The Lion - Issue 59

news & views from bablake school issue 59 AUTUMN 2012

In this issue Top marks! 2 Academic enrichment 3 1930s revisited 4 Community news 5 African adventures 6 London 2012 7 Discovering Paris 8 Au revoir Fousseau 9 Creative shorts 10/11 CCF diary 12 ‘The Challenge’ 13 Bablake sport 14

Orchestra da Camera ‘The orchestra... ...can claim to be one of the longestestablished professional orchestras in the region’

W

e are delighted to announce a new partnership with leading regional professional group, the Orchestra da Camera. The orchestra is based in the Midlands, and, having celebrated its 50th birthday in 2007, can claim to be one of the longest-established professional orchestras in the region. The orchestra has built an enviable reputation for its work at festivals and with choral societies both in the Midlands and beyond.

Bablake’s Music department is looking forward to a host of opportunities to experience high quality music-making in both concerts and workshops. The inaugural event of the partnership is a workshop day for string players to be held at Bablake with the Orchestra da Camera and international violinist Tasmin Little on Sunday 11 November, following her performance with OdaC at St Mary’s Church, Warwick on Saturday 10 November, where the programme will include Vivaldi’s Four Seasons concertos.

Bablakenews

‘...the Class of 2005, our largest ever A Level cohort, was no exception, with a 100% pass rate’

Top marks!

We are very proud that Bablake pupils have enjoyed yet another year of academic excellence, while also thriving on a rich range of extra-curricular and extension options.

At GCSE, Fifth Year pupils surpassed last year’s record-breaking youngsters with a record 38% of all grades awarded being A*s.

Josh Bhathal, Kalika Puri and Aaran Patel led the way with an impressive 11A*s at GCSE, and 9 more pupils (Jessica Betts, Daniel Brett, Katie Carlson, Matthew Clements, Kara Dosanj, Thomas Grantham, Kathryn Jones, Lara Morley-White and Jenny Tasker) all proudly celebrated 10A*s.

Five pupils (Abi Collins, Rebecca Jones, James McAllister, Kian Patel and Joshua Rowe) gained 9A*s, while a further four (Edward Cooper, Dulcie Emery, Kate French and Harry Smith) received 8A*s.

Overall, an impressive 33 pupils gained 10A*/A grades or more and 67% of all grades gained were A*/A. Each year we celebrate Bablake Upper Sixth pupils achieving some of the most impressive A level results in the Midlands, and the Class of 2005, our largest ever A Level cohort, was no exception, with a 100% pass rate.

Leading the way were: Beth Evans, who also won two National awards at the 2012 Big Bang Fair; Philip Wild and Sam Yang, as each gained at least 4A*s; and Tom Calderbank and Robert Vallance, who both achieved 5 grades at A* or A. Just under half of all grades awarded (49%) were at A* and A, whilst over three-quarters of all our entries (79%) were at A*, A or B grade. We are delighted that 77% of the year group were able to head to their first choice university.

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the lion Autumn 2012

Georgia’s German Gruppe

For the second time in three years, a Bablake pupil has been awarded the prestigious UK German Scholarships Programme (Internationales Preisträgerprogramm).

Georgia Powell talks of her stay in Germany.

Having been lucky enough to become one of eight UK-German Youth Ambassadors, this August I set off on a month-long tour of Germany. Naturally I was full of nerves to start with; meeting so many people with whom I might not even be able to communicate was very scary!

“Gruppe Neunzehn”, my international group, consisted of 14 people from all over the world: the UK, France, Israel, China, the Netherlands, and three native Germans to act as guides. Although we arrived not knowing anyone, by the end of the trip we were no longer a group, we were a family.

Ich vermisse sie immer noch.

We began our journey in Bonn and spent five days exploring Bonn and Cologne.

From Bonn, we journeyed for seven hours by train to Ravensburg, where each of us stayed with a host family for two weeks. The members of my host family were some of the loveliest people I have ever met, and made me feel very much at home. During our time in Ravensburg we went to school every day with our exchange partners, which was an interesting experience, as school begins at half past seven and finishes at lunchtime.

We also experienced the “Rutenfest”, which is the town festival. We spent another five days in the beautiful city of Munich, visiting highlights such as the Allianz Arena, which is better heated than my house (it has under-floor heating for the pitch) and the Olympic Park, where we ice skated in the Olympic Arena.

After Munich came one of my favourite cities in the world: Berlin. We spent our last five days together here in the capital, where we visited the Reichstag, ate in the Dunkel-Restaurant and caused many smiles on public transport with our loud singing.

I can only encourage as many people as possible to seize opportunities like this, because it really was a once in a lifetime experience. The trip may be over, but the memories and friendships will last a lifetime – and my German is heaps better.

Bablakenews

Academic enrichment

prize giving We were very honoured that former pupil Mr Angus Russell, CEO of Shire Plc, accepted our invitation to return to Bablake as our guest of honour at the 2012 Prize-giving.

Before Prize-giving, Mr Russell led a twilight session with Sixth Formers interested in business, management and science which was very well received. He spoke with passion about his work at Shire, talking openly about the challenges and ethics involved.

Mr Russell’s years of preparation and dedication to his professional career have been driven by a passion for making a difference. He explained in his speech to our prize winners that money, popularity and fame do not bring success and happiness.

Doing the right thing in life, having a clear sense of responsibility, being brave and loving what you do, however, give you every chance of making a difference and this leads to happiness.

He urged everyone to follow the Confucius adage that if you choose a job you love, you’ll never work another day in your life!

Mr Russell praised Bablake for making him feel he was an achiever but instilling in him the sense that he could make a difference in society through his self-confidence. He also praised the quality of the teaching received.

Progressive education tools Over the last four years, members of the Fourth and Fifth Year have participated in the excellent Future Leaders scheme run by Coventry-based Progressive Educational Tools. This year was no exception, with five Fifth Formers returning to assist with the course and several Fourth Formers who would be participating for the first time.

The course lasted two weeks and involved 28 students from Bablake, King Henry VIII and Finham Schools. The programme was aimed at helping us gain the vital skills businesses require of their employees in the world of work.

During the two weeks, we met business experts and entrepreneurs who helped inspire us all to produce creative work and develop a range of skills to maximise our potential on the path to becoming “future leaders”.

Tasks included making videos and documentaries to promote the city, mobile media challenges, teaching a group of students, setting up an event to showcase the course’s achievements and organising a one day summer fete. The success of the fete allowed £1,000 to be donated to Snowball, a Coventry and Warwickshire charity, which supports local children.

Participating in the course improved all our interpersonal, communication and time management skills, and, in addition to this, we were able to gain a formal qualification that carries UCAS points to help gain a place at our chosen university in the future.

Kian Patel

library Thus far, 2012 has proved to be a particularly eventful and inspirational year in the Library.

In March we launched the ‘Design a Bookmark’ competition in the Shells to mark World Book Day. Mr Hopkins had the tough job of choosing three winners from a fine crop of entries. Avni Kant won with her book worm design and the belief that “Reading makes you stand out above all the rest” – a message endorsed by the judge and the Librarians! Martin McKenna came second with Lantian Pinkney in third place. All three had their winning designs made up as bookmarks and these are now available in the Library.

New books were purchased and displays designed to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Pupils were treated to a non-uniform day to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee and were

encouraged to explore their patriotic creativity!

At the end of the Summer Term the Shells and Second Years were inspired and entertained by our two visiting authors, Victoria Campbell and Julia Golding.

Victoria, although suffering with a throat infection and a failing voice, spoke to the Shells about her debut novel, Viking Gold, an action adventure story featuring a 16 year old Viking boy, Redknee. She brought various props to the talk including a Viking sword, shield and helmet which helped bring her book to life. Mr Seeley stepped in with a Horrible Histories themed quiz to entertain the Shells when Victoria’s voice finally gave up the ghost.

Award winning children’s author, Julia Golding, spoke to the Second Year about her many works of fiction across diverse genres.

She described the writing process as a journey, be it to the future, past or far flung countries.

Pupils particularly enjoyed watching one of their number being dressed as a pirate to represent the various stages of book creation from initial idea to book store. Julia opened up the session for questions and answers, with the table being turned on pupils, as she also posed questions. We learnt (Mr Watson cover your ears) that one pupil would like to see Boris Johnson as Headmaster here at Bablake. Her talk was both entertaining and educational and was sure to have inspired the budding writers in the audience.

In the coming months the Library looks forward to a Christmas Book Fair and a visit from Waterstones.

Enrichment During October Sarah Gee, co-founder and Managing Partner of Indigo Ltd (www.indigo-ltd. com/intro/meet-indigo/sarah-gee,) came in to speak to the Upper Sixth during an Enrichment session.

Mrs Scott-Burt, who organises the Enrichment programme, said “I’m very excited that Sarah has come to share her expertise and unique view of the world of work with our senior pupils; she is a very experienced Arts advisor and her work on fundraising in the sector has brought her widespread attention in these challenging financial times”. bablake school

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Bablakenews

Well weathered!

Bablake Weather Station celebrated its 35th birthday earlier this term.

The first data was collected on 19 September 1977 with four pupils taking weather readings in an old Stevenson screen, using a rain gauge with holes in it and a wetted finger to assess wind direction.

Since that day, 12,784 consecutive days of weather have been recorded and not a single day has been missed.

Mr Jackson, founder of the Weather Station and Head of Geography, commented: “How times change, with Met Office MMS (Meteorological Monitoring System) equipment and our own Campbell Scientific AWS installed in a stateof-the-art enclosure with data sent directly to the Met Office as well as to school and home via a modem!

In so many ways, it was much more

fun in the 1980s when we had a team of 14 pupil observers out in all sorts of weather at 9am, come rain or shine.”

Recently, BWS has even been involved in providing evidence and statements for two murder cases in Coventry.

In both cases forensic scientists have used our data and diaries to piece together past weather to date bones (Wainbody Wood, 2009) and to search for burial sites (Nicola Payne, 1991).

The Bablake community is thoroughly impressed with the professionalism of our Weather Station team and recognises that 35 years’ service must be unique for a school. Congratulations to everyone involved, past and present!

‘...12,784 consecutive days of weather have been recorded and not a single day has been missed’ Generations were joined at Bablake when former pupils from the 1930s up to 1949 met current pupils at a reunion expertly arranged by our Alumni Officer, Mrs Sylvia O’Sullivan.

Our former pupils reminisced about their own days at Bablake, sang an impromptu version of the School Song, spoke to Archivist Mr Peter Burden and were able to have a tour of the school with the assistance of our Senior Prefects.

Eleanor Morris, Assistant Editor of The Wheatleyan, Senior Prefect and Bayley House Captain, commented: “It was excellent to meet the former pupils and I talked to one about his time in Russia, which is the topic I most enjoy in my A Level History course.”

Mr Gary Park, Head of English, brought his Shell class to meet the former pupils and by coincidence the form is reading Carrie’s War, a story that is based around the experience of a child evacuee. The pupils were able to talk to a number of former pupils who were evacuated to Lincoln in the 2nd World War. The day was a poignant one for many and we hope to be able to host a similar reunion again very soon.

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Bablakenews

Community news

Calendar Girls Our two ‘Calendar Girls’ nights at the Priory Theatre were a huge success. A lovely atmosphere, a superb show and lots of delicious food prepared

by Hayley Hunter and Jacquie Hatfield combined to make two memorable events that made over £2000 for the six cancer charities. The raffle, with a first prize of two tickets to New York with Virgin Airlines, was launched on the first evening and tickets continue to sell well.

Ready Steady Cook Another successful round of Ready Steady Cook took place just before the summer holidays.

The Third Year pupils completed their round by making an interesting pasta dish. We had some really imaginative ideas and Mrs Brett and Mrs Harris had a very difficult job in deciding on the winning dish. It was eventually won by Wheatley with Matthew Hayhurst and James Hamer competing together for the second year running and winning on both occasions. Matthew has actually taken part for the last three years and has won on each occasion. Well done, Matthew.

Summer Jubilee Party This summer the Main Hall was turned into a colourful Jubilee Street Party for local senior citizens and the whole afternoon was tremendous fun for our guests, pupils and staff alike.

The Brass and Wind ensembles performed, as did our Junior choir, and there was a rousing and poignant sing-song to close the afternoon’s fun.

Matthew Hayhurst performed as Prince Arthur, Emily Robinson sang a super solo and Shirley Wu and Aron Sood performed excellent piano and sax solos respectively.

Well done to Mrs Heath and her team on a superb event which was praised by many of the regular guests as the best party they had attended at Bablake.

‘I have been skating for many years and wanted to share my hobby with the pupils at Bablake and in turn raise money for charity’

Roller revolution at Bablake Just before half-term, Bablake pupils got their skates on in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust.

A roller disco was held by Roller Revolution (www.rollerrevolution.co.uk) in Bablake’s sports hall and the joint venture between the Junior and Senior schools raised nearly £80 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Pupils from the two schools and a number of staff borrowed skates and moved to the latest tunes. Gary, the DJ, who is a former speed skater, ran games like ‘stuck in the mud’ and ‘Ghostbusters’.

Harry Menashe of Shell N said: “It was loads of fun and I got to meet some new friends. We played lots of games and had a great time.”

Chemistry teacher Mrs Thompson, who organised the event and is a keen skater herself, said: “I have been skating for many years and wanted to share my hobby with the pupils at Bablake and in turn raise money for charity”.

“I am incredibly grateful for the support of the PE staff, Mrs Jones (Head of Shells), Mrs Mohammed at the Junior School and Roller Revolution for donating their time to this venture,” she added.

It is hoped that a Christmas roller disco will take place to raise more money for charity, giving pupils the chance to have fun, develop skills and make new friends. bablake school

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Bablaketravel

African adventures Head of History, Helen Skilton, writes about her experiences visiting Harrismith School in the Republic of South Africa.

James Tumber and his teaching and learning experience in the heart of Africa...

During the summer, James Tumber (L6CM) had the opportunity to participate in a charity programme to build a school in the village of Kasalaga in Uganda. Armed with bags packed to bursting point with clothes, books, stationery and other school equipment donated by Bablake staff, James spent the first few days in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, meeting architects and engineers.

He then travelled northwest to Kasalaga to meet children aged between 2 and 20 who would benefit from having a local school. They were delighted with the gifts from Bablake, especially the football shirts donated by Mr Drury and the Bablake sweatshirts. Living in a village with no running water or electricity was quite a challenge, as was tutoring some of the older students in maths and physics with just one text book. It was, however, a very rewarding experience and one that James would both recommend and like to repeat in the future.

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Last summer I was privileged to spend 10 days in South Africa, visiting Harrismith Secondary School in Intabazwe. Some readers may remember former Head of English, Mr Appleby, who has staged a drama production with Harrismith SS for the past four years. Bablake pupils have supported the productions by raising money for the costumes.

Teachers at Harrismith and at Bablake are keen to develop our links, and my visit gave me a chance to meet pupils at Harrismith, teach some lessons

and discuss the future connection between the schools. We now plan to take a group of Sixth Form pupils to visit Harrismith next summer and hope to develop cultural links in other ways, especially via social media. This is an exciting chance for us to learn more about a different culture and support the extra-curricular activities at Harrismith, which at the moment are very limited, denying their talented pupils opportunities for enrichment.

If you would like to know more about the proposed link, please contact Mrs Skilton.

Bablaketravel

London

2012

James Faulkner writes about his once-in-a-lifetime experience working at this year’s Olympic Games.

M

y summer holiday was spent working for ARAMARK, a US catering and services business. They won the contract to provide all of the catering for both the Olympic and Paralympics games for all athletes.I applied along with Lewis Marshall and Rob Faulkner and we were interviewed and offered a job at the Stratford site. This was the home to 15,000 athletes during the main Olympic Games and whilst they all had their own accommodation, they relied on a central catering facility for all of their meals.

The main dining hall was the largest ever of its type and comprised a temporary structure with open space equivalent to six full sized football pitches. There was seating for more than 4,500 athletes at any one time and the choice was amazing: over seventy five dishes each day with no two days being the same.

After several days’ training, we began work and were given the task of setting up a location for athletes to leave their bags and kit while visiting.

We were tasked with standing at the front door to greet each and every athlete and visitor, including Her Majesty the Queen, Lord Coe and just about every well-known athlete on the planet.

Our eight hour shift started at 6.00am so we woke at 4.30am most days, allowing us time to

travel by Tube from our accommodation in London Docklands and gave Lewis time to dry his hair!

It soon became clear that the currency amongst athletes consisted of country and team pins. They were given out sparingly so it became a challenge to start a collection. My final count was 25, including Jamaica given by Johan Blake, GB from Sir Chris Hoy and Australia by Sally Pearson.

Being in London gave us the opportunity to see the city and the best days were spent walking around soaking up the atmosphere, usually ending at Hyde Park for the big screen coverage.

After a short break and a reconfiguration of the facilities, the pace didn’t change for the Paralympics. We’d had training on how to assist and work with disabled athletes although I soon found out that they were nothing but super-abled.

On my first day I was asked to place a back-pack on an athlete as he had no arms. He was a swimmer and I’ve never met someone so motivated.

Whether missing arms or legs, or blind, these people were truly inspiring and I will never forget my experience of working with them.

Sadly, the end came too quickly and it was time to leave London. We’d had a great time and made many friends. We’d lived on our own and survived, although we never needed to cook a meal. It was surely the best first job ever!

Olympic Gold Medal Winner Nick Skelton This summer showjumper Nick Skelton became the second Bablake former pupil to win an Olympic Gold medal within recent memory. In winning a team medal in Eventing, he emulated the performance of Robert Clift who won a Gold Medal for Hockey in the Seoul Olympics of 1988.

For Nick Skelton the gold was reward for six visits to the Olympics and more than he could have dreamt of when he broke his neck in two places before the 2000 Sydney games and spent five months immobilised in the upper half of his spine.

We look forward to being able to celebrate future sporting success of some of our young equestrians like Lucinda Roche and Lucy Farrington, and all the young sporting stars in other sports. They know how many hours, months and years they will spend training and competing but Nick Skelton's fairy tale ending will certainly help inspire them.

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Bablaketravel ‘Il n’y a que deux endroits au monde où l’on puisse vivre heureux: chez soi et à Paris’ ernest hemingway

Discovering The trip to Paris was amazing as we spent four days taking in the best tourist attractions in Paris writes Kirbie Smith.

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the lion Autumn 2012

Paris O

n the first day we boarded our coach in jeans and jackets, expecting English weather, but as the day went on we experienced real summer, which was a shock for the middle of July!

First on our list was the Louvre and as we pulled up, we saw a beautiful building and learnt a little about its history. We then caught our first glimpse of the iconic glass pyramid and it was exactly as it looks in the movies, so we all took lots of pictures. When we got inside it was nothing like we expected, it looked very modern and cool, not old and dusty; we also saw the Mona Lisa, which took up an entire wall and

the area was so crowded, you couldn’t even get near it!

We then went to the most famous monument in Paris, the Eiffel Tower. It was so much bigger than any of us thought and we only made it to the second level, but that was scary enough, as you could see all the way to the ground! When we went outside on the balcony we could see all of Paris, which was beautiful.

We went on a boat down the River Seine and saw lots of amazing buildings; we also used the headsets to learn the history of the famous landmarks.

The following day we went straight to Notre Dame and were blown away by the sheer size of it before we even went inside!

The queue was huge, but once we

were inside, it was well worth the wait!

The Sacré Coeur was beautiful and completely different from Notre Dame, with its unique white exterior and interior.

On our final day, we went to Disneyland, where we bought as much as we could afford from the gift shops and went on as many rides as we could in the time we had. We even saw a parade of our favourite Disney characters.

When we got back to our dorms we all changed and the teachers threw us a party with disco lights, music, food and drink.

A fantastic ‘French’ time was had by all.

Bablaketravel

Au revoir

The final Fousseau trip for the Second Year took place just before the end of the summer term with 2Y having the honour.

The week started in the rain with a trip to Arromanches, and ended with a fabulous last night barbecue on a warm, balmy evening.

Days were spent taking trips to markets in local villages, enjoying hypermarket visits and spending time on the beach at Dinard under a hot summer sky. Evenings were spent playing

football and table tennis at Le Manoir. The highlight for most was walking across the bay of Mont St Michel, wading across rivers and sinking in quicksand before making it back to the safety of the coach!

It was a week which, for many, will be discussed right until they leave Bablake just as every leavers’ group before them has done since the school acquired Fousseau. Mr Watson, Headmaster, had visited with another class the previous week, to celebrate the Coventry School Foundation’s 20 years of cultural visits.

It was a sad occasion as they said ‘au revoir’ to Ludovic and Maryvonne, but the memories gained will live on forever.

City trail...

At the end of the summer term we collapsed the normal timetable and arranged some very different activities with a cross-curricular focus.

The Shell Forms set off on a City Trail especially written to include parts of Coventry with a Bablake connection. We were helped by Lady Godiva (Pru Porretta) and members of St. John’s Church, who acted as guides. Both days were extremely wet but enjoyable and beneficial. We were able to discover more about the history and geography of Coventry, the origins of Bablake, the effect of World War II on the school and the city, how the city is administered and the work of Coventry Cathedral. In addition everyone had a fascinating visit to a Gurdwara and a Mosque.

The people in both places were extremely helpful and very generous. It was a great way to learn more about the community in which we live. bablake school

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Bablakearts

creative shorts Art and Design Technology Exhibition The 2012 Art and Design Technology Exhibition saw almost 200 visitors – including many former pupils, staff and parents – and they all left stunned by the artistry and creativity of the GCSE and A Level pupils involved.

The variety of the fine art, textiles pieces and 3D work on display, allied with the ambition of all of the Design Technology pieces, gave those visiting the opportunity for much animated discussion.

‘Just’

by Ali Smith

John Pease experiences Bablake’s 26th consecutive year at the Edinburgh Fringe.

2012 was Bablake’s 26th consecutive year at the Edinburgh Fringe and we should not let it pass by without mentioning Mr Prescott, whose final act as a member of staff was to accompany the visit and ensure that a great time was had by all.

This year saw us perform ‘Just’ at the CECA venue. This is a little off the beaten track, so innovative and memorable flyering techniques were pioneered. Our use of Tesco value apples and trick umbrellas were in fact so effective that the final Saturday saw several of our number give interviews for Japanese television out on the Royal Mile.

In keeping with tradition, the evenings saw us eating student (and staff) cooked meals of varying quality and taking in performances, also of variable quality. Highlights included A Clockwork Orange (theatre, not cooking) and a show called Bullet Catch made especially memorable for Mr Pease by his inclusion as magician’s assistant.

The show sold well, audiences were healthy for every performance and reviews were one good, one fair and one harsh, which is about right for the Fringe!

It is worth remembering how special this trip is, as a truly unique experience and one that students and staff are lucky to be involved in. We hope it will continue long into the future. See you next year!

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Yorkshire Sculpture Park Fourth Year Art students visited the internationally renowned Yorkshire Sculpture Park in June to see the work of Joan Miro and Anish Kapoor. This was the first major exhibition of Miro’s sculptures in this country and included many large scale bronzes as well as examples of the objects which inspired him. Kapoor, who has just completed the Orbit Tower as part of the Olympic celebration in London, was represented by a retrospective of his work, which proved very thoughtprovoking. After an introductory talk from the staff at the park, pupils were given the opportunity to explore the park, which also includes work by Andy Goldsworthy, Sophie Ryder, Barbara Hepworth, Anthony Gormley, Henry Moore, James Turrell, Elizabeth Frink and many others, set in over 500 acres of very picturesque countryside. The visit was intended to broaden the pupils’ understanding of sculpture and make them consider the context in which we view art.

Bablakearts

Lauren visit As part of the Art Department’s efforts to forge closer links with former pupils, we were visited

by Lauren Carpenter, who is currently studying architecture at Bath University. She was able to talk to Sixth Formers about the demands of the course and offered useful tips concerning interview technique, different types of course, and what to include in portfolios of work for interviews. Lauren will be taking part in an exhibition being organised for February 2013 at the Roots Gallery in Coventry, aimed at bringing together current Bablake pupils, students at university and former pupils who are involved in the creative arts as a career.

Compton Verney The Third Year visited two venues during its end of year resource-finding day. The first took them to Compton Verney Gallery to look at a curated exhibition on the theme of flight. The pupils received a guided and thought-provoking tour of the exhibition from the Galleries Education Officer, and looked at a range of issues relating to flight. The exhibition contained painting, video and sculptures by artists such as Goya, Mark Wallinger and Paul Nash.

After lunch, we moved on to the Midland Air Museum at Bagington to view a range of aircraft which demonstrate the technical accomplishments and practicalities of flight.

The museum, which has a special interest in the contribution that Coventry has made through innovation and engineering to aviation, was very accommodating and the pupils certainly enjoyed sitting in the aeroplanes as well as having the opportunity to take some considered photographs which will form part of the research for their first GCSE project.

St John’s In early September, Bablake’s Music department returned to St John the Baptist for another lunchtime concert.

Eleanor Morris and Georgia Powell, along with Lower Sixth pupils Nick Evans, Bradley Gill, Lara Morley-White and Joshua Rowe, entertained the audience with a mix of instrumental pieces

by Bach, Debussy, Handel and Mozart, as well as a choral piece by Aaron Copland.

Eleanor Morris, who performed an excellent version of Debussy’s Arabesque, said: “I really enjoyed playing my piece for the local community and I was proud to have the chance to demonstrate what happens musically at Bablake.”

Bablake’s Music department returns to St John the Baptist later this year on Thursday 13 December and then, in 2013, on Thursday 21 March. The concerts all begin at 1pm and entry is always free.

Prince of Peace – A Musical First for Bablake Bablake choirs are looking forward to singing their first ever commissioned piece in the carol service to be held at Coventry Cathedral this December. The piece has been especially composed to give all three school choirs, along with the senior brass ensemble, an important role to play and will be the culmination of the inaugural carol service of the combined Junior and Senior Bablake schools. The piece itself, The Prince of Peace, has been written by Dr Nicholas Scott-Burt, a professional composer who works in the Music Department at Bablake as a visiting teacher of piano, theory and organ. His works have been performed by all three of our choirs in the past, but this is the first time we have had a

piece specially written for the children here and we are very excited about the first performance of the work as well as our first service in the Cathedral. Dr Scott-Burt said “I tried to combine serious classical music for the seniors with happy Christmas songs for the younger pupils and I’m really looking forward to hearing the first performance with the brass ensemble and splendid organ of Coventry Cathedral”. Director of Music, Mr Tim Crompton said “I am delighted that we have this opportunity to perform a new work by one the country’s established choral composers. The experience of singing a brand new work for Christmas in addition to the traditional carols will give the children an extra dimension to the festive celebrations.”

Royal Shakespeare Company Members of the Fourth and Sixth Form were out in force at The Swan Theatre, Stratford upon Avon in early September. They had gone to watch their friend, a Fourth Year pupil, Matthew Hayhurst, in his penultimate performance as Prince Arthur in Shakespeare’s King John.

This play, full of political intrigue, was given a modern setting which entertained and at times bemused. Watching a friend performing with such assurance alongside experienced and well-known actors in the RSC was a great experience and the signed programmes will be something to treasure in years to come.

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Bablakeaction

CCF

Summer camp diary

‘Tuesday was our watermanship day, set up by the Royal Engineers’ Thursday 11 July Saturday 6 July

Cadets set off from Bablake at 9:00am on a four hour journey to Penally camp. After being shown to their rooms, cadets who needed further rifle training were given extra lessons before evening briefing.

Sunday 7 July

Bablake was paired with another school for activities throughout the week. We started with a morning of rock climbing and abseiling with all cadets getting the chance to climb on real rock. We were then taken to the watermanship area, where cadets were put into ability groups for canoeing. We were also given the opportunity to jump in and have a swim as it was quite a warm day!

Monday 8 July

We walked the short distance to the ranges located by the sea, and all cadets had to zero their weapons before taking part in the shoot.

The cadet shoot was part of the competition held by camp and we came a close second for best shot of the week. All cadets passed and should soon receive a marksmanship badge for their brassard. Whilst on the range we got the opportunity to have a go on some quad bikes around a set circuit which proved to be lots of fun!

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Tuesday 9 July

Tuesday was our watermanship day, set up by the Royal Engineers. We completed a round robin of events before being split into teams to make our own rafts. We then had the challenge of paddling our raft to the other end of the lake and retrieving a buoy before returning. Luckily our rafts held together and Sergeant Major Robson’s raft was the winner amongst the Bablake rafts.

In the evening, we tried archery, with each cadet and member of staff learning how to use the bows correctly.

Wednesday 10 July

We were split into two groups – those who could map read already and those who needed further instruction. The first group was shown how to read a map correctly and identify map symbols, and how to find a bearing. The advanced group was shown how to do back bearings and find where they were on a map. This culminated in them being taken to a secret location and challenged to work out where they were. After lunch all groups took part in an orienteering competition and most groups managed to return before the sunny skies turned to torrential rain.

We prepared ourselves for the 24 hour exercise.

The weather took a turn for the worse and it rained non-stop from the moment we got off the coach. Cadets were given orders and taken on a recce of an enemy location before heading back to their harbour to set up their bashas before the evening meal. As night fell (along with more rain) we set off on our patrol crossing an airfield and a swamp before taking cover at the edge of the beach. The enemy came into sight and straight into the ambush site.

A barrage of firing and pyrotechnics followed before we were sure the enemy was eliminated.

Luckily for us, the rain finally stopped just as we were getting into our bashas and we enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep. After an early morning breakfast we set off on our morning platoon attack under Platoon Commander Sergeant Dale and Platoon Sergeant Bird. Each section had to take over from another, moving forward over enemy ground. The training staff commented on how well Bablake cadets did and they were very impressed with our fighting spirit.

Friday 12 July

A 5am start before a final parade. Nine schools and a visiting Canadian unit also took part. Sgt Bird won the trophy for best cadet on exercise for his part in the platoon attack.

Well done to all the cadets involved in what was undoubtedly our best summer camp yet. They showed a huge amount of camaraderie and refused to give up when the going got tough (or wet!).

Bablakeaction

This Summer I, along with a number of 5th Year Bablake pupils, embarked on a three week course known as ‘The Challenge’ writes Daniel Brett.

Charitable actions

The Challenge

Initially I felt apprehensive, working for three weeks of my summer holidays with people I had never met before, but a week of outdoor activities in North Wales soon helped me to forget my nerves. Working as a team, we achieved so much in a short time, most notably an overnight camp in Snowdonia National Park where the weather was very “Welsh”.

During the second week we stayed in new student accommodation at Coventry University, and again worked outside our comfort zone. Personal highlights for me included working at Brandon Wood Farm with people with severe disabilities and learning difficulties. We also heard some life changing stories from fellow Challengers, which were powerful enough to make a room full of 16 year olds fall silent and made me realise how lucky, and at times sheltered, I have been in life. The final week prepared us for an autumn project in which we created a community project and campaign which proved to be a fantastic way of seeing just how far we have progressed.

This was an experience which has hugely changed my outlook on the world and I really can’t convey all that I feel I gained in one article. What I can conclude is that initially I did the Challenge as something to look great on my CV, however I can now say with confidence that it has proven to be so much more than that.

Bablake takes flight

In July the RAF section of the CCF headed off on its annual summer camp, held this year at RAF Conningsby, the home of the Typhoon.

The Bablake contingent joined cadets from two other schools and soon settled into their tented accommodation.

They took part in the RAF swimming proficiency test, as well as visiting various sections around the unit, including the Typhoons of 29 Squadron and the Spitfires and Lancaster Bomber of the British Memorial Flight.

The cadets also took part in a night escape and evasion exercise and visited the dog section where they saw search dogs and guard dogs put through their paces.

Flying took place at RAF Cranwell in the Grob Tutor aircraft and cadets also had the opportunity to visit Cranwell College, while shooting took place on the range at Conningsby.

These were just some of the activities undertaken by the cadets in an action-packed week.

At the end of the camp, cadets took part in a drill competition and inspection carried out by the Station Warrant Officer, in which LCpl Xu was commended for his smart turn-out.

During the summer term, we raised funds to send to Mr Appleby, former Head of English at Bablake, who continues to carry out great work in African townships, enabling schools to put on musical productions. This year’s performance was based on the show Lipstick on My Collar.

Global Care visited the school and spoke to pupils in assembly. We then helped to raise £1000 for them in our weekly collection and from the sale of clothing and household items.

Shell and Second Year pupils held a brilliant Jubilee Fair and raised an impressive £525 in just one hour.

The grand total for last year was £20,068.44 and we look forward to raising a sum very similar to this in 2012-13.

Earlier in the term, Bablake hosted its own Macmillan Biggest Coffee Morning, during which the Sixth Form raised over £160 and the staff collected a record £317.41. Once these fine sums were added to our regular Friday morning collection, we were able to send a cheque to Macmillan Cancer Support for over £750.

We will be producing a 2013 Bablake calendar (in aid of CRY) and pre-orders for this excellent initiative may be made via Bablake’s Careers Department. (Copies will be £4 each.)

Race for Life On Sunday 24 June 2012 a group of staff and pupils took part in Race for Life at Stoneleigh in memory of Pippa Chowne and friends and family who have battled with cancer. We also wanted to support others who are currently affected by the disease.

Pippa was a very special young lady, who touched the hearts of all she knew. Every week she volunteered at the Cancer Research shop in Leamington Spa. She was always willing to get involved and help others and we wanted to carry on the good work she started.

Pippa liked to set herself challenges and our challenge was to raise as much money as possible. The response was overwhelming and the final total stands at £2706. Well done to all those who took part and a big thank you to everyone who supported us. bablake school

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Bablakesport

Boys’ sport Bablake Rugby The rugby season is now in full swing and again there have been some excellent performances, particularly from the junior sides. Performance of the season so far must be from Bablake U13s against Nottingham High School. After a slow start the team found themselves 22-0 down at half time. A rousing half time team talk from Miss Ormsby and Mr Seeley encouraged the team to come back and win the match 29-22.

They have now won 3 of their 4 matches this season. The U12s also deserve a mention after a fantastic 43-10 win against KES Camp Hill in their first 15 a-side game. This team looks to have great promise and we look forward to seeing them develop over the coming season. In other age groups both the U14s and U15s are showing real progress and have recorded excellent victories so far. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd XVs have had mixed results so far, though the 1st XV has won against both KES Aston and Lawrence Sheriff School. 1st XV captain Ronan Jones and James Faulkner have been selected for Warwickshire U18s whilst Bradley Pinkham and Paul Gascoigne are part of the Warwickshire U16 squad and Jamie Jack part of the Leicestershire U16 squad.

Congratulations to all of these boys.

Under 15 District Success Congratulations to Josh Hundal, Karam Bhathal, Joel White, Owen McGlinchey, Greg Checklin, Ben Jones, Liam Meechan, Harvey Burke and Chimdi Ogbuneke for their selection to the Coventry Rugby squad for the Merseyside tour during half term. Chimdi should also be congratulated for his outstanding six tries during the defeat of Kind Edward’s, Camp Hill.

Boys’ Hockey The 2012/13 season is proving to be very exciting, with the introduction of the Warwickshire Hockey League. The league has been formed in partnership with seven local schools: KHVIII, Warwick, Solihull, Princethorpe, Lawrence Sheriff, King Edward’s Birmingham and Bishop Vesey’s.

In the inaugural season, the format will involve every team playing each other once. All results are recorded and tabulated online and a link to these can be found via Twitter: @bablakehockey.

The 1st XI league has been kindly sponsored

by Edwin Doran, which has enabled neutral umpires to be appointed to these games. The league will run in addition to the usual friendlies played throughout the autumn and spring terms against a wide variety of opposition.

The new season also welcomes more ‘B’ team fixtures than ever before, allowing more boys who play hockey to represent the school at a competitive level.

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the lion Autumn 2012

The season got off to an excellent start with the 1st XI winning 4-2 against Birmingham University Women’s 1st XI, a team which included eight London 2012 Olympians. The 1st XI also recorded a 6-0 win against Camp Hill and started their league campaign with a 3-3 draw against Lawrence Sheriff in a highly competitive game. The 2nd XI performed impressively in their first game, winning 1-0 against Camp Hill, although they have started slowly in the league.

The U15s and U14s both won their first game of the season against Lawrence Sheriff and the U13s were unlucky to come away with a 1-1 draw against the same opposition in the league.

There have been record numbers of Shell boys attending training on a Friday evening, hopefully all inspired by London 2012. The U12s have shown plenty of talent and potential and they eagerly await their first fixture.

Boys’ cricket Warwickshire U19 Cup The 1st XI had an excellent season in 2012, expertly led by captain Mark Best (Warwickshire 2nd XI) and vice-captain Matthew Clements (Warwickshire U16). The season culminated in the team reaching the Warwickshire U19 Final which had been delayed until the autumn term due to an incredibly wet season. Leamington Cricket Club kindly hosted the match (30 overs) against Solihull School. Bablake decided to put runs on the board and bat first, having won the toss in overcast conditions. Cricket scholars Best (43) and Clements (60) made an excellent start and put on 108 runs for the first wicket.

However, wickets then fell steadily throughout the remainder of the innings closing with the score on 174-8. Bablake knew they would have to bowl and field superbly, defending what was arguably only a par score. Despite an

early breakthrough from Ryan Parnell, Solihull gradually built momentum in the first 10 overs before an inspired spell of off-spin bowling from Matthew Payne, returning figures of 1-12 from his allotted 6 overs, ultimately swung the game in Bablake’s favour. Bablake continued to take wickets throughout the innings which ensured Solihull weren’t able to keep up with the ever increasing run rate. Solihull finished their innings 157-9, 18 runs short of their target.

The 1st XI thoroughly deserved to take the U19 Ken Jackson trophy which was a fitting end to a successful season.

Dan’s excellent season with Warwickshire Dan Mousley arrived at Bablake this September after a fine season’s cricket for Warwickshire’s U12s, including 6-12 versus Surrey and 5-9 against Nottinghamshire.

Dan has been selected for the county since he was 8 and has proved an excellent captain for both the U10 and U11 age-groups – both of which have remained unbeaten for two seasons.

This season, Dan’s 25 wickets saw him become Warwickshire’s leading wicket taker across all youth levels.

Bablakesport

Girls’ sport Summer Term The girls had a successful second half of the summer term, despite the inclement weather.

The U15 rounders team were Coventry Schools champions, and after qualifying for the Midlands A Final in the Track and Field Cup, the junior team finished in second place and the intermediates claimed fifth. A number of our junior girls also qualified for the Year 7 and 8 Coventry Athletics Championships and the Shell and Second Year teams were both victorious.

The final athletics competition of the season was the Super Sixes; the Shell and Second Year teams won their district competition and then went on to compete in the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire School Games where the Shell girls won bronze medals and the Second Years were silver medallists. They all enjoyed the experience, especially having their medals presented by Olympic Gold medallist Jason Gardener.

It has been a busy start to the Autumn Term with teams entering pre-season tournaments and friendly fixtures.

U18 and U14 hockey teams participated in the Loughborough pre-season tournament and the U19 netball team went to King’s Worcester for their pre-season event. Both teams benefited from the experience and early match practice and as a result they have fared well in recent matches.

The U19 netball teams took part in the Coventry Schools Netball tournaments. The A team won their section and the B team were winners in their respective section; the U19 C team did well to finish 4th in the B team section.

It was an afternoon of excellent netball and a fantastic opportunity for all of the senior squad players to represent the school.

The senior hockey teams have also made a good start to the season with the 1st XI recording a 4-0 victory over Newcastle-underLyme. An U18 7-a-side team also competed in the Wrekin College Invitational Tournament, finishing runners up in their section and progressing to the semi-finals where they beat Stafford Grammar 1-0 and then the final in

which they defeated Ellesmere College 1-0.

Both the U16 and U15 hockey and netball teams have made promising starts to the season, with a number of early victories. The U16 A and B netball teams both defeated KHVIII and the U15 hockey team played well at the Loughborough Festival to finish 4th overall. The junior teams have had several matches and are all showing promise for the season ahead. The U12 and U13 netball teams participated in the Loughborough Festival and gained valuable match experience, the U13 team reached the quarter finals and the U12 team did particularly well to finish 4th overall.

We are looking forward to an exciting season of girls’ sport at Bablake.

High riders Lucinda Roche (4C) and Lucy Farrington (3K) both compete on the national show jumping circuit and in July 2012, they travelled to Cavan in Ireland to represent England at The Irish Home Pony International Show. Lucinda rode her pony, CJ's Kemosabi, and in the team event won a Bronze medal. Both girls had also competed in previous shows in Wales and Scotland.

Lucinda also competed in Ireland earlier in the year and rode as an individual, achieving second place in the Grand Prix. At the end of the three day show, Lucinda was named second leading rider of the show, a great achievement.

Lucinda and Lucy will also be competing for Bablake at the National Schools Show Jumping event and we are hoping to have the chance of competing at Hickstead next August.

If anyone is interested in joining a show jumping team, please contact Mr Sewell.

bablake school

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bablakeupdate ‘Look up at the stars, and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.’

Stephen Hawking

Headmaster’s notes We were thrilled and moved by scenes from the Olympics and Paralympics over the summer, and there can be few headteachers in the land who did not draw inspiration from these historic events for the term’s opening assembly!

At Bablake, we had special cause for celebration, as Old Wheatleyan Nick Skelton led his team to a Showjumping Gold. Whilst we have a strong tradition of sporting excellence, we cannot claim that he learned to ride at the school! We would, however, like to think that his ambition and determination in the face of severe injury were amongst qualities nurtured at Bablake.

Professor Stephen Hawking’s words at the Paralympics opening ceremony convey very well the aspirations and wonderful opportunity of education: “Look up at the stars, and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” There has been much debate recently over the rigour of our national qualifications and the quality of assessment of our examinations.

Both are vitally important, and our young people deserve the very best preparation for promising futures, as well as just reward for their efforts.

We prize academic success very highly at Bablake, but our duty is also to inspire a life-long sense of wonder and curiosity – a love of learning which will adapt to new challenges and discoveries in an ever-changing world and universe. Our conspicuous sense of community, teamwork and mutual support are also very much in tune with the spirit and values of the Olympics, as expressed by Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Games: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”

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the lion Autumn 2012

Staff news

Diary dates Saturday 10 November Open Morning 9.30am – 12.30pm Tuesday 13 November Entry to Sixth Form Evening EDM 5.45pm Thursday 15 November Autumn Concert EDM 7.30pm Saturday 24 November Year 6 Activity Morning 9.45am – 12.30pm

We have been pleased to welcome our new Modern Languages Assistants, Miss Nancy Le Rouzic (French), Mr Patrick Heller (German) and Miss Claudia Lang-Lenton Arrizabalaga (Spanish).

In November we shall welcome back Mrs Carrie Martlew to cover the maternity leave of Mrs Laura Reddish.

Saturday 1 December Parents’ Association Christmas Fayre 11.00am – 2.00pm Thursday 13 December Lunchtime Concert at St John’s Church 1.00pm Thursday 13, Friday 14, and Saturday 15 December Blithe Spirit Theatre 7.30 pm Monday 17 December Carol Service at Coventry Cathedral 7.00pm Tuesday 18 December Sixth Form Graduation Evening Main Hall 7.00pm Thursday 20 December Autumn Term ends 12 noon Tuesday 8 January 2013 Entrance Examination

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