Houses

Houses Churchill

From the Housemaster

What a strange year it has been. And what a strange end to the academic year also.

As we continue to find our way out of the Covid-19 lockdown, it’s almost refreshing to look back at the start of the academic year in September. The House was a buzz. Same old Housemaster. Same old tutor team. New Fourth Formers. And new neighbours, as we welcomed Hawkins into what had previously been just the ‘Churchill building’. In the first few weeks of continued building work, it was hard going for the boys, but they soon realised that they could still function in their own house and - a revelation - that the girls of Hawkins were people too and it was nice to enjoy their company! Much remains to do in terms of growing the bond between Churchill and Hawkins, but this year has been a great start and Churchill is proud to be leading the way in this two-houses-one-building co-ed venture.

Until February, when the situation in China honed into view, the year was panning out as per many others. House singing was a disaster - although it wasn’t the boys’ fault that the backing track of YMCA was out of time! There was progress in the pancake race, disqualified from only two of the three races this year. Churchill was seemingly back on top on the rugby field, winning both the junior and inter house rugby competitions. In the Spring Term, house film went very well but sadly we were not rewarded. Our charity night saw us raise over £3500 for local charity Cherry Trees, who provide respite care for disabled children and their families.

But then, of course, Covid-19 put an end to the school year. And to public examinations. And to the Summer Term. And the cricket season. And to most of our regular everyday lives with the lockdown.

I really do commend the boys on how well they took to remote learning - it’s not easy staring at a screen for an eight period day and it’s been a fantastic effort that they’ve made, getting on board at the drop-of-a-hat with the way the School has had to ‘think outside of the box’ in these challenging times.

Finally, in the last three weeks of the school year, we saw many of the Lower Fifth and Lower Sixth return for some academic subjects, some sport and for chats with me and the tutor team - a fantastic time, great chats, great to see people face-to-face...

I cannot wait to do more of the same come September.

Tom Leonard, Housemaster

NUMBER OF PUPILS 62 Did you know?

England rugby legend George Kruis is an ex-Churchillian

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A place where no one ever regretted giving their best

From the House Captain

September brought a major change to Churchill, with half of the House becoming the new girls’ house, Hawkins. This was certainly difficult for the boys at first, but we soon adjusted to the closer quarters and, in many ways, I believe it brought together the various year groups.

The year kicked off with the highly anticipated house singing competition, with Churchill delivering a triumphant rendition of YMCA, complete with dance moves and blue and white headbands! Meanwhile, in the part-song, countless hours of practice led to an impressive performance of ‘Blue Light’ by Sun Silva. Dylan Crawford led the group of Churchillian singers superbly, but despite the vocal talents of Freddie Lamy and Jacob Costard, we failed to place in the top three.

The senior house debating saw our main speakers crush rivals, South House, in a heated battle which argued that ‘protecting the environment is more important than economic growth’. However, in the semi-finals, despite some excellent contributions from the floor, the judges put Gloucester House through.

Churchill put in an excellent performance in house rugby, despite the waterlogged pitches, bringing home the first silverware of the year in the junior and intermediate competitions. The Spring Term came around quickly and our House Charity Night took place in February. With Michael Haddad and I doing our best on the mics, we raised over £3000 in aid of Cherry Trees. A highlight of the year for me was the annual Churchill Curry Night, where the Sixth Form, tutors and Dr Leonard headed down to Leatherhead for a thoroughly enjoyable curry. I still can’t believe Mr Rogers ate a red-hot chilli whole, alongside his vindaloo, without breaking a sweat! For the first time in memory, Churchill was not disqualified in every pancake race, and came 1st in the juniors! In the run-up to the end of term, the seniors finished an impressive 3rd in house swimming, with national-level swimmer Conor Ballard leading our team. With 12 hours’ notice that house football was suddenly the next day, the blue and whites struggled against tough opposition, with only the junior As making the final, and being contentiously defeated on penalties.

STRENGTHS:

Debating Tightly-knit year groups

Rugby

And then, suddenly, the news of the lockdown came in. It was such a shock to all of us, especially the Upper Sixth, when we realised that this would be the last ‘normal’ week of our school careers. There was an overwhelming air of sadness at leaving so abruptly, saying goodbye to our teachers and friends, and the uncertainty about our A level grades. Credit must go to the School for putting on the Leaver’s Tea and Chapel Service on only a day’s notice.

I would like to thank Dr Leonard, Mrs Symes-Thomson and all the Churchill tutors for supporting the House over the last five years. Our eternal gratitude also goes to our wonderful Matron, Jane, who has helped us in too many ways to list here. I wish all the Churchill staff and boys a restful summer, and I look forward to coming back to Churchill to catch up with everyone in the years to come.

Scott Parker, House Captain 2019-20