December . . Newsletter
A word from the Senior Deputy Head It has been a pleasure to see the school returning to its vibrant best this term, with so many taking advantage of the opportunities on offer. The co-curricular programme, under the guidance of Ms Hammond, has been busier than ever with additional clubs, enrichment options and sporting activities sitting alongside the excellence of our music and drama departments, who have again hosted superb concerts and productions this term. There has been a full and varied programme of sports fixtures and great success for our hockey, netball and football teams as well as outstanding individual performances coming, for some, with recognition at county or regional level. The academic life of the school has continued to flourish, with the newly introduced academic commendations for notable engagement, effort or achievement having been awarded already in an encouraging number of cases. Beyond the taught curriculum there has been success for a number of students in academic competitions such as the Senior Maths Challenge and the Bebras Challenge for computational thinking. We have high hopes that further success will follow next term for our Year 13 students who have recently submitted their university applications, many to highly competitive universities requiring them to prepare for admissions tests. A real sense of community has emerged this term with the ability to once again meet for assemblies and to invite parents in for a range of events. This has been strengthened all the more by the recent charity events for the Big Give, which have only been successful by the hard work and collaboration of those who have organised them, and the kindness and generosity of the many who have participated. With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. Stephen Ward, Senior Deputy Head
Issue 002 - December 2021
Visual Art Our students have been working this term on the Focus on Productivity series. It has been amazing to be back in the VAC and the students’ work reflects this with more sustained examples being produced and students being inspired by the creative environment and their peers. Thank you to the Visual Arts staff and the students for their hard work this term. Mrs Rachel Bloomfield-Proud, Head of Visual Arts.
Sustainability Update Over the first term of having the SPF Student Sustainability Committee (SPF-SSC) in place there has been a great deal undertaken. The secondary students rolled-out the ‘Switch-Off Fortnight’ whereby posters were placed in all of the secondary school classrooms as part of a behaviour change campaign to reduce the energy footprint of the secondary school.
Christmas Jumper’ stand at the Big Give; students that donated their jumper for the exchange were enticed to do so with a voucher off of a ‘new’ (to them) item. Not only did this activity highlight the issue around one of the most unsustainable items of clothing that people often own, the students were also able to sell upwards of the 40 jumpers they received.
In raising awareness of the impact fashion has on the environment, the SPFSSC organised and operated a ‘Pre-loved
As we approach the end of the term, the Year 11 Eco-Committee have identified the three themes of the Eco-Schools Green
Flag programme that they would like to work against over the year: increasing the local biodiversity of the school; reducing the energy consumption of the school; and reducing the waste produced by the school. The group are currently finalising their Eco-Schools Environmental Audit. Chris Woody, Head of Sustainability
Remembrance Assembly in pursuit of freedom, but seven students from across the Foundation did just that on the morning of 11/11/21 in front of an audience of upwards of 500 people. This was in addition to having delivered the assembly to over 100 sixth formers a few days earlier.
It is always challenging for an Historian to lead a Remembrance Assembly as Historians are pre-programmed to remember all the time and to vocalise the thoughts that a teacher of such a discipline has every day is a difficult task. It is an important, yet daunting honour to fittingly remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice
The Senior School & Sixth Form History Society, a forum fizzing with enthusiasm for the past, was the source from which these students volunteered to participate in the assembly. They dutifully practised their readings after school for three weeks before the day, learning to read an ambitious set of contemporary diary recollections from the First World War soldiers themselves. We have been truly humbled by the number of staff who have emailed and spoken of their appreciation and thoughts on the assembly and no doubt those soldiers we remembered that Thursday in November, and the millions
of others who gave their lives, would be as proud of the following children as I am; Edward L (Y7), Ashanth A (Y8), Noah F (Y9), Alison H (Y10), Annabel M (Y11), Alistair E-G (Y12) & Leo L (Y12). The final word should go to Edward L in Year 7, the youngest contributor to our Assembly, who afterwards wrote to say “That’s my honour to read in the Remembrance Assembly. Thank you for giving me a chance and the candy.” Mrs Stanley, Head of History
East Anglia Independent Secondary School of the Decade A family of co-educational independent day schools from nursery to sixth form in Cambridge and Saffron Walden, recently judged ‘Excellent’ by ISI and regularly one of the UK’s best performing schools. Offering A Levels and the IB, with flexible boarding options in the sixth form and just 45 minutes from London by train. Closing date for applications for September 2022 entry is 10 December 2021.
To find out more please visit stephenperse.com
Richard Girvan, Principal
Parent Events: dates for your diary Wednesday 5 January
Boarders arrive
Thursday 6 January
Spring term starts
Monday 10 January
Year 8 remote parents evening
Friday 14 January
Lunchtime Concert - St Paul’s Church
Thursday 20 January
GCSE options and Y9 parents evening
Wednesday 26 January
PFA meeting
Friday 28 January
Lunchtime Concert- St Paul’s Church
Monday 31 January
Year 10 & Year 11 Elevate study skills parent information evening
Wednesday 2 February
Year 13 parents evening
Friday 4 February
Sixth Form Play
Friday 11 February
Lunchtime Concert - Great St Mary’s Church
Saturday 12 February
Boarders depart
12 - 20 February
Spring half term - Boarding house closed
Full school calendars can be viewed and subscribed to through our website here
Metamorphoses Year 10-13 theatre production, November 2021 There is nothing quite like sharing a live theatre performance with a real audience and it was so exciting to welcome parents, teachers and students to see our senior production of ‘Metamorphoses’ at the end of November! Mary Zimmerman’s fabulous, contemporary reworking of some of the myths and stories portrayed in Ovid’s epic poem is written to be set around a pool of water. Many of the stories tell of characters who are changed, transformed or transported in some way by the will of the gods. King Midas is given the fateful ‘golden touch’ whilst Alcyone and Ceyx are turned into seabirds in order to overcome death. In the darkly comedic tale of Erysichthon, he insults the goddess Ceres and, as punishment, is so consumed by Hunger that he
ends up eating his own foot; his elderly mother, however, whom he sells to buy food, is changed back to a little girl by Poseidon as a reward. Our production was full of visual imagery and colour. Each story was told using different techniques: in Pandora’s Box we incorporated movement and contemporary dance to portray the escaped horrors; the tale of Narcissus was communicated through silent comedy; Phaeton told his tale of teenage failure from the psychiatrist’s couch. As with all of our productions, many students were involved in the creative process behind the scenes, making and assembling puppets, costumes and props. Many more were involved in the
performance itself, working as backstage crew in the wings or tech crew in the control box. I absolutely loved working on this production and seeing all of the various production elements come together. I was delighted with the final performances and I am so incredibly proud of all of the performers, the tech crew and the backstage creative team for their amazing work on the show. I am also incredibly grateful to my incredible department for all their support behind the scenes (both metaphorically and literally!). Helene Barrell, Head of Drama and Theatre
“There is nothing quite like sharing a live theatre performance with a real audience” - Helene Barrell
Sixth Form Cabaret The evening of Thursday 4 November 2021 marked the much anticipated return to live performances for the Drama department. Our Senior School hall was transformed for one night only, into a candle-lit, forest-themed jazz bar, with audience members seated at tables. Talented students from Years 12-13 (plus two guest performers from Year 10) dazzled us with a wide variety of highly entertaining acts, introduced throughout by our fabulous comperes for the evening, Yvonne and Oliva. The Sixth Form cabaret was organised by a student committee and raised nearly £400 for The Kite Trust. Here are some comments from some of the students involved: “The cabaret was a fantastic collaborative experience.” “A lovely evening filled with extremely talented acts ranging from emotionally jarring songs to humorous saxophone duets.”
“It was amazing to have a proper live audience after so long performing to an iPad for recordings. There were lots of teachers and students coming to support the performers and enjoying the show, and the atmosphere was great. It ran smoothly and felt professional. I really enjoyed performing and watching the other acts too.” “I really enjoyed setting up for the cabaret - a lot of planning went into it but it was worth all the effort to see the room decorated and to watch all the performances at the end!” “My favourite part of the cabaret was the compèring, which was pretty fortunate considering I helped write the script.” “As a performer, although it had been a while since I had performed live due to COVID, the audience was welcoming and the atmosphere was friendly and calm. The hall looked transformed with all the decorations, and I had a great time despite being a little nervous beforehand!”
“I absolutely adored [the band] Long Furby. The homemade mascot, the outfits, the song. The drummer let me wear their cloak, and for a moment I ascended onto another plane of existence.” “As part of the tech crew for the sixth form cabaret, I was given a range of tasks, which included setting up and taking apart the mics and drum kit on stage, as well as doing the lights and followspot during the event. Doing the lights and followspot for the event allowed me a large amount of freedom to make decisions with the performers about what their lighting would look like. Having the input of the performers themselves while making these decisions I think vastly improved the quality of the cabaret.” “The stage lighting effects sparkled in a distinct jaw dropping style and atmosphere for each performance.” “The compères were great!”
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The Big Give Christmas Challenge We are delighted to report The Big Give Christmas Challenge exceeds £20,000 target communities together to multiply their impact. The Big Give really did bring everyone across the Foundation together, there was a sense of positivity and excitement across all our schools with so many people wanting to take part. The student charity committee and representatives inspired people to give to our mission of raising funds for bursary provision and to make a difference to those within our community.
We are delighted to report that we not only hit our Big Give Christmas Challenge target of £20,000 but exceeded it, raising a total of £27,240.50 including Gift Aid and offline donations. This is an initiative that took place across the whole Foundation for the very first time this year. It is the UK’s number one charity platform specialising in bringing charities, philanthropists, the public and
Within the first 20 minutes of the Christmas Challenge going live we had already raised £2,000 and the total just kept rising! It was overwhelming how many teachers, professional support staff, parents, students and external supporters gave to this campaign and we would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you. There were many events that took place during the campaign and one highlight was the Year 11 and Year 13 student quiz
Flexi-boarding Flexi-boarding is available for all students in Year 10 upwards for either one, two or three nights a week and can be used at any point throughout the year. Further details are on our website here and Boarding Handbook or feel free to contact Denise Hammersley, Head of Boarding, if you have any questions on dha@stephenperse.com.
night. This was an evening hosted by the students, which also included a musical round, with performances from the students themselves. We were joined in the second half by Frank Paul, champion of the BBC quiz ‘Only Connect’ and ‘Trapper’ on the Channel 4 quiz show ‘Answer the Trap’. Our students also talked about our Founder Dr Stephen Perse and his strong belief that an outstanding education should be a right rather than a privilege, that an excellent education should be accessible to all. The Big Give campaign demonstrated that his ethos is still very much at the heart of all our values today. We remain committed to tackle inequality within our community and will continue to create educational pathways and invest in talented young people. Thank you once again to everyone who gave. This campaign reminded us that we are all capable of great things, but together we can do extraordinary things. Thank you.
Sports Update Such a full and busy term for everyone involved in sports clubs and teams. It is heartwarming to see so many students attending clubs and fixtures, giving their best and working hard to develop their skills. We have had a school visit from alumna Imogen Grant who gave an assembly to the Senior School about her achievements in rowing and her recent experience competing at the 2021 Olympics, all whilst
juggling her studies in medicine at Cambridge University. What an inspirational lady. We have also welcomed Fulham Ladies player Ellie Olds and Holroyd Howe Nutritionist, who came in to speak to our Scholars, GCSE and A Level students regarding the impact nutrition has on training and competing. Charlotte Wells, Director of Sport. Olympian Imogen Grant
Netball
Football
Netball at Stephen Perse continues to go from strength to strength. Each year there are County Championships in three age groups - U14, U16 and U19. We are proud to say that all three of our teams played brilliantly, showing strength and skill throughout their tournaments. What is more impressive is that they each progressed through their competitions without dropping a single game, which culminated in them all being crowned County Champions. They are now training hard for the Regional Finals in January.
It’s been a very busy term for our footballers and there have been some fantastic results to show for their superb attitude and engagement since September. Stand out performances came from our Under 16 Boys’ team who reached the last 16 of the ISFA National Cup and our Under 13 Girls’
team who reached the third round of the ESFA National Cup even with the majority of the team consisting of Under 12s. There are still plenty of fixtures over the coming months and we are hopeful of continued success.
Hockey It has been great to get the students back playing competitive hockey fixtures and it has been a really busy term for each year group with over 120 matches played across the senior school. This has included three outdoor and two indoor county tournaments along with the U18s & U16s competing in the England Hockey
Competitions. Special congratulations to the U15 team who have had an undefeated season and to the U12B team who have a win ratio of over 85%. Year 9 & 10 teams have also enjoyed a trip to the Olympic Hockey Stadium at Lee Valley where they got the opportunity to train and play a match on the main pitch.
Cross Country Results 2021/22 - ESAA Cross Country Cup competition We took a strong contingent of runners to the Cambridgeshire round of the ESAA Cross Country Cup Competition. For most it was the first time they had competed competitively in over a year and a half, for others it was their first ever race. The team did exceptionally well, they all ran with determination and commitment, supported each other with great team spirit and were a credit to the school.
Most notable performances were: • Junior Girls: Sophie J - 4th, Sophia E - 17th • Team: 4th Place - Sophie, Sophia, Stella C, Michelle H, Nadia SP & Lottie K • Junior Boys: Ollie R - 17th, Lewis F - 19th • Inter Boys: Aaron B - 8th, James K - 18th • Inter Girls: Etta SB - 10th, Ilaria S - 14th
Equestrian Congratulations go to Isabella E and her horse Black Eye Pea who competed in a gruelling three day Eventing Challenge at Bicton International Horse Trials just prior to half term. Day one consisted of the Dressage; Day two the Cross Country, comprising four phases including a trot up and steeplechase. Day three concluded events with the Show Jumping. This event is a real test of strength, stamina and determination from both the horse and rider and many do not finish the trials. Isabella and Black Eye Pea not only completed but achieved great success in coming 26th out of 108 entries. Even more remarkable as Isabella and her pony were competing against adults and horses. A great finish to Isabella’s eventing season, really well done.
Individual Achievements County Selections A huge congratulations to the following: We have had many students selected to represent the County and beyond. In netball - congratulations to - Francesca F and Natalie G in U13 squad, Bea W, Eva F, Isla F, Aoife L and Orla S in the U15 squad and in the U19 squad; Connie T, Charlotte M and Zoe N. Also, congratulations to Juliette G (Y10) and Izzy H (Y12) who have been selected for the Cambridge Mavericks Futures Academy, to Abbey H (Y10) who has been selected for Norfolk/Suffolk Mavericks Futures Academy and to Caitlin W (Y11) who has been selected for London Pulse Academy. Dylan B and David T who have been selected to represent Cambridgeshire in the U16 Cricket squad. Also to Connie T (Y11) who has been selected (once again) for the east region England hockey performance centre and is now in the under 17 squad for 2021/22. Also to Abby H (Y10) who has got into the Under 15 squad. Fantastic achievement!
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Success at the District Cross Country Championships On a very cold winter morning we took 49 students to compete against other schools in the district. Our students didn’t disappoint and recorded some excellent results. Particular congratulations to the following who all qualified for the County Championships in January: Senior Girls U18 Cecily H winner (crowned District Champion) Bethany B 4th place
Caitlin W 8th place Ilaria S 11th place Juliette G 12th place A great team effort with 5 girls qualifying!
Senior Boys U18 Thomas M 7th place
Junior Girls U14 Sophie J 8th place Arjumand B 15th Place
Inter Boys U16 Isaac M winner (crowned District Champion) Inter Girls U16 Connie T 6th place Etta SB 7th place
Isaac M - U16 Winner
Arjumand U14 qualifier
Minor Girls U12 Imogen T 6ht place Stella C 13th Minor Boys U12 Kuzey Y 8th place
Imogen and Stella (U12)
Sophie U14 qualifier
Kuzey U12
Cecily - U18 Winner
U16 qualifiers - Connie, Caitlin, Juliette, Etta and Ilaria
“To have 15 students qualifying for County Championships is an outstanding achievement, along with our largest contingent of 49 students competing and representing the School.” - Charlotte Wells
Visual Art Here are some more examples of students’ work.