Radley Newsletter 08

THE

Radley N E W S L E T T E R

| Radley College Cricket Club | Transforming D Social | | Geography | Next Steps - Radleians at University |

Radley Colleg

Right: Philip Hollis Photography Front cover: Andrew Strauss - Getty Imiages

Could there be a more opportune time to write about Radley cricket? For a short spell, from July to that ticker-tape August Sunday at the Oval, Radleians seemed to bestride the cricketing world: three current members of the 1st XI – Alex Hearne (Dragon, J Social), Nick Gubbins (Elstree, H Social) and Wilf Marriott (Farleigh, G Social) - were selected for the England Under 15 side, Jamie Dalrymple (Ashfold, H Social) captained the England Lions against Australia and Andrew Strauss (Caldicott, B Social) led England to the Ashes. Strauss scored important runs, of course, but when the analysts ran their rule over England’s victory they chose to focus on the question of leadership. Michael Henderson reminded his Telegraph readers of the quiet authority of the England captain in rescuing his side from the hiatus of Kevin Pietersen’s resignation and in weathering some piercing criticism after the Headingley rout. “One could say”, he wrote, “that the Ashes were won on the playing fields of Radley.”

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The only sadness in all this euphoria was that just ten days before Australia succumbed, so too did one of the pillars of Radley cricket for nearly 60 years. Bert Robinson, once of Northamptonshire and cricket professional at Radley 1949-2008, a dear man and a coach who influenced so many from Dexter onwards, died peacefully at the age of 92 before he could see his most recent star in his finest hour.

e Cricket Club Many dream of winning the Ashes but few are chosen, and I can write in all honesty that, while we are proud to the nth degree of our internationals, we take equal delight in seeing all 19 of our school XIs strut their Saturday stuff in the summer term against our traditional foes. Good cricket on good surfaces for all our boys is overwhelmingly our goal, and I am hugely fortunate in having colleagues,

lovers of the game, who will coach and cajole these teams. This summer term 30 members of Common Room looked after these 19 sides, led in expertise by our outstanding professional Andy Wagner, now in his 25th year here. 119 matches were won of 176 played, and in addition, a dozen 6th formers turned out for the Radley Village sides in the Oxfordshire League. I can’t promise match cricket all of the time for all the boys, but I can try.

Our fixture card is very strong – Eton, Tonbridge and Harrow are always powerful opponents – but we have set ourselves the target of playing the sharpest cricket on the best pitches on our circuit,

and Adam King’s squares from Bigside to Death Row are exceptional. Increasingly, school matches are played as limited overs games (50 or 55 overs per side for the 1st and 2nd XIs, 30-35 overs per side for other teams), and this has quickened the pulse of every player. There is nowhere to hide in a game where the safety of a draw no longer exists, but we have found that traditional batting and bowling skills are still the key.

The 1st XI has the toughest fixture list of all, and the step up from Colts 1 is considerable as many school 1st XIs are bolstered by 6th form sports scholars.

None of the Radley sports clubs have a recruitment programme, and we enjoy coaching schoolboy cricketers and giving them the chance to play and succeed in the top side. Our approach throughout the club reflects this. In matches all the decision making is left to the captains and players, and it has been a joy to see recent captains such as Henry Mills (Harrodian, E Social), George Coles (Woodcote House, G Social), Jos North (Ludgrove, B Social) and Hector Freyne (Summer Fields, J Social) learn to think so clearly under pressure.

To improve the technique of our 1st XI hopefuls we have, on Sunday mornings over the last two winters, introduced an Academy squad for our best 18-20 boys from the Remove to 6.2, to develop their skills and understanding of the game. Last year we welcomed guest coaches such as Toby Radford (Middlesex 1st team coach), and this winter’s programme began with the Hampshire spin bowling coach, Raj Maru.

Some of our current high fliers may play for England and win the Ashes – I hope they do – but above all we will keep offering the best cricket to all Radleians.

Running our sides is not about the talent we could buy in but about what we can do for those who choose to come here; as John Claughton always said, “You dance with the girl what brung you”.

John Beasley Head of Cricket

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D Social Tr

ransformed The opening of the new J and K Socials in 2008 established a new benchmark for boarding accommodation at Radley. The next stage in transforming the socials got under way even before J and K were complete; in the summer of 2008 parts of A Social were upgraded. And in July and August 2009 attention turned to reform and improvement on a much more ambitious scale as F Social’s entire ground floor was reconfigured to create new social halls and new studies, and to remove an albeit useful but long-running eyesore, the F Social changing room. The rest of F will be refurbished in a couple of years’ time. The second element to the summer’s programme in 2009 was the transformation of most of D Social; curvy corridors and subtle colour schemes deliberately echoing those in J and K reflect also a fundamental principle, to try as far as possible – within the constraints of buildings constructed often over a century ago – to match the look and the quality of the new socials.

Over the next three summers all the other old socials will get the same treatment; it involves unglamorous but essential work in modernising the utilities to make Radley greener in its energy, and remarkable efficiency from Radley’s own maintenance teams as well as from the outside contractors, who have to work to extremely tight time schedules – as Gaudy ends, so they start, and as the new boys arrive in September so the finishing touches are applied. By September 2012 Radley, then, will have completed the latest chapter in ensuring that our accommodation is always at the forefront of boarding provision in schools.

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RADLEY ACHIEVEMENTS ACADEMIC

Project’, the presence of Brighton Bomber Patrick McGee being especially controversial. Radley’s History, Economics, Politics, Perplexed, Literary, Classical and other subject-based societies all had numerous visiting speakers throughout the year.

J Radley joined Eton, Winchester and St Paul’s in declining to publish exam results in August, preferring to wait until all remarks and appeals had been dealt with.

Nevertheless it is clear that the 2009 A level cohort was within a whisker of 2008’s record of 90.5% A/B before any remarks.

The UCAS points per candidate (433) was the best ever, and more boys (45) than ever before got four A grades. 65% of grades recorded were A grade.

J At GCSE this was a superb year with c.86% of all grades being A* or A at the outset, and with every prospect of higher figures still once some strange departmental results are appealed. Nearly half the cohort (62 boys) got 10 A*s or As. The results are the more meritorious because Maths and Sciences entered the demanding IGCSEs. Significant numbers of boys in the 5th Form took AS levels early in French and Maths and achieved A grades.

J Physics Olympiad silver medal was awarded to Sam Gundle (Dragon, j); William Handy (Cheltenham, d) and Rory Robinson (Twyford, f) gained silver medals in the Physics Olympiad AS paper.

J This year’s Declamations competition was judged by Jonathan Smith, teacher and novelist. The standard of the five years’ competition was very high, living up to previous years. The winners were: Hugh Petit (Cothill, k) in 6.2 reading ‘Prayer before Birth’; Joshua Rencher (Abingdon, d) in 6.1 recounting Dracula’s arrival in Whitby Bay; Sam Nugée (The Hall School, Wimbledon, h) and Ed DillonRobinson (Cumnor House, e), who read ‘Greensleeves’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ respectively, winning the 5th Form; Tommy Siman (Abingdon Prep, h) winning the Remove competition with ‘An Otter’ and Henry McPherson (Malvern, d) winning in the Shells with an extract from ‘Hamlet’.

J Creative Writing under Christopher Ellott’s leadership is flourishing; visits, readings and workshops from poets including Sir Andrew Motion OR (on the last night of his Laureateship), Greg Leadbetter, John Whitworth, Costa Award winner Jean Sprackland, and James Harpur have stimulated the boys to write; ‘Today I am going to rest’ is the latest Radley College creative writing Anthology.

J Radley’s own dons give a lead in writing and research. Iain Campbell has published

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J At the ESU Public Speaking Competition in Oxford, Archie Manners was adjudged ‘Best Overall Speaker’; Alex Donger (Dragon, j) and Rob Crawford (British School, Warsaw, h) narrowly failed to qualify for ESU finals.

ACTIVITIES

Sir Andrew Motion OR ‘From Achilles to Alexander: the Classical World and the World of Metal’ in Heavy Metal Music in Britain. Dr Simon Thorn’s work done on his sabbatical at Oxford on the neurophysiology of dyslexia is soon to be published. Harry Crump gained a 1st in his Open University English Literature degree.

J Radley continues to attract distinguished visiting speakers to talk to 6.2: parents like Rory Tapner OR, Hector Sants of the FSA (in the week of the collapse of Lehman Brothers), Dick Powell, John Whittingdale MP, Charles Crawford and David Richards spoke universally well on their expertises. The 6.2 Conference with St Helen’s (our 12th) was provocative and compelling on ‘The Forgiveness

J The Wednesday Afternoon Activities programme continued to organise 5th Form boys to teach in primary schools, and concert parties to entertain residents in homes across Oxfordshire. Instant Muscle, and other community schemes, continued to help local villagers.

J It has been another year of charitable activity by both dons and boys. Over £15,000 has been raised by boys and dons for a range of charities, with two major recipients being Radley Village Church’s ‘Beetle Fund’ and Multiple Sclerosis, through a large number of different fund-raising events from Chinese lantern launches, auctions, concerts to a mystery art exhibition and a well- supported 24 hour ‘ergo’ relay on rowing machines.

J The D of E boys had a notable year: 12 boys – Humphrey Maddan (Aldro, c), Alex Welch (Dragon, a), Freddie Bolton (Summer Fields, g), Max Blanshard

The Earl of Wessex is shown a magic trick whilst visiting a D of E exhibition

S & ACTIVITIES IN 2008/9 Mann (Bilton Grange, d) and Angus Lambert (Maidwell Hall, b) had work exhibited at the Mary Hare School near Newbury. J and K Socials’ public spaces have been filled with imaginative artwork by Shells.

J The sheer amount and quality of Music this

The St John’s Smith Square Concert

(Cottesmore, b), Will Haldane (Ludgrove, b), Will Storey (Cranleigh Prep, d), Barney Hunter (Farleigh, c), Will Mitchell (Dragon, d), George Stinton (Sandroyd, d), James Lucas (Caldicott, g), James Chadwick (Cothill, h) and Noah Assheton (Cothill, h)– were awarded their Gold. 24 boys attained their Bronze Award. The Earl of Wessex visited Radley in October and spoke to all 30 boys manning a D of E exhibition, before unveiling a plaque to open the new D of E Centre in the Careers Library.

J Tom Stewart (Maidwell Hall, f), Jonathan Quicke (Summer Fields, b) and Charlie Palmer (Cottesmore, b) won Army Scholarships.

J Radleians continue to go out to Romania and Kerala in their summer holidays in large numbers to teach and to build houses.

J It has once again – despite the credit crunch – been a year of many expeditions: all 136 Shells marked the 65th Anniversary of D Day with an excellent visit in April; the Rowers went to Portugal; Art Historians and Artists to Italy; Linguists to France. But we are conscious of the need to rein back on an understandable enthusiasm to visit attractive but expensive locations.

ARTS J A strong year for Drama was marked by

an outstanding Richard III, the College Play in November, in which Hugo Walker (The Elms, b) gave a towering performance. The whole ensemble, skilfully directed by Robert Lowe, and beautifully lit and stage managed (Matt Barker) and costumed (Lianne OakleyRowland) created a remarkable production.

Three boys had great success and training for the National Youth Music Theatre: Tom Milligan (Caldicott, k) played a major role in the Hired Man in August and appeared alongside Owen Petty (Elstree, c) in a new musical by Mark Ravenhill in London. Ben Sheen (Westminster Abbey Choir School, c) worked on The Hired Man as a technician, George May’s Remove Play, The Trial, was a taut ensemble piece of physical theatre and the Shell Play, Tom Brown’s Schooldays (co-directed by Ben Hatt (Lockers Park, h) and Robert Lowe), was a real company show highlighting narrative techniques. The Dons’ Play, The Happiest Days of Your Life, was thoroughly professional, highly entertaining, and brought in £1,200 for charity.

year has been remarkable; it has culminated this summer in a sequence of seven individual Leavers’ Concerts which have embraced every instrument, and ranged from countertenor aria and show songs to Shakespearean soliloquy and stand-up comedy. Since September the Chapel Choir, apart from maintaining a very high standard each Sunday, has sung in New College and Salisbury Cathedral; there was a concert given by over 130 musicians to 500 in the audience at St John’s, Smith Square of an excellent standard; a splendid Duruflé Requiem on Remembrance Sunday; Christmas and scholars’ concerts; a rousing Carmen in March; a concert performance of the next big dramatic treat, Les Miserables; regular coffee concerts; five big instrumental competitions; and the Piano Extravaganza. Whilst invidious to praise some above others, there is no doubt Radley will miss the singing of Ben Sheen (Westminster Abbey Choir School, c), the horn playing of Andrew Savill (King’s Hall, g), the violin of Arthur Sawbridge (Hall Grove, e), Myles Watkiss (KCS Wimbledon, h) and Jonathan Wong (Dragon, a), the saxophony of Charles Cutteridge (Highgate Junior, d), the jazz piano and sax of Henry Mills (Harrodian, e), and the percussion and showmanship of Freddie Tapner (Ludgrove, f) all 6.2 leavers all this summer.

Richard III

J The Art Department’s work, showcased all

round College, continues to impress visitors and give meaning to Sewell’s aesthetic vision.

Arthur Laidlaw (Dragon, h), who left last summer, was commended by AQA for gaining 100% in both AS and A2 exams. Seb InglisJones’s (Dulwich Prep, e) magnificent drawing of an old truck in a field has been exhibited in Oxfordshire’s Future Artists at the North Wall, and in the Oxford Town Hall Gallery. Ollie

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season, winning every match against Wellington and Abingdon; and winning every senior match v. Eton. The 1st VIII came 2nd in the ISL, the top 16 schools in Southern England. They won the RHWM League confortably. Both 1st and 2nd pairs reached the semis of the St George’s Pairs, and the 1st IV have reached the Glanvill Cup regional final.

J In Cricket, the club won seven in every ten games with three sides still unbeaten. A very young 1st XI - with four Removes - has been superbly led by Henry Mills (Harrodian, e), and has had mixed results but not lacked for nail-biting finishes, and the win at Wellington was especially pleasing. Three Remove boys (Wilf Marriott (Farleigh, g), Alex Hearne (Dragon, j) and Nick Gubbins (Elstree, h)) were chosen for the England U15 Cricket team in the summer holidays, an extraordinary achievement for one school.

The Rowers in Portugal

SPORT J On the rugby pitches Radley had a really good season, the product of talented boys and skilled coaching from 42 dons. 14/15 matches were won v. Oundle; all matches were won (one drawn) against Abingdon; all but one won v. St Edward’s; 13/17 against Marlborough. The 1st XV under Jack Hibbs won most of their games, the wins away against strong Warwick (8-7), Oundle (43-7) and Marlborough (12-7) being the highlight. The bottom three years in the school were especially impressive: Colts 1st XV was unbeaten, JC 1st XV lost but two games, and JC2, 4, 5 and 6 were all unbeaten.

J On the river a slow start to the oarsmen’s season accelerated dramatically at the National Schools’ Rowing Regatta where the 1st VIII came 4th, 16.1 4th, 16.2 won silver, 15.1 bronze, 15.2 gold, 15.3 were 4th, 14.1 won silver and 14.2 won silver.

This was a very strong team performance.

A competitive and enjoyable inter-social rowing regatta in June showed the Boat Club in good spirits and victories at Marlow (J16 coxed 4 and 2nd VIII) and Reading J16.1 confirmed this.

J Hockey and Soccer suffered badly from the cold snap in the Lent Term; many fixtures in the first half of term were lost to snow and ice. Although there was a young and inexperienced 1st XI, the Hockey Club had a good season with 65% of matches won. The outstanding group was that of

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Junior Colts where 20/22 matches were won. Our strength in depth in the club is seen by unbeaten Senior 2nd, 4th and 5th XIs and unbeaten JC2, 3 and 4 XIs. A number of junior players were selected for Oxfordshire; Hamish Miller (King’s Hall, a) (Captain), Tom Beasley (Abingdon Prep, b), Angus Lowe (Cheltenham, e), Charlie Austen (Cothill, e) for U15 and James Murphy (Dragon, b) for U16.

J The beautiful new Real Tennis court has already brought dividends; Radley won the National Championships, the Senior Team and the Senior Pair, Tom Buckley (Moulsford, b) and George Hackett (Downsend, h), triumphing. Ed Lyle (Sandroyd, g) and Joe Manners (Maidwell Hall, h) won the 2nd pair Championship.

J The Tennis Club had an excellent

J Polo: in the last week of the summer term Radley won the senior trophy in the National Schools’ Polo Championships and were crowned National Champions. The captain, Josh Nimmo (Arnold Lodge, d), was awarded the trophy for best player.

J Finally, the summer holidays saw mixed fortunes for Old Radleians. Andrew Strauss captained England to the Ashes victory.

Michael Henderson in the Daily Telegraph wrote that the Ashes were Strauss’s Waterloo, “You might say that the Ashes were won on the playing fields of Radley”.

Lt Col Rupert Thornloe became one of only eight British commanding officers killed on active duty since 1948 when he died in Afghanistan in late June; Radley has the sad distinction of having had two of these officers, Rupert Thornloe and David Blair, more than any other school.

The winners of the Senior Trophy in the National Polo Championships

GEOGRAPHY The Geography Department at Radley has forged strong links with prep schools under the leadership of John Harris, Head of Geography. It has also pioneered many initiatives for the innovative use of new technology.

On a brief tour of the Geography Department in Queen’s Court, you may encounter a group of students clustered in front of two newly installed plasma monitors. They could be discussing an animated map of the worldwide spread of swine flu, the latest earthquake or other breaking “geo-news”. You will see photos of field trips to Lulworth, Studland, the Alps, Birmingham and the Gower. Next comes a monitor showing live Radley weather data - pressure seems to be rising and a sunny day is in prospect for the cricket and tennis matches. And you have only scratched the surface of what geography has to offer, both within the department and beyond.

All Shell (Year 9) students study geography and it is one of the most popular choices at both GCSE, with over 80 students per year, and at A level with over 30 students.

This surge in popularity is all the more pleasing at a time of national decline in the numbers opting for the subject. The excellent exam results at both levels are one reason why Radleians choose to study geography –over 80% score A* and A at GCSE and 90% A/B at A level. Above all they choose geography because it addresses crucial and relevant issues which affect us all: the changing environment, pressure on resources, the challenge of global disparities and much more. Geography is an excellent bridge between the Arts and Sciences and many of our students go on to study it at university. Geographers are highly valued in the workplace for their key skills: literacy, numeracy, ICT and teamwork.

Geography has embraced the information technology revolution of the last 20 years.

The department has aimed to be in the vanguard, especially in the application of ICT for the benefit of both staff and students. Geography has its own computer suite and each classroom has a PC and digital projector. The department runs its own website geography.radley.org.uk which features live weather maps, satellite images, tropical cyclones, today’s earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and a whole host of educational links and teaching resources which are freely shared worldwide. The website was awarded a 4* rating by Schoolzone for its educational value and usefulness.

The Radley Geography Department has conceived and coordinated a range of online initiatives including collaborative internet projects such as MetLink, Raincatch and Cloudwatch which share data and teaching resources with schools worldwide. A recent visit to Radley by Andy Griggs, Head of Geography at Peterhouse School, Zimbabwe, was one of many examples where such contacts have led to strong and ongoing bonds of friendship.

The Radley automatic weather station constantly uploads live data to the geography website. This proves particularly useful for those planning summer sports and outdoor activities. The recently opened Radley Community shop uses the daily temperature data to investigate and regulate energy consumption and so minimize the carbon footprint.

We have had over ten years’ experience of using video, data logging and GIS (Geographical Information Systems).

Students have used GIS to plot local land use and to investigate the origins and modes of travel of shoppers. Photos and field trip videos allow students to illustrate their coursework and to use digital media in many ways. The Shells, for example, produce their own videos of rock weathering, based on lab and field experiments - the best efforts are uploaded to YouTube.

The advent of Google Maps and Google Earth has revolutionised digital mapping and allows us all to be expert cartographers. Radley students can upload fieldwork data to Google Maps and produce attractive and informative PowerPoint presentations.

The Geography Department runs geography ICT training for other schools and the annual prep school training days are always well attended. Recent training has included the design of web pages, video production, setting up a geography weblog, GIS workshops and customising Google Maps and Google Earth to enhance teaching and learning.

And what of the future? Geography is undergoing constant change. The Remove (Year 10) students have recently embarked on the new IGCSE Geography specification which is both exciting and challenging.

Changes have already taken place at A level and the Common Entrance course is also being updated. Meanwhile the Radley geography staff are determined to continue pushing the frontiers into new and exciting territory.

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Ne xt teps SRadleians at University The recession has led to substantial increases in university applications in both the USA and the UK (applications were up 10.4% in the 2008 round, 8.8% in 2009): higher education is seen both as a refuge from the ravaged job-market, and as an investment for the post-recession future. Inevitably it is the most competitive and popular courses at top universities which have seen the biggest increases in applications (Law, Medicine, Economics, English, History).

The more difficult it becomes for Radleians to get an offer or place from their firstchoice university, the more vital it is for us to encourage them to research and prepare the application thoroughly, and to adopt

Harvard University

Ed Martineau (ex Senior Prefect), finished Cambridge this year and is now destined for Bristol Old Vic.

the right strategy across the five choices available. So far, numbers of Radleians going to top UK universities have remained constant for a number of years: a major achievement in the circumstances.

Ideally a student will identify a subject or combination of subjects, and then a course, which corresponds with his interests and ambitions. It is then a question of identifying the five best such courses available at UK universities. A much more likely scenario however is that a student (or his parents) identifies a small group of acceptable universities, and is flexible enough to study almost any course in order to get a place at one of them. In extremis this can lead (indeed has led) to a student applying to five different courses at the same (highly fashionable) university. As it happened, the strategy worked, although the course for which he was accepted was somewhat esoteric: a desirable university knows how to make the most of its status, and in such circumstances will only make one offer, and that for the least popular course. In practice, most applicants steer a sensible middle

course between these extremes: they identify their top one or two universities, choose two or three other less competitive destinations; they are quite clear about the course they want, but are prepared to be flexible up to a point (how much difference is there between Politics and International Relations?

History and Modern History? Finance and Accounting?).

So what are the most desirable UK universities? Everyone knows Oxford and Cambridge of course, and most have heard of the Russell Group (a notional top 20 group of the next best). In recent years, however, a breakdown of applicant numbers (from Radley and other leading independent schools) suggests that Bristol, Durham and Edinburgh have broken away from the rest of the pack; following them the major London colleges (KCL, UCL, Imperial); then Exeter heading a group of very good but more accessible institutions including Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester.

Some really excellent universities (notably York and Warwick) have been consistently undervalued by Radleians in the past,

Charlie Barker and Jim Summerly chat to some recent ORs studying at Durham

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The University of Oxford

though we try to press their cases. Perhaps this is on the grounds of their architectural mediocrity, but actually few universities will provide as elegant a physical environment as Radley, and there are more important criteria to consider. It makes better sense to target specific courses which have a worldwide reputation, irrespective of their perhaps drab provincial setting. Estate Management at Reading, French at Aston, Medicine at Leicester: these are renowned courses with high rates of graduate employment.

What does Radley do, through its Form Masters, Heads of Department, Director of University Entrance and its vast pool of accumulated knowledge, to maximise our sixth-formers’ chances of getting to their first-choice university? We show them where they can get the information they need (links are on the college Intranet); we ensure that the Personal Statement is course-oriented, non-derivative, individual and striking (particularly important for Humanities/Arts - based courses).

And we manage expectations: steer them

away from unrealistic choices; and help them find the course (maybe an odd combination of subjects) at their preferred university which gives them the best chance of success.

for which complete statistics are available (2007); of Radley leavers going to UK universities, 109 out of 121 went to Russell Group universities.

We encourage them to consider alternatives: increasing numbers apply successfully to Trinity College, Dublin (which is outside the UCAS system); and a small but growing number of boys apply to universities in the USA. This is a time-consuming and expensive process, but the logic is indisputable: there are more universities in the USA (more than 3,000), therefore there are more very good universities. The THES world league table is dominated by American universities, some of which are little-known in the UK. For those prepared to invest more money in their university education, and more time in the application process; for those who are unsure as to what subjects to specialise in (‘concentration’ or choosing a ‘major’ are usually delayed until the third year at American universities); and for those prepared to live abroad for four years, the American student experience is particularly rewarding.

This is certainly cause for satisfaction and optimism that Radley does and will continue to prepare its students to achieve highly in terms of university entrance.

Jon Nash Formerly Director of University Entrance

Durham University

Finally, consider the fact that in the last year The destinations of Radleians over the past five years

Bristol Leeds Edinburgh Oxford Durham Newcastle Cambridge Nottingham Exeter Other

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Ed Stuart Bourne (Fifth Form)

r a dl e i a n s

SWANBOURNE HOUSE AND D SOCIAL Birdman Photography

home, content that I wouldn’t have to do anything like this again and sure that I would definitely never be returning to Radley.

I was shocked, therefore, when my parents informed me on my coming home from school a few weeks later that I had won a place at Radley starting in September 2007 and would be attending Swanbourne House, a prep school at the end of the year.

I prepared as much as I could for the prep school experience, learning some French and Latin. It was still a big shock when I joined, but within weeks I felt at home.

My first experience of Radley was as a timid 10 year old sitting the Foundation Award. I was at my local primary school and intended to join the equally local Aylesbury Grammar School in the following September. Since I obviously knew best, I wondered why I was sitting this scholarship when I had already passed my 11+. My parents, however, insisted, and so I went to Radley on a December morning, observing all the towering boys and their strange uniforms. I sat a few exams and returned

Victor Culebras (6.2) BRITISH COUNCIL SCHOOL, MADRID AND A SOCIAL It was around four years ago when, on an ordinary weekend, the Oratory School were facing Radley College at rugby. Given that I was a member of the Oratory at the time, I arrived to the Radley Campus with the mere intention of beating their team. Sadly for me, we lost; in fact we got absolutely destroyed. Surprisingly, none of the Radleians showed any signs of arrogance or disdain towards us, instead, they showed amazing sportsmanship and extreme politeness which made me want to spend the rest of my academic life in a place like Radley. After Oratory, I did my IGCSEs in Spain and, in the summer of 2008, this wonderful memory appeared in my mind which made me want to become a Radleian.

When I arrived at Radley, the college fulfilled my expectations - I was impressed by the welcoming atmosphere, the companionship between the students, the professionalism of the dons and staff and many other aspects that make this College such a special place. It did not take me long to establish great relationships with my fellow students who have always showed a friendly attitude. Since the very first day, Radley felt like home.

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The two years at Swanbourne passed quickly and before long I was on D Social’s doorstep, dressed awkwardly in a suit and a gown. It was a huge step up, but one that I was well-prepared for, I believe, by my two years at Swanbourne.

I remember thinking on one of my first days at Radley that it was a curious place, nice to visit, but not one that I would want to stay at. There were so many new concepts and customs to get used to.

I’m going to fast forward now to the present day. As a current fifth former, I believe that I’m a very different person to the one who stepped into D Social in early September 2007. The range of opportunities that I

have had is staggering. I’ll be heading the D Social team for the Shells & Removes Debating competition next week; later today, I’ll be down at the river, rowing; in a couple of weeks I will be running around somewhere in Oxfordshire with a gun, as part of CCF Field Weekend. One moment I could be learning Ancient Greek, the next, singing my heart out in Chapel.

Ah yes - the Chapel. We’re often told that it’s the first place the Old Radleians ask to go on visiting Radley (who can forget such hearty singing?!?), and I would certainly agree that it’s an integral part of College life.

I got confirmed in the Radley Chapel a few months ago and since then I have realised what a wealth of opportunities there are for Christians at Radley - from Saint’s Day services at 8am to Christian forum on Tuesday night, I can wholeheartedly thank Radley for allowing me to discover a lot more about the Christian faith and decide what a lot of my views are.

Most of all, Radley has given me the confidence to try new things. Of course the teaching is great and there are lots of opportunities, but I think the best thing about Radley is its involvement in turning you from a boy to a man and the way your character is shaped along the way by the experiences you have.

I have now been a Radleian for almost a year, and this experience has helped me immensely in the improvement of both academic and personal aspects. In the campus we are taught everything can be achieved with determination and that perseverance is the basis of every achievement. The 6.1 has been a reasonably challenging year with some A-level exams at the end of the summer term. Taking French and Maths modules early has not been an easy task; however, with the help of my friends and dons I will hopefully achieve the results I want.

Sport has always played an important role in my life. When I came to Radley, I was terribly concerned by the possibility that the academic work would leave me no time for sport. However, I was proved wrong as I found myself doing more exercise than when I was at my last school. In the first term I really enjoyed the rugby, a game at which I had not played much and that I found very amusing and stimulating. In the summer, I joined the tennis club and was struck by the high level of some Radleians; being around such good players has greatly helped me to improve in this game.

My time at Radley so far has been an amazing experience which is hard to describe with words. I expect no less from 6.2, which appears to me as an academically challenging year in which hard work will

be the key for success. As an Oxbridge candidate, I will have to start working from the very first moment of the term in order to achieve such a difficult goal. The applications for Oxford and Cambridge start in October so I must be prepared to get the best out of myself.

There is no doubt that this year will involve a lot of work, however, I am certain that I will enjoy every moment of my future time at Radley.

Website: www.radley.org.uk . Admissions enquiries: 01235 543174 . admissions@radley.org.uk