St Benedict's News - Michaelmas Term 2023

ST BENEDICT’S

NEWS

MICHAELMAS TERM 2023 ST BENEDICT’S SCHOOL a

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Ealing •

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London •

W5 2ES

• V 020 8862 2010

M headmaster@stbenedicts.org.uk F St Benedicts School, Ealing •

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HEADMASTERS’ INTRODUCTIONS Dear Parents,

Dear Parents,

As my first term as Headmaster at St Benedict’s draws to an end and the evenings continue to draw out, I reflect on what an incredible school St Benedict’s truly is. I have been hugely impressed by both the range and the quality of our students’ achievements in what is evidently a happy, thriving and ambitious school.

This busy Michaelmas Term has provided many enjoyable highlights, in which we have plenty of fine memories to look back upon. The varied creative curriculum topics – Deliciously Different; London Calling; Swords and Sandals; and Travel and Treason – have once again been embraced with great energy by the boys and girls. The annual Book Week was tremendous fun, including visits from authors and illustrators, concluding with the colourful Costume Parade. We greatly enjoyed The Music Soloists’ Concerts from our very talented performers and the School Challenge Quest Final where the children researched and then presented an eclectic mix of fascinating topics. As always, the children have been very active on the sports field representing the school across a range of sports.

There are so many highlights to mention. I have greatly enjoyed watching some thrilling sports matches, in which the standard of play has been excellent and the team spirit exceptional. The senior drama production of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House deserves a mention: a real tour de force for the St Benedict’s stage. The St Cecilia concert was notable for the incredibly high standard of ensemble and solo playing, as well as the sheer joy of music making that it demonstrated.

On a personal note it was an honour to be involved in the Ealing Remembrance Day parade, in which our cadets were a credit to the school.

And of course, all of this has happened in amongst the “hard yards” of the academic year, with all the learning that our young people do in order to achieve their academic potential, as we saw so wonderfully illustrated in the public exam results in August. While there are mock exams for some year groups after Christmas, all our students deserve a good rest over the Christmas break.

At the end of term, the Nativity plays and the Carol Service provided us with the much-needed opportunity to reflect during Advent and to prepare for Christmas.

Thank you for your generous support of the School’s Annual Fund 2023/2024 and the Advent Charity Appeal.

You have been tremendously kind.

I wish you and your families a joyful and peaceful Christmas & New Year and look forward to welcoming the children back for the start of the Lent term.

Take good care

I truly hope that they and their families enjoy a wonderful Christmas, and I look forward to seeing them at the start of next term, in 2024!

With best wishes

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Joe Smith Headmaster

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Rob Simmons Junior School Headmaster

Outstanding A Level and GCSE Results This year St Benedict’s students achieved outstanding A Level and GCSE results with our students achieving the best-ever set of GCSE and A Level results at the school in a year when the full GCSE and A Level grading standards have once again been applied.

GCSE At GCSE 42% of all papers were graded 9–8 (A*) 69% were graded 9–7 (A*/A) and 86% were graded 9–6 (A*/B).

Eleven students achieved straight 9–8 (A*) grades, and thirty-nine of our students achieved straight 9–7 (A*/A grades).

Well done to all our students for their outstanding achievements.

A Level At A Level, students achieved 16% A*, 41% at A*/A grades and 77% A*/B grades.

Nine students achieved straight A* grades in at least 3 subjects with a further 11 students achieved straight A*/A in at least 3 subjects.

The majority of St Benedict’s students will now be heading off to a top 10 UK university.

University Destinations This year, 70% of St Benedict’s students secured places at the UK’s Top 10 and Russell Group universities, with the majority of students going to their first-choice university.

One student has secured an academic and sporting scholarship to play football (soccer) at UCCS in the USA, another is now attending Trinity Laban to study musical theatre, and another has secured a prestigious mechatronics apprenticeship at Amazon.

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Three students have accepted places at Cambridge University to read Engineering, Medicine and AngloSaxon, Norse and Celtic.

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Seoul

SOUTH KOREA Busan

GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY TRIP TO

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SOUTH K REA

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Our History and Geography A Level students embarked on an epic trip to South Korea during the October half term.

different foods in the night market, taking a boat ride around Busan harbour while watching fireworks and singing karaoke.

While they were there, they explored the wonders of ancient and modern Seoul, exploring its sustainability, visiting the famous Cheonggyecheon Stream and savouring the culinary delights from the street food markets as well as visiting the historical and most-uniquely significant DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) – undoubtedly proving to be most memorable highlight of this amazing adventure.

A personal highlight of mine was waking up at 6am to go for an early morning swim in Busan, watching the sunrise was beautiful and such a refreshing way to start the day. It was such an incredible experience and a trip to remember!

Eliza R (L6) During the History and Geography school trip to South Korea, we experienced a huge range of activities that not only allowed us to explore Korean culture firsthand, but also to see the beautiful landscape as well as the history behind it.

In terms of History, we visited many prominent memorials and museums, in addition to seeing first-hand the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea. This was extremely significant to the History course study as well as world politics today.

With Geography, we explored many multicultural areas including Busan and Seoul, walking along the famous 10.9 kilometre-long Cheonggyecheon river.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Every day was full of activity; from taking a K-pop dance class to eating

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ST BENEDICT’S REMEMBERS

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On 10 November, we held our annual St Benedict’s Remembrance Service at Ealing Abbey attended by Senior School pupils and staff, where we remembered those who gave their lives during the First and Second World Wars.

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St Benedict’s CCF cadets, volunteers and Corps of Drums proudly organised and took part in the Ealing Borough Remembrance Parade and Service on 12 November.

They led the event in a fitting tribute to show their respect to those who fought for their country during the war and those who died in their fight for freedom.

Attending the event for the first time, our Headmaster, Joe Smith, laid a wreath at the War Memorial on which so many St Benedict’s alumni are commemorated.

“It was an honour to be involved in this morning’s Ealing Borough Remembrance event, and to lay a wreath on behalf of our CCF, who did their school proud leading the parade with the Corps of Drums.”

Parent comments from the day:

“That was a lovely parade.

I’m proud that my child is part of the CCF family.”

“It was a wonderful service and parade. Well done to all Cadets and to the Corps of Drums, in particular the Drum Major, who does such a brilliant job of leading.”

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Ealing Remembrance Day Parade

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ST CECILIA CONCERT 2023

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Our annual St Cecilia Concert took place on Friday, 24 November, with an evening of outstanding musical performances given by talented St Benedict’s musicians from Form 3 to Sixth Form.

The students showcased a programme of solo and ensembles comprising a range of musical styles and genres from accomplished classical and jazz playing to modern melodies and vibrant singing performances.

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St Benedict’s Music Scholar takes to the stage at The Royal Albert Hall U6th Music Scholar Sebastian Z and his band Mile End were one of seven talented acts shortlisted to perform at the prestigious Future Makers event which took place at The Royal Albert Hall on 17 October.

They performed their original song composed by Sebastian, ‘Tired of Being The Bad Guy’ as part of their incredible set in front of a live audience of over 2,000 people which included pupils from primary schools across the UK as well as our very own Form 2 & 3 St Benedict’s Junior School co-curricular music technology students.

Speaking about his experience, Seb said; “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to play at one of the most prestigious venues in the world at the age of 17. It’s a unique experience for the most accomplished musicians out there, so I can only hope I build on that in the future.”

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

The evening took on an electric atmosphere which saw a variety of musical acts perform their own original songs for a chance to win a tailored package of support from the Royal Albert Hall and industry partners designed to discover emerging talent, as well as to inspire them to be the next generation of music makers.

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ST BENEDICT’S LECTURE SERIES

THE RICHARD BAKER ANNUAL SCIENCE LECTURE

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ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Why do some species become extinct and what can we do to save endangered species?

Ben Garrod, Evolutionary Biologist, Conservationist and Author We launched our first St Benedict’s Lecture Series of the school year with the Richard Baker Science Lecture from evolutionary Biologist, Conservationist and Author, Ben Garrod, who delivered a stimulating lecture on why some species become extinct and what we can do to save them.

Paul B (L6) who attended the lecture reports:

Richard Baker, Ben Garrod, Headmaster, Joe Smith

Outlining extinction as crucial to creating opportunities for new life forms and species, was an interesting approach to this topic. He spoke explaining the evolution of living organisms throughout time, revealing how mass extinction events such as the End Permian, 250 million years ago, and the asteroid that collided with the Earth, 66 million years ago, may have destroyed countless species due to changing conditions on the Earth. However, these changing conditions allowed other organisms to evolve and flourish.

As the lecture concluded, he emphasised how it is impossible to predict how the high extinction rates that humans are causing, could affect our planet; but investigating this as a biologist, travelling around the world spontaneously is very fulfilling.

Jack B (U6) shaking hands with Ben Garrod after being presented with his EPQ certificate

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The Richard Baker Science Lecture in September was very informative and eye-opening. This lecture unveiled new perspectives on the topic of extinction as Professor Ben Garrod not only commented on the negative impacts of Extinction, but also highlighted how there are positives that unfold from species dying out.

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BOOK WEEK 2023 Junior School Book Week 2023 was an action-packed week celebrating the reading, writing and illustration of books. Children were fired up to read more. Everyone was reminded that books can bring joy to people of all ages and at all stages of life.

Four authors imparted advice for writing, drawing and “life”. Andy Stanton of Mr Gum fame had his audiences in stitches and advised never to become “potatoes”! Mini Grey, award winning author-illustrator, enabled even the most reluctant child to draw impressive funny characters and helped us all understand the evolution of the world through her latest book The Greatest Show on Earth. Zehra Hicks, author-illustrator of picture books for young children,

shared cute and helpful stories with the Pre-Prep children.

She quickly had them drawing cheeky monkeys and their own personalised dinosaurs. Anna Kemp, author of picture books and the amazing Into Goblyn Wood fantasy for older children opened our eyes to the true nature of faeries and then showed children how to go about creating their own magical characters.

Children browsed and bought books for themselves at the Book Fair, raising £721 in commission to be spent on updating Library stocks. A School Read-In brought 30 minutes of unusual peace and tranquillity to the building as staff and children alike spread out through corridors and under desks chilling with their books and cushions! Staff from both the Senior and Junior School visited individual classes to share their favourite reads and chat about the importance of reading in their lives.

Competitions stimulated everyone to colour in the Book Week poster or to design a Book Week Poster or to write a poem about books, not forgetting creating the best-dressed Book Week classroom door. Older children visited younger classes to read books, have fun and laugh with them.

Mini Grey

Friday rounded off a great week with Dressing Up Day. A cavalcade of book characters, Harry Potters, Rupert Bear, princesses, pirates to name but a few, gathered in the playground. Threatening weather notwithstanding, children and staff alike paraded round in front of admiring parents before adjourning for a final Assembly with presentation of prizes, a review of events and dramatised readings from The Twits, this last in the KS1 Assembly involving hilarious re-enactments by staff.

Zehra Hicks

Our thanks to everyone who took part and made it all happen. Keep reading!

Ms C Sweetman, Head of Junior School Library

Andy Stanton

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Senior School

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Our Senior School students were treated to a week of literary magic during this year’s Book Week. From captivating author visits to engaging workshops, the week was filled with activities to ignite a love for reading and storytelling.

Seth Burkett, known for his remarkable football career, led captivating creative writing workshops

Renowned author Frances Hardinge joined us for inspiring talks and insightful book readings

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Vicious Vikings Invade St Benedict’s A ‘Vicious Vikings’ day was attended by over 45 children from local primary schools where they took part in a lively morning learning about Viking history.

Led by teachers from St Benedict’s Senior School, the children listened to facts about the different Viking territories and were tasked with identifying flags from the countries affiliated with Vikings and their explorations.

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As the sessions continued, the library was unexpectedly stormed

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by a group of St Benedict’s ‘Vikings’ in the form of Sixth Form students re-enacting an invasion!

As the morning drew to a close, the children took part in a highly animated and super-charged musical session where they composed and sang raucous Viking chants together.

The day concluded with the opportunity to dress up in Viking accessories, and have their photos taken while striking their best Viking poses!

St Benedict’s Sports Activity Day for Local Primary Schools In September we were delighted to welcome over 50 children in Year 6 from local primary schools, for a fantastic day of sports at our playing fields.

With perfect weather conditions, the children took part in a range of activities throughout the day including rugby, netball, cricket, hockey, fencing and general multi-skills and team-building games.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Run by staff from the St Benedict’s Sports department, the annual sports activity day allows children who enjoy sport to come together and develop their skills, while offering them the opportunity to try new sports such as fencing; and most of all, have fun!

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BIOLOGY TRIP TO

MADAGASCAR At the beginning of the summer holidays, a group of St Benedict’s GCSE Biology students went on an unforgettable trip to Madagascar.

The 15 students accompanied by Biology teachers prepared themselves for their 11-hour flight to one of the most biodiverse islands on the planet! There they spent 10 days travelling from the North to the South, finishing up at the West Coast.

As part of the journey they stayed in a rainforest, embarking on a spectacular night walk seeing chameleons of all sizes, as well as exploring the rainforest by the day with a local specialist guide (who happened to be David Attenborough’s guide for Planet Earth)!

They enjoyed various activities on their trip, including hikes through a canyon, trekking through the rainforest, meeting local tribes, swimming through a waterfall and seeing humpback whales on their migration.

Tara D (L6) writes about her experience from the trip: Madagascar was a fantastic trip filled with all sorts of fun activities and interesting things to see and do. The animals we saw were spectacular – from many different species of endangered lemurs to bright green chameleons and camouflaged geckoes.

We learnt how to make paper from scratch and were shown how vanilla was grown and how the rainforest is being protected.

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We attended lectures on afforestation and the protection of wildlife after which we planted multiple trees in the rainforest. The trip took us on wonderful walks through rocky mountains and rainforests to explore the flora and fauna and along rivers, where we were able to swim in a picturesque waterfall.

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We travelled across Madagascar, meeting various tribes along the way, giving local children toys which we’d brought with us and teaching them new skills, including learning how to draw.

We were also able to try new kinds of food including Zebu, which was a new experience for us all! Finally, we arrived at a beautiful beach where we swam in the clear blue water and went on a fabulous whale watching boat trip, where we spotted multiple humpback whales.

CLASSICS TRIP TO

ITALY Our U4–U5 Classical Civilisation and Latin students enjoyed a wonderful five days exploring Italy over the October half term.

They visited some of the country’s most historical landmarks, starting in the Bay of Naples. Sorrento was the perfect spot to use as a base, with Pompeii, Herculaneum and Mt Vesuvius all close by. The pupils were able to travel back in time, wandering through these beautifully preserved Roman town. The views from Mt Vesuvius (when the cloud cleared!) were spectacular, stretching far beyond the city of Naples, and across the sea below.

Rome was their next stop – the walking tour of the Eternal City covered so many sights. Starting at the Colosseum, they moved onto the Forum, the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Ara Pacis, to name just a few.

The final day started at the Circus Maximus, imagining a crowd of 250,000 spectators all cheering on their favourite chariot racing team.

The last stop was the beautiful site of Ostia Antica, with its incredible theatre and market place.

A truly inspirational visit!

“We looked at many important Roman sculptures, mosaics and paintings that depicted many aspects of Roman life.” Katia K (U5) “We hiked up Mount Vesuvius, and even though the weather was quite unpleasant, the views were stunning!” Esha U (U5)

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“When we entered Pompeii, it was such a surreal experience, going into a place that had been preserved for nearly 2000 years.” Henry H (U4)

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KINDNESS WEEK 13–17 November 2023

Each day for a week our students were encouraged to practise kindness around the school and in their daily lives.

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From taking part in anti-bullying workshops, designing posters, wearing odd socks and superhero capes, to writing anonymous ‘kind’ notes to each other and uniting to stand up to bullying, they are recognising that it is ok to be different.

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To conclude the week, our Junior School building took centre stage for an epic display. Junior School pupils formed a circle around the school holding hands while wearing their superhero capes and uniting together to symbolise how their school stands up to bullying.

These actions all show that even the smallest act of kindness can go a long way.

‘Kindness is My Superpower’ Posters designed by Junior School students

Anonymous ‘Kind’ notes written by Senior School students

Superhero Cape Day at the Junior School

Odd Socks Day to celebrate all that makes us unique as individuals

Linking hands together around the Junior School wearing superhero capes to symbolise how St Benedict’s stands up to bullying

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A DOLL’S HOUSE This year’s Upper School and Sixth Form Production was the twonight run of an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s, A Doll’s House.

The play which centres around an ordinary family, Torvald Helmer, a bank lawyer (Alexis U6) and his wife, Nora (Arielle O.K U6) a disillusioned housewife and mother as she navigates her role in a stereotypically gendered household in 19th-century society.

Director and Head of Drama, Mr Randall writes: All the students worked tremendously hard during rehearsals, showing full commitment, dedication and professionalism throughout. They portrayed their roles beautifully, with believability and flair. A particular well done to the Upper 6 students – Arielle, Alexis, Jayme, Isabella, Izzy & Callum. This was their last chance to showcase their talents at St Benedict’s School and they certainly did not disappoint.

I also want to commend Oubai, Georgie, Ruth (L6) and Luke (L5) for their amazing performances.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

For some of these students it was their very first public performance and they were able to perform with confidence throughout. Lastly, I would like to thank Amelia, Stefan (U6) and Rafa (L6) for their hard work with Lighting & Sound. I am so proud of all cast and crew and so pleased at how much of a overwhelming success A Doll’s House was.

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LINGUAFEST Our Modern Languages Department showcased a wonderful evening of songs, poems and extracts from plays all performed by our extremely talented language students at our Linguafest event to celebrate modern languages here at St Benedict’s.

Mrs L Brooks, Head of Modern Languages describes the event: As we headed into October, rehearsals went full steam ahead for our third Linguafest, a show of music, poetry, dance, song and plays featuring around 200 pupils coming together to celebrate the three main languages taught here at St Benedict’s (French, German & Spanish) and their cultures.

The evening’s programme included potted versions of Lorca’s Bodas de Sangre and Sartre’s Les Mains Sales, poetry by Rilke, Lorca, Hugo and Prévert, as well as a rendition of À la volonté du Peuple (Do you hear the people sing?) from Les Misérables.

It was music to our ears to hear a wide genre of songs from The Sound of Music, along with a fantastic performance of France’s 2023 Eurovision entry Évidemment and hearing our audience join in with

the traditional Mexican song, Cielito Lindo and 99 Luftballons!

Of course, no Modern Language department celebration would be complete without Mr Thomas’ a cappella group the PAFTIES, this time singing in German and Spanish.

A huge congratulations and thanks to all involved in making the evening such a success and, in particular, to Ms Payne for coorganising the event. It is a privilege to work with such committed and talented linguists – both colleagues and students!

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

The evening began with some specialities prepared by our caterers and a welcome introduction by Adrian Piga (OP 2015) who studied Languages at Durham University and going on to make use of them in careers with the Home and Foreign Office.

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Form 3 Transition to Senior School Student voice is central to our ethos at St Benedict’s. In a recent survey, we asked our newest students in Form 3 to provide anonymous feedback about how they felt in transitioning from primary school to St Benedict’s Senior School.

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Here are just a few of the wonderful comments we received from them:

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Form 3 Induction Day To help them settle into their first year of Senior School, Form 3 enjoyed a fantastic Induction Day of teamwork and challenges at High Ashurst Outdoor Education Centre in Surrey in September.

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BIG DRAW Under The Sea was the theme set for this year’s ‘St Benedict’s Big Draw’.

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Our Form 3 students used a variety of techniques to put their artistic skills to use by working together throughout the day to create wonderfully creative compositions to form a colourful giant display around the Cloisters.

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Lord Patten Meets St Benedict’s Academic Scholars Chancellor of Oxford University and a Crossbench member of the House of Lords, Chris Patten was the last British Governor of Hong Kong and a Conservative politician until 2011.

In his address, Lord Patten spoke about the lasting influence teachers and the school environment had on students and how he truly valued his time at St Benedict’s through the holistic approach to teaching and pastoral care he experienced.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Once again, we were delighted to welcome Lord Patten of Barnes, alumnus and Patron of St Benedict’s, to present this year’s Patten Scholarship awards at our Academic Scholars’ evening on Monday 13 November attended by scholars from Form 3 to Upper Sixth and their parents.

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He added that the purpose of education is to help people to fulfil their potential, so that they can go on to make a valuable contribution to the world. “St Benedict’s made me”, he said. “It taught me to take learning seriously, and was the most important experience of my young life.”

Three of this year’s Upper Sixth Form coveted Patten scholars also spoke, thanking Lord Patten for his generous support and about the various ways in which they used their awards to develop their academic interests.

Also speaking about the evening, in his first meeting with Lord Patten, our Headmaster, Joe Smith noted.

“It was a great pleasure to welcome Lord Patten back to his old school, to help us celebrate the academic achievements and potential of our award holders. In a joyous evening, it was wonderful to hear Lord Patten speak so passionately about the school, reflecting that “St Benedict’s made me”. Our three Upper Sixth Patten scholars spoke superbly about their areas of academic interest, and Lord Patten presented Callum C with a tablet, as the highest performing scholar. All in all, a fantastic evening!”

UKMT Senior Maths Challenge and Mathematical Olympiad for Girls UKMT Senior Maths Challenge

Back Row: Sama, Samuel, Luke, William, Felix, Aaron, Oubai Front Row: Miss W Shi (Maths Teacher), Helena, Sam, Elena, Otylia, Mia, Oliver, Dr D Robb (Head of Maths)

Congratulations to the Sixth Form maths students who gained awards at two prestigious and highly challenging maths events this year.

UKMT Senior Maths Challenge Around 100, St Benedict’s Sixth Form Maths students took part in the 2023 UKMT Senior Maths Challenge on 3 October.

UKMT Challenges are tests of mathematical reasoning and mental agility aimed at the top third of students in the country. The stimulating challenge problems posed are designed to make students think. The events attract in excess of 700,000 participants from more than 4,500 schools with only a small percentage of top scores achieving a gold or silver award.

ready to engage in training for the highly prestigious European Girl’s Mathematical Olympiad.

Our participating Sixth Form students performed extremely well, achieving 2 merits and 1 distinction which was an outstanding achievement. Congratulations to Sama, Mia and in particular, Elena who celebrated achieving a distinction.

Mathematical Olympiad for Girls

Mathematical Olympiad for Girls This year three of St Benedict’s Further Maths students took part in the 2023 UK Mathematical Olympiad for Girls (UK MOG).

This is held annually to encourage more girls to tackle advanced mathematical problems and take part in mathematical olympiads. It is also used to identify students

Miss W Shi (Maths Teacher), Sama, Elena, Mia, Dr D Robb (Head of Maths)

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

This year St Benedict’s students achieved an outstanding 2 gold, 10 silver and 24 bronze awards, which were amongst our best results in recent years.

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THE

CCF New recruits Induction Day

Headmaster, Joe Smith congratulates Contingent Commander Shaun Hullis on his promotion to the rank of Major

Ealing Borough Remembrance Day Parade (see page 7 for more details)

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Lord Mayor Impact Reception

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On 21 November our St Benedict’s Corps of Drums proudly welcomed guests to the Lord Mayor’s Appeal Impact Reception at Mansion House which was their third public performance in a month.

We are now regarded as one of the busiest and best Army Cadet units within the M25.

St Benedict’s Parliament in Session To help spread the word about what UK Parliament does, we marked Parliament Week by transforming our school library into the House of Commons on 8 November and acted out a Prime Minister’s Question Time-style event which was live streamed to all Senior School Form groups during their PSHE session.

The first 10 minutes was made up of questions directed to our School Council Presidents for matters relating to the school.

The session then moved into a replication of PMQs in which joint ‘Prime Ministers’, Tessa S-I (U6) and Edmund H (L6) tackled questions from both ‘Leaders of the Opposition’ James M (L6) and Kate K (U6) and ‘backbenchers’ across a wide range of national issues.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

The Mace (symbol of royal authority) was ceremonially carried by our very own Serjeant at Arms, Mr Berrard, and placed at the table of the House and Mr Thomas was outstanding as Speaker of the House who at times had to restore order to a raucous chamber!

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GERMAN EXCHANGE 2023

and the others walked around Dortmund and had 3 hours to do whatever they wanted.

Having hosted their German exchange partners in London in March, St Benedict’s German GCSE students spent a week in September in Meschede, as part of our annual long-standing partnership with a German Benedictine school.

On Thursday, after the first two lessons of school, all of us went to Willingen to go on the skywalk, a foot bridge which was 100 metres high. Some found it very scary, whereas others found it very fun and a great experience. We went on a hike afterwards.

Oliver H-G (L5) shares his experience of the trip: On Saturday 23 September, we arrived at St. Pancras train station at 07:30 to get on four different trains, until we arrived at Meschede at 18:30, where the exchange partners and their families were waiting for us.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

The next morning, after Mass, the partners went home to do what they liked. Some went on hikes, some played laser-tag and some went to a fair. Most people had already tried German food, such as Currywurst and barbecued food.

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On Monday and Tuesday, we went with our partners to school, having to wake up at around 05:30 to start school at 07:30.

There was a football match on Tuesday afternoon, between the exchange and the school football team. After two quick goals by the opposition, Bjarne (my partner), scored a tap in before half-time to make it 2-1. After relentless pressure and many missed chances, we finally scored an equaliser in the last minute (the scorer was Malte). It was a solid all-round team performance, where the two ‘men of the match’ were Victor and Florian (the goalkeeper).

On Wednesday we were in the first 2 lessons of school, and then went to Dortmund on the train for 1 hour and 2 hours. When we arrived, some of us went to the football museum

Friday after school, we had a mass, then a barbecue, where some played football and basketball, and we ate hot dogs with curry sauce.

A week had already passed on Saturday, so we had a lie in and went to the station, where we said our final farewells to our German friends who had looked after us very well.

Overall, it was a very good experience, and thank you to Miss Davis, Mr Thomas and Fr Thomas for organising such a great trip.

Hampton Court Palace Students from Form 1 and Form 2 visited Hampton Court Palace, where they learnt all about Henry VIII, his wives and the Palace’s eventful history.

Verulamium Museum Our Lower Prep students took a step back in time during their visit to the Verulamium Museum which was built on the site of one of the largest Roman cities in Britain, filled with ancient treasures. They explored the contribution of the Roman Empire to British history and enjoyed immersing themselves in Roman life.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

JUNIOR SCHOOL TRIPS

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World Mental Health Day During World Mental Health Day in October, our students supported Young Minds UK Charity by wearing yellow clothing and accessories to show young people they’re not alone with their mental health.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Here at St Benedict’s, we are continually committed to creating a safe place for our pupils to learn and grow while nurturing their mental well-being with a proactive approach and have several mental health

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initiatives in place. We are proud to be one of the first schools in the country to introduce the Skodel Check-In wellbeing app as part of our Microsoft Teams platform to actively encourage our pupils to think about their wellbeing while working online.

In addition, St Benedict’s is a flagship school for the International Forums of Inclusion Practitioners, Global Inclusive Teaching Initiative (GITI), which enables all teachers to meet the needs of all children in a truly inclusive way.

RED WEDNESDAY To mark this year’s Red Wednesday campaign from the Aid to the Church in Need, on 22 November, pupils around the school were asked to wear something red to remember those who have suffered persecution for their faith.

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In addition to raising funds to support the charity, a group of our students celebrated a special Red Wednesday Mass that evening held at St George’s Cathedral in Lambeth.

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SPORT ST BENEDICT’S

RUGBY

St Benedict’s rugby returned once again this September with a huge amount of energy and enthusiasm. In particular, we have seen the successful addition of Touch Rugby into the St Benedict’s games options with the U12s, U13s and U16s already having their first competitive Touch Rugby fixtures against opposition schools.

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Alongside this has been the welcome addition of the Girls’ Rugby after school club which initially started as a Touch Rugby Club and is excitedly awaiting their first competitive fixture with a view to developing into a contact rugby team before the end of the year.

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We have seen a successful start to the season for our U14s age group with the As progressing into the next round of the National Cup and the Bs only losing one game so far this season.

Whilst having a challenging start to the year with injury and unavailability, the U16As have continued to work hard with notable wins over Worth, St George’s Weybridge and Mill Hill.

The 1st XV have also had a tough start to the year, but managed to regain momentum after a very successful trip to the Merchiston Castle Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, recording notable wins over Ayr RFC, Peebles RFC and Dame Allan’s school to finish 3rd in the Bowl Competition.

However, arguably most pleasing of all, has been the consistent display of the games core values on show for all pupils to see, learn and benefit from.

With over 27 teams representing the school over both the Michaelmas and Lent terms, it is fair to say that rugby is one of the most popular choices of sports activities for our students.

At St Benedict’s we focus on inclusivity at every level alongside encouraging pupils to strive for their individual best. Whether that be in working through our partnerships with the RFU Developing Player and Academy Programmes, or liaising with local clubs and Middlesex County, we work hard to recognise individual needs through the context of a team environment.

HOCKEY

Hockey has had a hugely successful start to the season.

We are so proud of our 1st XI being crowned London Regional champions, meaning they have now qualified for the National Finals for the first time in the school’s history!

They overcame Tiffin 7-0, Bromley 3-2, in what was a high intensity game, and Sutton 2-0. We look forward to their performance at the National Finals in February 2024.

Our 2nd XI have also had the best start to a season ever with back-toback victories over KCS Wimbledon & Pangbourne.

The U14/15As are now London County champions and won 5 out of 5 matches without conceding any goals. They eagerly await a playoff early next term to be crowned London Regional champions.

The U13As have won 2 games in a row scoring 17 and only conceding 2 goals. Special mention to Sophia who has scored 11 goals in those 2 games.

The U12As have won their first 3 fixtures of the season, beating John Lyon School 8-0, Godolphin & Latymer 9-2 and Emanuel 2-0.

NETBALL

U15A at Middlesex

We started the season with a tour to Shropshire where the 1st VII, 2nd VII, U15 As & Bs competed against schools and clubs from across England and Scotland.

The matches were competitive and thrilling with wins against King Edwards, Newport Girls’ School, Southam College, Concord School and Glasgow Fury Netball Club to just name a few. The 1st VII and U15As made it through to the Cup and finished in 3rd place, with the 2nd VII & U15Bs finishing in 5th place in the plate.

Players of the tournament were Ayodenu, Effie, Freyja, and Lorna.

At the beginning of October the 1st VII, U16A and U15A competed in the Middlesex County school preliminary tournament, which gave the girls the opportunity to play against a variety of schools. Although the girls faced some tough opposition, they played some amazing netball throughout the day.

Congratulations to the 1st VII who qualified for the County finals in March after winning the 3rd/4th play-off against Highgate School 9-8.

We have had some great individual achievements this term including Annie, Carmela, Arabella, and Martina who have been selected onto the performance academies for Middlesex County and London Pulse – Well Done!

FENCING

Congratulations to OP21 Emma Thacker who has been inducted into the Vitality Roses programme for 2023, moving up from the Future Roses. Emma travelled with the England squad for the Taini Jamison series in New Zealand last month and will return mid-November to compete in the Fast5 Series.

Over a fifth of our current fencers picked up the sport for the first time this year, with the exception of one fencer who had previous fencing experience. More than 70% of our fencers have already

Fencing has had a very successful start to the term and is proving to be an ever more popular sport with almost 200 pupils now fencing multiple times a week.

represented the school at fixtures this term with over 70 matches played and won against various schools, including Eton College, Dulwich College, Westmister and Highgate School.

Our senior teams have competed and won multiple medals at the London Region 15+ fencing tournament beating adult teams and local fencing clubs in the process.

2. Finn, Primrose, Peter (captain) won the mixed epee event 3. Zachary, Oubai (captain), Viliam came runners up in the very competitive men’s event against adult club teams 4. Benjamin, Elena (captain), Karam, Brandon finished 3rd in the mixed foil event

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A special mention goes to Dan R (F3) who joined St Benedict’s in September as an already accomplished fencer and has accelerated his development training up to four times a week at school.

In November, Dan competed at the national Leon Paul series event, seeding 5th after the first round having won all his matches in the group stage. Dan narrowly lost the semi-final 9-10 against the eventual winner, earning himself a bronze medal.

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

1. Dan R won Bronze in the Leon Paul Junior Series

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JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORT RUGBY

FENCING

Our Junior School rugby players made a good start to this academic year.

This term Form 1 and Form 2 fencers enjoyed their first chance to participate in Fencing. They put their skills into practice with some excellent fencing in competitions against Highgate, Brentwood, Camden and Battersea fencing clubs with some standout performances came from Yiming Z, Nathaniel H and Ernest O.

The Form 1 boys enjoyed matches against St John’s Beaumont, Haberdashers, UCS and St John’s Northwood and have made a good step up to the Form 1 Rugby rules with some strong performances from Leo J and Lawrence O. Form 2 have also made a good start to the season, with fixtures against Haberdashers, St Paul’s, St John’s Northwood and UCS. They have all demonstrated some great team spirit with notable performances from Freddie C and Rian O and teachers noting some excellent improvement from Carlos G and Harry C. We look forward to seeing how they continue to develop in the coming year!

CROSS COUNTRY The annual Ealing Borough Cross Country race took place for Form 1 and Form 2 pupils on 5 October. With well over 500 pupils participating in their age groups, it’s always a fantastic event to be a part of.

St Benedict’s pupils ran well, with the vast majority finishing in the top halves of their races. In the Form 1 races, Evie B (11th) & Keira McM (17th) were top 20 finishers. Leo J was our first finisher in the boys’ race, coming in 24th.

In the Form 2 races, Anastasia N had a great race to finish in 6th place, and Kaya S also ran extremely well placing 12th, whilst George G and Alex Z battled hard to place 14th and 15th in the boys’ race.

In another close encounter against a strong Orley Farm team, St Benedict’s came out 1-0 victors, and were ultimately crowned champions.

Special congratulations to Kaya who was named player of the tournament.

U9 Hockey In an exhilarating debut, the U9 hockey teams showcased determination and teamwork in their first-ever fixtures against Orley Farm on 17 November.

The girls were split into 3 teams, Apples, Oranges and Strawberries. Goals were met with cheers from proud parents and grandparents, creating an electric atmosphere.

Apples won 3-2, Oranges lost 1-4 and Strawberries won 5-3.

As the matches concluded, it was evident that the U9 players not only embraced the thrill of competition, but also fostered a love of the game. A special mention to Olivia, Isabella and Maria who were voted players of their matches.

Junior School Cross Country runners

HOCKEY

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

On 13 October, we hosted our annual Junior School U11 Hockey Tournament.

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Yet again the girls played some excellent hockey going on to win the tournament.

Our St Benedict’s A Team started the tournament with a comfortable 6-0 victory over Queens College. We triumphed yet again to beat Northwood College 1-0 and Fulham School 2-1 in the final group games, earning us a place in the Final against rivals Orley Farm for the second year in a row.

U10 Hockey The Form 1 pupils have done extremely well during hockey this term. They have worked hard on their core skills, such as push passing, trapping and ball carrying and are now focussing on more challenging skills such as reverse stick stopping and passing.

It has been extremely exciting to play in fixtures against Orley Farm, Manor Lodge, St Augustine’s and Mill Hill and Belmont. Throughout we have placed an emphasis on players finding space during match play, rather than gravitating towards the ball.

Special mentions go to Sienna, Frida, Evie, Milly, Savanna, Sasha and Eden-Rose for their consistently outstanding efforts in all training sessions.

NEWS

DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI RELATIONS

Dear Parents, I am delighted to let you know our new Weather Station (Annual Fund 22/23) is up and running with students already benefitting from the state-of-the art climate and pollution monitoring equipment.

Richard Baker Annual Science Lecture Series This term we were delighted to welcome Professor Ben Garrod to deliver the annual Science Lecture (see pages 10/11). The Lecture series is generously endowed

by Dr Francis Cuss (OP 1972) in recognition of the contribution made by Richard Baker (OP 1959) over his seventy-year association with St Benedict’s as a student, Chemistry Teacher, and volunteer.

Prof Kevin Dutton (OP 1985)

The Weather Station monitoring equipment arrives

“Having the latest scientific climate monitors at school will benefit students and staff alike at St Benedict’s. From the nursery to sixth form, all of our students can engage with learning about our weather and climate. Recording and analysing the weather in our little corner of Ealing can tie into looking at local, regional, national and global climate change. This equipment will not only benefit Geography, but it will also offer other departments from Science to Mathematics the chance to captivate their students with real world data, statistical analysis and problem solving.” Kate Smith, Head of Geography Our Students are also enjoying the upgraded Gym and fitness equipment which was installed over the half term break.

Professor Kevin Dutton (OP 1985) It was a pleasure to welcome Research Psychologist, Bestselling Author, and Elite Performance Consultant, Dr Kevin Dutton (OP 1985) back to School to deliver a talk to our Sixth Form Psychology and CCF students.

Old Priorian Newsletter The Autumn 2023 Old Priorian Newsletter, covering St Benedict’s alumni news, is available to view via the School website under the Development section.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to wish all our families a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

Best wishes, Mrs Tara George Development & Alumni Engagement Director

ST BENEDICT’S NEWS

Thank you to our families who supported and attended our annual Fireworks party which helped to raise a fantastic £5,000 towards our annual Bursary Fund appeal.

As always it was a very enjoyable evening for the whole School community.

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