Bablake Lion Summer 2023 - Issue 89

This is an achievement of which our whole school community can be enormously proud. The report compliments teaching and learning and said that at GCSE and A level “almost all pupils achieve significant higher exam grades than expected”.

They were impressed with our pupils, who, they said, “display exemplary attitudes towards their learning and each other; working together with an excellent sense of purpose and enjoyment”. A number of our wide range of co-curricular activities were also highlighted, including the School’s Formula One in Schools team, which reached the national finals, and our outstanding music and drama provision.

I make no apology for highlighting the report because I am incredibly proud of this wonderful school and I think that this is something that the whole community should celebrate. We will continue to work together, aiming for excellence in everything we do.

Mr Andrew Wright

In May, we were inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate and judged to be Excellent’, the highest possible grade, in all categories of academic standards and pupils’ personal development.

News from Bablake

Black Country Museum

The sun shone for Year 8 pupils when they visited the Black Country Museum.

It was a real opportunity for them to immerse themselves in the 19th century and prepare them for their upcoming focus on the Industrial Revolution.

The trip down the underground mineshaft, complete with explosions, was a highlight, as was Mrs Russell being caned in the Victorian classroom! Many pupils sampled 19th century cuisine in the sweet shop and the cake shop and tried out traditional children’s entertainment (without a PlayStation in sight!).

Billy Elliot

Rehearsals have begun, and the energy and talent being displayed are already making this collaboration a complete joy.

We are so excited to see where the creative journey takes us, and will be proud to share the outcome with you at performances between 31st January and 2nd February 2024.

SCHOOL CAPTAINS and the Senior Team

Sixth Form marks a departure from previous school experiences and is an exciting new chapter in a young person’s education.

Rush Hour Concert Week

Our final Rush Hour Concert week of the academic year took place with a record number of performers.

It has been wonderful witnessing our musicians grow in confidence and share their passion and skills with an intimate audience throughout the year.

It is striking to see the balance across the instrumental groups and we are excited to watch this feed our ensemble groups in the coming year. Congratulations to all those solo performers who show such dedication week on week, and courage in the performance itself.

As our Lower Sixth students prepare themselves for their final year here at Bablake, many take on additional responsibilities in School and a number of them become School Prefects. For our Prefects, the role that they fulfil allows them to make a commitment to volunteering, co-curricular and leadership activities so that they foster new competencies and develop existing talents to the very highest levels, whatever they may be. This ethos encourages them to be outward looking, showing understanding of the School and its role in the wider community.

For the remainder of the term and next academic year, our Prefects will be led by 16 Senior Prefects, including our newlyappointed School Captains - Libby and Oliver - and Vice-Captains Beth, Harry, Jamie, Kiran, Nomeda and Rhea. We wish our Prefects and the Student Leadership Team every success in their new roles.

After an exceptional round of auditions and recalls, we now have a 62-strong cast for our 2024 production of Billy Elliot.

SILVER Duke of Edinburgh Award

At the end of exam week, Trips Day arrived and Year 10 pupils were looking forward to a weekend on their Duke of Edinburgh expedition.

Their kit was inspected and activities to hone their knowledge of the countryside code and expedition skills were undertaken. After lunch, we loaded the coach and headed to the Peak District.

On arrival we were met by the instructors and pupils pitched their tents and cooked their evening meal, finalising routes and preparing for the next three days of the expedition.

In stark contrast to the practice expedition. the groups were met by early morning sunshine and warmth and the gentle lowing of cows in the cow sheds nearby to set them on their way. With groups leaving at staggered times, we were still on site when the next school group arrived to use the site and we were met with the familiar face of former pupil Rob Tyas, now a group leader in Stoke on Trent. After a quick chat, we packed up and moved to the second camp ready to receive the first groups.

Having set up our site, we were greeted by the joyous sounds of a group who were absolutely delighted to be the first group in, having had some struggles in the practice. Evening activities ensued with pupils joining together for a game of ‘rounders’ improvised with sticks for bats and a found ball. Pupils were also keen to hear news of Coventry City’s exploits in the play-off final and were regularly updated on the score. Once they had all finished their evening chores, they gathered around to watch the penalty decider, although we all know how that ended!

Groups were once again on the move early the next morning and arrived at campsite number three to be rewarded with a glorious sunset over the Peak District, with games and a proper chill out in the evening! The final day dawned to another favourable day of sunshine and groups made their way to the finish at Tittesworth Water, some traversing the famous Roaches on their way and enjoying themselves on the sunbathed banks waiting for the coaches.

It was such a wonderful trip to be part of and staff were impressed with the pupils’ resilience and determination as well as their good humour and constant smiles throughout.

Mr Nicholson

Bablake Invades Warwick Castle!

Ena Cassidy (Shell LM)

On Friday 26th May, an army comprising 98 of the best historians Bablake could muster (Shells, obviously) set forth to invade Warwick Castle. Equipped with pens and booklets, we stormed up the steps of Caesar’s Tower, the highest point of the castle, looming over the landscape at a staggering height of 40 metres. We then trooped across the battlements, over to Guy’s Tower. We quickly dominated both towers, the pen truly proving mightier than the sword. Not long after, we charged over to observe an interactive show by the bowman of Warwick Castle. He gave us an informative, yet entertaining performance, educating us about the wages of archers and showing our group different designs of bow. We weren’t in battle against him, and a good thing too, as his aim was exquisite. After having our quest for knowledge quenched, we strode off to the Gaol, the original dungeon of Warwick Castle. Learning about the wall stocks was fascinating, yet the mere thought of them left chills down our spines. Did you know they were used to lock prisoners’ ankles in and have them bound upside down?

In contrast to the darkness of the dungeon, we watched an impressive display of birds through the story of the Falconer’s Quest. A vast array of birds filled the sky, from a Peregrine Falcon, the fastest bird in the world, to an Andean Condor, with a wingspan of over three metres. After this remarkable feathered display, we commenced on a journey to the Kingmaker, revealing an exhibit of wax figures etched and carved with meticulous care. Though their appearance was mighty, they were no match for our army of battle-ready soldiers. Having conquered the castle, leaving its residents in fear, we returned to Bablake. All in all, we had a great day!

Fabulous FLAMENCO!

On Monday 19th June, as our traditional end of year celebration, we invited Ana Garcia, a professional Flamenco dancer, and her guitarist, Sam, to Bablake.

Our Lower Sixth Spanish students took part in a one-hour Flamenco workshop, where they learnt the intricate hand and foot movements that make up this iconic dance. The first 30 minutes were spent learning the proper way to stamp feet and move hands, and the group performed an impressive Flamenco routine at the end of the session.

Flamenco, now regarded as Spain’s national dance, was declared World Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2010.

County Competition Success

Further to the last article that you may have read in the previous edition of The Lion, we have enjoyed recent success at the Young Enterprise County Competition, where our team underwent an interview in front of a panel of judges, and gave a presentation in front of all of the other teams.

Through our strong communication and teamwork skills that we have cultivated throughout the year, we were able to achieve the Best Company Award in Warwickshire and Coventry, as well as awards for Best Presentation and Best Financial Management. We then progressed to the regional competition, where, despite winning the award for Best Presentation, we unfortunately did not secure a wholly successful outcome and will no longer continue with further stages in the competition.

The Everlasting team will be the first to admit that our Young Enterprise journey has been a bit of a rollercoaster, however, the newfound friendships, skills and real-world experiences that we have gained as a result have been extremely worthwhile. We are very proud of what we have achieved this past year and of how we have developed as both a team and individuals.

ESCAPE to the Château!

fun, fromage and français and things got off to a good start on the ferry when our pupils got involved in a dance-off with a group of French students, joining them for a conga around the upper deck before we docked!

This set the tone for the trip and everyone fully embraced the activities on offer at the Château de la Baudonnière, which included la fabrication du pain (bread making), le mur (the wall – a climbing activity) and la grande trouvaille (a treasure hunt). Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on our side but that didn’t stop us …the rain only added to the fun for the aéroballe and archery activities. However, the sun came out for our last day and we had a great afternoon at the beach, playing games and walking along the clifftop paths. We also fitted in a quick stop at the supermarché and emptied the shelves of chocolate!

All groups worked with native-speaker animateurs on site and everybody had the opportunity to practise and improve their French. The visit to the market at Villedieu gave everyone a glimpse into French daily life and several pupils were spotted confidently ordering crêpes from the food trucks. Not only was lots of French spoken, but everyone also had the chance to try some escargots at the soirée française and, of course, we ate lots of baguettes.

Our stay at the Château was busy, but lots of fun, and we hope to be back again soon.

Culture Day

At the time of going to press, we are just one day away from Bablake’s first ever Culture Day to celebrate the diversity in our community.

There will be a range of activities throughout the day to allow pupils to experience different customs and traditions. In addition to this, each form has been asked to decorate their classroom door to represent a different country and we will be hosting a catwalk fashion show. Pupils will be able to wear clothes that represent their cultural heritage, whether it be a traditional costume, clothing they might wear to a cultural celebration, colours that represent a national flag or other clothing that represents an aspect of their heritage.

The day will also be raising money for the Coventry Food Bank and we look forward to sharing stories and photos with you in the next edition of The Lion!

Symposium Reimagined

2023’s Symposium Showcase was our biggest showcase so far. Projects ranged from ‘The Impact of Social Media on Young People’ to ‘Dark Matter’ and ‘The Most Famous Assassinations That Changed the Course of History’.

All the Symposium members were confident presenters and were able to demonstrate the extent of their research and the depth of their understanding. Choosing a winning project was not an easy task, but those attending the showcase evening were able to vote for their favourite project(s).

Over 460 votes were cast, with the winning projects being ‘The Most Famous Assassinations That Changed the Course of History’ by Teyah Amlani and Erin Casey (Year 9) and ‘Photographic Memory’ by Isabella Trevor and Katie Harvey (Year 10).

SIXTH FORM

Enrichment

As part of the Sixth Form Enrichment lecture programme, we were delighted to welcome Umang Rajdev to Bablake to deliver a talk on AI and how it will impact our professional and personal lives in the future.

The session certainly gave students and staff a great deal to think about.

Extended Project Qualification Evening

The Lower Sixth’s Extended Project journey culminated in a fantastic Presentation Evening, during which the students showcased their passion and knowledge for the wide-ranging projects they have considered this year.

Each and every one rose to the somewhat nerve-wracking challenge of explaining their subject matter and project journey and they confidently answered a variety of probing questions from parents, staff, their peers, and prospective students. They offered thought-provoking and engaging answers, impressing every member of the audience with their expertise, eloquence and enthusiasm for their topic. And what a range of topics! From creating a Rubik’s cube solver built of Lego or learning how to play the Dhol from scratch, to whether peace or war has had more effect on human inventiveness, could humans colonise another planet by 2050 and should AI replace juries in a court of law… and indeed, everything in between!

The students did an outstanding job and they should be rightly proud of both their performance at the evening and the projects themselves.

INDIA IS DRIVEN TO SUCCEED

Following on from the article in the last edition of The Lion, we are pleased to announce that India Print has also been successful in securing a place on the BWT Alpine F1 Team’s Girls’ mentoring scheme.

BWT Alpine F1 Team, with support from Motorsport UK and Girls on Track UK, has launched a new mentoring scheme and invited secondary school-aged girls in Year 9, who aspire to work in motorsport, to apply.

The mentoring scheme has been designed for future motorsport professionals interested in factory, office and engineering roles. Individuals selected to enter the scheme will have a BWT Alpine F1 Team member as their dedicated mentor. The mentor will provide guidance and support via regular video conferences and face-to-face meet-ups, giving regular advice and encouragement.

India has recently joined Mantis F1 in Schools team, which has

Here, we ask India…

Why did you apply?

I have always been interested in F1 and design from a young age and have recently decided to pursue it as a career.

What does it mean to you to have been chosen for the scheme?

It means a great deal, because it opens doors for me to learn more about engineering and design.

India attended the launch event held at BWT Alpine F1 Team in Enstone, Oxfordshire. She is also hoping to secure a work experience placement at Aston Martin in Gaydon, working in the design studios. We are all very proud of her achievements

F1 IN SCHOOLS regional Finals report

Back in April, five Bablake teams headed to Aston University to compete in the F1 in Schools West Midlands Regional Finals. The event was much anticipated and the pupils were excited to be attending the live event.

Everyone had been working hard to perfect their cars to race for honours on the 30m track; they had also honed their verbal presentations and Design and Engineering portfolios. With teams ready to race, the excitement in the minibus was palpable.

The day was action-packed, with a full timetable of events for each team to present their pit displays, portfolios and verbal presentations. Pupils set up their pit displays and entered their cars for scrutineering, then waited excitedly for their turn to race.

All of the teams had a fantastic day, with The Lionesses winning Best Verbal Presentation and Racing Lions achieving Best Pit Display, securing a place at the National Finals.

Racing Lions now head to Leeds University at the end of June for the chance to win a place in the World Finals. They are all set, making final adjustments to their car and presentations in readiness to take their challenge to the next level.

The team is still seeking sponsorship. Any funds would be used to help with entry fees, to have the car manufactured and to produce their pit display, as well as providing them with team-branded clothing. If you or anyone you know might wish to support these energetic pupils in achieving their goal of reaching the World Finals, please do get in touch (pn@bkhs.org.uk).

Mr Nicholson

Check out the team on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok!

Art

The annual ART AND DESIGN TECHNOLOGY EXHIBITION

We are always impressed by the excellent quality and variety of the artwork produced by our pupils and thoroughly enjoy the wonderful evening that is our annual Art and Design Technology Exhibition.

We do hope that you were able to join us for this year’s event, but if not, here is a very small selection of some of the incredible pieces produced by our talented A level students.

Well done and thank you to everyone who contributed. We wish our Sixth Form leavers the very best of luck for next year.

MURAL Masterclass

On Friday 26th May, our Year 10 GCSE artists took part in a Mural Masterclass workshop delivered by fabulous local artist, Katie O.

Success at The Herbert

A level students Sadie and Milo recently exhibited at The Herbert Art Gallery.

Back in January, more than 1000 pieces of work were submitted in a variety of media, with 248 then shortlisted by a panel of independent judges and the best 108 went on display in May. The exhibition was the twelfth Coventry Open and the first to include a young people’s showcase.

Congratulations to Sadie and Milo, as this was a fantastic opportunity to showcase your work in a professional gallery.

Art

As promised in the last issue of The Lion, here is a selection of the Shells’ finished Scream-inspired self-portraits.

We are very impressed with their amazing drawing skills and creativity. Well done!

Events House

This term sees the culmination of the House Competition with Sports Day taking place at the beginning of July.

Picture perfect!

We had some very creative entries for the Photography Competition, with winners selected from each age category (Junior, Intermediate and Senior).

Keen photographer and member of staff, Mrs Tracy Mair, kindly judged this competition and provided excellent constructive feedback for the pupils. She was very impressed with the photographs that were submitted and the individual winners were:

Junior James Rees (Crow)

Intermediate Megan Hart (Fairfax)

Senior Orson Brand (Bayley)

Special mention also went to Ariana Ayers (Junior, 2nd place for Fairfax) for a brilliant photograph.

Bablake House System

Once the points accumulated by each of the Houses during events that have occurred throughout the year, including Sports Day, are added up the House Cup will awarded to the winning House. Events this term have included Spring Photography, tennis, table tennis, cricket, rounders and MasterChef.

Bablake does MasterChef

The MasterChef event was well-represented, with pupils from each year group being given a theme for which they needed to create a recipe, bring ingredients and prepare their chosen meal within a limited time.

The dish was then tasted by a team of judges who gave marks for presentation, taste, organisation and tidiness of the kitchen. The judges were very impressed by the culinary talents displayed by the teams of pupils.

In Shells, the theme was salad and first place was awarded to Wheatley.

In Year 8, the theme was stir fry and first place was awarded to Crow.

In Year 9, the theme was pasta and first place went to Fairfax.

James Rees

Ariana Ayers

Orson Brand Megan Hart

Sport

Bablake ATHLETICS

Solihull Athletics Meet

We have continued to see some great success on the athletics track from our pupils. Both the Junior and Inter boys’ and girls’ teams finished in first place at the Solihull athletics meet on the 26th April. Special mentions must go to Ella Martin (1st 800m), Imogen Lane (1st - shot & long jump), Isla Beasley (1st - high jump & 400m), Lyla Brown (1st - javelin) and Lara Drage (1st - 800m).

Year 7 qualifiers

The most recent event to be held was the Year 7 qualifiers, where our youngest athletes finally got to showcase their talents. Special mentions go the following, who have qualified for the Coventry finals later in the term:

Boys: Jacob Hodgkins, Elliot Forbes-Gifford, Niki Basioudis, Jack Thirde, Jaron Lewis-Haynes, Mozart Silver OBrien & Hugo Hughes.

Inter and Junior championships

The Inter (Years 10 and 11) and Junior (Years 8 and Year 9) championships were the next competitions to be held and both events demonstrated the excellent potential of some of our athletes.

Once again, special mentions go to Adam Memi (1st - hurdles), Ismail Khalil (1st 800m), Imogen Lane (1st - hurdles, long jump and shot), Oriana MacGibbon (1st - javelin), Isla Beasley (1st - 200m), Ella Martin (1st - 800m and long Jump), Michael Masterson (1st - 200m), Sebastian MacGibbon (1st - 1500m) and James Cox (1st - javelin).

Girls: Jessica Bolstridge, Lucie Hateley, Lyla Brown, Hannah Smith, Lauren Munton, Lexie East, Angel Khumalo, Gursimar Dosanjh & Scarlet Maude.

Heptathlon

Congratulations must go to Imogen on her recent success. She won the Midlands counties U17 women’s heptathlon with a score of 4226 points, which currently ranks her second in the UK and breaks the Godiva Harriers’ all-time club record! Well done Imogen.

Sunny Sports Social

Our annual Sports Social was the biggest yet, with over 200 guests attending up at the Games Field.

Once again, the sun shone for us and much fun was had by all, with pupils playing a range of sports such as cricket, football and rounders. To top it off, pupils cooled down with a dose of sugar from the ice cream van!

Thanks to all our pupils for their commitment this year and to parents for their support, as always.

Track and field

The English Schools Track and field Cup was just as successful as the last. All pupils competed with grit and determination and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the regional finals.

We look forward to the final two events of the season and thank all pupils for their commitment to training on Monday nights at the track this year!

Girls’ Sport

It is always exciting to kick start the summer term after a long winter of hockey and netball, but unfortunately, the weather wasn’t in our favour for the first few weeks!

Lots of waterlogged pitches and cancelled fixtures meant that it was slow to get going, but our girls maintained their commitment to training for when it did.

CRICKET

Cricket has flourished this year, with over 50+ juniors at training on Tuesday evenings and we have seen great progress throughout the Shells and Year 8. Cricket has also enabled us to have a larger number of pupils participating, with most games afternoons accommodating A teams right down to E teams, which has been wonderful.

The Shells had a great day at Nottingham High School’s festival and all the girls played some exceptional cricket, with the U12As competing a year young in the U13 Cup and finishing third. The U12Bs were victorious in the U12A plate, finishing as winners. The U14s have also had a great season so far, winning all their games v Princethorpe, King’s High and King Henry VIII. We are already excited for next season with the arrival of some exceptional Year 6 pupils and the introduction of more girls’ hard ball games.

The seniors are also ensuring a strong finish to their season, with very competitive wins against Wellingborough, Denstone and Wrekin College.

HURRAH for Hannah!

Lower Sixth student Hannah Elliott recently enjoyed an amazing weekend in Utrecht in the Netherlands, competing in the King Bowl International Flag American Football Tournament representing Great Britain women.

Playing as a wide receiver, Hannah helped GB to reach the final where they lost by just a single point to the USA.

Rounders

With the introduction of girls’ cricket in most independent schools, rounders is sadly a dying sport.

We have, however, had success, with the U15s winning their Coventry Schools Tournament and we look forward to the turn of the Shells, Year 8s and Year 9s.

RUGBY 7s SUCCESS

Here, Aimee Nelson tells us about her recent rugby 7s success.

Last season I was lucky enough to be accepted into the UR7s National Rugby Academy as an U16 girl. This was a great opportunity for me and over the past few months I have participated in many training sessions, as well as a tournament, to extend my skill and game knowledge through the sport of rugby 7s. I have been retained for next season and am excited about the prospect of making more progress and continuing to play competitively.

Boys’ Sport

It has been another busy season for boys’ cricket, with over 120 fixtures scheduled during a relatively short summer term.

The wet weather initially proved challenging, however, clearer skies towards the end of May and into June have allowed us to play upwards of 30 boys’ and girls’ fixtures each week. The U12s have faced tough opposition, however, they are beginning to show the potential they displayed during the winter nets. The U13s have also found it hard, however, a thrilling victory against QMGS and a Cup win against Finham Park has given them the confidence they needed to get their season back on track. The U14s and U15s have both faced strong opposition; a battling and nail-biting draw for the U15s against Loughborough Grammar School demonstrated their resilience and determination.

The 1st XI, captained by Tom Mousley, has been the standout team so far this season, beating KES Stratford, Warwick, Princethorpe, KES Birmingham and QMGS. A superb run of form placed them in the third round of the National U18 HMC T20, but unfortunately an excellent Cheltenham College side proved too strong. The 1st XI is looking forward to the ‘cricket fortnight,’ an action packed couple of weeks at the end of term which concludes with the Terry Patchett T20, a tournament we have been proud to host for the last 20 years.

Mr A Phillips

NBA Success for Toronto Raptors

After coming through the group stages and play offs with a 100% winning record, the Bablake U12 basketball team, the Toronto Raptors, competed in the West Midlands NBA Finals.

The team won a tough Eastern Conference game against the Milwaukee Bucks 35-27, with Niki Basioudis scoring an incredible 21 points. Niki then went on to win the half time shooting competition.

The West Midlands final proved to be a tense contest, with the teams tied as they went into the final quarter and Bablake finally winning 22-15 to cap a fantastic season for this team, as they were also crowned Coventry Champions earlier in the term, along with our U14 girls. Basketball is thriving at Bablake!

The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements is excellent.

Pupils are respectful of each other and understand the value of diversity in the community.

Pupils achieve excellent levels of knowledge, skills and understanding.

Pupils are high achievers who excel academically and across a wide range of cocurricular activities.

Pupils display a mature social awareness, working together with an excellent sense of purpose and enjoyment.

Pupils confidently apply higher-order thinking skills to rapidly extend their academic skills.

Pupils demonstrate a highly developed moral sense; they take responsibility for their own behaviour and are sensitive to the needs of others.

Pupils are extremely self-confident and selfdisciplined; they are reflective and understand how to improve their learning.

Pupils display exemplary attitudes towards their learning, approaching their studies with rigour and purpose.

The quality of the pupils’ development is excellent.