Trinity School Mitre Magazine 2024-25

Editor: Clara Story

With thanks to: Nicola Blunt, Audrey Lenihan, Donna Lewis, David Lydon, Bev Steven, Jack Munnery, Rosabelle Lattery-Lee, Inga Sinclair, Andrew Corstorphine, Matt Richbell, Tuki Rounds, Alasdair Kennedy and all the Trinity staff and students who have contributed.

Front cover: Timofey Ivanov Back cover: Kai Biebow Rehl Inside covers: Simon Stacpoole

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 ambition that has been realised across such a wide range of activity, the hard work that has been done, and the support of a nurturing and collaborative community which has made all this possible. We are also excited to have announced that Trinity will grow and extend co-education to younger girls, starting in September 2027.

The energy and ambition that our students show are great credit to them. Their academic results are stronger than ever, but the variety and depth of their wider interests are just as impressive. If there is one thing that underpins the richness of their engagement, it is their willingness to join in and try things, whether in the creative arts, societies, trips, coding or the environment. This culture of confident participation, which we want all our students to embrace, is what I think that this edition of the Mitre captures most of all.

My grateful thanks go to all our contributors to this edition, but particular congratulations go again to Clara Story 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 2025

In June we said goodbye to Heads of School Jared Thompson and Maddy Hunter. They share some memories and thoughts about their time at Trinity.

Jared Thompson

Wow, those eight years went quickly. I’ve done some cool things while at Trinity, including making a lightsaber with Mr Price in Second Year, swimming the length of the English Channel to raise £3,000 for Malawi, learning Ancient Greek (okay, not that cool), and the list goes on.

One of the most special and fulfilling experiences has been working closely with Mrs Donna Lewis and Mr Jason Court to promote Trinity bursaries. One of my main goals as a Head of School was to be a spearhead for the Bursary Programme, and I’ve been given plenty of opportunity to do so: speaking at a gathering for donors held at Mansion House in Central London, writing an article for the Supporters’ Impact publication, and of course tag-teaming an assembly with the Headmaster about bursaries and their impact. It’s been an honour to use my platform as Head of School to promote what I believe lies at the heart of Trinity’s unique culture.

Sport has also been a massive part of my life here. Captaining the Water Polo 1st team and the Hockey 2nd XI, as well as playing 1st XV rugby,

Maddy Hunter

As my time a Trinity comes to an end, I am reminded that coming here was this the best decision I could have made, and also how lucky I am to have been a part of such a wonderful year group.

Being a Head of School has been an honour, and I’d like to thank all my peers for making all the Monday morning meetings, Founder’s Days and admissions events more bearable.

Some of my fondest memories have come from this school, such as when the girls absolutely annihilated both the rugby team and the staff in netball matches, with some rather strange techniques from both Mr Hodge and Shay! I think I speak for the whole team when I say that those were probably the easiest games of netball we played over the two years.

have all shaped me immensely and made me grow as a person. Winning three water polo national titles has made my trophy cabinet grow, too.

Speaking of which, I’ve never met anyone as obsessed with something as Mr King is with water polo, and I’ve never met anyone as committed to a cause as Mr Marsh, the volunteer coach who’s been here for more than 40 years. I owe a lot to these two inspiring individuals, and I’ve lost count of the number of alumni I’ve met of all ages who say the same.

As I close this chapter of my life, and say goodbye to the school that’s helped shape me into who I am today, I have one last message for any younger students reading this: Be great. Be a great person, achieve great things, and have a great time while doing so. Great people build up others and give freely, and the more you do that, the greater life will be for you and everyone around you.

I wish you the best, and I’ll see you on the other side.

Another great memory is of the beginning of Year 12, getting to know each other as a year group on the field. Even if it resulted in a rugby ball to the back of the head (thanks, Rhys), we formed some unbreakable bonds.

I’d be lying if I said there weren’t annoyances, like the constant battle for the Sixth Form Centre ketchup. However, I would do it all again in a heartbeat, and I am so proud of everything we have been able to achieve. I’d like to give a massive thank you to the biggest legend, Mr Hodge. Thank you for putting up with Conor’s strong Crystal Palace opinions, many tears from many people in your office, and being the rock for the Class of 2025.

Thank you to my peers again. I wish you all the best of luck in the future and hope our LinkedIn connections are worthwhile.

Jared and Maddy with deputy head boy Daniel Todd (left)

Showing the way

Trinity’s 130 compassionate and caring Sixth Form mentors used their skills and training to support more than 500 younger students on a weekly basis.

In April, Trinity was awarded a prestigious Silver Award from Oppidan Education for the Mentoring Programme. The award is designed to highlight outstanding mentoring in schools, and our Sixth Form mentors were commended for their coaching and leadership skills to support members of the whole school community.

The judges stated that Trinity’s program “is already beginning to transform lives in measurable ways”.

“Your work demonstrates a strong culture of personal development, with staff and students engaging meaningfully in mentoring that builds confidence, resilience, and ambition,” they added.

Mr Lydon, Head of Mentoring, said, “To be awarded a Silver, and to have come very close to a Gold, is fantastic news. It really is testament to all the hard work our mentors do week in, week out.”

The mentors work with form groups across the school, supporting half of the whole student body. Other initiatives included supporting Careers Week, Mental Health Week, and the Festival of Ideas.

Peer mentoring continued to grow too – up to 30 targeted younger students received 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, and some of our newest mentors have cited them as a key turning point in their own development as Trinity students.

Eight outstanding mentors were awarded prizes at the Upper Sixth graduation ceremony in recognition of their dedication to the role: Mia McAllen, Vedika Vaidya, Hollyann Reeves, Bailee Sheldon, Maksim Lalic, Alexander Molony, Kristian Sarai. Aidan McAllen.

We’ve got the power

Trinity has been reducing its carbon footprint further this year, with an expansion of our solar panel array, boiler works, electric vehicle charging points, and new electric minibuses.

The school can now generate up to 50 percent of our electricity through its expanded array of 1,600 solar panels on the roof – one of the largest arrays on a school in the country.

Eight 22kW electric vehicle charging points have been added on-site for staff, visitors, and parents to use. Located near the Sixth Form Centre, these chargers are accessible via the Monta Charge App. Three new electric minibuses and four new efficient diesel models have also been added to the school’s fleet, ensuring that our vehicles are both greener and more reliable.

In the boiler room that powers the swimming pool, the Estates team have overseen the replacement of one large boiler with three smaller, high-efficiency condensing units, reducing the gas consumption required to heat our swimming pool by half. The school plans to upgrade all boilers over the coming years to further lower our carbon emissions.

The student-led Green Council has also been involved in green initiatives, from biodiversity projects to take stock of wildlife on-site, to engaging younger students in environmental care.

Memories of Malawi

It will be ten years this summer since the start of Trinity’s partnership with Chipwepwete Primary School, and the results have been life-changing for our friends in Malawi.

Mr Rob Brookman made his first visit to Malawi in 2015, to explore the possibility of setting up some sort of link with a local school. In the ensuing decade, over 150 students and 25 staff have made the trip to Malawi to build and develop our partnerships with Chipwepwete Primary, Hope Secondary, and charities Fisherman’s Rest and Hope4Malawi, with another group of 25 students heading out this summer. The Trinity community has raised £210,000 in that time, paying for a long-term feeding programme and numerous educational projects and buildings including new classrooms, a new secondary school, toilet blocks, a river bridge and a well-stocked library.

Mr Brookman retired from Trinity in 2016, but has remained an integral supporter of the Malawi Project ever since.

To mark the project’s 10-year milestone, some of the staff and students who joined the early trips share their memories and impressions of the project.

Mr Julian Timm

Mr Rob Brookman

Head of Co-Curricular Activities, 2015 and 2016

As with so many successful projects at Trinity, the Malawi link started with discussions between students, teachers and parents. In this case I heard that the Goodman family had spent their summer holiday in Malawi, volunteering at Fisherman’s Rest. Subsequently I asked students Sam and Joel Goodman to talk to all Lower School students about their experience by speaking in a Wednesday assembly. A few months later it was decided that the receipts from the retiring collection at the carol service would go to the feeding programme at Chipwepwete Primary School. On the order of service, information was given about what an impact can be made by offering children a nutritious meal at school and the response was incredible. Whereas the usual collection amounted to some £300 to £400, on this occasion it was over £1200 which secured the feeding programme for the following year.

From this, it was obvious that there would be support from the whole school community to take the links between Trinity, the charity Hope4Malawi and local charity Fisherman’s Rest to a higher level. It was agreed to fundraise for feeding and building, and to start a project for students and staff to visit Malawi and work on development projects, as well as assisting the Chipwepwete children with their learning. Headmaster Mark Bishop saw the value of such a project, and he funded my first reconnaissance visit in July 2015.

Having been involved in so many school projects, from Geography field trips to partnering with children in the Czech Republic to the Trinity Triathlon, I can honestly say that I am most proud of being involved in the Trinity-Malawi link. The journey from a routine school assembly to the present position just demonstrates what can be done when students, staff and families work together with a common goal.

New buildings completed include classrooms and a girls’ toilet block

Mrs Helen Ward Teacher of Maths, 2016

For me, travelling to Malawi was an amazing opportunity to reflect on what we have, and how much we take for granted. On our first arrival at Chipwepete, I was overwhelmed by the joy on the children’s faces as they welcomed us. Now a mother myself, the experience has reminded me to remain present with my children, knowing that what they value is our interactions, and not the material things that come and go. Everything is centred on play.

I was also incredibly moved during our visit to the prison, finding a common language through song and sport, making connections with

people so far removed from our day to day normal. It was a good reminder of the importance of forgiveness, personal growth and learning from our mistakes.

Malawi was also very special for me to on a friendship front, the shared experiences cementing lifelong connections. Spending quality time with likeminded, inspirational people was a real privilege. I’ve continued to fundraise for Hope4Malawi and I sponsor two girls annually through their education as a result of the trip. As a teacher, I am acutely aware that education opens doors, provides opportunities, and therefore I am grateful to have found a charity that carries out its work with fidelity.

Mrs Claire Jackson School Nurse, 2017

In 2017 I headed to Malawi filled with both trepidation and excitement. I really didn’t know what to expect despite all the preparation meetings. We were welcomed daily wherever we went with such enthusiasm and joy, it made you forget for a moment the deprivation and poverty that these people were facing every day.

During my visit I had the opportunity to visit and shadow doctors and nurses at a local clinic. The main issues the medical staff were dealing with were malaria and significant burns. Malaria remains a major cause of death in Malawi; this was incredibly difficult to comprehend as it a disease that is so easy to treat. I witnessed people who had walked for days to access care and treatment, but sadly it was often too late. Burns were mostly sustained by young children and toddlers. Many homes in Malawi cook on open fires at ground level and the burns happen from hot embers, or children walking on extremely hot, smouldering ash . These burns were significant, serious and often infected.

The devotion and care of the doctors and nurses was humbling; it was a privilege to be a part of. Malawi was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience and one I will never forget.

‘During my visit I had the opportunity to visit and shadow doctors and nurses at a local clinic.’

Mrs Diana Jonesco Marketing Assistant, 2017

By the time of the 2017 visit, the library and two classrooms had been built and newly stocked with books. Yet, the majority of teaching still took place with children sitting on bricks on the earth floor, gathered around a single blackboard propped on an easel.

There was no bridge to reach the school during the rainy season, and we all dreaded the thought of using the non-existent toilet facilities. Thanks to the generosity of the Trinity community, so many improvements have since been made.

When we weren’t teaching, we spent our time digging foundations, sifting earth, and attempting to make bricks – which, as it turns out, is much harder than you’d think. Unsurprisingly, we all came home a little leaner, fitter, and much more humble.

You never forget the warm welcome each morning – scores of excited children waiting for us to arrive, overflowing with happiness despite having so little. Nor can you forget the heartache of seeing a young child queue for phala with a small margarine tub, only to share that modest portion with two siblings – knowing it might be all they’d eat that day.

We shared countless experiences, lots of laughter, a few tears, and formed a bond that will forever hold us together. I returned home with a different perspective on life – and I know I’m not the only one.

Charlie Gill Student, 2017

I visited Chipwepwete School in Malawi with Trinity in 2017, and the experience has remained with me since. Visiting Malawi taught me many things, however an overriding memory which stayed with me is not a lesson which we taught the students there, but one they taught us. I remember the students experiencing such joie-de-vivre during every aspect of their day, be it counting to ten or playing netball during break.

An aspect I vividly recall, both us and them, enjoying was the library sessions: acting out The Very Hungry Caterpillar, imitating the voices in The Gruffalo, or pretending to be The Tiger Who Came to Tea Their laughter was infectious, and such happiness with the simple things is something which we in the UK should aspire to more. I worry we often take these smaller things for granted. I hope Trinity students visiting Malawi over the next ten years enjoy the trip as much as we did, and ensure they appreciate the small things.

Abi Morris Student, 2016

There were many amazing things about the Malawi trip that have left a lasting impression on me. Going on such an adventurous trip at that age encouraged me to take bolder risks later on. For instance, I have since signed up for further fundraising events at university, and had the opportunity to organise and lead some fundraising trips for younger students at university. I also felt confident to embark on a year abroad in the third year of my degree.

Mr Nick Denman Director of Teaching and Learning, 2018

I was so lucky and privileged to accompany the Malawi trip in 2019, just as I retired. We raised some money from setting up a juggling club at Trinity, and took 60 juggling balls with us in the forlorn hope of teaching some of the children how to juggle. Chaotic fun ensued.

My favourite memories of the trip include the unbridled enthusiasm of the children as we arrived at the school each morning, everyone getting soaked as we successfully repaired a well in one of the villages, and the exhausted relief of finally getting to the top of Mount Mulanje. I also briefly became a millionaire in the local currency as I looked after everyone’s spending money, saw giraffes and elephants saunter through the campsite on Safari, and greatly enjoyed watching Hannah Whiteford cope admirably with being gifted a live chicken at the final assembly at Chipwepwete! Wha a fantastic experience we all had.

Mr Julian Timm

Teacher of History, 2016 and 2023

It can be hard to write about these trips without sounding terribly cliched. Smiling children, happy faces… These are unquestionably images which all of us recall. However, we know this masked the daily obstacles faced by these communities. What is undoubtedly true and genuine is the enormous warmth of welcome we have received on every one of our visits, and what that reflects is a genuine gratitude for our commitment to supporting their education.

At a school such as Trinity, it is self-evident how much value parents place on the importance of education and the transformational impact it can have. In Malawi that assumption is certainly not a given, and encouraging attendance through the feeding programme has been the key foundation of our commitment. However, we have also been made very aware of the importance of the direct contact provided by our annual visits. With classes routinely over 50, 60 or 70, any individual interactions are hugely valuable. We know this not because we claim to be experts in what is a very different educational setting, but because the staff and students at Chipwepwete and Hope tell us it is so.

The more than £200,000 raised by the Trinity community over the last 10 years has seen the school roll at Chipwepwete almost double through supporting the feeding programme. But the generosity of our parents, students and staff has also allowed investment in a number of other key projects. Whereas 10 years ago there was one classroom block, with most classes taught either outside, or in rudimentary shelters, all children now study in purpose-built classrooms that are fully furnished. A library has been built and fully stocked with age-appropriate books. Toilet blocks for girls and boys have been built. A bridge has been built across the nearby river so that students can access school even in the rainy season, which also allows the local community to access the market. Teachers are able to make the journey to work on regularly maintained bicycles or on motorbike taxis.

It is for all these reasons, as well as the enormous privilege of being able to visit this amazing country, that we hope this partnership will continue for many decades to come.

All together now

In the autumn of 2024, Trinity announced ambitious plans to become a fully co-education school, alongside an expansion of the intake and building improvements.

The school is preparing to welcome its first girls in the Junior and First Years in September 2027 and will become fully co-educational in 2031.

Trinity’s Sixth Form has already been co-educational for 14 years, and the decision to expand provision throughout the school will provide an even more diverse and inclusive environment for our students, and expand their experiences and perspectives. The move also follows the

announcement of the closure of Old Palace, the Whitgift Foundation’s girls’ school.

The school will expand from its current student body of 1050 to take in 1400 students by 2033, which will also require extensive developments to the site.

Trinity’s first cohort of Sixth Form girls in 2011

The first mixed year group at graduation

Mr Alasdair Kennedy, Headmaster

Why has Trinity decided to go co-ed?

We want to provide for younger girls what we are currently able to offer only to boys aged 10 to 16: a nurturing, academically ambitious environment with first-rate co-curricular opportunities. We have also seen the positive impact of our co-educational Sixth Form.

The John Whitgift Foundation provided for younger girls at Old Palace, but the closure of that school means it is now the right time to extend our offer to younger girls.

How will the growth of the school be managed?

We intend to increase overall student numbers from 1050 currently to 1400 by 2033. This means the growth will be gradual, allowing us to manage carefully how the school evolves.

A particular strength of Trinity is the breadth and depth of our cocurricular activity. Scaling up to around 100 girls and 100 boys in every year group will create greater opportunities for students to find others who share their interests, whether that’s in the creative arts, sport, outdoor activities or academic societies. It will also help our students excel together to the highest level.

Growing the school will also enable greater investment in our facilities, particularly in the performing arts and sports.

What will be the ratio of boys to girls?

We aim to achieve equal numbers of boys and girls in each year group as soon as we can. In the first year (from September 2027), we plan to have 24 girls and 24 boys join the Juniors and expect to have between 70 and 100 girls and 100 boys in the First Year.

What will be the main changes you will make?

As the school grows, we will work hard to ensure that we don’t lose the essential feel of the community that students currently enjoy. We want to improve social spaces and expand the physical site, in order to maintain the current atmosphere.

There are obvious changes to make, such as changing rooms and toilets, but our creative and performing arts facilities will also be expanded to match the standards of our Music School. Sports facilities will see a new netball facility and improvements in our main pitches, including the renewal of one of our hockey astros to an elite standard. We will expand our sports centre, creating a new strength and conditioning facility as well as two dance and sport studios.

We will also be investing in a new dining facility, new classrooms, and, in time, a new, enlarged Sixth Form Centre. We are planning a significant development of our Performing Arts spaces and, through sensitive landscaping, will create an ideal environment for current and future students to meet, socialise and play.

Where can I find out more?

As the project progresses, the school will share updates at https:// www.trinity-school.org/about-trinity/co-education/. As the plans develop, the site will show a timeline of activity, plans and designs for the new facilities, and progress reports. Any questions can be directed to co-education@trinity.croydon.sch.uk.

Mr Alasdair Kennedy

‘A particular strength of Trinity is the breadth and depth of our co-curricular activity. Scaling up to around 100 girls and 100 boys in every year group will create greater opportunities for students.’

Ms Inga Sinclair Deputy Head Pastoral

Ms Sinclair was previously the pastoral lead at Old Palace School for five years, and is helping to plan the integration of the new girls.

“I am truly excited about Trinity’s transition to becoming a fully coeducational school. It is a move that embraces diversity, nurtures inclusion, and prepares all our students for the wider world. This is a change that we want to make sure is good for all of our students.

Many members of our pastoral team bring with them valuable experience from co-educational settings, and they are eager to use this knowledge to ensure a smooth and thoughtful integration of girls into the lower years of the school.

At Trinity, we take immense pride in ensuring that every child feels known. Strong pastoral care lies at the heart of this—delivered by our skilled tutors, Heads of Year, Heads of Section, and classroom teachers. Initiatives like the Good Human Awards, strong home–school communication, and a culture of genuine curiosity about each student’s interests and concerns help us foster a sense of belonging and recognition.

We have been collaborating and consulting in order to adjust our Personal Development curriculum and form time programme, so we can ensure every new student feels supported, seen, and valued. We are proud to be part of this important chapter and look forward to seeing all our students thrive – together.”

The student view

Trinity’s Sixth Form has been co-ed for 14 years, and here three Lower Sixth students share their impressions of moving into this mixed environment.

Maggie Forster

After being in an all-girls school for the first ten years of my education, a mixed Sixth Form has been a challenging and exciting change. Mixed lessons provide a more diverse range of thought and discussions, and I have found them to be livelier and a more compelling environment. Trinity should be proud to host a very thriving community in the Sixth Form, in which girls are encouragingly welcomed and immersed into the school.

Both the Sixth Form Centre and Mitre Café are vibrant social areas and allow perfect opportunities for work or just lounging around on the sofas. Socially, I think co-ed allows for a greater range of friendships and experiences than a single sex environment. This dynamic has given me better social skills, a wider and more accurate understanding of the world, and copious amounts of valuable friendships.

I think that going fully co-ed will be hugely beneficial for the growth of the school, and is a positive and progressive step.

“This dynamic has given me better social skills, a wider and more accurate understanding of the world, and copious amounts of valuable friendships.”

Will Hooton

After the initial awkwardness of the first few days, as would happen with any new cohort, the year group quickly gelled and became good friends. I have really enjoyed our debates in lessons such as English and Classical Civilisation, where being co-ed allows us to explore different perspectives, which some students may not have considered previously. It has been invaluable in helping to build up arguments from every walk of life.

In Games sessions and in the Sixth Form Centre between lessons, I think having both boys and girls has definitely helped to foster a lot more kindness and overall camaraderie. Some students may have found it difficult to adjust to a sudden switch from a single-sex system, but on the whole I think most people have learnt by now what is appropriate. Our Games lessons, especially, have become less competitive and more collaborative, trying to help others succeed. Whether this is due to us being with the girls, or from gaining a bit more maturity, or a mixture of both, it is hard to say.

The transition that the school is making in 2027 will allow girls to access a high-level education along with the Trinity’s excellent pastoral care. But it is not only the girls who benefit, but it also helps many of the boys to gain broader perspectives and social skills. Overall, I think this an invaluably positive step forward.

‘I think having both boys and girls has definitely helped to foster a lot more kindness and overall camaraderie.’

Abigail Myers

Co-education is a wonderful endeavour for Trinity to embark on. In a world where misogyny and red-pill content have become so prevalent, integrating boys and girls in a school environment provides a space in which everyone can learn from each other. It will be important for the school to provide an environment where everybody can express themselves without fear of judgement and rejection, allowing each student to reach their full potential while feeling comfortable.

Having come from an all-girls school, I found the change to a mixed Sixth Form (especially where the boys outnumber the girls) to be quite daunting. It was the antithesis of my previous school, and I was suddenly going to be spending two years completely surrounded by boys. However, everyone was very accommodating and friendly (the openness of the SFC makes it easy for large group interactions with different people), and I swiftly acclimatised to the new setting, finding that my male counterparts push me in a different way to my female ones.

‘It will be important for the school to provide an environment where everybody can express themselves without fear of judgement and rejection, allowing each student to reach their full potential while feeling comfortable.’

Robot wards

A robot which sterilises operating theatres and monitors oxygen levels has won an award for its creator, Upper Sixth Former Ansh Shetty.

Ansh was presented with a Gold Crest Award from the British Science Association for his robot, which was developed with the aim of helping underfunded and understaffed hospitals. The award is given to students for long-term, in-depth projects of their own design.

Ansh said he wanted to engineer a solution for parts of rural India, where government hospitals struggle with infections picked up during treatment because of improper sterilization. Better funded countries have methods like hydrogen peroxide vapour and autoclaving, but those can cost a hospital more than $200,000.

Ansh aimed to build something that made sterilisation cheaper and lightened the workload on nurses, when hospitals are extremely understaffed. His solution was UVC light which kills 99.99% of pathogens, and an industry-grade source can cost between £60 and £100. As it can be dangerous to humans upon exposure, his idea was an autonomous UVC sterilisation robot that shuts off the UVC light if a human is detected. He could not test it with real UVC due to regulations, so it was modelled it with an LED.

He also built in a SpO2 sensor (which monitors blood oxygen levels) with an AI model he developed, so the robot could track patients’ oxygen levels in real-time and the AI model could classify dangerous readings, reducing the need for constant manual checks. He called the robot Chitti 2.0, after a Tamil movie character he loved as a child.

Ansh described the challenges he faced building the robot.

“For three months, I went in circles. The navigation kept failing,” he said. “The first SpO2 sensor gave readings so inconsistent it might as well have been making them up. Half the time, I didn’t even know what was wrong. I’d fix one issue, and three more would pop up.

“After endless debugging, hardware swaps, and retraining the AI model, it worked. The robot was built just to see if I could do it, but seeing it recognised by the British Science Association was great.”

Ansh has more improvements he wants to make, and is considering turning it into a real product at university in the future.

Part of the gang

Junior Year Aaron Zhao performed with at the Royal Variety Performance with the cast of Oliver! The Musical in December.

Aaron joined the cast of Oliver! in July last year playing Sidney Chattoway in Fagin’s gang, and has been performing four times a week in the West End since December. The RVP was held at the Royal Albert Hall with the King in attendance, and tickets raise money for those in need who have worked in the entertainment industry.

Aaron said he was “so honoured” to take part in the show. “It was such a special experience, but I felt a lot of tension as I knew the King was watching,” he said.

“The best part of being in Oliver! is making friends with other young, talented performers. We have grown really close and have so much fun together.”

Seeds of change

Trinity’s garden has been growing and developing as a community space, thanks to the efforts of the Gardening Club, explains Ms Antonia Prestney.

It has been a delight to see the garden being used more and more this year, through weekly Gardening Club sessions, J-Bug registration sessions, diploma electives, special visits, and departments booking the space as a classroom. Lots of items have been kindly gifted to us, and Mr Currigan’s composting hot box has been a working experiment to research how we encourage compost to develop quickly for use in the beds. The garden has become a true place where our community can be celebrated, with lots of the garden showcasing some wonderful donations from staff and students. It has been wonderful to see the cherry blossom tree in the centre of the garden thrive, a beautiful memory for us of Mario Sammut who was caretaker at Trinity for many years. Mario loved the garden and also loved making bird boxes, so it was fantastic to honour his memory in Mental Health Week, when the students made bird feeders and hung them on the blossom filled branches.

Gardening Club

The club members have been excellent this year, out in all weathers and truly helping to create a peaceful place to learn to grow. We have sown wildflowers, hedgerows and spring bulbs, but also worked hard to grow and learn about vegetables and fruit – propagating strawberries and sowing onions and lettuces, as well as many herbs including thyme, mint and oregano. As the fruits and vegetables come into season, the students are taking products home (with some delicious strawberries being eaten with our lunches in the sunshine from May).

Royal Horticultural Society Award

In March we were delighted to achieve our RHS level 4 award. We had to provide evidence in areas including supporting wildlife, using the garden to support the curriculum, and sharing plants or seeds. It has been a delight to see more wildlife supported in the garden: we have been planting bee friendly wildlflowers in a designated wild area, and have also seen a rise in the presence of butterflies because of the variety of plants. The garden continues to be used by departments for teaching, with the Art department visiting to do pencil drawings and drying flowers for still life. Old pottery items have also been placed in the garden as bird drinking stations and bug hotels. The Biology department has also begun visiting to teach about biodiversity (which the deliberately overgrown areas have been particularly useful for!), using quadrats to look at percentage diversity in allocated areas.

Woodland Trust trees scheme

In February we received free hedgerow plants as part of the Woodland Trust free trees scheme. A wonderful collection of hawthorn, hazel, crab apple and dog rose arrived for us, and Gardening Club enjoyed planting them to provide a natural walkway to the garden gate and around the seating area. Hedgerows are so important for the garden, supporting 80 percent of woodland birds and 30 percent of butterflies. Even though our saplings are still very young, we’re very excited to see the creatures that they begin to create habitats for.

Woodland Trust Green Tree School Bronze Award

We entered the Woodland Trust Green Tree Awards for the first time this year, in which participants accumulate points for various activities in school. The Second Year bushcraft days out helped us gain important points for our first step on the ladder of this scheme.

Wake up and smell the flowers

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon when lavender farmer and alumnus Fergus Corrigan visited the Gardening Club to share his experiences.

A group of enthusiastic J-Bugs and First Year students heard how Fergus set up an organic lavender and flower farm in York just four years ago.

Fergus, who left Trinity in 2009, now runs the largest organic lavender farm in the country, with 70 acres of lavender and a business producing high-end oil, flowers, candles, and cosmetics. Northern Lavender products are stocked in many exclusive boutiques and hotels.

Fergus shared his journey from studying at Harper Adams, a specialist agricultural university, to working in large-scale vegetable production (which often involved 120-hour week and long hours in a tractor), to travelling the world and learning about farming practices across the Americas, Africa, and Australasia.

Spider plants

The gardeners gifted spider plants to each First Year form to care for, and 1D’s have particularly thrived. They were taken home at the end of the summer term by green-fingered form members.

Ms Antonia Prestney

Students and staff asked Fergus questions on a wide range of topics, such as the impact of climate change on agriculture, whether he makes lavender ice cream, the vital role bees play in the global food system and the well-being properties of lavender. They also asked for tips on growing the flower.

Club members were gifted some wildflower seeds from his farm, which are now happily growing in the garden.

Ms Antonia Prestney

Inspiring ideas

Trinity’s annual Festival of Ideas took place in June, with events including a creative writing showcase, an academic conference, workshops, recitals and a University Challenge battle between staff and students.

Creative Writing Showcase

On Monday, students from across the school shared their creative work linked to Creative Writing Club. Fourth Years Romil Rathore and Keaden Beckford shared poems, and a Lower Sixth Former presented a spoken word piece from Aadam Ahmad which was part of his EPQ. The event concluded with an extract from a play by Upper Sixth Former Dhyan Ruparel which he been working on through the prestigious young writers’ incubator course at the National Theatre. Dhyan has been attending Creative Writing Club since he was a First Year, and the event showcased his long-term commitment and growth as a writer.

Staff vs Students University Challenge

In a hotly-anticipated contest followed the format of University Challenge, the staff team (made up of Ms Helena Benzinski, Mr Oliver Hutchings, Mr Bob Haythorne, and Mr Paul Blanchard) revealed their exceptional knowledge on topics ranging from Beatrix Potter stories to homonyms. They triumphed over the students’ team (made up of Lower Sixth Formers Ava Stenson, Luke Curtis, Amira Gill and Katy Newell) by 360 points to 105.

Celebrity Piano Recital

As well as live music in the student entrance throughout the week, on Wednesday Trinity welcomed the return of pianist Nicholas McCarthy. Mr McCarthy was born with only one arm and yet has become one of Britain’s most recognised pianists, and he performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, accompanied by Nigel Clayton. This concert formed part of his preparations for this summer’s BBC Proms debut on 20th July, which will also be televised live.

Festival of Ideas Conference

On Wednesday, three guest speakers discussed the theme “Intellectual Risk Taking” in the context of their fields. Dr Rachel Clarke is a practising palliative care doctor and award-winning author, Simon

‘Mr McCarthy was born with only one arm and yet has become one of Britain’s most recognised pianists’

Wright is the Industry Editor of The Economist and Professor Clare Herrick is the Head of the School of Global Affairs at King’s College London. Lower Sixth Formers Akash Abbott and Anna Forster chaired the event and Q&A.

“It was an extremely informative and enlightening experience, and felt we covered an impressive depth of knowledge,” Anna said.

“Asking some personal questions of my own helped to develop my own intellectual curiosity.”

Off-timetable Activity Day

Thursday saw students engage in a variety of workshops, with the aim of encouraging them to be creative, curious and collaborative.

New workshops this year included:

• Sustainability leadership – Students learned about veganism, with guest speakers included a Michelin-starred vegan chef from Plates London, a senior doctor, and a speaker from ProVeg who explored how a plant-based diet can power your body and protect the planet. Students enjoyed a free vegan lunch, then worked in creative teams to design their own campaign.

• Playwrighting – Multi-award-winning playwright Rachel Wagstaff shared her tips and tricks including how to introduce characters, explore narrative, create atmosphere and resolve conflict. Students then developed their own short plays and performed them.

‘On Wednesday, three guest speakers discussed the theme “Intellectual Risk Taking” in the context of their fields’

• What is Culture? – Students looked at food, sport, art, music, literature and more in the countries where the languages we study are spoken. Students then produced something that explains an element of culture to somebody else – through a video, poster, or even a piece of art.

• The Ethics Cup – Students debated real-life ethical issues and learned how to build strong, well-reasoned arguments covering topics such as AI and privacy, environmental responsibility, free speech, medical and business ethics, and the justice system. The day culminated in a grand final held in the Mitre Theatre.

• Art trip to RHS Wisely – The Art department took a group of students to RHS Wisley, where they participated in drawing and photographybased activities.

• Sports/’Quins Foundation – Our Sports Scholars participated in a performance nutrition seminar, a workshop from the Harlequins Foundation on mental skills, and a Strength & Conditioning Challenge.

A group of students were involved in a newsroom and “Content Creators Lab” workshop, which saw them visiting the other workshops around school to interview staff and students about what they were doing, creating a short video about the day.

J-Bug Nevaan Kothari said, “Today was fun as we got to go round and see what everyone was doing. I loved interviewing people and taking the pictures. I also enjoyed creating the video.”

Miss Nicky Blunt

Taking command

Upper Sixth Former Victor Ibberson who has been awarded a prestigious Army Scholarship, meaning he will be sponsored through university before training as an officer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS).

The selection process took five months and involved early interviews and medical tests before a main three-day assessment at the AOSB (Army Officer Selection Board) in Westbury. Victor was put through fitness tests, more interviews, essay writing and group challenges.

“The most challenging were the ‘command tasks’, which involved crossing an obstacle as a group, with certain aids and burdens,” he said.

“During my turn to lead one of these command tasks, a group member dropped a scaffolding pole onto his hand and broke four fingers. Luckily, he’s fully recovered now and got the scholarship too.”

Victor plans to study Business and Management at university. The Army also encourages scholars to take a gap year to gain some life experience before officer training, and Victor is considering going interrailing with scholarship funding.

He said he was grateful to the Trinity Combined Cadet Force (CCF) for helping him prepare for his assessments, and helping him develop many skills over the years.

“The highlight of CCF for me was the training provided in Cyprus in the summer of 2023.

“The Army section improved their field craft skills in a foreign environment, did some attacking and defending at a platoon level, and mixed with cadets from other schools. The RAF got to mess about with bomb disposal robots and go for rides in helicopters.”

Capt. Muirhead, CCF School Staff Instructor, said, “Victor has demonstrated that he has what it takes to develop into an excellent Army officer and we are very proud of his achievement.”

It’s a knockout

First Year student and kick boxing black belt Joey Ditchburn competed in the national Kickboxing GB Grand Slam 2024 in September.

The event, organised by the World Association of Kickboxing Organisations (WAKO), saw 45 clubs from all over the UK enter a total of 505 athletes. Joey competed in “Point Fights” and “Light Continuous” and won second and third place in his category.

Joey has been practising kickboxing for six years, competing for three of those with his club, Phoenix Martial Arts, in Croydon. He trains up to five times a week plus two personal training sessions. He also trains with the Team GB squad.

“Kickboxing helps with my fitness levels and teaches me discipline,” Joey said. “It’s great because I get to compete with some of the best fighters in the country.

“My biggest achievement to date was beating the current world champion back in July.”

Engineering their future

A record five Trinity students in the Lower Sixth were awarded prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarships, designed to inspire students to be outstanding engineers.

Oscar Barritt, Elliot Secord, Aarav Gupta, Daniil Balakhnin and Caleb Thompson were among 65 successful applicants across the London South and the South East region in September.

Oscar, Aarav and Elliot were each matched with a sponsor this year (RAF and BAE Systems) and will receive a cash sum to support a project during their A Levels. All five students will have access to mentors in their specialist field of interest, with online events, connect days and networking opportunities.

Oscar focused on Computer Science and Mathematics in his application, creating a user-friendly educational tool to make encryption and data security more accessible.

Elliot created a modular foam glider and investigated how different wings affected flight. He also referenced other projects – from building a soapbox go kart with his grandad as a child to a Ninja Warrior climbing wall.

Caleb created an AI Rubik’s Cube-solving robot, and Daniil developed a powerful LED flashlight with a pivoting head and adjustable focus, which is useful on bikes or can also attach to walls via a magnet.

Aarav built a prototype of a robot spider, to investigate using electronics in robotics. It was a replicate of a toy he’d been given by his dad when he was younger.

Head of Design Technology Mr Dan Currigan said: “The boys did extremely well to successfully pass the rigorous application process, and all demonstrated the ability to be leaders in engineering.”

Eagle-eyed talent

Fifth Year Jacob Fasida played his first match with Crystal Palace’s Under 21s in April.

Jacob, who trains with Crystal Palace FC Academy, was called up to play with the club’s Under 21s in a match against Glasgow Rangers. At just 16 years old, Jacob was the youngest to be selected for this side.

“It all happened quite quickly,” Jacob said. “I was told the week before, and then we flew to play Rangers Under 21s in Glasgow.

“It was good to compare myself to older players. They were obviously a bit bigger and faster, but I thought I played well.”

A few weeks later during the international break, centre-back Jacob also had the chance to play against Palace’s FA Cup-winning 1st team with his Under 18 team.

“The first-team experience was different level,” Jacob said. “You watch them on TV, but it’s nothing like actually playing against them. They’re constantly in your face, always a step ahead, and they just don’t give you a break. I played against some massive names: Chilwell, Mateta, Nketiah, Mitchell, and Nathaniel Clyne. You really appreciate how good they are when you’re on the same pitch.”

A multi-sport scholar, Jacob balances his Crystal Palace training with representing Trinity at cricket, rugby and football as well as his academic commitments.

Playing their game

A computer game designed by Third Year students Sam Kingston and Seb Heitz was selected as one of 10 finalists in the BAFTA Young Game Designer (YGD) of the Year Awards 2025.

The boys saw success in the 10–14-year-old category of the competition for the second year in a row. Their game For the Gold follows the same art style as their previous shortlisted project RoboRogue, but has different mechanics.

Developed partly during Coding Club at school, the game allows a player to take charge of an army and vanquish opposing armies. The player can also engulf enemies and convert them to their own side.

Army management is also a key feature of this game, with success dependent on upgrading equipment and ensuring morale is high. As well as this, the boys coded procedural generation of the map, which means no two play throughs will be the same. There are different types of soldiers, melee and archers on both sides, and so good strategy is key to success.

“Our previous game, RoboRogue, took two years to develop, but we didn’t have that luxury this time,” said Sam. With two months to the BAFTA deadline, the boys decided to work intensively to finish their new game, despite Sam also battling serious illness in the spring term.

“When the email came from BAFTA confirming we’d made the finals with For the Gold, it was a massive relief. Many people thought this game surpassed RoboRogue.”

Despite not winning in the June final, the boys did a “brilliant job”, said Head of Computing Mr Steven Page.

“I am really proud of the independence and hard work the students had invested both in coding club and at home, and the resilience to keep pushing themselves,” he said.

The great debate

Four French A level students competed in the regional finals of French debating competition Joute Oratoire in February.

Lower Sixth Formers Josh Oyabayo, Aidan McAllen, Joel Adu-Kwapong and Luke Curtis competed in the event, organised by the French Institute in London. Josh and Aidan particularly impressing the judges, securing places in the competition final.

The event aims to enhance students’ capacity for critical thinking as well as improving their knowledge and understanding of the French-speaking world. The students were called on to debate topics such as surrogacy abroad, how to combat discrimination, whether the French president has too much power, and the pros and cons of school uniform in France.

Stratospheric

In March a group of Fourth Year and Lower Sixth students launched their own prototype satellites on rockets into the stratosphere.

The students designed and created mini-satellites as part of the “CanSat” project, which challenged them to fit subsystems of a real satellite – such as power, sensors and a communication system –into the dimensions of a soft drink can.

They then had to design a parachute to allow their satellites to return to Earth after being launched on rockets.

Three Trinity teams developed CanSats: Starman project (Lower Sixth), Project pathfinder (Lower Sixth) and Project Inertia (Fourth Year). Some aimed to monitor air quality and pollution, designing sensors to collect vital environmental data. Others tackled the challenge of controlled descent, attempting to use inertia to guide their satellites back to Earth, echoing the work of SpaceX in America.

The students travelled to Buckinghamshire to see their satellites launched, with the test collecting data about air pressure and temperature.

Lower Sixth Former Oscar Barritt said it was a great experience to be involved with the project.

“It was visually very appealing as well: seeing and hearing that rocket go off and watching as our beautiful CanSat successfully returned to earth with its parachute,” he said.

“Although some of the electronics failed on launch day, it’s something we can work on and test at school – the main purpose of the day was testing the integrity of the casing and the parachute.”

Beam me up

In the autumn a group of six Upper Sixth students were shortlisted in a particle physics competition run by CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, in Geneva, Switzerland.

The students entered the Beamline for Schools project in April 2024, in which they proposed an experiment which could be conducted using one of the low energy beams at the particle accelerator.

The group, consisting of Matthew Johnsen, Finn Evans, David Onadeko, Jake Mulrennan, Tara Khan, and Meg Bridges were supported in their endeavours by Dr Suruliz, a Trinity parent. Dr Suruliz previously worked as a Theoretical Physicist both at Cambridge and at CERN.

Their final submission proposed an experiment to investigate a phenomena called the Bragg Peak – used in proton therapy – and how the width of a Bragg Peak might be controlled by adjusting the standard deviation of protons within a beam.

Their project was shortlisted as being in the best 50 submissions out of a strong international field of over 400 entries. The group were awarded with T-shirts and a “make your own particle detector”, which uses dry ice to see cosmic particles. They have kindly donated this to the Physics department at Trinity.

‘Their final submission proposed an experiment to investigate a phenomena called the Bragg Peak – used in proton therapy – and how the width of a Bragg Peak might be controlled by adjusting the standard deviation of protons within a beam.’

Windows on the world

Students were inspired by four high-profile speakers this year in the school’s new Mitre Lectures series, which aims to host leading figures from medicine, politics, technology, and literature.

‘An award-winning barrister, Ms Tafadar’s

work spans counter-terrorism and national security, criminal justice, human rights, public law, and international law’

Sultana Tafadar KC

Counter-terrorism barrister

The packed-out lectures began in October with a talk and Q&A session from Sultana Tafadar, the first hijab-wearing criminal barrister in Britain to be appointed King’s Counsel (KC). An award-winning barrister, Ms Tafadar’s work spans counter-terrorism and national security, criminal justice, human rights, public law, and international law. She has also launched Girls Human Rights Hub, an international organisation to inform and empower girls across the world on their rights.

During the lecture, she discussed the historical development of counterterrorism through the three distinct phases seen this century: from the rise of Al-Qaeda and its associates around the turn of the millennium to the influence of the so-called Islamic State and the more recent threat posed by far-right extremist groups.

She explored the extent to which terror suspects can receive a fair trial when governments’ evidence is often kept secret, as well as reflecting on her own experiences of witnessing racial discrimination in the court system, and her charitable work expanding legal rights overseas.

Helen Carr

Historian and author

Can any historical account be free from subjectivity? How will today’s historians be judged by the historians of the future? How can medieval historians uncover details of women’s lives? How can history be reclaimed by those seeking to present a broader view of the past?

These were just some of the questions posed and addressed by the leading historian Helen Carr in her Mitre Lecture in November.

In front of an audience ranging from First Year to Upper Sixth, Ms Carr delivered a thought-provoking case for studying history “against the grain” as a method of reclaiming lost or under-represented narratives.

Ms Carr is co-author of the book What Is History, Now? and has also authored a book about John of Gaunt, The Red Prince. Her lecture covered history from the chroniclers of the 13th century to the toppling of Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol in 2020.

Drawing on the writings of her great-grandfather, E.H. Carr, she challenged the audience to study the historian before they begin to study their version of events. She also explored the likely interpretations of inaction on climate change by those writing future histories of the early twenty-first century.

‘Ms Carr delivered a thought-provoking case for studying history “against the grain” as a method of reclaiming lost or underrepresented narratives’

Laura Bates

Founder of the Everyday Sexism project

The Mitre Theatre welcomed author and campaigner Laura Bates in early February. Ms Bates spoke about the cultural roots of sexism, the origins of the Everyday Sexism project that she founded in 2012, and the continuing problems of misogynistic portrayals of women in the media, violence against women and girls, and patriarchal dominance of institutions.

The best-selling, award-winning author of eight books, Laura has worked with the UK government to develop statutory guidance for PSHE in schools. Arguing that women and girls cannot fix the problem on their own, Laura drew parallels between harmful portrayals of female and male body image, and discussed how misogyny intersects with other forms of entrenched prejudice, such as racism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia. She finished her talk by providing practical tips on how everyone in the audience could seek to combat sexism in their everyday lives.

During the Q&A session she fielded questions about the positioning of characters in her novels, liberal democracies’ responsibility to challenge institutionalised misogyny in countries like Saudi Arabia, and the issues caused by the “algorithmic steroids” powering social media and other online spaces.

‘Laura drew parallels between harmful portrayals of female and male body image, and discussed how misogyny intersects with other forms of entrenched prejudice, such as racism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia’

Sathnam Sanghera Journalist and author

Imperialism expert Sathnam Sanghera delivered the final Mitre Lecture in May. The author of Empireland and the forthcoming sequel Empireworld, both of which narrate the complex influence and legacy of the British Empire, Mr Sanghera spoke about the role it had in shaping modern Britain and its former colonies.

Drawing on his own experiences growing up in a non-English speaking household in Wolverhampton, he urged our students to look beyond the binary, reductive debates over whether the Empire’s legacy should be remembered positively or negatively, encouraging them to enrich their understanding of the contemporary world by investigating Empire’s influence in their areas of interest and experience. He explored the legacy of enslavement and indentured labour, imperial brutality in Ireland and Australia, and Empire’s continuing influence on medicine, technology, and debates about immigration and culture.

In the Q&A session he fielded questions from students about neocolonialism, the question of imperial exhibits in British museums and fundamental British values. He argued in favour of Britain’s multiculturalism and stated that with the legacy of an empire like the British’s, diversity is inevitable.

‘He explored the legacy of enslavement and indentured labour, imperial brutality in Ireland and Australia, and Empire’s continuing influence on medicine, technology, and debates about immigration and culture’

Extended thinking

Upper Sixth students who completed an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) presented their projects to staff, students and parents in a special evening in September.

The EPQ is a project of the student’s own choosing in which they can choose to create a 5,000-word investigative dissertation or an artefact to bring an idea to life.

This year, students explored topics ranging from the effect of gentrification on ethnic diversity, to 19th century French literature, criminalisation of animal cruelty, and the evolution of cryonics.

Adhi created an unmanned ground vehicle that could travel across various terrains in space missions. “I really enjoyed the process, despite the late nights, as engineering is my passion and something I am looking to study post-Trinity,” he said.

Emily chose to explore the question, “Will social equity change for the better or worse in medicine due to development in AI Diagnostics?” Her original idea was fuelled by a personal interest in Alzheimer’s and AI.

“My favourite bit was presenting my project, as I realised how much I knew about the topic,” she said.

Back to the future

National Careers Week in March saw a range of alumni talks and lessons before a special “Futures Fair” to explore options for students after finishing school.

More than 950 tickets were sold for the fair based in Trinity Concert Hall, which included information and conversations on topics such as choosing the right subjects, getting the most out of Sixth Form, enhancing CVs, preparing applications and university life.

There were break-out talks from experts on overseas study, applying to Cambridge and Oxford and applying for degree apprenticeships –and these were so popular there was standing room only in many of the rooms.

The event was open to all students at Trinity and nearby schools.

Third Year Rafi Amin attended the Futures Fair and said it was useful to find out more about his options, even though he has ideas about which subjects he may take at A Level.

“I spoke to InvestIn and they gave me some advice about making my CV stand out by getting involved in extra-curricular. I’m a cadet with the CCF and they said that is a really good activity to talk about,” he said.

Scientific minds

British Science Week in March was celebrated with events including animal dissections, a competition of science exhibits, guest speakers and lunchtime shows.

The week had the theme of “Change and Adapt” and kicked off with the annual Science Competition on Monday. Students produced more than 40 entries, ranging from meticulously crafted 3D printed wind tunnels and detailed model Martian habitats to the popular “Spice Challenge,” which explored the ways humans adapt to spicy foods.

Tuesday saw the “Trinity Science Live!” event, which welcomed expert speakers who explored cutting-edge science. These included a talk by Astrophysicist and Cambridge University Astronomer Matt Bothwell, about the discovery of more than thirty potentially habitable exoplanets within our galaxy. As well as Trinity students, groups from three local secondary schools were also invited to hear the talks.

The day ended with two of Trinity’s recent alumni discussing their journeys into STEM careers, with Dan Gilbert (Class of 2019) who is a Research and Development Test Engineer at Red Bull Racing and Yunus Skeete (Class of 2018) who works as an AI engineer.

During lunchtimes, students were also invited to shows such as Dr Manchester’s explosive “Flash Bang Chemistry Show” and Miss Manisier’s optical illusions.

A highlight for more than 50 Third and Fourth Year students was the chance to watch a lamb dissection on Friday in Biology. The dissections were carried out by Sixth Formers Dihain Mallikarachchi, Jess Ashling, Lucksha Ananda, Amira Gill, Akash Abbot, Uzoma Anele, Arin Ghosh and Seanna Patel. The watching students learned about the brain, eye, heart, kidney, testicle, lungs and liver, and saw how the liver can turn hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.

Science Competition winners:

First Place: First Year students Hey Yip and Max Psiuch, whose Mars habitat impressed with its well-researched attention to the challenges of extraterrestrial survival.

Second Place: Third Year students Abee Aravinth, Adrian Casadio, and Aditya Jayaprakash, who designed an innovative streetlamp, harnessing wind and solar energy to power homes, and helping to combat climate change.

Third Place: First Year Josh Patel, whose 3D printed wind tunnel demonstrated a clear understanding of aerodynamics and drag reduction for modern supercars.

Honorable Mentions: Second Year Xavier Karelis, for his detailed poster on car engine designs, and First Year Zarak Khan, for his engaging model illustrating the evolution of giraffe necks.

Human interest

November saw the inaugural Humanities Week, a collaboration between the Classics, English, History, Politics, R.S. and Geography departments to promote careers furthered by humanities study.

The theme of the week was “What have the humanities ever done for me?” and included a careers event with talks from six Trinity alumni with degrees in humanities subjects.

Harry Carlisle is an Assistant Producer, Head of Politics, and Commissioning Editor at the Institute of Arts and Ideas; Vanessa Upton is a Senior Consultant at Deloitte Human Capital; Kishan Dandiker is a Digital Marketing Executive at Xanda; Rachel Hammond a Solicitor at Fragomen; Hugo Ricca a Paralegal and Future Trainee Solicitor at Bates Wells; and Harry Stoneham is an Associate at Savills Real Estate. The session was chaired by Mr Jack Paterson and approximately 50 students from the Fourth Year and above attended.

The alumni spoke of the value of pursuing subjects they were passionate about at A Level and at university, the breadth of job opportunities that humanities degrees can open up, and the benefits these subjects can give young people in the workplace – such as clear self-expression, critical thinking skills, and just being an interesting individual.

Lower Sixth Former Will Hooton, who studies Classical Civilisation, English, Maths and Economics, said, “The event showed me how being passionate about your chosen area is a really valid route to success in the workplace. I feel that doing subjects I enjoy is the best pathway to being fulfilled and happy.”

The week also included an assembly delivered by the Upper Sixth and a week of student-led society takeovers.

‘The alumni spoke of the value of pursuing subjects they were passionate about...’

The bowls and the bees

In February, Trinity hosted the London regional tournament for the International History Bee and Bowl competition and had its most successful year to date.

Trinity fielded seven teams in total with 34 students and competed against City of London School, City of London Freeman’s, Eton College, Farnham Head End School, Latymer Upper School and Strode.

CLS and Eton provided the biggest challenges in the competition, but the Middle School team, made up of Micah Thompson, Alex Cox, Seb Heitz and Max Langridge-Corbett came first. The Sixth Form team, comprising Jirka Celak, Lukas England, Alex Frost and Alex Molony came second in the Varsity competition. And Seb Vials, Emile Guiblin, Ed Molony, Rishi John, Iwo Ligeza and Alexander Madjev came third in the Junior Varsity competition.

Special mention goes to Third Year Micah Thompson who came second in the Bee competition out of 25 competitors, and helped beat Eton in the team final.

“It felt amazing to have won a competition that some of the most prestigious schools in the country compete for; it felt even better to win it with my friends,” he said.

Insane in the membrane

The First Year competed in the annual Cell Model Competition, which challenges students to recreate any cell type in materials of their choice.

Cells included plant cells made of sweets and jelly; animal cells made of clay and marbles; a root hair cell made of Lego; bacterial cells made of Styrofoam and beads; red blood cells made of cookies and strawberry laces; sperm cells made of plasticine; and neurons made of pipe cleaners.

First place was awarded to Zarak Khan for his animal cell made from an egg chair. It had a football as the nucleus, various pipe cleaners and pompoms as other elements of the cell. Runner up was Anish Patel for his giant colourful nerve cell.

Joint 3rd place was awarded to Dhilan Patel, who made a bacterial cell model with various parts made of coloured cords with an excellent key and Ibrahim Mujaver, who made a “Vic-spore-ia Sponge Cake” model of a fungal cell.

Prizes included an at-home science kit, science book and a heat changing periodic table mug.

Winner Runner up

Joint 3rd

Joint 3rd

Culture of curiosity

Trinity’s Culture and Diversity Week took place in November, where students shared and celebrated international cultures and customs.

The highlight was a non-uniform day where students and staff were encouraged to wear cultural clothing or a colour associated with their national identity. The Trinity Circus area also featured a world map, and each day staff and students used stickers to plot their heritage and create a visual of our diverse community’s origins.

During form time, there were activities to celebrate diversity including a scavenger hunt, a Maths diversity quiz, and dedicated assemblies. The African and Caribbean Club was relaunched to the whole school, inviting all students to learn about Black culture.

The Language department and our student Language Ambassadors hosted a special fair to celebrate the many languages spoken by the school community. There were different activities enabling students to learn words in a wide range of languages and a quiz.

A sense of wellbeing

Students and staff sampled a gong bath and met petting farm animals as they explored ways to stay happy and healthy for Trinity Mental Health Week.

The gong bath from local company Nature Works took place in the TV studio in March, and the activity is believed to help with stress reduction, anxiety relief, improved sleep, and enhanced creativity.

Students and staff also interacted with various small animals from a local petting farm including chicks, a pony, dog, ducklings and some were able to bottle-feed a new lamb.

Whitgift alumni and the founder of educational workshop company “upthegreatness”, Wani Akintunde, also delivered a workshop to our J-Bugs. The workshop challenged assumptions about greatness, and asked students to create a commitment statement about their own goals.

And the catering team served up an international menu of foods every day from South Africa, Bhutan, Hungary, Australia and Bolivia.

Some of our student-run societies also got involved with the international outlook, with Classics Society discussing “Living Like Diogenes: a view into the life of an ancient philosopher from Asia Minor” and Politics Society covering “A Tale of Two Countries: How Haiti came to be politically destabilised”.

Harlequins player George Hammond also joined them to speak about belief and his journey to success.

A s always, the Library team created a quiet and relaxing space for students who needed some time out during break or lunchtime. They also hosted quiet crafts including flower origami, and their usual “Wellbeing Wednesday” featured classical music and mindful colouring. The Knit and Natter Club hosted a “Thoughtful Thursday” and “Feel Good Friday” in the Trinity Garden Club allowed students to decorate a pot ready for planting seeds.

A knight to remember

Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate visited Trinity students to give an inspiring speech about resilience and unity in March.

Sir Gareth was speaking ahead of his Richard Dimbleby Lecture on the BBC, and he tackled the same important issues in front our young people and guests in the packed Concert Hall that he went on to discuss in his televised lecture, which aired on BBC One on Wednesday 19 March (and is available on iPlayer).

His return to Croydon was a trip down memory lane, as he attended Croydon College in the 1980s and met his wife while she was working in Croydon town centre.

Sir Gareth conveyed his passion for trying to tackle the challenges young people, particularly men, face today. He said that his experience as England’s most successful football manager taught him about helping young people find their identity as individuals – but also about the importance of building mental resilience and emotional intelligence.

He spoke of his own adolescence, the knock-backs he received and the fire in his belly it gave him to keep pushing on. He also spoke of the famous missed penalty and the risk of letting a failure define you; the danger of social media noise, influencers, and having the confidence to know when to turn away from it, as he did during his first tournament as England manager. If you would like to watch extracts from the talk at Trinity, please head to our YouTube channel.

Headmaster Mr Alasdair Kennedy said everyone felt “very fortunate” to host Sir Gareth at school.

“He gave our students a tremendous amount to think about, and they really appreciated being able to hear him speak at length,” he said.

“His answers to the range of questions were so considered and generous, with stories from his time as a player and manager. He is a national leader with an unusual reach into, and empathy for, the lives of people of all backgrounds.”

An audience with Sir Gareth

Just before the Concert Hall lecture, a small group of Sixth Form students had the privilege of meeting Sir Gareth in an informal setting.

They asked him about how he prepared mentally ahead of big matches (hard rock music!), how he helped his players come back after injury and how he managed to stay calm in the media storm around the Euros.

Lower Sixth student Tobechi Uche said, “It was great meeting Sir Gareth. He gave us advice on mentality in sports and how it applies to life. He’s a great storyteller and a calm individual – it was an opportunity I won’t forget.

“Sir Gareth was also kind enough to speak with me after noticing I hadn’t asked a question in the main group. I asked about decisionmaking and how it relates to choosing a career, as many of us are currently thinking about our future paths.

“He told me his footballing opportunities were ‘once in a lifetime’ and he had to grab them before it was too late. This gave me confidence in the path I’m considering, even if I’m not 100 percent sure how it will look.”

Founding father

Trinity welcomed three descendants of Trinity School’s first-ever Headmaster in February.

Douglas and Peter Ingrams are the great, great grandsons of Mr William Ingrams, who served as the Headmaster of Whitgift Middle School (as Trinity was first known) from 1882 to 1905. They were also joined by Peter’s son Alexander, Mr William Ingrams’ great, great, great grandson.

Mr Ingrams also served as Headmaster of the Croydon Poor School from 1858 until 1881, as part of the original legacy of former Archbishop of Canterbury John Whitgift. When Whitgift Middle School was founded, he became the new school’s Headmaster.

The three visitors came to Croydon from Bristol, France and The Netherlands to trace the memorial of their forefather in Croydon Minster, and to visit other members of their family.

They met with our Archivist, Mr Laurie King, to visit a number of historic Croydon sites where their ancestors would have frequented. This included a tour of the Almshouses, where they met the new CEO of the Whitgift Foundation Roisha Hughes. They also visited Old Palace School, which retains much of that incredible history, and the original site of the Poor School and Whitgift Middle School in central Croydon. Mr Alasdair Kennedy, our school’s ninth Headmaster, then welcomed the Ingramses to Trinity, where they discussed the progress and development of the school over recent years and had a look around.

A portrait of their great, great, grandfather hangs in the Sandison Room alongside those of other Headmasters through the years.

Mr King was also able to discuss other family links to the school in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One grandson of William Ingrams, named Frank Ridley Ingrams, attended Whitgift Middle School (19081911) but sadly died in battle in France in 1917. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1916 and is commemorated at Thiepval – which our Third Year History students visit every year – as well as on our War Memorial in the school grounds.

Remembering the fallen

The Trinity community gathered in November for this year’s Remembrance Day.

The Trinity community has been profoundly affected by war. Each year we remember the 254 alumni who have died so far serving their country. A selection of biographies is displayed in the Trinity Circus and red metal poppies are “planted” to commemorate the dead by the school War Memorial.

This year’s assembly address was given by Maths teacher Mr Bob Haythorne, who spoke about the “unarmed forces” who choose to enter warzones alongside the armed forces to support soldiers and civilians affected.

Deputy Head Boy Daniel Todd performed The Last Post, and after the school observed two minutes of silence, the Headmaster and Heads of School laid wreaths at the school’s war memorial while the choir performed Mass for the Dead, part of Faure’s Requiem.

Poetic licence

The library hosted the annual Trinity Poetry Reading in May, where students performed spoken word poetry in front of an intimate crowd.

Led by English teacher Mr Ben Goode the event was based on a competition open to all year groups, and students could submit a poem in any form, responding to a prompt. This year, they had to reflect on ‘How words empower us”.

Fourth Year Keaden Beckford performed an especially powerful poem about what it felt like to “walk in his shoes”. Librarian Lou Ferguson said, “His words are his truth and are spoken with such passion. He has a real talent and I’m so grateful he is willing to share it with us.”

The event also welcomed poet and alumnus Kieran Kenlock (Class of 2010) as a guest speaker. Mr Kenlock is also a creative director and is known for his dynamic poetry performances and reflections on identity, community and resilience.

He said it was “always special to come back to Trinity”.

“It’s where my journey began, but it was also special to be able to stand up in front of the next generation and share the power that poetry and words gave me,” he said.

“The school shaped so much of who I am, and to return and speak through something as personal as spoken word felt like a full-circle moment.

“These events are spaces for self-expression, where students can explore who they are and what they stand for. In a world that’s often loud with opinions, poetry gives us the chance to pause, reflect and speak with purpose.”

Speaking their language

Spoken word poet Y.A visited Literary Society and led a poetry workshop for students which celebrated their diverse perspectives on their lives.

Y.A, who visited during Culture and Diversity Week in November, gave a presentation at Literary Society about spoken word poetry as an art form, and her own history. The poet, also known as Yasmin Ali, described her shift from driven businesswoman to creative artist after surviving a stroke. She has since travelled globally and been nominated for an AD&D Award.

She then led the workshop in the library with a selection of students from Junior to Fourth Year, and asked them to write on the theme “A Story of You” with the writing prompt “Threads”.

J-Bug Caleb Adu, First Year Aaron Borteye and Fourth Years Keaden Beckford and Romil Rathore were especially commendable in an afternoon of great poets.

Mr Ben Goode

‘The poet, also known as Yasmin Ali, described her shift from driven businesswoman to creative artist after surviving a stroke. She has since travelled globally and been nominated for an AD&D Award’

New narratives

Events in Black History Month in October included a student-led assembly about challenging historical bias, as well as lunchtime discussions, poetry and music events.

Sixth Formers Semiloore Bankole and Tori Lawrence from the school’s African-Caribbean Society (ACS) delivered the whole-school assembly, arguing for a shift in how we view Black history and culture. Taking the month’s theme “Reclaiming Narratives” they argued we should challenge the historic marginalisation of Black achievements, and highlight stories of resilience and empowerment.

Two other ACS members in the Lower Sixth, Thabo Ncube and Uzoma Anele, also gave an assembly to First Year students on the theme of “Proud to Be”. They encouraged students to be proud of their different identities and to share them with others

Lunchtime societies hosted talks ranging from a discussion on “The second scramble for African Resources” to “Representation Matters: Has black representation in Parliament made a difference?”. Ms Hayley Crawford, whose grandfather was part of the Windrush Generation, hosted a Literary Society entitled “Home and Belonging”.

Students, staff and guests heard a variety of African music in the mornings at the Student Entrance. Staff and ACS student members selected the music to celebrate Black artists from different countries.

Talking their way to the top

The whole of the Second Year competed in a TED-style talk tournament, with the six finalists delivering talks on topics ranging from orca captivity to presidential authority to deep-sea exploration.

TED-style talks were delivered in form time by every student in the year, with a finalist elected from each form to compete in the final in May.

Mr Alasdair Kennedy acted as head judge and all students were highly commended, with joint second place being awarded to Jamie Hung for his talk titled “Is deep sea exploration worth the risk?” and to Ben Skillicorn who addressed the question “Should orcas be released from captivity?”

The winner was Finlay Gratton whose speech was titled “Does POTUS have too much power?” and tackled several contentious contemporary issues.

As well as displays and BHM posters around the school, poems from Black poets were also displayed to expose students to different sources of inspiration.

The English department launched a school-wide poetry competition, inspired by some of the themes covered in BHM.

Mr Kennedy was impressed by how Finlay engaged with the visuals behind him, and how he spoke fluidly without notes.

Finlay said he enjoyed researching the idea and finding out about the electoral systems of the UK and America.

“I really enjoyed the process of it, but also it was a bit weird because I didn’t think anyone would like my topic as it’s all about politics,” he said.

“I definitely developed some speaking skills and the ability to move around the stage. I enjoyed the public speaking and the freedom that talking about a topic of your choice allows you. It felt really good to win.”

Eurovision extravaganza

In May, Trinity hosted an after-school Eurovision event with a global outlook – featuring surprising performances and bizarre outfits in tribute to the real competition.

The event would be more accurately titled “Worldvision” given that it featured songs from all around the globe. The judges and audiences were treated to songs in languages including Hungarian, Finnish, Chinese and German, and students were able to celebrate their own diverse heritage.

Groups from First Year to Upper Sixth took to the stage, with some even managing to perform in two groups in two different languages.

Upper Sixth student Alex Molony, who founded the scaled-up event last year, hosted again this year and said it was “amazing to see how the school community can come together”.

The judges were Head of German Mr Oliver Benjamin, former Director of Music Mr David Swinson, Head of Singing Mrs Kathy Fuge, and head of RS Mrs Kate Beresford-Miller. They voted electronically through a high-tech system set up by Upper Sixth student Dhyan Ruparel.

In third place was an Upper Sixth group led by Michael Willis singing in Finnish, and second was Fourth Year Edward Molony who performed a rendition of “The Bird and the Child” in French. The winner, however, was Upper Sixth Neha Dinesh with her performance of “Asku Laska”, combining strong vocals with traditional Indian dance.

Mrs Beresford-Miller said it was “a complete joy” to judge.

“I was thoroughly impressed with the confidence and command shown over a variety of languages,” she said. “Neha was a well-deserved winner: I wanted to see a dance routine and she certainly delivered.”

Heart starters

Second Years and staff learned Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) techniques from paramedics as part of the school’s Personal Development programme.

Members of the London Ambulance Service visited in November to teach the life-saving method, meaning they are ready to help should someone around them suffer a cardiac arrest.

The workshop began with an introduction to CPR, teaching students to recognise the signs of someone in need of CPR, information on how to perform chest compressions effectively, and the importance of calling for professional help immediately.

The instructors constantly emphasized and referred back to the “DRSABCD” action plan, which stands for Danger, Response, Shout for help, Airway, Breathing, Compressions, and Defibrillation. Students then practised chest compressions on CPR mannequins and used mock-up Defibrillator sets. Many students were surprised at the physical effort required to perform compressions correctly.

Second Year Filip Tattersall said, “The session not only taught students technical skills, but also instilled a sense of confidence to act in emergencies. “The instructor reminded everyone that even a basic understanding of CPR could mean the difference between life and death.”

Pastures new

In June we said farewell to the Upper Sixth Form class of 2025, with the traditional fancy-dress sports afternoon and barbecue festival on the field.

The students’ final sports afternoon on Wednesday saw them taking part in form-based competitions including egg-and-spoon and wheelbarrow races. On their final day after formal group photos, they gathered on the field in beautiful weather for a barbecue, music and giant inflatable games.

U6MM with Dr Mariani

U6PJB with Mr Blanchard

U6TSL with Ms Stevens-Lewis and Dr Asquith

U6NMB with Ms Beaumont

U6RDH with Mr Haythorne

U6OJH with Mr Hutchings

U6TJD with Mr Desbos

U6SOO with Mr Orungbamade

Charity Days

The Charity Committee supported Children in Need and The Reading List Foundation through this year’s Non-Uniform Days, raising £7,000 between the two charities.

A close shave

Head of History Mr Oliver Hutchings launched Trinity staff’s Movember campaign by “shaving” goodbye to his moustache of 14 years, watched by a huge crowd of students.

November sees thousands of men in the UK growing moustaches in aid of men’s charity Movember, which tackles issues including mental health and men’s cancers. Four Trinity teachers, led by Mr Hutchings, committed to grow their facial hair to and raised more than £4000 for the charity.

Mr Hutchings, who was treated for cancer himself in 2023, decided to kick off fundraising by shaving off his hallmark handlebar (originally grown for Movember 14 years ago) to create a clean sheet for regrowth from the start of the month.

A large crowd of students and staff gathered in the Student Foyer, with Mrs Rosabelle Lattery-Lee entrusted with the razor. Mr Hutchings emerged smooth-faced and, as one student commented, looking years younger.

The Movember team of teaching staff – also including Mr David Lydon, Mr Dominic Halliday and Mr George Kimmins – attempted to grow moustaches and also completed running challenges for this important cause.

The year culminated in a collaboration between the Charity Committee and the Malawi team on Malawi Monday in July, raising over £2,000 for Hope4Malawi, our partner charity.

On these days, students came to school in their own clothes, making charitable contributions, while the Charity Committee ran stalls during breaks. The most notable activity this year has to be the “Soak a Teacher” run by 1D on Malawi Monday, with 25 brave teachers agreeing to have wet sponges thrown at them by students making donations, including a guest appearance from Mr Kennedy. Since it was one of the hottest days of the year, the soaking appeared to be some welcome respite from the heat!

The Fourth Year Charity Reps’ efforts have especially stood out: of the total raised, over £2,000 came from these forms and their activities.

Mrs Claire Burrage

Showing they care

This year, more than 3000 hours of Trinty students’ time has been devoted to helping others – from volunteering in primary schools and care homes to outdoor work at environmental sites.

Field Day

Every Field Day, many of our Third, Fourth or Fifth Year students volunteer in the local community. This year, groups spent the days at environmental sites, primary schools, care homes and charities.

Trinity has long-standing relationships with many local organisations who return year after year to accept the assistance of students; a credit to the way they conduct themselves. Whether helping run a French Day at a local primary school, playing croquet with older people, or helping take care of small animals at a farm, the students’ hard work, energy and professionalism has been clear.

In the summer, Howard and Monks Orchard Primary Schools spent the day at Trinity taking part in ICT, Drama and Sport sessions, all run by Trinity staff with support from Trinity students.

Overall, students and staff amassed 1,900 hours of volunteering across 35 placements in just two days.

Lower Sixth Volunteering

As part of their Sixth Form Diploma, every Lower Sixth student is required to undertake a volunteer placement outside Trinity. They spend an afternoon a week, for five weeks, helping local primary schools, care homes and charities.

The school strives to match students to the type of placement they would like to undertake. It means they get more out of the experience, and ultimately have a bigger impact in the organisations they are supporting. Each student carried out about eight hours of volunteering, totalling over 1,500 hours of donated time across 34 placements.

A large number of students spent their time in local primary schools, many of them Trinity Primary Partners, working closely with children on reading, maths and sport. Many received handmade thank-you cards on their last sessions. Groups also spent time in local care homes, or charities like Croydon Vision, spending time with older people running quiz afternoons, playing board games or in mental aerobics sessions.

Mrs Claire Burrage

Caring at Christmas

In December, Trinity helped families in crisis with gift donations and fundraising, as well as hosting the annual Christmas Community Party for 140 local older people.

Many Trinity families generously donated new and unopened gifts for local families in crisis at Christmas. A van-load of books, toys, toiletries and games was delivered to the Salvation Army in New Addington in early December, ready to be packaged up to donate to up to 160 families. In addition to the gifts, cash donations and a Christmas themed Bake-Off raised around £600 which was also donated to help the Salvation Army top up gifts or supplies where required. Initiatives like this wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of the whole Trinity community coming together.

Junior Year students entered the annual Christmas card competition in November. Four winners, Chika Achi, Adam Psiuch, Lukas Lai and Cahru Joshi, had their cards professionally printed to be written and given out to all the guests at the Christmas Community Party.

In the final week of the term, the school welcomed 140 guests from local care homes and care groups at the Community Christmas party. Guests enjoyed entertainment from the Musical Theatre Group, Lower Sixth carollers, Trinity Big Band, and an impromptu karaoke version of Last Christmas from some of the volunteer students (a first at the party!). Guests were all looked after by the school’s Junior and First Year students, who also ended up doing a conga line around the room after helping with bingo and the raffle.

The event would not have been possible without the support of the 25 parent volunteers, 20 staff and more than 100 student volunteers across the musical entertainment and event itself.

Fifth Year Bhumit Madan said he was “very glad” he volunteered despite having to juggle homework commitments.

“I made so many memories that day, from talking to people about their lives, to the karaoke we did on stage with no preparation. It’s these memories that will stay with me,” he said.

Mrs Claire Burrage

Raising expectations

Every summer, Trinity staff and students visit Chipwepwete Primary School in Malawi to support development projects. This year students have fundraised for the cause with activities from a Junior Triathlon to a virtual cross-channel swim.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

- Nelson Mandela

Fundraising events and the generosity of the Trinity community has enabled us to provide a free school lunch for every student at Chipwepwete for the last decade. At just £15 per student per year, this foundational commitment has helped to dramatically improve attendance alongside supporting concentration and learning.

We have always been ambitious to do more, and each year Trinity selects a special project to support alongside the feeding programme. This year we have focused on completing a new classroom block with a view to enabling all students to finally learn inside and providing teachers with a space where they could prepare lessons. This facility will particularly transform the education of the youngest students in the school, lifting them off dusty floors to learn at desks like their older peers. Making this important project happen has been a real team effort. The Nearly New Uniform sales and parent social events run by the TPA and supported by the Sixth Form Malawi team volunteers provide a regular and important income for our fund. Families across the school give

generously to our Christmas campaign, and one of the benefits of being able to work so directly with our charity partners in Hope4Malawi is the knowledge that literally every pound raised goes into the projects we are supporting.

Beyond this, students themselves have been inspired to fundraise. In June, Sixth Formers Jared Thompson, Pierre, Alex and Fifth Years Ollie, all members of the Water Polo 1st team, set out on a “virtual” crossChannel swim to cover 1,348 lengths of the school pool. With help from Mr King and 5th year Caleb Thompson, they completed the monumental challenge in a staggering 4 hours 10 minutes raising close to £3000.

Continuing a theme, Upper Sixth student Arushi ran a unique half marathon on the Isles of Scilly called The Tide Race which can only be run every three years during ultra-low tides. The trail consisted of running through varied terrain and wading through water was treacherous but beautiful and raised over £800.

Back at school, the smallest members of our community all took part in the Junior Year Triathlon and proudly contributed by swimming, running or cycling on site. This year of fundraising was concluded with “Malawi Monday” our last non uniform day in June, where every student donated £2 and made a splash on one of the hottest days of the year, sponging staff and prefects and wearing Malawi wristbands.

Thanks to all these efforts, we are delighted that our 2025 Malawi team will be able to open the new classroom block this summer: a truly incredible achievement and another landmark in our partnership.

The Trinity Malawi project has become an integral part of our school life, and enables us to live out the values which Trinity holds dear.

Zikomo! Thank you!

Mrs Hannah Carey

Running riot

Four teachers and Upper Sixth Former Oscar Beswick completed the London Marathon in April, raising thousands of pounds for charity in the process.

Mrs Tracy Upton, Miss Alice Donkin and Mr Oliver Marriott all ran the marathon separately in scorching temperatures. The teachers had all previously completed marathons, but it was Sixth Form student Oscar’s first, running alongside his father.

He raised £3,525 for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and said he was “over the moon” with the total.

“My inspiration was my dad. I have been in the London Marathon crowds, watching him complete the race over the years, and have always thought how cool it would be if I could do it one day,” he said.

“We always spoke about doing it this year as he turned 50 and I turned 18, but I never actually believed it would happen. Luckily, I was given a charity place through the waiting list.”

Against the tide

Upper Sixth student Arushi Treanor completed a unique half marathon on the Isles of Scilly during summer 2024, raising more than £1200 for the Trinity Malawi Project.

Arushi, who was due to travel to Malawi with the fundraising group in summer 2025, ran the Tide Race, a half marathon completed over two of the islands and can be held only once every three years due to the need for ultra-low tides.

“The Tide Race is unique as it includes a lot of wading in water, and it is also quite a rocky and uneven route, where the run becomes more of a trail run,” she said.

She succeeded in raising £1,271, well beyond her target of £800.

“I applied to visit Malawi next year as it seemed like a once-in-alifetime opportunity,” she said.

Despite knee pain from a previous injury and the difficulties of running in the heat, he was encouraged by the crowds and friends who came to watch.

“I was overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude knowing I had completed it. I was also in dire need of a sit down and a celebration,” he said.

It was Mrs Upton’s fourth marathon, and second in London. Despite struggling in the heat, she finished with a time of 4 hours 18 minutes. Miss Donkin, who runs Senior X-Country Running Club, was running her third London marathon. She said she also found the hot conditions rough, but managed a new personal best of 3 hours 27 minutes.

Loving literature

Literary Society’s weekly discussions of literature and culture covered topics from the literary value of landscapes to the American identity.

Appropriately for a society which has always appreciated the links between words and music, we started the year listening to Maddy Hunter’s original songs. She was followed by Mr Alastair Doyle, into his fourth decade presenting at Literary Society, who discussed the themes of Justice, Mercy and the Law in Measure for Measure and the Merchant of Venice. Mr David Lydon went all meta with a talk within a talk on Meta-theatre in advance of the theatre trip to The Duchess (of Malfi), asking whether the world truly is a tedious theatre.

We reflected on the nature of thinking in books (and books about thinking) with Mrs Inga Sinclair, who illustrated the power of philosophy in reading. Ms Hayley Crawford treated us to a talk on Home and the Windrush generation, sharing cherished family photos as well as recipes which showed the power of belonging. Another undoubted highlight of the year was Mr Andrew Magee’s talk on the Literary Value of Maps, which featured a geographical analysis of the American election, the power of literary landscapes, and a touching performance of “Song with no Name” by Johnny Flynn and Robert MacFarlane, featuring an all-English departmental band.

Of course, Lit Soc wouldn’t be Lit Soc without our very own Santa Claus, Dr Mark Asquith, orchestrating his now legendary “ENORMOUSLY BIG XMAS QUIZ”, a suitably festive affair.

Mr Ben Goode shared the plethora of reasons why poetry has saved his life, setting the stage perfectly for the visiting poet YA who came to speak the following week – many fingers were clicked. We were grateful for Rachel Wagstaff, who spoke with infectious energy about the life of a professional playwright and certainly inspired our budding bards.

Thus followed a triptych of student speakers: Rishi Kanwar spoke about Magic Realism as part of the school’s Diversity Week; Mia McAllen discussed the paradoxical nature of Tragedy; and Lit Soc stalwart Dhyan Ruparel discussed the weighty topic of Sylvia Plath’s poetry with his customary flair and insight.

The summer term bore witness to the heavyweight battle between Mr Doyle and Mr Lydon who presented alternative readings of the Duke from Measure for Measure: is he a kindly father or the duke of dark corners? The year’s programme of talks culminating in a double header of Forster talks, first with Maggie speaking on Sally Rooney, and twin sister Anna examining the connections between Gatsby and Donald Trump the following week. And so passed another year of esoteric education at Trinity Literary Society.

Mr David Lydon

Proud moments

The Trinity Pride Group continues to be a driving force in championing awareness, inclusion, and equality across our school.

This dedicated and passionate group of students has worked with purpose and creativity to foster a welcoming environment where every individual is respected and valued.

Our students recognised LGBTQ+ History Month in February with an assembly celebrating the courage, compassion, and commitment of those who have driven change. The assembly highlighted the power of standing up for justice, whether through historic alliances like Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, national campaigns such as Rainbow Laces, or the ongoing efforts of students and allies in schools like Trinity.

Our Sixth Form speakers explored the differences between reactive and proactive activism, encouraged the school community to engage critically with their own values, and challenged all to consider, “What do you stand for?” With heartfelt contributions and powerful reminders of the injustices still faced by LGBTQ+ communities worldwide, the assembly urged students to learn, to act, and to show empathy. The message was clear: change is made not through silence, but through informed and compassionate voices working together.

In celebration of Pride Month in June, the school proudly flew the Pride Progress flag, a symbol of our commitment to inclusion and diversity.

The Pride Group also created a vibrant and uplifting banner during their weekly “Create and Craft” sessions. The handmade banner proudly features the letters LGBTQIA+ and PRIDE emblazoned on two bold flags, surrounded by colourful imagery of hands, hearts, flowers, and nature, symbolising unity, diversity, and growth. The banner will be displayed prominently in the school as a lasting statement of support, pride, and solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community.

By empowering students to stand up against discrimination and promoting a message of respect and acceptance, the group inspires us all to help build a future in which everyone feels valued for who they truly are.

Mr Wil Coma

Paths paved with Gold

At the start of the summer holidays last year, 17 students set off for the Brecon Beacons to complete their Gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition.

Setting off from our outdoor activity site, the Boetius Centre in South Wales, the students walked more than 70km in four days to reach the Torpantau reservoir valley. This included crossing the Pen y Fan peak, the tallest mountain in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog), demonstrating their fitness and resilience in surviving a very tough climb. Congratulations to the 16 students who successfully completed the challenge. Unfortunately, one student had to drop out after three days due to a persistent injury which was aggravated by the heavy rucksack; but should be commended for persevering that far.

Expedition leader Mr Jack Manchester said there was a “real camaraderie” among the group.

Rolling hills and rain

An intrepid group of 19 Middle and Upper School students set out on a three-day expedition for their Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Awards in October.

Three teams were practising for their Silver, and one team successfully completed its final expedition for the Bronze award. They started in Sussex, travelling from the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst, past Tunbridge Wells and on through the Kent countryside, racking up approximately 60km over the three days.

“It was good to see them support each other through a tough trip, with a fun and upbeat atmosphere in camp each night,” he said. “I was massively impressed by one team’s creativity in cooking halloumi wraps one night and a homemade vegetable curry on another.

“We also only got one downpour across the whole trip, which truly is a miracle.”

Upper Sixth student Beth Guiblin said the trip was “eventful, but also by no means easy.” “It was a long route climbing various peaks and dropping down through valleys, exposed to all the elements,” she said.

“One of the highlights of the week was definitely the view from the top of Pen y Fan, especially once the clouds cleared. We had thick fog for some of the climb, and then glaring sunshine for the descent, with inquisitive sheep and beautiful red kites soaring overhead. Even though we were on a campsite in the middle of South Wales, this didn’t stop us from listening into the semi-final England Euros match on our penultimate night.”

Ms Helena Benzinski

The weather was very unpredictable, with a lot of rain on the second day. Some students will re-evaluate their clothing for the next expedition, as some waterproofs were not waterproof at all.

The Silver groups had experiences which will be invaluable for their final expeditions next year. The teachers managing the trip were also impressed by the variety of food being cooked at camp each night, with one student even preparing himself a cooked lunch in the morning to take with him.

Fourth Year Tommy Green completed his DofE Bronze Award.

“We felt quite prepared for our expedition as we had spent a long time planning the route and had packed reasonably well. We managed not to get too lost, but due to a late start, it was evening by the time we got to the campsite, and we had to set up camp in the dark,” he said.

“We knew it was going to rain in the morning, so we woke up early and packed up and cooked before the rain started. Our route that day was very challenging as we were in tricky-to-navigate areas, in pouring rain, while having to ascend a lot.

“Despite a member of our group sustaining an injury, we managed to finish the hike.”

Make your move

This year’s season for the Chess Club was a steep but rewarding learning curve where each game brought new insights – not just in tactics, but in patience and focus.

When it comes to endurance, few experiences compare to some marathon matches played by our captains and board 1 players who must be always alert, constantly calculating and revising strategies. The excitement peaked for our A and B teams in the ECF National Schools Chess Championship (NSCC) in November. Winning a tight match on board 1 is unforgettable, and many highlights came when the team advanced to the second round of the Regional stage.

First Year Sebastian Harris-Folkard said it had been a “year of learning” with his chess. “I have learnt techniques such as the Anastasia’s mate, which I hope to be able to use in a match one day. I have also learnt different openings, including the Queen’s gambit. I have learnt that staying calm under pressure and thinking a few moves ahead makes all the difference,” he said.

First Year Oscar Waller has shown his ability to focus under pressure this year. “During my longest matches, I’m mostly thinking about plans, calculating lines and trying not to miss anything simple,” he said.

“I stay focused on the position and try to manage my time without overthinking and always try to think rationally.”

Law and Politics

Politics Society (PolSoc) welcomed back two Trinity alumni from the country’s corridors of power in a special joint presentation in the spring.

Lord Gavin Barwell, former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Theresa May, and Sir Adam Constable KC, a High Court judge, returned to share insights from their careers.

Sixth Form students listened as both speakers briefly described their journeys from Trinity to their roles in politics and law. Sir Adam explained the key differences between a barrister and a solicitor, offering valuable context for those interested in legal careers.

The Q&A covered topical issues including immigration and the Grenfell Tower tragedy, with both guests offering their perspectives shaped by years of experience in public service.

Lower Sixth Former Abigail (surname) said she found the discussion “insightful and engaging”.

This was also a season of new beginnings for the newest players. First matches in tournaments can be quite the leap from casual games during lunchtime clubs. Junior Year Chika Achi and Ravin Nalliah said they had gained a lot of valuable experiences.

“Learning new skills and meeting new people always sparks a good sort of energy inside me, the kind of one that makes me want to learn more,” Chika said.

Ravin reflected on his nervousness about his first official match. “Despite some nerves, throughout the game my confidence grew with every piece that I captured. Even though I was not the victor of my first chess match, I still enjoyed it,” he said.

This season has been defined by growth, resilience and personal achievements along the way. Trinity’s chess players have proven that success is measured not just by wins, but by growth, perseverance and the courage to face formidable challenges head-on; learning more about themselves, both on and off the board.

Ms Jackie Eminsang

“I was particularly struck by their comments on the importance of the monarch for Britain’s soft power, which will have caused some of the audience to reassess their views on the role and relevance of the Royal Family,” she said.

Lower Sixth Former Seb (surname) was interested by Lord Barwell’s view on the future of the Conservative party.

“His highlighting of the difficult balance the Conservative Party will have to create between the centre ground and the ‘new’ right was especially compelling,” he said.

Mr Oliver Hutchings

A touch of Classics

This year, Classics Society for the Middle and Upper School was host to a plethora of thought-provoking talks and an original play performed in Latin.

Romil Rathore kicked off society talks with a discussion on Sanskrit, Arabic, Nahuatl and Chinese, alongside students of Chinese who attended. Max Carver and Juno Goode presented on historical comparative linguistics and the root of modern communications. In celebration of Black History Month, Semiloore Bankole gave a talk examining the links between Greek and Egyptian mythology.

Next, Josh Oyabayo explored the history of astronomy in ancient societies. Aadam Ahmad and Sebs Sotande-Peters gave a talk on philosopher Diogenes the Cynic, and,= after a recent trip to the British Museum, Mr James Stone picked out some of his favourite artefacts reflecting the culture of Roman Britain.

The highlight of the autumn was Humanities Week, a collaboration between the Classics, English, History, R.S. and Geography departments, celebrating the value of humanities subjects. The theme was “What have the humanities ever done for me?” and the programme included an assembly by the Upper Sixth, a week of student-led society takeovers, and a visit from performance poet Y.A in Lit Soc.

We also hosted our second Future Pathways: Learning from Alumni event. Six Trinity alumni, all with degrees in humanities subjects, spoke about how their areas of study had enriched their professional experiences.

The busy term drew to a raucous close with the annual Saturnalia Christmas quiz, where staff, students and Classics alumni showed off their knowledge of all things Classical.

In the spring, Miss Sana Van Dal hosted the Anagnostics Classics Reading group, exploring Anne Carson’s punchy translation of Sophocles’ Electra, which led to a trip to watch a production of the same play starring Brie Larson. In celebration of International Women’s Day, Mr Stone held a reading group session on female authors in the ancient world.

Later in March, Ms Victoria Boorman led a reading group session exploring the doomed character of Oedipus, bound by fate to kill his father and marry his mother. This was followed by a trip to see a striking production of Sophocles’ version of the play, starring Rami Malek and Indira Varma.

March drew to a close with Mr Jack Paterson’s reading group on three literary heavyweights of the Roman world, Catullus, Caesar and Cicero.

Lower Sixth Former Maggie Forster spoke at Classics Soc on the poets Sappho and Catullus, and Will Hooton and Aadam Ahmad explored the reception of Classics in popular culture, with films and TV shows such as Troy and Kaos.

Next up Luke Curtis gave a talk exploring the societal implications of slavery in the ancient world. In June, Ms Boorman and Mr Paterson led a trip to the British Museum for Lower Sixth students of Classical Civilisation and Latin, to explore the Greek and Persian galleries.

Following upon our first entry to the Ludi Scaenici (Latin Play Competition) at Westminster Under School, this year students decided to write a play in Latin from scratch themselves! Third Year students

Seb Heitz, Alfred Beesley, Freddie Dawe, Faisal Rassoli, Sam Kingston and Harith Abbasi came up with an ingenious scenario: five heroes and heroines from Classical mythology interviewing to be the Head of Classics. The Third Years wrote the play in English, then Lower Sixth Latin students Maggie Forster, Josh Oyabayo and Luke Curtis helped to translate it into Latin (and indeed some Greek), with Miss Van Dal refining the final piece, and Miss Lucy Robinson helping to run rehearsals. Although they did not win this year, the students had great fun working on the project.

The year drew to a close with the U6th Classics lunch, a chance to celebrate our departing students, and wish them well in the future.

Miss Sana Van Dal

Working like Trojans

Younger students of Classics enjoyed events and activities from a themed escape room to a Trojan horse competition.

The autumn term kicked off with the “Escape the Labyrinth Challenge”, a Classically themed escape room inviting J-Bugs to put their logic and problem-solving skills to the test to crack the clues relating to Greek and Roman mythology, history and literature. Collaborating with the Art department in February, Miss Sana Van Dal invited First Years to complete their own graffiti in the style of that which is found in Pompeii. Students created a design and then etched it into clay, which was then fired up for them to keep.

In March, Miss Van Dal hosted the Epic Elocution Extravaganza, inviting First Years to perform a passage in translation from ancient literature. Form 1F came top with an excellent rendition of Odysseus’ account of the blinding of the Cyclops.

In June, Junior Year students submitted creative responses to the Trojan wooden horse in a competition run by the Classical Association, with two Junior students “Highly Commended” for their work. Kai Palmer’s creative writing and Ellis Waterman’s soundscape were recognised by the judges, who called Ellis’s soundscape “such a clever concept”.

The highlight of the year for Second Year Latin students may have been the trip in March to see Roman ruins in Bath, or Aquae Sulis as it was known then – see p73.

Crafting Community

The Knitting and Crochet Club, affectionately known as “Knit and Natter”, has continued

to flourish this year.

Knit and Natter has become a nurturing space where students refine their needlework talents, share in joyful companionship, and find a meaningful outlet for relaxation and self-expression. The group remains dedicated not only to craftsmanship, but also to promoting mental wellbeing and fostering a strong sense of belonging.

One of the highlights was the visit from Mrs Peers, a professional knitter and the mother of our Librarian, Mx Haze Peers. She showcased a selection of her highly intricate knitting projects, leaving students in awe of the artistic potential within the craft. She warmly engaged with students’ questions, sharing experience and technical knowledge. As a parting gift, she donated a variety of yarns, along with knitting needles and crochet hooks, ensuring our members have plenty of materials to fuel their creativity for months to come.

The club, which is run by Mrs Antonia Prestney and Mr Wil Coma, also welcomed a new regular: Head of Learning Support Mrs Sandra McDonald. As a “Trinity Treasure” who adds warmth and character to each session, Mrs McDonald has been instrumental in encouraging younger students – particularly those in Junior and First Year – to get involved and discover the joy of learning a new skill. Mrs McDonald is known among the staff for her adorable hand-crocheted soft toys, which are now in such demand they’re often commissioned. She also whips up crocheted “stress balls”, and these squishy, colourful creations are enthusiastically received by those lucky enough to take one home after a club meeting.

Knit and Natter remains a calming sanctuary for students across all year groups. Having joined this year with no prior experience, many of our members now confidently work on personal projects. It’s a common sight to see them crafting quietly in the library or during form time! Our weekly club offers a peaceful retreat from the hustle and pressure of school life: a place to slow down, share stories, learn new skills and nurture positive wellbeing. We look ahead with excitement to another year of creativity, connection, and of course, plenty more nattering over yarn!

Mr Wil Coma

Box fresh recruits

A group of 58 new Combined Cadet Force (CCF) members went to a special recruit camp for their basic training in February.

The annual CCF Recruits’ Camp was held at the Brunswick Training Centre near Woking, where recruits from the Third Year also begin their section-specific training.

The Saturday involved an obstacle course, skill-at-arms revision and drill practice as well as weapon handling training with the Cadet GP Rifle. Cadets then chose which section – Royal Navy, Army or Royal Air Force – they would like to specialise in.

They completed their drill test on Sunday, displayed their basic first aid skills and got settled into their new sections. The Royal Navy section spent some some time with the field gun – a traditional Navy activity. The Air Force section started learning about the principles of flight, and put it to the test by making their own model aeroplanes. The Army section cadets packed their bergens ready to deploy to the training area. Once there, the cadets had to cook their own dinner with food from their 24-hour ration packs.

Monday was a full day of section training and a highlight for the Army section cadets was firing the Cadet GP Rifle for the first time on exercise – undertaking a defence of their harbour area. The Air Force cadets started work on their radio skills and undertook a radio exercise.

Take aim and fire

On Tuesday, the main activity before departing was a field gun competition between the cadets in their new sections. Ultimately, the Royal Air Force team were the winners.

Third Year student Micah Thompson said the “large group of anarchic 14 year-olds” had enjoyed their time at camp.

“The instructors taught us how to jump 15-foot walls, crawl through tight pipes, cross large gaps and disguise ourselves to look like a bush –and how to get away without being caught,” he said.

“I really don’t think they realise what they have done. At least I can escape from my next Friday detention.”

Capt Anthony Muirhead

Cadets from Caterham and Trinity Schools spent a weekend on the ranges at the British Army’s Training Centre at Pirbright near Aldershot in December.

The cadets, who were from the Fourth Year to Upper Sixth, brushed up on their rifle skills then took part in competitions in firing from different positions and distances. All Trinity cadets in attendance achieved the “Trained Shot” level, with several achieving marksman level.

On the Sunday, the competition involved shooting at 100m, 200m and 300m from various positions, after running 100m to the firing point. This was The Marling Match from the Council for Cadet Rifle Shooting CCF Skill-at-Arms Match. After all the details had fired,

the two best shots from each school ran again in a head-to-head.

Cdt Sgt Maj Victor Ibberson made an impressive 34 (out of 40), achieving the highest score of the day, but Caterham snatched victory with their pair’s efforts.

Capt Anthony Muirhead said it was an “excellent weekend of shooting”.

“We look forward to our next day out on the ranges,” he said.

Ms Nicky Blunt

Delights of Narnia

The autumn show this year was a dazzling production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, performed by 50 students and written by Upper Sixth Former Dhyan Ruparel and Head of Drama Productions Mr Chris Chambers.

Ms Lucy Robinson – Head of Drama

Trinity Drama prides itself on all three productions, but the whole school autumn show is conspicuous in that it is often a larger than life, extremely ambitious and slightly chaotic affair. This year’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was no different. It starred students in every year group from J-Bug through to Upper Sixth, a student band and a student crew operating lights, sound and making props. The TCH stage was transformed into a snowy Narnian landscape, and the play was particularly ambitious as A Level Drama student Dhyan and Mr Chambers decided to write their own version of C. S. Lewis’ much-loved children’s story.

Dhyan Ruparel – writer and assistant director

“A faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood.” This is the only idea which C.S. Lewis had as he began writing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1949. In an essay, he describes having had this image in his head since the age of 16, only writing it into a story some 24 years later. That idea seems to mirror what The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has become – many in the Trinity community will have warm memories of the books, or perhaps even the Liam Neeson films, that have stayed with us as we grow up. And it was this sensation that inspired me earlier this year, as Mr Chambers and I set out to create a new adaptation of the book which we would co-write and direct. The timelessness of Lewis’ writing – and its ability to spread through generations like folklore – speaks to its universal themes, simple but effective storytelling and memorable characters. These are also ingredients, as we were reminded while rehearsing this production, of exciting theatre.

‘I k new that the plays would be impressively executed and being a part of one would be exciting’

Beni Cousin – Jadis, the White Witch I played Jadis, the white witch and evil queen of Narnia. I have performed in theatre since I was young, and having seen a few of the performances at Trinity such as Shakespeare in Love and The Wizard of Oz, I knew that the plays would be impressively executed and being a part of one would be exciting. I like the fact that this was different from roles I’ve previously played, meaning I had to use a different range of skills to bring the character to life. Being a villain also means I felt free to be more dramatic, which is always fun. Overall, it was a really positive experience and it now feels like I’m connected to the whole school rather than just Sixth Form. It has brought me closer to people in my Drama class, but also students in other years.

James Roberts – Edmund

I played Edmund, one of the Pevensie children who have been evacuated from London to an old house in the countryside. Edmund is an interesting character as he is quite mean to his younger sister. He is also selfish, lies and betrays his siblings. However, during the course of the story, his character develops and he becomes braver and kinder. It was a little bit daunting to be playing the part of Edmund in such a popular story! But the directors gave fantastic advice on how to develop the character and I really loved all the rehearsals with the rest of the cast. In particular, I loved the scene with the White Witch where I had to eat Turkish delight and drink hot chocolate! But then again – who wouldn’t enjoy having to perform that?

Oscar Spurr – Chorus

Doing the whole-school production as a First Year is a daunting thing, but it is also an excellent starting point for Trinity Drama and all drama and acting in the future. It was quite frightening to audition considering I didn’t know anyone, but I would never have got a role if I hadn’t just gone for it. I was a member of the Chorus and I really enjoyed singing and working as the ensemble in the final production. Drama has been a whirlpool of laughs and a remarkably deep insight into the minds of actors and directors alike. Drama at Trinity is truly a joy and you can make the most of it if you just go for it.

Ms Lucy Robinson

Down the rabbit hole

This year’s Lower School summer production of Alice took place in June, with imaginative costumes, projections and a few surprises.

The production is a version of Lewis Carroll’s classic book Alice in Wonderland, and included a host of handmade puppets, such as hedgehogs and flamingos. Flamboyant costumes brought much-loved characters to life, such as the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts.

The soundtrack included classic alt-rock songs by artists including Eminem, Blur and Radiohead.

Drama teacher Ms Sofia Deas, who directed the show, also worked a projection specialist and three projectors donated by Old Palace Drama department. Three Year 6 students from Old Palace also joined the cast.

Third Year student Thomas Pickles also acted as assistant director, a role he said was “eye-opening”.

“I’ve especially loved the moments when I’ve worked closely with a small group or even just one person,” he said. “Diving deep into characters, scenes, and the meaning behind each line has been fascinating. It’s that kind of detailed, behind-the-scenes work that I find really exciting.”

Stage doors

Theatre trips remain a highlight for Drama students, with every year group travelling up to London to make the most of the wealth of professional productions we have on our doorstep.

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.

Productions this year include a Third Year trip to Wicked, a Fourth Year trip to see Dear England, and a Sixth Form trip to see Kyoto.

We like to challenge students with the intellectual demands of theatre-going, and as such have explored an extensive range of productions from Shakespeare to sweetcorn, midsummer madness to the climate crisis.

Ms Lucy Robinson

Tragic heroes

The Middle School production in the spring was an adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s classic novel Private Peaceful, in which two brothers negotiate the tragedies and complexities of war and loyalty.

“In the First World War, over 290 students of the British and Commonwealth armies were executed by firing squad; some for desertion, some for cowardice, two for simply sleeping at their posts.”

This harrowing statistic was the motivation for Michael Morpurgo’s much-loved novel Private Peaceful, which follows the brothers Charlie and Tommo as they confront the challenges of World War One.

I have taught Morpurgo’s War Horse for nearly ten years, but hadn’t come across the play version of Private Peaceful until this year: I love the varied characters and the contrast between the idyllic Devon countryside and the harrowing trenches in Belgium. I used a minimalist set and abstract lighting to reflect the episodic nature of the play: there are so many quick scene changes that clunky pieces of scenery being wheeled on and off would disrupt the tension and flow of the scenes. I have been really encouraged by the maturity of our Middle School students as we approach the play’s challenging themes of death, legacy and war.

To heighten the tragedy in the war scenes, it is really important that moments of comedy are released in the first act: students are ably switching between the comedic and sad moments in a way that builds the pathos when morning comes and the unthinkable happens.

Fourth Year George Nearn-Stuart took on the complex role of Tommo. “It was really exciting to get a lead role,” he said.

“Tommo is a more developed character than others I’ve played before, and less eccentric or comical, which is a good challenge. Of course I was daunted by the number of lines, particularly the nine monologues.”

He added “I hope we have been able to make the audience consider the ethical side of World War One, and the struggles it brought back to the people of the country.”

Fourth Year Hector Hills played opposite George as Tommo’s brother Charlie, and other key roles were played by Dami Ikumawoyi as the colonel, Edward Molony as Mrs Peaceful, Kieran Logendra as Molly and Daniel Trocellier as a young Tommo.

Lighting and sound design were by Mr Alan Bishop, operated by Thomas Smith and Donncha McKeown, and Mr Chris Chambers contributed the score.

Ms Lucy Robinson

GCSE Art

Ellis Gates

Hayden Yusuf

Joshua Maier

Kai Biebow Rehl

Jibraan Javaid

Freddie Waring

Sam Aikman-Beadle

Albert Leslie

Matthew Mander

A Level Art

Ananya Rommohan

Caden Cheong

Grace Giblin

Felix Barry-Casademunt

Frank Collins

Charlie Edwards & Maddy Hunter

Charlie Edwards

Arushi Treanor

Daniel Todd

James Scott

Luke Rudman

Oskar Cobb

Jonathan Brunet

Lauren Izbicki

Grace Giblin, Oskar Cobb, Maddy Hunter

James Scott

GCSE Photography

Yizhang Hua

Yizhang Hua

Gabriel Newlands

Louie James

Timofey Ivanov

Intelligent Design

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

Students must show their problem-solving skills by considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Contextual challenges set by the GCSE exam board this year included “Empty retail units”, “Household budget” and “Reducing waste”. From these deliberately open-ended challenges, students are encouraged to identify problems for which they develop a solution. At A Level, students investigate their own contexts and clients and identify a problem to solve through design.

Pupils at both levels produce a final prototype with consideration of how the product could be manufactured using industrial processes. The photographs are the final products of the 2022 GCSE and A Level courses. Along with a final product, students produce a folder documenting their research, design ideas, development and evaluation – 40 pages in length for the GCSE and 80 pages for A Level. This coursework project is worth 50 percent of their final mark, with the other 50 percent coming from their final exam, which tests the students’ understanding of design, technology and manufacturing processes.

Mr Daniel Currigan

Hayden Yusuf –Multifunctional Garden Tool

Aiden Patel –Instrument Transporter

James Legge –Recycling Crusher

Aidan Birmingham –Adjustable Spade

Joshua Bell –Water Recycler

Ethan Kwok –Football Trainer

Matthew Mander –Exercise Equipment

Ashan Fenando –Automatic Plant Watering

Artchuthan Aravinth –Fitness Trainer

Bhumit Madan –Securing Packages

William Letchford –Waterpolo Trainer

Debarun Deb –Automatic Plant Watering

Leo Virley –Multi Gardener

‘ Students must show their problem-solving skills by considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. At A Level, students investigate their own contexts and clients and identify a problem to solve through design.’

William Haspel – Stair Climbing Assistant for Elderly

Christopher Legge –Kettle Pourer Assistant

Isaac Proud –Climbing Chalk Brushing Tool

Alex Middleton –Dog step for cars

Andrew Ah-Weng – Finger Strength Training for Climbing

Charlie Edwards –Inclusive Golf Tee Placer

Dominic Holland –Ukulele storage

Victor Ibberson –Fruit Picker

Harry Payne – Record Grabber for People Suffering from Arthritis

Emily Hermans – Transporting Fragile Items Upstairs

Key player

The school’s new Steinway Scholar was announced in November as Upper Sixth Former Caden Cheong.

The annual Trinity Steinway Scholarship is a collaboration between Trinity, Steinway & Sons and the Royal College of Music, supporting talented young pianists. Caden will attend lessons with Professor Vanessa Latarche Head of Keyboard at the Royal College of Music, and he can use a scholarship grant to attend a masterclass of his choice. Caden will also give a recital in the Trinity Piano Festival, tour Venice in 2025 and give a final performance at the Steinway Hall in London.

Caden said he had dreamed of becoming the Steinway Scholar since he attended the Trinity Open Day before joining as a First Year. He said, “I had no idea that piano could be taken to such a high level in a school environment; it was exciting.”

Caden credited the influence of his Trinity piano teacher Mrs Leititia Fédérici, who introduced him to the French music he now specialises in. He also started attending the Trinity Music Academy in the Third Year, which Head of Piano Mr Richard Evans said was “transformative” for Caden.

Caden said, “Originally, I just enjoyed making music for myself but as I’ve got older, I appreciate when my music affects people emotionally, I think it’s really special.”

Lower Sixth student Isaac Rogers also progressed to the final audition stage. Professor Latarche helped judge the finalists, and although she was in China, she watched their performances live via video conferencing. Caden was the unanimous winner.

Caden hopes to use the scholarship grant to go to Paris for a masterclass with Mrs Fédérici’s own teacher. Caden aims to study computer science, and said many aspects of his musicianship have made him a better candidate for courses and apprenticeships, such as the ability to perform under pressure.

Mr Evans agreed: “We don’t always produce students who want to be professional musicians, but the transferable skill set is enormous,” he said.

In tune

More than 120 pianists from across the school performed live in the Trinity Circus in the annual Steinway Piano Festival.

Each lunchtime during a week in February, around 20 students stepped up to play a grand piano outside the Trinity Concert Hall for passers by. Students could choose to play a piece which they enjoyed, or something they had written. The variety of music included work by famous composers but also the theme tune to the cartoon Rugrats.

Upper Sixth student and this year’s Steinway Scholar Caden Cheong also performed a recital in the Concert Hall, and the annual Piano Competition saw the best pianists from across the school perform in the Recital Hall. The winners were later invited to Steinway Hall in London, which opened in 1875 for the chance to try out different models of Hamburg Steinways to see what fitted their playing styles.

Head of Piano Mr Richard Evans said, “The festival is a unique opportunity for students to perform in public, no matter their level, and in a completely informal, and slightly chaotic, environment.

“Our objectives are to celebrate the joy of playing the piano and to boost the confidence of every single player, and also to inspire others to play.”

Palazzi performers

A group of Trinity’s top musicians completed a recital tour of Venice in the autumn half term.

The venues this year included the regular Palazzo Cavagnis and Palazzo Albrizzi Capello, but also further afield in Villa Roberti, Brugine and Conservatorio Antonio Buzzolla in Adria.

The musicians included the current Trinity Musician of the Year, Third Year Oliver Michael, Steinway Scholar, Zain Lam, who graduated from Trinity in 2024, and the Trinity piano trio of Anne-Mei Ong, Caden Cheong and Andrew Ah-Weng.

This year, there was particular focus on Trinity’s first visit to Adria where the students performed in the new recital hall of the Conservatorio Antonio Buzzolla.

Head of Piano, Mr Richard Evans, who led the tour, said the concerts were “highly successful and well-received”.

“The musicians were outstanding throughout and gave stunning performances which thoroughly deserved the generous applause.”

Musical maestro

Cellist Tom Shaxson was crowned Trinity Musician of the Year in May, after all the year’s music competition winners were whittled down to one.

Upper Sixth Former Tom and his fellow finalists, Fifth Year Ben Abraham and Lower Sixth Former Brayden Dekas, gave concerto performances in the Concert Hall. Supporting them on stage were 30 members of the Trinity Symphony Orchestra and professional musicians from the London Mozart Players.

The concert also shone a spotlight on original student creativity, with a performance of A Level student Theo Acha’s composition, performed by Steinway Scholar Caden Cheong.

The evening was adjudicated by Peter Moore, former principal trombone of the London Symphony Orchestra and the youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year.

It was Tom’s third time entering the Trinity Musician of the Year event, via the annual strings competition, but he previously hadn’t reached either the recital round or the concerto final.

“It was a great feeling to have won, but I would have been happy whatever happened, as the best part was the opportunity to be accompanied by the school orchestra and the LMP players,” Tom said.

Symphony in Prague

During the summer holiday last year, 50 young musicians from the Trinity Symphony Orchestra enjoyed a five-night tour in Prague, performing in three concerts to packed-out audiences.

The students ranged from 13 to 18 years old, and for some this was their first musical tour. They played at Hlahol Hall, St Nicholas Church and Konojedy Castle, where they experienced a power cut during the performance and played for a time lit only by lightning from the thunderstorm outside.

The group visited the Estates Theatre, where Mozart conducted the premiere of his famous opera, Don Giovanni, Prague Castle, and the Charles Bridge that connects a vibrant area with street artists and entertainers. They enjoyed dinner on an evening river cruise for a unique view of the city. Their final day was spent at a huge water park.

Head of Strings Mr Cristian Persinaru led the trip and said, “The orchestra members were an amazing group, where age didn’t matter. Senior students helped take responsibility for those younger, and the groups were very mixed.

“Everyone helped each other to learn throughout the trip, as well as enjoying each other’s company.”

Zain Lam, who left the Upper Sixth last summer after his final year as Music Captain and Steinway Scholar, said that the musical experience “left me with memories that will last a lifetime”.

“The concerts were held in breathtaking venues and received standing ovations in all three of our concerts, which was so rewarding as it shows our effort and dedication throughout the year was all worth it,” he said.

“Although this was a ‘music’ trip, we managed to see the sights of Prague, running on a tight schedule each day. We visited many huge landmarks and it’s safe to say many of us will want to travel here again to explore more of this stunning city.”

The power of Puccini

20 young singers performed alongside Sir Bryn Terfel at the Royal Opera House in a production of Tosca at the end of the autumn term.

The singing rehearsals started in October, but it was only at the dress rehearsal in November that I fully realised how amazing this opportunity was. It was an incredible experience especially being that close to such skilled singers, and we all went through the costume system (a great experience in itself) and were all dressed in individualised period costumes.

We had a lot of singing rehearsals as well as rehearsing where to be on the stage when, and what to do. I enjoyed being backstage and seeing how the whole system worked for the performance, and we had a full house at each of the six performances we were in. I learned a lot about what it takes to create such an amazing production.

Tom Simpson, Second Year

Exchanging music

The Trinity Boys’ Choir welcomed 58 choristers from Kiel for concerts in London and Coventry at Easter, before travelling to Germany for more performances together.

The Kieler Knabenchor (Kiel Boys’ Choir) travelled to Trinity from north Germany just before the Easter holidays, and performed Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion in joint concerts with Trinity singers.

The performances in Southwark Cathedral and Coventry Cathedral, involving 110 young singers, were followed by a farewell evensong at St Michael’s Church in Croydon. The group then enjoyed a barbecue, at which many of the choir’s German friends took a swift turn for the würst.

The choirs first sang together in September 2024, when they gave two concerts together in Kiel.

Soloists at the UK concerts were Nadya Pickup, Michael Mulroy, Ben Fletcher, Sebastian Heitz, Oliver Hull, Josh Webb, Alex Wright, Xavi Karelis, Charles Arthanayake, Zandy Hull, Caspar Johson and Leo Jemison. Alumnus and professional tenor Seb Hill also made an appearance.

After the UK leg of the exchange, 36 Trinity singers travelled again to Germany, where the two choirs gave performances in Lübeck (Bach once walked the 220 km there from his home in Leipzig) and Kiel to sold-out audiences.

Choir director Mr Nicholas Mulroy said he was moved by the history of performing Bach’s music in their German homeland.

“It was wonderful to hear a German orchestra play this music, and to sing this piece to a German audience, for whom this music is such a central part of their cultural and spiritual heritage,” he said.

“The students who took part in this project grew to know and love this amazing music, and many of them were still singing it around the school for weeks afterwards.

“They made and renewed friendships with their Kiel colleagues, and understood that music is a gift that transcends boundaries of geography and language.”

Music competitions

Brass

Grades 1-3 1st William Berlin

2nd Adrian Babic

3rd Charlie Purnell

H C Aaron Shah

H C Cameron Tough

G rades 4-5 1st Dennis Lalic

2nd Daniel Watson

3rd Zandy Hull

H C Adam Battersby

G rades 6-7 1st Lochie Cousin

2nd Leo Orton

3rd Michael Mulroy

H C Oliver Barlow

H C Joshua Barlow

H C Oliver Griffith

Singing

Junior & 1st Frm 1st Mikey Mulroy

2nd Zandy Hull

3rd Charles Arthanayake

H C Elliot Michael

H C Glenn Tong

2 nd & 3rd Frm 1st Oliver Barlow

2nd Oliver Hull

3rd Sebastian Heitz

H C Cobi Bahiti

H C Oliver Michael

H C Edi Haka

4t h & 5th Frm 1st Caspar Johnson

2nd Josh Webb

3rd Arlo Murray

HC Luke Thornton

Percussion

Beginner I shaan Godber

Intermediate A dam Battersby

A dvanced Naku Debebe

Jasper Bew

Ellis Gates

Trinity Musician of the Year Winners

Woodwind B rayden Dekas

Strings Tom Shaxson

B rass Jowan Dekas

S inging Juno Good

Trinity Musician of the Year overall winner: Tom Shaxon

Woodwind

Grades 1-3 1st Harun Aksoy

2nd Akshaj Kasera

3rd Hamish Carnell

H C Glenn Tong

HC Jamie Hanley

G rades 4-6 1st Charles Arthanayake

2nd Alex Lin

3rd Sachin Vijayanand

H C Max Kayacan

G rades 7-8 1st Xavier Karelis

2nd Maxwell Jones

3rd Mafeng Pwol

Guitar

Grades 1-3 1st Partha Ram

Classical 2nd Eli CollardArawwawala 3rd Ishaan Shan

G rades 1-3 1st Daniel Pickles

Electric and 2nd Leo Whitehead Bass 3rd Niko Pavidis

G rades 4-6 1st Dennis Lalic Classical

Intermediate 1st Ethan Ashman

Electric and 2nd Daniel Guglielmino Bass 3rd Caleb Adu

S enior Classical 1st Maksim Lalic Guitar

Strings

Grades 0-3 1st Partha Ram, violin 2nd Alex Pick, cello 3rd Christian Mnkandla, cello

G rades 4-6 1st Anton Vehring, violin 2nd Oscar Perkins, violin 3rd Benyameen Ali, cello

H C Elliot Bergs, double bass H C Henry Pettitt, cello

G rades 7-8 1st Charu Joshi, cello 2nd Oliver Hull, cello 3rd Rohan Duggal, viola

H C Caspar Vehring, viola

H C Chris Bergs, viola

Piano

Grades 0-3 1st Cole Mitchell 2nd Edward Chen

3rd Henry Pettitt

H C Jinmi Akinmolayan

Grades 4-6 1st Alex Pick JM 2nd Harun Aksoy 3rd Alex Wright

H C Alex Bradburn

Grades 7-8 1st Jason Shek

2nd Lucian Joshi

3rd Oliver Wang

H C Ben Wright

H C Ellis Gates

D iploma 1st Isaac Rogers 2nd Caden Cheong 3rd Ben Abraham

H C Lucxs Wan

Chopin Prize I saac Rogers

All that Jazz

Trinity’s three Big Bands and Jazz Collective performed in their annual Jazz Evening in January, bringing to life the music of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker.

Singers also performed songs made famous by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, and the Trinity musicians were joined by professional trumpet player Louis Dowdeswell.

As well as a range of other concerts this year, the groups performed in Soho in June, at Pizza Express Jazz Club this year in lieu of their usual fixture at historic music club Ronnie Scott’s.

Music video magic

Multi-instrumentalist Upper Sixth student Jasper Bew starred in singer Freya Skye’s music video filmed in Elstree Sky Studios last summer.

The single “Someone to Love” was released in September, and features Jasper playing acoustic guitar and walking on water over a lake towards the singer, and has racked up 220,000 views.

Jasper was offered the music video role through his agent, although he had previously met Freya on an acting course in 2022. Freya represented the UK in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest aged just 13 in 2022 and is set to star in Disney’s upcoming Zombies 4 movie.

Jasper has been performing since a young age and was the only child ever to play all three principal musician roles (Freddy the drummer, Zack on lead guitar and Lawrence on keyboard) in the West End production of School of Rock from 2018 to 2020.

He said he originally auditioned for the acting role in Freya’s video, but when the directors realised he could play the acoustic guitar, and had learnt the song while preparing for the recording, this became a collaborative part of the recording.

Operatic power

In January, singers from the Trinity Boys Choir and individual soloists visited France and the Netherlands to perform operas in German and Hebrew.

Eight members of the choir travelled to Lille to perform as the seven “children of the week” at the Opera Lille for Stockhausen’s Montag aus Licht, a project that is due to have its second run in Paris in November. Two of the soloists - Alex Wright and Michael Mulroy - then travelled to the Netherlands to sing Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Philzuid in Eindhoven and Maastricht. They both sang the challenging music in Hebrew.

“Freya and I recorded an acoustic cover of her song on the day; it is very catchy, so I was able to pick it up quickly, which the music director was very pleased about,” Jasper said.

The music video was filmed in one day in June 2024 in the Elstree Sky Studios in West London, in a collaboration between Disney and Hollywood Records.

“I’ve filmed various things in studios across London and abroad, but this was a different scale,” Jasper said. “There was a large shallow pool of water stained with ink to give it the desired effect.

“It was amazing to get to know Freya better, experience all the behindthe-scenes moments and a brilliant opportunity for me to get my name out in the industry.”

Pining for the fjords

In October, a group of 30 Second and Third Year students set off on a five-day journey to the stunning landscapes of Norway.

The trip combined physical adventure, natural beauty, and unforgettable learning outside the classroom. The trip began in the breathtaking Hardangerfjord region. Along the way, they stopped to admire the dramatic Steinsdalsfossen waterfall, which has a 50m drop, and students were able to walk behind the falling water.

Students and teachers stayed at a holiday park in Hardanger, nestled in the heart of nature, with warm and comfortable chalets providing a relaxing base each evening. The group spent their first full day getting active and immersed in the outdoors. In the morning, students took to the water for a kayaking session on the fjord, guided by local instructors. The activity not only offered spectacular views but also encouraged teamwork and communication. In the afternoon, the adventure continued with an epic waterfall hike, featuring some awe-inspiring white water.

On the third day, students travelled to Folgefonna National Park, Due to hurricane force winds at altitude, the group weren’t able to conquer the glacier, but were instead rewarded with a beautiful hike to

another waterfall via a small cave system. Despite the lack of snow, the experience was both physically rewarding and academically enriching.

The excitement continued with a climb along the Via Ferrata route in Tyssedal the next day. Wearing harnesses and helmets, students ascended a mountain path using fixed iron rungs – a thrilling experience that tested their courage and stamina. Before the climb, the group visited the local Power Station Museum, where they discovered how Norway harnesses its natural resources through hydroelectric power, linking physical geography with real-world energy solutions.

The final day was spent in Bergen, Norway’s picturesque coastal city. Students enjoyed a guided walking tour of its historic sites, followed by some free time to explore local shops, sample traditional snacks, and soak in the vibrant harbour atmosphere. It was the perfect end to a week of learning, discovery, and adventure.

Mr Chris Ruck

Singing across China

The Trinity Boys’ Choir spent nearly a month of last summer touring China, performing 13 concerts in nine cities and seeing a huge range of sights.

The 24 boys performed in Shenzhen, Changsha, Wuhan, Shanghai, Suzhou, Xiamen, Nantong, Chengdu, Baoji, Shenyang, Tianjin and Beijing.

They sang in spectacular venues with huge audiences, sometimes alongside local choirs, travelled between cities in high-speed trains, stayed in five-star hotels and were served Chinese banquets wherever they went.

They performed a varied repertoire from classical European music to Chinese folk music, from “Bohemian Rhapsody” to a kazoo version of “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da”. They managed to perform in Nantong despite growing numbers of boys battling a stomach bug, did a last-minute solo switch for a boy who had forgotten his trousers in Tianjin.

The tour began in Shenzen, where the boys also visited Chimelong Safari Park and took a cable car ride. They moved on to Changsha and then Wuhan for more performances, and in Wuhan they enjoyed a scenic early morning run along the Yangtze.

After arriving in the bright lights of Shanghai, China’s biggest city and financial centre, disaster struck when Mr Coma fell off the stage during a rehearsal and broke his ankle, meaning he had to return home.

After this emotional send-off, the boys moved on to the serene beaches of Xiamen, where they were interviewed on local television about performing with the Banlam Dream Children’s Choir. After a flight to Nantong, the singers enjoyed a mountain climb and a zoo visit, but a stomach bug meant their concert had to be performed with dwindling numbers.

After a flight to Chengdu, they boys were excited about a visit to a panda park, but unfortunately the pandas proved elusive. They were consoled with an event at the British Consulate. In Xi’an they performed with 90 local children, and were gifted cartoon portraits. After a short concert

stop in Baoji, they returned to Xi’an to visit the famous Terracotta Warriors, and performed in a luxury mall for publicity.

In Shenyang, they enjoyed a trip to a hot spring leisure complex and dressed in kimonos, then after a swift transfer to Tianjin.

After so many flights and high-speed train journeys, the tour came down in the world with a coach transfer to the final stop: Beijing. Here they visited the Forbidden City in torrential rain, before performing their final concert at the Performing Arts Centre.

Second Year Hal Heaton said his time in China “flew by”.

“Everything, from singing famous pieces that everyone knew, to collaborating with Chinese choirs and learning some traditional songs, will stay with me forever,” he said.

“Some of the venues we performed in looked futuristic because of how modern and unique they were. The time in between the singing was amazing as the people who were taking care of us made sure to give us a full and fun break.”

Mr Coma said he greatly admired how the boys conducted themselves on the tour. “What stood out most was how respectful and open they were throughout – they were true ambassadors for Trinity, and we couldn’t have been prouder,” he said.

He added that the boys really bonded and looked after each other.

“It really felt like a family – a wonderful, chaotic, joyful family,” he said.

“We were constantly amazed by the hospitality: five-star hotels, Chinese banquets laid on wherever we went, and the chance to perform in some of the most spectacular venues I’ve ever seen.”

Deserts, mountains and souks

During the Easter holidays, 23 Lower Sixth Geography and History students spent an adventurous four nights in Morocco.

The group’s first visit in Marrakech was the Majorelle Garden – a vibrant oasis full of cacti, trees, and all sorts of fascinating plants, plus huge koi fish. Then, having exchanged our money for Moroccan dirham, we ventured into the heart of Marrakech’s Old Town – the medina and souks. It was a sensory overload! We quickly learned that ‘no thanks’ in the souks was just the beginning of a much longer negotiation process, and that you had to keep your eyes glued to the ground as to avoid the multitude of snakes that were slithering around. Still, we emerged victorious – or at least, with a few trinkets and a lot of bargaining memories.

The next day we visited the Water Museum. It was a fascinating stop that taught us about welling systems, droughts, and the water scarcity issues that Morocco faces.

Then we began our journey higher and higher through the winding Atlas Mountains. Following a few mountaintop photoshoots, we made our way to Aït Benhaddou (otherwise known as the location of the filming of Gladiator). At the top, we were almost blown off by the wind, which Mr Hutchings thought was absolutely hilarious. Windswept and dishevelled, we then travelled to Ouarzazate for the night.

In the morning, we continued our journey, edging ever closer to the Sahara Desert. Our first stop was at a local farmer’s family farm, where he proudly showed us his well in action and his manual irrigation system, as well as how he manually pollinates his palm trees by scaling one that was about 10 metres tall.

‘ When we arrived at the spectacular Sahara Desert camp, we quickly scaled a nearby sand dune and watched the sun dip below the horizon...’

After this, we took a memorable camel ride to our Sahara Desert camp. With our scarves wrapped tightly, we all held on for dear life as our camels stood up. And just when we thought we had it under control, some camels decided to add a little extra drama by spitting on some less fortunate members of our group. In a twist of fate, our esteemed Mr Hutchings fell off his camel. It was a highlight of the trip.

When we arrived at the spectacular Sahara Desert camp, we quickly scaled a nearby sand dune and watched the sun dip below the horizon, and enjoyed jumping and rolling down the sand dunes. Dinner gobbled down, we danced around the fire and then headed to bed. We awoke to watch the sunrise – a breathtaking view that made the early wake up worth it (sort of).

After soaking the desert’s beauty, we endured yet another glorious –yet even more painful – camel ride back to the coach. After a bus breakdown and a replacement arriving, we made it back to our Marrakech hotel.

On our final day, we set off for Asni to tackle a waterfall walk, taking in the stunning views of the snowy mountaintops along the way. The hike was a welcome change from the camel rides. Once we finished the walk, we settled on a rooftop for a grand prizegiving ceremony, letting us reflect on the chaos, the laughs, and the unforgettable memories.

Jacob Haunstetter, Lower Sixth

The Big Apple

Business and Economics students flew to New York in the autumn to learn about finance and enterprise in the city that never sleeps.

Students enjoyed guided tours of Madison Square Garden and Hershey’s Chocolate World, as well as a live performance of & Juliet at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. They took a guided tour of the Financial District and a Downtown walking tour covering the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The final day included a memorable visit to the Empire State Building.

The students learned how Madison Square Garden hosts a huge range of events from basketball and ice hockey games, as home to the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors, to packed concerts from artists like Harry Styles and Olivia Rodrigo. The tour delivered lessons in business, revealing the impact of diversification, tax exemption status and the importance of community outreach.

At Hershey’s, the tour guide discussed the firm’s methods of harnessing nostalgia and brand equity through the Pareto principle. Whilst Hershey’s may not be able to displace firms such as Cadbury which are well established in their native country, they have increased market share through acquisition and collaborated on projects such as Harry Potter themed chocolate to expand their global branding.

Students soaked up the atmosphere of Times Square and took a ferry crossing to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Beyond the view of the Manhattan skyline, the visit to Ellis Island showed the students the former immigration centre labelled “an isle of hope and tears” where thousands of people would arrive, hoping to enter the country.

After returning to the mainland, the students explored the financial district, saw St Paul’s Cathedral and the Charging Bull, and walked through Wall Street. Their final day in the city concluded with a trek up the Empire State building for magnificent views of the city.

Upper Sixth Former Semiloore Bankole said the atmosphere of New York was “like nowhere else in the world”.

“From underground riding the subway to atop the Empire State building gazing at the city below, every place in New York was filled with wonder,” he said.

“It is an extravagant place with vendors, cyber trucks, and flashing lights plastered down the sidewalk. Its towering skyline and bustling atmosphere persist through the night.

“We learned about business strategy and the progression of New York from a hilly island in the 1600s to the global financial hub in the modern day. We came back tired, not from the flight but from all the new experiences.”

‘ Students soaked up the atmosphere of Times Square and took a ferry crossing to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.’

Downhill from here

In December, the Trinity Ski Racing team embarked on its second trip to Sestriere, Italy, to compete in the Independent Schools Skiing Championships.

The group of 16 students from the Third Year to the Upper Sixth spent six days on the slopes, hoping to bring home a trophy for their efforts. After two days of training, they began competing.

Monday was Slalom Day, which was most of the team’s first ever ski race. The course was short and tight, leaving little room for error, and the 30s average run time meant that one mistake would ruin your run. The boys

ended up with wins in the U16 category and a podium in the U14s. This, along with a strong performance in the U19s, meant that Trinity won the slalom overall, bringing the team’s second ever piece of silverware back to Shirley.

Next up was the Giant Slalom, which again was a short course also running about 30s long. The race would also decide the teams for the 5-man Team Parallel event on Wednesday. Trinity put out three strong teams, with aspirations to win some more silverware.

In the end, the 1s faced a tough draw, losing out to Benenden 1s in the second round, a team that went on to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, the 2s also lost in the second round to our neighbours from South Croydon. A gutting turn of events, however we still had the mighty 3s, who had dropped into the Plate competition. All the expectations were on them, and they delivered in style, winning the Plate and giving Trinity its first team race win.

A presentation and disco on the last night followed dinner, to conclude a successful trip.

Jake Collier, Upper Sixth

Beside the seaside

The sun shone beautifully for the annual visit of Fourth Year Geographers to Cuckmere and Seaford on the south coast in May.

The easy access to some stunning scenery and strong geographical features (both human and physical) meant that it was perfectly situated for our coastal fieldwork at GCSE. Whizzing down to the south coast, we arrived at Cuckmere Haven where we engaged in activities to measure beach profiles, investigate the extent to which the beach had been affected by natural processes, and furthered our understanding of salt marsh formation.

After lunch, we hopped over to Seaford for a quick comparison of profiles before examining the huge differences in coastal profiles either side of some monstrous coastal defences. With more than sufficient sunshine experienced we headed home pleased to have furthered our understanding of how the coastal processes affect this sceptered isle.

Mr Chris Ruck

Hitting the slopes

A group of 48 students went skiing in Austria in December, 30 of whom were complete beginners.

The students headed out to Kaprun and Zel Am See in the Austrian Alps, and the majority were complete beginners. The snow conditions were excellent and the boys were treated to a few days of blue skies and beaming sunshine.

The beginner groups started lower down and on the magic carpet, and quickly found their feet to move on to a blue slope in the first few days. The boys showed great resilience to keep getting up when falling over, and I was so impressed with how they listened and engaged with the instructors.

The advanced groups also progressed very quickly, focusing on the finer details of their technique, covering a lot of ground across the mountain. Within the first few days they were tackling black runs and their technique had improved a lot. They were a pleasure to ski with and great company throughout.

In the evenings, we were treated to some in-house entertainment by the staff, whilst also going swimming, attending an ice hockey match and relaxing in the spa. The ice hockey match was the highlight of the après activities, as the boys were perplexed by the speed of the game and the atmosphere with the local fans in the ice rink.

Overall, the trip was a great success, and I loved how much the boys took to skiing, which beginners can often find very difficult. It was most pleasing to hear how much the instructors enjoyed our boys’ company, and it was particularly pleasing to have several members of the public stop and let us know how polite our boys were.

Mr George Kimmins

‘ Within the first few days they were tackling black runs and their technique had improved a lot. They were a pleasure to ski with and great company throughout.’

A river runs through it

The Second Year completed Geography fieldwork in the River Tillingbourne in Shere and Chilworth in May.

With clipboards at the ready, the students were fully immersed in investigating the features and behaviour of a real river system. Over the course of the day, we visited two carefully selected sites along the watercourse to measure key variables such as river speed, width, and depth. Our aim was to observe how these characteristics changed downstream and to connect our observations with the theoretical models studied in class.

Students worked in small groups to collect measurements with enthusiasm and impressive teamwork. River depth, however, was occasionally gauged with a little too much excitement – some measurements mysteriously matched the height of wellington boots or reached just above ankle level!

Despite a few soggy socks and damp trousers, spirits remained high throughout the day. It was a joy to take the students outdoors and provide them with the opportunity to apply their knowledge to a real-world setting. Observations and thoughtful discussions enhanced the learning experience, and many students remarked on how much more meaningful the data felt when collected in person. We were fortunate with the weather – a few clouds loomed but thankfully no downpours – though that didn’t necessarily mean we all stayed dry! All in all, it was a successful, memorable day that brought Geography to life and gave students a fresh appreciation for the dynamic nature of river environments.

Mr Chris Ruck

Trading places in Bonn

Third and Fourth Year German students took part in a German exchange with students from the Clara Schumann Gymnasium in Bonn, welcoming them to Trinity in September and making the trip to Germany in the February half term.

The students hosted their German counterparts at home, with them joining lessons at Trinity in September. In February they revived those friendships, staying with their host families in return.

The Trinity students had a packed itinerary in Germany which included attending lessons at the Gymnasium. They also visited Cologne for a day trip with their exchange partners, visiting EL-DE Haus, the former headquarters of the Gestapo which is now a museum. They climbed the Cologne Cathedral tower, before ice-skating at the Lentpark ice rink.

Another day was spent visiting Aachen by train, which lies close to the borders with the Netherlands and Belgium. Students were given a tour of the old town before having free time to explore the cobbled streets of this historical city, home to the first cathedral in Northern Europe (dating back to 800AD).

The final day was spent hiking the Drachenfels, an ancient hill formed by rising magma that could not break through to the surface, and cooled, becoming solid underneath. After all the fresh air and exercise, it was only right that the final stop was at the popular Haribo factory.

During the day trips, the students spent a lot of time with their exchange partners and host families, who took them for more great days over the weekend. They were able to practice and improve their German language as well as understanding the way life differs and is the same in other countries.

Another brick in the wall

In March the Lower Sixth Geographers visited London’s iconic Brick Lane to consider how movement of communities changes certain areas.

The location’s existence has been relatively important as a place of transition since the 1500s, but the arrival of various migrant groups since the 17th Century makes it particularly interesting.

Our unit “Diverse Places” specifically asks us to study ways in which areas have changed as different communities have moved in and out of locations, and Brick Lane is a perfect place for this. From the Huguenots of the 1680s to the Jewish communities of the 17th and 18th centuries, all the way through to Bengali migrants post World War II and the recent wave of gentrification, never before has one street acted as such an intense area for study.

Third Year Thomas Green said, “My favourite part was the hike up the Drachenfels and the beautiful view over the Rhine at the top.”

The students also participated in some analogue communication and sent postcards back to teachers at Trinity, who all appreciate the joy of receiving postcards and snail-mail.

Hopping off the train at Shoreditch High Street we headed to the world famous 24-hour Beigel Bake to sample traditional filled beigels to honour one of the distinctive communities which has left its mark on the area in a measurable way.

Smoked salmon and hot salt beef consumed, we began our walking tour with the Lower Sixth students acting as excellent guides from their pre-prepared research. Weaving our way past curry houses, converted breweries, churches and mosques, it was a joy to take in the sights and sounds of the multicultural melting pot that is Brick Lane. We’ll definitely be back for another taste.

Mr Chris Ruck

Viva España

During the October half term, 25 Spanish students in the Fourth and Fifth Year travelled to the ancient university city of Salamanca in Spain.

Students were hosted in small groups by Spanish families, and immersed themselves in the local language and culture, experiencing first-hand its rich heritage and stunning architecture.

Students attended Spanish language classes at a language school on three mornings. They also enjoyed a city tour with a guide, a paella dinner, a fun scavenger hunt around the town centre, a tapas tour, a session of pádel tennis and spent the last day in Madrid which ended with a visit to the Bernabeu Stadium. All the boys improved their confidence communicating in Spanish.

Fifth Year student Danny Keenan said, “The Salamanca home stay trip was a great experience for me. I really enjoyed getting a taste of the Spanish culture.

“I found the morning lessons at LOLA Languages incredibly useful and the improvement in my Spanish studies has been very visible since the trip. Overall, this was an unforgettable trip.”

Fourth Year Matthew Jacques said his favourite activity was the scavenger hunt. “We completed tasks like interviewing locals, performing the Macarena, taking pictures with ‘Mr/Mrs Salamanca’, and asking questions about the top football teams in Spain.

“I loved this activity because it was exciting and very fun to be with friends, but we were also required to speak Spanish to interact with locals.

“Leaving Salamanca was bittersweet – it is a stunning city with a deep history and ancient architecture that felt extremely homely.”

Roman life in Aquae Sulis

The Classics department took Second Year Latin students to visit the Roman ruins in Bath in March.

Bath, or Aquae Sulis as the ancient Romans called it, was a key town in ancient Roman Britain. Students have recently been learning about the cultural significance of the baths complex as a place of leisure and religion, and were able to explore the well-preserved ancient baths complex, visit the museum and participate in an educational session where their knowledge of Latin was put to the test.

They were challenged to read a variety of Latin inscriptions found at the baths, handle real Roman artefacts and also see real life examples of curses which were found at the baths. This links directly to their previous defixio (curse tablet) project.

Second Year Dylan Banerjee Chopra said he “really enjoyed” the trip.

“It brought Latin to life as we saw Roman artefacts. It was amazing to see what we had been learning about as well, which were curse tablets,” he said.

Head of Classics Ms Sana Van Dal said, “There’s something really special about seeing students make the connection between the ancient world and their own learning. Standing where Romans once stood, reading inscriptions they left behind, and holding real artefacts – it brings Latin out of the textbook and into vivid reality.”

Porthcawl calling

Lower Sixth Geographers made the trip to Trinity’s Boetius Centre in Wales in September, to complete fieldwork on coastal management.

On the first day we set out into the brilliant South Wales sunshine for our initial pilot studies at Kenfig Dunes (one of the largest active sand dune systems in the entirety of Europe). A brief smattering of rain soon cleared as we concluded our studies and made for the buses which made their way to Porthcawl for an assessment of coastal management in the area. The day concluded with a fabulous pub lunch.

The next day, arriving at the seafront in Porthcawl, the students were treated to a delightful tasting menu of geographical techniques relevant to possible future human studies. After a few hours grappling with Welsh accents whilst carrying out questionnaires, the students returned to the promenade for some evaluative time. Finding the Geography department’s choice of location for fieldwork quite amenable, we boarded the faithful school minibuses en route back home.

Mr Chris Ruck

German tastes

A group of 17 Sixth Form German students spent a week in December in Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig, exploring historical and cultural sites in the former East Germany.

In Berlin our first stop was to the famous East Side Gallery, the longest continuous section of the Berlin Wall still standing, greatly covered in political and social artwork.

A brief pause here allowed we to get our first try of German market cuisine, with most getting their hands on a Döner Kebab, Bratwurst im Brötchen, or in my case a bowl of delicious Grünkohl, a traditional,

hearty German stew, made of kale, cabbage, and potatoes, topped with a tasty Wurst.

Another highlight from our time in Berlin included a visit to the former Stasi prison of Hohenschöhnhausen, in which we were toured by a former inmate, whose graphic stories made the traumatic history all too real.

After that, we moved on to Dresden, where we had a great time exploring the beautiful old town, as well as the hip and lively Neustadt. It was during our time in Dresden that we went on a hike in the mountains on the Czech border, which many of us assumed would be a boring long walk, but actually became an enjoyable adventure.

I really enjoyed how tight-knit we all became over the course of the trip and during our group meals. Many thanks to Marthe and Herr McIntosh for leading such a fantastic trip to Germany.

Benedict Long, Lower Sixth

Challenging conditions

The Third Year battled through their Tube Line Challenge in central London in May despite hot weather and a major power outage disrupting the network.

The Third Years embarked on the eagerly anticipated Geography department Tube Line Challenge, designed to test students’ geographical knowledge and investigative skills in the heart of London. With Geographical Information Systems knowledge in hand, and enthusiasm high, form groups set out to explore various Underground lines, including the District, Jubilee, Victoria, Metropolitan, Northern, and Central. Their mission: to collect data on urban inequality, directly linking to our studies on global development.

Students examined the presence of litter, coffee prices, and other environmental conditions, gaining firsthand insight into the diverse socio-economic landscapes of our capital city. The challenge was made even more memorable by the unusually high temperatures for the time of year. Working through the heat, students showed resilience and adaptability as they navigated the city, collected data, and continued their investigations with energy and focus.

Adding to the complexity of the day, a major power outage affected the London Underground network, causing widespread disruption on multiple lines, including the Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern, and Elizabeth lines. It served as a reminder of the pressures facing the city’s transport infrastructure – fitting context for a geography fieldwork day focused on urban challenges and inequalities.

Special commendations go to Mr Savile and Mr Doherty, who led groups to the far reaches of the network, including Upminster and Epping, ensuring comprehensive data collection despite the day’s hurdles. Despite the heat and logistical challenges, students remained engaged and motivated throughout.

Mr Chris Ruck

The path to the East

Coinciding with Trinity’s Lunar New Year celebrations, the Chinese department took a group of 41 Third Year students up to the British Museum to view the Silk Roads exhibition.

The Silk Road was a network of Eurasian trade routes, active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century.

The exhibition explores how the overlapping networks linked communities across Asia, Africa and Europe, from East Asia to Britain, and from Scandinavia to Madagascar and the impact this had on shaping cultures and histories. The trip ended with a vegan Chinese meal before returning to Trinity.

Political animals

Five Upper Sixth students secured tickets to a recording of the podcast The Rest Is Politics at the O2 in October, seeing Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart discuss the issues of the day.

The hosts were joined by Anthony Scaramucci and Katty Kay, hosts of the US spin-off podcast, to discuss the presidential election and candidates.

Student Lily Appleby said she had been a fan of the podcast for years and watching it gave a useful insight into the political process of the UK and US.

“Seeing it live made me realise how many people are passionate about politics as they filled out nearly the whole of the O2 arena,” she said.

“It was inspiring to watch knowledgeable people discuss politics with such confidence and ease whilst maintaining an interesting debate with their opposing arguments. Finally, they finished it off with a bagpipe performance that was a fun ending to watch.”

Brighton rocks

The Art and Photography department took a group of students down to sunny Brighton to experience how artists work in the field and to understand different locations.

As well as exploring the seafront, promenade and pier, the group visited the Phoenix Art Space which houses not only inspiring gallery spaces but artists’ studios.

Fourth Year Emile Guiblin said, “The trip to Brighton was an inspiring experience for both the Art and the Photography students, where we took many photos to give us inspiration for our GCSE coursework. The combination of this with fish & chips, the arcade on the Pier and an ice cream van on every corner made this trip one to remember.”

Cultural concepts

In January, GCSE Art students went on a trip to the British Museum to kick-start their second coursework component.

They saw two exhibitions entitled ‘Hew Locke, what have we here?’ an exhibition by the artist that questions and challenges narratives of British imperialism through objects from the British Museums collection, and ‘Picasso Printmaker’, an opportunity to delve into Picasso’s versatile approach to printmaking.

They then spent time exploring other areas of the museum, further developing their understanding of the themes and concepts in this year’s GCSE Art exam.

Senior Boys’ Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

Matches against Skinners, KCS, QEGS Wakefield and Hurstpierpoint come to mind. the 1st XV’s performance against eventual National Champions Harrow will live long in the memory. On a wet November day the boys put in a monumental effort, standing tall in defence against far bigger opponents and playing some really creative rugby in tough conditions. Ultimately, our final attacks fell short and it ended in a narrow defeat, but the resilience and skill level shown by the boys were truly special. I should also mention our final games against Eton, with the 1st, 2nd and 3rd XV all picking up victories together at home. The 2nd XV in particular came through in a particularly close game with Tristan Byrne scoring twice.

Who were the star players?

Louis Harrison-Rix was pretty dominant throughout the year, regularly being the spark that got the 1st XV going in attack. Jacob King, Henry Laidlow, Eric Trinder, Ayaan Alam, Ozzy Edwards and Harry Webzell led the way with some big shots in defence. In the 2nd XV, Seamus Holton and Matthew Boyde showed tremendous leadership, both developing enormously over their two years in senior rugby and were ably supported by Conor Maguire and Cuthbert Bashukwa.

Max Anderson and Rhys Gormley progressed all year and by the end, and then into the 7s season, were probably the most important players in the team. Frank Collins persevered and went from not being on the radar of the 1st XV to being a valuable starter on the wing throughout the season. Similarly, Toby Fry, went from playing in the 3rd XV to being an

essential member of the 2nd XV. It was also pleasing to see considerable progress from a number of Lower Sixth players: Ollie Haydon, Ollie Young, Kaiden Watson, Daniel Asanbe and Dan Aisa-Miller all started the year well but pushed hard to become vital contributors in big games. In the 2nd XV, Tristan Byrne made incredible progress to finish the season with some time in the 1st XV and was a key contributor to the 7s squad. Mattia Reuter, Freddie Scott, Ollie Stephenson and Leo Rigoli also deserve recognition for the hard work they put into making progress. Finally Daniel Todd committed a great amount to training and saw it pay off with an immense performance in the centre in the final match against Eton.

Final

thought from the coach:

The senior group worked incredibly hard this year. Players in all teams worked hard to progress and the enthusiasm to turn up and pour in was never dampened despite some tough losses. The 1st XV finished the season playing a genuinely outstanding level of rugby and the 2nd and 3rd XV finishing with their best performances also showed their efforts paid off. Finally I would like to say a huge thank you to a number of rugby players in upper 6th, Joshua Adu-Kwapong, Ozzy Edwards, Eric Trinder, Ayaan Alam, Jacob King, Jared Thompson, Jack Vas, Rhys Gormley, Louis Harrison-Rix, Frank Collins, Matthew Boyde, Seamus Holton, Conor Maguire and Cuthbert Bashukwa who from the moment they joined Trinity until the end have represented the school in a spirit that makes me extremely proud of them as rugby players but more importantly as people.

Mr Paul Roberts

The squad: Oliver Haydon, Daniel Aisa Miller, Ollie Young, Eric Trinder, Kaiden Watson, Louis Harrison-Rix, Jack Vas, Jacob King, Jared Thompson, Joel Adu-Kwapong, Henry Laidlow, Daniel Asanbe, Harry Webzell, Ayaan Alam, Luke Thorne, Joshua Adu-Kwapong, Ozzy Edwards, Frank Collins, Freddie Scott, Ty Azugbene, Ashan Fernando, Zack Stringer, Tristan Byrne, Seamus Holton, Victor Ibberson, Matthew Boyde, Mattia Reuter, Conor Maguire, Daniel Owen, Ezekiel Asigo, Leonardo Rigoli, Morgan Atkinson, Cuthbert Bashukwa, Anushman Ravindran, Lucian Davies, Toby Fry, James Gilmour, Adhi Sasikumar, Daniel Todd, Oliver Stephenson, Piran Lewis, Teddy Guntrip, Joel Gordon, Cameron Buxton, Harry Boland, Rishi Kanwar, Isaac Teague, Kushal Shah, Charlie Pryce, Caleb Thompson, Harry Driscoll, Tommy Wright, Kushal Shah, Oskar Crabtree, Leo Howard-Calle, Theo Chapman, Alexander Robinson, James Sutherland, Mack Rainsford, Harrison Watts, Callum Beeney, Matthew Oppong, Uzoma Anele, Jayden Alabi, Semiloore Bankole, Milan McGregor, Thabo Ncube, Duncan Rout, Ashvin Jeyanandhan, Boaz Wong, Orlando Riolo, Jake Collier, Luke Rudman.

Under 16 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

In terms of results, convincing wins away at KCS and Ravens Wood for the A team are looked back on fondly. The performance the boys put in against KCS in particular was outstanding. It was one of the most wellrounded performances you could ask to see from an U16 team. Also, the fightback away at Eton to score 40 points and come so close was incredible - it summed up the character and togetherness this group of boys have. The Bs also put together some great wins, but they will look back the most fondly at the win away at Brighton College. They were losing with not long to play, and showed enough determination to come back and win 20-12.

Who were the star players?

Jack Godfrey and Conor Woodman displayed an incredible amount of resilience, whilst Mafeng Pwol, Ashan Fernando and Liam McNamara always demonstrated what it means to be a rugby player at Trinity - they

play with so much grit but also in the perfect spirit of the game. In the Bs, captain Raphael Rivet always led from the front alongside Tom Haynes and Jack Prior.

Evan Wood, Gabriel Fraher and Blake Foster-Aileru were brilliant improvers this year - they went from B team players last year to regulars in the A team this year.

Final thought from the coach:

The main thing we have enjoyed this year is just how committed and together this group have been. They have matured so much since the start of the year and had a big collective buy in as a result. They always want to improve and train hard, and will continue to see positive results thanks to this.

Mr George Kimmins

The squad: Rory Annett, Ty Azugbene, Jacob Ashley, James Banwell, Dan Battersby, Joshua Bell, Leon Bird, Aidan Birmingham, Noah BonnerMcCarthy, Joe Carter, Enrico Dissera, Keyan Etherington, Blake Foster-Aileru, Gabriel Fraher, Josh Gardner, Benjamin Gilmour, Jack Godfrey, Camilo Godoy, Zain Irtiza-Ali, Thomas Karelis, Danny Keenan, James Legge, Bhumit Madan, Liam McNamara, Thomas Morrell, Jasper Munns, Thiago Nicklin, Kal-El Ntiamoah, Emmanuel Nwosu, Freddie Payne, Jack Prior, Mafeng Pwol, Viktor Rose, Raphael Rivet, Kane Reynolds, Theo Strevens, Rahul Sohoni, Tomi Waters, Evan Wood, Conor Woodman

Girls Rugby Sevens

What were the highlights of the season?

It was brilliant to see Girls Rugby 7s growing in popularity. Places for Rosslyn Park were fiercely competitive, with final selection after an edgy warm up match against Emanuel. In a tough pool on Day 1, the girls set out to enjoy the learning opportunities of competitive matches. With brilliant support from the U11s and 1st VII boys’ team, the unrivalled highlight of our season was the girls qualifying for Day 2 – the first time in Trinity Girls Rugby history! An even tougher Day 2 lay ahead for the girls in the main Cup competition but they rose to the occasion, giving everything against the two eventual finalist teams (both of whom were in our group). But our best performance was against Gordon’s, to whom we narrowly lost 22-24. To finish in the top 12 teams nationally shows the talent and tenacity in this group of girls.

Who were the star players?

Our standout performers were captain Beth Willars and Lucy Balmain, both of whom play at a high level outside school and who always brought energy, encouragement and patience to the team, backed with phenomenal performances on the pitch. Lucy’s kicking, tackling and passing ability helped us massively, while Beth gave us power, physicality and confidence in attack.

The most improved players include Alyssa Firla, who made her competitive debut at Rosslyn Park and was unstoppable almost every time she had the ball. Standout players in every game however, were

‘It is such a privilege to coach the girls in a sport that is new to most of them, and we love to share the energy and enjoyment they bring, in all they do...’

Zara Timm and Olivia Obasuyi - both new to rugby and both showing they have great potential. Playing either scrum half or fly half, they both showed great tactical awareness, were incredibly coachable and were always a threat. Nell Lavington-Owen and Issy Traynier were also exceptional in attack and defence.

Final thoughts from the coach:

Coaching the girls’ team brings us a sense of pride and sheer enjoyment. I know Mr Roberts, Mr Beresford-Miller and Mr Sinclair all feel the same. It is such a privilege to coach the girls in a sport that is new to most of them, and we love to share the energy and enjoyment they bring, in all they do, and to witness them achieve truly remarkable things with smiles on their faces.

Ms Stacia Long

The squad:

Beth Willars, Christyn Brunni, Nell Lavington-Owen, Lucy Balmain, Olivia Obasuyi, Lillian Counsell, Alyssa Firla, Isabelle Traynier, Lily Evans, Zara Timm, Poppy Hibbert, Tilly Dewhurst, Bella Williams

Under 15 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

A great highlight was our performance at the Langley U15 Tournament this year. The students equipped themselves brilliantly, only losing one game all weekend (a narrow loss to Wellington), and ended up winning the Plate! A great weekend for the boys who really developed as a group that weekend and learnt a lot.

Who were the star players?

Mitch Truter was a standout player for the A team, and there were also some very impressive performances throughout from Dylan Robson, Dylan Lawson and Michael Jerrom. For the Bs, Kayin Shittu and Will Patrick stood out with strong, consistent performances. There were also some fantastic performances from Seyifunmi Bankole and Hector Hills for the C team, which earned them some matches for the B team.

Shreyansh Rath was outstanding for the C team at the beginning and very quickly became a key player for the B team, highlighting just how far he has come and his fantastic attitude. In the A team there were notable improvements from Theo Weston and Malvin Kusi, both of whom had great seasons. Luke Timm was also an incredibly consistent performer who started to score some tries. For the Cs there were some big improvements made by Shoaib Khan, Conn O’Malley and Nicky Reuter.

Final thought from the coach: This was a great year and all the boys should be incredibly proud of their achievements. I think that something that will stick with me for a long time is how much the boys would ‘dig deep’ and deliver, particularly when things were against them. A prime example was our match against KCS Wimbledon where the A team showed tremendous heart and character to almost beat a very good team. For the B team, the improvement in heart and character throughout the season was the most pleasing thing to see, even though results weren’t going their way. For the Cs ‘PodBall’ will live long in the memory. The fact that everyone played with a smile on their face is the most important thing and hopefully this will be taken forward in years to come. I look forward to watching them as they move up through the school.

Mr Grant Beresford-Miller

‘I think that some of the moments that will stick with me for a long time is how much the boys would ‘dig deep’ and deliver, particularly when things were against them’

squad: Aston Graham, Luke Timm, Dylan Robson, George Gibbs, Malvin Kusi, Dylan Lawson, Mitch Truter, Dominic Lin, Humphrey Bedford, Tobore Agbandje, Charlie Goodbody, Louis Potter, Victoria Lanaspre, Dylan Odeleye, Theo Weston, Michael Jerrom, James Smith, Seb Bonsu-Amako, Shay Ivory, Matthew Jacques, Daniel Tough, Daniel Guglielmino, Zach Ambler, Huey Ward, Eli Atkinson, Seyitan Ogunyemi, Matthew Beeney, Nathaniel Harris, Ethan Ashman, Esosa Omonbude, Sam Boxall, Jamie Woodward, Ban Harriman, Harry Hayler, Noah Akohene-Voller, Manuel Akoto, Jowan Dekas, Finlay Johnson, Will Thomas, Noah Prestney, Oliver Lamb, Axel Glauerdt, Denzel Williams, Will Patrick, Seyifunmi Bankole, Ethan Ashman, Hector Hills, Thomas Love, Kayin Shittu, Shreyansh Rath, Oliver Sewell, Hashim Elbashir, Keaden Beckford, Leo Price, Oscar Horridge, Nicky Reuter, Nwabueze Akubueze, George Clubbs, Oscar Clyde-Gore, Shoaib Khan, Zaki Khelifa, Max Burn, Seb Blessley, Conn O’Malley, Oscar Pickering, Ed Morris, Alistair Strathearn, London Yu, James Jackson, Shiv Singh, Imaad Khan, Noah Husain

The

U15A

U15C

U15

U15B

Under 14 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

Our last-16 Cup clash against Epsom College was a standout. We carried out our game plan flawlessly, but what stood out most was the team’s collective selflessness in supporting and covering for one another. Injuries reshuffled our line-up early on, and by the end, we had players on the field who could barely run or tackle. Yet not a single player shied away from the fight. Everyone dug deep, and our defence was phenomenal, soaking up relentless pressure and standing firm. The match against Hurstpierpoint was a challenge but the transformation in our team was clear to see. For the first time we all came together as a team and worked our socks off for each other. A draw wasn’t the result we wanted, and Hurst celebrated as if they had won the Cup, but quietly, our coaching team were celebrating the most. The foundations for the toughest stretch of the season were laid on that pitch in Sussex.

‘Although we didn’t quite meet the lofty goals we set ourselves at the beginning, the team can be immensely proud of how close we came.’

Who were the star players?

While every player contributed in their own way and deserves recognition, a few individuals stood out. Fantastic players across all the teams were Harry Hayler, Ben Harriman, Huey Ward, Bodie White and Seyitan Ogunyemi. The most improved players were Umair Khan, Jacob Moralee, Fraser Gormley, Dan Kaminski and Oscar Sabourin.

Final thought from the coach:

The group will reflect on this as a significant period of growth, both individually and collectively. Although we didn’t quite meet the lofty goals we set ourselves at the beginning, the team can be immensely proud of how close we came. The second half of the autumn term included strong wins in the cup alongside the regular block fixtures against some very big names. We emerged with a clearer understanding of our playing patterns and learned the need for good handling skills.

Mr Matt Richbell

The squad: Will Booth, Leo Carr, Jack Crossland, Sam Duncanson, Marlowe Evans-Bardowell, Nathan Fasida, Fraser Gormley, Ben Harriman, Harry Hayler, Daniel Kaminski, Charlie Keegan, Umair Khan, Christian Mnkandla, Jacob Moralee, Andre Nimoh, Michael Nwosu, Seyitan Ogunyemi, Oscar Sabourin, Hector Salter, Marco San Martin Galluccio, Ben Towers, Huey Ward, Eddie Watson, Bodie White, Henry Willand, James Williams, Austin Worrall, Jason Amankwah, Adrian Babic, Alfred Beesley, Will Booth, Oscar Callaghan, Jack Crossland, Andre Fritsch, Timmy Grannell, Rohan Kanwar, Jack Keenan, Rafa Leonard-Riley, , Elijah Osinaike, Aras Ozler Luca Pyle, Jonahan Shand, Thomas Smith, Elliot Spooner, Noah Stacey, Micah Thompson, Tom Wallace, Lucas Waters, Clem Wilkie, James Williams, Jake Aldridge, Jason Amankwah, Jed Ambrose, Ceydan Amfo, Abee Aravinth, Ali Asharia, Cobi Bahiti, Oistin Boakye-Keating, Hamish Brolly, Oscar Callaghan, Julian Carpegna, Lochie Cousin, Jordan Fernando Pulle, Theo Francis, Rounak Ghosh, Eliot Giegiel, Timmy Grannell, Edi Haka, Oliver Herbert, Oliver Hull, Dami Ikumawoyi, Taran Jeyanandhan, Daniel Juresh, Rohan Kanwar, Frederick Leadbitter, Rafa Leonard-Riley, Karson Ma, Euan Maguire, Rohan Maitaram, Nsama Nsambateshi, Oliver O’Hara, Elijah Osinaike, Arien Patel, Aarush Raghavendra, Faisal Rassoli, Elliot Spooner, Max TeohFeasey, Paul Tregilgas, Daniel Trocellier, Zachary Uwins-Garesse, Filip Veselinovich, Tom Wallace

U14A

U14C

U14B

U14 7s

U14D

Under 13 Rugby

What were the highlights of the season?

Highlights were the Under 13As coming back from 4 tries down against KCS, Wimbledon to win 5 - 4, showing great grit and ambition. The full block against Epsom College was brilliant and saw great humility from the boys, who agreed to play for Epsom to even up some quite one-sided matches. Finally, the 26 boys who travelled to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and created lifelong memories with friends.

Who were the star players?

Coaches have been really impressed with Edward David, Adam Rhodes and Sunny Lawson from the A team. In the B team, Tom Clubbs, Torin Strathearn, and Zac Harris have impressed while Alok Mara, Ameya Bhattacharya and Josh Kessler have for the Under 13C team. For the Under 13D team Evan McLeish, Eashwar Sasikumar and Casper Vehring (before he moved up into higher teams) were strong players. It has been great to watch the development of so many players, with standout improvement shown by Freddie Stevens, Leo Orton, Edward Wright, Ned Copsey, Santi Sierra Vazquez, Charlie Cormack and Lemuel Lamptey.

Final thought from the coach:

The Under 13 teams have been a pleasure to coach and work with. Their commitment, determination, focus and attitude at training and matches has been consistently high. They have shown great ambition to improve their individual skill as well as improving their technical and tactical understanding as teams. They have shown great characteristics of sportsmanship, discipline and kindness towards each other. We wish them all the best with their future rugby journeys.

Ms Stacia Long

The squad: William Gibbs, Edward David, Jacob Davidson, Oliver Shelley, Seb Thorne, Edward Wright, Seth Kennedy, Adam Rhodes, Conor Beeney, Ned Copsey, Freddie Stevens, Sunny Lawson, Leo Orton, Torin Strathearn, Billy Morritt, Santi Sierra Vazquez, Noah Ellis Caspar Vehring, Tristan Allen, Tom Clubbs, Kesi Essel-Koomson, Ben Skillicorn, Zac Harris, Sid Schendel, Frank Potter, Charlie Dadds, Jacob Nemeth-Paradot, Kavish Patel, Ameya Bhattacharya, Matthew Troalen Musa Begg, Kian Besley, Laksh Bhura, Hamish Carnell, Ethan Gyer, Isaac Hayee, Samarth Iyengar, Josh Kessler, Ethan King, Lemuel Lamptey, Alok Mara, Ayaan Mir, Alexander O’Neill, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Adam Price, Partha Ram, Shiv Sharma, William Swiatkiewicz, Jinmi Akinmolayan, Ansh Chandarana, Amaan Cullinane, Justin Day, Zac Dyer, Jack Dyer, Keeran Ganatra, Rayyan Gill, Zain Hardcastle, Luca Headland, Evan McLeish, Joshie Phillips, Eashwar Sasikumar, Ra’ees Siddiqui, Tom Simpson, Jaden Wong, Hing Cheung, Gus Wallace, Aahil Yassin

U13A

U13B

U13D

Under 12 Rugby

Under

Rugby in the UAE

In October, the Under 13 rugby team completed a tour to the United Arab Emirates, staying with host families and playing against international school teams.

This year, 27 students attended and enjoyed the week-long trip. They began with a visit to the Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque, where they had a guided tour. They then had a look at a famous F1 track before heading to Seaworld, where the boys enjoyed rides and met sea animals.

The boys trained at the Zayed Sports Centre, a large sports facility with top of the range pitches, to get used to playing in the heat before their matches. On Tuesday they visited Ferrari World which has some of the highest rated rides in the world, but unfortunately, the fastest ride in the world was shut.

The first rugby game was against Abu Dhabi Harlequins. The boys played three thirds so they could try out different teams. They lost the first third which was against an Under 14 team, who were very strong. The second third finished with a close win for Trinity with a last-minute try. The final game ended in a loss in the face of jet lag and the scorching heat.

On Wednesday the team went back to Dubai after saying goodbye to their Abu Dhabi host families. They visited the Dubai Mall, the biggest mall in the world, and went to the 124th and 125th floors of the Burj Khalifa. They then travelled to the Sevens Stadium, home to the Dubai Sevens, where they played against the Dubai Hurricanes, ending in a win.

On Thursday, the boys had an outing at the world’s largest water park, Aquaventure. The highlight of the excursion was when Mr Robin Hardman and Mr George Kimmins went on the fastest slide at the park’s Tower of Poseidon, screaming as they went down.

After that the team played Dubai College. Despite a brilliant effort by the A team, they lost to a well-drilled opposition. The B team had a great second half and ending up winning their match. It was a fantastic performance from both teams.

On Friday the boys went to another waterpark, Wild Wadi, which had a smaller number of rides and smaller queues. Afterwards, they were picked up in jeeps and set off into to the desert. They went up and down massive hills of sand as tall as the cars themselves. They then rode camels in pairs before going to see a belly dancing performance and eat traditional food.

‘They began with a visit to the Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque, where they had a guided tour. They then had a look at a famous F1 track before heading to Seaworld.’

Saturday began at the Sevens Stadium against the Dubai Hurricanes again, and in the end the team won comfortably. The afternoon was spent with host families. A few boys were able to go to TopGolf in the Dubai Marina, and others went to another waterpark with lazy river.

All in all, everyone on the tour enjoyed themselves, and travelled home for a well-deserved rest.

The Under 13 Rugby team

Senior Boys’ Hockey

‘It was a really enjoyable year with a fantastic group of players who were a pleasure to work with.’

What were the highlights of the season?

The highlight was the thrilling turnaround against Reed’s, where the team battled back from a loss earlier in the season to draw 3-3 in a tense rematch. Holding their nerve in the shootout, the players showed remarkable composure under pressure, with Josh Bell delivering the decisive moment by making a crucial save to seal the win.

Who were the star players?

Lars, Will, and Jake were all outstanding throughout the year, delivering high-level performances and showing great commitment every time they stepped on the pitch. Max Virley stood out as Mr Consistent, maintaining a steady level of excellence from game to game and being a major influence in every match. Lewis Roberts showed the most improvement, working hard on all aspects of his game. His dedication and development paid off as he consistently impressed on the pitch, ultimately cementing himself as a reliable first-team starter.

Final thought from the coach:

It was a really enjoyable year with a fantastic group of players who were a pleasure to work with. It was great to see so much success across the team, including several players stepping up to play 1st XI club hockey. A special highlight was seeing two of our own earn call-ups to the Great Britain EDP as schoolboys—an incredible achievement and testament to their hard work and talent. Wishing all of the senior hockey players the very best for the future.

Mr Nick Giles

Senior Girls’ Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

A major highlight was winning our last game of the season 2-1 in a closely fought game against Langley Park. Everyone was absolutely elated, and it was one of the biggest celebrations I’ve seen on a school hockey pitch. The way the girls stood up under pressure in a hard-fought game really showed how much they had improved and matured as hockey players throughout the season. Another highlight for me was the attitude that the girls had throughout the entire term. A lot of them were new to hockey but it was amazing to see how they were always upbeat and supportive with other members of the team.

Who were the star players?

The standout players for their incredible hockey skills were Izzy Traynier and Caitlin Prior. Most improved were Anna Forster and Olivia Obasuyi who made fantastic progress over the season.

Final thought from the coach

This was an enjoyable season where all the girls improved a lot from start to finish and can be proud of how they did. They were unfailingly positive with one another, fostering a great team culture throughout the term.

Mr Robbie MacLennan

The squad: Georgina Bruce, Charlotte Cosgrove, Lillian Counsell, Beni Cousin, Tilly Dewhurst, Anna Forster, Maya Hermans, Nell Lavington-Owen, Imogen Luker, Olivia Obasuyi, Zara Timm, Isabelle Traynier, Amelia Tully, Bella Williams, Mimi Collins, Alyssa Firla, Grace Giblin, Lauren Izbicki, Thea Kerry, Zoe Langridge Corbett, Caitlin Prior, Arushi Treanor, Chloe Trimming

Mather, Lewis Roberts, Luke Rudman, Isaac Teague, Max Virley.

The squad: Sam Aikman-Beadle, Josh Bell, Lucas Collier, Thomas Karelis, Leo Virley, Daniel Aisa Miller, Roman Coates, Cormac Haspel Leonardo Rigoli, Jake Collier, Rhys Gormley, Lars Hansen, William Haspel, Conor Maguire, Charlie

Under 16 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

Undoubtedly, the buy in, work ethic and improvement shown in this team, highlighted by the improvement in performances pre and post half-term. Most notably, winning the last game of the season 5-0 away to Langley having lost 3-4 earlier on in the Tier 1 Cup. The U16Bs final performance of the season against Langley was definitely a high point. They showed incredible fight and skill to go from 1-0 up at half time to put the game to bed and win 5-1, with Hugo scoring a second-half hattrick. There were also commendable performances against tough Eltham and RGS sides, winning 3-2 and 2-0 respectively.

Who were the star players?

Max Leadbitter showed incredible endurance and adaptability, playing anywhere on the pitch. Finn Leadbitter developed into a solid midfielder, while Cami and Bradders showed superb attacking skills. Danny Keenan captained the team and took real ownership. However, our stand-out player was undeniably Evan Wood who led the press with speed and unbelievable work rate and deadly finishing.

Dan Battersby and Hugo Hipwell consistently provided strong performances in the B team. Equally, both Jack Prior and Matthew Hobden proved themselves very talented hockey players.

Both Ollie Tam and Freddie Morritt showed great dedication and improvement. I would also like to recognise Aarian Nair, Tom Morrell, and Aston Gayle for their great contributions to the team.

Final thought from the coaches:

We knew this was going to be a development year for the As with five players being cup-tied to the 1st XI. Despite some losses, the team kept working and training hard. The B team significantly improved week-onweek to produce some impressive performances. I hope all the boys continue to engage with, and enjoy, the sport going forward as they exhibited a great level of skill, sportsmanship, and character.

Mr Ed Cowlard and Mr Rohan Moralee

‘I hope all the boys continue to engage with, and enjoy, the sport going forward as they exhibited a great level of skill, sportsmanship, and character.

The squad: Camilo Godoy, Danny Keenan, Finn Leadbitter, Max Leadbitter, Jasper Munns, Raphael Rivet, Evan Wood, James Bradburn, Alexander Taylor, Ed Morris, Daniel Tough, Matthew Hobden, Jack Prior, Matthew Jacques, Aidan Birmingham, Josh Gardner, Jowan Dekas, Dylan Lawson, James Smith, Sam Aikman-Beadle, Lucas Collier, Thomas Karelis, Leo Virley, Joshua Bell, Edward Thomas, Joshua Allen, Rory Annett, Dan Battersby, Daniel Farrell, Aston Gayle, Benjamin Gilmour, Jack Godfrey, Hugo Hipwell, Matthew Hobden, William Letchford, Matthew Mander, Thomas Morrell, Freddie Morritt, Aarian Nair, Jack Prior, Rahul Sohoni, Oliver Tam, Arush Wavhal

U16A

U16 Indoor Hockey

U16B

Under 15 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

For the As, this was winning London Tier 2 Cup on penalty strokes. The highlight of the U15B season was definitely the commitment, improvement and development of the whole team. There were 17 players on our teamsheet most weeks and the enthusiasm with which the boys approached training and matches. The highlights of the season were the 2nd time we played Eltham College, showing the improvements we had made and the quality of performance in our game against Caterham.

Who were the star players?

For the As, these were Ed Morris, Matthew Jacques, Daniel Tough, Dylan Lawson. For the Bs, Millen Treanor, Sam Boxall, Henry Walshe and Shreyansh Rath stood out, Millen and Sam for their leadership and overall performances, and Henry in his unfaltering commitment in defence. Shreyansh who brought so much energy to the team both on and off field with his communication and organisation skills. Most improved for the As were James Jackson, Anish Moholkar, Victor Lanspere. Most improved for the Bs were Denzel Williams, Ryan Ilmane, Nathaniel Harris and Jamie Woodward.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

The boys in the A team improved massively over the season and can be really proud of how far they pushed good teams. The U15B team were a genuine pleasure to spend time with. I really enjoyed their self-organisation during the games, their versatility of playing positions, their willingness to learn but most of all their ability to work together as a team, listen to each other and respond positively, and their sheer enjoyment in representing the school in hockey.

Mr Robbie MacLennan and Ms Stacia Long

The squad: Humphrey Bedford, Sam Boxall, Jowan Dekas, Axel Glauerdt, James Jackson, Matthew Jacques, William Jones, Victor Lanaspre, Dylan Lawson, Anish Moholkar, Ed Morris, Esosa Omonbude, Dylan Robson, James Smith, Luke Timm, Daniel Tough, Millen Treanor (B team capt), Oscar Horridge, Matthew Beeney, Sam Boxall, Daniel Guglielmino, Nathaniel Harris, Noah Husain, Ryan Ilmane, Ammar Raffiq, Shreyansh Rath, Henry Walshe, Denzel Williams, Jamie Woodward, London Yu, Edward Molony, Shiv Shukla, Aayan Abbas

U15B

U15 Indoor Hockey

Under 14 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

The A team boys played 13 matches, winning 10, drawing 2, and losing only 1. As a team, they improved week by week, evolving into a dominant side that posed significant challenges for their opponents. The standout highlight of this season for the Bs was undoubtedly their enthusiasm and eagerness. The number of players at training each week and keen to participate in matches was excellent. This strong involvement contributed significantly to the team’s positive atmosphere and overall success.

Who were the star players?

For the As, these were Oscar Sabourin, Will Booth, Julian Carpegna and Thomas Smith. For the Bs, a special mention to Michael Nwosu, Cobi Bahiti, and Taran Jeyanandhan. Their defence was nothing short of impenetrable, consistently shutting down opposition attacks and providing a solid backbone for the team. Most improved for the As was Jonathan Shand, and Ben Harriman of the Bs deserves praise for his impressive development as a goalkeeper. This was his first season in the position, and he was a real asset to the team.

Final thought from the coaches:

The boys have the potential to do very well in the cup next year. With continued focus and commitment to training, they will keep improving and become an even stronger unit. The high level of competition means that training sessions have been of a high standard, which in turn has driven the boys to improve steadily. The B team’s undefeated record, combined with their energy and spirit, speaks volumes about their dedication and teamwork. Every player contributed to making this season a memorable and successful one.

Mr Tim Guise-Brown and Miss Georgie Webber

‘The boys have the potential to do very well in the cup next year. With continued focus and commitment to training, they will keep improving and become an even stronger unit.’

The squad: Clem Wilkie, Thomas Smith, Jacob Moralee, Jonathan Shand, Marco San Martin Galluccio, Will Booth, Julian Carpegna, Oscar Sabourin, James Williams, Timmy Grannell, Alfred Beesley, Umair Khan, Arien Patel, Yousuf Mortimer, Fraser Gormley, Ben Harriman, Rohan Kanwar, Cobi Bahiti, Tom Wallace, Michael Nwosu, Oliver Herbert, Taran Jeyanandhan, Abee Aravinth, Jed Ambrose, Austin Worrall, Bodie White, Seyitan Ogunyemi, Sam Broadley-Flack, Jack Crossland, Zachary Uwins-Garesse, Josh Patel, Tobi Badejo, Elliot Spooner, Hector Salter, Charlie Keegan, Donncha McKeown, Paul Tregilgas

U14B

U14C

U14 Idoor Hockey

U14A

Under 13 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

After two disappointing results in the early season cup fixtures, the A team boys went on a four game run of wins which included some big scores and exciting hockey, scoring plenty of GTGs (good team goals) in the process. The B team played Eltham twice, and both times we were fortunate enough to win. What really stood out was when the Eltham coach came over to congratulate our students and said how impressed he was with not only the hockey ability, but their overall manner on the pitch. It’s a privilege to work with these fantastic students.

Who were the star players?

Freddie Stevens was the standout player of the As for his distribution, elimination, and goalscoring. Musa Begg impressed with his ball carrying. Sunny Lawson, Conor Beeney and Kavish Patel also stood out. The biggest improvers were Fin Gratton and Vihaan Parulekar Roy. Vihaan stepped up to the A team after a number of impressive performances in the Bs. Fin played the previous season in the Cs and Ds, but was an A team regular from the very start. Both boys showed real commitment to improving their game. In the B team, Leo Orton and Frank Potter were invaluable, and the biggest improver was Dennis Lalic - an absolute rock at the back, always popping up with a last minute challenge when needed.

Final thoughts from the coaches:

This season started in brilliant fashion with the trip to Barcelona for a pre-season training camp. The lads formed strong bonds on and off the pitch. They didn’t quite perform at the level they are capable of in the cup competitions, however, the level of hockey they displayed throughout the rest of their matches bodes extremely well for future years. U13B Hockey had a fantastic year, supported by an exceptionally strong age group. The depth of talent meant players consistently pushed each other in training and matches.

Mr Chris Porter and Mr Brad Wilson

U13A

U13B

U13D

U13C

U13E-F

U13 Indoor Hockey

The squad: Conor Beeney, Musa Begg, William Gibbs, Kavish Patel, Raghav Kumar, Freddie Stevens, Tristan Allen, Fin Gratton, Sunny Lawson, Dennis Lalic, Xavier Karelis, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Edward Wright, Leo Orton, Frank Potter

Under 12 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

The U12A team showed massive improvement in both technical and game understanding. Highlights included wins over Caterham and RGS Guildford. The final game against Langley was a great performance coming back from 0-2 to draw 2-2. The U12Bs had some very impressive victories, not least the 13-0 victory they secured early on. Other highlights included the England Hockey London County Qualifiers where they put in some fantastic performances and were unlucky to narrowly miss out on qualification through to the next stages. The U12C hockey team were unbeaten across all 10 of their fixtures – reflecting the team’s commitment, teamwork, and skill. Over the course of the term, the team netted nearly 60 goals. A total of 24 students represented the team and they radiated sheer enjoyment and passion for the sport. After having a rocky first game of the season against Whitgift, the D team went on to finish the season undefeated.

Who were the star players?

Alex Bradburn was outstanding, and in the Bs Lewis Coyne had a fantastic season. Jayshaan Jeanmohan, new to hockey, was lightning quick, and Aaron Patel impressed too. In terms of improvement, Rafi Costa did very well, and in the Bs Serafym Polovynka made considerable progress. Other big improvers were Charles Doble and Harry Heriot.

Final thoughts from the coaches: The boys were a pleasure to coach; their progress and love for hockey was great to see and they made it a very enjoyable season. Their personal development skills grew positively throughout. It was a pleasure to watch the groups grow in confidence and ability – a testament to their hard work, energy, and love for the game.

Mr Riley Jarrold, Mr Ethan Turner, Ms Kyhesha Mardon, Mr Dave Beckett

‘ The U12A team showed massive improvement in both technical and game understanding.’

U12A

The squad: Charlie Goodwin, Alex Bradburn, Noah Bennett, Gabriel Dickinson, Harry Beeraje, Louis Willson, Rafi Costa, Charlie Purnell, Daniel Grannell, Cameron Tough, Aaron Patel, Sam Westerman, Hasan Surliz, Adnan Alakan, Elliot Bergs, Teddy Clark, Harry Heriot, Max Kyacan, Max Sweny, Ilias Koulouras, Julian Tzenev, Adnan Alakan, Ethan Anyaeji, Elliot Bergs, Teddy Clark, Will Digby, Charles Doble, Adam Elbeshbishy, Charlie Goodwin, Freddie Goulden, Samuel Hobden, Jayshaan Jeganmohan, Max Kayacan, Ilias Koulouras, Cormac McCarthy, Reyansh Mirchandani, Rishi Mudunuru, Michael Mulroy, Aaron Patel, Thomas Price-Harris, Max Sweny, Julien Tzenev, Sam Westerman, Benedict Wibberley-Bello, Sal Winnssida

U12B

U12D

U12C

U12E-F-G

‘The U11As had a rollercoaster of a season with some unbelievable results, notably a 4-1 away to Dulwich and an unheard of 0-0 thriller against Whitgift.’

Under 11 Hockey

What were the highlights of the season?

The U11As won a silver medal in the England Hockey London Regional Finals, with their best performance coming in their last game with a 4-0 win against Alleyn’s. The U11Bs had a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Royal Russell, with Christiaan scoring in the last minute of the game to give us the victory. This was the boys’ first win and clearly meant a lot to them. They showed great fight and determination to come back from a goal behind twice.

Who were the star players?

Louis Willson was the dominant force in the U11As going forward. In defence, Ibby Mortimer was a rock at the back. In the Bs, Alex Molteni was a solid defender with consistently strong tackles. Equally, Jayen Patel showed great consistency and effort. Isaac Smith worked incredibly hard to improve every game, earning appearances in the A team. In terms of improvement, Elijah Mills started in the B team but became a certain pick in the As. Anton Vehring moved from goal for the B team to earn himself a regular spot outfield. Jamil Soomro also showed great improvement, earning a few goals to his name.

Final thoughts from the coach:

The U11As had a rollercoaster of a season with some unbelievable results, notably a 4-1 away to Dulwich and an unheard of 0-0 thriller against Whitgift. We finally earnt what we deserved at the London Regional Finals and picked up a medal. Every single boy in the squad contributed hugely and were a pleasure to coach. The U11Bs had a very positive first season. They showed great improvement, evidenced by their early loss to Whitgift, only to then draw 3-3 with them in a tough game later on. Whilst the England Hockey competition didn’t go the way we would’ve hoped, they showed great teamwork, effort, and love of the game.

Mr Finlay Baker

The squad: Miles Callaghan, Zac Costin, Sami Gill, Elias Ledgister, Elliot Michael, Elijah Mills, Ibby Mortimer, Isaac Smith, Glenn Tong, Conrad Whiteside, Michael Williams, Louis Willson, Chika Achi, Jayden Akibu, Christiaan Hanekom, Charu Joshi, Eddie Koh, Michael Mantilas, Joshua McInnis, Alex Molteni, Daniel Nwosu, Kai Palmer, Jayen Patel, Sulaiman Qamar, Aaron Shah, Isaac Smith, Jamil Soomro, Anton Vehring, Conrad Whiteside, Aaron Zhao

U11B

Hockey in Barcelona

In December, a group of 21 Second Year hockey players enjoyed their pre-season Barcelona hockey tour.

They focused on intensive hockey training, improving their skills and team dynamics. Outside of training, they enjoyed activities including attending a La Liga football match to watch Espanyol play.

They also explored some of Barcelona’s iconic sights, including the stunning Sagrada Familia and the vibrant Las Ramblas.

Second Year student Xavier said, “The hockey tour was really fun, and the pitches were amazing to play hockey on. The activities we did ended up being really enjoyable, such as the football match we went to see.

“The two-hour hockey sessions at Real Club de Polo every day were the perfect length of time, because we were able to train then have lots of fun matches.”

Head of Hockey Mr Nick Giles said, “We enjoyed some bright, sunny weather in Barcelona as well as some fantastic hockey playing. Throughout the trip, the boys were a fantastic group, making the experience both memorable and enjoyable for all involved.”

‘Throughout the trip, the boys were a fantastic group, making the experience both memorable and enjoyable for all involved.’

Netball

This year’s first team have had a great year and have been a thoroughly enjoyable team to coach and watch play. It is a difficult task to select the squad from the new Lower Sixth to complement our Upper Sixth, but 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 abled as ever by the amazing Lily Appleby. The Surreys are always immensely competitive and unfortunately the girls were unable to repeat the success of last year – Olivia Obasuyi played very well in centre court however and was a force to be reckoned with.

A full fixture programme in the spring term saw the girls face Woldingham, Reigate Grammar, Kingston Grammar, Langley Park Girls, Caterham, Alleyns, Streatham and Clapham and Colfes. These fixtures are always competitive and the girls were unlucky to lose three of these games by the odd goal. One decision, one missed shot at goal, one defensive error and these close games can turn. We were unlucky on three separate occasions. Well done to all the girls but especially to Beth Willars whose enthusiasm on court knows no bounds. She also made her presence felt on many occasions as her opponents quickly found out.

Finally a note to mention Mimi Collins and Tabi Hollywood who held the team together in the centre court. It is a goodbye to those very talented Upper 6th and we wish you the best of luck at University and beyond. Keep playing!!

Mrs Isabelle Bennett

The squad: Lily Appleby, Lucy Balmain, Mimi Collins, Maggie Forster, Tabi Hollywood, Olivia Obasuyi, Zara Timm, Beth Willars, Bella Williams

Senior Football

What were the highlights of the season?

It goes back to the start of the season for me: beating St Johns, Leatherhead in the Boodles ISFA Cup was a particular highlight and I felt that we as a team performed amazingly considering it was our first game of the season together.

Who were the star players?

Taisei Masumoto and Oscar Beswick were both fantastic leaders, but I was also really proud of watching some of the younger players play for the 1st XI. The most improved was probably Joel Adu-Kwapong, who made excellent progress.

Final thought from the coach:

This season didn’t quite deliver the results we hoped for, especially given the strength of our squad. We had a fantastic group of players, but limited time together on the pitch made it tough to build the consistency we needed. While the ISFA Cup was always going to be a big challenge, the ISFA Trophy felt like a real chance to highlight the quality of football at Trinity, especially in our senior sides. To our Upper Sixth players, thank you for your dedication over the years. We wish you all the very best on your footballing journey.

Mr Brad Wilson

squad: Rhys Gormley, Conor Maguire, Will Haspel, Jacob Fasida, Emmanuel Nwosu, Jake Silver, Cuthbert Bashukwa, Oscar Beswick, Taisei Masumoto, Joel Adu-Kwapong, Luke Rudman, Eric Trinder, Aston Gayle, Camilo Godoy, Ed Thomas, Ty Azugbene, Harry Boland, Michael Tadman, Theo Chapman, Harrison Watts

Under 16 Football Senior Games Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The highlight was a professional display against Ravens Wood School. In a tricky fixture, the boys showed their class and tactical nous to adapt to a direct style of football from the opposition. Controlling a game in such a manner at their age was highly impressive.

Who were the star players?

Ty Azugbene was a leader from start to finish. He has a fantastic attitude, is willing to learn and he lifts his team through his example on and off the ball. I can see Ty playing at a very competitive level as he transitions into adult football. A couple more special mentions go to Noah BonnerMcCarthy and Ed Thomas who showed real composure on the ball in tight areas. In terms of improvement, Rahul Sohoni did not have the start he would have wanted in his first match, but I was impressed with his response in a very difficult second round match in the ESFA. He came off the bench and showed exactly why he is an excellent centre back.

Final thought from the coach:

It was a real shame that the boys were knocked out of the cup so early. It had been difficult to find time together on the training pitch when

‘ Senior football was fantastic this year, having more fixtures than ever during our games afternoon’

What were the highlights of the season?

A strong win in the first round of the Schools League was a real highlight. It was a competitive match that could have gone either way, but our performance demonstrated just how far the team has come. The experience and commitment built over the past few years really showed on that day.

Who were the star players?

Oscar Beswick again proved himself invaluable to the team, and the most improved player was Jake Silver, who has worked extremely hard and we are really proud of him.

Final thought from the coach:

Senior football was fantastic this year, having more fixtures than ever during our games afternoon. Every student on Senior Games Football played in matches, and regularly fielding two teams on a Wednesday afternoon is something fairly new to Trinity.

Mr Brad Wilson

‘In a tricky fixture, the boys showed their class and tactical nous to adapt to a direct style of football from the opposition. Controlling a game in such a manner at their age was highly impressive.’

competing against with the strains of GCSEs. They are undoubtedly an extremely talented group, their second round loss to a very strong Royal Russell side felt more like the semi-final or final itself based on the quality on display. I have full faith that the students in this team can all play at a high level, and I hope they continue to do so as they move into competing for a 1st team place or adult football outside of school.

Mr Sam Hodge

The

The squad: Jacob Ashley, Ty Azugbene, Rahul Sohoni, Noah Bonner-McCarthy, Danny Keenan, Edward Thomas, Thomas Karelis, Aston Gayle, Emmanuel Nwosu, Camilo Godoy, Jacob Fasida, Louie James, Thomas Morrell, Raphael Rivet

Under 15 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The major highlight for the As was the thrilling ISFA Cup 2nd round victory against Highgate School. The game had so many shifts and ended 4-4 AET, then a Leo Price penalty save followed by a Michael Jerrom winner saw us emerge victorious, winning 5-4 on penalties. In the B team, a memorable highlight came in the opening fixture, where the team battled back to earn a hard-fought 1-1 draw, thanks to a sensational free kick from Oscar Pickering.

Who were the star players?

For the As, two performances which stand out are those of Shay Ivory (vs Highgate) and Tobore Agbandje (vs Charterhouse) In the Bs, captain Otto Stueck’s consistent performances were a credit to his character. In terms of improvement, particular mention to Leo Price in the As, whose development over the season was fantastic. In the Bs, it was pleasing to see several players make their U15 debuts. Malvin Kusi took his opportunity well and showed real signs of progress.

Final thought from the coach:

The As had a strong season and this is an age group with some fantastic footballers and sportsmen. They were unlucky to be knocked out of the ISFA Cup in the 3rd round, losing a thrilling game to Charterhouse, but this did not take away from their strong season. Although results didn’t go the B team’s way, the group worked hard, showed good character, and can be proud of the way they approached the season.

Mr Riley Jarrold

The squad: Tobore Agbandje, Ethan Ashman, Sebastian Bonsu-Amako, Oscar Clyde-Gore, Daniel Guglielmino, Shay Ivory, Michael Jerrom, Victor Lanaspre, Dylan Lawson, Ed Morris, Leo Price, James Smith, Robbie Taylor, Luke Timm, Mitch Truter, Denzel Williams, Aayan Abbas, Manuel Akoto, Ethan Ashman, Keadan Beckford, Sam Boxall, Oscar Clyde-Gore, Axel Glauerdt, Aston Graham, Ben Guntrip, Nathaniel Harris, Ryan Ilmane, Ali Kara, Malvin Kusi, Esosa Omonbude, Kaylan Patel, Oscar Pickering, Ammar Raffiq, Nicky Reuter, Shiv Singh, Otto Stueck, Mitch Truter, Theo Weston U15B

‘Every player delivered an outstanding performance of which they can be extremely proud.’

Under 14 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The boys faced a challenging season, but the 2–1 win against Whitgift was undoubtedly the highlight. Every player delivered an outstanding performance of which they can be extremely proud.

Who were the star players?

Michael Nwosu had a strong season, leading the line well with good hold up play and reliable finishing. Charlie Keegan also impressed, showing his versatility by playing in a number of different positions and showcasing his ability in both in attack and defence. Oistin Boakye-Keating was a mainstay in the A team by the end of the season with consistent performances at left back. It was a pleasure to seem him progress as the year went on.

Final thoughts from the coach:

It was disappointing to be knocked out in the early rounds of the cup, but that’s not to say the boys didn’t have some strong moments. The challenge was turning those moments into more sustained periods of play. When they did manage to do that, the results spoke for themselves, with standout performances like the 2–1 win over Whitgift and the 5–0 win against Royal Russell.

Mr Tom McKinnon

The squad: Clem Wilkie, Marlowe Evans-Bardowell, Thomas Smith(Capt), Jack Crossland, Oscar Sabourin, Elliot Spooner, Charlie Keegan, Paul Tregilgas, Nathan Fasida, Harry Hayler, Michael Nwosu, Oliver Herbert, Oistin Boakye-Keating, Will Booth, Austin Worrall

U14B

U14C

Under 13 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The A team started in remarkable fashion with a 5-5 draw against Whitgift and followed it up with a 6-0 win vs Crosfields in the Boodles ISFA Cup. The determination of the Bs to develop was the highlight for their coach, as by the end of the season the cohesiveness between them had improved massively. For the Cs, their thumping 3-1 home win over Whitgift started the season with a bang before a 2-1 victory over Dulwich secured the team’s position as South London’s finest.

Who were the star players?

Noteable for the A team was Freddie Stevens who scored a hattrick against Whitgift, and Fin Gratton was brilliant at Crosfields in the ISFA Cup. Kavish Patel was the Bs’ most dedicated player, he showed determination, technical skill and was a great team player. For the Cs, Evan McLeish showed tenacious defending while Zain Hardcastle and Shayan Jain were always dangerous going forward. The As showed a huge collective improvement, with a special mention to Lemuel Lamptey who played a very different role this season and picked it up brilliantly. Kesi Essel-Koomson for the Bs not only improved technically, but his mindset also developed and he kept pushing when things got hard. Tom Clubbs led the C team admirably while Vihaan Parulekar Roy demonstrated an excellent and inspiring attitude.

Final thought from the coach:

The U13As faced a lot of very strong opposition which was a fantastic opportunity to test themselves against very strong sides and they competed very well. They have come a long way from the start of the season as a group. The Bs also had a difficult season against difficult opposition but their improvement and desire to play was excellent. In the Cs, the enthusiasm and commitment of all the boys has been hugely impressive.

Mr Riley Jarrold

squad: Conor Beeney, Aaron Borteye, Charlie Dadds, Jacob Davidson, Noah Ellis, Fin Gratton, Zac

Lemuel Lamptey, Sunny Lawson, Jacob Nemeth-Paradot, Frank Potter, Sid Schendel, Ben Skillicorn, Freddie Stevens, Edward Wright. Tristan Allen, Charlie Dadds, Will Gibbs, Adam Price, Laksh Bahra, Raghav Kumar, Dhruv Nair, Billy Morritt, Kavish Patel, Ra’ees Siddiqui, Kesi Essel-Koomson, Jamie Hanley, Xavier Karelis, Seth Kennedy, Aahill Yassin, Dylan Banerjee Chopra, David Tokan-Lawal, Adam Qureshi. Theo Albert, Luis Barquinha, Musa Begg, Tom Clubbs, Ned Copsey, Edward David, Raghav Durgam, Zac Dyer, Jamie Hanley, Zain Hardcastle, Samarth Iyengar, Shayan Jain, Seth Kennedy, Raaj Mathur, Evan Mcleish, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Eshan Patel, James Pomery, Adam Qureshi, Santi Sierra Vazquez, Krish Singh, Seb Thorne, David Tokan-Lawal, Caspar Vehring, Aahil Yassin

The

Harris,

Under 12 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

For the Bs, it was the last game against Woodcote High, when the boys put in an excellent performance winning 4-1. In contrast for the C team, the highlight was winning the first game of the season 20-0. The Ds had a 4-4 draw with Eaton House, The Manor School. Although highlights tend to be the wins, this was our first game and it was a dramatic encounter. The Manor were only able to equalise with the last kick of the game.

Who are the star players?

Liam Nai arrived in his team late in the season and played really well. Teddy Clarke had outstanding attitude, sportsmanship and performance. Henry Edwards and Benedict Wibberley-Bello were excellent for their teams, and huge improvement was shown by Struan Dinwiddy, Rishi Mudunuru and Max Kayacan. Freddie Lumb also deserves a

mention for scoring after an impressive run from the halfway line against Dulwich Prep.

Final thought from the coaches:

The year group were a pleasure to coach all season, they improved steadily due to their excellent attitude throughout training and matches. The C team boys can be proud of how they did this season, particularly as we played against a few B teams had very close games. The D team gives everyone the chance to participate, and this year has seen many promotions. Be reflective, look to improve, but always have fun!

Mr Robbie MacLennan, Mr Oliver Marriott, Mr Steven Page

Josh Patel, Zac Whatling, Adam Akhtar, Adnan

Adam Battersby, Noah Bennett, Aodhan Boakye-Keating, Joseph Carnt, Teddy Clark, Lewis Coyne, Struan Dinwiddy, Joey Ditchburn, Daniel Grannell, Sebastian Harris-Folkard, Finn Horgan, Cormac McCarthy, Liam Nai, Charlie Purnell, Leighton Smith, Max Sweny, Cameron Tough, Leo Whitehead, Benedict Wibberley-Bello, Dylan Jordan, Freddie Lumb, Thomas Bake, Stanley Sundborg, Charlie Goodwin, Hugh Simpson, Harrison Cooling, Emeka Ogbobie, Ilias Koulouras, Usman Khan, Oliver Griffith, Sebastian Harris-Folkard, Zain Zeb, Will Digby, Caius Garcia, Freddie Goulden, Ishaan Goyal, Zac Whatling, Jack Jermyn, Ethan Orioha, Nathan Thompson, Kostya Beliaev, Robin Adams, Musa Khan, Krishan-Raj Gnanachelvan

The squad: Jedidiah Debene, Charles Doble, Henry Edwards, Charlie Goodwin, Max Kayacan, Caelan McCusker, Rishi Mudunuru, Michael Mulroy, Lucas Ogilvie,

Alakan,

U12A

U12C

U12B

U12D

Under 11 Football

What were the highlights of the season?

The boys worked extremely hard and showed unwavering commitment. The team had to get to know each other, and they worked well to develop their cohesiveness. We made it through the regular season undefeated, reaching the semi- final at the ISFA Championships and getting through to the second round of the cup.

Who were the star players?

One stand out player would be Daniel Nwosu. He displayed a fantastic skill set, technical and physical but he also showed a strong mindset which he managed to inspire in his teammates too. He also displayed a fantastic performance at the ISFA. Caleb Adu also improved massively as a defensive player, and scored a fantastic goal in one of our cup games.

Final thought from the coach: We are super proud of the U11A team and all their achievements this season. We hope that they continue to train over the summer and come back stronger, and maybe they can even bring home the ISFA trophy at U12.

The squad: Daniel Nwosu, Ibby Mortimer, Alex Molteni, Charu Joshi, Miles Callaghan, Josh McInnis, Elias Ledgister, Sami Gill, Anton Vehring, Christiaan Hanekom, Caleb Adu, Zac Costin

U11A

Ms Kyhesha Mardon

U11B

Senior Boys’ Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

The Boys’ 1st XI were part of two tied matches in two days, one in a T20 fixture against St Kevin’s College from Australia and a day later against KCS Wimbledon, where after 8 hours of cricket, there proved to be no difference between the teams. Tommy Wright scored a fabulous century against the MCC, finishing on 111 whilst Danny Keenan took 5 wickets in the same game. Both will be invited to Lords next season to be presented with an award during a test match. On a broader scale, for the third season in a row, the 3rd XI played weekly fixtures, which has been awesome to see.

Who were the star players?

Rohan Kumar has been magnificent opening the bowling. His control and skill with the new ball often was too good for the opposition batters. Tommy Wright had another bumper year: he scored over 700 runs in the Senior teams and is now a standout performer for Surrey. Jacob King proved to be the ultimate competitor, often dragging the team back into a winning position. In terms of improvement, Danny Keenan took 16

The squad: Lewis Roberts, Arush Wavhal, Danny Keenan, Rohan Kumar, Tommy Wright, Dylan Patel, Ashvin Jeyanandhan, Ayaan Alam Jacob King, Matthew Jacques, Niam Patel, Rahul Sohoni, Raghav Kumar, Louie James, Matthew Johnsen, Henry Laidlow, Akash Abbott, Anish Moholkar

‘O ver the years, they have put in some outstanding performances and their commitment and passion for Trinity cricket could not have ended in a better way.’

wickets in his first year of 1st XI cricket, with a match winning spell against St George’s Weybridge where he took 3 wickets in the final over to seal a 4 run victory. Matty Jacques was called up into the 1st XI halfway through as a wicket-keeper and batter and never looked back. He scored 2 half centuries and was a part of some big dismissals.

Final thought from the coach: It has been awesome to see so many of our Upper Sixth cricketers commit to the cricket program working around A-Levels. The season finished with a dramatic win against Reed’s with Lewis Roberts taking an excellent stumping in what will be his final act as a Trinity cricketer. The game was won in the final over and it was a brilliant way to sign off 7 of the U6th’s cricketing careers for the school. Over the years, they have put in some outstanding performances and their commitment and passion for Trinity cricket could not have ended in a better way.

Mr Steve Richards

Senior Girls’ Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

It has been another successful season for girls’ cricket at Trinity, culminating in the inaugural fixture against the MCC. The girls managed to earn a creditable draw against one of the world’s oldest cricket clubs, thanks to a heroically defiant partnership between Paris Ghadamian and Zara Timm. In the final fixture against Langley, Maggie and Anna Forster set a school record opening partnership of 84, before Tilly Dewhurst took the first ever hat trick by a Trinity girl.

Who were the star players?

Paris Ghadamian bowled and batted with flair all year, as did Amira Gill. Hollyann Reeves continued to open the bowling with good pace and accuracy. Maggie Forster captained with skill and top scored with the bat. Maya Hermans was outstanding with the ball and in the field. Lucy Balmain twice set the school record for highest individual score. Tilly Dewhurst, having never played cricket before this season, emerged as our strike bowler and received a special MCC cap for her outstanding catch in that fixture. Zara Timm was a revelation as wicket keeper and a reliable top order batter.

Final thought from the coach:

The girls were an absolute pleasure to coach – they have such a positive attitude and forged a wonderfully supportive team spirit from the first net session to the final match. To think that most of them had not played a game of cricket before this season is remarkable. Our season was bookended with wins over Langley, and the improvement from the first to the last fixture was astounding.

Mr David Lydon

‘The girls were an absolute pleasure to coach – they have such a positive attitude and forged a wonderfully supportive team spirit from the first net session to the final match.’

The squad: Tabi Hollywood, Hollyann Reeves, Emily Hermans, Rowen Titchener, Lucy Balmain, Caitlin Prior, Mimi Collins, Lily Appleby, Anna Forster, Maggie Forster, Zara Timm, Lily Evans, Bella Williams, Isabelle Traynier, Nell Lavington-Owen, Tilly Dewhurst, Maya Hermans, Diya Patel, Paris Ghadamian, Amira Gill, Holly Smith

Under 15 Cricket

Under 13 Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

For the A team, the highlights were the performance we put in against Epsom in the Saturday fixture, and the 7-run cup victory against KCS Wimbledon. Individually, the 6 for 5 from Raghav Kumar against Skinners was a memorable performance. In the Bs, their win over an unbeaten KCS team on the last day of the season was amazing, with a hattrick to win it in the 19th over. They also won by 3 runs against Epsom College at home, defending 8 needed in the last over. An extraordinary 38 players proudly donned the U13C jersey, while an impressive 60 students represented the U13A–E teams in the epic block fixture against RGS Guildford, showcasing the incredible depth of talent and passion within the squad.

Who were the star players?

In the As, Freddie Stevens was incredibly consistent with both bat and ball. Raghav Kumar was excellent and bowled some incredible spells. Kavish Patel also captained the side with a calm surety. Rishabh Jain did brilliantly to step in and wicket. There were also some great cameos from Ansh Chandarana with the bat and Ed Wright with the ball. For the Bs, Ollie Shelley showed great leadership, Dylan Chopra was always contributing, and Samarth Iyengar and Ben Skillicorn also deserve a mention for turning up when it counted. The U13C’s bowling line-up was a display of pure intent and class. Jacob Nemeth-Paradot emerged as a fielding maestro – he was Crowned Fielder of the Year. In the Cs, Ds and Es, Rayyan Gill dazzled with a fearless innings against a formidable Dulwich College

In terms of improvement, Alex Wright has been the As most improved bowler. With the bat, Amraj Benning played some incredibly important innings. Adam Rhodes also improved huge amounts Leo Orton’s only competitive game due to injury saw him take a hatrick as part of his 4-11. In the Bs, Krish Thota bowled brilliantly, and Jacob Davidson is becoming a real ball striker. In the Cs, Ishaan Sri Prakash’s pace and accuracy have soared, and Caspar Vehring has evolved into a crucial all-rounder.

Final thought from the coach:

This has been a hugely enjoyable season with an incredibly talented year group. The As cup run will go down as a learning curve and should hopefully make them stronger as a team moving forward. It has been an absolute pleasure to see so many students representing the school in cricket. We would like to thank the students for their commitment.

Mr Grant Beresford-Miller

The squad: Rishabh Jain, Ansh Chandarana, Vihaan Parulekar Roy, Freddie Stevens, Kavish Patel, Raghav Kumar, Adam Rhodes, Leo Orton, Sunny Lawson, Ed Wright, Alex Wright, Amraj Benning

U13A

U13B

U15C

U15A

Under 12 Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

The standout moment for the As was their impressive victory over Epsom, which showcased their potential and teamwork at its best. Individually, the highlight came against RGS Guildford, where Rishi Mudunuru produced a sensational spell of bowling, claiming a hat-trick and finishing with 6 wickets for just 6 runs. The C team highlight was beating RGS Guildford by 104 runs with Michael Mulroy batting superbly that day.

Who were the star players?

Aarush Viroja batted and bowled really well for the As. Reyansh Mirchandani batted well and scored an impressive 60 not out against St George’s. Most improved was Maxwell Jones. In the B team, Leo Whitehead batted, fielded and bowled with focus and class. Charlie Goodwin was the energy of the team, never letting up with chat and encouragement. Hani Alam and Noah Camacho bowled and batted with class and authority all season. Most improved was Lucas Ogilvie. In the Cs, Thomas Price-Harries bowled beautifully throughout the season, and most improved was Thomas Bake.

Final thought from the coach:

The season was a mixed one in terms of results for the A and B teams, but the U12C team enjoyed a particularly successful campaign, winning an impressive 7 out of their 8 matches. Their consistency across the season was commendable. The A team showed great promise early on, recording notable victories against strong opposition in Eltham and Epsom. However, a heavy cup defeat to Wilson’s seemed to dent their confidence, and from that point on, the team found it difficult to build momentum. Despite the ups and downs, the players gained experience, developed resilience, and improved their understanding of the game. There is every reason to believe they will come back stronger next year.

Mr Tim Guise-Brown

Jacob

Benedict

Jones, Rishi Mudunuru, Harry Beeraje, Cameron Tough, Freddie Goulden, Robin Adams, Benyameen Ali, Noah Bennett, Noah Camacho, Harrison Cooling, Will Digby, Struan Dinwiddy, Charlie Goodwin, Ishaan Goyal, Krishan-Raj Gnanachelvan, Lucas Ogilvie, Josh Patel, Leo Whitehead, Freddie Goulden, Thomas Price-Harries, Joaquin Taylor, Luke Burton,

Alex Bradburn, Charlie Purnell

The squad: Aarush Viroja, Reyansh Mirchandan, Aaron Patel, Henry Edwards, Max Sweny,

Denison,

Wibberley-Bello, Maxwell

Thomas Bake, Michael Mulroy, Finn Robotham, Sam Westerman, Lewis Coyne,

U12A

U12B

U12C

Under 11 Cricket

What were the highlights of the season?

The highlight was the Geoff Richards Trophy competition. The boys played some outstanding cricket and showed their enormous progress, despite qualifying for the next round. After beating Royal Russell and Elmhurst we came up short against an excellent Cumnor House side, but even in defeat we bowled extremely well and remained competitive even when up against it. I should also mention Zac Costin’s bowling performance against Whitgift.

Who were the star players?

Elijah Mills has consistently been our best performer with both bat and ball, and I am very excited to see how he progresses. Sami Gill always bowls well and Jamil Soomro has looked comfortable in bat even against the strongest of opposition. In terms of improvement, Louis Wilson and Zac Costin have become genuinely exceptional bowlers. Ibby Mortimer’s wicketkeeping is very impressive for someone so new to it. Mikey Williams and Kai Palmer, who started the year with very little cricket experience, have continued to look more and more comfortable at A team level.

‘The boys played some outstanding cricket and showed their enormous progress...’

The squad: Jamil Soomro Miles Callaghan Mikey Williams Kai Palmer Aaron Shah Elijah Mills Ibby Mortimer Zac Costin Louis Willson Sami Gill Isaac Smith Ibrahim Ahmed Jayden Akibu Joshua McInnis Elliot Michael Alex Molteni Glenn Tong Sulaiman Qamar Anton Vehring Charu Joshi Christiaan Hanekom Conrad Whiteside Nevaan Kothari

Final thought from the coach:

It has been a pleasure to coach the U11 team. As a collective, they began the year fairly inexperienced compared to their opponents, but they have been so keen to learn and improve. I look forward to seeing how they continue that progress as they move through the age groups.

Mr Paul Roberts

Under 14 Cricket

Swimming

We kicked off the year with the ESSA Relay Qualifications, and despite some last-minute changes all the teams performed well. The U15s team managed to qualify for the finals, a few months later in Birmingham. Again, we swam amazingly to qualify in the top 10 in the free relay, finishing 9th in the final.

We then hosted the first round of the year 7 and 8 London League, which saw a team of 16 boys compete against a total of 17 other schools. We managed to secure a place in the C final, which we also hosted. It was a great evening, with lots of fast swims and ended with us winning the C final.

We had six of our Junior boys compete at the Croydon Primary Schools with of four them progressing into the finals. The final was hosted at Trinity where the boys competed in a mix of relays and individuals. All the boys involved swim incredibly well against some tough competition. We took five boys and five girls to the Bath Cup in March at the London Aquatic Centre. This is always such a good experience for all the swimmers. Despite some great swims, we just missed out on the finals on the day.

We have also had several friendly swimming fixtures, which have given so many more the opportunity to swim for the school and showcase how many good swimmers we have, especially in the First and Second Years. We finished the season by taking 13 boys to the ESSA Summer Open at K2 Crawley. This was our first time attending the events and we all really enjoyed the competition, despite it being an extremely hot weekend. It was an amazing opportunity to not only swim against some of the fastest schools in the country but also to compete in a 50m pool. For two of our Junior boys this was their first-time swimming in a 50m pool! We came away with 21 top 10 finished and six medals, which was a fantastic result. Charlie Goodbody had a good swim in the 50m backstroke, coming 2nd despite being one of the youngest in his age group. Andre Nimoh had a great swim in the 100m butterfly to take the gold medal!

‘ We have had several friendly swimming fixtures, which have given so many more the opportunity to swim for the school and showcase how many good swimmers we have, especially in the First and Second Year.’

Overall, we have seen some great results across all the swimming teams. We have also seen a massive increase in the number of students attending open swimming on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

Ms Fearn Cook

squad: U11 K.Arikan, J. Gibbs, E. Waterman, M. Williams, M. Callaghan, J. Douglas U12 C. Purnell, N. Thompson, O. Spurr, H. Beeraje, J. Smart, J. Jermyn, D. Tokan-Lawal, R. Castledine U13 J. Hung, A. Chandarana, N. Ellis, G. Wallace, A. Price, K. Essel-Koomson, D. TokanLawal, E. Gyer U15 J. Daley-Allison, C. Goodbody, T. Love, D. Odeleye U18 K. Ntiamoah, J. Thompson, O. Goode, A. Middleton, L. Counsell, L. Evans, N. Lavington-Owen, I. Traynier, G. Bruce

The

Water Polo

What were the highlights of the season?

This year, we continued our remarkable run of success, clinching two more Schools League titles at the U16 and U18 levels. We are proud of these achievements, but perhaps missed out on the Senior Boys National Title. Our U18 team deserves huge credit for reaching the National Final. They delivered outstanding performances, particularly in the second half of each game. Though we struggled to find our rhythm in the Final, full respect goes to the deserving champions, Manchester Grammar.

We would like to thank Alex Middleton and Jared Thompson for their dedication and leadership. Their presence in the pool – and their character off it – will be deeply missed. Between them, they leave behind multiple National Titles and international accolades in a sport neither had played before Trinity. Next season, Oliver Stephenson will step up as captain, ready to lead the team as we aim to bounce back.

Our Senior Girls had an exceptional season, especially considering almost the entire squad was introduced to water polo only in September. They finished an impressive third in the ESSA Plate Competition, showing steady improvement with every game. The team was wonderfully led by Lily Evans and Issy Traynier.

After winning the National Title at U13, expectations were high for our U15s, but unfortunately they didn’t qualify for the National Final. The team still shows immense potential, and our focus now shifts to reclaiming the U16 Schools League Title next year.

Finally, our U13s have every reason to be proud. With a young and relatively inexperienced squad, they exceeded all expectations by securing a place among the top six schools in the country. We’re also excited about our U12 group, and we look forward to watching them compete in the ESSA competition next year.

Who were the star players?

Conn O’Malley, Zach Uwins-Garesse, Ollie Stephenson, and Micah Thompson deserve recognition for their positive attitude, consistent attendance, and dedication. It’s no surprise that Conn and Zach in particular are nearing their Senior competitive debuts thanks to their hard work.

Final thought from the coach:

After a highly successful period, this year has been challenging. However, we must remember the two Schools League Titles we secured and the encouraging number of students participating in water polo. Our goal remains constant: to rank among the top six schools each year, understanding that victory won’t come every time.

Mr Sean King

The ESSA and Schools League squads: U18 Boys - Piran Lewis, Alex Middleton, Callum Beeney, Caleb Thompson, William Letchford, Jasen Babic, Jared Thompson, Oliver Stephenson, Oliver Goode, Kal-El Ntiamoah, Adrian Babic, Matthew Boyde, Daniel Williams U18 Girls - Beth Willars, Lily Evans, Charlotte Cosgrove, Beatrice Biashop, Nell Lavington-Owen, Amira Gill, Bella Williams, Isabelle Traynier, Georgina Bruce, Tilly Dewhurst, Jess Ashling, Zara Timm U15 - Charlie Goodbody, George Gibbs, Adrian Babic, Humphrey Bedford, Conn O’Malley, Dylan Odeleye, Zachary Uwins-Garesse, Jago Daley-Allison, Thomas Love, Luke Timm, Matthew Beeney U13 - Leo Whitehead, Harry Beeraje, Noah Ellis, William Gibbs, Conor Beeney, Jacob Davidson, Oscar Spurr, Jamie Hung, Nathan Thompson, Hugh Simpson, Kesi Essel-Koomson, Tristan Allen, Adnan Alakan

Senior Boys

U12

U13

Senior Girls

Cross Country

Several students were selected to represent Croydon and Surrey, highlighting the quality and consistency shown throughout the term. A particular highlight was the Junior boys winning the Croydon Schools event. There were medalists across the school in various competitions, with runners from multiple year groups placing highly and contributing valuable points in team standings. Many of our athletes also went on to take part in the Mini London Marathon, building on their efforts during the cross-country season.

Harry Beeraje, Daniel Tough, Alex Martin, Megan Slattery, Alex Middleton all medalled and were key standouts throughout the XC season.

The squad: Caleb Adu, Elias Ledgister, Joshua McInnis, Ibby Mortimer, Daniel Nwosu, Mikey Williams, Thomas Bake, Harry Beeraje, Rafi Costa, Gabriel Dickinson, Flynn Rubin, Max Sweny, Sam Westerman, Leighton Dekas, Fin Gratton, Lemuel Lamptey, Evan McLeish, Zac Whatling, Oliver Wu, Zac Harris, Sid Schendel, Jake Aldridge, Paul Tregilgas, James Williams, Oscar Pickering, Daniel Tough, Alex Martin, Caleb Thompson, Franco Hillier, Matthew Johnsen, Alex Middleton, Holly Smith, Megan Slattery, Arushi

Overall, it was a season marked by strong performances, steady improvement, and a positive approach to both training and racing. The students represented the school well and should be pleased with what they contributed across the terms.

Mr Ethan Turner

Climbing

It has been an exciting year for climbing at Trinity, marked by increased participation, improved skill levels, and a number of standout achievements. One of the biggest highlights was our interschool climbing meet at White Spider Climbing Centre, where Trinity students competed with determination and sportsmanship. The new bouldering problem-solving sessions also proved popular and educational, helping students develop critical thinking and dynamic movement on the wall.

Several students have made exceptional progress this year. Notably, Caden Cheung demonstrated real leadership and perseverance, encouraging others and taking on advanced routes with confidence.

Some of our younger climbers, including Zach Jones, Eddie Grissom and Theo Regan, have shown tremendous improvement in both strength and technique, and we’re beginning to see strong contenders for higher-level competitions next season. A number of beginners from the Juniors and First Year have also drawn attention with their enthusiasm and natural ability on the wall.

Climbing continues to grow at Trinity, not just as a sport, but as a community of students who support one another and push their limits in a safe and positive environment. The focus this year has been on technique, resilience, and fun – and it’s been fantastic to see the students rise to the challenge. I’m incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished and look forward to next year. Thank you to all involved for making this such a successful and memorable season.

Mr Richard Holdsworth

Treanor

Tennis

It has been amazing to see such determination and cohesiveness throughout all year groups. I’d like to give a big shout out to the U13s for going undefeated and making it through to the Surrey finals.

There were superb performances from Isaac Smith for the U11s, Aryan Ramaswami for U12, Musa Begg for U13, Noah Stacey and Rishan Patel for U14, Freddie Balcombe and Zak Adjepong for U15, and Paris Ghadamian and Jamie Willis at U18 level.

I have been very impressed with the way the students have handled the pressure of this busy term and been able to balance the fixtures with other commitments. They have all displayed encouragement to others and enjoyment throughout. I have so enjoyed the opportunity to coach these students. Well done to all boys and girls that have represented Trinity this tennis term.

Ms Kyhesha Mardon

The squad: U11 – Isaac Smith, Josh McInnis, Louis Potter, Elliot Michael U12 Jack Jermyn, Lucas Ogilvie, Rishi Mudunuru, Noah Camacho, Josiah Alfred, Aryan Ramaswami U13 - Fin Gratton, Musa Begg, Frank Potter U14 - Julian Carpegna, Noah Stacey, Lucas Waters, Jed Ambrose, Fabio England, Alfred Beesley, Arthur Reubi Herrick, Rishan Patel U15 - Robbie Taylor, Freddie Balcombe, Zak Adjepong, Sam Broadley-Flack, Aayan Abbas U18 Girls – Paris Ghadamian, Olivia Garner, Chloe Trimming, Megan Slattery, Olivia Obasuyi, Abigail Myers, Holly Smith, Georgina McDowell U18 Boys – Karson Cheng, Theo Chapman, Oscar Barritt, Jamie Willis

U11

U13

U12

U14

U16

Basketball

The highlights for this year in basketball would be the U18 squad making the LISBA playoff whilst rotating new players into the squad, such as Gabriel Bonsu-Amako, who had never played a basketball fixture before.

Rafid Kibria has been a particularly valuable player this year.

The basketball programme is a good place with the participation number growing in each year group. We have built a good foundation of players and are looking forward to entering each team into LISBA leagues.

Mr Lamar Sinclair

The squads: U18 – Kane Reynolds, Joel Adu-Kwapong, Jayden Alabi, Uzoma Anele, Daniel Asanbe, Ezekiel Asigo, Oscar Barritt, Arun Bew, Theo Chapman, Roman Coates, Rafid Kibria, Thabo Ncube, Matthew Oppong, Duncan Rout, Kaiden Watson, Gabriel Bonsu-Amako, Jesse Chiduaka, David Onadeko. U16 – Matthew Troalen, Dylan Lawson, Dominic Lin, Dylan Robson, Nathan Alao, Ty Azugbene, Paarus Batra, Malachi Charalambous, Ashan Fernando, Camilo Godoy, Tom Haynes, Emmanuel Nwosu, Mafeng Pwol, Kane Reynolds, Rizq Sherazi

Squash

It’s been fantastic to see so many boys getting involved in squash this year across all age groups. The energy each week has been brilliant, and it’s clear to see that the sport continues to be very popular at the school. Watching players develop their skills and compete so positively has been a real highlight throughout the season.

There has been noticeable improvement across the various age groups this year, with many boys making great strides in their game. If I had to single out one individual, the most improved player would be Kian Besley, who has shown fantastic progress over the course of the year.

It has been another excellent year for squash. The clubs have been very well attended, and it’s been great to see so many boys enjoying the sport and playing regularly. A special thank you must go to Mr Robbins for all his hard work and support with the squash programme.

Mr Elliot Hooper

‘There has been noticeable improvement across the various age groups

this year.’

Powerlifting

Upper Sixth student Ansh Shetty set a new British record in his first powerlifting competition in November.

The British Powerlifting Union (BPU) Regional Competition took place in Eastbourne, and Ansh was competing in the 16 to 17 year-old age and 60kg weight category. On his first bench press attempt, he lifted 100kg and set a new BPU British record: ringing the bell at the event to signal his achievement.

A nsh said he was “a little nervous” as it was his first competition, and he was recovering from a shoulder injury. “I was also slightly over my weight limit so had to fast before the official competition weigh-in,” he said. “I enjoyed a lot of Maoams, rice cakes and Lucozade after that!

“Although I was aiming for the world record, I am pleased with the result given the hurdles I’ve had to overcome.”

Ansh only recently got interested in powerlifting, and trained with Mr Tom Richmond in the Strength and Conditioning Suite and Fitness Centre as well as going to the gym. A growing number of Trinity students have begun competitive powerlifting, such as Ansh’s fellow Upper Sixth Former Adeel Imtiazi who became the International Powerlifting Federation’s World Bench Press Champion in his category last year.

Ansh will miss the national competitions as they clash with his A Level exams, but he hopes to continue to compete in future.

Athletics

Highlights of the season include both junior and intermediate squads qualifying for regional finals. A special mention should go to junior boys who have qualified for the regional A final, which sees them compete with some of the best schools on the circuit. The squad also reached the final stages in the English Schools competition.

Players who particularly impressed have been Dylan Lawson, Leighton Dekas and Ethan Ashman. It was really inspiring seeing a number of older squad members training with younger athletes and helping them develop with advice throughout the season.

Badminton

There were plenty of great moments this year, with lots of strong individual and team performances. However, the biggest highlight would be our impressive victory against Whitgift. We had 20 boys from Junior to Fifth Year from each school competing across both sports halls. It was a fantastic occasion that showcased a wide range of students playing and enjoying badminton.

The most improved player this year would be Avi Arora, who has shown great progress. The most impressive players have been Shreyansh Rath and Jay Reeves, who have both earned selection to represent their respective counties.

It has been another great year for badminton. All the clubs have been very well attended, and it’s encouraging to see so many boys playing regularly and with such enthusiasm.

A special mention must go to Mr Heaton for all his hard work and continued commitment to the badminton programme.

Mr Elliot Hooper

The squad: Tobore Agbandje, Tristan Allen, Ethan Ashman, Keaden Beckford, Conor Beeney, Harry Beeraje, Aaron Borteye, Leighton Dekas, Kesi Essel-Koomson, Nathan Fasida, Fin Gratton, Daniel Guglielmino, Nathaniel Harris, Michael Jerrom, Malvin Kusi, Dylan Lawson, Alok Mara, Ed Morris, Andre Nimoh, Santi Sierra Vazquez, Shiv Singh, Freddie Stevens, Torin Strathearn, Seb Thorne, David Tokan-Lawal, Daniel Tough, Huey Ward, Denzel Williams, Edward Wright

VALETE

A goodbye and thank you

to departing staff

Katharine Fuge

I first met Kathy at a funeral in the early 1990s. I was a teacher at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, and I had been booked to play the organ for a soprano soloist who was due to sing Fauré’s famous “Pie Jesu” from his Requiem.

I remember the occasion vividly, and the sense of being completely overawed by Kathy’s sensational singing. How had I not heard of this fantastic singer, who also happened to be lovely and charming? That chance meeting led to decades of musical collaboration, and it is probably fair to say that Kathy has been the biggest musical influence on my career, and, by association, on a great many more.

I invited Kathy to sing soprano solos in every concert I organised, not just at school, but with my external choirs and choral societies. She even sang some jazz solos (brilliantly, of course) on a recording we made at RGS. When I left for my next post, at Portsmouth Grammar School, in 1996, I continued to involve her; but her life was changing quickly. I could never understand how such a talented singer was not well known beyond Surrey and, of course, it was not long before her talent was spotted by others. Significally, she had caught the attention of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, and she was soon his number one soprano and soloist. Her career

‘ She has ensured that large numbers have had the tools to sing professionally on the world’s biggest stages.’

rapidly blossomed with solo appearances in the Monteverdi Choir’s Bach Pilgrimage, at the BBC Proms and at the Edinburgh Festival, amongst many others. Inevitably during this period our paths did not cross quite so frequently.

When I came to Trinity in 2001 and took on the Boys Choir, I was surprised to find that there was no dedicated teacher for the boy treble singers. I had been thinking about how to remedy this situation when, completely out of the blue, Kathy emailed me a long message asking me to consider her for work opportunities. Kathy had meant for me to consider her for singing jobs, but I challenged her to consider teaching our young singers. She was a wonderful singer and had two sons of a similar age; I felt sure she would quickly take to teaching our boys.

Kathy started teaching at Trinity in 2002 and her contribution to the success of Trinity Boys Choir and our presentation of soloists has been hugely significant. There is plenty of evidence for this. The most important solo role for a boy soloist is Miles in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw Before Kathy’s arrival we had never presented a Miles. Our current count is twenty, including at the most famous opera house in the world, La Scala, Milan.

There is a similar story with Mozart’s trio of soloists in The Magic Flute; performances including BBC Proms and all the major opera houses. She will tell you that her highlight was the debut of Trinity Boys Choir EIGHT at the Utrecht Festival in 2017. I took a sabbatical break during the summer term and EIGHT became Kathy’s project. Eight boy singers from the age of 12 to 18 presented a programme of Renaissance music with a Dutch viol consort at one of the most prestigious early music festivals. They sang the programme from memory, and it was exceptional; I was fortunate to be there to witness Kathy’s extraordinary work.

I have focussed on the highlights but for the past few years Kathy has also been Head of Singing. She has not only nurtured our most talented but, just as crucially, ensured that large numbers of boys and more recently, girls, have had the tools to sing professionally on the world’s biggest stages. Hers is an outstanding legacy.

Kathy lives by the sea in Dorset and is leaving Trinity to spend more time swimming in the freezing cold English Channel and making music closer to home. She leaves with the gratitude of generations of singers and our very best wishes.

Mr David Swinson

Tina Murphy

Tina started her Trinity journey in February 1999 as a part-time secretary, assisting in the running of the Music department.

When I arrived in 2001 her role had evolved to become, in effect, PA to David Squibb, my predecessor as Director of Music. She was a highly qualified and capable secretary, so this role made sense, but I felt the need to involve her more in the day-to-day running of the department. One reason for this was that the music administrator needed more support in organising all the various things that take place in a busy department, but there was a more important reason: Tina was a brilliant communicator, and she was immediately popular and respected by students, parents and colleagues.

For the remainder of her time at the school, Tina enjoyed a place in the main music office and contributed very successfully to the efficient running of the department. She was the first port of call for proof-reading programmes and took on invoicing, applications for child performance licences and pretty much anything

else that needed a careful and methodical approach. She was in all things a consummate professional: punctual, reliable, honest, caring, trustworthy and diligent.

When you work with someone for an extended period you come to appreciate their professionalism, but I believe that in a school environment their personal characteristics can prove even more valuable. When I arrived at Trinity her son, Ben, was still at the school and her daughter was at Croham Hurst. She understood teenagers and, perhaps, just as importantly, understood the complicated balancing act parents are regularly negotiating. Parents would often contact Tina for good, sensible advice about a range of matters when other routes seemed less approachable. As Tina had no background in music and her natural interests were more sport related, she brought a great sense of perspective. She saw

‘ We were incredibly fortunate to keep her for as long as we did, and I believe that a key influence in her staying was her affection and genuine care for the school and its people.’

how musicians could become obsessed with perfection and occasionally oblivious to their surroundings and she was able gently to bring us back to earth with a jolt of realism. This gift proved particularly invaluable as she witnessed an ever-changing department, both in terms of facilities and personnel. While she has been a constant presence, I reckon she has worked with nine different colleagues in the music office as well as numerous teaching staff and visiting music teachers. She also had regular office upheavals before finally settling in the new Music School.

Tina’s children are now settled in Australia, and we have for a long time wondered when she and her husband, Nick, would take the plunge and join them. We were incredibly fortunate to keep her for as long as we did, and I believe that a key influence in her staying was her affection and genuine care for the school and its people. This was reciprocated in abundance. A busy and large music department, full of strong characters, experiences frequent strains and stresses and Tina could always be relied upon to offer calm and good cheer. Her outstanding contribution is greatly appreciated, and she is much missed for her wisdom, charm and compassion.

Mr David Swinson

Tuppence

Stevens-Lewis

I’d never met anybody called Tuppence before; but, there again, I’ve never met anybody quite like Tuppence.

Tuppence leaves Trinity after 18 years at the school. I first met her at a Duke of Edinburgh camp with the Third Year 15 years ago. I’d just helped the boys with their tents, and thought I’d check in with my new colleague. Tuppence had erected a festival yurt complete with fairy lights: she had also brought her dog, Bronte, who was strictly against the rules and had to be hidden away for an entire weekend. I realised that Tuppence was going to be a very different style of teacher.

She came into teaching via working at a youth referral unit in Tooting. Originally she had started as a press photographer in Bath, before moving to London (Hoxton of course!) where she worked for an advertising company finding locations and props for shoots. From here she sidestepped into celebrity photography, where she worked with PJ Harvey, Björk, Naomi Campbell and Nirvana. Next she branched out into video artistry. Her first project was as a video artist in residence at a referral unit. She recalls being terrified at the prospect, but the kids loved her, and the school guided her to doing a PGCE. With characteristic frankness, she recalls: “I really didn’t want to be a teacher; it’s so not me; I hated school, it’s so boring!” So, here we are twenty years later, after a lifetime of teaching: what changed? “I was wrong. Most people who work in the grown-up world don’t get – and this sounds a bit cheesy – the privilege of working with great young people.”

“Young people” includes trainee teachers. A former PCCE student recalls that Tuppence was “an inspiration, so much more than a teacher.” Her former tutees mentioned her “funky outfits and funkier personality” and the “exciting and provocative conversations” that they enjoyed. But it is, of course, as an Art and Photography teacher that she has been most inspirational. According to one colleague: “It’s been a privilege to work with Tupps – never a dull moment to be had! She brings a wealth of knowledge and has inspired me, along with countless students, by recommending artists, suggesting ideas for development, and driving the conceptual direction of projects.” Another former colleague added, “Tuppence is a knowledgeable and contemporary teacher who isn’t afraid to challenge traditional practice. She always has high aspirations for her students and for her own personal development.” During her time at the school Tuppence undertook an

MA and worked as a moderator for Edexcel, and initiated the now well-established Trinity Open Art Award in 2008. Through exhibitions of her own photographic work, she played her part in nurturing a culture of openness and creativity.

She has also run yearly trips to Europe’s arty destinations such as Amsterdam, Florence, Barcelona, Venice, and Madrid. She has run many Field Day trips to central galleries; she has also taken advantage of the school’s Boetius Centre in Wales to run photography trips: a personal and memorable mixture of rambling and non-stop photography (both digital and film camera). One colleague recalls a group arriving late after two tyre blowouts, to find that they had lost the key to the luggage trailer. Tuppence broke the lock whilst ordering pizza, then initiated a game of charades.

Tuppence is insistent on the creative possibilities of old school film photography,

‘Her former tutees mentioned her “funky outfits and funkier personality” and the “exciting and provocative conversations” that they enjoyed.’

with its dark rooms, peculiar paper and sloshing solutions. As she says, we owe it to all students to introduce them to the possibilities of digital and film photography, but also installations and the incorporation of sound, so that they can all develop something personal and express themselves creatively.

As Tuppence draws towards the end of her career at Trinity, we might imagine her in another life – a Saga cruise, collecting antiques, extreme origami – but I really don’t think this is going to happen. Since I have known her, Tuppence has taken up yoga and become a qualified instructor, running a school club for both students and staff; she has become proficient at kite-surfing; she has taken a course in creative writing and spent a winter in Marrakech working on a novel; she has bought a wreck in Plymouth and done it up, including doing most of the stripping and painting herself; recently she has started regularly cycling to school and back from Vauxhall, a twenty-mile round trip with a very steep hill. Whatever she does - it will be dynamic. And behind her she leaves a fantastic legacy.

I will miss Tuppence enormously, and more importantly, so will the students. I leave the last words to one of her tutees: “I can’t believe Miss is leaving, Trinity will certainly miss you! I wish you the very best!”

Dr Mark Asquith

Diana Jonesco

Diana has been at Trinity 20 years, arriving as a department assistant working in English and Economics. She made it very clear she was willing to turn her hand to everything and anything.

Her core “Diana traits” of being willing to roll her sleeves up and get her hands dirty, whilst still having an amazing eye for detail, were soon in evidence. So much so, that it became pretty obvious she could make a great contribution to our Marketing department, in those days run on half a day a week by Jan Farnfield.

For those who remember Jan, you might think that she was already enough glamour for one department. But not so Mark Bishop, and Jan and Diana soon formed a dynamic duo. It was like having half of ABBA sharing an office, and with only slightly fewer sequins.

It certainly didn’t take long for Diana to make her mark – sometimes very discreetly but always effectively, with some new artwork here, or more up-to-date photos there, but often very noticeably too. Many of us will still

‘Her core “Diana traits” of being willing to roll her sleeves up and get her hands dirty, whilst still having an amazing eye for detail, were soon in evidence.’

remember when the staff Common Room looked like an old people’s home, before Diana and Bev Steven turned it into a space fit for even brighter, more energetic, forwardthinking professionals. You can add to this the staff dining room, the Mitre Café and the Sixth Form Centre which have all benefited from her eye, and are now spaces where people want to spend time and engage with each other.

I remember SMT meetings where we would have all sorts of ideas of how things could look, and Diana would say something like “have you thought of doing it this way?” by which she generally meant “your idea was rubbish” though she was too charming to ever actually say it.

She was also someone who wanted to involve herself as fully as she could into all aspects of school life, including going on trips.

I remember sharing a cramped cabin with Diana on the overnight train from Saint

Petersburg to Moscow. Diana was also enormously committed to the Malawi Project which was testament to her compassion. She was involved from the outset and joining an early trip reinforced her enthusiasm.

Diana was always willing to be stopped and spoken to when I was showing groups of parents round. She would always talk with such genuine and palpable warmth, not just as a former parent, but as someone who genuinely loved the school and who conveyed that with such sincerity. And that has been borne out through her work – she has wanted to make every space, every experience of the school, as great a reflection of Trinity as it could be.

People have spoken about what she has contributed to the school, but what came through so strongly from so many people was how much they have valued her friendship; her willingness to give up her time, to give advice, or be a shoulder to cry on, or just to listen. On top of everything else she has given, that’s not a bad way to be remembered.

We shall miss her stories of foreign travel, her style, her willingness to say things as they are, and her friendship, and we wish her every happiness on her next exciting chapter.

Mr Julian Timm

‘ So many people have valued her friendship; her willingness to give up her time, to give advice, or be a shoulder to cry on, or just to listen.’

Louise Ferguson

Lou joined Trinity as Head Librarian in April 2023 after a long and successful career, having previously worked at Croydon Council and as a librarian at Warlingham School.

She and her husband, Gordon, the longserving Head of Estates, were then joined in September 2024 by her daughter, Miss Liv Bradshaw, an outstanding Teacher of Learning Support and Psychology, making them Trinity’s answer to the Kennedy family (though perhaps with different politics).

Warm, approachable, and extremely passionate about the power of words in shaping young people’s character and identity, she is in many ways the perfect school librarian, treating the role’s academic and pastoral responsibilities with equal care and expertise. Under her leadership, Trinity’s library has flourished, working increasingly closely with the English department through reading lessons and poetry competitions, promoting reading for pleasure across the school, and acting as a quiet space for students to reflect and explore their interests. Lou takes time to know and understand every student who passes through the Library, and they, in turn, have thoroughly appreciated her calm guidance and support.

If ever I am in need of a good news story in the middle of a busy day, a simple wander through the Library invariable provides something wonderful and unexpected; from Knit and Natter sessions, to groups of J-Bugs and First Years assiduously re-drafting their first novels, it is a haven of empathy and curiosity, for which Lou and her team should take much credit.

Lou has enjoyed shaping an equally passionate and supportive team around her, and I know that both Mx Haze Peers and Mr Harry Jackson have been extremely grateful for her wise counsel. Her library colleagues report that “she has an endless wellspring of kindness, and a whip-smart sense of humour that makes spending any time with her an absolute joy.”

We will all miss Lou’s character and professionalism immensely, and we wish her and Gordon the very best for a muchdeserved, globe-trotting retirement.

Mr Robin Hardman

‘ She has an endless wellspring of kindness, and a whip-smart sense of humour...’

Gordon Ferguson

After eight years at Trinity, we bid a very fond farewell to Gordon, our long-serving Estates Manager.

Known for his unrelenting work ethic and no-nonsense approach, Gordon’s tenure has been instrumental to the smooth and effective operation and development of our school. It’s no surprise that his Army background shaped the way he approached his work: showing up ready for anything, with a “no such thing as ‘not my role’” mindset, school life presented no challenge too great. There were never problems –only solutions. Calm, focused, and intensely committed, Gordon brought the discipline of military life into every boiler room and building plan.

Long before Gordon took up the mantle of Estates Manager, he was forged in the ranks of the Royal Engineers, which he joined at the age of 18. His first posting was to Smuts Barracks in Berlin, where he stood guard over none other than Rudolph Hess. In 1985, he trained as an Army diver, embarking on a remarkable military career that would take him across the globe on numerous deployments.

Gordon served in locations including the Falkland Islands, Belize, Germany, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Bosnia, Poland, Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Kenya. Each posting demanded resilience, adaptability, and remaining calm

under pressure – qualities he would later bring to his civilian roles. After over two decades of distinguished service, he left the Royal Engineers to transition to a role as an MT Manager in a Medical Squadron. He finally hung up his uniform in 2014, concluding a 31-year military career.

Gordon continued his public service as part of the facilities team at Shirley High School from 2014 to 2018, before joining Trinity School. Calm, focused, and intensely committed, Gordon brought the discipline of military life into his new role. Managing an estate as complex and busy as Trinity’s is no small feat. Those who have worked closely with him admire his knack for getting things done swiftly and efficiently with minimum fuss.

After purchasing a motorhome, Gordon (along with his wife and loved Trinity librarian, Lou) now plans on trading roofs and radiators for open roads and rest. May his journeys be full of adventure, and his only leak a cracked wine cork.

All the very best, Gordon, and our sincere admiration and thanks.

Ms Becky Allison

‘Gordon’s tenure has been instrumental to the smooth and effective operation and development of our school’

Lesley Smith

Lesley has enjoyed a long and varied career within the Whitgift Foundation, having first worked at Cromehurst, then Old Palace, and finally Trinity.

Her journey has taken her across several schools and a range of roles – from Exams Officer to Information Manager –demonstrating her versatility and dedication at every stage.

Lesley joined Trinity as an Information Management Assistant and stepped up into the role of Head of Information Management, bringing with her an outstanding work ethic and deep institutional knowledge. She has always been an incredibly hardworking and conscientious member of staff – dependable, calm under pressure, and quietly brilliant in moments of chaos. Whether you were wrestling with data or your grades hadn’t quite landed where they should, Lesley was the steady hand you needed. Many won’t know how large of a job the Information Management Team did moving the data from one database (SIMS)

Sandy Eagling

The Eagling family’s connection to Trinity runs deep. Both of Sandy’s boys passed through the school, and like many families, they chose Trinity with care.

Sandy knew the opportunities the school would provide and the lasting impact it would have on their sons. So when the chance arose for Sandy to join the staff, it felt like the natural next step. Trinity had been a big part of her children’s lives; now, she would become a vital part of the school’s life too.

Sandy has taken on many roles within the school of which the last was Information Management Assistant. Throughout her time here, Sandy has remained constant is her unfailing integrity and the pride she takes in her work. If you’ve ever as a teacher entered grades into iSAMS, written a report, or as a parent read a report, then you’ve directly benefited from Sandy’s skill and attention to detail. Quietly, patiently, and precisely, she has shaped and supported the systems we all rely

to another (iSAMS) was, but Lesley was at the helm of this and pushed on with what was an incredibly difficult job. She got us to where we needed to be as a school, to ensure our student data was how it needed to be.

No query was ever too big or too small. She made time for everyone, and never once made you feel silly – no matter how many times you asked her to explain how to mail merge in iSAMS. Her kindness, patience, and approachability were matched by a genuine desire to support others. Much of what Lesley did was unseen to most, but critical in the running of a school. She has also put in some critical systems such as MySchoolPortal, which took no small amount of skill and knowledge.

Lesley’s remarkable attitude to work extended beyond her professional life. Over the past few years, she has faced significant personal challenges with extraordinary resilience and grace. Through it all, she remained committed, kind, and utterly dependable – a reflection of the wonderful human being she is.

Mr Ryan Van Graan

‘Her kindness, patience, and approachability were matched by a genuine desire to support others’

on – making sure that things run smoothly, look professional, and are done properly.

Her eye for detail is amazing. A recent design brief she wrote for a report ran to nearly 12 pages – not because she overcomplicates, but because she cares, and the details matter to her. Sandy believes in getting things right, and she brings that same meticulous energy to every task she takes on.

But beyond her technical skill, it’s Sandy’s kindness and generosity that leaves a lasting impression. If you’ve ever needed help with iSAMS or one of our many systems, chances are you’ve found yourself sitting beside Sandy – grateful for her patience, her knowledge, and the reassuring sense that everything was going to be okay. She’s quite happy to stay late to help, follows up even after hours, and (on more than one occasion) has almost been locked in the building.

We will miss Sandy enormously – not just for what she does, but for who she is: calm, caring, and absolutely committed to the community she joined not just as a parent, but as a colleague and friend.

Mr Ryan Van Graan

Michelle Price

When Michelle’s two young sons were growing up, there was only one school she wanted them to go to – so why not get a job here? Or three jobs as it turned out.

Initially, she convinced Mark Bishop giving her a job in the new Information Management team where she worked with Lesley and Tim for a couple of happy years. Then she worked with Melodie Johnson in a prototype version of the current Alumni team. A year in the school office as attendance officer followed, before the lure of working with Paula and Penny just along the corridor in Admissions became too strong to resist.

In Admissions she really made her mark, and front and centre at interview days was her happy place. She played a great part in helping us to install and commission the online applications process, without which we would still be in the dark ages. The best thing about working in Admissions is that it is genuinely a team effort, and whilst we all have different job

titles and responsibilities, in reality none of us can do it without all of the others, and Michelle was such a key part of this team for so long.

In and amongst all of the other things she did, she was particularly brilliant at helping parents and families on the phone and in person.

Dharini Bala

Dharini joined Trinity in 2015 as a Biology teacher, and immediately immersed herself into all aspects of the school.

From the start, she taught across the year groups, from our youngest scientists up to Sixth Formers doing A Level Biology. She assisted with MDV Club (for aspiring medics, dentists and vets) for several years, before taking the lead role. She also taught First Aid skills to members of the CCF and Lower Sixth diploma. She subsequently developed links with St John’s Ambulance to deliver certified advanced emergency life support.

This was typical of Dharini, as her kindness and caring nature have shone through in everything she has done, most especially in her teaching and Lower School tutoring. As a colleague, she has fully supported every departmental initiative and has been a frontrunner in continually developing new resources to ensure our Biology schemes of

She had enormous patience with everybody, and it cannot be understated just how many people will have signed on the dotted line as a result of these interactions with Michelle.

Onwards and upwards though, and she is now the Assistant Head of Admissions at the BRIT School. I genuinely can’t think of anyone better suited for this move and the BRIT School will be a better place for having her. Her love for Trinity still burns though and she couldn’t resist keeping some kind of a role here. You’ll see her in the Sports Club at weekends, and helping with events. It’s a bit strange to wish someone a fond farewell when they are still around, But as I have discovered, it’s not easy to leave Trinity. All the very best, Michelle!

Mr David Price

‘ She had enormous patience with everybody, and it cannot be understated just how many people will have signed on the dotted line as a result.’

work and teaching resources were current and student-focused. She championed CPD and within a few short years, Dharini was able to teach all modules of the A Level course.

Fast-forward ten years, now married and mum to two young boys, this year she has written her last MDV reference, helped out with her last Duke of Edinburgh expedition and taught her last Biology lesson - for now at least.

Dharini has been a nurturing tutor to younger boys, an expert Biology teacher and a superb mentor to our MDV students. She has given up countless lunchtimes to help students in many different ways, but the time has come for her to devote that time to her family instead. We wish her and her young family many happy days together.

Mr Rohan Moralee

‘Her kindness and caring nature have shone through in everything she has done, most especially in her teaching and Lower School tutoring.’

Xiuli Phasey

It’s hard to put into words what Xiuli has meant to the Chinese department over the past 13 years.

As a Chinese speaking teacher, she has worked mostly behind the scenes – quietly, consistently, and with great heart. And now, as she leaves Trinity, we say farewell to someone who has not only helped students find their confidence in speaking Chinese, but who has been a kind, steady presence in so many lives.

Since joining the Chinese department, Xiuli has brought subject expertise, warmth, humour, and generosity to her teaching and to her relationships with students and colleagues alike. She has played a key role in shaping a rich and culturally authentic Chinese learning experience – from daily lessons to the variety of extracurricular activities.

Her background is as diverse as it is impressive. After studying broadcasting at the Communication University of China, she began her career as a presenter, later earning an MBA in London and working as a Mandarin news anchor for TVB’s satellite channel. She also has experience as an entrepreneur and is the founder of Nihao Chinese School, which she still leads today. Under her care, the school has grown into a respected community hub and was nationally recognised in 2017 for its social contribution. Despite holding a significant leadership role outside Trinity, Xiu Li has remained remarkably humble within our department – always willing to help and never seeking attention. In fact, her experience as a leader may well have strengthened her ability to see things from others’ perspectives; her thoughtful, considerate approach when working with both colleagues and students is one of the many qualities we’ve come to value so deeply.

She brings to her work the instincts of both a teacher and a parent. With a firm but caring manner, she uses humour and calm authority to help students understand boundaries while keeping the classroom warm and supportive. Students trust her, and over time, many have come to see her as more than a teacher. Her work – often one-to-one – has supported not

‘Her thoughtful, considerate approach when working with both colleagues and students is one of the many qualities we’ve come to value so deeply.’

only language development, but also student wellbeing. She has helped students in complex personal situations and quietly provided a bridge between school and home for families of Chinese heritage.

One Sixth Former once gifted her and Miss Peishu Lin a handmade character for “爱(ài)” (love), which still hangs in Room 9 – a lasting symbol of the bonds she builds.

Beyond the classroom, she is dedicated to supporting GCSE and A-Level candidates in their exam preparation; and has mentored Confucius Classroom teachers, offering guidance, both professionally and personally, as they adjust to life and work in the UK. Her contribution has been deep, wide-ranging, and always generous. Thanks in large part to her thoughtful coaching and individualised support, our GCSE speaking results have remained

consistently strong. In 2023, the cohort achieved results 12 percent above the national average – a testament to the confidence and skill she helps students develop.

When asked what keeps her going, she smiled and said, “I just love being around young people. Their energy keeps me going.” She has admitted to looking forward to the end of holiday breaks because she missed the students! It is not exactly the standard teacher confession, but then again, Xiuli has always been refreshingly honest.

Xiuli, your work may have taken place quietly, but the impact has been lasting. You leave with our heartfelt thanks and admiration.

珍(zhēn) 重(zhòng) 再(zài) 见(jiàn)，

Mrs Phasey. Farewell and thank you.

Ms Qian Wang

Carol Townsend

Carol breezed into the Music department at the start of September 2013 to begin her new job as Music Assistant: confident, smiley and purposeful.

The post of part-time Music Assistant was new, and Joe McKee, Deputy Headmaster at the time, had the deciding vote from a list of very strong candidates. It was clear to him that someone with Carol’s impressive background in the police would have no difficulties coping with the eccentricities of Trinity’s Music department.

Carol was perfect. She was bright and sparky, knew the school well as a Trinity parent and member of the lost property team, and had an incredibly positive approach to work. Her experiences in the force and as a mother of two boys gave her the tools to take on all manner of challenges and nothing was too much fuss.

I remember spending many happy hours with her at Glyndebourne when she was chaperoning our boys. She would drive them, feed them, help them with costumes, admonish when appropriate and praise when deserved. I also remember a great many occasions when she would stop whatever she was doing to do something inconvenient, possibly difficult, but ultimately essential for me. And this may well have been because I had forgotten something! She would always do it with a smile and a reminder that the list of favours had grown even longer.

We were very lucky to get more than 11 excellent years of service from Carol. She leaves the school and her home of many years in Croydon for a new life in the West Country. I have no doubt that she will quickly involve herself in the community and that much of her time will involve riding horses and walking dogs. She does so with our very best wishes.

Mr David Swinson

‘ We were very lucky to get more than 11 excellent years of service from Carol. She leaves the school and

her home

of many years in Croydon for a new life in the West Country.’

Rachael Bainbridge

It was with sadness that we said a fond farewell to Rachael at the end of the autumn term, seven-and-ahalf years after joining us.

After studying at Durham, she started her teaching journey in a challenging school in South Shields where she developed her own straightforward, assertive style, with high expectations of good behaviour from her students. From there she went on to teach at Royal Russell, expanding her knowledge of the curriculum and developing her examining roles for AQA and then Edexcel, finally being promoted to Principal Examiner for Decision last year. Her knowledge of marking, mark schemes and the insights from her examination experience were invaluable to us during her time here.

As a teacher, she was firm and knowledgeable; and as a tutor of Sixth Form, she was creative and approachable, with a particular flair for costuming which won her form the fancy dress competition on Leavers’ Day 2024 – with the theme of 101 Dalmations. Her costuming has

‘A s a teacher, she was firm and knowledgeable; and as a tutor of Sixth Form, she was creative and approachable.’

been a major part of her extra-curricular contribution with us, where she helped with costumes for the frequent Drama productions, as well as being very useful when both staff and students required repairs, adjustments or even help with a wedding dress!

She also contributed her voice to the choir, and a particular highlight was singing at Croydon Minster live on BBC One. The Maths department will miss her exam expertise, her sharp wit, and her company on department events. But we wish her every success in the next chapter of her life, which will take her away from classrooms and into professional costuming on the high seas, in her new role as Entertainment Wardrobe Supervisor onboard Royal Caribbean.

Ms Nicola Beaumont

Tom Richmond

“Where is Mr Richmond?”

This is the VERY common question that Biology staff are faced with outside lesson times, from students desperately trying to find Tom.

Most of the time it’s because they want to get into the strength and conditioning centre, but there were still many that wanted help with Biology or needed to get some work. Whatever the reasons, the students turned up in numbers. Why? Because they clearly liked Tom and probably wanted to be just like him. It’s fair to say that he is in better shape than most – leaving all in his wake in the pool and outsprinting me in a lap of the Science department one evening during Covid time.

However, his real strength is not lifting weights, but rather telling stories. Tom is able to bring his love of travel, wildlife and especially the ocean into the Biology lab – to enthuse and inspire students with real life dramatizations linked to whichever topic he happens to be teaching. He has also rehomed his childhood pet snake, Sebastian, to the department. Sebastian became the focal point of many lessons in Bi1 with students always keen to see what he was doing and asking if they could touch him – obviously NOT!

During his time at Trinity, Tom has led and developed our strength and conditioning programme with dedication and expertise. He has built strong connections with many

‘Tom is able to bring his love of travel, wildlife and especially the ocean into the Biology lab – to enthuse and inspire students with real life dramatizations.’

students, and it feels fitting that he departs at the same time as our current Upper Sixth cohort, where his influence has been most deeply felt. Notably, two students from this year group have competed internationally in weightlifting, a testament to Tom’s guidance and the programme’s success.

Beyond elite performance, Tom’s impact extends to a host of students who may not have engaged in traditional sports but found consistency, purpose, and wellbeing through regular involvement in strength and conditioning. For these students, the programme has become a cornerstone of their routine, bringing clear mental and physical health benefits that will likely stay with them long after school.

Tom has certainly clocked up the airmiles the over the past five years, visiting his girlfriend in the USA before eventually getting married and completing the visa process. So, the time has come for Tom to jet off one last time, but with a one-way ticket. So, the answer to the question is – somewhere in Florida (and that’s NOT fake news).

Mr Rohan Moralee and Mr Sean King

James Rowland

A fanfare greeted the arrival of James as the new Music Administrator and PA to the Director of Music in January 2020.

James was something new and different: he was the first man ever to work in our music office, and he was young. The natty clothes, ear piercings, and Brummie-Geordie accent added to the glamour. Julian Timm and I interviewed him and at the end of the meeting, I remember saying to Jules, “Is this what ‘cool’ looks like?” We certainly felt the passing of the years.

James spent five years at Trinity and to describe the experience as a rollercoaster is not an exaggeration. I hadn’t had a PA before, and it was a new experience for me having someone trying to organise me. However, before James’s sense of despair could truly take hold, the Covid pandemic kicked in. James had enthusiastically and energetically taken on updating all our various practices and moving everything online, and now everything went on hold and a whole new world of administration appeared. New ways of teaching instruments had to be managed, and we quickly had to create online performing opportunities and challenges for our students.

James’s challenge in life is harnessing his many gifts. He has a spectacular singing voice and is a talented photographer, videographer and designer. We were very fortunate to have his creative skills during the pandemic, both during the lockdowns and when we returned, tentatively, to school. He spent many hours recording and producing beautiful videos of our students’ performances, and these were hugely popular and greatly appreciated.

As life returned to normal, the choir started touring again, and my most vivid memories of James were on tour: his helpfulness towards me, always verging on the respectful, his comical driving and his singing. I expect the students will remember his singing of Disney numbers while driving. They may even have been inspired.

James leaves Trinity to set up home with his partner, Ryan, and to try out different career opportunities. We wish him much happiness and success.

Mr David Swinson

‘He

has a spectacular singing voice and is a talented photographer, videographer and designer.’

Paul Todd

Head gardener Paul left Trinity this year after 19 years of tireless work helping nature to flourish around the whole site.

If you have ever walked around Trinity and appreciated the changing seasons of the plants and trees, you have Paul to thank. In his many years of quiet service, he used great expertise around the whole outdoor area of the school to create natural beauty at every corner.

Many experts point to the power of our urban environments to influence our feelings and state of mind. Trinity’s grounds offer green open spaces and landscaping, but also a large variety of horticulture, and Paul was passionate about creating and maintaining this moodlifting environment. Come rain or shine, he was always to be found working through a long list of gardening tasks, wearing his signature prescription sunglasses and cap. His grounds staff colleagues found that a lot of his encyclopaedic knowledge of his chosen field was imparted to them without them realising,

and they are able to name numerous plants and trees around the site that Paul had lovingly cared for.

Paul is a fairly quiet character but a man of hidden depths and generosity. He always worked with a smile and often offered assistance when he knew grounds staff were off on leave or sick. A superb writer, he was also known to contribute articles to the Mitre Magazine about the garden areas around Trinity. He had a love of music across many genres and loved live gigs and festivals, where he was spotted repeatedly by other music-loving Trinity staff.

Paul dedicated his home life to his son Josh, and nurtured him through school, college and now university. He should take great pride in the young man he has raised.

Paul’s next chosen journey is to travel and join some friends in Thailand where he can rest his aching joints and take life at a slower pace whilst keeping one eye on Josh’s achievements. We shall miss him, and thank him for everything he has done for us here.

Mr Jeremy Harris

Michael Hammond

Michael Hammond joined the Maths department from Darwick Wood School in September 2020.

He soon became a much loved and respected Maths teacher, by students and staff alike. Michael threw himself into school life from the start, and has given much of his time to ensuring the students have the best opportunities.

He has given students extra support at lunch and after school, has led Hard Sums and Table Tennis Clubs and has advised numerous students how to conjure up culinary delights on a camp stove on Duke of Edinburgh trips. He also helped to lead the 2024 Malawi trip.

Michael would regularly be found making quick-witted remarks to entertain the Maths office, or encouraging the department in a lunchtime walk around the fields.

Whilst he will be much missed at Trinity, he leaves us to start an energetic retirement, giving back to the community via teaching support in adult education, becoming a tour guide at Charles Darwin House, as well as dabbling in Park Runs across the country and, of course, lending his much needed support to Spurs!

We wish him well and look forward to hearing more of his next adventures.

Mrs Suzanne Taylor

Wendy Frampton

Wendy has come a long way from her roots in Labrador, Canada, where she was brought up in a small mining town only accessible by train or plane.

Nick Russell

After several dedicated years at Trinity, Nick Russell left us in January to begin a new chapter on the high seas and in Britain’s glamorous coastal resorts with the Royal Navy. Nick joined Trinity following his recruitment by Mr Paul Murphy, and a passionate endorsement by fellow St Andrews graduate Mr Max Waller. He quickly became a popular and reliable member of the department – his distinctive voice quite literally carrying through the corridors. Nick’s time here has been marked by a remarkable commitment to his students and the History department, where he has been a respected teacher, curriculum leader, and much-loved colleague. He also left his mark on the Business department with a year supporting their A Level.

One of Nick’s particular passions was “Spatial History”, a subject area he embraced enthusiastically and shared in memorable society talks that showed his passion for archival research. His dedication to developing new units, especially on medieval migration, showcased his innovative approach to teaching and ensuring students engaged meaningfully in truly contemporary historical debates.

Beyond the classroom, Nick took on multiple roles with his trademark energy and enthusiasm, including First Year curriculum

Her first trip outside her hometown was as an unaccompanied five-year-old on a flight to visit family in Newfoundland. I can vividly picture that lone little figure bravely striding off to board the plane. That indomitable spirit was evident again when in 2023 she joined Trinity English department and began making the long and hazardous cycle commute from Wimbledon to Croydon. I have often enjoyed sweeping past in my car in the early hours of the morning as she pedalled furiously along Addiscombe Road in her lurid gear trying vainly to negotiate hazardous bike lanes and tram lines.

Before joining Trinity, Wendy had, as a teacher and Head of English, spread the good news about English Literature to students in Jordan, Turkey, and Spain as well as in Wimbledon and Sutton. At Trinity she quickly made her mark, taking responsibility for a full range of classes and showing extensive knowledge both of her subject and of imaginative ways to share that with her students. They found her a rigorous and demanding teacher, whose close attention to details both of course content and classroom behaviour was balanced by a warm presence and evident care for the individual needs and

personalities of her students. She threw herself into mastering new IT systems and new texts, creating thorough and creative lessons, whether designing digital posters for Shakespeare plays or exploring the complexities of Chaucer’s middle English. Her classes thrived as a result.

Wendy contributed wholeheartedly to a wide range of English events and activities – Field Day trips, Open Mornings, theatre visits and Literary Society and was always fully engaged and good company.

She moves on to take up a teaching position at Hall School, a mere twenty-minute walk from her home. We’ll miss her at Trinity but hope to keep in touch. We wish her well.

Mr Alastair Doyle

‘ She pedalled furiously along Addiscombe Road in her lurid gear trying vainly to negotiate hazardous bike lanes and tram lines.’

lead, activities co-ordinator, rugby coach, and as a key figure in the CCF Naval Section. His creative contributions to departmental events and extracurricular activities have left a lasting impression on students and colleagues alike. His support on the IGCSE trip to Berlin was memorable, even if it did call into question his navigational capabilities.

Nick brought energy, humour, and a heroic work ethic to everything he did. His absence will be felt – as will the echo of his “spirited” Combine Harvester renditions, which somehow grew on us over time.

Mr Oliver Hutchings

‘Nick’s time here has been marked by a remarkable commitment to his students and the History department, where he has been a respected teacher, curriculum leader, and much-loved colleague.’

Chris Taruwona

Chris joined the Physics department in September, as a highly capable teacher with a long service in the Foundation – having worked at Old Palace for 16 years.

He brought with him an energy and enthusiasm for communicating the fascination of Physics to all age groups. His thoughtful and humorous approach to both lessons and form time have been greatly valued by the students and staff at Trinity.

Having been a Sixth Form tutor for many years at Old Palace, he was a natural addition to the Sixth Form tutor team, supporting his form in the sometimes-tricky transition from GCSE to A-Level.

As well as being a great classroom practitioner, Chris is a big sports enthusiast. His is an avid runner who was spotted more than once by students at a Park Run on a Saturday morning. But his favourite sport is football – as long as it involves Crystal Palace FC winning, making this a particularly special year for him.

Chris will be much missed by the students and staff at Trinity where his contribution this year has been greatly appreciated.

Mrs Inga Sinclair

‘His favourite sport is football – as long as it involves Crystal Palace FC winning, making this a particularly special year for him.’

Edward Cowlard

Edward joined the department in September 2024 as a Teacher of Religious Studies for maternity cover. He quickly made himself an indispensable member of the department, thanks, in part, to his insider knowledge as a former Trinity student, but mainly due to his meticulous and organised nature. He is the first to spot problems, find solutions and always offers support to his fellow Religious Studies teachers. His pupils know him as a fun and dedicated teacher who loves rewarding hard work (sometimes with sweets!). His lessons have

engaged people of all backgrounds and cultures, and he has worked hard to bring this diverse subject to life in his classroom.

Outside of the department, he has put his hockey expertise to good use in both Junior and Fifth Year games as well as taking two hockey teams in one term. Additionally, he has lent his many years of directorial and drama experience to the Musical Theatre Society. He will be greatly missed. He is heading off to continue his career at St John’s, Leatherhead, but we don’t need to wish him luck, as he doesn’t need it. I am certain he will be a complete success in every aspect of his future career.

Mrs Kate Beresford-Miller

Michael Galloway

Michael has been a calm, thoughtful and much-valued presence in Trinity’s Music department.

Friendly, humble and highly capable, he has brought a quiet efficiency to everything he has done, and has supported colleagues and students alike with warmth, good humour and expertise.

A skilled guitarist and excellent technician, Michael has been generous with his time and talents, often going above and beyond to help with school concerts, events and productions. Whether troubleshooting a sound issue or setting up a last-minute mic, he could always be relied upon to get the job done – quickly, calmly and without fuss. His sense of humour and kind nature made him a popular and trusted colleague, and his ability to remain composed under pressure was especially appreciated when deadlines loomed or events needed a safe pair of hands.

Michael is now stepping away from teaching to pursue a more technical career in the arts –an area in which his talents and approach will no doubt be well suited. We’re grateful for all he has contributed during his time at Trinity, and we wish him every success in the next stage of his career.

Mr Richard Holdsworth

Michelle Xu

Michelle has been a cheerful and dependable presence in the IT Services team during her time with us at Trinity.

As a placement student from St George’s, University of London, she joined us eager to learn; and quickly proved herself to be a capable and resourceful member of the team. From troubleshooting login issues to patiently resolving printer problems that mysteriously fixed themselves once she arrived, Michelle has handled the unpredictable world of desktop support with calm professionalism and good humour.

It’s not always easy stepping into a busy support environment, but Michelle did so with confidence and a willingness to learn. She picked up technical skills quickly, grasping the nuances of our systems and processes, and always made the extra effort to understand the “why” behind what she was doing. Her ability to connect with staff across departments

‘Her ability to connect with staff across departments and make them feel supported has been one of her great strengths.’

and make them feel supported – especially those who fear anything with a screen – has been one of her great strengths.

Beyond her technical work, Michelle has become a much-liked member of the wider Trinity community. Whether lending a hand during staff training days or helping keep things running smoothly behind the scenes, she brought a quiet reliability and a fast response to solving issues that we will all miss.

Her time with us may have been a placement, but the impact she made was far from temporary. We wish her every success in her future career – wherever it takes her next, we know she’ll be brilliant.

Mr Pete England

Harry Jackson

A former student at Trinity School, Harry returned this year to work as Assistant Librarian.

Harry has forged a strong connection with the students, quickly forming bonds with those in the younger years by encouraging their creative spirits. Harry is a keen writer who recently completed his debut novel and is in the process of searching for a publisher. After sharing his writing with budding student authors, several were so inspired that they started to draft their own novels.

Harry’s impact on these students had led to the introduction of “The Jackson Shelf” which showcases these students’ work and allows the school body access to their writing. This has also led the creation of a new society where these aspiring authors will be able to bind their work and create books for entry into the school library.

Harry’s inspirational work on the termly newsletter also fed the students’ love of literature and generated a greater interest in the library stock. During breaks and after school, Harry would regularly have a gathering of keen students all waiting to excitedly discuss their writing and reading with him. He will be missed by us all, but particularly by this group.

It’s been a pleasure to work alongside him, and Haze and I will miss him greatly. Harry has previously worked as a teaching assistant, and now will enter training to become a primary teacher. We wish him very well in his future endeavours.

Mrs Lou Ferguson

‘Harry’s impact on these students had led to the introduction of “The Jackson Shelf” which showcases these students’ work.’

Raúl Sanchez Saura

Raúl joined us a maternity cover teacher in September 2024, and now heads off on an international adventure to the Caribbean.

Señor Sánchez Saura had worked at some of the country’s leading Independent Schools including Eton, Rugby, and St Paul’s, and he can now add Trinity to his impressive list of institutions. An expert in film and with an encyclopedia of knowledge on a range of subjects, he has taught a full range of students from First Year to Upper Sixth Form.

In addition to his classroom duties, Raúl has made a big contribution to the department by coordinating our Senior Hispanic Society. He has also helped to give students a vital insight into various language-related careers by arranging various external speakers to visit school and talk about their work in the fields of Politics and television.

As a colleague, he always had a friendly greeting and calm approach to the school day and helped create a harmonious atmosphere. After years of maternity covers, Raúl now heads off to take up a permanent post in Bermuda to teach in an international school. We wish him all the best.

Mr Steve Allison

‘Raúl has made a big contribution to the department by coordinating our Senior Hispanic Society.’

SALVETE A

welcome to new staff

Jim Baldwin

Jim joins us as teacher of Mathematics. He has a BSc (Hons) in Statistics from the University of Bath. Jim has taught in Croydon high schools for over 36 years, joining us from Archbishop Tenison’s C of E High School. Jim enjoys reading historical novels as well as playing table tennis.

Margarita Bromberg

Margarita rejoins the Trinity staff as a teacher of Biology. She has an MSc in Biochemistry Research, and has been teaching at Harris Westminster Sixth Form for the last two years. She is a keen swimmer, runner and cyclist.

Timothy Bryars

Timothy joins us as teacher of Mathematics. He has a BSc in Mathematics and Management Sciences and worked in the Metropolitan Police Service for 30 years. He has also been a Maths tutor and taught at The King’s School in Hampshire.

Jason Charles

Jason joins us as a teacher of Mathematics. He has a BSc in Mathematics, and has been teaching at Radnor House. He is an examiner for Pearson, AQA and OCR. He was previously at Trinity as part of his PGCE training.

Stella Chevalier

Stella joins us as Head Librarian. She has a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Biology and Toxicology and a PGCE with QTS Secondary School Science (Biology). Stella is the Head Librarian at Old Palace School, with experience in working at local councils’ libraries. Stella also enjoys gardening in her allotment along with playing the melodeon and dancing in English folk dancing Morris teams.

Andrew Garrido

Andrew joins us as a teacher of Music. He has a MMus and a BMus from Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and has been a peripatetic teacher working at Epsom College, St. Dunstan’s College and Wallington County Grammar School.

Annie Gill

Annie joins us as Head of Singing. She has a BMus from the Royal Northern College of Music and a PgDip in Opera and Vocal Studies. She has worked as a peripatetic singing teacher in schools including Trinity, St. Dunstan’s College and Croydon High. Annie speaks Italian and French, and is also a voiceover artist and presenter. She enjoys channel swimming too.

Keith Rowney

Keith joins us as a teacher of Physics. He has a BSc (Hons) in Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (1st Class). Keith has taught in Dulwich College, Westminster City School and started his career working in GlaxoSmithKline in Research and Development. He plays the drums and enjoys homebrewing and cocktail making.

Corey Throp

Corey joins us as a teacher of Biology. He has a Masters in Zoology and a BSc (Hons) in Botany and Zoology, and he studied in Cape Town. He joins us from Wallington High School for Girls, where he was involved in CCF and coached rugby.

Alumni mashup

Trinity alumnus Will Gao and his sister Olivia Hardy are finding growing success with their jazz-pop group Wasia Project. In November, Trinity Music teachers watched them perform with other alumni at a sold-out gig.

The performance at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town drew an audience of 2,300 people, and the band were joined by drummer Luca Wade, bass player Tom Pacitti, Safi Tiotto-Smith on saxophone and Patrick Minton –all of whom attended the Trinity Music Academy with Will and Olivia.

Trinity’s music teachers were also invited as VIPs, and Mr David Swinson, Mr Richard Evans, Mr Cristian Persinaru and Mr Joe Pettitt all attended.

Wasia have been releasing music since 2019 and released their EP Isotope in summer last year. The songs were described by NME as “jazz-pop ballads to make your heat skip a beat”.

Mrs Donna Lewis

Going for goal

Former Trinity student and professional footballer Sam Woods spoke to sports scholars in November about the pros and cons of becoming a professional sports person.

Sam, who left Trinity in 2015, excelled at football, cricket, and rugby as a student. After leaving and joining Crystal Palace FC Academy, he worked his way up to the first team. He spent loan periods with Hamilton Academical and Plymouth Argyle before transferring to Barnet FC and then Bromley FC, where he played in the Wembley match that saw Bromley promoted to the English Football League for the first time in its history.

He spoke about his passion for football and the joy of playing for a living, but also the pitfalls of injury, lack of job security and the brevity of most careers.

Today, Sam plays part-time for AFC Croydon Athletic while exploring new career opportunities. His experience illustrates the dedication, adaptability, and passion required to thrive in professional sport.

‘

Sam, who left Trinity in 2015, excelled at football, cricket and rugby as a student.’

Model Athlete

Shakanya left Trinity in 2022, and is currently at Nottingham University studying Economics. She is also a hurdler and part-time sports model, and recently featured in the Nike Women’s campaign, modelling Nike’s 2025 Nigeria national kit.

Since school, my life has been full of new opportunities and challenges. I have been studying Economics and am working towards a career in finance. This summer, I will be interning in Wealth Management as a portfolio analyst.

I have also continued to pursue athletics, and in 2023, I joined a Loughborough training group alongside some of the top 100-metre hurdlers in my age category. In my second year at Notthingham, I was elected track captain for the university team. But in December 2023, I tore multiple ligaments in my knee, including my ACL, which was a major setback for my athletics career. However, I remain hopeful of a full recovery.

Since 2020, I have been signed with Forte Model Management as a sports model after being scouted by the agency, and I have since worked with brands such as Castore, Puma, Gymshark, and Nike. I modelled for Puma twice in my first year at university, and was flown to Germany for a shoot, which was incredible. In July last year, I was invited to model at the Gymshark runway event. This was my first runway show, and being on such a major stage only five months after surgery made me feel incredibly grateful. This year, I was also blessed with the opportunity to model for Nike, a huge personal milestone and one of my biggest aspirations since I began modelling.

‘The kits for the other nations were modelled by professional footballers, including Lucy Bronze and Victoria Pelova, which was incredibly inspiring.’

Being part of the Nike national women’s kit unveiling was a surreal and unforgettable experience. The kits for the other nations were modelled by professional footballers, including Lucy Bronze and Victoria Pelova, which was incredibly inspiring. Singer Ms Banks was performing on the same stage as us, and that is something I will never forget. Seeing wellknown athletes in the audience, including Imani-Lara Lansiquot, a Great Britain sprinter and former Trinity student, made the experience even more meaningful.

I reflect on my time at Trinity with a great sense of gratitude. My teachers played a key role in shaping my development, and I am especially thankful to my Economics teachers Mr Ferdinand Doepel, Miss Stephanie Baulf, and of course Mr Sam Orungbamade. My form tutor, Miss Rachael Bainbridge, was consistently kind and encouraging. Her support has had a lasting impact on the way I approach both challenges and opportunities. My advice to current students would be to set clear goals and stay focused. When you arrive at university, there will be so much to learn, and the challenges may initially seem huge. However, remain motivated and committed to your goals.

If you are considering a career in finance, I would strongly encourage you to apply for internships and spring weeks. These are invaluable for developing skills and building industry connections. Make the most of the CV and careers support offered, especially as you may not receive the same level of one-to-one guidance in the more independent university scene. I applied for and was recently selected as Research Director for the Nottingham Economics and Finance Society for the upcoming year, and positions like this are excellent ways to showcase your passion and your abilities.

On the whole, it is perfectly fine if your path looks different from that of others. Stay grounded in your values, work hard, and remain open to opportunities, even when they come in unexpected forms. Surround yourself with friends who uplift and inspire you. Always remember that setbacks can be the foundation for something even greater, so maintain your faith, trust the process, and never stop learning.

Shakanya Osahon

Lower School Prizewinners

Students in the Lower School win prizes for academic excellence, the highest number of commendations, a “good human” prize and a “star culture” prize.

JM Jacob Gibson JT

Aaron Shah

Alex Pick

Isaac Smith

1F Aaryav Mehra 1N

Constantine Kehagias

Teddy Clark

Dhilan Patel

Zac Costin

Ishaan Shah

Achi, Chika

Kenan Arikan

Daniel Watson 1R

Elliot Bergs

Hei Yip

Usman Khan

2G Seth Kennedy 2M Rishabh Jain

Adam Rhodes

Luca Headland

Musa Begg

Charlie Cormack

Jamie Hung

Josh Kessler

2S Xavier Karelis 2T Isaac Hayee

Zac Harris Laksh Bhura

Edward Wright

Fin Gratton

Jason Shek

Serafym Polovynka

Oliver Wang

Ibrahim Mujaver

Alex Bradburn

Flynn Rubin

Ethan Mosnier

Joseph Carnt

Matthew Arnold 1S Daniy Tokan-Lawal

Sebastian Harris-FolkardOscar Spurr

Thomas Price-Harries

Finn Robotham

Adam Battersby

Alex O’Neill

Samarth Iyengar

Atharva Joshi

Zachary Poon

Ali Husain

Micah Spero

Marcus Man

Theo Albert

Vihaan Parulekar Roy Jacob Hayee

Torin Strathearn

Eashwar Sasikumar

Keeran Ganatra

Middle School Prizewinners

Students in the Middle School win prizes for all-round endeavour, a “good human” prize and a “significant achievement” prize.

3B Dami Ikumawoyi 3D Arien Patel 3G

Roman Ploetscher

Jacob Moralee

Jonathan Shand

Rishan Patel

Sam Broadley-Flack

Oliver Michael

3P Harith Abbasi 3R Sebastian Heitz 3T

Sze Hang Wong

Christian Mnkandla

Faisal Rassoli

Thomas Green

Taran Jeyanandhan

Jingye Sun

4C Hugo Morton-Ho 4D Edward Molony 4M

Goerge Bradney Mullin

Noah Prestney

Christopher Bergs

Micah Thompson 3M Jack Filer

Kai Bridgman

Joel Ambrose

Julian Carpegna

Thomas Pickles 4B

Noah Stacey

Arhan Gandhi

Sam Duncanson

Sam Kingston

London Yu

Otto Stueck

Leo Carr Kaya Cetin

Jake Aldridge

Eddie Phillips

Mitch Truter

Eshan Patel

4R Daniel Guglielmino 4T Josh Lai

Ed Morris

Monty Anderson

Noah Husain

Haocheng Wang

Matthew Jacques 4P Humphrey Bedford

Blue Creighton

Victor Lanaspre

Romil Rathore

Guru Dhamodaran

Louis Potter

Emile Guiblin

Denzel Williams

Lyam Mosnier

Harry Speight

Lower Sixth Prize Winners

Outstanding Academic Attainment:

Lucksha Ananda

Oscar Barritt

Callum Beeney

Georgina Bruce

Lexi Charash

Karson Cheng

Luke Curtis

Ayan Eswaran

Asher Falcon

Maggie Forster

Max Gomulka

Jacob Haunstetter

Adam Herd

Juncheng Ji

Nell Lavington-Owen

Tori-Marie Lawrence

Dihain Mallikarachchi

Luca Nissim

Suraya Nurbhai

Josh Oyabayo

Seanna Patel

Dylan Sentobe

Ava Stenson

Consistently High Effort Grades:

Anjari Acharya

Arun Bew

Beni Cousin

Iris De Monchy

Anna Forster

Amira Gill

Harry Lamb

Imogen Luker

Olivia Madjev

Duncan Rout

Seb Vials

Good Human Award: Tobechi Uche

Jess Ashling

Special Awards

Bernstein Cup for Composition

Raven Strings Award

William Lane Brass Award

Trinity Musician of the Year

Mark Bishop Cup for Service

Matthew Jarvis Shield

Bernstein Cup for Golf

Maureen Dixon Award for Community Action

Anna Marshall History Award

Theo Acha

C aspar Vehring

Leo Orton

Tom Shaxson

A arav Gupta

Oscar Sabourin

James Gilmour

Hayden Yusuf

Joaquin Taylor

Upper Sixth Prize Winners

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

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

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

Dr Nick Collins Cup for top aspiring medic

School Prize for Photography

School Prize for Film, Video, & Sound (JZR TSL)

Whitlock Prize for Physics

Whitlock Prize for Physics

School Prize for Politics

School Prize for Psychology

School Prize for Religious Studies

School Prize for Science

Matchan Prize for Spanish

School Prize for Sports Science

Crisp Prize for Academic Music

School Prize for All Round Academic

School Prize for All Round Academic

School Prize for All Round Academic

School Prize for All Round Academic

School Prize for All Round Academic

Haris Ahmed Prize

School Prize for Diploma

School Prize for Diploma

School Prize for Diploma

Music Prize (All-round contribution)

Music Prize (All-round contribution)

Music Prize (All-round contribution)

Music Prize (Performance)

Music Prize (Captain of Music)

A nanya Rammohan

Maksim Lalic

Orlando Riolo

A lyssa Firla

Rowen Titchener

Thea Kerry

A nne-Mei Ong

Emily Hermans

A lexander Molony

E than Thorne

A shvin Jeyanandhan

Matteo Di Lorenzo

A ria Shivram

Dhyan Ruparel

David Onadeko

Lucy Davis

A dhi Sasikumar

A idan McAllen

Max Carver

K ristian Sarai

Juno Goode

Oscar Venables

Juno Goode

Dan Miller

Finn Evans

Christyn Brunni

Grace Giblin

Lucas Tatley

Matthew Johnsen

Tom Shaxson

Maya Vyas

Lucy Davis

R ahul Mehan

Rowen Titchener

C aitlin Prior

S eamus Holton

Jasper Bew

Mimi Collins

Mia McAllen

Jake Mulrenan

Jake Silver

Mia Verma

B eth Willars

Dhyan Ruparel

A dhi Sasikumar

Chloe Trimming

E than Thorne

A ndrew Ah-Weng

Lucas Wan

Tom Shaxson

Jasper Bew

Music Prize (Jazz)

Dominic Holland

Music Prize (Instrumental) C aden Cheong

Music Prize (Instrumental)

Orchard Prize for Head Chorister

A nne-Mei Ong

S imeon Wren

Boys Sport (All round contribution) R hys Gormley

Girls’ Sport (All-round contribution)

Sport (Boys Cricket)

Sport (Girls’ Cricket)

Lucy Balmain

Jacob King

Tabi Hollywood

Sport (Girls Hockey) C aitlin Prior

Sport (Boys Hockey) L ars Hansen

Sport (Girls’ Netball)

Lily Appleby

Sport (Boys Rugby) Louis Harrison-Rix

CCF Macintosh Prize (RAF) B eth Guiblin

CCF Prize, Royal Navy Section E than Campbell

CCF Senior Cadet V ictor Ibberson

School Prize for Sixth Form Council S emiloore Bankole

School Prize for Mentoring Mia McAllen

School Prize for Mentoring Vedika Vaidya

School Prize for Mentoring Hollyann Reeves

School Prize for Mentoring Bailee Sheldon

School Prize for Mentoring Maksim Lalic

School Prize for Mentoring A lexander Molony

School Prize for Mentoring K ristian Sarai

School Prize for Mentoring A idan McAllen

Turner Prize for Head of School

Turner Prize for Head of School

Maddy Hunter

Jared Thompson

Swaffield Prize for Senior Prefect Team A shvin Jeyanandhan

Swaffield Prize for Senior Prefect Team

Jacob King

Swaffield Prize for Senior Prefect Team O livia Barratt

Swaffield Prize for Senior Prefect Team C aitlin de Sousa

Swaffield Prize for Senior Prefect Team Tara Khan