What’s New 2012-13 Highlights
This Year?
INSIDE Record examination results, including: 52% of GCSE grades at A*/A; an outstanding 76% of all A Level grades at A*-B; a 100% success rate overall.
Our 370th Year Celebrations Outstanding Academic Achievements
Celebrating 370 Years I hope that you enjoy reading about highlights from the last academic year at New Hall School. This year we celebrated the 370th anniversary of our foundation, against a backdrop of outstanding academic success. We have celebrated with students across all subjects and in all sports, in our pastoral care, co-curriculum and boarding provision, much of which you can read about in these pages. We recognise that success comes in many different forms. In these few pages you will read of just some of the achievements of our students during the past year. This year we announced the expansion of our boarding provision, creating two new junior boarding houses for girls and boys aged 7-13. This will allow us to enhance further the exceptional care we provide for boarding students. In a pioneering educational initiative, we became the first independent school in the country to enter into sponsorship of a state primary academy. Our fabulous new Sixth Form Centre opened in September 2013, when we welcomed our largest ever Sixth Form of 210 students. If this is the first time you are hearing about New Hall School, I warmly invite you to come and visit us. Please contact our Registrar, Mrs Elizabeth Murphy on 01245 236 098 or via email on registrar@newhallschool.co.uk for further information or to arrange a tour. I look forward to meeting you.
Katherine Jeffrey, Principal
Thanksgiving Mass at Westminster Cathedral to celebrate our 370th anniversary
Hayden Munt and Ellouise Day are the new Head Boy and Head Girl
New Hall School features on the new Chelmsford City Monopoly board
Front cover picture: The New Hall School Choir, conducted by Director of Music Andrew Fardell, sang at Mass in Westminster Cathedral
Outstanding Academic Success KEY ACHIEVEMENTS 50% increase in GCSE A* grades Record 52% GCSE grades at A*/A 76% of A Level grades at A*-B 94% of A Level grades at A*-C 100% success rate in GCSE & A Level
A Level 2013
GCSE 2013
The Head Girl and Boy led the A Level results celebrations, together with their two deputies. They celebrated a remarkable 14 A*/A grades between them.
Students celebrated remarkable improvement in their attainment at the very highest level compared with the previous year, with a 50% increase in A* grades. As well as 21% of all GCSEs being awarded A*, a record 52% of grades were at A*/A and a record 30 students achieved at least 9-12 A*/A grades. The outstanding results at New Hall were in contrast to the national picture, where the grades fell overall. Once again New Hall announced a 100% success rate.
Overall, 94% of grades at A Level were at A*-C and 76% of grades at A*-B. Head Boy Daniel Mullens secured an offer to read Classics at Oxford University by achieving 3 A*s in Classical Greek, History and Latin and 2 A grades in Mathematics and Spanish. He secured a further A* grade in his Extended Project, as an independent research initiative. Head Girl Grace Fairbairn achieved 3 A grades in Biology, Mathematics and Music to secure her first choice university to study Midwifery, beating 585 applicants to secure one of only 28 places.
This year, both girls and boys at New Hall have achieved exceptional results in a number of challenging academic subjects, including Sciences and Mathematics; girls have performed particularly well in these areas, usually dominated by boys nationally. GCSE students are now entering the school’s newly relocated and refurbished Sixth Form Centre.
At New Hall the curriculum is distinctive in its breadth and academic rigour. The outstanding results and record numbers achieving A*/A grades are testament to all our students’ hard work and dedication. We look forward to hearing of their future successes. Katherine Jeffrey, Principal
A Level Results 2013 We are proud of all our students and delighted to hear that they have secured places at Oxford University to read Classics, Politics, Philosophy and Economics, as well as at other leading Russell Group universities, such as Edinburgh, Exeter and Queen Mary, University of London, to read competitive subjects including Law, Engineering and Medicine. Katherine Jeffrey, Principal
A Level 2013 Subject
Number of Students
New Hall
National
A*
A
B
C
D
E
Total
A*-E Pass %
A*-B%
A*-B%
Art
3
1
2
0
0
0
6
100%
100%
57.80%
Biology
4
6
3
3
1
0
17
100%
76.47%
52.50%
Business Studies
3
7
10
1
1
0
22
100%
90.91%
42.50%
Chemistry
1
5
4
3
1
0
14
100%
71.43%
60.40%
Chinese
0
10
3
0
0
0
13
100%
100%
79.30%
Classics
0
0
1
3
1
0
5
100%
20.00%
65.40%
Classical Greek
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
100%
100%
79.30%
Critical Thinking
0
3
4
2
1
0
10
100%
70.00%
38.50%
Dance
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
100%
100%
50.00%
Drama
0
0
2
4
0
0
6
100%
33.33%
47.00%
Economics
1
7
6
3
0
0
17
100%
82.35%
61.70%
English Literature
0
1
7
4
1
0
13
100%
61.54%
48.60%
Extended Project
2.5
1.5
0.5
0
0
0
4.5
100%
100%
51.50%
French
0
2
3
0
0
0
5
100%
100%
69.40%
Further Mathematics
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
100%
100%
78.30%
German
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
100%
100%
67.80%
Geography
3
4
11
7
2
0
27
100%
66.67%
58.40%
Government & Politics
2
4
3
5
1
1
16
100%
56.25%
58.50%
History
1
2
5
3
0
0
11
100%
72.73%
56.00%
ICT
4
5
4
0
0
0
13
100%
100%
33.60%
Latin
1
0
0
1
0
0
2
100%
50.00%
65.40%
Mathematics
5
12
10
5
2
0
34
100%
79.41%
64.90%
Music
0
1
2
1
0
0
4
100%
75.00%
41.57%
Photography
0
1
3
1
0
0
5
100%
80.00%
57.80%
Physical Education
0
1
2
3
0
1
7
100%
42.86%
38.20%
Physics
0
0
4
1
1
1
7
100%
57.14%
54.60%
Psychology
1
2
4
2
2
0
11
100%
63.64%
43.30%
Russian
5
1
0
0
0
0
6
100%
100%
79.30%
Spanish
0
2
2
0
0
0
4
100%
100%
66.50%
Theology
2
1
3
0
0
0
6
100%
100%
54.70%
Includes out of age candidates
• 76% of grades at A*-B • 94% of grades at A*-C • Student Heads of School earn 14 A*/A grades between them • 100% success rate • Students win places at Oxbridge to study Classics, Politics, Philosophy and Economics • On average, every A Level grade almost half a grade better than the predicted grades, according to national baseline statistics
GCSE Results 2013 The entire year group should be immensely proud of their achievements. We believe these results are a testament to the success of New Hall’s pioneering ‘Diamond Model’, which provides the benefits of a co-educational environment together with the advantages of girls and boys being taught separately at Key Stage 3 and for GCSE. Katherine Jeffrey, Principal
GCSE 2013 Subject
Number of Students
New Hall New Hall National
A*
A
B
C
D
E
Total
A*-A%
A*-B%
A*-B%
3D Design
3
6
5
4
1
0
19
47%
74%
38%
Art
5
5
8
2
0
0
20
50%
90%
48%
Astronomy
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0%
0%
33%
Biology
13
10
2
0
0
0
25
92%
100%
69%
Chemistry
16
7
2
0
0
0
25
92%
100%
69%
Chinese (iGCSE)
11
0
0
0
0
0
11
100%
100%
n/a
Classical Greek
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
100%
100%
76%
Drama
0
2
8
7
7
0
24
8%
42%
49%
English Language
10
41
37
18
3
0
109
47%
81%
35%
English Literature
7
26
50
17
0
0
100
33%
83%
52%
French
9
11
10
10
7
3
50
40%
60%
44%
Geography
11
24
27
11
3
1
77
45%
81%
47%
German
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
100%
100%
47%
History
21
12
6
2
1
0
42
79%
93%
49%
ICT
0
10
8
2
0
0
20
50%
90%
49%
Italian
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
100%
100%
76%
Latin
5
10
1
1
1
0
18
83%
89%
77%
Mathematics
29
24
28
21
6
3
111
48%
73%
31%
Music
2
7
3
0
0
0
12
75%
100%
58%
Photography
3
4
16
6
0
0
29
24%
79%
79%
Physical Education
2
15
13
5
7
0
42
40%
71%
45%
Physics
11
11
2
1
0
0
25
88%
96%
69%
Russian
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
100%
100%
76%
Spanish
11
16
7
11
8
0
53
51%
64%
48%
Theology
41
52
11
5
1
0
110
85%
95%
53%
Universal Science
6
16
37
24
4
0
87
25%
68%
24%
Universal Science (Ad)
6
21
21
20
2
2
72
38%
67%
35% Includes out of age candidates
• Record 52% of grades at A*/A • Record 21% of grades at A* • 50% increase in A* grades on previous year • Top achievers gain 12 A*/A grades each • 100% success rate • Year 8 student achieves A* in GCSE Mathematics • Record 30 students achieved at least 9 A*/A grades • 23 Distinctions and 1 Merit in Thinking & Reasoning
Gifted & Talented New Hall School has its own Gifted & Talented programme, which is proven to bring exceptional value added at GCSE and A Level. We believe that giftedness can be created and that students’ academic skills can be developed at ever higher levels if they are given intellectual challenges and opportunities to ‘think out of the box’. Through careful use of setting in most subject areas, our most academically gifted students are given the particular encouragement they need to stretch themselves. The outstanding performance of our most academically gifted students, those in the top sets, can be best appreciated by analysing the results of the top third of students in the Year 13 cohort. These are shown in the chart below. A Level A*-B (Co-ed) 99%
88%
Local Grammar School
New Hall Top Third
53%
54%
National Average
Essex Schools Average Based on best available data
Oxbridge
Winning one of the most competitive places at Oxford University, Jan Nedvidek has taken up his place to read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Christ Church. Daniel Mullens, who joined New Hall in Year 7, has also progressed to St Hugh’s College, Oxford, to read Classics. They join other students who have recently secured places at Cambridge University, including Pavel Kohout, who is reading Engineering at Jesus College, Sam Trizuljak, who is reading Economics at St Catherine’s College and Lucy Talbot (New Hall 1998-2010), who is reading Modern Languages at Emmanuel College.
New Hall School vs. National Results The following charts compare New Hall School’s results at GCSE and A Level in 2013 to that of the National Average across all schools. Nationally, results were down, particularly at GCSE; in contrast to the national decline, New Hall saw record numbers of A*/A grades and a remarkable 50% increase in A* grades compared with 2012. A Level 2013
GCSE 2013
New Hall School %
New Hall School %
National %
34.7 27.6
30.6
26.5
24.2
27.6
25.2 21.5
20.6
17.6
18.6
National %
16.7
15.6
14.4 14.9
13.6 7.7
8.1
6.8
6.2
5.2
4.8 0.8
1.1
A*
A
B
C
D
E
A*
A
B
C
D
E
The Diamond Model At New Hall School, boys and girls are taught co-educationally in the Preparatory School (ages 3-11), in singlesex classes in the Boys’ Division and Girls’ Division (11-16) and co-educationally in the Sixth Form (16-18). In this way, New Hall provides the best of both worlds: the benefits of a co-educational environment together with the advantages of girls and boys being taught separately at Key Stages 3 and 4. The provision of single-sex education during the formative adolescent years enables students to grow in confidence. They reap the benefits of an education that is specifically tailored to their needs, and which recognises the different ways in which boys and girls learn. In addition to examination achievements, students have had successes in the British Physics Olympiad and the Senior Mathematics Challenge, achieving Merits and securing places in the top 1% of participants across the country. Another initiative this year was to open up the concept of the Extended Project in Sixth Form to Years 8-11, giving students the encouragement to undertake independent research and to construct a sustained thesis on a subject of their choice and interest. The first group of students who took us up on this challenge presented essays as varied as: “The effects on teeth of fluoride in water” from a would-be dentist, to “Was Alexander the Great really Great?“ All achieved top grades, mostly at A*.
A Roman Centurion visited Year 8 students as part of their classical studies
Daniel Mullens and Jan Nedvidek received Oxbridge offers
Sixth Form Politics students travelled to Brussels as part of their EU studies
Lucy Greenwood (Year 8) beat university students to win a National Mathematics Competition
Physics students joined forces with NASA to attempt a rocket launching world record attempt
Emily Pilling (Year 7) won a prestigious national Art competition with her picture of the Queen
Sporting Success Our sports teams have had an outstanding year of success. Here are just a few of the achievements from some of our main sports: In athletics we have seen students gain top rankings in county and regional competitions, with some students qualifying to compete in the nationals. In cricket 21 boys have played for the county in Essex County Cricket Club squads, and New Hall students have represented Essex in the U13 National Cricket Cup for the second consecutive year, reaching the quarter finals. In hockey 11 New Hall girls have been selected to represent the county this year. The U16 hockey team brought home the prestigious Essex Cup in March, and the U14XI hockey team won the Essex Plate competition. In rugby the U12 7s team have won a remarkable 19 out 20 games this season, winning two cups. The U15 team played in the last 16 of the Daily Mail Cup, from 544 schools entered, which is the furthest position achieved to date. New Hall has produced 19 county rugby players. One player went on to represent the full England U16 team; this is a first for New Hall rugby and a success we have every intention of building on for the future. In swimming students have been selected to represent Essex, have broken county records, and have won Top Girl and Top Boy at the County Championships this year. Two of these students have national times for 2013, winning a number of gold medals. In tennis we have had our best year ever. The U13 girls team won the Independent Schools National Championships, held at Eton College. Further national success against all schools - maintained and independent - came with the U13 boys reaching the semi finals, ranking them in the top eight in the country out of the 500 schools that entered.
Pictured above top to bottom: Pole House won Sports Day; the U16 Essex Hockey Champions; Arran Rae (Year 12) and Oliver Swallow (Year 10) represented Team GB in Triathlon; tennis success in the National Championships; Dominic Morris (Year 11) played for U16 England Rugby.
Performing Arts In the performing arts, one of our Year 11 students received the highest AS Level dance theory result in the country. This year’s Dance Show involved the biggest ever cast of talented dancers from every age group in a spectacular, vibrant celebration of dance of all types. This celebration was performed with energy, rhythm, grace… and suprising flexibility! There were a number of successes at the British Arts Dance Competition, including first place in the Modern Duets category.
Audiences have also been entertained this year with fantastic drama performances including Little Shop of Horrors, Othello and Alice in Wonderland. Students’ talents have been recognised with parts in professional productions, including West End shows. There was a variety of musical fare to celebrate our inaugural Foundation Music Festival in October. We were delighted to welcome the Gallery Choir of Westminster Cathedral Choir School, as well as other notable musicians. New Hall School students performed in a number of concerts throughout the year, and were particually delighted to be mistaken for the Cathedral’s professional choir when they performed at Westminster for the special thanksgiving Mass to celebrate the 370th anniversary of the school.
Charity & Service Service to the community has always been an integral part of a New Hall education. This year, charitable events organised or supported by students and staff included Riding for the Disabled, the Christmas Shoebox Appeal and Movember. The Chaplaincy Team helped to raise thousands of pounds for charity throughout the year, with a variety of widely supported initiatives. During the Lent Term alone, they raised over £4,000. The award-winning New Hall Voluntary Service is at the heart of our charitable work; events for NHVS include the annual student Fashion Show, Quiz Night and clothing sale. The year’s fundraising culminated in the annual Children’s Holiday, which is held at New Hall during the summer holidays and is supported by friends and students past and present.
Pictured above left to right: Sixth Form students at the annual NHVS Fashion Show; Charlize Spriggs (Year 7) took part in a sponsored swim of the English Channel, raising over £13,000; Shrove Tuesday provided a popular fundraiser with hundreds of pancakes being sold.
Ethos The chapel is at the heart of the school and is enjoyed by students, staff, parents and the local community. Confirmation classes were held throughout the year for a record number of Catholic and Anglican students. The historic moment of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, and the subsequent election of Pope Francis, was marked by all at New Hall. Human and Spiritual Development Days were held throughout the year, allowing all students time away from the classroom for quiet reflection and to consider important theological issues. We celebrated the 370th anniversary of our school and the founding Religious Community. A series of events throughout the year gave space for thanksgiving and reflection. The celebrations culminated in a special Mass at Westminster Cathedral, attended by hundreds of students, parents and friends of the school and community.
Pictured above left to right: Rt Rev Thomas McMahon, Bishop of Brentwood, meets students at Westminster Cathedral; record numbers of students were confirmed in Catholic and Anglican services; Chaplaincy Prefect Madeleine Leathley (Year 13) was presented with the Canon Manning Trophy, which recognises service to others.
The greatest year
Year 7 boarding student
A distinctive strength of the independent sector is that we have understood that learning does not just take place in the classroom. What many schools term ‘extra-curricular’ activities for us forms the ‘co-curriculum’, an intrinsic and valued part of what we do educationally, which is demonstrated in opportunities explored on the sports field, in theatre and music and on our school trips and tours. Notably, this year our Theology Department embarked on a tour to India, geographers trekked to Iceland and our cricketers ventured to Sri Lanka. This year we celebrated the success of the inaugural New Hall ski team, competing for the first time in Les Houches, and our equestrian team rode to success at a number of competitions across the country. Inter-house competitions, whether in sport, mathematics, debating or cookery are always competitive and fun.
Pictured above left to right: Riding Captain Maddie Taylor (Year 12) wins the National Championships and the New Hall equestrian team are Reserve Champions; New Hall students face Anthony’s College in Sri Lanka on their cricket tour; Ski students compete in Les Houches. Pictured below: The Theology Department travelled to India for an enlightening educational visit.
Leading HMC independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 3-18, in Chelmsford New Hall School operates an innovative and distinctive Diamond Model structure, with the ideal mix of single-sex and co-educational teaching. We are proud of our tradition of academic excellence combined with outstanding pastoral care. We aim to educate the whole person: academically, creatively and socially, in a community which also nurtures the spiritual and moral dimensions of human life. New Hall offers a distinctive education of real quality that is designed to give students the best start in life. We have built a national and international profile for academic, dramatic, musical and sporting excellence.
New Hall School is located just 30 minutes from London. There are direct rail links to London and other major towns throughout East Anglia and London’s major airports are easily accessible. For more information about New Hall School, or to arrange a visit, please contact the Registrar.
Data and information contained in this publication is believed to be correct at the time of going to print.
newhallschool.co.uk The Avenue, Boreham, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 3HS | 01245 236 098 | registrar@newhallschool.co.uk
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