The Lion - Issue 46

news & views from bablake school issue 46 summer 2008

Bablake celebrates outstanding inspection report Inspectors recently conducted a thorough appraisal of the school, and their report bears ample testimony to the numerous and diverse strengths of Bablake: “Bablake School provides for its pupils an outstanding educational experience.

It constitutes a happy community of successful learners, engaged in a wide variety of activities.”

Headmaster John Watson commented: “We are delighted. The report accurately portrays and affirms the school as a flourishing and happy academic community. It has also given us some helpful pointers as we strive to give our young people the best possible start in life. I am grateful to the staff for their enthusiasm and dedication, and to our parents, as they work with us to support, motivate and inspire their children.”

The full report has been sent to parents, and is also available from the school office or via the website (www.bablake.com).

Chinese whispers On 27th March, 27 eager Upper Sixth pupils and five even more excited teachers set off on the Economics and Business Studies trip to China – the trip of a lifetime.

24 hours later we checked into our hotel and spent two days sightseeing in Shanghai. The bustling city was interesting to observe, and experiencing such a contrast of culture was both enlightening and revealing. We visited the Pearl Tower and Jade Buddah Temple; we walked around the old city and had a river cruise in the rain along the Bund.

The group then embarked on a twelve-hour overnight train journey to Beijing. The cabins were somewhat cosy but we nevertheless managed to get some sleep. We started our three-day stay in Beijing with a visit to Tiananmen Square. We took a tour around the Forbidden City, in the centre of Beijing, and also visited a Pearl factory, the stunning Summer Palace, the Olympic Stadium, and The Ming Tombs. After visiting The Temple of Heaven, we were taken around the old town of Hutong in rickshaws, and we had our very own grand prix around the town!

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Wet and windy in wildest wales The trip involved examining coastal defences along the beach at Criccieth, of which there are many! The pupils spent the day conducting fieldwork, scrambling up rock faces and getting very wet in some cases.

Continued from front page The highlight of Beijing had to be the Great Wall of China, which, although tiring to climb, was a memory that we will treasure forever. The views were truly breathtaking. Another high point was the food market near Beijing’s main shopping area.

The cows’ stomachs, dried sea horses on sticks and every kind of tentacle you can imagine helped us identify the various meats we were being served!

We had a second overnight train ride to Xi’an, which was both bumpier and cosier than the previous train journey.

The first thing we did in Xi’an was climb the city wall and take a 13km tandem/bike ride around it. Mr Faulkner and Mr West got a little nostalgic, reminiscing about bike riding and fishing trips when they were younger. During the two day stay, we visited Banpo village, the oldest part of Xi’an and saw the Wild Goose Pagoda. But the highlight had to be the Terracotta Army; it was remarkable that each life-size warrior was unique with a different facial expression – awesome!

After a short internal flight back to Shanghai, we savoured our last Chinese meal and headed back to the hotel. The boys who had ordered tailored suits had a chance to show them off and we all settled down for our last night’s sleep. Early the next morning we caught the fastest monorail in the world to Shanghai airport, and boarded the plane for our twelve-hour flight back to Heathrow.

Experiencing Chinese customs, seeing rural China and taking in some truly breathtaking sights made this truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

We’d like to thank Mr Faulkner, Mrs Friebe, Mrs Thomas and Mr West for providing us with such an opportunity.

Wednesday was spent following the course of the River Conwy, including Conwy Falls. The day proved to be extremely useful for refreshing our memories, even if some of the group spent more time falling into bogs and losing their field sketches in the river.

Probably the hardest day of the field trip was our visit to Harlech sand dunes, measuring vegetation cover, not least because we only just managed to get up there in the first place! Despite being a clear and sunny day, at the top of the dune it was cold and incredibly windy, and there were frequent complaints of sand in the eyes… nose… wellies… mouth…

We also investigated environmental conditions, and an old wooden ship used in the Civil War. All in all, a most enjoyable trip.

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auschwitz During the Easter holidays, 22 Sixth Form pupils and two members of staff visited Poland, the main focus being a visit to the Nazi concentration camps at AuschwitzBirkenau, with further excursions to Krakow and the Warsaw ghettoes.

A journey to Auschwitz-Birkenau is like no other. For us, like so many who have gone before, it is a life changing experience. You walk in the footsteps of people from so many backgrounds and nationalities, doomed to the Holocaust. Even though our students had visited Beth Shalom, the Holocaust Memorial, and were therefore well acquainted with the history and tragedy of the genocide, nothing could prepare them for what confronted them at Auschwitz, and perhaps yet more poignantly at Birkenau.

As we stood at the end of the railway line that brought victims into Birkenau, we spent some time in prayer and reflection. Then slowly, we each made our way back along the railway line, with our own personal thoughts, trying to come to terms with what we had experienced. For many of us this will take time, as we attempt to build bridges between the present and the past, and hopefully influence the future.

Snow use worrying Eighty pupils accompanied by ten staff ventured to America at Easter travelling in two separate groups via different routes. Surprisingly we all arrived at the Winter Park resort late the same evening.

Altitude sickness was the worst ailment of the whole trip affecting pupils and staff alike. Mrs Smith took Health and Safety checking very seriously by testing out the efficiency of the American Health system. She was able to confirm that a drip and an oxygen tank were readily supplied and once used she was eventually allowed back on her skis. Later, James Lambert managed to upstage Mrs Smith’s experience of the emergency services by breaking his arm in truly uninspiring fashion, having previously survived plenty of impressive wipe outs all week.

The après ski was superb providing you had the energy left after a hard day on the slopes. Relaxing in the outdoor pool and hot tub surrounded by deep snow was heavenly for aching limbs of all

ages. Bowling and an unforgettable trip to an outdoor sulphur spring spa, followed by a perilous bus journey back in a blizzard, was one evening’s entertainment. However, the highlight of the après ski had to be the tubing evening. Groups of pupils and staff abandoned any sense of decorum and threw themselves down a slope in large rubber rings, screaming and yelling as they went.

The verdict? A brilliant holiday, superbly organised by Mr Burdett and Mrs Smith with an excellent team of staff supporting. It was thoroughly enjoyed by all, due mainly to the admirable behaviour of our pupils.

Next year Mr Hobday and Miss Simmons will be leading the ski trip to France; no doubt it will be a huge success.

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Vive Fousseau

The Lion | Summer 2008

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Le YMCA! Il fait beau

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Ready steady cook...

This year saw the start of a new House competition in the Home Economics department with teams of two pupils from each House competing against each other in a cooking event. The teams had a limited amount of money with which to buy ingredients and had to work as a team and serve their dish within 40 minutes. Clearing away and washing up on time were also part of the task. The competition was judged by Mr Watson, Mr Burns and Mrs Mair and involved lots of tasting!

The competition was a great success and a most enjoyable House event. Well done to everyone involved.

Plenty to see at the Crystal Ball The Fifth Year ‘Crystal Ball’ was held on Friday 9th May and was proclaimed to be the ‘best ever’. The warm sunny evening meant that photographs were taken mainly outside and it was some time before the red carpet was used to enter the school. Once inside, the students let their hair down to the popular music organised by DJs Chris Walters and Paul Wye. The cameras didn’t stop clicking all night with the flashing lights adding to the electric atmosphere.

A huge vote of thanks has to go the creative, hard-working and very popular Upper Sixth team who were the mainstay of the whole operation.

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Playing it by the book

The Library celebrated World Book Day with a writing competition on the theme of There’s No Place Like Home. This inspired a whole range of interesting entries from each year group in the school. The winners, who each received a W H Smith’s voucher, were Georgia Powell, Harnake Virk and Hannah Sheard. We were also delighted to be able to donate £300 to Book Aid International, a charity which provides books for developing countries raised mostly through our Friday charity collection.

A window on our world – International Week During the week commencing 23 April 2008, Bablake held its third International Week, organised by Mr Mellers and the Parents’ Association. Throughout the week there were many inspirational pieces including African drumming, learning about music and lifestyles when living in the Caribbean and even learning Tai-chi.

There were some very inspirational talks; they varied from an account of climbing some of the biggest mountains in the world, to the hard-hitting subject of forced marriage which members of the Sixth Form found particularly moving.

International Week ended with a spectacular concert offering a range of music and dance from around the world. The concert was a great showcase for talented pupils and there were some excellent performances.

In addition to the tremendous talent within the school, we were very lucky to also be entertained by performers from outside.

After the concert the audience were invited to sample an array of foods from around the world ranging from Thai curry to Italian Tiramisu! The concert was a brilliant way to end a very enjoyable week.

Debating As the debating season draws to a close for this year, we have enjoyed success in the Birmingham and Midlands Schools competition, in which our senior partnership of Jamie Stefaniak and Will Chamberlain were placed fourth overall, and were presented with a shield and a new Chambers Dictionary. This, of course, concluded a successful debating ‘career’ that both Will and Jamie have enjoyed, but there are fresh grassroots sprouting: Ji Kim, Katie Carlson and Marcus Judge represented the school well at the Kenilworth School competition in April, speaking on the subject of The Typical Teenager.

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An audience with the Archbishop of Canterbury In March, John Haidar met the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and conducted an interview based upon ‘The Ethics of the Christian Tradition’.

John considers Dr. Williams to be one of the great proponents of innovative modern theology and international peacemaking in the world today and felt it was a real honour to address him on behalf of the School.

Here, John shares some of the Archbishop’s thoughts: On the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury: Keeping a foot in the door when society loses its way and forgets its own ethics, the Church must be there to provide a guiding hand to point people in the right direction.

On Youth: People of your generation are not comfortable with the belief of any ‘big story’ (effectively telling them what to believe), and the story of Christianity is the biggest of them all.

People tend to anchor themselves to a specific belief system and are very uneasy when confronted by anything that contradicts these choices.

On The Future: People talk about the Early, High and Late Church (i.e. the age in which we are currently living), however, I would like to believe that the Church exists as an eternal conscience throughout Christendom. Christianity must rise to meet the contemporary moral issues we all must face in the modern world.

Jumping for joy Lydia Brown competed at the inter-schools show jumping competition earlier this year on her new pony Rocky. The competition was held at Moreton Morrell Warwickshire College of Agriculture in March and saw competitors from schools all over the country.

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Engineering success The Engineering Education Scheme Group, sponsored

by ARUP, attended a Celebration and Assessment Day in Solihull.

Sunera Nawab, Simon Archer, Puja Bhardwaj and Lauren Carpenter displayed their model of a proposed footbridge and cycle path over the Coventry Ring Road.

Military precision Labs of fun The Salters’ Chemistry Club encourages schools to set up clubs and then to take part in Salters’ Festivals, encouraging young people to participate in the fun of Chemistry and help motivate them into developing a long term interest in the subject and its applications in modern life.

Recently, four of our pupils, Holly Twigger, Jennifer Scoular, Sachin Sharma and Joe Gibbins enjoyed a very productive day at The University of Warwick.

The Bablake CCF Biennial Inspection took place during our annual three day Easter Camp at Swynnerton Barracks. Forty cadets in their allocated sections completed this intensive training package.

Activities included general military skills, an obstacle course, a climbing tower, indoor DCCT range, twentyfive metre range and a lesson on the preparation and packing of webbing.

On the first evening, the cadets took part in a night patrol and deliberate ambush. After successfully dealing with the enemy, who walked straight into the well prepared ambush, the section’s task was to patrol back into camp as quickly and stealthily as possible. Little did they know that there were another four enemies waiting for them on their return route! Quick thinking from the section commanders, however, ensured all sections got safely back

to base, where the reward of a hot drink and chocolate biscuits was waiting.

On the second day a number of inspecting officers were present, as

well as our very own Headmaster.

They spent the day observing the activities and were very impressed by the grit and determination displayed, especially in tackling the challenging obstacle course.

The well-founded confidence and assurance of the cadets also received favourable comment. After lunch, all the cadets stood smartly to attention on parade, as promotions and badges for shooting, D of E and first aid were presented.

Major Hall’s surprise competition was held on the third and final day. The cadets, in their sections, completed a three kilometre forced march – the ‘surprise’ being the two jerry cans full of water and two stretchers each section had to carry for the last kilometre! After the march the sections completed the obstacle course, before finally firing twenty rounds on the range.

Well done to all cadets who attended the camp and congratulations to 3 section, led by Sergeant Emily Payne, on winning the last day’s competition.

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sparkleshark

A dramatic entrance Arden City: National Theatre Connections Festival.

After an impressive performance in School at the end of last term, we were pleased to hear that the Bablake production of this new play by Timberlake Wertenbaker, had been chosen to go forward to the regional Festival, held this year at the Royal and Derngate Theatre in Northampton.

‘Arden City’ is a loose adaptation of ‘As You Like It’, with the characters of Sal and Rosie escaping their threatening relatives by escaping into a rural retreat, where a community seeking an alternative lifestyle fits them into their society. The gender issue, with Rosie dressing up as a boy and pretending to be a girl to impress the boy she loves, Orlando, is as confusing as Shakespeare intended, but everyone ends up with the partner they were meant to end up with in the end!

The key thing was that the cast had a great day, performed with considerable credit, and had the opportunity to work in a professional theatre with a professional technical crew. The performance was strong and secure, and received a very positive reaction. Well done everyone, and get ready for the next production!

It is most exciting to see such a diversity of talent amongst the junior members of the school.

Last term’s Junior Play was Sparkleshark by Phillip Ridley. Despite unexploded World War 2 bombs changing our three night run into a two night run, the production was a resounding success, with the cast rising to the challenge of a near full capacity audience on the final night. It is most exciting to see such a diversity of talent amongst the junior members of the school. Bablake enjoys a proud theatrical tradition whose future is in safe hands. We look forward to unearthing more budding thespians in the near future and encourage everyone to come along and get involved with extra curricular drama.

‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ in Edinburgh Our 22nd season, following last year’s ‘sell out’ success of The Threepenny Opera is being prepared, probably, it has to be said, more slowly than usual. Copyright issues, performance licences and the changing location of our venue in Edinburgh, have all meant worrying delays, but at last we are up and running, and intensive rehearsals begin properly after the examination period. We are performing in Edinburgh from Monday 11th – Saturday 17th August, and we would welcome a visit from anyone who is up there at the same time. We are again at Diverse Attractions in Riddles Court, an excellent location and an easy walk from the Festival Office itself. This is always an exciting and eventful week, and a highlight of the dramatic year.

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Battle of the Bands The Bourgeoisie came out runaway winners in our 2008 Battle of the Bands. Facing stiff competition from five other bands, both the crowd and the judges recognised the impressive professionalism and confidence of the Bourgeoisie’s set. Ollie Lowson, as lead singer, was amply supported by Paul Hollingsworth, Paul Wye and drummer ‘Felix’.

Cheshunt Mural project Over the past two terms, Bablake Art Scholars with the assistance of some members of 3L, have been working on a mural for Cheshunt School. The mural, which was unveiled on 21st May, was inspired by rich, creature-filled jungles and is situated in a play area used by two and three year old pupils.

Inter-house music The House Music Concert took place this term and was a huge success.

Jamie Stefaniak and Will Chamberlain compèred the two and a half hour performance, as the packed audience enjoyed an evening of musical entertainment. The concert saw an eclectic array of musical talent with over 60 pupils from all four houses taking part. The programme included solos from Rory Dulku and Nainu Sriram, a piano duet from Ji Kim and Hannah Sugrue, a performance on the sitar from the ‘Bose Brothers’ and various bands and choirs who sang and played their hearts out. The evening ended with an excellent performance from the senior members of Crow House who sang and danced to ‘The Rhythm of Life’.

A wonderful evening was had by all.

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Fabric of charity GCSE Textiles pupils have once again excelled in the practical element of the coursework and put on a fashion show to display their talents. There was everything from a ‘Cinderella’ style ball gown to a lion costume!

They nominated Cancer Research as their chosen charity this year and raised £60 from entrance fees and sales of the DVD.

Success shorts you need glasses ref Earlier this year, two young Warwickshire Society referees completed one of their most prestigious appointments when they ran the line during the Women’s Varsity match between Oxford and Cambridge at Iffley Road, Oxford.

Christine Goldfinch, 15, a current pupil and Hannah Everitt, 26, a former pupil have both been officiating for three years after successfully completing the RFU’s Referee and Touch Judge courses.

Peter Tolan, Warwickshire Society Press Officer said, “It is a great honour for the Society to have two of our home grown young referees being appointed to handle such an important game.”

enterprising achievement This year’s Young Enterprise Team ‘Endeavour’ achieved the awards of ‘Best Company runners up’ and ‘Most Entrepreneurial Company’ in the Coventry area finals and were selected to represent Coventry at the Coventry and Warwickshire strategic finals, held at the Ricoh Arena on 15th May. ‘Endeavour’ faced stiff competition and although the team presented in a novel and interesting way, did not secure a place in the West Midlands Final. They should, however, be very proud of their brilliant achievement in getting so far.

casting call Congratulations to Melissa Walton who appeared with Julie Walters in Filth – the Mary Whitehouse Story.

She played a head girl in the programme, shown on the BBC. Melissa was heavily involved in drama

during her time at Bablake and is now making good progress within the profession.

chemistry olympiad The Chemistry Olympiad is an annual Royal Society of Chemistry competition to find the best Upper Sixth Form students in the country and this year six pupils from Bablake put in very creditable performances.

Indeed, the selection of prizes awarded is the best ever for Bablake and includes our first Gold Award, attained by Jamie Stefaniak.

prize winner Congratulations to Jamie Stefaniak who won the Royal Society International Expedition Prize for his Gold Crest Project. Jamie will be travelling to the Sub Antarctic Islands in December with a Royal Navy Research Vessel.

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Running D of E for a success healthy for all H.E.A.R.T. During a very sunny weekend in May, 90 Bronze D of E pupils completed their assessed expedition in and around the Cotswolds. During the first day, the 16 groups walked unaccompanied, stopping in Condicote village for water replenishments and lunch. Sun cream was applied liberally throughout the day and after 10 miles the groups all made it to the campsite. During the evening, the pupils all had to cook a three course meal, and set up their tents for the night. By 10.30pm you could have heard a pin drop as the majority of the pupils were sound asleep.

Unfortunately the dawn chorus of birds, the loud bleating sounds from sheep and the constant braying of donkeys meant that pupils were up fairly early the next day!

Congratulations to all 16 groups who successfully passed their expedition. With some still nursing blisters, it’s time for them to decide whether they will embark on the Silver Award, which will take place next year.

Following a lively Autumn term we have been as busy as ever and Mrs Heath would like to thank her two charity prefects Jessica Phillips and Niamh Luckett for all their help this year.

Mr Hall set a healthy standard by running the London Marathon raising money for the H.E.A.R.T. UK charity to whom we were able to give £500 while Kerrie Bird (L6SEH) took part in a swimathon raising £150 for Marie Curie Cancer.

Shell H raised an amazing £365 by selling hand knitted Easter egg chicks. These were patiently made by Valerie Bryan who used to be science technician here at Bablake. The money was sent to Acorns Hospice.

Mr Mellers has been very busy selling books given to him by pupils and parents and has raised £125 for Epilepsy UK for the Catherine Parker Memorial Fund (former pupil 1993-2000) and £60 for Diabetes UK. The Air Ambulance received £300 and Karma Nirvana, a support group for people in danger of being forced into unwanted marriages of convenience, was also given £300. £300 was sent to support International Book Aid Week; this organisation buys and sends books out to children in schools in Africa.

We are still supporting our guide dog puppies in their training. Sadly the first two, Willow and Uffa, failed to make the grade because they preferred chasing cats and birds!! We now have two new puppies Megan and Norris, and are keeping our fingers crossed that they get through the rigorous training.

The Sixth Form have been busy holding chocolate and cake sales and getting everyone to donate their spare coins to fill their “Dosh” Darfur map. They have raised well over £500 this year to support Fund4Darfur.

Amnesty International has also been sent £250 following Shell E’s assembly on “child soldiers”.

Both Walsgrave and Birmingham children’s hospitals have benefited from your generosity this term. 2J held a sweet sale and L6CF a cake sale.

Books and computer games have been given to Ward 16 at Walsgrave. A total of over £900 has been given by Bablake.

We still have various charities and events to support before the end of term but at present the total for the year is a very impressive £11,572.69.

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Girls’ sport

The senior netball squads have shown outstanding commitment and resolve this year, with the original 26 players all there at the end.

Senior Netball The 2nd team squad was runner-up in the second team section of the West Midlands’ Colleges South League – a fine achievement. It also competed well against 1st teams in the end of season tournament and has been an excellent group to work with.

U19 National Schools Netball Finals In March the 1st team squad enjoyed considerable success (and got very wet!) at the National Schools Netball Finals in Bournemouth, playing alongside 17 of the top schools in the country.

It was unfortunate that we met the two eventual finalists in the first games of our section, as well as a strong Caterham side, but, despite these losses, the team showed their stature and won the remaining five games with excellent wins against Millfield, Beaconsfield, St Anthony’s, Hymers and Bishop Stopford. All the squad contributed to this outstanding

success proving their versatility as players and, when injuries struck or changes were necessary, their adaptability as a squad.

It was definitely an experience playing against Cardinal Newman, the eventual winners from the NW who, with four players over 6ft and some national squad players, commanded and filled the court! It was, however, an exciting, nail biting and memorable day.

We were so proud to have finished as one of the top 10 teams in the country and... should anyone have any ‘racks’ for next season we would be pleased to hear from them!

Squad: Becki Stuart (Captain), Meisha-Grace Nicely (Vice-Captain), Ellie Donaldson, Lauren Boon, Lijana Kaziow, Ira Kleine, Siobhan Robinson, Roxy Ziaie.

Thank you to all parents who have supported all the girls throughout, and to Mrs Thomas, Mrs Friebe and Mrs Smith for all their time and energy.

Netball Tournaments Coventry Schools netball tournaments: Bablake came runners up in the U12 A tournament after losing narrowly 6-7 in the final. The U12B team beat King Henry VIII 5-2 in the final to take the trophy. In the U13 A tournament, Bablake won their section, beat Tile Hill Wood 8-2 in the semi-final and King Henry VIII 10-2 in the final. They scored 60 goals and conceded only five goals during the morning. The U13 B team also won its tournament after five matches and scored 57 goals in total, conceding only five. An excellent performance by the Bablake U13s.

In the U14 Bromsgrove invitation tournament the Bablake team worked hard and came third in its section after playing seven games, winning three, losing three and drawing one.

Hockey tournaments Warwickshire hockey tournaments: The U12s have improved greatly throughout the season and produced some good hockey in their tournament until they came up against the experienced King’s High side in the semi-final, where they were defeated 0-5. Both the U13 & U15 Bablake hockey teams reached the triangular final. The U13 match was rearranged twice due to the weather and the bomb found in Coventry, but it was eventually played, and Bablake finished runners up after losing 2-0 to Bilton Grange and beating Stratford Grammar 2-0. Unfortunately the U15s were unable to play their final but it was given to King’s High as both Rugby and Bablake had lost to them in the season and Rugby and Bablake were given joint runners up.

In the U13 mini tournament, the girls

who managed to play on a Sunday performed extremely well but took a while to find the goal. The ball kept going just wide until the third match.

Bablake won 2 matches and lost 2 matches.

Tennis Emily Wainhouse, Ira Kleine, Jo Simons and Rebecca Devall got the tennis season off to a fine start by playing in the Senior Midlands tennis tournament. The girls found it a good experience and enjoyed the high level of competition.

Athletics Congratulations to Pippa Collision, Beth Evans, Olivia Harrison-Dodd, Emily McNeice, Rebecca Pearce, Danielle Smith & Lucy Smith on their selection for Coventry at the West Midlands Athletics Championships.

This term the girls have won both the Coventry Schools Intermediate (Fourth and Fifth Year) and Junior (Second and Third Year) Coventry Schools Championships. Individual winners were Danielle Smith (shot), Rachel Blakemore (high jump), Pippa Collison (hurdles) and Alice O’Connor (1500m) for the intermediates. Emily McNeice (100 & 200m), Beth Evans (hurdles & long jump), Olivia HarrisonDodd (discus) and Lucy Smith (shot) won their events at junior level. In the first round of the English Schools Track and Field Competition, the intermediate (Third and Fourth Year) team were just behind the winning team on points and the Junior (Shells and Second Year) team came first. Both Bablake teams are now through to the regional B round.

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boys’ sport

rugby Belated congratulations to our under 15 Rugby Sevens Squad for being awarded the prestigious Solihull School Seven-a-side rugby title at the end of last term. In a highly competitive tournament, they defeated KE Camp Hill, King’s Worcester and the host, Solihull School, to compete in a quarter final against KE Aston. They made heavy weather of beating a determined Aston side but eventually prevailed to make it through to the semi final where they would face tournament favourites Warwick. This challenge seemed to inspire the team as they produced some excellent sevens play to overwhelm and outclass Warwick 22-0. The final was against a very pacy Bedford Modern seven and Bablake found themselves 17-5 down as they afforded Bedford too much space. All credit to the team as they did not panic and simply played their way back into the game with good control of possession and patience.

Bedford began to crack under

relentless pressure and justice was done when Bablake secured the final try to triumph 22-17. cricket In another weather ravaged start to the cricket season, Bablake teams have produced some excellent performances, the pick of which were the 1st XI’s 10 wicket demolition of KE Camp Hill and their tense 6 run win over Bishop Vesey while the under 12s recorded a resounding 9 wicket victory also against Bishop Vesey.

On the cup front, all our teams are progressing in both the Coventry and Warwickshire competitions.

The under 15s have produced the performance of the cup competitions so far, edging out Tudor Grange by scoring 133-5 in 19 overs.

Despite the weather there have been some notable individual performances. Paul Best (1st XI Captain), Chris Walters and Charlie Taylor have all recorded 50s for the 1st XI while Simon Godfrey and Will Vines have done so for the under

15s and under 14s respectively.

Matthew Payne narrowly missed out, finishing 49 not out for the under 12s. We saw two remarkable bowling performances; Matthew Clements took 4 wickets in 4 balls against Bishop Vesey for the under 12s and Ryan Parnell took 5 wickets for 0 runs in a Warwickshire cup match against Cardinal Newman.

Let’s hope for better weather and more great performances during the remainder of the term.

hockey At the end of April, the boys’ U13 hockey team played in the Yazoo Midland Hockey finals at Cannock Hockey Club. The tournament involved all the county winners from around the Midlands, both club academy sides and schools. In the pool matches, Bablake recorded a 1-0 win over Rutland (Leicestershire) and a 4-0 win over Beachborough (Northamptonshire). In the last pool game, Bablake played last year’s national champions Cannock (Staffordshire) and lost 2-0.

This meant that Bablake progressed to play Trent College (Derbyshire) in the semi finals. In a very close game, Trent scored a late winner to win 1-0. Bablake then played Cannock in the 3rd/4th playoff and after drawing 1-1 in normal time, they went on to win 3-2 on penalty strokes.

To finish third in a tournament of this calibre is an outstanding achievement. Well done to all of the squad.

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Bablakeupdate staff news

headmaster’s notes

• Mr Peter Millard, ICT Technician, left Bablake before Easter for promotion.

We not only valued his support of our computer network, but also his coaching of canoeing. We welcome Mr Preet Chahal, who has occupied a similar post at Coventry Preparatory and King Henry VIII Junior Schools.

• Ms Yasmin Zimnowodzki and Mr Jan Williams will leave after temporary posts in (respectively) the German and Design Technology Departments this year.

• Mr Daniel Menashe has been appointed Head of Classics. Mr Menashe is currently Head of Classics at the Kingsley School in Leamington Spa. Prior to this, he taught Classics at Warwick School, after graduating from Durham and Cambridge Universities.

Beyond the department, he hopes to help with cricket, bridge or squash.

• Mrs Joyce Hall, Music, is retiring.

• Mrs Maria O’Neill will come to Bablake as Head of Spanish. Mrs O’Neill has degrees in Modern Foreign Languages from Moscow State and Coventry Universities. She has worked at Sidney Stringer and President Kennedy Schools, has been a head of department, and is currently an Advanced Skills Teacher of Spanish, French and Russian.

• Mr Alan Brown, previously Head of Design Technology at Bablake, has been helping us with the invigilation of public examinations.

He will play an enhanced rôle next year during the examinations seasons as Examinations Assistant.

• Two of our current Upper Sixth pupils, Emily Power and Peter Sidwell, will return to Bablake to work part-time as PE Technicians in the Autumn and Spring Terms.

• Miss Shona Thompson, French and Japanese, will leave in August, as her family will be emigrating to France.

Pupils have benefited greatly from the enthusiasm and expertise of these colleagues, and we wish them every happiness for the future.

The following internal appointments have been made, mostly as a result of ‘movement’ elsewhere: • Mr Jeremy Hobday, House Head Bayley; Miss Caroline Hall, House Head Wheatley; Mrs Lynda Jackson, in an enhanced rôle as Head of PSHCE; Mrs Louise Fletcher, Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator; Miss Rachel Young, Junior Science Co-ordinator; Mrs Diana Booth, Hospitality; Mr Chris Mellers, Community Service Volunteers; Dr Patricia Archer, Examinations Officer; Miss Lynsey Cheffings, Assistant House Head, Bayley; Mr Clive Mohamed, Assistant House Head, Wheatley.

• I would like to make particular mention of Mr John Drury, who will step down as A level Examinations Officer this summer.

He has performed this very important task for many years, in a most unassuming yet highly effective manner. Many hundreds of examination candidates are indebted to him.

As an inspector myself, I know how helpful it is for my own school when I visit and inspect another school. I hope to return with new ideas (always dangerous!), and the thorough preparation and the few days spent at the school can leave a lasting impression. I hope that, to some small degree, I and the rest of the team will have helped the school to improve the way in which it nurtures its pupils. I am always glad to be back, for I appreciate even more all that I value in my own school.

Those who inspected Bablake were undoubtedly left with a lasting impression of our young people and of the enormous sense of pride which we all share in our community. The inspectors frequently commented on the friendly, assured yet unassuming way in which pupils addressed them, and on their strong sense of loyalty to one another. Our aim must be to stimulate and excite curious minds, to enable pupils to blossom both in and out of the classroom, but, above all, to help mould individuals who will contribute positively and enthusiastically to society, and enrich the lives of those around them.

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

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