas of school life can also achieve such mightily impressive academic results.’

ACADEMIC | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

PRIZE GIVING 2019 It was once again a great honour to end the academic year with our fabulous Prize Giving ceremony.

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rize Giving is a key moment in our year when we acknowledge the fantastic efforts and achievements of our pupils throughout the academic year. I always like to think of Prize Giving as a moment to acknowledge the everyday, consistent efforts of our pupils; it is great that we can publicly shine a light on some pupils who might otherwise go quietly unnoticed as they work with diligence and focus throughout the school year. We believe, of course, that learning is a lifelong pursuit, and it is our absolute hope that our young people will develop learning habits at Kingswood that they will carry throughout their lives. It is however really important that we also seek to punctuate that lifelong learning journey with moments such as these – in an education system which can all too easily become dominated by terminal examinations, Prize Giving is our opportunity to focus on the learning journey itself rather than just the externally measured outcomes.

To that end, we continued our tradition of awarding prizes for ‘effort’ as well as ‘attainment’. Whilst I firmly believe in the importance and power of knowledge, a major goal of any educational enterprise must also be about the development of the person. When we award for effort, we are seeking to acknowledge that, for many pupils, their enthusiastic and committed approach to academic study may well, in the long run, count for at least as much as high exam scores. Indeed, when we consider the uncertain nature of the future for our young people, qualities such as diligence, resilience, open-mindedness, creativity and empathy are likely to prove more useful than grades on a piece of paper, and through Prize Giving we seek to celebrate the many pupils who have stood out for us because of their learning attitudes.

As is tradition at such events, it was a hot day. I like to think that the heat in the room might also have something to do with developing resilience! I am always impressed with the maturity of the pupils; they know that this is a culturally significant day, and their approach is unfailingly respectful and

...learning is a lifelong pursuit... enthusiastic. There is something intrinsically wonderful about celebrating one’s peers – it’s an invitation for us to take the focus from ourselves, and to offer support and encouragement to those around us who lead by example and inspire us all to greater action. As always, the room was filled with warm applause, and I was struck by the visible joy on pupils’ faces when their names were read out. One of the nice things that we do is we do not tell the pupils in advance what they have been chosen for. Each pupil who is to be awarded a prize knows they have been chosen for something, but they do not know which subjects have nominated them. This means there is often some excellent moments of genuine disbelief when pupils hear their names attached to certain awards.

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Again, this says something to me about the humility of our pupils – there is no sense of entitlement, just gratitude to have been noticed.

we also enjoyed a video from the Music department reminding us of all the wonderful musical activity that took place in the academic year.

Alongside the awarding of prizes, Prize Giving is also an opportunity to remind ourselves of some of the many fabulous academic achievements that have taken place in the course of the year. Following the first set of subject prizes, Meg Scott treated us to a reading of her short story, ‘Pandora’s Painting’, which was originally published in this year’s anthology, ‘Welcome to Society’. Meg read with confidence, and her prose was a provocative call for us all to reflect on the way we think about the world around us. Following this, we awarded more academic prizes, including, for the first time, prizes for our pupils studying Mandarin in Year 7; we look forward to more of this next year when we will have had our first cohort of Year 8s learning Mandarin for the first time. Ellie Webster then treated us to a rendition of ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ from Jesus Christ Superstar, before we went on to celebrate academic achievement in the other Modern Foreign Languages. The rest of the morning included our sports reports, which again highlighted the sheer range of participation that happens in any given term at Kingswood, and

Following a video report created by James Button on all the excellent Drama that had taken place in the academic year, we concluded the morning by awarding two of the ‘special prizes’. The ‘Heart of Westwood’ award is a personal favourite of mine, because it serves to highlight the pupils in our lower school who are already demonstrating the kind of approach to school life that we would want modelled by all. Similarly, we were able to award the ‘William Cross Prize for Politics’ to two students, Elsa and Polly France, for their many contributions to the school through their championing of environmental causes, such as the Youth Strike for Climate. I think we have all witnessed a significant shift of late in the way that young people are expressing their concerns for the environment, and it is therefore absolutely right that we should celebrate some of the leaders in our own community who, we hope, will go on to help this generation shape the future of the world we all share.

The afternoon began with the first set of Sixth Form subject prizes, which was punctuated by Tom Reeves’ fabulous piece of film

about Kingswood’s latest trip to Malawi in the Summer of 2018.

I remember at the time feeling really moved by this piece. Not only is the cinematography itself wonderfully composed and arresting, I was so struck by the importance of this experience for all involved. Tom managed to capture some of the significance of the experience in a profound and sensitive away; I was left with overwhelming feelings of pride and hope as I watched footage of our young people seeking to make a practical difference in the lives of others. This, after all, is what we all come here to do each day, and so it was fitting that we should

ACADEMIC | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

be reminded of Kingswood’s place in a wide and complicated world early in the proceedings. Following more prizes, Molly Dickinson then gave a wonderful performance of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ from Les Misérables, which again acted as a poignant counterpoint to the celebrations of many pupils’ achievements.

We were then able to award the remaining prizes for ‘Outstanding Contributions to the School’. It was great to see pupils recognised for their excellent efforts in the wider academic life of the school, particularly in the realms of Art, DT, Music and Drama. It is a testament to the variety of excellence we have in these departments that, for example, the Duchars Award for Art was awarded to Leo Osipovs, for his remarkable paintings in the style of Carvaggio, and Tom Reeves, for his very impressive street photography.

The kind of range implied by this award tells us something about the opportunities on offer at Kingswood, but also the wonderfully diverse nature of our pupil cohort.

Helen Lam rounded off the main prize giving proceedings with a confident performance of ‘Fly’ by Avril Lavigne.

As is tradition, the Headmaster then offered our farewell to those colleagues who were leaving us.

This involved several retirements from the teaching profession, including Jackie Hallett (Study Support), Mary Brown (Physics), Mary Patterson (Biology) and Nicola

Beale (Languages). We also said farewell to our Lead Nurse, Helen Skinner, and our Head of EAL, Becky Dreher. It says something about the special nature of our community that we have a relatively modest turnover of teaching staff, and often those that leave us are also leaving teaching. Prize Giving is as much about the teachers as the pupils, and it is always right to celebrate the wonderful contributions of members of our teaching staff to this excellent community, and to acknowledge just how blessed we are to have such a vibrant community.

In typical Kingswood fashion, the final flourish of the event is entrusted to the pupils. We firstly recognised and celebrated our new PR and Senior Prefect body, who will now help lead the school community forwards. The final speeches are then reserved for our Head and Deputy Boys and Girls.

They all spoke with great poise, recounting their fond memories of their time at Kingswood. Again, diversity of experience was evident.

Charlotte Cutter spoke with great affection about her time through the School since she joined us in the Pre-School at the age of 2, followed

by Jess Norton’s reflections, having joined us in Year 8. All of this was then balanced well against Jade Hartley’s own experience having joined us in Year 12. This example of our three senior girls served to illustrate the range of pupils we have in our community, and how

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their different experiences help to shape Kingswood to be the kind of community it is. Similarly, Jack Brain and Max Brindley offered their own thoughts about their journey through the School, much of which was clearly a source of great joy to them. The pupil speeches were then concluded with an attempted ‘flash-mob’ musical piece, where pupils and teachers seemed to spontaneously appear and start to sing Queen’s ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’. I was struck by the confidence of our young people to reinvent such an occasion, and their desire to put their own unique stamp on proceedings.

In short, it was an excellent day, characterised by an acknowledgement of the wider world in which Kingswood sits. Prize Giving is a moment where we seek to notice and celebrate many of the outcomes of an excellent Kingswood education that sits beyond the scope of the examination system.

Whilst we want to achieve the best possible grades for our pupils, we know that what we are really trying to do is to educate young people, as best as we can, for a rapidly changing world.

Prize Giving 2019 gave me great cause to be optimistic about the kind of social impact that our pupils will have when they eventually leave us.

Mr John M. Davies (Deputy Head Academic)

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UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS NAME

COURSE

INSTITUTION

Jennifer (Jenny) Ainsworth Amber Amin Korn Amnauypanit Emma Askew Isabelle (Izzy) Barnes Reuben Barnett Lucy Bean Emily Becconsall Patricia Bertran Charles (Charlie) Bigland Zoe Birch Isabella (Bella) Bird Jack Brain Max Brindley Harry Bristow George Brunskill Gabriel Burge-Swatton Natasha Burke Michael Butler Katie Butterfield Dominic Carruthers Angel Chant Rigam Chhantyal Charlotte Chilton Joseph Cleghorn Samuel (Sam) Cox Finley (Fin) Crowe William Crowther Charlotte Cutter Yongyi (Daisy) Dai Emily Davies Elizabeth (Lizzie) Davis Molly Dickinson Madeleine (Maddie) Edwards Finley (Finn) Feaver Conor Finnamore Anastasia (Ana) Fox Sophie Garcia Lara Glavinova Daniel (Dan) Greenslade Nathan Gregg George Halsey Alexandra (Lexi) Hart Jade Hartley Poppy Hasoon Chak Hei (Jack) Hau Oran Hawkins Annie Hawthorn William Haysom Thomas (Tom) Heal Natasha (Tash) Houghton Thomas (Tom) Hudson William (Will) Jeffery Thomas (Tom) Johnson Isabelle (Izzy) Jolliffe Ema Kavaliauskaite Marcus Kendall Oscar Kenyon Zoey King Joshua (Josh) Knight Helen Lam Lily Landman Harry Leakey Josephine Learoyd Robin Ledbury Max Lister

Aeronautics & Astronautics/Spacecraft Engineering Psychology with Business & Management Chemical Engineering Art Foundation Gap Year; English Literature & American Studies Gap Year Gap Year; Business Studies & Japanese Geography (Science) Computer Systems Engineering (with placement) Mechanical Engineering Law (Crime & Criminal Justice) Biochemistry Gap Year; Geography Gap Year Gap Year Gap Year Foundation in Business Gap Year Computer Science German & Linguistics Gap Year Acting Business & Marketing Management Gap Year Gap Year; Production Arts for Screen Economics English Literature Gap Year Geography Medical Biochemistry Gap Year Business & Management Art Foundation Early Years Development & Learning Gap Year Employment/Vocational Training Gap Year Experimental Psychology Business Psychology Chemistry Law Politics Gap Year Computer Science Gap Year Engineering (Mechanical) Gap Year Geography Gap Year Engineering with an Integrated Foundation Year English Literature with Creative Writing Gap Year Politics & International Relations Gap Year History Architecture Gap Year Gap Year Gap Year; Psychology & Business Aerospace Engineering with a Year in Industry Financial & Business Economics Gap Year; Anthropology Gap Year; Environmental Geoscience Sociology Gap Year English Literature

University of Southampton University of Sussex Imperial College, University of London University of Manchester Cardiff University University of Exeter University of Bath University of Exeter Swansea University University of Sheffield Swansea University

Oxford Brookes University Birmingham City University University of Edinburgh Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Oxford Brookes University University of the Arts, London Manchester Metropolitan University Cardiff University University of Cambridge Royal Holloway, University of London Oxford Brookes University Norland College

University of Oxford University of Lincoln Durham University University of York Cardiff University UCL, University of London UCL, University of London University of Liverpool Brunel University Oxford Brookes University Loughborough University University of Bristol University of the Arts, London

Aston University Swansea University Royal Holloway, University of London University of Sussex University of Nottingham Durham University University of Edinburgh

ACADEMIC | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

NAME

COURSE

INSTITUTION

Megan Lloyd-Evans Callum Michie Harriet Mohr Kathryn (Katie) Morton Hebe Mottershead Davies An Nabeshima Tsz Yui (Dominic) Ngan Hal Norman Isabella (Izzy) North Jessica (Jess) Norton Peemapon (Parm) Nunthakunatip Alice O’Gorman Leonids (Leo) Osipovs Lily Palmer Joseph (Joe) Partridge Matthew Pearce Poohpa (Play) Pongsri Robin Pun Simran Rai Chloe Rawlins Amber Rees-Jones Tom Reeves Julia Reid Jasmin (Jaz) Ryan Finlay (Finn) Sayce Daisy Shayegan Boonyakorn (Mardee) Sirinaovakul Jekaterina (Kate) Soldatenko Alice Spratt Veleslav Tachev Lucy Tonge Ho Ying (Nicole) Tse Joanna (Jo) Vaughan Georgette Wakefield Charles (Charlie) Walker Hamish Walker Rin Watanabe Thomas (Tom) Wheatley Zach Wheelhouse Steel Elizabeth (Lizzie) White Ho Ting (Jason) Wong Emily Yates Hau Wang (Howard) Yuen Alexander (Alex) Zikos

History Classics Biomedical Science Veterinary Medicine Apprenticeship, Arcadis Linguistics (International Programme) Aeronautics & Astronautics Gap Year; Politics & International Relations Gap Year Political Science Accounting & Finance Business & Management Architecture Biochemistry (inc. Year in Professional Training) Gap Year Gap Year Gap Year Mechanical Engineering Business & Marketing Management Employment/Vocational Training Art Foundation Art Foundation Psychology with Study Abroad Gap Year Geography English Literature Financial Mathematics Philosophy, Politics & Economics Philosophy & Sociology Gap Year Medicine Nutrition & Dietetics Architecture Forensic Science (with Foundation Year) Business Economics Gap Year Economics & Management Business & Management Gap Year Sport & Exercise Science Mathematics & Statistics Art Foundation Architecture Architecture

University of Exeter University of Oxford University of Birmingham University of Nottingham

Economics & Management Studies Economics & Management Linguistics International Business Management Business & Management Classical Studies & Comparative Literature Biological Sciences Religion & Theology Biological Sciences Nursing (Child) Foundation Built Environment Law Sociology Nursing (Adult) English Literature with Creative Writing Politics & International Relations Modern Languages & Cultures (with Year Abroad) Integrated Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Medical Sciences Civil Engineering Law Film Studies Biomedical Sciences

Cardiff University University of Bristol Newcastle University Royal Agricultural University University of Lincoln King’s College, University of London University of Liverpool University of Bristol University of Warwick University of Leeds Oxford Brookes University Goldsmiths, University of London University of Nottingham University of Leeds University of Leeds Loughborough University Durham University University of Bath University of Leeds University of Bristol University of Exeter King’s College, University of London Cardiff University

UCL, University of London University of Southampton University of Sussex University of Birmingham University of Warwick University of Exeter UCL, University of London Cardiff University

University of Exeter Oxford Brookes University

University of Exeter University of Exeter University of Edinburgh University of Leeds University of York University of Leeds Cardiff University University of Nottingham University of Reading Bristol, University of the West of England Cardiff University University of Oxford University of Reading University of Nottingham University of Bath University of the Arts, London University of Plymouth

POST A LEVEL APPLICANTS Matilda (Tilly) Baines William Barnes Isabel Crane Thomas (Tom) Cronchey Charlotte Fillis Louise Fisher Madeleine (Maddie) Greenway Natasha Harrington Maximilian (Max) Harris Isobel (Izzy) Hirsch Harry Hodges Oliver (Ollie) Jenkins Nicholas (Nick) Johncox Elizabeth (Lillie) Keith Sula Levitt Alexander (Al) Mackenzie Neve Matthews Sebastien (Seb) Nicastro Cormac Paul Charles (Charlie) Roberts James (Jamie) Rowley Archie Smith Grace Tyrrell

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ENGLISH: ANTHOLOGY In June, we celebrated the launch of this year’s anthology, ‘Welcome to Society’.

The stories were wide-ranging and incredibly imaginative, including themes such as: war, relationships, social media, sexuality, and corruption within the music industry.

Poppy Hasoon opened the anthology launch with an inspiring and passionate speech about why creative writing is so important.

We then heard some excellent readings, delivered to an exceptionally high standard, from Meg Scott, Davida Samikwa, Lulu Thomas, Will Farmer, Rachel Bedding, Emily Vaughan, and Holly Guy. Max Lister also did a characteristically professional performance of Magnetic Fields’ ‘The Book of Love’.

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his year, the anthology was inspired by the works of George Eliot. Students were invited to write a narrative or poem based on the theme of ‘a snapshot of society’; they could choose whatever time period they liked, so long as it explored some of the key themes and issues that characterised a particular society.

Grace Asplin

Davida Samikwa

Sasha Che

ACADEMIC ENRICHMENT A SHORT EXTRACT FROM “ORDER” BY ADAM ESTCOURT:

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here was a revolution – a successful one. There are few alive now who are willing to talk about it. There are none alive who want to talk about it, although I feel it is necessary to portray the emotions and atmosphere that were present on the day. The day in question has faded from my mind significantly – all but the sound of hard concrete cracking like a whip, echoing across the city; the light of torches all throughout the roads and streets of the grey town; the screams of those about to be crushed under the falling walls of stone; the aggression of those leading the mob; the hurling of rocks and the sound they made when they collided with the metal features of the Discord; the sirens from the north district; the anti-climax.

Those of us who led the movement charged into the north district head on. The sight of the place was a spit in the eye. Mowed lawns, cottages, cars and luxuries we had never seen. But no people. Not a single person dwelled in the district, not even in the government building, only the Discord. Some of those who were there will say that the Discord overthrew and then hunted the humans there secretly, and left no evidence. We all agree that it was sinister, uncanny.

However, the memories of such a time are dying. Today, the children run free, and the walls of stone have long since been knocked down. Today, tomatoes grow wild across the city; families never have

to worry about being raided in the night by the Discord, or having to look their friends in the eyes for the last time. Today we all have a say in what happens in our country; there is true order – not what the Discord enforced. The towers of the past were razed to the ground; the sound of mechanism has been replaced with the song of birds. Before the revolution there was fear and pain – and after, there was no fear or pain. The children don’t know how to fight, or how to challenge people for their actions. They no longer live in the real world – and when I look back on the sense of community, when everybody you know shares the same mindset, when you all have a common enemy, the solidarity of it all – I miss it.

ACADEMIC | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

LANGUAGES MFL: LANGUAGES SPEAKING COMPETITION Nine Kingswood MFL pupils took part in the annual Languages Speaking Competition at the Royal High School.

Over 60 pupils took part in this region, and Kingswood had the largest representation of pupils of any school present.

All our pupils performed exceptionally well and we came away with four top prizes: Numa Tumbahangphe and Jade Hartley both won prizes for their inspiring presentations, Tara Wynne-Edwards won the KS4 prize after her wonderful presentation in German and Leyla Aysan won her KS3 near native category for the second year running!

EAL: INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VOICE In November, some of our international students attended the annual inter-school speaking competition “International Student Voice”.

Competitors gave speeches on a topic of their choice in front of an audience of fellow students and teaching staff. Katya Volkova and Jacqueline Wu represented Kingswood in the Year 7-10 group. Both gave very engaging speeches on ‘The Differences between schools in Russia and the UK’ and ‘Two Chinese Words’. Katya received a special commendation from the judges. In the Year 11-13 group, Mai Sugimoto was our representative, giving a speech on ‘Ikigai’ (Iki-guy-ee) – a Japanese word meaning the source of value in someone’s life. Mai’s talk was exceptionally well prepared and presented and she came second.

MFL: LINGUISTICS OLYMPIAD Over forty pupils took part in this year’s Linguistics Olympiad.

Kingswood entrants ranged from Year 6 to Year 13, and this year’s problems included deciphering Braille, Welsh, Japanese and Pitjantjatjara (an aboriginal language).  Henry McBraida gained a Bronze award at Advanced level  Jacob Barton and Grace Horswell both came joint top at Foundation level  Max Waring gained the highest score of Kingswood pupils at the Intermediate level.

CLASSICS: CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION GREEK & LATIN SPEAKING COMPETITION Florence Burton, Emily Watkins, Tara Wynne-Edwards and Henry McBraida took part in the Classical Association Greek and Latin Speaking Competition at Queen’s College, London.

Despite a very high standard from all participants, Florence and Emily won a Silver medal for their accurate and clear reading of ‘ad villam’, Tara won a Gold medal for her original interpretation of the story of Polyphemus, The Cyclops and Henry’s reading of a passage from Euripedes’ Medea was very impressive, winning another Silver medal for Kingswood and a special mention from the judges.

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BOARDERS’ ACTIVITIES: ‘BOARDERS GOT TALENT’ BSA NATIONAL FINALS We were extremely proud that two acts from Kingswood made the final of the ‘Boarders Got Talent’ Competition held in Mill Hill International School in London.

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NATIONAL BOARDING SCHOOLS’ PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Daisy Dai (Upper Sixth) won the National Boarding Schools’ photography competition.

uruchi Gurung and Jacqueline Wu (Year 8) were in the popular Dance section and gave a great performance of their K-Jazz routine.

Sonia Sung (Year 9) wowed the audience and drew much praise for her beautiful harp playing.

The trip was quite an experience, negotiating the twin challenges of transporting a harp, getting it onto the stage and tackling rush hour traffic in London. It was not a problem for two intrepid teachers who learned to load and strap the harp in the van and lift it out without incurring damage to the harp or themselves. Mrs Solomon Gardner drove the girls in a hired car, navigating through the busy London traffic, whilst Miss Wright followed in a transit van with the harp! This wasn’t helped by her following the wrong hired car with a similar number plate on the way home. I think the girls would agree it was a fun couple of days – and we clarified a few of the vagaries of the English language. The girls enquired as we approached our Rose View Hotel, ‘Why is it called this?’ Yes, it was a very pertinent observation as there was not a single rose in sight!

DAISY WRITES:

“Koi fish (a type of golden carp) are a sign of luck in many Asian Countries, and the annular waves of the water give us a sense of time.

This image shows my wish for the world to be in peace and happiness as time passes on.

I have been involved in art and music as a way to record the everyday beauty of life, and to express my feelings deep inside, which may not be fully described by verbal languages.”

Alex Forbes-Cable

LIBRARY The Library had another packed year, including the following highlights:  Book handouts to all incoming Year 7 (The 1,000 Year Old Boy by Ross Welford)

 2x Open Mic Nights (one to celebrate National Poetry Day, the other to celebrate World Book Day)  Author visit from Christopher Paolini (Year 7)  2x visits to author talks (one to see Juno Dawson, the other to see Season Butler and Yvonne Battle-Felton)  Author visit from performance poet Harry Baker (Year 9)  Online wellbeing session run as part of Year 8 Wellbeing Morning

Two of the winning photos from the ‘Book with a View’ competition Evie Vaid

 Book with a View competition (winners: Holly Guy, Alex Forbes-Cable, Toby Bates, Leyla Aysan and Evie Vaid)

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COMPUTER SCIENCE: BEBRAS CHALLENGE 331 students took part in the annual computational thinking competition, The Bebras Challenge.

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his required students to solve a range of computational challenges with increasing levels of difficulty. Year 7 came away with 24 Distinctions in the Junior challenge, Year 8 and 9 achieved 56 Distinctions in the Intermediate challenge, and 7 Distinctions were awarded to Year 10 pupils in the Senior challenge. 56 Kingswood students were in the top 10% nationally!

HACK:JAM Following the success of its debut last year, 46 pupils participated in the second hack:jam!

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estwood students designed and programmed solutions using a micro:bit, whilst students from Years 9-10 made use of a kitronics prototyping kit. Much enthusiasm and creativity was on show throughout the event, with a range of ideas being generated, including:  an alarm which could alert the police when you were being attacked  a game which you could play to amuse yourself when you were in a lift  a prototype for a giant fan which would solve global warming by blowing all of the hot air into space.

Once students had developed their prototypes, they presented a two minute pitch to the judges where creativity, innovation and teamwork were assessed.

In Years 7 and 8, the joint winners came up with an idea to produce an item to help Lady Gaga escape from a prison in the middle of the sea and to produce a device to aid escapes from Nigeria into the ocean during an apocalypse.

In Years 9 and 10, the winners produced a working temperature gauge which illuminated different LEDs depending upon the ambient temperature.

DOCUMENTARY FILM CLUB The 2018-2019 academic year saw the launch of the new Documentary Film Club.

Run weekly by Mrs Stewart (Née Martin), the students were exposed to a range of documentaries encompassing a whole host of different topics.

Over the course of the year, students watched and discussed:        

Supersize Me March of the Penguins Searching for Sugarman Man on Wire I am Malala Eight Days a Week Notes on Blindness Senna

The students were also treated to iMovie workshops run by Mr Mansfield in the Art block and prepared their own films for the first Documentary Screening Night. The three films were all unique, showcasing our students’ broad interests in topics that really matter to them. These included A.I., the importance of a balanced diet and Doctor Who!

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SCIENCE: INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS COMPETITIONS 2018-19 Kingswood students have performed strongly in national Physics competitions this academic year!

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even brave Year 12 students took part in the 2019 Physics Olympiad AS Challenge. A total of 6,000 students sat this challenging paper and these were among the most able students from a range of schools across the UK. Four students gained a commendation certificate but three of our students achieved awards: Jason Zhang was in the top 46% and gained a Bronze award, whilst Gordon Lai was in the top 12% and gained a Silver award. Henry McBraida did fantastically well and was in the top 4%, resulting in a Gold award.

Later in the year, about 40 of our Year 10 students took part in the Institute of Physics Year 10 challenge.

This involved two tricky 25 minute test papers sat under exam conditions. Nationally, 11,000 students took the paper and out of these 19% of all students were given a Bronze award including 12 Kingswood students, and 12% of all students gained a Silver award, including 15 Kingswood students. The top 10% of all students gained a Gold award, including the following six Kingswood students: Alexander Bushell, Rob Wilson, Tara Wynne Edwards, Max Waring, Evie Bradley and Colby Chu.

CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD SUCCESS Eleven of our A level students undertook the Chemistry Olympiad amongst 7,000 entries nationally.

Students had to tackle questions on topics well beyond A Level and the following awards were achieved: BRONZE: Tosin Ogunribido, Lucy Tonge, Nicole Tse SILVER:

Henry McBraida (Year 12), Henry McCollom (Year 12), Jade Hartley, Rin Watanabe, Jennifer Ainsworth, Korn Amnauypanit, Jack Hau

GOLD:

Daniel Greenslade (among the top 8% of entrants nationally).

NATIONAL BIOLOGY COMPETITIONS  SENIOR BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD A select group of Upper Sixth Biologists took part in the annual National Biology Olympiad, along with over 9,000 students from other schools.

Results: COMMENDED

Nicole Tse

HIGHLY COMMENDED Zoey King BRONZE MEDAL

Harriet Mohr

SILVER MEDAL

Ana Fox

GOLD MEDAL

Dan Greenslade (top performer in school and one of 7% nationally to win Gold).

 INTERMEDIATE BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD Lower Sixth Biologists took part in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad, together with over 8,000 students from 466 schools in the UK. Results: COMMENDED

Holly Harris

HIGHLY COMMENDED Stephen King BRONZE MEDALS

Charlotte Aiken, Charlie Roberts, Ben Shardlow, Matt Hooper, Mai Sugimoto, Numa Tumbahangphe and Charlotte Scruton

SILVER MEDALS

Bert Nokes, Bridie Knox, Max Lanez, Arthur Pinn, James Button and Ella McLeod (best performer in school).

 BIOLOGY CHALLENGE Kingswood pupils did very well: 24 students were commended and 32 were highly commended.

Results: BRONZE MEDALS

Peter Rees-Jones, Alex Keogh, Grace Asplin, Fadeke Alayande, Amelie Antoniades, Phia Jones, Lily Saunders, Olivia Websper, Elliot Ede, Rachel Bedding, Alberta Fryer Hari Master, Bruin Ward, Robert Toner, Rohan Harvey

SILVER MEDALS

Andy Wang

Anouk Caney (also top performer in school), James Heywood, Grace Horswell, Seren Johnson Stefiuk, Kit Marrack, Harry Rawlins,

ACADEMIC | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

MATHS It has been another busy year for the Mathematics department, with students going on to study Mathematics and related studies at a host of top Universities.

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tudents for all year groups took part in the annual UKMT Mathematics Challenges, with prizes awarded to the very best in school as well as those who did well against their peers nationally.

The highlight of the year was the Year 12 trip in March to the Bath Forum for the annual Maths Inspirations talk. Internationally renowned speakers Jen Rodgers, Alex Bellos, Hugh Hunt and Bath University’s own Ben Sparks spoke, and sometimes sang, wonderfully about real life applications of Mathematics and their love of the subject. How to use statistics and spot them being used against us, the beauty of famous puzzles, the maths of spinning objects and a foray into probability were all brought to life by experts in their fields. Kingswood’s own Ben Shardlow made it up onto stage to act as a stooge in a logic puzzle, though I am pleased to say he was the only student not to be declared a liar!

Mr Matthew W. Smith (Head of Mathematics)

GOLD

SILVER

BRONZE

JUNIOR RESULTS

Adam Estcourt Alfie Bassett Oyin Obe

Lala Thomas Jacqueline Wu Jago Neech Hannah King Oscar Bankes Matthew Bacon Freddie Williamson Ryan Johnston James Talamai George Horswell Owen Brown Alma Bode

Evie Brown Matthew Wadsworth Anna Haldenby Sarah Xie Jamie Phillips Daniel Zukas Aoife Targett David You Katya Volkova

INTERMEDIATE RESULTS

Grace Asplin Oliver Tonge Marcus Brend Tim Green Ben Cox Dima Mai Lottie Davis Evie Bradley Colby Chu

Cal Levitt William Farmer Coco Cox Tara Wynne Edwards Eleanor Duke Alexander Bushell Maxim Waring Finn Morris Max Gooding Alex Kellagher Rose Bates Bertie Phillipson Arthur Darwish Storm Neech Robert Wilson Oliver Ellis Janice Ng Precious Lee Emma Rouffiac Joshua Nicholson Callum Chamberlain Charlie Harden Boat Mahaboonpachai Daniel du Pré Kit Marrack Alvin Lee Ian Cheung

William Wong Alice Boutin Hannah Gunn Daria Gorbunova Sienna Websper James Heywood Oscar Power Rohan Harvey Elliot Ede Will Connors Sasha Che Elsa France Olivia Websper Phoebe Hill Alex Keogh Rebekah Nicholson Anouk Caney Jamie Dale Alex Sedcole

SENIOR RESULTS

Rin Watanabe Jason Wong An Nabeshima Jason Zhang Mai Sugimoto Kotoko Ishida Lucas Lawman Gordon Lai

Korn Amnauypanit Jade Hartley Mardee Sirinaovakul Daisy Dai Matthew Pearce Jennifer Ainsworth Henry McBraida James Wong Casper Bruhn-Parry

Henry Tolenaar Freddy Bayliss Henry McCollom Anish Thapa Edward Lee Uliana Akimova Joyce Chan Tosin Ogunribido Leo Osipovs Jack Hau Dominic Ngan

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Year 7 & Tutors

WESTWOOD HOUSE (LOWER SCHOOL)

HOUSES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

Year 8 & Tutors

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FONTHILL HOUSE Fonthill had a good start to the year by winning the ensemble with ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ performed by fifteen students from both Fonthill and Hall in the annual House Music competition.

Angel

Zoey

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e were also proud of our whole House performance of ‘We’re all in this Together’ which included one person doing a back flip, and another doing the splits, in true High School Musical style.

Our termly House entertainment continued to be a highlight of the school calendar with many smiles on the ice rink before Christmas, much laughter during the fiercely competitive dodgeball competition before Easter, and high spirits at the end of the Summer term when the Fonthill girls won tug of war against the teachers.

Fonthill is known for our House spirit, and this year our girls lived up to their reputation by offering to volunteer in all sorts of activities, or by supporting their friends. Despite not always being winners, our girls deserve recognition for their energy,

kindness and thorough efforts.

On top of academic preparation for exams, the girls were incredible as Santa’s little Jessica helpers once again to raise money in the annual candy cane sale. Along with a charity netball match between the School’s 1st team and the teachers, and a bake sale, this year the girls managed to raise £1087 in aid of the Kenyan Restart Centre and MIND. Throughout the year, we’ve been fortunate enough to see our Fonthill girls excelling in Music, Drama, Art and DT. There are many talented artists whose work was displayed at the DT and Art exhibition, and this year’s senior production of ‘Treasure Island’ and junior production of ‘Arabian Nights’ showcased amazing performing skills from an impressively large number across all year groups. It has also been a treat to watch our many gifted musicians in action in concerts, assemblies or at Green Park station.

It was lovely to see many of our Fonthill girls nominated or winning awards at this year’s KATS event.

This jam-packed year has shown how much Fonthill girls get involved in all aspects of school life...

Life is never dull for those of us who live on site during term. There is always plenty for us to enjoy both on weekday evenings with the popular Fonthill Family Nights or year group gatherings with other Houses, and at weekends with either off-site trips to Thorpe Park or Bournemouth beach or on-site activities such as Sunday afternoon sports hall games or the Inter-House Boarders’ Bake Off competition. Congratulations to Alix and Minnie who were crowned ‘Star Bakers’ for a second time for their very professional looking and exceptionally tasty vegetable patch style carrot cake!

HOUSES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

At the end of the year we were all sad to find out our brilliant Housemistress, Mrs Sergeant, was leaving Fonthill after seven years! We’d like to thank her for being a fun, kind Housemistress, always being there for all Fonthill girls and being a mother figure to many of us. We wish her all the best and she will be missed! Also a special goodbye to Mrs Patterson who is leaving Kingswood after many years; we thank her and wish her luck for her retirement! This jam-packed year has shown how much Fonthill girls get involved in all aspects of school life from academic to extracurricular activities. We would like to thank all the Fonthill girls and tutors who have made our school life, and especially our last year, a happy and memorable one.

Angel Chant, Zoey King (Head and Deputy Head of House, Fonthill House) and Jess Norton (Head of Boarding, Fonthill House)

A few words from Mrs Sergeant: I feel very privileged to have been entrusted with the welfare and wellbeing of so many Fonthill girls over the last seven years, and have enjoyed every minute of my time as Housemistress. I was regularly asked how I managed to look after such a large family but always answered that I wasn’t running it single-handedly. I couldn’t have asked for better co-parents – I was very fortunate to have a wonderfully committed and caring team of tutors and House staff, and will miss working so closely with them. As I said in part of my farewell speech to the whole House: I’m pleased we know how to celebrate the highs When we’ve been fortunate enough to win a prize.

I hope you’ve felt supported when experiencing lows And understand that it is sometimes just how life goes.

But to know how to pick yourself up when feeling down Will make you so much happier than any frown.

I know you’ll all be in very good hands With Mrs Mainwaring and her plans.

Thank you to one and all, students and staff, for giving me so many very special memories.

Mrs Clare Sergeant (Senior Housemistress, Fonthill House)

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HALL HOUSE As our fifth year in “New” Hall House draws to a close we still know how lucky we are to be in our amazing home, in the far South West corner of the school, with amazing views out over the Mendips.

Reuben

Conor

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owever, we all know it is not stones and fabric that make a home but the people in it. The first weekend of the year was a great opportunity for us to get together with our sister house Fonthill to try and retain the crown of “House Music” champions. Whilst we managed to win the ensemble competition, Middle and Summerhill pipped us to the post for best House song so we vowed to come back stronger for 2019!

The weekends were packed with activities for the boarders to get involved in such as the team building day at “Outposts” on the Quantocks, visits to the Cotswold Water Park, shopping trips, hikes and cinema trips, to name but a few. It was always great when some of the day boys also came on these trips as it really

helped to keep the house spirit alive.

The Autumn term is the term when many of the boys represent the school at rugby and it was great Dominic to see so many playing. Whilst it is always highly commendable for players to gain their full school colours for excelling in representing the 1st XV, such as our Head of House Reuben Barnett, mentions should also go to Conor Finnamore and Charlie Bigland. Conor in particular managed to balance consistently good performances for the 1st team along with commitment to the superb Drama production just before Christmas of “Treasure Island”.

Other performers in the play were Sam Hill and Harry Maskell, whilst Sam Bernstein and James Button massively contributed towards the technical excellence of the show.

The Autumn term not only culminated in the Senior Production but also the Christmas Concert and then our annual visit to the ice-skating rink with the girls from Fonthill.

The new year welcomed in the hockey season and with the backbone of the 1st team, captained by our very own Fin Feaver, we knew that when the house matches came around we would be in a strong position to win. The Seniors didn’t disappoint and despite not having an England Under 16 international player, Rob Wilson, available for these matches on account of him only being in Year 10, we still won! For the first time ever we also had a Senior House football competition, although unfortunately we could not replicate the success of the hockey players. However, we did provide over half of the 1st XI team who were able to boast a 100% success rate with five wins from five. Fin Crowe, Joe Partridge, Will Jeffery and Jack Brain from Year 13 all made valuable contributions to this success, along with Gustav Asamoah Bondzie, Sam Hill and Jacob Lane from lower years.

The snow once more created havoc in February but also provided the boarding community with lots of opportunities for fun and team bonding as paths and quads were cleared to try and help the school

HOUSES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

...all of our leavers have contributed something to Kingswood one way or another. to function as normally as possible before snowball fights and sledging.

Callum Chamberlain, Harry Maskell and Moto Chaiwongkiat were absolute stars with this, often up in the dark helping to shovel snow and move what needed moving!

Our Spring term house entertainment was dodgeball and, for the third year running, a team containing Sam Hill and Johnny Sedcole won! We were also able to celebrate success for our senior hockey players who were awarded colours, Dom Carruthers and Fin Feaver, the latter also being voted Hall House Hockey Player for the Season. The Idris Cup, awarded to the player who has made the greatest contribution to Kingswood hockey, went to Rob Wilson in Year 10.

The Summer term, or ‘exam season’ as some call it, is a time when the house really comes into its own.

Year 11 are working hard towards their GCSEs and Year 13 are focussed on their final examinations at Kingswood. To make this more

challenging, the sun is usually shining and the outdoors is very inviting. Luckily the boarders are able to enjoy regular barbecues and there are plenty of other opportunities to do things to help balance life and relieve the stress of exam pressure.

In May, prior to the older years going on study leave, the Green Park station gig takes place to help open the Bath International Music Festival. Many of the boys from Years 9 upwards played in Kingswood Jazz Orchestra and, as ever, the evening was really something very special. At the Music and Drama awards at the start of the final term, we were very proud to see many of the boys were nominated including Tayo Sawyerr (twice and one win), Max Lister (twice), Johnny Sedcole, Ted Nightingale, James Hanley, Louis Fryer, Harry Maskell (in the Best Group Performance), Conor Finnamore, Sam Bernstein and James Button, who also won The Design Award. There was plenty of sporting success, too, especially in tennis where the 1st pair of Johnny Sedcole and Captain

Joe Partridge had an outstanding season. Joe also deservedly gained his full colours. This achievement was replicated by Hamish Walker and Will Jeffery for cricket.

We said goodbye to our Year 13 leavers in July and, as ever, they will all be sorely missed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Reuben Barnett for everything he did as Head of House, Conor Finnamore as our Deputy Head of House and Dom Ngan for being our Head of Boarding. Throughout their time at Kingswood, all of our leavers have contributed something to Kingswood one way or another.

I hope they will always recognise themselves as Hall boys and come back and visit in years to come. #hallhouseheroes

Mr Darrell Harding (Senior Housemaster, Hall House) For the record, we are now simply Hall House but our previous home is now called “Old” Hall House!

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MIDDLE HOUSE It’s been a great year and amazing to think what has been packed into it!

Will

Nathan

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he house welcomed new boys into Year 9 and some into Year 12 back in September and all have settled in well. We also welcomed Mr Gabriel Mansfield into the house as one of the tutors, but sadly we also must bid him farewell and wish him the very best of luck as he now focuses on his art in the future. The new year also brought with it a new leadership team with Will Crowther taking up the reins as the new Head of House and he was ably supported by Sam Cox and Nathan Gregg as the Head of Boarding and Deputy Head of House respectively.

The academic year and Autumn term started as usual with the House Music Competition. The house worked closely with their Summerhill counterparts to prepare some musical numbers. Middle and Summerhill performed a brilliant rendition of Abba’s ‘Gimme! Gimme!

Gimme!’ - so good that it won the

best house song, despite the quality of the other house songs performed.

The new boarders also enjoyed an excellent day early on in the term Sam on the Quantock Hills carrying out adventurous training and teambuilding activities. It was also an important term for many of the Middle boys involved in rugby teams at various age groups. A special mention should be made of Jack Hau who won the Player of the Season Award for the 1st XV (he also went on to win the much coveted House Fantasy Rugby Competition). The boys also got involved in many of the other events going on in that first term such as Silver DofE and Mountaineering Club expeditions. Towards the end of the term, the boarders enjoyed what has now become a traditional House Christmas Chilli with Tomiwo Owoseje and Robin Pun doing a sterling job with preparing the extra spicy batch.

In the Spring term, we had a few days of snow in February and it was a privilege to watch the community pull together to clear roads and car parks of snow as well as help

the depleted catering department wash up and clear tables. The Middle boarders took part in the Bake Off, and the Year 11s won a prize with their Barbeque Cake.

We had some success in Table Tennis with Gabriel MontefioreVita winning the overall Boarders’ Competition. The House Hockey was won by the Middle Year 10s and we had good representation in the 1st XI football and hockey with Tom Roach of particular note as the 1st XI Hockey goalkeeper despite only being in Year 10. Bailey Voisin was also seen racing his Ginetta at Donnington Park in the Michelin Junior Championship, which was also hugely exciting to watch.

During the Summer term, our musicians got to showcase their talents at the Green Park concert, and Tomiwo, Gabriel, Alex Kellagher and James Wong all gave solo vocal performances in front of a large crowd, whilst Vasily Alexeev and Freddie Stockton provided essential accompaniment on the trumpet and drums. Middle House also organised a charity fundraiser - the ‘1000 Mile Challenge’ - in aid of Help for Heroes. The aim was to cumulatively cover 1000 miles, whether by running, cycling or even in the gym, and raise a pound for each mile covered over the weekend.

Thanks to the generous support in covering the miles and in the donations and sponsorship money we received, this was successfully achieved. Ten Tors and DofE were also a big part of the final term, and Middle boys made up a significant number of the final Ten Tors teams.

We also contributed much to the Summer sport programme. Nathan Gregg captained the Cricket 1st XI and a number of Middle boys made significant contributions here.

However, special mention should be made of Angus Duncan, James Eayres and Noah Davies who all represented the 1st XI Cricket team this year at such an early point in

HOUSES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

Middle & Summerhill performed a brilliant rendition of Abba’s ‘Gimme! Gimme!

Gimme!’ winning the best house song... their school cricket careers. James also went on to win the Outstanding Contribution to Cricket Award at the end of year prize-giving. Middle boys made regular appearances for Swimming and Athletics teams throughout the term and it was great to see so many boys take part in various track and field events at Sports Day at the end of the year.

A particular highlight was the Inter Boys winning the 4x100m against some top class competition.

At the end of the term we had the opportunity to say goodbye to our leavers, and Will and Sam spoke fondly of their memories in the House. It was also an opportunity to thank those who help Middle be the special place that it is. This includes the matrons and the tutors and I would like to add my particular thanks to Mrs Smyth and Mr Webb who do so much to help me with the running of the House. I would like to wish all of the Middle House leavers the best of luck, and please do remember that you are always welcome to come and visit.

Mr Steve Smyth (Senior Housemaster, Middle)

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SUMMERHILL HOUSE What a fantastic year for Summerhill!

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t was a year of ‘firsts’ for the House – the sixth formers running in the Pretty Muddy event, the launch of the new House logo, new kit, baking and gardening during activity time, getting the whole school involved with making care packages for the Genesis Trust and the introduction of House colours. The reason for so many firsts was due to the initiative, organisation and strong leadership of the Upper Sixth House prefects, expertly led

by Emily Becconsall, Emily Yates and Izzy Jolliffe.

The year was kicked off by winning the House Music competition; this was the first chance that the Upper Sixth had to show their leadership potential and they did it in style.

They engendered tremendous House spirit and a real sense of fun and all the girls, along with the Middle boys, sang a great rendition of Abba’s ‘Gimme, Gimme.’ At this event, it was the first sign of just how good the new Year 9s were in terms of buying into the House ethos. The following weekend, Emily B. organised for the sixth formers to compete in the Pretty Muddy event on the race course. It was a wet and windy day and the course very much lived up to its name, but the girls did an amazing job in raising £1700 for Cancer Research. It was these first two weeks of term that set the tone for the rest of the year.

The Autumn term was busy. We had our traditional Year 13 ‘Fajitas and Games’ evening, where the

girls turned up in their PJs! This was a chance to induct the House prefects for the year. Lizzie White energetically and enthusiastically Emily led the House to win the Senior House Hockey; the girls really pulled together and showed tremendous House spirit with great support from the rest of the girls too that were not playing. Other memorable moments this term included hearing Lily Palmer play ‘The Last Post’ beautifully at the Remembrance Service, Sonia Sung playing her harp in school assembly, and music performances from many of the girls in the lunchtime concerts. The last week of the term saw Lulu, Tati, Poppy, Phoebe and Tash perform in the production of Treasure Island, with Cherry and Helen helping out behind the scenes. Our boarders had their annual Summerhill Christmas day, where they prepared the food, decorated the common room, opened their stockings, ate the Christmas meal and then finished off with a tuneful evening of karaoke!

And of course, the term ended with the infamous House entertainment of ‘Wide Games’ on the Upper!

The Spring term saw lots of fun in the snow, winning a prize in the

Bake Off competition, the Year 10s winning the Best Team Spirit Award in the Inter House Netball as well as being voted the best cheerleaders!

Our motto of ‘Win with Respect and Lose with Dignity’ was most definitely followed! Another highlight this term was seeing some members of SMT, including the Headmaster, dancing a traditional Bulgarian dance at our International Evening, where we were also treated to a festival of food from all the different countries where our boarders live. We can’t forget the performances from Cecilie, Ishika and Sophie in the Clarendon drama evening as well as having fantastic performances from Anna Rose, Dasha, Emily Y., Naomi and Lizzie during the ‘Festival of Song’ week.

The term ended with the House Cross Country, which saw Izzy N. come in second for the Seniors and Izzy C. fourth for the Intermediates.

The Summer term kept everyone busy; there was the preparation for exams but the girls still found the time to commit themselves to the life of the school. In the rather gruelling Inter House Cross Country relay, the girls’ House spirit was highlighted hugely when some of them ran alongside the competitors, to cheer them to the end. There were superb lead performances from Ishika, Sophie and Eloise along with many other Year 9s in ‘Arabian Nights’.

HOUSES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

Those of us lucky enough to go to Green Park saw Lizzie, Lily, Phoebe, Elsa, Emily B. and Charlotte perform superbly on stage at yet another great evening of music. The KATS evening was a great opportunity to see many Summerhill girls be applauded for their efforts in drama and music and congratulations must also go to Lily P., Mimi Coles and Marnie Lister for their KATS awards. To see Davida, Lulu and Rachel read in the anthology launch was another highlight this term as well as seeing the fun had by both Middle and Summerhill at the end of year waterslide! All the above showcase the depth of talent we have in the House as well as the willingness for the girls to ‘have a go’ even if things are out of their comfort zone.

The girls showed real passion this year in raising money and awareness for many charities.

Summerhill traditionally create care packages for the Genesis Trust and this year Emily Y. extended this by getting the whole school involved and we donated over 150 boxes to

the charity. Anisha, Tati and Connie swam 457 lengths to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, girls ran the Bath Half for Cancer Research, Numa and Davida led the ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ day and Emily B. organised the Rainbow Run in aid of Rainbow Railroad as well as organising the Sixth Form Charity Dinner which raised around £1300 in support of Open Arms, Hope and Homes for Children and Jamie’s Farm. She was deservedly awarded the Chaplain’s Award for Charity at the end of the year.

I would like to thank the Year 13s in the House for all their help in making sure things ran smoothly and for being role models to the younger year groups. It was their passion, inclusiveness, kindness and commitment to the House that aided in Summerhill having so many successes this year.

They brought fun, energy and enthusiasm and made it a fun place to be for the girls. We wish the very best of luck to all our leavers.

We also wish Ms Dreher the best of luck in her new school in Poland.

She was a tutor with us and made a first class impression in such a short space of time and we will miss her. We also wish Miss Beale all the best in her retirement. At the end of the year, we had an emotional evening saying goodbye to her after 26 years of being a tutor in Summerhill. For ten of those years, she was the resident Housemistress.

She gave so much to the House and we thank her for always being there and offering her help and support.

She will be massively missed and it won’t be the same without her.

House Awards this year: The ‘Perseverance Prize’ went to Izzy North, ‘The Egg’ went to Lara Glavinova, ‘The Dragon Award for Sport’ went to Rose Betts and the new award left by Miss Beale – ‘The Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Award’ went to Emily Becconsall.

Mrs Alex Matthews (Senior Housemistress, Summerhill House)

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SCHOOL HOUSE Another year has flown by and School House has much to celebrate!

Katie

Poppy

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e welcomed nine new Lower Sixth boarders into the House, and were delighted to finally move back into School House in October after over a year away in Old Hall House! The boarders were over the moon with the new rooms and facilities and once the teething problems were out of the way you would never think we had been away.

House Music got the Autumn term off to a bang and the competition was as fierce as ever. We were unlucky this time but are already planning for next year! We introduced the Big Sister initiative with the Upper Sixth spending some time once a week with Year 9 and 10 pupils in order to get to know them better and to strengthen bonds between the pupils. Thanks to the Upper Sixth for their positive

and sensitive support with this.

The boarders have enjoyed many activities including the Bake Off, Lower Sixth Challenge Julia Day, visits to the other boarding houses, shopping trips, International Boarders’ evening, wine tasting for the Upper Sixth and many more!

The Inter-House sporting competitions were very close with School House just missing out in the Hockey, but we made up for it in the Netball and Cross Country competitions and did really well in Sports Day with some great team and individual performances.

School House has continued with its strong support for charitable events with a number of girls taking part in the Bath Half marathon and everyone baking to raise money for Breast Cancer Care and Cancer Research UK. At the end of the year we thanked and said goodbye to Ms Dreher who was a member of house staff

We introduced the Big Sister initiative in order to strengthen bonds between the pupils. and was with us all too briefly, and to Miss Wilson who moves over to Summerhill, for her support and work in the house as both a tutor and a member of house staff over the past five years.

We wish Mrs Mainwaring all the best in her new role as Senior Housemistress of Fonthill. Her tutees and the boarders will miss her hands on approach and her fun tutorials and evening duties.

Miss Una Paver (Senior Housemistress, School House)

AWARDS THE FOLLOWING PUPILS RECEIVED HOUSE COLOURS: Katie Morton, Poppy Hasoon, Julia Reid, Charlotte Chilton, Olivia Patterson, Mia Randolph, Ellie Webster, Emma James, Lexi Hart, Liv Wilson, Harriet Mohr, Patricia Bertran, Jasmin Cameron, Miya Cameron.

HOUSES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

The following is a few words from Head of House, Katie Morton, reflecting on her time in School House: ‘We have such a special group who all look out for each other and have a bond which I don’t think many other houses can claim to have to quite the same extent. We all come from different parts of school, excel in different areas with our very own sports scholars, art scholars, academic scholars and so many more talents - probably why we win pretty much every Inter-House competition... either that or the way we blind our opposition with our neón pink and yellow shirts! But the School House spirit of the Upper Sixth girls is even louder than the shirts and something I think we have all appreciated so much this year when organising every house event, from terrorising everyone with flour, water (and of course nothing that wasn’t vegan) during wide games, to pulling off house quizzes. They’ve also helped start the Big Sister scheme which I’ve really enjoyed.

You do not need a name or a particular role to make a difference. If you do the little things well, focus on lifting up those around you and not taking comfort in others’ flaws, pushing yourself to be the best you can be and setting yourself high standards without being harsh on yourself if you fall short, and if you take every hard time and every failure and use it as an opportunity to learn, you can all be leaders and have a positive influence in this school.

With that I think that’s everything from us so I hope you all have an amazing year next year and keep up the School House spirit!’

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KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | HOUSES

UPPER HOUSE Upper has enjoyed another tremendous year with boys playing significant parts in all aspects of school life and taking full advantage of the opportunities available.

Harry

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he year culminated in several different events at which the Upper Sixth were able to enjoy their last few days at Kingswood and appreciate everything that the School has offered them. At the final House Assembly, Harry Leakey and Tom Wheatley continued the tradition of summarising the term’s events with their thoughtful and amusing presentation to the House which summarised the efforts made by boys in so many school activities. Prior to this the “Upper House Table Tennis Competition of the World” was completed with another high class final in which Tim Green deservedly overcame Zach Wheelhouse Steel’s challenge.

Despite the pressure of playing in front of over 100 spectators, this was another great spectacle and has established itself as a custom at the end of the year.

It was great to see everyone from the House playing their part in a successful final sports day on the previous afternoon which we won jointly with School House. The pleasant atmosphere at the House Entertainment reflected the positive, supportive and well spirited nature that has been a feature of Upper throughout the year. After the presentation of leaving tankards to the Upper Sixth, they then enjoyed the parting speeches from Harry and Tom which summed up the characters in their year and proved a very enjoyable and appropriate celebration. We wish them all of the best for the future.

At the highest level academically, Callum Michie received the excellent offer of a place at Oxford University to read Classics and Dan Greenslade achieved Gold awards in so many science challenges and Olympiads.

In sport, Harry Bristow captained the 1st rugby XV with an exemplary attitude and also achieved recognition at county and club level. Lucas Lawman won six medals at the Welsh National Championships at the beginning of the year, swam brilliantly for the school and was justifiably announced as Captain of Swimming. Upper’s success in Cross Country continued with the Senior teams winning both the Easter competition and the relays in the Summer term. In Orienteering, Jamie Dale was top of the league standings. Oliver Tonge and Jim Bailey, who were 2nd and 3rd, had success for England with Jim also representing GB. Stephen King and Matthew Hooper both continued to progress in the 1st Cricket XI and Ben Shardlow was one of the stand out players in the 1st Hockey XI. Many boys from Year 9 reached the national hockey final with the U14A team. Boys from this year played

House activities were always well supported.

HOUSES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

big parts in their respective teams with Fraser Riddoch and Raff Weston both receiving regular mentions in assembly. In Athletics, Noah Small, Toby Bates and Kit Compton all made significant contributions and in Tennis, Zach Wheelhouse Steel and Cameron Crowhurst enjoyed being part of the first unbeaten 1st team for ten years.

Many others from Years 9 and 10 look like up and coming tennis stars of the future. Upper won the House football competition in a very tight contest which was decided by a penalty taken

by Olly Lester and several of the Sixth Form were part of the 1st XI’s unbeaten campaign.

As normal, we were also well represented in Art, Drama and Music.

Felix Lynch and Joe Bruce showed excellent talent in “Treasure Island” and the Year 10s of Jamie Wright, Noah Richardson, Avery Trotter and Caleb Bond showed off their skills in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, whilst Arthur Pinn, Callum Michie, and Tim Green all impressed with their musical flair.

In DT, Tom Heal won the best in show for his innovative barbecue ignition device and Tom Reeves demonstrated his creative genius with his brilliant Malawi video which was shown at the school Prize-Giving ceremony.

House activities were always well supported. The ice skating event at Victoria Park went down well, whilst the Wide Game was enjoyed by everybody, as was the Easter quiz.

The Upper Sixth curry night was held in the Sixth Form dining area and the food, as expected, was better than any restaurant in town.

At the beginning of the year, we welcomed Mr Hollywell and Mr Stuttard to the Upper tutor team and at the end of the year we gave our best wishes to Mr Allchorne as he moves to Middle House. We also thanked Mr Darwin for his contribution as Upper House Deputy Housemaster and congratulated Mr Stuttard who takes over from him. Harry Leakey and Tom Wheatley did a great job of maintaining the spirit of the House and they leave it in fine shape for Olly Lester and Alex Pointing.

Mr Roger White (Senior Housemaster, Upper House)

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Team Building Day

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he boarding community rallies together to create a positive, enriching environment in which to relax and enjoy moments of downtime.

This year, the boarders, along with day pupils, took part in plenty of organised activities within their own Houses and with their sibling Houses.

BOARDING COMMUNITY For many, almost a quarter of all our pupils in fact, Kingswood is a home from home.

Boarders also had a chance to join in with their peers in the community for various other events.

Amongst others, these included:

Cotswold Water Park

 Team-Building Day  Westwood Basketball Trip

Basketball Trip

 Boarders’ Bake Off  Residents’ Walk

The following were presented with Wyvern Awards for Service to the Boarding Community:

 Photo Competition  Boarders’ Duathlon  Westwood Beach Clean  Trip to Cotswold Water Park

Team Building Day

Beach Clean

 Jess Norton

 Isha Musominari

 Julia Reid

 Jade Hartley

 Emily Becconsall  Monica Mba Ivina

 Freddie Williamson

Beach Clean

Basketball Trip

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GLASS ARTIST VISIT 1. Isabelle Feaver, Year 11 2. Emma Askew,Year 13 3. Isabel Coles, Year 11 4. Andi Newman, Year 13

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5. Alex Zikos Barlow, Year 13 6. Ema Kavaliauskaite, Year 13 7. Cartoon Wangamonmit,Year 11 8. Leo Osipovs, Year 13 9. Jasmin Ryan, Year 13 10. Poppy Freeman, Year 11 11. Joey Cleghorn, Year 13 12. Julia Reid, Year 13 13. Emily Yates, Year 13 14. Diego Li, Year 11 15. Mia Desaix, Year 11 16. Louise Bedding, Year 11 17. Luke Phillips, Year 11 18. Parm Nunthakunatip, Year 13 19. Jasmine Crockford, Year 11 20. Amber Amin, Year 13 21. Charlotte Blackmore, Year 11

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In the Autumn term, the Art Department welcomed the glass artist Andrew Taylor for Year 7 and 9 pupils to work with.

Andrew was selected by The New Room in Bristol, the oldest Methodist building in the world, to produce a stained glass window for the atrium. The pupils were lucky enough to see the original cartoon drawing that Andrew uses to cut and paint the glass to scale. Andrew was accompanied by Gary Best, a former head teacher of Kingswood, who shared stories of John Wesley’s life and his importance to us at Kingswood.

The pupils enjoyed learning a new technique; they designed and made their own piece of cut glass to take away using an array of colours.

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DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY 1

BEST IN SHOW Tom Heal, Year 13

GOLD AWARDS Year 13 A Level: Max Brindley

Emily Davies Hamish Walker

Year 11 GCSE:

Aiden Davis James Kennedy William Flemington-Clare Tatiana Fairley

SILVER AWARDS Year 13 A Level: Dominic Carruthers

Joanna Vaughan Charlie Walker William Crowther

Year 11 GCSE:

Charlotte Houghton Ciaran Curran Luke Phillips Jonah Heal

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1. Tom Heal

6. Dominic Carruthers

2. Emily Davis

7. Hamish Walker

3. Max Brindley

8. Amber Rees-Jones

4. Finn Sayce

9. William Crowther

5. Joanna Vaughan

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KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | CREATIVE ARTS

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF THE DRAMA DEPARTMENT SEPTEMBER The Drama department is always ready to hit the ground running and the start of the academic year 2018 was no exception. After briefly celebrating another set of excellent exam results, the department was immediately busy with rehearsals for the senior production of ‘Treasure Island’. Sixth Form Drama students were also treated to a full day workshop with Frantic Assembly Theatre Company who helped the group bond over strenuous physical theatre and dynamic lifting training!

OCTOBER October saw the launch of our second joint collaboration with Clarendon School in Trowbridge. Newly dubbed ‘The Clarenwood Project’, Year 9 ‘core’ Drama students travelled to Clarendon for a day of introductory activities.

Students from both schools worked together to create an original performance. This year’s project – entitled ‘Outloud’ – was a verbatim piece exploring the effects of bullying.

NOVEMBER Verbatim theatre company The Paper Birds visited, bringing with them their hard hitting production of ‘Thirsty’ – a play about binge drinking among young women. Those involved in the Clarenwood Project, GCSE and A Level students took part in workshops exploring the use of verbatim to create practical work.

CREATIVE ARTS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

DECEMBER After months of rehearsals the senior production of ‘Treasure Island’ was performed to packed houses in the Kingswood Theatre.

Due to the increasing number of students interested in theatrical design, this production used some impressive projection, lighting and sound effects – not to mention one unforgettable explosion!

THE SENIOR PRODUCTION TREASURE ISLAND

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JANUARY The hard work of the Year 9 students paid off this month as the Clarenwood Project reached its climax.

The young students from Kingswood and Clarendon gave a thought provoking performance which asked audiences to reflect on what makes people become bullies and how we all could be more proactive to prevent bullying in schools.

Years 10-13 went en-masse to the Bristol Old Vic to see ‘Wise Children’ directed by ex-Kneehigh & Globe Theatre director, Emma Rice.

FEBRUARY It was the turn of Year 10 to take to the boards with a performance of their set text - Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

Disrupted due to snow, students did manage to perform a matinee and one evening performance to the delight of audiences.

Spring is assessment season and Year 11 impressed their audiences with extracts from various scripts. These ranged from the comic ‘God’s Official’ to the more serious ‘Find Me’.

...students performed a matinee and one evening performance to the delight of audiences.

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

CREATIVE ARTS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

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MARCH A regular visitor to the Kingswood Theatre, Splendid Theatre Company returned with their version of ‘The Oresteia’. Students also participated in workshops on Brecht and the Splendid style of theatre. Theatre Alibi also visited with their visually spectator production ‘Falling’.

Y10 DEVISED ASSESSMENTS

APRIL The end of the Spring term saw us heading to the Big Apple for the biannual trip. Whilst there, students enjoyed many tourist attractions including Radio City Music Hall as well as productions of Beetlejuice and Network starring Bryan Cranston.

Returning for the Summer term and Year 11 were treated to a whole day revising their set text ‘Blood Brothers’ with Mike Southern from Stage Ed.

MAY Drama scholars had been working with Mr Harding all year on a filming project. They treated an invited audience to a short clip of this and performances of monologues, duologues and group scenes.

Bath based Natural Theatre started working with Year 9 ‘core’ pupils on pieces of street theatre inspired by the characters from ‘Arabian Nights’ – this year’s junior production.

To finish the assessment season Year 10 performed their devised assessments.

GCSE students went to see the stage version of Noughts and Crosses, whilst A Level students enjoyed a trip to London to see ‘Jerusalem’ starring Mark Rylance.

A Level students are required to work in the style of a set practitioner so seeing Headlong Theatre’s version of Shakespeare’s Richard III gave some of our Year 12 an amazing opportunity to see this innovative company first hand. Year 12 performed their devised assessments using not only Headlong but also Brecht and Kneehigh, whilst the Year 13 performed scripted extracts inspired by Katie Mitchell and Dario Fo.

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JUNE After a number of unforeseeable postponements, Year 10 finally got to travel to London. They enjoyed a back stage tour of the National Theatre and a performance of ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ in the iconic County Hall.

The annual KATS (Kingswood’s Artistically Talented Students) award ceremony took place in windy conditions.

As the Summer term drew to a close 76 pupils took to the stage for the junior production of ‘Arabian Nights’. Supported by the ever increasing number of ‘techies’, the pupils impressed with slick physical ensemble storytelling.

JULY Finally, in the last few days of the term, Year 12 travelled back to Bristol for Kneehigh Theatre’s

bonkers but brilliant production of ‘Dead Dog in a Suitcase’ – a modern retelling of John Gay’s ‘The Beggar’s Opera’.

After much anticipation the cast list for the senior production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ was announced – signalling that, whilst one academic year ends, the next is only just around the corner…

Mrs Catherine Nash (Head of Drama and Theatre)

THE JUNIOR PRODUCTION ARABIAN NIGHTS

...the pupils impressed with slick physical ensemble storytelling.

CREATIVE ARTS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

THEATRE TECH Another productive and creative year for the techies has seen us design the tech for school productions of Treasure Island and Arabian Nights, a Year 10 performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, many drama assessments, music concerts, assemblies and much more.

A

t the end of the year we said goodbye to Jenny Ainsworth and Helen Lam, both extremely competent theatre prefects and techies who will be greatly missed. We also bid farewell to Luke Phillips and Amber Newton as they pursue further education elsewhere.

However, we have seen Sam Bernstein become our second Sixth Form Drama scholar for his design work and welcome several new Year 9 and 10 students to the crew.

The best part of my job is when I get to see students produce great work for themselves. In the last year we’ve seen some fantastic work from all of our crew including beautiful lighting and sound on Treasure Island and some wonderfully creative GCSE and A Level assessment designs, but the pinnacle for me had to be James Button’s lighting design for

his A Level devised piece. The piece explored the dark side of the fashion industry and he chose to light in the style of award winning theatre company Headlong, a company known for integrating the latest tech into their shows. His design included around 56 individually coloured and focused lights with 70 cues in a 12 minute show. He also designed the sound (another 71 cues!) which was faultlessly operated by Jenny Ainsworth during the assessment. It was a genuine pleasure to see such a high level of ambition, quality and excitement in our very first A Level design.

The crew gets stronger every year and always push each other very hard, so we hope that audience members took a moment at some point to notice something magical, slick or just plain cool that the crew had done!

Mr Neil Francis (Theatre Manager)

…such a high level of ambition...

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MUSIC Y

SENIOR MUSIC

ear on year, the level of musical talent that comes through the department increases and this year it was wonderful to see the breadth of musicianship across all ages.

The 2018-2019 team of Senior Musicians and Choristers proved themselves to be dedicated and hardworking:

Spring Concert

 SENIOR MUSICIANS: Emily Becconsall Sophie Garcia Lily Palmer

 SENIOR CHORISTERS: Charlotte Cutter Molly Dickinson

2019 was a vibrant and exciting year for the Music Department with new innovations and experiences for Kingswood’s musicians.

Woolley Church

Sixth Form Showcase

Spring Concert

The Senior Musicians and Choristers this year were outstanding, not only in terms of musicianship, but also their dedication and strong example set to the rest of the school.

Each of them committed wholeheartedly to the department and were great encouragers of those in younger years.

Their particular highlights included the fantastic Sixth Form Showcase, strong performances at Green Park Station and also the finale performance at the annual KATS Music and Drama Awards.

...it was wonderful to see the breadth of musicianship across all ages.

CREATIVE ARTS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

CONCERT PROGRAMME 2018-2019 This year saw some fresh new changes to the annual performance schedule, with even more opportunities for Kingswood musicians to shine.

Here’s a quick round up of this year’s highlights:  Annual Concert at Woolley Church – featuring the Chamber Choir and soloists from across the department  Dorothy House – a visit to entertain the residents at Dorothy House  Scholars’ Day – with workshops from local musician Claire King, working on composition and improvisation  Christmas Concert – featuring all of the department’s major ensembles playing festive favourites  Frome Active and In Touch Concert – featuring Kingswood Strings and invited soloists  Festival of Song – featuring 70 soloists across the week and fantastic workshops with Alison Ling, vocal coach at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama  The Scholars’ Concert – featuring the department’s Music Scholars: Migle Astrauskaite, Georgina Charlesworth, Colby Chu, Elsa France, Katie Green, Tim Green, Anna Haldenby, George Hudson, Gabriel Montefiore-Vita, Joe Randolph, Mia Randolph, Tayo Sawyerr, Alex Sedcole, Freddie Stockton, Sonia Sung, Emily Vaughan, Izzy Vaughan, Aurora Vergani, Emily Watkins, James Wong, Sarah Xie  Piano & Percussion Concert – including pianists, drummers and percussionists from across all the year groups

GRADE 8 MUSICIANS: The Music Department were delighted to celebrate the following students who achieved their Grade 8 practical this year: Amber Amin - Singing Joe Randolph - Cello (Merit) Helen Lam - Flute (Merit) Emma James - Musical Theatre Singing (Merit)  Tara Wynne-Edwards - Acoustic Guitar (Merit)  Daisy Dai - Singing (Merit)  James Wong - Singing (Merit)  Jonathan Sedcole - Piano (Distinction)  Larrisa Man - Oboe (Distinction)  Mia Randolph - Violin (Distinction)  Alix Keates - Singing  Arthur Pinn - Trumpet  Mai Sugimoto - Piano (Merit)  Gabriel Montefiore-Vita - Piano (Merit)  Georgina Charlesworth - Violin (Distinction)  Lily Palmer - Trumpet    

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 The Spring Concert – a showcase of all of the major ensembles, including music from Pirates of the Caribbean and Moana, as well as pieces by The Beatles, Queen, Fauré and Grieg!  Sixth Form Showcase – completely led and organised by our Sixth Form musicians

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

 Green Park Station – an incredible evening of Disco and Dance, performed by KJO and our wonderful singers at Green Park Station in town, as part of Bath Festival’s Party in the City  Music with the Stars – an evening of food and music to showcase all of the performers from the Holland Music Tour 2019, held at the Upper Pavilion in association with Friends of Kingwood  Holland Music Tour 2019 – a week-long tour of The Netherlands, including three concerts in Noordwijk, Edam and Amsterdam

Dorothy House Concert

In addition, there were regular Lunchtime Concerts across the year, allowing musicians of all ages and abilities to perform in an informal, intimate setting to small, friendly audiences. The department also found time to go and watch the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra battle it out between the two titans of film music, John Williams and Hans Zimmer, as well as attend a recital given by Isata Kanneh-Mason, one of the rising stars of Classical Music.

51

SPECIAL EVENTS GREEN PARK STATION Kingswood were out in force again at Green Park Station in May for the biggest night of the year in Bath.

O

ur headline spot in the annual Party in the City was a triumph once again, and in true Kingswood fashion, we didn’t disappoint, with an electric atmosphere and plenty of great entertainment. KJO started the show with a bang with an energetic performance of Rock Around the Clock. This set the tone for the rest of their set as their punchy big band sound filled the area and drew people in off the streets. The players performed with tight precision and really got the party started, with the first intrepid dancers edging their way ever closer to the stage just in time for the first set of solo singers.

The house pro-band provided the perfect pop backing to accompany this year’s brave vocalists, and it was incredible to see the array of talented singers. As ever, the variety of styles made for an eclectic but fun mix of songs, with everything from the RnB stylings of

...electric atmosphere and plenty of great entertainment.

52

KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | CREATIVE ARTS

Amy Winehouse’s songs, to the pop ballads of Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra swing, and of course a couple of cheesy ABBA classics. Another special moment was having performances of songs written by some of our Sixth Form – yet another talent on show from Kingswood’s musicians. Every singer gave their all on stage and the reaction from the massed crowd this year was just phenomenal.

KJO returned to the stage for two further sets and even managed to top their opening stint, with thrilling playing and great choices of songs, getting the crowd singing and dancing along. By the time the final number came – a fitting up-tempo version of Pharrell Williams’ Happy – the whole station roared with shouts, cheers and applause. The atmosphere of the whole evening was energetic, fun and supportive, and Kingswood really did themselves proud.

GREEN PARK STATION VOCALISTS 2019 Amber Amin, Emily Becconsall, Charlotte Chilton, Daisy Dai, Molly Dickinson, Sophie Garcia, Holly Guy, Jade Hartley, Emma James, Alix Keates, Alex Kellagher, Zoey King, Larissa Man, Gabriel Montefiore-Vita, Isha Musominari, Menina Nightingale, Jess Norton, Tomiwo Owoseje, Meg Scott, Izzy Vaughan, James Wong, Lizzie Wylie, Tara Wynne-Edwards

CREATIVE ARTS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

53

In February, the Music Department held the Festival of Song 2019.

A

cross the week, 70 singers from all year groups, and across all styles of music, performed in four recitals in the Chapel, and the programme of lunchtime and teatime concerts put on for fellow students, staff and parents was as diverse and interesting as ever. All of the students mastered their nerves and delivered really excellent performances. With folk songs, Italian, French and German arias, Musical Theatre numbers, Jazz Standards, and some of the latest and greatest Pop hits, there was something for everyone to enjoy across the week.

Those students who participated in the festival were also invited to two workshops in the Chapel, where we welcomed Alison Ling, who is a vocal coach at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. This was a fantastic opportunity for all the singers to explore technique, correct breathing, jaw and tongue placement, posture, and conveying emotion, before embarking on learning a folk song, where we were encouraged all to explore the text to truly convey the meaning of the words when singing.

Alison’s valuable and expert coaching was a real highlight of the week and served as a reminder for us all about the importance of practice, solid technique, and healthy singing.

Mr Andy Barton (Director of Music)

...diverse and interesting as ever.

54

KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | CREATIVE ARTS

I

n June 2019, the Year 10-13 Drama and Music students, plus parents and specially invited guests, gathered in the Theatre for the 16th annual KATS awards - a red carpet shimmering highlight in the Kingswood performing arts calendar.

CREATIVE ARTS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

KATS AWARDS NOMINEES 2019 The following shows a list of all nominees and winners (in bold), but congratulations to all artistic and creative students, nominated or otherwise!

MUSIC AWARDS BEST YEAR 11 GCSE COMPOSITION  Tim Green  Avyash Rana  Tayo Sawyerr  Ellie Webster BEST YEAR 11 GCSE PERFORMANCE  Tim Green  Tayo Sawyerr  Migle Astrauskaite  Ellie Webster YEAR 10 & 11 OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CO-CURRICULAR MUSIC  Colby Chu  Tim Green  Alex Kellagher  Phoebe Leung YEAR 13 OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC AT KINGSWOOD  Emily Becconsall  Sophie Garcia  Max Lister  Lily Palmer SIXTH FORM SOLO PERFORMANCE PRIZE  Daisy Dai  Gabriel Montefiore-Vita  Jonathan Sedcole  James Wong MUSOS’ MUSO  Daisy Dai  Lily Palmer

 Emily Becconsall  Max Lister

DRAMA AWARDS BEST NEWCOMER  Marnie Lister  Jamie Wright

 Ted Nightingale  Rex Evans

BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMER (GCSE)  James Hanley  Iris Marrack  Lizzie Narbett  Ethan Hawtin BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMER (A LEVEL)  Angel Chant  Charlotte Chilton  Joe Bruce  Miya Cameron MOST IMPROVED  Nathan Bode  Mimi Coles

 April Russell  Louis Fryer

BEST GROUP PERFORMANCE  Chatroom  Girls Like That  Treasure Island  The Death of Baldur ACTORS’ ACTOR  Charlotte Chilton  Conor Finnamore

 Angel Chant  Lizzie Narbett

TECHIES’ TECHIE  Helen Lam  Sam Bernstein

 Jenny Ainsworth  James Button

THE DESIGN AWARD WAS AWARDED TO  James Button

55

56

KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | SPORT

GIRLS’ HOCKEY 1ST XI CAPTAIN: Lizzie White | 1ST XI VICE-CAPTAIN: Jessica Norton

SEASON OVERVIEW

T

he 2018 hockey season for the girls was action-packed, full of fun and allowed for lots of girls to participate with eighteen teams often being challenged, from those learning the game for the first time in Year 7, who played with passion, to more experienced players, who put in a number of extra hours in the West Performance pathway.

The Juniors, featuring determined players such as Anna Allen, Iona Stokes, Daisy Bassett, Daisy Neary and Freya Thompson, were coached to play a passing game, moving the ball into space, which led to some fine performances. The U13s were encouraged to develop team tactics and individual defensive skills. The U13As scored 38 goals for and only conceded 12, a team with so much potential who lost only one game.

Indeed, Alice Wilson and Imogen Hall made a huge impact and Lauren Bailey was Most Improved. Aoife Targett and Kitty Askew were very influential in their teams and this bodes well for 11-a-side next season!

The U15s had a tough season at times, but players like Rose Bates, Elli Duke and Phoebe Hall all showed much promise for the future, earning a superb win against Clifton College.

The U15Bs were captained by Emily Ardus who did a sterling job, led by example, and earned the accolade of pick of the players. Stevie Saunders received Most Improved Player and her work rate was significant.

In the U14s, Charlie Hollywood, Ciara Newcastle and Georgia Thompson stood out as they all used their individual skill to good effect.

At the Senior end, the focus is on higher level stick skills, retaining possession, team defending and goal scoring, given the fast pace of the game and the need to take opportunities. The 2nd XI were a team that were hungry to score goals and, apart from a crucial 1-0 victory over King’s Bruton, they scored three or more goals in every match they won. The 3rd XI included a number of Year 13s in their final season. Lucy Tonge and Katie Morton co-captained the side and led by example in the midfield and in defence. The girls won 9 out of 13 games and Tash Burke and Charlotte Chilton often got their names onto the score sheet.

The 4th XI had bundles of energy,

1st Team

especially from Poppy Hasoon, Minnie Nightingale and Sophie Garcia. Being flexible and playing out of position has also helped the squad bond and improve. A highlight was when they beat both Dean Close and Cheltenham College 2-1.

It’s wonderful that Kingswood continues to keep their strong reputation of depth within the Senior teams and that so many girls enjoy the game. Thank you all for your commitment and hard work this season.

1ST XI Captain of the 1st team, Lizzie White, led the Kingswood hockey programme in exactly the right way this season. She never missed a training session, and was a phenomenal role model for the younger players.

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

The following words are adapted from Lizzie’s end of term speech.

COLOURS & AWARDS

It was a privilege to captain the 1st XI this year, and to experience some great results against very good sides. Highlights include drawing against Dauntsey’s and Sherborne with a last-minute second goal coming from Kate Hollywood, and strong performances against top hockey schools King’s Bruton and Dean Close, where we played some of our very best hockey.

Winning the County Tournament and coming runners-up at the Regional Tournament was a great way to end our final season.

Nina Brain stepped up very well in the midfield and her ability to link up with any player is a force to be reckoned with. Iris Marrack’s game awareness and ability to see every pass is unstoppable and her versatility has a massive impact on the game. Kate Hollywood’s ability to hold on to the ball ensured we maintained possession and her wide range of passes kept the opposition on their toes. Beth Harris played for both the 1st and 2nd teams and had some invaluable performances, especially in our tournaments.

We were thankful for Miya Cameron’s speed and she created countless goal scoring opportunities.

Holly Harris’ work rate in training and on the pitch is first-class and Jess Brain can read a game well beyond her years. Chloe Pearce was very successful in defence and proved to be very consistent, 1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Dean Close

L 1-2

Dauntsey’s

D 1-1 W 3-1 W 2-0 L 1-3

COLTS COLOURS: Nina Brain, Kate Hollywood, Iris Marrack,

Chloe Pearce HALF COLOURS: Martha Brain, Rigam Chhantyal, Charlotte Cutter,

Lily Landman, Alice O’Gorman FULL COLOURS: Lexi Hart, Jess Norton, Lizzie White GROVE TROPHY: Lizzie White, Jess Norton (Awarded to the player who has made the greatest contribution to Kingswood hockey)

making clean tackles when needed! Martha Brain, now having completed her second season in the team, was key, with some of the best defensive and attacking work the team has seen - her ability to beat every defender is a force to be reckoned with.

most aggressive players. Rigam Chhantyal saved us at the best of times with her excellent keeping and her positive attitude. Without a shadow of a doubt you will always be able to hear Rigam when she is on the pitch, whether she is talking about hockey or not!

Now on to our leavers. I first started playing hockey alongside most of these girls nine years ago, and it has been a privilege to finish my last year playing with them. Charlotte Cutter was an integral part of the team, alongside Lily Landman, and they did well switching from forward to defence in the middle of matches. Lexi Hart without a doubt is able to outrun every defender with her speed on and off the ball. She produced countless counter-attacks, creating goal-scoring opportunities. Alice O’Gorman was the player on the team I trusted the most and was my dream partner in defence.

Although she may not admit it, she has an undeniable talent for hockey and was one of our teams

I am so grateful to have been supported by Jess Norton, my Vice-captain this year. We have played together for six years and I never doubted her. She has an aggressive manner stepping to the ball and has stopped every opposition’s attacking play. Her ability to read the game is impeccable and no one wants to get in the way of her hit outs!

L 0-5

L 2-4 D 0-0

W 1-0 W 2-1

L 2-6

W 1-0 W 5-1 L 1-4

KES

W 3-0 W 8-0 W 3-0 L 2-4

L 1-2

Prior Park

W 3-0 W 3-0 W 4-0

L 1-2 W 2-0

Clifton Coll.

L 1-2

W 2-0 W 5-0

L 0-1

W 1-0 W 1-0

L 2-3

L 0-5 W 4-1 W 3-0 L 0-1

L 0-4

W 1-0

Cheltenham Coll.

L 3-0

L 2-3 W 5-1 W 2-0 L 6-0

D 1-1

BGS

D 1-1

L 2-4

D 1-1

L 0-2 D 0-0

King’s Bruton

L 2-3 W 1-0 W 5-0 W 4-1 L 2-5 W 5-1

L 0-1 D 0-0

D 2-2 W 3-1

W 2-1 D 1-1

L 0-3

L 0-2

L 1-5

L 7-0

L 4-0

Beaudesert Clifton Coll. Prep

D 1-1 W 2-0 D 3-3 W 3-0 W 4-0 D 2-2

L 0-4

L 2-4

W 6-2 W 3-0 D 2-2 L 0-1

L 0-5 W 4-0 W 4-0

Stonar

W 2-1 L 1-2

W 5-1 W 5-2 W 4-1

Royal High School

Sherborne

L 1-9 W 5-1 L 2-3 W 3-0 L 0-2 W 2-0 W 3-0

L 0-1 D 0-0 W 2-1 D 1-1 W 3-2 W 8-0 W 2-1

Bryanston

L 0-1

Lizzie White (Captain)

U15A U15B U15C U14A U14B U14C U13A U13B U13C U13D U12A U12B U12C U12D

D 0-0 D 0-0 W 2-1 L 1-6 W 3-0

L 0-4

Finally, our biggest thanks go to Mr Opie for enabling this season to be such a memorable and enjoyable one. We are also thankful for having Miss Jones support us as she is a wonderful role model.

I wish everyone the best of luck with their school hockey.

W 6-0

L 6-1 W 7-2 L 0-4

L 1-3 W 3-1 L 1-5 W 2-1 W 2-1 W 3-2

W 9-1 W 2-1 W 7-1

L 0-2 W 2-0 D 0-0

W 3-1 L 0-2

W 5-0 L 1-2 W 3-0

57

58

KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | SPORT

RUGBY 1ST XV CAPTAIN: Harry Bristow | 1ST XV VICE-CAPTAIN: Conor Finnamore

SEASON OVERVIEW

I

t was an interesting season for our rugby teams. Some teams barely won, some barely lost but as a school, we managed to win twice as many block fixtures as we lost.

The 2nd XV were one of the most successful teams, proving size isn’t everything by playing expansive rugby with Jack Brain leading from the front, Robin Ledbury and Matthew Hooper arguably the players of the season and Henry Craig certainly the most improved.

For the 3rd XV Josh Knight was a reliable ever-present and Casper

Bruhn-Parry made huge strides in his first real season of rugby.

At the other end of the school, the U12As managed some very impressive wins. James Talamai and Ollie Jackson were the key players but the tackling of Dan Woodward, also in his first ever season of rugby, gets him the most improved award.

Max Slater, Monty Coxen, Toby Eayres and Charlie Allibone were stand-outs for the U12Bs. It was a season of two halves for the U13As, as countless injuries in the first half of term led to a number of losses but with some of these

players returned, they finished very strongly with some big wins. Jacob Barton and Will Shardlow were both exceptional but Will Stubbings just snuck the player of the season award. James Highton was the most improved player in the ‘B’ team but Ted Weinberger, Tom Martin and Wilbur Riddoch also had very strong seasons.

Raff Weston, Will Duncan, Fraser Riddoch and Noah Nejad all had good seasons for the U14As but it was Rob Toner who was their Player of the Season. The main men for the 14Bs were Kenneth Kok, Oliver H. Williams, Josh Thornton and Player of the season Louis Record. With an identical win rate of 82%, these were two of the most successful teams in the school.

The Year 10s found the going tough on a strong circuit but both finished strongly with the U15Bs finishing on a high with their first win of the season on the final day. The effort was never in question and key men in this respect were Jamie Wright, James Eayres, Jack Gould and Alfred Briggs. For the U15As, Liam Toner, Tom Roach and James Redman were again the stand-outs as they picked up three wins from their last four matches.

The U16As have improved again with several big wins early on and they were always competitive, even against some excellent sides. Ethan Hawtin, Harry Jones and Ben Cox all look like 1st team players of the

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

59

COLOURS & AWARDS COLTS COLOURS: Ethan Hawtin, Louis Fryer, Harry Jones, Ben Cox HALF COLOURS: Jack Hau, George Halsey, George Brunskill, Conor Finnamore, Charlie Bigland, Will Crowther, Oran Hawkins, Finn Sayce, Hal Norman, Jack Brain FULL COLOURS: Reuben Barnett, Harry Bristow MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD: George Halsey PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jack Hau

future. But the Team of the year, with the only unbeaten record and the award for the most entertaining match reports goes to the U16Bs. Theo Marven, Ted Pilcher and Ollie Wood were all immense in the forwards while Sam Ward, Gustav AsamoahBondzie and Rohan Chhantyal were all impressive behind.

Mr James Brown (Head of Boys’ Games)

1ST XV REPORT For the 1st XV, it’s been an interesting season with a few areas of excellent play but unfortunately we didn’t manage to get as many wins as we would have liked.

However, although our season looks poor on paper there were elements of the season that reflect our true ability. For example, we drew against one of the toughest teams this season, BGS, who lost 1st King Edward’s

2nd

to the eventual winners of the Champions Trophy by just 1 point in the semi-final. So technically, we were pretty much the best team in the country! But in reality, we just didn’t play well consistently, which is why we struggled to get results. However, Oran Hawkins and Reuben Barnett both really stepped up as two of our main attacking threats. After being in the shadows of last year’s team they led by example this season.

In defence Charlie Bigland, Jack Hau and Conor Finnamore tackled relentlessly but no-one could match Finn Sayce, who barely missed a tackle on the wing and saved us from conceding many more tries. Will Crowther and George Halsey were strong in the scrums and George Brunskill showed his versatility by filling a number of roles. We were unlucky to lose Robin Pun and Charlie Walker to injury but this provided Hal Norman with the opportunity 3rd

L 13-23 W 22-19

U15B

to show what a reliable performer he can be. Lower Sixth boys really stepped up, showing great skill in defence and attack.

The team will be in safe hands as players like Charlie Roach and Marcus Kershaw are excellent play makers and Ciaran McCarthy is crucial in the line out and has shown real leadership.

After being in last year’s team I’ve realised team sport is not all about winning. I’ve learnt a lot more being in a less successful team as it’s given me areas to improve upon and being the under dogs in most games means we have had to show real character which will all stand us in good stead for the future. On behalf of the team I’d like to thank all the staff that assisted with rugby teams this season, Mr Reeman for helping the backs work out some slick moves that we never actually ended up using (!) and, in particular, Mr Matthews for sticking with us and giving us the motivation to continue believing in ourselves.

Harry Bristow (Captain)

U16A

U16B

U15A

U14B

U13A

U13B

U12A

U12B

W 27-0

W 52-2

L 31-43

L 10-69 W 45-15

U14A

W 43-0

L 5-20

W 20-10

L 5-40

L 15-35

W 35-10 L 20-30

W 25-0

L 5-35

L 15-40

W 35-10

W 50-0

L 10-25

L 10-15

D 20-20

D 10-10 L 0-40

Taunton School

L 0-38

L 5-17

L 24-52

W 43-0

W 36-5

L 19-38

L 31-34

W 27-21

L 10-40

Bristol Grammar

D 12-12

L 3-17

L 5-39

L 7-24

W 22-10

L 5-22

L 0-53

W 49-19

W 74-5

Monkton Combe

L 12-31

W 54-0

W 45-0

W 50-0

W 44-19

W 50-0

Llandaff CS

W 33-12

W 50-0

W 55-10

Bishop Wordsworth

L 0-48

W 26-7

Beechen Cliff

L 15-19

W 19-10

Colston’s

L 7-35

W 42-0

Dauntsey’s

L 12-58

W 17-10

Kings Taunton

L 19-44

W 12-5

L 22-29 L 0-54 W 34-0 L 14-55 W 45-0

W 26-5

L 17-31

L 0-50

W 29-10 W 45-26

W 25-5

L 0-48

L 0-53

L 14-21

L 14-24

W 30-0

L 5-10

L 10-40

W 26-10

W 50-0

L 17-36

L 7-41

W 36-7

W 57-5

W 70-0

W 55-0

W 45-15 W 30-10

W 47-5

W 57-7

W 24-12

L 17-32

W 36-0

W 47-0

W 45-20 W 30-15 L 10-30

W 24-12 L 14-42

L 0-36

L 17-19

W 38-10 W 50-15

L 5-22

W 8-0

L 5-15

L 15-45

W

L 15-20 W 25-20

Millfield

L

L

L 0-50

Bromsgrove

L

L

QEH Bristol

L 12-21

W 14-0

D 0-0

Dean Close

L 0-83

L 5-45

L 14-23

All Hallows

W 15-10 W 32-19

L 17-30

W 34-0

W 31-10

W 30-24 W 34-14

W 38-7

W 26-0

L

W 55-0

W 45-15 L 15-50

L 5-20

W 35-0

W 50-20 W 20-15

W

60

KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19 | SPORT

NETBALL 1ST VII CAPTAIN: Emily Becconsall | 1ST VII VICE-CAPTAIN: Lexi Hart

O

ver the Spring term, Kingswood Netball Club managed to squeeze in 1 busy pre-season training weekend, 50 training sessions, 123 exciting matches, travelled over 600 miles ranging from Bournemouth to Gloucester, scored 2,368 goals, competed in 6 competitive school tournaments, 3 County rounds and 1 Regional Final!

With over 200 girls making up 20 teams, combined with 14 staff regularly coaching and supporting on the side-lines, it was an epic season with many highs and only a few lows.

6 teams secured unbeaten seasons.

Overall, the Club edged wins in all 9 of their block fixtures. The end of season report is full of praise, outlining the commitment from our players and the depth of talent within the teams. Every player who has represented the School should be very proud of their contribution to their respective teams. There are too many players that deserve a mention in this article than we can fit in but here are some of the outstanding players in all year groups.

In the U12As, Daisy Neary improved hugely as the Goalkeeper whilst Ellie

1st Team

Lewis was the Player of the Season.

At B level, Alice Creed stood out for her work in both circles, whilst Kimberley Mugo and Gaby Davies were the stand out players for the Cs and Ds respectively. The U12Cs ended the season unbeaten. Another unbeaten side was the U13As, with Alice Wilson leading by example.

Maddie Redman, Amelie Cardy and Grace Bowra were the outstanding players for the B, C and D teams at U13 level. Hannah Gunn showed great determination and versatility for the U14As, whilst Alice Boutin was the Player of the Season for the B team. Both U14C and D teams were unbeaten, showing the depth of talent in this year group, with Jess Iles and Sophie Ross impressing with their consistency and effort for the respective teams.

At U15 level, all three teams enjoyed successful seasons with the C team being unbeaten and the A team being one of the Most Improved during the term. Annie Davis excelled for the As whilst Ciara Dyer and Emily Ardus were the stand out players in the B and C teams.

At Senior level, the 4th team played with a tremendous spirit winning 5 of their 8 matches. Freya Morris earned

the Player of the Season award after some excellent performances at Goalkeeper. Toyosi Somoye was the Most Improved Player, having not played netball before this season but being a key player throughout. Beth Harris stood out for her consistency of effort and cool head in the mid-court for the 3rd team but it was the teamwork and determination to overcome some tough opponents which was the feature of an excellent season.

At 2nd team level, Issy Jolliffe was in commanding form throughout the season but she received very strong support from the entire squad and their record of 5 wins and 1 draw from their 9 matches was a fair reflection on a very enjoyable season.

At 1st team level, Emily Becconsall and Lexi Hart took their responsibilities as Captain and Vice-captain seriously. They both led by example all season, with the highlight being making it through to the Regional Finals in Bournemouth.

The squad thoroughly deserved to be there; although a tough contest, it was equally exciting and a huge learning experience. During the season, the 1st squad won 7 out of 9 matches, narrowly losing to KES by 4 goals and experiencing a disappointing defeat to Dauntsey’s. However, as always, this dedicated and motivated squad of players came back after the Dauntsey’s match determined to right the wrongs of that match. They did this by securing outstanding

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

wins against Marlborough College and Redmaids’ School.

61

COLOURS & AWARDS

Olivia Wilson really stepped up this season and became a shooting specialist for the team. Jade Hartley’s attacking tactic in the shooting circle was to outwit her defenders with her agility and ability to find small spaces, whilst Olivia was all about the holding game. Lizzie White was outstanding at adapting her game at GA depending on which shooter she was working with. Maya Lane and Martha Brain again brought different dynamics to the game. Maya’s pace and elevation would often outwit the opposition, whilst Martha’s calm composure and use of the pockets often confused the opposing WDs. Emily Becconsall was the engine of the team and her commitment to chase down balls, pick off interceptions, feed the circle and back up her team was an asset to the team. In defence, Katie Morton, Lexi Hart, Jess Norton and Sophie Garcia were exceptional picking off interceptions at points in the game when you didn’t think it was possible.

COLTS COLOURS: Olivia Wilson HALF COLOURS: Martha Brain, Katie Morton FULL COLOURS: Jess Norton, Lizzie White, Lexi Hart, Sophie Garcia, Emily Becconsall, Jade Hartley OUTSTANDING PLAYER AWARD: Emily Becconsall

1st Team

It has been an exceptional season for all our teams and the 1st VII epitomised all that is good about Netball at Kingswood – strong team spirit, determination to play well and an enjoyment from playing with your friends.

We wish all the Leavers the best of luck for the future. Finally, a huge thank you to all the staff who have helped in the successes we have enjoyed this year.

Whilst it will be fantastic to have Mrs Sim back next year, Mrs Curtis has stepped in and done a wonderful job in running such a successful programme.

Emily Becconsall (Captain) 1st

2nd

3rd

4th

U15A U15B U15C U14A U14B U14C U14D U13A U13B U13C U13D U12A U12B U12C U12D

Kings School Bruton

W 52-30 W 27-14 W 29-10 W 24-11 W 24-18 W 21-5 W 16-4 L 17-25

L 7-14

W 16-4

Dauntsey’s

L 32-38 D 23-23

D 8-8

W 19-9

L 12-23 W 25-16 W 15-6 W 30-3 W 22-17 L 8-20

W 23-8

L 9-18

L 25-12 W 13-9 W 22-17 L 8-18

Marlborough Coll. W 29-23 W 26-23 W 26-23 L 39-14 L 12-25 L 24-34

Bryanston Monkton Combe

W 36-18 W 53-6 W 29-10 W 42-2 W 24-18

KES

L 32-36 L 17-18 W 25-24 W 25-20 L 7-19

Prior Park

W 45-20 W 29-5 W 52-2

Clifton Coll.

W 37-17

W 22-16

D 8-8

L 16-11 W 8-6

W 23-8 W 16-3

W 22-16 W 12-8 W 12-1 W 11-0 W 27-12 W 11-7 W 11-8

L 17-10 D 12-12

W 20-15 W 13-7 W 8-20 W 14-9

L 0-14

W13-6

W 12-8

L 4-7

L 1-12

Monkton Prep W 31-13 L 13-28

W 9-8 W 30-11 L 5-28

L 7-8

W 28-10 L 6-21

L 6-8

W 20-4

W 29-12 L 8-10 D 9-9

Dean Close Prep W 48-18 W 25-14

W 27-18 W 14-6

W 6-5

W 27-9 W 13-11

Royal High School

Redmaids

W 12-4 W 11-4 W 12-2

`

Clifton Coll. Prep

BGS

W 11-10

L 42-18

L 7-9

L 24-9 W 20-12 W 5-3 W 29-18 L 7-10

D 6-6

W 9-0

W 10-5 W 13-3

L16-11 W 24-0

W 8-5

L 8-9

W 9-3

W 9-3

W 14-9 W 10-8 W 15-11 W 13-4 W 11-8

L 7-20

L 19-8 W 11-10 L 16-12 W 18-14 W 8-6

L 5-13

L 8-9

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BOYS’ HOCKEY 1ST XI CAPTAIN: Finley Feaver

SEASON OVERVIEW

2

019 was a quite exceptional season.

Four unbeaten teams and four age groups qualified for their respective Regional Finals in county tournaments.

Of these the U18s, U14s and U13s won the Regional title with the two younger teams progressing to the National Finals.

The U14s travelled to the Lee Valley Hockey Centre and progressed to the Final of the Tier 2 competition. They managed to make it through to the final and got to follow in the footsteps of the 2012 Olympic athletes as they paraded onto the main pitch for the final. Unfortunately, they came up against one exceptional player from the opposition team who Kingswood were unable to cope with and had to settle for a runners-up spot.

The U13s contested the Tier 1 Finals at the Nottingham Hockey Centre and in a tournament of fine margins, a couple of late goals in some of the group games cost them the chance to contest the final and they had to settle for 7th. They will know they can mix it with the best in the country, however, as the eventual National Champions were the team that Kingswood beat in the Regional Final.

Add to that an overall win rate for the school teams of 81% and it is clear to see just how impressive this season was.

With results like that, too many individuals deserve a mention.

Instead, we have selected two teams of the season. First, the ‘B’ team Select XI (made up of some of the stand out players from our Junior ‘B’ teams and the 3rd and 4th XI.) GOALKEEPER SWEEPER RIGHT DEFENDER CENTRAL DEFENDER LEFT DEFENDER RIGHT MIDFIELD CENTRE MIDFIELD LEFT MIDFIELD RIGHT FORWARD CENTRE FORWARD LEFT FORWARD RESERVE

Max Gooding Joe Gould Rob Toner Leo Palmer Angus Duncan Oliver Brown George Hannon Nabil Jafar Will Haysom Charlie Allibone Sam Ward Bruin Ward

U15Bs 3rd XI U14Bs U13Bs U15Bs U13Bs 4th XI U12Bs 4th XI U12Bs 3rd XI U14Bs

And their coaches: Mr Matthews, whose 4th XI have now only lost one game in 12 years and Mr Amner, who led the U14Bs to an unbeaten season!

Secondly, the ‘A’ team Select XI (made up of some of the stand out players from the Junior ‘A’ teams and 2nd XI. To fit everyone in, some players have been listed out of position.)

GOALKEEPER SWEEPER RIGHT DEFENCE CENTRE DEFENCE LEFT DEFENCE RIGHT MIDFIELD CENTRE MIDFIELD LEFT MIDFIELD LEFT MIDFIELD RIGHT FORWARD LEFT FORWARD RESERVE

Can Kucukcan Will Duncan Drew Lewis James Redman Jules Hawking Will Shardlow Gabriel Montefiore-Vita Charlie Ward Archie Hamilton Ollie Lechmere Raff Weston Rory Bushell

U13As U14As U12As U15As 2nd XI U13As 2nd XI U13As U12As U15As U14As U14As

And their coaches: Mr Davies, whose 2nd XI were unbeaten and Mr Brooking who took the U13s to the National Finals.

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

1ST XI REPORT

of the season with a broken finger; Freddy Bayliss is so composed on the ball at right back, and instigated many of the team’s attacks; and Tristan Day is equally as creative in the forward line. A huge part of the success this season was Ben Shardlow’s dragflicking threat at corners as well as controlling the middle of midfield, often against opponents who are currently playing at international level.

The 1st XI had an extremely successful season, losing just one match.

Very unusually, there were two Year 10s in the starting line-up. Rob Wilson is an outstanding hockey player and his success at England level is much deserved. Goalkeeper Tom Roach has shown that he is one of the best on the circuit and he too has the potential to get to National level.

Year 11s: Ollie Knight, Ciaran Curran, Ed Gilpin and Cameron Crowhurst all showed that they are capable playing at this level and should be strong contenders for the starting line up next year.

Of the leavers, Nathan Gregg’s game awareness at centre-back was so important in keeping our goals conceded tally down to 14, and he combined well with George Brunskill who was technically excellent at leftback. Harry Bristow’s work rate was second to none and he chipped in with some important goals and Dominic Carruthers was the controlling influence at Sweeper, leading from the back and helping to run the team on and off the pitch.

The Year 12s are an extremely talented year group and many of these players helped shape the outcome of the season. Harvey Brooks finished as the top goal scorer with 18 and is one of the most skilful players in the area; Charlie Roach played a very influential role in midfield, despite missing much of the first half

COLOURS & AWARDS COLTS COLOURS: Ciaran Curran, Cam Crowhurst, Ed Gilpin, Ollie Knight

Finley Feaver (Captain)

HALF COLOURS: Harry Bristow, George Brunskill, Nathan Gregg, Freddy Bayliss, Tristan Day, Charlie Roach

Cardiff Met Team

FULL COLOURS: Finley Feaver, Harvey Brooks, Ben Shardlow, Dominic Carruthers IDRIS CUP (awarded to the player who has made the greatest contribution to Kingswood Hockey): Rob Wilson U13 Tournament

1st

2nd

U16

3rd

Cheltenham Coll.

W 5-3

D 1-1

L 0-3

W 3-0

Beechen Cliff

W 2-1

U15A U15B U15C U14A

U14B

W 2-1

W 4-0

L 1-4

D 0-0

U14C U13A U13B U13C U12A U12B U12C

W 7-1

W 8-0

Dean Close Monkton Combe

D 2-2

W 4-3

W 6-0 W 15-0 W 4-0

Bryanston

W 3-0

W 5-0

W 2-0

Prior Park Coll.

W 3-1

W 2-1

King Edward’s

C

W 3-1

W 9-0

W 9-0

W 4-0

W 3-0

W 9-0

W 7-0

W 1-0

L 1-5

W 9-0

W 6-0

W 2-1

W 3-0

L 1-2

W 4-1

C

W 2-1

L 0-2

W 1-0 W 2-0

W 5-3

W 3-1

W 2-0

D 2-2

W 3-0

W 4-0

W 6-2

W 2-1

L 1-5

W 4-1

L 1-2

Millfield Dauntsey’s

W 6-0

W 3-0

L 3-6

W 7-0

Dean Close Kings’ Gloucester

D 2-2

W 9-0

W 5-0

W 1-0

W 5-1

W 6-0

W 3-2

W 7-0

W 3-1

L 1-2

W 7-2

L 0-2

L 2-3

D 0-0

L 1-3

W 4-0

C

C

L 0-3

D 1-1

L 1-2

D 1-1

W 6-0 W 4-0

W 3-1 D 1-1

W 2-1

W 6-0

W 7-0

W 4-0 W 5-0

W 4-2

W 3-0

W 4-2

W 4-3

L 0-3

W 5-2 W 10-0

Warminster Clifton Coll.

W 3-0

Bristol Grammar

D 0-0

W 2-1

W 6-1

W 2-0

W 3-1

L 1-2

W 2-0

L 0-2

W 5-0

D 1-1

C

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ORIENTEERING Kingswood had another great orienteering season winning the Avon Schools’ League once again.

Kingswood had a number of podium places overall.

AVON SCHOOLS’ LEAGUE INDIVIDUAL RESULTS Lucy Tonge Jamie Dale Sebastian Crow Oliver Tonge Angus Martin Wilfrid Whishaw Charlie Whishaw James Bailey Alberta Fryer Katya Volkova Alfie Bassett

1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd

Year 12/13 Year 11 Year 10 Year 11 Year 10 Year 9 Year 7 Year 11 Year 9 Year 8 Year 7

One of the highlights of the year was a win for the girls at the British Schools’ Score Championships.

The team of Katya Volkova, Charlotte Shakespeare, Sarafina Bondzie, Praeasha Limbu and Lexie Game were over the moon with their medals, all finishing in the top 10 with Katya the overall winner. For the boys, Oliver Tonge had a brilliant run with the highest score of the day overall to win Year 11 with James Bailey close behind in 2nd.

Oliver, James and Jamie Dale travelled to Blackburn for the World Schools’ selection race. The area was very tricky with plenty of contour detail and was physically very challenging, not that it hindered the boys from running superb races once again. Then it was on to the British Schools’ Championships at Witton Country Park which proved a lightningly fast area with Oliver Tonge taking 2nd just 30 seconds down on the lead and Jamie Dale taking an excellent 7th.

At the Westwood Championships, the winners in the age groups were Anna Allen, Katya Volkova, Archie Wake and Will Stubbings. Cusworth and Hamilton won the boys’ and girls’ race respectively.

The Avon Schools’ Individual Championships were held at Westonbirt. Kingswood podium places went to: Jamie Dale, Angus Martin, Charlie Whishaw and Katya Volkova.

Lucy and Oliver Tonge and James Bailey. Lucy ran for England in the Interland Competition, coming a fantastic 4th in the year above her age group.

Both James Bailey and Oliver Tonge were selected for the England team for the World Schools’ Championships in Estonia. Together with two other runners the team secured 1st place!

James Bailey gained his first selection for Great Britain for the European Youth Orienteering Championships in Bulgaria, coming 7th place overall, having raced well all year as part of the British Talent Squad.

This is my final year at Kingswood and I would like to thank all the children and parents who have supported orienteering over the years and I hope to see you in a sunlit forest in the future.

Mrs Jackie Hallett International acclaim went to

(Head of Orienteering)

GBTeam

World Schools Team

Senior Trophy

Westwood Girls

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

CROSS COUNTRY GIRLS’ CAPTAINS: Lucy Tonge & Isabella North

Cross Country continues to play an important part in the sporting calendar at Kingswood with the School playing host to the annual inter-schools BANES County Championship, the Kingswood Road Race, the House Cross Country and the House Cross Country Relays.

I

n the Spring term, the Cross Country team acquitted itself in the usual joyful yet competitive spirit, returning many individual and podium positions at meets across the South West. There were wins for the Inter Boys at Downside and Canford; for the Inter Girls at Sherborne and Marlborough; and, for the first time in 13 years, a home victory for the Senior Boys at our own fixture.

Indeed the squad continues to go from strength to strength, with many excellent junior runners rising through the ranks to represent the School.

As in previous years we had a large number of runners qualify for the Avon County Championships and of these Bridie Knox, Lucy Tonge and Grace Horswell all earned their place representing Avon at the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships.

It is, however, not always all about the winning and the Cross Country team’s inclusive and joyful spirit (spurred on by Captains Lucy Tonge and Isabella North) ensures that no matter how cold, how treacherous, or how long the race may be, it is always fun to run (#Doitforthedoughnut!).

Mr Will Musgrove (Cross Country Co-ordinator)

COLOURS & AWARDS COLTS COLOURS: James Bailey, Oliver Tonge, Lizzie Narbett HALF COLOURS: Bridie Knox, Isabella North FULL COLOURS: Lucy Tonge

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CRICKET SEASON OVERVIEW

2

019 was a step up from last season, both for the 1st XI and for the school teams as a whole. Team of the season were arguably the U13As who returned from their pre-season tour in La Manga to have a decent run in the National Cup and finished as Runners-up in the Bristol & Bath Schools Cup. Their two cup losses were their only ones of the season and John Bean, Charlie Ward and Ollie Bates have all been central

1ST XI CAPTAIN: Nathan Gregg 1ST XI VICE-CAPTAIN: Hamish Walker

to that success, with Ollie Brown possibly the most improved player in the school.

Another contender for this award was James Talamai from the U12As, for whom Toby Eayres, Owen Brown and Drew Lewis were the most consistent performers. Indeed, Year 7 as a whole probably showed the most improvement as a number of these players, including James, had never really played Cricket before this season. In their ‘B’ team, Max Graham, Eli Williams, Monty Coxen, Archie Engley-Duffy and Ed Phillips all made good contributions. For the U13Bs, Lorcan Thornley, Can Kucukcan, Ted Weinberger and Dan Zukas all impressed.

The U14Bs and the 3rd XI were the only unbeaten teams this year. For the U14Bs, this was due in no small measure to Captain Rory Bushell who was remarkably consistent with bat and ball. Oskar Billett and Jamie Hart were also instrumental but this really was a squad effort with all players contributing at different times. The 14As may have been slightly disappointed with how their season went but Raff Weston topped the batting and bowling stats and Elliot Ede and Fergus Kerr are really starting to establish themselves as key players in this team.

One of the most impressive teams were the U15As who overcame some real difficulties at the start of the season to finish with a win rate of nearly 70%. Angus Duncan, Freddie Baker and Jamie Wright all put in some impressive performances but James Eayres really led from the front to play a key role in almost all of their wins.

For the 2nd XI, the ever-reliable Josh Knight always made important contributions and Harry Jones and Louis Fryer put opposition teams under pressure with their bowling.

1ST XI SEASON REPORT Noah Davis, the only Year 9 in the side, had a very impressive season, which included a 50 against the Forty Club. It is clear that over the next four years, he will score plenty of runs. For the Year 11s, Sam Ward was excellent with ball in hand, and Ed Gilpin was excellent in the field, while also proving that he will be key to next year’s batting line-up. The Year 12s all made strong contributions, including Charlie Roach’s power hitting, and Stephen King’s wicket taking ability.

Both Matthew Hooper and Marcus Kershaw have enjoyed two years in the side. Matthew has the ability to blow the opposition away with the

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

ball, and Marcus made valuable runs at the top of the order. Of the Upper Sixth leavers, Reuben Barnett was excellent in the field and maintained great consistency with the ball. Will Jeffery can rival any keeper behind the stumps, and his ability to score crucial runs towards the end of an innings helped us to secure numerous victories. Oscar Kenyon is the best seam bowler on the circuit, and he took a hat full of wickets in the last two seasons. Along with Will, he has the ability to finish games with the bat, and the number of runs he scored this season proves he is now a genuine all-rounder.

COLOURS & AWARDS COLTS COLOURS: Ed Gilpin, Sam Ward HALF COLOURS: Matthew Hooper, Marcus Kershaw, Reuben Barnett FULL COLOURS: Will Jeffery, Hamish Walker, Oscar Kenyon, Nathan Gregg

Finally, onto my Vice-captain, Hamish Walker. He has played three years of first team cricket and passed 300 runs for the season on two occasions.

When he is fit, he bowls a heavy ball, which saw him take a five-wicket haul this season. The four of us have been at the core of every team we have played in since Year 7, so it was fitting that in our last year we scored over 1000 runs between us. The 1st XI had an excellent season, in which we went on an 8-game unbeaten streak, only narrowly missing out on the league title to Dauntsey’s. There are a number of strong cricketers throughout the school, so I think it’s safe to say that Kingswood Cricket is in safe hands for the future, with a league title in sight for next year’s side.

THE CRICKET TROPHY For outstanding contribution to one of the Kingswood teams: James Eayres

Nathan Gregg (Captain)

Bristol Grammar Downside Wycliffe King Edward’s

1st

2nd

3rd

C

C

Won

Won by 58 runs

U15

U14A

U14B

U13A

U13B

U12A

U12B

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

Won

Lost

Won

Lost

Won

Won

Abandoned Won by 85 runs

Won

Clifton Coll.

Monkton Combe Prior Park Beechen Cliff Dean Close Colston’s Dauntsey’s

Won by 160 runs

Won

Won

Won

Won

Won

Lost

Lost

Won

Lost

Won

Won

Won

Won

Won by 14 runs

Won

Lost

Won

Won

Won by 8 wickets

Won

Won

Won

Won

Won by 46 runs

Lost

Won

Won

Won

C

C

C

C

C

C

C

Lost

Lost

Lost by 9 wickets

Won

Won

Lost

Won

Won

Lost

Lost

Won

Won

Lost

Won

Lost

Lost

Lost

XL Club

Won by 42 runs

Headmaster’s XI

Lost by 4 wickets

MCC

Lost

QEH

Won by 6 wickets

Lost

Lost

Lost

Won

CUP MATCHES Round 1

Lost v Beechen Cliff

Round 2

Won v Prior Park

Semi-Final Final

Lost v Beechen

Bristol Met conceded

Won v Monkton

Lost v Clifton Coll.

Won v Backwell Won v Colston’s Lost v Clifton

Lost v Beechen

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FOOTBALL This season was the most successful football season the School has had for many years, possibly ever.

W

e fielded a 1st and 2nd team for all of our fixtures and only lost two matches. The 2nd team took two victories, a draw and one loss from their four games. As the season progressed the standard of football really improved and the side completed the season with a resounding victory over Wycliffe.

Tom Walker did a very good job in goal and the defence had a good mix of pace and solidity supplied

by Joe Crosby and Harry Jones with a slightly more uncompromising style in the centre from Casper Bruhn-Parry and Stephen King.

Louis March-Smith and Johnny Sedcole provided some good composure in the midfield with Oscar Kenyon playing the Beckham role on the right of the pitch.

Maxim Lanez, a skilful player,

finished the season with two very strong performances. He was well supported up front by Will Craig and Keyan Roubaie who both spent time in and out of the 1st team.

The 1st team carried on where they left off at the end of last year. After finishing the 2018 season with a 3-1 win against Dauntsey’s, they went on to win all of their matches this season, becoming more and more confident with each game. The strike force of Joe Partridge and Sam Hill proved a handful for each team we played and their return of 11 goals was excellent with Joe just pipping Sam to the golden boot with 6 goals. One of the characteristics of the 1st team was their ability to work for each other and this, coupled with a well organised defence, meant all of our opponents

found it difficult to score. If they did get past the defence, the ever reliable Jacob Lane was in goal and without doubt he proved himself to be one of the best goalkeepers on the circuit. Will Jeffery was solid in the midfield and worked well with the creative play of Ollie Lester who also bagged himself a couple of goals this season. Other mentions must go to Gustav AsamoahBondzie who always looked calm under pressure in defence. The football team says goodbye to a number of players who have played more than one season for the 1st team including the Year 13 players previously mentioned and the Jack’s, Hau and Brain, Hal Norman and Joint Captains Fin Crowe and Harry Leakey, who it was great to have playing after fully recovering from such a bad injury last year.

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

BOYS’ TENNIS 1 VI CAPTAIN: Joe Partridge | 1 VI VICE-CAPTAIN: Johnny Sedcole ST

ST

SEASON OVERVIEW

T

he Senior Boys’ tennis teams enjoyed great success with the 1st team going undefeated all season and the 2nd team losing just one fixture. There has again been a lot of young talent on show. Year 7 pupil Sam Nash had a very good season, becoming a force at the net with strong ground strokes. In Year 8, Ollie Brown, a hugely talented player, was able to contribute to the 1st team success thanks, in part, to his exquisite single-handed backhand. Other younger stand-out players have been Year 9 pupils Ollie Williams and Kit Marrack. Vladislav Rozhkov and Louis Record continue to form a formidable partnership and Vladislav played once for the 1st team. Sam Nash was awarded the title Most Improved Junior Player.

Year 10 was a rich pool of tennis talent with Xavier Gadras, Zach Hale, Fergus Matthews, Jim McAllister and Alex Sedcole all featuring in winning Senior and U15 teams.

The 2nd team once again produced a solid season, losing only one game on a championship tiebreak. In addition to those mentioned already, Fin Paul and Harvey Brooks frequently picked up two out of three wins. Tim Green and Max Mohr formed a reliable pairing and helped the team to win against Prior Park and Dauntsey’s. Hopefully we will see more of Will Flemington-Clare in 2020.

It is quite hard to put into words how much Matt Cheung and Gabriel Montefiore-Vita had improved since the previous year. Peripheral 1st team squad players then, the pair stepped up in 2019 to become a force to be reckoned with across the circuit, beating every 3rd pair, all but one 2nd pair and even claiming victories against some strong 1st pairs, such as against Monkton where they won 6-4. Matt’s fierce first serve puts the opponents on the back

COLOURS & AWARDS COLTS COLOURS: Cameron Crowhurst HALF COLOURS: Matt Cheung, Gabriel Montefiore-Vita FULL COLOURS: Joe Partridge, Johnny Sedcole MOST IMPROVED JUNIOR PLAYER: Sam Nash MOST IMPROVED SENIOR PLAYER: Gabriel Montefiore-Vita

foot and Gabriel helps with the majority of the athleticism needed in the partnership and has a great eye for interceptions.

These two players richly deserved their Half Colours. Gabriel also received the Most Improved Senior Player Award.

Cameron Crowhurst had yet another strong season in the 1st team, armed with a great kick serve. He formed a dependable partnership with Zach Wheelhouse Steel and they ensured crucial points helping us clinch our unbeaten season. Cameron was rightly awarded Colts Colours. Zach has enjoyed two good seasons in the 1st team and I hope he will continue to enjoy playing competitive tennis.

I had the pleasure of partnering Johnny Sedcole this season and we managed to not drop a set all season! I would like to thank all those who represented the School and all the staff involved. I hope future 1st teams can also go undefeated.

Joe Partridge (Captain) JOHNNY SEDCOLE WRITES: Joe has been in the 1st team squad since Year 7 and I feel honoured to have been just a small part of his Kingswood tennis journey. Joe told me at the start of the season that he was determined to not only have an unbeaten season, but be an unbeaten pair with me. Thankfully, we managed this feat despite being 5-1 down against the star-studded Wycliffe 1st pair. His advice in that game was invaluable. It is no coincidence that when this man is Captain, the Kingswood 1st team obtains their first unbeaten season on recent record. His backhand is one of the strongest assets to his game, and his serve is unreturnable when he’s in the mood!

Joe Partridge and Johnny Sedcole both received Full Colours.

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GIRLS’ TENNIS As ever, the tennis season provided some great highlights.

1ST VI CAPTAIN: Izzy Jolliffe | 1ST VI VICE-CAPTAIN: Amber Rees-Jones

JUNIORS

F

or the Year 7s, Amy Robinson won player of the season in the A team for being the outstanding server, and in the B team Gracie Weston won for her great aggression at the net. In Year 8, Holly Robinson won for her excellent ball placement, and Imogen Hall for her evident athleticism on court in the B team.

In the U14s Charlie Hollywood’s fierce competitiveness gained her player of the season, and in the B team, Olivia Websper won for her great consistency. In the U15s, Annie Davis earned player of the season for her excellent first serve, and Thea Bailey for her powerful and accurate ground strokes. Thea also won Most Improved Player, whilst Rose Bates won the Bleathman Trophy for her thoughtfulness, court craft, and for always encouraging fair play.

...the 1st team achieved a win rate of over 50%.

SENIORS This year we started our pre-season training in February at Lansdown, and many of us attended an intense and very enjoyable training camp at Basingstoke in March to set us up strongly for the season. Owing to cancellations, poor weather and some teams not wanting to play us because of our tough reputation, we were disappointed not to have had more matches to prove our talent.

Nonetheless, the enjoyment of training, playing and improvement seen in match play was evident.

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

COLOURS & AWARDS COLTS COLOURS: Lottie Davis, Darina Kravchenko, Beth Harris, Iris Marrack, Evelyn Kerr, Charlotte Houghton HALF COLOURS: Sophie Garcia, Lily Landman, Tash Burke FULL COLOURS: Izzy Jolliffe, Amber Rees-Jones, Alice O’Gorman

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Thea Bailey Lucy Tonge and Hatty Mohr were crucial to the success of the 3rd and 4th teams respectively. The hallmark of Hatty’s play is her consistency and she gained player of the season, and Lucy’s spirit and determination earned her most improved player. This year we were lucky to have had a very strong contingent of Year 11s join the Senior sides. Emma Rouffiac made great improvements playing for the 4th VI and Beth Harris and Evelyn Kerr were the clear players of the season in the 3rd VI. The 2nd VI certainly had the most depth as a team, many of them pushing for 1st team places throughout the season. Holly Harris, Emily Becconsall and Charlotte Houghton all stood out, and Lily Landman and Sophie Garcia finished their seven year-long partnership with another strong season. However, Emily Vaughan and Charlotte Scruton’s consistency appeared second to none this year, winning them the best pairing for the 2nd VI, with Iris Marrack earning the most improved player.

This year the 1st team only had a handful of matches, but after a surprising victory against Bryanston, we did achieve a win rate of over 50%. Playing with Darina this year was a real joy. Darina’s power is her best asset, and her positive nature was very calming on the court.

Moving on to the 1st team leavers, it was a pleasure to play with these three girls for another year.

Tasha Burke has loads of powerful

weapons under her belt, and her forehand usually does look like something out of a textbook. Her positive attitude makes training much more enjoyable, yet she has a great ability to step up her intensity in match play. Having played with Alice O’Gorman for four years over our Kingswood careers, it is safe to say that she has considerably developed as a tennis player through the years.

Alice is the most consistently powerful player on the team, and since learning how to hit a backhand stroke, she has become one of the most well-rounded too. Finally, Amber Rees-Jones was a great Vice-captain to me this year and, despite it being her third year in the 1st team, Amber continued to develop as a tennis player this season. Her serve is often mistaken for a bullet, and having been hit by many of them from behind, I can see why our opponents always looked terrified to play her. I have every confidence Amber will be able to take her tennis far in the future.

Being my absolute favourite sport, tennis has been such a great part of my school life at Kingswood, and it has been a complete honour to captain the 1st team this year. I would like to thank all of the staff who worked tirelessly to train us. I’d also like to wish all of the girls every success in the tennis seasons to come, and the best of luck to any leavers continuing their tennis.

Izzy Jolliffe (Captain)

THE BLEATHMAN TROPHY: Rose Bates

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Captains Past and Present – Livia Gauntlett (2016) and Lizzie White (2019)

ATHLETICS

BOYS’ CAPTAIN: Nick Baines GIRLS’ CAPTAIN: Lizzie White

The following round-up is adapted from the end of term speeches given by Captains Lizzie White and Nick Baines.

JUNIORS The Junior Girls were immensely enthusiastic both at meets and at training, week in and week out.

Grace Horswell led the team by example and qualified for counties in the 800m and Georgie Thompson was the most improved athlete across all her events. Finally, Alice Wilson in Year 8 not only broke three School records this season but also qualified for English Schools for her long jump and impressed at Sports Day, breaking another three Sports Day records!

The Junior Boys were especially strong this year with some of them winning their events on a weekly basis. Due to their team spirit, they were able to grow as a team, which allowed them to bring the best out of each other in both training and in competitions. Special mention goes to Freddie Cooper who was excellent in the middle distance and Thomas Shakespeare for his efforts in his sprint work and jumps.

INTERS The Inter Girls were also very

successful and the participation from the Year 10s was second to none. Noticeable performers included newcomer Zoe Bigland who impressed with her speed and Edie Morris who qualified for Counties in her throwing events.

Despite injury this season, Imogen Leakey also qualified for English Schools and Ellie Webster qualified for Regionals.

The Inter Boys continued to excel this year. Yet again they worked together as a team to help each other improve on and off the track.

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

They always did their best in training and after-school sessions which were available this year. Even through their GCSEs this year they continued to train and compete, showing their dedication to the team. Harry Maskell and Tomiwo Owoseje’s support was greatly valued by the team. In Year 10, Frankie Carey and Liam Toner were excellent additions to the team, both showing their ability in the middle distance and sprints. A special mention goes to Ben Cox and Callum Chamberlain who both competed at county level.

It was an interesting season for the Senior Boys with ups and downs in the level of turn outs. In respect of this, everyone who competed did so to the best of their ability. Noah Small was excellent in the 800m and 1500m, being able to achieve wins in both events this season and Bert Nokes’ confidence enabled him to break PBs near the end of the season.

Vice-captain, Matt Vaughan, worked hard in training this season. I am thankful for Matt’s help in organising the team each week and am looking forward to our final season together.

SENIORS

Nick Baines was an incredible Captain and leader throughout the whole season. Despite injury, he didn’t miss one meet and he was always supportive of everyone and went from strength to strength.

The Senior Girls, despite being a select few, also saw a lot of success throughout the season. Jasmin and Miya Cameron never failed to succeed in whatever event they participated in and their dedication to training and fixtures was second to none, positively supported by a group of Lower Sixth athletes.

Lizzie White has played a pivotal role in the Athletics team since she joined in Year 7. She worked her way through the school records, currently holding

CLUB COLOURS COLTS COLOURS: Imogen Leakey, Ellie Webster, Callum Chamberlain HALF COLOURS: Nick Baines

the 1500m record and 3000m Inter Girls record, and the 1500m Senior Girls record. She led by example by continuously training even when she didn’t need to be in school, showing her dedication to the team.

It was amazing to see so many Juniors taking part every week, enjoying being part of the team and being dedicated to all types of training. It was a privilege to Captain the Athletics team this year.

Nick Baines and Lizzie White (Captains)

SPORTS DAY

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SWIMMING

The following is taken from the swimming Captains’ end-of-season speech given to the school

The 2019 swimming season has been a memorable one across all age groups.

BOYS’ CAPTAIN: Lucas Lawman | GIRLS’ CAPTAIN: Emily Becconsall

S IS FOR SWIMMING As a swimming team we competed in 8 swimming galas, 66 training sessions, 2 house galas and a sponsored swim.

W IS FOR WINS There were multiple successes for each team at different galas, however, the U16 girls deserve a mention for their 71% win rate across the season. A mention should also go to the teams who competed in the National Swimming Relays. This is one of the most competitive events in the country where we compete against schools like Millfield, Plymouth College and Mount Kelly School. The Senior boys came 10th in the Freestyle Relay and 11th in the Medley Relay, the Junior boys came 13th overall and the Intermediate boys were 10th overall.

The Junior and Intermediate girls were also both in the top 20.

I IS FOR INDIVIDUALS Across a large number of galas there were some stand out performances across the age groups.

Lucas Lawman had an amazing season where he remains unbeaten in all galas. For the boys, Nick Baines, Marcus Brend, Ted Nightingale, William Wong, Freddie Baker, Will Connors and Will Shardlow deserve a special mention for winning

individual races. Winning girls include: Ana Fox, Minnie Nightingale, Nina Brain, Maisie Ewing, Abi Coppard, Ellie Duke, Rose Betts and Charlie Hollywood. A special mention should go to Georgie Thompson and Dan Adams for their multiple wins in 2 or more strokes and for swimming in the Open Team even though they are only in Year 9.

M IS FOR MEDALS Lucas Lawman not only helped out with the swim training each week, contributing to outstanding achievements for the swimming team, but he has also been competing in the Welsh Swimming Nationals.

He won Golds in both the 200m and 400m IM, and also in the 200m Backstroke and 200m Breaststroke.

Abi Coppard in Year 7 competed in galas at Western Super Mare and won 3 Gold medals in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke, and the 4 x 50m Medley Relay.

M IS FOR MONEY RAISED Many swimmers took part in the annual sponsored swim, raising £630 in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

A special mention should go to Max Slater, Tayo Sawyerr, Dan Adams, Ted and Minnie Nightingale, Ellie Duke and Georgie Thompson who all completed over 200 lengths. A further

mention should go to Abi Coppard who swam 270 lengths, which is equivalent to 3 miles, despite being one of the youngest swimmers on the day.

I IS FOR INTERACTION It was amazing to see the interaction between all of the age groups across the years with a number of pupils swimming in age groups well above their actual age.

It is the only sport where a team can consist of pupils from Year 7 right the way to the Upper Sixth.

N IS FOR NEW RECORDS The Kingswood Swimming Club has its very own Michael Phelps, with Lucas Lawman smashing two records this year in the IM and Fly to add to his Breaststroke record from last year.

G IS FOR GOODBYES This year we will sadly be losing 3 Upper Sixths. Ana Fox has been swimming at Kingswood for 7 years.

She has been a strong Breaststroker, often getting wins for her individual races and pushing ahead in the Relay to improve our position. Julia Reid was new to the Sixth Form where she has been a great addition to the swim team, attending regular training sessions and multiple galas where she has always had strong performances; we will miss her bubbly and happy personality where she is always cheering everyone up. Emily Becconsall will also be leaving this year. Despite not being the official Captain until late in the Summer term, she has always shown great leadership for the team.

She has always been a great role model for the whole team as well as a friend to each of us so I’m sure that everyone will agree when I say that we will miss her next year.

Emily Becconsall and Lucas Lawman (Captains)

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

COLOURS & CLUB AWARDS COLTS COLOURS: Nina Brain, Marcus Brend, Tom Connors, Tayo Sawyerr HALF COLOURS:

Emily Becconsall, Menina Nightingale

FULL COLOURS:

Lucas Lawman and Ana Fox. Both have played integral parts in the squad’s success throughout their time at Kingswood.

TENCH CUP (awarded to the most successful school swimmers) This year’s contenders included: Abi Coppard, in Year 7, who represented the U13, U16 and Open teams at various time during the year and competed in all strokes. Georgie Thompson and Dan Adams, both in Year 9, competed for the U15, U16 and Open teams throughout the year. Georgie was unbeaten in the IM and Freestyle at U16 level and Dan was unbeaten in both Backstroke and Freestyle at U16 level.

However this year, the award went to the Boys’ Captain, Lucas Lawman. He was the stand out swimmer at all galas and was unbeaten in the Individual Medley, Breaststroke and Fly. He holds the school record for all three events and has also had considerable success at Regional level.

MOST IMPROVED SWIMMER CUP Max Slater in Year 7 worked very hard throughout the year attending Early Morning Swimming, Team Swim and Westwood Swimming activity. He improved his times considerably over the year and also completed 200 lengths at the sponsored swim.

U16 Girls

U16 Boys

Open Boys

Lost

Lost

to the person who has made the greatest contribution to Kingswood swimming) This year it was awarded to the Girls’ Captain, Emily Becconsall, who was a fantastic role model for the younger swimmers. She trained hard throughout the year and was always prepared to swim any stroke without complaint.

She really looked after the Juniors poolside, accompanying them to the start of races and this kindness was commented on by coaches from other schools.

U13 Girls

U13 Boys

U15 Girls

U15 Boys

Prior Park

Won

Won

Won

Won

Dauntsey’s (June)

Lost

Lost

Won

Won

Marlborough (Nov)

Open Girls

BERESFORD SHIELD (awarded

Lost

Won

Won

Won

Lost

Won

Dauntsey’s (Jan)

Lost

Won

Won

Won

Sherborne

Won

Lost

Lost

Won

Lost

Lost

Won

Drew

Cheltenham (Nov) Dauntsey’s (Nov)

Marlborough

Won

Lost

Blundell’s

Won

Lost

Taunton

Lost

Lost

Lost

Lost

Marlborough

Won

Lost

Lost

Lost

Clayesmore

Winchester

Lost

Won

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This year has seen the Athletic Development programme expand at a greater rate than ever before.

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his is in part due to the first cohort of pupils progressing from our three-year Movement Literacy programme and integrating into the strength and conditioning (S&C) clubs, but also due to the more diverse physical activity opportunities on offer at Kingswood.

ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT

As the interest in physical activity and healthy lifestyles increases, at Kingswood we are constantly adapting to meet the demands and exciting challenges that this brings. The S&C clubs have become open to all pupils at lunchtime and after school, and both the Weight Room and Studio (and the passages in-between them!), have been packed with pupils enjoying their personal health and fitness journey. With space becoming a serious limiting factor for the programme, this year has also seen the launch of a new and exciting development initiative, The Kingswood Sport & Wellbeing Hub. ‘The Hub’ will provide Kingswood with the appropriate facilities to support our diverse and thriving physical activity offering, right in the centre of the campus. It is hoped that we will soon have obtained the funding to begin work on this encouraging project.

The past year has seen numerous positive and inspiring stories emerge from within the Athletic Development programme. Stories of struggle, resilience, highs and lows. The environment is what it needs to be to meet the needs of the pupils. We have enhanced the performance of pupils competing at a national and international level, whilst at the same time supported those who have their own personal goals and ambitions. Physical activity within this positive and supportive environment has also had a remarkably positive effect on the mental health and wellbeing of our pupils.

It is hoped that with the Kingswood Sport & Wellbeing Hub, these great stories of personal growth and development will be extended to even more pupils.

My thanks must go to all of the pupils who have been a part of our ‘family’ this year. Each one of them plays a crucial role in ensuring that our high standards are maintained, that every member is supported, and that ultimately we are “being better people who inspire others”.

Mr Digby Webb (Athletic Development Co-ordinator)

SPORT | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

EQUESTRIAN 2018/19 This year proved to be one of transition for the Kingswood Equestrian team.

Naomi Waheed

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ith senior members, such as Charlotte Hall, finding less time to compete with GCSEs looming and others (Will Connors, Naomi Waheed and Rose Betts, in particular) beginning careers on new horses, we were delighted in September to welcome Junior members to the squad: Lily Langley, Iona Stokes, Phoebe Hill and Honor Sokell-Thompson. Honor was the sole representative for the School on two occasions for show jumping, delivering creditable performances, especially at the hugely popular Dauntsey’s School Event at West Wilts Equestrian Centre. The Junior team then went on to represent the School at the Eventers Challenge competition, finishing in team seventh position in the 70/5cm class.

The squad continued to compete during the Easter holidays with Lily, Honor and Naomi representing their Pony Club teams at the Beaufort Pony Club One Day event at Shipton Moyne. Lily won her PCs prize for best dressage and Honor’s team came 6th. Honor was then part of a winning PC team at the Avon Vale PC Eventers Challenge competition, also finishing in 9th place individually.

The Equestrian team were also extremely lucky to have two training sessions over the Easter holidays.

The first was taken by Freddie (Olivia) Taylor (Née Best), a Kingswood School Alumni who now rides professionally as well as breeding Event horses. The second was a Cross Country session taken by Jason Ferguson (Rory’s Dad), also an extremely talented Event Rider.

Phoebe was also selected to represent Somerset in the ICC at Bicton Arena. Phoebe was part of a very small team that thoroughly enjoyed their riding and camping.

Also in May, while the Senior members were revising, or taking part in the D of E expedition, Phoebe, Lily and Honor competed at the Stonar School ISODE competition. This was the first time for Phoebe, who put in a very creditable performance.

Lily won her 70cm section and Honor was placed 8th in her 80cm section.

Over the summer holidays, the Equestrian team members continued to represent their PCs and RCs in many events. Ponies were outgrown and new ones were welcomed. Liv Patterson narrowly missed out in qualifying again for the PC National Championships on both her horses and enjoyed the South West Under 18 training camp, as well as a win at BE100 level. Liv rounded off her season with a team second at the prestigious Blenheim Horse Trials Eventers challenge, only 0.36 marks behind the winning team.

As always, thanks go to the team members and their parents for contributing to the successes.

Mrs Kate Patterson (Kingswood Parent and Equestrian Co-ordinator) Phoebe Hill

Junior Team placed 7th in the Eventers Challenge Competition

Liv Patterson

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SPORTS TOUR 2019 SOUTH AFRICA

The following article is a combination of two reports written by Darcy van Gerwen and Martha Brain

In August 2019, 75 pupils and staff arrived at Kingswood for their departure to South Africa for 18 days.

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fter an overnight flight to Johannesburg and then an onward flight to Port Elizabeth, we had a short coach journey which took us to Kingswood College in Grahamstown. We were warmly welcomed by the pupils and staff and hosted for 4 nights here which included our first tour matches against strong Kingswood College teams celebrating their 125th anniversary. On the final evening, all the tourists and Kingswood College pupils who played in the matches joined together in the ‘The Wyvern’ to celebrate Kingswood College’s anniversary and presentations were made by the respective Headmasters to commemorate the occasion.

On the fifth day the girls played against The Diocesan School of Girls, whilst the boys played St Andrews. Both these schools were renowned for their sport and provided tough opposition in front of large numbers of supporting school children. Although the home sides were victorious these matches were one of the highlights for the level of performance we achieved against the South African sides. On leaving Grahamstown, we travelled

to Knysna, where the girls stayed at Knysna Log Inn and the boys at the Knysna River lodge for two nights. One of many highlights from the tour was our visit to Knysna Elephant Park where we were able to see elephants up close and feed them. All the tourists also enjoyed a river boat cruise around the Knysna bay with some stunning sunset views across the bay and a delicious meal on board the boat.

During our time in Knysna we had our third fixtures against local opposition. The girls played Oakhill and the boys travelled further out to play Langenhoven Gymnasium

in Oudtshoorn. These proved very closely fought matches and the boys were disappointed to lose narrowly in the last few minutes of a game they had been leading for the most part. On Day 8, we headed to the famous Mossel Bay and most of the tourists enjoyed some time swimming in the Indian Ocean.

Our next accommodation was a one night stay at the Garden Route Game Lodge, which had amazing views of scenery from the chalets.

Here, we had two game drives, one in the evening when we arrived and the other the following morning at 6:30am. This was another highlight of the tour where most of us saw the ‘Big 5’, close encounters with rhinos and cheetahs being particularly memorable. Afterwards, we headed to the Protea Hotel in George Outeniqua for two nights. Whilst here we had a tour of the Cango Caves which were a vast network of enormous caverns set in the mountainside. This was followed by a visit to an Ostrich Farm where we fed them, and the lucky few had the chance to receive a ‘neck massage’ from the ostriches. During our time in George we visited two more famous beaches where we trained

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

and swam again. The two nights here went quickly and before we knew it we were on our way to Goedgedacht Farm Trust where we learnt about the ‘Path to Prosperity’. This community programme seeks to transform rural communities by offering children the opportunity to have an education and develop leadership skills. We played with their youngest children in the nursery and loved singing and dancing with all of them. In the afternoon the boys played a friendly game of rugby against some local boys whilst the girls enjoyed a couple of games of netball against one of Goedgedahct Farm’s connected schools.

After Goedgedacht on Day 13, came the time we had all been waiting for, the departure to Cape Town. Firstly, we all hiked up Table Mountain expecting breath-taking views at the top, however, the famous ‘table-cloth’ cloud cover prevented this, although the views from just below the cloud line were breathtaking. From here, the girls travelled to Reddam House School whilst the boys went to Paarl Boys High School, which was where we were introduced to our billets who we stayed with for two nights. This was an opportunity to live with a South African family and create long lasting friendships with local families. The girls won both their matches against Reddam but the boys were outplayed by one of the strongest schoolboy sides in South Africa. Despite this, both sides came away with credit and enjoyed the hospitality of the Paarl parents.

The next day we said our goodbyes to our billets and travelled to Hout Bay for a 45-minute boat cruise to Duiker Island to take in the scenery of the famous Chapmans Peak drive and the sentinel mountain. We also saw huge numbers of seals basking in the waves around the peak. We visited the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve for a one-way funicular ride to Cape Point to see where the two oceans meet and then went to the Penguin Colony at Boulders Beach where we saw African penguins in their natural habitat.

The final stage of the tour saw the boys and girls come back together to stay in the Breakwater Lodge for the final two nights. We all enjoyed having some leisure time at the Waterfront to do some shopping. On the first morning in Cape Town, we took a ferry to Robben Island where we enjoyed a guided tour of the prison and the island from a former inmate who was in the prison at the same time as Nelson Mandela.

In the afternoon the girls had their final hockey match of the tour against Springfield Convent School which the 1st team won again to finish successfully. The boys played Masiphumelele RFC which proved another highlight with talented boys from two different townships coming together to provide strong opposition. Both Kingswood teams emerged victorious from these matches but it was the opportunity to mix with very diverse cultures which provided the memories. We finished the penultimate day with a lively evening meal at the Gold Restaurant full of South African culture, such as food, dancing, singing, and face-painting to encapsulate all memories made from the trip. On the 17th day of the tour we headed to Cape Town airport for our journey back, exhausted from an incredibly busy, but enormously memorable trip. We played 11 rugby matches, 10 hockey matches and 2 netball games and, in between, crammed as much sightseeing of the local highlights as possible. The tour was a once in a lifetime experience and provided all the tourists with memories which will last forever.

Thank you to the staff who accompanied the tour and helped make it the trip of a lifetime.

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INDIA 2019 “Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more.” Tony Robbins.

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n July 7th, 19 students and 4 staff travelled over 4,000 miles from Bath to India, landing in Amritsar in the early hours of the morning. The inescapable levels of humidity and a 32 degree heat at 02:00 struck us immediately, as did the unfamiliar landscapes, sights and smells encountered on the drive north-eastwards to Dharamshala. Being home to His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile, the auspiciousness of Dharamshala blanketed our arrival immediately, with students and staff feeling a tangible sense of inclusion and togetherness. Such feelings were aided by stunning views from our accommodation, which overlooked the Kangra Valley. Here, the grandeur of the Himalayan foothills, set against the humble lowlands, set the tone. This trip was life’s gift to us; the privilege, opportunities and responsibilities were soon to follow.

Our time in Dharamshala began with some much needed rest and recuperation, but not at the expense of an obligatory trip to the McCleod Ganj (upper district) high street and marketplace. With shops and stalls lining the streets – set to the perennial noises of car horns and dog barking – and donning a full range of authentic, handcrafted

artefacts and clothing, it was a splendid introduction to life in this spiritually charged and diverse place. Whether Hindu or Buddhist in form, or Kashmiri, Indian or Tibetan in style, there was so much for everyone to admire.

The week’s itinerary was one packed with spiritual, cultural and recreational activities, immersing us all in our Indian experience. Tibetan religion, culture, history and identity was our focus when visiting the Tibetan Children’s Village, a school for Tibetan orphans and refugees; the Tibet Museum; the Tibetan Parliament; The Norbulingka Institute, where residents actively preserve Tibetan arts and crafts; Dolls 4 Tibet, a women’s cooperative imbuing workers with a sense of place and purpose; a visit to the Activist Group Students for a Free Tibet; a half-day at a local Nunnery; and a reflective Kora and tour around the Dalai Lama’s Temple. Across these opportunities, students and staff were intrigued by the

India 2019... was an experience that was to leave an indelible mark in the minds and hearts of all those who made the journey. interplay of passion, politics and preservation of identity. We came to deeply appreciate the story of a people in exile, who sought – amidst history and adversity – a resurgent happiness, tinged by the promise of future reinstatement to their homeland. One afternoon, we all enjoyed a talk from a Tibetan Refugee, who offered further insight into some of the historical and contemporary struggles faced by Tibetans. Admirably, our speaker sought solace through education and later, poetry, which we were all privileged to receive a rendition of. Seldom do words of such depth and meaning fail to inspire; his audience’s attention was absolute.

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

Our stay in Dharamshala became all the more poignant when privilege married opportunity once again.

Firstly, we were all provided with a rare opportunity for a personal audience with Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche II, a reincarnation of the great Tibetan Buddhist Master Tsenzhab Serkong Rinpoche of the Gelug tradition. Following our arrival at his residence, and upon offering the traditional Khata scarves, each of us were blessed and invited to partake in a fascinating audience, exploring issues including the importance and responsibility of exercising daily wisdom and compassion, to exploring the Buddhist philosophies of rebirth and dependent arising.

Given that Serkong Rinpoche’s flight to the USA had been voluntarily postponed by several days, we could not have been more grateful. To add to our wonderful good fortune, on Day 4, we received an invitation from His Holiness The XIVth Dalai Lama’s Secretary to attend a personal audience. The euphoria when announced on the preceding evening was profound, as was the visit itself. After nearly an hour of pensive waiting, His Holiness greeted us with warmth and gentility, going on to speak at length about his vision for a world built on compassion and love and a model of education that merged ancient Eastern practices with contemporary Western insights.

He also spoke about secular ethics, the pursuit of equality and a relentless commitment to promoting social justice and respect for all.

Following His Holiness’s address, we fully embraced the Q&A and photo opportunities. In narrating these events, the surrealism of what happened still abounds.

The pursuit of social justice and equality was also highlighted when we spent two half-days helping to renovate local schools, meeting the children and staff there, for whom life and its prospects centred around these buildings. Amidst all experiences, we also enjoyed daily Yoga, Henna painting, a Bollywood dancing workshop and a provocative visit to The Peepal Organic Farm and Animal Sanctuary in the Kangra Valley. Savouring a gorgeous array

of cuisine and snacks throughout our time in Dharamshala only added to the figurative and factual flavour of this vibrant country. If ever life was to grace us with a gift and the invitation to become more, our time in Dharamshala was it.

to be a very positive testament to Islam as a religion of peace, love and compassion. The penultimate activity of the trip was a day outing to Agra, the home of the worldfamous Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.

It was a great privilege to experience such iconic wonders that relatively few can enjoy in a lifetime. The trip then concluded with a visit to The Love Care Foundation, an NGO that sponsors slum-dwelling children through their schooling, empowering them to break the cycle of poverty that defines their everyday lives. A visit to both the schools and slums was humbling but also inspiring in equal measure.

For the second leg of our journey, we travelled to the spiritual landmark city of Amritsar, home to the world famous Golden Temple, the heart of the Sikh faith. After an overnight stay in exotic and amenably air conditioned guesthouses, we set out to experience this majestic site.

As well as receiving a tour of the inner and outer temple, students and staff enjoyed the opportunity to help prepare Chapatis for over 10,000 daily visitors, and experience spiritual leaders reciting scriptures to pilgrims and other devotees.

Despite the expected congestion, the spiritual charge and solemnity was tangible. With our tour set against the backdrop of loudspeaker recitations, it was a powerful experience.

India 2019 was the trip of a lifetime.

It was an experience that was to leave an indelible mark in the minds and hearts of all those who made the journey. Closing thoughts are best expressed through the words of Anthony Bourdain, who once said:

Our final leg took us to the nation’s capital: Delhi. Enjoying the benefits of an excellent hotel, our time here comprised a walking tour of Old Delhi; a visit to the Masjid e Jahan Numa; and a thought provoking address from a de-radicalised Sufi Muslim, who now works at home and abroad to deradicalise vulnerable people – he was found

“The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you.

Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”

Mr Matthew Thatcher (Head of RPE)

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ICELAND 2018

Every two years the Geography department take their GCSE students to explore the wild and untamed landscape of Iceland.

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pon first appearances, it is a desolate place – dark, bleak and foreboding, with a landscape that has a Mordor-like feel to it. However, we were here to explore new landscapes and cultures different to our own, and we were not disappointed! We were met by our tour guide, Arnie, who ensured that we did everything on our itinerary and a lot more whilst sharing his stories and legends with the group on our journey.

After the students settled into their remote log cabins that were to be our home for the next three nights, we set off to explore the landscape which Iceland is famous for. The first day was a selection of waterfalls, each more spectacular and grand than the last, and a hike to a glacier which we were told was retreating at an alarming rate. We then visited Reynisfjara, a volcanic beach with the classic basalt columns formed from intrusive lava cooling and even saw a seal bobbing about in the sea.

The second day took us to Gullfoss in gale force winds – many of us battled out of the coach to view this spectacular piece of fluvial scenery before retreating to the safety of the café! The spouting hot springs of Geysir were struggling to fire in

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

the cold weather but we are able to explore the solfataras and hot springs where the Earth’s crust is thin enough to allow the heat from the core to rise to the surface! This evening we were treated to a Viking themed meal which included dressing up as Vikings, axe throwing and some Viking stories. A real highlight of the trip this evening was standing huddled in our duvets watching the Northern Lights over our heads, an experience that none of us will forget.

On the final day, we went caving through lava tubes, formed by multiple volcanic eruptions with their famously low-viscosity lava.

The final afternoon was spent at a geothermally heated swimming pool where students could have a truly Icelandic bathing experience in the hot and cold baths before being treated to dinner with a local musician who serenaded us with some classic Icelandic (and not so Icelandic) songs.

Iceland’s landscape is truly unique and the Geography is unparalleled.

From getting soaking wet feet hunting for a hidden waterfall to trying to last more than 10 seconds in the freezing cold water at the swimming pool to watching the Northern Lights in the small hours of the morning, this was a truly unforgettable experience!

Bring on Iceland 2020!

Mr Tom Moat (Head of Geography)

Iceland’s landscape is truly unique and the Geography is unparalleled.

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DRAMA TRIP TO NEW YORK Over Easter, a group of 17 Drama students took a 4-night trip to New York accompanied by 3 Oldfield School pupils.

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hilst we were there, we watched 2 brilliant plays and had a chance to experience the shopping, food and culture of America’s “Big Apple”. We stayed in the Freehand Hotel, housed in the former George Washington Hotel, which gave us the experience of everyday life in New York and we went to a traditional American diner for breakfast where we could eat as many waffles and pancakes with bacon on as we liked… if you paid at the end. Our first afternoon found us having a 3-course meal at the Heartland Brewery, a delicious way to start off the trip. We then took the elevator up the Empire State Building where we saw a beautiful sunset from way up in the sky. It was quite cold, however!

The following day we took the ferry to Staten Island where we could get some incredible views of Lady Liberty. Some of us were then fortunate enough to pay a visit to the infamous Katz’s Delicatessen where we gorged on overflowing salt beef and pastrami on rye sandwiches, a few of us being brought to tears by the flavours. Following this, we walked to Ground Zero, the 9/11 memorial site, where we had a chance to walk around and get a

sense of the disaster that struck here.

It was a very powerful moment for all involved. Some of the students opted to go into the museum of the memorial where they learnt more about how the event happened and the scale of the destruction that ensued. We then had our dinner at the Bella Napoli Italian restaurant where we got to taste proper NYC pizza. Shortly after we went to see the first of our 2 performances, the Broadway production of Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice” in the Winter Garden Theatre. With outstanding lighting, sound and set design the students were simply blown away and found it quite hard to get to sleep afterwards with all the excitement in the air.

The following day we were up bright and early and apprehensive for the day ahead. We started off by getting some free time to explore Fifth Avenue and its wonderful shopping as well as exploring Central Park.

Following this, we went to Grand Central Station to look around and choose where we wanted to sit and have our lunch. After this, we went to see the second of our performances, the matinee showing of “Network” at the Belasco Theatre. As some of the pupils knew very well, Bryan Cranston was playing the main role

in this production so there was a lot of excitement to be contained. With amazing acting, lighting and set design, and audience interaction we were all left completely astonished and speechless. Having enjoyed it so much, a smaller group of students waited at the stage door to have their photos taken with Bryan Cranston - some very big smiles were seen!

After leaving the theatre exhausted from the intensity of “Network”, the group ate at Planet Hollywood’s diner where we had a very authentic and American experience. To finish off the evening we all went to Times Square to see its fabulous lights and atmosphere. This was the highlight of the trip for many of the students.

Falling asleep we stumbled back to the Freehand to get a good night’s sleep for our final day.

Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated we trooped off into the centre where we were allowed some more free time to either go shopping, climb to the top of the Rockefeller or have a tour of Radio City Hall. Having a chance to walk through and onto the stage of Radio City Hall was incredible.

Due to the genius architecture and design of the building, you could easily hear somebody talking on stage if you were sat right at the back. We were shown the enormous hydraulics underneath the stage and even got to meet one of the well-known Rockettes.

Having pushed New York to its limits we were finally ready to go home, sad that we couldn’t stay for one more slice of pizza. Overall, all the students and teachers involved had a brilliant time and couldn’t wait to go again.

Joe Bruce (Year 12)

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

...we were all left completely astonished and speechless.

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MUSIC TRIP TO HOLLAND In July, just as the Summer holiday was about to begin, the Music department embarked on the first concert tour in quite some years.

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e met on the Monday at the blisteringly early time of 4am, where we packed all of the instruments, kit and some of the surprisingly heavy bags onto the coach. The coach departed and we were on our way to The Netherlands! We headed to Dover to catch the ferry, then journeyed onwards to our hostel, the StayOkay in Soest, NL. We were all assigned to our rooms and then got straight to work rehearsing in the common area, preparing for the concerts ahead. After that, we retired to our comfy bunk-beds and rested after a fairly exhausting journey.

The next day, we were up bright and early for breakfast. The traditional Dutch breakfast is chocolate sprinkles on bread, which we discovered was a very interesting and satisfying experience. After that, we headed to the Museum Speelklok in Utrecht, where we discovered an array of quirky and cleverly-made self-playing instruments such as bells, organs, pianos and whole orchestras! After a walk around the town and some lunch, we moved west to Noordwijk, a seaside resort where we had time playing on the beach and sampled the local delicacy of Dutch pancakes for dinner. All I can say is that strawberry sauce does not belong on a bacon and cheese crêpe! We performed for the first time in Holland at The Buurtkerk

right in the town centre. The choirs, orchestra and string group filled the church with a huge variety of music, including Queen, Coldplay, Beethoven and Goodall! Our performance received a full standing ovation and we had time to meet with the locals and chat to them over refreshments at the end. We returned back to our hostel for some well-earned down time and rest.

On the following day, all awoke with joy and glee, for we were going to the theme park! Mr Barton, being a theme park connoisseur, tried all of the rides (but got stuck on some!) while we all had adventures of our own. For some, the two-hour long queues taught us a valuable lesson of patience. Nevertheless, we all had a magnificent time on some inverted, looping rides like Lost Gravity, some steep and almost vertical drops on the Goliath, and maybe an extremely dizzying, adrenalin-filled and speedy Condor.

The Dutch rain did little to dampen everyone’s spirits, and everyone had a fantastic day taking some time-out from all of the music making.

The next morning, we travelled to a traditional Dutch village

called Zaanse Schans, where we saw windmills and bought many souvenirs, and also tried many of the local foods, including flavoured cheese! We had a fine three-course meal at the restaurant before moving on to Volendam, a small harbour village with shops and cafes. There, waffles were consumed and snacks and dinner were bought.

Our second concert took place in the lovely Heilige Nicolaaskerk Church in Edam. The building sits on one of Edam’s famous canal streets and has a fantastic acoustic, making the music sound somewhat ethereal.

Our performance went smoothly and we were heavily congratulated by our audience and wished good luck for our next concert. Everyone was buoyed up by the fantastic reaction to the concert, and on the coach journey back the group’s knowledge of Queen was put to the test with a mass sing-along to their greatest hits – much to the coach driver’s pleasure!

We travelled in to Amsterdam for our last day in Holland and visited the historic Rijksmuseum. It was a wonderful experience and a very interesting trip, seeing the highlights

by The Netherlands’ most famous

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

artists including Rembrandt and Vermeer; we could have stayed there for hours! Our final performance was at the Muziekkopel (bandstand) in the Oosterpark. Just as we arrived the heavens opened, so setting up proved a little more tricky than usual!

Nevertheless, the rain brought a small but very cosy audience and a group of Dutch dancers for our Libertango.

We all appreciated the enthusiasm of the audience and everyone will forever remember that concert in the rain.

Typically, as we finished the sun came out just in time for a boat trip on the canals of Amsterdam. When we arrived back at Soest, we played some final point-gaining games, including the longest chain of objects a team can make. We retired to our rooms for the last time.

The next day was a travelling day but with a quick pit stop visit to Ypres in Belgium where we had ice cream and bought Belgian chocolate, before heading to Calais to catch the ferry.

All in all, the trip was a resounding success and a perfect way to end a great year for the Music department!

Jago Neech (Year 8)

...the trip was a resounding success and a perfect way to end a great year for the Music department!

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SKI TRIP On the first Saturday of the Easter holiday, 31 pupils from Years 7, 8 and 9 travelled from Bristol to the French Alps for a week of sunshine and skiing.

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njoying fantastic snow conditions, expert guidance from the ESF instructors and a very comfortable stay in resort, it was a highly successful week for all.

The pupils made the best of their five hours of ski lessons per day and all three groups (beginner, intermediate and experienced) made significant improvement in their skiing. We enjoyed evening entertainment in resort, ranging from watching ice hockey training, scaling the high ropes at ‘Invertigo’ and sledging, to making and eating crepes in the hotel. We all came home suitably exhausted from the mountain air but mercifully injury free!

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

YEAR 9 HISTORY TRIP TO WW1 BATTLEFIELDS The first week of the Summer holiday saw 32 Year 9 students and 4 staff travel to Ypres to visit the First World War battlefields of Belgium and Northern France.

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he students were able to visit breath-taking cemeteries of white head stones, insightful museums, and trench complexes fought over during the conflicts, finishing off their trip by attending the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate. As well as this, there was time for bowling, a theme park, and much chocolate to be consumed.

For many, though, the most poignant moments of the trip were visiting the graves of three Old Kingswoodians who lost their lives on the Western Front, with the visit to Eric Heaton’s grave on the Somme particularly atmospheric, sited as it is amongst the farmer’s fields and swaying trees.

The students were all excellent company and impressed the staff with how much they learned over the week.

Mr Dan Darwin (Teacher of History and Politics)

...breath-taking cemeteries of white head stones...

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RHINELAND TRIP On Friday 19th October at 12.30am 44 pupils and 5 staff embarked on the overnight journey to start their Rhineland adventure in Cologne.

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fter a surprisingly smooth and peaceful journey, we stopped at Aqualand, allowing pupils to expend some energy and have fun in the various chutes and pools; thankfully, all of them resurfaced afterwards, refreshed and hungrier. Saturday was spent in sunny Cologne city; after a brief (accidental) detour to the toilets, we climbed the cathedral tower and had an informative and entertaining guided tour of the cathedral.

Following two rather leisurely treasure hunts, a lot of doughnuts, and a brisk walk along the Rhine, we enjoyed the tour and tastes of the Lindt Chocolate Museum.

On Sunday, the cool mist that chilled the air added a surreal feel to the hot chocolate and crazy golf

above the Rhine. This was followed by free time in Koblenz, as well as bowling and ice creams; for many students, it was their first time eating the famous Spaghettieis.

The final day saw us arriving so early in Bad Godesberg that we were impatiently waiting for the Haribo shop to open; purchases were safely stowed under the coach, as they would not have mixed well with rides at Phantasialand, the theme park where we spent the rest of the day. Its rides provoked much excitement and three staff got extremely wet!

Thanks to our driver, Dan, the return journey to the UK went even faster than anticipated; it was a welcome bonus, as everyone was now tired and ready for a rest.

...we were impatiently waiting for the Haribo shop to open...

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

GERMAN EXCHANGE In December, Mr Walker and Miss Witting accompanied 10 Kingswood German pupils to Muenster for the yearly exchange.

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fter a very long 9 hours of travelling on coach, plane and train we arrived in Muenster in the evening to be welcomed punctually by our German hosts. The first full day was spent in school enjoying a variety of lessons. Starting lessons at 7.50am was a bit of a cultural shock for our pupils but finishing at 2.00pm on some days is the compromise German pupils make! The weekend was spent with host families and this is the time that pupils get to experience the real culture of the country and practise their language in authentic circumstances.

On the Monday we visited a mining museum in Essen. The complex is massive and very impressive and was recently named a Unesco World Heritage site. The entire complex has either been perfectly preserved as it was when in full use or thoughtfully adapted for modern day use – for example, music concerts, museums, parkland etc. Following this, we spent a few hours at the Essen Christmas Market – this was the beginning of a week of bratwurst and pancakes for Mr Walker in particular!

The Tuesday was spent walking around the outer strasse of Muenster which really was beautiful although one must always be on the lookout for cyclists who clearly rule the roost when it comes to traffic in this city! We also spent some time in the city enjoying a wonderful Christmas market and more copious meat and sweet delights.

Our final full day saw us visit the science museum in Bremen. This proved very popular with the pupils who enjoyed activities such as cycling against winds of up to 80mph and volunteering to take part in a science show (Arthur Darwish proving particularly willing to volunteer!).

We then spent some time in the historic city centre which was very pretty and experienced another wonderful Christmas market.

...a week of bratwurst and pancakes

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SPANISH EXCHANGE Fourteen Spanish GCSE and A Level students departed for Spain on Thursday 18th October.

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hey were warmly greeted at Leonardo da Vinci School in Moralzalzal by their respective partners, and were extremely enthusiastic to accompany their exchanges to their lessons the following day.

During the weekend, the English students were treated by their host families with trips to Madrid, the local town Collado Villalba and one pupil was even lucky enough to go to a Madrid match in the Santiago BernabĂŠu Stadium. The following week, our pupils visited the scenic city of Segovia with its impressive aqueduct, the lively city of Madrid and the historic city of Toledo. On the last day, the pupils attended lessons and then visited the local Plaza de Torros.

All in all, the group fully appreciated the Spanish culture and found that their Spanish had also vastly improved.

They were warmly greeted at Leonardo da Vinci School...

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

FRENCH EXCHANGE

Over Easter, a small but highly enthusiastic group of 5 Year 10 pupils set off to spend a week with their exchange partners from the Lycée Saint Sernin in Toulouse.

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he group embraced the French way of life with huge enthusiasm speaking French to their partners and host families, experiencing lessons in a French school every morning, learning to bake chocolate macaroons with a professional chef, visiting the famous medieval fortress in Carcassonne as well as having breakfast in one of Toulouse’s most upmarket cafes ‘Café Bibent’. Students also spent time at the Cité de l’espace and Aeroscopia (Airbus Museum) and got to climb aboard a Concorde and try the flight simulator. The group and their French partners and teachers also went bowling followed by a 3 course meal on their last night in the “Ville rose”.

The group embraced the French way of life...

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OUTDOOR PURSUITS DUKE OF EDINBURGH The Duke of Edinburgh Award remains a staple part of the co-curricular life of the school and a huge number of students undertake awards at the three levels.

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his year we have had over 90 Year 10 students undertake the Bronze award, with a large proportion of these participating in the final two Qualifying Expeditions in June. Numbers have also been as healthy at Silver level with 36 Year 11 students going on the final Qualifying Expedition, while at Gold we finished the year with two groups completing their qualifying in the Summer and two groups completing back in October.

In order to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Award, the participants must complete three sections as well as the Expedition. The award is therefore a notable achievement and it is great that such a high proportion of students have continued with the scheme throughout the year.

Obtaining the award at all three

levels is a real achievement and participants gain so much from undertaking it. The pinnacle remains completing the Gold Award and it has been a particular privilege to see so many students do this. Emily Becconsall, Harriet Mohr, Chloe Rawlins, Georgette Wakefield and Lucy Tonge all made a special trip to Buckingham Palace towards the end of the Summer term to receive their Gold Award from HRH Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex as well as former international swimmer Mark Foster. Leo Osipovs and Zoey King also completed the Gold award by the end of the academic year and they will be collecting their awards from St James’ Palace in similar fashion.

BRONZE Kingswood runs two Bronze Qualifying Expeditions simultaneously in June, with the large number of Year 10 participants completing two days on either the Mendip Hills or the Forest of Dean.

The staff assessing and supervising the participants were impressed with the progress the participants had made and many of the students subsequently completed the award.

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

SILVER

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he Silver Qualifying Expedition represents a great way for the Year 11 students to celebrate the end of their public examinations and it was great to see so many doing so this year. The Expedition area is in the beautiful Exmoor National Park and groups are able to enjoy great views from Dunkery Beacon as well as looking out over the Bristol Channel. The routes are long and challenging but the groups did manage to secure some great camping spots and were able to pass this part of the award.

GOLD

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arly in the year, two groups were able to complete a Gold Duke of Edinburgh Qualifying Expedition in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales, whilst the remainder used this as their Practice Expedition. Then during the first week of the Summer holidays, 24 students undertook an expedition in the Lake District, with two groups using it as a Qualifying Expedition. The Cumbrian Fells of the Lake District represent a significant challenge but the groups are rewarded by some fantastic scenery and views. The groups were able to walk in the shadow of Scafell Pike on the first day and do some considerable climbing, whilst on other days they were able to enjoy the stunning landscapes of Langstraff Beck, Grisedale, Patterdale and lakeside camping on Ullswater. The two qualifying groups impressed the external assessor who wrote a glowing report on each of the participants and passed them all for this section of the award.

Thanks must go to the many staff that assisted with all of the expedition weekends and the training throughout the year, as well as congratulations to all of the students who were involved.

Mr Steve Smyth (Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator)

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YEAR 7 HIKE

Well done to the thirty four Year 7 pupils who braved some very wet weather to complete a four hour hike along the Cotswold Way from Selsley to Dursley in October. Despite the damp conditions, the group walked really well and were excellent company throughout the day.

YEAR 8 HIKE

Forty Year 8 pupils completed an 8 mile hike in the Mendips in September. The circular walk from Tynings Farm took in the highest point on the Mendips, Beacon Batch, as well as the Iron Age Hill Fort at Dolebury Warren.

TRIPS & ACTIVITIES | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

EXPEDITION CLUB YEAR 8 In May, the Year 8 Expedition Club visited the Forest of Dean. Arriving on Saturday evening, the group put up their tents at the Biblins campsite by the River Wye and then had a go at fire lighting using flint and steel.

As darkness fell they crossed the Biblins Bridge into the forest for some night orienteering before enjoying a camp fire and roasted marshmallows before bed. On Sunday morning the group had a go at kayaking on the River Wye. All of the pupils improved impressively during the session and by the end of it were confidently crossing the lower reaches of the Symond’s Yat rapids. After a restorative packed lunch the group returned to school for a well-deserved rest.

MOUNTAINEERING CLUB - YEAR 9 After training with a day of walking in the Brecon Beacons and two days of rock climbing at Symonds Yat in the Wye Valley the Mountaineering Club headed for Snowdonia for three days of scrambling and hillwalking.

On day one the pupils tackled the North Ridge of Tryfan before descending the South Ridge and returning via Cwm Tryfan to the Ogwen Valley. On day two high winds prevented the planned for traverse of Grib Goch and instead the Southern Circuit of the Carneddau was completed with three 3000ft peaks ascended and some good scrambling found on Pen yr Ole Wen and Pen yr Helgi Du. The final day saw an ascent of the Gribin Ridge and Glyder Fawr in thick mist before an atmospheric descent back to the valley floor via Devil’s Kitchen.

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TEN TORS 2019 On the weekend of 10-12 May the Ten Tors Expedition took place on Dartmoor and all three Kingswood teams made good use of the excellent weather and visibility to complete their routes in impressive times.

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he expedition started at 7am on Saturday and all three teams finished by noon on Sunday. The expedition is the culmination of six training weekends and represents a considerable commitment for the pupils involved.

The two Year 10 teams completed their 35 mile routes confidently - navigating independently across Dartmoor and being entirely self-sufficient. The Sixth Form team also completed their challenging 45 mile route and were the second fastest team on their route. Particular mention must go to Casper Bruhn-Parry who completed the 45 mile route for the second time, having also achieved this in Year 11 last year, and to Jack Wheaton who, as a Year 10 pupil stepping up to the Sixth Form team, is the youngest Kingswood pupil to have completed the 45 mile route.

35 MILE TEAM A

35 MILE TEAM B

45 MILE TEAM

 Emily Ardus  Grace Ardus  Caleb Bond  Evie Bradley  Madi Sayce  Jamie Wright

 Alex Kellagher  Oliver Ellis  Max Waring  Aaron Wright  Jim McAllister  Angus Duncan

 Jack Wheaton  Nick Baines  Ben Shardlow  Casper Bruhn-Parry  Henry McCollom  Darcy van Gerwen

Mr Mansfield’s reflections on the weekend: One national park, the stage for the show, Two loaded minibuses, ready to go.

Three Kingswood teams, trained and sorted, Four aching limbs, already exhausted.

Five bags of Haribo, no way I’m sharing, Six different compasses, taking a bearing.

Seven hours of sleep, under stars we lay Eight chocolate flaps jacks, munched in one day.

Ninety thousand steps, raised heart rate zones, Ten Tors completed, please take me home!

STAFF & LEAVERS | KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2018-19

TEACHING STAFF 2018 -19 NAME

JOINED

SUBJECT

NAME

SUBJECT

01/09/2018

English

Mrs Alexandra Matthews

23/04/2007

Geography; Senior Housemistress Summerhill

Mr James Matthews

01/09/2002

PE & Games

Mr Tom Moat

01/09/2017

Head of Geography

Mandarin

Miss Alice Moore

01/09/2016

English

13/06/2016

Biology

Mrs Caroline Morris

10/11/2008

Head of German

01/09/2017

French & Spanish

Mrs Rebecca Murchison

01/09/2016

Mathematics

Director of Music

Mr William Musgrove

01/09/2014

Physics

01/09/2005

Head of Drama and Theatre

01/09/2008 Headmaster

Mr Gordon Opie

01/01/1990

Senior Deputy Head

Mr John M Davies

01/09/2017

Deputy Head (Academic)

Revd David Hull

09/01/2015

Chaplain

Mrs Hannah Aird

01/09/2018

Mr Edward Allchorne Mrs Sophie Andell Mr Andy Barton

JOINED

Miss Natalie Martin

Mr Simon Morris

01/01/2018

Miss Nicola Beale

01/09/1993

French & German

Mrs Catherine Nash

Miss Stephanie Belinger

08/05/2018

PE & Games

Mr George Newbould

01/09/2016

History & Politics

Mr Barnaby Brown

01/09/2010

Head of DT

Miss Michelle Newman

12/01/2004

PE & Games

Mrs Emma Brown

01/09/2017

Head of English

Mrs Jenny Opie

07/09/1992

Head of Biology

Mr James Brown

01/09/2009

Head of Boys’ Games

Mrs Mary Brown

01/09/2001

Physics

Mrs Eugénie Pasco

01/09/2014

French & Spanish; Head of Careers

Mr Stephen Brown

01/01/2011

Head of Art

Mrs Mary Patterson

01/09/2000

Biology

Mr Richard Burton

01/09/1999

Head of Physics

Miss Una-Jean Paver

08/01/1990

Mr James Castrique

01/01/2018

DT

PE & Games and Biology; Senior Housemistress School

Mrs Ilona Chamen

01/09/2017

Head of Study Support

Mr Edward Peerless

01/09/2011

Mr Bob Chapman

08/01/2018

Mathematics

Physics; Head of Lower School Science

Mr Jude Chua

01/09/2010

Mathematics

Mr Stephen Pentreath

01/09/2015

Mr James Cope

Chemistry; Head of Lower School

Mrs Amanda Phillips

01/09/2016

Classics

Ms Jacqueline Reeman

01/09/1990

Mathematics

Mr Timothy Reeman

01/09/1988

Director of Sport

Miss Nadine Robinson

01/09/2010

French & Spanish

Miss Bethany Rolfe

11/04/2016

Head of PSHCE; Biology

Mrs Clare Sergeant

01/09/2005

Computer Science; Senior Housemistress Fonthill

16/04/2018

History

Mrs Monica Corripio-Lopez 28/01/2019

English

Mrs Nicola Curtis

01/09/2016

Head of Academic PE

Mrs Sarah Dakin

01/09/2008

Head of Classics

Mr Daniel Darwin

01/09/2012

History & Politics

Mr John W Davies

01/09/1994

History & Politics; Director of Co-Curricular

Ms Rebecca Dreher

01/09/2018

Head of EAL

Mr Roderick Duke

01/09/2003

German; Housemaster Westwood

Mr Jerome Shah

01/09/2018

Computer Science and Mathematics

Mr Olly East

01/09/2018

DT

Mrs Victoria Sim

01/09/2012

Head of Girls’ Games

Mr Gareth Edgell

01/09/2010

Head of Computer Science

Mr Matthew D Smith

01/09/2016

Mathematics

01/09/2008

Head of Psychology; Assistant Head of Sixth Form

Mr Matthew W Smith

01/09/2016

Head of Mathematics

Mrs Laura Smyth

01/09/2011

Biology

Mrs Claire Edwards Miss Sophie Elliott

01/09/2015

Art

Mrs Samantha Fountain

01/09/2007

Humanities

Mr Steven Smyth

01/09/2012

Geography; Senior Housemaster Middle

Miss Alice Fox

01/09/2017

Mathematics

Mr Mark Snell

01/09/2017

Chemistry

Mrs Elaine Francis

01/09/2015

Music

Mrs Janine Solomon-Gardner 01/09/2013

Computer Science

Mrs Nicola Gerrish

01/09/2013

Chemistry

Mr Barney Stuttard

01/09/2018

Geography

Mrs Jaqueline Hallett

01/09/2008

Study Support

Ms Najat Taibi

01/09/2018

Head of French

Mr Darrell Harding

01/09/2002

Drama and Theatre; Senior Housemaster Hall

Mr Matthew Thatcher

01/01/2012

Head of RPE

History & Politics; Assistant Head of Lower School

Mrs Aparna Vaid

01/09/2018

Physics

Mrs Marjory Walker

01/09/2016

Music

Mr David Walker

01/09/2009

Head of MFL; Head of Spanish

Mrs Elizabeth Ward

01/09/2013

Drama and Theatre

Mr Digby Webb

01/09/2015

PE & Sport

Mrs Karen Whishaw

01/09/2017

Economics

Mr Roger White

01/09/2012

Mathematics; Senior Housemaster Upper

Ms Christian Whyte

12/02/2019

Chemistry

Mrs Jo-Anne Wilcock

23/04/2012

Chemistry

Miss Harriet Wilson

01/09/2013

RPE; Head of Activities

Dr Jenifer Wood

01/09/2016

Head of Chemistry

Mrs Sarah Herlinger

01/09/2012

Mr Phil Hollywell

01/09/1991

PE & Games and Geography

Mrs Ann Holsgrove

01/09/1997

Study Support

Mrs Sarah Hopkin

01/09/2018

Head of Economics

Miss Hazel Hughes

01/09/2016

French & Spanish

Miss Liz Hunter

01/06/2019

Art

Miss Sandra Jones

01/09/2015

English

Mrs Anna Knights

01/09/2004

Mathematics

Mr Jamie Knights

04/09/2006

Musician in Residence

Ms Priscilla Lam

01/09/2017

Mandarin

Mr Peter MacDonald

01/09/2003

Head of History & Politics

Mrs Juliette Mainwaring

01/09/2003

English

Mr Craig Woodgate

01/09/2001

History & Politics; Head of Sixth Form

Mr Rory Mansfield

01/09/2017

English

Miss Charlotte Wormald

01/09/2015

English

Mrs Suzanne Marshall

01/09/2004

RPE

Miss Angela Wright

01/09/1983

Psychology; Head of Boarding

GOVERNORS 2018 -19 Mr Paul Baines

Mr Simon Crowther

Mr David Humphreys

Mr Tim Lindsay

Mr David Quine

Mr Chris Stafford

Mrs Helen Bools

Mr Peter Freeman

Mr Rob Jolliffe

Mrs Barbara Pendle

Maj Gen Tony Raper

Mrs Susan Cook

Mr Stephen Holliday

Mr Danny Lau

Rev Jonathan Pye

Mr Robert Sandry

Mr Tim Westbrook (Chair of Governors)

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HEAD GIRL & HEAD BOY: REFLECTIONS The following reflections are loosely adapted from the farewell speeches given by the Heads of School: HEAD BOY REFLECTIONS

HEAD GIRL REFLECTIONS

Kingswood has been my life for the past 15 years as it has for several others. 15 years is a long time to spend on anything in your life, let alone school and leaving it behind is not something to be taken lightly nor should we take the time we’ve had for granted. There have been and will continue to be a few tears, laughter, in fact a whole range of emotions because we will all be reflecting on our time at Kingswood – the laughs, the upsets and everything in-between.

Contrary to Max, I only joined Kingswood in the Lower Sixth. Yet, despite my seemingly short time here, the last two years have undoubtedly been the best and most formative years of my life so far and I know that Kingswood’s influence will stay with me for the rest of my life and continue to shape my future.

The move up to the senior houses was a personal highlight. Measuring our sporting success or failures against other schools, the house matches, house entertainment and house music. Boarding was an important and large part of my life here, making new mates and acting as a home away from home where I could escape the grasp of my mum!

Whenever you joined Kingswood, whether in Nursery, Year 7, Year 9 or Sixth Form, know that you’ll leave with a family. It may not be perfect, but a family nonetheless. One with all the highs, lows and drama of a Christmas episode of EastEnders and the characters to match. A family you can lean on and laugh with, regardless of the circumstances.

Above everything, as a year group we have always pulled together when we’ve needed to, always done our best when asked and always made the most fun out of everything that has been thrown our way.

I will take with me memories of a year group with the most amazing spirit, a group always up for a laugh, a group who will pull together when the moment demands it and a school that has supported and encouraged us all the way. I know whichever way you’re headed, whether it be university, a gap year, work or whatever lies ahead, you’ll continue to show the spirit and heart you’ve shown these past years at Kingswood.

It’s so easy during term time to forget how fortunate we are to have such amazing teachers who go above and beyond to support us. This year they have helped us all grow in more ways than we realise; whether that’s academically, supporting us through tough times, coaching us on the sports fields or preparing us for the next stages of our lives. The teachers at Kingswood embody the meaning of being selfless and I’m sure my whole year group would agree what a privilege it has been to have them as our mentors.

Kingswood is a community of such talented individuals and my most memorable moments include witnessing some of you showcasing your flairs. No matter what your interests are, there’s always a space for you to share and develop them. A few of my highlights this year were listening to the original dramatic, musical or literary pieces at Open-Mic night and seeing everything from Irish tap dancing to harp playing in Whole School Services.

My advice for every student, new or continuing, is to grasp every moment and every opportunity given to you. I know it may seem like school will go on forever, but your time at Kingswood will fly by and then, like us, you’ll be reflecting on your time and all the memories you’ve made.

I know as we leave this year, I will measure my time at Kingswood in terms of lifelong friendships, some truly inspirational teachers and a list of unforgettable memories that we have made together.

I couldn’t finish without thanking my year group.

We’ve managed to cram so much into our Sixth Form lives and we have each other to thank for making the most of it; from sports teams and socials, running the Bath Half Marathon as a year group, water fights on the Dixon lawn, concerts, drama productions, house entertainments such as the Wide games, some weird traditions and awkward Ceilidh dances, and I could go on and on. Even though it’s hard to think of leaving Kingswood, I can’t wait to see where the next stages of our lives take us and am so grateful for everything this school has given us.

Max Brindley (Head Boy)

Jade Hartley (Head Girl)

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LEAVERS 2019

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STAFF FAREWELLS At the end of the academic year, the Kingswood community bade farewell to the following members of staff. The valedictions below are adapted from words shared by the Headmaster with the School in the end of term assembly.

Ms Dreher has been here for just one year as our Head of EAL. When she joined us in September, she had planned to be here rather longer, but an opportunity arose for her to return to Poland, where she had worked previously – and this was clearly too good an opportunity to turn down. But we are grateful to Ms Dreher for the committed way she has gone about both her EAL teaching and her more general support of those of you who have joined us from overseas. Above all, she has a calm kindness about her, which many of you will have so appreciated. Ms Dreher – thank you and our very best wishes as you return to Poland.

Mrs Hallett joined us in September 2008 – which also happened to be my first year here. In her eleven years her contribution to the School has been immense. Initially she taught Learning Support at both the prep and senior schools; more recently, she has taught what we

now call Study Support at the senior school and she has been hugely influential in this area of learning; she has a keen eye for detail and for what might work best for each pupil. This same approach has been applied to her tutoring and, of course, to her brilliant leadership of our orienteering, where she has overseen remarkable success at local, regional, national and international level. She is herself an international orienteer, which no doubt helps, but there is a real skill in inspiring others to such extraordinarily high levels of success. It is about dedication and belief, but is also about passion and leadership. Mrs Hallett has these in abundance and we thank her so very much for all she has done at Kingswood over the past decade.

Mrs Hallett, we wish you all the very best for what I am sure will be a very active retirement.

Mrs Brown came to Kingswood in 2001, initially as a part-time

teacher of Physics, but over the past 18 years she has contributed so broadly and so successfully to a whole range of areas of school life. Mrs Brown is a very passionate person who cares deeply about making a difference.

She is also someone who, when she has a job to do, gives her all to that job. Many of you will not be aware that, in addition to her role teaching Physics, she has for most of her time at Kingswood written the school timetable, a task which requires patience, diligence, intelligence, creativity and no little skill in negotiation with other teachers. It is not a task for the fainthearted, but it is a task which Mrs Brown has carried out impressively and which, for the most part at least, she has really enjoyed. To some extent it is a task in problem solving, and Mrs Brown is a natural problem solver. For a number of years Mrs Brown was also, of course, Senior Housemistress in Summerhill, and, as I said at the end of her time there, she dedicated herself wholeheartedly to that very important and demanding role.

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This range of roles is quite a portfolio and shows us what a range of talents Mrs Brown has. I am sure Mrs Brown would not mind me saying that she has a certain restlessness about her – she likes new things and new ideas and is always looking for a new challenge.

She wants to have an impact on others’ lives – in addition to all the above, she has for instance also shown a huge commitment to charity fund raising – and I have no doubt that, as she moves on to the next stage of her life, it will be full of new and exciting challenges, and I am equally certain that many of these will be about improving the lives of others. Whatever direction this might take, we would all wish to thank you, Mrs Brown, for making such a huge impact over nearly two decades at Kingswood.

Mrs Skinner also joined Kingswood in 2001, initially as a nurse in the Medical Centre whilst she was still working in the Children’s Ward at the RUH, and then from 2007 she became our senior resident nurse with overall responsibility for medical care in the School.

This role is so very important in a school with a large number of boarders, many of whom are many miles from home. It takes a very special person to fulfil the varied responsibilities of this role. Warm,

caring, utterly professional, wise, resilient… Mrs Skinner is all of these, and much more. Students and staff alike trust Mrs Skinner implicitly – and that is so important – but we see someone who, without any fuss, has committed herself wholeheartedly and selflessly to all of our welfare. The Medical Centre plays a rather larger role than many may imagine; it is, for some, a real haven at challenging times – and it is only this because Mrs Skinner makes it in a welcoming and utterly non-judgmental way.

This is pastoral acre of the highest order, of course. A couple of years ago Mrs Skinner had her own health problems which required an extended period of absence from school. I hope she feels the School cared for her at that time in the same way as she has cared for so many of us. Mrs Skinner, your impact on Kingswood has been phenomenal and we wish you all the very best in your richly deserved retirement.

Mrs Patterson has been at Kingswood one year longer than Mrs Brown and Mrs Skinner, joining the School in 2000 as a Biology teacher, though if we add in the two years Mrs Patterson spent here as a Sixth Form student, then her overall tally is an even more impressive - 21 years! Throughout that time she has taught Biology throughout the School and with consummate success; she has always been a teacher who not only has excellent subject knowledge, but who seeks to understand how you learn and how she might succeed in you getting the most out of your yourselves. As with her outstanding tutoring, she has a natural warmth, is very approachable and displays a high level of dedication. There is a most significant legacy here, but of at least equal significance is the huge impact Mrs Patterson has had on the School’s approach to sustainability in its broadest sense. With a background in environmental science and a passionate commitment to sustainability, Mrs Patterson was

the driving force in the school in this very important area. The School’s reputation for being a sector leader in this area was very much built on Mrs Patterson’s vision, drive and enthusiasm. I remember when I arrived here in 2008 being immensely impressed by the School’s commitment in this area, and especially by the level of student engagement. This has been crucial to Mrs Patterson’s vision; working hard, yes, and offering opportunities, but very much encouraging students to take the initiative and make the difference. This in itself takes quite considerable energy and resolve, but the product is there for us all to see. Although in the past couple of years she has handed over the leadership in this area to Mr Musgrove, her support and commitment have remained. This means so much to Mrs Patterson and we are immensely grateful to her for her commitment. Mrs Patterson now reaches the end of a distinguished Kingswood career; I am sure the future will see her following her passions with the same commitment, but just in a different environment. Thank you so very much, Mrs Patterson, and all our very best wishes for the future.

Our final leaver to whom I wish to pay tribute today is Miss Beale.

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It was in 1993, 26 years ago, that Miss Beale joined Kingswood, having previously taught not only elsewhere in the UK, but also in Germany and in what was then Zaire, now of course the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

She has proved herself throughout these 26 years to be an immensely dedicated allrounder who is totally in tune with the values of the school. She is a very gifted linguist who has taught both French and German at all levels in the school, as well as some junior Spanish; she has been an immensely caring tutor and for many years was a resident assistant housemistress in Summerhill; she has also made a very significant contribution to the games programme and run or been involved in a large number of school trips, including in recent years taking responsibility for the German trips and exchanges. With a strong faith of her own, her commitment to the school’s Christian ethos has been absolute. Miss Beale is the type of teacher who makes Kingswood what it is; a talented academic with an utterly selfless approach who sees teaching as a vocation, contributing positively in a whole range of areas and putting her students’ interests first at all times.

I sometimes wonder whether we appreciate teachers such as Miss Beale enough; those who are utterly committed, yet do not naturally seek the limelight. We certainly could not be the type of school we are without this dedicated sense of service. Miss Beale has made such a difference to so many student’s lives and today, as she retires, she deserves to be in the limelight. I am not sure where retirement will take her, though I imagine there will be some travelling, some more street pastoring, and I suspect other activities which benefit others. Thank you so very much, Miss Beale, for being such an outstanding role model and for giving so much to Kingswood students over the past 26 years.

KINGSWOOD Throughout its 270 year history, Kingswood School has been proud of staff and students who have left Kingswood and have used their experience at the School to inform their daily lives and influence those around them.

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ndeed in the Victorian era, Kingswood sent a significant number of its teachers and former pupils overseas to set up a series of Wesley Colleges and Kingswood Schools around the world. Establishing a global network of schools that share in the educational philosophy of John Wesley enshrined in his words; Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.

KINGSWOOD INTERNATIONAL TODAY In December 2016 the Principal of the Foundation, Mr Simon Morris, and Chair of Governors, Mr Tim Westbrook, took the decision to follow in their Victorian fore-bearers footsteps to establish a new family of Kingswood Schools overseas.

A member of Kingswood’s Senior Management Team, Mr Garrod Musto, was appointed to manage this project on the School’s behalf and Kingswood subsequently entered into a partnership with Chinese company KSI Education (KSIE).

For the past three years Kingswood has worked closely with KSIE to explore the market and inform Kingswood’s strategy to develop a series of schools in mainland China.

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INTERNATIONAL KINGSWOOD INTERNATIONAL SHUNYI, BEIJING Kingswood School is therefore delighted to announce that last year Mr Morris and Mr Westbrook visited Beijing and signed a collaboration agreement to establish “Kingswood ShunYi” as the first of their family of schools in China. Subsequently, Mr Musto attended the opening of the school in September 2018.

Mr Musto has also visited the school to deliver teacher training, observing classes, and delivering lessons to the students in English, with a little Chinese! More recently he met the Headmistress to discuss the development of a deeper strategic cooperation between the two schools in UK and China.

Established in a district of the capitol Beijing, Kingswood ShunYi is currently focused on the delivery of primary school education with aspirations to develop both a Junior and Senior High School in the future. Its curriculum is an innovative mix of traditional Chinese school subjects, within a global context, including a number of additional

internationalised features and activities such as an innovative STEM course based on Mr Musto’s experience of working with the Royal Academy of Engineering.

KINGSWOOD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS PROGRAMME As the International School programme develops in China, Kingswood Bath will forge closer links with their International schools through a variety of potential opportunities for its students, including exchange programmes, educational and sporting opportunities, in addition to summer schools.

Kingswood Bath will also work closely with Kingswood ShunYi to develop an innovative fusion curriculum, and to localise Kingswood School routines and procedures to best suit the Chinese educational system. It is then hoped that this school template can then be successfully introduced into all other Kingswood Schools in China.

We hope to make regular updates on the progress of this exciting development, so watch this space!

Signing ceremony

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Lansdown Road, Bath BA1 5RG T. 01225 734210 E. admissions@kingswood.bath.sch.uk www.kingswood.bath.sch.uk