MALAYSIAN EXPERIANCE
ASHLEY TABOR-KING
DATES
headmaster's address editor's comment malaysian experience Ashley Tabor-King CBE sports round-up music orley Farm Association Drama spring Term House Winners dates for the diary
We are so glad we are able to produce another exciting issue of the Orlumni Magazine for you to read.
Creating something like this can seem to be a chore, and there are times when you are not sure what the end product is going to be and if you are going to get there!
Somehow we manage and I would like to thank all the contributors that make my job so much easier. I hope to see many of you at the events this term - please see “Dates for the Diary” and if you have any stories to tell please feel free to send them to us no matter how short or long - our readers really do enjoy them all.
CONTRIBUTORS
Tim Calvey, Stephen Bloom, catherine godet, Rebecca Gascoigne, Keith ford
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It was lovely to host some very creative Yr5 visitors from Alexandra School. Our Art Scholars, were really helpful in making our visitors feel welcome. They started by looking at beetles and then let their imagination loose with colour and pattern resulting in some stunning paper sculptures.
The Spring Term is always the tough one as it contains more of the business end of school life. Our Year 6 pupils completed their 11+ assessments and I’m always impressed with the way that they go about this – focused, independent and wanting to give their best. There are interviews and often intense scholarship days, and the school certainly takes on a buzz as results starts to trickle through.
When I meet with local Headteachers I can safely say that Orley Farm pupils appear far more ambitious in their willingness to put themselves forwards for the harder exams and this is reflected in the amazing array of results and offers.
I recently put together papers for our governors and in my time as Headmaster, our leavers have gone to a staggering 71 different senior schools!
I am delighted to say that the termly House competition is as fiercely fought as ever and whilst it was very close, Hastings took it home for Easter – here's to seeing how that pans out for the year in July.
I suspect that everyone needs a little sunshine, as the past few months have seen more waterlogged pitches than I’ve seen in my time at Orley. Mr Baker has had in impossible term preparing pitches for our teams, but this hasn’t put our players off – our Rugby team enjoyed an exceptional season, do take a look at the report from Mr Bloom who was rightly very proud.
TIM CALVEY Headmaster
As our Reception pupils left Assembly, they found some rather strange looking hoof prints in the corridor, following them led them to some rather beautiful visitors. However, the weather was perfect for our youngest learners to jump into researching the habitats of polar creatures.
It’s always tough on Reception pupils as they have to wait until the end of the assembly cycle before presenting. However, no such nerves as they shared a huge amount of information that they’ve recently researched through their polar caps project. We had songs, paintings, a penguin waddle and so much more!
“NEVER LET THE FEAR OF STRIKING OUT KEEP YOU FROM PLAYING THE GAME”BABE RUTH
Well the year began well, especially for Ashley, you may not know who he is yet but you will all have heard (literally) of some of his stations. He has entered the world of education. opening his own academy to support the industry he is in - media.
Continuing this theme of supporting, there are some extracts which show some of the work Orley Farm has been doing within its local community and this is something that is being encouraged, and hopefully you will read more of this over the coming years.
We are also seeing how technology has entered the education space and how it is being used and the experiences of the pupils. Having an early opportunity to use this technology that they are growing up around makes them very comfortable with it, using to to enhance and support their education.
Life is changing all around us, and it feels it is changing faster than ever before. These children we hope will be very equipped to deal with the real or AI world they will grow up in!
To give some well needed balance to the academics - you can always rely on the sports depts. to ensure that the term is loaded with fixturescongratulations for the wins but also for being able to play against a variety of schools, more and varied competition can only increase the challenges and raise the standard.
Music and Drama as always is at the heart of Orley and this term was no different with a spring concert and showcase event - this really allows the children to express themselves and have fun - this is what Orley Farm is about.
CHETAN SHAH Editor
Robot Wars - Five teams from Upper School competed in a Vex IQ robotics competition up in Derbyshire. In the tournament, there were fourteen teams competing from various schools. Pupils from Upper School had the opportunity to drive their robots in a fierce battle
As this was one of the final competitions of the season, it was one of the last opportunities to qualify for the Nationals. Everybody worked hard, but in the end a series of twists and turns, and a surprise disqualification with a messy mishap led to the two Yr8 robots being pitted against each other for their place in the Nationals competition. Stuart vs. Marvin. The tension in the air was thick, and palpable. The drivers performed valiantly. However, in the end, a 1-point difference resulted in Marvin receiving the place, and the teamwork trophy. Meanwhile, Stuart received the Design award. There was a very special mention for Athena - the robot driven by the Yr6 girls - for the Judges' award. They were incredibly close to an award, and should be very proud for their performance, especially with a teammate down and it being one of their first competitions.
Henley and Eston (2023 Leavers to Marlborough College) were selected from 25 Shell students to be part of a three weeks exchange with pupils from Marlborough Malaysia.
They had a truly remarkable experience during their 3-week exchange program. In addition to their academic pursuits, they immersed themselves in the local culture, explored the vibrant city of Singapore, enjoyed a weekend of surfing on a tropical island, and even had the opportunity to visit sustainable palm oil plantations.
The boys woke up to sunshine every day and started the day with an hour of tennis before starting school. Lunch break was spent surfing.
The exchange program has proven to be a transformative experience for Henley and Eston, a remarkable continuation of the Orley Farm Journey. It has broadened their horizons and fostered their personal growth in a unique and enriching way.
The VR headsets took pupils into new worlds, past and present, at one point screams could be heard throughout the Gardner building and all I got from the pupils was...there were sharks everywhere...I was on a roller coaster falling...when I turned around there was a dinosaur following me...so it was clear that things got a little too real in these virtual moments!
Ashley Tabor-King CBE was a former Orley Farm pupil who was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to media and entertainment.
Ashley presented and ran a hospital radio station in Watford while still at school. He left school at 16,and his first job in commercial radio was as an overnight tech op at the then Chiltern Radio in Dunstable. He learnt how to drive the desk, make it flow and keep it moving. Later, he was group music assistant and a studio producer at Capital in Euston Tower.
He later worked as an assistant to Richard Park at Capital Radio in London, helping him to produce shows and plan playlists.
In 2008, he took over GCap Radio, the group behind Capital Radio and Classic FM, and founded Global.
In 2016, Global launched a new school, Global Academy, to prepare young people aged 14-18 for a career in broadcast and digital media, to help reduce the barriers to entry for young people entering the media industry. On 20 April 2017, the Academy was officially opened by the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry in their capacity as patrons of "Heads Together".
Year 13 students who graduated in 2018
As we shine a light on mental health, the theme of ‘find your voice’ offered a lovely way to empower pupils – introvert or extrovert, confident or shy, this was a chance to listen to that voice in our heads and to act. This provided opportunities for everyone to grow; a chance for some to take a leap of faith in voicing a thought but also for others to spend time listening. I was so impressed that the week was essentially planned and led by our pupils – that's empowerment right there!
Boys’ Games - Rugby & Basketball
U13 Rugby Captains: Daniel Markham-Lee and Ethan Isherwood
U13 Players of the Season: Ethan Isherwood (forwards) and Daniel MarkhamLee (backs)
U11 Rugby Cup: Josh Raizada
U10 Rugby Cup: Rayan Magdani
U9 Rugby Shield: Elijah Mensah
U8 Rugby Shield: Kian Beygo
St. Jude Cup (Most Improved Rugby Player): Yusuf Malhi
It has been an excellent term of rugby at Orley Farm despite probably being the wettest one on record! As a school, we have played more matches than ever, 70 in total (winning 42 of these), with every boy from Years 3-8 representing the school, and 136 different boys have combined to score the 477 tries - 2385 points we have scored in these matches!
Our senior teams had another great term as they won 14 of the 20 matches they played. Our U13 A team won four of their five regular matches with the undoubted highlight of the sporting term being our U13 7s squad’s incredible win at the annual Durston House U13 7s Tournament which we won for the first time since the Class of 2007! This fantastic group of boys lived up to the African proverb, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together’. On this magical Saturday morning in March, they went far, and they went together!
House matches rounded off the term with Julians winning the Senior Competition in Years 7 and 8, Broadrick winning the Junior Competition in Years 5 and 6, and Broadrick also winning the Year 3 Competition.
Basketball continues to play a huge part in Orley Farm sport with considerable success and this term proved no different as our nine-man squad won all of our regular matches by an aggregate score 95-42.
Mr Bloom – Head of Boys’ Games
U 1 3 7 ' S R U G B Y C H A M P I O N S
Netball Captain: Antonia Ciobanu
U11 Netball Shield: Antonia Ciobanu
Enthusiasm & Endeavour Cup: Eva Patel
U10 Netball Shield: Sienna Sheth
U9 Netball Shield: Yasmine Elbaz
U8 Netball Shield: Shani Patel
Top Goal Scorer MS: Anaiya Thakkar
Top Goal Scorer US: Hannah Khan
It has been a busy term for netball with matches for all Year groups starting the second week in January and finishing the last week of the Spring Term with a U11 triangular match against NHES and RMS. This year we have had match fixtures with three new schools, St. Helen’s Hillingdon, St. Margaret’s Bushey and Highgate Prep School.
The Highlight of this term for OFS pupils was participating in our own U9 and U10 netball tournaments. The U9 netball tournament had an A & B league with OFS having 2 teams in each. In the U9 A tournament, one of the OFS U9 A teams were runners up to the eventual winners, Notting Hill & Ealing (NHE). In the U9 B tournament one of the OFS U9 B teams won their tournament.
OFS hosted eight other schools for the U10 Netball Tournament, and it was a bustling event, with three separate tournaments and every inch of the astro being used. The OFS U10 A team came in 3rd place behind NHE and Highgate school. The U10 B1 team came in 2nd place just behind NHE.
Ms Godet – Head of Girls’ Games
Our partnership programme keeps growing and in true Orley style it embraces breadth of experience. We already host Science, Music and Sporting experiences in which our pupils teach, coach and join pupils from local settings to build friendships. Mrs Walsh has been inviting pupils from Alexandra School to join us for Art sessions and it was such a pleasure to capture a few moments as they immersed themselves in their topic of ‘water’.
“IMAGINE ALL THE PEOPLE LIVING LIFE IN PEACE. YOU MAY SAY I'M A DREAMER, BUT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. I HOPE SOMEDAY YOU'LL JOIN US, AND THE WORLD WILL BE AS ONE.”
JOHN LENNON
The biggest event for us this term was the Middle School Spring Concert. The theme for the concert was friendship, and all the children learned six songs for our two concerts.
We also had many junior ensembles featured: brass, wind, strings, a brass quartet (a first for us), and the Middle School Choir. A highlight for me was first learning then teaching Yeh dosti hum nahin from the film Sholay. When I was planning the music for these concerts, I was keen to teach a song in Hindi, and I was directed to this song by a parent from the Year 4 community. It really had an effect on the children, as many of them had special family memories associated with this song.
Meanwhile, the Upper School ensembles have been busy preparing for their next concert, which will take place in the summer. The term finished with our Easter Service, led by Mr Calvey. The Chamber Choir sang an arrangement of All creatures of our God and King and an SATB setting of Jesus, Joy of Man’s Desiring, by J.S. Bach.
Music continues to be a big part of Orley Farm life, with over 200 children taking oneto-one lessons from one of our 14 visiting music teachers, and many more take music lessons outside of school.
Mr Ford - Director of Music
in g history embedded in the walls. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of the Parliament and seeing the thrones that the King and Queen sit on. The Houses of Lords and Commons were the highlights of the trip, as they are such famous rooms, and it was even better as it was accompanied with enlightening information. Overall, it was definitely a trip to remember.
The Annual Orley Farm Quiz Night - Sold out as usual!
Mr Bloom stepped into some pretty big shoes as Quiz Master – Mr Davies retired last year after running this event for over a decade – but he took to it like to a duck to water! There was something for everyone as each round had a tenuous link to the school day. By the end of the evening, I’m not sure that all of the tables were fully aware of the purpose of the evening apart from having a good night out, but team ‘Slaughterhouse10’ took home the trophy, whilst ‘Team Mayday’ rather aptly took home a large wooden spoon!
I would like to thank parents for their incredible generosity as they threw caution to the wind when it came to the charity auction – I suspect that one or two might have woken up and asked ‘did I really bid that much…for that?’ but to them I would say, it’s going to such a good cause! On the night we raised £5,050 for Imperial Health Charity.
Our “Showcase” event is essentially a rather raw production in whihc every pupil must think on their feet, react to the unfolding story and often improvise on the spot. Th classm t out - no pre
H A S T I N G SH O U S E W I N N E R S
Friday 24th May 2024
6pm-8pm
This is only for those in current years 7&9 (so those who may have left OFS in 2021 & 2023) and their parents: Entrance via Kitchen Drive RSVP: orlumni@orleyfarm harrow sch uk
Saturday 6th July 2024
1pm-4pm
This is for all Orlumni: Meet at the Pavilion - Bring your own picnic
RSVP: orlumni@orleyfarm.harrow.sch.uk
RECONNECTION FOR STUDENTS BORN 2005/06 ACADEMIC YEAR
Tuesday 20th August 2024 6pm-8pm
This is for those students who left Orley Farm and are now continuing their journey.
Entrance via Kitchen Drive RSVP: orlumni@orleyfarm.harrow.sch.uk
Saturday 15th June 2024 11am-2:30pm
