School memories

Ruth Pinfold, fourth from left, and fellow pupils prepare for a tennis lesson.

A RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM

BY PETER LOVE

Three alumnae ladies now in their 80s and 90s – one from as far away as the United States – have recently paid a visit to a Shropshire school which they affectionately remember from a completely different era.

They were educated at Our Lady of Sion Convent School which was housed at Acton Burnell Hall before it became the current home of Concord College, universally famous for its international community of students who fly from all across the world to this pretty part of Shropshire to study and take their GCSEs and A-levels, many going on to top universities.

The convent school moved to Acton Burnell in the 1940s to escape the dangers of the second world war and was there until the early 1970s when Concord College transferred to the Hall from its original site in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

On their visits, the alumnae ladies, who all attended at different time periods, supplied Mrs Alison Chadwick, Concord College’s Alumni Officer, with interesting stories and fascinating old photos.

Alison said: “Concord is a very happy place to come to learn and we get visits weekly from Concord College alumni of all ages, keen to reminisce about fond memories of their time here and at the same time to chat with their old teachers, many of whom have worked at the college for decades.

“Over recent months it has been lovely to also welcome some alumnae of the Our Lady of Sion Convent School who wanted to revisit their old classrooms, dining room and dormitories. They gave an absolutely enthralling insight into life at the school in the 1940s and 1950s and told me what a happy place it was – just like now.”

Grade II listed Acton Burnell Hall boasts lots of original features and many of the rooms, although they have changed use as Concord College has grown in size, look just as they used to 80 years ago and more.

Frances Kay visited Concord College with her mother’s cousin Anne, who attended Our Lady of Sion school during the second world war having been evacuated there. Walking round the grounds brought back lots of memories.

Alison said: “Anne was the oldest alumna from Our Lady of Sion to visit this summer and recalled hearing about the D Day landings over the radio in what is now our staff room. She told me she was there with Elizabeth de Gaulle, daughter of French wartime leader Charles, who was also sent to the school for safety by her famous father.

“Anne was concerned that this wartime information about a famous student might still be ‘top secret’. I

Ruth Pinfold at Concord College this year.

Pupils taking part in gymnastics.

checked online and managed to find some fantastic photos of Elizabeth and her classmates sitting with the nuns in our staff room – then a classroom – and working on an Acton Burnell farm. I think it is safe to say this information is now in the public domain.

“I learned that all the girls got stuck in with gardening too, some even bringing their own garden forks and spades in order to grow vegetables and keep the gardens looking smart.

“Anne was, however, sad to see that the lovely old chapel at Acton Burnell Hall is now a common room for students to relax in. She hopes that one day we will find photos of when it was used by the nuns, pupils and even Italian POWs housed nearby for worship.”

Over the summer, alumna Ruth Pinfold also visited the Concord College campus from her home in the USA to reminisce about her school days. Ruth

Above, the school’s refectory, now the Conference Room as shown below.

was at the Our Lady of Sion School in the 1950s and, said Alison, brought with her a number of ‘wonderful photos’ of the nuns and students – all the rooms still easy to recognise today.

Alison said: “Ruth has had a terrific life and I enjoyed listening to her stories. She told me what a happy place the Convent School was, that children from many backgrounds attended, including those of important international figures, and the nuns were very kind.

“As the student bedrooms were all empty for the summer, we were able to look inside one of them and Ruth remarked at how lucky students are today with their modern en-suite rooms – with doors!

“It struck me that although the building has been home to two different schools, how similar they were both in surroundings and in their ethos in spite of the decades of change. Both schools have been very happy places to learn, the students, both from home and abroad, working hard and always well cared for by their teachers.”

On leaving Shropshire, the Our Lady of Sion School moved to Worthing in West Sussex where it is today.

Ruth Pinfold, front centre, in class.

STARS OF CERAMIC DYNASTY

BY CAROLINE DENNARD, EUROPEAN CERAMICS, GLASS AND MILITARIA SPECIALIST

Part of the private collection of Royal Worcester.

Our December Fine Art, Antiques and Jewellery Auction taking place on December 7 is always a popular one that attracts interest from both the Christmas gift market and traditional collectors.

As the European Ceramics specialist, I am delighted to say that we have recently consigned a private collection of Royal Worcester porcelain painted by the leading factory painters Harry and James Stinton. The Stinton name is synonymous with Royal Worcester, with different members of this four-generation family dynasty w working as painters at the manufactory for around 160 years. Henry Stinton was the first of this family to enter the profession and found his calling at the Grainger Worcester factory, painting predominantly flowers and insects. Of his five sons, three went on to become porcelain painters. His eldest, John Stinton Jnr, joined the profession at the relatively late age of 35 and specialised in landscapes and figural painting. In turn, his youngest son, James, enjoyed painting brightly coloured game birds, such as pheasants or ducks.

In 1904, Royal Worcester purchased Grainger and this important family of painters with it. John Stinton Jnr’s youngest son, Harry, is well-represented in this sale. His charming and highly recognisable scenes of Highland cattle, similar to that of his father, depicting cattle watering from lakes or streams in misty mountainous landscapes, have become one of the most sought-after subjects by collectors. To many, his work is the best of its type.

Items of note from this private collection include a cased presentation coffee service, painted with pheasants by James Stinton, complete with a set of original silver gilt teaspoons, estimated at £400-£600, and Highland cattle vases by Harry Stinton, each lot ranging in estimates of £300-£600.

Elsewhere in the sale are five Royal Copenhagen figures designed by Carl Martin-Hansen. These delightful models of children formed part of a series of Danish national costumes, representing 47 regions, first produced from 1906-1925 and are estimated at £200-£300 each.

Public viewing for this auction is on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, December 4-6, at our Shrewsbury salerooms in Battlefield, SY4 3DR. View the auction online now at www.hallsgb.com/fine-art

n If you have any items that you would like to obtain a valuation on or advise about selling at auction, please do not hesitate to get in touch by calling 01743 450 700 or emailing me directly at carolined@hallsgb.com

ANTLER FURNITURE FETCHES A DEER PRICE

A pair of 19th century red and fallow deer antler chairs.

The penultimate auction of the Trevanion 2022 calendar was full of triumphs and surprises. While the November auction included a selection of more traditional arts and antiques, some of the top prices of the day came from an extraordinary collection of antler furniture.

Looking as if they had been drawn straight from a fantasy novel, the unusual console table and grand chairs were in fact consigned from a private estate in Cheshire, and are thought to have originally hailed from Bostock Hall. On sale day, a flurry of online bids flew in –ultimately however, the table and chairs sold to local collectors for £1,900 and £3,600 respectively.

Animal horns and antlers were used in home furnishings as early as the 15th century, their natural shapes being conducive for use as clothes hooks, storage racks and even chandeliers, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that they were more widely used in furniture.

The style saw a boom in the mid-19th century after the Great Exhibition of 1851, where Hamburg sculptor H.F.C. Rampendahl exhibited horn furniture pieces such as bureaus, chairs and sofas. The opulent furnishings captured the imaginations of the ambitious European middle class, and demand for antler furniture saw a massive upswing. Following the Great exhibition, manufacturers from Germany, Austria and the USA began producing antler products, from large scale furniture to household ware such as desk sets and cutlery.

By the 1920s, the taste for antler furniture had come to an abrupt end, and many manufacturers ceased production. In the last decade however, the market has been reinvigorated by lodge style and cabin décor trends in interior design. While modern reproductions are in high demand, original antique pieces are sought after in auction circles. Elsewhere, the top price of the day came from an unusual

Art Nouveau earthenware vase by renowned Hungarian porcelain factory Zsolnay. Founded in 1863, the Zsolnay factory gained notoriety for its innovative use of materials, in particular the ‘eosin technique’, whereby a secret substance that has been placed on the glazed porcelain is partly burned away.

The secret eosin glaze renders porcelain to appear iridescent metallic. Named after the Greek Goddess of Dawn Eos, this technique became a trademark of the Zsolnay brand, and the eosinbased iridescence became a favourite of art nouveau and Jugendstil artists. The technique was exhibited beautifully in this month’s auction, the vase decorated with iridescent fish against a mottled blue ground. The vase surpassed a conservative pre-sale estimate selling for an incredible £6,500 + buyer’s premium.

Elsewhere in the sale, a single owner collection of gentleman’s wristwatches fetched the handsome sum of £13,000 + buyer’s premium. The collection, which came from a large estate in Cheshire, boasted a selection of pieces by important makers such as Tudor and Omega.

The top price came from a special edition Omega Seamaster GMT Professional Chronometer wristwatch which hammered at £6,000 + buyer’s premium. The watch was especially designed for members of Britain’s elite Special Boat Service (SBS), a specialised contingent of the UK’s Royal Marine Commandos, and was produced as part of a limited run of 500, only available for purchase to ‘badged’ SBSqualified members. While most of the limited run is still in the hands of original owners, a few have reached the collector’s market.

Other lots of note include a Tudor Black Bay ‘Harrods’ Edition wristwatch which made £2,600, and an unusual Omega Seamaster ‘Soccer Timer ’ wristwatch which sold for £1,800.

Simon Grover and the Zsolnay Pecs Hungary Art Nouveau earthenware vase. Omega Seamaster GMT Professional Co-Axial wristwatch.

STEP UP FOR PARENTS’ EVENINGS

The head of a Shropshire school has announced moves to upgrade its parents’ evenings while also sending home more reports to improve efforts to help pupils reach their full potential.

Anna Karacan, who joined Old Hall School in September from Kellett in Hong Kong, said the move was part of an extensive plan, working alongside parents, to create the highest possible standards at the school.

It comes as Mrs Karacan said she was delighted to have received an “incredible response” to a parents’ survey she issued within her first few weeks in the role.

She said increasing the number of parents’ evenings to three each year was one of the first developments she wanted to share following the survey.

Schools in the UK have to provide at least one parents’ evening a year with most holding two.

“We will now hold a parents’ evening every term for every year group,” she said.

“I am a fierce advocate of parents who want the best from a school for their children and who are actively engaged in their child’s education and making demands of their child’s school. I believe it is really important that you know how your child is progressing academically and that we as teachers share their strengths and key points for development, in order to support them together to fulfill their potential.

“More frequent parents’ evenings will provide greater opportunity for parents and teachers to come together to talk through a child’s development and look at any areas that do need more focus and those that are real strengths and are an integral part of boosting a child’s confidence across the board.”

The school will also now send a formal report home at the end of each term which will give an Attitude to Learning Grade and a Teacher Assessment Grade.

“I have been so impressed with the community I have seen in action throughout this first part of the Christmas Term. I have also been hugely inspired by the parents’ survey which shows families who care very deeply for and are proud of this school while also eager to help drive forward change so it can build on what it is good at to be even better.

“Together with my team, we are aiming for Old Hall to be a leading school both regionally and nationally in terms of academic standards and pathway programs in drama, sport and life skills.”

Mrs Karacan said the survey results and most recent changes had come at the end of a busy term where children had really embraced her message of making the most of any opportunity open to them.

A number of sporting fixtures were held while youngsters also took centre stage at a series of concerts featuring vocalists, pianists, and string and wind instruments.

When Old Hall returned after the half-term holiday an ambitious firework extravaganza was planned for families themed around the animated musical Sing.

“We are very much looking forward to the new term which will also see a number of parents’ evenings held for upper school following successful evenings already held for the lower school,” added Mrs Karacan.

AN EYE ON THE FUTURE

Haberdashers’ Adams is a school enriched with wonderful history. It was, for those unaware, founded by William Adams, a merchant Haberdasher with family connections in the area.

He established his school in Newport in 1656 during the Interregnum, with permission from Oliver Cromwell, and appointed the Master and Wardens of the Haberdashers’ Company as Governors. He left money and estates to the company to support the school.

It’s always important to have a nod, a proud acknowledgement, of the past. On such history are impressive foundations built and Haberdashers’ Adams has long since been regarded regionally and nationally for its high academic standards.

But it’s also important to have an eye on the future, so the message of the school’s website is quite apt as it refers to ‘traditional values, modern approach’.

And that forward-thinking has, this year, seen the school take steps towards a new, positive and exciting era. Haberdashers’ Adams has announced its intention to go fully co-educational.

It does, of course, already have a co-ed Sixth Form. But now a formal public consultation process is being launched with the aim of the new Admissions Policy being in place for the Entrance Test in September 2023 and with the first cohort arriving in September 2024.

“We are very aware, as a 400-year-old grammar school, there’s a lot of tradition here,” says headteacher Gary Hickey. “But tradition can always evolve and every tradition has to start somewhere.

“It was 30 years ago that we first saw girls come into the Sixth Form here so, in many ways, we are already a coeducational school. We are just planning that all the way through the year groups now. It’s the next piece of evolution, which is important. It’s about getting the right balance. Keeping tradition is important and integral to the life of the school, but it’s also about realising things do change in society.”

He adds: “We need to reflect the society and the world we are in, such as equality and diversity. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify a single-sex education. We have to take a tangible step.

“By continuing to provide the broad and varied curriculum we already do, but in a co-educational setting, all our children will learn to be more confident, resilient and compassionate young adults. We have many outstanding facilities for girls already in place for the Sixth Form and look forward to welcoming girls from September 2024.

Reaction so far to the plans has been positive from pupils and parents.

Mr Hickey added: “One of the questions raised was are we as a school disadvantaging boys with this move? If we look at this in terms of recent history then the answer has to be no. In 2004 the intake was 650, and we are now 1,075, which shows a near doubling of capacity in a 20-year period.

“Furthermore, if we reflect on the school development in recent years, with new teaching blocks, increase in the size of the Sixth Form, and a new House, all have added capacity. So the impact on the opportunity for boys has to be taken in both a historical and geographical context, as in terms of numbers our school is giving more boys a grammar school

Haberdashers’ Adams Headmaster Gary Hickey and Head of Sixth Form Charlotte Harman.

opportunity now than it ever has.

“Ultimately though, if we want, as a society, to strive for gender equality, create a diverse and respectful community, encourage more girls into STEM subjects, and foster respect and tolerance across all sexes and genders, then surely the question isn’t why shouldn’t we be co-ed, it’s why aren’t we?”

And Charlotte Harman, Head of Sixth Form, who will oversee the integration of girls, adds: “Having girls in the Sixth Form has been a huge success and we are looking forward to the new opportunities and perspectives that having girls throughout the school will bring to the school community. ”

The move would, undoubtedly, mark another exciting era in the history of the school, with pupils and staff having come through the challenges of the pandemic.

A total of 120 pupils at Haberdashers’ Adams sat their GCSEs this year and achieved an outstanding set of results –54% were of the highest grading of 8s and 9s, which under the old system is equivalent to getting an A*; 73% were in the 7-9 bracket (A -A*); and 89% were graded 9-6 (A*-B), taking the overall pass rate to 99%. For A-level results, a total of 180 Sixth Form pupils at the school successfully completing their A-levels, with 74% of pupils achieving A*- B graded A-levels and 51% A*- A grades.

“The staff embraced the challenges and the online learning aspect of the last two years, so quickly and enthusiastically,” adds Mr Hickey. “Such disturbance with exams could have been difficult, but our pupils rose to those challenges. It’s been a tough couple of years but we are looking to a positive future.”

Sixth Form Open Afternoonst s 2023

5th, 12th & 19th Jan 2nd & 9th Feb

A s A tate gt t rammar school for day pupils and boarders

For further details and to register visit www.adamsgs.uk

Open Day for Year 7 Entry

31st January 2023

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A MOVE AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE E XAMINATION

Birchfield School is moving away from a conventional 11+ style entrance examination for Year 7 upwards to its own unique Assessment Morning.

Sarah Morris, Headmistress at Birchfield School, says: “Many children can find the traditional 11+ format immensely stressful, and often underperform in this environment as a result. We find that assessing our prospective new pupils in a more relaxed and less formal way, helps us to spot their true potential, enabling us to accept pupils that may not flourish in a more standard 11+ entrance exam.”

Albert Einstein is often credited with the famous quote: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

This is echoed in the ethos of Birchfield School, Sarah Morris says: “We believe that judging children in a narrow and limiting way can give you a false impression of their ability. Our way is different. We embrace the whole child and work with them, providing them with opportunities, time and space to explore different areas. This allows our children to spend time discovering where their talents lie.”

Birchfield School is set in the beautiful countryside on the outskirts of Albrighton. A Prep School for 87 years, Birchfield School has recently extended its Senior School, to the delight of existing and prospective parents.

“We have had fantastic feedback since extending our Senior School, our current pupils are delighted to be able to stay at Birchfield School, and prospective parents are drawn to our small classes, rural setting and affordable fees.”

Furthermore, Birchfield School pupils enjoy the security of an exciting new initiative offering students with five GCSE passes a guaranteed place at their sister school’s Sixth Form, St Dominic’s Grammar School.

If you are looking for a place for your son or daughter for September 2023, and feel that the traditional 11+ may not the best route for them, why not go along and see what Birchfield School has to offer.

For more information contact Birchfield School on 01902 372534 or email marketing@birchfieldschool.co.uk