The Suttonian 2019

VOL. 39 NO. 4

2019

THE SUTTONIAN The Magazine of Sutton Valence School and the Old Suttonian Community

The Suttonian The Suttonian Editorial Team Team Editorial Design andDesign Editorand Editor Mr Will Radford Mr Will Radford Sub EditorSub Editor

Mr David Pickard Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)2009-2015) (Staff 1977-2001,

Editorial Assistance Child Editorial AssistanceMrs DonnaMrs Donna Child Mrs Helen Mrs Knott (StaffKnott 2002-2018) Helen (Staff 2002-2018) Mrs Karen Mrs Williams Karen Williams Photography Photography

Mr Don Clarke (Staff 1985-2019) Mr Don Clarke (Staff 1985-2019) Mr Jordan Mr Davis (2016 H) (2016 H) Jordan Davis Mr Jonathan Mr Lockwood Jonathan Lockwood

Printed and Boundand BoundLavenhamLavenham Press Printed Press

Editorial Note Note Editorial I am delighted to be ableto tobe bring the 2019 of edition The Suttonian.

I am delighted ableyou to bring youedition the 2019 of The Suttonian.

Within myWithin role asmy Alumni Development Manager, Manager, I work role asRelations Alumni and Relations and Development I work with both with the Old community and the wider audience bothSuttonian the Old Suttonian community and the wider within audience within the School. of that remit is the fostering relations thePart School.

Part of that remit is the of fostering of between relations the between the two; essentially that Old Suttonians still feel anstill affinity to affinity the School and, two; essentially that Old Suttonians feel an to the School and, conversely,conversely, that current pupils andpupils parents the benefits that current andunderstand parents understand thethat benefits that await themawait within thewithin OS community. them the OS community.

Over the past we have onworked different of achieving Overfour the years, past four years,worked we have onways different ways of achieving that goal, that all ofgoal, which takenhave us down route of SVS the SVS all have of which takenthe us down thecreating route ofthe creating Foundation.

The development of the Foundation is coveredisincovered far greater Foundation.

The development of the Foundation in far greater detail in the coming pages, butpages, its immediate impact hasimpact seen ahas noticeable detail in the coming but its immediate seen a noticeable change in our magazine offering. For the past four we have change in our magazine offering.

For theyears, past four years,produced we have produced separate magazines for the School andSchool its alumni, soalumni, the hope that by is that by separate magazines for the and its so is the hope bringing the two magazines together, without the qualitythe or quality or bringing the two magazines together,diminishing without diminishing breadth ofbreadth each, weofcan provide a publication which not which only achieves each, we can provide a publication not onlythe achieves the aims of theaims Foundation, but whichbut alsowhich provides interesting and variedand varied of the Foundation, alsoan provides an interesting look at thelook yearatofthe theyear School andSchool Old Suttonian community. of the and Old Suttonian community.

The work The in combining both magazines and bringing resultant work in combining both magazines and the bringing the resultant publication to print has with production starting back publication tobeen print considerable, has been considerable, with production starting back in August.inI hope though that the end will result be well-received and as and as August.

I hope though thatresult the end will be well-received ever, I would welcome feedback.

I would like to takelike thistoopportunity ever, I wouldyour welcome your feedback.

I would take this opportunity to thank a to number people, of without whom thewhom magazine would notwould have not have thank of a number people, without the magazine been completed.

My biggest must go to David been completed.

Mythanks biggest thanks must go Pickard, to DavidAssistant Pickard, Assistant Editor of the Old Suttonian David is a stalwart the OS community Editor of the Old section.

Suttonian section.

David is of a stalwart of the OS community and his input willingness to contribute is second-to-none. andand his input and willingness to contribute is second-to-none.

Similarly, ISimilarly, must thank the thank editorial of Donna Sarah O’Connell I must theteam editorial team Child, of Donna Child, Sarah O’Connell and Karenand Williams their considerable help, together former Karen for Williams for their considerable help, with together with former member ofmember staff Helen Knott, whoKnott, has been well-deserved of staff Helen who spending has been her spending her well-deserved retirementretirement proof reading us! Thank to all and I hope youI hope enjoy you all enjoy all proofforreading for you us! Thank you to all and that the magazine has to offer. that the magazine has to offer.

CONTENTS

Welcome Introduction and Highlights

2

The School Academic Update

Contents

Enrichment Activities

7

35

Leadership Focus

49

School Community

69

Sport

95

Old Suttonians OS News and Features

131

147

OS Events and Sport From the Archives

163

Old Suttonian Community

177

Page 1 - The Suttonian 2019

INTRODUCTION AND HIGHLIGHTS

Headmaster’s Welcome Mr Bruce Grindlay

A

s I approach the end of my tenth year as Headmaster of Sutton Valence, the more I understand the emphasis the Governors put on our community when I was being interviewed over a decade ago. The mandate they gave me was very simple: improve standards, expectations and academic achievement but do not, on any account, damage the sense of community that makes the School so special. Now, that might sound like a daunting challenge, but actually it has been a joy to lead this community in its journey to improve itself and to demand more from its constituent members.

You will see much in this year’s edition of The Suttonian that mentions our community and all we are doing to bring it even closer together. There are two obvious examples of this: firstly, you will notice that we have decided to incorporate The Old Suttonian into The Suttonian rather than having it as a separate magazine; and secondly, you will read about the launch of the SVS Foundation to act as the hub to all the satellite communities that orbit the School.

For many years now we have allowed duplication in both The Suttonian and The Old Suttonian as there is so much cross over and shared interest.

In discussion with Will Radford, we decided that we ought to put the two publications into the same edition, allowing both the current School population and former members to see what we are all doing and what we have achieved this year. At the Leavers’ Service I tell the departing Upper Sixth that they are not actually leaving us, but joining the endless throng of OS that span back four and a half centuries and that this rite of passage, the move to becoming an OS, is not a break but a seamless transition. I hope that by combining these two magazines the seamless continuum of The Suttonian journey is reflected in this one edition.

As we move towards the School’s 450th anniversary in 2026, we were looking at ways to enhance and highlight our greatest strength: our community. Therefore, we have decided to create an umbrella group that would incorporate and assist, but not oversee, the various satellite groups that spring out from the School to foster greater collaboration and understanding. At the end of each academic year, I have so many past parents stop me to say that they are feeling as emotional and bereft as their children at the thought of leaving and losing touch with Sutton Valence that this set me thinking: why don’t we have an OS Parents’ Association and, if we do this, why don’t we also involve the parents at our sister school in China: HIKSVS International Bilingual School in Tianjin?

As we pondered how we could make these groups dovetail into the existing offshoots of the main School community, we stumbled upon the idea of having various joint events held during the School year that could be open to all the members of our extended family, without precluding the individual groups carrying on with group-specific events that they may still want to run. Thus, the idea of the umbrella group, the SVS Foundation, was born and, thanks to the excellent work of Will Radford, it is now beginning to take shape and be rolled out over the next three years to include: the Old Suttonians, Governors, the Friends of Sutton Valence, the SVPS Friends Association, the OS Parents and the HIKSVS Parents Association. I look forward to seeing how our new SVS Foundation evolves over the next few years and please do come and support the joint events if you can.

Page 2 - The Suttonian 2019

Looking through this magazine for the first time last week, I was, as ever hugely impressed by the quantity and quality of things that take place at SVS, but I was also delighted to see that, this year, all that we do has been grouped together into the Four Journeys that are the pillars of our educational philosophy: Academic, Enrichment, Community and Leadership and Service. I think that this makes the magazine easier to navigate but also, more importantly, shows how each activity, event, lesson or trip fuels our education and strengthens one of these vital pillars resulting in an amazing educational journey for so many.

I hope you enjoy reading about all we have accomplished this year. I thank all of our community for participating, trying and working so hard to achieve all that they have. I would also like to reserve a special thank you to Mr Will Radford for all that he has done as Editor of The Suttonian. He has invested huge levels of care and attention to his task as evidenced in every page of this impressive record of our achievements. For most of the year his job is a thankless task, but, upon publication, I hope that my thanks will be echoed by all who read the ensuing pages.

INTRODUCTION AND HIGHLIGHTS

A Level and GCSE Results Mrs Becci Ball, Academic Deputy Head

W

hen the A Level results were announced this summer, the School was delighted to announce another year-on-year increase in its A* to B grades. In 2019, 60 per cent of all grades achieved by students are A* to B - a very impressive increase of 8 per cent over last year’s already excellent results.

A Level Results -Tiggy Teare, Nina Harman, Francis Romano, Olivia Ferris and Edward Curling

The growth in number of top grades achieved is particularly notable. This year sees an almost three-fold increase in the much-coveted A* grade, with 20 per cent of pupils achieving three or more A* to A grades.

A record-breaking 100 per cent of our students who completed the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) achieved A* to A grades. Recognised by universities as providing students with essential skills, the EPQ is a self-motivated project that requires detailed planning and independent research and aids students to stand out in the UCAS application process.

Amongst the very good results, there were a number of exceptional performances including Francis Romano (three A*s, one A, and one B grade), Kate Woodford and Yonglang Zhu (both achieving three A*s and one A grade). Francis is deferring entry until 2020 with a place at the University of Edinburgh to read Philosophy and Theology and Kate will be heading to the University of Exeter to read Marketing and Management. Yonglang will be going to University College London (UCL), to read English.

A further four students (Ellen Crombie, Olivia Ferris, Nina Harman and Olivia Smith), all achieved two A* and two A grades. Ellen will be heading to the University of Edinburgh to study Mathematics and Physics and Nina will be taking a gap year and reapplying for 2020 entry. With both Olivia Smith and Olivia Ferris looking to study Medicine, these results saw them each receive places at their respective first choice universities - Olivia Smith at Imperial College and Olivia Ferris at the University of Bristol.

Following the successes at A Level, a week later it was the turn of our Fifth Form, as the eagerly-anticipated GCSE results were released. With over 40 per cent of all results achieved graded 9 to 7, this year’s performance represents one of the strongest in the last ten years. The percentage of coveted grades 8 and 9 achieved by pupils at the School increased again this year – 2019, seeing 22 per cent of our GCSE grades awarded at the very highest level.

One-fifth of the 82 pupils in the year achieved over 80 per cent 9 to 7 grades across a wide range of subjects and five individuals achieved a superb clean sweep at these top grades. At a time when the media regularly reports how girls outperform boys at GCSE, Sutton Valence has bucked the trend with both boys and girls achieving particularly good results.

There were a great number of excellent achievements to celebrate amongst this year’s GCSE cohort, and as ever, there were some exceptional individual performances. These include Alexander Duckett, who achieved seven grade 9s and three grade 8s and Tarik Abed, who gained six grade 9s, three grade 8s and one grade 7. William Chambers also achieved six grade 9s, three grade 8s, one grade 7 and Callum Hanna gained three grade 9s, six grade 8s and one grade 7.

GCSE Results - Jack Price, Patrick Mullen, Maisie Rixon and Daisy Hills

Overall, the results at A Level and GCSE were pleasing. The high level of grades achieved is a testament to the hard work and dedication of staff and pupils at Sutton Valence. We welcome a broad ability cohort to the School and we are immensely proud to consistently add so much academic value to our students. The pupils themselves deserve enormous credit and can look forward to the next stage of their education with great personal and collective pride.

Page 3 - The Suttonian 2019

INTRODUCTION AND HIGHLIGHTS

SVS Foundation

A New Era for Old Suttonians Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

A

s the Headmaster mentioned in his introduction, this year has seen the exciting launch of the SVS Foundation, an umbrella group bringing together and strengthening the School’s wide-ranging community. Old Suttonians form a key part of that, not just in the fact their numbers make them the largest group within the community, but also that their range of interests and expertise make them invaluable to so many aspects of what the SVS Foundation is hoping to achieve.

Whilst many of you will already be familiar with the launch of the SVS Foundation, I thought it would be useful to structure this introduction as a means of explaining the Old Suttonian role within the new group and how it will impact the wider alumni programme offered by the School. We believe the changes will have an inherently positive effect on much of what we offer in Old Suttonian engagement. For the more astute of OS, you will have noticed an immediate change in the presentation of this magazine, but more of that to follow. Let me first provide some background on the rationale behind the new structure.

The Community Vision Old Suttonians of all ages and generations will attest to the importance of community within the School’s ethos, both in terms of the focus placed on pastoral values and the engagement of our wide-ranging group of stakeholders. For Old Suttonians, parents and pupils alike, the School is a community in its own right, the warmth and benefits of which have become synonymous with the education offered here.

Our community is largely something that has grown organically, the common denominator of School affinity bridging the generational or affiliative differences between the respective groups that make up our community. Traditionally, each group has been managed quite separately in both their internal structure and their respective relationship to the School and, at times, it has been thought that this has stifled the intracommunity opportunities available.

With the School’s 450th anniversary in 2026 fast-approaching, the decision has been taken to align these groups through this new overarching body, namely the SVS Foundation. Initially, this will include Old Suttonians, the Friends of SVS (ostensibly Senior School parents) and past parents, but will eventually expand to include the Sutton Valence Preparatory School Parents’ Association and the parents of pupils at HIKSVS International School in China. Collectively, the Foundation will exist to support the community, enabling every member to enjoy and benefit from the unique relationship they have with Sutton Valence.

Whilst centralising the community, it is not intended to limit the individuality of each constituent group, particularly those like the Old Suttonians with such a rich independent heritage. Rather, each of the constituent groups will still operate autonomously and run their own events, but come together for various SVS Foundation events through the year (for example, the Car Show, Golf Day and the Carol Services). We hope this will allow better interaction between the groups and open up new audiences to existing events.

For Old Suttonians and current parents, invitations to these wider School events are commonplace, but traditionally we have offered very little to past parents of the School. As valued members of the community, we have been searching for a way to maintain their close relationship with the School and we hope this will now be realised. As a result, their journey at SVS can now mirror that of their Old Suttonian children, which will ultimately be of benefit not just to them, but to the School and Old Suttonians alike.

Eventually, by embracing all of the groups, we will be able to provide a more consistent and structured approach to events and communication for the community as a whole.

A Magazine For All The theme of providing a consistent approach to communication has resulted in a number of subtle changes to the emails you have received from us in recent months. Tweaks to digital branding provide a degree of continuity, but the feeling was that more structured changes may be needed to properly define our position, as Old Suttonians, within the SVS Foundation.

Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

Page 4 - The Suttonian 2019

Our largest and most effective form of communication remains our printed material, namely in recent years, The Old Suttonian magazine. This publication grew out of the former OS Newsletter, which was designed to redress the rather limited Old Suttonian offering in the School’s magazine, The Suttonian. Traditionally, OS news had always appeared in The Suttonian and through the first half of the Twentieth Century, formed a significant

INTRODUCTION AND HIGHLIGHTS

chunk of that publication’s content. Unfortunately though, as the OS grew in number, the quantity of pages devoted to its existence diminished. For an alumni group numbering some 4500, the limitations of the few pages within the magazine never properly accommodated the wealth of potential content. Why then have we reverted back to a single publication?

A look through the magazine will hopefully answer that question. This is not The Suttonian with a designated section for Old Suttonians, or indeed an alumni magazine with a cursory offering of news from the School.

Instead this is a combined magazine that includes the breadth and detail of content from both previous magazines. For OS, this has resulted in a bulkier publication than normal, but we hope this will be well-received taking on board previous feedback from members.

In talking to Old Suttonians at events, a common derived thread is a desire to be better informed of news from the School. The traditional model of affinity to an alumni association is in decline and more often than not, leavers now retain the strength of association to their school as much as they do to any alumni group. Whilst many of us are keen to retain the individuality and independence of the Old Suttonians’ Association, the reality is that the School is the glue that binds us and that ultimately should be reflected in the news we present through the magazine.

of The Old Suttonian content therefore provides an invaluable insight into OS activity for pupils and parents in advance of their leaving the School.

In conclusion, we feel that the combination of magazines offers benefit all round. This remains a magazine about us, as Old Suttonians, but it also presents an opportunity to embrace our close relationship with the School.

Read and enjoy and, as the SVS Foundation is very much in its infancy, we would welcome your feedback about the changes to the magazine and any areas you would like covered in future editions.

OS Involvement The magazine is one of a number of changes being made as the SVS Foundation becomes more established. Given the number of changes, it can be hard for Old Suttonians to gauge how best to engage with the new structure and assist us in developing the alumni programme. My colleague on the SVS Foundation Council, Robert Sinclair (1967 M), has written an insightful piece at the start of the OS section (page 132) about the process we are currently undertaking to ensure we have the correct information for you all.

This is a sweeping generalisation and probably more reflective of younger generations of Old Suttonians. For the traditional types who are less-inclined to read about the School, we hope the format of the magazine lends itself either to skipping the School section, or taking the opportunity to learn more about the specific areas of School life which may be of interest to you. This front and back divide retains clear separation but also provides the balance to insure that we are accommodating all aspects of the School community evenly.

He explains it in far greater detail, but in it simplest form, it is vital that you complete our ongoing online update survey. This is the largest update questionnaire we have ever sent and, as at the time of going to press, we have had over 1150 completed forms, which is a phenomenal response. Once the survey closes in the New Year, we will then be able use the information provided to update our records and develop a new programme of OS and SVS Foundation events. The plan is that these are not just based on engagement with the School, but also a chance for OS, as professionals, to use alumni events as valid networking opportunities within their respective industries and occupations.

Whilst this presents the benefit of keeping Old Suttonians informed of news at the School, we must also consider the reverse benefit. For current pupils and parents alike, the Old Suttonian community can be something of a mystery, the opportunities and advantages of its association rarely appreciated until the point at which pupils leave the School. The addition

Once details of the event programme are released, I would encourage you to get involved. The opportunities that the SVS Foundation offers are numerous and, as the largest constituent group, Old Suttonians must take the lead in driving this new era forward.

Page 5 - The Suttonian 2019

INTRODUCTION AND HIGHLIGHTS

HIKSVS Update Miss Claire Corkran, Head of Sutton Valence Preparatory School

A

fter a year of finding its feet, the 2018-2019 academic year was one of consolidation and growth for the HIKSVS International School in China. With a number of new members of staff and a further new cohort of pupils, the School continues to grow and establish itself as a leading international preparatory school.

The School’s year started in style as it celebrated its first anniversary with a grand ceremony on 26th August 2018. Around 300 parents were invited to join the festivities as they celebrated the progress and achievements of their first 12 months and warmly welcomed nearly 100 new pupils and their parents to the growing HIKSVS family.

In November, representatives from the School attended the first-ever China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. The exhibition was designed to build on President Xi’s vision for an open world economy. HIK Education Group and Partners were proud to represent the very best of British education in the British National Pavilion alongside heavyweight companies including BP, HSBC, Standard Chartered and the Premier League. The CIIE Expo sought to build on the ever-growing China-Britain partnership, with the hope of providing long-term solutions to the emerging global teacher shortage.

Back at the HIKSVS campus, the start of the Chinese New Year saw the HIKSVS Advisory Council make its second visit of the year to Tianjin. The Council observed a range of lessons in both the international and domestic streams and it was able to provide constructive feedback and further strengthen the relationship between the two Schools.

The most noticeable difference between the visit in February 2019 and our previous visit in September 2018 was the children’s progress with their English skills. As with SVPS, the international staff have been teaching the pupils about phonics and this has enabled the children to develop their reading and writing skills, as well as their levels of confidence.

The Advisory Council was also very interested to observe the Mathematics teaching in the domestic stream. Whilst the British method emphasises practice, in China the focus is more on calculation speed. However, we discovered striking similarities in the way problem solving is taught.

Discussing and sharing different methods is proving to be of great benefit to the curriculum, which can be developed in a way that plays to the strength of both systems.

Another exciting change, this year, was the new, purpose-built, refectory and kitchen. The building sits at the heart of the school campus and utilises carefully selected materials, which complement the adjoining landscape.

The design offers both a functional and attractive space that will work well as a social hub for the School, allowing children and staff to enjoy excellent meals in a stunning setting.

Other developments this year included the inaugural HIKSVS Arts Festival, which took place in June. Pupils with a passion for art were invited to display their personal work at School. The works presented were varied, combining Chinese and international influences, reflecting both traditional and modern methods.

Back at SVPS, we ended the academic year with another successful induction programme for some of the new international staff due to start at HIKSVS in September. With the School opening for its third year in September 2019, with 280 children, it has been necessary to recruit more teachers and SVPS very much enjoyed hosting the newest members of the team and training them in the Sutton Valence ethos.

Page 6 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

ACADEMIC UPDATE

“

This year has seen strong academic results at all age groups. Pupils’ work over the course of the year is exciting and varied both in and outside the classroom and the following is a snap-shot of the academic highlights from outside of the students’ normal working weeks.

Throughout the year, our academic departments provide a variety of trips, lectures and activities that underpin our day-to-day academic programme. This year has been no different, with Biology and Geography heading off on field trips around the country and the Modern Foreign Languages department organising overseas visits to Spain and France. Our Academic Scholars attended a range of talks through the Kingdon Society and our EPQ and CREST award programmes have seen fantastic results. All-in-all, it has been a strong year in which our academic programme continues to offer pupils a variety of activities and opportunities.

”

Mrs Becci Ball Academic Deputy Head Page 7 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Tom Gray, Lara Savage and Noah Swaine

UWGCF Model United Nations Dr Lilla Grindlay, Head of Academic Scholars

O

n Tuesday 9th October, 18 Sutton Valence students participated in the United Westminster and Grey Coat Foundation’s (UWGCF) annual Model United Nations at Queen Anne’s School in Caversham. Sutton Valence students represented the nations of Switzerland, South Africa, Brazil, Turkey and Saudi Arabia against multiple countries from four other schools.

that four pairs out of nine from the School got through to the debating stage, and then all four went through to the final, general assembly stage. This meant that out of six finalists, four came from SVS. For this stage, delegates had to present their resolutions to the 100 students present, who voted on whether or not to pass them. All of the pairs performed extremely well, speaking in front of all delegates from the event with confidence and outstanding passion.

It could all have gone so horribly wrong. Queen Anne’s Caversham is a long way from Sutton Valence, and even though we left at 7.30am, awful traffic meant we arrived ten minutes into the competition. For the first round, delegates work in pairs and have to lobby other countries to gain signatures in support of their motion; those with the most signatures go through to the next debating stage. Because we arrived late, our delegates had less time to lobby, and we were in danger of not making it through to the next stage.

After a spirited but short debate, Tom Gray and Noah Swaine’s motion for Switzerland on indigenous peoples was unfortunately not carried. Tom Wilkins and Elliot Gooding, representing South Africa, also narrowly missed success with their motion on disarmament.

However, two of the three motions passed at the whole event were from Sutton Valence: Nina Harman and Lara Savage, who represented South Africa on the topic of environmental refugees and Tarik Abed and Will Chambers, who represented Brazil on the issue of a cholera outbreak and sanitation in Yemen.

Students rose to the challenge, however, and did fantastically well in this opening round.

Some absolutely first-class lobbying meant Page 8 - The Suttonian 2019

For the final stage of the event, all delegates were asked to vote on the resolution that they would

have chosen to put forward if only one could succeed. Tarik and Will’s resolution for Brazil came in first place, closely followed by Nina and Lara’s motion for South Africa in second place. Huge congratulations must go to all the students who represented the School at this event, particularly Tarik and Will for their winning resolution, as well as Francis Romano, who won the award for the best representative of the School for his spirited and intelligent debating throughout the day.

Francis Romano (R)

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Gifted and Talented Conference

.

Lara Savage (Lower Sixth)

A

t the end of January, a group of Lower Sixth Scholars and Exhibitioners attended the Academy Conferences Master-class in London. It proved to be an exciting and informative day out.

After an early train into London, we arrived at the location, Bloomsbury Baptist Church. We promptly registered for the first of the morning lectures entitled, What Dreams May Come? by Julie Arliss. This was a fascinating presentation of research into the potential for life after death. We were presented with an array of different theories revolving around the relationship and origins of matter, the body, mind and soul.

The second lecture of the day was delivered by Professor Tom Greggs (pictured below) entitled Holocaust, History and Historiography. This explored the power of both the past and the present and how easily an historic event and the truths of the past can be altered by those that write our history books. It also featured popular quotes and regularly referenced George Orwell’s great work, 1984 – a favourite amongst most members of the audience. This lecture was followed by an educational presentation by Dr Christopher O’Neill on The Psychology of Outstanding Achievement. Here we learnt about the four scientifically proven steps to success in any field of life: practice, self-control, a growth mindset and inspiration and encouragement.

After the lunch break, the final lecture began. It was presented by Dr Mark Lewney and explored Rock in 11 Dimensions: Where Physics and Guitars Collide.

This was, without a doubt, the most engaging lecture of the day, as it involved live demonstrations on a rock guitar, an enormous whip and a creative version of Queen’s hit song, Bohemian Rhapsody, to conclude.

The final event of the day was a panel debate where the topic for discussion was the abolition of the monarchy. It began with arguments for and against the proposition delivered by Professor Tom Greggs (pro-abolition) and Julie Arliss (opposing argument), this was followed by ideas from the audience and each school was encouraged to put forward an argument. We proposed that instead of worrying about the monarchy, who have to remain neutral in political affairs, we should be focusing on reforming or abolishing the House of Lords, which is a hugely undemocratic political arrangement. In the end, after an audience vote, the opposing argument won and we headed home feeling full of newlydiscovered information and having had a wonderful day out.

Professor Tom Greggs

Samuel Grindlay

Coulson Shield Mrs Amanda Sunde, Head of History

T

he Historical Association debate is not for the faint-hearted. Participants must research their topic, write a convincing speech and be prepared to be grilled by fellows of the Historical Association and their panel of expert historians. The topic this year: ‘The most significant revolution in history’.

Francis Romano (Upper Sixth) spoke very convincingly about the significance of the Iranian Revolution, not just for Iran and its people, but as a mirror to Britain’s less than benign role in foreign affairs and the importance of learning lessons from this for the future.

Samuel Grindlay (Upper Sixth, pictured), the defending champion of the regional event last year, knew that competition from The Judd, St Anslem’s Catholic School, The King’s School Canterbury and Canterbury Academy would be fierce, but emerged victorious yet again after another imperious performance.

This is the first time in the history of the competition that the Coulson Shield has been awarded to the same contestant twice in a row. Samuel argued that it was, in fact, the French Revolution that is the most significant revolution, by systematically tearing down his opponents’ arguments. Most impressive was his handling of the questions from the panel and this clinched his victory.

Page 9 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Academic Scholars Kingdon Society

Mr Matthew Jones, Head of Academic Scholars (2019-)

O

nce again, the members of the Kingdon Society have enjoyed a wide variety of fascinating talks.

Academic Scholars and Exhibitioners were afforded the opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills and discuss topics way beyond the confines of the usual curriculum. What follows is a report of a few of the Kingdon Society highlights this year. Thanks for their contributions to this review should go to Scarlett Washington, Dr Grindlay and Francis Romano.

public service and house arrest. For instance, a small burglary would stay in the magistrates’ court, whereas, if someone broke into the house of an elderly person who could have been harmed, that would be sent to the Crown Court.

Junior Kingdon Society How does the legal system work?

In a magistrates’ court, there are three magistrates who decide the verdict, unlike the Crown Court, where there would be a jury.

If magistrates cannot come to a unanimous decision, they must make a majority vote. Nigel Cox felt strongly that he had never made the wrong decision in sentencing someone and also said that most of the time it is clear whether the person is guilty or innocent. Magistrates must also decide on the sentencing.

In November, the Junior Scholars and Exhibitioners were greeted by the long arm of the law. A local magistrate, Nigel Cox, talked about how the magistrates’ court administers justice. It was fascinating to listen to and one student even got arrested, though thankfully only to illustrate the point of how the system works. Nigel explained the basics of the legal system to the students. Many heard for the first time that there are two courts, the magistrates’ court and the Crown Court. He explained that if a crime is really severe, it is sent to the Crown Court, because the magistrates’ court is only allowed to sentence 12 months of prison or

The Scholars and Exhibitioners then had the opportunity to judge a cyber-bullying case, and it was interesting to see how their minds worked and what they thought about the evidence given. They were given the prosecutor’s evidence, which tried to prove that the incident happened on more than three occasions and that the bully knew, or should have known, that she was causing distress. It was very enjoyable listening to how intricate the law is and it made the students think about the complexity of the decisions which have to be made. It was a memorable talk, which fuelled conversations which bubbled over into the ensuing days.

Intermediate Kingdon Society Russia and Europe: What Next?

The Intermediate Kingdon Society heard a fascinating talk by John Pilkington (pictured below). John read Geography at Cambridge, and is now a travel writer and photographer. He has published several books about his travels, and has broadcast adventure travel documentaries for BBC Radio 4.

Although the title made it sound as if it was going to be about politics, the talk had as much to do with the hopes and dreams of the ordinary people John met on his travels.

Passions are running high in Ukraine and the breakaway states of the Caucasus, and John’s talk enlightened pupils on just how complex the situation is geographically and politically. He gave us the individual stories of the people he had met, old and young, all of whom have been affected in some way by Russia’s extraordinary history and ongoing turmoil.

His impassioned tales from across Europe traversed aspects of geography, history, anthropology and politics. It was another vital Kingdon experience which impressed upon the students the interconnectedness of the world. John’s talk was heartwarming as well as heartbreaking, and was a real insight into what ordinary Russians think, feel, hope for and dream about.

John Pilkington

Senior Kingdon Society Brexit - What is next?

At the start of the academic year, the Senior Kingdon Society had the pleasure of listening to a talk by Dr Oliver Daddow (1992 F), a politics lecturer from the University of Nottingham and an Old Suttonian. Professor Daddow has worked across the spectrum of UK politics, advising both the military and the Green Party at different times.

He brought this expertise to bear in putting the Brexit vote into historical context. It was fascinating how he traced the roots of the vote as far back as the British Empire. Professor Daddow then explored a piece of art installed when the Czech Republic president became the president of the Council of the European Union Page 10 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE in 2009. They commissioned an artist to produce a huge Airfix-type kit of national stereotypes.

Britain’s representation - a blank space - showed how other members of the European Union saw us.

The second half of the presentation was based around the discussion of three key questions, which the students discussed in groups. Firstly, they were asked to assess what would make a good leader. One suggestion was that a good leader would need to be transparent. Leading on from that, Professor Daddow narrowed the discussion to what would make a good leader for the Brexit negotiations. Various groups suggested that having strong convictions

was needed, whilst others believed that being able to compromise was more important. This sparked fierce debate. Finally, our speaker asked how to engage young people in politics. Some suggested mandatory voting, but this was countered by others who believed that was undemocratic.

Overall this discussion was extremely interesting and gave us all a new perspective on the biggest policy debate of our time. As an evening, it was a very valuable taste of what university teaching will be like for our senior Scholars and Exhibitioners.

Dr Oliver Daddow (1992 F)

Academic Scholars Summer Projects

Dr Lilla Grindlay, Head of Academic Scholars

O

ver summer 2018, Scholars and Exhibitioners in the Second to Fourth Forms were set a challenge to do at least one thing that is not officially on the School curriculum. What they did was entirely up to them: the only proviso was that they learned something new, and chose a topic that they really enjoyed. They were also given the freedom to present their findings in any way they chose.

The results have been outstanding. Second Former, Sophie Browning, used a trip to Shakespeare’s Globe to see As You Like It as a springboard to producing a lively booklet on Shakespeare’s life. Meanwhile, Katy Barr was busy teaching herself origami, producing an amazing number of examples and writing a report on the history of the art. Fellow Second Former, Maisey Russell, wrote an excellent biography of Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, the TV vet, which even included an interview with the professor.

The Third Form also produced a real variety of projects. Helen Chambers went back in time after visiting Townsend, a 17th century house in Cumbria. In her project, Life in the 17th Century, she tried her hand at carving, portrait painting and even made a rag rug. Struben Savage made a very different visit, to the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres. He then channelled his inner Dali to present his findings in a surrealist poster format.

A very different, but equally impressive, academic

poster came from Hannah Slipper, whose topic was Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time.

Project, whilst Daniel Lenehan used a trip to Dubrovnik to write a detailed and factual report.

Joshua Fawell and Scarlett Washington also used holiday visits as the impetus for their projects.

Josh attended a cookery course and wrote an engaging project entitled Learning to be a Chef.

Scarlett, on the other hand, visited Headcorn Aerodrome Combined Ops Show, and provided a beautifully-written and factual report on her experience.

Closer to home, Fergus Dickinson analysed Donald Trump’s visit to England, and there were lively and engaging book reviews from Suma Rai (Norwegian Wood), Anna Smith (The Disclaimer) and Sam Lawson (One Of Us Is Lying).

Finally, Jonny Russell decided to follow the Tour de France in a scientific way, and wrote a fascinating report on just how detailed, strategic and technological this race is.

Lily Goodwin’s breathtaking report (pictured below) combined the history of her family with learning a new skill. Lily’s great-grandmother, Katharina, was a photographer who lived in Berlin in the 1920s. Lily decided to find out both about her life and the style of photography she used by re-enacting old photos, and learning to use different kinds of camera.

The work the pupils put into these projects was truly inspiring. It was also lovely to see such a fine mix of science and the arts in their responses.

The summer projects have given pupils a taste of the independent learning that we expect of our pupils in the Sixth Form, particularly in the EPQ qualification. They certainly rose to the challenge.

Fourth Form Scholars and Exhibitioners also surpassed themselves. Chloe Alexander presented a wonderful booklet on the history of the film industry, with timelines and wellresearched views on what makes a good film.

Holly Clark’s project also took an artistic theme, using a visit to an art gallery in Tunbridge Wells to research aspects of the function and use of an art gallery. Charlotte Farrell’s project was a beautifully-illustrated report of her trip to Sri Lanka, with responses to a turtle orphanage, the Tsunami Museum and The Elephant Freedom

Page 11 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

English Society

Mary Shelley Night Dr Lilla Grindlay, Head of English

T

wo hundred years ago, in 1818, Mary Shelley published her Gothic novel Frankenstein. In the novel, Frankenstein’s monster comes to life on ‘a dreary night in November’. So it was only fitting that the Sutton Valence English Society also met on a dreary night in November 2018 to celebrate Mary Shelley’s extraordinary novel, and to explore some of the reasons why she created one of the most famous Gothic monsters ever.

All year groups were involved in the evening, which was supported by parents, staff and friends of the School. Pupils and staff re-enacted key events from Shelley’s life, including her elopement with the talented but dangerous poet Percy Shelley. We heard about the dramatic summer of 1816, when Mary and Percy joined a group of brilliant, but highly unstable, young people in Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva, and told each other ghost stories. It was this experience that led to Mary’s vision of a scientist animating life – the vision that culminated in her famous Gothic novel. We then presented the English Department’s own version, one which included drama, terror, murder - and a lot of monster masks.

The novel tells the story of a gifted but obsessive scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who creates a monster out of body parts and brings it to life. Victor is horrified by the ugliness of his creation and rejects the monster, with tragic consequences, as the monster goes on to wreak a murderous revenge. What makes the novel so compelling? Its spine-tingling subject matter of a man who plays God is certainly page-turning, but there are deeper psychological conflicts at play here too. In Victor’s reaction to his own creation, Mary Shelley is shining a light on our own prejudices about people who are different from us in some way.

In the course of the evening, we heard the tragic story of Mary Shelley’s mother’s death from childbirth, and then learnt of Mary’s own terrible grief when she lost a baby who was just a few days old. Is it any coincidence that Mary Shelley went on to write a novel about a creature born out of the womb, one who lacks the love and nurture of a parent?

More than anything, however, Shelley’s book leaves us with a dilemma. At its core, Frankenstein is morally ambiguous. Who is the most to blame? Is it Victor for creating and abandoning the monster, or is it the monster himself – the creature who ultimately murders? After we closed the pages on the English Society’s version of Frankenstein, we ended the evening with a debate. Guided by A Level students, the audience had to decide whether they were Team Victor or Team Monster. The overwhelming vote was for the latter; we can only wonder how Mary Shelley herself would have voted.

Page 12 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Page 13 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

A Winter’s Tale

Theatregoers Mrs Fiona Porter, Head of Sixth Form

T

his year’s Theatregoers was another opportunity for those in the Sixth Form to enjoy the wonderful West End productions on offer in London, a short train journey away, but a million miles from our normal School routine. The following is a summary of what our students enjoyed over the course of the year.

The season kicked off on 25th September, with a visit to The Globe Theatre to see A Winter’s Tale.

The production proved aptly titled given the temperatures that night in the open-air theatre.

That said, it was a fantastic production that powerfully embraced the themes of jealousy and power. The first half of the play became increasingly intense, mixing dark humour with the dangers of jealousy, and the actions of paranoid leaders when left with power.

With it being some of the pupils first ever experience at The Globe, the atmosphere certainly made it very special. The pupils alternated at the interval, with half standing, and the others sitting, which helped the group to see the two sides to this problem play. Being able to stand right at the feet of the actors, gave a unique and immersive experience. The humour

Page 14 - The Suttonian 2019

and great acting certainly helped us forget about the temperature! With this being the first production they had attended at The Globe, or indeed the first Shakespeare play they had seen, many students left wanting to return soon.

Our second outing of the year was to see Wise Children at the Old Vic, in October. The play, based on the novel by Angela Carter, was a brilliantly uninhibited adaptation with a carnivalesque atmosphere, yet dark undercurrents.

Henry Jones and Georgia Best (Upper Sixth) explain: “the play follows the journey of twins as they looked back on their life, focusing on their illegitimacy. The themes of gender fluidity are presented, perfectly linking it to the A Level text of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. There is even a short parody of the play itself, highlighting the issues of the patriarchal society, that ‘women must become men to get what they want’. The proximity of the Old Vic to Brixton, where the play is set, also made the audience feel more included, especially given that the twins used to visit the theatre when they were children.”

Early into the Lent Term, we travelled up to the Vaudeville Theatre to see a new play, True West.

The production starred Kit Harrington and Johnny Flynn as warring brothers Austin and Lee in the West End premiere of this Pulitzer Prize-winning, ferociously funny, modern classic

by Sam Shepherd. It is a darkly comic play that focuses on the destructive nature of the American Dream. It was superbly gripping and enjoyed by all.

The final outing of the year, on 13th March, was to the Wyndham Theatre to see Arthur Miller’s The Price. The production, starring David Suchet and Brendan Coyle, marked the 50th anniversary of the play’s premiere on Broadway in 1968. The themes of the play are closely linked to those we had seen in True West, as it tells the story of two brothers who reunite after 16 years to sell what remains of the family inheritance. The play dealt expertly with the issues of familial duty, regret and guilt.

This final Theatregoers’ trip of the year was an amazing experience, but was also tinged with sadness as we said goodbye to Dr Lilla Grindlay, a devoted member of the group for a number of years.

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Gothic Bake-Off Dr Lilla Grindlay, Head of English

T

he English department resembled a rather gruesome children’s tea party in May, as A Level students marked the end of their studies with the 2019 Bloody Bake-Off. All were invited to bake a cake with a Gothic theme, and the results were truly ghastly.

Gothic London Mr Chris Davenport, Teacher of English

T

wo hundred years on from the birth of the monster in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, ‘seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ combined with a ‘dreary day of October’ to set up the Upper Sixth English Literature cohort perfectly on their fog-ridden journey to London to enrich their studies of the Gothic genre.

On arriving at St Pancras station we all took in the magnificent Gothic architecture on show, allowing the pupils to contextually picture the style that harked back to an archaic past and offered an insight into the key functions of the Gothic genre. The notion of excess came through immediately as Henry Jones talked us through the intricacies of an era of architecture that was there for show and a sense of awe. Following on from this we strolled down to the wonderfully atmospheric St Pancras Old Church and churchyard. Here we met with our old friend Lester, who has become our annual guide over the last few years and gave the students a really enriching tour of the churchyard. We took in the famous Hardy Tree, the history of the site itself and the connections to Mary Shelley so prominent in this area of London. The students’ study of Frankenstein as a set text this year will certainly have been enriched by the contextual information Lester provided.

The students have been studying Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the story of Victor Frankenstein who fashions his iconic monster out of body parts. In this year’s Bake-Off, India Fowle was our very own Victor, making a marvellous monster not from body parts (mercifully), but from a splendid red velvet cake. Special mention must also go to Emily Smith, whose Barbie bride came splattered with blood-red food colouring, a nod to the grisly end that awaits many a female Gothic victim. Nina Harman’s cake was a different interpretation of the Gothic trembling victim: this took the Marquis de Sade’s influence on Angela Carter as the inspiration for a chocolate-brownie-based Gothic installation which trapped and tortured Lego models.

These were just some of the many wonderful cakes created by the Upper Sixth to demonstrate how nuanced their knowledge of the Gothic genre has become. Who knew that malted milk biscuits would make such great tombstones, or that cornflake cakes could so convincingly become a Gothic forest? The colour red abounded, from monstrous meringues to a jam-covered sponge. Thank you to all the students for your delicious, if disturbing, efforts. If you ever needed proof that the Gothic is popular because we are drawn to the macabre, this was it.

After a great lunch together we moved to the Fortune Theatre and witnessed the Gothic masterpiece that is The Woman in Black. Here the students, through shocks and a pervading sense of fear, coupled with a sense of the rational and irrational clashing with the uncanny, were able to enrich their understanding further. In the months that followed, this experience would be a useful link to their Gothic unseen component.

We all had a wonderful day and huge thanks must go to the students for being such good company and so attentive to all that was provided.

Special thanks to Dr Grindlay for organising the day and providing many materials to enhance their learning in this very important and powerful genre.

Page 15 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Valencia Trip Mrs Helene Heurtevent, Teacher of MFL

O

n Thursday 23 May, at a very early hour, 30 Junior students and three teachers drove off to the airport to catch a plane to Valencia, Spain.

Leaving so early meant that we had enough time to enjoy the town after dropping our luggage at the hotel. Our first stop was at the Ciutat Vella (Valencia’s old town) where students took part in a photo competition. We all had lunch at the Mercado Central, a huge covered market where we tried local specialities. In the afternoon, we had a chance to visit the Royal Gardens and the cathedral.

The second day we went to a language school, where native teachers helped us consolidate our knowledge of Spanish and told us more about the local customs and festivals. The third day, Saturday, was probably the highlight of the trip as we discovered the fantastic Turia Garden and its Gulliver recreational area.

After a busy morning at the park, we walked to the Science Museum and stopped at the aquarium where we arrived just in time to see a dolphin show. The way back to the hotel was slowed down by the Valencian people getting ready for the highly-anticipated Copa Del Ray final against Barcelona. There were concerts in the park, fireworks and music. Falling asleep that night was nearly impossible as Valencia won 2-1 and the town was partying until the early hours of the morning!

On Sunday, we visited the Fallas Museum and filled a booklet about this amazing festival. On the way back to the airport, we stopped for a cruise on the Albufera Lake where we saw a wide variety of wildlife, including some herons. This trip was a real success, as students had a chance to immerse themselves in Spanish culture for a few days.

Page 16 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Page 17 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Córdoba Trip Tiggy Teare (Upper Sixth) and Chloe Alexander (Fourth Form)

T

welve Spanish students from the Fourth, Fifth and Upper Sixth Forms embarked on the journey to Córdoba the south-west of Spain in October, to spend six days with native host families.

With a smooth and successful journey to Spain, we arrived in La Plaza de Colón to be greeted by our hosts. However, somewhat unexpectedly, none of the families spoke a word of English, so we were all thrown in at the deep end from the very first day.

Through a combination of nodding, smiling and charades, we all managed to settle in at our new homes for the first evening.

On the following day, with a packed lunch prepared by our hosts, we met up, excited to compare details of our evenings and our battles with the language barrier. We then spent the morning at a language centre in the city, having a Spanish lesson taught by a local, which we would do every morning of our trip, with the exception of our day trip to Seville. At the close of our lessons, we went to visit Córboba’s Mosque-Cathedral in the

Page 18 - The Suttonian 2019

old quarter of the city and enjoyed a guided tour around the ancient building. Afterwards, we explored the city for ourselves over lunch, successfully ordering food in Spanish. We returned to our host families, now feeling more comfortable speaking Spanish.

The next day, after our daily lessons, we were able to discover more of Córdoba’s landmarks and stunning attractions. We visited the Alcázar fortress, also located in the historic quarter of Córdoba. Within the fortress, there are beautiful gardens around which we enjoyed wandering, appreciating the ancient Spanish architecture of the fortress towers. We also walked across Córdoba’s historic Roman bridge, another important landmark of the city.

Wednesday happened to be a Bank Holiday in Spain, so we assembled a little later than usual, allowing for a well-earned lie-in! As there were no lessons that morning, we had a planned visit to Seville. Following the hour and a half coach journey, we arrived in Seville in time for

a quick ice cream at the Plaza de España! We then set off on our self-guided tour of the city, taking in the Roman Catholic cathedral and going up the Giralda Tower, which allowed us to see the expansive views of the city. We also visited the tomb of Christopher Columbus and saw much of Seville’s beautiful architecture.

On our final day, we finished our Spanish lessons before rushing out for a delicious Spanish crêpe! Following a little free time, we met up for a group lunch to sample traditional Spanish tapas. The afternoon was filled with shopping and a bus tour of the city, opportunities that allowed us to use our Spanish in real-life situations and learn about the history of Córdoba.

We had a particularly early start to our last day when we took the coach back to Málaga airport. Before we knew it, we were pulling back into the car park at School! We all enjoyed a fun, informative and memorable trip to Spain.

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Senlis Exchange Mrs Helene Heurtevent, Teacher of MFL

O

ur little group left early on the morning of 28th March to start our exchange programme with the Lycée Saint-Vincent. After a five-hour long journey, we arrived in the town of Senlis where students were introduced to their exchange partner at their school. Once there, we realised that we were not the only exchange students at the school, as we met other students, some coming from Spain and some from Ecuador!

The following day, all the exchange students hopped on a bus to Versailles, where we visited the château and it’s amazing gardens.

It was fascinating to see how students would communicate using their knowledge of French, Spanish and English to get to know each other.

Back in Senlis, the SVS party was dispatched to their respective host family for the weekend.

Some students went to Normandy, some to visit the town of Chantilly and some to Paris.

For the rest of the week, we mainly attended lessons at the Lycée Saint-Vincent and it was fascinating to see how French students are taught the curriculum in their native language.

We managed to escape to Paris on Tuesday, where we wandered in the Sacré-Cœur district to visit the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris and even found some time for some souvenir shopping.

Our last visit was a guided tour of Senlis with a professional guide who told us about the town’s rich heritage and took us to the Gallo-Roman arena built in the First Century.

On the final day, we said goodbye to our French and Spanish friends and headed back to England to start our well-deserved Half Term break. The trip was a real success and I hope students will keep in touch with their exchange partners to possibly meet up again in the future.

Page 19 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

CREST Awards Mrs Wendy Loy, CREST Coordinator

T

his year, our pupils and students have achieved the most CREST awards in the School’s recent memory. There were 35 Discovery Level, 19 Bronze Level, four Silver Level and one Gold Level award presented over the course of the year. The CREST Awards scheme is the British Science Association’s flagship programme for young people, designed to inspire and engage them in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). Students have to take an enquiry-based approach, asking real-life questions, then leading their own project to explore possible answers. It has been wonderful to see our young people engage so enthusiastically with this student-led scheme.

In September, 35 of the Year 5 pupils at our Prep School were awarded Discovery Level awards for their work with our Sixth Form STEM Ambassadors on the Squashed Tomato Challenge from the practical action option. The pupils were tasked to design and build transport systems that could carry soft fruits from where they are grown at the top of the Nepalese mountains, to the local markets which are a long and dangerous walk down the mountainside.

We had great fun with string, pulleys, cardboard towers and nets. The STEM Ambassadors guided the young pupils to understand the planning, building and evaluation stages, then allowing the winning group the fun of throwing tomatoes at the Sixth Form.

In December, Thomas Saltmarsh (Upper Sixth), was awarded a CREST Award at Silver Level for his work on the design of direct current (DC) motors.

Tom’s achievement was the result of extensive research, planning, practical investigation and report writing. The award added significant value to his university application and the skills he has developed will be put to good use as he goes on to degree-level study. Later in the year, Joseph Agu Benson (Upper Sixth) also achieved an award at Silver Level for work on DC motor design. The assessors were particularly impressed by Joseph’s practical experimental work. They admired how he independently completed complex tasks that combined his skills in Physics and Design Technology.

Diana Virgovicova (Lower Sixth) achieved a Gold CREST award, the highest level awarded

Page 20 - The Suttonian 2019

First Form Bronze CREST winners

by the British Science Association. Diana spent a year studying at Sutton Valence, focusing on Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Her CREST award was presented in recognition of her time spent working with the University in Bratislava, Slovakia learning mass spectrometry. In addition to this work with the university on solving river pollution, Diana submitted a project to the British Physics Olympiad on the mathematics of bubble structure. This was a fun piece of work and although it was not placed among the winning projects, it was an excellent example of Diana’s outstanding research skills and her understanding of the scientific process.

Further Silver awards were presented in the Lent Term. Ellie Fraser (Lower Sixth) investigated and designed the optimum pizza delivery box. She

combined her skills from Physics and Design Technology as she assessed the properties of different materials, including their thermal conductivity, flexibility and absorption. Ellie’s final design included a new adaptation to the standard pizza box shape that allows boxes to be stacked and carried with more stability. The product was designed to take into account its environmental impact and cost of using different materials. Ellie showed excellent research skills, creativity and practical work. Her award at this level was well deserved and will serve her well as she applies for future courses and careers.

Mollie Ferguson (Lower Sixth) also achieved a Silver Level for a fascinating project on chemical attacks on animals. Mollie is keen to make a future in an area of animal care, so this project

ACADEMIC UPDATE gave her the opportunity to look at a very specific injury on animals. Her research showed that malicious attacks of this kind on animals are fairly rare, however, injuries from accidental exposure to harmful chemicals is quite common.

Through discussions with a vet, she established a list of the most recommended treatments, then used a series of Chemistry investigations to give quantitative evidence as to why these are the preferred treatments.

CREST awards are popular with the Juniors and the Bronze level award is a fantastic introduction to undertaking independent Science projects.

Members of the Second Form were challenged to develop a method to spot fake coins. They tested the densities of the metals, compared coins produced in different years and used chemicals to make coins look older and newer.

Bronze awards were presented to Jack Piller, Maisie Russell, Katy Barr and Sophie Browning.

Eleven of our First Form Junior scientists achieved their Bronze awards. They all designed original investigations based on the laws of forces in Physics. Rhys Harmer investigated the link between force and sound. This was a particularly impressive piece of work for a younger pupil, demonstrating creativity in his project design and relevant application to concepts in the real world.

Jack Page and Elizabeth Myers investigated shoe grips, while Brennan O’Keefe considered the surfaces of running tracks. Oliver McNamara and James Oliver experimented with falling objects and Katherine Slipper and Daisy Dallamore investigated moving liquids. Finally, Elyse Ratcliffe and Emily Slipper looked at floating on the Dead Sea and James Lloyd-Jones studied the effects of sinking sand. It was super to see the First Form use creativity to think beyond the standard Science curriculum.

Oliver Laird with SVPS pupils

STEM Highlights Mrs Wendy Loy, CREST Coordinator

D

uring the Michaelmas Term, a group of 16 A Level physicists headed up to London for A Level Science Live, with the aim of showing that the future of Science is more than just equations and examination questions. The day started with an intriguing lecture from Michael Brooks entitled Rules of Attraction.

It covered the infamous idea of black holes and how Physics is progressing from Einstein’s relativity theory.

The day continued with two useful talks on exam techniques for Physics. Helen Czerski gave a lecture based around sea ice and the sources of the information on the internet we all take for granted. She spoke about the challenges of gathering data in some of the most difficult environments of the world and how research in the Arctic was improving our understanding of weather at home. The group also heard interesting talks from top physicists, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Professor Frank Close and Doctor Suzie Sheehy.

In the School’s Forensics Science Week in the Michaelmas Term, the Third Form were trying to solve the ‘Murder of Mr Sansom’. Surprisingly, a number of the staff were suspects for this crime. Each one provided police statements, fingerprints and blood type, and all were

determined to prove they had an excellent alibi for the night in question. The pupils used their time in Science lessons to learn key forensics techniques, including fingerprinting, blood splatter patterns, blood typing, toxicology, chemical analysis and chromatography. To give the pupils greater insight into real-life forensics, we were visited by two students of Forensic Science from the University of Greenwich who spent the morning in lessons and gave a presentation on their experiences of their forensics course. Armed with this knowledge and their booklet of evidence, the pupils were able to work out what actually happened to Mr Sansom. Their reports made great reading and the majority correctly deduced that Mr Jones was the guilty culprit.

from Dr Imber’s visit; what they remembered most is her determination to achieve her dreams, learning from challenges and failures on the way and making the very most of every opportunity. After hearing from Dr Imber, the pupils realised that a job as a physicist is not just working beside a computer. It can take you climbing in the Andes, under the depths of the sea and even into Space.

Dr Suzie Imber.

In February, we were delighted to welcome Dr Suzie Imber to speak to the Fourth Form. Dr Imber is a planetary scientist at the University of Leicester. She is also a mountaineer, elite rower and the winner of the 2017 BBC Two television program Astronauts, Do You Have What It Takes?

The pupils were inspired by Dr Imber’s story, as she shared her pioneering adventures in mountaineering and her love of lacrosse and rowing. She then explained her fascinating work on space weather, first during her time with NASA, and her role in two exciting missions to Mercury. All of our Fourth Form pupils benefitted Page 21 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Geography Field Trip Mr Anton Evans (2013 C), Teacher of Geography

I

n the penultimate week of the Summer Term, an enthusiastic group of 17 Lower Sixth Geographers embarked on a field trip to Dorset and Devon to conduct their coastal field studies work.

The first stop en route to Devon was at Lulworth Cove, where the group saw firsthand the mighty Durdle Door. The limestone arch, as pictured below, is a major natural feature along the Jurassic coastline, providing the group with an insightful look at coastal erosion.

Page 22 - The Suttonian 2019

Once an afternoon Cornish ice cream cone had followed a light lunch, the journey west continued. Later that evening the group arrived at Beryl’s campsite, where an impressive array of tents and teepees were constructed.

The next two days saw an array of coastal Geography activities ranging from qualitative surveys of the local town of Chillington to the creation of pupil-led coastal documentaries, highlighting the impact of coastal erosion in the local area.

The three-day trip culminated in a final day barbecue and quiz, which was comfortably won by the team of pupils that titled themselves, ‘The Three Wise Men’, much to the dismay of the staff team.

Thanks must go to Mr Downs for organising the trip and to Miss Schofield and Major Prem for their support throughout, especially with tent reconstruction in the blustery conditions.

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Camber Sands Conservation Miss Zoe Radford, Head of Biology

T

owards the end of May, Lower Sixth Biologists travelled down to Camber Sands in East Sussex to complete a series of investigations as part of their assessed practical course in the 4.2 Biodiversity module.

The Biodiversity module explores the current threats that different ecosystems around the world are facing and educates pupils about the need to maintain biodiversity, not only as a moral obligation, but also for genetic, medical and economic reasons. In this unit, students study different methods of conservation and learn the importance of measuring biodiversity to inform future conservation strategies.

At Camber Sands, pupils had the opportunity to practise using a diverse range of equipment and sampling techniques that they had been learning about over the previous weeks in the

classroom. This included measuring the changes in species diversity along a transect of the sand dunes, as well as collecting sand and soil samples to take back for further analysis in the laboratory.

The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the trip to the beach and, moreover, it gave them the chance to truly reflect upon the well-documented issues concerning plastic pollution and the effects that this is having on our oceans.

Having discussed the importance of conservation and reducing our footprint on the planet, and after the work was done, all of the students enthusiastically took to the beach to try to clean up some of the litter that had been left there by others. We are extremely proud of our students for the care and responsibility that they showed on this trip.

Page 23 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Henry Jones’ EPQ Project

Extended Project Qualification Mr Anton Evans (2013 C), EPQ Coordinator

A

n Extended Project Qualification, commonly known as an EPQ, is a stand-alone research project which can be undertaken by Sixth Formers alongside their A Levels. Students who opt to complete an EPQ must undertake thorough research into a self-selected area of interest and then produce a product based on their research. This product can be an essay, an event, or an artefact such as a video, a presentation, a model or piece of art.

The topic choice, preparation and research process is an excellent opportunity for students to try out university-style learning, which is far more independently focused than the standard A Level curriculum. For most, this is their first

Page 24 - The Suttonian 2019

opportunity to research outside of their preset syllabi and focus on something they are interested by or passionate about presenting.

Along the way, it is hoped that their respective EPQ project provides an invaluable chance to develop skills such as project-planning, decision-making, record-keeping, evaluation, and presenting. As a result, universities are increasingly looking for EPQs as they evaluate candidates, with some institutions offering lower entry requirements to students with an EPQ, whilst EPQs also translate to UCAS points (worth exactly half of the UCAS points of a standard A Level subject).

This past academic year was the third year that the School offered an EPQ as a properly

designated A Level programme. In total, 19 Upper Sixth pupils completed their respective projects and I am delighted to say that all 19 received A grades or above. Even more impressive was the fact that 15 of those students achieved A* grades - a fantastic achievement for a gifted cohort.

Some of the standout projects this year included historical reports covering the role of the German people in the atrocities of Nazi Germany (India Fowle) and the religious justification for the eighteenth-century Magdalene Laundries (Elizabeth Welch). Equally impressive were sociological theses like Emily Smith’s investigation into the extent to which we have control over how we are perceived by others and the formation of their first impression of us.

ACADEMIC UPDATE With a number of the Upper Sixth looking to go on to study medicine at university, that was reflected in a number of topics covering medicine this year. Olivia Smith provided an insightful piece on the need for the National Health Service to scan babies with Down Syndrome for congenital heart diseases. Similarly, Olivia Ferris focused more on medical ethics as she examined the practical manifestation of ethics in modern GP surgeries.

Non-essay based artefact studies included Alistair Gooding’s lecture on the history of hypebeasts (a term for someone who follows trends in fashion for the purpose of making a social statement). Fergus Fowle’s project involved the design and construction of a fitness-driven website aimed to cater to all adults, irrespective of previous fitness experience. Finally, Samuel Millan-Norman used his expertise in robotics to produce a three-dimensional printed hand and sensor glove with self-written code to perfectly mimic human movement.

One particularly unusual EPQ product has been completed by Henry Jones. He decided to

design and make a model of a highly-individual cathedral, which highlights the best features of Roman, Gothic and Baroque architecture.

Initially inspired by the architecture of his prep school, Saint Ronan’s, Henry’s passion for building and design found a home in this EPQ, For this he had to research the features of many cathedrals and other historic buildings before designing and making his own, which includes a domed basilica, ornate stained glass windows, internal light mechanism and several impressive buttresses.

Of his project, Henry commented “I have a great interest in historic architecture. I am intrigued by the highly individualistic features, themes and artistry of religious buildings and art throughout history. I have a great appreciation for the design movements of Roman, Gothic and Baroque architecture, all of which contributed to the aesthetic structure of my model. Following my research into these architectural movements, I set about the creation of my own design for a cathedral model. I used white foam board to create the model and printed images of stained

glass onto acetate to act as the windows. I have found the design and making process of my model hugely enjoyable and satisfying.

Following the EPQ, I am intrigued by the subject and wish to expand my knowledge and explore my interest at university.”

Congratulations to everyone who undertook an EPQ this year; the results were testament to the students’ hard work throughout the year. The breadth of topics covered really showcases the variety of student interests at the School and I am delighted they have come away with such good results.

A special mention as well must go to Mr Soman, the outgoing EPQ Coordinator, for all that he has done to establish the programme as such a key option in the Sixth Form curriculum. In the three years since he established it as a regular programme, it has gone from strength-tostrength and I am sure all of the students whom it has benefited will join me in thanking him.

Body Worlds Exhibition Nathan Bispham (Lower Sixth)

I

n January, the Lower Sixth PE and Biology A Level students went to London to experience an exhibition like no other, famously named Body Worlds. It is the original exhibition of real human bodies, designed primarily for trainee anatomists and surgeons. All of the exhibits had been subjected to plastination, a preservation technique.

Visiting the exhibition undoubtedly made us more aware of how hard our bodies work to keep us healthy and safe. It provided a full map of the body, guiding us from the brain and neurons through to birth and the reproductive system. Particularly impactful was the foetus display showing the developing stages of the birth of a baby. It was sad knowing that these babies had not survived, but their inclusion in the display was really interesting . The whole exhibition was designed in a way that explored every detail, not missing a single aspect of what makes the human body so special.

We also saw that plastination can be applied to animals and the tour concluded with probably the biggest horse we have ever seen! Body Worlds was an extraordinary and unforgettable look in the human mirror and I know personally, I will never take my body for granted!

Page 25 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Head of Art Report Mr Martin Thompson, Head of Art

B

oth Art and Photography have seen fantastic results this year, which is testament to the considerable work ethic, creativity and technical ability of the students. A*- A pass rates at A Level Art were 100 per cent. In Photography all students achieved an A*- C pass, with 73 per cent of these achieving an A*- B. GCSE Art was similarly successful, with 69 per cent of students achieving a grade 9 – 7 pass and 96 per cent achieving a grade 6 or above.

Results aside, we had a typically busy year, including a number of educational visits and in-school workshops. These included our annual photography trip to Dungeness, a Sixth Form drawing boot-camp with Paul Brandford, a visit to Tate Britain for a ‘Walk Through British Art’ and a trip to the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. The students also had the opportunity to exhibit their own work, through the annual United Westminster and Grey Coat Foundation Art Exhibition at the Tanya Baxter Gallery in Chelsea and our own annual end-of-year exhibition in Gulland Hall, showcasing the work of all GCSE and A level Art and Photography students.

Page 26 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Paul Brandford Workshop Mrs Ngaere Sutton, Teacher of Art

I

n October 2018, a combined group of Lower and Upper Sixth artists from SVS travelled to London to take part in a drawing workshop with the artist and educator Paul Brandford. Over the course of the morning and early afternoon, they took part in an intensive drawing boot camp based on London cityscapes and portraits from the National Gallery.

Blackfriars Bridge. Over the space of two hours, the students went through a series of quick drawing techniques, learning new methods for capturing the complexities of the London landscape. They were inspired by the techniques of Leon Kossoff and began to summarise the structures of architecture into energetic lines whilst eliminating any unnecessary details.

Paul Brandford is a renowned London-based artist. He attended the Royal Academy Schools in the mid 1980s and in 2003 won the Jerwood Drawing Prize. In 2008 he was short-listed for the Threadneedle Prize. He is famed for his portrait style which, as well as depicting the subject (famous pieces include Prince Charles and David Cameron), also attempts to say something about the world that put them in that role.

After lunch in Trafalgar Square, the group went to draw in the National Gallery, working from selected portraits in the Rembrandt and Dutch Masters’ Room. The students’ approach to drawing was challenged and extended by Paul Brandford when he encouraged them to avoid drawing ‘a collection of features’, and instead treat the portrait in a similar way to a cityscape, looking for structure, light, shade and weight of line.

The first part of the workshop was on the fifth floor of Festival Hall on the South Bank. The students made a series of intensive, expressive drawings looking over the Thames towards either Hungerford Bridge (as shown opposite) or

Overall, the students worked incredibly hard during the course of the day and they will, we hope, be able to incorporate some of these new approaches and techniques into their drawing and workbooks for their A Level coursework.

Page 27 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Upper Sixth Coursework

Poppy Gardner (Upper Sixth)

Henry Jones (Upper Sixth)

Page 28 - The Suttonian 2019

Emily Hall (Upper Sixth)

Emily Smith (Upper Sixth)

Henry Jones (Upper Sixth)

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Phoebe Aucamp (Upper Sixth)

Emily Smith (Upper Sixth)

Poppy Gardner (Upper Sixth)

Henry Jones (Upper Sixth)

Page 29 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Harrison Ashdown (Fifth Form)

Harrison Ashdown (Fifth Form)

Desiree Loxton-Barnard (Fifth Form)

Jack Truman (Fifth Form)

Oliver Payne-Cook (Fifth Form)

Jemma Brown (Fifth Form)

Page 30 - The Suttonian 2019

Jemma Brown (Fifth Form)

Tess Pritchard (Fifth Form)

ACADEMIC UPDATE

UWGCF Art Exhibition Mr Martin Thompson, Head of Art

T

he United Westminster and Grey Coat Foundation held its annual art exhibition at the Tanya Baxter Contemporary gallery in Chelsea back in December last year. The diverse exhibits featured Art and Photography work from all five schools and included a small collection of paintings by pupils from the Preparatory School.

The event was very well attended and a bustling, exploratory atmosphere was created by students, parents, teachers and dignitaries as they moved around the vibrant display.

Isabella Dransfield, Gabriella Howarth, Shizhao Zhou (2018 M), Fynley Young (2018 C) and Lily Crampton (2018 C) all had work on show.

Many positive comments were made about the quality and variety of the exhibits and a number of pieces were sold to inspired collectors.

Mr Martin Tho,pson and Isabella Dransfield

.

Animation Workshop Mrs Ngaere Sutton, Teacher of Art

I

n November, Art Scholars and Exhibitioners attended a workshop in Gulland Hall with the animator and artist Tom Barnett.

The aim of the workshop was to learn some basic principles and techniques of animation. Working in pairs, the students learnt to appreciate the benefits of a team approach to creative production.

Over the course of two and a half hour class, students produced a script, storyboard, and filmed a very brief stop-motion animation film.

The students worked well to produce some imaginative, and in some cases, very experimental, short animations using a range of materials from clay to everyday objects. Overall it was a challenging and enjoyable collaborative exercise that extended the creative skills of the students.

Page 31 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Fifth Form Coursework

Jack Walker (Fifth Form)

Connor Field (Fifth Form)

Page 32 - The Suttonian 2019

Cameron Lamont-Brown (Fifth Form)

Elliot Gooding (Fifth Form)

Elliot Gooding (Fifth Form)

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Grace Mitchell (Fifth Form)

Francesca Barton (Fifth Form)

Muhing Okhrabu (Fifth Form)

William Russell (Fifth Form)

Mariana Mason (Fifth Form)

Serafina Parrella (Fifth Form)

Page 33 - The Suttonian 2019

ACADEMIC UPDATE

Media Studies Coursework Mr Julian Zane, Head of Media Studies

I

run the risk of becoming too hyperbolic when writing about the quality of the work produced by our Upper Sixth Media Studies students this year! The projects they produced were outstanding and reflected their creativity and imagination as well as the professional approach they took and the attention to detail required to complete projects to a high level of finish.

they employed all the right visual and sound signifiers to create impressive and culturally aware work. In their efforts to achieve the best possible outcomes, it was a delight to see the students develop their understanding of design aesthetic and digital technology.

This year’s Media Studies results were the best on record at Sutton Valence and it was the first time that four students achieved an A* grade.

The time and energy all the students put into their coursework really paid dividends as all 23 students taking the qualification achieved at least a B grade in this part of the assessment.

This year, the new Media Studies specification required students to work in two different media forms. As a result, as well as employing more ‘traditional’ print formats in the shape of magazines and film poster marketing campaigns, for the first time, many chose to create podcasts and websites. For obvious reasons these pieces cannot be reproduced here, but suffice to say that the quality of the print work displayed above was also reflected in their alternative media form products.

All of our students should be proud of their achievements. Across a variety of media forms,

In keeping with the more vocational aspects of the course, the students had to respond to a

Page 34 - The Suttonian 2019

creative brief that reflected a ‘real life’ situation.

Standout pieces included Kate Woodford’s retro inspired film marketing campaign entitled ‘Back to the 80s’ and Alzbeta Hrivnova’s alternative vision of a magazine about her homeland, the Czech Republic (pictured top right). The glossy, high-end fashion magazine brief remains a popular choice and the designs of Emily Bottle (Folio Man), Melissa Dawson (Glow) Cameron Evans (Ammonite Man) and Verity Streek (Elite) are excellent examples.

The work all our students produced was impressive and inspiring. They all really understood the codes and conventions of the products they were working in and then applied their own particular gloss and flavour. The best work was original and visually exciting and a flavour of it is reproduced here.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

“

The School’s enrichment programme is designed to supplement academic work and provide breadth in students’ educational experience. Two core areas of that programme are Drama and Music and the School has seen some fantastic performances across both areas this past academic year. On the stage, the senior production of Blue Stockings was powerful and thought-provoking, whilst the junior musical version of School of Rock provided a fantastically uplifting end to the year. Musically, we have been equally blessed with a number of high-quality concerts throughout the year including the UWGCF Armistice Concert and the Summer Concert at All Saints’ Church in Maidstone. These occasions really showcase the natural ability of a number of our students and I would encourage attendance at future concerts whenever possible. The following collection of reports provides an excellent overview of the year and everything we hope to achieve through our enrichment programme.

”

Mr Bruce Grindlay Headmaster Page 35 - The Suttonian 2019

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Director of Drama Report Mr Ben Fewson, Director of Drama

M

alala Yousafzai once said that “the content of a book holds the power of education and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change lives”.

This year’s work in the Drama department has, somewhat accidentally, read as something of a love-letter to education! We have staged all of our three major plays with learning at their core.

Whether it be the fight for girls’ education and emancipation in Blue Stockings and Jane Eyre, or the struggle to be an individual in School of Rock, the students have portrayed these characters with integrity and skill throughout.

Blue Stockings, performed in the Michaelmas Term, was something of a departure from the regular dramatic fare at SVS. One of the many benefits of this piece was the very fact that the audience had very little knowledge or expectation as to what they were to be seeing, allowing them to focus on the piece itself, rather than the interpretation of it.

The play takes place in 1896, over 20 years before women will have the right to vote. At this time, some women worked courageously to further their education; flying in the face of medical and social opinion. I count my own university years as some of the happiest and most rewarding.

It is a time when students are allowed to grow up, flex mental muscles and discover who they might go on to be. The idea that society might be appalled at one’s very presence and the fact that people would be abused for simply wanting to learn is outrageous. This was very much a reality for those courageous women, women who chose to develop themselves intellectually, many at the expense of having a family.

The play made it plain that we must never forget how lucky we are to have the opportunities we have. Having said that, it is also a lighthearted love letter to the quest for knowledge as well as the trials and tribulations of university relationships, in-fighting and politics. Who could possibly ask for more from an evening at the theatre?! The process itself was a hugely enjoyable one. The students engaged well with the subject matter and enjoyed the (at some points scary) similarities between that of their characters and their own personalities.

Page 36 - The Suttonian 2019

In stark contrast to Blue Stockings was this year’s Junior production of School of Rock. It could certainly be said that my choice for my first foray into the world of junior shows was a touch ambitious. An iconic movie, re-written for the stage by two of the most successful and well-loved writers, as it continues to delight audiences in the West End to this day. It could not be said that this piece was obscure!

Once more, SVS students have achieved a 100 per cent success rate in LAMDA assessments, with the proportion achieving a top Distinction grade, reaching the highest level in recent years.

In terms of future destinations, students from SVS have achieved a wide variety of National Youth Musical Theatre, drama school and university offers alike.

Since before my time here, the culture at this School has been to be ambitious; to set the bar as high as possible and every time our students have risen to the task. This was another one of those instances. The opportunity presented to the cast here, no matter what their role, is to enjoy being part of a show that will live long in the memory of the School community.

The original movie, produced back in 2003, was widely acclaimed, particularly for Jack Black’s exuberant portrayal of Dewey Finn; a lovable loser who somehow talks himself into teaching at a leading preparatory school. The movie relies on Black’s energetic and unique performance so, when the musical was created by Andrew LloydWebber and Julian Fellowes, the challenge was to pull as many of the underlying themes to the forefront as well as create a role that was not a poor imitation of Black’s performance.

Ava Deighton-Smythe, Katie Lang, Elizabeth Drummond, Isabelle Cook and Paige Davidson in Blue Stockings

The story itself is about expression, individuality and freedom, despite what the expectations of others may be. It is a truly thought-provoking and enjoyable exploration of the choices that are enforced upon us and what we could do if we had the power to change that direction.

Structure, discipline and responsibility are admirable in the classroom but when the Dewey (in our production portrayed by Max Woods) enters, it only goes to show that the students have lost some of their individuality, passion and creativity. It shows that Finn himself needs the responsibility gained from the institution just as much as the students need his creative freedom.

In addition to the main shows, students have explored an increasing array of practitioners giving master-classes and workshops on a variety of disciplines, from Physical Theatre to creating interactive immersive audience experiences.

Amongst these, the visit to Punchdrunk Theatre will certainly live long in the memory.

Maximus Woods in School of Rock

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Punchdrunk Immersive Theatre Finn Swaine and Paige Davidson (Lower Sixth)

I

t was an early start for many of us as we headed to the Punchdrunk Immersive Theatre experience with a mixture of excitement and trepidation; not quite knowing what to expect. After a long bus ride, we got off and found a large warehouse looming overhead. We were taken to a classroom and quite ominously asked to remove all bags, phones and anything that could be caught in the environment.

Seated in rows, our host explained safety precautions and gave instructions to look at a screen and the lights went out!

The video on the screen was a bird's eye view of a desolate village. The screen then became transparent showing what was behind... the very same village, lit only by the buildings either side of the long-outstretched pavement. We were each asked, one by one, to step into this dismal scene, alone. It was my turn to enter and the sudden cold enveloped me alongside the fog and the overwhelming darkness, whilst shadows flickered all around. I decided to explore at first what seemed to be an optician’s shop, where the walls were covered with eyeballs.

Next, was the tavern, which had the remembrance of life, although it was no longer there. I found myself next to a toyshop, with dolls and a dolls house and other parts of toys.

After the toyshop, was a church with a strange image, portraying scenes of death around it.

Each place seemed to show a relatively ordinary scene, with the exception of art that seemed to convey an unavoidable danger and darkness.

This was in addition to the prevalent idea that everyone in this village had simply vanished or had got up and left one day, leaving everything behind. A bell then rang and the lights came up as reality returned.

For the next few hours leading up to lunch, we were introduced to various exercises, which included pair work and larger group work. These activities focused on exploring the intention behind our movement and had us practise leaving scenes subtly. Lunchtime was at one o’clock, when it became clear just how much energy is required to create Punchdrunk’s style of theatre. After returning to the warehouse with full stomachs, the groups were ready to discover more behind the techniques which generate

Punchdrunk Theatre

such unique pieces of immersive theatre. To give insight into this topic, we were paired up and told to explore the themes presented in Georg Buchner’s Woyzeck, a play we study in depth during our A Level course. Doing this enabled us to develop a better understanding of Woyzeck as well as Punchdrunk’s style of theatre. Each pair was assigned a room of their choice and asked to produce a piece of immersive theatre.

The story originated from a scene in Woyzeck, in which Woyzeck is seen to be hearing imaginary sounds and hallucinating whilst his friend, Andres tries to convince him it is all in his mind.

In our pieces, no words were used, only gestures, and audience members wore masks and were

permitted to get as close to us as they wanted.

Doing this helped us experience performing immersive theatre first hand. After performing, we reflected on each other’s pieces giving helpful feedback. We then boarded the bus once again, ready for the journey back to School.

The trip helped us to learn the techniques required to erase the fourth wall, which is normally present in theatre and helped to develop our comprehension of the play Woyzeck.

A special thank you must go to Mr Fewson and Mrs Buckland for giving the A Level Drama students the opportunity to visit the world of Punchdrunk; it is one we will never forget.

Page 37 - The Suttonian 2019

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Blue Stockings Paige Davidson (Lower Sixth)

T

he performances of Blue Stockings turned out to be hugely successful despite the short period of time we had to produce them. The rehearsal process proved to be educational since people had to learn the pronunciation of unfamiliar words and put emotion behind lines even when, at first, they had no clue what they were talking about.

However, everything came together after the Sunday rehearsal, which acted as a wake-up call to how close the show was. The energy soon buzzed through the cast as costumes were fitted and the stage was set.

Blue Stockings expresses how much the education system has evolved over the years. This was all the more meaningful as it was performed in a school where so many opportunities are presented to women. At first, the cast was hesitant of the story, as the themes and styles were far out of our comfort zone. However, as performance day approached we began to understand the importance of the message behind the play, written by Jessica Swale. It explores the journey of four female undergraduates attending Girton College. They encounter many challenges in their paths as they attempt to win the right to graduate.

Before we knew it, the first night was suddenly upon us and the adrenaline kicked in, helping us to teach the audience the struggles women faced in 1898.

After each performance, it became clearer how important this part of history is to today’s members of society. Many audience members displayed their support through tears and laughter, along with a lot of positive feedback and lovely comments.

The cast was overjoyed with the reaction from everyone; this only helped us connect with our characters more, allowing each performance to top the previous. Thank you so much to Mrs Buckland for all her help backstage and to James and his team for such a breathtaking set. Of course, a big thank you must go to Mr Fewson for pulling off another enjoyable and memorable play.

Page 38 - The Suttonian 2019

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Finn Swaine

Isabelle Cook and Katie Lang

Paige Davidson

Tom Gray

Page 39 - The Suttonian 2019

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Junior Drama Production

Page 40 - The Suttonian 2019

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

T

he Baughan Theatre was amped up for the highly-anticipated junior production of School of Rock, which ran for three nights in June.

The musical, set in the classroom of leading prep school Horace Green, tells the story of a wannabe rock-star, Dewey Finn (played by Max Woods), a loveable loser who hasn’t paid his rent in months. He pretends to be a substitute teacher at the school, impersonating his teacher friend and fellow rocker Ned Schneebly (played

by Kieran Bush).

Despite having no training or degrees in teaching, Dewey brings another dimension to the class: his love of music and recognition that his students are talented young people.

He decides to assemble them into the ‘School of Rock’ band to showcase their talents in a competition, the Battle of the Bands.

Although they do not officially win the competition, the school – and Dewey - win the hearts of the crowd and sway the prim and proper Horace Green principal, Rosalie Mullins (played by Anna Smith), into realising there is more to school life than punctuality and performance tables.

As a cast, we thoroughly enjoyed bringing this story to the stage. There is a real range of characters, all with different unique personalities, so it allowed us to showcase the range of acting

talent in the lower years of the School. Max Woods’ portrayal of Dewey was always going to be the stand-out performance as he took on the role with energy and enthusiasm. In reading about the film version of School of Rock, the producers chose Jack Black to play Dewey as his personality meant that he was able to ad lib through much of the filming, making it feel more real. For our production, Max did likewise.

He was supported by an excellent ensemble cast who all contributed to a brilliant show. As well as Kieran and Anna, the ‘School of Rock’ band members each brought their own skills to the stage.

Anna Smith

As well as acting, the production was also about the music, which included hard-core anthems such as Stick It To The Man and When I Climb To The Top Of Mount Rock (both performed by Max), and some heart-warming melodies like If Only You Would Listen performed by Samuel Foss, Matthew Hall and Tobias Butler, assisted by the Horace Green class and Where Did The Rock Go sung by Anna Smith.

The production was brought to the stage by Mr Fewson, the Director, Mrs Buckland, the Assistant Director and Mr Soman, the Musical Director. We thank them all for their patience and expertise in bringing the show together.

Report by William Ervine (Third Form)

Daisy Dallamore and Harriet Onions

Holly Clark, Tobias Butler, Samuel Foss, Maximus Woods, Callum Davis and Matthew Hall

Page 41 - The Suttonian 2019

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Director of Music Report Mr Phil Horley, Director of Music

L

ooking back, I notice that several times in the past I have started this report with words such as “sitting here in a café overlooking Lake Windermere” or “sitting here overlooking the Weald”. Well when I received an email asking me for the music report, I was actually sitting in a hotel foyer in deepest Cairo. During my journey, I tried my hand at a djembe (an instrument the music GCSE group should be familiar with) and found it a lot harder than it looks!

of Strings led by Bethan Pepler. The Chapel Choir demonstrated their high standard by performing Parry’s I Was Glad and Mendelsohn’s Hear My Prayer, which featured three different soloists.

We started the year performing in London at the beautiful church of St John’s Hyde Park. This service was to remember the 100 years since the end of the 1st World War and we started the service with the Senior Strings performing Vaughan Williams Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus. For this, we were pleased to be joined by two Old Suttonians, Marta Chronowska (2018 S) and Laura Horley (2018 F) who filled the positions they occupied the previous year as leader and co-leader.

As well as the large-scale concerts, the Music School runs a series of informal concerts throughout the year. Taking place in Groves Hall with tables laid out for food and drink, these allow pupils to perform in front of a small appreciative audience. They can perform just because they want to, or in preparation for an examination or because they have a work in progress and want to see how it goes.

We then had only a month to prepare for the three school carol services. This is always a magical time I think with the choir in robes singing to a very high standard with Christmas trees and candles decorating the Chapel. My thanks to Mr Soman for leading the services so well.

We have established close links with the parish church of All Saints, Maidstone and this year saw us visit this 14th century building twice. The first was the Lord-Lieutenant’s service with 1000 local dignitaries in attendance. The Chapel Choir lead the service performing Sir Hubert Parry’s I Was Glad and also Charles Wood’s The Central Orb. In May, we returned to All Saints for the Summer Concert. This is covered in more detail on page 45, but I would like to mention Magnus Linn performing Gerald Finzi’s Eclogue, Samuel Grindlay singing Mendelssohn’s Lord God of Abraham and Nina Harman singing Handel’s Lascia Ch’io Pianga. The Senior Strings accompanied all of the above. Special mention must be made of Crystal Zhu who gave a stunning performance of Vivaldi’s Summer from the Four Seasons accompanied by a select group

Page 42 - The Suttonian 2019

As you may realise from the above it was probably the most ambitious year to date for the Strings and this was also assisted by two all-day master-classes with Professor Miller from the Royal Academy of Music, detailed on page 48.

This year we said goodbye to Jonathan Soman, my assistant for six years. His valete is included on page 191. We also bid farewell to Pauline Fisher, our brass teacher for nearly 20 years. Her claim to fame is that she performed the trumpet section for the theme tune to the first series of Blackadder. We also said goodbye to our talented upper Sixth Form cohort, especially Poppy Gardner, Magnus Linn and Asher Regal. Those who turned up to the leavers concert on speech day will know how talented these young people are and we wish them well whatever they do in the future.

I would like to thank all the staff who assist in the music making. To Amanda for all the accompanying, to Fraser for the work in strings, to Andrew, Jamie, Claire, Gwen, Alison, Graham and Terry, my thanks for your support. In addition, thank you to Danny Moulton for taking over Chapel Choir and all the music drama productions, I look forward to working with you. Finally, to David and to Jonathan for being such wonderful colleagues. I could not do this job without you.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Imogen Forknall and the Chamber Choir

Crystal Zhu

Samuel Grindlay

Mr Jonathan Soman

Page 43 - The Suttonian 2019

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Autumn Concert Mrs Sarah Geering, SVPS Director of Music

T

his year’s Autumn Concert was the second collaboration between the schools showcasing music from popular genres. It was a great pleasure for us to give so many of our musicians the chance to perform and exciting to see how students joined together to perform.

From the opening bars of It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing by the SVS Jazz Collective to the closing bars of Oh Won’t You Sit Down from the musicians of both Schools, the skill and enthusiasm of the musicians was evident, giving the audience an unforgettable evening’s entertainment.

The youngest performer, Matilda Foreman (Year 4), had toes a-tapping with her drum solo to Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk and was followed by two beautiful performances by singer-songwriters Oliver Carter (Lower Sixth) and Louisa Hudson (Fourth Form) of their compositions: Breakfast In Bed and Write It Out In Pen respectively. Harry Muller (Year 5) and Katy Barr (Second Form) gave impressive and rhythmic performances on the drum kit of pieces for their forthcoming exams.

Joseph Dale, George Abrehart, Elizabeth Cavell and Finn Swaine

Page 44 - The Suttonian 2019

Katie Lang and Libby Cavell (both Lower Sixth) charmed the audience with their soulful rendition of Yellow by Coldplay. Katie and Libby are two of the SVS pupils who have come up through the School from Pre-Prep all the way to to the Sixth Form.

Finn Swaine (Lower Sixth) reminded the audience of his days in SVPS, when he put together a band which went on to win a competition, giving him and his band-mates the chance to perform at a festival. On this occasion, he performed Damien Rice’s The Blower’s Daughter with Bethan Pepler, Elizabeth Drummond and Elizabeth Cavell.

The song started with Finn singing the opening lines, accompanied only by Elizabeth Cavell on the double bass. Finn’s vocals and guitar playing were accomplished and polished and had the audience mesmerised. As the song grew, Bethan joined Finn with tender, sensitive harmonies and Elizabeth Drummond added a further harmony line on the violin. I have been a fan of Finn’s since I saw him and his twin brother, Noah, performing in their SVPS Year 4 concert and I look forward to many more moments of joy in years to come.

Music is unique in the School as an area where pupils can come together on an equal footing.

The Joint Blues Group featured pupils from the Upper Sixth down to the First Form at SVS along with Albert Dean (Year 6) and Alex Blackie (Year 5). A 12-bar blues gives performers the freedom to improvise around a set chord sequence, where communication between performers is vital.

The SVS Chamber Choir performed two items: Super Trouper and The Writing’s on the Wall.

The SVPS Senior Choir listened in awe to the older pupils as they performed the choral arrangements of these songs, with solo lines from Sophie Baxter and Imogen Forknall and piano accompaniment by Magnus Linn. The SVPS Senior Choir gave a spirited performance of Shotgun.

The evening showcased the wealth of talent here at Sutton Valence and all who took part can be proud of their achievement.

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Summer Concert Mr David Holmes, Head of Strings

T

he Summer Music Concert took place at All Saints Church in Maidstone on Wednesday 10th May. The beautiful surroundings undoubtedly added a sense of reverence to the evening’s proceedings.

The first half began with the Chapel Choir singing I Was Glad by Parry.

This was a performance of both quality and quantity as the music swelled to fill the building, setting the tone of excellence for the evening.

The Chamber Choir performed next, singing three popular numbers: Fever, Anything Goes and Let’s Do It, with confidence and energy. The Senior Strings closed the first half of the proceedings with their usual élan playing Vivaldi’s Summer from The Four Seasons accompanying the amazing violin virtuosity of Crystal Zhu.

After the interval, the Senior Strings continued their accompanying role performing Lord God of Abraham with Sam Grindlay singing, from Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Lascia Ch’io Pianga by Handel sung by Nina Harman and Eclogue by Finzi featuring Magnus Linn as the piano soloist. The Chapel Choir took their place for the finale, singing a number of pieces including Hear My Prayer by Mendelssohn. The selected pieces offered an opportunity to enjoy the skills of the students and demonstrated the calibre of musicians we have here at SVS. The Summer Concert is a culmination of the Music department’s year.

For some, it was their final performance at the School and was, therefore, tinged with emotion. It was a wonderful performance by all.

Page 45 - The Suttonian 2019

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Chapel Choir

Chapel Choir Nina Harman and Asher Regal (Upper Sixth)

T

his academic year was a full and fruitful one for one of the biggest groups within the School.

Collectively, the Chapel Choir contributed weekly to many aspects of School life, from concerts to anthems in Chapel. The year saw the Chapel Choir grow to a substantial 70 members and comprising both staff and pupils, we embarked on new challenges and revisited old favourites.

In November, the Choir had the privilege of singing in the poignant Remembrance Service in front of pupils, governors and Old Suttonians, during which the new OSA Centenary Bell rang out for the first time.

Another successful season of carol services in the Michaelmas Term was topped off by performances from the SVPS and SVS joint choir and a Sutton Valence first, as the choir were lucky enough to premier Where Is This Stupendous Stranger?, a carol with music written by Upper Sixth Former, Magnus Linn.

Page 46 - The Suttonian 2019

In the Summer Term, we were honoured to be invited by the Lord-Lieutenant of Kent to perform for several hundred local volunteers in his civic service at All Saints Church, Maidstone to which we returned later in the term to perform alongside the School’s many musical groups and ensembles for the final concert of the year.

This year also saw the reinstatement of several choir traditions. The Choir Newsletter was reintroduced, which aside from its informative purpose included a Horley and Holmes special ‘Joke of the Week’ section and another caption competition, with interesting results!

At the end of the Summer Term, the choir reunited for its annual dinner, this time in the form of a summer garden barbecue, with food and enough sweets to send the group sugarfuelled into the final week of term. Taking advantage of a warm sunny day, we enjoyed lots of games, including a choir quiz and the traditional ‘chubby bunny’ competition.

It was also an opportunity to show our appreciation to the teachers who had helped lead us including Mr Horley, as well as Mr and Mrs Holmes. This year we also said goodbye to the Head of Chapel Choir, Mr Soman, and we thanked him for his efforts and wished him all the best in his new school. His bright, spirited encouragement and big grin will be sorely missed in early morning Chapel services.

Finally, the Upper Sixth amongst the Chapel Choir participated in the Leavers’ Service in the penultimate week of term. This was particularly poignant as the Choir bade farewell to 12 Upper Sixth members, many of whom had been singing for the duration of their time at School. The service also marked the choir’s final performance with Mr Soman, who joined the ensemble for one final performance of The Lord Bless You and Keep You. We now hand over the baton to Nicole Avery and Bethan Pepler as co-heads of the Choir for next year. Good luck!

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

Chapel Choir Barbecue

Nina Harman and Asher Regal

Mr Jonathan Soman

Edward Curling and Henry Jones - Summer Concert

Chapel Choir - Summer Concert

Page 47 - The Suttonian 2019

ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

UWGCF Concert Alzbeta Hrivnova (Upper Sixth)

O

ur musicians took part in the United Westminster and Grey Coat Foundation concert in London, commemorating the 100th year anniversary of the end of World War 1. The Senior Strings performed Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus composed by Vaughan Williams.

Professor Nicholas Miller and Jack Price

Strings Masterclass Mr David Holmes, Head of Strings

I

n what has become a regular fixture in the Music department calendar, Nicholas Miller, professor of violin at the Royal Academy of Music, worked with a number of our most advanced string players in a strings master-class at the start of March.

Professor Miller studied under Felix Andrievsky and Carmel Kaine at the RAM where he won numerous prizes for both solo and chamber music. He has played cross Britain, Europe and the USA throughout an accomplished career.

The musicians and Richard Sawyer (Upper Sixth) left School after a quick lunch and, after an excellent drive up the A20 and across London, arrived near the church. Organised chaos then ensued as 20 music stands, music, violins, cellos, and a double bass had to be carried to the church.

St John’s Church, Hyde Park, is a beautiful Gothic-style church built in the 1830s, with an amazing acoustic which we had to get used to. We were lucky as the other Foundation schools had not arrived, so we set up and played through just to warm up. It was great to play with Old Suttonians Marta Chronowska (2018 S) and Laura Horley (2018 F), who took their old positions as leader and co-leader – just like old times. At our allocated slot, we then practised with our harpist and our viola player, who were on loan from the Guildhall as Lara Bowles (2018 H) could not perform with us.

Vaughan-Williams volunteered for active duty at the beginning of the war in 1914, despite being 42 years old. He drove ambulance wagons in France and Greece and later fought on the Western Front. He lost many friends and the continuous noise of the guns damaged his hearing. I am sure our stellar performance would have made him proud.

Richard Sawyer, wearing his navy cadet uniform, then gave the prayers before The Last Post. Later that night, all the schools got together to perform a medley of First World War songs. The concert was a perfect start to the Remembrance Day ceremonies that followed in the next few days, and we are very glad we had the opportunity to take part.

The repertoire covered was, without doubt, the most advanced to date and included the first movement of Bruch’s famous Concerto No 1 in G minor (Crystal Zhu).

Alexander Tolhurst and Charlotte Holmes performed movements from Haydn’s Violin and Cello Concertos and Jack Price produced a virtuoso performance of De Beriot’s Violin Concerto No 9. In addition, Williams, Dvorak and Stravinski were tackled by Sophie Browning, Alzbeta Hrivnova and Gabriella Romana. The day concluded with a very enjoyable session of Summer from the Four Seasons with the Senior Strings accompanying Crystal Zhu. Our string section continues to thrive and occasions like this provide a huge boost. Nicholas was particularly impressed with the standard of our pupils and we are always grateful for his time.

St John’s, Hyde Park

Page 48 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

“

Leadership opportunities exist in all areas of School life from The Juniors through to the Sixth Form and come from both formal and informal learning scenarios. Our Combined Cadet Force (CCF) continues to offer valuable leadership experience for cadets as they progress through the ranks to become NCOs, taking a more active role in leading their respective sections.

This year, the CCF embarked on an ambitious trek through Borneo as well as completing its usual programme of activities closer to home including residential camps, training exercises and educational visits. Elsewhere, our Duke of Edinburgh scheme continues to impress with excellent results at all three levels. Lower down the School, the successes at CCF and DofE are underpinned by our Junior Leadership programme, which allows younger pupils to lead a range of projects through the course of the year.

�

Mr David Sansom Assistant Head Page 49 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Contingent Commander Report Major Millbery, Contingent Commander

O

ne of the most exciting things about being the CCF Contingent Commander is seeing how each of our three sections, the Army, Navy and RAF, move forward with the new cohort of non-commissioned officers (NCOs) each year. As the upper year groups take on this responsibility, it is testament to their growing leadership skills that our Combined Cadet Force continues to develop and thrive.

Our Head of Army, RSM Edward Ervine, has been an excellent example to the younger cadets and has also taken a leading role in the School’s successful Shooting team. Our Head of RAF, Flight Sergeant Asher Regal took real pride in his role and has worked hard to improve the section’s standards. Finally, our Head of Navy, Petty Officer Richard Sawyer should be commended, not just for his leadership role at SVS, but also for his selection to be one of the Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadets for Kent.

This year has been no different and I am hugely grateful to our talented group of NCOs who have served as heads of each section. Our Head of Corps, RSM Fergus Fowle has led from the front and performed his ceremonial duties with aplomb. As well as our normal Remembrance Day activities, Fergus also took the lead for the cadet’s involvement in the unveiling of the OSA Centenary Bell in November.

The Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadets are drawn from the Sea Cadets, Army Cadet Force, Marine Cadets, Air Training Corps and the CCF. The appointment is recognised as one of the highest honours a cadet can achieve. When on duty, LordLieutenant’s Cadets wear a distinctive badge of their appointment to denote their role. They assist the Lord-Lieutenant as required, often on parade for royal visits and act as ambassadors for

Page 50 - The Suttonian 2019

their organisations and the young people of the region. This is fantastic recognition of Richard’s long and dutiful service to the Sutton Valence School CCF. Richard, Fergus, Edward and Asher, along with our other Upper Sixth NCOs left the School this summer and, in advance of their departure we marked the end of their time with the CCF in style by dining them out at the annual NCO Dinner. As always, this was a wonderful event but also tinged with sadness as the cadets said goodbye to their time in the CCF after five years.

As one of the guests at the NCO Dinner, we were pleased to welcome back Old Suttonian Harriet James (2010 S). Harriet thrived as a cadet in the CCF during her time at the School and has recently progressed to become a commissioned officer in the Army Air Corps (AAC). Back in December last year, it was an honour to make

LEADERSHIP FOCUS the trip up to Sandhurst to see her passing out ceremony to become a Second Lieutenant.

Harriet, together with me and Second Lieutenant Oliver are pictured below and a further picture of Harriet, in front of His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, can be found later in the OS Update section of the magazine (page 208).

The Duke’s attendance on the day made the occasion all the more special as it was the first time he had returned to Sandhurst. Whilst not many of our cadets join the military, their time in the CCF does give them a good understanding of its ethos and values, which they carry forward into later life.

As Second Lieutenant James will attest, the scope of the activities that the CCF is involved in is vast and much of our leadership offering is based on how cadets are able to explore the opportunities that exist and develop them.

Many of these opportunities are included in the following pages, which provide a great overview of a year in the life of our cadet force.

Some of the highlights this year included the Summer 2018 trip to Borneo where cadets took part in various activities including simulated jungle warfare and survival exercises. They also marched part of the route of the infamous 1945 Sandakan to Ranau death marches. This was

a truly reverential experience for the cadets as the reality sunk in that only six from 2,371 Allied prisoners had survived. It was a oncein-a-lifetime trip for the cadets and we were delighted with their fortitude and enthusiasm throughout.

Biennial Inspection

It would be remiss not to also mention our successful Biennial Inspection, which took place in June this year. This is covered in greater detail later in the magazine, but I was delighted with how our cadets performed on the day to showcase everything we offer as a cadet force.

To conclude, I continue to be impressed by the time and effort given by the cadets, the NCOs and, in particular, the staff who not only attend the trips and events detailed in the following pages, but also spend a large amount of time in the planning and preparation required to make them a success.

Borneo Trip

As a final note, I would like to take this opportunity to wish Squadron Leader Cope all the success in his new posting at Brentwood School. Tim has been an inspirational leader of our RAF section since he started at the School back in 2013. His presence and professionalism will undoubtedly be missed, but I am sure that his successor, Second Lieutenant Oliver, will lead the RAF section to equally great heights.

Major Glen Millbery, Second Lieutenant Harriet James (2010 S) and Second Lieutenant Ellie Oliver (2011 C)

Page 51 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Borneo Expedition Major Millbery, Contingent Commander

O

n 3rd July, 16 cadets and three staff left Heathrow for the experience of a lifetime – jungle warfare training with the Gurkhas, walking the Death March and making a lasting impression on a remote village in Malaysia. Our jungle experience started with learning how to survive – the essentials of food, traps, medicine, shelter and water. This included eating live bugs! The nights in the jungle were filled with strange noises, stories of wild boar circling the camp and the reflection of animals’ eyes as well as torrential downpours to test the bashas.

The cadets engaged in Close Target Reconnaisance (CTR), contact drills, patrolling and navigation. The jungle phase ended with a camp attack through dense undergrowth.

Cadets learnt valuable skills about personnel administration, observation, leadership, self reliance as well as overcoming personal fears of bugs. The difference in the cadets, from the first tentative steps on day one in the jungle, to the confident individuals who left the jungle, is amazing to see and something they can carry forward into everyday life.

The second phase was in Malaysia and involved marching part of the Sandakan to Ranau Death March. In 1945, a series of forced marches from Sandakan to Ranau took place. Over 2,371 Allied prisoners took part, only six survived. There were 641 British POWs involved, all of whom died. We took part in four days of the ten day march, navigating and trekking through thick jungle, crossing rivers and climbing hills; we were grateful that, unlike the original prisoners, we had clothing, shoes, food and a comfortable place to sleep each night.

The trek included a final push up Quailey’s Hill in Sabah, dedicated to Alan Quailey who was killed at the top of the hill. We visited Zudin’s platform – a viewing location that looked out over the dense jungle that the prisoners walked through.

In many ways this brought into perspective our minimal efforts. The end of the trek included a visit to Jungle Camp Number 1 at Ranau and to Jungle Camp Number 2 – ‘the last camp’ – where the last surviving POWs were killed, 12 days after the end of the war.

We held a Service of Remembrance at Kundasang War Memorial to all those who died,

Page 52 - The Suttonian 2019

especially those of the British Army and RAF who gave their lives. The next phase was community.

We feel it is important to give something back to the local communities that we visit.

We stayed at Tenom and assisted a local village rebuilding a community centre, so that their history, culture and tradition has a focal point. The welcome, the hospitality, the food – memories and friendships created that will last for a lifetime. Beyond that, was the act of community – giving something to the village that will be of use to them – making a difference.

Having spent a long time fighting our way through the jungle, the emotional death march

and service, helping the community, it was time for some rest and relaxation to finish the trip.

We returned to the UK, exhausted but having had the experience of a lifetime, having gained confidence, leadership and knowing that we made a difference.

The cadets had gained a variety of skills but also an insight into themselves – their limits, their tenacity, their ability to face obstacles and overcome them. The limits of what they thought they could do against what they actually could achieve were pushed and new boundaries established.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Page 53 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Army Section Captain Head, Head of Army

D

uring this academic year the development of the School’s CCF Army section continued apace with some new developments helping to increase the level of training that we are able to offer the cadets, and the leadership skills of the NCOs. Regular trips to Mereworth Woods have allowed us to make the most of the nearby facility to practise our field-craft skills in a safe and appropriate environment, with the cadets then able to lead lessons more effectively back in School.

One of the highlights of the calendar is always the eagerly awaited trip to Pippingford Park for the October field days, and once again we managed to avoid the worst of the weather and not get too cold in the night. It is our main chance for the cadets to put into practice what they have covered over a range of years, and is one of the rare occasions that we get to complete a tactical exercise.

During this trip, we managed to complete a successful night ambush, some very effective section attacks, and even a semi-effective

casualty evacuation under fire (although the casualties may not quite be in agreement). It was especially pleasing on this trip to see how the senior NCOs began to pass their responsibilities across to the more junior members of the section.

Shorncliffe Army Camp Army Field Day

As the year progressed it was obvious to see that the cadets were gaining a lot from their time with us and they had shown a willingness to improve.

The end of the year culminated in an excellent final exercise back at Mereworth Woods, and those that decided not to carry on with us left, having had the full range of experiences to look back upon.

Our final act of the year was a familiarisation trip to Shorncliffe Garrison to spend the day with the Royal Gurkha rifles. This was a fascinating insight into how a regiment works, and allowed the cadets that came on the trip the rare chance to see regular soldiers in action.

Pippingford Park Army Field Day

We have high hopes for the senior cadets in the coming year and with the plans that we have in place coming to fruition, the future looks bright for the Army section.

Shorncliffe Army Camp Army Field Day

Page 54 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

HMS Bristol Navy Field Day

Navy Section Lieutenant Wood, Head of Navy

T

he Royal Navy CCF contingent has had a productive year with the cadets being provided with plenty of opportunities to develop their sailing and leadership skills.

We have been able to organise two field days in October 2018 and July 2019. October’s gave the cadets the opportunity to get afloat on the Swan Motor Boats and Amaryllis and Cornish Air yachts. This was run by the CCF leadership team out of HMS Excellent with the cadets sleeping aboard the decommissioned warship HMS Bristol. We were also fortunate enough to get a tour around HMS Kent.

The Easter Term focus is on working through the official CCF syllabus for the Third and Fifth formers. The aim for the Third Formers is to achieve their Able Cadet rank, along with passing the Navy swim test. By planning lessons and activities for the Third and Fourth Forms, the older cadets aim to achieve their two or three star award by the end of the Easter Term 2020.

The Fourth Form cadets undertook their Royal Life Saving Society’s Survive and Save

qualification giving them key first aid and lifeguard skills. They can also use these to put towards their Duke of Edinburgh qualifications.

The better weather in the Summer Term allows the Royal Navy section to get out on the water.

The cadets go once a week to Rye Watersports to learn or improve their sailing or windsurfing skills. Several of the cadets have now achieved their Royal Yachting Association three star qualification in sailing and windsurfing, allowing them to use the courses run by the Royal Navy to train as an instructor.

The Navy offer about 12 different courses to the cadets – ranging from leadership to powerboating. All these courses are run during the Half Term and Easter and Summer holidays and are offered at a very nominal cost (approximately £30 for a week). I would like to encourage all cadets to take up the opportunities offered by the Navy and attend at least one of these courses.

The last week of Summer Term brought another field day and the cadets undertook a low ropes and obstacle course, along with mountain biking, at Queen Elizabeth Park. This time we camped out at Fork Purbrook where the students also had a chance to have a go at archery and laser tag.

We have also been fortunate enough to have one of our cadets selected to be the LordLieutenant’s Cadet for Kent. Richard Sawyer was selected to attend several key Royal Navy and Royal Marine events to represent CCF.

Petty Officer Richard Sawyer

Page 55 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

RAF Section Flight Sergeant Jack Laing-Williams (Lower Sixth) and Cadet Connor Field (Fifth Form)

T

he RAF section at Sutton Valence School has had an exciting and productive year, which has been focused on team-building and leadership skills, as well as some of the more fundamental aspects of RAF life, such as drill and dress.

In the Michaelmas Term, our first field day involved an exciting escape room inside a secret RAF bunker. During this activity we were divided into teams where we worked together to come up with the solution in the fastest time possible; Cadet Davis’ team were successful at beating the clock to win the activity. After the escape room, we went on to complete some command tasks, to build upon the skills we had learnt that day.

For the Summer Term field day, we were kindly invited to Brentwood School, where Squadron Leader Cope was due to move to at the end of the academic year. Whilst we were there, we completed various stands such as shooting, flight simulation and archery. In the evening, students from Brentwood Schools’ RAF section joined us to camp out before an exciting day completing the Battle of Britain memorial walk through London. This was really moving and a

Page 56 - The Suttonian 2019

truly eye-opening experience. It also gave us the opportunity to make some new friends.

him all the best and thank him for all that he has done for us.

Away from our field day trips, our normal Wednesday afternoon activities were focused on communication and leadership. To do this, we carried out command tasks, drone flight obstacle courses and drill instruction. It has been fantastic to have the opportunity to both lead groups and provide feedback to the other cadets.

As well as Squadron Leader Cope, our thanks also go to Flight Lieutenant Kitchen and Flying Officer Westlake for their continued support and dedication to the section. Next year, we welcome Second Lieutenant Oliver, who has moved to us from the Army to lead the section and we are excited to have the opportunity to go flying for the first time in five years!

This year has also seen the CCF Biennial Inspection and we wanted to ensure that our drill standards presented the section in a favourable light. Collectively, we take pride in our appearance and we were glad the inspection went as well as it did. We were also proud that an RAF cadet, Chief Warrant Officer Savage led the parade within her role as the new Head of Corps.

As a section within the CCF, the RAF continues to grow and that is largely down to the leadership of Squadron Leader Cope. Having taken on the leadership of the section in 2013, his enthusiasm and passion for the RAF has seen us develop significantly. As he leaves the School to take up his new position at Brentwood School, we wish

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Leadership Lecture Major Millbery, Contingent Commander

W

e were very pleased to have the company of Chief of Joint Force Operations, Brigadier John Ridge CBE, to deliver our second Leadership Lecture back in January. The Brigadier was met by an honour guard led by Cadet RSM Fowle and lunch with the Headmaster.

His lecture looked at the relationship between the individual, the team and the task and the role of the leader in balancing those three parts. There were many anecdotes from his illustrious career and he finished with two important messages that all of our cadets, from the Third Form all the way up to the Upper Sixth, would be able to take away and reflect upon.

Biennial Inspection Major Millbery, Contingent Commander

E

His first message was that good leaders motivate their respective teams by taking a personal interest in things. Secondly, that “thank you” is the most powerful phrase that a leader can use.

Those in leadership roles ultimately set the climate and culture of what it feels like to work in their team and therefore an ability to show appreciation is a key aspect of ensuring everyone feels valued within that team.

I hope that all of the cadets who heard the lecture will reflect on his comments and look to enact them in their own leadership roles. The lecture ended with questions from the cadets.

very two years, Sutton Valence School’s Combined Cadet Force is inspected by the Ministry of Defence to check that we are delivering the training as required and in compliance with the rules and regulations laid down by the respective services. This year, our inspection took place on Wednesday 5th June.

This time, it was the turn of the Army to host the inspection and we were delighted to be inspected by Lieutenant Colonel Jones MBE RE, commanding officer of 36 Engineer Regiment and his regimental Sergeant Major. He talked to the respective cadet heads of each section, took part in a .22 rifle competition with the Headmaster (which the Headmaster won) and visited various stands.

The cadets were participating in a host of activities including command tasks with the Navy, a search and rescue operation with the RAF, a simulated first aid incident, as well as drill and section attacks with the Army. A chapel service, led by our Chaplain, Sub Lieutenant Davies, was followed by a parade on Prefects’ Lawn with an Honour Guard led

by Chief Warrant Officer Lara Savage, presenting compliments to the Lieutenant Colonel.

My thanks go to all the cadets, the Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) and Major Prem for preparing the Honour Guard in a very short space of time. After a busy afternoon with us, Lieutenant Colonel Jones was very complimentary about the School’s CCF and we are grateful for his feedback.

Brigadier John Ridge CBE

Page 57 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Remembering the Fallen Cadet Edward Evans (Third Form)

L

ast year marked the centenary of the end of the First World War. Earlier that year, it was announced that 10,000 members of the public were to be given the unique opportunity to take part in a procession past the Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday, 11th November. The procession was directly after the National Service of Remembrance and followed the Royal British Legion veterans’ parade. The objective of the procession was for people to pay their respects to those that served in the First World War and to help express the nation’s thanks to the generation that served and those that never returned.

I applied to take part in the procession and in early September, discovered that I had been one of the lucky ones who had been selected to march in London on Remembrance Sunday.

I was especially keen to attend because my great-great-uncle Frederick Cooker was one of the many thousands of men who fought at The Somme and, sadly, did not return to his family.

He and his brother, my great-grandfather, were both members of the Royal West Kent Regiment although they served in different battalions.

My great-grandfather was taken prisoner of war toward the end of the First World War and returned to his family in January 1919.

My great-great-uncle was not so lucky, but his story is inspirational. Frederick Cooker enlisted on August 6th 1914 at the age of 22. He was sent to France in June 1915. On September 28th 1916, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. This award was always considered to be the army’s second ranking gallantry award and almost always seen as a ‘near miss’ to The Victoria Cross. The citation in the London Gazette read as follows: “His Majesty, the King, has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallantry and distinguished service in the Field to Sergeant Frederick Thomas Cooker, Royal West Kent Regiment, for conspicuous gallantry during operations. When our bombers had been driven back, he reorganised the party under heavy bomb fire and erected a new barricade. Later he climbed over the barricade and brought in a wounded man from close to the enemy”.

Page 58 - The Suttonian 2019

Cadet Edward Evans

The following month Sergeant Frederick Cooker was killed in action. He was blown to pieces during a battle at The Somme. He has no known grave, but his name is remembered on The Thiepval Memorial in France. This is the largest war memorial in the world and holds the names of 72,000 men who, like my great-great-uncle, have no grave.

I have visited The Thiepval Memorial. The size of the memorial is staggering and you cannot prepare yourself for the number of names engraved on it. Not just that, but on the journey through that part of France to the memorial you pass numerous cemeteries each filled with the graves of men who fought and died in the First World War.

I truly consider my great-great-uncle to have been a hero. However, every man who fought in that terrible war was also a hero.

That is why I was proud to march on Remembrance Sunday in London. It was a marvellous occasion. I met lots of veterans and saw a lot of military displays. I was honoured to be able to lay a wreath as I marched past the Cenotaph in remembrance of my great-greatuncle.

This year was special because it was the centenary of the Armistice, but we should never forget the sacrifices that a generation of men made and we should always give thanks.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Artwork: Muhing Okhrabu (Fifth Form) Original poem: Philip Larkin

Page 59 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Lake District Adventure Training Scarlett Washington (Third Form)

O

ver the Easter holiday some Third and Fourth Formers went to the Lake District with the CCF. We spent a week in a hostel going around the Lake District doing all different kinds of amazing activities.

Over the week, we spent two days doing a walk with an overnight camp, in the snow! We also practised our compass and map reading skills, in preparation for our upcoming expedition. But the highlight of the trip has to have been the adventure activities that we did with Quest4Adventure. We split into two groups and did rock climbing, trusting our friends to hold our ropes for us (still not so sure about that) and scaling an outside rock wall 15 metres or so up in the air. We had an amazing time and the view at the top was spectacular. We also went canoeing, in boats of two; luckily, no-one capsized. We raced and did tricky manoeuvring games, which caused a lot of chaos but was fun nonetheless.

On our last day we went ghyll scrambling, sliding down a river in a valley, which could have been warmer, but jumping into pools of water and sliding over rocks outweighed the cold. Finally, we went mountain biking. A couple of us took a while to get used to it but once we did we found ourselves flying around tight corners and down huge hills. We had a fantastic time on this trip and cannot wait until next year.

Page 60 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

.

Becky Norris Trophy Major Millbery, Contingent Commander

A

t the end of June, the CCF took part in its annual March and Shoot competition for the Becky Norris Trophy.

The competition involves three sections.

Firstly, the cadets must undertake a 1.5 kilometre march (army vernacular for run) in full webbing, carrying a large jerry can full of water. They then need to gather their concentration in order to guarantee their best possible grouping at the 25 metre shooting range. Finally, they are required to tackle an obstacle course. In addition to this,

the teams were given two eggs which they had to take round all three components and return intact.

It was a very close competition with the RAF coming third, and the Army narrowly beating the Navy to retain the title. Unfortunately, casualties included two of the eggs!

Many congratulations to the Army team led

by Tyler Weekes, who collected the trophy from the departing Head of the RAF section, Squadron Leader Cope.

Page 61 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Gold Award Practice - April 2019

Duke of Edinburgh Report Mrs Christine Kitchen, Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator

T

he Duke of Edinburgh award continues to thrive at Sutton Valence and I am delighted to say that our success rates are improving year-by-year. The reports included in the following pages provide some excellent individual accounts from pupils across all three respective awarding levels. In addition to that though, I wanted to provide more of an overview of the School’s successes this year.

At Gold level, we were delighted to be able to sign off 11 pupils last year and there are currently 19 pupils in the Sixth Form signed up. We took three groups to the Lake District at Easter and in August to complete their expeditions. We also have eight pupils who have left the School, but who are still working towards completing their award.

We had six pupils complete their Silver award last year. This is the least popular of the three levels, with many starting it, but few completing it as their focus shifts towards GCSEs. Many instead decide to simply jump to the Gold level. However, with the success of the previous year’s Bronze completions, we currently have 26 aiming for their Silver award.

As mentioned, the Bronze completion rates were excellent last year and 37 pupils had completed their Bronze award by the end of the Third Form.

Something for the current Third Form to aim for. In addition there were another 26 pupils from the Fourth Form to the Sixth Form who completed their Bronze award last year.

Page 62 - The Suttonian 2019

Many congratulations to all of the pupils who have achieved their awards over the last 12 months and my thanks go to Mr Millbery and Miss McConnachie for their help throughout the year. A mention as well for Miss Chauhan, Mr Cope and Mrs Lesourd, who depart SVS this summer, but who have contributed to the Duke of Edinburgh award programme over the years. We wish them all the best.

Bronze Award Practice - April 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Page 63 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Bronze Award Practice - October 2018

Bronze Award Mrs Christine Kitchen, Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator

T

he process of preparing the Third Form for their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh awards is fairly rigorous.

To achieve the award, pupils need to complete four different sections, each designed to be a personal challenge to take them out of their comfort zones and engage in activities that will benefit them in different ways.

The first three of the four sections are volunteering, skills and physical. These are completed by way of a minimum of one hour per week over a three-month period. The Bronze award then finishes with the final section, a two-day expedition, which is completed in the countryside around the School. Callum Davies (Third Form) goes into more detail about how the Bronze award is structured: “The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is partly designed to get young people to give something back to the community by getting them to do

Page 64 - The Suttonian 2019

something that they would not normally do. For that reason, the first part of the Bronze award is volunteering. You could walk someone else’s dog or pick up litter on your local roads. For my award, I volunteered for three months helping out at my local park run.

As Callum mentions, ahead of that final expedition, we run a number of practice expeditions. The first, in the October Half Term, involves a walk near the School. Scarlett Washington (Third Form) gives more details about her experience of that:

The second section is the physical test where you partake in a physical activity for a set amount of time each week. For example, you could play sport in or outside of school, go climbing weekly or play Rugby weekly; the choices are endless.

Finally you have the skills section whereby you learn a new skill or continue with an existing skill, such as playing a musical instrument.

“As a practice run, we bravely embarked on a perilous two-day expedition at the end of Half Term. We were in groups of roughly eight; each one of us nervous and carrying heavy backpacks. We were dropped off about a fivehour walk away from the School and had to find our way back.

The final of the four sections that you have to complete before you receive the award, is the expedition section which is done by walking, canoeing or cycling for six hours. As well as the actual expedition (done without any help), we need to also complete a practice expedition to prepare ourselves for what to expect.”

After the first day of walking, we put up our tents and ate quickly, just to jump into warm sleeping bags. So, full and warm(ish) we all fell asleep within minutes. This meant that by the next day we were all ready for another day’s walk.

The second day was similar to the first; same walking, different route. But that is the fun of

LEADERSHIP FOCUS it, getting lost, finding your way back, and then repeat. We all got to see what one of the other groups had to deal with and we all felt sorry for one another. Imagine taking off an enormous load of backpack at the end; you feel like you are flying. Every chance we got, we sat down, ate or just took our backpacks off.

Despite the help of our generous Sixth Form, it was a hard challenge. Whilst walking, we really bonded and of course, stopped for lunch. All of us had the most amazing time, even though we ached for days after. Each team took their own time getting back.

There was an element of competition, but it wasn’t important who won because, by the end, we were all smiling. This was because despite a fair amount of arguing, we worked as a team and made it back to School safely. But it was fun, and there was a great sense of achievement; I can’t wait to do it again!”

With practice under their belts, the final expedition took place at the end of June. After a week of thunderstorms and unseasonable weather, the pupils set out prepared for the worst. Fortunately though, the gods decided to smile upon them and we had two days of great walking weather. The expedition routes ran through the Kent countryside with the teams walking between 15 and 20 miles over the two days.

The Third Form did us proud; all arriving safely at camp, putting up tents and cooking their evening meal. They slept well and completed the second day successfully. This final expedition is definitely the most challenging, but sets them up well for continuing onto the Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards in years to come.

The Bronze process is about taking pupils out of their comfort zone, but as well as the challenges, it presents many opportunities.

Callum concludes, “I really enjoyed doing something that I had never done before and really liked working with friends to accomplish it.”

Silver Award Thomas Llewellyn (Fourth Form)

A

fter finishing our Bronze award, the group was ready to progress onto the next level, the Silver award. This would involve the same categories as Bronze, namely volunteering, skill, physical and then the expedition, but for a longer period of time. We all found our respective activities for the relative section and began those. Then we turned our attention to planning our two expeditions - one practice and one qualifying.

For Silver, we have to plan our own routes and fill out route cards for each day. We spent one lunchtime a week planning meticulous routes onto OS maps which we would eventually be walking ourselves. Each day ended up being around 15 kilometres across varying terrain, such as hills and open field, often with steep-sided inclines.

Across both expeditions, the team was always in high spirits with lots of energy between us to walk the day ahead. Of course, it was only complete with singing, too! For the total of four nights between the two expeditions we camped comfortably, cooking ration packs over mess tins and having a restful night’s sleep gave us the fuel we needed to complete both of the walks.

Now having qualified for the expedition, the group is looking to sign off our remaining outstanding sections to complete our Silver, with every intention of going for Gold.

Silver Award Expedition - July 2019

Bronze Award Practice - October 2018

Page 65 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Gold Award Mrs Christine Kitchen, Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator

O

n Saturday 3rd August, 15 intrepid Lower Sixth adventurers set off to the Lake District for the Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition. After eight hours, including two refreshment stops, we arrived at Dale Bottom campsite. Having looked at the weather forecast over the previous days, I was not hopeful of a dry week and as soon as we hit the A66 towards Keswick, the rain started. However, the students quickly got their tents up and the staff went to get fish and chips for everyone.

Sunday started dry and so the kit check was done and routes discussed. The students had a little free time and visited Keswick before having a good night’s sleep. It rained overnight and it was still drizzling on Monday morning but the students appeared undeterred and were ready to get going when the staff arrived.

Three minibuses left Dale Bottom for various starting points, two heading west and one south. The staff tracked the groups and after a few navigation issues, all arrived safely at the designated campsites. On Tuesday, it rained all day and with one group tackling Scafell Pike,

Page 66 - The Suttonian 2019

we tracked them carefully. The soggy students arrived at their campsites not looking happy.

However, their mood improved once they had dried off and had a hot drink.

Unfortunately for one individual, George Samuels, it was the end of the road after injuring his knee coming down Scafell Pike. This left his group with four remaining members, meaning any further injury would cause the whole group to forfeit.

The groups woke on Wednesday morning to better weather, which lifted their moods after their tough previous day. This resulted in a day of good walking, culminating in all three groups coming together to camp at Buttermere. It was a happy reunion and, with the end in sight, everyone’s spirits were further raised.

Day four of the expedition was warm and sunny, so the waterproofs and coats finally came off.

By the end of the day, there was even a little sunburn, however, the blisters on the students’ feet were more of an issue. Fortunately though, due to an overlap of routes, two of the groups were able to meet, just five kilometres from the

end, which proved a welcome distraction from their various ailments.

Before they knew it, the expedition was completed and, for 14 out of the 15 students, this was the end of their Duke of Edinburgh journey.

That evening, the three groups were once again reunited at Dale Bottom and celebrated in style with pizzas.

We had arranged for a 7.00am getaway on the Friday morning, however, upon arrival at the site, the staff discovered the pitch was completely gone and the students were waiting for us undercover, due to another bout of heavy rain.

We have never had such a quick departure before, albeit one minibus had to be pushed off the grass! Another eight hours along the motorways and we finally arrived back at Sutton Valence on Friday afternoon.

The expedition was a real challenge and it pushed the students’ capacities, but the satisfaction of completing the eight days at this level cannot be compared. Well done to all 15 students for their determination and enthusiasm throughout the week, in spite of the tough conditions.

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Gold Award Expedition - August 2019

Gold Award Practice - April 2019

Gold Award Expedition - August 2019

Gold Award Practice - April 2019

Page 67 - The Suttonian 2019

LEADERSHIP FOCUS

Junior Leadership Miss Linda Gray, Junior Leadership Coordinator

T

he Junior Leadership programme strives to produce confident, capable individuals, who are able to use their initiative to solve problems and make decisions which are, at times, out of their comfort zone and beyond their realm of experience. Developing our Junior pupils into young leaders remains at the forefront of Junior Leadership and all of the activities that pupils complete enable such skills to thrive.

The curriculum is divided into four key strands: survival, community, communication and development. The First Form started the year with an introduction to survival skills; the very first session saw students taking part in a competitive scavenger hunt across the School site, helping students to gain familiarity with where everything is located. A particular favourite activity from the survival strand was making hot chocolate on trangias. As the nights drew in, we turned to the indoor activities, focusing on the community strand of the curriculum. Over the past few years we have encouraged students to take responsibility for their global community by taking part in Operation Christmas Child, which is a project run by Samaritan’s Purse. All pupils took part in wrapping and filling their own shoebox with useful gifts. These were then sent off to disadvantaged children globally. Some pupils took part in an assembly presentation on the charity, which was delivered to the whole School.

Students then turned their attention to making a variety of crafts to be sold at the Junior Leadership Christmas Market, which operates at the end of every Carol Service. Candle jars, pinecone garlands, reindeer jars, card holders and Christmas tree decorations were just some

Page 68 - The Suttonian 2019

of the handmade items made. More than £600 was raised for charity, which was an excellent achievement.

During the Lent Term, the First Form focused on the development and communication strands, where they had the opportunity to learn new skills in their ‘how to’ sessions, including how to sew on buttons and polish their shoes, how to make a bed and do simply laundry. Pupils also had the chance to learn some basic cooking skills in the boarding houses. They also learnt about Sutton Valence village, they delivered a presentation on a country in Europe and learnt the Highway Code. All of which are vital life skills.

Once the warmer weather was upon us, we were able to spend time outside, learning how to identify trees and we were able to serve the local community by helping to tidy up the local church garden.

The year ended with the annual Junior Leadership Camp. Pupils spent the day at Bedgebury Pinetum, where they took part in a fire-lighting, den-building and bushcraft workshop, as well as walking around the pinetum. The second day was spent learning the art of archery and weapon throwing, as well as planning their menu for the annual First Form cooking competition. Students had to prepare either a pasta-based or rice-based meal so were taken to a local supermarket to purchase their ingredients, which had to come within a budget of £10. Mr Jones and Mr Henderson kindly tasted and judged each group’s meal. Pupils then spent a night under canvas, followed by a day of team games.

The Second Form began the year focusing on several strands of the Junior Leadership curriculum: they embarked on a 16-week rotation of four different activities. Students completed a first aid course, which taught them valuable skills including CPR, what to do if someone has a severe cut, how to put someone in the recovery position and how to tie a sling. Students also took part in a course teaching personal survival in the water. This involved the students learning exactly what to do should they get into difficulty in the water. They also had the opportunity to plan a charitable initiative where pupils made a profit from five pounds. The students decided to lay on a host of different lunchtime activities including ‘throw a wet sponge at a teacher’, cake sales and football matches. The last activity saw pupils teaching an academic lesson to the Prep

School pupils. They had three weeks to plan their lesson for either Humanities, Design Technology, ICT or Drama. The Prep School pupils received a variety of lessons including Photoshop basics, online safety tips and an imaginative class designing a festive-themed vehicle that could run down a slope.

The Second Form visited Grosvenor Hall, which is a Kingswood centre for their field day; they participated in a host of activities including abseiling, problem solving and high ropes courses. Fun was had by both pupils and staff.

In the Summer Term, students spent some time learning how to read maps ahead of moving into the Third Form, where they would need such skills once they began their Duke of Edinburgh course. During the last week of Summer Term, the Second Form went off to Hertfordshire for their Bushcraft experience. Here they had the opportunity to build dens and sleep out in them overnight, as well as cooking their own dinner on open fires. They also had a real life first aid scenario to contend with. This trip really did utilise all the skills that students had learnt throughout the two-year Junior Leadership course.

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

SCHOOL

COMMUNITY

“

Our community ethos remains a fundamental part of life at Sutton Valence School and this year has seen our usual offering of events, trips and fundraising that are enjoyed by pupils, parents, staff and Old Suttonians alike. With the formation of the SVS Foundation, we welcome the opportunity to forge new links for the benefit of our wider community. Links with schools in Australia, New Zealand, India and Nepal along with our sister school in China grow ever-stronger and I would encourage those of you in the Fifth Form to take up the opportunities this network offers. Back at School, the competitive edge to our community has once again seen a closely-fought house competition with some fantastically tight contests throughout the year.

My congratulations go to Holdgate for ending Clothworkers’ recent dominance in the Baughan Cup. It has been a bumper year for which the community should be very proud.

”

Mr Jeremy Farrell Deputy Head Page 69 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Speech Day Mr Will Radford, Development Manager

T

his year’s Speech Day, held on Saturday 29th June 2019, offered an array of events as the School opened its doors to celebrate the successes of the past academic year.

As well as the Sports Day relay finals, guests were treated to a fantastic end-of-year Art exhibition in Gulland Hall. Many of the pieces on display are available to view in the magazine (pages 2833). There was also an informal concert in Groves Hall, featuring a number of Upper Sixth leavers, as well as departing member of staff, Mr Soman. The celebrations culminated in the Speech Day prize-giving ceremony, where we welcomed our Guest of Honour, Helen Whately MP.

Chairwoman of the Conservative Party. Mr Grindlay then spoke in more detail of the School’s success, using the amusing theme of the lost art of letter writing to thread together the various aspects of the School’s year.

With the prize-giving complete, Helen Whately took to the stage, speaking passionately about the need for students to believe in themselves and embrace the opportunities that come before them. The speeches ended with a departing offering from the Michaelmas Term Head of School, Lars Eastman, who gave a thoughtful vote of thanks on behalf of the leaving Upper Sixth cohort. A transcript of his speech is available on page 72.

Lady Vallance, Chairman of Governors, welcomed all of our parents, guests, staff and pupils to the ceremony, recapping some of this year’s highlights, whilst introducing Mrs Whately, the Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent and current Deputy

Mrs Helen Whateley MP

Page 70 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

FIRST FORM PRIZES Academic Excellence Award Daisy Dallamore Achievement Awards Rhys Harmer Elizabeth Myers Katherine Slipper Effort Awards James Lloyd-Jones Elyse Ratcliffe Emily Slipper Most Improved Luca Esposito Lee-Kemp Jonty Gillett All Round Contribution Awards Freddy Deans Fenton King Erin McGregor Isla Pickard

SECOND FORM PRIZES Academic Excellence Award Sophie Browning Maisey Russell Achievement Awards Katy Barr Alfie Miles Jack Piller Effort Awards Daniel Booth Olivia Chadwick Savannah Taylor Most Improved Claudia Bennett Jack Sheldon All Round Contribution Awards Callum Baker Thomas Duckworth Olivia Farrell Feng Wu The Junior Macdonald Prize (Current Affairs) Sophie Browning

THIRD FORM PRIZES Academic Excellence Award Scarlett Washington The Macdonald Prize (Current Affairs) Scarlett Washington Achievement Awards Helen Chambers Thomas Dolan Elizabeth Goodwin Struben Savage Hannah Slipper Ethan Wynne Effort Awards Lily Bailey William Howgill Millie Sands Millie Wright All Round Contribution Awards Grace Bartleet Tobias Butler Edward Evans Martha Tatnell

FOURTH FORM PRIZES Academic Excellence Award Suma Rai Achievement Awards Holly Clark Charlotte Farrell Thomas Llewellyn Alice Roberson Jonny Russell Alexander Tolhurst

Effort Awards Harvey Morris Madeleine Presland Milo Skelly Imogen Taylor All Round Contribution Awards Chloe Alexander Felix Connell Joseph Gillett Anna Smith

FIFTH FORM PRIZES Academic Excellence Award Tarik Abed Effort Awards Yun Chen Tobias Dickinson Philippa Dow Tess Pritchard Achievement Awards William Chambers Joseph Crump Alexander Duckett Daisy Hills

Achievement Awards (cont.)

Amelia Kirk-Brown Mariana Mason All Round Contribution Awards Nicole Avery Charlotte Gilman Elliot Gooding Patrick Mullen The Coles Prize (All Round Contribution to School Life) Callum Hanna

Page 71 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

LOWER SIXTH PRIZES Academic PE Prize Max Savage

Geography Prize Jemima Bruce-Lockhart

Spanish Prize Isabella Dransfield

Art Prize Isabella Dransfield

History Prize Edward Wheble

Theatre Studies Prize Paige Davidson

Biology Prize Lara Savage

ICT Prize Benjamin Kyd

Business Prize Daisy Fenton

Kitchener Prize (Mathematics) Lara Savage

Effort Awards William Bull Pescha Cordell Gabriella Romano Ryan Washington

Chemistry Prize Amelia Semmens

Media Studies Prize Anisha Thapa Magar

Design Technology Prize Elizabeth Fraser

Music Prize Elizabeth Drummond

All Round Contribution Awards Alice Busby Tom Gray Gabriella Howarth Finn Swaine

Economics Prize Joseph McInerney

Photography Prize Jack Laing-Williams

Maberly Prize for Achievement Jade Neale

English Prize Bethan Pepler

Physics Prize Noah Swaine

OSA Prize (All Round Contribution to School Life) Katie Lang

French Prize Isabelle Busby

Psychology Prize Anna Harrison

Further Mathematics Prize Qien Cai

Religious Studies Prize Isabella Eyers

UPPER SIXTH PRIZES Academic PE Prize Ellie Holland

Further Mathematics Prize Xueqi Hou

Psychology Prize Lars Eastman

Amy Lovegrove Prize (Outstanding Female Achievement in Sport) Georgia Mancais

Geography Prize Kate Woodford

Religious Studies Prize Francis Romano

Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award Ellen Crombie Shaad Dogra Edward Ervine Alistair Gooding Henry Jones Emily Smith Olivia Smith

Spanish Prize Tiggy Teare

Wheeler Prize (French) Felix Dont

Grizelle Prize (History) Francis Romano

Winstanley Prize (Chemistry) Shaad Dogra

Joyce Drayson Art Prize Henry Jones

Wood Prize (Physics) Ellen Crombie

Media Studies Prize Alžběta Hřivnová

All Round Contribution Awards Phoebe Aucamp Emily Bottle India Fowle Alistair Gooding Verity Streek Harry Yorke

Angell Prize (Mathematics) Edward Curling Biology Prize Olivia Smith Bloxam Prize (English) Nina Harman Bossom Prize (Public Speaking) Samuel Grindlay Design Technology Prize Fergus Fowle Economics Prize Yonglang Zhu Edward Craven Prize (Outstanding Male Achievement in Sport) Harvey Beaton Fry Prize (ICT) Digby Platt Higgins Page 72 - The Suttonian 2019

Music Prize Magnus Linn Photography Prize Jack McNama

Theatre Studies Prize Nina Harman

CCF Sword of Honour Katie Harrison

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Headmaster’s Prize Ellen Crombie Lars Eastman Emily Smith Clothworkers’ Prize (All Round Contribution to School Life) Edward Ervine Ricketts Prize (All Round Contribution to School Life) Imogen Forknall The Marjorie Popay Prize for Educational Achievement Thomas Cavell Richard Horn Prize (Outstanding Performance in Drama and Music) Asher Regal The Froud Innovation Prize Richard Sawyer The WBP Aspinall Prize (Outstanding Originality of Thought and Action) Poppy Gardner Headmaster’s Special Achievement Prize Harry O’Rawe The Spirit of the House Competition Cup Phoebe Sharp

COPY PRIZES English Helen Chambers (Third Form) Daisy Dallamore (First Form) Lily Halpin (Third Form) Nina Harman (Upper Sixth) Henry Jones (Upper Sixth) Elyse Ratcliffe (First Form) Yonglang Zhu (Upper Sixth)

Geography (cont.)

Elyse Ratcliffe (First Form) Kate Woodford (Upper Sixth)

Extended Project Qualification Samuel Grindlay (Upper Sixth) Henry Jones (Upper Sixth) Samuel Millan-Norman (Upper Sixth)

Mathematics Sophie Browming (Second Form) Francis Romano (Upper Sixth)

Geography Daisy Dallamore (First Form)

History Daisy Dallamore (First Form) Elyse Ratcliffe (First Form) Katherine Slipper (First Form)

Music Magnus Linn (Upper Sixth)

Page 73 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Head of School Speech Lars Eastman (Upper Sixth)

B

efore I go on to give thanks to the staff who are so important to the School, I wanted to say thank you to Helen Whately MP for coming to speak to us today. I find her job fascinating, being able to help the community we are all part of. I don’t think she will remember me, but two years ago she kindly allowed me to do one day’s work experience in Parliament. However, I certainly remember it: being sat in a meeting room attempting to grasp what was going on. I am grateful for the experience as it was extremely eye-opening. Ultimately, I feel it has been Sutton Valence that gave me the motivation to seek and seize opportunities such as this and also allowed me to develop personal interests or passions. Even if I didn’t 100 per cent understand what was going on.

On behalf of the students, I also wanted to thank all of the Sutton Valence staff. The grounds staff who work tirelessly to achieve the beautiful surroundings that we enjoy on a daily basis. Personally, I wish to thank Ian Avery and the rest of the cricket grounds staff who have created such an

impressive ground that is testament to their efforts year in, year out. The kitchen staff are to be thanked for their endless ability to provide plentiful, good food every day, particularly at events such as today. Also we are also grateful to Jenny who opens and serves in TC’s during break times.

As a boarder, I would like to thank all the staff in the boarding houses who create such a relaxed environment and make it feel just like home, particularly the matrons and the cleaners who are brave enough to endure the state of our rooms. Thanks must go to the teachers who organise activities and trips and who have helped us through the natural highs and lows of the final two years of school. Their support and skills are the reasons why we happily come into school each day. They have embodied everything that we have all come to love about Sutton Valence and what we will all miss as we move on. And personally, I would I like to thank my teachers. Dr Grindlay, for not humiliating me, too much, when I mixed up ‘knuckles’ and ‘knockers’, Mr Davenport, for constantly taking the lead role with such enthusiasm when reading (I truly believe you were a born actor). Mr Sealy, for favouring me over Digby. I don’t blame you! Finally, Miss Burden, for teaching us about stress that ironically increased our stress levels. Although, that’s certainly coming in handy right now. I also thank Mrs Sunde and Mr Carr for managing to make history interesting.

At this time of the year, there is constant talk about leaving and what our futures hold that breeds a level of uncertainty and fear of the unknown. This feeling reminded me of my brother’s favourite song, Twentysomething by Jamie Cullum. In this there are some lyrics that say “after years of expensive education, a car full of books and anticipation. I’m an expert on Shakespeare and that’s a hell of a lot. But the world don’t need scholars as much as I thought”. I can say that we are not all scholars in the academic sense, but we are all achievers in our own areas. It has been more than just an academic education. Sutton Valence has made us rounded and considerate which has empowered us to go and achieve. I want to thank the School for this.

All of us leaving will be moving onto different futures with different skills, abilities and traits. I will steal the Headmaster’s phrase here as we are not all the same sausage, being produced by a sausage factory. Instead, we will be leaving as different varieties; like I consider myself a nice spicy chorizo. I am not sure if the Headmaster is given a vote of thanks during Speech Day, but I would like to thank him from all the leavers. Also I would like to thank him for giving me the honour of making this speech. Although I cannot see his face at the moment so, hopefully, it is still going well!

Lars Eastman

Page 74 - The Suttonian 2019

Finally, I would like to thank my family. To my brother Laurence (2018 M). Despite people mixing us up, which I never understand considering I’m clearly the better looking one, you have been a role model to me throughout my time at school. I guarantee you that sitting in the front seat of the car when it was supposedly ‘your turn’ was never intentional. To my Gran, whose ability to uphold the role of a grandparent and spoil me has always been appreciated, you are the smallest lady with the biggest heart. Your support and care are never-ending. Both Laurence and I love our Sunday chats and seeing you for lunch. Above all, I want to thank my parents. The struggles of building a business and sacrificing so much are the reasons Laurence and I were able to attend Sutton Valence and that will never be forgotten. It is a cliché, but I would not be standing here today if it were not for you two. You have been the two most important figures in my life and for that, I thank you.

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Chaplaincy Report Mr Gwyn Davies, Chaplain

Y

et another year has flown by in the life of the School Chapel as we continue to celebrate our community’s Christian foundation both in our regular Monday services and in the special services that mark Remembrance, Christmas, Confirmation and Leavers’ Service.

On Friday 9th November, Fergus Fowle (Upper Sixth), as Head of Corps, read the lesson at a moving Remembrance Service which was preceded by the dedication of the new Chapel bell by the Chair of Governors, Lady Vallance.

The whole School then assembled on Prefects’ Lawn at 11.00am to mark the Armistice with a two-minute silence and the playing of The Last Post and Reveille.

At Christmas, the Carol Services were as popular as ever, with full attendances at both. The quality of the singing never fails to move, and

a big thank you must go to Mr Horley and especially Mr Soman, in his last Carol Service at Sutton Valence School, whose hard work and dedication never fail to impress. The integral contribution that the Choir makes to chapel life cannot be overstated. Christmas truly starts at the Carol Services.

The final rendering of the School hymn, Jerusalem, always brings a tear to the eye, as much among the parents as the pupils. As they pass from pupils to the status of Old Suttonians, they remain a big part of our community.

On Sunday 10th March, Bishop Trevor Willmott returned, sadly for the last time before his retirement, once again to chapel and confirmed four members of the School community. All were welcomed into the Christian faith which underpins our School ethos. It was an intimate and joyful family service, held in the building which embodies the spiritual life of our School community.

As usual towards the end of the Summer Term we said an emotional good bye to many pupils, some of whom have spent almost their entire life, from three to 18, as part of our community.

Bishop Trevor Willmott

Page 75 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Sponsored Walk Mr Gwyn Davies, Chaplain

Page 76 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Hampton Court Boarding Trip Paula Leppert (Fifth Form)

A

t the start of the Lent Term, the boarding community at Sutton Valence School visited Hampton Court Palace. With a large number of overseas boarders on the trip, we didn’t know what to expect, but we were amazed when we arrived. The palace and gardens were beautiful and really impressive.

During the course of the day, we visited the apartments of Henry VIII and we looked around the gardens. Even in the midst of winter, it was green and lush. We continued to explore, visiting the other apartments, each more sumptuous than the last.

n the middle of October, pupils once again embarked on a School-wide charity fund raiser as they took part in the annual Sponsored Walk. Pupils, staff and parents came together to enjoy the beautiful Kent countryside that surrounds the School, as they made their way around the five-mile route.

The most interesting thing for me personally, was to learn about Henry VIII’s wives. Although the original Tudor palace was built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in the early 16th Century, it soon attracted the interest of Henry VIII, who took ownership of it in 1529. Over the next 30 years, the King brought all six of his wives to stay there. Jane Seymour, his third wife actually died at the Palace and his fifth wife, Catherine Howard was imprisoned there when Henry learned of her adultery.

Teaching staff once again gave their time generously to guide and marshal the walk. It was a fantastic afternoon, helped considerably by the unseasonal blue skies and warm sun. Most pupils made it round the course in a relaxing two hours or so.

It was a fantastic day out for the boarders, one that I will remember for a long time. Thank you so much to Mr Head and his family for organising the trip and taking us to the Palace.

I

When totalled up, the walk generated £2050.50, which will go towards building community centres in two hilltop villages in Nepal following the earthquake in 2015. A special mention should go to Thomas Duckworth (Second Form) who raised over £400 of that total himself, an amazing effort.

Page 77 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Sutton House

Sutton House Paige Davidson (Lower Sixth)

T

he start of the School year introduced many new faces to Sutton House, including a new tutor, Miss Schofield. In addition, Mrs Manning became the resident tutor and after a few days adjusting to the life of Sutton, both began to feel at home and became part of the family.

The weekend boarding trips started with a visit to the beautiful historic town of Canterbury for a look around and a bit of shopping. Given the high demand for shopping trips last year, the girls were pleased that this year included visits to the Ashford Designer Outlet and Bluewater shopping centre, which are always favourites amongst the boarders. Not only did these trips allow the girls to renew their wardrobes and get insight into all the latest fashion, they also gave us the opportunity to gain independence and were a great way for the new boarders to interact and make friends.

Later in the year, we returned to Canterbury and visited the Marlowe Theatre to watch a brilliant performance of Kinky Boots. As this trip

Page 78 - The Suttonian 2019

was Sutton boarders only (with the exception of Enric Thier from Westminster) it allowed the age groups, ranging from Upper Sixth all the way down to Third Form to mix, bringing the house closer and creating more of a family atmosphere. The West End hit musical included catchy numbers such as The History Of Wrong Guys and Everybody Say Yeah which were sung by the girls in the house for weeks after.

At the opposite end of the scale, there were also more adventurous days out including paintballing, a trip to a climbing wall and a day at Thorpe Park, which is popular amongst the brave selection of boarders. This is a fun day out and a great way to test your limits on the variety of roller coasters on offer in the park. It is also a good way for all three houses to interact and build friendships.

Other days out for boarders included cinema trips, which offered a choice of three films so there was always something for everyone, whether you fancied a laugh, a scare or a good cry. As the Michaelmas Term came to an end and Christmas slowly drew near, it was time for

our yearly trip to the Leeds Castle Christmas Market, an all-time favourite of the full boarders as it always has a variety of food stalls including German sausages, burgers and, of course, chocolate crĂŞpes. The reindeer and market stalls sent out a warm and Christmassy atmosphere which put us all in the festive spirit, regardless of our ages.

Throughout the year Sutton girls have been involved in many social events including the boarders’ Christmas Dinner, Chinese New Year and the Sixth Form Ball, all of which were wonderful evenings spent talking and laughing with friends. Last year we also held a pamper evening in Sutton, which included a lot of facemasks, nail polish and pizza. Later in the School year, the girls also organised a Sutton Bake Off, which was a great afternoon, despite the competitiveness shown by some participants!

2018-19 was a great year in Sutton House and we all have many memories that we will treasure for years to come.

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Beresford House Mr Chris Davenport, Housemaster of Beresford

T

he very special, but small, boarding community that is Beresford House has seen another enjoyable academic year pass by and another generation of ‘junior’ graduates move onwards and upwards to the senior boarding houses at Sutton Valence School.

I would like to thank the out tutors over the year - Ms Akehurst, Miss Gray, Mr Henderson and Mrs Kitchen and the staff for all they have done within the house. A special mention must go to Jan Davis, our evening matron, for all she has done to make Beresford a real ‘home from home’ for our Junior boarders. Finally, I would like to thank all the pupils for their wonderful company and positivity over the course of the year.

All the pupils and staff associated with Beresford House would like to wish this year’s prefects, Oliver Williams, Mario Wu and Nina Ghale all the very best for the future. They have done a wonderful job of making Beresford a neat and tidy, well looked after place to live. In addition, Ramsay Wilson and Sophie Edwards move on to Westminster and Sutton respectively and will, I am sure, continue to be the delightful young people I have seen them become. A special mention too for Edward Saldanha Manzano, who leaves us after a year to return to Spain with many fond memories of this great community.

At Beresford, each pupil is given the opportunity to enjoy the beginnings of what we hope will be many years of happiness and a strong affinity with the caring boarding community at large. The ethos of the house is one of inclusion and kindness and we seek to honour this on a day-to-day basis during the time we all spend together. Highlights of this academic year have been the many birthdays celebrated together, Chinese New Year celebrations, evenings out at the senior school play and junior musical, fun in the garden during the beautiful spring and summer evenings as well as the pupils’ love affair with the Davenport guinea pigs!

Beresford House

Leeds Castle Boarding Trip Paula Leppert (Fifth Form)

O

n the final Sunday before the boarders headed home for the Christmas break, we got into the festive spirit by visiting the Leeds Castle Christmas Market.

As well as the fantastic castle, there were so many nice little stalls around the market and a lovely fairground as well. It was a great opportunity for the boarding community to come together and make memories.

The atmosphere was festive as we danced to Christmas songs whilst looking around. We were particularly lucky because the weather

was good, which meant there was a bustle of people both at the market and around the grounds. I am from Germany, so for me, it was interesting to see the difference between German and English Christmas markets. I know many people highly rate the German markets, but I have to say that Leeds Castle Christmas market was superb.

We also visited the castle itself and it was fantastic. It had been decorated for Christmas and it looked absolutely beautiful. It definitely got us all in beautiful Christmas spirit. Thank you to Mrs De Castro for organising such a nice day.

Paige Davidson, Paula Leppert, Anisha Thapa Magar and Niko Albers

Page 79 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

St Margaret’s House Mr Steven Head, Housemaster of St Margaret’s

I

t doesn’t seem like five minutes ago since I sat down to write my first one of these reports back in 2015 and now, somehow, I’m onto my fifth. That number is all the more significant as this year saw the original cohort of Third Form boarders, from my first year in charge of the House, conclude their time in St Margaret’s as they reached the Upper Sixth.

It has been fascinating to see the likes of Archie Crouch, Felix Dont and Barnaby Loxton-Barnard (who served as our Head of House for the year), progress through the year groups, all of the way through to flying the nest this summer.

Throughout the year, the Sixth Form in the House showed a great level of promise and had a very positive influence on the lower years.

With the addition of some new members in the Lower Sixth, it was obvious that there was some strength in depth to be harnessed, and the House did so successfully.

One of the key highlights of the year was the Christmas dinner and subsequent house raffle.

Across my five years in St Margaret’s, it was one of best examples of House togetherness that we have had, and something that I hope the boys look back upon fondly.

My thanks, as ever, go to my team within the House. Beverley Sparrowhawk, works tirelessly in her role as Matron, ensuring the House is pristine, and the pupils likewise. Her role is so much more than that though and her pastoral support for the boys is invaluable.

Following the Christmas break, everyone returned to the House somewhat subdued, but they all quickly got back up to speed and settled back into their routines. Throughout the year we always had a strong showing in the various School sporting teams, and a great deal of success, from the 1st XV Rugby in the Michaelmas Term to the Cricket in the Summer Term. It was always a privilege to watch the boys play and enjoy their respective successes throughout the year.

Similarly, my thanks go to our House Tutor, Dr Gergely and our Out-Tutor, Mr Downs, for their hard work throughout the year. I would like to reserve a special mention for another house tutor though, Mr Soman, who left the House and the School for pastures new this summer.

Like the Upper Sixth boarders I mentioned at the start, Jonathan had been a housetutor for the duration of my five years as Housemaster. St Margaret’s will miss him greatly and I wish him, Susanna and Reuben all the best in Worcester.

As the year wound on, it became time to revise in earnest for the summer exams, and it was pleasing to note that the House became a hive of diligent activity during this time.

All-in-all it has been an enjoyable year in St Margaret’s and hopefully the successes achieved can continue in this new School year.

St Margaret’sHouse

Page 80 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Westminster House

Westminster House Presley Farrance (Lower Sixth)

T

his last year has felt like a bit of a blur for the community here in Westminster House; the three terms flew by so quickly. To sum it up though, the boys in the House have had a really positive and enjoyable year.

As a house, we are proud of our strong academic record and the Upper Sixth boarders achieved some excellent results. This is epitomised by our Head of House, Harry Yorke, who exceeded his predicted grades for a place at Oxford Brookes University. Other mentions should go to Ed Curling and Lars Eastman (both going to the University of Warwick) and Magnus Linn (University of York). As expected, hard work through the year definitely paid dividends for the Westminster lads.

We were similarly delighted that Westminster Fifth Form boarders performed exceptionally well in their GCSEs at the end of the year. Alex Duckett achieved seven 9s and two 8s and James Yeabsley performed to the best of his

ability, resulting in much better grades than were predicted.

feel, where all the houses enjoy watching a film in the Theatre as one big boarding community.

Other year groups also performed well in their respective studies with Arthur Moffatt (Lower Sixth) and Jonathan Stokes-Vega (Third Form) both awarded ‘Most Improved Effort’ at Speech Day. These are only a few of the Westminster boys that did exceptionally over the course of the year.

I should also mention the excellent miniFootball tournaments that Harry Yorke set up in the Sports Centre. These tournaments were competitive between the Houses but also, and most importantly, they were enjoyable.

Whilst focused on our academic studies, there was also plenty of time for fun and relaxation around the House. With the atmosphere at a constant high, events such as Fright Night and various film nights helped us maintain our positivity through the year.

Overall, it has been a very successful year for Westminster and I would like to thank all of the boys in the House for their enthusiasm, in particular the Upper Sixth leavers. As well as those already mentioned, we say farewell to George Cook, Qichen Dai, Billy Ellis, Sean McKeating, Samuel Millan Norman, Harry Mitchell and Enric Thier.

Fright Night never fails to keep all three of the boarding houses entertained for the evening and keeps a smile on everyone’s faces. Our Sixth Form enjoyed setting up such a spectacular night and enjoyed every second of hosting it.

In contrast, the film nights offer a more relaxed

Thanks must also go to our Housemaster, Mr James, our two House Tutors Mr Waterworth and Mr Westlake and our two Out-Tutors, Miss Jelfs and Mr Sealy. A special mention goes to our Matron, Debbie Aitken, for all that she does within the House.

Page 81 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Page 82 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

The Baton Race Miss Lowri Turner, Marketing Officer

S

houts of encouragement rang out across the School site as the eager runners competed in this year’s Baton Race. Spring sunshine warmed the runners as they traversed the course on the final Friday of the Lent Term.

The history of the race goes back to 1933 and traditionally it was run over a clover-leaf course centred around the School and village.

A fascinating history of the race is included in far more detail in the Old Suttonian Archive section of the magazine (page 173) along with a detailed map of the original course.

The modern day race is run largely within the School boundaries, but still includes tough uphill stretches and long straights. The competitiveness remains the same though as

each house calculates which legs of the race their respective runners are best suited to tackle.

The race represents a vital opportunity to win House points with both junior and senior races run.

Congratulations this year go to Holdgate, who won the junior race, and Lambe's who won the senior race.

As has become customary, a representative from the winning house is presented with the Baton Race trophy by the youngest child of a member of the Common Room. This year, that honour fell to Isla Mitchell-Nanson, the daughter of Assistant Head of Mathematics, Mrs Lindsay MitchellNanson. Well done to all of the competitors for such a tightly-fought race.

Baton Race 2019

The Rose Ceremony Mr Will Radford, Development Manager

E

very year, the School and representatives from the Parish Council come together for a ceremony steeped in history, celebrating a long-standing tradition between Sutton Valence School and the local community.

The School has long held ownership of the village green, located immediately in front of Holdgate House. In the 1960s, an agreement was struck with the local parish whereby they would pay the School the princely sum of a single red rose in return for the green’s communal use by the villagers. Since then, the ceremonial payment of the rose has taken place in a ceremony attended by the whole School.

This year was no different as the School headed down to the village green at the end of June. The congregation of pupils and local residents sang Jerusalam, supported by the Chapel Choir, before the Chaplain, Mr Davies, led the prayers. The Chairman of the Parish Council, Mrs Eve Poulter, presented the rose to the Headmaster and expressed appreciation for the continued happy relationship between the School and parish.

Mrs Eve Poulter and the Headmaster , Mr Bruce Grindlay

Page 83 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Clothworkers’House

Clothworkers’ House Mr Matthew Jones, Housemaster of Clothworkers’

T

here were some real highlights this year from many individuals in the Clothworkers’ community. As such, despite relinquishing the Baughan Cup after a number of years of success, there were still plenty of positives to be drawn from our efforts.

Athletically, there were some outstanding performances on Sports Day and we also finished as close runners-up in the Baton Race.

Away from the sports fields, many Clothworkers’ students sang and played beautifully in the various music concerts throughout the year and budding thespians from across the House played lead roles in the excellent productions of Blue Stockings and School of Rock. Finally, I am proud to say that a number of Upper Sixth Clothworkers’ attained A/A*s in their Extended Project Qualifications, positioning themselves perfectly to thrive as undergraduates.

Against this backdrop of individual pursuits of excellence, huge congratulations should go to

Page 84 - The Suttonian 2019

the members of the Junior Clothworkers’ clan.

They were the overall victors in their House competitions, showing real prowess across a range of sports, charity events and quizzes. We look forward to welcoming them into the senior house once they progress through.

Though somewhat shown up by their younger counterparts, senior Clothworkers’ should still be immensely proud for placing second in the girls’ Hockey house tournament and winning the overall School Blue Points once again. The latter is undoubtedly testament to the continued ability of Clothworkers’ students to excel in and around the School community. In the coming year, we definitely need to brush up on our ability in the legendary Christmas Quiz. On reflection, perhaps it was the fiendishly difficult History/Welsh round curated by the very learned Mr Plowden that let us down!

Alongside our enrichment and House competition successes, it was heart-warming to see the whole House work together in the

run up to Christmas. As a House we collected a huge range of items for the Rucksack Appeal for the homeless community of Maidstone, an amazing charity feat which is spearheaded by a local business owner. The House gathered huge quantities of clothing, food, toiletries and Christmas presents which gave them an important chance to pause and reflect on their lot in life.

At the end of the Summer Term, a raft of senior Clothworkers’ were made Prefects or selected for House roles and it will be exciting to see them in action next year. Looking forward to the academic year ahead, we certainly need to raise our game in the Baughan Cup, not rest on our laurels nor bask in former glories.

Taken as a whole, this year has been another purposeful and productive one for the Clothworkers’ community. We are undoubtedly at our best when we pull together, show some grit and keep ourselves humble. That will be the Clothworkers’ mantra going forward.

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Founder’s House Miss Linda Gray, Housemistress of Founder’s (2019-)

T

he spirit of Founder’s has continued to grow over the course of the last academic year under the leadership of Mr Cope, a man of numerous talents who inspired, mentored, guided and saw the best in all those in his care. Pupils and colleagues alike certainly knew that his infectious personality and bold character would be sorely missed when he announced his new post as a boarding housemaster at Brentwood School. As such, pupils were keen to do him proud in his final leg as Founder’s Housemaster.

Under Mr Cope were Founder’s Heads of House: Cameron Evans, Ava Deighton-Smyth and Shaad Dogra, all of whom motivated their peers to get involved in an array of inter-House competitions.

Each tutor group in Founder’s was appointed an ambassador and older pupils were given a unique opportunity to take the reins with delivering PSHE material to younger members of the House. Initiatives like this helped tutor groups to bond.

At the very end of the Michaelmas Term, the whole School took part in the annual Christmas quiz. This involved several rounds testing students’ general knowledge. Founder’s pupils pulled together, wore their jolly Christmas jumpers and perhaps with the bribery of sweets, tried their best. Fun was had by all and we came first.

As the Lent Term ended, Founder’s pulled together for the Baton Race. Every tutor group is strategically placed on a base around the School site. Pupils had to run a leg between each post whilst holding our yellow baton. It was encouraging to see so many pupils involved and cheering each other on. Founder’s came second in the Junior Baton race, whilst the seniors came third.

Founder’s saw several strong wins in the interHouse sporting competitions that take place throughout the year. The boys won the interHouse Hockey in the Lent Term, as well as the Tennis and Relay events in the Summer Term.

The Juniors also performed well in their interHouse events; Founder’s won the Junior Pancake Race and came second in the competitive Tugof-War. The Summer Term culminates in the eagerly anticipated Sports Day. As always, many Founder’s pupils were keen to involve themselves in as many events as possible. Despite the hot weather, pupils pulled together, donning yellow T-shirts and ‘warrior stripes’ painted on their faces to match; they meant business! Across the track and field events, Founder’s performed extremely well with some superb performances.

We came a close second overall.

With all of the hard work that pupils had put in, as well as a plethora of Blue Points that were accumulated over the course of the year, we stood in a strong position of winning the Baughan Cup. Unfortunately, we came a close second behind Holdgate. We will draw on the positives though and look to go one better next year.

Founder’s House

Page 85 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Holdgate House Miss Kelly McConnachie, Housemistress of Holdgate

F

or Holdgate House, it has been a memorable and rewarding year.

As the new Housemistress I was very much looking forward to building on the camaraderie and success that my predecessor in the role, Mr Graham Alderman, had achieved as Housemaster; I hope that we have made him proud!

At the start of the year we welcomed a new member of staff to our tutor team with Mrs Katie Buckland settling in quickly to her role and proving a welcome addition. At the end of the year, the Holdgate family was sad to bid farewell to our Senior Tutor, Miss Linda Gray, as she moved to her new post as Founder’s Housemistress. She has been with Holdgate since she started at the School in 2014 and has always worked tirelessly to support the House. She will be replaced as a tutor by Mr Simon Kirk and as the Senior Tutor by Miss Zoe Radford.

When term started back in September 2018, we set out with two goals to achieve this academic

year: to return the green ribbons to the Baughan Cup and to have some fun along the way! I am proud to say that we achieved both.

Our success in the Baughan Cup House competition was underpinned by the superb leadership in the House. Eight of the School Prefects were from Holdgate as was our Lent Term Head of School, Emily Smith. Fergus Fowle served as Head of the Corps, Edward Ervine as Head of Army, Jacob Baldwin as Captain of Shooting and Henry Jones as Head of Chamber Choir.

We also had strong characters as Heads of House in Harry O’Rawe and Katie Marnane and I knew their influence would lead to many triumphs over the course of the year. Fergus Fowle also had the important honorary role of chief morale officer to maintain an upbeat mood in the House. Special mentions must also go to Edward Ervine and Phoebe Sharp for their support and enthusiasm throughout the year, and also to Thomas Duckworth for his charity work.

Notable House Competition wins this year included Junior Netball, Cricket, Girls’ Hockey, Swimming, and The Juniors Tug-of-War. The pupils were also determined (as was I) to secure another Sports Day win for the second year in a row and a huge team effort helped us to lift the trophy once again.

On Speech Day, the Holdgate pupils were rewarded for all their efforts throughout the year as they were crowned House champions with Harry O’Rawe lifting the Baughan Cup (pictured on page 82). It is safe to say that I am very proud of each and every Holdgator and their contribution to the House and wider School community.

As I now look forward to the next academic year, we are full of confidence and feel we have a realistic chance of retaining our trophy for a second year. Our leadership successes of last year have already been replicated with Lara Savage being announced as both Head of Corps and Head of School for the Michaelmas Term.

Holdgate House

Page 86 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Lambe’s House

Lambe’s House Charlotte Wooldridge (Lower Sixth)

O

nce again, Lambe’s House has shown its true colours in what has been a very successful year, especially in the personal achievements of many of the pupils in our House, for whom we are hugely proud and supportive.

In terms of individual triumphs within the House, Sam Mostowfi (Lower Sixth) continues to go from strength-to-strength representing Great Britain in the youth Olympics, world competitions and training for the 2024 Paris Olympics. We follow his progress eagerly and wish him every success.

Continuing on the topic of sport, James Pepler (Third Form) must be congratulated on getting into Blue Caps Cricket. Off the field, he also took part in the annual United Westminster and Grey Coat Foundation’s Model United Nations competition as one of the youngest participants, doing a superb job. Tarik Abed was another outstanding participant from Lambe’s who took part in the annual event at Queen Anne’s School.

Another mention should go to Maximus Woods, who performed the lead role in the junior production of School of Rock superbly, in what was another magnificent School show.

Whilst we are proud to list the individual achievements of our pupils, we should also celebrate the House as a whole. Every member of Lambe’s, irrespective of their successes, make it the House that it is and, as the 2019-2020 Head of House, I am proud of what we achieved last year. If one House competition could best sum up our year, it would be Sports Day. We pulled together to put our best team forward and enjoyed two fun days of Athletics. Even if we didn’t come top of the leader-board, we always did things with a smile in Lambe’s.

As a House, we grew together throughout the year, from the First Form pupils through to our departing Upper Sixth. In terms of our standout competitions during the year, we were delighted to win the Third Form, Fourth Form and senior House Rugby tournaments, as well

as the kicking competition. The senior boys triumphed in the House Hockey and our Fifth and Fourth Forms finished as runners-up in each of their respective Hockey tournaments. Overall, the House also secured second place in the senior quiz.

The Juniors have enjoyed an equally impressive year, particularly in their support of charitable activities such as the Penny Race. They competed valiantly in the Tug-of-War and, although finishing in last place, it was a really enjoyable competition that brought all of the House together.

Overall, it was a promising year for Lambe’s and we continue to strive with passion and determination to achieve our best as a House.

At the end of last year, we bid farewell to our Housemistress, Ms Burden and thank her for all that she did for the House. In September this year, we welcomed Mr Sealy as our new Housemaster and hope we are able to make his first year with us a successful one.

Page 87 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

The Juniors

The Juniors Mr Bob Carr, Head of The Juniors

T

his was, as ever, a very busy, happy and successful year in the life of The Juniors. Our First and Second Forms continue to provide a formative experience for the pupils as they progress through the School.

From a staff point of view, in September, we welcomed Mrs Westlake to our team as the replacement for Miss Davies following her departure to the joys of Kuwait. Mrs Westlake has proved to be a fantastic addition to our caring, dedicated and hard-working group of Tutors. In October, Mrs Lesourd, our Senior Tutor, left for maternity leave and we were all delighted to hear a while later of the safe arrival of baby Thea.

Mrs Lesourd later decided that she would not be returning and she has been greatly missed. She was always a fantastically enthusiastic Senior Tutor and colleague. Her valete is on page 192.

Miss Maya Chauhan, our Psychology intern, stepped into the breech as the replacement Tutor in Founders and did a wonderful job.

Her ready smile and sense of humour made her instantly popular with all of the pupils with whom she came into contact. Mrs Head replaced Mrs Lesourd as our Senior Tutor and

Page 88 - The Suttonian 2019

she has done a really brilliant job and has been a great support to me and the rest of our team.

Her organisation has been marvellous and she has always been one step ahead of the pupils and me – long may it continue! I would also like to thank Miss Bancroft for all she does day in, day out for the Juniors, be it at the lockers first thing in the morning, in the Refectory at lunchtime or in and around the day rooms. The children are very fortunate to have someone who is so kind, caring and hard-working looking after their best interests.

The pupils were involved in a huge number of activities and trips over the course of the year, whilst they also heard a number of inspirational visiting speakers. In September, they listened intently to Mr James Shone as he spoke about his personal experiences and his ‘I am and I can’ charity. Back in 2013 a job-related medical revealed that James had lost much of his vision in one eye. Further investigations discovered that he was suffering from a brain tumour. The subsequent surgery to remove the tumour was successful but had the permanent effect of damaging James’ optic nerves and rendering him almost completely blind. James went from being a successful housemaster on the verge

of his first appointment as a head teacher to being a blind man with no job and no house.

That was the start of James’ story, but it was far from its ending. He chose not to let this personal tragedy define him but rather to spur him on in his passion for helping young people to flourish.

He spoke eloquently about the need to look up (in faith), forward (in hope) and out (towards others). He talked about resilience and identifying and encouraging the best in all young people. His core message was ‘I can do it’. To hear such a positive, life-affirming message from someone who had suffered so much was both heart-warming and deeply moving.

Later in the year, they also listened spellbound to Miss Annie Price, the TV presenter, who gave an inspirational talk about her life and how she has coped with the terrible burns which she suffered as a baby. Her talk, about how to develop resilience in the face of adversity, was extremely helpful and informative. As she spoke in the Theatre, you could have heard a pin drop.

In October, the First Form had a great outing to Westminster Abbey as part of their induction into the School and the Westminster Schools’

SCHOOL COMMUNITY Foundation. The guided tour was very informative and enjoyable, as was the lovely boat trip on London City Cruises from Westminster Pier to Greenwich in the afternoon. This was followed by a stroll past the Cutty Sark and through Greenwich Park before all the children were bought an ice cream by their beloved Head of Juniors.

There were as ever a large number of interHouse tournaments throughout the year with the Penny Race, Tug of War, Netball shooting and Pancake Race all creating much excitement and healthy competition between the pupils.

These events were well supported by Sixth Formers, which was absolutely great. Perhaps the highlight was the, so called, Penguin Race in the swimming pool, during the Summer Term.

The children must be congratulated on their efforts, especially those for whom Swimming is definitely not their first, second or even third choice of activity.

The Juniors are arguably the leading charity givers in the School and once again they did not disappoint. Large sums were raised for the Bone Cancer Trust, James Shone’s I Can And I Am and Alzheimers UK. The latter was in support of Miss Radford, who ran the London Marathon for the same charity. Funds were also raised for a local donkey sanctuary. There were many different and imaginative fund raising events organised by the pupils and their tutors and I thank them warmly for their efforts. These included apple bobbing, pinning the tail on the donkey, hoverboarding, throwing a wet sponge at the teacher, guess the number of sweets in the jar, cake sales, doughnut sales and even ‘can you guess how slowly Mrs Gosden can run the Royal Parks half marathon?’

has the arrival of Basketball and Netball hoops, which are well used at morning break and at lunchtimes. The children also benefitted from having the introduction of reading and prep sessions on Thursday and Friday lunchtimes between 1.40pm and 2.10pm.

The year concluded with what was generally recognised as the best ever Second Form’s graduation on the last Thursday afternoon of the Summer Term. All the children conducted themselves in an exemplary fashion. Perhaps the highlight was Mrs Rose’s reading of General MacArthur’s prayer about his son. Particular congratulations must go to Olivia Taylor and Ethan Mason who won the Headmaster’s Special Prize for their all-round contribution to the life of the School during their first two years at Sutton Valence. The diplomas were well received with many more pupils gaining distinctions and merits when compared with previous years.

Happily this year the weather was very kind to us and, therefore, we had a lovely tea on Chapel Lawn to round things off.

Our motto for this year was taken from Paddington Bear – namely ‘Be kind and polite and the world will be right’. Whilst the Juniors are not perfect, they have tried their best to follow these very sound and important wise words day by day. The purchase of a very large Paddington, which is prominently displayed in the large dayroom, has helped to remind us all to live up to this bear’s words of wisdom.

I wish all the Second Form the very best as they move into their senior tutor groups and I hope that they will look back with happiness on their first two years at the School and, as ever, hope that they will do all the good they can, to all the people they can, in all the places they can and for as long as they can as they progress through the School. I hope that they all reach their full potential, whilst being as positive as possible and that they recognise these important words day-by-day: ‘the more one looks to the sun the more the shadows will fall behind you’.

Special mention must go to Holdgate House who swam the equivalent of the English Channel in order to raise money for Alzheimers UK. It was an amazing effort. The Juniors also contributed more than any other house to the annual poppy day collection. All of this shows just how much they want to help those who are, for whatever reason, less fortunate than themselves and I am extremely proud of them all.

Towards the end of the Michaelmas Term the Sixth Form [especially Ellen Crombie and Alastair Gooding] organised a quite fantastic Junior Winter Wonderland Disco for The Juniors. This was mostly attended by the First Form who had a brilliant evening, whilst also raising nearly £400.00 for Alzheimers UK. This was followed the next Tuesday with the annual Christmas movie and tea party. This year the children watched The Greatest Showman. As ever, the Christmas pullover and Christmas hat competitions proved extremely popular.

The facilities for The Juniors continue to be improved. The Boatyard remains well received as

Page 89 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Grandparents’ Day Mr Will Radford, Development Manager

D

espite some spring showers, this year’s Grandparents' Day, held at the start of May, was the largest we have ever hosted, with more than 140 grandparents, parents and extended family members visiting the School.

Upon arrival, the grandparents sat down in the Refectory for refreshments, before meeting up with their respective grandchildren for a tour of the School. Fortunately, the early morning rain abated just as the tours were due to head out, so, despite being slightly wet under foot, most of our visitors enjoyed the benefit of full trips around the site.

In addition, unlike previous years, when Art examinations have restricted visits to Gulland Hall, this year the grandparents had free rein to look around. The pupils, ranging from the First Form all the way through to the Upper Sixth, were able to give their grandparents an insight into their days at School.

Once the tours were completed, they headed back to the Refectory and were welcomed by the Headmaster; they then enjoyed a fantastic lunch provided by Mr Devine and his team. Finally, the group headed up to TC's for tea and coffee before heading home.

As ever, the day was universally well-received with the tour guides deserving of particular praise. It is always a pleasure to open our doors for community events like this, but it is undoubtedly the warmth and pride of the pupils that makes the event so worthwhile.

Page 90 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Page 91 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Spring Ball Fergus Fowle, Enric Thier and Kate Woodford (Upper Sixth)

A

was over, we had a raffle and a collective ‘heads and tails’ game. Both helped us raise a considerable sum for our chosen charity for the night, Alzheimer Research UK. In total, we managed to raise an impressive £2000.83, which was an excellent result.

The night turned out to be a real success with a wonderful atmosphere throughout. After welcome drinks, we were treated to a fantastic threecourse meal by John Devine and his catering team. Once the meal

As the Sixth Form then danced the night away, we could reflect on what had been a fantastic evening. Our thanks go to all of the staff who attended or volunteered to help in one capacity or another and to our fellow Sixth Formers for helping us raise such a considerable amount of money and for making it such a memorable event.

s has become customary, this year’s Sixth Form Spring Ball took place on the final Saturday of the Lent Term. The event, held in the Refectory, was a black tie event with a gangster theme. No one quite knew what to expect when they arrived, but it was good to see so many making an effort with the theme and dressing to impress.

Page 92 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Leavers’ Ball Mrs Jackie Browning, Chairman of Friends of SVS

A

s ever, this year’s much-anticipated Friends of SVS Leavers’ Ball took place on the night of Speech Day; it was a fantastic final goodbye to the Upper Sixth of 2019. After a mixed week of weather, we were fortunate to host the event on the hottest June day on record.

Thankfully, by the time guests began arriving, temperatures had cooled slightly but the early evening sunshine still shone down as the leavers gathered in a fabulous open-fronted marquee on Stoney. They were joined by parents and relatives as well as the Headmaster and a number of leaving members of staff.

The marquee was decorated in wonderful bright colours which gave it a festival vibe.

The intricately decorated floral photograph backdrop was a real hit as guests arrived. This year’s event also featured a secondary gin bar, which also proved popular throughout the night.

The guests enjoyed a champagne reception in the evening sunshine before taking their seats in the marquee for a wonderful three course meal,.

This was followed by a fabulous firework display,

expertly choreographed by the Bursar, before guests returned to the marquee for dancing until the early hours.

Whilst the ball is open to parents from all year groups at the School, it is always an extra special time for the parents of the Upper Sixth leavers and this year they definitely celebrated the end of their child’s life at the School in style. Similarly, for the leavers themselves, it was a fitting final farewell to their whole year group.

Whilst the Leavers’ Ball is undoubtedly the largest event that the Friends of SVS host, we also try to arrange a number of other functions during the School year. Our inclusion within the new SVS Foundation will hopefully present a number of new opportunities for parents to get involved in events involving the wider School community.

Looking forward, preparations for next year’s Leavers’ Ball are already well underway, so please save the date for Saturday 27th June 2020. Please also look out for all our other events, usually advertised in the weekly School Newsletter and on social media. Equally, please feel free to get in touch if you would like any more information.

Page 93 - The Suttonian 2019

SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Easter Ski Trip Miss Zoe Radford, Head of Biology

D

uring the Easter Holiday, 40 pupils travelled to the popular ski resort of Sauze D’Oulx in the Italian Milky Way. We were lucky to have lovely sunshine and good snow conditions throughout the week, resulting in an excellent week of skiing for all of those involved.

The group was split into five ability groups, ranging from absolute beginners to the more advanced. Each group made superb progress from the first to the last day; the beginner and lower intermediate groups successfully moved from ‘snow ploughs’ to ‘French fries’, ending the week with some impressive red runs.

Meanwhile, the advanced groups, for those with a good skiing proficiency, had become so technical that we decided to create an additional advancedadvanced group which involved a number of frightening jumps, tricks and more difficult black runs. However, irrespective of starting points, it was so pleasing to see everyone progress over the course of our stay.

The evening entertainment throughout the week consisted of swimming, pizza in the local village, an evening at the arcade and a hilarious, and very loud, karaoke evening. It was great to see everyone having so much fun.

Thank you to all the staff who made the trip such a success: Miss Chauhan, Miss Gray, Mr Hammersley and Mr Penfold. It was a fantastic trip and we are now looking forward to next year’s, which is currently in the very early planning stages.

Page 94 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

SPORT AND GAMES

“

It has been another busy year in the Sport department at SVS with some fantastic results across a range of sporting disciplines, as well as some excellent individual achievements.

Some of the highlights of the year included the 1st XV managing an unbeaten run in the team’s block fixtures. Our other senior teams in Hockey, Netball, Cricket and Tennis all achieved positive win-loss records and this standard of performance was evident throughout the majority of our junior teams as well. Away from our core sports, our minor sports continue to develop too, with excellent results in Golf, Swimming and Equestrianism. In May, we had the pleasure of hosting the UWGCF Athletics Day in its 50th year and I was delighted we ended the day by lifting the Godfrey Trophy once more. Individually the achievements of our athletes across all sports continues to impress and it would be remiss of me not to mention the particular achievement of Harvey Beaton being called up to the England Under 18 squad. All-in-all a fantastic year, celebrated through the reports included herewith.

”

Mr Mark Howell Director of Sport Page 95 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Rugby Tour to North America Benjamin Watkins (Lower Sixth)

O

n 4th July, 34 of the newly-formed Senior Rugby squad took off to Vancouver airport for a highly anticipated 12-day tour of Canada and North America. Six competitive matches, sightseeing and range of superb hosts were awaiting the other side of the Atlantic.

After touchdown, we headed to our first destination, the YWCA Hotel to drop off our luggage and explore the surrounding city. The first sleep was a tough one and a congregation of jet-lagged bodies made their way into room 610 for some heated rugby discussion, at 5.30am.

We got to know Canada during the following days from people we met along the way or just the view from the bus windows and, with a bus driver like ‘D-Rob’, the journeys never became a bore. Canada’s vast landscapes and beautiful settings, helped in bedding us into the new culture. Tight-head prop Joe McInerney was never seen without his phone pressed up against the windows; rumour has it his phone ran out of storage by the time we landed.

Page 96 - The Suttonian 2019

Our first set of hosts had a pack leader named ‘Bobcat’, an absolute gentleman who placed all 34 of us with some fabulous hosts. During our time with these hosts they arranged bonfire and party nights for us. Our first two games abroad took place against Liberty Seattle Rugby Club.

First up to face them were the travelling 2nd XV boys. On an extremely hot day, and a pitch unlike the ones back home, it was never going to be easy.

The lads showed some outstanding spirit and managed a remarkable 42-21 win. Tries came from Tom Allewell, James Mardon and Ollie Payne-Cook. Shortly after this match, it was our 1st XV’s turn to show everyone what all the fuss was about. The same pitch, the same heat and some 24 stone, Tongan opposition was what we were up against. A rocky start put us behind, but with tries from Presley Farrance, Brandon Jackson, Jack Lewis and Luke Trigg, we magnificently mustered a 36-17 win. It was a brilliant start for both teams, so it was then time to rest up and hit the road to head to our next destination – Shawnigan Lake School.

Shawnigan Lake School is a boarding school on Canada’s west coast and it was a stunning, gorgeous setting and the perfect place to set up camp for a two-night stay. Our first night included a delicious spread of food for dinner and breakfast the following morning, in the grand canteen. After breakfast, we headed out to explore the cities close to the school, followed by a whale watching trip among on the very still sea. The city of Victoria was a beautiful place, with huge, extravagant hotels and a harbour overlooking a horizon dominated by Canada’s vast mountain ranges. While here, most of the boys took their chance to soak up the local culture and cuisine by heading straight to McDonalds. Not long after, Ollie Payne-Cook got himself into a rap battle with a local entertainer, which I think, it is fair to say, he lost.

Our next competitive fixture was another match for the 1st XV, hoping to continue with the quality of Rugby they had played two days before. It was a contest against Cowichan Bay, Vancouver and with Mr Hansford present with his camera on the side line, the boys inevitably

SPORT AND GAMES

wanted some shots of them at their best. It seemed as a team, we were just too strong. The game had SV dominance written all over it and finished in a 52-22 win for the boys. It could have been one try more, if Jack Stanton-Gleaves had not decided to run 10 yards over the dead ball line before touching down, a moment I think will stick in his mind for some time. Anyway, three games played, three games won.

Our following few days involved more discovery of the Canadian peninsula. Bus journeys, ziplining, engaging in Canada’s history, visiting famous mountain ranges and lakes and local parades and fairs.

During this time, the 2nd XV had played their next game against Abbotsford Rugby Club, Vancouver. A bigger pitch than last time played to their advantage and with tries from Joe McDermott, Tom Allewell and Will Saltmarsh the mighty SV came away with a 32-24 win. This kept the 100 per cent win record intact. After that clash, our next set of hosts were ready to take us under their wings and show us even more of Canada. They were brilliant hosts and the house where Presley Farrance and I stayed, was gorgeous.

After an entertaining few days with our hosts, game day was soon upon us once more, on the eve of our flight home. Here, we would face Bow Valley Wolfpack, Alberta at 1st and 2nd XV level.

The 2nd XV were up first again and were hoping to keep their clean record abroad untouched.

On another very warm day, Ed Marsh gathered his troops and they put in a magnificent shift against some very impressive opposition.

Massive determination was shown from the boys all around the field and they dominated in a 59-32 win for SV. Watching on from the sideline was a pleasure, to see smiles on the lads’ faces and the result they wanted under their belts, was a delight. It was then time for the 1st XV to show their class.

The 1st XV were up against similar opposition to their first match, some huge boys and some seriously powerful runners. If the 1st XV was to win this one, it would be a new School record to come away on tour and be unbeaten in all games played. A fast start to the game saw us grab some early points through Brandon Jackson, before Presley Farrance and I were able to gain a try in the last play of the first half. We did however, have a fallen solider, as Luke Trigg

had to be carried to the touchline. His head had received a whack to the ground after a tackle and concussion seemed the likely diagnosis since he believed it was our first day on tour and did not know we were in Canada. Bless him! The second half was a dog fight in many ways, with Jack Lewis nullifying any attacking threat from Bow Valley and bodies being put on the line in most instances. Like the 2nd XV, we showed serious fight and willpower to win the game 52-24. This had set a new School record with six games played and all six games being won.

Congratulations to Luke Trigg for being awarded Players’ Player for the 1sts and Theo Nelson being voted as the Players’ Player for the 2nds. A huge mention must go to all our hosts who took us under their wings and shared their food, drink and wonderful time with us.

Thanks must also go to the travelling teachers: Mr Cope, Mr Dawling, Mr Davies and especially Mr Howell. Without them, the tour would not have been as entertaining and as successful as it was. An unbelievable tour and 12 days I do not think I will ever forget.

Page 97 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

1st XV Rugby Harvey Beaton (Upper Sixth)

S

utton Valence 1st XV Rugby team saw another fantastic year and experienced an array of achievements.

From a personal perspective, it was a pleasure to play with the boys and to watch as we developed as a team over the course of the season.

Record: Played 14, Won 13, Drawn 0, Lost 1

28-3, plus a tough win against an unbeaten Caterham School XV 22-17.

In our block fixtures, we did not experience a single loss, home or away. Playing against some incredibly high-level competition, this demonstrates how strong Sutton Valence School has become as a Rugby playing school in recent years.

It was the team spirit and determination that saw the boys through on many occasions and the torrential rain at Worth School and the comeback against Whitgift School were two wins where we rallied after being quite some points down at half time. Another achievement for the team was the retention of the closelycontested Abbott Cup, which has now been with us for the past two seasons. In the match, we beat Emanuel School away in a very tight 1513 battle.

Early season victories included a dominant 4026 win against Colfe’s School, a hard-fought 27-26 victory against a strong Christ’s Hospital team and a more convincing 75-7 win against Coopers’ Company and Coborn School. As the season progressed, highlight performances included beating The King’s School, Canterbury

In the National Cup competition, we enjoyed good early victories against local schools. In the first round we defeated Oakwood Park Grammar School (45-7) and then Maidstone Grammar School (30-10) in the second round before succumbing to a strong Hayes School side 1724.

Overall, the experience of playing Rugby for Sutton Valence 1st XV has been an unforgettable one, and I hope that the skill sets being developed by players ensure that, as a school, we can keep developing players and teams as good as this year’s 1st XV. I’d just like to thank Mr Howell and Mr Dawling for all they did for the boys this season. Video analysis, team training, run-outs and, of course, matches were prepared to the highest level, and this showed with the results on the pitch.

Squad: Joseph Agu Benson, Harvey Beaton (Co-Capt), Nathan Bispham, Archie Crouch (CoCapt), Felix Dont, Edward Ervine, Lars Eastman, Presley Farrance, Fergus Fowle, Arthur Genders, Awishma Gurung, Hugh Harman, Brandon Jackson, George Jones, Jack Lewis, Barnaby Loxton-Barnard, Joseph McInerney, Jack McNama, Arthur Moffatt, Harry O’Rawe, Max Savage, Josh Shing, Luke Trigg, Harris Tunks, Ryan Washington, Benjamin Watkins, Harry Yorke.

1st XV Rugby

Page 98 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Mr Mike Tindall MBE and Under 15A Rugby team

Mike Tindall MBE Mr Mark Howell, Director of Sport

I

n November, we had the pleasure of welcoming Mike Tindall MBE, former Rugby international and England captain to host a coaching session for a number of our players. Pupils took part in their regular training and Mike joined a number of teams to put them through their paces.

The training was organised by Old Suttonian, Mike Dunderdale (1993 W) in support of the Young Lives Foundation, a national charity that helps vulnerable young people throughout Kent through mentoring, activity organisation and children’s rights advocacy.

Senior Sports Scholars were invited to a question-and-answer session, where Mike was open about the rigours of life as an international player and gave insights into the practical aspects of taking sporting prowess to the next level.

We were very grateful to Mike for giving us his time. Receiving training from an international Rugby star of his calibre is a truly inspirational experience for students at any age and will be sure to motivate the next generation of Rugby stars.

England Rugby Representatives

F

ollowing in Mike Tindall’s footsteps we were delighted last September to confirm that two of our 1st XV players, Harvey Beaton (Upper Sixth) and Brandon Jackson (Lower Sixth) had been selected to become England Academy Players; this designation is given to players currently demonstrating the greatest potential in the regional academy.

That summer, Harvey was also called up to the England Under 18 squad for a tour of South Africa.

In December 2018, he went on to sign professional contracts with Saracens FC, joining them once he had finished at Sutton Valence. More information about Harvey is available on page 133.

Page 99 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

2nd XV Rugby Mr Bob Carr, Master I/C

W

hilst it was always going to be difficult to match the amazing 2017 season and the magnificent team so superbly captained by Michael Law (2018 C), this year’s 2nd XV put in some fantastic performances and some very notable scalps were taken. It was a great shame that three of our first five matches were cancelled by worried opposition who now feared playing Sutton Valence. This meant that it took some time to build up a head of steam.

Our first victory was against a very strong Christ’s Hospital side. In a titanic struggle on our home turf, we managed to grind out a hard-earned 12-7 victory. This set us up well for another home fixture against Colfe’s School. This proved to be a ‘walk in the park’ as we strolled comfortably home by 78 points to zero. Some of the attacking Rugby was quite scintillating, sending our supporters into a state of ecstasy.

The first bump was against Epsom College.

Despite an heroic effort we went down 28-7.

Whilst Epsom is a much larger school with a longestablished pedigree, we were still disappointed that we did not run them closer. We then had a long and arduous trip to the south coast to play Brighton College 4th XV. On a pitch where yours truly made his mark way back in 1975, we ran

Record: Played 10, Won 6, Drawn 0, Lost 4

out easy winners with a 39-0 victory. Another splendid victory then followed against The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School by the margin of 33-19 – so concluding a very satisfying first half of the season.

Sadly, as we began to lose more and more of our players to the 1st XV, the second half of the season contained more losses than victories.

We smashed our friends from Sevenoaks School 60-17 and had an even more comprehensive victory on a miserable winter’s afternoon at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School. Our losses came against Caterham School, Emanuel School and The King’s School, Canterbury. We only really let ourselves down badly against the latter when, if truth be told, we just did not turn up. If we had any excuse it was because we had been kicked off our usual hallowed turf by the 1st XV! We employed a huge number of players through the season and as is usual with the 2nd XV we never put out the same team twice. As captain, Jack McNama always gave 100 per cent and led from the front with his combative style. He was always in the opposition’s faces and this rubbed off on his team mates.

Others to catch the eye were Alistair Gooding with his pace, Max Hansford at full back, Toby Nottage before injury took its toll, Thomas

2nd XV Rugby

Page 100 - The Suttonian 2019

Allewell who is turning into a fine back-rower, Lars Eastman for his line-out work and Hugh Harman – but to be honest all played their part and contributed greatly to the fine team spirit.

Harris Tunks was a splendid scrum half and his feistiness always irritated the opposition. His great sense of humour brought many smiles to our faces. There were also stars for the future on parade such as Herbie Stephenson, Ryan Washington, Toby Murch, Oliver Laird and William Catling.

So in conclusion, not quite the standard of the previous season but still one that contained victories of which the side can be immensely proud.

Squad: Joseph Agu Benson, Thomas Allewell, George Baker, Alexander Bartleet, William Bull, William Catling, Oliver Dent, Lars Eastman, Cameron Evans, Arthur Genders, Alistair Gooding, Awishma Gurung, Max Hansford, High Harman, Reuben Hodson, George Jones, Oliver Laird, Jack Lewis, Sebastiaan Lijesen, Joseph McInerney, Sean McKeating, Thomas McLaughlin, Jack McNama (Capt), Toby Murch, Toby Nottage, Matthew Rackliffe, Thomas Saltmarsh, Jack Stanton-Gleaves, Herbie Stephenson, Finn Swaine, Noah Swaine, Thomas Taft, Harris Tunks and Ryan Washington.

Under 16A Rugby

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 16A Rugby

Under 16A Rugby James Mardon (Fifth Form)

T

he Under 16A team knew they were in for a tough season, especially given the majority of their fixtures would be on the road. However, a fantastic effort from all the boys meant we were undefeated for the first four games, a run which included a win against our rivals St Lawrence College, 28-14.

Unfortunately, the second half of the season was much tougher, with some very hard opponents.

An extremely challenging game against Whitgift School meant that our morale was low going into a huge match against Caterham School.

Despite this, we started the game well with high work rate and big hits, putting us in control for most the match. Sadly though, in the end, we lost on a penalty kick which sent us away with a 17-20 loss.

For the final game of the season we came up against our long-standing rivals, The King’s School, Canterbury. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be our day. King’s scored early putting us on

Record: Played 9, Won 5, Drawn 0, Lost 4

the back foot from the start and our discipline let us down for the rest of the match. Two concussions in the game compounded our problems and we ended up losing 0-22.

Following the tough regular season, we also enjoyed three big Sevens tournaments, in the Lent Term. We started off by hosting the Kent Sevens, where we won all four of our group games. Sadly, we lost to Eltham College in the semi-finals but it was still a great start to the Sevens season.

Next, we had a tournament at Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet. With key players being out, we knew it was going to be a difficult tournament.

We lost our first game against Trinity School, which proved to be our wake-up call. We won the next two games, putting us through to the quarter-final where we had, undoubtedly, one of the best games of the season. The match went into the third half of golden try where we finally came out on top. After this courageous victory we came up against Eton College. Although the

boys put in a great effort we were still unable to come away with a victory.

Our final tournament was at Rosslyn Park in the HSBC National Sevens Tournament. We had a tough group, so we knew we would struggle to qualify but we would try our best. We did not manage to qualify but came second in a very competitive group which is impressive for a school of our size.

I would like to give a big thank you to Mr Farrell and Mr Dawling for coaching us through the tough season.

Squad: Sam Allison, Rory Baillie, Bishesh Bhandari, Alexander Duckett, Elliot Gooding, Suveen Gurung, Nathan Horgan, Harvey Jeffery, Cameron Lindsay, James Mardon (Capt), Edward Marsh, Theodore Nelson, Joshua O’Brien, Finnian O’Keefe, Oliver Payne-Cook, William Saltmarsh, Myles Simmons, Jack Truman, Jack Walker, Gregor Wishart, James Yeabsley, Archie Yorke and McKellen Young.

Page 101 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 15A Rugby

Under 14A Rugby

Under 15A Rugby

Under 14A Rugby

Tyler Weekes (Fourth Form)

Alec Martin (Third Form)

Record: Played 9, Won 8, Drawn 1, Lost 0

Record: Played 9, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 7

T

T

his season was an impressive one for the Under 15A Rugby team. We were undefeated all season, with our only blemish coming when we drew against Worth School.

We got off to a promising start with our first win at home to St Lawrence College. We ended up dominating the game and won 55–0. Every player on the SVS team gave their all and the result showed what we could achieve if we carried on playing with the same level of belief. The following week, we carried on our streak with an even more convincing 71-7 win at home to Christ’s Hospital. We then travelled away to Colfe’s School, where we won 34-21, and then to Worth School. This proved to be a highly-competitive game played in dreadful conditions, with the final result a 12-12 draw.

Our next two games were at home to two sides we knew were going to be hard to beat. In our last game before Half Term we played against Whitgift School B team and won 29-0. We then played another rival shortly after Half Term, beating Caterham School 56-5. The boys put in a huge shift for the next two games, both of which were away from home.

Firstly, we played Sevenoaks School and won 38-7 and then The Duke of York’s Royal Military School, which we won 36-0. Our last opponent of the season came in the form of a hugely strong, tough and competitive side from The King’s School, Canterbury. This was going to be our biggest test, but one that we rose to, finishing our season with a 10-0 victory.

Thanks go to our coach, Mr Latham, for all his support and encouragement and congratulations to the boys on a fantastic season.

Squad: William Barrett, Tom Barton, Jasper Benson, Alexander Bowyer, Marcus Brown, Dylan Cole, Joshua Forknall, Edwin Harding, Pip Hodson, Joshua Laird, James Latter-Lumsden, Andrew Loy, Jenson McInulty, Harvey Morris, Benjamin Myers, Samuel Parsons, James Reid, Freddie Rigby, Joe Savage, Robbie Simmonds, Oscar Vas, Tyler Weekes (Capt) and Thomas Wilson.

Page 102 - The Suttonian 2019

he Under 14A Rugby team had a challenging season. The team suffered a number of pre-season injuries in key positions, which meant that, for our first match, we had to take on a strong St Lawrence College side in testing conditions. We were taught something of a Rugby lesson, but that did not dampen our spirits as we turned out a much improved performance, the following week against Christ’s Hospital.

A few games into the season we started to show real promise, particularly against Whitgift School. After leading at half time and playing the better Rugby, decisions went against us, which gave Whitgift the momentum to score two quick tries late in the game to seal a win. However, this performance was the catalyst for two great wins against Sevenoaks School and The Duke of York’s Royal Military School.

Although many games ended in a large points difference against us, the results were often not a true reflection of our play. The majority of our first halves saw us either in the lead or narrowly losing. Unfortunately, we seemed unable to sustain that level of performance for the whole match, allowing the opposition to rack up points quickly in the second halves.

For the most part of the season we played an attractive, attacking brand of Rugby though, putting well-worked phases together and crossing the game line consistently. Our set phases, especially line-outs, provided a solid platform and often resulted in scoring opportunities and tries. This will greatly benefit us in the seasons to come. Special thanks to Mr Waterworth for all his support and guidance and for standing by the team, never losing faith.

Squad: Hector Anderson, Tobias Butler, James Coates, Joshua Fawell, Sam Fenton, Isaac Forknall, Samuel Foss, Matthew Hall, Lorcan Hanna, Jackson Hardwick, Jonte Hillier, Alfie Jarrett, Alec Martin (Capt), Oliver Murch, Fynn Page, Maximilian Reeves, Oliver Smith, George Sturges, Thomas West, Maximus Woods and Ethan Wynne.

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 13A Rugby Jack Piller (Second Form)

O

ur season got off to a flying start – we travelled away to St Lawrence College where we played our first match together. Right from the first whistle, it was clear we had a strong team that played as a unit, supported each other and played flowing Rugby, which lead us to a deserved 40-10 victory.

We approached the next game against Colfe’s School with a positive mindset. Colfe’s had some very fast and powerful wingers on their team and very quickly we went down a try. However, we were determined to fight back and did so as a team. Again, we showed great teamwork enabling us to take another win 40-15. Our strong forwards, together with our fast-flowing back play, was a powerful combination which made us a tough team to beat. This winning formula served us well.

We continued our winning streak by breezing past Bickley Park School 45-5, battled hard against King’s Rochester to win 15-5 and travelled away to the impressive Christ’s Hospital where we returned home with a 20-5 win. Next,

Record: Played 9, Won 7, Drawn 0, Lost 2

we played Vinehall School who provided little competition and Sutton Valence quickly raced to a 50-10 victory with the referee calling time early.

Unfortunately this winning streak perhaps lead to some complacency when we faced The New Beacon. As the first try was scored against us, I could tell we were in for a rough ride. They were a strong, powerful opposition, breaking through our defensive line with ease and moving the ball quickly. Half time saw them 35-0 up already. A stern team talk was needed and we dug in deep conceding only one more try in the second half.

Despite the eventual 40-0 defeat, this was, in my opinion, where the true spirit of our side shone through.

Saint Ronan’s School was another tough challenge. Again, they were physically bigger than us, but the game was very evenly matched.

The contest was locked, with both sides defending well and two tries scored each. Sadly, in the dying seconds of the game, Saint Ronan’s saw a gap in our line and scored a breakaway try, leaving the score 15-10 to them.

With fire in our hearts to finish the season on a high, we faced Dulwich Prep, Cranbrook.

Although our confidence had been knocked having lost the previous two matches, we fought well. The performance wasn’t our finest however we finished the match and the season with a 20-15 win. Overall this was a great season for the boys.

A special mention must go to all the First Formers (Brennan O’Keefe, Luca Esposito Lee-Kemp, Rhys Harmer and Jack Paige) and of course thanks to Mr Davenport and all of the Rugby staff for their coaching throughout the year.

Squad: Oliver Aylett, Oliver Barr, Callum Baker, Luca Esposito Lee-Kemp, Rhys Harmer, Patrick Johnson, Sam Knighton, Samuel Laird (ViceCapt), Ethan Mason, Harry Mundell, Brennan O’Keefe, Jack Page, Jack Piller (Capt), Alfie Reeve, Benjamin Reid, Charles Taylor, Finley Thomas, Liam Thomas, Jack Walsh, Samuel Wilding, Oliver Williams and Ramsay Wilson.

Under 13A Rugby

Other Rugby Results Under 16B Played 6, Won 5, Drawn 0, Lost 1

Under 15B Played 8, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 5

Under 14B Played 9, Won 2, Drawn 1, Lost 6

Under 13B Played 6, Won 4, Drawn 1, Lost 1

Under 12A Played 8, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 5

Page 103 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Rugby Sevens Mr Mark Howell, Director of Sport

1st VII The 1st VII played in three tournaments and the development they have made in recent years was clear to see. The fact the team are now winning their groups in major competitions and getting through to the main cup competitions shows how far the team have come. At the Reigate Charity Sevens, the team beat Wisbech Grammar, Reeds School and Berkhamstead School to win their pool before losing narrowly to Tonbridge School in the quarter-finals of the main competition. At the Worth School Sevens the team again won their group beating Lord Wandsworth College, Hampton School and Langley School. The team lost in extra-time in the quarter-finals of the main competition to Felsted School. At the Rosslyn Park National School Sevens, the team beat Langley School and Bedford Modern School before losing to Berkhamstead School and Loughborough College.

U16 VII The U16 VII exceeded expectations in every tournament they entered in the Lent Term.

At the Queen Elizabeth’s School Barnet Sevens, the team came second in their group beating Langley School, University College School and Merchant Taylors’ School before losing to Eton College in the quarter-finals. At the Kent Schools Under 16 Sevens (hosted by SVS), the team won their group, beating The King’s School Canterbury, Colfe’s School, Simon Langton Grammar School and Barton Court Grammar School, before losing narrowly in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Eltham College. At the Rosslyn Park National School Sevens, the boys did themselves proud. They lost their opening two matches against immensely strong outfits in Wellington College and Mount St Mary’s College, before showing outstanding endeavour to beat the prestigious John Fisher School and Rydal Penrhos School from North Wales.

U15 VII This team has immense potential which they showed by winning the Kent County Under 15 Sevens in the Lent Term. In the group stages, the team beat Cranbrook School 36-0, Ravens Wood School 24-5, St Dunstan’s College 32-12 and St Olave’s School 3219. In the quarter-final the team beat Colfe’s School 22-12, and in the semi-final the boys eased past Langley Park School with a 24-12 win. In the final the boys beat rivals The King’s School Canterbury 24-14 in an excellent match.

U14 VII The Under 14 VII travelled to the Rosslyn Park National School Sevens and gave an excellent account of themselves. They lost all three matches narrowly against Berkhamstead School, Langley School and Devonport High School, but really grew as a squad gaining valuable experience that will be vital in their Rugby development into next season and beyond. There were a number of standout performances and the fact these boys are improving athletically each week under the guidance of our strength and conditioning coaches, bodes well for the seasons ahead.

Page 104 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Swimming Team Miss Linda Gray, Head of Swimming

T

he Swimming season started with a gala for our junior pupils against Dulwich Prep, Cranbrook. This proved the perfect opportunity to test out some of our new swimmers who had not swum for the School before, as well as joining forces with the swimmers from the Prep School. After some excellent individual performances, we were delighted to start the season with our first victory.

The whole squad united the following week for the second gala of the season, at home against King’s Rochester. In total, 30 swimmers were involved, which was an excellent turn out across all age groups. There were some superb swims, resulting in another victory.

The following week, we welcomed Ashford School, who are normally incredibly tough competition. Undeterred though, we wanted to continue our winning streak and the swimmers gave it their all. The intermediate boys performed remarkably well, winning all of their races and relays. Overall, the results were incredibly close, but we managed to win by six points.

The girls then swam against Cobham Hall. This was our first away gala of the season, and was the last fixture before the Half Term break. After a long bus journey up to Cobham, the first event was a gruelling 100 metre individual medley, swam by Isla Murphy (Second Form), who won convincingly. The girls divided into A and B teams and, frustratingly, Cobham Hall kept marginally winning. Louisa Yorke (Third Form) managed a win in the 25 metre front crawl event, but despite this, Sutton Valence A team came second, whilst Sutton Valence B team came fourth.

Linn (Upper Sixth) should be congratulated on winning their respective events.

Colfe’s proved to be extremely tough competition throughout and, despite experiencing a lot of success earlier in the season, the team struggled to replicate their form at this gala. There were still some highlights including Andrew Loy (Fourth Form) winning the 50 metre breaststroke event.

This gala really set the tone for the rest of the Half Term - tough competition away.

We travelled to The King’s School, Canterbury for the next tournament. This marked a significant development in Swimming at SVS as it was the first time the School has been able to enter two girls teams: an Under 18 team as well as an Under 16 team, with Isla Murphy swimming up an age category to bolster an already impressive team.

In the boys’ events, Tobias Butler (Third Form) won his 50 metre breaststroke event and Tom Barton (Fourth Form) won his 50 metre front crawl event. Overall, the boys came third out of four teams, whilst the girls came second. This was a fantastic achievement and the best we have ever performed in this highly-competitive tournament.

The penultimate gala of the season saw the girls travel to Benenden School. Another set of fantastic performances saw them win by two points. The final gala was then against Bethany School and Maidstone Grammar School away.

Finishing the season in style, the girls came first and the boys finished second.

For three of our senior boys, this would be their last season at SVS: Joseph Agu Benson, Alistair Gooding and our boys’ captain Magnus Linn.

Both he and Amelia Semmens have done a superb job as captains and it has been wonderful to see the Swimming team continue to grow.

Girls Squad: Jemima Bruce-Lockhart, Ella Carter, Charlotte Farrell, Alice Gotke, Grace Mitchell, Isla Murphy, Jemma Payne-Cook, Elizabeth Penfold, Amelia Semmens, Eliza Semmens, Katie Swift, Martha Tatnell, Grace Wright and Louisa Yorke.

Boys Squad: Thomas Allewell, William Barrett, Tom Barton, Tobias Butler, James Ellaway, Henry Ellis, Edward Gaston, Alistair Gooding, Elliot Gooding, Zachary Hansford, Rhys Harmer, Fenton King, Heston King, Magnus Linn, James Lloyd-Jones, Andrew Loy, Oliver McNamara, Brennan O’Keefe, Maximilian Reeves, Edward Smith and Thomas Wilkins.

Swimming Team

We had an extended break from the galas as our Half Term break was different to the majority of other local schools, meaning that the swimmers had a good recovery time, as well as some serious training.

The first gala of the second half of term took us to Colfe’s School. After the lengthy journey up to Greenwich, we were quick to be out on the poolside. Again, the gala commenced with the 100 metre individual medley event. Although the Juniors were very keen to participate, the same cannot be said for the Seniors. However, after much persuasion, we had some volunteers and Rhys Harmer (First Form) and Magnus Page 105 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

1st XI Girls’ Hockey

1st XI Girls’ Hockey Amelia Semmens (Lower Sixth) Record: Played 16, Won 9, Drawn 0, Lost 7

T

he 1st XI Hockey team had a very successful season, beginning at home against Hurstpierpoint College.

Following some intense pre-season training and a friendly tournament at Epsom College, the girls were ready to start their season with a win. The opposition were quick and skilful, but solid defending from Phoebe Aucamp and Alexandra Sacker prevented them from getting any hold on the game. Quick thinking from our own team allowed us to score three fast goals and the scoreline ended 3-1 to Sutton Valence.

2nd XI Girls’ Hockey

We carried this spirit into our next match against Brighton College, where we won, again, 3-1. We then came up against a very strong team in Ardingly College. We trained thoroughly throughout the week and worked specifically on being clinical in the D. On the Saturday, the girls put in a massive team effort. Sophie Baxter and Verity Streek played incredibly as a pair in the middle to intercept any loose balls and win plenty of tackles.

After battling for a long 70 minutes, Sutton Valence came out with a 2-1 win, another impressive result.

Unfortunately, we lost a bit of our momentum during the Half Term break, and suffered back-to-back defeats to St Lawrence College, Epsom College and The King’s School, Canterbury. Despite the score-lines not going in our favour, the team still put out three great performances which demonstrated how talented our players are. Issy Cook and Georgie Mancais made many impressive runs down the wings and Emily Smith and Dizzy Loxton-Barnard made crucial tackles to keep Sutton Valence in the games.

Under 15A Girls’ Hockey

Thankfully, we bounced back and won the last three games of the season with a 6-1 win over our local rivals, Cranbrook School, followed up by a 5-0 win against King’s Rochester and finally a 1-0 win at home against Worth School. Ella Carter and Elizabeth Moore fed some direct passes into Jenna Boltman and Paige Davidson throughout the course of these few games, allowing the forwards to beat the last defenders and score some fantastic goals.

Of course, none of this success could have been achieved without Emily Smith, our wonderful captain. A huge thank you to her and to Mr Henderson and Mr Braddick for leading us through a season of difficult fixtures and helping us come out hugely successful.

Congratulations to Verity Streek, who achieved Most Improved Player of the season, Georgie Mancais, who was voted Players’ Player of the season and Ella Carter for being awarded Coach’s Player by Mr Henderson. Overall, it was a very enjoyable season filled with success, and we will miss playing with the Upper Sixth girls next season.

Squad: Phoebe Aucamp, Francesca Barton, Sophie Baxter, Jenna Boltman, Jemima Bruce-Lockhart, Ella Carter, Isabelle Cook, Paige Davidson, Elizabeth Drummond, Imogen Forknall, Desiree Loxton-Barnard, Georgia Mancais, Elizabeth Moore, Maisie Rixon, Alexandra Sacker, Amelia Semmens, Emily Smith (Capt), Verity Streek and Florence Watkinson.

Page 106 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

2nd XI Girls’ Hockey

Under 15A Girls’ Hockey

Anna Harrison (Lower Sixth)

Charlotte Farrell (Fourth Form)

Record: Played 8, Won 4, Drawn 1, Lost 3

Record: Played 12, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 9

T

A

In total, we scored 13 goals during the season, which reflected the determination and work ethic of the girls. It also highlighted the talent of our attackers, including Amber Brinkman, Elizabeth Fraser, Poppy Gardner, Sophie Lee and Maisie Rixon and their capability to score well-rehearsed, ‘textbook’ goals. They were helped by some excellent midfield play from Isabelle Dransfield, Daisy Fenton, Alice Gotke and Charlotte Wooldridge. Their ability to link passes between the defence and attackers helped us control the games and ultimately manipulate the opposition’s game-play.

Every week, a different aspect of our game improved thanks to our work in training sessions. Throughout the season, we had a very strong defence and Maddie Presland made some great saves as goalkeeper.

his year the 2nd XI Girls’ Hockey team had an impressive and rewarding season, including four very convincing wins against competitive schools such as St Lawrence College and The King’s School, Canterbury.

In defence, we had an unlucky streak of injured goalkeepers, but Imogen Forknall and Tiggy Teare stepped up to perform. Showing some impressive skills, their saves were crucial. Aiding the goalkeepers’ success, a solid defensive team consisting of Gabriella Howarth, Elizabeth Moore, Bethan Pepler Amelie Rossiter and I, continued to mark the opposition tightly, forcing them to make mistakes.

In terms of the results, although the victories were the obvious highlights, there were other matches that really demonstrated our resilience and determination, none more so than our final match of the season against Worth School. Although we lost the match 1-0, the teamwork on show from the 2nd XI team was fantastic. Overall, it was an enjoyable season which would not have been possible without our knowledgeable coach Miss Hallett, whose enthusiasm for the sport lifted our spirits when needed and guided us to achieve an impressive set of results.

Squad: Francesca Barton, Amber Brinkman, Alice Busby, Isabella Busby, Isabella Dransfield, Daisy Fenton, Imogen Forknall, Elizabeth Fraser, Poppy Gardner (Capt), Alice Gotke, Anna Harrison, Gabriella Howarth, Katie Lang, Sophie Lee, Desiree Loxton-Barnard, Elizabeth Moore, Bethan Pepler, Maisie Rixon, Gabriella Romano, Amelie Rossiter, Tiggy Teare, Anisha Thapa Magar and Charlotte Wooldridge.

s a team, we had a difficult start to the season, losing to strong Hockey schools like Hurstpierpoint College (10-0) and Brighton College (5-0). However, despite the results, the experience of playing such good teams improved our own game.

After our winless start to the season, we bounced back with an excellent performance against St Lawrence College, which ended up being one of the highlights of the season. St Lawrence is a big school and had a strong defence, but we still managed to get three goals past their goalkeeper, whilst only letting in one. Our performance reflected our effort as a whole - we played well throughout the team. Our defenders regularly provided hits out of the D to our midfielders, Eliza Semmens and Katherine Sawyer, who distributed the ball out wide to our forwards.

With confidence from our performance in that match we took on Claremont School three days later and produced our best result of the season with a convincing 6-1 victory. Unfortunately we weren’t able to capitalise on those wins and towards the latter stages of our season, we embarked on another losing run. After defeats to The King’s School Canterbury (2-0) and Epsom College (5-1), we suffered a narrow loss to Cranbrook School (4-3). However, we were able to finish on a high with a 2-0 win against Worth School away.

This was our last season playing as a team as we move into the senior squads next year. Even though we did not always win, it was a very enjoyable season and thanks must go to Mr Harrison for being our coach!

Squad: Chloe Alexander, Grace Bartleet, Isabel Bruce-Lockhart, Holly Clark, Maria Cobo Arroniz, Jessica De Lucy, Ellie Fannon, Charlotte Farrell (Capt), Olivia Farrell, Demi Finch, Grace Finch, Charlotte Holmes, Louisa Hudson, Charlotte Lang, Annie Moore, Katie Moore, Jemma Payne-Cook, Madeleine Presland, Rose Price, Katherine Sawyer, Eliza Semmens, Anna Smith, Scarlett Washington, Elizabeth Wooff and Louisa Yorke.

Page 107 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 14A Girls’ Hockey Lulu Pankhurst (Third Form)

T

he Under 14A team did not have a strong start to the season losing the first game 9-1. We did not let our heads drop though and were determined to hold our ground in the next match against Brighton College. Although we lost 3-1, our performance improved significantly.

After this, the girls took part in the Tier 2 County Competition. Off the back of two defeats, we did not expect to do well, but thanks to Mrs Rose boosting our confidence, we won all of our group matches against Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School (2-0), Benenden School (4-0) and Sir Roger Marwood’s School (6-0). Having defeated St Edmunds School in the semifinals, unfortunately we then lost 1-0 to Sevenoaks School in the final.

Despite the result, we still qualified for the Tier 2 Regional Finals at the Redbridge Sports Centre, Ilford. In that tournament, we stormed through once again beating the likes of Benenden School (3-0) and Norwich High School (3-0) as well as drawing 0-0 against Brentwood School. Overall we won the tournament on goal difference, which sent us to the National finals where we would compete against three of the strongest teams in the country.

Record: Played 15, Won 7, Drawn 2, Lost 6

Reaching the National finals is a very good achievement since Sutton Valence is a smaller school; whilst other schools had over 100 girls to choose from, we had only 30. That said, we put our nerves behind us and came out with two convincing wins against Altrincham Grammar School (1-0) and Wellingborough School (2-1). Our final pool match against Plymouth College resulted in 0-0 draw.

This draw saw both teams then advance to the final to face one another once again. This proved to be a very intense game. Unfortunately we let them into the game early and they went 1-0 up. After a strong team talk from Mrs Rose, we came back onto the pitch with a positive mindset and equalised, leaving the final score 1-1. This meant we went to flicks. We were head-to-head until they went up by one flick, stealing the victory. Despite the defeat, the girls were so happy with how far they had come and the experience will be one that we will never forget.

Squad: Grace Bartleet, Asia Davies, Olivia Farrell, Emily Ferris, Demi Finch, Jessie Gale, Annie Moore (Capt), Katie Moore, Lulu Pankhurst, Jemma PayneCook, Freya Penfold, Rose Price, Millie Sands, Scarlett Washington, Grace Wilson, Florence Wood and Louisa Yorke.

Under 13A Girls’ Hockey Sophie Browning and Olivia Farrell (Second Form)

T

he U13A Hockey team had a great season, winning seven of our 13 games. We won a number of matches comfortably, but also lost a number quite heavily. Despite the inconsistency, we played some good Hockey and improved our performances throughout the season.

The season started badly with a 3-1 loss at home to Hurstpierpoint College.

We were lacking match sharpness and failed to take advantage of the chances we had in the game. We bounced back well though with a 6-0 victory over Dulwich Prep, Cranbrook before a similarly impressive 5-1 win against Bromley High School in the county cup tournament.

Although the team should have grown in confidence after those two results, the mid-season proved very inconsistent. This included winning 7-1 at home to Mayfield School only to then lose 8-0 to Epsom College just three days later. Similarly, our largest win of the season, a very one-sided contest against The Duke of York’s Royal Military School (10-0) was followed a week later by a crushing 12-1 loss in the Independent Schools Hockey Cup at the hands of Reigate Grammar School.

As well as the block fixtures, the team also entered the Under 13 Tier One Championships where we were unlucky to lose in the semi-finals on penalty flicks. Overall, all the girls played well throughout the season and we were very proud of our achievements.

Page 108 - The Suttonian 2019

Record: Played 13, Won 7, Drawn 0, Lost 6

Squad: Elizabeth Arthur, Katy Barr, Claudia Bennett, Sophie Browning, Isla Creed, Natasha Croke, Sophie Edwards, Olivia Farrell (Capt), Jessie Gale, Nina Ghale, Darcy Hanna, Annabel Hunt, Edith McNair, Elizabeth Myers, Harriet Onions, Elizabeth Penfold, Camilla Polglase, Elyse Ratcliffe, Maisey Russell, Ciara Smith, Liberty Watkinson, Florence Wood and Grace Wright.

Under 13A Girls’ Hockey

SPORT AND GAMES

1st XI Boys’ Hockey Max Savage (Upper Sixth)

T

his season, the 1st XI Boys’ Hockey team knew that they had a lot of Hockey to play in a very short amount of time. With a stronger team than last year, the boys felt confident going into the season knowing they had the chance to beat some big teams along the way.

A first team debut from Alex Duckett and a new midfield trio of Archie Crouch, Felix Dont and me gave us a completely different game plan from the year before. In the early games of the season, this proved successful as we won 8-1 at home to Ashford School in the County Cup and 7-1 against Kent College. These results gave us a real confidence boost as we headed into the rest of the season.

After a hard-fought 3-3 draw against Hurstpierpoint College in our third game of the season, we faced the prospect of a match against St Lawrence College - one of the best teams in the County. We knew we had a lot to do if we were going to win this game as their

Record: Played 17, Won 8, Drawn 3, Lost 6

team included an England junior international striker as well as a very strong spine. However, we were undeterred and with great link up play between Max Savage and Louis Ridge, and some outstanding defending from everyone, we were able to win 8-4.

A win in the semi-final against Cranbrook School (making up for a loss earlier in the season during our block fixtures) saw us progress to the final to face St Edmund’s School. Unfortunately we couldn’t repeat our earlier win against them and succumbed to a 1-0 loss.

We followed this result up with a 5-3 win away against St Edmund’s School, Canterbury, which saw us progress to the County Cup semi-final.

In that game, we faced Kent College again, but they had improved dramatically since the first time we played them and beat us 2-0, ending our Cup run.

Overall, the 1st XI had a brilliant season, only losing six out of 17 games, which was a definite improvement on the year before. The team put a huge amount of effort into every game, led by our captain, Harry O’Rawe, and followed up by Upper Sixth players Archie Crouch, Felix Dont, Edward Ervine, Alistair Gooding and Sean McKeating, who all had fantastic final seasons playing for Sutton Valence School..

Having been knocked out of that competition, we then entered the annual Frank Mason Tournament. In the group matches, we lost to Sir Roger Marwood’s School, but managed draws against Langley Park School and, once again, Kent College. A win against Chatham and Clarendon Grammar School saw us progress to the plate quarter-final, where we defeated The Duke of York’s Royal Military School (3-0).

Squad: Bishesh Bhandari, Archie Crouch, Felix Dont, Alexander Duckett, Lars Eastman, Edward Ervine, Presley Farrance, Fergus Fowle, Alistair Gooding, Hugh Harman, George Jones, Oliver Laird, Sean McKeating, Arthur Moffatt, Harry O’Rawe (Capt), Louis Ridge, Max Savage, Finn Swaine and Benjamin Watkins.

1st XI Boys’ Hockey

Other Boys’ Hockey Results 3rd XI Played 4, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 3

Under 15B Played 5, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 2

Under 14B Played 5, Won 2, Drawn 2, Lost 1

Under 13B Played 8, Won 5, Drawn 3, Lost 0

Under 14C Played 6, Won 5, Drawn 1, Lost 0

Page 109 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

2nd XI Boys’ Hockey

Under 15A Boys’ Hockey

2nd XI Boys’ Hockey

Under 15A Boys’ Hockey

Fergus Fowle (Upper Sixth)

Jonny Russell (Fourth Form)

Record: Played 7, Won 4, Drawn 1, Lost 2

Record: Played 6, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 2

A

O

After a week of training and some new young additions to the team, we went into our second game feeling over-confident. Due to this eagerness, we went in at half time at 1-1 and knew we needed to step up our game.

With our heads screwed on after an inspirational talk by the mighty Mr Cope, we came out fighting, scoring two more with the game finishing 3-1.

A week later, we travelled to Hurstpierpoint College, which proved to be a very even game with chances at both ends. Unfortunately, we failed to convert our chances and Hurst managed to sneak a goal in after a short corner to seal a 1-0 victory.

fter the success of last season’s 2nd XI, the 2019 team knew they had big boots to fill. For the first game of the season , they were up against Kent College. The team started slowly but we still managed to be two goals up at half time. The game eventually finished 3-0 and we knew we had a strong season ahead.

Our next game was cancelled, which proved to be our downfall as we were rather out of match practice by the time we faced Cranbrook School. At half time we found ourselves one goal down. We improved in the second half and pulled it back to 2-2 with 15 minutes to go. However, tiredness crept in and the opposition hit two goals, finishing the game 4-2 winners.

Our final two victories came against The King’s School, Canterbury and Ardingly College. Both were massive wins for the team but the most memorable was the 12-0 demolition of King’s. The rivalry between the teams is huge and we knew we had to do our crest proud…and we certainly did.

All-in-all, it was a solid season for the team and one none of us will forget soon. Hopefully future 2nd XI teams can continue the impressive reputation built over the last two years. A huge thank you to Mr Cope and Mr Wells who proved to be a formidable coaching partnership in their own right.

Squad: Joseph Agu Benson, Sam Allison, Alexander Bartleet, Bishesh Bhandari, Nathan Bispham, Tom Cavell, Lars Eastman, Cameron Evans, Fergus Fowle, Arthur Genders, Alistair Gooding, Callum Hanna, Hugh Harman, Louis Hillier, George Jones, Oliver Jones, Joseph Lenehan, Sebastiaan Lijesen, Antonio Malluzzo-Fisher, Jack McNama, Theodore Nelson, Thomas Saltmarsh, Joshua Scott, Jack Stanton-Gleaves, Noah Swaine, Jack Walker, Ben Watkins, Archie Yorke and McKellen Young.

Page 110 - The Suttonian 2019

verall, the Under 15A Hockey team had a reasonable season, achieving some good wins. The first of these came in our opening match of the season as we beat Kent College 7-0. Our strong performance was topped off by Luke Wilson getting a hat trick with an excellent reverse stick shot.

With two cancellations and the Half Term break, we had to wait another six weeks before our next fixture, which was away at Cranbrook School. In this match, we started well, racing into a 3-1 lead. For some reason we took our foot off the gas though and this allowed them back into the game as they scored to make it 3-2. Thankfully, we survived a nervy end to the match and came away with the victory.

After a midweek win against Claremont School (7-0), we headed off to the Peter Firminger tournament. The team played well throughout the tournament, but we still needed a win from our last group game to progress to the knock-out stages. Unfortunately the opposition’s keeper had a man of the match performance and we could not get the goal we needed despite maintaining most of the possession and chances in the game.

Our final fixture of the season was against a strong Ardingly College team.

It was an excellent game of Hockey to watch as it finished 5-4 to them. As well as my hat trick, Luke Wilson also got on the score sheet. Overall, it was a great season and leaves us in a good position for the next season. Many thanks to Mr Harrison for all his coaching.

Squad: Tom Barton, Felix Connell, William Fitzsimons, Lorcan Hanna, Jonte Hillier, Pip Hodson, Joshua Laird, Daniel Lenehan, Jamie Latter-Lumsden, Andrew Loy, Jenson McInulty, Clayton Olson, Joshua Pantony, James Pepler, Felix Plant, Freddie Rigby, Jonny Russell (Capt), Joe Savage and Luke Wilson.

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 14A Boys’ Hockey Mr Max Braddick, Master I/C

T

he Under 14As started the term with two wins in three days, the first, a resounding 7-0 victory over Kent College, with a debut hat-trick for George Sturges. The second was a county cup match at Harvey Grammar School, with the boys fighting hard to secure a 2-1 victory thanks to a last minute goal from Jonte Hillier.

Record: Played 8, Won 3, Drawn 1, Lost 4

Squad: Sam Fenton, Isaac Forknall, Lorcan Hanna, Ethan Harris, Jonte Hillier, William Howgill, Alfie Jarrett, Heston King, Samuel Laird, Alec Martin, Oliver Murch, Fynn Page, James Pepler, George Sturges, Charles Taylor, Charles Wood and Ethan Wynne.

Sadly, the good start was halted by a strong Hurstpierpoint College side who beat us 2-1, followed by a 3-1 loss to an extremely well organised Eltham College team in the County Cup quarter-final. Following a long mid-season break, the boys bounced back against Cranbrook School, giving them a real lesson in how to play Hockey properly, winning 8-0. Wing-backs Heston King and Sam Fenton ran the Cranbrook defence ragged, creating plenty of space for George Sturges to secure yet another hat-trick; a mention also to Alec Martin and Charlie Wood for pulling strings in the middle.

Under 14A Boys’ Hockey

The following week, the 14As, ravaged by injury and illness, took just ten brave young men to The King’s School, Canterbury, a strong side that smelled blood as soon as we arrived. The ten did not back down though and put up a huge fight, with Lorcan Hanna, Oliver Murch and Ethan Wynne tackling anything that moved and William Howgill bamboozling the King’s defenders with some great stick skills. Through the captaincy of James Peplar, the boys battled their way to a 2-2 draw. Unfortunately, the battle was clearly too much for the boys and despite some great saves from goalkeeper Isaac Forknall, we lost our final game to Ardingly College 3-1.

Under 13A Boys’ Hockey Rhys Harmer (First Form)

T

he Boys U13A team had a very successful season, finishing unbeaten in their block fixtures with excellent wins against St Lawrence College, The New Beacon and Saint Ronan’s School.

The team played some great attacking Hockey and would often outscore opponents by three or more goals. The team went to numerous tournaments and had some good results. At the Kent Under 13 County tournament, they only lost to eventual winners Langley Park School but recorded wins against the likes of Simon Langton Grammar School, St Lawrence College and The Harvey Grammar School.

Record: Played 11, Won 8, Drawn 1, Lost 2

Lee, Alfie Miles, Fred Mundell, Harry Mundell, Zac Pantony, Jack Piller, Otto Plant, Alfie Reeve, Charles Taylor, Jack Walsh and Samuel Wilding.

Under 13A Boys’ Hockey

The team also travelled to the annual Dulwich Prep, Cranbrook tournament where they reached the semi-finals. In the final tournament of the year, the Maylam Cup, held at Polo Farm, Canterbury, the team had a strong group, in which they managed to come second to progress to the semi-finals of the competition. They came up against a very strong Norton Knatchbull Grammar School team and, after an intense game, came up short. Overall, the team had some great fixtures and are a very exciting prospect for the future.

Squad: Oliver Aylett, Callum Baker, Toby De Lucy, Edward Fuller, Rhys Harmer, Brook Homewood, Sam Knighton, Samuel Laird (Capt), Frederick Page 111 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Hockey Tour to Malaysia Ella Carter, Anna Harrison, Amelia Semmens and Charlotte Wooldridge (Lower Sixth)

O

n Saturday 6th July, 20 Fourth Form, Fifth Form and Lower Sixth girls, Mr Braddick, Mr Henderson and Miss Jelfs headed to London Heathrow to board our flight to Kuala Lumpur for the first ever senior Hockey tour to Malaysia. With Mr Grindlay sitting only a few rows in front of us on the plane, we made sure were on our best behaviour on board our 12-hour flight. We arrived at 7.30 in the evening KL time and met our guide for the tour, Mo or Big Mo as we all called him.

in the morning, we headed north to Ipoh. Our hotel did not disappoint as it was attached to a shopping mall, with an infinity swimming pool on the roof. The next morning, we relaxed by the pool and sunbathed, ready for our third 11-a-side match in the afternoon. As we were now getting used to playing together and adapting to the heat, we played much better as a team. With solid defence from the back four, we were able to keep the ball out of our D, which allowed Alex Sacker and Amelia to slot in a couple of goals, giving us our first win of the tour.

The next morning, despite the jet lag, we got up for an early training session to avoid the heat. Due to many us not having played Hockey since last season and having not played with each other before, this training session was much-needed. As the sun came out, we all began to realise how hot and difficult it was going to be to play Hockey in 32 degree heat and 80 per cent humidity. We headed out into Kuala Lumpur for lunch and eventually found a much needed Nandos. After that, we were ready to play our first 11-a-side and then seven-a-side matches of the tour. Amelia Semmens captained the first match, with Jemima Bruce-Lockhart, Charlotte Wooldridge and Anna Harrison captaining the other three.

We left Ipoh the next morning and continued north to Penang Island, crossing a 15-mile bridge to get there. As the temperature increased, the heat and humidity got to some of us more than others. When Ella Carter took a turn for the worse, Big Mo took us to the nearest hospital. Fortunately, a couple of hours later Ella came back with antibiotics as she had managed to catch the flu (or just the sniffles according to Mr Henderson).

The next day, we experienced our first taste of Malaysian culture as we had a tour around the forests in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur and then visited the Batu caves. In the afternoon, as the temperature dropped, we played our second match of the tour. As we began to play, the sun disappeared and instead it rained extremely hard, which was actually a relief for most of the girls.

The next day we headed to the Sunway lagoon water park for the day. This was definitely more of a mental rest than a physical one. After leaving KL

Page 112 - The Suttonian 2019

With Ella and Grace Mitchell out, we were down a few players heading into our last game of the tour. Despite this, the girls put in a tremendous effort to produce a 4-2 win. This allowed us to fully enjoy our last day in Malaysia with time around the pool and some banana boating.

With Miss Jelfs winning the prize for best sunbather, Charlotte and Mr Henderson jointly won the prize for the most fines. After flying via Singapore, we headed on our 13-hour flight home after a very memorable ten days.

On behalf of all the girls, we would like to say a massive thank you to Mr Braddick, Miss Jelfs and especially Mr Henderson for organising such an incredible and very memorable tour.

SPORT AND GAMES

Page 113 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

1st VII Netball Kate Woodford (Upper Sixth) Record: Played 19, Won 14, Drawn 0, Lost 5

O

ur Netball season started off with pre-season training which involved an army-based fitness session, followed by a series of game play exercises. It was very clear this season was not only going to be competitive but also great fun.

The season started off very well, with two great wins against Colfe’s School 35-24 and Christ’s Hospital 33-23. The matches consisted of reliable shooting from Annabel Mansfield, Jenna Boltman and myself and great defensive work from Ella Carter and Dizzy Loxton-Barnard with balls being brought up the court efficiently and accurately by Jess Richards, Charlotte Wooldridge and Georgie Mancais. A major highlight this season was the annual King’s Rochester tournament, in which the 1st VII won. The girls worked incredibly hard against some tough schools, winning every game, including victories against St Lawrence College 4-1, Bethany School 6-3, Claremont School 4-1 and King’s Rochester 4-1.

Another great victory against St Lawrence College was the most intense match of the season and definitely all of the girls’ favourite.

Throughout the game the score remained neck-and-neck. Consistent shooting from Jenna and Annabel, alongside some great passes and strong attacking play enabled us to take a narrow, but well deserved, win of 27-25 to Sutton Valence.

Next up was the Old Suttonian match on 9th March, which is detailed later in the magazine (page 160). It finished 36-25 to us and was a really enjoyable afternoon and lovely to see so many familiar faces!

Other successes throughout the season included numerous wins against The King’s School, Canterbury, Beech Grove Academy and Ashford Academy.

Huge congratulations must go to Ella Carter for receiving Netball Captain for next year. But also to all the girls for their continued hard work and for such a fun and successful season. A massive thank you must go to Miss McConnachie for everything she did for us.

Squad: Jenna Boltman, Jemima Bruce-Lockhart, Ella Carter, Isabella Dransfield, Mollie Ferguson, Anna Harrison, Desiree LoxtonBarnard, Georgia Mancais, Annabel Mansfield, Jessica Richards, Amelia Semmens, Emily Smith, Kate Woodford (Capt) and Charlotte Wooldridge.

Jessica Richards - 1st VII Netball

Page 114 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

1st VII Netball

2nd VII Netball Anna Harrison (Lower Sixth) Record: Played 14, Won 8, Drawn 2, Lost 4

T

his year, the 2nd VII Netball team played with good skill, excellent teamwork and strong determination, all of which was reflected in our various successes throughout a fantastic season.

An incredible 304 goals were scored during the season, which reveals the talent of our shooters: Katie Marnane, Jemima-Bruce Lockhart, Imogen Forknall and Isabelle Dransfield. A memorable match which must be mentioned was the convincing 31 goal difference in our match against Colfe’s School (37-6). The fact that this was our first match of the season highlighted great potential which we successfully fulfilled.

2nd VII Netball

Fast reflexes from myself and Verity Streek, playing goalkeeper, minimised goals scored against us, which was aided by Sophie Baxter in defence. A defensive team which didn’t lack height was the perfect combination allowing frequent interceptions throughout our matches. Our success could not have been reached without the tactical game play from the centre court, consisting of Isabelle Cook, Amelia Semmens, Emily Smith and Grace Mitchell. Their persistent possession of the ball gave our oppositions little chance to attack.

A mid-season winning streak of four matches, including games against competitive schools such as Christ’s Hospital and Bethany School, indicates our level of success. However, this success could not have been reached without our coach, Miss Hallett, who never failed to support from the sideline, as well as delivering our inspirational half-time team talks.

Squad: Phoebe Aucamp, Sophie Baxter, Jemima Bruce-Lockhart, Isabelle Cook, Isabella Dransfield, Imogen Forknall, Anna Harrison, Katie Lang, Katie Marnane (Capt), Grace Mitchell, Amelia Semmens, Emily Smith and Verity Streek.

Other Netball Results 3rd VII

Under 15C

Under 13B

Played 9, Won 7, Drawn 0, Lost 2

Played 6, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 4

Played 7, Won 1, Drawn 2, Lost 4

4th VII

Under 14B

Under 13C

Played 4, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 1

Played 7, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 4

Played 5, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 3

Under 15B

Under 14C

Under 13D

Played 12, Won 7, Drawn 1, Lost 4

Played 2, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 2

Played 6, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 2

Page 115 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 15A Netball Mrs Julia Butcher, Netball Coach

T

he Under 15A team had a strong season with a number of convincing wins, but also a few nail biting losses. Overall, it was a successful season, winning six out of the nine matches we played.

The side, captained by Charlotte Farrell, had an abundance of determination and a great love of Netball. They would never go down without a fight and were always analysing their performances to try to improve week-by-week.

Team talks were generally an animated and chatty experience with almost every team member contributing their opinion or observations.

Our most convincing win came in our very first match against Colfe’s School, winning 52-2. Our shooters, Anaiya Rowswell and Charlotte Farrell, were on form and the play into the circle by Katherine Sawyer (Centre) and Isabel Bruce-Lockhart (WA) was superb. Similarly impressive wins followed with a 20-16 victory over Kent College, a 21-15 win against Christ’s Hospital and a hard-fought 22-19 win away at Cranbrook School.

Record: Played 9, Won 6, Drawn 0, Lost 3

The Player of the Season was awarded to Jessica De Lucy for her ability and willingness to play a variety of positions throughout the season. The Coach’s Player of the Season went to Charlotte Farrell. She always exhibited a positive mental attitude and her team talks were always constructive and informative. The Most Improved Player of the Season was awarded to Anaiya Rowswell. Not only did her shooting accuracy improve over time but her movement in the shooting circle was dynamic and effective.

Squad: Chloe Alexander, Isabel Bruce-Lockhart, Jessica De Lucy, Charlotte Farrell (Capt), Grace Finch, Charlotte Lang, Anaiya Rowswell and Katherine Sawyer.

Under 15A Netball

Towards the end of the season, our form dropped slightly and we lost a number of very tight games. Firstly, an away trip to The Duke of York’s Royal Military School saw us unlucky to come away with a single point loss as the game finished 20-21. A week later, a trip to The King’s School, Canterbury saw a similar outcome. It was a high-paced battle to the finish, with SVS losing 26-23. Our defence worked tirelessly with Grace Finch (GD) and Chloe Alexander (GK) feeling the pressure in the circle and Charlotte Lang (WD) working her socks off too.

One thing that the team worked on throughout the season was the ability to stay positive and constructive during tough matches and to keep spirits up with the aim of turning the game around. We finished the season on a high with a 21-20 win over Ardingly College.

Under 12A Netball Elyse Ratcliffe (First Form)

A

s a team, the Under 12A side had a great first season with some excellent wins along the way. These included a comprehensive 10-4 victory at Maidstone Girls Grammar School and a win in the County Tournament held at Rainham Girls School.

In the tournament, we won our first four games against Kent College (4-1), St Dunstan’s College (6-0), Sir Roger Marwood School (9-2) and Highsted Grammar School (6-2). During these games, Darcy Hanna and I scored the goals, with our mid-court players (Elizabeth Myers, Daisy Dallamore and Ciara Smith) doing an amazing job getting the ball up to us. They passed strongly and accurately and defended the oppositions’ centres tightly. The height and speed of our defenders, Florence Wood and Elizabeth Penfold, gave us an advantage when the ball got to the oppositions’ shooters.

Page 116 - The Suttonian 2019

Record: Played 6, Won 5, Drawn 0, Lost 1

We knew our last game was going to be tough, especially when we saw who we were up against - Sevenoaks School. Despite this, we tried our hardest, with Daisy and Stephanie Callen battling against both the cold conditions and the tall opposition, to stop the ball from going in the hoop.

Even though we lost our last match, we worked hard as a team and did not give up. This season we learned new tactics, scored a lot of goals and really improved our teamwork skills. Thanks to the support of our parents and our encouraging coach, Miss McConnachie, we never lost our determination even at the end.

Squad: Stephanie Callen, Daisy Dallamore, Darcy Hanna, Elizabeth Myers, Elizabeth Penfold, Elyse Ratcliffe (Capt), Ciara Smith and Florence Wood.

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 14A Netball

Under 13A Netball

Lulu Pankhurst (Third Form)

Elizabeth Myers (Second Form)

Record: Played 7, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 4

Record: Played 7, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 3

F

T

Our season started with a closely-contested 19-20 defeat at home to Colfe’s School. We were unlucky to lose that and took the positives into our next match against Kent College, Pembury, which we won 18-12. Another victory against Christ’;s Hospital (34-10) finished off our fixtures for the first half of term.

The first game of the season did not start as we were hoping it might, with an unfortunate loss against Saint Ronan’s School. However, during the next training session we were very determined to bounce back and improve as a team. On 30th January, we played against Ashford School and the training paid off as we won the game 10-3! A week later, we played against Marlborough House and, following our first victory of the season, we were feeling quite confident coming into this match. As a team, we played well and came away with another win, with the final score 22-12.

or the 2018/2019 season, the Under14s had a strong squad with good depth in defence, some quick centre court players and accurate shooters. With a tough run of fixtures, we would need all of those skills against some good opposition schools.

Unfortunately, due to the cancellation of our match against St Lawrence College, we had to wait six weeks before our next fixture against Cranbrook School. Our lack of match practice counted against us and they beat us 3227. Bouncing back, we convincingly beat The Duke of York’s Royal Military School, before finishing the season with back-to-back away defeats against good teams from the King’s School, Canterbury (23-43) and Ardingly College (24-39).

Stand-out players included Louisa Yorke, who played as our goalkeeper. Not used to this position, she quickly adapted and really headed up the defence.

With fast movement by Rose Price and Ava Young through mid-court and excellent distribution of the ball to the shooters, we were able to convert and win many matches. Scarlett Washington and I led the forward line and delivered the goals under pressure. The squad was completed with Katie Moore and Annie Moore, who were able to jump in at any position.

We finished the season having lost more games than we won, but we learnt from the ones we lost and, as the season went on, the squad became more of a team. We are really looking forward to our next season together.

Squad: Annabel Callander, Demi Finch, Annie Moore, Katie Moore, Lulu Pankhurst (Capt), Jemma Payne-Cook, Rose Price, Scarlett Washington, Louisa Yorke and Ava Young.

Under 14A Netball

his season, the Under 13A Netball team had a mixed set of results, winning four and losing three of our fixtures. It was an enjoyable season, though and we played some excellent Netball against some strong opposition teams.

After Half Term, we faced King’s Rochester, who we knew would be a difficult side to beat. Unfortunately, our fears were realised as we came away with a loss. For our next match of the season, we were back at home against Wellesley House and we played a good game, resulting in a strong win.

Our final away match of the season came against Dulwich Prep, Cranbrook.

As one of our closest rivals, we knew that it was going to be hard. Dulwich played an excellent game and came out on top, eventually winning 1810. Despite the defeat, we played extremely well as a team, so had plenty of positives to take away. Our final game of the season left us on a high, winning 35-7 against The Duke of York’s Royal Military School!

Well done to all of the girls who have played for the team this season and thank you to our coach Miss McConnachie, who supported us through the whole season, even when it was freezing!

Squad: Elizabeth Arthur, Katy Barr, Claudia Bennett, Sophie Browning, Natasha Croke, Sophie Edwards, Olivia Farrell, Jessie Gale, Darcy Hanna, Isla Murphy, Elizabeth Myers (Capt), Elyse Ratcliffe, Maisey Russell, Ciara Smith and Florence Wood.

Under 13A Netball

Page 117 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

First Team Girls’ Tennis

Second Team Girls’ Tennis

First Team Girls’ Tennis Georgia Mancais (Upper Sixth)

T

he 2019 Senior Girls’ Tennis season was certainty very exciting and we played some long, hard and fiercely fought matches against some strong opposition schools.

For our first match, we faced a trip to Epsom College at the end of April. The first pair (Kate Woodford and I) took a while to warm up due to the long bus journey; however we picked up our game with some strong forehand strokes from me as well as benefiting from Kate’s many aces. Our third pair on the day, Ella Carter and Alexandra Sacker won a total of 11 games between them displaying impressive technique and good tactics.

As a team, we not only battled strong opposition that day, but also the weather conditions with strong winds and rain making it tough on court.

As this was our first fixture of the season, we knew it would be hard and unfortunately we lost by a small margin, although the team’s energy stayed high for the rest of the season.

After a series of cancelled fixtures, our next match came against Kent College, Pembury.

Page 118 - The Suttonian 2019

Record: Played 5, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 2

Sophie Baxter and Verity Streek had some close games. With Verity’s powerful forehand strokes and Sophie’s unusual hits they managed to win some impressive points. The girls’ positivity stayed high throughout the matches they played that afternoon, and they were rewarded with 6-5 and 6-3 wins. Overall, we won the fixture 7-2.

Having followed that victory up with another win against Cranbrook School (3-1), we headed off for one of our toughest matches of the season an away trip to City of London Freemen’s School.

We arrived full of confidence after our successive wins and were keen to get on court. Similar to our first match of the season, we faced tough conditions with the early afternoon sunshine, quickly turning into pouring rain.

Despite the challenges of the appalling weather, the first pair (Kate Woodford and I) came back from 4-1 down to win our match 6-5. Kate used her killer serve to bring the match back on track and I produced some rather fortunate volleys at the net. The squad as a whole were rewarded with an excellent 5-4 win overall, which we were all delighted with.

For the last match of the season, we headed to The King’s School, Canterbury at the end of June.

We were aware that the King’s girls’ side were very strong, so we knew it would be a challenging fixture to face. As a result, we were mentally and physically prepared and the day provided some extremely competitive and outstanding Tennis.

Unfortunately we were not lucky enough to win, but all of the players and staff agreed it was a great fixture all round to finish the season.

I would like to thank Miss Hallett for coaching the First Team Girls’ Tennis squad and for supporting us with great motivation and advice throughout the season.

I would also like to thank the parents who came along each week to cheer us on and provide us with dry clothes! We worked well as a team and I have thoroughly enjoyed being captain of such a hard working, dedicated team.

Squad: Sophie Baxter, Ella Carter, Gabriella Howarth, Georgia Mancais (Capt), Alexandra Sacker, Lara Savage, Amelia Semmens, Verity Streek, Kate Woodford and Charlotte Wooldridge.

SPORT AND GAMES

Second Team Girls’ Tennis Amelia Semmens (Lower Sixth)

T

he Second Tennis team had a largely successful season, beginning with a tough match away at Epsom College. The girls all played consistently well, showing some impressive skills. Alice Gotke and Elizabeth Moore played with determination and precision to put numerous winning shots past their opponents.

Many of the games had close scores, however, as a team we narrowly lost the match 5-4 to Epsom.

Our next match was at home against our local rivals, Cranbrook School, in which we dominated across the courts. Charlotte Wooldridge and Ihad trained purposefully throughout the week and managed to win both of our matches on the day, thanks to some very convincing net-play from Charlotte. The team put out a wonderful overall performance and came away with a 3-1 win to Sutton Valence.

The next match was back on the road against City of London Freeman’s School, which, from experience, we knew would be a difficult fixture. Again, the team challenged the opposition continuously with Jemima BruceLockhart and Lara Savage playing clinical shots from all across the court

Record: Played 4, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 2

to come away with three wins under their belts. The other pairings weren’t quite as successful and we lost out on the team win, with the final score at another marginal 5-4 to CLFS. Our final game of the season was at home against The King’s School, Canterbury. The girls all showed impressive teamwork and passion in a battle against a great Tennis side, which all led to a 4-2 win for Sutton Valence. This was a fantastic way to finish the season and demonstrates the talent and integrity of the players in the team.

I thoroughly enjoyed this season of Tennis and it was a privilege to captain the team. I look forward to playing with the girls again next season when we will hopefully build on the positives from this year.

Squad: Jenna Boltman, Jemima Bruce-Lockhart, Alice Busby, Alice Gotke, Gabriella Howarth, Annabel Mansfield, Elizabeth Moore, Bethan Pepler, Lara Savage, Amelia Semmens (Capt) and Charlotte Wooldridge.

Under 15A Girls’ Tennis Katherine Sawyer (Fourth Form)

T

he Under 15 Tennis team’s first fixture this season was on Saturday 27th April away against Epsom College. They are always a strong side, so it was going to be hard to beat them and the final score was 2-7 to Epsom.

There were some mixed results across the season, but a very positive one was winning 5-4 against Kent College, Pembury in mid-May. All of the girls used the techniques that they had been working on in training to get the upper hand and help us win against a good Kent College team.

Record: Played 5, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 3

Squad: Chloe Alexander, Isabel Bruce-Lockhart, Charlotte Farrell, Isabelle Hopkins, Louisa Hudson, Anaiya Rowswell, Katherine Sawyer (Capt) and Eliza Semmens.

Under 15A Girls’ Tennis

In training, we all tried to improve by working on our doubles formation, making sure we knew how to work well with our partner in a game situation. Using this, alongside working on individual shots, helped us as a team to improve throughout the season.

Our training was shown to have paid off in our 5-4 win against City of London Freemen’s School. Our improvements were also apparent in a very close fixture against The King’s School, Canterbury, where Sutton Valence lost by only one match. This was a very good result for the girls as King’s are a hard school to beat.

Overall the season was very positive with many new skills learned that we can all take into the upcoming season.

Page 119 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 14A Girls’ Tennis Rose Price (Third Form)

T

he Under 14A team had a strong start to the season with a 7-2 win against Epsom College. This convincing result made us confident for our upcoming matches which were at the Kent Girls’ Doubles Competition, where we joined the Under 15 team travelling to Bromley. Although not victorious, we were pleased with our performance as we all managed to win a few games.

Record: Played 4, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 0

Under 14A Squad: Grace Bartleet, Annie Moore, Katie Moore, Jemma Payne-Cook, Girls’ Tennis Rose Price, Scarlett Washington and Louisa Yorke.

At the next match against Kent College, Pembury, Louisa Yorke and Jemma Payne-Cook helped to continue our winning streak. This was then followed up with another victory against City of London Freeman’s (7-2).

For our final match, we faced The King’s School, Canterbury. We were all exhausted, having just completed our Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Expedition and King’s was a strong side, having had a very successful season themselves. It was going to be a tough finish for us and it went to a tie-break decider for Scarlett Washington and me. The SVS girls held their nerve and we won 6-3. I am really proud of the team for having an unbeaten season and we all improved our Tennis.

Squad: Grace Bartleet, Annie Moore, Katie Moore, Jemma Payne-Cook, Rose Price, Scarlett Washington and Louisa Yorke.

Under 13A Girls’ Tennis Olivia Thorogood (Second Form)

T

he Under 13A Tennis team had a season full of ups and downs this year as we struggled to have consistent results. We played well as a team though and had some fantastic matches along the way.

Out of the six matches the girls played (our seventh was cancelled), we won two which were matches against Epsom College (5-4) and Dulwich Prep, Cranbrook (5-2). Unfortunately, we then suffered three losses against Marlborough House (3-4), Benenden School (4-10) and City of London Freemen’s School (3-6).

We then went to the Kent Schools’ Doubles competition where we went up against some top schools. Despite this, the girls tried their best throughout the whole day. Although we did not manage to get through to the later rounds, we left the day knowing we had given it our best shot. We had an enjoyable season and I look forward to the next.

Squad: Elizabeth Arthur, Katy Barr, Claudia Bennett, Sophie Browning, Olivia Farrell, Darcy Hanna, Annabel Hunt, Elyse Ratcliffe, Maisey Russell, Savannah Taylor, Olivia Thorogood, Liberty Watkinson, Florence Wood and Grace Wright.

Page 120 - The Suttonian 2019

Record: Played 6, Won 2, Drawn 1, Lost 3

Under 13A Girls’ Tennis

SPORT AND GAMES

Senior Boys’ Tennis James Gotke (Lower Sixth)

O

verall, the 2019 Tennis season was strong. There were a number of encouraging results and lessons were learned for next year. The team consisted of only one Upper Sixth student – the mighty captain, Harry O’Rawe as well as five pupils from Lower Sixth.

It was a tough start to the season as we hosted Tonbridge School in round one of the Glanville Cup. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be that day as Tonbridge picked up a comprehensive 10-2 victory overall. This fixture highlighted the depth of our squad as, despite several players being ruled out with injury or other commitments, Herbie Stephenson and Thomas Wood (Third Form) stepped in and made their debuts for the team. A special mention must go to Thomas, as he fought valiantly against players four years his senior.

In typical Sutton Valence fashion, the lads bounced back in our next fixture, away at The Judd. It was round one of the Area Cup and Sutton Valence were not there to make up the numbers! Impressive performances from all four of us (Harry, Finn Swaine, George Samuels and me) resulted in a 6-0 win for Sutton Valence as we won our four singles matches and two doubles matches. We left The Judd pleased with

Record: Played 5, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 2

our strong showing as well as excited and ready for our upcoming matches.

Next up was the local derby, as we faced Cranbrook School at home. The team was determined for victory. In spite of the extremely rainy conditions, we adapted to the slippery surfaces and improved our on-court decision making, an aspect that Alex, the tennis coach, had worked on with us during the week. This led to back-to-back victories for Sutton Valence as we won 6-3. This led to the boys chasing more success.

With a potential third consecutive victory in mind, we made the long journey to City of London Freemen’s School, full of hope and positivity. For the first time this season, we brought three teams and there was a first match of the season for Arthur Moffatt. Harry and I won all three of our matches in rapid succession and Harry was playing with so much confidence that he even threw in a cheeky underarm serve on match point, which completely caught out our opponents.

The Swaine brothers partnered up for the first time and Finn’s swift movement combined with Noah’s huge serving resulted in two out of three wins for the brothers. However, the story

Senior Boys’ Tennis

of the day was perhaps Arthur and Liv Robinson (our gap student, filling in at the last minute for the injured George Samuels). Arthur’s ruthless volleying and Liv’s brilliant baseline hitting led to more wins for the team. Overall, Sutton Valence claimed a 7-2 win and we left London on a high having had three victories in a row.

Unfortunately, the season ended with a 6-0 defeat to a very strong Sevenoaks School team in the semi-finals of the Area Cup. We were competitive against some of the best players in the County and both of our pairs played some incredible points with sheer determination shown throughout.

After an extremely promising season, I am certain that next year we will have even more success and have some deeper runs in the cup. I would like to thank our coach, Alex and Miss Hallett for the training sessions and all their support. A special mention as well to the departing Mr Cope who has helped with the Tennis team for many years.

Squad: James Gotke, Arthur Moffatt, Harry O’Rawe (Captain), George Samuels, Herbie Stephenson, Finn Swaine, Noah Swaine and Thomas Wood.

Other Tennis Results Under 15A Boys Played 2, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 1

Under 14A Boys Played 1, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 1

Third Team Girls Played 2, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 2

Under 12A Girls Played 4, Won 0, Drawn 1, Lost 3

Page 121 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

UWGCF Athletics Day Mr Mark Howell, Director of Sport

I

n May, the School had the pleasure of hosting The United Westminster and Grey Coat Foundation Athletics Day. This year marked the 50th anniversary of this special event and we welcomed visitors from the five schools - Emanuel School, Queen Anne’s School, Westminster City School and Grey Coat Hospital School - to our all-weather track.

The competition has a rich history. When it began in 1969, it was a boys’ only competition contested between the three schools in the United Westminster Schools Foundation. Established by Colonel Godfrey, the boys’ trophy has borne his name ever since.

In 2000, the event was expanded to include the Grey Coat Foundation schools, a move that heralded the introduction of the Millennium Cup, celebrating the evolution of the competition into the mixed-event it is now. Half a century on, we are delighted that the event continues to go from strength to strength with competition as strong as ever.

As Guest of Honour for the event, we also had the pleasure of welcoming Steve Brown, the Captain of the GB Wheelchair Rugby side at the 2012 Paralympics.

The competition on the day was fierce with track and field disciplines hotly contested throughout. After the results had been totted up, all of the competitors came together in a rather rain-soaked marquee for the presentations.

The Millenium Cup was once again lifted by Queen Anne’s School, whose girls performed brilliantly on the day. On the boys’ side, Sutton Valence fared better though, winning the junior and intermediate competitions. This meant we lifted the Godfrey Trophy for the third year in a row. Prior to the 2017 win, the boys’ team had not won the trophy for 12 years. To win it at home on the 50th year anniversary, was a special achievement for the team.

A special mention must go to Oscar Vas (Fourth Form) who broke the Intermediate Boys 100m record running 11.09 seconds. Oscar, along with Tyler Weekes (Fourth Form) jointly won the Best Intermediate Boys Athlete award amassing 40 points across the two events in which they competed.

Page 122 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Sports Day Mr Mark Howell, Director of Sport

T

he last weekend of June saw the School’s annual Sports Day, the most eagerly-anticipated House event of the year.

Students competed in a range of track and field disciplines to secure valuable points for their respective Houses. This year seven School records were broken across a range of different disciplines.

the events in which they participated. In the junior events, Ciara Smith and Rhys Harmer took the awards. At intermediate level, Anna Smith and Tyler Weekes were recognised and at senior level, Isabelle Cook and Jack Lewis took the awards.

In the intermediate events, Oscar Vas put in an impressive time of 11.09 seconds to break the School’s intermediate 100 metre record. Brandon Jackson then followed suit in the senior event, breaking the previous record with his phenomenally quick time of 10.83 seconds.

More senior records tumbled as Elizabeth Fraser broke the senior girls’ High Jump record (1.33 metres) and Alexandra Sacker set a new senior girls’ Javelin record, throwing an impressive 26.95 metres. Maisie Rixon broke the senior Shot Put record with a distance of 9.17 metres and Tom Gray scored a new senior boys’ 800 metre record with a time of 2.12 minutes. Finally, congratulations go to the Holdgate senior girls who broke the 100m relay record.

Overall winners on the day were Holdgate House, with the following individual Victrix Ludorum awards going to athletes who displayed the SVS sport core values of Discipline, Endeavour and Excellence throughout all of Page 123 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 15A Girls’ Cricket

Under 14A Girls’ Cricket

Jessica De Lucy (Fourth Form)

Emily Ferris (Third Form)

Record: Played 6, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 2, Abandoned 1

Record: Played 3, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 3

T

T

In total, we played six matches this season, the highlights of which included winning against Claremont Senior School by 22 runs and our excellent five wicket victory against Cranbook School. We also won against Ashford School by 24 runs. We only had two losses in the whole season but unfortunately a number of games had to be cancelled due to poor weather.

After an early season loss to Epsom College, we competed in an indoor tournament, where we ended up coming second out of eight teams, which was a great achievement for the girls, considering the style of play was new to us all. Unfortunately, the rest of the season was a little disappointing because the classic English summer weather caused a number of our matches to be cancelled. The fixtures we did manage to play though, were enjoyable. Although the results didn’t go our way, we tried our best but we were competing against schools who were more accustomed to the hard ball format, so it was always going to be tough.

he U15A Girls’ Cricket team had a good season. As well as the core group of Fourth Form players, we were pleased to also include some of the younger Cricket players in some of our matches.

Over the course of the season, we entered a number of tournaments. These included the Lady Taverners Indoor Tournament, the Chance To Compete Tournament and, for the first year, the School Sports Magazine National Schools U15 T20 Cricket Cup. We were also pleased to take part in a Cricket master-class by Alice Davidson-Richards. This was very helpful to our season and was great fun. Overall I think that the girls had a great season and improved throughout. We are looking forward to next year already.

Squad: Chloe Alexander, Rosie Aylett, Olivia Chadwick, Holly Clark, Harriet Connor, Jessica De Lucy (Capt), Charlotte Farrell, Demi Finch, Grace Finch, Jessie Gale, Lily Goodwin, Charlotte Holmes, Isabelle Hopkins, Charlotte Lang, Rosie Larchet, Annie Moore, Elizabeth Myers, Lulu Pankhurst, Jemma Payne-Cook, Rose Price, Suma Rai, Anna Smith, Imogen Taylor, Scarlett Washington, Honor Whiteley and Elizabeth Wooff.

Page 124 - The Suttonian 2019

he Under 14 girls began the Cricket season with very little confidence, given it was our first time playing with a hard ball.

We persevered though and, despite the results, we improved a lot as a team.

Towards the end of the season, we were fortunate to take part in a women’s Cricket master-class, delivered by Alice Davidson-Richards, the Kent and England cricketer. This was a very helpful and enjoyable training session.

Squad: Rosie Aylett, Annabel Callander, Holly Clark, Asia Davies, Olivia Farrell, Emily Ferris (Capt), Demi Finch, Grace Finch, Lily Goodwin, Annie Moore, Katie Moore, Lulu Pankhurst, Jemma Payne-Cook, Freya Penfold, Rose Price, Suma Rai, Millie Sands, Grace Wilson, Millie Wright, Louisa Yorke and Ava Young.

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 13A Girls’ Cricket

Under 15A Girls’ Cricket

Olivia Chadwick (Second Form) Record: Played 5, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 1

T

he U13A Girls’ Cricket team had a good season, participating in a number of tournaments and playing against some strong teams.

The first tournament was the Lady Taverners Indoor Tournament. After some tough matches, the girls’ fantastic teamwork resulted in us earning a place in the final. In that match, we were playing against Colfe’s School and we won the game by nine runs, which lead us on to the next stage of the tournament. This round was held at Sevenoaks School and unfortunately we weren’t quite as lucky as we hoped and lost against the hosts in the final.

We also participated in the Chance to Compete Tournament in mid-May. All of the girls played really well but a special mention must got to Olivia Farrell and Elizabeth Myers for amazing batting. Yet again, we got through to the finals due to the girls great teamwork and determination. Unfortunately, we were playing against our rivals Sevenoaks again and lost once more. So overall we came second, which was a great result for the team.

Under 14A Girls’ Cricket

We played many other games this season but due to bad weather, some had to be cancelled. One of the highlights was our game against Saint Ronan’s School when we showed great enthusiasm and courage and managed to win by a single run.

On 15th May we played away at Epsom College. All of the girls performed well in this match, which yet again led us to another victory, this time winning by 33 runs. A week later, we played away against St Lawrence College. We knew that this would be a tough match as they were a strong team. Unfortunately, despite the girls’ great determination, we lost by 10 runs.

On the 15th June, we played against City of London Freemen’s at home.

It was another tough game but with all of the girls trying their best and determined to win, we managed to secure a victory. It was a very close game but we beat them by one run.

On the same day, the girls had an opportunity to meet Alice DavidsonRichards who is an England player. She hosted a master-class where we were able to do batting practice and fielding practice. It definitely helped the girls teamwork, communication, confidence and overall game play; it was a great experience.

Under 13A Girls’ Cricket

Also Elizabeth Myers, Jessie Gale and I were invited to play some fixtures with the Under 15As. At first, we all found it a bit daunting, but in the end it was a great fun and good experience. Our highlights of the season were winning the first part of the Lady Taverners Indoor tournament and beating Epsom College by 33 runs. Both of these were a great achievement for the girls and for the School. Overall I think the girls had a great season and are looking forward to next year’s Cricket season.

Squad: Elizabeth Arthur, Katy Barr, Sophie Browning, Olivia Chadwick, Isla Creed, Sophie Edwards, Olivia Farrell, Jessie Gale, Nina Ghale, Darcy Hanna, Elizabeth Myers, Elizabeth Penfold, Maisey Russell, Ciara Smith, Jemima Wilson and Grace Wright.

Page 125 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

1st XI Cricket Mr Vince Wells, Head of Cricket

A

young SVS side took to the field for the start of the 2019 season.

With only three Upper Sixth Form regulars, there were going to be many tough challenges ahead.

Unfortunately, the winter nets got off to a slow start in terms of pupil numbers. These sessions are important in preparing for the season. This was especially the case with the batting side of things and making sure that we were capable of putting competitive totals on the scoreboard.

With the team made up predominantly of Lower Sixth pupils, plus two Fifth Form boys, Oliver Payne-Cook and Cameron Lindsay, the team certainly demonstrated a good work ethic and commitment once the season got under way.

The season was definitely the hardest of my 11 years at SVS. Due to the late Easter and examinations, a few mid-week fixtures had to be cancelled and, as always, we had the usual frustrations with the weather, which resulted in our fixture against Worth School being cancelled

Record: Played 12, Won 5, Drawn 2, Lost 4, Abandoned 1

and a well-placed game against The Judd being abandoned at the half way stage.

The concerns of putting runs on the board were exposed at times throughout the season, but especially in the early stages of the campaign.

Despite many starts, the top order were unable to build on this, which resulted in early defeats to The Forty Club and Sevenoaks School. However, the team’s fighting abilities were there to see as we battled hard for a draw against the MCC, despite being short of their total.

Benjamin Watkins, who has worked extremely hard on his batting during the last two winters, was rewarded with the first 50 of the season against the MCC. On the bowling front, the boys had started reasonably well with Arthur Genders, George Baker and Max Savage building on last year’s experience with the 1st XI. The bowling ability was very evident in our fixture away at St Lawrence College. Having only scored 100 in our 30 overs, the boys put a lot of pressure on with tight bowling which was backed up

1st XI Cricket

by some good fielding. The pressure gradually built and despite a few strong partnerships, we managed to bowl St Lawrence out for 80 with George Baker the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets, plus two important wickets in one over and some good captaincy from Thomas Saltmarsh, at the end of innings.

Following the Half Term break, despite the abandoned match against The Judd and a loss to The King’s School, Canterbury, there was a marked improvement from the boys, especially with the batting. This came to the fore in our victory against The Skinners’ School. Chasing 170 to win, the boys achieved the win for the loss of only six wickets with a few overs to spare.

Barnaby Loxton-Barnard was top scorer with 49 and Jack Stanton-Gleaves added a fine 44, plus a quick-fire 20 not out from Fifth Former, Cameron Lindsay at the end of the innings.

The form with the bat continued in the next match against the Band of Brothers, with Benjamin Watkins scoring a season’s best 88 and another aggressive 40 coming from Oliver Payne-Cook. An exciting game of Cricket finished in a draw with Sutton Valence 12 runs short of their target, with only two wickets remaining when play was ended.

The penultimate Friday of term once again saw the 1st XI Twenty20 day at The King’s School, Canterbury. This is the fourth year that this has taken place and it is thoroughly enjoyed by all, not least as it gives the boys a chance to wear their coloured clothing. Our semi-final was against the hosts and, as always, this was another exciting match. Sutton Valence won the toss and batted first, scored 128-5 with a fine 47 from Oliver Payne-Cook with the game evenly poised.

In reply, King’s were always up with the run rate but good captaincy from Jack Stanton-Gleaves and fine bowling from Max Savage (2-16), plus a brilliant penultimate over from Cameron Lindsay, conceding only one run, meant that we won an exciting game by four runs. Unfortunately, in the final against Sevenoaks School, our old ways of getting a start with the bat but not pushing on returned to haunt us and we left as runners-up but with many positives from the day.

Our final fixture of the season was against St Charles College from South Africa. It is always nice to welcome visitors to our lovely ground at

Page 126 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES The Upper and this was no different. It was a glorious day and the boys finished the season with a good performance, eventually winning by 28 runs. Once again Oliver Payne-Cook contributed with 36 and there was also a fine 40 from Jack Stanton-Gleaves. On the bowling front, it was nice to see Hugh Harman take three wickets with his off-spin. With some winter work and more consistency with his accuracy, Hugh has the potential to have a very good season in 2020.

A special mention must also go to Jack Stanton-Gleaves for his all-round contribution to the team. Starting the season as our number three batsman and bowling off-spin, Jack then had to take over as wicket keeper, as well as captaining for a number of games.

At the end of the season, we lost Thomas Saltmarsh, Lars Eastman and Barnaby Loxton-Barnard. Hopefully these boys will continue to enjoy their Cricket and we will see them in the near future for the OS game. With a number of the team still remaining, plus another year’s worth of experience, next year will hopefully be an exciting one for the 1st XI. The added incentive

of a February Half Term tour to Cape Town, South Africa always makes the winter more focused. Looking ahead there are a number of good younger cricketers coming through the ranks and the future is looking bright. There will be a lot of competition for places in 2020 and that can only be good for SVS cricket.

A big thank you once again must go to Neil Cox and Rob Harrison for their coaching input throughout the year, Ian Avery, Kevin Stickles and the ground staff for our wonderful facilities, John Devine and his catering team for our great lunches and teas and Philip Higgins and Andy Cox for their tireless work as umpires.

Squad: George Baker, Lars Eastman, Arthur Genders, Max Hansford, Hugh Harman, George Jones, Cameron Lindsay, Barnaby Loxton-Barnard, Oliver Payne-Cook, Louis Ridge, Max Savage, Thomas Saltmarsh (Capt), William Saltmarsh, Jack Stanton-Gleaves, Ryan Washington and Benjamin Watkins.

2nd XI Cricket Mr Steven Head, Master I/C

W

ith the start of another Summer Term, the 2nd XI was keen to get out into the field and show how good they could be as a team. Our opening game was away against Sevenoaks School in decidedly wintry conditions; certainly not the ideal weather to begin our campaign. This showed with some rash shots on a difficult wicket, reducing us to 42 for 5. It was at this point that Bishesh Bhandari (46) and Archie Crouch (45*) came together, and with a controlled display of hitting, guided the score to a more than respectable total.

After hiding in the pavilion for a while to warm up, the boys found enough warm clothing and took to the field. The tone was set from the start with Felix Dont taking what was, perhaps, the catch of the season early in the Sevenoaks innings. This proved pivotal as they struggled to recover. Some sharp fielding and controlled bowling (Will Saltmarsh taking three wickets), meant that we started the season with a six run victory, although warming up took some considerable time.

Record: Played 3, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 2

luck with the fixtures in the coming year and with the quality of players that we have retained within the squad, it promises to be an exciting summer of Cricket for the 2nd XI. Squad: Sam Allison, Ewen Barr, Alexander Bartleet, Bishesh Bhandari, James Crombie, Archie Crouch (Capt), Felix Dont, Cameron Evans, Presley Farrance, Elliot Gooding, Hugh Harman, Joseph Lenehan, Joseph McDermott, Toby Murch, Finnian O’Keefe, Matthew Rackliffe, Louis Ridge, William Saltmarsh, Finlay Sprent, Herbie Stephenson, Ryan Washington, James Yeabsley and McKellen Young.

2nd XI Cricket

The poor early summer weather meant that we had to wait another two-and-a-half weeks for our next game, against St Lawrence College. A combination of ring rustiness and exam pressures meant that we struggled to get a foot hold in the game. St Lawrence took full advantage and we ended up losing by seven wickets in a game that was far closer than the final result might suggest.

Further poor weather, and other teams pulling out, meant that we only had one more fixture, this time against the The King’s School, Canterbury.

We managed to put out a strong side, but a combination of poor bowling and even worse batting, put us onto the back foot for the whole game.

Although it was a nice occasion for us to say goodbye to the departing Upper Sixth Form players, we could not change the course of the game and lost again by seven wickets.

It was a shame that there were so few games played this year, especially as there was so much potential in the squad. Hopefully we will have better Page 127 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 15A Cricket

Under 14A Cricket

Jonny Russell (Fourth Form)

Alec Martin (Third Form)

Record: Played 7, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 5, Abandoned 1

Record: Played 6, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 4

T

T

his season, the Under 15A team had mixed results. We had a few matches disrupted by the weather; one was cancelled outright and another, against The Judd, abandoned midway through, which was a shame as we were in a strong position. Of the matches that were completed, we won one and lost five, but one of those was against The Skinners’ School when we lost by a single run.

Our team all showed commitment and resilience as we did not give up when the score was going against us. Joe Savage did some fantastic wicket keeping and never complained when the balls were coming at him at a fast pace. There were some great batting performances from Will Fitzsimons, Pip Hodson and Jamie Latter-Lumsden. Tyler Weekes also added some short, but powerful innings. Our batting was backed up by some consistent performances from Felix Plant and Josh Pantony in the lower orders.

Bowling from our fast pace bowlers - myself, William Fitzsimons, Andrew Loy and Freddie Rigby was successful in most matches and limited the opposition’s ability to score runs. Our spin bowlers, Michael Summers and Pip Hodson (who changed mid-season to a successful spin bowler), kept the opposition on their toes and performed equally as well. Finally, our fielding is something that needs to be kept tighter going forward. Jenson McInulty and Felix Connell played in a few matches and added some good fielding performances.

Thank you to Mr Fewson, our coach for the season, for keeping us all in order and whose great knowledge of the game helped us make decisions that were invaluable to making the match as close as it was on many occasions.

Squad: Jasper Benson, Felix Connell, William Fitzsimons, Pip Hodson, Jamie Latter-Lumsden, Andrew Loy, Jenson McInulty, Joshua Pantony, Felix Plant, Freddie Rigby, Jonny Russell (Capt), Joe Savage, Michael Summers and Tyler Weekes.

Under 15A Cricket

Page 128 - The Suttonian 2019

he U14A cricket team experienced a season of two halves.

At first the team showed some early promise against strong opposition but lacked consistency with the ball as well as solid partnerships with the bat.

The volatile May weather didn’t contribute to favourable cricketing weather, leading to some cancelled games and challenging batting conditions. The latter, especially, was not kind to Sutton Valence and resulted in the losses of a couple of closely fought games, one of those at home against St Lawrence College.

The second half of the season saw a change in fortunes with some great all-round performances backed up by good work in the field. It started with a narrow away loss against The King’s School, Canterbury followed by a strong win against The Skinners’ School at home, with Alec Martin scoring an unbeaten 97 runs. Alec didn’t have to wait long for his 100 as he followed it up with a 120 not out in a match against The King’s School, Canterbury a few days later. On this occasion, SVS turned the tables with a good win.

Overall it was a respectable season for the Under 14A team with many good attributes to build on for next season. The team showed that they can build pressure with ball in hand, with good performances from George Sturges, Oliver Smith and Henry Martin. There were also gutsy contributions with bat in hand from James Pepler and Henry Martin.

A big thank you to Mr Harrison our coach, umpire, scorer and even driver, at times, for away games.

Squad: Joshua Fawell, Jackson Hardwick, William Howgill, Alfie Jarrett, Heston King, Alec Martin (Capt), Henry Martin, Oliver Murch, James Pepler, Struben Savage, Ollie Smith, George Sturges and Maximus Woods.

Under 14A Cricket

SPORT AND GAMES

Page 129 - The Suttonian 2019

SPORT AND GAMES

Under 13A Cricket Harry Mundell (Second Form)

Record: Played 5, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 3

T

he best way to describe our season this year was that it was much like the weather - mixed. We played some good matches though and worked well as a team.

Squad: Oliver Barr, Toby De Lucy, Jessie Gale, Rhys Harmer, Brook Homewood, Samuel Laird, Harry Mundell (Capt), Brennan O’Keefe, Jack Piller, Otto Plant, Alfie Reeve, Charles Taylor, Jack Walsh and Samuel Wilding.

We began the season very well with a huge eight wicket victory over the Schools at Somerhill, a great start. However, the weather then changed, as did our results, with our next seven games either lost to the weather or to teams that were simply better than us on the day.

Under 13A Cricket

Cancelled matches included fixtures against Saint Ronan’s School and Worth School in early May as well as The Judd and Junior King’s in early June. Our losses included a heavy ten wicket defeat to Wellesley House and an eight wicket loss to Dulwich Prep, Cranbrook. Fortunately though, the sun returned at the end of the season, as did our form, and we closed the campaign with another huge win over St Edmund’s, Canterbury, defeating them by five wickets.

The team did not lack enthusiasm, but sometimes luck was not on our side.

We always gave it our all though and enjoyed the season. A special mention must go to Jessie Gale, who did very well with both bat and ball and was rewarded with another place in the Kent girls’ team. Toby de Lucy also had some success with the bat, including 65 runs in the opening game against Somerhill. Overall I really enjoyed captaining the side and look forward to the group progressing to Under 14s next year.

Other Cricket Results

Page 130 - The Suttonian 2019

Boys

Girls

Under 15B

Under 15B

Played 4, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 1

Played 2, Won 0, Drawn 0, Lost 2

Under 14B

Under 14B

Played 4, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 1

Played 1, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 0

Under 13B

Under 13B

Played 5, Won 4, Drawn 0, Lost 1

Played 2, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 1

Under 13C

Under 12A

Played 3, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 1

Played 2, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 1

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

OS NEWS

AND FEATURES

“

Having retired last Christmas, I am delighted to be continuing my association with the School and Old Suttonian network through the SVS Foundation Council. Reading through the articles included this year, I continue to be amazed by the breadth and diversity of the OS community. With global environmental challenges such a hot topic at present, I am delighted that we can celebrate a number of Old Suttonians who, through their work, are at the forefront of highlighting the struggle we face in the areas of sustainability and biodiversity. Aside from that, there is an introduction to the SVS Foundation and the associated opportunities it creates, as well as some reflective pieces on Peter Fairley (1948 M) and Sydney Wooderson (1933 W). I hope you enjoy reading the items as much as I did and thank all the OS who freely gave of their time to write their contributions.

�

Mrs Helen Knott (Staff 2002-2018) Page 131 - The Suttonian 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

SVS Foundation

Old Suttonian Engagement Mr Robert Sinclair (1967 M)

H

aving attended a number of OS functions over the last few years, it became evident to me that consideration needed to be given to the role of the OSA and, ostensibly, whether it had lost its relevance or passed its sellby-date. The concern was that over time it had morphed into something of a layered organisation and it has begun to hold limited relevance. As most of us had moved on, this clearly needed to change and a new approach sought.

With the establishment of the partnership arrangement with the School and the subsequent introduction of the SVS Foundation this year, the chance presents itself to use this new era to head off the possible failure at the pass and make the new arrangement work for us, as Old Suttonians, in a way that adds value to our lives. At a base level, this means supporting the School’s infrastructure and looking at a way to make Old Suttonians want to engage with one another more broadly.

Looking firstly at OS events, the initial adjustment is to ensure that OS functions are not solely populated according to the date of departure from the School. We need to ensure that Old Suttonians meet without hesitation or fear, but equally that there is a common denominator beyond just being at school together.

To that end, the ultimate objective is to put our events programme into autopilot, with the School not needing to stage manage the process. Instead, it should be an ad hoc process, run by Old Suttonians for Old Suttonians whether that be in a pub, at a dinner or on the sports field. Although it will still be monitored and marketed by the School’s Development Office, the onus will be on the Old Suttonians themselves to drive it forward.

To facilitate this, the School is looking at ways to get smarter in its approach to alumni relations to make the OS a more relevant and vibrant organisation. Key to that is the use of its existing database to better group together Old Suttonians for events. Coming back to the need for a common denominator (beyond simply being at the same school), the intention is to focus on vocationally-targeted groups, with our respective industry or profession acting as an additional common ground.

To progress, this process requires the OS community to do some work. It is essential that the database is correct. For that to happen, members of the OS need to check and correct their information and load up their details if they have been ‘lost’. Using this updated information, it will be far easier to produce industry-specific event groups that we hope will be more relevant to OS members.

The vehicle for these updates is this year’s OS Survey, which most of you will have received by email earlier this year. This is a very quick and easy online survey which can be completed via the QR code opposite or at: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/SVSUpdateForm Once this has been completed, we hope to have populated the database effectively by the end of 2019. This information will then enable the SVS infrastructure to be used to more efficiently connect relevant members and allow easier engagement with the organisers of proposed OS events.

Robert Sinclair (1967 M)

Page 132 - The Suttonian 2019

Whilst the ease of the online survey will appeal to many within the OS community, I am mindful that not all Old Suttonians are as computer literate as we might be. Accordingly, we would be grateful if you could provide the

following key information by post to the School’s Development Office.

Full name, maiden name (if applicable), SVS leaving year, home postal address with postcode, email address and contact number.

We would also ask that you provide any relevant work information, including job title or position, name of employer and industry. Finally, please indicate any willingness to take part in any sporting or social interest that will allow us to better tailor the communication you receive.

We want to focus our targeting to make it more relevant to individual members.

For those of you who may fall into the nontechnologically savvy category, I also accept there may be a reticence in engaging with the various online methods of networking, including LinkedIn, Facebook and SVS Connect, the latter of which also offers a digital means for easy online updates of personal details. As daunting as that may sound, once you have mastered these three access points, the process does become far more intuitive. If I can do it, anyone can.

So my plea is that all OS make an effort to update the database as soon as possible, and let’s connect. The OS community can really develop into a useful focal point that will connect the past association with the more recent generation of leavers. I know from my own experience it can be fun to reconnect and cement relationships through the available channels and I would encourage you all to do similar. Connections made via the OS will undoubtedly last and become more relevant as they are used. I think the phrase “use or lose it” might be relevant.

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

Harvey Beaton (2019 F) The 1576 Fund Bursaries Mr Richard Harvey (1963 C)

I

n September 2017, the first bursary awarded through The 1576 Fund went to Harvey Beaton (2019 F), a Maidstone boy whose ability on the Rugby field has earned him a professional contract with one of the country’s top clubs, as well as selection for the England Under 18 squad.

Harvey started out at Northborough Primary School before moving on to Valley Park School, Maidstone, where he earned 11 GCSEs. Ahead of his A Levels, his engaging personality and love of Rugby earned him a two-year bursary to Sutton Valence School, financed through the Blyth Bursary, a subsidiary of The 1576 Fund, funded by a legacy from Brian Blyth (1946 M).

Although Harvey had already been talentspotted by Saracens RUFC, Valley Park predominantly played Football, so the scope for his development was relatively limited. The chance to play regular Rugby against some of the best schools in the South East, as well as the outstanding coaching and facilities, convinced Harvey that his final two years’ schooling would be best spent at Sutton Valence.

Harvey explains, “When I told my friends that I was coming here, I got a bit of ribbing about being ‘posh’. However, it is not like that at all, and I was happy to discover that Sutton Valence is such a friendly school - more like a family really. It is great being taught in small classes, and being given responsibility. They let you get on with it, but there is always great support. I normally arrive about 15 minutes before the start of the school day and have a chat with my Housemaster Mr Tim Cope (Staff 2013-2019), who has had a big influence on me.”

Harvey’s commitment to taking a full part in School life has earned him the blue gown of a School prefect, and his academic endeavours have seen him progress well with his A Levels in Psychology, History and Physical Education.

That has been key to him being awarded a fouryear contract with Saracens, the club which has nurtured the talents of England internationals Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell and the Vunipola brothers. “The club are clear they want their players to have the qualifications for a good career,” says Harvey.

He also reflects that bursaries are a two-way street. His Rugby talents have helped SVS win all but three of the 29 representative games he has played for the School and have earned him the 1st XV captaincy. “Being a leader on the pitch is important to me,” he says. “I never had the opportunity to be a captain before I came here.”

His outstanding leadership and performances on the pitch for Sutton Valence were reflected in his development within the Saracens’ academy, where his standing has continued to grow over the course of the last two years. In the summer of 2018, his efforts were rewarded with a callup to the England Under 18 squad for the Aon International Series in South Africa. Playing all three matches, he gained valuable international experience against high-level opposition.

To all of the future bursary recipients at the School, Harvey’s advice is simple: “There are many terrific opportunities at Sutton Valence take every one you get”.

Harvey Beaton and the Headmaster, Mr Bruce Grindlay

Page 133 - The Suttonian 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

Behind the Camera - Peter Hylands (1968 F) Foreword by Richard Harvey (1963 C)

T

here has arguably never been a greater awareness than right now, of the damage that mankind is wreaking on the world in which we live.

Peter Hylands (1968 F) and his wife, Andrea, are eloquent voices in the campaign to raise international understanding of these issues. They have travelled all over the world, run a multi-media business, advise governments, businesses and economists and highlight the existence and cultures of far-distant, little-known tribes and ethnic groups.

Peter Hylands (1968 F) and crew in Western Arnhem Land

Peter was at SVS for four years, immersed himself in Science, Geography and Archaeology, but – in common with several other creatively-inclined boys during the ‘60s – was strongly opposed to compulsory service in the cadet force. “I guess I was a bit of a rebel, and an activist, even in those days,” he says.

But he looks back with fondness on his time at the school. “SVS did a lot of good things for me, such as decision-making and leadership.

Perhaps most of all, it fostered a respect for education, which gave me a lifelong career.”

Andrea and Peter Hylands (1968 F) in Rift Valley, Kenya

After leaving school, he worked for Pearson, the largest book publisher in the world, becoming a regional managing director of Pearson Professional and subsequently a director of Longman Asia Pacific. This experience fuelled his passion for educational publishing, and set him on a directly-related, but far more challenging, life after leaving Britain in 1974. Peter takes up the story…

For the last 20 years or so, I have been an entrepreneur, author and producer of films, books, magazines and a comprehensive website (www.creativecowboyfilms.com).

I create knowledge-based content with Andrea, with projects shown in museums and art galleries around the world.

We believe that the worldwide web is at its best when used to enhance creativity and knowledge and for several years I have been a judge of the US Webbys awards.

We work a lot in very remote places, with indigenous people in the Asia Pacific and Africa, and with nature of course. It is a kind of a huntergatherer existence - we travel to wonderful Page 134 - The Suttonian 2019

places around the world, then go back home and sit in a room for weeks on end working on the content we have collected.

In recent years we have been living in Gifu, Japan and Melbourne, Australia. Sometimes we travel from the sprawl of Tokyo, with its population of 38 million, to an Aboriginal place called Wallace Rockhole in central Australia with a population of 80. That is a wonderful and joyous thing and a great opportunity to learn from others, even if working in 50 degree temperatures.

In the 1970s we decided to set up a base in Australia so we could assist with wildlife conservation. We purchased two properties, one on Cape York Peninsula on the Great Barrier Reef, and the other in Central Victoria, a long way to the south. This gave us a much greater understanding of natural history which we already knew quite a lot about, thanks to England and our education there.

The environmental issues in a rapidly developing Asia Pacific are both complex and deeply

OS NEWS AND FEATURES troubling. Because we have been travelling the region for nearly half a century we know what was there before and what is no longer there.

One of the things we worry about is the decline in wildlife populations (including insects), which is very dramatic. We see some pretty bad things.

What is very concerning is places that are among the remotest in the world – where no one now lives - were once teaming with life. Nothing - just stillness and silence. Gerald Durrell described this process as sawing off the tree branch you happen to be sitting on - in other words a chain of extinction and biodiversity loss that will lead directly to us.

If we look to the north west, across the Australian continent to Indonesia and Malaysia, here are three countries, which we know well, that are destroying the natural world at pace.

Australia leads the world in mammal extinctions and all three countries are major deforestation hotspots. These are places where nature counts for very little. There are great cruelties, so this adds another dimension.

elephants, pangolins, rhinos and orang-utans. To the east, taking in Papua New Guinea, we have - or should have - kangaroos, koalas, wombats and platypus.

We travel across deserts in central Australia and tropical savannah in the north of the continent.

Travelling in the remote tropics, where there are no real roads or bridges, means river crossings where you put the 4WD in the river and hope, as some of the largest crocodiles in the world drift by the window.

This is in places like Arnhem Land, which in the inaccessible wet season becomes a giant wetland of great beauty, with lilies, birds and crocodiles, and its attendant great Aboriginal cultures with their knowledge and power. There are so many languages here and very few people speak English, so we call that “crossing country and crossing culture”. Very few Australians even know about this place.

We have tried to inform people about what is really happening to the natural world and to the animals in it, and this has been reasonably effective at countering the misleading claims from governments.

In the 1970s we sank in a big storm in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a real shipwreck. We were very lucky, managing to swim to a small island. A few years ago we travelled across the Flores Sea with local fishermen from a place called Labuan Bajo, which we love, to visit the small islands where we were able to spend precious time with the komodo dragons which still live there.

The Wallace Line is one of the great examples.

One side of the line dissects Indonesia and to the west we have - or should have – Asian

We have had a long relationship with Melanesia and our trips across the Great Barrier Reef to the Torres Strait in small aircraft have always been a

great and wonderful adventure. Like Aboriginal Australia, this was a world of warriors and great leaders and extraordinary creativity and art.

As a result of climate change, the Torres Strait has just seen Australia’s latest mammal extinction.

Meanwhile, mud flats off the coast of Papua New Guinea are flooding fast and the coral cays will be next to go. Life on some of the small islands is getting tough for the humans and other species that live there.

Since we first started swimming the vast Great Barrier Reef in the 1970s, at least half has now gone. It is in dire trouble, and that tells us a very bad story which will eventually connect directly back to all of us.

We should remember it was not that long ago and Aboriginal people still remember it in their stories and song cycles - that it was possible to walk from Papua New Guinea south to the Australian mainland, and across the Bass Strait from Victoria to Tasmania. The Earth and nature are powerful and need our respect.

As Andrea and I head rapidly towards our seventies, the things that matter to us most are connecting cultures and improving understanding between us all. It is difficult to do one without the other and the future of young people is at the very heart of it.

Arahmaiani, the Dalai Lama and Peter Hylands (1968 F)

Page 135 - The Suttonian 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

Ian Kay (1941 M) - A Lifetime of OS Service Mr Will Radford, Development Manager

I

n the convoluted world of alumni relations, the development of a successful engagement programme remains as challenging as ever. Social media and other technological stimuli have helped, but the most efficient, triedand-tested formula remains that of an effective ambassadorial programme. In short, this is the ability to find alumni who are so dedicated and enthusiastic about the School that they drive the alumni programme forward themselves. These are rare beasts who often disappear, disillusioned with the apathy they face.

Occasionally though you find one that sticks around and even more occasionally you find one that has done so for 70 years.

Ian Kay (1941 M) joined the School in May 1937, staying four years before leaving after a single term in the Sixth Form. Sadly, his father had lost his business due to the Second World War and the fees were no longer affordable. This resulted in seven years away from SVS before, on a return visit to the School in 1948, Ian was asked by Aiden Craven (1926 M) to join the OSA Committee. So began a lifetime of service.

for 1940s leavers. In 2006, he was asked to take over the event’s organisation and has done so ever since; the successful 2019 event is included later in the magazine.

In 2010, as the School marked 100 years of association with the United Westminster Schools’ Foundation with a service at Westminster Abbey, Ian was asked to speak and did so with his usual aplomb. Addressing an audience of over 1,000, he regarded it as one of the greatest honours of his life. Some nine years later, he returned to the microphone to read the names of the Old Suttonian fallen as part of the Commemoration of the OSA Centenary Bell.

A regular face at both School and OS events, his support is unwavering. One such occasion that epitomises this was his attendance at an OS

drinks function in London Bridge back in 2017. It was a bitterly cold, snowy Wednesday night and a train derailment had caused transport chaos across London. Our expected guest list of 25 had been reduced to single figures, but Ian, then aged 91, was undeterred and arrived promptly.

In writing an obituary for his close friend, John Pye, which is included later in the magazine, Ian took the liberty of including details of his own life, in the eventuality of us needing to print it.

Such is the scale and selfless dedication of his service to the School and fellow Old Suttonians that we felt it more appropriate to celebrate his service now, rather than later. He has been and continues to be a servant to all things SVS and we hope his support will continue for a long while yet.

Having joined the Committee, he would go on to serve on it for over 50 years. In the mid1950s, he was asked to take on the mantle of OSA Dinner Secretary and he did so from 1956 through to 1991. He always said it was the best job on the Committee as he met OS of all ages.

Remarkably, at the first dinner he organised in 1956, he had met a leaver from 1891.

Ian’s contribution was not constrained to the realms of social functions though, his love of Hockey led to active involvement on the sports fields as well. When Patrick McIlwaine became a member of staff in the early 1980s, he encouraged the development of an Old Suttonian Hockey team. The sport had only been introduced to the School in 1964, so Ian became the first OS player who had not learned the sport whilst at the School. Regularly turning out for the team during the 1980s, Ian’s fitness, even into his late-fifties, meant he was as competitive as ever.

Having retired from the role of Dinner Secretary, two other Old Suttonians, Michael Hovey (1946 W) and Michael Soloman (1945 W), invited Ian to a reunion lunch they had been holding annually Page 136 - The Suttonian 2019

Mr Ian Kay (1941 M) with Dr Lilla Grindlay (Staff 2009-2019) at Speech Day 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

Mr Ian Kay (1941 M) in 1940 St Margaret’s House Photo

A Small Old Suttonian World Mrs Annie Wilkinson (Staff 1984-2016)

I

have always wanted to go to New Zealand so felt very lucky to be landing in Christchurch on ANZAC Day this year. Wonderful weather, wonderful scenery, autumnal colours and wonderful people. We journeyed up the east coast to Hoddy Road to spend a few days with Margaret and Nigel Jones (Staff 1987-1998) at their beautiful bungalow with views of the Tasman Sea. When Nigel first moved to the area, he taught at Nelson College, the birthplace of New Zealand Rugby and it was there that he met Sue, daughter of Harold ‘Bill’ Wheeler (1939 M). Through this link, Nigel had got to know fellow Old Suttonian, Bill and he was keen that we also had the opportunity to meet him. Although Nigel, who is now retired, was busy resolving last minute issues with referees (as it was the first day of the Rugby season), he arranged for us to visit Bill at his home in a retirement village just outside Richmond.

that he went to lecture at Wellbeck College where, coincidentally, Nigel had taught Mathematics before coming to Sutton Valence. Such a small world!

It was a fantastic morning spent with Bill and Nigel sharing so many happy memories.

Mrs Annie Wilkinson (Staff 1984-2016), Mr Harold Wheeler (1939 M) and Mr Nigel Jones (Staff 1987-1998)

At 98, Bill is the fourth oldest Old Suttonian and what a delightful, charming gentleman he is. He made us feel so welcome and so proud to be an Old Suttonian. During his time at the School, from 1934 through to 1939, Bill had captained the 1st XI Cricket team, represented the School at Athletics and Football and served as a School Prefect. We chatted about farming families that were still in Kent, about the School in his time and all that has happened more recently.

Having left Sutton Valence, he went on to study for a Masters in Agriculture at Oxford Brookes University (back then Oxford City Technical College). After Page 137 - The Suttonian 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

The Story of a Misspent Adulthood Professor Alastair Thomas (1967 L)

Page 138 - The Suttonian 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

I

often think, when I see someone engaged in a daft hobby, that our hobby of collecting and restoring vehicles probably seems just as odd to them. The choice of hobby, if it can be as conscious as a choice, usually needs a catalyst. In our case it was the memory of our father's car when we were young; specifically a 1949 2.5 litre Riley saloon which he bought from new for export to Egypt where the family was living at the time. This engendered an enduring loyalty to the Riley marque and vintage and classic cars in general, which started in a small way and gradually grew like Topsy.

My first Riley was a 1948 1½ litre saloon which I purchased at university for £10. It was what we would call a “banger” and it was not long before I had to take the body off a scrap car to replace mine, which had gaps in it big enough to see the road below. I drove it for 14 years, until it was once again falling apart. I put it away and bought a 2½ litre Riley.

Meanwhile, my brother Gordon (1968 L) had purchased his first Riley (a 1952 2½ litre saloon) for £145, having negotiated the price down from £160 because of a faulty exhaust system. This was one of the few cars that either of us eventually sold, because better things came along. In 1983, Gordon purchased his first pre-war car, a 1934 Riley 6 cylinder Lynx tourer which, whilst being in a fairly disreputable state, he drove enthusiastically for nine years before laying it up awaiting restoration.

Gordon Thomas (1968 L)’s 1934 Riley Lynx

His next acquisition was the saloon equivalent of the Lynx, a 1934 Riley Mentone, which was in need of a total restoration. This work was carried out over a period of a decade and was completed in 2000. In the meantime, I had also purchased a 1934 Riley Mentone, which had not been on the road since 1953. I also carried out a total restoration, which was completed shortly before Gordon finished his.

On several occasions, we discussed where we were going with this hobby and we concluded that the obvious aim would be to have an Edwardian Riley. Unfortunately, so few of these are available that Gordon decided to buy a 1911 Ford Model T and had a lot of fun with it for a few years, describing the idiosyncratic driving system as "the invention of the devil".

It is currently laid up.

I was also tempted to widen my interests to include a non-Riley. On a trip to Australia, where we were participating in a rally from Brisbane to Alice Springs and back in a borrowed 1950 Riley Roadster, I purchased the remains of a 1911 Renault BK which had been recovered from the outback. This vehicle is currently awaiting a full restoration, although I have made a start by restoring the engine and a pair of period lights. Gordon finally achieved his aim by buying a 1908 12/18HP Riley and I restored my first Riley by removing the roof and turning it into a copy of the factory drophead model.

The 1908 car and my first Riley are back on the road. We like to restore our cars back to the most original state we can and, in the case of incomplete examples, this requires time and patience when searching for the right parts. Part of the fun of the hobby is attending autojumbles, the largest of which is held at Beaulieu in the autumn. However, it is getting increasingly difficult to find the pre-war parts and the internet has made them much more expensive. That said, over the years we have acquired so many parts that now, with most of our vehicles are restored and complete, we are able to attend the Beaulieu autojumble as sellers!

Meanwhile, in 2015, our younger brother, who had eschewed Rileys and collected military vehicles instead, pointed out that the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019 would be a well-attended and moving occasion, so Gordon and I bought a 1944 three-ton military truck and rebuilt it in time.

It completed the journey there and back successfully, but at 35 mph and 8 mpg (apparently this is par for the course). However, flushed with this success I have now bought a 1943 Ford Lynx Scout Car, which is possibly the only one on the road in Europe.

Gordon Thomas (1968 L) and Professor Alastair Thomas (1967 L)’s 1944 Ford F60S Light Artillery Tractor

.

SVS Car Show 2020 We are pleased to announce that the SVS Car Show will return in June 2020. The biennial event continues to grow and we hope this, the fourth such event, will be as popular as ever. A confirmed date will be announced soon.

Invitations and vehicle registration forms will be distributed in the spring next year - please do return these at your earliest convenience. If you have any questions, or would like to volunteer to help with the event, please get in touch with the School’s Development Office.

Page 139 - The Suttonian 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

The Best Sort Of Public School Life at SVS in the Sixties Mr Julian Lovelock (1967 W)

W

e were recently sent a copy of In a Yellow Wood: A Teacher’s Retrospect, a privately published autobiography written by Julian Lovelock (1967 W). The book contains an entire chapter on his time at SVS between 1963 and 1967. We were struck by the detail and depth of his recollections and he has kindly allowed us to include an abridged version within The Suttonian. For other Old Suttonians of his generation it will hopefully stir some fond memories of the School.

Julian went on to teach at Dulwich Prep Cranbrook (DCPS) and Stowe School and was Headmaster of Akeley Wood School in Buckingham for 26 years. He then moved to the University of Buckingham, where he lectured in English Literature and became Dean of Arts and Languages and Pro-Vice-Chancellor. He is now a senior research fellow at the University. His most recent book, From Morality to Mayhem: The Fall and Rise of the English School Story was published in 2018. He writes...

In September 1963, stiff-collared and blackjacketed, I arrived at Sutton Valence. Looking

back, I think it was the best sort of public school for its time, though some outdated traditions and barbarities still lingered. Its pupils were firmly middle-class, many from farming families, and there was a large cohort of day boys with scholarships from the Kent County Council. If it’s true (and I think it is) that most success in life is still the result of ‘connections’, we didn’t make many connections at Sutton Valence and had none of that ghastly sense of entitlement. There wasn’t too much pressure either in those beforeleague-table days, but we were taught well enough, were involved in countless activities and had a great deal of fun.

In the village (back then) were a post office, a grocer, a green-grocer, two hardware shops, a run-down newsagent, a barber’s, and a ‘phone box from which (with permission) we were allowed to call home. Unsuspecting new boys were sent down to Wilding’s to buy tins of spit-and-polish and black-and-white striped paint. The barber’s was out-of-bounds for some mysterious reason, as were the pubs, The Queen’s Head, The King’s Head, The Swan and The Clothworkers’ Arms. In my time there were four senior boarding houses (Cornwallis, Lambe’s, St Margaret’s and Westminster), two junior houses

(Bennett and Holdgate) and a nondescript wooden house for day boys (Founder’s).

I followed my brother David Lovelock (1964 W) into Westminster, which was looked after in a fairly relaxed way by the housemaster, Richard Horn (Staff 1953-1985) and his wife Margaret (Staff 1951-1997). The house was more usually called ‘Ponts’, after its first Housemaster, Leslie Bridges (in Latin, pons, pontis means bridge), and his grandson, Michael Bridges (1966 W) was a contemporary of mine. There were 64 boys, sleeping in two large dormitories; there were a junior dayroom, a senior dayroom with individual curtained cubicles and shared ‘shows’ (studies) for those in the Sixth Form.

Of course much of it has changed over more than 50 years, with the barren dormitories divided into smart study-bedrooms, but back then it seemed grand enough. In those days, new boys had to ‘fag’ for a prefect, but this was full of advantages (at least if you had a genial fagmaster). In return for making coffee and toast, running a few errands and a bit of cleaning, you got to know about the School, benefited from a protective eye and were rewarded with the princely wage of two pounds a term.

The Headmaster for most of my time at Sutton Valence was CR ‘Ronnie’ Evers (HM 1953-1967).

We didn’t see too much of him but, looking back, he must have nurtured the School’s friendly and balanced atmosphere. A Gilbert and Sullivan aficionado, every two years he would produce one of their operettas, playing one of the leads himself; light-footed in spite of his rotund figure.

Mr Julian Lovelock (Far Right) during 1964 General Inspection

Page 140 - The Suttonian 2019

My first stage role at Sutton Valence, in those all-boys days, was as a fetching Isabel in The Pirates of Penzance in March 1964, and I’m not sure why I didn’t later take part in The Gondoliers and HMS Pinafore (though I helped with makeup for Pinafore). Nevertheless, the stage took up most of my time – maybe playing other parts was a safe escape from my natural shyness. I was Dolly Clandon in George Bernard Shaw’s You Never Can Tell (1964), Arthur Savile in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime (1965), Stanhope in RC Sherriff’s Journey’s End (1966) and a late stand-in as Oscar Muche in Marcel Pagnol’s Topaze (1967). Playing the foultempered Captain Stanhope, broken by the First

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

World War, was one of my proudest moments at school – but if we’d lived 50 years earlier, we’d have been fighting in the trenches ourselves. In my final year I was also able to direct and act in two one-act plays: W St John Taylor’s Reunion and John Mortimer’s Dock Brief. We planned to take the latter ‘on tour’ in the holidays to the Olde Barn Theatre at Sandling, just outside Maidstone, but for some reason it fell through.

If I wasn’t acting at Sutton Valence, I was helping to build the scenery and set up the lights, and nobody worried too much if, unsupervised and unhelmeted, we climbed ladders and dangled from lighting bars, or stayed up all night if things were running late (which they usually were).

Not surprisingly most of my Sutton Valence friends had a similar interest in the stage, though mainly behind the scenes. Christopher OswaldJones (1967 C), Donald Anderson (1968 C), Jonathan Carey (1967 C), Simon Le Grys (1968 C), Charles Alexander (1969 W), Paul Appelt (1969 C), Simon Bott (1970 C) and Mark Rayner (1968 M). Simon Bott died soon after he left school and I have carelessly lost touch with the others.

In Westminster, my especial friends were Adrian Barralet (1967 W) and Michael Bridges (1966 W); together we hitch-hiked to Norfolk in 1966 and ventured onto the Norfolk Broads in an old hire cruiser from Brundall called Larikin, along with John Dixon (1968 W), with whom I sailed down the River Medway from Tonbridge to Rochester one July in a nine-foot ‘Fairey Duckling’ dinghy.

I was a member of the Chapel Choir (one of two leading trebles until my voice broke), the madrigal group and, later, the male voice choir.

The Director of Music, Graham Foulkes (Staff 1952-1989), and Richard Horn wrote a variety of humorous compositions. Each Christmas, we sang carols at Maidstone Hospital and there were rehearsals for a combined service in Sutton Valence church, where the village girls flirted with us outrageously.

In 1965 we sang Handel’s Messiah, accompanied by the School orchestra. We had dancing lessons too, in which an elderly mistress pressed us, one by one, closely to her shrivelled bosom, and waltzed and fox-trotted us through the winter evenings. My brother had apparently been ‘Captain of Dancing’, but I had little sense of rhythm and learned nothing, except of the sadness of an old lady reliving her lost youth.

I liked being an army cadet in the Combined Cadet Force (photo opposite) each Wednesday afternoon: there were field days, drill competitions, an annual general inspection and exploits on the assault course. We learned useful skills like camouflage and crawling through under-growth, as well as the less exciting first aid and map-reading; we spit-and-polished boots and blancoed belts and gaiters; we cleaned rifles and threw thunder-flashes. In 1965 I attended CCF camp at the army barracks in Folkestone and a long route-march took us triumphantly to the summit of Summerdown Hill. I still have my Army Proficiency Certificate from March 1966,

when I was honourably discharged, presumably to concentrate on A Levels.

Other things also kept us busy. I enjoyed playing Rugby and Hockey (with limited success), managed to avoid too much Cricket, and disliked running, whether Cross-country (squelching up the notorious ‘greasy grind’) or along the local roads and past the women’s prison at East Sutton. Sometimes we cycled the five miles into Maidstone and on summer Sundays we would earn a few shillings picking strawberries on the local farms or picnic on the banks of the River Beult. I edited The Suttonian and a Sixth Form magazine which was banned after its first issue for questioning the value of compulsory chapel.

In fact, for most of my time at Sutton Valence I was closely involved in the School’s Christian life. I was confirmed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, and the text of his sermon remains with me: ‘Freely you have received. Freely give’. At one stage I even considered entering the priesthood, but that was short-lived and it was probably more the pulpit drama than Christianity that appealed.

At Sutton Valence I also began to be aware of happenings in the outside world. There was the Tory leadership crisis after Harold Macmillan resigned in 1963, with the unlikely Sir Alec Douglas-Home eventually becoming his successor. There was the ‘Where were you then?’ evening in November 1963 when we were assembled in the School Hall and told of Page 141 - The Suttonian 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

Mr Julian Lovelock (Centre) in the SVS production of RC Sherriff’s Journey’s End (1966)

the assassination of President Kennedy. There was Harold Wilson’s election victory in 1964, which, more than anything else, seemed to symbolise a new order, driven by the ‘white heat of technology’. And there was the death of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, with the unforgettable image on television of London’s cranes dipping in salute as his coffin was carried up the Thames on the survey launch, Havengore.

It’s shaming to discover that my academic reports were still a mixed bag (at the time I thought they were rather good), and I wonder how my parents, headmaster and housemaster should have found them more than satisfactory.

I suppose they all needed to believe they were getting or giving value for a large amount of money. English and French were strong subjects, but clearly I had no aptitude for Science. Worse still were my efforts in German and how I chose to take it as an A Level subject (and was allowed to do so) is a mystery; not surprisingly I dropped German after my first Sixth Form year (but I can’t imagine why that was allowed either).

However, I must have worked harder when it mattered and did enough to pass my O Levels (11 of them, though German and Additional Mathematics were lucky scrapes) and, in due course, I gained A Levels in English and French. I collected prizes for English, French and Spoken English on Speech Day in 1967 and in my last term, I was appointed one of six School Prefects.

I remember with especial fondness some of my teachers at Sutton Valence. Bob Hanworth (Staff 1954-1965) taught English, smoked, drank Guinness and encouraged my writing: he moved on to Downside School and died comparatively young. Brian Vibert (Staff 1961-1967) – ‘Smooth’ we called him, with some justification – taught French, produced plays, married Hazel Stanley (our house matron), and later became headmaster of Victoria College, Jersey. Mr Ireland Page 142 - The Suttonian 2019

was a brilliant Mathematics teacher who left to work in Tristan da Cunha. There were others who had devoted their lives to the School, though I had less contact with them: Michael Beaman (1952 W, Staff 1963-1992), Bob Chance (Staff 1961-1993) and Edward ‘Tubby’ Craven (1924 M, Staff 1928-1969). Bernard Warburton (Staff 19541980), who’d survived the war as a tail-gunner in Wellington (or was it Lancaster?) bombers, would wind down the window of his rusting green Austin A40 and warn us of the dangers of Coca Cola: ‘Don’t drink that laddie … quinine …

It’ll make you deaf.’

Norman ‘Publius’ Bentley (Staff 1921-1964), who taught Latin, was a legend. He had spent his life, boy and man, at Sutton Valence; he retired after my first year, but sometimes invited a group of us to tea at Wells Cottage in School Lane and in return we helped him to tend the village churchyard. In my final term, Mr Ricketts (HM 1967-1980) became Headmaster and brought with him a young family and a new energy. I have mentioned Richard Horn already; in 1985 I attended his memorial service in the Chapel and a quotation in the order of service from Albert Schweizer has remained with me: “All of us live spiritually by what others have given us, often unwittingly, in the significant hours of our life. At the time these significant hours may not even be perceived. We may not recognise them until years later when we look back. We all owe to others much of the gentleness and wisdom that we have made our own.”

It sums up perfectly the influence on my life of Richard Horn, a fair, civilised, quietly energetic man. It’s the most important lesson that any teacher needs to learn.

I suppose I did benefit from one Sutton Valence connection. Richard Burnett (1932 M) was the actor-manager of the ‘Penguin Players’, the

resident repertory company at Bexhill’s artnouveau, and by then dilapidated, De La Warr Pavilion. After my A Levels were over in 1967, he invited me to spend the summer learning about life in the theatre. It was the hard graft of ‘weekly rep’ with the company performing one play (five evenings and two matinées a week) while rehearsing a second in the nearby Granville Hotel. My main job, as a very assistant stage manager, was begging the loan of ‘props’ from local shops. But I was shown how to do everything and given a small part – Constable Johnson, CID – in Agatha Christie’s Black Coffee.

It was my only appearance on the professional stage and although it was all a magical experience I learned what a sad business the theatre can be.

I don’t know why I stayed on at Sutton Valence for a further term after A Levels. It was when I might have taken the ‘Oxbridge’ entrance exam, but that was never a realistic prospect. Having reluctantly abandoned the idea of drama school (no-one encouraged me – ‘Don’t put your son on the stage…’), I filled in my UCCA form to apply for university. My first three choices were Bristol, Hull and Exeter to read English and Drama; but, as there was only a handful of places at each, my two A Levels were never going to be enough and I was rejected out of hand.

Then I received an offer to read English and Philosophy (why Philosophy, I wonder?) at the new University of East Anglia, my fourth choice. I attended an Open Day where we saw and learned very little, but I liked the sense of newness pervading the half-built campus, the city of Norwich that was more like being in Holland, and Norfolk’s flat riverine land-scape.

More importantly, the English syllabus had a freshness and creativity about it, and the possibility of studying a considerable amount of drama as literature. So I accepted the place with alacrity.

As it turned out, that final term was to lead circuitously to my life in education. With no clear plan in mind for the months before going up to university, I remembered those ‘gap year’ students who’d taught at my prep school and wrote off to the legendary agency Gabbitas Thring (‘Rabbitsarse and String’ in Auden’s poem) to see if any similar posts might be available.

In the event, though, it was the just-arrived headmaster, Mr Ricketts, who arranged an interview for me at Coursehorn, the wellrespected country outpost of Dulwich College Preparatory School (DCPS) just outside Cranbrook, some ten miles away. I was duly accepted as a resident junior teacher for the Lent and Summer terms in 1968, with a princely wage of £10 a week and board and lodging thrown in. Without my knowing it, my future was beginning to take shape.

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

Peter Fairley (1948 M) Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

T

his year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, the coverage of which saw a record television audience of over 22 million Brits and a further 500 million worldwide tune in for the historic moonwalk footage. The ITV coverage was fronted by Alastair Burnet, ably supported by science correspondent Peter Fairley (1948 M), a former Head of School at SVS, who became a household name in science-based journalism.

Peter originally arrived at the School just before the Second World War ended and left in 1949 just as the School was re-emerging into peace-time. As well as being Head of School, he was captain of Rugby, CSM in the Corps (the JTC back then) and a receiver of many prizes on Speech Days.

He immediately went into the Tank Corps for National Service and became, reputedly, the youngest captain in the Army, after which he went up to Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge, emerging with a good class degree in English.

He started a distinguished career in journalism on the London Evening Standard and on Capital Radio, as a science reporter. By establishing a strong network of good contacts (helped by the fact his father had worked as a telecoms engineer previously) and by virtue of hard work, he became the ITN science correspondent in the mid-1960s.

His natural ability to make complex ideas understandable to ordinary people, meant he became a household name. His expertise

stretched as far as children’s television with a regular stint on Magpie and on a children’s science fiction series called Timeslip, appearing regularly from 1967 onwards.

In 1968, he was chosen as Science Writer of the Year and awarded a Glaxo Travelling Fellowship. Establishing good friendships with NASA scientists in Houston and Florida, he was the natural choice to support Burnet with the ITV coverage of the Moon landing between 16th and 24th July 1969.

His training as a journalist enabled him to take on the challenging task of editing the TV Times, and he also wrote several books about space and travel prior to his death from cancer in 1998, aged 68.

Page 143 - The Suttonian 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

Sydney Wooderson (1933 W) A Very British Hero Mr Rob Hadgraft

B

ack in 2016, we were contacted by author Rob Hadgraft, who was keen to visit the School as research for a book on the life and times of Sydney Wooderson (1933 W). The following year, he wrote a piece that we included in The Old Suttonian magazine, alongside a request for any anecdotal content relating to Sydney. We are pleased to say that the book, entitled Sydney Wooderson - A Very British Hero, was published in October 2018 and is available to purchase online and in shops.

He has kindly written a more conclusive account of Sydney’s formative years at SVS and we are delighted to include it below.

The First World War raged for the first four years of Sydney Wooderson’s life, but the biggest upheaval of his childhood came in 1922, when his family moved from London to rural Kent.

Here were situated the orchards that supplied fruit to the family’s Covent Garden business and nearby was Sutton Valence School, where George and Nettie Wooderson wanted their three boys educated.

Sydney, aged 11, and younger brother Stanley (1933 W), started at SVS on the morning of 5 May 1926. The two small boys were grateful for each other’s company in those nerve-wracking early days. They were initially day boys, walking from their home ‘Brookside’ in Chart Sutton (one mile across the fields, or a little more via the lanes).

By now elder brother Alfred (1930 W) had already been at SVS for a year and had made his mark, especially in sporting pursuits. He was a perfect role model for shy Sydney, although the pair were very different temperamentally.

All three Wooderson boys would later become boarders within Westminster House.

Sydney enthusiastically embraced the School philosophy of “Sport is at the very heart of our enrichment journey.”’ Despite his quiet nature and small stature, he keenly took part in Swimming, Boxing and Rugby as well as running.

Aged 12, he was challenged by Alfred to have a crack at the School’s junior Cross Country race.

He did so and duly won. The die was cast.

School records indicate Sydney’s first appearance in cut-and-thrust competition against other Page 144 - The Suttonian 2019

schools was at 14-years-old in March 1929. SVS headed to Canterbury to race the boys of The King’s School in a cross-country of 4.75 miles.

The homesters were proudly hosting fixtures at newly-acquired sports fields near the city centre.

Alfred Wooderson won and scrawny Sydney was a creditable 12th, beating many older runners.

A year later, SVS hosted the same opponents and, although Alfred unsurprisingly won again, this time Sydney was an impressive fifth. A few days later, a local steeplechase course of 5.5 miles was set up for SVS pupils of all ages; Sydney ran bravely in tough conditions to come

sixth. The annual school sports followed in April 1930 - the swansong appearance by Alfred. The grass track was wet and the wind strong, but young Sydney ran superbly for third in both the half-mile and mile.

One of Sydney’s contemporaries at School, Douglas ‘Pat’ Carslaw (1930 W), reminisced many years later about life at SVS: “Sydney was a small, skinny junior in 1930 when I knew him. His elder brother, Alfred, was in the Rugby XV with me and both were good runners. Sydney’s potential was noticed by the School’s music master Dr Studley Russell (Staff 1924-1934), himself a Cambridge

OS NEWS AND FEATURES

long-distance blue, at an early age. Thanks to Dr Russell, Sydney was prevented from competing with seniors until properly mature, although he could have beaten most of them even when he was a junior.”

Russell’s astute assessment that little Sydney must not be pushed too hard – despite his obvious potential - looks to have been a wise and effective strategy. Russell knew he had a fine runner after testing Sydney’s pace judgement: “Go and run a lap in 65 seconds,” he told the boy, who promptly did exactly that without the aid of a stop-watch!

From the day elder brother Alfred left SVS in 1930, Sydney quickly blossomed into SVS’s best runner. Academically, in his own words Sydney was “only average” and even failed his School Certificate first time round, but would go on to exceed his brother’s running achievements.

A lightning-fast finish became his trademark and few schoolmates got near him, although younger brother Stanley and the likes of Peter Barnett (1931 D) and Fenton Nunn (1933 M) did their utmost.

His development as a racer was evident in February 1931 when he represented SVS in a Cross Country home match with senior club side Blackheath Harriers. Sydney was an impressive third, ahead of Alfred wearing Blackheath colours. Inevitably this led to Sydney being signed up by Blackheath.

At the 1931 School steeplechase it was bitterly cold, with fierce easterly winds. On undulating fields south of Maidstone, a gruelling 5.5 miles of fences, mud and ditches, Sydney triumphed by just four seconds. Poor Peter Barnett, pipped a year earlier by Alfred, now had to concede to the younger Wooderson.

Confidence boosted, Sydney took centre stage at the schools’ annual sports later that month, competing in four events (100 yards dash, quarter, half and mile). He won the lot and lifted the cup for outstanding senior athlete.

Sydney had well and truly arrived at the age of 16. His five wins out of five during March 1931 raised his profile at School and saw him picked to represent SVS at the prestigious Public Schools Championships in London.

Wearing an all-white kit of T-shirt and flapping shorts, it was easy to pick Sydney out as one of the youngest and smallest competitors, but he was never in contention and came home a rainsoaked sixth.

Back at SVS, with spring underway, running was off the curriculum for another year in favour of Cricket and Rugby. Little Sydney may not have looked like good rugby material, but he was fast and not a shirker – and would later be awarded 2nd XV colours.

By the time the 1931-2 winter Cross Country season arrived, he and Stanley had become members of Blackheath Harriers. The club’s strong links with SVS meant their recruitment was a natural fit.

This took place at the huge Stamford Bridge stadium, an imposing cavernous place in the twilight of its stint as the nation’s athletics headquarters. Sydney was a bag of nerves; he’d experienced nothing like this before, running competitively for the first time outside of leafy Kent.

Across a grim Dartford landscape on a cloudy January day in 1932, long lines of runners in the Kent Cross-country Championships circuited the levels next to the Thames and raced back up again, passing the huge Joyce Green Hospital.

Sydney’s blossoming talent was thus seen for the first time by the great and good of the Kent running world.

His inexperience showed when he qualified for the final of the mile thanks only to a desperate late sprint. Stamford Bridge was not a cheerful place to be at the Saturday afternoon finals. The wind was bitterly cold, the track cut up early, and torrential rain made conditions miserable.

He ran the junior championship that day, a tiny, skinny 17-year-old nervously tackling his debut county champs. Racing across the fields of Littlebrook Farm saw him put on an impressive display for those spectators watching the junior race. In this three-miler he showed good Page 145 - The Suttonian 2019

OS NEWS AND FEATURES judgement, gathering himself for the final lap, accelerating smoothly and taking the county junior title in style.

It was a significant milestone. His only previous cross-country victories had been in closed schoolboy events – never before had he won an open race against lads from other clubs and schools. This would prove one of the last occasions Sydney could turn up for a race and enjoy the anonymity of being an unknown. He was now an emerging force in senior athletics.

In February 1932, the Weald of Kent crosscountry route used by the School, a scenic but tough 5.5 miles, was the venue for successive races. In a match with Blackheath, Sydney represented SVS and not his club, and duly came second. A week later, the School welcomed Oxford Hare and Hounds and Sydney was again second, smashing his elder brother’s course record. There was more brotherly love about his performance ten days later: he and Stanley cruised to the finish side-by-side to jointly win the annual School steeplechase.

The going wasn’t so straightforward on Putney Heath the following month: Sydney’s chances in the Ranelagh Cup for public schools were ruined by a cut foot, sustained in a fall when he’d been going well. He limped to the finish, but had to be content with sixth.

Page 146 - The Suttonian 2019

Sydney didn’t neglect academic work at this time and during 1932 gained his School Certificate and entered the Sixth Form at SVS. This meant becoming a boarder in Westminster House, which he represented at Rugby and running.

The annual school sports that year saw him capture two titles, winning the half-mile from George Nops and the mile in relaxed fashion from brother Stanley.

At the April 1932 Public Schools championships at Stamford Bridge, Sydney found things again marred by awful weather. In his mile heat, he qualified with a minimum of fuss. In the final, he appeared out of nowhere with his trademark late burst, but missed a gold medal by a mere 12 inches.

Having passed his 18th birthday in the summer of 1932, Sydney’s final year at School saw him serve as honorary secretary of the athletics section, in addition to winning the School’s senior athletics cup jointly with sprinter Fenton Nunn. He also set new records for the Public School mile and the SVS mile and half-mile. He was awarded his athletics colours in 1933 along with two fellow school-leavers, brother Stanley and Roy MacCorkindale (1933 M).

Shortly before his 1933 school departure, Sydney signed off with an emphatic series of four cross-

country victories in just three weeks. He won SVS matches against Blackheath and Wye College, the latter on a snow-covered course, won the 1933 school steeplechase and completed the quartet at the annual inter-schools cross-country hosted by Blackheath on Hayes Common.

And so an era came to an end when the SVS annual sports were staged at the end of March 1933, exactly a week prior to Sydney bidding school days farewell. His predictable victories at half-mile and the mile were matched by wins by Fenton Nunn in shorter events, meaning they shared the senior athletic cup.

Although Sydney is recorded as officially leaving SVS on Monday 3 April 1933, his school days were effectively concluded later that month with a third and final appearance at the Public School championships, this time at White City stadium.

He stormed to a brilliant victory in a world class time of 4 minutes 29.8 seconds, thus becoming the first schoolboy ever recorded under 4:30 in a mile race. The world was now his oyster!

Sydney Wooderson – A Very British Hero by Rob Hadgraft, Foreword by Lord Sebastian Coe. (Publisher: The Book Guild). 424 pages, illustrated paperback, £10.99. ISBN: 978-1-912575-35-0.

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

OS EVENTS

AND SPORT

“

Over the last year, whilst the Old Suttonian management structure has seen significant changes, the OS event and sport programme continues to thrive with a number of familiar events dominating the programme. Two successful reunions were held at the RAF Club for age group specific leavers; both of which welcomed a number of Old Suttonians who we had not previously seen at events. The SVS Careers Convention in March provided an invaluable opportunity for Old Suttonians to give something back to the current pupils, which was followed by a fantastic OS Netball match that same afternoon. Other sporting events included the inaugural Gaining Ground Rugby fixture, the OS Hockey day in January and the continuing success of the Old Suttonian Rifle Association. I hope the following articles provide stimulus for other Old Suttonians to get involved in the many activities organised each year .

�

Mrs Annie Wilkinson (Staff 1984-2016) Page 147 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

RSM Fergus Fowle

The OSA Centenary Bell Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

I

n November 1918, the end of The Great War was celebrated by the School in a big way. At 12.30pm on the 11th, the flag was hoisted amidst loud cheering and in the dining room several glasses were smashed, the vessels having been used as joy-bells. The whole School was let off lessons in the afternoon and in the evening a thanksgiving ceremony was held in St Mary’s Church. This was followed by a hastily-organised concert, after which all of the School blinds were lifted up and the brightly-illuminated buildings were visible from all over the Weald. Before bed, the rejoicing took a noisy turn. Bells, whistles, rattles and other cacophonous instruments sounded out into the still night.

This year, 2018, saw the centenary of the end of the First World War remembered in an entirely different, more sombre, mood. Despite the films we have seen, the war poems we have read, the reminiscences of those who fought we have heard, it is certain that no-one living today has

Page 148 - The Suttonian 2019

any real notion of just how horrific it must have been to have endured the period of 1914 to 1918. We certainly have no reason to celebrate something we have not experienced; far better then for us to reflect on the horrors that have been mentioned and to resolve that such a thing should never again be allowed to occur.

They that fought did indeed give their today for our tomorrow.

By the end of the war, the School had grown from about 50 boys in 1911 to nearly 200 strong.

But even amongst that increased number, it is a sombering thought that 52 Old Suttonians and three former members of staff lost their lives during the conflict. Periodically, throughout the war the headmaster had the awful task of remembering those who had fallen and telling their story to the pupils.

The School magazines of that time, and there were three per year, were full of letters written

by Old Suttonians from the front, outlining their adventures. Over the last four years, the

present headmaster has also reported on the anniversary of the deaths of our lads as and when they occurred.

Periodically, and frequently, our 21st century adventure has been interrupted by our hearing of the terrible events. We learned, via a letter written to the School by Robert Edmund Denny (1907 L), of the German gas attack in Ypres in 1915. He described how he and his Canadian colleagues were thrust into the breach opened by the retreating French, and how they managed to stop the enemy attack. Pride in his achievement was short-lived – his death was announced just a couple of weeks later. Then, the news prompted Denny’s younger brother (too young to fight) to abscond from School, twice, to enlist and avenge his sibling’s death.

After a night in the cells he returned to School, leaving as soon as he could. Fortunately, he managed to survive the war.

Sutton Valence School built its chapel to commemorate those who died in the Great

OS EVENTS AND SPORT War. It was not finished until well into the 1920s, so long did it take to obtain permission from the clerical authorities. Once we commenced its occupation, we installed a commemorative plaque to honour the fallen.

There were 41 names on it. In recent years, we have been able to research much more accurately and discovered 11 names that had previously been missed. At the beginning of this year, the plaque received an additional panel and is now complete. No chapel is ever complete without a bell to call the congregation to worship. Just as the School honoured its First World War dead by building a chapel, so in this, the hundredth year after the war ended, the School and the OSA decided to commemorate all those who have fallen in conflict by the installation of a bell on the west wall.

On 9th November this year, the whole School and some distinguished guests witnessed the inauguration and dedication of the bell and the commemoration of the extra names on the plaque in chapel. At the bell ceremony, the names of the dead were read out by our oldest ‘active’ Old Suttonian, Ian Kay (1941 M), himself some 93 years young. Once the names had been read, the bell tolled 55 times, once for each of those brave lads.

Chairman of Governors Lady Vallance unveiled the plaque informing us that the bell’s purchase and installation was a joint effort by the OSA and the School. Alex Bartleet (2019 C) played The Last Post and the choir sang a beautiful anthem. By the time the dedication ceremony had concluded, it was a sombre group of guests who entered the chapel for the School’s annual service of remembrance immediately afterwards.

Mr Ian Kay (1941 M)

That ceremony commemorated the additional names on the World War 1 plaque and was centred on the Chaplain talking to us on the theme of loss. At Sutton Valence, we were deemed lucky that we had only one set of brothers killed in the war. The Chaplain told the story of families that had lost four, or even five sons. That said, our fallen boys represented something like 19 per cent of those who had left the School between 1875 and 1918.

If that percentage were to be applied to today’s generation of Suttonians across a similar period, our death toll may well have been in the order of 380 - a startlingly reflective statistic.

Joy, gladness, relief and remembrance dominated our thoughts 100 years ago. This year joy and gladness take a back seat.

RSM Erward Ervine

Mr Gwyn Davies, Chaplain and and Bruce Grindlay, Headmaster

Page 149 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

OS Village Day Mr Richard Mant (1961 M)

O

n a warm, sunny day in May, a small, discreet gathering of OS met the village historian for ‘The Three Suttons’, Michael Beaman (1952 W, Staff 1963-1992), who had kindly agreed to provide a guided tour of Sutton Valence village. For the next hour or so, we were shown various buildings of interest in the village.

One of the first buildings we stopped to look at was Bennett House, which some of us remembered very well from the 1950s as being the boarding house in which we started our school careers at SVS. It is now used as staff accommodation. We then looked at what had once been a row of cottages perched precariously on the bank opposite The Queen’s Head pub. By the 1950s, only Counters, the newsagent, remained, but that too has now gone.

We moved on to look at the Almshouses which in our day were used for Hunting Society meetings. Now it is used as a dayroom for The Juniors.

Valence House was pointed out (no longer owned by the School) for its architectural interest. We looked at The Swan, once the meeting place for all OS functions at the School; it is now a private house. We were all amazed at Michael’s knowledge of the village and its buildings and we found his talk most interesting. We are most grateful to him for taking us round the village. For those interested, a synopsis of his tour is available in the Archives section of this magazine.

After lunch we went into School and assembled in the James Room (the old Art Room in Centre Block) where we were given a fascinating talk by David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015) on the archives he had put out in the room which illustrated the history of the School. David had assembled an extraordinary range of archives for us to look at ranging from SVS Rugby colours caps of various designs, to Hunting Society Minute Books, to the Sports Books once filled in by the first team captains of the various sports, to the Westminster House Book 1953-1958. David had gone to enormous trouble to assemble such an interesting array of archives for us. Furthermore, his searches produced another unique archive: the map of the SVS Baton Race, which is mentioned elsewhere in the magazine. We are extremely grateful for the time and effort that David went to on our behalf.

We would also like to thank Will Radford, Alumni Relations and Development Manager, for being with us throughout the day and for making sure that everything happened at the right time and in the right place.

Page 150 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

RAF Club Reunions Mr Will Radford, Development Manager

T

his last year has seen two separate age group reunions at the Royal Air Force Club in Piccadilly. On both occasions, we were immensely grateful to Air Commodore Rick Peacock-Edwards CBE (1957 F), the club’s vice-chairman, for his facilitation and hospitality.

Firstly, in October 2018 we hosted a reunion for leavers from the late 1970s, then, in March this year, this was followed by an event for 1940s and 1950s leavers organised by Ian Kay (1941 M). Both events were well-supported by Old Suttonians and we are grateful to all of those who attended and made the events so successful.

The late-1970s reunion was the brainchild of Rupert Humphrey (1977 L), who was keen to return to the RAF Club after the success of previous OSA Dinners there. A number of the late-1970s group meet up fairly regularly in London, but this event provided the opportunity to welcome others, many of whom had not attended a School or OS event since leaving SVS. In total, 29 Old Suttonians, current and former staff attended, including some from as far afield as Australia and Canada. The group was treated to a three-course lunch followed by an enjoyable address from the Guest of Honour, Rick Peacock-Edwards. As festivities at the RAF Club concluded, the reunion continued at The Running Horse in Mayfair long into the evening.

Some five months later, Old Suttonians were back at the RAF Club for the ‘Venerables’ luncheon (for 1940s and 1950s leavers), albeit not initially by design. The long-standing event had traditionally been held elsewhere, but due to refurbishment at that venue, a last-minute alternative was sought and the RAF Club graciously stepped in.

The history of this particular luncheon stretches back over 25 years to the mid-1990s, when Michael Soloman (1945 W) and Michael Hovey (1946 W) arranged to meet a few friends who had been with them in Westminster. In 1998, Michael then contacted Ian Kay and asked if he would join them; a St Margaret’s interloper at the Westminster lunch! Thus the expansion to a more inclusive event started to take shape as they welcomed a broader guest list of leavers from across the 1940s.

Back in those days, the venue changed year-byyear, with a different Old Suttonian arranging the luncheon at a restaurant of their choice each year. The only prerequisite was that it should be held on the first Tuesday in March. In time, it was suggested that it would be a good idea if the annual luncheon was arranged by the same person. As Ian had been the OSA’s Dinner Secretary for some 35 years and knew London well, he was asked to take on the job and gladly agreed to it. In 2006, the group decided to settle in one venue and decided to meet at

Andrew Montgomerie (1976 M), Brigadier Mark Dodson OBE (1978 M) and Professor Issam Hajjaji (1977 M)

The Carvery restaurant within the Strand Palace Hotel. This proved a success and, until the hotel’s refurbishment programme, the event was held their annually.

Over time, the group’s numbers had started to dwindle due to deaths, ill-health and inability to travel. As a result, last year, they invited a few Old Suttonians who had left the School in the 1950s, to supplement the original guest list. This year, the event’s expansion to include all OS from the 1950s proved effective, as numbers increased significantly, with 28 OS attending.

Hosted in the club’s Battle of Britain Suite, the OS group spanned 18 years of SVS leavers with nine different year groups represented. Much of the organisational credit should go to Ian Kay who, despite the event’s recent expansion, continues to be its driving force. Unfortunately, he was taken ill moments before the event was due to start so, sadly, he was unable to see the fruit of his labour. Thankfully, he is now fighting fit again and looking forward to next year’s lunch.

Overall it was a fantastic event and an excellent opportunity for Old Suttonians, many of whom had not seen one another for over 60 years, to reconnect with one another. Given its rich history, the event will continue long into the future and we look forward to returning to the Strand Palace Hotel for the 2020 event, to be held on Tuesday 3rd March.

Brigadier Mark Dodson OBE (1978 M), Neil Smith (1978 F), Martin Kirby (1976 W), Rupert Humphrey (1977 L), John Lovelace (1977 W), Issam Hajjaji (1977 M), Steve Cookson (1977F)

Page 151 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

Careers Convention Mrs Christine Carter, Head of Careers

A

n important part of the School’s careers provision is the biennial Careers Convention.

This year’s event proved to be an inspirational and informative morning for the School’s students. A blend of local and national employers, Old Suttonians, current parents, Higher Education providers and STEM ambassadors graciously gave their time to impart some of the knowledge and passion that they have for their chosen careers to our young people.

The Sutton Valence community has a common educational experience but demonstrates that there is an enormous range of career openings available, with each giving a very different experience of working life. This year, the range of careers represented was vast, from mechanical engineering to osteopathy, from accountancy to law and from interior design to policing.

We are grateful to Old Suttonians Michael Adebiyi (2015 M), Peter Bannister (2013 H), Christian Broadhurst (2013 C), Sygun Nepp [née Pokrantz] (1989 V), Jeremy Pilgrim (1972 W), John Randolph (1975 F), Daniel Robinson (2014 W), Hannah Royer (2012 C), Robert Sinclair (1967 M), James Slaughter (1992 F), Professor Alastair Thomas (1967 L) and Chris Vernon (2010 H) for giving up their time so readily to get involved with the event. For the current pupils, the chance to hear from alumni, many of whom attended Careers Conventions themselves as pupils, was all the more motivating.

The vibrant atmosphere engendered in Cornwallis by our participants succeeded in enthusing many of our students and we are very appreciative of the time and effort they put in to this event. These occasions give many of our students their first glimpse into the world of work and in the past they have often proved to be inspirational in the chosen career path for some. Thank you again to all those who made the event possible.

Page 152 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

“

These occasions give many of our students their first glimpse into the world of work and in the past they have often proved to be inspirational in the chosen career path for some.

�

Page 153 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

Old Suttonians Football Club

Old Suttonian Football Mr Charlie Jones (2007 L)

T

he 2018/19 sporting season saw the Old Suttonians Football Club enter their third year in the Arthurian League. Well practised in organising fixtures, finding 11 fit ‘ish’ players and with a good relationship with our home ground provider in Barnes, we were ready to take on Division Four, and boy did we.

Fixtures came thick and fast in the early half of the season and the Old Suttonians got off to a flyer, winning 7-2 against the Old Haberdashers (Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys School) followed by a closely fought battle with Old Alleynians (Dulwich College), in which we were 2-1 victors.

This roll came to an end when our attention switched to the cup, coming up against a stubborn Old Shirburnians (Sherbourne School) team, losing 4-1. Our cup form didn’t improve much thereafter as we were dumped out by Old Harrovians (Harrow School) a few weeks later in the Arthur Dunn, a fixture that would prove to be the start of a thrilling battle.

After the cup defeat at Shirburnians we were determined to keep our winning form in the

Page 154 - The Suttonian 2019

league, and that we did. We went on a stunning run that eventually totalled 12 games unbeaten in the league, with important victories over Harrovians, Old Stoics (Stowe School) and Old Brentwood II. It was February 23rd when our league run came to an end, and it did so in quite emphatic fashion with a hard to take 7 - 4 loss to Old Columbans (St Columba’s College).

However, it was to be our only blot on the copy book for the season and an achievement we will look back on with great pride as we were one of the best performing teams in all six divisions for the season.

The defeat to Old Columbans left promotion in the balance, with just three games to play and of course two of those were against the other top two battling for promotion (Old Harrovians and Old Columbans). The first of the three was against Old Brentwoods ll and we calmly dispatched them with a 5-1 victory.

Then came the grudge match and our chance to get revenge, away to Old Columbans where we were lifted by the return of some OS regulars in Oliver Aucamp (2015 C), George Palmer (2004

W) and Nicholas Dumenil (2007 L). In what has been dubbed the battle of the North (North London that is) we fought our way to an epic 2-1 victory securing promotion into the high flying Division Three. The season was not over and with Harrovians to play, our one loss record to maintain and the chance to get promoted in pole position, we were motivated to see the season out. With confidence brimming, we closed play with a 4-1 win and the fully deserved champagne corks went flying.

Having trained every Tuesday for the best part of three years and seen some great commitment from the team, we showed where hard work and dedication can get you. With the Club growing from strength-to-strength and already going well in Division Three this season, there has never been a better time to get involved.

We are always looking to recruit new and enthusiastic Sutton Valence School alumni and there is even talk of a 2nd XI in the making. So, if you are interested, please do get in touch with me via jonescharlie25@yahoo.co.uk.

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

Old Suttonian Rugby

Gaining Ground Rules

Mr Mark Howell, Director of Sport

T

he School and the Old Suttonians have long hoped to reintroduce Rugby onto the OS calendar and, as such, we were delighted to be able to offer a programme of events on Saturday 10 November 2019 that once again saw OS teams running out onto Stoney.

•

Played with no more than four-a-side and no substitutes are allowed during a game, except for injury.

•

The teams must change ends at half time and the game restarts immediately.

•

Kick-off and restarts are via a drop kick from the centre point.

Finding a format that would allow competitive play between alumni and pupils was the obvious challenge, but through the help of Old Suttonian Richard Mant (1961 M), we reintroduced a kicking form of the game that was played regularly at SVS during the 1950s and 1960s.

•

Ball directly into touch from the kick-off or restart: kick by the defending team from the halfway line.

•

Ball directly into touch from inside the attackers’ 22m line kick to defending team 15 metres in from where ball crossed the touch line.

•

Ball directly into touch during play, when kicked from outside the attackers’ 22m line: kick to defending team from where the ball was kicked.

•

Ball into touch after bouncing in play and not touched by the defending team: kick to defending team 15 metres in from where the ball crossed the touch line.

•

Ball into touch after being touched by the defending team: kick to attacking team 15 metres in from where the ball crossed the touch line.

•

Ball crosses the try line and stops or is picked up in the ingoal area: drop-kick from the 22m line by the defending team.

•

Ball goes into touch-in-goal or crosses the dead-ball line: kick to defending team from where the attacker had kicked the ball.

•

Ball goes into touch-in-goal or crosses the dead-ball line after coming into contact with a defending player: drop-kick from the try line by the defending team.

•

Knock-on: kick by defending team from where the knock-on occurred.

•

Ball caught on the full: catcher can take 12 paces forward from where he caught the ball before taking the kick.

•

No running with the ball in hand. Therefore, if the ball is caught while running, the player must return to the spot where he caught the ball before kicking it.

•

No passing the ball, either by foot or by hand.

•

A defending player must not be within 10 metres of the player kicking the ball

•

The offside rule applies: all players must be behind the player in their team who is taking the kick.

•

Scoring: three points for a drop goal; one point if punted above the cross bar, between the uprights.

•

Whenever possible the rules are those of the Rugby Football Union and the referee’s decision is final.

‘Gaining Ground’ is a form of Rugby which tests positioning on the pitch, speed around the pitch, reading the game, fitness and one’s ability to catch and kick. The object is to push the opposition back into their half with astute kicking, to pin them down in their 22 and then kick for goal to win the game. Its lack of physical contact also allows it to comply with the RFU’s guidelines on alumni versus pupil matches.

Played across two ten-minute halves, the match itself was fast-paced and, although the rules (for reference listed opposite) took both sides a while to come to terms with, the game eventually sprung into life. The OS team consisted of Guy Backhouse (2016 F), Patrick Backhouse (2016 F), Patrick Beech (2017 M), Michael Law (2018 C, Staff 2019-), Tom Lennard (2016 H), Max Rossiter (2017 M), Gareth Thomas (2018 F), James Turner (2016 W), Jacob Wilkinson (2017 C) and Toby Wilkinson (2015 C).

Once the game was over, the OS watched as the School’s 1st XV took on a strong Caterham School XV in a fiery encounter. Sutton Valence eventually won the match 22-17. The day finished with a dinner in Groves Hall for the OS and current pupils. Many thanks to everyone who made the day possible, not least Richard Mant (1961 M) for his vision and enthusiasm to make the fixture happen, Tim Cope (Staff 2013-2019), for refereeing the game and John Devine for the dinner. We look forward to next year’s fixture.

Gaining Ground Fixture - November 2018

Page 155 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

Old Suttonian Rifle Association

Old Suttonian Rifle Association Mr Anthony Bromley (2014 W)

I

continue to marvel at the progress of the Old Suttonian Rifle Association (OSRA). When I originally envisioned what Old Suttonian shooting could become, discussing with fellow university shooters Tom Fermor (2009 L) and Harry Percival (2014 W), I never imagined the club could develop from inception to county representation in under a year.

Bisley; in November, we became the first nonuniversity club to attend a British Young Shooters’ Association event. In the 2019 full-bore season, we began with a highly enjoyable training day in March, which was needed to ‘blow-out the cobwebs’, and we held our first Easter Bisley in April, in which, coached by the U25 Long Range World Champion, Jason Pepera-Hibbert, we comfortably beat the RAF Target Rifle Club.

In 2018, the unprecedented popularity of the 149th Imperial Veterans Match saw 15 Old Suttonians journey to NRA Bisley to reminisce about their time in the SVS Shooting Team and showcase the wealth of marksmanship talent within the OS community. This proved to me that the love of the sport had not faded with time; there was a desire to usher in a new form of SVS shooting.

It was at this stage in April, aware of how well the club was shooting as a whole, that I realised we may be able to help the Kent County Rifle Association (KCRA), who have struggled with numbers recently. As a result, Chris Pawlik (2011 M), Richard Cantillon (2014 F), and Chris Dale (2007 C) all shot for Kent against the Royal Navy, claiming a narrow victory of just a few points.

Tom Fermor and I also represented Kent in the King George V inter-county match, in which Kent unfortunately lost to Sussex and Surrey, despite our admirable team performance.

Building upon this growing relationship with Kent, on 8th June, we competed in the Kent

Since the Veterans Match, the OSRA has moved from strength-to-strength. In October, we held our first major training day in the blistering winds and unforgiving conditions of autumnal Page 156 - The Suttonian 2019

Schools’ Match against Tonbridge School, the Old Tonbridgeans and KCRA. Despite the Sutton Valence team being unable to make it this year, OSRA came in second place to the Kent team.

Following this much-needed self-coaching practice, a record seven Old Suttonians entered the Kent Open the following day. Despite

OS EVENTS AND SPORT tricky conditions, we had our fair measure of success, with Chris Pawlik claiming the top spot for B Class, returning home laden with the Kent Challenge Cup and the Rose Bowl, and I took second place at 900 yards with a score of 49.9/50.10.

have such an injection of young blood into the county club.

The following weekend, at the Inter-Counties, Chris Pawlik and I represented Kent once again. I won the U25 R Jarvis competition with a score of 104.10/105.21, and achieved the top score for Kent in the Short Range competition, with a score of 148.14/150.30. Chris Pawlik was the second best shot at Long Range, with exceptional scores of 73.10/75.15 at 900x and 67.5/75.15 at 1000x.

We now look forward to the 150th Imperial Meeting in July, an international competition – one of the largest in the world – in its special, anniversary year. Four Old Suttonians have entered the 10-day competition: Chris Dale, Tom Fermor, Chris Pawlik and me. I am also particularly delighted to announce that OSRA has facilitated the first Suttonian entry into the Imperial for over a decade: Ted Ervine (2019 H).

It is fantastic to see the OSRA not only thriving in itself, but beginning to use that success to bring about progress in the SV Shooting Team as well.

Overall, the Kent Open and the Inter-Counties displayed to all Kent shooters that the OSRA was the future of Kent shooting. Many GB Veterans from Kent came up to me at these events to express not only how impressed they were with Old Suttonian marksmanship, but also with the team as a whole, which easily integrated into the main body of Kent shooters. They seemed genuinely excited to

It goes without saying that OSRA has made significant strides over the past year. This is in no way isolated to any individual effort – I am certainly not taking credit – but due to an enduring passion for target rifle shooting and for OS shooting as a whole. The 2018 Veterans showed me that this passion, which I had witnessed in my time in the SV Shooting Team, continued to burn within many Old

Suttonians. In the year since, that passion has fuelled the OSRA, and firmly marked us as a formidable, emergent shooting team. I am proud of how far the OSRA has come in the past year; I can only imagine what we will achieve in the future.

For more information about the OSRA, please visit our website on www.osrifles.org.uk; alternatively, you can find us on Instagram and Facebook. For further information about joining the club, please email oldsuttonianrifles@gmail.com.

Page 157 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

OSRA at 150th Imperial Meeting - July 2019

150th Imperial Meeting Mr Anthony Bromley (2014 W)

S

ixteen prize lists, multiple medals, and just a few whiskies later, it’s safe to say that the OSRA exceeded itself at the 150th Imperial Meeting.

The Imperial began for OSRA with the remarkable success of the Schools Veterans.

With two full teams entered, all the OS were looking forward to reuniting at Bisley. What the seasoned OSRA marksmen could never have expected was for Harry Pawlik (2013 M) and Harriet Aburn (2018 L) to steal the show, both scoring a Highest Possible Score (HPS) of 50.6 (ex 50.10) respectively. Harry won on countback, claiming the OSRA Veterans Champion shield, but both Harriet and Harry should be immensely proud of their performances. Overall, the B team scored an incredible 245.20, positioning fourth in the Second Team Aggregate, whilst the A team scored 240.20 (ex. 250.50).

Page 158 - The Suttonian 2019

In the main Target Rifle Meeting, OSRA entered six Old Suttonians: Tom Fermor (2009 L), Chris Pawlik (2011 M), Chris Dale (2007 C), Ted Ervine (2019 H), Chris Youngman (2016 M) and me.

The main meeting is comprised of 11 shoots, all individual competitions in their own right, that, in turn, make up the Grand Aggregate, which is often considered to be the most challenging competition at the Imperial.

Despite challenging conditions at times, there were nevertheless some particularly impressive performances amongst the Old Suttonians.

Chris Pawlik, proving that he prefers long range to short, found the bull at 900x in the Duke of Cambridge, coming 38th with a score of 49.6 (ex 50.10). Chris Youngman and I came 100th and 55th respectively in the Times with scores of 48.4 and 50.5, whilst I also had a good Conan Doyle shoot with a 49.7. Ted Ervine, shooting in his

first Imperial, met this high standard by scoring a 49.4 at 600x in the Wimbledon match. For such a young marksman – and indeed for any marksman – this is exceptional shooting.

As part of the Grand Aggregate, there are also two major competitions – the St George’s and the Queen’s – that have further stages, should competitors meet the high standard. In the first stage of the George’s, which was a 2x15 shoot at 300x, I scored an HPS of 75.9/75.15, whilst Chris Youngman and Tom Fermor scored 73.8 and 73.5 respectively. This meant that all three of us went forward to the second stage.

In the second stage, held at 600x, I managed to score a 73.7, whilst Chris and Tom scored 71 and 69.5 respectively, as they struggled with some challenging wind. With my aggregate score of 148.16, I was through to the final. I finished with

OS EVENTS AND SPORT a 72.7 in the George’s Final, which landed me at 90th overall – admirable for a first final.

In the Queen’s, one of the most prestigious target rifle competitions in the world, the first stage is a 2x7 at 300x, 500x, and 600x. On the day, with remarkably difficult fishtailing winds, there were some uncharacteristically low scores even from the very best shooters. With a final score of 102.11 (ex 105.21), I was tasked with waving the OSRA flag in the second stage of the Queen’s.

The second stage – 2x10 at 300x, 500x, and 600x – was much simpler, with considerably more consistent winds. I finished with 147.16 (ex 150.30), which, due to the conditions, put me right on the borderline of getting through to the final. After a nerve-wracking tie shoot, I was through to the final.

The Queen’s Final is one of the major spectacles of full-bore rifle shooting. I had to provide a scorer, Tom Fermor, who plotted my live shots

on an A3 scoresheet behind the firing point.

With an audience made up of my family, Durham and Exeter University shooters, and, of course, OSRA, I certainly felt the pressure to perform. I was nevertheless able to put on a show for my onlookers, scoring an HPS of 75.9 (ex 75.15) at 900x. The 1000x shoot was more difficult, at which I scored 71.7. Overall, I came 70th in the Queen’s, an excellent first final for me, and for OSRA. This commemorative Imperial is a landmark achievement for OSRA. All of the Old Suttonians who shot in the meeting this year should be proud of their achievements – I have seen a remarkable amount of potential that I hope to tap into in the coming year. Most importantly, though, the team spirit, echoing that of the SV Shooting Team from bygone years, was infectious. This is what will continue to drive the club forward to future successes, and this is why I am proud to be the OSRA club captain.

Edward Ervine

The Sergison Trophy Mr Glen Millbery, Contingent Commander

O

n Saturday 4th May, the School hosted the annual Sergison Trophy at its .22 range. The competition was a four-way shoot between staff, Old Suttonians, parents and current pupils.

With the exception of one downpour, the early May sunshine shone on us all and a good morning’s shooting was had.

Those who had not shot before, or were rusty, were ably coached by the Old Suttonian Rifle Association representatives and a good set of scores were achieved across the board.

Top scores for the Old Suttonians included 99/100 from both Frederick Pawlick (2011 M) and Chris Pawlick (2011 M). The staff achieved a top score of 98/100 from Paul Blake (Staff 20172019). The parents managed a top score of 96/100 and Elyse Ratcliffe (First Form) came top for the students with 94/100.

An average of the top six scores was used to calculate the overall rankings with the staff (last year’s victors) eventually coming fourth, the students third, the parents second and the Old Suttonians first. Anthony Bromley (2014 W), the Old Suttonian Rifle Association Captain, collected the trophy.

Sergison Trophy - May 2019

Page 159 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

OS Netball Kate Woodford (Upper Sixth)

O

n 10th March, the 1st VII Netball team took on the Old Suttonians. The OS team consisted of some very strong players, including Emelia Bonny (2018 H), Naomi Lijesen (2018 C) and Rehannah Houghton–Judge (2018 L) from last year’s 1st VII, so we knew the match was going to be tough. Losing last year made the 1st VII team eager to win this time around.

Despite playing in back-to-back tournaments earlier in the week, the 1st VII worked immensely hard throughout the game. It took the first quarter for the 1st VII to adjust to their very tall defensive players, including Naomi Lijesen and Mia Van Diepen (2015 F). Jenna Boltman and I were struggling to get the goals in! The game was very close for the first quarter and, with some insane and unstoppable shooting from the OS player Lydia Davies (2015 H), it ended in a draw of 9-9. As a result of this, we decided to change around some positions to take on the tall defence, with Annabel Mansfield switching to GS to add some height into the shooting circle. This enabled us to rack up a stream of goals with great shooting from Jenna and Annabel.

The defence worked hard throughout the game and Desiree Loxton-Barnard, Ella Carter and Georgie Mancais were able to pick off a variety of balls from the OS attack, enabling Jessica Richards and Charlotte Wooldridge to bring the ball up to our goal, continuing to add to the score sheet.

Old Suttonians Katie Latter (2016 F), Hannah Wood (1992 V, Staff 2012-) and Charlotte Douglas (2010 L) were tough defenders to face and did not make it easy for us to score. We went into the last quarter of the game a few goals ahead, but we did not relax and continued to work hard, which resulted in us taking quite the lead. The final score ended 36 – 25 to us.

Thank you to Old Suttonian President, Douglas Horner DL (1962 M), who presented us with the Worsfold Cup. It was a really nice afternoon, the game was enjoyable to play and it was lovely to see so many familiar faces! A huge thank you must go to Mrs Wilkinson (Staff 1984-2016) and Miss McConnachie for making this event possible.

Page 160 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

Mr Douglas Horner (1962 M) presenting to Kate Woodford, 1st VII Captain

Page 161 - The Suttonian 2019

OS EVENTS AND SPORT

Old Suttonian Hockey Mr Richard Young (1990 M)

F

ollowing the unfortunate cancellation of last year’s event, the Old Suttonians versus School Hockey fixture returned to the calendar on Sunday 6th January 2019. Back in 2017, we had hosted the fixture on the equivalent Sunday at the start of January, but as an indoor event. Although that fixture proved popular, the preference amongst the players was to return to the traditional outdoor format for this year’s iteration.

Given the mid-winter scheduling of the event, we always run the risk of an outdoor fixture being beholden to the weather. Fortunately though, the matches were played on a sunny, but cold, morning on the School’s Astoturf.

The boys’ match, with an Old Suttonian team containing leavers ranging from 1992 to 2015, finished as an excellent 3-3 draw. The level of Hockey was very high and we are grateful to the boys on both teams who played.

The result meant that the Alex Hatch Trophy was shared this year, though on the merit of their victory in 2017, the Old Suttonians retain the trophy.

Unfortunately, the planned girls’ match had to be postponed due to a lack of OS players, though an improvised mixed-match proved a lot of fun. The mixed-OS team eventually came out victorious against the School’s 1st XI Girls’ team. The day concluded with lunch at the Queen’s Head, which proved as popular as ever. Many thanks to all of those who came along to play and support and a special mention to Stewart Young (1992 M) for his organisational efforts.

Mr Douglas Horner (1962 M) with Harry O’Rawe and Mr Stewart Young (1992 M)

Old Suttonian Golf Mr Will Radford, Development Manager

I

n May, the Old Suttonian Golf team, under the new captaincy of Christopher Cornwall (2000 M), took part in the annual qualifying round for the Grafton Morrish Golf competition.

The regional qualifier at Knole Park Golf Club saw established team members, Colin Williams (1982 C), Mark Williams (1983 C), James Sanderson (2011 W) and Chris, combine with new recruits Samuel Wroclawski (2003 C) and Emily Royer (2012 C). The team successfully managed to qualify and headed off to Norfolk in September for the finals.

OS Golf Team at Knole Park Golf Club

Page 162 - The Suttonian 2019

At the finals, the team defeated Highgate School and Whitgift School, before losing to Solihull School in the third round. Despite the defeat, the team shows great promise as they look forward to the 2020 competition.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

FROM THE

ARCHIVES

“

This last year has seen significant interest in the School’s archives; an area of School life which will become increasingly prevalent as SVS approaches its 450th anniversary in 2026. An OS archive event in June has inspired many of the following articles, including an in-depth look into the history of the School’s Baton Race and a fascinating insight by Michael Beaman on the history of Sutton Valence village. Following on from that, I was delighted to be asked to produce an archival display at Speech Day this summer, which included much of my research on past headmasters. That forms the basis for a new magazine feature entitled the ‘HM Series’ which will take an anecdotal look at some of our past headmasters, over the course of the next few editions.

I hope the following provides a nostalgic look back at a school with such a rich history.

”

Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015) Page 163 - The Suttonian 2019

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Letters to the Archivist Old Suttonian Questions

I

n the last couple of editions of The Old Suttonian, we have posed questions or included archival photos for which we needed Old Suttonian assistance in identifying individuals. Such has been the strength of response that we decided to broaden the scope to include questions posed by Old Suttonians for one another.

Much akin to the old ‘Letters to the Editor’ feature in The Suttonian, we will then publish responses in subsequent editions.

If you would like to answer one of the questions below, or indeed pose a question of your own for future editions, please email David Pickard (pickardd@svs.org.uk).

The Lambe’s Bell

This interest in the map came about when I asked David what maps were available in the SVS archives which would show the crosscountry route used for inter-school races, the cross-country route used for the annual interhouse cross-country race and those runs we called ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Roads. David’s searches for these maps produced the SVS Baton Race map.

I have to admit that, although I ran in the Baton Race on more than one occasion (I was always given Chart Hill to run up!), I was unaware of the existence of the map.

I suspect the map was possibly drawn in the late 1950s or early 1960s. Recorded on the back are the race results in house order for the 1960s, I believe. The map was obviously used for many years for there are slight variations to the route clearly marked on it.

It would be very interesting to know who was the artist of the map and in which year it was drawn. The artist deserves to be acknowledged!

Dear David, Can you shed any light on where the bell that used to hang so resplendently in the Lambe’s belfry (pictured) has gone? The Bell was in place until at least the mid-1960s, but on a recent visit to the School, I notice it has disappeared. Does the School have any plans to replace it?

Best wishes

Mr Richard West (1967 L)

The Baton Race Map Dear Sir, May I use the columns of The Suttonian to ask if anyone knows about the artist of the SVS Baton Race map (pages 174-175)? Having looked at it several times in recent weeks, I realise what a superb drawing it is. As one can see from the reproduction of the map, it is highly detailed and shows not only the route of the Baton Race but also ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ Roads – so it is a very valuable SVS archive.

Page 164 - The Suttonian 2019

The Alternative School Song Dear David, Do you or anyone else know who wrote the words and music (assuming they are the same person) for the alternative School song that was sung during the late 1950s and early 1960s? The first verse of which goes as follows: “We come from Sutton Valence that well known country club; our rivals at King’s Rochester Tonbridge we do snub; we are good at games, we are good at plays, but work, ah there’s the rub! Oh life’s just fine at Sutton Valence, Flore, floreat Suttona” Any ideas or answers would be gratefully appreciated.

Best wishes

Yours faithfully Mr David Manook (1961 M) Mr Richard Mant (1961 M)

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Boarding in Cornwallis House Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

A

n expansion in pupil numbers in the late 1950s led to the need for another boarding house and for the renovation of the dining hall, which then occupied the space that is now the library. A building programme saw the introduction of the Cornwallis building and the creation of a whole new Refectory on the ground that was at the entrance to the School.

The Cornwallis building was given over to boarders (all boys in those days) under the leadership of Michael Fairbank (Staff 19551984) and a new ‘house’ was born. Despite the opportunity to be swanky and innovative, it was considered best to preserve the traditional structures that existed in Westminster and St Margaret’s. Thus was created a large third floor dormitory for the juniors which sat above a first floor of individual shows which, in turn, sat above the day room. Senior boys were transferred in from other houses in order to integrate the new house into the highly competitive boarding institution that was Sutton Valence of the 1950s.

Once the house was bedded-in and routines had become established, Michael Fairbank handed the reins of housemastership to Roger Bates (Staff 1960-1992). With a wicked sense of humour and a penchant for making up nicknames for the boys, he ran the house on very strict lines. Some argued that while he was hard on the surface he was granite underneath! This is an overstatement. He was a compassionate and empathetic man who had boarded at Giggleswick School in Yorkshire; he was no stranger to the hardships, social and physical, that boarding brought. (I believe he was secretly pleased with the nickname the boys gave him – ‘Brobat’, for the meaning you have to be familiar with toilet products of the 1960s and 1970s.)

During his tenure, Cornwallis provided several boys who became Head of School (in those days only one for the whole year). He encouraged the endeavours of the boys to prove their worthiness in sport and academic matters to those who dwelt in Westminster and St Margaret’s, these two seeing themselves as more venerable and thus naturally better. They were successful, too.

By the time his term of office ended in 1980, Cornwallis was indeed a house to be feared in the competitive world that gave the School its driving force.

Brian Little (Staff 1969-1986) took over the running of the house. Being very mindful of the rapidly declining inferiority complex, he made it his job to prevent arrogance developing. He was promoted to another school as Deputy Head in 1986 and his work was carried forward by Bill Piper (Staff 1973-2004) until 1989 when, after 27 years, it ceased to become a boys’ boarding house and became instead a day house for junior girls.

The change was inevitable. Boarding numbers were declining, the introduction of girls had been very successful and their numbers were increasing rapidly and Cornwallis was by far the most adaptable for refurbishment. Less inevitable was the maintenance of the name Cornwallis to describe the house of young ladies who now occupied its upper floors. Some argued that the name ought to have been discontinued at the same time as the departure of the boys.

Nevertheless, the Cornwallis building continued to house the young day girls as well as, on the lower floors, Valence House, which had recently been removed from its cramped conditions in the village. From being a stronghold of

masculinity aiming to prove itself in a haughty and traditional boarding institution, it became a fortress of female determination intent on proving those male chauvinists that girls could cut it at Sutton Valence School.

Caroline Midwood (Staff 1987-1996), Sylvie Bartlett-Rawlings (Staff 1989-2006) and Jackie Fletcher (Staff 1993-2014) each in turn supported these girls right up until 2000 when all things changed once again. The walls of the fortress had, however, been breached since it became necessary in the mid-1990s to house a growing number of junior day boys.

The collective residents lived harmoniously, though as the senior girls were far too worldly to acknowledge the junior girls and both the ladies and the gentlemen had no time for each other, each remained a relative ‘island’ in its place.

Since 2000, even more changes have taken place. The Home Economics department has gone and Geography and Economics have moved in. Day houses also share the building.

For an account of the Cornwallis future, watch this space!

Page 165 - The Suttonian 2019

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The Changing Face of the School Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015) and Mr Will Radford, Development Manager

A

large part of an archivist’s work is to identify key anniversaries in the School’s history. With much of last year focused on the centenary anniversary of the end of the First World War, 1919 proved comparatively quiet in the School’s history. That said, we have unearthed a beautifully kept prospectus from the 1919 academic year, produced to help the School roll recover after the war. Unlike previous prospectuses, this one is fairly glossy and includes a fascinating array of photography from around the School site. With OS photographer Jordan Davis (2016 W) in tow, we set about recreating the photos included and, along the way, discovering the changing face of the School.

For Old Suttonians who return to the School, the speed of change around the site is often commented upon. In the last few years alone, the construction of the new Reception building and the significant changes to Cornwallis and Lambe’s have altered the look and layout of the School significantly. Extrapolating that level of change, one would expect the site to be unrecognisable from that which was marketed

Page 166 - The Suttonian 2019

in the 1919 prospectus. Surprisingly though, this is not the case, as evidenced by the photos included.

The photo above shows Prefects’ Lawn, looking across towards the St Margaret’s arch. The ease with which a merged version of the two photos was created is testament to the minimal changes in the buildings shown. With the exception of the gardens, very little else has changed. Back then, the whole structure was relatively new; construction had started in 1912 and concluded in 1916. Centre Block, as it is now known, was then the teaching centre of the School. Arts and Humanities were taught in the rooms looking out over Prefects’ Lawn, with Science taught in the rooms at the back of the building surrounding what is now the Baughan Theatre.

Whilst Prefects’ Lawn remains the ceremonial centre of School life today, back in 1919, it was very much the operational centre of it too.

The refit of the Baughan Theatre in 2007 (photograph 1) has covered up much of the history of the original hall (photograph 2). The assembly area of yesteryear has been replaced with a purpose-fitted performance space. The

wonderful stained glass windows are no longer internally-visible, but remain lit up at night, to illuminate the Quad. The mural visible above the stage, depicting the arrival of St Augustine on the shores of England, was removed some years ago. Allegedly, when first painted, the artist used the SVS staff of the day as models!

The surrounding rooms, now Drama teaching space, offices and studios, have been completely redesigned from their original purpose. The Green Room of today used to be the School’s Physics laboratory until the new Science Block, to the east of the site, was built in the 1950s.

Even with this new space, Bunsen burners remained in the classrooms in Centre Block until the early 1980s.

Upstairs, the James Room (photograph 3), so wonderfully lit by the large north facing windows, has seen significant changes. Back in 1919, it was the School’s Art room (photograph 4). With the exception of a short gap in the 1940s when the lack of an Art Master precluded its use, it remained as an Art facility until the early 1980s when it was converted into a library. It then became a language laboratory and conference

FROM THE ARCHIVES room after the library moved to Lambe’s in the early 1990s.

The new Library (photograph 5) was installed in place of the Lambe’s dayroom at the west-end of the building. After Lambe’s closed as a boarding house in 1992, the space vacated was perfect for the School’s expanding library. The room itself had previously been the School’s dining room (photograph 6) prior to the construction of the Refectory in 1961. In the 1919 photo, the tables show the modest size of the School as it was back then. Gone are the magnificent stained glass windows at either end and the dumbwaiter, connecting the dining room to the kitchen below (currently the Sixth Form Study Centre), is now obsolete.

The changes to Lambe’s do not end with the Library. Although the external facade (photograph 7) shows few outward signs of change, internally, the building has changed considerably over the past century.

In 1919, Lambe’s was a boarding house to rival Westminster and St Margaret’s. Since then dormitories have been replaced with classrooms, now housing the English and Media Studies departments and shows have become the offices and private study spaces for the School’s Special Educational Needs department.

In the basement, the changing facilities have been modified to include a Photography suite.

Other than Lambe’s and the ‘Main School’ (St Margaret’s, Westminster and Centre Block), the SVS estate in 1919 was very limited. The Chapel, Science Block, Refectory, Groves Hall and Cornwallis were yet to be built. The Sanatorium was privately owned, Gulland Hall was still a Congregational Chapel and much of the north and east side of the site was still farmland. The only exception, as shown in the prospectus, was the gymnasium in the village, now the home of the School’s Design Technology department.

The building back then was a single-storey exercise space, unrecognisable today due to the addition of a mezzanine floor to create a doublelevel teaching space and workshop. Back in 1919 though, it was the sporting centre of the School - focused primarily on Gymnastics and Boxing.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

With exciting changes proposed ahead of the School’s 450th anniversary, the School continues to develop. With many Old Suttonians holding real affection for the buildings that formed such a significant part of their childhood, we appreciate that changes are not always welcomed. As these pictures demonstrate though, the School has evolved through the last century and will continue to do so. Whilst it may look very different in another 100 years, the heart of SVS will always remain the same.

That said, we would welcome the opportunity to show the new facilities to any Old Suttonians interested in visiting. Please get in touch with the Development Office to arrange a tour.

Page 167 - The Suttonian 2019

FROM THE ARCHIVES

A Walk Through Village History Mr Michael Beaman (1952 W, Staff 1963-1992)

F

or the past 17 years, I have been an unofficial archivist for the three Suttons and, in that capacity, I have learnt quite a lot more about the village of Sutton Valence. As a result, I was recently asked by Richard Mant (1961 M) to do a tour for a group of 1960s leavers, an abridged version of which is included herewith.

I first got to know the village when I came to the School as a boarder in 1947. I remember seeing Albert Smith at work in the forge and I remember some of the shops, but many things went unnoticed. By the time I joined the staff in 1963, not only had the School changed quite considerably, the village had too and a lot more has changed since then. Now the only commercial activity to be found in, what might be described as, the core area of the village are two hair salons, three pubs, a gift shop, an estate agency and a garage.

It would take far too many words to describe all the changes that have occurred since I first knew the village, let alone all the changes that had occurred in the latter part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, so I’ll have to be selective.

Page 168 - The Suttonian 2019

As the main road from Maidstone steepens after passing the entrance to the School it also gets narrower and, because it curves slightly, long vehicles coming up the hill have to cross the centre line so as not to scrape the single storey building which comes right to the edge of the road. That building was the abattoir used by the butcher whose shop was a little further down the road, the other side of what was, at one time, a general store.

On the other side of the road is what might be described as the forecourt of The King’s Head but, until 1930, there were two quite substantial brick-built buildings there, fronting onto the road. I dread to think what effect they would have had on 21st century traffic.

Amongst the other buildings to have been demolished during the first half of the 20th century were the cottages built into the bank between the High Street and Lower Road. In old photos taken from outside The Queen’s Head looking eastwards down the High Street, all that can be seen of those cottages are bits of roof and chimney stacks. The furthest of them had an extra storey opening onto the High Street which many will remember as Counter’s newsagent’s

FROM THE ARCHIVES shop that survived until the early 1970s before being demolished.

Opposite the entrance drive to Lambe’s House, in the north east corner of Lambe’s Garden there was, according to the 1916 sale catalogue of the greater part of the East Sutton Estate, ‘a brick-built and slated lock-up shop, now used as a cycle store’. I have photographs of the area dating from both before and after 1916, in none of which is there any sign of such a building and there is no evidence on the ground to suggest that there was once a building there. It is a mystery. Next to it, but separated by the flight of steps that lead down from the High Street to Holdgate House (photograph 1) and the green is Mount House, the entrance to which is from the bottom of the slip road leading down from Broad Street, but, like Counter’s shop, its upper storey once opened onto the High Street. In the 1916 sale catalogue, it is described as Edmed’s Garage.

The bottom end of the High Street and Broad Street beyond it were where much of the commercial activity of the village was to be found in days gone by – a fact which visitors are to some extent made aware of by the names of some of the now residential properties, e.g. The Olde (sic) Post House (photograph 2) where Mr Swanborough was the postmaster for 40 years

2

3

1

When Mr Swanborough retired, the Post Office moved further up Broad Street into what had been The Old Stores which advertised itself in the 1930s as a ‘high class grocer’. And now the Post Office has moved up the main road to a farm shop a little to the south of the pavilion on Upper.

When Lambe’s was growing up to become a senior boarding house in the 1950s, the housemaster at the time, Roger Douglas (Staff 1953-1988) and one or two other members of staff had accommodation in Valence House, as did several of the senior boys. That all changed when Lambe’s became a day house but when, in 1983, the first girls arrived at the School, Valence House became their base. The top floor was also made into a domestic science teaching area and kitchen. Subsequent developments, most notably Sutton House, made Valence House surplus to the School’s requirements; it was sold and is now divided into a number of residential apartments.

The Swan (photograph 3), alas, is no longer a pub even though the pub sign is still there on the pavement in front of it. Instead, it has been converted into a dwelling by someone who clearly is fascinated by Wealden Hall houses, of which The Swan is an example, as too are Aylmer House (formerly a Junior house for the School) and The Court House opposite the bottom of Chapel Road. Traditionally, Wealden Hall houses had upper storeys only at each end, the central hall rising clear to the roof timbers thus allowing smoke from the fire to rise to the roof space and exit the building via gablets at either end of the roof; they didn’t have chimneys.

The Congregational Chapel (visible behind the Swan sign in photograph 3) is a reminder that there was a significant non-conformist population locally, in times gone by. The building, now called Gulland Hall is home to the School’s Art department. The path through the archway on the south side of the building leads to the Manse, on the way passing a building that housed the non-conformist British School.

The National (i.e. Church of England) School was to the north of the parish church and the two combined in 1914 on a newly-built site opposite the main entrance to SVS. Sutton Valence Primary School remains there today.

By the end of the 16th century, however, a new style of building was appearing in villages, of which the front third of Valence House (photograph 6) on the south side of Broad Street is a good example. The rear two thirds of the building are far newer - dating from the second half of the 19th century. There are references to the School using – and therefore possibly owning – Valence House in the latter part of the 19th century. The School certainly owned it during the latter half of the 20th century.

The residence next to Gulland Hall on Chapel Road was never owned by the Congregationalists but it was used by one of their ventures, The Sutton Valence Coffee Tavern Company Limited, the aim of which was to provide accommodation and non-alcoholic hospitality for the community; there was a library and billiard room in what is now the garage.

or so. That, in fact, wasn’t the first Post Office in the village; the first one was just to the north of School Lane, possibly in the premises currently occupied by an estate agency before which it was a hair salon and before that it was Wilding’s shop. And above this shop, in those early days, was the first village hall.

Opposite Gulland Hall, on the other side of Chapel Road, is Cross Cottage, so named Page 169 - The Suttonian 2019

FROM THE ARCHIVES because some of the brickwork on the external wall is recessed to form a cross. I believe it was built to house the first resident minister before there were sufficient funds to build the Manse.

I am almost certain that it was built by the local building firm owned and run by the Higgens family, as the original façade facing Broad Street looked very similar to that of a pair of cottages facing the Town Well on which there is a plaque stating that they were built by John Higgens.

The last of the family to run the business was Henry Higgens, whom the oldest of Old Suttonians might just remember. His showroom was in Broad Street opposite Cygnet Cottage, which was his carpenters’/joiners’ workshop (photograph 4). Henry was also the local undertaker and from time to time coffins would be seen being lowered from the upstairs workshop. The protruding beam from which the hoist operatd can be seen clearly in the photograph. Henry lived in Wellington Cottage and owned several other premises in the village which were used as stores and/or workshops.

Facing the south east corner of the village green is Prill Cottage, a fairly recently acquired, detached part of which is a single storey building, which over the years has had a variety of uses. At the beginning of the 20th century it

was a smithy. Henry Spice’s wife remembered being rather frightened when, as a small girl, the blacksmith – a large man – lifted her up to show her a bird’s nest below the roof. When I first knew it, the building was the base for the local milkman; some time later it was a greengrocer’s shop and then a bakery but for many years, until it was acquired by Prill Cottage, it lay empty.

The green has, for many years, been a pleasant open space for the villagers to use. Its ability to do so dates back to Ronnie Evers tenure as Headmaster when an agreement was struck with the local parish, whereby they would pay the School the princely sum of one red rose in return for the green’s communal use. This is still celebrated each year with the Rose Ceremony.

To the west of the green is the Town Well (photograph 5) – not a well at all but spring water piped from a cistern beneath Lambe’s Garden.

The water used to be fed to two rectangular fenced ponds. I believe the cistern was paid for, in part, by the Clothworkers’ Company (the School’s governors at that time) when what was to become part of the western half of Lambe’s House was built. There was no piped mains water supply in those days and a gas engine was installed in Lambe’s Garden to pump water from the cistern into the new building.

4

5 Page 170 - The Suttonian 2019

6

The Clothworkers Arms opened some time around the middle of the 19th century. Until quite recently locals would refer to it as ‘The Drovers’. I am not sure how it got that name but it may be that it was used by drovers on their way to Maidstone market. There had been an ale house called The Drovers Rest at the junction of South Lane and the main road, in the 19th century and maybe when it ceased trading the drovers who had used it patronised the newly opened Clothworkers Arms.

I am running out of space and there are still plenty of things that perhaps I should have mentioned, like the cobbler’s shop that was opposite what used to be The Central Stores and the barber next door who used to come up into School one evening a week. And in days long before my time, there was a milliner, a tailor and a druggist who, as well as dispensing potions, also advertised himself as a grocer, draper and a dealer in china and glass, and even an itinerant watch maker. Apparently, because their tools and spare parts could easily be packed into a case, some horologers would take lodgings for a few months in a village, clean and repair the watches and clocks of the local gentry and then move on.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

HM series

The First One Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

I

n total, the School has seen 38 headmasters come and go across its 444 years of existence. Each has played their own important part in moving the institution forward, with many managing to do so in spite of turbulent politics, both national and local. As the School approaches its 450th anniversary, a retrospective look at these men provides an invaluable source of information on the School’s history. In this new ’HM Series’ of articles, I hope to explore the School’s heritage through the various anecdotes relating to its leaders.

In previous editions of this magazine, I have written about headmasters who had an influence on the School at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. This time around, I will introduce you to some whose tenure occupied the very early years of the School.

Within this first article, I look at our first headmaster, Robert Sharpe, who arrived at the School determined to educate local boys who might not have had any schooling without the benign influence of William Lambe.

Unfortunately, local disruption was omnipresent and, despite the School’s rural setting, he quickly discovered the ‘real’ world was never far away. A subsequent article, found overleaf will explore the tenure of the Nicholls clan - a family that contributed three headmasters over the course of 21 years.

Lambe built a School, but provided nowhere for the headmaster to live. The Clothworkers quickly put matters right, but poor old Sharpe had to wait 16 years for accommodation! He might have applied for lodgings earlier, but we suspect he needed time to allow the dust to settle from the first major controversy that affected the School.

have tried to do the same for the local boys as and when they came to School, except that their attendance was patchy; farm work etc. was considered a greater priority, especially at crucial times of the year, and their parents’ regard for the teaching of the classics was non-existent. They wanted arithmetic and commercial subjects to be taught.

In April 1591, the bombshell landed at the Clothworkers’ Court. A complaint of ‘divers and sundry misdemeanours committed by Robert Sharpe’ was laid and, as evidence, articles were supplied suggesting he was often absent from School, frequenting taverns.

Both before and after 1591, the Company had sent ‘learned scholars’ to the School to test the pupils and found that Sharpe was a diligent and successful teacher. If the subjects taught did not suit the villagers, what about the absence? In a small village school with a small roll when many of the locals were absent because of harvesting or some other occupation, an intelligent man like Sharpe might well leave the instruction of the few younger boys to the Usher, let his older pupils work on a particular project and give himself some ‘down time’

Sharpe was told he was to be sacked, but he pleaded for a hearing, at which he was easily able to show that the accusations were malicious.

His position as headmaster was reconfirmed at a meeting in Sutton Valence after a ‘trial’ during which Sharpe and his accusers gave their sides of the story.

The Clothworkers paid Sharpe to educate a small number of local children, and he was allowed to augment their number by adding his own, fee-paying, pupils. This latter group would be instructed in Latin and Greek and he would

Sharpe was not a unique victim. Virtually all of the schools formed at this time were ‘Grammar’ Schools and taught only Latin Grammar, some Greek and perhaps some religion and some essay writing. Good will towards local villagers was not accompanied by good sense in the choice of an academic curriculum.

Effigy of William Lambe in St James’s Church, Islington

Robert Sharpe MA signed a document, together with William Lambe, dated 3rd December 1578, in which he is named as ‘archididascalus Scholae infra script’…of the.. ‘una libera schola gramaticalis’.

Sharpe was born at Smarden in around 1551.

He was a King’s Scholar at Eton (1563-68) and also a Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge, entering that establishment on 16th August 1568, aged 17. He began his teaching career well, as an examination of the Clothworkers’ Court Order Books (notes of their meetings) show. It was in 1594 that Sharpe sent a letter to the Clothworkers concerning ‘some lodgings to be built either over the School or in some other convenient place for his necessary lodging’.

Page 171 - The Suttonian 2019

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The Nicholls Family Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

O

ver the course of the 39 years after Robert Sharpe’s death, the School went through no fewer than six headmasters. Then, in 1658, a family dynasty arrived at Sutton Valence with two generations of the same family applying to lead the School.

Benjamin Nicholls applied for the post of headmaster in 1658, but the Court of the Clothworkers decided to give the job to Suretyon-High (spelt Suretonhie by the clerk) Nicholls – the father of the aforesaid, who, in his turn, was made Usher. Surety-on-High was 73 or 74 years old on appointment. He was the son of the (very) puritanical rector of Eastwell, Kent, Josias Nicholls, who had been ejected from that living in 1603 because of his controversial and puritanical writings. Surety-on-High was very well qualified to teach, having served in various posts at Wye College and Faversham Grammar School, which he held in partnership with his brother, the Rev. Repentance Nicholls.

It seems clear that the father was keeping the SVS post open for the son until the latter could obtain the necessary certificates to teach, although it is known that Benjamin had already been teaching as a Schoolmaster in Staplehurst.

Indeed, when he had first sought the headship in 1658 he had supplied references from ‘certain gentlemen’ in Kent stating he was ‘Schoolmaster at Staplehurst with a very industrious approach and of a sober and civil behaviour’.

almost three years and improved the school which before his time was in much decay, and kept his scholars in good order, and is a constant comer to he church with them, and lives in good report and love amongst his neighbours.’

Several boys went up to Cambridge during Benjamin Nicholls’ headship. More might have gone but, unfortunately Benjamin died, aged only 42. He was succeeded by his nephew, Richard Nicholls, but from the very beginning complaints flooded in concerning his behaviour, absences and allowance for the school’s reputation to be ruined. The man was sacked.

Despite three men being interviewed for the job none were appointed because Richard refused to go! He had an usher with a lawyer’s training, who did most of the work since Richard was an ‘absentee’ headmaster, and who succeeded in setting townsfolk at each other’s throats (more by design than accident).

1n 1677 a committee of Clothworkers descended on the school in order to dispossess Richard Nicholls. After an unseemly argument witnessed by the villagers, the Clothworkers in the street and the headmaster at his upstairs window, the Londoners departed with their tails between their legs. Nicholls was issued with a letter telling him that he would be ejected ‘by law’; still the headmaster stood his ground. Three months later another way was tried; he was offered salary

HM series for a full year provided he would agree to leave within six months of the offer. This was rejected and, along with that refusal to comply, came a demand that all outstanding salary not paid since the dispute began should be given – the Company tamely agreed. Another year passed until early May 1679 when another committee was sent. Their efforts were not successful. Then, at the point in early 1680, when the Company did, at last, take decisive action in the law courts, Richard Nicholls died.

One of the applicants for Richard Nicholls’ post as headmaster, made in 1677 when he was initially sacked, was none other than John Nicholls, son of Benjamin. He was one of the boys who had gone up to Cambridge as a result of his father’s good teaching. His attempt to be headmaster was thwarted by his cousin’s behaviour, but he tried again. He was successful, but not until the very end of the 17th century after the very successful headship of Dr Richard Forster, whose time was considered to be the first ‘golden age’ of the School’s history. Two of John Nicholls’ family had given good service, but it must have been with some misgivings that the Court of the Clothworkers appointed him. However, he did well for 14 years, with no damning reports from an easily upset host of villagers. There are very few records of boys going to university at this time, so it must be assumed that Latin and Greek were much less taught than Maths and English.

After only two years in post, Surety-on-High died and Benjamin took over. He seems to have been the first master to have pleased both the local inhabitants and the governors and there appears to have been no breath of scandal during his tenure of close to 14 years. After three years (August 1662) The Restoration of the monarchy forced Benjamin to declare his allegiance to the crown and to support this with some testimonial. In Canterbury Cathedral, in the Chapter Library, we find a document: ‘I, Thomas Pollington, Vicar of Sutton Valence in ye County of Kent do certify to whom it may concern that Mr Benjamin Nicholls of ye Colledge (sic) of St Peter in ye University of Cambridge, and by ye appointment of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, Schoolmaster of their free school in Sutton Valence, hath lived here Page 172 - The Suttonian 2019

The original School on the High Street. The almshouses (far left) remain in place today.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The Baton Race Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

T

he very first Baton Race was run on Wednesday March 1st 1933.

Forty-four members of each of the two houses, Westminster and St Margaret’s, ran the legs of varying length running about ten miles in total. Westminster won by just over 100 yards and a baton was presented to the winning team. The baton was provided by the School’s then-Director of Music, Mr SLL Russell.

The School has successfully run the race ever since, even through the travails of the Second World War and the most severe winters. The only exception, as far as our records show, is in 1984 when the race was not run because of an outbreak of flu’ which incapacitated too many potential runners.

Over the course of time, the race has changed significantly in length and organisation. The timing is different now, also. It is run on the last day of the Lent Term, rather than midweek during the middle of that term – but when was the first time this happened? When was the first time that the start was determined by the chiming of the School clock? These are not trick questions, rather a request for knowledge and if any of the older members of the Old Suttonian fraternity can help in this regard, I would be grateful for the answer.

The questions don’t stop there. On the proceeding page, you will find a copy of the Baton Race course, as it was between 1963 and 1987. We know these dates to be accurate as the rear of the original map contains all of the results between those years. I believe it to be a ‘School’ copy, made available on request to all captains of Athletics in each house; is this correct? I believe it was kept in the possession of the winning house and passed on as required each year, is this true? Who made the map in the first place and why?

There is evidence on the map of the changes made to the route (an optimistic thought – they might have been corrections of mistakes). Does anyone have any recollection of being involved in such decisions?

We would like, next year, to publish personal accounts of your participation in the race. Please let us have, especially if humorous, any recollections you have.

Mine are associated with finding vantage points from which to watch all or some of the race. The most pleasant was the bar in the Queens Head and the most exposed was on top of Westminster tower – but it was a tremendous viewing spot.

Page 173 - The Suttonian 2019

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The Baton Race Original Route

47

Mr Will Radford Development Manager 46

I

n preparing for an archive display back in June, we were tasked with finding information on the School’s historic Baton Race. As part of that, we unearthed this fantastic map of the original route. The map itself was drawn in 1963 and the route shown remained the same until at least 1987.

The following provides an accompanying commentary to give you an idea of the scale and length of the Baton Race as it once was.

27

After charging off eastwards from the School, past the allotments (3), and then the long drag up Workhouse Lane (7). Church Farm, (now adjacent to the clubhouse of the Ridge Golf Club) is reached after about a mile and a half (12). Runners then return to the School via the eastern edge of BM and along School Lane, through The Queen’s Head yard (17) then down Headcorn Road and Forshams Lane (20), turning up the steep hill, past Parkhouse Farm (26) and on to Underhill, now SVPS (27) . By now, the total distance run is approximately five miles, the longest leg has been the punishing uphill run to Underhill, at about two thirds of a mile.

From there, they headed round the back of Chart Sutton Church, the cinder track parallel to the road between the School and Underhill now forms the route, the runners cross the main road and then down the High Street and up Tumblers Hill (32). After cutting across the orchard, the runners speed down Pleasure House Lane missing out the devilish stretch known to intrepid Cross Country runners as ‘greasy grind’. At the bottom (38), the route cuts across Henniker Lane and up the steep South Lane (41) to Holdgate (43). Eight miles have now been completed.

From Holdgate, the route is now westwards along the Lower Road past the Clothworkers’ Arms and Motto Cottage, back along the cinder track (45) for part of the length before cutting north to Norton Corner. Here, the running is on tarmac once again towards the Warmlake crossroads (48), then down North Street and through the gate onto Stoney, where an anti-clockwise circuit of the 1st XV pitch is made before the final run across Lower to finish in front of the old Tuck Shop.

Page 174 - The Suttonian 2019

28

45

26 25

24 19 20 21

23

22

FROM THE ARCHIVES

12 48

11

13 10 49 14 50

51 33

52 15

16

1 17

30

29

32

8 7

2

3 31

6

4

5

43

44

9

34 35

18

42 36

37

41

40 39 38

Page 175 - The Suttonian 2019

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Life at the School in 1619 Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

T

he life of a School pupil today is often perceived to be quite hard. The pressure to perform well academically is underpinned by the increasingly competitive university admissions processes. Accordingly, the need to add value and broaden one’s UCAS application through the array of enrichment, leadership and community activities available, means that students’ time is truly maximised whilst they are at the School. The time commitments derived from this kind of holistic educational approach may seem intensive, but compared to their predecessors at the School some 400 years ago, pupils at the School today have it relatively easy.

From the School’s archive, we have managed to piece together an idea of what the School would have been like back in 1619. Barely 40 years old at that point, the School was in its infancy and it was far from what we see today. In terms of size, numbers and facilities, the School then is incomparable to that of today. The common goal of providing a first class education remains the same though, although the differences in approach in achieving that are considerable. As such, picture yourself as a pupil back in 1619.

Back then, the School was made up of around 25 pupils, aged between nine and 17, all of whom were educated in a single room, under the guidance of just one teacher - the Headmaster.

Each pupil learned Latin and orthodox Anglicanism. Amongst their classmates were the children of local landowners and professionals, as well as other children from a tradesman background.

Parents preferred the School to provide pupils with a variety of more-practical skills, but the curriculum was restricted to just Latin and orthodox Anglicanism. If the Headmaster was feeling generous, and if he had time (for he was also the local parish priest with other duties to perform), pupils were sporadically afforded the luxury of lessons in classical History and a basic grounding in Mathematics.

Pupils’ days would begin at 7.00am when they would have a short religious service. As this was the 1600s, they needed to be alert as the Headmaster regularly changed the service to adhere to the ‘current doctrine’. This changed Page 176 - The Suttonian 2019

frequently and non-compliance to the method chosen was severely punished. In terms of faith, it was not easy for the pupils to chop and change the basis of their beliefs dependent upon the edicts of the state. As such, it was easy to fall foul of the system.

In close confinement to their school chums, pupils were not only anxious of the threat of catching the plague, but also that any of their careless utterances were interpreted as being treasonable. The nervous establishment was quick to come down hard on anything that sounded like a challenge to its authority.

Oppression was further increased as a result of the personality of the Usher - a man only a few years older than the senior pupils, engaged at £5 per year to take roll-call, maintain order when the Headmaster was (often) absent, and ensure that all pupils spoke only Latin during the break time they had between lessons.

At 9.00am there was a 15 minute break for breakfast, and after more lessons, pupils were dismissed at 11.00am for lunch. Lessons resumed at 1.00pm and continued until at least 5.00pm, later if the Headmaster saw fit. The School day ended with a short evening service.

It was a long day devoted almost entirely to learning Latin and texts in that language. More promising pupils might be introduced to the New Testament, in Greek!

There were no organised games, or extracurricular activities, not least because there were no playing fields or additional space.

Additionally, the Headmaster did not have time, nor the qualifications to lead such adventures.

Entertainment was solely the result of pupil initiative, always resisted by elder pupils with little talent, lest they be shown up as being inferior to those who wished to express their skills.

If this drudgery were not enough, pupils’ lives were made more complicated by the aforementioned politics between the School and parents. The curriculum (Latin and more Latin) was not what the parents wanted.

They wanted each of their children to acquire skills that would equip them for life in the real world. Acquiring a knowledge of Latin was undoubtedly the passport to university, to a career in government, the church or the law. This might be the goal of a small minority, but, by far

the greater number wanted to be able to enter commerce confidently.

You may remember that in January this year, the current Headmaster’s letter concerning the channelling of parental complaints received widespread acclaim. Similar may have benefited the Headmaster of 1619, whose exposure to parental pressure was considerable. The lengths that parents would go to undermine the system were often underhanded. Some chose to write to the School’s governing body, the Clothworkers’ Company, accusing the Headmaster of all sorts of crimes; drunkenness, lewdness, absence from duty, all in order to encourage a form of teaching that was more to their liking.

More often than not, parents were left frustrated by the efforts of the Clothworkers’ Company to address their problems. Lambe’s legacy had left an investment to provide funds for looking after the School. However, inflation had whittled that sum away, which meant that visits and governance were less than required. In short, the School’s rural position far from the Company’s base in London meant that the Headmaster had carte blanche over the activities at the School.

The pupils of today may seem over-worked, but compared to the Suttonians of 1619, the varied curriculum, enrichment opportunities and institutional stability makes for a far more enjoyable experience. It may take time for them to realise this reality though!

The Almshouses (now The Juniors’ dayrooms) are the only remaining structure from the School in 1619.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

“

As the School’s community comes together as part of the new SVS Foundation, the opportunity to celebrate the School’s existing communities is vital. As such, I am delighted to provide the foreword to this section dedicated to the Old Suttonian membership. As we welcome the newest cohort of Old Suttonians, I am delighted to see the range of updates from their forerunners. The Old Suttonian community is diverse and varied and I am enthused by the quantity and breadth of the updates provided. Alongside our newest members, we also sadly say farewell to others who have passed away. Amongst them are a number of OS stalwarts who I would like to recognise for their long-standing support and company. Floreat Suttona.

”

Mr Douglas Horner DL (1962 M) Page 177 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Upper Sixth Valete Joseph Agu Benson (2019 F) Hockey - 2nd XI (Full Colours), Rugby - 2nd XV (Half Colours), Swimming – First Team (Full Colours) Phoebe Aucamp (2019 C) Art Exhibition and Sport Exhibition; Achievement Award (First Form), Effort Award (Second Form), All Round Contribution Award (Third Form, Upper Sixth), Spanish Copy Prize (First Form); School Prefect, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Fifth Form); Bugsy Malone (Tilly), Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hatter’s Tea Party guest), Grease (Pink Lady), LAMDA Grade 4; Orchestra, Senior Strings; CCF Corporal (Cpl); Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours), Netball - 3rd VII (Captain), Tennis – Third Team

(Captain and Full Colours), county and national representation Georgia Best (2019 C) Art Scholarship; Head of House (Clothworkers’); Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Guest), Les Misérables (Drunkard); CCF Head of Juniors, Army - Sergeant (Sgt); Silver Duke of Edinburgh (Pending) and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed); Hockey - 3rd XI, Netball - 3rd VII Emily Bottle (2019 H) Media Studies Prize (Lower Sixth), All Round Contribution Award (Upper Sixth); School Prefect; Bugsy Malone (Dancer), Alice in Wonderland (Princess), Grease (Extra)

Jacob Baldwin (2019 H)

Ignacio Carro Serra (2019 M)

Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir; Navy - Petty Officer (PO); Gold Duke of Edinburgh (Pending) and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed); Shooting - First Team (Captain and Full Colours) and national representation

Football - 2nd XI (Captain)

Alexander Bartleet (2019 C) Music Exhibition; All Round Contribution Award (Fifth Form); House Prefect (Clothworkers’) Chapel Choir, Chamber Orchestra; CCF Head of Juniors, Army - CSM (WO11); Silver Duke of Edinburgh (Pending) and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed); Cricket - 2nd XI (Half Colours), Hockey - 2nd XI, Rugby - 2nd XV (Half Colours), Shooting - First Team (Vice-Captain and Full Colours) Sophie Baxter (2019 S) Sport Scholarship; French Copy Prize (First Form); Deputy Head of House (Clothworkers’), Boarding House Prefect (Sutton); Bugsy Malone (Angelo), Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hatter’s Tea Party guest), Grease (Marty), Les Misérables (Student), Blue Stockings (Mrs Lindley); Chamber Choir, Grade 4 Piano, Grade 8 Singing; CCF Army - Sergeant (Sgt); Gold Duke of Edinburgh (Pending), Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed); Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours) and county representation, Netball - 1st VII (Half Colours), Tennis - First Team (Full Colours) Harvey Beaton (2019 F) Sport Scholarship; Edward Craven Prize for Outstanding Male Achievement in Sport (Upper Sixth), School Prefect; Rugby - 1st XV

Page 178 - The Suttonian 2019

Thomas Cavell (2019 C) Maberly Prize for Achievement (Lower Sixth), The Marjorie Popay Prize for Educational Achievement (Upper Sixth); School Prefect; Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hatter’s Tea Party guest), Grease (Burger Boy), LAMDA – Bronze; CCF Petty Officer (PO), Corporal (Cpl); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Hockey - 2nd XI, Rugby - 3rd XV Elizabeth Condon (2019 S) Photography Prize (Lower Sixth); Boarding House Prefect (Sutton), Student Council George Cook (2019 W) Football - 2nd XI Ellen Crombie (2019 L) Academic and Sport Scholarships; Academic Excellence Award (Fourth Form, Fifth Form), Further Mathematics Prize (Lower Sixth), Headmaster’s Prize (Upper Sixth), Wood Prize for Physics (Upper Sixth), Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award (Upper Sixth); Biology Copy Prize (Fifth Form), Extended Project Qualification Copy Prize (Lower Sixth); Head of School, School Prefect, Model United Nations Delegate, Debating Team, STEM Ambassador, Sports Leadership Programme; Gold, Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Athletics - First Team and county representation, Cross Country – First Team and county representation, Netball - 3rd VII

Archie Crouch (2019 M) Sport Scholarship; All Round Contribution Award (Third Form); Head of House (St Margaret’s), Boarding House Prefect (St. Margaret’s); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Pending); Cricket - 2nd XI (Captain and Half Colours), Football - 1st XI (Vice-Captain), Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours), Rugby - 1st XV (Captain and Full Colours) Edward Curling (2019 W) Academic Scholarship; Most Improved Award (First Form), Achievement Award (Second Form, Third Form, Fourth Form, Fifth Form), Angell Prize for Mathematics (Upper Sixth); Model United Nations Delegate, Debating Team, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Fifth Form); Alice in Wonderland (Mock Turtle), Grease (Eugene); Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Music Colours; CCF Corporal (Cpl); Gold Duke of Edinburgh (Pending) and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed) Qichen Dai (2019 W) Basketball – First Team Melissa Dawson (2019 S) Drama Scholarship; Boarding House Prefect (Sutton); Bugsy Malone (Dotty), Alice in Wonderland (The Door Mouse), Grease (Frenchy), Les Misérables (Drunkard); Grade 6 Singing; Hockey - 2nd XI (Vice-Captain and Half Colours) and county representation Ava Deighton-Smythe (2019 F) Head of House (Founder’s); Bugsy Malone (Dancer), Grease (Pink Lady), Blue Stockings (Maeve Sullivan), LAMDA - Level 1; Netball – 2nd VII Oliver Dent (2019 C) Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Hockey - 3rd XI, Rugby - 2nd XV Shaad Dogra (2019 F) Most Improved Award (First Form), ICT Prize (Lower Sixth), Winstanley Prize for Chemistry (Upper Sixth), Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award (Upper Sixth); Head of House (Founder’s); Grade 5 Keyboard; CCF Head of Stores, RAF - Sergeant (Sgt), CCF Full Colours; Gold, Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Joseph Agu Benson

Phoebe Aucamp

Jacob Baldwin

Alexander Bartleet

Sophie Baxter

Harvey Beaton

Georgia Best

Emily Bottle

Ignacio Carro Serra

Thomas Cavell

Elizabeth Condon

George Cook

Ellen Crombie

Archie Crouch

Edward Curling

Qichen Dai

Melissa Dawson

Ava Deighton-Smythe

Oliver Dent

Shaad Dogra

Page 179 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Felix Dont

Kathryn Douglas

Lars Eastman

William Ellis

Edward Ervine

Cameron Evans

Olivia Ferris

Imogen Forknall

Fergus Fowle

India Fowle

Poppy Gardner

Alistair Gooding

Samuel Grindlay

Tiansen Gu

Emily Hall

Rixin Hao

Nina Harman

Katie Harrison

Alžběta Hřivnová

Lucy Hemmens

Page 180 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY Felix Dont (2019 M) Sport Exhibition; French Prize (Lower Sixth), Wheeler Prize for French (Upper Sixth); Boarding House Prefect (St Margaret’s); Cricket - 2nd XI (Vice-Captain and Half Colours), Golf - First Team (Full Colours), Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours), Rugby - 1st XV (Full Colours), Tennis Second Team Kathryn Douglas (2019 F) Bugsy Malone (Barber), Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hatter’s Tea Party guest), Grease (Pink Lady); Equestrian – First Team (Captain), Hockey – 3rd XI, Netball – 3rd VII Lars Eastman (2019 W) Sport Scholarship; All Round Contribution Award (Lower Sixth), Headmaster’s Prize (Upper Sixth), Psychology Prize (Upper Sixth); Head of School, School Prefect; CCF Corporal (Cpl); Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Cricket - 1st XI (Full Colours), Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours), Rugby - 1st XV (Half Colours), Tennis – First Team William Ellis (2019 W) Football - 2nd XI Edward Ervine (2019 H) Academic Exhibition and Sport Scholarship; Effort Award (First Form), All Round Contribution Award (Second Form), Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award (Upper Sixth), Clothworkers’ Prize for All Round Contribution to School Life (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, STEM Ambassador, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Fifth Form); Head of Army, RSM (WO1); Gold and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Cricket - 2nd XI, Golf - First Team (Full Colours), Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours), Rugby - 1st XV (Full Colours) and county representation, Tennis – First Team, Shooting - First Team (Full Colours) Cameron Evans (2019 F) Head of House (Founder’s), Student Council; Grease (Burger Boy), Les Misérables (Wedding Guest), LAMDA Grade 4; Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Cricket - 3rd XI (Captain), Football - 2nd XI, Golf - First Team (Captain and Full Colours), Hockey - 2nd XI, Rugby - 2nd XV Olivia Ferris (2019 L) Academic and Drama Scholarships; Academic Achievement Award (Third Form), Achievement Award (Fourth Form, Fifth Form), Geography Prize (Lower Sixth); School Prefect; Bugsy Malone (Loretta), Alice in Wonderland (Queen of Hearts), Romeo and Juliet (Chorus), Les Misérables (Lovely Lady), Hamlet (Norwegian Army Officer), Chicago (Shadow Dancer), LAMDA – Silver with distinction Imogen Forknall (2019 L) Design Technology Scholarship; All Round Contribution Award (Second Form, Third Form,

Fourth Form, Fifth Form), Ricketts Prize for All Round Contribution to School Life (Upper Sixth); Portfolio Work Copy Prize (Third Form); School Prefect, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Fourth Form); Bugsy Malone (Pop Becker), Grease (Pink Lady), Les Misérables (Factory Worker), Chicago (Shadow Dancer); Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Grade 5 Singing and Full Music Colours; CCF Head of Juniors, Navy - Leading Rate (LH) and Second in Command, Captain of .22 Rifles; Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours), Netball - 3rd VII Fergus Fowle (2019 H) Academic Scholarship; All Round Contribution Award (First Form, Fifth Form), Design Technology Prize (Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth); School Prefect, Ball Committee, Debating Team, Model United Nations Delegate, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Fifth Form); Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hatter’s Tea Party guest); Head of CCF, Army - RSM (WO1); Gold Duke of Edinburgh (Pending), Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed); Cricket - 2nd XI, Hockey - 2nd XI (Captain and Full Colours), Rugby - 1st XV (Full Colours), Shooting - First Team (Half Colours)

United Nations Delegate, Debating Team, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Fifth Form), Grease (Danny), Les Misérables (Student), Chicago (Billy Flynn), Blue Stockings (Dr Maudsley), LAMDA – Gold with distinction; Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Chamber Orchestra, Senior Strings, ARSM Diploma Singing, Grade 7 Cello; Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Football - 2nd XI Tiansen Gu (2019 M) Emily Hall (2019 L) Academic Scholarship; Achievement Award (First Form, Second Form, Third Form, Fourth Form), Art Prize (Lower Sixth); French Copy Prize (First Form), Portfolio Work Copy Prize (Third Form); Alice in Wonderland (Princess), Les Misérables (Wedding Guest); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Rixin Hao (2019 M) Nina Harman (2019 C)

Effort Award (Lower Sixth), All Round Contribution Award (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, Yearbook Committee, Christmas Tree Committee; Bugsy Malone (Dancer), Alice in Wonderland (Dancer), Grease (Pink Lady); Lance Corporal (L/Cpl); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh

Academic, Art, Choral and Drama Scholarships; Achievement Award (Third Form), Effort Award (Fourth Form, Fifth Form), English Prize (Lower Sixth), Theatre Studies Prize (Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth), Bloxam Prize for English (Upper Sixth); English Copy Prize (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, Model United Nations Delegate; Grease (Sandy), Les Misérables (Student), Hamlet (Ophelia), Chicago (Roxie Hart), LAMDA - Silver with Distinction, Full Drama Colours; Head of Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, ARSM Grade 5 Singing: Distinction, Full Music Colours; Bronze Duke of Edinburgh

Poppy Gardner (2019 F)

Katie Harrison (2019 C)

Art Scholarship and Choral Exhibition; Effort Award (Lower Sixth), WBP Aspinall Prize for Outstanding Originality of Thought and Action (Upper Sixth); School Prefect; Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Orchestra, Senior Strings, Grade 8 Singing, Grade 5 Theory, Grade 4 Violin; Gold, Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Hockey 2nd XI (Captain and Half Colours)

Drama and Sport Scholarships; All Round Contribution Award (First Form), Effort Award (Third Form), CCF Sword of Honour (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Third Form); Bugsy Malone (Singer), Alice in Wonderland (Fish Footman), Grease (Jan), Les Misérables (Student), SVS Dance Shows 2011-2017, Acting Duologue Grade 4 with Distinction, Group Acting Grade 5 and 7 with Distinction; Chapel Choir, Full Music Colours, CCF Head of Juniors, Sergeant (Sgt), Full Colours – CCF; Bronze CREST Award; World and European Ballroom Dance Semi-Finalist

India Fowle (2019 H)

Alistair Gooding (2019 C) All Round Contribution Award (Upper Sixth), Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award (Upper Sixth); School Prefect; Alice in Wonderland (Gryphon), Les Misérables (Sailor), LAMDA – Gold; Grade 2 Cello; Gold Duke of Edinburgh (Pending and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed); Football - 1st XI, Hockey - 1st XI, Rugby – 2nd XV, Swimming - First Team Samuel Grindlay (2019 F) Academic and Music Scholarships; The Macdonald Prize for Current Affairs (Third Form), All Round Contribution Award (Fourth Form), Achievement Award (Fifth Form), History Prize (Lower Sixth), Bossom Prize for Public Speaking (Upper Sixth); Extended Project Qualification Copy Prize (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, Model

Alžběta Hřivnová (2019 S) HMC Scholarship; Media Studies Prize (Upper Sixth); Head of House (Sutton), Boarding House Prefect (Sutton), School Prefect; Chicago (Hunyak), Blue Stockings (Minnie), Drama Half Colours; Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Chamber Orchestra, Senior Strings, Music Full Colours Lucy Hemmens (2019 C) Economics Prize (Lower Sixth), Bronze Duke of Edinburgh

Page 181 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Ellie Holland (2019 L)

Magnus Linn (2019 W)

Katie Marnane (2019 H)

Academic PE Award (Upper Sixth), Bronze Duke of Edinburgh

Academic and Music Scholarships; Music Prize (Upper Sixth); Music Copy Prize (Upper Sixth); Model United Nations Delegate; Chicago (House Band – Flute); Football - 1st XI (ViceCaptain), Swimming - First Team (Captain and Full Colours)

Academic PE Prize (Lower Sixth); Head of House (Holdgate); Hockey - 2nd XI, Netball - 2nd VII (Captain)

Xueqi Hou (2019 S) Physics Prize (Lower Sixth), Further Mathematics Prize (Upper Sixth); Boarding House Prefect (Sutton) Isabella Hughes (2019 F) Drama Scholarship; Grease (Rizzo), Les Misérables (Factory Worker), Hamlet (Cornelius), Blue Stockings (Elizabeth Welsh), LAMDA Grade 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (with distinction); Chapel Choir; Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Netball - 2nd VII

Barnaby Loxton-Barnard (2019 M) Sport Scholarship; Boarding Deputy Head of House (St Margaret’s); Cricket - 1st XI (Full Colours), Football – 1st XI (Full Colours), Rugby 1st XV (Full Colours) Yufan Lu (2019 M)

Finley Hunt (2019 L)

Antonio Malluzzo-Fisher (2019 C)

Silver Duke of Edinburgh (Pending); Football 1st XI (Captain)

Head of Charities (Clothworkers’); Grease (Stage Crew), Les Misérables (Stage Crew), Hamlet (Stage Crew), Chicago (Stage Crew), Blue Stockings (Stage Crew), The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Stage Crew); Football - 2nd XI, Hockey - 2nd XI, Rugby – 2nd XV

Henry Jones (2019 H) Art Scholarship; Effort Award (Third Form, Fourth Form, Fifth Form), All Round Contribution Award (Lower Sixth), Joyce Drayson Art Prize (Lower Sixth), Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award (Upper Sixth); Extended Project Qualification Copy Prize (Upper Sixth), English Copy Prize (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Fifth Form); Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir; CCF Leading Rate (LH); Gold Duke of Edinburgh (Pending), Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed) Xinge Li (2019 S) Boarding House Prefect (Sutton)

Page 182 - The Suttonian 2019

Georgia Mancais (2019 S) Sport Scholarship; All Round Contribution Award (Third Form, Fifth Form), Amy Lovegrove Prize for Outstanding Female Achievement in Sport (Upper Sixth); Boarding House Prefect (Sutton), School Prefect; Grease (Pink Lady); Gold Duke of Edinburgh (Pending) and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed); Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours) and county representation, Netball - 1st VII (Full Colours), Tennis - First Team (Captain and Full Colours)

Sean McKeating (2019 W) Achievement Award (Fourth Form, Fifth Form); STEM Ambassador; Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Guest); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Football - 1st XI, Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours), Rugby - 2nd XV (Full Colours) Jack McNama (2019 H) Drama Scholarship; Photography Prize (Upper Sixth); Head of Competitions (Holdgate); Bugsy Malone (Oscar De Velt), Alice in Wonderland (Gryphon), Grease (Vince Fontaine), Les Misérables (Wedding Guest), Chicago (Stage Crew), Blue Stockings (Billy Silver); CCF Corporal (Cpl); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Hockey - 2nd XI, Rugby - 2nd XV (Captain and Half Colours) Samuel Millan-Norman (2019 W) Effort Award (Lower Sixth); CREST Award Copy Prize (Lower Sixth), Extended Project Qualification Copy Prize (Upper Sixth); Boarding Deputy Head of House (Westminster); Rugby 3rd XV Harry Mitchell (2019 W) Football - 1st XI

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Ellie Holland

Xueqi Hou

Isabella Hughes

Finley Hunt

Henry Jones

Xinge Li

Magnus Linn

Barnaby Loxton-Barnard

Yufan Lu

Antonio Malluzzo-Fisher

Georgia Mancais

Katie Marnane

Sean McKeating

Jack McNama

Samuel Millan-Norman

Harry Mitchell

Page 183 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Harry O’Rawe

Digby Platt-Higgins

Asher Regal

Francis Romano

Thomas Saltmarsh

Richard Sawyer

Joshua Scott

Phoebe Sharp

Joshua Shing

Emily Smith

Olivia Smith

Verity Streek

Tiggy Teare

Enric Thier

Harris Tunks

Alexander Webb

Elizabeth Welch

Kate Woodford

Harry Yorke

Yonglang Zhu

Page 184 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Harry O’Rawe (2019 H) Sport Scholarship; All Round Contribution Award (Fifth Form, Lower Sixth), Headmaster’s Special Achievement Prize (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, Head of House (Holdgate), Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Fifth Form); Les Misérables (Stage Crew), Chicago (Fred Casely), Blue Stockings (Ralph Mayhew); Gold Duke of Edinburgh (Pending) and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed); Hockey - 1st XI (Captain and Full Colours), Rugby - 1st XV (Full Colours), Tennis First Team (Captain and Full Colours)

Cadet Warrant Officer (CWO), Full Colours – CCF, Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet 2018-2019; Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Joshua Scott (2019 L) Chicago (Stage Crew), The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe (Stage Crew); Second in Command of Army, Army – CSM (WO11); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Cricket - 3rd XI, Hockey - 2nd XI, Rugby - 2nd XV Phoebe Sharp (2019 H)

Fry Prize for ICT (Upper Sixth), Head of House (Clothworkers’); Rugby - 3rd XV

Effort Award (Fifth Form), The Spirit of the House Competition Cup (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, Yearbook Committee and Christmas Tree Committee; Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Netball - 3rd VII

Asher Regal (2019 F)

Joshua Shing (2019 F)

Drama Scholarship; Effort Award (First Form, Second Form, Fifth Form), All Round Contribution Award (Third Form, Fourth Form), Music Prize (Lower Sixth), Richard Horn Prize for Outstanding All Round Performance in Drama and Music (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, STEM Ambassador, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Third Form); Macbeth (Fleance), Bugsy Malone (Hood), Alice in Wonderland (Mock Turtle), Grease (Doody), Les Misérables (Army Officer), Hamlet (Osric), Chicago (Amos Hart), Blue Stockings (Lloyd), LAMDA Gold with Distinction, LAMDA Bronze with Merit; Head of Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir, Orchestra, Grade 5 Singing; Head of RAF, Flight Sergeant (F/Sgt); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh

Sport Scholarship; Cricket - 2nd XI, Rugby - 1st XV (Full Colours and county representation)

Digby Platt-Higgins (2019 C)

Francis Romano (2019 L) Academic Scholarship; The Junior Macdonald Prize for Current Affairs (Second Form), Academic Excellence Award (Third Form), Achievement Award (Fourth Form, Fifth Form), Religious Studies Prize (Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth), Grizelle Prize for History (Upper Sixth); Scholarship Project Copy Prize (Third Form), Chemistry Copy Prize (Fourth Form), Extended Project Qualification Copy Prize (Lower Sixth), Religious Studies Copy Prize (Lower Sixth), Mathematics Copy Prize (Upper Sixth); Head of House (Lambe’s), School Prefect, Model United Nations Delegate, Debating Team; Bugsy Malone (Butler), Alice in Wonderland (The March Hare), Grease (Roger), Les Misérables (Sailor), Blue Stockings (Professor Radleigh) Thomas Saltmarsh (2019 L) Sport Exhibition; Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Cricket - 1st XI (Captain and Half Colours), Hockey - 2nd XI (Half Colours), Rugby - 2nd XV (Half Colours) Richard Sawyer (2019 C) Design and Technology Scholarship; The Froud Innovation Prize (Upper Sixth); Head of Navy,

Emily Smith (2019 H) Academic, Art and Sport Scholarships; Effort Award (First Form, Second Form and Third Form), All Round Contribution Prize (Fourth Form), The Coles Prize for All Round Contribution to School Life (Fifth Form), OSA Prize for All Round Contribution to School Life (Lower Sixth), Headmaster’s Prize (Upper Sixth), Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award (Upper Sixth); Portfolio Copy Prize (Third Form); Head of School, School Prefect, Debating Team, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Third Form); Bugsy Malone (Fizzy), Alice in Wonderland (The Mad Hatter), Grease (Pink Lady), Les Misérables (Factory Worker); Chapel Choir; Gold, Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Hockey - 1st XI (Captain, Full Colours and county representation, Netball - 2nd VII (Full Colours) Olivia Smith (2019 F) Academic Scholarship; Achievement Award (First Form, Third Form, Fourth Form, Fifth Form), Academic Excellence Award (Second Form), Biology Prize (Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth), Chemistry Prize (Lower Sixth), Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, STEM Ambassador, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Fifth Form); Bugsy Malone (Hood), Alice in Wonderland (Alice), Grease (Pink Lady); Gold, Silver and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Verity Streek (2019 S) Sport Scholarship; All Round Contribution Award (Upper Sixth); Boarding House Prefect (Sutton), School Prefect; Grease (Pink Lady); CCF Lance Corporal (L/Cpl); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Hockey - 1st XI (Full Colours), Netball - 2nd VII (Vice-Captain and Half Colours), Rounders - First Team (Full Colours), Tennis - First Team (Full Colours)

Tiggy Teare (2019 F) Academic Scholarship; Achievement Award (Third Form), Effort Award (Fourth Form), Psychology Prize (Lower Sixth), Spanish Prize (Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth); Portfolio Work Copy Prize (Third Form); School Prefect; Les Misérables (Wedding Guest); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Hockey - 3rd XI (Vice-Captain and Half Colours), Netball - 3rd VII (Vice-Captain) Enric Thier (2019 W) Boarding Deputy Head of House (Westminster), Ball Committee; Blue Stockings (Mr Peck), LAMDA - Grade 5 and Grade 6 Bronze, Half Colours - Drama

Harris Tunks (2019 M) Football - 1st XI, Rugby - 2nd XV (Full Colours) Alexander Webb (2019 F) Academic and Drama Scholarships; Academic Excellence Award (First Form), Achievement Award (Second Form, Third Form, Fourth Form, Fifth Form), Effort Award (Lower Sixth); Extended Project Qualification Copy Prize (Lower Sixth); School Prefect, Model United Nations Delegate; Bugsy Malone (Joe/Babyface), Alice in Wonderland (The White Rabbit), Grease (Kenickie), Les Misérables (Student), Blue Stockings (Holmes), LAMDA Grade 1-8 (Gold medal - Distinction), LAMDA Group Grade 3-7 (Silver medal - Distinction), LAMDA Group devised grade 5 (Distinction); Chapel Choir, Chamber Choir; Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Elizabeth Welch (2019 L) Business Prize (Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth); Head of House (Lambe’s); Chicago (Liz) Kate Woodford (2019 S) Academic Exhibition and Sport Scholarship; Geography Prize (Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth); Geography Copy Prize (Upper Sixth); School Prefect, Ball Committee, Blue Gown Recipient (awarded in Third Form); Bronze Duke of Edinburgh; Netball - 1st VII (Captain and Full Colours), Tennis - First Team (Full Colours) Harry Yorke (2019 W) All Round Contribution Award (Lower Sixth, Upper Sixth); Head of House (Westminster), School Prefect, CCF Corporal (Cpl); Gold Duke of Edinburgh (Pending) and Bronze Duke of Edinburgh (Completed); Football - 1st XI, Rugby - 1st XV (Full Colours) Yonglang Zhu (2019 S) Music Scholarship; Kitchener Prize for Mathematics (Lower Sixth), Economics Prize (Upper Sixth); English Copy Prize (Upper Sixth); Deputy Head of House (Sutton); Orchestra, Senior Strings, ARSM Grade 8 Violin (Merit)

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Common Room Valete

A

long with our departing Upper Sixth students, the School also said farewell to a number of staff members this summer.

Given the long-service of many of those listed, I am sure Old Suttonians will join the School in expressing a debt of gratitude for all that they have done for Sutton Valence over the years.

Of particular note this summer, we said farewell to Mr Don Clarke - a familiar face around the School since he arrived in early 1985. The recent celebration of his 100th term made him one of a diminishing number of staff members to offer such longevity of service. We hope he enjoys a relaxing and wellearned retirement.

This summer also saw the departures of Dr Lilla Grindlay, who left us to take up the role of Head of English at The King’s School, Canterbury and Miss

Emily Lesourd (née Clement-Walker) who left to enjoy more time with her new-born daughter Thea. Elsewhere, Mr Jonathan Soman left after six years at SVS to become Director of Music at the Royal Grammar School, Worcester and Mr Tim Cope has joined Brentwood School as a boarding housemaster.

We also bid farewell to Ms Alex Akehurst, Mr Seth Waterworth and Mr Matthew Latham, who each spent two years at Sutton Valence, as well as Miss Maya Chauhan, who completed her year-long Psychology internship with us.

Finally, this past academic year also saw the departure of long-time Development Manager, Mrs Helen Knott. Although she officially retired in December 2018, we are delighted that she will remain part of the SVS Foundation Council.

Mrs Helen Knott (Staff 2002-2018) Mr Will Radford, Development Manager

F

or any Old Suttonians reading these staff valete pages, Helen Knott will likely be as familiar as any of the departing academic staff listed. For a member of the support staff, that is rare, but such was Helen’s involvement in the School over the course of the last 16 years, she became an integral part of its operation.

Helen originally joined us as a part-time Administration Assistant in the Development Office in October 2002, back then under the leadership of Mr Chris Parkinson (Staff 19782005). Chris had been asked by Headmaster, Joe Davies (HM 2001-2009) to lay the foundations for a capital campaign that was to fund the School’s most ambitious building project for many years, incorporating the new indoor swimming pool, the Astroturf pitch at the Preparatory School and the Baughan Theatre renovation.

As well as the capital campaign, Joe Davies also wanted the School to build better relationships with its alumni, so Helen, together with Chris and the School’s archivist, Colin Shaw (1955 W, Staff 1971-2011), was tasked with building a database of Old Suttonians, which still forms the basis for much of what we do today.

Page 186 - The Suttonian 2019

When Chris Parkinson retired in 2005, Helen took on the management of the Development Office, hiring her own Development Assistant, Rebecca Riggs. Together they continued to shape the School’s alumni programme, whilst at the same time adapting the department as the priorities of the School changed.

Over the course of the next 13 years, Helen’s leadership and commitment to both the School and Old Suttonian community saw her drive forward new initiatives in both ‘friend-raising’ and fundraising. With the latter, she instigated the Annual Fund, The William Lambe Society legacy programme and, most recently, The 1576 Fund.

Helen’s professionalism and warmth meant that fundraising never appeared pressurised; OS understood her sincerity and gave willingly.

When she retired from Sutton Valence in December 2018, Helen left a lasting legacy. Her impact on the School and its community was perhaps greater than she, or her colleagues ever truly appreciated. Her exceptional eye for detail and effortless delivery of the ‘SVS brand’ made her an invaluable asset to the School and its leadership team. She will be truly missed, but we look forward to welcoming her back in her role on the SVS Foundation Council.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Mr Don Clarke (Staff 1985-2019) Mr David Pickard (Staff 1977-2001, 2009-2015)

T

he late Keith Smith (Staff 1968-1991), an outstanding Head of Biology at SVS in his own right, was absolutely delighted to have plucked Don Clarke out from the list of applicants for the post of ‘departmental junior’ in late-1984. Keith was always keen that members of staff be involved in as many aspects of the School as possible, both inside and outside of the classroom. He sought that they contribute ‘to the development of those who would be learning from our example’. He thought Don would ‘do us very nicely’.

Just over 34years later, the departure of Don, into well-earned retirement, gives us the opportunity to see just how prescient Keith had been.

Undaunted in the knowledge that his two most recent predecessors had been PhDs, Don quickly obtained a reputation for excellent teaching supported by painstaking research and preparation, and a strong discipline for giving quality feedback to his pupils. Amongst his colleagues, the respect was enhanced on account of the enthusiasm with which he approached his duties, whilst at the same time being quite upfront about his uncertainty about the relevance, in a modern world, of the seemingly old-fashioned procedures, nay, even ‘rites’ that governed our activities.

Thus, he entered our boarding institution as a Tutor in Cornwallis where he turned out to be a distinct improvement on his predecessor there.

He took over the organisation of Cross Country running while it was still a major sport at the School, and with it, the management of the annual Baton Race.

Don took over the Biology department on Keith Smith’s retirement in 1991 and his superb organisational skills were recognised by his being made Director of Studies shortly after.

More than one headmaster appreciated his nimble mind, creativity and intelligence; but he was never one to accept change for change’s sake.

Our present headmaster remembers hearing, all too frequently (if with well-mannered deference and quite correctly) ‘the problem with that is...’ and ‘when we did this last time...’ But then, as a member of staff, I well remember the reluctance of a conservative group to accept those innovations which his careful discussions

in senior management meetings had produced.

Don steered a middle line with great aplomb in order to implement necessary change.

As the School’s Archivist I am well aware that the years since the appointment of Michael Haywood as Headmaster in 1980 have seen a most remarkable, and sustained, improvement in both academic achievement and in the variety and quality of enrichment activities. It is no coincidence that this time almost exactly accords with that of Don Clarke’s time at this School.

As his career was fast approaching its end, Don took time to relinquish some of his more tiring duties. He was tasked with introducing Photography onto the timetable. Some thought

this a nice ‘quasi-sabbatical’ reward for one who was, for the previous three decades often seen about the School, on important occasions, taking ‘snaps’! Little did they know that his original reference in 1985 had stated ‘His photographic ability is undoubtedly of a professional standard’.

A visit to the Photography department today will show just how well he has passed on his skill to those in his charge. I have been both alarmed and amazed at the artwork on display.

To Don, the whole School expresses its gratitude and wishes him and Ruth an adventurous retirement. I am sure that our appreciation of his ability is well matched by the very significant number of leavers over the last three decades who have benefited from his tuition.

Page 187 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Mr Tim Cope (Staff 2013-2019) Mr Gary Wellings, Head of Mathematics and Mr Vince Wells, Head of Cricket

T

im Cope joined Sutton Valence School back in September 2013 as a teacher of Mathematics. Over the course of the next six years, he became a corner stone of the School, involved in academic, pastoral, leadership and sporting activities - a true all-rounder.

Upon joining the School, Tim’s excellence in the classroom made him a real asset to the Mathematics department, getting the best out of all of those under his tutelage. As well as his classroom remit, he also took on the responsibility for leading the RAF section of the School’s Combined Cadet Force - something he did with enthusiasm and passion.

As the newest of the three sections, the RAF was often considered the least-preferable for cadets but, under Tim’s expert guidance, the section took a significant leap forward. He arranged trips to RAF bases throughout the country as well as an ambitious visit to Langley Air Force base in Virginia in summer 2015. The cadets’ parade to mark last year’s centenary of the formation of the RAF was a strong reflection of the importance he placed on history as he regularly organised field trips to educate his cadets on the heritage of the force.

In 2016, the departure of Sarah Easter (Staff 2004-2016) from the School left a pastoral void, which Tim stepped into as the Housemaster of Founder’s. Within that role, he proved himself to be a great team man who cared deeply about the House. The pupils were his priority and he would be there to cheer and support, whether it be on the sports field, in Drama, Music concerts, CCF or in the many other areas of school life at SVS. His open door policy as Housemaster offered the students an invaluable sounding board when faced with the struggles and stresses of exams.

In addition to his academic, pastoral and CCF roles, Tim loved his sport, coaching First Team Tennis and the 3rd XV Rugby team. In addition, he would happily stand in and help in other areas that were out of his comfort zone too.

Refereeing Football and umpiring Hockey fixtures are two areas that come to mind! Tim’s efforts eventually led to him becoming the boys’ 2nd XI Hockey coach.

The biggest compliment that we can pay Tim as a coach was that the boys wanted to play for

Page 188 - The Suttonian 2019

him. Obviously, there was that competitive edge and desire from a sportsman wanting to win, but Tim also wanted to win in a correct and fair way, which reflected well on the teams he put out.

of Boarding Housemaster and Teacher of Mathematics at Brentwood School in Essex.

It would not surprise us to see him appear on TOWIE in the future!

As if his role wasn’t broad enough, it would be remiss not to mention some of the other areas he impacted life at Sutton Valence such as his willingness to head off on Duke of Edinburgh expeditions or his previous role as head of the Common Room.

We will all miss those legs in the Summer Term, the many concoctions of food that appeared on his lunch time plate and the smell of coffee coming from the Founder’s office.

As a good friend, Tim’s ever-smiley face and sense of humour will be greatly missed around the School. He departs us to take up the role

Tim has offered so much to Sutton Valence and on behalf of everyone at the School, we wish Tim, Katie and the family the best of luck. You will always be remembered.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Dr Lilla Grindlay (Staff 2009-2019) Mrs Becci Ball, Academic Deputy Head

L

illa Grindlay joined Sutton Valence School as a part-time teacher in September 2009 and immediately made her mark as an exceptionally strong, caring and effective educator. It comes as no surprise that her former pupils spoke of her teaching ‘as second to none’ and extolled her ‘diverse and infectious wide-ranging knowledge.’ During her time at School, she inspired many pupils to read English at university and many have been so enthused that they have carried on to study literature at masters and doctorate level.

Lilla was appointed to the role of Head of Academic Scholars in 2016 and did a superb job developing the minds of and encouraging our most able, through scholar breakfasts and essay competitions where the quality of work produced by all year groups was excellent. Her support of our scholars was clear in the quality of the Kingdon Society lectures which she hosted. She ensured all pupils were well prepared and that the programme of lectures challenged and enthused. Her support of pupils going through the UCAS process and especially for those applying to read English or to study at Oxbridge was not only exceptional, but highly successful.

While Lilla was working part time in our English department, she also gained her PhD from University College London, writing her thesis on the iconography of the assumption and coronation of the Virgin.

This in turn led to the publication of her book Queen of Heaven: The Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin in Early Modern English Writing celebrated with a wonderful evening of reading and discussion hosted by our Chair of Governors, Lady Elizabeth Vallance. To have an author amongst our staff body is very special and leading by example, Lilla’s contribution to the academic rigour of our school impressed and engaged all those who worked with her and all pupils taught by her.

In September 2018, Lilla became the Head of English bringing with her an exceptional level of enthusiasm for literature and a continuing desire to inspire. Her strong and determined leadership was exemplified in the superb English Society evenings which she wrote and coordinated. This year’s Mary Shelley evening (report on page 12) was wholly memorable not least for the eloquence of her prose as she told stories and deployed her English department colleagues and pupils to read and perform in a variety of guises at an evening that was both educational and wholly fun! Similarly, the Jane Austen evening (September 2017) when her wit and lively writing and performance transported the audience and performers alike to Georgian England and wholeheartedly celebrated the life and works of one of our most beloved authors.

Anyone who entered Lilla’s classroom would have known straight-away that they were entering the domain of a teacher who was an exceptional practitioner, whose love of her subject was wholly transparent through the inspiring display and the energy she exuded. If you were lucky enough, you would enter on a day when Gothic cakes had been made to enhance the learning of those pupils fortunate enough to be in her class! In the words of one of her former students: ‘her vibrant energy and burning passion for English was contagious, inspiring not just me, but generations of Sutton Valence English students with the wonders of English literature.’

Page 189 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Ms Alex Akehurst (Staff 2017-2019)

Mr Seth Waterworth (Staff 2017-2019)

Mrs Sophie De Castro, Head of MFL

Mr Matthew Jones, Teacher of Geography

A

T

Alex is a talented linguist and having studied Classics at university, she realised her passion was for Modern Languages rather than Latin and Greek and decided to pursue a career teaching French and Spanish. During her short time in the MFL department, she passed on her love of languages to her classes and taught lively, imaginative lessons as well as contributing wholeheartedly to all departmental initiatives.

Seth was a committed member of the Geography department, giving over considerable time to help produce resources. He has been a valued member of the Westminster boarding community, serving faithfully as a House Tutor. His commitment to School sport, particularly Rugby, has been excellent. I am told he was easy to envy on the golf course, much to the frustration of other colleagues. He donned his beret and enjoyed his time with the CCF. From Junior Leadership to boarding trips, revision classes to the sports field, the list of ways in which Seth has contributed to the School community goes on and on.

lex joined the Modern Foreign Languages department in April 2017 as the Spanish assistant and trainee teacher of French and Spanish. During her first year at Sutton Valence, she completed the Buckingham University PGCE course and went on to complete her NQT year with us.

She has a particular love of Menorca and the Catalan language and enjoyed being able to enrich the pupils’ cultural knowledge by talking about her own experience of spending time in Spain and the Balearic Islands. Her support as the Spanish Assistant proved invaluable for Upper Sixth pupils who achieved some of the best ever results for the 2019 A Level Spanish speaking examination. She volunteered to accompany the MFL Junior trips to Nice and Barcelona, where she was able to put her language skills to good use.

Alex also played an important role in the Junior Leadership programme and very much enjoyed accompanying the Second Form on their Bushcraft trip during Activities Week. She was also a Junior tutor and worked one evening a week and some weekends in Beresford. Alex threw herself into these roles enthusiastically and will be missed by her charges and the Junior tutor team as well as all of us in MFL. We wish her every success in her new position at Thomas Tallis School in Blackheath.

Page 190 - The Suttonian 2019

wo years ago Seth joined the Sutton Valence community from Mount Kelly in Devon, having enjoyed a good two years teaching Geography and coaching Rugby. During his short time at the School, Seth engaged in a dizzying array of activities, honing his skills and broadening his CV.

I think one of Seth’s most memorable moments, for students and staff alike, was the Chapel sermon that he delivered, during his first year at the School. He was exceptionally honest, humble and positive, dealing with a sensitive topic in a typically down-to-earth and life-affirming way. The students talk about it to this day and it will be something they, and we, remember for a very long time.

Seth left Sutton Valence to try his hand at something new, returning home to his native Isle of Man. Word has reached us that he is thoroughly enjoying his new role working for an innovative IT company. In the two years that Seth was a part of the School community, he made a big impression both inside and outside the classroom. We wish him well for the years ahead.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Mr Jonathan Soman (Staff 2013-2019) Mr Phil Horley, Director of Music

W

hen Jonathan Soman first arrived at Sutton Valence School back in September 2013, his youthful looks meant he was often mistaken for a Sixth Form pupil and, after six years, that had still not changed.

During his time at the School, Jonathan not only demonstrated his musical skill, but also his adaptability across an incredibly wide range of disciplines; perhaps the widest of any current member of staff. He taught Music from A Level, all the way down to the Pre-Prep at Sutton Valence Preparatory School.

At the Senior School, his enthusiasm was contagious and he regularly persuaded younger pupils, with little prior interest in Music, to perform on keyboards, discovering skills that they never realised they had. In several instances, these pupils decided to take up piano lessons as a result. This devotion and encouragement made him a popular figure amongst the School’s musical community.

Outside of the classroom, his main music activity was running the Chapel Choir. Everyone who attended the Carol Services over the last few years will agree that the standard was very high and created an amazing atmosphere. He also directed the Choir in some outstanding performances including works by Vivaldi, Jenkins, Parry and Mozart. Probably the highlight was the tour to Amsterdam in January 2017, performing in several large churches around the city.

Running parallel to the Chapel Choir, Jonathan also took his love of Drama to the SVS stage through his involvement in the School’s musical productions. In his six years here, he has been an intrinsic part of musical productions at the School. As well as this summer’s production of School of Rock, his other junior shows have included Grease (June 2014) and Mulan (June 2017, but he will be best remembered for the blockbuster senior productions of Les Misérables (January 2016) and Chicago (January 2018).

As Musical Director, Jonathan’s skill and eye for detail made him an invaluable part of the production process, tirelessly rehearsing at lunchtimes and weekends to ensure the shows were of the highest standard. This resulted in some truly amazing performances (although I have only just forgiven him for being ill on the

opening night of Chicago - resulting in a lessthan-well-rehearsed Director of Music needing to step in!).

the companionship in the office, bringing SVPS into the main SVS Carol Services, organising joint concerts and the list goes on.

Away from Music, Jonathan transferred his academic skills into developing and running the School’s Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) programme, which is now an important part of the Sixth Form curriculum. He was also a very caring Tutor in St Margaret’s House, looking after the boys and being very proud of their achievements.

Jonathan leaves us to take up the post of Director of Music at the Royal Grammar School, Worcester. The Music and Drama departments at SVS, as well as the School as a whole, have benefited immeasurably from his wealth of musical expertise, exuberance and enthusiasm and we wish him, Susanna and Reuben all the very best in Worcester and wherever their future takes them.

Other skills, upon which I have no room to expand, were his clarinet and saxophone playing, all the paperwork he saved me doing, Page 191 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Emily Lesourd (Staff 2012-2019) Mr Bob Carr, Head of The Juniors

E

mily arrived at Sutton Valence in September 2012 from Charterhouse School, with this being her second teaching post. Her mentor was Sally Rose, whom Emily is extremely grateful to for helping boost her self-confidence and for guiding her through her early teaching days as she settled into the life of the School.

Emily was a highly dedicated and able teacher of Design and Technology and Art. From an academic point of view, she was guided closely by Dan Keep and latterly Paul Mayes in the DT department and by Nick Gorman in the Art department. Emily oversaw numerous unique and innovative products conceived by the pupils and she assisted their production and manufacture with dedication and enthusiasm. Emily hosted many lunch time and after school clinics and also organised a DT trip to the engineering department at Loughborough University.

Emily played a huge part in the pastoral life of the School, starting out as a tutor in The Juniors as one of David Sansom’s team. Due to her enormous success and dedication, she was appointed to the role of Senior Tutor to The Juniors. Within this remit, she brilliantly arranged many junior house events such as the Pancake Race, the Penny Race and The Juniors’ involvement in the Baton Race, along with the ever-popular Christmas quiz.

She was also responsible for monitoring and structuring the provision of PSHE and oversaw the development of the Junior Portfolio.

Emily was an Out-Tutor in Beresford House for a year when Graham and Lynn Alderman ran the House. Once they moved on, Emily did a further two years under the leadership of Sally and Kit Rose. She did a lot to help foster the wonderful family spirit which Beresford is renowned for. Emily organised trips at weekends to theme parks, Maidstone, ten-pin bowling and the Chatham dry ski slope.

Not content with all of the above, Emily was also involved in the sporting side of School life and, whilst she would admit that she is not the foremost of sports coaches, the girls always wanted to play for her and she created a great team spirit due to her infectious positivity. Emily also participated in the Disneyland Netball tour and the South African Cricket and Netball tour.

She took an adventure activity to the Atlas Mountains, during which she organised a climb up Mount Toubkal in southwestern Morocco.

As Head of The Juniors, I cannot thank Emily enough for the support which she gave me day-by-day and for her words of wisdom and friendship throughout. Nothing was ever too much trouble for her and, as a wellknown Luddite, I genuinely appreciated her excellent word processing skills.

I am full of admiration for all that Emily achieved during her relatively short time at Sutton Valence School. Her bravery, as she faced up to her long road of recovery following her car accident, was testament to her steely determination and her strong personal qualities.

Put simply, whilst Emily remains out of the classroom, the teaching profession will be worse off. We wish her, Hugo and Thea all the very best in the months and years ahead and hope that they will always remember that our doors are always wide open for them. Thank you Emily.

Page 192 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Matthew Latham (2012 C, Staff 2017-2019)

Maya Chauhan (Staff 2018-2019)

Mr Jamie Henderson, Head of Hockey

Miss Ellie Oliver (2011 C), Teacher of Biology

H

D

aving spent seven years at the School as a pupil, Matthew Latham (2012 C) returned to his alma mater in 2017 to become a Teacher of PE and Games, whilst studying for his PGCE in Physical Education.

Matthew was a keen sports player in his time as a pupil at the School and this translated into his coaching of Rugby, Hockey and Cricket to both boys and girls. He was affectionately known as Coach by his Under 15A Rugby team, who he led to an undefeated season this year. He also coached the 3rd XI Hockey to numerous victories.

As well as his coaching work, Matt was also an enthusiastic member of the Academic Sport team, creating various educational resources such as the ‘Tree of Life’ and ‘PE Monopoly’. He also served as a popular tutor in The Juniors, calling upon his own experience as a pupil at the School to provide a caring and nurturing environment for his tutees.

Outside of School, Matt found his true calling in January 2018, when he decided to sign up to the Leeds Castle triathlon. Since then, he has not looked back and, numerous runs, swims and bike rides later, he is now representing the 25-29 age group in the British Triathlon team and has recently qualified for the World Cup in Canada 2020.

Matt has been a true all-rounder of the PE team and we wish him all the best as he takes up his new role at Tiffin School, in Kingston-Upon-Thames.

If his two years at SVS are anything to go by, he will undoubtedly be a success. If nothing else, I am sure his new colleagues will enjoy his regular explanations about the benefits of aerodynamics in triathlon races!

espite only being at Sutton Valence for a year, I think it is fair to say that Maya has made quite an impact on the Common Room and the wider School. She is undeniably charming, hilariously funny and definitely knows how to tell a good story.

Aside from her infectious personality, Maya has made an impact in the classroom as well, making her mark in the Psychology and PSHE departments this year. She has also been an outstanding tutor in The Juniors, an enormous support to the team in Sutton House, a key figure in Learning Support and a huge help to Sally Rose with child protection and safeguarding administration.

She has really embraced life at SVS and taken every opportunity provided to her this year including attending the ski trip, assisting with Bronze Duke of Edinburgh award and camping out so willingly on the Junior Leadership activity. I think we can all agree that Maya has surpassed our expectations of a Psychology intern.

As well as her fellow staff, Maya has also made a fantastic impression on the students. Those who had the pleasure of having her assisting students in one of their lessons, will have experienced her calming nature that truly brings the best out of the children.

I am going to miss Maya enormously. She has been a fantastic and supportive friend who has lifted all of the staff with her infectious positivity.

Although we are all incredibly sad to see her go, we know she is destined for great things.

Page 193 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Old Suttonian Updates

W

e are always delighted to hear news from Old Suttonians, whether it be in the form of a yearly update or, for those whom we have not heard from in a while, a more comprehensive overview of their time since leaving the School. The following is a selection spanning some 70 years of OS history. To have an update included in next year’s magazine, please contact the Development Office.

and performed theatre shows, television, cabaret, and countless functions through the years, alongside my service and commercial careers. It has brought me enormous pleasure.

And, I hope, given some to many others.

TURNER, Clive (1948 W)

Forget the lows; the unfairness; the times when everything about you seemed to pile up against you and remember the joys; the family happinesses; and the special occasions when circumstances have served up brilliant and shining examples of what makes life worth living. And most of us will have many, many memories of the latter, overwhelmingly eclipsing the former.

Having left Sutton Valence in 1948, I had several highly successful careers through the following years, including the Army in Korea for 16 months, and then a very enjoyable, if challenging, few years in the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm flying from carriers with some truly superb and talented colleagues.

Life takes so many turns and you just have to roll with the disappointments and make the very most of the highs when they come along. This simple creed has served us well, and our three children and five grandsons are all a delight and prospering in their different spheres.

Commercial interests followed, including some years in Hong Kong. Many years later though, here I am at 87, comfortably retired in Cyprus in the warmth and sunshine with my wife, with whom I celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary this past March.

HARVEY, George (1952 W)

I have retained a lifelong interest in magic, which began at nine and continued through the SVS years when it was nurtured by William Wallace (1945 D), later known as Ali Bongo. I later became an Associate Member of The Inner Magic Circle

At a glittering awards ceremony held at the Folkestone Leas Cliff Pavilion in June, I was recognised for my 32 years service with an award as Trustee of the Year in the Kent Charity Awards. Although still continuing as a patron for the charity, I am now enjoying full retirement with my wife Di at our new home in Tonbridge.

Since my last update, I have finally retired as Chairman of the board of trustees at Spadework, the Offham-based charity providing opportunities for adults with learning disabilities.

BIGGS, Rodney (1954 L) After leaving Sutton Valence School in 1954 and having no idea what profession I wanted to pursue, I joined The Eastern Bank in London.

Being a banker, I was posted to the Royal Army Pay Corps for my National Service in 1955.

Clive Turner (1948 W)

Page 194 - The Suttonian 2019

I rejoined the Bank in 1957, remaining until 1961.

They wanted to transfer me to the Middle East, so I decided to emigrate to Canada, where I joined Scotiabank. After five months in Toronto, my tour of the Caribbean started. Firstly, I was in Port of Spain, Trinidad; Bridgetown, Barbados in 1962 (where I met and married my wife, Anne); San Fernando, Trinidad, 1966 and then to San Juan, Trinidad. George Town, Grand Cayman

1969/73 was followed by Charlotte Amalie, US Virgin Islands.

We returned to Toronto, Canada in 1974, and were posted to Sault Ste Marie in 1978, returning to Toronto, 1981 and then to Winnipeg in 1987.

After holding various positions, I retired in 1997.

Retirement lasted two months! We relocated to Barbados, where I worked on a contract for eight years, returning to Winnipeg in 2005. By that time our three children had married and we have five grandchildren. I am presently volunteering two days a week, sitting on three non-profit boards; golfing when weather permits and travelling when possible. My education at SVS provided a good grounding for my career.

CROFT, James (1955 M) After leaving the School in 1955, I went on to study Estate Management at the University of London. I remained in London after graduating, taking a role in the City-based chartered surveying partnership of Richard Ellis, initially as a valuation and investment property surveyor, in the position of assistant to the then senior partner.

In 1963, I was offered an associate partnership, becoming a full equity partner of the firm in 1967.

During this time, I was the partner responsible for the firm’s international development, opening offices in Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid and Lisbon over the ensuing ten years.

My focus moved to the US and Latin America, opening offices in Chicago and Sao Paulo in the mid to late 1970s.

Amongst other assignments of interest, I was instructed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to advise on the value of the organisation’s headquarters building in Paris for sale back to the French in 1967.

In my later career, I specialised in the international hotel field having established an international hotels and leisure division. We were responsible for developing some prominent new central London hotels, notably The Lanesborough, The Langham and The Landmark, as well as the Ciragan Palace Hotel in Istanbul. When the firm merged with US-based CB Commercial in 1997, I took the opportunity to retire. Despite this, I served on the board of New York-quoted Sensient Technologies Corp for nearly 20 years.

I have also taken on projects as an independent

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY consultant, advising clients on a variety of global commercial property and related matters.

I am married with three children and nine grandchildren.

BOOTH, Jeffrey (1956 M) I recently wrote a book entitled Letters in the Air on the 1911 first United Kingdom Aerial Post; the first time letters were officially carried by plane anywhere in the world!

I am also still writing the Collect GB First Day Covers stamp catalogue, which is now in its 32nd Edition! Aside from that, I am retired, I live in Arundel, Sussex and also in the South of France.

I still have fond memories of my time at Sutton Valence.

MELVIN, John (1953 W) I am delighted to say that I was invited by a Mayfair Gallery, D Contemporary, to have a solo show of my paintings. I called the exhibition Paintings of Place and it was open between 22 October and 5 November 2019. I was asked to do a short account of my pictures for the catalogue, and I realised that my gentle obsession with the idea of place almost certainly started as a school boy at Sutton Valence.

At that time, the landscape had changed very little from the time of William Blake and Samuel Palmer. I well recall discovering a wonderful book in the School Library entitled The Followers of William Blake by Laurence Binyon, about Palmer and his circle. I do hope the Library still has it and that it can fire and feed the imagination of today’s students as it did with me.

HARRISON, Neville (1956 L) Having left the School, I achieved my fully chartered status in civil engineering (FICE), specialising in tunnels and was appointed resident engineer on a major contract for the Cairo Waste Water project which was a combined UK/US funded scheme. The sewer system was fully updated and successfully prevented the continuous flooding of sewerage in the city!

I was then involved in the Danish Storebaelt railway tunnels followed by a period assisting on the Channel Tunnel. Then I was appointed Resident Engineer on the Folkestone by-pass Round Hill tunnel project. I then had the good fortune to be appointed construction manager for the St Clair railway tunnel in Sarnia, Ontario.

This sub-river tunnel provided a non-stop route for Canadian National freight trains from Halifax into the American mid-west.

My wife Jackie accompanied me for this exciting posting and our children joined us for their school holidays. We found Canada a very friendly and interesting country and we were fortunate enough to meet up with Dr Dumaresq Child (1956 W) and his wife, Eryl, who entertained us royally at their home in Essex, Ontario.

We returned to the UK in 1995 and I was seconded to a Japanese team studying a tunnel beneath the Suez Canal. This involved several visits to Cairo and Tokyo and, as a project, was very interesting.

I retired in 1999, but continued to work as a consultant with the firm, assisting on the HS1 tunnels, Stratford cable tunnels and finally assisting site staff on the Crossrail station tunnels.

During all this time, Cricket was played for the OS and my local team, but this has been superseded by golf due to ‘anno domini’!

We have two children. Our son Richard is married with two children and lives in Cornwall,

Holywell Music Room Oxford

by John Melvin (1953 W)

where he manages the Surf’s Up surf school in Polzeath. Any OS/SVS wishing to benefit from his teaching can contact him on their website or in person at the beach!! Our daughter Joanna works in the gaming industry and lives locally in Sussex and enjoys life to the full!

PEACOCK-EDWARDS, Richard (1957 F) As you may have read about earlier in the magazine, I was delighted to be able to welcome two Old Suttonian groups for lunches at the RAF Club this year, within my capacity as the club’s

vice-chairman. After nearly ten years in that role though, I have now stepped down, but continue to be actively involved with the club, especially with the prestigious Arts Committee.

As the son of a Battle of Britain pilot, one of my primary interests and passions remains the Battle of Britain. To that end, I now run, with my business partner, an enterprise called ‘Battle of Britain Tours’ which offer bespoke tours of the many and varied sites associated with the Battle of Britain. Those interested in finding out more about these tours should contact me directly rick@battleofbritaintours.co.uk.

Page 195 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Henry Edwards (1960 M)

Aside from that, I remain actively involved in a number of other aviation-related organisations including the Honourable Company of Air Pilots (I am a past master) and the Air Cadets Organisation. I also have a major summer involvement with the management and supervision of air displays.

My only other news this year is that I now have a second granddaughter, Annabelle Christine Phillips, born on 31 May 2018, a sister for Maisie Victoria (born 25 February 2016). I continue to live in Crowthorne, Berkshire and would be delighted to hear from other Old Suttonians.

EDWARDS, Henry (1960 M) After 40 years’ service as a town councillor in Tenterden, my tenure ended in May this year after the local elections. It was always planned that my 40th year would be my last and while I am sorry to have retired from public life, I am proud to have been trusted with such huge responsibilities in representing residents in the North Ward.

At the Mayor Making ceremony on May 13th this year, a former mayor led the tributes, followed by a presentation. For once, I was lost for words! Monday nights have now become an opportunity for overtime, and after just three months, even Felicity has stopped asking, “is tonight a council or committee night?!” My former colleagues joked that the town hall had become a second home for me!

Page 196 - The Suttonian 2019

Away from my civic duties, I am proud to say that Felicity and I celebrated our golden wedding anniversary last year - doing so in style by renewing our vows whilst on a Mediterranean cruise.

LITCHFIELD, Peter (1961 L) Things have changed a little for us recently as our daughter Caroline has recently moved to Stamford, Connecticut for her husband’s job.

Some eight weeks later she then produced our first grandchild, a boy named Alexander.

Back here, life on Hayling Island is as enjoyable as ever. Karen and I still enjoy a full retirement sailing our boat in the Greek Islands during the hip seasons and then our boat here in the UK during the summer !

PRICE, His Honour Richard (1962 L) I retired from the Bench five years ago, having been judge in charge of crime for South East Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, as well as Recorder of Portsmouth, a civic, non-political role.

Avril and I have been married for 48 years, with three sons and now four grandchildren, the youngest of whom made an appearance 11 months ago.

BYNG-MADDICK, Christopher (1963 F) After leaving the School in the early 1960s, I went to London to start a course studying Architecture at the Regent Street Polytechnic (now the University of Westminster). After some seven years as a student in London, I finally qualified as an architect in 1970.

After getting jobs working in various practices, I landed a job building a hotel in the Seychelles, where I went to live for six months during the build process. On returning to London, I worked in a small architect’s practice overlooking Bloomsbury Square in Holborn.

In 1976, I married and moved to Camden Town.

We had two children, a boy and a girl, both of whom went on to attend Westminster School during the late 1970s, my son as a Scholar.

I left the firm in Bloomsbury Square and joined a practice known as DEGW, known for their work as space planning consultants to companies on how best to occupy their office space. I became a partner in the early 1980s and subsequently a director, when we incorporated a year later.

After the dynamic years of the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher, things slowed down suddenly and we realised that the huge growth of the company during that period had been underpinned by debt. Changes were needed and I left and joined with a Bristol-based practice,

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY to form my own company called Bruges Tozer London Ltd in 1991.

I continued to build that company over the years, but in 2004 I suddenly suffered a stroke which ended life as I had known it. Since then I have researched and written the story of my ancestor Admiral Byng to explain how it was that he came to be executed in1757. I also took up painting and undertook a foundation course.

I now live in Highgate and have managed to sell a few paintings, although my output is erratic.

My daughter is a consultant rheumatologist at Guy’s Hospital and has two small children; my son has worked for the likes of Facebook and Apple and currently lives in Berlin.

FLECK, Anthony (1963 F) I am now retired, living just down the road from the School in Biddenden. I have stopped fruit farming, but am still doing 1,200 turkeys and a few geese for the Christmas market. I live in a log cabin with my partner on 18 acres of land. I still love travelling the world, even at 73.

HOUGHTON, Dr Nicholas (1964 W) I have recently retired from consultant practice in diagnostic radiology, after 40 years in regional Victoria. In retirement, I intend to enjoy spending time with my grandchildren, travel and playing bridge. I still live in Warrnambool and would welcome a visit from any passing OS.

GRIEVE, Robert (1965 W) We are now the proud grandparents of two beautiful granddaughters, Isla aged two and Noa, aged one. Although the family live in Northern Ireland, we are able to see them regularly via social media.

Both my wife and I have now fully retired and are pursuing our passions for visiting countries abroad and their cultures. My biggest highlight has been South African safaris and playing with a group of feisty lion cubs.

As well as travel, we love walking, currently travelling the Pilgrims Way... in stages. We are both very much involved in our local church, especially in pastoral visiting and, myself as a licensed reader or lay minister, involved in leading services and preaching. I fondly remember preaching at the School’s Chapel, morning service, many years ago.

WILLS, Murray (1965 F) I started my career as an articled clerk with estate agents Geering and Colyer in Hawkhurst, Kent, before qualifying in 1969 as a chartered surveyor.

After a number of interim posts, I joined the Maidstone firm of Page & Wells in 1979, where I am now one of the senior directors.

I met my wife Jan on a friendly ‘blind date’ game of mixed tennis at SVS on the Lower tennis courts some 52 years ago! We have two children; Duncan Wills, went to Underhill Preparatory School and Emma Breen [née Wills]

(1997 V) went to both Underhill and the Senior School. Her daughter Elsa Breen (Year 1) is also now flourishing at SVPS and will most likely head to SVS in due course.

Living locally, in part of a house previously occupied by Steve Pooley (1965 F) and his family, I still see other OS, recently meeting up at a party in Norfolk with Ian Grimshaw (1968 C), Lawrence Martin (1966 C), Martin Riedl (1967 F), Richard Smith (1971 F) and Christopher Wheeler (1964 C).

FROGGATT, Anthony (1966 L) I left Sutton Valence in 1966 to study Law at Queen Mary College London, followed by an MBA at Columbia Business School in New York.

Over the years, I have worked in the UK, Asia, the US, Australia and Switzerland, primarily in the drinks industry with companies such as Diageo and Seagram. My last executive role was with the brewer Scottish and Newcastle, based in Edinburgh, where I served as Chief Executive Officer, retiring in 2008.

Since then, I have lived in my home country of Australia working in non- executive roles on the boards of various companies. I am also currently the chair of the charity Foodbank Australia, based in Sydney.

Outside of work, I’m loving life in Sydney with my wife Chris with two lovely grandchildren one here in Sydney and the other in Cornwall.

Murray Wills (1965 F), Peter Wills (1967 F), Neal Wills (1968 F) and Steve Wills (1968 F)

Robert Grieve (1965 W)

Page 197 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

THOMAS, Dr Alastair (1967 L) Elsewhere in the magazine is an account of my continuing hobby of restoring and using old cars, which I share with my brother, Gordon Thomas (1969 L). Aside from that, other projects have included the writing of two books.

The first was entitled The Restoration of Cara Mia IIb and was an instruction manual on how to restore a 1950 Riley written as the story of how I did it. This is strictly for anoraks like me, but has sold well in the Riley Club.

The second is a narrative, knitting together the photographs taken by our father as he explored the Egyptian and Libyan deserts in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Some of these photographs were the basis of a lecture he gave at SVS in 1966. I have not published this book outside the extended Thomas family, as it may not be interesting to anyone else.

I am married with five children, 11 grand children and eight great-grandchildren, with another on the way. I can spend my dotage staying with each of them in turn!

WILLS, Peter (1967 F) I read Agri-Business Studies at the University of Reading, and after graduating went into the IT industry. After working for several software consultancies, I set up my own software company, Snap Surveys, which has been operating for the last 40 years with offices in London, Bristol and Portsmouth, New Hamphire.

I have two children, Charlotte training as a vet and Alex as an oceanographer, and they both

now run their own businesses. I married Jane in 2009 and for several years lived next door to Roger Bowdler (1960 F) in Chew Magna.

I now live in Bristol and have spent many years playing Hockey at Firebrands Hockey Club alongside Peter Boorman (1969 F) and David Richardson (1980 L).

WILLS, Neal (1968 F) Having left Sutton Valence, I completed my schooling at Framlingham College in Suffolk before going to Bristol University to read Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

My early career was in seismology and oil -well logging, which took me to New Guinea, Australia and Libya. I then moved into project management and now run my own software and web design consultancy.

I got married in 1970 and have two children, Robbie and Jamie, and we all live in Acton, London.

WILLS, Stephen (1968 F) Like Neal, I also completed my schooling at Framlingham College before going to Cambridge to read Engineering. I then worked for British Telecom for 14 years before a short spell as a strategy consultant.

I then set up and ran a market research and analysis agency before setting up a related consultancy, which I am currently in the process of handing over to others.

Richard Woolveridge (1970 L)

I met my wife Nia in 1978 and we now live in a village north of Bristol. I have three children, Sarah, Ceri and Matt. Sarah is a writer and is currently working in Australia for a year. Ceri runs the administration for a Bristol-based circus and Matt is an engineer, also in Bristol, working for Rolls Royce.

ADDISON, William (1970 C) Since my last update in 2016, I have become tax resident in the UK, spending more time here than Shanghai. I am winding down now, but am an Old China hand, so keep my interest going. I still have a number of investments in China and my bar called DR (Design Resource) in Xintiandi, Shanghai. Any Old Suttonians visiting the area are most welcome!

My time in the UK is surprisingly busy. I live in West Sussex (a complete contrast to Shanghai) and London. Cricket is still a passion as is salmon and trout fishing. My family takes up much of my time - my son William and his wife Dayna, along with my granddaughter, Margot (born in 2017) as well as my daughter, Lucy, and her husband Laurens.

WATSHAM, Robert (1970 W) There has been lots of press of late that grades are not everything and certainly, in my case, that was so. I took 11 O Levels and got one, then after several retakes, achieved another two. All were languages and, ironically, we were just going into the so-called Common Market. So off I went to Germany to work in a factory, before joining NatWest in 1972.

Some ten years later, I switched careers into the world of head-hunting and have never looked back. Forty-five years later, I am happily semiretired and still head-hunting, mainly across the African continent.

As an aside, I was a special constable on the Thames for 15 years and am today a trustee of Help for Heroes. I am divorced with two children and living with my partner Judith, near Tenterden.

WOOLVERIDGE, Richard (1970 L) Having previously worked as the editor of The Sydney Morning Herald, I am now very happily retired, living in Avalon Beach, New South Wales with my wife, Amanda.

Life on the northern beaches of Sydney is magical and allows me time to try to get my golf handicap down and enjoy family life with two adult children, three grandchildren and a fourth on the way.

Page 198 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

JONES, Robin (1971 L)

BANKS, Michael (1973 L)

Since leaving the School, I have spent 43 years in the wine trade, from running a warehouse to being a director. I worked for my first year at a company called Percy Fox, probably one of the best agency companies at the time, with names including Lanson Champagne, Cordier in Bordeaux, Warre Port and many more.

Back in 1972, I was the Editor of The Suttonian magazine, as well as being in the 1st XI Cricket and a Prefect in Lambe’s House. My other claim to fame was that I, Donald Lloyd (1972 L) and Sam Harley (1971 L), whom I’m about to see play live with his band - The Lawyer and The Draper in London next month, lied our way into escaping for the weekend to see Jimi Hendrix play live at Hyde Park, only to find that the gig was a myth!

We survived thanks to the generosity of our Housemaster Roger Douglas (Staff 1953-1988) and lived to study another day!

I then left to join my family company called Mayor Sworder, where I became a director.

We were then sold in 1996 and I joined the company that bought us called J T Davies, based in Croydon.

In 2004, I joined Laytons and was with them until I went solo in 2014. The wine trade was not a particularly well-paid profession, but I have got to know some extraordinarily lovely characters, many of whom I keep in touch with.

MARKS, Dr Malcolm (1972 F) I retired from Maxwell Stamp PLC at the end of December 2018 but I am still doing some consulting work as a monitoring and evaluating specialist and ecologist in the international development world.

Veronique and I continue to run our chambres d’hôtes called Cœur de Rose in Lhuis, France www.coeurderose.com. Outside of work, my other news is that my first grandchild, Lilith Purnode, was born in November 2017 to Mélanie Marks and Alexis Purnode. Lilith is a true European lady with French, English and Belgian grandparents!

Robert Watsham (1970 W)

I left Sutton Valence to study English at the University of Reading, followed by a Postgraduate Certificate of Education. This was followed by running Peckham Adventure Playground in South London for three years. I then got enlightened through the Exegesis seminar when I was 25. It changed my life forever and for the better. This ‘brainwashing cult’ succeeded in building a group of companies in which spiritual values and principles were employed to create the ideal work environment and achieve stellar commercial results. We did that and went in short order from controversial pioneers to being the darlings of the British Direct Marketing Association. Our approach was emulated by many. And in all this, I became a senior trainer designing and leading programs for companies such as Lufthansa and Lloyds Bank.

In 1989, I moved to the USA where I was to live for 28 years (22 in Northern California and six in New York). Whilst out there, I was a senior partner in America’s number one executive coaching firm and travelled the world coaching corporate leaders in companies like American Express and Goldman Sachs. Two years ago though, I returned as a hybrid Americ-Brit, to a hardly recognisable country called England, and in particular the lovely county of Norfolk.

Unfortunately, my kidneys failed five years ago and my English partner of 14 years donated one of hers to give me life again. I have subsequently written a book about all this entitled Gotta Kidney?!, which is intended to inspire and encourage anyone affected by kidney disease (over 3 million in the UK and most don’t know they have CKD). Please find out more by going to my website www.gottakidney.com and clicking on the Press and Media tab to hear me on BBC radio interviews and see me as a guest on The Wright Stuff on Channel 5.

More recently, strong enough to work again, I’ve enjoyed swanning around various European cities and attending conferences in pursuit of new business in my field - leadership development, coaching and emotional intelligence skills training. I’m also very excited to have recently started publishing episodes of my new podcast series called Heroic Journeys:

Michael Banks (1973 L)

From Crisis to Transformation. Fascinating guests and their inspiring and insightful stories. I’m loving it! You can find the podcasts on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor and several other platforms.

Finally, it would be lovely to catch up with any of my old buddies from SVS, so if anyone would like to get in touch, please contact the Development Office and they will pass on my details.

HAIGH, Ian (1973 L) I have spent the past 36 years living and working in Johannesburg, South Africa. I worked for one of the top insurance companies in South Africa in their pensions division after spending a number of years in corporate banking.

During our time in South Africa, we experienced various highs and lows. We arrived there during the apartheid era, but then witnessed the elation of Mandela’s release and the promise of our children being born into the new multiracial South Africa. The economic boom during Mandela’s presidency was followed by the Zuma years where the economy went in to reverse, crime soared and Black Economic Empowerment was introduced, which was effectively another form of open discrimination.

Sadly, the Mandela ”Rainbow Nation” did not materialise.

Our two children had previously left South Africa to move to London, so, having now retired, my wife and I have opted to spend our retirement years back in the UK and have settled in South West London.

Page 199 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

CLEAVE, David (1974 F)

RANDOLPH, John (1975 F)

I am currently still in Kazakhstan as the Executive Director and Head of Mission for ISTC (International Science and Technology Center), in newly named Nursultan (previously Astana), and likely to remain here until retirement for the next couple of years.

I left Sutton Valence back in 1975 and graduated from the University of Hull with a BA in Law and Politics. After specialising in local authority financing, I joined Prudential Bache Securities.

I left, having been made a senior vice president, to join America’s oldest investment banking firm Alex Brown and Sons, which was based in Baltimore, Maryland.

My eldest son, Graeme, and his wife Jennifer, (they were married in September 2016), had their second child, Isabelle, last December. She is a sister to Francis, who was born in September 2017. Graeme is currently deployed and stationed out in Iraq with the Duke of Lancashire Regiment for six months and currently has the rank of captain.

My youngest son Robin, currently serving in the Royal Marines 42 Commando, will be getting married to Kim Lusher on 14th September 2019 in Norwich.

VOLUM, Peter (1974 M) Last year, after 40 years in Florida, I retired and moved to Washington to chase our sons, who both work at Microsoft in Seattle. Our eldest son, Ryan, is engaged to get married in July next year. Unfortunately, there are no grandchildren on the horizon at this time.

Having retired, I dedicate my time to flying, boating, camping, hiking and travel with my wife, Madeleine. I plan to write a book about broken democracy this winter.

I stayed there for ten years and was made partner in 1998. When Alex Brown was taken over by Bankers Trust, I was made a managing director. I spent three further years in the US securities industry before joining the private equity industry.

Subsequent to that I have consulted to hedge funds and private equity firms, as well as being involved with the start up and sale of four private companies (three, including the online supermarket, Ocado, went on to be fully listed).

At present I am chairman of the TS Eliot St Stephens Church Endowment Trust.

I continue to consult to hedge funds, private company start-ups and advise on cryptocurrencies and their future role in global financing.

BETTS, Dr Andrew (1977 F) My wife Hannah (who is the Head’s PA at Lancing College) and I will be retiring in a year’s time to split our time between Sussex and our house in the middle of France. I have been teaching

French and German at Lancing since 1990 and the Registrar for the last four years.

Within the last year, I have become a grandfather twice – my grandson Edward was born last September to my son and daughter-in-law, and my granddaughter Lottie was born in December to my daughter and son-in-law. They are the first great-grandchildren to John Betts (1943 M).

It is also worth noting that in 2017, I published a French Grammar book, with Vernon Press, entitled Understanding Core French Grammar. In the acknowledgements, I included a reference to Brian Day who “inspired me to learn French many years ago at Sutton Valence School”.

HAJJAJI, Professor Issam (1977 M) Last March, I was appointed the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh’s regional advisor for Libya. Aside from that, as a result of the four months-old armed conflict in Tripoli, I am now also spending a lot of my time in Canada.

My eldest daughter, Danya, who studied Journalism at Columbia University, New York is working at the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, also based in New York. My second daughter, Yasmine, has just started studying Law at the Hastings School of Law, University of California.

ROCHANAPRUK,Thevarak (1979 L) On 17th August 2019, I held a Thai wedding ceremony for my eldest daughter, Miss Tisirind Rochanapruk and Mr. Thanachai Gultangwattana, in Bangkok. Somtiak Twiltermsup (1981 C), also attended the wedding party.

EVENDEN, Simon (1981 F) My wife Emma, son Jolyon (Year 5) and I met David Clark (1981 F) and his family in France for our summer holiday this year. David and I have kept in touch regularly since our university days; me at Bath and him at Sheffield. We often meet in France now the children are older, mainly around Brittany and down to Ile de Ré.

We often reflect on our SVS days, both of us having been taught by Bob Chance (Staff 19611993) for English, David Pickard (Staff 19772001, 2009-2015) for Geography and Major Brian Hughes (Staff 1975-1986) for Economics.

We even had Latin with John McCormick (Staff 1964-2005) and David’s History master was Michael Fairbank (Staff 1955-1984). A real blast from the past!

John Randolph (1975 F)

Page 200 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

PRENTICE, Richard (1981 F) After leaving Sutton Valence School in 1981, I completed my A Levels in Cheshire (and at this time changed my name from Mark to my first name Richard - just to confuse your readers and those I knew at Sutton Valence School). I then moved to London in 1983 to start a short-lived career in banking before studying hospitality and international management at hotel schools in London, New York and France. This led to a successful and very enjoyable career in the hospitality industry from 1989 to 2002, ranging from restaurants, private events and parties, to corporate hospitality, facilities contract management and management consultancy.

In 2002, I took a career break to travel around the world and take stock of my career. On return, I started consultancy work for various organisations, one of which included pro bono consultancy for a large homeless charity in London - this work opened my eyes to how I could channel my management skills to contribute and make a difference to communities within our society that are less fortunate. My consultancy work focused very much on improving services whilst at the same time driving efficacy and value for money, ensuring positive outcomes for the clients and residents of the charity.

When an opportunity came along to work with the UK government in youth justice, I could see the natural skills transition to move into this sector and make a difference.

Initially managing and turning around poor performing Private Finance Initiative contracts in the youth secure estate, whilst also building on a continuous improvement agenda across the whole secure estate to achieve positive outcomes for young people entering the youth justice system. Later in my career, an opportunity within the Youth Justice Board to become Head of Wales presented me with an opportunity to move to Pembrokeshire - a place I had been visiting often and also saw as a perfect escape from city living.

Working close to ministers on critical projects and strategic planning in the youth justice sector was very rewarding, and particularly fascinating as transitioning between different governments, secretaries of state, and prime ministers has been a valuable experience and I feel very proud to have been part of a talented team that achieved so many successes in youth justice at that time. Whilst my last role in youth justice saw me travelling between Pembrokeshire and London as Head of Governance and Planning across England and Wales, I always looked forward to returning to Pembrokeshire.

However, since the early days at Sutton Valence School I had developed a passion for ceramics and studio pottery, encouraged by an amazing teacher, Barbara Piper (Staff 19732004), who to this day I have to thank for her encouragement and teaching in this field. That love of ceramics stayed with me for years, and despite not having laid my hands on a lump of clay for 32 years, I decided it was time to do what I always promised myself I would do - set up my own studio pottery.

In July 2016, I launched Blackbird Ceramics - Studio Pottery

by Richard Prentice, with a small gallery in the harbour village of Saundersfoot, and over the past three years my work of contemporary west-coast inspired ceramics has sold to clients all over the UK and the world. You can find out more about my work at www.blackbirdceramics.co.uk.

Page 201 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

MORRIS, Phil (1981 L)

EDWARDS, John (1988 F)

It has been many years since I sent an update, however, I often enjoy reading up about the School as it brings back good memories from my days at Lambe’s, which I left in 1981.

The financial services company I have been working for since 2003, NEX Group (formerly ICAP PLC), was acquired by the CME Group in November 2018. From June 2019 I was appointed Managing Director for the global BrokerTec business division, which offers electronic trading and execution services for the fixed income wholesale, professional market participants in US Treasury Government Bonds, UK Gilts and Euro Sovereign Bonds, plus Repo in both the US and UK/EU markets.

After graduating from the University of Warwick, I spent ten years working in the UK (oil and gas, as well as telecoms) before departing to the Middle East (Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai) for 12 years, before then heading down to South Africa for a further eight years with my family.

In 2016, the gypsy blood in me started to flow again though and we are now settled in Brisbane where we are taking it easy until our next adventure!

ABLE, Graham (Staff 1969-1983) Having worked as the Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Plus from 2009-2014, I now serve as the Deputy Chairman of the group.

Mary and I still live on the Norfolk coast and recently celebrated our Golden Wedding anniversary, doing so in style with a 15-day family get-together in Southern California.

HEWITT, Jonathan (1987 M) With effect from 1st July 2019 I am based in Luxembourg where I am the CEO of the continental European subsidiary of New York headquartered Transatlantic Reinsurance Company. Prior to joining Transatlantic Re in London in 2016, I spent 21 years with General Re in Germany, Hong Kong and Australia.

Marcus McLaughlin (1989 C)

Page 202 - The Suttonian 2019

I live in Tunbridge Wells with my wife, Catherine and our two children – a daughter (born in 2013) and a son (born in 2015).

THORMAN (NÉE BOORMAN), Charlotte (1988 V) My husband, Malcolm, and I have finally stopped building restoration and we are now concentrating on setting up a ceramics workshop in Porlock on Exmoor.

We use terracotta, as we feel that compliments our earthy surroundings, and the abundance of wildlife in the area is reflected in the decoration of the pottery. We also make furniture and take commissions to create unique projects with our handmade and hand-painted tiles.

For those interested, we have our own website, www.woodandclayuk.co.uk, and we also sell with Etsy on our online shop woodandclayukshop.

We can be found down here on Exmoor and if you are visiting please call in and see us. We have a small shop situated within our workshops and

also hold classes and workshops throughout the winter months.

ACQUAH (NÉE GREY), Victoria (1989 V) My husband and I have recently returned to live in Kent after ten years working and living in the Middle East in the UAE and Qatar. We have returned to the UK with our two children, Joseph who is seven and Matilda who is two.

ISHERWOOD, (NÉE PICKARD), Emma (1989 L) After working in Lloyds Bank, I became matron to a junior boarding house at the Bluecoat School in Birmingham, where I met my husband.

Moving to a school in Bideford, I chose to live in the beautiful seaside village of Clovelley. Now that my two boys are grown-up, I have taken on the role of Thrive Officer in the learning support department of Atlantic Academy.

I am proud to say that my ‘Atlas’ of a son, Fred, has won his division (Under 20) of the World Powerlifting Championships, held in Orlando, Florida this summer, having qualified by becoming the UK Champion back in May.

MCLAUGHLIN, Marcus (1989 C) I have been living in Vancouver since 2001, working as a creative in the world of advertising and making full use of the surrounding mountains, lakes and forests of the Pacific Northwest. I live with my wife, son, daughter and golden retriever. Anyone venturing over this way is welcome to get in touch.

Ian Jones (1991 M)

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

JONES, Ian (1991 M)

Rebecca Gadsden (1995 S)

I left SVS in 1991, at the end of my Lower Sixth year, and went on to study at Westminster Catering College, where I was later joined by John Kentish Barnes (1992 M) and Nick Bills (1992 W).

On leaving Westminster, I worked as a chef for a few years before returning to the University of Gloucestershire to study Catering and Hotel Management. Whilst there, I met my wife Sarah and we married in 1999, with John Kentish Barnes, Tim Hallett (1990 C) and Daniel Cole (1991 M) present at the wedding. Sarah and I now have two boys, Dylan, 15 and Evan, 12.

We settled in Dorking, where I grew up, and my career has seen me predominantly work in the meetings, events and business travel industry, even working for a short spell with Sujata Jones [née Kholi](1991 S). I ended as a sales director for De Vere Hotels in the UK, then worked for a short while running an educational tour operator.

However, in 2017 I decided I was keen to work for myself. I finished full time work in March 2018, and now split my time between running my family’s 42 acre food and farming business, where we rear rare breed pork and lamb and producing a range of foods, which we sell across Surrey, Sussex and South London to a customer base of around 40+ retailers, restaurants and hoteliers. I have put my GCSE Food and Nutrition with Kay Andersen [nee Jackson] (Staff 19882016, 2018-)and Annie Wilkinson (Staff 19842016) to good use, creating a range of four ready meals, which we market as well as a variety of products which only use ingredients from our district:The Mole Valley.

With the remainder of my time, I consult on business travel projects for the consultancy Festive Road, organising and delivering events, creating white papers and research projects.

Recently, I have delivered work in the UAE, Chicago and London and will soon be delivering content in Athens and Amsterdam.

In the small amount of spare time I have, I run a traction engine with my father and youngest son and enjoy walking our two-year-old border terrier with my family.

STAINTON-JAMES, Mark (1991 L) After leaving Sutton Valence in 1991, I completed a degree in Maritime Business and Law and ended up working for BP Exploration in Aberdeen, within their technology department.

After various postings around the world, including Columbia and Alaska, I started work for Merrill Lynch (Now Bank of America) in London.

Once again, working for a large enterprise allowed me to not only work in many countries, but also provided the opportunity to work in New York as well. From Merrill Lynch, I moved to Barclays Global Investors initially based in their London office, then San Francisco and finally the Singapore office.

In 2011, now married and with a small baby in tow, we moved to Thailand and started a bungee jumping business. We are now Asia’s largest bungee jumping company with sites across India and Thailand.

DUFFELL, Andrew (1995 M) Having left the School in 1995, I studied for an MA in European Studies at the University of Aberdeen, graduating in 2000. In 2015, I then earned a master of business administration (MBA) from Florida Atlantic University. In 2011, I became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University.

Over the last eight years I have worked to re-brand it to become more visible and reengaged in the business and higher education community around South Florida.

We now have two children and make occasional trips back to the UK. I have fond memories of my time at Sutton Valence School. SVS taught me that there are no limits to what you can do, take every opportunity and try as many things as you can.

Away from work, my wife, Lizi, and I welcomed a new baby into our family this year. Nicholas Alan was born on 04 February 2019, joining his older brother Daniel (11) and sister Madelin (13) who are thoroughly enjoying spoiling him!

SLATER, Rory (1994 W)

GADSDEN, Rebecca (1995 S)

Having worked in hospitality since leaving School, I have recently moved to Hong Kong to open The Hari, Hong Kong. Over the last seven years my Asian tour has taken my family from Beijing to Osaka and now to Hong Kong. I am happy to help anyone with advice or those wanting career discussions.

I am proud to say I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro back in 2017. It was never something I thought I would do, although late one night in the Alps it seemed like a great idea, so 18 months later a group of us were on a plane to Tanzania.

Overall, it was the most physically and mentally challenging experience of my life, but one Page 203 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Tom Wroclawski (2001 L)

that I will never forget, although neither is it something I will repeat!

Back in the real world, I am spending more time in the Weald, as I am European Logistics Manager for KEF, the loudspeaker manufacturer.

Their offices are in Maidstone, although regular trips to Germany and Hong Kong offices do make life hectic.

DAMM (NÉE LOSE), Dr Juliane (1996 S) I studied for a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and subsequently underook a PhD at the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering at the RWTH Aachen University.

I now work for Vallourec, a company that produces seamless steel tubes as a lean manager.

I live with my family in Düsseldorf - I am married with two daughters, aged four and eight.

RÖSNER (NÉE GRAMANN), Teresa (1996 S) After leaving Sutton Valence and returning to Germany, I studied Occupational Therapy, Page 204 - The Suttonian 2019

Psychology and Psychotherapy. I now live in the city of Bonn on the banks of the Rhine. I am married with three children aged one, four and seven. Having met in Sutton House and shared a room together, Juliane and I remain close friends, being each others’ maids of honour and godmothers to our first born children.

HEITZ (NÉE BAILEY), Elizabeth (1997 S) I am currently balancing my clinical work as a community geriatrician with the role of chief clinical information officer for Croydon Health Services, the combination of which keeps me busy. Away from work, I am a mum to two wonderful boys - Benjamin, who is two and Sebastian, who is eight. I still sing in my local community chorus.

HARMAN, Nicholas (1998 W) In March this year, I moved jobs and I now work as an associate landscape architect at Pegasus Group, heading up the landscape design team in their Cirencester office. My twin boys, Alec and Lucas, are now two and a half and have started pre-school - time is flying by already!

LEWIS- RENDLE (NÉE TALBOT), Elizabeth (2000 V) I am delighted to announce that I got married on 28 September 2018 to Mark Lewis-Rendle at The Plough at Leigh in Hildenborough. Old Suttonian guests at the wedding included my sister Susan Nicholl [née Talbot] (1998 V), Dominic Cresswell (1999 F), Annabel Taylor (2001 H), Sarah Thatcher [née Leggat] (1998 V) and James Willmott (1999 W).

In other good news, on 27th November 2018, I gave birth to Jake John Vernon Lewis-Rendle.

Jake is now nearly 9 months and doing well.

I have also changed careers in the last few years. For a long time I worked as a marketing manager for various companies . In the last three years though, I have re-trained as a reflexologist and I now run my own business from my home in Maidstone.

WROCLAWSKI, Tom (2001 L) On 22 June 2019, Sarah Hinrichs and I got married in Moline, Illinois - her home town. My brother, Samuel Wroclawski (2003 C) was my best man.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY In further good news, Sarah is also pregnant with our first baby. She is due in late December 2019.

After a year working for ACell, Inc, a medical device company, I have been promoted from Associate to Territory Manager, covering Southern California Hospitals. Within that role, I represent the company by educating surgeons on our product, clinical data and I also provide support during operations in the operating theatre.

BLACKMAN (NÉE JENNINGS), Daniella, (2003 H) On 21 August last year, my husband, Peter, and I welcomed our second baby, a boy named Austin William Anthony Blackman. He is a brother to Harriet who is now in her second year of Nursery at Sutton Valence Preparatory School.

Daniella Blackman [née Jennings] (2003 H)

I remain on maternity leave from my job as an executive assistant in our financial advisor company, St James’s Place Wealth Management.

PROTZEL, Philipp (2003 W) Since 2011, I have been living in Frankfurt with my wife, Hanja and my two children, Emilian Philipp and Philine Noeé. Emilian was born in 2011 and Philine in 2013.

I work as a vice president and the Chief Operating Officer at Paulsen Food Germany which belongs to CPF Thailand, a company of the Charoen Pokphand Group.

MOYCE, Jonathan (2005 C)

Elizabeth Lewis-Rendle [née Talbot] (2000 V)

Having started my business, Loving Pets UK, back in 2014, I have recently won the Young Exporter of the Year award, presented by the British Export Association.

My company is rapidly expanding and is expected to achieve £3 million in sales this year.

The rapid growth has seen us building our own purpose-built warehouse in Rye, East Sussex.

At present, we are the number one suppliers of pet feeding bowls worldwide and produce our range of natural dog treats in the US.

MORRIS (NÉE LOVELACE), Jennifer (2007 S) My husband, Luke, and I are delighted to announce the birth of our son Arthur Charles Anthony Morris on 30 September 2017.

In January this year, I also changed jobs, moving from Yale University Press, where I worked as

Jonathan Moyce (2005 C)

Page 205 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY time at Marlborough, whilst also working at Claremont School, where I taught French and Spanish up to GCSE and A Level.

I still live in Biddenden and the Marlborough House connections extends to my family, as my daughter Fleur has just started in Year 4. In May last year, I completed the full London Moonwalk for the second time, raising just under £1000 for Breast Cancer. I had to walk 26.2 miles at night: exhausting but exhilarating!

WATERS, Harry (2008 W) and WATERS (NÉE BURFOOT), Ruby (2009 L)

Jennifer Morris [née Lovelace] (2007 S)

Alastair Carter (2009 H, Staff 2013-2015)

Having met at Sutton Valence School 11 years ago, we got married on 8th September 2018 at St. Michaels Church in Chart Sutton (photo on opposite page). We are delighted that we were joined by many friends and family, including three generations of Old Suttonians.

In attendance on the day were Richard Ashby (1984 F), Clive Baxter (1978 F), Lucy Baxter (2012 F), Charles Fletcher (2012 F), Tom Hills (1981 M), Rupert Humphrey (1978 L), Olivia Page (2009 H), and Cameron Roffey (2009 H). Harry’s father Tim Waters (1978 M), grandfather John Waters (1946 W), uncle Andrew Waters (1985 M) and greatuncle Graham Waters (1962 W) attended along with his sister Georgina Waters (2012 F), who was the maid of honour. Bertie Horne (2012 M) was an usher.

We are thoroughly enjoying newly-married life living in Fulham.

CARTER, Alastair (2009 H, Staff 2013-2015)

an editorial assistant, to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons journal, Veterinary Evidence, as Editorial and Production Assistant.

WILSON, Jake (2005 C) My wife and I have recently relocated to Warwickshire after I was offered the position of Group Brand Manager for the luxury Midlandsbased house builder Hayfield Homes.

As part of my role, I am currently looking for fellow graphic designers and marketers who want to take the jump and join me. I have been tasked with building a team that can take on everything that the marketing world can throw at us, from websites to drone videos to high quality brochures! If any Old Suttonians are keen, just let me know!

Page 206 - The Suttonian 2019

PIPER, Geoff (Staff 1985-2008) Following on from previous updates, in July this year, John Taylor (1965 F) and I went with ten others from Cranbrook to take part in the German Open International Pickleball competition in Essen.

In the 70+ men’s doubles for the skill area, John and I won the gold medal! What’s more, in the mixed doubles (60+) John won another gold medal with his partner.

DE HAAN (NÉE MARQUAIS), Elodie (Staff 2001-2008) I have recently been appointed as the Head of Modern Foreign Languages at Marlborough House School. Prior to that, I taught French part

On 14th August 2018, Rachel Elizabeth Rickard and I were married at St Helen’s Church, Cliffe in Kent. In attendance were Jacques van Vuuren (Staff 2004-2016), who served as my best man and my mother, Christine Carter (Staff 1996-). In addition, Graham Alderman (Staff 2004-2018) and Kelly McConnachie (Staff 2011-) were also guests. We honeymooned in Mauritius.

Rachel and I are both teachers, I am the Director of Sport at Roedean School and Rachel teaches Psychology at Ardingly College. As well as our wedding, we are also delighted to announce the arrival of our first child, Toby John Carter, born on 16th September 2019.

JAMES, Harriet (2010 S) On 14th December 2018, I commissioned from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst into the Army Air Corps as a second lieutenant.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Page 207 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY From marching off the square at the end of the first five weeks earning our weekend, to our final exercise in the snowy training areas of Germany, RMA Sandhurst was truly a life-changing experience.

The commissioning day was a well-rehearsed parade taken by HRH Prince William on behalf of the Queen, followed by an evening of celebration before Commissioning at midnight.

To celebrate with me, I invited my closest friends, all of whom are Old Suttonians.

ANDERSON, James (2012 F)

Globe, dealing with dramaturgical requests from the Theatre Department, answering research enquiries from actors, directors, artists as well as the general public. As part of the internship, I co-organised a ‘Research in Action’ workshop in the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and conducted end-of-season interviews with Globe actors and audiences.

MCGANNAN, Sophie (2013 S)

At the end of the internship, I went on to become a research administrator at the Globe - supporting the Head of Research and the research fellows, organising meetings, running research events such as conferences, talks and workshops.

I recently had an article about the project published in the EuroHealthNet magazine, which highlights the most interesting projects and developments in the field of health equity, public health and health promotion across Europe. It is available to view at www. eurohealthnet-magazine.eu/a-new-path-toperinatal-mental-health.

Having graduated with a first class degree in Acting from the University of Central Lancashire back in 2016, I am now working as an actor-inresidence at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon; performing extracts from a variety of Shakespeare plays in the gardens of the birthplace.

I have also helped put together events for the first UK festival focused on the role of race in Shakespeare studies - the Shakespeare and Race Festival in August 2018. The festival welcomed a huge variety of international scholars, actors, directors and creatives and we are already planning several events to continue the debates that arose there.

ROMANČÍKOVÁ, Nina (2012 S)

In May 2019, I assisted with the running of the Women and Power Festival, which discussed the changing roles of women in theatre, culture and arts as well as education, academia and politics.

I am currently based in London and for the last two years, I have been working at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre as a research administrator.

Having left Sutton Valence in 2012, I went on to study English Language and Literarture at the University of Glasgow. I then received a place studying for an MA in Shakespeare Studies taught jointly by King’s College London and Shakespeare’s Globe. During the yearlong degree, I became a research intern at The

As my Globe job is part-time, I have done other work outside it over the years - member of the front of house team at Ovalhouse Theatre in Kennington, visitor experience host and tour guide at Southbank Centre and more recently duty manager at The Coronet Theatre in Notting Hill.

Earlier this year, I was promoted to European Project Manager at The Health and Europe Centre. As part of that, I am running an EUfunded project aiming to raise awareness, destigmatise and prevent perinatal mental health issues (such as postnatal depression).

We are creating all aspects of the project in collaboration with the general public across the UK, France, Belgium and The Netherlands, so if anyone in the SVS community is interested, we’d love to hear from them. Please contact the Development Office for more information.

SUMMERS, Maya (2015 C) Four years on from Sutton Valence, I have now completed my final year at Arts University Bournemouth. Along the way, I am also pleased to say that I have won two design awards.

In February this year, I was awarded the International Design Award for Multimedia Interface Design and flew out to Los Angeles for the award ceremony. In collaboration with a friend, we created an app designed to assist people with physical disabilities to make using public transport more efficient. It has also been commended by Creative Conscience Awards.

Then in April, I was awarded another International award (ISTD) for a typographic editorial about the loss of meaning through language translation. The award ceremony for that was at the Pentagon Studio, London in July.

I proudly graduated with a first class degree.

Post-graduation, I was delighted that my work was exhibited as part of the DAD New Blood exhibition in the Truman Brewery, London.

ZHANG, Hongrui (2017 W) This summer, I completed a summer internship with China Railway South Investment Group, working with the Investment and Development Centre to do some research into infrastructure investment of smart water projects and venture capital in the infrastructure sector.

Harriet HarrietJames James (2010 (2010 S) S)

Page 208 - The Suttonian 2019

I will now be returning to start my second year at the School of Management at Swansea University, studying Business Management.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Old Suttonian Deaths ABOUL, HOSN, Najib (1979 W)

FORSTER, James (1980 W)

PYE, John (1943 M)

ARCHER, Tim (1960 W)

Died 25 August 2019 - Page 220

Died 07 January 2019 - Page 219

Died 25 May 2019 - Page 210

HAYNES, John (1956 M)

RICKETTS, Judy (Staff 1967-1980)

Died 14 September 2019 - Page 216

Died 08 February 2019 - Page 212

Died 15 April 2019 - Page 219

CAPON, Dr Edmund (1958 L)

HOWE, Jack (2016 F)

SPENCER, Philip (1975 F)

Died 18 March 2019 - Page 214

Died 21 June 2019 - Below

Died 06 February 2019 - Page 220

CHANTRILL, Ralph (1958 W)

KEMSLEY, Keith (1955 L)

SUNSHINE, Robert (1957 W)

Died 21 September 2018 - Page 211

Died 06 February 2019 - Page 220

COLLIER, Martin (1975 L)

LEWIS, Brian (1951 W)

WATERS, John (1946 W)

Died 24 September 2018 - Page 218

Died 06 Augusy 2015- Page 211

Died 31 December 2018 - Page 213

EATON, Richard (1972 C)

NORMAN, Neville (1950 W)

WRIGHT, Gordon (1933 W)

Died 14 June 2019 - Page 217

Died 19 November 2018 - Page 220

FARRAR, Simon (1974 C)

PEPLOE, Ivo (1968 M)

Died 15 September 2018 - Page 215

Died 08 September 2019 - Page 218

Died 10 February 2019 - Page 220

Died 16 July 2019 - Page 220

Jack Howe (2016 F) Died on 21 June 2019

I

n June this year, the School received the devastating news that Jack Howe (2016 F) had died whilst on holiday in Greece, aged just 19.

Jack joined the School in the Third Form, spending two years at SVS before leaving after his GCSEs. He enjoyed sport and excelled on the Rugby field, going on to play for Sevenoaks RFC. Sadly, whilst on his first ‘parent-free’ holiday, Jack lost his life in a quad bike accident, thought to have been caused through the negligence of the hiring company.

Understandably, Jack’s family have been left devastated but have channelled their sadness into a charity, #JackTheLad, designed to support other families going through a similar tragedy. Their aim is to campaign for greater awareness of the risk of young adults going away on adventures abroad and for better safety standards and wider adoption of responsible practices from activity providers.

For more information on how to support the #JackTheLad charity, please refer to www.jackthelad.org.uk.

Page 209 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

John Pye (1943 M) Died on 25 May 2019

E

arlier this summer, we were sad to hear the news of the death of John Pye (1941 M). He remained in touch with other Old Suttonians, one of whom, Ian Kay (1941 M), has kindly provided the following obituary of his friend.

John Pye was born on 1st March 1925 at Cobham in Kent at his family farm. He came to Sutton Valence in September 1936, originally in Lambe’s House. I joined the School in May 1937, also in Lambe’s, and we became the best of friends for the rest of our lives.

On leaving the School in 1943, he returned to work on the family farm, but also widened his knowledge by working on other farms locally.

During the remainder of the Second World War, farming was a reserved occupation, but John wanted to fly, so he joined the Royal Air Force in June 1944.

After initial training here in the UK, he was sent to Canada for further instruction. However, after three months out there, training was suspended following the end of the war in Europe, so he returned to the UK. Six months later he was ‘demobbed’ to enable him to return to farming, as food was short and still being rationed.

By this time, his family had moved to Moon’s Farm at Piltdown in Sussex. He also worked at other farms including Swanborough, near Lewes, where he remained for some six years and where he also met his future wife, Ann. In 1957, his uncle offered him the chance of a partnership in Newall Hall, Huntingfield in Suffolk. This was an arable and dairy farm and over the next 16 years he built up the herd very successfully.

John had married in September 1959 and he and Ann had three boys - David, Stephen and Christopher. In 1973, his uncle died and Newall Hall had to be sold. As a result, John and his family moved to Alderholt on the Dorset/ Hampshire border in late 1974, where he became the manager of three farms comprising Alderholt Park.

Two years later, they were able to purchase Alderholt Mill. This had been a working water mill many years earlier, but had become very derelict and in need of repair. With advice and help from craftsmen, it was gradually brought

Page 210 - The Suttonian 2019

back to milling again and the flour was sold in the craft shop they had opened in part of the remaining rooms.

In October 1995, John and Ann retired, sold the mill and moved to Fordingbridge in Hampshire.

John had been very active in farming circles and in a good many local societies, particularly connected with music. He enjoyed singing with the Alderholt Church choir, at Fordingbridge Church and in the local choral society. He was also involved with the 93 Club, the local Hospital Friends group, the local museum and Arthritis Research.

He remained in good health until the last few years of his life, when he became increasingly disabled. Sadly, he died on 25th May this year at home. He is survived by his wife, three sons and three grandchildren - Daniel, Katrina and Cameron.

We were both very fortunate to have been taught Latin by Norman ‘Publius’ Bentley (Staff 1921-1964) so, after 82 years of friendship, I was able to say to John “requiescat in pace”.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Brian Lewis (1951 W)

Keith Kemsley (1955 L)

Died on 06 August 2015

Died on 21 September 2018

T

K

he School had lost touch with Brian after his move to Australia in 1960 and it was only recently that we learned of his death from the Queen’s College publication, The Record.

Brian Hanson Lewis (1951 W) was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire before joining Sutton Valence in 1947. After four years as a boarder in Westminster, he completed two years of National Service in the Education Corps and the Intelligence Corps as a Russian specialist. Upon completion of his service, he joined Queen’s College, Cambridge to study English.

He decided, upon graduation, to enter the teaching profession and he undertook a PGCE. Initially, he taught at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School in Credition, Devon, but had met a young lady from Tasmania and in 1960 he moved there to marry her.

In 1963, he joined Mentone Grammar School in a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, teaching primarily English, but also French and Russian. He rapidly moved through the ranks to become a housemaster, Head of English, Commanding Officer of the school’s CCF and finally, Deputy Headmaster.

As a school master, Brian focused on pastoral care, though he was also an excellent administrator and able teacher with an excellent self-deprecatory, ironic sense of humour. A compelling personality who believed in challenging his pupils, he enjoyed great respect and authority, but was always willing to put himself out to help a student in trouble.

In 1984, he retired from Mentone to help in the early development of Newhaven College on Phillip Island, about 90 miles from Melbourne, where the family had a holiday home. He was tempted back to Mentone though and returned to teach there from 1987 until 1989. There was then a final spell of teaching at Newhaven until 2002 and then from 2010 he helped in the archives at Mentone.

eith Kemsley was born in Wadhurst in 1939 to a well-known farming family. Living in West Malling for the majority of his life, he attended Sutton Valence as a boarder in Lambe’s from 1950 through to 1955.

He was in the choir and took part in all major sporting activities, specialising in Cricket, where he had a natural flair. At the School, he met a number of close friends with whom he remained in touch throughout his life, most of them also came from local farming families. When he left SVS, he had the choice of playing county Cricket or continuing in the family tradition by becoming a farmer. As the pay for sport was not particularly good in those days, he chose farming. That said, he did manage to continue playing Cricket in the Kent Premier Division for many years.

He married Jennifer on 1st April 1967. Guy was born 1st February 1968 and Moira on 29th October 1969. He had four grandchildren, Harry, Barnaby, Rachael and Harriet.

Given farming was becoming more specialised in the 1980s, Keith decided to diversify into property development and oversaw the redevelopment of many farm buildings. This development of land into income-producing assets was shrewd and will ultimately benefit future generations. He loved travelling, when the opportunities arose and bought a property in the south of France for the family to enjoy holiday time together.

He suffered with bad health from the age of 49, but never complained or bemoaned his situation. This was entirely typical of his generation.

Unfortunately, the cancer returned with a vengeance early in 2018 and it was clear that it was not going to yield its grip. He passed away, at home, with great dignity and courage, at the age of 78.

Page 211 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

John Haynes OBE (1956 M) Died on 08 February 2019

W

e are sad to report the death of John Harold Haynes (1956 M), the entrepreneur and creator of the Haynes Manual, founder of Haynes Publishing Group PLC and the Haynes International Motor Museum. The following was included as his obituary on the Haynes website.

John Harold Haynes was born on 25th March 1938 to Harold and Violette Haynes in Ceylon, where his father was the manager of a tea plantation. From an early age, John had a passion for cars, and as a child he loved nothing more than riding around the plantation with his father in their Morris 8 saloon.

At the age of 12 he moved to the UK with his brother David, to attend Sutton Valence School as a boarder in St Margaret’s. It was at School that John’s flair for art and his entrepreneurial spirit developed and flourished. He persuaded his Housemaster to allow him to miss Rugby and instead spend his time converting an Austin 7 into a lightweight sporty Austin 7 ‘Special’. He eventually sold the car, making a reasonable profit, and owing to the immense interest it received (over 150 replies to the advert) he Page 212 - The Suttonian 2019

decided to produce a booklet showing other enthusiasts how he’d made it. He published a booklet entitled Building A ‘750’ Special; the first print run of 250 copies sold out in 10 days.

After leaving the School, John joined the Royal Air Force to do his National Service. His logistical role taught him business management skills, while enabling him to pursue his passion for motor racing and publishing in his spare time.

It was whilst in the RAF that ‘Johnny’ met Annette and they were soon married. On his way to their wedding, he stopped to buy Annette a second hand IBM Proportional Space Typewriter as her wedding present. Although perhaps not the most romantic of gifts, Annette was delighted with his practical choice, setting the stage for a bright future together.

In 1965, John was posted to Aden and it was there that he created the first Haynes Manual.

An RAF colleague had bought a ‘Frogeye’ Sprite, which was in poor condition and he asked John to help him rebuild it. John agreed, and quickly realised that the official factory manual was not designed to help the average car owner.

He bought a camera and captured the process

of dismantling and rebuilding the engine. The use of step-by-step photo sequences linked to exploded diagrams became the trusted hallmark of Haynes Manuals. The first Haynes Manual, for the Austin Healey Sprite, was published in 1966, and the first print run of 3,000 sold out in less than three months. To date over 200 million Haynes Manuals have been sold worldwide.

The success of his publishing business culminated in the Haynes Publishing Group PLC floating on the London Stock Exchange in 1979.

In 1995 John was awarded an OBE for services to publishing, and in 2005 The Open University presented him with the honorary degree of Master of the University.

John’s publishing success meant that he was able to enjoy his passion for cars, and he became a prolific collector. In 1985 he founded the Haynes International Motor Museum in Sparkford, Somerset as an educational charitable trust. With over 400 vehicles now housed at the site, the museum attracts large numbers of visitors each year. The School and OSA are especially grateful to John for allowing us to host two successful reunions at the museum in recent years.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

John Waters (1946 W) Died on 31 December 2018

J

ohn Percival Waters (1946 W) was born on September 30th 1929. His father, also John, was an agricultural chemist which, in time, would be a pointer for his own working life. He was later joined by his brothers David (1949 W) and Graham (1962 W), both of whom are also OS. John’s early schooling included Hill Place Preparatory School in Maidstone, before arriving at Sutton Valence in 1942. The School proved to be the catalyst for his love of sport, which continued for the rest of his life. He represented SVS at Rugby, Football and Cricket all at first team level. He loved his time at the School and his affinity continued long after he had left, taking a passionate interest in its development and regularly attending the Carol Services in the chapel well into his eighties.

He kept a record of all the wider family members who had attended SVS and was amazed to discover that in the 78 years since he joined, there were only 12 years when there wasn’t a member of the family represented on the School roll.

fruit growing business. He was a founder member of the Mid-Kent Growers cooperative which enabled him and other members to tap into the fast growing supermarket sector. He was particularly proud to have been selected as one of a few suppliers of strawberries to both Wimbledon and the garden parties at Buckingham Palace. Such was its success, the business was soon expanded to include two more fruit farms in the Yalding area.

Despite all the pressures that come with building a business alongside a family, he always maintained an air of calm civility with a brilliantly sharp sense of humour. In time, his two sons, Tim (1978 M) and Andrew (1985 M) both followed in his educational footsteps by attending SVS. They would later be joined by his brother Graham’s children, William (1994 L) and James (1991 L).

After the 1987 hurricane it was all change for John, from the busy life at Pelican Farm to the

rather quieter grass fields of Bletchenden, Headcorn where he learned to be a part-time shepherd and found a new interest working alongside Gillian as front of house for their growing bed and breakfast empire. Very much the congenial host, he enjoyed chatting to the various guests and could always be relied upon to dispense useful tourist tips and local pub recommendations.

It was not long before a flock of grandchildren arrived - Ollie, Tom, Issy, Harry (2008 W), Georgie (2012 F) and Rosie. He would see them regularly at Bletchenden and then latterly in Marden where he and Gillian eventually moved. In his later years, a final grandson, Woody, was born.

After a difficult final few months, John died on New Year’s Eve 2018. His three children and seven grandchildren retain such fond memories of him and will always be thankful for his quiet care and generosity over many marvellous years.

On leaving the sports pitches of Sutton Valence in 1946, he joined the Mote CC in Maidstone and played football for Maidstone United, which even in the late 1940s was a semi-professional side. He recounted that he was offered five shillings travel expenses per match, but declined on the basis that he always rode his bicycle to matches; a true gentleman footballer!

Cricket was his long-standing passion though, and during the 1950s and 1960s he would regularly turn out three times a week; Saturday at The Mote, Sunday at Linton Park and midweek on a Wednesday at Marden. In amongst all of this, he met his wife, Gillian, at the Young Farmers Clubs in 1955 and there began a devoted union that would last 65 wonderful years.

At that time, he started to forge a career in the agricultural industry, initially working for Whitbread at Paddock Wood and subsequently as an agricultural advisor with the Murphy Chemical Company (latterly GlaxoSmithKline).

However, it was not long before an opportunity arose for him to fulfil an ambition and in the late 1960s he took on Pelican Farm in Wateringbury.

There, as well as providing an idyllic setting for his growing family, he soon developed a thriving Page 213 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Dr Edmund Capon OBE (1958 L) Died on 12 March 2019

W

hen news broke of the death of Dr Edmund Capon OBE (1958 L) back in March, obituaries in many of the UK broadsheets prompted multiple Old Suttonians to get in touch to pass on the sad news. Such was Edmund’s celebrity and the warmth to which his fellow OS held him. The following obituary is largely taken from The Art Newspaper, with additional content from his friend and fellow Old Suttonian Gary Ma (1969 L).

Edmund George Capon was born in Sidcup in 1940. After prep school, he arrived at Sutton Valence in 1952. In a School career that spanned six years, he represented SVS at both Rugby and Cricket and would go on to become the Head of School in 1957. Upon leaving the School, he obtained a Master of Philosophy degree in Chinese Art and Archaeology from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies, and also studied 20th-century painting at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Having graduated, Edmund worked in the textile department of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

He would work his way up to become a Chinesespecialising keeper in the Far Eastern Section of the museum. He married Ann Fairclough in 1964 and they had a son, Dominic in 1965 and a daughter, Tara in 1969. They divorced in 1975 and his subsequent romance to future wife Joanna caused something of a scandal given her then-marriage to a peer of the realm. When the dust settled she and Edmund formalised their union in 1977, and remained together to the end. The pair emigrated to Australia in 1978 when Edmund was appointed as Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

From the beginning of his tenure in that role, Capon set out to shake up the moribund institution. He abolished entry fees, established a lively exhibition programme, and expanded acquisitions in areas such as Asian and indigenous art. He also acquired key works by old and modern masters through a mixture of purchase and private donation.

He will always be known for the Entombed Warriors exhibition of 1982 which assembled figures from the tomb of China’s first emperor and brought in a record 800,000 visitors, but there were plenty of other successful blockbusters along the way. He presided over the annual Page 214 - The Suttonian 2019

circus of the Archibald Prize for portraiture with the practised skill of a ringmaster, draining every drop of publicity from this popular event.

Capon’s outspoken, flamboyant style was a perfect fit for Sydney, a city famously indifferent to anywhere else in Australia or the world. He was always available for an interview or a statement.

He spent an enormous amount of time at the gallery, both after-hours and on weekends. A fierce dislike of snobbery put him on first-name terms with almost every staff member.

When problems arose, Capon would sail through with a calculated haughtiness that invariably

defused criticism. He had a wily streak, and there were often reasons to question or disagree with his actions, but at no stage did he allow any dispute to impinge on his professionalism. No matter how exasperating, he had the knack of bouncing back. Capon made enemies easily, but brushed them aside with casual disdain.

Those who knew him well saw a generous and compassionate person behind the provocative exterior. He clung gamely to his scholarly aspirations and took every opportunity to involve himself in the gallery’s public programmes. In 2009 he would publish a book of essays and lectures titled I Blame Duchamp.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Capon often resembled one of those well-worn characters from English drama: the loveable rogue, but he brought his own special flair to the role. His bluff charm made him adept at extracting funds from private donors and government ministers. He presided over a major expansion of the Asian galleries in 2003.

When he finally surrendered his role as the AGNSW’s great helmsman it became clear what a powerhouse Capon had been. He left a legacy of sustained achievement that no Australian gallery director can match. A larger-than-life character who led from the front, he gained the affection and esteem of his staff, the media and the public. It was hard to imagine the AGNSW without Edmund, and it is just as hard to imagine the planet in the same condition.

Edmund George Capon died in London on 13 March. He is survived by his wife, Joanna, and by two children, Tara and Dominic, from a first marriage, as well as Joanna’s three children, Iona, James and Rebecca. Edmund’s funeral was held on Tuesday 11th June 2019 and was attended by fellow Old Suttonian Gary Ma (1969 L), who had met Edmund during his later life. Gary has kindly added the following:

“I was lucky enough to befriend Edmund the year before he retired. In fact, my wife, Susan, a retired registered nurse, painted a water colour retirement card as a gift for Edmund on behalf of the AGNSW Voluntary Guides. A celebration of his life was held in Sydney with official proceedings from 6:30 to 7:30pm in recognition of his leadership and dedicated service to the gallery.

There were hundreds of people attending this special event, including The Honourable Malcolm Turnbull (Prime Minister of Australia 2015-2018), The Honourable Bob Carr (Premier of New South Wales 1995-2005) and a number of other current and past politicians and distinguished guests. Mr Michael Brand, the current Director of AGNSW, made the opening speech and was followed by other well-known Australian artists and writers. Live music, featuring many of Edmund’s favourites, was played throughout the evening.

Joanna Capon, his widow, then made the final speech. All of the guests were offered a Magnum ice cream at the conclusion of the evening as Edmund’s favourite late night snack after a long and stressful day!”

Ralph Chantrill (1958 W) Died on 15 September 2018

W

e are sad to report the death of Ralph Michael Chantrill (1958 W) at the age of 78. He died tragically last September 2018 in Picton, Ontario when his scooter was hit by an oncoming vehicle.

Having left Sutton Valence School in 1958, he studied at the University of Bristol until 1962 before embarking on a career as an engineer, latterly working for Bombardier Transportation, the rail equipment division of Bombardier Inc. Ralph is survived by Mary, his wife of 45 years (pictured with him to the right), as well as daughters Meaghan and Tanaquil and grandchildren Auden, Eamon, Emric and Yuna.

Ralph and Mary were avid hikers and enjoyed trips to New Zealand, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Bavarian Alps, the west coast of Ireland, the Canadian Rockies and, in the spring, spent a month hiking in Sedona, Arizona.

Page 215 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Tim Archer (1960 W) Died on 14 September 2019

T

imothy John Archer (1960 W) grew up in Oxshott, Surrey. From the age of nine, he was a boarder at a Surrey preparatory school before attending SVS from 1956 to 1960. During that time, Tim was the Head of House for Westminster and a School Prefect. He won a number of academic prizes and played for the 1st XI Cricket team in every Summer Term that he was at the School, the first of which was when he was only 14 years old, in a side that included his older brother, William Archer (1957 W).

Excelling at most sports, he was also the 1st XV scrum half for two years, captain of Fives and twice junior Fives champion. Over the course of his SVS career, he was awarded colours for Cricket, Rugby and Fives, and broke the Under 16 220 yards sprint record.

Having left the School, Tim read Geography at Merton College, Oxford, graduating in 1965.

He captained the college Rugby XV and was a member of the college Cricket side. In his final year, he was elected President of the Junior Common Room. On graduating, he was the Merton College year representative for over 50 years.

From 1965 to 1968, Tim served articles at the large City of London solicitors, Richards Butler. In a Law Society Part I examination, he was awarded the Alfred Syrett Prize. Tim was admitted a solicitor in 1969 and remained at Richards Butler, becoming a partner at the age of 30. For nine years (an unprecedented length of time), Tim was elected Senior Partner and Chairman of the Board - when he used to insist on meeting everyone who joined the firm, from receptionist to partner, and the firm became known for this caring, personal touch that was so typical of him.

He was Head of the Commercial Litigation and Employment Law departments.

Tim represented many well-known companies, sometimes in cases that made front page news. At employment tribunals, Tim would act as advocate for his clients where, in more than 400 cases, he lost only a handful of times. With Professor Gillian Morris, Tim was co-author of two law books: Trade Unions, Employers and the Law (1991) and Collective Labour Law (2000). He also lectured at International Bar Association seminars.

Page 216 - The Suttonian 2019

After retiring from Richards Butler, he remained a consultant to the firm for some time. From 2002 to 2006, Tim was part-time Chairman of Employment Tribunals - and never had a ruling overruled on appeal.

Tim loved music and had a good singing voice but, sadly, never learned to play an instrument.

From 1993 to 1995, he was a director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and, from 1997 to 2010, a director of the Philharmonia Orchestra. When the government launched a judge-led funding review to consider the sustainability of all four London orchestras, Tim, a lawyer then on the board of one of the orchestras, was appointed to represent all four: he successfully argued that there was room for all four orchestras.

Tim was a sports enthusiast. He attended countless Rugby internationals and 50 consecutive Twickenham varsity matches. He was frequently seen at Arsenal home games and

was a member of Newmarket Racecourse. Along with his wife, he was a member of a racehorseowning syndicate which once had a fourth place in the Two Thousand Guineas.

Tim listed travel in Who’s Who as one of his recreations. His favourite destination was undoubtedly America. He first visited America during a long university vacation and fell in love with the country whilst travelling round it by Greyhound bus. Thereafter, he made countless more visits, making many friends there with whom he often stayed. His ambition, unfulfilled, was to visit each of America’s 50 states!

Tim died surrounded by his family after many years bravely battling pulmonary fibrosis.

He is survived by his wife, Gill, to whom he was married for 47 years, his son, Richard, his daughter, Caroline, and five grandchildren. He was a nephew of the late Arthur Cotton (1922 M), a past OSA President.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Richard Eaton (1972 C) Died on 14 June 2019

R

ichard Eaton was born on 19th October 1953 in St Leonards-on-Sea. After a spell at Westerleigh School, he moved to SVS in 1967. He would go on to become head of Cornwallis and captain of both the Shooting and Fencing teams.

set his forensic brain to discovering evidence for the benefits of complementary medicine, his main interest being to integrate it into the NHS. He worked long and hard on projects connected to this, sitting on various councils, always looking for the facts and evidence of efficacy.

After leaving the School, he studied Law at Kingston Polytechnic (now Kingston University).

In 1976, having completed the Law Society’s examinations, he was articled to James Simpson at Herrington Willings and Penry-Davey Solicitors. It was here that he met his future wife Marion, who invited him to join her when she set up her own firm of Barber and Co on Romney Marsh a year later. They were married in 1979.

In 2006 he began to feel ill, but it wasn’t until 2008 that he was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. That year he was given a 50:50 chance of surviving a year by consultants at Guy’s Hospital and The Royal Marsden.

Nonetheless he undertook seven and a half weeks of radiotherapy and began what became a series of medications.

His interest in complementary health meant that he was also keen to try all sorts of ‘alternative’ remedies and together he and Marion investigated and tried a good many.

The result – he lived, and lived well, for another 11years. During that time he wrote two books: Owning a Business (a handbook for those who are setting up or already own a small business) and Business Guide for Health Therapists - How To Find What You Need To Know.

Eventually though, Richard’s cancer claimed him and he died on 14th June 2019 in St. Michael’s hospice, St Leonards-on-Sea, only a stone’s throw from the house in which he was born.

In early 1980, the couple moved to St Leonards when Richard became Senior Legal Assistant at Rother District Council. He then decided to become a barrister and was called to the Bar of Lincoln’s Inn in 1983. That year, he also took a post as deputy head of the legal department of the City of London at the Guildhall and was granted the Freedom of the City in 1984.

Unfortunately, the daily commute took its toll and he returned to the south coast to work at Marion’s new firm, Eaton and Co, in Hastings.

Then, in 1988 he was offered a job with the Crown Prosecution Office. He had always been interested in advocacy and this was an offer he could not refuse. Sadly in the ten-month period at the start of 1989, both Marion’s parents and Richard’s mother died. It was a difficult time, and one which ultimately changed the couple’s lives.

They decided there and then that they would live for each day, follow their hearts and spend as much time as possible together and with their daughters. As a result, Marion’s firm merged with Greys to become Eaton Sagar, freeing Richard to follow his dream of lecturing Law. He did so at The Hastings College of Law and Technology, raising the profile of Law as a subject and helping his students attain excellent results.

Alongside his lecturing, one of his passions was encouraging younger people to find their strengths and follow careers which suited them. As such, he became a careers advisor and business mentor.

The couple also set up the Professional Centre for Holistic Health in Hastings. Although never tempted to become a therapist himself, Richard Page 217 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Simon Farrar (1974 C)

Martin Collier (1975 L)

Died on 08 September 2019

Died on 24 September 2018

A

T

He went on to work in a number of hotels during what was to be his first career, among them Browns in London and Thatchers in East Horsley. He later managed The Bishop’s Table in Farnham and The Sackville in Hove.

Always a colourful and entertaining character, Martin Collier was extremely popular throughout the School. Behind his playful persona lay a very thoughtful, caring person who always had the time to listen to others and had a natural curiosity about the world. On leaving the School in 1975, Martin joined BBC Radio Medway (prior to its rebranding as BBC Radio Kent) as a reporter, where he quickly mastered the art of interviewing.

Whilst working in Hove, Simon had the call to ordained ministry and in 1995 made the move back to the South West to train at Bristol Baptist College. He was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1998 moving back to Sussex to start his first pastorate at Ceylon Place Baptist Church in Eastbourne, where he stayed until 2006.

Amongst his more famous interviews was one with Margaret Thatcher on 06 January 1984, where Martin questioned her policy of public expenditure control in local authorities. Other notable interviews included Gordon Brown, Ian Botham, James Hunt, Noel Edmunds and George Melly (a personal favourite of his, who we both saw in concert many times!)

Simon’s second pastorate at Taunton Baptist Church took him back to the west country, a part of England that he loved and adored. This second pastorate ended in 2012, but he remained in the same area going to Lee Abbey in Devon as a chaplain until 2016, when he took early retirement from ministry.

After BBC Radio Kent, Martin joined the BBC as a news producer, followed by a period on the all-night news team for Channel 4. When he married his first wife, he moved to Scotland to be closer to her family and worked at BBC Scotland, before a change of direction led him to a second career as a careers advisor.

Simon and Lauren moved to Langford Budville in Somerset, but Simon still remained very much involved in Lee Abbey as a pastoral helper, a leader of walk and talk weeks and a trustee. He died very suddenly and unexpectedly at Lee Abbey on 8th September at the age of 63, doing what he loved in a place that he loved. He leaves his wife Lauren, children Sarah, Rachael and Joe, and grandchildren Josie and Reuben.

Anyone who met Martin would acknowledge he was a very unique and special person. Martin died, aged just 61 whilst on holiday on the Isle of Mull. Sadly, his sudden passing was quickly followed by the death of his partner, Anne, only three months later. He leaves two sons, Tom and Robby, and will be greatly missed by his mother, Joy, his sister Tessa and his many close friends.

fter leaving Sutton Valence School in 1974, Simon trained in hotel management at South Devon College. During his time there he won the Charles Forte Award and used the funds made available to study the wines of France during one summer, developing a lifelong interest and becoming a sommelier in the process.

Page 218 - The Suttonian 2019

ony Rheinberg (1975 L) has provided the following obituary for Martin Collier (1975 L), who died last autumn. The two were both in Lambe’s in the early 1970s.

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

James Forster (1980 W) Died on 07 January 2019

J

ames Forster was born in 1963 in the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus where his father was serving in the military. After a posting to Cheltenham and then to the British Army of the Rhine, his family was posted back to Cyprus, where he spent the happiest days of his life, developing a taste for the local food which stayed with him thereafter.

His life in the sun came to a sudden end in 1974 when the Turks invaded the north of the island, including Famagusta, and the family was forced out of their Cypriot home and back to the UK. James was enrolled as a boarder in Sutton Valence School and his mother went to join his father, then serving in the Gulf.

When he settled down in his new environment, James quite enjoyed his time at Sutton Valence.

He had a keen intelligence which was not

always apparent, but with his capacity for hard work, he achieved his A Levels, a good result from South Bank in Electronic Engineering and was awarded membership of the prestigious Institute of Engineering and Technology. He joined the British Forces Broadcasting Service, later known as the Services Sound and Vision Corporation and led an interesting and fulfilling life in Germany for 11 years. He was then posted to UK, where he was promoted to project manager and was involved in many trips all over the world.

Having left SSVC, he joined the Arqiva Group where he was a trouble-shooting satellite engineer. Despite health problems, he held down a responsible job, achieving the respect of his colleagues and praise from the management.

Never once did he complain: he suffered his ill health in silence, often taking leave for medical treatment rather than taking time off work.

Judith Ricketts (Staff 1967-1980) Died on 15 April 2019

W

e are sad to report the death, in spring this year, of Judy Ricketts, wife of Michael Ricketts (Headmaster 1967-1980).

As a family, the Ricketts were a prominent part of Sutton Valence School life. Judy was a popular figure around the site and her two sons, Charles (1979 F) and James (1980 F) both attended the School with distinction. Her two daughters were educated elsewhere as the School had yet to become co-educational.

Judy was the archetypical headmaster’s wife of the mid-1900s. Although not officially an employee of the School, she

was a major figure in looking after the welfare of both staff and their families, taking a very keen interest in their activities.

She hosted many a social event, perhaps the most noteworthy one of which was the after-chapel coffee morning every Sunday, when the goings on of the previous day’s fixtures was a major talking point.

Together, she and Michael enjoyed a long retirement, first in Norfolk and then in Cornwall, until his death in 2004.

Throughout this time, she kept in touch with a goodly number of former staff at Sutton Valence whose lives she had graced with her charm and sincerity. She will be sadly missed.

Michael Ricketts (HM 1967-1980), Judith Ricketts (Staff 1967-1980) and Jean Hunter

Page 219 - The Suttonian 2019

OLD SUTTONIAN COMMUNITY

Najib Aboul Hosn (1979 W) Died on 25 August 2019 Najib attended Sutton Valence School alongside his cousins Tarek (1980 L), Samer (1982 L), Mahmoud (1985 L) and Rabih (1985 L). After three years at the School, he left to study Business Administration at the American College in London before going to work in the family business in Lagos, Nigeria.

After the civil war ended in Lebanon in 1990, he returned to his home town of Baabda in the Mount Lebanon Governorate, to run the family business there and settled back into the mountain life. He leaves behind his wife Rima and son Hussein.

Neville Norman (1950 W) Died on 19 November 2018 Neville Marshall Norman (1950 W) joined Sutton Valence in 1946, initially in Bentley’s, then Westminster. Leaving the School four years later, he served an apprenticeship in Birmingham at Hercules Cycle Company, becoming their top apprentice.

He returned to the family business, Norman Cycles in Ashford and developed the motorcycle department, eventually producing up to 100 motorcycles per week. Later, he introduced the Norman Nippy, a moped, producing up to 500 models per week.

When Norman Cycles moved to Nottingham and combined with Raleigh Cycles, he and his brother Brian Norman (1954 W) started an electro-plating factory and engineering factory in Ashford. On retirement, Neville and his wife Kathleen moved to Spain, where he was able to indulge his passion for golf.

Ivo Peploe (1968 M) Died on 16 July 2019 We were sad to hear from Anthony Peploe (1966 M) that his younger brother, Ivo Peploe (1968 M), died in July this year, aged just 67. Unfortunately, Ivo had suffered from poor mental health throughout his adult life, which he bore bravely.

Ivo had attended the School for three years from 1965 until 1968. Whilst not necessarily suited to the harsh realities of 1960s independent school boarding, Ivo did enjoy sport, particularly Fencing, for which he captained the Sutton Valence School team and Tennis, playing for the First Team.

Ivo was much loved by his family and is survived by his brothers Anthony and Rupert, and his sister, Jennifer.

Philip Spencer (1975 F) Died on 06 February 2019 Philip Spencer’s seven years at Sutton Valence School was dominated by his varied and

successful contribution to sport. He was in each of the major first teams, serving as vice-captain of the 1st XI Hockey team and receiving colours in that sport too. On leaving the School, his first career was as a banker, but he moved on to an effective career in the NHS in Canterbury.

Robert Sunshine (1957 W) Died on 10 August 2018 Robert ‘Bob’ Sunshine (1957 W) attended Sutton Valence School for a year between 1956 and 1957 as an English Speaking Union (ESU) student. Having left the School, he graduated from Claremont College, then became a lieutenant in the US Army. His first tour was in segregated Georgia, still racially divided in 1961, which he aptly noted “was a real educational experience”.

After his time in the military, Bob’s business career centered on life insurance, where he became a member of the Million Dollar Club.

Throughout his adult life, his main focus was his family, his loving wife, Sylvia, children and his grandchildren all of whom provided him with great joy and pride.

Dr Gordon Wright (1933 W) Died on 10 February 2019 After three years at Sutton Valence School in the early 1930s, Dr Gordon Wright went on to lecture in Anatomy at Clare College, Cambridge, becoming the Director of Studies in Medicine there in 1958 and serving as a college tutor. He continued to tutor all the way through to his retirement in the late 1980s.

During his time, he helped to bring the Cambridge University Heraldic and Genealogical Society to Clare College, following the merger between a previous society of the same name with the Cambridge University Society of Genealogists.

As well as his academic responsibilities, Gordon was instrumental in the acquisition of the Lady (Elizabeth) de Clare's bell at the College, arranging for it to be installed in Old Court, where it remains today. As a Clare Fellow of over 60 years, he remained fully engaged with the College after his retirement, continuing to ring the Elizabeth Bell for various ceremonial occasions throughout the year.

Dr Gordon Wright (1933 W)

Page 220 - The Suttonian 2019

Sutton Valence School North Street Sutton Valence Maidstone Kent ME17 3HL