Trinity Mitre Magazine 2023/24 by trinityschoolcroydon

Editor: David Lydon

manager: Nicola Blunt

With thanks to: Audrey Lenihan, Nicola Blunt, Diana Jonesco, Donna Lewis, Al Kennedy, Sara Ward, Tuki Rounds, Inga Sinclair, Matt Richbell, Jack Munnery, Sam Cater, Robin Hardman, Andrew Corstorphine, Jed Pietersen, Clara Story, Andrew Magee, Sean King, and all the Trinity staff and students who have contributed. Cover photography: Jamie Hung, Alex Bradburn, Simon Stacpoole

Welcome

As you will see in the pages ahead, we are very proud of what our students and staff have achieved in the last academic year. There is so much to celebrate here: the energy and creativity of our students, the challenges they have set themselves, their readiness to look outwards, and the support of a nurturing and collaborative community.

The variety and depth of the interests our students show are a great credit to them and to our staff. Their academic results are really strong, but if there is one thing that underpins the richness of their engagement, whether in the creative arts, societies, trips, our community or the environment, it is a willingness to join in and try new things. This culture of participation, which each year we hope all our students will embrace in their own way, is what I think that this magazine captures.

My grateful thanks go to all our contributors to this edition, but particular congratulations go to David Lydon as editor, who has brought it all together. I hope you enjoy reading it, and I take this opportunity to wish everyone, and in particular our new students and their families, a very happy year ahead at Trinity.

Mr Alasdair Kennedy Headmaster

Class of 2024

In June we said goodbye to Heads of School Alex Salama and Kayla Victor. With Deputy Head Pierre Rivet, they have served the school with distinction this year. They share some memories and thoughts about their time at Trinity.

Alex Salama

When I first joined Trinity almost eight years ago, I always had a feeling that it would be important to me, but my expectations have been exceeded in every way. This place has truly become a second home, with such a great community feeling around it that I have come to be very proud to be a part of. The relationships that I have built up over the years with students and teachers are extremely valuable to me, and although my time as a student has come to an end, I take great comfort in knowing that these links will last a lifetime.

Growing up surrounded by such a talented cohort across academics, music and sport has been full of special moments, from playing in the Big Band with my friends at Ronnie Scott’s three times to visiting Twickenham twice to see the first rugby team play in national finals. However, some of my favourite memories have been the simple moments like playing football at lunchtime and just spending time with friends in class.

We will be remembered as one of the most cohesive and outgoing groups the school has seen, with so many characters to make every

Kayla Victor

As our time at Trinity comes to an end, I want to first and foremost say thank you to my peers for making my time here so memorable. Standing on the field on that first induction day, I never would have imagined all the things that would have happened in the following two years… becoming World Schools Netball champions, going to Twickenham for the rugby finals, and becoming Head of School, to name a few. I have my year group, teachers, and friends to thank for that.

Trinity has really allowed me to grow into myself. I joined as someone who had been at the same all girls’ school since Reception and who had never really been pushed out of her comfort zone; I am leaving as a confident, passionate, ambitious young woman. The role of Head of School was challenging at times, particularly when I was busy with extra-curricular activities and academics, but it has been extremely rewarding. I have been very fortunate to work with an amazing team of

day entertaining. It has been an honour to be Head of School this year, alongside a special team of hugely talented individuals. The process has been deeply rewarding and certainly daunting at times - I will certainly miss reading sports results in the Monday morning assemblies!

Our teachers and Sixth Form team deserve all the thanks in the world for the continual warmth and growth they provide. They have all contributed to an incredibly supportive environment which has been formative for so many. Trinity has prepared me for the next set of challenges that life will inevitably present. These new times are exciting, but have been made far less daunting by the immense amount of time contributed by every teacher involved in planning our Higher Education, who all deserve a special thanks.

I wish all our departing Upper Sixth the best of luck in the future, and to those who are returning after summer: I’m sure you will all make the most of what this incredible school has to offer.

both prefects and senior prefects, and it was a great learning experience to run and help with events, meet with teachers often, and take part in public speaking frequently, which are all skills that can be transferred to any situation later in life.

The opportunities offered here are vast, and teachers cannot be thanked enough for their encouragement and support for anything students are interested in. One piece of advice I would give anyone in the school is to take these opportunities and run with them, because you never know what could come about from doing something new. Taking part in sports teams have created some of the best memories of my time at Trinity, and has encouraged me to try completely new things, like rugby and cricket.

Finally, I would like to wish all staff and students, particularly the departing Upper Sixth, good luck for the future!

Mentor de force

It has been another successful year for Mentoring at Trinity - a record number of 146 mentors have been using the skills they acquired in training to good use throughout the school community.

The year started with 66 U6th Mentors continuing their excellent work from the previous year, supporting students across the Lower and Middle school. Form tutors were glowing in their praise for the hard work and enthusiasm Mentors put into their roles. By November, another 80 Lower Sixth mentors were trained and ready to serve, and linked up with Junior and First forms. A Trinity mentoring record was set in the second week of January, where all 146 Sixth Form Mentors were involved in some kind of mentoring activity on a Tuesday morning – when the forms they were visiting were accounted for, well over 500 Trinity students were involved in some capacity or other. Other initiatives this year included supporting the whole school Careers Week, Mental Health Week, and the Festival of Ideas.

Peer mentoring continued to grow too – on a weekly basis, up to 30 younger students receive individual support from their assigned Sixth Form Mentor, providing them with a safe space to discuss how they are finding school life. These sessions have proven incredibly beneficial to students, with some of our newest Mentors citing them as a key turning point in their own development as Trinity students. For the first time, eight outstanding mentors were awarded prizes at the Upper Sixth graduation ceremony in recognition of their dedication to the role: Leah Pryce, Felix Gomulka, Emily Tabraham, Maya Malhotra, Dylan Cheung Kam Cheung, Rachel Timm, Amare McDonald, and Sejan Vignes.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with the team of Mentors – we say a fond farewell to the Upper Sixth who have served the community so well. They have been a real credit to the school.

Mr D Lydon Head of Mentoring

“Being a Mentor has been a great experience, allowing me to connect with younger year groups, share my experiences from Middle school to give advice and make fun memories playing on the Astro. I’d recommend being a Mentor to anyone willing to help out, I promise you’ll enjoy it!”

Semiloore Bankole (L6th)

“Throughout the year, I have mentored 1st form and 3rd form. I have thoroughly enjoyed discussing different aspects of school life such as exam techniques and career pathways, as well as playing various games like Stop the Bus and football. Overall, I have learnt a lot of from the mentoring programme, especially improving my public speaking skills.”

Cheryl Lam (L6th)

“I really enjoyed Tuesday mornings with Mentors. Playing football with them is my highlight.”

Kesi Essel-Koomson (1R)

“The Mentors were really helpful and made form time fun!”

Sebastian Onalaja (1R)

Weight of the world

This year two of our Sixth Formers competed in International weight-lifting events. They recall their experiences below:

Since starting weightlifting in January 2022, Upper Sixth student Hannah Karpal has literally gone from strength to strength! Last summer, she represented Great Britain at the World Powerlifting Championships which were held in Romania.

Hannah shares her experience of the competition: “At the end of August, I travelled to Romania for the World Women’s Junior Powerlifting Championships. As soon as I arrived, I could feel the competitiveness and excitement of the many other athletes from countries all over the world.

“Watching the lifting, as well as competing myself, allowed me to experience the exhilarating and encouraging atmosphere in the crowd. Overall, I achieved 8th place.”

Hannah had moved into a new category –57kg and competed against 12 athletes from Singapore, US, Canada, France, Norway, South Africa, Japan, Czechia and Finland. The competition was extremely high, with seven World Records in the Sub-Junior Division being achieved in her category. Hannah had made big improvements since her performance at last year’s competition, achieving a 100kg squat, 57.5kg bench press and a 132.5kg deadlift to place her in 8th position. Congratulations on a fantastic achievement!

Hannah has been an outstanding ambassador for Trinity life during her time in the Sixth Form – as well as representing the school in netball, cricket and rugby, she has also performed piano at the world famous Steinway hall.

Congratulations also to Lower Sixth student Adeel Imtiazi who is the International Powerlifting Federation’s World Bench Press Champion in his category.

Adeel participated in the IPF World Bench Press Championships in Austin, Texas, on 22 May, competing in the Sub-Junior U53kg category. He pressed an impressive 92.5kg and was crowned World Bench Press Champion! Athletes came from all over the world to compete in the championships, and the whole experience was unforgettable for Adeel.

Adeel recalls: “Over the weeks before the competition, the nerves rapidly started to set in – I wasn’t hitting the numbers I wanted to in training. It was also going to be my first time on an international stage, so I didn’t know what to expect.

“But when I got there, I was actually quite comfortable in the environment. The Head Coach went through the game plan, I made friends with the other competitors, and the people in Texas were really friendly! When I was at the venue, everything went according to plan, so I was composed, but towards the end, it ended up being a very tense, close contest. Alhumdulillah (praise be to God), I ended up securing the Gold.

“After every competition I always get a brief sense of relief, but then remember that there’s always more to accomplish. Looking into the future, I know I can break some more British records and I hope to, one day, break a World Record or become a World Champion in another sport as well!”

Despite powerlifting for less than 12 months, Adeel broke a British U18 bench press record for his category earlier in the year with a press of 86kg. Adeel trains in the school Strength and Conditioning Suite and is one of several students competing on the international stage for powerlifting.

Ms N Blunt and Mr D Lydon

Need for speed

Congratulations to Lower Sixth student Ben Richardson who competed in the national finals of the British Indoor Karting Championships in Manchester, finishing 11th overall.

Ben started go-karting two years ago at a local track in Mitcham. “The competitive nature and high speeds intrigued me, leading me to make frequent visits to explore and develop my skills in the sport.

“In go-karting there is high stakes competition, where racing wheel to wheel means a single mistake can be the difference between finishing on the podium or leaving the track last and covered in mud. This makes it so exciting as all competitors are trying to achieve the same goal, knowing everyone will risk everything to get ahead of you on the track.

“Since starting out, I have progressed to faster outdoor karting series nationwide, including competing in the Club 100 series which tours tracks around the UK. However, the British Indoor Karting Championships at the Team Sport tracks drew me back to indoor driving.

“Due to my weight and age, I qualified for the lightweight over 16’s local final after setting a fast enough lap. Winning the local finals, I secured

a spot in the regional finals which included top six finishers from four nearby tracks.

In the group stages I won my heat and I qualified in second place for the grand final. This then earned me, for the first time, a place in the national finals in Manchester - a thrilling achievement.

“It was my first time at the track and in an electric kart. I competed against 31 other drivers from all over the country and was extremely nervous competing in front of a large crowd. Despite some setbacks, I managed to climb to 7th in the semi-final, earning a spot in the grand final where I finished 11th. I was immensely satisfied with my performance and the overall experience.

“Looking ahead, I aim to return next year even more competitive, continuing rigorous training to hopefully secure a podium finish.”

Ms N Blunt

A growing movement

It’s been an enormously busy year for the Green council and the Trinity garden, with lots of work being undertaken, great participation from lots of different age categories and even another award being presented to us!

In February of this year Trinity garden was extremely proud to be awarded RHS 3. With the £50 vouchers that we were given for passing the criteria we were therefore able to buy a lovely climber for the arch by the new seating area, oregano and thyme for the herb planters and some carrot, bean and runner bean seedlings (our ones grown from seed were sadly all destroyed in storms). The criteria that we had to meet for the level 3 award required us to be able to ‘grow and name a range of plants’, ‘keep our plants healthy’ and ‘be planet friendly gardeners’. The last criteria point we have been particularly proud of, with the whole school community helping to contribute to the garden by kindly donating various items such as compost bins, tools, bird feeders, benches and wheelbarrows (a particular thanks needs to go to Miss Borman who donated an enormous amount from her well loved allotment which she sadly had to give up).

Watch this space next year for our application to RHS level 4 where the criteria steps up a gear!

Biodiversity

During Mental Health Week we made bird feeders out of recycled plastic bottles and hung them from the beautiful cherry blossom tree in the middle of the garden.

This year we participated in the RSPB Schools birdwatch 2024 where Green council reps recorded the birds that we are lucky enough to see on site. Looking at the range of bird species seen was fantastic and often surprising given our location. The birdwatch also fed into a wider national schools survey which contributed to national RSPB data which is really exciting. A bug hotel has been made in the garden out of recycled pottery pieces from the art department. Large sections of the garden have been left as long grasses and sown with wild flowers to encourage butterflies, moths and bees and it has been a delight to watch these arrive as Spring arrived.

Involving the whole school community

One thing that I love about the garden is the range of year groups involved. Autumn term field day really got the garden off to a fantastic start with an enthusiastic group of year 11s giving up their time to spend the day clearing large sections of the garden from weeds. As it transpires, in our clearance we uncovered a huge amount of paving slabs which we were then able to lay as a beautiful winding pathway through the site (and it turned out to be enough of a workout that many of the year 11’s didn’t have to do weights at the gym that day!). William Patrick and Alex Trevena have been complete stars in the garden this year, helping out on a weekly basis as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award. They have completed an enormous amount of work during their time, creating a new seating area, making a new path to the compost area, as well as planting and maintaining all of our vegetables their help has been enormously appreciated! For the first time this year gardening was also a sixth form elective with the Year 12s participating in ‘mindful gardening’ for four weeks during their diploma sessions. This session was very much hands on, appreciating the time outside and feeling a real sense of achievement in completing such things as reroofing the shed, huge amounts of weed clearance and creating new plant bed areas. In the Spring term Junior students visited the garden every week and have helped net strawberries, plant tomatoes, oregano, thyme and lettuce as well important upkeep jobs like weeding and clearing.

The garden aside, this year we launched the KS3 spider plant scheme as well, where each Junior and year 7 form were given a spider plant to look after. It’s so important to have green in our classrooms and there has been a huge amount of research showing that plants improve our ability to learn and concentrate. The spider seedlings that sprout from the original plants can then hopefully be passed on to other forms to eventually fill our classrooms with even more green!

The future of Green council

There is a dedicated team of Year 12 students who are now beginning to set up an exciting new launch for Autumn 2024-watch this space!

Mrs A Prestney, Green Council

Alternative perspectives

The penultimate week of the school year was our annual Festival of Ideas, an extraordinary celebration of school where students were given the opportunity to discover new passions or interests outside of the curriculum.

This year’s theme was Alternative Perspectives and students enjoyed a week of creative and challenging activities culminating in a day ‘off-timetable’, turning their hand to international diplomacy, entrepreneurship, journalism, Chinese tea making, trading, laser cutting, law, Star Wars and more!

Throughout the week, students enjoyed Music performances around school, sports like wheelchair basketball, and the Summer Concert. On Wednesday evening, we hosted this year’s Festival of Ideas Conference. The Lower School production of James and the Giant Peach performed to a sold-out audience on Thursday and Friday night, and students were on trips or volunteering as part of Friday’s final Field Day of the year!

Other highlights included:

Creative Writing Showcase

As part of the Festival, the budding bards in the Sixth Form showcased their own original writing at the Creative Writing Showcase. This event always provides a snapshot of how vibrant creative writing is at Trinity, with extracts of plays, short stories, novels and poems shared with a captive audience.

This year we witnessed excerpts from Ethan Thorne’s plays Trauma and 3 Birds, 1 Stone, before Tom Baker shared two of his original prose pieces, ably delivered by Rob Wilding and Barney Sayburn. Rob and Barney performed extracts of their own plays too. All the writers were excellently assisted by star turns from Dhyan Ruparel and Bailee Sheldon, whose nuanced performances brought the words to life. It is with a heavy heart and other cliched expressions that we had to bid depart U6th Barney and Rob farewell – they have been stalwarts of the Trinity Creative Writing scene for a number of years and have promised to stay in touch to let us know about their future creative endeavours.

Festival of Ideas Conference

We were delighted to welcome speakers Maggie Alphonsi MBE – the face of international women’s rugby, Dr Alana Harris – a renowned academic from KCL, specialising in Modern British Social, Cultural and Gender History, and alumnus Ian Johnson (Class of 1986) – founder of IJPR which has launched global publicity campaigns for some of the biggest TV shows. They all tackled the idea of Alternative Perspectives based on their own experience and in their respective industries and took questions from the audience. The event was very well facilitated by Upper Sixth student Gabriella Thomas, who returned to school for the occasion. Thank you to all our academic scholars, parents and other guests who attended.

Trinity Extension Award

We also announced the winners of the new Trinity Extension Award, an independent research project allowing students to delve into a topic of their choosing.

The Lower School winner was First Year Hamish Carnell, who completed a project ‘Don’t Fence Me In’, all about land ownership in the UK. Judges were very impressed by Hamish’s first-hand research and bibliography. The Middle Show winner was Fourth Year Naku Debebe, whose mathematical exploration was very well-researched with an impressive bibliography.

Mr Halliday, Festival of Ideas lead, said, “Well done to all students who submitted a project for the Trinity Extension Award. The standard was very high, and some were exceptional. They highlighted the diversity of thought and interests across the school and were a pleasure to read. It was also lovely to see students taking intellectual risks and pushing themselves beyond the confines of the curriculum. They are developing skills that will facilitate them succeeding not just at GCSE and A Level but at university and beyond.”

Mr D Halliday, Head of Academic Scholarship

Laser Cutting

Festival of Ideas speaker Maggie Alphonsi

Festival of Ideas conference

All the world’s a page

To celebrate the 400th anniversary of the release of Shakespeare’s First Folio, Trinity alumnus Blair Southerden (Class of 1966) presented the school with a limited edition copy of The Complete Plays of William Shakespeare.

Shakespeare’s First Folio is the inaugural printed compilation of William Shakespeare’s dramatic works and was originally published in 1623, seven years after his death. The monumental volume encompasses 36 of Shakespeare’s literary masterpieces, categorised into tragedies, histories and comedies – classifications which are generally still used today.

The First Folio is regarded by scholars as the only reliable source for twenty of his plays and is generally regarded as one of the most significant texts ever published. Of the original copies, 235 are known to survive, with 50 remaining in the UK.

The copy of The Complete Plays by William Shakespeare presented to us by Blair is one of 1,000 hand-numbered sets produced to celebrate the 400th anniversary and includes a foreword by Dame Judi Dench.

Blair’s aspiration is for this copy to captivate the attention of Trinity English students and artists who will undoubtedly appreciate the splendid bindings and the exquisite illustrations crafted by the talented artist Neil Packer, who has also signed the copy.

Alasdair Doyle, Head of English says: “We’re delighted to have this presentation edition in the school where it will be on display.”

We are very grateful for this magnanimous, considerate, and inspiring gift.

Ms N Blunt

Next Gen Sports

Model UN

Stars of the future

Congratulations to two Upper Sixth students who have been selected to represent the U18 England Lambs this year. Teddy Wilkie and Fred Webzell, both in the 1st XV team, were nominated by Head of Rugby, Mr Roberts, for the opportunity. Following outstanding performances at a development day, the students discovered they had been selected.

Mr Roberts says, “It was an easy choice for me to nominate these two students. Freddie always brings fantastic energy to training, no matter the weather or how the team is feeling. His enthusiasm is enough to lift the team’s spirits in any situation and he’s such a great asset to the team.

“Teddy always works so hard on and off the pitch. It has been wonderful to see him develop and progress from the second team last year to earn his place on the first team this year. Both students absolutely deserve the opportunity to play with the England Lambs in the UK and South Africa – I am sure they will enjoy it!”

Ted says, “Having had an unreal time playing rugby at Trinity, starting as a small JBug to then being part of one of the best English, schoolboy sides, it was a fairytale ending to finish my rugby here by getting selected for the England Lambs.

“Individually Mr Roberts has helped so much, and I couldn’t be more appreciative of his support. Similarly, Mr Marriot and previously Mr Kench helped me so much regarding forward specialist work. It’s unbelievable to be doing this with one of my good mates right beside me, who deserved it so much himself and I can’t wait to cruise to South Africa alongside him.”

Ms N Blunt

Triple threat

Lower Sixth student Alex Middleton represented Great Britain (GB) in the 2023 European U17 Biathlete / Triathlete Championships in June.

In a field of 22 boys representing 10 countries, he won two gold medals.Alex also competed in the U17 mixed gender relay and won gold with his partner.

Alex says, “I started doing biathlons at around the age of 11 and enjoyed combining my two favourite sports, swimming and running. I decided to enter the European qualifiers and was surprised to get into the team. I continued to train at my local swimming and run clubs and competed with the GB squad every chance I could. I have competed at multiple European and World events.

“Through the biathlon racing, I came across triathlon which includes shooting and this in turn, led me onto discovering modern pentathlon. However, Covid-19 hit before I had my chance to go to Europeans or Worlds for pentathlon and put a stop to my GB racing.

“When the lockdown lifted, I became interested in water polo and over the past two years I have progressed to the GB team water polo team. With the water polo European tournament coming up, I am keen to secure my place in the squad and go to the tournament so that is my current focus.

“However, this summer I decided to go back to the biathle and, to my amazement, I was selected for the team to go to Europeans in Germany.

“At the race venue itself, all my hard training paid off as I managed to stay with the front group throughout the first run, then I found myself putting distance between them and myself on the swim before pulling even further away on the second run. It felt amazing to win the individual gold and the relay gold was a great bonus.

“For the future, I would like to continue to progress back through the GB pentathlon, triathlon and triathlete program but also keep my water polo at GB level and go far with that too. I would one day like to go the Olympics for one of the sports.”

Teddy Wilkie

Fred Wezbell

Top of the world

For some, the half-term break is a chance to relax, have some down-time, and recharge the batteries for the next half term. For others, it’s about completing astonishing personal challenges. Second Year student Saahil Mahajan travelled to Africa to hike Mount Kilimanjaro with his father. He tells us all about his incredible experience:

“Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, is the highest peak of Africa and is also the highest freestanding mountain in the world and exudes a unique majesty.

Although I practise rock-climbing at school, and have been on a few day-hikes, this was my first multi-day mountaineering challenge. I do not have the exact memory of when the idea was planted in my mind, but it was perhaps while watching The Lion King as a toddler when my father suggested that we climb Mt. Kilimanjaro together (since it is in the background of the first scene). My father has some prior mountaineering experience and has been keen to get me exposed to the sport.

The plan was to ascend the mountain over five days – hiking approx. 10 km each day, starting at around 2,000 metres above sea level (m.a.s.l), and climbing up to 5,900 m.a.s.l, the highest point on the mountain.

Our guide, Bairiki, also offered some pieces of useful advice to succeed in the Kilimanjaro challenge, which I thought are also applicable to our off-mountain lives. He stressed that the biggest risk on mountain is inability to

acclimatise to high altitudes where the air is thin and oxygen levels are low. This is even more hazardous for me given my small lungs. The most common acclimatisation trick is to gain altitude and descend a bit right after. It was initially counterintuitive to me and seemed a waste of time and effort! However, at various stages of any challenge, the mountain’s lesson was to not be averse to a pause or even a short reversal, to be able to grasp the bigger picture, adapt and learn better, and lay a strong foundation.

Bariki also insisted on climbing ‘pole-pole’ – Swahili for slowly/patiently – to avoid a burn-out while maintaining consistency. We have learned the ‘slow and steady’ adage for years, and the mountain further reinforced this wisdom when aiming for this long and daunting task.

The final summit from base camp began at midnight of our fifth day. I woke up with a headache and sleepiness that I just could not shrug off. I fought the conditions and climbed from 4,800 m.a.s.l (base camp) to 5,200 m.a.s.l, but my condition worsened. After measuring my oxygen level and observing

Going for gold

Lower Sixth athlete Alyssa Firla represented Great Britain for the first time at an event with her club, the Blackheath and Bromley Harriers.

The 2023 Dynamic New Athletics (DNA) U20 Clash of Clubs was held in Rome and consisted of 2.5 hours with mixed gender teams competing in a fast-paced sequence of events. The last event, a staggered relay called the Hunt, determined the winning team. The team came 8th overall in Europe, which is a fantastic achievement as many of the team were U17, competing against U20 athletes.

Alyssa described her experience: “I’ve been part of Blackheath and Bromley since I moved to the UK back in 2018, but I’ve been doing athletics for as long as I can remember. This was my first time representing GB so it was very exciting, and I hope to do it all again in the near future.” Alyssa has continued to excel on the track this year, smashing the school 300m record on Sports Day.

my symptoms, my father sent me back to the lower camps with the guide so that my altitude sickness was urgently alleviated. Unfortunately, I was not able to complete the summit on this trip. Hakuna Matata – no problem, next time! I travelled on the mountain for six days, and almost summitted it. The learnings about physical and mental aspects of mountaineering, and how to handle adversities in life, will hopefully stay with me forever.”

Saahil Mahajan

National treasure

Congratulations to Lower Sixth student Alexander Molony who has secured membership to the prestigious National Youth Theatre (NYT).

The NYT is a world-leading youth arts charity and the world’s first-ever youth theatre. Being a member means Alex will have access to casting auditions, backstage roles, a creative leadership programme, workshops and events. He’ll be in good company too, with NYT alumni including Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Zawe Ashton, Rosamund Pike, and Daniel Craig.

“I first auditioned for the National Youth Theatre in February 2023. I had planned on using the experience to practice performing my new monologue; a piece from Disney+’s ‘The Bear’, which was a relatively new show at the time.

“I auditioned in person - it was only once I arrived, that I discovered I was in a group of mainly young adults in their twenties, some of whom had flown in for the opportunity. It was a bit daunting, especially when they announced that we would be performing to the whole group!

“We spent a few hours doing techniques

such as envisioning our characters as animals, improvisation. And, finally, performing our pieces. I was pleased with my performance, and the jury seemed to enjoy it too. However, I knew that thousands apply for the coveted places, so I prepared myself to not get in. I was therefore so excited when I received my email in May, telling me that I had a place on the Summer Intake Course.

“The course itself lasted two weeks in August. Pretty much everyone was the same on the first day: timid and eager to make a good impression. The first two days were spent getting to know each other, settling nerves and working on improvisation. The first Wednesday was easily the most intense day. We started off looking at various techniques such as mirroring, and Meisner (repetition), and then devised our own characters. We ‘hot-seated’ and made sure we had every little detail of our characters known.

“Then for a full hour-and-a-half, we did ‘The Grid’. It sounds intimidating, and it was! It

was effectively a massive area of space lined with chairs. Everyone entered in-character and stayed in-character for the whole time responding to various random events that the director introduced into the space. It was intense, but so much fun! On the first Friday, we did a monologue workshop and prepared a monologue to perform to the group on Monday. I did ‘The Bear’ again, and everyone enjoyed it! In the second week, we started our devising.

“I loved every moment of the course. I learnt so much in the form of acting techniques and script preparation. I created so many good friends, who I will stay in touch with for a very long time! It is also such an honour to be a member of the National Youth Theatre now.”

Alexander has been working professionally for many years, and recently starred as Peter in Disney’s remake of Peter Pan & Wendy, alongside Jude Law.

Ms N Blunt

Cross country cycling

Congratulations to Lower Sixth student Victor Ibberson who completed an incredible personal challenge over the summer by cycling more than 750km across the northern border of Bulgaria.

This was a test of endurance as a group of 16 teenagers, with various levels of cycling experience, cycled every day for two weeks, often in temperatures reaching 40 degrees!

Victor says, “I’ve been going to camps like this for three years. Usually, we cycle for a few days to a campsite and do circular routes around a large lake. This year, the team that organises the camps decided to set us a challenge called the Dunav Ultra, which is a route of almost 800km, starting at a village called Kudelin, and arriving at the village of Durankulak on the black sea.

The idea of the challenge was suggested to me, and as I was in Bulgaria at the time, I decided ‘why not?’ Luckily a friend had a spare bike and helmet! There were about 20 of us that started the ride, with only a handful that I knew, and 15 of us finished. By the end, we had all become good friends, and are planning to do something similar next year.

There were definite highs and lows along the way. The heat was an issue, as around midday it peaked at 46 degrees. To combat this, we would

Upstaged

leave around 7.00am, and then when it got too hot, we’d go swimming in the river or sleep.

The most challenging day was the third, as we decided to cycle 110km in one day, which was flat for the first half, and uphill for the second part. Overall morale dipped around halfway through the challenge when some people dropped out. But other than that, morale was high, we were blasting music on various speakers, and enjoying it.

My highlights were mingling with the village population, seeing a completely different way of living, and chatting with them. We were already three days ahead of schedule, and on the last day we decided to cycle 80km in the morning, sleep under the stars, and cycle the last downhill part at night. The low light pollution meant we could see shooting stars. We spent the next few days cliff jumping into the black sea which was very fun. As I opened my GCSE results on the day we arrived at the beach, we threw a little party which made it extra special.”

Victor Ibberson

Lower Sixth Drama scholar Ethan Thorne wrote an original play ‘TRAUMA’ and performed it with two fellow A Level Drama students as part of the Southern Counties Drama Festival in Oxted in February to a sold out audience.

Set amidst the dawn of a civil war, TRAUMA follows Jimmy, an undercover police officer working to shut down a terrorist organisation led by the infamous freedom fighter Mark.

Ethan played the role of Mark and fellow A Level Drama student Alexander Molony was Jimmy. Bailee Sheldon was the Interrogator and one of Ethan’s friends from outside of school played the Friend.

Ethan said, “After hearing about Rob Wilding and Barney Sayburn entering a piece for the festival last year, I decided that I wanted to try to enter my own play. I thought it would be a brilliant opportunity to write, direct, and act in my own production and present it to the public. The play was inspired by my GCSE devised piece, which I loved performing and wanted to live on in some form. I took the storyline, developed it more, added new characters and rewrote the dialogue.

“I wanted to enter the Southern Counties Drama Festival completely by myself, not quite realising the enormity of what I

had taken on. The whole process was a massive learning curve! I had to figure out what to do with the sound and the lighting. My sincere thanks to Aiden Keogh who took on the role of stage manager and my mum who was my sound technician. Thankfully the festival had its own lighting technician, but we also needed one to run our dress rehearsal – thanks to Ethan Campbell. I also discovered at the festival meeting that we needed insurance to perform. Luckily Alan Bishop and The Mitre Players came to our rescue and covered us under their insurance, so our name changed to Serenity in Collaboration with The Mitre Players.

Ethan Thorne

“I’d like to say a special thank you to Mr Chambers, Mr White and Miss Robinson who have given loads of advice and support, allowing us use of the Trinity rehearsal spaces and putting on the public dress rehearsal in the Mitre Theatre.”

Moral victory

A huge congratulations to our team of Sixth Form students who competed in and won the National Ethics Cup Final at St Andrew’s University in May. This is the first time we have entered the competition, and we were thrilled to win the regional heat earlier this year, and over the moon to win the final after months of preparation.

The Ethics Cup is run by the Philosophy Department of St Andrew’s University to ‘promote interest in Philosophy among secondary school students and civil discourse on issues of public concern’.

Mrs Beresford-Miller, Head of Religious Studies and team leader, reports back:

The Trinity Religious Studies Ethics Cup team had an intense and challenging day at the National Ethics Cup Final at St Andrew’s University in May. Facing off against the best teams in the country, we prepared to debate ethical issues such as, ‘is cheating in computer games acceptable?’, ‘should paid surrogacy be banned?’ and ‘should people who shoplift to feed their families be penalised?’.

We faced an excellent team from Allerton High School in the first match where we discussed the issues arising from outright tobacco bans and won the round 3 votes to 0. Next up in the group stage was Arnold Hill Spencer Academy who put us through our paces whilst debating the ethics of participating in dog meat eating in China. Again, we put forward strong arguments and handled some difficult questions to win the match 3 votes to 0, taking us through to the semi-final.

The competition then really stepped up a level and we faced Exeter College, who were wonderful opposition, debating their case on shoplifting brilliantly. Luckily, we put forward fantastic

arguments on the topic of forming relationships with AI chatbots and won the match 2 votes to 0, the third judge awarding a tie.

The final was set for a match of the two top performing teams on the day; Manchester Grammar School and Trinity. Although MGS put forward some strong arguments about the morality of issuing a state of exception, our response to their argument as well as our own presentation on voting with your conscience were enough to earn us a stunning victory. We won the match 2-1 with the judges praising not only our outstanding knowledge and discussion skills but the clearly positive team spirit.

Mrs Beresford-Miller says, “I am so proud of our team and have to mention the Upper Sixth students who helped us win the regional but couldn’t attend due to A Levels. The St Andrew’s team showed such strength of character to calm their nerves and discuss complex issues with admirable maturity and skill. It was a genuine pleasure to work with them in the months before the competition and to see all that hard work come to fruition with some wonderful debating skills. To win after such stiff competition was an added bonus to a thoroughly enjoyable experience.”

Congratulations all!

Mrs K Beresford-Miller Head of Religious Studies

The Ethics Cup team are as follows:

Ayaan Ratnayaka (U6)

Tom Willmer (U6)

Caitlin De Sousa (L6)

Rahul Mehan (L6)

Dhyan Ruparel (L6)

Megan Slattery (L6)

Reserve: Mia McAllen (L6)

Members of the regional winning side, who couldn’t compete in the final due to A level exams:

Barney Sayburn

Fred Turpin

Sophia Wan

Abi Watkins

Blinded with science

This year has been exceptional for STEM at Trinity School, marked by numerous achievements and exciting events.

From October to March, six of our lower sixth students participated in the engineering programme organised by the UK Research and Innovation organisation. Paired with experienced engineer mentors, they were tasked with developing an autonomous vehicle capable of not only avoiding obstacles, but also scanning road surfaces to detect cracks. This innovation aims to save time and resources for road engineers in identifying and repairing potential potholes. The team successfully delivered a well-engineered design and a working prototype, affectionately named ‘Chitti.’ Their project met many of the design brief objectives and their presentation skills were highly praised at the final celebration event. For their efforts, Ansh Shetty and Kristian Sarai received gold CREST engineering awards, while Cheryl Lam, David Onadeko, Emily Hermans, and Tara Khan were awarded silver.

In March, Trinity celebrated Science Week, themed around the concept of time. The week featured a variety of events, including experiments with clock chemical reactions and sundial-making investigations. The highlight of the week was the science competition, which showcased impressive entries from students across the school. Notable projects included a time-travel themed crime mystery based on time dilation by Max Kayacan, and an investigation into human perception of time by Shayan Jain. The winner, Andre Fritsch, created an outstanding model explaining the complex change in sub-atomic particles involved in nuclear fission.

Later in the year, we hosted the Facets of Science event for students and parents. The event featured insightful talks by Dr. Matt Bothwell, who explored the search for exoplanets and the potential for life beyond our solar system, and Professor Julian Ma, who discussed equity in the pharmaceutical industry and ways to make essential vaccines more affordable and accessible to poorer nations.

Trinity School has also continued its commitment to community outreach and the development of STEM skills at all age levels. Our STEMlink initiative once again invited local primary schools to participate in chemistry and engineering workshops. We were also proud to introduce the “Lesson in a Box” programme this year, providing schools with a wider range of scientific equipment to enhance their science lessons. Additionally, schools were invited to a special science show during Science Week, where they could also appreciate the hard work of those participating in the science competition.

A huge congratulations to everyone who contributed to our STEM activities this year. We look forward to promoting even more STEM initiatives in the coming year.

Dr J Manchester Teacher of Chemistry, Head of STEM

Yes we can!

In March, a number of our fourth-year students embarked on a trip to Stow-Maries in Essex, to take part in the inauguration of the CanSat satellite project. This event marked the culmination of extensive efforts spanning months, dedicated to the intricate process of designing and fabricating a satellite compact enough to fit within the confines of a standard soda can.

Each participating team undertook a primary mission, mandated by the project organisers, to measure a temperature reading during the satellite’s descent and transmit the data via radio to a designated ground station. However, teams also had the option to devise a secondary mission, giving them the opportunity to showcase their scientific and engineering acumen.

The team assembled for this year’s project decided to design their satellite for reconnaissance missions. This entailed the integration of an onboard camera, GPS, and microcontroller chip, facilitating the acquisition of topographical data from remote locations. Their objectives ranged from monitoring areas afflicted by deforestation to tracking the rate of polar ice cap melting, or even engaging in covert spy operations.

The students met up weekly to work on design enhancements and to collaborate on their coding to optimise the functionality of the onboard computer, and despite encountering various setbacks along the way, the team exhibited remarkable resilience and unwavering determination.

James Legge was given the role of lead structural engineer and was tasked with the creation of the satellite casing, utilising his proficiency in Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printing technologies to fashion a bespoke enclosure featuring a unique sliding mechanism. This feature allowed easy access to the onboard computer during the crucial launch phase. Meanwhile, Debarun Deb showcased his adept python programming skills, scripting the required code to facilitate communication among various components.

In addition, Iwo Ligeza assumed a pivotal leadership role, steering the team towards their collective goals whilst maintaining a high level of organisation and motivation. Complementing their efforts were the contributions of Aaron George, Vedanth Raghavendar, Ayush Shetty, and Adrian Wong, each of whom played integral roles in this pioneering venture, thereby solidifying Trinity’s inaugural venture into the realm of space exploration.

On the day of the launch, the team eagerly awaited countdown, confident that their satellite was ready to go with all systems reporting normal. However, with seconds to go before they lit the candle, there was a short circuit in the power delivery system, causing the broadcast from the satellite to go silent. With not much to lose they launched the satellite, witnessing the parachute system deploy perfectly and bringing the satellite down safely just 40 metres from the launch site.

Subsequent analysis swiftly pinpointed the root cause of the technical malfunction, but undaunted by adversity, they have already commenced preparations for participation in the next year’s competition, fuelled by a collective resolve to refine their designs and surpass their previous achievements.

Their exemplary accomplishments have served as a beacon of inspiration for future generations of aspiring engineers. Indeed, three new third-year groups have eagerly enlisted for the forthcoming 2025 competition, each harbouring aspirations of seeing their designs through to launch day.

Dr J Manchester

Speaking from the art

Congratulations to Upper Sixth student Tanay Sabharwal on his fantastic presentation for the Articulation Prize, which he delivered in the Spring Term at the Photographers’ Gallery, London.

The Articulation Prize for England invites young people between the ages of 16-19 to deliver a 10-minute illustrated presentation to an audience about a work of art, artefact, or architecture of their choice. The competition takes place annually, and more than 1,000 young people participate.

For his presentation, Tanay researched a body of work from the Mughal period (South Asia from 1526-1748). He interrogated the underrepresentation of women within the arts, both through depiction and as artists themselves. This preparation led him to deliver an outstanding presentation of great depth and maturity. His use of visuals ensured that his words came to life and that the audience went on the journey with him.

Mr Robertson, Trinity’s Director of Art, said, “I was very impressed by the strength of his presentation and his subject research. He enriched his audience with a greater understanding of art history, expanding

beyond the generally prescribed and perceived ‘western’ canonical knowledge.

“When responding to a question from the judge, Tanay was able to further deconstruct one of the pieces that he addressed, by highlighting the facial expressions and walking him through the layers of interpretation and meaning.

“We are all very proud of his achievements and the high bar that he has set for future Trinity participants.”

Tanay says, “I picked Mughal art as my topic because I was interested in discussing artworks made by women in male-dominated courts of art. Additionally, exposing lesser-known art forms to the audience partly informed my decision to choose this topic. I learned so much myself while researching for the presentation – both supporting and countering the points in my presentation.

“Condensing the information into a 10-minute presentation that captures the attention and

Blast from the past

interests of the audience was challenging, but I held rehearsals with my art class and myself before the day of the competition. I’m glad to have taken part and see other speakers give fantastic presentations, too.”

Year 12 History students attended an A level study session at Hampton Court Palace on Tuesday. It was run by a Palace expert who brought to life the antics and machinations of the Tudor royals who lived there as well as deepening their understanding of Court politics.

The group got to walk in the footsteps of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Bloody Mary and were shown the haunted gallery where some people have seen the ghost of Henry’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, pleading for her life. This was before she was despatched to the Tower of London to be beheaded. After the session, the group toured the immense grounds, including the maze and tiltyard, all of which looked spectacular in the June sunshine, before heading back to London.

Mrs K Molteni Teacher of History

Beeline for success

Trinity School hosted the London regional tournament for the International History Bee and Bowl competition.

We fielded six teams in total and competed against City of London School, City of London Freemen’s, Eton College, Farnham Heath End School, Southbank International School and Stowe. This year’s competition was fierce with Eton College providing the biggest challenge to Trinity’s Varsity teams, and Farnham Heath End School battling against our younger teams. After a long day of answering a multitude of questions on ancient, medieval, early modern and modern world History our Middle School team (Emile Guiblin, Rishi John, Iwo Ligeza, Seb Vials) and our Junior Varsity team (Arun Bew, Joshua Brown, Jirka Celak, Lukas England and Duncan Rout) emerged with an award, winning second place overall in the Bowl competition. Furthermore, Micah Thompson came first in the individual Bee competition after taking part in the History Bowl. Well done to our 28 competitors – the tournament was exciting and very tense at times and our students had a great time. They did us proud!

Mrs K Molteni

Further comments from our students:

“This was our second time doing the History Bowl as a team. We decided to do more preparation, and it paid off. We came into the tournament much stronger than last year… we did well in the competitio. Despite losing to Eton in the previous round, we defeated them in a tension filled semi-final. Overall, we all felt very proud of our performance and enjoyed the day-long event.”

Duncan Rout

Bright young things

Congratulations to Upper Sixth students Joseph Birch and Finley Stirk who this year won the prestigious Young Innovator category of The Engineer’s Collaborate to Innovate (C2I) Awards. The students entered their product ‘AutoMate’, which makes the game of chess ‘acc-chess-ible’ to everyone.

AutoMate integrates eye-gaze tracking and voice commands with a chessboard that is capable of moving around pieces autonomously. This means a user with a motor disability, such as arthritis or cerebral palsy, can play chess when normally they may not be able to.

Joseph and Finley previously entered AutoMate into the Big Bang Fair 2023 competition, the UK’s biggest STEM celebration for young people, and won the Intellectual Property Office Award for Outstanding Innovator. This gave them some funding to further development their concept model.

Joseph reflects, “The C2I awards were recommended to us as a follow on from the Big Bang competition as they are both connected to Engineering UK. We had to submit a written entry, focusing on how collaboration has led to the success of the project and what the anticipated impact of it will be. We also had to produce a short video showing our design process, goals, the ‘end’ result and its future plans.

“It was fascinating to learn about the other winning projects as part of the awards ceremony in London, as all videos were shown. We were fortunate enough to talk to some incredible engineers, such as the team working at Apian who are creating a drone delivery network for the NHS to help deliver blood and medical equipment more efficiently. We also met the overall winners who were part of Duchenne UK, creating a device to help people with muscular dystrophy maintain their mobility.

“A very useful meeting was with some researchers at the advanced manufacturing centre in Sheffield who offered to help us in manufacturing some of our more complex components. Engineers from Babcock, the event sponsors, even offered us work experience. We were pretty pleased with how the evening went!”

Joseph and Finley hope to develop their AutoMate protoytpe into a saleable product and are considering adapting the design for different inclusive board games. They are also looking at the possibility of kickstarters or making the project open source.

Debate expectations

Congratulations to Dhyan Ruparel (L6NMB) and Aidan McAllen (L6MM) for their outstanding achievement in qualifying for the national competition of the French debate tournament, the Joutes Oratoires. Here, Aidan recalls their experiences.

Entering the regional finals for the Joutes Oratoires French debating competition in February seemed a daunting prospect. We had hardly ever taken part in debates in French, and were unfamiliar with the structure of the competition, which involves heated debate on social and political motions. This meant that we arrived at the South London heat (at Whitgift, no less) with few expectations other than to enjoy competing against other Sixth Form students and immerse ourselves in the language. However, as the evening developed, our team came together, a strategy started to fall into place, and we won our first two heat rounds. An hour of preparation also won us a tricky semi-final round on whether France should disarm its nuclear forces – which rapidly turned into one about French values of liberté, égalité et fraternité!

We were delighted, despite all doubts, to win the Regional Final with a topical motion on Artificial Intelligence, and suddenly realised that we were going to be in the National Final at the French Institute in South Kensington!

At the final in March, competing against ten other regional final winners, we debated topics such as whether teachers should be paid based on merit and whether the state should control energy prices – the latter of which appeared much more complex, but was actually the debate which we won! We battled dubious judging, strong competitors and a loss in the heat rounds to place fourth amongst the teams present, qualifying for the third-fourth playoff, or “Finale d’Argent.”

Delivered in front of a panel of French-speaking diplomats, this final was particularly challenging, as we debated the existence of a universal

basic income with only fifteen minutes of preparation time. We were delighted, therefore, to finish fourth nationally, receiving positive and helpful feedback from the judges.

We both felt incredibly shocked and proud of our achievements throughout - especially given that most of our opponents were more experienced Upper Sixth students. It was certainly an invaluable and gratifying process, and we are grateful to Miss Bodinier, Felix, Beth and Juno for their assistance in training at the French Debate Club. We’re both looking forward to going back next year, hopefully with another year’s knowledge under our belt! À la prochaine !

Aidan McAllen, L6th

L’oiseau du Colorado

Mange du Poulet et des œufs, Du poisson et des frites, Des oranges, pas une, mais huit, Des crudités et un canard, De la pizza et boit du pinard.

Freddie Dawe

Inspired from L’Oiseau Du Colorado from Robert Desnos, written after Freddie learned about food and drinks in French.

Classically trained

Our Lower School programme of events kicked off with a classically themed escape room, when a team of J-Bugs worked together to puzzle out the clues and ‘escape the labyrinth’.

In October, we celebrated Halloween by getting crafty and inviting students to make masks inspired by mythical monsters, from Medusa to Cerberus. Next, it was the return of our annual Quis? Quid? Ubi? Christmas quiz, which drew the Autumn Term to a close.

In March, we ran the annual Epic Elocution Extravaganza for First Year students, who were challenged to perform an ancient passage from Classical literature with fluency, energy and originality. Passages included Odysseus’ famous account of blinding the Cyclops and a love poem by the Roman author Catullus. In May, Mr Paterson hosted a nail-biting Game of Survival on the theme of the Titanomachy (the mythical conflict between the Olympian and Titan gods). Contestants had to battle it out in this game of skill and strategy to see who would survive until the end.

In the summer term we celebrated the end of the year by teaming up with the Games Department to host an Ancient Greek style Olympics session for J-Bugs, to bring to life the material they had learnt in class. After swearing the Olympic Oath, the forms competed against each other in running races, discus, javelin and more. Congratulations to JT for bringing home glory for their chosen Greek city-state (Athens) by winning!

For the first time this year, we entered a group of Second Year students (Seb Heitz, Freddie Dawe, Sam Kingston, Abee Aravinth and Harith Abbasi) into the Ludi Scaenici, a Latin play competition run by Westminster Under School. Students worked hard after their exams to learn their scripts and rehearse as a group. Their play was a comedy sketch about a family day out to watch the chariot races, in which a young boy learns an important lesson, all set in Ancient Rome.

The students competed against six other schools and delivered their lines (in Latin no less!) flawlessly – a huge achievement. Other topics covered in the performances ranged from Echo and Narcissus to the Judgement of Paris to a story about a school inspection in Ancient Rome. The judges included teachers of Classics from various schools, authors, publishers, and Mr John Taylor, a lecturer in Greek & Latin at Manchester University. Although our students did not win the competition this time, they really enjoyed themselves and are already eagerly planning next year’s entry.

Miss Van Dal said, “It was wonderful to see students adapt to the challenge of spoken Latin so well, and we had some great comedy moments along the way whilst rehearsing – fun all round! Thank you to the students for bringing so much energy and enthusiasm to the competition – it was a real highlight of the end of the year in the department.”

Second Year student Abee said, “The Latin play competition was great fun, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Even though we had little time to prepare compared to other schools, we did very well. I would like to do this competition next year as well.”

The year drew to a close with our Festival of Ideas workshop, “Performing Hercules”, run in partnership with the Drama Department. J-Bug and First Year students learnt about the mythical Twelve Labours of Hercules, and then worked together to devise their own performances imagining what his Thirteenth Labour might be. The performances were full of interesting ideas and a delight to watch – a fitting end to a busy and fun year in Classics.

Miss S Van Dal Head of Classics

All time classic

Our thriving Classics Society once again featured a number of excellent talks from Sixth Form students.

In September, Juno Goode united her love of music and Classics in a brilliantly well researched presentation on the Seikilos epitaph, the oldest complete musical composition in the world. She even entertained the audience by singing some music as a demonstration! In November, Max Carver presented on the architectural secrets of the Ancient Romans – in particular how their ingenious use of concrete helped to create enduring structures which still stand today, such as the Pantheon.

Christmas saw the return of our annual Saturnalia Quiz, expertly hosted by Kashvi Philip and Gabriella Thomas who were absolute naturals and kept the tensions of the packed Room 7 at bay…just about! In celebration of Diversity Week in March we welcomed Semiloore Bankole to give a talk entitled “Hidden History: the lost mythology of African Nations”. It was great for our students to learn about parallel mythical traditions to those of the Greeks and Romans. In May, Harry Justice gave a talk inspired by a coin his family came across while on holiday in Petra. Whether a genuinely ancient artefact or not, his talk was very engaging as he went into a detailed history of the mercantile class of this ancient society. Meanwhile Isaac Teague ruffled some feathers in his talk which

Past masters

debated the topic of whether Norse or Greek mythology is better. Finally, in celebration of Pride Month in June, Juno Goode presented on some of the lesser-known non-binary myths in Classics.

Alongside Classics Society, the Anagnostics Reading Group went from strength to strength. Mr Stone ran two sessions, one on Sophocles’ Women of Trachis, and the second on The Brothers by Plautus. Miss Van Dal meanwhile ran sessions on a series of queer myths in Classics, including Tiresias, Iphis and Ianthe and Hermaphroditus. She explored the original myths as well as their later reception by authors and artists including Kae Tempest, Carol Ann Duffy and contemporary sculptor Barry X Ball. Classics teachers also gave talks, Mr Stone on the fascinating story of Queen Boudica, and Miss Boorman on unearthing the history of women through a series of intriguing ancient objects. The year drew to a close with our annual U6th Classics dinner. This was a chance for us to say goodbye to the U6th Classicists and wish them the best of luck for their futures.

Miss S Van Dal Head of Classics

This year, the Classics Department teamed up English, Politics and History to run the first ever Future Pathways: Learning from Alumni event, specifically aimed at students of humanities subjects.

Four Trinity alumni with degrees in these subjects were invited to speak: Jamie Cox, Co-Founder and CEO at TreeCard; Olivia Smout, Marketing Executive at American Express; Deesha Ganguli, Civil Service Fast Stream; and Will Bowler, Strategy and Planning Manager, HSBC UK.

The alumni shared their different experiences of taking the first steps in their careers, securing internships and jobs, launching companies and even details of their average day. They also spoke of the value of the skills they had gained whilst studying humanities subjects and how important it is to pursue extra-curricular activities at school and university. This varied experience helps you to become well-rounded individuals as well as gaining ‘soft skills’, which are of great importance in the workplace.

After this, Mr Paterson, Assistant Head of Futures, chaired a Q&A session in which the panel answered queries from the audience. Around fifty students in the Fourth Year and above attended, including nine students who will be starting in the Lower Sixth at Trinity in September.

Miss Van Dal, Head of Classics, said, “Students often ask me what they can do with a Classics degree, but in some ways, the question is more, what can’t you do?! It was brilliant to get a flavour of the diverse pathways our alumni have pursued with degrees in the humanities and hear their advice to students about choosing subjects and activities they enjoy, with the rest falling into place in the future.”

Gabriella Thomas, Upper Sixth student studying Latin and English, said, “I really enjoyed the event as I got the opportunity to both hear from

Trinity alumni and be introduced to younger students, including those who will form the new Lower Sixth.

“I also feel like I learnt a lot from all the alumni: the English graduate provided great insight into the importance of internships and work experience. The last thing that stuck with me was from the Politics and International Relations graduate – hearing about the experience of a woman from an ethnic minority really resonated with me and hearing her say that regardless of your background you deserve a seat at the table felt like an important message to take away.”

Race across Croydon

March’s blustery winds set the stage for an exhilarating Field Day, as almost 30 excited Junior Form students and half of the Mathematics department ventured into East Croydon for a unique blend of education and adventure.

The goal was to discover the rich tapestry of maths and engineering marvels that are hidden in Croydon Old Town, bringing concepts learnt in the classroom to life.

As students zigzagged between Fairfield Halls and Croydon Minster, they were amazed by the often-overlooked architectural features around them, from the keystone in arches of historic buildings to the triangulation in scaffolding on modern structures.

The treasure hunt, where boys had to locate specific landmarks, estimate their dimensions, and sketch plans and elevations, was particularly enjoyable. Robin said: “The treasure hunt was great because I saw unique features of buildings that I had never seen before.” Zain added: “It was fun using the mathematical clues to find buildings and calculate their capacity by rounding.” The gusty breeze only added to the enthusiasm, as students worked together in groups to stop their clues and drawings blowing away!

Buzzing with imaginative ideas after a morning of exploration, students raced back to school for a hands-on workshop. Using cardboard boxes, bamboo lengths and wooden dowel, they worked in teams to construct arches and megastructures, bringing their architectural visions to life, blending originality and innovation with mathematical and engineering principles. Celebrating curiosity, creativity and collaboration, the day concluded with a showcase of students’ architectural ingenuity and impressive creations. Adam shared: “I learnt how to build structurally sound arches using cuboid blocks without needing glue or Sellotape.” Aaryav concludes: “My favourite part of Field Day was competing to build the tallest tower.”

Miss J Eminsang Teacher of Maths

Culture vultures

Trinity celebrated diversity in March with Culture Week, with themed activities in clubs and an own-clothes day where students could wear traditional cultural dress.

The week was organized by the student EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) Committee. Students from the committee led Monday’s assembly, speaking about what their culture meant to them. On the Friday, students were able to wear their cultural dress, with many choosing to do so. The own-clothes day also raised money for the London charity Lives Not Knives.

The well-established initiative is very popular amongst students, many of whom relish the opportunity to share each other’s cultures and experiences.

Mr D Lydon

Lessons from history

Trinity hosted a series of events and activities to coincide with Black History Month this October, and for the finale we welcomed former student Jaden Haynes (Class of 2017) to speak to students at History Society.

Jaden studied Spanish and History at Edinburgh and completed a MA History master’s course at Manchester. Whilst there, he was commissioned by the university to write an article exploring the legacies of slavery at the University of Manchester, with the Emerging Scholars Programme.

During History Society, Jaden presented a compelling and insightful talk entitled “Black (and) British.” He delved into thought-provoking subjects such as the concept of race as a social construct, the relevance of the British Empire, the evolving definition of British identity, and the long history of multiculturalism in Britain. Jaden also shed light on the example of the three Black football players who missed penalties at the UEFA Euro 2020 final and faced both vilification and racist abuse.

The students and staff thoroughly enjoyed hearing from Jaden, and were really engaged, asking many questions about identity. The talk left a lasting impression, and we hope fostered a greater understanding of the complexities surrounding these issues.

As ever, it was enlightening to bring in an external – but familiar – speaker to share their perspective on contemporary topics. We’d like to thank Jaden for coming in to inspire our students and raise awareness of Black culture and heritage for Black History Month.

Ms N Blunt

A fond farewell

In May, as lessons came to an end and exams began, we wished our Upper Sixth a fond farewell.

We kicked off festivities with a fancy dress sports afternoon, with each form dressing up and competing in some ‘old school’ events such as an egg n’ spoon and sack race. While 101 Dalmatians won the best dressed form, our form of golfers took the trophy for overall sport’s day winners.

A sunny day followed where the students returned for a yummy BBQ, alongside giant inflatable entertainment. Students competed on the demolition ball, Total Wipeout-style races and spent quality time saying goodbye to their tutors, teachers and friends.

Before departing, our (very impressive and successful) netball team also took on the mighty staff team. Highlights included Mr Kennedy treating it more like a rugby match…but all good fun of course! The netballers played the rugby team, who decided to lift players into the air to get the muchcoveted goals, and there was the Leavers versus staff touch rugby which also brought the crowds. These events were fitting tribute to an impressive group of young people and their enthusiasm and good nature was not to be dismissed – competitive to the very end!

We wish the Upper Sixth the very best of luck in the exams and we hope they have a delightful summer as they await their results. You will be missed!

Ms V Boorman Deputy Head of Sixth Form

Pride and joy

Trinity Pride Week 2024, organised by Pride Society, consisted of a week of talks celebrating LGBTQ+ history, literature, maths, and reflections on ways of thought that have impacted perceptions of LGBTQ+ people.

The week began on Monday with Maths Society, led by Finn Evans, whose talk entitled “The Stable “Roommates” Problem” analysed algorithms to solve the stable marriage problem, where a population of people must all be married, to satisfy rules known as ‘stability’. The solution is quite different depending on the sexuality of those in the group. Traditionally, versions of the problem studying straight and gay marriage are called ‘the stable marriage problem’ and ‘the stable roommates problem’ respectively. Both versions of the problem are crucial to modern computer science and economics, and multiple Nobel prizes have been awarded for research into these topics. This was followed by Psychology Society, “The Impact of Psychology on Queer Identity”, led by Mia McAllen. This reflected on the pathologisation of LGBTQ+ people by early psychology and how this impacted both the lives of LGBTQ+ people and attitudes towards them, resulting in stigma and discrimination. Additionally, discussion of how developments in psychology have led to “justice through science” to quote the key idea behind Magnus Hirschfeld’s organisation “The Scientific Humanitarian Committee”, reminded us of how far psychology has come in supporting LGBTQ+ rights, and how far it still has to go.

Additionally, a combined History and Politics Society, led by Aidan McAllen and Lucy Davis, enlightened us with “The Legacy of LGBTQ+ historical figures”. They begun with discussing Classical attitudes towards homosexuality, then considered key figures from throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. It was interesting to reflect on the contributions to LGBTQ+ rights from figures such as Magnus Hirschfeld during Weimar Germany or Marsha P Johnson, who played an integral role in the 1969 Stonewall Riots. They also discussed LGBTQ+ writers such as James Baldwin, whose writing examines the intersection between race and sexuality, and Selma Lagerlöf, who was forced to hide her sexuality as the first queer and female Nobel Laureate. Additionally, considering more recent individuals such as Chris Smith, the first openly gay MP, Billie Jean King, a professional tennis player, later outed as a lesbian, and Judith Butler, who is a gender and sexuality theorist, whose image was burned at protests after the release of their book “Who’s Afraid of Gender?” (2024), allowed us to consider to what extent attitudes have changed in society.

Then, on Thursday, Literary Society introduced an inaugural “Celebration of Pride Literature” with a series of readings from students and staff, led by Dhyan Ruparel. We began with readings from the work of 19th century poet Emily Dickinson, “One Sister have I in our house” (1858)

and “Ourselves were wed one summer – dear” (c.1863) identifying how poetry has been used an expression of love and exploration or subversion of gender roles. This also sparked discussion of how heteronormativity has often been imposed on LGBTQ+ writers. Additionally, readings of James Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room (1956) and “Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone”(1968) led to conversations surrounding the idea of LGBTQ+ people “being in the closet”, the relationship between misogyny and perceptions of gay men as well as the secret and subtle ways LGBTQ+ people have recognised each other historically. Furthermore, we contemplated the relationship between being LGBTQ+ and being a Christian with a reading from “Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit” (1985) by Jeanette Winterson. Finally, the thoughtprovoking and moving readings were concluded by “Angels in America” (1992-1993) by Tony Kushner, a play which reflects on the 1980s AIDs crisis in America, with themes of religion, class, power, identity and relationships. In the final scene the following message seems to resonate, “This disease will be the end of many of us, but not nearly all, and the dead will be commemorated and will struggle on with the living, and we are not going away. We won’t die secret deaths anymore. We will be citizens. The time has come.”

Community spirit

Trinity continued its fine work supporting local charities and community projects this year. Mrs Burrage reports on the year as a whole.

Field Day Volunteering

Many of our Third, Fourth and Fifth Year students had the opportunity to volunteer in the local community this year as part of the Field Day programme. Groups have spent the days at environmental sites, primary schools, care homes and charities, all actively contributing to bettering the lives of others.

We have many long-standing relationships with organisations across Croydon and beyond, who return to us every year to accept the assistance of our students; a credit to the way they all conduct themselves during these sessions. They really throw themselves into all tasks asked of them, whether helping infant children brush up on their maths skills, playing music for older people, or helping take care of small animals at a farm, their hard work, energy, and professionalism shines throughout.

Overall, students amassed 2,200 hours of volunteering across 49 placements in just three days; an incredible achievement for which students should be really proud to be part of. Our staff play a huge part in these days too, accompanying students to their placements, and also getting stuck into the tasks asked of us; it’s a great demonstration of what makes the Trinity community so special, shown here by way of thanks from the Principal of Harris Primary Academy Beckenham Green:

“I am writing to extend my deepest appreciation for the outstanding support we received from the Trinity students and staff member AnnMarie Costello during our sports day. They were all truly amazing and incredibly helpful throughout the event. Ann-Marie, in particular, was exceptional and dedicated her entire day to ensuring everything ran smoothly. The boys were also a credit to your school, displaying wonderful behaviour and enthusiasm all day. They played a significant role in making the day enjoyable and successful. We are genuinely delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with you.”

Charity Days

The Charity Committee voted to support three charities through this year’s Non-Uniform Days, splitting nearly £8,000 between the them; Save the Children, YoungMinds and London Air Ambulance.

Students come to school in their own clothes and make a charitable contribution, but also man stalls during break, running various games, or tuck shops.

Noah and Jonah from 3G have led the efforts and shown just how much can be done for charity by raising £710 from their form alone through the three events; the highest amount we’ve ever recorded from a single form!

Lower Sixth Volunteering

For the first time ever, this year saw every student in the Lower Sixth undertake an external volunteer placement, working offsite away from Trinity. The programme forms part of their Diploma, where they spend an afternoon a week, for five weeks, helping local primary schools, care homes, environmental sites, and charities.

It’s important to us that we match the opportunities on offer to the right students as much as possible; it means the students get more out of the experience and, ultimately, will have the bigger impact in the organisations they’re supporting. Students carried out around eight hours of volunteering each as part of the programme, totalling over 1,200 hours of donated time across 34 placements.

A vast number of students were lucky enough to spend their time in local primary schools, many of them Trinity Primary Partners, working closely with children on reading, maths and sport sessions. Groups spent time in local care homes, with one running an innovative intergenerational project, ‘Soulful Connections’, matching students with older people in art sessions. The groups spent time in their garden, studying and gathering natural items to help prepare their final pieces.

Students work hard throughout their placements, and the time they give up is hugely appreciated; we hear lots of stories of primary school children creating thank you cards for their last sessions.

Feedback received from Orchard Way Primary School demonstrates just how positive these experiences are for all involved: “Daniel has been helping in Year 2 for the whole of Spring 2 and I felt compelled to communicate just how helpful, enthusiastic and proactive he has been. He has arrived and left each and every week with a smile on his face and his attitude towards helping the children and staff has been commendable. The children and I are so grateful for all his helpful contributions in their ICT and PE lessons and we wish him a successful future hereafter. With his positive attitude and self-initiative I am sure he will go far. He is a credit to himself and Trinity School by extension.”

Community at Christmas

This year’s Community Christmas Party was our biggest ever, with over 150 local residents from partner care homes and neighbourhood care groups joining us for an evening of entertainment.

Our guests were looked after by a huge cohort of our students, while enjoying musical entertainment including our Big Band and the cast of the Wizard of Oz. For many, particularly those without family nearby, it is the highlight of their festive season, and seeing so many of our parents, staff and students supporting the event – providing assistance, transport and prizes – means the world to them.

One guest commented afterwards: “On behalf of my friend and I we would like to thank you for a very enjoyable Christmas Party. We both agreed it was the best yet. Many thanks to all concerned, especially Mrs Burrage. It was obvious that a lot of hard work and organising had happened to produce an extremely enjoyable event. Your staff are great, your pupils are a credit to your school.”

As part of our work at Christmas, we also ran a collection in collaboration with the Salvation Army in New Addington, contributing to their Christmas Family Programme; we are so grateful to all our families for their generous donations, which required two minibuses to deliver it all!

Thanks came from Emma at the Salvation Army: “Your kindness and compassion for others was evidenced in the incredible donations of food and gifts. Thank you for taking the time to consider those families for whom Christmas was going to be a struggle. It’s important to remember that not only do the gifts and food bring great joy to people but they are also a reminder that others do care and so nurtures a sense of hope in those who are feeling somewhat hopeless.

With your support we were able to help over 160 families through our Christmas referral program and many others who came to our foodbank in the run up to Christmas. We are so grateful that you partnered with us and hope that we may be able to continue to work with you in this new year.”

Reaching out

This year, for the first time, we have welcomed students from Rutherford School to Trinity, to join in with our Lower Sixth A Level Drama lessons.

Rutherford is a specialist independent school in South Croydon for students with profound and multiple learning difficulties with a high degree of dependency. We have partnered with the school for many years, with small groups of our Lower Sixth students completing five volunteering sessions there as part of their Diploma. During this time, they engage Rutherford students aged 19-25 years old with activities, read to them, help them gain life skills and provide support to the staff. Our students always get a lot out of the experience themselves.

This year, in addition to the volunteering, a small group of Rutherford students have been joining our Lower Sixth A Level Drama lessons once a month during the summer term. Mr Chambers, Head of Drama Productions, and the five A Level students have welcomed our visitors and included them in a whole range of activities, which everyone has thoroughly enjoyed. The team from Rutherford has fed back how happy the sessions have made their students.

Mr Chambers said, “It was a great experience for all of us to work with students and carers from Rutherford. We particularly enjoyed creating some bespoke drama games utilising different lighted areas of the space in different colours as well as creating a mini musical with all students involved in telling the story using tableaux, narration, and song with an improvised piano backing.”

Dhyan Ruparel said, “We have enjoyed hosting students from Rutherford School over the past few weeks to help as we devised a play during our A Level Drama lessons. I’ve also had the pleasure of volunteering with Rutherford during Diploma sessions, and so it has been wonderful to work with their lovely, hard-working students in these lessons as well. Fun activities have involved creating soundscapes, drama games, improvising and characterisation. We hope that Sophie, Prince, Adam,

Joseph and Sachi have had an enjoyable and creative experience, and that this is the start of a long relationship between Trinity Drama and Rutherford. Thank you to their assistants, their class teacher Gemma, and Mrs Burrage [Head of Community Action] for organising this partnership.”

Lower Sixth Drama student Michael Willis agrees: “It’s been a pleasure working with a few of the students at Rutherford School during our Drama lessons, an experience that not only has helped me understand more about Rutherford, but also one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Whether it be immersing ourselves in a soundscape of tooth-brushing and hair-combing, experimenting with dramatic techniques, playing party games to further develop the play that we’re currently devising, or just simply having a bit of fun, I will certainly remember these experiences for a long time.”

Mrs C Burrage Head of Community Action

Brighter futures

Trinity Malawi Partnership

The Trinity Malawi Project has continued to raise money for our partner school in Chipwepwete, Malawi. Here are some of the initiatives they have run this year.

The annual Malawi trip is something students learn about when they first arrive at Trinity and work to support throughout their time at school. This year twenty-eight Upper Sixth students will be lucky enough to travel to Malawi in the coming summer. Through Trinity’s connection with the Hope4Malawi Project, the trip will grant them the opportunity to experience another cultures as they volunteer at the local primary and secondary schools and get involved with the local community. They will visit local prisons and churches, ending with some time to learn about and appreciate the natural beauty of Malawi.

However, the trip to Malawi is only a small part of Trinity’s relationship with the Hope4Malawi Project. We have been fundraising for the cause since we joined in Lower Sixth by helping out at the TPA Ball, serving food at the Old Boy’s Dinner and running a stand at the Trinity Proms. These efforts have continued into the Upper Sixth and we have helped to set up second hand sales and supported all of the productions of The Wizard of Oz to raise money. We have also been proactive in setting ourselves challenges to encourage the Trinity community to support the cause, including raising over £3,500 as a group of us ran a half marathon to raise awareness for the charity. These funds will go towards improving the quality of education for the children at Chipwepwete Primary School by building classrooms, buying bikes for teaching staff to aid commuting, and providing learning materials such as textbooks. We are eager to see the impact of our fundraising and can’t wait to help in any way we can when we arrive in Malawi.

Rachel Timm and Gabriella Thomas (U6th)

Making a Difference

Mr Coma, Head of Junior Year and Teacher of Art, reports back from the 2023 summer trip to Malawi:

After a long break due to Covid restrictions, 32 of our Upper Sixth students and five staff were delighted to embark on a three-week trip to Malawi during the summer holidays. The Trinity community has been raising money for Chipwepwete Primary School for many years, and we were all looking forward to meeting our Malawi contacts Sarah and Mark Goodman, founders of Hope4Malawi and the parents of former Trinity School students.

Landing at the modest Blantyre Airport with bags brimming with teaching supplies and donated clothing, we were immediately struck by the warmth and friendliness of the local residents as the Community Projects truck took us to our accommodation at Fisherman’s Rest.

The surrounding environment was a stark contrast to South London, with dirt roads meandering through the landscape, bustling clusters of market vendors waving to us from the roadsides and awesome views of mountains as we ascended towards our lodgings. Upon arrival, we were met with open arms by our hosts, and the genuine kindness and generosity displayed by the staff at the Fisherman’s Rest left a lasting impression.

The next day, we visited Chipwepwete Primary School and the adjoining Hope Secondary School and were overwhelmed by our friendly greeting from hundreds of smiling students. The rural location of the school, accessed only by tracks littered with potholes, means that the majority of students spend around an hour walking to school each day. The promise of Phala (a fortified maize ‘porridge’), funded completely by the Trinity community, encourages the students to attend.

Over the following couple of weeks, we dedicated our mornings at the school, teaching lessons in Maths, English, Science and Art, and our students quickly realised the appetite the local children had for learning. With large class sizes, and issues with staff attendance, the

Chipwepwete primary school children relished the attention and guidance from our enthusiastic student teachers.

At Hope Secondary School, we were impressed with the skills and knowledge of the teenagers, many of whom had spent their early years at Chipwepwete. It was wonderful to hear of the ambitions of these students, and popular career choices included doctors, dentists and teachers! It quickly dawned on us the value that education has in shaping attitudes and building better futures for the communities in Malawi.

Afternoons were spent participating in community projects including bore-hole repairs, ‘changa-changa-moto’ oven building and delivering personal development sessions to students. Amidst their altruistic efforts, the students (and staff!) were treated to some extraordinary experiences.

We had an unforgettable two-night stay at Majete Safari Park, visited a prison to play sports with the inmates, attended Sunday church services to be overwhelmed with the beauty and power of hymns being sung, and we wrapped up our journey with a luxurious resort stay on the picturesque shores of Lake Malawi.

The enduring memories of our encounters with the local people, the impactful contributions to the school and community projects and the remarkable experiences we undertook will remain cherished memories for life. A group of students and staff have already been selected to visit in 2024, and we look forward to seeing the continued positive impact that the Trinity community has in helping to build a better future for our friends in Malawi.

Mr W Coma

“It was truly the best experience of my life.”

Joe Canning, Trinity Class of 2023

Putting the ‘Fun’ in Fundraising

U6th student Aadam Nabijee reports back on a new fundraising effort.

From the start of the Malawi project, I thought I may as well do something out of my comfort zone, so running came into my mind. I got the idea to run a half marathon - to think that the children in Malawi do walks like this almost daily made us want to attempt it for ourselves.

After introducing the idea, many people were encouraged to complete the half marathon, and eventually our team was: Tayen Patel, Gabby Thomas, Aaron Vaz, Oscar Sweeney, Alex Salama, Lewis Tag, Ollie Falero, and me. For training, Mrs Upton organised a plan to help us prepare, which included doing 2-3 short runs per week and then every 2/3 weeks we would have a long run starting at 8km and eventually going onto 16km.

Overall, with around one month of fundraising we managed to raise over £2500 plus another £1000 of gift aid on our JustGiving page, which is just amazing considering how our original goal was £1000.

The money raised will go to such a good cause allowing us to provide resources and building materials for the school of Chipwepwete and local community. To put it into perspective, £15 will provide a child with free school lunches and exercise books for a year and £150 would buy new doors for a classroom block.

I am so excited to travel to Malawi and learn all about their culture. I do genuinely think everyone going, myself included, will come back different people with a whole different view of the world, but also on how easy it is for us make a difference in a community of people just like us. It truly will be a trip of a lifetime.

Aadam Nabijee (U6th)

Keeping Girls in School

In April of this year our second ‘Pants for Malawi’ scheme was launched. Running through the first half of the summer term the Just Giving scheme raised a fantastic amount of money, totally over £2000 including Gift Aid.

With this amount of money we were therefore able to purchase 46 ‘packs’ of period pants for teenage girls to use at Hope Secondary school (the secondary school of Chipwepwete School in Malawi). The period pants are not only a sustainable option for the environment but a great solution for keeping girls in school during their cycle.

We trialled the scheme with year 9 and 10 pupils last Malawi visit and due to its enormous success we have decided to run the scheme as an annual one, providing the pants for girls as they start their cycles, keeping them in education through their teenage years

Mrs A Prestney

Swimming for Malawi

Congratulations to the students who undertook a cross-Channel swim in Trinity’s pool this week, to fundraise for our partners Hope4Malawi. Sixth Formers Jared Thompson, Pierre Rivet, Alex Middleton and Fifth Year Ollie Stephenson, all members of the Water Polo 1st team, set out to swim the 1,348 lengths in 6.5 hours. With help from Mr King, they completed the monumental challenge in a staggering 4 hours 10 minutes.

The students raised £2,463 + GiftAid which will go towards building a new suite of classrooms for Chipwepwete Primary School.

Ms N Blunt

Going underground

For the past ten years, Mr. Lydon has undertaken the slightly mad challenge of walking a different tube line for various children’s charities.

This year, two fellow fundraisers and I walked the length of the Hammersmith and City line, followed by the Waterloo and City line – a mere 30 miles from Barking to Bank, via Hammersmith and Waterloo. The 62,000 steps we made were all worth it as we smashed our initial target, raising a barely believable £2470 (plus another £525 of Gift Aid) for the baby charity Tommy’s. Whilst I wouldn’t describe every aspect of a 48km walk as enjoyable, it was amazing to see the variety of the city’s history and architecture, as well as incredibly rewarding to see how much people were willing to sponsor our sore feet. Over the ten different tube walks, we have raised over £19,000 for different charities, and have now conquered the main eleven tube lines. The Transport Society have given me plenty of suggestions on how to continue walking, however their proposed route of the Elizabeth line is not too appealing!

Mr D Lydon

Three for the price of one

This year, the Junior Year students competed in the annual Junior Triathlon, raising money for the Trinity Malawi Project.

In teams of three, they embraced the challenge of swimming 150m (six lengths of our indoor pool), cycling 3km, and running 2km (around our grounds).

Despite heavy showers at one point, which spectating students seemed to enjoy a bit too much, they all demonstrated remarkable strength and resilience. It was heartening to see the students cheering each other on to reach the finish line.

While participation is what truly matters, congratulations go to the team awarded first place: Adam Battersby, Finn Horgan, and Gabriel Dickinson!

The boys surpassed their target of £600 through sponsorship from family and friends. Thank you to everyone who donated. All funds raised contribute to the Chipwepwete Primary School feeding programme, which costs just £15 per year per child, and the construction of a new classroom block.

Well done to the entire year group and thank you to all staff who helped with the smooth running of the event.

Ms N Blunt

Politically charged

The political landscape of the past year has been like no other – not because it was the tenure of the class of ‘24 in PolSoc, but because some of the century’s most significant political events occurred and there are no signs of them coming to a stop anytime soon.

Over the year, many successful PolSoc talks occurred and society management extend a huge congratulations and thank you to all those who gave the talks and attended them.

Many talks were on significant political events of the year, from Rishi Sunak to Donald Trump’s ‘fake news’ epidemic, Rwanda, the trident nuclear programme, the middle east and even the Barbie movie were amongst them.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ expansion policy meant the so-called ‘spy cams’ were placed around the area outside of Trinity School. To commemorate this, co-chairs Binyamin Javaid and Finn Larsen Pugh gave a talk entitled ‘Highway Robbery: ULEZ Controversy.’

Two of the talks were given by special guest speakers. Ex-Trinity pupil and former MP for Croydon Gavin Barwell, writer of How to Win a Marginal Seat (2016) who lost his seat in the 2017 general election, gave a talk to a packed audience on his time as Theresa May’s Chief of Staff and his analysis of the current political environment. UEA lecturer Alex Williams also presented on Platform Power and AI to a packed audience of computing and politics students.

Some other talks worth noting were Tom Baker’s presentation on Meta Irony and the Alt-Right and Leo Hilsley’s discussion of the Tamil Tigers and the political history of Sri Lanka. Sophia Wan and Oscar Venables’ talk on London which included a tier-list of the London Boroughs sparked disagreement and discussion from the audience. Apart from the fact Bromley and Camden were ranked poorly, the talk was captivating and borough-ed the audience’s attention from start to finish. One of the final talks of the year was presented by Tom Braganza and Tom Willmer on the politics of the Eurovision Song Contest – the global phenomenon which is the most watched non-sporting event – with a live performance that arguably would have received more votes than the UK did in the Grand Final televoting – a resounding zero points.

Towards the end of the schoolyear, the bloodbath that was the London Mayoral Elections took place on May 2nd. To commemorate the event, the politics department hosted a mock election with a 45-minute hustings debate between 5 students representing the candidates of the 5 main parties. With an overall turnout of 29.1% – less than the pivotal 1800 US presidential election with a turnout of 32.3% – the electorate of Trinity School elected Count Binface as their Mayor of London; despite him not attending the hustings nor placing political propaganda around the school: how odd! The Green Party performed well in the London Assembly, winning five out of eleven year group constituencies giving them seven overall, making them the joint largest party, with Labour, in the London Assembly.

Yet that was the first of many elections to come. On the 22nd of May, Rishi Sunak announced that he had forgotten his umbrella and that he was taking over American independence day with a UK general election on July 4th. The European Parliament elections took place in the beginning of June and French president Emmanuel Macron announced a snap election for the Nation Assembly, which would take place at the end of June. Finally, the closing Act of 2024 would be the presidential showdown between Biden and Trump that would take place on the 5th November.

Unfortunately Mr. Hutchings announced he would not be running in any of these elections this time, so we can only hope he does so in the near distant future.

And so many questions remain, who will be the 47th president of the United States, what will life be like under a Labour government after 14 years and will anyone actually buy Liz Truss’ book?

Overall, the latest year of Politics Society has been terrific and certainly one to be remembered. The incumbent chairs extend the best of luck to their successors and hope PolSoc will continue to thrive in what can only be called ‘unprecedented times’ – things can only get better!

Aidan Keogh U6th

Tips from the top

It was fascinating to welcome back Trinity alumnus, Lord Gavin Barwell, to speak to a packed classroom of Sixth Form Politics students in November.

He gave a brief overview of his career, how he currently places himself on the political spectrum (homeless!) and what he thought the next 12 months in global politics will bring. He then generously opened the floor for questions from students and staff, spending a lot of time answering as candidly as possible.

Gavin left Trinity in 1990, and although he studied Maths and Physics at university, revealed that it was at school that his interest in politics started and led to him pursuing it as a career. He was proud to represent his hometown of Croydon as an MP from 2010-2017 and still believes there is a lot that is good about this area including the diverse community, the green spaces and fantastic schools like Trinity. He said that he misses being an MP more than he misses being Chief of Staff.

Gavin talked about politics as a ‘team game and how it’s important that everyone is a team player’. He spoke about how much influence you have at every level of UK Government and explained the role of Chief of Staff. Being Number 2 to the Prime Minister meant that Gavin was literally ‘in the room’ for all of the most important meetings with world leaders throughout that time. He said that although the job completely consumed his life for the two years he held the position, how privileged he felt to be a part of Theresa May’s government.

Gavin left the students on a positive note; he was encouraging about the future in the hands of young people, and was certain better times are ahead, if not with a few challenges along the way.

Ms N Blunt

Mock the vote

The 2024 Trinity Mock General Election has reached a thrilling conclusion quite at odds with the National Picture. Mr Hutchings reported live from the scene.

Every vote counted - election turnout stood at 59.4%, identical to the post-war record low set in 2001. The stakes were high with 45 Trinity constituencies in play and 23 seats needed for a majority. Several constituencies were decided by a single vote and few constituencies had an overall majority. The spirited 2G constituency led the pack with a whopping 91% turnout, while 3B lagged at the back of the pack with just 15%.

No party clinched a working majority, but the Conservatives emerged as the largest party, capturing 13 seats and 25% of the Trinity vote. Harry Justice, the Conservative leader, now holds the keys to room 25 and will host coalition talks. His potential partners? Reform, which snagged 11 seats, or the Liberal Democrats, with their 10 seats. Justice looks keen to repeat 2010 and to team up with the Liberal Democrats, securing a slim working majority.

The Liberal Democrat Party, under Aidan McAllen, which led the previous government,

took a nosedive to third place going from 43% of the Trinity vote in 2019 to 20% of the vote in 2024. They’ll have to negotiate hard to push their agenda were they to enter as junior partners in this new coalition.

Isaac Teague of the Reform Party, leader of the opposition, expressed his gratitude to the ‘seaside’ year groups – the 2nd form and 3rd form – for delivering 10 out of 11 seats. Curiously, many who had pushed to extend voting rights to 13-14-year-olds are now having second thoughts.

The Labour Party took a beating from both the first-past-the-post system and the Trinity electorate, landing in fifth place behind the Green Party with just four seats. Labour leader Milan McGregor stood by his party’s manifesto, asserting that the dismal results, trailing behind opinion polls, weren’t due to specific policies.

Oscar Venables of the Workers Party was seen talking to Brid Brennan of the Greensboth were keen to use inflammatory rhetoric

regarding the traitors and climate criminals in the major parties.

The first-past-the-post system showed its quirks: the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and Reform Party enjoyed modest seat boosts compared to the popular vote, while Labour, the Greens, and the Workers Party took a hit.

The Politics Department would like to thank all of the candidates as well as the Electoral Comission - Lily Appleby, Maya Vyas and Lucy Davis.

Mr O Hutchings Head of History, and Government and Politics

CCF on tour

In July, a group of 37 students from the Trinity Combined Cadets Force (CCF) travelled to Cyprus to visit the military base alongside cadets from neighbouring schools Alleyn’s and Judd.

The trip was an educational journey, an opportunity to bond with their fellow cadets, and to build leadership qualities. Despite high temperatures throughout the week, the students had many incredible experiences out in the field. Students LCpl Tobechi Uche (Fifth Year) and LCpl Mark Juresh (Lower Sixth) report back:

Tobechi says, “On arrival, I almost shed a tear at the sight of the scenic hillsides. The journey from the airport to the camp took about one and a half hours with a well-deserved pit-stop at the McDonald’s. After a short briefing from Colour Sergeant Stevens about prickly heat and the array of wildlife that Cyprus offers (wild cats, snakes, lizards etc.) we got settled into our accommodation and quickly mixed with the Alleyn’s and Judd CCF students.

“The days began early with many in my form waking at 4am and heading to breakfast by 5am. We were off to the field by 6:30 where we had the pleasure of being instructed and taught by a few soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment. We learnt the details regarding planning for a section attack. The planning involved preparing and finally springing the attack. I felt like I was in a real battle with the swift and systematic communication.”

Mark continues, “Starting with possibly the most anticipated event of this trip, we took a helicopter flight around the beautiful southern peninsula of Cyprus on a Puma HC2. The combination of sandy cliffs and mesmerising water, plus the fact we were on an exhilarating helicopter ride, made it an unforgettable experience. Just make sure that if you are going for a helicopter flight, hold on to your phone, otherwise it’ll go for a skydiving trip of its own!

“We also visited the dog section, which seemed to be a favourite among the cadets. I personally loved seeing it in action and walked out fascinated and amused at the complexity of dog training along with the dogs’ erratic and loyal behaviour. We got to see the sniffer dogs in action, with astounding accuracy, and when one of our cadet group was given a small stash to hide, the dog immediately picked out the right culprit.

“While all the section visits were quite a surprise due to their uniqueness, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squadron had to be the most unexpected. By the end of the visit, we were all wishing there was more time allocated as our groups were split up with half of us learning about EOD equipment, and the other half being able to ‘play’ around with a £1,050,479 robot!

“We had the privilege of visiting the Cypriot fire department and getting a tour of their equipment, trucks and were given a task to complete, all while they stood by on 3-minute response time. It’s one of the most critical emergency departments in Cyprus, as the country is so dry, and experiences highs of 42°C.

“We also spent time learning about Air Traffic Control, one of the most important services on an airfield. We were shown around the control cab, and how the ATC personnel operate and were also shown the room below, which was full of monitoring systems such as precision approach radar and surveillance radars. Another intriguing thing was that

the ATC systems were split into new and old, since they had just recently upgraded. This allowed us to see the differences between decade old technology and brand-new state of the art systems.”

“Overall, I loved the experience and will never forget the memories I made with my friends and those from other schools. I gained so much both leisurely and expanded my CCF knowledge. The trip was an absolute success.”

LCpl Tobechi Uche (5th year) and LCpl Mark Juresh (L6th)

High flyers

At the beginning of May, four of our RAF cadets were lucky enough to be given the opportunity for gliding at historic Kenley Aerodrome, along with Skinner’s School.

None of us had done this before, having only completed an Air Experience Flight in a Grob Tutor the previous year, so this was a wonderful and enthralling experience for all.

It was a grey and misty start as we arrived – not the ideal conditions for gliding! But nonetheless, after a pause for the rain showers to pass and to wipe down the glider, we were able to begin. One by one, we went up into the air over Croydon and the North Downs for two circuits each. We all took turns helping clip the glider to the aero tow and guiding the glider along the runway as it sped up into the air.

As the cloud cleared, the bright lights of the Croydon skyline could be seen, with trees and rolling hills close underneath. This was an amazing experience as we hovered in the air, swirling round in the late spring breeze. It was also marginally surreal, floating hundreds of feet up, powered only by currents of rising air. I really enjoyed this day out, as did everyone involved, and we look forward to participating in more flying events through the CCF calendar! Many thanks to Flt Lt Barber, and everyone who helped organise the day.

Cpl Elisabeth Guiblin (L6th)

Deep dive

The SCUBA diving club has gone from strength to strength this year.

This year, an impressive 15 students gained their open water referral certification, 7 students spent a weekend at Wraysbury completing their open water dives, 6 students completed their Advance Open Water certificates and Dry Suit specialities and 3 started their Dive Rescue course!

A highlight was the 6 students that achieved their advance open water certificates and dry suit specialities over two weekends, one weekend spent at Wraysbury Dive Centre near Windsor and a second at Stoney Cove in Leicester.

The sixth form students that took part in the trip were all superstars; so kind and patient with each other. Despite the weather (cold and wet) they remained in great spirits and a lot of fun was had by all.

Miss R Goddard Head of Scuba

Another report from fellow L6th Kristian Sarai:

‘“This was my first overnight trip as part of the Sixth Form and, no matter what is to come in terms of trips, it will undoubtedly be one of the best. It enlightened me to another of the many benefits of scuba diving: that it isn’t restricted to temperaturesurrounded by a layer of air in my dry suit, I came out of each dive bone dry. This enabled me to dive at depths of up to 20 metres, at which point colours were indistinguishable, a helicopter and an entire cargo vessel could be found, and you could crack an egg open without the white and yolk being separated!”

L6th student Semiloore Bankole reports about the trip:

“Over one weekend, my friends and I had the opportunity to dive into a new experience! After an early meet up at school and ride on the mini bus, we arrived at Stoney Cove, an illustrious location filled with tranquil water that hid various wrecks we’d discover over the next two days. After preparing our gear and completing the final checks, we strode into the water. After a quick adjustment to the temperature, we descended below the surface to familiarise ourselves with the site, with eyes on the lookout for any wildlife. Descending into water always generates a powerful sensation, a mix of both wonder and excitement at what you’re about to do. Whilst swimming around we’d eventually discover the remains of a plane wreck, with perch, pike, and crayfish darting around. But this was just the start to the four dives we’d complete over the weekend, developing our skills in navigation, checking gear, controlling buoyancy and a multitude of other skills which will aid us in our later diving careers. These times of excitement were balanced with down time in the hotel, planning the next dive and enjoying board games brought by everyone. I value the diving experience I gained over that weekend, but I’ll fondly remember the fun I had with everyone while doing it.”

Words of approval

Literary Society continued its weekly discussions of literature and culture, and with presentations ranging from the nature of identity to visions of hell, it was another inspiring year.

Literary Society has always been a chance for students to escape the undoubted joys of assessment objectives and analytical essays and instead explore some of the more unusual corners of literature. This year, once again, saw some lively gatherings in Room 3 as literary enthusiasts congregated to celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of Trinity’s longestrunning institutions.

For a society largely dedicated to the written word, we appropriately began with Barney Sayburn’s talk, Writer’s Block: or I wrote a play and it was quite long but I managed it. Mrs Cater then put her foot on the gas in her examination of Girls in Cars before Mr Magee revved up our students for their visit to the Big Apple with his whistlestop cultural tour of New York.

We continued to push beyond borders as Finn Larsen Pugh left us all feeling rather heroic with his introduction to German Epic Poetry while Juno Goode took us back in time to Early Welsh Literature. Mr Lydon continued the Celtic content by sharing his favourite Irish Writers (finding a line from Heaney to Hozier) before Mr Williams told us about the man behind the book with Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary.

The society has always shared a close relationship with music, and Mr Doyle continued his annually poignant performance of Songs of War during Remembrance Week. Mrs Cater made her second appearance to tell us about Aussie Hip Hop or Why Accents Matter while Bailee

Words of wisdom

Trinity library hosted the inaugural Benjamin Zephaniah poetry prize during Diversity Week. Led and facilitated by visiting poet Guy Kelton Jones I, there were outstanding performances delivered by Trinity students from Junior year to U6th.

Sheldon gave us a word-by-word account of the album ‘The Black Parade’ by My Chemical Romance.

We moved from Goth Rock to ghoulish frocks as Mia McAllen and Lucy Davis were summoned to deliver a spellbinding speech about Witches before we delved even deeper with Max Carver’s History of Hell. Away from the spirit world, but perhaps no less dark, Gabriella Thomas offered an absorbing and urgent evaluation of Ecocriticism while Dhyan Ruparel left us all questioning our own identities with his philosophical foray into Being and Becoming.

The biggest crowds of the year were saved for explorations of pop culture, revealing the cutting-edge contemporary interests of the modern Trinity student. Sophia Wan and Fred Turpin educated young and old alike with their analysis of pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, while Cuthbert Bashukwa shared his thoughts on Pop Culture and perceptions of black people. There was also a productive collaboration with the South Asian Society as Ansh Shetty took us through Indian Film.

Of course, Lit Soc wouldn’t be Lit Soc without our very own Santa Claus, Dr Asquith, orchestrating his now legendary ‘ENORMOUSLY BIG XMAS QUIZ’, a suitably festive affair. And so passed another year of esoteric education at Trinity Literary Society.

Mr A Magee

Teacher of

English

The students wrote on theme of My Voice Matters with the writing prompt ‘What Moves Me’ and all the Trinity poets were exceptional in their content and delivery. The library was alive with spoken word that empowered the students and celebrated their diverse ways of being and seeing. Aaron Borteye (Junior), Louis Potter (3rd Year), James Lai (1st year), Keaden Beckford (3rd year), Faisal Rassoli (2nd year), Rob Wilding (upper 6th) and Ibraheem Leacock (1st year) were especially commendable in an afternoon of universally great poets.

Congratulations to everyone involved and thanks to Mrs Ferguson, the library team, the development department and English department for their incredible support.

Mr B Goode Teacher of English

Planes, trains and automobiles

As we look back on our first year in Sixth Form, we are proud to reflect on the many achievements and memories made possible by the Transport Club, a venture started by Kristian Sarai and Theo Acha.

The club was born out of a shared passion for all things transportation, from the tube, to buses, to airports. We envisioned a space where students could come together to discuss, learn, and share their love for vehicles.

Over the past year, we have organised various events and activities that have been wellreceived by the students of all ages, such as a debate on the new Overground Line Names, train line quizzes and several student-led talks on many different transport-related subjects. Presentations this year have included: Lyam Mosnier on signalling, Ethan Mosnier on railways and Savith Peiris on aviation, and we greatly look forward to Kristian’s upcoming presentation on the Superloop, hopefully coming September 2024.

As we look ahead to our second year, we are excited to continue exploring new topics and projects. We plan to hold a charity walk of the entire Tram line. We also hope to expand our talks to external guest speakers and invite even more students to discuss their interests in Transport.

The club finished the term on a high, as Kristian and Theo went head-to-head on the Metro Memory Game, competing against one another to name all 416 stations on the London Network from memory in the fastest time. It was a tight game, with Kristian narrowly winning at 23:33 and Theo closely following behind in 24:44. Congratulations to both! We are hoping to establish a new Guinness World Record next year for the fastest time completing this daunting game, we are excited for new joiners to support Theo and Kristian in this aim!

We are grateful for the support of our school administration and faculty, who have been instrumental in helping us bring this club to life. To our fellow students, thank you for being part of this journey with us – we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Transport Club.

Miss I Sher Teacher of English

Sew and sews

This year, the Knitting and Crochet Club ‘Knit and Natter’ continued to thrive,

building on last year’s success, and showcasing new talents and projects.

Under the guidance of Mrs Prestney, Miss Bainbridge, and Mr Coma, the group has not only honed their needlework skills but also emphasised mental well-being and community spirit.

In honour of National Children’s Mental Health Week, the students and staff embarked on a special project: knitting and crocheting small test squares to attach to a frame. Alongside these squares, students wrote positive affirmations on to luggage tags and shared personal practices for promoting positive mental health. This collaborative piece symbolised togetherness and unity, with all involved appreciating the mindfulness that came with creating it.

One notable achievement came from Nate Shirbon, a regular attendee who was new to knitting this year. Nate’s natural aptitude for the craft shone through as he diligently worked to produce a long length of knitted fabric. Following a tutorial, he transformed his creation into an adorable

bunny rabbit, complete with wadding, eyes, whiskers, and a pom-pom tail. Nate’s journey from novice to accomplished knitter highlights the welcoming and supportive environment of the group.

Knit and Natter continues to be a sanctuary for students from all year groups, offering a perfect escape from the stresses of academic life. It provides a space to unwind, connect with others, and create beautiful pieces of work. The positive impact on mental wellbeing and the sense of accomplishment from creating beautiful outcomes is clear to see. We eagerly look forward to more innovative and heartfelt projects in the coming year!

Mr W Coma Teacher of Art

Medical musings

From a winning presentation from Thushan Peiris at our annual MDV presentation competition on his ideas for A New funding Model for the NHS, to an insight into the London’s Air Ambulance service, the students at Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinarian Society have spent the year exploring wider aspects of healthcare.

We kicked off the academic year with a talk from alumnus Dr Ben Moran, who joined us to discuss his experiences as a Junior Doctor and ran an insightful session on communication. He left Trinity in 2016 to read medicine and is now training at Croydon University Hospital.

Students studied the ancient art of suturing, and it’s safe to say there are some students who I’d happily let suture me up at a hospital A and E department, and some who will need to practise this more than others when they get to university! Ms Liz Nixon, School Librarian and volunteer at The Samaritans, introduced students to the concept of active listening, and ran a practical session which will be of great use to students who will be interviewing for medicine, dentistry or veterinary science university courses next year. We ended the Autumn term with a talk from alumnus Imogen Smith, who discussed the importance of health economics and how the NHS works. Imogen left Trinity in 2020 and is reading medicine at Bristol University.

The most important even of the MDV soc calendar is the Lower Sixth annual presentation competition. For round one of the competition, students at MDV Society were asked to read books or research papers on topics that interested them, and give an academic presentation based in this. Sixteen students presented on topics that ranged from the Neurobiology of Dementia, by Harris Sawar to Mental Health in Animals, delivered by Poppy Hibbert.

The finalists and their topics were: Maksim Lalic: Opioids in Medicine; Mimi Collins: A Critical Review of Semaglutide based weight loss; Ioan Edwards: Radiotherapy; Christyn Brunni: Gene editing- CRISPR; Thushan Peiris: A new funding model for the NHS; and Olly Keers: The Oral Systems Connection. We were grateful to Dr Ben Moran, who joined us again to judge the competition and he commented on the fact that the calibre of presentations this year was exceptionally high, making it even more challenging to judge.

The winner of the competition was Thushan Peiris, Christyn Brunni was a very close second, and Ioan Edwards was awarded third place.

During Careers Week, we were joined by alumnus Dr Zoe Ndumbe who delivered an informative and very insightful talk into the realities of applying to Medicine, the course, and post-qualification realities. Students found Zoe’s honesty invaluable, and this will greatly assist them in their upcoming UCAS process. Zoe left Trinity in 2016, and read Medicine at the University of East Anglia, undertaking an intercalated BSc in Psychology at King’s College London. Zoe is now a qualified doctor working for a local NHS trust.

In the Spring term, students attended an inspiring talk from Dr John Chatterjee, a consultant in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine with London’s Air Ambulance (Barts Health) and an anaesthetic consultant at Guy’s and St. Thomas’. He took students on the journey of the Air Ambulance crew and left us all in awe with their dedication to emergency care in and around London, attending four to seven incidents a day, and treating 2,000 people per year.

Ms D Bala

Teacher

of Biology

Over the rainbow

The autumn’s whole school production was an inventive staging of an all-time classic –The Wizard of Oz. Mr Chambers explains how he brought the magical world of Oz to life.

It is a great feeling when everything comes together in a whole school production at Trinity. The collaboration of so many students across all year groups and the dedication of staff and volunteers working together to create a production that will entertain and inspire – the opportunity for students to get involved in all aspects of production and learn by doing. The ongoing commitment and occasional pressure of meeting a shared goal builds bonds that last. Like ‘Joseph’ and ‘Shrek’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ had moments of magic that live on in imagination. The simple, gentle delivery of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ by Mimi Collins; the leatherbooted vamping Barney Sayburn as the Wicked Witch of The West; huge bespoke projections of Alexander Molony’s subtle and quick-witted Wizard, and many more. To enhance the sense of Dorothy’s journey unravelling I had been keen to bring Oz closer to the audience so we placed a six metre double revolve in front of the main- stage. As it only arrived for the get-in the Friday before the show, much of the rehearsal process was spent imagining how we would use it, but over that weekend of preparation it became clear just what a great resource it was for adding to the dramatic effect of each scene – allowing the choreography to be expressive but more static, with the revolve supplying extra movement and creating different perspectives for the audience.

Having a thrust stage with three entrances through trellises that led to each TCH door, and walkways embossed with bricks printed onto a yellow vinyl flooring gave a sense that Oz was 3D and that the yellow brick road could lead anywhere – in fact the audience walked down the yellow brick road and into the story as soon as they set foot in the building. Student Oscar Barritt commented: ‘there were so many touches which made the experience much more immersive for the audience.’

The lighting had to be re-rigged in the TCH to allow for the ‘in-theround’ feel and pyrotechnics were set up in ‘safe’ areas of the stage to accompany each entrance of the Witch or Wizard’s roars. Bespoke set pieces were built, including a house that actually split open when it landed on the Wicked Witch of The East. Hundreds of costumes were made or adapted, many students having different costumes to cover the range of roles from Munchkins to flying monkeys. And sound was overseen by professional technicians who mentored our keen tech students in the mixing of 30 radio mics! Quirky ideas also added some flavour, such as those aforementioned flying monkeys arriving en masse on light-up scooters, or the ensemble rolling across the stage as tumbleweed. Small moments like this in a production add up to something special and I think the wonder of Oz was brought to life by a strong design and concept with fantastically enthusiastic and expressive student actors, bringing the characters to life. I was very pleased with everyone’s work on The Wizard of Oz and am looking forward to the next epic adventures at Trinity.

Mr C Chambers Head of Drama Productions

So much drama!

Trips remain a key feature of the Drama department this academic year, with students from every year group watching professional productions in the West End and surrounding theatres.

Not only do these productions inform students’ written work (from the Third Year, Drama students are required to analyse and evaluate live theatre as part of the curriculum) but we are seeing a real impact on their creativity and practical work in light of the phenomenal performances they have watched with Trinity Drama.

We started the year with the immersive ‘Guys and Dolls’ at the Bridge Theatre for our senior Drama scholars. This production has garnered enthusiasm for its wonderful routines and dynamic storytelling: as the audience, we were encouraged to move around as the actors moved amongst us. Their characterisation was undoubtedly superb, and the play prompted some interesting conversations about ‘what is theatre’ and the extent to which its staging distracted from some potentially problematic messaging.

Highlights for the A Level cohort include two stellar performances of their set texts ‘Machinal’ and ‘People, Places and Things’, led by Rosie Sheehy and Denise Gough respectively. To see two of their three set texts brought to life so vividly and creatively was a real privilege for the students, who commented that the plays were “simply astonishing” and “overwhelming yet powerful.”

It has been enjoyable, too, to grow our cross-curricular trip repertoire, seeing the world-renowned ‘Hamilton’ with History and Politics students in April, and taking GCSE and A Level German students to Kafka’s unnerving ‘Metamorphosis’ at the Lyric in Hammersmith. Such productions served as helpful extension and enrichment for all students, as they were able to help each other learn more about the context and settings of these plays and playwrights. Miss Deas and Mr Hutchings led a helpful PolSoc session about the background of ‘Hamilton’, the extent to which it represents history, and prompted some questions about the lesser-discussed, more problematic features of the popular musical.

Lower down the school, we had brilliant GCSE trips to ‘2:22’, ‘The Woman in Black’ and ‘Red Pitch’: in ‘Red Pitch’ it was great to see Fourth Year student Tom get invited on stage to play football with the actors in the pre-show. In our much anticipated Third Year trip, we took all Third Year Drama students to watch ‘Back to the Future’ in anticipation of their end of year theatre review: it was great to discuss students’ responses to this exciting production (the flying car was unsurprisingly a highlight!)

The offerings for London theatre are looking exciting next year, and we have already secured

tickets for ‘Stranger Things’, ‘War Horse’, ‘Never Let Me Go’ and ‘Dear England’ for the Autumn term.

Miss L Robinson Director of Drama

Life after life

The spring term play was a Sixth Form production of Jack Thorne’s adaptation of the Hirokazu Kore-eda’s film ‘After Life’. Staged in the Mitre Theatre, Miss Robinson reflects on the journey:

I first fell in love with the National Theatre’s production of ‘After Life’ when I saw it directed at the Dorfman in 2021. It was amongst the first plays I saw live after the lockdown pause inflicted on theatres the world over during the pandemic, and this play’s celebration of all things stage management and theatrical was a welcome return to theatre at its most moving.

The play asks its characters, and thus its audience, to consider their most precious or meaningful memories: in the opening scene, the dead (the ‘Guided’) are given a week to reflect on their lives and to outline one memory they would like to live in for eternity. These memories are then recreated for them by a team of creative and dedicated professionals (the ‘Guides’ – Olivia Barratt, Matteo Di Lorenzo, Maksim Lalic, Mia McAllen and Barney Sayburn). Our five Guided – Jill, eager to please and devastatingly young (played by Juno Goode); Beatrice (Abi Watkins), a 91 year old who never recovered from the death of her brother; Hirokazu, Tom Baker’s character whose life overlaps in unprecedented ways with one of his Guides; the frustrated but young-atheart Henry (Rob Wilding) and Obafemi (Ashvin Jeyanandhan) whose life was thwarted by illness in his teenage years: we see these characters as they grapple with this monumental decision that will govern the emotions they take with them into whatever comes next.

As well as exploring the experiences of these fictional Guided, I wanted the play to encourage our audiences and the broader Trinity community to reflect on their own “most precious or meaningful” memories. As such, in the run up to the show, I asked colleagues and students to contribute theirs, and I was so heartened by the volume and sincerity of the responses from staff and students alike. These memories were turned into script and narrated by our actors at the end of play, underscored by a beautiful rendition of Adele’s ‘All I Ask’ by Beth Willars. During the show itself, audiences were invited to write their memories on forms, which were turned into a fairy-light-adorned display in the Mitre Foyer: a true celebration of the most wonderful moments of people’s lives.

In rehearsal, the script presented some unusual challenges, not least in the form of obscure stage directions that were challenging (‘there is a stench of death about the place’) and set particularly high standards (‘it will be beautiful, it will be extraordinary, it will be an eternity people will want to live in’…) but our students rose to the challenge admirably. When I decided the week before opening night that ‘there would be no backstage’ and that the actors would sit in the wings on display, and in character, for the duration of the show, nobody grumbled – at least not to my face – and they were entirely patient with the running and re-running of the minute details that felt imperative for the success of scenes: blossom sweeping (thank you Tom Willmer, Tom Braganza and Matthew Boyde) and sugarbread making (thank you Torin Strathearn) to name but a few!

On opening night, the finale, wherein the precious memories of the Guided are recreated by the Guides entirely surpassed my expectations, and indeed my memory of the National’s production in 2021. Whether the impact was through knowing the cast so well, reflecting on the efforts everyone had put into rehearsals or just relief of the success after hours in the Tech Box with Ethan Campbell and Chris Legge to hone the lighting and sound for this scene, it really was a beautiful moment of theatre that I will look back on with fondness for years to come.

We laughed, we sang, we danced and we sobbed: it was one of the most magical productions I have had the pleasure of directing, and I would like to issue a heartfelt thanks and congratulations to the brilliant cast and crew, too many to name here.

Miss L Robinson Director of Drama

Peach for the stars

In the summer term, Miss Deas directed a Lower School production of Roald Dahl’s classic, James and the Giant Peach. The production was a feast for the senses, even including wonderful new musical compositions from Mr Chambers.

When I was first approached to do the Lower School Production, I knew I wanted to pick a play that would include friendship, adventure, and a lot of joy. Based on those criteria, Roald Dahl seemed like the obvious choice, and James and the Giant Peach followed naturally.

The audition process was simultaneously incredibly easy and incredibly hard; easy because the boys brought so much energy and focus into the room, hard because there was so much talent. Each actor who was cast so fully embodied their role.

Every member of the cast has worked so hard; the number of boys who came back after the half term break having already memorised their lines was outstanding, and they all took on direction and feedback like seasoned pros.

After weeks of rehearsals, show nights crept up on us so quickly; I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous in the run up to opening night but I could not be more proud of the outstanding performances the cast and crew achieved. Spurred on by our outstanding audiences, the cast brought their A game and performed as they hadn’t before.

My wholehearted congratulations go out to every member of the cast, crew and creative team - the show would simply not have existed as it did without their hard work, dedication and talent and I could not be more grateful for such a joyful first production at Trinity.

Miss Deas Teacher of Drama

Noah Stacey reflects on his experiences of being part of the cast:

During the last term of my second year at Trinity, I played a part in the amazing Trinity Production, James and the Giant Peach. My role in this wonderful cast was the Centipede, and I believe that I made friends across different age groups. The directors that spent their valuable time on this show were Miss Deas, Miss Steele, and James Bradburn (4H). They made rehearsals a joy to be a part of and the friendly and fun environment really made this experience even easier.

The casting of the show was an extremely easy one to be a part of. All you had to do was go down at the allocated lunch or after school slots where you would audition. What’s even better was that the directors would make you improvise in certain characters and change people’s characters to see a wide range of acting skills and how different people could adapt for the role.

It was amazing performing in the Mitre Theatre to about 200 people. I think that this production was very good for people’s selfesteem, and I saw huge improvements in confidence. But you didn’t have to act to be a part of this show: we had a wonderful tech crew that helps with props, lighting, costumes and much more. I hope that audiences enjoyed our production and I strongly encourage anyone who is interested to give it a go!

Noah Stacey 2H

Art for all

Congratulations to First Year Jamie Hung who was named the overall winner of this year’s Open Art Awards. Jamie’s submission was a stunning, coloured-pencil drawing of a green turtle, which impressed the judges with its imaginative theme and skilful approach. All submissions were displayed in the Shaw Gallery as part of this year’s summer exhibition of GCSE and A Level Art and Photography work.

Jamie said, “I’m really happy to have won the award and I can’t wait to create a new piece for next year! The whole competition has been really fun, and I have really enjoyed looking at others’ work and paintings.”

Jamie explained the inspiration behind his piece, “My drawing is of a green turtle, which unfortunately is endangered because of humans. The green turtle is extremely important to marine ecosystems because it eats seagrass and keeps the seagrass meadows under control and healthy, allowing other creatures to lay their eggs there. Green turtles also migrate long distances helping biodiversity as they carry organisms from seagrass meadows and beaches to coral reefs, like the one in my drawing. I’ve called it ‘Back on Track’.”

The Lower School runner up was First Year Ned Copsey, who submitted several pencil studies of close-up facial features including eyes and a mouth and the Middle School runner up was Third Year Alexander Madjev with a pencil battle scene drawing.

We were also delighted to receive a selection of quality entries from staff, family and alumni – with photographs, paintings, pencil-drawings, embroidery, wood-turning and prints.

The alumni winner was Richard Peers with his beautiful Zodiac Night Sky Bowl, wood turned from Sycamore, with acrylic paint, texturing, stamping and copper gilt wax.

The Family Winner was Naomi Ward who submitted several stunning copperplate etchings.

The Staff Winner was Paul Heester, Deputy Head of IT, for his black and white portrait photographs. These photographs were taken in Laredo (near Brands Hatch, Kent) an authentic recreation of a Wild West town. The clothes, props and signs have all been sourced from the States and are authentic to the ‘Wild West’ period.

The Open Art Awards are an annual celebration of the creativity within the community at Trinity School, Croydon, with submissions on any theme, in any medium, accepted from staff, students, family and alumni. A winner from each category is selected by the panel of Art Department judges – well done to all those who entered.

Ms N Blunt

Royal approval

Congratulations to First Year student Seth Kennedy who was selected by the Royal Academy of Arts to feature in its Young Artists’ Summer Show.

His piece of art, titled ‘Out of the frying pan’, was submitted to the competition by Mr Robertson, Director of Art, and it is the first time in six years that a Trinity student has been successful.

The Young Artists’ Summer Show is an open submission exhibition for students aged 4–19 studying in the UK. Artworks are judged by a panel of artists and arts professionals, with selected artworks displayed online and on-site at the Royal Academy of Arts.

Seth said, “I have a fun sense of humour and an egg being flipped is an unusual concept. As well as this I enjoy drawing realistic things but creating it from my imagination. For example, the movement and shading of the egg was what I wanted to do but I had to create an image from my mind instead of drawing what was in front of me. I took small inspiration from Old Dutch Masters, and their use of dark backgrounds with food.”

Mr Robertson, Trinity’s Director of Art, says, “Congratulations to Seth for being selected for this year’s Royal Academy Young Artists’ Summer Exhibition. The RA receives an immense number of entries each year, which makes this a phenomenal achievement and testament to his skill and talent as a young artist. Well done!”

Ms N Blunt

Sculpting the Future

Fifth Year student Maxwell Hardy had the incredible opportunity to gain work experience with the famous sculptor and Turner Prize Winner, Antony Gormley, well known for his Angel of the North sculpture among many others.

I was lucky to be offered the opportunity to spend a week at Antony Gormley’s working art studio. The studios are in Kings Cross in a beautiful purpose-built space designed by David Chipperfield, and I was excited and a bit daunted going in on my first day.

The first project I got involved in was creating a polystyrene model. However, this wasn’t just any ordinary sculpture, it was based on a digital model of Antony Gormley himself but simplified into geometric shapes like cubes and blocks.

Using computer modelling software called Rhino as a reference, I had to turn the

complex shape of a human falling backwards into these basic forms. It was a unique and challenging task. Antony was happy with what I had created and asked me to build a second model. This one was of a standing figure and was about 1m tall when finished, and if they could prepare my sculpture in time, they would include it in the work that was to be sent to the foundry to be cast in iron!

One of the highlights of my experience was when my family and I got invited to Antony Gormley’s ‘Body Politic’ exhibition at the White Cube gallery. There, we saw a huge version of the model I had helped with. It was over ten metres tall and seeing it was a very proud moment for me.

The exhibition included lots of amazing steel and iron sculptures as well concrete cast sculptures. In one of the spaces the entire floor space is laid out with fired clay bricks arranged in a way that each represents a human in various poses. It was great to see the work I had watched being created presented in an art gallery space. It really gave me an insight into the full end to end process from initial idea to final art installation.

Working with Antony Gormley wasn’t just about making models and sculptures, it was a real learning experience. I got to see how art is created from start to finish, and it’s something I’ll always remember and use as inspiration in my own art.

Maxwell Hardy (5th Year)

A Design for life

The Design and Technology department runs GCSE and A Level Product Design, in which students must create designs to solve real-world challenges.

GCSE and A level Product Design encourages pupils to demonstrate their problem-solving skills through responding critically, creatively and resourcefully to real-life challenges. Pupils are required to solve problems within different contexts whilst considering their own and other’s needs, wants and values. Contextual challenges set by the exam board this year included ‘Community Cohesion’, ‘Warm in Winter’ and ‘Celebrations’. Within these general, and deliberately open-ended challenges, students are encouraged to identify problems for which they develop a solution.

Pupils produce a final prototype with consideration of how the product could be manufactured using industrial processes.

The photographs on this page are the final products of the 2024 GCSE course. Along with a final product, pupils produce a folder of approximately 40 pages documenting their research, design ideas, development and evaluation.

Mr D Currigan Head of Design Technology

Aarav Gupta Safety Light

Arin Gosh, Wallet safebox

Ashwin Sathiyabhavan Collapsible table

Caleb Thompson Games transporter

Daniel Aisa Miller - Collapsible sports carrier

Ben Beadle Adaptable climbing frame

Callum Beeney Property Lock

Cameron Buxton Handy Storage for Hiking Gear

Adam Herd Inclusive Central Heating Adjuster Aqib Uddin Pack-Down walking stick

Cormac Haspel - Adaptable training aid

Kian Downey Football Target

Elliot Secord Climing Trainer

Duncan Rout Collapsible chair

Luke Thorne Rugby target

Neo Ji Storage for Party Decorations

Lukas England Telescopic Table Centrepiece

Oliver Sayburn Secure Playground Gate

Dylan Sentobe Condiment Storage and Table Light Josh Brown Reaction Machine

Mattia ReuterBasketball dispenser

Freddie Scott Insulated Backpack for Hot & Cold Food

Lucas Chatterjee - Extendable ice scrapper

Daniil Balakhnin Bike light

Edward Smith Garden Tool

Noah Good collapsable spots system

Kristian Rees Dog walker equipment holder

Ben Sindall - Climbing rope test reliability device

Ashvin Balakrishnan Massager for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Oliver Haydon Clip on Light for Night-time Needs

Joseph Birch - End deck to trampoline clamp

Carmen Morrison Clay Moisture Storage Container

James Blair Workplace Lowering Machine

Best of the best

In May, we had the pleasure of experiencing the concerto final of our annual Trinity Musician of the Year competition in the Trinity Concert Hall. This is a culmination of months of performing for our talented young musicians, with the first round of sectionals taking place last December. Director of Music, Mrs Regan, shares highlights from the evening:

The Trinity Concert Hall resonated with the harmonious melodies of three exceptional musicians vying for the prestigious title Trinity Musician of the Year. Upper Sixth student Ethan Hocquellet, Fourth Year Ben Abraham, and Second Year Oliver Michael graced the stage with their virtuoso solo performances, accompanied by distinguished members of the London Mozart Players alongside our very own orchestra.

The event was adjudicated by the eminent Pete Harrison, a renowned conductor and presenter with a vast repertoire of performances alongside esteemed orchestras such as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the Philharmonia. Harrison, known for his discerning ear and acute musical sensibilities, was deeply impressed by the exceptional communication displayed by each soloist in their renditions of the concertos.

Oliver Michael captivated the audience with his masterful interpretation of Mendelssohn’s ‘Violin Concerto’, weaving intricate melodies with unparalleled finesse. Ben Abraham electrified the stage with his dynamic performance of Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, showcasing his versatility and flair. Meanwhile, Ethan Hocquellet mesmerised listeners with his rendition of Binge’s ‘Saxophone Concerto’, demonstrating both technical prowess and emotional depth.

Amidst the captivating performances, one musician emerged victorious: Oliver Michael, with his poised and deeply expressive performance, was crowned Trinity Musician of the Year. His remarkable musicality and assured presence left an indelible mark on the hearts of both the adjudicator and spectators alike.

During the evening, we also celebrated the talent of an emerging composer. A Level student Alex Haythorne’s piano concerto was performed with skill by this year’s Steinway Scholar Zain Lam.

A huge congratulations to all involved on a wonderful evening of music.

Mrs L Regan Director of Music

Music Results 2023/24

Woodwind

Kai Bridgman 1st Place Grade 1-3

James Lai 2nd Place Grade 1-3

Max Kayacan 3rd Place Grade 1-3

Aodhan Boakye-Keating HC Place Grade 1-3

Xavier Karelis 1st Place Grade 4-6

Tom Day 2nd Place Grade 4-6

Andre Nimoh 3rd Place Grade 4-6

Luca Nissim HC Place Grade 4-6

Leo Jemison 1st Place Grade 7-8

Benjy Day 2nd Place Grade 7-8

Ayan Eswaran 3rd Place Grade 7-8

Finn Evans HC Place Grade 7-8

Ethan Hocquellet 1st TMOTY Woodwind

Piano

Oliver Michael 1st Place Grade 1-3

Henry Pettitt 2nd Place Grade 1-3

Jamie Hung 3rd Place Grade 1-3

Felix Goodacre HC Place Grade 1-3

Thomas Price-Harries 1st Place Grade 4-6

Eddy Watson 2nd Place Grade 4-6

Thomas Pickles 3rd Place Grade 4-6

Sebastian Heitz HC Place Grade 4-6

Ellis Gates 1st Place Grade 7-8

Joshua Lai 2nd Place Grade 7-8

Georges Wright 3rd Place Grade 7-8

Lucian Joshi HC Place Grade 7-8

Ben Abraham 1st TMOTY Piano

Zain Lam 2nd TMOTY Piano

Lucas Wan 3rd TMOTY Piano

Caden Cheong HC TMOTY Piano

Percussion

Lewis Coyne 1st Place Beginner

James Legge 2nd Place Beginner

Daniel Battersby 1st Place Intermediate

Adam Battersby 2nd Intermediate

Ellis Gates 1st Place Advanced

Jasper Bew 2nd Place advanced

Naku Debebe Joint 2nd advanced

Brass

Thomas Price-Harries 1st Place Grade 1-3

Adam Battersby 2nd Place Grade 1-3

Alexander O’Neill 3rd Place Grade 1-3

Daniel Grannell HC Place Grade 1-3

Adrian Babic HC Place Grade 1-3

Zandy Hull 1st Place Grade 4-5

Mahen Jayasinghe 2nd Place Grade 4-5

Eddy Watson 3rd Place Grade 4-5

Dennis Lalic HC Place Grade 4-5

1st Lochie Cousin 1st Place Grade 7-8

Leo Orton 2nd Place Grade 7-8

Benjy Gilbert 2nd Place Grade 7-8

Freddie Balcombe 3rd Place Grade 7-8

Daniel Shand 3rd Place Grade 7-8

Mattia Reuter HC Place Grade 7-8

Strings

Benyameen Ali Cello 1st Place Grade 1-3

Krishan Puvi Violin 2nd Place Grade 1-3

George Bradney Mullin Violin 3rd Place Grade 1-3

Partha Ram Violin HC Place Grade 1-3

George Broadley Flack Violin HC Place Grade 1-3

Leighton Dekas Violin 1st Place Grade 4-6

Thomas Price-Harries Violin 2nd Place Grade 4-6

Hugo Morton-Ho Violin 3rd Place Grade 4-6

Elliot Bergs Double Bass HC Place Grade 4-6

Henry Pettitt Cello HC Place Grade 4-6

Alex Wright Violin 1st Place Grade 7-8

Oliver Hull Cello 2nd Place Grade 7-8

Lucy Balmain Violin 3rd Place Grade 7-8

Caspar Verhing Violin HC Place Grade 7-8

Dominic Holland Double Bass HC Place Grade 7-8

Andrew Ah-Weng Harp 1st TMOTY Strings

Georges Wright Violin 2nd TMOTY Strings

Oliver Michael Violin 3rd TMOTY Strings

Dominic Holland Guitar HC TMOTY Strings

Tom Shaxson Cello HC TMOTY Strings

Singing

Michael Mulroy 1st Place J/1st Form

Charles Arthanayake 2nd Place J/1st Form

Joshua Barlow 3rd Place J/1st Form

Elliot Bergs HC J/1st Form

Theo Albert HC J/1st Form

Oliver Hull 1st Place 2nd/3rd Form

Caspar Johnson 2nd Place 2nd/3rd Form

Benjy Gilbert 3rd Place 2nd/3rd Form

Arlo Murray HC 2nd/3rd Form

Sam Jackman HC 2nd/3rd Form

James Roberts Winner 4th Form

Thushan Peiris Winner TMotY Singing

Juno Goode 2nd Place TMotY Singing

Mimi Collins 3rd Place TMotY Singing

Ethan Thorne HC TMotY Singing

Daniel Todd HC TMotY Singing

Tom Willmer HC TMotY Singing

All that jazz

Guitars

Theo Albert 1st Place Grade 1-3 Classical

Aditya Jayaprakash 2nd Place Grade 1-3 Classical

Partha Ram 3rd Place Grade 1-3 Classical

London Yu 1st Place Grade 1-3 Electric

Daniel Veladanda 2nd Place Grade 1-3 Electric

Mokshi Rayapati 3rd Place Grade 1-3 Electric

Dennis Lalic 1st Place Grade 4-5 Classical

Rau Deshpande 2nd Place Grade 4-5 Classical

Joseph Lipinski 3rd Place Grade 4-5 Classical

Robert Wilding 1st Place Grade 6-7 Classical

Jack Prior HC Place Grade 6-7 Classical

Jasper Bew 1st Place Advanced Electric

George Brown HC Advanced Electric

Dominic Holland 1st Place Grade 8 Classical

Maksim Lalic HC Grade 8 Classical

Trinity’s Big Band musicians performed at the famous Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in June, in a well-attended lunchtime concert also featuring a number of singers. The club served lunch as the musicians graced the same stage as legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Rich and Jamie Cullum.

Pitch perfect

Many congratulations to Anne-Mei Ong who has secured a place in the National Youth Orchestra (NYO).

Anne-Mei joined Trinity as a Lower Sixth music scholar and has embraced all the musical activities offered at Trinity: playing in Symphony Orchestra, Trinity Strings, and in a newly formed string quartet.

She started learning the violin at the age of 7 and began studying at the Royal College of Music Junior Department in 2018. Anne-Mei also plays the piano and has attended many music courses, including the Pro Corda Chamber Music Course, and was previously a member of the National Children’s Orchestra.

She says, “I’m really looking forward to joining this amazing orchestra. The most exciting thing is the opportunity to play Mahler’s 1st Symphony in next year’s BBC Proms Festival.”

Ms N Blunt

Steinway to go!

Congratulations to Trinity-Steinway Scholar 2022-23, Ben Abraham who gave an outstanding piano recital at Steinway Hall in London on Wednesday evening in front of family, friends, Trinity staff and students and Steinway colleagues. This event completed Ben’s Steinway Scholarship, and was a culmination of his work throughout the year.

Ben was awarded the scholarship in November 2022 when he was just 13 years old, becoming one of the youngest to receive it.

His final recital programme consisted of works by Chaminade, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff,

Copland and Ginastera, with an added jazz piece by Gershwin as an encore. This was a truly remarkable performance which showcased Ben’s confidence, flair, poise, with an advanced emotional and musical connectivity. It was a performance way

beyond his age, and he thoroughly deserved the rapturous applause and cheers from the delighted audience.

Mr Evans, Head of Piano, said, “Ben is a young musician who clearly has a very special future ahead of him - we are tremendously excited about his prospects.”

Craig Terry, MD Steinway & Sons, said, “This was a remarkable performance from such a young musician. We are delighted to be part of his journey.”

Since November last year, Ben has been receiving extra tuition with Professor Latarche, Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music. He has also attended a masterclass in Poland and honed his performance skills through many recital opportunities including recently in Venice.

Ben says, “During the last year, I have improved not just as a pianist, but as a musician. I have learnt so much about music, how to prepare a set of nearly an hour, understanding how to let the music settle, increasing the stamina I need to play that long and what it would be like to be a professional musician. In that sense, the Venice tour had the biggest impact on me as we lived and worked like professionals. It was great to be there with another former Steinway Scholar Ed Warner who has always been a mentor to me. This year has helped me determine that I definitely want to pursue music as a career; I love and appreciate classical music more than I did a year ago, it’s been brilliant.”

The annual Trinity-Steinway Scholarship is a unique award and collaboration between Trinity, Steinway & Sons and the Royal College of Music, supporting talented young pianists. Trinity became the first All Steinway School in London in 2012 and now benefits from an impressive fleet of 25 pianos, including two model D concert grand pianos and five further grand pianos. The Steinway Suite is the first teaching facility of its kind in the world, offering exceptional practice and research facilities.

Ms N Blunt

Lord of the sings

In September a group of Trinity boys and girls journeyed to Middle Earth and back again as they performed the soundtrack to the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to packed out audiences at the Royal Albert Hall.

Part of the Royal Albert Hall’s Films in Concert series, audiences enjoyed the screening of the film with Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore’s epic score performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and our talented singers in the Philharmonic Chorus. Trinity has a long history of performing for the Films in Concert Series, with the choir singing for the first Lord of the Rings Film, Fellowship of the Ring in May 2022 and Titanic in July 2022.

Mr Swinson, Director of Music, says, “With five performances across three days and multiple rehearsals in the week prior, it was a dedicated effort from all involved. We were delighted to say that we were invited back again to perform the final film ‘Return of the King’ in March 2024.

Encore!

Last summer, the Trinity Boys Choir were delighted to be invited to perform at the BBC Proms, which is considered the biggest classical music festival in the world.

There are daily concerts running from the middle of July to early September in the Royal Albert Hall and other venues around the country. Every concert is broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and some are filmed.

Trinity Boys Choir is proud to be the only school-based choir to be regularly invited to perform in the festival. This summer the choir was invited to perform alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Gustav Mahler’s 3rd Symphony with conductor Sakari Oramo. This was the choir’s nineteenth appearance at the BBC Proms and the fourth Proms performance of this epic work. The choir has also featured in other Proms concerts as part of the Glyndebourne Opera Company.

Mahler’s 3rd Symphony is the longest in the standard orchestral repertoire and draws on a huge orchestra as well as a boys’ choir, a women’s choir and a mezzo-soprano soloist. The boys sing in the 5th movement of 6 and represent the voices of angels. It is a short but remarkably affecting and important moment in the piece.

43 boys rehearsed at various times during the summer holiday and then gathered for the final rehearsals with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The choir included eleven boys who were just about to join the school. One of these, Henry Pettitt, said: “This is amazing. I am singing in the Royal Albert Hall before I have even joined Trinity and I am already coming back in a few weeks to sing in The Lord of The Rings!”

Well done to all, particularly Second Year Oliver Barlow who was our star soloist for each performance.”

Sixth Former student Caitlin de Sousa said: “The Royal Albert Hall is a venue like no other, with incredible architecture and an illustrious history. As I have not sung at the Royal Albert Hall before, this was a privilege and I look forward to singing there with the choir again someday!”

Director of Music, David Swinson, says of the experience: “I was so proud of the boys. They had to sit very still for a long time and then suddenly stand and sing brilliantly. The reviews were very positive but two comments from professional colleagues pleased me the most. I had a German friend staying who runs a boys’ choir in Germany; he has trained boys for the piece many times and has heard many performances. The boys must sing in German, and he told me that our boys were the best he had heard. Also, the director of the BBC Symphony Chorus emailed to say – ‘my, the boys were fantastic!’”

Ms N Blunt

Taking liberties

The English Department enjoyed an action-packed trip to New York in the first week of the October half-term holiday, taking in a range of literary and cultural sights in one of the world’s most exciting cities.

To further their understanding of American literature and its cultural contexts, students visited the New York Public Library, watched “Purlie Victorious” on Broadway – and met the cast afterwards – took in the views from the Brooklyn Bridge, followed the trail of the beat poets in Greenwich Village and visited a host of literary locations, including those that inspired classic works such as “The Great Gatsby” and “Revolutionary Road”. They also reflected on the stories of the millions of immigrants who moved to the city in pursuit of the American Dream, especially during visits to Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum, as well as learning about the aftermath and consequences of 9/11.

Alongside literature, students enjoyed everything else New York had to offer, including an atmospheric night-time harbour tour and spending time in the autumnal beauty of Central Park – four days of blazing sunshine helped show off the city at its best! Watching the New York Rangers play ice hockey at Madison Square Garden was a sensory onslaught – especially as the U6th’s efforts to be on the jumbotron paid off - as was the “crossroads of the world”, Times Square, while the range of American cuisine and shopping opportunities were also gratefully received.

With so much to take in, students were encouraged to write down their thoughts and feelings throughout the week in the journals provided to them, not only to allow for greater reflection on New York the city, but also to keep a lifelong memento of what was an enjoyable and inspiring trip.

Lower Sixth student Mia McAllen says, “Stepping into the chaotic, often overwhelming, but always exciting city of New York, accompanied by our friends, was an uplifting experience, which I will remember for years to come.

“As a way to enhance our interest in literature, we were given an extracts booklet, which contained poems, parts of stories and news articles relevant to the places we visited whilst in New York, such as the Statue of Liberty or Central Park. Whilst stopping to reflect, read an extract and write in our journals, we were able to connect the contents of what we read with one another and with our surroundings. This gave us the opportunity to feel inspired by writers of the past. I also really enjoyed the cultural aspects of the trip, such as our visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where I was struck by the way art remains a constant, that both changes and differs, across time and cultures, as a way of connection and expression.”

Upper Sixth Barney Sayburn says, “Witnessing theatre culture in New York was fascinating. A culture of audience enthusiasm on Broadway replaces any air of elitism and classism that occasionally sours some London theatre. Watching Purlie Victorious, a comedy about the struggles of black people in 1961 Georgia, was both joyous and thought provoking, telling its story with a distinctly American pride for freedom and justice. Those of us who hung around at the stage door after got to show our appreciation directly to the cast, notably including Leslie Odom Jr. (of Hamilton fame) – who plays Purlie – with whom we got a group photo.

“I also loved participating in the Creative Response competition. I produced a poem about the atmosphere of newness and campaign-like patriotism in the city, while Tom Baker’s very personal winning entry:

the poem ‘These Streets’ discussed the overwhelming experience of the trip: the tiredness, the bonding you do with your friends, the thrill of being in a place so grand and new yet so familiar too. Others produced sketches from the journals we were provided, or photos they’d taken –Mia McAllen’s stunning picture of the New York skyline at night captures the awe from our Tuesday boat trip. Safe to say: we all got a lot out of the experience.

“Overall, while I have never felt so tired as I did some days and I would advise the West Side YMCA to improve their shower system(!), I had an excellent time on the trip, and I very much hope to return to the city again.”

Tom Baker’s winning entry for the Creative Writing competition:

These streets have taught me what the word ‘big’ really means; Same with ‘tall’. Same with ‘loud’.

These streets have taught me paranoia. That Foucauldian fear of prying eyes prying ears.

With so many people in one place, surely one of them must know: What you’re saying What you’re thinking. Nothing is secret, nothing is sacred, nothing is safe.

These streets have taught me anger.

Possibly because of the noise, probably because of many things

But I get it now; The simmering, boiling, bubbling spilling over the edge exploding.

These streets have taught me love? … Eh, not quite. Reminded me.

Reminded me what love is: That I am loved,

and that I do love. In more than one sense of the word. Not in the senses you may think.

These streets have reminded me what tired means.

So many types of tired, I think I’ve sampled them all. Then I taste another.

These streets have reminded me what Happiness is - in its extreme. Happiness so strong it’s unquantifiable, Happiness so bright that it obliterates all other emotion, Happiness so large and round that you always eventually slip off and fall.

These streets have reminded me what it’s like to be forgotten and to forget.

How to be lost and how to lose myself. How the people closest to you can sometimes only be viewed from far away.

But those people have reminded me how to want and to be wanted.

Hitting the slopes

Trinity students embarked on an exhilarating ski adventure to Austria’s Zel Am See and Kaprun just before Christmas, with a group of enthusiastic student skiers from across the school joining an equally enthusiastic staff team.

Miss Webber, Head of Upper Sixth who attended the trip, describes the ‘pristine conditions of fresh snowfall and endless blue skies which made it an unforgettable trip for all. The progress among all our skiers was remarkable: our beginners pushed their boundaries, culminating the week by fearlessly tackling red runs, a testament to their dedication and growth. Meanwhile, our advanced skiers embraced the challenges of deep trail snow.

‘Beyond the slopes, our activities were just as vibrant! From ice-skating to traditional Austrian skittles and swimming, students certainly made the most of their time. Throughout the trip, the students were incredible company, showcasing camaraderie, support, and an unwavering enthusiasm that truly made the experience exceptional!’

Third Year student Guru said, ‘I ski at an intermediate level, and I thought the trip was brilliant. I really loved the slopes and enjoyed skiing down the mountains with my friends.

First Year student Nate said, ‘What made the trip so great is that after a day of skiing and then dinner, we would go off and do other activities such as swimming, a Christmas market, playing Mafia and table tennis, bowling, ice skating and The Alpine Coaster. The weather was perfect as it had snowed a lot before the trip and it was sunny for us. Overall, it was an exciting, unforgettable trip.’

Diamond geysers

The Geography Department set off on another adventurous trip during the October half term, taking a group of students to explore the diverse natural landscapes of Iceland.

Third Year student Finlay Johnson reports back: “During the first week of half term, 40 boys set off on a trip to Iceland. The itinerary looked amazing, and we were all really excited!

“We started our adventure in the Southwestern Region of Reykjanes which is a conservation area. There was a good photo opportunity – us standing in the middle of two continents – Eurasian and North America –across the tectonic plate boundary.

“We then visited the world-renowned waterfall Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall was really cool because you could walk behind it and look

through the water and onto the surrounding plains. Lots of us took photos here, and the water was very loud – it sounded like thunder! This was one of my favourite parts of the trip.

“Our second day took us deep into the Southern Highlands region. We went to Geysir and saw something we had all been wanting to see –geysers! We were all waiting with our cameras to film the geyser erupting and they didn’t disappoint. As we were watching the geyser, it suddenly erupted, and we all got showered with warm water! After that we saw a second eruption and it was amazing!

“The next day we experienced an authentic Icelandic spa. The outdoor springs were heated geothermally and there were wisps of steam coming from the hot pools. It was amazing to be outdoors in such a cold country but still be nice and warm in the pools. I really enjoyed this experience and the view from the pools was great too.

“On our last day, we saw a once in a lifetime show. We went to the only place in the world where you can see molten lava – to see this in real life was incredible and something I won’t forget. Finally, we went to do a 4D FlyOver of Iceland, experiencing a bird’s eye view of the best spots on the island. This was truly amazing, and I would say was one of the best parts of the trip. Our chairs shifted in all directions as we ‘flew’ over glaciers, the capital city and the stunning beaches.

“It’s safe to say that this was a fantastic trip which we will never forget! Thank you to all the teachers who made this trip possible.”

Hot stuff!

At the start of the summer holidays, the Geography Department took an excited group of Third, Fourth, and Fifth Year Geographers on an unforgettable trip to Sicily.

Arriving on the first day, after a very early start from Croydon, the trip kicked off with an exhilarating adventure at the Alcantara gorge. This natural gorge is 25m high and bisected by the freezing waters of the Alcantara river and students took part in jumping and body rafting.

Neo Ji (Fifth Year) remembers: “One thing that surprised me on the trip was the gorge trek. We had to jump off four cliffs or waterfalls with each one being taller than the last and the tallest standing at around 5-6m. I personally have a fear of heights, so that was definitely a thrilling and unexpected experience for me to face some of my fears.”

Day two was spent at Mount Etna, one of the tallest volcanoes in Europe, and one of the world’s most active. Neo recalls: “At Mount Etna we visited a crater at the 2,900m range, were able to take in the breath-taking views of the countryside down below. We were also able to take some beautiful volcanic rock home as souvenirs.”

The students spent the rest of the day relaxing at EtnaLand, which offers a great mix of cooling water rides and more exhilarating rollercoasters too.

On day three, the students took a boat to Panarea before heading to Stromboli. There they took a guided five-hour hike to an altitude of 400m. Neo says, “One of the most incredible highlights of the trip for me personally was undoubtedly the afternoon climb on Stromboli. Not only were we able to see a live volcano eruption, but there was also a great view of the sea and sunset from the platform we climbed to. The hike itself was also very exciting as it was challenging climbing up and down the steep trails. The support of the guides as well as the casual conversations and jokes with friends made it a lot easier. It was indeed an experience of a lifetime.”

A trip to Lipari, the largest and busiest of the Aeolian Islands, followed on day four, with a fascinating tour of the castle there. The day ended with a late afternoon swim in a sulphurous volcanic vent before heading back to the hotel. Neo adds, “During our stay at King’s Hotel, and after dinner, we would be quizzed on some geographical facts of the day. Certain students were elected as ‘Geographer of the Day’ and were required to provide a geographical fact the following morning, which usually included the size of the islands we had visited and the height of the volcanoes.”

The final day was spent in the ancient city of Taormina, perched on the side of a mountain, where the group visited a stunning theatre known as the Teatro Greco.

Ms N Blunt

A Capital idea

The Economics and Business Department took a group of Sixth Form students to Berlin to explore the vibrant city, experiencing many of their classroom learnings in real life. This helps students gain a better understanding of topics, build cultural understanding and exposes them to worlds outside of their own. Lower Sixth student Semiloore Bankole reports back from the trip:

After landing in Berlin on an early morning flight, the trip began with a bang as after dropping our luggage at the hostel, we immediately split into groups so we could explore Berlin and get a better understanding of the city.

In the following hours, my friends and I discovered the impressive architecture of the German subway system, got an early glimpse of the Reichstag (German Government) and a small restaurant where we discovered the wonders of the doner kebab. After regrouping by the Brandenburg gate, we travelled back to the hotel before settling in our rooms and ending the day with some local food.

After the first day, the trip went by in a blur. An audio guided tour of the Reichstag where we learned about the history of the German government, its formation, and the problems it faced. After completing the audio tour and taking some photos at the Berliner Cathedral, we visited the TV tower and I can certainly say it provided the greatest view of the city, reaching to its farthest expanses.

The third day began with a visit to the BMW Motorbike Factory which manufactures all the company’s motorcycles in Europe. We saw the practical applications of economic theory about production

and specialisation while also getting to pose alongside some incredible vehicles.

Once we had finished the tour of the BMW factory, we had the opportunity to explore the Olympic Stadium, even viewing the exclusive VIP lounge and the Hall of Honour, reserved solely for diplomats and world leaders viewing the matches. The tour also provided an insight into the historic events that occurred inside this stadium such as Jesse Owens winning four gold medals, disrupting Nazi propaganda.

On the final day, upon visiting the Ritter Sport chocolate store, we all had the opportunity to make our own chocolate bars of every variety from white chocolate with strawberries to bitter dark chocolate with raging red pepper. Tastes definitely varied among the group! But aside from the numerous activities which we completed and the knowledge we gained, both historic and economic, I highly valued the great social experiences we had on this trip. Whether it be searching around Berlin for the perfect souvenir, watching football with students from across the world or having a great start to the half term, I believe that everyone had a great time, so I’ll just say Danke für alles!

Semiloore Bankole (L6th)

From Trinity to Taiwan

For the first time since the pandemic, the Chinese Department embarked on an unforgettable overseas culture and language study trip for a week during half term.

25 students from the Third to Fifth Year visited Taiwan, accompanied by our Head of Chinese Mrs Wang, Mr Doyle and Mrs Taylor.

Mrs Wang reports: “After the long flights, the first day was spent exploring Sun Moon Lake (Ri Yue Tan) in central Taiwan, where every scene resembles a Chinese painting. We toured around a famous tea factory and sampled various Chinese teas. After heading north to Taipei, we visited the National Museum, Taipei 101 and Elephant Mountain to enjoy the city’s skyline as well as exploring the historic Shi Lin Night Market.

“After journeying to the east coast to Hualien, we thoroughly enjoyed various local delicacies at a huge night market and experienced the culture of the aboriginal Ami Tribe, even learning how to make our own sticky rice pudding.

“As you will hear below, the highlight of the trip for most students was the two-day stay at Tzu Chi Senior High School. We were warmly received and joined classes with their students, participated in the tug of war evening game and enjoyed the weekly Friday afternoon form time activities. It was difficult to bid farewell at the lively farewell party.

“On our way back to Taoyuan International Airport, we made a stop at Qingshui Cliffs at Taroko National Park, one of Taiwan’s top ten natural wonders. The entire trip was an incredible eye-opening experience and a rare opportunity to use our Chinese language skills. Students and staff thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Fourth Year student Aaron George said, “The Taiwan school trip is one I shall remember for the rest of my life. It was probably the most eventful week I have ever had. From visiting the Taipei 101, a building which used to be the tallest in the world, to having a boat ride on the Sun Moon Lake; from tasting new cuisine to seeing the National Palace Museum. The whole experience was made better by our tour guide, Louis, a much-loved member of our group who made everything funnier and more interesting.

“However, the best part was visiting Tzu Chi High School. Over there we met new people, made new friends, participated in activities important to Taiwanese culture (such as calligraphy), cooked our own food, learned about the history of the Tzu Chi Charity Foundation, and finally said goodbye to our new friends. You might think the language barrier would be a problem, but it was our difficulty in speaking to each other that

made the conversations more interesting. Overall, visiting Taiwan was a great experience and I would definitely visit again if I had the chance.”

Third Year student Emile Guiblin says, “The trip to Taiwan was an amazing experience, all the way from arriving at Taipei’s Taoyuan Airport to the flight back to London. We visited a variety of locations, and it was evident of the vast contrasts between the tranquil Sun Moon Lake, and bustling Taipei. I can think of very few people on the trip who didn’t make a photo of the Sun Moon Lake their home screen wallpaper. We also participated in a tea-tasting experience, where we subsequently bought at least two shopping bags’ worth of tea for family back in the UK! We then travelled back to Taipei, and with the help of our helpful yet hilarious tour guide, Louis, we entered the Shilin Night Market. The combination of the narrow streets and the large number of people made it even more exciting, as even though the time was around 8pm, all that was lighting the streets were lanterns or vendors’ stalls. The end of the trip was, for all of us, a grand finale.

“Many of us were not looking forward to seeing a school during the half term, but the students and staff at the Tzu Chi Senior High School in Hualien were really polite and kind, not to mention the 50 selfies Zach Wood and I took on one evening! We learnt a lot during these two days, including engaging in a cooking course in the neighbouring university, where we made bao buns and bubble tea. From shooting fire out of bamboo cannons to being at the top of Taipei 101, the Taiwan trip was a truly brilliant experience. 谢谢(Thanks), Mrs. Wang, Mr. Doyle and Mrs. Taylor, Louis, and all those at Tzu Chi High School!”

Mrs Q Wang Head of Chinese

Boys’ 1st XV Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

The 1st XV performed well at the St Joseph’s Tournament, qualifying for the quarter finals, and almost upsetting eventual winners Kirkham. However, the highlight of the season was undoubtedly Eton. Eton had an excellent season themselves - with lots of individual talent and a strong forward pack, they went unbeaten the remainder of the season. However, a huge effort from the 1st XV enabled them to grind out a narrow victory away from home. The joy at the final whistle showed how much it meant to the boys to win against such strong opponents showed how far they had come. I should also give a shout out to Rhys McCarthy for his individual performance against an incredibly strong Harrow team; that one will last long in the memory.

Who were the star players/most improved players?

It really is hard to pick individuals out. In terms of performance, Quinn Singh was the best player on the pitch in many of the games we played, but the strength of the team as they progressed through the year was the work rate and commitment of the entire group. Everybody made significant contributions to our best performances. The team’s collective willingness to do the hard, unseen, unrecognised work enabled them to compete at the highest level. In terms of improvement, it was pleasing to see enormous progress from a number of Lower 6th students (Eric Trinder, Ozzie Edwards, Jacob King, Rhys Gormley, Jack Vas and Louis Harrison-Rix) who will lead from the front next season.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

It was an absolute pleasure to coach a team who consistently strove to improve. After some tough moments early in the season they stuck together and were up there with the best teams in the country by Christmas. The trips to St Joseph’s, to Harrow and to Eton will live long in the memory. Finally, I would like to give a shout out to Lucas Friday. Our captain didn’t play a game this year after picking up an injury playing for England in South Africa during the summer. Regardless, his commitment and support for the team never wavered. He has contributed enormously to Trinity Rugby during his time at the school and we look forward to following his career as he moves on to Harlequins next season.

Mr P Roberts, Mr O Marriott

Squad: Ozzy Edwards, Louis Harrison-Rix, Oliver Wilcox, Jacob King, Omar Leon, Max Farrell, Isaiah Opara, Quinn Singh, Daniel Brown, Eric Trinder, Jacob Brome, Oscar Sweeney, Teddy Wilkie, Temi Asanbe, Lucas Friday, Jack Vas, Fred Webzell, Max Beadle, Benjamin Beadle, Rhys Gormley, Gabriel Bonsu-Amako, Samson Goldschmied, Harry Webzell, Rhys McCarthy, Jared Thompson, Jared Cummins, Christian Pauling, Cody Wilson, Daniel Aisa Miller, James Baxter, Lewis Tagg, Max Anderson.

2nd & 3rd XV

What were the highlights of the season?

Rugby

Eton away was a high for the 2nd XV – winning 36-10 against such a strong school speaks volumes about their teamwork and sense of game management. The 3rd XV secured an excellent 21-12 victory over KCS Wimbledon which will live long in the memory.

Who were the star players?

Lewis Tagg and Samson Goldschmied had fantastic seasons. Jared Cummins was the most improved player in the squad.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

Lewis Tagg and Samson Goldschmied smoothly adopted the leadership roles in this year’s team, with all new heroes coming to the fore in Pierre Rivet and Jared Cummins. An early loss to Cranleigh was the lesson that needed learning and things clicked in a dominant win over Langley shortly after. Scores were tight on more than one occasion with us on the wrong side against Brighton and the right one against Hurst. As the season progressed new stars were born in the form of Josh Adu-Kwapong and Jared Thompson and the journey of these players and more came to its crescendo against Eton where they played a brand of rugby that would have many a 1st XV quake. The season was one of impressive growth, huge levels of grit and a tenacious spirit in attack and defence that took many an opposition by surprise.

Mr T Rounds, Mr J Munnery, Mr J Pietersen

Squad: Jared Cummins, Lewis Tagg, Cuthbert Bashukwa, Conor Maguire, Thomas Parry-Williams, Victor Ibberson, Samson Goldschmied, Rhys McCarthy, Maxime Peterson-Eurin, Joshua Adu-Kwapong,Aaron Vaz, Ayaan Alam, James Baxter, Christian Pauling, Joel Gordon, Frank Collins,Jared Thompson, Cody Wilson,James Gilmour, Matthew Boyde,Pierre Rivet, Seamus Holton,Max Beadle, Thomas Walkinshaw, Luca Baker, Adhi Sasikumar, Kushal Shah, Isaac Teague, Orlando Riolo, Luke Rudman, Oskar Crabtree,Rishi Kanwar, Joe Hutchings,

U16 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

Beating Harrow 27-26 with almost the last kick of the game. All the boys pulled together to put in a performance for the ages - they were incredible. Harry Webzell’s offload to Cameron Buxton for the A team to win on the last play of the game against Brighton was fantastic. The spirit the B team showed to hold out with some amazing goal line defence to beat a strong Ravenswood team was inspirational.

Who were the star players/most improved players?

Max Anderson as captain was outstanding. Joel Adu Kwapong improved significantly, and Freddie Scott was a superstar all season. In the B’s Dan Owen, Piran Lewis, Harry Boland and Morgan Atkinson were at the heart of every success the team enjoyed.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

The boys were the best company throughout the whole year. I still don’t think they realise how good they are. To only lose one game, the first game of the year, was a brilliant achievement with the fixture list we have.

Mr G Kimmins, Mr L Sinclair, Mr A Scarr Hall, Mr J O’Connor

A Team Squad: Morgan Atkinson, Benjamin Beadle, Freddie Scott, Oliver Haydon, Ollie Young, Kaiden Watson, Oliver Styles, Luke Thorne, Max Anderson, Johnny Wilkie, Cameron Buxton, Daniel Aisa Miller, Matthew Oppong, Daniel Owen, Oliver Stephenson, Joel Adu-Kwapong, Daniel Asanbe, Jayden Alabi, Harry Webzell, Ezekiel Asigo, Uzoma Anele, Thabo Ncube

B Team Squad: Callum Beeney, Charlie Pryce, Leonardo Rigoli, Harrison Watts, Sam Young, Piran Lewis, Alexander Robinson, Daniel Williams, Brayden Dekas, Caleb Thompson, James Sutherland, Teddy Guntrip Mattia Reuter, Theo Chapman, Tommy Wright, Harry Driscoll, Oscar Barritt, Harry Boland, Morgan Atkinson

U15 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

For the As, the highlight of the season was the incredible one point win against John Fisher in the last game of the season - sheer character and determination saw us through! We also had an incredible weekend away at the Langley Festival with the highlight being a fantastic win against Tonbridge. For the Bs – a victory over Brighton in difficult conditions against the odds. For the Cs it was the exceptional performance and grit shown in awful conditions at Hurst.

Who were the star players/most improved players?

For the A Team, Zack Stringer, Ty Azugbene, Ashan Fernando and Conor Woodman gave great performances consistently week after week. Josh Bell made an incredible improvement throughout the season, and who could forget Jacob Fasida’s blistering hat trick against Whitgift in the cup? For the B team, Tom Haynes, Noah Bonner-McCarthy, Raphael Rivet and Tom Morrell were the star players, and Liam McNamara was definitely the most improved. Star players in the Cs were Esrom Binyam, Luke Thornton and Hugo Hipwell, with the most improved player being Faizaan Ahmed.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

For the A team this was a mixed season of results. We came up against some very good teams and have shown a real willingness to learn and develop which should hopefully stand them in good stead for the future. They have been a great group to work with and I wish them all the very best in the future. It was a season of ups and downs for the B team: when the team pulled together and really connected, they were truly unstoppable. They played with flair, creativity and passion, way beyond their years. There were some tough results to swallow but it’s all part of the journey and sometimes it’s those losses that provide the greatest insight for development. The C team season wasn’t just about wins and losses; it was about building a strong community within the team. Witnessing the growth of our players both on and off the field was truly remarkable. Every player embraced their changing roles, and the bonds formed this season were invaluable, creating a tight-knit group that embodied the true spirit of rugby.

Mr G Beresford-Miller, Mr R Hardman, Mr R Biggs and Mr C Ruck

U14 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

A Team Squad: Jack Godfrey, Keyan Etherington, Thomas Karelis, Joshua Bell, Ty Azugbene, Ashan Fernando, Camilo Godoy, Josh Gardner, Viktor Rose, Rory Annett, Emmanuel Nwosu, Mafeng Pwol, Rahul Sohoni, Kane Reynolds, Zack Stringer, Thiago Kicklin, Kal-El Ntiamoah, Conor Woodman, Edward Thomas, Jacob Fasida, Jasper Munns

B Team Squad: Evan Wood, Thomas Morrell, Liam McNamara, Gabriel Fraher, Leon Bird, James Barwell, Zain Irtiza-Ali, Noah Bonner-McCarthy, Blake FosterAileru, Enrico Dissera, Jacob Ashley, Dan Battersby, Tomi Waters, Raphael Rivet, Tom Hayes, Danny Keenan, Aidan Birmingham, Theo Strevens, Alexander Taylor, Benjamin Gilmour

C Team Squad: Joe Carter, Ali Hafeez, Matthew Hobden, Hugo Hipwell, Joshua Herd, Bhumit Madan, James Legge, Esrom Binyam. Jack Prior, Luke Thornton, Joshua Allen, Matthew Cavanagh, Uzair Jamil, Faizaan Ahmed, Freddie Payne, Finley Shiels, Aston Gayle, William Letchford. Oliver Goode, Theo Streves, Aidan Birmingham

Our National Cup run was pretty special, starting with convincing wins against both Cranmore and Gordon’s, and two superb performances against Harrow and pre-tournament favourite’s Epsom before a narrow loss against Collegiate School at Dings RFC in the Semi Finals. The B team’s victory over Hampton was a sight to behold, as were the C team’s demolition of Brighton, and the D team’s triumph over Brighton.

Who were the star players/most improved players?

There are so many players who deserve a mention. Our spine of Eli Atkinson, Mitch Truter, Shay Ivory, Dylan Lawson and Michael Jerrom led by example throughout the season. They were ably supported by Tobore Agbandje, Louis Potter, Dylan Robson and Humphrey Bedford. Javahn Woode, who sadly left us at Easter having signed a contract with Manchester City, produced some magical moments. He scored important tries in key moments, often having run the length of field and beaten almost the entire opposition. Victor Lanaspre is without doubt our most improved player, having started in the Bs and developed into an indispensable member of the team. His attitude and willingness to defend personified this group.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

A truly special and memorable journey which had it all, real lows like the opening day of the season defeat to Cranleigh, to the incredible highs of defeating Epsom in a National Cup Quarter Final at home. We built a special connection as a group over the course of the season and all the coaches will continue to follow their progress closely as their biggest supporters.

Mr M Richbell, Mr S King, Mr E Hooper, Mr N Russell, Mr J Timm

U14A Team Squad: Elias Atkinson, Louis Potter, Charlie Goodbody, Dominic Lin, Huey Ward, Mitch Truter(Vice-Capt), Victor Lanaspre, Tobore Agbandje, Shay Ivory(Capt), Dylan Robson, Javahn Woode, Dylan Lawson(Vice-Capt), Humphrey Bedford, Sebastian Bonsu-Amako, Michael Jerrom, Harry Hayler, George Gibbs, Seyitan Ogunyemi, Matthew Jacques, James Smith, Luke Timm, Dylan Odeleye, Aston Graham

U14B Team Squad: Theo Weston, Esosa Omonbude, Daniel Guglielmino, Keaden Beckford,Jamie Woodward, Axel Glauerdt, Sonnie Beckett, Matthew Beeney, Hugo Jaques, Denzel Williams, Thomas Love, Oliver Sewell, Monty Anderson, Nathaniel Harris, Seyifunmi Bankole, Shiv Singh, Malvin Kusi, Ethan Ashman, Marley Andon-Philips, Zach Ambler, Alastair Srathearn

U14D Team Squad: Oscar Horridge, Nwabueze Akubueze, Alex Giraudo, Hector Hills, Noah Husain, Oscar Clyde-Gore, Shreyansh Rath, Zaki Khelifa, London Yu, Sonnie Beckett, Imaad Khan,

U14C Team Squad: Kayin Shittu, George Clubbs, Magnus Mansaray, Shoaib Khan, Conn O’Malley, Leo Price, Nicky Reuter, Keaden Beckford, Ed Morris, Finlay Johnson, Noah Akohene-Voller, Seb Blessley, Sam Boxall, Oscar Pickering, Jowan Dekas, Hashim Elbashir, Noah Prestney, Max Burn, Imaad Khan, Will Patrick

U13 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

The highlights of the U13 season have been the sheer number of players who have represented the school and with such humility, commitment, and success. Over 80 boys have represented the school. It has been excellent to see the progress that the boys have made, their ability to put into matches what we have been learning in training, their willingness to defend and some of the unbelievable tries we have scored across the teams.

Who were the star players/most improved players?

The most improved players across the season include Dexter Hulbert-Jones, Charlie Keegan, Umair Khan, Aras Ozler and Noah Stacey. A big congratulations must also go to the players who were selected to play up a year this year; some covered injuries and others played a part in the U14 team who got to the National Cup Semi Final. Not only did these boys play a huge part in the success of our U13A team this year but gained valuable experience by playing up - congratulations to Harry Hayler, Huey Ward, Ben Harriman, Seyitan Ogunyemi and Austin Worrall.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

The U13 teams have shown they are enthusiastic and committed to their rugby development at Trinity. The energy they bring on a Monday afternoon during games and their willingness to play open, expansive and physical rugby has been a joy to watch. Every team has its superstars but those players who don’t necessarily score the tries are key to retaining possession, winning turnovers and making tackles. We have valued every player’s contribution to U13 rugby this year and all the coaches look forward to watching these boys continue to grow and develop as they move up through the school.

Mrs A Long, Mr M Bright, Mr N Giles and Miss K Curtis

A Team Squad: Will Booth, Jack Burke, Leo Carr, Jack Crossland, Marlowe Evans-Bardowell, Nathan Fasida, Ben Harriman, Harry Hayler, Charlie Keegan, Christian Mnkandla, Jacob Moralee, Michael Nwosu, Seyitan Ogunyemi, Oscar Sabourin, Marco San Martin Galluccio, Huey Ward, Lucas Waters, Bodie White, Henry Willand, Austin Worrall,

B Team Squad: Oscar Callaghan, Andre Fritsch, Rounak Ghosh, Fraser Gormley, Dexter Hulbert-Jones, Rohan Kanwar, Umair Khan, Andre Nimoh, Elijah Osinaike, Jonathan Shand, Paul Tregilgas, Eddy Watson, James Williams,

C Team Squad: Adrian Babic, Jack Filer, Theo Francis, Eliot Giegiel, Timmy Grannell, Daniel Kaminski, Jack Keenan, Frederick Leadbitter, Rafa Leonard-Riley, Euan Maguire, Giovanni Odida, Oliver O’Hara, Kiyan Patel, Faisal Rassoli, Elliot Spooner, Micah Thompson, Ben Towers,

D Team Squad: Ceydan Amfo, Cobi Bahiti, Oistin Boakye-Keating, Julian Carpegna, Jordan Fernando Pulle, Aiden Gadit, Nicholas Harvey, Oliver Herbert, Jack Kelly, Raphael Koh, Aran Luthra, Donncha McKeown, Aras Ozler, Arien Patel, Luca Pyle, Aarush Raghavendra, Ryan Rana, Arthur Reubi Herrick, Max Teoh-Feasey, Daniel Trocellier, Zachary Uwins-Garesse, Tom Wallace, Affan Aslam, Sam Broadley-Flack, Haris Adeoye, Oliver Hull, Sam McFerran, Yousuf Mortimer, Oliver Michael, Noah Stacey,

E Team Squad: Ali Asharia, Oliver Barlow, Tobi Badejo, Alex Cox, Edi Haka, Dami Ikumawoyi, Farris Jerrari, Josh Patel, Aarush Raghavendra, Rohith Rosan, Nishil Shavdia, Abee Aravinth

U13 Dubai rugby tour

The October half term saw the return of the popular U13 Rugby Tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, led by Mrs Long. Here, she reports back:

The 2023 U13 Rugby Tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi was a huge success. We arrived in Dubai late on the Sunday after a long day of travelling and the boys were met by their host families from the Dubai Hurricanes. On Monday morning, we travelled by coach to Abu Dhabi where we visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and saw the world’s largest chandelier in the 50,000 capacity, white marble mosque.

We continued on to the National Aquarium, which houses over 45,000 animals, where unfortunately for Mr Sinclair, one exotic bird decided to poo on him. Despite it being an exotic bird, he didn’t think this was ‘good luck’! We also paid a quick visit to the Yas Marina Formula 1 track which most of the boys recognised from the Xbox game F1 ’23. That evening, with the temperature still in the high 30s, we did a training session in the setting sun at Zayed Sport City before the boys met their host families from the Abu Dhabi Harlequins.

On Tuesday, we spent the day at Ferrari World, home to the world’s fastest roller coaster, the Formula Rossa, that reaches speeds of 240km/h. The boys spent the day going on all the rollercoasters, which wasn’t necessarily the best preparation for playing a match that night! With a few queasy boys, we took to the field that evening for our first match against Abu Dhabi Harlequins and the boys played brilliantly, captained by Harry Hayler, finishing eventual winners by 64-7.

On Wednesday we travelled back to Dubai, arriving at the Dubai Mall where we had lunch, watched the very impressive fountain show and went up to the 125th floor of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Despite Mr King’s fear of heights, he even managed to join the boys out on the viewing platform where we all enjoyed unrivalled views over the city. That evening, we travelled out into the desert to the Sevens Ground and the boys were lucky enough to play on Pitch 1 in the 30,000 seater stadium, home to the World Series Sevens tournament. The match against Dubai Hurricanes was a very physical one, with the boys having to work much harder at the rucks and on a huge pitch. Despite the heat and having spent the day walking miles, the boys scored some brilliant tries, defending heroically – at times, right on their try line - to run out 50-5 winners.

On Saturday we met at the Sevens Stadium for our final match of the tour, which took place at a packed stadium ground. The Saxo Women’s

7s was taking place alongside a huge netball tournament and it was fantastic to see the amazing sport that takes place in the UAE. The boys had been getting better and better as the matches went on and, in front of a large crowd, played their best rugby of the tour – against a much larger Canes side. Our students had the opportunity to try new positions and were now fully settled into playing 15-a-side rugby, having never played this version of the game before the tour. They once again finished comfortable winners. The boys voted Jacob Dako ‘Players’ Player’ as he was our top try scorer of the tour and brought great energy, electric feet and strong defence to every game.

On Sunday we travelled back to the UK and were met, most notably, with a 30degree temperature difference! Christian Mnkandla was voted Top Tourist for his consistent curiosity, brilliant self-organisation and making the most of every opportunity we experienced.

Mrs Long, Mr King and Mr Sinclair thoroughly enjoyed spending time with a fantastic group, and we are certain that the boys have developed their rugby, become close as a team and made lifelong memories with their friends.

Mrs S Long Teacher of PE

Student reflections

Harry Hayler said, “We were very lucky to be given the opportunity to go the UAE and we were all very excited. My friend and I were staying with a family from the Dubai Hurricanes rugby team who were very friendly and welcoming.

“We did so much, and everyone had so much fun, that it is very hard to choose my favourite day as I enjoyed all of them very much. However, I really liked the safari adventure in the desert, where we rode 4x4s over sand dunes, rode on camels, had food and watched dancing. I am very thankful to Mrs Long for arranging such a memorable trip and to Mr Sinclair and Mr King for looking after us.”

Christian Mnkandla said, “There aren’t enough superlatives to describe the UAE trip. This trip had it all, with a well selected roster of activities. There was never a dull moment: we went from the rollercoaster thrills at Ferrari, playing a rugby match on the famous World Sevens rugby pitch to witnessing the city of Dubai from 828 meters in the air at the top of the Burj Khalifa. With all these experiences and much more, I have learnt that you only live once and sometimes you have to come out of your comfort zone to have fun.”

U12 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

One of the biggest highlights of the season was fielding eight U12 teams against Langley back in September. This love for the game at the start of the season allowed over 100 boys in the year group to enjoy and experience some competitive rugby throughout the term. The A team had a brilliant season which saw them compete with every side they came up against. A particular highlight was finishing in the top group at the Surrey festival after winning five matches during the day. The final fixture against John Fisher summed up the group’s never say die attitude - despite losing two players to injury and defending for the majority of the second half, their ability to stay together and work for each other saw them come out as winners in the dying moments of the match. The B,C and D teams played regular matches and developed in both confidence and ability which saw a lot of players being promoted into higher teamsalways a sign of a successful season!

Who were the star players/most improved players?

Sunny Lawson and Conor Beeney were standouts for the A team all season. With ball in hand, Sunny is as exciting as it gets on the rugby

U12A Squad: Conor Beeney, Aaron Borteye, Edward Wright, Seth Kennedy, Sunny Lawson, Billy Morritt, Adam Rhodes, William Gibbs, Leo Orton, Seb Thorne, Jacob Nemeth-Paradot, Ned Copsey, Edward David, Freddie Stevens.

U12C Squad: Jack Dyer, Alexander O’Neill, William Swiatkiewicz, Ra’ees Siddiqui, Ben Sherrell, Partha Ram, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Evan McLeish, Raghav Kumar, Josh Kessler, Laksh Bhura, Kian Besley, Alexander Wright, Hamish Carnell, Justin Day

field; his footwork and ability to beat a player in space is exceptional. Conor’s defensive efforts are as equally impressive, his bravery to enter breakdowns and turn the ball over was a crucial part of the team’s successes this year. Aaron Borteye had his first experience of rugby this year and learned the game quickly to be a consistent A team player. Edward David and Tristan Allen saw themselves start in the D team and deservedly ended up starting in the A team towards the end of the season. Vihaan Roy and Alex Wright were essential members of the C team, their confidence in both attack and defence grew as the season developed and became integral members of the team.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

The year group as a whole were a great squad to work with. They are proving to be a coachable group who are developing a passion for the game. For what the A team lack in size, they certainly make up for in heart. The U12s are an exciting squad who are ones to watch as they move through the years at Trinity.

Mr S Richards, Mr R Jarrold, Mr J Saville, Mr T Richmond, Mr J Robertson

U12B Squad: Musa Begg, Leighton Dekas, Noah Ellis, Zac Harris, Will Haslock, Samarth Iyengar, Kavish Patel, Ben Skillicorn, Torin Strathearn, Kesi Essel-Koomson, David Tokan-lawal, Frank Potter, Xavier Karelis, Tom Clubbs, Finn Gratton, Charlie Dadds, Tristan Allen

U12D Squad: Lemuel Lamptey, Dylan Banerjee Chopra, Konstantin Brzezniak, Charlie Cormack, Saifullah Fiyaz-Lebbe, Ethan Gyer, Jamie Hanley, Dhruv Nair, Joshie Phillips, James Pomery, Eashwar Sasikumar, Shiv Sharma, Santi Sierra Vazquez, Ansh Chandarana, Jinmi Akinmolayan

U12E Squad: Ameya Bhattacharya, Luca Headland, Eshan Patel, Micah Spero, Gus Wallace, Jaden Wong Hing Cheung, Zain Hardcastle, Ishaan Sri Prakash, Jonathan Fan, Zac Dyer, Isaac Hayee, Keeran Ganatra, Jinmi Akinmolayan, Justin Day

U12F Squad: Hardik Tandon, Sekeesh Mahen, Daniel Veladanda, Shayan Jain, Adam Qureshi, Raaj Mathur, Jay Reeves, Rau Deshpande, Aaran Chitalia, Jacob Hayee, Theo Albert, Tom Simpson.

U12G Squad: Edward Morgan-Smith, Abhay Chaganti, Sachin Vijayanand, Ryan Saadat, Sebastian Onalaja, Adam Qureshi, Zain Hardcastle, Gus Wallace, Hardik Tandon, Jacob Hayee, Jonathan Fan, Aaran Chitalia.

U11 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

The rugby season was marked by remarkable growth, as our team showcased clear progression from start to finish. Our crowning achievement was securing 4th place out of 30 teams at the prestigious Donhead 7’s tournament, reflecting our dedication and talent.

Who were the star players/most improved players?

Finn Horgan, Adam Battersby, and Gabriel Dickinson all had excellent debut seasons, indicative of their good work ethic and skill levels.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

Reflecting on the season, the coaches are immensely proud of the boys’ growth. Over the last two terms, their relentless effort has transformed them into promising rugby players. Their dedication to training and games has been unwavering, laying the foundation for their success. As the season concludes, the coaches look forward to witnessing their continued development and achievements in the future.

Mr T Guise-Brown, Mr L Sinclair, Mr M Bond

Squad: Lewis Coyne, Adam Battersby, Gabriel Dickinson, Charles Doble, Noah Bennett, Harry Beeraje, Cameron Tough, Finn Horgan, Alex Bradburn, Michael Mulroy, Benedict Wibberley-Bello, Jason Shek, Alex Liluashvili, Zain Zeb, Zandy Hull, Aodhan Boakye-Keating, Michael Mulroy, Max Kayacan, Reyansh Mirchandani, Liam Nai, Sebastian Harris-Folkard, Thomas Price-Harries, Reyansh Mirchandani, Zain Zeb, Ethan Orioha, Rishi Mudunuru, Tom Day, Ben Wright, Hasan Suruliz.

Boys’ Rugby Sevens

What were the highlights of the season?

Undoubtedly the highlight of the sevens season was the U16s making it to the final at the Rosslyn Park National Sevens. To make it that far, playing ten games across two days, requires a lot more than just talent. The boys worked so hard for each other and fully deserved the opportunity to run out on the main pitch in front of the crowd and play for the National Title. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, but special memories were created across those two days that will last a lifetime. Elsewhere, the 1st VII were fantastic from the start of the season until the end. With a number of players perhaps more suited to the fifteen a side game the boys embraced their own style of sevens and took the game to every team we played. Making it to the final at Hurst and to day 2 of Rosslyn was a great achievement. Finally, a mention must go to the U13s whose A and B teams continued to improve and make everyone excited for the future.

Who were the star players/most improved players?

The entire U16 Squad deserves recognition for their efforts, but Kaiden Watson was the breakout player and the person everybody at Rosslyn Park wanted to watch. As usual Max Anderson, Ben Beadle and Harry Webzell made the team tick. In the seniors, Rhys McCarthy was relentless, after starting the season in the 2nd XV he was probably our sevens player of the season.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

The sevens season rounded off yet another outstanding year of rugby at Trinity. It has been great to see the enthusiasm for sevens growing and our students embracing the differences between sevens and fifteens. Success at a sevens tournament requires such a huge level of commitment and energy and it is great to see the level of care and camaraderie across our teams.

Mr P Roberts, Mr O Marriott, Mr G Kimmins, Mr G Beresford-Miller, Mr M Richbell, Mrs A Long, Mr R Hardman, Mr L Sinclair

1st VII Squad: Quinn Singh, Jacob King, Ozzy Edwards, Oliver Wilcox, Teddy Wilkie, Omar Leon, Rhys McCarthy, Jack Vas, Louis Harrison-Rix, Rhys Gormley, Fred Webzell, Jared Cummins, Temi Asanbe, Max Beadle, Isaiah Opara, Max Farrell, Samson Goldschmied, Eric Trinder, Oscar Sweeney

U14 Squad: Esosa Omonbude, Victor Lanaspre, Dylan Robson, Charlie Goodbody, George Gibbs, Michael Jerrom, Sebastian Bonsu-Amako, Mitch Truter, Dominic Lin, Charlie Keegan, Dylan Lawson Daniel Guglielmino, Shay Ivory, James Smith, Louis Potter, Ben Harriman, Harry Hayler, Elias Atkinson, Denzel Williams, Tobore Agbandje, Dylan Odeleye, Luke Timm, Humphrey Bedford, Javahn Woode

U12 Squad: Tristan Allen, Conor Beeney, Aaron Borteye, Ned Copsey, Edward David, Jacob Davidson, Leighton Dekas, William Gibbs, Zac Harris, Seth Kennedy, Jacob Nemeth-Paradot, Leo Orton, Frank Potter, Adam Rhodes, Torin Strathearn, Edward Wright, Seb Thorne

U16 Squad: Oliver Styles, Daniel Asanbe, Daniel Aisa Miller, Ezekiel Asigo, Daniel Owen, Ollie Young, Luke Thorne, Kaiden Watson, Max Anderson, Ben Beadle, Cameron Buxton, Joel Adu-Kwapong, Matthew Oppong, Jayden Alabi, Lanre Olatunji, Johnny Wilkie, Chinueze Ajaegbu, Harry Webzell, Uzoma Anele, Thabo Ncube, Oliver Stephenson, Brayden Dekas, Will Booth, Ty Azugbene, Zack Stringer

U13A Squad: Ben Harriman, Harry Hayler, Umair Khan, Michael Nwosu, Austin Worrall, Jack Burke, Huey Ward, Seyitan Ogunyemi, Bodie White, Charlie Keegan, Nathan Fasida, Leo Carr, Marlowe Evans-Bardowe

U13B Squad: Dexter Hulbert-Jones, Christian Mnkandla, Will Booth, Oscar Sabourin, Jack Crossland, Andre Nimoh, Marlowe Evans-Bardowell, Aras Ozler, Lucas Waters, Marco San Martin Galluccio, James Williams, Jacob Moralee

U11 Squad: Adam Battersby, Noah Bennett, Lewis Coyne, Gabriel Dickinson, Charles Doble, Finn Horgan, Michael Mulroy, Liam Nai, Harry Beeraje, Alex Bradburn, Robin Adams, Josiah Alfred, Cameron Tough

Girls’ Rugby Sevens

What were the highlights of the season?

Rosslyn Park was a brilliant success this year! The girls started strongly with a well-deserved victory.

Who were the star players/most improved players?

Hannah Karpal and Lauren Baldwin were excellent in attack and caused defences problems every time they had the ball as well as being dominant tacklers. Beth Willars will be forever known for her extreme hand-offs and left crowds audibly in awe of how she batted off tacklers. Lucy Balmain and Sophie Birch were so strong in defence and made excellent tackles, while Millie Danaher was brave beyond her size and made many try-saving tackles as well as being an excellent scrum half.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

The girls impressed us so much with their bravery, ability to transition into a sport that many of them have little to no experience of and how they battled and overcame some seriously strong opposition. They were a pleasure to coach, always brought energy and enthusiasm and showed their individual and team talents during every game.

Mrs S Long and Mr L Sinclair

1st VII Squad: Hannah Karpal, Lauren Baldwin, Beth Willars, Lucy Balmain, Leah Pryce, Alice Fawcett, Millie Danaher, Christyn Brunni, Mimi Collins, Sophie Birch, Pippa Carver, Olivia Morrell

Seniors Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

The Boys 1st XI had a remarkable season, showcasing exceptional talent and determination on the field. Their commendable performance secured them a notable 4th position in the country within the prestigious England Hockey Tier 1 league. Additionally, the team displayed prowess by advancing to the quarter-finals in the Independent Schools Hockey Cup, a testament to their skill and dedication. The Boys 2nd XI also had a commendable season, marked by notable victories and impressive performances. Among their standout achievements was a thrilling 5-3 victory in a closely contested match against Ardingly. The Girls’ 1st XI had notable victories against Royal Russell, Ibstock Place and Langley.

Who were the star players/most improved players?

Jack Mann, serving as captain and top scorer, played a pivotal role in leading the team to such outstanding achievements in the England Hockey Tier 1 competition and ISHC. We would also like to thank a number of Trinity leavers for their contribution to Hockey - they have been invaluable, shaping the team’s success and creating a brilliant team dynamic. Special recognition goes to Jack Mann, Kamran Khan, Oliver

1st XI Squad: Jake Collier, Theo Desai, Kian Downey, Zach Downey, Oliver Falero, Rhys Gormley, Lars Hansen, Cormac Haspel, William Haspel, Joe Hutchings, Kamran Khan, Conor Maguire, Jack Mann, Charlie Mather, Lewis Roberts, Micah Thomas, Max Virley, Conor Maguire

3rd XI Squad: Charlie Edwards, Ioan Edwards, Maksim Lalic, Christopher Legge, Nathaniel Leggett, Rahul Mehan, Alex Middleton, Dylan Patel, Caitlin Prior, Orlando Riolo, Adhi Sasikumar, Daniel Shand, George Brown, Sahaan Imtiazi, Hannah Karpal, Thomas Parry-Williams, Tayen Patel

Falero, Joe Hutchings, Micah Thomas, Zach Downey, and Theo Desai for their contributions. Their dedication and passion for the sport have left an indelible mark on the team and school for future years to come for Trinity Hockey. Aaryan Roberts and Lewis Tagg also merit special recognition for their significant contributions to the 2nd XI over the past two years. For the girls, Pippa Carver, Hannah Karpal and Leah Pryce all represented the school with distinction, fully deserving their full Hockey colours.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

The Boys Hockey seniors have had an exceptional season characterised by remarkable achievements and memorable performances. The collective efforts of all the Boys’ and Girls’ teams have exemplified the values of work hard, respect and enjoy. As we bid farewell to departing members and look ahead to the future, we hope to continue to strive for excellence both on and off the field. This squad have been a brilliant and exciting group to coach and they can hold their heads high with the achievements they have made as a team.

Mr N Giles

2nd XI Squad: Felix Barry-Casademunt, Matthew Boyde, Charlie Edwards, Ioan Edwards, Toby Fry, Franco Hillier, Seamus Holton, Matthew Johnsen, Nathaniel Leggett, Niam Patel, Isaac Proud, Luke Rudman, Daniel Shand, Isaac Teague, Jared Thompson, Daniel Todd, Luca Baker, George Brown, Pippa Carver, Leo Hilsley, Archie Holman, Anthony Hunter, Hannah Karpal, Rhys McCarthy, Isaiah Opara, Khush Patel, Tayen Patel, Pierre Rivet, Aaryan Roberts, Lewis Tagg, Oliver Wilcox.

Girls’ 1st XI Squad: Grace Giblin, Emily Hermans, Maddy Hunter, Lauren Izbicki, Thea Kerry, Caitlin Prior, Arushi Treanor, Fiona Armstrong-Denby, Lauren Baldwin, Pippa Carver, Millie Danaher, Hannah Karpal, Maya Malhotra, Carmen Morrison, Matilda Nilsson, Matilda Pooley, Leah Pryce, Kayla Victor, Yasmin Williams

Indoor Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

The Indoor hockey season saw exciting developments for our teams. Our U13s displayed exceptional talent, securing a commendable second place in the SIC Indoor tournament at Charterhouse. Meanwhile, our 1st team showcased their prowess by advancing to the London Indoor finals, a testament to their skill and determination.

Who were the star players?

Tom Karelis stood out as a remarkable player for the U15s, showcasing his exceptional skills on the field. Similarly, Max Virley and Joe Hutchings demonstrated their abilities for the 1st team, drawing attention with outstanding performances.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

Reflecting on the season, our coaches expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress and results. They emphasized the need to build upon this success, aiming to expand the programme further in the upcoming year and continue fostering a culture of excellence and passion for the sport.

Mr T Guise-Brown, Mr D Beckett, Mr C Porter, Mr N Giles

Senior Boys Squad: Theo Desai, Zach Downey, Oliver Falero, Jack Mann, Max Virley, Joe Hutchings, William Haspel, Jake Collier, Lars Hansen

U16 Squad: Joshua Bell, Thomas Karelis, Cormac Haspel, Edward Thomas, Sam Aikman-Beadle, Daniel Aisa Miller, Danny Keenan, Finn Leadbitter, Max Leadbitter, Lucas Collier

U14 Squad: Dylan Lawson, Ed Morris, Dylan Robson, James Smith, Humphrey Bedford, Axel Glauerdt, William Jones, Daniel Tough, Luke Timm, Anish Moholkar, Millen Treanor, Tobore Agbandje, Jowan Dekas, Esosa Omonbude

U13 Squad: Will Booth, Oscar Sabourin, Jonathan Shand, James Williams, Jack Keenan, Thomas Smith, Jordan Fernando Pulle, Jack Filer, Marco San Martin Galluccio

U16 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

The U16A boys went on a good cup run this year making it through to the quarter finals of the National Cup, narrowly losing to Hurstpierpoint 3-2. However, on a different day with potentially different umpires the result could have been very different. The B team had some great matches, not least the 8-1 routing of Caterham.

Who were the star players?

There were several standouts in the team with Dan Aisa Miller and Cormac Haspel sharing the captaincy and being at the forefront of the team for the entire season. Roman Coates, Tommy Wright and Rohan Kumar provided the spine of the team from defensive into attack and it was pleasing to see how they progressed over the course of the hockey season. It will be exciting to see where they are all playing next year in the senior team.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

The A team should be very proud of winning 7/9 games. To only lose in the later part of the cup and to Dulwich College’s 1st XI is nothing short of impressive. The boys have done extremely well this year to juggle both their academic commitments and still managing to turn up every week for training and their fixtures. It only goes to show just how much they enjoy it and hopefully they can take this attitude into next year where they will be integrated into the 1st XI and 2nd XI.

Mr T McKinnon, Mrs S Long

U16A Squad: Gene Allaway, Uzoma Anele, Roman Coates, Cormac Haspel, Akash Abbot, .Daniel Aisa Miller, Tommy Wright, Harrison Watts, Leonardo Rigoli, Rohan Kumar, Ethan Sun, Caleb Thompson, Thabo Ncube, Kian Downey, Johnny Wilkie.

U16B Squad: Daniel Asanbe, Mahen Jayasinghe, Oscar Barritt, Duncan Rout, Dylan Patel, Daniel Owen, Johnny Wilkie, Theo Chapman, Tommy Cuninghame, Oliver Lyons, Suhaan Verma, Max Gomulka, Jamie Willis, Thabo Ncube, Max Anderson

U15A Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

There were two main highlights of the season for the U15A team. The first of them was the 4-1 win at home against St. George’s, Weybridge, in our first game of the season. The team played fantastically well despite not having played together for a long time. The second big win was at home against Eastbourne College in the National Plate, where the boys controlled the game brilliantly well in the first half, but were unable to break the deadlock. Their pressure on the opposition grew even greater in the second half, soon leading to goals, and the final score of 3-0 didn’t flatter the Trinity boys at all. The B team’s highlight was winning 3-0 against a decent Ardingly side, whilst the C team had a notable victory against Caterham, winning 2-0.

Who were the star players?

There have been so many top performers this season, such is the quality of the team, that everybody would be worthy of an individual special mention. To pick out just three - Tom Karelis finished the season as the top goal scorer and drove the team forward from midfield with his energy, noise and exceptional skills. At the back, Lucas Collier led the defence really well, talking the team through many games, and turning plenty of forwards inside out with his quick hands. Josh Bell in goal also had an outstanding season, coming to the rescue whenever our defence was breached, and always organising the team with authority from his goal.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

It has been a privilege to coach these boys for the past two seasons. Although the results this season haven’t been quite as spectacular as the previous year, the amount of new content the lads have taken on and adapted to, is something to behold. There won’t be many U15 teams across the country who are able to enact such a variety of presses, and outlet shapes. Their game understanding, individually and as a collective, will stand them all in good stead going forwards, and I am excited to see how they develop as hockey players. If two or three of them are playing Men’s Premier League hockey in the future, I would not be surprised. They are a special group and I wish them all the best for next season and beyond.

Mr C Porter, Miss K Curtis, Miss G Webber

U15A Squad: Thomas Karelis, Evan Wood, Lucas Collier, Danny Keenan, Sam Aikman-Beadle, Camilo Godoy, Finn Leadbitter, Edward Thomas, Jasper Munns, Joshua Bell, Alexander Taylor, Leo Virley, Max Leadbitter, James Bradburn, Josh Gardner

U15B Squad: Joshua Allen, Artchuthan Aravinth, Dan Battersby, Aidan Birmingham, Aston Gayle, Hugo Hipwell, Matthew Hobden, Thomas Morrell, Freddie Morritt, Jack Prior, Raphael Rivet, Rahul Sohoni, Oliver Tam, Arush Wavhal, Matthew Mander

U15C Squad: William Letchford, Deeyan Patel, Oliver Tam, Rory Annett, Malachi Charalambous, Joe Carter, Daniel Farrell, Benjamin Gilmour, James Legge, Matthew Mander, Matthew Cavanagh, Artchuthan Aravinth

U14 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

The 14A hockey team clinched victory in a nail-biting cup win against Langley Park, triumphing after a tense shootout. Dylan Lawson’s stellar performance stood out as he single-handedly kept us in the game. The 14Bs secured hard fought 2-0 wins against both Dulwich and Alleyn’s, whilst the C team triumphed 1-0 over Caterham.

Who were the star players?

Ed Morris, Matthew Jacques, and Daniel Tough showcased their prowess throughout the season, contributing equally through the season.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

Despite disappointing results, the team’s impressive defensive attitude and work rate must be highlighted. The end to the season was commendable, with the team putting on performances they show be proud of. A tough season for the boys but one that will have created a strong foundation for future seasons. They are a great year group who enjoy their hockey and play in a good spirit.

Mr T Guise-Brown, Mr M Bond, Mr M Richbell

U14A Squad: Dylan Lawson, Ed Morris, Matthew Jacques, Daniel Tough, James Jackson, Victor Lanaspre, Axel Glauerdt, Dylan Robson, Humphrey Bedford, Jowan Dekas, Esosa Omonbude, James Smith, Hugo Jaques, Will Jones, Shay Ivory, Luke Timm, Tobore Agbandje

U14B Squad: Oscar Horridge, Matthew Beeney, Sam Boxall, Millen Treanor, Anish Moholkar, Henry Walshe, Javahn Woode, Ammar Raffiq, Ryan Ilmane, Noah Husain, Oscar Pickering, Hugo Jaques, Jamie Woodward, Denzel Williams, Aston Graham, Aarush Kumar, Aarush Kumar

U14C Squad: Ethan De Menezes, Louis Potter, London Yu, Eddie Phillips, Theo Weston, Christopher Bergs, Kaylan Patel, Jamie Woodward, Ronaal Weerasinghe, Mitch Truter, Otto Stueck, Shreyansh Rath, Dominic Lin, Daniel Guglielmino

U13 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

After a successful indoor campaign, the bulk of the squad spent four days prior to Christmas training out in sunny Barcelona. The New Year started with a pre-season friendly against the powerful St George’s, ending up one shy in an 11-goal thriller. This game set the tone for the attacking style of hockey and goal-scoring prowess that the team possesses. The team went on to win 11 out of 14 matches, scoring 64 goals and only losing to one other school. The highlights of the season were a trip to Bisham Abbey to watch GB train; topping the Stickwise league of five schools, scoring 21 goals in just 3 matches (the Caterham fixture was cancelled due to ice); beating KGS twice; and winning against Dulwich U14A’s in a full-field 11-a-side match. The team won Silver at the London Cup, losing only to the eventual winners Whitgift who went on to finish second in the Nationals. The B team’s biggest highlight of the season was probably winning the Tier 2 competition against Forest School A in the final. The whole season was a great success only coming away with one loss on a block fixture and one loss in the qualifiers! The C team’s thrilling 4-3 victory over Eltham will live long in the memory, as will the D team’s 9-3 demolition job on Langley.

Who were the star players?

Too many to name however a lot of players stepped up throughout the season and they all contributed and improved massively!. We are looking forward to watching them all play hockey in the years to come!

Final thoughts from the coaches:

It was a fantastic season of U13 hockey at Trinity - a talented group of hockey players and most importantly, great young men! They are all going to be great hockey players and I’m looking forward to watching many of them represent the 1st XI in years to come.

Mr R Moralee, Mr B Wilson, Ms E Bodinier, Mr L Sinclair

U13A Squad: Jack Filer, Thomas Smith, Marco San Martin Galluccio, Will Booth, Oscar Sabourin, Julian Carpegna, Harry Hayler, Jonathan Shand, Timmy Grannell, Alfred Beesley, Jack Burke

U13B Squad: Abee Aravinth, Alfred Beesley, Jordan Fernando Pulle, Fraser Gormley, Timmy Grannell, Daniel Kaminski, Jack Keenan, Umair Khan, Frederick Leadbitter, Rafa Leonard-Riley, Jacob Moralee, Yousuf Mortimer, Giovanni Odida, Oliver O’Hara, Arien Patel, Arthur Reubi Herrick, Nishit Shaydia, Elliot Spooner, Lucas Water, Clem Wilkie, James Williams.

U13C Squad: Tobi Badejo, Marlowe Evans -Bardowell, Rounak Ghosh, Eliot Giegiel, Charlie Keegan, Seyitan Ogunyemi, Josh Patel, Kiyan Patel, Paul Tregligas, Zachary Uwins-Garesse, Tom Wallace, Bodie White

U13D Squad: Haris Adeoye, Adrian Babic, Cobi Bahiti, Hamish Brolly, Nathan Fasida, Oliver Herbert, Taran Jeyanandhan, Rohan Kanwar, Euan Maguire, Donccha McKeown. Michael Nwosu, Micah Thompson.

U12 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

The U12A winning the U12 London Cup was an outstanding achievement, beating the strongest schools in the area. Fielding ten U12 hockey teams was incredible – to see so much enthusiasm amongst the year group speaks volumes of the love of Hockey at Trinity. Particular matches which stand out are the A team’s thrilling 5-4 victory over Eltham, the B team triumphing 6-1 over KGS, the C team narrowly beating Dulwich College 4-3, and the mighty G team trouncing St Dunstan’s 6-0.

Who were the star players?

Musa Begg played very well leading the A team as captain. Freddy Stevens was top scorer for the season. Several players in the lower teams were new to hockey, but committed 100% to the teams and developed quickly as a result.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

The U12 team made huge progress over the course of last term. Having lost some close fixtures at the start of the term they worked heard in training and games to enable them to come out on top as London champions. As a year group, they made such significant gains which made their coaches very proud.

Mr D Beckett, Mr J O’Connor, Mr R Jarrold, Mr J Townsend, Mr N Giles

U12A Squad: William Gibbs, Musa Begg, Conor Beeney, Sunny Lawson, Freddie Stevens, Raghav Kumar, Xavier Karelis, Tristan Allen, Kavish Patel, Samarth Iyengar, Dennis Lalic.

U12B Squad: Amrai Benning, Charlie Dadds, Jacob Davidson, Kesi Essel-Koomson, Keeran Ganatra, Rayyan Gill, Seth Kennedy, Josh Kessler, Billy Morritt, Leo Orton, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Adam Rhodes, Tom Simpson, Ben Skillicorn, Seb Thorne, Edward Wright, Seb Thorne

U12C Squad: Laksh Bhura, Hamish Carnell, Ned Copsey, Leighton Dekas, Fin Gratton, Jamie Hanley, Zac Harris, Frank Potter, Sid Schendel, Ra’ees Siddiqui.

U12D Squad: Aaran Chitalia, Edward David, Eddie Grisson, Will Haslock, Hal Heaton, Evan McLeish, Ayaan Mir, Oliver Shelley, Santi Sierra Vazquez, Alexander Wright

U12E Squad: Dylan Banerjee Chopra, Abhay Chaganti, Ansh Chandarana, Tom Clubbs, Rau Deshpande, Raghav Durgan, Noah Ellis, Zain Hardcastle, Isaac Hayee, Jacob Hayee, Shayan Jain, Aamir Kanchwala, Dhruv Nair, Jacob Nemeth-Paradot, James Pomery, Partha Ram, Seb Shaw, Krish Singh, William Swiatkiewicz, David Tokan-lawal, Jaden Wong Hing Cheung, Aahil Yassin

U12FGHIJ Squad: Joshua Barlow, Kian Besley, Aaron Borteye, Lemuel Lamptey, Joshie Phillips, Shiv Sharma, Micah Spero, Raaj Mathur, Joshie Philips, Eashwar Sasikumar, Shiv Sharma, Jinmi Akinmolayan, Theo Albert, Kian Besley, George Broadley-Flack, Justin Day, Ethan Gyer, Sekeesh Mahen, Hardik Tandon, Caspar Vehring

U11 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

The U11A hockey team’s season was defined by remarkable progress and excellent enthusiasm. From newcomers to experienced players, every member showed impressive improvements throughout the year. Their energy and passion created a positive atmosphere at every practice and match. Even when faced with tough results, the team’s positive approach was always evident. It was particularly rewarding to witness boys who were new to hockey develop into outstanding players. For the A team, the 5-5 draw against Dulwich was a spectacular match. The B team demolished Eltham 13-3, which was testament to all their hard work in training.

Who were the star players?

Finn Horgan and Alex Bradburn were the two standout players. There were many who played their first game of competitive hockey and were committed to the cause!

Final thoughts from the coaches:

It was a great first season of Trinity hockey for these players – the future is bright!

Mr E Hooper and Mr M Bond

U11A Squad: Adam Battersby, Harry Beeraje, Noah Bennett, Elliot Bergs, Alex Bradburn, Lewis Coyne, Gabriel Dickinson, Daniel Grannell, Finn Horgan, Dhilan Patel, Thomas Price-Harries, Cameron Tough.

U11B & C Squad: Robin Adams, Eliot Bergs, Charles Doble, Jayshaan Jeganmohan, Max Kayacan, Rishi Mudunuru, Benedict Wibberley-Bello, Arjun Agrawal, Benyameen Ali, Aodhan Boakye-Keating, Lewis Coyne, Zandy Hull, Akshaj Kasera, Reyansh Mirchandani, Michael Mulroy, Aryan Ramaswami, Hasan Suruliz,

Pitch perfect

This has been the most successful season in Trinity football history, winning the National U15 and U13 Trophies for the first time.

There are so many talented footballers in the school, eight of whom are signed to professional clubs. Those who were signed by professional clubs this year were:

Jahvan Woode – Manchester City

Nathan Fasida – Fulham

Sunny Lawson – Brighton

We are incredibly proud of their success. All of these students have participated in several sports across their time at Trinity, which is indicative of our general programme. We wish them all the best with their first steps as professional sportsmen.

Football Seniors

What were the highlights of the season?

1st XI Team - Even though we lost, the effort shown in the ISFA Trophy match against Berkhamsted was outstanding. The 5pm Kick off under lights will I’m sure live long in the memory for a lot of students! The 2nd XI beat a strong Wilson’s team 6-2, and the 3rd XI beat St George’s Weybridge a scarcely believable 8-1.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

Although we were not able to play many fixtures as a “1st team”, all the matches we were able to play were extremely enjoyable. I think in general we under achieved especially in the ISFA Trophy but the trip to Marlborough College was a great day! The number of players who turned out for all the senior teams this year is testament to the passion for football in our school. I hope all involved continue to play football once they have left Trinity.

Mr B Wilson

1st and 2nd XI Squad: Nathan Good, Rhys Gormley, Joe Hutchings, Taisei Masumoto, Max Farrell, Hassan Kara, Eric Trinder, Andrew Dowsett, Luke Rudman, Daniel Brown, Oscar Beswick, Aaryan Roberts, Michael Tadman, Omar Leon, Cuthbert Bashukwa, James Baxter, Quinn Singh, Gabriel Bonsu-Amako, Jake Silver, Lanre Olatunji, Conor Maguire, Chibueze Ajaegbu, Kian Downey, Luca Baker, Archie Holman, Felix Gomulka, Oscar Beswick, Taisei Masumoto, Jake Silver, Jacob Galbraith, Isaiah Bogle, Nathan Good, Christian Pauling,

3rd and 4th XI Squad: Michael Willis, Theo Funnell, Alex Salama, Tom Shaxson, Sami Raza, Jaedon Osei-Bonsu, Joel Gordon, Olly Keers, Will Laidlaw, Thomas Walkinshaw, Oliver Veraas Brown, Liam Patel, Ishaan Mohan, Max Carver, Jesse Chiduaka, Oli Haycocks, Thushan Peiris, Richard Wild, Dickon King, Matthew Lane, Raagavan Thevathas, Anthony Hunter, Husain Jaafar, Harris Sawar, Samuel Adebajo, Sami Husain, Daniel Shard, Jesse Chiduaka, Leo Hilsley, Tayen Patel, Luke Ellis

U16 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

Being 2-1 down to Tennisons at half-time and winning 7-2. The response to the half-time team talk was exactly what was needed, with the team stepping up their intensity and their ability shining through in the end.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

This season was challenging for many reasons. With it being the group’s GCSE year, the academic demands often affected their ability to commit to training. Moreover, plagued by injuries throughout the year, we never really managed to string together a run of games. There is a lot of potential in this squad, and I hope that many of them will stretch themselves more next year and commit to competing for a first team place. Joel Adu-Kwapong led by example on the pitch. With a composed head and real technical ability he was an example to his team. This was also shown by his commitment to training, and I am pleased that he also trained with the first team.

Mr S Hodge

U16A Squad: Theo Chapman, Joel Adu-Kwapong, Lanre Olatunji, Gene Allaway, Tommy Wright, Harrison Watts, Daniel Aisa Miller, Chibueze Ajaegbu, Kian Downey, Johnny Wilkie, Lucas Chatterjee, Cameron Buxton, Harry Boland, Oliver Sayburn, Harry Driscoll, Salman Ali, Liam Latuszek, Matthew Oppong, Jayden Alabi

U15 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The U15A football team had a truly memorable season, winning 10 of their 11 games leading to national success in the ISFA Trophy. The boys scored 66 goals in the process, which was much-needed as they conceded an average of almost three goals per game!

Despite a very successful cup run, the scene was set in the first friendly of the year away at Wilson’s School. Finding themselves 2-0 down with 12 minutes to play, an upset was on the cards, but the team showed great resilience to score four quick goals and come away with a 4-2 win and their pride intact. The B team also triumphed over Wilson’s, securing a 4-1 win in epic circumstances.

The lads clearly got a taste for a comeback win after this, which led to some questionable first-half performances, only to be followed up by sensational finishes to games. During their cup run, the boys were 4-1 down against Brentwood School, Essex, only to end up winning 6-4, and 5-2 down against St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, before scoring six unanswered goals to finish 8-5 up. Then in the biggest game of the season, the ISFA Trophy final, the team came from behind, yet again, to win 6-2 against The Grange School.

There were also more comfortable wins - 10-0 vs. Kew House, 6-1 vs. Downsend, and 4-2 vs. ACS International - and a disappointing 3-2 loss against a strong Dulwich College side.

Who were the star players?

Individually, everyone involved needs a mention. Ed Thomas captained the side with remarkable maturity, marshalling the midfield and popping up with some really important goals, including an impressive hat trick in the ISFA Trophy final. Jacob Fasida performed at a level rarely seen at this

age group, causing issues for defenders everywhere, and regularly playing two or three different positions every game. The third player in the squad who is part of an academy set-up is Javahn Woode, whose performances were so special that he left the team (and the school) for a new life in the north west, having been signed by Manchester City’s academy. Javahn was playing for the U15 team despite being an U14, and he was accompanied in the side by fellow youngster, Dylan Lawson. Dylan started the season as a centre-back but ended up playing in goal for the majority of the season after regular goalkeeper, Jacob Ashley, picked up an injury that led to him becoming assistant manager/ultra fan for most of the campaign. Across the backline, Noah Bonner-McCarthy and Danny Keenan are both technically-gifted full-backs who were rarely beaten, and at centre-back, the combination of Ty Azugbene’s composure and physical presence, along with the no-nonsense approaches of Louie James and Rahul Sohoni, completed the defence. Tom Karelis played in deep midfield and his tough-tackling and endless running set a platform that the other midfielders could play from. Camilo Godoy was one such player, often driving the team forward with his trickery and creativity. Up top, Aston Gayle, Raphael Rivet and Tom Morrell created problems for plenty of full-backs down both wings with pace and quality on the ball, and Emmanuel Nwosu’s tidy footwork and eye for goal made him a great option through the middle.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

This was a season that I will never forget as a coach, and it has been a privilege to be part of this special group’s journey. I wish them all the best in the future, and hope to see many of them playing 1st XI football next year.

Mr C Porter, Mr M Bond, Mr B Wilson

15B Squad: Timofey Ivanov, Aarian Nair, Dan Battersby, Aidan Birmingham, Tom Haynes, Theo Strevens, Liam McNamara, Hayden Yusuf, Seung-Yu Kim, Finn Leadbitter, Max Leadbitter, Ali Hafeez, Zack Stringer, Jack Godfrey, Matthew Hobden

15C Squad: Jack Prior, Matthew Mander, Blake Foster-Aileru, Artchuthan Aravinth, Avi Arora, Ibrahim Bachelani, Paarus Batra, Malachi Charalambous, Naku Debebe, Jack Godfrey, Zain Irtiza-Ali, Uzair Jamil, Freddie Payne, Oliver Tam

15A Squad: Dylan Lawson, Noah Bonner-McCarthy, Danny Keenan, Ty Azugbene, Louie James, Thomas Karelis, Raphael Rivet, Edward Thomas, Jacob Fasida, Camilo Godoy, Aston Gayle, Emmanuel Nwosu, Thomas Morrell, Rahul Sohoni, Jacob Ashley, Alexander Taylor, Javahn Woode, Shay Ivory

U14 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The U14A boys had a very positive season reaching the last 32 in the ESFA Cup, only to fall short to a strong Maidstone Grammar school. Our best performance came against St Pauls in round 4 of the ESFA Cup where we came away 8-1 winners, with Hugo Jaques scoring an outrageous hat-trick. Special mention has to be said to Javahan Woode who over the course of this year has signed an academy contract with Manchester City, where we are all wishing him the best. The B team’s undoubted highlight has to be the 12-0 victory over local rivals Royal Russell!

Final thoughts from the coaches:

I was pleased to see how far the boys progressed over the course of the season. With a very difficult start having fixtures against Whitgift and Kingsdale. The boys pushed on and secured some very positive results against Epsom, Bonus Pastor Catholic College, St.Paul’s and Royal Russell. The boys should be really excited to go into next year’s competitions hoping to go a few steps further and win some silverware.

Mr T McKinnon, Mr S Allison, Mr B Wilson

U14A Squad: Leo Price, James Smith, Luke Timm, Dylan Lawson, Javahn Woode, Michael Jerrom, Robbie Taylor, Sebastian Bonsu-Amako, Tobore Agbandje, Shay Ivory, Daniel Guglielmino, Hugo Jaques, Dominic Lin, Ed Morris, Matthew Jacques, Oscar Clyde-Gore

U14B Squad: Aston Graham, Victor Lanaspre, Ethan Ashman, Shiv Singh, Nathaniel Harris, Otto Stueck, Mitch Truter, Denzel Williams, Theo Weston, Sam Boxall, Matthew Beeney, Manuel Akoto, Ammar Raffiq, Oscar Pickerin

U14C Squad: William Jones, Freddie Balcombe, Ali Kara, Anish Moholkar, Oliver Sewell, Esosa Omonbude, Nicky Reuter, Hashim Elbashir, Louis Potter, Praveer Bhatt, Alex Giraudo, Ryan Patel, Ryan Ilmane, Zak Adjepong

U13 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The boys had a great run in the U13 ISFA Cup this year. They made it all the way to the Quarter final before becoming unstuck to a quality Aldenham side - one step shy of the last four. Subsequently, we embarked on a fulfilling ISFA Trophy quest, comprehensively defeating a strong Leeds Grammar school side in the last four on a mammoth trip to North of England, securing a final spot against Truro College at Burnham football club. We were victorious on the day 4-2. Goals from Harry Hayler, Paul Tregilgas, and Nathan Fasida saw us crowned 2024 ISFA School Trophy Champions. This accolade cemented what was a fantastic year for U13 football, a season which saw the completion of over 25 fixtures across the 4 teams. The season consisted of multiple block fixtures against the likes of Wilsons School and Dulwich Prep, highlighting the popularity of football amongst the Year 8 cohort. Overall, it was a fantastic year in terms of both participation and success, with over 80 second years engaging in football over the opening two terms of the year.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

It was a really successful year for U13 football, participation in both training and fixtures was fantastic to see, coupled with national cup success for the A-team boys. Captain Tommy Smith reflected on a great season for the U13 cohort stating: ‘how impressed I was to see so many of my friends engaging in all of the U13 football in the autumn and spring term.’ Tommy also said how pleased he was with his A-team teammates regarding their ISFA Trophy success, highlighting it as one of his favourite moments of the year.

Mr J O’Connor, Mr E Hooper, Mr R Jarrold, Mr A Magee, Mr A Spero

U13A Squad: Sunny Lawson, Oistin Boakye-Keating, Will Booth, Jack Burke, Jack Crossland Jacob Dako. Marlowe Evans-Bardowell, Nathan Fasida, Harry Hayler, Oliver Herbert, Charlie Keegan, Michael Nwosu, Oscar Sabourin, Thomas Smith, Elliot Spooner, Paul Tregilgas, Clem Wilkie

U13B Squad: Rounak Ghosh, Austin Worrall, Fraser Gormley, Lucas Waters, Jack Keenan, Ali Asharia, Julian Carpegna, Oistin Boakye-Keating, Marlowe Evans-Bardowell, Oscar Callaghan, Donncha McKeown, Rafa Leonard-Riley

U13C Squad: Oliver Hull, Fabio England, James Williams, Frederick Leadbitter, Umair Khan, Timmy Grannell, Jonathan Shand, Marco San Martin Galluccio, Alfred Beesley, Ceydan Amfo, Haris Adeoye, Tom Wallace, Oliver O’Hara, Jacob Moralee

U13D Squad: Cobi Bahiti, Abee Aravinth, Euan Maguire, Eliot Giegiel, Yousuf Mortimer, Giovanni Odida, Josh Patel, Faisal Rassoli, Nishil Shavdia, Ben Towers, Jacob Moralee, Hamish Brolly, Daniel Trocellier, Christian Mnkandla

U12 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The U12A team’s highlight was the display by the side against Kingsdale in the cup. Despite losing, the pupils put in a very strong performance in both games against what was a very strong side. The B team emerged with a creditable 1-1 draw in their first fixture against Eaton House. Meanwhile, the C team enjoyed a 4-1 win over Dulwich, whilst the D team enjoyed a rollercoaster 3-3 draw against the old enemy Whitgift.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

Seeing all of the players progress and make improvements to their game. playing a very good side early in the Cup competitions was a shame as with an easier start to the cup it would have been possible to progress further. It is always heartening seeing four teams across the year group – there is a lot of love for football amongst these boys!

Mr D Beckett, Mr O Marriott, Mr M Hammond, Mr S Page

U12A Squad: Jacob Davidson, Sid Schendel, Noah Ellis, Conor Beeney, Lemuel Lamptey, Aaron Borteye, Freddie Stevens, Fin Gratton, Zac Harris, Jacob Nemeth-Paradot, Frank Potter, Sunny Lawson, Hamish Carnell, Ben Skillicorn

U12B Squad: Tristan Allen, Raghav Kumar, Kavish Patel, Laksh Bhura, Billy Morritt, Ra’ees Siddiqui, Rayyan Gill, Jamie Hanley, Dhruv Nair, Kesi Essel-Koomson, Charlie Dadds, Matthew Troalen

U12C Squad: Seth Kennedy, Evan McLeish, Aahil Yassin, Tom Clubbs, Alok Mara, Shiv Sharma, Edward Wright, Amraj Benning, Shayan Jain, Luca Headland, Ryan Saadat, Ned Copsey, Raaj Mathur, Seb Shaw, William Gibbs

U12D Squad: Seb Shaw,Ayaan Mir, James Pomery, Eshan Patel, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Zac Dyer, Zain Hardcastle, Adam Qureshi, Jinmi Akinmolayan, Joshie Phillips, Will Hasslock, Kieran Ganatra, Micah Spero

U11 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The highlight of the season has to come from Harry Beeraje who scored from his own half lobbing the opposition goalkeeper. Adam Battersby also provided many moments of brilliance, scoring in the first minute of the ISFA U11 tournament. For the B team, an opening 6-2 win of the season against Elmhurst was a real statement of intent.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

For their first year at Trinity, I thought the boys were fantastic, always remaining positive even if the result didn’t go our way. It was very pleasing to see all the boys so eager throughout the entire season, turning up to training without any hesitation even when the weather wasn’t the best. I hope that the boys can take everything that they learnt into next year and build on what was a very good first year at Trinity. Special mentions have to go to Finn Horgan, Adam Battersby, Gabriel Dickinson, Daniel Grannell and Lewis Coyne who were outstanding throughout the entire year and never failed to impress both in attitude and ability. Fielding three teams in a year group of this size is very impressive.

Mr T McKinnon, Mr B Patel, Mr T Parleins

U11A Squad: Zandy Hull, Finn Horgan, Harry Beeraje, Lewis Coyne, Gabriel Dickinson, Daniel Grannell, Adam Battersby, Aodhan BoakyeKeating, Charles Doble, Noah Bennett, Liam Nai

U11B Squad: Alex Bradburn, Josh Patel, Michael Mulroy, Austin MacDonald, Ethan Orioha, Rishi Mudunuru, Liam Nai, Sebastian HarrisFolkard, Dhilan Patel, Reyansh Mirchandani

U11C Squad: Jayshaan Jeganmohan, Ethan Orioha, Hasan Suruliz, Sebastian Harris-Folkard, Max Kayacan, Reyansh Mirchandani, Michael Mulroy, Dhilan Patel

Senior Boys’ Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

Senior cricket was thriving this season. With three regular teams playing on a Saturday and a 4th XI raring to go, it was refreshing to see pupils being pushed for their places in the senior sides. A young 1st XI competed with a tough circuit all season and picked up notable wins against the MCC, Dulwich College, RGS Guilford, St George’s Weybridge and Melbourne Grammar. Tommy Wright scored over 600 runs including two centuries, a quite remarkable achievement for a 5th former playing in the 1st XI. Arush Wavhal and Rohan Kumar joined Tommy in scoring centuries alongside Louie James taking 6 wickets against Reed’s. More importantly than individual performances, the bonds between the senior squads was exceptional. It was refreshing to see so many pupils support each other during fixtures, and the competition for places in the 1st XI was a continuous healthy battle during training sessions.

For the 2nd XI, Caleb Thompson’s battling 50s against Whitgift and Dulwich were a real standout. Daniel Shand’s 45* when we were under the pump against Whitgift was a top-class innings.

Niam Patel showed great consistency in his opening spells throughout the season bowling a testing line and length. This was evident in his spell of 3-18 against St George’s Weybridge; this opening spell removed their top order setting up a good all round bowling performance where they were all out for 73. Louis Harrison-Rix has been a consistent performer with his off spin and lower order batting. He showed good variation in his spell against Langley Park where he picked up three wickets for 29 runs. Max Virley contributed a great deal to the second XI this term, captaining the side and showing excellent leadership in driving energy for the team.

The 3rd XI experienced another largely victorious season, winning three out of their possible four available fixtures. Ably captained for the third year running by Felix Gomulka, a cohesive unit and collaborative team

spirit was fostered amongst a collective which came from three different academic year groups. Over his time as captain, which commenced in 2022, Felix must have worked with at least 30 different people: a commendable feat.

Highlights for this summer emerged from two matches. First there was the wonderful quickfire knock of 41 runs by Will Haspel which contributed to the winning score of 157 runs against St Paul’s. Thereafter was the match versus Whitgift which witnessed a fierce bowling spell by Michael Willis, resulting in four wickets. A mature partnership of 40 runs from a sticky situation of 65 for 5, between Felix Gomulka and Max Dickinson to enable victory from the jaws of defeat.

Who were the star players?

Tommy Wright scored over 600 runs for the 1st XI this season. Opening the batting, he consistently got the team off to a good start and allowed others to bat around him in order to post some competitive totals. He was ably supported by Lewis Roberts who scored over 300 runs, often batting in the middle order. Rohan Kumar took 16 wickets opening the bowling for the 1st XI and Louie James (27 Wickets) starred in the middle overs bowling leg spin.

Any individual milestones to highlight?

Tommy Wright (104 & 102*), Arush Wavhal (107) and Rohan Kumar (114) all scored excellent centuries this season. Louie James took 6 wickets in our final game of the season against Reed’s.

Final thoughts from the coaches

Despite having a season of ups and downs, the future of 1st XI cricket at Trinity is certainly bright. Ollie Falero skippered the 1st XI brilliantly this year and was ably supported by Teddie Wilkie and Oliver Wilcox. Our thanks go to those three departing pupils for their commitment and energy towards the cricket programme during their time at Trinity.

Mr S Richards, Mr O Marriott, Mr R Salmanpour

2nd XI Squad: Kamran Khan, Matthew Johnsen, Luke Rudman, Caleb Thompson, Daniel Shand, Niam Patel, Johnny Wilkie, Rhys McCarthy, Max Virley, Rhys Gormley, Max Beadle, Cameron Brown, Louis Harrison-Rix, Seamus Holton, Samson Goldschmied, Khush Patel, Kushal Shah, Toby Fry

1st XI Squad: Oliver Falero, Oliver Wilcox, Teddy Wilkie, Ishaan Mohan, Micah Thomas, Lewis Roberts, Jacob King, Rohan Kumar, Tommy Wright, Louie James, Arush Wavhal, Ayaan Alam, Johnny Wilkie, Ashvin Jeyanandhan, Dylan Patel

3rd XI Squad: Felix Gomulka, Rahul Mehan, Michael Willis, Max Dickinson, Sami Raza, Matthew Boyde, Franco Hillier, Harry Boland, Duncan Rout, Joe Hutchings, Akash Abbot, Pierre Rivet, Oscar Sweeney, Eric Trinder, Ayaan Ratnayaka, Kushal Shah, Louis Harrison-Rix, Theo Desai Staff v Students

Senior Girls’ Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

It has been another successful year for Girls’ Cricket at Trinity. It is hard to believe that we only played our first hard ball match last season given the quality of performances thus far. Expectations were high as we knew the addition of exciting L6th talent would complement our U6th stalwarts well.

The first game of the season was against Woldingham in the Surrey Cup – a competition we performed well in last year. Choosing to bat first, an excellent partnership between Hannah Karpal and Sylvie Jones saw Trinity post a healthy total which would prove challenging for the opposition. What followed was remarkable – defending only five from the final over, Sylvie managed to limit the batters to four, tying the game and resulting in a Super Over! Such drama was not good for the coaches’ blood pressure, but the girls were calmness personified, restricting Woldingham to only five, before Hannah and Sylvie returned to the crease to chase the total with three balls to spare.

Amongst other highlights in a packed fixtures list was our first ever National Hundred Ball cup victory against Ibstock Place. The National Cups are fiercely competitive, and we were without our U6th stars who had a Leavers’ Event on the same day. However, it speaks volumes about the team spirit of the L6th players, many of whom were new to cricket, that they not only beat an experienced Ibstock side, but did so with time to spare. Led expertly by Tabi Hollywood and electric in the field, the girls restricted a strong batting lineup to 67, before knocking off the total with few alarms. Caitlin Prior’s three wickets (and a run out) earnt her the title of top wicket taker in the country after the first round!

Who were the star players?

There were many other individual highlights this season – Hannah Karpal set the record for highest batting score by a Trinity girl, and then almost broke it a few matches later. Sylvie Jones demonstrated her class with both bat and ball, taking wickets at the start and end of innings with impressive skill. Tabi Hollywood took on the responsibility of attack leader in her stride, and Rowen Titchener and Hollyann Reeves demonstrated that the future of the bowling attack is in safe hands. Caitlin Prior finished the season against Langley with another four wickets, and Emily Hermans, having never kept wicket before this season, took to the role like a natural.

Final thoughts from the coaches

What makes all these moments more remarkable is that the girls play against schools who have played cricket together since Year 7. They have a fantastic team spirit and are an absolute joy to coach, as evidenced by their training session with former Trinity student and current professional cricketer Kira Chathli. I am indebted to Mr Richards for all of his support both on and off the pitch, as well as Miss Farr and Miss Herdman, who have been champions of all aspects of Girls’ cricket and ensured we play with smiles on our faces. It is often commented on by opposition coaches how much fun our girls are having – they have certainly made some excellent friendships and memories this season!

Mr D Lydon

Girls’ 1st XI Squad: Sylvie Jones, Hannah Karpal, Maya Malhotra, Tabi Hollywood, Leah Pryce, Hollyann Reeves, Grace Giblin, Caitlin Prior, Emily Hermans, Lily Appleby, Maddy Hunter, Thea Kerry, Arushi Treanor, Lucy Balmain, Kayla Victor, Mahi Parekh, Mimi Collins, Poppy Hibbert,

Rowen Titchener, Matilda Pooley, Ella Verma, Martha King, Millie Danaher, Gabriella Thomas, Sivakami Arunan, Lauren Baldwin

U15 Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

The U15A team had a good cup run, finally losing to Reigate and Whitgift in two close games. Alongside this, an excellent performance against Dulwich saw the team get over the line in a low scoring game thanks to a top team effort with both the bat and the ball. The U15B experienced a Super Over against St Paul’s which will live long in the memory! Jacob Fasida’s hat trick was also a highlight of the season.

Who were the star players?

There are too many to mention! They were all fantastic at times across the season and all contributed to different areas of the matches whether it be a quick 50, taking wickets, or even just solid fielding.

Any individual milestones to highlight?

Anish Moholkar, Arush Wavhal, Louis James, and Danny Keenan all hit a 50 this season.

Final thoughts from the coaches

It was an absolute joy to take the U15 teams this year. So many students have really improved their cricket and are gaining some love for the game. I really hope they all continue to play post Trinity or at least have fond memories of cricket during their time at school.

Mr D Beckett, Mr B Wilson, Mr M Bond

Louie

Max

Theo

U15A Squad: James Legge, Keyan Etherington, Anish Moholkar, Arush Wavhal,

James,

Leadbitter, Finn Leadbitter, Zack Stringer, Danny Keenan(Capt), Avi Arora, Rahul Sohoni, Anish Moholkar, Thomas Morrell, Aidan Birmingham, Conor Woodman, Jacob Fasida, Alex Taylor, Josh Gardener

U15B Squad: Rory Annett, Jacob Ashley, Paarus Batra, Keyan Etherington, Jacob Fasida, Josh Gardner, Jack Godfrey, Tom Haynes, James Legge, Albie Leslie, Liam McNamara, Tom Morrell, Jack Prior Yash Reddy,

Strevens, Alex Taylor, Conor Woodman.

U15C Squad: Dev Singhal, Ty Azugbene, Aaron George, Camilo Godoy, Zain Irtiza-Ali, Albie Leslie, Bhumit Madan, Joshua Ramtahal, Vedanth Raghavendar, Yash Reddy, Raphael Rivet, Luke Thornton

U14 Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

The 14As had a fantastic season and produced some great results against strong opposition. The notable highlights included a very good win against a formidable St. Pauls, managing to defend 124 thanks to some inspired captaincy, and 4 for 10 from Aayan Abbas. Another great win came against Dulwich where we chased a tricky total of 167 comfortably with 6 overs to spare thanks to a classy 77 from captain, Anish Moholkar.

For the U14B team, two wins came against Brighton College and KCS, Wimbledon, and these were the best moments of the season. The Brighton College victory came in a game that was played in more or less torrential rain. The 1st XI (arguably made of less strong stuff) had their game abandoned, but the U14Bs ploughed on to victory against a confident Brighton College side.

The U14C’s win against Brighton College away was a real highlight for the boys, who had to play in torrential rain but managed to battle the conditions and come away victorious, Louis Potter having an exceptional game on the day to take home player of the match.

Who were the star players?

For the A team, Anish Moholkar has been outstanding all season, batting with a maturity that belies his age and captaining them team brilliantly. Dylan Lawson has opened the bowling excellently all season and there have been some great cameo spells or innings from the likes of Shiv Singh, Kaylan Patel and Aayan Abbas.

For the U14Bs, Shay Ivory captained the team well and batted solidly all season, finishing as the team’s top run scorer. Sam Boxall also impressed greatly with his explosive and positive batting mentality. Ed Molony and Ronaal Weerasinghe had the unenviable task of opening the batting most weeks and did so with courage. Will Jones kept wicket really well early on before suffering a broken thumb, and Mitch Truter stepped in brilliantly in his absence. The Jameses - Smith and Jackson - performed well as all-rounders, as did George Gibbs, who chipped in with some big sixes. Zach Ambler opened the bowling most weeks with pace and skill.

For the C team, Otto Stueck with his excellent leadership skills. Louis Potter displayed both exceptional batting and bowling. Max Burn showed very good bowling ability throughout the season.

Any individual milestones to highlight?

Anish Moholkar’s 136* vs Reigate Grammar in the cup was one of the best schoolboy innings I have witnessed at this age – remarkable!

Final thoughts from the coaches

This has been a brilliant group to coach. All the way through the winter, and into the summer, the boys have listened and taken on all the advice we have given them. This has led to some excellent performances, but the pleasing thing to see is how they have worked together as a group. I am sure they will continue to get better and better, and I look forward to watching them develop as they go through the school. The boys’ passion for cricket couldn’t be faulted; even though the results weren’t always going their way, they always stuck to it and remained positive throughout. It was a pleasure to take the boys and I hope they all continue with their cricket.

Mr G Beresford-Miller, Mr C Porter, Mr T McKinnon

U14A Squad: Anish Moholkar (c), Shiv Singh, Ryan Patel, Ed Morris, Dylan Lawson, Aayan Abbas, Aarush Kumar, Dylan Robson, Luke Timm, Kaylan Patel, Monty Anderson, Hugo Jaques, Daniel Tough

U14B Squad: Zach Ambler, Sam Boxall, James Jackson, Edward Molony, George Gibbs, Shay Ivory, Shreyansh Rath, Ronaal Weerasinghe, Louis Potter, Mitch Truter, Max Burn, Daniel Tough, Hugo Jaques, William Jones, James Smith

U14C Squad: Otto Stueck, Caspar Johnson, Jowan Dekas, Millen Treanor, Max Burn, Arlo Murray, Savith Peiris, Shiv Shukla, Shoaib Khan, Matthew Beeney, Imaad Khan, Praveer Bhatt, Dominic Lin, Nathaniel Harris, Amitav Prakash, George Clubbs, Rohan Patel

U13 Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

It was a mixed season results wise for the U13A team, who beat some strong teams like RGS Guildford, Dunnottar and Eltham. The U13B team defeated a previously unbeaten KCS on the last day of the season. The boys had put together some good performances until then, but this was by far the most they were challenged, and they came out on top in an extremely close game. The C and D Teams snatched unbelievable victories from Whitgift (twice, both Cs and Ds). The narrowest of victories over St George’s Weybridge even after a batting collapse was another C team highlight.

Who were the star players?

For the As, Rounak Ghosh had a good season, consistently performing with the bat and ball. Will Booth had a good season opening the batting, often getting us off to a good start. For the Bs, Fraser Gormley at the top of the order batted brilliantly throughout the season, whilst Oliver Hull and Umair Khan also bowled very well. I always loved the positivity and energy that Taran Jeyanandhan would bring, whilst also backing it up with some great performances.

For the C and D teams, Josh Patel, Nishil Shavdia, Huey Ward, Ollie O’Hara, Micah Thompson have played an integral part in the team. Leo Carr took two amazing catches vs KCS. Nishil Shavdia’s 5-5 (3 overs) vs Dulwich, Huey Ward’s 30 off 21 vs Whitgift, and Austin Worrall’s 41no vs St George’s Weybridge were all individual highlights.

Final thoughts from the coaches

A key moment that stands out will be Harry Hayley’s heroics against Dulwich College, hitting two sixes in the last over to win the game. The boys were an absolute delight to work with all year - they stood out as being a team who built positive relationships throughout the season and made stronger friendships because of this. An absolutely amazing year of cricket followed with some nail-biting finishes. It is great to see so many turn up to training and wanting to play in matches. They are one of the strongest year groups, and this bodes well for the future

Mr T Guise-Brown, Mr G Kimmins, Mr B Patel, Mr D Lydon

U13A Squad: Will Booth, Luca Pyl,e Ben Harriman, Rounak Ghosh, James Williams, Jack Crossland, Harry Hayler, Oscar Sabourin, Clem Wilkie, Thomas Smith, Jonathan Shand, Umair Khan, Rohan Kanwar

U13B Squad: Fraser Gormley, Umair Khan, Jack Keenan, Austin Worrall, Taran Jeyanandhan, Alfred Beesley,Frederick Leadbitter, Oliver Hull, Arien Patel, Rishan Patel,Paul Tregligas,Arun Ogle, Nathan Fasida, Bodie White, Rohan Kanwar

U13C & D Squad: Josh Patel, Oscar Callaghan, Micah Thompson, Jacob Moralee, Huey Ward, Oliver O’Hara, Edi Haka, Austin Worrall, Eddy Watson, Nishil Shavdia, Leo Carr, Abee Aravinth, Arun Ogle, Arnav Khosla, Ryan Rana, ,Aran Luthra, Sam BroadleyFlack, Donncha McKweon, Eliot Giegiel, Jack Filer, Oliver Michael, Saahil Mahajan, Ali Asharia, Jordan Fernando-Pulle, Christian MnKandla, Cobi Bahiti, Rafi Amin

U12A Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

St George’s would have to count themselves very unlucky to run into our finest performance of the season. Having bowled superbly and restricting a team who won their next two fixtures by 10 wickets to 14-4 after 11 overs, this was a demolition of a far better side than we allowed them to be. Bowlers were rotated at that point and 56 was the target which was duly erased within 9 overs. For pure drama, the games against Whitgift and Epsom in the Surrey Cup semi-final proved the most thrilling. With flashes of brilliance and mistakes intertwined narrow victories were recorded in both by 2 runs and 1 wicket respectively to the joy of players and spectators alike. The Reigate 6’s and Surrey Cup were both secured with the finals of each competition being particularly conclusive the Surrey Cup victory elevated the team to the Nationals for 2025.

Who were the star players?

Kavish Patel has all the hallmarks of a young Graham Thorpe with whom the coach played with at a similar age. His ability to play the right shot to the right ball will stand him in great stead for years to come. He recorded the only century of the season at Caterham and there will be plenty more three figure scores adorning his name in years to come. Raghav Kumar was the spearhead of the attack all year. Not once did he put in a sub-par performance, terrorising opponents with his pace and accuracy in equal measure. Following his 5 wickets in 6 balls to turn the game at Whitgift it is believed they have now installed a revolving door to replace the standard one that had been there for years! He too will be a name to look out for in 2030. Rishabh Jain has an Ian Bell cover drive to die for: his positivity at the top of the innings made the Surrey Cup final a formality. The clip off his legs for 6 followed up by a hard hit drive over extra cover next ball for 4 off their captain and best player just showed his range and his shot making is incredibly easy on the eye. A quiet achiever, his talent is endless and it’s very exciting to see how this impressive all rounder grows in the coming years.

Any individual milestones to highlight?

Kavish’s hundred against Caterham was a very destructive and well paced innings even if the 30 yard circle was outside the boundary on one side! Raghav Kumar’s 7-19 against Whitgift was the most impressive performance ever witnessed at any level at Trinity in the last decade - a real game changing spell when the team needed him most which will live long in the memory. Rishabh’s 69 from 46 balls against Dunnottar in the quarter finals and 77 from 59 balls against Whitgift in the Surrey Cup Final gave us momentum and class at the top of the order. Ansh’s 56 against Reigate and 63 in the Surrey Cup Final prove why he and Rishabh’s combination at the top were the destructive partnership we were looking for.

Final thoughts from the coaches

A wonderful group of players with tremendous energy. One of the hardest jobs was to get players who would in any other year be batting much higher than they found themselves this year. Many stepped up when really needed and the celebrations when Amraj took a diving one handed catch to beat Whitgift by 2 runs was as enthralling an encounter as you could witness. The progress of Adam and Leo in particular was a pleasure to watch. The energy and constant smile of Sunny and the probing questions from Freddie all added to an amazing year and it was a pleasure to be around them all. They thoroughly deserve their place in the Nationals next year and I’d expect us to do very well within that competition. Thank you to all the parents for their support and understanding this year. It’s been an incredibly rewarding year for me personally to share their success and I look forward to 2025 with excitement of what we could and should achieve.

Mr A Brown

U12A Squad: Kavish Patel, Raghav Kumar, Rishabh Jain, Ansh Chandarana, Amraj Benning, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Freddie Stevens, Sunny Lawson, Adam Rhodes, Leo Orton, Ed Wright, Alexander Wright, Oliver Shelley, Dylan Banerjee Chopra, Samarth Iyengar

U12 B, C and D cricket

It was a great season to be coaching the U12Bs with so much talent to choose from; the issue was often getting all of those cricketing brains to gel effectively. When they did, they were unstoppable. Beating Whitgift is always a mark of a good team, but the fact that they accomplished it with a game plan – which they stuck to – and never really looking like they would do anything other than win, was hugely to their collective credit.

You’d have thought that beating ‘the ‘Gift’ would be the byline for an unbeaten season, wouldn’t you? As blessed as this 12B side was with cricketing skill, they were also blessed with an unerring ability to concoct a ‘foible of the week’. When that was a ‘good foible’, like bowling straight and full and giving the opposition nothing unearned, (game 6 v Whitgift) we would get a win. Let me though, run you through a list of some of the others: a solid determination to run one another out (game 1 versus Eltham); generously donating extras, often accounting for half of the opposition score (game 3 v Epsom, game 5 v John Fisher, game 9 v KCS); playing all around straight balls and getting bowled (game 6 v Whitgift); not troubling ourselves to take easy singles (game 3 v Epsom and Game 9 v KCS); terrible calling/decision-making leading to ludicrous overthrows (game 9 v KCS); buffet bowling to set batsmen (game 9 v KCS)... The list goes on, but the eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted several mentions of Game 9 Versus KCS, where many foibles came together into one spectacular disaster!

We’d been put into bat and had made a pretty respectable, and well-defendable 137. After 5 overs of our bowling, KCS were on 18 and the game (I naively thought!) was in the bag. Not so. I think the rot started with foible 2 (extras), but others (overthrows, buffetbowling, static fielding) soon joined and by the 16th over, the game was nearly up. Very briefly, and belatedly we reverted to foible 1 (bowling straight) and things got close again with just 6 runs coming from the 17th, 18th and 19th. The end of the 19th though, saw the lads find a whole new way of letting things slip. You know when your keeper has been routinely leaving his helmet on the pitch? And time and time again, you have reminded him that if the ball hits it, it’ll be 5 runs? No? Guess what? They needed 1 from the last over and got it with a bye! I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. By Monday, the lads were generally seeing the funny side.

If we’d have won narrowly, the KCS match would have been the entire season in microcosm. Losing seemed harsh – if deserved! –but I hope that they’ll reflect on the ones that got away and know that all they need to do is focus, without their coach telling them to. There were too many good performances from everyone to pick out individual players for praise, but I really enjoyed their boldness in the field. Led by Tristan Allen, we had some of the bravest and most attacking fields I had ever seen from a 12B side. Foolish as well, at times, but I really didn’t want to discourage their verve by merely talking sense. Good luck next year boys; perhaps you could just have one foible: win every week!

The U12C and D sides each had an excellent season, with the Cs remaining unbeaten and the Ds only losing once. The depth of talent in this year group is very impressive and bodes well for future seasons. They are a joy to coach and their enthusiasm for cricket is infectious.

Mr D Price, Mr L Sinclair, Mr J Hammond

U12D Squad: Jack Dyer, Eshan Patel, James Pomery, Evan McLeish, Jamie Hanley, Tom Clubbs, Adam Qureshi, Shayan Jain, Frank Potter, Ali Husain, Jacob Nemeth-Paradot, Hamish Carnell, Keeran Ganatra

U12B Squad: Tristan Allen, Dylan Bannerjee Chopra, Musa Begg, Aaran Chitalia, Ed David, Rau Deshpande, Jacob Davidson, Rau Deshpande, Will Gibbs, Rayyan Gill, Samarth Iyengar, Aamir Kanchwala, Seth Kennedy, Ayaan Mir, Billy Morritt, Shiv Sharma, Oliver Shelley, Krish Singh, Ben Skillicorn, Micah Spero, Seb Thorne, Krish Thota, David Tokan-Lawal, Alex Wright, Aahil Yassin.

U12C Squad: Musa Begg, Laksh Bhura, Aaran Chitalia, Edward David, William Gibbs, Aamir Kanchwala, Seth Kennedy, Billy Morritt, Micah Spero, David Tokan-lawal, Krish Thota,

U11 Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

The standout highlight of the season has been the overall improvement across the board. Several boys had little to no experience in cricket before joining Trinity, yet they have developed into promising young cricketers. Their dedication to learning and improving their skills has been inspiring, and their progress has been evident in both practice sessions and matches.

Who were the star players?

Reyansh Mirchandani showed great leadership and skill throughout the season, setting a strong example for his teammates. His performance on the field has been exceptional, making him a key player and a natural leader. Harry Beeraje excelled with both bat and ball, consistently delivering strong performances. Harry’s all-round abilities make him a player to watch in the future. Benedict Wibberley-Bello demonstrated glimpses of excellence with the bat, showing great potential and contributing valuable runs to the team. Michael Mullroy made significant strides in his cricketing ability, showing remarkable improvement in both batting and fielding. Zandy Hull developed his skills impressively, becoming a more confident and competent player. Robin Adams improved consistently throughout the season, demonstrating increased skill and understanding of the game. Josh Patel made notable progress, particularly in his batting technique and overall gameplay. Gabriel Dickinson showed great improvement in his cricketing skills, becoming a more reliable player for the team. Cameron Tough developed his abilities significantly, showing promise and determination in every match.

Final thoughts from the coaches

This season with the U11A cricket team has been nothing short of fantastic. The infectious enthusiasm and unwavering willingness to improve displayed by the boys have been truly remarkable. Every session was met with high attendance and an abundance of smiles, creating an environment filled with positivity and growth. It has been a pleasure to witness their development, and I am excited to see how they continue to progress in the coming years. In the B team it was fantastic to see how much progress was made over the course of the season, with many of the boys more than capable of playing against the more experienced A team players by the end of the year. Charles Doble deserves a shout out for making the biggest improvement. The boys were a pleasure to spend time with and we look forward to following their progress as they move up through the school.

Mr E Hooper, Mr P Roberts

U11A Squad: Reyansh Mirchandani, Benedict Wibberley-Bello, Rishi Mudunuru, Harry Beeraje, Noah Bennett, Josh Patel, Zandy Hull, Michael Mulroy, Cameron Tough, Robin Adams, Thomas Price-Harries, Alex Bradburn, Gabriel Dickinson

U11B & C Squad: Benyameen Ali, Charles Doble, Lewis Coyne, Aaryav Mehra, Adam Battersby, Finn Horgan, Max Kayacan, Tom Day, Dhilan Patel, Arjun Agrawal, Ben Wright, Akshaj Kasera, Elliot Bergs, Jayshaan Jeganmohan, Hasan Suruliz, Henry Pettitt, Charles Arthanayake, Ethan Orioha, Adam Akhtar

Netball

1st Team

This year’s first team have had a great year and have been a thoroughly enjoyable team to coach and watch play. As ever, selecting the squad from the new Lower 6th to complement our Upper 6th is always a difficult task, and yet all the girls that stepped up were fabulous.

First up were the Surrey championships: on a cold and windy day in October the girls played remarkably well and made it through to the Surrey finals captained ably as ever by the amazing Kayla Victor. Next on the horizon was the first round of the Nationals which is always immensely competitive. Unfortunately, the girls were unable to repeat the success of last year but beat Kings Wimbledon, St George’s and Wimbledon High on the way. Millie Danaher played very well in centre court.

For the first time we entered the Sisters in Sport competition which is a knockout competition played across the country and, after a slightly unlucky start losing narrowly to Lingfield College, the girls went on to beat Langley Park and Cranleigh with Maya Malhotra being the star of the show. They eventually made their way thought to the quarter finals of the Plate losing eventually to a very strong St Catherines team. A full fixture programme in the spring term saw the girls face Woldingham, Reigate Grammar, Kingston Grammar, Langley Park Boys, Dunottar, Alleyn’s, St Dunstan’s and Colfes. These fixtures are always competitive and the girls won five and lost three. Well done to all the girls but especially to Yasmin Williams who played virtually every position on the court during these fixtures. The Surrey Finals were played on a beautiful Sunday in Charterhouse and the girls performed admirably but did not achieve the success of last year. They did manage to take points off all teams they played and had a great day, Beth Willars and Lily Appleby playing superbly in defence. Finally, to mention Lauren Baldwin who has held the team together in the centre court. Her enthusiasm, dedication and sheer talent has enabled the team to compete against the best in the country during her two years at Trinity. England Netball have a star in the making! It is a goodbye to those very talented Upper 6th and we wish you the best of luck at University and beyond. Keep playing!

2nd Team

The Girls 2nd Team experienced a turbulent yet highly enjoyable season, marked by their impressive teamwork and unwavering energy. This year marks Trinity’s second appearance at the Surrey U19B tournament, a significant achievement that highlighted the team’s growth and dedication. Throughout the season, the squad demonstrated remarkable cohesion and resilience, overcoming various challenges with a united front. Standout veterans Sylvie Jones and Emily Tabraham provided invaluable leadership and experience, having played for the B team in the previous year. Their consistent performance and guidance were crucial in navigating the team through tough matches and maintaining morale. Leah Pryce, Olivia Morrell, and Kashvi Phillips also delivered outstanding performances when required to play up, showcasing their versatility and commitment to the team’s success. Their ability to adapt to different positions and situations was instrumental in several key victories. Newcomers Megan Slattery and Lucy Balmain made a significant impact with their exceptional shooting skills. Their ability to find the net consistently added a new dimension to the team’s offensive strategy, often turning the tide in closely contested games. Caitlin Prior’s role in the centre court was equally vital; her exceptional control and distribution ensured that the team maintained a steady flow and rhythm during matches. Her leadership in the middle of the court provided stability and confidence to the entire squad. Despite the ups and downs, the season was a testament to the girls’ dedication, hard work, and passion for netball. The camaraderie and spirit within the squad were evident in

every game, making it a memorable season filled with growth, learning, and countless moments of joy.

3rd Team

The highlight of the season was the first game of the season at Woldingham. The girls had never played together but they were so positive to each other, cheered each other on and played with a smile. Sienna Mehta deserves a mention for her energy, Olivia Morrell for excellent and calm linking through court, and Mahi Parekh for her solid defence. Thanks for the positive vibes every match ladies, I hope you’ve had good fun!

4th Team

The 4th Team had a strong season, working exceptionally well with each other and rising to the challenge of each match against tough opposition. There were standout performances from Poppy Hibbert, who was tenacious and determined in defence; Zoe Langridge Corbett, who was energetic throughout each match in the centre court; and Sophie Birch, who was persistently an accurate and calm shooter.

Mrs I Bennett, Miss C Herdman, Mrs S Baulf, Mrs E Poole

U18A Squad: Lauren Baldwin, Millie Danaher, Maya Malhotra, Yasmin Williams, Mimi Collins, Lily Appleby, Tabi Hollywood, Beth Willars, Olivia Gibbon, Olivia Barratt, Leah Pryce, Caitlin Prior, Kayla Victor

U18B Squad: Emily Tabraham, Sylvie Jones, Alba Knight Perez, Kashvi Philip, Lucy Balmain, Caitlin Prior, Olivia Barratt, Megan Slattery, Caitlin Prior, Olivia Gibbon,Kashvi Philip, Alba Knight Perez, Emily Hermans, Maddy Hunter, Mahi Parekh, Grace Giblin, Hannah Karpal

U18C Squad: Olivia Morrell, Maya Vyas, Sienna Mehta, Rowen Titchener, Mahi Parekh, Arushi Treanor

U18D Squad: Brid Brennan, Silvia Cook, Grace Giblin, Freya Heath, Poppy Hibbert, Aria Shivram, Maya Vyas, Ananya Rammohan, Zoe Langridge Corbett, Thea Kerry, Lauren Izbicki, Sophie Birch, Ella Verma

Basketball

What

were the highlights of the season?

It was a really positive campaign for our Jr NBA side. The team, comprising of year 7 and year 8 students, finished second in our London regional group before progressing two rounds in the National stages before losing out at the Quarter final stage. The group is built on the foundation of our young player development across both year 7 and year 8, where we see increasing attendance across all three terms, with players working hard at their fundamentals and learning to love the game of basketball.

Our U14 season is centred around their National cup experience, a lengthy format at this age, providing a minimum of 12 games throughout the year. Unfortunately, this year the boys were unable to progress past the regional group stage, missing out on playoff progression by 3 points. Nevertheless, it was great to see the addition of some new players since last year, as well as some strong individual development from the likes of Dylan Robson and Dominic Lin, whose impressive performances earned them minutes in the U15 team.

Our Year 10 and Year 11 boys amalgamate at this age group and create one team. It was a very impressive year results wise for this team as they successfully defended their London Schools’ U16 Title, made the Croydon cup final at U15 level and lost to eventual winners HTS Crawley in the last 4 of the National Schools U16 Dynamik Cup. Aside from the positive impact these players have on the court, it is fantastic to witness their selflessness when it comes to the development of younger years. These players are always on hand to help develop younger students during their training sessions and also facilitate the running of the programme through refereeing and tabling games of younger teams.

Our Senior fell just short of qualifying for the London School’s Playoffs. In a seriously strong league, the boys were one point away from making it to the final stage. Nevertheless, committed and dedicated performances from the likes of Aaron Vaz, Jared Cummins, Pierre Rivet, and Wenye Feng complemented the youthful inclusion of many of our year 11s.

Who were the star players?

Matthew Oppong and Jayden Alabi were both instrumental in through scoring and leadership during a fantastic U16 season.

Kaiden Watson had a phenomenal season for the U16 and Senior teams, showing unbelievable development and producing dominant performances both offensively and defensively.

Dylan Robson and Dominic Lin were standout performers for the U14 team, their leadership and scoring capabilities were even on show in games for our U15 team.

Kane Reynolds has had a year which in many ways is archetypal of the player and human Trinity basketball aims to promote. His work rate to improve is never ending as is his willingness to support the younger teams through coaching or officiating.

Matthew Troalen has had a catalytic impression since joining the school at Christmas. His performances facilitated drastic improvement in our Jr NBA team and earnt him minutes In the U14 team. His outstanding performances alongside the impressive Elliot Spooner, Leo Carr, James Williams, and Bodie White helped our year 7s and 8s reach unchartered territory in the Jr. NBA.

Final thoughts from the coaches

It is great to see the programme growing and becoming more and more competitive each year. The passion and desire for basketball amongst the boys keeps growing as does their dedication to improve and become increasingly competitive. The continued success of the older age groups has acted as a true catalyst for our younger players, with the creation of natural role models who they can look up to.

Mr J O’Connor

Seniors Squad: Matthew Oppong, Jayden Alabi, Thabo Ncube, Aaron Vax, Jared Cummins, Pierre Rivet, Weyne Feng, Daniel Asanbe, Ezekiel Asigo,

U15/16s Squad: Ty Azugbene, Ashan Fernando, Camilo Godoy, Mafeng Pwol, Kane Reynolds, Joel Adu-Kwapong, Jayden Alabi, Uzoma Anele, Daniel Asanbe, Ezekiel Asigo, Oscar Barritt, Theo Chapman, Roman Coates, Rafid Kibria, Thabo Nchube, Matthew Opong, Kaiden Watson, Esrom Binyam, Rizq Sheraz

U14 Squad: Ethan Ashman, Leo Carr, Hashim Elbashir, Aston Graham, Shay Ivory, Dylan Lawson , Dominic Lin, Louis Potter, Nicky Reuter, Dylan Robson, Matthew Troalen, Mitch Truter, Denzel Williams

Jr NBA: Kesi Essel-Koomson, Matthew Troalen, Adrian Babic, Leo Carr, Marlowe Evans-Bardowell, Charlie Keegan, Michael Nwosu, Elijah Osinaike, Faisal Rassoli, Thomas Smith, Eliot Spooner, Huey Ward, Lucas Waters, Bodie White, James Williams

Kaiden Watson, Uzoma Anele, Theo Chapman

Swimming

Overall, we have had some great results across all the swimming teams with year. It has also been great to see so many of the pupils getting involved in the early morning swimming sessions.

Under 11

The U11’s swam at the Croydon Schools this year; the boys managed to qualify for one relay and three individual races, The boys swam incredibly well at the finals, finishing with three 3rd places and one 5th place.

Under 12 and 13

Both the U12s and U13s competed together at the London League. Round 1 was hosted by Trinity. The boys faced some tough competition and finished in 5th place. This meant they qualified for the B Final at JAGs a few months later. Despite a few last-minute pull-outs the boys put in a great effort and finished in 6th place. Both A teams competed at Croydon Schools this year. They all swam well, and we came away with three 1st, six 2nd and one 3rd places. This meant we finished 1st overall which is a great result for the boys involved! The U13s also took part in the Junior category at ESSA relay qualifications; all 4 boys swam well and managed to get themselves a reserve place.

Under 15

The U15s completed in the Intermediate category at the ESSA Relay Qualifications, held at Whitgift. All five boys swam incredibly well and managed to get themselves a spot in the finals. The ESSA Relay Finals were held at Sandwell in Birmingham - the boys managed to better their performances with the medley team coming 10th and the freestyle team 9th. Both are great achievements in such a competitive event.

Under 18 Boys

The first event the U18 competed in this year was the ESSA relays. The four boys that came to Whitgift for the competition did really well, again just missing out on main championships. However later in the year they had the opportunity to compete again at Bath Cup held at LAC. The boys swam really well to finish 11th in the freestyle relay, narrowly missing out on the final.

Under 18 Girls

The U18 girls also competed at the ESSA relays and, despite all swimming amazingly well, just missed out on qualifying for the main championships. Later in the year they too got the chance to attend Bath Cup. The atmosphere is great with schools travelling from all over the country to compete at LAC.

Ms F Cook, Mr S King

U11: Harry Beeraje, Adam Battersby, Lewis Coyne, Rishi Mudunuru

U12: Jamie Hung, Ansh Changarana, Noah Ellis, Ethan Gyer, Kesi Essel-Koomson, David Tokan-Iawal, Will Haslock

U13: Adrian Babic, Zachary Uwins-Garesse, Andre Nimoh, Andre Fritsch, Rafa Leonard-Riley, Rounak Ghosh, Nicholas Harvey, Harry Hayler, Jamie Hung, Andre Fritsch

U15: Kal-El Ntiamoah, Oliver Goode, Thomas Love, Jago Daley-Allison, Charlie Goodbody

ESSA Team: Luke Ellis, Oliver Veraas Brown, Oliver Stephenson, Pierre Rivet, Jared Thompson

Bath Cup Team: Alex Middleton, Jared Thompson, Kal-El Ntiamoah, Oliver Goode

U18 Girls: Maya Malhotra, Pippa Carver, Martha King, Megan Slattery, Catherine Lanaspre

Water Polo

This time last year we were celebrating what for us was the unique achievement of winning all three ESSA National titles in the same season. I am delighted to report that the word ‘unique’ no longer applies because, astonishingly, we have again won all three titles in an unprecedented era of success.

We are never presumptuous, but it is true to say that anything less than victory for our Under 18s would have been viewed as a failure - we had an even stronger team than last year whilst all our nearest competitors had lost a significant number of players. Travelling to Liverpool on the day of the tournament did not help, and of course as teams get older the gaps between them do tend to narrow. However, tense victories against City of London School, King Edward’s Birmingham and Bolton School secured our path to the Final. Thankfully this was an opportunity for the team to play to their full potential, resulting in a hugely satisfying 6 – 1 success against Manchester Grammar. A few days later this squad signed off their magnificent Trinity water polo careers with a comfortable success at the Schools’ League Under 19 Finals.

This was clearly an exceptional year group, wonderfully supported by some terrific youngsters from the years below. Aarav Ganguli was ably replaced in goal by Piran Lewis and Oscar Sweeney (one at a time!) whilst captain Pierre Rivet led by example both at training sessions and in our matches. Will Burbidge, Christian Pauling, Fred Turpin, Teddy Wilkie and Oliver Veraas Brown can leave the school safe in the knowledge that they have made conspicuous contributions to the most successful period in our history. As one perceptively observed, ‘I’ve made a whole group of friends I would not have known existed if I hadn’t played polo,’ which is surely a ringing endorsement of what team sport can do to enrich our lives.

Senior leavers

All teams, especially the younger ones, enable their coaches to run the whole gamut of human emotions, from exhilaration to head scratching disbelief. Our Under 15s have some wonderfully talented players amongst their number, but they do tend to put their coaches through the wringer. Even when dominating matches we contrived to miss penalty after penalty until the games ended on a knife edge. In their ESSA tournament, they squeaked into the final only after a draw with Dulwich College and narrow wins against St Ambrose College and Manchester Grammar. Facing home favourites Haberdashers’, supported by a balcony full of partisan schoolboys orchestrated by a member of staff on a big bass drum, this was clearly going to be a close affair. Although the score was just 2 – 1 to Trinity, we once again contrived to miss some excellent chances, but the boys should be in no doubt that this rivalry will only intensify in the years to come. On the final whistle one youngster declared ‘This was the happiest 12 minutes of my life.’

ESSA Under 15 Champions

In most years the Under 13 tournament is both amusing and entertaining but not always in a good way. These youngsters have limited or no experience, so pretty much every scenario that presents itself is unique to them. The highest compliment I can play them is that it really did look like water polo for much of the time. Like the Under 15s this absolutely could have gone either way, but after narrow victories against Whitgift and Haberdashers’ and a thumping loss to King Edward’s Birmingham, we found ourselves in the final against local rivals Dulwich College.

Of course. it was a nerve tingling occasion with both teams creating more chances than they converted until the final whistle blew with

U15s: Charlie Goodbody, Adrian Babic, Jasen Babic, Humphrey Bedford, Jago Daley-Allison, Oliver Goode, William Letchford, Thomas Love, Kal-El Ntiamoah, Dylan Odeleye, Conn O’Malley, Matthew Beeney, George Gibbs, Luke Timm, Louis Potter, Zach Uwins-Garesse

Senior Squad: Oscar Sweeney, Kal-El Ntiamoah, Oliver Stephenson, Caleb Thompson, Alex Middleton, Jared Thompson, William Burbidge, Christian Pauling, Fred Turpin, Pierre Rivet, Oliver Veraas Brown, Teddy Wilkie, Piran Lewis, Callum Beeney, Dan Williams

the teams locked at 3 – 3. The penalty shoot-out is cruel because everyone remembers the misses, but I can honestly report that I have never seen 6 better Trinity penalties at any age group than those successfully converted by Adrian Babic, Will Haslock and Zac Uwins–Garesse, all complemented by a crucial save by Micah Thompson in goal. This was a wonderful start to their water polo journeys, but like the group above, they have to realise that they will need to work extremely hard in their training sessions to keep their noses in front in the years to come.

ESSA Under 13 Champions

It is great to report that our players are still being recognised on the International stage, with Pierre Rivet playing for GB in the European Under 19 Championships in Bosnia whilst Alex Middleton will soon be playing for GB Under 17s in Hungary. A number of younger players have been included in GB Talent Identification squads and are hopeful of selection in the near future.

Of course, we will do our best to continue our successes with the squads remaining at the school, and there is no reason why we should not be extremely competitive in the near future. This has been another terrific season and the players can be justifiably proud of their achievements. We say thank you and good luck to those who are leaving, and we will welcome back the rest in September, safe in the knowledge that they have it in their powers to sustain this remarkable run.

Mr S King Director of Sport

U12s: Ansh Chandarana, Jacob Davidson, Noah Ellis, William Gibbs, Will Haslock, David Tokan-lawal, Jamie Hung, Kesi EsselKoomson, Ethan Gyer, Leo Orton, Adam Qureshi, Adam Rhodes, Conor Beeney

U11s: Robin Adams, Harry Beeraje, Lewis Coyne, Gabriel Dickinson, Finn Horgan, Max Kayacan, Reyansh Mirchandani, Rishi

Squash

Season Summary

The past year has been another great year for our squash teams, marked by impressive performances in national competitions and great individual and team achievements. The boys have shown superb dedication and improvement under the guidance of Mr. Robins, making it a memorable year for the Trinity Squash programme.

Season Highlights

All teams performed admirably in the national competitions, showcasing their skills and teamwork. The consistent effort put in by each player has been evident in their performances, reflecting their hard work and commitment. The year was filled with notable moments, with each team and individual contributing to the overall success of the programme.

A special mention must be made of the following players who have been outstanding servants to the Trinity Squash programme: Kamran Khan, Micah Thomas, Ashvin Balakrishan, Aadam Nabijee, Liam Bridgman, and Matthew Johnsen. They have represented the school with distinction. For those leaving, thank you for all your stellar efforts.

Mr E Hooper

U18: Kamran Khan, Micah Thomas, Ashvin Balakrishnan, Aadam Nabijee, Liam Bridgman, Matthew Johnsen

U16: Akash Abbot, Rohan Kumar, Dylan Patel, Karson Cheng, Faizaan Ahmed

U15: Faizaan Ahmed, Arush Wavhal, Dev Singhal, Daniel Sarai, Avi Arora, Paarus Batra

U14: Aayan Abbas, Ed Morris, Freddie Balcombe, Matthew Jacques, Jowan Dekas, Shreyansh Rath

U12: Musa Begg, Raghav Kumar, Ra’ees Siddiqui, Rounak Ghosh, James Williams, Seb Thorne, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Dylan Banerjee Chopra

U13s: Micah Thompson, Adrian Babic, Will Booth, Leo Carr, Andre Fritsch, Rounak Ghosh, Will Haslock, Andre Nimoh, Marco San Martin Galluccio, Zachary Uwins-Garesse, Nicholas Harvey

Mudunuru

Tennis

Highlights for the season

Our biggest achievement as a school was for 4 out of the 5 teams entered all making the Surrey League finals day at St George’s. At the finals day, we were the most well represented school, which is an incredible achievement. This was due to four age groups winning their respective boxes, resulting in us being in the final four teams in Surrey for nearly every age group. In the Surrey Festival, the U12s and U14s made the final, narrowly losing out to Reed’s and Hampton respectively, whilst the U18s also just lost out in the semi-final of the Surrey Cup on a tie break. Alongside all this success from a performance perspective, we had over 50 players training in the U12 and U13 age groups, and boys playing tennis every lunchtime throughout the summer term. Wimbledon fever had come early!

The U18 girls also made the semi-final of the Surrey Festival, where on another day they could have easily won. They progressed through a tough game against Colfe’s, and the Lower Sixth girls all played some brilliant tennis at home v Alleyn’s, where it was also great to see some mixed doubles.

Key players

Robbie Taylor continued to be a key part of the U15 and U18 teams, whilst Jasper Munns really developed his leadership as captain on the U15s. In the lower years, it was new boys Fin Gratton and Aryan Ramaswami who impressed the most, leading by example throughout the season. For the girls, it was Sienna Mehta who was excellent every time she played, and Chloe Trimmings in lower sixth was also brilliant.

Thoughts from the coaches

It has been incredible to work with all the students again with Tennis this season. They have been a pleasure and have progressed so much. The boys always play in the right spirit and have really started to grasp how to play doubles properly. Well done to all the players on a brilliant year.

Mr G Kimmins

U18 Boys: Robbie Taylor, Karson Cheng, Tommy Cunninghame, Theo Chapman, Jake Mulrenan, James Gilmour, Theo Funnell, Kristian Sarai

U18 Girls: Sienna Mehta, Lauren Baldwin, Pippa Carver, Olivia Gibbon, Hannah Karpal, Mahi Parekh, Chloe Trimmings, Zoe Langridge Corbett, Cheryl Lam

U13: Alfred Beesley, Kiyan Patel, Julian Carpegna, Rishan Patel, Lucas Waters

U12: Fin Gratton, Musa Begg, Raghav Kumar, Frank Potter, Rishabh Jain, Dylan Banerjee Chopra, Partha Ram

U11: Aryan Ramaswami, Rishi Mudunuru, Josiah Alfred, Robin Adams, Benedict Wibberley-Bello

U14: Zak Adjepong, Josh Draper, Sam Boxall, Freddie Balcombe, Aayan Abbas

U15: Robbie Taylor, Jasper Munns, Timofey Ivanov, Kai Biebow Rehl, Oli Tam

Golf

What were the highlights of the season?

This year we have been involved in the most fixtures/competitions in recent Trinity history, with the academy section of the programme once again growing. It has been great to see so many within the younger years get the ‘golfing bug’ at development sessions, and even more enjoyable seeing some of these students graduate to the academy within one year. Competitively, we have registered strong performances in ISGA, England Schools, and Surrey Schools events, as well as the West Sussex Schools Invitational – our first ever invite to the prestigious event. Within inter school matches, we have performed admirably, achieving a high win percentage as well as regular squad rotation, mixing the experience across all our golfers. We fielded 20 different players across home and away fixtures against Caterham, Langley Park SFB, Eltham College, Sevenoaks, and John Fisher. You will regularly see Trinity players roaming the fairways of Shirley Park on a Friday evening as our partnership continues to flourish, with in-house competitions and student vs staff matches also occurring!

Climbing

It has been another successful year for climbing at Trinity. Mrs Prestney reports:

Southern Schools climbing comp in WithdeanNovember 2023

The competition had a large turn out from 75 competitors from 7 different schools (Trinity, Hurst, Seaford, Sevenoaks, Brighton College, Cranleigh and Lancing). All Trinity participants did extremely well and Caden Cheong, Felix Barry-Casademunt and Isaac Proud won bronze in the team bouldering competition. Caden Cheong was a star climber, flashing (which means completing the entire route in his first attempt) all boulder routes in the individual bouldering competition which is an astonishing accomplishment. It also needs to be recognised that Caden Cheong has qualified to be part of Catalyst Climbing which is an external squad headed up by a former member of the Olympic climbing team. This is an excellent achievement!

Independent schools climbing comp- March 2024 at White Spider

There were in total 206 competitors at this competition, competing in three different disciplines (top roping and bouldering which Trinity competed in, as well as lead climbing). The competition was tough with lots of very experienced climbers but the boys did a fantastic job, having a go at some very difficult climbs! Caden Cheong, Andren Ah-Weng, Isaac Proud, Elliot Secord, Arun Bew and Bhumit Madan made up the team who all participated with enthusiasm and resilience.

Mr R Holdsworth and Mrs A Prestney

Who were the star players?

Joe Hutchings (Upper Sixth) boasting a strong win record in inter-school fixtures. Noah Ellis (1st Form) put in some really strong performances at school competitions, and Zac Goldschmied (5th form) continued his development within Category 1. Aidan Birmingham, Jack Prior, Enrico Dissera (4th Form) all should be commended for their committed attendance to Golf Academy sessions.

Final thoughts from the coaches

It has been the biggest year in recent years for Trinity, in terms of both participation and competitive experience. It is in an exciting place with multiple young talented players all looking to improve!

Mr J O’Connor

Ben Sindall, an active member of climbing community, reports:

‘When I joined Trinity in 3rd year, I had never climbed before (excluding birthday parties). I wanted to make use of the amazing facilities Trinity had so when I saw climbing as a games option, I put it down for my first half term at Trinity, and I am so glad I did.

Since then, climbing has easily become my favourite sport, influencing my university decisions and A-Level Design Technology coursework project. I’ve even been part of the climbing team and participated in competitions which I really enjoyed.

I particularly like climbing because it isn’t dependant on muscle alone, requiring thought about how I’m actually going to get up the wall. Sometimes the weirdest positions and moves can enable you to reach further than expected, and it’s so rewarding when you do.

I also quite like racing against friends, whom I am yet to beat (less than three seconds up the wall!), but all of this would have not been possible without Trinity offering it as a games option (with all the gear provided).’

Gold Squad: Zac Goldschmied, Joe Hutchings, James Gilmour, Johnny Wilkie, Max Anderson, Oliver Haydon, Dylan Lawson, Noah Ellis, Aidan Birmingham, Conor Woodman, London Yu, Christian Mnkandla, William Jones, Oliver Lyons, Tommy Cunninghame

Athletics

Croydon Schools

The athletics season showcased exceptional competition across all age groups, with high levels of participation throughout the year. Students from Years 7 to 10 competed admirably at the Croydon Schools Athletics meet. Notably, Years 7, 8, and 9 all secured second place overall, while the Year 10 group triumphed, bringing home the gold medal. This achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work the pupils have demonstrated during co-curricular sessions.

Standout Performers

Special mentions go to four students who have been standout performers this season:

• Dylan Lawson – Javelin

• Evan Wood – 200m

• Alex Martin – 1500m

• Shay Ivory – 1500m

Their exceptional performances have significantly contributed to the success of their respective teams.

Records Broken

This year was particularly remarkable for the lower sixth girls, who led the way in breaking records:

• Alyssa Firla broke the 300m record.

• Megan Slattery set a new record in the 1500m event.

• These record-breaking achievements highlight the extraordinary talent and determination of our athletes.

Mr L

Sinclair

Head of Athletics

Chess

Chess is not just a fun game for students of all ages and abilities; it’s a journey of strategy, patience and constant learning. This year, Trinity Chess teams embarked on this journey with great enthusiasm, with each team facing unique challenges and exceptional triumphs. Despite varying results, the season has been marked by personal growth, memorable experiences, and remarkable achievements.

Our A-team, composed of some of our most dedicated and skilled players, competed in the Standard Play division of the Briant Poulter League. Although they faced a tough season and did not secure any team wins, their experience was anything but a loss. Each match was a valuable lesson in strategy, resilience and analysis. The players encountered strong opponents, many with ECF ratings of over 2000, which only fuelled their determination to improve.

The A-team’s commitment to learning and their positive attitude towards each challenge set a wonderful example for all aspiring players. Their journey underscores the essence of competitive chess: continuous learning and self-improvement.

Our B-team ventured into the world of Rapid Play games in the Briant Poulter League, a format that demands quick-thinking and sharp reflexes. They experienced a season filled with ups and downs, securing some exciting wins and sudden draws. The fast-paced format presented a unique set of challenges, but the team’s perseverance always shone through.

Harry Speight, an experienced and dynamic player, said “the highlights of the season was playing aggressive openings against previous league winners in a local tournament and being able to learn from all of my games.” George Bradney Mullin, a calm and intuitive player adds: “my highlight was our first game against Whitgift because the entire team performed very well and almost all of us won both of our games.”

Their ability to bounce back from setbacks and maintain their focus is hugely commendable, and the victories were a testament to their hard work and tactical moves.

Our two other teams made history by progressing to the second round of the Regional stage of the ECF National Schools Chess Championship (NSCC), marking our best result ever in this prestigious competition. Their journey was filled with thrilling matches and impressive displays of skill and courage. Team member Franco Hillier expressed his excitement, saying: “There were many memorable highlights in the NSCC this year, most notably reaching the knock-out round. I was particularly pleased with only having dropped half a point.” Their success has inspired younger students to take up Chess and to aim high.

As the season ended, our teams have reflected on a year of growth, learning and achievements. The A-team’s resilience, B-team’s tenacity and the historic success in the NSCC have collectively strengthened Chess at Trinity. I am immensely proud of all our players and look forward to building on their success next year and beyond.

Miss J Eminsang

A Team Squad: Robert Akeya-Price, Lewis Tagg, Felix Gomulka, Jake Mulrenan, Ben Richardson, Hollyann Reeves, Kristian Sarai, Lewis Tagg, Jake Mulrenan, David Onadeko, Franco Hillier

B Team Squad: George Bradney Mullin, Eddie Phillips, Edward Molony, Rishabh Jain, Sam Hayee, Oliver Sewell, Harry Speight

U14 Squad: Harry Speight, Eddie Phillips, George Bradney Mullin, Benedict Wibberley-Bello, Sebastian Harris-Folkard, Aaryav Mehra, Atharva Joshi

Badminton

What were the highlights of the season?

The highlights of the Badminton season so far have been both the U16 and U14 national competitions. It is one of the few times we have entered the competition and we had great success in both, finishing 2nd in the U16 regional competition and 3rd in the U14 competition. Badminton has grown a lot this year, which has enabled the ability to partake in more fixtures and facilitate more boys being able to play fixtures.

Who were the star players?

Standout performers were Shreyansh Rath who played in both the U14 and U16. Jay Reeves played in the U14 tournament and performed extremely well. Karson Cheng and Euan Chan both played superbly in the U16 tournament and were well supported by Avi Arora.

Final thoughts from the coaches

There has been a great buzz around badminton this year with many boys and girls taking part in games sessions and extracurricular badminton. We are looking forward to playing more badminton fixtures over the remainder of the year and are hoping to keep building the badminton programme over the next few years.

Mr E Hooper

U18A Squad: Avinav Garg, James Scott, Theo Funnell, James Gilmour

U14A Squad: Shreyansh Rath, Ryan Patel, Ryan Li, Jay Reeves

U12A Squad: Raghav Kumar, Musa Begg, Jason Shek, Jay Reeves, Kavish Patel, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Samarth Iyengar, Dylan Banerjee Chopra, Seb Thorne, Rau Deshpande, Will Haslock, Ansh Chandarana, Rishabh Jain, Tristan Allen, Musa Begg, Jonathan Fan

U12B Squad: Ali Husain, Aaron Borteye, Krish Thota, James Reed, Laksh Bhura, Edward David, Partha Ram, Krish Singh, Ben Skillicorn

U16A Squad: Euan Chan, Avi Arora, Paarus Batra, Arush Wavhal

VALETE

Sara Ward

A large pastoral community needs many contributors to work well, but if anyone could claim to have impacted our culture of compassionate care most significantly, then there is no doubt that Sara could do so.

Not that she ever would, but her contribution to the life of the school over the last 15 years has been immense. We are deeply indebted to her for that and for the continued influence she will have through the people and systems that remain here.

Sara arrived at Trinity in 2009 having been Head of Sixth Form and Acting Deputy Head at Colfe’s School. Though her post here was not advertised as such, her experience was really sought to prepare for our Sixth Form becoming co-educational in 2011. That this has become such a significant and successful part of our school today owes a great deal to Sara’s detailed, thoughtful and skilled work, but her contribution since then has gone so much further than just making a success of coeducation.

Sara is a great teacher of Psychology, and introduced the subject to our Sixth Form. Though she has taken on major responsibilities elsewhere in the School, and despite our weak attempts to persuade her, she never wanted to stop teaching multiple A level classes each year. The department has grown and the subject remains a very popular choice for students at school and also at university.

Sara has had many titles. She was Head of ‘Upper School’, de facto Head of Sixth Form, Director of UCAS and Head of Psychology through the first part of her time here, but these distilled into being both Pastoral Deputy Head and Designated Safeguarding Lead in September 2017. These are two very significant roles, and the DSL mantle particularly has become a very demanding position in recent years, but Sara quickly became a very knowledgeable, sure-footed and insightful leader of our pastoral and safeguarding work.

Despite the impression that her office might give, she is fastidious on record-keeping, not leaving anything unaddressed that needs to be. Good enough is not good enough in her book, and it is this hard work and care that we have all benefitted from. But these qualities combined with being a genuinely empathetic

A goodbye and thank you to departing staff

person is rare; Sara handles people brilliantly, with concern, wisdom, and integrity. As one of her former colleagues described to me, one of her most endearing qualities is that she doesn’t do ‘being in the spotlight’. Selfpromotion isn’t Sara’s way as she invests so much in helping other people turn the spotlight onto their troubles, worries and issues. The sheer number of people - students, teachers, parents, Deputy Heads and Heads - who have benefitted from being listened to by Sara, and listened to without judgment, but with a care and concern that doesn’t flaunt itself - is not easy to count. As a community we have experienced some of the most upsetting pastoral events that schools can face, and it is Sara who has sensed and shaped how we need to respond, meeting with and caring for families at the most difficult time of their lives.

As a member of the senior management team, Sara has brought charm and common sense to our discussions, being an expert in black hat thinking when blind optimism might be getting to the rest of us. Her professionalism and sense of humour have brought a huge amount to the leadership of the School.

It is commonly said by those who have worked closely with her, that when they think of all the talented colleagues they would most like to have in their ideal school, Sara’s name would often be at the top of the list – I agree. Sara will be much missed and very fondly remembered, and we wish her every happiness and success at Royal Russell.

Mr A Kennedy Headmaster

David Swinson

David has been a remarkable – and many would say, unique - Director of Music over the last 23 years. There are generations of Trinity students, staff and parents who owe so much to him. To have led such a breadth of exceptional music-making that is so fully integrated into the activity and identity of the School is a rare and wonderful thing.

When David arrived at Trinity in 2001, having been head-hunted from Portsmouth Grammar School, the school already had a good reputation for music, but it looked very different to today. There was no Orchestra, no Wind Bands, no relationship with Steinway and no organs, and the fabric needed an overhaul. All of this and more has been achieved in the last two decades, including the transformation of the Trinity Concert Hall and the new Music School, but at the heart of David’s work is the belief that teaching is all about relationships; young people will work hard for teachers they like, and who make learning fun and ambitious. Greatly helped by his love of Liverpool FC, David understands that boys like football as well as singing, and that we get the best from them by giving them space for both. His collaborative approach to the importance of this rounded experience of school life for students has been foundational for the Music department and for the wider school.

It takes a very particular skill-set to make this work however, and David has combined his musical gifts, stubborn determination and skill with people to great effect. His various line managers will testify to his irresistible charm and ambition, which often saw over-commitment result in a hugely busy music department through term time and holidays, but also fabulous musical experiences for students. ‘I’ve already said yes to all of them’ was his irrefutable approach to diary discussions.

The Trinity Boys’ Choir has had huge success under David, and the range of its professional engagements across film, TV and opera, both in the UK and abroad, has given many students some of their most formative educational experiences. The development of all other areas of music has been equally impressive however, with the growth of the Girls’ Choir, the number of instrumental ensembles, the number of harpists, organists and guitarists, and the quality of the Big Bands.

One of David’s greatest and lasting successes is the building of the team around him. People want to work with him, inside and outside of school, and he has appointed people who are right behind his vision for music at the School, who also bring the highest standards of musicianship and teaching. In the best Liverpool boot-room tradition, he will leave behind a way of doing things that will continue, and his not one, but two, successors have been appointed from the existing music team.

The school has produced many student musicians, but in the quality of the music we now maybe take for granted, it’s easy to forget that they were not born that way. As David’s closest former colleagues have said, his gift has been to lead a music department that gives students confidence to find their voice, and this has given countless children a way of finding an interest that is lifelong when they could have

missed it. A small number of them will go on to professional music, but they all received a life-affirming opportunity to perform on stages small or large. ‘Everyone can sing’ is David’s mantra, and it this breadth of participation that he values as much as the achievement of the very best musicians.

David is held in great warmth and affection by the school community, and though he retires from the Director of Music role we are delighted he will still be around school, mainly for fish and chips on Friday lunchtimes but also to assist with the Trinity Boys’ Choir. We join him in giving thanks to his family for all their support of him through many years of extraordinary work. We thank him for being the Jurgen Klopp of musical directors.

Mr A Kennedy Headmaster

Bill Tucker

Bill Tucker’s association with Trinity school began well over half a century ago, in 1969. It was a momentous year by all accounts: Nixon was sworn in as president, the war in Vietnam was still raging, the Beatles had just recorded their last album, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had recently landed on the Moon, and Bill Tucker first walked through the nearly new doors of Trinity as a first form pupil.

The years he spent here as a pupil were, by all accounts, busy and productive ones. Amongst his achievements were: playing 2nd XI hockey, being the 3rd XV rugby captain, representing the school at swimming, serving as senior cadet in the Naval section, becoming school vice-captain, working as the school librarian, completing his Duke of Edinburgh silver award, and even finding the time to act in the occasional school play. Of greater significance, however, were his musical contributions: he was Head Chorister, and he undertook numerous roles in operas for the Trinity Boys Choir. Of especial note was his principal role in the Drummer Boy – composed by Rodney Bennett – for which he became Trinity poster boy for a while.

Bill left Trinity in 1976 to study Physics at Exeter, after which he undertook a PGCE at Goldsmiths. After trying his hand at a local state school, he was lured back to his alma mater, thus setting the precedent for many subsequent students who seemingly cannot bear to stay away from Trinity for too long!

Upon his return it didn’t take Bill long to get thoroughly reintegrated into the wider life of the school. He was examinations secretary for a considerable length of time, which meant happily hiding himself away in the basement of the common room. With his colleague Linda Hawes, Bill ran the weekly staff quiz. He wrote sketches for the annual staff review - an irreverent critique of the school management and a tradition which I think is ripe for resurrection. For over a decade he was also Head of Lighting for all of the school plays and drama productions; spending a considerable amount of time running the stage lighting for the Mitre Theatre and Big School as it was then called. If anyone in Physics wanted Bill, the response was ‘he’s probably up the scaffolding tower’!

Above all of this however, Bill was first and foremost, from beginning to end, a Physics teacher. It’s hard to overstate the contribution he has made to Trinity as a teacher over his whole working life: 120 terms, around 500 parents evenings, 40,000 lessons, and thousands of pupils’ lives changed for the better. After a message went out on social media, students from decades ago got back in touch to share their memories: one, James Smoker, said Bill is “A fabulous teacher who always indulged my off-syllabus queries mid-lesson and was never knocked off his stride - incredible clarity of thought and ability to communicate the most difficult concepts as if they were the most straightforward. I’m sure he’ll be missed.”

Bill Tucker ends as he began – a true Trinity Boy. Bill, the pleasure has been all ours and best wishes for a long and happy retirement.

Mr L Flanagan Head of Sciences

Simon Christian

Simon joined Trinity as a freshfaced, long-haired languages teacher way back in 1988. A few things may have changed since then, but his love of learning languages, remarkable ability to do so, and desire to help others has remained undiminished.

His ability as a polyglot is legendary – whether it’s unnerving Miss Sadiq by understanding her conversations in Urdu, conversing with parents in pretty much any language on open day, or making Mr Desbos feel that his French isn’t as good as Simon’s, he is a man who embodies the subject that he teaches.

Simon joined the school as a French teacher initially, but as the demand for Spanish grew, he demonstrated his versatility by becoming a fulltime Spanish teacher. In the 12 years that I have known him this is the only language that he has taught, and he has been a fundamental part of why we have had so many students continuing the language to GCSE and A Level. He has also dedicated countless hours to organising our trip to Salamanca and has given so many students

the opportunity to learn about life in Spain. There can be few teachers with the experience that he has of taking students abroad and giving them memories for life and this is something that we will miss greatly.

As a teacher, his calm presence and ability to explain things clearly means that those in his class cannot resist learning. As the classroom has changed around him with the advent of technology and digital resources, he has adapted to still deliver wonderfully clear lessons that give the students the basis for success. As one former student put it: “Mr Christian is a Trinity legend. Even if people switched off in his lessons, he explained things so clearly that you couldn’t help but learn the language.” He’s been a dependable pillar of language teaching at Trinity for over 35 years and his retirement will be a significant loss for the MFL department.

Whilst he has given sterling service to the school as a teacher for the last 36 years, his value to us as a colleague has been even greater. A constant source of jokes, mischief, and friendly support in the MFL office, he is liked by everybody and will be sorely missed. Our office won’t be the same without his fake spiders, made up messages from SMT members, or stories about being in nightclubs at 2am during the holidays to improve his Hebrew. We will also need somebody new in charge of the office plants! However, his skills

Sue Brown

in this area will still be put to good use – he is planning on not only tending to his own garden but also doing some work as part of a family gardening business when he leaves.

He has been a wonderful colleague to work with. We will miss him dearly, but wish him all the best for a happy and welldeserved retirement.

Mr S Allison Head of Modern Foreign Languages

The heart of the Biology department; the Wonder Woman; the miracle worker; the glue that holds it all together; the amazing Sue Brown, is hanging up her lab coat for the very last time.

After 21 years serving as the department’s lab technician, Sue has earned a rest and can enter retirement knowing that she, literally, could not have done any more to support and help Team Biology deliver on all fronts. The title “lab technician” just cannot do justice to all the things that Sue has done to keep things running smoothly and ensure that our teachers have the best possible support to do their job. Apart from “doing her job” - preparing practicals, photocopying and all the admin pertaining to exams, inventories and health and safety – Sue is fondly remembered by her colleagues.

Sue is resourceful, fair, proactive, and highly organised—she is the most helpful person in the entire school, always willing to lend a hand. Her work is impeccable — so much so that we sometimes wonder if she’s truly human! Sue has always put new staff at ease with her efficiency and organisational skills. She knows all our teaching strengths and weaknesses and offers kind counsel through all of life’s ups and downs, providing a great voice of reason. Beyond her professional excellence, she is also an amazing mother and grandmother. I don’t think I’ve ever missed a deadline and that’s thanks to Sue: she anticipates days, weeks, months in advance and prevents problems before they arise.

Sue – you are our rock – and you are leaving a huge hole in the department. We wish you and Rob every happiness in retirement, and lots and lots and lots of great travels and granny cuddles.

Mr R Moralee Head of Biology

Chloe Herdman

It is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to Chloe Herdman, who has been an invaluable member of the Trinity School community for the past two years.

Chloe joined us as a teacher of Economics and Business and is now leaving to take on the prestigious role of Head of Business at Sydenham High School.

Chloe’s first year at Trinity was truly ground-breaking: she quickly settled into her new environment and took on the significant responsibility of teaching A-Level Business to both Years 12 and 13. Her engaging teaching style and genuine enthusiasm for the subject matter made her classes a highlight for many students. Her dedication to her students’ success was evident in the impressive results they achieved under her guidance.

Beyond the classroom, Chloe brought a delightful sense of humour and camaraderie to our school trip to New York during her first year. Her ability to connect with students and colleagues alike made the trip memorable for everyone involved. Chloe also pioneered the Tycoon project at Trinity, demonstrating her innovative spirit and commitment to providing real-world business experience to her students. Her leadership and drive in this initiative were nothing short of inspirational.

In addition to her academic contributions, Chloe’s energy and enthusiasm were felt in every aspect of school life. Her involvement in the girls’ Netball and Cricket teams was particularly notable, and her absence will undoubtedly be felt on the courts and pitches of South London. Every one of us in the department will especially miss her presence and the dynamic partnership she brought to our office.

As Chloe embarks on this new chapter of her career, we wish her all the best in her role as Head of Business at Sydenham High. Her future students and colleagues are incredibly fortunate to have her, and we have no doubt she will continue to inspire and achieve great things.

Good luck, Chloe, and thank you for everything you have brought to Trinity School. You will be greatly missed.

Mr S Orungbamade Head of Economics

Liz Nixon

Liz Nixon’s relationship with Trinity began as a parent, then a parent volunteer, and for the last 8 years as Assistant Librarian.

During that time, she has supported a huge number of the students and staff, helping with book selection, proof reading stories written by the students, providing a friendly supportive ear to students in need, and staff for that matter. She has helped with D of E, coaching, theatre trips, front of house as events, the list is endless!

Liz is always on the go, non stop…. never seems to tire, she has a non stop life in general, with a great love of many things that she will now have more time to enjoy. Liz travelled around the library at approx. 75.2 miles per

hour – reaching this speed from a sitting start in 3 seconds. She was the first to be up and helping a student. Liz’s desire to support people is also evident in the night shifts she often fulfils for Samaritans, supporting the most vulnerable in our society.

The dynamics of relationships with students as a librarian can differ from other staff. We are simply present and available; a library should be a place to foster belonging and a sanctuary. And Liz always put the students first - she was the perfect librarian.

We are all at a loss to say goodbye to Liz. But, as she so eloquently puts it: how can one start a new adventure without this one ending?

So Liz, from all of us, we wish you a wonderful retirement and here’s to new adventures!

Mrs L Ferguson Head Librarian

Jill Wilson

Jill joined us in June 2018 and very quickly ensured that those under her care did what they were told at the time they had to do it; it is no mean feat to manage the managers!

Just two days after arriving, Jill helped to mastermind a large teaching and learning event; setting the tone for the exceptional organisational skills and drive to contribute that would become characteristic of her time at Trinity. Whilst here, she did everything with kindness, passion, and great pride. She contributed regularly to charity events and invested time in the wider community of the school. Under her own initiative she readily supported and organised our involvement in a St Christopher’s event in 2022 to support the cancer diagnosis of a colleague’s close relative. This said so much about Jill’s approach to Trinity, she did things because they needed to be done, because they should be done, and because she could do them.

Jill’s diplomacy was invaluable, particularly in managing upwards when the situation required it. Likewise was her discretion, so often relied upon, which made her such an invaluable sounding board for many.

Jill was valued as much for her personal connections as for her professional efforts; conversations were often tied back to themed curry nights at the local restaurant or the next big far-flung holiday, but most often, to her family. Jill is a proud mother to her two grown boys, whom she is immensely proud of. We are sorry to lose Jill who meant a great deal to those she worked with, however, we are overjoyed that she has a new granddaughter to monopolise all her attention, rather than three middle-aged managers!

Mr T Rounds Senior Deputy Head

Dave Navarro

Dave Navarro joined as Bursar via a successful career in the city that by his own admission had left him feeling somewhat unfulfilled.

Following a stint as Bursar at St Joseph’s primary school, he discovered that the breadth of the role of bursar suited his range of skills and interests, and love of a puzzle to solve. He arrived and immediately applied his boundless energy to the role, overhauling our budgeting structures and financial systems and working with the Foundation to maximise our assets.

Whilst none of these might sound particularly glamorous, the impacts of them on the school’s teaching and learning and infrastructure certainly are. If you have admired the new dining room, the dining room quad, the Mitre quad, the new catering, or our iPad programme, then these are just some areas we have Dave to thank for supporting the idea of a smarter Trinity, both in principle and reality.

The role of Bursar is inevitably one that is ‘behind the scenes’ and many of his other impacts are to be found there too from new boilers and green initiatives to all his efforts in our regulatory position which have given Trinity firm foundations in turbulent times. As Bursar, Dave sat on SMT and gave an invaluable perspective from outside of education for which we were very grateful, and every Christmas gave the group a book for some inspirational reading!

We are very sad to see Dave go and he was often heard to remark that Trinity is a school he adored and wished he could have come to. Whilst he has missed the boat as a pupil in that respect, he will always be welcome back, and we are glad to have helped him develop a second career he is finding so thoroughly fulfilling.

Mr T Rounds Senior Deputy Head

Gary Houlden

Gary joined us as a Design and Technology Technician in April 2017, during the last 7 years he has been so much more than that and integral to the success of the department.

Gary has given a vast amount of coursework support to GCSE and A-level students, whether it be researching and ordering materials, assisting them with manufacture, programming electronic circuits and on occasion being their client for a project or two.

His weekly Electronics club always had a dedicated group of younger pupils keen to experience the disappearing art, and enjoyment, of soldering components to build circuits. At lunchtimes and after school Gary would give Jay Blades a run for his money, repairing everything from shoes and glasses to trombones without complaint.

Gary is a very competent musician performing guitar and vocals in a number of bands. I am sure that the extra time that retirement allows will mean that we will see more of ‘The Ferrets,’ ‘Don’t wake the Lion’ or ‘Toying with Names’ playing at local venues. Gary has also showed off his multi-instrumental skills by playing the Mandolin with other staff members for a show in Festival of Ideas week.

In his time here Gary has enjoyed getting involved in other areas of school life, including volunteering to go camping with a Duke of Edinburgh groups and assisting the department in running marble run competitions for local primary school. Outside of work Gary has been a supporting artist in pop videos and feature films. Even giving up the opportunity to be in Paddington 2 to work here!

I know that Gary will not miss clearing up after the department, but he will miss the department chats and stories, and we will miss his. I would like to thank Gary for all his hard work over the years and I hope he enjoys his well-deserved retirement and I look forward to seeing him at a gig or maybe on the silver screen in the future!

Mr D Currigan Head of Design Technology

Bharat Patel

As we bid farewell to Bharat Patel, we reflect on the remarkable impact he has had on Trinity School. Bharat, with his passion for mathematics and dedication to teaching, has been an integral part of our community, inspiring countless students and colleagues alike.

Bharat Patel’s tenure at Trinity School has been marked by his unwavering commitment to developing the curriculum. His enthusiasm for mathematics was evident in every lesson, transforming what many perceive as a challenging subject into an engaging and accessible discipline. His innovative teaching methods and ability to connect with students have made complex mathematical concepts understandable and enjoyable.

Beyond the classroom, Bharat’s contributions to the school community have been immense. He has been an excellent Sixth Form tutor, guiding them not only in their academic pursuits but also in their personal growth.

Bharat’s legacy at Trinity School will undoubtedly be his ability to inspire future generations of mathematicians. Many of his students have pursued further studies and careers in mathematics and related fields, attributing their success to his guidance and encouragement. His belief in his students’ potential and his dedication to their success has left a lasting imprint on their lives.

As Bharat embarks on his next journey, exploring his lifelong interest in film production, Trinity School will always hold a special place for him. Thank you, Bharat, for your dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to education. You will be greatly missed, but your impact will be felt for years to come.

Mr D Lydon

Jamie O’Connor

Jamie’s departure will leave a massive hole in the department. He is extremely passionate about developing young sportspeople, and he cares deeply about the students.

He has been an excellent PE admin, transformative head of two sports, basketball

Sandie Rapaport

Every year we ask Sixth Form students, as they leave us, who or what they feel has made the single biggest positive difference to their time in Sixth Form.

The most common answer: Sandie Rapoport. Tutor, counsellor, advocate, listener, guide and mentor, she is a shining beacon of what can be achieved with patience, care, and a willingness to put students first.

Sandie joined us in September 2012, answering the call for the newly created position of ‘Academic Mentor’. Her credentials stood out: she had classroom experience, having started her career as a primary school teacher at Tudor Primary School in Morden, and having since then gone on to work as a Dyslexia Tutor, SEN teacher and Bereavement counsellor, with previous experience at Coloma and

Alex Scarr Hall

Over the last year Mr Scarr Hall has proved to be a passionate breath of Cheshire air for the Geography Department, shaping not only the minds of countless students but also the ways in which we approached our teaching.

Fresh from the wilds of a master’s degree from Durham University back in September 2023, he was keen to show his dedication to teaching and inspiring young minds about topics and issues he clearly loved. He quickly became known for the wisdom he brought to lessons

and golf, a caring form tutor, and the sports psychology guru for all of our sports scholars. He has led sessions internally on growth mindsets, performance under pressure, and gender bias in sport, and has helped to change and shape attitudes of PE staff and students. The school as a whole will be a poorer place without him, but we are all very proud of Jamie as he follows his passion to take up a role in high performance at England Golf and we wish him all the best for the future.

Mr S King Head of Sports

Woldingham. In person, however, she was even more impressive: she has a unique ability to immediately set anyone at ease, is unassuming, gentle, open and understanding and yet carries a quiet authority rooted in an unfailing – understated – commitment to putting others first and wanting the best for everyone.

Over the past 12 years Sandie has carved out a path of her own, delivering group sessions on a wide variety of topics from mental health to effective revision, enhancing and supporting the work of Learning Support, and as an integral part of the Sixth Form team. It has been her one-to-one work with individual students, however, that has been the most mutually impactful; she is described, colloquially and affectionately, by the Sixth Form team as the ‘plaster’ which we can apply to any situation.

In truth, ‘plaster’ is a disservice. Whether working with disaffection and apathy, anxiety, confusion or complex mental health concerns, Sandie nurtures and inspires trust. She builds relationships, and strikes an impeccable balance,

walking the tightrope between providing a safety net and reminding those with whom she works of their own personal accountability. She willingly shares her own vulnerabilities and is fearlessly honest.

Sandie gives the most precious things –her time, commitment, and energy – to her students. To her, the words ‘makes a difference’ apply more than to any other individual with whom I have worked. With a growing clan of grandchildren around her, she admits that these relationships – and the knowledge that she is making a difference – has sustained her in recent years.

It is to this lucky clan, and to a new chapter in her own life, that she now retires. She leaves Trinity, the Sixth Form, a much better place than when she found it. She will be missed by all of us, but most keenly by the students, past and present to whom she has been the difference maker.

Mr J Pietersen Head of Sixth Form

from his academic background which has sparked a love for the subject in many students.

Beyond the classroom, Mr. Scarr Hall’s enthusiasm for geography has significantly contributed to student understanding and appreciation of the world around us in his leadership of the recent Junior Grand Day Out, the 1-3rd Year Iceland Expedition and, certainly not to be forgotten, the largest Elvis Festival outside of North America whilst undertaking fieldwork with the L6 in Porthcawl (South Wales). His innovative approach to the Departmental Instagram account has seen our social status rise to near meteoric levels and his commitment to applying geographical knowledge to solve real-world problems has been a guiding light for many young geographers.

In addition to his teaching role, Mr Scarr Hall has been an integral part of the Trinity rugby set up. In coaching the effervescent U16B rugby team, he has assisted in the manufacturing of numerous victories and instilled a sense of discipline, teamwork, and sportsmanship in all his players. He has taken a group of passionate individuals and transformed them into a formidable force in senior school rugby. As Mr Scarr Hall embarks on the next phase of his career development, we extend our heartfelt thanks for his dedication and contribution We will miss his niche Eurovision knowledge as well as his unfathomable grasp of Nordic languages. We wish him and his family all the best in his new adventures.

Mr G Ruck Head of Geography

CJ Wilkinson

Claire-Jane McPherson joined our ranks in 2012. She has been dedicated and fully committed to the department and the school at large throughout her time with us.

She has approached each of her numerous roles with the same professionalism and with the wellbeing and care of the students at the very core of everything she has done.

CJ is an extremely creative teacher and has produced all kinds of wonderful (and occasionally “weird”) resources to support student learning and help understanding, which then also helps them remember all the many, many facts we cover in Biology. She is a very accomplished A Level teacher with thorough knowledge of all aspects of the specification and examination process, allowing her students to perform to the best of their abilities.

Lucy Steele

Max Waller

Max Waller joined us fresh faced from a Philosophy degree at St. Andrews having loved Trinity so much that he’d only been away from the place for a few years!

In his four years here, he has thrown himself into a huge range of activities and events. Most of these have seen him messing about in boats in his commitment to both the CCF and the Sailing Club.

He has taught a wide range of students and been on multiple trips both within the department and with other groups of students. This year alone he ran several different CCF trips as well as the Junior Sailing Trip.

Relaxed and unflappable, he has enjoyed teaching Philosophy and Religious Studies across all ages, helping with Junior Philosophy Society and with this year’s tournament winning Ethics Cup Team, which saw him return to his Scottish alma mater.

Leaving Trinity to pursue a master’s degree, he will be missed by students and staff alike. We wish him well for his future studies and look forward to welcoming him back to talk to students about the exciting areas of his degree.

Mrs K Beresford-Miller Head of Religious Studies

Lower down the school, 1st Year students have developed a solid foundation in Science thanks to CJ’s teaching. She particularly loved being involved in Chemlink and our outreach programme to primary schools.

Her tutees are always involved in interesting discussions or playing fun games, while Ceilidh dancing is now an annual event during the Sixth Form calendar. She is certainly loved by her students and tutees because they can tell she genuinely cares. CJ has been a committed Games teacher, even adding horse-riding to the extra-curricular activities list for a time while her expertise is best observed in the swimming pool. Our swimmers have benefitted from her technical coaching and many non-swimmers have quickly learned thanks to CJ’s gentle instruction and encouragement.

I have worked alongside her for 12 years and witnessed her go through many of life’s great experiences together, like getting married (to become Mrs Wilkinson) and having a baby, but also a number of challenging times. Her family have always been central in her life.

Although moving to Ardingly was a tough decision, we know at heart that it is best for you all – there will be lots of walking, bike rides and swimming out in the countryside, so enjoy it all CJ! Goodbye, good luck, and thank you.

Mr R Moralee Head of Biology

Lucy joined Trinity Drama as a Graduate Assistant in the Autumn term of 2023.

Her commitment to the vibrant and busy life of the Drama department has been invaluable: she first stepped up by volunteering to perform as the non-assessed candidate in Upper Sixth’s Component 1 exam ‘What is art?’ about the writers’ strikes in America last summer. Students loved working with her so much that they asked her to step in for their Component 2 exam, performing in their brilliant retelling of the Olivier award winning play ‘The Motive and the Cue’. As well as bringing her love of acting to the classroom, Lucy made vital contributions to the direction, choreography, design and management of all three productions this year, working tirelessly with the directors to make the plays the best they could be. Students and staff alike have benefitted from Lucy’s calmness, ‘can do’ attitude, passion for theatre and her incredible Taylor Swift knowledge. We wish her all the best for her future teaching career.

Miss L Robinson Director of Drama

Jack Williams

Jack Williams joined Trinity from Streatham and Clapham High School this year and was soon inspiring Trinity students with his many years of experience.

He became involved with the Creative Writing society, advising young scribes about how best they could shape their work. The Christmas Creative Writing competition he curated was befitting of a man who has a Master’s degree in the field, and the event yielded several high quality pieces of work. Jack’s intellectual curiosity was also demonstrated during a Literary Society talk he gave on Dr Johnson and his Dictionary – entirely apt, given that Trinity owns a copy of the original! He departs to take up a new post in the Lycee Charle de Gaulle, where he will hope to broaden his considerable horizons further by teaching bilingually. We will remember him as a highly reliable and supportive member of the department with a penchant for a well-timed one-liner, and wish him bonne chance for his new job.

Mr A Doyle

Head of English

Randall White

Katie Curtis

Katie Curtis joined Trinity as Sports Coach and Sports Club Duty Manager in September 2023 fresh from winning BUCS hockey gold as captain of the University of Nottingham ladies’ 1st team.

Katie took on the girls’ hockey programme, leading the team to some impressive results, and developing a number of players who hadn’t played much hockey before joining the school. Katie’s coaching extended to boys’ rugby and hockey too, and the U15B hockey team had a 100% winning record under her guidance. Katie leaves Trinity to pursue a career in hockey, as she aims to join the Great Britain full-time programme as a player, after taking on a charity project throughout the summer with the AYDA Foundation in Senegal. We wish her all the best in the future.

Mr C Porter Sports Club Manager

Randall joined us in November 2022, having moved from Florida where he had worked as a character performer and lighting designer at Disneyland Orlando.

Randall’s calm, relaxed demeanour immediately established him as a well-respected and liked member of staff for the students. During his time here, he patiently led creative ideas in Technical Theatre Club, overseeing the lighting and sound design for ‘Shakespeare in Love’, ‘Holes’, ‘Lord of the Flies’, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘After Life’, which was his last show. We wish him and Thomas all the best for their move to Cardiff this summer.

Miss L Robinson Director of Drama

Matthew Bond

We’ve had several former students either working in our Sports Club or Sports Department in recent history and it is no exaggeration that Matt has been one of the very best.

A chance meeting with Mr Giles at a club hockey match, some might even say fate, brought Matt back to Trinity. He returned for the Spring and Summer Terms 2023, and as we sought a Sports Graduate and Cover Teacher. He, expectedly, fitted like a glove immediately and we had no hesitation in extending his stay for a further year with us. We are a department that most definitely gets involved, and Matt probably covered and took teams in the widest variety of sports of anyone, from volleyball to fencing. He has had an overwhelmingly positive relationship with students, who will most definitely miss him. We wish Matt all the very best in what lies ahead. Trinity will always be a second home where he will be welcomed back with open arms.

Mr S King

Head of Sports

SALVETE

A welcome to new staff

Timothy Bryars

Timothy joins as a teacher of Mathematics. He is currently a selfemployed Maths tutor and has taught at The King’s School in Hampshire. Tim worked in the Metropolitan Police Service for 30 years and holds a BSc in Mathematics and Management Sciences.

Antonia Hornsby

Antonia joins as a teacher of Mathematics, having taught at James Alleyn’s Girls’ School in Dulwich. She holds a BSc in Mathematics from Manchester University and her mathematical interests include the Maths slam at Maths Fest and the National Cipher Challenge.

Jim Baldwin

Jim joins as a teacher of Mathematics and has links to the area, having taught for 36 years in Croydon schools. He joins us from Archbishop Tenison’s C of E School. He holds a BSc in Statistics from the University of Bath, and enjoys reading historical novels, as well as playing table tennis.

Olivia Bradshaw

Olivia joins us from Warlingham School. She holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Brighton and will be working in the Learning Support department as well as teaching Psychology.

Anna Stubbings

Anna is joining as a teacher of Spanish. She has previously worked at Croydon High School for Girls, as well as Royal Alexandra and Albert School. She holds a BA in French and Spanish from University of Durham.

Raúl Sanchez Saura

Raúl joins as a teacher of Spanish. He will be joining us from St. Paul’s Girls’ School and has worked at Westminster and Rugby Schools. He is a Spanish iGCSE examiner.

Inga Sinclair

Inga joins us as Deputy Head (Pastoral), having served in the same position at Old Palace. She has also worked at Sydenham High School. Inga enjoys reading and belongs to several book clubs. She enjoys running, cycling and has a keen interest in mycology, the study of fungi.

Olivia Garner

Olivia joins as a teacher of History, having taught at Old Palace. Olivia has a BA in History from the University of the West of England, she was Head of History at Oasis Academy Arena and taught at the Harris Academy, Purley.

Chris Taruwona

Chris join as a teacher of Physics, having taught at Old Palace. Chris studied at the University of Zimbabwe and has also taught at St Philomena’s High School for Girls, and Croham Hurst School.

Sophie Gerlach

Sophie joins as a teacher of Religious Studies, having studied Philosophy at the University of St. Andrew’s. Sophie has worked in investment banking. Olivia ran in the 2024 London Marathon and her other interests are playing hockey, the CCF, acting and the Duke of Edinburgh Award, of which she has completed her Gold Award.

Edward Cowlard

Edward joins as a teacher of Religious Studies. He holds a BA (Hons) in Theology and Religion from the University of Birmingham. Edward has been working in the Glow Theatre Group as a Director, Acting Coach and Choreographer. Edward is an alumnus and left in 2019.

Robert Lawrence

Robert will become the Head of Woodwind. He holds a BMus (Hons), University of Huddersfield, and a MMus (Advanced Performance Pathway), Royal College of Music. He also holds an LLB(Hons) from The Open University. Rob has been a Visiting Music Teacher at Trinity since 1999, playing saxophone and clarinet.

Michael Galloway

Michael joins as a teacher of Music. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and holds a Distinction in Music from Belfast Metropolitan College. Michael is currently a teacher a mentor at Soundskool, London. His interests include music writing, martial arts, skateboarding, photography and hiking.

Samantha Sookdeo

Samantha joins as a teacher of Biology. She holds a BSC (Hons) in Molecular Biology from Kings College, London, and a PGD in Transfusion Science. Samantha will be joining us from Old Palace and has also taught at Sydenham High School.

James Ford

James joins as a teacher of Economics and Business. He has a BSc in Economics from Swansea University, joining us from Wallington County Grammar School. James has coached and managed both the rugby and cricket teams at WCGS.

Lorraine Richards

Lorraine joins as an Admissions Assistant. She worked at Lewisham Council as the Head of Revenues, and her son Cassius attended Trinity and left in 2020.

Ethan Turner

Ethan joins as a PE Graduate and cover teacher. He studied at St. Mary’s University completing his bachelor’s degree in physical education, Sport and Youth Development. He is a keen sportsperson and enjoys playing football and cricket.

Lower School Prize Winners

In each form the first named student wins a prize for academic excellence and the second for sustained effort. Other students win prizes in the Lower School for the largest number of commendations and all round achievement.

JP Thomas Price-Harries JT

Harry Beeraje

Arjun Agrawal

Jason Shek

Max Kayacan 1B

Elliot Bergs

Sebastian Harris-Folkard

Alex Bradburn

Micah Spero 1M Fin Gratton

Theo Albert

David Tokan-lawal

Zain Hardcastle

Nate Shirbon

Ned Copsey

Oliver Shelley

1N Torin Strathearn 1P Isaac Hayee 1R Adam Rhodes 1W Jamie Hung

Evan McLeish

Alexander Wright

Tom Simpson

Eashwar Sasikumar

Partha Ram

Laksh Bhura

2B Christian Mnkandla 2D Julian Carpegna 2E

Jonathan Shand

Ali Asharia

Frederick Leadbitter

Taran Jeyanandhan

Thomas Green

Fraser Gormley

2H Jake Aldridge 2P Jingye Sun

Jack Filer

Will Booth

Oistin Boakye-Keating

Sam Kingston

Lucian Joshi

Sebastian Heitz

Jonathan Fan

Seth Kennedy

James Pomery

Hal Heaton

Rishabh Jain

Ali Husain

Thomas Pickles 2G Josh Patel

Vinesh Sivakumar

Freddie Dawe

Arhan Gandhi

Andre Fritsch

Timmy Grannell

Leo Carr

Middle School Prize Winners

Students in the Third and Fourth Year win prizes for significant academic progress and all round endeavour.

3B Hugo Morton-Ho 3D Otto Stueck

Ed Morris

Josh Webb

Thomas Love

Josh Lai

Rohan Patel

Daniel Guglielmino

Guru Dhamodaran

Lyam Mosnier

Christopher Bergs Haocheng Wang

Matthew Jacques

Humphrey Bedford

Ryan Patel

Leo Price

3M James Smith 3P Eshan Patel 3R Alan Bernstein 4B Joshua Allen

Alexander Madjev

Zak Adjepong

Zak Qureshi

Romil Rathore

Emile Guiblin

Dylan Lawson

Xavi Headland

Malvin Kusi

Benjy Gilbert

4F Aarian Nair 4H Joshua Herd 4M Naku Debebe

Raphael Rivet

Alix Chan

Jack Godfrey

Kai Biebow Rehl

Eddie Willmer

Debarun Deb Tom Breslin

Jacob Fasida

4R Aaron George 4S Ayush Shetty

Joshua Ramtahal

Alex Graham

Yash Reddy

Rory Annett

Aidan Birmingham

Rizq Sherazi

Mafeng Pwol

Lucas Collier

Evan Wood

Joshua Bell

Alex Martin

Max Leadbitter

Alexander Taylor

Thomas Karelis

Community Prizes

Daniel Todd L6SWC Mark Bishop Cup for Service

Dhyan Ruparel L6NMB Maureen Dixon Award for Community Action

Charlie Cormack 1W Anna Marshall Prize for History

Music Prizes

Oliver Michael 2D

Trinity Musician of the Year

Benjy Gilbert 3R William Lane Brass Award

Hugo Morton-Ho 3B Raven Strings Award

Leo Jemison 5T Bernstein Cup for Composition

National representative caps

Dylan Lawson 3P Matthew Jarvis Shield Winner

Shay Ivory 3B

Matthew Jarvis Shield Runner up

Ed Morris 3B Matthew Jarvis Shield Runner up

Hannah Karpal U6RCB National Representative Cap

Harry Beeraje JP National Representative Cap

Alyssa Firla L6LPR National Representative Cap

Lucas Friday U6DWC National Representative Cap

Pierre Rivet U6OJM National Representative Cap

Will Haspel L6EMB National Representative Cap

Alex Middleton L6EMB National Representative Cap

Adeel Imtiazi L6DJL National Representative Cap

Zac Goldschmied 5P Bernstein Cup for Golf

Lower Sixth Prize Winners

Outstanding Academic Attainment

Christyn Brunni (L6OJH)

Meg Bridges (L6LPR)

Yi Long Cheong (L6MM)

Mimi Collins (L6LPR)

Lucy Davis (L6OJH)

Finn Evans (L6SWC)

Lars Hansen (L6EMB)

Freya Heath (L6LPR)

Sami Husain (L6DJL)

Matthew Johnsen (L6DJL)

Maksim Lalic (L6NMB)

Aidan McAllen (L6MM)

Mia McAllen (L6JW)

Rahul Mehan (L6PJB)

Jake Mulrenan (L6JSE)

David Onadeko (L6PJB)

Anne-Mei Ong (L6OJH)

Andrew Pavalarajancroos (L6PJB)

Thushan Peiris (L6RMH)

Ananya Rammohan (L6LPR)

Dhyan Ruparel (L6NMB)

Kristian Sarai (L6RMH)

Adhi Sasikumar (L6EMB)

Tom Shaxson (L6JES)

Ruby Shiels (L6OJH)

Aria Shivram (L6MSA)

Michael Tadman (L6TJD)

Daniel Todd (L6SWC)

Mia Verma (L6MSA)

Max Virley (L6NMB)

Richard Wild (L6JES)

Simeon Wren (L6JES)

Consistently High Effort Grades

Rowen Titchener (L6OJH)

Zoe Langridge Corbett (L6MSA)

Alexander Molony (L6JSE)

Beth Guiblin (L6MSA)

Ethan Thorne (L6RMH)

Megan Slattery (L6LPR)

Andrew Ah-Weng (L6SWC)

Upper Sixth Prize Winners

Turner Prize for Head of School

Kayla Victor

Alex Salama

Swaffield Prize for Deputy Head of School Pierre Rivet

Swaffield Prize for Senior Prefect Team

School Prize for Art

Whitlock Prize for Biology

Eccleston-Turner Prize for Business

Robbins Prize for Chemistry

School Prize for Chinese

School Prize for Classical Civilisation

School Prize for Computer Science

School Prize for Design Technology

Grey Award for Overall Contribution to Drama

Grey Award for Drama Performance

Desmond Day Prize for Drama

Abbas Khan Economics Prize

Hodson Prize for English

Jonathan Harrison Prize for Engineering

EPQ Prize

Berthoud Prize for French

Turner Prize for Geography

Marshall Prize for German

School Prize for Greek

Hodson Prize for History

School Prize for Latin

School Prize for Mathematics

Taylor Prize for Further Mathematics

Sivakami Arunan

Gabriella Thomas

Sienna Mehta

Thomas Law

Quinn Singh

Matilda Pooley

Dylan Chung Kam Chung

Dominic Coates

Sejan Vignes

Robert Wilding

Kashvi Philip

Daniel Basini

Joseph Birch

Robert Wilding

Barney Sayburn

Aidan Keogh

Shaan Virdi

Gabriella Thomas

Sivakami Arunan

Joseph Birch

Catherine Lanaspre

Nathan Good

Pippa Carver

Felix Gomulka

Kashvi Philip

Zach Downey

Gabriella Thomas

Sumant Dinesh

Catherine Lanaspre

Dr Nick Collins Cup for top aspiring medic Ella Verma

School Prize for Film, Video, & Sound

(JZR TSL)

Whitlock Prize for Physics

School Prize for Politics

School Prize for Psychology

School Prize for Religious Studies

School Prize for Science

Joseph Anderson

Kaizar Kanchwala

Arthur Clark

Aidan Keogh

Leah Pryce

Ayaan Ratnayaka

Sumant Dinesh

Matchan Prize for Spanish Sienna Mehta

School Prize for Sports Science

Sophie Birch

Crisp Prize for Academic Music Alex Haythorne

School Prize for All Round Academic Joshua Speight

School Prize for All Round Academic George Brown

School Prize for All Round Academic Asha de Silva

School Prize for All Round Academic Jennifer Bradescu

School Prize for All Round Academic Ronak De

School Prize for All Round Academic Alex Salama

School Prize for All Round Academic Zain Lam

School Prize for All Round Academic Fred Turpin

Haris Ahmed Prize Tom Willmer

Music Prize (All-round contribution) Asha De Silva

Music Prize (All-round contribution) Sophia Wan

Music Prize (Performance) Ethan Hocquellet

Music Prize (Captain of Music) Zain Lam

Music Prize (Jazz) Alex Salama

Music Prize (Instrumental) Julian Holland

Music Prize (Instrumental) Ben Sindall

Orchard Prize for Head Chorister James Blair

Boys Sport (All round contribution) Teddy Wilkie

Girls' Sport (All-round contribution) Lauren Baldwin

Sport (Boys’ Cricket) Oliver Falero

Sport (Girls’ Cricket) Hannah Karpal

Sport (Girls’ Hockey) Pippa Carver

Sport (Boys’ Hockey) Jack Mann

Sport (Girls’ Netball) Kayla Victor

Sport (Boys’ Rugby) Lucas Friday

CCF Macintosh Prize (RAF) Kristian Rees

CCF Prize, RN Section Not awarded

CCF Senior Cadet Abi Watkins

School Prize for Sixth Form Council Felix Gomulka

School Prize for Sixth Form Council Carmen Morrison

School Prize for Mentoring Leah Pryce

School Prize for Mentoring Felix Gomulka

School Prize for Mentoring Emily Tabraham

School Prize for Mentoring Maya Malhotra

School Prize for Mentoring

Dylan Chung Kam Chung

Rachel Timm

Amare McDonald

Sejan Vigneswaralingham

Trinity School, Shirley Park, Croydon CR9 7AT t: 020 8656 9541 | f: 020 8655 0522 e: hmsec@trinity.croydon.sch.uk | www.trinity-school.org