


Welcome to the 91st Edition of The Tockingtonian, an edition that sees us celebrate our 75th Anniversary Year. On Friday 6th May 2022 we were delighted to welcome back to the school Mr and Mrs Tovey (Headmaster between 1975 and 2013) along with Old Tockingtonians representing every decade of our school, including three of our earliest pupils; Alastair Rattray, Richard Gundry and Richard Meyer. The event was a roaring success with our choir singing beautifully and our Year 8's were on hand to give tours to our many visitors.
The school year got underway with some apprehension given that the two previous years were so affected by the pandemic but it didn't take long for us to get back into the swing of things. The Russell Run saw the school community together for the first time since 2019 for this important charity fund raising event. Together this year the school raised almost £10,000 for The South West Children's Hospice, Restless Development and the Red Cross; an excellent effort.
Music and Drama were high on the agenda throughout the year, with the school hall being packed on many occasions, including the Nursery Nativity, Lower School Production, The Lion King, the Mini Shakespeare Festival and the tremendous performance of Did the Butler do it? I thank all concerned for their outstanding effort. The Spring Concert showed just how far our Music has come
along in recent years and we look forward to seeing Drama and Music continue to flourish in the years to come.
The 2021/2022 year was extremely busy, partly due to our ever growing roll and partly due to the energy and enthusiasm on display from both the children and the staff. Our Head Girl, Emily, summed it up perfectly when I asked her about the children's level of enthusiasm. Her reply was perfect, "in short Mr Symonds", she replied "The lockdowns made us realise what we were missing!". She wasn't wrong!
Our Year 8 leavers were a credit to the school, leading by example; always kind, thoughtful and never afraid to give their best. Their efforts were rewarded by all pupils gaining places into their first choice Senior Schools and with sixteen different Scholarships being awarded. The Leavers Prom and the Year 8 Prize Giving events were excellent occasions and gave us chance to celebrate their numerous achievements.
We were joined by the Head of Wycliffe, Mr Nick Gregory, our Chair of Governors, Mr Alastair Ramsay and Head Girl Emily and Head Boy Stirling who delivered such a confident end of year speech.
Sadly, July saw us say goodbye to three members of staff, Miss Skinner (Teaching Assistant and Maths Teacher), Miss Molly Whittingham (Nursery Room Leader) and our Head of English, Ms Case. I would also like to thank our Deputy Head Girl and Boy,
Maya and James, for giving such an excellent speech to bid a fond farewell to Ms Case in our end of year Prize Giving Ceremony.
You will see in the pages that follow that our school remains vibrant, busy, happy and that it is has kept the special nurturing family ethos that has existed for the past 75 years. We hope you enjoy reading as much as we have enjoyed compiling it.
Thank you to Mrs Stephanie Dawkins, Mrs Amanda Symonds and all that have contributed to this truly bumper edition.
Mr Symonds
Our Senior leavers this year have moved onto the following schools:
E. Gaulton Wycliffe
Academic Scholarship
M. Sapkota
Kingswood
Scholarship
E. Greenbank
Holmleigh Park School, Gloucester
C. Newman
Clifton College
B. Daly
St Mary's, Calne
H.Cosway Clifton College
Scholarship
M. Johnson Castle School
J. Collin Collegiate School
G. Mockridge Westonbirt School
T. West Wycliffe
Scholarship
Stanway Clifton College
C. Amter-Collins
Clifton High School
Academic Scholarship
M. Woodward Clifton College Sports Scholarship
The Year 8 pupils held these roles for the 2021/22 academic year. They held these with a sense of responsibility and pride setting an excellent example to all of the pupils.
Head Boy S. Rolls
Head Girl E. Gaulton
Deputy Head Boy J. Collin
Deputy Head Girl M. Sapkota
Head of Alexander V. Gibbs & C. Amter-Collins
Head of Churchill L. Stanway & T. West Head of Cunningham G. Mockridge & T. Williams
Head of Boys' Sport C. Newman & M. Johnson
Head of School Council H. Cosway & B. Daly
Head of Girls' Sport E. Greenbank & M. Woodward Head of ICT B. Goodenough
Head of Music & Drama E. Tyler
School Monitor A. Worthington
The Merchant Prize for English
M. Sapkota
The Ashford Prize for Best Poem V. Gibbs
The Shaw Prize for English K. Woodhouse
The Prize for Most Promising Writer H. Cosway
The Totally Tockington Prize V. Gibbs, G. Mockridge
The Broyd Prize for Reading L. Russell, F. Irwin
The Haigh Cup for Middle School Creative Writing M. Pook
The Old Tockingtonian Prize for History G. Mockridge, S. Rolls
The Sarah Finnigan Award for Drama M. Sapkota
The Year 3 & 4 Drama Prize M. Adams
The Prize for Most Promising Actor B. Goodenough
The School Prize for Drama Technical Support M. Johnson
The Old Tockingtonian Society Prize for Mathematics
Winner: S. Rolls
Progress: J. Collin
The Jones Cup for Excellence in Geography S. Rolls
The Robert Mason Prize for Geography E. Gaulton
The Finnigan Prize for French V. Gibbs, M. Sapkota
The Progress in French Prize B. Daly, G. Mockridge
The Lower School Prize for French A. Vijayaraghavan, C. Britton
The Middle School Prize for French H. Horsted
The Lower School Prize for Spanish B. Berkeley
The Middle School Prize for Spanish F. Rolls
The Bett Prize for Classics M. Sapkota
The Elaine Thomas Prize for Art G. Mockridge
The School Prize for Art M. Scannell
The Richardson Prize for Art E. Barratt
The Allen DT Prize W. Crewe
The Jamie Smith Photography Cup O. Bird
The Benjamin Moore Science Shield S. Rolls
The Smith Prize for Science M. Sapkota
The Middle School Prize for Science J. Sapkota
The School Prize for Computing/ICT B. Goodenough
Lower School End of Year Prizes
Reception: F. Rinn, F. Bamber
Year 1: C. Williams
Year 2: B. Rowe, A. Cordle
Prize for Contribution to School Council B. Daly, H. Cosway
The 'Dame Mary Warnock' PSHE Award T. Williams
The McArthur Prize for Best Overall Musicianship M. Sapkota
The O'Leary Award for Musical Theatre E. Tyler
The Lower School Prize for Music
A. Cordle, L. Jackson, B. Collin, T. Stapenhurst, R. Hill, I. Harrison, C. Britton
The Winson Prize for Singing M. Woodward, V. Gibbs
The Walters Prize for Piano
E. Gaulton
The Wilkinson Shield for Best Wind Player E. Greenbank
The Prize for Best Brass Player J. Collin
The Warn Prize for Best Guitar Player
H. Hurford
The Lees Progress Prize for Strings E. Billimoria
The School Prize for Percussion
H. Hill
The Choir Prize
L. Stanway
The Pippa Mason Award
B. Daly
The Russell Trophy
T. West
The Resilience Award
A. Worthington, L. Stanway
The Smith Cup for All-round Sportsmanship
E. Gaulton, C. Newman
The Gerrish Activities Cup
A. Worthington
The Watson Sports Achievement
Reception: J. Bick, I. Berkely
Year 1: A. Watkins, F. Lachab
Year 2: B. Rowe, L. Jackson
The Shutt Cup for Lower School Endeavour
B. Berkeley
Award for Best Water Polo Player
J. Collin
Lower School Water Polo Award
R. Hill
Year 4 Squad: S. Ricciardi
Reception: O. Morgan, O. Chen
Year 1: A. Watkins
Year 2: T. Stapenhurst, R. Hill
Year 3: L. Russell, T. Horstead
Year 4: M. Hunt, N. Bhadri
Year 5: I. Latiff, L. Or
Year 6: F. Rogers
Year 7: D. Burch
Year 8: E. Tyler
Best Girls' Games Player of the Year E. Greenbank
Best Boys' Games Player for the Year J. Collin, S. Rolls
The Symonds Cup for Excellence in Cricket A. Nair
The Stringer Shield
1st Cunningham 2nd Alexander 3rd Churchill
The Baker "Make the Most of Every Moment" Salver T. West
Headmaster's Prize L. Stanway
Lifers' Awards
E. Gaulton, T. West, G. Mockridge
Head Boy and Head Girl Salvers
Head Boy: S. Rolls
Head Girl: E. Gaulton
This has been another remarkable year in the nursery both indoors and especially within the School’s vast outdoor environment. The younger members of the group, Woodpecker 1 class arrived with happy smiley faces. It has been fantastic supporting their confidence, understanding and knowledge with their communication and language skills as they transition into the Woodpecker 2 class.
At the start of this Academic Year the Woodpecker 2 children were introduced to Makaton signing where they learnt various signs, for example ‘stop’. Throughout the year, the children have continued to learn more signs, hat and coat, sit, bird and butterfly amongst many others. The children took pleasure in using them throughout the nursery day.
The Owls began the Autumn Term using wheelbarrows and rakes clearing leaves and moss from the garden. Whilst on their environmental studies the children were encouraged to find ‘something special’ to make a natural mobile displayed in their ‘working garden’. By the end of the term, Christmas started early with the Owls production of ‘The Nativity’ which was enjoyed by parents. The Woodpecker children participated in Christmas songs and made delicious biscuits as gifts.
The nursery classes follow the seasons with the Woodpecker 1 children observing colour change in the Spring, whilst collecting leaves and returning to nursery to make collage pictures. The Woodpecker 2 children found lots of Daffodils growing and they remembered that plants and flowers need water, soil and sunshine to grow. At the wildlife area the children observed the Bluetits singing and they discussed
how birds make nests. The Owls experienced team games, where they used a parachute to see how high the teddy would bounce! Their balancing skills were extended using hoops and beanbags and they enjoyed working towards badges in their swimming lessons on a Wednesday.
During the Summer Term the Woodpecker 1 children particularly enjoyed observing how the tadpoles turned into frogs in the school pond. The children would regularly talk about this throughout the nursery day and would teach their parents about the process whilst at home! All the Woodpecker children celebrated ‘National Nurses Day’ where they spoke about the different jobs within the hospital and were shown pieces of equipment that nurses might use. The children then made their own Nurse name badges whilst they had fun wearing nursing outfits.
The summer term saw the Owls busy in their garden scattering wildflower seeds to attract the bees and butterflies. During their final environmental walk, they used their maps and went on a treasure hunt dressed as pirates to look for treasure where ‘x’ marked the spot. Within the classroom the children loved playing in their very own ice-cream parlour making some yummy fruit icelollies of their own.
The end of the term was celebrated by everyone with our very successful Sports Day, followed by family picnics and of course medals for all of the children.
This has been another fantastic year in the Lower School. The Autumn Term started with an air of anticipation as the children settled into their new Year groups and classrooms. It has been a relief to be back to normal and not the ‘new normal’!
Apart from their Academic subjects the children were introduced to new sports, musical instruments, and drama opportunities.
By the end of the term, the children were seasoned performers and Christmas was started early with a brilliant performance of A Midwife Crisis. The children were amazing, and it was lovely to see them back on the stage.
In the Summer Term, the whole Lower School participated with enthusiasm in both their Swimming Gala and Sports Day. The children demonstrated great sportsmanship and a genuine support for all their peers. I am sure we had some Olympic performances in our unique events.
All the children have worked hard this year and made great progress. This has been proven with the excellent results achieved.
A big thank you to the whole Lower School team for another fabulous year.
What a fun, exciting and action-packed year we have had this year in Reception! It was lovely to return to some sort of normality this year and to enjoy all the wonderful events Tockington Manor School has to offer. The children transitioned beautifully from Nursery into Reception and took their new routine in their stride.
During the Autumn term, we learnt about the wonderful school grounds and drew our own maps of the school which included where the library, swimming pool and dining room was situated. We went on plenty of sensory nature walks linked with our Autumn topic and created our own nature faces using leaves, grass, and flowers that we had found
on our walks. We spotted different birds, listened to their calls and song, and even found our class bears Chompy and Alex hiding in the Christmas tree with a treat for us! We also carved pumpkins and we were visited by Santa who left presents for us in our welly boots.
We all practiced hard when it came to the Nativity rehearsals and sang beautifully in our roles as Sheep and Angels. It was lovely to be joined by our families and the Upper School children who all enjoyed our performances. We were also treated to a delicious Christmas lunch where we got to pull crackers with our friends and wear Father Christmas hats.
In the Spring Term, we visited Bristol Aquarium as part of our Under the Sea topic and we met Ravioli the stingray and DJ the Octopus. We then wrote sentences about what we would get up to if we were fish. We even told the rest of the school and staff what we had got up to on our trip during an assembly! We took part in lots of experiments which included sprouting potatoes in a jar and watching them grow, making our own lemon and ginger tea and finishing
off with a mixed-up snack made up of fruits, honey and cereals which linked to our topic book ‘The Mixed-Up Chameleon’ by Eric Carle.
During the Summer Term, we made the most of the lovely weather and planted runner beans, rhubarb, and plenty of other plants during Gardening club. We thoroughly enjoyed our PE lessons, where we took part in many obstacle courses focusing on our core muscles, hand-eye coordination, and gross motor skills (our favourite part of the obstacle course was doing an egg roll across the mat!) We were then able to implement these skills during Sports Day. We had a great time during Fun Day and visiting all the lovely stalls and seeing our friends.
We have really enjoyed teaching such a lovely group of children this year, children who are eager to learn and always remain positive and ready to face a challenge. The skills the children have learnt this year has put them in great stead for Year 1 and we wish them all the best for next year.
Year
Year 1 started the Academic year with three new joiners to our class who settled in so quickly and new friendships were successfully made. We embraced our ‘old normal’ with assemblies back in the Hall which meant we could join as a whole school once more. It was wonderful to sing together and join as a whole community once more.
We started to learn about Florence Nightingale in History and explore the impact she has had on modern day medicine and hospital practice, this linked in well with our modern history of Covid – 19. We linked the good practice Florence had established to the practices which are the normal for the children today. In Geography we explored the topic of ‘where we live’. The children really enjoyed sharing pictures of their homes and we made a wonderful display of their houses in the locality. The Autumn Term felt we were finally back on track and we really started to make progress in the classroom. The children were allowed to start attending lots of extracurricular clubs and they all embraced these with everything from Mr Perez’s sports club to Miss Gooch’s drawing club and my Lego club. Then it was time for half term and a wellearned break. After half term we changed our focus to Guy Fawkes and the history of Bonfire night. The children engaged well with this complex historical topic and the highlight was ‘making’ fireworks in the lab with Mr Glanville, thank you Mr Glanville!
The children worked very hard to get ready for our Christmas play, ‘A Midwife Crisis’, the first for a while! We learnt new songs, collected our costumes and gave an excellent performance, twice! I was so proud of all the children; they all gave it their all! We were lucky that we had the technical experience to Zoom in the Upper School carol service which was a wonderful end to our first term.
The Spring started with gentle optimism that the weather would improve, the sun would shine, and we got on with serious learning! We discovered the Solar System; the children made some excellent aliens, and we had a display of inflatable planets which the children made fact cards for. We leant so much!
We also learnt about explorers, namely Christopher Columbus and Neil Armstrong, yet again the children really engaged with these topics. In history we explored old toys from the past. Explaining to the children that there was a time before technology was interesting! This was the term that the children started to make huge academic progress – it was wonderful to see!
The Summer Term was suddenly here! The children were engaged with even more extracurricular activities, we had a visit from a theatre company to revise our work on explorers, we had another 3 children join the class, it was nothing but positive.
The children worked very hard, and we were in an excellent routine, they showed maturity, organisation and empathy for one another. We had a wonderful time growing beanstalks and we learned all about Victorian seaside holidays which culminated in a trip to Clevedon Pier in Activity week. The Summer Term also saw our new look Sports Day, hosted by Year 8’s and it was wonderful to see how our older children engage with our younger children. The wonderful author, Amanda Prowse, came to visit us to read her new children’s book, the children were so engaged with her, and we were gifted a book for our classroom which was so kind. Suddenly the end of term was looming!
Thank you Year, 1 - the class of 2022- you have been fabulous, you should all be very proud of what you have accomplished.
Year 2
What a super year we have had in Year 2. We have thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiasm for learning and the amazing ideas and effort that the children have put into everything they have done. Just in case anyone wasn’t sure what we do all day, Y2A enlightened and amused everyone with their Summer Term Assembly!
Lower School Christmas Play – A Midwife Crisis Rosemary’s expression and comic timing as the busy midwife mistakenly trying to find Bethlehem castle in time for the birth of the new-born king, kept the audience wowed right from the start. Her side kick, Akilan, was brilliant as the underappreciated donkey. Charlie, Araminta and Lexi as the narrators kept the story flowing and everyone sang and acted with genuine smiles and gusto. What a show!
Maths In data handling, Year 2 investigated how many mini smarties came in a party pack and the range of colours in each pack. The results surprised them so much that they wrote to Nestle. We received a super reply, thanking them for their research and their suggestions for improvement.
English After 2 years, we were back on stage with a full audience for our individual presentations and Year 2 rose to the occasion with a huge variety of topics to interest and amaze us. Year 2 have all made super progress with their writing this year, culminating in writing their own story books based on the character ‘Anancy the spider’ from traditional tales from Ghana and the Caribbean. We had a lovely time sharing our books with each other.
History In the Autumn we visited the SS Great Britain as part of our Brunel topic. Our Spring Term Castle Week was a huge success. Despite storm Dudley scuppering our plans, we eventually managed to visit Chepstow castle. Y2B finished off our Great Fire of London week with an amazing assembly all about this flaming good topic.
Geography We went around the world with Buddy Bee, writing postcards ‘from Australia’, making carnival masks for Rio, native American totem poles and learning to do a dragon dance and use chopsticks for Chinese New Year. Our survey to map our local area showed what keen-eyed children we have. Luckily, they also read the compass accurately, so we didn’t lose our way.
Science In the Autumn we investigated changing materials which, of course, included melting chocolate in our mouths (for scientific purposes only!). Year 2 wowed us with their habitat boxes in the Spring and we had a great time investigating the different habitats in our school grounds as well as going to The Wild Place to learn all about animals in different habitats around the world. In the Summer Term we had a truly electrifying time!
Activity Week Year 2 wrote and made stop motion animation films inspired by the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and events from the past 70 years. The 1966 world cup, the moon landing, royal weddings and the Queen’s corgis all made star appearances. They also had a super time making scones and learning about 1950’s tea party etiquette.
Miss Gooch and Mrs BrittWe enjoyed our first full Academic Year together in a long time and Year 3 certainly made the most of every moment! As always, we began the year by adopting our class pets. Mrs Glanville’s class chose Spiky the Pangolin and Miss Green’s class chose a snow leopard named Snowy.
In the Autumn Term, we studied the Ancient Greeks in History and found out lots of interesting things about their lives including their gods, myths and origins of the Olympic games. In Geography we conducted our own field study and investigated what makes a holiday destination popular. It turns out that the climate and attractions play a big part in our choice of destination!
In Maths, we focused on consolidating our key number facts involving the four operations and worked hard to improve our multiplication facts using Times Table Rockstars. English saw us performing lots of cross-curricular work linked to our book study, The Hodgeheg, by Dick King-Smith. We made clay hedgehogs in Art, which we used to inspire our recount writing, and we recorded a news report in Drama based on events that happened in the book. Towards the end of the term, we were all very excited to be able to get back to our Christmas traditions by attending the pantomime at the Bristol Hippodrome and taking part in Mr Symonds Christmas quiz!
We came back in the Spring Term well rested and ready to begin a new term. In English we wrote our own quest myth and in Maths we developed our data analysis skills. In History we began studying the History of Britain, beginning with the Celts and
followed by the Roman invasion. There were many highlights of studying the Romans but the trip to Caerleon was Year 3’s favourite. This was closely followed by the Roman Banquet Year 3 attended in their classroom where they ate ‘peacock’s brains’ and ‘dormice covered in honey’, all washed down with ‘wine’ before a trip to the vomitorium, and the Roman Army training they received on the Astro. In Geography we learned about Kenya and what a fascinating and beautiful country it is! This term also saw exciting things such as learning about and celebrating Chinese New Year, dressing up for World Book Day and the beginning of rehearsals for our Shakespeare Festival!
The Summer Term was filled with excitement in the lead up to our Shakespeare Festival. We all worked super hard to learn lines and remember choreography and the hard work paid off! We enjoyed it immensely and are already looking forward to what we will perform next year. Our lessons were just as fun as always. In Geography we studied the Amazon Rainforest and created an interactive rainforest display which we added to each week. We built a traditional Yano (home of the Yanomami tribe), took part in a rainforest food tasting session and looked into what Fairtrade is and how it helps people who live in the rainforest. In History we continued our journey through British History and studied the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings. We explored key events and artefacts such as the Bayeux Tapestry and took part in a debate to decide who was the better king, King Alfred the Great or his Grandson, King Athelstan. In English we studied the beautiful book, Leon and the Place Between, and also had fun
studying and writing different types of poems. In Maths, we enjoyed the hands on experience of Geometry, including drawing and making 3D shapes using nets, exploring and identifying angles and measuring things around school using rulers and protractors. This term also saw lots of fun events for Year 3 such as Family Fun Day and their first House Athletics Finals.
It has been so lovely to be able to spend the whole year together with no interruptions and we had a great time getting to know one another. We can honestly say that we have had two amazing groups of children this year who we have enjoyed learning and laughing with. We know they are ready for Year 4 and hope they enjoy it!
What an amazing and busy year it has been in Year 4. There have been many fun and handson topics, which have brought our learning to life. Here are some of Year 4’s best highlights:
The Autumn term started off with a bang as we had our exciting India and Ancient Egyptian topics in Humanities. During these topics we completed fantastic written work as well as completing mummification of fruits, designing and creating our own cartouches and taking part in a workshop to handle and understand Indian artefacts. As well as this, we had our trip to Bristol Museum to discover a more in depth understanding of how the Ancient Egyptian’s lived.
In Maths, our focus was on consolidating our number facts, involving the four operations, learning new methods for multiplication and division and finishing off the week with fun Maths games! Our English studies included non-chronological reports, where the children created some superb and detailed shark fact files. The children enjoyed learning about sharks so much, we went on to create a poster about how to save the sharks; this demonstrated the children’s enthusiasm! Outside of the classroom, school business continued with Happiness Day, trip to Bristol Hippodrome for a pantomime, The Christmas Fayre and many successful sports fixtures!
The Spring term arrived and both classes were excited to be back at school! We kicked off our History topic learning all
about world explorers and their adventures.
It was evident, that both classes thoroughly enjoyed investigating how these explorers’ changed history and their impact on current society. Our Geography work took us to the local area, and we learnt about map skills, OS map symbols and how to read coordinates on a map.
In English we studied ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’, where the children’s creativity really blossomed; the creation of a new medicine, took us by surprise and we hope supermarkets do not invest in the Year Group’s ideas! In Maths, we continued to develop the four operations and we introduced fractions, decimals, and percentages, as well as area, and perimeter of regular and compound shapes. The fun continued with our whole school Easter Egg Hunt, watching the older Year groups perform 'The Lion King', an exciting Zoom show, (Sally and the Sea Morgan’s), a walk around the local area, World Book Day and finally both classes performed a successful class assembly!
We saved the best till last as the Summer Term is always a busy one! Year 4 had been looking forward to learning about the gruesome Aztecs and this proved a fun and exciting History topic for the Summer Term. We ended the topic with our Aztec feast, where we sampled new and different foods; the chillies proved once again to be a hot topic of conversation!
Keeping the Aztec Gods happy, four children were sacrificed so the sun will rise again tomorrow. In Geography we studied Europe, its capital cities, famous landmarks and monuments as well as river
The focus in Maths was shape and movement. We looked at shapes, angles, coordinates, graph work and translations. We were super proud of the children’s perseverance and determination with these topics.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream was our English text and the children thoroughly enjoyed learning Shakespearean language, untangling the lovers, creating freeze frames and writing their own playscripts. We finished the play and to celebrate the Duke’s wedding, we designed wedding invitations and compared the BBC’s version with the CBeebies version of the play.
Towards the end of term, we enjoyed taking part in House Athletics, Swimming Galas, Activity week and in particular the trip to the Lido and performing our Year 3/ 4 Shakespearean Festival. As well as this we had many successful cricket fixtures, which gave all the children an opportunity to represent the school.
It has been an absolute pleasure for us to have been part of Year 4’s journey this year, they have thrown themselves into everything presented to them and have made tremendous progress in all areas of school life. We are proud of each individual. Good luck in Year 5, we know you will all continue to shine!
What a fantastic year it has been in Year 5! All children settled in well and adapted to the changes very quickly. Although we were two forms, Mr Perez and Mrs Mockridge, we tried to spend most of the time together as a big team and children thoroughly enjoyed this.
Over the year, we have had a lot of exciting events: In the Autumn Term, we welcomed Lucas and Charlie, who settled in straight away and feels like they have been with us for years. Year 5 enjoyed their first cross country run on the junior course. Rugby and hockey season was very successful and children really enjoyed the changeover day when girls played rugby and boys hockey. Also, this term added a novelty to Year 5, Saturday school, where children learnt about Gardening, Forest School or Drama. Our Year 5's highlighted how much they liked the Bonfire Night, Christmas Fayre and Pantomime this term.
Then came 2022 with Spring Term, Year 5 were ever so busy rehearsing for their play. What a show they put on, performing the “Lion King”, well done to everyone! On the Sports side, Year 5 produced remarkable performances during the TMS relays, competing in football and netball against local
schools and also taking part in the IAPS swimming regionals at Millfield. What a busy and exciting term this was! Congratulations to the winner of the Good Intention and Politeness Award, Basil B, well done!
And so it came Summer…and it looked like it was going to be another busy and thrilling term for Year 5! Everyone played cricket amazingly well, whether during tournaments, fixtures or training, well done
Year 5. Many Year 5's took part in the Restless Development Triathlon at Clifton College - LeilaBelle, Annabelle, Darcey, Poppy, Parish, Oscar B, Oscar HP, Isaac Lat, Jackson, Henry, Basil and Hugo. Our Year 5's also had a strong presence in the Athletics Qualifiers at Millfield and the IAPS' Finals in London, where Oscar HP and LeilaBelle had an absolute blast swimming in the London 2012 Olympics pool, amazing!
Family Fun Day, Ornithology, Cartography, Handwriting and the Swimming Gala were their favourites this term!
So many things have happened this year, so many changes and so many highlights! Year 5 have been a pleasure and we wish them all the best in Year 6. !
Mrs Mockridge & Mr PerezYear 6 had an extremely busy year and adapted to the new challenges faced. The pupils began the year with new Chromebooks. The responsibility of having their own device was taken extremely seriously by the Year 6's and they used it excellently to support their own work.
Highlights of the year included a wonderful performance of The Lion King. Hours and hours of hard work were worth the fantastic performance put on by the pupils.
Ms Case and I congratulate them on an excellent year and hope they continue to flourish in Year 7.
Some Year 7 pupils share their thoughts on the school year:
The start of the year was the rugby season. I was in the first XI playing at fly-half. We won most games and succeeded well as a team. Then it was the football season and I was in the first XI. I played midfield for the team. We played well as a team. Then it was the cricket and tennis season. I was in the first XI for cricket. For tennis we have played other schools e.g. Clifton and The Downs. Toby and I were unbeatable winning all five of our matches. I also won the Rapson cup (U13 boys senior singles) and came second in the James Finnigan cup. Camp was an amazing experience and I had lots of fun with my class. Josh
This year has been an excellent year as a class we have done well in Ornithology Handwriting and Cartography getting podium places each term. We have been friendly with the Year Eights and the Lower School, which is really nice. The castles project was a really great experience and many wonderful castles were produced. We had
activities. We had excellent results in our geography project with more than ten people getting 100%! The play was fun and all the parents loved it!
On the 11th of June, a select few swimmers went to the Olympic pool in London. These were the swimmers that got in the top twenty for their races at the regionals, which were at Millfield. Six boys and three girls made it in. This was a great experience and a nice trip to go on.
Katie
Year 7 has been a great year and we have had lots of fun with a very busy and exciting year and lots of activities to take part in. We started the year with a camp in the Brecon Beacons, it was very interesting and a great experience! There were so many things to do, we had a great time. Since then, we have had many adventures! We have had the triathlon, which was incredible. We did swimming, cycling and running. It was tiring but an amazing experience!
Each team needed to raise £200 as a team. At the time I was also hosting a Ukrainian bake sale and in the end we raised £1,464. It was a great achievement.
We also did a co-curricular enrichment day at Clifton College. We started the day doing some DT which was very fun as it is something that we don’t do at school and we learned lots of new things. Afterwards, we went to the Music Department and learned some new things about Garage Band. Then we went to the library to do some puzzle solving. It was a Harry Potter themed week so we made some clay mandrakes.
definitely stuff that we would not do very often. There were activities that we enjoyed doing as a team but we loved all the late night dancing around the fire! We had a great year. Thank you very much to all of the teachers!
Elsie & MaisieYear 7 has been an incredible year with a lot of fun. Mrs Davis joined for a fun filled year of Maths and became our form teacher.
At the start of the Year, we all went to the Brecon Beacons. We climbed Pen y Fan and did lots of team building activities. Our camp wasn’t as long as we had hoped but we still had an incredible time.
In March, eight Year 7’s went to Millfield for the IAPS swimming competition. The relay team of Delilah, Elsie, Holly and Katie came 22nd in the country! Holly and Isaac reached the top 20 and got to compete at the Olympic Pool in London in June.
Later on in the year, seven of us went back to MIllfield for an Athletic final and at the end of the day, we had Holly and Jenson going to the National FInals in Nuneaton, Holly for Javelin and Jenson running the 100m. They came back with excellent results, Holly coming 12th and Jenson coming 10th.
lots of Concentric castles and one Motte and Bailey. The prizes were great as well - Chocolate! Camp was really fun. We went with the Year 8's as well due to COVID and not being able to go on past camps. We did loads of fun activities such as abseiling, kayaking, pony trekking and many others. Year 7 camp at the beginning of the year was really great as well. Unfortunately, we were only there for two nights but we did loads of fun
Many people from Year 5 to 8 are part of our School Newspaper called Totally Tockington. Maisie and I do the “makers”: our job is to make things that are to do with the subject, we have made lots of different things that we are very proud of.
Here at Tockington, everyone takes part in a play each year. This year Year 7 and 8 joined together to perform a show called "Did the Butler do it?". It was great fun and I would definitely want to do it again!
Last but not least we had Year 7 and Year 8 camp. Now this was the highlight of our year!
We did loads of fantastic activities and there was
We also did a study of the Mall. We all did amazingly with everyone getting over 70%!
In Activity Week, Years 7 & 8 went on a fantastic Year 8 camp and we just wanted to say a huge thank you for giving us an amazing experience, one we know that we will remember forever. We really appreciated the time teachers invested in us all over the week to ensure we had a wonderful time and that we all got back safely. We have some fabulous memories that we will never forget and cherish forever.
We have had an amazing year and thank you to Mr Phillips and Mrs Davis for being amazing form tutors!
Year 8 has been a busy year for us with lots going on and towards the end, lots of emotions. Here is a short summary of what we have done this year and a few highlights.
English: In English this year we had a class book, Island of the Blue Dolphins. Using this book as inspiration, we created a fact file about the characters and explored the context of their emotions. We also explored the scenery and how the chapters developed, whilst enhancing our summary skills. We had weekly Reading Circles in which we were put into the groups to read a book and create a project about it. We developed our writing skills; studying letter writing, descriptive writing and news reports. Our highlight has been Ms Case’s stories. Everytime Ms Case started a story we would be so interested and ask so many questions that we would end up going off topic, but we enjoyed developing our spelling and listening skills!
Maths: In Maths we worked hard towards our common entrance. We learned about topics such as Algebra, Graphs, Transformations alongside our weekly Mental Maths tests. We really enjoyed having a treasure hunt around the room, and playing Mangahigh online Maths games.
Science: Our lessons and topics moved very quickly and it feels like we have covered a lot of topics in a short time.
Biology - Human and plant reproduction, Animal diversity, Photosynthesis, Classification. We made videos and songs about the predator and prey cycle and spent time recapping work we had done previously on flowers and fertilisation.
Chemistry - Acids and alkalis, reactions. Lots of experiments! We enjoyed producing hydrogen gas and then setting fire to it. We also enjoyed carefully combining acids and alkalis (and indicator) to produce all the colours of the rainbow in one test tube.
Physics - Space, Forces, Electro-magnetics, Circuits. We discovered just how common electromagnets are and how we use them without knowing it everyday.
History: In History we created a Genius Hour project. In groups, we chose a topic such as Black Lives Matter, KKK, Mary the First, Korean War, 9/11, The Great Emu War, Modern Chinese History, Julius Caesar and Eleanor of Acquitaine. Our topics have
included Medieval realms, Thomas Becket, The Black Death, Battle of Hastings, Battle of Agincourt and Richard the Lion Heart.
Geography: In Geography, a lot of our time was spent on our Stackpole field work. We went away on camp for one week to Stackpole in Pembrokeshire and conducted research and collected data. We then analysed this data and created a study about the sand dunes. We also performed lots of OS map work and learned about Rivers and Coasts.
Games: In Games this year we have played Rugby, Hockey, Football, Netball and Cricket. Alongside this we have also run Cross Country for two terms and swam every week. In the Summer term, we played Tennis and Athletics. In Rugby the boys won all but one of their matches. In Hockey, the girls developed their hockey skills and showed sportsmanship by lending a player to an opposing team, but still beat them 11-0. Football and Netball were both successful seasons and we were delighted to have great weather this summer so we were able to have lots of cricket matches. Max took 5 wickets and received a bat for his achievements. We have also taken part in numerous Galas, Cross Country meets as well as National Finals for Athletics and Cross Country. Some of us attended the IAPS Swimming Finals and we came fifth in the country!
Latin: In Latin we learned about grammar and vocabulary whilst working towards our Common Entrance. We also translated Greek myths from Latin into English. These myths and stories were very interesting.
French: In French we studied the French Revolution and learned our French scripts. As hard as we tried we did make some mistakes such as saying that “my dad was 14”, someone unloaded their dog instead of their dishwasher and someone liked to lie on the table instead of the bed!!
Art: In Art we chose our own artist to make a project on and created art from bubbles in which we recorded memories from our school life. We took a graffiti tour of Bristol., which was really interesting. Someone guided us around Bristol and showed us local graffiti and then we went to a studio and created our own graffiti artwork.
Music: In Music we composed 12 bar blues. In groups,
we made our own pieces of music with different instruments. We also recorded videos for adverts and created jingles.
House talent: In House Talent we helped to organise our Houses to rehearse and performed the following songs:
Cunningham - A mix of High Hopes, Hall of Fame and Stamina
ICT - In ICT, we did lots of work on our Stackpole project and played coding games. We also spent lots of time learning about internet safety.
Prom: We enjoyed getting ready for our prom, beginning with choosing our dresses and tuxedos, getting hair and make-up done all together at school and then posing for photos. We went in the limo and rode around Bradley Stoke and Patchway. We all enjoyed the food that we chose during our monitors meeting. Mr Symonds’ speeches were great and we loved receiving our leavers hoodies. Our favourite parts were the sweet bar, photo booth and disco.
There have been so many other amazing events such as our Family Fun Day, helping out at Lower School Sports Day, Leavers Rounders and our play, Did the Butler Do It?. If we were pushed to choose our highlights of the year, we would have to choose our Stackpole Trip, Camp Week and the Prom.
We will greatly miss attending a small school, which feels like a family. It has been like a second home and of course our friends!
We will miss you all
Computing at Tockington has continued to progress throughout the Academic Year.
Within their designated computing lessons the pupils continue to develop their fundamental computing skills. As technology and the computing curriculum evolves, we at Tockington pride ourselves on being at the forefront of change and embrace new advancements with open arms. Our Artificial Intelligence block of work with Years 5-8 epitomised that.
Walking around the school it is clear to see how well embedded computing is throughout the curriculum. From Reception to Year 8, pupils work with technology to enhance and develop their learning experience, with our dedicated class teachers being at the forefront of this.
Two large changes have happened this year, including a full refurbishment of the computing suite. Purpose made desks, chairs and a large Green Screen has made computing lessons even more exciting and providing more opportunities for our pupils.
The other change has been the 1-1 device programme, with every pupil from Year 6-8 having their own Chromebook, which is used in lessons and at home. This has transformed teaching and learning and has given every lesson the opportunity to engage with technology to enhance learning. This has attracted praise from our friends at many Senior Schools regarding our programme, who request to visit us and learn from what we are doing here as well as thanking us for creating a seamless transition for our Y8 pupils.
As mentioned, as a school we are continuously looking forward and have exciting plans for our Lower School and Nursery ICT provision, so watch this space!
Another year has flashed by in our busy Music Department, and as I sit here writing this in July 2022, it seems hard to remember the restrictions that governed us at the start of this Academic Year. We set about reinstating choirs after 18 months of no group singing. We began practising songs for our Harvest Service. We truly believed we would be able to perform as assemblies had returned inside instead of on the Astro. However, on the morning of the service it was cancelled, and our efforts disappointingly postponed.
After half term, we were building up towards House Talent in November 2021 when unfortunately, I had to self-isolate at home for a week. Our new member of staff, Miss Tabby Moreton and Kate Mockridge, who has been recently appointed ‘Head of Performing Arts’ held the fort in my absence and the Year 8 Head of Houses held auditions for their acts. The programme was prepared, the adjudicator – ex guitar teacher, Will Browne had booked his train ticket and everything was going full steam ahead. It was the first ‘normal’ performance that we had witnessed for a very long time. I would like to congratulate the children for their commitment to our choirs, their superb performance – and for handling their nerves, particularly when goal posts kept moving.
I would like to also mention and thank our newly appointed Year 8 pupil, Emily T, in the role of ‘Head of Music and Drama’, for her example to others demonstrating her pure enthusiasm for performing tirelessly throughout the pandemic and during this year. Her impetus for House Talent was such a support and enthused both her peers and the younger pupils. Will Browne judged well and commented on Henry B’s miraculous performance awarding him 25 out of 25 for his rendition of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. All the performers put on a real show and the whole afternoon was an absolute pleasure to witness. The House songs were Cunningham’s ‘High Hopes Medley’, Alexander’s ‘Try Everything’ from Zootopia and Churchill’s ‘Counting Stars’. In the end, in a very close battle, Cunningham were triumphant!
The usual plethora of Christmas events ended up going ahead after some degree of uncertainty! The Carol Service actually happened in the Church and Performance Choir really enjoyed singing ‘Christmas Wish’, of which there is a version by One Voice should you like to hear it. Junior Choir performed ‘The Inn Keeper’s Song’ which is bouncy and fun. The Lower School Christmas show was a roaring success with fantastic costumes, set design and wonderful energy.
For the first time the Main School concert was held in March instead of July. This enabled a whole array of musical performances. The genres of Jazz, Pop, Rock and Classical were all included and we had several rock bands with mainly Year 6 & Year 7 pupils performing ‘Beat it’ and ‘Centuries’. The Year 8 girls split into two groups, one singing ‘Revolting Children’, the other, ‘We Don’t Talk about Bruno’ from Encanto. Junior choir sung ‘Sunshine in my Heart’ and ‘We are the World’, while Performance Choir sang a very tricky three part harmony version of ‘To Make You Feel My Love’ and ‘Shackles’ complete with belting solos. There was a varied range of solo performances including Emily T singing her Grade 8 song ‘The Smell of Rebellion’ and Parish playing a Grade 5 piano piece absolutely beautifully. Ella G inspired us all with her beautiful flute playing, while Stirling and James did the same on their instruments – clarinet and trumpet.
During the Summer Term there have been plenty of Talent Spots – Friday afternoon informal shows which enable children to show Mr Sherwood and I what they are working on in front of their friends. These are delightful, low-key opportunities to get children used to performing and build confidence. We have also made an in-house recording of choirs and orchestra for posterity this term.
Lastly, we held the Lower School Summer Concert which was a lovely affair. Each Year group took part in a separate performance and sang and played percussion with great enthusiasm and awareness. Every single child who learns an instrument in Lower School had a chance to perform – even a pupil who had just had a few lessons on her cello! All children were polite, organised, confident and a delight to work with. I would like to thank the Lower School Music staff team for their unfailing outstanding cooperation, teamwork and support.
It only remains for me to comment on the outstanding group of Year 8’s that we have had this year. The commitment they have shown to choir and orchestra over the years has been exemplary. They have created their own choreography and musical performances over this year, showing fantastic levels of maturity and organisational ability. Above all, their boundless and infectious enthusiasm for music and the Performing Arts has helped lift our spirits and lead the school in the return to performing in front of live audiences. I wish you all the very best for the future – please do come back and visit us.
Thank you to the wonderful, ever-growing team of peripatetic teachers for your invaluable support. Despite online ‘invisibility’ you have managed to encourage progress and these are the exam results.
Year Pupil Exam Board Grade Instrument
Fraser R Trinity 2 Guitar
Henry B London Musical Theatre 5 Voice
Year Pupil Exam Board Grade Instrument
5 Parish B ABRSM 3 Piano
Harry H Trinity 2 Guitar
5KM Jackson S Trinity Initial Piano
Freya H ABRSM Singing
Eva B ABRSM 2 Piano
Henry B ABRSM 5 Singing
Amelie K ABRSM 2 Piano
Henry B Trinity 3 Cornet
Fraser R ABRSM 3 Singing
Joseph L Trinity Initial Piano
Year Pupil Exam Board Grade Instrument
Emily B Trinity - Online 4 Piano
Nitsa Trinity - Online Initial Piano
Bella H Trinity - Online 1 Piano
Evie P ABRSM 1 Singing
Dudu Y ABRSM 3 Piano
Isaac K TRINITY 2 Guitar
Anay N ABRSM 3 Piano
Emma V-P ABRSM 1 Singing
Isaac K ABRSM 3 Singing
Finley L ABRSM 2 Singing
Amelie K ABRSM 2 Singing
Did the butler do It? That was the question, and it took a short and hilarious hour and a quarter to discover who did steal Lady Jemima’s pearls in the Y7&8 play by the same name. Of course, the butler (played with great composure and dignity by Violet) did not! But like all butlers, Jeeves knew who had committed the heinous “crime” right from the start. However, had any one of the fine ladies and gentlemen, the motley crew of policemen, the righteous sergeant, the bumbling Inspector and the chatty maids and respectful butlers listened to her, we would not have had such fun watching a most accomplished performance reveal the real culprit – the indomitable (but forgetful) Mrs Clues of St. Mabel Mews (Maya).
The play (written by Debbie Chalmers and sourced from Lazy Bee Scripts) was cast just before the Easter break by the directors, Judith Case and Josh Moore. Saturday mornings saw the play start to take shape and the more intense, high-pressure work began after the CE exams on a bright Monday morning when the cast was absolutely sleep-deprived after a very exciting week on camp. The first day of rehearsals was a bit of a wash-out, but in true TMS style, by Tuesday the children were back on form and ready to work miracles. And this they did – by Friday they were show ready and we had two amazing performances - one to the school and one to parents, relatives and siblings of Years 7 and 8.
The performances were outstanding and the actors rose to the challenge. There was much to laugh at in this comedy and the young actors were not short of ideas when it came to making suggestions to develop their characters and their comedy gold moments.
Mrs Clues (Maya) and her two-for-the-price-of-one, highly-competitive companions, Lily (Lola-Bow) and Lily (Heidi) were invited to unpick a perplexing case of Lady Jemima’s pearls, which had gone missing during a party at the Fitzwilliams’ residence. Lady Jemima (Grace) opened the play in a flap which her sterling husband (Stirling) could do little to calm. After a difference of opinion between husband and wife, the allknowing Jeeves (Violet) was dismissed as knowing nothing, and the incompetent police force arrived to solve the crime. The long-suffering, but deferential, stickler in his quest for truth, justice and accuracy, Sergeant Pargeant (Charlie A-C) and the suggestible, somewhat indecisive Inspector (Basil) were a great pairing but leading their shambles of a police force (James, Toby, Charlie N, Alex, Harrison, Isaac K, Emily B, Harry, Will) was more work than solving the tricky crime. Indeed, Alex was nothing short of a liability and even the Inspector noticed how inept he was with a frequently repeated tap on the helmet.
Mrs Clues and her companions were brought in to try to solve the crime by Lord Charles, who was convinced that her reputation went before her and she would not fail. Poor Rose (Bea) was commanded on and off the stage by Lady Jemima and Lord Charles and she was a nervous wreck when it came to pouring tea for the thirsty police force.
Mrs Clues made a pact with Lily and Lily to be the first to solve the mystery of the stolen pearls and she infiltrated the homes of all the landed gentry, whose homes (but for the flowers) looked remarkably similar. Lady Lucy (Maria) and Lord Gerald Hamilton (Charlie N) were quite at odds when it came to confiding how much they disliked the Fitzwilliams and James, their butler, (Alex) was embarrassed to have to reveal that they had run out of petrol on their way to the party and left early when Lady Lucy felt faint – a malady frequently brought on when in the company of the Fitzwilliams; Lady Elizabeth (Emily T) could not conceal her chagrin at the over-excited behaviour of her husband, Lord Lionel, (Tom), who found the thrill of a crime committed right under their noses, positively topping. Their dignified butler, Johns (James) made a slightly less dignified exit when asked to send Poppy (Emily B) to answer the door, as he flew off the stage, and reentered in the line of policemen and flew back moments later, in his role as butler. This seemed to be catching when Poppy (Emily B) also found herself metamorphosed from servant to policeman.
Lady Margo (Katie) thought she had a scoop when Mrs Clues came to call and she and Lord Jeremy (Toby) just couldn’t wait to spill the beans. Daisy (Maisie) bent the ear of both the Lilies and poor Jakes (Harry) with her endless stream of chatter.
Interwoven with all the many twists and turns were a cheeky mob of burglars (Josh, Amelia, Delilah, Elsie) who had much fun at the expense of the half-witted police force with an energetic chase scene, a scene in the garden as a wall and as fixtures and fittings in the noble drawing room. They even stole the police headquarters and provided some very comic moments.
Gossipy aunts, Amber (Emily G) and Emerald (Ella) had a good old natter over the garden wall, as did the delightful but feisty and well-endowed Mrs Diamond (Will) and the very informative Ruby (Holly). Will’s quick change back to a policeman at the end of this scene, saw him return with two rather large balloons under his white shirt. The Inspector, always super observant and egged on by the audience, quickly put paid to that with two rather loud explosions caused by a sharp pin!
In the end, neither Mrs Clues, who prided herself on remembering everything, despite her advanced years, nor the police, solved the crime. Jeeves was eventually invited to explain what he knew – the pearls had simply gone for repair and been passed to Mrs Clues, who had inadvertently forgotten to return them to Lady Jemima. All would have been well, except for one thing: Mrs Clues forgot!
The play was a resounding success and there were many musical interludes, perfectly timed to add to the comedy with the girl band (Maria, Emily G, Bea and Maria), to the mood with Lady Elizabeth’s tender song for her husband (Emily T’s solo) and to the accomplishments with the flute playing of Ella and the keyboard by Emily T. The musical energy of the play reached its heights with songs by the whole cast.
The play was supported technically with many sound effects by Max, and by much reliable scene changing and stage management by Jenson, Addison and Maisie, ably assisted at times by the light-fingered burglars.
We were, as always, grateful to Mrs Stanway and her mum for make-up; props and costumes came from our own cupboard and from the Wardrobe Hire at Marlwood School. Mrs Mockridge made the backdrop look amazing and everything else was begged and borrowed, but not STOLEN
The Spring Term saw Y5 and Y6 performing ‘The Lion King’, organised by Judith Case and I. There was a great deal of talent on display with more soloists than ever before. The songs were uplifting and restorative after Covid and ‘The Circle of Life’ was sung with new meaning and fully heartfelt by our wonderfully talented set of Y6. The Y5’s, who have not had as much stage experience, grew in confidence and competence throughout the process and are slowly building skills to take the lead roles next year. I was proud of the entire cast for their singing and dancing throughout.
The Summer Term saw the introduction of the new Shakespeare Festival performed by Year 3 and Year 4. A multimedia production with some impressive performances. It was a delight to bring these year groups to the stage.
PHSE and SMSC provision has continued to thrive this year. Our creative curriculum develops fully rounded children who are healthy, sociable, and emotionally literate. It covers key concepts and skills to support pupils’ SMSC (moral, social, and cultural) education, focusing on Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World.
PSHE prepares children for life in modern Britain today. It also helps pupils develop and apply skills and attitudes to allow them to become full and active citizens in our wider global community. Online and e-safety has been a particular focus this year teaching children about staying safe when using internet technologies. It also helps make sure pupils themselves know how to behave responsibly online.
The children have engaged in some thought provoking and often challenging debates this year. We have discussed Everyone’s Invited, Black Lives Matter, the war in Ukraine to name a few.
Our "Look at my work" assemblies have been able to return to deliver careers education. The children enjoy these presentations, and they spark a lot of debate. We welcome any parent to contact us if they
feel able to share their working life.
The School Council has been managed ably by Heidi and Bea this year. A big thank you to them for their initiatives.
In SMSC, spiritual development has allowed pupils to explore beliefs and experience; respect faiths, feelings, and values; enjoy learning about oneself, others, and the surrounding world; using imagination and creativity. Social development has included using a range of social skills; participating in the local community; appreciating diverse viewpoints; participating, volunteering and cooperating; engaging with the British Values of democracy, the rule of law, liberty, respect and tolerance.
As always, we will continue to review and evolve the delivery of the PSHE and SMSC curriculum to keep pace with the ever changing world we live in.
What an amazing, action-packed trip we had to Stackpole, Pembrokeshire! We kicked off the week by heading to Freshwater West to carry out an in-depth study of the sand dunes. This focused on measuring slope angles and carefully estimating the proportions of Marram Grass, bare ground, and other plant species at each station on the dune. Fortunately, our first night was beautifully clear and we took a night walk to the Eight Arch Bridge for some stargazing.
On Tuesday we set off for an adrenaline fuelled day at Stackpole Quay. One group spent the morning coasteering, giving them the chance to develop their diving skills, tackle three cliff jumps and try some unique seaweed straight from the seabed. They were also fortunate enough to swim around an Aurelia Aurita (Moon) Jelly Fish. The Stand-up Paddleboarding gave the group an opportunity to take in the surrounding area and explore several caves, whilst making their way around to Barafundle Bay. After a well needed lunch break, the groups swapped and got straight back into the activities.
Conditions were ideal on Wednesday as we headed out to Freshwater West for a day of surfing. With the energy we had left, we ventured out to visit St Govan’s Chapel; a sixth century chapel built into the side of a cliff. Come the evening, we went bat watching on the estate.
We finished off our trip with a long coastal walk from Stackpole Quay to Broadhaven beach which gave everyone the opportunity to appreciate the local wildlife and stunning coastal scenery. We saw landmarks such as the Green Bridge of Wales and Stack Rocks, discussed local legends and held a highly competitive sand sculpture competition. A good time was had by all!
The completed Common Entrance enquiries, which constituted 20% of their overall mark, were first class with the group averaging an impressive 89%. Stirling, Emily G, Thomas, Maya and Violet all achieved 100% with their outstanding studies.
Year 7 had a fantastic time on their residential trip to the Brecon Beacons. The sun was shining and spirits were high. The children arrived bright and early on Monday morning at the Wern Watkins bunkhouse, taking in the magnificent views of the mountainside on their way. Year 7 started the day by taking part in some team games; learning how to work together as a team to complete some challenging tasks. Their communication skills were put to the test and they had to navigate a ball through a pipe without it falling on the floor. With a few failed attempts and some excellent teamwork, they managed to successfully complete the task, taking on board everyone’s feedback of how they could improve and what they needed to do next time. The next team game really tested their listening skills and how well they could relay instructions back to their team. The aim of the game was to make their way through a maze and feedback to their team members to get everyone through successfully. There were some excellent strategies for recording the route through the maze, including a map made from stones and leaves. Excellent initiative and communication skills shown all round!
In the afternoon, they visited the Llangattock cave complex, one of Europe’s most elaborate cave systems. They put on their helmets, crawled through the opening and made it inside the dark cave. Using
their torches to navigate them through, they stopped and studied the layers of limestone as they made their way through the cave. After a long afternoon of walking, we were all ready for dinner and….room inspections! Mr Jones, Mr Ross, and Mrs Britt were fairly impressed by day one standards however, there was definitely room for improvement.
Day 2 and another beautiful day in the Brecon Beacons. Today’s challenge was to climb Pen-Y-Fan. On went the walking boots and off we set on our uphill ascend. Determination, resilience and teamwork were put to the ultimate test. The children gave each other words of encouragement and learned lots about the history of the incredible mountain as we made our way higher and higher to the summit. We finally made it to the top and enjoyed eating our lunch looking out at the spectacular views below us. What an achievement! After a quick pit stop for a welldeserved ice-cream in Brecon, it was time for dinner and another round of room inspections! A brilliant effort on the rooms this time round with fantastically made beds, clothes folded up and the rooms were all beautifully clean and tidy. It was a very close call, but Katie, Maisie, Emily and Elsie impressed the teachers the most with their efforts and they came first place with an impressive 11 points-well done girls! We all had great fun and had a very memorable few day away.
Mr Jones and Mrs Britt
We had an enjoyable, productive day on the beautiful Afon Caerfannell high up in Beacons. The group worked hard and were a pleasure to take away. The class were split into 3 groups; the Usk, Wye and Taff. We took measurements and collected data in 3 different sites in the Youthful, Mature and Old Age stages of the river. The pupils focused on the downstream changes in the river’s course as well as looking at the variations in Gradient, Width, Depth and Velocity. We collected and collated the data as we moved downstream towards its mouth in Talybont Reservoir, eventually the Caerfannell empties out into the Usk.
Year 6 worked hard on their enquiries and averaged over 80% for their completed studies. I would like to thank Mr Tyrrell, Mr Ross and Miss Moreton for their invaluable help during the day.
What high quality entries throughout 2021-22. Delilah and Maisie appear in the top 5 overall maps each term! Well done! The standard goes from strength to strength. Happy map making! Mr Jones
Autumn Term Spring Term Summer Term
Country Afghanistan China Ukraine
Overall Winner Violet G Delilah B Maisie S
Runner Up Delilah B Simar C Maya S
3rd Place Maisie S Henry B Katie W & Henry B
Year 8 Stirling R Violet G Ella G
Year 7 Elsie L Amelia R Isaac K
Year 6 Henry B Herbie H Herbie H
Year 5 Simar C and Basil B Gloria D and Amelie K Finn C and Simar C
Year 4 Nitsa B and Oliver G Nitsa B and Connie O'C Nitsa B and Ruby L
Year 3 Dudu Y and Jasper B Emily W, Jasper B and Isabella H Jasper B and Isabella H
Year 2 Henry T and Honor L Lexi J and Rosemary H Charlie B and Effie M
In the Maths Department we have strived to improve our problem-solving skills this year to give the students the tools to use their mathematical knowledge to solve hypothetical and real word problems. It also allows students to work at their own pace and make their own decisions about the route they take to explore the problem.
Every year, TMS students are entered into national competitions to give them the opportunity to practise their problem solving, demonstrate their ability and enjoy the Mathematics. Our students in Years 5 and 6 are entered into the Primary Maths Challenge, and students in Years 7 and 8 take part in the Junior Maths Challenge ran by the UKMT.
In both, the questions are challenging and encourage mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using basic mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.
These Maths Challenges are designed to promote a love of problem solving, and although the questions are multiple choice, they are designed to make students think and not to guess. Well done to all students on their achievements, in particular to the following students who won awards.
Bronze – Katie W, Will C, Delilah B, Harry H, Heidi C, Charlie A-C, Emily G, Max J
We have also been fortunate to attend two Maths Challenge events where a small team of TMS students work together to score as highly as possible against other schools from the region.
Four Year 5s and four Year 6s took part in this regional Maths Challenge. The teams took part in several rounds including a nailbiting timed shuttle round and the favourite: the relay. Everyone performed superbly, piecing together everything they had been taught and using excellent communication and team working skills to solve tricky Maths problems.
The Year 6 team came away with a well deserved silver medal, after equalling the number of points but beating the team that came third solely on their relay time. Very well done to Darcey O, Simar C, Alex F-W, Bertie M, Henry B, Anay N, Eva B and Herbie H.
Four of our great Mathematicians from Year 4 went to Redmaid's High Junior Department for a Year 4 Maths Challenge, competing against 18 other Bristol schools, totalling 36 pairs. Our 2 pairs representing Tockington were Ruby L and Nitsa B, and Kieran Q together with Oliver G. They took part in 6 rounds and were also under time pressure to get as many questions completed within each round. The children thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were fantastic ambassadors for Tockington. All four children were superb and I am thrilled to say that Kieran Q and Oliver G achieved 4th place and a prize. Congratulations to all of you.
This year the More Able and Talented group have met fortnightly to explore a broader variety of Mathematics, to study level 3 topics gearing up for their Common Entrance Exam, and practised UKMT Team Maths competition material (though sadly this competition did not go ahead). The students have shown great commitment and dedication, as well as such strength and ability. I look forward to hearing of all their successes in Maths.
We had fantastic results in the Common Entrance exams with every student gaining a pass. This includes five passes at level 3, six passes at level 2 and eight passes at level 1. Every one of the Year 8 students demonstrated excellent progress, thanks to their maturity in revision and a desire to reach their potential. These exams are challenging, and great resilience is needed to attempt, check, correct and attempt more. We are very proud of you all.
Next year will see the Maths department use a mastery approach in lessons, as well as exploring further problem solving and reasoning tasks. There will be more exciting competitions to allow for greater participation. Lessons and practical activites will take place in and out of the classroom and always complement our scheme of work, making the learning enjoyable and creating successful young mathematicians.
This year has been a great year in the Science lab and we have embraced the CREST Award Scheme. CREST is the British Science Association's scheme for STEM project work. It is desighned to enable and inspire young people to think and behave like Scientists and Engineers. This was something we trialled last year with a small group and have now been able to expand on. All the children from Year 1 to Year 6 have worked towards a CREST award. The younger children completed numerous experiments and challenges as they completed their Passports. The older children were challenged to “Stop the Spread” of diseases by creating a simple machine to store water and allow for handwashing and they also had to think of a way to educate others about the importance of handwashing. I feel that starting our pupils on the CREST Award Scheme when they are so young will help to develop problem solving skills and also help to link the Science we cover to real life applications. When CREST awards are taken to a higher level they can help with university applications and career opportunities. This was great fun to do and something we will continue to develop further. This was run alongside our usual curriculum and experiments, which we continue to develop and adapt to the needs of the class.
What a busy year we have had and how lovely to have been in the classroom! The calendar has been full and we have been able to revive many of our extra-curricular activities.
World Book Day became World Book Week and started a day later than for the rest of the country. The children (and Staff), as always, loved dressing up and their costumes were fabulous and much appreciated. Every child showed off their costumes in an extended assembly and they all were keen to share what they knew about their characters. At lunchtime, we had our Pop-up Book Shop and this was a hive of activity as the children buzzed around it, spending their raffle ticket currency. The children were spoiled for choice, as so many books had been donated. After school on the Thursday, we had The Big Read, which was also hugely popular and much fun was had in onesies, with teddy bears, beanbags and tents and, of course, lovely, lovely books to read. Many families also sent in photos of their children reading in interesting places and these were shared with families through the Tracker.
World Book Day also saw the relaunch of our traditional fund-raiser for the charity, Read for Good. Over £1500 was raised for this noble cause. Books and storytelling sessions for children in hospital are funded through the charity, as a result of the efforts of the fundraisers. Many of our children took part and set themselves the challenge of reading every day for three weeks or reading a certain number of books. This tied in very nicely with Accelerated Reader, which has really transformed the reading culture in the school.
We were very lucky to have two author visits this year –at Christmas we were able to welcome Chris Wheeler and Steve Gunning who read their book: Santa’s Secret Agent. The children enjoyed their book and their interactive presentation on many different levels. Everyone enjoyed the story and puzzling illustrations, and many children asked interesting questions about the production and publication of the book too.
At the end of the Summer Term, Years R to 2 were visited by the best-selling, local author, Amanda Prowse, who is an established writer of adult books and has now made her first foray into writing for a much younger audience. She read her story: The Smile That Went a Mile and the children loved her story-telling style. In both cases, the children were very keen to buy the books the authors read and had them signed with personal messages too. Year 5 also had another encounter with an author through the medium of letterwriting. They wrote to the author, Elizabeth Laird, after reading her book: The Fastest Boy in the World. She read all of their letters and even wrote an email back to them. This was so rewarding and exciting.
Later in the year, Year 5 also had an encounter with Zoo vet and animal artist, Dr Ian Ashpole, who visited us virtually from Chester Zoo and whose brain was thoroughly picked by our resolute investigators researching the possibility that dragons might well have existed.
Totally Tockington had a totally awesome relaunch this year – the paper written by children for children. We managed to produce eleven copies of the paper – nearly two per half term. The team grew and grew
to over forty children and their commitment was totally fantastic. It is a great little paper – always on a theme, with competitions and lots of well-researched information. The Editor-in-Chief this year was Violet and she was supported by Grace as Editor. Amelia and Delilah were excellent sub-editors and we have high hopes that they will steer the paper onwards next year. This year we held a logo competition and this was won by Katie. In September the badges bearing the logo will be distributed to the team. We had two super parties – one at Christmas and one at the end of the Summer Term with the traditional water fight.
Thank you to all parents who help to cover the printing costs of the paper by subscribing to it. We hope you have enjoyed the paper. And a huge thank you to Mrs Symonds for laying out the paper.
Milkshake Monday Morning saw a return to the calendar and the children have all had the opportunity to visit the library on a Monday at break for cookies and milkshake, as well as a story. Harrisons have been amazing at supporting this idea and we thank them for their hard work.
The Library continues to thrive with lots of donations as well as new books which we have managed to buy through rewards earned by holding a Book Fair and doing the Read for Good readathon. We have a fabulous team of Junior Librarians and a special thank you goes to Annabelle, Leila Belle, Simar, Darcey and Fraser for their commitment and interest in how a library runs.
The new library on the Mead Building landing has also been very active with a great selection of our Accelerated Reader books for Years R to 4 held on these shelves. The children have been keen to borrow and browse and talk about their reading since the introduction of Accelerated Reader and the teachers have supported this initiative very well. Mrs Tregenza has been an absolute diamond
in helping to administer the two libraries and we owe her a great debt of thanks.
This year, we have had two opportunities to hold book tombolas – one at the FOTM Christmas Fayre and one at the Summer Fayre. Both were successful, and again relied heavily on the generosity of families. The children loved the idea and some proved to be extremely lucky and carted home impressive stacks of books! A rather unfortunate downpour just as everything got underway for the Summer Fayre tombola did put our paper friends at risk, but we still made money for the FOTM.
Accelerated Reader continues to be a real driving force for developing and maintaining good reading habits amongst our children from Y2 to 8. The statistics tell us that most of our children are reading with confidence and enthusiasm and well above the national average, which is so fundamental to success in all areas of the curriculum. The rewards are all well received with regular certificate giving in assemblies for more words read from one quarter to another. We have had thirty children become Word Count Millionaires and multi-millionaires this year and each of those has been invited to a special tea party of delicious treats all served by two very respectful waiters – Mr Symonds and Ms Case.
We have continued to extend our digital offerings in the English department with a fantastic new Library Management System called Accessit which provides access to our catalogue from remote locations; maintains a log book for children of their activity on the system and allows children to manage their own reservations, searches and loans. The system offers many links to websites to further enhance the children’s experience. All new books are entered into the system with links to author pages, audio and visual material linked to the book and further suggestions. If you haven’t so far, check out the WebApp – it is a lot of
fun https://uk.accessit.online/tck00/#!dashboard. We also have a new Phonics system in place for teaching in the Lower School in September and we are excited about what this can offer to our younger children with some opportunities for digital learning. The chrome books for children in Years 6 to 8 have been a real bonus, enabling independent research, bespoke and targeted lesson creation, sharing of material and ideas, platform discovery, better communication and wider access to stimulus material. In English, we have been able to travel much wider with these devices and have also been able to manage work in a progressive and visually stimulating way. We have also had a lot of fun finding great support material on the internet – just ask Y5 about the paragraph song!
Reading Circles have been successfully implemented to our children in Years 5 to 8, who have been sharing their reading journeys in mini book clubs. The groups choose a book to read, set their own weekly reading targets and discuss what they have read guided by a selection of questions. Each member of the group has a role to play. The Reading Circles have been well received and we have found that through this system, children are persuaded to pick up books they might not normally borrow. Years 7&8 have linked their Reading Circles work to the ISEB Reading Certificate, which Y7 is working towards. Students in Y7&8 respond to what they have read creatively in a project designed and executed by them. We have had boardgames, playscripts, graphic novels, interviews with characters, social media threads and many more exciting and creative projects which have come from this initiative.
This year we were invited to take part in the Rotary Club’s Youth Speaks competition which has been relaunched post-Lockdown. Year 6 all wrote speeches on subjects of their choice. They made cue cards and memorised as much of their speeches as they could. We had a school heat in which we heard all of the speeches and then ten were selected to go through to the Rotarian heat. From this heat, two children went to the final. Janu came second with a talk on the pros and cons of video gaming for children; and Fraser entertained us all with a talk on his specialist subject – cheese! Both speeches were excellent and the boys were not at all discomfited by the large audiences they had to perform to. All of the children who reached the Heats won dictionaries and certificates and Janu and Fraser also won badges and cash. This was a very rewarding experience for all of the children and an essential life skill.
We enjoyed a range of clubs this year. Creative
writing remained a small but lively club with a group of children who were predominantly from Y5 and who thoroughly enjoyed the freedom of creative writing in a playful setting. Several children were published in A Wander in the Woods and received their books in October. New authors included Isaac K, Maisie, Holly, Harry H, Harrison, Elsie, Delilah and Amelia. We enjoyed all of their mini-sagas!
Reading Clubs thrived in Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6 and although the time is short at breaktime, it is very exciting to be amongst enthusiastic readers who love to talk about what they have read and have enviable recall of events!
We had several Handwriting and Presentation competitions and the standard was always high. The awards in this competition are coveted and the judging is very difficult.
The Common Entrance Results for Year 8 were very pleasing and everyone passed, many with flying colours and all with due credit! This is the last time the CE for English will take its current format. Next year, Year 7 will face a very different format, which will provide most of them with an exciting level of challenge in prose, poetry and drama study.
Drama is always an important element of the English diet and we all went to the Hippodrome to the pantomime and were lucky enough to put on all our plays to an audience this year. Each and every one was a resounding success and we cannot praise the children and staff enough for the standard of performance and hope that our audiences have loved watching them as much as we have enjoyed staging them.
I have very much enjoyed returning to TMS and wish my successors all the very best in steering the department forward.
The Classics Department has expanded its remit since last year with the introduction of a Classical Civilisation exam at Common Entrance. This will be examined for the first time in June 2023 and so the students in Years 7 and below have looked into a wider range of classical topics. Latin lessons at Tockington have always included a lot of Greek mythology but we’ve had the chance to look into a wider range of these myths. One particular area with plenty of scope is the area of Metamorphoses – in other words, looking at changes in myth - men turning into stags, women turning into flowers and in Midas’ case, almost everything turning into gold. These are great stories and for those who want to take their Latin to their next school, hugely advantageous as Ovid’s Metamorphoses often appears in Latin exams at either GCSE or A level.
For the first time, we have had the chance to study some Greek history. Students have produced some interesting posters on the Greek city states. With that basic knowledge, they have given some very entertaining presentations on the battle of Marathon worthy of Horrible Histories. Josh’s impersonation of Pheidippides, the original
Marathon runner, was particularly memorable if a little quick for a marathon runner. Also, the year 7 girls got together and produced a very entertaining presentation on the foundation of Athens in a style combining Strictly Come Dancing & Dragons’ Den.
We will of course carry on our study of the Latin language. Year 5 will continue to speak Latin in their lessons and won’t be lost for words at a Roman dinner party. Year 6 will start to build up their vocabulary knowledge with lots of (quite competitive) practice on memrise.com. Janu also found a great crossword making website which we intend to use more often in class. The grammar starts to get more demanding in Year 7 and once the students have learned their noun and verb endings, they can answer questions against the clock at quizlet.com – any student getting their answers all correct in under 15 seconds is doing pretty well.
It’s been an enjoyable year in the Classics department with some fun new additions to the curriculum. There will be more to come next year, which you can read about in next year’s Tockingtonian.
This year has seen a gentle return to normality in the Art department and it has been a pleasure to see the children’s confidence and creativity flourish once more.
There have been many exciting projects ranging from Ancient Greece to Gargoyles and Super Sculptures to Street Art.
The pupils have also enjoyed a number of fantastic Design & Technology projects such as Christmas stockings, Moving monsters, sewing pencil cases, designing and slippers and building bridges.
In the Autumn Term, the children worked hard to produce Christmas card designs for our fundraiser – we raised well over £400.
Artistic design for the Spring Year 5 & 6 production of Lion King started early and the Art room became a hive of activity in everything African. With such an ambitious musical ahead, we all got to work planning, designing and making props, masks and costumes. With the help of Year 7 and 8 Art club, some incredible creations were made, including some beautiful giraffes, zebras, antelope, hyenas, a rhino, an elephant and lions aplenty. As the excitement built Art lessons doubled up as practise time for the children and songs could be heard down the corridor from the Art room.
With Tockington’s 75th Anniversary and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Summer Term was busier than ever. The children had great fun designing Jubilee bunting and posters for local celebrations. They all took part in the Friends “Design a Bag” competition. With so many amazing entries, it was too difficult to choose one design so it was a collaboration that won in the end with a beautiful design that reflects what Tockington is all about. The children also made their mark on a tea towel
design and created posters for our Yearly Fun Day.
Activity week was very colourful and saw the children creating artwork reflecting different decades. We saw 1950’s vintage wallpaper designs, 1960’s Batik flower power, 1970’s platform boots and 1980’s style designs in paper sculpture.
Street Art Post Common Entrance Year 8 took an eye-opening trip into Bristol to see some of the cities amazing pieces of Street Art.
The class was fortunate to have a very experienced tour guide who knew all the back stories surrounding each piece of work as well as many of the local characters and many of
The trip concluded with an opportunity to do some spray painting and they all came away with an amazing piece of artwork.
There have been some superb photography entries this year. Well done to Harry R, Kate D and Jack D for their winning entries and a special, congratulations to Oscar B who won the Jamie Smith Photography Cup at the end of the year. Hopefully, next year will see the return to many more trips and visits and a full on programme of fantastic projects, awards and competitions.
The History Department has encountered a much more ‘normal’ year, much to everyone’s delight, and it has been a particular highlight for me to accompany numerous trips and attend Roman and Aztec feasts with an obligatory sacrifice too. ICT still features heavily in the curriculum and the introduction of the Chromebooks in Years 6-8 has allowed for new ways of working, bringing new learning opportunities whilst enhancing and developing pupils' digital literacy skills. The VR headset was also introduced at the end of the Spring Term, and it is hoped that now all the pupils have been trained to use the device by playing the first steps game, additional educational uses will be embedded into the curriculum next year. For example, the Anne Frank Museum tour is fantastic and allows a virtual visit to the house, a great way for our Year 6’s to gain invaluable insight when they study World War 2 in the Spring Term.
Year 8
The children all performed exceptionally well this year, making huge progress with their essay writing skills and exam technique. In the mock exam, Stirling attained 100%, a score I have never allocated, demonstrating the ambition within the class and there were other notable efforts too. I am really pleased with the results this year and the progress made by all the Year 8 pupils; I think there will be many passionate historians joining their respective Senior Schools in September - I wish them every success.
Year 7
Year 7 have started the Common Entrance journey and have got to grips with detailed essay writing based around the events of the Norman Conquest of England. This year's cohort of Year 7 has been fantastic and the natural competitiveness in the class allowed for a magnificent couple of weeks when we closed the Chromebooks and started to build Norman Castles. This year's entries were so impressive, using a variety of techniques and it was the first-time different castle styles were clearly evident from the simple wooden Motte and Bailey to the stone structure concentric castles. I knew things had advanced
beyond the normal remit when Katie W. walked into school with a fully working trebuchet and started firing small blocks across the room; luckily it wasn’t the more factually accurate burning carcasses. In addition to the extremes seen in class, teams also submitted amazingly detailed PowerPoints showing how they built their castle, with Josh N. submitting a castle he recreated using Minecraft. It has been a pleasure teaching and tutoring Year 7 this year and I am excited by the prospect of another fascinating year teaching them History in Year 8.
Year 5 and 6
Year 5 and 6 have been equally great to teach. Year 6 were gripped by the events of the World Wars and produced some fantastic TV news reports, poems, newspapers, and a particular highlight for me was when Year 6 presented to the class, detailing their family’s involvement in the Wars. It was incredibly moving to see pictures, letters home, medals and a host of information shared with the class.
This year also saw the introduction of a new unit of study for Year 6, looking at the Transatlantic Slave Trade, with an in-depth view to our local area too. I am keen to develop this topic next year and allocate more time to this significant period of time. Year 5 have also impressed with their creative flair, making Horrible History style poems and songs and it is clear they are a gruesome bunch revelling in the gory facts of the Tudor and Stuart eras.
Year 5 have made use of more time in the ICT suite this year, enjoying the fantastic refurbishment delivered this year, creating work and becoming adept at using Google Classroom. They have produced work using a range of software and conducted independent research, presenting their findings professionally and clearly.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the creative, technologybased curriculum developing at Tockington, whilst retaining traditional classroom values.
Mr Phillips
Another great year in the Spanish Department. I have thoroughly enjoyed this year, everyone on site, playing the famous Rockalingua songs in class and having all the children singing in Spanish, genial!
It has been a pleasure to teach everyone from Reception to Year 6, and I am very excited to be teaching all the way to Year 8 from September 2022, a lot of exciting projects and plans ahead!
Lower School enjoyed our famous “Rockalingua” songs and videos, always fun and exciting to learn this way. We have listened to an animated version of “El Quijote” which has been very popular. We have covered many topics including: personal introduction, days of the week, vowels, colours, numbers, parts of the body and have learnt about Spanish Culture.
Upper School focused and developed their language skills, speaking, listening and writing, with excellent classwork. Year 6 produced fantastic speeches, focusing on pronunciation and it was great to hear excellent Spanish being spoken in lessons.
I am delighted with everyone’s progress over the year, well done to all the children at Tockington!
Mr Perez
Each week each Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 had a lesson and a sticker to reward their learning. We have covered many topics: the Weather, Daily Routine, School, Hobbies, Sport, Parisian monuments and French geography.
Reception learned how the Eiffel Tower was built.
Year 1 learned about Paris and the river Seine.
Year 2 learned about French Geography.
In the Upper School, I was equally impressed by the children’s linguistic abilities. We covered a range of topics from Healthy Habits in Year 6 to Sport and Countries in Year 5, Holidays topic in Year 7. Year 8 have prepared well for their French Common Entrance Exams.
Year 4: Playing their own French board games about Food and Drink
Year 6: Healthy Living leaflets
Year 8: Famous French Celebrities Research
1st XI
A fabulous season for the 1st XI, where improvements and progression were the themes. The boys always put in 100% into every game with results improving throughout the season. With a Covid affected start and losing players to injury, all the boys represented the team with pride and spirit. The end of season win vs club side Thornbury Town was convincing, and proved how far the team travelled this year. We also had girls represent the 1st and 2nd XI regularly, who proved to be excellent additions. We also made the semi-finals of the Wycliffe 6 a side tournament, just missing out on the finals by one goal, an outstanding achievement. A special mention to Charlie N who captained the side so well, and Max J who was awarded the best player.
I look forward to the 2023 season and overseeing the First XI with the Year 7 boys leading the team being joined by our talented Y6 boys.
Won 3-2 vs QEH Lost 1-5 vs Clifton College Lost 2-6 vs Clifton High Lost 2-4 vs Clifton College Lost 0-1 vs QEH Lost 1-3 vs Wycliffe Lost 4-0 vs Rougemont
Drew 1-1 vs Clifton High Won 3-0 vs Thornbury Town
Mr Ross
Despite having had a short season of football, the 2nd XI played brilliantly in all their fixtures. Our players were always keen and eager to play and we faced some strong sides with results that don't represent how well our team played. We also had girls joining our side, who demonstrated great skills and determination in the field! Well done everyone for a fantastic season of football, full of fun and exciting games!
Lost 3 - 4 vs Clifton College
Lost 3 - 6 vs Wycliffe
Lost 1 - 5 vs Rougemont
Lost 0 - 1 vs Clifton High
2022 was a most enjoyable and successful season for the TMS Wanderers. We won 8, drew 4 and lost 4 matches over the term. The boys were a cohesive and well organised unit who made it difficult for even the most talented opponents.
We conceded just 8 goals, this included an impressive 11 clean sheets! Our goalkeeper, Anay, was excellent throughout, a safe pair of hands with superb distribution skills. Janu led the backline effectively and formed a solid partnership with Hugo. Parish and Oscar H-P were our wide men with both showing potential and playing an important role in the team’s success. Stan was our midfield lynchpin, always reliable, he tackled well and showed excellent passing skills. Isaac L and Wilf were our front two, both playing well as target men and in tandem when we played the 8-a-side format.
The boys were very coachable and a pleasure to manage. What an enjoyable season! Thank you, lads.
What a season! In our five fixtures (excluding festivals) the boys managed to win four,
keeping clean sheets in all of those matches. I am a strong believer in building a team from the back and playing the ball forward and the boys showed the skills and teamwork to enable this to happen. You can't keep that many clean sheets without a great defence, but the boys worked hard and the whole team would track back and regain possession. Our standout performer was Charlie M. who distributed the ball excellently from his central midfield position and implemented the team's plans well. Congratulations on an excellent season.
Won vs Llandaff 3-0 Won vs Beaudesert 1-0 Lost vs QEH
Won vs St Johns' 3-0
Won vs Rougemont 11-0
U11 Rovers
A good season for the Rovers team which saw us tested week in week out against strong opposition. We scored some cracking goals throughout the term and were backed up by some heroic defending and goalkeeping. The Communities Festival was a particular highlight for me as despite the results, we battled and performed well against the opposition.
Won vs Llandaff 6-0 Lost vs BDP 3-2
Won vs Dean Close 2-1 Lost vs QEH 2-0
Won vs Wycliffe 1-0 Lost vs St Johns 2-0 Won vs Rougemont 9-0
Results Won 4 Drew 2 Lost 5
Communities Festival
Drew 2 Matches Lost 2 Matches
Mr Weeks
U9 Albion
Once again I had the pleasure of working with the U9 Albion boys in the football season and their impressive skill levels and work rate from the start of term impressed me greatly. The boys recognised how organised we had to be during the football season and understood positions and individual roles excellently. This resulted in some excellent performances and 20 goals scored in total. Well done on an excellent season boys!
Won vs Clifton H 9-0
Won vs QEH 3-0
Lost vs QEH 2-3
Won vs The Downs 2-1
Won vs Rougemont 4-1
A solid start to football at TMS for the United team. As the results show, we improved as the season went on. This was down to the hard work and effort that the boys put in during games lessons and at breaktime. The highlight of the season was the final match against Rougemont, where we scored 11 goals! Well played all.
Lost vs Clifton High 2-1
Lost vs QEH 3-2
Drew vs QEH 2-2
Won vs The Downs 2-1
Won vs Rougemont 11-0
Won 2 Drew 1 Lost 2
TMS City have had a great season of football. A team full of talented players who worked very hard during lessons and that came to show on the pitch, coming victorious in our fixtures. All the boys were superb this season, worked hard as a team with a high standard of sportsmanship.
It has been a pleasure to work with this group of boys and I am looking forward to the next season. Well done everyone!
Won 5 - 0 vs Clifton High
Won 2 - 1 vs QEH
Drew 2 - 2 vs QEH
Lost 1 - 2 vs Rougemont
An entertaining and enjoyable season with the Rangers squad all progressing and improving their skills and technique over the season. We achieved 3 good victories against Q.E.H., Clifton High and Rougemont. Our goalkeepers, Leon and Alex E improved their skills and managed three clean sheets during the term. Robert O led the side well and played effectively in the centre of midfield. Well done, boys!
The following boys represented the Rangers team over the season; Albie P, Robert O, Jack C, Alexander M, William B, Theo H, George G, David E, Leon F, Alexander E, Oliver G and Gilby R.
Won vs Clifton High School 6-0
Drew vs Q.E.H. School 1-1
Won vs Q.E.H. School 5-0
Lost vs The Downs 0-4 Won vs Rougemont 5-0
Played 5 Won 3 Drawn 1 Lost 1
Top Scorers: William B 4, Alex M 4, Robert O 4, Albie P 3, Jack C 2.
Mr Jones Girls Football
Football continues to be an extremely popular sport with the girls, with 2022 providing more opportunities than ever for them to play. As well as their one fixture with Clifton High, many girls represented the boys teams at U13 level. Football club continues to be popular, with half its members being girls. I congratulate all the girls involved this year and will continue to work to provide opportunities for more football in 2023.
The inaugural festival was a great success. It was lovely to welcome the local primary schools to TMS. The standard of play was excellent, particularly the talented St. Peter’s side. TMS won 3 and drew 1 of their 4 matches.
A closely fought series of games played in good spirits with some good quality football on display. Each match was competitive despite a few absentees. The tournament included 3 hat tricks from Freddie S, Joshua N and Basil B.
1st Cunningham 9
2nd Churchill 6
3rd Alexander 3
Most Improved Players Henry B, Oscar B and Basil B Sharland Cup for the best Footballer of the Season
Max J
COLOURS James C, Max J, Alex W, Stirling R, Charlie N, Toby W
An enjoyable season with the squad all working hard to improve their core skills. Their development was a joy to behold and the group were a pleasure to coach. We won 7 of our 8 matches, scoring 54 tries during the campaign. We emerged as the top team in the Cheltenham College Festival after our three matches in an 8-a-side format.
Our top try scorers were Stirling R (15), Toby W (9), Max J (8), James C (7) and Alex W (6). We played some fluid, attacking rugby during the season. They worked hard for each other and were always looking to attack and go forward. The season’s highlights were our excellent wins against Wycliffe, where we ran out 45-25 winners and our final match, a thrilling contest against a big, attacking Rougemont side, we won 45-30.
Overall, a most pleasurable and memorable season. James C was awarded the ‘Hollington Cup’ for the Best Player; he just edged out Stirling R, Toby W and Alex W with Max J also under consideration, after a fine November and December.
v. Monmouth School (A) Lost 45-20 v. Wycliffe College (H) Won 45-25 v. Q.E.H. School (A) Won 35-20 v. Cheltenham ‘Navy’ (A) Won 30-5 v. Wycliffe College (A) Won 25-5 v. Cheltenham College Blues (A) Won 35-5 v. Clifton College (H) Won 65-20 v. Rougemont (H) Won 45-30
TOTAL = 54 tries
Played: 8 Won: 7 Lost: 1
I can note the experienced opposition coach at Monmouth describing our game against each other as the ‘Best he has seen at U11 level’. The boys scored 49 tries throughout the season, an extremely impressive number with all the boys regularly contributing. We prided ourselves upon playing disciplined, controlled rugby where we often gained success at the breakdown. The boys often used their skill and athleticism to run in some fantastic tries. This team has much potential and I congratulate everyone in Y6 for playing their part in a successful season. I look forward to seeing the boys in action next year playing 1st team rugby.
v. Monmouth School Drew 7-7 v. Wycliffe College Won 8-7 v. Colstons Won 11-5
Severnside A Festival (L2) v. Q.E.H Lost 6-2 v. Rougemont Won 9-4
I was extremely proud of the boys throughout the season we had. They fought hard in every game and showed excellent character throughout. The team had a mixed bag of results, recording comfortable wins, hard fought draws and humbling defeats, all of which will help the squad to develop and I am sure they will be a stronger squad next season. In our final fixture (a rugby festival at Dean Close) they scored one of the finest tries I have seen in the ten years I've been involved in boys rugby. It was a great team try with every player involved, passing the ball and supporting the runner. If they can continue to work together in this way then I'm sure they will have more wins next season.
v. Monmouth School Drew 7-7 v. St Johns' Lost 8-7 v. Cricklade Won 12-4 v. QEH Lost 10-11 Festival at Dean Close W, D, L, L
An unbeaten season with the U9 ‘A’s winning 7 and drawing 2 of their 9 matches. They also won the Festival at Colston’s School in November.
The squad played some fluent, cohesive rugby, attacking with purpose and defending effectively as a unit. We scored 43 tries over the season. We were well supported by a good number of our parents in every match; thank you.
Harrison C scored 17 of our tries with Harry R and Joseph L scoring 11 and 7 tries, respectively.
The last match of the season was a close affair with Tockington being 2-1 down after the 2nd quarter; we came back to win with a try 2 minutes from the end of the final quarter.
I thoroughly enjoyed coaching the group, they listened intensely and improved significantly from the start of the season. The group are going to make a very good Year 5 team. Here’s to 2022!
The following boys represented the U9 ‘A’ team during the season:
Harrison C, Joseph L, Albie P, Stanley B, Rupert P, Harry R, Max H, Keiron Q, Jasper H, George C and Wilf R.
v. Colston’s (H) Drew 4-4 v. Q.E.H. (A) Won 9-3 v. B.G.S. I (A) Won 7-6 v. B.G.S. II (A) Drew 6-6 v. Rougemont (H) Won 9-0 v. Colston’s (A) Won 1-0 v. Wells Cathedral (A) Won 1-0 v. St Margaret’s (H) Won 4-0 v. The Downs (H) Won 3-2 TOTAL = 43 tries
Played: 9 Won: 7 Drew: 2
A fantastic season for the U9B rugby team who considerably improved and became a formidable team during the season. Due to our rugby season being under Covid restrictions from the RFU, the boys played touch rugby as opposed to contact. This did mean that the handling skills quickly improved, where the boys demonstrated excellent handling and evasion skills. I look forward to working with these boys next year and introducing tackling and rucking.
v. Q.E.H Lost 5-1
v. B.G.S Won 9-5 vs. B.G.S Lost 5-3 vs. The Downs Won 9-5 vs. Rougemont Won 9-0
A fine term of rugby from a talented group of Year 3 boys. Despite many being new to Tag Rugby, we adapted well to the rules which often gave us the edge on our opponents. We were superb as a team in both defence and attack which alongside some fantastic individual performances, meant that we were unbeaten for the season. Well done to all.
Colstons Drew 5-5
QEH Won 5-3
BGS Won 3-1
Rougemont Drew 5-5
The Downs Won 10-4
Results: Won 5 Drew 3 Lost 0
Won 2 Drew 1
The ‘Cymric Cup’ for Inter-House rugby was won by CUNNINGHAM.
The U13A's played an excellent standard of netball in 2022. Having missed out on netball fixtures the previous year, the squad took a few matches to settle into winning combinations. However, once they had ‘found their feet’, confidence gathered momentum and we won 7 matches from 12, with a further 2 matches that could have gone either way.
A key strength of this squad was the versatility of several players, which meant we always had options in both the shooting circle and defensive end; with Ella, Maria, Heidi and Emily G. we were ready to adapt as and when needed. Our tenacious defenders, Violet and Emily T. rose to the challenge this season and Maya and Lola Bow also stood out for taking control in the centre third. We also created opportunities for year 7’s Elsie, Delilah, Holly and Katie to experience U13A.
Memorable moments; Our most convincing win against Rougemont, 23-2, secondly, getting within 1 goal of the very strong St John’s side 18-19. Furthermore, we are very proud of our super Shooters, who over a very short season, scored over 100 goals. We also won the Severnside Tournament and lastly, the girls ran training drills in our Inaugural Communities Netball Festival and were complimented by the 3 local schools.
I do hope the girls go on to enjoy netball at their chosen future schools, there is some fantastic potential within the squad and I would like to thank all the girls for a thoroughly enjoyable season.
The U13A team was represented by: Ella, Maria, Maya, Heidi, Emily T, Emily G, Emily B, Violet, Grace, Bea, Lola Bow, Elsie, Katie, Delilah and Holly.
vs Monmouth Lost 6:19 vs St John’s Lost 7:18 vs Stonar Won 19:8 vs The Downs Lost 17:20 vs Rougemont Won 23:2 vs St John’s Lost 18:19 vs Wycliffe Won/Lost 13:⅔:18
Severnside Tournament Won 4 from 4 matches
It was a pleasure to coach, teach and umpire the U13B team throughout this Netball season. It was great to see the development of the whole squad and there were many highlights; a well earnt draw to start the season against Monmouth, (despite having no matches last season), a fabulous win against St John’s at the rematch 13-5 and also the significant win vs Rougemont 11-7.
The girls were versatile with their positions and as a consequence, there were many opportunities to experiment in new combinations. It was a joy to see Addi and Amelia successfully move to centre court, also to see Grace being flexible at all positions and Katie in defence with Emily B, where they became invaluable at turning the ball. Maisie and Bea were always reliable offering for the ball in the centre court. And Holly and Delilah? Well, this was definitely a winning combination and we are very much looking forward to seeing this shooting
partnership develop into Year 8.
My congratulations go to all the U12/13 girls who have bonded so well together. We know they will have had the benefit of training with the U13A team in lessons next year but there is already a very solid base of fit and like-minded players and I look forward to another exciting season.
The U13B team was represented by: Addison, Katie, Elsie, Amelia, Bea, Grace, Delilah, Hollie, Maisie, Emily B.
vs Monmouth Drew 5:5 vs St John’s Lost 2:5 vs Stonar Lost 4:9 vs The Downs Lost 9:23 vs Rougemont Won 11:7 vs St John’s Won 13:5 vs Wycliffe Won/Won 13:5/12:3
The U11As had a fantastic season of netball. The team learnt lots and showed wonderful sportsmanship throughout. During the season the girls discovered their preferred positions and by the end of the season we were starting to look like a really strong team. Overall the season was successful. We won 5, lost 5 and drew 1.
The team was always very positive and showed resilience when playing stronger teams. Kate was a fantastic centre all season. She was quick around the court and distributed the ball effectively. Our shooters (Poppy, Darcey and Lexi) were always in good positions which allowed us to have lots of attempts at shooting. I would also like to mention Eva and Mia who were outstanding defenders and both made some great interceptions.
A memorable moment of the season was the draw against St John's. Despite not winning it was such a great game and I think it motivated us to want to win more matches for the rest of the season.
The U11A team was represented by: Eva, Mia, Kate, Imogen, Darcey, Poppy, Simar and Lexi.
Kings Gloucester Lost 2.14
Llandaff Cathedral Win 4.1
St John's Draw 6.6
St John's Athrithre Win 6.2
The Downs Win 2.14
Cricklade Lost 1.3
St Margaret's Lost 0.3
Rougemont Win 11.3
St John's Lost 6.9
Wycliffe Win 3.1 and Lost 2.9
Severnside Tournament
Dean Close lost 0.4
The Downs lost 0.4
Beaudesert lost 0.7
St John's won 2.1
The U11B girls should feel very proud of how far they have come this Netball season. Each and every one of them has learned more about the game, developed their own style and adapted to play any position required of them. Our highlight was an early win against St Johns in a high scoring game of 10-7.
It didn’t take the team long to find their best suited positions and although at this age they are encouraged to rotate and experience all of them, some winning combinations became evident early on. Annabelle and Leila Belle as our reliable shooters, with Lexi just as capable in the D as elsewhere on court. Meanwhile the rest of the team showed a growing determination to win the ball and create more opportunities.
We have a superb group of young netballers here who have learned so much from match experience and one another, praising one another’s strengths and suggesting ways to improve as a team. I look forward to seeing what they can do next year.
The U11B team was represented by Ellie, Lexi, Amelie, Gloria, LeilaBelle, Annabelle, Martha, Simar, Darcey, Poppy, Immy.
vs Llandaff Lost 7:12 vs St John’s Won 10:7 vs St John’s Airthrie Lost 4:3 vs The Downs Lost 9:23 vs Cricklade Lost/Lost 1:4/2:3 vs Rougemont Draw/Lost 2:2/3:6 vs St Johns Lost 2:12 vs Wycliffe Lost 2:6Communities Festival Won 2 Lost 2
The Year U9 squad were raring to go for the 2022 Season and they won the majority of their Bee Stinger style matches. Some opponents insisted that positions were rotated, which allowed us to show versatility throughout the court. However, whilst in our preferred positions in other matches, it was clear to see some definite flare and skills developing, with Ruby and Nitsa in defence, and Sienna R, Connie O and Emma F in centre court. The shooting stats were dominated by Avneet and Sophia.
This squad were always a delight to coach and umpire. They improved each week and in their final game vs Clifton High they looked a strong and promising unit for the year ahead.
The U9A team were represented by: Nitsa, Ruby, Sienna R, Sophia, Avneet, Emma F and Connie O.
vs Colstons A/Colstons B Draw/Win 3:3/3:0 vs Clifton High Won 5:2 vs Clifton High Won 7:1 Cricklade Tournament: Won 2/Lost 2
Mrs Tregenza
U8/9
What an exciting season this was for the combined Year 3/4 squad!
There were matches on most Monday afternoons, lots of trips out in the minibus, some kind weather (on the whole!) and very noticeably, an array of smiley faces when on court.
In lessons we looked at the three stages of defending. We did fun passing drills, played netball rounders and had many shooting competitions. Matches were mainly Bee Flyer style and there were plenty of opportunities to show off emerging skills as we won over 30 mini-matches in fixtures and tournaments! Many of the girls also enjoyed netball club after school on a Tuesday.
The girls’ enthusiasm for netball in this squad has made the term most enjoyable. I look forward to seeing the girls moving to the next level in 2023 and hopefully they will enjoy Netball club again in September too.
The U8/9 squad was represented by: Amal, Jess, Emma S, Connie S, Sirivaana, Suzannah, Emma F, Sophie G, Evie S, Emma VP, Sienna B, Belle D, Megan, Freya I, Isabella H, Lois, Evie P and Emily W.
Season Analysis
vs Colstons A Lost 5:8 vs Colstons B Won 7:6
vs Clifton High A Won 12:3 vs Clifton High B Won 13:7
vs The Downs (U8/9A) Won/Won 4:1/7:2
vs The Downs (U8/9B) Lost/Lost 0:8/2:3
vs BGS
Pink Won/Won/Won 6:1/5:0/10:1
Yellow Won/Drew/Lost/Lost 5:1/1:1/2:6/2:4
Purple Won/Lost/Lost/Lost 6:0/3:4/2:5/1:3
vs Clifton High
Pink Lost/Won/Won
Yellow Won/Won/Won
Purple Won/Won/Won
Both squads each won 5 from 5 matches
Downs Tournament
Team A Won 5 from 5 matches
Team B Won 3/Lost 1/Drew 1
Team C Won 3/Drew 1/Lost 1
Netball Colours were awarded this season to the following: Ella, Maria, Heidi, Maya, Violet, Emily T, Emily G, Grace, Lola Bow and Bea
With much covid absence it was a relief to see so many girls back to school and on court for this year’s House Netball and despite the gusts of wind hurtling around the Astro, we were treated to an exciting morning of excellent netball.
As was evident at House Hockey last term, the House Captains, Lola, Grace and Violet made superb leaders again, organising and encouraging their teams. With the less-than-perfect conditions, short passing was the order of the day, shooting was somewhat a lottery when the wind gusted and our U11's were fantastic in adjusting to the higher posts, bigger ball and harder passes from the U13's.
Final Playoff:
Churchill v Cunningham 3:5
Farr Netball Cup was presented to Cunningham
Most Improved Player:
Amelie U11/Violet U13
Player of the Tournament: Poppy U11/Ella U13
This season we were more than ready to go and it proved to be a very enjoyable season with a dedicated group of U13 and U12 girls who really love their hockey. We had some very close, tense matches and won 2 and drew 1 of the 5 matches. We also held our own in the 2 tournaments we entered, playing an excellent level of hockey, we won/drew 6 of the 9 matches.
Highlights of the season were at the Kings Bruton Tournament when we held Millfield Prep to a goalless match, until 3 seconds before the final whistle when we allowed a goal in.
Another highlight was the Monmouth match when we held them to a 4:4 draw with 4 amazing goals from Ella, beautifully set up by her teammates.
I have been very impressed with the level of skill the players have developed over the season with the help of Mrs Shopland and Miss Potter. We were fortunate that all the girls understood their role in each position and if they lost the ball they were always determined to win it back. We also had the benefit of 2 great goalies; Heidi and Emily G who were consistently well supported by the defenders.
Throughout the season the squad has benefitted from the experience and leadership provided by Ella and Maya, also a special mention to Elsie, Amelia
and Katie (Year 7) who were always very much ‘part of the team’. Next season looks promising!
Congratulations to all for their teamwork and effort. The U13A team was represented by Ella, Maria, Maya, Emily G, Violet, Emily T, Elsie, Amelia, Katie, Heidi, Holly and Lola Bow.
Vs Wycliffe Lost 1:2
Vs St John’s Lost 2:4
Vs Monmouth Drew 4:4
Vs St John’s Won 3:2
Vs Rougemont Won 10:1
King’s Bruton Tournament Won 1, Drew 2, Lost 1
Severnside Tournament Won 2, Drew 1, Lost 2
There were some great performances and many highlights in 2021 by the U13B team - a squad who adapted to several changes - in playing combinations on the field and in goal. Some great results showed the girls’ adaptability and
determination, with 3 wins/draws from 5 matches.
The girls worked hard in lessons and did well to form a cohesive team. Results improved as the season progressed, they were very successful in holding Monmouth to a 1- all draw and concluded the season with 2 fantastic wins and plenty of goals against St Johns, 3:2, and finally a 10:5 win against Rougemont.
Special mention goes to the 3 Goalkeepers; Addison, despite some super performances in goal wanted to try her hand in the field and similarly Emily G, who had kept goal excellently for the U13A team, fancied a change. Emily experimented with positions and experienced being on the other end of a strike and scored 3 fabulous goals. Finally Heidi, who made an outstanding debut in goal for both A and B squads later in the season.
With Emily T, Lola Bow, Violet and Holly were also very talented and adaptable players, very ably supported by Grace, Delilah, Emily B and Bea; they were a fabulous squad, very keen to listen and put new ideas into practice. Great team mates to each other, they were always very focused and had a super positive approach to the game.
Congratulations to all the girls for a very enjoyable season. The U13B team was represented by: Violet, Holly, Heidi, Emily T, Addison, Lola Bow, Emily G, Grace, Bea, Emily B, Delilah.
Vs Wycliffe Lost 0:4
Vs St John’s Lost 1:2
Vs Monmouth Drew 1:1
Vs St John’s Won 3:2
Vs Rougemont Won 10:5
Severnside Tournament Drew 2, Lost 3
Thank you to Mrs Shopland who got the girls off the starting blocks before going on Maternity Leave, and to Miss Potter who took over mid-season.
Despite the results the U11A team had a brilliant season. The girls showed dedication, a love for hockey and always tried their hardest. The team had some close games and played really well at two very
enjoyable tournaments. The girls continued to learn and improve as the season went along and always showed great team spirit.
Special mentions go to Eva and Mia for always playing superbly in defence. Both were always calm under pressure when tackling and distributed the ball very well. We might have conceded a few more goals without these two being so strong in defence.
The highlight of the season was our 3:1 against Rougemont. This was a fantastic game of hockey from the whole team.
The girls continued to develop their skills and I have been very impressed with their positive attitude and desire to learn. They did not give up when we were losing and showed resilience and determination.
Overall it was a very positive season and there is so much potential for next year.
The U11A team was represented by: Eva, Mia, Lyra, Kate, Poppy Darcey, Simar, Gloria, Immy, Lexi and Amelie.
Vs Wycliffe Lost 1:6
Vs St John’s Lost 0:3
Vs Kings Gloucester Lost 0:3
Vs Richard Pate Lost 0:8
Vs Cricklade Lost 0:1
Vs St John’s Lost 0:2
Vs Cathedral Lost 0:2
Vs Rougemont Won 3:1, Drew 2:2
Malvern Tournament Drew 2, Lost 3
Severnside Tournament Drew 1, Lost 3
The U11B team improved massively throughout the season. From ball pace to stick skills the girls continued to develop and learn after every game.
The girls managed to win two games against Cricklade and Rougemont and this helped to boost their self esteem and desire to improve even more.
Special mentions go to Amelie for her strong and consistent tackling in defence and Martha for her accurate passes.
The highlight of the season was our 4:0 win against Cricklade where we dominated possession and Ellie and Gloria made some fantastic runs down the wing. The girls showed great sportsmanship and never gave up. Tremendous effort girls!
The U11B team was represented by: Martha, Ellie, Gloria, Annabelle, Immy, Amelie, Simar, Leila belle and Lexi.
Vs Wycliffe Lost 1:3
Vs St John’s Lost 0:3
Vs Kings Gloucester Lost 0:3
Vs Cricklade Won 4:0
Vs St John’s Drew 2:2
Vs Cathedral Lost 2:4
Vs Rougemont Won 3:0 Lost 0:1
This was an exciting year for the U9 team, in fact, this was the U9 team's first ever competitive hockey season!
The girls were split into A and B teams and they played a combination of matches, tournaments and festivals. We were lucky enough to travel to a vast range of schools as well as host home fixtures for our opponents.
For both teams, our training focus for the season was to understand the role of each position, look for opportunities to pass accurately and learn how to use the space on the pitch.
The girls thoroughly enjoyed their first season of matches and it was very rewarding to observe the improvement from all our players.
Connie O, Sirivaana, Amal, Sophia H, Suzannah, Emma S, Nitsa, Connie S, Sienna R, Jess and Emma F.
U9A Vs BGS Won/Won 3:1/9:0
Vs Colstons Won 6:0
Vs BGS Lost 2:7
Vs The Downs Lost 1:4
U9B Vs Colstons Lost 0:4
Vs BGS Lost 1:8
Vs The Downs Drew 1:1
In their first season of Hockey, the U8 girls determination and focus was clear to see. They demonstrated new skills with confidence and also showed how these skills could be applied in matches.
As you would expect, our first fixtures of the season were used for training and learning experience. It was exciting for the girls to visit their opponents, especially travelling in the mini-bus! We also enjoyed the opportunity to host when our matches were at ‘home’.
Within the first few months the girls quickly showed good progress and it was encouraging to see match outcomes improve as the season progressed.
It has been wonderful to observe the development each player made throughout the season. The girls were a great squad to coach and we look forward to seeing them develop as U9s next year
The U8 team was represented by: .Isabelle D, Bella H, Emma VP, Sienna B, Megan, Sophie G, Evie S, Freya, Lois, Evie P and Emily W.
U8A Vs BGS Lost 0:7
Vs Colstons Won 4:3
Vs The Downs Lost 2:6
Badminton Tournament (AB) Won 4, Drew 2
U8B Vs BGS Won 4:3
Vs The Downs Lost 1:5 Miss Collins
The U9 team was represented by: Avneet, Ruby,
Prior to the day, House Captains Grace, Lola Bow and Violet had impressed us in lessons with organising their squads and practising drills, and in coming up with their Game Plan for the tournament. Then on a perfect sunny October morning we were treated to 3 very exciting exchanges, played in a lovely spirit with the girls really putting in some great effort.
Churchill and Cunningham were on first; the high level of skill on the pitch was visible from the outset, and it was good to see the ball being distributed so well, with the U13s working in their U11 players. It was a 1:1 draw and the standard for the morning was set.
Next was Alexander v Churchill and with 3 goals hitting the back of the net it was nail-biting to the end. A special mention to Violet, Alexander House Capt, who worked hard to rotate her large squad while she was on and off the pitch.
Finally Alexander v Cunningham, exciting again with several shots at goal, some just narrowly missing the target, many cleared away by goalies Emily G and Heidi. With a minute on the clock there was a contested goal from Alexander, but with the tournament outcome already clear, the umpire's decision stood, the goal was allowed and the final whistle was blown.
It was super to see the U13 and U11 squads blending so well together, the girls looked determined as they
always are in House matches but it was clear to see they were having fun at the same time.
There were many notable performances: Katie W, Emily G, Maria, Ella, Amelia, Elsie and Lola Bow.
We also saw many girls who have really 'upped their game' recently; Poppy, Lexi, Gloria, Heidi and Immy.
It was a difficult choice but finally Most Improved certificates were awarded to Poppy and Heidi. Top Scorer certificates went to Violet and Maria who each scored 2 goals.
Congratulations to all who played and thank you to Miss Potter, Miss Green and Mrs Shipway for helping on the day.
Churchill 4 points
Alexander 3 points
Cunningham 1 point
Hockey Colours for this season were awarded to the following: Ella, Maya, Maria, Emily G, Emily T, Grace, Bea, Violet, Emily B.
This season Ella has represented her club; Gloucester U14's as well as the Senior Ladies 4th team. She is also in the AC squad for Gloucestershire County.
Maya has represented her club's U16 team and also the Avon County U14 squad.
After a rather stunted 2020-21 season with the limitations that Covid-19 brought to the table, 2021-22 was an enjoyable and successful year. There was a plethora of achievements both individual and team.
Our Monday evening running club was as popular as ever with upwards of 40 members turning out, even on the coldest and darkest of winter evenings. Thanks to Mr Ross, Mr Symonds and Mr Weeks for their invaluable help over the season.
There were 621 P.B.s recorded with 796 badges given out. Two of our teams, the U9 Boys (Harrison C, Thomas G, Oliver G and Max A) and the U13 Boys (Stirling R, James C, Jenson E, and Joshua N) broke TMS Relay records, the event being in its 18th year. Fletcher R broke the Westonbirt U11 Boys record in their invitation event. Stirling R broke Alex G’s 2016 Senior Boys CC record with a stunning 11 minutes 02.2, chipping 19 seconds from the old mark. There were 144 list improvements with the 44 new list entries. Year 4 won the most badges!
All in all a great season with plenty of effort and endeavour. Here’s to 2022-23!
J Jones
Team: U11 Boys Gold beating all the regional clubs
Individual: Fletcher R overall winner (U11 Boys) and Stirling R third overall (U13 Boys)
Team: U13B Small School's Trophy
Individual: U13B Stirling R Second Place
Individual Race winner U9 Girls: Emma V.P
U11 Boys: 2nd Fletcher R 2nd
U11 Girls: 3rd LeilaBelle S 4th
U13 Boys: 1st Stirling R 1st
U13 Girls: 2nd Holly HP 3rd
U8 Boys: Thomas G 2nd
U8 Girls: Emma VP 3rd
U9 Boys: Harrison C 1st
U10 Boys: Oscar HP 3rd
U10 Girls LeilaBelle S 4th
U11 Boys Fletcher R 1st NEW RECORD
U13 Boys: Gold (new course record)
U13 Girls: Bronze
U11 Boys: Silver
U11 Girls: 6th
U9 Boys: Gold (new course record)
U9 Girls: Silver
Years 3 & 4
1st Ruby L
2nd Avneet C
3rd Thomas G
4th Harrison C
=5th Connie S
=5th Alex M
A new Senior Course record of 11mins 02.20 secs beating the existing mark by 18 seconds.
Congratulations Stirling R
PBs: 621
Badges: 796
Records: 2 x Relays
1 x Westonbirt Course
1 x Senior Course
New List Times: 44
List improvements: 144
Most Badges received: Year 4
The Booker-Jones Cup for the Best Girl Cross Country Runner: Holly H-P
The Davis Cup for Best Boy Cross Country Runner: Barney B
Athlete of the Month Awards: Fletcher R (x2), Holly H-P (x2),Stirling R (x2), Toby W, Katie W, Harrison C (x2), Maya S, Oliver G, Ruby L and Jenson E
Years 5 – 8
Winner: Amelia R
2nd: Fletcher R
3rd: Wilf R
4th: Jenson E
5th: Maya S
Years 3 - 4
Winner: Jasper H
2nd: Anthony K
3rd: Ruby L
Years 5 – 8
Winner: Katie W
2nd: William C
3rd: Basil B
Winner: Toby W
2nd: Jenson E
3rd: James C
4th: Heidi C
5th: Harrison C
Duck Dash
Winner: Fletcher R
=2nd: Joseph L
=2nd: Ruby L
4th: Joshua N
5th: Thomas G
Cross Country Colours: Stirling R, James C, Toby W, Maya S, Ella G, Maria W and Charlie N
Clarke Cup for House Cross Country
1st Alexander 306 pts
2nd Churchill 249 pts
3rd Cunningham 229 pts
Cricket continues to thrive at Tockington Manor, with more pupils playing outside of school than ever before as well as countless opportunities provided internally. We were able to implement our Winter Net Programme again, where we utilised the sports hall at Castle School as well as our own astro. This gave
us a flying start to the 2021 season, with the 1st XI in high spirits ahead of a busy season and I thank the support of Andy Weeks, Mr Symonds, Alun and Owen Dawkins with their support of this programme.
This season continued to provide an opportunity for boys and girls, where we had 3 Senior teams again competing under the names 1st, 2nd and 3rd XI’s as opposed to boys and girls. All pupils got the opportunity to develop their hardball skills throughout the season and every pupil represented the school on numerous occasions.
There were many stand out individual performances for the
1st XI this season, most notably Charlie N’s two fantastic match winning innings vs Dean Close St Johns and Clifton College, he was awarded the Best Cricketer Award. Max J also picked up 5 wickets, an achievement that has not been done for a long time! He was awarded the Ross Cup for the Best Bowler.
Our biggest achievement of the season was beating Clifton College by just 2 wickets, this has not been achieved for a long time and everyone contributed to this memorable result.
A special mention to Toby W who captained fantastically throughout the season, leading from the front.
Congratulations to all who represented the 1st XI this season, who all contributed vital performances throughout. I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing the Year 7’s lead the team with the help of the talented upcoming Year 6 pupils. I also wish all the best to the Year 8 leavers and thank them for their services
to cricket at the school, I hope you continue to play cricket at your respected Senior Schools.
Lost vs The Downs by 35 runs
Lost vs Beaudesert by 4 wickets
Won vs DCSJ by 5 wickets
Lost vs Wycliffe by 28 runs
Won vs DCSJ by 7 wickets
Lost vs Stonar by 35 runs
Won vs Clifton College by 2 wickets
This was an enjoyable season. The team improved significantly. We won our final three matches playing impressive team cricket with all the team contributing well and importantly always encouraging and supporting each other.
The children were a pleasure to coach as they took on board instructions and were all determined to develop their skills and technique. Thomas finished the season as our leading run scorer, Isaac our leading wicket taker. Katie was our best fielder, taking five catches as well as a number of run outs. Here's to 2023!
Good luck to Year 8 leavers in their cricketing futures.
The following pupils represented the Second XI during the season; Isaac K, Grace M, Amelia R, Katie W, Emily T, Emily G, Ella G, Lola Bow S, Maria W, Janu S, Henry B, William C, Holly H-P and Jenson E.
Lost vs The Downs School by 45 runs
Cancelled vs Dean Close, St John’s
Lost vs Beaudesert Park by 24 runs
Won vs Wycliffe by 5 runs
Won vs Dean Close, St John’s by 2 wickets
Won vs Stonar School by 9 wickets
Mr JonesThe team worked hard throughout the season and we are very proud of how they developed. We spent time emphasizing the basics of bowling and batting while providing the team with some match situations to test this. The team showed great spirit and determination. They supported each other and encouraged regardless of the state of the game. This squad was able to nurture the confidence of the players while using a soft ball and we are now confident they are all ready to make the step up to hard ball cricket. Congratulations on making such progress!
Mrs Greenbank and Mr GlanvilleThe Dragons have had a very successful season, with straight wins. The highlight being the final match against Colstons where we fielded against a very strong batting side, only beating their number of runs right at the end. The boys and girls have been a tremendous team, with some students making the most of leadership opportunities and others demonstrating their communication skills. Everyone has played their best each week, improving their skills and understanding of the game. Well done to you all!
The following pupils represented the TMS Dragons over the season; Eva B, Poppy R, Fraser R, Fletcher R, Oscar G, Oscar B, Jack S, Isaac L, Kate D, Mia P, Freddie S and Imogen M.
Won vs Beaudesert by 8 runs
Won vs Wycliffe by 52 runs
Won vs Llandaff by 35 runs
Won vs Colstons by 16 runs
Mrs Davies
Won vs The Downs by 10 wickets
Won vs Beaudesert Park by 8 wickets
Won vs Llandaff by 13 runs
Won vs Wycliffe by 42 runs
Won vs Colstons by 6 wickets
Lost vs Clifton College by 8 wickets Festival Results Won 3 Lost 2
Malvern College Festival Semi Finalists
The Under 11 Outlaws practiced regularly and competed in five matches. Despite starting with two narrow defeats the team always demonstrated a positive and determined approach. The subsequent three wins, over good opposition, served to show how they improved as both individuals and a team.
Over the course of the season the team was represented by 19 players, all of whom developed and demonstrated their knowledge, understanding and skills of the game: Finley L, Bertie M, Jack D, Basil B, Isaac Lt, Henry W, Finn C, Alex F-W, Isaac Lb, Jack S, Mia P, Charlie M, Henry B, Parish B, Jacskon S, Kate D, Herbie H and Freddie S.
Lost vs The Downs by 8 runs
Lost vs Beaudesert by 1 run
Won vs Llandaff by 52 runs Won vs Wycliffe by 100 runs Won vs Colstons by 56 runs
An outstanding term of cricket from a squad full of talent and enthusiasm. We were superior to most of our opponents in all aspects of the game and this enabled us to win many of our matches convincingly. The highlight of the term was the trip to the Malvern Festival where we heroically reached the Semi Finals despite being up against much larger and more established cricketing schools. The future is bright for this group with all of the boys playing a good standard of club and/or county cricket outside of school. I am really looking forward to watching their cricket develop over the coming years.
Having worked hard with their batting and bowling techniques in Games lessons, it was a pleasure to see the TMS Invincibles do so well in their matches this season; an exciting close match up against Wycliffe, a very narrow loss at Rougemont and an outstanding victory against the Downs. Well done to all the players.
This was a successful season for the TMS Rockets. They all developed their cricket skills and enjoyed the inter-school matches, where they won 2 and lost 1 of their fixtures. I was delighted with their progress over the term. 19 players represented the Rockets. Here’s to 2023!
The following pupils represented the TMS Rockets over the season; Connie S, George C, William B, Albie P, Nitsa B, Avneet C, Sophia H, Sophie G, Thomas G, Theo H, Rupert P, Alexander E, Alexander M, Jasper B, James V-P, Robert O, Stanley B, Dudu Y and Hugh P.
Won vs Beaudesert by 23 runs
Won vs Kings Gloucester by 13 runs Lost vs Colstons by 68 runs
The Sharks had a good season of cricket. The hard work put in lessons and practice games paid off against other schools. From the first moment, we were committed and had a fantastic team. The games played during this season gave us a good opportunity to show our best. We had a lot of fun and we learnt a lot from every game. I am looking forward to seeing this team play next year. Well done everyone!
P PerezThis squad varied from match to match with some pupils also taking part in alternative U8 fixtures causing welcome fluidity between teams. The following pupils represented the TMS Invincibles during the season:
Megan G, Aryansham S, Freya I, Evie P, Evie S, Sophie G, Lois R, Bella H, Belle D, Patrick M, Jasper B, Alexander M, Avneet C, Sophia H, Gilby R, Dudu Y, Nitsa, George G.
Won vs Wycliffe College by 7 runs
Lost vs Rougemont School by 2 runs Won vs The Downs by 27 runs
During the course of the 2022 season TMS Under 9 Braves practiced hard and competed admirably in their matches. As the individual’s knowledge and understanding of the game improved a positive team spirit emerged, resulting in three good wins. A promising start to their cricketing journeys.
Over the course of the season the team was represented by 11 players, all of whom developed and demonstrated their knowledge, understanding and skills of the game: George C, Harrison C, Joe L, Harry R, Kieran Q, Max A, William B, Jasper H, Max H, Hugh P and Connie O.
Won vs Wycliffe College by 24 runs
Won vs Rougemont School by 95 runs
Won vs The Downs by 12 runs
Mr Dawkins
I had the pleasure of taking the U9 Originals team who all developed their love and knowledge of cricket throughout the season. All players represented the school and worked really hard on their techniques. Main focuses were hitting the ball straight and keeping the good ball out when batting. Then bowling accurately with a straight arm. I saw this from all pupils and this resulted in us having an unbeaten season! Congrats to all.
Won vs The Downs by 11 runs Won vs Rougemont by 36 runs
This was a successful season for the TMS Rockets. They all developed their cricket skills and enjoyed the inter-school matches, where they won 2 and lost 1 of their fixtures.
I was delighted with their progress over the term. 19 players represented the Rockets. Here’s to 2023!
The following pupils represented the TMS Rockets over the season; Connie S, George C, William B, Albie P, Nitsa B, Avneet C, Sophia H, Sophie G, Thomas G, Theo H, Rupert P, Alexander E, Alexander M, Jasper B, James V-P, Robert O, Stanley B, Dudu Y and Hugh P.
Won vs Wycliffe College by 42 runs Won vs Rougemont School by 15 runs Lost vs The Downs by 13 runs
A thoroughly absorbing and entertaining morning on the Pavilion Field with our three tournaments; The Bash, The Blast and The Bang involving all our Year 5 - 8 pupils.
It was great to see so many parents on a beautiful morning. All the tournaments were competitive and closely fought, we saw some quality cricket. It is worthy to note that every pupil can bowl competently using a sound bowling action. The fielding was excellent with many run outs and numerous impressive catches. The Senior girls excelled during the morning, their maturity and tenacity plain for all to see.
Cunningham: WON 2 Churchill: WON 1
Most Improved Player: Ella G
Best Batter: Wilf R
Best Bowler: Stan D
Best Fielder: Toby W Player of the Tournament: Anay N
Churchill: WON 2 Cunningham: WON 1
Most Improved Player: Jack D, Charlie R, Heidi C & Jackson S
Best Batter: Charlie M
Best Bowler: Oscar HP
Best Fielder: Jack S & Herbie H Player of the Tournament: Emily T
Churchill: WON 2 Alexander: WON 1
Most Improved Player: Sienna B
Best Batter: Isaac Lat.
Best Bowler: Isaac Lam.
Best Fielder: Freddie S Player of the Tournament: Mia P
Well played, everyone! Thank you to Mr Ross for organising the Tournament so efficiently. Also, to Miss Green, Mrs Greenbank, Mr Perez and Mr Symonds for Umpiring.
Congratulations, CHURCHILL on Winning the Copenhagen Cup.
A highlight of our school year is returning from the Easter break to find the nets up on our 5 Astro courts. The popularity of tennis this Summer Term was no exception! Many pupils use break times to practise and have fun, while others are very keen participants and attend regular coaching sessions at local clubs. Lower School continued to play in their designated PE lessons.
Tuesday night Tennis Club was very well attended. Given the 2 short terms, the decision was taken to combine all age groups on the same night. To maximise court space we invested in 2 mini nets and, with the help of a couple of older players to help oversee drills, we managed to find space for all.
School fixtures took place against The Downs and Clifton College, with TMS coming out on top at both. There were some excellent matches with players also taking ownership of their own umpiring and scoring; it was a pleasure to see such maturity and gamesmanship.
The Downs: The overall score was a 6:4 win for Tockington. The U13 boys couples; Toby W and Josh N, James C and Charlie N won 2 of their 4 matches. The U13 girls couples; Ella G and Maya S and Heidi C and Maria W won 3 of their 4 matches. In the U12/ U11 Mixed Doubles; Holly HP and Anay N, Janu S and Delilah B won and lost a match.
Clifton College: Another excellent set of matches by the same U13 couples, with Anay and Janu also representing the U13 boys. This time Tockington won 8:5 overall, with the boys winning 6 of their 9 matches and the 2 girls couples each won and lost a match.
Internal Tournaments were played to a high standard again this year; there were some closely fought matches with the results as follows:
Anay N
Maya S
Joshua N
It has been an amazing year leading the Swimming Department and I am extremely proud of what every child has achieved over the year. Everyone has made incredible progress over the last few months in the pool and we have been able to take part in several swimming galas and competitions.
Over the year, we have been very lucky to plan and take part in several galas both internally and externally.
Our Autumn Term Gala was a great success and a very good opportunity to see everyone performing in their Houses and swimming under pressure. Everyone performed well and it was a great day in the pool.
During the Spring Term, we went to Wycliffe for a swimming competition where Years 6, 7 and 8 took part. This was a great opportunity for us to practise diving off blocks before IAPS. TMS swimmers were superb and we won that gala showing great determination and strength. At the end of the term, our elite swimmers had the opportunity to go to Millfield where we swam the IAPS Regional Championship and some of our children qualified for the IAPS Swimming Finals in London.
Finally, the Summer Term saw our swimmers performing in several different competitions. Firstly, Years 6 and 7 faced Wycliffe before half term at TMS and despite it being a very close competition, we were victorious! After half term, our IAPS finalists went to London, where we swam at the London Aquatic Centre (used in the London 2012 Olympics). Ths was an amazing opportunity for our swimmers!
Next came the Lower School Swimming Gala , what an afternoon of swimming! All the children did great and they all demonstrated their swimming skills and amazing progress over the year. The points achieved contribute to the overall points total of each House. This was a very close event, with only 5 points difference between the first and third place. Alexander won with 143 points, followed by Cunningham with 140 and Churchill with 138. Excellent performance for everyone in Lower School, well done!
We took part in the Regional Competition in March and, after a lovely day in the pool, a small group of swimmers qualified for the Finals in London. Boys swam first thing in the morning, with our U13 relay team taking part in both medley and freestyle, this was followed by the individual races and finally, the girls swam in the afternoon.
It was an incredible experience and our swimmers were an asset to the school, we are very proud of their achievements. The results:
U13 Boys 4x25m medley relay - 5th - James C, Stirling R, Alex W, Charlie AC
U13 Boys 4x25m free relay - 13th - James C, Stirling R, Alex W, Charlie AC
U10 Boys 25m free - 8th - Oscar H-P
U13 Boys 50m backstroke - 3rd podium - James C
U12 Boys 50m backstroke - 20th - Isaac K
U13 Boys 50m breastroke - 11th - Stirling R
U10 Girls 25m free - 17th - LeilaBelle S
U12 Girls 50m backstroke - 5th - Holly H-P
Churchill - 522 points
Alexander - 485 points
Cunningham - 467 points.
Years 3+4 - Alexander 131 - Churchill 128Cunningham 129
Years 5+6 - Alexander 148 - Churchill 123Cunningham 135
Years 7+8 - Alexander 148 - Churchill 168Cunningham 103
Lower School - Alexander 143 - Churchill 138Cunningham 140
Overall Results
• Alexander - 570
• Churchill - 557
• Cunningham - 507
Well done to all the children, there have been an endless number of personal bests and achievements. Keep up the good work over the Summer Holiday and I will see you back to the pool in September.
Congratulations to all of our keen swimmers who took part in the 2022 Schools Triathlon Series on 8th May. 68 pupils trained for the triathlon whilst also raising money for charity. They raised an incredible £5,873.21!
A special mention should go to our top two fundraisers: Jack C and Jackson S who went above and beyond with their fundraising. Well done!
Athletics continues to be as successful and popular in our Summer Term as ever. The track was very well used with the pupils having a go at all the Track and Field events on offer. Our Monday Running Club and Friday evening Athletics Club were well subscribed, the pupils always enthusiastic and willing to realise their potential.
We attended the annual Beaudesert Park Athletics Meeting in May. We ended the meeting gaining 28 Podium places and 6 Severnside Champions. Congratulations, Fletcher, Holly, Ella x2, Stan, Maya, Stirling and the 4 x 100m U 14 Girls team (Violet, Maya, Ella and Maria. Isaac L and Harry H winning their respective B Races. We won 10 Silver Medals and 9 Bronze Medals.
Alex W- 2nd U14B 200m
Holly HP- 2nd U13 Javelin
Stirling R- 2nd U14B 1500
LeilaBelle- 3rd U12G 1500
James C - 3rd U14 800m.
Toby W- 3rd U14 Javelin
National Prep School Championships
Five of our elite athletes took part in The National Prep School Championships at The Pingles Stadium, Nuneaton. The event is normally held at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham (Home to the Commonwealth Games 2022).
There were 6 TMS records broken over the term, namely Ella G U14 Girls 100m & 200m, Alex W U14 Boys 100m, Emma VP U9 Girls 50m, Jenson E U13 Boys 100m and Stirling R U14 Boys 1500m.
During the term, the pupils worked towards gaining points for their Houses, individually and on improving their PBs on the ESAA Award Scheme.
Years 3-8 achieved some excellent times and distances with the re-vamped ESAA Scheme, proving a real encouragement in their pursuit of PBs and selfimprovement.
We collectively achieved 32 Gold, 5 Platinum, 4 Elite and 6 Podium Awards; Ella G (100m, 200m + LJ), Alex W (100m+200m) and Stirling R (1500m) all achieving this new mark which equates to a national Level performance.
In June we competed in the South West Athletics Championships at Millfield School. The athletes performed admirably and we had a great day out gaining invaluable experience.
We competed very well, this was testament to our preparations and maintaining our fitness throughout the term with our classes and the running clubs.
We had 1 South West Champion by the end of proceedings; Jenson E winning the Under 13 Boys 100m. We are very proud of all our athletes, who performed outstandingly well at a hot day at Millfield. The group behaved impeccably and were a pleasure to take to the event. Alongside many PB's were 10 podium places:
Ella G - 2nd U14G 200m, 3rd U14G 100m, 3rd U14G LJ
Jenson E was placed 10th overall in the U13 B 100m in a fast 13.30secs
Holly HP threw 15m78, achieving a PB in the U13 G Javelin Final
Alex W reached the final of the U14 B 200m finishing 8th overall in 26.61secs
Ella G reached the final of the U 14 G 200m finishing 8th in a new TMS record of 27.94secs
Stirling R was pipped on the line by 0.02 secs but gained a fantastic Bronze Medal in the U14 B 1500m.
He lowered our 36 year old TMS record to 4 mins 39.75 secs.
Congratulations to all five of you, what an experience. You all performed to the best of your ability and were an absolute credit to Tockington throughout the day. Thank you to our wonderfully supportive parents too.
During the term there were 140 Gold Award standards reached, with many of our pupils achieving 4 or more in a range of events.
I would like to thank Ella and Stirling for the excellent job they did as Athletics Captains, they were good role models for our younger pupils. This was apparent when, together with their Year 8 class, they helped lead a very well-run Sports Day for the Lower School, expertly overseen by Mr Ross.
The Upper School House Athletics Finals were, as usual, closely fought and despite the rain! Churchill ended victorious, with Cunningham in 2nd. The coveted Freeman Cup ending in Blue for 2022.
Mr Jones
1.
Activity Week this year focused on the theme of “75 years of Change” in honour of the 75th anniversary of the school. Throughout the week children took part in many different sessions involving activities that would have taken place during the last 75 years.
On Monday, we were treated to a visit from Same Same but Different, a local theatre company. Lower School children were entertained with the “Flim Flam Flea Circus” and the Upper School children enjoyed taking part in a Music Hall style afternoon of entertainment. The focus of these sessions was to encourage the children to think about what people did before the invention of video games and the widespread installation of televisions within people’s homes.
During the rest of the week the children then took part in many different sessions including; a tea party to learn etiquette, an old fashioned sweet shop, a pastime session full of gardening and traditional games. They also looked at how technology, music, fashion and the geography of the world has changed in the decades between the 1950’s and today, which was very interesting.
As well as the diverse sessions on offer, there were four trips that took place during Activity Week this year. Firstly, on Tuesday Year 5 enjoyed a walk up Skirrid in the Brecon Beacons. It was a long, hot walk but the views were beautiful. On Wednesday, all of the Lower School students took a trip to Clevedon Pier to learn more about the history of this local seaside attraction and enjoyed some creative time building sand castles and sculptures on the beach. Also on Wednesday, Year 3 and 4 took a trip to the Lido at Portishead, where the children enjoyed a morning of swimming and visiting the tuck shop courtesy of Mrs Hinchliffe! The final trip of the week was to the Brecon Beacons once more, where Year 6 walked along the Dragon Back Ridge. Upon their return they set up their tents ready for the Year 6 Camp Out Night with Mr Symonds, Miss Green and Mrs Mockridge. The children enjoyed learning about how to survive in the wild with an informative talk from Mr Sapokta and were treated to snacks cooked on the campfire before playing a few games of 'Ring the Bell' to finish the event.
The week was ended by a fantastic visit from Eric, our local Olvestion and Tockington Historian, who delighted the children with his anecdotes and artefacts from his time growing up in Olveston during the Second World War. The children listened intently to all the information Eric shared with them and asked relevant and interesting questions at the end of the talk. Miss Green
We all had a great time at Camp doing many different activities
We arrived and pitched our tents. We had quite a bit of trouble with the flooring but we managed eventually after much pulling! During the afternoon, we did some forest skills and explored. We gave making fires a go from the feathering of the wood to provide fuel for the fire, to how to light the wood or hay to make fire. We then went on a long walk and explored the forest which was great fun. We also discovered mini wild strawberries which were very tasty!
We went canoeing which was great fun. We canoed throughout the day from the campsite to Monmouth School where we stopped for lunch. After lunch we travelled down the river a little more. The day was great fun with several stops for a swim and play in the water. After a skimming stone competition we climbed up the bank to the minibus.
We spent a day on a farm riding horses, doing the grooming, walking the llamas and playing farm games. The riding was lots of fun where we walked about the local neighbourhood. The llamas also had a great time walking with us and having lots of hugs. The farm games were great and we got to see three emus and two huge rabbits. We played the sack race and an egg and spoon race as well. When we got back to the campsite, we went on a star safari and stayed up late looking at the stars.
We spent Thursday morning caving climbing and abseiling. It was great fun and was very cool. We then went caving which was great. The caves were very deep and we had to squeeze ourselves into some very tight gaps. For the afternoon we did archery which was amazing! Everyone got somewhere on the target and a few people even got yellow!
Friday was a sad day as we unpitched our tents and went home. Camp this year was great and we learned a lot. I would definitely go again!
Grace M (Year
Extra Curricular activities are a very big part of life at Tockington Manor School, with clubs playing a vital role in allowing the children to engage in a wide range of activities on a weekly basis. Both Lower School and Upper School offer several clubs each day, all of which have proved to be very popular with the
Outdoor learning has continued to thrive at TMS this year, with children across the Upper School and Lower School actively engaging with nature within various activities. The Reception children have enjoyed participating in a wide range of outdoor learning activities this year including; creating nature collages, raking leaves, rolling pumpkins, building pumpkin men, preparing bird feeders and learning about how to be safe in the forest. They also worked on Maths and Literacy skills in our wonderful outdoor area. Year 2 has also actively embraced outdoor learning, completing lots of cross curricular outdoors work, such as map making in Geography, measuring volume and capacity in Maths, investigating the issues of tunnel collapse faced by Brunel in History and identifying living things and investigating microhabitats around our school in Science lessons.
Reception children have also relished the opportunity to participate in a lunchtime gardening club this year, which has proven very popular with around 85% of the Reception children joining up The children had opportunities to improve their team building skills, cooperation skills and self esteem.
children. On average, throughout the year, 96% of Lower School pupils and 94% of Upper School pupils attended at least one club a week with many attending several clubs during the week. These range from break time clubs such as IT and Drama Club, to lunchtime clubs such as Reception Gardening Club and Board Games Club, and after school clubs such as Golf Club, Chess Club and Horse-riding.
.Throughout the year, students in Year 5 to 8 have enjoyed participating in Forest School activities during their Saturday School sessions. These include working towards and ultimately completing, the Big Schools Bird Watch 2022 and RSPB Wild Challenge Bronze Award . They gained these awards by completing activities such as nature inspired poems, photography and making hedgehog homes.
One of the newest additions to the Outdoor learning program this year has been the creation of a working allotment area in the Kitchen Garden. As well as help from FOTM and staff, this has involved children from across the age groups working on the garden via the Reception Gardening Club, Art and Nature Club, Activity Week and during Saturday School. The Kitchen Garden has changed massively throughout the year, from a simple grassy area, to a garden containing twelve raised beds and a greenhouse. As a result, TMS has been able to obtain Level 1 and 2 RHS school gardening award, RSBP wild challenge bronze, Green trees award bronze, which is a great achievement for all those involved.
Art and Nature Club is an ever popular activity choice in Year 3 and 4 and provides children with further opportunities to engage with nature after school. Throughout the year, they have enjoyed participating in activities such as; weaving wool to make poppies for remembrance day, creating a large tree display for the front hall of the Manor House and pond dipping. This has given the children an opportunity to develop their love of the great outdoors and interest in Nature and Art.
A lovely addition to the Outdoor Learning calendar this year was the Year 2 crossover event with Clifton College which was hosted at TMS. The Year 2 class from Clifton College were invited for a picnic lunch by their Pen Pals in the Year 2 classes at TMS and enjoyed an afternoon of Forest School based activities. First, they enjoyed a 'Tockington Safari' , where the children set up a scene using toy animals and recorded their only wildlife images using the ipads. They then enjoyed creating tree spirits using clay and natural resources. The children collaborated well on all activities and relished the opportunity to further develop their relationships with their Pen Pals. Miss Green
Firstly what a come back year! This time last year the Friends of Tockington Manor (FOTM) bank account was looking a little sad, however through the awesome efforts of this committee and the support of our school network, we are now in an incredible position financially, allowing us to continue to support fun & worthwhile projects across the School and Nursery.
It has been a really busy year and so lovely to finally get people back together and also to see so many new TMS parent and pupil faces. Our New Parent drinks, Bonfire night, the Christmas Fayre, countless bars, ice creams & a mainly dry Fun Day, all contributed to our fundraising efforts enabling us to keep the Easter Bunny busy as well as sending our TMS Year 8's off with their treasured leaver hoodies! Without you guys & the support of our countless volunteers this would not have happened so a big THANK YOU to you all.
I would like to thank Russell Rolls for his fantastic support for FOTM over the years, for his key role in countless Fun Days & his discovery of vHive rotas! Russell and his family are heading off to Australia & they will be greatly missed by all of us at TMS. Also a big thank you to Stephen, Alice, Steph & all of the staff at TMS & Harrisons for all you do to support FOTM.
So, after 8 ish years, I will be taking a break from FOTM & standing down from my role as chair. During my time in the committee it has been a real privilege to work alongside so many lovely people and we should all be so proud of all that we have achieved. I know the Friends of Tockington Manor will continue to achieve in the future.
Thank you all for your time, efforts and your wonderful support & in particular my lovely friends Rachel & Caron, who’s arms I twisted a fair few years ago to join me on the committee. You guys are absolute superstars and I am so grateful for all those extra hours counting, wrapping, scrubbing dishes all whilst keeping me sane & laughing as well as everything
I am delighted that Helen will be taking on the role as Chair & I know that her enthusiasm, & dedication to all things TMS will ensure that FOTM continues to grow from strength to strength by bringing in lots of new ideas and hopefully many more new faces to the committee.
So my parting words as chair of FOTM is team work really does make the dream work - so thank you all & here’s to another fab year at TMS Nina & all of FOTM
It was a very special year for the School and all of our former pupils as we celebrated our 75th Anniversary. Established as a Boy’s Boarding School in 1947 we are now a successful Day School and Nursery for boys and girls aged 2 – 13 years old.
We held events to celebrate the anniversary with our TMS families, staff, current and former pupils. These included an amazing aerial image of the entire school coming together in the shape of a '75'.
It was a wonderful day of celebrations that the entire school community got involved with. We had a 1947 themed lunch produced by our wonderful caterers to which every pupil had to bring their own "ration booklet" complete with their own memories of life at TMS.
Our School Council collected items from every Year group to be included in a special time capsule. We also included House badges, Cross Country times and we obviously had to include some items to remind us of the recent global pandemic. I wonder what future pupils will think of the face masks and Covid test kits? We then buried the time capsule under a specially planted tree in the rose garden to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubillee and her 'Plant a tree for the Jubilee' initiative. A plaque is in place for us all to remember these joint celebrations.
We were delighted to welcome Mr Tovey to join us for the day of celebrations and he was our guest speaker for a special school assembly. The children were delighted to hear the secrets of being a Boarder at the School and discovering how the School was created.
The day of celebrations culminated with our Old Tockingtonian Drinks Reception. It was wonderful to welcome so many former pupils back to the School. They were welcomed with a beautiful performance from the school Performance Choir, including a solo from one of our Year 8 pupils, Emily. As requested by those unable to attend we did film the speeches at our OT Reception and these have been added to our 75th Anniversary compilation film on our YouTube channel. As old friends met, our Year 8 pupils offered tours of the School. There were many memories shared, much delight as things looked 'exactly the same' and pride as they saw how far the School had come.
Thank you to everyone who attended this special event, which we hope will be the start of more regular OT events in the future. We would like to take this opportunity to refresh and rebuild our Old Tockingtonian Society so please do encourage class mates who did not attend to register their contact details on our website for future events.
We would very much like to hear from those who more recently became OT's so please do get in contact so we can ensure you benefit from being part of our Old Tockingtonian Society.
With our warm and welcoming boarding community at the heart of the school, Kingswood offers an exceptional education of depth and breadth. Full, weekly or flexi boarding available, with our pastoral team providing a safe, nurturing and exciting experience for pupils.
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