Arnold House Annual Review 2014

ANNUALREVIEW 2014 Academic Success

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nce again the efforts of our Year 8 boys and staff can be applauded as they have upheld the School’s long-standing reputation for academic excellence.

Of the 252 Common Entrance and Scholarship exams taken in English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, French, Latin, Ancient Greek, History, Geography and Religious Studies, 64% were graded A or A* and 89% graded A or B by the boys’ destination senior schools. The year group’s performance is all the more pleasing when one considers that so many boys faced the extra challenge of reaching scholarship standard. The results themselves confirm that Arnold House boys not only win their places to the leading independent schools but do so in some style gaining inclusion in higher sets when they arrive.

Year 8 2014 ANNUAL REVIEW | AUGUST 2014

Particular congratulations must go to the nine boys who had the honour of being entered for academic scholarships; -------------- (the Common Academic Scholarship Examination for Highgate), ----------------- (the King’s Scholarship to Eton), ------------- (the St Paul’s Scholarship), and ---------------------

-----------------------------------------(the Westminster Challenge). They all acquitted themselves extremely well. Three boys won scholarships: ----------------- to St Paul’s, ----------- to City, and -------------to Westminster. In addition ----------- was put forward for a Sports Scholarship to Tonbridge and ------------ was awarded a Music Exhibition to Westminster.

Year 8 Scholars

Senior school destinations

Number of boys transferring

City of London

5

Eton

1

Highgate

3

Mill Hill

4

Radley

1

St Paul’s

5

Tonbridge

1

UCS

2

Westminster

4

Winchester

1

Governance

S

eptember 2013 saw Barry O’Brien succeed Alan Warner as Chairman of Governors. Barry (like Alan) is a former Arnold House parent and has served on the governing body for nine years, eight of those as Vice-Chairman.

There have been several new governor appointments, and responsibilities have been assigned to individual governors to oversee particular aspects of the School’s work, including: the quality of pupils’ achievements, learning and personal development; welfare, health and safety (including Child Protection); staff appointments; curricular and extra-curricular provision; the quality of teaching; finance, premises, resources, and facilities.

The Board’s first task was to review the School’s Ethos and Aims, which, along with a number of apparent strengths, were affirmed as follows: Apparent Strengths A broad and balanced all-round education; boys are enabled to develop as individuals; a strong academic tradition; a recognition that the School has a religious life; an underlying spirit of tolerance, kindness and good manners exemplified in relations between boys, staff and parents; traditional values; a spirit of competition; strong pastoral care and a happy family orientated school.

are cherished and rewards far outweigh sanctions.

A broad range of abilities is represented and the expectation is that younger brothers and sons of Arnold House old boys will gain admission to the School. Arnold House caters for parental aspirations, which includes transfer to the leading senior independent schools – both day and boarding. Academically, sights are set high with the object being for each boy to succeed in securing a place at a senior independent school that is right for him. We see ourselves – and believe we are perceived by others – as caring, academically strong, but not overly competitive, and broad in our outlook. A healthy balance is achieved and maintained between matters academic, artistic, pastoral, spiritual and sporting. We are reasonably traditional in our approach: in curriculum, in structure, in uniform and in a degree of formality. Senior schools see Arnold House as a good stable for bright, well-mannered, motivated, articulate and well-rounded pupils. Our contact with leading day and boarding schools is strong.

The School community, and the parent body in particular, has embraced the introduction of our bursary scheme.

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To provide a foundation for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development within a generous Christian ethos

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To promote good citizenship, through the virtues of courtesy and industry, and by encouraging pupils to make a strong contribution to the broader life of the School

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To help pupils mature in a well-rounded way by developing their understanding, experience and enjoyment of music, the arts, sport and a wide range of extracurricular activities

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To encourage and support pupils in upholding the School’s strong academic traditions and to prepare them for successful transfer to their chosen senior school at the age of 13

Initial meetings have taken place to formulate the School’s plans in the longer term.

Aims •

For breadth and excellence to remain the cornerstone of the School’s approach to teaching and learning

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To serve the best interests of the pupils throughout the ability range

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To provide a supportive, purposeful and stimulating environment in which

Ethos The School operates in a relaxed and kindly way within a defined code of conduct, and recognises the value in nurturing a supportive family ethos. Individuals

individuals are cherished and valued

--------------------------for Wellington. receive the House Cup

Communication •

An Open House was held in late January enabling parents to see the boys and staff in action in normal lessons, assemblies and morning break.

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The Annual Parent Questionnaire was sent out mid-year as opposed to the end of the school year; pleasingly leading to a higher response rate than has generally

been the case in recent years. Broadly speaking, 82% of opinions offered were positive, 6% negative and 12% neutral.

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An Open Evening was organised for the Heads of Nurseries and their staff, run along similar lines to our Prospective Parent Evenings where senior boys conduct tours of the School for visitors.

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For the first time a Headmaster’s Forum was arranged for Year 1 parents. There are now information evenings for all year groups throughout the School, over and above the information evenings to begin the school year and the normal round of formal Parents’ Evenings.

New educational opportunities and innovations •

A donation to the Annual Fund sponsored a Ceramicist in Residence to join the Art and Design Department for two terms.

ANNUAL REVIEW | AUGUST 2014

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An inaugural Fathers v Staff cricket match took place at Canons Park in June, adding to the friendly sporting rivalry that has already been witnessed on the football and touch-rugby fields.

Fathers v Staff cricket match

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Year 8 boys were excellent ambassadors of the School on their tour of the battlefields of the First World War in Belgium and France. An Arnold House plaque was unveiled in St George’s Chapel, Ypres, to commemorate the old boys and members of staff who lost their lives in both world wars. Similar plaques adorn the chapel walls from the great public schools and it was prescient for the boys to see many of their future senior schools represented. Fr Anders Bergquist gave a particularly moving address based on the reading from St John’s Gospel in which it is stated, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’

The Year 8 post CE programme was redesigned to accommodate a wider range of interests and experiences for the boys: film making, talks on personal

finance and drugs awareness, claypigeon shooting, go-karting and short Drama performances were amongst the activities on offer.

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Increased opportunities for senior boys to take part in drama productions and the performing arts continues to form a key element in the School’s curriculum development plans.

City of London and Harrow are set to join Rugby and Mill Hill on the growing list of leading senior schools to which our bursary pupils transfer at the end of Year 8.

Fr Anders Bergquist and the Head Boys at the Dozinghem Cemetery remembering old boy Jack Chevallier Taylor who died in August 1918

Memorial plaque in St George’s Chapel, Ypres

Management •

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Several coordinator roles for staff have been created to ensure that some key aspects of School life are regularly reviewed, monitored and evaluated. The areas are: staff professional development; personal, social and health education; extra-curricular provision, teaching and learning, Junior School (Y1-4) Maths and Junior School English.

The tracking of boys’ progress in English and Maths has been developed with closer scrutiny and analysis of more regular internal assessment results.

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The Headmaster, Deputy Headmasters, Director of Studies and Senior Master were all externally appraised during the summer term. A revised appraisal system for teaching and administrative staff is ready to be implemented when we return after the summer break.

Arnold House has hosted two meetings for colleagues from fellow prep schools in the North London District of IAPS; one for Registrars and Administrative Staff and another for Humanities teachers. The Maths group of ISEB (the Independent

Schools Examination Board), the body that set Common Entrance, also met at Arnold House in the summer term.

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Paul Swinden (Director of Music) became the third member of staff in the past four years to move on to Deputy Headship; the others being Ms Laura Hutchings (Dorset House) and Mr Mark Maddocks (Notting Hill Prep).

Development Bursary Fund

Annual Fund

In total, the School raised £78,000 for the Bursary Fund this academic year following a successful fundraising event and a number of generous donations from within our current parent body.

The total amount raised for the Annual Fund since September 2013 is £11,560 allowing various departments within the School to finance small projects and specific items directly enhancing the teaching and learning taking place in the classroom. These have included, the purchase of 10 digital balances and an Oscilliscope for the science lab and a video camera for the library.

We have also been very fortunate to for the New digital balances have been given a donation allowing Science Lab the School to commission a bespoke solid oak lectern – a wonderful long-term addition to Arnold House. At the end of the summer term the School was presented with a generous donation from the Parents’ Association for the purchase of new cricket covers at Canons Park.

Three more boys will be joining Arnold House on 100% bursaries in September.

Since September 2007, Arnold House has accepted eleven boys onto the bursary scheme. Bursaries are means tested up to the value of 100% following an allround assessment of each candidate and a full financial review of the family’s circumstances. The School continues to develop close links with charitable agencies such as Into University and the Springboard Foundation in the search for suitable candidates.

Bespoke AH Lectern

ANNUAL REVIEW | AUGUST 2014

Public Benefit Being a charity offers Arnold House the opportunity to demonstrate benefits that it can bring to the public. As part of this, the School continues to value and encourage the free use of its facilities and grounds by other schools and groups in the community.

Clubs to benefit from the use of our Activity Centre at Canons Park are Acorn Tennis Club and Lupton Bowls Club. Primrose Hill Cricket Club and Middlesex Cricket Club also hold a number of matches on the grounds during the summer season. Arnold House has a representative on the Friends of Canons Park committee, providing a base for meetings and facilities for local concerts and events. The Canons Park Estate Association is also a welcome user and local primary schools are encouraged to use the sports facilities and indoor hall for drama and music. In the evenings local groups take part in Aikido, Drama, Yoga, Tai Chi, Zumba and indoor bowls.

The Loudoun Road site is also used by local groups including the Grove End Road

residents association and St John’s Wood Church.

In recent years we have cemented good relationships with St John’s Hospice, St John’s Wood Church, St John at Hackney Church and Dewhurst St Mary’s Primary School in Cheshunt. This support continues with our involvement in a number of initiatives and activities this year: - The Chapel Choir Concert held in the Chapel in the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth is now in its fourth year and has become a firm fixture in the spring term calendar involving approximately thirty boys. £650 was raised for the St John’s Hospice.

- The boys in all year groups took part in St John at Hackney’s Christmas appeal, putting together gift bags of useful items for those in need within the Hackney community.

- Arnold House is working in partnership with Queen’s Park Rangers Football Club and Barrow Hill Primary School, St John’s Wood. The plan is to sponsor and mentor a young apprentice sports coach to help develop the sporting opportunities available to children in the extra-curricular programme.

- Arnold House has made a donation of much needed chairs and equipment to Dewhurst St Mary’s Primary School, and new floor mats for the Edgware Aikido Club for their use at Canon Park.

- A donation was also made from the School to the Friends of Canons Park Association towards the cost of a new ride-on mower for upkeep of the park and grounds.

Chapel Choir Concert

Charity The boys and staff took part in a number of themed charity days. In the autumn term the boys chose to support AH old boys Luke Birch and Jamie Sparks who succeeded in becoming the youngest pair to row the Atlantic. With ‘match funding’ the total raised for their charity, Breast Cancer Care, was £9,510. During the spring term the boys took part in a Pyjama Day for

World Cup Themed Day

ActionAid, and in the summer term a World Cup themed day was held in aid of the St John’s Hospice.

At the beginning of July, the Year 7 Charity representatives visited the St John’s Hospice in order to unveil the Arnold House leaf on their Giving Tree. In ten years of supporting the hospice, Arnold House has raised over £20,000.

In total, the School raised £16,500 for good causes this year. The continuing support from individual parents and the Parents’ Association is greatly appreciated.

in aid of St John’s Hospice

Y7 Charity Reps at

the St John’s Hosp ice

Arnold House School 1 Loudoun Road St.John’s Wood, London NW8 0LH Telephone: 020 7266 4840 Facsimile: 020 7266 6994 Email: office@arnoldhouse.co.uk Website: www.arnoldhouse.co.uk Arnold House School Ltd (Limited by Guarantee). Registered in London Number 889424. Educational Charitable Trust Number 312725

ANNUAL REVIEW | AUGUST 2014

Giving Tree