The Lion - Issue 35

THE

LION

ISSUE 35 AUTUMN 2004

4th year key skills conference

Bablake Diary Friday 12 November Open evening 6pm - 9pm

Saturday 13 November Open morning (Prospective pupils and parents) 9.30am - 12.30pm Tuesday 16 November Autumn music concert Saturday 4 December Parents’ Association Christmas Fayre 11am - 3pm Tuesday 7 - Saturday 11 December Drama musical production Les Miserables Monday 13 - Tuesday 14 December Carol service (St John’s Church) Friday 17 December End of term Friday 17 December 2nd and 3rd year Disco (Dining Hall) Wednesday 5 January 2005 Entrance exam for 2005 Entry Thursday 6 January 2005 Spring term begins

In this issue Careers news CCF news Bablake arts Bablake travel DOE news

NEWS & VIEWS FROM BABLAKE SCHOOL

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On two different days at the end of the Summer Term, all the 4th years took part in a conference aimed at ‘Key Skills’ within the workplace.

THE OBJECTIVE OF the hands-on experience was to ‘bring business to life’ for the pupils.

Certainly, with an experienced and charismatic businessman at the helm, the pupils enjoyed a lively day packed full of activities that demonstrated communication, interview techniques, filling in job applications, teamwork, organisation and problem-solving. Using such diverse objects as egg cups, marbles and rollercoasters the pupils made items that resulted in much entertainment, creativity and a keen sense of competition.

The students were responsive and polite in their approach and their comments were all positive, including: “The most helpful was building the ride, it was fun and you needed to communicate with others.”

“I found making the egg cups the most helpful as we had to put a lot of thought into the exercise.”

“The most interesting was making the ride out of card. This is because it promoted teamwork and communication within the team.”

The summary and feedback to the group certainly brought home to the 4th year that all these skills are key to a pupil’s future success, both at school, and in life beyond.

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Bablake School

careersnews FORMER STUDENTS DEVELOP THEIR CAREERS TWO FORMER STUDENTS have been working together on an exciting web project. Luke Bennett, who works as Lead Web Developer for Stratford-based Enable Software, recently placed an impressive 50th in the Sunday Times Top 100 Technology Firms, has been a leader in the team that created a website for Marc Day, founder of Swap Game.

Marc was reported on in Metro and the Mail.

The following article comes from www.thisismoney.co.uk: The web wonder: Marc Day, 26. Business: Swapgame.com - video game hire firm. Turnover: £500,000. Started: May 2002.

Marc Day has taken the concept of online video hire and applied it to video games. His firm Swapgame.com allows video gamers to borrow up to two games at any one time for a set monthly subscription fee of £14.99. Marc says this is far more affordable to teenagers than buying a new game, usually £39.99.

After passing four A-levels at Bablake School in Coventry, Marc went to Cardiff University where he gained a BSc in business administration. He had the idea for Swapgame.com after a children’s TV programme highlighted the high cost of video games. Two years after its launch, the firm employs a full-time staff of four. It boasts about 5,000 subscribers.

Marc said: “The internet was really taking off at the time and computer games are things that are fairly easy to distribute. I saw an opportunity and went for it.” His business was funded with postgraduate loans and loans from his friends and family. Earlier this year, he received a Department of Trade and Industry loan for £100,000 to improve the company’s website.

On being an entrepreneur, he says: “It is a great feeling. I have always wanted to run a company since I was 15 or 16. It is great to have an idea and put that into practice.”

MOCK INTERVIEW MORNING OUR U6TH RETURN after Half Term to receive extensive interview practice from almost 100 professionals. Each student will be examined by a panel of interviewers and individual interviewer on a career/university topic of their choice.

Tutors have helped prepare the students in form periods, while Kate Lee, a professional voice coach who has worked for the BBC and major companies like Boots and Nat West has given a talk on body language which stirred awareness of the right and wrong way to let your body talk.

Tom Griffiths of the Gap Year Company will be addressing the year group on 2nd November to polish their presentation skills and in between students have pored over a 40 page booklet on interview technique which Mr Woodward (Head of Careers) has written and further questions that have been posted online.

We are always keen to expand our pool of interviewers. You may register online at www.2morrow-2day.com in the Mock Interview section or email the Department direct (mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk)

2morrow-2day.com

Annual prizegiving ceremony

This took place on Friday 17 September in the Methodist Central Hall with Ms Helen Keays as the guest of Honour.

MS KEAYS IS a Former Pupil of Bablake (1975-1981) and currently a Board Member of Vodafone UK as well as being on the board of Chrysalis Records and a non executive director of Britannia Building Society. In his address to all the prize winners, guests, parents and staff present the Headmaster, Dr Nuttall, warned about the dominance of examinations and the need to preserve all the extra-curricular activities. He urged parents and pupils not to be misled into thinking that non-participation in activities would be beneficial to exam success. In his experience it was the pupils who kept everything going, even during the impending exam period, who performed the best. Ms Keays in her very clear, amusing and well delivered speech, told the audience how much she had benefited from playing sport both at school and in later life.

LIBRARY NEWS THE LIBRARY CELEBRATED Book Week with a book fair.

We were also delighted to welcome Malcolm Rose, ex-Bablake pupil and famous author of teenage fiction, back to school to talk to pupils. He visited Bablake on Tuesday October 5 to speak to a group of sixth formers about his work as a writer. In the afternoon he encouraged an audience of second years with their creative writing by initiating them in the art of storytelling. He entertained and enthralled his audience with accounts of his early career as a scientist and his attempt to murder an old lady on the train to Swansea. But that couldn’t really have been true, could it?

EXTRA CURRICULAR PASSPORTS THIS TERM SAW THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW EXTRA CURRICULAR PASSPORT FOR SHELL AND SECOND FORM PUPILS. THIS IS A SMALL BOOKLET THAT EACH PUPIL CARRIES AROUND WITH THEM AND IS SIGNED BY A MEMBER OF STAFF WHEN THEY ATTEND AN AFTER SCHOOL OR LUNCHTIME CLUB FOR THE SECOND TIME. WHEN THEY HAVE RECEIVED THREE SIGNATURES PUPILS CAN COLLECT A COMMENDATION. THE IDEA IS TO INVOLVE AS MANY PUPILS AS POSSIBLE IN THE EXTRA CURRICULAR LIFE OF THE SCHOOL. THIS INCLUDES SPORTS, PERFORMANCE BASED AND OTHER ACTIVITIES. INDEED THE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES IS WIDER THAN EVER WITH THE LAUNCH THIS TERM OF SUCH ACTIVITIES AS WARHAMMER CLUB.

The Lion | Autumn 2004

CCFnews

Fine leadership and teamwork THE CCF, THROUGH the expertise of SSI Sgt. Maj. Robson, pulled off rather a coup this year in managing to book Penhale Training Camp, near Newquay, for the week long summer camp which took place at the end of the summer term. The Camp is situated in an idyllic spot, between Peranporth and Holywell Bay, overlooking the sea and with easy access to fine beaches. It is, understandably, very popular.

DUE TO THE large number of cadets in camp, our sixteen boys were accommodated in a marquee fitted out with bunk beds, but with no lighting or flooring.

The girls were in a rather more luxurious billet! We quickly made ourselves at home, unloading equipment and provisions into our stores, setting up sleeping areas and finding the all important cookhouse and NAAFI. It had been a tiring day travelling, but there was great excitement and anticipation as we all settled down, thinking about the demanding but exciting programme ahead.

The army certainly doesn’t believe in wasting valuable daytime! Next morning it was up at 6.30, breakfast at 7.00, Parade at 7.30, collect weapons (rifles) from the armoury at 7.45 and off for our first activity, ‘Military Skills’ on the adjoining training ground, at 7.55. This comprised three ‘stands’ and was, perhaps, the highlight of the week for most cadets.

The first was ‘Cruise Control’ in which two opposing cadet teams had to locate and capture their opponent’s bases, one containing a ‘cruise missile’ and the other its computer control system. Each one was useless without the other. This was carried out in grass covered dunes, so despite the bases being only a few hundred metres apart, there were many narrowly missed contacts and good opportunities for setting up observation posts, sending out recce and fighting patrols and laying ambushes.

We then moved on to the ‘Jungle Lane’. In this scenario our ‘troops’ were downed in their aircraft and captured by the local Cornish militia. There followed a period of ‘indoctrination’ as the wonders of the Cornish pasty were extolled, after which the captives were ‘broken’ by a period of warm up exercises. Then came the escape along a narrow overgrown track and stream, accompanied by the noises of the jungle and realistically placed animal props. The highlight of this escape was the underwater tunnels that had to be negotiated.

The evening activities throughout the week were part of the ‘Penhale Challenge’, a competition for all attending cadet forces. This started with orienteering.

Considering the inexperience of our cadets we did extremely well. Hannah Sheard was our top cadet. She came second in her age group and was awarded a silver medal.

Day two saw us adventure training at Stithians Lake. Here the cadets were instructed and practised in sailing two man Topper dinghies and in kayaking. The final activity was a raft building competition. This provided a great opportunity for our cadets to display their skills in design, construction and teamwork.

Tuesday was spent on the ranges engaged in weapon handling with LSWs (light machine guns), Butts Operation, Fieldcraft, Battleships and Survival.

Following instruction, all cadets fired ninety rounds on an LSW at targets set at one hundred metres, with one to one instruction/supervision. Congratulations to our top scorers Luke Foster, Kate Brankowski and Michael Byrne who, on the day, came 1st, 3rd and 4th respectively out of forty five cadets.

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Then followed learning to strip and clean the weapons. Survival comprised making improvised shelters, fire lighting – using magnifying lenses, magnesium and flint, wire wool and torch and bow and stick, trapping food – using snares, traps and pits and cooking it in the field. Completing Fieldcraft was Navigation by Starlight.

The morning of day four was a little cooler and overcast and spent on the beach, relaxing and enjoying games, body boarding and swimming (for those brave enough). In the afternoon we learned and practised how to negotiate the obstacle course, albeit by now the wind and rain had set in and conditions were getting difficult. Finally we tackled orienteering in the dunes, putting in some excellent runs, everyone getting very wet and windswept. Edward Chamberlain did particularly well with a winning time almost 10 minutes ahead of the nearest contender in our section. The evening saw a very tough March and Shoot competition, where great determination and character was shown by both our ten member boys and girls teams as they battled valiantly, with weapons, on an uphill two and a quarter mile march, followed by a very wet shoot.

The weather on Thursday was threatening more rain and was far too windy to allow a safe coastal walk, so we visited the Eden Project.

Friday morning was spent on the Signals stand.

Here cadets learned about the Royal Signals Regiment and how to erect a signals tent, lay land lines and construct and operate the field radios. Friday evening saw us packing and we departed for ‘home’ at nine on Saturday morning, tired after an exhilarating week.

It was an excellent experience at only our second summer camp; new friendships had been forged, both within our contingent and with others; skills learned and great fun had by all. We look forward eagerly to our autumn camp, at Leek, later this year.

As a final note, I should like to commend all our cadets on their enthusiasm and whole-hearted participation. Many of them, through sheer grit, determination, and a passion not to let the team down, completed tasks they would have thought impossible and had great fun in doing so. Fine leadership and teamwork skills were also developed and displayed. All were excellent ambassadors and a credit to themselves and Bablake School.

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Bablake School

Bablakearts

Stretch...

Music trip to the Rheinland A party of 18 keen musicians made the shortish trip to the Rheinland at the end of July for a concert tour.

OUR HOTEL WAS based a short walk from the banks of the Rhein about 3km from the town of Boppard.

Throughout the tour the Rhein was a dominant feature with its endless river traffic, both commercial and recreational.

Our first concert was in the wine town of Rüdesheim where we enjoyed a talk on winemaking and tasted a small sample of the product. In the afternoon after walking round the town we went to the St Thomas Morus Haus, an old people’s home, dedicated to Sir Thomas More, where we gave our first concert. This was much appreciated by the audience many of whom were over ninety. Apparently longevity comes with a daily dose of the local product. They particularly enjoyed the Rhein marches that we played.

The following day was spent at Fantasialand, a theme park near Bonn. Fortunately we did not get too wet on the log flume or too sick on the Bratwürst and made our way to Koblenz for our next concert. It was in a suburban church, but no-one told us it was not in the street of the same name, nor was it the old church, which we bombed during the war, but a new church 100 metres away. So we trundled all our instruments and music stands up the road for a

rehearsal only to find that there was a service going on. We were to perform after the service, but there was no time for rehearsal in the building. However, despite this inauspicious start, the concert was a great success, with the choir sounding particularly good in the echoing acoustics. They made a collection for us, which paid for our visit to the Beethovenhaus in Bonn the following day.

Visiting the birthplace of a famous composer, seeing manuscripts and objects like ear-trumpets, pianos and a death mask that belonged to Beethoven was a moving experience. In the afternoon we travelled back along the Rhein to the medieval town of Linz. The night before there had been a rock concert and hundreds of seats and a huge stage had been set out. Unfortunately we could not take advantage of these and had to settle for setting up in a smaller square with a few white plastic chairs. The town was quite busy because there was a festival for The Phantom of the Opera. When we eventually got set up, the concert again went well and the audience, basically passing shoppers and tourists, were amazingly appreciative, especially as we ended with a performance of the Phantom of the Opera tune.

Amnesty International gig 25 November 2004 The lineup for the Amnesty International ‘Stop Violence Against Women’ gig at Bablake EDM has now been confirmed: KT TUNSTALL (has supported Joss Stone) WISH TEN O’CLOCK SCHOLARS OLIVIA Tickets £5 from Mark Woodward or visit www.2morrow-2day.com

Ella Hodgkins, Naveen Jaspal, Lloyd Nicely, Megan Usher, Priya Lele, Jenni Lines and Sarah Corrigan spent the final week of the Summer Term working on a Journalism project. By the end of the summer they owned an electronic and hard copy version of ‘Stretch’.

Fiona Sibley, a former student who left in 1995 and is now online editor of www.hiddenart.com, was available online to proof the articles and advise the students. A taste of life in a newsroom was created in the Careers Library which became the team’s base.

Following a morning meeting led by Mr Woodward which assessed the day’s newspapers and set the agenda for the day ahead, the student team researched and wrote their own articles, on and off site.

Mr Woodward (Head of Careers) and Paul Dibbens (Mustard Design) then spent 2-3 days over the summer designing the final piece which has been described as quite stunning and has received much positive feedback.

(We are now looking for sponsor/sponsors to help fund future versions. Please direct such offers to mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk).

Design Technology exhibition HELD IN THE ENGLISH, DRAMA AND MUSIC FOYER MONDAY 17 MAY - FRIDAY 21 MAY AWARDS JUDGED BY: MR ANDY HIND, GENERAL MANAGER (FUEL TANK DIVISION) OF UNIPART EBERSPACHER EXHAUST SYSTEMS LTD. NAVROOP MATHARU (5W) ‘THE BEDSIDE CABINET’ AWARDED THE BEST OVERALL PROJECT FOR GCSE PRIZE - £50 KATIE INGRAM (5M) AWARDED THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF BUILDING PRIZE FOR REALISATION ADAM FRAY (5S) AWARDED THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF BUILDING PRIZE FOR GRAPHICAL COMMUNICATION FOR HIS DESIGN FOLDER

Photographs of the high-quality projects are viewable on the insert with this publication

The Lion | Autumn 2004

‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’ This 1960’s musical proved to be a particularly successful summer production. The show was performed at school, in Edinburgh and then again at school.

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THEATRE SO FAR This has been quite a busy term so far for theatre visits with more to come. In the first three weeks there were trips to Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and King Lear all at Stratford. A large group went to the National Theatre in London to see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

On 15 October a theatre company visited Bablake to perform The Rise and Fall of Artuiro Vi. After half term there will be trips to The Price, Arcadia, Amajuba, Tarandor, The Nutcracker and Journey’s End. All should be brilliant.

GCSE ARTS VISITS THERE WERE SOME outstanding performances from the leading players with excellent support from the chorus. Sean Clothier as J Pierrepont Finch proved himself once again a fine actor and singer, polished and professional with an innate sense of theatre. He clearly enjoyed Finch’s trickery and drive in a witty, energetic and simply first class portrayal of the character.

Katie McDermott was equally good as Rosemary.

She was funny, winning, poised and sang most attractively. Katie has a strong stage presence and it was a pleasure to watch her portrayal of a girl scheming and planning to win the man she’d set her heart on.

The third major role J B Biggley - the boss - was played with consummate skill and brio by Guy Lewis.

Guy was very funny indeed in highlighting Biggley’s bluster, tyranny, incompetence, double dealing, philandering, foolishness and egotism Groundhog the college song sang with Finch, was a highlight of each performance.

If the leading roles were outstanding so too were the principal supporting roles. Liz Robertson was glamorous, dim and dizzy as Hedy La Rue, J B Biggley’s floozie, Carys Owen and Heather Day alternated between prim Miss Jones and best friend Smitty. They are both strong singers and were excellent in each of their roles. Arthur Keegan Bole was frumpishly confident as the devious, spoilt villain Bud Frump the boss’s nephew, and his performance simply got better and better as the show continued.

Michael Tourville showed what a fine voice he has in his rendering of Company Way. The chorus made a big contribution to the success of the show through its singing, dancing and acting.

The dance numbers choreographed by Julie Goudge were very lively, entertaining and well executed.

The 4th and 5th year art students have recently been on visits as part of their GCSE coursework.

In July, the present 5th year students spent the day at Kew Botanical Gardens in London.

As the students wandered through the glasshouses which contain plants from differing climatic conditions, they collected visual information and research through their drawings and photographs. The information gathered will act as a starting point for a project based upon natural forms.

If the production was lively it was also colourful with the girls in bright 1950’s circular skirts and elegant red satin evening dresses for ‘Paris Original’ a huge success each night. The stage was dominated by four hangings depicting, in 1950’s comic book style, male and female stereotypes. These striking images were the work of Mr Dougall, Katherine Cooke and friends.

Lauren Cottle directed the music, played the keyboard and directed the orchestra. Certainly without Lauren the show couldn’t have gone to Edinburgh and the cast were very grateful to her for returning from university to help them so admirably.

Audiences at the Edinburgh Festival were excellent.

All six performances were a sell out. We also had some very good audiences at school.

How to Succeed gave a lot of pleasure to the cast and audiences alike. This marked the last performance at Bablake for a very keen and talented group who had appeared in Bablake productions throughout their seven years of school and it was fitting to have staged a musical, which could include so many from that group.

CONGRATULATIONS SOPHIE CONGRATULATIONS TO SOPHIE TUMBER SHELL Y WHO SUCCESSFULLY AUDITIONED FOR A ROLE IN THE PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION OF JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR AT BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME. SOPHIE WILL BE PERFORMING ALONGSIDE JAMES FOX FROM FAME ACADEMY.

In September the 4th year students visited the British Museum in London and spent the day exploring the African and Ancient Egyptian Galleries. Museum and gallery visits are an integral part of the students coursework and contribute to their understanding of the development and artistic achievements of other cultures and historical periods.

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL AUGUST 2004 SAW a group from Bablake performing at the Edinburgh Fringe for the eighteenth consecutive year - something not matched by any other school in the country. The group performed again at Diverse Attractions, a venue in the heart of Edinburgh about two hundred yards from the centre.

All six performances sold out and were well received, despite the heat in the venue. It was nice to meet people throughout the week who had seen the show and enjoyed it.

The Edinburgh atmosphere was as infectious as ever. We performed How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying but also numerous other shows, comedians, musicals and serious plays. Perhaps the few who went to Tempting Providence saw the best piece of the week and everyone was very impressed by Shrewsbury School’s production of Sondheim’s and Laprine’s Into the Woods which must have had a limited budget!

The worst part of the week was sitting politely through a dire production of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler. At least there was much to talk about afterwards.

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Bablake School

Bablaketravel

BABLAKE INVADES FRANCE AND BELGIUM

AFTER A LONG, BUT NOT SO HOT SUMMER, STAFF AND PUPILS FROM THE 5TH FORM WERE DESPERATE TO RETURN TO BABLAKE. AT 5.45 AM on Monday 30 August we assembled inside the School gates and waited expectantly. We were not confused about when the new term would commence. We had forsaken the final few days of the summer to experience some additional learning.

The aim of our three day excursion was to familiarise ourselves with the conditions of life on the western front during World War One. Our guide, Mike Salt, would help to recreate the scene, entertaining us with tales of heroism but also bringing home to us the harsh realities of war. Some of the staff had made the trip before, but old and new alike were eager to get underway.

Having arrived in Calais we quickly over-ran the meagre

resistance offered by the local authorities and continued our steady progress towards the Allied lines.

Over the next three days we explored trenches and tunnels, the last remnants of a system of fortifications that stretched from the North Sea to Switzerland. We examined artefacts, visited museums and cemeteries.

This was the fourth year that the battlefields trip has been offered to our G.C.S.E. students and once again they upheld the character of our school.

With our invasion of mainland Europe a success, avoiding casualties and loss of life, we were able to return to school in time for the new term.

‘BATH’ TIME! NUNC EST LAVANDUM! In the Olympic year, it was fitting the 4th Year trip to Bath began with a marathon journey through the hamlets of Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, along the Fosse Way and past Chedworth Roman Villa and Corinium.

Once in sight of Sulis Minerva’s healing waters, the select group of Latin and Classical Civilisation students were treated to a handling session of artefacts found in and around the boundaries of Bath.

After a lunch taken amid various street entertainers, the group toured the Roman baths and were impressed by the reconstructions and original features.

Bablake conquers Warwick Castle ON THE BRIGHT and sunny morning of Wednesday 6 October, the 5 Shell regiments, ably commanded by 10 officers, launched their attack on Warwick Castle. With great skill and determination the Shells stormed the car park and ticket office, only to discover they still had to breach the castle walls.

After carefully assessing the best place to commence their attack, our intrepid soldiers were distracted by the skills exhibited by the Warwick Bowman. After an impressive show of talent demonstrating the difficulties in firing the longbow accurately, they continued their campaign unharmed. By lunchtime the castle had been stormed. Resistance had been fruitless in the face of such resolute opposition.

Rested and relaxed after lunch, the Shells were only too happy to spend time exploring their conquered castle. They were eager to punish their enemies with a tour of the dungeons and torture chamber, and keen to improve their knowledge of knightly combat in the armoury. Many were even brave enough to clamber up the numerous spiral stairs to see the fantastic views over Warwickshire from the castle walls, and to see the scope offered to the defenders from the positioning of the Motte.

As the school day drew to a close, the victorious armies marched home in time for tea!

An enjoyable time was had by all!

The Lion | Autumn 2004

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Shell French trip At the end of the summer term 42 Shell pupils, accompanied by six members of staff, went on a long weekend trip to the Nord-Pas-de-Calais. After a sleepless night they arrived at their first stop, The British Military Cemetery at Etaples (the biggest Commonwealth Cemetery in Northern France). There was a short ceremony, where a wreath was laid on behalf of the school to commemorate a former Bablake pupil buried there. After this it was breakfast, a look around the market, fun and games at Aqulud water park, followed by Lunch then bowling, and topped off by a gourmet meal. Then back to the centre for rounders, football and finally to bed.

On Saturday we went to Nausicaa, the biggest Sea Life Centre in Europe. This was followed by a walk round the ramparts and the Old Town of Boulogne.

The afternoon saw a visit to the Chocolaterie (with tasting) and a shopping trip to the hypermarket. After another gourmet meal it was yet more rounders, football and bed.

Sunday dawned misty and murky but thanks to Dave’s excellent driving we arrived safely at Bagatelle theme park for a day of thrills and spills. In the late afternoon it was time to leave France and to make our way back to Bablake. Travelling via the Channel Tunnel, past miles of roadworks on the M25. We arrived at about 11pm, exhausted but happy.

ROTARY GODIVA EXCHANGE SCHEME AT THE START of the term we welcomed Marie-Paule Dougnac from Decazeville near Dourdogne in France. Marie-Paule will be studying in the Lower Sixth for the whole of this academic year under an exchange programme that has enabled a Bablake pupil, Jemma Handley, to spend the last year in France. Jemma has just returned from Villefranche-de-Rouerge, which is near to Marie-Paule’s hometown and is now at Leeds University reading French and English. This is the third time that a Bablake pupil has benefited from the Rotary Godiva Exchange scheme with the previous former pupils spending their Gap Year in Argentina and France respectively. The Rotary club is currently seeking applications from pupils to spend a year in a country of their choice from next July. Anyone interested should see Dr Nuttall (Headmaster).

Geography field trips 2004

The autumn term is a very busy one for those 5th formers taking Geography at GCSE, as they prepare a Geographical Investigation for their coursework, to be submitted to the examination board for assessment early in 2005.

FOR THE FIRST time this year, the whole of the term is given over to this task with all work being done in lessons, using the new computer cluster equipment in the department. Time will tell if this improves upon what are already excellent coursework marks from recent years.

So it was that students embarked upon two fieldtrips early this term, though only the staff were compelled to go on them both!

On Friday 10th September 39 students and 4 staff headed off to Malham in Yorkshire for a weekend residential course at the Field Studies’ Council field centre at Malham Tarn. Here the pupils worked in 3 groups collecting data on rivers, villages and national park management. Not surprisingly, those studying Cowside Beck got rather wet, and not just from the rain!

It was a weekend without a break for all members of the party, and without much sleep with 5th form boys in such high spirits. After collecting data all day on the Saturday the evening was spent in the laboratory until late collating and analysing the information. On Sunday we took the students on the “Classic Limestone Walk”, made famous in so many text books. If only they had worn waterproof trousers, their jeans would perhaps have been a little more comfortable.

Next it was the turn of those who had chosen to base their investigation upon Stratford on Avon, and what a splendid bunch they were too. Possibly the best we have ever had on this trip. It was arranged beforehand that it would rain on them too, just to make it fair to those who had had a soaking in Yorkshire. Nevertheless the day went smoothly with lots of information collecting on the effects of tourism in the town. Even when we returned to school the pupils chose to stay on in the classroom until late, so impressed were they with their peers who had worked so hard at Malham.

In this late evening work session, Mr Enstone, making his mark in the Geography team, impressed us all with his computer skills, so much so that the staff had done all of the hard work by the time the day ended!

Although all of the students impressed us with the enthusiasm with which they collected their data during the fieldtrips, three in particular deserve special praise: Emma Boardman, Mark McKelvie and Simon Carter.

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Bablake School

DoEnews After a very successful summer of expeditions we have a record number of pupils enrolled into the scheme writes Miss Morris.

THERE ARE 90 Bronze candidates, 39 for the Silver award and almost 50 at Gold. There are training sessions every lunchtime, with many Gold candidates assisting with the teaching of the Bronze candidates.

The dates for next year’s expeditions are already advertised, and we will be visiting Shropshire, Wales and the Yorkshire Dales with some Gold participants completing their Gold award on expedition in Peru.

GOLD EXPEDITIONS, JULY 2004 Somehow, 3 adults, 33 Sixth Formers and everyone’s luggage were packed onto 3 minibuses and we chugged up to Keswick in the Lake District for 4 days of hill walking. When we arrived at the campsite we met up with another eight Upper Sixth Formers who were to be assessed (by Dave and Brenda - the assessors provided by the Cumbria D of E panel). Dave and Brenda grilled the groups for a long time on their choice of route, meals, and equipment and asked them about what their plans of action would be in certain emergency situations.

Meanwhile, the Lower Sixth, oblivious to the interrogation they will probably receive next year, got on with some serious football. There were some nervous faces from those recruits new to expeditions, but everyone looked forward to a great week.

Unfortunately the morning greeted us with hills shrouded in dark clouds which threatened not to lift all day. Regardless, the assessed groups set off. Jack, Ben, James and Richard had great confidence in their abilities despite Richard admitting his rucksack was rather heavy. Jessica, Rachel, Daniel and Charles were slightly more realistic about the challenge before them but, with determination, set off to walk 50 miles in the next 4 days.

Organised into 5 walking groups, the Lower Sixth groups were sent off on a lower level walk than originally planned due to the weather, enjoying great views across Derwent Water. Despite covering more than 9 miles, most groups were back by midafternoon, so we were confident about fitness and ability for the days to come.

That evening we checked in the assessed groups at their first campsite. Jack, Ben, James and Richard had had a nightmare day. They had been caught in dense cloud on a high level walk and arrived at camp 111/2 hours after setting out that morning - they were downcast and all that morning’s bravado was gone.

The next day the lower sixth walked the Coledale Horseshoe - a 13 mile round trip. One group admitted to being rather impressed by the staff group, who caught them on a steep hill. Levitation was suggested but in fact, we are simply all fit people despite our various ages!

The weather again was not very kind, and a few groups took the sensible option when the cloud came down at the top.

Duke of Edinburgh’s summer expeditions

That evening there were a few sore knees and ankles, and a hip injury sustained during a football match foul - boys will be (little) boys.

Day 3 and the weather looked even better. Everyone was transported to Buttermere after an early start.

Those not able to cope with a hard day were able to potter around the lake. The others did a 13 mile circuit involving some steep climbs, navigation challenges and spectacular views of Buttermere and Ennerdale.

The group containing a couple of participants new to the award, had started out very slowly, and we feared the worst in terms of their finishing time, but they pulled out all the stops in a sweltering afternoon to finish in 8 hours. At around this time the staff noticed that the pupils were no longer dashing off to play football. Perhaps we were finally tiring them out. Back in Keswick the assessed groups were in great spirits with only one day to go. Unfortunately, Ben’s neck had missed out when sun block had been applied, and he offered his services as a mobile BBQ to other campers. Rachel had also had a small problem when the money for her shower ran out mid-shampoo!

Saturday morning we awoke to yet another depressing dark sky and great drops of rain so things didn’t look good for an attempt at Skiddaw. The lower sixth were all raring to go though, and we set off on the climb. Miss Morris and Mr Binsley led the way, climbing through the cloud to the decision point - to climb Skiddaw or make for the lower level walk down into Keswick. They soon wished they hadn’t walked so quickly and were beginning to shiver as groups began to arrive. Individuals made sensible decisions as to which route to take, and everyone made it safely and in good time to the information centre in Keswick.

Earlier than expected, the assessed groups arrived, and were congratulated by their assessors. We finally set off - imagine if you can 45 pupils, 5 staff and 3 minibuses in Keswick on a Saturday afternoon in July!

The behaviour of the pupils on this trip was fantastic. They listened to every instruction, were ready, however early we said, and were a credit to themselves both at the campsite and in the hills. They were a pleasure to spend time with and we hope to see them all complete their assessed hikes next year in the Yorkshire Dales.

SILVER EXPEDITIONS, JULY 2004 We arrived in the campsite by Lake Bala in midWales the evening after sports day, the 5th years all wondering whether they could actually walk after weeks of revising and GSCE examinations.

After a kit check by the assessor, Mr Hyde, the groups were taken to their start points around Lake Celyn. The waterproof jackets and trousers were definitely needed as the weather was absolutely atrocious. Miss Morris and Miss Hall barely opened the minibus windows to wish the groups luck as they set off into the horizontal rain! Luckily the rain eased slowly during the day and despite one group breaking all records in slow walking everyone made it to the campsite by 8 pm.

Day two and the prospects looked good for a great day in the hills. All the groups set off promptly, except one group of girls who were needlessly carrying a lot of extras (like seven pans between four!). There were also two participants who gave up that morning due to ankle problems and general lack of walking fitness and determination. This is unfortunate but demonstrates that expeditions are not to be taken lightly and participants must be responsible for their fitness in preparation to walk 30 miles in three days.

The groups arrived in good time at the end of day two. There had been some excellent team spirit and good navigation shown. One group of girls really stood out as having a great attitude and really working as a team, especially as one member had recently had a knee operation. Delicious (!) meals of pasta and noodles were cooked and everyone looked forward to completing the expedition the next day.

Day three began bright and sunny and everyone made their way successfully to the finish point where photos were taken and those emergency rations carried for the last three days were eagerly devoured!

Mr Hyde commented on how impressed he had been on the team work and determination he saw, and that the behaviour of the group had again been exemplary.

We look forward to working with many of these pupils again as they work towards their Gold Awards in the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District - where of course good weather is guaranteed!

The Lion | Autumn 2004

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Bablakesport Cricket Milestone for Bablake

CROSS COUNTRY THE FIRST CROSS-COUNTRY RACE WAS SUPPORTED WELL BY THE SHELL GIRLS AND BOYS. AS A RESULT FOUR SHELL GIRLS AISLING FLANAGAN (1ST), ALICE O’CONNOR (3RD), PIPPA COLLISON (10TH) AND GEORGIA HORN (12TH) WERE ALL INVITED TO RUN FOR COVENTRY. THE SHELL BOYS ALSO HAD THREE BOYS SELECTED OLIVER WHITE (2ND), AAREN HEALEY (11TH) AND DOMINIC CARROLL (13TH).

TWO THIRD YEAR BOYS, LEWIS DAWSON (7TH) AND ADAM SIMMONDS (12TH) ALSO RAN WELL AND WERE INVITED TO RUN FOR COVENTRY.

Three Brothers Selected for Warwickshire

THE THREE WALTERS brothers Adam, Chris and Mark all successfully caught the cricket selectors’ eyes when they trialled for Warwickshire this summer. Adam proved a penetrative bowler for Bablake’s U12s this summer and is no mean performer with the bat. We were pleased he did well enough in the District U11 Festival at Warwick School to gain selection for the County U11, a stand-by group. Sadly he was not called upon, his time will surely come.

Having caught the eye of Warwickshire senior bowling coach Steve Rouse, oldest brother Mark Walters made his county debut for the U17s v St. Peter’s School, Australia at Moseley C.C. Despite a solid performance, Mark’s prior commitment to Bablake’s South Africa rugby tour meant he could take no further part in the series.

Chris made his County debut at U14 level v Notts when he opened the bowling and had their skipper and key bat caught with the creditable figures of 1 for 35 off 9 overs. In the Wolverhampton Festival Chris reserved his best performance for the game with Leicester, when he took 3 for 19 off 4. He also played in the games v Berkshire, Staffs, Lincs, Cheshire and Shrops.

The brothers will no doubt be encouraged by their progress over the summer and should be keen to work hard over the winter in preparation for next season.

Well done, boys!

South African rugby tour 2004

BABLAKE RUNNERS HAVE MET WITH FURTHER SUCCESS IN THE COUNTY TRIALS WITH PIPPA COLLISON (22ND), AISLING FLANAGAN (5TH) AND ALICE O’CONNOR (4TH). THE BOYS ALSO DID EXTREMELY WELL WITH AAREN HEALEY (9TH) AND OLIVER WHITE (7TH).

AISLING, ALICE AND OLIVER HAVE ALL QUALIFIED TO RUN FOR THE COUNTY. WE CONGRATULATE THEM ALL.

THE SENIOR RUGBY squad have recently returned from their three week tour of South Africa. During the tour the boys encountered a huge contrast of experiences and fully enjoyed everything that South Africa has to offer. The tour commenced in Durban, one of the largest cities in South Africa, and a popular holiday location. The tour then moved on to Kokstad where the weather changed drastically and we were actually snowed in. Hshluwe Game reserve was our next venue where we were fortunate to experience the thrill of seeing lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo and hippos in the wild.

Our next major stop was in Port Elizabeth. Here we played two matches and visited our friends from Uitenhage High, a school that we played two years ago, and the only ground I’ve seen where the sound system is bigger than the stand! A memorable experience to say the least.

From Port Elizabeth, we made our way down South Africa’s famous ‘Garden Route’, stopping in Nysna and Hermanus, where we were lucky to see whales just 30 metres from the shore, before ending our tour in spectacular Cape Town. Whilst here we visited Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, went to the top of Table Mountain and visited the Cape of Good Hope.

During the tour the boys experienced the hard nature of South African rugby, where even the smallest schools take immense pride in their teams.

They no doubt learnt a great deal from the experience and we hope to build on this in the new season.

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Bablake School

Bablakesport INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSES CONGRATULATIONS GO TO: STACEY EDWARDS ON QUALIFYING TO REPRESENT THE MIDLANDS IN THE ENGLISH SCHOOLS GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION. JACK SANT ON WINNING THE MIDLANDS AND EAST ANGLIA SECTION OF THE NATIONAL FALDO SERIES AND QUALIFYING FOR THE FINALS OF THE NATIONAL COMPETITION THIS MONTH. MERVYN AND MAURICE TASKER ON BEING SELECTED TO PLAY FOR THE BRITISH INLINE HOCKEY TEAM IN AN U16 TOURNAMENT IN FRANCE. MANIEL BAINS ON HIS CONTINUING TENNIS SUCCESS AND REACHING THE QUARTER FINALS IN THE AERIAL BRITISH JUNIOR LAWN TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS LOSING TO THE TOP SEED. MALCOLM THOMAS ON WINNING THE U15 COVENTRY SCHOOLS SINGLES TENNIS COMPETITION. MATTHEW WOOD ON BEING SELECTED TO PLAY FOR THE MIDLAND U14 BASKETBALL TEAM. PAUL BEST ON BEING CHOSEN TO PLAY FOR THE MIDLANDS U13 CRICKET TEAM AS WELL AS THE WARWICKSHIRE U13 AND U14 TEAMS. PAUL HAS ALSO BEEN SELECTED TO JOIN THE U16 WARWICKSHIRE SELECT SQUAD OF PLAYERS. LUKE BAKER ON BEING SELECTED TO TRAIN WITH THE ENGLAND U16 FOOTBALL SQUAD. LUKE IS CURRENTLY REGISTERED WITH LEICESTER CITY FOOTBALL ACADEMY. ANDREW MORAN ON PLAYING FOR THE COVENTRY CITY U14 FOOTBALL TEAM. THE U13 GIRLS NETBALL TEAM ON WINNING THE LOUGHBOROUGH INVITATIONAL NETBALL TOURNAMENT. THE U12 GIRLS NETBALL TEAM ON WINNING PLATE AT THE LOUGHBOROUGH INVITATIONAL NETBALL TOURNAMENT. PHILIP WALKER ON BEING SELECTED TO JOIN THE RYA YOUTH TRANSITIONAL SQUAD. THIS SELECTION PUTS PHILIP AMONG THE TOP 12 SKIFF SAILORS IN THE COUNTRY. JESSICA THOMPSON ON REACHING THE TRIALS FOR THE ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME. PIPPA COLLISON, AISLING FLANAGAN, GEORGIA HORN, ALICE O’CONNOR, DOMINIC CARROLL, LEWIS DAWSON , AAREN HEALEY, ADAM SIMMONS AND OLIVER WHITE ON BEING SELECTED TO RUN FOR THE COVENTRY CROSS COUNTRY TEAM. ALSO ABHIMANYU BOSE ON PASSING GRADE 1 WITH DISTINCTION ON THE SITAR. JACK LEWIS ON WINNING THE BRITISH MAGICAL CIRCLE’S ANNUAL JUNIOR COMPETITION AND FOR RAISING MONEY FOR THE MARY ANN EVANS HOSPICE.

boys’sport PAUL BEST A very gifted young cricketer had a summer to remember. Paul Best continued with the outstanding form he had shown for the school whilst involved in numerous tournaments during the months of July and August.

Firstly he helped Warwickshire’s U13’s to become the County Champions (for the first time in the history of the competition), with fine performances in the semifinal against Surrey and then in the final against Yorkshire. Paul was then selected for the Midlands U13’s Taunton Festival, an event held over four days at King’s College. He scored a half century against North and twenty against South.

He also represented Warwickshire’s U14’s in the Wolverhampton Festival at Tettenhall College. His combined average with the bat for the two sides was twenty two runs and he took twenty wickets at an average of sixteen runs, an excellent all round performance.

The success however was not confined to school cricket. In the National Club Championships he played for Leamington CC U13’s and in early August at Oakham School they became the National Club Champions. This was from an original entry of 1700 clubs. Finally Paul played for Leamington CC U16’s in the final of the Lord Taverners Competition. However on this occasion they had to be content with a runners-up medal as they were defeated by Warmley CC. In all his cricket matches during the summer Paul scored a total of 1565 runs at an average 29 and claimed 88 wickets at an average 11.53 runs per wicket. This was an outstanding achievement.

Paul is unlikely to participate in such a sequence of finals and festivals in the future, but one thing will remain certain and that is cricket will play a very prominent part in this young man’s life. With his dedication, more honours are likely to come his way.

1ST XI HOCKEY SUCCESS The 1st XI hockey squad have begun this season well, winning all 3 games they have played so far. Bishop Vesey was to be the first opposition and first test for this year’s squad. Added fervour from several new 5th form players coupled with the experience of the 6th form players, meant that Bablake dominated the game from the beginning. The final score was 2-0 in a match where the Bablake goal was rarely threatened by the home side.

A more challenging opposition was K.E. Camp Hill on home soil the following week. This was a closer match where our goal was under fire much more frequently than the previous.

However, Bablake took their chances in front of goal more than the visitors, giving a well deserved 2-1 victory after 70 minutes.

Following a week’s break, Warwick School, perhaps the most difficult opposition on the calendar, were faced. Our aim to control the game, as in the previous games, was maintained and worked well. Some solid defending throughout meant the Warwick forwards had little room and time on the ball. Constant pressure on their goal meant that at half-time, a 1-0 advantage had been gained. However in the second period, Warwick came out much harder and forced an equalising goal.

Bablake’s persistence upfront paid off and a fine finish from Amrit ‘Mushy’ Atwal meant the final score of 2-1 was a deserved victory.

U14 RUGBY SQUAD P McCallum, C Taylor, J Dhariwal, M Philips, D Jack, B Hyslop, S Clarke, T Varley, J Mitchell, L Dawson, D Nolan, T Jackson, P Best, S Bristow, A Simmonds, A Foguet-Gonzalez, K Gurney, A Trailor, D Ainsworth, R Thomason and G Vim. It has been a very encouraging start for the U14 team, with four victories being recorded in five games. The team began the season by defeating Leicester GS 27-5.

After a narrow loss at Bloxham in the second game they have recorded victories against King Edwards Aston 14-5, Old Swinford Hospital 19-15 and with confidence increasing a comprehensive victory over King Edward’s Camp Hill by 58-7.

Although very much a team effort, with every player contributing. The back row of Billy Hyslop, Sam Clarke and Robert Thomason have been outstanding. Dominic Ainsworth has been the most prominent three-quarter to date scoring tries in every game and constantly posing a threat from the full back position.

If the team continues with its present rate of progress then the prospect of a good season is in sight.

The Lion | Autumn 2004

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girls’sport ATHLETICS At the end of the summer term the Coventry Schools Athletics Championships for the U14 & U13s were postponed due to bad weather. They took place during the first week of the summer holidays. Fortunately most of the girls who had qualified were available to compete. The U13 team took third place overall and Rachel Blakemore won the high jump event. The U14 had three individual winners, Lijana Kaziow in hurdles and long jump, Siobhan Robinson in the 100metres and Lauren Boon in the javelin. Good performances from the rest of the team secured the overall victory.

MILLFIELD TRIP For the third year running, the U14 hockey and netball teams travelled to Millfield School, Somerset for a weekend of fixtures. The journey took a little longer than expected due to road works. We still managed to arrive on time and quickly got onto the netball courts to warm up. Just as we were about to start, the rain came. It poured down so we moved to the Sports Hall. The ‘B’ team played first. It took a while for them to settle and consequently conceded a number of goals. Eventually they started to pass the ball with confidence and score goals making the final score 17-7 to Millfield. The ‘A’ team game followed. This was a fast game and Millfield attack got off to a good start. At one stage Bablake were 8 goals down.

Mrs. Friebe made some positional changes and Bablake won the third quarter convincingly. The girls made some excellent interceptions to turn the play to their advantage and closed the gap to one goal. It was an exciting game to watch and Bablake were unfortunate not to equalise and ran out of time. The final score was 17-16 to Millfield. Both games had been a huge learning curve, as they had not experienced opposition of this standard before.

On Saturday evening the girls went bowling. The excitement of the day kept some of them chatting too long at bedtime, but eventually they got to sleep.

Sunday morning breakfast was at the YHA and then we went back to Millfield for a hockey match. The girls had been looking forward to playing on a water-based pitch, they were not banking on getting a soaking from the water jets which watered the pitch before the game! With Lucy Horn and Holly Payne unavailable to play due to their Midlands Performance commitment, the midfield was not its usual line up. Lauren Boon moved forward from right defence and played superbly well, enjoying the freedom in the midfield. The whole of the team were excellent.

Lauren Carpenter scored a hat trick and Bablake won convincingly 6-1. Brunch in the canteen followed. Just to prove that ex-Bablake pupils get everywhere, the manager of the catering was an old Bablake pupil. Needless to say the food was splendid. The journey back was better and the girls were very happy with their performances over the weekend.

LOUGHBOROUGH FESTIVAL OF SPORT On Saturday 18th September Loughborough High school held its Festival of Sport.

This consists of 2 netball tournaments at U12 & U13 and an U15 seven-a-side hockey tournament.

The U12 netball team went through to the plate competition after coming second in their section. The girls won the plate after defeating Mount Grace 6-1, Loughborough High ‘B’ 9-0, Leicester High 5-0 and Dame Alice Harper ‘B’ 10-0.

The U13 netball team won their section and went through to a round robin final where they beat Stanford 9-0 and Nottingham Girls High School 8-2 and drew with Dame Alice Harper 3-3.

Bablake were overall winners of the tournament.

The U15 hockey team drew one, lost one and won two games in their section. The final game in their section against King’s High had to be won to go into the semi-final. A great team effort and a cool head to produce an accurate placement of the ball into the goal from Jenny Gardner gave the well-earned 1-0 victory. Bablake met Loughborough High in the semi-final. We conceded a goal but responded quickly with a goal from Lisa Bird. Rebecca Stuart got her stick on the end of a cross into the circle and deflected it into goal but the umpire blew for dangerous play. The score was 1-1 at full time so it went to the penalty strokes. With no score after all 5 takers from both sides it went to sudden death, which Loughborough won.

ST. MARTIN’S HOCKEY TOURNAMENT St. Martin’s held their U13 Invitational Tournament on Saturday 2nd October.

Bablake drew 0-0 with K.E.Camp Hill, beat St. Martin’ ‘B’ 5-0 and Tudor Grange 2-0. It had taken a little time for them to get used to playing on grass but they soon adapted their game. Bablake needed to beat St. Martin’s ‘A’, not an easy prospect as the girls had lost to them as U12s. In the first half the defence coped well with the constant pressure and Clare Jepson was on fine form in goal and Roya Ziaie cleared the ball effectively. In the second half Bablake played with even greater determination and with 2 minutes to go Beth Hushon scored and Bablake retained the trophy. (Good job done and a relief as it had accidently already been engraved for 2004 along with all the other trophies for Prize Giving!)

U16 WARWICKSHIRE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT Bablake came second in their section after beating Kenilworth 2-0 and drawing with Stratford Grammar, a game they should have won but despite camping in their attacking quarter of the pitch, Bablake could not score.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING GIRLS ON THEIR SELECTION TO COUNTY SQUADS: U19 COUNTY NETBALL STACIE MCDERMOTT JENNA THOMPSON U16 COUNTY NETBALL JESSICA THOMPSON HANNAH DAVIES ABIGAIL TABERER JOANNE MITCHELL LAURA ROUSE MEISHA-GRACE NICELY U14 COUNTY SATELLITE NETBALL LARA JACKSON ROXANA ZIAIE LUCY HORN LAUREN CARPENTER LIJANA KAZIOW IRA KLEINE SIOBHAN ROBINSON U13 COUNTY SATELLITE NETBALL UMA VENKATA RAMAN RACHEL HOLLINRAKE AMY HARWOOD JESSICA ELLIOTT ELLA MORRELL GEORGIA HORN SHANNON THOMPSON AISLING FLANAGAN U17 COUNTY HOCKEY SARAH MILLS JADE PAYNE KATHRYN BRINDLEY U15 COUNTY HOCKEY LAUREN SHORROCKS JODIE KIRK HOLLY PAYNE LUCY HORN ROXANA ZIAIE U14 COUNTY HOCKEY JODIE NEALE CHARLOTTE WEAVER LAUREN BOON LIJANA KAZIOW SAMANTHA BRINDLEY ABIGAIL REWHORN

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Bablake School

Bablakeupdate BBC HARD SPELL HEADMASTER’S NOTES AT THE END of this half of term I am not sure that I have ever seen so many of our pupils as busy. Yet it’s all been very productive. My impression is that the message is now being received loud and clear that a rich experience outside the classroom enriches what happens within it; that our pupils are managing their time well in combining plenty of homework with huge amounts of activities - sport, music, drama, and debating. In short they are getting the most out of school as a result. Mr. G Park has taken on the new role of Extracurricular Activity Coordinator and is encouraging all pupils in the Shells and Second years in particular, to take part in at least two activities. He has introduced a ‘passport’ system where pupils can have their attendance at an activity recorded.

These will go towards the award of a commendation. Please continue to encourage your children to take part in our extensive range of activities.

The time leading up to the end of this term is going to be an especially busy one.

The Parents’ Association Christmas Fayre takes place on Saturday 4 December. The School drama production of Les Miserables will be performed from Tuesday 7th to Saturday 11th December. The Carol Services take place in St John’s Church on Monday and Tuesday 13 and 14 December and there will be a disco for the 2nd and 3rd years, organised by the Senior Girls Hockey tour team on the evening of Friday 17 December.

And before all this there will be the Autumn Music concert on Tuesday 16 November. I intend to be at all these events and I hope a great number of parents, friends and pupils will join me.

The Entrance Examination for entry in September 2005 will be held on Wednesday 5 January 2005. Full details can be obtained from Mrs. L Baines, Admissions Officer Tel: 024 7627 1248 or email: info@Bablake.Coventry.sch.uk).

New Shells make their mark WHAT A WONDERFUL way to begin a new school. Not only have the new pupils starting this year had taster days and parties arranged for them but also a great morning of fun and exercise.

The activity morning was a great icebreaker for those children still apprehensive about their new school. All of the children turned out with new crisp white sports clothing and their house colours.

Although the morning was competitive within the house structure, the events were designed to allow those children who aren’t sporty to join in the fun. All the new Shells who attended took part in each activity.

From welly throwing to a mini assault course the fun continued all morning.

Refreshments were provided by the Parents’ Association and these were much appreciated as the weather was extremely warm.

Mrs Jackson and a large group of 6th Form students took an active role in the organisation of the morning and a hearty thank you goes out to one and all.

With warmest good wishes Stuart Nuttall Headmaster

Bablake School, Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU T +44 (0)24 7627 1200 F +44 (0)24 7627 1290 E info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk W www.bablake.com Designed & produced by Mustard 01608 662262

A SPELLING COMPETITION was held during the first three weeks of term to find Bablake’s best ‘Speller’ in years one to three. The winner was Sarah Barnard and the very close second was Sareena Kainth.

Both girls have been chosen to represent Bablake at the regional heat in Birmingham. There is the opportunity, if successful, to appear in the Grand Final of the competition in December.

Hardspell is being televised and will be broadcast in November and December. We wish both girls good luck.

SEEDS FOR AFRICA IN THIS OUR harvest term we have been thinking especially of people whose supply of food relies entirely on a successful harvest. Every day in Africa up to 19,000 children die of starvation, that is why we at Bablake School are committed to helping the charity ‘Seeds for Africa’.

This charity is dedicated to helping schools and communities to set up gardening projects which will provide much needed fruit, vegetables and seeds for the following year. Tools, seeds and expertise are initially provided, followed by water harvesting schemes.

Last year Bablake raised £3,616 and we are asking you to support this charity again. ‘Bablake Gardens’ have been set up in Tanzania and the Gambia and are flourishing. We are appealing to everyone in the Bablake community to support Seeds for Africa.

Please think of different ways in which you can help to raise money, in your form group or as an individual.

We need your help to save many lives and relieve starvation in some of the world’s poorest communities.

ACADEMIC NEWS AUGUST SAW US celebrating once again, excellent A level and GCSE results. We recorded record top grades at both A level and GCSE and for the second year achieved a 100% pass rate in all subjects at A level. A full analysis of both the A level and GCSE results can be found on our website. In last year’s October newsletter I said “this year shows a steady, and we believe, sustainable climb. It will be a challenge to us to stay over 70% A and B passes at A2 next year, but we believe that the current U6 will outscore their very successful predecessors”. I am so pleased they proved me right. These results enabled 80% of the U6 leavers to proceed to their first choice Universities which are predominantly the top status establishments, for example, Cambridge, Oxford, Warwick, Leicester, Exeter, and Bristol among others.

The tremendous results and continuing improvements are a great testimony not only to all the hard work of both staff and pupils and the quality of teaching but also to the great working relationships that exist between them. One sixth former who originally left at the end of the Fifth year and decided to return soon after the start of this term did so primarily because of the lack of support elsewhere. Others who left have reported back on the lack of challenge and paucity of homework being set at their new sixth forms.

Stuart Nuttall, Headmaster