The Wheatleyan 2010-11

www.bablake.com

Celebrating 2010/11

Issue 197 | ISSN 1759-0302

inthisissue

Highlights ‘The Spirit of Opportunity naturally implies a spirit of participation, and this year’s record of achievement and endeavour fully reflects a flourishing and very active school community.

As teachers, support staff, parents and pupils, we share the ambitious goal of healthy, happy and inspiring involvement in a rich and comprehensive preparation for life. As we ‘seize the day’, we live that life to the full, and, through caring nurture and high expectations, aspire to an exceptional future for our young people. Many congratulations to all for the part they have played in 2010-11! I am immensely proud to be part of such a positive and vibrant community.’

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john watson, headmaster

Download any QR code reader onto your smartphone Whenever you see a QR code in this publication, open the QR reader on your phone Scan this code for access to the linked web page

Student Editorial Team Editor and Photography Scott Morgan News and Features Sam Cooper and Jodie Keith Beyond the Classroom Jonny Lawrence and Julia Ryland Flair – Art and Design Kim Jamison and Laura Weaver Flair – Literature Georgia Edmiston and Hattie Ryland Performing Arts Hannah Elsy and Emma Fairclough Sport Emily Duerdin and Will Sibley Former Pupils Sam Grey and Sam Shebl

Contributions Thanks especially for the photography to Abhimanyu Bose, Rachel Claringbull, Paul Cleaver and the Art department, Georgia Edmiston, Scott Morgan, the PE department, Richard Smith, Chris West, Mark Woodward and many more.

Thank you to Peter Burden, Terry Patchett and James Ross for proof-reading, to Jim Burns and Sarah Harris for additional support, and to staff and pupils for their articles.

Design Mustard Design www.mustardhot.com Print Windrush Group

Images Front Cover: ‘Sporting Excellence’ by former pupil and sports photographer Ben Duffy.

Back Cover: ‘Laughing Ellie’ – photograph by Mark Woodward.

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Bablake School, founded in 1344, is a school within the Coventry School Foundation (registered charity No 528961) and exists to provide quality selective education for boys and girls. The senior school of around 850 pupils shares the site with the Bablake Junior School of some 190 pupils which now includes a pre-prep located near Coventry railway station at what was Cheshunt School (founded in 1909). A language study centre Fousseau, an 18th century manor house near Fougères in northern France, is used by pupils of the Foundation schools.

King Henry VIII School, founded in 1545, is also part of the Foundation.

Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU +44 (0)24 7627 1200 f +44 (0)24 7627 1293 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk w www.bablake.com t www.twitter.com/bablakeschool t

www.bablake.com

Printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests.

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4 News & Features

71 Performing Arts

26 Beyond the Classroom

84 Sport

52 Flair

102 Former Pupils

Headmaster’s Review 6 Academic Achievements 8 Beyond Bablake 10 Magic Bablake Moments 11 Europe and Beyond 12 Staff News 14

Blood, Sweat and Treason 27 International Week 2010 28 World Challenge 33 Key Skills at Work 34 House Activities 42 Getting Involved 50

Creative Writing 54 Art Gallery 60 Photography 64 On the Catwalk 66

Cabaret 72 Shakespearean Challenge 76 The Musical Year 77 Sound of the Seasons 80 Sounds Amazing 82

Far Out in the Far East 87 Netball Nationals 89 Cricket Review 90 Hockey Review 92 Netball Review 96 Rugby Review 98 Sportstalk 100

In Memoriam 103 Out in the Big, Wide World 104 Grapevine 106 Last Word 110 www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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news&features

prizegiving

news& features

Bablake Prize Giving 2010/11 Dr Qanta Ahmed presents the prizes

Edited by sam cooper & jodie Keith

E-News The latest Bablake news is now posted online at www.bablake.com/newsroom. php and on our Twitter account @bablakeschool; in the New Year we will also have an official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/bablakeschool, which everyone is encouraged to ‘like’.

Mobile users Wherever you see a QR code in this issue, if you use a QR code reader (available free from your app store), you will be directed to a web page related to the article.

Highlights Headmaster’s Review 6 Academic Achievements 8 Beyond Bablake 10 Magic Bablake Moments 11 Europe and Beyond 12 Staff News 14

I

t was a great privilege that former pupil Dr Qanta Ahmed (1979-86) presented the prizes. Little did she know what incredible adventures lay before her when she left Bablake but Dr Ahmed (MD, FCCP, FAASM) is now one of the top multi-disciplined physicians and medical specialists in America, licensed in both the United States and the United Kingdom. A British-born Muslim woman, she trained in Nottingham, London and New York City.

Her considerable intellect, burgeoning achievements and unique, multi-cultural perspective were tested and refined when she was invited to practise intensive care medicine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – an experience that inspired her to write a book entitled, In the Land of Invisible Women, a Female Doctor’s Journey in the Saudi Kingdom.

As well as the traditional musical entertainment, performed this year by Bethany Gaunt, Bradley Gill, Lara Morley-White and Jimmy Xu, the Headmaster invited six pupils to talk briefly about a range of specific highlights from 2010-11: Matthew Hayhurst (Silver Crest), Beth Jepson (Hockey tour to Singapore and Malaysia), Rory Dulku (House Music Festival), Bethany Gaunt (World Challenge expedition), Kian Patel (peer support) and Hannah Elsy (our CSV link with RNIB Pears).

Dr Ahmed shocked the audience by stating her first prize in such a distinguished career had only been awarded in 2010! Her message to the school was that everyone had the potential to be an achiever.

‘Her message to the School was that everyone had the potential to be an achiever...’

Follow Dr Ahmed on Twitter at @MissDiagnosis.

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the wheatleyan 2010/11

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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head’sreview

head’sreview

Bablake Prize Giving for 2010/11 Highlights from the Headmaster’s Annual Review Before the prizes were presented, in his Annual Review Headmaster Mr John Watson, assisted by pupils, celebrated our ethos of opportunity, excellence and care.

M

r Chairman, Dr Ahmed, members of the Bablake community...

I think education should be exciting, even if it should also include hard graft and long hours of learning in the relentless pursuit of excellence. I’ve been reminded of that over the last few days with our new intake of Shell Formers, and I’m excited to be teaching that age-group for the first time since my very first post as a teacher. Asked how they were finding Bablake, one new pupil described it as ‘simply epic’.

The shared and ambitious aspirations of parents, staff and pupils are what characterise a community like ours. It’s about raising the bar and saying: ‘Yes, you can!

We can’t do the work for you (and nor should we), but we’re there to guide and support you on your way.’ It’s why our curriculum remains unashamedly an academic curriculum, and why pupils from schools like Bablake are still far more likely to enter good universities and to have well-paid and fulfilling jobs in years to come. I’m not saying it’s taken us since 1344 to get the formula right, but Bablake’s reputation for opportunity, excellence and care has not been achieved overnight. The ethos and traditional moral values which permeate our happy community certainly don’t lead to complacency, but they

form a bedrock from which stems an ardent desire to be even better and to ensure that our pupils are best prepared for today’s and tomorrow’s world.

Last year’s achievements are far too many to enumerate, but we’re here to celebrate some fine highlights tonight. University entry was exceptionally competitive, as many joined the queue from last year, and as others cancelled gap years in order to beat fee rises. Virtually all of our A level candidates who wanted to enter higher education this year will be beginning a course of their choosing over the next few weeks, and, alongside other outstanding performances, Oliver Towlson’s accolade of 4 coveted A* grades on his 18th birthday could not have been a better present. The GCSE results were overall our strongest ever, with a particularly fine harvest of A* grades, so we have the highest expectations of this year group at A level. Pupils have also been challenged and inspired by such opportunities as: the Extended Project (on topics as diverse as ‘Did women vote for Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Government?’ or ‘Prime Numbers and the Riemann Zeta function’); Gold Crest Awards for in-depth scientific and engineering research; and participation and success in national finals for the Junior Maths Challenge team and in a Business and Accounting Competition.

Some excellent opportunities have been provided through

‘I think education should be exciting, even if it should also include hard graft and long hours or learning in the relentless pursuit of excellence.’

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the Gifted and Talented programme, and some pupils will soon be involved in a Sleep Education Study with Birmingham University.

The U16 and U19 netball teams won their city and county tournaments, and progressed through their West Midlands rounds to compete in their National Finals.

The girls’ U16 indoor hockey team was one of two teams (alongside Repton) to represent the Midlands at the National Finals. The 1st XV rugby team won 13 out of their 16 matches, whilst the U15 rugby A and B teams lost only one match each in the entire season; 12 players from the latter age-group were selected for Coventry, of whom 5 were also selected for Warwickshire. The U16 boys’ hockey team was a Midlands finalist and the U13 team was Warwickshire’s runners-up. Our U13 boys were also crowned Warwickshire cricket champions. Will KenneyHerbert won representative honours for Wales in U18 hockey, and Kilian Kleine for Germany in U18 rugby. Lucy Smith was ranked 4th nationally in her age group for the shot. In the summer 60 boys and girls embarked on a hockey and netball tour to Malaysia and Singapore.

Drama and Music have continued to flourish. Cabaret and abridged Junior drama versions of Henry V and A Midsummer Night’s Dream played to highly appreciative houses, and ‘absurdist’ plays formed our offering this year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This was Bablake’s 25th annual appearance on the Fringe. We enjoyed some varied and increasingly well attended concerts, and Matthew Lewis was selected to play his bassoon in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. This term will see our second lunchtime concert at the Old Bablake church of St John’s in the city centre. Younger pupils were encouraged by their elders in a colourful House Music Festival, and, as is true of so many of our House events, happy and enthusiastic participation was blended with some quality performances.

Staff and pupil enthusiasm and interests meant that extra-curricular activities abounded, and I am grateful to the Parents’ Association for their support of International Week, as well as for their spirited fund-raising initiatives which provide some much appreciated ‘extras’ for our pupils. The Combined Cadet Force and Duke of Edinburgh Award have continued to develop self-discipline and service, whilst educational and recreational expeditions beyond the classroom gave pupils some outstanding opportunities to broaden their horizons. In addition to curricular visits at home in many subjects, there were visits to theatres and art galleries; the annual 2nd Year weeks at Fousseau; language trips, including a Spanish visit to Madrid; a Classics trip to Greece; an Economics and Business Studies visit to Prague; a ski trip to Sugarloaf Mountain; a Geography field trip to Wales; the annual Beth Shalom visits for the whole 3rd Year, as well as the opportunity for two 6th Formers to visit Auschwitz as part of a Holocaust Educational programme; a History and German Department visit to Berlin; a History expedition to the First World War battlefields; and a World Challenge expedition to Mexico and Belize, perhaps known by some of you here as former British Honduras.

Despite on-going economic adversity, pupils have continued to dig deeply into their pockets, and nearly £20,000 was raised for various charities, at home and abroad, whilst a collection of items for Cancer Research charity shops was valued at £4,000. A group of staff grew moustaches for charity last Mo-vember and two staff ran the London Marathon. A new and very worthwhile link with RNIB Pears was established to enhance our Community Service programme.

Our pastoral care lies at the heart of our commitment to build a happy and thriving community, and we are fortunate to have very well-qualified and talented staff devoted to this aim. We continue to place a very high priority on the pastoral care, support and academic guidance of each individual, and Form Tutors and Heads of Year are at the heart of this. We believe passionately in nurturing the spiritual dimension to our young people’s lives, and several pupils are currently working with Mrs Jackson on our membership of the International Cross of Nails Community, underlying our commitment to Coventry Cathedral’s shared ministry of peace and reconciliation. We have also now selected and trained two groups of pupils to complement our Form Prefects by providing peer mentoring or support to younger pupils.

We asked the Shells to fill in a questionnaire about their experience of Bablake, from first encounters before they chose the school to the end of their first two terms here. Whilst wanting to learn how we could make any improvements, we were very heartened by their responses. Asked what they liked most, the top choices (in order of preference) were: kind staff, friendly atmosphere, lessons, friends, sports, clubs and activities, and the environment or facilities. Asked what they would change – and I’m sure we would have said the same in our day – they wanted: less homework and shorter days. And, something which has never really bothered me, a couple wanted more hairdryers!

And, whilst we warm up for applause of our prize winners, please express your gratitude to all our staff, both teaching and support, as well as to our Governors for the time and expertise which they so willingly devote to Bablake. Also, a final word of thanks to all our parents here for giving us a reason for a school and for supporting us so enthusiastically in the joint and, yes, exciting venture of education.

The full speech can be found online at www.bablake.com/headmasters_notes.php

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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academicachievements

Prize Winners The most prestigious of over 200 individual prize-winners this year included: Shell Scholars 2010 – 11 Academic: Ria Patel, Sher Saghir, Jakevir Shoker, Deepra Sinha, Julian Wreford, Salim Zayyan Art: Zoe Schoon Music: Avni Kant, Jakevir Shoker, Rachel Worthington William Townsend Form Prizes Shells Attainment: Hannah Allroggen, Daniel Cox, Thomas Nelson, William Petchey, Matthew Thomas Progress: Jenny Beech, Charlotte Brown, Peter Cusack, Callum George, Jawad Miah 2nds Attainment: Hannah Davies, Anna Knight, Nick Payne, Alesha Robinson, Ciara Wyman Progress: Vinnie Bhandal, Ahmed Jawad, Ana Krkovic, Samantha Samson, Isabelle Thom 3rds Attainment: Fran Bellingeri, Brogan Coulson-Haggins, Moni Dhariwal, Connor Putnam, Alexander Towlson Progress: Piers Binks, Joseph Eaton, Kate Edmiston, Georgina Lloyd, Alice Ryan 4ths Attainment: Katie Carlson, Matthew Clements, Isabel De Veer, Bradley Gill, Lara Morley-White, Kalika Puri Progress: Edward Cooper, Thomas Hingston, Andrew Judge, James McAllister, Richard Price, Erica Tang 5ths Form Prize: Rebecca Brown, Thomas Bird, Marlena Cummings, Shannon Smith, Rebecca Taylor

academicachievements Excellence at GCSE: Sunnah Aziz, Rebecca Brown, Joseph Cashmore, Marlena Cummings, Arun Dhanjal, Ben Evans, Anna French, Bethany Gaunt, Joseph Gibbins, Olivia Harrison-Dodd, Matthew Hollinrake, Lois Miller, Jack Mills, Eleanor Morris, Sam Paplauskas, Chandni Patel, Georgia Powell, Beth Rowland, Jennifer Scoular, Maneesha Sehgal, Rebecca Taylor, Daryl Townsend

Academic: Rebecca Brown, Joseph Cashmore, Marlena Cummings, Bethany Gaunt, Joseph Gibbins, Lois Miller, Eleanor Morris, Sam Paplauskas, Georgia Powell, Beth Rowland, Jennifer Scoular, Maneesha Sehgal, Rebecca Taylor Music: Bethany Gaunt, Eleanor Morris, Georgia Powell Sport: Mark Best, Ashleigh-Danielle Green, Beth Jepson, Ronan Jones, Jennifer Reay, Lucy Smith Whitehouse: Coral Billingham, Ben Evans, Chandni Patel

Grade 8 Music: Isobel Ferguson, Sam Lewis, Aron Sood ICAEW National Business Game National Finalists: Henry Chamberlain, Philippa Collison, Rhys Edwards, Roseanne Elkington, Alice O’Connor, Khaleeq Rehman, Charlotte Rouse, Lizzie Stubbington Maths Challenge: Senior Gold award winners – Jamie Bryson, Alex Popplewell; Junior Challenge Team National Finalists – Madison Cotteret, Elliot Forbes, Anna Knight, Danujan Sivanesan

Lane Scholarships awarded to L6th Formers for outstanding academic achievement: Tom Calderbank, Sophie Carlson, Kurt Ibberson, Daniel Parvis, Sophie Qiu, Philip Wild, Sam Yang Pembroke Science Award: Maneesha Sehgal TW Patchett Scholarship and Courtesy Prize: Anuriti Aojula, Robert Vallance The J V Rattigan Cup for Merit: Jodie Keith The Jackson Progress Prize: Henry Chamberlain The Leonard Ward Trophy for Sportswoman of the Year: Alice O'Connor The Seaborne Trophy for Sportsman of the Year: Kilian Kleine Best Contribution to the School by students new to the 6th Form: Rosie Gaunt The Chris Ashworth Trophy (Outstanding Achievement): Chris Starkey Former Pupils’ Association Prize for Merit: Luke Briggs, Emily Chomitzki, Isobel Ferguson, Aaren Healy, Alex Hoare, Samuel Lewis, Oliver Towlson

The Hawley Cup for Service: Millie Ross The Humberstone Prize for Character and Scholarship: Alex Hoare This prize is awarded each year by the Trustees of the Humberstone Memorial on the recommendation of the school staff, in memory of F W Humberstone, Headmaster of Bablake School 1870 – 1890. the wheatleyan 2010/11

Gold Crest Certificate for the Engineering Education Scheme: Ben Charlesworth, Beth Evans, Will Sibley, Philip Wild

6th Form Scholarships

The H Curt Prize for Service: Sophie Tumber

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Future Leaders Programme: Harpreet Chauhan, Alex Clarke, Nikolaus Elz, Frank Sackey

Congrats...

Amnesty/ Guardian Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year shortlist: Beth Rowland

Media: Shells Leaflet – Sam Grey, Julia Ryland/ 6th Form booklets – Alice O’Connor, Millie Ross Mud Candy/ Seventh Seal Denim Competition: Chanel Blackburn (2011); Erin Hushon, Eve Kershaw (2010) On The Radio: BBC Coventry and Warwickshire – Beth Rowland, Chris Starkey National Youth Orchestra: Matt Lewis (bassoon)

Amnesty International Ambassadors: Anuriti Aojula, Smriti Aojula

Physicist of the Year (University of Warwick award to local schools): Robert Vallance

Arkwright Scholarship: Joe Gibbins, Oliver Warlow

Progressive Educational Tools (PET) Ron Neal Annual award for Enterprise and Opportunity 2010-11: Alex Clarke

Big Bang – West Midlands: Silver Award overall winner – Chandni Patel; Bronze Award overall winner – Charlie Bramwell Crest Awards: Gold – Hibo Abdulrahman, Anuriti Aojula, Smriti Aojula, Sophie Carlson, Ashni Desai, Beth Evans, Kurt Ibberson, Will Kenney-Herbert, Jacob Low, Hannah Naguib, Enyi Ogbuneke, Helen Porter, Sophie Qui, Ceri Smith, Robert Vallance, Jonathan Wellings, Philip Wild; Silver – James Hamer, Matthew Hayhurst, Theo Lawrence, Chandni Patel, Connor Putnam, Rory McDermott (2011), Marco Ciao, Marcus Judge, Matthew Payne, Aaron Patel, Jacob Williams (2010); Bronze – Charlie Bramwell (2011), Arsalan Ali, Arun Dhanjal, Eleanor Morris, Sam Paplauskas, Georgia Powell (2010) Extended Project Qualification: Jay Brahach, Emily Chomitzki, Lauren Deeth-Kelt, Tom Dwyer, Caitlin Edwards, Matt Lewis, Sam Lewis, Cameron Lindsay, Sam Mason, Alex Popplewell, Daniel Richards, Chris Starkey, Oliver Towlson

Project ReDesign (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) runners up: Phillipa Collison, Alex Hoare, Julia Ryland, Will Sibley, Chris Starkey, Sophie Tumber School Captains 2010-11: Hannah Elsy, Will Sibley School Christmas Card: Alesha Robinson (2011), James Colburn (2010) Scout Association Ski Permit: Joshua Baines – one of the youngest ever awarded Senior Prefects 2010-11: Anuriti Aojula, Rebecca Appleton, Eva Ball, Ashni Desai, Will Kenney-Herbert, Jonny Lawrence, Enyi Ogbuneke, Julia Ryland, Sam Shebl, Lizzie Stefaniak UK Youth Parliament (1 of Coventry’s 2 members): Amelia Brook www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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finaldestinations

captains’spotlight

Magic Bablake moments

Beyond Bablake Our talented U6th leavers are embarking upon an impressive and exciting range of challenges presented by first-rate establishments and employers. 21 gappers from the Classes of 2002 and 2003 are included in the figures.

UK UNIVERSITIES 8 London 2 – University College (UCL); 1 – City, Imperial, King’s College (KCL), London School of Economics (LSE), Queen Mary, Royal Holloway, Nottingham 6 Loughborough, Nottingham Trent 5 Exeter, Leicester, Leeds 4 Birmingham, Coventry, Keele 3 Leeds Metropolitan, Oxford, Oxford Brookes, Warwick, West of England 2 Aberystwyth, Bath, Brunel, Cardiff, Harper Adams, Kent, York 1 Birmingham City, Bournemouth, Cambridge, De Montfort, Durham, East Anglia, Edinburgh, Essex, Galway, Glamorgan, Glasgow, Lincoln, Liverpool John Moores, Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan, Newcastle, Northampton, Portsmouth, Reading, Sheffield Hallam, Worcester GAP YEAR 19 APPRENTICESHIP 1 DEGREE DISCIPLINES The Arts, Humanities and Languages – 21 1 Architecture 1 Classical Civilisation 1 Classics: Greek & Latin 1 Computer Animation Arts 2 Drama 4 English (inc American Studies 2, Publishing 1) 1 French and European Studies 2 German (Italian, Politics) 7 History (inc Politics 1) 1 History of Art

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Engineering, ICT, Health & Medicine, Natural and Physical Sciences, Sports Science – 36 1 Biochemistry 3 Biological Sciences 4 Biomedical (Genetics 1, Sciences 3) 1 Building Surveying 1 Chemistry 2 Computer Science (inc Industrial Experience 1) 1 Countryside Management 1 Dentistry 6 Engineering (inc Computer Systems 1, Integrated Foundation Year 1, Mechanical 3) 1 Geology 2 Mathematics 4 Medicine (inc Medical Science 3) 1 Natural Sciences 1 Nursing (Adult) 1 Physics 1 Physiotherapy 1 Radiography (Radiotherapy & Oncology) 1 Robotics 1 Science Foundation (Geology) 2 Veterinary (Medicine 1, Nursing & Practice Management 1) Social Sciences – 48 4 Accounting (Finance, Finance with Year in Industry, Financial Management, Law) 7 Business (Economics 2, Information Technology 1, International 1, Management 1, Management & Human Resources 1, with Year in Industry 1) 3 Criminology (inc Sociology 1) 10 Economics (inc Geography 1, Government 1, Human Geography 1, International Finance 1, Politics 2) 3 Education (Fine Art Studies, History, Sport/ Coaching & Physical Education) 1 Flexible Combined Studies 4 Geography (inc Business 2, Human Geography 1) 6 Law (inc Criminology 1) 4 Management (Fashion & Textile, Human Resource – Foundation, Retailing and Marketing 2) 1 Philosophy, Politics and Economics 3 Psychology (inc Developmental 1, Developmental & Educational 1) 2 Sport (Business Management 1, Exercise Sciences 1)

2010-11 school captains, Millie Ross and Alex Hoare, define their very own Bablake A-Z, reflecting on their time at Bablake.

A bsolutely amazing B onds that will never be broken C urriculum – challenging, diverse, new and exciting D ynamic destinations post 18 E xtra-curricular variety, extension lessons, enrichment and Extended Project Qualification F riendships for life G orgeous buildings H ouse system I ntellectual stimulation J ovial atmosphere K een and enthusiastic teaching by dedicated staff L eadership opportunities M ore clubs than time N ever boring O pportunities in every field imaginable – music, sport, drama and more P astoral care – support second to none Q uintessentially educational R emarkably good results S pirit of enquiry and superactivity encouraged T olerance and expression of ideas U nique atmosphere V alued individuals within a vibrant environment W arm and welcoming to everyone – new and known X tra special exciting place to learn Y ears of your life – the best ones Z zzz – don’t miss out! Wake up to Bablake’s advantages!

2011

Examination Results A2 105 pupils achieved a 100% pass rate. 79% of all grades were at A*, A or B, with 13% at A*. 32% of all pupils achieved three or more passes at A* or A grade.

AS 146 pupils achieved a 97% pass rate, with 61% of grades at A or B. 29% of all pupils achieved three or more passes at A grade.

GCSE All 114 pupils achieved at least five A* – C grades, including English, Mathematics and Science. 99% of all grades were at A*– C with pupils averaging 10 GCSEs. 32% of all pupils gained at least 9 A* or A grades. A record 35% of all grades were A*s. 69% of all grades were at A* and A – another record

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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betweenbablakeanduniversity

Europe and beyond...

betweenbablakeanduniversity ‘Certainly a value for money trip, with memories for life.’

Abhimanyu Bose, 2008-9 Wheatleyan editor, selects a few of the excellent images taken during his gap year, while U6th pupil Chris Starkey offers a brief description of his InterRail experience in Europe.

“The European InterRail adventure was a great experience to mark the end of our time at Bablake. At different times it was hectic, relaxing and challenging but always entertaining.

Particularly notable moments included exploring Amsterdam (by day and night!); walking along the East side gallery of the Berlin wall; clubbing all night in Prague; impromptu swimming in the Danube in Vienna; getting lost in Ljubljana; capsizing and almost sinking a pedalo in Split on the Croatian coast; exploring Venice by gondola; swimming in cold alpine lakes in Switzerland and sleeping rough on station platforms for two nights in Marseilles and Rotterdam!

Not to mention the sites – including the Reichstag, the Vatican and Munich’s famous Hofbräuhaus. On countless train journeys over 22 days, we weaved and crisscrossed from city to city, country to country, exploring cultures and meeting people as we went. It was certainly a value for money trip, with memories for life.”

For anyone considering a gap option after their A2s, please check www.bablake.com/parents_association_detail.php to find our more about our Parents’ Association’s Liz Riddoch Gap Year Travel award.

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the wheatleyan 2010/11

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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staffnews

staffnews

Valete ‘Several colleagues moved on this year, some to promoted posts, some for reasons of relocation, and five for what we hope will be a happy and healthy retirement.’

Mr John Watson, Headmaster

Mr Peter Burden

by Mr Gary Park

Mrs Karen Baker

by Mrs Alison Tumber

Peter was a pupil at Bablake between 1961 and 1968. He returned 10 years later to teach English, and played a full part in other aspects of school life, including being Head of General Studies, immaculate Editor of The Wheatleyan magazine and author of The Lion and the Stars, an account of Bablake’s history. He has maintained excellent links with former pupils, organised Reunion Dinners, and will remain as School Archivist. A trained Samaritan, who proudly served as Director of the Coventry branch, he was able to offer counselling to pupils. His 33 year service to Bablake has been exceptional.

Peter is one of those colleagues whose contribution to the work of the English Department cannot be quantified or easily expressed in the confines of a few hundred words. It is not sufficient to comment merely on the thousands of students whose lives he touched both academically and through being an extremely positive intellectual and personal influence. It is not even enough to mark Peter’s contribution by remarking upon the wider service he gave to the school, nor the skills he brought as a counsellor and Samaritan which helped many students.

As a colleague, Peter was in many ways the heartbeat of the English Department. He contributed genuine intellectual rigour to our work, but just as importantly he brought a smile to our faces. He has a wonderful sense of humour and could be relied on to make a witty remark at precisely the right time. His wordplay, above all, is notable by its absence now that he has retired from teaching.

However, it is our very great pleasure to see him regularly appear in the Common Room in his on-going role as archivist. Long may this continue so that we can still enjoy the occasional reminder of the pleasure he brought to teaching at Bablake.

Just as philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas knew in his heart what he wanted to say about God’s work, but when it came to getting it down on paper, he just did not have the vocabulary, I fear my struggle is that I will not do Karen justice.

After teaching ‘across the park’ at Barrs Hill, Karen brought to Bablake a firm, but fair, no-nonsense approach and a real passion for her subject. Initially Karen taught the Junior classes, quickly demonstrating her enthusiasm, her outstanding teaching skills and her determination to get the very best out of her students. Upon his arrival in 1991, Headmaster Dr Stuart Nuttall recognised good Northern stock when he saw it, and soon Karen was teaching GCSE and A level classes. The grit and determination that many of us have witnessed in her private life, was very much in evidence in the classroom. If Karen was given a class, it was to be the best class in the year group, the best exam set and it was this competitive spirit that helped the History department gain excellent GCSE results, a big uptake at A level and great success at university level. Karen, being Karen, never took the credit for this success, she was more than content just to see her students shine and gain as much from their historical encounters as she had.

Outside the classroom Karen’s love of her subject continued to enthuse and inspire. When the Department took its very first World War One Battlefield trip Karen was there giving up her holiday to broaden the experience of the GCSE students. She supervised them, she laughed with them and she cried with them on the Somme.

Despite the torrential rain of the first day, her enthusiasm never wavered and she helped ensure all the pupils enjoyed their evenings in the student centre, even if she

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beat them at their own games. If the pupils kept the staff awake at night they knew she would have them up at dawn the next morning – the message was passed down to those going in the following years. Everyone slept well.

Karen was also very involved in inaugurating the annual Shell trip to Warwick Castle and jointly wrote the Warwick Castle booklet. Karen was a great asset to the History Department and she will be sorely missed.

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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staffnews Karen is one of those rare and talented people who has managed to maintain a good work/life balance.

Already Mum to Kate and Ben when she joined Bablake, a short career break ensued when George came along in 1992, very much a Bablake celebration as her pregnancy was announced to us before any of her family knew!

Karen and Mrs Chris Friebe also gave birth to the Learning Support department, which once it had a proper base in the RE block really took off. Karen’s ability to turn her hand to any subject at any level has been phenomenal and there are countless students whose lives she has literally transformed with her patience, her skill, her understanding and most importantly her belief in them.

The list of those she has nurtured, cajoled and pushed to achieve their best would run to many pages.

Karen has had quite an effect on those staff who have had the privilege of working with her in Learning Support and we are blessed to have had a colleague like her. Her legacy will be long-lasting and she has been such a fantastic role model to so many of us: running a home, raising three successful and well balanced children, being a devoted and supportive wife, a talented and competitive tennis partner with a mean backhand, a fun-loving and level-headed crew member on the family yacht as well as being a great teacher.

If that isn’t inspirational enough, during her time at Bablake, Karen has had breast cancer, reconstructive surgery, ovarian cancer, a hip replacement and hernia operations and had to deal with the premature and untimely loss of her dear husband Andy. We are in awe of the resilience and fortitude Karen has shown; she is brave, courageous, tenacious and feisty. She has never been a victim and has given so much.

If I’m ever feeling fed up, I’ll remember Karen’s face, smile and get on with it. Without doubt, we will miss Karen but wish her all the very best and look forward to her popping in on her way back from the golf course.

Mrs Dianne Surgey

by Mrs Alison Tumber Dianne joined the Bablake family in 1996, having occupied various posts since the beginning of her teaching career in 1971, including spells abroad in the Caribbean and on Ascension Island. She was soon given responsibility for Textiles, became Assistant Head of Lower School, and, ever caring and professional, was ultimately head of a very successful Home Economics Department.

When I joined part-time in 1997, it was Dianne who invited me to sit by her in the morning briefing and helped me sort out who was who and what was what.

She is a quiet observer and a good listener; skills all effective staff rooms need. Her energy, talent and endless patience endeared her to staff and pupils alike and it was not long before the uptake in HE and in Textiles, in particular, meant that Dianne became a full time member of staff.

Utterly dependable and unflappable, she was an obvious choice to cover Mrs Sarah Harris’ maternity leave as Head of Shells from November 2005. Her calm and

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staffnews had a firm but fair hand and received rave reviews for her full involvement in all activities on the Fousseau trips. I even have photographic evidence of her mastery of the hamster wheel at the adventure park.

There are many other gaps next academic year that will need filling – who is going to organise the Macmillan Coffee Morning for staff that over the past six years has raised over £2000? The Harvest Festival baskets have made our students consider where our food has come from and at what cost, as well as giving so much pleasure to the isolated and elderly in our local community. When Dianne’s retirement was announced at the Senior Citizens party, there was a gasp of disbelief and a queue of people wanting to wish her well. Hundreds of pounds have been raised by Dianne during Fair Trade Fortnight. Everything Dianne has done has been because it is what she believes in and because it is right, not because she was looking for praise or a salary rise. Excellent people like Dianne really do make a difference.

We wish Dianne a long and fulfilling retirement.

There will be the chance to enjoy seeing more of her wonderful and talented daughters, while her husband Trevor will, I’m sure, be delighted days will not be governed by term dates and school bells. The Bablake community will always be so pleased to see such a wonderful person at school events and in the staff room. no-nonsense approach made her a very able and effective assistant year head for 2nd and 3rd years who gave Mr Trevor Hyde solid and unwavering support before she relinquished that particular post to take up the position of Head of HE in 2007.

Inheriting a very strong department from Mrs Jane Price, with Dianne’s passion for her subject and her attention to detail, the department continued to flourish.

So many young people have felt immense pride at what they have produced in the kitchen or in the textiles room.

While on bus duty I have seen Shell formers to 6th form clutch their rock cakes, bags, upside-down puddings, cushions, and Christmas cakes, delighted at what they have achieved and knowing that they have a skill that will not be immediately forgotten at the end of the exam season, but one that they will be able to take through life.

My daughter Sophie will not starve at university, nor go unclothed; not because of anything that I have taught her, but because of the enthusiasm and skill engendered

by Dianne. Sophie is just one of thousands who are out in the big wide world more confident and adept at real life skills than they would have been without Dianne’s talent, enthusiasm and most importantly her ability to engender self belief in students. Dianne can take a great deal of credit for Bablake’s GCSE rankings in league tables. I know she would have liked to leave a legacy of excellence at A Level too – the foundations have been set, so, soon in her quiet and self-effacing way she will be able to bathe in reflected glory.

It is not just in the HE department that Dianne has made her mark. Dianne saw all the positives and none of the negatives of tutoring the 2nd and 3rd years – she

Mr Robin Smith

by Dr Patrick Knight

decision-making. I will sorely miss his well-considered, sound opinions.

Outside the Chemistry lab, Robin’s influence has been just as significant. He has helped out with numerous Duke of Edinburgh expeditions where his cooking skills have been greatly appreciated by his staff colleagues. The Chess club has benefited from both his attendance and his expert minibus driving. He has put together successful lighting teams for many drama productions. His cultural appreciation has inspired the Gifted and Talented group and as well as unfailingly supporting music concerts, he initiated the ‘Classical Oasis’ group, which has provided a rare opportunity for staff and pupils to gain a little bit of reflective time during the school day. Together with his wife, Liz, he was a stalwart of Mrs Gail Timothy’s three day long travel opportunity and sleep deprivation exercise known as the Shell French Trip. Of course, 6th Form Chemistry lecture trips to Birmingham University on Tuesday nights have been permanently improved by Robin’s ability to find the prime parking spot next to the department doors. All these activities have taken a huge amount of Robin’s free time and this has all been given without the slightest hint of reluctance.

Over the years, the concern and dedication that Robin has put into inspiring young people has been truly awesome.

In fact, it has inspired his daughter to study for a PGCE this year. If she has inherited just a fraction of his care, patience and work ethic, she will have the making of an excellent teacher.

As soon as you began talking to Robin about his pupils, his knowledge of their needs was apparent. He has been a true, all-round teacher who has earned a long and happy retirement, many times over. ‘Every child matters’ is a term we frequently hear and use nowadays; this has been Robin’s philosophy throughout his career.

I was involved in interviews that led to Robin’s appointment and when, a few weeks later I was appointed Head of Chemistry, I had two possible niggles at the back of my mind! Firstly, as this man was only a few years away from retiring, what if he chose to sit out his time and not become involved with development of Chemistry at Bablake or school life in general? Secondly, as a very successful Head of Department at King’s High, Warwick, would he listen to anything that an upstart like me had to say about teaching the subject?

After six years working with Robin, not only were these fears proven completely unfounded but also any hopes that I had about the success of his appointment have been exceeded. He has totally thrown himself whole-heartedly into life at Bablake. Teaching Chemistry, his dedication and attention to detail have been outstanding; his exam pupils have scored tremendously well throughout, while the amount of free time he has given up to help individuals improve their understanding is phenomenal.

In the organisation of the department, Robin’s perfectionism has been a real asset. No end of times, my ‘hurry up’ style of management has been checked

by Robin’s calm interjections that have improved my www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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staffnews

staffnews Mrs Judith Smith

by Mrs Gail Timothy

Mr David Parkins

by Mr Gary Park Mr David Parkins was Head of English at Woodlands School before taking semi-retirement and coming to Bablake part-time in 2005. He taught in both our English and Learning Support Departments, where his encouragement and experience were highly valued, and he also ran the Creative Writing Club.

Known to his colleagues as Dave, an extremely down-to-earth fellow with no pretentions, in his six years at Bablake, he made a huge impression on pupils and colleagues alike. It spoke volumes that upon his retirement his final GCSE set presented him with a Wolverhampton Wanderers shirt inscribed with the name of the main character from a play they had enjoyed his teaching of. This brought together two of Dave’s great interests, literature and sport.

As a colleague, he quickly built strong bonds with other members of the English Department and, despite having spent many years as Head of English at a very different school, adapted quickly and became a genuine member of the team. However busy, Dave always had time to chat, offer advice and listen to colleagues, and quickly became as much a friend as a workmate. His retirement gives him much more time to work at his golf game, and if he shows the same dedication to that as to his pupils over his time with us he will surely attain that elusive single-figure handicap.

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Judith joined Bablake on a temporary contract to cover a maternity leave, but she stayed to introduce Spanish and then liked it so much that she remained even longer!

During almost five years here, she has taught four different subjects – French, German, Spanish and RE. It is a measure of her professionalism and versatility that she was always willing to accommodate other people and do her best for Bablake. Reliable, hard-working, possessing a fine sense of humour, Judith had a fine rapport with both staff and pupils.

She helped at Languages Club, including teaching pupils Turkish, and was always involved with the annual Christmas biscuit decorating, a joint activity with the Junior school. She introduced and ran an Easter-egg decorating competition every year, producing a lovely Easter egg tree for reception, while no one who saw it could forget the fabulous gingerbread house she decorated last year.

Although part-time, her commitment has been amazing. She has run extra help sessions and workshops and, despite the extremely complicated lifestyle arrangements of an executive wife with three children, has been to Fousseau twice and to Spain twice, as well as enjoying trips with Art and Spanish.

Judith’s commitment to her family has necessitated a move to Sussex, much to our disappointment. We will miss her commitment and her stories of how the other half live; for example, how many people here can boast that the Queen remembers their children’s names between lunches?! Most of all, however, we’ll remember her for her friendship and support. We’ll all miss Judith and we won’t let her forget us in a hurry.

Mrs Gill Dolphin

by Mr Richard Sewell Gill is a true professional. During her time at Bablake she contributed selflessly to the Economics and Business Studies Department. I often felt in awe of Gill’s level of organisation, planning and the time she devoted to ensuring all her students were able to achieve their full potential. Further, under her tutelage, many students secured outstanding grades and developed their enterprise skills through the Junior Enterprise programme she ran for many years here and at our Junior School and other local primary schools.

As well as helping run many school Business trips, Gill played a vital role in Bablake life as a form tutor, an unofficial Christmas Fair organiser and as Chair of Common Room, where, as the ultimate compliment, she has been replaced by a committee of four people. ‘Captain Gill’ – a name earned for her rescue acts and her frenetic pace – will be missed both in and out of the classroom and we all wish her luck in her new school.

workshop technician before completing his teaching training. At this point we were lucky enough to employ him and it wasn’t long before we realised what a good move it was for Bablake.

Paul has been so easy to work with, always energetic, enthusiastic, happy and positive. Nothing has ever been a problem – apart from keeping his desk and workshops tidy! His personality and charisma quickly won pupils over and he never had to raise his voice as he just carried pupils along with him. His influence over our exam projects has been staggering – we’ve seen new directions and he has inspired pupils to stretch themselves and realise their potential. Paul does all this while offering pupils support and belief as seen by the many hours he has put in doing after school workshops You could always recognise Paul’s pupils’ work by the size of it. He didn’t do subtle! For GCSE we set a maximum size for the simple reason we don’t have much storage space. So having agreed this 400 x 400 x 400mm limit we would all set off and meet up again at Easter to show off our wares. For every trinket box, small table or cabinet, Mr Williams and myself would produce, Paul would turn up with a trailer, a huge desk and the ultimate this year (at A Level) of a climbing frame suitable for a posse of six year olds! The wide open spaces of Australia are still in his heart!

We have so many magic moments to remember Paul by. We have witnessed some memorable Shelley motivational speeches during his tenure as Head of Wheatley. His celebrations at the 6th hole on a floodlit crazy golf course in Barcelona live in the memory and possibly on YouTube. Harking back to his cherubic choral ability as a lad, the workshops still echo with his singing, a broad repertoire ranging from Australian folk songs

Mr Paul Shelley

by Mr Chris West We all wish Paul and his boundless energy were staying a bit longer. So many people have said how much he will be missed and how it is difficult to replace such an experienced teacher. When we remind ourselves he has been at Bablake just three years and this was his first teaching job, the high regard for Paul proves what a natural he is in the classroom or workshop.

After leaving Australia for England with his wife who had a teaching job in the south of England, he was self-employed for a while as an electrician, then as a DT www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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staffnews to opera and a whole host of pop songs in between. The rooms also are in recovery mode from a bout of his Greek dancing and we never quite worked out how his room was allowed the SMT licence of a pumping disco beat when a more sedate musical moment in Mr Williams’ class was severed!

Paul’s broad shoulders have taken the brunt of much banter in the department. His white van, bought to ease the logistics of renovating his house in France, travelled to Rugby School with a huge sign advertising Shelley’s Haulage and International Transport before being in full view of their Common Room. To his wife’s dismay, the central love of his life (apart from her) seemed to be food. His appetite was legendary and his morning routine was a swim, maybe a kilometre before breakfast, a nice and healthy start, collection of his celery and Slim Fast, followed by a detour for Morrisons, and consequent arrival at school with a carrier bag of pasties and sausage rolls and the necessary Aussie topping of ketchup – a second breakfast that never quite made it to lunch. He always ensured he had his five a day, sausage rolls, cheese and onion rolls, pasty, pork pie and celery. Department barbecues began as a celebration of Australia Day! One of his tutees, Katie Carlson, completed an exit interview with him that showed his wit and spirit. He claimed he was leaving since he could not work with me anymore. Asked what he would miss most, he said, with poignancy: ‘I’ll miss the students, I think the students here at Bablake are very honest and hardworking, and if you tell them that they’re not pulling their weight, they understand that they’re not. It’s a fee-paying school where the parents know that they’re not paying for a grade, they’re paying for a good education, and I think that’s an important factor.’

We miss the fun of the welder and welding mask Paul bought his wife for Christmas, the permanently untidy desk, an ability to miss meetings, his eBay purchases and so much more. However, what we miss most is a man who was so greatly respected, full of inspiration, great fun to work with and so willing to contribute so much to Bablake and in particular, move the DT department forward. We are unsure whether Rugby School know what they are in for!

Mr Ian Tovey

by Katie Carlson One of my early assignments for our school website, interviewing members of staff, was not straightforward as it was a case of saying hello and arrivederci, or the Chemical equivalent, to Mr Tovey who was retiring upon completion of his one year contract at Bablake.

I asked him what retirement was offering and he confirmed he was looking forward to some relaxation, gardening and possibly, private Chemistry tuition. I wondered what he had thought of Bablake pupils. He commented: ‘I’ve definitely taught some of the most pleasant pupils I’ve ever met in my life here.’

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He felt, on balance, Bablake offered more than other schools he had taught in. What about our work ethic? He replied: ‘Some have an excellent work ethic, no question about it and not just the girls, which is often a gender stereotype. Both male and female pupils here work very hard and have a good work ethic. They are very positive, polite people, and very mature pupils.’

I asked what his favourite practical lessons were and he said they would always involve magnesium and steam, with massive reactions. I cheekily asked what he thought about his fellow teachers? He said: ‘Well, everyone I’ve met is very dedicated, very thorough and clearly very knowledgeable. I’ve brought a few tips and a few experiments with me, so I hope it’s been a good exchange.’

He confirmed his backing for the House system, which he thought gave another dimension to school life.

During his year, he not only taught Chemistry but enjoyed participating in the choirs and was involved with a few concerts. His regret was merely that, since he had only been part-time, he had not been able to be more involved. Life now will surely not bring similar regret and I wish him all the best with his retirement!

Miss Kathryn Brindley

by Mr Simon Enstone After teaching Kathryn in my first year at Bablake, seven years on, I was delighted to be her GTP mentor not just because I might finally solve the mystery of one of her peers’ 30kg suitcase for the 2006 A Level field course.

Kathryn has been a fantastic trainee, friend and colleague. She is a natural teacher who has a great rapport with pupils who have become very fond of her. With her cheerful, ‘can-do’ approach, in her year with us she went above and beyond what is expected of a trainee teacher.

So what about a few things you should know about Kathryn? Despite being an excellent Geographer, she never watches a weather forecast. Instead she assumes whatever it’s doing in the morning, it will do for the rest of the day. Thus the appearance of the Fairfax friendly, green chunky knit sweater worn on warm sunny days. As for the mess that is her desk, it took three trips in her MG to clear it, partly because her MG was full of junk. I will also miss the occasional misdirected text message that was clearly destined for her boyfriend.

Over the year, we have discovered that her sense of direction is not all it should be for a Geographer. We had to take care that her leaving do at The Holyhead did not incur a sat nav directed excursion to Holyhead. This weakness might also explain why, when, driving through Llangollen en route to North Wales, our driver Chris announced the A Level field course party would be able to see Telford’s aqueduct, Kathryn turned to me with her trademark puzzled expression and said: ‘But we’re miles from Telford, aren’t we?’

Because of this and so much more, it has been a pleasure to be her mentor and we all wish her well for the future.

Mrs Debbie Harris (Nurse)

by Mrs Amanda Weatherall Debbie Harris joined Bablake in 2007 after having worked in the community as a nurse for many years. She quickly settled into her new role as a school nurse and built up very good working relationships with staff, parents and pupils, becoming a good friend to many of us.

After a two week visit to Australia last year and much deliberation and discussion, Debbie’s family decided this was where they wanted to live, so in August, Debbie and her daughter joined her husband and eldest daughter, who had already emigrated in February, swapping the UK climes for the warmer, sunnier, laidback, outdoor life of Melbourne!

Debbie has settled quickly, and is now enjoying relaxing walks along the beaches and spending lots of time with her family. We miss her deeply but wish her and the family all the very best.

Miss Joanne Price (Art & Textiles Technician)

by Mrs Amy Cassell A talented interior designer, Jo joined Bablake in 2009 after graduating from an Applied Arts course at Coventry University.

As well as being a fantastic friend and colleague, her creativity was also immediately obvious outside the Art department, in the various excellent displays around school.

We will all miss Jo’s constant smile and unflappable nature but as she embarks upon a PGCE in Design Technology, Food and Textiles at Birmingham City University, we wish her all the best for a profession that we know she will surely excel in.

Mr Rob Jeanes

by Mr Mark Woodward Rob’s first retirement was spent assisting our Estates team and it was very evident how much he appreciated the change in pace from his former role as a bank manager.

We suspect his second retirement will be even more enjoyable since it will be spent in Barnstaple, a beautiful unhurried part of the country, where he may chance upon the occasional sighting of esteemed photographer and former English teacher Mr Rob Dougall.

Thank you also to: Miss Isabel Cobo-Palacios (Spanish), Miss Servane Meleard (French) and Miss Christine Seidl (German) for their enthusiastic preparation of our linguists as Language Assistants.

Mrs Abidah Hussain (Biology) and Dr Sian Foster (Classics) for their excellent work covering maternity leave and staff illness respectively.

Messrs Saawan Patel and Amritpal Atwal for their assistance in the PE department.

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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staffnews

Salvete ‘A warm welcome to the following highly-talented new members of staff....’

Mr John Watson, Headmaster

Miss Kelly Butler (Geography) Miss Butler grew up in Scunthorpe, before studying Geography with Chinese Studies at the University of Nottingham. She joins after a year as a teaching assistant following SEN pupils at Merrill College in Derby and her PGCE at Nottingham.

Miss Isabel Cobo-Palacios (Spanish) Miss Palacios studied at the University of Jaén in Spain, where she also trained as a teacher. She has been working as a Spanish Assistant in Coventry for the last two years, both at Bablake and King Henry VIII. She will remain as our Assistant whilst also working as a teacher of Lower School classes.

Dr Siân Foster (Classics) Dr Foster studied Classics, Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic, followed by her PGCE, at Selwyn College, Cambridge, before obtaining a DPhil in Medieval Latin at Oxford. She worked in different roles for several multi-national companies before deciding to return to teaching.

She is a Governor at Balsall Common Primary School, and has already covered staff absence at Bablake.

Miss Jodie Kukucska (Home Economics) Miss Kukucska joined us after teaching Technology at the Hazeley School in Milton Keynes, where she had prime responsibility for Textiles. She was a pupil at Harrogate Ladies’ College, and studied for her degree at the University of Hull. She took her PGCE in Design Technology (Food Technology) at Sheffield Hallam University.

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Miss Alison Learmont (Chemistry) Miss Learmont was educated at Stockport Grammar School and has degrees in Pharmacology and Clinical Veterinary Medicine from Jesus College, Cambridge. She worked briefly as a Veterinary Surgeon and joins us from the Graduate Teacher Programme, having taught Chemistry and Biology at Coundon Court and Caludon Castle, under the auspices of the University of Warwick.

Mr Peter Nicholson (Design Technology) Mr Nicholson is an experienced classroom practitioner, who was Subject Leader for Resistant Materials and 3D Design at Groby Community College in Leicestershire. He was a pupil at the Royal Grammar School in Worcester and trained at Nottingham Trent University.

Miss Elizabeth Sara (Learning Support) Miss Sara was educated at Bablake, where she was School Captain between 2002 and 2003. She studied Geography with Study in Continental Europe at the University of Bristol and then completed her PGCE at the University of Birmingham. She taught in Staffordshire before working in a Sure Start Children’s Centre as a Family Support Worker.

Mrs Samantha Thompson (Chemistry) Mrs Thompson has a degree (and PGCE) in Chemistry and Business Studies from the University of Birmingham, and joins us from Myton School in Warwick, where she was Science Learning Co-ordinator. She enjoys educational research and has authored several textbooks.

From left: Dionne Crosdale, Nicole Hammer, Sharon O’Meara, Amandine Perin

Welcome also to: Miss Dionne Crosdale (PE Assistant and Learning Assistant – temporary for 1 year), Miss Nicole Hammer (German Assistant), Mrs Sharon O’Meara (Treasurer and School Administrator) Miss Amandine Perin (French Assistant).

Congratulations on new arrivals Mr Rob Burdett, and Mr Tim Crompton.

Congratulations: new responsibilities Mrs Louise Alderson, Head of 5th Year.

Mr Lakbir Atwal, Deputy Head of Wheatley.

Mr Peter Burden, Archivist.

Miss Lynsey Cheffings, Assistant Head of Shells.

Mrs Carol Davey, Head of Home Economics.

Miss Kate Ewart, Second in English.

Mrs Nicola Green, Head of Fairfax.

Miss Kelly Ormsby, Deputy Head of Fairfax.

Mrs Sylvia O’Sullivan, Alumni Relations Officer.

Miss Jayne Simmons, Head of Wheatley.

Mr Gary Park, Head of English.

Mr Andrew Phillips, Extra-Curricular and Prize-Giving Co-ordinator.

Mrs Suzanne Webley, Head of Crow.

Mr Sam Williams, Deputy Head of Crow.

Miss Rana Blattner and Mr Simon Enstone were interviewed on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire regarding their London Marathon fundraising.

Miscellaneous Mrs Laura Baines was awarded the Scout Association Ski Permit which allows her to lead and teach in Europe.

Mr Mark Taylor stood as a UKIP candidate in the local council elections and was invited to the European Parliament. He has also appeared on a number of radio and TV debates.

Mr Mark Woodward was quoted in The Independent on GCSE results day in a piece written about Options beyond 16.

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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staffnews

newtobablake

Meet the team...

New kids in town...

School reception and Pupil Services staff interviewed by Jodie Keith and Scott Morgan

Bablake could not operate so smoothly without the expertise and enthusiasm of a number of teams of staff who, behind the scenes, offer excellent support to the academic staff. For this issue, we have interviewed the team pupils and visitors meet when they arrive at Bablake: Mrs Cathy Barrett and her School Office team.

Would you mind stating your roles?

Mrs Barrett: Mrs Jane Brett and Mrs Bernie Riley are admin assistants in pupil services, while Mrs Debby Lapworth and Mrs Sylvia O’Sullivan are morning and afternoon receptionists respectively who greet all visitors to the school and answer the busy switchboard.

My role is Office manager.

How long has the team been together as we don’t remember many changes in our time here?

Mrs Lapworth: Jane is the new girl – she is in her 5th year while Sylvia and myself are both in our 7th.

Mrs O’Sullivan: I even started the same day as my son, Joe, who began in the Shells!

Mrs Riley: I have worked here for 11 years, while Cathy has been here 12.

What is the best part of your job?

Mrs Barrett: Dealing with the pupils and parents. (Mrs O’S and Mrs R both agree.)

Mrs Brett: Getting to know the pupils and observe their progress through the school is great.

Mrs Lapworth: My role in Reception has taught me that no two days are the same, so the variety is lovely. The hours fly by as it’s a busy environment to work in and I have to multitask. I find it easy to do with a smile on my face as I wholly believe in Bablake’s ethos and I am proud to be part of such a wonderful place!

What is the strangest thing that has happened in your time here?

Mrs Barrett: Dealing with Lost Property! It has a life of its own!

Mrs Riley: Dealing with a member of the public who should not have been in the school.

Mrs Brett: Mine was when one of our U6th Formers, dressed as a little schoolboy, sped through the office on a scooter, on Leavers’ Day!

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Jodie Keith and Scott Morgan asked a few of our new 6th Form pupils for their thoughts about the school.

Mrs Lapworth: Two stand out for me! A football shattered a window pane in the office behind me and I thought a bomb had exploded! Also a visitor came into reception one morning in her pyjamas!!

Unfortunately no-one could confirm rumours that the former caretaker, Mr Stringer, espied a member of staff dashing through reception wearing Superman pyjamas one morning.

Tell us a secret!

Mrs O’Sullivan: My son would be mortified, if he knew, but I sing a lot, would love to join a choir and would consider the X Factor.

While we imagined Joe’s Mum being Bablake’s Mary Byrne, Mrs Lapworth revealed a number of secrets!

Mrs Lapworth: I’ve got at least three! I’ve met the Queen, I have been a Samaritan for several years and I am obsessed with running – I completed my first marathon this year.

As Mrs Barrett and Mrs Brett refused to reveal one and Mrs Riley claimed not to have any, Staff Editor Mr Woodward told us Mrs Brett is nicer to the pupils than she is to him when he is late with the register and rightly so! He also let slip Mrs Barrett has a very bizarre way of making her own tea! He could not imagine Mrs Riley was being anything other than totally truthful.

We have heard that one of you has been appointed the new Alumni Relations Officer.

Mrs O’Sullivan: Yes, I have. It’s a new role for Bablake and I am very much looking forward to meeting and developing links with former pupils. I have always enjoyed meeting parents and other visitors so I hope this continues with meeting former pupils. Mrs Mandy Grey has been appointed to take over from me in Reception. She knows the school well as her daughter Lauren was a former pupil and her son, Sam, is in the U6th.

Please let us know whom you would like to be featured in future issues.

18 enthusiastic young people, all studying a range of subjects and including a first, three pupils from mainland China, joined Bablake’s 6th Form – making it, at 154, our biggest L6th in recent memory.

James: The academic standard at Bablake is high.

However, staff and students are so supportive and this is a positive and fun place to study. I’m enjoying the whole experience.

Avin: I felt at home straight away and Bablake has so many great facilities, like the fitness suite and climbing wall.

Kerek: I feel that I have been at Bablake for ever. I slotted in straightaway and have made some really good friends.

I recommend Bablake to anyone that wants a great education in a friendly, action-packed environment.

Beth: I liked the atmosphere at Bablake when we came to the Introduction to the 6th Form evening and even quite enjoyed the interview I had to get into the 6th Form! Bablake’s a great environment to learn in and I’d recommend it.

Bhavini: It’s been easy to settle in as you are kept busy and everyone is friendly.

Evelyn: I’m really enjoying my time here. Everyone is so friendly and helpful – I love it!

Francis: I did wonder how easy it would be to fit in, but I settled in straightaway and have made some great friends.

Hannah: The teachers are so knowledgeable in their subjects and their enthusiasm is infectious. I’m really enjoying learning here, but I am also enjoying getting to know people and having a good time whilst learning. I would definitely recommend the 6th form.

Hattie: My twin sister was already studying here, so I knew a bit about Bablake, which helped, but all of us have found it easy to settle in. I love the variety of teaching styles. The staff are really passionate about their subjects and make you feel involved straight away. There are so many extra-curricular activities to get involved in – the only problem is you haven’t got time to do them all!

Hibo: I’m having a great time in Bablake’s 6th Form. I can’t pretend it’s easy, but staff are really helpful and so are other students, and I know I made the right decision to come here.

Jake: AS levels are not easy, but the staff at Bablake are really supportive and helpful and the social life is good!

Mahesh: Bablake offers so many opportunities for a good education, with great teaching and facilities. I’m glad I made this move.

Oliver: I am enjoying the variety of intellectual stimulation my range of subjects – Chemistry, Physics, History and Philosophy and Ethics – brings. I’ve already been on an inspiring school trip to Oxford University and have been involved in Debating. I use the School minibus to travel to Bablake which is another way to get to know people.

Rachel: I liked the facilities and the atmosphere when I came for a look round and I have made the right decision.

It’s been easy to settle in and get to know people with small teaching groups and a good pastoral system.

Sam: I arrived a little late, so was nervous as to how I would fit in. I need not have worried as I was made welcome and quickly caught up with lessons. The excellent staff at Bablake have encouraged me to study Further Maths and I am really enjoying the stretch and challenge.

Sapna: I settled in really quickly because of the support you get in your tutor group. We all went out for lunch recently which was great.

Sarah: Bablake is such a friendly place and as well as my academic studies I am getting involved in extra-curricular activities, and have been welcomed into the Hockey Team. (Sarah was a key member of our drama group who went to the Fringe.)

Sophie: I enjoy using the 6th Form Study Library as I can get a lot of work done. The staff are helpful and all the students have been so welcoming. www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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beyondtheclassroom

beyondtheclassroom

beyondthe classroom Edited by jonny lawrence and julia ryland Library News The pleasure of reading has never been more accessible. While the internet, texting, Blackberry messaging, magazines and newspapers offer much healthy material, the charms of a physical book are clearly still keenly devoured by Bablake’s pupils.

Author visits from Ann Evans and Mark Robson at the end of the Summer term were enthusiastically attended and record issues of novels were seen earlier in the year, with Lubnaa Khan and Shannon Hasan reading 73 and 164 books respectively. In the Flair section, Heena Pala, who regularly has book reviews printed in the local press, is featured.

Highlights Blood, Sweat and Treason 27 International Week 2010 28 World Challenge 33 Key Skills at Work 34 House Activities 42 Getting Involved 50

Miss Kate Ewart, Second in English, is introducing a ‘Power Readers’ programme next year, which will serve to promote this enrichment even more.

Mrs Julie Needham

Have a look online at www.bablake.com/extra_curricular.php to see the range of extra-curricular activity offered. Many of these activities have also been documented in our excellent termly newsletter, The Lion, which may be accessed via www.bablake. com/publications.php – you will be amazed at the variety of opportunities on offer.

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I

spent a mere four hours in the company of Henry Olonga, but in that time he left a considerable mark on me and influenced my future greatly. ‘One day,’ he told me, ‘someone will say to me: ‘Henry, what you did was wrong’. And when that day comes, I will accept that maybe I was wrong.’

Many people will remember the act which led Henry to become famous in 2003. Already the first black cricketer to play for Zimbabwe, Olonga was also the youngest player to represent his country when he made his debut in 1995, aged 18 years and 212 days.

Have you ever wondered how it would feel to have to flee your beloved home country followed only by death threats? For many of us, this will probably never be more than a conjecture, but for Henry it became a reality far too soon, when he made headline news at just 27 years old, for standing up for the human rights of his fellow citizens.

On 10th February 2003, during the Cricket World Cup, Olonga and team mate Andy Flower sported black armbands alongside their team colours.

Wearing them in mourning for the death of democracy in Zimbabwe, both men were admired and supported instantaneously by all those who wanted the end of Robert Mugabe’s reign of terror. Both men made clear their peaceful intentions, but were very soon receiving many threats to themselves, their families and their homes. Henry fled his nation and found asylum in Britain, where he has lived ever since. He works today as a singer, and his autobiography Blood, Sweat and Treason has recently been published.

He still enjoys non-competitive cricket and will soon be a father.

In the flesh, Henry is as remarkable and inspiring as the story he is known for. A committed Christian, he has escaped death three or four times, but remains unscathed and optimistic about the future. Eight years since the stance that almost cost him his life, Henry feels that he can finally stop looking over his shoulder, and can get on with his new life. However, he does not live in regret; in fact Henry continues to stand by the decision that carries the death penalty in Zimbabwe. He has said ‘We accomplished what we set out to do, and that was to focus the eyes of the world on the human rights issues in our country.’

Henry is renowned for being brave, committed and talented but he was down to earth, encouraging and completely modest. He taught me to stand up for my faith and be a better Christian. He pushed me to love and appreciate my music. But most of all, he taught me with his story never to give up, and to stand up for what I believe in.

Personally, I can’t think of anyone who would tell this phenomenal man that he was anything but absolutely right.

Beth Rowland’s entry for Amnesty International and The Guardian’s Young Human Rights Reporter of the Year was shortlisted in a broad age category as one of the 10 best entries from across the UK. She wrote about the impact of meeting Mr Henry Olonga, during our International Week

Blood, Sweat and Treason

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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beyondtheclassroom

International Week 2010

beyondtheclassroom

The 2010 International week was, without doubt, Bablake’s best yet as pupils, parents and staff celebrated the wonderfully rich culture of our community. The week began with a visit from Lady Godiva and her international sisters and a talk, concert and book signing by former Zimbabwean cricketer, Henry Olonga. The momentum grew through the week – a wonderful array of African animals fascinated all ages, and yes, the Meerkats totally stole the show!

The Indonesian Gamelan Ensemble’s professionalism stood out, while workshops in African drumming and dancing were fully embraced. Rebecca Stephens’ account of her amazing ascent of Mount Everest – as the first woman to complete a challenge that had claimed lives – gripped the 6th Form who marvelled at her bravery in the same way that they had admired the stand and principles of Henry Olonga.

A fine feast of foods from round the world in many dishes was the perfect end to the week after a tremendous concert celebrating world music. It will take some planning to outdo 2010’s International Week but Bablake always rises to such challenges.

Protest Endurance Reptiles Song...

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homeandaway Pupils travelled across the UK once again for sport, academic challenge (field trips) and extra-curricular activity (CCF, Duke of Edinburgh etc). Much has been written in The Lion and online about these, so we focus on just two of them...

homeandaway ‘This visit really brought alive my work in the classroom’

Home...

Beth Shalom

Black Country

3rd Year pupils and 5th Formers studying Judaism for GCSE Religious Studies continued our link with Beth Shalom, the Holocaust Centre. The grounds, the museum and the talks from survivors, as always, had a poignancy for everyone that prompted so much discussion in school classes as well as conversation around school and the family tables.

As part of an exciting cross-curricular project, our Shell pupils once again visited the Black Country Living Museum, where everything is carefully reconstructed to preserve the character of the region when its manufacturers brought worldwide fame to Black Country towns.

Whether in the underground mines, on a tram or canal ride, in authentic shops or houses, our pupils enjoyed meeting and talking to the costumed characters. After a trip to the local school, all of them even confirmed they were entirely fine returning to their 21st century education at Bablake. Many pupils will return with their families – they may even find one member of the Careers Department is still in the Fish and Chip shop.

For more information, go online at www.holocaustcentre.net

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www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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homeandaway

...and away!

World

Challenge

Coral Billingham and Bethany Gaunt report on their trip to Mexico and Belize, Bablake’s first ever World Challenge expedition.

A

Destination... the world!

From our Shells all the way through to the 6th Form, there were more opportunities than ever to travel beyond the UK... to Fousseau, Belgium, Berlin, Madrid, Greece, Prague, Sugarloaf Mountain and back. We offer a photographic selection.

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fter two years of meticulous planning and innovative fundraising, we jetted off to Mexico, as intrepid explorers, for three weeks of both work and play. Mr Mohamed and Daun Ferguson (World Challenge) travelled with us, mistaken by other backpackers as parents of a huge, if at times, rather dysfunctional family of 14 teenagers. We began our journey in Mexico City spending three days soaking up the rich culture and visiting the ruins of Teotihuacan and we climbed the majestic pyramids in the city of the Gods. After resting our aching calves we travelled to the beautiful cactus reserve for our acclimatisation trek. Once we had climbed this very steep hill to reach the top, we had an amazing panoramic view of miles of rolling hills bristling with cacti. Our guide Maurino even prepared some extremely tasty fresh cactus for us to eat.

Now feeling fully adjusted to the Mexican way of life, it was time to get stuck into our community project in Oaxaca, which involved spending five days working with a local primary school to build a clay bread oven that will be used to bake healthy meals for the village.

Our afternoons during the project phase were spent working on a farm for Pablo, a pioneer in permaculture farming, so we were planting trees and aloe vera, weeding, and harvesting in the fields. The end of our project was marked by a baking workshop where we shared our recipes with each other and of course ate the fruits of our labour together. Unfortunately we had to move on and so, after a tearful farewell, we left Pablo and the village, en route for Belize.

We stopped at the beautiful, incredible waterfalls of Agua Azul and Misol Ha; some of us even swam in the pools below. We also visited the Palenque ruins and had our first taste of the humidity of the jungle and the jungle rain. We started our trek from Monkey Bay and this is when the fun really began. We walked the first day at record speed, reaching the cave campsite in time for lunch and spent the afternoon playing in the stream nearby.

But after a night of torrential rain, the ground was heavily saturated and even the ‘dry routes’ looked more like lakes than paths, so we spent the majority of this day pushing our packs in front of us while swimming fully clothed through these muddy swamps.

Spirits were high and we were all enjoying pretending to be Indiana Jones for the day. When we finally reached the river however, we could not cross it due to flash floods. Subsequently we spent two days sitting under a leaky tarpaulin using walking poles to hold up our shelter while waiting to be rescued.

Fortunately not only the Belizean Disaster and Rescue Response Team, but also the British army and some helpful Amish men, who lived nearby, came to our rescue. After being safely helped across the river, we then waded out of the jungle through waist deep muddy water. We finally reached Monkey Bay and were very grateful to find a shower and a real bed to sleep in.

This brought us to our relaxation phase – a couple of days of well-earned rest in Caye Caulker, where we spent our remaining dollars on an amazing snorkelling trip. Unfortunately it was time to leave the manatee, white sands and warm sea, so we packed our rucksacks for the final time and headed to the airport; in our true style, we nearly missed our plane having to sprint to the gate to make it!

The expedition was an incredible opportunity to explore different countries and have amazing experiences; our thanks go to Mr Mohamed and Daun for taking such good care of us.

On expedition we had to plan and budget for transport, day trips, food and accommodation; this has given us all great confidence for travelling in the future.

Misol Ha waterfalls. Photo by Kauderwelsch

‘We have incredible opportunities to explore different countries and cultures’

homeandaway

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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businessandenterprisezone

businessandenterprisezone

Key Skills

at Work

Thanks, in part, to programmes like The Apprentice, Dragons’ Den, The Secret Millionaire and others, there has never been more interest in owning your own business amongst young people.

The taste for business was certainly alive when, at the invitation of Head of 4th Year Mrs Sue Smith, local entrepreneurs Mr Dave Routh and his colleague Mrs Catherine Kelso, both part of the DMR Business in Schools Network, led a brilliant Key Skills day.

The following areas were all expertly covered: group communication, marketing (with an especial view to logos), job applications, interview technique, making a profit as a team, developing enterprise, team organisation, practical problem-solving and much more.

There was much healthy rivalry and impressive general eagerness to win the individual tasks but the real value of the day’s programme was summed up by Mr Routh: ‘The day has been all about the core skills needed for university study, starting your own business or taking on an apprenticeship. We have been working to deadlines, stressing the importance of communication skills, concentrating on teamwork and dealing with problemsolving... all with a smile on our faces!’

‘The day has been all about the core skills needed for university study, starting your own business or taking an apprenticeship’

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businessandenterprisezone

businessandenterprisezone

Young

Enterprise

With limited funding available, the L6th teams had to fight in Dragons’ Den style for the much coveted opportunity to represent Bablake in the national Young Enterprise scheme.

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The year was full of budding entrepreneurs and ideas ranged from Christmas cards and framed artwork through to children’s cookbooks. The winning team – ‘The Bunting Company’– made high quality material bunting tailored for different occasions.

The teams that did not win a place on the scheme, were not deterred and were well represented at the Christmas Fayre, making money from their ventures. This event also saw enterprising 3rd year pupils Rubi Ingaglia and Sophie Zgraja succeed with their Recipe cards.

Individual 6th Formers impressed in work placements they had arranged. Amongst these, Alex Clarke stood out since she was awarded a national award for her work with Progressive Educational Tools: the Ron Neal Annual award for Enterprise and Opportunity.

Ross Wilford, who spent time at Next head office, said: ‘I was based in Men’s tailoring, but visited many other parts of the company. One highlight was a visit to a wool mill and fabric finishers in Yorkshire which, after a fascinating tour, concluded with lunch with the owners and a discussion about future fabrics. I also spent time in the Press Room and the Directory department. It was an inspiring week, seeing exactly how much work goes into placing a product in store. As a consumer, you don’t realise how much time, effort and coordination are needed. I was also involved in choosing some fabric colours for jackets and, as a potential customer, people were genuinely interested in my views.’

‘It was an inspiring week, seeing how exactly how much work goes into placing a product in a store’

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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Bablakecharity

Bablakecharity

Charity report charitable action from information provided by charity coordinator mrs alyson heath

‘Feeling proud? You should do!

You are fundraising superstars!’ mrs alyson heath

As usual Bablake rose to a variety of challenges on the charity front, proving it is not just about giving money to charity but also giving our time, belongings and effort.

F

or example, in school a number of our 4th and L6th pupils were trained to act as Peer Supporters, while an exciting project outside school was our new CSV partnership with RNIB Pears.

We began the year raising over £2000 for Warwickshire and Northampton Air Ambulance. Miss Rana Blattner and Mr Simon Enstone ran the London Marathon – an amazing achievement, especially since when they enrolled Miss Blattner had never run a road race over 5km. Hours and hours of training in the Bablake gym and local streets, as well as various half and full marathons in preparation really did pay off with a fantastic sum raised: over £3000.

As you will see on page 41, a dirty dozen and more male staff – including Mr Enstone, surely our champion fundraiser for 2010-11, grew moustaches for Movember and raised almost £3000 too. 6th form pupil Rachel Claringbull raised £742 for St Basils, creating awareness of the plight of the homeless, sleeping out in a cardboard box in Birmingham on one of the coldest nights in chilly December.

The school really came up trumps for Comic Relief Red Nose Day, raising money by skipping in dressing gowns, dressing up in all sorts of costumes, playing netball, paying fines, washing cars, selling cakes, managing to stay silent and eating vast numbers of chocolate fingers! This money supports young carers, victims of domestic violence and mental health support in this country and goes towards providing mosquito nets, rapid testing kits for malaria, drugs to treat malaria and emergency food supplies for families who have absolutely nothing in Africa.

We supported our two guide dog puppies and Children in Need. Foreign currency was collected for charity. We sold poppies for the British Legion, raised money for victims of the Pakistan floods who lost their homes and possessions and once again former Science technician Mrs Val Bryan knitted hundreds of Easter chicks for Acorns Hospice.

The staff and 6th form supported the Macmillan Biggest Coffee Morning. As always we delivered Harvest festival boxes to our local Senior Citizens and gathered groceries for drop-in centres for the homeless in Coventry.

A delightful array of produce from our River Cottage garden gained weekly donations and a local organic greengrocer sold a few trays of the summer ‘fruits’. This year we also raised the equivalent of an extra £4,000 through giving items of clothing, toys and books to Cancer Research.

Total raised £19,504.31 Some of the major contributions included:

£3000 Macmillan Cancer Relief £2750 Movember (Prostate Cancer) £2100 Comic Relief Red Nose Day £2000 Warwickshire and Northampton Air Ambulance £777 Macmillan World’s Biggest Coffee Morning £742 St Basils Charity £650 Zimbabwean orphanages, supported by Henry Olonga

£600 British Red Cross (supporting earthquake victims in Brazil, Japan and New Zealand, and homeless in Libya)

£500 NSPCC

£300 British Heart Foundation 38

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Bablakecharity

Bablakecharity

A link we established with RNIB Pears Centre was a rewarding and challenging new aspect of CSV this year, one both staff and pupils found humbling, emotional and extremely rewarding.

Community Service Volunteers and the RNIB Pears Centre

A

small group of 6th formers worked with pupils who are blind or visually impaired and with profound multiple learning difficulties.

Money raised in our weekly charity collection was used to purchase two ‘adapted trikes’ specifically designed for children that are visually impaired. Assistant Headteacher, Mr Jim Burns, who together with U6th pupils Eleanor Jones and Naomi Smith, presented the trikes to the centre, said: ‘The staff and students at the school have made a lasting impression on us. We hope that they will benefit from these trikes for many years to come.’

Miss Mandie Parr, Head of 6th Form Development at the RNIB Pears Centre, commented: ‘We are extremely grateful to the pupils at Bablake for their wonderful gift. Our new premises will have an exercise area in which these trikes will provide great fun and exercise for our young people.’

We look forward to continuing working with the RNIB Pears Centre staff and pupils for many years and wish the centre well with ongoing redevelopment that is due to be completed in 2012 .

‘We are extremely grateful to the pupils at Bablake for their wonderful gift’ miss mandie parr

Movember A brave bunch of male staff, a Baker’s Dozen or so, urged on by honorary Mo Sista Mrs Alyson Heath, had the guts to grow a moustache for Movember – a worldwide campaign every November which raises money and awareness for prostate cancer.

As their faces grew hairier and the Headmaster had to explain at key Open Sessions with prospective new parents why so many of his staff were unshaven auditionees for either a remake of Easy Rider or the chance to join a rumoured Village People reunion tour, the sponsor money rolled in and over £3000 was raised.

For many the month was also a cheeky chance to pay homage to legendary ‘Master of the Mo’, Maths teacher Mr John Drury!

CSV Background Bablake has a long tradition of involvement in the local community and serving the people of our area in various ways. Our very successful Community Service Programme, known as CSV (Community Service Volunteers), is one part of this.

Almost every Bablake pupil leaves school having performed some aspect of Community Service, whether actively as part of the Wednesday CSV programme or helping at the Christmas and Summer parties for local elderly residents or through privately arranged voluntary placements and the service element of the Duke of Edinburgh award.

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houseactivities

houseactivities

Bayley Mr Jeremy Hobday

House activities

2010/11

through the words of the House Heads

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the wheatleyan 2010/11

House officials Staff Mr Jeremy Hobday Miss Lynsey Cheffings Captains Rory Moynihan Sophie Tumber

Bayley have been led admirably by Rory Moynihan and Sophie Tumber this year and both have always used their areas of expertise to help the House be well represented. Rory supported all the sporting events and Sophie played a key role in preparing us for the House Music Festival. The latter was a huge success and we performed both professionally and expertly, while also certainly looking the part. Rightly so, there are no prizes for the House festivals, but we can be very proud of our involvement.

There were well over 50 House events during the year and although Bayley finished 4th in the overall House Trophy standings, just three points separated three of the Houses in the final table. We grew in strength as the year passed, doing particularly well in ‘Ready Steady Cook’ and Rounders. Maybe 2011-12 will be our year!

Bayley will miss Mr Robin Smith as he retires, especially as he helped so much in the past with the Drama and Music festivals and gave so much encouragement to everyone in the House.

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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houseactivities

houseactivities

Crow Mrs lorainne alexander

‘A sunny day spent with enthusiastic Crow pupils is never a bad day’

House officials Staff Mrs Lorainne Alexander Mr Clive Mohamed Mr John Pease Captains Olivia Battle-Welch Alex Popplewell 44

the wheatleyan 2010/11

Mr Mohamed steered the troops through the Autumn’s gruelling timetable: Scrabble, basketball matches, evening chess tournaments, quizzes, hockey and more! There were notable successes too. Our Shell boys, Scrabble winners, are clearly a well educated lot, with the brawn to win the basketball. The 3rds won girls’ swimming and boys’ football, prompting senior victories in basketball and girls’ and boys’ badminton competitions. However, our chess stranglehold, sadly, ended. Yet again, despite possibly the best hockey team on paper, the seniors’ failed to deliver!

Will Crow ever correct this?!

My return was a shock to my system but it was great to be back at the helm! The intermediate girls shone, winning netball and badminton, while the 5th form won the table tennis, with a week to spare.

At the House Music Festival, we witnessed the true spirit and talent of Crow – something I will truly miss next year! With the diverse talent of Anu Bose, Hannah Elsy,

Bradley Gill and Lara Morley-White, to name a few, Crow’s musical offering was a joy to watch. But our House system has always been about team spirit, getting involved and having a go, never more in evidence than when the prefects et al took to the stage for the ‘Grease Megamix.’

Memories of Ben Stansfield flinging his jacket across the stage due to ‘electrifying chills’ and Will Thornhill kneesliding through the crowd yelling ‘Greased Lighting’ will remain! Great fun – a real showstopper!

Jonine Bains and Katie Wainhouse, who have dominated House tennis, lost a match – unheard of!

They are already itching for next year to reassert their dominance! The relatively new and popular Open Spelling Bee was a success for Ananya Nair and Marcus Judge. So too was the Ready Steady Cook competition, now a firm favourite in the House calendar, with all years picking up much needed Championship points. My highlight? Jess Betts and Katie Carlson’s tiramisu biscotti, the 4th year

winning dish. It really was the best dish by any year group, in any House, ever! Biased? Perhaps, but you didn’t taste their dessert!

The final big event is always Sports Day. A sunny day spent with enthusiastic Crow pupils is never a bad day!

Again our spirit was very evident as students stood in for injured or absent colleagues, trying events they were not confident in... for the House. What more could I ask?

Fairfax were declared winners of Sports Day and the 2010-11 House Championship, a very fitting tribute to ‘Mr Fairfax,’ Mr Martin Rhodes, who personifies the Bablake House System. I have enjoyed locking horns with him and learned an incredible amount from him. House meetings without him will not be the same.

As I swap one ‘baby’ for more time with another, my own daughter, I wish Mrs Webley well and thank Crow house for making my time in charge so enjoyable and extremely rewarding. www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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houseactivities

houseactivities

Fairfax Mr martin rhodes

‘...we had definitely done enough to confirm top spot for the overall 201011 House Trophy Knockout.

Well done indeed!’

House officials Staff Mr Martin Rhodes Mrs Nicola Green Captains Caitlin Edwards Chris Starkey

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We had a remarkably successful Autumn term. Jack Butler and Georgie Owen were top scorers in the House Olympics and inspired both the girls and boys to victory.

We had more than our fair share of success in the first term and it was encouraging to see the 4th year basketball team and Aaron Tang from the Shells waiting in the wings to regain the hold we used to have over the senior competition.

Matthias De Veer excelled in the intermediate quiz win, while Daniel Rowlands and Will Sibley finally provided Fairfax with that elusive chess win. Our seniors were doing us proud for there were excellent winning performances from the girls in hockey and netball and both the boys and girls won the badminton. Fairfax was definitely storming along!

2011 arrived and not even the realisation that there were only 70 days left before House Music swayed the House from its pursuit of the House trophy. It was time

for the juniors to step up! There was a win for the 2nd years as table tennis returned, while the boys and girls won the junior badminton and the Shell and 2nd year girls triumphed in hockey. 6 wins in 11 events was some start to the year!

House captain Chris Starkey did a splendid job directing our House Music contribution, gently encouraging and patiently organising already busy individuals. The final outcome was a high quality performance enjoyed by everyone. The L6th enhanced their ascension to roles as House officials for 2011-12, but the bravery and talent of our young soloists, Simeon BlakeHall, Charlotte Loasby and Lydia Turner, were impressive.

The Rowland Stones – Beth, Helen and Will – offered an excellent family first and the whole cast performances of We will rock you and Don’t stop believin’ were excellent.

Ready Steady Cook is a Fairfax favourite but never a particular strength and so it proved this year too. In fact,

after the success of the Spring term, a second place here and there was all we could muster before the final event of the year: Sports day! We needed our top form to return.

We are never usually prolific winners of individual events but the number of ‘nearly won it’ moments begin to add up. This year, Matt Bird, Harvey Burke, Megan Evans, Rachel Faulkner, Rob Faulkner, Chris Green, Liam Meecham, Courtney Moffitt, James Moffitt, Will Rowland, Beth Shaw, Keisha Simms, Becky Timms, Ruth Truslove, Lydia Turner, Chris Tuttle and Daisy Williams were among those who excelled.

Since the Shells were runners up and we nabbed top spots for the 2nds and 4ths, we might have expected to win the Athletics championship. However, we were a close second. For a change, it mattered less than before since we had definitely done enough to confirm top spot for the overall 2010-11 House Trophy. Knockout! Well done indeed! www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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houseactivities

houseactivities

Wheatley Miss jayne simmons

House officials Staff Mr Paul Shelley Miss Jayne Simmons Captains Eleanor Jones Chuka Ogbuneke Millie Ross (emerita) 48

the wheatleyan 2010/11

This was a good year for Wheatley. We had a great turnout of pupils throughout the year, participating in a huge range of events from chess and Ready Steady Cook to rugby, netball and swimming. We were even more competitive than usual as it was our goal to retain the House Cup. Although we didn’t retain the trophy, there was a lot of fun and many new experiences over a thoroughly enjoyable year.

Areas of particular success were our outstanding senior quiz team who stormed to a conclusive victory against all other houses and our Shell spelling team, who went on to make up half of the school team in external competitions. On the sports field, we had exciting victories in both Shell and 4th year football, as well as both 3rd and 4th year rounders. Sports Day was great fun with everyone participating to gain us no last places for any year group and our 3rd years enjoyed a win.

The big event of the year was the House Music festival. After weeks of hard work, we presented a wide range of musical acts, ranging from a lively Shrek medley and Timewarp to some fantastic classical pieces and a beautiful duet from Moulin Rouge performed by Rory Dulku and Lydia Russell. This event was my highlight of the year; seeing the 6th form producers working alongside the younger students seemed to sum up excellently what the House system is all about.

The year ended with a big goodbye to our very popular House Head, Mr Shelley and a welcome to Mr Atwal as assistant House head.

‘We were even more competitive than usual as it was our goal to retain the House Cup’

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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extracurricularview

extracurricularview Bablake Unplugged – Enrichment

Combined Cadet Force

English Civil War

Amnesty

Gettinginvolved!

Chinese delegation visits Bablake weather station

Engineering Education Scheme

There is a club for everyone at Bablake and if there isn’t, someone will start one!

These photographs give a breathless view of how much can be enjoyed.

River Cottage

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Student panel at CRAC Conference with NUS President

Conservation

Ellen MacArthur Project ReDesign

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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flair

review

In my view...

At her own instigation, voracious young reader Heena Pala, a promising young journalist, has been regularly reviewing novels for our local press. It is a difficult task to write such concise and informative reviews but Shell Form pupil Heena definitely has the knack and is building a fantastic portfolio for her future. Here are her reviews of Ann Evans’ The Beast trilogy.

The Beast

flair

Rating: 10/10 The Beast is a fantastic book based on Amanda who goes on a holiday to Endrith Valley with her family. She begins to see what looks like a reflection. After a few days, she begins to make out the shape of an animal.

Disappointingly, her family do not believe her. She soon finds that this is the ghost of a sabre-toothed tiger called Karbel. Amanda’s brother, Grant, looks like the man who killed Karbel. Karbel gathers strength to become mortal again so that he can kill Grant to get revenge. If you want to unravel the rest of the story, you must read this book.

The Beast is a great read as it is the kind of novel that you just don’t want to put down! It’s full of suspense; I thoroughly enjoyed every page!

Georgia’s brilliant photograph will form a key part of her A2 Art coursework.

Of course, it would also be a pleasure to post other people’s best creative work (poems, stories, drawings, photographs) in future editions of Flair.

georgia edmiston and hattie ryland (art, design and textiles)

Highlights

Creative Writing 54 Art Gallery 60 Photography 64 On the Catwalk 66 the wheatleyan 2010/11

Rampage

The Reawakening is a marvellous book about a ghost-busting team that sets off to find evidence of supernatural presences from a pre-historic battle that took place in Endrith Valley. On this mission, Len Moran and Andrew Glenn (members of the team) bring their children, Beth Moran and Daniel Glenn, along with Daniel’s puppy, Scooby.

As well as the battle, the team is also in search of a sabre-toothed tiger ghost (called Karbel) that is said to have stalked and attacked two children last summer.

In this review, I have only described part of the story.

If you want to discover the rest of it, this book is a mustread! My favourite part was when Karbel hovers around Daniel and Beth’s tent as it makes my heart beat faster than ever! I think Ann Evans has done a brilliant job in writing this book.

Rampage is the last book in The Beast trilogy. It’s about Jack McDonald who is very excited to be going to help his dad at work. His dad works as a palaeontologist, studying other life forms. The professor and his team are working on digging up the bones of a 10-12,000 year-old woolly mammoth. While they’re on the dig, the ground shakes, mysteriously.

While Jack and his friend, Cameron, are discovering in the forest, they come across a weird red aura. They soon find that this is in fact the ghost of the mammoth that his dad is digging up the bones of. Join Karbel, the Beast, and the mammoth in the final battle…

I really enjoyed this book, but it is a book that takes a lot of thinking, so you need to be in a ‘clued-in’ mood to read it! The final battle between two manifested ghosts makes your spine tingle. The wonderful way the author has given so many intricate details turns your stomach upside down.

All of these books have an age range of 11+ and are published by Osborne.

Rating: 10/10

Edited by kim Jamison and Laura weaver (literature)

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The Reawakening

Rating: 9/10

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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creativewriting

creativewriting

MyEnd

catherine langton (4e)

I

wiped the blood off my knee as I picked my way down the gloomy, dismal alleyway. Streetlights were towering above me, casting an eerie light which reflected off the shiny, damp cobbles. I was finally starting to regain my breath as I took deep refreshing gulps.

My irregular footsteps echoed, bouncing off the tall houses which looked as though they were leaning in to hear the sounds of the street.

It was not day or night and the soft pink sky was being choked by the thick dense smog which stretched above the city.

The street was lifeless.

My clothes, which were ripped and dirty, did nothing to protect me from the harsh chilling wind which swept through the houses. My legs ached from running and blood oozed from a gash on my knee, meandering crimson down my calf.

The houses were uninhabited.

The once white net curtains hung limply, yellowing behind the dirty windows. Cobwebs hung off the rotten, wooden porches which glimmered when the moonlight hit the droplets of water, caught in its complex maze.

The street used to be comforting to me. As a child I used to skip back and forth surrounded by content and animated children. But that was back then, back before the incident.

As I got closer to my old house, I realised that something was wrong.

The old wooden door was in splinters, hanging limply in its frail frame.

A sudden gust of wind threw the door open and it thumped against the aged, peeling wallpaper in the hall. They had come for me. I choked with fear.

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The wind started to howl.

A storm was coming. Dark, menacing clouds started to engulf the luminous moon and the sky became an inky shade of black. I stepped into the hallway. A chilling sensation ran down my spine. I heard footsteps above me, creaking across the floorboards.

He was pacing, waiting for me to come. I tried to turn but my legs felt paralysed. I listened anxiously to the footsteps above my head.

Where could I run to?

Everywhere I considered to be safe had been invaded. They follow my every move. I was sick of the constant cat and mouse chase. I started to climb the stairs. My shaking hand hovered over the smooth, wooden banister. Each step filled me with more and more fear.

I reached the top and looked around at my old bedroom. Grey and dusty cloth sheets covered the furniture of the once grand room, casting strange elongated shadows across the rough wooden floorboards. The curtains were drawn back and the watery moon peered through the dirty window, giving the room a luminous glow. My old belongings were scattered across the floor. We did not have enough time to take them with us when we fled all those years ago.

I scanned the room. Where was he? My attention was drawn to the warm, dark crimson which was dripping off the wall. My stomach started to churn. I squinted, trying to make out the illegible symbols. I took a step towards them, tracing the shapes with a shaking hand. The blood dripped onto my palm, it was still warm. His message became clear to me. YOUR TURN!

I screamed. My heart started to thump but my blood was frozen in my veins. Terror flashed across my face as I tried to turn, but I was grabbed from behind, my arms twisted into an impossible position.

I tried to fight but he was too strong.

I could smell the familiar, musty smell that had haunted me for so long. A cold, hard blade was pressed to my throat. I gasped, taking a final breath as the blade pierced the top layer of my warm skin. A trickle of blood dripped down my throat. He craned his neck, his mouth only centimetres away from my ear.

‘Remember me?’ he spat from behind his clenched rotting teeth; his stale breath filled my nostrils, and the smell was overwhelming. This was it.

This was my end.

My Sonnet on Love jacob fletcher (2A)

The Election kimberly jamison (L6MO) The big black box Watched over the proceedings.

It all came down to then, After months of meetings, Promises, slogans, Posters and campaigns.

It all came down to then, Some boxes and some names.

With hearts on sleeves, The candidates pleaded That they were the ones That the voters needed.

First timers shivered With pure anticipation, After being urged for weeks For their participation.

The older ones smiled.

They had done this before.

They knew the drill.

They knew the score.

But all were proud, They finally had their say.

Though it didn’t matter in the end, It was rigged anyway.

This was a democracy, Authority played fair.

You could have any candidate As long as it was theirs.

Love, enough to bring grown men to their knees.

A woman is sweet, like honey from bees.

She’ll reach into his heart, and cause a disease, She’ll fool him, appal him, his love won’t cease.

If he should reach through the walls of her heart, He’ll carve his name in there, deep, like art.

She’ll keep thoughts inside her, deep in her brain, Enough to make her scream, it’s sharp like pain.

The urge, ‘Just tell’, is driving her insane.

It’s definitely there, that point is plain.

Yet though both want to tell, neither will kneel, It’s true that they say love is an art, Sometimes the edges and corners will peel, But it’s clear that you need to open your heart.

Winter rory kenney-herbert (2A) When the last leaves of autumn tumble down, And the autumn days are gone for the year, All that is left has fallen to the ground.

The seasons continue on their sphere, Of shaping the landscape each and every year.

From the heart of Mother Nature’s cold stare, The chill after autumn comes to cause fear.

Its cold teeth come out of its mouth to bear Down on the unsuspecting, waiting Earth.

As its fangs close in on the blue planet, Its cleverer inhabitants rehearse Their battle plan for survival, and wait.

Winter closes in on the whole world, As the first chills are waiting to be heard.

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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creativewriting

poetry masterclass

A2 art coursework

In Mrs Macara’s class

In Mrs Stanley’s class

daniel cox (shell c)

vikesh puri (Shell c)

I’ve moved up and skipped a year.

This is a new world to me.

The minibeasts crawl over my brain.

Six legs and a shell.

The T-shirt design.

The ladybirds on my chest.

Onto break, a playground of imagination.

The demon on our tail, the bell.

In her classroom, full of joy, No one shouts or complains, For in her classroom she deploys Her happiness, no shame.

A wall full of colour, brightness and shine, Although for days we wrote, line after line, And as the day draws to a close, I love the classroom because I know it’s mine.

Galimoto, the cars we made.

Wire, board, string and friends.

Together, they form a being of steel.

The fear of failing in our hearts, we raced.

As we flew the streets, The streets of school.

Like an F1 driver.

Rattling over the shore.

Nowhere, nowhere you couldn’t find silence.

Whispering and laughter, Like a driver winning his driving licence.

As the bell sounded we strode outside, Like monkeys in banana trees, We had nothing to hide, THEN.

The plains of Africa like a paper.

The settlements spread like ink.

They roam the plains and put it to work.

They are the Maasai.

We became the Maasai travelling the whiteboard.

We guarded cattle and built a house.

We were warriors, defending the life.

Then we taught others our ways.

The end of the year, Frightening. The light of hope.

The darkness of leaving.

I loved you, you were the best.

Sagar and me, we were the best of friends.

I send my love.

I send it in the poem.

I want to come back!

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A2

flair

Soon the friendships crumbled then were crushed, Like a cookie crumbling in your mouth, Falling outs and fighting talk, Now I was seeing the dark side of life.

Though all these things were putting you down, The smile of Mrs Stanley would take away your frown, At the end of the day you would leave with a smile, No one can hurt you, well, at least for a while.

Many times friendships passed and came to a close, As leaving school was now upon us, Despair, hate but also fun and laughter.

Dol Y Moch a beautiful sight, Sliding down waterfalls and getting a fright, O those good old days they were great, But now they are disappearing into a mysterious state.

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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artgallery

artgallery

spell binding Artist and printmaker Sarah Kirby, who also lectures at De Montfort University, led a two day workshop on bookbinding with our 6th Form Art pupils. Sarah, whose own excellent prints concentrate on birds, gardens and buildings, taught the group how to create a simple book with a standard thread before showing how to create and bind sketchbooks with Western and Eastern bindings.

After creating a series of small books, the group was shown how to create a large sketchbook which they were able to use for their impressive portfolios.

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Here we feature other highlights from the Art department’s year: life-drawing classes, our annual exhibition and exam class excursions.

artyhighs

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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artgallery

Art gallery

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artgallery Some of the best work from our 2010-11 public examination Art candidates

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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designtech

designtech design technology

workshops Once again, the work produced by our pupils, especially our examination candidates, showed increasing invention and advanced technical skills. From the largest children’s wooden climbing frame a Bablake workshop could accommodate, all the way through to more compact boxes, the artistry of our pupils was exceptional and it was no surprise two more GCSE pupils won prestigious Arkwright scholarships.

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www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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photography

photography

Photographic excellence from current Bablake pupils

Rachel Claringbull Rachel’s multi-layered images were post processed from her original photographs and presented as part of her AS Art coursework.

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Scott Morgan Scott is a talented photographer with an excellent eye for composition and a keen interest in Landscape photography.

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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fashion

fashion

on the Catwalk...............................

In the year when Erin Hushon, Eve Kershaw (5ths) and Chanel Blackburn (4th year) won the Mud Candy/Seventh Seal Denim competition, there were two Fashion Shows: a fundraiser for the mixed Singapore and Malaysia hockey tour and then a charity show, immaculately organised by Rebecca Appleton and the L6th, for Fairtrade.

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www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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events

events

Crystal Ball A pictorial record of the evening held at Bablake which was arranged by our U6th for the enjoyment of our 5th year pupils.

Leavers’ Ball A pictorial record of the evening enjoyed by our U6th pupils. Formal photographs by Richard Smith (2000 – 07) from www.ras-photography.co.uk

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www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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happysnapping

performingarts

performing arts Edited by hannah elsy and emma fairclough

These pictures of the Bablake campus were all taken with the Hipstamatic iPhone app.

The Hipstamatic for iPhone is an application that brings back the look, feel, unpredictable beauty, and fun of plastic toy cameras from the past.

Digital photography never looked so analog!

‘Presentation skills and a professional approach are highly important in adult life, hence why experience in the most judgemental of disciplines, the Performing Arts, usefully adds value to future employability. Performance skills are important in cultivating faith in your own ideas and having the confidence to persuade the sceptical.

For Bablake pupils to achieve this, the importance of Bablake’s EDM theatre must not be underestimated. The Drama and Music departments determine not to let any talent slip through their net, thus the rich array of performances we have seen in the past year. The breadth and diversity of performance skills our astounding: ranging from Anu Bose playing the Indian Drums, to Bradley Gill’s pitch-perfect voice and to the eloquence of the troupe performing two Shakespeare plays.

Thank you to the creativity and continual commitment of Mr Prescott, Mr Crompton and their departments. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to perform in my first-ever musical and being patient with my singing!’

Highlights Cabaret 72 Shakespearean Challenge 76 The Musical Year 77 Sound of the Seasons 80 Sounds Amazing 82

Hannah Elsy

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www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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onstage

onstage

Hannah Elsy interviewed Theatre Technician Mr Malcolm Wyatt about his view of this year’s main production, the musical Cabaret, that involved over 70 pupils, a couple of whom were commuting between crucial Oxford interviews. Former pupil Josh Sood very kindly returned again and again for rehearsals, to assist the musical direction of the play.

What was most enjoyable about your experience in Cabaret?

It was interacting with the students. Having ideas flying left, right and centre, is great. There’s a real feeling of making something from nothing.

Are there any specific moments in the rehearsal process when your contributions were particularly important?

When the cast entered the theatre and saw a new piece of set they hadn’t seen before. When the mini-stage went up, there was a realisation of the imminence of the performance. The theatre became a Cabaret club and the whole cast became inhabitants of 1930s Berlin.

Cabaret

A View from the Box

‘Having ideas flying left, right and centre, is great. There’s a real feeling of making something from nothing’

How did you find choreographing the boys in the stage combat ‘fight’ scene?

It was my first instance of a direct teaching role and has inspired me so much that I want to pursue a career path related to teaching. I’m starting a 6th Form Stage Combat enrichment and doing a training course specifically on theatre tech. I identify with those who want to get involved in theatre but do not want to act.

What was your favourite moment in Cabaret?

The ending was unexpected for those who’d seen Cabaret on film or stage before as our version saw the MC being frogmarched away as a suspected homosexual by two Nazis. It immediately sparked discussion about the nature of the Nazis, in Front of House.

Who designed the set?

Mr Prescott drew up the plans, but its building was carried out by his dogsbodies – Mr West and me! I’d like to say thank you to other members of my technical team, James Kirkman, Catherine Langford and Julia Ryland.

Is Cabaret now one of your favourite musicals?

It is. I hadn’t seen the show or the film before, and I did a lot of research into the differences between the two.

I prefer the play, because the theatrical environment gives the audience a sensation that they are actually in the Kit Kat club, which is not achieved in the film. I also don’t like American Liza as Sally Bowles!

It’s often said that the technical rehearsal is the nadir of a production. As a tech guy, do you find that offensive?

This is why I ensure that I’m at every rehearsal, so I can get a general feel for the play, and can map the lighting and sound as an ongoing process. Hence, when it comes to the technical rehearsal, you don’t have an awful night that goes on until midnight as the play has to be stopped and started to brainstorm ideas.

Who was your favourite character in our production?

Ernst Ludvig, played by Toby Stevens. He was remarkable – one of the nicest guys in the school turned into a villain! He was so subtle: understated, always in the background, but dangerous.

You designed the poster. Would you change it?

We thought about surrounding the MC with the Kit Kat Club girls to portray the feel of the Kit Kat club. However, the subtlety of the faint swastika in the eye portrayed the sinister message of the play.

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25

25thanniversary

25thanniversary

years of bablake at the edinburgh fringe

‘The joy of wise old age is that I have seen it all but to them it’s really fresh, seeing a world festival that takes over a whole city’

In the chaotic final moments of the Summer term, I caught up with Mr David Prescott, Director of Drama, before Bablake headed to the Edinburgh Fringe for the 25th year in a row writes Katie Carlson.

T

o my enquiry about which plays Bablake was performing, he replied: ‘We’re putting on two plays. The Bald Prima Donna and A Resounding Tinkle. (He was delighted I had not heard of either!) Both plays are about a group of people waiting to find out what they’re waiting for! They think they discover the answer, but they find out that the answer didn’t mean anything. So they don’t find out what they’re waiting for!’

I asked him to explain more about ‘absurdist’ theatre, unnerving him a little that I knew he had done his dissertation many, many years ago on this genre!

‘It’s called ‘absurdist’ theatre because it doesn’t fit in; it’s out of harmony. I like this theatre because I’m quite a negative person; I don’t know if you knew that, Katie.

(I gave the correct wry response: namely that I would never have guessed!) I just like the way they challenge how you look at things. You can have apparently totally sensible conversations and then realise 15 minutes afterwards you haven’t actually said a word that meant anything. So, I find that’s how life works, really. Most lessons are like that!’

I eagerly wanted to know his favourite Bablake Fringe production.

‘Ooh, that’s hard. I’ve enjoyed the last two we have done, Anthony Horowitz’s A Handbag, and Dennis Kelly’s DNA, the show two years ago. They’ve been very different from the way we’ve worked every other year, as they were new plays which no one had really seen before, therefore we took a few risks. But, they could also be counted as my favourites as we got very good reviews! Or maybe they are recent and fresh in mind.’

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Wondering whether he had a preference for more modern plays over the classics, I asked where The Threepenny Opera fitted in. He said he enjoyed directing that but, while it was not new, it was still not very mainstream. The fact it was quite dark and not at all cheery, also gave it great appeal!

Over 25 years, I reckoned Mr Prescott must have seen some great acts and plays, so I asked him his favourites.

‘When I saw Jack Dee, in the late 80s, when we were starting out, he was by far the funniest act we’d all seen; he was in just a different league altogether. Now he’s made it mainstream, he’s not as alternative of course.

As regards plays, we’ve seen Steven Berkoff and Ian McKellen. However good the professionals are though, the best part has definitely been taking different pupils every time and seeing how they react. The joy of wise old age is that I’ve seen it all but to them it’s really fresh, seeing a world festival which takes over a whole city.

The streets are just totally buzzing with people, with thousands of shows on. Anything you’re interested in is catered for – including dance, physical theatre and comedy. It’s where many big stand-up acts have started, therefore if you’re lucky you catch somebody just as they’re starting out and it’s really special.’

In true absurdist style, the interview came to an abrupt end as it was interrupted by many people at once!

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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onstage

Some observations from Hannah Elsy about Bablake’s innovative interpretation of two of Shakespeare’s best known plays.

Shakespearean C hallenge

‘Bablake Drama is in safe hands for the next few years, as we have a wealth of youthful talent’ 76

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onsong

T

I

n April, a company of actors from the Shells to the 4th year performed two 30 minute contemporary and accessible versions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Henry V in repertoire (actors undertaking roles in both shows), mirroring the multitasking of Shakespeare’s Elizabethan troupe.

Support in particular came from Mr Wyatt’s technical work and the Art Department’s tireless printing of different T-shirts for each play.

Miss Kate Ewart, in her first production, presented a feminist working of a Kate Bush soundtracked A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a perfect foil for the more serious Henry V. My abiding memory will be watching her skill as a director, incredible. Kate Edmiston was a captivating lead and I am sure the mischief of Puck, impressively impish Robbie Stowers, came very naturally!

I heartily agree with Mr Pease, who said: ‘Bablake Drama is in safe hands for the next few years, as we have a wealth of youthful talent.

I would have faith in throwing any Shakespeare at any of them in the future as they overcame the two main challenges, finding meaning behind the words and appreciating their tonal qualities.’

His presentation of a modern warfare treatment of Henry’s battle at Agincourt was excellent and Rory Dulku, as his Henry V, was mature and commanding.

he Autumn, Spring and Easter Concerts are the biggest events in our musical year and Mr Crompton has spoken proudly of ‘the exceptional talent’ of our musicians on show at these successful events, while members of the audience have been heard commenting on how the quality of performances is forever increasing.

The Pirates of the Caribbean performed in the Autumn Concert was very exciting and dramatic; the students evidently enjoyed performing this piece, and Mr Crompton did a fine job of conducting. All solo and group performances, including the orchestra, brass band and two choirs, were excellent.

One of the highlights from the Spring Concert was Georgia Powell’s part in Telemann’s Viola Concerto, played with ‘grace and confidence’. There was the poignancy of final performances by U6th soloists like Jonathan Evans, Alex Hoare, Chris Starkey and Sophie Tumber. Mr Cooper entertained the audience with both the Jazz Band and Swing Band by asking volunteers from the audience to accompany the pupils.

‘...Mr Crompton has spoken proudly of the ‘exceptional talent’ of our musicians...’

The Musical Year emma fairclough There was a great medley of songs from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and the string players showcased their skill in movements from Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite, with the help of Mrs Scott-Burt. Mr Crompton’s highlight was the closing, rousing Hallelujah Chorus. The final comment goes to an audience member: ‘The Spring Concert has been a brilliant night, showcasing the pupils’ talents and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it’.

The music department has re-established links with St John the Baptist Church; the Senior String Quartet and soloists performed a lunchtime recital of chamber music. Our young musicians have established themselves as future Bablake movers and shakers, announcing their arrival in the excellent Junior Scholars’ concert. A notable talent within the school is Rory Dulku, who was inspired

by Henry Olonga’s visit to perform one of his songs, with admirable guts, in school assembly and the Christmas Carol Service.

The Summer concert was an eclectic mix of ensembles, with the musical talent from our younger pupils again at the forefront. The Junior Choir and Swing Band entertained local senior citizens at the summer party. This was highly appreciated and the guests beat in time with percussion instruments to Abba and Sister Sledge! We said goodbye to the U6th in their Leavers’ Concert, witnessing much hitherto latent talent: Josh Baines’ note perfect show tunes, Amrita Kaur’s dancing and Cameron Lindsay with his own onstage fanclub were just three of the stars!

Sam Lewis, Isobel Ferguson and Aron Sood reached the prestigious Grade 8 in their Associated Board Exams.

In the Leamington Festival, to Mrs Scott-Burt’s delight, Shell S won first place for African Drumming, and the Junior Choir missed out on first place by only one mark.

Alex Glendon-Doyle and Benedict Smith sang their hearts out for the Warwickshire County Boys Choir that narrowly missed out on ‘The Choir’ finals, while Beth Carter made good progress with Freeman Dance in Britain’s Got Talent.

Notably this year, bassoonist Matt Lewis was selected to play within the National Youth Orchestra, after a rigorous audition. A phenomenal achievement, a considerable honour and a real highlight of Bablake’s musical year. www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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intune

intune

An individual focus on...

...Bablake’s talented music students Matt Lewis – an exceptional talent Matt Lewis’ musical talent, academic success, and dedication to Bablake are well known and this year, his excellence at the bassoon was recognised by the National Youth Orchestra, a fantastic achievement as these young musicians are cherry-picked from around the UK for their exceptional skills.

The Orchestra’s final concert of the year was an invitation to play the Proms at The Royal Albert Hall and earlier in the year, they had performed at outstanding venues around the country.

Matt (above) is the first person for 25 years to be accepted into the National Youth Orchestra from Bablake. His unique ability stems from him not just engaging his audiences, but really feeling the music. As we have had the privilege to see in school concerts, he plays almost effortlessly.

As he leaves to study Classics at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, he should be aware how much of an inspiration he has been to all of us, showing there is reward for enthusiasm and hard work. We wish him the very best for what is surely a very promising future.

Emma Fairclough

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www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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Sound of the seasons

intune

Images of some of the musical highlights throughout the year from Bablake’s seasonal concerts

B

ablake’s connection with St John the Baptist Church was re-established with a lunchtime recital in the spring. The String Quartet and String Ensemble played a fine programme of pieces with soloists Jonathan Evans, Georgia Powell and Matt Lewis all impressing.

It seems to be the case that every 10 years Bablake’s annual Carol Service is held in the School Hall. It happened this year since St Osburg’s Church was undergoing major renovation work.

Reverend William Smith, Rector of St Michael’s in Stoke, kindly led the prayers and gave the blessing at the end of the service. As well as greeting current members of the Bablake community, we were especially delighted to welcome a number of former staff and pupils.

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www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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onsong

onsong ‘It was great that all the Houses were brought together as a team whilst engaging in healthy competition’

Sounds amazing...

What do you get when you have a smorgasbord of creative talent divided into Houses, weeks of frenzied after-school rehearsals in free corners of the EDM block, a working theatre and four zealous (and highly competitive) House heads?

Hannah Elsy and Emma Fairclough report.

T

he House Music festival! Most definitely not a competition but every performer clearly wants to perform to his or her best and it is impossible to resist sneaking onto the balcony to see how other houses’ acts compare with your own.

Each House displayed exceptional teamwork on the night, with group acts skillfully organised by the U6th House Officials on whose shoulders responsibility for directing and choreographing lay.

Seeing pupils from the Shells to the 6th Form working together was the most impressive part of the festival.

Millie Ross, Sophie Tumber and Rory Moynihan, Chris Starkey and the besuited, erudite Rob Tressler were our professional presenters for the evening, each rallying the cause of their own House.

The evening started with Wheatley, who decided on a Hollywood theme. Sam and Matt Lewis played The Godfather, and the standards were set high by the performance of Rory Dulku and Lydia Russell. Hattie Ryland sang Carly Simon’s Nobody Does it Better beautifully while accompanying herself on the piano. Matthew Hayhurst played a lively America from West Side Story. Aron Sood

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and Ryan Cornell also showed their commitment by accompanying Matthew enthusiastically while Wheatley finished with an entertaining Timewarp from the Rocky Horror Show.

Bayley showcased their musical talent by using Abba songs to open and close their performance. There were many talented musicians including Ellie Morris who played the saxophone, Sophie Qiu on the piano, Jonathan Evans on the trumpet, and finally Beth Gaunt and Emily Chomitzki both on the flute. They were all confident and entertaining. Grace Wye and Alesha Robinson rendered the audience speechless with their a capella version of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colours.

Fairfax tackled Glee – which certainly entertained the audience.

Group performances of We Will

Rock You and Don’t Stop Believin’ were full of fun and energy. The ‘Rowland’ Stones successfully reinterpreted Snow Patrol in a classical style, while Evie Tither was accompanied by excellent dancing, from Mara Hartshorn, Grace Harrold, Charlotte Loasby and Beth Starkey. They delivered Don’t Rain on My Parade with plenty of zest. Lydia Turner impressed the audience with a cover of Elton John’s Your Song. Charlotte Loasby and Lauren Deeth-Kelt gave an incredible, acoustic cover of Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody. Simeon Blake-Hall closed the performance with a superb version of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline which got the whole audience joining in.

Their performances were all fitting finales for Fairfax’s retiring House Head, Mr Martin Rhodes.

Crow were the last to give their performance and it was well worth waiting for. Inventive lighting was used in both We Are the World and the Grease Megamix to make the performance even more spectacular. Anu Bose’s tabla solo and the flute duet from Mwelwa Mukwashi and Emily Thornhill were refreshing and a joy to listen to. Bradley Gill gave us a show-stopping performance of his

version of Stars from Les Misérables.

He was accompanied excellently

by Albert Jie on the piano and Lara Morley-White and Emily Sheard’s elegant dancing. However, Crow’s overall performance was taken to another level when Hannah Elsy gave an outstanding performance of Modern Major-General from Pirates of Penzance. The finale was a glow-stick lit rendition of Michael Jackson’s We Are the World.

Asked for a final word, Rory Dulku said: ‘It was great that all the Houses were brought together as a team whilst engaging in healthy competition’. Yes, everyone should be congratulated on an evening which was informally enjoyable.

Bring on next year when it will only become even more fiercely competitive... as it is House Public Speaking!

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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sport

honours

Sport

Edited by emily duerdin and will sibley

sporting board of honour 2010/11 congratulations to our sporting achievers over the past year International Honours England Athletics International Competition and U17 National Schools, Shot: Lucy Smith (4th in both) U18 England Hockey Squad: Jess Horn Germany U18 Rugby: Kilian Kleine

Highlights

‘I’m proud of Bablake pupils’ excellence in team and individual sports.’

Mr Rob Burdett, Head of Boys’ PE

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Far Out in the Far East 87 Netball Nationals 89 Cricket Review 90 Hockey Review 92 Netball Review 96 Rugby Review 98 Sportstalk 100

UK School Games Paralympic Basketball Gold Medal: Frances Mahony Wales U18 Hockey: Will Kenney-Herbert Club Honours Hockey Olton and West Warwicks 1st XI (Division 1 Ladies National League): Beth Evans Regional Honours Midlands U18 Rugby: Chuka Ogbuneke (Trial), Will Thornhill North England Juniors Sailing: Molly Griffin U16 Swimming: Lauren Carr West Midlands Athletics Seniors: Lucy Smith (Shot) Hockey (Junior Regional Performance) U17 Hockey: Bethany Evans, Jessica Horn, Hugh KenneyHerbert, Jack Webber U16 Hockey: Beth Jepson U15 Hockey: Mollie Sargent U19 Netball (National Talent League): Ashleigh Green www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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honours

ontour

Far out in the Far East

County Honours Warwickshire Cricket Winter Academy: Mark Best U19/U16: Mark Best U15: Matthew Clements U15B: Matthew Payne U13: Ross Parnell U13B: Harvey Burke

Beth rowland

Hockey Junior Academy Centre: U17: Matthew Hollinrake U15: Mollie Sargent, Hayley Smith, Emily White Junior Development Centre U17: Thomas Bird, Alastair Grant, Jake Hinley, Matthew Payne, Ronan Jones, Dhyan Patel, Christopher Sewell, Oliver Weaver, Jimmy Xu U16: James Bayliss, Nirgun Bhandal, Nishant Patel, Richard Price, Aron Sood U15: William Banfield, James Bullen, Blake Hatfield, Adam Keir, Searlait McLaughlin, Alex Owen, Mollie Sargent, Hayley Smith, Imogen Stern, Jimhill Xu U14: Thomas Betts, Mantaran Dosanj, Aidan Johnson, Rory Kenney-Herbert, Jonathan Leong, Nick Payne, Ross Parnell, Kishan Rayat, Jake Sargent, Iain Suren, Cameron Watson, Emily White, Dan Williams Netball U17 Academy: Ashleigh Green, Beth Jepson U16: Aimee Piercy, Mollie Sargent Rugby U18: Henry Chamberlain, Sam Jack, Adam King, Kilian Kleine, Chuka Ogbuneke, Will Thornhill U16: Ronan Jones, Emile Pokoj U15: Huw Edwards, James Faulkner, Robert Faulkner, William Kirkman, Liam Moore, Jack Webber U14: Matthew Bird, Bradley Pinkham Table Tennis U15: Paul Lilley

Team Achievements Athletics: Junior girls B – 2nd, Intermediate girls A – 3rd at English Schools Track and Field Midlands Biathlon: Midlands representatives at the English Biathlon Championships Cricket: U13 Warwickshire Schools winners Hockey (boys): U16, U13 Midlands Zonal runners up Hockey (girls): U16 Indoor Nationals finalists Netball: U19 (6th) and U16 (5th) squads reached Nationals as runners up at West Midlands Rugby: U18 7s Rosslyn Park 2nd in group, U13 Warwickshire Schools runners up Tennis: Midlands Senior Girls Doubles, Jonine Bains and Katie Wainhouse runners up Congratulations Mark Best: Outstanding Contribution/ Runner up for County’s Outstanding Age Group Player (across U10 to U19) Warwickshire CC Mark Best, Ross Parnell and Jack Webber: cricket centurions.

Eleanor Bonas, Lucy Farrington and Katarina Jackson: Midlands representatives at English Biathlon Championships Nick Evans and Aaron Tang: cricket hat-tricks Lucy Farrington: National Schools Equestrian Association (NSEA) regional heat winner Hannah Jewkes: U12 Individual Girls title at the Birmingham and South Midlands Area Schools Ski Race The Bablake team of Helena Farren, Katie Hodge, Hannah Jewkes and Hannah Ledbrook narrowly missed a team medal

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‘...a mix of fantastic camaraderie, sport and Eastern culture’

If you had to name your dream holiday, what would it include? Riding and washing elephants with your friends?

Exploring tropical rainforests? Climbing 272 steps into worldfamous caves?

O

r maybe it would be just relaxing on a sandy white beach in the peace and quiet? It sounds like a fantasy, but on Saturday 9 July, for 64 pupils and 8 members of staff, this dream holiday was a mix of fantastic camaraderie, sport and Eastern culture.

I can speak for everyone when I say that the first thing Singapore had to offer us was an unbearable, stifling heat! Luckily we were straight onto the coach and travelling to our first stop: a night safari. It was great to see the animals really close but the lack of sleep on the plane was more than starting to catch up with us and it was straight back to the hotel and to bed!

Next morning, up bright and early, the first stop was the National Orchid Garden in Singapore. The orchid is Singapore’s national flower and the gardens were stunning, full of colour and beautifully maintained.

After the Orchid Garden we proceeded on a city tour of Singapore, taking in the architecture and the culture with a stop at a Chinese Temple. The afternoon was taken up by our first matches, but more about those later.

Sentosa Island was the trip the next day, with stops at a Butterfly Park, a museum, an aquarium with a dolphin show, and of course the beach: a highlight for many tourists. We had a lovely afternoon relaxing in the crystal clear waters, returning in high spirits, if a little pinker for the experience! The next day we left Singapore and travelled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by coach.

The rest of the time in Malaysia was spent visiting the Petronas Towers and the rainforest, watching Liverpool beat the national team 6-3, having fun at Sunway Lagoon Theme Park, finding out our fortunes at a Chinese Temple, climbing 272 steps and fending off wild monkeys to witness stunning sights at the Batu Caves, banana boating and fending off jellyfish in Penang, and of course, relaxing by the various hotel pools! I must mention another two popular highlights: playing with elephants at Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary, a day I will never forget, and our brief but amazing visit to St. Joseph’s Orphanage, an organisation we donated some of our fundraising to. The children we met were so lovely, and the day was very moving – the children were overwhelmingly happy for us to play with them and an hour flew by in seconds.

I must, of course, remember the main point of the tour: to play hockey and netball. We had many training sessions but the hardest thing was playing in temperatures in the high 30s! That said, I feel both the girls and boys played very well, and the effort put in by all players was very impressive. All teams won a notable number of their matches and even our opponents were impressed. At one point, my opponent asked me whether my team was the best in England? No, I said, but she was obviously impressed by the high level sport being played.

All in all, the trip was a great success. The prize-giving ceremony on the last night came all too soon and before I knew it, I was back at home retelling the stories. A big thank you to all the tourists who helped make the trip so memorable; I hope this report sums up how much fun we all had. Thank you also to all parents and members of the fundraising committee whose invaluable work helped not only to keep costs relatively low, but also helped raise the money given to St. Joseph’s Orphanage: a more than worthy cause. Finally, the biggest thank you to all the staff, especially trip organisers Mr Andrew Philips and Mrs Suzanne Webley, who gave up their precious holiday time to accompany us. Without you, the holiday of a lifetime would still be a dream. www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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sportsfocus ‘We want to be the first Bablake team to reach the Nationals four times and we have two more chances to win them outright’

netball nationals As the Midlands' runners up, both the U19 and U16 Netball squads did themselves and Bablake proud in the National Schools Finals in Southampton. The U16s came 5th in their league of nine and the U19s 6th, which placed them in and around the Top 10 schools in England respectively – no mean achievement.

With excellent support from parents, staff and former pupils, both year groups found their first few games really close, tight games. The U16s began with a draw against the eventual overall winners and the U19s had good leads in two of their games which they were unable to hold. For all their skill and teamwork, the latter found some games a physical mismatch, especially against U19 winners, Barking Abbey School Netball Academy, where the game was played a foot or more above our reach!

The U16s improved on their U14 placing in 2009 and ended their games with excellent, confident wins. Captain Lucy Smith's words, after the game, were spirited and believable: 'We want to be the first Bablake team to reach the Nationals four times and we have two more chances to win them outright!'

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cricketreview mr andrew phillips The 1st XI’s season was a mixed bag: it was a young side with great promise but we often lacked the composure, when batting, to compile large totals and consequently denied our bowlers the chance to really attack our opponents.

However there is much confidence for the future as Mark Best’s century (v King Edward VI Camp Hill) and Matt Clements’s commanding performance against the Lions XI both showed. We also played some good limited overs cricket coming 3rd in the Bablake Twenty20 tournament behind Warwick and Lawrence Sheriff.

The most memorable win of the season came when the U13s were crowned Warwickshire champions after beating King Edward’s Birmingham by a comprehensive 9 wickets, in the Warwickshire Cup final. The U15 and U13 XIs lost just one game each over the season; the U15s ended as Coventry Cup winners, while the U14 and U13s reached their respective finals. Ross Parnell and Jack Webber will remember this summer for excellent individual centuries.

The U12s showed huge progress under the guidance of Mr Burns. Cameron Park, who along with Aaran Tang bagged a hat-trick in a school fixture, made the point in his report that most of his side had never played competitive cricket before and, by the end of the season, the team was very excited about its chances of success next year.

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‘...by the end of the season the team was very excited about its chances of success next year’

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boys’ hockeyreview mr andrew phillips All our teams trained hard, inspired by Wales U21 and Birmingham University 1st XI coach Phil Gooderham. We also welcomed Bablake Junior School’s Mr Ed Benfield (Coventry and North Warwickshire 1st XI) as U14 coach.

As the 1st XI is a young team, our focus this season was on creating a strong side for the future. Despite emphasis on long-term development, the team performed exceptionally well, recording excellent wins against Camp Hill (5-0), Lawrence Sheriff (11-0), Nottingham HS (3-1), KE Aston (4-1), KHVIII (2-1), Princethorpe (5-1), Queen Mary’s (4-3) and KE Aston (8-0). It was also noticeable that natural early season inexperience when facing tougher opposition was soon eradicated. The team was well led by captain Declan Jones and vice captain William Kenney-Herbert; the latter should be congratulated on selection for Wales U18s.

The 2nd XI had an inconsistent season, recording some excellent wins but underperforming in other games.

Highlights included fine performances against Camp Hill (3-0), King Edward’s 5 Ways (2-1), Lawrence Sheriff (3-1) and King Edward’s Birmingham (3-0). Jake Basra was the first goalkeeper to score a goal in a competitive 2nd XI match, nabbing the only goal in a win against King Edward’s Aston. A highly competitive game against Nottingham High School finished 1-1; we demonstrated excellent resilience, but rued squandered chances. We gained valuable experience against opposition who play at high intensity, and Ben Charlesworth and Oliver Given showed enough promise to step up and perform well for the 1st XI. The 3rd XI has shown a remarkable level of commitment against invariably strong opposition.

Tom Butler led them very well and their ‘never say die’ approach was best rewarded with wins against Solihull School (2-1) and King Edward’s Aston (4-2). Their coach, Mr Martin Rhodes, unique and enthusiastic, will be sorely missed after 37 years’ service.

‘...the team has an excellent work ethic, trains well and performed ably in fixtures’ Good news for the future was the achievement of our U16s who reached the Midlands round of the National Cup after qualifying as runners-up at the Warwickshire County Tournament and Midlands Zonal Round.

The U15s were inconsistent, showing glimpses of brilliance against Warwick (9-0) and KHVIII (4-1) but then losing disappointingly to teams after taking initial control of games. Particular mention should go to Jack Webber who was selected for Midlands JRPC and, along with James Bayliss, Matthew Payne, Richard Price and Chris Sewell, was invited to train with the 1st XI during the Spring term.

Success has finally come to the U14s! After two and a half seasons with only one win, their hard work and determination finally paid off at the end of the season.

A draw with Warwick (1-1) was the turning point which then saw them win their last five games of the season against Solihull (2-0), King Edward’s Aston (4-0), Newcastle-under-Lyme (3-1), Bishop Vesey (6-2) and Princethorpe (2-0).

The U13A team has excelled once again. Led excellently by Rory Kenney-Herbert, the best wins came against Warwick (12-0), Ratcliffe College (3-0), Princethorpe (4-3), Newcastle-under-Lyme (7-1) and Loughborough (3-0). The season’s highlight was reaching the Midlands Round of the National Mini Hockey Championships where we won our group and reached the Quarter Finals, only losing on penalty flicks after a goalless draw. The B team gained valuable experience versus an U14 KHVIII side, while the C team enjoyed a win (3-1) in its first game for the school against KHVIII U14D. The U12s’ first season was very positive; the team has an excellent work ethic, trains well and performed ably in fixtures. Highlights of the season were wins against Bishop Vesey (1-0) and Queen Mary’s (2-1) and a draw with Warwick (1-1). The squad is filled with talented players; however particular mention should go to Harry Vincent, who had a fantastic season in goal, and George Bayliss, Christian Green and Cameron Park who have shown real promise.

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girls’ hockeyreview U18s beth sargent This season brought many new challenges, welcoming a new coach, rebuilding the squad and a new lunchtime fitness practice. There were many successes and our continued determination and improvement allowed us to field two teams.

During the season we had highs and lows, winning the majority of our games and improving on previous fixtures: e.g. at the start of our season we narrowly lost to Solihull (1-2) but won the return (2-0), showing the improvement of the squad and benefit of our lunchtime fitness sessions. Failure to progress beyond the group stages at the Warwickshire tournament was disappointing as we were beginning to improve and work as a unit.

We ended the season on a high, winning three of our final four games. Nine wins, three losses and two draws this season show how well we coped with the challenges and how much we learnt from Miss Wilson.

It was a pleasure captaining the side and I have loved every minute, sharing some great hockey and experiences.

I would like to thank Miss Wilson for all her hard work this season and we are all glad to have been her first Bablake Senior squad!

U16s beth jepson Our season began very strongly. For our first four matches we were unbeaten, with wins against King Edward VI High School (3-2) and Princethorpe (2-1). In all, we only lost 2 of our matches and only then to very strong opponents, Rugby School and Nottingham High.

We entered the county indoor tournament which we won with a convincing victory against King’s High (3-0) in the final. Runners up at the Midlands tournament, we qualified for the National Indoor finals in Southampton.

We ended up 8th in the country winning 1 of our 4 group matches with excellent goals from Jess Horn and Jenny Reay. The squad really enjoyed the experience of playing at the Nationals and representing Bablake at such a high level, and we hope our progress will continue next season.

Congratulations too to Jess Horn who has been playing representative hockey at a high level.

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U13s

‘Bablake Senior Girls’ sports teams have dominated many Warwickshire and Coventry tournaments’

mrs amy cassell We should be very proud of reaching the semi finals of the Midlands Mini Hockey competition, losing narrowly on penalty flicks. We had a large squad and everyone had the chance to represent Bablake in an 11-a-side school fixture. We had a very pleasing season and achieved some excellent results, no more so than in a win against Newcastle-under-Lyme (5-1) in our final match of the season.

Stacey Wilson, Head of Girls’ PE

U15s

U12s

annabel knight

mrs suzanne webley

A promising victory against King Edward VI High School (2-0) was followed by a defeat versus Princethorpe (6-1).

Great teamwork brought two 1-1 draws and a win versus Kenilworth (1-0) but the highlight of our season was beating King’s High (4-3). A defeat to Rugby School (4-0) did not dampen the team’s spirits as we improved against Loughborough (2-4) and beat Kingsley (4-3). One of our final fixtures was a return fixture against Princethorpe; despite losing, our improvement over the season was obvious.

We drew a tense Coventry Cup final against KHVIII (1-1), despite having most of the possession throughout, but lost on sudden death penalty flicks. We were pleased with our progress over the season, we worked well together and will hopefully achieve even more next year.

Goalkeeper Bethan Mordey was our player of the season.

Hockey was popular again this year with more than 20 girls representing the school. We had a pleasing season with the girls working hard to develop their individual skills and tactical play, which enabled them to finish with some good results.

The A team played 12 matches over the course of the season including 3 wins, 6 draws and 3 losses. The girls played well to secure draws versus strong Solihull and Tudor Hall opposition early in the season and secured their first win against Kenilworth just before half term.

Building on this success, the A team went on to perform well at the Solihull Invitational Tournament finishing third in its group. The A team continued to play well and the season’s best performance came against Kingsley U13 A (2-1). In the Bablake invitational tournament, we lost to King’s High in the semi finals but then showed good character to beat KHVIII (1-0) to secure third place.

The B team gained in confidence throughout the season and finished with a record of 2 wins, 4 draws and 6 losses. Despite some early losses the girls remained positive and were extremely excited when they recorded their first win against Princethorpe! The team worked extremely hard at improving individual skills and tactics and they proved themselves to be very capable when they drew 1-1 with both the Nottingham High and Newcastleunder-Lyme B teams.

In the annual fixture against KHVIII we fielded one 11 a-side team and two 7 a-side teams and it is testimony to the depth of talent in this age group that we won one and drew two of the matches.

Well done to all the girls who have represented the school and a special thank you to Miss Ewart for her help with the U12s this year.

U14s hayley smith After three defeats in our first four games, we worked hard on our concentration and determination, winning 7 of our next 10. With our defence pushing up high, allowing more movement from our midfield and forwards, we won twice against Kenilworth (7-0, 5-0), lost narrowly to King’s High (1-0) and worked hard to defeat KHVIII (4-3).

Team changes due to illness and injury did not deter us when it came to the Coventry Schools final versus KHVIII. We were determined to win this and started strongly pushing up towards the goal straight away and distributing the ball well from defence. We managed a number of short corners and successfully converted some of them. Our 5-2 win came via a Hayley Smith hat-trick and a goal each from Kaitlin Eve and Helen Rowland. Our last match of the season ended how we wanted with a win against Wolverhampton Grammar School (8-0).

Mollie Sargent and Hayley Smith both enjoyed representative honours for the County.

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sportsfocus ‘Thanks should go to all the staff who are so committed and dedicated to school sport and Bablake’s continued success’

netballreview

Stacey Wilson, Head of Girls’ PE

U19s mrs chris scott The U19s achieved far greater success than they would have thought possible at the start of the season, performing well in regular school fixtures and league matches. The highlight was our route to the National Schools’ Finals where we did not disgrace ourselves.

The Coventry Tournament was held on our own courts and the conditions could not have been worse, with driving torrential rain impeding every team. However, we won the tournament convincingly and went on to repeat this in a low-scoring Warwickshire round. Consolidating the team’s skills, playing regular fixtures and juggling study commitments with training worked as Alice O’Connor led her team to the West Midlands round. Had there not been a second half rout by one of our opponents in their final game, we would not have made the semi final but we squeezed in on goal difference. Here we faced King Edward’s and with a strict game plan to combat their strength in attack, we reversed a defeat earlier in the season. Wrekin beat us in the final but we had made the Nationals, meriting the wild celebrations from staff and pupils!

Thank you to all involved this season, but especially our U6th players (both A and B team) for your commitment over the years and I hope netball plays some part in your future.

U16s lucy smith Another successful season saw us go all the way to the Nationals, as Coventry champions and West Midlands runners up, where we enjoyed a draw in our first game against the eventual winners, Hulme. The Nationals are always an amazing experience for the team as we meet teams of a much higher ability and enjoy testing how far we can improve and seeing which different tactics can be used. Our strong defence proved difficult for the opposing attack, while our centre players combined well to offer our shooters chances that were rarely missed.

Excluding tournaments, we won 12 of our 14 matches this season and our only defeat was against King’s High whom we beat by a goal in the West Midlands semi-finals.

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We beat Coundon Court U18s (41-20) and completed 5 years of being unbeaten by KHVIII, winning both matches this season by healthy margins, (36-16, 47-7).

The B team also showed improvements winning a third of their matches against tough competition and winning the Coventry tournament.

knowledge and had great team spirit. The A team had to focus on the next big tournament… Bromsgrove! This was an unbelievable tournament as we drew an incredible 5 games out of 6, very unusual in Netball! The highlight of the day was the nail-biting tussle with the highly successful King’s High team that ended in a draw.

The A team finished on a high with victory over a very strong team from Solihull School. This victory was particularly pleasurable as the team’s skill and determination proved our improvement and great team spirit!

U15s bethan mordey The U15 A and B teams have improved a great deal over the last season. Eager to learn and improve, there has been a very good team spirit. All have developed their skills and are now happy to play in a variety of positions.

These qualities showed against Newcastle-under-Lyme, when the A team reversed an early season defeat (20-42), with a close win (32-30). Both As and Bs won their games versus KHVIII and were confident Coventry champions.

We enjoyed our best ever performance at the Uppingham Tournament, where for the first time we were able to enter an A and B team. Both did really well in a tough competition, playing a number of new opponents.

The As beat Leicester Grammar, Northampton High, Trent, Oakham and Bromsgrove (some of whose players had been to the National Finals in their U16 squad).

U13s miss stacey wilson

Our final versus Dame Alice School was a close match but we ended up losing (11-15). The B team also did very well, with wins against Uppingham and Kimbolton and a draw with Leicester Grammar. In the semi finals, unfortunately we lost to Oundle.

Confidence was high at the close of the season and we finished with excellent victories over King Edward’s High School, Edgbaston and Solihull School.

U14s sophie zgraja and helen rowland The U14s had a really tough year having to restructure and reorganise due to injuries. Great credit must go to all players that took on new roles moving from the B team to the A team. An impressive victory over King Edward’s High School (46-3) gave confidence for the Coventry Schools Tournament where, as runners up, the As secured a place in the Warwickshire Schools Tournament. The B team won all their games to become the Coventry B Team Champions.

At the Warwickshire round of the Nationals, we enjoyed two fantastic early victories but suffered narrow defeats to eventual representatives for the West Midlands, King’s High and Higham Lane.

Over the second part of the season, the B team produced some fine displays of skill and tactical

The U13s achieved excellent results and both the A and B teams were runners up in their Coventry Schools Tournaments. The As won the Loughborough Festival and enjoyed very good wins against Solihull, Wolverhampton Grammar School.

U12s miss stacey wilson A large number of girls have been a part of the squad this year and they have worked hard at improving their basic skills. They showed great enthusiasm and commitment throughout the season and in the end they had begun to play well together. The squad was made up of players with varying skill levels and some had never played netball before, so the improvement made by many was excellent.

Although results did not always reflect the close game played, the girls have given of their best. I am sure that they will continue to develop and go from strength to strength in the future.

We had excellent results against Bilton Grange and St Thomas More, while in March, four teams played and won against Princethorpe College – an excellent result!

Most pleasing of all, they ended the season against Wolverhampton Grammar School, where they came back from 13-19 in the final quarter to win 21-20.

In the Coventry Schools Tournament at the end of the Spring term, the A team finished 5th and the B team won their tournament. The girls all worked well together as a team and as a result they played the best netball of the season at this tournament. www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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rugbyreview mr rob burdett Before December’s freezing weather enforced a winter break, the 1st XV had won an outstanding 8 out of 10 fixtures and this was despite the departure of Midlands U16 stars Josh Buggea, Ben Cooper and Richard Synnott. Highlights included a fine Daily Mail victory over Solihull and wins against Solihull 6th Form, Princethorpe and Nottingham High. Even in defeat to a very strong Warwick side in the Daily Mail, for half the game an upset was possible. After we had enjoyed a win against KHVIII at Coventry RFC 's Butts Stadium, we had won 13 out of 16 fixtures and enjoyed a fantastic draw away to Sedbergh’s Development XV. The Senior 7s team also won the Leicester 7s tournament, were quarter finalists at King’s Worcester and performed well at Rosslyn Park.

We congratulate 1st XV captain Kilian Kleine on representing Germany U18s versus Ireland, and selection, with Henry Chamberlain, Sam Jack, Adam King, Chuka

‘...undoubted skill and enthusiasm will bring deserved success’

Ogbuneke and Will Thornhill, for Warwickshire U18s. Will Thornhill and Chuka Ogbuneke had a Midlands trial, with the latter making the squad.

The 2nd XV could not be faulted for effort and commitment but at crucial times lacked composure and tactical nous. When those two ingredients were added, there was more chance of success.

Our U15s won the Coventry Cup and had just a single defeat all season, a narrow loss against Rugby School.

The B team enjoyed similar success. The highlight for the former was beating Nottingham High while the Bs enjoyed the wins against Warwick and Solihull. Both teams played fluent, open, attacking rugby, were willing to run the ball from anywhere on the pitch and earned, and deserved, praise from many opponents and referees.

Congratulations to the 12 players selected for Coventry and the five who made it through to the Warwickshire squad.

The U14 team showed great improvement throughout the year and along with some outstanding individual achievements made the final of the Coventry Cup. Training was taken seriously and with much enthusiasm and dedication, fitness levels were raised.

Likewise the U13 team had a tough season but grit and determination pinned back the scoreline against formidable opposition such as Bishop Vesey and Nottingham High. Josha Hundal and Liam Meechan proved decisive ball carriers, Ben Jones and Joel White were increasingly effective at the breakdown, and once given good service, the backs were second to none. The B team had some very encouraging results too. As this year group grows physically, the undoubted skill and enthusiasm will bring deserved success.

From almost no experience of rugby, the Shells made pleasing progress and are highly competitive. Highlights were excellent victories against Princethorpe and Finham, and a real show of character in the 2nd half against Bishop Vesey.

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Sportstalk Staff and students share their experiences and views on another exciting year of sport at Bablake

boys’ Athletics Mr Rob Burdett There have been several notable performances throughout the age groups, with the intermediate boys comfortably winning the district championship and qualifying for the Midlands A final in the English Schools Cup. Congratulations go to Jordan Dowthwaite-Clarke, James Faulkner, Robert Faulkner, Chimdi Ogbuneke, Chris Tuttle and Joel White who were selected to represent Coventry at the West Midlands Championships.

This success has been boosted by the increased number of boys attending athletics club and many boys joining external clubs. The future of boys’ athletics at Bablake is looking stronger than it has for some time. girls’ Athletics Mrs Suzanne Webley It has been on the track where the Bablake girls have been most successful. They have trained hard throughout the term and this dedication to their own events as well as towards the team has paid off. In the English Schools Track and Field Cup, the junior team qualified for the Midlands B final where they finished the day 2nd overall, after many girls achieved personal bests in their events. The Intermediate team also competed in the cup and qualified for the Midlands A final, finishing 3rd overall. The girls performed at their maximum during this competition with many personal bests being achieved.

In the Coventry Schools Championships, Bablake won the Intermediate, Junior and Year 7 competitions and finished second in the Year 8 competitions. Inevitably there were many girls who were crowned individual Coventry champions: Beth Mordey (hurdles), Alexa Goodyer (shot) and Anna French (long jump) at Intermediate level; Amy Lilly (hurdles), Keisha Simms (100m and long jump), Aimee Piercy (shot and discus) and Narissa Pankhania (high jump) all at Junior level. Year 8 champions were Daisy Williams (200m and long jump), Lydia Turner (800m) and Georgia Gunson (discus), whilst Year 7 champions were Lucy Farrington (hurdles), Eleanor Bonas (600m), Katerina Jackson (1000m) and Olivia Sweeney (shot). 18 girls (including Lauren Carr, Holly Molloy, Mollie Sargent, Beth Shaw, Lucy Smith, Becky Timms, Emily White and Sophie Zgraja) were selected to represent Coventry at the West Midlands Championships. Hannah Mordey, Lydia Turner and Daisy Williams each gained 3rd place in their events.

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Congratulations should go especially to Lucy Smith who qualified for the English Schools National Finals after throwing a personal best in the shot. She was placed 4th in the country after throwing another personal best at the finals and exceeded that again when she was 4th at an International event representing England.

Chess Mr Andrew Chowne Once again, we were fortunate to have international John Naylor coach our teams at the start of the season. Putting the players in sharp middle game positions, where the initiative was all important, was again exciting and you certainly could see the improvement in all the players. John watched all the A team matches and was able to memorise the games and replay them showing the players where they went wrong – an amazing feat!

We finished 4th in Division 1 of the Coventry Schools League with the leading players being: 5.5 – Daniel Rowlands, 4.5 – George Esworthy and 3 – Ben Maudsley.

Daniel’s performance was excellent given that he was playing Board 1 against internationals. In Division 2 the leading players were: 8 – Vikesh Puri, 7 – Michael Parvis, 6.5 – Albert Jie, and 6 – Christine Goldfinch.

Daniel Rowlands was Bablake champion for the 2nd time beating George Esworthy in the final while our final fixture was hosting the Coventry Schools Lightning Competition. 37 players from all the schools in the area took part and there were 6 exciting rounds; Matthew Rowlands and Ben Maudsley finished joint 3rd with 4 wins.

Thanks go to Mr Robin Smith and Mr Inderpal Kalsi for all their help with the teams.

Cross Country Miss Stacey Wilson and Mr Jeremy Hobday Tom Betts came 6th in the U14 CIty Championship race, whilst Lewis Marshall, Richard Price and James Faulkner came 3rd, 4th and 6th respectively to win the U16 Coventry senior boys championships. Richard Price managed a highly respectable second in the U16 individual Coventry League Championship, while Jamie Cozens was 1st in both the U19 Coventry League Championship and the City of Coventry Championship race.

The Junior Girls have also shown great potential: Katerina Jackson came 1st in both the individual League and City Championship, Eleanor Bonas finished second in the individual League and 4th in the City Championship, while Anna Price was 5th in the City Championship.

Football Mr Jeffrey Grantham and Mr Mark Woodward Signs of a football revival came with a win before Christmas – possibly a Bablake 1st – as we welcomed an influx of talented L6th players.

Since we do not play in a league, the ability of our opposition will always vary but over the season we won more games than we lost, with the highlight a 9-1 win at North Leamington.

Reliable, brave and talented goalkeeper Rob Tressler offered stability and he had plenty of opportunities to show his expertise since our defence was our Achilles Heel.

There was a potency and skill up front via Sam Clements who was strong in the air, lethal on the floor and always very eager in his urgency to retrieve the ball from opponents. His tenacity as vice captain was noticeable.

Artistry in the midfield came through the skilful boots of Avin Jandoo and James Langton (player of the season), while there was exciting wing play from Charlie Owen. We also were privileged to have the attacking edge of Lizzie Stubbington who, because of our age group, had fewer opportunities to play than we would have liked but never let us or herself down.

David Humphries was a gracious captain and the success he nurtured will surely lead to further success next season. It will be hard to match the commitment and zeal of this year’s squad.

Gymnastics Mrs Cath Mills Regular attendees at our Gymnastics club were given the opportunity to represent Bablake at the recent Coventry Schools competition.

A team of four girls was selected and the work began! Gymnasts were required to perform a pairs floor sequence and individual vaulting with varying degrees of technical difficulty and individual interpretation.

Sophie Zgraja and Alesha Robinson formed one pair with Jashan Sangha and Helena Farren forming the other.

The girls worked very hard and deserve praise for their commitment, attention to detail and team spirit.

Competition day arrived and four slightly nervous but excited girls arrived at the venue. Competition was fierce and standards were very high but everyone rose to the occasion. Nerves were soon replaced with smiles as first the vaulting and then the floor sequences were tackled.

The girls produced quality performances in both disciplines.

The team finished overall 4th in the vaulting, 2nd in the floor work and Sophie and Alesha had their floor sequence placed in 3rd position out of 14 pairs.

Well done to all the girls; we eagerly await next year’s competition!

Rounders Mrs Sue Smith and Mrs Suzanne Webley A very busy term did not stop our girls showing enthusiasm and commitment throughout. In the Coventry Schools, the U13 A, U14 and U15 teams all finished runners up and the U12 team was knocked out in the semi final. This was a disappointing end for the U12s who were unbeaten up until this point, but overall each team displayed moments of outstanding play both with bat and in the field.

Over 30 girls regularly attended our U12 practice, which was very encouraging but also made competition for team places very high. Seven matches were fitted around the inclement British weather and all were victories. It was just a few fielding errors and half a rounder that stemmed progress in the Coventry Schools. The U12Bs enjoyed two fixtures and were encouraged by a win in the last game.

Tennis Mrs Chris Scott and Mr Rob Burdett Once again, it was a challenging season as many of our opponents have very strong teams as many of their girls play regularly. Despite this, the girls put in several excellent performances, none more so than Jonine Bains and Katie Wainhouse who reached the final of the centenary King Edward VI High School invitational tournament, a great achievement.

The U12 and U13 teams continued to improve with the U12s recording an impressive victory over Princethorpe and the U13s a particularly pleasing win against KHVIII. In the Coventry Schools, our U14s (Helen Rowland and Sophie Zgraja) and U15As (Jess Betts and Beth Starkey) were runners up , while the U15B team (Annabel Knight and Alexa Goodyer) won its section.

The boys who have represented the school at tennis this year showed tremendous enthusiasm, which can only bode well for the future. www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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former pupils

in memoriam

Former pupils

Edited by sam shebl and sam grey Former Pupils’ Association Officers President/Chairman: Alan Partridge Secretary: Dave Parnell Committee: Bob Beere, Dean Bryant, Paul Cowley, Dave Edwards, Andy Hibberd, Roger Moulding, Ted McQuillan, Simon Miles, James Paxton, Brad Thompson, John Watson and Greg Weaver.

The Former Pupils’ Association is always looking for new members. If you attended Bablake (or KHVIII), then for a small amount each year, you can become an official member. We also have rugby, football and cricket sporting subsections. Membership entitles you to a free copy of the school magazine and you will receive regular updates on what is happening within the association and at the school.

Mr Jeffrey B Vent MBE

Former Staff

Highlights

Please contact the following for more information or to become a member: Alan Partridge (alan_partridge@sky.com).

Mrs Sylvia O’Sullivan Alumni Relations Officer Sylvia, mother of two Bablake pupils and formerly a key member of our School Reception team, has been appointed as Alumni Relations Officer and is looking forward to her new role which will bring her in contact with more former pupils. If you wish to contact her by email, her address is sosullivan@bablake. coventry.sch.uk.

In Memoriam 103 Out in the Big, Wide World 104 Grapevine 106 Last Word 110

Sage and Wyley Scholarship Scholarships

1997 Reunion Dinner

The Trustees of the Coventry School Foundation Prizes Fund invite applications for:

15 years after leaving Bablake, Former Pupils and staff of that era are invited back to school by Mr Peter Burden for a reunion dinner and reminiscences! This time, the 1997 leavers are asked to spread the word among their peers and watch out for further information about their dinner that will take place in May 2012.

Please email pfb@bablake.coventry.sch.uk if you wish to find out more!

• The Sage Scholarship: tenable in any subject by a former pupil of the school at any university, college or other institute of further education (including professional and technical education) approved by the trustees.

• The Colonel Sir W F Wyley Scholarship: similarly available to former pupils but restricted to those studying science subjects.

The Trustees envisage offering assistance towards the cost of projects, expeditions or travel relevant to an applicant’s subject of study. Application should be made in writing to the Headmaster, Mr John W Watson, giving full details of the purpose for which a scholarship is being sought.

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Mr James ‘Jim’ Cochrane (1966-1970) Jim taught Maths in the late 60s, before relocating to Lincolnshire and Bourne Grammar School, where he spent the rest of his teaching career. A keen sportsman with an interest in motorsport, he was a good man and great teacher who will be sorely missed by his widow Jean and two sons.

Mr Alan ‘Gusty’ Gale (1949-1965) Alan taught at Bablake first as a Music Master, then as a History teacher and ultimately Head of History.

His charisma, shown inside the classroom and while tinkling the ivories, inspired many pupils to further their love of History at degree level.

Mr Jeffrey B Vent MBE Jeff died on 4 November 2010 at the age of 85. His association with the Foundation schools was a very long one. He taught Modern Languages at KHVIII, and, after retirement, remained a very active member of both school communities, running fundraising campaigns, maintaining strong links with former pupils, organising reunions, attending concerts and watching cricket.

Jeff made a very significant contribution to the setting up of Fousseau, and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of former pupils and their whereabouts.

While he had been seen less at Bablake latterly because of deteriorating mobility, he had been to the 2010 Art and Design Exhibition and the beginning of term reception, as well as a concert.

He had a very sharp mind and a tremendous sense of humour. He made the two schools, and particularly KHVIII, his life, and he will be sorely missed.

Brett Utting (2005-2008) Brother of former pupil Emma and current pupil Jonathan, Brett died in a tragic motorbike accident on the evening of 17 June near Wolston. Headmaster, Mr John Watson remembers Brett as ‘a sensitive and generous boy, with great potential, saying ‘his ready smile brought happiness to all who knew him.’ Our thoughts and prayers are with Brett’s family.

Eric Walters (1955-1962) Eric, who was awarded an Honorary Fellowship for his inspirational support and leadership for Chemistry and was Chairman of Capita, died after a hiking accident in Oman. He had kindly supported Bablake through his charity, the Walters Kundert Charitable Trust.

Roger West (1936-1943) Roger died on 24 December 2010 after suffering from dementia.

Brian Woodruffe (1943-1948) Brian's parents were so surprised he passed the entrance exam for Bablake they hadn't made financial allowances for his school uniform. Much larger than his older brother Roy who had joined Bablake the year before, Brian ended up wearing a navy blue suit which singled him out from the other boys in grey. Brian continued to stand out from the crowd for the rest of his life.

After leaving Bablake, he achieved an apprenticeship at AWA in Baginton and became an Aeronautical Engineer. He went on to become co-founder and Director of Coventry firm Plant Installations Coventry Ltd in 1968 and was awarded Freeman of the city in 1998.

Brian, who leaves a wife Josephine, two daughters Karen and Louise, and four grandchildren (including Will and Emily Thornhill), is hugely missed by all his family and friends whom he inspired immensely and enriched with his wisdom and love.

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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alumnifocus

Out in the big, wide world...

Deal or No Deal

Anthony Hernandez (1994-2001)

Four Bablake pupils tell of their experiences and achievements of since leaving school

Anthony’s game on the popular Channel 4 show Deal or No Deal was broadcast on Christmas Day!

A popular, jovial player during his time in Noel Edmonds’ Dream Factory, Anthony chose box number 7, the number he linked with his beloved Liverpool FC and, of course, the legendary player (and current manager) Kenny Dalglish who made that shirt number his own.

In a brave and tense game, Anthony rejected all offers from the Banker and risked all on taking home the money in his box. Fortune was on his side and the box opened to provide the perfect Christmas present: £75,000.

Ridley Scott, YouTube et al Life in Japan

Tim Partridge (1996-2003)

Paul Burke (1990-1997)

Tim, who left Bablake to study English at Oxford University, has been employed by Google since completing his degree.

Last year, we asked Paul, who is a corporate consultant in Tokyo, to describe briefly life in Tokyo.

In his work for Google with YouTube, which has now taken him to California, Tim was a co-producer for the ambitious and exciting project Life In A Day, a historic global experiment to create a user-generated feature film shot in a single day.

The film, which was directed by Ridley Scott, was released earlier this summer and plans to make a similar film based on a day in the UK are already well under way.

‘I’ve been living and working in Tokyo, Japan for a little over eight years. I think that’s long enough to have your perception of what’s ‘normal’ or ‘different’ turned upside down. I eat seaweed every day. I bow automatically. I’m not surprised to see 12 construction workers doing a job that three would do back home.

Unlike say, London or New York, Tokyo is a city where being ‘a foreigner’ still has some meaning. You’ll catch a look on a subway train somewhere, or someone will go out of their way to be nice to you in some way. But there are more and more non-Japanese here nowadays and it’s not as big a deal as it once was.

On a typical working day, I visit two or three companies and do some training sessions with their staff, usually inter-cultural communication or presentation training. I love not having to go to the same desk every day and working with lots of different clients.

From Tokyo, it’s very easy to go hiking, skiing or surfing. It has some of the best shops and restaurants on the planet and is surprisingly clean and safe for a city of its size. I don’t know if I’ll still be here in another eight years, but I wouldn’t be surprised!’

We contacted Paul again when the tsunami occurred to check his welfare and offer information we had. His description of the dignified reactions from the Japanese population made an interesting contrast with the actions of this summer’s rioters in England.

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‘Unlike say, London or New York, Tokyo is a city where being a ‘ foreigner’ still has some meaning’ the wheatleyan 2010/11

‘In his year at the Treasury, Paul found plenty of opportunity to build contacts for the future’ Yes Minister

Paul Hollingsworth (2001-2008)

Paul had a fantastic year at the Treasury in Whitehall as part of his Economics and Employment Experience degree at Sheffield University.

His ultimate dream, possibly after a Masters in Employment, would be a position at the Bank of England, a role inspired initially by his involvement at Bablake in the Target 2.0 challenge and now certainly confirmed after his placement within the Treasury.

After succeeding in a severely testing selection process for his position, Paul has now seen first hand

the responsibility of the Civil Service to be impartial politically, and advise and steer the government and ministers of the day towards making the best decisions for the UK economy nationally and globally.

In his year at Whitehall, Paul found plenty of opportunity to build contacts for the future and enjoyed the trust placed in him while making submissions for the ministers' official red boxes. Meeting deadlines successfully and producing reliable, factually correct information were expectations throughout the placement. Providing information for Mario Pisani, Chancellor George Osborne's speech-writer, certainly tested these skills but was one of the highlights of the year.

The year's experience will be most beneficial when Paul returns to Sheffield and tackles his final year dissertation on UK financial services in a global economy. www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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grapevine

grapevine Brief news about former Bablake pupils Maniel Bains (2000-2005) Continued success with his tennis in the US where he recently beat the 27th US ranked player in a college match.

Neil Baker (2002-2009) Continuing with his Graphic Design degree, Neil has supported former pupil Ben Duffy on photographic assignments (inc Bablake’s Stretch) and spent a month with Jaguar on an assignment in Portugal.

Ian Barnes (1979-1986) Nominated, as co-producer of Wish 143, on the shortlist for the Best Short Film (Live Action) Oscar at the 83rd Academy Awards.

Paul Best (2002-2009) A fantastic season. MCCU Player of the Month (May), mainly for his 150 for Cambridge University v Kevin Pietersen’s Surrey and 6-101 v Middlesex. A day to remember at Lord’s with 61 (in 30 balls) and 2 wickets in the Varsity 50 overs, Man of the Match in the Twenty20 win for bowling figures of 4-0-12-4, and 9 wickets in the 4 day Varsity match. Warwickshire CC 1st team debut in April, helped 2nd XI to County Championship and made a CB40 limited overs debut on Sky! 2012 summer contract and going to South Africa as part of the ECB Young Spinners Programme.

Olivia Broadfield (1992-1999) Hinckley’s best kept musical secret, Olivia released her second album This Beautiful War and once again has had much success with placements on top US shows. Cult show 90210 was the first to feature one of her new songs.

Dr Carolyn Brinkworth (1990-1995) Excellent to welcome NASA linked Astronomer to Bablake in September during one of her visits to the UK. Darren Carnall (1990-1995) Working as Swing and Dance captain in Ghost on the West End, Darren also appeared in the Christmas Marks and Spencer advert with Peter Kaye and in the initial Dancing on Ice’Torvill and Dean opening dance sequence.

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Jonathan Collett (1983-1990) Director of Communications for the Press Complaints Commission, hoping to usher in a new era of proactivity and transparency.

Kathryn Corrigan (1992-1999) Released her first album, Tangled Pipes, as part of Consortium5.

Martyn Dawes (2002-2009) Excellent progress towards his dream of gaining his full commercial pilot’s licence.

Laura Dean (2001-2008) Best Geography dissertation at Oxford University.

Graduated with a 1st and will start with Ernst and Young in the New Year.

Robert Dillam (1979-1986) Released the 5th album with his band The Zephyrs.

Ben Duffy (1986-1993) More photographic acclaim! Fantastic shots of so many leading sports stars – inc Rory McIlroy and Gareth Bale covers – and returned to help with Stretch 8.

Wes Finch (1989-1994) Played Bablake’s first Unplugged session with his Dirty Band. Raised money for the Wildlife Trust by walking the Warwickshire Ring and took part in the Folk on The Water tour for Zoe’s Place and Fallen Fusiliers. New album due in 2012.

Daniel Friebe (1991-1998) News of a 2012 release for his biopic re racing legend, Eddie Mercx. Also releasing Mountain High.

Shane Geraghty (1997-2002) After a frustrating time with Northampton where his creativity seemed not to be appreciated, a transfer to Brive has been followed by exciting news of his engagement to Miss Elizabeth Garnish.

John Haidar (2002-2009) Cambridge English undergraduate John has been an active thespian this year.

Ash Hawkins (1998-2005) Working for Apple, still a musician and magician, he brought his own film company, Lightyear Productions, into Bablake to film a short school promo that will be released in the New Year.

Ruth Herbert (1999-2006) Originally an English graduate, now a second year Sheffield Hallam Fine Art student, Ruth camped at Sheffield’s Bank Street Arts as part of the Occupation: Free Art Space For Free Education season. Over three days, with the first two spent in silence, she created her own interpretation of this theme.

David Hill (1997-2004) A year of rebuilding but British Featherweight title holder for Mixed Martial Arts.

Paul Hollingsworth (2001-2008) Enjoyed a placement with the Treasury in London as part of his year out on his degree with Sheffield University.

Lara Jackson (2002-2009) Former School Captain Lara won Player of the Match award in a nail-biting 34-36 defeat in the 2011 2nd VII Varsity match between Oxford and Cambridge.

Alex Kantor (1999-2006) Now working for Tesco and proudly claims he holds the worst A Level results ever for a school captain!

Dr Francesca Kinsella (1992-1999) A full member of the Royal Society of Physicians.

Ira Kleine (2002-2009) Following a line of illustrious former pupils who have studied Medicine at Cambridge University, Ira was commended for her academic excellence at the end of her second year studies.

Melissa Kite (1983-1990) Very prominent political blogging, especially for the online arm of The Daily Mail; witty observations on political shenanigans. Continues to write for The Spectator and GQ. Charlotte Lambert (2005-2010) In Miss Coventry 2011, Charlie was voted as Miss Photogenic.

Matt Lang (1986-1993) Has completed his first 12 months with the West Midlands Police. His posting in Chelmsley Wood included engagement with local schools and tackling anti-social behaviour.

Guy Lewis (now Kelly) (1993-2000) One of the best newcomers at the Edinburgh Fringe 2011, performing The Train Job with The Beta Males.

Kirstie Logan (2006-2008) Continues to raise awareness of Rheumatoid Arthritis and works locally for the Labour party.

Warren Malone (1981-1988) Director and producer of award-winning short film, Forgiving your PE teacher, which won the BBC Film Network Best of British award at the Encounters International Film Festival 2010.

Neil Matkin (1978-1985) Returning to Bablake for an IPD day, Neil met some of his former teachers and found the buildings and pupils as impressive as he recalled. In a letter to the Headmaster, after his visit, he wrote: ‘...the values held at Bablake are as strong as ever; the pupils were a credit to the school.’

Nadine Naguib (2008-2010) Awarded an Exhibition after her first year at Oxford University studying English.

Simon Over (1975-1980) Director of the Southbank Sinfonia and Parliament Choir, Simon conducted Britten’s War Requiem at Coventry Cathedral on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the cathedral’s bombing. www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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grapevine

Please submit news for inclusion in the 2011-12 Wheatleyan by email (mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk) to Staff Editor, Mr Mark Woodward,

by September 1 2012.

Jayson Parmar (2003-2010) Awarded an Exhibition after his first year at UCL studying Natural Sciences.

Jonathan Smith (2003-2010) Stood in Coventry’s local council elections as a Conservative candidate.

Tim Partridge (1996-2003) Co-producer for Ridley Scott’s Life in a Day, currently working in California for YouTube.

Richard Smith (2000-2007) Continues to support Bablake with our Leavers’ Ball formal photography.

Bianca Phillips (2001-2008) Selected as the face of Get On for 2011.

Jamie Stefaniak (2001-2008) An amazing triple first in Medicine at Cambridge University. Jamie is now completing his degree at Oxford University.

James Plester (2000-2007) Instrumental force in the production, recording and promotion of Emma McGann’s first album. Also a member of Barbershizzlé with contemporary Rick Overton.

Lauren Ritchie (2005-2010) Excellent progress in the Miss Coventry competition and she took a play (13) to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Caroline Evans (now Rooke) (1994-2001) Many successful entrepreneurial moments but currently with award-winning local firm ByBox and helping local schools with Young Enterprise. Caroline is one of the few to remember Ben Hudson (the now world famous friend of Kanye West, Mr Hudson) playing with his band, The Hudson Sound, to about 20 people at her Dad’s friend’s pub, The Hare and Hounds.

Fiona Sibley (1988-2005) Occasional pieces for The Guardian’s online educational offering, Cribsheet.

Neil Simmonds (2003-2010) Completed an exciting gap year. Neil was appointed as Wheatley House captain for 2009-10 after Dan Lawrence was made school captain.

Alex T Smith (1996-2003) Illustrator whose new character ‘Claude’ was launched this year. His first in a series, Claude in the City was selected for the inaugural Richard and Judy’s Children’s Book Club (in association with WH Smith) and received excellent reviews in the nationals. Egg was also published.

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Rebecca Stote (now Addis) (1988-1995) Baking expertise under the moniker, Baked by Becky.

Faye Sweet (now Abbott) (1989-1996) Labour councillor for Coventry’s Wyken Ward.

Lorna Syson (1997-2004) Successful year establishing her own textiles range and her pieces have been regularly featured in the broadsheet supplements and home decor magazines. Exciting times!

Rob Taylor-Hastings (2000-2007) Rob has masterminded an impressively talented gathering of the most creative spirits from the Class of 2000 and thereby established Big Sausage Productions, a collective band of aspiring film-makers, photographers and actors. Contemporaries Ben Cave, Rick Overton, Richard Perry (film), James Plester (music), Richard Smith (photography, web design) and Suzie Smith are among those who have been recruited by Rob to bring a Flint Angel series to fruition.

Rosie Tressler (2001-2008) Congratulations to Rosie on her election as Equal Opportunities and Welfare Officer, a Sabbatical post, at the University of Nottingham, after a fine campaign including a masterly Friends spoof video. This has capped a fine year as she gained a 1st for her English and History degree while also serving as Women’s Officer.

David Varnish (1950-1957) Following last issue’s photos from 1960, David kindly sent a photo of his 1954 4L (Latin) group with form master Mr E J Aiton and the 1956 L6S (Science), with form tutor Mr L C Philpott. David commented: ‘6th Formers enjoyed a little more freedom but individuality and self-expression were not encouraged. Boys who chose blazers over formal suits ran the risk of being labelled non-compliant rebels.

The odd smile reflects the joy of being released from the drudgery of lessons for a few minutes – a very rare event!

As there was a strict code of behaviour enforced by a very disciplinarian head, the 4th year photo shows compliance and serious expressions.’

Philip Walker (2000-2007) Graduated from Reading with a 1st in Land Management, with a specialism in Investment and Finance in Property.

Now working for his RICS qualification in London with Montagu Evans, with the intention of specialising in commercial real estate investment. Still doing a lot of sailing – especially sports boat racing (small fast yachts) – and connection with the 29er has included coaching the GBR Youth Squads.

Melissa Walton (2001-2006) Various modelling engagements and celebrated engagement to Ryan Wells (1996-2001).

Chris Walters (2001-2008) Success composing for theatre, short films and jingles.

Michael Warmington (1995-2002) Going from strength to strength with the company Removal Masters (www.removalmasters.co.uk) he set up with his contemporary, Matt Holden.

Stephanie Webb (1998-2005) Following her Edinburgh Textile Design degree, Stephanie is now a freelance pattern/textile designer and doodler who specialises in silk screen printing, surface pattern, hand embroidery, paper cut illustration, and ‘baking the best Victoria Sponge you ever tasted’! (We would like to verify this, Stephanie – Ed.) Her blog is Stephanie Says (inspired by the Velvet Underground) and she also works for Anthropologie (Edinburgh) as Display Co-ordinator.

Congratulations to the following: Degrees Will Chamberlain (2001-2008): PPE (Lincoln, Oxford) Laura Dean (2001-2008): Geography (1st) (Jesus, Oxford) Caitlin Jones (2003-2008): Biological Sciences (Nottingham) Rebecca Lane (2000-2007): Physics (1st) (Hertford, Oxford) Rosie Tressler (2001-2008): English and History (1st) (Nottingham) Philip Walker (2000-2007) Land Management (1st) (Reading) Weddings: Jemma Handley (now Smith) and Alex T Smith (1996-2003) Rebecca Hopkins (now Douglas) (1992-1999) and Michael Douglas (1992-1998) Births: John Thompson (1983-1990) Spotted in/on: CBeebies – Reading of Alex Smith’s Claude in the City Deal or No Deal – his game was on Christmas Day 2010 – Anthony Hernandez Edinburgh (performing) – Ben Cave, Guy Lewis; (while queueing) – Antony Webb, Stephanie Webb, Edward Whitney In Style magazine – Amy Zgraja Nottingham prospectus 2011 – Ben Cave Saturday Telegraph magazine – Ben Duffy’s photograph of Gareth Bale Weakest Link – Ash Hawkins Former Staff Vanessa Hawkins (2006/7-2008) Captain of the Leicester Ladies team that did so well in the Eurohockey Club Champions Cup 2011.

Mike Thomas (1977-1993) Continues as Professor of Mathematics at The University of Auckland, New Zealand.

www.bablake.com @bablakeschool

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goodbye

lastword

I

always look forward to working with such an enthusiastic collection of young editors and this issue has been no different. Indeed, the task facing Scott Morgan and his press pack may have seemed unenviable, since they were so fully aware of the excellent work of previous editors and their eager editorial teams. However, this issue proves once more Bablake pupils thrive on challenge.

As Student Editor, Scott Morgan deserves full credit.

Always decisive and unerringly innovative, Scott’s unflappable nature has been a key asset when editing such a major project and his team has readily respected his leadership. His dynamic talent behind the lens has been a delight to work with and the creative energy on this issue has been particularly rewarding. Scott has a very bright future and will impress future employers with his confidence and talents.

It has also been a pleasure to work with other U6th pupils: Hannah Elsy, Jonny Lawrence and Laura Weaver have offered fine support with articles and interviews for our school website; Kim Jamison and Georgia Edmiston’s creative flair in literary and photographic contexts respectively is very exciting; Emma Fairclough too has proved herself a very organised, driven Section Editor, while Jonine Bains’ issue of Stretch, The Sports Issue – is stunning and will be very hard to improve in 2012.

With too few pages to celebrate every success from the Bablake year, I trust you feel any missing material has been tweeted (@bablakeschool), posted on our online newsdesk (www.bablake.com) or covered in The Lion (www.bablake.com/publications.php) which is published

by Mrs Sarah Harris three times a year. I guarantee next year’s Wheatleyan will maintain the high standard of student journalism and ensure the Bablake experience is as interactive and vibrant on paper as in reality.

Mr Mark Woodward Staff Editor mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk

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B

eing asked to be Student Editor came as a little bit of a shock to me, but it was a very pleasing one! We hope you enjoy this edition, and appreciate all the hard work and effort that has gone into it from both pupils and staff. The whole editorial team has worked together very well and we really believe we are offering you the best issue of The Wheatleyan yet.

As ever, the hardest task has been to capture everything that has happened during the school year – not an easy task, believe me! We look forward to seeing next year’s Editor and his/ her team produce an even better issue. We are confident they will but hope we have set them a hard challenge!’

Scott Morgan Student Editor

‘...this issue proves once more Bablake pupils thrive on challenge’

Partners for life Come to Bablake and meet your future partner?

The parents of News and Features Editor Sam Cooper (and his brothers Edward and Tom) met at Bablake as did those of Sophie and Amy Lilly who are pictured on this page in their class photo! Can you spot them? While we cannot guarantee you will meet your future partner when you join Bablake, there definitely seems to be something in the water!

Some of the other couples we know about, since the early 90s, include: Kathryn Duggan and Graham Jackson Rachel East and Adam Mason Mandy Flemons and Rob McGowan Becki Hawkins and Michael Douglas Jo James and the much missed Rob Scanlon Rachael Mohomed and Stephen Arkell Katie Roberts and Mark Sutton Gemma Shaw and Andrew Heath Some of these only met after they left Bablake. If we add Mr Bernard Sutton who met his wife Sue at Bablake to the list, as well as Mr Steve and Mrs Lynda Jackson, it seems staff are also captured by this special magic.

Are there any others on the way? Let us know! Also, please tell us of any marriages or civil partnerships, where both partners met or were educated at Bablake, by emailing mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk!

Our new Shells’ first impressions of Bablake...

fun sensational

exciting

different new adventure

Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU t +44 (0)24 7627 1200 f +44 (0)24 7627 1293 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk w www.bablake.com t www.twitter.com/bablake-school

interesting

enjoyable

amazing