Leweston Life
Summer 2015
Page 28
Page 18
Page 31
Head’s Welcome
3
Inspection Findings
4
Academic Awards and Successes
5
Trips and Visits
Contents
Page 9
7
Creative Life
10
Senior Sport
14
Junior Department
20
Nursery
31
Boarding
32
Spiritual Life
34
Dates for your Diary
36
www.leweston.co.uk Cover image: Year 5 and 6 residential trip to Braeside
Welcome from the Head I am delighted to be able to write to you at the end of what has been a busy and successful year, and of course, my last as Head of Leweston. I write this after our Speech Day celebrations, a fitting way to mark the end of the academic year. We were delighted to welcome Dr Geoffrey Guy, a Leweston parent with over 30 years of experience in medical research and global drug development, as our guest speaker at our Senior School event. Geoffrey brought with him a special message for our pupils from one of the most inspiring young women of their generation: Malala Yousafzai, activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. Dr Guy relayed Malala’s words of hope and aspiration to our girls and our Upper Sixth were presented with signed copies of her book (pictured left). This is something that they will no doubt treasure forever. One aspect of a change of Head is that there will be new ideas and fresh legs and these are really healthy for an institution. Kate Reynolds who will be taking up the mantleship of Leweston will I have no doubt move the school forward. She is a first class teacher, a person of energy and culture, and has high expectations across school life.
I leave Leweston in good form. You will see the many achievements of the last two terms outlined on the following pages but highlights include the excellent outcomes of our 2015 inspection report outlined on page 4, the Senior School and Sixth Form study tours to Washington and New York, Salamanca and Paris and Braeside for the Junior Department pupils. Audiences were thoroughly entertained at the outstanding Choral Society Concert in March, the ever impressive GCSE and A Level Art and Design exhibition and the summer term’s production of Alice in Wonderland featuring pupils from Years 5 - 8. Our growing record of success in the fields of Cross-Country and Pentathlon continues to grow and details can be found on pages 14 - 19. All in all we have seen another wonderful year of achievements where the pupils have, as ever, committed themselves across the spectrum of schools life and generated outstanding successes across a range of disciplines. I would like to finish by saying that it has been a privilege to be part of the education of all the pupils at Leweston. I have greatly enjoyed my nine years as Head and am myself, a proud parent of two ‘Old Antonians’. I have no doubt that Leweston will continue to go from strength to strength in the years ahead and that the school will continue to encourage all the young people who pass through its doors to ‘rejoice and do well’ for many years to come.
Adrian Aylward Headmaster
3
Leweston School Celebrates Inspection Findings The Senior School is delighted with the findings of its recent ISI (Independent Schools Inspectorate) inspection report. Leweston was given the top ‘excellent’ judgment for the quality of its academic and extra-curricular provision and achievements, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils, pastoral care and the quality of the school’s boarding provision. The school is also celebrating strong inspection reports for Junior Department Boarding and the Early Years Foundation Stage. We are delighted with the findings of both reports, which commend the provision we offer to our young boarders and recognise the strong foundations that have been built in the Early Years Foundation Stage, especially given the rapid expansion of Leweston’s Nursery and new baby unit since September.
“I am delighted with the outcome of the reports, which provide external verification of all that I believe to be true at Leweston: that the quality of the pupils’ academic achievement and learning is excellent, as are their extracurricular achievements which are underpinned by our outstanding curricular, extracurricular and pastoral provision. It is gratifying that the reports acknowledge not only that our pupils achieve well academically, but that the less tangible indicators of success, such as personal, spiritual and moral development, so fundamental to what we offer at Leweston, are also excellent. These judgements are borne out in the many achievements at Leweston over recent months with the pupils, as ever, committing themselves across the spectrum of school life and generating outstanding successes across a range of disciplines.” Adrian Aylward - Headmaster
4
To read the Inspection Reports in full please visit our website at www.leweston.co.uk
Academic Awards and Successes
SIXTH FORM SUCCESS IN UK CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD Following success at this year’s Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, Leweston School is celebrating outstanding performances at the 2015 UK Chemistry Olympiad, an annual competition organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry for the nation’s most talented Sixth Form pupils. Congratulations to Alina Pietruszewicz and Katarzyna Zator who were awarded Gold certificates and were amongst the top 7% of candidates who entered the competition. Well
done also to Jenny Lau who was awarded Silver and Daisy Lewis and Christy Ling who secured Bronze certificates.
“This is an extraordinary achievement, won against the best chemistry brains in the UK. The pupils’ enthusiasm and dedication should be an inspiration to others”. Dr Oznur Kemal Head of Chemistry at Leweston
Best Ever Leiths Results for Leweston Sixth Formers Leweston is celebrating a record number of Distinctions, Merits and First Class passes for the Leiths Basic Certificate in Food and Wine. Leweston is one of a select few schools in the country to run this internationally recognised qualification and has been doing so for 5 years now. Leiths teacher Susan Larkin commented, “I am delighted with this
achievement for the girls and know they will put into practice what they have learnt, either professionally or for pleasure, as many of the girls who have previously been through the programme are already doing.”
TOP 8% IN IFS STUDENT INVESTOR CHALLENGE Leweston has had a second successful year taking part in the IFS Student Investor Challenge: a UK wide stock market game where pupils have to make as much money as they can from an initial £100k investment. Five teams took up the challenge, two of which came in the top 8% out of 8720 teams! An outstanding achievement.
Outstanding Offers for Upper Sixth We are once again celebrating excellent offers for our Upper Sixth pupils. Many girls have received offers to study at the most selective Russell Group establishments including Cambridge, Imperial and UCL. All the girls applying to study medicine have received offers, further building on Leweston’s strong record of success in this area. Good luck to all the girls expecting their results in August.
5
Leweston would like to congratulate Daniel Kearney, Head of Religious Studies who, this year, has had two articles published by Thinkingfaith.org. The first, entitled The Jesuits and the Tudors, explores how the early Jesuits tried to preserve Catholicism during the reign of Elizabeth II and the second, entitled Peter Canisius: Countering the Reformation in Germany explains how Canisius came to earn the title of ‘the second apostle of Germany’. Both articles can be found at www.thinkingfaith.org/
6
Leweston’s Latinists have enjoyed a busy start to 2015. We were delighted to welcome Professor Chris Pelling of Christ Church College, Oxford University to Leweston in March to deliver his fascinating talk titled Cleopatra: An Illustrated Talk on the Great Egyptian Queen. The lecture was engaging and stimulating and provided a thoughtprovoking backdrop to the girls’ studies in class. Lower down the school Leweston’s Year 8 Latinists joined in May’s election fever by comparing modern and ancient elections, culminating in an in-class election between the ‘iuvenes’, ‘mercatores’ and ‘pistores’. Leweston’s ever popular Classics Club has had a distinctive culinary tone this year. The girls marked the end of the spring term with a Roman Dinner Party, complete with togas and delicious treats inspired by the Ancient World! More culinary inspiration followed in the summer term when the club created the Colosseum from biscuits – needless to say it lasted a lot less time than the genuine article!
Sixth Former Awarded a Place on Prestigious Headstart Engineering Course
PUPIL WINS SCHOLARSHIP FROM THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT
Year 12 pupil Aoife McCarthy has beaten over 20,000 applicants to secure one of a few places on the Head Start Engineering course at Exeter University this summer. The course, entitled Engineering the 21st Century will explore how many of today’s greatest challenges will require radical new engineering approaches and will give participants an insight into how exciting new developments in areas such as nano-materials may play a part in addressing these global issues. Good luck Aoife.
Congratulations also to Year 12 student Helen Cridland, who has won a scholarship to study in Germany over the summer. The scholarship is funded by the German Government and Helen had to compete against hundreds of applicants to win a much coveted place.
Cleopatra and Culinary Creativity for Leweston’s Classicists
Thinking Faith
TRIPS AND VISITS
Washington and New York Study Tour February saw a group of 18 Sixth Formers depart on the biannual trip to Washington and New York. The packed itinerary gave the girls a wide range of historical and cultural experiences including a tour of the Capitol Building, the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials, the White House, the Empire State Building and a variety of museums. The girls also had the incredible opportunity to visit the UN in New York, where they enjoyed a guided tour of the three chambers of council and discovered the working structure of the organisation. A wonderful experience for all involved.
Pupils visit the United Nations Headquarters in New York
CHALKE VALLEY HISTORY FESTIVAL An intrepid party of girls from Years 9, 10 and 12 embarked upon a voyage of discovery through the ages at the Chalke Valley History Festival in June. The girls enjoyed the vast array of exhibits including the Spartans at Thermopylae and The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us. They were able to explore medieval magic, experience trench warfare and discover Roman medicine. An engaging and informative trip.
Viva La España!
Thirty five GCSE students from Leweston and Sherborne School took part on a study visit to Salamanca over the February half term. Students stayed with local
families and attended morning lessons at Mester Language School. As well as practicing their language skills, the girls enjoyed sampling local cuisine and visiting
the most important sites in this remarkable and historical city immersing themselves fully in the culture of the region.
Year 13 Biologists Attend DNA Technology Workshop A group of Upper Sixth journeyed to Bristol in March to attend a workshop on DNA technology. The workshop, ‘a bitter taste’ offered by @Bristol, allowed the girls to experience first hand the molecular biology techniques they had learned about in class. The exploration of the day’s tasks gave the girls conceptual awareness of the everexpanding field of genetics and personalised medicine. Thank you to @Bristol for a wonderful visit.
8
Design Inspiration at the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty Exhibition
Paris Pupils in Years 9 and 10 enjoyed a study tour to France in May. From Picardie to Paris, the girls discovered iconic and historical French sites including the Thiepval Memorial, the Lochnagar Mine Crater Memorial, the Newfoundland Memorial Park and the Historial de la Grande Guerre museum in Péronne. The girls were then completely immersed in Parisian culture enjoying a boat trip on the river Seine, walks in the Louvre courts, the Tuileries gardens and Montmartre. Highlights of the trip included the breath-taking views from the top of the Tour Eiffel and Arc de Triomphe and the irresistible ice cream from the Ile St Louis.
Design students from Years 11, 12 and 13 visited the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition at the V&A in March. This incredible exhibition is the first and largest retrospective of the late designer’s work to be presented in Europe. A particular highlight was The Cabinet of Curiosities: an iconic display of McQueen’s designs which was set in a two story room with revolving manikins and accessory displays. The vast array of different fashion collections allowed the girls to look at everything from garments with a gothic romantic style, to the iconic Plato’s Atlantis collection which included the famous armadillo shoes!
Science Comes Alive for Year 11 “The future of Science is in YOUR hands!” was the message that all Year 11 girls received at the Science Live! event at Bristol’s Colston Hall. The girls had the opportunity to listen to, and ask questions of, inspirational speakers such as Professor Robert Winston and Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, about topics ranging from the future of nuclear fusion to the controversial issue of third parents. 9
Creative Life
Leweston Choral Society puts on a truly ‘Sacred Concert’ Leweston’s Chapel was packed for this year’s Choral Society Concert which saw the choir take on Duke Ellington’s rarely performed Sacred Concert, a stunning compilation of sacred text settings, dances, voices and big band accompaniment. The Choral Society, made up by pupils from Leweston’s Schola Cantorum and Cantemus, as well as parents, staff, governors and
adults from the local community, was directed by Leweston’s Director of Music, Claire Hawkes and accompanied by internationally acclaimed jazz musician Andy Williamson and his Big Buzzard Big Band. They were joined by esteemed jazz pianist Philip Clouts and by the very talented professional soloist, Joanna Woolvett. The audience was treated to a breath-taking tap dance solo by renowned tap dancer Annette Walker and the programme also included some superb performances by Schola Cantorum and soloists Evie Davis (Year 11) and Harriet Guy (Year 13).
“It was wonderful to be able to involve Leweston girls and the local community in such an exciting musical project, working with jazz greats such as Andy Williamson and Philip Clouts. The evening was a resounding success: the Choral Society raised the roof with their fantastic harmonies, the soloist was sensational, the tap dance ‘percussion’ innovative and the accompanying instrumentalists nothing less than world class. Ultimately, all elements, both audio and visual, coalesced to create an incredible spectacle for the assembled audience. We look forward to next year’s event!” Claire Hawkes - Director of Music
Congratulations to Lexsis Nyeko and Isabella Humphreys (both Year 12) for their winning performances at the inaugural Sherborne Solo Acting Competition hosted by Sherborne School in January. Lexsis took first prize in the Senior Classical category and Isabella won the Senior Modern category. Leweston would also like to congratulate Rose Sullivan (Year 13) for her superb performance in the Senior Classical category.
The King and I Congratulations to the following girls who were selected for roles in the Yeovil Amateur Operatic Society (YAOS) musical spectacular The King and I: Grace and Daisy Pilkington (Years 6 and 8), Erin Cassingham (Year 6), Sophie Worrall (Year 6), Jessamy Bowditch (Year 7) and India Cole (Year 8). Pupils from Years 4, 5 and 6 enjoyed a trip to the Octagon Theatre in Yeovil to show their support for the girls who gave outstanding performances. Well done all.
Fantastic Results at the Mid Somerset Festival of Speech and Drama
SUCCESS AT THE SHERBORNE SOLO ACTING COMPETITION
Leweston was delighted to take the top spots in three of the dramatic categories at the 114th Mid Somerset Festival in Bath in the Spring. Congratulations to Portia Alexander and Olivia Kennington (Year 9) who won the Duologue Acting Under 15 Years; and Antonia Redpath (Year 13) and Old Antonian Olivia Macintosh who won the David Garrick trophies for Shakespeare Acting Under 19 Years and the Noral Ball cups for Duo Acting Under 21 Years. There were also many strong placements in the duo categories: Year 8 pupils Madeleine Austin and Annelies Nicholson came a very close 2nd in the Duo Acting Under 13 Years against a large field; Sarah Newton and Abi Hardy (both Year 12) took home two 2nd place medals each – the first for the Duo Acting Under 17 Years and the second for the Duo Acting 16 Years & Under Shakespeare; and Poppy Bailey and Daisy Pilkington (Year 8) came 2nd in the Duo Acting Under 14 Years.
PERFORMING PROWESS It has been an exciting time for Year 7 drama scholar Jessamy Bowditch who won a place in the final of the ‘Let Me Entertain You’ competition at the Octagon Theatre following a flawless, amusing and powerful performance of I Know It’s Today from Shrek the Musical. This is the latest in a string of dramatic successes for Jessamy (pictured above) who was also recently involved in a charity concert to raise money for street children. The Mpongwe People’s Charity Show featured a headline performance by 2005 X Factor runner up Andy Abraham who debuted his new charity single, Cardboard Box in the Rain, featuring backing vocals by Jessamy and her fellow Castaway Theatre Group members. Well done.
11
Summer Art & Design Exhibitions
• Eleanor Evason ‘Elements’ A Level Coursework • Harriet Cooke Year 13 Graphic Design Book illustrations for Dracula
• Kate Zibrova Year 13 Final coursework
For the first time Leweston has hosted an exhibition of Art and Design pieces by pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 as well as the summer’s well established GCSE and A Level event. The impressive collection of work from the pupils at the lower end of the school showcased the work created by pupils including observational drawings inspired by the work of Jim Dine, portraits influenced by Henri Matisse, card sculpture inspired by the work of Naum Gabo and abstract art influenced by the Cubist art movement. The summer term saw the much anticipated annual exhibition of GCSE and A Level coursework and exam pieces, some of which are shown here. 12
• AS Coursework Natasha Lau Textiles Year 12
• Jasmina Tims GCSE Coursework Textiles Year 11
• Chloe Suen Year 10 GCSE Exam Piece
• Eve Southcombe GCSE Exam piece ‘Decay’
• Wilhelmina Froy Year 10 GCSE Landscape project • Lauren Sewed Year 10 GCSE Landscape Project
• Constance Reynolds Year 11 GCSE Graphic Design
Senior Sport
LEWESTON PUPIL RANKED AS THE WORLD’S TOP U14 BIATHLETE The year could not have got off to a better start for Year 9 sports scholar Libby Tolley who was ranked as the world’s top U14 biathlete in January following her performance in the 2014 Biathle World Tour. Over the course of the year Libby recorded wins at races in Italy and Germany and was placed 7th at the European Championships in 14
Portugal. Libby also competed in the 2014 Biathle British Series; a series of six races throughout the summer across the country and finished as the runner up overall. These are outstanding achievements and we wish Libby luck for this year’s events. No doubt a bright sporting future awaits.
In Other Biathle / Biathlon News Congratulations to Leweston’s Under 17 (pictured above) and Under 12 biathletes who took home team gold and bronze respectively at the prestigious National Schools’ Biathlon Championships held at the Olympic Park in London at the end of March. 12 girls, ranging in age from 10-18, competed for Leweston at this hotly contested event and the school is immensely proud of the wonderful results produced by each of them. Leweston’s Senior biathletes also enjoyed a successful day at the National Schools’
} Biathle in June. Leweston pupils recorded two individual wins from Year 9 pupil Libby Tolley and Year 12 pupil Georgie Kemp and the Year 8, Year 9 and Sixth Form teams all emerged victorious. Leweston also amassed 5 team wins at the Dorset Schools’ Biathle Relays and more success came at the South West Schools’ Biathle
Championships held at Leweston in May. The school recorded three individual golds (Lily Amor, Year 5, Libby Tolley, Year 9 and Daisy Liddle, Year 12). In the team competitions, the Year 7s picked up team bronze, the Year 4s won team silver and the Year 9, Year 5 and Years 12/13 girls all won team gold. Good luck to the six girls from Years 7 to 13 who have been selected to represent Great Britain over the summer at the World Tour Biathle Race in Portugal. We look forward to reporting on their progress in due course.
Success at National Pony Club Triathlon Championships Following the development of Leweston’s flourishing tetrathlon/triathlon programme, Leweston pupils have achieved much success on the pony club circuit this year. Elektra Covell (Year 7) and Issy Colwell (Year 6) were both selected to represent Area 14 in the National Pony Club Triathlon Championships in March following a very successful season. Both girls put in strong performances which resulted in Elektra finishing in 12th place individually and Issy in 13th. Elektra also won the Area 14 Winter accumulator prize for Mini Girls out of 20 pony clubs, for the four best scores accumulated in triathlons over the 2014/15 season. Well done.
Hockey Star Qualifies for National Finals Congratulations to Poppy Boyden (Year 9) who qualified for the National Hockey Championships held at London’s Olympic park in May as a member of her local club (the Sherborne and Yeovil Hockey Club U14 A team). Sherborne and Yeovil were one of only 8 teams competing in the prestigious competition where they finished in a respectable 4th place. Congratulations also to Freya Logan (Year 12), Beth McMillan and Molly Parsons (both Year 11), who have all been selected for the South West JRPC (Junior Regional Performance Centre) for Hockey. We look forward to their continued progress.
15
Record Numbers Attend Easter Training Camp
Leweston once again played host to the annual Easter Training Camp for the sports of Pentathlon, GB Biathle, Tetrathlon and Triathlon. The six day camp, now in its third year, continues to grow in popularity and welcomed over 100 athletes aged 9-18. The camp culminated with the South West Biathle Championships where Leweston was well represented with pupils competing successfully in each age group. Notable results for Leweston included: First and third place in the Youth A Girls division (Georgie Kemp and Daisy Liddle, both Year 12); second in the Youth D Girls (Anya Evans, Year 6); and third in the Youth F Girls (Molly Colwell – Year 3). Earlier this year Leweston was made a specialist training centre by Pentathlon GB and we look forward to these successful events continuing in the years ahead. Please visit www.leweston.co.uk for more details. Leweston Wins Summer Netball League
Tennis Triumph Congratulations to sports scholar Mollie Parsons who was part of the victorious Dorset team in the 2015 Tennis County Cup.
Congratulations to Leweston’s netballers for their victory in the Leweston Summer League for local schools and clubs. This was the second year of the competition which this year attracted over 100 competitors from the area. We look forward to the league’s continued growth in the years ahead.
LEWESTON ANNOUNCES EXCITING MULTISPORT TOUR TO SRI LANKA Leweston is excited to announce that it will be running a Senior Sports Tour to Sri Lanka in July 2016. The tour will offer girls in Years 10-13 the opportunity to compete in sports events in stunning locations around the island of Sri Lanka. There will also be time for local excursions which will include feeding baby elephants at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, taking part in a netball coaching clinic with local children and visiting the Turtle Hatchery in Kosgoda. 16
Senior Runners Dominate the Local Circuit
The Senior Cross-Country team has enjoyed another tremendous season, further building on Leweston’s strong record of success in the sport. Of nine local competitions since January, the team recorded wins at eight and finished 2nd in the other. Victories were recorded at the Downside, Kingswood and Milton Abbey races, the Sherborne Trophy held in the Castle grounds, the Ken Baily races organised by Bryanston School, as well as the Clayesmore, King’s Bruton and Bryanston Relays. A special mention goes to Year 9 pupils Libby Tolley and Poppy Boyden and to Year 12 pupil Georgie Kemp, who were all selected to represent Dorset at the 2015 South West Championships.
“The girls should be proud of their determined, dedicated, and cheerful approach to both training and racing. They have been a pleasure to both guide and coach.” David Barlow Cross-Country Coach
MODERN PENTATHLON Congratulations to the two girls who helped the Dorset Pentathletes take gold at the South West Modern Tetrathlon in February. Elektra Covell (Year 7) took the top spot in the U13 division, with Year 5 pupil Lily Amor coming 5th in the same category despite being only 10 years old! Well done also to Libby Tolley (Year 9) who came second in the U15 event. There was more success for Elektra (pictured) at the National Modern Pentathlon Championships which saw her finish in 5th place overall against the best pentathletes in the country. This is an incredible achievement at such a competitive event. Well done Elektra. Well done also to the Leweston girls who completed at the Pentathlon GB National Triathlon in April. Elizabeth Tolley (Year 9) won the U17 age group helped by a personal best in the swim phase. In the U13 event, Lily Amor (Year 5) produced a personal best in the shoot phase to finish in 12th place overall. Elektra Covell (Year 7) also featured in this event, finishing 13th. Well done to all three girls whose strong performances helped the Dorset Pentathletes to two team golds. 17
The 29er EuroCup Records Smashed at Inter-House Athletics Competition and Swimming Gala Leweston enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of Inter-House Athletics in the last week of term which saw several long standing records toppled in fine fashion. A number of new Inter-House and age group records were broken, including two held by Old Antonian’s for over 20 years! The 800m is now held by Libby Tolley (Year 9) and the 1500m is now held by Georgie Kemp (Year 13). Yet more records were broken at the Inter-House Swimming Gala. Congratulations to our new record holders: Alice Liddle (Year 10) Backstroke 50m and 25m, Libby Tolley (Year 9) Butterfly 25m and 100m open, Eve Southcombe Freestyle 50m and Aoife McCarthy 200m Open. 17 year group records were also broken. Well done to all competitors.
18
Congratulations to gifted sailor and Leweston Sixth Former Izzie Berkley who travelled to Spain to compete for Great Britain in the 29er EuroCup in February. Izzie and her teammate Luke Robinson took part in the international competition where they overcame tricky weather conditions and problems with their boat to finish in a respectable 27th place. 61 teams from 12 nations took part, with Sweden crowned the eventual winners. Izzie and Luke have since competed in the Youth Nationals in Portland and look forward to the National Championships and World Championships in August. Good Luck!
YEAR 13 PUPIL TO TAKE PART IN ENGLAND RUGBY TRIALS Congratulations to talented rugby player Maddie Kirby (Year 13) who has been selected to trial for the England Women U20s. This is the latest in a string of success for Maddie who has only been playing competitive rugby for three seasons. She is currently team Captain for the North Dorset RFC; Pack Leader for the Dorset and Wilts team; and has Vice-Captained the England Junior Academy South West team.
Riding High: Leweston’s Largest Ever Equestrian Team Leweston pupils are riding high thanks to the largest equestrian team the school has ever seen. The 17 strong team includes girls aged from 8 to 18, each exceptionally talented in their chosen equestrian field. Leweston’s equestriennes successfully compete in the disciplines of dressage, show jumping, and eventing, as well as Tetrathlon and Pentathlon events. The girls represent the school and their local Pony Clubs, with some riding for the county and even aiming to represent Great Britain. One of the team’s older members, Immie Jones (Year 12) is putting her hard work, dedication and hours of training into practice as she starts on an exciting journey in the dressage world. Immie is working towards her goal of being selected for the National Junior Team and representing Great Britain. She recently attended the British Young Riders Dressage High Performance Camp, which gave her access to the country’s top trainers, and offered a wealth of sports science support for both horse and rider.
Jumping events around the UK and is hoping to qualify her ponies for various championships, including the prestigious Horse of the Year Show. On top of all this, Perdi was recently presented with the Dorset Leading Junior Rider Award which is given to the best under 16 year old riding ponies. Tetrathlon is also a popular sport for the equestrian team which benefits from the school’s impressive strength in multisport events. Many fantastic results have been generated over the past few seasons not least at the Bicton Inter-Area Tetrathlon in May where Leweston girls won all three
phases: Elektra Covell (Year 7) the shoot and swim phases and Issy Colwell (Year 6) the running phase. Well done also to Alice Southcombe (Year 7) who won the shoot and swim, to come 2nd overall in the Novice Junior Girls section. Their results, alongside a strong performance from Eve Southcombe (Year 10), helped to ensure their Area team came 1st overall. Leweston is very proud of all of the girls on the team and how they successfully combine a busy school life with their riding and training.
Like Immie, Perdi Digby (Year 7) is also aiming for the top. Perdi competes in premier Show
19
Junior Department LITERATURE COMES TO LIFE AT LEWESTON “It was an inspiring visit; there were a great many fascinating ideas and lots of helpful advice. We also learned about different species of bear – there are eight! Gill told us her writing tips and I loved her idea of drawing her characters and forming their personalities around them.” Eve Fidler - Year 6
Leweston Junior Department was delighted to welcome local author Gill Lewis to the school in February. Gill, who is also a vet, has written a number of very popular children’s books inspired by the people she has met during her working life as well as her love of wild animals and wild places.
The literary theme continued in March with World Book Day celebrations which saw various activities surrounding a book launch. These included building a web page, making a video, composing and recording a jingle and creating merchandise.
The World’s Gone French Green Earth Day at Leweston Junior Department
Pupils in the Junior Department were delighted to attend a French workshop hosted by the Senior School alongside pupils from Hanford and Knighton House. The day involved pupils from all three schools working collaboratively to write a play in French before acting it out in front of their peers and culminated in a performance of the play The World’s Gone French! by well-known schools’ theatre company Onatti. The play itself was a big hit with all the students who particularly enjoyed the audience participation!
PUPILS SHARE A SMILE FOR SAFER INTERNET DAY 2015
Pupils from Nursery to Year 6 enjoyed celebrating Green Earth Day by wearing varying shades of green and taking part in a range of activities provided by Beth Coleman from the Carymoor Environmental Trust. The pupils threw themselves into this informative day and were delighted to raise over £50 for the Woodland Trust.
Safer Internet Day 2015 was celebrated globally on the 10th of February with the slogan ‘Let’s create a better internet together’. The day offers the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology to help make the internet a better place. Pupils
joined in during their lessons by learning about safe and responsible ways to use the internet, by writing their own Safer Internet Day pledges (pictured above) and by creating ‘smileys’ for SID’s ‘Share a Smile’ social media campaign. 21
Green Fingers
The children in Reception and Year 1 have started a project to create a vegetable patch in the school garden. We look forward to seeing the fruits of their labours later this year!
Leweston Pupils put on a Show Stopping Performance at Youth Makes Music
Pupils in Years 5 and 6 put on another masterful performance at the annual Sherborne Rotary Club Youth Makes Music concert in Sherborne. The children confidently demonstrated the abundant performing arts talent in the Junior Department and left the audience amazed!
PUPILS CELEBRATE ENGLISH SPEAKING BOARD EXAMINATIONS RESULTS Congratulations to the Junior Department pupils who took English Speaking Board examinations in the spring term. All candidates were rewarded for their efforts with either a Merit Plus or a Distinction. These are the best set of results that we have had for many years. Well done all. 22
Romans for a Day Pupils in Year 3 took part in a fun and informative Roman Workshop with Toby Stok of Hands on History in May. The children enjoyed immersing themselves in Roman life and learning about the period by handling both original and replica artefacts. Many of the items they explored were from the Roman villa that used to exist at the Westlands site in Yeovil!
Charity Events Pupils in the Junior Department have held several events for charity over the course of the spring and summer terms. A cake sale raised £40 for Mosaic, a Dorset wide charity offering support to bereaved children and their families. Comic Relief was marked with a fun mix-andmatch mufti day, mixing their school uniforms with their wackiest and brightest items of clothing and raised over £50. Pupils have also raised £50 for the Woodland Trust, £40 for Marie Curie and nearly £500 for the charity School in a Bag.
FIRST HOLY COMMUNION Congratulations to Lily Amor (Year 5), Luisa Cianfanelli (Year 3) and Lilly Redman (Year 5) who made their First Holy Communion at a special service in April. Thank you to Fr Peter Clarke, our celebrant for this important moment in the lives of the girls and their families.
Service of Thanksgiving for Animals
The Junior Department’s inaugural and ambitious Service of Thanksgiving for Animals was a great success. Held in the walled garden in June, the service was led by Fr Peter Clarke and we were delighted to be joined by Yetminster Choir for this special occasion. As well as the pupils and their families, we were joined by dogs, cats, ponies, chickens, budgerigars, rabbits, a tortoise, guinea pigs, a hamster and even some fish! All the pets were beautifully behaved with one of the dogs even joining in with the hymns!
FRIENDS’ NEWS
Easter Egg Hunt
Thank you to the Friends’ of Leweston Junior Department who held a number of successful events this year including the ever popular annual Easter Egg Hunt and the annual Junior Department Summer Fayre which boasted a fabulous array of traditional stalls, including face painting, hook-a-duck, tombola, lucky dip, cakes, a bouncy castle and much more. Both these events have become real highlights in the Junior Department calendar, enjoyed by pupils, parents and staff. Thank you to the Friends’ committee for their continued support. 23
Trips and Visits Braeside ‘Room on the Broom’
Sea Life Centre
The Three Wishes
2015 has seen many trips and visits for the pupils in the Nursery and Junior Department. These opportunities provide the pupils with the chance to broaden their horizons, deepen their subject knowledge and take their learning outside of the classroom and they are an important part of the curriculum at Leweston. A selection of the trips and visits that have taken place so far this year can be seen in the accompanying photo gallery.
Braeside
Studland
Sherborne Old Castle
NURSERY, RECEPTION AND YEAR 1 TRAVEL TO THE OCTAGON THEATRE TO WATCH ‘ROOM ON THE BROOM’
Year 3 and 4 Visit Stonehenge
Year 6 visit Studland
Year 5 Geography Field Trip: Sherborne Town Trail 24
Year 5 Geography Trip to the River Wriggle
Stonehenge
Gore Farm
Braeside
Braeside
Gore Farm
LV Streetwise
River Wriggle
Tutankhamun Exhibition
Sea Life Centre
Stonehenge
The annual 3 day residential trip for Years 5 and 6 to Brilliant Braeside! Reception and Year 1 enjoyed a trip to The Three Wishes CafĂŠ in Sherborne to support their literacy topic of Traditional Fairy Tales.
Nursery visit Weymouth Sea Life Centre
Year 4 trip to the Tutankamun Exhibition YEARS 3, 4 AND 6 SPEND THE DAY AT GORE FARM
Year 6 Visit to LV Streetwise safety education centre
25
Creative Life
Alice in Wonderland Dazzles Audiences A cast of girls from Years 5 - 8 put on a stunning performance of Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland at the end of the summer term. Playing to a full house over three nights, the supremely talented cast dazzled all in attendance with their professional and polished performances. It was a joyous riot of song and dance, with Caroll’s wonderfully wacky world brought to bright and vibrant life in the school theatre. The production could not have taken place without the tireless work of the supporting crew. Composed of a team of pupils and staff from across the school, the crew oversaw everything from the first class costume and set design, to the direction, lighting, sound, make-up and much more.
“It was a truly spectacular show; congratulations to all involved!” Jane Robotham Head of Music and Performing Arts
26
A Sensational Spring Concert
The Junior Department staged a sensational concert to mark the end of the spring term featuring performances by soloists, ensembles and the Year 5 and 6 Performing Arts Group, as well as a selection of English Speaking Board presentations by pupils in Years 5 and 6. A particular highlight was the performance of The Selfish Giant by the Reception to Year 4 Performing Arts Group. Led by Nancy Murphy (Year 4) as The Giant and Lachlan Marsh (Year 3) as The Boy, the play was a joy to behold, with superb performances by the entire cast. 27 Photos by Millie Pilkington
Junior Department Sport
GOLD AT NATIONAL SCHOOLS’ BIATHLE FOLLOWING EXCELLENT PERFORMANCES AT SEVERAL BIATHLE GB SERIES EVENTS LEWESTON ATHLETES DOMINATED THE NATIONAL SCHOOLS’ BIATHLE HELD IN JUNE. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE YEAR 3/4 TEAM AND THE YEAR 5 TEAM WHO BOTH FINISHED IN SILVER MEDAL POSITION AND TO THE YEAR 6 TEAMS WHO TOOK GOLD AND BRONZE! THERE WAS ALSO MUCH INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS FOR LEWESTON PUPILS BUT MOST NOTABLY FOR YEAR 6 PUPIL ANYA EVANS, WHO FINISHED 1ST TO RETAIN THE TITLE OF NATIONAL CHAMPION!
28
Netball Festival for Local Primaries
National Success for Swimmers Junior Department pupils have enjoyed much success in the pool this summer. Anya Evans, Issy Colwell, Esme Clifford (all Year 6) and Lily Amor (Year 5) qualified for the ESSA National Swimming Relays in June following outstanding performances at Millfield in the South West Regional competition. Lily and Anya also qualified for the prestigious IAPS National Swimming Finals held in May as one of the top 16 swimmers in their age groups for girls from IAPS schools nationwide. The Junior Department swimmers also showed their style and speed in the North Dorset U9 Swimming Trials where they won both the 25m breaststroke and 25m front crawl events, with excellent swims from Flora Spenlove-Brown and Ginny Bruce (both Year 4). The medley and freestyle relays were also both won by Leweston. Great competing girls!
Sisters Enjoy Tetrathlon Success Congratulations to sisters Issy and Molly Colwell for their victories at the New Forest Pony Club Tetrathlon in May. The girls took part in the event as representatives of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Pony Club and were delighted to win their classes. They made a huge effort in all the events, generating personal bests in all phases.
Leweston Junior Department was delighted to host the inaugural Netball Play Day and Festival for local primary schools in February. 65 Year 5 and 6 pupils from 5 local primary schools plus the teams from Leweston took part. Leweston’s team of specialist netball coaches provided high-quality individual coaching for the players, before inviting them to participate in some match play. The focus was on fun games, played competitively and in good spirit, using the skills and tactics learnt during the afternoon. All participants received a commemorative medal and each team was given a special accolade, such as the ‘Fancy Footwork Award’ and the ‘Artful Dodgers Award’.
“It was a very enjoyable and fun afternoon, with the girls relishing the interaction with their local peers and showing some impressive improvement over the course of the session. We hope that our passion for netball can inspire girls to continue playing the sport, at school and/or in one of the local netball clubs.” Sara Guy Head of Netball
29
INTER HOUSE EVENTS 2015
Winners at Wessex Athletics Junior Department pupils enjoyed much success at the two Wessex Schools athletics competitions held in June. At the Junior Wessex Schools event Year 5 pupil Lily Amor took the bronze medal in the 200m final and came in a creditable 7th place in the 800m final. Molly Colwell (Year 3) finished in a fabulous 4th place in the 200m final and 6th in the U9 Long Jump event. Ginny Bruce (Year 4) finished 20th in the Long Jump, 11th in the 200m and in an excellent 7th place in the 800m. Alice Anderson took home 10th place in the Long Jump and Flora Spenlove-Brown (Year 4) exhibited a lovely technique over the hurdles finishing in 11th place.
Well done also to the Year 6 athletes who recorded some fantastic individual successes at the Senior Wessex Schools event. Anya Evans won Gold in the 1500m, ensuring that Leweston once again qualified for the National Athletics Finals in Birmingham. This is the 5th year that Leweston has qualified for this prestigious event. Anya also won bronze in Discus by throwing a personal best. Well done to Issy Colwell who had a strong race in the 800m finishing in 5th overall. Congratulations to all the competitors.
30
Congratulations to the U11 team who competed at the 2015 IAPS National Cross Country Championships. The girls rose to the occasion, putting in some outstanding runs and finishing in strong positions. A special mention goes to Year 6 pupil Anya Evans who was the highest placed small schools runner – an outstanding achievement. More success came for the Year 6 runners at the Canford Relays with Anya and Issy Colwell taking first and second place respectively. Their teammates Lily Amor and Kitty McCosker also put in strong performances to ensure a team win!
CROSS COUNTRY HIGHS
This year’s Sports Day and Swimming Gala both proved to be super spectacles, reflecting the pupils’ hard work and effort across the year. The coveted prize of the House Cup was awarded to St Anne on Sports Day with the title of House Swimming Champions going to St Antony. Well done to all competitors.
A Busy Time in Nursery With record numbers and the recent Nursery expansion, it has been a busy start to 2015 in the Nursery. In the Baby Unit our youngest pupils have flourished, enjoying the many indoor and outdoor activities that the staff have provided. The Toddlers are relishing this stage of their development which has included increased physical play and plentiful opportunities to socialise with the older children using the ‘Free-Flow’ practices within the Nursery. The Pre-School group recently enjoyed the delights of the sensory bus during its visit to Leweston and Sports Day in June was also a great success. The children put in lots of practice before the event with our specialist PE staff and their efforts were rewarded with some excellent performances on the day!
NURSERY OPEN EVENTS DRAW THE CROWDS! We are delighted that our Nursery Activity Mornings have continued to grow in popularity with record numbers of families attending the three events this year.
Nursery Swim Sessions are a ‘Splashing Success’
Nursery
Our first two terms of weekly specialist swim sessions for our 3-4 year olds in the nursery have got off to a flying start! Led by Ali Parnell, a qualified ASA level 2 teacher, they have proved so popular that we will be running two sessions per week from September. The children have been having a great time developing their water confidence and we certainly have some budding swimmers in our midst!
Make New Friends at Leweston! It’s never too early to join the Leweston community. We run a weekly Parent and Toddler Group for newborns to 4 year olds on Thursday mornings from 9.45 until 11.30 and an Aquatots Group for parents and toddlers aged from 3 months to 3 years every Wednesday from 10am-10.45am at the Leweston School Pool. £3.50 per session. HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON!
You can find out more about future Nursery Activity Mornings and Open Mornings on our website www.leweston.co.uk
Boarding Its been an action packed 2015 so far for our boarders and a selection of the fun had during the trips, visits, activities and socials that have taken place over the spring and summer terms can be seen here... AUSTRALIA DAY 2015 CHINESE NEW YEAR CHOCOCO CHOCOLATE COMPANY SPINNAKER TOWER, PORTSMOUTH STUDLAND MINTERNE HOUSE SWANAGE AND PURBECK ROYAL SIGNALS MUSEUM CHEDDAR GORGE SPLASHDOWN KINGSTON MAURWARD
32
JUNIOR AND MIDDLE HOUSE BOARDING TASTER NIGHTS
...
We were delighted to welcome our aspiring Middle House boarders to a fun packed taster night in February. The girls took part in an evening of pampering and enjoyed a movie night with the obligatory popcorn befor taking part in an exhilarating day at Bournemouth’s new Rock Reef Activity Centre on the Saturday. A fun filled boarding taster night in Junior House followed for our younger Year 4 boarders in the summer term. The action packed evening saw the participating girls complete stage 1 of the ‘Boarding Pass’, explore Leweston’s extensive grounds with the parachute, tour all the boarding houses and enjoy a delicious supper before watching a film. The girls were then presented with their ‘Boarding Pass’ certificates by one of the older Junior House boarders. We hope that you enjoyed your taste of life in the Boarding House and look forward to welcoming you back soon!
YEAR 12 PILGRIMAGE
Spiritual Life Leweston Raises Funds for Nepalese Sister School Following the devastating earthquakes in Nepal in April, Leweston has held several events to raise funds for Jana Jyoti, our Nepalese sister school. The school was within the zone of the quake’s epicentre but luckily sustained no serious damage and no human casualties. However, the local area has been badly affected and although the school buildings are all standing, they need much repair. Leweston is delighted to have raised over £2200 so far, from proceeds from our tuck shop, a collection at Confirmation Mass, a cake sale and a school mufti day. We are also collecting donations online on our justgiving page at http://campaign.justgiving.com/charity/lewestonschool/jana-jyoti. Thank you to all who have donated.
Year 12 embarked on the annual two day Pilgrimage walk to Chideock at the end of the summer term. They were blessed with the sun, setting off from Melbury Bubb and finishing on the first day at the wonderful Parnham House just outside Beaminster (approximately 12 miles). The following day the group continued to Chideock where they finished their walk with a prayer in the beautiful surrounds of Chideock’s Chapel, attached to the Manor House. The pilgrimage was a great experience for both the staff and the girls alike.
Pupils Celebrate their Confirmation Mass and First Holy Communion Congratulations to Elizabeth Tolley, Charlotte Treichl (Year 9) and Ella Glydon (Year 10) who made their First Holy Communion at the end of April. This wonderful occasion was followed by a very special Confirmation Mass the following week, to which we were delighted to welcome the Rt Rev. Mark O’Toole, Bishop of Plymouth. Ten Confirmands from Leweston (pictured) were joined by Confirmands from Sherborne School, Sherborne School for Girls and Milton Abbey School for this special event. Congratulations to all the Confirmands and their families. 34
OA News REJOICE AND DO WELL! The summer term concluded with the celebration of this year’s many achievements at the Senior School’s Speech Day and of course we said a fond farewell to our 2015 leavers and new Leweston Old Antonians at the Leavers’ Ball that evening. Good luck to all the girls who will be getting their results in August. We have no doubt that you will continue to ‘Rejoice and Do Well’ in the years ahead!
OAs Named in New Year Honours List LEWESTON WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE TWO OAS named in the 2015 New Year Honours List. Liz Male (’85) was awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours for her services to the construction industry and consumer protection. Liz is Chairman of Liz Male Consulting Ltd, a company which she established in 2001. The company is best known for its PR, communications and marketing campaigns in the property, architecture, building, construction services and energy efficiency sectors. Liz is also the non-executive chair of TrustMark, a government-backed initiative to assist consumers to find a reputable contractor.
BAFTA award winning actress Kristin Scott Thomas (’78) was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the New Year Honours for services to drama. Kristin, who lives in France, was previously awarded an OBE in the 2003 Birthday Honours and was named a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur by the French Government in 2005. Perhaps best known for her Oscar nominated role in The English Patient (1996), Kristin is now currently focusing on theatre and is set to portray the Queen in the play The Audience at the London Apollo from April 2015.
“The biggest lesson I have learnt whilst at Leweston is that we need to live fully in every chapter of our lives. Relish the good, and don’t fear the bad. I leave Leweston with unbreakable friendships and some unforgettable memories and I’m indebted and proud to say that I’ve spent these years of my life, with people like you, in a place like this.”
Charlotte Edwards Head Girl 2014/15
Open Days 2015/16 Friday 2 October 2015 Joint Schools Open Day 09.45 Sixth Form Open Information Evening 17.00
Thursday 8 October 2015 Nursery Activity Morning: Forest Skills 09.45
Bank Holiday Monday 2 May 2016 Joint Schools Open Day 09.45
Dates for your Diary… Saturday 26 September Leweston Inter-Schools’ Show Jumping Competition
Saturday 5 December 10.00 – 16.00 Leweston Christmas Fair
Wednesday 14 October 12.00 Lunch for Local Leweston Old Antonians
Tuesday 8 December 16.00 Senior School Carol Service in Sherborne Abbey
Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October Activity Day and Junior House Boarding Taster Weekend (for prospective Senior School pupils)
Thursday 10 December 11.00 Junior Department Carol Service, School Chapel
Friday 16 October 17.00 Leweston Fashion Show Thursday 5 November 18.30 Bonfire Night and Hog Roast Friday 6 November Sixth Form taster experience (for girls in Year 11) Monday 16 and Tuesday 17 November Sixth Form Scholarships for 2016 entry Deadline for applications: Monday 9 November Monday 30 November Junior Department Scholarships for 2016 entry Deadline for applications: Monday 23 November
Weekly Events: Aquatots: : Every Wednesday from 10.00 – 10.45 in the School Pool. Parent and Toddler: Every Thursday from 9.45 – 11.30 in the Nursery. For more information about any of these events, or to register your attendance, please call 01963 210783 or email office@leweston.dorset.sch.uk
LEWESTON SCHOOL, SHERBORNE, DORSET DT9 6EN 01963 211010 ADMISSIONS@LEWESTON.DORSET.SCH.UK WWW.LEWESTON.CO.UK Leweston is a registered charity number 295175