The Johnian 2022

THE JOHNIAN 2022

Front cover: Artwork by pupils 2021-22

The Johnian 2022

CONTENTS

Sports Review 88 From the Archives 96 Beyond the Classroom 106

From The Head’s Desk

As the 2020/21 academic year ended, I quoted former headmaster Edmund Downes who, in 1914 when St John’s had risen phoenix-like following a major fire, said he was looking forward to the future when they would have ‘a great and glorious time’ and the School would ‘go forward in a way it had never gone before’ because they had ‘learnt from their experiences of the previous year to hang together and work together.’

Well, as I reflect on 2021/22, I’m happy to say that we have indeed had a ‘great and glorious time’. It has not been without its challenges. But as the sun shone on the end of Summer Term and we celebrated with all the joyous events that traditionally mark the closing of an academic year –from Sports Day to Speech Day and the Leavers’ Ball – those challenges felt a distant memory.

We returned to school in September 2021 full of positivity and hope, with an intention to rebuild what was lost, to refocus on making progress in all areas of school life, and to retain those things we had learnt during Covid-19 times that were worth holding onto. For many of our community, particularly our youngest pupils and their families, their initial experiences of school life had been one lived virtually and physically apart. In contrast, after a slightly bumpy start, this year has been filled with shared experiences in houses, on the sports field, on stage, in classrooms, in Chapel, and through countless other wonderful moments.

While most of our older pupils had evidently got their exposure to Covid-19 out of the way during the summer holidays, thanks to a social extravaganza including Boardmasters and the Reading Festival, the first half of Autumn Term 2021 saw Covid-19 cases tear through school with 270 cases in six weeks. Many of the restrictions that had been removed were swiftly reinstated with Chapel livestreamed, the House Song Competition postponed and masks reintroduced. Despite this, and the following wave of Omicron which meant many families once again didn’t have the Christmas they had hoped for, Autumn Term saw us wave goodbye to bubbles and rebuild the camaraderie of house life, which was wonderful. We also saw renewed enthusiasm for boarding and it was really special to hear laughter echoing around the Quad in the evenings and to feel the School so full of life again.

Among the many things that have brought real joy this year, the return of live performance must be high on the list. From the impressive Concerto Competition and the atmospheric

Michaelmas Concert to Songs for a New World, Black Comedy, over a hundred pupils performing The Carnival of the Animals at Cadogan Hall and Eternal Light: A Requiem, every term has been filled with creativity, talent, music, drama and incredible team work. Read about all of the wonderful performing arts moments, across an unbelievable 45 different concerts and productions, on page 76.

I’m fairly certain that the gusto with which pupils threw themselves into an incredibly busy fixtures programme wasn’t solely because of the return of St John’s match teas but they are undoubtedly popular with competitors and supporters alike. You can read more about this year’s sporting triumphs on page 88 but one of the things I am proudest of is the amazing statistic that 89% of pupils have represented St John’s across 14 sports and 209 teams. We’re passionate about giving all pupils access to the highest standards of coaching and training, and creating opportunities for pupils of all ability levels to represent our school means that everyone who wants to can enjoy the countless benefits of competitive team sport.

While I’m talking about sport, we were thrilled to (finally!) hold the official opening of our fantastic sports centre and pool in the autumn. In what became our very own version of a postponed Covid-19 wedding, it was two years and three postponements later when former-Olympian Mark Foster was able to come and open the curtains on the plaque (see page 14). The centre is an exceptional facility for our pupils to enjoy but its construction was always intended to support the local community and, in these post-Covid-19 times, we have greatly enjoyed rebuilding our relationships, including with local primary school partners who have enjoyed swimming lessons throughout the year.

As ever, house competitions have created some of the funniest and most colourful memories of the year. The House Song Competition was delayed because pupils, quite rightly, wanted to wait until it could be done ‘properly’. When it did take place, what the unison lacked in tunefulness, it made up for in heart, with every member of every house getting involved. The House Pancake Race was also delayed – as a result of bad weather rather than Covid-19 – but was contested enthusiastically. It might be fair to say that the enthusiasm went a little too far in some cases, with Reverend Moloney’s zealous umpiring resulting in most houses being disqualified, but these joyous highlights in the calendar have been sorely missed and we have loved every second of having them back.

appeared on site and interviewed nearly 100 pupils and met with around 40 staff, as well as looking at every aspect of school life. I am delighted to say that St John’s was found to be excellent in every area. While the inspection itself only takes only a few days, it is the ongoing dedication of all of our teaching and support staff, who work incredibly hard every day to make St John’s the best it can possibly be, which creates the environment in which our pupils thrive academically and personally.

The variety of St John’s life is such that we sometimes gloss over the most fundamental reason we exist: to ignite a love of learning in our pupils and create exciting educational experiences which empower them to be aspirational about what they can accomplish. One of the most reinvigorating aspects of getting back to normal has been refocusing on a more collaborative academic experience, with pupils able to work in groups and interact more naturally in the classroom. Our pupils responded marvellously and we’ve seen fantastic examples of academic success. Our Upper Fifth and Upper Sixth coped brilliantly with the first public examination season in two years, achieving results of which they should be incredibly proud (see page 22). Beyond GCSEs and A levels, the breadth and depth of our pupils’ intellect was evident in a raft of ways, from the British Physics Olympiad Experimental Project and the national Biology Challenge, to the fascinating EPQ topics explored by our Lower Sixth, the incredible CanSat competition achievement (see page 13), and the continued excellence of our award-winning politics magazine, The Eagle.

As the year unfolded, our renewed focus on trips and enrichment saw pupils enjoy amazing experiences. Among many other things, over 100 pupils seized the opportunity to complete their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh when we launched it at St John’s earlier in the year (read more about all our DofE participants on page 90). The variety of trips and enrichment activities we offer are integral to what we believe is important and valuable about a St John’s education; what happens outside the classroom directly influences what happens within it, helping to broaden horizons, open minds and allow our pupils to grow as individuals in countless ways.

All of our effort and progress was captured following an early morning call in May announcing the imminent arrival of the Independent Schools Inspectorate for a scheduled, but Covid-19-delayed, inspection. Eight inspectors promptly

The end of every academic year is bittersweet as we say goodbye to some members of our community. This year’s Speech Day was particularly poignant because relatively few of the people who gathered together on the Quad had ever experienced a ‘normal’ St John’s Speech Day. As always, it was a chance to be inspired by our guest speaker (this year, the award-winning author and journalist Matthew Syed), to celebrate individual and collective achievements, and to bid farewell to our oldest pupils (read more on page 20). This year’s Upper Sixth and I arrived at St John’s together in September 2017. None of us could have predicted the unusual and disrupted journey we have shared in the five years since. One of the greatest legacies they leave St John’s is the way in which they have led the pupil body out of Covid-19, reasserting treasured traditions and characteristics of St John’s, while also leading us forward in so many different domains from diversity and inclusion to sustainability. They have been a force to be reckoned with this year in the very best of ways. I would particularly like to thank the prefect team and Amelia and Dan, our School Captains, for their leadership. They have demonstrated integrity, intellect, compassion and energy and truly represent the very best of what it means to be a St John’s pupil.

Reflecting on the goals I set out at the beginning of this year – to rebuild, to refocus and to retain – what do I now think is the most precious thing to retain into the future? It is, put simply, an appreciation of the power of being together. Every time school was physically closed to pupils, I felt a profound sense of loss. We missed the pupils being here, we missed working alongside our colleagues and we missed welcoming parents into school. Several years ago, in an attempt to define the essence of St John’s, we captured the idea in a concept we called MeWe: the idea that we as individuals are magnified and made greater by the rest of the community around us. From that came the complementary notion of MeWe, to describe the way the collective is enhanced and made more by each individual. This year has demonstrated the truth of those beliefs. Collectively – pupils, colleagues, governors, parents – we were all made more, coped with more and achieved more during Covid-19 times because of each other. But we were also diminished by being apart and some of the colour and some of the joy was lost from our lives. That is what has made this year so special: every experience has been enhanced by in person connection. I am so proud of what each and every member of St John’s School has achieved. Life really is back in technicolour!

Rowena Cole

"It is the ongoing dedication of all of our teaching and support staff, who work incredibly hard every day to make St John’s the best it can possibly be, which creates the environment in which our pupils thrive academically and personally"

FAREWELL FROM THE SCHOOL CAPTAINS

The last five years have simply flown by, and it is difficult to believe that we are parting ways with a school that we have both loved so much. Although we leave with sadness, we look to the future with excitement and optimism, knowing that we will always be able to look back on the memories we have made - within houses, during lessons and on the sports field - with real fondness.

Joining in the same year as Mrs Cole, we have seen St John’s change, progress and flourish in many ways over the last five years. What has remained constant, however, is its huge sense of community. The St John’s ethos of unity and kindness is what sets it apart from all other schools and has enormously contributed to the unforgettable experience we have both had. With all of the moments of triumph and fun, there have also been times of hardship and struggle. These, however, are the moments when we have learnt the most about ourselves and grown as individuals. We are both able to say that the support and encouragement we have received from the School during these tough times is what has shaped us into the hard-working and resilient young adults we are today.

A highlight of my time at the School must be the House Singing Competition in Upper Fifth when South won both the Unison and the Part Song. It was an incredibly special time as there was a huge sense of unity within the House between all five year groups, which was topped off by our double win!

Amelia

House competitions are a way in which the School has encouraged me to reach outside of my comfort zone, whilst also bringing a sense of unity and camaraderie that has created some of my strongest friendships. From taking part in house debating to representing Monty in the annual Pancake Race, I have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of house life. It is what I will miss most when I leave.

Dan

Looking back to our very first days here, we remember being wide-eyed Fourth Formers, amazed by the Prefects who walked down the aisle of the Chapel every morning and hoped that someday that could be us. As a result, being made School Captains was an enormous privilege and we are incredibly grateful to have been entrusted with the responsibility of the role. We feel that it has not only improved our leadership and communication skills but also enabled us to interact with the entire school community, from speaking to the Lower School pupils about what to expect when joining the Senior School, to meeting OJs and hearing entertaining stories of their time at the School.

At the beginning of the academic year, neither one of us was entirely sure of what to expect from the role. Although our nerves were high, we received a huge amount of support from both staff and pupils. A huge ‘thank you’ must go out to the Prefect Team who have led the School with such enthusiasm and maturity. Their hard work and devotion to St John’s has been instrumental in the School’s smooth return to normality from lockdown.

Secondly, on behalf of all the Upper Sixth pupils, we would like to express our appreciation for the Senior Leadership Team, as well as all the teachers and the sports coaches, who have worked extraordinarily hard to make our time at St John’s so remarkable. We acknowledge that running a school through a pandemic and, at times, from behind a screen, cannot have been easy and to do it with such vigor and care is a testament to the nature of St John’s and its staff. Additionally, we must thank the groundsmen, cleaning, catering, transport, administration, and estate staff who work extremely hard every day to ensure that the St John’s runs as it should. They truly make the School what it is.

To the younger years, our advice would simply be to throw yourself into life at St John’s. There will be so many fantastic opportunities presented to you over the course of your time here. Do not hesitate to take part in as much as you possibly can. What is new and unknown can be daunting, yet we hope this is something that you will embrace; you never know where new talents or friendships may be found.

We are both extremely proud to be part of St John’s and of the young adults that it has shaped us into. Although we will deeply miss the School, we take comfort in knowing that we will forever be a part of St John’s and that we will always be welcomed back. To those parting ways this year, as well as those still with time remaining at St John’s, we wish you all the best of luck for the future.

Amelia Feltham and Daniyal Khan

The support and encouragement we have received from the School during these tough times is what has shaped us into the hard-working and resilient young adults we are today.

Valete

Lise Parker

Housemistress of Gloucester/Teacher of Mathematics

Lise Parker joined St John’s for the first time in 2002 as Head of Girls’ Games, and then for a second time in 2010 as a teacher of mathematics. However, throughout her time here, she has held many titles including Head of Mathematics and Head of Initial Teacher Training. During both her tenures at St John’s, Lise has been truly committed to her teaching, the pupils and providing outstanding pastoral care: a fact which was recognised by the Senior Leadership Team when Lise was appointed as the first Housemistress of Gloucester, a girls’ boarding house, in 2013.

Lise has truly made Gloucester something special and the girls cannot comment enough on Lise’s firm but fair nature, the time she gives to every single pupil and her strong leadership over the last nine years. She has massively high expectations of the girls in her care and this has created a strong sense of cohesion; every pupil feels welcome as soon as they step into Gloucester and this is testament to the time and effort Lise has given to the House. I know that the pupils in Gloucester will dearly miss their beloved “Queen P” and Lola the dog. Lise also dedicates a huge amount of time to her teaching. She has supported numerous pupils through both mathematics GCSE and A levels, always going the extra mile to ensure they receive individual support and guidance when they need it. The department will hugely miss her attention to detail, always marking each exam paper with so much care, and her valuable pedagogical contributions to our teaching discussions. With Lise being such a stalwart in the Mathematics Department,

mentoring new teachers without a second thought, it was natural that she would step into the role of Head of Teacher Training. Over the last two years, Lise has mentored and supported over 25 teachers, whether that be as a fellow, PGCE or ECT. She puts a great deal of effort and care into the programme, running weekly sessions for the teachers to attend, and it is no surprise that ISTIP have commented on the excellent programme the School runs for new teachers.

Outside this, Lise’s offerings to the co-curricular aspects of St John’s have been phenomenal. A keen netball coach, she has coached the 1st VII and the U16As to county level success and has been a fierce umpire, often referred to as “one of the best” by opposition schools. She has also coached the 3rd XI hockey teams with Mike Bawden, run various trips (most memorably to Shamwari where she was chased by a monkey!) and is always the first to offer help at the Community Holiday. Lise’s full commitment to every aspect of school life is evident and both pupils and staff at St John’s have been fortunate to have her support, advice and guidance throughout the last 12 years.

Lise leaves St John’s for Haileybury School and I have no doubt she will make as much of an impact there as she has here. She will be very sadly missed by everyone at St John’s, but as we watch her move on, we wish her every success and happiness at her new school.

By Hannah Rowell

Stephen Blatch

Teacher of Mathematics

Stephen Blatch arrived at St John’s in September 2009 as a young and relatively inexperienced teacher of mathematics. Over his 13 years here he has not only gained significant teaching experience, teaching the subject to higher levels including further mathematics, but has also been a tutor in North House, Lower School and Haslewood. He tutored for seven years in North House, during which time he was one of very few tutors who stayed with the same year group from Fourth Form to Upper Sixth.

For ten years, Stephen held the post of Examinations Officer, building a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the role. His calm demeanour helped many pupils and invigilators at demanding times. Within this role, he also trained and managed a growing team of external invigilators, implemented increased access arrangements and managed the shift from modular to linear examination seasons. He worked closely with his assistant, Sam Thompson, and greatly appreciated her support.

In the co-curricular realm, Stephen has been heavily involved with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme. He led the Silver Award for several years, which included annual expeditions to the New Forest. During the practice expedition it was not uncommon for him to find lost souls wandering the South Downs Way on frosty mornings. For many years he also participated in and led a conservation experience visit to Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa, as well as assisting in and leading a multitude of other trips to places as far afield as Morocco and San Francisco. Perhaps one of the most telling aspects of his character is that he is that rare South African who professes no interest in or ability at sport. His commitment, kindness and friendship will be missed by the School, by those who worked with him and those who enjoyed his company, as well as the many pupils who benefitted from his teaching, tutoring and wider engagement.

We wish him well as he moves to Lady Eleanor Holles in Hampton to take up the position of second in department.

By Neil Whitmore

Hanna

Hunter

Head (Admissions); Teacher of English

Assistant

‘Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together.’

When asked to write a piece about Hanna for The Johnian, this quotation immediately came to mind. It has been proven in her time at St John’s and is evident in her legacy.

Having joined in 2011, already four years into her teaching career, Hanna’s enthusiastic ‘can do’ attitude was evident as she took on roles in both English and drama, transitioning expertly between departments before later expanding her repertoire to include classics and EPQ.

In true Hanna whirlwind fashion, she quickly employed her creativity to rewrite schemes of work, introduce the IGCSE in English and share good practice by encouraging progressive teaching methods.

Unsurprisingly, it did not take long for her to be promoted to Deputy Head of English and CPD Co-ordinator. Many of our current staff members will have fond memories of the warmth and support Hanna provided in the latter role in which she led all new staff inductions and created a bespoke teacher training programme after the demise of the GTP. When asked about her fondest memories of St John’s, aside from the 3am shenanigans at the Little Shop of Horrors after party and the School’s triumphant debut at The Edinburgh Fringe, she reflected on the privilege she felt in being able to guide such talented teachers in their early career and the pride she feels in having seen them develop and progress within, and beyond, St John’s.

In 2015, having become Director of Learning and Teacher Development, Hanna enjoyed being a part of the academic leadership team as the School prepared to open its doors to Lower Third pupils for the first time. Over the years, she continued to make a significant contribution to the academic life of the School and will be particularly remembered for her efforts in the Library.

In her most recent role as Assistant Head (Admissions), Hanna has shown a flair for data, perfectly predicting numbers, and working tirelessly with her team to deliver an admission process which conveys the warmth and values of the St John’s community to prospective families.

Hanna is a fantastic, selfless colleague who inspires those around her with her creativity, positivity, and grace. After eleven years, she will be sorely missed, but we wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

By Jenna Vinsen-Tell

Rui Antunes Sous Chef

Hannah Ascough Learning Resources

Oscar Barber Teacher of Classics and German

Laura Barron Catering Assistant Nick Burns Teacher of Classics

Kate Burrett Head of Art

Jessica Callanan Part-Time Teacher of History

Steve Chalk DofE Coordinator; Teacher of Physics

Jamie Conway Teacher of Music, School Organist

Kevin Cooper Chef de Partie Mia Van Diepen Teacher of Chemistry, Boarding Tutor

Fay Donohue Teacher of Psychology

Alex Eberlin Teacher of Psychology

Bob Elcome Minibus Driver

Chris Fellows Head of Biology

Joe Foster Minibus Driver

Anna Gambel Biology Technician

Katie Goble Netball Director

Christine Goble HR Manager Hannah Graham Teacher of Mathematics

Michelle Grasty Day House Matron

Tom Howell Head of Geography

Ashleigh Jay Sports Assistant

Georgia Kennefick Gap Student

Annabelle Lamacraft Teacher of Economics and Busines

Shahed Malik Catering Porter Marta Mussi Part time Teacher of Classics

Sarah Naughten PA to Deputy Head and Head of Sixth Form

Olga Novicka

Catering Assistant

Harshil Patel Senior Sports Assistant

Ana Arroyo Perez Teacher of Spanish

Emma Phillips Catering Assistant

Paul Reilly Head of Science

David Selyem Catering Porter

Linda Sharpe PA to Finance Director

Romy Sigusch

Teacher of German

Amy Simmonds HR Assistant - L&D

Lesley Sperrin Biology Technician

Simon Tarrant Head of D&E

Eloise Thyne Assistant Director of Performing Arts

Rob Tong Teacher of Computer Science

Charlotte Upfold Operations Manager

David Vine Head of Performance Swimming

Jacqui White Catering Assistant

Gill Wills Salad Chef

Debbie Burgess

It was with great sadness that we were informed of the death of Debbie Burgess, on 25 November 2021. Debbie was a long standing member of the St John’s community starting at the School in September 1990 until she retired in August 2020.

‘It is difficult to sum up Debbie’s outstanding contribution over many years which encompassed several roles within the School including Head of Mathematics, Assistant Head (Academic and Admissions) and latterly as the School Timetabler. She was recognised for her meticulous eye for detail, intelligent and logical mind and quiet pursuit of excellence. Debbie will be remembered not only as an outstanding teacher and tutor but also as a supportive and highly respected colleague.’ - Rowena Cole, The Head.

In staff leaving speeches, Debbie was referred to as the first Mother of the Common Room – not the most flattering of titles but, for those of us in the know, it epitomised the selfless dedication and commitment that Debbie had given to St John’s over the last 30 years.

St John’s has undergone much change during that time, from being a small all boys school with a smattering of girls in the Sixth Form to becoming the large, co-ed school that it is today. Through all of the changes, the teachings of one person remained constant.

Debbie arrived as teacher of mathematics in the Autumn Term of 1990 and, in a largely male-dominated Common Room, was able to make her mark with her sharp mathematical mind and wonderfully dry sense of humour. A trailblazer, Debbie became the first female Head of Sport, organising all things football related. Her attention to detail and total dedication to the welfare of pupils made her the natural choice as the first female Assistant Head and school timetabler. In the classroom, Debbie’s passion for the pure teaching of mathematics was recognised by all – from the brightest of those studying further mathematics to those in the lower sets who were so appreciative of her kind, calm and patient manner. Beyond the classroom, Debbie continued to be the consummate professional. Within Haslewood she guided so many girls through their teenage years and her years of knowledge were gratefully received by past housemistresses. Within house she was a teacher, a tutor, a leader, an organiser, a mother, a listening ear and a friend to both staff and girls alike.

It is deeply sad that the family time Debbie was supposed to enjoy with her son Simon and husband Roy in retirement was so short.

I am honoured to have been asked to remember Debbie’s life and share some small part of it with you in The Johnian. It had been Debbie’s wish to have her funeral at St John’s and we were so pleased that this was possible. St John’s played a huge part in Debbie’s life. Times are forever changing and the notion of staying in one career, yet alone one school, is now sometimes met with astonishment; it might be that education and teaching is a sadder place for that. Debbie’s 30 years of service to St John’s provided a constant for others. If anyone was unsure of what to teach or what usually happens at a specific point in the term, Debbie was always there to ask. Her knowledge of almost every pupil in the

School was equal to any memory game that I have seen. In passing I would mention a pupil who was on my radar and Debbie would be able to tell me which house they were in and which tutor I would have to contact. It was as if she had memorised the roll and calendar book.

She was an absolute professional, an inspiration and role model, not just to the pupils but to staff too. Debbie is probably the most successful teacher in the department in terms of results and value added and the level of respect that she commanded among pupils and parents alike was the envy of all. Debbie was simply an outstanding teacher. She quietly got on with what was important – the teaching of a subject that she was passionate about – and the pupils loved her for it. Debbie’s ability as a teacher enabled her to be as comfortable with the further mathematicians she challenged every lesson as she was with those in bottom GCSE sets.

Debbie had a mind like a steel trap which missed nothing and we all had enormous respect for her integrity. This very much defined Debbie as an individual and it was no accident that she gained more serious titles than Head of Football, Head of Department, Head of Exams and finally Assistant Head of Admissions – all requiring a level of integrity which she had in spades. Much of what she put in place in her admissions role is still being used today. Debbie was in her element and loved interviewing prospective pupils. She was amazing at putting them at ease in what can often be quite a stressful time and always found something positive about them.

Early on in her time at St John’s, Debbie tutored the Sixth Form girls in South before becoming a long-standing member of the Surrey House tutor team where she brought her trademark mix of warmth, humour and just a hint of steel to the role. The boys held her in enormous respect, not least for her detective skills when investigating mysteries such as how a slice of toast came to be Sellotaped to the 20 foot high ceiling of the Lower Fifth day room or for finding the precise mathematical formula to divide seven pizzas by 11 boys without provoking a riot. She took everything in her stride with utmost calm and professionalism. Her Housemaster at the time, Nick Johnson-Jones, was grateful for all she brought to the party – and I am sure that the boys were too. In more recent years, Debbie tutored girls in Haslewood. She had a no-nonsense approach when it came to enforcing school rules and earned a reputation for being firm but fair. However, beneath this she had an incredibly warm heart and she cared deeply for the pupils she tutored and taught. It was always fascinating to see the way that the girls who railed against authority responded to Debbie as a tutor. They had a fierce loyalty to Debbie and a respect and affection for her that meant she became their rock, seeing them through the ups and downs of their time at St John's. Many pupils and tutees kept on asking after Debbie and in our final WhatsApp exchange Debbie was still thinking as a teacher and wrote “Children always have the capacity to surprise us”.

Lise Parker

Shining Stars

Pupils who created and published our school politics magazine, The Eagle, were entered into the highly competitive Shine National School Media Awards 2022. We were delighted to see them nominated in two categories, concluding in our pupils receiving two awards at the Shine Awards ceremony in central London on Monday 27 June.

We are incredibly pleased to report that The Eagle achieved two awards – ‘Best Front Cover 2022’ and pupil editor Keir was highly commended for the ‘Best Magazine Design 2022’ category. The judges commented:

‘With an emotionally charged, stunning cover that sets the tone, news-magazine style and clear layout, The Eagle is impactful and thoughtful. A strong and serious school magazine’

‘With good reason, The Eagle felt no need to wait to declare Volodymyr Zelensky their Person of the Year. A superb cover combines a file photo over bold streaks of paint and Slava Ukraini. Our judges were unanimous in their praise of this of-the-moment, bold statement.’

Head of Politics, Julian Thomas said of their achievement: ‘I am so proud of all the writers and editors of the

Eagle, but also I am delighted that they have been rightly recognised for what is a remarkable publication.’

It is a fantastic achievement for our politics pupils, and we are very proud of their achievements and the hard work that goes into each issue.

The St John’s Politics Magazine, The Eagle has been published each term for nearly a decade, and the magazine has grown impressively over this time. The magazine is researched, written, and edited by pupils, and pupils from across every year group is welcome to write for the magazine.

Pupil editors host meetings and manage the pupil additions, as well as writing pieces themselves. Features can be written on any topic of their choosing – sport, culture, music, history, current affairs – if it has a political angle.

We are thrilled to see so many pupils taking a keen interest in politics, and key topics. Every edition of The Eagle features a diverse and impressive array of contributions, with pupils showcasing their engagement in political topics and discussions. Moreover, the research, debating and writing skills required to create their feature broadens their future horizons, not just in politics but also across their school subjects.

2022 CANSAT COMPETITION

At the beginning of May we were both proud and delighted to celebrate of the impressive achievement of a group of our Lower Sixth pupils, who became national winners of the UK CanSat Competition 2022, and will now progress to Bologna, Italy to represent the UK in the European finals in June.

The ‘Eagles’ CanSat team was formed in late September 2021. Led by teacher Aaron Mooney, a group of six Lower Sixth pupils studying a range of science and technology based A levels came together, benefitting from their broad range of skills and interests.

‘We decided to take part in this STEM challenge due to our common interests, the challenge of the sensing conditions, communicating data and teamwork and then answering a simple question. For us, this was not simply about sending a piece of hardware one kilometre up into the sky and watching it fall to earth, but to see if a serious scientific question can be answered within a short space of time accurately.’ – The Eagles CanSat Team

Initially the group challenged the science behind the question "Could a calculation be generated to show a life-index value that indicates if life was sustainable". Several weeks of heated debate ensued, as they gradually unravelled how they would sense atmospheric gases as a satellite fell to the surface of the planet. It was key to the group that the sensing, calculations and ultimately the answer was indicated on their ground station by the time the satellite hit the surface. This had multiple layers of complexity. The team’s second mission was to determine the suitability of a selected planet for supporting human life on arrival and then to calculate survival, to conclude whether it warrants further study using a range of additional sensors.

Pupils defined their own roles within the group: Jonathan – Project Manager, Alex – Hardware and Electronics, Will Sumpter – Software and Transmission of Data, Amica - Data Collection and Data Analysis, Asantewaa – Data Collection and Data Analysis, William Johnson – Community, Branding and Social Media. As part of the assessment criteria the group also needed to develop an outreach programme: social media,

website, corporate identity with logo design and of course the all-important t-shirts! Pupils were delighted to received sponsorship and support from PyroScience.

Aaron Mooney commented: ‘The team of pupils put in a huge number of hours outside lessons, after school and at weekends each week to complete the paperwork, build and code the satellite and make the maths work; it paid off. At the UK finals, (University of York) the science, maths and electronics worked, we delivered an outstanding functioning satellite and proved to a tough board of PhD Astro Physics judges that the pupils were knowledgeable, intelligent and cohesive team members. We are now on our way to the European Finals in Bologna, Italy from 20-25 June to represent the UK - a wonderful achievement.’

The UK CanSat Competition Finals took place across three days in York at the National STEM Learning Centre. On launch day the teams launched their CanSats by small rockets to approximately 400 metres in height and collected data such as air pressure and temperature as they descended back down to their ground station.

Following their achievement at the UK CanSat Competition, Ingmar Kamalagharan (Education and Outreach Manager at the UK Space Agency) addressed the St John's pupils: "Don't underestimate how important this is; today you represented your school, tomorrow you represent the UK in the European Finals. The scientific question you have set and the outstanding work you have done will prove to be an incredible foundation from which to build - winning this competition will change lives"

St John's Eagles win has recently been published on the ERESO / STEM UK website, and celebrated by many outlets such as the UK Space Agency:

‘Team Eagles wanted to use their CanSat to determine the suitability of an Exoplanet for supporting human life and to calculate survival using a range of sensors. As well as air pressure and temperature they measured Oxygen, CO2, humidity, UV light and Carbon Monoxide. Their CanSat then looked at the data collected, scored the risks and decided if the Exoplanet was suitable for further research’

Sports Centre

OFFICIAL OPENING

On Wednesday 6 October 2021, we were delighted to welcome Olympian and former World Champion Mark Foster as our guest of honour to officially open the St John’s Sports Centre!

Autumn 2019 saw the completion of our exciting project to replace the old swimming pool with a new competition-standard six lane, 25m pool, as well as exceptional new sports facilities including a new conditioning suite, studio and sports changing areas.

We were thrilled to see pupils’ enthusiasm as we opened the doors to the new sports centre at the start of the 2019-20 academic year; from the stunning pool to the brilliantly equipped fitness suite, pupils began making use of everything on offer. We’d originally hoped to hold an official opening in early 2020, however the Covid-19 pandemic quashed

those hopes, resulting in the event taking place little later than intended. Nevertheless, we are tremendously excited about the Sports Centre and what it will provide to our school and the local community.

The Sports Centre is an impressive addition to the School, which has been nominated for a Royal Institute of British Architects award, and enabled us to offer opportunities to a number of local primary schools, including Leatherhead Trinity, St Peter’s, West Ashtead, Epsom Primary and West Hill, a special school for children with learning and additional needs. It has also provided a high-quality facility for

the wider community and has already been used by local swimming, netball and cricket clubs.

Whilst the delays we faced were disappointing, they pale into insignificance compared to the struggles faced with the construction of the first ever St John’s swimming pool! Following the 1913 school fire and the Great War, the swimming bath was opened in 1925 as a memorial to the Old Johnians lost in World War I, some forty years after originally desired! In 1930, our swimming team entered the Bath Cup for the first time, and began, unbeknownst to them at the time, a lasting tradition, as the Bath Cup is still a highlight of the competitive swimming calendar and, in 2018, our boys and girls won their respective Dunelm and Aldenham cups, making St John’s the first school to ever win all four cups and setting new records in the process.

Mark Foster officially opened the Sports Centre, enthusing about the phenomenal facilities available to our community; Mark spoke to parents and pupils about the importance of perseverance and shooting for the stars. As one of the UK’s most successful competitive swimmers of all time, Mark is a true inspiration to not only our young aspiring athletes, but all pupils, becoming the fastest swimmer in the country at the age of 15. Whilst displaying two of his favourite medals, he discussed the previous ’23 years of not giving up, and keeping on believing!’

During the evening, The Head Rowena Cole spoke to esteemed guests about the Sports Centre and during her speech, commented: ‘We all recognise that buildings don’t make a school. It’s people – this wonderful community of pupils, staff, parents, and friends - who define us. But buildings can represent something powerful about our values and about what we’re striving for: they can represent aspiration; they can represent the commitment to do things to the very best of our ability; and they can represent a desire to give back to the wider community.’

The Head gave her thanks to everybody who contributed to making the ambitious construction project a reality. ‘I know what a difference it will make, not only to our own pupils but also to the many others who we’ll be able to share these facilities with, for many years to come.’

Olympian and World Champion,

The Head often discusses the importance of aiming high, and that pupils should push themselves with determined effort to aim for and achieve brilliance, and this is something Mark Foster resonated with throughout his speech. Whilst Mark was encouraged and supported throughout his life by his committed family, just as our pupils are supported by their families and our school community, he stressed the effort that he invested to train, compete and win medals was something only he was responsible for. Mark summarised to pupils that ‘you get out what you put in – if you put in 1/10 effort, you will get a 1/10 results but with the right attitude and behaviour, and putting in 10/10 you can achieve anything! Whatever you do, whether it be sport or any other

endeavours – you never know what is possible if you commit to something. If you don’t try, you can’t fail, so it is always better to give it a go!’

The Head closed the speeches by thanking Mark and concluded with the hope that our pupils should be inspired to ‘Be bold. Be brave. And look beyond what you know you can achieve, to find the edges of your brilliance.’

We are tremendously excited about the Sports Centre and what it will provide to our school and the local community.

Futures

LAYING DOWN THE LAW FOUNDATIONS

technique and approaches, increasing their confidence in the chances of maximising their scores.

Prospective lawyers and law applicants have also gained insight from current university students and those working in the field through in-school workshops.

Many pupils at St John’s are interested in pursuing Law as a university degree and/or career, and have spent time both in and out of school to help them develop their insights into this highly competitive yet rewarding field.

Universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL and Durham, require pupils wishing to study Law to sit the LNAT, a challenging examination which tests critical thinking and essay writing abilities. Those working towards this test have completed preparation classes at St John’s to aid their understanding of the required

Outside of school, many aspiring lawyers currently studying at St John’s have arranged a wide range of legal work experience, including at firms such as Clifford Chance, Pinsent Masons and SW19 Lawyers.

Unsurprisingly, law is highly competitive, and those wishing to pursue a career and/or degree in this field should ensure they are maximising their chances of success by both utilising the available resources and developing their insights independently.

HEALTHCARE HOPEFULS

Medicine and healthcare are desirable but highly competitive fields for some of our science-minded Johnians and they have pursued opportunities both within and beyond school to support their ambitions.

Alongside the opportunity to attend MedSoc, where pupils can discuss scientific and ethical issues and prepare for their BMAT and UCAT exams, those interested in medicine attended a hands-on workshop with a consultant hand and wrist surgeon from the Frimley Health NHS Trust, where they got up close and personal with a wide range of medical instruments!

Aspiring psychologists heard from NHS chartered clinical psychologist Dr Anna Gosling about what working in psychology is really like, as well as entering the Royal Holloway Psychology competition.

Beyond school, many pupils have organised work experience and volunteering in medicine and healthcare, giving them the opportunity to gain insights into the interpersonal skills required to work with patients, and even allowing them to witness medical procedures first-hand. Lucie who hopes to become a doctor and completed work experience at St George’s Hospital, was able to see procedures such as the removal of a tumour from a lung.

She commented ‘I have only been further encouraged to follow that path [medicine] and am very grateful to every doctor I met who was very inspiring and gave me lots of useful advice.’ She added ‘I believe that work experience is truly the best way to discover whether a career path is meant for you and therefore I would highly recommend pupils find work experience if they can.’

WORK EXPERIENCE

From science to start-ups, teaching to technology, medicine to marketing, over 85% of St John’s Lower Sixth pupils surveyed completed work experience in the academic year 2021-22, partaking in placements in a wide range of fields.

Following Covid-19, securing work experience is not always easy, with many schemes still not running in their pre-pandemic forms, but pupils have recognised the value of gaining first-hand experience in their fields of interest and have shown impressive ability in securing placements.

Two pupils, Jack and Amica, were successful in their applications for the prestigious, highly competitive sciencebased Diamond Light Source work experience scheme, giving them the opportunity to pursue projects at the UK's National Synchrotron Light Source science facility located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire.

FUTURES

Jack said of the week 'working alongside some of the top cheminformatics scientists in the world, I had the opportunity to work on new pieces of code, and make new molecules to help automate the process of discovering drugs in the future. The part I enjoyed the most was the ability to use multimillion pound pieces of equipment

and take part in practical work that you don't have the chance to do at school. It was an amazing experience and has definitely helped me to gauge a better understanding of my future career options, having spoken to numerous people at Diamond who have come from completely different fields of science, I would highly recommend everyone who is interested in science to apply for this incredible work experience'.

Amica was similarly enthusiastic, remarking 'It was a very enriching experience. Understanding the theory was challenging in the best way possible, while preparing samples for analysis and a presentation to display our research involved gaining a firmer understanding of what a career in physics research looked like'.

Fellow science enthusiast Mia successfully interviewed and secured a place at the Centre of the Cell work experience week at the Blizard Institute at Queen Mary, University of London, enhancing her insights into biomedical science, which she hopes to study at university.

She found the experience highly valuable, commenting 'it was an amazing experience and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that would like to do biological sciences or medicine'.

Several pupils made the jump from pupil to (assistant) teacher, completing work experience in primary schools. Amongst these was Chloe who returned to her old

primary school, Downsend, and helped Year 2 classes make scones in their cooking lesson, design posters for a tea party, and work in the school garden. She utilised her language skills by supporting the rehearsal for a French play by helping pupils with their lines and even helped to mark their books! Chloe commented that she found her teaching to be 'a very rewarding and eye-opening experience'.

Francesca also organised a primary school work placement where she had the opportunity to help pupils with learning difficulties and share her passion for art. Following the week, Francesca said that 'everyone should try and attempt to do some work experience' and that she had found hers 'so rewarding'.

Other fields in which St John’s pupils have undertaken work experience include: architecture, sport, business, marketing, accountancy, film, hospitality, engineering, HR and graphic design.

FOURTH FORM CAREERS CAROUSEL

On Wednesday 15 June, all Fourth Form pupils attended a careers carousel morning, which gave them the opportunity to complete a carousel of hands-on workshops aimed at encouraging them to start thinking about different careers and what working in them might involve.

The careers included in the carousel were: robotics, media, marketing, medicine, law, property and finance. Pupils completed five workshops, designed to give them insights into a variety of fields, both scientific and creative. They completed tasks which differed from their usual schoolwork, such as working out how to invest in stocks, designing an environmentally-friendly building for a vacant site in Leatherhead, and evaluating who to prioritise for organ donation. The workshops were run by experts working in the different fields, which enabled St John’s pupils to get an inside view of rapidly evolving industries.

Pupils were highly positive about their experience of the morning, with over 95% of those surveyed rating it as ‘engaging’ or ‘very engaging’.

We hope pupils will be inspired to build on their insights from the careers carousel as they progress through St John’s.

BUSINESS BRAINS: UNILEVER WORKSHOP

In October Lower Sixth pupils applied to take part in a business skills and branding workshop with Unilever, a multinational company committed to sustainability. They were selected based on the passion and interest reflected in their application.

In teams of four, pupils had to choose one of the brands affiliated with Unilever (Persil, Simple, Impulse, Walls or Hellmans) and design an innovative new product, taking account of factors such as: costings, unique selling point, target market, packaging design and advertising, and also focusing on fitting it with Unilever’s sustainable, environmentally friendly approach.

They then had to pitch their product to the Unilever representatives, putting their public speaking skills to the test, and answer questions about their product following their pitch, testing their ability to perform under pressure.

All the teams produced excellent, workable ideas but the winning team,

APPLYING TO OXBRIDGE

consisting of Daisy, Asantewaa, Katie and Jonny, stood out with their innovative perfume product Duopulse, combining two different scents, one spray and one roll-on, in a two-way bottle which was small enough to carry around. Their team aimed to make the brand Impulse more gender-neutral, as well as providing an environmentallyfriendly, cost effective and versatile product.

Pupils were highly positive about the experience; Lara commented 'it was a really great experience and gave me a real insight into the world of business' and Asantewaa agreed, saying 'I really enjoyed the workshop, it was exciting, hands-on and helped me gather knowledge about the business world'.

Daisy, who is interested in how branding links to psychology, stated 'it was really interesting to hear from the professionals and helped me think about what path I might want to pursue in the future'

Following the workshop, the group learned more about Unilever’s values, ethos and approach to business, as well as the different possible pathways they might take if they wanted to work in the company.

The representatives from Unilever were hugely impressive with the pupils’ enthusiasm, energy and quality of ideas; they are truly the innovative business minds of the next generation.

At St John’s, we aim to support all pupils with their aspirations for the next steps beyond school, including those who are hoping to apply to the most traditionally academic and competitive universities: Oxford and Cambridge. Many pupils who hope to study at ‘Oxbridge’, as the two universities are often known, have earlier deadlines and additional elements that they must complete as part of their applications, including entrance tests, submission of written work and interviews, and hence extra assistance is invaluable.

This year, those applying to Oxford or Cambridge from St John’s have been supported by both subject mentors and the Head of Sixth Form Enrichment. As much of the focus for Oxbridge admissions tutors is candidates’ passion for and depth of understanding of their chosen subject(s), we encourage and support applicants to attend subject extension classes, meet regularly with their subject mentor, develop personal reading lists tailored to their preferred topics and pursue enriching and stretching academic opportunities, such as entering essay competitions. Preparation classes for entrance tests such as the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) are delivered by either departmental staff or external specialists, depending on expertise available, and pupils sit mock entrance tests as part of Lower Sixth assessment week.

Each applicant has several individual progress meetings with the Head of Sixth Form Enrichment, designed to help them develop and review a personalised action plan for their application. These meetings help them with aspects such as choosing a college, ensuring their personal statement is suitably academically rigorous and preparing for interviews.

St John’s pupils also had the experience to get an insight into Oxbridge life first hand, with a trip to Oxford in June, where they had the chance to visit their prospective departments, tour around a range of colleges, chat to current students and even experience the quintessential Oxbridge tradition of punting, with rather mixed results!

In November, St John’s Oxbridge applicants have a mock interview with an individual external to the school, designed to give them the experience of sustaining discussion with someone unfamiliar, critically analysing previously unseen material and developing rigorous, well-formed arguments of academic perspectives.

Of course, securing a place at Oxbridge is highly competitive, and only becoming more so, but pupils usually find that even the process of preparing for an application helps them develop academically and personally, regardless of whether they receive an offer.

EPQ Presentation Evening

At the beginning of the Summer Term, we showcased the hard work of our Lower Sixth EPQ pupils at our inaugural EPQ Presentation Evening, where pupils were invited to present their projects in a marketplace style event, to a selection of staff, pupils, and parents.

For our Sixth Form pupils, The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is an optional extra that pupils can choose to take alongside their A level subjects, which aims to promote academic skills and independent learning and is a single piece of work that pupils choose to undertake on a topic of their choosing. Throughout their EPQ, pupils develop skills that are transferrable to undergraduate learning such as dissertation writing, planning, academic research, presentation skills and time management.

Choosing to do the EPQ alongside their A level studies is a significant undertaking for pupils. The course sees pupils attend workshops to learn more about the research required, whilst they decide upon their specific focus for their independent work, which often compliments existing subject studies or compliments the course they wish to apply for at university. With ongoing support and supervision, pupils complete an independent study culminating in either a dissertation of around 5,000 words or the creation of an artefact with supporting analysis.

The evening was a great success and one member of staff commented, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed yesterday's EPQ evening. From my point of view, it was one of the best events I have seen at St John's in terms of what it demanded and delivered from the pupils: engagement, poise, research, knowledge, and theoretical synthesis. I spoke to a handful of pupils and I got the definitive sense of engagement and knowledge and was impressed by them all.’

Head of EPQ, Richard Harvey commented: ‘It was truly a privilege to see the Lower Sixth being the experts in the room and how quickly any nerves were forgotten as they engaged with their audience about their chosen topics. One of the main benefits of doing an EPQ is the opportunity to learn skills that will be an assistance for tertiary education: research, referencing, evaluating sources, time management and the pupils were particularly adept at thinking on their feet.’

‘It was truly a privilege to see the Lower Sixth being the experts in the room’

This year, pupil’s projects have explored a fantastic range of topics and questions as diverse as:

‘Does Wealth have a direct correlation with happiness?’

‘Should diplomatic immunity exist?’

‘An analysis of social media usage and its subsequent effect on the mental, social and physical health of adolescents and young adults’

‘As the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic what can be learnt from the 2008 financial crisis and the 1929 Great Depression to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past?’

‘Is freedom of speech under threat in the UK?’

SPEECH DAY 2022

The academic year ended in spectacular fashion on Saturday 2 July. As anticipation built for the return of Speech Day (the first since 2019!), the last few days of term were packed full of celebrating everything we love about belonging to the St John’s community.

The last week of term always provides unique opportunities for enrichment, and high-spirited activities.

Pupils embarked on two fun-filled enrichment days, packed full of extra-curricular activities on Wednesday and Thursday. With activities and trips such as film making, a political history walking tour, psychology competition, fantastic

workshops, work experience, visits to Oxford University, Hampton Court, Chessington World of Adventures, Tate Britain and the overnight CCF field trip, all pupils enjoyed enthusiastically exploring new topics, adventures and challenges.

The Lower School Speech Day took to the marquee on Thursday afternoon and saw pupils and staff pupils reflect upon an incredibly fun and busy year of sport, music, drama, charitable fundraising, trips, and academic challenge. The individual

and enthusiastic approach that Lower School pupils have taken to this academic year has been incredible, and this has shone through in their brilliant and engaging Lower School Projects. Pupils spoke wonderfully as they talked about the friendships they have formed, the laughter, the sense of belonging, the teamwork and collaboration they have enjoyed, and how much they are looking forward to the next stages of their St John’s education.

On Friday 1 July, the whole school was transported by 15 coaches to enjoy

The sun shone gloriously on the Quad as pupils, parents, staff, and governors joined to celebrate the year

a fantastic Sports Day at K2 Sports Centre in Crawley. In only its second year Sports Day has already become a firm favourite in the St John’s calendar. Pupils (and staff!) ran, jumped, and threw in a spectacle of athletic prowess, good natured rivalry, and house loyalty, which was all topped off with a good measure of ice-cream kindly sponsored by the SJPA.

The academic year at St John’s ended with the much-anticipated return of Speech Day on Saturday 2 July. The sun shone gloriously on the Quad as pupils, parents, staff, and governors joined to celebrate the year, present prizes, and bid a fond farewell to our departing Upper Sixth.

The Head, Rowena Cole, was able to share the outstanding news that St John's School has achieved the highest grading possible during our recent ISI Inspection, and was judged to be excellent in all areas, alongside meeting all regulatory compliance standards. The news was met by rapturous applause and shared delight across our community. We are incredibly proud of the results of the inspection, and you can find some of the key findings of the inspection report on the School website.

Alongside awarding end of year prizes, The Head highlighted the varied array of achievements of our community over the last year, from sports, performing arts, academic and creative excellence, CCF and DofE, fundraising, and adventures - the list is vast! The academic year also focused on the reconnection and return of audiences and events, and above all rebuilding the elements we most missed from St John’s during the Covid-19 pandemic. Discussing the return to events, The Head commented: ‘every time we came together for events, the sense of connection felt more intense than we had experienced previously’.

As we bid a fond farewell to our departing Upper Sixth, The Head spoke of their legacy: ‘You and I arrived together in September 2017 and none of us expected the disrupted and unusual journey we have shared. One of your greatest legacies to St John’s will be leading us out from the difficulties of Covid-19, reasserting some of the important traditions and characteristics of St John’s while also leading us forward in so many different domains from diversity and inclusion, to anti-bullying and sustainability. You have proved to be a force to be

reckoned with this year and in the very best of ways. I would particularly like to thank the prefect team and Amelia and Dan, our school captains, for their leadership. You have demonstrated integrity, intellect, compassion and energy in your leadership and truly represent the very best of what it means to be a St John’s pupil’.

We were thrilled to have welcomed award-winning author and journalist Matthew Syed as our guest speaker, whose insightful and thoughtprovoking words resonated with many of the 1600 guests in the audience. Aided by his inspiring words, we look forward to returning in September full of optimism, and resilience to grasp, and grow through, the year ahead.

The end of term celebrations provided a unique and special moment to pause and look back on the previous few years, and the overarching resilience, strength, and spirit of the St John’s community.

Exceptional Results

IMPRESSIVE A LEVEL RESULTS FOR CLASS OF 2022

St John’s Class of 2022 has plenty to celebrate following an outstanding set of A level results, with 31% of grades A*, 65% A*-A and 87% A*-B.

Among the year group, whose final three years at school were seriously affected by Covid-19 and who did not sit GCSEs so approached their A levels as their first experience of public examinations, 20 pupils achieved three or four straight A* grades and over half the year group achieved all A*-A grades.

There have also been exceptional performances from many subject departments, including 100% A*-A grades in subjects such as further mathematics and drama and over 70% A*-A in geography, history, politics, religious studies, German, music and Latin.

This leaving year group must also be commended on their incredible resilience and strength of character which St John’s prides itself on developing in every pupil.

Rowena Cole, The Head, said: 'These impressive results are testament to the hard work, determination and

adaptability that both our pupils and teachers have demonstrated when managing unusually challenging classroom experiences, virtual learning, illness and uncertainty. With their fortitude and determination they have embodied our ethos of high standards and high hopes, while holding on to their high spirits, throughout everything they have faced.

They have not only navigated the normal pressures of being in the Upper Sixth but have done an incredible job leading the way in re-establishing the defining characteristics of St John’s post-pandemic, enjoying the full breadth of academic and co-curricular

next, they will always be part of St John’s as much loved members of the OJ community. We wish them every success for the future.

This has been a fantastic year for St John’s with amazing success across all areas, including being rated ’excellent’ in every area in their recent ISI Inspection in May, winning the national CanSat competition, winning a prestigious media award for The Eagle, the pupil-produced politics magazine, see page 12, and winning a national sporting title in hockey.

The importance of contributing to the local community has continued

experience and setting a positive example for younger years. I know they are ready to seize all the exciting opportunities ahead of them.'

The vast majority of leavers will be moving on to their first-choice university but wherever they head

to be a priority, demonstrated through their work with the Epsom and Ewell Refugee network to host a four week language school for refugees from Ukraine as well as holding the annual residential holiday for children with learning difficulties.

This leaving year group must also be commended on their incredible resilience and strength of character

GCSE RESULTS FOR ST JOHN’S PUPILS IN 2022

The 2022 cohort of St John’s Upper Fifth are celebrating another year of outstanding GCSE success this summer. In the first year of ‘normal’ GCSE examinations since the pandemic, the pupils have excelled with an impressive 58% of all grades awarded 9-8 (A*) and 82% of all grades awarded 9-7 (A*-A).

A remarkable 30 pupils achieved all 8 and 9 grades with 11 of those achieving straight 9s.

Rowena Cole, The Head, commented: ‘Our Upper Fifth pupils have shown so much strength of character and genuine enthusiasm for learning in what has been an unusual couple of years for everyone. I’m incredibly proud of their attitude, and the dedication of our staff, which meant that outstanding teaching and learning remained the focus throughout, no matter the disruption they faced.

These fantastic results put our pupils in a great position to embrace the exciting challenge of A levels. When the new school year begins they will have so many brilliant opportunities ahead of them, both in terms of their academic development and in their personal development. I know they’ll be great assets to St John’s as they move into Sixth Form.’

The Sixth Form at St John’s is an exciting and ambitious environment, full of opportunities. The pupils have already completed workshops and an introduction to their A level subjects in preparation for this exciting next chapter.

When the new school year begins they will have so many brilliant opportunities ahead of them

During the week, the School community were invited to attend a visitors evening – comprising of a fashion show and sing-song. When asked what they took away from their visit, these were some of the answers that truly sum up the heart of the Community Holiday:

'A great evening, loved the show. Hands still hurt from clapping!'

'What an amazing, joyful and magical experience' 'Joy, love, friendship, trust'

'Wonderful to see the holiday makers so confident and happy'

'What a fantastic evening – full of love and happiness'

'Watching the children so proud of themselves in the fashion show. Was very special'

'An outstanding evening and programme to support disabled children. The enthusiasm, energy and fun of both helpers and the young people was totally infections. Well done, and keep it going!'

The 2022 St John’s School Community Holiday welcomed children with disabilities, aged 10-18, to participate in a residential stay at St John’s for a week jam-packed with activities and fun!

Many of the participants, both children and volunteers, have enjoyed previous community holidays at St John’s. We were delighted to welcome 21 children this year who were warmly cared for by 43 present and former pupils, together with some external staff, all of whom are volunteers.

Prior to the holiday, pupils and St John’s staff completed training and fundraising. Taking place at St John’s School and making use of the School’s boarding houses, the holiday allows parents and carers a week of much-needed respite safe in the knowledge that their children are being fully cared for, supported and having a fantastic time. The St John’s community enjoy offering support in many ways, from driving minibuses to joining in the much-loved fancy dress sing-a-longs.

Together they enjoyed events that ranged from playground games, a visit from a magician, a visiting petting zoo, and a balloon-twisting workshop. The week was filled with fun and adventure from horse-riding to fairground rides at Littlehampton and bigger rides at Chessington World of Adventures.

The children’s parents appreciate the social opportunities the holiday offers, as well as the respite they gain. One parent wrote that her son ‘has the best time and keeps gazing at all the photos and the holiday journal’. Another wrote that her daughter ‘absolutely loves the people, the activities, the independence from us’.

The staff who care for the children also find the experience wholly worthwhile, with a new helper stating that it was one of the ‘best weeks of her life’ and that she hopes to return next year.

UKRAINIAN REFUGEE SUMMER LANGUAGE SCHOOL

This summer, we were delighted to welcome the Epsom and Ewell Refugee Network (EERN) to St John’s School to host their first Summer Language School. The fantastic project team at EERN set out with the objective of teaching Ukrainian refugee adults and children English over the school holidays and providing much-needed guidance.

Adult refugees were given important support with an intensive course of learning English whilst receiving childcare, which allowed them the opportunity to learn whilst their children were cared for. With delays in school places being allocated for refugee children, many children had not yet received any schooling, and a safe space for them to learn, play, meet other children and be kept safe whilst their parents studied too was incredibly well received.

The camp was made possible by an incredible team of 130 volunteers including a great number of teachers, who delivered a curriculum filled with imagination and fun! In total, volunteers provided over 2,800 hours of support from administration to building sandcastles; everybody had a huge part to play in creating a warm and caring environment. We were proud to have several St John’s staff participating and supporting the language school.

As a charitable organisation, EERN were incredibly grateful for the support given by further organisations including James’ Jar of Gifts, Yulife Insurance, Silicon Valley Bank with funding and teaching hours.

'Where would we find the premises at such short notice? Look no further than St John’s School, Leatherhead, who immediately said yes to everything we asked for. They donated a site beyond our wildest hopes, a self-contained building with classrooms, gardens and specialist spaces, safe access, and parking! The St John’s sites team were engaged and enthusiastic even though this was their busiest time of the year they would drop everything to fix a tap or repair a child’s bike! An IT team who were too available! We popped in constantly with our IT issues and they were brilliant. The SLT made sure that we had the total support of the School and its Foundation, and they truly delivered on their charitable purpose. WE thank you!'

EERN Summer Language School

It was incredibly moving to see the families bravely entering a new environment to begin their learning. EERN welcomed 116 children for a total of 6,400 hours, and 70 adults with Nescot College for 5,600 hours over 16 days. As the days passed, confidence grew, and friendships were made. 'Screams of joy, laughter and children playing, they made new friends and were able to relax back into their home languages amongst other children who knew only too well what they had left behind. They were happy, safe, and full of excitement.'

There wasn’t a dry eye across the School on the final day of the summer camp, which coincided with Ukrainian Independence Day (24 August). Parents loved seeing their children in National dress, singing, dancing and reciting poetry. The children showed enthusiasm throughout their time at the camp, and now head off into new adventures at school with much more confidence.

I would like to thank all the organisers, teachers, and volunteers for the wonderful four weeks of studying at the summer school. I wish you all health, wellbeing, and the fulfillment of all your dreams and wishes. Thank you for your kind heart and for the love and care you give to Ukrainians. I am extremely happy that fate brought me together with you, but it is a pity that in such a difficult situation for me. We will never forget your concern.

Thank you, great people. We feel your help and support every minute. We appreciate all what you are doing. Thanks for opening your hearts for us.

Thank you so much for your support! We are very grateful for this opportunity and for everything that you have done for us! Hope for a peace. Glory to Ukraine, Glory to UK!

Find out more about EERN via: epsomrefugeenetwork.org

This

year

in Lower School

Itgives me great pleasure to be writing this article having had a year that was much more like my first year at St John’s than the Covid-19 interrupted ones. I continue to be impressed by the sheer amount and variety of activities and achievements that the Lower School pupils have managed to achieve, and I am incredibly proud of them all.

It has been an exceptionally busy year and a real pleasure seeing the Lower School community grow and develop. I am writing this in my office surrounded by a staggering array of fantastic Lower School projects. Reflecting on this year, whilst I never lose sight of how our pupils have embraced kindness and our ethos of high hopes, high standards and high spirits, this year has been the year that enrichment has really taken off. Whether it is learning study skills, questioning an MP at the Houses of Parliament, pitching a charity cause to a panel of experts or creating the aforementioned Lower School projects, the myriad of supercurricular opportunities pupils have are incredibly exciting.

On a personal note, I would like to thank pupils and parents for continuing to support the Lower School and it is with a sense of genuine pride and satisfaction that I look back on everything that the pupils have achieved.

The tutor team have worked tirelessly to support the pupils and I am hugely grateful for all of the extra hours that they give to the pupils to make sure they are happy and able to fulfil their potential. My thanks go to Mr Helliwell and Miss Rowell, who have been incredible Heads of Year and know they would like to echo my thanks to their respective tutor teams. We give our warmest thanks to Mr Witts, Mr Andrews, Miss Mussi and Mrs Anderson who are moving on to new challenges within the School and I would like to take this opportunity to wish Mrs Hunter every success for the future as she leaves St John’s. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank Miss Rowell for all of her hard work, pastoral expertise and genuine care for all of the pupils in the Lower School over the past five years. I know that the girls in Gloucester are very lucky to have her and she and Bella will be greatly missed.

I am extremely proud of each and every one of our Lower School pupils; it is fantastic that we can gather at Speech Day and celebrate their achievements. To the Upper Thirds, I know that they will all be a credit to the Houses they will be joining and hope that will come back and see us from time to time. I look forward to seeing what they will all accomplish during the next five years.

From the Head of Lower School – Richard Harvey

It has been so fantastic to have the Lower School buzzing with energy and excitement this year and Lower Third pupils have been such a vital part of this. The transition into a new school is an emotional time: there is such a sense of anticipation and opportunity but there are also some inevitable nerves alongside. One thing I love about St John’s is that pupils are encouraged to throw themselves into everything that they do – whether it is their academic subjects, sport, music, drama, or even an activity at lunchtimes. This starts right at the very beginning with the High Ashurst trip, and I offer my thanks to Charlie and Heidi for their reflections on this later on in this article. It is through shared experiences and mutual interests

that the pupils are able to form the friendships that will sustain them through their time at school so joining in is so important. As such, it has been so pleasing to see how many activities and sports the pupils have got involved in. I hope you enjoy reading all about them in the article written by Joshua and Amber below and I know that some of the Upper Thirds have also given you a taste of what might be in store for next year!

This year has been all about settling into new routines and getting used to new expectations, whereas next year’s challenge is to really start performing. As pupils move into Upper Third, they will take on new leadership roles, both in our Lower School houses, but also as elected representatives for our new Pupil Parliament. I will be looking to every single pupil in the Upper Third to set the standard and to be a positive role model to the new pupils joining our community. I would encourage them to spend

time over the summer reflecting on their achievements over the year and ask themselves: “What legacy do I want to leave of my time in the Lower School?”. All years of a child’s education are important, but next year is a year of immense potential, without the pressure of the starting of examination syllabuses’ that come in Fourth Form and with the starting point of returning in September confident in your surroundings. I am hoping for great things! I wish you all a happy and restful summer break and I look forward to seeing you all in September.

As both Richard Harvey and Tom Helliwell mentioned above, it has been absolutely fantastic to have a ‘normal year’ for the Upper Thirds this year at St John’s. It seems strange that their first time in the actual Lower School was the first week of Upper Third, and despite themselves having to learn the new ropes about the School, it has been wonderful to see them help and support the new Lower Thirds. A normal year for the pupils brought about lots of sports fixtures, music recitals, the Lower School play and some fantastic enrichment trips and

I would like to pass my thanks to Sabrina, Sassi, Charlie, Nina and Alex for some brilliant reflections on their experiences this year.

Moreover, it has been wonderful to see the pupils take part in house events, and I want to thank the House Captains for all of their support to both myself and their houses in the last year. Watching the pupils from both years come together during House Singing, supporting each other during the various house sports events and full of face paint at Sports Day made me extremely proud of the young men and women we are so lucky to have at St John’s. I will miss them dearly but I know all of them will continue to flourish as they move into their new houses, and I look forward to seeing what they achieve throughout

the rest of their time at school. I want to thank all of the parents for their endless support throughout the last two years, and I wish you all a wonderful summer break.

From the Head of Lower Third – Tom Helliwell

From the Head of Upper Third – Hannah Rowell

This year has been all about settling into new routines and getting used to new expectations, whereas next year’s challenge is to really start performing.

It has been absolutely fantastic to have a ‘normal year’ for the Upper Thirds this year at St John’s.

Induction Trip

HIGH ASHURST, DORKING

In September 2021, we all started in Lower Third at St John’s. We spent a few days together at school before we headed off to High Ashurst in Dorking to get to know one another and take part in various outdoor activities. Leading up to starting at St John’s we had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, so we all felt very relieved that we were able to go on this trip and make new friends.

Before leaving we were all given a t-shirt with our names on the back so that we could remember everyone’s names – this was very helpful! Each of us was part of a tutor group of around 14 children and supported by our tutor we ventured out to take part in some exciting activities.

First of all, we went on the School mini buses to get there. It wasn’t a very long journey but everyone was becoming more excited and eager to get going. As we arrived, we entered this enormous warm tepee tent with padded benches to sit on. We sat down in our tutor groups and waited patiently for our leader to arrive to take us to our first activity. Our leader arrived and told us we were going to go rock climbing. We were attached to a safety harness and had to climb up a manmade cliff with rocks to hold on to, to help climb up. It was about 15m high and once you had reached the top you could see Box Hill. I raced my tutor, Mr Andrews, to the top – sadly, he won! I won’t let him win next time! We then moved on to the next activity which involved four team members climbing a pole with a platform at the top. Once at the top we had to all hold onto each other and really trust our

team mates. Another option was climbing a ladder although my group did not choose this activity it looked difficult as the gaps on the ladder got further and further apart.

My favourite activity was the stacking of the crates. Three people had to be stacked on crates whilst their team helped them get further up. This was great for bonding with each other and using teamwork to complete the challenge. The last activity was the trapeze, this was very scary as it was quite high but also exciting to be pushed out of our comfort zones. Once we had climbed to the top, we had to jump in a group of three and reach the trapeze. I didn’t quite manage to do it but still really enjoyed it!

After day one it was time to head back to school for a delicious barbecue and boarding ready to head back to High Ashurst for a second day of fun.

The trip was not only great fun and full of laughter but provided such a great chance to meet so many new friends and help settle into life at St John’s.

Charlie Murray and Heidi McMillan

At St John’s we are really encouraged to take part in all sports that we enjoy playing, even if we are not in the highest teams. For girls, there is a wide variety of sports you can do which only gets bigger as you progress into the upper years. In girls’ sports we play hockey for the Autumn Term, netball for the Spring Term and there is a choice between either tennis or cricket for the Summer Term. We pride ourselves on working together in a team and trying our hardest in every sport we play. Whether it’s training or a match we are always giving it our best. For hockey, we play on two amazing hockey astros and are taught by very experienced coaches. Just like hockey, netball is played on hard courts and with great, experienced coaches. Cricket is played in two excellent fields with amazing cricket nets and the hockey astros are converted into tennis courts.

We get a chance to play match games almost every Saturday and occasionally on Wednesdays. These games are played against other schools which gives us the experience of playing actual games.

Sabrina Coppola Johansen

GIRLS

At St John’s, boys have the opportunity to enjoy plenty of sports. In games you can do rugby in the Autumn Term, football in the Spring Term and the either tennis or cricket in the Summer Term. All of these sports encourage teamwork and persistence. As well as those four excellent options you have PE, which takes place with the girls as well. In PE you change sport every half term so we can try all sports. The six sports are: gymnastics, swimming, HRF (health related fitness), dance, cricket and athletics (in the Summer Term). All of these sports teach us about our bodies, are fun and help us keep up our fitness levels. In addition to this we have an expert team of lovely coaches to teach us, and state of the art facilities, for example, two sets of well-maintained fields, a swimming pool, a new gym, massive sports hall, cricket nets and all the football goals and rugby posts you could ever need.

As well as these great sporting opportunities we have for boys and girls the School gives us a chance to competitively play against other pupils our own age (sometimes older if you are really good) in fixtures. Fixtures are a really good time to develop your skills in the sport and improve on teamwork and communication. My favourite fixture was in the rugby season when we were playing Hampton. It was my favourite fixture because even though it was not a game that we won, we only lost by one try. It was our final game of the season and I feel like it went really well. It was just a really close even game that anyone could have won. It was played in good spirit, and nobody was injured! I really hope we play them next season.

BOYS

Charlie Pugh

UPPER THIRD

A YEAR IN THE UPPER THIRD

What was the highlight of the football season? Was it the A team’s football match against Epsom College? Was it the B team’s football match to maintain their unbeaten streak? No, it was without doubt the teachers versus teachers charity match, which was anything but charitable! I think all of the pupils will agree that this was the most entertaining match we have ever watched. There was incredible skill and talent all over the pitch including an amazing finish from Mr Conway, a beautiful slide tackle from Mr Hughes and a bicycle kick from Mr Marshall which would have topped Cristiano Ronaldo’s…if Mr Marshall had actually connected with the ball! This match took place as one of the fundraising events in the Enrichment Programme where each class worked together to raise money for a charity of their choice. Other fundraising activities included bake sales, football challenges and a variety of other competitions.

In this half term, we have waited nervously for the results of our end of year examinations. As soon as results were

published, we enjoyed the final few weeks in the Lower School and took part in many fun, entertaining lessons to finish another amazing year.

In the final week of the year, we chose between a range of different activities unlocking a variety of different skills and inviting us to try new things like water polo, radio broadcasting and different forms of art. These final few weeks have been the cherry on the cake for an amazing couple of years in the Lower School, but now we are all excited to move on and achieve new heights in the Senior School especially in our new houses! When we found out which house we were going to be in, I can remember everybody squealing with excitement and instantly the most popular phrase became “What house are you in?!”. Then the discussions began about who people thought would win what house event, which at least helped practise our debating skills!

Overall, this year has been an incredible journey with the teachers helping us reach our full potential. The bond between the pupils is stronger than ever and we look forward to welcoming the new faces joining us in September.

Nina Perrott and Alex Pullen

The Spring Term was an exciting one for our year as it was the first time that we could play football at the School, due to the lockdown a year before.

FIRST GIVE FUNDRAISING

This year, Upper Third took part in the First Give fundraising challenge during their enrichment lessons. First Give is a charity, and they create a partnership with secondary schools in order to prepare and teach children how to help others and learn about real social issues.

We really enjoyed the programme and I think we all felt that it helped us learn about the charity sector and the different social issues in our local area.

Firstly, we learnt about different social issues and decided on an issue that is important to us. After we had decided an issue to focus on, we then researched a charity that helped this particular cause. As a class, we chose an overall charity we wanted to represent.

The four chosen charities were invited to send a representative to meet the class and help us expand our knowledge about the charity further. It was brilliant to meet all of the charity representatives and form a connection with them.

After that came the planning and delivery, with all the different groups planning fundraising and a form of social action. My groups’ charity was ‘Leatherhead Start’ who support those who are homeless. Our social action was to run a big staff charity football match which Mr Kelway said was ‘the highlight of the school year’. Many of the classes ran bake sales which also proved very popular!

Andy from First Give then came in to work with us before the all-important First Give Final. He helped everyone polish their presenting skills and build our confidence.

We were all really excited for the final! Each group presented to a panel and in front of Lower School which was quite nerve-racking. The atmosphere was electric! It meant a lot because the winning group would win £1,000 for their chosen charity. This year The Rainbow Trust won – represented by 8J.

Overall, we all really enjoyed the entire process, and it was good to learn about social action, charity work and to raise money for our chosen charities.

Sassi Quincey

Reflecting on this year, whilst I never lose sight of how our pupils have embraced kindness and our ethos of high hopes, high standards and high spirits, this year has been the year that enrichment has really taken off.

- Richard Harvey, Head of Lower School

Houses Churchill

the Housemaster

It has been great to return to Churchill House where I was once a tutor for a year soon after I first joined St John’s, however it was quite an unusual time to take over as Housemaster this year due to many of the boys not having been into the House for 18 months which meant that only the Sixth Form really knew what life in Churchill looked like! However, a sense of house spirit and pride was as ever quickly fostered aided with vigour by the Upper Sixth, led superbly this year by House Captain James Searle.

Rehearsals for the house song began to draw us back together early in September, only for Covid-19 restrictions to again limit what we were able to do. Thankfully having the Chaplain as Housemaster paid off as we were able to still have house assemblies in the Chapel and gather as a house, socially distanced.

From

HOUSE COLOURS

It was great to see so many Churchillians representing the School on the rugby pitch across the year groups and throughout the spectrum of teams, congratulations in particular go to Bertie Dunster Ross and Oscar Manners who represented the 1st XV, whilst Joe Willis (16A’s) and Ollie Bannermann (15A’s) deserve special mentions for the impact they had on their teams. The 16A’s were reliant on Churchill with Liam Boyle, Reiss Campbell and Izaak HiscockSmith playing in all 10 fixtures whilst Noah Alexander, Luc Bird, Freddie Lamy and the aforementioned Joe Willis played the majority of matches. Somehow the seven boys contrived to not win the house rugby, but as Housemaster I maintain that there was some controversy in the officiating!

At the start of October, we enjoyed our first house families event which saw the newly formed families of mixed year groups (each named after a former Housemaster) compete at pool, table tennis, table football and a tower building competition, Shaw narrowly edged out King and Chubb for the victory. The House families have given the boys an opportunity to get to know others amongst other year groups in the House better and alongside competitions we have also had revision advice and academic support in these groups.

November saw the start of house debating, whilst the Fifth and Sixth Form teams put in some strong performances, Henry Brown standing out as the star debater it was the Fourth Form who produced the best debates with the support from the floor providing the much-needed edge.

Oskar Buckingham, Harry Kendall and Will Sumpter competed in the national climbing competition for the school, however it was Will Sumpter and Alex Kielstra along with four other Lower Sixth pupils who produced the best national performance for the school in the CanSat competition. CanSat is an initiative of the European Space Agency that challenges pupils from all over Europe to build and launch a mini satellite the size of a soft drinks can. The CanSat is then launched by a rocket up to an altitude of approximately one kilometre. Then its mission begins which involves carrying out a scientific experiment, achieving a safe landing, and analysing the data collected. The St John’s team, guided by Mr Mooney, won the national competition, and then represented the UK in the European competition which was held in Bologna. It was a hugely impressive performance and in particular a testament to the power of teamwork, well done indeed to Will and Alex.

The Spring Term saw two key additions to the staff in Churchill the addition to the tutor team of Mr Holland as Assistant Housemaster and Suzanne Gaines as Matron. I am very grateful for all the time they both give to the House, especially the Fourth Form.

There were competitions aplenty before half term house singing finally rolled around, Churchill performed well but did not win. We did manage an honourable mention in the House Film Competition thanks in particular to the hard work of Lucas Patel and there were some excellent submissions in the House Photography Competition. The Forbes Music Competition saw plenty of success with outstanding performances from Joe White and Jacob Costard.

There were new competitions in rowing and dodgeball (alas no victories) but after half term we saw our first victory of the year which came in the senior House Pancake Race, for the first time the boys managed to not be disqualified for infringements and helped us to an overall fourth place. Jacob Costard won the House Cross Country Competition and alongside this there were some excellent performances by Churchillians on the football pitch with captain Bertie Dunster Ross leading a strong Churchill contingent in the 3rd XI, congratulations also to Archie Turner who played the majority of the 1st XI matches.

One of the central changes this year was reviewing the House values and after a number of discussions in tutor time, house activity, staff and Prefect meetings the three values agreed by the boys were Courage, Commitment and Care. Full and half house colours were awarded at the end of every term on this basis (as was the Churchillian of the Week in house assembly). At the end of the Autumn Term Joe Akhurst and Jacob Costard were awarded full house colours for their demonstration of the house values. At the end of the Lent Term Oscar Manners was awarded full house colours whilst Charlie Babb and Rueben Costard were awarded half house colours. At the end of the year Harry Kendall was awarded full house colours and Finn Galbraith, Joe White and Marcus Hill were awarded half house colours. The Summer Term started with the Churchill and Hawkins Quiz Night an enjoyable evening rounded off with the Churchill Fourth Form losing by one point to the Churchill Sixth Form whose knowledge of music lyrics saw them home. We also had the continued trend of highlights on the sports pitches, not least with James Searle scoring a superb century for the 1st XI. We saw victories on the Quad for the house croquet team who narrowly lost in the final, House Quiz Competition and a superb team effort to come third in senior house swimming. This was eclipsed though by our first house competition victories of the year in junior swimming and the newly formed House Soliloquy Competition – an excellent way to complete the year gaining two trophies in the final assembly of the year.

Reverend Charlie Moloney Housemaster of Churchill House

Care, Commitment and Courage

The start of the year saw the re-unification of Churchill House as all pupils were finally allowed back to house. During the first few weeks of term, we sought to foster a sense of camaraderie within Churchill through the introduction of house families.

These helped year groups to mix and brought back a sense of community which was lost due to Covid-19. With the arrival of our new Housemaster, Reverend Moloney, so too came new house values of care, commitment, and courage, as these are the values that we believe all Churchill boys should strive to demonstrate. What makes Churchill great is the way every pupil involves themselves in house events, including those outside their comfort zone. This, and our undying team spirit, makes Churchill a truly special place.

As the year progressed, our charity night came around quickly, with Churchill sharing the evening with Hawkins. It was a fantastic night with great pupil performances and money raised for two phenomenal charities, and I know the Upper Sixth thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Spring Term was one packed with house events. House Film this year saw Churchill produce a spy action thriller. Despite a sophisticated plot and even a Spiderman cameo, the fruits of our labour were not rewarded. Huge thanks must go to Lucas Patel for his fantastic editing and directing skills.

The House Singing Competition was frequently interrupted due to Covid-19, meaning much practice had to occur outside. Despite these challenges, Churchill performed an angelic rendition of Drive By by Train however, a top three place was not awarded. Many thanks to all who participated in the Part Song Competition with our performance of It’s a Hard Life by Queen. The Spring Term also saw the annual House Pancake Race. Whilst Churchill did not finish in the top three, there was still cause for celebration, with the Sixth Form clinching victory after four years of successive disqualification. We were, however, disqualified in every other year group.

In the dreaded House Cross- Country Competition, Churchill managed to place a very respectable third, with athletic feats from Oscar Manners and a special mention going to Jacob Costard, who won the senior event.

This year also saw Churchill's quest to find a new Matron. After many successive temporary matrons, from exam invigilators to receptionists, we finally managed to find Suzanne, who has been phenomenal in supporting the House, and we are ever grateful for all she does for us.

Churchill has a great support network thanks to our fantastic tutors. A personal highlight of mine had to be the Upper Sixth annual curry night with the Sixth Form tutors, Mr Mooney and Mr Rogers. Many thanks to Mr Rogers for putting up with us over the last two challenging years.

On behalf of all of us in Churchill, I would like to thank Rev Moloney and all of the tutors for making the House a truly special place. When I leave St John's, I will look back fondly at my time in Churchill and wish everyone the best of luck in the future.

James Searle

Churchill House Captain 2020-21

From the House Captain

Houses

East

From the Housemaster

East House is back! The House is open, and boys are flooding in: excited faces, nervous faces, laughing faces…and still some sullen, too-cool-for-school faces.

They are checking out the two new work rooms requisitioned from West, they are reacquainting themselves with the table tennis table, the toasters and the beds; they are joking, joshing, squabbling and screaming; using things, losing things, making things and breaking things; challenging each other, caring for one another, making fun of each other and sharing with one another. East is back, the boys are learning to live as a community once again…and it is great.

One of the biggest thrills this year has been the popularity of boarding and having the rooms filled for much of the week. After so much time becoming accustomed to working and living at home, we wondered where that might leave boarding but it has returned with a vengeance and the boys have loved being able to use the gym and the pool, play on the fields in

HOUSE COLOURS

the summer months and – more than anything – spend time together. I really do think our model, which mixes day and boarding, offering choice and flexibility, brings a brilliant balance for the pupils, allowing them to foster deeper relationships with their peers while also staying fully connected to home and family life. As I mentioned at our summer barbecue and prizegiving, my vision for the very best pastoral care is to forge a strong triangle, pupil-home-school, and the mix of boarding and home life aims to support this.

NUMBER OF PUPILS

On re-opening the physical house, we also thought it was important to re-establish our values and much of the first term was spent identifying these. The boys elected words beginning with ‘E’ that might encapsulate our essence and they essayed to elucidate each word’s worth during house assemblies (e-ssemblies?). We had endeavour, excellence, earnestness, energy, eloquence, efficacy and erudition to name a few but finally settled on: Engagement; Exploration and Empathy as our guiding principles. The expectation is that everyone in the House will engage fully in the moment in every task and every interaction; they will explore all aspects of their character and the limits of their potential, and they will be considerate and respectful towards all. But, as ever with slogans and soundbites, they are no good as mere words on a wall; they are only meaningful if we live them and there have been endless examples of the boys manifesting these values. Whether it has been high-profile individual achievements such as Will Johnson exploring the world of graphic design and winning prizes in the UK CanSat Competition and for his cover of The Eagle Magazine or Thomas Ibeson cycling from Leatherhead to Lake Como in aid of the Nephrotic Syndrome Charity, or smaller challenges such as Mark Patterson and Adam Coster being the first Fourth Formers to speak in assembly, the boys have often pushed outside of their comfort zones to see how they might grow. We have had Joseph Brough taking on a Shakespeare soliloquy, Tor Davidsen and Ollie Montgomerie starring in the quiz team; Jamie Ballantine-Strub continuing to make strides in the fashion industry; the Upper Sixth trying to break into the film industry; Miles McHugh acting and singing almost constantly and Will Lynn back on stage. There have been maths certificates and biology prizes, Joe Campbell applying for army scholarships, Luc Gamber debating in French and the quality and interest in the Lower Sixth EPQ projects were exceptional. There is always too much to name every individual but the range of exploration always strikes me and the willingness to see and then take opportunity is something that I hope will define us as a house.

Of course, none of these examples above mention sport and this is such a big part of our world, bringing camaraderie, enjoyment and excitement and we have excelled this year, claiming the annual House Sports Cup. The Upper Sixth have always punched above their weight and did so again, not least when Finn Ralph led us to a house rugby win over West with our final drop-goal creeping nervously over the bar. West would suffer a similar shoot-out defeat in the senior

hockey while the junior hockey side romped home under Callum Munro’s stewardship. Newcomers Sam Boswell, Adam Raisbeck and Alexander Harding come in as the latest players in what has become something of a legacy.

The Lower Fifth have continued to dominate in their competitions. Despite a surprising defeat in the football, they brought home the spoils in rugby, cricket, tennis, water polo and athletics as well as Archie Savage and Fin Stait claiming the golf crown. We even managed to reign supreme in niche sports like croquet and dodgeball which says as much about our determination and togetherness as it does about our talent. In the final House Shield standings we wound up just short of victors West, eventually undone by our lack of academic credits. We say farewell to tutor par excellence, Ms Sigusch, who has been exhorting the boys to gather more credits all year. She has cajoled the Lower Fifth into becoming the top boys’ house credit-earners in their year but we will need to find someone else to drive this mission next year. We thank Ms Sigusch for all of her work and wish her well for the future. We also bid farewell to Mr Wright as a tutor after several years of distinguished service to the House, not least in teaching the boys to use their ‘top-voices’ in House Unison – I am sure a victory will be round the corner, Mr Wright. More significantly, we say ‘goodbye’ to our departing Upper Sixth. This year group started before my tenure and in the ‘old’ house before the Lower School replaced the bottom floor. They have lived through many changes not least in themselves and they have come out the other end as a very decent set of young gentlemen, each with their own interests and character. Watching them come together as a team to organise and compère charity night - raising £3,000 for Duchenne UK in the process - was a proud moment and the collective effort to tackle their examinations after so much unrest showed real strength. Gents, we thank you for all that you have brought to East over the last five years – we are unlikely to forget Gazza G and the horse-riding, aviator-wearing dictator anytime soon! We hope that, when you come back, that elusive shield will be in the cabinet and that you will be envious of some refreshed and redesigned rooms. Plans are afoot for some modernisation over the summer, and we will wait excitedly to see what next year brings.

Guy Hicks Housemaster of East House

Competitions

WON THIS YEAR:

Sixth Form: Rugby, Football, Hockey

Fifth Form: Hockey

Fourth and Fifth Form: Water Polo, Hockey

All: Rowing, Dodgeball

From the House Captain

The Fourth Form and Lower Fifth hadn’t spent a full year in house, so it was up to the older years to offer an experience similar to the one we received when we were in their position. I have thoroughly enjoyed witnessing the boys settle into the House and I have no doubt that they will continue to be leaders and role models to their younger peers as East boys have done before.

I believe these core values of East involve representing the House with pride in all facets of St John’s life and being respectful to others, especially in the House environment. We have tried to capture this in our ‘3 E’s’ of East House this year. Engagement refers to full commitment to any challenges we are presented with. Empathy means we are considerate towards others. Additionally, Exploration encourages us to take on new challenges beyond the scope of our comfort zone.

These values are never more appropriate than during house events. They are the clearest example of house spirit as each pupil represents their house. Each house deals with victory and defeat as a collective and it is these experiences which have brough me closer to my housemates in the last five years. House events also bring on a certain level of exploration as people are forced to go beyond the realm of their strengths to fill out a football team, debate floor, or drill platoon.

A personal highlight of my time in East House was the House Football Competition in 2019 which combined Lower and Upper Fifth pupils. This was an opportunity to play alongside another year group, and despite our loss in the final, the feeling that the older East boys on the side lines were genuinely invested in our performance really drove home the sense of belonging for me.

As a house we have had great success in these events in this academic year. Sixth Form won football, rugby, and hockey. Lower Fifth won rugby and came together with the Fourth Form and Upper Fifth to win water polo and hockey. The House was also triumphant in the inaugural all year group House Dodgeball and House Rowing competitions. Having all five year groups of the House come together to win a sporting event speaks to the heritage of East House.

Another aspect of the House which has played a large role in my experience has been boarding. This offers the unique experience of spending additional time with your friends during the School week. It is often said that those in boarding houses build closer relationships and feel a greater level of

Empathy, Engagement, Exploration.

HOUSE MOTTO

affinity to the House than those in day houses and I can fully concur. Many of my best memories from my time in East have come from the boarding room such as indoor cricket, going to the gym together and the conversations before bed.

Mr Hicks instilled in us early on during his time as our Housemaster that East House is centred around the people within it, rather than the building. This message has stayed with me and I am certain I will remember the experiences and the people for much longer than the physical space. While East is all about the camaraderie amongst the boys, I think I speak for the whole house in saying we are unbelievably grateful for the staff who oversee the House and keep the wheels turning. This is to say a massive thank you to Mr Hicks, Jill, Mr Sartorius, and all of our year group tutors.

The departing Upper Sixth will be the final year group which remember East House before Mr Hicks, and we can vouch that he has moulded the House into a more inclusive and enjoyable environment in the last four years. The tutors are the primary point of contact in house and I’d like to thank each of them for their work this year.

Our Matron Jill has been there for us since the first day of Fourth Form and is always a smiling face on our way into house or to lessons. She has the unenviable task of getting us out the House on time and trying to get us to be productive in free periods. We cannot thank her enough for everything she has done in the last five years to support us.

I wish all of East House the very best for their remaining time at St John’s and I would encourage them to savour every moment. It’ll be over before you know it.

Anthonie Krause East House Captain 2021-22

East House has a long and rich history, and it was important to us as the Upper Sixth to instil East’s core values upon returning to house this year.

Houses Gloucester

What a wonderful year this has been. To see the girls able to make a return to Gloucester House after online learning and year group bubbles made us all quite emotional. After almost two years the buzz was back.

From the Housemistress

From my office I was once again able to hear the hive of activity within house, enjoy the girls’ laughter within the day rooms. ‘Good morning, Mrs Parker’ really was a phrase that I had really missed. The camaraderie shown by the girls this year has been quite special; making up for all of the time that we had been separated and ensuring that all opportunities were taken up rather than passed by. House competitions were fought in good spirit, and although colleagues think that I am ultra-competitive, although winning is nice, it is always the manner in which we compete that is important. To recognise when the opposition were better but still be prepared to give of one’s best is all that can be asked, and Eleanor and Francesca could not have said it better within their report:

I am very grateful for all of the hard work done by our joint House Captains to ensure that Gloucester girls had a happy return to school life, and I am sure that Eloise Jansa, ably supported by Francesca Thomas will provide the same support to Miss Rowell next year. Gloucester is indeed in safe hands.

Gloucester had another successful year of debate, winning two of the three competitions – showcasing how far the girls have come in recent years within the fire-pit of the contested word. To see the speakers fight for their side of the argument with such conviction and the confidence of so many to contribute from the floor shows that the girls are more than capable of holding their own against the boys as we continue to strive towards full co-education at St John’s School. We were also able to make a return to supporting our house charity – CPS Nepal through the Gala Evening, 24hour challenge and summer barbecue. Yet again, the girls were able to showcase their talents so brilliantly and show such determination in completing the 24-hour Hockey Challenge. Some houses have done the odd stint here or there, but Gloucester is unique in completing the challenge set year on year. I look forward to hearing what the ten-year anniversary challenge will be next spring.

It is easy to celebrate the achievements of individuals who are naturally gifted and able to bring their strengths to the fore, but within Gloucester the willingness of others, just to step up to the plate is so very valued. The selflessness of some who put themselves forwards when others choose not to is a characteristic that should always be recognised. All who attend St John’s are in a remarkably privileged position, and with this privilege comes responsibility and opportunities should never be passed by. Within my annual house report I usually try and avoid naming individuals as each girl does contribute to make the collective that is Gloucester, but selflessness is so important. To Harriet Wain, Lucy East, Chloe Smith, Francesca Thomas, and Lara Gillham: your quiet commitment to house is most warmly appreciated.

At the Gloucester barbecue I was touched by the award I received in the form of the Parker Cup. I do not see myself as either brave or courageous, but simply as a champion for the girls under my care. These characteristics are very true for the second recipient, and I was very honoured to bestow the award to Eleanor Wilson. In recognition to services for the House, The Alice Rose Cup and Oscar Wilde

Award were received by Flo den Hoedt and Lara Gillham respectively.

Thank you all for making my time in Gloucester so enjoyable but things have been made so much easier due to the contribution of yourselves of course, but also through the support of a wonderful tutor team. Special mention must be given to Miss Ball, who after seven years of service in Gloucester is going to take the lead in managing the new entrants to St John’s as Head of Lower Third.

For one last time I can say to the girls Tatty Bye.

Lise Parker Housemistress of Gloucester House

What is celebrated within Gloucester, irst and foremost, is kindness, and sel lessness towards others.

HOUSE COLOURS

What a year it has been for Gloucester House! After just about two years of Covid-19 turmoil and disruption, online learning, year group bubbles, and no time in houses, it has been amazing to have everyone back in house again, especially for our final year at St John’s.

We are happy to say that Gloucester is back and thriving as ever.

After finding out we were to be the first ever joint House Captains at St John’s School, both of us awaited the beginning of our Upper Sixth year with much excitement. I think for both of us, becoming House Captain was something that we had dreamt of ever since joining Gloucester in 2017. Despite not knowing how it was going to work, we soon got into the swing of things; playing to each other’s strengths and supporting the House and Mrs Parker as best we could.

We have to give huge thanks to the girls, who threw themselves into a full-blown schedule of house events straight away. Starting as we meant to go on, both the junior and senior A hockey teams won first place in the House Hockey Competition. This was followed by victories in both junior and senior House Debating (upholding our notorious winning streak). House Singing results didn’t go our way this year, however, this was in no way a reflection of the hard work and huge amount of effort that was put in. One of Gloucester’s biggest achievements of the year was managing to learn Bohemian Rhapsody for our part-song. It was certainly a journey and at points we weren’t sure we were going to have anything to perform, but in true Gloucester style, resilience shown by all the girls involved (and many Sunday night rehearsals) meant we managed it.

Our house charity night was back this year, and better than ever. We raised significant amounts of money for our house charity, CPS Nepal, and it is fair to say that a huge amount of work was put into this event to make it utterly incredible. Special thanks go to Jennie, who worked tirelessly to make the evening special, and to our house staff, we really couldn’t have done it without you.

In Gloucester, you do not necessarily have to be the best at sport, or particularly academic, or very musical. What is celebrated in Gloucester, first and foremost, is kindness, and selflessness towards others. This value has evidently been adopted more than ever in our house this year, as new friendships and connections have been made after such a long time of no contact and everyone has taken the various challenges that Covid-19 has brought in their stride; it really is lovely to see such flourishing friendships not only within year groups, but between them.

The Summer Term brought some saddening news for Gloucester House, the announcement of the departure of Gloucester’s founding Housemistress, Mrs Parker. After nine years of shaping Gloucester into what it is today, Gloucester now has to bid farewell to her, and her incredible presence. I think we speak on behalf of all Gloucester girls, both old and new, that she has been an inspiration to us all. Her wisdom has guided many generations of Gloucester girls through the roller-coaster that is our secondary school years, and I think it is fair to say we couldn’t have asked for a better role model. We will miss her a lot and wish her the best of luck at Haileybury.

After a period of anxiety about who would be the next Housemistress, the announcement that Miss Rowell would take the role on as Housemistress pleased us all. We are overjoyed to say that the future of Gloucester House is officially in good hands. We would like to thank all of the House staff and tutors this year, they have inspired us all in their unique ways, and the House spirit that is present in Gloucester is a testament to their good nature and the values of kindness and determination that they foster.

From the House Captain

Eleanor Wilson and Francesca Beech House Captains of Gloucester House 2021-22

Houses

Haslewood

After the past two years of disruption and having begun my tenure as Haslewood’s Housemistress in the midst of Covid-19, what a thrill it was to have all 73 Lions return to Haslewood House properly in September 2021. In true ‘double blue’ spirit, Haslewood girls have lived up to the high expectations they set for themselves, achieving across all areas of school life and exemplifying our house values of kindness and courage.

From the Housemistress

The Autumn Term was very much defined by the delight in being back in our community, with the return of ‘IRL’ house assemblies, house family intra-house competitions, House Singing, Debating, and Hockey competitions. Whether in performing arts, academic realms, or on the pitches, I couldn’t be prouder of the girls’ determination, joie-de-vivre, and commitment to Haslewood. This spirit of willing and kindness has very much been defined by our House Captain, Susannah Klein, her Deputy, Bonnie Linkleter, and the entire Upper Sixth leadership team. A special mention must also go to Zara Evans, who worked tirelessly throughout the year on various musical offerings from Haslewood, including assembling our house band for charity night and directing both House Unison song, I’m Gonna Be and arranging a Queen-inspired song, Hey All You Girls. For the quality of Zara’s arrangement and our ace Haslewood ensemble, we secured the Part Song title!

Competitions

WON THIS YEAR: Part Song

House Hockey Junior and Senior B Teams House Photography Junior Water Polo.

NUMBER OF PUPILS

As you will read in Susannah’s report, Haslewood girls made a name for themselves this year across all areas of school life: representing us not only in house competitions, such as in our amazing shoot-out wins in both senior and junior hockey B teams, but also in performances such as the Upper School production of Treasure Island, the memorable Senior School plays, Dracula, countless lunchtime recitals, the wonderfully glamourous concert at Cadogan Hall, and the summertime cabaret. In sport, one of our youngest Lions, Petra Barr, helped clinch a national cup win for U14s hockey. Our girls are also fervent competitors in house sport, with some girls across the year making a name for themselves for signing up for all house sports – the more mainstream ones such as hockey, netball, cricket, and tennis as well as the more ‘niche’ competitions such as dodgeball, water polo and the pancake race. I was particularly proud that Chloe Currie (Lower Sixth) won ‘woman of the match’ in the House Swimming Competition for stepping in for an absent Lion and swimming two legs of the swimming relay. Winning is great; playing with grit and heart is priceless.

With the return to events such as the Christmas Market, Charity Night, and bake sales, I am proud to say that we raised £4,000 to split between our elected house charities, MIND and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Thanks goes to Sophie Kraushaar, our Head of Charity, who organised a wonderful fundraising event, replete with the Upper Fifth making and selling pearl necklaces to suit the Roaring ‘20s theme, a brilliant raffle, speakeasy-style gin bar, and an auction.

In December, the sad loss of a former and beloved Haslewood tutor, Mrs Debbie Burgess, prompted the Lower Sixth Kindness Project to focus its initiatives on raising money to support the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which looked after Mrs Burgess throughout her illness. Through bake sales as well as a Valentine’s Day message drive across the entire school, I

am pleased to say that our Lower Sixth – led by Chloe Currie, Eve Jackson, and Katie Milton – raised over £300. Next year’s Lower Sixth will continue this work in Mrs Burgess’ name, and we hope to organise a fun-run or cycle-a-thon to honour Mrs Burgess’ love of sport and physical fitness.

Finally, I would like to thank our Upper Sixth Leavers, especially our House Captain, Susannah Klein, who has been a wonderful role model to the younger girls, an organised and cohesive leader within the Sixth Form Haslewood cohort, and a trusted ‘wing woman’ who has enthused the girls on everything from charity night to pizza and quiz nights. We will miss you, Susannah, but know that next year’s co-captains, Chloe Currie and Molly Wolff, will be worthy successors. To all of our Upper Sixth leavers, you go with a huge Haslewood holla and all the very best wishes for your next step. Come back and visit!

Liz Pritchett Housemistress of Haslewood House

It has been an extra special year for Haslewood House – the first time in three academic years in which we have been able to gather, grow and celebrate together under one roof and without interruption. We had missed the sense of house spirit and extended family, so it was great to be back!

Like true lionesses, the girls have been active, courageous and determined in everything they have done, with many successes to speak of. It has been fantastic to see the younger girls embody the traits of our house mascot and be brave and bold. Likewise, the Prefect Team and older girls have been wonderful role models, looking out for each other and providing mentorship to the Lower School. As this year’s leader of the pride, it is very apt to say that I could not be prouder!

Starting with my passion for the arts, it was always a secret ambition as House Captain to win the Part Song Competition. With a Queenadaptation of Hey, All You Girls!, arranged by Zara Evans, of which hours of rehearsals clearly paid off as we placed first! Elsewhere in Performing Arts, Haslewood has been actively engaged and often dominated stage performances of Treasure Island, Dracula and The Importance of Being Ernest plus musically in the Rock Concert, Forbes Music Competition and Songs from a New World. In creative arts and the House Film Competition, our entry ‘A Day in the Life of Haslewood’ was fun to shoot as always, whilst in the House Photography Competition, Oliver Brember triumphed by expertly capturing the School motto, “seek those things which are above”. On the writing front, we have now enjoyed two editions of our new house magazine, The Lion Pride, edited by Rowena Fogarty, with contributions across house. That is a whole lot of artistic talent!

In sports, our B team were excited winners of the House Hockey Competition last autumn. Many of the girls represent the School’s top hockey and netball teams and Petra Barr deserves a special mention for being part of the winning U14 hockey team

at the National Tier 2 Championships. In other sports such as house rowing, water polo, chess, cross country, and not forgetting the House Pancake Race, our greatest success has been supporting our house, whether 'sporty' or not and pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones. We always paint our faces with double blue stripes, tie up our hair with blue ribbon and cheer each other on.

Academically, we have some brilliant brains in house, a mountain of credits to our names and a winner in Hannah Wainwright for her scholarship from the Immerse Education Essay Competition. In other news, our debating teams and skills continue to go from strength to strength, involving all year groups across a variety of thought-provoking topics and our new House Council provides an important voice for everyone. Kindness continues to drive us all and the Kindness Project, this year led by Eve Jackson and Amy Brunton, has seen a number of amazing initiatives in which we have spread love and kindness around the School, whilst raising money for breast cancer in memory of Mrs Burgess.

Our annual charity night is always highly anticipated and was well worth the wait. With a roaring ‘20s theme, parents and girls enjoyed dressing up in Gatsby regalia, showcasing our

successes and talents and of course, giving support for our charities, Battersea Cats and Dogs and MIND. Other memorable moments came in the form of the SJPA Christmas Market and our sell-out stand and the hugely popular Hampton Court iceskating trip, where Dr P got to show us how it is done!

Our year could not have been what it was without the guidance of Dr P, our tutors, King Julian and our new matron, Angie, who has fitted in so well that it is like she has always been here. Thank you for everything that you do for us, for helping us aim high and encouraging us to be the best that we can be. To the wonderful Prefect Team who have been nothing short of supportive, particularly Deputy House Captain, Bonnie Linkleter. Finally, to the Haslewood girls; thank you for supporting me in leading house, for laughs, forever-friendships and a year to cherish. It has been a privilege being your House Captain, and I’m now looking forward to the Leavers’ Ball and Community Holiday later this summer. Wishing everyone well in their examinations and the incoming Upper Sixth another brilliant year in what is undoubtedly the best house!

Susannah Klein Haslewood House Captain 2020-21

To have courage and be kind in the futures we may

HOUSE MOTTO

find.

This year, I had the pleasure of being appointed as the next Housemistress of our newest house at St John’s, the lovely Hawkins House.

My role was made that much easier with the consistent and hugely appreciated support of Acting Assistant Housemistress Imogen Rickard and my extremely efficient tutor team. Hawkins is certainly developing as a house and my office is beginning to collect an impressive number of trophies! It has most pleasing to be able to reopen the House system again after the times it has not been possible owing to the pandemic. It has been clearly evident how much the girls have enjoyed being back in house and having the sense of belonging to a community again.

From the Housemistress

Houses

Hawkins has had some most positive additions to our herd this year. We have been blessed with a dynamic and extremely talented Fourth Form. Their efforts towards supporting various charities and taking the lead here has been noteworthy. Lila Thompson took charge with the House Charity and encouraged Hawkins to raise funds for the Sarcoma Cancer Charity raising over £3,000 with a memorable dinner, accompanied by the many musical talents from the girls in Hawkins. Hawkins collectively travelled the equivalent length of Ukraine raising £1,000 for Ukrainian refugees thanks to Lisara Mendis who spent a great deal of time arranging and encouraging everyone to take part. We have been most fortunate to have Hayley Pretorius; Abby Agate; Gemma Robins and Lily Roberts join our Lower Sixth this year adding to our excellent academic success in Hawkins, we certainly can be identified as one of the most academic houses and Hawkins’ girls have been awarded many engagement prizes each term.

When I joined Hawkins in September we had no trophies, however, this was short-lived, and Hawkins has since acquired five. Our senior girls won the House Water Polo competition while the juniors placed second. We certainly are gaining ground in the pool as the seniors came second in the House Swimming Competition and the juniors participated with great determination. These successes have boosted morale and inspired Hawkins to achieve more. We are forming a house I am certain younger pupils will be proud and confident to join.

We were very privileged to have been able to welcome Suzanne Gaines the new Matron for both Churchill and Hawkins House. Suzanne has a great deal of experience with safeguarding matters and a degree in French with a Masters in Human Resources; a great opportunity for the pupils to practice their French orals. She has excellent pastoral skills and demonstrates sound empathy and compassion for our pupils under her care, a well-needed addition to both houses.

It was with much sadness that we bid farewell to the Hawkins Upper Sixth on 24 June. These girls have been real pioneers for Hawkins’ Sixth Form having all only just joined St John’s in the Lower Sixth. They were not afraid of trying new things and organising house events to a high standard. One thing I learnt quickly in Hawkins is that the girls can truly be relied upon to step up and adjust to last minute changes. A sincere thank you to Louise Donovan as House Captain and Hannah Sheppard as Deputy House Captain for all of their many contributions and exceptional leadership. Both were awarded full house colours for their dedication, as was Leah Fitzpatrick in the Upper Fifth which is a significant accomplishment. I am extremely proud of this year’s Upper Sixth for all performing so well with the additional optional part of the A level course in either the EPQ or Maths in Context. All of them persevered and completed these time consuming and demanding assessments, and are good role models for the younger years. Under the dedicated and enthusiastic guidance of Alice Hanson and Hannah Sheppard, Hawkins’ Upper Sixth girls produced a very entertaining House Film about a painting heist. Great fun was had by all including Hawkins’ staff.

Hawkins embraced the Christmas spirit whole heartedly with an evening of laughs and delights at the Dick Whittington Pantomime at Wimbledon Theatre. Under the guidance of a local florist, our House Activity Team created some very creative Christmas table arrangements which sold very quickly at the annual SJPA Christmas Market.

It has truly been a very positive year for Hawkins House, and I greatly look froward to seeing what we can achieve next year. Most importantly, I am pleased to lead a house where the core values are so clearly empathy, respect and kindness. Hawkins’ girls continually surprise me with examples of care for one another and ways of supporting the House. Charity is one of our key priorities and we plan to develop this even more next year with the support of our girls.

Andrea Davies Housemistress of Hawkins House

NUMBER OF PUPILS

With that being said, many restrictions were lifted this year meaning 2021/2022 was, for many of us, our first experience to enjoy house events and competitions which were unfortunately cancelled last year. Having the ability to get know people across years groups has helped to create a strong community in Hawkins and within the first full year back in school and as a house, we have achieved so much and should all be very proud. Since joining the School in the Lower Sixth, Hawkins has provided a kind, warm and supportive environment and what makes our house so great is that everyone is keen to offer a helping hand to those in need. It has been really great having the true house experience this year. The opportunity to socialise in the day room and get to know everyone has been a real highlight of my year.

It was really pleasing to see how eager everyone has been to get involved in the House competitions and our list of achievements this year is never ending. Hawkins has a range of athletes and our outcomes in this year’s sporting events have been a huge success. The House Hockey Competition was a great triumph and whilst we did not win, I was so impressed by the level of dedication everyone displayed. The event required an A and B team from each house but unfortunately Hawkins did not have the numbers to create two teams. However, this did not stop us. Hawkins persevered and competed back-to-back matches with only one team representing both the As and Bs. We were exhausted by the finals and whilst we didn’t win overall I was so proud of everyone who took part and the level of commitment and house spirit everyone brought to the competition. The House Cross-Country Competition was another great success with the junior team winning overall and Tabby Brown placing first. Our greatest sporting triumph this year has got to be in the House Netball Competition. Traditionally won by South and Gloucester, Hawkins placed first overall with the senior A team beating every house

Small but mighty

and the B team coming second! It is amazing to see what Hawkins can achieve when everyone works as a team.

Our success does not just end here though. Hawkins also has some very talented musicians and academics. Every year group was keen to participate in the House Debating Competition. Hawkins won the first round in every year group and placed third in Fourth Form and Sixth Form competitions displaying a true level of hard work and dedication. Hawkins also was hugely successful in the House Singing Competition. I was delighted at the standard of our Part Song and the level of perseverance everyone showed with lunch time and after school practices. Standing in front of the whole school and singing Queen’s Hammer to Fall was terrifying but also an amazing moment for the House and I really admired the efforts of all who took part. Our rendition of High School Musical’s Breaking Free was a real highlight for Hawkins. We may not have had the advantage of volume in the large chapel, but our choregraphed actions, happy faces and overall singing abilities secured us third place. It has been a real delight to take part in these competitions with a house that is so committed and hardworking.

It is safe to say Hawkins has had a great year even with the added emotions of TAGs and extra mocks for the Upper Fifth and Upper Sixth. Hawkins has shown a huge perseverance in all areas and has overcome many challenges faced. None of this would be possible however without the level of staff support. We were sad to say goodbye this year to Miss T and Miss Jackson who left for maternity leave. Miss Davies has been a wonderful Housemistress to us and offered her support to all of the girls and made sure to always keep her office door open for a chat. Thank you to all of the form tutors who have guided us through the year and dealing with any issues whether that be examination stress or other struggles. Despite the changes there is always a member of staff in Hawkins you can count on. Thank you to everyone in Hawkins, staff, and pupils for making this year so successful and enjoyable.

It has been a great year for Hawkins House and it has been a true privilege to lead a house that displays such unity and compassion, especially in the face of the challenges we’ve endured with Covid-19 regulations still lingering.

Louise Donovan

Hawkins House Captain 2021-22

From the House Captain

HOUSE MOTTO

Houses

Montgomery

Asense

of normality returned in the academic year of 2021/22. I have enjoyed nothing more than seeing the back of year group bubbles and having the boys back in Montgomery House. Credit must go to every single one of them. The sense of community that underpins Montgomery House has again come to the fore and all 64 young men can be very proud of all they have achieved since September.

I have been delighted with the way our new Fourth Form have settled in. They have been incredibly lucky to have Rob Ross as their tutor but nonetheless, Rob and I could not be happier with every single one of them. The House is certainly in safe hands with them, and I look forward to welcoming the next set of Montgomery pupils in September.

From the Housemaster

On the House Competition front, we have again fared pretty well as a house. Particular highlights include our incredible second place (and highest ranked boys’ house) in the House Unison Singing Competition. Our rendition of Sinatra’s Fly me to the Moon was an absolute classic! Another notable achievement was our standout performance award for Daniyal Khan’s portrail of Finkelstein Zimmerman in the House Film Competition. Huge thanks to our Upper Sixth boys who put in so much time and effort. Our Lower Fifth boys continued their dominance on the sporting front with another win in the House Football Competition and special mention must also go to our senior house hockey team who made it to the final of the hockey competition back in February. At the time of writing, we are currently in the semi-final of the House Quiz Competition and have plenty to play for with the swimming, golf, cricket, and tennis competitions yet to be played!

A particular highlight of the year for me was the hugely inspiring and fantastic House Charity evening. After Covid-19 had put an end to these types of evenings for two years, I was blown away by the support and generosity shown by all who attended. We managed to raise over £3,000 for our chosen charity, The Mary Frances Trust. A mental Health Charity based in Leatherhead who will benefit enormously from our support. To have so many parents come and enjoy themselves at the School and see the boys’ hard work on show was simply outstanding. Thank you to all involved.

On the academic front, I have been hugely impressed with the way in which the Upper Fifth and Upper Sixth have knuckled down and prepared for their public examinations. My hope is that their hard work will pay off come results day, they certainly deserve it! Our Lower Fifth and Lower Sixth are in the middle of their internal assessments, and I look forward to seeing their results.

I would like to say a special mention and massive thank you to Paula our Matron who joined Monty and North in September. Paula has simply been incredible, and I cannot thank her enough for everything she has done this year. The boys all love her, and we are so, so lucky to have someone who puts in so many hours of dedicated work in order to keep the boys happy. Thank you, Paula!

With the end of term now in sight, we look forward to the prizegiving celebrations and Speech Day. Huge congratulations must go to David Cavanagh, Luke Genco, Cameron Wilson, Daniyal Khan, Keir Haldane and Miles Murphy for receiving prizes. I am very much looking forward to welcoming parents back to the School on 2 July and enjoying our usual conversations and drinks out on the Quad.

I would like to thank my House Prefect team, led brilliantly well by our House Captain Adam Rustom. Daniel Rindfuss, Freddie Barnes, Leo Hinton, Ben Perkins and Sami Berendji have all contributed so much to Monty House and the

Competitions

WON THIS YEAR:

House Quiz, Best Actor (House Film) House Tennis (Fourth Form and Lower Fifth).

School over the past five years. Special mention must also go to the out going School Captain Daniyal Khan. Daniyal has led the School with distinction this year and I am very proud to see another member of Montgomery House showcasing their leadership skills and talents. I guess we had to allow another house to take the reins next year!

Finally, I would like to end by thanking all of my tutor team. Rob, Anna, Andy, Liam and Steve have all performed their roles as tutors incredibly well and work tirelessly to ensure the boys make the most of their time at St John’s. We say goodbye and good luck to Steve Chalk who has been our Upper Sixth tutor this year. Steve moves on to Tonbridge School and we wish him all the best. We also send a massive congratulations to Mr Ross who has recently been promoted to Assistant Head (Teaching and Learning). Rob has been an outstanding Assistant Housemaster and I thank him sincerely for his efforts and help over the past year. Luckily for us though, Rob is staying on as a tutor in Monty so he can’t get out that easily! The appointment of our new Assistant Housemaster is yet to be decided, but we look forward to welcoming new staff and pupils in September.

David Hammond Housemaster of Monty House

Strengths

Sense of community, resilience, integrity, loyalty

HOUSE COLOURS

From the House Captain

September2021 allowed us to return to school in full swing. We have been able to do everything we usually do, and the Monty House sense of community has bounced back stronger and more resilient than ever after the difficulties due to Covid-19.

We have taken part in the huge array of House Competitions, and every member of the House has got stuck in and given it their all. Our year started well with the House Singing Competition in which Monty boys sang Fly Me to the Moon. We achieved second place and all of the boys took part and sang brilliantly. We were also successful in winning the House Quiz Competition. While on the sporting front the Fourth Form and the Lower Fifth won the House Tennis Competition. It is great to see how the lower years have grown in confidence since the start of the year.

In the Upper Sixth we had great fun in creating our House Film ‘John Bond’ which was brilliantly led by Leo Hinton. We took home the best actor award due to Daniyal Khan’s portrayal of ‘Finkelstein Zimmerman’, although unfortunately we did not win the best film award. We were however, one of the top three contenders.

We held our annual charity evening on 4 February which was run very well by the Lower Sixth. With great music from the very talented Piers Brien and Ben Clogston and great auctioning skills from Kier Haldane. We also witnessed some hilarious stand up from Ethan Chan who told some highly amusing jokes. We raised over £3,000 for the Mary Francis Trust which we are all very proud of.

Monty would not be what it is without the huge support from the staff, who put in massive amounts of effort to ensure that our time within house is as good as it can be. Mr Hammond has supported and encouraged my peers and I throughout our entire time at St John’s from the Lower Fifth to the Upper Sixth. We also had the great addition of Paula to both Monty and North House as our new Matron. She has settled in amazingly and provides great support for both houses constantly throughout the year. This year the Upper Sixth had Dr Chalk as our tutor who provided much needed help

as we progressed through the UCAS application process and our tough final year at St John’s. I would like to give thanks on behalf of the whole house to all of the staff for everything they do for us.

I have been very lucky to have such great friendship and support from the House Prefects. Help has not only come from them but also the rest of the Upper Sixth who have provided many great ideas and support with tasks that I deemed challenging, and I would not have been able to complete these without their support.

Monty’s strength lies within its sense of community and the people who make the House such a great place to be. I have always felt such a real sense of belonging within Monty.

My time in Monty has created some really memorable experiences throughout my school life. I have made some lifelong friends both in Monty and at school. Being House Captain of Monty has been a real honour and a privilege and I have had so much fun undertaking all of the tasks that have been asked of me. I look forward to seeing the younger Monty pupils lead the House when it’s their time to do so.

Adam Ruston Monty House Captain 2021-22

MONTGOMERY

Houses North

This is a particularly special year for me as the Housemistress of North House. Five years ago, I joined this House with a new Fourth Form, who I have just said goodbye to as Upper Sixth; and what a five years it has been!

As I looked for ways to send the year group off properly, I found myself looking through photos from 2017 and previous Johnian articles I had written through the years. Unfortunately, the pandemic has meant we have had to adapt and change the House. Although some of those changes will likely remain and have become part of our evolution, we have been grateful to be back together and bring back some of the traditions we have missed in the last few years.

From the Housemistress

One of those traditions which we missed was the North House formal. It was lovely to see the Upper Sixth in their black-tie outfits and share a fantastic meal together. Our youngest, Alex Crovella, spoke about his experience starting in North House, while the eldest, Jeremy Mariani and the House Captain, Alex Corbett, talked about their last five years. It is one of the first opportunities we have during the year to show our collective pride in North.

We also welcomed back house events such as the House Singing Competition. Although it is never one of our strengths, we showed our support as a house. Despite having only one singer, our Lower Sixth stepped up to do We Will Rock You, and the entire house joined in stomping and clapping from the Chapel seats. We certainly didn't win but it has become one of my fondest memories as a house.

We have had mixed success with house sports competitions, but they remain a highlight and it has been great to see mixed year groups in a team again. The Fourth Form and Upper Fifth made the rugby finals. Our Upper Fifth also made it to the football finals this year. Our senior teams stormed the pool and won the House Water Polo and Swimming Competitions in the Summer Term. We have done well in two new house events this year, coming second in the rowing and dodgeball competitions. I am immensely proud of the boys’ character when they win with humility and handle disappointment with dignity and resilience.

North prides itself on being a well-rounded house and there are ample opportunities for everyone to participate in house events. We have done consistently well in house photography, chess and the House Pancake Race! Our Sixth Form debate team once again made it through to the final. It was a hotly contested debate against Gloucester and both teams were widely considered the titans of the House Debating Competition. The Upper Sixth should also be very proud of winning House Film for their interpretation of The American Office in a school setting. The fire alarm that went off at 5.00pm on a Friday evening and the smell of burnt toast for weeks afterwards was worth it.

We were pleased to do more for charity this year. The House voted for The Ocean Conservancy in keeping with the COP21 held in Glasgow this academic year and the School pushing to become more environmentally friendly. Together with our Christmas Market stall and our charity evening, Night at the Races, we raised a great amount of money. Although Covid-19 kept me away from the event, I enjoyed watching the chaotic races Mr Parry put the boys through.

I wanted to thank all of the North House tutors who support both the boys and I throughout the year. I do not doubt they care very deeply for the boy's wellbeing and celebrate their successes. Thank you, Mr Marshall, Mr Debney, Dr Lister and Mr Whitmore. I have also had the pleasure of having Mr Parry as an Assistant Housemaster in North House this year. He has brought a creative voice to North and has kick-started many new ideas to help North grow in a post-Covid-19 environment. I am very grateful to him for the support he provides me. North does not run without the help of our Matron, Paula. She has joined our family quickly and keeps us all going. Finally, I need to give a huge thank you to the Upper Sixth and my Prefect team. They have brought us so much joy over the last five years and are leaving a legacy here. They will be missed, but I do not doubt that they will go on to have great adventures and the Lower Sixth will strive to fill their shoes and make them proud.

Catie Moon Housemistress of North House

From the House Captain

Atthe beginning of the academic year, we had the very unusual situation of not really knowing what North House was going to look like. For the first time, two year groups had never been in the House before, whilst the other year groups were out of practice. It was therefore down to us, as the Upper Sixth, to delicately craft the North of the future.

I am very pleased, however, at how well North have come together over the last year and at everything we have achieved. I can now truly say that North is back to the full, brilliant, and vibrant house that I joined five years ago.

We joined at the same time as Mrs Moon, who without a doubt has made our time at St John’s. Mrs Moon was North’s first Housemistress and has guided us every step of the way over the last five years. If there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s that we could not have asked for a better head of house. My year group was the last year to join the School as a completely new year group, and thus North was very much our first experience of St John’s. Fortunately, we were incredibly lucky to have been placed in such a safe and welcoming environment.

Indeed, it is this that summarises what I love most about the House system. It allows you to create those experiences that you will most remember and the friendships that will last for life. Ten years from now, I doubt many of us will remember who won Fourth Form golf, but we will certainly remember who broke the piano and the laughter we shared throughout the film’s bloopers. Experiences in life are so important in shaping us and the House system is perfectly placed to provide them.

Debating has also been one of the biggest successes of the Upper Sixth over the last five years, with us having won the competition twice and reaching the final every year. This year on top of winning House Film, North had many second places, including in house golf, tennis, dodgeball, and rowing.

We have also had a series of amazing events, from the formal dinner and charity nights to games evenings and paint-balling. These were particularly special, as they had been very noticeably missing during the Covid-19 years and were very enjoyable for everyone. Being able to share these events with the younger years who had never experienced them before was very important to us and is something that I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to do.

North is often a very successful house but it is our attitude and level of genuine participation that I am most proud of and that has shone throughout this year. From the low rumbles of our house song to our splashes in the pool, it is the houses’ ability to readily participate in every competition that makes it so special.

Our biggest win this year, and the one that I am certainly most proud of, was with our House Film, aptly named ‘The Classroom’, as a remake of the American version of The Office in the theme of a school. We ended up winning the competition overall, at what was certainly a very exciting moment. It is arguably the films creation, however, for me, involving every single member of the Upper Sixth, that is most memorable and in fact for us it is likely the bloopers that we will remember more than the actual film.

North has made the last five years enjoyable for us in the Upper Sixth and I hope it will continue to do so for generations of pupils to come. Thank you so much to all of the tutors who have guided us each year and apologies to all those Matrons of whom we have slowly driven away. Can I reiterate my enormous gratitude to Mrs Moon, on behalf of the Upper Sixth and all of North for everything you have done and continue to do to shape our lives.

The years we spend at secondary school are without a doubt some of the most formative and thus important years of our lives. Five years is really not that long compared to the rest of our lives, and yet during our five years at school we all change so much. We grow from early teenagers to adults, battling everything from examinations to growing up, and truly absorb our surroundings. I therefore feel extremely grateful to have spent these five years in North House.

Alexander Corbett North House Captain 2021-22

HOUSE COLOURS

Houses

South

This year has been a year of reuniting and re-establishing our house community and it has been an absolute pleasure being with all of the South girls again as we returned from two very strange years. This year has not been without its challenges and as I now sit in a sunny South House, with all of the girls around again, it is easy to forget that the Autumn Term was still hit with many changes.

From the Housemistress

As we tried to settle back into normal school life, we still had disruptions to our community with new waves of the Covid-19 virus and a period of virtual assemblies and a slight change to house events.

The South girls’ house spirit could not be dampened and the House Prefects, ably led by our outstanding House Captain, Bella Fewings and her fantastic Deputy, Izzy Vickery, made sure to keep bringing the House together in imaginative and creative ways. With most big house competitions postponed in the Autumn Term, including the hotly contested House Unison and Part Song Competitions, the girls set their sights on the House Families and the South House Christmas Party. This has to be a highlight of the whole year for me, where the girls came together, in their house families for a Christmas carol karaoke competition, a quiz, gingerbread house competition and a lovely meal with the whole house together. The time and effort the girls had put into their performances and seeing the House really come together for the first time in two years is a memory I will hold dear for years to come.

During the Autumn Term, the Prefects also led the discussions to choose this year’s house charity. Each tutor group put forward a charity and presented (virtually!) in our house assembly their decisions for choosing the charity before a vote was taken by the whole house. This year, we chose to support the charity Redress, a human rights organisation based in London, that helps survivors of torture to obtain justice and reparation with a focus on the ‘Free Nazanin Campaign’. This was put forward by Katie Denyer (Lower Fifth) and her tutor group as Katie has a personal link with the Ratcliffe family and we were delighted to be able to support them through our various fundraising efforts. In the Spring Term, we held our annual Charity Night Dinner for all of the parents and were delighted to be able to invite Anoushka Canagaretna from Redress and Richard Ratcliffe as our special guests to the evening. The timing of this couldn’t have been better as the following Monday, news broke that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was in the process of being released from imprisonment in Iran and returning home to the UK. The excitement and buzz in South over the coming week was palpable and we are excited that the funds we raised will be able to go on and support further work Redress do.

Despite a halt in the larger house competitions in the Autumn Term, many of these were pushed into the Spring Term and the girls seemed to be busy every week with competitions ranging from indoor rowing (which we won!) through to the House Unison Competition. There was a real sense of excitement as we approached the House Singing Competition having previously won both parts of it the last time it took place in the autumn of 2019! This year we managed to place third in the Part Song Competition and

were delighted to win the Unison Competition with the House’s version of Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars.

Across all of the terms, the girls have been involved across various drama, dance and music productions within the Performing Arts and it is always a joy to see the girls perform. The South girls are also valued players within their school and local teams across a variety of sports and it always a pleasure to watch so many of them play for the School at the weekends.

We have now reached the Summer Term and with it comes the time to say farewell to our outstanding Upper Sixth. The House Prefects this year have been fantastic with Bella and Izzy leading the team well but also special thanks must go to Louise Orr for all of her efforts with the many house competitions and Lucy Dwan for her efforts with the House Singing Competition. Amelia Feltham, has been exceptional as a School Captain and we will miss all of the Upper Sixth as they head onto their next steps.

Izzy Morgan Housemistress of South House

HOUSE COLOURS

This academic year has been one to remember for South House with many highlights and amazing achievements throughout its entirety. It is truly fair to say that South has been able to re-establish itself as a competitive force on all fronts, thriving in all the diverse areas of life at St John’s.

After a rather challenging two years, we were finally able to reunite as a house once again. Since returning to South it has been wonderful to integrate the year groups and catch up on the missed years of forming friendships, uniting as one and sharing experiences. The Fourth Form and Lower Fifth, despite never having fully experienced house life, have fit right in, understanding the values and dedication that the older years have passed on.

Although faced with some uncertainty, the first half of the Autumn Term was relatively normal with the House Singing Competition well underway. Faced with another rocky period, the reintroduction of restrictions hit again, yet the South girls remained diligent and calm under these troublesome conditions. With chapel being cancelled and House Singing postponed, hopes of returning to complete normality started to fade. However, little did we know that in only a few months we were going to be back to our best, tackling the many house competitions ahead.

The South girls were roaring and ready to perform on the sports pitches, with all year groups putting their all into every single match. We saw a close final between South and Gloucester House amongst the Sixth Form with seven rounds of penalty shuffles! Despite our goalkeeper having never participated in any house hockey events before, she stood strong with the faces of purple cheering her on in the crowd. Many girls rose to the challenge and scored goal after goal for their house till the end. This, on the whole, sums up the determination and ambition within all of the South girls. Not only this, but the Fourth Form and Lower Fifth exceeded expectations on the netball courts winning the whole competition. Both year groups threw themselves fully in, displaying the true house optimism and grit that is widely admired.

One of the standout highlights for South House, despite being postponed to February was the House Singing Competition. This resulted in an historical win of the Unison and an impressive third place for Part Song, being the only house to have placed in both events. Every single South girl stood at the front of the Chapel and we sang our absolute hearts out with beaming smiles on our faces singing Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars. True credit must be given to the senior staff for putting everything into rehearsals to ensure all of the girls truly had the best time and sung their loudest.

Many new house competitions took place, such as the House Water Polo Competition which all years dominated. Not only this but many of the Fifth Form can be noted for their brilliant participation in the House Soliloquy Competition and house chess. Another competition which was entertaining was house drill which individual’s year groups took part in, representing each division of the CCF.

Another wonderful event that many parents and pupils of South House enjoyed was the South House charity night. We raised an amazing amount of money for the brilliant charity Redress, specifically helping the campaign ‘Free Nazanin’. We heard touching speeches from her family and charity representatives, and it was great to hear that our fundraising had gone towards a good cause, with much of

it helping other victims like Nazanin in their journey to freedom. Many of the South girls performed amazingly and hosted fun activities in which the parents got involved and everyone thoroughly enjoyed. This was especially lovely as it was the first opportunity since the pandemic where the parents and pupils were able to unite again.

The Upper Sixth and Upper Fifth, despite a troubling year and anxiety surrounding examinations, have shown persistence and diligence in conquering all of the challenges they have faced. Not only this but on the whole, they have put everything into the House competitions. Specifically, the Upper Sixth who have really put in effort to try and pass down the traditions and values of optimism, togetherness and enjoyment that South House brings.

I am so proud of everything the House has achieved this year and it has truly been an honour to have been involved. I want to say a huge thank you to all of the girls and all of the staff for making this year one of the best and helping South to get back on its feet and back to its joyous ways.

Bella Fewings South House Captain 2021-22

Houses

Surrey

From the Housemaster

As I sit in the Housemaster’s office on a wet early June afternoon looking out over an empty and eerily quiet Sixth Form space, it offers time to reflect on an incredible year for Surrey House across the vast amount of house competitions in which all of the boys have had the opportunity to represent Surrey.

Admittedly I was not sure what to expect as I first stepped foot into Surrey on the first day back, but I was immediately struck by the genuine warmth and welcome of the boys in the entire house. Much of the focus for the year has been on re-establishing the sense of house after the Covid-19 induced hiatus, and thanks to the encouragement of the Upper Sixth, an early table tennis tournament in house proved popular across the year groups culminating in a tense final witnessed by the entire house between Toby Miller and Jack O’Neill, with Toby prevailing to take home the table tennis trophy.

Many house assemblies have emphasised the need for positive relationships within and across the year groups, as well as forging positive relationships with their tutors who willingly offer their advice, subject expertise, and pastoral support every day. It has been wonderful to see these relationships develop over the year, and I am indebted to the support of my tutor team and Matron Angie, and we will be sad to lose Mr Burns and Mr Tong who have so ably guided and supported the Sixth Form groups this year.

All of the year groups have experienced successes in house competitions, and a particular mention must go to the Fourth Form, who at the time of writing have won house rugby, football and rowing, with strong efforts in water polo although the dubious disqualification in the coveted House Pancake Race rankled for a while! The Fourth Form and Lower Fifth combined to achieve a fantastic third place in the House Swimming Competition, and I look forward to seeing them combine in house competitions going forward. Both Lower and Upper Fifth have involved themselves fully and put in strong performances across the board with a particular highlight being the excellent work and preparation put in by Jonathan Richards and Alex Warburton for the House Debating Competition.

Competitions

WON THIS YEAR:

Fourth Form Football Fourth Form Rugby

NUMBER OF PUPILS

The Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth have been fantastic ambassadors for the House and have always strived to do their best in each competition, often punching above their weight. I was delighted to see such an array of talent but also more importantly the willingness to throw themselves in to an event regardless of ability and as such they have achieved some great results. The Sixth Form made the final of the House Football Competition, losing eventually in a penalty shoot-out, third place in water polo, although some work will need to be done on Greek mythology for the next House Quiz! James Smith’s expertise proved to be pivotal in Surrey’s success in the House Drill Competition and he has been a wonderful advocate and representative of the school’s CCF. Jack O’Neill and Josh Brown enjoyed a competitive round of golf and with House tennis taking place the same day it was great to see the whole Lower Sixth put themselves forward to compete.

Surrey contributes widely to the school community, and it is always enjoyable to see boys pursuing their interests and displaying their talents

in many spheres of school life. We pride ourselves on being a diverse House, and this year was no exception as Lucas Dean, Daniel Martinez, Luca Hatwell, Luke Knowles, and Will Smith all performed admirably in a number of lunchtime and after-school concerts, as well as school productions. I am proud to say that both Luke and Will have experienced great successes outside of school with Luke performing in a number of musical productions such as the UK premiere of Matilda junior, High School Musical junior and Newsies to name but a few! Will was selected to join the fabled Dane Bates Collective to perform in the live semi-final shows of Britain’s Got Talent in early June.

I must bid a fond farewell to the leaving Upper Sixth who welcomed me warmly and with whom I have enjoyed many conversations on various topics as well as competitive games of Wordle and the various other new games which appeared seemingly daily on the mezzanine. They rose to the challenge of completing UCAS applications in good time and I must also pass on special thanks on their behalf to Mr Burns whose knowledge, personal statement support and way with words did not go unnoticed. The Prefect Team led by Jake Bartholomew and supported fully by Ethan Causer have been a great source of support to me and the whole house and their work with the lower years has also been fantastic by ensuring we have a strong turnout for the various house competitions. I have no doubt they will look back fondly on their time in Surrey, and I look forward to welcoming them back in the near future as Surrey strives to go from strength to strength.

Will Morgan Housemaster of Surrey House

the House Captain

Thestart of this academic year saw the full return of all pupils back to house, something for which all in Surrey House were excited. The House being separated across the School last year due to Covid-19 restrictions meant that the sense of belonging in the Surrey House motto 'Belong, Believe, Achieve' was not as prominent as in previous years. However, coming back to house in September, I felt the sense of community and camaraderie in Surrey was stronger than ever.

There have also been many brilliant new additions to the House such as the new and improved common rooms and the fantastic house merchandise which is worn proudly around the School.

Throughout my years in the House, the spirit of Surrey has shone through, with each year group having their own drive and abilities that contribute to the House becoming increasingly competitive each year. This has been especially important in what has been a tough year for the Upper Fifth and Upper Sixth who have been working tirelessly with examinations but the continuous support from the rest of the House once again demonstrates the sense of community within Surrey. Thankfully, we have been able to balance this hard work with our desire to have fun and make each experience as enjoyable as possible. This has been helped by the continuous efforts of the Surrey House staff, led by Housemaster Mr Morgan, who have strived to make Surrey an inclusive and welcoming house for pupils to grow and achieve. Whether it be helping with any problems or simply having a chat, I know that any member of Surrey can always rely on them, including me; so on behalf of the House I would like to say a massive thank you!

HOUSE MOTTO: Belong, Believe, Achieve

This spirit and belief in the House has been carried into every competition this year. It has been particularly impressive seeing the Fourth Form so quickly adopting this and then going the extra step to bring home the success. The biggest highlight of my year was definitely the Fourth Form winning the House Rugby Competition with the entire house watching and cheering them on. A huge achievement for them and the House. Even more incredible was the fact that they were able to do the double and bring home the Fourth Form house football trophy as well. This made up for the Sixth Formers’ bitter loss in the finals on sudden death penalties, meaning they lost out on their third house football trophy!

We have continued to showcase our creative talents in music and drama, with multiple members of Surrey putting on spectacular shows and deservedly earning their school colours. This culminated in the House Part Song, which was somehow snubbed by the judges, I am not sure I can say the same for the House Unison, but they made a heroic effort, nonetheless. The sporting side of Surrey has continued its improvement this year with more Surrey pupils playing for the School’s top teams, with plenty of Upper Sixth receiving school colours for their efforts.

One of the most anticipated nights of the year is our house charity night and this year was no exception. The Lower Sixth stepped up to put on a fantastic evening for parents and Upper Sixth. What made the evening even more special was the contributions from all of the Surrey pupils, whether a spectacular musical performance, helping to set up or waiting tables their enthusiasm shone through. Most importantly however, through the quiz, various competitions, auctions, raffle, and tickets we were able to raise a large amount of money for the Rainbow Trust, a great cause.

It has been a true pleasure and honour to be the House Captain of Surrey this year and although challenging at times, I have always felt supported by the House Prefects as well as everybody in Surrey. I will be forever thankful to everybody in Surrey for the fond memories, experiences and opportunities I have been given throughout my time in the House that have shaped the person I am today. I look forward to seeing Surrey House continue to grow and achieve, I am certain the House is in good hands going forward and I wish the best to every Surrey Stag.

Jake Bartholemew Surrey House Captain 2021-22

From

SURREY

HOUSE COLOURS

West

Before taking over as Housemaster of West House, Mr Bass told me how fortunate I was as it was “the best job in the world”. He was certainly correct. It has been a fantastic year as Housemaster of West with a vast array of successes in the classroom, on the sports field and on the stage. The immense numbers of West boys running in House Cross Country, the precise speeches and pertinent floor points in Upper Fifth House Debating and the infamous victory in the Pancake Race have all epitomised our binding principle; we all get involved!

Houses

From the Housemaster

This year in particular, we have focused on improving our academic engagement and I have been delighted by the sheer number of pupils gaining engagement prizes and being awarded over 1,000 credits as a house. Of course, this is an outcome-based view of achievement and is not just reward for the community we have created and aim to maintain.

Competitions

WON THIS YEAR:

House Pancake Race

Fifth Form House Debating

What is hard to evidence, is the camaraderie and support amongst all of the year groups and their willingness to be kind and selfless in their actions. The moments that bring me the most pride are when pupils bring hot chocolate to our school Receptionists in the colder months or arrange thank you gifts for catering staff that are leaving. These considerate acts show empathy and embody the outward look our pupils have. Similarly, watching the boys paint their nails yellow and green for national awareness campaigns and talk openly about masculinity, misogyny and racism in society show their tolerant attitude.

Fifth Form Football

Upper and Lower School Cross Country

As a house, we have been successful on the sports fields and across a wide array of events, but it is undoubtedly Charity Night that will resonate long in my memory. An evening where pupils sang, in some cases performed and demonstrated how all of our year groups interact and know each other, are confident and proud to belong in West. We were delighted to raise over £13,000 for local charities close to our families and will be looking to foster links with them further next year.

It is remarkable to think that when the year started, we were unsure how we would be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and, even when we could no longer meet inside as a house, we resolutely met for house assemblies outside in the biting cold of winter. Whether the phenomenal commitment in house singing, the senior hockey team full of completely non-hockey players making the final or the Lower Fifth footballers merely scoring two goals on their almostLeicester like performance in every facet of West House

life the year of 2021-22 has been about our house spirit and our commitment to pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone.

Having watched the Upper Sixth grow from quiet and docile Fourth Formers to witty and dedicated young men has been a pleasure. West will be a lesser place without them and for me personally it will be strange not to chase them out of house each morning or hear their array of excuses when running late. I would be unjust not to mention how phenomenal Harry Threapleton has been as House Captain, a complete tour de force of enthusiasm, compassion, and integrity. West pupils will remember his name for years to come. To the whole Upper Sixth, you have been fantastic custodians of the House and I wish you all the very best for the future. Gentlemen, you are always welcome back on the landing!

I am immensely proud of all of the boys in West, and I am delighted that they genuinely view West House as their home away from home. Whether playing cricket on the Quad in boarding, sitting on the landing after prep or by the toaster at breaktime there is always a conversation taking place that brings a smile to your face. I may have the good fortune to lead the House but I could not do it without Angela, Mr Howarth, our tutor team and, of course, Helen and Hayley. It is a team effort boys and staff alike; I wonder what 2022-23 will hold.

Joe Pepper Housemaster of West House

HOUSE COLOURS

WEST

From the House Captain

It would be a lie to say West House has been exactly the same since I joined in the Fourth Form. Houses, like people, grow and change – in our case with members of staff coming and going (and coming back in Mr Goodwi n’s case), evolving values, moving TV rooms and four different Housemasters.

But the great thing about West is that it has always managed to develop with the times while keeping its most important traits: developing us into well-mannered, confident young men, the spirit of ambition and fun, and best of all, the way it truly feels like you’re returning to a family every time you walk up the stairs to the West House landing.

This entire Upper Sixth Year in West has been the greatest West highlight for me. Never in my life have I seen such a large cohort of young men from different age groups so united in everything they do. Seeing the glint in people’s eyes as they belted out Life is a Highway at the House Singing Competition, hearing the chants from the side lines at the House Rugby Competition, watching the laughter of the House as we gather to watch our House Film, and seeing everyone putting their all into running what must be the best charity night in the history of charity nights has been a joy and a privilege. The level of support we have all had for each other between and amongst staff and pupils, is unparalleled to anything I’ve ever seen before, and it is this that I hope to prevail the most throughout this house’s long and awesome future.

And it would seem this strong house spirit has paid off. For the first time in memory, we managed to place in Part Song, we won or placed in most house events (even if we were robbed for our film), and we’ve consistently been the highest boys’ house for credits (albeit a touch high on the concerns front!). But we are also immensely proud and celebratory of all of the individual achievements made throughout our year groups, from sport to the performing arts, to academics, to the small acts of kindness people make on a daily basis to make this house and school as a whole a more positive place to be.

Well done West! I’m going to miss you all, and I know you’re all going to do great things. Thank you for a fantastic five years!

Harry Threapleton West House Captain 2021-22

STRENGTHS: Community Camaraderie Ambition Integrity Selflessness Sense of Fun Family

CHAPEL

The past academic year has seen perhaps the most dramatic changes in Chapel life at St John’s since the move to the current Chapel almost sixty years ago.

For much of the first part of the year we were still unable to meet in large groups and Chapel was live streamed or prerecorded, except for the Lower School who were able to still attend Chapel with appropriate Covid-19 social distancing in place. Before the start of the academic year, it was decided that the main school service which happened on a Sunday would move into the school week, this year on a Monday afternoon. Pupils still attend the same number of services, and a similar cycle of services is followed it is merely the day itself which has changed. Moving our main service from a Sunday was a decision which had often been reflected on for over two years.

Whilst Sunday has been the day of observance for worship in churches for most of Christian history this has not always been the case, immediately after the death and resurrection of Jesus his first disciples continued to worship in the Temple and the synagogues, only later did Sunday become the day of communal worship. In the letter to the Colossians we read the author admonishing the early church in Colossae:

“Therefore do no let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.” 2.16

In this verse the implication is that the day of worship was being debated early in Christian history and clearly caused division in the first century. The format may not have changed dramatically in the ensuing millennia and neither had the day of observance, however at St John’s we were faced with the reflection that the nature of our community had dramatically changed since its founding in the nineteenth century. Many pupils no longer board on a weekly basis, and many of those who do board, do so flexibly through the week. Sunday is no longer a day when pupils come into school. After much discussion it was concluded that Sunday was no longer the right day for us as a community to meet together in Chapel.

Sunday is the day of Christian worship because it commemorates the central act of the resurrection of Christ and this point was not lost in our discussions, however a

deeper reflection on the nature of church and community was at the forefront of my mind as Chaplain whilst we discussed the move. Ecclesiology is the study of the nature of church taken from two Greek words ἐκκλησία, ekklēsia originally meaning “gathering of the community” and λογία, logia meaning “words”. The nature of a school community is of course dramatically different to a church community, and it was reflecting upon this that lead to what was a difficult decision, but foremost in my mind as Chaplain was the aim of our gathering together in Chapel.

In the fourth Chapter of the first letter of John we read:

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

As James in his letter was also at great pains to lay out it is not just belief but also actions that mark the Christian life and this is at the heart of much of our reflections in Chapel. The nature of our community as a school focused on our gathering together in the Chapel is to reflect on the Christian foundations of the School and how this plays out in our life together. For St John in his letter the act of loving others was the central mark of a Christian community, not the day they met.

In light of the key ecclesial change in the last century, Vatican II, Karl Rahner wrote “it is not so simple to decide where the distinction is to be drawn between changeable and unchangeable factors in the Church”.1 He also highlights the fact that with any change the progressives and conservatives are always going to exist and differ in opinion over what is happening. Church is more than community, but Chapel life is not parish life, moreover though the locus of the

act is perhaps more key than any ecclesial definitions. The theologian Miroslav Volf summarises Cardinal Ratzinger2 “the essence of the church [is located] in the area between the self and the whole; it is the communion between the human ‘I’ and the divine ‘Thou’ in a universally communal ‘We’ ”.3

In seeking to unpack these ideas in a less theologically dense manner during the Summer Term we reflected on The Rule of Saint Benedict in one morning Chapel. The Rule has had a long-lasting impact not just on religion, but on the shape of Europe. In his book on the Rule, the Cambridge scholar and former archbishop Rowan Williams writes “For fifteen hundred years, the Rule of Saint Benedict has been one of the most influential texts in the culture of Western Europe.”4 This is of course a bold claim, however it is clear The Rule has had a lasting impact.

As humans we are communal in nature, and The Rule recognises the need for community and our need for order in establishing communities. This is essentially why The Rule has endured because it resonates with the very nature of us as humans. The problem Saint Benedict identified with any community, including our own school, is that it has people in it and therefore disagreements, tensions and more arise. The Rule is a practical guide (not an exhaustive set of rules) to aid the growth of a community and as such there is much that is relevant to all communities. There is guidance we can take and implement.

There are of course elements of Saint Benedict’s rule which would not apply to us as a school, the suggested attendance in the Chapel eight times a day would be too much even for me, especially the early morning service of Lauds which should be an hour before sunrise is unlikely to be of much practical use to us as a school. There are rules about behaviour in the Dining Hall and a clear procedure of sanctions for those who refuse to follow the guidance of those in authority. In this sense there is a lot that is similar not just to our school but all schools.

What is most helpful in considering the shape of a community and central to The Rule is the fivefold practice Benedict identifies, the five elements of life he outlines seems to be a response to his direct experience of what worked in creating a way for diverse groups of people to live alongside each other. This again seems very relevant to us as a community.

The five practices are: Prayer, Work, Study, Hospitality and Renewal. Again, to me it seems that these are the areas which we also value as a school. We come together in Chapel, whatever the day to reflect and grow spiritually, or as Benedict describes - prayer and renewal. Whilst the changes this year will mark out a new shape in our community, the flow from tradition whilst incorporating our needs is clear and I hope this will maintain the Christian ethos of our community for many decades to come.

Reverend Charlie Moloney Chaplain

1. Rahner (1976) pg.7; 2. Now pope Benedict XVI; 3. Volf (1998) pg.30; 4. Williams (2020) pg.3

PERFORMING

Arts

at St John’s

By Oliver White, Director of Performing Arts

ARTS

The beginning of this year saw the Performing Arts Department determined to rebuild ensembles and recreate a backstage fizz after the difficulties of the previous 18 months. In many ways it has felt like building from scratch again, with cast members and ensembles being new and younger pupils not experiencing 'normality' within rehearsals and the department at large; however, the team worked hard to get us back to where we were and fortuitously the pupil appetite has been stronger than ever. By the end of the year, we have managed to exceed where we were in March 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic struck.

The first half of the Autumn Term was filled with highlights and hiccups. The Apollo Theatre Company from Guildford gave a fantastic masterclass in the physicality needed for characterisation involving around 25 of our budding thespians. The work created by our pupils was extraordinary. The lunchtime recital programme had a renaissance with the return of a live audience while still being recorded and released to the School community after the event. However, Covid-19 continued to cause problems; House Singing was postponed and due to several of the Fourth Form and Lower Fifth pupils isolating there were low rehearsal numbers for our first drama production of 2021/22 and school choir rehearsals. With judicious editing of the script and music repertoire alterations we managed to keep our calendared performances alive.

The first week after half term saw the return of our Concerto Competition, adjudicated by the Precentor and Director of Music from Eton College, Mr Tim Johnson. This year we had pupils represented across the breadth of the School from the Lower Third to the Upper Sixth and while the department has embraced more genres over the last few years, it is rewarding to know that a strong classical music vein is thriving at the School. This was followed immediately by a bespoke version of Treasure Island in the PAC from our Fourth Form and Lower Fifth which enabled us to start demonstrating the capabilities of our fantastic new lighting rig. At the end of the term, we presented our first double bill in many years; a spoof Dracula and the classic one act farce Black Comedy. These were cast from the Lower Fifth up, and involved greater numbers than previous autumn productions, and following on from the riotous It Runs in the Family which played to full houses in 2019.

It has continued to be a year of variety and growth for the performing arts at St John's with more pupils involved, more activities and more events than ever before.

These two performances displayed how far the department has progressed in terms of performance sophistication in this genre across all years, and that we are now a leading force for acting through song in a non-vocational institution.

Our first music masterclass for wind players was given by a phenomenal young oboist, Richard Lines Davies, which was fully subscribed the day it was announced, and we were delighted to welcome him back to join our small professional orchestra for our Michaelmas Concert at the end of November. The centre piece of this concert was the Vivaldi Gloria sung by the School Choir, featuring performances from several of our ensembles. While we are rebuilding to the standard we had prior to Covid-19, enthusiasm has not waned and the talent moving up through the School signals a golden period ahead in the coming years. The Christmas Rock Concert was as popular as ever, and the relish found in singing carols again was palpable from the pupils as we prepared for the Carol Services. The Lower School Choir, in particular, is blossoming, and as this feeds through into the Senior School the future of choral music looks promising. We should be able to seriously consider a tour abroad and to enter ourselves for a national competition again in the coming years.

If ever a term could be chosen to represent the diversity on offer within the department, Spring Term 2022 would be the perfect example. This term's programme started with our bi-annual fringe musical, Songs for a New World by Jason Robert Brown staged in the PAC. This fourhander was expanded to include a pupil cast and band of 27, such was the enthusiasm and talent of the pupils who auditioned. These two performances displayed how far the department has progressed in terms of performance sophistication in this genre across all years, and that we are now a leading force for acting through song in a non-vocational institution.

Our first drama masterclass was due to be a make-up workshop, but due to Covid-19 was changed at the last minute to a workshop on 'the importance of why' which looked at backstory, motivation, and character development. This term's music masterclass was staged for our brass players. It was given by Jacob Bagby, a prolific horn player regularly playing with the likes of the Royal Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Opera House and the Philharmonia.

The first half of the Spring Term always sees us stage our annual Forbes Music Competition; yet again we had more than 100 entrants covering all standards and instruments and adjudicated by external professionals. The Winner's Recital staged just after half term displayed a breadth and depth across all facets of music making (and all year groups). The talent coming up through the School which is being nurtured and fostered by everybody within the performing arts team is extremely exciting.

MUSIC

House Film and House Singing stood alongside each other for the first time, just before half term. These competitions were adjudicated by Mr Neil Matthews of Hurstpierpoint College. The films were screened across the preceding week in a packed PAC, and it is clear this competition is gaining in momentum and popularity each year. House Singing yet again did not fail to raise the roof of the Chapel.

After the half term break, 110 pupils and 14 staff all took to Sloane Square to stage an evening of music themed around Saint Saens's The Carnival of the Animals at Cadogan Hall. This displayed a truly varied programme and the pupils rose to the occasion with aplomb and parental feedback has been excellent.

The Lower School Musical Theatre Cabaret evening, Anything Can Happen, followed. This was the first time since summer 2019 we were able to return to our format of round tables, wine, and cheese to elicit the feel of a cabaret club and 15 members of the Lower Third and Upper Third performed with energy and enthusiasm. The term culminated with two performances of Oscar Wilde's classic, The Importance of Being Earnest. Pupils from the Lower Fifth to the Upper Sixth rehearsed with diligence from January to March and it is lovely to see a staple and ever popular piece of repertoire being performed by the department.

The Summer Term saw no let-up in pace from the Performing Arts Department both with performances and in investment into the infrastructure and equipment within the PAC. The term kicked off with a very successful Musical Theatre Masterclass from the hugely prolific and respected West End star, Caroline Sheen. She worked with around 10 of our pupils from the Lower Third to the Upper Sixth and made some extraordinary changes to their performing technique as well as being extremely generous with her time.

The second week of term saw another first for us, our inaugural dance showcase with performers from the Lower Third through to the Upper Sixth displaying ensemble routines, duets, and solos; it is clear there is growing momentum and excitement about dance at St John's.

DRAMA

Following this was our Summer Concert, with the centre piece involving the reborn St John's Choral Society joining forces with our own school choir, and an orchestra of former pupils and staff in a hugely moving and effective performance of Howard Goodhall's Eternal Light; A Requiem. The whole concert went extremely well, and it really showed how we have got back on track after Covid-19 and we are improving our standard and creating an exciting pupil frisson around performing, Each ensemble excelled, in particular Schola and the Swing Band, and everybody taking part and in the audience found the evening very rewarding.

CONCERT

The next day we took 30 of our Performing Arts Scholars to see the brand new, and state of the art, musical Back to the Future in London. It is fabulous to be able to offer this sort of enriching experience to them once again.

The latter half of term saw our true return to a Lower School Production, with Crossing the Channel - A Comedy This was a bespoke script, conceived by five members of the Upper Sixth, and written by a team of Upper Sixth pupils, Mr Kelway and Mr White. Almost 50 pupils were involved in the evening, and it culminated with a performance from the Lower School Choir. The evening was light-hearted, in good spirits and full of enthusiasm and it felt like a real return to normality.

As the year drew to a close, we presented our annual Senior School Cabaret in the penultimate week. Hope, our title for the piece, involved 15 pupils performing an evening's entertainment with a thematic link and woven together from a variety of shows across the years.

The Junior Years' Rock Concert took place a few days later in the PAC and was the perfect opportunity to showcase the emerging talents from the Lower Third to the Lower Fifth; it is always a super compliment to the more classical concert which takes place earlier in the term.

All of these events were complemented throughout the year by our Chapel services, our lunchtime recital series that has displayed jazz, musical theatre, classical and pop from solos and ensembles totalling some 45 events from the department across the whole year. Next year will see 33 performing arts activities weekly as we strive towards offering the St John's pupils a truly diverse, varied, and exciting provision of dance, drama, and music.

The department has also continued to invest heavily in equipment within the auditorium, it now contains state of the art equipment, flying capabilities and will be almost unrecognisable from September 2023. We are moving towards having a theatrical space that can rival, if not stand above our nearby schools, and it can truly support the astonishing work being done by the departmental team and the wholehearted commitment, passion, and talent we have within our pupils. With us offering further LAMDA provisions now, every room in the PAC is in use all week, and every available member of staff is deployed across all available rehearsal slots to offer as much as we can to enhance the pupil experience. The PAC feels like it is returning to a state of being a living, breathing creature again and one that is full of vitality!

We strive towards offering the St John's pupils a truly diverse, varied, and exciting provision of dance, drama, and music.

DRAMA

After what was a very challenging year for drama as a practical subject last year, this year has seen a resurgent display of skill, talent and outstanding performances at St John’s and the drama pupils have, as ever, given their best in truly difficult circumstances.

GCSE Lower Fifth Devised Examination

The Lower Fifth GCSE pupils worked tirelessly to create their devised examination pieces this year that engaged, shocked, and challenged their audiences. The content of the pieces was broad and ranged from the impact of war on families; to how past trauma can affect behaviour; class divides and stereotypes and even a satirical look at the Government’s handling of the pandemic! The pupils learnt a lot about the power of collaboration through this process and we eagerly look forward to working with them on their scripted pieces next year.

A level Devised Examination

One of the significant challenges of devising at A level requires the pupils to use an extract from a published play, together with the methodologies of a theatre practitioner as stimulus for their ideas. The group’s interest was engaged by Steven Berkoff’s adaptation of Metamorphosis and moved by the mistreatment of Gregor by the Samsa family. This was followed by a fantastic workshop with the theatre company Paper Birds, who inspired the group through demonstrating how verbatim text, movement and motif can be woven together to create meaning. As a result, the group created a powerful and moving piece that commented on the role social media plays in society and how it can show sanitised versions of ourselves that betray our real identity.

A level Scripted Examination - Monologues

For their scripted examination, the A level pupils were required to prepare a monologue performance. As ever, the pupils worked with diligence and focus throughout the rehearsal process and on 8 February, gave outstanding performances from such texts as Julius Caesar, Electra, Our Country’s Good, Miss Julie and Goodbye Charles. In what was their last academic drama performance at the School, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the pupils individually for their outstanding contribution to drama during their time at the School.

GCSE Scripted Examination - Monologues

In March, the Upper Fifth GCSE pupils also gave excellent performances in their final assessment of the year. In a talented year group, there were a number of outstandingly focused and powerful enactments and these pupils should be commended for their bravery and determination to deliver such excellent work despite some challenging circumstances.

COMBINED CADET FORCE

Summer this year brings an end to a busy, full year of activity for St John’s School CCF; a much closer ‘return to normal’ year than the previous few the Contingent has faced. The CCF has expanded to include Fourth Form pupils this year, increased its pupil numbers and seen the return of the Regimental Dinner as well as the Annual Summer Camp.

The phrase ‘Back to Normal’ is a strange one, and whilst things were indeed back to how they used to be, there were challenges faced to adapt and overcome the training missed, particularly by our senior pupils. As a CCF, we went straight into preparations for our first Annual Inspection since the pandemic. We were privileged to receive Group Captain Al Lewis, Regional Commandant for London and Southeast Region Air Training Corps. Gp Capt Lewis received a presentation and tour of the School and CCF and joined Senior NCO’s for lunch in the Old Chapel. After lunch, the Inspecting Officer witnessed an array of lessons and activity led by staff and senior cadets before the hotly contested Gun Run for which the Contingent joined together to witness.

A close affair, the Army Section walked away triumphant with the slimmest of victories. Group Capt Lewis was extremely complementary about the condition of the CCF at St John’s, remarking positively on 'attitudes, approach, outlooks and general company' of cadets, and that we were 'exceptionally well-placed to bounce back after a difficult Covid-19 year'.

A marvellous start to the year led swiftly onto the CCF Regimental Dinner, another event of which its return was greatly anticipated. Just shy of 70 cadets, staff, guests and Old Johnians all joined us for an evening of celebration and thanks to those who have supported the Contingent in the past few years. The Lord Lingfield, Honorary Colonel for Reserves and Cadet Force Music, joined us as our Guest Speaker and spoke powerfully about the benefits an organisation such as the CCF can bring to young people and their lives. The dinner also allowed current and former Upper Sixth pupils to experience a formal Mess Dinner as well as the traditional Mess Games which were ably led by AUO Tom Parry.

Following on with the theme of a ‘return to normal’; we were able to deploy cadets on a full complement of field days for all sections. In October, the RAF were able to partake in shooting and section training, together, as a whole section, for the first time in several years. The Royal Navy Section had a taste of mountain biking and a tour around the Explosion Museum in Gosport. The Army Section were able to take 130 cadets on an overnight exercise, training the cadets in campcraft, basic military skills and administration in the field. Memories of those 24 hours will be defined by the thunderous downpour which had many staff back at school preparing for a late-night rescue! Despite the torrential rain overnight, pupils (for the most part), managed to stay dry and demonstrated real resilience to remain engaged in the following days’ training.

Further field days included Range Days for our Upper Fifth Army Cadets who missed out in their first year, an overnight field exercise for the RAF and Army Sections in summer and a day afloat for the RN Section which saw cadets sail to the Isle of Wight and enjoy the delight of fish and chips at Cowes! The ‘Nuts Challenge’ assault course was something all pupils in the Lower Fifth were able to take part in. Similar to that of the Tough Mudder and Nuclear Race courses, the pupils were taken on a 5km loop full of water, mud and many obstacles which even saw some of the teachers getting involved! This has become a firm favourite of the cadets, but some may have not relished the thought of Sports Day the following morning! Pupils in the Lower and Upper Sixth Army Section had a fantastic few days down at Longmoor using the Urban Training Centre, clearing houses and learning about how to fight in built up areas; my thanks go to the Cadet Training Team for their support in delivering this fantastic opportunity.

The highlight to the year has been the return of the Summer Camp which, this year, saw 81 cadets travel to West Tofts Camp in Stanford near Thetford. An action-packed week full of paintballing, airsoft, laser tag, water sports, mountain biking and climbing proved to be a huge hit with the pupils, who were also treated to some excellent weather over the course of the week.

Deploying in three coaches on the evening of Sunday 3 July, there was much anticipation, not only of many cadets’ first annual camp, but the first in this location and set up. On arrival, cadets welcomed the 5.00pm dinner, but not news of the 7.00am breakfast! Settling into camp, cadets from both St John’s and Southborough High School prepared for the rotation of activities the week had in store. On top of adventure training, all cadets were able to take part in military training including the night ambush, the orienteering exercise and the obstacle course training which featured an 18ft cargo net, several walls to climb over and gates to vault over. The week proved to be a total success with cadets, I am sure they were looking forward to a rest after a busy final few weeks of term.

Drawing the year to a close we say goodbye to several colleagues: AUO van Diepen (moving to Sedbergh CCF), 2Lt Burns (moving to Harrow School CCF) and CI James Coote (taking on Head of Climbing but vows to be back on field days!), all of whom will be missed by us all. We also say goodbye but not hopefully not farewell to our OC Royal Navy Section, Lieutenant Commander Piers Vaughan. As Piers has been an exceptional support to me, I will miss him greatly and his infinite wisdom about all things RN! We look forward to dining Lt Cdr Vaughan out at the Regimental Dinner in November.

Looking ahead, next year’s Senior Cadets have been appointed as follows:

Head of CCF (St John’s School Senior Cadet): Zac ten Have (West)

Head of Army Section: Joe Campbell (East)

Head of RAF Section: Lucas Deverill (Surrey)

Head of RN Section: Oliver Stiles (West).

A truly fantastic year with plenty of achievements and the CCF showcasing why it is the most enriching opportunity for pupils at St John’s. A personal thank you to all of the staff and parents for their continued support.

James Hewitt

Major, Contingent Commander

DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD

This academic year saw the launch of Bronze DofE at St John’s. Our Fourth Form now have the opportunity to join the 31% of 14 year olds nationally who start the award.

Pupils were able to use many aspects of their co-curricular participation at school for the award, such as sporting teams and music lessons, but many chose to start new challenges, signing up to cooking courses, and using out of school activities such as horse riding and touch typing. For the volunteering section I was overwhelmed to see the variety of efforts pupils made to help their local communities. Some wonderful examples include coaching younger children at sports clubs, helping manage software for a local church, working at a rescue cattery, and online campaigning for charity. At school pupils have helped organise house events and enjoyed adventures with the CCF. For the famous expedition section of the DofE we visited the beautiful Ashdown Forest at the start of the May Half Term. Blessed with (mostly) excellent weather, 109 Fourth Formers navigated as groups through the countryside, camped and cooked together, and learned to work as a team in sometimes very new circumstances. We are looking forward to awarding the first full certificates soon, as several pupils have now completed the full Bronze Award.

The Silver level of the award remains very popular at St John’s. With 81 Upper Fifth pupils working towards their award, numbers remain buoyant. With activities as diverse as cake making, playing an instrument, CCF and drama all being undertaken by the pupils, it is clear that the award is enabling pupils to expand their horizons by taking on something new as well as rewarding participants for the things they already enjoy.

October half term expeditions to the Wye Valley (Silver practice expedition) provided both valuable outdoor instruction and character-building challenges and was wellreceived by the majority of those who attended, despite less-than-ideal weather conditions. Fingers crossed for the summer expedition to the Peak District. With IGCSEs out of the way, this should be an easier challenge than October.

The Silver Awards Dinner in May saw 22 Lower Sixth participants awarded their certificates by Alex Kendall who is an accomplished mountaineering instructor himself. Many parents and some staff attended this event and were all immensely proud of the pupils’ achievements and enjoyed Mr Kendall’s after dinner talk on how to build resilience in the outdoors.

There are currently 27 Lower Sixth and 15 Upper Sixth pupils working towards their Gold Award. A demanding October expedition to the Lake District (Gold practice expedition) saw the Lower Sixth pupils flooded out of their campsite with another of those 'once in a hundred years' rainfall events that seem to be ever more common. Despite having to abandon the campsite and retreat to a village hall, all of the participants kept their spirts up and managed to complete some worthwhile, albeit limited, training. Hopefully, the summer qualifying expedition to Snowdonia will be drier!

Steve Chalk and Alex Kendall

The sporting year of 2021-22 saw the return of competitive schools’ rugby as well as county, national cups, and the launch of a new touring programme. Throughout the year St John’s pupils broke every participation and fixture record ever seen! Across 14 sports the School fielded 209 teams (with 89% of our pupil body representing the school) that competed across almost 2,000 competitive fixtures!

Gareth James, Director of Sport

RUGBY

Following two years of disruption, it was fantastic to see our teams from the U12C and the introduction of the non-contact form of the game, to our brilliant 1st XV out on the field representing the School once again.

Under the leadership of our new Director of Rugby Liam St John, many teams achieved fantastic performances and really developed as teams, as well as securing some outstanding wins. It was challenging to choose a team of the year, however with the U16s securing impressive wins over teams such as RGS Guildford, Kings College and Epsom College, as well as reaching the later stages of day two at the Rosslyn Park National 7s Tournament, the accolade goes to them. We are also very proud to have over ten boys and girls involved with the Harlequins performance pathway programmes.

HOCKEY

Our Saturday blocks continued to show the strength and outstanding competition available to our young hockey players. Over the year we have managed to get 23 girls’ teams and 10 boys’ teams, playing 280 fixtures, winning 144, drawing 23 and losing 113, scoring 737 goals.

Notable teams this year have been: U12D, U13A, U13B, U14A, U15A, U15B, U18C. They have all achieved outstanding records this season.

Hockey has had one of its most successful years to date. St John’s entered two cup competitions, England Hockey Tier 1 for both U18, U16, U14 and U13 and Independent School Hockey Cup for U13, U15 and U19. Within the England Hockey competition our 1st XI team finished sixth in a very competitive league, the U16 team missed out on a place in the last 16, our U13 team narrowly missed out on going through to the regional finals by one goal. Within the ISHC Cup Competition the U15 girls made it to the last 16 before losing out to Gresham’s, the U19 team made it to the final of the plate competition losing to Bede’s on running penalties but played by far their best game of the season and were so unfortunate to end up second and the U13 team finished third place in the country beating Reigate Grammar.

The hockey club’s proudest success of the year was our U14 girls’ team who successfully became England Hockey Tier 2 National Champions, beating some high-quality teams to make the finals day.

Hockey

FOOTBALL

With 33 teams competing in over 280 fixtures, it was a very busy term for our new Director of Football, Joe Butler, in his first year in the role. From Lower School pupils who played their campaign competing against a variety of schools, to our 1st XI squad who performed extremely well against challenging schools such as Dulwich, Hampton, Royal Russell.

Our U12A’s finished their season with seven wins from their last seven games and our U13B’s managed 63% of their games with a positive win, great achievements from those squads. The 1st XI started the season with a very successful tour to Loughborough University, both on and off the pitch, which led to a fantastic start to the season. Competing across a very strong fixture card the boys held their own and continued to develop as a team. The Summer Term has also seen the introduction of our girl’s programme with fixtures across the Lower and Senior School.

On a more individual note, congratulations to Samuel Gordon-Powell, Harry Dean and Jack Lee, who have represented ISFA.

HockeyFootball

NETBALL

With 24 teams hitting the courts on a weekly basis the season was incredibly busy with particularly successful blocks against Epsom College, St George's Weybridge, and Reigate Grammar School and with over 3,900 goals scored throughout the term it is clear to see why!

Netball

With a tough block fixture programme in place, it was great to see how St John's pupils performed against some of the best schools in the region. A particular mention for our U15D girls who went all season undefeated and finished with a goal difference of +68.

All age groups were entered into the annual Surrey Schools Tournament which involved a preliminary round and a finals day. Six of the seven teams entered qualified for Surrey Finals. Our U15's finished in third place, and our U18's and U13's in fifth place.

The season started with the success of the U13 girls at the Hurstpierpoint invitational tournament, where the girls were overall winners after being undefeated all day. The tournament was an excellent chance to get out multiple combinations and have a full day of court time in preparation for the upcoming term. The girls finished the season with 12/15 wins on the board.

CRICKET

Summer 2022 was busier than ever for the St John’s cricketers! A shorter than normal term meant that even more matches were crammed in. Thank you to all of the staff, pupils and parents that helped along the way. Some highlights of this season, were:

• 20 teams fielded for the School across all age groups

• 159 fixtures played – 101 wins, 56 loses

• U13 girls reached the Quarter Final of the County Cup

• U15B boys only lost one game all year!

• Our 1st XI ended their 20 match season with a thrilling victory over Oundle School in the Adrian Gale Festival. Other notable victories came against Reigate Grammar and the OJ XI

• U14 and U15 girls won a combined 10 matches over the course of their season

• We achieved a 60% win ratio for boys across all teams, and a 69% win ratio for girls across all teams

• St John’s were nominated again for the Top 100 Schools publication

• Our brand-new net facility was completed at Easter, and was used by every pupil who plays cricket at St John’s

TENNIS

It has been the busiest year of tennis in the School’s history with us putting out over 20 teams for midweek and Saturday block fixtures, including a full Lower School programme. With fixtures against the likes of Epsom, Hurst, Freemans and Wellington College the pupils have continued to develop and enjoy their tennis.

The most successful team of the season were our U18As who went unbeaten across the Summer Term. We have exciting plans to continue to develop the programme, and we will be entering the AEGON Cup for the first time in the 2022/2023 academic year.

OTHER SPORTS Tennis

This academic year has once again seen us offer our pupils a vast amount of meaningful variety through the games programme. With dance, yoga, climbing, cross-country, badminton, boot camps and shooting all on offer pupils had lots of fantastic opportunities alongside our major sporting options.

This academic year has also seen the emergence of our golf programme. With fixtures and competitions held both regionally and nationally. Our golfers have had an impressive start on the school golf circuit, and I have no doubt that this will be a sport that continues to grow at St John’s.

In the swimming pool it was great to be back visiting and hosting schools’ gala events. The highlight of the season included the senior girls who made the 4x50 freestyle national finals.

Sports Day2022

The annual St John’s whole school sports day was held at the K2 stadium in Crawley. The day saw over 500 pupils from across the Lower and Senior School compete in the traditional track and field events as well as some more inclusive fun races which included wooden spoon, bean bag and sack race.

Pupils competed for house points, with many going on to set new house and school records for individual times and distances. The atmosphere was simply outstanding with pupils cheering every athlete as they competed for trophies.

Lower School Cup - ORANGE

Fourth Form Boys Shield - WEST

Lower Fifth Boys Shield - EAST

Lower Sixth Boys Shield – WEST

Fourth Form Girls Shield - HAWKINS

Lower Fifth Girls Shield - SOUTH

Lower Sixth Girls Shield – GLOUCESTER

Senior School Boys Cup - WEST

Senior School Girls Cup - HAWKINS

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

We are set for an exciting 2022-23 year ahead. With the return of our touring programmes, we will once again be competing internationally with hockey visiting Holland, rugby heading to France and a combined netball and cricket tour of more than 70 pupils to the UAE at Easter. As well as our regular domestic, county, regionally and national cup-based fixtures and competition.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone behind the scenes, from grounds staff, to catering, estates, support staff and so many more who have made this year possible both on and off the field of play.

Gareth James Director of Sport

FROM THE ARCHIVES

From Clapton House to Leatherhead

The School was founded in 1851 by the Reverend Ashby Blair Haslewood, vicar of St Mark’s, Hamilton Terrace in the St John’s Wood district of London. His aim was to offer a free education for the sons of poor clergymen and to provide a choir for his large church. Haslewood appointed his curate, the Reverend Anthony Thomson, as headmaster and the first eight ‘Foundationers’ joined the School in January 1852. Three years later, the School separated from St Mark’s and moved to Greville Mount House in Kilburn, just outside the parish boundaries. This was the first of three moves before the School moved to Leatherhead in 1872. A further move to Walthamstow took place in 1857 when the Reverend Anthony Thomson left the School and the boys were transferred to a small private school run by the Reverend Lewis Page Mercier.

In 1859 the School moved to Clapton House in East London with Mercier as headmaster. The School prospered and so, in 1861, the Committee decided to open the School on an independent footing and appointed a new headmaster, the Reverend Edwards Comerford Hawkins.

The Committee wished to expand the premises, but Clapton House was leased, and Thomas Baden Powell was unwilling to sell them the property. In 1866 the Committee started to look for land of about ten acres suitable for building a new school. A plot of 12 acres of land in Leatherhead was found at a cost of £2,500. A ten per cent deposit (£250) for the purchase of the land was paid in August 1867 and a contract signed.

Clapton House – watercolour by William Grundy

The Reverend E C Hawkins

First Pupils at Leatherhead

150 years ago, the academic staff included the headmaster, the Reverend E C Hawkins, four assistant masters, a drawing master and a drill master.

The curriculum in the 1860s and 1870s was chiefly classical, comprising English, mathematics, divinity, Greek, Latin and history. Music and drawing classes were optional extras and had to be paid for by parents. Annual internal examinations were held, but boys could only move up to a higher class if they reached the required standard. Pupils had to leave before they reached the age of 16 and there was no Sixth Form provision, so the brightest pupils competed for scholarships at established public schools.

However, the Committee still had to find the balance of the purchase price and further funds to design and build the new school. Fortunately, in September 1867, one of the trustees announced that a friend of the School had offered to make a gift of the land to the School and handed over a cheque for the full £2,250 to complete the purchase.

Many years later the anonymous donor was revealed to be Henry Dawes of 6 Hyde Park Gardens, London. A building fund was set up and architects Benjamin Ferry and Joseph Henry Good were appointed to draw up plans for the new building. This comprised the H-shaped main building which fronts on to Epsom Road and was designed to provide all necessary accommodation for 100 boys, a headmaster’s house, rooms for three further assistant masters, offices and other facilities.

The new school building opened in Leatherhead on 30 August 1872, with 68 pupils. Everything took place in the main building – teaching, dining, and sleeping accommodation for both staff and pupils. The west wing of the building was the headmaster’s house.

Construction workers at St John’s c.1871

St John’s School, Leatherhead, 1872

Group of pupils at St John’s School Leatherhead, 1874

The headmaster’s son, Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, became a pupil at St John’s in 1872 and won an open scholarship to Marlborough College. From Marlborough he gained an exhibition to Balliol College, Oxford. After Oxford he trained as a barrister and was called to the bar in 1887. At the same time, he began writing stories and articles under the name of Anthony Hope. He achieved such success with his literary efforts that he gave up the law to focus on writing and soon became a household name with novels such as ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’ and ‘Rupert of Hentzau’.

In 1918 he was knighted for his services to the Ministry of Information in the First World War. Anthony Hope died in 1933 at his home, Heath Farm at Walton-on-the-Hill in Surrey and is buried in the family grave at Leatherhead Parish Church.

Illustration from Rupert of Hentzau, 1898

The Reverend Thomas Layng was awarded an exhibition to Oundle, and from there a scholarship to Jesus College, Cambridge. He graduated in 1884 with an Honours degree in Classics and Theology and was ordained in 1885. Thomas Layng was an assistant master at Cranleigh School from 1884 until his appointment as headmaster of Abingdon School in 1893. On retiring from Abingdon in 1913, he was appointed chaplain of Clifton College, and Rector of King’s Stanley in 1916. He died in 1930.

The Reverend William Henry Murray Ragg won an exhibition to Derby School from where he gained a scholarship to Jesus College, Cambridge. He graduated with a first-class honours degree in 1884 and returned to St John’s as an assistant master until 1888 when he was appointed headmaster of Yarmouth Grammar School. He was headmaster at Hereford Cathedral School from 1897-1912 and then vicar of Tenbury from 1912-1922 and Prebendary of Hereford Cathedral from 1911. Murray Ragg died on 10 July 1944, aged 82, at Burford rectory, Tenbury.

Old Johnians followed a wide variety of careers after they left school. The 68 boys who started at Leatherhead in 1872 became clergymen, lawyers, bankers, engineers, teachers, artists, architects, journalists, novelists, doctors, pharmacists and naval officers. Some joined the Indian Civil Service, while others worked in the shipping trade or as brewers’ agents and wine importers.

The Reverend Thomas Layng, headmaster of Abingdon School, 1884-1913

Masters Group 1885. The Reverend WHM Ragg standing second from the left

The First Old Johnian Bishop

The Right Reverend Edward Domett Shaw left St John’s in 1876 for Forest School. He won a scholarship to Oriel College Oxford in 1881. He played first class cricket for his university and for Middlesex. Shaw was appointed headmaster of Bishop’s Stortford College in 1887 and was ordained two years later. From 1894-1910 he was vicar of High Wycombe, Archdeacon of Buckingham in 1910 and in 1913 was appointed the first Bishop of Buckingham, becoming the first Old Johnian Bishop. He died in 1937.

A Victorian photo album

The First Old Johnian Admiral

Paymaster Rear-Admiral James Elliot Vowler Morton came to St John’s in 1872 and passed out into The Royal Navy as Clerk in 1877, being commissioned to HMS Royal Adelaide at Devonport. When war broke out in 1914, even though his seniority entitled him to remain on shore, he volunteered for sea service. He served through all the naval battles in the North Sea in HMS Tiger, was mentioned in despatches for his actions during the Battle of Jutland and received the Order of the Companionship of the Bath, Officer of the Legion of Honour, and the Russian Order of St Stanislaus. He retired from the Falmouth Coastguard in May 1920, with the rank of Paymaster Rear-Admiral and died in 1925.

In the summer of 2019, a collection of Victorian CDV (carte de visite) photo cards was acquired from eBay. Dated between 1873 and 1875, they came from an album belonging to Old Johnian Augustus Edward Crowder. Each photo is named on the back, so we were able to discover further information about these pupils from our archive records and online resources.

The Reverend Augustus Edward Crowder joined St John’s at Clapton House, east London as a Foundationer in 1870. He won a place in the 1870 elections, but the Committee soon realised that he was an ‘ineligible candidate’. His father was a Minister in the Scottish Episcopal Church. Under ‘Rule 1’ of the School constitution, only sons of the clergy from the Church of England and Wales could be elected as ‘Foundationers’ A special committee meeting was held and after much discussion it was decided that he should be allowed keep his place, but that this was not to be seen as a precedent!

Augustus Crowder played for the 1st XI cricket team and left the School in 1875. He gained a B A from London University in 1884, attended Wells Theological College and was ordained in 1885.

Charles Haslewood Shannon, Arthur Ernest Buckler, John Timothy Davies and Edward Charles Blackmore were all Foundationers who joined St John’s in 1873, aged 10. They were photographed together in 1875 by Richard Huck, a Leatherhead photographer.

Charles Shannon played cricket and rugby for the School and left in 1881 for Lambeth School of Art. He was renowned for his portraits, lithographs and engravings which were exhibited world-wide in galleries and public collections of art. Shannon became a member of the Royal Academy in 1911 and was elected Royal Academician in 1920. Whilst at art school, he met his lifelong friend and partner, Charles Ricketts. Shannon died in 1937 after a long illness.

Arthur Ernest Buckler left St John’s in 1879, trained to be a civil engineer and emigrated to the United States in March 1888. He settled in Utah where he worked for the Utah Power and Light Company. Arthur Buckler died in Salt Lake City, Utah on 24 September 1941, aged 78.

John Timothy Davies left St John’s in 1878 for Christ College, Brecon. He was awarded a scholarship to Wadham College, Oxford where he gained a first-class honours degree in 1886. Davies was ordained and taught at King William’s College, Isle of Man until his appointment as headmaster of The King’s School, Chester in 1892. He retired in 1922 and died in 1926, aged 63.

Edward Charles Blackmore, son of the Reverend M Blackmore of Finchley died in 1875, the same year that this photograph was taken. He was just twelve years old.

L-R Charles Haslewood Shannon, Arthur Ernest Buckler, John Timothy Davies and Edward Charles Blackmore

The Reverend Augustus Edward Crowder

School Productions in the 1920s

Plays and musical productions flourished at St John’s throughout the 1920s.

During the early years at Leatherhead, the Dramatic Society confined itself mainly to play readings and the occasional performance. From 1887 onwards, it was the custom for short scenes or ‘Speeches’ from Latin, Greek, French and English plays to be performed by the boys after the presentation of the prizes on Speech Day. An article on ‘School Theatricals’ in The Johnian for 1889 notes that:

‘It is now some years since any performance of a play has been attempted by any of the boys. It has been superseded, wisely we venture to think, by Speeches given at the Midsummer Prize-day.’

Scenes from plays by Aristophanes, Molière, Sheridan or Goldsmith were performed after the formal proceedings. This tradition continued until 1907 when the theatrical performances on Speech Day were replaced by an orchestral concert.

We have no record of any further public performances until 1922 when the Upper Fourth form presented a selection of scenes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the annual Festival Day for Old Johnians. The play was a great success, and all the performances were declared ‘excellent’.

As a result, the staging of a play became an annual feature and, in 1923, the Sixth Form presented a large-scale production of scenes from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night

The photographs depicting scenes from Twelfth Night are from an album belonging to William Cogswell (St John’s School, 1921-1923) which he donated to the School Archives in 1988. A lengthy review appeared in the August 1923 edition of The Johnian, where the staging and lighting were both commended:

‘The lighting was particularly well managed, as it so seldom is in amateur performances. In fact, the sudden turning-down of the lights, plunging the stage in darkness seemed to make a better curtain - and a more Shakespearean - than the usual modern contrivance that generally ‘contrives’ to get stuck half way.’

The character of the clown came in for special praise: ‘Perhaps the most striking success of the whole performance was the Clown and his songs.’

Twelfth Night, 1923

A performance of Much Ado About Nothing followed in 1924 and The Rivals in 1925. The review in The Johnian said: ‘In many ways ‘The Rivals’ is a most suitable play for a school production; the plot is amusing, if conventional, and easy to follow, and there is no long part to strain an unaccustomed actor.’

St John’s School Operatic Society staged two performances of HMS Pinafore, assisted by a full professional orchestra, in the Dining Hall in December 1924. The production was in aid of the Boys' Clubs supported by the School Mission at Walworth.

The Operatic Society also staged a successful production of The Mikado over three nights in June 1927 at the Picture House in Leatherhead. This was also in aid of the School Mission and the review notes that:

'Only one member of the cast was drawn from outside the School. Owing to the illness of P L Richards, Miss Marjorie Parker undertook the part of Yum-Yum.'

L: The Mikado 1927: female chorus; R: The Mikado 1927, male chorus.

The Rivals, 1925

The Mikado 1927

A Letter From Sandringham

Shortly after the First World War, the plight of the clergy and their ‘starvation’ salaries was the subject of a debate in the House of Lords. In his lengthy speech on 19 February 1919, Lord Strathspey quoted from a clergyman who said:

‘On this income of £252 a year I have to educate three children, keep one servant, have a gardener occasionally, subscribe and go to all local functions, keep myself abreast with current knowledge and literature, and take the position of an educated gentleman with half the income of the village grocer. This was hardly possible in pre-war days—it is quite impossible now’

The Reverend Thomas Avery fell into just such a category. A clergyman with an income of £270 per annum and with three dependent children, he was looking for a suitable school for the education of his son Thomas and, as the vicar of Syston in Leicestershire, would have heard of St John’s through the Diocese of Peterborough.

In the 1920s, St John’s depended on charitable donations and legacies to fund the free education of its pupils. The system of ‘electing’ pupils to join the School as ‘Foundationers’ (entitled to free board and tuition up to the age of sixteen) took place twice a year, in June and November. Those who gave money to the charity were entitled to one vote for every 5 guineas donated. A category of ‘Supplementary Foundationers’, whose parents paid half fees had been introduced in 1887, and a small number non-foundationers and day boys paying full fees, were also accepted. In October 1922, there were 241 boys at St John’s, 91 Foundationers, 85 Supplementary Foundationers and 55 fee paying pupils.

Subscribers to the Foundation were canvassed for votes and this polling card shows that the Reverend Thomas Avery was appealing for votes for his eldest son, Thomas Lovell Avery. He had the support of several notable people including the Bishop of Peterborough, Colonel Sir Charles Edward Yate MP and Sir Herbert James Read, KCMG, CB who became the 22nd Governor of Mauritius from 19 February 1925 to 9 December 1929.

The letter from Sandringham, dated 14 November 1922 was written by Charlotte Knollys who was Lady-in-Waiting and the first female Private Secretary to Queen Alexandra. Both her father and brother also served in the Household of King Edward VII when Prince of Wales and later as king. She writes:

Dear Madam

A Letter from Sandringham

Princess Victoria has asked me to let you know that one of Queen Alexandra’s Votes will again be given to Thomas Lovell for St John’s School Yrs faithfully

Charlotte Knollys

Polling Card for Thomas Lovell Avery

The dowager Queen Alexandra began donating £50 a year to the St John’s Foundation in 1918 and by 1922 was entitled to 70 votes at the annual elections. She continued to donate £50 each year until her death on 20 November 1925.

The recipient of this letter would have been delighted to hear that once again Queen Alexandra had given one of her votes to Thomas Lovell.

Thomas Lovell Avery had received insufficient votes in the half yearly election of Foundationers in December 1921 and just missed out on a place in June 1922 when the first ten boys with the highest number of votes were elected but he came top of the poll with over 3000 votes in December 1922 (first eight boys were elected) and joined East House in the summer of 1923.

This photograph of junior boys around 1922 shows the uniform and school cap that Thomas would have worn when he first entered the School.

Thomas was a member of the debating society, and later a House Prefect.

When he reached the Sixth Form, Thomas was entitled to wear a suit as shown in this photo of the Special Form (the form from which boys were prepared for university entrance examinations). He left St John’s in the summer of 1930 with a place at Exeter College, Oxford.

After Oxford, Thomas served his articles in Leicester and passed the Law Society final examinations in June 1938. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1939 and for many years practised as a solicitor in St Albans. Thomas Lovell Avery was a stalwart supporter of the School, regularly attending Old Johnian Sunday and contributing to the Foundation which had provided for his education at St John’s. Thomas died in December 2005, aged 94.

Junior form 1922

Special Form 1922

A classroom in the 1920s

1912

Percy Douglas and the North House Football Team of 1912

In June 2022, Percy’s grandson, Edwin Roberts shared with us a copy of a photograph of the 1912 North House football team which we had not seen before. He also sent copies of photos of his grandfather in uniform and in later life.

Percy Douglas joined St John’s as a Foundationer in January 1907. Our records show that he played football for North House and in 1910 was awarded his Junior House Cap. In 1912 he gained his Senior House Cap and he played for the 2nd XI football team in the 1912-13 season.

Just two years later Percy, along with many of the other boys in this photograph, enlisted when war broke out in August 1914. Fortunately, Percy survived the war but several of his North House teammates were killed in action between 1914 and 1918.

Percy Douglas joined the Liverpool Scottish Regiment as a territorial on 5 August 1914 aged 17. He was in France by November 1914 but was wounded near Ypres in May 1915.

Percy was then commissioned into the Army Service Corps in July 1915. This photograph is from Percy’s time in the Army Service Corps where he was carrying supplies to the lines with Horse Teams. Percy is standing third from the left on the back row.

Percy was wounded again in August 1916 and transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in August 1917. He was a Brisfit (Bristol F.2 First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft) observer with 11 Squadron and scored eight victories with his pilot, John Chick, in March 1918.

In a recording made for the Imperial War Museum, ‘Voices of the First World War’ project, Percy Douglas reflected on the positive aspects of his time with the RFC:

‘When we were flying at about 17,000 feet it gave you a wonderful feeling of exhilaration. You were sort of, I’m the King of the Castle! You were up there and you were right out of the war. I’d been in the infantry and the Army Service Corps. In the infantry we were always lousy, filthy dirty and very often hungry whereas in the Flying Corps it was a gentleman’s life. You slept in a bed, you put on pyjamas every night, you had a decent mess to come back to. You had about two and a half hours patrol, perhaps, in the morning and two and a half in the afternoon and that was the job. So altogether, it was much more pleasant.’

Percy married Edith Horbury (Edwin’s grandmother) just after the war.

This photograph of Percy in his RFC uniform with Edith was taken when they were on leave and their engagement had just been announced. Edith served in Malta as a nurse on Hospital ships during the war taking soldiers back to Malta from Gallipoli.

Edwin Roberts tells us that his grandfather had a hard but good and long life. Percy died on 15 September 1986 at the age of 90.

He is also remembered on the Cheshire Roll of Honour website: www.cheshireroll.co.uk/soldier/?i=34208/ Lieutenant-percy-douglas

North House football team 1912 - Percy Roberts standing fourth from the left in the back row Percy Douglas

Percy

Percy Douglas and Edith Horbury

Percy Douglas with the Army Service Corps 1915-1916

Sixty Years Ago

On Friday 30 March 1962, Field Marshal Montgomery laid the foundation stone for the new Chapel:

‘At 2.30 p.m. on Friday, March 30th, in the presence of most of the School Council, the architects, the contractor, the Staff, wives, boys, all in mackintoshes and lurking, where possible, under umbrellas, the Field-Marshal performed the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new Chapel. After sending a press photographer packing, the Field-Marshal spoke of the history of the new building, of his own arrival on the Council of the School, of his rapid promotion to become Chairman, of the improvements that had since taken place…

…He announced that the building would be ready by Speech Day, 1963, and that the dedication ceremony would be performed by the Diocesan Bishop of Guildford. Then, with his accustomed skill, the FieldMarshal expertly set the stone in place, declared it well and truly laid, and presented the trowel, a gift from the architects, to the School.

Fifty Years Ago

St John’s celebrated 100 years in Leatherhead with events including a cricket match, a centenary ball, open air productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on the Quad and a performance of Haydn's Creation in the Chapel.

‘In May 1972, Surrey played Worcestershire in the John Player Sunday League on the School cricket pitch; the match was televised and before play began (at about 4 o'clock, thanks to the weather!) there were some interesting pictures of St. John's' dreaming spires, and indeed of its dreaming spectators.’

Beyond the Classroom

This year we are delighted to have run over 130 extra-curricular clubs and activities each week. There is something for each pupil to enjoy, from academic extension, performing and creative arts, a vast array of hobbies, sport, and societies. New activities this year included STEM girls, Lower School scale models, macrame, Japanese, Makaton sign language, knitting, Black History Society, bullet journaling, school radio, backgammon, beginners Italian, and not forgetting the extremely successful CANSAT group who launched a can into orbit!

We were thrilled to enjoy several enrichment days this year, with activities and trips such as film making, outdoor activity centres, fantastic expert-led workshops, work experience, water sports, visits to Oxford University, Hampton Court, Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium, Tate Britain much more! All pupils enjoyed enthusiastically exploring new topics, adventures, and challenges.

Feminism

'Feminism: everyone's invited' was very popular this year, including a mix of both male and female attendees. This was reassuring as last year one of the main missions of the club was to spread the word that feminism is about equality and is not synonymous with man-hating! We 'broke the bias', read The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman-Perkins, discussed great female leaders, got cross about the gender-pay-gap, got even crosser about the over-turning of Roe v Wade and cheered unanimously when watching Suffragette.

Black History Club

It was great to see pupils from the Fourth Form to the Upper Sixth exploring various aspects of history that are sometimes overlooked. The sessions addressed the prosperity of the medieval Mali kingdom, with ruler Mansa Musa considered to be the richest person that ever lived, as well as Sudanese history, the Caribbean, and the United States. The pupils had a big say in choosing the topics and directing the focus of the club, and they produced some excellent presentations. It was very interesting to hear the pupils reflect on the topics and to see their enjoyment at learning about places and periods beyond their normal curriculum.

Macramé

Pupils spent time learning the craft of macramé. Using yarn, pupils learnt the basic knots which can be used to make everything from wall hangings and plant hangers to jewellery, purses, and even clothing items! Pupils created some fantastic pieces.

Modern Calligraphy and Lettering

Pupils explored hand-lettering and illustrated handlettered designs as well as an introduction to simple calligraphy. The techniques were then applied to projects such as writing their name in an illustrative manner, graffiti posters, and creating greeting cards designs.

Clay Club

Pupils had a lot of fun and enjoyed getting messy making Islamic-style tiles, coil Acoma- inspired pots and freestyle modelling.

Psychology

Lower Sixth Psychology pupils spent time working on their independent research projects for Royal Holloway University's National Psychology Competition. At the end of the Summer Term, pupils visited Royal Holloway to present their findings. The competition required them to carry out their own research and create a short educational video and poster to answer this year's question 'how can psychology help to solve societal and global problems?'. One team chose to answer the question using the example of prejudice, and the other team decided to conduct their research on obesity.

Girls Football

Our girls football programme was the highlight of football here at St John’s during the Summer Term. With over 60 girls participating across the year groups and fixtures throughout, it was great to see to demand for the girls game and dedication our pupils demonstrated across the season.

Forensic Club

Pupils in Fourth Form with interests in the world of forensic science (and passionate about Death in Paradise) enjoyed a range of practical activities, including testing the life cycle of maggots at different temperatures to assess time of death. They also completed blood splatter analysis using various weapons and directions of splatter, and DNA testing using gel electrophoresis and fingerprint analysis.

Lego Club

10-minute Book Club

Each week pupils spent 10 minutes reading an extract, and then 30 minutes discussing it. The aim was to make a great conversation about literature possible, and to offer a quick and accessible way into some of the greatest writing by extraordinary writers from all backgrounds.

Script Writing

A wonderful group of Upper Sixth pupils producing an entirely original script which was then performed as the Lower School Play, ‘Crossing the Channel’. Loosely based on Homer's The Odyssey, the group transposed the epic journey home into a school trip gone horribly wrong, complete with bull fights, a turnip-fuelled re-enactment of Agincourt and a hot-air balloon that required remarkable suspension of disbelief from the audience!

Great Artworks

Pupils have really enjoyed building creative pieces together and sharing their love of Lego!

STEM Club (Girls)

Lower Third and Lower Fifth pupils made paddle boats and developed their engineering skills by making elastic band powered cars and marble runs.

Pupils took a long, slow look at great artworks with secrets hidden within them. The pupils' favourites were 'The Harvest' by Peter Brueghel and 'Scenes Around Kyoto'. We really enjoyed using the highdefinition images on Google Arts and Culture that allowed us to zoom-in on tiny details and find the hidden figures. Pupils then went on to choose their own painting to present to the class in a format suitable for radio broadcast.

Water Polo

This year we started our first ever water polo team! We had a group of players from Fourth Form to Upper Sixth. We learned some basic skills of the game as there was a wide range of abilities and worked on various plays and positions. We spent a lot of the time playing mixed full games and keeping a competitive record which was a lot of fun. Next year we hope to have our first ever games with other schools.

The Christian Union

The Christian Union has seen a resurgence this year with groups of pupils coming together to consider big questions of faith and the world today and taking the opportunity to think about current global issues from a different perspective. Discussions have used passages from the Bible as stimulus material with parts of Mark and John's gospels, Genesis, the Psalms and Exodus all a starting point at different points in the year. It has been a pleasure to see pupils taking on the opportunity to lead and direct the sessions.

Academic Extension

Groups were open to all pupils with an interest in learning beyond the curriculum. Pupils have enjoyed guest sessions by teachers and Sixth Form pupils, who have been amazing role models for the younger years. The sessions have ranged from learning about the Mandela effect, history of art, introduction to business and solving riddles in linguistics. Younger pupils have explored some Sixth Form subject areas in taster sessions and we have enjoyed some practical sessions, with Fourth Form learning about aerodynamics and building gliders.