Sutton Views - April 2013 (54)

Edition 54 April 2013

SUTTON VIEWS The Voice of Sutton Valence School

Outstanding Governors Add to Expertise At a time when the effectiveness and expertise of school governors in the state sector are being examined, the School has invited four very diverse people to join its Governing Body, which was commended as ‘Outstanding’ in the last ISI inspection for its breadth of talent and experience.

Said Bruce Grindlay, Headmaster, “We are extremely fortunate to be working with committed governors, who voluntarily give up their time to share their notinconsiderable expertise, help shape the School’s strategy and oversee the running of what is not only a fine educational institution, but also a considerable business. We are able to call upon a range of valuable skills to help inform our decisions and our new governors will add to that capability.”

As a member of the United Westminster Schools Foundation, the School already has an association with Westminster Abbey, so was delighted when The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster, agreed to join. Chairman of governors of Westminster School and

Sport Round-up

Night Walk

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Page 11

Rock Up in Red Page 12

Continued on page 2

Information A member of the United Westminster Schools’ Foundation Registered Charity No. 309267 Founded in 1576 by William Lambe

Sutton Views April 2013

For information about Sutton Valence School or to request a prospectus, please contact:

• the Admissions Office at Sutton Valence on 01622 845206 or email enquiries@svs.org.uk • Sutton Valence Preparatory School on 01622 842117 or email enquiries@svprep.svs.org.uk

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Continued from front page Westminster Abbey Choir School, he has been involved in education since 1992, when he was Diocesan Director of Education in Blackburn. From 1998, he was the Church of England’s Chief Education Officer, with overall responsibility for the Church’s strategy, policy and practice in relation to schools. Having been a governor in some ten schools, he has a deep understanding of the education and nurture of children and young people and has written widely and debated publicly on educational matters.

Gillian Swaine is a senior education professional with 35 years’ experience of teaching and school management in prestigious, private, senior schools. A passionate mathematician, she has an exceptional record and is an experienced academic mentor with an international reputation for guiding pupils to premier university entrance. Not only is she an experienced school governor and a trained and active ISI inspector, but Gillian is also highly-skilled in whole school curriculum development, staff development and appraisal, timetabling and national and international school marketing.

Dr Mike Walker was brought up in Essex, attending Colchester Royal Grammar School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.

He undertook a PhD at Cambridge in Social

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History, and taught at Dulwich College, Gresham School, and for a long period at Kind Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford Essex, where he was Headteacher from 1999 - 2008. During that time, amongst other accolades, he led the School to two ‘Outstanding’ inspections, topping the A Level league tables nationally, and achieving Leading Edge Status as ‘A Research Engaged Learning Community’.

Mike has also undertaken considerable work at national level with several bodies, shaping education strategy and thinking. He is a Governor of two schools and since 2008 he has been Headmaster of Felsted School, which he has also led to an ‘Outstanding’ inspection outcome, membership of the Round Square, and grown the School significantly in the last four years. Mike is passionate about young peoples’ life chances and raising their expectations, as well as holistic education, tackling every aspect of an individual’s development.

The School benefited for 16 years from the expertise and diligence of Andrew Hutchinson, as Bursar of the School from 1995 until he retired in 2011. Having graduated from Churchill College, Cambridge with an Engineering degree he took articles with Peat Marwick Mitchell (later KPMG) and qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He later became a partner in KPMG, spending a further seven years with the firm in Kent, before joining Sutton Valence.

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“In Dr Walker, Gill Swaine, Andrew Hutchinson and The Very Reverend Dr Hall, we have,” said Bryan Baughan, Chairman of Governors, “four distinguished figures in their respective fields. They bring a range of talent and expertise to augment an already outstanding Governing Body. Running a school requires not only a deep understanding of education, young people and their development and care, but also

encompasses the management and growth of staff, buildings and estate management and astute financial planning.

“The Governors are proud of Sutton Valence School and what it achieves for its pupils and I am confident that our skills and vitality will continue to support our community as it moves forward to even greater success.”

Westminster Abbey Easter Garden Every year a different school produces an Easter Garden for the Abbey. “It is a particular delight to have the Preparatory School doing it for us this year”, said The Venerable Dr Jane Hedges, Canon of Westminster, “as we have a special relationship with the School. You are one of our Foundation Schools, but there is also the personal link through Bruce Grindlay being a chorister parent.”

Mrs Elizabeth Betts, Head of Art and Design Technology, has conceived the design and has had help from Year 6 artists in the making. “It’s a great honour to be asked to make the garden”, she said. “I hope that it reflects the Easter story and brings pleasure to those who see it. The children have worked hard on their pieces and we are all very proud to be involved.”

The garden was installed on Holy Saturday (30th March) and viewed for the first time at the Abbey’s Easter Vigil Service on Saturday evening. It will stay on display throughout Eastertide (for six weeks) and will be seen by many thousands of their visitors. At the Easter Garden, people will be able to read the Easter story, say a prayer and light a candle and so the garden will be very much a spiritual focal point during this very important season of the Christian year.

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Community Service Star Every Wednesday afternoon, some 22 Sixth Form pupils go out into the community to work in care homes, charity shops and local primary schools. Some do it to fulfil a wish to ‘give back’, some are using the experience to help them work towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award, but one seems to have found his niche.

as Nicholas.

He is unfailingly polite, extraordinarily patient with the children and often prepares materials at home for his time in the classroom. His natural ability to engage the children and work effectively and professionally with them is rare and a joy to watch. I sincerely hope that he considers a career as a teacher.”

Lower Sixth Form student, Nicholas Cain has been working at Sutton Valence Primary School and in the words of the class teacher, Mr Ben Merabhian, ‘is a brilliant young individual’. “Since I have been working here, we have had many very good students from Sutton Valence working with us,” he said.

“But I have never seen one quite so fantastic

On 22nd March the children and staff will be going to Bethnal Green Toy Museum and Nicholas has been asked to go along. “I really enjoy my time at the school every week,” he said. “I get great pleasure and a real sense of achievement from working at the school, but I’m very pleased that the staff think my being there is worthwhile.”

Nicholas Cain and the children of Class 1, Sutton Valence Primary School

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Head of School, Hugo Pearson-Wood “Now as Head of School it is rumoured that I have a few privileges. One of which is to wear a multi-coloured coat. Apparently I can smoke a pipe or grow a beard, which I have actually been trying to do for ages. But it is the rumour of the Head of School being allowed to graze his goat on Prefects’ Lawn that I’m most interested in.

Only a few nights ago Mum decided to spring upon me a story of when I was younger, which I’d like to share with you this morning.

Although I had many animals as a five year old, I came into the kitchen one day and boldly stated that I would like a goat.

Without looking up from his desk, Dad said; “If you want a Dad, you can’t have a goat”, to which I replied, “Oh, okay, I’ll take the goat then”. So, now as Head of School, what do you think Headmaster? You’ve got the lawn, I’ve got the goat – what do you say?

But, standing here, I don't just want to make you laugh and regale you with family stories. I want to share a thought with you all: ‘To create diversity, you need individuals’.

Now this is where Sutton Valence excels.

The diversity of the pupils in this school is a key factor that places Sutton Valence at the forefront of secondary education. Our individuality is certainly one of the reasons why universities offer places to Sutton Valence students. Your individuality makes you an interesting person and our diversity makes us a stronger community. Imagine if we were all the same: all trying to be in the first team for our sport; all wanting to do the same A levels; all wanting to play the tuba – it would be a nightmare and our community

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would be weaker, losing lots of dimensions and facets that it currently enjoys.

As Mr Grindlay says, “Sutton Valence is not a sausage factory. It does not turn out a product, but rather an individual with unique qualities”. A Sutton Valence education creates a different end result each time. Part of the reason that this is the case is the difference between you and the person you are sitting next to.

You can and must learn from everyone: your best friend, your arch-enemy, family and friends, or even the random man at the pub waiting for the next pub quiz. That person you think you have nothing in common with could well teach you a valuable lesson. My point to you is this: don't be judgmental of others. Don’t write off the person your friends tell you they don't like. Don't follow

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the crowd: you are an original, an individual human being not a sheep. As the sayings go: “don’t knock it before you have tried it” and “don't judge a book by its cover”.

Be yourself, be different and try something new, don't worry about people judging you.

And from this you will learn many lessons and become quietly confident, without appearing cocky or arrogant.

So I will leave you with this thought: the next time you’re at a smart family dinner, feeling out of your comfort zone, messing around with friends, or even on a night out, talk to the person you never would have spoken to and you will be surprised what they have to offer.

Thank you for listening and, if you see a goat on the lawn, please only feed it SV chicken and bacon sandwiches.”

Aarrh, Jim lad!

In February, everyone at the Prep School, including parents, younger siblings and even a few grandparents were treated to two fabulous performances of Treasure Island from Year 3 and 4 children. Full of energy and fun, there was some amazing singing and acting within both the matinee and the evening performances.

Mrs Sally Barr, Head of English and Drama and Mrs Wendy Heaton, Head of

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Music masterminded the wonderful production. Mrs Barr said, "everyone has worked very hard to make this so successful, from the children in the rehearsals, to the parents decorating the set. Everyone had a part to play and I'm very proud of what we have all achieved.

Even the parrot managed to stay on its master’s shoulder for the entire performance!”

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Sport Round-up Senior School Rugby

John Brake, second from left, back row After a hugely successful XVs season the boys were excited to continue their success with their Sevens season. Sadly, we lost our captain (James ‘the Doug’ Douglas) the day before the Reigate Sevens, due to injury, but with the boys’ commitment to training, the team were well prepared. After being put in the hardest group of the tournament, we faced up to the challenges ahead and played some attractive sevens.

Although we sometimes lacked physicality, we progressed to the bowl semi-final, which we won heroically, with a last minute try by Rob Sehmi.

We narrowly lost in the final against one of the strongest teams, The Judd School, by a single try. Our efforts were rewarded by receiving the runners-up plate. A matter of days later and after more wise words from Mr Smith to motivate the team, the boys were ready to take on the Kent Sevens

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tournament. With even more injuries, a special mention must go to all the players who stepped up and admirably filled different positions. Again, we performed spectacularly in the group stages, where we went through and beat COLFES and Simon Langton School. With England Sevens player John Brakes assisting with the coaching, the team won their semi-final against King’s Rochester 60-0. Alas, we lost narrowly in the Bowl final to Ravenswood College, where the tough group games and injuries we had picked up, took their toll.

The National Sevens was played under difficult conditions. That being said, the team still played their attractive style and won their opening game against Reigate Grammar School. Narrow losses to Greshams and Prior Park followed. The final game against Duke of York’s saw the boys put in their best performance of the year, winning

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comfortably 43-17. Lots of players have stood out this year, with all of us improving our skills, but special mention must go Lewis Burnham and Ed Bower, who lead by example in all the tournaments.

The Squad comprises: James Douglas (Capt), Ed Bower, Lewis Burnham, Alec Kelly-Jones, Will Kelly-Jones, Will Cook, Hugo Pearson-Wood, Anton Evans, George Hawkins, George Poland, Rob Sehmi, Jordan Parker, Dan Preston-George, Harry Crouch, Harry Barber and Connor Neary.

Public Schools’ Fencing The School had an excellent showing at the competition, held at the end of March at Crystal Palace Sports Centre. Over 130 schools took part, with nearly 1400 weapon entries.

After the first pool, with not a point being scored against him, Charlie Gellet (Fifth Form) was seeded number one in the Junior Sabre class Unfortunately, he lost in the final 15 - 7, to a fencer who is off to the World Championships in a couple of weeks.

Charlie looks to have a bright future in fencing.

Prep School Hockey Festival On Friday 8th March the Primary Schools' Hockey Festival took place at the Prep School; we welcomed eight primary schools from the surrounding area for an afternoon of expert coaching, followed by a fun tournament.

We were delighted that Dave Mathews (ex GB international and Senior School Head of Hockey), gave his coaching expertise, along with that of Adnan Zakir (Pakistan international) and Alistair Burge (Australian international).

Even though it was such a cold day, the enthusiasm and commitment from the children were excellent. After the coaching session, the children were able to demonstrate their newly acquired skills in the tournament matches.

Tenterden Primary met our Prep School (blue team) in the final; a tense game, keenly fought, which culminated in a 2-2 draw. Both coaches decided that the teams couldn’t be separated and deserved to be joint winners.

Tim Feiner (Lower Sixth) also did very well, but sadly, went out in the fourth round. With positions still to be finalised, it is to be presumed that he ranked twenty-first.

The Public Schools Fencing competition is the biggest in the UK and possibly in Europe.

Both Charlie and Tim are to be congratulated on their placings.

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Cross-Country Congratulations to the Prep School U9 Boys Team, who won the Hilden Grange Cross-Country Competition. Ben Findlay, Year 4, ran in a very worthy first, of 356!

6 Team won Bronze and Ben Findlay came sixth in his individual race, out of 365 runners!”

“We are lucky to have some super crosscountry runners”, said Mr Gough, Head of the Prep School. “At the Kent College Primary Schools event, where there were 68 schools with at least 200 runners in each race, Lauren Vinten came fifth and Sophie Lee thirteenth in their races. The girls’ Year

Winners, Boys U9 team

They’re Off (Hilden Grange Cross Country)

Fledgling Cup Success for U9s Winning all three of their matches in the annual Junior King's, Canterbury tournament held in February, the Prep School Under 9 rugby team beat off all competition to take them into the final.

Their hard work in training and on the day paid off and they were crowned overall winners of the Fledgling Cup, on try difference.

work; the effort and commitment they have shown leading up to this tournament has rewarded them with this success. I'm really proud of the boys!"

Their coach Mr Jacques Strydom said, "They all played hard and showed great team

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Senior School Dance Show Building on last year’s success, the Dance Show this term was equally impressive.

Students from the First Form through to the Sixth Form performed a variety of dance styles from ‘contemporary’ to ‘street’. The juniors entertained us with an array of colourful and energetic dances, alongside some beautifully choreographed contemporary performances. The senior dancers continued to impress with their attention to timing and technical ability. The evening was enjoyed by all and raised in excess of £400 for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

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Night Walk The annual night walk in aid of Blind Veterans UK took place on Friday 15th February. There were eleven pupils, five staff and two parents who took part. We started out from Great Chart at about 6.00pm and after a few initial navigation errors, the groups got into their stride and were making good progress.

At the first stop, they were greeted with home-cooked chocolate brownies made by Mrs Hollingsworth. The next leg, to Egerton, took it out of them; the fields were ploughed and this, combined with recent wet weather, meant that every step added mud to the shoes and took time to release them from the ground. Eventually, they were walking with feet twice their original size - it took its physical toll on them.

meant that over £12,000 has been raised by CCF cadets in the past 12 months.

To mark this amazing effort, a group of the cyclists visited Blind Veterans UK’s Brighton centre on 25th March. The cadets were presented with their trophies for coming runners-up in the 2012 Cadet and Youth Challenge Competition and were also presented with the Top Fundraiser’s Trophy for raising over £11,000 for the charity (the second year running). Cadet Lewis Burnham received the Top Individual Fundraiser Trophy for raising over £1050.

However, they ploughed on and made it to the next stop - Grafty Green. The final leg should have been a nice easy stroll – part of it followed the path of the School Sponsored Walk. This did not go to plan, with one group getting confused and another getting lost and having to return to Grafty Green to try a different route.

The staff team made it back first, followed closely by the Sixth Form and, an hour and a half later, by the Fifth Form. The students realised that night navigation is a different skill to finding your way in the light but, after a valiant effort, they all made it to the end.

The walkers raised over £800 for the charity that night, which, added to that raised by the cycle from North Foreland to Land’s End (undertaken at the end of last summer term),

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Primary School Singing Day The sun shone and there was a feeling of Spring in the air; a beautiful day to welcome five local primary schools to the Prep School, for an afternoon of song.

Children from Boughton Monchelsea, Madginford, Headcorn, Hollingbourne and Roseacre were greeted by our Choristers.

They then joined the Junior Choir in the Bates Hall and spent the afternoon learning and rehearsing a variety of songs, including the beautiful Canadian folk song Land of the Silver Birch, the lively Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines and the moving ballad We are the Young.

material, responding very well to the demands of the music. The choir of nearly two hundred then took to the stage for a short concert. The Bates Hall was filled with parents eagerly waiting to hear what had been achieved in the afternoon. They were not disappointed.

Mrs Wendy Heaton, Head of Music said, "The children delighted the audience. They demonstrated powerful singing, but also how much they enjoyed it. I'm incredibly pleased that everyone worked so hard and enthusiastically and would like to thank our Junior Choir and Choristers for their support."

The children tackled some challenging

‘Rock Up in Red’ On a Friday at the end of January, teachers and pupils at the Prep School all came to School in red to help raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF). For a small donation, every pupil could choose to wear as much red as they wanted to: socks, trousers, dresses, shoes, a whole red outfit.

Anything as long as it was red!

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Every donation received went towards the BHF's campaign to fight heart disease.

Then, after School, the School Council, together with Year 6 pupils, held a fabulous cake sale in the Dining Hall. There was a wonderful array of delicious cakes, which the pupils (and some parents) had made. They

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ranged from red, velvet sponge cake to red, gingerbread, heart-shaped biscuits!

Well done to everyone involved and thank you for all your donations. As a school, we raised a total of £900.49 for the BHF.

The Baton Race tradition lives on The history of the Baton Race goes back a long way, to 1933 in fact. In those days, the Race was run over a clover-leaf course centred on the village and School; sadly, with increased traffic, that is no longer possible.

However, as then, the Baton Race still involves the whole School, but is now run on a course within the boundaries of the site.

a member of staff presented the winner’s baton. Evelyn, daughter of teachers Charlotte and Chris Westlake, gave the baton to Sophie Taylor and Hugh Gower, Heads of House, Holdgate.

On the last day of term, with house teams at the ready and tactics sorted, the races started from the gate onto School Lane. Ten checkpoints had to be visited along the route, before returning to Prefects’ Lawn.

The competition, run over Junior, Intermediate and Senior races, was fierce, with crucial points to be had for the House Competition total.

The final stages in all the races were hotly contested, but the winners were Founder’s (for the Juniors) and Holdgate, who won both Intermediate and Senior races. In line with tradition, the youngest walking child of

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50 Years of Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme An extract from the after-dinner speech at the celebration dinner, held at the end of term: “I stand before you as the current award manager, a title held, in different forms, by eight teachers before me. It is an honour and a privilege to hold this position and to see so many participants, at all levels, achieve awards.

Thank you for coming to our celebration of 50 years of Sutton Valence School being its own awarding authority. We are delighted to have with us Mr Lovelock, the first individual to be awarded the Gold Award from Sutton Valence, in its new guise as an OA, in 1964.

We also have two members of the current Upper Sixth, Antony Bromley and Ellie Sagrott, who have just completed their Gold Awards.

This year, we have been fortunate to have approved 34 Bronze, 12 Silver and 21 Gold; showing that all levels of the award are alive and well with eager, committed participants.

In November, I know it was with great pleasure that Mr Grindlay represented the School at the Award Presentation at St James Palace and only last week, Mrs Wilkinson was there with several more of our participants to see them, in their splendour, receiving their awards.

However, it is not about statistics and pomp and ceremony. A lot of my memories, and I am sure yours also, are about the expeditions.

There is nothing better than seeing a

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group, whether bronze, silver, or gold coming over the hill to the checkpoint. As staff we breathe a huge sigh of relief, not just for the group finishing, but the fact that another group has set out a plan, had adventures on the way (many of which we do not get to hear about until much, much later) and pushed themselves beyond their limits. It is not only relief – there is also a great pride in what the group has achieved and a little sadness that for us, their adventure has ended.

I could not stand here in front of you without saying a few thank yous. To Mr Grindlay, and the Senior Management Tem, without whose support the DofE would not run here. To all the staff who monitor, supervise and assess the participants in music, languages, drama, sports; the list is endless. To those staff whose involvement spans more than one section, both past and present, and in particular Mrs Kitchen, who has done a fantastic job with the Bronze

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Award since taking it over last year. To Mr Horley, whose knowledge of the Lake District is invaluable to the participants in planning the expeditions, and who gives up his time in Easter and the Summer to give participants an opportunity to complete their expeditions. To Wilkie (Mrs Wilkinson), a stalwart, always there, always encouraging, even after a hip operation still wanting to go out to visit groups, a personal thanks from me.

participants, who take our cajoling in the manner it is intended, who put in the effort, who learn the skills, complete the physical, serve others and climb the hills. You not only do it for yourselves, but when you go up in assembly to accept the award from the Headmaster, you are showing what is possible, you are inspiring others sitting in Chapel to sign up, or complete their own award.�

Glen Millbery Awards Officer, D of E

Lastly, and most importantly, to you the

Fairy Tale end to term In the last week of term, the Prep School’s Year 1 treated the rest of Pre-prep and their parents to a fabulous performance of The Worst Princess. In the afternoon our pupils, along with children from The Old School House, a nearby nursery, provided the audience for the dress rehearsal, with the full performance playing to a packed audience of parents, grandparents and other family members.

Miss Philippa McCarmick, Head of PrePrep said, "It was a pleasure to watch our

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children act their many and various parts.

I was delighted to welcome children and staff from The Old School House, where several of our pupils have come from."

The fairy tale theme continued later in the week as Reception children enjoyed their own Fairy Tale Ball. Dressed in their finest, everyone worked hard together to write and then act out a fairy tale. The day ended with baking and decorating gingerbread men; luckily none of them ran away!

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Hollywood star in the making?

Despite being born with one of the UK's most common life-threatening diseases, one Senior School pupil is making quite a name for himself in the world of acting.

Oli Dillon (Third Form) was first spotted by an agent in a production of Guys and Dolls at the age of 7, playing ‘Big Jule’. Things moved quickly and before the family knew it, Oli had been cast as the voice of ‘Lumpy the Heffalump’ in Disney's My Friends Tigger and Pooh.

Oli has cystic fibrosis, which affects the internal organs, especially the lungs and digestive system, which means a daily routine of physio, nebulisers and up to 50 tablets a day. His parents, Alison and Richard, were not sure if this and the inevitable long hours away filming would affect the school he would be able to attend.

But, the family are absolutely delighted that they chose to send Oli to Sutton Valence.

“Although he's struggled a bit health-wise, he has really settled in well and made some great friends. All the teachers we have had dealings with have gone out of their way to make sure Oli is able to cope with the demands of keeping up with his School and acting work and the various hospital visits.” says Mrs Dillon.

'Fizzy' in an episode of The Sparticle Mystery.

Such was his success that he was invited back to the popular BBC children’s programme, to reprise his role in the next series.

Throughout 2012, Oli juggled rehearsals and School work. Miss Julie Manning, his house tutor, says “Oli is a delightful and diligent pupil. He has already decided that he wants to be an actor, or a Drama teacher.

The School has been able to tailor his curriculum to let him study the appropriate subjects and accommodate his illness.”

Finally, in February this year the second series of The Sparticle Mystery was shown.

“My friends thought it was a bit weird seeing me on the television”, says Oli, “but they are used to it now and really like the programme.

Some days I am not very well, but I am very lucky to be doing something I love and hope I can continue when I leave School.”

Following 'Lumpy' he went on to record 150 episodes as ‘Nok Tok’ in the CBeebies series Waybuloo and two series as ‘Huffy the Elephant’ for Raa Raa the Noisy Lion. Oli also did some television, including an episode of My Family, and appeared in two episodes of The Basil Brush Show, one of which was coincidentally filmed on location at Sutton Valence School. Then in 2011, he was cast as

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Compiled and edited by Helen Knott, Development Manager

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