The Edmundian 2018-2020 - St Edmund's College

The Edmundian 2018 to 2020

Introduction

Introduction from the Headmaster As we emerge from the global pandemic and one of the most difficult years any of us can remember, it is a delight to be able to write a few words by way of an introduction to the re-launched Edmundian. ‘Relaunched’ because Covid 19 has wrought havoc with the normal timetable of publication, and I am very grateful to Liam Woodward, Housemaster of Douglass and Head of Media, for agreeing to take over as Editor. I am sure that both his love of Edmundia and experience in media will shine through in this edition.

As I write, life has not yet returned to normality. Classes are still in ‘bubbles’, with each allocated their own set of classrooms; social distancing remains essential and we are all still wearing masks and being tested regularly for the virus. But as every week goes by we are edging closer to the return of freedom. And as I look back on the last thirteen months, I am filled with pride at the way in which our pupils, staff and parents have weathered the storm, and come out of the ‘Year of Covid’ in even better shape than before. Catholic values continue to sustain us and remain at the heart of all that we do; academic results have never been stronger; sport is undergoing a tremendous renaissance and new sports and new fixtures are making an appearance even this term, when so many

restrictions are still in place. Music, drama and the arts continue to thrive and we are busy planning next year’s musical, which will be a joyful return to the boards for so many pupils. And most encouragingly of all, at a time when the state of the economy means that far too many independent schools are facing the agony of financial loss and a fall-off in pupil numbers, somehow here at St Edmund’s the opposite has happened. With 834 pupils across College and the Prep, numbers have never been stronger, and all the indications are that in September this figure could well be edging towards 900.

Most of all, however, it is my pleasure to report to you that the Edmundian spirit is alive and well. It seems to me that if anything the last year has brought all of us – pupils, parents, staff, alumni – even closer together and even more focused on the very positive and exciting future which lies before us. This is a very happy school in very good health, and it is my fervent hope that it will not be long now before Edmundians far and wide will be able to come and visit us again and get together to share their love of this very special place.

Avita pro Fide.

Matthew Mostyn

Contents

Contents Farewells

3

Governors, College & Prep Staff

13

New Staff

19

Prize Giving and Speech day

21

Rhetoric Report

45

Chaplaincy

57

Headmasters Book

67

Student Prefects

71

House Notes

77

Elements

91

Notes & Comments

99

Library News

109

Art & Design

115

Music & Drama

125

School Trips

137

Duke of Edinburgh

145

Combined Cadet Force

149

College Sport

153

Old Edmundians

179

St Edmund’s Prep School

187

Obituaries

229

Farewells

Farewells During this year we bade farewell to Mrs Jo Beatty (Alumni & External Relations Officer) and Mrs Sarah Hebbs (Admissions Officer), two friendly faces who would have been familiar to many families that have passed through the College. Mrs Viv Monk-Hartley also moved on from her role as an Accounts Administrator.

Ms Katharine Moore (Teacher of Art) also headed for pastures new and we wished Mr Rhydian Stokes (GAP Assistant) well as he left St Edmund’s to complete his initial teacher training.

As you will see from the tributes over the following pages, we said farewell to many more much-loved faces from the St Edmund’s Common Room throughout the academic year. Whilst it is always sad to say goodbye to such talented colleagues, we wish them nothing but well in their future endeavours, and it is undeniably exciting to see many move on into retirement or to take up posts at other prestigious schools.

Mr Paulo Durán Paulo joined the College in September 2009 as Deputy Head and Registrar, before taking up the post of Headmaster in September 2012. I worked with him throughout his Headship, and it was a privilege.

Educated in London, Paulo, despite his name, sees himself very much as a London native and is immensely proud of his Spanish and Portuguese roots. He often regales those in his company with stories and anecdotes about lesserknown areas of London and possesses a wealth of knowledge about the history of the city.

Prior to his arrival at St Edmund’s, Paulo had worked in several London schools but always felt truly at home in the College and often waxed lyrical about the special and unique nature of St Edmund’s. He truly appreciated its

Catholic ethos, its remarkable history and its genuine sense of family and community.

As both Deputy Head and Headmaster, Paulo rejuvenated the school in many ways. Firstly, as Deputy, he introduced the Leavers’ Service, the Scholars’ Service, and the Academic Dinner for Rhetoric II at the end of their final year.

As Headmaster, it is thanks to him that the profile of the College has been raised within this locality. During his Headship, the strange stone building on a hill, ignored by many, became well known and its popularity increased.

It’s true to say that he put “Edmundia” on the map!

He also had the History of the College, written by Father Nicholas Schofield, published so that our school’s history could be shared with pupils and their families, past and present. Still today, this wonderful book adorns many a coffee table.

Paulo definitely has an eye for detail and for him appearance matters. He sought to update and refurbish the College and it is thanks to his vision that there were many successful changes in the school environment.

These include the modernisation of the Refectory with its two-tone leather “banquettes”, chairs and glossy wooden tables, and the Wall Panels detailing the History of the College in the Ambulacrum. He also oversaw the modernisation of classrooms with new technology and smartboards, the creation of a Drama space in the Douay Hall, the new Science block, and the Coffee Shop for Rhetoricians, all of which enhance the school we share.

He also raised the profile of co-curricular Music and Drama and moved the annual College Production to The Spotlight Theatre in Broxbourne, where it has been a resounding success year on year.

Paulo can also be credited with hosting many events held to commemorate the 450th Anniversary of the College with aplomb. As a school, we will never forget the remarkable experience that was the celebratory day trip to Douai when we set off “en masse” at 4.30am, and the

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wonderful St Ed’s Fest which brought the 450th anniversary celebrations to a fitting conclusion. Once more, Paulo had the vision and, with support from all corners of our community, he made it happen and realised a dream. I know the memories of that year will live on in our minds for a long time and always be etched into the College annals.

A great supporter of the whole community, Paulo also commissioned a play, “Quarry”, which recalled the life of Andreas Frohlich, a former pupil who died in a concentration camp in World War Two. The play was recorded and performed by our pupils with the help and blessing of Andreas’ family in 2016. The play was excellent and was one of the most moving and thought-provoking experiences shared by its actors and audience.

In 2018, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, he led the “There But Not There” project at the College, placing a “Tommy” outside the main building at the front of the College and perspex silhouette installations in the College Chapel to commemorate and pay tribute to the 82 past Edmundians who had fought in the campaign and served their country.

Paulo was also instrumental in establishing our link with the Stella Maris schools in Madrid, led by the Disciples of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary (DCJM) which enables their pupils and staff to share in the Edmundian experience and this continues to thrive.

had the student’s best interests at the heart of everything he dealt with. His unflappable nature meant that he quickly saw a solution to any problem that arose.

In his time as a Housemaster, he made quite an impression and years later, he still never fails to remind people of the number of times he won the Grand House Challenge… much to everyone’s annoyance! During this time, he was also a committed member of the boarding community, running trips and activities such as Model United Nations. He went on to become an Assistant Head and in September 2016 was promoted to Deputy Head Pastoral, following Mike Barber’s retirement. He took up this role with ease and continued to make an impact; although, I do remember him telling me on more than one occasion, that his favourite role had been as Housemaster of Talbot House!

So, what will Adrian be remembered for? There are far too many things to mention but here are a few… he has an amazing memory; it never fails him. He doesn’t do at all well on an empty stomach, this is to be avoided at all costs. You knew it was summer when he arrived at the College in his linen suit. He had different and very particular mugs that he used for morning coffee and afternoon tea (Earl Grey), although his PA, Juliet Edwards, would only ever make him one cup every half term!

Paulo moved on from St Edmund’s in August 2019 and has now joined the International school system. Having worked firstly in Spain, he is now enjoying a new role as Headmaster of two schools in sunny Cyprus. I thank him for all he has done for the College and the legacy he has left. I hope that he will not be a stranger and come back to visit soon.

Adrian is a ‘larger than life’ character and fills a room with his infectious laughter, which could always be heard down the many corridors of the College; you would usually hear him before you saw him! I have very fond memories of our time working together and I am very grateful for his support and encouragement. It is fair to say, there is no one quite like ADP! He leaves us to take up the post of Headmaster at Saint Nicholas School in January 2020, which is so welldeserved; I am sure he will continue to thrive!

Mrs K Macdonald

Mrs L Dunhill

Mr Adrian Petty

Mrs Karen Salter-Kay

Adrian arrived at the College in September 2001 as an enthusiastic History teacher, full of life and ambition. He quickly made his mark and soon progressed to become Head of Talbot House, where he remained for several years. His passion for pastoral care is second to none and he always

I was fortunate to work with Karen for many years up until her retirement in 2019. Her passionate, welcoming and caring personality was evident from the start. Karen took the lead in driving the Cocurricular Music programme and instrumental / vocal tuition at the College. Her fervour for all things Choral was evident. I

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There was always a great atmosphere in Schola gatherings – if a bit noisy at times! Many of Karen’s students were happiest whilst singing; there was a clear Edmundian ethos, and pride in belonging to the choir. Karen’s drive and love of seeing so many children involved in performing music was paramount and made our music tours and events momentous occasions, creating special memories for all involved.

Two particularly memorable events are the 2008 concert that was held as a tribute to the departing Nigel Howard.

Nigel had been in the music department and a College organist for 40 years. The concert was an especially ambitious collaboration of all musicians and singers, past and present, to honour Nigel's retirement. A total of 120 students took part, plus many other OEs and members of staff. On a more poingnant note, I will never forget the Faure’s Requiem sung by Schola at Father Pinot’s funeral mass. The Paradisum sung by the youngest Schola singers was a special spiritual moment.

Karen was evidently nervous before a performance, but this was not surprising; she conducted performances (including the Faure Requiem) - in a joint Concert with St Edmund’s College, Oxford and St Edmund’s School, Canterbury - at Pontigney Abbey, a very special event indeed.

Performing in Westminster Cathedral for the launch of our 450th anniversary celebrations was an equally awesome occasion, as was the trip to Madrid to our link school Stella Maris. We performed in the Stella Maris Chapel, as well as a giving a full concert with Choral and orchestral items on the programme. The day trip to Douay for a 450th service in Douay cathedral was not without its memories too – towards the end of the service it became evident that catching the ferry back to England on time was tight – Karen watched Schola gradually file out in front of her as she continued conducting with students then quickly marching and then running to their coach!

Karen’s inclusive approach came to light in her teaching too; often, the class was turned into a Blues band or a Rock ‘n’ Roll experience with instrument parts differentiated to allow every child the chance to play bass or drumkit, for example. She led from the keyboard with great strength and her communications with pupils were personalised and encouraging. She was a musician with diverse skills often

supporting on the Clarinet or Saxophone in the Jazz band and smaller ensembles.

For many years, Karen has been synonymous with the huge success of our College musical productions. It was under her watch that the decision was made to relocate these to the Spotlight Theatre in Broxbourne, where Karen knew that our most talented students could achieve even higher standards of performance. Over many years, Karen was able to put on some of her favourite musicals of all time, including ‘Bugsy Malone’ in 2007, ‘Oliver’ in 2008 and her beloved ‘The Sound of Music’ in 2010.

Karen’s commitment to the Catholic Faith was deeply rooted, evident in her attention to the liturgy and dedication to the College Mission; she was always very proud to have the choir and instrumentalists perform in our beautiful Chapel. We wish her a very happy and welldeserved retirement with her husband Ian and daughter Katheryn.

Mrs C Noble

Ms Alison Dunning Having joined St Edmund’s as a teacher of Languages, with a specialism in German, Ali became Housemistress of her beloved Talbot House in 2008, a role which defined her tenure in Edmundia. It was whilst working as a tutor under Ali’s stewardship that I learned what truly outstanding pastoral care looks like. Her unwavering loyalty to her team of tutors, commitment to her students and determination to see every Talbotian realise their full potential was, frankly, inspiring to work with.

With Miss Dunning at the helm, Talbot fast developed a reputation as the fun and happy House, but one where students always learned the value of hard work and were always encouraged to go above and beyond in their care for those in the community. Her weekly House assemblies would always begin with the cheeriest of ‘Good morning’’s and end with the now legendary quip: ‘Happy Friday everyone’. And whilst what was in between would always contain a naff joke or two, there was always a strong sense of unity, ethos and purpose woven into every word.

There were certain times of the year when Ali would come into her own and always take her Dunning-ness up a level.

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watched Schola grow over many years, to the point where it was felt we needed a Junior Schola to enable us to fit the Senior Schola into the Recital room for rehearsals!

Farewells

The Talbot Bake-Off became an annual event and raised awesome sums of money for some incredible charities.

Sports Day always appealed to her fierce competitive spirit, and lead to rallying battle cries in House assemblies.

But it was during Charity Week that we would always see Ali at her best. Who can forget the fancy dress costumes?

The lobster, the unicorn, the ‘own cloths day’ get-up!

What’s more is that she was always the first to volunteer to get gunged or splashed to raise money for those in need and teach her students about the importance of charity.

It was with a heavy heart that we said goodbye to Ali at the end of the 2019 Trinity Term, but with much excitement that we saw her relocate to Devon to take up her Deputy Headship at Exeter School. I know that the entire Common Room will join me in wishing her every success, and thanking her for making Edmundia a happier and more caring place.

experience to the College and along with Jason Hounsell exposed the Rhetoric students to the inequities and delights of the sub-continent. On the trip, Mohana is a force of nature and font of knowledge that belies his ‘senior’ age.

There are few teachers at the College who when they announce a world tour are inundated by requests to meet up from ex-pupils, yet this is the case with Mohana. When he jet-sets around the globe he lets it be known where he will be and he is inevitably greeted by students from his past. Be it, Eastern Europe, Asia, or the Far East he always seems to be the subject of many social media photos, sitting alongside students who still feel that they owe him so much. This is his legacy, a man who will go into retirement (until he gets bored!) with his wonderful wife Usha, hopefully knowing that he is loved by peers, friends and students alike.

Mr G West

Mr L Woodward

Mr Julian Stypinski

Mr Mohana There are many great people who are known by just one name: Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo, to name a few. However, St Edmund’s had its very own one-name legend of the Maths department; Mohana. So good they named him once.

Mohana was one of Mrs Rhona West’s first appointments when she became Head of Mathematics, and she was delighted to obtain an exceptional mathematician for her department. Little did she know that she would also be securing a great friend and an extra set of grandparents for our children. He has since his first day referred to her as ‘Boss’ and probably always will.

To be taught by the ‘Mo man’ was an experience in itself.

Renowned for his prep setting, students were always horrified at first by the high expectations placed upon them, but many quickly learned that if you put the work in then you have Mohana’s total support and commitment to getting you the very best grades, an outcome that was very likely given the grades that his classes achieved. He spent his own free time in boarding giving extra prep workshops for those in need regardless of whether he taught them or not.

Mohana also introduced the incredible ‘India Trip’

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Julian joined the College as Head of History in January 2001.

Known affectionately by many students as ‘Stypie’, he has been passionate in his teaching of history throughout. His personal interests shone through in his teaching of the American Civil War and military history, where his near encyclopaedic knowledge ensured that the students were not just educated, but also entertained with innumerable stories and anecdotes. Such is his commitment, that he even planned a holiday around spending time looking at several battlefields of the American Civil War to help to develop his teaching; something which added yet more flair and interest to his lessons.

Beyond history, Julian also developed the Politics Department, and his interest in politics was reflected in the Debating Society, which he ran for First Division students. He was always ready with a testing question for the students during debates, and his volunteering system is certainly memorable. Julian has been a tutor in Poynter, Rhetoric Talbot, and most recently in Challoner House too, and his level of care for each of his charges was always evident; but he was also firm too, as any students who were slow in getting their planners signed could testify.

Mr D Brett

Mrs Jamie-Ann Murphy Jamie-Ann joined St Edmund’s in 2012 and in her time at the College made immense contributions to St Edmund’s RE department, religious life and boarding community. She departed in December 2019 in order to relocate back to Ireland with her husband, Conor and son, Conòg. On the final day of the Michaelmas term, as the Common Room gathered to bid Jamie-Ann farewell, her line manager and close friend, Ms Anne Moloney, offered up the following Ode to Mrs Murphy: A little poem about Mrs Murphy For six years she worked here at St Edmund’s College, Demonstrating her skills and sharing her knowledge.

She’s been a truly fantastic teacher of R.E. So here are some facts about Mrs Murphy, Working with NQTs, and putting them at ease, as their mentor.

The students are her life and were always at her centre.

A fellow chocoholic, and a party planner, So long as there were sweets in any manner.

The students adored her; an excellent role model, An amazing work ethic, she made the mind boggle!

She has moved away with her small family,

Mrs Caroline McNiece Caroline began her teaching career at St Edmund’s as an NQT in 2012. She taught everything!

She taught Geography – her real subject, and History which she grew to love, and ICT – which we loved in the Geography Department, as she could help us with the VLE for ever more. She had pastoral responsibility for Rudiments and Grammar Douglass students, as well as being an important boarding tutor.

Caroline is innovative, interesting, creative – and was immensely dedicated to the school and its Geography Department. Her classes were interesting at every level and you would always find children asking questions, performing weather forecasts or making new revision models. She had high standards which were reflected in her results and her contributions to the Teaching and Learning group.

Caroline had two lovely children, Felicity and Leo, whilst at the College. Unfortunately for us, she and her husband decided that family support was needed, which led to her relocating back home to Northern Ireland. She has continued to teach and is currently working as the Head of Travel and Tourism, whilst continuing her Geography teaching. Lasting memories involve a David Attenborough Christmas Jumper and a qualification to teach netball, a fantastic trip to Port Talbot in a storm, cakes and map reading in Newbury, beach huts in Clacton, ice creams on Brighton Pier, a perfectly organised desk drawer a full set of colouring pencils, board markers and post it notes – all Geography teacher essentials.

Mrs N Pitman & Mrs T York

To the place she calls home, that is more green and hilly.

Her assemblies were always so creative, the one with the masks is now so relevant and one to behold, And that legacy will always be told.

She gained the name of the Refectory ‘Trolley Queen’ Cleaning and clearing trays behind the scenes.

She embraced all her duties including the Boarding, which she found duly rewarding!

We said farewell and goodbye to someone special, Hard shoes to fill, leaving us with an empty vessel.

Miss Elizabeth Tucker Lizzie joined the Geography Department in 2016 as a dynamic, young, creative Head of Department, taking us all along with her in the whirlwind of change. Following in the footsteps of John Morley and Mike Lewis, Lizzie’s passion and dedication came at time when new GCSE and A Level

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He will be missed here by students and staff alike, and we wish him all the very best as he goes off into retirement.

Farewells

courses were introduced nationally and she helped both teachers and students throughout this challenging period of transition. She changed the curriculum and brought back the idea of textbooks, which had gone out of fashion in the 2000s, and bought each classroom colouring pencil sets! She led lots of fieldwork activities and brought Geography to life for many students (riding camels in Morocco, walking the highline in New York, nearly being hit by lightning on the Isle of Arran, and of course, many rainy trips to the coast, counting pebbles).

However, she wasn’t just a Geographer. Lizzie’s other passion in life is sport and in particular, football. She played a key part to weekend fixtures and was often seen running around with her tracksuit and trainers on. In her time at the College, she took on extra responsibilities as Line Manager to the Games Department and helped cover the entire school in powder paint in her very popular Colour Runs for Charity Week. Her other major role within the school was in tracking and supporting the Poetry students in increasing their grades which she devoted much time and effort to, and worked wonders with underachievers across the board. She was a key member of the Breakfast Club in the common room, where she demonstrated her devotion to Geography with beautifully coloured revision sheets.

Lizzie has moved on to a senior management role at a school in London. She is a true city girl and often shared that passion with us both, always showing us the hidden case studies of her hometown on guided walks.

Mrs N Pitman & Mrs T York

Mr Mark Connor Mark was an exceptional Science teacher who bounced quite literally into Science. As Director of KS4 Science he brought many ideas and developed the new AQA GCSE course at the College.

He was passionate about Biology and education and would draw on his vast experience to deliver concepts in a fun and interactive way. There would always be pictures, models and experiments hanging from the ceiling in his laboratory – his way to explain the Biological phenomena – but it got results and the students loved his alternative methods and explanations. Mark

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displayed great talents in sport and PE and quickly joined the sports department to help with the delivery of PE and Games. Mark had a strong desire to get the best out of students and would regularly set up revision clinics to make sure the students understood science to their full potential. Mark was an asset to the science department and we wish him well as he takes up a promotion in his new school.

Miss M Towns

Mrs Kerry Evans Kerry Evans left St Edmund’s after three years, having joined us in 2016 as a teacher of English.

Kerry quickly became a popular and highly respected member of the St Edmund’s community, and an asset to the English Department. Her positive attitude and optimistic disposition made an immediate impact.

Kerry was able to convey her love of literature to her students and, as a result, her lessons were inspirational and examination results impressive. She displayed a dedication to helping students fulfil their potential, regularly and willingly arranging to give one-to-one guidance to students who needed further explanation. Students appreciated her caring and supportive commitment. There were many occasions when Kerry gave up her time to ensure students had the best chance of success; when an A-Level examination was scheduled for an afternoon during half term, Kerry met the students in the morning for a reassuring revision session. Parents valued her updates on how their son or daughter was progressing, and these invariably included offers of further support.

Kerry is a team player and was often the first to volunteer when new initiatives were introduced and when help was needed to complete extra tasks. She was a tutor in Talbot House and participated in all the activities with enthusiasm. Kerry was also involved in the Debating Society as a Period 7 activity which gives students an opportunity to consider and express their views on a range of topics, a valuable skill.

Kerry left us to move to a school in Surrey when her husband was appointed to a headship there. Our loss was certainly their gain.

Mrs P Ager

Ms Margaret Martin

Emily joined the College in September 2011 to take up the position of a Physical Education Graduate GAP. She immediately made her mark and was a real team player amongst the staff.

She immersed herself in the St Edmund’s way of life right from the off. She joined the CCF, was a member of the boarding community, assisted with the Duke of Edinburgh programme and became an integral part of the PE department. Once her first year was over with the College, she stayed to complete her teacher training and was a dedicated member of staff for a number of years.

Margaret is a kind-hearted and thoughtful friend and colleague who retired from teaching in January 2020. Over her long career at St Edmund’s, she performed and excelled in her many roles, such as a teacher of Psychology and Religious Education, Head of Department and Trainee and NQT Mentor. Both Anne Moloney and I are extremely grateful for Margaret taking us under her wing, showing us the ropes and sharing her wealth of experience. Although younger students would have been on their best behaviour for the woman wearing her signature leopard print coat down the corridor, she was always held in the highest regard and respected by students and staff alike.

She was a fantastic educator, and the profession was sad to see her go, yet her passion has moved on. She is now a very successful counsellor in London offering support and guidance on a wide range of issues. Annie reports that she is still an avid fan of 80’s music and her partner in crime at concerts and meeting celebrities. She also has some brilliant photos including those with Cerys Matthews and Kevin Rowland! Many of the staff still keep in touch and always enjoy a good chat and big hug.

On the Games field, Emily had boundless energy and was always trying to get the best out of the students. Whether it was learning their left and right for netball by using the doing Hokey Cokey, or persuading the students she was part of the group Spell Bound who featured on Britain’s Got Talent when it came to making a gymnastics routine.

She was always challenging the students within hockey and setting them mini challenges in the lessons to hit the cross bar or score a goal from the tightest angle. Students valued her feedback and flourished under her guidance.

Emily also taught hockey in the prep school, which was a great success.

Emily’s pastoral care of her tutees was faultless, she knew all of her tutees inside out and ensured she found different ways to motivate each of them. Her tutees would work with her to lead inspirational morning prayers in the Chapel, with one highlight being recreating building a church and its meaning. Emily was committed to Poynter House where her competitive nature was clear.

Sports Day was a particular highlight for her, where she was known for her slogans which included ‘Going for Goring’ or ‘Doing it for Dunhill’ Emily committed to assisting with numerous school trips from sports tours to Spain, Holland and France, American exchange to Nashville or staying more local for Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. She always ensured that all trips ran smoothly, and that student enjoyment was paramount. Emily’s light hearted jovial nature, and her commitment to teaching will be truly missed by all at the College.

Miss A Hebdon

Ms A Moloney & Mr N Eliasson

Mrs Andrea Brady As anyone who has ever tried to run a department can tell you, a school without an efficient Examinations Secretary is a bark adrift. She is one of life’s Unsung Heroes whose Sisyphean labours are rarely acknowledged, toiling away in her garret, grappling with the endless administrative demands and the labyrinthine regulatory minutiae imposed by “The Boards” – until something “goes wrong” - a euphemism for when a colleague has messed up something in the entry system. With a shrug and smile, Mrs. Andrea Brady would proceed to mop fevered brows and apply her renowned diplomatic skills to charming the bureaucrat concerned into rectifying the “administrative error” and all would be well.

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Miss Emily Wilkins

Farewells

I know this because Andrea’s hideaway office was often my first port of call while the birdies were still tweeting…

Andrea already had strong family connections with the College when she arrived in 2004 as an invigilator; her husband, brother and cousins are all Old Edmundians. She inherited the role of Examinations Secretary from the equally redoubtable and efficient Ken Hall in 2009, jobsharing with him for a year until his retirement, so was thereby already initiated into the arcana of the profession, but the ever-changing regulations and swapping of boards meant that the process of assimilation was never complete.

She retired in August 2019 and is fondly remembered by all who worked with her – which, of course, meant virtually everybody in the school, examinations having such a central function - not just for the grace, skill and affability with which she as a colleague carried out her numerous duties, but also as an indefatigable baker whose delectable creations often graced the staffroom coffee tables to celebrate some birthday or event. I should add that a risqué sense of humour and a hearty laugh did much to oil the wheels of daily interaction…

We wish her every joy and contentment in her deserved retirement.

Mr R Moore

Nick Cairns Nick began his teaching career at the College in September 2014; he quickly showed himself to be a talented chemist and established himself as an asset to the Science department. Nick always had an experiment up his sleeve to share with his classes to explain complex concepts. His teaching methods were varied and inspiring, his classes would leave the lesson asking themselves …. ‘if that happens’ then why does this happen …. There was always a hook at the start of his lessons. His enthusiasm for teaching and learning was infectious both within the Science department and in boarding. He soon became the person to contact if you were ever experiencing issues with an Excel spreadsheet, as he would always have the ability to find a formula to fix any problem. He has a positive attitude and a can-do approach to most things,

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including when Talbot’s Housemistress would ask for tutors to dress up in the Charity theme. Nick would be leading his tutor group to raising lots of money in a variety of ways. He was a valued member of the St Edmund’s community – a true Edmundian. He is missed but we wish him well with his promotion in Spain.

Miss M Towns

Mrs Deborah Wilkinson Debbie Wilkinson joined St Edmund’s as Head of Garvey’s (Girls’ Boarding) and a Teacher of French in September 2015.

She very quickly established herself as a much-loved figure in the Common Room, and a kind and caring influence in the boarding house. Always extremely firm, yet unwaveringly fair, in steering the ship that is Garvey’s, the girls in boarding would come to thrive under Debbie’s leadership. You will struggle to find an advocate for girls boarding education as committed and empathetic as her. She lead by example in teaching her students about the virtues of hard work, whilst always encouraging them to take full advantage of all the opportunities available to them.

In the classroom, Debbie was a popular Teacher of French, who believed passionately in the benefits of learning about other languages and cultures. Her good cheer and sharp wit made her lessons enjoyable and therefore productive.

She departs St Edmund’s to become Head of Boarding at Surval Montreux Girls’ School, on the banks of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. We wish her nothing but well in her next adventure.

Mrs Lisa Barley Lisa joined the Learning Support Department at St Edmund’s College in 2012, after relocating back to the UK from her home in France, where she and her family had spent the previous four years. As a Teaching Assistant, Lisa supported

During her seven years at the College, Lisa was part of many trips, concerts, and events. The Elements induction camp to start the year, the German cultural trip in the summer and a number of musical trips both as supervising staff and a member of the choir. Lisa always took part in these trips with enthusiasm and energy, even when faced with the prospect of spending the night in triple bunkbeds that she was too tall to be able to sit up in during the Elements camp each year. Those that have been on trips with Lisa, know she will be the first in line for the theme park rides and will struggle through the numerous ice cream and waffles that need ‘taste checking for safety purposes’!

Throughout her last 3 years at St Edmund’s, Lisa studied for a degree in Youth and Childhood studies which she successfully completed in 2019. Following this qualification, she was presented with the opportunity to complete a PGCE at a primary school in West Hertfordshire and her time at St Edmund’s came to an end. Completing her teacher training during a global pandemic has been an interesting introduction to the role, however she has taken this in her stride and looks to move into her NQT year this summer. We wish Lisa all the best with her future career and know she will be an asset to the teaching profession.

students for whom English was not their first language.

Gemma’s department fast developed a reputation for working closely with its students and showing immense empathy in building their confidence in speaking, reading and writing English. The multicultural nature of the department was something that Gemma embraced and celebrated, creating a vibrant working environment, which was holistic, supportive, inclusive and enjoyable for students from all backgrounds. More than anything else, this is the legacy that Gemma leaves behind at St Edmund’s.

Gemma also held responsibilities in boarding, where she continued to offer outstanding pastoral and academic support. She was always proud to support the Catholic life of the College and was actively involved in the Chaplaincy. She was a popular member of staff amongst students, but also in the Common Room, who will miss her good cheer.

Gemma departed Old Hall Green at the end of the 2019 Trinity Term, to embark on a Spanish adventure and take up the role of IB Diploma Co-Ordinator at King’s College in Madrid. ¡Buena suerte, Gemma!

Mrs N Wells

Ms Gemma Fanning Gemma Fanning joined St Edmund’s in January 2017 as a Teacher of EAL. In her two and a half years at the College, Gemma played an integral role in the restructuring of the International Department, as well as making invaluable contributions to life in boarding. With her colleague Lee Hawkes focussing his attention full time on developing and growing the Summer School as its Director, Gemma would go on to become Head of EAL, where she would flourish in supporting the College’s provision for its overseas

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Farewells

numerous students through their school career and was a welcome addition to any classroom. Her ability to inspire and encourage students whilst maintaining humour and a sense of fun, will be remembered by all those she has worked with.

Governors, College & Prep Staff

Governors, College &Prep Staff 2020 Governors President and Patron His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols, MA, MEd, STL, Archbishop of Westminster Chairman P J Mitton, MSc Members Mr J Bryant, BA (OE) Fr M Langham, MA, STL, STD The Revd Fr A P E McCoy, OFM Conv, BA, MLitt Mrs J Ranzetta, BA Hons, PGCE Dr S Grounds Mr P Raynes, MA (Cantab) Ms N A Walsh

Core Leadership Team Headmaster/DSM Child Protection Mr M Mostyn BA (Hons) MA (Ed) Head of Prep School Mr S Cartwright BSc (Surrey) Bursar Mr B Tomlinson BA (Hons) (London) ACMA Senior Deputy Head Mrs K MacDonald BA (Hons) PGCE PQH (NI) (Belfast) Deputy Head Pastoral Mr P Curran BSc (Hons) (Reading) PGCE (Swansea) Senior Teacher in Charge of Religious Life / Charities Co-ordinator Mrs P Peirce BD AKC (London)

Senior Leadership Team Assistant Head (Community Life) / Deputy DSL Child Protection Mrs L Dunhill BSc (Hons) PGCE (Nottingham) Assistant Head (Pastoral)/DSL Child Protection Mr G West BSc (East Anglia) Assistant Head (Teaching and Learning) Mrs C Noble BA (Hons) (Exeter) PGCE (Canterbury)

Assistant Head Academic (Timetable, Curriculum & Data) Mrs R A K West BEd (Exeter) Assistant Head of St Edmund’s Prep Mr G Duddy BEd (Wales) (Year 5, RE, Activities) Deputy Head of St Edmund’s Prep/DSL Child Protection Dr F J F McLauchlan MA PhD (Cantab) (Director of Music and Performing Arts) Admissions and Marketing Director Mrs M Burke Head of Boarding Mr A Smerdon, BSc (Hons) (St Mary’s) PGCE (South Bank) Human Resources Directors Mrs H Duffy LLB (Hull) PGDL Mrs L Nice BA (Hons) (Herts) Priest in Residence Revd Father P H Lyness MA (Rhodes) Technical Projects Director Mr S Winfield MCSE

College Teaching Staff ART DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY Head of Department Miss A M Healy BA (Luton) Mrs J Armitage BA (Hons) (CSM) PGCE (Middlesex) Mrs S Applegate MA BA PGCE (Herts) (Lead Art Teacher) Ms C McEwan MA (Nottingham Trent) BA (Hons) (Lincoln) PGCE (Birmingham) Mrs D Stringer BA (Hons) PGCE (Surrey) Mrs J Daly BSc (Strathclyde) MFC BUSINESS STUDIES AND ECONOMICS Head of Department Mr W Fulford-Brown BA (Hons) (Leeds Beckett) PGCE (Nottingham) Mr M Beran MEd (Open) MRD (UEA) BA (Hons) (Sussex) PGCE (London) Maternity Cover from Oct 2020 Mr F Mandizha BA (Hons) (Herts) PGCE (UCL) Ms L Sargent MA (Edge Hill) BSc (Brunel) Maternity Leave from Oct 2020 Mr C Upton BA Hons (Durham) PGCE (Sunderland) PGDM (Open) (Head of Talbot House)

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Governors, College & Prep Staff

DRAMA Head of Department Mrs N Schiff MA (Herts) BA (Plymouth) PGCE (Reading) ENGLISH Head of Department Mrs P Ager BA (Hons) (Middlesex), PGCE (Anglia) Mrs S Appleford BA (Hons) (Wales) PGCE (Cantab) (KS3 Co-ordinator) Mr J Hayes MA (Oxon) Mrs M McCann BA (London) MA (Birkbeck) Mrs J Colbran BA (Hons) (Lancaster) PGCE (Westminster) (Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator)(KS4 Co-ordinator) (Maternity Leave) Mrs S Collins BA (Hons) (Hertfordshire) PGCE (Hertfordshire) (Maternity Cover) Mrs P O’Neill BA (Roehampton) Mrs S Wylie BA (Hons) (Durham) PGCE (Cambs) PGDL (ULaw) GEOGRAPHY Head of Department Mrs E Barnard BA (Hons) (Manchester) PGCE (IIE) Mrs N Pitman BA (Hons) (Wales) PGCE (Bath) (Enrichment Week Co-ordinator) Mrs S Sanders BA (Hons) (London) PGCE (Cantab) Mr A Smerdon, BSc (Hons) (St Mary’s) PGCE (South Bank) Mrs T York BSc (Hons) (Wales) MA (Canterbury) PGCE (IOE) HISTORY Head of Department Miss C Regan MA (Glasgow) PGCE (Glasgow) (Acting Head of History) Mr C Berkley BA (Liverpool) PGCE (ARU) CELTYL (Seoul) TESOL (Trinity College) CELTA (Newham) Mr D Brett MA (Hons) (St Andrews) PGCE (Leeds) (Head of Poynter House) Mr B Snell MA (Lancaster) BA (Hons) (Hull) PGCE (Chichester) (Head of Careers) INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Director of ICT, Computing and E-learning Mr K R Fry BSc (Brunel) MSc (Herts) PGCE (Exeter) Mr M Arif MSc (Middlesex) BSc Hons (Pakistan) Mr P Curran BSc (Hons) (Reading) PGCE (Swansea) Mr B Kovacevic BSc (Middlesex) BSc (Croatia) INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT Director of Summer School Mr M Pengelly DipHE (Oxford Brookes)

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Head of EAL Miss Z Hibbert BA (Hons) (Portsmouth) PGCE (Cantab) Delta M1 & M2 (Seville) Cert.TESOL (UCL) EAL Mr C Berkley BA (Liverpool) PGCE (ARU) CELTYL (Seoul) TESOL (Trinity College) CELTA (Newham) LANGUAGES Head of Department Ms L Hill BA (Sussex) PGCE (Reading) Mrs E Franco MA (Leon) (Head of Spanish) Mrs Fleur Harvey-Keenan BA (Hons) (Durham) PGCE (Nottingham) (Head of French) Mr I Soler-Garcia MA (ELE, Spanish as a second language) (La Rioja) BEd (Córdoba) QTS Mrs J Gardner BA (Bradford) PGCE (Herts) (Head of German) Ms O Lindsay MA equivalent (Russia) Mrs K MacDonald BA (Hons) PGCE PQH (NI) (Queens Belfast) (Senior Deputy Head) Mr M Mostyn BA (Hons) MA (Ed) Miss S Rinaldi (Head of Italian and Latin) Mr W Rerutko MA (Cracow Poland) PGDip (Cracow) Mrs C Rutherford BA equivalent (China) Miss M C Simon (Licence) (Bordeaux) (Head of Elements) MATHEMATICS Head of Department Mrs H Fraser BSc PGCE (East Anglia) Mr M Arif MSc (Middlesex) BSc Hons (Pakistan) Dr L Banahan BSc PhD PGD (Dublin) (Second in Department) Mrs L Brown BA (Pretoria) PGCE (South Africa) Mrs L Dunhill BSc (Hons) PGCE (Nottingham) (Assistant Head (Community Life)/Deputy DSL Child Protection) Mr N Harding BA (Hons) (Middlesex), PGCE (Bath) (Activities Co-ordinator) Mr J Hounsell BSc BCA (Wellington) Mr G Sargent MA (Cantab) PGCE (Greenwich) Mr G West BSc (East Anglia) Mrs R A K West BEd (Exeter) (Assistant Head Academic: Timetable, Curriculum & Data) MEDIA STUDIES Head of Department Mr L Woodward BA (Hons) (Bournemouth) (Head of Douglass House)

SCIENCE Head of Department Miss M Towns BSc (UWE Bristol) PGCE (London) (Head of Science) (EVC Co-ordinator)

Mrs S Colligan BMus (Trinity) PGCE (Middlesex) Mrs C Noble BA (Hons) (Exeter) PGCE (Canterbury) (Assistant Head Academic: Teaching and Learning)

Mr R Chapman BSc (UWE Bristol) PGCE (Aberystwyth) Dr J Eves BSc (Berkeley, USA) MSc PhD (Dublin) (Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator) Dr J Heslin (BSc Canterbury) PhD (Imperial College) Grad IPM (Middlesex) PGCE (Herts) Mrs V Jauncey BSc (Durham) PGCE (Cantab) Mrs D Mallabone BSc PGCE (Southampton) (Director of Key Stage 3) (Maternity Leave) Ms J Marrinan MA (Open) BSc (Hons) (London) (CoDirector of Rhetoric) Mrs S Muller BA (South Africa) Miss H Parks BSc, BA (Ontario, Canada) QTS (Gloucestershire) Miss E Roome MChem (Hons) (Leeds) PGCE (Birmingham) (Maternity Cover) Mr D Webster B. Eng PGCE Science

College Organist Mr C Benham BA (Colchester) PHYSICAL EDUCATION Director of Sport Mr P Kelly BPhed (Hons) (Otago) Head of Girls’ Games Miss A Hebdon BA (Hons) (Brunel) (Head of Pole House) Head of Boys’ Games Mr A Cunnah BA (Brighton) (Head of Challoner House) Mr J Adams MSc BSc (St Mary’s) Miss C Field BA (Beds) Mr K D Jones BA (Greenwich) (Head of PE) Mr O Plummer BSc (Hons) (Bristol) Sports Coach: Mr Neil Kimsey PE Graduate GAP Assistant: Mr José González BA (Madrid) Miss Ellie Jones BA (Hons) (Manchester) Miss Rachael Knatchbull BA (Hons) (Southampton) Mr Christopher Lewis BSc (Hons) (Cardiff) PSYCHOLOGY Head of Department Mr N Eliasson MA (Birmingham) PGCE (Canterbury) BSc (Hertfordshire) Mr B Snell MA (Lancaster) BA (Hons) (Hull) PGCE (Chichester) RELIGIOUS STUDIES Head of Department Miss A Moloney BA (Hons) (Surrey), PGCE (Roehampton) Miss F Donovan BA (Australia) Mrs P Peirce BD AKC (London) (Senior Teacher in Charge of Religious Life & Charities Co-ordinator) Mr B Powell BA (Australian Catholic) Bachelor of Teaching (New England, Australia) (PHSE Co-ordinator) (Co-Director Rhetoric) Mr A J D Robinson BEd (Exeter) (Head of Boys’ Boarding – Allen Hall) Mrs M Smerdon BA QTS (St Mary’s)

CARDINAL HUME CENTRE, Learning Support Head of Department Mrs S Nicholson BA (Hons) (Manchester), PGCE (Lancaster) Mrs M Sargent NVQ3 (SEN Assistant to the Head of Learning Support) Mrs Z Walker NVQ3 Mrs N Wells BSc (Hons) (Hertfordshire), PGCE (Greenwich) (Deputy Head of Learning Support/Deputy SENCO) CAREERS Head of Careers Mr B Snell MA (Lancaster) BA (Hons) (Hull) PGCE (Chichester) (Head of Careers) Ms J Marrinan MA (Open) BSc (Hons) (London) (Co-Director of Rhetoric) Mr B Powell BA (Australian Catholic) Bachelor of Teaching (New England, Australia) (PHSE Co-ordinator) (Co-Director of Rhetoric) LIBRARIAN Mrs J Tyne BA (Newcastle-Upon-Tyne) MCLIP

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Governors, College & Prep Staff

MUSIC Director of Music Mr J Woodhall MEd (St Mary’s) PGCE (Roehampton) MM (Surrey)

Governors, College & Prep Staff

St Edmund’s Prep School Head of Prep School Mr S Cartwright BSc (Surrey) Deputy Head of Prep School /DSL Child Protection Dr F J F McLauchlan MA PhD (Cantab) (Director of Performing Arts) Assistant Head of Prep School Mr G Duddy BEd (Wales) (Year 4, RE, Activities) Head of EYFS / Deputy DSL Child Protection Mrs V Penfold BA (London Metropolitan) (Reception Teacher, Head of EYFS)

St Edmund’s Prep Teaching Staff NURSERY & RECEPTION Mrs V Penfold BA (London Metropolitan) (Reception Teacher, Head of EYFS) Mrs P Jones BA (Middlesex) (Nursery Teacher, PSHE) YEARS 1-6 Mrs G Boulter Diplôme Universitaire de Technologie (France) (MFL) Mrs A Chick BA (Hons) (Bristol) PGCE (Bristol) (Prep Learning Support Manager) Mrs E Worton BA (Hons) (London) Cert Ed (London) (Form 4, Head of Campion House, ESafety) Mrs N Crick BA (Twickenham) (Form 6, Assessment, High Achievers) Mrs A Cutler BA (Leeds) (Form 4, Head of Southworth House, PSHE) Mr G Duddy BEd (Wales) (Form 4, RE, Activities) Mr J Evans BA (Sheffield) (Form 5, Maths) Mrs H Fox BA (UEL), PGCE (London) (Prep Drama Teacher, Forest School) Mr G Goodfellow BA (Northampton) (Form 5/6 Maths, PE/Games, Director of Sport (Prep)) Miss A Hewlett BEd (Herts) (Form 3, Head of Mayne House, Science) Mrs Z Kirton BSc (Hons) (Derby) MSc (London) QTS (Herts) (Form 1, Head of Pre-Prep) Mrs C Mitton BEd (Cantab) (Prep Teacher) Mrs E Roper BA (Surrey) (Art) Mrs A Sayer PGCE (Greenwich) BA Hons (Bournemouth) (Form 6, English) Miss J Warnes BA Hons (Canterbury) (Form 5, Humanities) Miss R Woodhead BSc (Gloucestershire) PGCE (Roehampton) (Form 2, ICT)

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TEACHING ASSISTANTS Mrs I Antoniou Level 3 (Reception TA) Miss C Dee (Art) Mrs A Drabwell Swiss Level 2, NVQ Level 3 and ASA Level 1 Swim Coach Mrs E Gifford (Midday Supervisor) Mrs S Goodfellow NNEB Mrs H Habergham BA Hons (York) (Tea-time Club Leader) Miss L Ingrao NVQ Level 3 (Nursery Nurse) Miss S Jones NVQ Level 4 (Tea-time Club Leader) Miss Y Kemal BA Hons (Nottingham) (Tea-time Club Assistant) Mrs L Simson (Breakfast Club Leader), (Midday Supervisor) Mrs S Smith (Prep TA) TECHNICIAN Mr C Hull PREP SCHOOL NURSE Mrs D Sartain RN Mrs S Davison RN (cover) Mrs T Clutterbuck BSc (Herts) RN (cover) PREP GRADUATE GAP ASSISTANTS Miss Pilar Lopez Gomez BA equivalent (Castilla-La Mancha) Miss Alba Ruiz Alcaide BA equivalent (Cordoba) SWIMMING COACH Mrs L Short, Royal Life Saving Society UK - National Rescue Award for Swimming Teachers and Coaches ADMINISTRATION & SECRETARIAL SUPPORT PA to Head and Prep SMT: Mrs E Beaumont Prep School Secretary & Admissions: Mrs T Dickinson Admin Assistant and School Receptionist: Mrs F Wright

St Edmund’s College Staff ACCOUNTS Management Accountant: Mr S Barnfather HND Billing Administrator: Miss C Collingwood Payroll/Purchase Ledger: Mrs C Kirkum ADMINISTRATION & SECRETARIAL SUPPORT Senior PA to Bursar: Miss L Flowerdew PA to the Headmaster: Mrs M Holden Executive Assistant (Pastoral): Mrs N Shepherd BA (Hons) (Chichester) PA to Deputy Heads: Mrs J Edwards College Secretary: Miss J Debnam

BOARDING Head of Boarding: Mr A Smerdon, BSc (Hons) (St Mary’s) PGCE (South Bank) Head of Girls' Boarding - Garvey's: Mrs S Nicholson BA (Hons) (Manchester), PGCE Head of Boys' Boarding - Allen Hall: Mr A J D Robinson BEd (Exeter) Boys’ Boarding Matron: Mrs D Parry Girls’ Boarding Matron: Miss C Brown Boarding Assistants: Mr José González BA (Madrid) Miss Ellie Jones BA (Hons) (Manchester), Miss Rachael Knatchbull BA (Hons) (Southampton), Mr Christopher Lewis BSc (Hons) (Cardiff), Miss Pilar Lopez Gomez BA equivalent (Castilla-La Mancha), Miss Alba Ruiz Alcaide BA equivalent (Cordoba) BURSARIAL STAFF Bursar: Mr B Tomlinson BA (Hons) (London) ACMA Assistant Bursar: Mrs N Castle ACCA Technical Projects Director: Mr S Winfield MCSE CLERK TO THE GOVERNORS Clerk to the Governors: Mrs K Pugsley COMBINED CADET FORCE Contingent Commander: Mr H Gledhill CCF School Staff Instructor: Maj (retired) A Jones CCF Instructor: Lt J Ruffels DOMESTIC HOUSEKEEPING Domestic Services Manager: Mrs S Chadwick Assistant Domestic Services Manager: Mr C Gardner Domestic Assistants: Mrs S Brett Mrs L Camp Mrs T Clarke Mrs T Crane Mrs G Hyde Mrs C Donnelly Mrs S Hindhaugh Mrs J Hodson Mrs J Holtby Mrs M Jones Mrs K Lawman Miss Z Roberts Mrs R Savill Mrs N Sherriff Mrs T Shevlin

Ms T Stifanese Ms D Watson Mr L Willoughby Mrs L Wilson

Governors, College & Prep Staff

Receptionists: Mrs A Chimes & Mrs L Lang Music School Administrator: Mrs N King

Laundry Assistants: Mrs B Hawe Miss E Donne ESTATES Building Projects Manager: Mr I Tranter Handyman: Mr M Bullen Handyman: Mr S Greenhill Handyman: Mr J Hindhaugh Handyman: Mr A Hodson Handyman: Mr D Smithers General Maintenance Operative: Mr R Horne Head of Grounds: Mr D Walker Senior Groundsman: Mr C Wilkinson Groundsman: Mr R Marshall Porters: Mr P Childs Mr A Corrigan Mr E Curtis Mr C Groves Mr E Spratt Mr D Steer Mr R Stevens Mr D Welch EXAMINATIONS Examinations Officer: Mrs E Waite HEALTH SAFETY & SECURITY Health, Safety & Security Officer/Transport Manager Fire Safety Officer & Contingent Commander Mr H Gledhill Transport Co-ordinator & Administrator: Mrs S Grayston Drivers: Mr A Archer Mr M Davis Mr N Kimsey Mr R Longhurst Mr M Runcorn HUMAN RESOURCES HR Director: Mrs H Duffy LLB (Hull) PGDL HR Director: Mrs L Nice BA (Hons) (Herts) HR Officer: Mrs N Sparks HR PA: Mrs L Ellis ICT AND DATA Technical Services Manager: Mr J Harknett Technical Services Technician: Mr J Taylor

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Governors, College & Prep Staff

Reprographics Officer: Mr J Stripe Data Manager: Mrs T Holt Data Assistant: Mrs E Bill INFIRMARY Senior Infirmary Sister: Mrs W Groarke RN, RSCN Senior Infirmary Sister: Mrs M Hinchliffe BSc (ARU) Infirmary Sisters: Mrs M Blacktin RN Ms C Dorrington RN Miss P Jenkins RN Mrs K Wood RN, BSc (Hons) (South Bank) Infirmary Assistants: Mrs N Scott ADMISSIONS AND MARKETING Admissions and Marketing Director: Mrs M Burke Alumni & External Relations Officer: Mrs L Edmunds Digital Marketing Officer: Miss P Collison MA (Herts) BSc (Reading) ADMISSIONS Admissions Officer: Miss A Howard BSc (Worcester) INTERNATIONAL International Registrar: Mrs B Tucker Summer School Administrator: Miss A Howard, BSc (Worcester) TECHNICIANS Chemistry: Ms C Ball AAT Physics: Mrs K Campbell Biology: Mrs C Davies B.Pharm (Wales) Design & Technology: Mrs K Hole Food Technology: Mrs J Parker

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New Staff

New Staff 2018/19 At the start of the 2018 Michaelmas Term we welcomed the following members of teaching staff: Mrs Jessica Armitage (Design & Technology) Mrs Lana Brown (Mathematics) Mrs Fleur Harvey-Keenan (Head of French) Mr Farai Mandizha (Business Studies & Economics) Mr James Adams and Mr Ildefonso Soler Garcia both joined the College as GAP Boarding Assistant’s and have since become full-time members of the teaching staff.

In the Lent term we welcomed: Miss Francesca Donovan (Religious Education) Mrs Sarah Sanders (Geography).

A number of Language Assistants from overseas joined our Boarding community: Ms Marta Barberan Madsen Ms Blanca De Benito Ms Marie Schepes Ms Franziska Renn.

Mrs Lana Brown

Mrs Jess Armitage

Brother Andrej Makovnik also joined us from Stella Maris in Madrid, to assist in the boarding houses and work with Fr Peter Lyness and Mrs Peirce in supporting the religious life of the College.

Several internal appointments were made: Mr Adam Cunnah (Head of Challoner House) Mr Liam Woodward (Head of Douglass House) Mr Catherine Regan (Head of History).

Domestic and Admin Staff: Mrs Sandra Chadwick (Domestic Services Manager) Mr Harry Gledhill (Health, Safety & Security Officer) Mrs Nichola Castle (Assistant Bursar) Mr James Stripe (Reprographics Officer) Mrs Kerry Pugsley (Clerk to the Governors).

The Prep School welcomed Rebecca Woodhead (Key Stage 1 Teacher) Hayley Habergham (Teaching Assistant) Elizabeth Beaumont (Prep Personal Assistant) Mr Farai Mandizha

Staff from Stella Maris

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New Staff 2019/20 New Staff

Language, Boarding and Religious Assistants: Ms Alba Maria Ruiz Mr Nicolas Gallego Mr Ignacio Cespedosa Ms Pilar Lopez Ms Celia Tran Van Huong Ms Melanie Rölli Brother Juan Puech Helguero.

We wish all of these new members of staff a long, happy and prosperous career at Old Hall Green!

Mr Matthew Mostyn

New Headmaster: Mr Matthew Mostyn joined us from Stonyhurst College in September 2019

Mr Paul Curran

Mr Paul Curran took up his post as Deputy Head (Pastoral) in January 2020.

We also welcomed the following members of teaching staff at the start of the Michaelmas Term: Mr James Woodhall (Director of Music) Mrs Sheena Muller (Director of KS4 Science) Mrs Joanna Gardner (Head of German) Mrs Sarah Colligan (Music) Miss Zoe Hibbert (EAL) Miss Heather Parks (Chemistry) Mr Wojciech Rerutko (Latin & German) In the Lent Term we welcomed: Mr Bradley Snell (History & Politics) Mrs Sarah Wiley (English & Drama) Over the Easter break we wished Mrs Jilly Colbran well as she began her Maternity Leave, and welcomed Mrs Sandra Collins into the English department.

Mrs Emma Waite (Examinations Officer) Mrs Emma Bill took up a new position as Data Assistant & Systems Co-Ordinator.

Mr Lee Hawkes departed and was replaced by Mr Michael Pengelly (Director of the St Edmund’s Summer School)

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Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018/19 On Saturday 22nd June 2019, blessed with a beautiful summer’s morning, the St Edmund’s community gathered in the Butler Hall for the annual Speech Day and Prize-Giving ceremony. Mrs Peirce began proceedings by leading the prayer of St Edmund, before the Chairman of Governors Mr Patrick Mitton, Headmaster Mr Durán, and Headmaster Designate and Guest of Honour Mr Mostyn took to the stage.

As well as being an opportunity for the Chairman and Headmaster to reflect on the year that had been, it was also a suitable occasion for Mr Mostyn to reflect on what lie ahead, as he prepared to take over as Headmaster in September. Following the speeches, the prizes for academic achievements and endeavours were awarded.

Congratulations to all the prize winners, whose names you will find in the following pages, for their hard work and dedication to academic excellence.

This was followed by the eagerly anticipated results of the 2018-19 Grand House Challenge and awarding of the trophy. Congratulations to Challoner House, who edged out the competition and seized victory in Mr Cunnah’s first year as Housemaster. Congratulations, too, to Talbot House for winning the Arts Plate.

The final part of the ceremony, before refreshments in the sun, was the handover of the coveted blue and red sashes, and the formal appointment of the new student prefect body. The Head Boy and Head Girl, along with their deputies, were presented with their sashes by the Headmaster, with the student House Captains awarded theirs by their respective Housemasters.

Headmaster’s Report 2018-19 "I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, … who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold, and what they do not, who know their creed so well, that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it…”

Reverend Father(s), guests, staff, governors, members of the Friends Committee and Edmundian Association, fellow heads and incoming Head Mr Mostyn, parents, families, students and leavers, welcome to prize giving 2019. Newman’s words have always inspired me in attempting to map out a path for our school, to provide our students, be they Catholic or not, with the foundations of a Catholic education and the confidence to articulate and defend what they believe, ever more important in this age of soundbites, trolls and fake news.

As we look back on the academic year of 2018/19 we take pride in a school and community that sends young men and women out into the world with that mix of confidence, quirkiness, character, service and charity that marks out on Edmundian; and what a year it has been!

One that has paid due and proper homage to our history, but also points to an exciting and successful future.

Welcome prize winners, especially if this is the first time you will be receiving an award. Remember that each year group receives the same book; these are not subject specific; what we have chosen is to offer you is a classic work or collection of literature in a hardback edition with the hope that, in the years to come, will be something you keep and reread with pride. Only a few weeks ago I received a letter from a former pupil who informed me that it was opening up his copy of Penguin’s Poems for

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Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

Life, some years after I had given him with very little excitement on his part – he hated English A Level and poetry at the time, that led him onto the path to becoming a successful and published playwright. So, hold on to your prizes as well as your memories, you never know!

All of us here wish all of you a great day and thank all those who have made our celebrations possible; Sandra Chadwick and her team. I thank Kate MacDonald and Adrian Petty for overseeing the awarding of prizes and ensuring today runs like clockwork. Adrian, you aren’t leaving us just yet but no doubt you will be thinking about your first prize giving as Head next year and we congratulate you again on your appointment as Head of St Nicholas, Harlow. Huge thanks also to Juliet Edwards for liaising with our wonderful librarian Julie, and preparing the books, bookplates and programme with such care and pride.

We are delighted to have as our guest of honour, Mr Matthew Mostyn, our incoming Head, with us here today and thank him for taking the time out of his schedule; he has been a regular visitor to St Edmund’s since his appointment and all of us here have enjoyed working with him to ensure that a thorough and smooth handover; if only our politicians and civil servants could say the same about their responsibilities!

When I stood here last year, we were but a few hours away from the quite extraordinary celebration of Edmundian talent, commitment and community that was St EdsFest.

Those of us who were there will never forget it and I thank everyone who made this event possible. Mel and Linsey, people said it couldn’t be done but you achieved the impossible, you got me to go to an outdoor music festival.

I thank all the Governors for backing the idea, it was a brave thing to do. As the sun set and the fireworks went off the shared feeling of pride, as well as relief, was extraordinary. So many memories live on: the prayer tree, the scale of the whole enterprise, the community coming together, but the joy of seeing our students perform on the main and acoustic stages, being given the freedom to be themselves was what it was all about.

Barely had the dodgems been packed away our children were zorbing, sambaing, high wiring, creating and thinking their way through our inaugural Enrichment Week before hundreds of students then set off on the many and varied summer trips and excursions that carried on well into July.

I thank all the staff who give so freely of their time to

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make these trips possible, but you will understand, I’m sure, if I single out just one person at this juncture, like so many great figures throughout history, known simply by one name: Mohana.

How does one pay credit adequately to an individual who has been so transformative in his teaching, pastoral care and, of course, his pivotal role in setting up and running our yearly expedition to Bangalore, where in the course of ten days they take in an extraordinary range of sights, visits and experiences. Sir, we cannot thank you and Usha enough for all you have done for the children, staff and families of the Prep and College. [medal] How wonderful that in our anniversary year we should also achieve historic, record breaking results: 70% A*-B; 100% in Chinese, Drama, Further Maths, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish; 92% A*-B in English; value added the highest in over seven years; at GCSE 21 students achieved 10+ A*/A or equivalent; 70% A*-A for our triple scientists; 46% overall A*-A, 10% above predictions. A huge well done to all our students, past and present, who worked so hard, but I stress again the commitment of our staff, offering revision sessions outside lessons and at weekends, the smart use of data overseen by Tammy Holt, the stretch and challenge programme, our teaching and learning student and staff champions and so much more.

Now, today is prize giving and we want our prizewinners to feel proud, but let us also salute those who have not won a prize today. One of the things I look forward to most each week is when students come to sign the Headmaster’s Book. I have the book here with me now – students sign it for a number of reasons, but ultimately because a teacher feels they have done themselves credit through their effort in class, care for others, being good ambassadors of the College, showing Edmundian spirit! A

Starting in 2014 we have Ciaran signing for consideration to others, Millie for courage; Joseph for hard work & good behaviour; Alice for taking part in a remembrance parade; Maddie for a vampire poem!; Shannon for Art: sea turtle; Lewis for a Lego castle; Megan for completing National Citizenship Service; Anita for being a fine student librarian; Charlie 2016 for helping on open day; Sophie for mentoring, these are just a few of the 1207 students who have signed so far in my time here as Headmaster; wonderful testament to our students giving of their best in and outside the classroom!

Add to this this our students excelling in the Chemistry Analysis Competition at the university of Hertfordshire, our visiting authors and book club trips, Physics Poster completion, Chemistry Olympiad, French spelling bee, workshops at Glaxo, public speaking competitions, UKMT Maths challenge success and so much more and you get some sense of just how much academic endeavour and enjoyment is part and parcel of our working weeks. Had you been in the Ambulacrum this week you would have been met a group of staff and students, with a display of books that have inspired them, many dressed and made up as characters from these works, exhorting us all to read more widely, with the slogan: ‘today’s readers become tomorrows’ leaders!

We wish our examination candidates of 2019 every success and also take this moment to thank and wish well Andrea Brady, our examinations officer, who leaves us at the end of this summer; a long, happy and healthy retirement globe-trotting awaits!

And we still haven’t got past the summer! The demands of our Summer School programme make summer refurbishment a complex operation, even for the team of magicians led by Stu Winfield, Ivan Tranter and their teams, but when we came back in September we had Douglass and Poynter Houses ready, the final two parts of the house refurbishment programme. I thank again the Edmundian Association for the financial support with the last push and those who have donated so generously to make these much needed improvements a reality.

So barely had we taken breath when it was time to set off on our own D Day on September 29th 2018, to join up with the advance party of College musicians and sportsmen and women as well as a coach load of Old Edmundians, all coming together to celebrate our 450th.

The Longest Day? A (motorway) bridge too far? You tell me, but it was an extraordinary celebration. What remains particularly satisfying is that one of the things that most stuck with our friends in Douai, and they still talk about this, was the conduct of you, the students. And I mean conduct, not good behaviour, this should be a given. It was the way you mixed with each other, the staff and other adults around you, you good cheer was exemplary, you did us, and William Allen, proud with your Edmundian spirit, well done to all of you!

Remembrance was revisited with especial poignancy this November with the installation of our 86 perspex Tommies in the College Chapel so that our students and staff could sit with these spectral yet very real reminders of the Edmundians who fell during WWI. One of the most moving moments was seeing our boarders help pack away the silhouettes at the end of the period of installation, carrying our fallen, one by one, with reverence and curiosity, out of the Chapel pews that they too would have sat in. Who will also ever forget the installation of poppies outside the Chapel, thought up and executed by our amazing D&T department? Of such moments, of such dedication is our community built.

Continuing with the theme of community we recognise and thank the Edmundian Association, for all its great work and it is lovely to see Jo, O Beate, Beatty here with us, Old Edmundian and former alumni officer and thank her for all her hard work and note the superb job being done by Linsey, no apostrophe Edmunds in this role. We thank the association for sponsoring all the Rhet 2 prizes as well as the Association awards and urge all our leavers to stay in touch and hope you will make it to this November’s St Edmund’s Sunday to share memories and perhaps make new, Old Edmundian, acquaintances.

My lingering memory of St Ed’s Sunday 2018 George Stack OE the night before at the Friends Ball at the former Poles Convent and then some twelve hours later toasting the Association with him from the President’s Cup, brought down from Ushaw and probably not used for such a purpose since its Douay Days. Both the ball and the Sunday were a great celebration of community and I thank the Friends for all their support also over the years.

You won’ t miss me badgering you for money, but I will miss you and only hope that my next PTA will be as helpful and committed as you.

2019 saw a record number of applicants for Elements, translating into 108 students starting next September;

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quick read through the list of reasons gives you some idea of what we are about as a school:

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

it is true that possibly, just possibly, Sir Elton or even Taron Egerton, might have offered a slightly more polished version, there was no doubting the sincerity, love and respect, in the dedication of ‘Your Song’ to you by your colleagues.

11 boarders; huge thanks to all involved in the process of bringing in these future Edmundians and great to have with us today Sarah Hebbs, our Admissions Officer for 5 years, who left us recently for a new chapter of her life in Devon and thank Amy Howard for taking over and doing so well and Barbara Tucker for her sterling work with international admissions. It is great to see so many of our Prep School students coming through and we look forward to seeing them arrive and thank Mr Cartwright and his team at the Prep for all their dedication.

As we moved further into 2019 a looming deadline became ever clearer: big characters vying for attention, frenzied, last minute, behind the scenes preparations. I refer, of course, to the College’s production of School of Rock, another outstanding demonstration of the talent we have here at St Edmund’s. One will never confuse the plot line with the mature work of Dostoevsky, but the message of children wanting to be heard above the noise of parental and societal pressures, to ‘stick it to the man’ was deceptively powerful and the quality of musicianship on and off stage was superlative. I don’t think we have ever had a production that was as truly ‘collegiate’ it was especially wonderful to see so many of our Elements involved; a number of whom were on stage, of sorts, again this week with our student led production of the Lion King.

I think I genuinely lost count of how many rock bands we have at our Summer concert, but that was just one facet of an evening full of talent and commitment across so many genres and periods; thank you and well done to all, but what a great send off to Karen Salter Kay; how proud you must feel Karen, to know you have been a key driver in fostering so much talent. We thank you for all your service in and outside the music school and note also the significant contribution made by Ian and Kathryn to the richness of our musical life, not least in our liturgy. While

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A recent visit by one of our Diocesan advisers exhorted us, and in particular Paula Peirce and the team of staff and students in and around the Chaplaincy, to ‘carry on being brilliant’ with the variety, ambition and witness of our Catholic Life. Thank you Fr Peter for all you do for us, your patience in Douai was a thing to behold, and the Mass celebrated here to close our anniversary year was a special moment shared with great intimacy and reverence. We had a record number sleeping out in the Galilee Chapel this year and Charity Week 2019 raised nearly 17 thousand pounds, bringing to 56k the total we have raised over the years for Noah’s Ark. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our parents with prizes for the silent auction as well as providing for a bbq on Clock Quad among the many activities. The students really do show themselves at their best during this week with their efforts, big and small, to raise money for others.

Br Andrej, I’m not convinced you’ve ever forgiven me for comparing you to the Fonz, but that really is the highest accolade someone of my generation can give to another.

We thank you for all you have done this year; you have been a quiet inspiration to the students and staff through your witness, (scary) intelligence, work ethic and good nature. You will make the most wonderful priest We weren’t sure you would take up the Easter bunny challenge, but you did so very gamely, thank you; what your dogs will make of this tradition, Mr Mostyn, remains to be seen!

I never spend as much time in boarding as I would like to, but each year the boarders’ leavers dinner is a highlight.

In some ways it is a very low key event, but breaking bread with the boarding staff and Rhet 2 leavers in the Parlour really brings home to you what is so special about boarding, the camaraderie, the looking out for each other, the opportunities. As a way of building resilience and independence, the ability to step outside one’s Google bubble and rub shoulders with students outside your usual circle of class, House or year group, boarding is hard to beat. It is, judging by all the comments deleted from the draft pages of the leavers’ yearbook, great fun. A good number of our day students who have moved to weekly and flexi boarding have never looked back, even when their parents want them to come home, appreciating the structured opportunities for study and also the

Our thanks to all the boarding staff and farewell to Debbie Wilkinson as she moves off to Swtizerland; you have been outstanding in all you do and we wish you every success. I have particularly enjoyed our talks on your BSA programme and am sure one day soon you will be running your own school. Julie Fletcher Dyer also leaves us at the end of term and thank you for everything.

I will always remember observing your lesson; a real masterclass; in boarding you always put the children first and were always ready to give of your time to younger staff; the very best of luck as you move to Royal Berkshire, just look out for reversing Range Rovers!

Blanca and Marta, Nicolas and Alfsonso – you have been a stellar presence in boarding and so many areas around the school; we wish Blanca returns to Spain to take up a teaching post and we are delighted that the majority of you have voted to remain.

Goodbye also to our German and French asssistants Fay Ren and Marie Scheppens for their work in the languages department and boarding. Both of you have done so much more than simply be an assistant; please do keep in touch as you progress further with studies and career choices.

Another year of lots of sporting achievement and activity and I commend all those students who turn up, week in week out, properly turned out and the staff who work so hard to set these standards. I know that there will be clashes and other demands on your time, but to play for your school should always be considered a privilege; well done to all of you, in victory or defeat, who have worn our school badge with pride.

This year the department has added a link with Hoddesdon Swimming Club to its roster of activities, a win-win that allows us to share our pool with talented young locals but also tap into the coaching credentials of the club for the benefit of our students. We also hosted two Saracens rugby coaching camps this year and look back on a rugby season where we won 68% of matches, with our Elements and Rudiments squads unbeaten.

Our senior girls won the netball county cup, our U13s took home the County Plate and our girl footballers were county cup runners up. Our girls hockey U16 squad were County runners up and finished joint 3rd in the regional finals.

We now have had a Cricket Coach assist in training our Elements and Rudiments sides, part of our new Prep to College cricket programme. The Elements are a strong side going forward with County players and District representatives. They have qualified for the Semi Final of the County Cup. The Grammar side are in the Quarter Finals of the County Cup. Across the year groups we have won 11 of the 15 matches played, with the weather rarely on our side this term.

We keep an eye out for and commend all the elites athletes in our community excelling in their personal sporting ambitions: in sprinting, shooting, skiing, horse jumping and dressage, girls football and more. How you manage to do so well at school and keep to such demanding training schedules does you huge credit and do always keep us updated of your progress.

Thank Rhydian, for his two years as a PE Gap assistant, in particular his support with rugby and his dedication to boarding; James Adams stays with us to start his teacher training.

The postponement of Sports Day this week meant that we closed the week with a glorious day of competition and celebration; well done to all of you who took part and supported each other with such good spirit. There is, occasionally, an individual who will take the spirit of inter House competition a bit too far, get a bit over excited, but to fair to Ali Dunning she was the model of restraint yesterday.

Ali, you will be missed, but we cannot say that we have not get our money’s worth out of you: according to isams so far you have given 14 years, 9 months and 21 days of dedicated service as an inspiring teacher and Head of German, a tireless Head of House and latterly doing a great job as Acting Assistant Head pastoral. Ali, you have

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community feel. It is wonderful to see so many of our prize winners from the boarding community today and parents who have flown in to share this day with them, thank you!

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

touched the lives of hundreds of students and staff, setting an example of what it is to be a teacher. Exeter School is very, very lucky to be getting you and we all know you will be brilliant in your post there of Deputy Head. I know Talbot did not carry the day yesterday, but you have led Talbot to so many successes and deserve a medal yourself.

As the sporting season closes so too our staff transfer window and we say goodbye to some of our signings who move on to other teams, national and European. We thank Kerry Evans for her inspirational teaching of English and exemplary commitment as a tutor wish her and her family as they move south of the Thames. We thank Mark Connor for all his great work as an inspiring teacher, Director of KS4 science, Rhetoric tutor and boxing enthusiast. Nick Cairns moves to Madrid and we thank for all his great work in the classroom, with DoE, Lego, CCF, and, like Mark, for his amazing Open Day experiments; how many children wiil be starting here next year having been inspired by your enthusiasm? Gemma Fanning has led the EAL department with great zeal and her insight into supporting students from abroad has been particularly helpful. She too moves to Madrid, to take up an Assistant Head post and I am sure they will as impressed as we have been with her intelligence and dedication. Katharine Moore leaves us after a short stay, but impressed us all and we wish you and your family well. Lisa Barley has been a key part of the learning support team for 7 years and has worked with empathy and dedication, will be missed by students and staff alike.

(MEDAL) So let us address the elephant in the room: are we saying goodbye to an unusually high number of good staff? To a degree, yes – the school does not build what it builds by employing poor teachers, but the number of staff leaving this year is pretty much on a par with the average over the last seven years; when you include how the school has grown over that period then it drops as a percentage. length of service is considerable – between Ali Dunning, Mohana and Karen Salter Kay we have over 50 years of dedicated teaching and care. And change is essential for any institution to grow and develop.

It was Father Pinot who once said to me that there are no such things as coincidences. The first time I gave my address as Headmaster he lay in his hospital bed on the Isle of Man and passed away the next morning, with typical lack of fuss and grace on the Sabbath, Father’s Day

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2012. All the more lovely, therefore, to finally bring to fruition the memorial garden in his honour thanks to the hard work and creativity of Dan Walker and his team, Mrs Scott, Jim Milner OE. The triskelion sculpture reminds us of many things, not least the Isle of Man, the trinity and the gothic tracery of our Chapel, but it also points to the constancy of change and movement. Interestingly it is a common motif in the region of Spain I am going to. No such thing as coincidences indeed!

As a leaver, just a few words to our remainers: don’t take this school for granted! Seizing the day, every day, is exhausting but try not to miss too many of the amazing opportunities that the location, buildings, history and, crucially, the people here can offer you. They say nature abhors a vacuum, although I quite enjoy hoovering, so as others move on seek out responsibilities and opportunities. Don’t come to the end of your time here with too many of those dreaded ‘if only’ or ‘I wish’ es.

So leavers, keep in touch! Your days at St Edmund’s are coming to a close, but you will be an Edmundian forever; take with you not just your memories, your selfies and signed shirts, but keep in your hearts and minds the values this school was built upon as you go out to shape the world. And don’t think you cannot make a difference!

Think of Greta Thunberg and the impact she is making; to address the UN on climate change at the age of 16; think of Selah Schneiter, who climbed El Capitan at the age of 10 – incidentally a five day climb that took a year to plan. I’m not trying to make some corny cliché about following your dreams and they will all come true, simply that each and every one of us does make a difference, whether we like it or not sometimes, we just have to think how and what. Don’t be that person standing infront of a piece of modern art, for example, saying ‘I could have painted that!’. So why didn’t you?

Estimados padres, alumnos y profesores [oops, sorry, wrong school!]. So, as I start to pack up for sunnier Spain allow me a few moments to look back.

My application letter for the headship of St Edmund’s, in November 2011, for this post started with the quote from Newman you heard at the start of this address; let me quote further as we come to the end of my tenure: My vision for the College is, to a great extent, my vision of the College: I see a truly Christ-centred education that is rigorous yet humane, fully Catholic and offering something vital to Catholic and non-Catholic alike,

I will always be grateful to the College for the trust it has placed in me; to be able to carry on earning that trust as the Head of the College would be an even greater and humbling privilege, but it is one that I feel ready and able to assume. A recently read quote sums matters up for me rather well: ‘Education is the point at which we decide whether we love the world enough to assume responsibility for it…’. Not the shortest of letters perhaps, but it did the job!

summed up in a Mission Statement that is not just a statement of intent, but a true summary of what we actually provide at St Edmund’s.

There is, of course, much to be done: as a Catholic institution we are increasingly ‘counter-cultural’ and need to work that much harder to convince state and individuals of our validity as well as ensuring that the themes of witness, vocation and communion are clearly articulated and held up to our students; as a fee-paying institution we need to keep building on our academic success as well as continuing to develop the sporting and extra-curricular life that offers our students so many complementary areas in which to shine.

We all know too well that the world of education never stays still for long, but even so there are a number of challenges ahead that, either individually or acting in combination, could alter the landscape of education quite dramatically. ‘Free’ schools, the quickening pace of academy conversion, the future of A Levels and vocational education and university funding are the most salient features, but these may yet become truly academic points if some of the predicted financial scenarios come to pass; at the very least we face a decade of slow growth and severe fiscal restraint. Holding on to the College’s identity and core values will become harder in such a climate, but we should not be too fearful and remind ourselves that we are an institution that saw its way through the Reformation and the French Revolution by keeping to its Gospel values and being inspired by our saints and martyrs. Their example will see us through as long as we continue to demand the very best for and from our students; last year’s visit of Pope Benedict was a source of great inspiration and I would seek to build upon this momentum to ensure that our Catholic

After ten years at St Edmund’s, seven of them as Headmaster it is hard to say goodbye, hard to look back and think of all the what ifs, maybes and ‘what on earth was I thinking?’, but the overall feeling is an enormous sense of pride and privilege to have worked with the staff and students here and be able to look on all we have achieved together. Have I loved every day? Of course not, but I have loved, and will always love this school.

‘Happy to go; sad to leave’ is the best way I can sum up my feelings. Alice, Inés and I are moving to what I consider one of the most beautiful parts of Spain; Galicia, if you do not know it, is a land of beautiful beaches, mountains, rivers, seafood, poetry, smugglers and witches, the best steaks in Spain, small spicy green peppers, bagpipes, the home of the Zara fashion chain and, of course, the resting place of St James.

I will be taking over a school that is barely 10 years old, offering a British curriculum and modelled on the educational values that I benefitted from as a student and have always aligned myself with as a teacher. It is a job made for me, but I would never have found myself in this position were it not for everything I have learned, my successes and my failures, and I thank all of you who have helped me along my pilgrim’s path.

Matthew, it will be your turn soon to take over House Edmundia and it is clear that you have already fallen under its spell; a great future awaits you and the community here, of that I have no doubt and I know that at St Edmund’s will give you the same great support and trust I have enjoyed.

My congratulations and thanks to all of you and save me a seat for the 500th anniversary! Until then, Avita Pro Fide!

PAULO DURÁN, HEADMASTER

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education is as rich and inspiring as it can be through our prayer, academic, sporting and artistic life.

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

Prizes 2018/19 ELEMENTS

KIAN BARTON Design and Technology

THOMAS BASS Geography

HOLLY CELANO Italian and Religious Education

ANNA BURTON Drama and Religious Education

FABRIZIO CIRAOLO Religious Education

SAMUEL HAY-CAMPBELL Design and Technology and Music

BETHANY CURTIS-COPELAND Information Technology and Science

THOMAS CRESCI Information Technology and Mathematics

HENRY DUNN Physical Education (Boys)

ZARA DEMETRIOU Physical Education (Girls)

HESTER EVANS Drama and Spanish

EMMA DENNY English, French, History and Mathematics

KEIRA FERNS Physical Education (Girls)

ANNABELLE DOWNES English and French NKECHINYEREM EZUMA Design and Technology SCARLETT GALE Drama, Information Technology and Religious Education KIANA HAWES Food Technology and Science AMELIA HUDSON Food Technology and Science HARVEY KASS Art and Design LOIS LAWRENCE Physical Education (Girls) JOSHUA LUKE Physical Education (Boys) JOE RADFORD Physical Education (Boys) LUCIAN TORUŃ-SHAW History GABRIELA TWISS Art and Design and Geography JEMIMA UZOKA Music

RUDIMENTS SYLVIE ALLEN Food Technology

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MUINGA GINGA English AMY GUJRAL Special Award for Design and Technology, Food Technology, English, Spanish, Geography and Mathematics

IVAYLA RUSINOVA Art and Design and Design and Technology LENNY SCHWARZ English, German and Music MEGAN SIME Art and Design, Food Technology, Geography and Science QIKAI ZHAO English as a Second Language and Information Technology

GRAMMAR FRANCIS ARIWAODO Latin BRENDAN BALDEH German SARAH BONNELL Biology CHARLES BUSH Physical Education (Boys)

ABIGAIL HALLAM History

JUSTINE CLARKE French

RONAN HAWES French, German and Mathematics

JACK CLEMENCE English and Spanish

MARIO IHEANETU Geography

ISABEL CRESCI Art and Design and Italian

TOBEYA IKEYINA French

JOSHUA CROOK Drama

EVIE KELLY Drama

OLIVER EDMUNDS Chemistry, Food Technology, History and Physics

WILLIAM LANG Mathematics SANYA MOUNTFORD Music

MOLLY GAUGHAN Music

RUITING NI English as a Second Language

ALEJANDRO GONZALEZ URQUIZA English as a Second Language

OLIVER PARKES Physical Education (Boys)

ALASDAIR HUNT History

RIAN PATEL Italian

BROOKE JOHN Physical Education (Girls)

ANABELLA PITTALUGA History, Physical Education (Girls) and Spanish

DILLON JONES Information Technology JOSHUA JONES Physics

GRISH RUNESH BARLA Religious Education

Art and Design, Geography and Latin

CHARLES KEELEY Geography

NINA BAYFORD French, History, Physics and Spanish

JESSIE ROBERTS Geography

ALICE KING Music PHOEBE LEE Chemistry, English, Geography and Religious Education

OSCAR BLAKE Art and Design GIORGIA BURAGLIO Music

LISA OGUTU Biology and Spanish

ALESSANDRO CIRAOLO Biology, Computing and Music

MAYURA PUSPARAJAH Italian and Religious Education

YUTAO FENG English as a Second Language

LEONARDO RUMALEAN Special Award for Biology, Chemistry, Design and Technology, French, History and Physical Education

ISABEL GARDNER Business Studies, Italian and Sports Studies

MILLIE SCOTT Physical Education (Girls)

BENJAMIN GIKUMA Chemistry and Design and Technology

DAISY TORUŃ-SHAW Latin JOSEPH SHENOUDA Physical Education (Boys) YU WAI TANG German and Mathematics AMY TAYLOR Design and Technology WHITNEY UDIGWE Drama and Food Technology

JOSEPH GARDNER Drama

MARTINA GIORDANO Latin OTIS GRIFFIN English AYLA HESLOP-MOORE Physical Education (Girls) SHANNON HUNT Physical Education (Girls)

ISABELLA UZOKA French

FREYA KAVANAGH Drama and Information Technology

HARRISON WAINWRIGHT Design and Technology

FINLAY KELLY Sports Studies

YUBO WANG English as a Second Language and Mathematics

NIKITA MISTRY English

JOSEPH YAGUDAEV Information Technology

SYNTAX OLUWATONI AKINOLA Biology and Mathematics JODIE BAILEY-HO Chemistry, Italian, Mathematics and Physics

SCARLETT MITCHELL History

CONNOR ROCHE Physical Education (Boys) JAVIER SÁNCHEZ ESQUIVEL German JOSHUA SOWTER Physical Education (Boys) MARTIN STEFANOV English as a Second Language WILLIAM TAYLOR German and Information Technology SAMUEL WILLOUGHBY Design and Technology

POETRY TOBENNA ABANA German NANA ADJEI French LANA ALDEN Chemistry KYPRIANA ANGADI Biology CALLUM BIGGS Design and Technology ELLA BUENAVENTURA Physical Education (Girls) and Sports Studies FRANCIS BUTTERWORTH Chemistry HARRIET CAUNT Latin

ADEOLUWA OKUFUWA Spanish

RORY CHICK Drama and Physical Education (Boys)

OGORCHUKWU OZOR Business Studies, French and Religious Education

LUCY EDMUNDS Art and Design

LEWIS PARRY Computing SHRIYA PATEL

MILLIE FLANNAGAN Sports Studies JONATHAN FRY Computing

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JAKE JORDAN Art and Design

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

Prizes 2018/19 OLIVIA GEORGE English, Geography and Information Technology ANDRII GUNIA English as a Second Language CHLOE HOBAN Drama and Physical Education (Girls) MARIE JACOVIDES English LEWIS JARVIS Geography ABBIE-MAY JONES Art and Design and Business Studies HARRY JORDAN Design and Technology EVA CAMILLA KNUTSEN Business Studies RUOPAN LI Special Award for Biology, French, Geography, History, Computing and Mathematics XINYIN LIU Mathematics ETHAN MACKENZIE-YAPA Physics EDWARD MARSHALL Music SORAYA OMOTOSHO History and Information Technology SOPHIA O'SULLIVAN French and Religious Education ENZO PICCIRILLO Mathematics and Religious Education

TESSIA SILVA-KIRSAKYE Italian

OLIVER MARTIN English and History

YOSSAPHOL SONGSRI Special Award for Art and Design, Biology, English, Spanish, Geography, History and Mathematics

KARA MICHAELSON Mathematics and Psychology

EMMA TUAILLON Spanish JAMES WATSON Italian

RHETORIC I

DOMINIC NEGRI Physical Education (Boys) CHINENYE ODO Chemistry MAIREAD SHEEHY Economics NADA TADROS Biology CATHERINE WHITE French

KATHLEEN BARRETT Spanish ISOBEL BIRCHALL Art and Design LUCY BOYLING Music

RHETORIC II OLUWASEUN AKANNI Computing Prize

IMOGEN BURTON Drama

CLAUDIA BROOKER Extended Project Qualification Prize

LEO CARR Politics

LUCA BURAGLIO Higley Prize for Music

HILLARY CHEUNG Media Studies

FREYA BURKE Media Studies Prize

LARA CHICK Physical Education (Girls) and Theology

JOSEPH CANAVAN Canon Parsons Prize for Chemistry Westwood Prize for Mathematics Canon Parsons Prize for Physics

MAXIMILIAN COOPER Design and Technology COURTNEY FERNS Sports Studies BETH GARDNER Geography EDWARD HARTLEY Further Mathematics and Physics

THOMASINA CASS Paul Rogers Prize for English EMILY CONNOR JHW King Prize for Politics OLIVER CORLEY Gilbert Prize for German

ANTONELLA PITTALUGA Spanish

SHENGYI HU English as a Second Language

YI DING Higley Prize for Design and Technology

CASPIAN PLUMMER Biology, German and Music

CHIKOYE KASOLO Business Studies

MOLLY GARDNER JHW King Prize for Psychology

SOPHIA PRICE ROSS Computing, History, Latin and Physics

SAIF LATIFI Computing

ALEXANDER HOLDEN DS Lindsay Prize for Sports Studies

JAMES ROSE Physical Education (Boys)

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OLYA LINKINA German

COLLEGE AWARDS

CHARLIE PONTING Computing Prize

SHAOHAN LUO Paul Rogers Prize for English as a Second Language

Edmundian Association Award Thomasina Cass

CHARLIE ROSE Higley Prize for Design and Technology

FIONNUALA MARSHALL Gilbert Prize for Spanish

D J K Walters International Prize Yi Ding

ALVARO SANCHEZ MARTINEZ Canon Parsons Prize for Biology Canon Parsons Prize for Chemistry

GLORIA MUGABI Bishop Butler Prize for Theology

SICILY SCRIMALI Governors’ Plate for Academic Endeavour Ivor O’Mahony Prize for Caitlin Keith Business Studies Royal Society of St George Award for Personal Gilbert PrizeAchievement for Italian Madeleine Purser and Ella Wansell JHW King Prize for Psychology

TAYMEN SARGUSINGH Ivor O’Mahony Prize for Economics JHW King Prize for History DS Lindsay Prize for Physical Education (Boys) MONET SCRIMALI John Gillham Prize for Art and Design, Gilbert Prize for Italian ARYAMAN SOLANKI Gilbert Prize for French Purada Vongnum Canon Parsons Prize for Biology Stephanie Winfield JHW King Prize for Geography DS Lindsay Prize for Physical Education (Girls) Ruidi Zhu Westwood Prize for Further Mathematics

CCF Regimental Sword Jack Rydqvist

POLLY STATEVA Westwood Prize for Mathematics

NGA CHUNG LIANE SUEN Patrick Cullinan Salver for Contribution Sport Paul to Rogers Prize for English as Taymen Sargusingh a Second Language FIOLA Mary Woodcock Prize for Mathematics at TARIANG University John Gillham Prize for Art Teddy Sumsion TIMOTHY WORSLEY Headmaster’s Cup for Progress DS Lindsay Prize for Sports Studies Willem van de Ven Edmundian Association Award Purada Vongnum

RHETORIC II BOOK PRIZES HAVE BEEN KINDLY DONATED BY Keith Latham Cup for MathematicsTHE EDMUNDIAN ASSOCIATION Ruidi Zhu

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CAITLIN KEITH Ivor O’Mahony Prize for Business Studies

Head Girl’s Speech 2018-19

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

Reverend Father, Chairman, Headmaster, Mr Mostyn, and my fellow Edmudians.

On behalf of everyone here today, and all the students here at St Edmund’s, I would like to welcome Mr Mostyn to Edmundia and thank you for coming here today to talk to us all. I know everyone is very much looking forward to your start in September and have every confidence that you will enjoy your time here. On behalf of the College, we would like to present you with a token of our thanks.

The Edmundian cycle stops for nobody. Another year has passed by, another Elements cohort are ready to begin and the current Rhetoric 2 are soon moving on. Today we say goodbye not only to all the Rhetoric 2’s but to some other important faces too.

I started St Edmund’s back in Elements, September 2012 as one of the most shy and scared students of the year. I remember turning up to school, probably about an hour early in true Marshall style, in my oversized blazer, which was intended to last me till Poetry, and a father who wanted a million different photos of me stood on the steps of school on my first day. Mr McCauley was our head of year and I remember him telling us all that the only advice he had for us regarding behaviour was, ‘If it would shock your nanny it’s probably not best to do it’.

And so that’s where my journey began. I’m pretty sure my time throughout St Ed’s can be summed up with moments of tears. From crying at my entrance exam, during my interview, on my first day, at every exam since and of course on my last day here I haven’t really been one to keep my emotions in very well. Mrs O’Neill still reminds me of this on a daily basis and maybe one day when I return to school, I’ll be able to greet her without being asked ‘Have you cried yet today?”.

St Ed’s has played a huge role in my life over the last seven years. I seem to have spent my life here and on the A10 whether from weekend college production rehearsals or boarding this year. It really has become my second home.

All the staff in boarding have been so welcoming this year and my only regret is not trying it sooner! I can remember the first ever email I received from Mrs Fletcher-Dyer this time last year, inviting me into boarding and to my almost royal ‘grace and favour’ room! You and Mrs Wilkinson are honestly some of the loveliest women I have ever met in my life and thank you for everything you have done. I’d like to thank some of the unsung

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heroes in Edmundia who also seem to spend their lives here. The College could not function without the ground staff, the catering team, the cleaners (especially the poor ladies who have had to clean my room in boarding!) and the all-time Rhetoric favourite, Ana in the coffee shop!

I’d also like to thank my parents for always being my taxi service over the past 7 years and wish you luck for the next 7 as my little brother Patrick begins next year. The trip here won’t look so bad after you’ve had to drive me to University! Also, my Nanny and Papa, who are here today and at every school event to cheer me on. Good luck Patrick, you’re going to love it! My advice to you and everyone else here is just to join in everything and enjoy every moment! Maybe pay more attention in Food Tech too as I’m not quite sure what I’m going to be eating come September!

Over the last week, I calculated that since starting Elements, we have each attended over 8000 lessons, 410,000 minutes of teaching, 1500 period 7 activities, 250 chapel prayers, 7 St Edmund’s Days, 7 Prize Givings, and as a year group have attained over 4142 Merits and 866 Detentions. I can safely say I didn’t contribute to a single one of those detentions but these numbers alone show how much we really have been through during our time at school!

As I say goodbye to St Eds, I ask myself what I have really learnt. Of course the academics have been important but I will take away some other life lessons too such as when I head of to university next year, if I am asked to go on a

Over the past two years Maths has basically been my life, or in fact what has taken over my life. Mondays will never be the same without quadruple Mr Mohana and quadruple homework to match. Mohana, if you have decided to turn on your hearing aids today, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for dragging me through further maths until the bitter end. I would like to apologise for never quite learning your rules for integration but I have learnt that indeed as you have told me, Maths is not my grandfather’s property. I will be sure to ring you one day when I am invited to the Paris Mathematical Institute for the new Fionnuala theorem!

I would also like to thank you for really enriching my experience at St Edmund’s. You have gone above and beyond. The India trip last year will be something I will never ever forget. Teaching Indian children in the schools the ‘Football’s coming home’ song during the world cup will always be remembered, even if it never did! I’m pretty sure St Ed’s is probably one of the only schools to get away with charging extortionate prices for pizza and drinks all in the case of charity but being situated in the absolute middle of nowhere really does call for some times of desperation in your wallet. I will miss your stories about life in India and Kenya so much as I’m sure purposely trying to get a professor to talk about his life experiences won’t be so easy next year. I don’t think I

have ever known a teacher so committed to helping their students and I know you will be greatly missed here.

Mr West, my maths teacher who knows how to cheer up a class with bags of doughnuts. Most old Edmundians will know him as the previous head of Pole. Today however, he has claimed a new role as the figure at the end of the corridor making you reconsider your life choices. For further clarification, a statistical study, using our “cup of tea mathematics”, shows that children of Edmundia are more likely to walk the long way around school, even in the rain, instead of meeting you without a lanyard around their neck. I think your introduction by an Elements student on Open Day as “Head of Security” fits a lot better than Assistant Head. It is also very tempting to return in the future, without my lanyard, just to relive your lockdown once again. How much more fun would it be with Rhetoric students running around with paint guns.

Now that’s an idea for student council…

Dr Eves has always been a character around school but this year, teaching me Physics has been something else.

I’m not quite sure how he gets the most boring topics to be fun in class, or whether it’s just his high pitch exclamation which makes us laugh when one of us can’t recite from memory the well-known value of e squared.

Sorry to say sir, but I still don’t know what it is. The boys I’m sure will also always appreciate your pickup lines and dating tips. I’m sure one day the gravitational forces of attraction will come up in a pub conversation and one of them will use it! Mrs Jauncey, you have also been able to make Physics lessons fun in some strange kind of way.

Using playdough in Rhetoric two to model atoms or even better, the chocolate chip muffin lessons have been so fun.

Spanish has become one of my favourite subjects thanks to the passion and commitment of my teachers here. Mrs Franco has been an absolute rock throughout A levels, always there to support us and make learning about Spanish culture fun. My favourite lesson was definitely at the end of the year as we finished our teaching with a classic lesson on Spanish music, of course involving an impromptu practice of the Macarena! Weekly speaking lessons with Mr Soler also kept my sane within my weekly timetable with no frees (or King Room study sessions as Ms Marrinan would like to think!) However, I can never forget learning about Spanish culture in a proper way with Mrs MacDonald’s numerous amount of Spanish food brought back from her little trips away. I don’t know what I will do without my constant flow of Spanish fashion

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five day DofE canoeing trip to Inverness again, the answer is most definitely no. As many of the teachers here know, school trips for me have often ended in a bit of a disaster.

From skiing accidents in Austria followed by Miss McShane making a vlog of us travelling down the mountain in a skidoo both of us screaming but for different reasons, breaking my wrist on not even a real ski slope in activities week or freezing to death in the middle of a Welsh lake the week after snowfall last year on DofE. I have also learnt that the best singing on choir trips happens when the teachers aren’t in charge. Singing a mixture of Fauré’s Requiem in four part harmony, For the Beauty of the earth, which has become a St Eds anthem and Christmas carols, in July, on a Golden Boy bus on the way home from Pontigny was great. I think the bus driver was pretty impressed with a free private concert too. It also wouldn’t be fair to forget about all the amazing friends I’ve made on Bus 15 through the years and our termly bus sing-along. More sound has made on that bus singing Sing England’s Sons and O Beate mi Edmunde than I have ever heard in any chapel service during my entire time here!

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

magazines next year! Although I am and secretly always will be slightly petrified of you, you have really made my experience at St Ed’s wonderful. I am also very happy that you’ve never been my Irish dance teacher as after one practise in front of you at school, I’m not sure my pointed toes or jumps would ever have been good enough for you!

Our link with Stella Maris also allowed me to spend a summer abroad, working in Spain. Whilst there I had to opportunity to meet some of the past seminarians that have worked at St Edmund’s as well as the current Brother Andrej. These Brothers have been so important at St Edmund’s whether it was Brother Fernando playing football on the back field in Grammar or deep philosophical debates with Brother Rafael or Brother Andrej in Rhetoric. The Chaplaincy has also been very important during my time here. I will never forget the Sleep Outs in the freezing cold Galilee Chapel and especially the candlelight hymn singing around the organ at night. There is something really special about our College Chapel and I’m not sure how Christmas will properly begin this year for me without singing Adeste Fideles at the Carol Service.

CCF has been an exciting activity where I learnt how to fly a plane before I could drive a car. CCF trips will also be some of my fondest memories. The Douai trip last year was a favourite where our school was made to carry the Union Jack in a procession through the town… right next to the EU flag. A bit awkward to say the least. Mr Jones and Mr Gledhill have become the Chuckle Brother duo of the school, seemingly unable to agree on anything, especially directions, but loved by everyone. I will miss all the hilarious stories and memories made on CCF trips but can happily say that I am never voluntarily signing up to sleep in a tent at the front of school and get chased by cows in the field on night patrol again.

The College productions will be something else that I will never forget. All the memories back stage in the lead up to the show and the many weekends spent sat on the floor of Douay hall rehearsing created bonds between all the years. On stage I have successfully drenched myself with rain in Singing in the Rain, thrown basketballs into the music pit in Hairspray and tripped over a revolving stage floor in Les Mis. However, I was the proud big sister when Ed managed to get on stage, in his Elvis Presley wig, trying to pump some iron on roller skates in Starlight Express. Having never turned up to a PE lesson in his life, he wasn’t fooling anyone!

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I think I can speak on behalf of all students in the Music Department that Orchestra and Schola will never be the same again. The legend of Mr Benham, of who I am sure we have nearly driven crazy with the amount of talking in rehearsals allowed Period 7 orchestra rehearsals on a Monday to create some of the funniest memories.

Threats of emailing your form tutor for too much talking in rehearsals really don’t go too far when none of your form tutors have ever checked their emails so to all my previous form tutors out there, I thank you.

Mr Connor, as my form tutor throughout Rhetoric, you have been so supportive and caring. Although I still don’t understand a word about your champion league talks with the boys on a Monday morning, I wouldn’t have swapped this for anything else!

Mr Cunnah, you are probably one of the few members of the sports department to know me by name and have been a great new Head of Challoner house. Unlike Taymen, after 7 years I still can’t throw, hit or catch a rounders ball to save my life and I count my blessings that I will never have to do anything like the Bleep Test or Cooper run ever again. Although I do seem to have gained the reputation for being unsporty, this is actually far from the truth. Back in Elements and Rudiments, I was a very overly embarrassingly proud member of the B team in hockey and netball and can still remember scoring my first ever goal. I was even more proud of myself however, after not playing hockey probably since that date of going out to represent Challoner in senior hockey and not actually coming last! Mr Hounsell, you were our day one Housemaster and I still can’t believe you’ve demoted yourself… to Pole. You always had a great sense of humour, and were always up for a joke, but I think perhaps this was one step too far!

Mr Durán, you have also been here as Headmaster since we began. Our timelines have coincided and as a year group we have come to the conclusion that St Eds just wouldn’t be right for you without us! I wish you all the best of luck for the future and hope to see you at Edmundian reunion events in years to come. Monday morning assemblies will never be the same without your Douai/ Douay French pronunciation lesson and I would like to thank you for all the wonderful things you have brought to St Edmund’s during your time here.

However, I wouldn’t have got through this year without my amazing partner in crime, Taymen. You have honestly been an inspiration and such an amazing Head Boy. It has

Fionnuala Marshall – Head Girl 2018-19

Head Boy’s Speech 2018-19 Reverend Father, Chairman, Headmaster, Mr. Mostyn, ladies and gentleman, my fellow Edmundians, Mum and Dad. Writing a speech like this is difficult as it is almost impossible to compress years’ worth of memories and thanks in one small document. To gain inspiration I went with pen and paper into the Chapel hoping I would be filled with the Holy Spirit and the ideas would just start flowing. But that was not the case. I thought perhaps I will start with my story. Both my parents attended this school, I guess I am as Edmundian as you get. I do particularly remember my first interview here, thinking the whole place looked just like Hogwarts. I brought the biggest book I could find to look more intelligent although I hadn’t got past page 1 and probably still haven’t. For me, Elements comprised of getting lost, making friends, and consistent L1s in art. Even after all this time, I believe my stickmen deserved at least an M but you move on. How many of you remember the

Induction camp, eating marshmallows around a fire and singing, whatever we were singing. I can tell you, those were stress-free days, the days where getting a merit made you feel like a king, I miss those days.

Well, Rhetoric 2’s, we made it. As street poet and philosopher…Drake once said, started from the bottom now we’re here. Think about how far we have come, individually and as a year group. Looking back to Elements it seems like it was just yesterday. There was the first lesson, the first prize-giving, the first girlfriend, the second girlfriend, the third girlfriend... I will stop there. I guess it is great to have seen all of us progress from young shy individuals to the leaders of tomorrow and for much of it, we have the school to thank. But let’s not forget our parents. To all the parents, I was once told being a parent is a full-time, underpaid and thankless task so thank you, your support does not go unnoticed.

Fortunately, I have had the privilege of being both a day pupil and a weekly boarder at the college. ‘Boarding is great’. Perhaps the showers could be a little hotter but it is great. I will never forget the Monday and Thursday night football matches I have played in this very hall. All the nutmegs, rainbow flicks, and failed bicycle kicks I have inflicted on the opposition. However, the sense of community is unchallenged, it has been so interesting to learn about all the different cultures and languages, from all areas of the globe. Although, what I will remember most is how to curve in Russian, Spanish, or even Mandarin. I must give credit to the boarding staff who give up a lot of their time and ensure we have fun by organising multiple obstacle courses, and themed evenings such as ‘Australian evening’ where only the bravest of us attempted to eat the smoky BBQ roasted crickets, did I…of course not.

I do love my sports and consider myself blessed when looking at all the sports facilities the school offers. Upon leaving, I am delighted I never have to play cricket again and have lost count of the number of times I have been screamed at for being too close to the cricket square during break. I have played so many Rugby games in the rain, mud, and snow over the years and have learned so much but the highlight will always be Mr. Cunnah, whose poetic team talks are more like a scene from a romantic comedy, sending me onto the pitch with a poetic mission rather than in the zone. I cannot tell you the number of times Mr. Cunnah has said to me and I quote “you need to hit the gym more” but as you can

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been so fun working with you this year and forming a bond which I hope will continue for years. Being Head Boy and Girl during the 450th Anniversary was such an honour and we can now definitely say that we will be going in the history books! Avita Pro Fide!

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

see I never listened. I was lucky enough to captain the football first XI this year and it was a good season, unfortunately, we lost in the semi-final, and I would like to blame the referee but I cannot forget nor forgive Addy’s own goal from a corner, it was diabolical.

However, I do thank the master tactician, Mr. Jones for all his coaching throughout my time here. I wish all the sports teams good luck for next year and I hope you bring back some silverware.

St Edmund’s is a great place and I will never lose the ‘Edmundian spirit’. I have countless memories I will never forget and I can always say I studied at the oldest catholic school in the country which has a nice ring to it. Having travelled to Douai, Douai I can never remember the right or wrong pronunciation but it really was a good experience. I felt like I was experiencing the shared history of the college and are thankful to have been a part of that. However, that mass service was the longest I have ever been in and certain individuals never seemed to recover from having to wake up at 4:30 am.

Such as Chikoye who I had to personally drag out his bed in boarding as he had forgotten to set his alarm and was asleep for most, if not all of the trip.

Another strong memory I will never forget is when I did a sponsored haircut for charity week. My first mistake was trusting my friends to cut my hair and I never will again. The razor broke in my hair and I was left with so many bald patches, it was a horrible experience. You would think by raising money for charity your friends wouldn’t comment on the ‘bad trim’ but no, I was consistently called egghead, baked bean, peanut and it definitely didn’t bring me much female attention.

Anyway, on the charitable aspects of the college special thanks must go to Mrs. Pierce who has done so much to ensure we fulfil our Catholic mission.

I would especially like to thank the best Head Girl, my right hand and partner in crime Fionnuala Marshall.

What a great speech, but I expected nothing less.

Fionnuala has on multiple occasions kept me in line, led by example, and brought great positivity to the position.

Her organisational skills are unmatched and have been a great credit to the college. I would still like to think I was the better head student but I know she’d disagree.

Fionnuala, I was supposed to have brought you some champagne as a celebration but honestly, it must have got lost in transport. Considering you have a further maths on Monday it might not have been the best idea

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anyway. I think we will both never forget all the speeches have had to present together and I realise now my constant teasing of “Are you scared yet? Look there are so many people…” did not help the nerves.

Being a prefect comes with many perks, but the best thing about being a prefect has to be the food at prefect meetings and dinners. From cakes to muffins to steaks, it is endless. However, I did find if I arrived late to meetings Anthony, Buchi, or Addy might have eaten my share. To the prefect team this year, thank you for all your help and teamwork you showed. What a talented team we were, from a flurry of beautiful signers – Alexia, Claudia, Fionnuala, and Freya. To musicians in Tamsin, Teddy, and Emily and a modelling career on the horizon for Addy. Although I fancy my chances in politics in my later life, Oliver Car is undoubtedly a future prime minister in the making. Mr. Petty on behalf of all prefects, thank you, your constant commitment to hold prefect meetings to ensure our ideas were heard was great. I would also like to thank all those in the headmaster’s corridor, who consistently helped us with events this year, we are all grateful.

One of the best things about this school is the friends you make and the memories you keep. Harrison Kelly, I wish you good luck on your plans to be a millionaire by 24 and have a Yacht by 30, it won’t be easy and who knows maybe I will beat you to it. I thank you for the free taxi service, it will be missed. Giovanni, I guess you are going for the ‘Jesus look’ but you really do need a haircut. Oliver Corley, this is your intervention, picture this, a man who drinks 3 cans of diet coke a day, it is not good for you so please stop. Then we have someone who doesn’t need much of an introduction, you hear him before you see him, built like a rock, Anthony Nlewedum. I am grateful for the constant competition we have had since year 7, it did help us achieve all we have, but for your sake, I won’t go into AS mocks. If I remember correctly I got my first ever detention from arm wrestling him on the refectory tables but the win was worth it. When in Rhetoric most people are so desperate to drive to school and over the last two years I have enjoyed teasing Andreas Harkos for his shocking parking, no wonder he won worst parker in the yearbook. Remmi Page, we all thank you, the big sister of Rhetoric 2, never lose your caring and positive traits, they will always brighten everyone’s mood. One person I had to mention is George D or as he prefers ‘G-Money’.

He once told me during a driving lesson he accidentally

Every adult in this room will remember their school days, some will remember them with laughter, joy, and good times others may not. But I can assure you they can all recount certain memories with their teachers. To all the teachers who have helped me and the college throughout my years here…thank you. Maybe you have not been credited enough for your work. You equip young men and women to be ready for the outside world. Mr. Mohana I have probably lost count of the number of times you have called me ‘buddharam’ which I think is the English equivalent of an idiot but your maths skills are unmatched, you really are a genius. Mr. Hounsell your sarcasm will be missed and who knows one day I will actually buy you a cake. I would especially like to thank the man-machine, Mr. Brett. I thank you for your great enthusiasm in History classes over the years and I have noticed your profound coffee addiction, no wonder you can mark a class worth of essays in one night. Some of you may be like me and really struggled to grasp languages and thus I am so grateful to Mrs. MacDonald who scared me into a good work ethic in Spanish GCSE, ‘Merci’, no wait that’s French, ‘Gracias’.

Mr. Stokes no matter how many times I speak to you, I always have to pause for a moment and think about what you’re saying. I will never come to grips with the welsh accent. Mr. Mandizha, what a guy, the people’s champion. Economics…could not have done it without you, sir. From beating you at Kahoot to sharing stories with problems at home, thank you. Mr. Ellen is always going to answer questions with other questions but you’ll get used to it.

As I look to the future, I realise the importance in Rhetoric has had on my own progression, it is such an important part of your life, you are preparing to embrace the change that comes with going to university or whatever path you may choose. Leaving behind free accommodation, home-cooked meals, and financial stability. It will be tough but I am looking forward to it. The job Mr. Powell and Ms. Marrinan do as heads of Rhetoric are so important. If it wasn’t for Ms.

Marrinan I might now have got into any university as I was too obsessed with perfecting my personal statement, I forgot to add my A-Level subjects and AS grades to my application. The encouragement you have provided has gone a long way.

It is sad to see Mr. Duran leaving knowing all he has achieved at the college. I thank you for all you have taught me and all the stories we have shared over multiple meals. I remember we were in about a potential Sargusingh wing, so if the last thing you do is ensure these plans go through that would nice. I welcome the new Headmaster and wish you good luck for next year. I already know the incoming prefects will be fantastic. Ollie is a great leader and suits the position, I know many of you remember his outstanding performance in school of rock this year, he was a beast.

I know Nada quite well and her caring and campaigner traits will be an inspiration to all. She has a mission and is ready to embrace the position.

Every student has experienced a fair share of disappointment and upset, including me. Things might not always go the way you have planned, but you’ve got to stay persistent and determined. I for example did not get my top choice university but you can’t let failures drag you down, it is how you respond to them becoming better and stronger that’s important. Having just finished an extensive period of revision, you realise how much can actually be achieved every day.

Over the summer if you cut back on 45 minutes a day of watching TV or lying in bed you will create 50 hours to do something different. 50 hours to ensure you get that job you want over summer, invent that product you dreamed of or even conquer that book you never got round to reading and prepare for your future. Every one of you has the potential to change the world. While the idea of material success does influence our lives heavily, I ask you to follow your dreams and do what makes you happy. Be phenomenal or be forgotten.

Thank you Taymen Sargusingh – Head Boy 2018-19

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turned right at a roundabout into incoming traffic as opposed to taking the third exit, it came as no surprise when his instructor quit on him. Inter-house competitions can be very intense, especially football and Paddy I am forever sorry for that one time I fly kicked you in the jaw trying to win the ball, it really was an accident.

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2019/20 With the College closed to students due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no Prize Giving ceremony at the end of the 2019-20 academic year.

However, it seemed fitting to end the Trinity Term in the same way it had begun…online! Head Boy Oliver Martin and Head Girl Nada Tadros were invited into the College Chapel to address the Edmundian community alongside the Headmaster, with their speeches recorded and distributed to families online.

In normal Speech Day circumstances I would now be launching unashamedly into a very long speech to a captive audience, but the trouble with doing this online is that at any moment you could lose the will to live and switch me off, and given that we have yet to hear from the Heads of School and the Cardinal, I promise to keep this short in the hope that you will stay with us.

It's been a strange few weeks during which your experiences have ranged from the agony of loss to the joy of family love, and against all the odds it has become increasingly and delightfully clear over the last couple of weeks in particular that Edmundians in all year groups have made better academic progress since March than we could ever have imagined possible. It is a credit to your children and to the staff who teach them.

Your Eminence, Chairman, Governors, Ladies and Gentleman.

Some of those staff are leaving us today. Katie Ayettey in Art, Natasha Vock-Betton in RE, Naomi Christie in EAL, Gillian Helks in Learning Support, our Stella Maris GAP Assistants Nacho Cespedosa and Marta Barberan and our language assistants Melanie Rölli and Célia Van Trong Houng, you only came to us for a year, and what a year it has been. But in spite of everything, your contribution to St Edmund’s, your dedication to your pupils and your constant good humour have been truly exceptional. Brother Juan returned to his community a few weeks ago, but in his absence we thank him for all that he has done for us, and his constant kindness and support. Nicholas Gallego has been with us for two years now and has become as much a part of the music department as he has of the boarding house. After this year of all years we will miss you all more than we can say and we wish you every happiness and success in your future endeavours.

I find myself itching to write a strongly worded letter.

This time last year I was in the final stages of the handover from Paulo Durán. I had done everything I possibly could to prepare myself for the Headship of St Edmund’s. I had completed every one of the numerous courses which new Heads are expected to complete, in order to be ready and prepared for absolutely anything which they might face. And not one of those courses even mentioned in passing what to do in the event of a global pandemic sending the world into lockdown halfway through your second term.

Lizzie Tucker – don’t think I have forgotten you. Lizzie joined us 4 years ago as Head of Geography and has made a staggering contribution. I suspect that all of you who have been taught by Ms Tucker would agree that she is a truly exceptional teacher, and those of us who have worked with Lizzie have seen first-hand what an exceptional Head of Department she has been. She is also an accomplished sportswoman, and has made a terrific contribution to our sport, especially in the early part of this year when she agreed to take responsibility for this area of life whilst Mrs Dunhill was away on

Headmaster’s Report 2019-20

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This is perhaps also a good moment to mention another member of the teaching staff who is NOT leaving. Quite the opposite in fact. I know that he will not want a fuss to be made, but I know that you would want to join me in congratulating English teacher John Hayes who today completes 40 years of teaching at St Edmund’s. Mr Hayes, we salute you. And given that even after 40 years you still have a reputation as being one of the finest teachers we have, I hope there will be many more years to come.

As for our leavers, they have all been replaced with new faces, but I’ll spare you the introductions until they are actually here. Suffice to say, however, that we have some seriously impressive new staff joining us, and they will be contributing next year to what I really feel could be a vintage year in the history of Edmundia. We must pray fervently that the virus continues to retreat and that we don’t get hit by a second wave. Because if not, then let’s for a moment think about what September could look like.

We won’t be entirely back to normal, but we will at least all be back at school. And how often does a new school year begin with 630 pupils who are all genuinely delighted to be at school? And 130 teachers who are absolutely desperate to be back in their classrooms with their pupils? And as for the legacies of lockdown, if you had told me during my sleepless nights in April just how well St Edmund’s would cope with the biggest crisis the world of education has ever known, I would never have believed you. Remote learning has worked. Teaching from home has worked. Your children have worked. The vast majority have not fallen behind, and in fact some have made better progress in lockdown, when they have been forced to get organised and dig deep, than they were making before this started.

And as an institution, too, things could have been a whole lot worse. Like all businesses we have had to tighten our belts, and that will need to continue for a while, but the bottom line is that whereas far too many independent schools have had to face the agony of closure, St Ed’s lives on to fight another day. Pupil numbers remain very healthy indeed and all the evidence from enquiries, to open day, to visits, suggests that our reputation and popularity both here and overseas is growing exponentially.

And I am not surprised. Because as I said to you this time last year: this place is a hidden gem. Time and time again over the last twelve months I have remarked upon what I am seeing here every day: exceptional teaching and learning, being delivered by exceptional staff, to exceptional pupils in a school with exceptional moral values. And above all in an atmosphere of exceptional cheerfulness and positivity. It’s a powerful recipe. I really have never experienced anything quite like it in 26 years of teaching in 4 leading public schools, and difficult as this year as been, not a day has gone past when I have not thanked my lucky stars that I am here.

Have a wonderful summer.

Head Girl’s Speech 2019-20 If someone had told me last September that the last three months of my final year of my 15 years here at St Ed’s would be spent at home, with the most important exams of my life being cancelled and that I would be doing my prize giving speech in front of a screen, I most definitely have assumed you were unhinged. And yet here we are. However, given everything I still thank God for my good health and the health of those around of me and I hope all who watching this are keeping well.

So, I’m going to try and compress my appreciation for the last 15 years here into 5-10 minutes. And to be honest if you know me, I tend to talk quite a bit so you’ve actually escaped a waffle of a speech. Regardless I’ll try my best to keep it short.

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Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

maternity leave. Lizzie is moving to be Assistant Head at St Angela’s Ursuline School, and they are very lucky to get her. Thank you, Lizzie, for all that you have done.

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

I would firstly like to thank all the people behind the scenes. The people that make this school function the way it does but don’t always get the recognition they deserve. These include the groundsmen, the cleaners, the admin staff, all those in marketing and accounts and everyone else who work so tirelessly and are always willing to go out of their way to help.

Next, I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone at the Prep School. Having started my journey at the Nursery in 2005, the school and its amazing people really shaped me in my early years. To Mr. Duddy and Mr. Cartwright. To Mr. Hull, the Goodfellows, Miss Roper, Miss Dee and to all my other teachers, I would most definitely not be the person I am today without you and although I wish I could have visited more, I am forever grateful for your kindness, generosity and the time you invested in me.

Before I continue, I would just like to say it would take me hours to talk of all my experiences and to thank everyone the way they deserve but since I don’t have that time, I will mention just a few of those who had an impact on me.

To the Science Department. They have supported me the whole way through my journey. From lower school to GCSE to A-Level, I couldn’t have achieved what I have without them. To Ms. Towns, my Biology teacher, who said to me in Rhetoric I that she was hoping I’d be Head Girl just so that the Bio department could finally get a shout out. I’m sure this isn’t exactly what you envisioned, but here you go! Your creativity and consistent willingness to help never went unnoticed. Also, to Mrs Davies who always provided the food. You’re the best. The thoughtfulness of Ms. Towns, Mrs Mallabone and Ms. Marrinan really was unmatched. I’ll never forget Vanessa and I being gifted two books that I had mentioned I’d wanted to read to help our medical applications. It was at times like this that I realised that we were cared more about than just for our grades.

And to Chemistry, a subject I claimed I would never touch again after GCSE but proved to be quite enjoyable in the end. I want to mention Mr. Chapman as probably the sweetest man alive. He was always kind and considerate to us. He’s also a bit of a human encyclopedia, always giving us fun facts but still shutting Rishi down who was usually simultaneously annoying and entertaining us.

And to Dr Heslin who is such a lovely, patient and caring woman. You always supported me through my time and your help went beyond Chemistry and the classroom. I

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would also like to thank you for always responding to my successful attempts to distract you from teaching. One question about something unrelated and we were sorted.

Another victim of my master of distraction was the angel that is my old Maths teacher, Mrs Dunhill. Definitely the most stylish teacher in the school with many of our lessons consisting of me asking where she got her clothes from...oh, and of course doing Maths. She always believed in me from the start, from encouraging us to do our GCSE early to always being there for me with any problem I had. And of course, for always being willing to show me pictures of her beautiful baby.

The Maths department as a whole has been amazing.

From Dr Banahan, one of the best teachers I’ve ever had, to Mrs Fraser who helped me from the beginning, to Mr. Hounsell, who I apparently still owe cake from like 3 years ago. It has always been such a friendly environment for me and one where I know I was fully supported.

And now to Rhetoric and our Heads of Year. Ms. Marrinan, one of the most warm-hearted and caring women I know.

She helped me through my stressful medical application and was there to support me through it all. Your dry humour and sarcasm never failed to cheer me up. Your concern always went beyond our work and our achievements; you really looked out for me as a whole.

Always telling me to sleep more. Which I never did. But still I’m very grateful for all you have done.

Mr. Powell, living legend. Always going above and beyond to help anyone and everyone. He personally helped me through a lot and his support and care never went unnoticed. You are one of the most hard-working and selfless people I have ever met and I will forever appreciate everything you do and continue to do.

Ms. MacDonald, who is and has always been a sweetheart and to all those watching I’m here to publicly claim she is not scary at all, so I hope by the time I come back to visit this reputation has gone. And to Mr. Curran and Mr. Mostyn. I can’t imagine how stressful your first year of being at the school must have been with our good friend coronavirus disrupting everything, but you have both dealt with it admirably. You are both amazing additions to the school and I trust that you will have a hugely positive influence in the future years.

Another mention has to include Mrs Applegate, my GCSE Art teacher and form tutor. I’ve always said Miss was like a school mum. She was always there to pick us up when we were down or to give us an attempted

I also want to give a huge mention to my Netball team.

It has been such a significant part of my journey here.

Before I joined the team, I already knew Beth Gardner and having been netball friends since day dot, from there our friendship blossomed and stayed strong for six years.

Six years playing with more or less the same team has really been an honour. Yes, we have been very successful...making the school look good if I do say so myself, but it got to the point where it was never about the actual netball anymore. It was about my team, my closest friends. From trips to Brighton, Leeds and Exeter, to meals out. It was about being stupid at tournaments and enjoying each other’s company. It was about winding up Miss Hebdon, but still aiming to make her proud of us, to repay her for all her faith in us. Her confidence and her belief that we could do it. A lot of teams had amazing players, but few had the chemistry and bond that we had.

My memories from netball are one of my fondest and I will hold onto forever. Also guys, watch out for Courtney Ferns. That girl is going to play for England.

To all my friends, I’m so sorry I can’t mention everyone.

To Mairead and Beth Sherlock, my social activist friends.

I could always rely on you for a good rant about the problems of this world but also good laugh. They were always there to cheer me up and put a smile on my face.

And also, a massive thank you to Vanessa. Medical applications were tough and stressful, but without this girl by my side the whole way through, always there to encourage me through it, I most definitely would not have survived. She is also one of the most intelligent people I know and I’m certain she is going to make the most amazing doctor. And lastly to Kate, my best friend from Year 4. Our friendship started a bit rocky with me not liking you and all, but soon I realised we clicked and since then we’ve been going strong for 10 years. She’s always stood by me, supported and believed in me and my entire school experience would never have been the same. She really is my right hand and my sister. And also, a shoutout to my second family, the Barrett’s who have always been there for me.

And to all my closest friends, who know who they are, I love and appreciate and will miss you all. I would also like to thank Olly. He is annoyingly talented and good at everything. I mean everything. And although our year as a duo got cut short, I appreciate him through it all. I just want to publicly apologise to him for doing everything at the last minute. I know this man will achieve amazing things and I hope he still remembers me when he’s big and successful.

To my amazing family. I would firstly like to thank my Dad, otherwise known as my personal ATM. Always ready to give me extra money for my ‘travel expenses’ aka my three-course meal. You work so hard, and your resilience and perseverance continues to inspire me every day. I would not be in the position I am today, nor would I have the motivation or strength to follow my dreams, if it wasn’t for you and your sacrifice.

To my very big brother, Karim. My 6ft 7 bodyguard, who is always there to protect me and make me laugh. He really is my best friend, and we are scarily alike...he better take that as a compliment. But I will admit that I’m also jealous of him, because the Maths department clearly preferred his skills to mine. He’s also a bit infamous at this school, remembered for being that guy who exceeded everyone’s expectations by achieving 2 A*s and an A with about six weeks of revision.

And lastly, to my guardian angel: my mother. Now a lot of people watching will know my Mum, most probably for her addiction to taking pictures. And her determination to overcome any obstacle to get them. I know she’s devastated that she couldn’t get her front row pictures from this year’s prize giving. She’s also lucky that I don’t have the time to embarrass her! The only thing I will say, is that if you know me you’ll know I’m not the best at being on time. This is most definitely because of my Mum. Always late. It’s easy to get frustrated, yes. But when she’s late it’s not because she doesn’t care, it’s not because us Egyptians seem to have a gene that makes us predisposed to being late to every single event. It’s never because she’s lazy or she’s involved with her own life, it was always because she’s busy putting others first. She’s overcome her own adversity, she’s tackled personal difficulties all while supporting everyone around her. Her wisdom, generosity, kindness and selflessness are the reasons this woman is my absolute inspiration. My parents have sacrificed so much and have worked so incredibly hard, Nothing I have achieved would be possible without them. Or Karim.

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Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

telling off when we were misbehaving. I really did love my Douglass form. From getting annoyed by Max Davies singing and dancing 24/7, to looking at Izzy’s amazing art work, to Ed Hartley trying to explain complicated Maths to me that I didn’t and still do not understand. I loved everyone in my form and growing up from Year 8 with them was such a blessing.

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

Most importantly though, I give all my glory to God. There’s no denying that school has been stressful and that there were times when life was very overwhelming.

But to be in an environment where anywhere you look there’s a cross, and to be in a school with such a beautiful Chapel, was something that I always appreciated. And a huge thank you to Mrs Peirce who is so selfless and loving. School and charity would not function or be the same without her.

You might think that it would be easy to take all the credit for my achievements; my biggest one clearly being getting into medical school without actually doing any A-Levels. But it is what goes on behind the scenes that makes all the difference. It's the teachers who have been invested in me from beginning to end.

It's the effort, the personal, tailored support and the reassurance and encouragement. It’s the open, safe and friendly community within the school. I know when I look back that I will be so thankful that this is the place I grew up in, the place that has shaped me. I have made amazing memories here, from trips abroad to making friends for life. I will forever appreciate this place I call my second home.

Now if you have got to the end of this video, or if you got bored midway and just skipped the end, I just have one last thing to say. If the coronavirus pandemic has taught me anything it’s to appreciate everything ten times more. Life is fragile, life is uncertain and life is unpredictable. I’ve heard the saying “2020 is cancelled” too many times recently and at first I agreed. But soon after I read a poem that basically said what if this is the year where we finally accept the need for change. In a world of injustice and suffering, this is the year where we need to declare change. Work for change. Become the change. This should be the year we finally come together instead of pushing each other further apart.

It’s often very easy to focus on negatives, easy to point out problems and easy to take people the school for granted. I know I have in the past. But this year has been a reminder that must do all that we can to focus on what we do have instead of what we don’t and how we can use this for good. Thank you for watching and I hope everyone stays safe.

Nada Tadros – Head Girl 2019-20

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Head Boy’s Speech 2019-20 Your Eminence, Governors, Headmaster, Staff and Students.

I’d like to begin with a postcard sent from a student at the college on Sunday 9th August 1942. It reads: “Dear Pam, I have had a lovely time at St Edmund’s. I don’t think I’ve ever concentrated for such a long period as I did last week. I have been sleeping in a dormitory with twenty other girls, some from Hull, and Tunbridge Wells, and the rest from Walsall. It is nice and quiet here as there are no air raids. Together we have had simply lovely lessons and the country round the college is very beautiful.”

Despite being in the midst of the Second World War, a crisis with global ramifications somewhat comparable to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this postcard typifies exactly the kind of optimism and sense of place that the St Edmund’s community elicits in all its students. It demonstrates that the community spirit that has endured for the last 452 years is unique and resilient and I hope that the St Edmund’s community will continue to impact student’s lives in the same way in years to come.

It goes without saying that this is not how I envisaged my final year at St Ed’s playing out. What I have long associated and expected for this year of my life was largely embedded in the romanticised stereotype that following six months of intense suffering, we would all emerge from the final exam hall feeling triumphant and liberated. However, the idea of ‘staying at home’ for six

Looking back at photos of my year group in elements, despite some questionable haircuts (mine included) and being classified by the Collin’s dictionary as generation ‘snowflake’, throughout our seven years at the college we have show great resilience. Nobody would have guessed that together we have lived through the age of fidget spinners, meme culture and Covid-19.

When I was writing this speech, it was inconceivable not to mention COVID, this one invisible enemy that for us Rhetoric II’s created the illusion that everything we had worked for, stressed for and grafted for had evaporated and it felt almost surreal. Many of us left school, exams cancelled, feeling cheated, as if the purpose of our whole school career had dematerialised overnight. But then the next week began and we embarked upon our first experience of online school and despite what had happened, it felt as if nothing had really changed except that those same people I had been seeing everyday were now behind a screen rather than in front of me.

Reflecting on this, I realised that perhaps I had allowed my view of this year in my life to become myopic, that in my over-zealous graft to achieve in exams, I had overlooked the true significance of my time at school: that it is the people who constitute a community, and the community itself which imbibes upon its young people the values and lessons with which they embark into life. Therefore, I’d like to dedicate the remainder of this speech to different parts of our community and the people within each segment that make St Ed’s such an exceptional place to grow up. Before I begin my personal vote of thanks, on behalf of all students, I’d like to thank all teachers, parents, families and support staff for everything you’ve done and continue to do.

So, how can we define a community? I believe a successful and thriving community is a group of people that can be defined as having four predominant characteristics. Firstly, a community supports its members. Secondly, a community works towards a common goal. Thirdly, a community acknowledges its own strengths and weaknesses. Finally, a community strives to be better.

To begin with, a community is a group of people that support each other. A community supports and encourages its members to take risks, to try new things and to cope with both successes and failure. Therefore,

first of all I’d like to than my own family: Mum, Dad, Nanny and Alice for ceaselessly supporting me in all of my endeavours and encouraging me to pursue all of my academic, musical and sporting interests.

Secondly, I’d like to thank the music school community.

It was Leo Tolstoy who said “The goal of the artist is not to solve a question irrefutably, but to force people to love life in all its countless, inexhaustible manifestations”, and due to the endless support I’ve received from those whom I’ve acted with in School of Rock and Les Mis, sung with in Schola, performed with at St Ed’s Fest and jammed with in rock band, I cannot think of a group of people who better epitomise that sentiment. Thank you for your support and for your friendship.

I’d like to recognise the support of a few people in particular. To paraphrase Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight”: “the hero[es] we need, but don’t deserve”. So, thank you to Miss King for five years o early lunch passes and more importantly for having an open door and an open ear and to Mr Coombs and Mr Waters for inspiring me every week and teaching me to love the guitar as much as you. Guitar lessons were always the highlight of my week. It is the support and dedication of people like you that have made investing my time in the music community so rewarding.

The second characteristic of community is that is works towards a common goal. Within the wider St Edmund’s community, this involves educating the whole person in body, mind and spirit. Working on more of a tangible day-to-day basis, I’d like to thank this year’s prefect body who have collaborated towards a common goal, that is, aiming to improve the academic and social experience for all pupils. Together, we have helped to confront and tackle some of the major issues that students face in our school community such as mental health awareness and student welfare, as well as finally managing to sort out the lunch queue.

In particular, I’d like to thank Nada for possessing such fortitude in leadership as Head Girl. Nada, I’m confident that you will succeed in everything you put your mind to and Leicester Medical School are lucky to have you.

Thank to my deputies Leo and Max, it has been great working together this year, to Ed Hartley for never failing to turn up ten minutes late for every meeting but always in time to eat whatever is left of the cake and Will Roberts for putting up with me since action tots.

I’d like to take the opportunity to wish next year’s

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Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

formers and indeed people all around the globe has come to fruition in a rather different way than what we expected.

Prize Giving and Speech Day 2018

prefect body all the best as they begin their journey as official student leaders, in particular my successor Pub who will commence his tenancy as Head Boy. I am confident that together you will continue to build on what we have achieved this year as a fundamental tenet of the community.

Miss Moloney and Mr Powell not only for your help with UCAS but for your irreplaceable pastoral work within the sixth form community and Mr Hounsell for leading an unforgettable trip to India, being a fantastic head of house for five years and for your invaluable work during every college production.

Moving on to the third characteristic, a community must be something that recognises its own strengths and weaknesses on both an individual and group level.

Therefore, I’d like to thank all the teachers I’ve had the pleasure to work with, but in particular my A-Level teachers who help all their students to build on their existing skills and address their areas for development.

Thank you to Mrs O’Neill for ameliorating my love for Shakespeare and to Mrs McCann for pacifying my loathing for Jane Austen. The enthusiasm you both have shown has meant that literature, in all its forms, will be something I continue to engage in for the rest of my life. Thank you to Mr Brett for sharing your passion for Victorian politics and along with Mr Stypinski, inspiring me to pursue history at university. Thank you to Miss Sargent and Mr Mandizha for your passion for economics and for creating a haven for debate in the classroom, and to Mr Duignan for all your hard work and dedication. Finally, I’d like to thank my tutor

Finally, the fourth aspect of community is that together in its totality, it strives to be better with hope for the future. Therefore, this last part is dedicated not only to those who would have been rewarded today for their hard work and erudition but to all Edmundians – past and present. Optimism is not always easy, especially given the innumerable challenges we face as a modern society including but not limited to racism, social inequality, climate change and global disparities in wealth and prosperity. That said, be confident in yourself and in the knowledge that your communities will continue to support you, bring out your strengths, confront your weaknesses and work with you towards our common goals and together we can strive for better. “Be the change you want to see in the world”. Thank you to everyone who makes the St Edmund’s community what it is.

AVITA PRO FIDE

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Oliver Martin – Head Boy 2019-20

Rhetoric

Rhetoric Report 2018/19 & 2019/20 Life in Rhetoric throughout the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years was fast paced, full of wonderful achievements and dominated by outstanding contributions to the College community. As ever, students worked tirelessly on their post-18 preparations and A-Level examinations. This resulted in unprecedented success for St Edmund’s Sixth Form, especially in the UCAS process.

Rhetoric Leadership and Induction Days Across both years we welcomed Elevate Education and ‘Learning for Earning’ to deliver our Rhetoric Leadership and Induction Days. These always take place early in the academic year to ensure that students are fully integrated into the Rhetoric community, and help them to

understand the responsibility that comes with being a senior student at the College. The day began with a study skills session for Rhetoric I, before Rhetoric II joined for group activities focussed on leadership, teambuilding, and trust. Rhetoric II were outstanding in how they assumed their new roles as Leaders of the College and the Rhetoric Tutor Team enjoyed joining in each activity.

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Rhetoric

Enrichment and Visiting Speakers Inviting external speakers to work with our students is a key part of the Rhetoric programme. We welcomed many visitors over the two years to address Rhetoric and engage them with a range of topics and issues. Some of the talk titles included: ‘Financial Management and Student Finance’, ‘Food for Life’, ‘Drug Problem: What Drug Problem’, ‘The Effects of Binge Drinking’, ‘My House in Damascus’, and ‘Risk and Consequences’, ‘Picturing War’, ‘Resilience’, ‘Art Behind Bars’, and ‘Healthy Mental Health’. There have been two speakers that had a particularly profound impact on both the students and tutors. The first of these was a talk titled ‘Out of the Ashes’, which was delivered by BAFTA Award Winner Annie Price. Annie spoke about her life, her resilience and her success after she suffered third degree burns to her face, arms and hands at just four weeks old. The second memorable talk was ‘When Failing is Not an Option’, a fascinating presentation delivered by Rachel Findler, who spoke about her life as a professional skier and the journey that she embarked on to become one of the world leaders in free skiing.

War Photographer Rick Findler spoke to students about his experiences capturing war and conflict all over the world.

‘Adventures of an Extreme Skiier’: Rachel Findler now works with students and businesses on how to adopt an athlete’s mindset to overcome challenge and adversity.

UCAS and Post-18 Applications Once again, students worked very hard and diligently on their UCAS applications and the 2018-19 and 2019-20 years saw unprecedented success. Over the two years we had three successful applicants to the University of Cambridge, with high percentages of our students achieving places at Top 3 and Russell Group Universities.

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The St Edmund’s Day Interview Programme was also a great success across both years also, and through staff, visitors and Old Edmundians, we were able to provide various MMI Stations and subject-specific interviews for all of our candidates participating covering a host of disciplines. All students had at least two interviews and were then required to plan and present a presentation to their peers and a panel on a topic linked to the area of their application.

Activities Week – Rhetoric I Each year, our Activities and Enrichment Week provision grows. In recent years we have attended the Official UCAS Convention at Anglia Ruskin University. We have also visited both the University of East Anglia and Royal Holloway University to have immersive tours and hear from their admissions teams and current students about their experiences of life at university. We also had visiting speakers to support students in drafting their personal statements and all students had the opportunity to meet with a member of the Rhetoric team to begin their personal statements ahead of Rhetoric II. Finally, in both years, we held the Rhetoric Enterprise Day Wadesmill Farm’s Art Shed Studios. The students’ brief was to think of a design for a recyclable or upcycled product that they would have to create a prototype of and then create a business, marketing and finance plan for. Students had to work together in advance of the day to develop a group and brand identity, and also source the materials they would need for the product. In both years, the response by students was extremely positive: they were selfmotivated and enthusiastic. Each group was made up of students with a range of skills and areas of interest.

Students had to assign themselves roles within the group, which included a Project Manager, Product Designer, Marketing Manager and Finance Manager.

Re-launch of the Rhetoric New York Trip In the 2018-19 academic year we relaunched the Rhetoric New York Trip with huge success. It quickly become a multidisciplinary trip and over the two years we had 65 students attend. Students studying Business, Economics, Media Studies, Design and Technology, Physics, Art, Geography, English Literature, History, Politics, Theology, Maths and the Extended Project

Rhetoric Qualification were all able to use the trip to enrich their A Level learning and, in some cases, use the trip to aid their understanding of case studies and even contribute to the A Level coursework. Of course, there was plenty of time for some important sightseeing, which included a Statue of Liberty River Cruise, a visit to the Top of the Rock, Ice Skating at Wollman Rink, a tour of Central Park and lots of time spent in the various unique areas of Manhattan. Alongside all of this we had a Tour of the Financial District, a visit to the United Nations and British Consulate, a Marketing Tour of Macy’s Department Store, an All-Access tour of Maddison Square Garden, an exclusive tour of the 911 Memorial Museum, a visit to the Design Museum and visits to Broadway and an NHL Game.

Covid-19, Lockdown and the Pre and Post Rhetoric Programmes Covid-19 brought a very abrupt ending to the 2019-20 academic year for Rhetoric II, and led to the strangest of starts to Rhetoric for the incoming Rhetoric I. With the support of Academic Departments and the Rhetoric Team, we were able to deliver a Pre-Rhetoric and PostRhetoric Programme, all virtually, at the end of the 201920 academic year.

The Pre-Rhetoric Programme included Pre-A Level lessons to introduce students to their post-16 courses, as well as workshops and tutorials to prepare students for Life in Rhetoric. Throughout the programme there were plenty

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Rhetoric of opportunities to speak with current Rhetoric students to understand the big differences between A Level and GCSE. Alongside all of the provision for students, six Pre Rhetoric Parent Workshops were delivered during the evenings, which ranged from ‘How to support your child in Rhetoric’ to ‘Understanding and preparing for the UCAS Process’.

The Post-Rhetoric Programme aimed to prepare Rhetoric II students for their next steps and their Post18 pathways. This included various workshops and tutorials to prepare them for university learning, student finance and budgeting and how to navigate results day.

Alongside all of the provision for students, five Post Rhetoric Parent Workshops were delivered during the evenings, which ranged from ‘How to support your child Post-18 to ‘Student Finance and how to support your child with Budgeting at University’. Both programmes were a huge success and very well attended by students and parents.

Mr B Powell

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Rhetoric Boarders Congratulations to the Rhetoricians of Allen Hall and Garvey’s, who achieved some excellent results in their A Levels in recent years and became pillars of the St Edmund’s Boarding community. We bade farewell to two fantastic cohorts of Rhetoric boarders in 2019 and 2020, with many of the students having called Old Hall Green their home since Elements. Below are some photos of the class of 2019 looking splendid at their Rhetoric Boarders Leavers Dinner.

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Rhetoric

Leavers Destinations 2018/19 The Rhetoric Class of 2019 achieved some excellent ALevel results, with nearly 70% of examinations graded A*B and 35% graded A*-A. As you will see from the list below, students have gone on to study at a range of prestigious universities and been awarded places on highly competitive courses. Many others have progressed onto increasingly sought-after apprenticeship courses and training programmes. One student even left the College to enrol at flight school and achieve his lifelong dream of being an airline pilot! Of our 2019 leavers who progressed to university, nearly 60% managed to secure their first

place choices and we are delighted with the outcomes for those who went through adjustment and clearing.

“It is especially satisfying to see another year of excellent results and outstanding value added. Proof that these results are the fruits of our students’ ambition and hard work, supported by a committed body of staff in and outside the classroom. Studying at St Edmund’s really does make a difference, developing our students in mind, body and spirit.”

Mr Paulo Duran, Headmaster

Student

University

Degree

Oluwaseun Akanni

East Anglia

Computer Science

Chibuchi Amadi-Livingstone

Buckingham

Medicine

Antonia Bartholomew

Kent

Business Management

Alexia Boyd-Carpenter

Bristol

History of Art

Claudia Brooker

Queen Mary, London

History

Luca Buraglio

Hertfordshire

Music Composition /Technology for Film/Games

Freya Burke

Royal Holloway, London

Business and management

Joseph Canavan

Imperial College London

Physics

Krishna-Rae Carpenter

Loughborough

Commercial Management / Quantity Surveying

Oliver Carr

Warwick

Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)

Tamsin Cass

York

English Literature and Philosophy

Alfie Coates

Houses of Parliament

Employment

Emily Connor

Royal Holloway, London

History

Oliver Corley

York

Business Management

George Demosthenous

Nottingham Trent

Business Management and Economics

Giovanni Di Clemente

Nottingham

Mathematics

Yi Ding

UCL

Project Management for Construction

Frederick Frain

Gap Year

Siu Yu Fu

Reading

Building Surveying

Yu Tung Fung

Leeds

Civil Engineering

Molly Gardner

Surrey

International Event Management

Millie George

Edinburgh

Interior Design

Yuan Xu Han

Queen Mary, London

Computer Science

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University

Degree

Andreas Harkos

Reading

Quantity Surveying

Alexander Holden

Leeds Beckett

Physical Activity, Exercise and Health

Andrew Jonscher

Reading

Geography

Caitlin Keith

Nottingham Trent

Business Management and Human Resources

Harrison Kelly

Bachelor of Business Administration Pearson College London

Kirsty Kingdon

West of England

Quantity Surveying/Commercial Management

Ashleigh Lule

Medway

Pharmacy

Shaohan Luo

Westminster

Business Management and Marketing

Shaojun Luo

Edinburgh

Psychology

Liming Ma

Warwick

Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering

Laura Madden

Royal Holloway, London

Criminology and Sociology

Fionnuala Marshall

Edinburgh

Mathematics

Gloria Mugabi

Birmingham

English

Cara Murphy

Gap Year

Anthony Nlewedum

Nottingham Trent

Business Management and Economics

Remmi Page

Royal Holloway, London

Psychology

Louis Penner

Gap Year

Christopher Philippou

Nottingham Trent

Law

Jack Ratledge

Private Sector

Employment – Trainee Finance Scheme

Jack Rydqvist

Manchester Metropolitan

Biomedical Sciences

Taymen Sargusingh

Bath

Economics

Monet Scrimali

Instituto Maragoni

Fashion Design

Wenjia Shan

Queen Mary, London

Mathematics with Finance and Accounting

Jake Sherlock

St Mary's, Twickenham

Primary Education with QTS

Patrick Sherlock

Leeds

Geography

Joshua Simmons

Bath Spa

Film, Television and Digital Production

Aryaman Solanki

Cambridge

English

Richard Stewart

Cardiff

Environmental Science

Teddy Sumsion

Warwick

Mathematics

Sze Hon Tam

West of England

Interior Design

Shenghui Tao

King's College London

Economics and Management

Ella Taylor

GSK Apprenticeship

Biomedical Science

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Rhetoric

Student

Rhetoric

Student

University

Degree

Willem van de Ven

HAN (Netherlands)

Life Sciences

Purada Vongnum

Imperial College London

Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry

Chi Him Wai

Royal Holloway

Philosophy

Haocheng Wang

UCL

Psychology

Ella Wansell

Loughborough

Sport (Elite Athlete Pathway)

Henry Warburton

London Apprenticeship

Events Management

Alexander Watts

UCL

History

Charlie Winfield

easyJet

Pilot Training Programme

Stephanie Winfield

Nottingham Trent

Primary Education (Elite Netball Programme)

Axel Wise

Reading

Computer Science

Yiheng Xu

UCL

Chemistry

Yunyue Yang

King's College London

Biomedical Sciences

Ruidi Zhu

Imperial College London

Physics

Jiayan Zhuang

Bath

Economics

Yixing Zhuang

UCL

Economics and Statistics

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The Rhetoric Class of 2020 should be immensely proud of their achievements, and the stellar way in which they dealt with the cancellation of their exams and challenging rollout of their results. Following on from their outstanding GCSE results in 2018, the 2020 cohort achieved St Edmund’s best ever set of A Level results, with 78% of awarded grades being A*-B and a wonderful 49% A*-A. As many as 83% of students achieved a place at their first choice university.

We were delighted that the government announced they would be using ‘centre assessment grades’ to award students their A-Level results, and not the dreaded algorithm that had caused so much stress and anxiety for the students as they prepared to confirm their university choices. The College teachers took immense care and

diligence in awarding these grades to the students that they know so well, therefore, the ‘CAGs’ as they came to be known, were undoubtedly the fairest and most accurate reflection of the students’ academic ability.

“Having joined St Edmund’s as Headmaster last September this was my first set of leavers, and after all we have been through together this year, they will always have a special place in my heart. Watching the machinations of the exam boards and the government over the last week or two it is fair to say that we were braced for bad news, so the fact that, in spite of everything, our leavers have managed to produce the best set of A Level results we have ever had is quite extraordinary. I am deeply proud of them all.”

Mr Matthew Mostyn, Headmaster

Student

University

Degree

Finley Arbon-Donovan

Lancaster

Physics

Kathleen Barrett

Leeds

International Business and Marketing

Jonathan Belt

East Anglia

Computing Science

Isobel Birchall

Leeds

Fashion Design

Lucy Boyling

Leeds

Music and Music Psychology

Joshua Brody

Reading

Investment and Finance in Property

Ethan Brooks-Skeet

York

History and Philosophy

Joseph Brooks-Skeet

Loughborough

Construction Engineering

Imogen Burton

Exeter

Drama

James Byrne

Sheffield

Bioengineering

Eyshan Carpenter

Reading

Quantity Surveying

Leo Carr

Exeter

Politics and Sociology

Joshua Chapman

Gap Year

Rebecca Chappell

Exeter

Geography

Hillary Cheung

University of Arts London

Magazine Journalism and Publishing

Lara Chick

Durham

Theology and Religion

Robert Cook

Coventry

Business Management and Leadership

Maximilian Cooper

Liverpool

Geography

Luis Culverhouse Max Davies

Gap Year Leeds

International Relations

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Leavers Destinations 2019/20

Rhetoric

Student

University

Degree

Michael Dietel

Westminster

Computer Science

Courtney Ferns

Hertfordshire

Sport and Exercise Science

Max Fitzpatrick

Nottingham Trent

Business Management and Entrepreneurship

Sum Tung Fung

Royal Holloway, London

Law with Criminology

Elizabeth Gardner

Exeter

Geography

Thomas Gaughan

Lancaster

Computer Science

Nioka Gordon

Kent

Media Studies

Edward Hanley

Gap Year

William Harding

Ravensbourne, London

Music and Sound Design

Edward Hartley

Imperial College London

Computing (AI and Machine Learning)

Isabelle Hellstedt

Solent (Southampton)

Journalism

Shengyi Hu

Imperial College London

Materials Science and Engineering

Maddie Hudson-Clements

Met Film School

Screen Acting

Chikoye Kasolo

Exeter

Business

Freddie Knight

Apprenticeship

Oliver Knipe

Employment

Ching Yau Kwok

University of Hong Kong

Pharmacy

Kate Lane

Reading

Psychology

Saif Latifi

King's College London

Computer Science with a Year in Industry

Olya Linkina

Manchester

Economics

Oliver Luck

Reading

Investment and Finance in Property

Oliver Martin

Durham

History

Zak Martin

Newcastle

Computer Science

Kara Michaelson

Bath

Psychology (with placement)

Max McMullan

6th Form College

N/A

Amber Mustafa

Lincoln

Creative Advertising

Dominic Negri

Nottingham Trent

Product Design

Charles O'Connor

Royal Holloway, London

Film, Television and Digital Production

Chineye Odo

Leicester

Medicine

Freddie Roberts

Reading

Investment and Finance in Property

William Roberts

York

Economics

Rishi Sanganee

Newcastle

Chemistry

Stella Schulte

Bedfordshire

Education with Psychology

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University

Degree

Emma Scott

East Anglia

Media Studies

Mairead Sheehy

Bristol

Economics

Elizabeth Sherlock

Manchester

Geography

Jinchen Shi

Queen Mary

Business Management

Caitlin Stevens

Liverpool

Communication and Media

Nada Tadros

Leicester

Medicine

Ellis Taverner-Burns

Rhetoric

Student

Gap Year

Yuqi Wang

Westminster

Fine Art

Yinghao Wen

Lancaster

Business Management

Catherine White

Durham

Modern Languages and Cultures

Emily Wilson

City, University of London

Psychology

Guanghou Zhao

Queen Mary

Pure Maths

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Religious Life at St Edmund’s

The 450th Anniversary Mass in Douai – September 2018 Before dawn on Saturday 29th September 2018, a fleet of coaches left St Edmund’s and headed down the A10, bound for the small town of Douai in northern France.

The coaches carried a majority of our students and staff as well as some foirmer students and some staff from the Prep School. The reason for this mass exodus and this one-day return journey to Douai was to attend the Mass to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the founding of the English College, Douai – or Douay as it was spelt in those days – our first foundation, on the 29th September 1568.

Our Schola Cantorum and some sports teams had travelled to Douai some days earlier. This trip was the brainchild of Paulo Duran, then Headmaster of the College, and had been a very long time in the planning.

Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of St Edmund’s, and the Bishops Conference of England and Wales. The Archbishop of Lille was also present and among the concelebrants were old Edmundian priests and priests of the Archdiocese of Westminster.

Our Schola Cantorum, under the direction of Mrs Karen Salter-Kay, then Director of Music, provided the music for the Mass with great flair, Mr Chris Benham, our College Organist, accompanied on the organ and the serving was in the capable hands of our College Servers, assisted by some seminarians from Allen Hall, the Westminster Diocesan Seminary. After the Bidding Prayers the restored tabernacle from the English College, now installed in the Church of Sainte-Pierre, was blessed and it was moving to

Nothing now remains in Douai of the English College, known in France as the “College des Grands Anglais” except the tabernacle from the chapel. This had been restored, largely due to the financial efforts of generous Edmundians, and was due to be blessed during the Solemn Mass which was the focus of the celebrations.

The Mass was celebrated in the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre by the Archbishop of Cambrai, Monseigneur Vincent Dollman, who had only been in office for six weeks. It was his predecessors who had ordained many of the students of the English College before they left for the English Mission and almost certain martyrdom. He was assisted by Archbishop Patrick Kelly, Archbishop Emeritus of Liverpool, who represented Cardinal Vincent

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hear at that moment a verse of Adeste Fideles, our College Carol, sung by the Schola. The Mass ended with a stirring rendition of ”Sing England’s Sons” making it an unmistakably Edmundian occasion.

A lunch followed the Mass at the Ecole de Saint-Jean, after which we re-embarked on our coaches for the return journey to St Edmund’s. It was a long but unique day which will go down in our annals as a fitting celebration of the 450th anniversary of the foundation of our College which, because of its noble history, is truly a school like no other.

The Year of the Word (2020) In January 2020, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales declared 2020 the ‘Year of the Word’.

This was to mark several significant anniversaries, among them the 1600th anniversary of the death of St Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin. The Year of the Word gave us an opportunity to focus anew on the word of God. Each tutor group nominated a Scripture Champion who helped to lead reflections each week based on the Sunday readings, and to assist in the organisation and delivery of worship specific to this exciting initiative.

Poynter: Brendan Baldeh, Lily Brown, Adriana Cassera, Alicia Chugh, Pierce Chugh, Bethany Curtis-Copeland, Martina Giordano, Chloe Hoban.

Talbot: Ngola Ginga, Cosimo Gualandi, Dillon Jones, Zak Jordan, Guy Omotosho, Soraya Omotosho, Abisah Pwamang, Ivayla Rusinova, Zoe Stephens, Witney Udigwe.

A school prayer was written by Rhetoricians Edward Marshall and Francis Butterworth . This was displayed in every classroom and used as part of tutor group prayer: Year of the Word Prayer

By Francis Butterworth and Edward Marshall Lord, In this, the Year of the Word, allow us to forge an ever closer relationship with you.

Permit us new wisdom to understand your Word, so that we may grow ever closer to your eternal love.

Not knowing the path you have set out for us, teach us to serve you and listen to your word so that we may understand it within the context of our own lives.

Give us the perseverance to listen to your calling and gain a deeper understanding of your love for us, even in times when it may not seem clear.

Allow us to be servants of Christ & preach your Good News.

We ask through your Son Jesus Christ, Amen

Prefects’ Commissioning and Scholars’ Service

Scripture Champions: Challoner: Tanisha Chudasama, Roisin Devonald Smith, Sophia Jay, Ellis Kontkowski, Edward Marshall, Lenny Schwarz, Alexander Simpson, Joseph Yagudaev.

Douglass: Shyanna Asante-Adjei, James Banful, Erin Bowen, Francis Butterworth, Oliver Howell, Ahana Matharu, Ogorchukwu Ozor, Xifan Wu. Pole: Isabella-Danielle Antoniou, Esther Burton, Fabrizio Ciraolo, Leah Edwards-Amor, Jackson Howe, George Keogh, Scarlett Mitchell, Caspian Plummer, Cornelia Scott.

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The Prefects’ Commissioning took place in September.

The students dedicated their service to God and reflected on what it means to be a leader in the Edmundian community. Each prefect was called forward

The Scholars’ Service was also held in September to allow newly-appointed Scholars an opportunity to reflect on their God-given talents and the example of St Edmund as a Scholar himself. Each student was given a special certificate to mark this day.

Prayer corners Prayer corners are gradually being fixed in every classroom. These dedicated spaces allow students to focus more easily on Morning Prayer. Each tutor group has a worship monitor whose responsibility it is to ensure that the area is kept tidy and uncluttered.

Students are also given the opportunity to write prayers to be used in their tutor groups.

Retreat Week The weeks commencing 15th October 2018 and 7th October 2019 marked our annual retreat week.

Students reflected on themes such as Forgiveness, Peer Pressure and Who is Jesus? The NET ministry team brought their usual joy and enthusiasm to the week. It provided lots of opportunities for reflection, prayer and fun. The students also enjoyed chatting to team members during the lunch break.

“I really enjoyed the dramas as they had a deeper meaning” “I liked the silent reflection, it made me get real with myself” “I loved getting to know people’s faith journeys”

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by the Headmaster to sign the Prefects’ Book, which dates back to 1904. Held in the Shrine Chapel, this special occasion marks the beginning of the academic year and is always well attended by staff and parents.

Chaplaincy

CAFOD Fast Day and Food Bank Collection On Friday 1st October 2018 and Friday 4th October 2019, the College marked its annual CAFOD Fast Day. All staff and students opted for an economy lunch of bread and soup, with all proceeds going to the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. This is an important opportunity for students to stand alongside those affected by famine and malnutrition. We were delighted to be able to donate £5,335 to CAFOD as a result of this initiative.

In addition to this, as part of our harvest thanksgiving, we collect food for a local foodbank. Once again, individuals and families showed tremendous generosity, and in October 2019 we were able to send 698kgs of food to the foodbank covering Ware and Hertford.

Red Wednesday Every November, the College marks Red Wednesday as an opportunity for students to pray, and attend Mass, for those who are persecuted for their faith. This year, the ACN UK charity published small cards to promote the importance of Red Wednesday. Each card featured a photograph, name and personal story of Christians from all over the world who have had their human rights violated and faced persecution for their religious beliefs.

Students were encouraged to bring these along with them to a particularly poignant Mass that was held during Period 7, and offered up for those who do not enjoy the same religious freedoms as us.

In tutor time, each form group examined these stories in more detail, and were invited to express their solidarity in the form of a written postcard. These were posted on a board in the Ambulacrum as part of a wonderful display.

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Racial Justice

Each November we especially remember in our worship those who have died. Students were invited to write the names of the deceased on slips of paper and these names were placed in a basket on the High Altar and remembered in all our Masses throughout the month. Father Peter also arranged a short service for the “Blessing of the Graves” in the graveyard near the Chapel.

As part of Racial Justice Sunday, students prayed for racial justice throughout the world. There was also an opportunity to write prayers on this theme. Several students also entered a competition run by the Columbian missionaries to design a poster on the theme of ‘Let’s Create a World without Racism’. Their entries were very thoughtful and mature, reflecting Catholic teaching on the dignity of the human being.

Senior Citizens’ Christmas party St Edmund’s continues to host an annual Christmas Party for local senior citizens, many of whom would otherwise spend the festive season alone and isolated.

I am delighted to report that in December 2019, we had more guests and student and staff volunteers than ever before. As I hope the photographs will attest, it was a wonderful morning of food and drink, laughter, Christmas carols and festive party games. My thanks to all of those who gave their time to ensure that the party ran smoothly and help to create such a joyous atmosphere.

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Praying for the dead

Chaplaincy

Charity Week – Noah’s Ark In Lent 2019, the College raised £16,682.25 for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, a charity that supports children with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions and ensures that they and their families receive the support they need. This money went towards a brand new stateof-the art facility which was opened by Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, in September 2019. ‘The Ark’ is set in a 7.5 nature reserve in Barnet, and offers inside and outside activity play areas, as well as invaluable bereavement and counselling services for families. St Edmund’s students were invited to visit the site as The Ark was being constructed, whilst Mrs Peirce also attended the grand opening.

Holocaust Memorial Day During lock-down, we commemorated this significant day virtually. Each tutor delivered an assembly on this day focussing on the theme “Be a Light in the Darkness”.

It presented an opportunity to reflect on the depths to which humanity can sink, but also the ways in which individuals and communities can resist that darkness to ‘be the light’ before, during and after genocide. Students were then encouraged to draw or make a candle which they could put in their window at home.

Lucy Boyling and Beth Sherlock ware given places on the Lessons from Auschwitz project. This involved studying the lives of ordinary Jewish and German people in the run up to World War 2. Visiting the concentration camp at Auschwitz and then working on a project to ensure that the lessons learned are passed onto the College and local community. It was a difficult but profoundly moving experience for the students involved.

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The students involved showed great initiative, for example arranging such events as the talent show, ‘splat the teacher’, ‘Art for Auction’, cake and sweet sales, and not least our first ever Dog Show.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Award In May 2020 one of our Catholic charities, ‘Million Minutes’, launched a new local award, the Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Award. This award celebrates and recognises inspirational young people across the country who are making the world around us a better place, ultimately contributing to the Common Good.

Pier Giorgio Frassati was a young Italian man who devoted his life to social action, charity, prayer and the local community in Turin in northern Italy.

Giving up his spare time to look after the poor, sick and needy his selflessness saw him die in 1925 at the age of just 24 from poliomyelitis, an infection which he had caught from those he tended to.

The people he supported made several pleas for canonisation, and he was eventually beatified by Pope John Paul II on 25th May 1990. ‘Million Minutes’ was inspired by Pier’s story, as throughout his short life, he always put the needs of others before himself, never seeking reward or recognition for his work; his family only knew about his impact when at his funeral the streets were lined with mourners who had benefited from his kindness.

The College community was delighted when Harry Jordan (Rhetoric 2 Talbot) received this award. Throughout the pandemic Harry, working in his garage, used his design and technology skills to create PPE kit for local NHS workers, and visors for his teachers to use in school. In addition to designing a "Hangie" which is a device used to hold onto rails in public transport without having to touch the rail.

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In Lent 2020, the College raised £14,000 for the Catholic Children’s Society Emergency Fund, which seeks to provide immediate financial support for families facing a crisis in their lives. Parish Priests and Headteachers can apply to this fund on behalf of a family and they aim to respond within 24 hours. This support can make a huge difference to families in desperate situations, when often they have nowhere else to turn. For example, it can cover funeral costs or provide a grant to buy a bed.

Chaplaincy

Prayerbook Covers Each term a new prayerbook is issued to each tutor group. The prayerbook contains readings, prayers and reflections based on the theme of the week. A competition was launched asking the students to design the prayer book cover. There were lots of really thoughtful and artistic entries and we are now working through the winning entries using them as our covers for the term. This allows all students to see the artwork and be inspired by it.

Annual Sleepout

respond to these to show the centrality of human dignity recognising that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

On the evening of the sleepout, students exampled a number of case studies and reflected on the circumstances of those homeless people they focussed on. Later in the evening, a candlelit prayer service was held before trying to get a few hours' sleep, despite the intense cold. The following morning, the students again gathered for prayer and reflection. The night was very cold, but we all survived until morning and as a result of our efforts raised £2200 for the St Vincent de Paul society which provides emergency packs for the homeless. The packs include hats, gloves, socks and an information card giving details of places that offer help.

Our Annual Sleepout in the Galilee Chapel remains an essential part of the College year. On Friday 8th February 2019, students from all year groups and many members of staff gathered for an evening of prayer and reflection before unravelling their sleeping bags and spending the night in the Chapel. In the week leading up to the sleepout, students focussed in their morning prayer on the problems faced by homeless people, and the call to

Fairtrade Fortnight For many years, the College has sold a variety of Fairtrade products, including biscuits, chocolate, sweets and juice.

Apart from being delicious, they ensure that producers in developing countries to get a fair price for their products, leading to a reduction in poverty, providing for the ethical

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Faith in Action Award For the past couple of years, the College has been offering the ‘Faith in Action Award’, a programme developed by CYMFed (The Catholic Youth Ministry Federation) to reward their service to the Church and those in the wider community. We already have a number of students who have achieved their Bronze Award, which focuses on teaching them about the relationship between faith and service. To achieve this, participants need to regularly play a substantive role in school or parish events which show that they understand the responsibility that comes with belonging to a community. The Silver Award emphasises vocation and encourages students to take the lead in using their gifts and talents to serve others.

‘I organized a coat drive over a period of two months and collected almost 250 coats. I believe that all people should have access to the bare necessities of life and no child should go cold in the winter because they can’t afford clothing’ (Rudiments student)

Chaplaincy

treatment of workers and farmers, and promoting environmentally sustainable practices. Each year during Fairtrade Fortnight we reflect on the issues surrounding Fairtrade and the education of others. The focus for Fairtrade Fortnight this year was cocoa farmers in West Africa. Many are paid only 74p per day and actually need £1.86 in order to achieve a living income which means enough money to live a simple but dignified life, paying for essentials such as clothing, medicine and school. One of the highlights of the fortnight is a quiz, with winners receiving a section of Fairtrade goods. Students in the Chaplaincy committee also helped to organise a display board in the Ambulacrum, whilst resources promoting the importance of Fairtrade Fortnight were distributed for tutor groups to study in their PSHE lessons. Lenny Schwarz and Ellis Kontkowski dressed as Fairtrade bananas and distributed stickers. Some students showed an impressive amount of knowledge. The quiz was won by Leo Rumalean and Lara Chick.

God and my support towards the world around me. I have found it very important to take time to stop and look back at what I have done to help others around me, whether it was helping by donating to the local food bank or supporting a local village of mine by providing care to their environment by taking an hour of my time to go litter picking.’ (Grammar Student)

Flame On the 2nd March 2019, a number of staff and 24 students travelled to Wembley Arena for ‘Flame’, the largest gathering of young Catholics in the UK. 10,000 young Catholics from across the country gathered for a day of drama, music, talks, testimonies and prayer. The theme was ‘Significance’, with young people in attendance urged not to measure their worth by social media and Instagram “Likes”, but rather encouraged to reflect on the fact that they are made in the image and likeness of God. The students listened to a fascinating interview with Jean Vanier the founder of L’Arche and also a lively talk by Robert Madu from America. There was lots of music but the day ended with silent Adoration lead by Cardinal Vincent Nichols. It was a truly inspiring day, and something different to what our students are used to.

‘I am extremely proud to be part of Faith in Action at school.

It has brought me closer to God and is shaping the person I am becoming. I know service to God and the Catholic Church will be a big part of my future and the next step in this journey will be my Confirmation.’ (Rudiments student) ‘While taking part in this faith in action scheme over this academic year, it has led me to reflect more on my faith and what I am doing to strengthen my relationship with

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Headmasters Book 2018-2020 Congratulations to the following students who signed the Headmaster’s Book over the 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years. The Headmaster’s Book is among the most prestigious rewards that a student at St Edmund’s can achieve, and a recognition of those who go above and beyond in demonstrating Edmundian spirit.

Special mention to Millie Gibson, Ellis Kontkowski, and Leonardo Rumalean who each signed the Headmaster’s Book an astonishing five times during this period.

Congratulations also to Abigail Hallam and Kian Barton who received this accolade an impressive four times.

Leonardo Rumalean

Kian Barton Millie Gibson

Ellis Kontkowski

Abigail Hallam

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Michaelmas Term 2018 Chibuchi Amadi-Livingstone Volunteering at the Prep School Jodie Bailey-Ho Hockey, Religious Education Kian Barton History Nina Bayford Geography, Hockey Callum Biggs Open Day Lily Brown Making amazing cards Adriana Cassera English Alicia Chugh Religious Education Emma Denny Geography Giovanni di Clemente India Trip Presentation Annabelle Downes English Jennifer Ezeoke Religious Education Ines Ferguson Geography Millie George Open Day Abigail Hallam History Samuel Hay-Campbell Playing ‘The Last Post’ at the Remembrance Service Maria Ivanov Edmundian Spirit Harry Jordan Open Day Adriana Mazarron-Hernandez Open Day Nancy McEwan Singing Joe Padalino English Zack Pearcy Geography Abisah Pwamang Geography Ayami Rajapaksha Geography Jack Ratledge Volunteering at the Prep School Jessie Roberts English Ivayla Rusinova Edmundian Spirit Stella Schulte India Trip Presentation, Volunteering at the Prep School Alexander Shenouda English (x2) Jake Sherlock Helping Form 6 with Creative Writing Ronnie Stephens Open Day Lucian Torun-Shaw English Libby Tyrrell Religious Education Bella Uzoka Religious Education, French Maximilian Ward Helping Form 6 with Creative Writing Stella Wilkinson Singing Axel Wise Helping Form 6 with Creative Writing

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Lent Term 2019 Ellisse Alexander

English, Religious Education (x2) Jodie Bailey-Ho Religious Education James Banful Chapel Kian Barton Religious Education (x2) Nina Bayford Religious Education Marley Cooper Music Isabel Cresci Biology, Geography, History Emma Denny Religious Education Livia Evans Chemistry Jennifer Ezeoke Religious Education Scarlett Gale English Molly Gardner Psychology Benjamin Gikuma Music Muinga Ginga Geography Otis Griffin English, Religious Education Anthony Hadji-Hannas Chapel Alasdair Hunt Geography George Keogh Service to Pole House Ellis Kontkowski English Ellis Linney English Hannah Mead Geography Shriya Patel Religious Education Caspian Plummer Service to Pole House Charlie Price Jenson French Jessie Roberts Religious Education Leonardo Rumalean Design & Technology, Geography, History Pablo Sanchez-Tarazaga Gonzalez-Palenzuela Chapel Teddy Sumsion Mathematics Sam Tang Chapel Emily Thomas Religious Education Grace Warburton Geography Sam Willoughby Religious Education Ruidi Zhu Mathematics Trinity Term 2019 Costantino Antoniou Shyanne Asante-Adjei Sarah Bonnell Erin Bowen Lucy Boyling Anna Burton Imogen Burton

History Religious Education Carnegie Medal Book Award discussion Drama Holocaust Memorial Display Drama Participation in ‘The Lion King’ production

Kian Barton Neil Basin Lily Brown Adriana Cassera

Michaelmas Term 2019 Nebechi Abana Alfie Akers Loni Akinola Sylvie Allen Costantino Antoniou Francis Ariwaodo Shyanne Asante-Adjei

Pippa Hudson English History English Public Speaking English English Public Speaking

Rory Chick Tanishaa Chudasama Pierce Chugh Emma Church Marcos Cook Marley Cooper Gala Cooper Catherine Cooper Bridget Craghill Joshua Crook Bethany Curtis-Copland Joshua Demetriou Lucy Edmunds Nicole Englishby Hester Evans Zara Ferns Siena Field Emma Foley Scarlett Gale Molly Gaughan Millie Gibson Ngola Ginga Sienna Goodfellow Anthony Hadji-Hannas Daisy Hallam Samuel Hay-Campbell Catie Head Olivia Hendley Thomas Hipkin Kimberly Hodges Oliver Howell

Alasdair Hunt Sophia Jay Ellis Jones Zak Jordan George Keogh Ellis Kontkowski

Public Speaking History Religious Education Charity initiative & Chapel speech Helping at the Prep School Religious Education English History Mathematics Religious Education Netball Science, Leading morning Prayers Public Speaking Public Speaking Public Speaking English Duke of Edinburgh Public Speaking History Netball Netball History, Leading morning Prayers Geography Public Speaking English (x3) Ambassador for the College Netball Public Speaking Physical Education Playing ‘The Last Post’ at the Remembrance Service English Physical Education, Religious Education English Leading morning Prayers Leading morning Prayers, Science Leading morning Prayers, Science English Art Science Talbot House Assembly Public Speaking Religious Education

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History Carnegie Medal Book Award discussion Bethany Curtis-Copland Carnegie Medal Book Award discussion Nkechi Ezuma French Sophia Gardezi English Zara Gardezi Drama, Science Molly Gaughan Carnegie Medal Book Award discussion Amy Gujral Carnegie Medal Book Award discussion Anthony Hadji-Hannas Serving at Westminster Mass Abigail Hallam English (x3) Kiana Hawes Science Maddie Hudson-Clements Participation in ‘The Lion King’ production Monika Joseph-Edwards Drama George Keogh English Alice King Carnegie Medal Book Award discussion Ellis Kontkowski Chapel Tour, Serving at Westminster Mass, English Khizar Malik English Hannah Mead English (x2) Mayura Purparajah Carnegie Medal Book Award discussion Ayami Rajapaksha English Leonardo Rumalean Chemistry, History Javier Sánchez Esquivel Religious Education Lenny Schwarz Chapel Tour, French Emma Scott Participation in ‘The Lion King’ production Elizabeth Sherlock Holocaust Memorial Display Megan Sime Science Daisy Torun-Shaw Carnegie Medal Book Award discussion Lucian Torun-Shaw History Brook Westfall Drama Stella Wilkinson Science

Adriana Cassera Justine Clarke

Headmasters Book

William Lang Roy Liu Miles Liversidge William Longfield-King Yelyzaveta Lytvynska Jake Mackaill Luca Mansfield-Osborne Arabella Mardell Hazar Matur Samuel Newby Sophie Nichol Michelle Ogunbemi Teon Ononiwu Ogorchukwu Ozor Siena Pearcy

Georgia Summers William Taylor Benjamin Thomas Emily Thomas Harrison Wainwright Sam Willoughby Elisha Xu Lara Yagudaev

Public Speaking Art Edmundian Spirit Science Helping in Mass Public Speaking English Public Speaking English Mary Poppins Public Speaking Netball Science History Outstanding contribution to charity Public Speaking History Netball History Netball English Helping at the Prep School History Religious Education Duke of Edinburgh English Netball Geography, Helping at the Prep School Science project Religious Education Recital performance Helping at the Prep School Design & Technology Religious Education English Leading morning Prayers

Lent Term 2020 Aydin Ara Caitlyn Barrett Ella Buenaventura Lara Chick Maximilian Cooper Megan Crook Jean Desrame Courtney Ferns Beth Gardner

Art Raising money for charity Netball Geography Geography Religious Education Religious Education Netball Netball

Mayura Pusparajah Sienna Quail Isla Roberts Ivayla Rusinova Charlotte Sambridge Francesco Schonberg Stella Schulte Lenny Schwarz Cornelia Scott Joseph Shenouda Elizabeth Sherlock Amber Smits Yossaphol Songsri

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Millie Gibson Devon Gigg Chloe Hoban Oliver Howell Alasdair Hunt Amelia James Sophia Jay Zak Jordan

English (x2) English Netball Religious Education English Religious Education Geography, History Design & Technology, English Shonhayi Mubwandarikwa Teaching a Mathematics class Teon Ononiwu English, Religious Education Antonella Pittaluga Netball Robert Ratledge English Mairead Sheehy Netball Elizabeth Sherlock Geography Nathan Tantry-Izmaylov English Paris Udigwe Religious Education Stella Wilkinson Singing Rosie Woolfe English Matthew Wu Religious Education Joe Yagudaev English Lara Yagudaev English

Student Prefects

Head Boy & Head Girl 2018/19 an audience and these skills would help me a lot in later life. Another great experience was having to organise and host the Talent Show with the Head Girl during charity week. It took a lot of creativity recruiting all the candidates and promoting the event to fit into a 1 hour period 7 slot. However, it was worth it and I would argue it was the most packed the Douai Hall has ever been. Interestingly, I also distinctly remember giving several tours to visitors and alumni which I found quite enjoyable as I often heard several stories of what the college used to be like and I love to meet new people.

Reflections on my year as Head Boy If I had to describe what it was like being Head Boy, the first word that springs to mind is rewarding and I would encourage everyone to strive to become a prefect. I was never the most academically gifted and I had my fair share of detentions over the years, so if I could do it so can you. Before applying I saw two main benefits of becoming a prefect: (1) I would be given a platform and access to the senior leadership team where I could discuss ideas and implement change for the benefit of students at the college. And (2) the prefect role would add great value to my personal statement and CV. After completing the 2018-19 academic year as Head Boy I can confidently say these benefits and many more came to fruition.

My strongest memory as Head Boy would have to be the speeches. I spoke at open days, on life in Rhetoric, what it was like as prefect, and my personal favourite, at prize giving. All the public speaking helped to develop my confidence and ability to convey a clear message to

Reflecting on my post-Rhetoric life I would say my experiences at the college, especially those relating to being a prefect shaped my future. As a prefect you essentially have a role of responsibility and therefore, you develop your ‘soft skills’ like teamwork and communication. This is because throughout your tenure you will be faced with challenges where you will need to find a quick and efficient solution. For example, a student may drop out of an inter-house competition the day of an event and you will have to go about finding an appropriate replacement. In time, this role of responsibility will craft you into someone who is dependable and in turn, someone who is more desirable in the workplace.

From my personal experience I attended several banking and finance related assessment centres in Rhetoric 2 and about 8 out of 10 times the candidates who I thought were very good also happened to be prefects.

Coincidence? I think not! Ultimately, I think that there are so many advantages of becoming a prefect and I would definitely recommend striving and apply for the position.

Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn if you have any questions on what it is like as a prefect.

Taymen Sargusingh - Head Boy 2018-19

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On St Edmund’s Sunday, I was fortunate enough to help Mr Cartwright give a tour of the Prep School to Old Edmundians who had studied there over sixty years ago. Hearing their stories about what the College and Prep used to be like was fascinating and I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my own stories, comparing both our school days!

Reflections on my year as Head Girl Being Head Girl at St Edmund’s was such a privilege and something that I will always be proud of. Like all Old Edmundians, St Ed’s holds a special place in my heart and no matter where life may lead me, the memories and friendships I made during my time there will always stay with me.

I think what made my year as Head Girl so memorable was the fact that Taymen and I were the leading Prefects during the 450th anniversary celebrations. I will never forget the trip to Douai and all its chaos (still to this day I cannot believe anyone ever suggested a whole school day trip to France!). Luckily for me, as part of schola and orchestra, I had been there for a few days prior to the celebration and got to enjoy the hospitality of the place where the school was founded all those years ago.

The thing that still makes me laugh and that always gets brought up in conversations about the 450th is how during the last hymn, schola’s numbers rapidly decreased as members were called out to board the waiting coaches so that we didn’t miss the ferry home!

By the last verse only a core minority of us were left to belt out the final chorus!

As Head Girl, one of the main responsibilities was to meet guests of the College whether this was during the 450th celebrations, an open day, formal dinner, or High Mass. Each one of these occasions was very unique however, I loved meeting and speaking with different members of the College community.

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Although the role of Head Girl is such a vast one, I think the highlight for me was giving my speech at the Prize Giving Ceremony at the end of the year. Since being in Elements, I had always looked up to the two Prefects standing up in their bright red sashes and thought “I hope that’s me one day”. It was always my favourite bit of the ceremony as I loved listening to the stories of their time at St Ed’s and all the jokes that inevitably came along with it. When it came to my turn to write a speech, I really struggled to condense everything I wanted to say into a few minutes! There were so many stories to tell and so many people to thank that it was impossible to fit everything in! I started looking through old photos and school books I had kept over the years and it really hit me exactly how much I had actually achieved during my time there. By this, I don’t mean just academic achievements, but the person I had grown into.

Since heading off to The University of Edinburgh to read Maths, I’ve continued to enhance the leadership skills I learnt from being Head Girl by joining lots of societies and holding positions on different society committees.

Many of the societies I have joined at university have been a direct cause of my great experiences at St Eds. This year I have been the Chorus Manager for the Music Society, Secretary for the Maths Society, Assistant Musical Director and Creator of a brand new musical and Producer for a series of radio plays! St Ed’s definitely taught me to take every opportunity that comes your way and join in as much as possible! I am also hoping to spend a year studying Maths at The University of Salamanca, Spain next year (Covid permitting) which has followed on from my love of Spanish whilst at school.

I hope now as an alumnus of the school, I can continue to maintain the wonderful relationship with Stella Maris Colegio which allowed me to spend a summer in Madrid working at the school and which was quite possibly the first step towards the journey I am headed on.

Head Girl is definitely a position in which you lead by

I am grateful that as Head Girl I was able to give back to the College community and inspire others just as previous Head Girls had inspired me.

Fionnuala Marshall - Head Girl 2018-19

Top18 (2018/19) Head Boy: Head Girl: Deputy Head Boys: Deputy Head Girls:

Taymen Sargusingh Fionnuala Marshall Oliver Carr, Teddy Sumsion Alexia Boyd-Carpenter, Freya Burke

Head of Boys’ Boarding: Henry Wang Head of Girls’ Boarding: Nioka Gordon Challoner House Captains: Chibuchi Amadi-Livingstone, Thomasina Cass Douglass House Captains: Michael Dietel, Ella Taylor Pole House Captains: Claudia Brooker, Oliver Corley Poynter House Captains: Alexander Holden, Remmi Page Talbot House Captains: Emily Connor, Antony Nlewedum

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example. It was never just about the prestige, the red sash or your name written in the Prefects Book but instead the opportunity to inspire and encourage the younger Edmundians to reach their full potential and have confidence in themselves whilst doing so.

Student Prefects

Head Boy & Head Girl 2019/20 Head Girl Looking back on my experience as Head Girl, I can definitely say that it wasn’t exactly what I expected!

Having been at St Edmund’s since the age of 4, I was understandably quite upset that my final year came to such an abrupt end; I felt a slight sense of underachievement in not sitting the exams that I had worked so hard to prepare for. However, after spending many weeks in lockdown, I soon realised that living through the COVID pandemic had only made me appreciate my Edmundian experiences that much more.

The more I reflected, the more I focused on what we did achieve, rather than what we did not. Despite the premature end to Rhetoric, I ended the year with so many wonderful memories, including our work promoting Mental Health Awareness, Anti-Bullying Week assemblies, Charity Week fundraising. I also felt very blessed to be part of an amazing Prefect team who all played their part in leading the student body. Oh, and yes, and I also got over not doing exams rather quickly!

Rhetoric II was an intense year for me, dominated by medical applications and interviews, but I still managed to find plenty of time for socialising (which I definitely took for granted!) and enjoying breaks away from my studies to play in Netball tournaments. I am especially grateful for the fact that we did not miss the National

Finals the weekend before lockdown began; I had one last chance to play with my amazing netball team. Life in school may have been paused, but the teachers and their enthusiasm most certainly were not. Although exams were cancelled, we still had opportunities to further our learning through Zoom lessons, and improve our wellbeing through tutorials; these were especially invaluable during the strange, scary and most definitely surreal time in lockdown. Mr Powell ran a series of postRhetoric ‘preparing for university’ interactive Zoom sessions, ranging from how to cope with university stress to managing budgets and loans - all which were very helpful. Leo Carr and I were also offered the opportunity to talk to Syntax students, again over Zoom, to give them an insight into Rhetoric life. I am thankful to Mrs Marrinan for all her help in preparing us for these sessions.

As lockdown continued and the academic year drew to a close, I do think one of the most bizarre parts of my entire Rhetoric II pandemic experience was recording my Head Girl Prize-Giving speech in the Chapel, and watching it online with my family in my living room – quite the change of scenery from the Butler Hall in front of hundreds of people! I am still grateful that, despite everything, I still could commemorate the end of an era with some words of thanks and had the chance to reflect on so many amazing memories at a place I can proudly call my second home.

Nada Tadros, Head Girl 2019-20

Head Boy In my end of year Head Boy speech, recorded in the Chapel in the final weeks of the Trinity term, I reflected on the importance and various meanings of community.

As I write this, not even one year on, over twenty million people have had the vaccine and we are approaching what seems to be the end of the pandemic. The theme of community remains as important as ever.

My time as Head Boy was far from orthodox. That said, I will remember the opportunity to be part of the Prefect team and work with a unique and talented group of Rhetoric II students very fondly. Not only did we forge strong relationships in the little time we had,

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Oliver Martin – Head Boy 2019-20

When preparing my Prize-Giving Head Boy speech, I came across this postcard, which shows the old Allen Hall refectory, and was sent by a student at the College on Sunday 9th August 1942. It reads: but we gained invaluable leadership experience as representatives of the student body. The year 20192020 certainly had its fair share of change and although my tenure was cut short, it is important to take some positives from the remote learning experience, and making time for both introspective and extrospective reflection was certainly one of them. What leaps out as most poignant from my experience of the college is not revision, exams or the curriculum more generally. Rather, what I will remember is classroom debates, team projects, trips to India and New York, College productions, sporting triumphs and St Edmund’s Day extravaganzas. Above all, I will remember the individual people and the communities I was part of during my time at the college.

On a personal level, moving on the next phase of academic life after school has – as you may have surmised – been challenging to say the least. Faced with so much unfamiliarity, having to connect with new people and assimilate into new communities with social distancing and COVID regulations in place, believe me when I say that A-Levels feel like a long and distant past.

If my experience as Head Boy has taught me anything, however, it is to expect the unexpected, to be adaptable and to embrace change in all of its manifestations.

“Dear Pam, I have had a lovely time at St Edmund’s. I don’t think I’ve ever concentrated for such a long period as I did last week. I have been sleeping in a dormitory with twenty other girls, some from Hull, and Tunbridge Wells, and the rest from Walsall. It is nice and quiet here as there are no air raids. Together we have had simply lovely lessons and the country round the college is very beautiful.”

Despite being written in the midst of the Second World War, a crisis with global ramifications somewhat comparable to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this postcard typifies exactly the kind of optimism and sense of place that the St Edmund’s community elicits in all its students. It demonstrates that the community spirit that has endured for the last 452 years is unique and resilient and I hope that the St Edmund’s community will continue to impact student’s lives in the same way in years to come.

The school year 2019-2020, will be remembered as a period of great change both within the college as well as within the wider world. St Edmund’s College saw not only a generation of new leaders in the student body,

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but amongst the staff as well. Having showcased resilience, adaptability and the ability to deal with unprecedented disruptions as well as having such a strong historical foundation in place, I am confident that the new generation of Edmundians will lead the college with fortitude and confidence into the exciting and unchartered territory of a post-COVID world. Having now become an official ‘Old-Edmundian’, I look forward to hearing of your achievements and progress in the future.

Student Prefects

Top18 (2019/20) Head Boy: Head Girl: Deputy Head Boys: Deputy Head Girls:

Oliver Martin Nada Tadros Leo Carr, Max Davies Lara Chick, Beth Gardner

Head of Boys’ Boarding: Chikoye Kasolo Head of Girls’ Boarding: Olya Linkina Challoner House Captains: Kathleen Barrett, Freddie Roberts Douglass House Captains: Edward Hartley, Mairead Sheehy Pole House Captains: Imogen Burton, Max Cooper Poynter House Captains: William Roberts, Elizabeth Sherlock Talbot House Captains: Dominic Negri, Emma Scott

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House Notes

College House Competition Grand House Challenge 2018-19 Congratulations to Challoner House, and all participants who made the 2018-19 Grand House Challenge such a closely-contested competition.

Final Standings: 1st place Challoner

117 points

Boys’ Sport Events: 1st place Challoner

32 points

2nd place

Talbot

110 points

2nd place

Talbot

27 points

3rd place

Douglass

109 points

3rd place

Pole

25 points

4th place

Pole

105 points

4th place

Douglass

23 points

5th place

Poynter

75 points

5th place

Poynter

13 points

Arts Trophy: 1st place Talbot

45 points

Girls’ Sport Events: 1st place Challoner

44 points

2nd place

Pole:

43 points

2nd place

36 points

3rd place

Douglass

38 points

3rd place

Pole

32 points

4th place

Challoner

36 points

4th place

Talbot

28 points

5th place

Poynter

34 points

5th place

Poynter

20 points

Douglass

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Challoner House Notes 2018/19

House Notes

1st Place in the Grand House Challenge!

Music, Prose, Poetry, Sports, Drama, Cooking, Swimming, Baking and Charity Events. Securing top spot in a competition as spirited as the Grand House Challenge is a a proud moment for the House!

they do daily with the House. The time and energy put into their tutor groups has been outstanding. They are a marvellous group of tutors.

We said goodbye to a delightful cohort of Rhetoric II students in Challoner House, after an amazing College career. I have been lucky to get to know you all, and I hope you look back fondly upon your Edmundian years.

I wish you every happiness and success going forward and I hope you come back to tell me of all of your successes. I will miss you all!

In my first year as Housemaster, I am so proud of the contributions the students have made throughout the academic year, and the efforts of all students who represented Challoner in Inter-House competitions.

Challoner House has been led by Tamsin Cass and Chibuchi Amadi-Livingstone. Tamsin has been a wonderful leader, a force to be reckoned with and an inspiration to her peers. Chibuchi has brought great character and humility to the House and been a great help to new students. They have been wonderful to work with and I thank them for the support and dedication they took to the role.

I am blessed to have an amazing tutor team who give their heart and soul for the House. We sadly said goodbye to Mark Connor and Karen Salter-Kay at the end of the year, as they moved on to pastures new.

My thanks to them for their care of the students and being excellent role models throughout their time at the College.

Mr Arif, Mrs Brown, Mrs Schiff, Mrs Donovan, Mrs McCann, Mrs Ager and Miss Moloney are wonderful tutors who deserve credit and praise for the tireless work

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Oliver Martin playing Dewey in School of Rock 2019

2019 began in such wonderful fashion. New House Captains had been appointed in Kate Barrett and Freddie Roberts. Two stalwarts who demonstrated motivation, inspiration and empathy within the House.

and shaved my head and raised over £3,000 for the NHS. I never knew students wanted me to suffer so much by losing my hair. Students helped in food banks, donated masks, chocolates to workers and much more.

I read weekly the wonderful efforts by the House, which will forever stay in my memory with pride.

Our Rhetoricians left us with wonderful results and are now flourishing at University and in employment.

The Tutor team have been simply wonderful.

‘Unbelievable’. Mr Arif, Mrs Schiff, Mrs Donovan, Miss Parks, Miss Moloney, Mrs Ager and Mrs McCann and Mrs Mallabone. The work you do for each other, the tutees and energy you bring to the House is remarkable. The students will never know how lucky they truly are. I thank you for all you do for the House, the students and of course to help me. Your efforts through remote learning have been outstanding. Thank you.

I remember being in House Dinner in September, celebrating Challoner. I attach a few words from my speech from that evening: ‘Unbelievable is the worst word in the dictionary. It should never come out of our mouths. We say it all too often. To say, what an unbelievable play. It was an unbelievable book, an unbelievable film, an unbelievable act of courage.

It may be spectacular, it may be phenomenal, most excellent or outstanding. But unbelievable? Give others and yourself more credit. It just happened. You witnessed it. You just did it. Believe it.’

Despite all the competitions, Covid 19 sadly did not allow for the House Competitions to finish. Fortunately for Challoner, that meant the Trophy stayed in my Challoner Cabinet for one more year. Take the positives, wherever we can find them.

Sending best wishes to every Challoner student, tutor, family member, past and present.

Mr A Cunnah

What transpired six months later through the beginning of the COVID 19 outbreak, certainly allowed us all to reflect on new realities as a House.

Prior to this moment, the House was in full force defending its Grand House Trophy brilliantly. The House achieved excellent finishes in the Food Competitions, Interhouse Sporting Events and more. Students were receiving merits for outstanding work, and Tutors were witnessing brilliance every day in lessons and cocurricular activities. Students in the House received Colours for their exceptional work in the College as well as their contributions to College Life.

Some of the Challoner students that were involved in the 2020 production of Me and My Girl

‘The impact you have on others is the most valuable currency there is’ As a House I have been so proud to witness all of the charitable donations and efforts throughout the pandemic. Many students donating time and energy into wonderful causes to help out. I for one did my part

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House Notes

Challoner House Notes 2019/20

House Notes

Douglass House Notes 2018/19 It was with tremendous pride that I took up the position of Head of Douglass House in September 2018. The Douglass community bid farewell to Mr Dai Davies, wishing he, Caroline, and their three boys well as they began an exciting adventure at Marlborough College in Malaysia, and returned from the Summer break to a newly-renovated House area. No sooner had the pupils started to settle in to their new, spacious lockers, than negotiations began amongst students over who should, and should not, be entitled to an elusive top locker! The House area was also expanded into an adjacent area that had previously been used, among other things, as Fr. Pinot’s office, allowing students in the House even more communal space to enjoy at breaktimes.

We welcomed two new staff into the House, with Mr Mandizha and Mrs Harvey-Keenan joining the tutor team and immediately demonstrating their wonderful commitment to tutoring with Rudiments and Syntax, respectively. Meanwhile, Mrs McNiece remained in custody of her tutor group as they entered Grammar, and Mrs Franco remained a Syntax tutor. Mrs York joined forces with Mr Fulford-Brown in steering Poetry through their GCSEs, whilst Mrs Applegate and Mr Chapman continued as Rhetoric Douglass tutors. It did not take me long at all to realise that I had inherited a truly outstanding tutor team, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them, wholeheartedly, for their constant good cheer and unwavering support of students within the House.

Douglass was also well represented in the ‘Top 18’ student prefect body. In the 2018 Trinity Term, Mr Davies and I were delighted to appoint Michael Dietel and Ella Taylor as House Captains for 2018-19. This followed the appointment of Alexia Boyd-Carpenter and Teddy Sumsion to Deputy Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl, and Henry Wang as Head of Boys’ Boarding. In so many aspects of College life it is the senior students

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within the House that set the tone and act as role models for the younger pupils; the fact that Douglass House achieved so much success in the Grand House Challenge competitions is therefore a testament to the leadership and determination of this wonderful Rhetoric II cohort. Their enthusiasm and competitive spirit was particularly inspiring and will resonate with the students in the House long after they depart.

In one of the first House Assemblies of the year, I urged students to look up at the Grand House Challenge Winners Board every time they climbed the North Wing staircase, where they would see that Douglass had not been victorious since all the way back in 1998. Addressing this would become our main priority as a House, and I was delighted with the way in which students responded admirably to this rallying cry. Once the competitions began, it became immediately apparent that they shared my determination to put an end to Douglass’ barren two decades in the Grand House Challenge.

Myles George and Edward Hartley won the first two competitions of the year, which were Intermediate and Senior Chess, with Ihor Lytvinski finishing second in the Junior competition. Also in the Michaelmas Term, Alexia Boyd-Carpenter and Lucy Boyling performed brilliantly in the Senior Prose Reading competition, finishing in first place, with Oluwatobilola Akanni and Nicole Englishby finishing as runners-up in the Junior Poetry Reading contest. Douglass’ strong record in the Food competitions

These outstanding individual performances were matched by team wins in the Junior & Senior Football, Senior Netball, Senior Girls’ Swimming, and Junior Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country competitions. My thanks go to all students who participated in all competitions. Win, lose or draw, teamwork and a determination to always support each other will forever be the backbone of this wonderful House.

If I may also touch on another memorable highlight of the year, on Thursday 28th March, the staff and students of Douglass House came together for a wonderful House Dinner. It was an honour and a privilege to celebrate the evening with the students. Proceedings began in Chapel for Evening Prayers, where I spoke to students about the prominent role Bishop John Douglass played in establishing our College at Old Hall Green under the patronage of St Edmund in 1793.

Together as a community we then prayed for Bishop Douglass, gave thanks for his endeavours and reflected on the importance of continuing his legacy into the future. My thanks to the students across all the year groups who led prayers and readings so impressively.

We then made our way down to the refectory where we

were well looked after by the staff of Holroyd Howe. The students enjoyed a first-class supper of steak and chips and it was a joy to see them all display such excellent manners; the conversations were flowing and the mobile phones were (for the most part!) nowhere to be seen. All students in attendance were a credit to the House. The highlight of the after-dinner speeches was the touching tribute that Grammar students paid to their departing form tutor, Mrs McNiece. It was then my pleasure to present Francis Butterworth with a Gold Service and Leadership Award for his consistent and unwavering dedication to the extra-curricular life of the College.

All in all, an excellent year for the House. Be it through academic endeavours, co-curricular pursuits, participation in competitions, or their everyday interactions around the College, students were exactly as I urged them to be in House assemblies – ‘recognisably Douglassian’: “As the chosen people of God, the holy people whom he loves, you are to be clothed in heartfelt compassion, in generosity and humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another; forgive each other if one of you has a complaint against another. The Lord has forgiven you, now you must do the same to your brothers and sisters. Over all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond.”

Colossians 3: 12-17

Douglass Colour Awards Full Colours Alexia Boyd-Carpenter Luca Buraglio Joseph Canavan Michael Dietel Teddy Sumsion Ella Taylor Henry Wang Half Colours Lucy Boyling Max Davies Chikoye Kasolo Mairead Sheehy Nada Tadros Quarter Colours Lana Alden Nina Bayford Isobel Birchall Giorgia Buraglio Georgia Davies Ayla Huseyin

Madeline Mahoney Mina Medic Ishan Mistry Shonhayi Mubwandarikwa Ogorchukwu Ozor Jackson Trathen Bounds Colours Toby Davies Nicole Englishby Lydia George Abigail Hallam Ronan Hawes Hannah Mead Kumari Mountford Toby Moy Jake Patel Xavier Petit de Miguel Sienna Quail Harry Smith Freddie Trathen

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House Notes

continued, with Junior pairing and siblings Ronan Hawes and Kiana Hawes beating some stiff competition.

House Notes

Douglass House Notes 2019/20 Even though our time in school was cut short by unprecedented circumstances part-way through the Lent Term, the 2019-20 academic year began like any other. Newly-appointed House Captains Edward Hartley and Mairead Sheehy made an immediate impression with their outstanding leadership and infectious enthusiasm for all things Douglass House. Ably supported by their fellow Prefects, Head Girl Nada Tadros, Deputy Head Boy Max Davies and Head of Boys’ Boarding Chikoye Kasolo, Ed and Mairead set about establishing a positive and determined tone amongst the students.

The presence and commitment of a strong cohort of Senior Douglassians had an instant effect on the Junior students in Elements and Rudiments. After each House assembly in which I announced an upcoming InterHouse competition, I was greeted by a queue of eager volunteers, desperate for the chance to represent Douglass. The fact that there are always students willing to ‘give it a go’, especially in some of the less popular events (i.e. swimming!) speaks volumes about the competitive spirit within the House.

The highlight of the year was undoubtedly February’s Inter-House Food Competition. For the first time in Mrs Daly’s long and esteemed career at St Edmund’s, the Junior, Intermediate and Senior competitions were all won by the same House! The three Douglass teams, made up of Juniors Finn Doyle and Theodore Ramchurn, Intermediates Abigail Hallam and Ronan Hawes, and Seniors Max Davies and Edward Hartley were each victorious. A wonderful achievement!

Friday 20th March, when schools across the country were forced to close, is a day that will forever be etched in my memory. It came at the end of the strangest of

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weeks, in which droves of students began to self-isolate with their families and many others flew home across the world. I will always be proud of the manner in which the students in school coped with the immense uncertainty and upheaval of this time. I would especially like to commend the departing Poets and Rhetoricians, the ‘Class of COVID-19’, whose time at Old Hall Green would end so unfairly and abruptly.

The remainder of the year, or ‘Lockdown 1.0’ as it has become colloquially known, saw all Douglassians rise to the challenge of remote learning. Tuesday afternoon tutorials fast became the highlight of my working week and it was always a joy to catch up with each tutor group and see such an inspiring and caring group of tutors at work. My heartfelt thanks to Mr Mandizha, Mrs Franco, Mr Fulford-Brown, Mrs Harvey-Keenan, Mrs York, Mr Chapman and Mrs Applegate for the immense support that they offered their tutees through a particularly challenging and gruelling Trinity term.

Our final House assembly of the year fell on 2nd July, exactly 182 days into the year, and 182 days before the end of the year; the half-way point. It was therefore the perfect opportunity for us to reflect the importance of always looking back and ahead in equal measure, of giving thanks to those who came before us, whilst working to build a brighter and stronger future for those who will follow. The Trinity term ended as it began, via Zoom, but with a sense of both pride for what had been achieved, and excitement for normal College life to resume in September.

Douglass Colour Awards Full Colours Lucy Boyling Max Davies Edward Hartley Chikoye Kasolo Mairead Sheehy Nada Tadros Half Colours Ed Hartley Oliver Luck

Quarter Colours Nana Adjei Fiyinfoluwa Alomaja Connor Roche George Thompson Bounds Colours Oluwatobilola Akanni Ihor Lytvinski Yelyzaveta Lytvinska Chengeto Mubwandarikwa Kaiya Huseyin

House Notes

Pole House Notes 2018/19 What a year to reflect on, not just for myself but for all in Pole House. Each and everyone of you are a pleasure to have in the House; you all contribute so much to the many successes over the course of the year. The first important decision of a new year is always appointing the House captains. With so many outstanding applications this is never an easy decision and takes much deliberation. This year, I was privileged to work alongside Oliver Corley and Claudia Brooker, who were inspirational and excelled in representing Pole House.

Whenever I needed an extra hand to organise House competitions or plan House assemblies, Ollie and Claudia were always there to help. Thank you to both of you, from the bottom of my heart, and I wish the best of luck for the future.

Our House would not be what it is without your tutors to nurture you to be the kind, caring and thoughtful

individuals you are. The tutor team’s wealth of knowledge and expertise helps us all along the way and they do not get enough credit for the time and energy they put into the House. We welcomed Mr Hounsell into the House, having come from the dark side to the better side to work with the Elements of the House; welcome! Mr Plummer, Mr Eliasson, Dr Banahan, Mr Sargent, Mr Kry, Mrs O’Neill, Miss Regan and Miss Fanning you are all a credit to Pole House and without you I would not cope at all. A huge THANK YOU, you are all truly amazing!

We have had some great times, fun times, difficult times and challenging times but nevertheless every experience develops you and me as a person. To be honest, at times, you drive me crazy but more often than not you make me laugh and smile and I thoroughly enjoy hearing all you have to tell me. Pole House is certainly a House I am proud to be part of and I hope a House you are proud of as well. After all, it is us that defines our House.

Your participation in the Grand House Challenge this year has been fantastic and I thank each and everyone you for putting yourselves forward and doing the best you can; that is all I ever ask of you. Some highlights in the competition include: 1st place: Intermediate Girls’ Hockey, Swimming, Sports Day and Cross Country, Intermediate Bake Off, Junior Poetry and Prose Reading, Intermediate Boys’ Cross Country, Junior Girls’ Sports Day. 2nd place: Junior Chess, Intermediate Boys’ Rugby, Sports Day and Swimming, Junior Boys’ Swimming,

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House Notes Intermediate Girls’ Netball, Junior Girls’ Netball and Swimming, Intermediate Food, Senior Prose Reading.

All in all, this lead to a tight competition with us finishing 4th in the Grand House Challenge. However, we were only 4 points behind third and 5 points behind second. A valiant effort by you all, I am very proud.

To those who are leaving us, I wish you every success in the future and the best of luck with your chosen paths.

Remember, once an Edmundian always an Edmundian.

St Edmund’s has been a great home for you and it will feel great to explore new places, but it will feel even better to come back! Do not cry because it is over, smile because it happened! Please keep in contact and keep me updated with new stories and where your life has taken you! I miss all you leavers greatly.

Pole Colour Awards Full Colours Claudia Brooker Oliver Corley Molly Gardner Half Colours Steven Ding Joseph Fung Ciel Luo Jack Rydqvist Axel Wise Imogen Burton Maximilian Cooper Beth Gardner Quarter Colours Caitlin Keith Liming Ma

Laura Madden Willem van de Ven Finley Arbon-Donovan Amy Fung William Harding Ashley Kwok Ruby Andrews Evie Gostling Claudia Williams Esther Burton Livia Evans Bounds Colours Lisa Ogutu Sam Tang George Keogh

Pole House Notes 2019/20 What a strange year! We spent the Trinity term at home, learning remotely due to the pandemic. I can safely say I have the best set of students that any Housemistress or Master could wish for, so I thank all of you for that! We all make mistakes here and there but you do all, deep down, care for one another and show huge amounts of compassion for those you share the common room with.

We have our fun times, difficult times and challenging times but nevertheless we always come out the other side smiling. I would not have wanted a better bunch of students to care for during what was an enduring term of online learning. It has been a journey for all of us, a learning curve, more so over the past term and the 2 weeks prior to that. It has taken you all time to adapt to online learning as well as the staff. But I can safely say that I have seen all of you displays trait such as resilience, determination, motivation, hard work and commitment

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We were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate the year with a House dinner, which are always special occasions. Students achievements were celebrated in terms of participation in House and College events with some being presented with ties. I am always grateful for your dedication to the College and the House, I never have to look far for volunteers for competitions. Only a few competitions were completed this year and highlights were finishing first in Senior Girls’ Hockey and Intermediate Prose Reading, while finishing second in Junior Boys’ Rugby, Intermediate and Junior Chess and Senior Prose Reading.

One House assembly that has stuck with me this year is that hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard. Every lesson you attend, every music, sport or drama practice or every House competition you volunteer for just remember that. There are many famous people who have faced failure in their lives, but they did not give up they came back stronger. Look at Micheal Jordan (6-time NBA champion and NBA All-star) who was cut from his high school basketball team, or Lionel Messi (3 times FIFA World player of the year) who at age 11 was cut from his team after being diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency, and even Walt Disney (creator of Mickey Mouse and winner of 22 Academy Awards) who was fired from a newspaper for lacking imagination and having no original ideas.

This year has seen many challenges, failures, and successes. So, as always, accept the challenges, do not fear failure, and see them as a stepping stone to success.

As ever, your tutors have dedicated many hours to ensuring you are supported pastorally and your voice is always heard. They know each and every one of you inside out, making my job far easier. A big thank you to Zoe Hibbert, Lucy Sargent, Catherine Regan, Priya O’Neill, Karl Fry, Graham Sargent, Lisa Banahan, Nick Eliasson, Ollie Plummer and Jason Hounsell. I know it was not easy to keep your tutors groups motivated during the pandemic

but you did everything possible to keep everyone smiling.

House Notes

to ensure you complete your work to the best of your ability – which has been just amazing. You were all a testament to yourselves, your families, and the College for quickly adapting and applying yourself diligently to your online learning. ‘You’re on mute’ became a new phrase we were all accustomed to, along with ‘I can’t find the zoom link’. Jokes aside this will be a part of your education you will always look back on. Who would have thought we would ever start a new school year with so many excited students and teachers to return to the classroom!

Max and Imogen, with the support of Will, you have been excellent in leading the House this year. You have been role models, motivating and inspiring to the younger students and I thank you for this. You have prepped the small number of teams needed for competitions that have taken place as well as leading House assemblies on current issues faced within school. I am sorry your time at the College came to an abrupt end but hopefully we can celebrate with you all in due course. Thank you for all efforts, time and energy this year.

Pole Colour Awards Full Colours Imogen Burton Maximillian Cooper William Harding Beth Gardner

Toni Akinola Lisa Ogutu Sophie Russinger Joshua Jones Peter Barnes

Half Colours William Harding Caspian Plummer Abbie Jones

Bounds Colours Anna Burton Thomas Cresci Chloe Hayes Sophie Macneill Harry Andreou Yasmin Andrews Alexander Chotiros Fabrizio Ciraolo Hester Evans George Garwood Nancy McEwan Mark Oliver Joshua Peacock Jake Phillips Rae-Lei Prince Tabitha Woodhouse

Quarter Colours Caspian Plummer Abbie Jones Oliver Dervish Victoria Bean William Taylor Fionn O’Toole Emily Moore Scarlett Mitchell Shannon Hunt Isabel Gardner Elodie Cooper Alessandro Ciraolo Esther Burton

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House Notes

Poynter House Notes 2018/19 When reflecting on our time at St Edmund’s what stood out to us both was our endless amount of positive things to say about the school. It has been a place where we have both flourished and grown. Being House Captains over the last year has been an amazing way to end our time at St Edmund’s and has left us with memories we’ll never forget.

The last year of House competitions has not been one of too much success for Poynter House. However, we have managed to do well in a number of the competitions. We saw some success in sports with the Intermediate Boys in Rugby, as well as the Junior Boys in Football.

In the Inter-House Food competition, students had to make a meal using a roast chicken as well as a trifle for dessert. The Senior students won this competition and we came third overall. Inter-House Debating was our biggest success this year, with Poynter coming in 1st place, leading by many points. We also saw success in the Chess competition, with William Roberts coming joint first in the Senior competition.

Although Poynter House hasn’t won the Grand House Challenge this year what really stood out to us, as House Captains, was the students’ willingness to take part and give it their all. Students would always voluntarily take part and come to each competition full of energy. All participants showed an eagerness to perform to the highest of their ability and always work as a team.

Charity Week was a time when Houses competed as one rather than against each other, to raise money for Noah’s Ark Hospice. It was great to see how many people took part with every student doing their bit to

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raise money, whether it was setting up stalls in the Ambulacrum, spending money on food and drinks that were on offer, or partaking in sponsored activities outside of school.

The strength in the unity of Poynter was really shown in the Grand House Relay towards the end of the year.

Although the relay didn’t go according to plan for those taking part, the continuous support throughout the race from our fellow House members kept team morale high and ensured that everyone enjoyed themselves.

Remmi Page & Alexander Holden (House Captains 2018-19)

Poynter Colour Awards Full Colours Freya Burke Oliver Carr Alexander Holden Remmi Page Patrick Sherlock Half Colours Leo Carr Courtney Ferns Maddie Hudson-Clements Saif Latifi Olya Linkina William Roberts Elizabeth Sherlock Quarter Colours Lara Bronin Alicia Chugh Annabelle Church Martina Giordano Zac Hozier Remy Hudson-Clements Shriya Patel Imogen Roberts Aman Samad Ruopan Li Catherine White

Bounds Colours Ellisse Alexander Emma Church Bethany Curtis-Copeland Keira Ferns Amy Gujral Joshua Guy William Lang Eloise Luke Ifechi Okafor Megan Sime Amy Staniforth Benjamin Thomas Brendan Baldeh Madison Blundell Pierce Chugh Luca Denny Thomas Downes Cameron LaRocque Phoebe Lee Matthew Mann Raphael Mansfield-Osborne Kyah Oti Charlie Price Jenson

House Notes

Poynter House Notes 2019/20 Poynter had a house dinner with Will Roberts and Beth Sherlock as the two-house captains where we all came together as a House to celebrate our accomplishments and present awards such as House colours.

In September of 2019 we congratulated our school U19s netball team who were crowned England netball county champions. This team included many Poynterians including our very own past and present deputy house captains Courtney Ferns and Chloe Hoban.

By March coronavirus had caused the school to shut down as the country went into lockdown. Due to this Interhouse competitions could not be completed and so Poynter and the rest of the Houses could not be ranked on the leader board.

Poynter Colour Awards Full Colours Leo Carr Courtney Ferns Maddie Hudson-Clements Saif Latifi William Roberts Elizabeth Sherlock Catherine White Half Colours Catherine White Chloe Hoban Ethan MacKenzie-Yapa Thomas Ruiz Emily Thomas Quarter Colours Joseph O’Sullivan Sarah Bonnell Joseph Burke Pierce Chugh Raphi Mansfield-Osborne Kyah Oti Oliver Welsby

Bounds Colours William Bayley Henry Hards Louis Isaac Michelle Nicholson Rian Patel Adriana Cassera Serena Chugh Emma Denny Annabelle Downes Scarlett Gale Joshua Jeff-Okoh Lois Lawrence Miles Liversidge Joshua Luke Nathan Mamonkita Luca Mansfield-Osborne Ayami Rajapaksha Rosie Woolfe

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House Notes

Talbot House Notes 2018/19 Ali Dunning (2008-19) The summer of 2019 saw Miss Ali Dunning hang up her boots as Head of House and move on to take up the role of Deputy Head (Pastoral) at Exeter School. As the second longest serving Head of Talbot (only surpassed by Mr Piper 1975-94), Ali steered the House for over 10 years and her wonderful enthusiasm and sense of fun has shaped the House into the happy community that it is today. With her passion and commitment to the Claret and Gold, it is no coincidence that Talbot regularly topped the tables in the Arts Cup throughout this time and consistently challenged for top spot in the Grand House Challenge. She instituted regular House events such as the Talbot Bake Off raising funds for charities chosen by students and her epic inflatable fancy dress outfits during Charity week never failed to bring smiles (whilst simultaneously torpedoing any sense of decorum during the staff Friday morning briefings).

Perhaps her greatest attribute during this time has been the love and care she has shown for every student. This was no more apparent than when we sat down to discuss her handover before she left. The deep knowledge and insight she displayed for every student was unbelievable and testament to the time she spent really getting to know each and every Talbotian in her care.

She will be greatly missed by the students and tutor team alike and we wish her every success in the move to Exeter.

This was another fantastic year for Talbot House. The House was ably led by House Captains Anthony Nlewedum and Emily Connor, who brought their own sense of humour and panache to the roles and made the new arrivals to the House in Elements very much at home from the outset, ensuring they were left in no doubt where their loyalties should lie!

Inter-House Competitions saw some outstanding individual performances and wins in the Junior House Chess, Intermediate Food and Intermediate Prose competitions. As ever the wider involvement of so many of the House across the different competitions was what mattered most though and helped secure the Arts Trophy for another year – a wonderful achievement!

On the Sports field and swimming pool, there were notable success in the House Swimming. Overall, we were narrowly pipped to second in the Grand House Challenge but a first place for the Junior Boys and a second for the Junior Girls bodes well for the future.

The year saw many other House highlights with the Talbot Bake-Off yet again raising considerable funds for charity and the House Dinner, where we bid farewell to Miss Dunning, of particular note.

As well as bidding farewell to Miss Dunning, we also said goodbye to Mr D’Cruz. A core member of the Talbot tutor team, his unfailing calmness and good humour were a hallmark of his tutoring over many, many years and we wish him and his family all the very best as they move on.

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It has been wonderful to see Talbot House remain as strong as ever, despite the distractions and disruptions that Covid brought this year. Dominic Negri and Emma Scott fulfilled their roles as House Captains throughout with enthusiasm and patience, and I am indebted to their guidance as they provided much needed continuity following Miss Dunning’s departure! With Lara Chick appointed Deputy Head Girl, the student leadership team was completed with Kara Michaelson, Ed Hanley and Max McMullan as Vice-Captains.

Whilst the Inter-House competitions were inevitably truncated there were some wonderful successes in those that did take place. In the Inter-House Prose and Poetry Reading competitions and under Kara’s careful guidance, Talbot came first or second in every age group. A huge congratulations to all those involved; Josh Mackaill, Zak Jordan, Stella Wilkinson, Abisah Pwamang, Whitney Udigwe, Jake Mackaill, Soraya Omotosho and Kara Michaelson. Eric Zhou won the Inter-House Chess and the Junior Girls dominated in the swimming pool. It was also fantastic to see students volunteering to make their debuts in the Inter-House Cooking with some excellent efforts from Martha Trist, Isabella Ward, Dillon Jones, Holly Celano, Ronnie Stephens, Zoe Stephens and Emily Wilson.

There were some first class fundraising efforts during Charity Week and the traditional Talbot Bake Off in November was a great success, raising funds for The William Fund. Zak Jordan who nominated the charity gave a wonderful House assembly outlining the support they give to Childhood Cancer Research. In addition to raising a huge amount of money, it provided a showcase for some fabulous baking on a penguin theme (the charity’s motif!)

Whilst a lot of focus understandably turned to academic provision in March during lockdown, the sense of community provided by the House system and tutor groups was arguably never greater, both for providing a forum for communication, discussions on wellbeing but also alleviating some of the boredom of lockdown! It would be remiss therefore not to mention the incredible work done by the Talbot Tutor team both in providing individual pastoral support but also in their initiative, flexibility and positivity in organising everything from online quizzes and pet shows to home baking competitions, including posting prizes and “packets of morale” home. They are such an inspiring team and at the heart of what makes Talbot such a caring and happy House.

In what has been an eventful first year, I feel truly fortunate to have been given the opportunity to get to know such a wonderful group of students and tutors alike and look forward to supporting them over the years to come. In the words that we finish most house assemblies, “Happy Days!”

There were some outstanding individual sports achievements from Talbotians outside of College also with Natalia Negri being selected for Arsenal Women’s senior squad, and Jed Chick and Joe Radford training with Essex U14 and U12 Cricket squads respectively.

The involvement of all Talbot students in community events throughout the year has been truly impressive from contributions to Chapel prayers to the Duke of Edinburgh Award and overseas trips, such as New York to music recitals and the amazing Me and My Girl production. With Rory Chick leading the way, I was immensely proud to see so many of our students involved, making up over a quarter of the cast and production team.

Talbot Colour Awards Full Colours Lara Chick Kara Michaelson Dominic Negri Emma Scott Emily Wilson Half Colours Solomon Baxi Soraya Omotosho Ronnie Stephens Zoe Stephens

Quarter Colours Dillon Jones Whitney Udigwe Emily Connor Bounds Colours Grish Barla Holly Celano Isabella Ward Stella Wilkinson Abisah Pwamang

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House Notes

Talbot House Notes 2019/20

Elements

Elements 2018-2019

I can hardly believe that a year has already gone by since I first met this new cohort of Elements. But what a busy year it has been! We first had a great induction day which gave all students the opportunity to get to know each other and explore the College. I always enjoy seeing them all looking so smart in their new school uniform when we take the class photos. The day gave them the chance to get to know their tutor and classmates, get their Bunsen Burner Licence in their first Science lesson, discover the grounds through a treasure hunt and become familiar with the lunch routine (something dear to our students’ hearts!).

Only two weeks later, we set off on our Induction Camp at the Phasels Woods Activity Centre. We had two very exciting days there as students took part in eight different activities including caving, zip wire, archery and high ropes. In the evening, we all sat around a big camp fire to eat marshmallows and sing a few songs. It was also an opportunity to come together in prayer and thank God for new friendships and wonderful opportunities as well as ask Him for help and guidance for the year ahead.

The weather this year proved a little challenging but the wind and rain did not stop us from having fun. I was

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impressed with our students’ good spirit throughout the camp and with how they supported each other during the activities or when sorting out wet kit.

This year, another very special event took place only one week later which was another opportunity for students to bond with each other: the trip to Douai. This trip meant so much for the College and it was lovely to see so many Elements join in the Edmundian spirit.

All through the year I have been proud to see so many Elements involved in a wide range of events and activities around the school. Many took part in musical events (music recitals, Schola Cantorum, Carol Concert, etc.), sports fixtures, House competitions and the College production of School of Rock.

This year also saw many academic successes as we saw an unprecedented number of Elements students signing the Headmaster’s Book for their outstanding achievements. Some students even signed it more than once!

The winners of our inter-form merit competition this year were Briant with 1251 merits! A particular mention must go to Annabel Downes and Serena Chugh for gaining 110 and 106 merits respectively! An incredible achievement! Well done girls!

But all these successes would not have happened without five very important people: the Elements tutors.

A huge thank you to Laura Hill, Deirdre Mallabone, Silvia Rinaldi, Jason Hounsell and Kieran Jones for all they did for their students this year!

After such a successful year, all that is left is for me to do, is to wish all Elements good luck for next year. I look forward to watching their progress and future successes.

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Half term awards

Students of the Month

Every half term, each Elements tutor chooses one student in their form to receive the half-term award which is then presented in an Elements Assembly. These can be given for a variety of reasons (achievement, progress, helpfulness, effort, involvement in a specific event, etc.) and tutors found it hard at times this year to choose one student only, as this year group was full of well deserving students. Nevertheless, they could only choose one person each half-term and these students can be very proud of their achievements amongst such strong competition from their peers.

Each month, I choose one student from each tutor group to be my Student of the Month and as usual, it was a very hard choice to make every month this year. I selected students who had impressed me in some way, with their mature attitude, their dedication to their studies, their improved effort or their support of their peers. I tried to select students who would sometimes go unnoticed but would show true Edmundian spirit in an understated way.

The students below have all shown these qualities and can be proud of their achievements this year.

October awards

September

ARROWSMITH Chloe Hayes BRIANT Lucian Torún-Shaw KEMBLE George Adeyemo SHERWIN Samuel Hay-Campbell

Zara Gardezi, Adriana Cassera, William Reville, Emma Denny

December awards ARROWSMITH Adriana Mazarron Hernandez BRIANT Annabelle Downes KEMBLE Jemima Uzoka SHERWIN Imogen Richardson

February awards ARROWSMITH Kiana Hawes BRIANT Zara Demetriou KEMBLE Gabriela Twiss SHERWIN Sophie Gower

April awards ARROWSMITH Rosie Woolfe BRIANT Thomas Cresci KEMBLE Serena Chugh SHERWIN Airon White

May awards ARROWSMITH Erin Bowen BRIANT Rohan Small KEMBLE Harry Michael SHERWIN Jackson Howe

June awards ARROWSMITH Dylan Dawe BRIANT Adriana Cassera KEMBLE Nkechinyerem Ezuma SHERWIN Amelia Hudson

October Eugene Wilson, Rohan Small, Serena Chugh, Finn Doyle

November Erin Bowen, Nathan Mamonkita, Nkechinyerem Ezuma, Roisin Devonald-Smith

December Anna Burton, Isabella Ward, Sid Stringer, Thomas Bass

January Dylan Dawe, Oscar Smits, Francesco Schonberg, Qmarlah Lynch

February Stella Wilkinson, Luca Padalino, Inès Ferguson, Joshua Luke

March Chloe Hayes, Sophie Macneill, Ayami Rajapaksha, Theo Ramchurn

April Kiana Hawes, Daisy Constantinou, Erin Marks, Miles Liversidge

May Karun Budwal, Ben Dervish, Scarlett Gale, Abisah Pwamang

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Elements

Elements Awards 2018-2019

Elements

Corrèze, France Adventure Trip - July 2019 At the end of a busy Trinity term, 37 Elements and 5 teachers set off for their adventure week in France. After sleeping for the majority of the journey we arrived in very sunny and very hot France and were warmly welcomed

by Clare and all her wonderful staff at Club Corrèze.

The week was filled with exciting activities including high ropes, water sports, river scrambling, archery, climbing and rifle shooting– there wasn’t a dull moment. Students had the opportunity to practise their French and to experience Mass in a foreign language in the beautiful Abbaye de Meymac Saint André.

On the Sunday, we made our way to Château de Val for a memorable high ropes course, set in the grounds of the castle and its lake. Such a beautiful backdrop for an exciting activity.

On Monday we visited the lake of Sèchemaille for a full day of water-based activities: paddle boarding, sailing, kayaking and canoeing. Great skills were learnt, although some students seemed to spend more time in the water than in their canoe!

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One of the highlights of the trip was the river scrambling on the Dordogne, undoubtedly one of the most picturesque regions of France. Students enjoyed the challenge of navigating their way along the river and were rewarded with stunning views and refreshing waterfalls. Every evening the fun continued with a treasure hunt, initiative games, team games and a quiz.

The week ended with a delicious barbecue cooked by Clare’s husband Gerard and a disco which included ceilidh music and attempting to follow some traditional Irish dance routines.

Clare and her team did such a great job of looking after us throughout the week, preparing home cooked meals, organising activities, and ensuring that the trip always ran smoothly. Students discovered the delicious tastes of French onion soup, caramel flans and homemade pâté. Breakfast each morning consisted of typical French pastries and hot chocolate that were appreciated by students’ and staff alike.

I must thank the teachers: Nikki Wells, Maria Sargent, Liam Woodward and Nicholas Eliasson - for all their help with the organisation of the trip and joining me on another successful Elements trip.

Elements

Elements 2019-2020

What a strange year it has been! As I look back at the photos of our Induction day and our Induction Camp in September 2019, I feel very proud of this Elements cohort and all they have achieved over the course of the year despite some challenging circumstances.

enjoyed all the activities. I was impressed with their positive attitude and initiative throughout the camp.

They really helped and supported each other during the activities and joined in all the challenges with enthusiasm and determination.

Our Elements 2019 cohort arrived in September full of energy and enthusiasm. After a very successful induction day, they had the opportunity to get to know each other better over the two-day Induction Camp at Phasels Wood Activity Centre. We were blessed with glorious sunshine this year and students thoroughly

The Elements soon became an integral part of life at the College, volunteering to guide visitors during the Open Day, taking part in House Competitions, helping organise the Senior Citizens Party and raising money for Charity. I was particularly impressed to see so many Elements involved in our Drama Production of Me and My Girl!

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Elements

Then remote learning started, and I could not have been prouder of the way Elements worked and conducted themselves throughout this time. Overnight, we asked them to manage all their work independently and handle a huge amount of emails, VLE tasks, Zoom invitations and digital documents. We asked so much from our Elements and they delivered! Although I do not wish to ever see schools closed again, I will keep fond memories of our video lessons and tutorials with Elements. Over these 12 weeks we had a variety of quizzes, scavenger hunts, pet shows, talent shows, dressing up competitions, etc. Elements took it all in their stride and raised to every challenge.

During lockdown, they also wrote some wonderful letters to the senior citizens in local care homes. The elderly residents who received them were ever so grateful.

I must thank my wonderful team of tutors who guided and supported Elements throughout this year: Jason Hounsell, Laura Hill, Kieran Jones, Silvia Rinaldi, De Mallabone, Sarah Colligan, James Adams, Maria Sargent and Jessica Armitage.

After such a strange year, I look forward to seeing everyone back in school in September!

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Half term awards

Students of the Month

Every half term, each Elements tutor chooses one student in their form to receive the half-term award which is then presented in an Elements Assembly. These can be given for a variety of reasons (achievement, progress, effort, involvement in a specific event, helpfulness, etc.). Well done to all the winners! I know how hard it was for tutors to choose one student only, as so many students were deserving of an award.

Each month this year before lockdown, I chose one student from each tutor group to be my Student of the Month and it was a very hard choice to make. I selected students who had impressed me in some way, with their mature attitude, their dedication to their studies or their support of their peers. I tried to select students who would sometimes go unnoticed but would show true Edmundian spirit in an understated way. The students below have all shown these qualities and can be proud of their achievements this year.

October awards ARROWSMITH Millie Gibson BRIANT Amelie Wiggins KEMBLE Cornelia Scott SHERWIN Kimberly Hodges WARD Marti Climent

December awards ARROWSMITH George Storey-Braun BRIANT Zac Jordan KEMBLE Tanishaa Chudasama SHERWIN Jean Desramé WARD Caitlyn Barrett

February awards ARROWSMITH Boluwatife Ibironke BRIANT Pollyanna Downes KEMBLE Daisy Hallam SHERWIN Beatrix Dadson WARD Hugo Brady

September Jachari Dixon, Emma Pipe, Olivia Hendley, Philippa Hudson, Hugo Brady

October Thomas Hipkin, Helen Zhou, Agatha Carr, Ellis Jones, Christen Dosumu

November Isabella Antoniou, Isabella Maher, Guy Omotosho, Emma Foley, Micah Gordon

December Georgia Summers, Emily Barnes, Elliot McGee, Lara Yagudaev, Benjamin Celano

January Catherine Head, Phoebe Wright, Lily Brown, Oliver Howell, James McNerney

February Robert Ratledge, Teagan Russell, Massimo Giordano, Catherine Cooper, Francesca Munday

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Elements

Elements Awards 2019-2020

Notes & Comments

Public Speaking Competition Elements Public Speaking Competition 2018/19

Rudiments Public Speaking Competition 2018/19 In preparation for the competition, all Rudiment students selected a piece of prose to read. Harry Potter, Lord of the Flies and War Horse were some of the choices. During lessons, time was given to help students decide on a suitable tone of voice, speed of delivery, and to consider when to pause. Prep was set to allow further rehearsal time.

Heats were held in classes and teachers selected a total of ten finalists who later performed in front of all their Rudiment peers. The standard was high and, following discussion between the judges: Mr. Petty, Fr. Peter and Mrs. Ager, a decision was finally made.

For our Elements students, this was their first experience of the English Department's Public Speaking Competition.

The whole year group take part and it is an opportunity for students to experience speaking in front of a group of people. Each student is asked to choose a poem to recite; the reading should take a minimum of two minutes.

1st place: 2nd place: 3rd place: 4th place: Runners-Up:

Hester Evans George Keogh William Lang Nicole Englishby Ellisse Alexander, Sylvie Allen, Kian Barton, Jake Berry, Nancy Coates, Anthony Hadji-Hannas, Jake Mackail, Bethany Curtis-Copeland.

The choice of poems was pleasingly varied and included poignant war poetry, romantic love ballads and hilarious monologues. Initially these were performed in front of a class and each teacher chose two students to go through to the final. The final was held in the Douay Hall with the whole year group as the audience. This is an enjoyable experience for audience and judges and, hopefully, for the finalists too.

The judges had a difficult task to decide the winners, but they made their decision.

1st place: 2nd place: Joint 3rd place: Runners-Up:

Sophie Macneill Harvey Cass Nathan Mamonkita & Millie Hudson Qmarlah Lynch, Adriana Cassera, Finn Doyle,Aaron Beyzade,William Reville, Imogen Richardson, Finbarr Staunton, Christian Cartlidge-Rainford.

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Notes & Comments

Grammar Public Speaking Competition 2018/19

Elements 2019/20

Having gained confidence in speaking in front of others whilst in Elements and Rudiments, our Grammar students are given the extra challenge of writing their own speech. The topic is 'Great Lives' and students choose a person worthy of their admiration. The choices are always varied, and sometimes surprising. Students are free to choose an historical figure, sportsperson, performer, or simply a neighbour who has overcome adversity. The only requirement is that students should be able to speak about the person with enthusiasm.

The Elements competition involved poetry reading.

Finalists were judged by Mrs McCann and Mrs Ager.

1st place: 2nd place: 3rd place: Runners up:

Olivia Hendley 'Three Little Pigs' Roald Dahl Leah Edwards Amor ‘Newsbook’ Emma Hackett Cornelia Scott ‘Good morning Dear Students’ Kenn Nesbit Thomas Hipkin, George Storey-Braun, Freddie Masters, Lucy Harris, Jude Byrne, Oluwaloni Akinola, Millie Gibson, Zach Entwistle.

Rudiments 2019/20 The Rudiments competition involved reading an extract of prose. Finalists were judged by Mr West and Mrs Appleford.

1st place: 2nd place: The delivery of the speeches was as varied as the nominated people. Whilst some were witty and amusing, others were touching and brought a tear to the eye. After a struggle, our judges selected the winners.

1st place: 2nd place: Joint 3rd place: Runners-Up:

Honeysuckle Plummer Molly Gaughan Sophie Nichol, Mayura Pusparajah Shyanne Asante-Adjei, Bridget Craghill, Joshua Crook, Arabella Mardell, Kyah Oti, Charlie Price-Jenson

Public Speaking Competition 2019/20 The closure of the College due to the coronavirus pandemic prevented the English department’s Public Speaking Competition from taking place in its usual format. However, as we approached the end of the Trinity Term, students were increasingly confident working remotely and using the technology at their disposal to enhance their learning. A decision was therefore made to utilise ‘Flipgrid’, a free and accessible online platform that allows students and teachers to produce video discussions, for this year’s Public Speaking Competition.

All students in Elements, Rudiments and Grammar were encouraged to take submit entries.

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3rd place: Runners up:

Evangeline Grimsdale ‘Missing Me’ Sophie McKensie Aaron Beyzade ‘Below Zero’ Dan Smith Anna Burton ‘The Maze Runner’ James Dashner Scarlett Gale, Roisin Devonald-Smith, Ayami Rajapaksha, Erin Bowen, Moronfoluwa Alomaja, Sophie Macneill.

Grammar 2019/20 The Grammar competition was inspired by BBC Radio 4’s ‘Great Lives’ series. Students were asked to write a deliver a speech on someone who they felt had lived a ‘great life’.

Competition finalists were judged by Mr Curran and Mr Woodward 1st place: 2nd place: 3rd place: Runners up:

Ellis Kontkowski ‘Florence Nightingale’ George Keogh ‘Sylvester Stallone’ Hester Evans ‘Emmeline Pankhurst’ Fabrizio Ciraolo, Rai-Lee Prince, Kiera Ferns, Bethany Curtis Copeland, Abigail Hallam, Evie Kelly, Kian Barton, Jake Berry, Emma Church.

Congratulations to all of Bounds on their fantastic effort with these competitions. They were a wonderful way to end what had been a challenging term for the students!

Summer School Notes & Comments

Introduction St Edmund’s College has a long-established tradition of welcoming international students and our Summer Schools have been offering programmes to students from over 50 countries for 25 years.

We offer a fully integrated experience where they can learn, explore and develop through a mixture of classwork, excursions, artistic expression, sports, fun, relaxation and socialising. All Summer School students live in the St Edmund’s College boarding houses and we pride ourselves on the variety of activities on offer, ensuring that there really is something to excite and stimulate everyone.

2019 This year, we welcomed 333 students from 42 countries to live and learn with St Edmund’s College over the summer.

Students enjoyed Global Skills in English lessons as well as fun activity options for all abilities and interests, ensuring an amazing experience for everyone. Whilst the day-to-day activity options are always popular, the opportunity to experience education outside the classroom is always an exciting adventure. As such, offsite excursions are met with eager anticipation by students and staff. Some excursions are educational, others are for sight-seeing but all are an opportunity to combine culture with fun as we explore the UK together.

This year’s excursion highlights included visiting Wembley Stadium, touring the historic Tower of London, exploring the impressive Ely Cathedral, and a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament. Overnight trips to Bristol and York

were also firm favourites for both students and staff.

2020 In light of the ongoing challenges Coronavirus (COVID19) presented globally, we were unable to offer a Summer School in 2020.

Whilst this was a great disappointment to everyone involved with the Summer School, our primary concern was for the safety and wellbeing of our students, staff and their families.

What next?

Planning has begun for a new multicultural Global Skills International Summer School, as well as Academies and Day Camps aimed at UK students.

With a mixture of students studying English language, students who are already native English speakers and British students attending future summer schools, we hope to create a truly multicultural and international experience for all our students.

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Notes & Comments

Animal Club and Dog Show

Animal Club – Period 7 (Trinity 2019-Lent 2020) Having started off in April 2019 as primarily ‘Lamb Club’, visiting Farmer Rob’s orphaned lambs, this P7 activity has expanded and moved from strength to strength over the year. We have built bird boxes, butterfly feeders, squirrel feeders, been on nature walks, had photography competitions, made bird feeders/food, had a visit from a local dog breeder, Mrs Howell and Dolly the Dalmation, planned the dog show, took part in the ZSL Instant Wild wildlife monitoring app, took Winston and Clemmie Mostyn (the whippets) for a walk around the school site. A highlight was visiting Mr Walker’s house on

site to do the Big Garden Bird Watch and meet his bearded dragon, Diego, and 3 gorgeous dogs Milo, Rex and Wilson – thank you!

Dog Show Tails were wagging on March 11th 2020 when our students saw the first St Edmund’s Dog Show which was pawsitively fantastic! Animal Club had spent the previous couple of months planning this event; choosing the rounds, designing the arena and advertising to the rest of the College.

Over 30 furry entrants arrived at the front of the College to our specially set up arena for what promised to be a fantastic event during Charity Week 2020. Each pup was greeted at our ‘reception’ area by Mrs Lang to register and receive a doggy treat.

Our furry friends were welcome to take part in all or a selection of 3 special rounds: Agility, Beauty and Waggiest Tail.

Armed with their stop watches, Animal Club members timed how many wags each dog could do in 30 seconds. A massive challenge recording this as so many of the dogs were very excited and happy!

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The crowds cheered on as many of our staff and students sprinted round the agility course, through tunnels, in and out of poles, over jumps, along the balance beam and finally mastering the seesaw, perfectly commentated on by Dr Eves.

Thankfully we had the expertise of local dog breeder and parent Mrs Howell to judge the beauty round as we had many wonderful dogs of all shapes and sizes ranging from little Harvey the French Bulldog to Dolly the Dalmation and Winston and Clemmie (Mr Mostyn’s whippets!).

Special mentions must go to Dan Walker and his team for not only setting up an arena for us but also building the special seesaw and balance beam for the Agility round and Mrs Howell for suppling lots of equipment and being our guest judge.

Winners: Waggiest Tail: Beauty: Agility: Judges Choice:

Arnee (Jacob Colligan, Elements) Coco (Georgia Davies, Poetry) Poppy (Oliver and Phoebe Wild, Prep) Beryl (Ellis Jones, Elements)

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Notes & Comments

The atmosphere was fantastic and one that I am sure will stay with everyone for a long time. The afternoon concluded with all of our dogs parading around the main arena and receiving a rosette for participating.

Academic Highlights

Maths Challenge Report 2019/20 Although it has been a strange end to the school year with the challenges of COVID, we are delighted that we have still been able to run the Maths Challenge, providing our students with an opportunity to stretch themselves. They should be very proud of the results that they have achieved.

Senior Challenge Over 100,000 students across the UK sat the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge. The top 60% of students nationally receive a gold, silver or bronze certificate in the ratio 1:2:3.

Pupils at St Edmund’s College achieved 1 gold, 8 silver and 17 bronze certificates. The Best in School was achieved by Edward Hartley (Rhetoric 2), with Ho Ching Cheung (Rhetoric 1) and Nina Bayford (Poetry) achieving the best marks in their respective years.

Around 1,000 invitations to the British Mathematical Olympiad Round 1 are sent to pupils who score highly in the Senior Challenge each November. Edward Hartley also qualified for this with his outstanding result.

Intermediate Challenge This competition is aimed at Grammar, Syntax and Poetry. The top 40% of students nationally receive a gold, silver or bronze certificate in the ratio 1:2:3. Pupils at St Edmund’s College achieved 4 gold, 10 silver and 13 bronze certificates. Annie He (Poetry) achieved the highest result in the school, with Alan Wang (Syntax) and Eric Zhao (Grammar) achieving the best marks in their respective years.

5,500 pupils from across all three year groups are invited to sit either the grey or pink European Kangaroo papers.

Annie He, Alan Wang, Haou Yan and Samuel Franks qualified for this competition.

Junior Challenge This competition is aimed at Elements and Rudiments.

The top 40% of students nationally receive a gold, silver or bronze certificate in the ratio 1:2:3. Pupils at St Edmund’s College achieved 5 silvers and 10 bronzes. The Best in School was achieved by Patrick Marshall (Elements), with Thomas Cresci (Rudiments) achieving the best in his year.

Edmundia in Lockdown 2019/20

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I will always vividly remember sitting in a Heads of Department meeting during the week after the February 2020 half term break. There was great uncertainty as to how the impending COVID-19 pandemic would affect the UK and its schools, which required us to draw up contingency plans to be implemented in the event that St Edmund’s was instructed to close. Staff and students are well versed in using the Firefly VLE platform to set, submit, mark and return work, so there was a degree of confidence in the room should this be needed to facilitate remote learning. However, little did we know that when Mr Fry (Director of E-Learning) stood up to address the room, we were about to be introduced to somebody who is now a familiar friend to staff, students, parents, priests and politicians alike the world over. Everybody, meet Zoom…

As the weeks that followed this meeting passed, the number of coronavirus cases increased, and it became increasingly inevitable that schools would soon be closed. Monday 23rd March was the first official day of remote learning, however, it had started for many the week prior, in which the number of staff and students in isolation had steadily increased. Some teething IT issues

Academic Highlights

By the time that this edition of The Edmundian is published, it is my sincerest hope that COVID-19 is a thing of the past, in which case the last thing that any readers will want to see is yet more content about the global pandemic that has affected us all so deeply.

However, it would be remiss not to take a few words to record St Edmund’s journey through these historic times, and more specifically the tremendous resilience and spirit that everyone, none more so than the children, displayed during these tumultuous months.

aside, it was a smooth transition, and it was not long before Zoom lessons and home schooling was being referred to as ‘the new norm’.

The degree of adaptability and resilience shown by the students during this time was astonishing. There was a clear sense of purpose and determination amongst members of the Edmundian community, which united to ensure that we could continue our mission aim of developing students in mind, body and spirit. The fact that many parents were also having to adapt to working from home themselves, and in many cases also manage the online learning of multiple children, on multiple devices, on multiple platforms, and at multiple schools, was certainly not lost on us as teachers!

During this strange time, every effort was made to replicate the school day and the St Edmund’s experience as far as possible. Life at Old Hall Green has always been about far more than the academic curriculum, so all our spirits were lifted by images of the PE department doing Joe Wicks-style workout Zoom lessons, to ensure that

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students were able to keep active throughout the lockdown. A small number of co-curricular activities were also able to continue, among them the Dungeons and Dragons activity, which was kept alive by Mr Chapman and a small number of enthusiastic students over Zoom.

The professionalism of the College’s teachers shined through not only their delivery of academic lessons, but also their outstanding pastoral care of the students. For many tutors and tutees, Tuesday afternoons became the highlight of their working week. These weekly tutorial slots provided some respite from the monotony of lockdown learning, with tutors offering quizzes, bingo games, challenges to recreate childhood photos and scavenger hunts to liven up their charges.

Perhaps the most unique treat was afforded to Mrs Armitage’s Elements tutor group, who were kindly visited by Lisa the Goat! Lisa lives on Cronkshaw Fold Farm in Lancashire, who

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became known for their #GoatsOnZoom initiative, to help people spice up their virtual meetings. Amongst such madness and fun, these tutorial sessions were also used to help students reflect on and understand the tragic circumstances that were playing out all around the world during the historic pandemic. Many students took it upon themselves to produce care packages to be sent to key NHS workers, whilst others took the time to write to those in local care homes and hospices, many of whom were experiencing stark loneliness and isolation during the lockdown.

Helping to further strengthen the sense of community and solidarity throughout the pandemic were the St Edmund’s social media feeds, which received a boost in popularity from parents and Edmundians keen to stay in the loop. They were also used by various departments to set daily sporting, musical and artistic challenges for students and parents, and who can forget Mrs Ager’s infamous Word Wednesday posts, designed to broaden students’ vocabulary, and challenge them to be more adventurous with their word choices throughout the week. Social media also became a vital means through which the Catholic life of the school was able to make its way into families’ homes, with Fr Peter Lyness

Academic Highlights recording weekly lockdown reflections from our beautiful Chapel, which were then distributed via YouTube.

I should like to take this opportunity to thank all the teaching, admin, grounds, domestic and catering staff who continued to come into school during this time to support our provision for key worker children. This small group of pupils worked in school every day, joining in Zoom lessons and completing their work with minimal fuss.

On Monday 1st June 2020, along with primary schools all over the country, St Edmund’s Prep School opened its doors to welcome back students in EYFS, Form 1 and Form 6. Congratulations to all of the staff and students who did a splendid job of rising to this challenge and following the overwhelming amount of government rules and regulations which were implemented to keep everyone safe. It was at this time that we were first introduced to the concept of student ‘bubbles’, and it was wonderful to see the students end a rather taxing term in school, with their friends, and able to enjoy the sunny weather.

The following weeks, just before the end of term, saw Syntax and Rhetoric I students also invited back into school, one House at a time, when they were given the opportunity to catch up with each other, their tutors, Housemasters and Heads of Year.

With no prize-giving festivities to conclude the Trinity Term, the academic year ended online, with a virtual speech day uploaded onto YouTube, filmed in the Chapel with Mr Mostyn, Head Boy Oliver and Head Girl Nada, and House assemblies taking place over Zoom.

It was a strange end to the strangest of terms, and one which will not be forgotten any time soon. Despite all of the hardship that so many families faced, and continue to face, with COVID-19, the spirit of Edmundia shone through, and it is with immense pride that I shall always look back on this time, for the way in which everyone in the community came together.

Avita Pro Fide!

Mr L Woodward

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Library

Library Events and Activities 2018-20 St Edmund’s Book Club The Library Book Club continues to be a popular activity with two full sessions a week on Mondays and Fridays, attended by a mixture of students from all year groups.

The students get to talk about their favourite books, swap ideas for new authors, write book reviews and take part in other fun activities, such as book quizzes, word searches, author treasure hunts, and the students’ favourite - Book Bingo! We also take part in local and national book award schemes with selected students going on trips.

In the Michaelmas Term 2018 and 2019, Book Club students took part in the Picture Book Award, an annual event organised by Bishop’s Stortford College. The students look at a selected shortlist of wonderful picture books, judge the illustrations and vote for their favourite.

Our volunteer Library Assistant, Mrs Grange, ran some very enjoyable sessions with our students, showing them the books in detail and helping them to assess the story and the illustrations. We sent in our votes, and then ten students were selected to attend the Picture Book Award ceremony, an amazing afternoon in February, where they get to meet and hear from the shortlisted authors and illustrators. The winner is announced at this exciting event, and in February 2019, the award was presented by Sara McIntyre, the illustrator of the ‘Pugs in the North’, and ‘Oliver and the Seawigs’. In February 2020, the award was presented by Petr Horacek, an acclaimed illustrator of picture books for young children. Students had the opportunity to buy books and have them signed by the illustrators. It is a wonderful, fun event.

During Trinity term of 2019, the Book Club members took part in the national “shadowing scheme” for the CILIP Carnegie Medal. This is an award given each year for the most outstanding book for children and young people published in the previous year. Many schools across the country take part by reading the shortlist of books at the same time as the real judges, and St Edmund’s Book Club

took the challenge on. The shortlist of eight books was announced in March and the Book Club members read as many of the books as possible and post reviews on our special page on the Carnegie website.

The highlight of taking part in the Carnegie shadowing scheme is our annual book discussion with students from Book Clubs in other schools in the East Herts area. In June 2019, we offered to host the event here at St Edmund’s.

We were delighted to welcome students from six schools:

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Bishop’s Stortford College, St Mary’s, Herts and Essex, Haileybury College, Leventhorpe and Bishop’s Stortford High School. The students selected to represent St Edmund’s were Alice King, Daisy Torun-Shaw, Mayura Pusparajah, Molly Gaughan, Sarah Bonnell, Justine Clarke (all Grammar), Kumari Mountford, Amy Gujral and Bethany Curtis-Copeland (all Rudiments). The students were mixed up into groups so they had the opportunity to meet students from other schools and gain new insights on the books they had been reading. It was amazing to watch the students involved in lively debates within their groups. After all the books had been discussed, students voted for their favourite. Drinks, biscuits and St Edmund’s special chocolate brownies were on offer while the votes were counted. We topped off the day with a fun team quiz which was devised and presented by Daisy Torun-Shaw in Grammar. The book with the most votes on the day was The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo which turned out to be the official winner!

Book Club members agreed that it had been a valuable experience to try some different authors and read books they might not normally choose. They particularly enjoyed the experience of meeting students from other schools and discussing the books with them. We look forward to doing it again next year!

messenger dogs during World War I. Sam was invited to talk to our Elements students that year and pupils from Prep Forms 5 and 6. Sam told pupils how she happened to hear a radio programme about the role of messenger dogs during the First World War just as she was driving past the ‘Animals in War’ memorial in London. This sparked her interest and inspired her to write the book.

She shared some interesting real-life stories and photographs she discovered while doing her research of the messenger dogs. Sam has written a number of other novels and she gave the students a short insight into each of them. Sam was a wonderful and engaging speaker that proved very popular with the pupils.

Author Visits 2018 - 2020 The Library organised a programme of author visits throughout the two academic years from September 2018 to July 2020. The author visits provide valuable opportunities for students to meet an author, be introduced to new books, and gain an insight into the writing process.

As part of our usual World Book Day celebrations in March 2019, we hosted an action-packed month of wonderful authors that inspired our students. On World Book Day itself, Thursday 7th March 2019, we were delighted to welcome Sam Angus. Sam writes historical fiction for children and she is best known for her book, ‘Soldier Dog’, which gives a vivid portrayal of the

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A few weeks later, we hosted a visit from Matt Dickinson.

Matt has had an action-packed career as an adventurer, a mountaineer (he has climbed Everest!) and also as an award-winning director and cameraman, working for National Geographic TV, Discovery Channel and the BBC. Matt talked to our Rudiments and Grammar students, and Form 6 pupils from the Prep School. He told them

Library stories about his career accompanied by pictures and video clips from his filming expeditions to Mount Everest.

Amazingly, he has filmed on Everest’s summit and was the first British film maker to do so and get back alive!

These experiences inspired Matt to write his series of books for children, ‘The Everest Files’. His other books for children and teens include the ‘Mortal Chaos’ series, the award-winning thriller, ‘Lie, Kill, Walk Away’ and his new series for younger readers, ‘Popcorn Eating Squirrels of the World Unite’. Matt was a very entertaining speaker and definitely a hit with the College students and teachers alike.

Later that week, Dan Smith was our third visiting author.

Dan is an award-winning author of adventure thriller and historical novels, and he is a popular author for the 10-14 age group. His latest novel, ‘She Wolf’, is an exhilarating story of a Viking girl. Dan talked about his childhood and his experience of going to a boarding school in England, but then spending his holidays with his family living in Asia and later Brazil. He regaled the students with incredible stories of exploring volcanoes and lakes in Asia and living in a remote part of the jungle in Brazil which inspired his adventure novel, ‘Boy X’. Dan gave a thoughtprovoking presentation, emphasising how stories and reading were an extremely important part of his childhood. He entertained the students with a collage of video clips from movies he watched as a child that still resonate today and all because they had great stories.

Dan’s visit was so popular that the Bookshop ran out of books for him to sign!

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In September 2019, as part of the College Reading Project, we were delighted to welcome Nicola Morgan, awardwinning author and authority on the teenage brain and the benefits of reading. Her work focuses on understanding teenage minds and lives; how stress affects learning; how to live well with screens and social media; and the benefits of reading for pleasure. Nicola gave an enlightening talk to our Grammar and Syntax students on ‘The Power of Reading and how it enables students to achieve their potential’. Later in the day, she did a special INSET talk for College and Prep staff on the same topic.

Following this, Nicola gave an evening talk to parents on ‘The Power of Reading: How it supports adolescent health and enables students to achieve their potential’. Nicola gave us many valuable insights into the benefits of reading and generated a great deal of positive feedback from students, staff and parents alike.

In March 2020, on World Book Day itself, St Edmund’s College had the pleasure of welcoming our final visiting author, Dan Freedman. Dan is the author of the very

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popular ‘Jamie Johnson’ series of football-themed books and the new ‘Jamie Johnson’ TV series on CBBC, and now he has a new book, ‘Unstoppable’, a tense and edgy contemporary thriller. Dan came along to talk to our Elements, Rudiments and Grammar students. Dan talked about his love of football from a very young age and his dreams of playing football professionally. Although he didn’t fulfil that dream, he found other ways to stay involved with football. He started to write about football and ended up working as a journalist for the Football Association! He travelled to the World Cup in 2002 with the England football team, and he has interviewed all the top international football players like Beckham, Rooney, Ronaldo and Rio Ferdinand. The students were enthralled by his amazing stories and he gave them lots of time to ask questions, giving away a signed football to the student with the most interesting question! Dan proved extremely popular with the students and many queued up to get a signed copy of his books.

Library

Brown’s Book Bus Visit On Tuesday 17th September 2019, we were excited to have the “Reader Leader Book Bus visit”! Browns’ Book Bus is a mobile book showroom which travels around the country visiting schools. Browns Books are one of the leading educational suppliers and they have created this amazing double decker bus just for school visits, with over 4000 books on board!

After the visit, Mrs Tyne, our School Librarian, collated the wish lists and new books were ordered. Once all the books arrived, we held a celebration event in the Library for the Reader Leader committee. Students were able to browse through the new titles and read some of those amazing new books!

The Book Bus visit was a wonderful opportunity for teachers and students to browse a selection of new books and make suggestions for the Library. Our Reading champions, the Reader Leader committee and Book Club students, were invited to come on board the Bus during break and lunchtime. There was a great deal of excitement when the students saw the Book Bus and they loved the amazing range of books on board. The top deck has shelves of enticing books and electronic displays. One student exclaimed, “This is amazing! I want to live on this bus!” Students and teachers were able to zap the barcodes on the books with mobile scanners which then created a wish list of books they would like to see in the School Library.

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Art & Design

Art Department 2018/19 A Level Art

Monet Scrimali

Monet Scrimali

Monet Scrimali

Monet Scrimali Andrew Tam

Rachel Wang

Rachel Wang

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Art & Design

A Level Art 2018/19

Andrew Tam Isobel Birchall

Rachel Wang

Hillary Cheung

Monet Scrimali

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Hillary Cheung

Art & Design Monet Scrimali

Hillary Cheung

Monet Scrimali

Andrew Tam

Monet Scrimali

Andrew Tam

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Art & Design

GCSE Students’ artwork 2018/19

Abbie May Jones

Cherry Ye

Lara Thompson

Cherry Ye

Tiffany Hartley

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Art & Design Abbie May Jones

Olivia George

Mina Medic

Cherry Ye

Mina Medic

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Art & Design

Art Department 2019/20 A Level Art

Amber Mustafa

Amy Fung

Amber

Isobel Birchall Charles O’Connor

Charles O’Connor

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Charles O’Connor

Art & Design Amber Mustafa

Amy Fung

Charles O’Connor

Isobel Birchall

Charles O’Connor

Isobel Birchall

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Art & Design

GCSE Students’ artwork 2019/20

Oscar Blake

William Taylor

Moyofoluwa Ogungbemi Georgia Davies

Annabelle Church

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Grish Barla

Georgia Davies

Art & Design Elodie Cooper

Elodie Cooper

Beatrice Kwarteng

Eva Van de Ven

Annie He

Elodie Cooper

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Music and Drama

Music and Drama 2018/19

450th Anniversary celebrations in Douai - September 2018 On Saturday 22nd September 2018, the entire St Edmund’s community of students, staff and parents travelled to Douai for an historic Mass at the Collégiale Saint-Pierre. However, the week prior to that saw the Schola Cantorum, College Orchestra and a range of sports teams travel to France for a series of celebrations, concerts, fixtures and festivities! As well as being an opportunity to celebrate the 450th anniversary of our College, this week was also an excellent chance to get to know the town of Douai and its people. The concert in Douai was amazing to play in. With acts ranging from Orchestra playing sea shanties, to a group of boys singing Barber Shop Billy Joel. All who participated displayed a wonderful attitude and created special memories. The trip required expert organisation and took months and

months of planning, which made it more enjoyable and rewarding. Thank you to everybody who took part, especially those involved in the organisation of the trip.

450th Anniversary Spring Concert The 2019 Spring Concert was a wonderfully creative showcase and an opportunity for the College’s Musicians, various Ensembles and Vocalists to really demonstrate how much their hard work, extra rehearsals and lunchtimes spent in the Music School have paid off.

Donning our new 450th year T-Shirts and encouraged by a large, appreciative and enthusiastic audience the students performed throughout the evening with enthusiasm and real dedication to their craft. An evening of so many memorable moments it is difficult to highlight them all, the standard was so high.

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Two new Rhetoric students, Ruidi Zhu and Emily Connor, Music Scholar, gave very accomplished performances playing the first movement of a Beethoven Sonata and Doppler’s ‘Hungarian Pastoral Fantasie’ respectively.

For the first time in a Spring Concert we had a ‘Drum Duel’ featuring Poets Henry Stuckey and Leo Carr (accompanied on Bass Guitar by Mr Coombs and Oliver Martin on Electric Guitar). Both Leo and Henry have passed their Grade 8 examinations and gave the audience a real treat by playing the Beach Boy’s ‘Wipe Out’ and battling it out with flair and enthusiasm.

Both Senior and Junior Rock Bands performed with the older students being instrumental in the success of the younger students giving support and encouragement when running the junior rehearsals at lunch times. It was the first ever concert performance for young guitarists Marley Cooper and Eva van de Ven who were joined by Giorgia Buraglio on guitar, Leo Carr on drums and lending his vocal talents, Rhetoric & Rock Band member Louie Seers.

The evening had a very special atmosphere, not least because of the varied programme, which demonstrated the depth and variety of the music making within the department and an extremely high level of performance from students in all years. Ensembles such as the Flute Group and Jazz Band had a complete range of students including two students from the Prep School, Jemima Uzoka and Gabriela Twiss who have joined the College Orchestra this year. Jemima also played oboe alongside James Hanley, Edward Marshall and Catherine Wild in an Oboe Quartet, which was a wonderful opportunity for her.

An integral part of proceedings, Oliver Martin played both electric and acoustic guitar in different ensembles displaying his talent on both instruments. Joining Daniel Garvin who played violin for their duet ‘Libertango’ by Piazzolla and giving a mesmerising performance of two pieces from Roland Chadwick’s ‘Letter from LA’ as part of the Senior Guitar Trio with Miss Barreda and Mr Waters.

The evening began with a beautiful rendition of ‘Return to Skye’ by Keith Sharp performed by the String Ensemble and directed by Samantha Slade. They were accompanied by Edward Marshall who also gave his first performance as pianist with the College Jazz Band later in the evening.

Featured Vocalist Freya Burke displayed her ability to cover different genres with ease by singing Toto’s ‘Hold the Line’ with Rock Band and then channelling Ella Fitzgerald when performing with Jazz Band who had never performed with a singer before but enjoyed this extra dimension to the Ensemble. Our Schola Cantorum were also on fine form performing The Carpenter’s ‘Close to You’ and Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.

The College Orchestra, conducted by Mr. Benham gave very polished performances of the ‘Overture to the

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Concerts and Recitals As well as the large scale Concerts and events, it was lovely to have so many talented students participate in smaller, less formal, recitals. These included String Recitals, Music Theatre evenings as well as Junior and Senior Recitals. Some pupils were performing to an audience for the very first time. Those studying GCSE and A Level Music also gave recitals and the quality of music making at all was wonderful.

Music and Drama

Marriage of Figaro’ by Mozart and an arrangement of the music from Disney’s’ Beauty and the Beast’. Students had put in extra effort by giving up a Sunday afternoon to rehearse for the concert and this definitely showed in the expressive quality and mood of both performances. Thanks must be given to the Peripatetic Staff and Mr Brooker for adding their instrumental expertise to the Orchestra. For the Finale, Orchestra were joined on stage by Schola to perform a specially commissioned arrangement of Elbow’s ‘One Day Like This’ (arranged for Choir and Orchestra by Paul Ayres) which was a fitting end to a wonderful evening.

need to learn from scratch and need the necessary time to perfect their technique, fluency and levels of expression. Following the concert, the students received marks and feedback for improvement using the final A Level criteria.

Emily Connor gave an outstanding performance of Fantasie by Georges Hue on her flute with an impressive range of tonal qualities resulting in a stylish and colourful performance. Luca Buraglio performed both vocal and piano pieces: Moonlight Sonata - Beethoven and Se Vuol Ballare - Mozart with an emerging level of confidence.

Yuanxu (William) Han is currently working for his Grade 8 piano and was courageous in performing Bach's Gigue, a complete contrast to his usual default to piece by the composers from the Romantic period, such as Chopin.

Freya Burke performed Losing My Mind from the Musical Follies with a vocal quality, which is showing increasing maturity and control. Thanks go to Mr Benham, also their A Level teacher, for accompanying them.

All the students are at very different points in their musical journey, but are working hard to achieve the very best they can in technical prowess and expressive control. Very well done all!

A Level Recital On Thursday 8th March, our A Level Music students gave an excellent performance of pieces in a small concert for family and friends. Performance on their chosen instrument or voice is worth 35% of their final A Level grade and so the opportunity to practice this skill and be marked to the final examination criteria is important.

Students will now be working with their instrumental and vocal teachers to put together a programme to the correct standard, and with the necessary variety of style.

It is an important exercise to do early on in the linear A Level course; students might be choosing a piece they

Piano Masterclass We were delighted to invite back to the Music School, Erdem Misilioglu. He first came to the College to perform the repertoire he played at the Young Musician of The Year Competition in 2008, which he went on to win. He was also a prize winner of the International Rachmaninov competition in Russia in 2006 . After studying piano with Martin Roscoe at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama he is now a professional pianist performing as a soloist and also with a trio. He has received masterclasses himself from Peter Donohoe and Lang Lang.

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Eight of the College’s senior pianists took part in the Masterclass. Alvaro Sanchez Martinez, William Han, Ruidi Zhu, Brian Ting, AJ Oruman, Luca Buraglio , Caspian Plummer and Edward Marshall, playing a range of music from Mozart, Beethoven to Debussy and Rachmaninov.

They each presented a piece they were currently working on to the rest of the group. Erdem then discussed their performance and gave them tips for further practice.

His suggestions included topics such as, posture, use of arm strength when using tenuto, how to bring out inner melodies, the use of diminuendo, placement of notes within a phrase. Erdem concluded the Masterclass with a performance of Beethoven’s Appasionata Sonata No. 23.

Duo Concert Oliver Martin received an enthusiastic and warm reception when he collaborated in a recital with former music scholar & Old Edmundian, violinist Daniel Garvin, at a lunchtime concert in All Saints Church Hertford.

Although Daniel is now studying at the Purcell School, the two musicians have remained friends and are building a successful duo. Oliver and Daniel performed their own arrangement of the anonymous Spanish Romance together with music by Piazolla and Paganini. They performed with great flair and assurance and with an outstanding understanding and 'feel' for the music complemented by the All Saints Ambience. With two such talents, this is a duo who are sure to go far. Bravo!

Sam Hay-Campbell It was a very busy and musical summer for one of our Music Scholars, Rudiment Samuel Hay-Campbell. Sam started the Summer holidays by participating in ‘Noyye's Fludde’, a one-act Opera by Benjamin Britten, intended primarily for amateur performers, particularly children. This was a great experience for Sam who then

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moved onto singing with his Church Choir at St Paul’s and Norwich cathedrals including a lovely solo at Evensong in Norwich despite being rather nervous!

Sam was then nominated by a local music service to attend some workshops with the London Symphony Orchestra which will culminate in a concert at St Luke’s in Central London in November.

Goodbye to KSK After 15 years, Karen Salter-Kay retired as Director of Music at the end of the 2019 Trinity term. Her colleagues in the Music Department gave her a wonderfully warm send off with Peripatetic Teachers and Music Staff past and present coming along to say their farewells on a beautiful summer evening. There was much reminiscing of concerts, special masses, choir tours & college productions and many a story told.

A keen gardener, Karen has green as well as musical fingers and was presented with many special musical gifts, including the beautiful “Benjamin Britten” Rose that she is able to plant and remember her time at St Edmund’s. Everyone wishes Karen a long and happy retirement and thank her for her huge contribution to the musical life of the college.

Welcome to Mr Woodhall September 2019 saw many new arrivals to the College; a new Director of Music (Mr Woodhall) a new Music Teacher (Mrs Colligan) who were both delighted to be joining the superb Music team.

Keen to maintain and build on the strong tradition of choral singing at the College, Mr Woodhall directed the Schola Cantorum in Bruckner’s Locus Iste at a Commissioning Mass to welcome the new Headmaster, Mr Mostyn. It was wonderful that so many pupils wanted to audition to be part of a new chamber choir: Cantores. This choir sang at the Service of Prize Giving for new scholars and on Open Day. Schola Cantorum sang ‘Greater Love Hath No Man’ an anthem by Mr Woodhall for the Remembrance service.

A few days later, the Choirs were very much part of the St Edmund’s Day celebrations and Schola Cantorum sang the anthem ‘O Thou the Central Orb’ by Charles Wood magnificently. Cantores sang William Byrd’s ‘Ave Verum Corpus’ during communion and did so beautifully.

highlights included Junior Schola singing Carol of the Bells, Cantores singing Darke’s In the Bleak Midwinter, Senior Schola’s rousing rendition of Sussex Carol with Brass and all the choirs combined singing Rutter’s Shepherd’s Pipe Carol. Of course, the service concluded with the College Carol ‘Adeste Fideles’ or, O Come All Ye Faithful complete with Brass fanfare. A wonderful celebration.

Music Theatre Club Mr Veasey’s Music Theatre Club proved to be a big hit with students from all year groups. Meeting once a week during the Music School, the students sang songs from musicals such as 13, Bring it On and Songs for a New World. They also learned how to use harmonies and sing in an ensemble. Once COVID restrictions are lifted, there are plans to relaunch the club and hold concerts and events throughout the year.

Christmas 2019 Christmas was celebrated in style in 2019! The orchestra played a suite from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker at the Senior Citizens’ party in the Butler hall. They went on to play a number of carols for which the audience and members of both the College and Prep choirs sang. A number of soloists, particularly Boarders also played and the concert finished with the cast of Me and My Girl singing ‘The sun has got his hat on’ and, of course, the Lambeth Walk!

The College Carol service was a tremendous celebration.

The service began with a solo verse of ‘O Come, O Come Emanuel’ from the back of the Chapel and all the choirs processed in during this. A brass quintet featuring several of the College’s peripatetic teachers added a tremendous energy at loud moments to the superb accompaniment provided by Mr Benham on the organ.

As well as the traditional congregational hymns, the service featured a variety of choral items from three separate choirs; the Junior Schola, the Senior Schola and Cantors. All of the choirs sang superbly, and particular

Music School Lockdown When the lockdown was announced St Edmund’s, along with all schools, had to close its doors. Lessons went online and many fantastic innovations were quickly embraced. It was a time of some uncertainty and so to lift everyone’s spirits, the staff of the College and Prep united to create a video of Pharell’s ‘Happy’ which Mr Woodhall produced. Soon after the students created their own and Edward Marshall organised the cast of ‘Me and My Girl’ to sing the Lambeth Walk. Staff and students managed to film some Hymns in the Chapel ahead of the school closure and it was a tremendous celebration when, towards the end of term, a small group of students were able to come into the chapel

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Music and Drama 2019/20

Exam Success Music and Drama

Every week during both the 2018–19 and 2019–20 academic years, nearly 200 music lessons took place.

A large number of pupils having instrumental and singing lessons took external exams with the ABRSM, Trinity, Rockschool and LCM. During 2018-20 over 150 pupils took an exam and 100% passed. Notable achievements included:

• London College of Music Musical Theatre exams were and record ‘Sing England’s Sons’ for use in the Virtual Speech Day celebrations.

Lambeth Walk in Lockdown: It was the start of lockdown, when the College Production was one of the last things that we had all been involved in before the world shut down. I was starting to see more and more virtual choir projects going around social media and thought it would be fun to have a go at one ourselves. The aim was really to make a few people laugh when everything else was seeming rather gloomy! I managed to convince a few of my fellow castmates to have a go, and after a tedious amount of time editing and syncing everything together, we finally had a finished product! – Edward Marshall, Rhetoric

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a particular success with a total of 19 Distinctions and 11 Merits awarded. Particular congratulations to Jessie Roberts who achieved 100%. The Examiner was very impressed by the high standard of all performances on the day.

• The ABRSM and Trinity Practical Exams were very positive with a large number of Distinctions and Merits being awarded.

A big thank you must go to all of our Visiting Music Teachers for all their hard work in preparing the students for their exams.

Music and Drama

College Production 2019

School of Rock Still reeling from the chaos of Starlight Express, the announcement of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s School of Rock as the 2019 College production was greeted with tremendous excitement by the students, many of whom were big fans of the original Jack Black movie.

Barely had the Starlight cast put away their roller skates and wigs, when many of them were back in the Douay Hall, rehearsing with guitars and drumsticks in hand.

Over the course of their subsequent three-night run at Broxbourne’s Spotlight Theatre, from the 30th January to the 1st February, the student’s of St Edmund’s thrilled, entertained and, it’s safe to say, rocked.

From the very first scene there were cheers and laughs from the audience. Sporting an Axl Rose-esque blonde mullet wig and red bandana, Rory Chick gyrated his way onto the stage as Theo, the pretentious lead singer of No Vacancy. The opening scene set the stage for our introduction to Dewey Finn, played with heart and energy by the supremely talented Oliver Martin. At numerous College events throughout his career at St Edmund’s, Oliver has wowed (or in the words of Dewey, ‘melted’) audiences with his mesmerising musical talent on the guitar, making this the perfect role for him. His energetic rendition of When I Climb to the Top of Mount Rock is the first true roof raiser of the evening, performed with an intensity that does not relent throughout the whole evening.

As well as being a show of incredible music, School of Rock is also undeniably funny. It is in these early scenes that the audience are introduced to the incredible comedic talent of Oliver Welsby.

Playing the role of Ned’s awkward-but-amiable pal Ned Schneebly, Oliver charms, snorts and shrugs his way through the show, delivering his lines and jokes with impeccable timing. In any scene starring Ned, his domineering and demanding other half Patty, another favourite with the audience, is never close behind.

Congratulations to Imogen Burton for playing Patty with such presence and charisma.

The action soon shifts to the corridors and classrooms of Horace Green Prep, where Dewey has landed a ‘gig’ as a substitute teacher. We meet Headmistress Rosalie Mullins, played by the fantastic Freya Burke, whose exceptional vocals are a particular highlight, and, of course, Dewey’s class of rock apprentices. This was a younger cast than usual for a St Edmund’s production, with many students from Elements and Rudiments taking up prominent roles. The energy, enthusiasm and sheer talent on display bodes very well for the future, with the likes of Brook Westfall (in the role of guitarist Zack Mooneyham), Alex Chotiros (as keyboarder

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As Dewey’s rock education of his students progresses, yet more vocal and instrumental talent graces the stage.

Jessie Roberts is a tour de force as band manager Summer, whilst Alicia Chugh blows everyone away with her powerful and commanding vocals as the shy and retiring Tomika. Siblings Caspian and Honeysuckle Plummer make up the remainder of Mr Finn’s class band, as Freddie Hamilton on the drums and Katie on bass guitar; their ability to act, sing and play with such poise throughout is simply staggering.

There are plenty of other highlights, too many here to list, though I will mention Rory Chick’s reappearance on stage as flamboyant suburban father as a moment that triggered an especially hearty roar of laughter from the crowd.

There are few things that make me prouder to be a teacher in Edmundia than watching our students do themselves proud on the stage, and perform with such talent and professionalism. The College production requires Herculean levels of commitment, energy and determination. While a single performance may last a couple of hours, anyone involved will tell you that it is a culmination of hundreds of hours of rehearsals and countless trips up and down the A10. The students’ ability to balance this with their academic studies, and often many other co-curricular pursuits, is inspiring.

Speak to any cast member and they will wax lyrical about the work that has to take place behind the scenes for a show of this scale to take place. Mr Jason Hounsell will always be one of the first names uttered and praised. His tireless work in ensuring that everything off stage runs smoothly, and management of a vast crew of stagehands, deserves special thanks.

Below I have quoted Director Alexander Purves’ special thanks from the School of

Music and Drama

Lawrence) and Jake Mackaill (as band stylist Billy Sandford) all excelling. They were backed up by a delightful ensemble of singers and dancers, who had a constant skip in their step and kept the energy levels always dialled up to 11.

Rock programme, which hopefully helps to provide some insight into the work and commitment required from a whole range of people to succeed in putting on such a show. Each year, St Edmund’s chooses to be bold and ambitious in its choice of musical; it is because we know that we can rely on such an incredible community of people that we can afford to be so. Avita Pro Fide!

“Special thanks goes to… Paulo Duran, Nikki King, Melanie Burke, Linsey Edmunds, the St Edmund’s College Finance team, Sandra Chadwick and all the Porters, Rachel Bull and the Holroyd Howe team, The Spotlight Theatre, Golden Boy Coaches, Stevensons for the costumes and all the parents for their support and for being the best ‘taxi drivers’ in the world!” Alexander Purves, Director

The view from the pit: Edward Marshall Playing in the pit band for School of Rock was a whole new experience for me, as in the past I had been up on stage. Having only started to look at my score for Keyboard 1 a month before the show, rehearsals were never boring! I have great memories of playing music with friends and some of the card games during the dress rehearsals when we weren't playing! I also remember Mr Purves went to start the dress run of Act 2 early, but somehow forgot to tell Mrs Salter-Kay about this. The lights went down, and no conductor was to be seen, meaning I had to attempt to conduct the band (but they had to try and figure out what my uncertain waving hands meant!), but by the end of the number Mrs Salter-Kay was found and I was finally saved and went back to my comfortable position behind the keys!

Playing in the pit band exposed me to a very different type of ensemble playing and I loved every minute!

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College Production 2020

Me and My Girl The College’s 2020 production of Me and My Girl represented a shift away from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals of previous years, and towards a more traditional era of British musical theatre. Originally conceived in 1937, it was revived and popularised by Stephen Fry in the 1980s, receiving critical acclaim for its run in the West End and on Broadway. It therefore presented a different kind of challenge for the students of Edmundia, perhaps lacking the raucous spontaneity of School of Rock, but nevertheless requiring them to tap dance, sing in a range of styles and master all manner of accents.

‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On’, sings the show’s protagonist, Bill Snibson. It is safe to say that this was not the case as the crowds packed into The Spotlight Theatre on a bitterly cold January evening to watch the show’s opening performance. However, I am delighted to the audience was soon warmed up by a production of irresistible cheer and charm.

For those unaware of the show’s premise, Me and My Girl is set in the 1930s and takes place in two worlds, the vast and grand estate of Hareford Hall and the streets of Lambeth, south London. We are first introduced to a motley crew of upper class oddballs and eccentrics who roam the halls of the Hareford estate. They include the prim and proper Maria, the Duchess of Dene (played by

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Imogen Burton) and Sir John Tremayne (Oliver Welsby), who seek the true heir to the title of Earl of Hareford.

Never far behind are the aurally challenged Lord Jasper (Francis Butterworth), eligible bachelor Gerald Bolingbroke (Rory Chick) and feisty Lady Jacqueline (a role shared by Maddie HudsonClements and Honeysuckle Plummer).

It is when we are introduced to the character of Herbert Parchester that turmoil occurs. Edward Marshall’s hilarious and charismatic rendition of ‘The Family Solicitor’ is endlessly entertaining. He reveals that the true heir to the estate has indeed been found…on the streets of inner-city London.

Caspian Plummer’s captivating performance as ‘rough around the edges’ Lambeth cockney Bill Snibson exudes wit and charm. Bill finds himself a fish out of water when he is whisked away to Hareford Hall, where he is torn between a hefty inheritance and his girl, Sally, who is swiftly deemed unworthy by the Duchess and Sir John. Sally Smith is played in alternate performances

by Shannon Hunt and Jessie Roberts, with both girls commanding the stage and capturing the hearts of the audience with the character’s warmth and wisdom.

The heart-wrenching performance of ‘Once You Lose

The central characters are, as always, helped along by an immensely talented supporting cast. The supporting cast’s attention to detail and commitment to their craft, I would argue, can be the difference between a good and a great show, so I am delighted to report that every single student that stepped foot on the stage excelled. Jake Mackaill, as Charles the Butler, Oliver Howell, as the Police Constable, and Emily Thomas, as the hilariously named Mrs Worthington-Worthington, all make relatively brief, but memorably entertaining appearances on the stage, each drawing laughter and applause from the crowd.

The ups, downs, twists and turns continue, but by the time the final ‘Lambeth Walk’ rolls around, all is well at Hareford Hall, and Bill has taken up his Earlship, with ‘Sal’ by his side and on his arm. The feelgood factor of the show is tangible, with everyone in the audience left with a smile on their face and skip in their step.

I would therefore like to take this opportunity to doff my cap, Bill Snibson style, to everyone involved in Me and My Girl. A huge congratulations to each and every cast member for an unforgettable performance. Equally, a show like this requires a huge team of technical support, prop, costume and make-up assistants, as well as runners and stagehands to make everything ‘tick’, so

it is only fair and appropriate that we also acknowledge their stellar work in contributing to the production’s success. Watching a St Edmund’s musical is much like watching a duck swim across a lake; smooth and serene on the surface, but requires furious paddling underneath to ensure everything stays afloat!

I look ahead to next year’s production with excitement and anticipation. There is, it seems, no end to the talents of our students, who, year on year, take on and overcome immense challenges to entertain our Edmundian community.

A performer’s perspective – Caspian Plummer Me and My Girl was in my opinion one of our best shows of all time! All the students demonstrated immense talent and the final result was brilliant. I played Bill Snibson, and I found it challenging but hugely enjoyable to learn to tap dance, speak in cockney rhyming slang and even how to control my stamina after the onehundredth repetition of 'Doing the Lambeth walk'. The Show, every year is what I, and many others look forward to most. The dedication, determination, and ambition to excel in a successful show is not only shared amongst the student, but with all the amazing staff and team that support us. Every year they pull a new idea out of the bag, and every year they manage to pull it off! Me and My Girl will always be something I look back on as a great achievement, but also a great time.

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Your Heart’ is among the more poignant moments of the evening.

School Trips

Learning through exploration 2019 Ski Trip – Banff St Edmund’s largest ever ski trip departed for Canada at the start of the 2019 Easter holidays. Following a smooth journey from Heathrow to Calgary, we transferred to the hotel in the idyllic town of Banff in time for dinner before completing the short walk into the town centre for our ski fit. As ever, fitting skis, boots, and helmets for the whole group, comprised of students from Years 4 to 10 from the Prep and College proved to be quite the logistical challenge. With everyone fully equipped, we headed back to the hotel, where it was early to bed before the fun really started the following morning.

We were blessed with five days of skiing split between 'The Big 3' mountains of Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise. Each of these days were followed by evening activities of snow tubing, ice skating, cinema, Mass, and a meal at a local restaurant to keep the students busy for the duration of the week. The ski conditions were fantastic throughout, with slopes to challenge all abilities; from our new, first time skiers to our very adept, talented students. The instructors were also excellent at encouraging the students to challenge themselves and develop their skiing capabilities, but always in a safe and responsible way.

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The students were a real credit to the College; I lost count of the number of people that commented on their good behaviour and it was a real pleasure to have them on the trip. Thank you to the staff that supported what was such a memorable ski trip: Miss Simon, Miss Dunning, Mr West, Mr Adams, Mrs Mallabone, Mrs Penfold, Mrs Roper, Mr Woodward and Mrs Wells for helping to run the trip and for their good humour throughout.

Mr K Jones

With this said, on this particular trip there were a few bumps and bruises suffered along the way, but all students were carefully looked after by the team of staff and kept smiling throughout.

Departure day sadly soon arrived, which meant travelling back to Calgary, via a shopping mall for some retail therapy. This was an opportunity for students (and staff) to purchase gifts for loved ones at home. For some, it was also an opportunity to utilise the free wifi to catch the final moments of the tense Champions League Quarter-Final second leg between Manchester City and Tottenham. The last-minute drama in this match proved to be a rather traumatic experience for some, but a source of jubilation for others!

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Atlas Mountains, Morocco 2019 Over the 2019 Easter break, the Geography department organised a trip for sixteen lucky Syntax students to visit the stunning Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

Having landed and settled into our accommodation in Marrakech, we spent our first day exploring the incredible city. We went to La Jardin Majorelle, an extensive landscaped botanical garden in the heart of the city, which is home to a wide variety of species of cacti, palms, bamboo, garden plants, and aquatic plants.

As well as the multitude of plants on show, the garden is also home to many stunning mosaics and a museum of Islamic art.

School Trips In the afternoon, the Marrakech medina was quite a sight to behold. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a maze of narrow passageways crammed with people, animals and mopeds weaving in and out of the crowds. Around every corner, you could find something different being sold.

On day two we ventured out of Marrakech, journeying into the lower Atlas Mountains. As one might expect, the picture-postcard views stretched for miles. We eventually reached the city of Ouarzazate, which sits on the edge of the mountains and is commonly known as the gateway to the vast Sahara Desert. Among the famous landmarks in Ouarzazate is the Taourirt Kasbah

- a huge fortified palace. It looks exactly how you might imagine it to, impressive balconies, embrasures and parapets encased in a towering wall of rammed earth and mud-brick.

Ouarzazate isn’t called ‘the door to the desert’ for nothing. Upon leaving, we were surrounded by lengthy views of sand dunes all the way to the next activity: camel riding. We rode camels in lines two-by-two all the way to the Bedouin camp which would be our shelter and entertainment for the night. And they did not disappoint, the dancing, drumming and singing continued deep into the night.

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Following a memorable night camping under the stars in the desert, we began the journey back to Marrakech, weaving through the Sahara Desert, back past Ouarzazate, then over the incredible Atlas mountains.

We made many interesting stops along the way, including pottery and almond villages which are some of Morocco's most bustling tourist hotspots outside of Marrakech.

Our final day in Morocco consisted of early morning pastries, saying goodbye to our guide at the airport and finally taking off back to London with our souvenirs, photographs and Moroccan memories.

Huge thanks to Ms Tucker for organising the trip, and all of the staff who kept us safe and entertained throughout our adventures.

Ogorchukwu Ozor

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School Trips

Rhetoric II Trip to India 2019 Bangalore, India – often perceived to be India’s ‘Silicon Valley’, Karnataka’s largest city is home to eight million people, an ever-expanding technology industry and an abundance of parks, temples and sculptures. In short, a fusion of India’s cultural past with the realities of twenty-first century urban life. This was the location of the Rhetoric II trip to India.

As the year-group gathered in the early hours of the morning on Thursday 4th July, the excitement was palpable. For many, this was to be their first experience of the Indian subcontinent and most alarmingly, the first extended period of time elapsed without a reliable WIFI connection. A short bus journey and one ten-hour flight later, the group was treated to the journalistic insights of Freddie Roberts who – upon stepping off the plane – was immediately struck by the humidity of the Indian climate, remarking: “India is well hot!”

experience of Southern Indian cuisine. Whilst many were unable to manage the food’s heat, Leo Carr and Vanessa Odo seemed primed to cope with the challenges of the Asian spice palate. Both would later conquer BBQ Nation’s hottest kebabs and defeat the infamous McDonald’s Spicy Maharaja Mac in what can only be described as a feat of great perseverance and character.

Of all the sights in Bangalore, from the hustle and bustle of the bazaars to the grandeur of the Great Banyan Tree, the most majestic is undoubtedly the Bengal Tiger. One of the largest wild cats in Asia, its numbers are dwindling largely due to poaching and

Thus, we had made it to India. Shortly after, we arrived at St John’s Hospital, our home for the next two weeks. After a brief tour from Mohana we were whisked off into the heart of the city for our first

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habitat destruction. However, the group was lucky enough to witness several tigers as well as elephants, lions and monkeys in Bangalore’s own Bannerghatta national park. We were treated to a thrilling safari and the proximity to the animals lent itself to some exceptional photography.

Perhaps most impactful were the visits to two junior schools in the small rural villages of Kanamanapalli and Gangasandra. The group had raised money prior to the trip in order to purchase stationery and school materials that would be distributed to the children upon arrival. After serving lunch, the children were allowed an hour of free time to spend interacting with us. An impressive knowledge of TikTok trends was demonstrated by Rishi Sanganee, Dominic Negri and Max Davies who overcame the language barrier by teaching the children dances. Davies’ ‘Dad Dancing’ prowess had already been displayed the previous evening at BBQ nation during a dance-off with some locals. It was truly humbling to be so warmly

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welcomed and to witness the smiles and positive energy of the village children as many of their families live in material poverty and face repeated subsistence struggles. Undoubtedly, these experiences in particular will remain with all Edmundians present.

Next up was a trip to the neighbouring city of Mysore.

For those of us on Bus A a lengthy journey was improved by Edward Hartley’s first-rate entertainment, teaching everyone his variation on ‘Chopsticks’, a game that would later become a group favourite. The day was spent visiting various temples and landmarks as well as learning about Shaivite and Vaishnavite Hindu tradition. As the sun set on Mysore Palace, a large crowd gathered to witness the lights show which proved to be a gripping spectacle and an intriguing visual manifestation of South Indian cultural identity.

For many, the highlight of the trip was the visit to Bishop Cotton Boys’ School. The morning was spent cheering on the Cottonians as they triumphed over their local rivals in a game of twenty-over cricket.

Oliver Martin

Psychology A Level Conference

Subsequently, we were toured around campus by the prefect team and sat in on some lessons in order to experience the Indian curriculum. Recognition must go to Imogen Burton, Maddie Hudson-Clements and Lara Chick who with the assistance of Mrs Appleford, took on thirty Cottonians in a heated debate over the modern-day relevance of Shakespeare’s Othello. At lunchtime Edmundia’s finest emerged onto the football pitch to take on the Cotton’s XI in what proved to be a dramatic end-to-end spectacle. Despite being unaccustomed to the heat, the boys did us proud with Max Cooper making some saves reminiscent of Buffon in his prime and Oliver Luck scoring a screamer in the final minute to take the score to 3-2. It was fantastic to converse with many of the Cottons pupils over lunch and with many planning on attending UK universities, I am sure there are many meetups to be had in the future.

On 25th March 2019, the Psychology Department took all A Level students to the Emmanuel Centre in London for the annual conference. This included lectures on a wide range of topics from leading experts in their respective fields. This was a fantastic opportunity to stretch and challenge students’ understanding of the curriculum content, as well to broaden their interests in the subject. There were many highlights, including a presentation from leading expert Professor Elizabeth Loftus on “Memory matters”, which explored her decades of research into Cognitive Psychology. We were also privileged to experience Professor David Wilson discuss his work in the field of Criminology, in a presentation titled “How to understand serial murder – a case study of Jack the Ripper”. Both the students and staff thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Other highlights included a trip on a Tuk-Tuk, a ride on a bullock cart, a visit to Mohana’s village of birth, a shopping spree at the local market, witnessing jaggery production at a local factory and Mr Hounsell’s

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characteristically pithy comments such as “Welcome to India”. This trip is one of the fondest memories I have of Rhetoric co-curricular life and I am extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to go. Special thanks must go to all the teachers involved, in particular our resident tour guide Mohana and the trip leader Jason Hounsell.

Duke of Edinburgh

Duke of Edinburgh

Over the past few years, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme has been hugely successful, with students achieving awards at Bronze, Silver and Gold level. At the prestigious Gold level, an impressive 15 students achieved awards, including three students who had the honour of attending a presentation ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The College enjoys rates of achievement which are consistently above the regional average, and we must congratulate our students for this.

In January 2019, St Edmund’s renewed its licence as a Directly Licensed Organisation, and we enjoyed a glowing review from the Regional team of the work we have done over the past three years. We look forward to building on our successes over the years to come.

Our March training day was very successful, with students learning key skills to help them with their preparation, navigation, and camp craft.

expeditions. For the Gold groups this took place in the stunning Brecon Beacons and the Silver groups enjoyed the beautiful Peak District.

In 2019, a huge number of students signed up to Bronze level. The expeditions in April and June took place in the Chiltern Hills, where they completed a self-sufficient expedition and fulfil their groups’ aims. They enjoyed stunning weather for the first day, and the downpours of the second day only served to make the groups more determined!

At the end of the Lent term, students at Silver and Gold level successfully completed their practice walking

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Duke of Edinburgh In other sections of the award, students undertook an impressive range of activities including volunteering at Jump Zone, learning martial arts, and developing skills as varied as debating, cooking and learning business skills.

When the first lockdown arrived in March 2020, many students were of course concerned about how they would complete their Awards. Fortunately, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme were quick to offer alternatives for elements which could not be completed as planned. Although the 2020 expeditions had to be deferred, students demonstrated great adaptability in

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changing their activities for the Volunteering, Physical and Skills sections of the Award.

We are all eager to return to 'normal' life, and this most definitely includes that famous stalwart of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award: the expedition. We are hopeful that 2021 will see St Edmund's College students once again donning their rucksacks and heading out to demonstrate their independence, resilience and great capacity for teamwork.

Mrs J Colbran - Duke of Edinburgh Co-Ordinator

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Combined Cadet Force

Combined Cadet Force 2018/19 After an outstanding Summer Camp, in which the Contingent won prizes for shooting and overall best School contingent, the year started with a visit from Colonel Fraser-Hitchin as part of our Biennial Inspection.

Despite the date being brought forward at relatively short notice, the Cadets and Staff performed admirably in demonstrating the full range of activities on a normal training evening from stands on Camouflage & Concealment and Skill at Arms, to competing against the clock in some demanding Command tasks. We were also delighted to be able to put on a general interest stand with members of the serving forces, allowing Cadets to get their hands on some of the weapons currently used by the British Army from pistols to the General Purpose Machine Gun (GMPG).

Over the course of the year Grammar students continued to follow the Basic Cadet syllabus with a focus on Fieldcraft, First Aid, Navigation and Skill at Arms training ensuring they were in a position to shoot safely and accurately. Many attended a training weekend in October and were able to get their first opportunity to put their fieldcraft skills to the test overnight and try out 24 hour ration pack, with the help and guidance of some of the senior cadets.

In the Army Section, Syntax students have continued with the Advanced Cadet syllabus and in the RAF the focus has been on completing their Part 1s and 2s. Our Poets have been focused on Method of Instruction understanding what it takes to stand at the front of students and deliver

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a lesson. Both year groups also participated in weekend training days at Colchester barracks to develop their shooting skills, flying opportunities with the RAF and a junior leadership course for both Army and RAF Cadets.

developing their own CCF programme and we welcome our ongoing partnership with Goffs School with their students joining and integrating with those from St Edmund’s during weekly training.

Over the summer it was fantastic to also see so many students taking part in the Camps with the Army Section at Penally in Wales and the RAF at RAF Odiham in Hampshire. Both provided outstanding opportunities for Cadets to develop their skills and push their boundaries on a range of adventurous training activities.

Thanks must also go to the many staff and adult volunteers who have given their time over the course of the last year. Major Gledhill, who has taken over as Contingent Commander, providing a wealth of knowledge and contacts from his time with Regional Cadet training teams and Major Jones is a continuing stalwart in facilitating anything and everything.

Sgt Rydqvist has led the Section in quiet and determined fashion, mastering the dark art of martialling the whole Contingent on first parade and quite rightly receiving the Sword for Best Cadet at the end of the year. He has been ably assisted throughout by the Platoon commanders Cpl Hanley (Ingouville), Cpl Hartley (Phillipps), LCpl Martin (Whyte) and it has been wonderful to see competition between the platoons bubbling away throughout the year.

We have continued to support John Warner School in

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A special mention also to Capt Kovacevic who this year stepped down as OC Army Section but will remain with the contingent and a farewell to Lt Hebdon who has resigned her commission this year. In her place, congratulations to Lt McCarthy and Lt Scripps (Goff’s), who have completed their commissioning.

Capt Upton Officer Commanding Army Section

Combined Cadet Force 2019/20 Combined Cadet Force

The 2019-20 year started with the introduction of a generic skills programme for all Grammar students, combining both Army and RAF basic syllabi. Training for Syntax and Poetry continued much as in previous years and it was wonderful to see students taking full advantage of the opportunities on normal training afternoons and trips at weekends. In particular, the RAF were able to make several weekend trips under the guidance of Pilot Officer Duffy getting some flight time under their belts.

The Michaelmas term saw the first Mess Dinner for several years and it was a wonderful opportunity for Cadets and staff alike, introducing many for the first time to the formalities of a Regimental dinner. Remembrance day was another highlight with the whole College coming together in the Chapel to observe the minutes silence at 11am. A revised order of service and senior members of the CCF lining the entrance added an additional significance with Cadet Sgts Hartley and McMullan laying the wreaths.

This year has also seen John Warner School, who we have successfully supported over the last few years, established as an independent CCF. The success of this is testament to their students and staff but also Major Gledhill and Major Jones in providing them with the guidance and support to do so.

The contingent has been successfully led by our senior cadets with Sgt Ed Hartley leading weekly parade supported by Cpl Martin, Cpl Butterworth and Cpl Stephens. As with so much this year, the CCF calendar in the Lent and Trinity terms was sadly curtailed with the lockdown and move to remote learning. In particular it was disappointing for the cadets to miss out on the opportunity of the annual Summer Camp so often a highlight of the year.

In the best traditions of the military, we will inevitably adapt and overcome and our aim will very much be to ensure our Cadets have all the opportunities necessary to make up for lost ground in the new year.

APF Capt Upton Officer Commanding Army Section

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College Sport

Girls Sport 2018/19 Girls’ Football

Grammar

Rudiments

The U14 team thoroughly enjoyed its first season together. Many of the girls were new to the sport, meaning they had to work particularly hard to develop new skills. Much like their peers in Syntax, the U14A side faced fixtures against Forest School and Chigwell School. They were successful against Forest, winning the game 3-1, but unfortunately lost to Chigwell 1-3. Brook John and Lisa Ogutu were standout players for the 1st XI and worked tirelessly to lead and support their peers.

The U14B team also faced Chigwell School and were defeated in a close game. The attitude and effort demonstrated by the girls was outstanding. They worked hard throughout the season to develop their understanding of the game and to perfect their skills.

Well done to you all!

U13 County Cup The U13 team represented the College in Round 2 of the County Cup against Beaumont School. The team, made up of a mixture of U13 and U12 students, performed well.

Keira Ferns led by example and captained the side exceptionally well. Her tireless encouragement and runs up and down the pitch gave the team multiple opportunities to attack at goal. Annabelle Downes, playing against older and more experienced students, was outstanding in goal and made some excellent saves to keep St Edmund’s in the tie throughout. Beaumont took the lead but this didn’t deter the St Edmund’s girls, who were determined to keep their spirits up. St Edmund’s levelled the game at 1-1 but sadly the final score was 25. The team should be hugely proud of their efforts, especially considering that Beaumont would go on to make the final of the competition.

The U13A and B teams both travelled to Chigwell School on a sunny May afternoon. Spirits were high in both teams, with all students putting on an excellent display of footballing talent. The A team won 2-1 and the B team 1-0. These were impressive results considering the limited experience that both sides had in playing together.

Syntax The U15 team played two fixtures in the Trinity term, against both Forest School and Chigwell School. They won both matches an impressive 7-0 and 5-0. Georgia Davies, Freya Kavanagh and Remy Hudson-Clements were dominant in midfield making well timed tackles and distributing the ball forward with ease. Meanwhile, the speed of Shannon Hunt helped the team to create many attacking chances on goal. Lolita Nutt and Elizabeth Tyrrell were equally excellent in defence, showing excellent discipline to prevent the opposition from creating any chances.

U16 County Cup The U16 team entered the County Cup in Round 2, where they secured a 4-0 victory through a dominant performance against Monks Walk School. The girls worked the ball around the pitch with ease and found the back of net on several occasions. Mr Kimsey took an active role in coaching the girls during the cup matches; they were attentive to his tactics and strategies which translated into a number of impressive

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Hockey Elements

College Sport

The newest additions to the College on the sports field are the U12s and they did not want to disappoint. They worked with passion in training sessions and were very competitive in all fixtures, playing with Edmundian spirit in every match. Both the A and B teams played 6 matches with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, including a notable second place at the Queenswood Hockey Tournament. Roisin Devonald-Smith was a rock in defence for the team and regularly cleared the ball from our defensive end with her powerful hit, leading to many attacking opportunities. Ayami Rajapaksha was a credit to the team as an attacking player, reading the game well and creating many chances at goal. Martha Trist, Zara Demetriou and Serena Chugh never once gave up out on pitch and all lead by example for their team.

performances. The semi-final saw the team face John Henry Newman. On a cold afternoon in January the girls were ready for a tough match. Both teams were struggling to break the deadlock, with goalkeeper Natalia Negri making many impressive saves. At half time, the game was 0-0 and an exciting second half was to come. John Henry Newman took the lead, although the St Edmund’s team held their nerve before scoring an equalising second half goal. Unfortunately, John Henry Newman managed to score another two goals to secure a 3-1. However, when it emerged that the opposition had fielded players that were of an ineligible age, St Edmund’s was awarded a place in the final against Beaumont School. The final was a tough battle, but the team worked tirelessly for the duration of what was a gruelling match. The team held their own throughout the first half, although attacking opportunities were limited against a dominant Beaumont side. Some positional changes were made in the second half, as St Edmund’s took an increasing number of risks to win the game, however, they were eventually defeated 4-0. Finishing as runners up in the County Cup was a tremendous achievement for such a young side, who have an exciting future ahead of them.

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For the A team, Chloe Hayes, Lois Lawrence and Erin Marks worked well as a defensive unit to ensure they always marked goal-side to prevent as many shooting opportunities as possible. Annabelle Downes transferred her football goalkeeper knowledge to hockey and was not afraid to throw herself around to make impressive saves, which was excellent to see. Credit to Anna Burton, Zara Gardezi, Kiana Hawes, Stella Wilkinson and Alice Caton too, for their outstanding commitment.

Rudiments

The U13A and U13B team both secured one win and one draw in their fixtures were a credit to the College. In their first full season of hockey, both teams were keen to build and develop their understanding of the game. The teams learned how to support each other on the field with positional play and the best way to approach hits out, side lines and a press of the opposition. A particular

Grammar The U14 side had a busy season, with fixtures coming thick and fast. Despite some heavy losses along the way, the girls were never deterred from giving their all. With this being the first season to have played 11 a-side hockey, it was a big step up for them and a steep learning curve. They held Saffron Walden County High School to 1-1 draw. The girls showed a willingness to employ new playing strategies and a good understanding of tactics. This lead to a 1-0 victory against Dame Alice Owens. Amy Taylor, Brooke John and Millie Scott worked tirelessly during the fixture, both in defence and in moving the ball to attacking players, to produce as many shots on goal as possible. The final fixture of the season was an action-packed game against Mill Hill School. This performance demonstrated how far the team had developed throughout the season and showed clear potential for the future.

Syntax The U15A team had a competitive season with wellfought and close matches in all fixtures played. The girls started the season with two defeats against Brentwood School and Saffron Walden County High School, but this did not dent the team’s confidence. Eager to secure a victory, the girls faced Aldenham School. With impressive stick skills from Ayla Heslop-Moore and Eliabella Tennant, St Edmund’s were quick to make their mark and take an early lead. Shannon Hunt’s speed up front created countless attacking chances, with the midfield playing a number of impressive through balls.

The girls sealed a 2-0 victory and followed this up with another win against Dame Alice Owens, in what was a

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highlight for the A team was the St Edmund’s College Open Day tournament where great passages of play led to success. Eva Buenaventura and Olivia Johnson were strong in defence, while Keira Ferns, Sienna Quail, Anabella Pittaluga worked tirelessly in midfield to feed attacking players Grace Warburton and Evie Kelly. Emma Church made many impressive saves in goal, enabling St Edmund’s to maintain their lead on several occasions. The girls finished runners up in the competition out of eight schools, an impressive feat. Meanwhile, the B team had a notable victory against Dame Alice Owens, winning 3-0.

Megan Sime, Sienna Freeman, Abigail Hallam and Jemma Fitzpatrick deserve credit for their efforts up and down the field. Emma Greatorex worked especially hard in defence making numerous well-timed tackles.

nail-biting and end-to-end game. The season drew to a close with a draw against Chigwell School. This ended a promising run of games for a talented bunch of players, many of whom would join the 1st XI next season. The U15B side played one game and faced Haileybury. They put on a particularly impressive display of hockey to secure a 2-0 victory.

U16 County Hockey Tournament This was the first time St Edmund’s had entered the National Schools’ Hockey Championship and what a successful experience the U16 team had. The County Round was played at Oaklands College on 25th September against strong opposition. As this was tournament play, matches were shorter in length, but more action packed. The first game saw St Edmund’s face Hitchin Girls School. The team put in a dominant performance from the first whistle and quickly established an early lead. At half-time the team were 30 up and ready to build on an impressive first half. A midfield of Ella Buenaventura, Ayla Heslop-Moore, Eliabella Tennant and Remy-Hudson Clements working tirelessly allowed for numerous through-balls and persistent attacking pressure on the opposition. The first game finished 6-0 and represented an excellent start in the competition for St Edmund’s. The team then faced Bishop’s Stortford College. Despite St Edmund’s keeping

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an excellent shape and pressing the opposition hard it wasn’t meant to be the second victory in a row. The match finished 3-0, however the girls were determined to bounce back in their next game against The Royal Masonic School. The team went on to give a valiant effort; some excellent saves from goalkeeper Natalia Negri kept us in the match, however, Royal Masonic scored a late goal and won the match. A determined St Edmund’s side kept their heads held up high and looked to finish the tournament on a high. Excellent teamwork and effort from every player allowed us to secure two final victories against Queenswood School and Dame Alice Owens, both 2-0. The defence of Sophia Price-Ross, Chloe Hoban, Georgia Davies and Jodie Bailey-Ho worked tirelessly to prevent the attacking opposition from having any shots at goal. Three wins and two losses saw us finish joint second in the group, however, the team progressed to the Regional Round due to a superior goal difference.

The Regional Round was played on 11th October at a neutral venue and was an excellent experience for all girls involved. Throughout the competition the girls worked hard to support each other, connect passes and create opportunities at goal. The team’s work ethic could not be faulted throughout the tournament. The girls faced Sevenoaks School first and were unfortunately defeated 2-0. They bounced back by scoring 6 goals against Goldington, before defeating Stamford School 2-0. Antonella Pittaluga played in goal and made many impressive saves to deny the opposition. This meant the girls would progress to the semi-finals, and play for the opportunity to reach a national final. The semi-final opposition was Bancroft’s School. The girls held their own until half time, until the second half saw Bancroft’s convert from penalty corners and seal the victory 3-0. The St Edmund’s team left the pitch with their heads held high, knowing they had finished joint 3rd in the National Schools’ Regional Tournament, a first for St Edmund’s. All the girls were a credit to the College, well played to you all.

pride and confidence. She continuously encouraged her peers and worked constantly during each fixture to raise the team’s performance level. Sadly, the 1st XI’s run in the Independent Schools’ Cup ended in the second round against Ipswich School. This was a tough game in which every player performed to the best of their ability and never let their heads drop.

The 2nd XI had two fixtures scheduled for the season, although one would be sadly cancelled. They defeated Forest School 1-0 in an end-to-end game. Despite an early second half goal from St Edmund’s, Forest kept up the pressure and won numerous short corners in the last minutes of the match. A series of excellent saves by Tamsin Cass kept the girls in the lead and secured the win. Well played!

Rudiments and Grammar Hockey Tour to Rotterdam Monday 1st July 2019, 6.45am. The excitement was clear as we all met in the coach park to travel to the Netherlands for an action-packed week of hockey in Rotterdam. Despite being delayed by traffic en-route, we finally made it to the HC Rotterdam for our first training session of the week. Seeing the stadium for the

1st XV The 1st XI team had a tough season and endured a challenging run of results. However, they worked tirelessly during training and retained a determination to improve as a team throughout the year. They were unfortunate to lose 2-1 to Aldenham School and 1-0 to Brentwood School. Kirsty Kingdom led the team with

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first time was a special moment for the girls, making them especially excited to use these top-class facilities for the week. The girls were eager to please the Dutch coaches and enjoyed their first session, however, by this time the tiredness from the early start was taking its toll, which meant it was time to head to the hotel for dinner and an early night.

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Tuesday morning was an early start with breakfast at 7.30am in order to leave the hotel to head to Duinrell Theme Park and Tiki Pool Water Park. The amusement park did not exactly cater for the thrill seekers within the group, however the girls had a great time and enjoyed their morning. Next we headed to the nearby water park to enjoy the flumes, before heading back to HC Rotterdam to face our first fixture of the tour. We faced two teams from Rotterdam Hockey Club and the competition was fierce. The girls were keen to put into practice skills they had learnt from the first training session. Sadly, we did not gain a victory but the match was a great experience for all involved.

On Wednesday, the group spent the day at HC Rotterdam, with two training sessions planned. The highlight for the girls was learning new tricks and 3D skills that the Dutch teams like to use. The girls had great fun trying to play the ball in the air and through their legs. After a jam-packed morning training the girls travelled to play local opposition HC Capelle. One of the St Edmund’s tour sides gained a 2-1 victory, but both teams were a credit to the College. The evening’s activities included 3D Glow Golf, which was tremendous fun and made for a relaxing evening.

Thursday saw the group travel to the Efteling Theme Park. Offering many new and modern attractions, including the Baron 1899, De Vliegende Hollander and Python rollercoasters, there was lots to explore and the girls were excited to get around the theme park as quickly as they could. The fun did not stop there as the group had evening entertainment of bowling and dinner out at a local Italian restaurant.

The final day of the tour saw one more training session in the morning before travelling back to St Edmund’s College. It is safe to say that all students had an amazing experience and were a huge credit to our community.

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Elements The U12 team, made up of new students to the College, made great progress throughout the season. The A team had two excellent victories throughout the season, one against Mill Hill School (4-2), and the other against Joyce Frankland Academy (11-9). Lois Lawrence led the team by example, providing tactics, strategies and encouragement during every match. Having a team of such versatile players meant that many members could line up in a variety of positions. The U12B and C teams made significant progress throughout the season, despite both teams failing to win a match. Both groups of girls had great competitive matches and not one player allowed the score line to affect their determination on the court.

Rudiments The U13 teams played some hard-fought fixtures throughout the season, with the B and C teams facing some particularly challenging opponents. Nevertheless, they received numerous compliments from opposing coaches and were repeatedly praised for their outstanding team spirit. Despite not scoring in their first game of the season, the U13B team bounced back strong in the next fixture to score 4 goals, a credit to their collective grit and determination. The U13A team started the season with an impressive display at the

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Chigwell Tournament, winning all 4 matches, including a notable 18-3 win over Bancroft’s School. The team continued their winning ways with a further four wins in school fixtures across the season. The fixture against New Hall was a particular highlight, with both teams playing exceptionally well for the duration of the match, before St Edmund’s took a narrow lead and won the game 28-26. Sienna Quail and Grace Warburton continued to develop an excellent partnership in the shooting circle and were consistently fed passes by Evie Kelly and Keira Ferns. Defensively, Emma Church, Olivia Johnson, Eva Buenaventura and Anabella Pittaluga worked tirelessly to keep attacking teams at bay.

Netball County Cup The first round of the competition saw the team face Presdales School. It was a well contested game, however, Presdales managed to seal the victory, leading St

Independent Netball Schools Cup The U13s run in the Independent Schools Cup competition followed much the same path as their run in the County Cup. After a narrow two-goal loss to Woodhouse Grove School, the girls took up their place in the plate competition. They faced Emanuel School in the next round and, once again, found themselves in a tightly contested match. St Edmund’s managed to secure a four goal lead by half time and were keen to not let the opposition back into the match. The girls’ determination helped them to extend their lead by another two goals in the second half, before winning the match 28-22. The following round saw the team travel

to Manchester for an overnight stay to play Oldham Hulme Grammar School. The team were extremely excited to spend the evening away together and make special memories as a team. This was to be their final game in the competition as Oldham Hulme won the fixture by 8 goals. Nevertheless, the team represented the College with pride and should be delighted with their excellent run in a tough competition.

Grammar It was a challenging season for both U14 teams but, nevertheless, they fought at every fixture to represent the College, come rain or shine. Both teams refused to let their heads drop and fought for every ball, giving

themselves as many opportunities to score as possible.

Targets were put in place for each quarter and the girls were successful in achieving these, which allowed them to build on their performances with each match. For the U14A team, notable victories came against Dame Alice Owen’s (15-6) and Aldenham School (20-11).

Syntax The U15A team played six matches, winning three of them. The season started with a close fought game against Dame Alice Owen’s. The team were fortunate to play indoors, with the lack of wind and rain leading to a thrilling end-to-end match. St Edmund’s won with a dramatic late goal, just seconds before the final whistle, giving them a 25-24 victory. Isabel Gardner and Scarlett Mitchell worked hard on their rotation in the shooting circle throughout the season, which proved to be pivotal as their teammates fed them forward passes.

Ayla Heslop-Moore and Remy Hudson-Clements also worked diligently to support the shooters by gaining space on the edge of the circle, both ‘top’ and ‘side’ to keep the attack balanced. Meanwhile, Adeoluwa Okufuwa and Oluwatoni Akinola fought continuously to turn the ball over in defence. Another victory came against Mill Hill School where the team put their improved tactical understanding into play to win 3123. The final game of the season was a positive one for the team, producing a dominant defensive performance to keep the opposition to single figures and defeat Aldenham School 23-4.

The U15B team had a challenging season as three of their matches were cancelled. They sadly lost their remaining three games, however, they should be very proud of their teamwork and perseverance throughout the season. Not once did they let their heads drop in matches and they fought to the final whistle of every game they played. A particularly close fixture came against Mill Hill School, where they were level with the opposition until the final few minutes, before Mill Hill snuck ahead to win by two goals.

Senior Netball The 1st team have had yet another impressive season.

This group has developed and grown over the years, but continued to go from strength to strength as seniors.

They played five fixtures, winning four of them and losing one game by just a single goal. The team achieved significant wins over opposition such as Forest School

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Edmund’s to play in the plate section of the competition. Next up the team would face Chauncy School. A dominant display of netball saw the girls win 23-7 and progress to the County Plate Final. The final was St Edmund’s v. Queenswood School and again the girls asserted their dominance from the first whistle. The team won numerous turnovers, which they were able to translate into repeated goalscoring opportunities. The team were runaway 43-11 winners and deservedly crowned County Plate Champions.

College Sport (38-24) and Aldenham School (34-14). With depth and strength in the squad, and many players able to play multiple positions, I would describe coaching this team as a ‘delightful nightmare’. There were notable performances from Nada Tadros and Mairead Sheehy in the attacking circle, where their seamless understanding of each other’s movements made them unstoppable in many games. At the other end of the court, goalkeeper Stephanie Winfield always read the game superbly well, making key interceptions time and time again. Courtney Ferns’ tireless work ethic as centre allowed the team to work the ball with ease down the court.

The 2nd team had a more challenging season, however, they stuck together as a squad and, in true Edmundian style, continued to fight for every goal. They played six games across the season, winning one, with a memorable and convincing 46-7 victory against Dame Alice Owen’s School. This was followed by a tough match against Aldenham School; the girls battled hard and lost by just one goal. Lara Chick and Maddie Hudson-Clements lead by example, tirelessly encouraging the rest of the team and making key interceptions to set up attacks on the opposition.

The Netball County Cup The Netball County Cup is a knock-out competition that starts early in the Michaelmas Term, often long before the school netball season has started. This did not phase the team and they battled hard in their first

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game against Herts and Essex High School, narrowly winning 29-27. The team progressed into the quarter finals of the competition, where they were drawn away to Bishop’s Stortford High School. With the 1st VII affected by absences, a number of second team players stepped up and did a sterling job in representing the College. Despite some positional adjustments, the team settled quickly and soon established a lead. They continued to build on this throughout the match to win 46-13. The semi-finals saw us drawn against Berkhamsted School but due to unforeseen circumstances, the match was awarded as a bye to St Edmund’s, who progressed to the final.

The final was played at a neutral venue and the opposition was Broxbourne School. This was a hotly contested game and the line was close in the early stages. However, St Edmund’s dug deep to put their strategies and teamwork into play and started to stretch the lead in the second half. When the final whistle blew, St Edmund’s was awarded an impressive 39-15 victory, with the girls deservedly crowned Hertfordshire County Cup Champions.

Independent Schools Netball Cup The senior team also represented the College in the Independent Schools Netball Cup which is a national and tough competition. We were drawn a bye in the first round, before facing St John’s School, Leatherhead in round two. What a nail-biting fixture this proved to

Round three saw an away draw at St Catherine’s School in Guildford, which proved to be another hotly contested match. The game was dominated by end-toend play and both teams fought hard for every opportunity. St Edmund’s once again managed to secure victory, edging ahead again in the last quarter to win 35-31. Round four saw the team face Reigate Grammar School. Despite a valiant effort from the team, who battled all the way to the final whistle, our run in the competition came to an end. The team should be tremendously proud of their efforts in what was a tough competition.

Athletics Hertfordshire County Athletics League In the 2019 Trinity term the College competed in the Hertfordshire County Schools Athletics League and achieved many impressive results. With students only allowed to compete in one field and one track event, St Edmund’s was able to field a strong team across the U13 and U15 age groups. There were noteworthy performances from Oluwatoni Akinola, Shannon Hunt and Georgia Davies in the 100m, 200m and 300m respectively, whilst Scarlett Mitchell and Eliabella Tennant were outstanding in the 1500m.

With each passing week the students’ determination to improve on their race times grew. The field events were also well contested, with Oluwatoni Akinola performing to an elite level in the Triple Jump, Shannon Hunt succeeding in the Long Jump and Millie Scott competing admirably against students a year above her in the Discus.

In the U13 age group Keira Ferns, Anabella Pittaluga, Emma Church and Sienna Quail ran exceptionally well in the sprint events. Furthermore, Lois Lawrence and Kiana Hawes also competed against older peers, more than holding their own in the Javelin and 800m respectively. A superb team effort from all involved.

Tennis Team Tennis Competition St Edmund’s entered U13 and U15 teams into the Girls’ Team Tennis Competition. The U15 team consisted of a combination of Syntax and Grammar students with many individuals involved across the four fixtures. Georgia Davies featured in all fixtures during the competition where she played some excellent forehand shots to win rallies and dominate opponents.

Fellow Syntaxians Remy Hudson-Clements, Natalia Negri & Shannon Hunt also represented the College with aplomb, developing their ground strokes throughout the competition. Grammarians Brooke John and Alice King also played in multiple fixtures and formed an impressive doubles pairing. The U15 team was successful against Queenswood, winning the fixture 8-4, but sadly lost the other competitive matches.

The U13 team comprised of Elements and Rudiments students, namely Roisin Devonald-Smith, Zara Gardezi, Lydia George and Sienna Quail. They started the competition brilliantly, beating Berkhamsted School 8-4. The doubles matches were dominated by long rallies, with both pairs battling hard to win points and games. Lydia George’s excellent serves were a particular strength, as were Roisin Devonald-Smith dominant ground strokes. The next two fixtures saw the girls face Beaumont School and Tring School, with the team winning all singles and doubles matches to take both matches 12-0. Zara Gardezi was particularly impressive in developing her forehand shots down the line, as was Sienna Quail who learned to control games with her volleys.

The final match of the competition was against Watford Grammar School for Girls, which represented a nail-biting end to the group stages. After the doubles and single matches, the score was tied at 6-6. The tie break required one player from each pairing to play.

Despite the tension, the girls were not phased; they quickly adapted to the situation and supported each other in a final game that went down to the final point. They came out victorious, securing the match 7-6 – a fantastic effort from all involved!.

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be. With the score neck and neck for most of the game and the lead swapping hands on several occasions, it was in the final quarter that St Edmund’s made their mark. Some key turnovers and patient attacking play allowed the team to secure a 56-51 win.

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Girls Sport 2019/20 Girls’ Football U16 County Cup The U16s got off to a flying start in the County Cup in an action packed first game against Beaumont School. With both teams having many talented footballers in their side, it was an excellent game of football to watch. Remy Hudson-Clements worked hard on the right wing and fed the ball through to the forwards on several occasions.

Meanwhile, Natalia Negri made impressive saves in goal.

The game went to extra time and finished 1-1, which meant we had to face the torment of penalties. St Edmund’s kept their cool and with five girls volunteering to take a penalty. St Edmund’s scored four and missed one, meaning that it came down to the last penalty taker for Beaumont to face Natalia in goal. Natalia read the penalty well and made the save to send the team into the quarter finals.

The quarter finals saw us drawn away against Dame Alice Owens. Both teams battled hard, but it was Dame Alice Owens who had the upper hand at half time, taking a 10 lead. We made a positional change and Natalia Negri came out of goal and Georgia Davies took her place ‘between the sticks’. Natalia would prove to be as dominant out on the pitch as she was in goal, and before we knew it was 1-1 with a bizarre goal that was scored directly from the corner flag. This inspired St Edmund’s and everyone found an extra gear to push for the lead.

Dame Alice Owens found the back of the net first, making it 2-1. Determined to launch another comeback, the girls kept their cool and continued to play the ball around the pitch. This led them to equalise and level the game at 22. Spurred on in search of a win, Natalia Negri hit the back of the net again to seal a 3-2 victory in an exciting game.

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The semi-finals saw us drawn at home to Longdean School in what was a tight and physical game. Brooke John made a series of impressive runs forward and consistently challenged the opposing goalkeeper with her left foot. Meanwhile, on the opposite wing, Lisa Ogutu was equally threatening. The defence worked well as a unit and responded to Elizabeth Tyrrell’s vocal leadership, ensuring they held their line and kept the opposing forwards at bay. It was St Edmund’s who found the breakthrough after half time to win the game 1-0 and secure their place in the final.

Sadly, the team were never able to play the final due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, they demonstrated a fantastic team effort throughout the competition and the College is very proud of your achievements.

Hockey Elements The U12 teams consisted of keen hockey players, who wanted to develop their knowledge and understanding of the game. Over the season the A team won three matches, drew one and lost seven, while the B team won three matches, drew one and lost five. A highlight of the season for the A team was a 1-0 victory over Heath Mount. This game was action-packed with both teams creating many chances at goal. The team were able to implement strategies learnt in training such as spacing, allowing them to use the width of the pitch to their advantage. A great deflection from Emma Foley allowed Rae Foley to run through for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, where she calmly slotted the ball into the corner to steal a narrow victory. Emily Barnes would

frequently go on solo runs, demonstrating her strength on the ball as she looked to attack from a defensive position.

For the B team, a season highlight was a 4-0 win over Dame Alice Owen. Isabella Antoniou took on the role as goalkeeper for the team and with every game grew with confidence and made great saves. Francesca Munday was a new addition to side because of her determination to improve as a player and commit to training sessions.

All the girls worked tirelessly to support each other on and off the field of play, which was lovely to see. Both teams bounced off each other in training sessions to ensure they were always improving and challenging each other to reach their potential.

Rudiments Although results did not always go their way, the U13s had an action-packed season. They were a talented side, who faced a series of challenges throughout the season.

The girls competed in every fixture and always played with a smile on their faces. Every player worked tirelessly on the pitch to mark the opposition, make well-timed tackles and link passages of play for attacking opportunities. A highlight of the season was a 1-1 draw against Dame Alice Owens where the progress made in training sessions became particularly evident on the

The U13B team had an excellent season, playing eight games across the season winning four, drawing two and losing two. Their victories came against Brentwood School , Dame Alice Owens, Haileybury and Joyce Frankland Academy. The girls played with determination and vigour, working well as a team to secure the victories. Ayami Rajapaksha was a key forward player for the team, always causing problems for the opposition defence and scoring numerous goals over the season.

Roisin Devonald-Smith used her hit to her advantage to clear the ball out of defence for the midfielders to run onto. Zara Demetriou led the team with confidence and was always a positive influence for her teammates. Well played, all!

Grammar The U14 side played six fixtures, winning one, drawing one and losing four. Adapting to the 11-a-side game at this age group is a huge challenge, and one that I was delighted to see the U14s embrace with such positivity.

Each fixture was competitive and in each game, win or lose, the girls grew together as a team. A highlight of the season was a 3-0 victory against Chigwell School. Eva Buenaventura and Olivia Johnson continued to read the game well in defence and were able to support each other when it came to taking hit outs. Abigail Hallam, Sienna Quail and Kiera Ferns worked tirelessly in midfield to support both the attack and defence.

The season ended on a slightly frustrating note, in a fixture against Joyce Frankland Academy. The team put in a strong performance and worked hard to create numerous chances, but despite hitting the post, they were not able to put the ball in the back of the goal.

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pitch. Kiana Hawes and Zara Gardezi’s work rate on the wing was superb for the duration of the fixture. Both attacked the base line with fervour and delivered dangerous crosses for the attacking players. Stella Wilkinson and Anna Burton distributed the ball from centre midfield and supported the attackers and defenders well. Alice Caton did what any centre forward should do and caused persistent problems for the opposition defence, whilst Erin Marks, Chloe Hayes and Lois Lawrence battled hard in defence to make well timed tackles. Goalkeeper Annabelle Downes successfully transferred her goalkeeping knowledge from football across to hockey to make impressive saves throughout the game.

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Syntax The U15 team had a difficult season, but each game saw individuals improve their skills, develop their sense of tactical awareness, and promote a strong team spirit.

The girls played five fixtures but were not able to secure a win. It is not easy to continue to fight and maintain high spirits when faced with adversity, but the Syntax girls certainly continued to play with pride. They worked especially hard in training to improve their understanding of the game learn from defeat. Lisa Ogutu was agile in goal and made many impressive saves when facing one-on-one situations. Amy Taylor read the game brilliantly from defence to make well executed block tackles and keep the opposition from having shots at goal. The work rate from the rest of the team was faultless and this was commented on by several opposition teachers on numerous occasions.

Senior Hockey This was a particularly exciting year for the 1st XI. With talented and experienced hockey players in all three senior year groups the girls were hopeful for a successful season. The first game of the season was very much a warm-up game for the team, as they went into it with only one training session under their belt. Their performance highlighted several areas that they needed to focus on if they were to achieve success over the remainder of the season. This opening game inspired the team to train harder and challenge each other to become better hockey players. This positive attitude kept spirits high and encouraged the girls to keep performing well.

This led to two wins against both Chigwell and Brentwood School, 3-1 and 2-0 respectively. These were both end-to-end and hotly contested matches, with an array of dynamic skills on display. The work rate of Rhetoric II students Kathleen Barrett, Lara Chick, Courtney Ferns, Maddie Hudson-Clements, Kate Lane and Mairead

Sheehy was motivating to the rest of the team, who had such excellent role models to look up to. Next, the team faced Aldenham School on a frosty November morning, on a pitch that was slow to thaw. Despite large amounts of possession and opportunities at goal, St Edmund’s could not break the deadlock and the game ended 0-0.

Sadly, the last game of the season was cancelled due to adverse weather. However, this was a strong and dominant season from a talented group of girls.

The 2nd XI played two fixtures, which both ended in defeat. Nevertheless, the girls worked tirelessly to compete for every pass and tackle. They made significant developments in their training sessions, especially with regards to their positional play and ability to support each other in possession, which was particularly pleasing to see.

Netball Elements The U12s had a difficult season, but each game saw individuals improving their skills, tactical awareness and team spirit. It is not always easy to keep playing with a smile on your face and to enjoy each fixture when faced with defeat, but this is what this group of girls did. They never gave up and battled during every fixture, which is a credit to all girls who represented the College. Madison Costa led the A team with pride and confidence during every match. In the B team, Boluwatife Ibironke played well in defence and made several well-timed interceptions. Meanwhile, Emily Barnes worked tirelessly playing many different positions for the team. The C team secured a 3-1 victory against Mill Hill School in a closely contested game. Olivia Hendley worked well in the centre court, while Teagan Russell worked her magic in the shooting circle.

Rudiments The U13 A and B teams both saw their final two fixtures of the season cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to this they played a couple of well contested matches. Both teams never let their heads drop and fought for every ball, giving themselves as many opportunities to score a goal as possible. Targets were put in place for each quarter and the girls were successful in achieving these, which allowed them to keep building their confidence throughout each match.

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County Netball The U13A team entered the County competition in the cup section and played against St Alban’s Girls’ School in the first round. The team implemented their set plays and worked tirelessly for the duration of the match but sadly lost the game by three goals. This meant they went into the plate section of the competition and travelled to The Royal Masonic School for Girls to play in the quarter final. The girls worked hard in training to develop their spatial awareness on court and this proved invaluable as they won 16-9. Lois Lawrence took on the challenge of goal attack, having previously played in the

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defensive unit. She worked well with Qmarlah Lynch to establish a lead. Chloe Hayes and Daisy Constantinou made countless interceptions in defence. The semi-final of the plate section saw the girls face Berkhamsted School. Unfortunately, they could not gain the victory but nevertheless played like true Edmundians for the duration of the match.

Grammar The U14A team played six matches and managed to win three of these. The wins came against Forest School, Saffron Walden County High School and Chigwell School. Sienna Quail and Grace Warburton connected

The Syntax team had a challenging season, but they displayed grit and determination throughout every fixture. In each match and training session they developed their skills and tactical awareness. A highlight for the A team came against Queenswood School, when the girls’ perseverance paid off and they kept adding to their score line in each quarter. Millie Scott led the team by example and her work rate was inspirational to others in the team. The B team also played a competitive match against Queenswood, being defeated by only two goals. In every fixture the team worked together to support each other in whatever way they could. Justine Clark grew in confidence throughout the season and made some excellent interceptions in defence. Meanwhile, Sophia Gardezi and Jessica Arnott converted as many opportunities as they could in the shooting circle.

Senior Netball The senior team once again had an impressive season.

They represented the College in the County Cup, Netball School National Competition and the Independent

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well in the shooting circle, using the principles of rotation to their advantage. Keira Ferns and Anabella Pittaluga worked tirelessly in the centre court to turn the ball over and aid the defensive pressure. An impressive score line came against Saffron Walden County High School where the attack scored 41 goals.

The B team had some narrow losses throughout the season, including a close game against Chigwell School, which they lost 5-7. The most exciting win of the season came in a dramatic 5-4 win over Queenswood School.

Possession changed hands multiple times and all players worked together to gain the win in the final moments of the game.

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Schools Netball Cup, alongside their weekend school fixtures. The season saw the team play in the Chigwell Tournament, where they played Chigwell, Bancroft’s, Forest, New Hall and Highgate. Incredibly, they won all matches to win the tournament.

The 2nd team had a tough season, playing two matches against Forest School and Chigwell School. Sadly, they did not manage to gain a victory. However, the games were lost by small margins of four and three goals, respectively. Maddie Hudson-Clements led the team with pride and always encouraged her peers on the court. Scarlet Mitchell, Isabel Gardner and Elizabeth Sherlock combined well in the shooting circle to capitalise on any chances given to them. The players were all versatile and played in a number of combinations over the two matches, which was pleasing to see.

Netball School Nationals Competition The competition consists of three stages: the County round, the Regional round and National finals. With all three rounds being played at a local venue, Stanborough School in Welwyn, the girls were disappointed not to have a road trip. Nevertheless, they did not let this affect their play. The girls got off to a blistering start in the County round and took the first game by storm.

Nada Tadros and Mairead Sheehy were unstoppable in

the shooting circle, their rotational play and passes to each other were pinpoint accurate. The girls were supported by the formidable defensive duo of Oluwatoni Akinola and Adeoluwa Okufuwa, the youngest two players on the team, whose solidity allowed the girls ahead of them on the court to quickly build a lead in every game they played.

The team played five group games, beating each of Haileybury, Broxbourne, Beaumont, St Alban’s School and Haberdashers’. This meant they faced a strong St Alban’s High School team in the semi-final. Both teams battled hard for possession, but it was St Edmund’s that got the upper hand. They took care of the ball and were careful not to force their passes. They won 8-2, and progressed into the Regional section of the competition, where they would play Bishop’s Stortford High School.

Another win in this match saw the girls crowned as England Netball County Champions and the preparations for the regional round begun.

The Regional round was played on a cold day in late January, but preparations had gone well, and the girls were ready for whatever their opponents would throw at them. The first opposition was Framlingham College.

The team secured a 14-8 by applying pressure throughout the game and forcing turnovers. Their next opponent was Broxbourne School, in what would be another closely contested fixture. The girls once again rose to the challenge and fought to the final whistle to win 11-9. They would then go on to win their remaining games against The Stephen Perse Foundation, Gresham School and Brentwood School, to top the group with

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College Sport five wins out of five. The semi-final saw us face Bishop’s Stortford College. With scores level at half time against this challenging opposition, it was all to play for. The match continued goal-for-goal, end-to-end. However, the St Edmund’s girls were patient, dug deep and worked hard to secure victory. The final was played against Felsted School and with a 16-9 win, St Edmund’s was crowned the East Region Champions.

With external coach Dani Titmuss coming in to give the girls some extra tips and guidance as the national finals approached, the girls were well prepared and determined to give a good account of themselves. The morning of the tournament was tense, with the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic placing the matches in jeopardy. The schedule was changed numerous times and with large gaps between game play it was difficult for the team to get into a rhythm.

Before the lunch break the girls faced Bromsgrove School and Queen Ethelburga’s. Both were exciting games, but St Edmund’s struggled to settle into their flow and lost both matches. In the first game after lunch, the girls played Oakham School and this is where they had their first win of the day. They kept their calm and were patient in possession to secure a 17-13 win.

This spurred the girls on as they faced local rivals Felsted School. Having played Felsted in the regional round, the team were confident they could break the opposition

down early to control the game and this is what they did to gain a 12-9 win. The final three games did not go St Edmund’s way and saw losses against Streatham & Clapham High, Holy Cross and Canford School.

However, the girls placed as the 11th ranked team in the country; an astonishing achievement that they should be hugely proud of. Throughout their time at the College, this group of girls have always played with pride and worked hard to put St Edmund’s netball on the map.

County Cup The County Cup began with a dominant victory over Beaumont School. The girls stopped the opposition from getting into a rhythm and held them to only 15 goals, while our shooters scored an impressive 53. The quarter-finals of the competition saw us drawn against local team Chauncy School, which proved to be another great game to watch. Neither side was prepared to give up the battle and kept fighting for every ball, however, St Edmund’s fought hard to edge ahead, before claiming a 42-34 victory.

The semi-finals were played away against St Alban’s High School for Girls. Unfortunately, St Edmund’s struggled to settle into their rhythm and the opposition built up an early lead that we could not claw back. The team never gave up and battled to the final whistle.

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Boys Sport 2018/19 Football Elements The Elements side showed good promise in their first fixture for the College, winning a tight match against Knight’s Templar School 2-1 in the County Cup 1st round. They progressed to play Hemel Hempstead in the second round, but were unable to overcome tough opposition losing 2-4.

The next two scheduled matches were cancelled due to the weather. When the side returned to action they remained unbeaten for the remainder of the season, securing five successive wins and drawing their final match. The side were very well marshalled in defence

by Rohan Small. James Banful proved to be a great asset to the team breaking up many attacks and showing great energy to carry the ball forwards. Meanwhile, Cameron Hunt, Christian Cartlidge-Rainford and Francis Davis were always a threat to the opposition in attack.

continue their winning ways and suffered narrow defeats in their next four games. The boys finished off the term in impressive style with a 6-0 victory against Sele School, with Toby Davies and Harry Andreou both scoring twice.

Grammar Sadly, the start of the season was affected by snow and frozen pitches which led to cancellations. However, despite this, the team galvanized and trained well in preparation for better conditions. When the season got properly under way, the Grammar students won four fixtures on the bounce against Dame Alice Owen, Simon Balle, John Warner and Roundwood Park.

The side was captained by Josh Demetriou. He led by example in all games and motivated the team around him. Jack Clemence and Joseph Shenouda scored with some exceptional individual efforts, and were supported well by Alisdair Hunt and Seni Akinola. Charles Bush and Connor Hunt organised the defence well, and the team have the ability to be an outstanding Senior side in the future. Definitely a team to watch over the coming years.

I have enjoyed teaching them this term. The side are maturing well and are all passionate about their sport.

Syntax

Rudiments It was a tough season for the Rudiments team, being drawn against very good opposition in both the ISFA Cup (Hampton School, 0-8) and County Cup (Verulam, 2-6).

These two defeats meant early elimination from both competitions. These were followed by a third successive defeat to a strong Bishop’s Stortford High School side.

The team then rallied and secured their best result of the year winning against St Albans school 8-0, before following this up with a hard fought 2-1 victory against Goffs School. Unfortunately, the side were unable to

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New faces to the Syntax XI included Fionn O’Toole.

Having not played much football previously it was particularly pleasing to see Fionn’s addition to the side and the learning journey that he went through this season. Ngola Ginga made his comeback to the side from Elements and was a handful on the left wing, being the only left footed player in the side. The boys faced a tough draw in the first round of the National Cup playing against King’s College, Wimbledon, but the experience that they took from this fixture will be always stay with them throughout the rest of their time at St Edmund’s. Playing on bowling green plush grass, the boys worked hard to maintain possession but were outplayed by a side with no less than six academy level players. The high point of their season was an away trip to John Warner where the boys put on a dominant display and won 2-0. On paper, perhaps not a barnstorming win but definitely a performance to be proud of. I hope they maintain their passion for sport in general and carry all the teaching points into future endeavors in sport.

This was certainly an eventful season for one reason or another. The pre-season excitement amongst the boys was shattered by three heavy defeats in their first three matches against Shrewsbury, Sir John Lawes and St Albans. These defeats saw them eliminated from the County and Independent Schools Cups in the first round of each competition.

After some soul searching and a few tactical and formational changes the side travelled to Rugby School in the LB Cup and produced a great performance to secure a 3-2 win. George Demosthenous, Oliver Luck and Chibuchi Amadi-Livingstone were a constant threat to the Rugby defence and provided a great platform for victory.

The side then went on to win the next four matches including the second round of the LB Cup against a physical Radley side. St Ed’s were always in control of the match and secured a 3-1 victory on the memorial pitch.

The winning streak was ended by Wellingborough in the LB Cup Semi-final, in a match that was full of controversy.

Once again, the St Ed’s front line of Demosthenous and Amadi-Livingstone looked dangerous throughout the match but, each time the side managed to get their noses in front they found a way to allow the opposition back into the match. The controversy started mid-way through the second half when a goal-bound shot was handled on the line by a Wellingborough defender. The referee seemed to be the only person on the field that did not see the incident so a certain penalty to St Ed’s and red card for the defender failed to materialise. The boys stuck to their task and once again managed to edge in front when Demosthenous scored with just 15 seconds left of the match. Unfortunately, 15 seconds seemed to turn into a good 90 seconds and Wellingborough attacked down the left had side of the pitch, crossed and managed to bundle the ball over the line. Sadly, this seemed to break the St Ed’s spirit and as the match went into extra time

Wellingborough managed to wrestle the initiative scoring two goals and securing the win 6-4. I still do not know how we did not win this match!

The side managed to shake off the disappointment of the Wellingborough fixture and finished the season with three wins out of three to finish the season having played 12 won 8 and lost 4.

A special mention goes to Richard Stewart, Oliver Corley, Alex Holden, Taymen Sargusingh, Chibuchi AmadiLivingstone, Charlie Winfield, George Demosthenous and Paddy Sherlock for their outstanding contributions to College football during their time at St Edmund’s.

Confirmation Cup 2018 This year we were delighted to welcome back a large group of Old Edmundians to play in a fixture against College staff, sometimes known (unofficially) as The Confirmation Cup. This fixture has been played over the last few years outside of school but this year the College hosted the match on the Memorial Pitch. Rhys Hunt (0512) organised the OE squad of some 21 former students.

The game is played in good spirit but, of course, it is always a hotly contested match! After some great play by both sides (and an extraordinary goal by Mr Cunnah!) the final score was 3-2. The College side were proud to receive the trophy and bask in their glory, the College were already discussing tactics to ensure victory for next year!

Post-match, the important part of the day commenced at The Star in Standon where the teams came together to share a pint or two before heading off for a BBQ. See you all again next year!

College side: Mr Plummer, Mr Fulford-Brown, Mr Stokes, Mr Cunnah (captain), Mr Connor, Mr Davies, Ross Tharby, Harry Callagher, Chris Larkin-Collins, Sean Russell, Ben Birchall, Callum Barrett, Fraser Bolton, Lawrence Healey, Ciaran Gill, Ross Hayers, Vincent Birchall OEs side: Rhys Hunt (05-12) (captain), Ashley Rex, Charlie Clark, Oliver Watson, Connor Bolton, Barry Bolton, Jake Larkin-Collins, Kieran Curtin, Ben Andrews, Carlo Stefano, James Ayrton, Scott Hayes

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Rugby Elements St Edmund’s began a new school rugby term with an enthusiastic group of Elements boys’ looking to impress.

Many had not played rugby before. The newly formed team went straight into action against St Nicolas with a comfortable 40-15 win. Robert Clack School were next with a similar dominating display and a clear understanding of the defensive duties was apparent in the performnce. A special mention to Callum O’Connor and James Banful for their hard, but accurate tackling that kept the opposition at bay. With a number of games under their belt, Captain Sid Stringer and Vice-Captain Charlie Haughey kept leading their team to comfortable victories, including a further big win over Knights Templar (45-5) and strong dominant display against Davenant (45-0) stopping the opposition from scoring any points.

All season long the boys have learnt new positions, developed tactical awareness and understood their responsibilities within the team. Coaches Mr Cunnah and Mr Adams have kept pushing the boys in all areas of their game by constantly reminding the boys’ that no jersey is secure, and that their hunger to play and learn is required in every session. This was very apparent with the B-team fixtures and the rugby festival, causing many team selection headaches. Movement between the teams enabled St Edmund’s to have two very competitive sides.

The B-team went on to comfortably win 45-0 against Leventhorpe and 70 – 0 against Hockerill Anglo-European College, ready to take on the season finale rugby festival.

The 2018 Rugby Festival held at St Edmund’s hosted 18 teams from the local area to take part in a Cup and Vase competition. Both teams had unbeaten records to preserve and it was the A-team that, in emphatic fashion, won the competition to remain unbeaten all season. A

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last minute try from Nathan Mamonkita and superb team direction throughout from fly half Joshua Luke, kept the A-team top of the group and magnificently through the knockout phases. The B-team had a great competition also, making it through to the semi-finals. Whilst this is where their festival journey ended, they should be extremely proud of how far they have come this season.

The Elements teams came together in September having never played with each other, and for some, not having played the sport before. All Elements have shown great sporting prowess and a great platform to build on for the next rugby season.

Rudiments The Rudiments team have remained unbeaten throughout the term developing some excellent attacking rugby whilst also becoming rather frugal in defence.

The team suffered what could have been a key injury blow in their first game of the season when Ronan Hawes suffered a broken leg and we wish him well in his ongoing recovery. However, the team rallied without their Captain, with many players developing skills and game play to enable the side to win all of their remaining matches.

Tristan Ni and Eric Zhao have added strength to the forwards; the ‘Tristan Twist’ is quickly becoming his trademark as he races over the gain line time and again in matches. Mark Oliver has also had a great term playing hooker, he has developed his ability in this role and wins

In the backline, Jed Chick has shown a maturity to his attacking game that is beyond his years, his ability to identify space and make the correct decision to exploit it has led to many tries. Tobeya Ikeyina, Joshua Guy, Tom Ward and Toby Davies have all made consistent contributions to the team's performances. Tobeya and Tom have scored numerous tries between them and both display a powerful running style that is troublesome for the opposition to stop. Oliver Parkes is also deserving of a mention, he has developed his game tremendously in both half-back positions he is fleet of foot and mind which allows for quick ball to be distributed to the rest of the back line.

Grammar Grammar had a strong transition from 13-a-side to 15a-side rugby, and had a good season, which will be a good building block for the next couple of years. They started the season with good wins against Robert Clack and St Albans, with great performances in these games coming from Joseph Burke, Joseph Roberts and Finlay Taylor, who were all coming back from injuries to start the season very well. Douai awaited the team and a good win meant that the cup came back to the College. An exceptional performance by Jack Clemence out in Douai was particularly memorable.

The Grammar squad also excelled in the County tournament, where we ended up finishing 4th out of 12 and beating all boys schools along the way, including St Columba’s and Watford Grammar School.

The rest of the season brought some mixed results, but it

all ended on a positive note with a hard-fought win over Hockerill at home, with notable performances from Joseph Thompson Francis Ariwaodo and the ever-present Leonardo Rumalean.

Stand out players this year have been Joseph Thompson, Leonardo Rumalean and Joseph Shenouda who were all superb and ever-present in fixtures this season. Grammar are all set to transition into Syntax next year and we wish them all the best in doing so, with a strong side, they will be tough to beat.

Syntax Once again, this rugby season proved to be a tough one for the U15’s squad. Like previous seasons, this one produced some excellent hard-fought games where the result could have, and sometimes should have, gone their way.

Led by their captain, Joshua Sowter, the boys played some really good attacking rugby, with all the squad players improving in their own individual performances and also their tactical awareness. One of the most pleasing parts of the season was that the boys never gave up in any of the games they played and kept battling to the final whistle.

The season finished on a real high for everyone as the boys won their final game at home, beating Nicholas Breakspear School 48-0. A really well-deserved win after such a tough season and ending with the victorious squad dedicating the win to their parents.

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ball against the feed on numerous occasions to give the side an attacking platform. Nathaniel Zaranyika and Harry Smith have also developed their gameplay well and are a constant thorn in the opposition side, particularly with ball in hand.

College Sport Senior The Senior XV were captained by Alexander Holden this year and played some excellent rugby throughout the term. The side lost their entire front row at the end of last year and as a result had to form a new line-out and train extensively on the scrum.

Despite this, the side played excellent rugby and continue to be outstanding defensively. Taymen Sarguisingh, Oliver Corley and Dominic Negri performed excellently in the back row, providing exceptional line breaks and carries for the side. These three players scored many tries, and continue to improve as rugby players.

In the backs, Richard Stewart provided an excellent platform for Alex Holden, Tobenna Abana and Oliver Martin to run from. The players are dynamic runners which thrive on the service the forwards have given them over the season.

The side recorded excellent victories this season against Robert Clack School, Roundwood Park and Watford Grammar School. Unfortunately suffered narrow defeats to Richard Hale and Ipswich School.

Next season, many players leave the College and will be much missed. The following players have represented the College continually over the last seven years and I thank them for their service, commitment and passion shown for their Rugby sides.

A Nlewedum, O Corley, T Sargusingh, H Kelly, R Stewart, A Holden, C Winfield, J Sherlock, L Penner, O Carr, H Warburton.

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With a current focus on the impact rugby can have on the human body, I am proud to witness what this sport has done for each member of the squad in mind, body and spirit. The spirit within the side, teamwork, commitment and passion is extraordinary. With every fixture, we witness all players put their bodies on the line and demonstrate a remarkable respect for one another. In rugby, we talk about getting on the front foot, and quickly getting up after every fall. There is a life message within this philosophy for all players to follow.

You have been extraordinary servants to your College and I thank you for your commitment, dedication and performances over the last seven years. You should be proud Edmundian's. Well done.

Cricket Elements The Elements team have had a positive term on the cricket field. Despite the inclement weather throughout much of the term, they managed to play five fixtures losing just one game narrowly to Hitchin Boys in the quarter final of the County Cup. The side has been especially well led by captain Joe Radford, who has an excellent understanding and passion for the game. Joe has been a regular contributor with the bat, often getting the side off to a good start, and has been supported by Dylan Dawe and Miles Liversidge, both of whom have scored some important runs. Many of the boys have bowled well in games, proving to be both economical and able to regularly take wickets.

The Rudiments cricket side have performed well with both the bat and ball. The season began with an excellent win at Chigwell, in some particularly cold conditions. Jed Chick played some wonderful strokes, whilst Toby Davies was the leading wicket taker against an astute batting line up.

As the season progressed, the side recorded victories against Stephen Purse School, but then lost narrowly against Richard Hale School. The pupils have performed well in the field, recording some excellent catches as well as being dominant in chasing down the ball. The side encourage each other well, and batted confidently against Lochinver House School in the Cup. Unfortunately though, the opposition had enough wickets in hand to seal victory and progress to the next round.

The side lost two fixtures due to the Summer rain, but they have been a pleasure to work with throughout the season. Training sessions have been assisted by Specialist Cricket Coaches and we are looking forward to seeing the boys’ continued development next season.

Grammar After a strong start to the year, the Grammar boys struggled to find their rhythm towards the middle of the season. It was very much a trial by fire in some respects; the opening game of the season was at home against Hitchin Boys, who have a significantly larger selection pool compared to St Edmund’s. Coupled with the fact that this was a 2nd round County Cup match, the boys couldn’t wait for the match to begin. With a score of 79 to chase down, the boys set about their work with what can only be described as a West Indies style attack. The boys achieved 80 runs, losing just 4 wickets, by the 13th over. Keeping opposing teams to low scores seemed to be a theme of the season. The fixture against Bancroft’s School is a testament to this. The boys managed to limit the opposition to 70 runs all out. The pick of the bowlers was Cameron LaRocque, who recorded figures of 3-12.

The boys set about the run chase but seemed committed to raising their teachers and coaches blood pressure in the process! After a strong display of batting by captain Oliver Welsby, scoring 40 from 24 balls, the boys got over the line in the 12th over, eventually winning by 5 wickets.

recorded in their innings. Leonardo Rumalean has come on leaps and bounds as a bowler, recording statistics of 82. One of the highlights of the season came not in a victory but in a narrow defeat against Richard Hale. With captain cricket himself, Oliver Welsby, injured, Connor Hunt stepped forward into the captaincy and set about demolishing the Hale bowling attack. Given licence to dispatch any bowler within sight, Hunt scored a welldeserved 68 before being caught over at ‘cow corner’, looking to lose the second ball of his innings in the bushes.

Supported ably by Charlie Bush, their partnership came close to being the highest this teacher had seen in school boy cricket, Bush scoring a quick fire 22, the Hunt-Bush partnership ended at 77. Hale were put into bat after the boys scored a credible 133-7 from 20 overs, and managed to just get over the line with 5 balls to spare in the innings.

The biggest positive the boys should take away from this season should be the grit they have shown at the tail end of matches, and their ability to bat for the full 20 overs. So much time is taken at school telling boys to, “bat for the full 20, don’t leave any overs out there” and the boys have done themselves proud in achieving this. As I sit here and write this, England are on the precipice of Cricket World Cup semi-final qualification and I would encourage the boys to watch Kane Williamson for New Zealand. By far the most glamourous of batsman, but absolutely Mr Dependable. Guaranteed to steady a wobbling batting line up, he is one of the finest captain’s in modern day cricket.

I wish the boys every success in their future cricket careers, and hope to see them develop into fine 1st XI players.

Senior Due to the unique nature of the Easter calendar this year, the 1st XI’s opportunities were limited. Most of the boys started exams the week after returning from the Easter break or very soon after. Nonetheless, the 1st XI managed to get a match in before their impending A-level and

This season the boys aimed to improve the accuracy of their bowling, to try and add some potency to their bowling attack, as well as reducing the number of extras

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GCSE exams. The boys hosted Chigwell in a match that was been branded, “The Wind Bowl”! St Edmund’s were put into bat looking to put a good score to defend.

Openers Jonathan Fry and Oliver Carr protected their wickets well but at times got bogged down by some accurate seam bowling. Carr was the first to fall just into the tenth over, but cometh the hour, cometh the captain.

Richard Stewart, after losing the toss made serious headway against the Chigwell attack. After being told by Mr Plummer to push the run rate to a true 20/20 innings, the veteran skipper started demolishing seam and spin alike. Hitting 88 from 47 balls, Stewart hit the lion’s share of the runs and posted a strike rate of 187.23 one of the highest strike rates seen in this PE teacher’s time in Edmundia. St Edmund’s posted a good score of 157-2 and took to the field to protect a score they should be proud of. Rishi Sanganee took two wickets with some good variation, Oliver Luck continued to demonstrate his fast bowling and took two wickets also and has formed and good opening bowling partnership with Freddie Knight who has picked up his speed and variation with his bowling.

It came down to the last ball, with Chigwell needing two runs to win from the last ball, down thundered the Edmundia captain, Richard Stewart, in a show of true captainship taking the ball for the last over. Stewart castled the Chigwell batsman with St Edmund’s winning by 2 runs with Chigwell ending on 156-7. It has been a pleasure to see the boys, especially those who are leaving us, develop into the young men they are today. I would encourage them to carry themselves into university or wherever they find themselves in the manner in which they have approached their cricket, as gentlemen who are humble in victory and gracious in defeat.

As always, our sincerest thanks to the grounds staff, Charlie, Dan and Eddie for their work on the wicket and the outfield, Mr Kimsey for organising transport and all the members of the PE/Games department for their dedication and hard work during the school week and the weekends to ensure the smooth running of the term.

SEC Charity Fun Run During December 2020, students at the college completed a fun run during their Games lessons to raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust. Students were encouraged to come in fancy dress to enhance the fun and enjoyment of the run. The course covered a distance of around 3km, consisting of numerous obstacles and

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challenges to pass through, including an army crawl under a net (courtesy of the CCF), Hay Bale Hurdle, Tyre Tread and many more. The fun run was a great success with money raised from the children all going to a worthy charity, and plenty of fun was definitely achieved!

Football Elements It is always pleasing to see a group of boys so passionate about their sport and football is definitely Elements’ passion. The boys had a shaky start to their Edmundian football careers, a loss on penalties to Aldenham away as their first game in the first round of the County Cup. The boys picked themselves up in January and then went unbeaten in four games in the middle part of the season beating UCS, Wellingborough School, Simon Balle and Forest. A draw away to Latymer epitomised the attacking threat of Jos Rodman, Aler Erdal, Dylan Colletti and Oscar Bearpark in an eight-goal thriller. The boys learned a great deal in a short space of time, using some of the height and attacking prowess of Loni Akinola, Aydin Ara and Josh Johnson, especially at corners. You cannot have a successful side without confidence in a side’s goalkeeper and Alfie Brennan gave the side confidence to attack and organised the defence well. As the season was cut short due to COVID-19, the boys missed their chance for a final hurrah away to Enfield Grammar, but I am content to say that there will be a lot more to come from this year group.

Rudiments The side started the year with great optimism following a successful season in Elements. Their confidence was to take an early blow when they lost 3-1 to Longdean School in the first round of the County Cup. The team bounced back well from this set back to beat Parmiter’s school 21 (AET) in the County Plate, but were then eliminated by Monk’s Walk 1-3 in the following round.

On into January and the Lent Term provided some tough matches for the Rudiments boys. They started the term with a comfortable victory against St Columba’s College (4-0) but followed this match with an entertaining, yet ultimately disappointing defeat against a very physical Richard Hale side (4-6).

The next four matches resulted in the side securing four victories against some

very strong opposition. The pick of these matches was a 5-2 victory away at Wellingborough and a 3-1 victory against Forest.

Grammar The U14 team were thrust straight into competitive action in the County Cup competition, facing Parmiter’s School in a tense 0-0 draw. Both teams adapted to their first match of the season in a very close encounter. The Grammar boys had a difficult next three games against local teams St Columba’s and Richard Hale, before picking up their win at home against University College School (UCS) 2-1. The rock-solid defence of Tobeya Ikeyina, Harry Smith and Henry Dunn kept many teams to low scores this season, but the standout performances came from new striker Ronan Hawes.

Initially not in the A-team, Ronan trained incredibly hard to push for a place in the starting line-up and helped the U14 team win 3-2 against Brooke House College.

Sadly, just as the team gained momentum, the national lockdown prevented any further action this season.

1st XI There was a big change to the 1st XI squad this year, as a number of boys were no longer studying at the College having finished Rhetoric II. However, the side started the season very well with a battling 1-0 victory against Mount Grace in the Hertfordshire County Cup. The following round brought a tough challenge against a strong Dame Alice Owen’s side. St Edmund’s showed battling spirit throughout the game but unfortunately found themselves on the losing end of a 3-1 score line.

The next two games brought heavy loses against Radley College, in the LB Cup, and Forest School. However, the side were able to secure a 2-0 victory against Latymer before the COVID lockdown brought a premature end to the football season.

A special mention goes to Oliver Luck, Edward Hanley, Freddie Roberts, Josh Brody, Oliver Knipe, Luis Culverhouse and Max Cooper for their contributions to College football during their time at St Edmund’s.

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Sports Day 2018/19 On Friday 21st June 2019, the staff and students of St Edmund’s made their way in droves out to the athletics track for an afternoon of fierce track and field competition! Thankfully, the sun shone, with countless students donning their House colours in the form of face paint, and many others cheering their peers on by waving flags, banners and ties.

The level of talent and athleticism on display was astounding, with so many events decided by the finest of margins. Congratulations to all who took part, and competed with such gusto, and to Pole House for their overall victory.

Junior Victor Ludorum Junior Victrix Ludorum

Jed Chick Sienna Freeman

Intermediate Victor Ludorum Myles Douglas Intermediate Victrix Ludorum Oluwatoni Akinola & Shannon Hunt

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Junior Boys 1st – Talbot 2nd – Challoner 3rd – Douglass 4th – Pole 5th – Poynter

Junior Girls 1st – Douglass & Pole 3rd – Poynter 4th – Challoner 5th – Talbot

Intermediate Boys 1st – Douglass 2nd – Pole 3rd – Talbot 4th – Pole 5th – Poynter

Intermediate Girls 1st – Pole 2nd – Talbot 3rd – Challoner 4th – Douglass 5th – Poynter

Overall 1st – Pole 2nd – Douglass 3rd – Talbot 4th – Challoner 5th – Poynter

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Old Edmundians

Old Edmundians The Edmundian Association has experienced celebration, excitement, challenge, loss and change since our last report. From 2018 to 2020, we were thrilled to celebrate our 450th Anniversary with a trip to Douai and St Edmund’s Sunday Mass. We were also delighted to host the London Dinner, reunions at the ever-popular Feathers and Star and the annual Careers Fair.

March 2020, however, brought our plans to a sudden and unexpected halt. This period has been exceptionally challenging, and we continue to keep the Edmundian Community in our prayers.

As the world steadily adjusts to life after lockdown, we look ahead with optimism that we can bring our community together once again.

450th Anniversary Trip to Douai A group of enthusiastic OEs met at the College to board a Golden Boy coach for our weekend trip. We stopped to pick up a few passengers along the way and then we were off on our journey to Douai to celebrate our 450th anniversary. A slight delay at the tunnel left us only a short window to check in and freshen up at our hotel and then we were off to attend the first of the weekend’s activities, an exhibition on Douai held at the local library. We were greeted by friendly faces from L’Association William Allen, VIP guests and more OEs who made the trip independently. On show were a number of interesting historical artefacts and books all with a connection to Douai.

on the war graves tour on Sunday. Michael shared the story of his great uncle who was buried close to Douai after falling in the Great War. With this new information, Valerie was then able to incorporate a visit to the gravesite into our itinerary for the Sunday tour, which meant a great deal to Michael.

When dinner was over, we made our way to the Conservatoire in Douai to enjoy an evening of music and song. We were treated to a concert from an array of amazingly talented students all whom performed with aplomb and just the right amount of pizazz!

Saturday saw the main event of the weekend, the Mass held in the Collégiale Saint-Pierre de Douai. What a chance to worship and give thanks in the town of our foundation, with the College and special guests present – a unique and moving experience for all.

From Mass we walked to the Town Hall where a drinks reception was held for guests with some celebratory fizz and a few canapés. The hall was full of local VIPs as well as College guests and it was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to come together to reflect on a superb day. Speeches were given by the Mayor of Douai and Mr Durán, and the College presented the town of Douai with a beautiful mosaic of the English College by one of our art teachers, Mrs Stringer.

After viewing the artefacts and a quick drink we were off to our next destination, Le Vintage restaurant, for dinner with College guests. It was a packed room with lively chat and the wine flowed. It was a great chance for people to get to know one another with connections being made easily. It was here that Michael Maslinski, OE, met Valerie Bince-Stuart, who was to lead our group

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Saturday night saw the group have a more leisurely dinner at La Terrasse restaurant. Good food and good wine were enjoyed and convivial conversations had, even one or two about Brexit!

The following OEs attended the Douai trip: Richard Beveridge (1981-88), Canon Michael Brockie (1954-67), Liz Cobb (2004-17), Penny Dixon (1991-96), Tim Fuller (1967-72), Duncan Gallie (1976-2012), Ronald Gladman (1954-59), Martin Gratte (1957-60) and his wife Frankie, Paul Greensmith (1956-60) and his wife Maggie, Eleanor Gribben (1998-2011) and her fiancé Bradley Hudson, Michael Gribben (1998-2012), Pierce Gribben (1999-2012), Christopher Jackson (1971-78) and his wife Anne , David Kay (1975-82), Henryk Klocek (1960-70), Michael Maslinski (1962-70), Tony O’Mahony (1954-59) and his wife Geraldine, David Peel (1951-59), John Piper (1969-2000), Peter Rowe (1959-64), Robert Rowe (1960-65) and his wife Liz Rowe, Zofia Torun- Shaw (1986-92), John Vaughan-Shaw (1964-2009) and his wife Denise, Mark Vaughan-Shaw (1989-97) and his wife Anouk and son George, Farah Omotosho (2005-12), Jo Beatty (1988-1992)

Battlefields Tour Our local guide for a tour of the battlefields was Valerie Bince-Stuart, Director of the local Great War charity Le Coquelicot, accompanied by her husband Bernard. We were also accompanied by members of the William Allen Association.

We began by visiting the Dury Crucifix Cemetery in Pas de Calais which was begun by Canadian units immediately after the capture of the village, and it contained at the Armistice 72 graves. It was then enlarged by the concentration of graves from nearby battlefields and there are now 2,058 First World War casualties buried in this site, of which 1,766 are unidentified.

Here is buried Stuart Moore (1901-03), MC & Bar, who served in the 50th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry (Alberta Regiment). His Military Cross was awarded for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty whilst leading a bombing party with great courage and initiative. He was killed in action on 2 September 1918 aged 32.

Next we visited the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, a site dedicated to the memory of Canadian soldiers killed or presumed dead in France who have no known grave.

Along the route we passed, but did not have time to stop at, the vast Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, the final resting place of Fr Herbert Collins (1894-1901), an OE Chaplain to the Forces. The Vimy Memorial is the centrepiece of a 250 acre preserved battlefield park that encompasses a portion of the ground over which the Canadian Corps made their assault during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, a military engagement fought as part of the Battle of Arras. Here is commemorated John McCarthy (1911-13), who died on 10 April 1917, aged 20. John’s story is unusual in that he was born in Ireland, studied at Old Hall Green in England, emigrated to Canada, and fell serving his country a few miles from where the College

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was founded in 1568. His body was never identified.

We laid wreaths alongside the memorials to these two Old Edmundians. David Kay, President Emeritus & Archivist of The Edmundian Association, read out a brief biography of each soldier and Duncan Gallie, former Housemaster of Challoner, led prayers followed by a minute’s silence.

Following this we visited the Ring of Remembrance at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, the largest military cemetery in France located at Ablain-Saint-Nazaire near Arras. This vast ellipse is engraved with the names of nearly 600,000 soldiers, listed alphabetically and without regard for nationality, religion or rank. Here we were able to observe the names of: • Bernard Cary (1892-94), died 10 May 1917, aged 38 • Fr Herbert Collins (1894-1901), Chaplain to the Forces, died 9 April 1917, aged 35 • Alfred Frost (1895-97), died 1 July 1916, aged 34 • Joseph Mann (1910-16), died 15 March 1917, aged 21 • John McCarthy (1911-13), died 10 April 1917, aged 20 • Francis Woods (1887-94), died 15 July 1916, aged 40

Joseph Mann was one of the first six Edmundian conscripts who left the College on 19 January 1916. Only five were to return home.

During the trip we drove past dozens of Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries, as well as those dedicated to other Allied forces, distinctive by their long serried ranks of white gravestones.

The tour ended with a stop at Cuinchy Communal Cemetery where there is buried the great uncle of Michael Maslinski (1962-70), one of our group. Alwyn Gosselin was the son of Hellier Gosselin who donated a large collection of books to the College in 1924. Older OEs may still remember the Gosselin Library in Allen Hall.

The trip back to Calais and to Eurotunnel was a chance to reflect upon what had been a very thought-provoking day. There can be few places more sombre to visit than the battlefields of northern France.

The Edmundian Association has made a donation to the charity Le Coquelicot in gratitude for its work to preserve the memory of those who fell during the Great War in the region of Douai.

Careers Fair 2019 The College hosted its annual Careers Fair in the Butler Hall in January 2019. We rely on volunteers from all professions to come and speak with our current students and give inspiration of various career paths, and what options are open to them.

We had over fifty exhibitors who were kind enough to give up their time; many of these were Old Edmundians.

It is very heartening to see ex-pupils coming back to the College and imparting their experience and knowledge to current pupils, who may well follow in their footsteps one day.

The Old Edmundians who attended the fair were: Joseph Haji-Hannas (78-84) Andre Annison (01-07) Anthony Parisi (5460) Chris Wade (03-10) David Meyer (91-97) Edward O’Bryan (05-12) Gemma Cooper (92-99) Nick Bannister (60-64) Peter Blackman (64-72) Piers Chipperfield (90-97) Rick Shaw (77-84) Robert Dodds (91-02) Sergey Kornev (99-04) Sean O’Connor OBE(76-86) Sergey Kornev ( 9904) Tim Mays (76-81) Vince Owen (90-97) Adrian Kimber (79-84) Stephen Kimber (68-75)

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450th Anniversary St Edmund’s Sunday Mass

Many OEs took part in tours of the College, and they saw an awful lot of change since their studies here.

This celebration of our Patron Saint was an extra special one to say the least! We welcomed 250 Old Edmundians and guests to the College for an afternoon of joy and reflection. Many had flown in from far flung places to be there and to help us celebrate a most special day.

Tours included a visit to the Divines’ Refectory, now the Music school; the old School Block, now the Science Block and also a visit to the McEwan wing, which is now the ICT Suite.

We were blessed with the presence of The Most Reverend George Stack, Archbishop of Cardiff, who was the Principal celebrant for our Edmundian Association Mass. We thank him for his time and enthusiasm, and as an Old Edmundian himself, coming back to visit us.

Schola Cantorum sang beautifully throughout the Mass, recitals included, Sing England’s Sons and of course, O Beate Mi Edmunde.

After Mass there was a drinks reception in the Ambulacrum which was then followed by a wonderful roast beef lunch with all the trimmings. This was a great opportunity to meet up with old friends and familiar faces over a glass of wine or two. It was extremely uplifting to see how quickly friendships were rekindled and familiarity with old classmates restored. There were speeches from Mr Durán and the Most Reverend George Stack and a toast was made using the President’s Cup, on loan fron Ushaw. The first time in many years it had been used and was very fitting.

Thus followed an afternoon of activities for our guests to participate in, should they have wished to do so.

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Father Peter Harris kindly gave a talk on the Douai Silver and College artefacts in the Museum and there was the opportunity to view the College installation of ‘There But Not There’ in the Chapel, which, marked 100 years since the end of the Great War. In addition, there were screenings of ‘Quarry’, a play performed by our students.

As you may recall, Quarry is based on the life of an Old Edmundian, Andreas Fröhlich, who was killed whilst he was a prisoner of war in Mauthausen.

There was also an opportunity to purchase College memorabilia from the Edmundian Association shop, which was situated in the newly refurbished Douglass House common room. We are enormously grateful for the generous donation from the Edmundian Association that enabled both Douglass and Challoner house areas to be refurbished.

It was a wonderful occasion, and we were delighted to see so many friends, old and new, who were able to join us. We are blessed to have such a committed and caring community. We very much look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our future St Edmund’s Sunday celebration, and indeed all events.

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London Dinner 2019 For the second year running, the London Dinner was held at Browns in Covent Garden. It was wonderful to welcome Edmundians who have attended the College over many different generations, from the 1940s, right up to some that left only a few of years ago.

We were fortunate enough to be able to host the evening in the Judge’s Courtroom, a private dining area on the second floor with its own bar area.

A welcome glass of Prosecco greeted guests whilst name badges were distributed and familiar faces found. Once all the guests had gathered, we were called in for dinner, and, after Grace, we took our seats. Groups of friends had reserved a number of tables, whilst others were made up of OEs who attended the College in the same era. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet with both old and new acquaintances. There were many familiar faces and a number of people had travelled quite a distance to attend.

Others had not had so far to travel, but all were given a very warm welcome.

The food was excellent and the waiting staff were most attentive and efficient, we were very well looked after.

Melanie Burke gave a short speech saying farewell to our Alumni Officer, Jo Beatty, and thanked her for the dedication and commitment that she has given the role over the years. The Headmaster also gave a speech to welcome everyone and to update them with the latest news from the College. He talked of his departure from the College and welcomed the new Alumni Officer, Linsey Edmunds to the role.

The evening was as usual a huge success, and this is due to the unique foundation of friendships that were made and cemented at our remarkable School.

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We welcome all old Edmundians and their partners to the London Dinner and we would be pleased to see more of you at future events. There is lots of fun to be had by all.

Attendees: Michael Mason (66-70) Tim Fuller (67-72) David Kay (75-82) Melissa Bach (Guest) John Vaughan-Shaw (Former Academic Staff) Peter Antram (63-72) Hiran Weeraratne (68-75) Bob Taylor (69-76) Aidan Anglin (79-84) David Hewitt (77-83) Ashley Cooper (77-84) Jeremy Gillham (63-69) Chris Gillham (58-64) Adrian Gillham (60-65) Michael Hutchison (56-65) Christopher Hutchison (56-63) Paulo Durán (Headmaster) Alice Merino (Guest) Michael Maslinski (62-70) John Bryant (62-71) Jennifer Mernagh (88-93) Becky Collett (90-93) Katie Banatvala (88-93) Amy Peake (88-92) Kelly King (89-93) Annika Haslett-Symonds (88-93) Rowena Haslett (89-93) Jo Beatty (88-93) Ivor O’Mahony (4553) John Crowley (49-56) Chris Reed (47-57) John Crowley (49-56) Sam Langham-Service (47-58) Pat Langham-Service (Guest) Beryl Keenan (Guest) Andrew Keenan (52-60) Len Santorelli (54-60) Margaret Santorelli (Guest) Tony Conway (42-49) David Peel (51-59) Ronald Gladman (5459) Jolyon Baldwin (53-59) Chris Knight (51-61) Peter Knight (54-65) Melanie Burke (Director of External Relations) Linsey Edmunds (Alumni Officer) Colin Jones (49-58) Charlotte Olliver (01-16) Robert Ryan (08-15) Roger James (85-95) Matt Campbell (87-92) Carol Lewis ( Former Academic Staff) John Lewis (Guest) John Perry (Former Academic Staff) Nigel Howard (Former Academic Staff) Ken Hall (Former Academic Staff) Shirley Leyen (Guest) Tom Hannah (70-75) Roland Wilding (63-74).

Feathers Reunion 2019

Old Edmundians There was a reunion of friends at The Feathers pub, Wadesmill just before St Edmund’s Sunday. There was a great turn out; it is always good to meet up with old friends and it didn’t take long to roll back those 50 plus years since they last met.

Apologies were sent fom David Rozalla and Roger Reading who were unable to make the evening.

The Old Edmundians who attended the fair were: Peter Singleton (1960 -1968), Michael Maslinski (1962 -1970), Tim O’Regan (1957 – 1966), Michael McCrory (1957 – 1966), Andrew Lloyd (1958 – 1965), Bill Holloway (1961 – 1968), Phil Collins (1961 – 1968), Mike Stone (1962 – 1968), Kevin Broughan (1962 – 1968) and John Bannister (1960-1968).

40s 50s 60s Dinner 2019 In May 2019, for the twelfth time, we hosted our annual visit at The Star Tavern in Mayfair, for those that attended the College in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

Whilst the numbers may have dwindled slightly over the years, those that attended the evening were in high spirits and the atmosphere was one of warmth and fun.

The evening started off with drinks in the downstairs bar, before proceeding to the upstairs restaurant for a three course meal.

After the meal Mr Durán gave a short speech to those present thanking them for their support and then spoke with pride about his time at the College, but that one must embrace the new challenges that life brings.

We continue to meet in The Star Tavern in Belgravia and hope to see you all again when possible.

Attendees were: Anthony Parisi (Talbot, 1954-60), David Peel (St Hughs, Talbot 1951-59), Peter Knight (St Hughs, Challoner 1954-65), Ronald Gladman (Douglass, 1954-59), Jolyon Baldwin (Challoner, 1953-59), Michael Hernu (St Hughs, Talbot 1948-58), Chris Knight (St Hughs, Challoner 1951-61) Peter Ward (St Hughs, Talbot 1953-61) Andrew Keenan OBE (St Hughs, Talbot 195260), Tony Conway (St Hughs, Talbot 1944-49), Ken Allen (Challoner, 19511956), Martin Gratte (Douglass, 1957-60), Colin Jones (St Hughs, Douglass,1949-58),Glenn Kielty (Douglass, Allen Hall,1952-59), Charles Carey (St Hughs, Douglass, 1946-55), John Crowley (Douglass, 1949-56), Linsey Edmunds ( Alumni Officer), Melanie Burke (Director of External Relations), Paulo Durán.

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St Edmund’s Prep School

St Edmund’s Prep School Headmaster’s Report It is somewhat unusual to report on two years of endeavour, achievement and notable events but these have been such unusual times. Covid-19 has had us all up in the air somewhat, but the resourcefulness of children, parents, grandparents and staff alike continue to shine through. Never before has the home – school partnership, and resources of the Prep School – in every sense, physical, emotional and intellectual – been tested to such a degree, and I am, as are all the staff, incredibly proud of our Edmundian community.

At the time of writing, the school is looking forward to the 21st June 2020 and the forecast re-opening of the Prep school. I therefore write from a position of optimism for what lies ahead, but enormous pride and appreciation for all that lies behind. Character and

resolve have been tested, but compassion, creativity, community and resilience have shone through.

This Edmundian report is written very much from memory and can in no way be fully comprehensive. I encourage you, however, to never be a stranger and to drop in for a cup of tea or a walk to enable a shared reflection of what has just passed us, and to celebrate the near boundless achievements of our children, staff and wider community, even in the face of adversity.

Very well done to you, and may God continue to bless your family and your friends.

Mr S Cartwright Headmaster, St Edmund’s Prep 2021

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Academic Year 2018/2019 Our 450th Anniversary year began with the children looking immaculate in their uniforms, as always, and all eagerly anticipating the year ahead.

The staff too began the year in fine form and we welcomed Miss Rebecca Woodhead into the community. Miss Woodhead was appointed to educate and care for Form One principally, but also took on the management of the IT curriculum in the school. Also joining us was Mrs Elizabeth Beaumont who, for her sins, took on the roll as PA to the Headmaster and Prep SMT. These two joyful arrivals weren’t without a sad departure. Mrs Tina Leader, School Secretary and in charge of Prep Admissions, relocated to Suffolk with her husband Ian. Tina was a loyal and devoted servant of the Prep School under four Head’s, across an inspired Edmundian career spanning twenty-four years. Children, staff, parents and grandparents considered Tina, justifiably, to be a caring colleague and friend and her legacy for those she left behind was, in significant part, to always remember and strive to put people first. Tina left in a cloud of supportive and thankful applause and tears, and we all wished her well.

There are many anecdotes that come to mind from the year passed, but there are two particular stories which staff believe most clearly illustrate the character of the children shown throughout the year. The first of these revolves around our eagerly anticipated and groundbreaking trip to Douai at the beginning of the year. On the 29th September Prep School students from Forms 4, 5 and 6 plus staff arrived for school at four o’clock in the morning, surprisingly bright eyed and bushy tailed (the staff not all quite so) and looking forward to the exciting day ahead.

After an eight hour coach ride to the Douai Town Hall, which boasts the most impressive belfry in the region, the children stood excited before the 600 year old building ready to participate in a tour. However, they were pressed for time just a little bit so they were told that they couldn’t quite do that. Unperturbed, they ran to the gift shop to snatch a souvenir of our ancestral home…but arrived - just a little too late - and so couldn’t quite do that. Breathing out a deep sigh and shaking off the disappointment, they made their way across the town, greeted as they went by the smiling and friendly Gendarme.

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Arriving for Mass in the nick of time…they couldn’t quite stay until the end, having to rush out after communion to catch the Eurostar home. Fleeing through the streets of Douai for the eagerly anticipated lunch at école St Jean. They arrived at the school and, breathing in the sumptuous aromas of the various culinary delights prepared by the drafted in French chefs, and, rubbing their tummies and licking their lips, they were told that they couldn’t have any – there was no time – and they were forced to board the coach home.

Upon arriving at the reputable Maidstone Roadchef services, the children were finally greeted with an order of forty-eight family buckets of chicken nuggets, fifty orders of chips and lemonade in abundance – diet of course.

Never have I seen food devoured so quickly, never had I seen such patience and good manners from our children. Frustration and inspiration had hit them time and again – but, they did us proud and were simply the greatest ambassadors of our school throughout. They didn’t complain once.

My second tale also comes one of our first events, the Form 6 residential trip again to France. Arriving in the city of Arras, surrounded by 39 Form 6 children and the accompanying staff. We had stopped for a short break outside the Wellington Quarry and, from nowhere, a man came running up to the staff carrying an English oak sapling around eight feet high. “Excuse me,” he said in a Canadian accent, “I don’t mean to bother you but I wondered if you would like to learn the story of this tree.” Intrigued, we encouraged him to explain more.

About 10 minutes later, the children and I were gathered on a small green, near the entrance to the Quarry,

St Edmund’s Prep School saying a prayer to commemorate all those who fell in the Great War. As we watched, local labourers dug a hole and the Mayor of the Arras, together with the Canadian man planted the tree.

Our children sat on the grass around him as he told us the story of his great uncle who had been shot there 100 years before. Form Six considered the 11,285 Canadian men who fell as a result of the battle which began at five thirty in the morning on 9th April 1917.

The children were respectful, they listened attentively, and they learned.

The year that passed was a challenge as always. A full and often demanding academic programme, full of sporting endeavour, musical and dramatic inspiration and effort and wonderful creativity in art.

Over the year, we witnessed significant achievement in many different ways. Some more obvious - abseiling or climbing on a residential trip, some less so, making a new friendship or tackling a subject which presented difficulty. Whatever that challenge was, we acknowledge the efforts and courage that our children have made and shown and reflect in quiet celebration of all that our children achieved.

To begin to summarise the achievement of our children is really quite difficult. Over the course of the year, the children earned in excess of 29,600 house points – who said bribery was bad…and 429 (40 more than last year) Head’s Commendations.

The children have shone in so many different areas.

Through recitals during the Prep concerts – in which some 60 children took part. The children impressed us with many emerging talents. Performances on piano, voice, violin, viola, cello, guitar, ukulele, recorder, oboe, trumpet and drums delighted the audience with some of our children making debut performances.

The LAMDA recitals in the Douai Hall spoke for themselves. What powerful stage presence our children demonstrated. One third of Prep students took part in presenting verse and prose pieces which were expressive in delivery, enabling enthusiastic and commanding communication with their audience.

Furthermore, the Young Voices group sang with a 7000

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strong choir at the O2 arena, learning 12 songs and accompanying dance moves. Each week the children, supported by their parents and encouraged by their teachers, attended more than 115 weekly individual music lessons…I am surprised Dr McLauchlan herself didn’t turn into a musical instrument.

In sport, Mr Goodfellow and his team have almost literally given their left leg in service to the children. I refer of course to the ‘smashing’ parent staff netball tournament – who ever said that we were not competitive?

We have won the following tournaments: • The Belmont Netball Tournament.

• The Edge Grove Netball Tournament • The St Edmund’s Prep Netball Tournament.

• The Forest Football Tournament.

• The Felsted Hockey Tournament.

The U9 boys’ and U9 girls cross country teams won both Woodford Green Prep Cross Country Meetings.

distinctions, the other 15 earning merits. There was various success in music exams and artists of the week contributed to our newsletter.

In Form Five, ’World Space Week’ was an inspirational opportunity for the children to devote themselves to learning and to continue to satisfy their thirst for knowledge. For them and for us all, ‘Failure is not an option’.

Curriculum mornings, Bunsen burning in the College science labs with Dr Cairns, the Spelling Bee, F6 STEM challenges and entrepreneurial endeavour including lip smacking lemonade to dream about and bombing passers-by with parachuted eggs. Two academic scholarships and one music scholarship and one sports scholarship, the CSI day, newly introduced Spanish and German lessons, Book Week, including poetry competition and an author who successfully climbed Everest, F6 story shoe boxes, Science Week with Form Five’s visit to GSK, Evacuee day and (randomly) carrot cookies, all paint a vibrant and colourful picture of engagement and achievement.

And Our U8 Hi-5 netball team were runners-up at the Edge Grove Netball Festival.

In total, the children played 173 Matches and won 87. This equates to 50.2% so…by my calculations, well over half.

The children’s conduct on Sports Day spoke volumes and demonstrated so clearly, their support of one another and their dedication to giving of their best. All great achievement indeed.

Some of our students have started playing for professional clubs and notable links with Arsenal and Tottenham ladies were formed over the course of the year. Two of our children performed at Disneyland as gymnasts. Three children represented the county in athletics and one student was capped for Middlesex in cricket. Pony riding, dressage, Forest School, the School Council’s memorable assemblies on anti- bullying and remembrance are all notable moments and achievements on the landscape of the year.

In terms of our mission to devote ourselves to the Scholarship demonstrated by our Patron St Edmund, In the LAMDA exams, 48 out of 63 students achieved

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Of course, it’s not all about work. In our mission to develop servant leaders of the future – the children committed to supporting a strong environmental message.

that here at St Edmund’s …we are into, wait for it… sweating our assets. My apologies for the bad joke. Cake sales and cake sale extensions, contributions to the Harlow Food Bank, voluntary Form Six attendance at the senior citizens Christmas party, wearing something orange and even more besides have all contributed to the greater and common good. In total, the school raised £5833 for Meningitis Now. As a part of our mission to place the needs of others before our own, the community surpassed our united expectations.

The religious life of the school continued to thrive.

Thanks to Fr Peter, Benediction continued and Br Andre was a welcome, calm and spiritual leader in the Prep school. The Chaplaincy Group’s assembly on the holocaust was powerful and moving. Form Four demonstrated a respectful attitude to prayerful contemplation during their retreat in Pinner, and three of our Form Three students have made their 1st Holy Communion. We congratulate them on completing this wonderful step in their sacramental journey.

In working to build on our Catholic Heritage, links with St Jean school were re-established – despite the previous lack of dinner in Douai, our Form Six children showed friendly pro-activity in engaging with the 82 children of the visiting school. Your children’s smiles won through the language barrier…and our 3-1 victory in the accompanying sports tournaments resulted in an invitation to visit Douai to see whether the ultimate title can be reclaimed.

The school picked one charity during that year, but then decided to go further, with Southworth presenting a cheque for £642 to Herts and Essex Air Ambulance.

Some of the children took part in the Warrior race for Teens Unite, one Form Three student raised £127 for Centrepoint on their own initiative and a Form Six student raised £1250 on their own initiative, designing, making and selling her own cards.

Parents contributed too – here’s to the ‘Blister Sisters’, and so did staff, with marathons or sponsored walks across and around London. Notably of course, Mr Duddy and Miss Hewlett who raised an amazing £3546 for Meningitis Now. For the children though, the College colour run (for Noah’s Ark Hospice), sponsored walks (for Children in Need), the santa run, and our mini marathon, all prove

The strength and depth of our parent school partnership continued to be an area in which we can be justifiably proud. Meaningful interactions between the school and home continued to take place on many levels from the academic, to the pastoral to the charitable.

450th anniversary celebrations, the summer fete, Friend’s Christmas Fayre (complete with ‘born-to-be’ Father Christmas), fireworks, Christmas card making and selling, the Easter hamper tombola, second hand uniform sales, in addition to organising two wonderful balls and apple and pear picking and pressing, all helped to raise funds which were directed towards purchasing a marquee, resources for the library and eco and prayer gardens, as well as the generous donation of the latest Lego Millennium Falcon and much more give us significant reason to be express our thanks. On behalf of

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For some reason, they could not stop picking up rubbish! At school and at home our young learners demonstrated care for the environment. This led to the school being awarded the Green Flag Award. The children had to demonstrate how we have integrated learning about marine life, biodiversity, energy, litter, waste, transport, water, school grounds, healthy living and global citizenship into our curriculum. A group of children in Form Three were asked to lead an assembly on the importance of reducing the use of palm tree oil considering the effect that this has on the natural environment, particularly for the habitat of the orangutan. They also created an eco-garden.

St Edmund’s Prep School us all, I convey our gratitude for the events that parents have organised and that we have all enjoyed supporting.

Over the course of the year, the staff and I noted that the children approached their studies with care, consideration and enthusiasm. They persevered to achieve what they did, and for all this and more, we were very proud of them. They were and are a credit to us and most importantly, to their families.

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Academic Year 2019/2020

The first term was dominated by the ‘meteorite strike’ in November. This inspired event led to full curriculum immersion of our children and engaged hearts and minds in a passion for learning about space that we didn’t fully expect. Although one or two of us believed it hook, line and sinker, the event itself was wonderful from the perspective that it engaged so many in the community around igniting the imaginations of the children.

from parents and staff is perhaps reflective of wider feelings about St Edmund’s and the commitment that staff did and have always made. What individual families endured – with grace and humility – is another story entirely, but our prayers remain with all those who have survived the first wave of the global pandemic and also who were on the front lines in leadership and service.

During this academic year we bade farewell to three members of staff and offered them our profuse thanks and best wishes.

Mrs Miriam Murphy, a servant of the Prep for some eight years, left to pursue her own entrepreneurial endeavour offering child therapy through Drawing and Talking and to commit more time to her family. Mrs Murphy was and is a hugely skilled pedagogist who placed the care and needs of children before all else. An outstanding teacher, she taught in the EYFS and Form Six, she was highly regarded and had the respect of all.

Mrs Lara Windsor, Nursery teacher, also left to focus on her family and to work as an EYFS educational consultant for the county. Lara, our very own ‘Miss Poppins’, was an engaging and joyful teacher for our Nursery cohort and we were grateful of her professionalism, care and devotion.

Although we weren’t to know it at the time, Covid-19 was to dominate the year ahead. What I believe is important to mention is that the length or detail of this report can in only some small way reflect the strength and efforts shown by all in the community. The loyalty

Finally, Mrs Jan Harding decided that it was time to put the chalk back in the bag after a long-career in education, the latter five years of which were spent supporting the Prep Art Department and also looking after small groups of children to support, stretch and

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encourage. Jan was a valued and flexible member of our supply teaching staff and has moved on to focus on her family and artistic endeavours.

Michaelmas Term 2019 We prepared for an inspection and comments received through our auditors were encouraging: “Staff interviews indicate a strong team with a good understanding and appreciation of each other’s roles and responsibilities.(…)” …”Staff say they are proud to work in this community where everyone is passionate about the personal development of children. Longer-serving staff referred to the incredible journey the school has been through but there was no evidence of complacency as they discussed ongoing developments.”

Sarah Williamson, ISI Registered Inspector, PreInspection Visit, 18th October 2019 Charitable efforts from the children were in support of the Acorn Trust with additional collections for the Harlow Food Bank. One child raised £400 for the Princess Trust and cut her hair by a foot to contribute to wig made for a child who has lost her hair as a result of illness.

Through the assembly programme, the children learned about the Head’s trip to India as well as there being a renewed focus on Service and Leadership in line with our Mission Statement.

The Rosary group met through month of October and Br. Juan supported the children in classrooms. Our Chaplaincy Group started with 13 students from across the year groups EYFS The end of the academic year was busy for the EYFS. New families were welcomed to our setting with lots of art and craft activities, face painting and biscuit decorating. It was a great opportunity for our families to meet each other and staff.

Our visit to Lee Valley Farm was enjoyed by all. We were blessed with brilliant sunshine and met lots of farm animals as well as some birds of prey.

The performance of Peter Pan was exceptional. The younger children loved spotting their playground friends amongst the cast and you could hear the lines form the songs in our classrooms several days after the show.

We welcomed 13 new children at the start of this new academic year. The children became familiar with their routines. They took part in lots of activities to promote their early literacy and numeracy development, as well as exploring their new surroundings, going on number hunts and visits to the science lab. The reception class looked at the topic ‘ourselves’. They learned about their senses by playing listening games, doing a fruit tasting activity and describing shapes in a feely bag. Nursery focused on listening, getting to know each other and exploring all things autumn – with scented playdough, collecting conkers and making pictures using some of the leaves they found.

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St Edmund’s Prep School Forest School continues to be an exciting feature on our timetable, with den building, apple pressing and using tools. The children worked together and we saw development in their confidence to try new activities.

When the children returned from the Michaelmas half term break, we looked at the celebration of Diwali. The children tried on traditional clothes, made Rangoli patterns and divas from clay. This led us into the season of fireworks. Many children enjoyed the Friends’ Firework display. On Remembrance Day, we welcomed Major

Powell into the setting who showed us his medals and told the children what it was like to be a soldier.

The EYFS were thrilled to see the meteorite that landed in our playground! They spent the rest of the week thinking about space travel and what they would need to take with them. Reception made lists and their own rockets. Nursery made rockets and space pictures using different materials. We all gathered together to have a picnic on the moon! The children made jam sandwiches which were enjoyed with juice and fruit. We then celebrated St Edmund’s Day with bouncy castles and a delicious lunch.

The preparations for the Nativity were then in full swing.

The EYFS children played the parts of sheep and shepherds. They sang and danced whilst telling our most wonderful story. Lots of Christmas activities followed, including making hats for our Christmas lunch, cards, calendars, biscuits, paper chains and tree decorations. On the last day of term, wearing their Christmas jumpers, the children took part in our annual Santa run.

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The children also went to the pantomime at Hertford Theatre and enjoyed many other Christmas activities including art and craft, cooking and biscuit decorating which ran alongside our activities to promote development in the seven areas of learning.

Our Cygnets Toddler group began on Wednesday mornings. Mrs Antoniou ran these in the Nursery classroom whilst the children were in the woods for Forest School. We made visitors welcome and gave our future potential Edmundians a taste of life in the Nursery Class, while providing a ‘Parent and Toddler’ service for the local community.

Pre-Prep News As always, life in the Pre Prep was busy and exciting.

Towards the end of the 2019-20 academic year, the children in Forms 1 and 2 played host as they welcomed their special guests for our annual Father’s Day Celebration. This was a thoroughly enjoyable chance for them to say thank you to their dads for all that they do for them, and to showcase some of the work that the children had been doing. Following this, the fathers of the Form 2 children helped them to set up their tents for our annual Form 2 Big Camp Out. This annual event is a chance for the children to experience the excitement of sleeping in a tent and, for some, sleeping away from home for the first time. The campsite is set up on the field behind the Prep School so that the children are in familiar surroundings and there is a staff member awake and on duty at all times to support our young campers.

Our camp out is always a popular event with both children and staff and is also part of our transition process from the Pre Prep to the Prep School.

As the academic year drew to a close, the pupils in Forms 1 and 2 attended the Prep School performance of Peter Pan at Hertford Theatre. This was a fantastic production and the younger children found it entertaining and inspiring, especially all the flying. In late June, Form 2 also went on their final trip of the academic year to the Sealife Centre in Southend, as part of their work on oceans and marine life.

The start of this academic year was no less packed with activity. Our harvest collection in aid of the Harlow Foodbank was, as always, extremely well supported by the pupils and parents of the Prep School and was gratefully received by the charity just before half term.

The children in Form 2 enjoyed helping to load the food

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and toiletries into the van and meeting the volunteer from the Foodbank.

In the Pre Prep, we teach using themes for the term and this term the theme is Land of the Dinosaurs in Form 2.

To provide an exciting and dynamic start to the topic, the children went on a dinosaur safari and found fossils, dinosaur eggs and even some dino dung! The pupils really enjoyed making the discoveries and checking on the eggs at regular intervals.

Towards the end of September, the parents of the pupils in Nursery to Form 2 were invited to attend a Phonics Curriculum Morning. During this session, those attending are guided through how the phonics programme is delivered at St Edmund’s Prep. The structure and teaching order of the scheme is laid out and questions answered to better enable parents and carers to support the children at home. This event was well attended and received good feedback from those present. This session is run annually and all are welcome to attend.

The Prep School held its Inter-House performing Arts Week during the middle of October. A record number of entries were submitted for the three categories of music, dance and drama – 163 in total across the school. The children from the Pre Prep were well represented by children from both Forms 1 and 2 and they thoroughly enjoyed the chance to perform in front of the judges and a small audience of their peers. There were some very strong performances in all 3 disciplines with some of the children from Form 1 and 2 receiving distinctions. It was fantastic to see the enjoyment and confidence with which children so young performed.

As the half term drew to a close, the children in the Prep School celebrated our first Other Faiths Week of the year.

Our focus on this occasion was Judaism and the Pre Prep children enjoyed learning some of the stories, signs and symbols to broaden their understanding and experience of one of the world’s major faiths.

To round off the Michaelmas term, and as a reward for all their hard work in preparing for the Nativity, the children in the Pre-Prep joined the EYFS pupils in visiting Hertford Theatre to watch their pantomime of The Snow Queen. Pantomime is such a strong part of British culture and we want the children to be able to have the experience of watching this unique art form. They had a fantastic time: singing along to the songs, shouting out at the baddies and dancing to the music.

During the last week of the Michaelmas term, the Prep held its annual Christmas Jumper Day to raise money for the Sick Children’s Trust. This charity provides accommodation at hospitals for the parents of children who are having to be resident for treatment for a period of time. The children thoroughly enjoyed the festive cheer of the array of jumpers and were also learning about the importance of helping others.

Towards the end of the Michaelmas term, Form 2 enjoyed their trip to Paradise Wildlife Park whilst Form 1 had a visit to Mountfitchet Castle as part of their topic on castles. They thoroughly enjoyed exploring the lives of those who would have inhabited this motte and bailey castle. Form 2 also enjoyed a class trip in November as they visited Paradise Wildlife Park to support their work on dinosaurs. There was also time to enjoy seeing all the other animals and to relate this to our focus on the continents of the world.

The whole of the Prep School also be enjoyed a Writing Curriculum Day to further inspire writing across the school and we also had our St Edmund’s Day celebrations.

As a reward for all their hard work in the Nativity and throughout the term, the children in Nursery to Form 2 attended the Pantomime at Hertford Theatre in the penultimate week of the term. The term finished with our Christmas Jumper event to raise money for charity.

The arrival of a “meteorite” in the Prep playground for our Writing Curriculum Day provided lots of excitement and an inspiring context for lots of creative writing. The children throughout the Prep were captivated by the idea of such an event and it really helped to fire their imaginations. Following this, we celebrated St Edmund’s Day in style, with bouncy castles and a celebratory lunch where the children learnt about some of the history of our school and its patron saint.

The Nativity is an event which is always eagerly anticipated by the Pre-Prep staff and pupils and the production of Everyone Loves a Baby in December was no exception. All the children from Nursery to Form 2 took part with confidence and enthusiasm, singing, dancing and delivering their lines for the delight of the audience. The Nativity is such a powerful way to celebrate the message of the true meaning of Christmas, as well as giving our youngest children the

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self-esteem building opportunity to perform on stage.

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Lent Term 2020 EYFS We welcomed a further six new children into the EYFS. They settled in well and became familiar with their routines. They took part in lots of activities to promote their early literacy and numeracy development, as well as exploring their new surroundings and getting to know specialist staff.

At the start of the New Year we looked at People Who Help Us. There was an incident involving some missing jewels. The police were called and came to help the children to gather evidence and record their findings. We had time to invite them to lunch, look at their police car, try on their hats, listen to the sirens and watch the blue lights flash. A week later we were awarded with certificate in recognition of our excellent investigating skills.

We then made the most of having Nurse Donna based in the Swan’s Nest. She came to see the children and talked to us about keeping healthy. She explained what nurses and doctors do to help us if we are ill. The home corner was made into a police station and then into a hospital.

The children have demonstrated their learning through role play and lots of independent writing.

In February, we celebrated Chinese New Year with a party.

The children tasted noodles, rice, prawn crackers and fortune cookies – all with chopsticks! The children made money wallets and wrote about the story of the 12 animals that the years are named after.

Two Rhetoric students, Jenny and Martin, visited the classes to tell the children how they celebrate Chinese New Year. They showed the children how to write their names in Chinese, how to write Happy New Year and taught us how to count to 10. Their interactions and patience with the children was outstanding. This made us very proud and grateful to be part of a school for 3 to 18 year olds.

The children cheered on the pancake race as well as making their own. The Nursery class welcomed a familiar adult into the classroom to share a cooking activity, a treasure hunt, a Spanish song, led by Miss Lopez and a story. The children were very proud to show their adult their learning books and share these activities.

The children enjoyed another successful Book Week in the Lent term. The children loved dressing up as their favourite magical creatures and the curriculum took that

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focus too. The whole week involved lots of activities being on offer linked to some of the children’s favourite books including story sessions with older children, an author visit and dress-up days.

The Reception class made lists for the ingredients needed for their magical potions while the nursery made potions in their water tray.

Pre-Prep News January saw the Pre-Prep playing host to pupils from other schools as we welcomed them to our 7+ examination and assessment day. As well as taking part in the academic assessments, the children’s parents were able to choose whether they were also assessed in either art, music or sport. Of the 20 pupils currently in Form 2, 16 took part in the process, along with the 11 visiting children from a range of other institutions and all seemed to enjoy the experience of the day.

Of the 7 scholarship offers made following the process, 4 of them were offered to our existing pupils and 3 to external candidates. It is a clear indication of the academic successes of the Pre-Prep children that they were able to secure these awards.

As part of their work on The Great Fire of London, Form 2 spent a day in the Douay Hall in February, learning about the events of the fire and how we know so much about it. They travelled back in time in our time machine, played games to simulate trying to put out the fire with the equipment available at the time and even baked bread. They learnt about Samuel Pepys and the eyewitness account that his diary gives us of this historical event and even had a go at using the code that he employed to write their own facts about the fire. The children all came to school in appropriate dress for the era, which really helped them to immerse themselves in the event. Afterwards, staff were told by the children’s parents, that they had spoken of little else and had been regaling them with the activities they had taken part in, and the interesting information that they had learnt. This was a great way to launch a topic that really captures the interest and imaginations of the children in Form 2.

As Lent approached, the children of the Pre-Prep joined their older colleagues to take part in our Pancake Race (see photos below). Two children from each year group ran around the course, flipping their pancakes as they went, to try and win the race for their house team. As always, the event was great fun and an enjoyable way to highlight this important season in the church’s year.

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Trips were also planned with Nursery going to Pearce’s Farm shop as they learnt about healthy food and Reception just managed to fit in their trip to Ware High Street where the children learnt about their local environment, spotted various shops and used their pocket money to spend in the sweet shop. To support the children’s understanding of their Lenten promises, the children were encouraged to bring in a toy or item of clothing which they then donated to the Age UK charity shop

St Edmund’s Prep School

At the end of February, Form 1 had their second trip of the academic year. This time they visited Duxford and had a fantastic time learning about the history of the planes there. These trips really help to inspire the children and provide new opportunities and experiences that fire their interest and imaginations.

Through Book Week, the children enjoyed poetry competitions, author visits and dressing up days, and this annual week provided an inspiring focus on the joy that can be gained by reading for pleasure as well as for learning. It helps us to garner a love of reading in our pupils and allows the adults in the school to show their own enjoyment of this valuable and relaxing pastime.

On Tuesday 3rd March, the Pre-Prep children celebrated the 100th Day of School. This day enabled a focus on all they have achieved so far over this academic year and also to explore the number 100 in more detail. They took part in a range of activities over the course of the day, including making an edible number square, and will end the day by sharing what they have found out with the children from the EYFS. Sports Results and Fixtures (Lent Term 2020) The U11A Girls’ Sportshall Athletics Team won the district competition to qualify for the County Finals at Wodson Park in March.

In January, our U11 Indoor Athletics team travelled to Royston Lesiure Centre to take part in the annual District Sportshall Athletics Competition. The field events took place first, with our boys and girls teams taking part in the foam javelin, speed stepper, vertical jump, long jump, triple jump and chest push throw. After the first round, we had claimed first place in the following events: Jesse Jeff Okoh, Thomas Preece and Fionn Noonan Crane Foam Javelin (Girls) Michelle Ogungbemi, Pippa Webster and Sienna Goodfellow Chest Push Throw (Girls) Michelle Ogungbemi, Pippa Webster and Siena Field Triple Jump (Girls) Amelia Rumalean, Isla Roberts and Zara Ferns Speed Stepper (Girls) Amber Smits, Zara Ferns and Sienna Goodfellow Vertical Jump (Girls) Thea Davis, Amelia Rumalean and Rebecca Sambridge

after winning the majority of the field events whilst our boys team were trailing in second to King James Academy. Both teams needed strong performances in the running races and they were all very excited to watch! The following teams won their track events: Obstacle Relay (Girls)

2x2 Lap Relay (Girls)

Thea Davis, Siena Field, Charlotte Sambridge and Sienna Goodfellow Amber Smits and Zara Ferns

When the final results were counted, our boys team finished in second place overall and our girls team finished as winners. For the first time, a team from St Edmund’s Prep will now compete at the County Sportshall Athletics Finals in March. Well done everyone!

U11 Wix District Girls’ Football Tournament Our U11 Girls’ Football team travelled to King James Academy to play in the Wix District Girls’ Football Tournament on Thursday 13th February. The first match was against St Mary’s, and after some fine passing moves we scored an early goal from long range. The next goal was almost identical, another long range strike that settled in the top corner to give us a 2-0 lead. We played very well as a team in this match, limiting the opposition to occasional forays into our half, whilst keeping the pressure on them with some excellent attacking football.

The match finished 2-0 to St Edmund’s Prep and saw us off to a fantastic start.

Foam Javelin (Boys)

Going into the track events, our girls team were leading

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The next match was against Ralph Sadlier, a team that had just drawn with the hosts and looked to be in good form. Our game plan was simple, use the length of the pitch to our advantage by setting the ball back to our defenders and using long, direct balls forward and into space. The plan seemed to be working really well as we

Understanding that a draw against King James Academy would be enough to secure a place in the Wix County Quarter Finals, St Edmund’s Prep set up quite defensively and the plan worked. Other than a few long range strikes, the opposition rarely troubled our goal and 0-0 was sufficient to see us through as the district champions. Two wins and a draw told part of the story, but scoring four great goals, conceding none and playing so well without our captain and main goalscorer made the success even more impressive. St Edmund’s Prep will now progress to the Wix County Quarter Finals in March against the other district winners from all across Hertfordshire.

Congratulations to our winning teamCharlotte Ward, Sienna Goodfellow, Zara Ferns, Rebecca Sambridge, Roberta Scott, Charlotte Sambridge, Isla Roberts and Eva Olaiya (C)

Trinity Term 2020 I must at this point express my sincere thanks to all Governors for their advice, support and calmly considered Governance throughout the past months.

Additionally, my heartfelt gratitude to the staff of the Prep school, along with College colleagues, for their tireless positivity and flexibility throughout the response to the pandemic.

This was quite literally the term that ‘zoomed’ by. The entire community learnt to balance family against remote school against business and the order of priority was in constant flux. Assemblies, parents’ evenings, lessons and staff meetings all had to adapt to this new technology which ultimately enabled us to remain united and to celebrate the endeavour and achievements of the children.

Bubbling, mask wearing, attending school in mufty and regular hand-washing became the order of the day but there were silver linings around the ominous cloud above us. The saying, ‘same storm, different boats’, was used prolifically as every one of us tried to empathise and support each other to the best of our ability.

EYFS As lockdown commenced, the EYFS children were provided with an Easter challenge and a grid of over 60 activities. The tasks included: a ‘signs of spring’ hunt, baking, helping to write a shopping list, sending cards to relatives, playing hide & seek, what’s the time Mr Wolf and magic bag. Recipes for playdough and gloop were sent home too. In addition to this, literacy and mathematics tasks were provided weekly for the children in Nursery and daily for the children in Reception.

All EYFS staff were in face-to-face contact with the children via our new best friend (Zoom). Mrs Antoniou shared the arrival of some new chicks at her house, arranged a story with Margaret Bateson-Hill (an author who visited the school during Book Week), a question and answer session with Farmer Ali (with her lambs, Cotton, Kit and Peggy) and a dance lesson with Alex James. Miss Ingrao has been supporting our key worker school and also recorded herself reading stories and singing songs on Tapestry. This method of sharing photographs and videos proved crucial in giving feedback to tasks completed by the children.

Mrs Windsor and Mrs Penfold offered Zoom sessions and videos to support the children’s learning, as well as supporting the Key Worker school. As we quickly became more confident with this method of communication, we were able to listen to children read by sharing a screen with pages from Oxford Owl reading schemes and the smart notebook software on our school laptops. We have shared ‘show & tell’ sessions as well as more structured learning sessions.

The parents were very supportive and recorded photographs of their children completing the tasks and sharing them with us on Tapestry.

As the school re-opened on a phased basis, we followed government advice and reduced the resources in the EYFS classrooms. Soft toys, cushions and toys with small, intricate parts that are difficult to clean were removed and children were welcomed back into small groups. Whilst we and the government were aware that our youngest children will not be able to follow social distancing, we worked though the hierarchy of measures set out in the protective measures guidance.

We made the most of our wonderful grounds and were thankful for the glorious and historically sunny and hot weather.

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counter attacked with some excellent runs and crosses from wide positions. We almost snatched an early lead, but the ball just wouldn’t quite sneak over the line when it seemed that the opening was there to be taken.

However, we carved out further opportunities and scored two goals later on in the game to win 2-0 again.

St Edmund’s Prep School

Pre-Prep News The remote learning in Forms 1 & 2 was well received with many messages of support and thanks being received from the parents.

During the first week of March, the children of the Prep School were treated to a wealth of events to celebrate our Book Week, such as author visits, buddy reading and themed lunches.

A lego construction team, principally led by James Connell, Edward Byrne and Natasha McNamara all of Form Six, were deservedly proud of finishing the ultimate Lego Milinium Falcon – some 7,500 pieces and needing it’s own room for construction.

On Tuesday 3rd March, the Pre Prep celebrated our 100th Day of School. We spent the day exploring the number 100, baking and icing 100 cupcakes to make an edible 100 square and holding an assembly to share what we had done with the children in the EYFS.

In Key Worker School, the children enjoyed free reign of the grounds from time to time and were engaged in fishing, archery and mountain biking amongst other things. College colleagues and especially our Spanish teachers and teaching assistants were such a massive support in keeping the show on the road.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the following events had to be cancelled:

Mr Cartwright, Mr Goodfellow and Mrs Roper and so many others set challenges which many of the children enjoyed engaging with. Baking, sketching, skipping, Den building and Rubiks cube solving became par for the course in many households.

• Form 1 & 2 Mother’s Day Celebration

Endless and well-deserved Head’s Commendations.

• The Easter Story performance • Father’s Day celebration • Form 2 Big Camp Out! By the end of the Trinity term, the majority of children were able to return and the relevant protocols were put into place.

In other news…

The year could not pass without mentioning one or two other notable and unusual achievements.

Amongst other Zoom trial initiatives, Mr Goodfellow led the children in skills sessions and individual competition.

Two goats moved into the Prep and were named by the ever-busy grounds team. ‘Vinnie Van Goat’ and ‘Billy the kid’ were continually creating mischief and mayhem.

Constantly escaping and providing humorous anecdotes for all in Edmundia.

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The 75th VE Day. The Form Six Virtual Prize Giving, amazing ‘Locked Down Dahl’ production as well as a Form Six Sports Day. A tremendous effort by the Form Six children as well as the staff.

Summary Continuing to provide an education online was important foremostly as the Prep aimed to give the children a light in what otherwise might have been an even more challenging period.

We think that it is fair to say that St Edmund’s Prep can look back on the year with a sense of deserved pride.

The undoubted highlight of the year was the performance of our end of year show, Peter Pan, by Forms 3-6, in the Spotlight Theatre, Broxbourne. It was an exciting opportunity for children and staff alike.

In addition to the major events outlined below, Prep children have been engaged in an impressive variety of performing acts activities. Music, particularly singing, plays a prominent part in the religious life of the school, in weekly Masses and assemblies and in the principal Masses of the school year (St Edmund’s Day, Thanksgiving for First Holy Communion and Form 6 Leavers’). Among the activities this year were Choirs for all Prep and PrePrep children, two schemes to encourage the learning of a musical instrument (Form 2 Strings & Wind and Form 5 Woodwind & Brass), co-curricular clubs in music (including String, Guitar and Ukulele Ensembles), drama (including Prep and Pre-Prep Speech & Drama) and dance (including Pre-Prep Ballet), and performances by these groups. Our strong links with the College Music and Drama departments continued through participation in College recitals and the Community Service Christmas Party (Form 6), inspiring visits from Rhetoric musicians to our assemblies and a trip to the Syntax drama group panto (Pre-Prep). We continue to benefit from external partnerships with Starlight Stars Performing Arts School and Buntingford School of Dance. Children have achieved many successes in performing arts exams, notably 48 Distinctions and 15 Merits in LAMDA exams (Forms 1 - 6) this year. Congratulations also to Catherine Cooper (Form 6) on the award of a Music Scholarship to the College.

fantastic team effort on the part of the staff involved and we were grateful also to parents for help with the wonderful costumes.

Service of Carols and Readings Form 3 to 6 children were joined by staff and around 200 family and friends in the College Chapel for this joyous event, which featured traditional favourites sung by the congregation and a selection of carols and songs performed by the children. Among these was a lively Spanish carol sung by Form 6 who had only been learning the language for 10 weeks. The Form 6 Choristers enjoyed the opportunity to sing solo verses and Mr Benham provided his usual sterling support on the organ, plus a virtuosic voluntary at the end.

A huge thank you to the many people, children, staff and parents, who have generously supported the Performing Arts in St Edmund’s Prep this year.

December The Nativity The children of Nursery, Reception, Form 1 and Form 2 delighted everyone with their exuberant performance of ‘The Inn-Spectors’, first to the rest of the school at the dress rehearsal, and then at the performance for parents and grandparents in the Douay Hall. The amusing script was supported by joyful songs in a variety of styles, which the children performed with their usual infectious enthusiasm and awesome dance moves. It was a

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Performing Arts 2018/19

St Edmund’s Prep School

January Young Voices at the 02 An excited group of 30 Form 4 and 5 children, accompanied by Miss Hewlett, Mrs Sayer and Mr Duddy, joined over 8000 other children in the O2 Arena for an unforgettable evening of singing. The children had been learning the 12 songs, together with dance moves and sign language, since September during an after-school activity.

February Prep Concerts Around 60 children in Forms 3-6 participated in two afternoon concerts for instrumentalists and singers in the Prep Hall. During almost two and a half hours of music-making, the appreciative audiences of parents and grandparents were treated to a variety of solo and duet performances.

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LAMDA Recitals Almost a third of the children in Forms 1 to 6 participated in an afternoon LAMDA Recital in the Douay Hall. The event provided an opportunity for parents and staff to hear some of the verse and prose pieces the children had learnt for their recent LAMDA exams, under the tuition of Miss James and her Starlight Stars colleagues during the after-school Speech and Drama Clubs.

Inter House Performing Arts Week Our week of celebrating the Performing Arts began with a joyful Dance event. Almost 60 Form 1-6 children performed solo or as part of a small group in a variety of styles, including ballet, street and modern freestyle.

Mrs Philippa McMeechan (Buntingford School of Dance), who adjudicated, commented encouragingly on each performance before announcing marks. Mayne came first, closely followed by Southworth, with Campion placed third.

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Our focus on the Performing Arts ended with a highly enjoyable drama event. Almost 80 Form 1-6 children participated in solo or group mimes and improvisations on themes which allowed plenty of scope for imaginations

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to run wild, as well as a colourful array of costumes and props. Miss James (Starlight Stars), adjudicating, provided encouraging feedback for all, commenting on the high standard of entries overall. Mayne achieved another first, pipping Campion and then Southworth to the post.

Following their first placings in the Dance and Drama events, Mayne were victorious in the Inter-House Performing Arts competition, with Southworth in second and Campion in third.

Lenny and Tife, Mayne House Captain and Vice-House Captain, proudly displayed the InterHouse Performing Arts Shield.

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Easter Story The children of Forms 1-6 performed a most moving presentation of the events of Holy Week in the College Chapel at the end of the Lent Term. Every child played their part, as a narrator, an actor or a prayer reader, in retelling the story from Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Forms 1 and 2) to his appearances to his disciples after his Resurrection (Form 6). All came together for the expressive songs commenting on the story, with Form 6 Choristers performing solo verses, while Form 6 musicians performed the haunting theme from ‘Schindler’s List’ on solo violin and recorder during the Crucifixion scene.

Nursery and Reception children contributed with a vivid picture of a cross filled with their handprints, lit by a brilliant golden sun, displayed on the sanctuary of the Chapel and appearing on the programme cover.

May Pre-Prep Performance The Music, Drama and Dance presentation by the children of Forms 1 and 2 was a wonderfully exuberant occasion.

For over an hour, the children entertained us with their evident enjoyment of being on stage in front of a packed Prep hall of parents and grandparents. The ballet club opened the performance, followed by solo instrumentalists on violin, cello, recorder and piano. Both classes took to the stage for the poems ‘Buckingham Palace’ and ‘Dad and the Cat and the Tree’, and then the songs ‘Winnie the Pooh’ and ‘The Wonderful Thing about Tiggers’. All came to a rousing conclusion with two energetic dances, Form 1’s ‘Jungle Rhythm’ and Form 2’s ‘Country Western’.

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June Performing Arts at Prize Giving Many Form 3-6 children contributed to two Performing Arts interludes, including the Form 3-4 and Form 5-6 Speech and Drama Clubs, the thirty-strong Young Voices Choir, Music Scholar Catherine Cooper (oboe and recorder) and the Form 6 Choir, who delivered a heartfelt performance of the inspiring song ‘Believe’, with pertinent lyrics about following dreams and reaching for goals.

Peter Pan This hugely memorable show provided not only the challenge of performing in a new theatre, The Spotlight,

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in Broxbourne, but also nine Form 6 children flying on stage! Beautifully painted sets, effective lighting and magnificent costumes all contributed to the occasion.

Form 6 entered into their characters with impressive commitment and maturity, enthusiastically supported by singing choruses of Form 5 Pirates, Form 4 Lost Boys and Form 3 Indians. Many thanks to our Director, Mrs Fox, and to everyone from the Prep and College, staff and students, who helped with the production, not forgetting parents who provided many of the costumes. Nursery to Form 2 were delighted to attend the matinée performance to which we also invited children from four primary local schools. Peter Pan pics taken by Creative Light Photography.

A high point during this extraordinary year was the receipt in January 2020 of an Arts Council ‘Artsmark Gold Award’ in recognition of the value St Edmund’s Prep places on Art, Dance, Drama and Music. The performing arts life of the school began similarly to previous years, with a few additions, for example, the opportunity to learn the ukulele on the Form 2 Strings and Wind Scheme and the introduction of carol singing around the crib at the front of the Prep. We continued to enjoy strong links with the College Music School, including an entertaining visit to the dress rehearsal of their production of ‘Me and My Girl’ at the Spotlight Theatre, Broxbourne. Recent success in LAMDA exams was maintained: Form 1 to 6 children achieved an impressive 38 Distinctions and 10 Merits.

There was an outstanding individual achievement too for Form 5 pupil Samuel Newby who was cast in the role of Michael Banks in the West End production of Mary Poppins. Many congratulations also to Form 6 pupils Megan Crook and Amelia James on the award of a Music Scholarship and a Music Exhibition to the College.

We were pleased to welcome back as adjudicator, Mrs Karen Salter-Kay, our former Director of Music – Performance, who was highly impressed by the children’s enthusiasm for performing. Southworth came in first, with Mayne and Campion in second and third places.

Following the first national lockdown in March 2020, most events planned for the rest of the year, such as the Easter Story, LAMDA Recital and Pre-Prep Performance, were cancelled. Once the majority of Form 6 returned to school in June, however, a recorded ‘Locked-Down Dahl’ show and live-streamed Prize Giving were able to go ahead. From March, instrumental and singing tuition transferred online, with around three-quarters of lessons still taking place and most children soon adapting to a new method of learning.

A huge thank you to the children, staff and parents, for your continued support of the Performing Arts in St Edmund’s Prep during this challenging year.

October Inter-House Performing Arts Week An eagerly anticipated event on the annual calendar, this year’s competition proved to be the most popular yet.

Over three days, children from Forms 1 to 6 participated in a record 163 music, drama and dance performances, and enthusiastic audiences of children and teachers enjoyed 11 hours of entertainment.

The week began with the Music event, a full day of 97 performances from a variety of instrumentalists and singers.

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almost all of Form 6 took part. Presentations appeared well rehearsed, and performers and audiences alike hugely enjoyed themselves. Miss Alexandra James (Starlight Stars), who adjudicated, was very impressed by the number of participants and standard of entries.

Mayne came out on top, with Campion and Southworth tying in second position.

The Dance event concluded our week focussed on the Performing Arts. Around 65 children participated in 35 performances, dancing solo, or as part of a duo or small group, in a variety of styles, predominantly freestyle but also including ballet, Indian classical, jazz, tap, pop, modern and some gymnastics. Again the children’s enthusiasm and enjoyment shone through and their performances, enhanced by some spectacular costumes, were a delight to watch. Mrs Philippa McMeechan (Buntingford School of Dance), who adjudicated, commented encouragingly on technical and creative aspects of each performance before announcing results Mayne and Southworth were tied in first place, with Campion coming in behind them.

The week continued with the Drama event. Over 90 children participated in 31 solo mimes or group improvisations on themes which fired imaginations and inspired a spectacular variety of costumes. Impressively,

A strong lead in the Music event placed Southworth in first position overall in this year’s Inter-House Performing Arts competition, with Mayne coming a close second and Campion in third place. Fred and Amelia, Southworth House Captain and Vice-House Captain, proudly display the Inter-House Performing Arts Shield.

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The Nativity The children of Nursery, Reception and Form 1 and Form 2 radiated energy and enthusiasm on stage throughout their performance of ‘Everyone Loves a Baby’. Narration and speaking parts were delivered with clarity and humour by Form 2, and the singing from all children of a catchy set of songs was strong and tuneful.

Characterful dances, including one by the ballet club, accompanied most of the songs. Thank you to all staff involved for a great team effort and thank you to parents for your generous help with costumes.

Service of Carols and Readings The children of Forms 3 to 6, led by the team of Form 6 Choristers, sang out confidently in a Chapel filled with parents, grandparents and visitors from the College. As well as leading the congregation in the singing of traditional carols, each year group performed a Christmas song, including ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ which was accompanied on the snare drum by Thomas (Form 4). We

were grateful to Mr Benham (organ) for his support and to Mr Soler and Mr Gallego (guitars) for helping Form 6 to master their Spanish carol.

Carol Singing - Community Service Christmas Party An enthusiastic group of Form 6 singers, in colourful Christmassy clothing, participated in the musical entertainment at the party held in the Butler Hall.

As well as joining in the carol singing with College students, the children enjoyed meeting and chatting to party guests.

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recorder, flute, saxophone, trumpet and drum kit. Several children performed on two, three or even four instruments.

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Carol Singing - Willowthorpe Care Home A group of Form 6 Choristers, House Captains and the Chaplaincy group visited the care home in Stanstead Abbotts, bringing joy and smiles to many faces. Mr Cartwright’s labradoodle Lola enjoyed the attention too!

January Young Voices at the 02 Our Young Voices Choir of 30 Form 4 and 5 pupils, accompanied by Miss Hewlett, Mrs Sayer and Mr Cartwright, were excited to sing in an 8000-strong children’s choir in the O2 Arena. Their parents were delighted to be seated so close to the performance.

February Prep Concerts Children in Forms 3 to 6 gave over 60 solo and group instrumental and singing performances in two afternoon concerts lasting over two hours. The range of Instruments included piano, voice, violin, viola, cello, ukulele, guitar,

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Form 6 Prize Giving In a socially-distanced event in the Douay Hall for the Form 6 children in school, and live-streamed for those at home to participate, individuals and small groups of children volunteered to perform a selection of songs and pieces on the ukulele, flute and clarinet as part of the celebration of their achievements.

‘Locked Down Dahl’ Following auditions in February, ‘Alice the Musical’ was cast and Form 6 were enthusiastically starting to learn the script and songs for performance at the end of June in the Spotlight Theatre, Broxbourne. When it became clear that an alternative ‘lockdown’ performance would be necessary, our Drama teacher Mrs Fox devised ‘Locked Down Dahl’, a series of monologues taken from children’s books by Roald Dahl, interspersed with introductions to the texts. This format enabled Form 6 children learning at home, as well as those in school, to record their own monologue or introduction, in costume, for a 50-minute video presentation. The video concluded with a singing and dancing performance of ‘When I Grow Up’ from Matilda, again edited to include all children who wished to participate. A huge thank you to parents for help with recording and to College teacher Mr Woodward for all his work editing the video – a memento for such a talented year group in the performing arts, and their parents too.

St Edmund’s Prep began the year by being awarded another School Games Gold Award, for our commitment to provide a wide-range of sporting opportunities.

Tournament Reports U11 Football- ISFA Regional Qualifiers @ Chigwell School, 28th September, 2018

Our U9A Football and U9A Netball teams were both unbeaten and recorded some very impressive results against other schools. Our U11A Girls’ Football team also won the Bishops Stortford District Representative Tournament.

During the second term, St Edmund’s Prep entered eleven tournaments and hosted a further three more, alongside our usual fixture programme. Our U9 netball, U11 boys’ hockey and U11 girls’ football tournaments were all very successful in terms of welcoming a number of other Prep Schools from Hertfordshire and Essex and seeing so many children representing their schools and playing to such a great standard. We had ten other Prep Schools visit us and around two hundred children competing in total. Our Under 9 teams performed particularly well during this term. The U9 girls won the Felsted Hockey Tournament, St Edmund’s Prep Netball Tournament, Woodford Green Prep Girls’ Cross Country Meeting and Edge Grove Netball Tournament. The U9 boys also won the Forest Football Tournament and the Woodford Green Prep Boys’ Cross Country Meeting. The U10 Netball Team also won the Belmont Netball Tournament, another fantastic achievement against some of the top sporting schools in that surrounding area.

Four football tours took place over the course of two weekends in April and May. There were U11 Boys’ and U11 Girls’ teams representing St Edmund’s Prep at Butlins, Bognor Regis. In addition, an U9 Boys’ and U9 Girls’ team travelled to Butlins, Skegness for their own football tour. All of the teams played very well and thoroughly enjoyed themselves in both action-packed weekends. Saint Jean visited our school from Douay in France. During an action-packed day of sports, we played against a number of teams from their school in boys’ rugby, girls’ rugby, girls’ hockey and boys’ hockey.

There was a competitive element, with trophies up for grabs in each of the sports. The annual Sports Day at St Edmund’s Prep took place and was an enjoyable day.

This culminated in a netball tournament that included teams of parents from each year group and a teachers’ side. The winners were… the teachers!

U11A W3 D2 L1 The U11A Football team started off with a 0-0 draw against local rivals, Duncombe. Their next match was a thrilling 3-0 victory against group favourites Chigwell with a superb display of attacking football. Next came another impressive result, a 1-0 win against Felsted thanks to a late winner from our boys. A 0-0 draw against Gate House followed, before a 3-2 victory against Woodford Green Prep ensured top position in the group and a place in the semi finals.

The U11A team were hitting top gear at just the right time, playing some outstanding football and winning matches comfortably. Having only conceded two goals in the group stages, they were also looking strong and well organised in defence.

The four teams that qualified for the semi finals from the group stages were all impressive and so an exciting showdown was in prospect. Our semi final was against Heath Mount, who had a very strong team and had recorded some very impressive results of their own in the group stages. We went behind very early in the game, but spent the rest of the game attacking and trying to score an equaliser. Unfortunately for us, that goal didn’t come and so we went out with our heads held high in the last four.

Two games away from a place at the ISFA National Finals was disappointing but impressive in equal measure, especially as our team proved to be so strong.

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finished, Forest qualified as Group C winners and we came in second place. This meant that we were placed with all of the other teams that had finished as runnersup in their groups. The first game in the second round was against Berkhamsted Prep, who proved too strong for us as they ran out 5-0 winners. However, our girls won their next two games 2-0 versus Woodford Green Prep and 3-1 against Mossford Green. The final match ended in a 1-3 defeat to Gate House, although the fantastic results in the more competitive second round meant that overall our U10A netball team finished in 8th Place out of 25 teams. A superb result and the future looks bright for them.

U11A W2 D0 L0 The U11A Girls’ Football team qualified as the Bishops Stortford District Representatives by winning both of their matches at the qualifying stage. They won their first match 1-0 against the hosts Howe Green and then won their second game 2-0 versus Manor Fields. The team looked very good in attack and did not concede a goal in either match.

U10 Football- St Aubyn’s Football Tournament @ St Aubyn’s, 7th November, 2018

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U11 Girls’ Football- Bishops Stortford District Qualifiers @ Howe Green, 2nd October, 2018

U11 Netball- Forest Netball Tournament @ Redbridge Sports Centre, 12th October, 2018

U10A - 8th Place (/25) W5 D0 L3 The U10A netball team travelled to Redbridge Sports Centre to play in their annual U11 netball tournament.

With our U11 team away in France on a residential trip, it was left to our U10 team to take their place. Playing a year up against older girls didn’t stop our girls from recording a great 4-3 win in their first match against Forest. They then followed this up with a 6-0 win against Chigwell ‘B’. Their winning streak was halted by Theydon Bois who won 3-1 against us, in a close match that was to prove costly to us in the end. However, the girls quickly regained their composure to win their final game 5-2 against Coopersale. With the group games

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U10A - 2nd Place (/8) W2 D1 L1 The first match was played against Loyola in the group stages, it was a close match that ended goalless although we had the better chances to score. The next match in our group was against Woodford Green Prep, we scored to take the lead although the opposition scored to equalise towards the end of the match and it finished 1-1. Our final match was against Bancroft’s, in a thrilling game we scored three great goals to their two and played some great football. The match finished 32 to St Edmund’s Prep and this was enough to see us through as runners-up in our group to face the other group’s winners, Chigwell. This semi-final match was a close contest, with both sides playing attractive football. However, we managed to score the decisive goals and ran out as 2-0 winners. The final was against Loyola, who had secured some impressive results on their way. Loyola scored first, but St Edmund’s Prep equalised near the end of the game to take the match into extra time. With penalties looming and the ball going from end to end, Loyola scored the winner in the closing moments of the game to win 1-2.

but they managed to put in a gritty and determined performance to win 2-1 in an extremely close game. The next match was against South Hampstead High School, this was to prove our closest game of the whole tournament. Trailing by a goal in the final few minutes, our team managed to score three quick goals towards the very end as this match finished 4-2 to St Edmund’s Prep.

A match against St Benedict’s followed, and by this stage we were playing incredibly well and looking full of confidence. This eye-catching match finished 8-0 to St Edmund’s Prep. The final game was against Berkhamsted Prep, an opponent who are known to be consistently strong throughout the age groups. Our girls went one goal behind, but showed incredible resilience and character to come back into the game and win 4-1. After winning eight out of eight games, our talented U10 netball side were crowned as the tournament winners. A great achievement and thoroughly deserved.

U11 Netball- Bancrofts Netball Tournament @ West Grove, 6th March, 2019

U10A - 1st Place (/20) W8 D0 L0 On Saturday 2nd March, our U10A netball team travelled to Belmont Prep in Mill Hill for their annual netball tournament. This is always one of the most eagerly anticipated tournaments of the year, with some of the largest schools from the Hertfordshire, Essex and Central London areas competing for the winners’ trophy.

Our first game was against a very strong side from Stormont. Our girls started strongly and went into an early four goal lead, before the opposition claimed three goals back towards the end. However, St Edmund’s Prep managed to hold on for a 4-3 win. The next match was against St Hilda’s, where we ran out as 2-1 winners. The third match of our group was against Devonshire House.

Our momentum continued to build and this game ended in a 3-0 win for St Edmund’s Prep. Our final match was against Heath Mount and despite going behind to an early goal, we managed to win 4-2. By winning all four of our group games, we finished top of our group and qualified for Group 1 in the final stages of the competition against the other schools that had finished top and the best two runners-up places. The first game in the next round was against Stormont. Our girls knew that their opponents would be desperate to win after their first round defeat,

U11A - 3rd Place (/24) W6 D0 L2 The U11A netball team were in high spirits as they travelled to Bancroft’s for their highly competitive, annual U11 netball tournament. St Edmund’s Prep were placed in a very difficult opening group, including two schools that had won many of the previous years’ competitions, knowing that they had to make the top two places to go through to the quarter finals. The first match was against a very good team from Ursuline Prep, with the game tied 2-2 at half time the opposition came out strongly in the second half and we lost the first match 25. However, the girls show tremendous character and determination to win their next four matches in a row.

They won 11-0 against Chigwell and 14-0 versus Oaklands in their next two games. This was followed by an impressive 6-2 victory against Bancroft’s and a superb 7-0 win against a strong team from Brentwood. To

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U10 Netball- Belmont Netball Tournament @ Belmont, 2nd March 2019

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progress through a group in second place, joint on points with first, was a fantastic achievement in itself considering the standard of opposition that our team had faced in the first round.

The quarter final was against Oakfields, who had won their group. Our girls started strongly and won this match 7-1 to progress into the semi finals. This match was played against a very strong Roche School team and despite a battling performance, our U11A netball team lost out 2-5 in the end. However, they picked themselves back up to win the 3rd/4th Place Playoff against Ursuline Prep, 3-1. The girls won bronze medals for finishing third in a very tough competition where the standard of play was particurlay high this year. A great achievement, well done girls!

U8 Hi-5 Netball- Edge Grove Hi-5 Netball Tournament @ Edge Grove, 7th March, 2019 U8A - 2nd Place (/6) W3 D1 L1 The U8 Hi-5 netball squad played some excellent netball, rotating positions and each taking it in turns to shoot, defend and play centre court.

The U8A team won their matches 2-1 against St Albans, 2-1 against Westbrook Hay and 2-1 against Berkhamsted. They drew 0-0 against Edge Grove but were unlucky not to score as the team who were attacking for the majority of the match. The match against Heath Mount ended in a 0-2 loss and our opponents went on to win the rest of their games. The U8A team finished in second place, a great achievement for their first tournament together.

U8A - 5th Place (/6) W0 D1 L4 The U8B team also played with great spirit and determination. They didn’t quite manage to win a game, but they scored a goal and earned a superb draw in one of their matches. The games were all very close, losing 1-2 to Berkhamsted, 0-1 to Heath Mount, 0-1 to Edge Grove and 0-3 to St Albans. Their last match against Westbrook Hay ended 0-0 in a great end-to-end game.

U9 Hockey – Felsted Hockey Tournament @ Felsted, 8th March, 2019 U9 - 1st Place (/6) W4 D1 L0 On Friday 8th March, our U9A hockey team made the journey to Felsted for their annual hockey tournament.

This tournament is always one that we thoroughly look forward to, not least for the lovely lunch that is provided

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on arrival. Our group contained several schools whose tradition for hockey is notoriously strong, from as far afield as Surrey and Cambridge, and the hosts themselves.

Our first game was against Kings College Prep. We scored seconds after the first push back and then defended resolutely. That said, we did have several chances to score again afterwards, but the game was extremely close and it finished 1-0 to St Edmund’s Prep. Little did we know at the time, but this result was to prove crucial as Kings College went on to win all of their remaining games. Our next match finished in a comfortable 3-0 win against Howe Green. The next game was against Felsted ‘B’, with our girls looking very strong as they finished the game with four goals, winning 4-0. Barnardiston Hall were our next opponents and they started the match very well.

Our opposition scored shortly after the first push back, although we scored to level soon afterwards. St Edmund’s Prep broke through to score and go into the lead but Barnardiston Hall scored one more right at the end. The game finished 2-2, with our opponents from this game leading the group on goals scored. Going into our final game against Felsted A, we knew that we had to win and hope that a draw would be the best that Barnardiston Hall would achieve in their last match. Our girls started really strongly, but by halfway through the game we had attacked almost relentlessly, hit the post twice, narrowly missed a few other chances and still not managed to

U9 Netball – St Edmund’s Prep Netball Tournament @ St Edmund’s Prep, 12th March, 2019

The first game for St Edmund’s Prep A was against Forest.

Our girls started well and won the opening game of the tournament 6-0. The next game was against Duncombe, our team were playing some very slick netball at this stage and every shot seemed to go in. The game finished 9-0 to St Edmund’s Prep. The final match in the first stage was against St Aubyn’s to decide who finished top of Group 1. The game was played at a fast pace, St Edmund’s Prep went into a 3-1 lead but St Aubyn’s scored again near the end. The scores stayed the same until the final bell with St Edmund’s Prep winning 3-2 and claiming top spot in their group.

The semi final of the cup competition paired St Edmund’s Prep with Bancroft’s. St Edmund’s Prep played very well and finished the game with a 4-0 victory to take them through to the final. The Cup Final was against Heath Mount, a team who had also looked very impressive on their way to the final. Both teams scored near the start of the match, but St Edmund’s Prep then raced away with four further goals to win the match 5-1 and claim the winners’ trophy.

U11 Netball – St Francis’ College Netball Tournament @ St Francis’ College, 16th March, 2019

U9A - 1st Place (/8) W5 D0 L0 U9B - 8th Place (/8) W0 D0 L5 On Tuesday 12th March, St Edmund’s Prep hosted their first annual U9 netball tournament. As Storm Gareth gathered pace outside, the tournament moved into the Butler Hall in the warm and dry.

The first game in Group 2 for St Edmund’s Prep ‘B’ was against Heath Mount. Although this match ended in a 0-4 win for Heath Mount our girls played very well and linked play with some good passing at times. The next match was against Bancroft’s and the game finished 0-6 to the opposition. The final match of the first stage was against St Joseph’s In The Park and our team put together more of their own attacks and were unlucky not to score a goal as the match finished 2-0. The St Edmund’s Prep ‘B’ team finished the group stage in fourth place and so their next opponents in the plate semi final were Duncombe. In the plate semi final against Duncombe, the match was evenly poised at 1-1 heading into the last few moments before Duncombe scored two goals just before the end to win 1-3. In the plate competition’s 3rd/4th Place Playoff, Forest managed to win a close match against St Edmund’s Prep ‘B’ 1-0.

U11A - 2nd Place (/4) W2 D0 L1 On Saturday 16th March, our U11A and B netball teams travelled to St Francis’ College in Letchworth to play in their annual netball tournament. Several teams had dropped out in the days leading up to the tournament and so it was a smaller competition than usual. The first match was against St Joseph’s In The Park and this finished with a 146 win for St Edmund’s Prep. A tough match followed against Heath Mount, a team that our girls had won against by a single goal earlier in the term.

However, this time our opponents got off the mark quickly with two early goals. Our girls clawed back level, but then Heath Mount regained their lead and went into half-time winning by five goals. The second half was very close indeed, but Heath Mount maintained their advantage to condemn us to a 11-15 defeat. The final match was played against The Perse, an opponent that we had not encountered on the netball courts for many years. This was an excellent game played by two very good teams, but ended with a 9-5 victory for St Edmund’s Prep. Two wins out of their three games was enough for the girls to claim second place and earn themselves silver medals at the presentation ceremony.

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score. However, our girls showed amazing determination to score four goals in quick succession shortly after the mid-way point to secure a 4-0 victory. Barnardiston Hall lost to Kings College and so with four wins, one draw and fourteen goals scored St Edmund’s Prep finished in first place. The girls were very excited to receive their winners’ medals and fully deserved them for playing so well as a team and showing such focus and perseverance in their performances. Congratulations to our winning team Phoebe B, Annabel G, Alice P, Elsie S, Amber B-P, Esmee B, Zara F and Sienna G

St Edmund’s Prep School

U11B - 5th Place (/5) W0 D0 L5 The St Edmund’s Prep U11B team played in the plate competition against some very good sides and, although they did not manage a win, the team played with great enthusiasm and determination. The U11B team lost their games to The Perse ‘B’ 1-8, Duncombe 1-5, Heath Mount ‘B’ 0-8 and St Francis’ College ‘B’ 0-6.

U9 Football – Forest Football Tournament @ Forest School, 19th March, 2019

U9A - 1st Place (/7) W5 D1 L0 On Tuesday 19th March, St Edmund’s Prep travelled to Forest School to play in their annual 7-a-side football tournament. The first match was against St Aubyn’s and after falling behind to a goal within the first minute, the boys recovered to score three goals and win the game 3-1. The next match ended in a 3-0 win for us against Woodford Green Prep. After a good start and having scored lots of goals and playing some exciting, attacking football, our next match was against Chigwell. The opposition were strong defensively and got lots of players behind the ball, it was a challenge that our team couldn’t quite solve during the game as it finished goalless. The opposition goalkeeper did make a lot of superb saves too! St Edmund’s Prep faced Avon House in their next match and this time they were able to find the back of the net, scoring five times in a 5-0 victory.

Forest were our next opponents, but despite several attempts at goal and attacking for almost the entire match, the game looked like it would end goalless.

However, a wonder strike from long range in the dying moments secured a 1-0 win for St Edmund’s Prep. The final match was against Loyola and our opponents again looked to get lots of their players behind the ball and make it difficult for us to score. A goal scored directly from a free kick towards the end of the game was enough to win it for our talented U9A team.

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The St Edmund’s Prep U9A team won the tournament with a record of 5 wins and 1 draw, having scored 12 goals and only conceding 1. Congratulations to our winning team - Ethan-David B, Harry M, Arthur J, Ruben B, Sonny B, Ethan A, Zach S and Bradley M. U11+U9 Cross Country – Woodford Green Prep Cross Country Meeting @ Woodford Cricket Club, 20th March, 2019

U11 Boys - 5th Place (/8) U11 Girls - 3rd Place (/7) U9 Boys - joint 1st Place (/8) U9 Girls- 1st Place (/7) On Wednesday 20th March, St Edmund’s Prep took their Form 6 and Form 4 cross country team to Woodford Green Prep to take part in their annual cross country event. The U11 competitors ran a 1400 metre course.

The U11 girls team finished in third place overall as a team and Daisy Hallam finished in seventh place. The U11 boys team, made up of Form 5 runners, finished in 5th place overall, although Ronnie Seagroatt ran outstandingly well from the start and finished in first place. The U9 team ran a shorter course of 1200 metres with the U9 girls finishing in first place overall and the U9 boys finishing joint top with Forest. Ethan-David Balogun came 3rd in the U9 boys race, whilst other top ten placings included James Devonald Smith in 6th Place and Ruben Bishop in 7th Place. A strong team performance by the U9 girls saw Amelia Rumalean finish in 2nd Place, Rebecca Sambridge follow close behind in 3rd Place and Amber Bonnett-Powell take the 8th Place position.

A superb result overall that included one individual gold medal for Ronnie Seagroatt, one individual silver medal for Amelia Rumalean and two individual bronze medals for Rebecca Sambridge and Ethan-David Balogun. The team positions were also very impressive, with our U9

U9 Netball- Edge Grove Netball Tournament @ Edge Grove, 21st March, 2019

The U9B team played against some tough teams and their matches were a lot closer than some of the scores suggested. The first game was against Manor Lodge, who had entered their A team in the Plate Competition, and this game was lost 0-6. A superb 1-1 draw in a very exciting, end-to-end game against Edge Grove ‘B’ was in between losses to Kingshott ‘B’ 0-4, St Albans ‘B’ 1-7, Heath Mount ‘B’ 0-4, and Berkhamsted ‘B’ 0-2. The U9B team gained some valuable experience by playing in such a competitive tournament and they are a very enthusiastic group of players.

The first game for St Edmund’s Prep U9A was against Westbrook Hay and this finished in an 8-0 win. Our next opponents were Kingshott, a team that we’d recently played against. The game was goalless until near the end, although Kingshott had a chance to score that didn’t go in before St Edmund’s Prep recovered to score four goals in very quick succession and win 4-0. The next match was against Edge Grove, a tricky opposition who had a lot of very tall players in their team. St Edmund’s Prep needed to change their route of attack with high balls into the circle suddenly becoming a less attractive option. However, the girls were able to win 4-0 in the end. A 3-1 victory against St Albans followed, before the U9A team won 2-0 against a resilient team from Heath Mount. The final match was against Berkhamsted Prep, whose tight marking presented a challenge for our girls to work with extra endeavor in order to create space and break free from their markers. They won this game 20 in the end to finish the tournament having won all six of their games, scoring twenty three goals and only conceding once.

U9 Football Tour - Skegness 2019 On Friday 26th May, our Under 9 Boys and Girls football teams departed by coach from St Edmund’s Prep to Butlins in Skegness for their football tour. After a long journey, we arrived at Butlins and unpacked our suitcases.

The first stop was the swimming pool, with lots of slides and rapids to enjoy. The day ended with an evening meal and a trip to the arcades.

U9A - 1st Place (/7) W6 D0 L0 U9A - 6th Place (/7) W0 D1 L5 The U9A&B netball squad travelled to Aldenham Village to play in the annual Edge Grove Netball Tournament to represent St Edmund’s Prep for the first time.

On Saturday morning, the weather was quite unpleasant and it didn’t stop raining. The first match was against Newcastle Benfield, it started evenly but the opposition scored two goals and we lost, 0-2. The next match was against Washington Juniors and after one goal from either side the game looked like it was going to end all square, but they scored right near the end and we lost,

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boys and girls finishing in first place and the U11 girls finishing in third place.

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1-2. The final match was against Boldon Girls who had one excellent player that scored many goals, although we scored one of our own but we lost 1-6 in the end.

The boys’ first match ended in a 6-0 victory against 303 Polish Soccer, in a game where we executed an exciting team strategy with an adventurous sweeper keeper. Our next match finished 1-0 to us against a very good team called Green Towers, who almost scored at the end to equalise during a nail-biting second half. The third match was against Burnt Hill Devils, this finished with a 2-0 win with a goal in each half. The final match of the day ended with a 3-1 victory against Repton Casuals to complete the day with a maximum 12 points and 4 wins from 4 games.

On Sunday, the girls played two further matches. The first was against the eventual winners, Asfordbury Amateurs where we lost 0-4. However, St Edmund’s Prep saved their best for last with a super 1-1 draw against Thorne Colliery, in a match that included a penalty save and a last-minute equaliser from the opposition. The U9 girls played some great football overall and scored a few good goals.

The first game on Sunday morning was against a team called Astley and Tyldesley, who were challenging for top spot in the group. However, we scored two excellent goals to win the game 2-0 and secure qualification to the next round with one game spare. The final match was against Peterborough Black and St Edmund’s Prep won 1-0 in a fiery contest to win the group and finish on a maximum of 18 points with 6 wins from 6 games and only one goal conceded. The quarter final was against Tibshelf Knights, an early goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win and a place in the semi-finals. Our match in the last four was against Stafford Atletico, who scored an early goal from a well worked set piece routine. Their team pressed relentlessly and it was difficult for us to gain any momentum going forward.

The opposition scored a late goal on the counter attack as we streamed forward looking for an equaliser. In the end we lost 0-2, with our opponents going on to win the competition. However, the U9 boys team were magnificent all tournament, wining 7 out of 8 games and only conceding three goals all tournament. A semifinal place was a superb achievement against some elite teams that included many pre-academy players.

The weekend was rounded off with an exciting presentation where the girls and boys met football

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legends Kevin Keegan and Faye White. Once the fireworks, ticker tape explosions and music had stopped each player was handed a trophy for their achievements over the weekend.

St Edmund’s Prep School A Sporting Visit From Saint Jean On Tuesday 7th May, St Edmund’s Prep welcomed Saint Jean, a French school from Douay, to visit us for the day.

A sports programme was organised for Under 11 hockey and rugby matches between both schools. Our U11 A, B and C boys’ rugby teams and also our U11A girls’ rugby team were all victorious. In hockey, our U11B boys’ hockey team won, along with our U11A, B and C girls’ hockey teams. There were trophies for each sport and St Edmund’s won the boys’ rugby, girls’ rugby and girls’ hockey overall. Whilst, the Saint Jean boys’ hockey team took home the trophy for that sport.

U11 Football Tour - Bognor Regis 2019 On Friday 3rd May, our Under 11 Boys and Girls football teams travelled south to Bognor Regis to play in the annual ESF Festival of Football at Butlins. Upon arrival, the players unpacked and then headed off to swim. After plummeting down slides and splashing through outdoor rapids, it was time for dinner and then off to the arcades.

On Saturday morning, the girls set off for their matches.

The first ended in a 0-1 defeat to Oakwood Youth FC, with their goal coming after a neat finish from a corner.

The next match was a very close game, it finished 1-2 to Bognor Regis Town although it was very even right up until the last minute. The third match ended in a 0-1 loss to Portchester in another close game. However, the last game of the day finished with a fantastic 2-0 victory against Stourbridge Juniors, with two superb goals and a great performance to match.

The boys played their matches slightly later on Saturday afternoon. They started off with a 0-5 defeat to a strong Protec side, before securing a 2-0 win against Abingdon

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Dragons. The second goal, scored by our captain, was from a spectacular free kick that won a special award later on in the tournament. The third match was against Fleetdown United and although we battled hard our team lost 0-3 in the end. The final match of the day was perhaps the most exciting though, in a very close game against Dudley Town Athletic we won a penalty in the dying moments which we scored to win the match 1-0.

On Sunday, the girls played two further matches. The first was against a really strong Hitchin Belles side and although we battled bravely we lost 0-3 in the end.

However, the final match was enthralling! In an exciting end-to-end contest our girls finished their tournament with a 0-0 draw against Eastleigh FC. The U11A girls team played really well and grew in strength as a team as the tournament progressed. To win one and draw one game was a very good achievement against some established club sides.

The boys rounded off their tournament on Sunday morning with two matches against two very strong teams. They lost both games 0-4 against Billericay Town and Orsett Park Royals, with Billericay Town going on to win the tournament. There were several standout moments for the boys’ team and they played well to win two games. The weekend was rounded off with an exciting presentation. Congratulations to George StoreyBraun for winning the Golden Ball Award for his ‘goal of the tournament’.

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It is difficult to look back on this year in sport without feeling an overwhelming amount of mixed emotions.

Having planned to do so much, the second half of the year in sport was cruelly halted by the worldwide spread of the Coronavirus and subsequent closing of schools. Football and Netball Tours, a first-ever Sports Trip to France, County Finals in Athletics and Girls’ Football, the Cricket and Athletics Seasons, alongside a range of other tournaments and fixtures were all cancelled. However, we must also pause to celebrate all that was achieved in the first half of the year. The year was shaping up to be arguably our most successful in sporting terms, quite a feat considering the accomplishments of 2018-19. Over the last few years, our U11 teams have been increasingly successful, especially in football and netball and to some extent, hockey. This has led to a broadening of our fixture programme in order to challenge and stretch these teams. By playing matches against some of the most competitive school sides in Hertfordshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire it has certainly pushed our sides to raise their games. Extending our reach a little further has also meant that a wider range of schools have now heard of St Edmund’s Prep and recognise our teams amongst the top performers in the local area and surrounding counties for these particular sports.

There were many highlights from the Michaelmas term.

The U11A Netball team’s win at the Forest Tournament was a fantastic achievement and thoroughly deserved. The U11A-E football matches against Kimbolton Prep were excellent and involved all of the boys, and some girls, from Forms 5 and 6. This meant that all of the children that had been playing football in their Games lessons were given the opportunity to play in a fixture against another school during their usual Games slot on a Friday afternoon. It was also the first time that we had played Kimbolton Prep in a regular fixture. Seeing some of the Form 2 children playing their first football match for the school was also fantastic to see. Encouraging them all to run forwards and not pass back towards their own goal was a good starting point.

They all did well and were unlucky in the end not to score a goal in a tight match against Duncombe. This term also saw the introduction of several new schools to our fixture programme, we played our first matches against against St Albans Prep and The Perse.

During the Lent Term, St Edmund’s Prep’s hockey teams performed particularly well. The girls’ U9 and U11 teams

both went unbeaten all season and the U11 girls’ team won the Felsted Hockey Tournament. The U11 girls also won the District Sportshall Athletics Competition and the District Girls’ Football Cup. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to represent the North Herts district in the County Round due to the competitions being cancelled later in the term.

A special mention also to the U10 rugby team, who were also unbeaten and were in scintillating form throughout the season. Legends Tennis also organised a tennis competition for local schools. We were able to take all of our Form 4 (and some Form 3) children along to compete and they all had a great afternoon. Cross country runners from Forms 4 – 6 also attended a great meeting at Woodford Green Prep, although some lost their shoes in particularly wet and muddy conditions! The U11 netball team entered the IAPS Regional Netball Competition in Cambridge. They finished third, and missed out on a place at the National Finals by one spot with the top two teams going through! They also entered another regional competition in Surrey, the SistersNSport Cup for the South of England.

Tournament Reports U11 Netball- Chigwell Tournament @ Chigwell School, 7th September 2019

U11A - 2nd Place (/20) W4 D2 L0 The U11A Netball team came second out of twenty teams at the annual Chigwell Netball Tournament. They won 8-2 v Ursuline Prep and 12-0 v Oakdale to progress as winners of their group. In the next round, against the other group winners, they Drew 2-2 v St Aubyn’s, Drew 22 v Brentwood and then won 2-0 v Bancrofts and 4-0 v Forest. The team were unlucky not to win overall, losing out to the eventual winners in the end by just one goal.

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Prep Sports 2019/20

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Green Prep and 1-3 against Forest. Up until half-time of the final match, the U10A team were winning the group and on their way to the semi-finals before losing their final game 1-3 to Forest.

Forest Netball Tournament @ Redbridge Sports Centre, 11th October 2019

U11B - 10th Place (/20) W2 D0 L5 The U11B team won two of their group matches to progress to the next round as runners-up against the other teams that had also placed second in their groups.

Although a tough game against Bancrofts A finished in a 1-10 loss, the U11B team went on to win their next two games 2-0 v St John Fisher B and 5-0 v St Anthony’s A. Although the next four games ended in defeat to Chigwell A 0-8, Ursuline A 2-8, Highgate A 0-5 and Coopersale A 2-6, the team’s performances in the first round had guaranteed them a top ten finish and they finished overall in tenth out of twenty teams.

U11 Football- ISFA Regional Qualifiers @ Chigwell School, 28th September 2019

U10A W3 D2 L1 The U10A football team competed at the annual ISFA Herts and Essex Regional Qualifiers in place of the U11 team who were in France on a residential trip. They were playing against teams that were a year older, although this team is particularly strong at their age group having won the annual U9 Forest School Tournament at the end of last year as well as all of their other fixtures in Year 4.

The U10A team won 1-0 against Heath Mount, 2-1 against Chigwell and 4-0 against Avon House, before drawing 0-0 to Loyola and losing 0-1 against Woodford

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U11A - 1st Place (/20 W7 D0 L0 On Friday 11th October, the U11A Netball team travelled to Redbridge Sports Centre to compete in their annual tournament. Our first game was against Berkhamsted, a school that had won this tournament twice over the past five years and with a reputation of always fielding very strong teams. At half time, our girls found themselves behind but they managed to claw their way back into the game to win by a single goal, 65 to St Edmund’s Prep. Next came a 9-0 win against New Hall, followed by a 7-0 victory against Mossford and a 3-0 win against a physically strong team from Coopersale. The U11A team won their group with an unbeaten record, scoring twenty five goals and only conceding five along the way. In the final round, St Edmund’s Prep were placed with teams that had all won their groups and so were guaranteed a top four place out of the twenty teams that had entered.

In fifteen years of entering the competition, one that had only been won by five other schools since its inception, St Edmund’s Prep finally managed to win to bring home the shield that had eluded us for so long.

U10 Football - St Aubyn’s Football Tournament @ St Aubyn’s, 6th November, 2019 U10A - 2nd Place (/8) W5 D1 L1 On Wednesday 6th November, the U10A Football Team travelled to St Aubyn’s School to compete in their annual football tournament. They played some fantastic football in the groups stages, beating Loyola 1-0, Bancrofts 1-0, Woodford Green Prep 3-0 and St Aubyn’s ‘B’ 4-0. Having scored nine and not conceded any goals, St Edmund’s Prep U10A went into the semi-finals in confident mood. The semi-final was a short match versus Chigwell where our team just couldn’t find a way through to score and almost got caught on the break a few times. The match went to penalties and St Edmund’s Prep won 2-1 on spot kicks to claim their place in the final. The final was against Woodford Green Prep, a team that the St Edmund’s Prep U10A team had played in the group stages. After St Edmund’s Prep U10A scored early on in the game the opposition scored a late goal from a counter attack to level the match and send it to penalties. This was to prove costly in the end, our first goal conceded from open play in the competition in the final minute of the game. This time around, the boys lost out in the shoot-out and had to settle for second place.

U11 Sportshall Athletics - District Sportshall Athletics Competition @ Royston Leisure Centre, 28th January, 2020

St Edmund’s Prep School

The first match was against Ursuline Prep, another school with a very strong record in the competition having won six times since the tournament began in 2005. St Edmund’s Prep carried on from where they had left off in the group stages by winning this game 4-0. Next came another tough match, this time against St Aubyn’s, previous winners on three occasions and also last year’s winners. This was perhaps the toughest match of all, but thanks to a late goal St Edmund’s Prep won 3-2. The final match was against Widford Lodge who had also won all of their games up to that point.

Despite trailing to a very strong team at half-time, St Edmund’s Prep came back to win 4-2 to secure first place and the gold medal position.

U11A Boys - 2nd Place (/5) U11A Girls - 1st Place (/5) On Tuesday 28th January, our U11 Indoor Athletics team travelled to Royston Lesiure Centre to take part in the annual District Sportshall Athletics Competition. The field events took place first of all, with our boys and girls teams taking part in the foam javelin, speed stepper, vertical jump, long jump, triple jump and chest push throw. After the first round, we had claimed first place in the following events: Foam Javelin (Boys) Jesse Jeff Okoh, Thomas Preece and Fionn Noonan Crane Foam Javelin (Girls) Michelle Ogungbemi, Pippa Webster and Sienna Goodfellow Chest Push Throw (Girls) Michelle Ogungbemi, Pippa Webster and Siena Field Triple Jump (Girls) Amelia Rumalean, Isla Roberts and Zara Ferns Speed Stepper (Girls) Amber Smits, Zara Ferns and Sienna Goodfellow Vertical Jump (Girls) Thea Davis, Amelia Rumalean and Rebecca Sambridge Going into the track events, our girls team were leading after winning the majority of the field events whilst our boys team were trailing in second to King James Academy. Both teams needed strong performances in the running races and they were all very exciting to watch!

The following teams won their track events: Obstacle Relay (Girls) Thea Davis, Siena Field, Charlotte Sambridge and Sienna Goodfellow 2x2 Lap Relay (Girls) Amber Smits and Zara Ferns

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the first half, but our boys then began to create more goalscoring opportunities and finally made the breakthrough. After scoring a goal, the boys held on for a well-deserved 1-0 victory.

The next match was against Ralph Sadlier, a team that were physically strong and who imposed themselves on the game increasingly as it progressed. After looking as though we were going to hold on for a draw, the opposition scored from one of their few chances to condemn us to a 0-1 loss.

The final match was against King James Academy, a team that was held in high regard. This proved to be the case as our team struggled to keep up with the tempo and movement of the opposition. A superb goal won the match for King James Academy, a curling right footed shot that nestled into the far corner of our goal. Another 0-1 loss that meant St Edmund’s Prep finished in third place with one win and two losses. However, it should be noted that many of the team were from Form 5, playing up a year, and that winning one match and losing by a single goal to two strong sides was still a great effort U11 Girls’ Football - Wix District Girls’ Football Tournament @ King James Academy, 13th February, 2020 When the final results were counted, our boys team finished in second place overall and our girls team finished as winners. For the first time, a team from St Edmund’s Prep qualified for the County Sportshall Athletics Finals. Well done everyone!

U11 Football - Wix District Football Tournament @ King James Academy, 11th February, 2020

U11 - 3rd Place (/5) W1 D0 L2 Our U11 Football team braved arctic conditions to play in the Wix District U11 Football Tournament on Tuesday 11th February at King James Academy. The first match was against St Mary’s which was very close for most of

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U11 - 1st Place (/4) W2 D1 L0 Our U11 Girls’ Football team travelled to King James Academy to play in the Wix District Girls’ Football Tournament on Thursday 13th February. The first match was against St Mary’s, and after some fine passing moves we scored an early goal from long range. The next goal was almost identical, another long range strike that settled in the top corner to give us a 2-0 lead. We played very well as a team in this match, limiting the opposition to occasional forays into our half, whilst keeping the pressure on them with some excellent attacking football.

The match finished 2-0 to St Edmund’s Prep and saw us off to a fantastic start.

Understanding that a draw against King James Academy would be enough to secure a place in the Wix County Quarter Finals, St Edmund’s Prep set up quite defensively and the plan worked. Other than a few long range strikes, the opposition rarely troubled our goal and 0-0 was sufficient to see us through as the district champions. Two wins and a draw told part of the story, but scoring four great goals, conceding none and playing so well without our captain and main goalscorer made the success even more impressive. After winning, St Edmund’s Prep qualified for the Wix County Quarter Finals against the other district winners from all across Hertfordshire.

Congratulations to our winning teamCharlotte Ward, Sienna Goodfellow, Zara Ferns, Rebecca Sambridge, Roberta Scott, Charlotte Sambridge, Isla Roberts and Eva Olaiya (C) U11 Netball - IAPS Regional Netball Qualifiers @ St Faiths School, Cambs., 27th February, 2020 U11A - 3rd Place (/14) W7 D0 L2 On Thursday 27th February, our U11A Netball team travelled to St Faith’s School in Cambridge to play in the IAPS Regional Netball Qualifiers (Cambridgeshire). The girls had an early start with a long journey ahead of them,

St Edmund’s Prep School

The next match was against Ralph Sadlier, a team that had just drawn with the hosts and looked to be in good form. Our game plan was simple, use the length of the pitch to our advantage by setting the ball back to our defenders and using long, direct balls forward and into space. The plan seemed to be working really well as we counter attacked with some excellent runs and crosses from wide positions. We almost snatched an early lead, but the ball just wouldn’t quite sneak over the line when it seemed that the opening was there to be taken.

However, we carved out further opportunities and scored two goals later on in the game to win 2-0 again.

and it happened to be the coldest morning of the year too. With the ground covered in snow, we were all half expecting the tournament to be cancelled and were travelling more in hope of playing than anything else.

The first match was against the host school, St Faith’s.

The match was close but we made a great start to the tournament and won 5-3. The second game was against St Albans Prep. A team that were strongly fancied to do well and a very strong side. Our girls were leading twice in the first half, but went into half-time at 2-2. However, the opposition pinned us back in the second half of the game and we lost this one 3-6. The U11A Netball team were back to winning ways in their next match that ended in a 4-1 victory against St John’s College. With three games to go, the group was looking very close and the next few matches were to prove vitally important to the final standings. St Edmund’s Prep won all three, with a 1-0 victory against Culford School, a 4-2 win against Kings Ely and a 6-3 success against Old Buckenham Hall.

After all of the group games had finished, St Edmund’s Prep finished as group winners and qualified for the quarter finals against fourth place from the other group.

The quarter final was against Stoneyhurst St Mary’s. A match that was not for the faint-hearted. After trailing by two goals, the U11A Netball team clawed their way back

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to 2-2 to force extra-time. Five minutes were played for extra time, with each school scoring twice more and the scores still level. This meant that the match went to Golden Goal. Incredibly, after trailing for most of the match and then showing such determination to battle back, we held our nerve to sink the decisive shot and win 5-4. This saw us through to a semi-final against St Faith’s.

The winner of this match would qualify for the National Finals in Dorset. However, it wasn’t to be for St Edmund’s Prep, despite us winning against them in the first game of the day St Faiths were just a little too strong in the Semi Final and we lost 3-5. The girls all showed great character and resilience to pick themselves up again for the 3rd/4th Place Playoff against Framlingham College, a match that they won 3-2 to earn 3rd place overall and a bronze medal each.

U11 Netball - SNS South Regional Netball Qualifiers @ Priors Field School, Surrey, 4th March, 2020

U11A W3 D0 L4 On Wednesday 4th March, our U11A Netball team travelled to Priors Field School in Godalming, Surrey to play in the U11 SNS South Regional Netball Tournament.

The first match was against a strong Orchard House team. Our U11A netball team were still finding their feet, whilst the opposition seemed to hit the ground running.

We lost the first match 3-10 but were determined to get back on track in the next match. The next opponents were The Royal Russell School, and this time we were the team who looked more comfortable in possession whilst our opponents were struggling a little to move the ball down court. We won this game 4-1. Next up were The Study, who had just beaten our first opponents so we knew this game would be tough. We were drawing up until half time, but the game got away from us and we ended up losing this one 1-4. A great 4-0 victory against Ursuline Prep was the result from our fourth group match,

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before we went down to two straight losses to Putney High School, 4-5, and The Roche, 1-5. The performance against Putney was possibly our best of the day, as we only lost by one goal to the eventual winners and we had opportunities to score the deciding goal ourselves. The girls finished well with a 4-1 victory against North London Collegiate, although this result was not quite enough for our team to qualify for the quarter finals. Our final league position was fifth out of eight sides. The standard of netball was extremely good and it was a superb challenge for our girls to test themselves against teams from a notoriously strong area of the country for netball.

U11 Boys’ Hockey- Felsted Hockey Tournament @ Felsted Prep, 13th March, 2020 U11A W0 D2 L2 The boys’ U11 hockey team played extremely well against some excellent teams in the annual Felsted Hockey Tournament. All four of their group games were very close and they were unlucky not to come away with a win to reward their efforts. The first match was against Felsted ‘A’.

During this match our team conceded an early goal but we then went on to score on the counter-attack to level the game. However, the opposition scored late in the match and we ended up losing 1-2. We drew our next game 1-1 against Felsted ‘B’ before also drawing 0-0 against Howe Green in a match where the ball just wouldn’t go in! The final match was a very close encounter, against Thorpe Hall. Another late goal from the opposition meant that we lost our final game 1-2. We didn’t quite manage to get out of the group stages, but having scored three goals and only conceded five the boys did very well indeed after playing some excellent hockey.

U11 Girls’ Hockey- Felsted Hockey Tournament @ Felsted Prep, 13th March, 2020 U11A W3 D2 L0 This year, the tournament followed a round robin format with each team playing each other once. The first game was against Felsted ‘A’ and despite winning for most of the match a late goal from our opposition meant that it ended in a 2-2 draw. The next two matches both finished with 1-0 victories against Alleyn Court and Woodford Green Prep. The fourth match ended in a 1-1 draw against Felsted ‘B’ before finishing with a 10-0 victory against St Joseph’s In the Park. Having gained the most points in our five matches, we were crowned as the winners! This was a notable achievement as St Edmund’s Prep had never previously won this competition.

Obituaries

Obituaries 2018 - 2020 2018/2019 Fr Robert Barry Bob Barry was raised in rural Ireland, the fourth of six children born to Joseph & Margaret Barry.

He left school at age 14, working on local farms, and at 17 he left in search of work in England. He joined his siblings, who were living in Kingsbury in north west London, and worked as a construction labourer.

He became aware that he had a calling for the priesthood and, after two years of preparatory study at Campion House, Osterley, Bob was sent to the Allen Hall seminary at St Edmund’s in 1970. The Rector of Allen Hall, Mgr (later Bishop) James O’Brien described Bob as a student who “is conscientious, tries hard…works well and is a good member of the community”. Bob was ordained to the priesthood on 10 July 1976 and was appointed to Acton followed by two years in Hertford.

In 1980, he was given permission by Cardinal Basil Hume to try his vocation with the Carthusians, an enclosed community of monks founded by St Bruno in 1084 with a monastery in West Sussex. Known as Dom Joseph, he embraced the monastic life, and in 1985 the Novice Master wrote “All who meet him quickly notice his sincerity, his real faith, his dedication to the life of prayer.

He has never had any doubt about his vocation.” Serious illness necessitated his departure from the Order, which was a great disappointment and challenge for him.

In 1987 he became resident chaplain at the Leonard Cheshire Home in Cavendish, Suffolk, where he was happy and content, but declining health meant another change in 1990, this time to the Westminster diocesan pastoral centre at London Colney for four years.

Fr Bob’s next move was to the parish of Southall, with

the presbytery adapted for his needs, but deteriorating health meant another move, in 2000, to Nazareth House.

After a few years Fr Bob moved to the new St Vincent’s Nursing Home in Eastcote where he remained a resident until his death. He celebrated the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in 2016.

Robert Joseph Barry was born in Ballybunion, County Kerry, Ireland, on 26 January 1945, and was in Allen Hall (St Edmund’s) between 1970 and 1975 and then in Allen Hall (Chelsea) until 1976. He died after a long period of declining health suffering from multiple sclerosis on 15 December 2018 at the age of 73.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Fr Gerard Burke Gerry Burke was the eldest of four sons in a family with its roots in Ireland. He was educated at Sacred Heart Primary School, close to the family home in Ruislip, before attending Gunnersbury Grammar School.

He was accepted as an ecclesiastical student by Archbishop Edward Myers, with the support of his parents and parish priest, and was sent to St Edmund’s as a boarder to complete his secondary education and prepare him for seminary life. Gerry was a conscientious student, intelligent and grounded in reality. He joined the CCF, putting his musical skills to use as a member of the Corps of Drums, playing the large bass drum and taking part in parades.

In 1953 Gerry went to the Venerable English College in Rome as a seminarian, and studied at the Gregorian University. He remained in Rome for seven years, with just one visit home for the summer after three years.

While in Rome, Gerry became proficient in Italian, and he

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developed a love of cooking Italian style. He enjoyed travel to other parts of Italy during breaks from study, travelling with, and enjoying the company of, friends from the College and other seminaries in Rome.

On 12 March 1960 Gerry was ordained to the priesthood

by Cardinal Luigi Traglia at the Basilica of St John Lateran.

Over the following years, he served as assistant priest in Parsons Green, Spanish Place, Barnet and Isleworth, before being appointed parish priest at Poplar. From 1983 to 1986 Fr Gerry was Pastoral Director at Allen Hall seminary, and was then appointed Diocesan director of the Ministry to Priests programme.

With the blessing of Cardinal Basil Hume, Fr Gerry went to South Africa in 1995 and remained there for three years. In March 1998 he returned to the Diocese and was appointed parish priest of Feltham. Fr Gerry was an intelligent and articulate priest, and a good listener, and helped people to not take themselves too seriously, while supporting people with kindness and compassion as they faced serious situations.

In 2010, at the customary retirement age for priests, Fr Gerry retired to what he described as “a bijou little bungalow” in Feltham, where he was able to indulge his twin passions of cooking and gardening, while remaining among his adopted parish family.

Gerard Thomas Burke was born in Willesden, north west London, on 18 April 1935 and was in Douglass from 1951 to1953. He died peacefully on 20 March 2019 after a short illness at the age of 83, having been a priest for 59 years.

May he rest in peace.

by Cardinal William Godfrey on 11 June 1960.

Fr Tom served in the parish Fulham, but in 1967 illness necessitated his return to Ireland for treatment and rest.

In the winter of 1968, after a holiday in Uganda, he returned to Westminster where he served as assistant priest in Willesden Green followed by Northfields.

In 1970 he requested and was given permission to have time away from the diocese due to illness, and he spent the next few years in the relative tranquillity of Athlone, where he provided supply ministry in local parishes.

In 1978 he felt well enough to return to Westminster, and he was appointed to serve as assistant priest in East Acton. However, soon after taking up the appointment health issues continued to cause concern and on medical advice Fr Tom returned to Ireland for treatment.

Fr Tom became involved in the work of Knock Shrine, County Mayo, serving as a chaplain. He lived at St Francis, Churchfield, Knock, and over the years he became a familiar figure at the shrine, celebrating daily Mass in the Apparition Chapel. He became something of an expert on the history of Knock and the surrounding area. A few months before his death he was admitted to the Ave Maria Nursing Home in Ballyhaunis, County Mayo.

Thomas P Burke was born in Cragga, County Mayo, Ireland, on 5 May 1923 and was in Allen Hall between 1954 and 1960. He died on 10 September 2018 at the age of 95, having been a priest for 58 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

From the Diocesan obituary

Fr George Dangerfield Fr Thomas Burke Thomas Burke was one of six children born to John and Mary Burke. From the age of 16, Thomas worked in Ireland as a clerk in the New Ireland Assurance Company, and in London as a clerk with British Railways. Thoughts about offering himself for the priesthood came to Thomas at a young age, but he remained in Ireland due to his father’s ill health and declared his intention to apply to be a priest at the age of 28. He studied at Campion House, Osterley, between 1952 and 1954 before attending Allen Hall at St Edmund’s. Fellow seminarians found Thomas to be likeable but somewhat reserved. He was ordained to the priesthood in Westminster Cathedral

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George Dangerfield attended his local Catholic school in Brook Green, west London, and went on to the Salesian College in Battersea when he was 14. He later came to the seminary at St Edmund’s, and was ordained to the priesthood at Holy Trinity, Brook Green, on 27 May 1956 by Cardinal Bernard Griffin.

A number of appointments to parishes in Westminster followed over the next 21 years: Swiss Cottage (195658), Isleworth (1958-64), Stoke Newington briefly, Burnt Oak (1964-70), Hendon (1970-74), and finally

By 1968 Fr George had become the diocesan director of Pueri Cantores, this appointment involving introducing the vernacular sung liturgical texts into diocesan schools. From 1977-78 Fr George studied at St Mary’s College, Strawberry Hill, gaining a Certificate of Education. He taught at various schools in the Diocese well beyond normal retirement age, and finally stepped down in 2012 at the age of 80.

Fr George was a tall and energetic man until affected by the consequences of old age, who had been described as “sartorially elegant” in his prime and beyond, and who made a deep impression on those with whom he was involved, whether it be in parish ministry, various chaplaincies, as a teacher or as a gifted musician and singer.

Most of his ministry was devoted to education and he touched the lives of countless numbers of young people.

He made regular visits to Rome, and once arranged for the diocesan Pueri Cantores to travel to the Vatican and sing for Pope St Paul VI. His last visit to Rome was in February 2018 with carers from the Whitby Dene care home in Ruislip, where he had been living since 2017. Fr George attended the General Audience at the end of which he met and spoke with Pope Francis.

Richard George Dangerfield was born in London on 26 April 1932 and was in Allen Hall between 1950 and 1956.

He died of peacefully on 6 October 2018 aged 86, having been a priest for 62 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Canon Angus MacQueen Angus MacQueen was born in a township in the Outer Hebrides into a crofting family which lived off its own produce. At the age of 13, he was sent to Blair’s College in Aberdeenshire to start the journey which would eventually take him to the priesthood.

Initially training to be a missionary priest at St Joseph’s College, Mill Hill, an unauthorised visit to Madame Tussaud’s waxworks led to his expulsion and hence loss of

his military exemption. Angus spent two years in the army as the Second World War drew to a close. He was later allowed to resume his priestly studies at St Edmund’s and was ordained in July 1951.

There then followed a long priestly career in which he served the Highland parishes of Morar, Dunoon, Eriskay, Castlebay, Glencoe, Rothesay, Bornish, and Northbay in Barra.

When his responsibility also included the Isle of Arran, where the local property owners had long frustrated the erection of a Catholic church, Canon Angus rose to the challenge. He confounded the feudal land owners and built one in the middle of the main settlement Brodick.

In an obituary published in the Oban Times shortly after his death, it was said that “Wherever he went as parish priest, he left a mark not just on the spiritual life of his flock but also on the social and economic interests of places that needed leadership. His Christianity took intensely practical forms, embracing a multitude of projects and innovations, all for the good of the people, always leading by example.”

Canon Angus was recognized as a funny raconteur, able to find the humorous side of the darkest of situations, though scepticism about rank and hierarchy did not always endear him to those in authority. The obituary stated that “He was steeped in the language and lore of the unbroken Hebridean Catholic tradition and was deeply aware of the harsh history that had shaped the places around him.”

As well as being excellent cook using local ingredients, Canon Angus became a regular broadcaster on matters culinary, cultural, historical and spiritual. Some of his vast knowledge will be retained as he recorded a great deal of material including a four-part account of his life for BBC Radio nan Gaidheal in 2015. He travelled extensively, including to Ecuador, where a fellow Hebridean priest had become a missionary working in a poor suburb of Quito.

Back in the islands, he raised large sums of money to support this overseas work, as well as for many other humane causes.

Angus John MacQueen was born in Baile Garbha, South Uist, on 10 November 1923 and was in Allen Hall between 1948 and 1951. He died on 9 February 2019 at the age of 95, having served as a priest for over 67 years.

May he rest in peace.

From an obituary in The Oban Times

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Stonebridge (1974-77). He then went to live at his parents’ house in Uxbridge, and this was to remain his home until the summer of 2017.

Obituaries

Fr Timothy McCarthy Tim McCarthy had seven brothers and five sisters. He was educated at Lisavaird National School, Clonakilty, Ireland, from the age of six and then he went to study at St Mary's College, Clonakilty between 1952 and 1955. He moved to live in London and initially worked in retail, and was accepted as a student for the priesthood, sent first to Campion House, Osterley, in 1960 and then to Allen Hall three years later.

He was ordained on 6 April 1969 by Cardinal John Heenan.

Fr Tim’s early appointments were as assistant priest at St Catherine's, Bow (1969-71), St Bernadette's, Hillingdon (1971-75), and St Joseph's, Hanwell (1975-77). Fr Tim was committed to the work of the Handicapped Children's Pilgrimage Trust (HCPT), and served as a group chaplain for five years. He was gifted at recruiting both pilgrims and nurses, many of whom remained active with HCPT for many years.

In 1974, Fr Tim visited Vancouver, Canada, where one of his brothers had settled, and met Archbishop James Carney, a meeting that was to change the course of his life. With the blessing of Cardinal George Basil Hume, in 1977 Fr Tim went back to Vancouver for ministry. He intended staying a few years but, as he wrote to Cardinal Vincent Nichols in November 2016, “The years passed so quickly that retirement caught up with me, so I decided to stay.”

He spent most of his priestly life in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, where he served at St Paul's, Richmond. At Fr Tim's silver jubilee of ordination in 1994, his parish priest said that he could be compared to the lovable protagonist of a popular musical: “His approach to people has always reminded me of Mary Poppins, a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, only with Fr Tim it was a spoonful of gentleness and kindness and patience.”

Fr Tim went on to serve at Corpus Christi, St Mary's (Chilliwack) and St Anthony's.When St Anthony's was split into two parishes, the new parish of Christ the Redeemer, West Vancouver, was created with Fr Tim as the founding rector. He oversaw the completion of the church and rectory, and remained there for nearly 20 years.

After 29 years of ministry in Vancouver, he retired in August 2006 but remained active, generously providing supply ministry, and assisting as a chaplain with the

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Apostleship of the Sea. He will be remembered as a committed and faithful priest with artistic flair and organisational ability.

Timothy McCarthy was born in Rosscarbery, County Cork, Ireland, on 13 August 1935, and was in Allen Hall between 1963 and 1969. He died on 6 March 2018 at the age of 82, having been a priest for nearly 49 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Thomas Milner Tom Milner spent his early childhood in West Germany before coming to St Edmund’s in 1960. His brothers Gamaliel (Gam) and James (Jim) also attended the College at the same time. His working life consisted of administrative work in Algeria followed by posts teaching English in Portugal, firstly in Lisbon and then in Oporto.

In 2002, he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour and had to retire to a care home on the Portuguese coast.

There he wrote his autobiography, The Waiting Room, which gives insight into how he came to terms, physically and psychologically, with his disabilities and the culturally alien environment in which he found himself.

Thomas Elliott Milner was born in France on 16 April 1951 and was in St Hugh’s and Talbot between 1960 and 1968. After a long period of declining health, he died on 6 August 2018 aged 67.

May he rest in peace.

From family website

Fr Séamus Noctor Séamus Noctor was one of five siblings, the son of James & Sarah Noctor. He was educated at St Laurence O’Toole Secondary School, Dublin, and went on to study book keeping, shorthand and typing. His skills led to employment in a local office with

Séamus was accepted as a student for the priesthood at St Edmund’s. He was ordained on 16 March 1957 at Holy Cross College, Clonliffe in Dublin. A contemporary of Séamus at Allen Hall described him as a student who was interested more in billiards and snooker than in table tennis, which was favoured by the younger seminarians.

Following ordination, Fr Séamus was appointed assistant priest at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Copenhagen Street, London, from 1957 to 1972 when he was appointed to serve as assistant priest at St Joseph’s, Wembley, with the understanding that his ministry would commence at the beginning of October.

However, there was a delay in Fr Séamus taking up his appointment. He was given permission by the Cardinal to return to Dublin to attend to family matters, including taking care of the family business, a pub. There was some concern in the Diocese after he had not returned for 13 months! It seems there had been some difficulties in selling the pub, which was in a run-down area, but Fr Séamus eventually came to Wembley in mid-April 1973.

In 1974 his next appointment was as parish priest at St Augustine’s, Harringay, where he remained until his retirement in April 2009, when Fr Séamus’s symptoms of dementia had become evident. As well as for his kindness to the parishioners and his devotion to the Mass, he is remembered for his sartorial elegance and his vintage car.

After some time living at St Anne’s Nursing Home in Stoke Newington, where his needs were met by the Sisters and staff, his family arranged for him to return to Ireland. He took up residence at Glenashling Nursing Home in County Kildare in the summer of 2015, and was well cared and provided for until his death. He was invited to return to London to celebrate his Diamond Jubilee of ordination in 2017, but he was unable to accept due to his circumstances.

Fr Thomas Quinn Tom Quinn was educated at St Willibrord’s Catholic School in Clayton, Manchester. After some years employed as a wages clerk and also as a watchmaker and jeweller, he felt called to the priesthood and was accepted by the Blessed Sacrament Fathers in 1968. He went on to study at Allen Hall and was ordained to the priesthood in Liverpool on 10 May 1975.

He served in Liverpool, Glasgow and Dublin, but within a few years he decided to take some time out from active ministry, being unsure of his true vocation. He set up home in Dublin and then went to live and work in Aberdeen.

After nine years he decided that he should resume priestly ministry. He was accepted into the Diocese of Westminster and went to live in parish accommodation at Cockfosters. He then assisted in the parish of South Hatfield for eighteen months. In September 1990 Cardinal Hume wrote to Fr Tom to confirm his appointment as assistant priest at Southall.

Fr Tom’s gentle, open and sympathetic manner earned him an excellent reputation in his pastoral work. He had great empathy with people who had personal difficulties, on occasion becoming personally involved due to his generosity of spirit.

A number of appointments to parishes in Westminster took place over the next 28 years: Staines (1994-97), Northfields (1997-2010), Commercial Road (2010-13) and as parish priest in Shepperton (2013-18). When Fr Tom arrived in Shepperton to take up residence he arrived with just three carrier bags of personal belongings. He was a man who lived simply, without extravagance in any form, and his clothes came from charity shops and jumble sales.

May he rest in peace.

Visits to HMP Bronzefield were a feature of Fr Tom’s weekly schedule, as was a game of golf before the decline of his health. He became an easily recognisable figure and well known to parishioners and the wider community in Shepperton, perhaps in part due to his imposing height and unkempt shoulder-length hair. With deteriorating health, in September 2018 Fr Tom went to live at Nazareth House, East Finchley, where he was popular among fellow residents and the Sisters and staff.

From the Diocesan obituary

Thomas John Quinn was born on 20 March 1943 in

Séamus Noctor was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 2 September 1928, and was in Allen Hall between 1949 and 1955. He died after a long period of declining health suffering from dementia on 16 January 2019 at the age of 90, having been a priest for nearly 62 years.

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a company involved with imports and exports. For recreation he enjoyed dancing, and learnt waltz, quickstep and jive. He had a good voice and enjoyed singing, a gift he would bring to his priestly ministry.

Obituaries

Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, and was in Allen Hall between 1969 and 1974. He died peacefully in his sleep on 1 August 2019 at the age of 76, having been a priest for 44 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Alan Sleight Alan Sleight was a well-liked teacher who came to St Edmund’s after a period as a housemaster at the Licensed Victuallers' School in Slough.

Educated at Nottingham University, he was appointed Head of Physics, and lived with his family on the College campus.

A fellow member of science staff once said “His usual morning greeting would include the words ‘Isn't this fun?’, and to him it was. Enthusiasm was never in short supply; he found it hard not to bring this into the classroom and indeed into whatever he did.”

Alan was an angling enthusiast, organising fishing as an activity for the students, attempting to catch carp from the College ponds. He initially served as a boarding tutor in Challoner, and then later he was a tutor for Poetry and Syntax in Douglass. He was very proficient in organising House barbecues.

Alan also sang in the College choir, and one of the more memorable occasions was when he participated in a Yorkshire pudding eating competition.

Upon his early retirement to live near Ely in the Fens, the former housemaster of Douglass, Andrew Moss paid the tribute “Alan served Douglass for seven years, always there for his tutees and colleagues, always willing to assist in any way he could. The House will miss his large presence and gentle words.”

Alan John Sleight was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, on 9 June 1952 and was on the academic staff of the College between 1997 and 2010. He died after a long period of declining health on 11 December 2018 aged 66.

May he rest in peace.

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Fr Adrian Walker Adrian Walker was born to Catholic convert parents, and was educated at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire before serving in the Navy. He was accepted as a student for the priesthood by Cardinal Griffin, Archbishop of Westminster, and he came to Allen Hall. He was ordained priest on 11 June 1960 by Cardinal Godfrey, and was then sent to Rome for further studies in Philosophy at the Angelicum University.

On his return to the Diocese, Fr Adrian’s first appointments were as assistant priest in Edmonton (1964-71), Chaplain to London University (1971-73), and assistant priest in Bayswater (1973-76).

He was then appointed parish priest at Pin Green in Stevenage, and in 1981 he was given oversight of the four Stevenage parishes. Fr Adrian’s commitment to ecumenism was evident during his eleven years in the town, where the church was shared by Anglicans, Catholics and Methodists. After five years at Stevenage the team ministry was established, the new arrangements preserving the geographical identities of the four parishes but with a shared church for all. Fr Adrian put all his energy into this project, supported by other Priests and Religious Sisters on the Parish Team, and by local Christian ministers.

His next appointment was to Staines in Middlesex, serving as parish priest from 1987 until his appointment to Millwall in 1994. In May 1992 the diocesan newspaper, the Westminster Record, published a profile of Fr Adrian under the heading ‘Enthusiasm at its best’. The article described some of Fr Adrian’s qualities and achievements, thirty-two years into his ministry. He was “a doer… something of a whirlwind…”.

Millwall was a parish without a church or presbytery (the old church was closed and demolished having been declared structurally unsafe) but in need of a priest with experience, vision and energy. The parish, in the developing Docklands area, was changing and Fr Adrian’s vision and energy were well-suited to the emerging needs of the parish and neighbourhood. A newly-built church and complex was opened in 2000.

Fr Adrian retired from full time parish work in 2004, but kept himself busy with supply ministry in parishes close

Adrian John Walker was born in Dartford, Kent, on 6 August 1931, and was in Allen Hall between 1956 and 1960. He died peacefully in hospital on 24 January 2019 at the age of 87, having been a priest for over 58 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Deteriorating health and the need for care necessitated his return to England. In May 2016 he went to live at his sister’s residential care home at Burnham Lodge, Slough, where he enjoyed walking in the spacious grounds, and subsequently to Oaken Holt, near Oxford.

Denis Patrick Watters was born in London on 29 March 1947 and was in Allen Hall between 1966 and 1972. He died peacefully on 1 June 2019 at the age of 72 having been a priest for 47 years.

May he rest in peace.

Fr Denis Watters

From the Diocesan obituary

Denis Watters was educated in Kenton, Middlesex, and at Breakspear College in Abbots Langley. He was proficient at sports, especially football, and even had trials for West Ham United. He could have pursued a career as a footballer, but his sense of vocation led him to apply to the Diocese and he came to Allen Hall seminary at St Edmund’s.

He was ordained priest at Wembley by Cardinal Heenan on 27 May 1972. A number of appointments in the Diocese followed over the next 25 years: Poplar (197278), Kenton (1978-84), as parish priest in Bunhill Row (1984-90), and as parish priest in Archway (1990-97).

Whilst at Bunhill Row he served as the chaplain to Moorfields Eye Hospital.

In 1997 Fr Denis had sabbatical leave, including participation on a course at Palazzola, the Villa of the English College outside Rome. He was then appointed parish priest at Stevenage from 1998 until his premature retirement from full time parish ministry for reasons of poor health in June 2011.

Fr Denis was an intelligent and insightful man, always respectful of the views of other people and able to analyse situations and face challenges, and winning the respect and loyalty of parishioners. He often told an amusing story at the end of each of his Masses, causing people to leave the church with a smile on their lips, as did the humorous photos and jokes that were characteristic of Fr Denis’s parish newsletters.

Throughout his life Fr Denis had a keen interest in all sports, including golf, fishing and basketball. Upon retirement he moved to County Kerry in Ireland where he had more time for golf, living near the renowned Ballybunion course.

We have also learnt with regret of the deaths of the following other Old Edmundians: Robert Benson (Talbot 1939-42) died on 14 September 2018 aged 94; Ian Brady (St Hugh’s & Talbot 1960-65) died on 23 July 2018 aged 69; Andrew Browning (St Hugh’s 1959-64) died on 5 June 2017 aged 67; Mark Casson (Junior House & Douglass 1972-79) died in 2019 aged 58; John de Haan (Talbot 1941-43) died on 30 January 2018 aged 92; Bryan Ennis (St Hugh’s 1972-76) died on 13 April 2019 aged 56.

May they rest in peace

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to his home in Maidenhead, Berkshire. He will be remembered for his informality, and for being somewhat unconventional in his approach and practice.

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2019/2020

Canon Vincent Berry

Major General Simon Beardsworth

Vincent Berry was the eldest of five children, and the only son, born to Richard and Anne Berry of Wood Green, north London. He was educated at St Paul’s Primary School and then St Ignatius College, Enfield, and was accepted as a candidate for the priesthood in Allen Hall at the age of 18.

Simon Beardsworth was the only son of PaymasterCaptain Stanley Beardsworth, a Royal Navy officer who perished along with 326 crew members when the battleship HMS Prince of Wales was sunk on 10 December 1941 by a Japanese air attack off Kuantan in the South China Sea. Simon came into St Hugh’s shortly after the start of the Second World War and had just moved into Challoner when his father was killed.

After leaving St Edmund’s, in 1948 Simon entered the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment in 1949. At the Royal Military College of Science he attained the external degrees of BSc (General Science) in 1953 and BSc (Special Physics) in 1954.

A military career of 36 years included command of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment and being Deputy Commandant of the Royal Military College of Science. Simon retired from the Army in September 1984 having risen to the rank of Major-General and was awarded the CB in the Birthday Honours List that year.

He then became an associate director of Air-Log Ltd, a company involved in research and development of suspension systems for armoured vehicles.

Simon married Barbara Bingham Turner in June 1954 and they went on to have three sons, Jonathan, James and Anthony. His autobiography Against The Odds (pictured left) was published in 1998.

Simon John Beardsworth was born in Petersfield, Hampshire, on 18 April 1929 and was in St Hugh’s and Challoner between 1940 and 1947. He died peacefully on 8 July 2019 at the age of 90.

May he rest in peace.

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He is remembered as a seminarian, and later as a priest, for his calmness and practical approach to situations, always seeing the positive in people and their circumstances.

During the summer, while a seminarian, Vincent assisted at a summer camp organized by the Society of St Vincent de Paul for disadvantaged children. He was head cook, responsible for feeding 120 boys and volunteers three times a day. Occasionally the food burnt - and Vincent did not escape being burnt - but he remained characteristically calm but with only a moment of annoyance, revealed by the mild expletive ‘blast’. He was admired for his ability to remain tranquil as chaos raged around him.

Vincent was ordained to the priesthood at Westminster Cathedral on 24 May 1962. There then followed a number of appointments in the Diocese over the next 24 years: assistant priest in Hounslow (1962-68), the Crusade of Rescue (1968-70), diocesan Mission Team (1970-72), and assistant priest and later parish priest at South Harrow and Northolt (1972-86). In 1986 he was appointed Vicar General and he assisted in the Cathedral.

In 1990 he was appointed a Canon of the Metropolitan Chapter of Westminster. He then served as parish priest in Hendon (1990-97) and Chelsea (1997-2006).

Canon Vincent took up his final appointment as parish priest at Tring, where he remained until October 2017.

Upon retirement at the age of 80 he went to live in his own home in Weston Turville near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. He continued to attend diocesan events, despite illness, and was determined to live life to the full.

His interests included cricket, meals out with family and friends and travel for holidays and to visit his siblings overseas. He also enjoyed rugby union, and it was a great joy to him that he was able to go with a couple of parishioners from Tring to Twickenham on 23 February 2020 to witness the England vs Ireland game, which England won.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Michael Fawcitt The eldest of five siblings, Michael Fawcitt was named after his uncle Michael Corcoran who died in action aged 28 soon after the start of the Second World War. He was the nephew of Brian Boshell (OE 1931-37) and the cousin of John (1957-62), James (1961-68) and Charles (1973-81) Boshell.

He was a great mimic and when he was young would dress up as the family’s parish priest and celebrate Latin Mass on the kitchen table!

After attending St Anne’s Convent, Croydon, he came to board at St Edmund’s aged 11 with his twin brother Quentin. During the school holidays he caused much hilarity as he regaled his family with stories of life at the college, impersonating all the teachers.

Michael then studied hotel management in London before working in sales for Reckitt & Colman Food, famous for its mustard, where he would have a long career. He was a natural salesman, full of charm and persuasion.

In 1979 he married Eleonora “Noor” Povel and they had a daughter Sarah in 1981 and a son Mark the following year. In 1985 a promotion at Reckitt & Colman prompted a move to near Winchester to what became his family home in South Wonston.

Travel, culture and adventure were very much part of Michael’s life. In Lanzarote, he walked his family up a live volcano from which they had to be rescued by park rangers. In Greece, he took the family for a drive around the island of Rhodes in a Mini Moke not anticipating being chased by a wild pack of dogs in a vehicle without doors. In Turkey, he got stuck on a mountain due to a landslide and had to be dynamited out. Michael loved the drama and was in his element drinking tea with the locals.

His love for culture and work ambitions took him to work in the Middle East where he spent some years working for Supreme Foods and Pepsi. His work in the region led him to many more adventures, making many lifelong friends, travelling in India and across the Middle East. He even got his screen debut in a Bollywood film starring as a corrupt businessman!

In 2011, he and Noor moved from the family home in South Wonston to central Winchester where they enjoyed being in the city centre. Michael had a great love for classical music and loved going to the Cathedral to listen to Mass and the choir.

Michael Gordon Fawcitt was born in Croydon, Surrey, on 22 August 1951 and was in Talbot between 1963 and 1968. He died on 25 August 2020 at the age of 69.

May he rest in peace.

Compiled from family eulogies

Bernard France Bunny France came to the College aged 13 and stayed for two years. After a period of compulsory National Service, which saw him posted to India, he joined his family’s undertaking business, A France & Son, which was founded in 1764, and of which Bunny was the eighth generation.

In 1954, he married Anna Greevy in Dublin, and they were to go on to have four children Mercedes, Bernard Jr, Michael and Timothy. Bernard Jr went on to attend St Edmund’s between 1970 and 1973.

Bunny was to remain in the family business for 65 years until his retirement at the age of 85. His great grandson now runs the firm. His biography Bunny France: Memoir of a Holborn Funeral Director (cover pictured) gives an insight to his profession and the changes that took place during his working life.

Bernard Anthony France was born in London on 17 May 1926 and was in Talbot between 1939 and 1941. He died on 11 September 2019 at the age of 93.

May he rest in peace.

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Vincent Berry was born in London on 25 September 1937 and was in Allen Hall between 1956 and 1962. He died peacefully at home on 14 June 2020 at the age of 82, having been a priest for 58 years.

Fr Austin Garvey Obituaries

Austin Garvey was one of six siblings, four brothers and one sister, born to Lawrence and Winifred Garvey. His elder brother Fr Michael Garvey, who predeceased him in 2002, was the Headmaster of St Edmund’s between 1968 and 1984.

He was educated at St Ignatius College, Stamford Hill, was accepted as a candidate for the priesthood and came into the Allen Hall seminary in 1945. In 1947 he and his brother Michael, both seminarians, went on pilgrimage to Lourdes for the first time. It was the beginning of a lifelong devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes and regular pilgrimages with HCPT and the Diocese.

Fr Austin was ordained to the priesthood in the College chapel on 22 July 1951 by Archbishop Edward Myers. He then went to Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he gained an MA in Classics. He returned to teach at St Edmund’s in 1954 and remained for 12 years, the last two years as housemaster of Talbot. His subjects were Classics, Latin, Greek and French. He coached rugby and, with his brother, encouraged athletics.

He was involved with drama productions, especially the annual school play with the parts being assigned before the Christmas holidays with the expectation that the boys returned in January having learnt their parts, word perfect. Fr Austin would test them because of his passion for things to be done properly. He sourced and hired all the props from West End prop shops, cast every play and then rehearsed and produced it. He was a hard taskmaster, but for the good of the students.

In 1967 Fr Austin went as a missionary to Lima, Peru, for ministry alongside the Columban Missionary Society and remained there for twelve years. He founded a facility for people with learning difficulties, and a school for deaf people. These continue the work begun by Fr Austin.

When he left Peru he continued to support the vulnerable people he cared for, and loved.

He returned to the Diocese to take up his appointment as parish priest at St Patrick’s, Soho, in 1978. Fr Austin looked after his parishioners, and others whose work brought them to the streets of Soho. He established the parish Legion of Mary to assist with his care for working girls. He supported the work of CAFOD and he provided

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food for the poor who called to the presbytery. He remained at Soho until reaching the usual retirement age for clergy, 75, in 2001.

At St Patrick’s, Fr Austin would treat guests to the house sherry, San Patricio, the flagship fino from the House of Garvey. Fr Austin would smile wryly as he displayed the bottle and poured this little pleasure in somewhat bleak surroundings! After retirement Fr Austin went to live in rooms on the top floor of the presbytery at Marylebone and in 2015 moved to Nazareth House in Finchley, spending the last years of his life in contentment.

At times Fr Austin could seem to be impatient, and he did not suffer fools gladly. He was described in the Diocesan obituary as someone who “was at once tough and sensitive, austere and generous, irascible and kind. His strong faith was nurtured through his life of prayer and devotion, fidelity to the Mass, and by his concern for the poor and his apostolic zeal.”

Charles Austin Garvey was born in London on 5 July 1926 and was Allen Hall between 1945 and 1951 and on the teaching staff between 1954 and 1966. He died peacefully on 3 April 2020 at the age of 93, having been a priest for nearly 69 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Dr Adrian Gillham Adrian Gillham was the second of four sons of John & Sheila Gillham who were all to attend St Edmund’s and become House Captains of Talbot. He was a former Head Boy at the college as well as 1st XV rugby captain and a 1st XI cricketer. He was very happily married to Emma for 45 years and was very proud of their four children and their 6 grandchildren.

After leaving the College in 1966, Adrian studied medicine at Jesus College, Cambridge and St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington before becoming one of the founding GP members of the Parkbury House practice in St Albans.

He retired from general practice at the age of 38 to join the Army where he re-trained as a psychiatrist and served with distinction in the first Gulf War.

The Gillham platoon in the College CCF was named primarily after Adrian and his father John.

Adrian always had a strong faith which, along with the love of his family, sustained him in his later years.

Adrian Bayley Gillham was born in London on 4 March 1948 and was in Junior House and Talbot between 1960 and 1965. He died suddenly on 21 January 2020 at the age of 71.

May he rest in peace.

Tribute supplied by Jeremy Gillham OE

Fr John Helm John Helm was one of four siblings in a Catholic family which grew up in Fulham, south west London. He went to school at the London Oratory, and the came to St Edmund’s before going to the English College in Lisbon. While in Lisbon he was diagnosed as having tuberculosis and had to return to the UK for treatment. This was successful and he returned to Lisbon and was ordained to the priesthood on 7 April 1962 by Archbishop Manuel dos Santos Rocha.

On his return to England in 1962, Fr John was appointed assistant priest in Willesden, where he remained until 1967. He then served as a chaplain in the Royal Navy, his ministry including time on two aircraft carriers, HMS Eagle and HMS Hermes.

There followed a number of appointments in the Diocese over the next 41 years: assistant priest in Queen of Apostles parish, Welwyn Garden City (1971-76), assistant priest at Archway (1976-77), parish priest at Harefield (197784), and parish priest at Golders Green (1984-2012).

At both Harefield and Golders Green, Fr John attended to major refurbishment projects, ensuring the fabric of the churches were in good repair and well decorated. He had an artistic flair and a creativity that he brought to these projects. But it was his love for his parishioners that

endeared him to them, and they responded to his pastoral care and his desire to celebrate the Church’s liturgy inclusively.

He was adept at cooking and cleaning, and he enjoyed reading, sailing, painting and playing golf. Fr John also enjoyed travel, both for pilgrimages and holidays.

Pilgrimage destinations included the Holy Land, Lisieux, Lourdes and Rome with parishioners. With Fr John what you saw was what you got: a straightforward man and priest who was kind and gentle, generous and humble.

When Fr John retired from active ministry in 2012, he went to live independently in Welwyn Garden City and giving assistance to local parish priests. For the last three months of his life Fr John could no longer manage and he went to live at Nazareth House in Finchley and Hammersmith.

John William Helm was born in London on 6 June 1936 and was in Douglass between 1950 and 1954. He died peacefully on 7 April 2020 at the age of 83, having been a priest for exactly 58 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Anthony Hewson Tony Hewson wanted to be an engineer, but as he was not good at maths, at age 15 he was sent to St Edmund’s, allocated to Douglass, which in those days was reserved for students who were being prepared to enter the priesthood.

He transferred into Allen Hall at age 19 to study philosophy and theology for the next six years. Tony was on civil defence fire watch duty on the night during the Second World War when a bomb exploded in the front park, blowing out most of the windows in the College chapel.

At the end of his time in the seminary, and after some heart-searching, Tony did not complete his vocation.

Instead he became a teacher at what is now Finchley Catholic High School, helping many pupils in their studies.

In 1953 he married Jean Potter (sister of the late Fr Anthony Potter OE) and they had three children Janet,

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He retired from the Army with the rank of LieutenantColonel and became Medical Director of five hospitals in the Priory Group, before retiring properly this time and living happily with Emma in Hampshire.

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Edmund and Felicity. Edmund would latter attend St Edmund’s himself between 1970 and 1977. Tony was a pillar in the life of St Philips, the parish church at Finchley.

Michael Anthony Hewson was born in north London on 7 April 1920 and was in Douglass between 1935 and 1938 and Allen Hall between 1938 and 1944. He died on 26 April 2020 at the age of 100. At the time of his his death he was the oldest known living Edmundian.

consulting firm. Latterly he was the managing director of an investment banking boutique.

Mirko Peter Kurtanjek was born in Yugoslavia on 8 March 1952 and was in Douglass between 1965 and 1970. He died in San Sebastian, Spain, on 16 March 2020 aged 68.

May he rest in peace.

Prepared by David J S Kay

May he rest in peace.

Prepared by David J S Kay

Mirko Kurtanjek Mirko (Mike) Kurtanjek was born in Croatia’s agricultural heartland, in the former Yugoslavia, where his father worked on the family farm. Life was incredibly tough in those times, and in 1956 his parents took the bold step to flee the country and presented themselves as refugees in Italy.

Three years later they were granted immigrant status by the United Kingdom and a whole new life opened up for them. They settled in West Sussex.

Mike excelled at singing and he rose to the rank of lead first soprano at the Westminster Cathedral Choir School.

Coming to St Edmund’s at age 13, he became a notable member of the College choir and became House Captain of Douglass in his final year.

Reminiscing in 2002, of his time at the college, he recalled secret visits to the pub at Levens Green, cross country runs in temperatures akin to Siberia, and the walls of the Prefects’ common room decorated with cigarette packets!

Mike married Marcia Jackson in 1982, and in 1984 had a daughter Katherine (who tragically died in 2008) and a son David born in 1987.

After obtaining a PhD in Metallurgy from the University of Birmingham, in 1978 he joined British Steel, and worked on a variety of metallurgical projects in Europe, the Middle East and Asia until 1988. From 1988 to 1995, he was head of mining research for the securities arm of Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank and worked for Credit Lyonnais Securities. From 1995 to 2004, he was a director of Grosvenor Corporate Capital Ltd, a private business

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Robert Maidment Bob Maidment was born in Tredegar in South Wales and brought up in Ebbw Vale, mostly in the pubs run by his parents Cliff and Evelyn. He went to Ebbw Vale Grammar School where he excelled at a range of sports, notably rugby union, basketball and track and field at representative level, culminating in playing first class rugby for St Luke’s, Exeter.

In 1967, having qualified as a teacher specialising in English and History, Bob turned down the offer from Wakefield Trinity to play professional rugby league in favour of a residential post at St Edmund’s. Here he coached rugby and athletics with spectacular effect as well as doing boarding duties in the prep school and teaching (mostly maths!) a range of age groups. It was during this time he met Katie King and they were married in 1972.

By then, Bob was working with maladjusted and emotionally disturbed boys in private residential schools in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire where he became Head of Dowdeswell Court School. After its closure in 1985, Bob returned with Katie to work once again at St Edmund’s, this time becoming Housemaster of the prep school, St Hugh’s, a position he held until 1996. He was a universally popular figure and highly respected as ‘tough but fair’.

Early retirement to Norfolk in 1999 gave Bob time to garden, play golf at Mundesley, make regular visits to France and, from 2007, work to support the disadvantaged poor in Cambodia. He was a founder member, Trustee and Treasurer of Support Cambodia, a registered charity formed to further this work.

Bob was received into the church in 1997 on the feast of St James. He always said he never received any pressure to convert - just the example of other Catholics. As a convert, his approach to faith was unfussy but deeply held

Pontifical Liturgical Institute of San Anselmo. There he was awarded a Licentiate in Liturgical Theology, magna cum laude. While based in Rome he taught liturgy at the Beda College.

Over the last few years, Bob enjoyed being able to sell his bedding plants, vegetables and jam to raise money for the church and for Support Cambodia. He was very proud of his garden and was never happier than ‘pottering’ outdoors in all weathers or in the greenhouse. Though perhaps watching Wales beating England at rugby came a very close second! His generosity, integrity and gentle good humour made him many friends - truly a ’good man’ - and he will be very much missed.

He returned to the Diocese to take up appointment as a resident member of staff at Allen Hall teaching liturgy, and also serving as Chaplain to Finchley Catholic School from 1974 to 1976. He also served as a member of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) to provide English translations of the liturgical rites of the Catholic Church from the Latin in which they were written.

Robert Maidment was born on 21 July 1946 and was on the academic staff between 1969 and 1970 and later between 1985 and 1999. He died on 26 April 2020 at the age of 73.

May he rest in peace.

Family obituary

Canon Edward Matthews Eddie Matthews was the only child of William and Catherine Matthews and grew up in Highbury, north London, and in Exeter due to the Second World War. In 1947 he is recorded as being top of the class at Sacred Heart Primary School, Holloway.

At the age of 13 he came to St Edmund’s, and from here went to the English College, Lisbon.

He was ordained to the priesthood on 16 June 1962 by Bishop Manuel Dos Santos Rocha, Auxiliary Bishop of Lisbon. Fr Eddie’s first appointment was to Hemel Hempstead East where he served as assistant priest from 1962 to 1965. He then moved to Westminster Cathedral, joining the College of Chaplains and serving as Master of Ceremonies.

From 1967 to 1972 Fr Eddie served as the Westminster representative on the national Liturgical Commission and as Secretary of the Westminster Diocesan Liturgical Commission. In 1972 he worked on the compilation of the Directory for Masses with Children. The Directory was published in Rome in November 1973. In 1972 he left the Cathedral for further studies in Rome, at the

Fr Eddie was in demand as a visiting lecturer at home and overseas. He penned various publications, including A Popular Guide to the New Mass (1970), A Holy Week Guide for Servers and Sacristans (1971), Celebrating Mass with Children (1975), Children Give Thanks (1976), The Forgiveness of Sins (1978), St Stephen’s Handbook for Altar Servers (1986).

He served as parish priest in various places across the Diocese: Marychurch, Hatfield (1990-93), Brook Green (1993-2003) and Bishop’s Stortford (2003-12). In May 2001 he was appointed to the Metropolitan Chapter of Canons of Westminster.

Upon retirement Canon Eddie went to live with friends in Horsham, West Sussex, where he enjoyed the things he loved, including music, theatre, film and literature. He continued celebrating public Mass, including in the chapel at Gatwick Airport and in local churches.

Liturgy was Canon Eddie’s passion. His lectures were delivered with energy and enthusiasm. It was often noticed that his socks were chosen to match the liturgical colour of the day or season, with his preference for deep purple rather than black! His familiar pale blue clerical shirts added to the colour of his personality, and communicated enjoyment of his life and ministry.

Edward Matthews was born in London on 9 February 1937 and was in Challoner between 1950 and 1955 and the academic staff of Allen Hall at St Edmund’s between 1974 and 1975. He died peacefully at the East Surrey Hospital on 1 April 2020 at the age of 83, having been a priest for nearly 58 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

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and he was proud of his contribution to the life of the parish, including many years leading the preparation for Journey in Faith and Confirmation, particularly with the young people.

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Monsignor Canon Frederick Miles ‘A Catholic priest shows that one of God’s greatest gifts is a sense of humour’ is the subtitle of ‘Milestones’, the memoirs of Frederick Miles published in 2007 when he was 82 years of age.

Fred Miles was the fifth of six children born to Patrick and Elizabeth Miles, who left Ireland in 1922 to settle in Braintree, Essex. He was sent to St Edmund’s at age 13 as a “church boy” and studied for the priesthood in Allen Hall, being ordained by Cardinal Bernard Griffin in the College chapel on 16 July 1950.

Soon afterwards, Fr Miles was sent to Christ’s College, Cambridge, where he attained an MA in English & History.

He returned to St Edmund’s to teach English to senior classes and Latin and French to junior classes from 1953 to 1966. He was an enthusiastic rugby player and readily admitted that his two great loves were God and rugby. He coached the First XV and he also played and coached tennis, and was in the cricket team.

Staff and students held Fr Miles in awe, and he won the respect and affection of all. He treated everyone fairly and he expected others to do the same. Attentive to his teaching responsibilities and as a House Master, he gave of his best including playing and coaching sport. He trained boys to serve at the altar. He is remembered as being strict but fair. He maintained links with St Edmund’s through service as a Governor from 1984-89 and he served as a Patron of the Edmundian Association.

In 1966 Fr Fred was appointed Private Secretary to the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal John Heenan and then to Cardinal Basil Hume. He described both men as ‘hugely inspirational’. He had a particular connection with Cardinal Heenan: both came from Irish stock and shared the same sense of humour. In 1969 he was appointed Chaplain to His Holiness with the title Monsignor.

His next appointment was to St James’s, Spanish Place, as rector from 1977 to 1998. He told friends that these 21 years were the happiest years of his life. His rapport with parishioners brought Mgr Fred much satisfaction, and the parishioners’ lives were enriched by Mgr Fred’s ministry.

When he retired from Spanish Place at the age of 73, due to failing eyesight, Mgr Miles went to live at St Peter’s Residence in Vauxhall, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.

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He continued as a member of the Metropolitan Chapter of Westminster, as Provost. Despite the issues with his sight, he struggled on, chairing meetings of the Chapter and encouraging the other Canons, never complaining about his condition or looking for sympathy. He stood down from this role at the age of 75 and was appointed Protonotary Apostolic in 2002.

In 2014 Mgr Miles wrote for the magazine produced by the Little Sisters of the Poor with a brief summary of his life: “…there has never been a moment when I doubted the decision and choice I made at the age of nine. I have been hugely blessed in the inspirational people I have met along the way… I cannot imagine living any other sort of life but that of a priest and I thank God for the gift of faith and of life.”

Frederick Anthony Miles was born in Essex on 13 December 1925 and was in Douglass between 1939 and 1944, Allen Hall between 1944 and 1950, and on the academic staff between 1953 and 1966. He died peacefully at home on 6 April 2020 at the age of 94, having been a priest for nearly 70 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Maurice O’Connell Maurice O’Connell was the first of five children born to Maurice and Betty O’Connell. He was named after his paternal grandfather who sadly died in the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918. At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Maurice and his sister Maureen were evacuated to their aunt on a farm in Wiltshire, and they were there intermittently throughout the war.

At nine years of age, Maurice went away to Worth Preparatory School, now Worth Abbey, in Sussex. When he was thirteen, he went on to another Benedictine school, Downside, where he was a keen rugby player. From school, he won a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge, to read Classics. He took up rowing as well as playing rugby for his College. He was a keen tennis player throughout his life.

Graduating from Cambridge, he decided that his vocation was to be a Diocesan priest, so he came into Allen Hall at St Edmund’s College where he stayed for four years.

Deciding that the priesthood was not for him, he undertook teacher training in Liverpool. He worked for a while in the

Maurice taught English in Sierra Leone for ten years and then moved to the English-speaking part of Cameroon where he was for the next seventeen years. In Cameroon he became, and continued to be until his death, very involved with the Focolare movement, attending many of their annual gatherings all over England. ‘Focolare’ is an Italian word meaning ‘hearth’. This ecumenical movement is based on communal living and specialises in education and health services in Africa.

After the death of his father, Maurice moved to Bristol, where he taught English and looked after his mother until she died. He enjoyed watching rugby on the television with the sound turned off, while listening to classical music on Radio Three. Maurice had some difficult times and periods of ill health, but music and poetry always played an important part in his life. He will be remembered as a very kind, gentle, forgiving and generous person.

Maurice William O’Connell was born in Northwood, Middlesex, on 19 November 1935 and was in Allen Hall between 1957 and 1961. He died peacefully at home on 27 December 2019 at the age of 84.

May he rest in peace.

Prepared by David J S Kay assisted by Paul Keenan OE

Fr John Seabrook John Seabrook was born to Albert and Vera Seabrook and was baptised and confirmed into the Catholic Church at the age of 21.

He was educated at Shoreditch Comprehensive School and and when he left school he worked for a bank from 1966 to 1968 and then for three years in an estate duty office as an assistant examiner. Even before acceptance as a student for the priesthood, John displayed various affectations, including wearing a black choir cloak in the street and being mistaken for a cleric.

He began training for the priesthood at the age of 26. His report while a seminarian at St Edmund’s at the end of his first year, 1971-72, states that John ‘was a welcome addition to the community despite, or perhaps because of, harmless eccentricities’. He also studied at Heythrop College, gaining a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1975.

Following his ordination to the priesthood by Cardinal Basil Hume at Hoxton on 4 August 1976, Fr John had the following appointments as assistant priest in parishes of the Diocese over the next six years: Willesden (1976-79), Moorfields (1979), and North Finchley (1979-82).

During this time he attended an extra-mural course on psychology given by the Workers Education Association and London University. It was Fr John’s desire to serve as a chaplain in the Royal Air Force. In correspondence with the Diocese he expressed surprise that he passed the medical examination as part of the selection process! He resolved to lose some weight. He served in various locations from 1982 to 1991.

In 1991 Fr John was appointed parish priest at Isleworth where he remained until 1994. He then went to Digswell, Welwyn Garden City, until 1999, when he was appointed to Grove Park. From the summer of 2019 Fr John’s health began significantly to deteriorate and regular treatment at Hammersmith Hospital was needed.

Fr John’s interests included poetry, art, church history and the lives of the saints, theology and canon law. Those who attended the biannual meetings of the Council of Priests will recall Fr John’s ubiquitous well-thumbed copy of the Code of Canon Law and his readiness to ensure the conversation and business of the meetings remained canonically correct.

John Francis Lightfoot-Seabrook was born in Beckenham, Kent, on 5 August 1947 and was in Allen Hall between 1971 and 1975. He died peacefully at Hammersmith Hospital on 15 April 2020 at the age of 72, having been a priest for 44 years.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Anthony Smyth Tony Smyth was the second of five children born to Dennis and Gwendoline Smyth. He was sent to Westminster Cathedral Choir School, with his father’s intention that he should train for the priesthood. At age 13 he moved on to St Edmund’s, where he was a member of the Music Society Committee and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Corporal in the CCF. He performed

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East End of London, and then set off for West Africa.

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in the college plays, represented the college in athletics and won a History Prize.

By the time of his A-levels both his father and mother had died. He now needed to make his own decisions and he changed his direction for the future as he knew the priesthood was not for him.

He successfully found a place at Hammersmith College to study Architecture. He worked in various architectural practices, living in various digs around north London. In his spare time he continued with his love of music and opera by becoming a member of the Dollis Hill Operatic Society.

Tony realised London life was not for him and he set off for Wales in the early 1970s, and was briefly married. He later bought ‘Blackbrook’, a derelict cottage on a hillside at Penallt, Monmouthshire, which he rebuilt stone by stone. Sadly he lost the property due to financial problems and never really found a structure or purpose to his life again. His last job was at an architectural practice in Hereford. He could produce fine hand drawn designs with detailed instructions in his beautiful script but his unwillingness to adapt to modern technology led to his redundancy in 2010.

Tony was a very private and fiercely independent person who never wanted to impose on others or share his personal concern or feelings.

Anthony Bernard Smyth was born in London on 24 December 1941 and was in Challoner between 1955 and 1960. He died on 3 February 2020 at the age of 78.

May he rest in peace.

From a eulogy by Tony’s sister Bernadette Campbell

David Stewart David Stewart was the son of an RAF pilot and consequently his family moved around a lot. He spent part of his childhood in Cyprus and part in Lincolnshire, where his father flew Vulcans bombers. He had a successful career in music business as a performer, tour manager, sound engineer and, since 2005, as manager of British Grove Recording Studios in west London, which he designed and built for Mark Knopfler. In a relatively short time it gained a reputation as one of

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the best music recording studios in the world.

He leaves Robyn, his wife, and two sons, Jake and Tommy.

David Gerald Stewart was born in London on 29 January 1953 and was in Junior House and Challoner between 1964 and 1970. He died of COVID-19 on 9 April 2020 aged 67.

May he rest in peace.

Prepared by David J S Kay

Lionel Swain Lionel Swain was the youngest of four siblings born to Alfred & Hilda Swain. His interest in biblical texts began at a young age, and from 1953 to 1959 he studied for the priesthood at Allen Hall seminary. He followed this with stints at Séminaire des Carmes (Paris) and Pontifical Beda College (Rome), attaining the Licentiate of Sacred Theology (STL) and Licentiate of Sacred Scripture (LSS).

In 1965 he was working at the École Biblique in Jerusalem but returned that year to St Edmund’s to teach Scripture in the seminary, later rising to the position of Dean of Theology, and departing in 1972.

In 1975 he was based at the recently relocated Allen Hall seminary in Chelsea. Not long after this he decided to leave the priesthood. He married Barbara, who had been widowed some twenty years previously, and became a loving stepfather to her three children.

In the early 1980s they moved to West Sussex, where he started teaching at St Philip Howard High School, Barnham, becoming Head of RE and Head of Sixth Form, before finally retiring in 1998.

Lionel was a long-standing member of both the Society for Old Testament Study (SOTS) and the Society for New Testament Studies (SNTS). In the late 1960s he was Honorary Secretary of the Catholic Biblical Association of Great Britain, and was on the editorial committee of the New Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture (1969).

He subsequently served on the editorial board for Scripture Bulletin for over thirty years, from 1970 to 2001.

He was a prodigious writer of books on the bible.

Lionel was a remarkably gifted scholar, with a sharp intellect, an incredible aptitude for languages, and a seemingly limitless enthusiasm for teaching: one that has left an indelible mark on students and colleagues alike.

recognition of his contributions to psychoanalysis worldwide.

Neville Douglas Symington was born in Portugal on 3 July 1937 and was in Allen Hall between 1958 and 1964. He died after a short illness on 3 December 2019 at the age of 82.

May he rest in peace.

From the Diocesan obituary

Lionel John Swain was born in Wandsworth, London, on 6 November 1933 and was in Allen Hall between 1953 and 1959, and the academic staff between 1965 and 1972. He died on 9 April 2020 at the age of 86, having been pre-deceased by his wife just a few weeks earlier.

May he rest in peace.

From an obituary by Matthew A Collins, University of Chester

Neville Symington Neville Symington was born in Portugal to British parents, part of a large Catholic family. He moved to England to study philosophy and theology whilst training for the priesthood at Allen Hall.

He worked for several years as a priest in East London within a socially deprived community which he grew to love. After he left the priesthood, and while studying for a degree in Psychology, he realised that he wanted to train as a psychoanalyst.

Neville undertook his psychoanalytic training in London and was a Fellow of the British Psychoanalytical Society.

He trained in the Institute of Psychoanalysis London and worked in the Tavistock Clinic from 1977 until 1985. He also qualified in Clinical Psychology.

In 1986 he emigrated to Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two sons. From 1987 to 1993 he was Chairman of the Sydney Institute for Psychoanalysis and between 1999 and 2002 he was president of the Australian Psychoanalytical Society.

We have also learnt with regret of the deaths of the following other Old Edmundians: Austen Bloy (Talbot 1944-47) died on 20 August 2018 aged 87; Michael Broadbridge (Challoner 1954-54) died on 25 October 2018 aged 78; Mgr John Coghlan (Allen Hall 1955-61) died on 11 April 2020 aged 86; Sister Ann Hartfield (Infirmary Sister 2008-08) died on 12 November 2019 aged 75; James Martin (St Hugh’s & Pole 1985-95) died on 29 December 2019 aged 42; George Smith (Douglass 1955-57) died on 25 December 2019 aged 78.

May they rest in peace

Neville wrote twelve books and numerous clinical papers.

He was an erudite but plain speaking presenter and for decades he taught and lectured around the world to great acclaim. In 2013 he received the Sigourney Award in

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In 2020, a fellow student from his time at Allen Hall, who had not seen Lionel since 1959, still remembered him 61 years later as an extremely nice and friendly chap, further recalling him having also been a particularly good player in the Allen Hall football team!