The Lion - Issue 52

bablakeupdate news & views from bablake school

Headmaster’s notes We are approaching the end of a consultation process which has included pupils, staff, governors and parents, as we begin to construct the next phase of the School Development Plan, for 2010-13. I am grateful to all those who have contributed, via questionnaire, in School Councils or in discussion groups, for the vital partnership between school and home will enable us to build on strengths and to further improve our pupils’ education. Whilst there is much that we already do very well, a school is a living and dynamic community preparing its pupils for a rapidly changing world, and we can

therefore never stand still; if we do, we shall soon get left behind! So, the core traditional values of academic rigour, integrity and respect for others should be enhanced and refreshed by creative innovation and new opportunities.

It was in such a spirit that I embarked on my visit to China this Easter, for I believe that this huge and rapidly developing nation could play a strikingly important role in our pupils’ futures. We shall be welcoming our first four or five Chinese pupils to study A levels from September, and we hope that we shall all benefit from a fruitful exchange of ideas and cultures. The pupils will live in local families and will, of course, follow their curriculum in English. At the same time, the opportunity for our pupils to learn Mandarin Chinese in a lunchtime club or in Upper Sixth Enrichment lessons will continue, whilst we develop links with the Suzhou Industrial Park No.3 Middle School, whose unimaginative name cannot but fail to reflect its ambition and pride!

The Headmaster with the Principal and Vice Principal of Suzhou Industrial Park No.3 Middle School

Bablake School, Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU +44 (0)24 7627 1200 +44 (0)24 7627 1290 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk w www.bablake.com t f

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Design: by Mustard: www.mustardhot.com Printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests.

issue 52 summer 2010

Staff news Further to previous announcements, in September we shall also be pleased to welcome: Miss Stacey Wilson, Head of Girls’ Sport.

Miss Wilson studied Sports Science and Geography at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where she was also a regional hockey player. She has been teaching PE, Games and Geography at Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham since 2005, and is also an Assistant Housemistress in a girls’ boarding house.

Miss Kelly Ormsby, History. Miss Ormsby was educated at King Henry VIII School, where she was Head Girl. She studied for her BA in History at the University of Manchester, and is currently completing her PGCE at the University of Warwick. She is also qualified to teach Religious Education and Classics, and has played netball and rugby.

Miss Katarzyna Dzikowska, part-time Art. Miss Dzikowska studied Fine Art (with Multimedia Activity) at the University of Radom in Poland, where she also trained to be a teacher.

She moved to England in 2008, and is currently teaching at Rugby High School. She particularly enjoys photography, outdoor activities and archery.

Miss Kathryn Brindley, part-time Geography. Miss Brindley is a former Bablake pupil, who has studied Geography and Geology at the University of Leicester. She will no doubt throw herself wholeheartedly into the life of her ‘old’ school, and, as a qualified coach, looks forward to supporting girls’ hockey.

Valete I shall give ampler details in my end-of term letter, but the following staff will be retiring or leaving, and we are immensely grateful to them for their service and dedication to the Bablake community: Mr Andrew McConaghy, Director of Studies and History; Mrs Patricia Tatum, Head of Middle School and Music; Mr Rob Dougall, Assistant Head of Sixth Form and English; Mrs Brenda Wood, Art; Mrs Mandy Reed, Girls’ PE (who will remain at Bablake Junior School); Mrs Pat Thomas, Librarian; Mr Stuart Slater, Maintenance; Mr Jonty Boddington, Design Technology Technician; Mrs Chrissie Waddington, Physics Technician.

In this issue A formula for success 02 You’re fired! 03 Ready Steady Cook 04 Newsshorts 05 Oooh arrrr! 06 Using the plot! 07 Artsnotes 08 Acting up 09 On the slippery slope 10 to Les Menuires Snow in Snowdonia 11 A first for the girls 12 Biennial inspection 13 Sport 14

Bablake mile

Charity started off on a low note in the Spring Term when we had to raise funds to help the distressed and homeless people of Haiti.

But in true form we rose to the challenge and through collections, sponsored events, the sale of second hand goods and a popular “Hats for Haiti Day” we were able to send over £2,350. £420 was collected for the teenage cancer trust and £300 for the Brecon Rescue Team who helped some of our Sixth Form when in trouble during their Duke of Edinburgh gold award hike last summer.

The Grangers Club is a local charity supported by two ex-pupils.

They provide a social meeting place for disadvantaged young people in Coventry. We were able to give them £350.

A special mention must be given to James Faulkner in 3C (Year 9) who raised in excess of £3,000 for the NSPCC by climbing Kilimanjaro in very difficult conditions. This was a tough challenge and we were able to give him £350 to add to his total.

Finally, Sport Relief saw staff and pupils taking part in the Bablake Mile. We dressed up and looked totally mad as we ran, walked, crawled, cart wheeled, sang, walked backwards, joined ourselves together to do a three and five legged stagger, transported ourselves round in shopping trolleys and toy cars and altogether managed to raise £1,000.

Mrs Dolphin’s husband, Mark, completed the London Marathon in an impressive 4 hours and 4 minutes and raised a total of £2,900 for the National Autistic Society, of which £350 came from Bablake.

Thanks go to all those who took part and who helped to raise £5,650 for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Bablakenews

Bablakenews

You’re fired!!!

Summing up Several of our brightest Mathematicians completed their Mathematics A level in January, and eight of them gained the school’s first A* grades. This new grade recognises the achievement of the very top A level candidates nationally. Many congratulations; passionate dedication to all those puzzles and hard sums evidently paid off!

Smart Alex Congratulations to L6th pupil, Alex Hoare, who has been awarded a scholarship by the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD), equivalent to the British Council, in conjunction with UKGerman Connection.

Alex will now spend four weeks this summer travelling around Germany, visiting schools and cities such as Berlin, Munich and Cologne. In addition, before the start of the programme, he will work with a primary school and prepare a short presentation for them during his time in Germany.

Eight pupils in total were selected from the UK and, to win a place, Alex had to write an essay in German on the consequences of the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as submitting a piece of class work and a reference.

One person who will be watching the first series of the Young Apprentice with mixed feelings will be L6th pupil, Arrandeep Banwait.

Creating a buzz Lauren James in the Nuffield Bursary Gold Crest Scheme on Bees and their identification by DNA won the West Midlands best problem-solving prize at the Regional Finals. In the National Science and Engineering Competition held in Manchester she was runner up in the Intermediate category of Science and Technology.

Going up and up in the world

Revision for public examinations has been in full swing, and pupils have sat plenty of practice papers and have attended subject -specific workshops in a bid to gain the few extra marks that they trust will bring them to their target grades.

You might assume it is forever a challenge for teachers to present revision material in a different format. This was not the case recently, however, for Mr Jeremy Hobday's A2 Physics class.

After careful consideration of the necessary Health and Safety Risk Assessment, Newton's First Law was revised in our main school hall.

Arrandeep was one of around 30,000 16-17 year olds who originally applied for Lord Sugar's new series and did tremendously well to make it through as reserve for the show.

After passing four interviews in Birmingham, Arrandeep was one of 48 candidates invited to London for further task-based exercises. Delighted at getting so close to being selected for the televised tasks and the chance to be helped by Lord Sugar and his advisers, Arrandeep has been sworn to secrecy about his progress until now.

Future leaders of Business Six of our L6th Economics and Business Studies pupils are celebrating winning the West Midlands heat of the 2010 ICAEW National Business Game.

Pip Collison, Rhys Edwards, Millie Ross, Charlotte Rouse, Chris Starkey and Will Thornhill travelled to Birmingham Council House to compete against a dozen other Sixth Form teams, and now move onto the national final which will be held in July.

A formula for success...

Congratulations to Hitesh Bansal, who has won a Gold Award in the 2010 RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) International Chemistry Olympiad.

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Hitesh is one of 210 pupils from 2400 of the country's best Chemistry students to receive Gold and is the first Bablake pupil to have received this accolade.

Hitesh, who has an offer to read Medicine at Imperial College, London, is obviously delighted with his performance while Dr Patrick Knight, Head of Chemistry said: 'I have had the pleasure to teach a continual flow of superb Chemists over the last decade at Bablake but Hitesh deserves special praise for surpassing their achievements.' bablake school

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Bablakenews

Bablakenews

House Ready Steady Cook hots up

newsshorts

channel swim Just before the Easter break, inspired by Sport Relief and swimming teacher Miss Jayne Simmons, around 20 Bablake pupils, mainly from the Shells and L6th, teamed up to 'Swim the English Channel' in our pool.

With eight teams swimming simultaneously, the 22 mile swim was completed in just 1 hour 52 minutes with each pupil making their way through about 100 lengths.

The money raised will go to Aspire, a Spinal Injury charity. election fever The school was alive with election fever before and on Polling Day, May 6th. In addition to candidates from the main parties attending a lively debate hosted by Mr Enstone and Mr Grantham for the Sixth Form, we also ran a mock election.

Following close on the heels of the successful Drama Festival, the ever-popular House Ready Steady Cook has resumed under the watchful eye of Home Economics teacher, Mrs Carol Davey.

In each round, two pupils from each of the four Houses cook a dish to fit a theme and a budget before staff judges assess the taste and presentation of the culinary fare.

Recently Head of 6th Form, Mr Jim Burns and Mrs Jane Brett, from Pupil Services, narrowly judged Bayley House winners of the 4th Year round which had an Italian theme. All the Houses served up some tasty offerings and Fairfax's partisan Parmesan and Purée platter deserves particular mention.

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‘As a child, I gained the deepest understanding of food, without even knowing it.’ Raymond Blanc

The Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Parties were all represented, along with UKIP. Each party was led by a Fifth or Sixth Form pupil assisted by willing supporters. Parties canvassed support in the two weeks before polling day and a leaders’ debate was held on Tuesday, 4 May, with questions from an audience of staff and pupils.

On Polling Day itself each tutor group represented one constituency, forty-eight in total. Unlike the real election a decisive result immediately emerged: the Conservatives polled more than fifty percent of the vote and won by a clear majority of ten seats. Particular congratulations, therefore, must go to Jonathan Smith who led the victors, but also to Caitlin Edwards, Millie Ross, Jack Kelly, Lizzie Stefaniak and Jonathan Lawrence who acted as leaders of the other parties.

Crystal Ball There were definitely some extravagant arrivals this year with people turning up in limos, vintage cars and even a fire engine. The hall had been decked out by the Sixth Formers who organised the event especially well, and, as the DJ started the music, people got up and danced.

Smoke machines added to the atmosphere. The mix of classic tracks and chart toppers was so loud that it was only when a few people left the hall for air that we realised the fire alarm was going off! After a few minutes standing out in

the cold, we were rescued by good-humoured firemen who allowed us back in. The DJ’s decks kept cutting but we eventually got to YMCA directed by the boys. It started to die down at about a quarter to 11 as most of the girls had lost feeling in their feet. We would all like to say a massive thank you to everyone who organised or attended what turned out to be a great evening.

By Helen Porter, Anastasia Skamarauskas and Felicity Langford.

Former pupils Kirstie Logan – Miss Coventry 2010 Congratulations to Kirstie on being chosen as Miss Coventry 2010. She now automatically represents her home city in the Miss England heat later this year and we wish her well.

Kirstie, who studied in our Sixth Form and immediately gained special notice as a talented singer-songwriter, is now studying English at Coventry University. Being chosen as Miss Coventry has brought Kirstie national notice as she has been passionate in raising awareness about Rheumatoid Arthritis, working tirelessly to gain awareness and funds for NRAS, ARC, Help For Heroes and the Variety Club.

John Haidar – The Weakest Link?

Congratulations to John Haidar, currently studying Theology at Cambridge, on his excellent performance in a recent edition of The Weakest Link.

John was, in fact, the strongest link in one round of the show but was voted out when only three contestants remained, and therefore missed out on the final and a chance to supplement his student income!

High flyer GCSE pupil, Sam Grey has always had a head for heights and is well on track for fulfilling his dream to be a pilot. He set out on this mission when he was 14 and, having flown solo, is currently doing his Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) and, within that, his Night Rating.

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Bablakenews

Bablakenews

Oooh arrrr!

Fifth form GCSE pupil Tom Stobart turned heads recently when he delivered his Design and Realisation coursework to school attached to the back of his 1951 Massey Ferguson tractor. Tom had designed and made a box to carry fence posts, soil and various bits of equipment around a farm, and, to prove it worked, he drove the tractor into School one morning. As well as restoring this machine, he also has a second tractor, a Fordson Major, which he is currently overhauling.

Using the plot!

Did you know that there used to be a Headmaster’s vegetable garden on the main school site? It used to be where the EDM block stands today.

Stand out, stay cool and stay ahead Problem solved The Engineering Education Scheme came to a successful climax recently with our team of Arrandeep Banwait, Luke Briggs, Isabel Ferguson and Adam Pitt presenting their work at the regional celebration day in Solihull.

The team, sponsored and supported by civil engineers ARUP, have been working on a solution to motorway congestion around Birmingham. Their novel and original solution of building a new motorway following the lines of canals to minimise disruption was very well received and praised by the judging panel of engineers.

The only drawback which proved to be a slight bone of contention was the necessary budget of £186 billion!

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'As part of the Friday afternoon Enrichment Programme, pupils can participate in a variety of courses ranging from DIY to Politics'

Earlier this year, Lower Sixth pupils received information on the options available post A2 as well as advice on how to stand out and stay ahead of their peers.

In the recent presentations, Mr Mark Woodward, Head of Careers, offered practical advice on how to write an effective UCAS personal statement and then focussed on competitive interviews.

In the second session Sarah Medley, from De Montfort University's Student Advisory Service, who has previously led a national UCAS workshop on Competitive Interviews with Bablake's Careers department, advised Lower Sixth Formers on how to prepare themselves for interview.

Importantly she also set out how various degree disciplines and university faculties may vary in their interview procedures.

On September 25, Upper Sixth Formers will have the chance to test themselves with a panel and/ or individual interviews. Former pupils and current parents join local employees in interviewing our pupils. It is certainly an invaluable chance for our pupils to fine-tune every aspect of their interview performance.

Should you wish to participate in the 2010 Mock Interview Morning, whether as an Upper Sixth pupil or interviewer, or simply find out more information about the event, you are invited to check the Careers website.

Inspired by the River Cottage TV series, a growing interest in self-sufficiency, reducing food miles, and the recent trend for growing your own produce, Mr Enstone and a group of Upper Sixth formers have been busy transforming a plot of land into a small market garden.

As part of the Friday afternoon Enrichment Programme, pupils can participate in a variety of courses ranging from Politics to DIY. Work started in September with tractor-mad Tom Stobart in the Fifth Form kindly offering his beautifully restored tractor and ploughing expertise to prepare the ground.

As all keen gardeners know, compost is an essential part of preparing the ground and Tom White Waste were kind enough to supply a free skip of what certainly smelled like good organic matter for the soil.

Over the winter, the task of manufacturing the edging for the raised beds progressed using wood from old pallets and also materials kindly donated by Bates Timber. Through the Let’s Grow voucher scheme at Morrisons, we were able to obtain “free” gardening equipment such as a compost bin, seeds, trowels, compost and potato barrels.

So far, about half the plot has been completed with four large growing areas that should yield potatoes, garlic, onions, beetroot, carrots, broad beans, courgettes, peppers, cabbages, lettuce and rocket, a variety of herbs and hopefully some rhubarb. There is also an apple tree, plum tree, blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes.

Hopefully, as well as teaching our youngsters where food comes from (not a supermarket shelf), we will be helping them to enjoy vegetables and think about being more self-sufficient as adults as they work towards reducing their impact on the planet.

Watch this space – in a few months’ time, the Headmaster of Bablake could once again be enjoying home grown produce from his very own school vegetable garden! Mr Enstone would like to thank Tom White Waste, Bates Timber, Tom Stobart, groundsmen Roy and Karl and Mr Enstone (senior) for all their support.

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Bablakearts

Bablakearts

Acting up

artsnotes Easter Concert

This year’s Easter Concert promised to be a memorable one not least because it was Patricia Tatum’s last major concert before her retirement this summer.

The venue for the concert was the School Hall with its crisp acoustics and pipe organ, and there were over 150 performers.

The large enthusiastic audience was treated to a rousing performance of a medley from Pirates of the Caribbean by the Concert Orchestra.

The Brass Ensemble under the direction of Mr Steve Cooper and the Flute Choir under the direction of Mrs Jane Kimberley played very well and maintained the overall high standard of the concert.

The Wind Band treated us all to a Blues Brothers medley complete with cool shades!

Sixth Form Music Scholars, Josh Sood and Marie Low, performed the 1st Mvt Pathétique Sonata

by Beethoven and the 1st Mvt of the Bach Violin Concerto in A Minor. Both scholars performed with great virtuosity and were a fine example to younger aspiring musicians.

Josh kept the limelight when he directed the

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Jazz Band in his arrangement of the challenging An American in Paris by Gershwin and also conducted the Chamber Choir who performed his own composition Cantate Domino.

The second half of the concert was devoted to the combined Bablake Choirs and Orchestra performing the Vivaldi Gloria under the expert direction of Mrs Patricia Tatum.

Frequent rehearsals since January meant that the performance was really exciting with some excellent singing from all parts.

The solo movements were performed by Serena Westgarth, Elizabeth Armstrong and Hannah Quinn.

Congratulations to all students, staff and friends of Bablake who helped to make this event one of the musical high points of the year.

Screen printing workshops

Former Bablake pupil Stephanie Webb has been working with small groups of 3rd Year pupils this term, to give them an introductory workshop on the technical aspects and possibilities of the screen-printing process. Stephanie recently graduated from a Textile Design course at Edinburgh College of Arts. She is currently freelancing her designs which can be seen at http://stephaniesays@carbonmade.com

Bablake's House Drama Festival again provided the audience with a splendid evening’s entertainment. The Festival performances celebrate the best of the young acting talent in the school, while our Sixth Formers are able to direct and produce the plays. Whilst the Festival is not competitive – even amongst the House Heads – there is no doubt that every house clearly wants to perform to its best. In this respect the 2010 event certainly matched and exceeded all expectations.

At the Fringe

This summer will see the school’s 24th consecutive appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. We think that this a record for any school, and means that hundreds of students have enjoyed being at the world’s most famous arts festival. We shall be performing Michael Horowitz’ play, A Handbag. The play was written last year for the National Theatre, and we will be the first school to have the rights to present the play. Set in a secure institution, an attempt at therapy for the disturbed youngsters is to learn about the ‘better’ things by putting on a version of a certain play by Oscar Wilde. This ‘play within a play’ motif allows Horowitz to look at some difficult themes – when do we stop acting in life, can bad people become better by being exposed to the finer things, are there people who are evil by nature and are beyond any hope of redemption? The play should be a good one to market in Edinburgh; Horowitz is a very popular writer, and the style of the play fits in perfectly with the feel of this Festival. We will once more be performing at Diverse Attractions on the Lawnmarket, a really central and popular location.

So, if you are in Edinburgh between the 16 and 21 August, come along, meet the cast and see the show. We also hope to present the play in the school theatre in early September, before the cast members go to university.

‘The quips came as quickly as the demise of the key characters...’

Working the catwalk

This and last year’s Textiles GCSE groups recently joined forces to present a fantastic array of fashioned garments created for their impressive portfolios.

Sashaying down the catwalk to a modern soundtrack, all the models thoroughly enjoyed the chance to show off their creations to an encouraging and very appreciative audience.

In summary, a fine show and a small entry charge raised some funds for Breast Cancer Charities.

Crow began proceedings, presenting scenes from Willy Russell's Our Day Out. With our annual expeditions day nearing, we hope our pupils enjoy the social and academic benefits of the trips while not taxing the teachers as much as the chirpy characters in the play! Bayley's production was The Butler Did It, and, despite the title spoiling any suspense, the intrigue and humour of the play were superbly delivered. The quips came as swiftly as the demise of the key characters and 30 minutes raced by. Wheatley then presented Moby Dick – a menacing, tragic piece that most definitely had its lighter moments as First Mate Starbuck tried, ultimately in vain, to steer Captain Ahab away from his obsession with hunting down the beast. An impressive evening of drama was completed by Fairfax whose production attempted to correct the rebellious ways of hair-raising teenage rebel, Marmalade Atkins. Marmalade was, however, always a few steps ahead of her corrective parents and all attempts to institutionalise her. bablake school

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Bablaketravel

Bablaketravel

Fousseau fun!

Just Capital

On the slippery slope to Les Menuires This year’s ski trip to Les Menuires was always going to be unusual, with a fraction of the normal numbers and no Sixth Formers, not to mention only three members of staff.

After a long series of coach and plane rides, we found ourselves checking in to Club Hotel Skilt in the heart of Les Menuires, where we were treated to the first of many very large and tasty meals.

There was a large range of abilities within both the skiers and boarders. There was no stopping the intermediate and top groups; when they weren’t hurtling down red or black runs they could be found off-piste or often attempting insane jumps in the snow park! This fantastic skiing was helped by the great snow conditions and the brilliant instructors who helped their students to progress greatly over the week.

The evenings were no quieter, filled with activities such as bum boarding (dodging the piste bashers), swimming surrounded by snow in a stunning outside pool (although we were glad to leave as the sun went down), a disco and the quiz night (at which the staff still insist they didn’t cheat!).

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The sun was actually shining as seven Economics students and two fool-hardy teachers visited the financial heart of the UK – the City of London.

After depositing our bags at the salubrious Generator Hostel (which one pupil noted looked on the inside rather like Lloyds of London on the outside!), we were given a talk at the Bank of England on its history and role in stabilising our economy.

Next day we visited the Olympic development site and later had a fabulous guide at the Docklands Museum who told us how the area had been regenerated into a location full of aspiration and wealth.

Watching traders in the London Metal Exchange brought to life the cut and thrust of city work and London’s role in the global economy.

We finished with a trip on and off the water on a Duck Tour in an amphibious WWII vehicle.

New York, New York This was the fourth Economics and Business Studies trip to New York – this time complemented by the DT department The students and staff thoroughly enjoyed many sights including: The Empire State Building; Macys; The Federal Reserve Bank; Ground Zero; UN Building; St Paul’s Chapel; Museum of The American Indian; The Natural History Museum; China Town Times Square and Central Park.

There was still time for shopping trips and many bargains(?!) were had. The highlight had to be Ice skating outside at the Rockefeller.

It was a fantastic trip – enjoyed by all and, dare I say it, no hitches, delays or disasters. We were actually the last plane to land at Heathrow before volcanic ash closed British air space!

During the Summer Term all Second Year classes visit the Coventry School Foundation’s manor house at Fousseau near Fougères.

2B had an early start and a long ferry journey, but we finally made it.

On the first day we woke up to a traditional French breakfast of ‘pain, beurre et confiture’ and went to Le Château de Lassay in Mayenne. We were shown around by a man who had been born in the Château – he had a lot of stories to tell!

We then went into Fougères where we were set the task of buying something from one of the many shops using our best French! On the Tuesday we went to Saint Malo. We walked around the ramparts and explored the beach. Later on we had a well-earned ice cream. After this we went to the Grand Aquarium where we took a ride on the ‘Nautibus’ and had a chance to meet the fish up close.

Wednesday was a busy day: firstly we went to Pontorson market where we had a chance to practice our lingo; some attempts were better than others! After that we travelled to the picturesque Mont St Michael, which included walking up a lot

of steps, although we were rewarded with a fantastic view.

To finish off the busy day, we went to Alligator Bay which was Dave (the coach driver’s) favourite. We met some reptiles including baby tortoises and giant alligators. Then we did the assault course, called the ‘C.R.A.P.A. Course’. There was a giant hamster wheel, which everyone enjoyed, even the teachers.

On Thursday, our final full day, we went to the supermarket again, this time for presents. Then we went to the amazing Récré Nature Villecartier where we did a ‘Parcours Aventure’, a kind of ‘Go Ape’ with lots of ropes and zip wires. Thanks to all the staff for making it such a good trip!

By Alice Ryan, Helen Rowland and Becky Williamson

Snow in Snowdonia The Geography Department headed off to Betwsy-Coed for the Lower Sixth fieldcourse at the end of March, looking forward to some fine spring weather in the mountains, studying rivers and glacial environments in preparation for summer AS modules, one of which has a compulsory fieldwork element.

With great anticipation, 25 students accompanied by Mrs Marchant, Mr Enstone, Mr Jackson, and student teacher Miss Brindley, headed off to Wales in minibuses loaded up with equipment and luggage. The omens were not good, however, with rain falling heavily throughout the journey; by the time we arrived in Llanwrst for an afternoon studying flood management, at least it was dry, even if the river was in spate following the rain – perfect timing.

Studying rivers in the mountains next day was always going to be a challenge, with all that rain spilling into the Conwy catchment. Despite continuous rainfall, our students did us proud, literally immersing themselves in the water to measure stream efficiency and remaining positive even when rain turned to sleet, with a most unwelcome drop in temperature given how wet everyone was already!

The highlight of the fieldcourse, studying cold environments high up in Snowdonia, proved to be yet another challenge as we were greeted by 18” of drifting snow and blizzards. Nevertheless, even though car parks were closed, the students trekked up remote farm tracks into Cwm Idwal, greeted by a scene from the last ice age! Perfect timing again, as staff had no problem describing conditions 20,000 years ago!

Once again Bablake’s students did us proud, working in hostile conditions and walking many miles in the snow, with only a few snowballs aimed at the staff! So severe were the conditions that only a few intrepid hill walkers joined us in the mountains, though imagine the shock of meeting our friends from the Geography Department at King Henry VIII School emerging from the white-out at over 1500 feet!

By the time we returned safely to Coventry on the 1st April, all planned tasks had been successfully completed despite the coldest, wettest and snowiest fieldcourse ever, without a single April Fool prank – how disappointing! bablake school

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Bablakeaction

Bablakeaction

A flying visit...

Following the late cancellation of our Autumn Camp, due to Ministry of Defence cut-backs, we were both relieved and delighted to finally set out on our Easter Camp!

A first for the girls Sophie Tumber, (pictured right), Bablake’s first female Colour Sergeant, talks first-hand about life on the Cadet Leadership Course at the Nesscliffe Army Training Camp in April 2010.

As Bablake’s first female Colour Sergeant, I was delighted to be able to attend, along with Emily Sheard, the Cadet Leadership Course, held at the Nesscliffe Army Training Camp in Shrewsbury. 144 young people from around the country descended on the training camp filled with a mixture of excitement, enthusiasm and determination, with just a pinch of apprehension, wondering what might be in store. Our section quickly bonded as a group, and many of the friendships I made will be life-long. There was a very full programme of activities conducted at a fast pace. If you do not like watching the dawn come up, or if you like to get your head down early, then this isn’t the course for you! Danni and I, the only female members of our Section, certainly held our own and quickly gained the respect of the lads, who treated us as equals throughout the course.

The 2 mile stretcher race certainly tested my physical endurance and I had to get my brain in gear to help my Section solve the Secret Agent Challenge. Lectures in between activities kept us clearly focussed on the major aim of

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the course which was to develop our leadership skills. A particular highlight was the two night exercise, where we were deployed out of barracks and located a Platoon Harbour. The tasks carried out at various times of the day and night included: saving a Land Rover from a mine field; an anti-ambush exercise, where the aim is to avoid capture; casualty evacuation; and the night spent protecting the Camp from invading Icelandic Forces. My knowledge and understanding of the military increased as I learnt about riot control, hostage rescue and how to handle the media. The course rose to a crescendo, as on the penultimate day, our 3 sections joined together as 1st Platoon for an attack on the enemy at 0600hrs.

Throughout the week we were not just sustained by each other and our trainers, but also by our ration packs and the catering staff.

All too soon we were back in ‘civvies’, exchanging emails and signing the course photo, so grateful for having had the opportunity to take part in what was a truly amazing experience.

For the first time, we combined army activities at Nesscliffe with flying at nearby RAF Cosford.

Flying on the first day meant an early start, and at 0630 hrs, 14 cadets departed from School by minibus for the air base. The remaining 27 cadets arrived a leisurely two hours later, and accompanied by four CCF officers, left for Nesscliffe Training camp at 0830 hrs. On arrival, camp routine was quickly settled into. Bedding was distributed and cadets settled into their ‘luxurious’ billets.

The following morning the other half of the flying group set out for Cosford. This allowed, in all, 28 cadets to experience flying in a small two-seater training aircraft. The majority of the cadets took control of the plane themselves during the flight and also experienced some simple aerobatics, and only one was sick! RAF Cosford is also home to an excellent exhibition of aircraft and engines, filling up five hangars, and these were also explored by our cadets whilst on the base.

Thursday morning saw the clay target shooting practice and competition. The standard was impressive, and notable scores for our new cadets in the competition were recorded by Andrew Haughian who hit a maximum, followed

by Haywood Rogers and Cameron Gregg who only dropped one target each. In the section competition, for the more experienced shots, the winning score was recorded by L Cpl Connail Perry of 4 section. Following lunch, the finale of the four-section competition for the Major Hall trophy was the three mile run, followed by the obstacle course. The run proved tough, but was eventually won by 1 section, led by Cpl Joe Barr and the equally difficult obstacle course by 3 section, led by Cpl Eleanor Jones. The final placing gave the overall win, however, to 4 section, led by Sgt Will Thornhill, who was later presented with the trophy.

'My overriding impression was of an enthusiastic contingent and staff and cadets who were a credit to the School'

Biennial inspection This was our fourth Biennial Inspection and the second to be held in School. We were inspected for the first time by an RAF Officer, namely Gp Capt John Alexander, accompanied by OC 37 Cadet Training Team, Capt Jim McKenzie, Sqn Ldr Ron Miller and Capt Steve Huyton, who is the CCF Administration Officer for 143 Brigade. It was also most gratifying that our Headmaster and two Governors, Julia McNaney and Brendan Connor, were able to join us.

The inspection provided a showcase for our cadets to demonstrate the skills and expertise that they are developing and to celebrate, in a small way, their success. A variety of activities was on show to our visitors, including ambush, first aid, weapon training, climbing, raft building, the ration pack, cooking in the field and drill.

Following lunch for the visiting party, the day culminated in the final parade and inspection of the contingent by Gp Capt Alexander.

Despite the heavens opening, our cadets remained resolutely to attention whilst the rain soaked them! We later received a letter from the Inspecting Officer, complimenting us on our inspection and ending with the words ‘My overriding impression was of an enthusiastic contingent and staff and cadets who were a credit to the School’.

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Bablakesport

Bablakesport

Girls’ Sport Girls’ Hockey In March there were a number of tournaments for the U12 & U13 teams. The girls’ commitment to practices was very good and they made excellent progress. In netball the U12 A & B teams both finished runners up in the Coventry School tournaments and the U13 A & B teams both won, bringing trophies back to school. The A team beat Finham Park in the semi-final 12-3 and King Henry VIII in the final 7-4. The U12 hockey team reached the semi-finals of the Warwickshire tournament and in the Bablake invitation tournament went on to the final after beating King’s High 2-0 in the semis, a great result and well deserved. It was a close final, but Bablake lost 1-0 to King Henry VIII. The U13 hockey team also finished runners-up in the Bablake invitation tournament, but went one better in the Warwickshire 7-a-side tournament to come runners up to King’s High. The U13 team went through to the Midlands finals at Cannock hockey club, winning 2 matches, drawing 1 and losing 1. This put the U13 hockey team 3rd in their section on goal difference, just missing out on the semi-finals by one goal. The U19 netball teams completed their West Midlands South colleges league matches and the 1st team finished runners-up. This was a good end to the season, following their success of reaching the semi-finals of the West Midlands tournament.

It is pleasing to see so many girls playing county hockey. Alice Haywood and Georgina Moseley were part of the Warwickshire U16 team which won the Midlands tournament and Hayley Smith and Mollie Sargent were members of the U13 team which finished runners-up. Mollie Sargent was the captain and has been invited to attend regional trials a year young. Beth Jepson has also been invited to be assessed for Junior Regional Performance Centre in hockey.

Girls’ tennis and rounders The summer term got off to a rapid start with tennis and rounders. Rounders is always very popular, but it is great to see more girls playing tennis and filling the courts, and numbers coming to Athletics Club on a Monday at the track at Warwick University have been excellent.

This term ‘Inspire to coach’ have invited 2nd Year girls and boys to attend sessions with specialist coaches during games. The senior tennis players entered the Senior Midlands doubles tournament held at King Edward’s High School, Edgbaston.

Congratulations go to Jonine Bains and Katie Wainhouse on reaching the semi-finals. It was a strong and determined performance in the rain!

Girls’ athletics The second week saw the start of the Coventry Athletics Championships. The Intermediates (4th & 5th Yr) finished 2nd overall, and the Juniors (2nd & 3rd Yr) went one better to come first and take the trophy. The following week the 3rd and 4th Yr girls competed in the combined events, and Lauren Carr shone to take the Yr 9 girls’ title

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the lion Summer 2010

and Beth Shaw finished 3rd place. In the first round of the English Schools Track and Field Competition both Intermediate (3rd & 4th Yr) and Junior (Shells & 2nd Yr) teams took a convincing win to go through to the Midlands Regional final in June. Individual winners in this competition were Beth Mordey (hurdles and high jump), Kayleigh Herschell (triple jump), Lucy Smith (shot), Ashleigh Green (javelin), Hollie Molloy (100m), Grace Harrold (800m), Daisy Williams (long jump), Emily White (javelin) and joint 1st Amy Lilly and Sophie Zgraja (hurdles). The following girls have been selected to represent Coventry at the West Midlands Athletics Championships: Hollie Molloy in the 100m, Lucy Richards and Beth Mordey in 80m hurdles, Lauren Carr in javelin for the Junior girls; and Emily McNeice in 200m and Lucy Smith in shot and discus in the Intermediate girls.

Congratulations to Hayley!

Hayley Griffiths is rightly proud of her part in helping Coventry City Girls U16s win the Tesco County Cup for the first time in the club's history.

The girls went forward to the Central Regional Final where they narrowly missed out on a place in the England Finals. Hayley, who plays on the right, in defence, was delighted with the County win as the team has surpassed targets set for the season.

Boys’ Sport Cricket The U12s have started their cricketing careers at Bablake well, with victories over Lyng Hall in the Coventry Cup, Woodlands (Jake Sargent 52*), Arnold Lodge and Bishop Vesey’s (Rory KenneyHerbert 71*, Ross Parnell 56).

The U13s had a slow start to the season, narrowly losing to Bishop Vesey’s by 6 runs and underperforming against Warwick, but defeating Kineton (Scott Spencer 59*).

Matthew Clements has led the U14 side excellently, leading from the front by scoring a magnificent century (108) in their win against Lawrence Sheriff in the Warwickshire Cup. Matthew has also represented the 1st XI this year.

Victories have also been recorded against Warwick (Matthew Clements 65, Dominic Rae 43), Bishop Vesey’s (Matthew Payne, 79, Chris Sewell 5-9) and Kineton (Matthew Payne 3-16).

The U15 cricket team have enjoyed a very good season so far with victories over Warwick, Arnold Lodge and Kineton. In fact their only defeat came in an extremely tight game against Bishop Vesey’s in rain and freezing conditions! Highlights with the bat have been Ryan Parnell’s 52 and 50 against Warwick and Arnold Lodge and Jake Basra’s 51 against Arnold Lodge. Hugh KenneyHerbert looked on course for a 20 over century against Kineton before being unluckily run out on 71, backing up at the bowlers end! With the ball, Jack Orford’s match-winning 2 for 15 versus Arnold Lodge, Dyan Patel’s 3 for 13, and William Hine’s 3 for 19 (both against Bishop Vesey’s) have been the top performances. It is worth noting that Mark Best has been representing the 1st XI this year and has produced some very fine innings.

The 1st XI have struggled with inconsistency so far this season, performing well for short periods of time, but they have yet to display excellence across all three disciplines (bowling, batting and fielding). Despite loses against KE Birmingham, Solihull, Warwick (Walters 59, Best 55), Camp Hill and Lawrence Sheriff (Lawrence 47,

Buggea 3-15), the 1st XI have shown maturity in working hard at training and this paid dividends when they recorded their first win of the season against Bishop Vesey’s (Walters 51, Patel 2-16) on a bitterly cold and wet morning! The 2nd XI’s highlight of the season so far was an emphatic win against Solihull which featured Ben Cooper scoring 141.

Three Bablake boys have hit centuries during the first half of term: Ben Cooper (2XI) scored a powerful 141 against Solihull, Matthew Clements (U14) scored a magnificent 108 in the Warwickshire Cup clash against Lawrence Sheriff School and Mark Best (1st XI) hit an impressive 101 not out in the fixture against the MCC. New Cricket Coach We are delighted that Steve Perryman is working with our teams as cricket coach this season. Steve played first class cricket for Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the 1970s and 1980s, where he gained a reputation as a masterful swing bowler. More recently Steve has been a key figure in the backroom coaching staff at Warwickshire CC. Boys’ hockey Coventry & North Warwick's U12 hockey team, which consists of all Bablake boys, enjoyed success in the Midlands Regional Finals at Repton School.

Having qualified for the event by coming second to Sutton Coldfield, in the Warwickshire finals, the team put in a fantastic performance and won the Midlands tournament. In fact, in the final they gained revenge over Sutton Coldfield winning 3-2 on penalties, after drawing 0-0.

Boys’ Athletics Ronan Jones and Jake Hinley secured a Bablake 1 – 2 in the Year 10 City Combined Events Competition. This is a pentathlon style

competition with points awarded for performances in 5 events: sprint, hurdles, shot, javelin and long jump. Ronan finished as champion with an impressive 161 points with Jake holding off the rest of the field to secure 2nd place with 146 points.

James Tumber finished 3rd with 109 points in the Year 9 competition, a remarkable performance as he unfortunately failed to score at all in the shot, one of his strongest events!

Congratulations to: Ben Davies, Jamie Cozens, Lewis Marshall and James Faulkner on being selected to represent Coventry Schools in the West Midlands Championships on June 12th.

Check mates!

At the start of the season we were lucky to have John Naylor (an international player) come to coach our teams. His approach was innovative – putting the players in sharp middle game positions where the initiative was all important – and exciting. Certainly you could see the improvement in all the players. We finished 3rd in division 1 of the Coventry Schools League.

Mr. Rowlands kindly donated a chess cup, so we had a 16-player knockout tournament with the best 16 players taking part. It was a closely fought competition with Daniel Rowlands beating Jim Chen in the final.

We also hosted the Coventry Schools Lightning Competition, with 32 players from all the schools in the area taking part. Robert Chowne went into his last game knowing that a win would give him the title, but unfortunately he was playing the 2nd best player in the country! So despite an early advantage he lost in the end, finishing 4th overall. Tom Chen played very well and showed why he was our most consistent player this season by finishing 2nd, an excellent performance.

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bablakeupdate

Headmaster’s notes We are approaching the end of a consultation process which has included pupils, staff, governors and parents, as we begin to construct the next phase of the School Development Plan, for 2010-13. I am grateful to all those who have contributed, via questionnaire, in School Councils or in discussion groups, for the vital partnership between school and home will enable us to build on strengths and to further improve our pupils’ education. Whilst there is much that we already do very well, a school is a living and dynamic community preparing its pupils for a rapidly changing world, and we can

therefore never stand still; if we do, we shall soon get left behind! So, the core traditional values of academic rigour, integrity and respect for others should be enhanced and refreshed by creative innovation and new opportunities.

It was in such a spirit that I embarked on my visit to China this Easter, for I believe that this huge and rapidly developing nation could play a strikingly important role in our pupils’ futures. We shall be welcoming our first four or five Chinese pupils to study A levels from September, and we hope that we shall all benefit from a fruitful exchange of ideas and cultures. The pupils will live in local families and will, of course, follow their curriculum in English. At the same time, the opportunity for our pupils to learn Mandarin Chinese in a lunchtime club or in Upper Sixth Enrichment lessons will continue, whilst we develop links with the Suzhou Industrial Park No.3 Middle School, whose unimaginative name cannot but fail to reflect its ambition and pride!

The Headmaster with the Principal and Vice Principal of Suzhou Industrial Park No.3 Middle School

Bablake School, Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU +44 (0)24 7627 1200 +44 (0)24 7627 1290 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk w www.bablake.com t f

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the lion Summer 2010

Design: by Mustard: www.mustardhot.com Printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests.

Staff news Further to previous announcements, in September we shall also be pleased to welcome: Miss Stacey Wilson, Head of Girls’ Sport.

Miss Wilson studied Sports Science and Geography at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where she was also a regional hockey player. She has been teaching PE, Games and Geography at Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham since 2005, and is also an Assistant Housemistress in a girls’ boarding house.

Miss Kelly Ormsby, History. Miss Ormsby was educated at King Henry VIII School, where she was Head Girl. She studied for her BA in History at the University of Manchester, and is currently completing her PGCE at the University of Warwick. She is also qualified to teach Religious Education and Classics, and has played netball and rugby.

Miss Katarzyna Dzikowska, part-time Art. Miss Dzikowska studied Fine Art (with Multimedia Activity) at the University of Radom in Poland, where she also trained to be a teacher.

She moved to England in 2008, and is currently teaching at Rugby High School. She particularly enjoys photography, outdoor activities and archery.

Miss Kathryn Brindley, part-time Geography. Miss Brindley is a former Bablake pupil, who has studied Geography and Geology at the University of Leicester. She will no doubt throw herself wholeheartedly into the life of her ‘old’ school, and, as a qualified coach, looks forward to supporting girls’ hockey.

Valete I shall give ampler details in my end-of term letter, but the following staff will be retiring or leaving, and we are immensely grateful to them for their service and dedication to the Bablake community: Mr Andrew McConaghy, Director of Studies and History; Mrs Patricia Tatum, Head of Middle School and Music; Mr Rob Dougall, Assistant Head of Sixth Form and English; Mrs Brenda Wood, Art; Mrs Mandy Reed, Girls’ PE (who will remain at Bablake Junior School); Mrs Pat Thomas, Librarian; Mr Stuart Slater, Maintenance; Mr Jonty Boddington, Design Technology Technician; Mrs Chrissie Waddington, Physics Technician.