Prior's Field Achieving Magazine issue 2 (2018)

A* Performers

Edition 2

Record Breaking A Level Results so where next for the Class of 2018?

This year has been a record breaking one for the school which is proud to report 50% A*-A (or equivalent), 76% A*-B and 100% pass rate.

Anya Cox Cunningham r ste Destination - Manche

The breadth of A*s and A grades is spread wide across all departments with equally excellent results in the Arts, Sciences and Humanities. Chemistry, Geography, Art and Textiles performed particularly well. Every girl collecting her results got her first choice of university and the range of destinations includes: Manchester, Exeter, Cardiff, St Andrews, Imperial and even Iowa!

Holly Giles Destination - Cardiff

Amongst the girls celebrating their creative talents were: Anja Cox Cunningham with 3A*s in Geography, Art and Textiles who will commence an Art Foundation course at Manchester University. Flora Hickman who also achieved A* in Art along with an A in both English and History which sees her ably on her way to St Andrews to study History and finally Erin Saunders whose A* in Art, A* in Textiles and A in English guarantee her Graphic Design place at Leeds University.

There was also a distinct strength in the Sciences this year: Holly Giles has achieved an A* in Biology, A*in Chemistry and an A in Maths and with that her long-held desire to pursue a medical path by studying Biomedical Science at Cardiff. Other students eager to experiment with a scientific career were Maya Tanfield who mastered an A in Erin Saunders an km Hic Flora Maths, A*in Chemistry and A in Biology and will be heading to Imperial s Destination - Leeds Destination - St Andrew College in London to study Biological Sciences and Beate Wehrmeyer whose three As in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology will secure her place at Bath University to read Biomedical Science with an Industry placement. Also aiming to study Biomedical Sciences but demonstrating a perfect balance between her scientific and creative prowess is Kari Webb who secured A* in Textiles, A* Biology and A in Chemistry and will be heading to Exeter.

Not to be outdone, but unable to collect her results in person was Daisy Phillips, the first graduate of the Prior’s Field Tennis Academy who received an unconditional scholarship from The University of Northern Iowa and her A* and two As in PE, Biology and Geography illustrate that she is both a knockout success on and off the court.

Read more about these extraordinary girls and more on page 29.

Kari Webb Destination - Exeter

Maya Tan Destination - Imperial field College London

CONTENTS Pg 23

Pg 13

Pg 5

Pg 21

Pg 7 Art on View

Pg 5 First Form Feeds Back

Pg 21 Debate Season Diary

Pg 23 Getting the Balance

Pg 7

Pg 27

Stage Delight

Hungry Houses

Pg 13

Pg 29

At the Heart of the Community

PF Sixth Form Set Sail

pt

PF Then and Now

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Pg 17

Se

Pg 19 Tinga Tinga Take 2

Pg 3

Art on View

We share with you some of the winning Inter-House Art entries from some very talented girls

Ella - Art

it

elf-Portra Lilyia - S

Sissi - Landsca pes 3

Katie - Landscapes

Saffron Overall W inner

Emma - Textiles

ortraiture P a i l Ju 4

First Form Feeds Back Prior’s Field has surprised me in many ways, but the main reason is that everyone makes you feel very welcome and part of the school straight away and I enjoy the lessons that I have a lot.

– Ruby Read

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What advice would you give to a girl starting at PF in September?

Don’t be scared. There is nothing to worry about and the teachers are all so friendly. You will make so many friends here, and just like me you won’t want to leave!

– Maya Lebus

There is so much to take in when you first start - you have to get to know your way around and there are so many new people to meet and get to know. But after a couple of weeks you would be surprised how settled you will feel. All the other girls are new too so everybody is in the same boat and we all help each other.

– Emilie Wilson

What did you find most useful to help you settle into PF and meet friends?

I got involved in sport and music, so I met lots of people.

Sitting next to different girls in class and mixing up classes helped me to get to know people as well. The activity trip to Welsh Bicknor was useful too.

What are your ambitions while you are here at PF, Is there anything in particular that you would like to achieve?

I want to achieve a really high tennis standard and to get better at Science as I find it difficult at the moment and to get good qualifications.

– Sophie Quagraine

– Alice Cooley

Nurturing, friendly and inspiring.

– Lucy Wilson

n three wo r Fi

ibe how scr e y D

feel about u P o

ds

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Stage DElight

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A ground breaking and global first took place on stage at Prior’s Field in November when the whole school staged the first ever, (authorised!), all-girls performance of Cameron Macintosh’s international smash hit Les MisÊrables. The Drama and Music departments worked incredibly hard to tailor the musical to suit a female cast surpassing all expectations and producing an absolute triumph, worthy of a West End stage.

The girls on stage performed with authenticity and commitment drawing the audience into their divided and revolutionary world. Every member of the company brought focus and belief to their role. The Band were equally phenomenal, underscoring the action with sensitivity, a high standard of musicality and professionalism for what amounts to a two and a half hour score.

The feedback over the four day run was sensational and reflected the commitment, passion and talent of the girls who took part, whether on stage, in the band or as part of the brilliantly efficient and professional back stage and technical crew.

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A Midsummer Night’s Moonlit Mash Up A truly magical spectacle was delivered by the Lower School who cast a spell on the audience with their contemporary twist to Shakespeare’s classic tale of mischievous fairy magic and unrequited love. The fairy dance-off, hard-hat clad mechanicals and social media savvy Puck were amongst the most memorable highlights.

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PF Alive Our spectacular PF Alive! extravaganza dazzled the 320 strong PF community audience in May. Over 100 girls took to the stage to showcase their dance, gymnastics, singing, music, and fashion design talents.

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Rock and Pop Prior’s Field was channelling Wembley when we held our annual Rock and Pop evening!

Thirteen Acts took to the stage to perform a mixture of classic and contemporary rock and pop songs, and just like their superstar idols, the musical artists had the audience joining in and clapping along. It was a real ‘Goodnight Prior’s Field’ moment when phone lights went in the air for the finale of ‘Don’t look back in anger’ by Oasis.

Macbeth 33 students, from the First to Fourth Form, performed a spine-tinglingly dramatic and breathtakingly atmospheric rendition of ‘Macbeth’ at G Live as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival in November. From the cloying evil of the Three Witches in billowing, black cloaks, to the tension of the precarious relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and Macduff’s terrible grief at the deaths of his family, the performances were mature and captivating.

Cabaret The stage lit up with electric Eighties performances with our student led Cabaret which one reviewer described as “comedy and song, along with a dash of theatre, all mixed up into a delicious cocktail of 1980s pizzaz”. From vibrant renditions of such classics as ‘Every breath you take’ to light-hearted sketches paying homage to comedians such as Billy Connolly and Victoria Wood, extracts from theatre works Top Girls and a pop-tastic pub quiz.

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At the

Heart of the Community

Prior’s Field has always reached out a hand of friendship, and the last year has been no exception as girls and staff alike set out to build new links and nurture old relationships in the community.

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Twelve of our Sixth Formers have been awarded the Lions Youth in Service Award, an internationally recognised award which encourages young people to volunteer their time to help others in their community.

Our girls have volunteered in a variety of ways: one to one respite for disabled children, teaching French and Chinese as foreign languages, marshalling at park runs, assisting in the school library, undertaking voluntary work in charity shops and supervising junior boarding.

First Formers were out and about in the Spring Term visiting a number of local nursing homes and benefiting hugely from the chance to chat.

For the fourth year running, we opened our gardens and hall for the annual AppArt Sculpture and Art Exhibition. In the run up to the grand opening on 30 March, we were so pleased to welcome local primary schools to follow the fun and engaging sculpture trail. Our mini VIPs enjoyed critiquing and sketching their favourite sculptures before a number of them participated in an interactive art workshop, run by our newest Art Teacher, Ms Laurelly Thorpe.

Our boarders invited members of a local church Primetime group to a special Mothering Sunday celebration in March and a Summer-time afternoon tea with live music at the end of June. The girls were brilliant hosts, not only helping serve but also making our senior guests feel special. A wonderful way for the girls to benefit from time spent with different generations, even when they are away from their own families.

Third Formers supported Godalming High Street’s ‘Show the Love’ campaign, a collaborative initiative by the Climate Coalition and W.I to bring awareness of the effects of climate change.

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The ‘At the Heart of Godalming’ exhibition, held in collaboration with Godalming Museum in Spring, documented the historic and rich link between Prior’s Field and Godalming town. The Museum ground floor was transformed and beautifully adorned with displays full of historic and beguiling photographs, documents and artefacts. All of this was made possible by Lizanne Milton, benefactor of our archive project, who opened the exhibition with a passionate speech about the importance of the archives and the role that Prior’s Field has played in her life.

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Prior’s Field raised the curtain as the opening act at the annual Rotary Guildford District Schools concert at G Live, raising an impressive £1850 for charity. Along with many dazzling performances, including a nod to our musical triumph with a ten minute Les Misérables melody, our seventy-five strong choir entertained with a complex a cappella arrangement of Shawn Mendes ‘Stitches’ and we bought the house down with a powerful performance of the Kaiser Chief’s ‘I predict a Riot’!

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‘Life-changing’ and ‘the best experience of my life’ are phrases that trip off the tongue of Science teacher Emma Brailey when she talks about last year’s excursion to our Tanzanian partner school, Tinga Tinga. Emma’s excitement is infectious, another word she uses a lot is ‘safi’ – meaning fresh or cool in Swahili. Emma took the lead on this year’s trip in July, when she and two other staff members accompanied eight of our Fifth and Sixth Formers for a two week visit to volunteer at Tinga Tinga with a specific emphasis on teaching and learning.

As the only original traveller to return to Tanzania, Emma built on her knowledge from the last visit to provide valuable voluntary teaching services at the school, observing that nursery rhymes were particularly popular last year. The children there adore learning, even with the limited resources that are available to them, and it’s heartening to hear that girls are encouraged to attend school along with the boys. One definite highlight for Emma was the opportunity to see the nursery school children again. They learn and play outside the main building as there is limited room to house the 450 children that attend Tinga Tinga.

She was also looking forward to returning to the firm friendships that were formed in 2017. Emma still speaks of the warm welcome they received during the last visit, including a visit to one of the Tinga Tinga teacher’s houses where they were invited to try on traditional Massai Warrior wedding dress.

In keeping with the Prior’s Field ethos of ‘Admiration, Hope & Love’, an important part of our partnership is helping improve conditions for the children attending Tinga Tinga - last year our students raised funds that facilitated a kitchen rebuild and enhancement of the toilet facilities to enable to girls to attend school all month. This year we raised over £1,400 just in the Winter Term alone to benefit the school, thanks to the generosity of the PF Community. Additionally, the family of one our Sixth Formers, the Kingsbury’s, have kindly donated solar panels for the school’s roof which will bring much needed energy resources.

Although more time was spent at Tinga Tinga this year, there was ample time to take in the wondrous sights of Africa, as elephants and giraffes regularly dropped by the camp where the volunteers stayed. Once they had grown accustomed to the remoteness of the region and the prevailing red dust, and detoxed from the digital world, the explorers enjoyed the simple pleasures in life including the wonderful food (baking bread over a stove is a culinary high).

The real high of this year’s trip however, was the sense of achievement Emma and all the trip gained from having sourced and fitted a pair of shoes for every single pupil in the school. A small and yet great benefit to those children and an act which left everybody feeling truly safi!

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30 January

– Succe

ssful Second The Junio s r team ha da fantastic second ou ting at the Londo n Debatin g League which too k place a t More Ho School, K use nightsbrid g e , they won the unpre pared mot ion again Francis H st olland ‘T h is house believes th at women have not achieved equality in the Weste World’. rn

This was a toughie!!!

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2 February –

A Storming S

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ond Place Outstandin g achievem ent from Team One of the Upp er School as they wo n second p lace in the Guildfo rd District Final of the Englis h Speakin g Union with the m otion ‘Is t he Pen mightier th an the swo rd?’. The amalgama tion of the ir fantastic individual performan ces gave th team a we e ll-deserved place on the podium .

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e

y Challeng

Universit January –

k and an c a b d e e f Sixth Excellent e for the c n e i r e p x e they took s amazing a b u l ating C nal Form Deb y professio l b i d re c n he i Debating part in t s l o o h c S enior Oxford S xford run by O n o i t i t ur e p Com duates. O ra g r e d n u University onfidence c s ’ m a e t or ert most seni er the exp d n u y l s mou from grew enor entorship m d n a guidance es. emic judg the acad

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6 March – A Friend

m built on Our Junior Tea perience in a their fledgling ex k st against Ibstoc ‘friendly’ conte st he cerebral conte Place school. T energetic as the was fierce and ebated ‘This teams eagerly d teachers in the rm a ld ou w se hou lly, our Sixth US’. Additiona ere given the Form debaters w ls ractise their skil p to y it n tu or p op role as judges, as they took the and detailed giving valuable teams. feedback to both

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GETTING TH

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He bALANCe It can be tricky getting the balance between keeping up with your studies and competing in the sport you love. Supporting our elite sport students to train and compete whilst keeping up with their school work, is an important auxiliary role that Prior’s Field is more than happy to fulfil.

Amira – Boss of the Beam Third Former Amira’s ambition is to be selected for the England Gymnastics Squad, having been invited to train with them on many occasions. Her biggest achievement last season was competing at the Junior British Gymnastics Championships in March as one of the youngest gymnasts, and being placed in the top twenty.

Amira’s gymnastics career started as a pre-school activity when she lived in America.

She was four and half when her family relocated to the UK and she continued her

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favourite hobby which soon transformed into a passion when her talent became apparent. She now trains hard five days a week at Tolworth Gymnastics Club, fitting her school studies around her training commitments.

Amira is equally disciplined in her approach to training and studying. She has a bespoke timetable which allows her additional study time within the school day to ensure she continues to achieve at an equally high standard with her school work. As she commences year 10 she is looking forward to studying Dance, PE and History in addition to her core subjects but admits that her favourite discipline is vault!

Emma – Sabre Star We were cheering on Sixth Former Emma when she represented GB at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in July. Not only did she also win Bronze at South East of England U18 Youth Sabre Fencing championships, but she has also qualified for the National Finals at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield for the fifth season running.

this Summer. Striking the balance between training and studying has not proved a problem and incredibly Emma has also managed to fit in 100 hours of service to the community and won a Gold Lions Young Leaders in Service Award.

Emma plays and trains at least two nights a week for Guildford, Aldershot and MX Fencing Clubs and finds the Boarding House environment ideal as it gives her the Emma joined Prior’s Field as a full boarder from Howard of options to work in her study bedroom, the common room Effingham school in the Lower Sixth. Studying a challenging or the silent day study – whichever suits her mood and trio of A Levels: Biology, Maths and Geography she is the task in hand. Asked what she loved about fencing, she pondered only briefly before replying: “It is not that I love heading to Aberystwyth University to study Zoology. running at people and hitting them – it is just that feeling As the daughter of two fencing coaches, she first picked of total focus. After fencing, my mind is totally cleared. It up a weapon at the age of four and followed in her parents is very stress relieving – and enables me to study better footsteps. At the age of eighteen, Emma is now so when I get back. I love it and hope to take my passion proficient in the sabre (her weapon of choice), that she all the way to an Olympic standard. Being selected for has been selected to represent Great Britain in the Junior the Commonwealth Games has given me such a fantastic (under 23 years) section of the Commonwealth Games sense of achievement!”

Molly – Queen of the Piste First Former Molly has celebrated a very successful ski season in 2018, and bought home the Inter School British Championship Girls U12 trophy for Prior’s Field in February amongst a host of other trophies.

She tried on her first pair of skies when she was just nineteen months old, and has been mastering the slopes ever since. Molly spends the ski season in France with her family, training really hard, but still finding time to keep up with her studies and beating the crème de la crème of young French racers all over the Alps. Simon, Molly’s Dad who runs a ski holiday company, said that the highlights of her extraordinary successes this year were the ‘Finale Coupe D’Argent and the 47th Consiel Department Haute Savoie as they incorporate all the best young French racers and the standard is exceptional’.

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Molly joined Prior’s Field from Longacre and was delighted that we are able to accommodate her need to split her year between here and the Alps.

Molly’s teachers collaborate with her mountain side tutor to provide curriculum work to keep her on track with her peers and despite a distinct lack of black runs and half pipes at Prior’s Field, Molly is equally happy off piste.

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HUNGRY HOUSES With competitive juices flowing houses Austen, Frank and Pankhurst indulged in some friendly competition across all fields. Starting with the flying themed Cross Country in September and ending the Autumn Term with a festive window display.

Spring Term welcomed a ‘sing off’ in House Choir where each house performed their interpretation of Camila Cabello’s Havana. Parents were wowed at House Music and the girls faced off in their second House Sport contest.

Artistic flairs were put on display at Interhouse Art whilst our actresses trod the boards in House Drama performing their favourite pantomimes.

Rounding off the year the girls took to the Sports Field to march for their House and kick off a tremendous Sports Day.

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PF Sixth Fo

Before they set sail for their further studies at University, we spent time chatting w had decided upon as a degree and most importantly what were their achievements Holly Giles (Deputy Head Girl) Joined in Lower Sixth from Rodborough School Budding Bio-medical Scientist Holly is off to Cardiff University and hopes to carve out a career which specialises in the human anatomy and immunology.

“Having battled with ill-health I was determined to have a career in Medicine. I chose to break away from the state system and opt for Prior’s Field because I wanted a school which was serious about science, but offered small class sizes, good university preparation and great pastoral care. The school made me feel more secure about overcoming my struggle with CFS. I was delighted too that the school saw my potential when I sat for an Academic Scholarship and offered bursary assistance to make my place possible.

I will leave the school with so much more than just great A Level grades; in my two years I have managed to achieve so many things both in and out of the classroom. These include; a starring role in the world’s first authorised all-female School production of Les Misérables; Gold D of E awarded at Buckingham Palace and raising funds for a trip to Tanzania where we taught African primary pupils and helped build a much needed school toilet.”

A Levels: A* Biology, A *Chemistry and A Maths Destination: Cardiff University

Erin Saunders (Sports Captain) joined from Barrow Hills Prep School at 11 years old.

“I joined Prior’s Field from Barrow Hills when I was eleven. We knew of family friends who had loved it and it only took us fifteen minutes into a tour to know that this was the perfect place for me. There is a certain warm atmosphere in the school which is infectious.

I chose to study English, Art and Textiles at A level because each department is so enthusiastic and the teachers care so much. The teaching style in Sixth Form is different, the teachers are even more accessible. I have really benefited from the opportunity to formally exhibit my art and textiles at school, it has been a very valuable experience.

I love Sport and have been so proud to be the PF Sports Captain and have continued to play Hockey and Netball throughout my time here as well as recently training with Weston Park Blades Netball team which has given me the opportunity to play at a national level. Coming from a mixed school, I had often thought of myself as second to the boys. Prior’s Field has taught me my talents, and has encouraged me to excel further than I had ever imagined. I can now stand up next to my older brother and see my strengths as equal to his. Previously I had just been the ‘little sister’.”

A Levels: A* Art, A* Textiles and A in English 29

Destination: Leeds University

orm Set Sail

with our Sixth Form about why they had decided to study A Levels with us, what they beyond the classroom which have made them the young women we are so proud of.

Flora Hickman: Joined in First Form from St Hilary’s Prep School I chose Prior’s Field as I felt it was somewhere I could focus on what I really loved but without unnecessary pressure. The school did not pressure me when choosing my A Levels either. Their advice was to choose subjects that I really loved, as a happy student is most likely to achieve to the best of her ability. I chose Art, English Literature and History – all of which encourage independence, creativity in thought and offer exciting prospects for the future.

Prior’s Field encouraged me to balance my academic studies with pursuits outside the classroom too and I am so glad that I continued to be an active member of the choir, found time to fundraise for charity and completed Gold DofE. My next home will be St Andrews University to study History and my long-term thoughts lie in a career in the Foreign Office or perhaps as a journalist. The things I will most miss about Prior’s Field are the sense of community and friendships. The amazing support from teachers who really care about our futures and finally the freedom to experiment and find out for myself what I am really passionate about.

A Levels: A* Art, A History and A English Literature

Destination: St Andrews

Daisy Phillips Joined Prior’s Field from Busbridge Junior School at 11 Years Old Local girl and first ever first graduate of Prior’s Field Tennis Academy Daisy Phillips proved that she is a knockout success both on and off-court with some outstanding A Level results.

“I chose to come to Prior’s Field because of the Tennis Academy so I could get the right balance between training and academic studies” Despite a twelve hour a week tennis training regime, Daisy secured an amazing trio of results with an A* in PE, and A in both Biology and Chemistry. She leaves Prior’s Field with an amazing record of tennis successes which includes winning the Endeavour Cup from the LTA and ending her 16U group ranked 44th in the UK. Daisy first showed her talent for Tennis at the Elstead Tennis Club and was the first ever pupil awarded with Academy membership.

A Levels: A* PE, A in Biology and A in Geography Destination: University of Northern Iowa

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They mean what they say about encouraging talent!

- Good Schools Guide 2018

Registered Charity No. 312038

A DISTINCTIVE ROUTE TO HIGH ACHIEVEMENT FOR YOUR DAUGHTER Priorsfield Road, Godalming Surrey, GU7 2RH 01483 810551 www.priorsfieldschool.com Prior’s Field School

@priors_field