Issue 48 Autumn 2013
ST
ALBANS
Highlights
SCHOOL
UP AND Down Under 50 tourists from the St Albans School rugby squads made the trip to Australia. They showed their strength first in Darwin with two victories, 48-0 and 36-5 in unbroken 32˚ heat. There were further victories in Cairns before the teams reached Alstonville. There three more teams were defeated by the honed skills of the 1st XV. The St Albans tourists then undertook a long drive further inland to Wheatmen of Dalby. Both our teams won their matches, the 1sts by a crushing 53-5 margin and the 2nds, in a much more closely contested match, 15-14. On this tour the 1st XV proved themselves invincible with a 5-0 tally. Throughout their stay in Australia, the players enjoyed the generous hospitality of their hosts and also found time to visit Brisbane and the Great Barrier Reef where they went snorkelling and scuba diving, as well as the usual beach activities. On the tour they saw crocodiles in the wild, as well as on their plates, and searched unsuccessfully for kangaroos. The team continued its fine form in the preseason St Albans/Saracens tournament, where the 1st XV managed to defeat the strong St Joseph’s College, Ipswich and took a very creditable third place overall.
History Trips First Formers enjoyed a visit to Warwick Castle which brought to life their understanding of the importance of castles in defending and protecting people in the Middle Ages. High points for many pupils were the Kingmaker Exhibition and the visit to the dungeons. Second Formers went to Hampton Court, built by the ex-abbot of St Albans, Cardinal Wolsey, and enjoyed the contrasts in building styles and comfort as well as a competitive sortie into the maze.
Future Prospects Fourth formers spent a day in July “goal setting” at Woollams. The activities enabled pupils to assess their own aptitudes and abilities and to consider which future career path might match these. Saracens Chief Executive, Edward Griffiths, started the day with a motivational talk and was followed by other successful business executives. The afternoon was spent either on command tasks outside, organised by the CCF, or inside on a career mapping course with clear goals and milestones. The day provided good preparation for the Morrisby aptitude tests, which are taken at the beginning of the Fifth Form.
Winning Photograph
The students showed their skills in a range of sporting activities while in Australia
To m K i r b y ’ s haunting image of a waterfall was awarded first prize in a competition run by Essential Iceland,the company which organises the Geography Department’s trips to Iceland. The picture skilfully catches the movement of the water as it falls over the basalt columns. Alex Kirsch’s photograph of a whale beaching at Husavik was highly commended in the competition.
In the Footlights The highlight of the Summer Term was undoubtedly the Lower School Drama Club’s presentation of Troy 24. Inspired by the Iliad, the play focuses on the final days of the Trojan War with the return of the Greek champion Achilles to battle. Intent on revenge for the death of his friend Patroclus, he is determined to fight Hector to the death. The outcome of the war rests on this one final contest and Troy 24, Olympus Broadcasting’s most popular news channel, plans to get the world exclusive. The cast of thirty fully exploited the outdoor setting of the amphitheatre with its natural surroundings. Actors marched through the audience and epic battles were fought on and around the performance area, thereby ensuring the involvement of the spectators. Pupils were fortunate to receive advice from professional Stage Combat Choreographer Chris Janes for the demanding fight routines. Useful tips came also from internationally renowned film director OA Mike Newell. This was an ambitious and very successful production. Earlier in the term Fourth Form drama students devised improvised plays on the basis of the following premises: a dramatic opening which withholds information, time shifts and physical theatre. The theme was ‘Missing.’ The plays were shown to a wider audience and were much appreciated. Senior House Drama rounded off the term’s thespian activities: the deserved winner was Hampson’s Black Comedy with its slick finish and good use of slapstick humour.
Scientific endeavour Sixth formers were privileged to visit CERN in Geneva to view the Hadron Collider. The tour included a visit to the control centre of the AMS detector as it beamed back live data to Earth from its location on the International Space Station. The highlight, however, was the opportunity to descend to the beam line and view the CMS detector, a 15m tall ‘nest’ of particle detectors and high speed electronics buried 100m underground. When the accelerator is operating, this area is completely off limits due to the high levels of radiation generated, but students were lucky to visit during a shutdown while the machine was being upgraded. Physicists also gained a valuable insight into the technology of particle acceleration on a visit to Diamond Synchrotron in Oxford. An opening lecture explained the physics behind the accelerator and the many experiments which are at the cutting edge of research into medicine and technology. The synchrotron accelerates electrons to nearly the speed
of light to obtain a very bright X-ray beam. Students were able to see how a particle accelerator works and learn about the experiments that use the machine. A visit to Selex in Luton allowed students to talk to many graduates who work at the company and explore some of its work as a market-leader in defence innovation and manufacture. The Stephen Hawking lectures continue to provide insight into scientific developments. Dr Diane Aston from the Institute of Materials gave a fascinating talk on Materials in Action, covering four classes of materials: metals, ceramics, polymers and composites. Twenty-eight Second and Third formers travelled to Thorpe Park to investigate the science of rollercoasters. They enjoyed a fascinating lecture, which explained the energy and forces at work and how track and car design affect the feel of the ride.
Charity Fundraising Armed with paint, clay, haribo and model lobsters, Second formers set to work to reproduce iconic artworks by renowned artists such as Damien Hirst, Andy Warhol, Antony Gormley and Salvador Dali. A charity art auction, ‘For the Love of Charity’, followed, where the new works were snapped up, raising £270 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Form 4.6 also raised money to sponsor a child’s education in Africa. Overall, pupils’ and staff’s efforts ensured that well over £3,000 was raised for charitable purposes.
ST
ALBANS
SCHOOL
ST
ALBANS
SCHOOL
Abbey Gateway, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL3 4HB
Telephone: 01727 855521 Fax: 01727 843447
www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk
At St Albans School, all Upper Sixth Pupils have taken at least three A levels and one AS level. Some of these pupils have also taken A and AS levels in the Lower Sixth. All Lower Sixth students are expected to study four subjects at AS level, with at least three being continued to A2 level in the Upper Sixth; some also do an Extended Project. In addition, all Sixth Formers take AS General Studies and Critical Thinking courses. Some pupils take Mathematics IGCSE and some take French GCSE in the Fourth Form. Most other GCSE or IGCSE subjects are taken in the Fifth Form, with some students also undertaking a Higher Project during this year. Although we are proud of the examination successes of our pupils, we believe that examination statistics are only one criterion of educational success. We therefore advise that they be interpreted with caution.
Summary of Statistics Results in Public Examinations 5th Form - GCSE
2011
2011
2013
Candidature
120
112
127
Percentage grades A* – C
100
100
100
87
84
80
Percentage of candidates gaining grades A* – C in at least 5 subjects
100
100
100
Percentage of candidates gaining A* – C in English
100
100
100
Percentage of candidates gaining A* – C in Mathematics
100
100
100
Candidature
131
136
148
Percentage pass rate
100
100
100
94
95
93
Average UCAS points per entry
116.6
117.3
115.4
Average UCAS points per candidate
462.4
477
474.2
Percentage grades A* and A
U6 - A Level
Percentage of grades A* to B at A level (A to B 2009)
All examination results are provisional, depending on inquiries on results and remarks.
1
8
1
13
2
6
2
5
0
0
4
50
0
0
6
15
1
20
11
37
4
31
1
20
2
8
Ancient History
Cumulative %
Art
Cumulative %
Biology
Cumulative %
Chemistry
Cumulative %
Drama
Cumulative %
DT Pr Des Gr
Cumulative %
DT Pr Des RM
Cumulative %
Economics
Cumulative %
Electronics
Cumulative %
English Literature
Cumulative %
French*
Cumulative %
General Studies
Cumulative %
Geography
Cumulative %
D1
1
Subject
French
Pre U
A*
Subject
92
22
60
2
54
3
70
10
100
4
63
20
100
2
88
3
57
4
48
17
60
19
100
7
75
8
A
2
D2
100
2
100
2
100
6
93
7
100
0
93
12
100
0
100
1
100
3
80
13
80
7
100
0
92
2
B
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
2
100
0
95
1
100
0
100
0
100
0
98
7
100
7
100
0
100
1
C
0
D3
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
2
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
1
100
0
100
0
100
0
D
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
E
0
M1
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
U
26
5
13
30
5
41
2
8
7
40
35
8
12
0
M2
120.0
116.0
116.9
120.0
124.0
113.2
120.0
127.5
111.4
106.0
109.1
122.5
115.0
Total UCAS ave
A 8
A* 9
6
B
21.1
103
33
3
6
1
20
10
0
0
0
0
43
9
31
26
10
1
40
16
100
1
0
0
33
1
A*
Extended Project
Cumulative %
Totals
Cumulative %
Spanish
Cumulative %
RS
Cumulative %
Physics
Cumulative %
PE
Cumulative %
Music
Cumulative %
Further Maths
Cumulative %
Mathematics
Cumulative %
Latin
Cumulative %
History
Cumulative %
Greek (Classical)
Cumulative %
Govt & Politics
Cumulative %
German
Subject
67.6
227
44
1
35
5
55
18
50
1
0
0
81
8
75
36
80
7
85
18
100
0
65
11
2
C
93.0
124
89
4
100
11
86
16
100
1
50
1
95
3
99
20
100
2
100
6
100
0
88
4
100
1
1 67
B
A
0
D
99.2
30
89
0
100
0
100
7
100
0
100
1
100
1
100
1
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
2
100
0
C
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
E
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
U
0
E
0
U
488
9
17
51
2
2
21
83
10
40
1
17
3
25
59.6
UCAS ave
116.2
111.1
108.2
112.2
110.0
90.0
123.8
121.0
118.0
125.0
140.0
110.6
120.0
Total UCAS ave
Total
100.0 100.0 100.0
4
100
1
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
D
U6 A Level Results
L6 AS Level Results Subject
A
B
C
D
E
U
Total
UCAS ave
Ancient History Cumulative % Art Cumulative % Biology Cumulative % Chemistry Cumulative % Drama Cumulative % DT Pr Des Gr Cumulative % DT Pr Des RM Cumulative % Economics Cumulative % Electronics Cumulative %
5 33 3 50 15 31 21 43 11 79 2 100 2 100 16 31 2 100
8 87 3 100 16 63 15 73 2 93 0 100 0 100 16 63 0 100
2 100 0 100 11 86 5 84 1 100 0 100 0 100 9 80 0 100
0 100 0 100 5 96 4 92 0 100 0 100 0 100 6 92 0 100
0 100 0 100 0 96 3 98 0 100 0 100 0 100 2 96 0 100
0 100 0 100 2 100 1 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 2 100 0 100
15
52.0
6
55.0
49
46.7
49
48.8
14
57.1
2
60.0
2
60.0
51
45.9
2
60.0
English Literature Cumulative % French AS Cumulative % French A (equiv AS) Cumulative % Geography Cumulative % German Cumulative % Govt & Politics Cumulative % Greek Cumulative % History Cumulative % Latin Cumulative % Mathematics Cumulative % F urther Maths Cumulative % Music Cumulative % P.E. Cumulative % Physics Cumulative % RS Cumulative % Spanish
17 44 20 54 31 72 1 17 7 29 4 100 29 67 2 100 7 70 58 67 20 87 0 0 4 57 20 51 12 44 6
12 74 6 70 7 88 3 67 7 58 0 100 9 88 0 100 1 80 15 85 3 100 1 20 1 71 8 72 8 74 3
8 95 7 89 3 95 1 83 6 83 0 100 4 98 0 100 2 100 8 94 0 100 3 80 1 86 6 87 3 85 3
2 100 3 97 2 100 0 83 3 96 0 100 0 98 0 100 0 100 3 98 0 100 0 80 1 100 4 97 3 96 1
0 100 1 100 0 100 1 100 1 100 0 100 0 98 0 100 0 100 0 98 0 100 1 100 0 100 1 100 1 100 0
0 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 1 100 0 100 0 100 2 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 1
39
51.3
37
51.1
43
55.6
6
45.0
24
46.7
4
60.0
43
54.7
2
60.0
10
55.0
86
54.0
23
58.7
5
38.0
7
51.4
39
50.8
27
50.0
14
47.1
Cumulative % Totals Cumulative %
43 315 52.6
64 144 76.6
86 83 90.5
93 37 96.7
93 11 98.5
100 9 100.0
599
51.3
3
8
75
35
73
46
39
38
Cumulative %
French
Cumulative %
1
50
1
25
Greek (Classical)
Cumulative %
50
0
88
8
93
20
94
24
75
1
96
2
100
5
97
5
99
7
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
1
100
0
100
11
100
3
99
3
100
0
C
62.5
70.6
Cumulative %
10
57.9
4
A
Cumulative %
FS Maths
36.8
7
Extended Project
Cumulative %
A*
Extended Project
82.4
75.0
2
78.9
4
B
94.1
81.3
1
100
4
C
Further 5 Form Results
5
56
9
36
Cumulative %
82
German
19
40
56
Geography
Cumulative %
th
92
37
58
English Literature*
12
100
37
91
78
61
100
English*
2
63
3
38
DT Resistant Mats
Cumulative %
100
6
93
4
100
5
91
20
92
12
97
19
100
5
B
Cumulative %
6
74
11
Cumulative %
48
7
DT Electronics
DT Graphics
9
67
1
Cumulative %
Cumulative %
8
69
3
19
Drama
32
75
59
20
59
2
5
Bus. Studies & Eco.
Cumulative %
48
81
56
Cumulative %
Chemistry*
31
68
Biology*
Cumulative %
13
82
10
36
Art
A
A*
Cumulative %
Subject
100
100
3
100
0
D
100
1
100
1
100
0
100
3
100
1
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
1
100
0
D
100
100
0
100
0
E
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
E
100
0
F
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
F
100
0
G
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
G
100
100
0
100
0
U
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
U
16
19
Total
4
25
72
102
127
127
8
23
15
16
122
37
122
28
Total
81.3
100
% A-C
75
96
100
97
99
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
99
100
% A-C 29
88
88
59
Cumulative %
85
Cumulative %
120 80.0
Cumulative %
100 Totals
Cumulative %
1
98
Mathematics* Spanish
100
Cumulative %
2
19
French Italian
A*
Subject
4th Form
* IGCSE
49.7
635
Cumulative %
Totals
8 80
Cumulative %
Spanish
0
0
Cumulative %
Science (Double)
19 44
Cumulative %
RS
72
Physics* Cumulative %
20
1
0
0
Cumulative %
PE
Cumulative %
Music
69
Mathematics* Cumulative %
47
20
0
0
Cumulative %
Latin
Cumulative %
Japanese
35
History Cumulative %
A*
Subject
100
30
100
0
100
17
100
0
100
13
A
80.3
390
100
2
40
4
93
21
93
26
60
2
60
3
94
32
77
13
100
1
72
31
A
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
B
95.8
198
100
0
100
6
100
3
99
7
100
2
100
2
98
5
95
8
100
0
95
19
B
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
C
99.5
47
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
1
100
0
100
0
100
2
100
2
100
0
100
4
C
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
E
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
F
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
G
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
U
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
D
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
E
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
F
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
G
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
U
100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
7
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
100
0
D
150
1
115
2
32
Total
1277
10
10
43
122
5
5
127
43
1
83
Total
100
100
100
100
100
% A-C
99
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
100
% A-C
5th and 4th Form GCSE Results
the need to unlock potential Headmaster’s Prizegiving Address jumped the following year. With hindsight, it is extraordinary to think that until then there were simply no publicly available performance data on individual schools and, of course, more than a few emperors’ wardrobes were found wanting.
Madam Mayor, distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening and welcome to our annual Prizegiving. This is the first in my series of lasts this year. The more observant among you have, I know, already recognised the daguerreotype on the front of the programme as a whole-school photograph from my first year in post as Headmaster. After twenty years, perhaps I can be forgiven a little retrospection, so let me start by saying what a great personal pleasure it is to welcome Tony Little here tonight to present the prizes, because he and I go back a very long way. He was, of course, a year junior to me at university, but I have to admit the boy’s done well. When I came to St Albans in 1993, the country had a conservative-led government and was just emerging from a major recession. Manchester United were Premier League Champions. In education, no GCSEs and very few A levels were modular, an AS was a separate course worth half an A level, the press published league tables of results in the August silly season when the annual accusations of grade inflation would fill column inches; grades of ABB would comfortably get you into a Russell Group University and in St Albans, the local residents were up in arms about St Albans School’s buses and the state of the roads generally. It’s wonderful to see how far we’ve moved on. Those league tables in fact, were quite a new thing, the brainchild of the Daily Telegraph’s education editor, John Clare, who created a bandwagon onto which the Government happily
Andrew Grant, Headmaster
At A level, 60% A&B grades would get you into the First Division and 70% into the extremely select, ten-strong premier league, which contained some, but not all of what would still, today, be the usual suspects. St Albans managed 46% for 183rd place, an improvement on 201st the previous year, but still decidedly Third Division and in the Times’s version, we were still languishing in 232nd spot.
This year, we exactly doubled that 1993 proportion of A*-B grades and our 93% gets us somewhere around the top 50, so yes, there’s been some grade inflation over two decades, There has, I believe, been a huge but perhaps less amount of genuinely improved than you might performance… think. There has, I believe, been a huge amount of genuinely improved performance not just here, but nationally, to which, I hate to admit it, the exposure provided by the league tables probably contributed, as did the advent of an inspectorate for the independent sector. Extraordinary, again, to recall that at that time, no schools, let alone independent ones, had been inspected on a systematic and regular basis. Even in the state sector, the regulatory tyranny of Ofsted had only just begun and teachers inhabited an Elysian, lotos-eating world of pure intellectual delight – or that’s what they’d have you believe, anyway. At St Albans, space wasn’t a problem, because there were only 590 pupils in
the School, of which, from memory, 11 were girls. Aquis Court would have been a white elephant if it had come on the market at that time and we probably wouldn’t have had the foresight, or the cash, to buy it. And, looking back over the past twenty years, that’s quite emblematic of the story of St Albans School: a combination of damned hard work aided by serendipity, intelligent opportunism, lucky timing and unintended consequences provided in abundance by central or local government. To be fair, it’s probably the story of a good many schools over the same period. It was lucky timing that Cheapside Farm came on the market soon after the Belmont Field was sold and at a time when we needed to start thinking about relocating our leasehold playing fields at King Harry Lane as the lease ran out. It was an opportunity seized by the Governors and nine years of damned hard work followed to get the plans through. Here, the teaching accommodation had only recently been organised into departmental areas, according to the fashion of the late twentieth century, which is how Drama came to be taught in the New Hall in direct competition with deeply unhelpful acoustic effects from preparations for lunch. The Crusaders’ bookshop on Romeland Hill, now our Drama Centre, New Place, coming on the market was another manifestation of the serendipity/ opportunism/ damned hard work matrix. There was no internet back in 1993, of course, and mobile phones were mobile only in the sense that a hod of bricks is portable. My PA had a standalone AMSTRAD for word processing, so we
shifted an awful lot of paper around and the thought processes involved in writing and editing were really quite different. We had Assisted Places, the Thatcher replacement for the Direct Grant, and an open invitation to the Middle Classes to employ a dodgy accountant, but which were, in any case, increasingly needing subsidy from our Bursary Governments always try to fix fund, but the things from the top down at the fact that we had point where the final outcome a Bursary fund at shows something needs fixing, all was down to even though the right place to the foresight of fix it may be at the start of the our Governors in process. anticipating that at some point, some future government would pull the rug on the Assisted Places Scheme. That happened in 1997. Thank you Tony Blair for removing all government funding from independent schools at the same time as turning all universities into selective means-tested fee-paying institutions. There’s ideological consistency for you. They were among the unintended consequences I spoke about earlier. Governments always try to fix things from the top down at the point where the final outcome shows something needs fixing, even though the right place to fix it may be at the start of the process. That’s not always their fault: a term of office being what it is, the start of the process is often something for which a previous government was responsible. For the past two decades, it seems to me, successive governments have been looking for ways to undo the damage done in the late seventies by the demise of the grammar schools and the removal of the Direct Grant, without admitting, even to themselves, that’s what they’re doing. Grant
Maintained Schools, City Technology Colleges, Academies, Free Schools, all have been an attempt to create a substitute for what’s been lost but, for ideological reasons, never recreating one bit that makes a difference, which is to allow clever children to attend unashamedly academic schools where they can be educated alongside their intellectual peers. The first unintended consequence of that educational policy in the seventies was to strengthen the independent sector enormously - a spectacular own goal for the Labour Party which the last Labour Government tried to address partly by politicising the Charity Commission. Our sector’s long resistance campaign was finally vindicated only last week when the Commission published the amended guidance it had been directed to rewrite by the High Court. A second unintended consequence was itself a consequence of the first and it was to reduce markedly the proportion of state-school educated students at our top universities, notably Oxford and Cambridge. Welcome to the era of Les Ebdon, state school admissions benchmarks and the Office for Fair Access. I’ll leave you to judge whether I’m right in what I said about too-late, top-down fixes. So much for the ghost of unintended consequences past. Now for the present: we have an education secretary whose guiding educational beacon is the curriculum as it was in a Direct Grant Day school in Aberdeen circa 1975 and the watchword is rigour. As far as GCSEs and A levels are concerned, this means exams at the end of the course and no more modules - all very last century. Actually, many of us would be pleased to see the back of modules, especially January ones, which effectively wiped out a month of teaching at a crucial
time of the year. If all the modules come in one session, in June, the sole difference from what we used to call “papers” is that in a modular system, if one of them goes wrong you can take it again a year later and recombine it with the ones that went OK. If Mr Gove had stopped at that point, I’d have been reasonably happy. He would then have had a terminallyActually, many of us would examined AS be pleased to see the back of back to back with modules, especially January a terminallyones, which effectively wiped examined A2, out a month of teaching at a leading to a crucial time of the year. full A level. Unfortunately, he also wanted a two year AS reaching the full A level standard but with half the content, just as it used to be in the late eighties and early nineties and it didn’t work then, either. It was surprisingly unattractive to students to have to reach the full A level standard on half the teaching for a qualification no university was interested in – in languages for example, learning half the subjunctive and 50% of the past historic was tricky –and students voted with their feet.
seem that when Ofqual tells Mr Gove something can’t be done, he does finally listen and, with commendable independence, Ofqual appears to have done just that, because the most recent news, not yet I think, officially in the public domain, is that AS will remain a one-year course, co-teachable (i.e. sharing the course content) with the first year of A level. The AS marks will not contribute to the A level grade, but at least there will be some mid-course feedback and there will be an exit point at which you can step off the A level course with a qualification to show for it if it’s not going well. The implication is that what are presently A2 papers will become old fashioned A level papers and will be more synoptic than they are at present, because they will also be examining the AS work done in the first year of the course. So, over two decades, the A level wheel has come more or less full circle. In the interim, among the unintended consequences have been grade inflation that called into being an extra grade, the A*, and study habits that divide a body of knowledge into small chunks.
Unwinding that will have some new unintended consequences. This year, there was a well-publicised move by Ofqual to constrain the proportion of the highest grades and, indeed, at both GCSE and A level, the percentage of A* and A grades went down slightly for the second year in succession. That outcome was achieved through a statistical fix, rather than through the judgement of examiners, and our results, I think, reflected the national trend. The extraordinary sequel, though, is that an unprecedentedly high proportion of the enquiries we have submitted have resulted in an upgrade. That is frankly, weird, and suggests that whatever fix was engineered at the level of the whole I don’t know whether any of that had cohort, when individual examiners are any effect on his thinking but it does In consequence, what Mr Gove’s own feet have been doing is something r e s e m b l i n g M i c h a e l J a c k s o n ’s moonwalk in which he appears to be moving forwards whilst actually proceeding in reverse. The universities wanted him to keep the one-year AS; Cambridge was particularly vociferous about how much value it placed on the mid-course data it provides on A-level students. All the teacher organisations wanted him to keep it; we wanted him to keep it and if he insisted on abolishing it, I said we would be looking at international alternatives, on which you may have seen me quoted in a number of newspapers.
asked to look at individual scripts, they policy, the known economic climate, revert to a true judgment of standards. known demographic shifts and so on - and the unknown unknowns: the This brings us to the appearance of the unintended consequences of all of ghost of unintended consequences those things. yet to come. I imagine it will appear, as such things so often do, first to A good start is a talented, flexible and resourceful staff, which we are very mathematicians. fortunate to have at St Albans and let Maths and Further Maths are me take this opportunity of thanking both, notionally, A levels and both, them, not only for their extremely theoretically, are therefore graded hard work, without which our students at the same standard, but it must be would not be enjoying the success they obvious to the meanest intellect that have achieved in this as in every year, a subject called “further” anything, but for their forbearance and patience must, by definition, be more advanced over the turmoil of the past three years than the thing than which it is further. of major development on the site. Double mathematicians have got into the habit of using the modular It helps to have hard working governors system to approach the two courses with imagination and foresight who strategically, knocking off A level Maths are interested in education and know in the first year and then moving on to enough about it to know that the the harder stuff in the Upper Sixth. Headmaster and his senior team Then they may recombine the modules know more about it than they do and they’ve already done to achieve the on whose advice they are therefore most advantageous outcomes in the willing to commit the School to eyetwo subjects, sometimes with a few wateringly huge investment in new developments. So we can tick that spare modules mopped up as an AS. box, too. I’m sure we’ll find a way round it here, and I’m sure it won’t trouble Eton And it helps to either, but many schools, especially in h a v e b r i g h t , Our finished product isn’t really the state sector, don’t allocate double energetic, talented finished at all, it’s just readier timetable time for double maths. a n d a m b i t i o u s than it was for the next stage… The need to do the two subjects s t u d e n t s w h o concurrently rather than consecutively can rise to every could just persuade many candidates new challenge that comes up over that the game isn’t worth the candle, the horizon – and that’s my cue especially since many universities can’t to congratulate very warmly this afford to demand Further Maths A year’s prize winners, and indeed the level even for a Maths degree because majority of their peers, on this year’s not enough schools offer it. When you achievements. add into the mix the trend for some You might be forgiven for thinking universities - especially for medicine that, after the epic one-new-building- to require all A levels to be taken at a-month year we’ve just had, we are one sitting, you have the makings of a in pretty good shape to face whatever fine old mess. the future might throw at us, and so So, how do you future-proof a school we are; much better shape than we against what Donald Rumsfeld would were twenty years ago when we were no doubt categorise as the known playing catch-up with our competitors, unknowns – the outcomes of planned but the thing about the future is changes in government education that its supply of things to throw is
inexhaustible and it doesn’t pause for You will also appreciate that there are some eye-wateringly large cheques for breath, so nor must we. the governors still to sign in the future One of the many ways in which our and we are well aware that in fairness industry differs from the manufacture to present generations of parents, of widgets is that both our raw material we can’t simply factor this into the and our finished product have a mind tuition fee. of their own and play a part in the process. This is especially acute in the That is why, on Thursday of this week, case of bright, energetic, talented we shall be launching, through the St and ambitious raw material which Albans School Foundation, our first occasionally wrong-foots us by making fundraising campaign in more than entirely rational decisions en masse. thirty years. It’s entitled “Unlocking O u r f i n i s h e d Potential” and that’s what it’s all about product isn’t really – unlocking the potential of the site …we shall be launching, finished at all, it’s so that we can go on unlocking the through the St Albans School just readier than potential of generations of children yet Foundation, our first fundraising i t w a s f o r t h e to come. You will learn more about it in campaign in more than thirty next stage; our the coming weeks. years. students, in short, St Albans has a very honourable, ARE the future and thousand-year history of benefaction sometimes their decisions are what the and every twenty-first century student future throws at us. is a direct beneficiary of the generosity One such projectile has been the of men and women, some of them unprecedented numbers of A level kings and queens, some of them students opting for the STEM subjects: abbots, some of them Lords, Ladies Maths and the Sciences. This has and Knights, but most of them quite given us an urgent need to expand our ordinary, who in centuries gone by, accommodation for the Sciences and shared the ideals we are determined to the only realistic way we have of doing keep alive in reviving that spirit. this is to look for ways of relocating The campaign has already received some or all of our Maths teaching its first major contribution from an rooms which share a building with the individual benefactor of £350,000. Science Faculty. I hope that, over the coming years, When you add to this the plans we some of you will feel able to add to already have to create a proper Centre the momentum and help us ensure for the Performing Arts, so that our that, when many more headmasters splendid musicians and thespians have come and gone, St Albans School will have a suitable home in what we will still be here, doing what it does still call, with a curious absence of superbly, in another thousand years. irony, the New Hall and then throw into the mix the ever-growing need for Bursary assistance, as I’ve already alluded to, to support the able children that it has been this School’s historic mission to educate, irrespective of their parents’ financial circumstances, you will understand that there is still plenty to do and my successor will not be at a loose end.
Academic Matters: Commentary on Examination Results
A Levels This summer’s results reflect to some degree the politically-motivated downward pressure on top grades that has been noted nationally, but are still the third-best in the School’s long history. 93% of all A level results were at A*, A or B grade and 68% were at A* or A.The average number of A level passes was 4.1. 17 students achieved a minimum of either three A* grades or two A*and two A grades. A further 9 achieved at least three A grades of which two were A*. A further 21 achieved at least three A grades of which one was at A*. 69 students achieved 3 or more A grades or better, of whom 19 achieved 4 or more. The great majority of students met the conditional offers for their first-choice university, including 15 holding offers from Oxford or Cambridge. Notable individual performances were recorded by Tom de Sousa, who achieved 3 A*s at A level, an A in the Extended Project and two additional A grades at AS; Tom Foxton, who recorded two A* grades and two As at a level, plus an A* in the Extended Project and an A grade at AS; Harry Hamer, who achieved four A* grades at A level, plus another in the Extended Project with two more A grades at AS; Matthew Harrison, who scored three A* grades at A level and a Distinction 1 in the Pre-U French with two more A grades at AS; Daniel Heydecker, who achieved three A* grades and an A at A level, an A* in the Extended Project, an A grade at AS and the maximum possible “S” grade in all three of the exceptionally demanding Cambridge STEP papers in Maths; Hannah Moran, with three A* grades and an A at A level, plus an A at AS; Jonathan Phillips, with three A* grades and two more A grades at AS; Emma Russell, Mark Sadler and Patrick Shammas, all with three A* grades and an A at A level, plus two A grades at AS; James Sinclair, who achieved three A* grades and an A at A level with a further A* in the Extended Project and two more A grades at AS, and Kieran Vaghela acheived 3A* and an A, as well as an A in the extended project. He also recorded a D1 in the Pre-U French and A grades in Critical Thinking and General Studies.
GCSE For the sixth year running, the School’s students achieved more than 80% A* and A grades, despite a national picture in which the top grades have been deliberately made harder to get. The average score per entry is well above an A grade. 16 boys achieved at least 10 A* grades, of whom four, Oluwaseun Adekoya, Ben Harley, Declan Houten and Noah Lipschitz, added a further A grade, whilst Harry Sampson went one better with 11 straight A*s. In total, 40 boys achieved 10 or more GCSEs with no grade lower than A.
After St Albans Marc Foster (2009) has been awarded a First Class Degree in Economics by University of Nottingham. Ben Fyson (2009) has been awarded a First Class Degree in French and German by the University of Bath. Nathaniel Samson (2009) has been awarded a First Class Degree in English by St Catherine’s College, Oxford. James Batholomeusz (2010) has been awarded a First Class Degree in English by the University of Exeter. He has also published his first novel, The White Fox, and is working on its sequel. Alex Rutherford (2010) has been awarded a First Class Degree in History by the University of Warwick. He came second in his entire year (of nearly 100 students), and achieved a First class mark on all 8 modules - including an 81 on his dissertation on the US Civil Rights Movement. David Phillips (2010) has been awarded a First in Part II of the Maths Tripos at Queens’ College, Cambridge. Philip Ruis (2012) has achieved a First in his first year exams reading Natural Sciences at Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
On Parade The Annual General Inspection provided a showcase for the excellent work performed by the School’s cadets. The parade and inspection were carried out faultlessly, as indeed were the afternoon’s activities. There were various summer camps. Sixty cadets from the army section spent a week at Crowborough practising ambushes and section work. Six air cadets enjoyed a successful eight days at St Mawgan in Cornwall where they undertook
adventure training on the coast and refined their military skills. Twenty cadets travelled to Fort William for a week’s adventure training, which included white water rafting, ice wall climbing and mountain biking. Joe Redwood, George Maxted, Tom Kelley, Kiesar Nahami, Adel Yaqub, Ed Wrigley and Krishan Pugh attended Leadership Courses at the Cadet Training Centre at Frimley Park.
Dicing with the Elements Twenty-two Lower Sixth formers combatted swarms of biting insects rather than rain on their expedition to Snowdonia in June. Seven students passed their assessed expedition with flying colours, while other pupils were on expedition training. Navigation, rough terrain walking and camp management skills were all brought to the fore. In July five groups of Fifth formers went to the Peak District for their Silver Award qualifying expedition. Over two days they covered 50 km, carrying all their equipment and fully exploiting their navigational and campcraft skills. All participants passed their assessment. A further Silver assessed expedition took place in the Brecon Beacons after the end of term. Five groups of students had to contend with intense heat, which involved the careful rationing of water as well as the other expedition skills. Again, all participants passed this section of the award with flying colours.
On song The Spring Concert opened appropriately with the Saxophone Ensemble’s In the Mood. This signalled the start of a concert with a wide range of music. The String Orchestra gave a delicate performance of the Bourrée from Handel’s Fireworks Suite, while Henry Jeffery was then to show his mastery of tone in Vivaldi’s Cello Sonata in E minor. Joe Zacaroli and Kaine Levy displayed precise timing, skill and a sense of fun in their percussion duet. There were also some excellent vocal performances from Chris Oates, Trudy Cammack, Rob Brooks, Emily Anderson and the Barbershop Group. The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly Michael Neale’s powerful performance of Grieg’s Piano Concerto on the School’s latest Steinway grand piano, accompanied by the School Orchestra under the baton of Phil Craig. This complex piece, passionately played, brought the audience to its feet in acclaim. The Leavers’ Concert showed the range of musical talent of the departing U6 formers. Piano performances of Rachmaninov from David McConnell, a charming piece by Ludovico Einaudi from Niall Kearney and a piece by Rubinstein from Lizzie Bird were a delight. James Sinclair’s performance on clarinet of the Adagio from a Mozart concerto and Hugo Henson’s spirited rendering of Villa-Lobos’ Prelude No 1 on guitar also impressed. There were some fine vocal performances, ranging from classical to popular standards performed by Chris Oates, Rob Brooks, Trudy Cammack, Emily Anderson and Tom Ling. These talented singers reappeared in this year’s Cabaret: ‘Songs from Stage and Screen’. This was an exhilarating evening of music, where we were also able to enjoy the talents of Mitchell Zhanghaza, Shaahin Shabback, Becca Sandler, Kishan Soni, Dan Pittal, Christian Bevan and Matthew Armitage. If this could be termed the swan song of the Upper Sixth, then it was certainly a jubilant and exhilarating coda to their musical careers at St Albans School for both audience and performers alike.
Sport: On the Winning Podium Cricket: After two years of dismal weather all teams welcomed a summer that provided ideal cricketing conditions, ending with some outstanding results. The U15 and U13 teams kept the trophy cabinet stocked by winning their respective District Cups. Against St Columba’s the U15s scored 127 - 8 off 25 overs, with Lathan Mahalingham making 41; their opponents replied with 93 all out. The U13s, also playing against St Columba’s, posted a score of 148 - 8 with Matt O’Connor making over 60. Their opponents were bowled out in 18 overs, with Tom Gerrard taking 3 wickets. The 1st XI crowned their season by beating a touring side from Wesley College, Australia by two runs. Across the board there were some notable victories. The 1st XV enjoyed wins against Dr Challoner’s by 4 wickets, Haileybury by 10 wickets, QE Barnet by 3 wickets and Bancrofts by 5 wickets. George Scott captained the team skilfullly. The 2nd XV enjoyed a splendid season, beating Merchant Taylors’ by 7 wickets, QE Barnet by 9 wickets and Haberdashers by 116 runs, amongst other wins. George MacGregor and
Jaimee Malkan contributed fine performances from were recorded. In addition to winning the District Cup the U15s enjoyed some other notable successes, a victory against Haberdashers and also against
Haileybury, the latter by 6 wickets. On an individual level: George Scott was selected to play for Hertfordshire and has represented the County. He has also been named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year. Noah Lipschitz was a member of Britain’s silver medal winning U18 team, who competed in the 19th Maccabi Games in Tel Aviv; Noah was Britain’s top run scorer. William Thompson has played as wicketkeeper for the Herts U13 team. Athletics: The Senior team retained the trophy at the Senior District Championships for the fourth year in a row. A number of female athletes showed their mettle in their respective events: Lizzie Burley, Izzy Thompson, Kat Butler and Ellie Hunt. The U14 team finished the season in triumph as County League Champions. Consistent U14/U13 performers were Paul Okolo (Triple Jump), Max Swan (100m), Tom Fulton (1500m), Matt O’Connor (Discus), Ben Clark (1500m) and Tolaji Bola (100m & Triple Jump). The U12s have two rising stars: Ayo Olokuton (200m) and Sebastian Adolph (100m). Other fine performers over the season have been George Grant (Pole Vault), Tom Savage (Shot) and Alex Cook and Harrison Pyrke in the middle
distance events. Robbie Lightowler, already a World Biathlete Champion, competed in the British Triathlon and won his 15/16 age group section. He also won the British Aquathlon Youth National Championship, recording the second fastest run time of the day. Over the summer Robbie won the GB Pentathlon Biathle National Championships. He has been selected to represent Great Britain in the ITU World Aquathlon Championships in London and the Pentathlon Biathle World Championships in Cyprus. Football: The success of the School’s football squads continues apace. The 1st XI claimed the District Cup, winning 2-0 against Verulam in an exciting final at St Albans FC Clarence Park Stadium. This made up for narrowly missing out on victory in the U18 National Independent Schools Trophy, going down on penalties after extra time. The U16s emulated the performance of their elders in winning their District Cup final 4-3 against Nicholas Breakspeare. Tolaji Bola, a member of the Arsenal Academy Team, has been selected for several matches, including the Nike International Tournament and others in Singapore and Holland. Tennis : The U15 team, Archie Hunter, Kavit Borkhataria, Michael Miltiadous and Laurie Kelly, were winners in the District League and runners up in the County Championships. The U18 team, Alex Terry and James Wilkinson, finished second in the County Championships after a nail-biting final. At the Herts Closed Competition Charlie Broom won the U18 singles tournament to become Under 18 County Tennis Champion. Shooting: Our three teams dominated their divisions. The Seniors narrowly missed victory, but the Senior B team and Junior A team won their divisions comfortably. Top shots were Trudy Cammack, 94.3 average, and Arriya Rabbani and Alex Lee. In the Cadet One K competition the team finished second with Harry Lampert taking an individual silver medal.
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