TheWheatleyan Issue 203 www.bablake.com ISSN 1759-0302
Celebrating 2016/17
Highlights 2016/17 12
With thanks to... Editorial Team Staff Editor: Mr Mark Woodward Student Editor: Harriet Rowlands Student Deputy Editor: Baht-Ammi Francis News and Features: Harriet Rowlands and Baht-Ammi Francis. Beyond the Classroom: Alexandra Hamilton, Ria Patel and Julian Welford.
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Flair Art and Design: Isabel Harris and Rachel Worthington. Flair Literature: Harsimran Sansoy and Shamayel Sayeed. Performing Arts: Steven Floyd, Yasmin Hobrow and Sam Lowe. Sport: Sophie Hollinrake and Olivia Kelly; Jordan Motlib and Daniel Smith. Former Pupils: Charlotte Allitt and Mollie O’Sullivan. Photography: Charlotte Allitt, Harriet Rowlands and Mollie O’Sullivan. Marketing: Ellie Edmiston and Remy McNamara. Production
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News & Features
The big interview 4 The Headmaster’s review 6 Where are they now? 12 Bridge builders 14 Staff news 16 In good health! 24
Design: Mustard Design Print: W&G Baird Ltd Acknowledgements
64 Performing Arts Bablake’s musical year 64 House music festival 66 ‘cello Road 68 Bablake Island Discs 70 Oliver Twist 72 Shakespeare Festival 74
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National leaders 27 A Rainbow Cinderella 30 Going places 32 Academic extension 35 The Sciences or The Arts? 44
Rio and beyond 77 Representative honours 2016/17 79 Touring Sri Lanka 80 Sports focus 82 Sportstalk 92
Beyond the Classroom
Sport
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Young art 48 Exams showcase 50 Anthology wonderland 59 What is Bablake reading? 60 Kathleen Lonsdale: a precious talent 62
Family matters! 95 Northern creatives 96 Grapevine 98 The last word 102
Flair
Former Pupils
Mr Lakbir Atwal, Bablake PE department, Mr Paul Cleaver, Kirsten Cozens, Alexandra Hamilton, Mrs Alexandria Hargreaves, Mr Andrew Phillips, Mrs Cathy Scott-Burt, Mrs Helen Skilton, Mrs Alison Tumber, Mr Chris West, Mr Mark Woodward (photography); Joe Harty, Mr Terry Patchett, Millie Ross, (proof-reading); Bablake staff and pupils (written articles). Cover image: Celebration and Inspiration by Mr Andrew Phillips. Bablake School, founded in 1344, is a school within the Coventry School Foundation (registered charity No 528961) and exists to provide quality selective education for boys and girls. The senior school of around 750 pupils shares the site with the Bablake Junior School of some 230 pupils which now includes a pre-prep, with a capacity of around 120 pupils, located near Coventry railway station at what was Cheshunt School (founded in 1909). King Henry VIII School, founded in 1545, is also part of the Foundation. Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU t +44 (0)24 7627 1200 f +44 (0)24 7627 1293 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk w www.bablake.com f www.facebook.com/bablakeschool i www.instagram.com/bablakeschool p www.pinterest.com/bablakeschool t www.twitter.com/bablakeschool This publication is printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests.
news&features
News & Features
Edited by Harriet Rowlands (Editor) and Baht-Ammi Francis (Deputy Editor)
Introducing our Wheatleyan Student Editors ... “This edition of The Wheatleyan showcases yet again the wonders of the Bablake community, celebrating the impressive success and personality of the student body. Sharing the editing process with Baht-Ammi has been brilliant, as she has been a fantastic Deputy Editor. Her wisdom and vibrant personality have been invaluable. Working with everyone has been a pleasure and I have really enjoyed creating fresh, exciting pages to show all our readers the best of Bablake’s year.” Harriet Rowlands (Editor)
“Having the opportunity to present the best of Bablake’s year has been a pleasure. The process has been made all the more enjoyable by working with Harriet, whose strengths include her amazing creativity and inspiring leadership. She has been a fantastic Student Editor! I fully appreciate the help from Mr Woodward and our section editors, who have been an integral part of the editing process. We are confident you will sense our community’s true spirit and personality, and trust you will enjoy reading this issue.” Baht-Ammi Francis (Deputy Editor)
Harriet Rowlands, Editor Profile
Baht-Ammi Francis, Editor Profile
Passions: Vegetarianism, feminism and attending gigs.
Passions: Reading, debating and being an amateur food critic.
Ambitions: Study Philosophy at John Snow College, Durham University and continue exploring a passion for Art.
Ambitions: Study Law at the University of Cambridge and tackle inequality that affects women and girls, particularly those of colour and an ethnic minority.
2016/17 Highlights: Becoming co-leader of our Feminist Society and, as Wheatleyan editor, noting the variety of ways Bablake has flourished and offered support to other communities.
2016/2017 Highlight: Winning the Coventry Schools’ Debating Competition and being awarded the Best Speaker prize. @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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The interview Wheatleyan editors Baht-Ammi Francis and Harriet Rowlands invited Mr John Watson to reflect on his first 11 years as our Headmaster.
How have Bablake pupils inspired you throughout the years? My pupils never cease to inspire, surprise, move and amuse me! I love the ‘off-the-wall’ question in a lesson which really makes me think or the witty yet respectful comment which makes us all laugh. I am humbled by those who have had to face immense challenges, e.g. the loss of a parent, but still come in to school smiling and showing concern for their friends. I admire those who chase after their dreams and achieve them through sheer determination — sometimes against 4
The Wheatleyan 2016/17
the odds. And I don’t forget the little acts of kindness and consideration which make our school and our world a better place, e.g. a pupil seeing me pick up some litter and taking it from me to put in the bin. How has this inspiration encouraged you to provide the best opportunities for them, therefore enriching school life? I hope I never forget why I’m here: to do my best to provide the best possible start in life for my pupils, whilst also enabling them to be the best possible version of themselves. My guiding principle is always… ‘Is it in our pupils’ best interests?’
What challenges have you encountered throughout the years? The moment my job stops being challenging is the moment I should go! Positive challenges are good for all of us, whilst there are others which test us to the extreme. As a head, you have to be pretty resilient, but that doesn’t mean you don’t take things personally: the school is you after all. I am as much a ‘feeling’ leader as a ‘thinking’ leader. I therefore ‘feel’ the success and happiness of the school, and, in most cases, hope I have the skills and experience to address or resolve situations when things don’t go entirely to plan. I am accountable to Governors — and parents, who often make great sacrifices to pay the fees — for the success of Bablake, and I try never to forget that behind the data, statistics and exam results lie individual stories and individual lives. So it is where people are concerned or affected that I am met with my greatest challenges: a permanent exclusion, though right for the school and, potentially, for the child, is very tough for the parents as well as the pupil; the difficulty of changing unreasonable and sometimes arrogant views, which can stem from a lack of selfawareness — however reasonable I think I am being; how to break news which will undoubtedly hurt; being unfairly criticised, blamed or misunderstood and having to maintain a dignified silence; my apparent inability to motivate a child who is wasting their opportunities — however hard I try; a sense of inadequacy before the colleague, pupil or parent who receives some tragic news; pastoral situations, both inside and outside school, where wounds will take a very long time to heal; speaking at the funeral of a pupil ten days younger than my own daughter, sharing the grief of the school community, and knowing the parents’ lives would never be the same again. What helps you overcome these challenges? The steady realisation that there are few challenges which we can’t do something about, and knowing we are rarely in it alone. Also, however I am feeling, the inward belief that I can see a way through and the outward appearance of confidence and calm, so necessary to reassure others! Being a head can be quite a lonely job, as the buck stops here, but my wife and family have always been alongside me. I also don”t forget the colleague who offers his or her help or a simple word of support or encouragement just when it’s needed!
thebiginterview
Bablake has always been a school with enduring values — and it is right we should prize these values as pupils develop the virtues of responsibility and generosity. I am sure they don’t realise how much that means. I am very fortunate to have some excellent and caring colleagues at Bablake, and I can also seek the guidance of fellow heads. And when I am facing challenges, it is great to ‘escape’ into the classroom to teach or just to go for a walk around school and to chat to pupils. It preserves my sanity and reminds me of what it’s all about. Yes, I am CEO of a complex organisation, but I am also a head teacher whose greatest joy is still his pupils! What motivates you to keep growing and developing Bablake? There is never a dull moment; there is always lots to celebrate and there is always more to do. If ever I feel a lack of challenge, I look at alternative ways to improve the school — not just now, but for future generations, when I am long gone! My principal motivation stems from a strong set of values, in my case a Christian faith, which lends purpose to all that I do. I also remember that none of us is indispensable and the success and happiness of the school rely on far more than me! I am just part of the journey for a school which dates back to 1344. And I have a wonderful and very varied job! Can you share with us why you think Bablake is the number one choice for parents and pupils? Do I really need to tell you?! I know of no other school with such a strong sense of community, thus enabling individuals to flourish in so many ways. Finally, what advice would you give to your 16 year old self, based on your Bablake experience thus far? I wasn’t going to be a teacher at that stage! I suppose it could be: “Wherever life takes you, expect the unexpected and
always make the most of your talents and opportunities.” I would also urge all current and prospective Bablake pupils to believe in themselves and their ability to make a difference in a beautiful yet troubled world, and believe that humankind is fundamentally good. Being a modern and classical linguist, I will suggest one maxim in French and another in Latin: ‘Après la pluie, le soleil’ and ‘carpe diem!’ Our editors, impressed with our Headmaster’s open, sensitive responses, probed further, asking him to explain his aspirations for Bablake’s pupils and the education provided for them. ‘I would not want to be growing up today,’ some will say, as they hark nostalgically back to a golden past! Well, I actually think it’s great to be young and the possibilities stretching out in front of our pupils are potentially very exciting. What is true is the world is a very different place from 50 years ago, and the same will be the case 50 years hence. So our role as educators (both teachers and parents) is to prepare our children as best we can for a dynamic future where they will need to be adaptable learners and where they will play a leading part. Bablake has always been a school with enduring values — and it is right we should prize these values as pupils develop the virtues of responsibility and generosity. We should simultaneously always be considering how we can give our pupils an even better education. I have never subscribed to the philosophy ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ or ‘It is the Bablake way’ (when I have questioned something) — and I am pleased not to have heard those words for a long time! We have begun this year with some really exciting changes, and I am really grateful to my colleagues who have been working very hard to prepare for and implement those developments. What are these developments and what further plans lie ahead? We need to ensure not only that our pupils do the best they can academically, but also that they develop a greater sense of intellectual curiosity and independence of thought for the future. We were able to celebrate the fact this summer that all our leavers who wanted to go to university were successful in doing so, whilst our GCSE cohort achieved record results. However, we strongly believe the new timetable with six daily periods of 50 minutes will, in most subjects, facilitate extended thinking and greater scope to explore topics in
more depth. We want to take pupils more frequently out of their comfort zone and give them the self-belief that enables them to excel — without excuses. It is therefore really important that we consistently have high expectations of all our pupils and they have high expectations of themselves. A new curriculum (both externally and internally driven) has ensured we maintain the same strong core of subjects throughout the first five years, whilst also sharpening the focus on the more creative subjects, through an element of choice in the Third Year. GCSE Computing has now fully replaced GCSE ICT as an option, and we have introduced GCSE PE. The Sixth Form Advantage is all about ensuring our students leave Bablake ahead of their peers and standing out from the crowd. It includes an academic core, academic enhancement, co-curricular enrichment, life choices, leadership, work experience and careers guidance. We have appointed a Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator to work with staff and pupils as we explore best practice and remain open to pedagogical developments. We are currently considering a new digital learning strategy and the potential of portable devices to enhance and underpin pupils’ learning. We are also looking at how we assess pupils’ work and we have introduced a new literacy programme, emphasising the importance and joy of reading. Learning Support has been housed in significantly extended premises — furthering opportunities for pupils. In terms of pupils’ support and guidance, we continue to focus on the values of peace and reconciliation, and how we nurture well-being in a richly diverse and inclusive community for pupils and staff. There is a new whole-school careers programme in place, with a larger and more central Careers Centre opposite the Dining Hall. This whole area of school has been transformed, with the addition of a new and much improved Medical Centre for the care and counselling of pupils. Our aim is indeed to provide excellent facilities and the new Sixth Form Centre provides an inspiring and fully accessible environment for independent and collaborative learning, where students can also enjoy new common room facilities and their own café for regular sustenance! It has been hard to summarise all these improvements — but you can rest assured that Bablake is ‘going places’, and all for the benefit of pupils with very bright futures.
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Bablake Prize Giving 2016/17 Highlights from the Headmaster’s Review our Headmaster Mr John Watson reflects on another important and successful year for bablake and its pupils
“It is especially important to cherish the enduring values which characterise our community and to support our young people in the face of perplexity and possible distress.”
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The Wheatleyan 2016/17
headmaster’sreview
Daniel Welch receives the Junior Dramatic Society Service Prize from Professor Chris Norbury
Sathvika Krishnan and Hattie Morris enjoy their performance
Madam Chair, Professor Norbury, Guests, Members of the Bablake community, I am really glad we are celebrating at the end of a term when we have held a minute’s silence on three occasions within a month and when so little in our world remains predictable. It is at times like these, when lives full of hope have been shattered that it is especially important to cherish the enduring values which characterise our community and to support our young people in the face of perplexity and possible distress. We are gathered not only to celebrate our pupils’ achievements, but also to celebrate who they are and who they turn out to be. I have been reminded of this over the last week on several occasions: One of my favourite tasks is to bid farewell to our U6, not because I am glad to see the back of them, but because I want to celebrate personally with each of them the fine young adults they have become. So, on Friday, as the queue snaked its way down the main stairs, I gave out leavers’ reports and wished each of them future happiness and success. For me, it is always in that order: happiness and success, for happy children tend also to be children who thrive. But it is wrong to expect to be either happy or successful all of the time, and it is our job, with you, to guide and support our young people when life is less than happy and also when they fail — because both are vital and often very powerful learning experiences. Then on Saturday morning we had mock interviews for our Lower Sixth. I was delighted to learn from one of the interviewers that she had just graduated from Cambridge with a first in Modern Languages. She is a super, modest young lady who will undoubtedly go far in life. And at the same time I was equally delighted to learn from another of our interviewers that he had just graduated from Loughborough with a good degree and was training to be a quantity surveyor. You might say, ‘So what?’ Well, the young man in question had struggled to work hard in his early years at school and there was actually a question over whether he would return to the Sixth Form, but he turned a corner and is now very successful. And the reason why he’d wanted to come back for the interviews? Because he was grateful we had persisted with him and he wanted to give something back. And still on Saturday, we celebrated the return of about 100 of our Old Wheatleyans for a 1980s decade reunion. I love meeting them, for it is great to hear news of where life has taken each
of them along the journey that started at Bablake. It was a very happy occasion when we were also able to mention that Mr Martin Barker, those former pupils’ headmaster, and head when our guest of honour Professor Norbury was in the Upper Sixth, had just celebrated his 90th birthday. Although I sometimes wonder, being a head is obviously good for your health! All of these occasions were underpinned by the very strong sense of community at Bablake. Our pupils are only able to achieve what they do because we build and celebrate community every day. For the first time last December, we filled Coventry Cathedral for a whole-school carol service, including our Junior School; as we shared the joy of Christmas, we did so as a community. And that brings me back to our minutes’ silences. We continue as a community to focus on the values of peace and reconciliation when our world has had no greater need. This is not just about what we do outside the classroom, for we have mapped these values across the curriculum. It is also about how we nurture individuals to be at peace with themselves. Some of our staff training this year has focused on our whole-school approach to pupil well-being and we shall be hosting a national mental health conference in December. We have re-written our Life Choices programme and organised workshops for parents with a specialist company called Your School Mind. We want our children to grow up as responsible and generous members of their society and their own communities, so we are outward-facing as a school. You will later hear about our partnership with Harrismith School in South Africa, and, through our membership of the International Cross of Nails community, we are participating in a project with Christian and Muslim bodies in Bosnia and Serbia. We have also very recently collaborated with Coventry University’s Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations on a Build Peace project involving food and cultural identity. Within our own local community, outreach remains very important: we have welcomed over 700 primary pupils to school this year for sports, creative arts and modern languages days, and staff and pupils have taken their expertise out to teach masterclasses in several primary schools. Charity and community service should be an integral part of our school life, and pupils and staff have continued to support various causes this year, with our Charity Enterprise group currently raising funds to train a second guide dog. Our first one, Blake, will graduate soon. @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Bablake’s string quartet
You may have heard me say before that a favourite prize of mine tonight is the TW Patchett Award for Scholarship and Courtesy. It is not just about achievement, but about an approach to learning, intellectual curiosity and humble service to others. Our pupils are not always as intellectually curious as we would like them to be, preferring sometimes to soak up knowledge rather than use their own initiative — and this is something we shall be focusing on from September, with increased opportunities to extend independent learning via our new 50-minute lessons. Alongside team-working, it is also something we are eager to promote via the various opportunities enjoyed by pupils beyond the classroom. Many of our pupils already sit Maths Challenges, with notable success this year in the Maths Kangaroo; you may want to ask your child’s Maths teacher to explain why it is called that, but I understand it is very difficult and must involve leaps and bounds to achieve success. Over half the Fourth Year gave up two lunchtimes to complete a Biology Challenge, and our success in engineering and design competitions continues apace: we won the National Aerospace Challenge; our three Formula 1 in Schools teams brought back 5 trophies from their regional round, with Team Liberty qualifying for the finals at Silverstone; and our Lower Sixth Engineering Education team was placed one of the top four teams from 80 in the Midlands. Our pupils have won Arts and creative writing awards, as well as numerous scientific CREST awards. We again won the debating competition in the Coventry City Council’s National Democracy Week, and our Third Year pupils all participated in a very successful Shakespeare Festival at school last term. Drama opportunities have otherwise included an excellent production of Oliver Twist in collaboration with Highly Sprung Theatre Company, Sherlock and A Rainbow Cinderella. On the musical front, we have enjoyed some excellent and varied concerts, whilst individuals have achieved some outstanding successes in examinations and diplomas, and have been selected for the Royal Academy of Music and the Birmingham Conservatoire. Our House system, which creates opportunities for leadership, mentoring and collaboration across the year groups, continues to thrive, with innovations such as a House Pumpkin-carving competition next term! One of the year’s most uplifting highlights was our House Music festival. 8
The Wheatleyan 2016/17
“Our greatest resource, greatest investment and greatest strength is, of course, our staff.” Our pupils’ appreciation of culture and civilisation is a vital part of their education, and, as a school and Foundation, we are fully behind Coventry’s bid to be UK City of Culture in 2021 — for it will bring great cultural and economic opportunities to our richly diverse city. We have aimed to enrich our pupils’ education through a rich array of visits and opportunities outside the classroom, and the last week alone has seen author visits, an enterprise day, Art expeditions, a Creative Arts morning, a Coventry Trail, visits to temples, a Duke of Edinburgh expedition, an inter-form bridgebuilding competition where I literally had to walk the plank, Life Choices days, student journalism, House Sports Day and the school’s T20 cricket competition — in which a young 1st XI team came worthy runners-up. Many continue to enjoy healthy participation in sport. Seven Coventry Cups were won by the girls in netball and hockey, and they have been victorious in 70% of their rounders’ games. Our chess teams have won their local cups. Both boys and girls have been especially successful in athletics, and the former have achieved numerous regional representative honours for rugby, hockey and cricket. It is always hard to single out individuals without missing people, but a highlight of the cricket season has been the three Mousley brothers scoring a century each for school in the same week. Olivia Kelly is certainly going places — very fast — with her running, and was placed fastest West Midlands finisher in the London Mini-marathon. Our paralympian, Kare Adenegan, continues to inspire us, and Peter Cusack in the Upper Sixth has recently returned home as part of the victorious GB U23 team in the World Wheelchair Basketball Championship.
headmaster’sreview
Mya Lane receives the Philippa Chowne Prize for Music and Charity
Will Canning with the Coventry Schools Under 15 Rugby shield
At this point, the Headmaster outlined the exciting changes to the curriculum and campus already introduced in his interview on pages 4 and 5, before turning his attention to praising his staff.
We are also very grateful for the long service of Mrs Barnacle, previously Head of Psychology, and Miss Simmons, a former pupil who has been keen to extend fresh opportunities to pupils as a Physics teacher, a leader of our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and a leading Head of House. Mr Williams, Miss Kukucska, Miss Holyman, Miss Kane and Miss Davies have also contributed powerfully to the school in their own ways over varying lengths of time, as reported in my end-of-term letter. We wish them all much happiness for the future, and I would ask you to join with me in thanking not only them, but also all our staff at school and at the Foundation for their dedication to our pupils. One more vote of thanks, and that is to you, our parents, for your support both of your children and of the school, and especially our Parents’ Association for their energetic organisation of events for the benefit of the whole school community.”
Our greatest resource, greatest investment and greatest strength is, of course, our staff — both teaching and support — who enjoy very positive relationships with your children, based on a strong sense of mutual respect. We have two retirees this year. Mr Duerdin has been at Bablake since 1987 (teaching part-time for the last four years), and he has been an outstanding teacher of Physics, keen to inspire and challenge his pupils at the very highest level. He is a self-effacing colleague, but under his leadership the Physics department became one of the most successful in the school. Mr Bunce has inculcated a love of Classics in his pupils, has been a most patient, caring and supportive Sixth Form tutor, and has brought a strong academic lead to our development of the Extended Project Qualification.
Headmaster Mr John Watson then introduced 2017 guest of honour Professor Chris Norbury MA PhD, a Bablake former pupil (Sept. 1972 to Dec. 1978), who studied Biochemistry at the University of Oxford and completed his PhD at Imperial College, London. After setting up his own research group at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford, in 2002, Professor Norbury moved to the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology and took up a Tutorial Fellowship at The Queen’s College, where he has continued to make a noteworthy contribution to medical research. Since 2016, he has been Admissions Coordinator for Medicine at Oxford. A massive fan of The Selecter and 2-Tone music, Coventry is still very special to Professor Norbury. We congratulate the following pupils who took to the stage during the Headmaster’s Review: Alexandra Hamilton and Steven Floyd, plus members of the cast of A Rainbow Cinderella; Bhavan Amar as Ariel (from The Tempest) and Harvey Thomas-Benton as Iago (from Othello) who recreated their powerful performances from our Third Year Shakespeare festival; and Hattie Morris who accompanied by Sathvika Krishnan at the piano, sang her excellent composition that had been debuted at our House Music Festival. Before the ceremony, Alex Hyde treated the audience to a jazz selection, while String Quartet (Ellie Aitchison, Harry Scott-Burt, Mrs Cathy Scott-Burt and Dasha Sutton) performed Luigi Boccherini’s Fandango as a musical interlude. Our School captains for 2017-18, Ria Patel and Julian Wreford, offered a vote of thanks to Professor Norbury. @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Prize Giving 2016/17 Achievement is largely the product of steadily raising one’s level of aspiration and expectation. Jack Nicklaus
Prizes Awarded Arguably the most prestigious of our individual prize-winners this year included: Shell Scholars 2016/17 Academic: Bezadel Akinkoye, Harry Canning, Fraser Irgens, Natish Nyamayaro, Ademide Oladihi, Ray Thomas-Devanny. Art: Tom Morgan, Phoebe Roberts. English: Rhea Cherrington, Mala Debnath, Joseph Hodgins, Alisha Jahangir. Mathematics: Elizabeth Akinkoye, Aaron Alia, Vihashan Vijayaratnam, Aaron Walia. Music: Emily Maughan, Natish Nyamayaro. William Townsend Form Prizes Shells Attainment: Bianca Booth, Edward Buckley, Erin Keeling, Rosie Ingram, Harry Scott-Burt. Progress: George Corden, Ria Mattu, Neena Mody, Jessica Smith, Bethany Willson. 2nds Attainment: Eleanor Baird, Suwetha Bhavanandan, Joseph Guest, Adrian Judge, Wenyu Wan. Progress: Lucy Chalker, Rami Jamjum, Maya Koria, Max Newman, Asad Ssemwogerere. 3rds Attainment: Bhavan Amar, Rebecca Asbury, Namuum Batkhishig, Zara Richards, Jacob Swales. Progress: Emma Allroggen, Mila Bilsland, Thomas Oswald, Jay Senghera, Harvey Thomas-Benton. Lily Allison, Theo Cave, Matthew Menashe, William Roche. Charlotte Bull, Alex Cox, Jasmine Harrison, Harry White. 4ths Attainment: Tim Henderson, Alex Hyde, Dasha Sutton, Kelly Turnbull, Kogulan Vipulan. Progress: Vedika Bedi, Sathvika Krishnan, Zaynah Raza, Alice Weaver, Meredith Womble-Lancaster. 10
The Wheatleyan 2016/17
5ths Endeavour: Lewis Carroll, Lauren Cox, Farrah McEvoy, Dannisha Patel, Edelle Pyke. Excellence at GCSE: Kare Adenegan, Emma Blackett, Ravi Bodalia, Enya Bowe, Hana Dhanani, George Evans, Jamie Garcha, Amrit Gill, Iz Hemus, Ellie Herniman, Harry Hine, Emmanuella Kamara-Musa, Mehreen Kazmi, Svetlana Kim, Tess Lillicrapp, Harry Loud, Ajan Manoharan, Harry Menashe, George Parker, James Pilley, Ayesha Riaz, Joshua Roan, Ashleigh Stonier, Saambavi Thavakumar, Anna White, Lorna Williamson. 6th Form Scholarships, awarded on entry to the Lower Sixth Academic: Emma Blackett, Ravi Bodalia, Enya Bowe, Hana Dhanani, George Evans, Amrit Gill, Iz Hemus, Ellie Herniman, Harry Hine, Mehreen Kazmi, Svetlana Kim, Tess Lillicrapp, Harry Loud, Harry Menashe, George Parker, James Pilley, Joshua Roan, Hilary Shum, Ashleigh Stonier, Saambavi Thavakumar, Anna White. Art: Ashleigh Stonier. Music: Emma Blackett, Oliver Brindley, Enya Bowe, Georgia Ementon, Anna White. Sport: Hannah Sweeney (U6th); Kare Adenegan, Liam Duggan, Amrit Gill, Iz Hemus, Ellie Herniman, Rory Meechan, Tom Mordey, Thomas Rouse. Whitehouse: Kare Adenegan, Jamie Garcha, Ayesha Riaz. Lane Scholarships awarded to L6th Formers for outstanding academic achievement: Tommy Knight, Jamie O’Connor, Neer Patel, Harriet Rowlands, Daniel Smith. Bert Bissell Trophy for Contribution to Charity: Krina Mistry. Best Contribution to Magazines: Harriet Rowlands. Felicity Chapman Poetry Prize: Zaina Dhanani. Philippa Chowne Prize (Music/ Charity): Mya Lane. Former Pupils’ Association For Merit: Hannah Allroggen, Beth Carter, Jasmine Hundal, Katerina Jackson, Daniel Lanning, Cathy Liu, Megan Lloyd, Aleena Mann, Charlotte Marston, Tom Nelson, Danny O’Malley, Will Petchey, Vikesh Puri, Jasmine Shankster-East, Ben Smith, Aaron Tang, Cassiel Yuan. The Jenkins Cup (Shells): Lucy Green, Harry Scott-Burt. TW Patchett Scholarship and Courtesy Prize: Jack Poppitt, Deepra Sinha. Pembroke Award: Ed Guest. The J V Rattigan Cup for Merit in the L6th: Alexandra Hamilton. The Chris Ashworth Trophy (Outstanding Achievement): Beth Carter. Best Contribution to the School by students new to the 6th Form: Heather Faulkner. The Jackson Progress Prize: Aanysha Sehmar. The Seaborne Trophy for Sportsman of the Year: Peter Cusack. The Leonard Ward Trophy for Sportswoman of the Year: Danika Patel. The H Curt Prize for Service: Jasmine Shankster-East. The Hawley Cup for Service: William Rowland. The Humberstone Prize for Character and Scholarship: Hannah Allroggen.
Bablake was rated 37th nationally out of 184 co-educational independent schools in the country this summer. We are always seeking improvements to maximise our pupils’ progress and success, but these results, at GCSE and A level, make us the top academic school in Coventry by a significant margin.
prizegiving
Achievements Arkwright Scholars: Harry Loud, Robert Tyas. Arts Award: Sathvika Krishnan (Gold); Level 2: Namuum Batkhishig, Charlotte Bull, Madeleine Gallon, Maya Koria (Silver); Rosie Ingram (Bronze). Bablake Charity Colouring Book Best Designs: Senior: Cameron Park (Bayley); Intermediate: Abinaya Muraleetharan; Junior: Shianne Whitmore-Beckett. Bablake Christmas Card: Elizabeth Johnson. Bablake Diary Cover Art: Mollie O’Sullivan (Autumn), Claudia Youakim (Spring), Ruth Truslove (Summer). Cambridge Chemistry Challenge: Julian Wreford (Gold); Jakevir Shoker, Luke Wyman (Silver); Jamie O’Connor, Neer Patel, Deepra Sinha, Daniel Smith, Leshanth Uthayanan (Copper). Coventry and Warwickshire Young Sports Person of the Year: Kare Adenegan. Coventry City Council Democracy Week Debating Competition Winners: Aaran Bhatti, Bhat-Ammi Francis (Best Speaker), Alexandra Hamilton and Jack Poppitt. CREST Awards: Gold: U6th — Shivani Bodalia, Lewis Coleman, Elicia Coles, Jasdeep Dhaliwal, Anna Elkins, Jasneet Grewal, Edward Guest, James Judge, Avni Kant, Olivia Kelly, Caitee Midgley, Krina Mistry, Oliver Murdy, Cherie Ng, Jamie O’Connor, Abhijit Palit, Rajen Parekh, Jakevir Shoker, Deepra Sinha, Dan Smith, Harkiran Sundal, Leshanth Uthayanan; 3rds — Emma Allroggen, Freya Bennett. Design a Bookmark: Seniors: Svetlana Kim; Intermediate: Alicia Wisniewska; Shells: Abarna Sivanesan. Engineering Education Scheme Team (EES): Lucie Barnes, Tommy Knight, Abilan Vijayaramam, Luke Wyman (Gold CREST award). National semi-finalists. Essay Competitions: Olivia Kelly: selected to visit Grenoble’s European Synchrotron Radiation Facility via the University of Liverpool/Warwick X-ray Materials Scattering (XMaS) project competition; Deepra Sinha: one of four 2017 Foxcroft Science Essay finalists. Extended Project Qualification (EPQ): Jenny Beech, Georgia Kelsey, Erin Ryan, David Stephen (speakers at EPQ evening); Hannah Allroggen, Nikita Ermolenko, Callum George, Ashni Hindocha, Katerina Jackson, Adam Khan, Megan Lloyd, Aleena Mann, Jasmin Mann, Thomas Nelson, Danny O’Malley, Georgina Owen, Danika Patel, Vikesh Puri, Lauren Putnam, Jasmine Shankster-East, Benedict Smith, Olivia Sweeney, Howard Weyman, Jody Wong. Fifth Year CV Challenge: Svetlana Kim (Winner); Lorna Williamson (Runner Up). F1 in Schools: Ellis Cutler, George Evans, Amrit Gill, Max Harrison and Harry Loud (Team Liberty): national finalists; top 3 team for ‘Sponsorship and Marketing’; fastest ‘Pit Stop’; first place at the Central Regional Final in Best Engineered Car, Fastest Car and Professional Class. Furniture Makers’ Competition: Grace Jastrzebski. Holocaust Educational Trust Ambassadors: Alexandra Hamilton, Remy McNamara. House Captains: Nikita Ermolenko, Georgia Kelsey (Bayley); Minnie Klesnik-Edwards, Jasmine Shankster-East (Crow); Georgina Owen, Aaron Tang (Fairfax); Lantian Pinkney, Vikesh Puri, Aanysha Sehmar, Claudia Youakim (Wheatley). House Photography: Light: Ellie Edmiston (Wheatley); Nature: Deepra Sinha (Wheatley). House Trophy: Winners: Wheatley; Runners up: Bayley; Fairfax, Crow. Mathematics Challenge (Gold): Senior: Daniel Lanning, Cathy Lui, James Moffitt, Raajun Nagra, William Petchey, Jakevir Shoker, Cindy Tan, Matthew Thomas, Abilan Vijayaratnam, Bella Wang, Jeffrey Wang, Julian Wreford, Cassiel Yuan. Intermediate: Rebecca Asbury, Nicholas Buckley, Alex Hyde, Jasmine Marajh, Ben Sawyer, Kogulan
Vipulan. Junior:Edward Buckley, Ewan Collar, Celestine Dal, Tom Dewes, James Fraser, Sunjeevan Ganeshalingam, Joseph Guest, Adrian Judge, Erin Keeling, Stephen Keith, Ellen Richardson, Wenyu Wan, Shianne Whitmore. Mathematics Trust Kangaroo: Senior: Jakevir Shoker, Abilan Vijayaratnam, Julian Wreford. Pink: Kogulan Vipulan. Grey: Erin Keeling (also Junior Olympiad), Dominic Reeves, Ben Sawyer. Junior: Celestine Dal. (All students achieved a merit.) Rebecca Asbury and Nicholas Buckley qualified for the Grey and Pink Kangaroo status. Mock Interview Morning (U6th): Best Performance: Chloe Desnos; Highly Recommended: Aaron Biddle, Anna Elkins. Music (ABRSM exams): ARSM Music Performance Diploma: Anna White (cello); Grade 8: Beth Carter (piano), Avni Kant (harp); Grade 7: Harry Scott-Burt (piano). National Young Writers competition: Sadie Aspinall (prize winner). Rotary Club (Coventry): Excellence in Design and Technology: Harry Loud, William Rowland. Rotary Senior Youth Speaks: Abinaya Muraleetharan, Dasha Sutton and Zahrah Jahangir (Area Final winners). Rotary Young Citizen of the Year: Kare Adenegan (one of 7 national winners). Royal Society of Biology ‘Biology Challenge’: Gold: Sathvika Krishnan (Best in School), Sophie Arora, Rhys Hayden, Angel Ma and Meredith Womble-Lancaster. Senior Prefects: Hannah Allroggen, William Rowland (school captains); Beth Carter, Joseph Haigh, Katerina Jackson, Cameron Jassal, Megan Lloyd, Danny O’Malley, Thomas Nelson, Anna Price, Vikesh Puri, Lauren Putnam, Jasmine Shankster-East. Stretch Magazine Editors: Charlotte Allitt, Ellie Edmiston, Mollie O’Sullivan UK Aerospace Challenge 2016 National Winners: Sam Cranage, Harry Loud, Lantian Pinkney. Young Achiever of the Year at the National English Asian Business Awards: Abdullah Navsarka for DessertVan.co.uk.
Public Examination Fact File 2016/17 A Level • 109 pupils: 100% pass rate. • 74% of all grades were at A*, A or B grades. (National average 50%) • 26 students achieved 3 or more A* or A grades. • 100% of students wishing to go to university gained a place, with 72% at their first choice. GCSE • 100% achieved at least 5 A* — C grades. • 91% of all grades were at A* — B. • 69% of all grades were at A* or A. (National average: 20%.) • 41% of all grades were at A* or 9/8 — a Bablake record. • 7 pupils gained 10 or more A* or A (9-7) grades. • 41 pupils gained 9 or more A* or A (9-7) grades.
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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The impressive Class of 2010 left Bablake with mixed feelings. Lifelong friendships had been established, but these were soon to be suspended temporarily for exciting plans about to come to fruition at the hands of some of the UK’s top universities and employers.
Where are they now?
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Employment/Apprenticeships 1 Jaguar Land Rover, John Deere University Spotlight 12 Birmingham 10 Nottingham 9 London (1 City, 3 King’s College, 1 LSE, 1 Queen Mary, 1 St George’s, 2 University College) 7 Aston, Coventry 6 Leicester, Reading 5 Liverpool, Manchester 4 Durham 3 Leeds, Loughborough, Newcastle 2 Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, De Montfort, Exeter, Nottingham Trent, Sheffield, Southampton, York 1 Birmingham City, Brighton, Cambridge, Chichester, Essex, Hull, Plymouth, Plymouth College of Art, Sheffield Hallam, Sussex, York St John What are they studying? The Arts, Humanities and Languages: 21 students 1 Archaeology 1 Classical Civilisation 5 English (inc Creative Writing, Literature and Politics 1) 1 Ethics, Value and Philosophy 4 History (inc Modern with Economics 1, Modern Languages 1) 1 Media, Communication and Cultural Studies
6 Modern Languages (inc Business and Management — Spanish 1, Cultures 2, French and Spanish 1, Spanish with Italian 1) 1 Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion 1 Vocal Performance Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: 55 students 1 Biochemistry (with a research placement) 8 Biomedical Science 1 Chemistry (with a year in industry) 1 Dentistry 10 Engineering (Biomedical 1, Chemical inc industrial experience 1, Civil 3, Electrical and Electronic 1, Materials 1, Mechanical 2 — with a year in Industry 1, Nuclear 1) 5 Geography (inc Environmental 1, Physical Geography 1, Transport Studies 1) 1 Furniture and Product Design 1 Health and Life Science (Foundation) 1 Interior Decoration, Design and Styling 1 Marine Biology 6 Mathematics (inc Economics 1, Finance and Accounting 1, Statistical Science 2) 5 Medicine 1 Occupational Therapy 1 Optometry 1 Pharmacology 1 Pharmacy 3 Physics (inc Astrophysics 1)
1 Physiotherapy 2 Product Design 2 Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management 1 Radiotherapy 1 Zoology Social Sciences: 33 students 4 Accountancy (inc Finance 3, Financial Management 1) 7 Business (inc Finance 1, International with Language 1, Management 2, Economics 3) 4 Economics (inc Mathematics 1) 1 Finance and Banking 1 Human Resource Management 6 Law (inc integrated Criminology 1) 2 Management (inc Organisation Studies 1) 2 Politics (inc Economics 1, Business Studies 1) 1 Psychological Sciences 4 Psychology (inc Criminology 1, Psychological Practice 1) 1 Sociology and Philosophy
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Bridge
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Wheatleyan editor Harriet Rowlands reflects on our relationship with partner school Harrismith Secondary in South Africa which is helping to build bridges between continents.
The highlight for me was definitely the time spent at the Umgeni Nature Reserve; the resilience and creativity of the pupils in response to the challenges they were set were truly impressive! Emma Blackett
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Photographs by Mrs Alison Tumber
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ixth form student Caitee Midgley, in discussion about A Rainbow Cinderella, our fundraising show for Harrismith Secondary, made the astute reflection that the relationship with our partner school ‘showcases Bablake’s values’ and this year the warm relationship between the two schools has been further strengthened. Harrismith’s new principal, Mr Zeph Miya, visited us in Autumn 2016 and returned inspired by his visit, saying: “I have been most impressed with the hospitality everyone has shown me, from the Headmaster to the students. I have learnt a lot at Bablake, and, although our schools have very different environments, I am looking forward to taking back many new ideas for Harrismith.” Mrs Helen Skilton’s indefatigable commitment towards fundraising for the partnership did not lessen this year. In preparation for the summer’s visit to Harrismith, she worked with students from our Fifth year and Sixth Form organising a charity show for the whole school community, a ‘Winter Social’ for our younger pupils and various non-uniform collections. An outstanding group of pupils and teachers then visited Harrismith in July, with the aim of further developing projects they started on two earlier visits. From Head of Sixth Form Mrs Alison Tumber’s photographs, it is clear how the bond between students from both schools is very definitely bridging the continents. Money raised by Bablake pupils, parents and staff has been used to support Harrismith in upgrading its ICT room, training staff and pupils and setting up a maintenance contract. Uniforms for those unable to afford their own have been purchased and production costs for the school’s annual drama production, directed by Mr Ian Appleby, our former Head of English, have been supported. We have also helped pay for excursions for the Harrismith pupils. As someone who has gained so much from school trips in the UK and beyond, I fully appreciate how significant the special memories will have been for Harrismith students. I understand there are exciting plans afoot for our partnership with Harrismith and look forward to reading about these in the near future.
Bablake pupils and staff alike continue to be humbled by the South African learners’ facility with languages and strong sense of community in the face of challenging circumstances. There is no doubt that the partnership is thriving. Mrs Helen Skilton
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Valete We wish those leaving Bablake fulfilment and good health as they enter a welldeserved retirement or take on future challenges in new surroundings!
“Through my education, I didn’t just develop skills, I didn’t just develop the ability to learn, but I developed confidence.” Michelle Obama
“A good teacher isn’t someone who gives the answers out to their kids, but is understanding of needs and challenges and gives tools to help other people succeed.” Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
Mr Malcolm Duerdin (Physics) Mr Trevor Hyde “We shall remember his inspirational, energetic teaching and outstanding leadership of one of the most successful departments in the school.” Mr John Watson Malcolm joined Bablake from Stoke Park School in 1987, having been already teaching for 12 years after graduating from the University of Warwick. Those who have not been taught by Mr Memon will have already worked out this means he has been teaching for 42 years. Furthermore, he will have attended over 300 parents’ evenings and we estimate he has marked over 160,000 pieces of work in his time at the ‘chalkface’, so it is clearly time to lay down the red biro. As one of our few colleagues who is pre computing technology, Malcolm nevertheless fully embraced modern IT in his never-ending pursuit of tickets for Liverpool FC fixtures and gigs for bands so hip that the hippest of students usually had not heard of them. His love of football and cricket are matched by his encyclopaedic sporting knowledge, especially with regard to the red-shirted Merseysiders. In his time at Bablake, Malcolm always set standards of exam performance the rest of us have struggled to match; this was in no small part due to his love of the subject and rapport he established with his pupils. Many Physics graduates have been inspired to follow the only true science through attending Malcolm’s extension classes, where his ability to make pupils think for themselves always came to the fore. He has always been a supportive friend to his fellows in the Physics office, despite being born on the wrong side of the Pennines, and his sense of humour will be missed by all of us left behind. Mr Duerdin was formerly Head of Physics before teaching part-time from September 2013.
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Mrs Karen Barnacle (Psychology) Mrs Amanda Jones Around 15 years ago, my husband and I suffered a ‘folie à deux’ having watched one too many episodes of Escape to the Country and decided to start a new life in Yorkshire. When Bablake interviewed for someone to teach Psychology and some science, one person stood out, not just for the vibrancy of her red suit amongst the greys and blacks, but also for the vibrancy of her personality. Karen was duly offered the post for September 2002, and, when she came in for a chat, I remember thinking what a shame that I could not work with her. Well, my husband and I came to our senses and returned to the Midlands, and at that time Karen was diagnosed with a serious heart condition requiring surgery. I was available to cover for her for a few weeks and, by that time, the numbers opting for Psychology had increased such that we were able to start working together that September. Over the years, Karen has been a staunch advocate of Psychology as an A level subject, responsible for it being made a separate subject, not just an offshoot of Biology, and for it having a Head of Department which Karen was for many years. She has, usually gently but sometimes strongly, challenged and put right stereotypical views of Psychology as an easy subject simply because it is interesting and popular. She has been an engaging classroom teacher, bringing not just a deep subject knowledge, but also a wealth of life experience and stories, from previous careers in nursing, including in a prison, sexual health counselling, sales and further education. Karen has inspired many students to continue with their Psychology studies at university and beyond. She has also been a caring and effective Sixth Form tutor and offered outstanding support to potential medics, with both their applications and preparation, when she led our Medical Extension group. Karen reads voraciously and is passionately interested in a wide range of subjects from politics, the environment, animal rights and Andy Murray. Conversations with her are never boring, and she is always willing to offer advice and support to colleagues, several of whom have told me how much they have appreciated talking with her over the years. So, 15 years later, our professional partnership has come to an end. In that time, I like to think it has been a mutually supportive department, sharing a fascination for our subject, a desire to do the best for our students, and a lot of laughter.
Mr Julian Bunce (Classics) Mrs Alison Tumber It was a privilege for me to be able to say a few words about JMB — please note, not JGB, JMG or any other variation. The Chair of Common Room decreed poems and songs were banned as valedictory addresses, which was a shame as what would have been a more fitting send off for a phenomenal Classics teacher than an epic 15,693 line poem in the style of Homer’s Iliad? Music is Julian’s great passion, so a song would also have been appropriate if I could have chosen a genre; he has such eclectic tastes: Italian opera, barbershop, reggae, ELO, Paul Simon, Panic at the Disco, the list goes on. In 1973, Julian went up to Christ’s Church College, Cambridge to read Classics, the days when you could gain a place with 7 O levels, and, as long as you had an A at A level for Latin and B in Greek, the C in Ancient History and E in History were of no consequence! An admin assistant role at Dartford Borough Museum kept him occupied for a year before returning to Cambridge for his PGCE in Classics with English as subsidiary. Julian has taught Latin, Greek, Classics, Classical Civilisation, English, Religious Studies, Social Studies, PSHCE, EPQ, Ancient History, History (that E grade at A level didn’t hold him back!) and ICT. He was also an examiner, choirmaster, organist and a qualified hockey and cricket coach — a sporting musician, so I can still dream of Mr Wilson popping up in our flute ensemble. He joined Bablake in September 2006 after covering staff illness earlier that year. The foundations of a firm friendship were laid on the coach to Chedworth on Trips Day later that year where we had a great time chatting about his family — wife Jane, whom I’ve had the pleasure to work alongside the past two years, and children Michael, Rachel and Helen, of whom he is justifiably very proud. I learnt about his adventures in Rome as teacher of English, Latin and Social Studies at Marymount International School. He passed his love for Italy and all things Classical onto many colleagues and students on the October Classics trips to Italy, Sicily, Greece and Turkey — my son James collected the full set and they remain, as they do for many pupils, highlights of his time at Bablake. Julian was also le Fousseau co-ordinator and has led visits to slightly less glamorous, but notably classical UK destinations. Julian has made such a great contribution to Bablake as a musician — as a fine tenor in our Chamber Choir, duetting with Dr Smith on Leavers’ Day, charity carol singing in the EDM, on stage at ‘Night at the Oscars’ and forming a Barber Shop Quartet with my daughter Sophie and her musical buddies, Alex and Millie. If that extra mile was not far enough, Julian @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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also compiles CDs for students, broadening their musical tastes and experiences. It goes without saying Julian has been an inspirational, very patient classroom teacher, but he has also left us a great legacy as Bablake’s first EPQ co-ordinator. He has seen 111 students through the process with very successful outcomes. Those of us who have been supervisors have benefited from his good counsel, knowledge and patience, and the students have been very fortunate to have such a diligent, enthusiastic and interested mentor, with a great sense of humour too. Attending every presentation and being able to ask pertinent, probing questions whether the project was on the Tulip Bubble of the 17th Century, Non-Euclidean Maths or the environmental impact of HS2, show what a fine intellectual Julian is. Each and every student is grateful for his insight and guidance. So, I am not sparing his blushes in saying, fantastic teacher, great innovator, superb commitment to the co-curricular life of the school. However, I have not reached the best bit yet: his role as a form tutor. Comments on the leaving card from his current tutor group summarise his strengths: “Strong and stable form leadership.” “You’re as divine as Augustus, as strong-willed as Oedipus and Creon, and as elegant as Cicero.” The following student voices speak volumes: “Mr Bunce is one of Bablake’s unsung heroes. He had time for everyone — no matter how academically gifted or how much of a pain you were. He would always remember what meant the most to you — whether books, music or films — and bring you something you might not have come across to read, listen to or watch. He has an absolutely vast brain for remembering the things that are important. As a teacher, he had a way of making things fun so you might remember them — especially in subjects that do not necessarily come naturally to most people. Greek at tea time (featuring cake and games) — voluntarily staying after school on a Friday — was insanely committed, but genuinely the highlight of my week during GCSEs, even though I hated the subject! So musically talented, he is hugely unassuming and that is what makes him both a wonderful mentor, teacher and person. I could not have been more fortunate than be placed in his form, and have made a friend for life.” (Millie) “In his Junior Latin classes, we would always find ways of irritating each other, only for him to be the one teacher in the Sixth Form I could turn to for anything. He was a teacher who would never give up on any of his students.” (Simeon) So we raise a glass — but a glass of what? I’ll suggest googling ‘Latin jokes, martinus’! Here’s to a happy retirement with many happy memories of Bablake and friendships made with staff and pupils to take with you — a time, I hope, of freedom, adventure and wellbeing. God bless you!
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Miss Jayne Simmons (Physics) Mr Trevor Hyde Prior to joining the teaching staff in September 2007, Jayne studied Chemical Physics at the University of Bristol graduating with joint honours, which was no surprise to those of the staff that had taught her during her time as a student at Bablake. Her unwavering drive and enthusiasm soon became apparent to all in the Science departments, as she very quickly became immersed in all aspects of school life. Jayne was very successful as a Shell Form tutor and then later as a Sixth Form tutor, where her encouragement of her charges played a large part in their frequent choice of science as a future career. Her tireless enthusiasm for the House system as Head of Wheatley has kept the other House Heads on their toes and has made her an inspiring role model for pupils in Wheatley, whom she has left as winners of the 2016/17 trophy. Jayne has always supported the wider life of the school, running the swimming club and supporting numerous Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, while also responsible for the Bronze award. While her work trying to turn Mr Hobday into a 21st century man must be considered work in progress still, she most definitely succeeded in training the rest of the Physics department in the use of the Virtual Learning Environment. She will probably be missed most by the mice that have set up home in the Physics department office, relishing the various items of food stashed in the drawers of her desk, though she was unimpressed when they ate the toes off her leather shoes one weekend. Perhaps it was the knowledge of all the sweets hidden in her desk that led to Mr Hopkins being such a regular visitor to the Physics office? Jayne will always be remembered as a truly dedicated and inspirational teacher at Bablake, and we wish her and Alistair every happiness as they start a new life together in Caistor.
Mr Sam Williams (Design and Technology) Mr Chris West Sam arrived at Bablake straight from Loughborough University, armed just with an Engineering degree, his PGCE, and a quiet enthusiasm for the job at hand. He leaves eight years later as a qualified, well respected and inspiring teacher, with a career ahead of him. During his time in the Design and Technology department, he has led the way for the development of 3D design work using modelling software and 3D printing. He rapidly developed additional workshop skills to supplement his strong
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engineering background, which in turn saw a huge array of varied project work, especially with his Sixth Form groups where he inspired many pupils into Engineering and Product Design at top universities. Sam became instrumental in developing and leading a successful team in the F1 in Schools Challenge where, after several attempts, his teams walked away with an armful of trophies at this year’s regional finals. Team Liberty also enjoyed considerable success at the National Finals in Silverstone, although, for Sam, the highlight was the opportunity to drive a school minibus at speed around the F1 circuit! Outside the department, he became a successful, popular form tutor with Second and Third year groups, including leading several memorable trips to Le Fousseau. In recent years, he also became an indispensable Assistant House Head for Crow, where his organisational skills and calm demeanour were much appreciated by all. He also became an integral part of the Third XI boys’ hockey team where his ‘Waterboy’ duties gave him legendary status in the PE department. Sam leaves us to continue his career at Stowe School, where we wish him well with boarding house duties, extra workshops on weekends and taking on the managerial responsibilities of a hockey team!
Mrs Lucy Ryan (Librarian) Mrs Julie Needham Lucy came to Bablake in 2009 as a volunteer to run the Library Book Club. As a parent herself, she felt pupils were missing out by not having a book club in school and she offered to set one up. Mr Park, Library Co-ordinator at the time, was delighted to take her up on her offer and, from there, we never looked back! She was the obvious choice to take over when Librarian Mrs Pat Thomas was first taken ill and later retired. Lucy fitted in so well, it was as though she had always been here. What made Lucy such a perfect fit for the role? More than anything, it was her genuine love of books, her commitment to passing that on to others and her calm, easy manner in the Library itself. I certainly benefited on many occasions from her calm, reasoned responses to situations. The partnership worked very well and memorably we spent many afternoons
bouncing ideas off each other. As a result, the Library has definitely become a more vibrant place. Lucy also brought a richness of experience with her; a wide experience of the world particularly from her childhood growing up in Kenya and her subsequent travel worldwide — knowledge of which she passed on to pupils and which enhanced everything she did. She is a very accomplished person academically and professionally and, as such, has contributed to the Library on so many levels. To feel you have done something worthwhile in the workplace is something we should all strive and hope for, and certainly Lucy has achieved this through Book Club. Over the years, Lucy had many pupils pass through Book Club and each one has left with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the books they have read, some of them being inspired to lead similar book clubs subsequently themselves. She has also spent many lunchtimes training pupil librarians. It was very touching to read all the heartfelt comments in Lucy’s leaving card from these students. One wrote in her leaving card: ‘Thank you for being an amazing librarian, inspiring others through your love of books. We will all miss you.’ This beautifully sums up Lucy’s contribution to Bablake.
Mr Alistair Hopkins (Deputy Head Academic, English) Mr John Watson Alistair arrived at Bablake in September 2010, having led a very successful English department at Wolverhampton Grammar School. We immediately warmed to him and were impressed by his imagination and calm presence, as well as by his focus on teaching and learning. The fact that Teaching was graded Excellent in our last inspection was testimony to his emphasis on the craft of the classroom and the progress our pupils have made with co-operative learning. Initiatives led by Alistair included Skills Focused Learning, the Academic Sub-committee and the introduction of a Virtual Learning Environment. He bore overall responsibility for our ICT strategy, oversaw the introduction of a school-wide wireless network and was keen to pass on his own expertise to others. He worked with another senior colleague to develop and support middle leaders and devised a new programme for mutual lesson observations. He led a review of the curriculum, including the structure of the school day, and worked especially hard to prepare the school for a new timetable. He was responsible for pupils’ subject options and almost always ensured that they were able to study their preferred choices. He was eager to maintain high standards in his own teaching, forever open to experimenting with new ideas and @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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approaches, and playing a key role in the introduction of English Language A level. His love of his subject is conspicuous, and it is obvious that he thoroughly enjoys working with young people. Outside the classroom, his great enthusiasm for the outdoors meant that he often lent his support to Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, whilst cycling remained his own greatest passion. He contributed to Community Service by accompanying pupils to the RNIB Pears Centre, led the Christian Union and performed House Quiz Master duties. As Deputy Head Academic, a senior manager and leader, Alistair grew considerably in stature. There was no doubting his intellect, and this earned the respect of colleagues, pupils and parents. He is a good listener, and had the humility to apologise where appropriate, whilst also being capable of standing firm! His assemblies and presentations to parents reflected his thoughtful and values-driven approach, and he was prepared to risk an original angle for the sake of meaningful impact. He did not neglect his own professional development, and was thus very well prepared for headship when the opportunity arose. We thank him for his dedicated service to Bablake, and wish him every success as Headmaster of Caistor Grammar School. He will find no mountain passes in Lincolnshire, but we hope he is enjoying cycle-rides through the rolling Wolds!
Miss Samantha Holyman (Chemistry) Dr Patrick Knight Sam joined Bablake’s Chemistry department in September 2011, bringing with her seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm. She was particularly interested in novel approaches towards teaching Chemistry that allowed every pupil to exploit their learning strengths. She was absolutely convinced of the benefits of active learning, especially if this involved practical laboratory work, and loved to generate a busy atmosphere of independent learning in her room. Her promotion of the love of science was not limited to work in the classroom, for she also devoted a considerable amount of her time to leading our Junior Science Club, where dozens of pupils were guided through their Creativity in Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST) Awards. She also relished the challenge of planning and running trips and special events (including our annual Second Year trip to RAF Cosford), cryogenics lectures in Bablake’s Theatre and bringing the Google Expeditions experience to school. Her tireless promotion of active science learning went beyond her pupils and colleagues at Bablake; she was a highly enterprising author of science textbooks, she organised regional Technicians’ Conferences at Bablake, and was a great 20
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advocate of the TeachMeet events, which are a regular evening meeting for teachers to share good practice. During her last two years here, Sam was delighted to be promoted to the position of Junior Science Co-ordinator. In this position, she demonstrated her usual energetic approach and prepared a completely new course for both the Shell and Second Years. We wish her all the best as she begins a new position as Second in Science at Aylesford School in Warwick.
Miss Jodie Kukucska (Food Technology) Mr Trevor Hyde One of the many remarkable things about Jodie was how she often found herself completely outside her comfort zone by agreeing to help on demanding school trips, yet she kept coming back for more! Being from Yorkshire, her local knowledge and translation skills were put to good use on the Second Year trip to Haworth, as was her ability to cater for 40 hungry students at a time; unsurprisingly, she was less happy however about having to share her room with a family of squirrels and the non-tree climbing variety otherwise known as mice. Possibly the lowest point on the many trips she assisted with came on a CCF camp where she found herself subjected to camping wild under a tarpaulin sheet in a forest full of insects with too many legs; things rapidly deteriorated as the heavens opened and the tarpaulin filled with water sagging closer and closer to her face. Convinced any covering would soon burst and drown her in her sleeping bag, at this very low ebb, the thunderous snoring of the other staff present began not two feet away. At this juncture, Jodie came to the wise conclusion that the army life was not for her. Fortunately she recovered, or maybe forgot about these horrors, to then agree to accompany our Second Year pupils to a PGL activity camp in her final term at Bablake. She also helped ensure our students attended the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe with a successful production. Her enthusiasm and passion for all things textiles-related — including supervision of an impressive wall-hanging/tapestry in our Main Hall that celebrates the Bablake experience — ranges from the fusion of electronics and fabrics, through to the rise of ‘Steam Punk’. She is surely the only member of staff to have requested the Physics department make a pair of foldout wings to be incorporated in a surreal outfit fit for ‘Game of Thrones’. This sense of fun and adventurous spirit has endeared her to so many Bablake students, and will be sorely missed. Her sense of humour and Yorkshire common sense will be missed by all those who hail from the correct side of the Pennines and other colleagues.
staffnews
Mr Paul Wilkes (Learning Support and Boys’ PE) Dr Louise Greenway and Mr Rob Burdett Paul joined Bablake in 2014 specifically to support an individual student, but it soon became evident his caring, empathetic nature and experience of specific learning difficulty enabled him to offer knowledgeable support and encouragement to many of the pupils in our care. Calm, approachable and considerate, he supported pupils in the best way possible. As a keen rugby player and sports coach, he quickly became involved in rugby coaching and developing personalised programmes to support students improve their fitness in the gym. In particular, he excelled as part of our 2nd XV’s coaching team, where in his last full half term the boys had a 100% record. His ability to motivate and inspire troubled young people was valued across Bablake, and he gave up his time and energy to accompany them on various trips to ensure that they could participate as fully as their peers. Paul left us to develop his skills within the classroom as a teaching assistant at West Coventry Academy. We wish him every success for the future — he will be an outstanding role model who makes a positive difference to the lives of young people in his care. He has recently become a father and we wish him the very best for this exciting period in his life.
Mr Andrew Field (Art) Mr Paul Cleaver Andrew has covered Mrs Cassell’s maternity leave for the last year and, an accomplished artist in his own right, he threw himself energetically into the life of the Art department and the school, teaching throughout the agerange, coaching our U13 XV and supporting the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Taking over an exam group half way through a year can be quite daunting, but he made a great job of it and certainly contributed to the outstanding results achieved last year. He made an immediate impression with his enthusiasm, energy and passion for teaching. As a keen, able practitioner, he also had excellent technical knowledge, especially in oil painting, to demonstrate to pupils. These skills had been honed by many years of teaching in Abu Dhabi where he forged close links with local artists and galleries.
Keen to engage fully in all aspects of school life, Andrew assisted enthusiastically with art workshops at lunchtimes and after school, as well as supporting our summer visit to Greenwich and the National Portrait gallery and accompanying our Sixth Form artists on a study day at Warwick University.
Miss Katharine Davies (English) Mrs Kate Duke Kathy, an award-winning published author, joined the English team for a year to teach KS3 English and Drama classes. A conscientious, unassuming teacher, Kathy inspired pupils to read voraciously and to write accurately and precisely. Her attention to detail was evident in her comprehensive feedback to her pupils. Her twin passions for drama and creative writing produced impressive performances in the Third Year Shakespeare Festival and she galvanised pupils to write award-winning poetry and short stories in her weekly Creative Writing club. Kathy was a professional, diligent and kind colleague. We wish her all the very best of luck in her next literary project!
Miss Rebecca Kane (Biology) Mrs Lorainne Alexander Rebecca joined Bablake’s Biology department as a trainee teacher on a one-year placement in September 2016. She taught Junior Science, Third Year Biology and Chemistry, and IGCSE and A level Biology. She regularly attended CCF, accompanied our Second Year on its Yorkshire residential and enjoyed enriching our Upper Sixth Form on the River Cottage project alongside Mr Cleaver. Having gained her PGCE with QTS, she has now moved closer to her home town, taking up her first post as a Newly Qualified Teacher in Cheadle Hulme.
We also thank: Ms Alison Lister who taught for one term in the English Department, where she inspired pupils from Shells to L6th, ensuring they benefited from some excellent teaching; Language Assistant Mme Lorelie Rajalu-Poli (French); PGCE students Mr Ajay Bagga (Chemistry) and Mr Sean Ison (Physics); and ICT apprentice Mr Ethan Cox. We are grateful to all these colleagues for their service to the school community and wish them every success and happiness for the future. @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Salvete We welcome the following highlytalented new members of teaching staff to Bablake ... Mrs Hayley Bamforth (Teacher of Food and Nutrition, Charity Co-ordinator) Mrs Bamforth studied Hotel Management with Tourism at Manchester Metropolitan University and subsequently trained as a Food and Nutrition teacher. She joins us from Southam College and has already been appointed Charity Co-ordinator. Dr Tyrone Casey (Teacher of Chemistry) Born in Brisbane, Dr Casey joins us for a year, as a University of Warwick Chemistry graduate who completed his PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at the University of Birmingham in 2013 and his teacher training at the King Edward’s Consortium in 2015. He has worked at King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy as Teacher of Science and, most recently, at the Tudor Grange Academy in Solihull. Mr Nicholas Fontana (Teacher of Classics) Mr Fontana studied Classics at the Universities of Bologna and Warwick and completed his teacher training in Sussex. He is undoubtedly looking forward to enjoying a brief return to his alma mater as part of the Classics department’s visit to Italy this autumn. Mr Simon Roberts (Teacher of Design and Technology) Mr Roberts studied Product Design at the University of Loughborough and spent a placement year at Wellingborough School. He will be involved with CCF, cricket and hockey at Bablake.
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The Wheatleyan 2016/17
Mr Sukki Sahota (Teacher of Chemistry) We are delighted to confirm Mr Sahota’s full-time appointment. Already Head of Bayley House, he originally joined us in September 2015 as a part-time teacher of Chemistry. His interests include cricket and car maintenance. Mr Michael Spencer (Teacher of Physics) Mr Spencer studied Physics and Business Studies at the University of Warwick and joins Bablake from Coventry’s Blue Coat School, where he was Head of Science and Assistant Headteacher. He is a keen musician and will be a key addition to our Digital Learning Group. Mr Ben Wall (Second in English) Mr Wall studied English Literature at Sheffield University, was Second in Department at St Albans School and joins us from Uppingham School, where he was Head of English. He spent three years teaching English in Vietnam and will be involved with Netball and the Duke of Edinburgh award. Mr Andrew Wright (Deputy Head Academic, Teacher of Mathematics) Mr Wright was Assistant Headteacher at John Hampden Grammar School in High Wycombe, where he previously occupied the posts of Head of Mathematics and Director of Learning. Prior to this, he was Head of IT and Timetabler at King Edward VI Aston. A graduate of the University of Wales (Aberystwyth), he studied for his PGCE in Mathematics and PE at the University of Southampton. He is a hockey coach and umpire, has a Mountain Leader certificate and serves as an LA primary school governor.
staffnews
Parul Soni
Cathy Renken
Dan Menashe
Further appointments
Miscellaneous Staff News
The Coventry School Foundation’s Governors have appointed a new Director of Finance and Operations, Mrs Jacqui Hammond to replace former Bursar, Mr Michael Shaw, who left for a post with the Ministry of Defence. Mrs Hammond was currently Head of Finance Business Partnering for the United Church Schools Trust, part of United Learning, a group that comprises 12 independent schools and 45 academies. Whilst this role was both financial and strategic, she has an accountancy background and previous senior posts have been with Surrey Police, the NHS, and School Travel Services (STS).
Mrs Helen Billings once again liaised with the Parents’ Association for various successful initiatives: e.g. Christmas Fayre.
Mr Tom Clayton (PE and Sports Club Apprentice) Mr Clayton joins us from Kenilworth School and Sixth Form. He has an especial interest in rugby and cricket and is a keen member of Kenilworth Wardens CC and Kenilworth RFC. Mrs Susanna Perkins (Music Peripatetic: Bassoon and Piano) Mrs Parul Soni (Afternoon Receptionist) Mrs Soni was Senior Exports Manager at Anand International (based in India) for six years and has a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Advanced Accounting and Auditing) from the University of Saurashtra, a Diploma in Computer Programming and Certificate of Sage Accounts. Senora Isabel Cowell (Spanish Assistant) continues, while Fräulein Carolin Pfennig will also remain at Bablake as German Assistant and Assistant Librarian. Mrs Marilyn Prowse (Chemistry) will kindly be covering maternity leave. New responsibilities Mrs Hayley Bamforth (Charity Co-ordinator) Mrs Rosie Bilsland (Able, Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator) Mrs Jane Brett (Sixth Form Pupil Manager) Mrs Nicola Green (Deputy House Head, Wheatley) Mr Inderpal Kalsi (Junior Science Co-ordinator) Miss Lauren Mullan (Deputy House Head, Crow) Mrs Maria O’Neill (Life Choices and E-Safety Co-ordinator*) Mrs Ceri Rees (EPQ Co-ordinator) Mrs Helen Sawyer (Head of Second Year) Mrs Helen Skilton (Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator) Mrs Lynne Stinton (Pupil Services, Mornings) Miss Laura Watts, (Head of Wheatley House) Mr Andrew Wright (Oxbridge) *Mrs O’Neill assumes full responsibility for Life Choices and will play a greater role in promoting e-safety across Senior and Junior Schools.
Mr Preet Chahal and Mrs Debby Lapworth have completed over 150 Park Runs in total and are both on course to celebrate their own individual centuries in 2017/18. West Midlands Association of Science Education President Ms Sam Holyman, and Mrs Amy Sharkey, led another successful Technicians’ Conference at Bablake. Head of Classics, Mr Dan Menashe is a published author: ‘OCR Classical Civilisation GCSE Route 2: Women in the Ancient World’. Mrs Maria O’Neill hosted the inaugural West Midlands ‘Women in Education’ conference at Bablake. Our PE department arranged very successful Wasps masterclasses: our netballers enjoyed training with South African international netball star, Bongiwe Msomi, while our 1st XV were coached by former Scottish international rugby player Nick de Luca and attended strength and conditioning sessions for the summer led by England Saxon James Gaskell. Mr Andrew Phillips, together with Mr Rob Burdett, Mr Kris Tyas and Messrs Ed Benfield and Fred Bogyor from Bablake Junior School, completed the ‘Three Peaks Challenge’ for the ‘Heart Link Children’s Charity’. Mrs Cathy Renken published a charity colouring book, Coventry’s Medieval Story, with her own illustrations. Miss Jayne Simmons and her tutor group helped raised over £1k for Children in Need and over £500 for Myton Hospice with Bablake’s first ‘Colouring Book’. Following her role in Sister Act, Mrs Alison Tumber, swapped her traditional 6am to midnight working day for the relative ease of the more traditional ‘9 to 5’ in Solihull’s St Augustine’s Musical Theatre Company production. As is now traditional, Wheatleyan editor Mr Mark Woodward supported ‘Movember’, and then converted this facial foliage into ‘Decem-beard’. Thank you to the teaching and support staff who hosted Charity Breakfasts across the year, and supported individual causes such as the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust Fundraising Night Walk. Former Staff News Update
Weddings
Spotted back at Bablake: Mr Ian Appleby, former Head of English, directing A Rainbow Cinderella.
Mrs Alexandria Hargreaves (formerly Hingley) Mrs Amy Sharkey (formerly Hardie)
Mr Martin Barker, former Vice Principal, recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
New Arrivals
Former Director of Drama, Mr David Prescott, received an ‘Education Awards Lifetime Achievement’ honour.
Mrs Alison Learmont-Henry and Mr Ben Wall
Mr Mark Warner, former Head of Art, continues to have his work displayed in galleries in Shropshire and Wales, and is hosting Painting Weekends in France during the school holidays. @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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In good
health!
meet the team: an interview with Bablake’s nurses by Harriet Rowlands and Baht-Ammi Francis
“I love the positive energy young people show daily.”
Mrs Weatherall (left) and Mrs Edney
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meettheteam
The professional expertise and enthusiasm of various teams who, behind the scenes, offer such outstanding support to our academic staff and pupils, ensure Bablake runs so successfully and smoothly. This year, we turn the focus on our Nurses, Mrs Amanda Edney and Mrs Amanda Weatherall, who will be moving to a fantastic modern Medical Centre during the Autumn Term.
We would like to start with you telling us an interesting fact about yourselves! Mrs Edney: “As suits my role promoting good health, I make sure I attend the gym five times a week.” Mrs Weatherall: “I don’t know whether people will remember a 90s fly-on-the-wall documentary Jimmy’s set in Leeds. I was filmed a few times on that, when I was working at St James’ University Hospital in the A and E department.” We should ask our ICT technicians to find the footage! How long have you been working together? Mrs Edney: “Just over a year — I was at Warwick School for seven years before coming to Bablake.” Mrs Weatherall: “Yes, it’s been a year, although we trained together originally and have kept in touch over the years!” Bablake is correctly always proud of its excellent pastoral care. As nurses, you play a crucial role in this service, but which staff support you here? Mrs Weatherall: “We work closely, sensitively and confidentially with Deputy Head Pastoral Mrs Gill Press, all our Year Heads, Chaplain Reverend Slavic and the office staff.” Did you both always want to work in a school environment? Mrs Edney: “I enjoy spending time with young people and having three children of my own has helped me greatly in understanding the needs of the different age ranges. I love the positive energy young people show daily.” Mrs Weatherall: “After working in the NHS, specializing in A and E, I was ready for a new challenge, and, since I had a young family, the attraction of school holidays and not working every weekend or on shifts was very appealing!” What is the most rewarding part of your job? Mrs Weatherall: “That is definitely working with our students, helping them with any problem and ensuring their time in school is as healthy and happy as possible. Seeing them start as hesitant Shells and leave as confident, happy young adults is amazing.” Mrs Edney: “That rings true — listening to students, creating a rapport and building a trusting relationship with them are definitely the most rewarding aspects of my work.”
What is the one occasion that stands out most from your time at Bablake? Mrs Edney: “I have probably not been here long enough to answer this, but I can say school life anywhere is never boring and young people always have a wonderful way of entertaining you.” Mrs Weatherall: “Definitely! I remember calling for an ambulance one day and the emergency services sent an air ambulance instead which had to land on our field in front of the school… during the lunch break and with no warning. That was certainly a surprise for our duty staff! Fortunately, the pupil concerned did not need to be airlifted and the rest of the school had the excitement of seeing the helicopter land and take off safely.” Did you always want to work in nursing? Mrs Weatherall: “Yes, I always did and I have had the good fortune to enjoy the whole of my career in this profession. Working in many different areas has kept my enjoyment fresh too. I have been at Bablake for 12 years now and really enjoy working with such a great group of colleagues and lovely students. Mrs Edney: “This has definitely been the right career for me, and that was confirmed when I chose to return to nursing full-time once my children were at school all day.” Would you like to say anything else about Bablake or to our pupils? Mrs Weatherall: “We have ‘an open door’, so even if you feel a concern is not necessarily medical, please come and see if we can help you.” Mrs Edney: “Yes, please do! I have only been at Bablake a year, but have been made very welcome at such a lovely school.” Thank you! We speak for all the students (and staff), when we say how much we value your genuine care for us, your worldly wisdom, tremendous sense of humour and excellent support during our time at Bablake.
Footnote! If there is another Bablake team you would like to see featured in a future edition, please let us know!
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Beyond the Classroom Edited by Alexandra Hamilton, Ria Patel and Julian Wreford
Our editors for this section always have an impossible task to condense the array of outstanding achievements and exciting experiences on offer beyond the classroom into a few pages; their material could have filled the whole edition a few times over. They present a rich flavour of another outstanding year for Bablake’s community.
Alexandra Hamilton
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Ria Patel
Julian Wreford
nationalleaders
National
leaders
While engineering has no official dedicated presence in the current GCSE/A level curriculum, many of our subjects teach aspects or skills related to this creative, exciting profession. This year, Bablake students excelled nationally in three prestigious engineering competitions. Julian Wreford reports on these successes.
Aerospace Challenge Harry Loud and teammates Sam Cranage and Lantian Pinkney beat strong competition from across the UK to win the 2016 Schools Aerospace Challenge. After submitting a design portfolio for a new aircraft and engine using sabre technology, the team attended a week’s residential at Cranfield University, where it undertook many group challenges and problem-solving exercises. As one of three finalists, ‘Team Aerospike’ then delivered an impressive presentation to industry experts at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London and were announced as national winners. F1 in Schools The F1 in Schools competition has drawn increased interest every year among our GCSE and A level pupils and this year we entered three teams: Atomic Force, Falcons and Liberty F1. Max Harrison, who reached the national final at Silverstone with Liberty F1, offers his insight into the experience: “Since the competition tests engineering and business, we split our team according to these demands and our strengths. Harry Loud (design engineer), who sourced our sponsor
Liberty, and George Evans (manufacturing) took care of the technical side, while Ellis Cutler (graphic design), Amrit Gill (entrepreneur) and myself (team leader) covered the business needs. Amrit and I handled the time management, finances and marketing, while Ellis oversaw our aesthetics and produced some fantastic initial sketches of potential car designs. George and Harry’s technical excellence paid off at the regional final, since we won several awards including Best Engineered Car and Fastest Car. In fact we qualified for the national final as regional winner where we took a redesigned car and vastly improved marketing portfolios to pit ourselves against some of the UK’s most promising future engineers. We came 10th from more than 20 regional winners across the country, and were named as one of the Top 3 teams in the Sponsorship and Marketing category. Despite the disappointment of missing the World Finals in Kuala Lumpur, the two day UK final and whole experience were inspirational in so many ways.” Succeeding on a national platform, while balancing the pressures of the final stages of the GCSE courses, is an achievement Liberty F1 should feel very proud of, and we thank the team’s sponsors for such excellent support.
Engineering Education Scheme (EES) Our long established partnership with ARUP reached new levels this year when our Engineering Education Scheme team failed narrowly to reach the national final, after being one of just four teams chosen at the regional final to present its project in a ‘semi-final’. The team of four Lower Sixth students, Lucie Barnes, Tommy Knight, Abilan Vijayaratnam and Luke Wyman received a brief in October to present a solution to relieve flooding and traffic congestion in the small village of Little Hadham. After six months, the team produced a 40-page technical report, a working scale model and a 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) model of its solutions; they then also delivered several presentations to panels of industry professionals. The experience gave the team an insight into the working world as they worked closely with two ARUP engineers. They gained a particular understanding of the many considerations that influence a real life project and the teamwork skills required to produce a final professional report. Throughout the process, our students made an excellent impression at ARUP, and Environment Agency technical advisor Mr Steven Whipp was delighted with their work, even attending the regional final to meet the team.
... at the regional final, we won several awards including Best Engineered Car and Fastest Car.
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Charity
highlights
The amount of money raised annually for charity by the Bablake community is always a significant sum. Charity Prefect Krina Mistry files her annual report.
22,794
£
Bablake regularly raises £20k plus for charity and 2016/17 was no different with a final total of £22,794. Every year sees pupils adopt a different priority and this time one of our Charity Enterprise groups focused on raising funds for ‘Blake’, Bablake’s sponsored guide dog. The group arranged numerous cake sales and made handmade Christmas tree decorations to sell at our annual Christmas Fayre. At Easter, they enlisted support from our Junior School and two Sixth Form students ran an egg decorating competition. The success of this fundraising means we expect to sponsor another guide dog next year. We continued to support a broad range of local, national and global charities — such as the British Heart Foundation, Cameron Grant Memorial Trust, CRY, our South African partner school Harrismith, PETA, RNIB and Zoe’s Place — and once again we hosted two Senior Citizens parties for local pensioners. The Sixth Form raised close to £1k at our Macmillan Cancer Support’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning and this has become a key event on our annual charity calendar. The Sikh and Hindu Society’s Diwali Concert helped buy blankets and provisions for local rough sleepers, while our Feminist Society once again supported Coventry Comfort Carers. We thank pupils, parents and staff for such phenomenal support with our fundraising. This altruism really does make a difference and help the wider community.
Fundraiser for Myton Hospice
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charityreport
Going it
alone Scaling Mont Blanc
There is an undeniable sense of pride in planning and completing charity events. It is a major strength of the school community that so many events take place each year to help local, national and international charities writes alexandra hamilton. In 2016/17, a large number of pupils assisted with group fundraising but also completed individual challenges. Amongst those were the following: • Aiden and Kieran Thomas completed a skydive to raise funds for ‘Zoe’s Place’. • Lauren Cox hosted a very successful quiz evening for Harrismith and acting proactively towards making a positive change. • Ed Guest completed a 75 mile off-road London to Brighton cycle in just over 9 hours, with his father, for ‘Keep the Beat’ and ‘British Heart Foundation’, charities that assist those with heart conditions. • Cameron Park was part of a 5 person team that cycled for 4 days from London to Amsterdam to raise money for the Mary Ann Evans Hospice in Nuneaton. I completed my own charity challenge too last summer spending a week with a friend mountaineering in the Chamonix Valley, France. Our
aim was to reach the summit of Mont Blanc and raise £1500 for The Stroke Association. Inevitably a personal connection with the charity made our challenge even more significant and, despite being a seasoned attendee of school hockey training, I can state I have never encountered something so physically and mentally tiring than the summit attempt! Looking up at the rest of the mountain left to climb weighed heavily on one’s tenacity, never mind avoiding crevices and snowfall from overhead. I reached a point where I could not decide whether I would rather be tired or fearful, as exhaustion numbed any realisation of the risks I was exposed to. At the end of the week I had achieved much more than I set out to, as I was pushed out of my comfort zone daily. It was, however, an indescribable experience I would strongly recommend and, knowing we had reached a financial target, that would impact positively on other people’s lives, was such a great feeling.
Looking up at the rest of the mountain left to climb weighed heavily on one’s tenacity, never mind avoiding crevices and snowfall from overhead.
Ed Guest on his way to Brighton
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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A
Rainbow Cinderella
After months of rehearsals led by director Mr Ian Appleby and producer Mrs Helen Skilton, with support from Mr Malcolm Wyatt (Theatre and Events Technician), a talented cast performed A Rainbow Cinderella to a packed EDM audience.
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charityreport
“Money raised by this production was so appreciated by the Harrismith learners.� Mrs Helen Skilton
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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going places
United Kingdom (Nesscliffe, Swynnerton and Wathgill, Snowdonia, Peak District, Shropshire, Yorkshire)
Everyone agrees school trips, whether day trips or residentials in the UK and abroad, provide lifechanging experiences and amazing memories. Once again in 2016/17, many Bablake pupils had the opportunity to expand their horizons. We present a graphic portrayal of some of the overnight trips on offer and Joshua Lowe offers insight into the packed schedule he faced on his trip to Madrid. The schedule for our ‘city break’ to Madrid was exhausting, but exciting! An early flight to the capital allowed us the chance to enjoy a Spanish lunch, some Metro hopping and a tour of the city zoo on our first day. Visits then ensued to the famous Sunday El Rastro market, the Warner Brothers theme park and Bernabeu stadium, home to Real Madrid FC, where we even had the chance to sit in the dugouts where so many famous players and managers have sat. We tasted the café culture around Puerta del Sol before heading to the Royal Palace. A tour of Las Ventas, Madrid’s bull ring and visit to El Prado museum, a famous art gallery, completed our cultural feast. There was time for a final meal — at the Hard Rock Café — and we successfully negotiated a political demonstration to reach the airport in time for our return flight! Joshua Lowe
madrid, spain (Modern Languages) 32
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globaltravels
Opal Coast, France (Modern Languages)
cologne, germany (Modern Languages)
passo tonale, italy (Ski Trip)
greece (Classics)
harrismith, south africa (Cultural Exchange)
Sri Lanka (Cricket and Hockey Tour) @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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c0-curricularactivity
As well as looking at photography through the ages and how it has been interpreted, we have taken photographs and then learnt how to process them.
Co-curricular snapshot! I asked a few pupils to talk about some of the more recent clubs to be added to the impressive range of societies available. The Headmaster has always told us whatever our interests are there is likely to be a club to join, or, if it does not exist, we should start one, thereby gaining excellent transferable skills in the process! Shell former Alyssa Lane, who took the Head at his word and set up a Cat Society, explained how the club came about: “I have my parents to thank for the idea about starting Bablake’s Cat Society. They used to joke about my love of cats and say I should set up a club for it. I knew they were not being totally serious, but thought it would actually be an interesting idea and we could raise money for various cat shelters and related charities. So it took off from there! We hosted a successful bake sale last year, raising money for the Cats Protection League. It has been great to see a small group of people meet and talk about helping animals in need. Cat Society is not just for cat lovers either as we had people come and help with fundraising as they really enjoy organising charity events. We have learnt many business skills thanks to Mrs O’Neill who has helped us hold meetings, plan events and research various shelters and charities. I have really enjoyed seeing meetings grow busier and busier and it has been great to 34
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Previous Wheatleyans have stressed the many benefits of being involved in co-curricular activities — most particularly not only do you gain the opportunity to develop your own interests and talents, but if you try lots of new things, inevitably you will enjoy new experiences and make new friendships, writes Julian Wreford. know we have helped cats and kittens in need.” Rebecca Asbury, who attended a Book Club — run by Mrs Ryan and Sixth Formers — during the Third year, said: “Since being invited to Book Club, my thirst for reading has been revitalised. With the amount of school work I was receiving, I was struggling to find time for my own reading, but going to this club has given me the excuse to do so as we select a book to read and then discuss at the next meeting. I have really enjoyed the discussions, and the range of books — often written in a different genre or era — has introduced me to authors and novels I might not have chosen before, such as Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, George Orwell’s 1984, and my personal favourite Stephen King’s Misery. One of Rebecca’s peers, Namuun Batkhishig, has really enjoyed Art teacher Miss Brandrick’s Darkroom Photography club every Tuesday lunchtime: “As well as
looking at photography through the ages and how it has been interpreted, we have taken photographs and then learnt how to process them. Sometimes we have used projectors to transfer an image or pattern onto photosensitive paper, exposing this to the correct chemicals to process the image. At other times, we have used pinhole cameras to see how photographs were taken before the modern age of camera technology, and then investigated how contemporary photographers and artists have taken this old practice and incorporated it into their own, innovative artwork. Every session there was something new to learn, something new to experience and something new to create. I did not have much of an interest in photography before, but attending the club has really opened my eyes. In fact, the club combines art, history and science all in one, which is brilliant.”
academic extension Recently appointed Junior Science co-ordinator Mr Inderpal Kalsi reports on the excellent extension work our students undertook at the end of their Lower Sixth year en route to a Gold CREST award.
The Gold CREST award allows students to conduct real research, which is usually a long-term project that requires around 70 hours’ work. At this level, these projects should contribute something new to the scientific or technological community, or to a particular field of study. 22 of our Lower Sixth students, over a fifth of the year group, completed a Gold CREST placement this summer. The majority completed this at the University of Warwick, but a small number went to universities such as Coventry University, Imperial College, London and the University of Nottingham. They then produced a written report and student profile which are both externally assessed. Securing placements can be very challenging, but we have always had excellent support from the University of Warwick, in particular the Chemistry Department. I accompanied a group for two weeks who were working with Dr Andrew Marsh at this university on a fascinating project entitled ‘Mobilising Communities for Health through Gels and Craft-y Marbling’, where they explored different ways to make gels, such as using sodium alginate, and then helped deliver a community workshop at FabLab in Coventry. A small group of students were interested in learning about X-ray crystallography and we were fortunate that Dr Guy Clarkson provided us with an opportunity to visit the X-ray suite at Warwick. Dr Clarkson demonstrated how the instrument worked and then showed how to select a crystal and place it on the probe in the machine. The students viewed crystals under a powerful microscope and were given a brief lesson about crystallography and drugs. Jakevir Shoker was particularly enthusiastic about his project: ‘My group completed its Gold CREST under supervision from Professors Haddleton and Perrier at Warwick. The award allowed us to explore in greater depth an area outside our A level syllabus that we found interesting, and we also gained an insight into cutting edge academic research. We wanted to learn more about polymers, the mechanisms that create them and their application. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience, carrying out undergraduate level laboratory experiments, using a variety of different analytical
I loved working independently outside the classroom and working with science for pure fun instead of for exams machines ranging from NMR machines to X-ray crystallography machines. All of the undergrads and professors we met were incredibly friendly and always happy to help explain new concepts to us. We thank Professors Haddleton and Perrier for giving us this incredible opportunity.’ Krina Mistry, who completed her Gold CREST placement at Imperial College, said: ‘The knowledge and new information I have received from my placement have been truly fascinating, and it has encouraged me to try out challenging tasks and to take calculated risks in life, to achieve the best possible outcome with my work. The skills and knowledge I have gained will definitely help me in the future, as I want to pursue a science-related career.’ Anna Elkins completed her placement at the University of Nottingham saying, ‘I have thoroughly enjoyed the project. Not only have I found it interesting, but it has also made me appreciate the time, effort and work that goes into scientific research. Seeing firsthand the importance of research and how it relates to everyday life was really inspiring. I never understood the importance of working in sterile conditions and the precautions needed, e.g. washing hands every time you leave or enter a lab, using different pipette tips constantly, disposing of waste properly and using the burner. I will take this all into my A level practicals, especially the importance of precision and disinfection! I loved working independently outside the classroom and working with science for pure fun instead of for exams. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience.’ The students are always full of excitement after their placements and, as you can gauge, always gain many valuable skills, while the academics who have worked with them often report back on how impressed they have been with the students. We extend our thanks to everyone who assisted our students with their projects offering such excellent opportunities for academic extension. Of course, the process starts again in January with our new Lower Sixth students emailing academics to secure a summer placement! @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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House Activities 2016/17 A literary and visual compilation of the House year, collated by Ria Patel.
Bayley House Officials Staff Mr Sukki Sahota (Head) Mr Clive Mohamed (Assistant) Captains Nikita Emrmolenko, Georgia Kelsey
The Value of Time James Sawyer and Ria Patel Our Sixth Form students often lead our House assemblies. The following script — delivered near the exam season — is an excellent example. Ria: “James and I each conducted an experiment with identical volume containers and the same quantities of ping pong balls, gravel and sugar. We loaded our containers in a different order.” James: “I started with the ping pong balls, then the gravel and finally the sugar.” Ria: “I put the sugar in first, then the gravel and finally the 36
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ping pong balls.” James: “As you can see, I managed to fit everything into my container, but Ria ran out of space and could not fit all the orange balls in her container.” Ria: “So, you may be wondering what the point of this experiment was!” James: “The containers represent our lives and the orange ping pong balls are the really important things in our lives: our family, friends, health and passions.” Ria: “The gravel represents the other important things in our lives: maybe our jobs, hobbies and home.” James: “The sugar represents everything else, all the small things that are not vital for success in life or worth stressing about: for example, social media, video games or fake friends.”
houseactivities
Ria: “Everything fits into the container, if it is put in the right order. If you put the sugar in first, then the gravel, you will not have room for all the orange balls. The same is true in life; if you put all your energy into the small things that are not really so important, then you will not have the time or energy for the things that mean more, namely your passions, health or relationships with the people in your life.” James: “We must pay attention to the things that are critical to our happiness, because everything else is just sugar.” Ria: “So, what can you take from this experiment?’ James: “We all lead busy lives, especially at this time of year when we have to revise for external exams or summer exams. We would all probably rather be spending our time on social media, watching TV or just chilling!” Ria: “But now is the time to take this message really on board
and prioritise. Revising is important, especially as success in exams may help us achieve our ambition, but it is also important to spend time with our friends and family to relax.” James: “We need to fit the small, unimportant stuff around the priorities and use our time wisely, especially over the next few weeks when all of us at school have exams to prepare for. Some of us are studying for internal exams, others for external ones which could help achieve future ambitions.” At this juncture, James and Ria introduced a video on the Value of Time. James: “We all have one life to live and we can accomplish anything we want, if we use our time wisely and prioritise the important things in life.” @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Crow
House Officials
Photography Competition Mr Andrew Phillips
Staff Mr Andrew Phillips (Head) Mr Sam Williams (Assistant) Captains Minnie Klesnik-Edwards Jasmine Shankster-East
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“How many photos have you taken today? How many images do you have stored on your mobile phone? Across the world we post a staggering 1.8 billion photos each day to social media! We all like to think of ourselves as ‘photographers’ and with the advances in mobile phone cameras and compact cameras, there is less of a need for expensive DSLRs to capture stunning images. The House Photography competition is always one of the most keenly contested events in the House calendar with over 80 applicants this year. These entries were then
houseactivities
House Photography ‘Nature’ Runner Up by Rhea Upadhyay
whittled down by the House Heads before being submitted in either the ‘Light’ or ‘Nature’ categories. Mrs Tracy Mair, Reprographics Technician and a keen photographer herself, kindly judged the competition and was tasked with looking for originality, good composition, correct exposure and something that evokes emotion. After much thought and consideration, the images judged best in each category were revealed, and some of this year’s top entries are featured across this issue’s coverage of Bablake’s House system.”
“We all like to think of ourselves as photographers ...” Mr Andrew Phillips
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Fairfax “I really enjoy the competitive element, trying to finish in first place in all events and win the House trophy.” Mr Inderpal Kalsi
House Officials
What I enjoy as House Head Mr Inderpal Kalsi
Staff Mr Inderpal Kalsi (Head) Mrs Jo MacGibbon (Assistant) Captains Georgina Owen, Aaron Tang
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“One of the most exciting parts of being a House Head is turning up to lots of events and forming new relationships outside the classroom. You get to know the pupils in a different context and see another side to them. It is great being able to motivate the pupils to take part in House events and encourage those who are shy or lack a little confidence to take part. It is certainly easy to get a team together for an event by talking to the pupils around school or when walking past them in the corridor. Having a good relationship with the pupils is crucial for a successful House and the role of
houseactivities
House Photography ‘Light’ Runner Up by Thomas Taylor
House Head allows you to achieve this. It also helps you build a strong relationship with the House officials who support with key events such as our Cultural Events (House Debating, Drama and Music), Shell Olympics and Sports Day. House Captains often take the lead in these events, helping with the planning, organisation and delivery. They attend the events and show their support for the younger pupils which is highly appreciated by everyone. I really enjoy the competitive element, trying to finish in first place in all events and win the House trophy. We often say it is the taking part that is important, but trust me all the House Heads also have one eye on the trophy. Fairfax and Wheatley have won it the most times and the pressure is on to keep the trend going! My spies in Bayley House tell me Mr Sahota mentions weekly how keen he is to beat Fairfax, so
my competitive nature is clearly contagious! At our weekly House Heads meeting, many important discussions take place to ensure the House system runs smoothly. Our current focus is to increase the number of events which are not sports related and we have come up with a few suggestions such as a House Pumpkin Carving competition and Christmas Card competition for 2017/18. We actively monitor House events, removing those which seem to capture least interest and increasing the number of year groups involved with the most popular activities.”
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Wheatley Wheatley wins the 2016-17 House Trophy 1st Wheatley 2nd Bayley 3rd Fairfax 4th Crow
House Officials
Wheatley wins the House Trophy! Miss Jayne Simmons
Staff Miss Jayne Simmons (Head) Miss Laura Watts (Assistant) Captains Lantian Pinkney, Vikesh Puri, Aanysha Sehmar, Claudia Youakim.
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Wheatley has really excelled itself this year. With the introduction of the ‘half-termly points tally’ on the digital screens around the school, it was clear to see from the start that we were forging ahead. In fact, Wheatley gained the most points in five of the six House ‘half terms’. One of my particular highlights was the delicious food students produced for the ‘Ready, Steady, Cook competitions’ — which in turn inspired wins for our outstanding ‘Bread and Cake Bakes’ at the first ever ‘Great Bablake Bake Off’. The energy and competitive spirit shown in our Senior hockey competitions are always a highlight, and it was great
houseactivities
House Photography ‘Nature’ Winner by Deepra Sinha
to see us retain our chess title yet again — much to Mr Kalsi’s chagrin! #4YearsRunning This year’s Cultural Event was the House Music Festival (now officially a competition), my favourite House event. Producing songs and dances to celebrate those artists who died in 2016, Wheatley’s students were all outstanding, notably winning the Best Choreography category. Their halfhour performance highlighted why we do so well as a house — the commitment, enthusiasm and passion of Wheatley’s students across the course of the whole year allowed us to claim the 2016-17 House Trophy. The Wheatley spirit and camaraderie have made my role as House Head an absolute joy.
House Photography ‘Light’ Winner by Ellie Edmiston
“I will miss you all – moosey, moosey!” Miss Jayne Simmons
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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The Sciences or The Arts? Many hours have been spent discussing whether it is the Sciences or the Arts that are more important for pupils choosing their GCSE or A level options and the progress of our society in general! Ria Patel and Julian Wreford each look to solve this dilemma by setting the case for one side of the discussion.
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talkingpoint
“... it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.” Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple Inc
The Case for The Sciences
The Case for The Arts
Julian Wreford
Ria Patel
“Computers, electricity, phones, almost all transport… none of these would exist without the science subjects leading the way. There can be little doubt our changing society is being driven by the advances in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. Imagine how different our world would be without the contributions from Neil Armstrong, Thomas Edison, Isaac Newton and so many others like them! We would still believe the earth is flat, the stars are unattainable and phones would be a figment of a crazy inventor’s imagination. Without the technological innovation that has come from the advance of science over the last centuries, we would still be in the age of darkness, disease and famine. While the arts represent an inward look at humanities, we should be spending our time looking out into something more beautiful than any human can create. A masterful wordsmith or an ingenious poet cannot compete with the wonder of the universe itself that is almost beyond comprehension. It can only be viewed and appreciated through a scientific lens when we want to examine the workings of the universe itself. Science is the foundation we have built our modern lives upon. The illustrious Stephen Hawking once said: ‘Scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge’. For this reason alone, I argue the arts will never protect and develop our hopes for the future as powerfully as science will do.”
“The foundations of science stem from the arts themselves. Without the arts, the world would be extremely uninspiring and insipid, as there would be no sense of culture; the arts provide us with windows to the past and thus continually shape our society and future. People are still inspired by the Sistine Chapel hundreds of years after it was completed, they queue for hours not to admire the work of the engineers but to admire its art. Science may be the basis for many physical aspects on this earth, but the arts determine the nature of the people living here, determining who we are. They have been a fundamental part of science throughout history, acting as an embodiment of innovation. Before Darwin was branded as an acclaimed scientist, he was an explorer and an artist who painted incredible depictions of what he discovered on his adventures. His theory of evolution could not have been proposed, without his flair, creativity and imagination — all qualities enhanced by studying the arts. These creative attributes are still highly sought after and in fact many employers actively encourage applications from those with a humanities background, because they not only possess creativity, but a whole host of other attributes such as analytical skills, good communication and the ability to write or negotiate cogently and coherently. This argument is summarised in the words of the historian and engineer, Eugene S. Ferguson: ‘Society is where it is today because people had the perception, the images and the imagination, and the creativity that the Arts provide, to make the world the place we live in today.’”
The Verdict! In conclusion, we can clearly see both the sciences and the arts are important in their own ways, and there are advantages to studying both. In our modern-day society, it is becoming clearer that science, technology, engineering, and the arts are at their most powerful when actually integrated. And there are so many examples that demonstrate the power of this integration: e.g. architecture, clothes production, fashion, medicine and the music industry. Therefore, we should aim to incorporate a balance of the arts and science in our education system as both are as equally important as each other. There is much promotion of STEM activities, but really STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) skills are the key to our successful, future development. James Dyson, a classicist at A level and now a widely respected innovative engineer, would endorse the thoughts of ‘Apple inc’ founder Steve Jobs who said: ‘It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough — it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.’
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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‘Exotic Birds’ by Claudia Youakim. 46
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F lair
art&design
Art & Design
Edited by Isabel Harris and Rachel Worthington
The creative work produced by Bablake’s pupils never fails to impress and we are sure you will be very impressed with the highlights presented in ‘Flair’.
Editors Isabel Harris and Rachel Worthington asked Head of Art Mr Paul Cleaver for his Top 10 breathtaking places to visit if you want to stimulate your artistic muse. Here is his list (in no particular order): Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey — great church of the Byzantine capital Constantinople. Le Portail de la Vierge, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France. Totem poles of Haida Gwaii/Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada.
Isabel Harris
Nazca Lines, pre-Columbian geoglyphs etched into desert sands, Southern Peru. The Rock Garden of Chandigarh, India — created by artist Nek Chand. The Election Series, Sir John Soane’s Museum, London — 18th century paintings by William Hogarth. The Adoration of the Lamb, 15th century Ghent Altarpiece, St Bavo’s Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium, by Hubert and Jan van Eyck. The Last Tuesday Society, Viktor Wynd’s Museum of Curiosities, London. Mezquita Cathedral de Córdoba, Andalucia, Southern Spain, arguably the most important monument of the whole Western Islamic world.
Rachel Worthington
Kilpech Church, Herefordshire, a jewel and one of England’s most perfect Norman village churches. See www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for the latest travel advice by country including safety and security, entry requirements, travel warnings and health tips.
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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youngart
Animation
“‘Let’s Animate’ founder Gemma Foy taught some of our Shell and Second year pupils how to master the basics of animation. After creating a basic storyboard, they built their plasticine characters and props; they then filmed a short sequence of action and added some audio files. One pupil, Harry Scott-Burt, described the workshop as his ‘best day yet’ at Bablake. Gemma — who had been inspired by Aardman’s Wallace and Gromit to study animation and eventually work for Ragdoll Productions, creators of Teletubbies and The Night Garden — was delighted with our pupils’ imagination and technical skills, praised their craft on her social media platforms and published an official showreel of their work. The imagination and energy shown by our pupils was very rewarding, and they clearly relished the freedom to express their creativity.” Rachel Worthington
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In t he darkroom “Miss Robyn Brandrick’s Darkroom Photography Club inspires budding young photographers. This year, pupils learnt a variety of photographic techniques, including producing photograms — photographic images made without a camera — via cyanotypes, a photographic printing process that produces a cyanblue print. To make a photogram, objects were placed on top of light-sensitive paper and then exposed to a timed light. The paper was then submerged in special chemicals to develop the photo. In the final image, the area where the object was placed always stays white, as the light is blocked out by the object. Botanist Anna Atkins is often considered the first person to publish a book illustrated with photographic images, as she used this process which stayed in vogue well into the 20th century as a simple, relatively low-cost method of producing copies of drawings, referred to as blueprints.” Isabel Harris
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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examsshowcase
G CSE
4
A selection of our pupils’ GCSE art and textiles work, which was on display at our annual Art and Design Technology exhibition, chosen by Isabel Harris and Rachel Worthington.
Artwork by: 1. Ashleigh Stonier 2. Niveetha Sivaruban 3. Beth Elford 4. Ayesha Riaz 5. Dannisha Patel 6. Isabel Hillyer 1
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3
Artwork by: 1. Megan Rose 2. Ellis Cutler 3. Edelle Pyke (Textiles) 4. Gurpreet Sahota 5. Xander Bennett 6. Tess Lillicrapp 7. Stephanie Ashton 8. Molly Harkin 1
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@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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examsshowcase
A level
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Selection by Isabel Harris and Rachel Worthington. The A level Art portfolios, on display at our annual Art and Design Technology exhibition, once again were outstanding.
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Artwork by: 1. Georgia Kelsey 2. Harriet Rowlands 3-6. Eavey Laws 7. Grace Jastrzebski 8. Minnie Klesnik-Edwards 9. Rachel Worthington 10. Ruth Truslove 11. Claudia Youakim 12. Mollie O’Sullivan
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@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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designtechnology
DT
1
Design Technology/Food Preparation and Nutrition “Significant changes in the Bablake creative world took place this year as Design and Technology and Food Technology merged to form a new design hub. In addition to this exciting change, there was a new syllabus to be introduced in Food taking the subject into new areas and interests. It was the final year of the long established and enjoyed GCSE Textiles, as well as a farewell to two key members of teaching staff, Miss Kukucska and Mr Williams. We also said goodbye to two machines installed in 1966, as they came to the end of their working lives and the school invested in a new metal lathe. In the Food area, there was significant investment in a state-of-the-art blast chiller to welcome the new syllabus and help adapt with the new 50 minute lessons. In the workshops and kitchen areas, there was the usual array of quality projects at all exam levels, with the highlight being Harry Loud and his 4 axis computer-controlled foam cutter – an amazing moment for all who witnessed it at work. Harry won the award for best GCSE Project at the Coventry Schools Rotary Club DT exhibition and was also awarded a prestigious Arkwright Scholarship along with Rob Tyas — congratulations to both pupils. Mr Williams and his F1 in Schools team showed persistence pays off by winning 5 different awards at the regional finals before going to the National Finals at Silverstone. Our workshops were also adopted by the Lower Sixth Engineering Education Scheme team as we enjoyed another successful year linked with sponsors Arup. Our team reached the Young Industry Leaders semi-finals, where they were highly commended. Our annual end of year exhibition drew the usual big crowds, not just because of the outstanding samosas on offer, but thanks to the outstanding range of projects in materials ranging from concrete to fabrics. For 2016/17, we welcome Mrs Hayley Bamforth (Food Preparation and Nutrition) and Mr Simon Roberts (Design and Technology) as the department aims to go from strength to strength. Of course, we continue to post the department’s news regularly via our Twitter feed, @BablakeDT”
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Mr Chris West 4
F1 in Schools trophies won by Bablake pupils
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5
Examination projects by: 1. Georgia Ementon (5th) 2. Abilan Vijayaratnami (L6th) 3. Ellie Herniman (5th) 4. Davinder Sehmi (5th) 5. Matt Needham (L6th) 6. Xander Bennett (5th) 7. Lucie Barnes (L6th) 8. Kieran Thomas (5th) 9. Ashleigh Stonier (5th) 10. Surajan Singh (U6th) 11. Cameron Park (L6th)
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@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Crystal Ball
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Our 12th Crystal Ball, organised excellently once again by the Senior Prefects for our Fifth Year pupils, was enjoyed by all. Student photographers — Charlotte Allitt, Mollie O’Sullivan and Claudia Youakim — produced a fabulous record of the evening, which was posted online at www.facebook.com/CrystalBall2017
celebrations
Leavers’ Ball A pictorial record of the excellent evening enjoyed by our Class of 2010 at Nailcote Hall Hotel, Berkswell, which continues to be a regular venue for our Upper Sixth’s final formal gathering before heading for new, exciting challenges.
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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F lair
Literature & Creative Writing Edited by Harsimran Sansoy and Shamayel Sayeed
Editors’ Creative Writing Competition
Creative writing can be a great outlet for young adults, and in the spirit of this as well as potentially uncovering the next Lauren James*, we are instigating a competition, open to all years.
Simply choose a prompt from below, and write to your heart’s content! Please email your creative piece to Senior Librarian Mrs Needham by March 31st 2018. Either: a) A student discovers they can change history by crossing out and rewriting parts in a textbook. What is the first thing they do, and what consequences does it have? b) In the age of virtual reality, those in prison are made to live out the crimes they have committed from the perspective of their victims. What did your protagonist do, and what do they subsequently experience?
Harsimran Sansoy
*See p102-3 for an interview with YA author and former pupil Lauren James.
or c) As an author, tough decisions have to be made, and beloved characters have to be killed off for the sake of the story. One of your own characters has realised this is the fate that awaits them. How do they react and how do they convince you to let them live?
Guess the extract Can you guess the three books these extracts are taken from?
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Answer
Answers on the right.
a) Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
c) They started at the box, which was closed at the moment — double doors of metal lying flat on the ground, covered in white paint, faded and cracked.
b) Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
b) A heartbeat later, their masters appeared: a troop of hunters in white-and-grey winter camouflage, at least half a dozen. All of them carried bows, with quivers of glowing silver arrows on their backs.
Shamayel Sayeed
c) The Maze Runner by James Dashner
a) ‘Now, I give you fair warning,’ shouted the Queen, stamping on the ground as she spoke; ‘either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time!’
creativewritingclub
Anthology wonderland Many congratulations to two members of Bablake’s Creative Writing Club, Sadie Aspinall (Shell) and Anna Shirley (Second Year), who had their fantastic mini-sagas selected for publication in an anthology, after entering the Young Writers Welcome to Wonderland competition. Pupils were asked to create an imaginary fictional world and then use this to create a story in no more than 100 words, writes Mrs Kathy Davies.
A Path into the Mind of an Amnesiac The scent of smoke wafted through the air; the bearded man that lay in the clearing awoke. His horror-stricken face stared down at his dripping, red stained hands. Blood. The trees strained their bony fingers to touch the man; that was how he first noticed the crimson handprints littering the trunks. The glowing inferno circled him, creeping closer as the unmistakable sound of a pained scream echoed over the crackling fire. Two breaks in the blaze created two paths equally spaced apart. He had to escape the burning world around him; find out the truth. He paused. ‘Go left!’ …
I Am Not a Robot Greetings. I am called Jasmina. I live in Techtopia. If you’re wondering where that is, then that’s tough. It’s a secret. I desperately want to tell you as I am completely alone here. Yep. No-one but me. I mean, I’ve got my Cytonbots, but they’re not exactly ‘friends’. As their president, I feel forced to do what they say. Sometimes I wish I had my human brain back. My Cybot mind keeps getting the better of me. If you manage to break the sonic barrier, I’ll be waiting. Waiting behind the locked door to the robotic utopia of Techtopia. Farewell.
Sadie Aspinall
Anna Shirley @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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literacy
What is Bablake reading? Dusty old books, cobwebs in every corner, silence at all times; libraries are not places traditionally associated with warm fuzzy feelings… or so you think writes Harsimran Sansoy and Shamayel Sayeed. At Bablake we have the privilege of access to an excellent library and its friendly atmosphere makes it particularly popular with the younger pupils. With two different book clubs, both Junior and Senior year groups have outlets through which they can express their love for and interest in reading, and the additional temptation of cakes and other baked goods has proved exponentially successful in attracting new members! Last year, a total of 3552 books were taken out of the library, with genres such as fantasy and humour leading the way. Graphic novels also saw a huge rise in popularity last year, especially amongst our Shell pupils, a year group that led the way with most requests for new titles.
Mystery, romance and thriller novels were surprisingly unpopular — none of these genres made it into the Top 10, which was filled instead with adventure and historical fiction books. And, within the winning genre, fantasy, the girls proved themselves as the most avid readers — 245 of the total 421 books taken out were borrowed by the girls, with the boys taking out 176. Reading for fun, not just for homework or academic tasks, is enjoyed by the clear majority of our pupils, and with the vast range of books available to us, you are more than guaranteed to find something within the library that will spark your attention, so what are you waiting for? Tear your eyes away from the nearest screen, and discover a whole new world in an exciting book!
bablake’s reading analysis FANTASY HUMOUR GRAPHIC NOVEL SCIENCE FICTION SUSPENSE
“Reading for fun, not just for homework or academic tasks, is enjoyed by the clear majority of our pupils ...” 60
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recommendedreading
Books you will
love!
Some suggestions for enjoyable and exciting reading from our Flair Literature editors Harsimran Sansoy and Shamayel Sayeed.
One Dark Throne Kendare Blake The sequel to the critically acclaimed novel Three Dark Thrones is as dark and twisted as ever. Arsinoe is getting to grips with her newfound abilities, Mirabella has her sights set firmly on the throne and is determined to keep her emotions from thwarting her, and Katharine…? The timid, sweet Queen is back, but what has arrived is a far more sinister version of the youngest Queen from the last novel. The action-packed sequel is a perfect continuation of the story, and will leave readers frantic for more. The third instalment of the series is expected for release next year.
Nemesis Brendan Reichs For lovers of sci-fi, this is a must read! The story is of two teenagers, Min and Noah, the former who has been murdered every two years since her eighth birthday, the latter tormented by violent, terrifying nightmares. As their stories begin to intertwine, the realisation that much of what they thought about their lives is untrue sets in.
Harsimran and Shamayel also offered their recommendations for literature from around the world. China
Caraval
Wolf Totem
Stephanie Garber A novel packed with magic, action and suspense, ‘Caraval’ is one elaborate performance and a captivating read. The book describes the life of two sisters who are kept captive by their father until one day they begin their life in the Caraval and things start to become dangerous.
Jiang Rong A semi-autobiographical novel about the experiences of a young student from Beijing who finds himself sent to the countryside of Inner Mongolia in 1967, at the height of China’s Cultural Revolution.
They Both Die at The End
France
Adam Silvera
The Little Prince
A brilliantly written story in a world where Death Cast tells the world who will die that day. The story follows Mateo and Rufus who have both been told they will die; an unusual friendship blooms as they enjoy their End Day together. A compulsive read even though the ending has been given away.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
One of Us Is Lying Karen McManus
In this novella, a pilot stranded in the desert meets a young prince visiting Earth from a tiny asteroid. The story is philosophical and includes social criticism of the adult world. One of the best-selling books ever published, it has been translated into over 300 languages.
Japan
1Q84
When Bronwyn, Addy, Nate and Cooper walk into detention, none of them can predict the outcome; their classmate Simon, the brains behind the notorious gossip app that plagues the population of their high school, taken out by paramedics, is declared dead only hours later. When it is discovered all four of them had the motives and the means to commit the murder, all attention is on them — secrets are uncovered, friendships are betrayed, and not until the very end is it clear who the real murderer is. The novel is fast paced and full of tension — an addictive combination that will have readers fixated until the very last word.
Haruki Murakami A dystopian novel following the actions of Tengo and Aomame who are separated at childhood. The book has been translated into 40 different languages.
Sweden
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson A psychological thriller novel, published posthumously in 2005, has become an international bestseller and movie series.
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Kathleen Lonsdale: a precious talent Professor Dame Kathleen Lonsdale has had a profound effect on the role of women in science. Her unrivalled qualities of hard work and perseverance led to her achieving exceptional scientific discoveries and producing work which is still used today. Olivia Kelly explored the legacy of Kathleen Lonsdale both in terms of her scientific discoveries and for women in science.
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O
ne of her most notable achievements in crystallography was the proof that the benzene ring was flat when analysing crystals of hexamethylbenzene and hexachlorobenezene. While investigating the structure of hexachlorobenzene, she was the first person to use Fourier spectral methods to analyse crystal structures — showing already at the beginning of her career that she would be a source of new perspectives and practices in the scientific community. Her discoveries in this area were so colossal the scientist she was completing this analysis for, Sir C K Ingold, commented that ‘one paper like this brings more certainty into organic chemistry than generations of activity by us professionals’. A comment like this from a chemist of his calibre shows how highly regarded Dame Kathleen was by her colleagues, the talent she had nurtured, and the passion she had for her subject, as results on this scale are not obtained without the utmost dedication. She spent a large proportion of her working career in crystallography, investigating different crystal systems. There are seven main crystal systems: triclinic, monoclinic, orthorhombic, tetragonal, trigonal, hexagonal and cubic — these systems are defined by lattices and point groups. Some of her other invaluable contributions to crystallography were her establishment of the theoretical foundation of crystallography in which she was instrumental. Furthermore, her help in the creation of the structure factor tables has remained in use to this day showing how prominent and valuable her work has been.
prizewinningwriting
“Further additions to her extensive portfolio of achievements are her work on the synthesis of diamonds and her instrumental position in the use of x-rays to study crystals.” Further additions to her extensive portfolio of achievements are her work on the synthesis of diamonds and her instrumental position in the use of x-rays to study crystals. X-rays are particularly suitable as they have a wavelength very similar to the distance between the atoms in crystal structures; this results in more pronounced diffraction patterns occurring as diffraction is at its optimum when the gap through which the wave is being diffracted is the same as or very similar to the wavelength of the wave that is being diffracted through, i.e. a wavelength between 0.01 and 10 nanometers. For this reason, neutrons are also used as a probe for crystals as De Broglie wavelength is very similar to that of an x-ray when travelling at a certain. Professor Dame Kathleen Lonsdale also spent a lot of time in later life carrying out medically orientated work. After a medical professor sought her expertise while analysing bladder stones and seeking methods of prevention, she became fascinated by the subject. Urinary bladder stones are crystals of minerals that form in the bladder and can be both painful and dangerous; these are mainly made out of uric acid, but can also contain calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, ammonium phosphate and other, rarer, compounds. She became so thoroughly emerged in this topic — which covers different branches of science including urinary bladder anatomy and crystal structures — that she studied many different stones for their structure and even obtained a x-ray of a bladder stone from Napoleon III. As well as the medical service her research provided, this evident passion for her subject is a characteristic that could potentially benefit future generations of scientists — especially female scientists- as she showed no reluctance to express her passion and aptitude for what was then, and is to some extent now, a male dominated area of science. Throughout her career, Kathleen Lonsdale showed a very open mind by investigating other branches of science to physics (the area in which she initially qualified in) and she subsequently in 1946 became a professor of Chemistry at University College London. Professor Dame Kathleen Lonsdale further displayed her appreciation for interdisciplinary work when speaking to ‘Woman’s hour’ on BBC Radio 4 on 8th November 1967 as she said with regard to the function and benefits of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, ‘…scientists of different kinds can meet with one another, can cross-fertilise ideas … and explain it to members of the public — especially to young people’. This statement clearly demonstrates she fully understood the notion that the sciences could not progress or even survive as solely separate topics and that all of science is intrinsically linked. This shows that she not only she had the insight to understand this but, by frequently exploring different branches of science in her lifetime, that she had the courage to pursue it and to continually give herself new challenges which is a legacy that is of great benefit to all people.
The trait of Kathleen Lonsdale to constantly challenge herself with and complete new feats is proven by her impressive string of achievements which includes both academic merit and breakthroughs for women in science; she was one of the first two women elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, received a DSc from University College London in 1936 while at the Royal Institution, was the first woman to be tenured a professor at University College London and was the first woman president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Her academic prowess was evident from a young age after she graduated from Bedford College for women with the highest marks in physics for 10 years, aged 16. Similarly, she demonstrated strength of character throughout her lifetime including when she chose to go to prison instead of registering for war duties or paying the fine for not doing so, purely to uphold her pacifist morals. One of the comments I believe most clearly epitomises Kathleen Lonsdale’s legacy was from Karimat El-Sayed, one of her students while she was a professor of Chemistry at University College London and the Head of Department of crystallography. She acknowledges Kathleen Lonsdale with displaying how a career and a family can be balanced as, between 1929 and 1934, Kathleen had three children while still working at home and developing the structure factor tables that are still used today. This I think was one of the major breakthroughs for women in science as, with such a prominent figure in crystallography at that time achieving this previously unattempted balance, it reinforced the idea that women could have access to a much wider variety of careers or even continue with a career as opposed to halting or ending it due to family ties. This is now a very important feature of the modern household and, as a consequence, the higher proportion of women pursuing science has meant that the gender balance in the workplace has changed. As it is now understood different genders can interpret potentially different perspectives on scientific problems, this change can only result in an improvement in efficiency and creativity. While this breakthrough for women in science had been on the brink of occurrence with the leaps being made by women in that time, for this change in culture to happen, someone had to be prepared to question the practices of that time. Judging by Kathleen’s decision to transfer to Ilford County High School for boys in order to study chemistry, physics and maths, it was always clear that she was.’
Footnote! Olivia’s entry for a competition, organised by the University of Warwick, deservedly drew an invitation for her to participate in a trip for aspiring young women in science to the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France this summer. @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Performing Arts
Sam Lowe
Steven Floyd
Yasmin Holbrow
Edited by Steven Floyd, Yasmin Hobrow and Sam Lowe
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Bablake’s musical year A busy year began with an entertaining lunchtime concert, courtesy of our Sixth Form Music scholars at St John the Baptist, Coventry, and the now traditional musical contribution to our 2016 Prize Giving evening, writes Sam Lowe. We welcomed our new Shell Music scholars, and Bablake was well represented in the Coventry Young Musician of the Year competition, where we won both Instrumental and Vocal categories through cellist Harry Scott-Burt (Shell) and singer Howard Weyman (Upper Sixth) who went through to the Midlands regional competition.
onsong Bablake’s Carol Service at Coventry Cathedral
Ellie Aitchison (Bablake String Quartet)
Arts Award pupils
Lydia Bruton at the House Music Festival
Our Autumn Concert was an excellent evening of first class music from a fine range of the school ensembles; the concert was very well received by a supportive audience. Bablake musicians once again entertained local senior citizens at the school’s Christmas Party. Our choirs and brass led a whole school Carol Service at Coventry Cathedral, a change from the evening services of the past, and performed another lunchtime concert at St John’s. The Spring term saw a brass festival at St John’s, the eagerly awaited return of the Javanese gamelan, and we said goodbye to our Upper Sixth musical ambassadors (including stalwarts Lydia Bruton, Hannah Calderbank, Beth Carter, Hannah Jewkes, Albert Jie, Harry Vincent and Howard Weyman), at an enjoyable Easter Concert. Our House Music festival was an outstanding, funfilled evening, which showcased the excellent musical talent in every year group. The term ended with excellent news that Fifth year cellist Anna White gained a distinction in her Performance Diploma (ARSM), a step up from Grade 8! After the arrival of a splendid new organ in the Rehearsal Room during
the Easter break, exam season began well with the second round of ABRSM music exams for the year, with many pupils receiving deserved merits and distinctions. Many pupils also successfully completed their Arts Awards, with Fourth year Sathvika Krishnan completing her Gold Award. Ellie Aitchison, Suwetha Bhavanandan and Harry Scott-Burt won a pleasing set of awards at the Leamington Music Festival. Alex Hyde, Charlotte Merry (Fourths) and myself were invited to Rugby School to take part in an informative workshop day with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, which was organised by former visiting music teacher Andrew Davey. The busy concert schedule included a GCSE Coursework evening and concluded with the Summer Concert, an event where traditionally pupils from lower down the school are able to show off their abilities and offer a taste of Bablake’s bright musical future. Our musicians, who have worked closely with local primary schools throughout the year, were also an impressive, professional part of the 2017 Prize Giving ceremony
“Our House Music festival was an outstanding, fun-filled evening.”
Honours Board Emma Blackett and Charlotte Merry, National Scout and Guide Symphony Orchestra. Enya Bowe, Birmingham Conservatoire (flute and piano tuition). Lydia Bruton (soprano), undergraduate at Birmingham Conservatoire. Alex Hyde, organist at Coventry’s Methodist Hall. Avni Kant, City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Orchestra. Sathvika Krishnan, Arangetram performance (Bridge House Theatre, Warwick), SAMYO. Harry Scott-Burt, ABRSM scholarship to Junior Royal Academy of Music, Charles Barratt Foundation award, new Benslow Instrumental Loan Scheme cello, U13 National Children’s Orchestra (principal cello). Dasha Sutton, Northamptonshire County Youth Orchestra. Anna White, ARSM (Associate of the Royal School of Music) distinction, National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain.
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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housemusicfestival
“Bablake at its creative best was the winner all evening!�
Bayley
Best Group Vocal Winner: Grace Giles and James McCook Best Solo Vocal Winner: Hattie Morris Best Solo Vocal Runner Up: James McCook Best Group Instrumental Runner Up: Hound Dog (Wind Ensemble)
Crow
Best Group Instrumental Winner: Brahms Lullaby (Flute Ensemble) Best Solo Instrumental Runner Up: Anna White Best Overall Show Winner
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Fairfax
Best Original Choreography Runner Up: Fairfax Dance Group
Wheatley
Best Group Vocal Runner Up: Georgia Gamble, Crystal Ng and Rebecca Smith
Best Solo Instrumental Winner: Harry Scott-Burt
Best Original Choreography Winner: Chorus — Under Pressure Best Overall Show Runner Up
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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‘cello
road
Highlights from a musician’s year by Harry Scott-Burt The more observant will have noticed the recent emergence of a bale of ‘musical turtles’ on the Bablake campus. Pupils of all ages with cello cases, often bigger than their owners, hooked to their backs have become a dominant presence! The best of these, Harry Scott-Burt and Anna White, have been playing to a superb standard in prestigious, nationallyrecognised orchestras. Yasmin Hobrow asked Harry to document a few of his musical year’s highlights.
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September I started in Bablake’s Shells as an academic and music scholar, having reached Grade 8 ‘cello (with a high distinction) and Grade 6 piano, and on my first day, I was honoured to perform a recital for my peers. I also began at the Primary department of the Royal Academy of Music on Saturdays and at the end of the first half term, I performed in the first solo concert of the year where I played the Prelude from Bach’s 4th suite in E-flat major for solo ‘cello.
November I won the Club round of the Rotary Young Musician of the Year competition, receiving £50 and a certificate. I was then invited to take part in the District round in March.
December I took my grade 7 piano exam at school and got a good distinction of 136. There was an awkward moment with the examiner because I was taking the exam early in 2016 with the 2017-18 syllabus, as original plans were to reach the necessary standard in 2018.
onsong May I had my audition for the Junior department of the Royal Academy of Music and was very pleased to be offered a place to study ‘cello, piano and conducting. Later, I found out I had been awarded the ABRSM UK Junior Scholarship, where each of the Royal Schools of Music (Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music) nominate one outstanding student who has auditioned for their academy to be recognised for their achievements and talents. With our school String Quartet, I performed at St John the Baptist and, as well as having great fun performing, we had lots of lovely comments from staff who attended.
June I enjoyed the Leamington Spa Competitive Festival, entering five classes and coming home with six trophies over the three weekends. I received first place in all of my classes: piano recital, the piano ‘Russian Composer’, the piano ‘Romantic/ Impressionist’, the ‘cello age 12-15, and string recital. I was awarded the Lena Wood trophy for best string player of the festival and £100 towards NCO fees from the Coventry-based Charles Barratt Memorial Trust — I look forward to playing in their Award concert in the Autumn.
July This was when I finally said goodbye to Primary Academy in the last concert of the year, playing in my string quartet and the orchestra, and singing in choir. I thoroughly enjoyed my year at PA and I look forward to Junior Academy. At Bablake’s Prize Giving, our String Quartet played at the reception and we played a lively fandango during the ceremony. I was awarded a Shell attainment prize and the Jenkins Cup for co-curricular activities — I had played in the school string quartet, the senior string ensemble and the school orchestra, as well as singing in Monday assemblies and accompanying the junior choir and worship group. I also had the pleasure of taking part in the Nevill Holt Opera project, where after a brief rehearsal, I led the ‘cello section in a fantastic production of Noye’s Fludde by Benjamin Britten with professional opera singers and some players from the CBSO, which all took place in the beautiful grounds of Nevill Holt.
March
August
At the Rotary Young Musician of the Year district round. I enjoyed performing a fiendish gypsy-style Hungarian Rhapsody and, despite the disappointment of not reaching the next stage, I was pleased with the audience reaction including that of the Principal Double Bass of the CBSO, who said he was really impressed. Our school House Music competition was really fun as I played a piece for ‘cello with electrics (mic, speaker etc.). While I won the Best Instrumental Solo performance, sadly my House did not win overall, despite our great team effort and overall enthusiasm.
I enjoyed the summer NCO course this year, where we performed in Leeds Town Hall. The show was conducted by Dominic Wheeler, who has worked with many professional opera companies as well as conservatoire orchestras, and our ‘cello tutor was Francois Rive! I also enjoyed playing Piano Trio concerts at St Martin’s in Worcester and St John’s with my parents. It is always excellent fun to play chamber music with my family, especially as they are all good musicians.
April I was able to miss the last week of the school term for my NCO U13 Easter course. I really enjoyed this course, playing great music in a concert at The Anvil, Basingstoke, by Butterworth, Grieg, Wagner, Tchaikovsky and even John Williams. We had a fantastic conductor, Peter Stark, who had great ideas about the music and it was amazing to work with him. We also had Francois Rive as the tutor for the ‘cello section, whom we had rehearsed with on our 2015 Summer course — it was great to work with him again.
The Future! I look forward to 2016/17 at Junior Academy and also Year 8 at school, while hoping for similar success.
“Well done, Harry, both on your achievements and the excellent report!” @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Bablake Island
Discs
Desert Island Discs was first broadcast in the Forces Programme on Thursday 29 January 1942, when presenter Roy Plomley interviewed Vic Oliver, a popular comedian of the day. In each episode of this BBC Radio 4 show, a guest ‘castaway’ chooses eight tracks charting their life to take to a desert island, a book (in addition to a holy book, the Complete Works of Shakespeare) and an inanimate object that cannot help them escape the island or communicate with the outside world — Princess Michael of Kent was obviously an exception as host Roy Plomley let her take her cat. To mark the show’s 75th anniversary, Christopher Johnson asked Bablake staff for their choices.
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Mr Drury (Mathematics) 1 Beautiful Day U2 2 Disraeli Gears Cream 3 Won’t Get Fooled Again The Who 4 Alright Now Free* 5 Layla Derek and the Dominoes 6 Surfing Safari Beach Boys 7 Satisfaction Rolling Stones 8 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles Book: Complete Set of Harry Potter J.K. Rowling Luxury: surf board Mr Park (English) 1 Thunder Road Bruce Springsteen 2 Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out Bruce Springsteen 3 Night Bruce Springsteen 4 Backstreets Bruce Springsteen 5 Born to Run Bruce Springsteen 6 She’s the One Bruce Springsteen 7 Meeting Across the River Bruce Springsteen (The whole Born to Run album!*) 8 America Simon and Garfunkel Book: David Copperfield Charles Dickens Luxury: white wine
onsong
Mrs Lapworth (Reception) 1 Insomnia Faithless* 2 The Glow of Love Change 3 Missing Everything but the Girl 4 Maniac (Flashdance) Michael Sembello 5 Professional Widow Tori Amos 6 Moon River Andy Williams 7 Lean on Me Red Box 8 Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough Michael Jackson Book: The Scent of a Woman Giovanni Arpino Luxury: hot water bottle Mrs Lacey (Learning Support & Alumni) 1 Songs in the Key of Life Stevie Wonder* 2 For Once in My Life Stevie Wonder 3 Divide Ed Sheeran 4 Greatest Hits James Taylor 5 Only You Yazoo 6 Freedom Wham! 7 25 Adele 8 Greatest Hits Squeeze Book: Complete Set of Bridget Jones Helen Fielding Luxury: football from Cast Away Mr Seeley (History / Deputy Head) 1 Year of the Cat Al Stewart 2 Alchemy Dire Straits* 3 Dark Side of the Moon Pink Floyd 4 Paris Live Supertramp 5 Greatest Hits Santana 6 A Trick of the Tail Genesis 7 Rumours Fleetwood Mac 8 Greatest Hits: Volume 2 The Beatles Book: Lord of the Rings JRR Tolkien Luxury: solar-powered radio Mrs Needham (Senior Librarian) 1 Without You Nilsson 2 The Flood Take That 3 Human Rag ‘n’ Bone Man* 4 The Sound of Silence Simon & Garfunkel 5 Let Me Go Gary Barlow 6 Human The Killers 7 Skyfall Adele 8 Miss You Nights David Cassidy Book: The Mayor of Casterbridge Thomas Hardy Luxury: blanket Mr Wright (Mathematics/ Deputy Head Academic) 1 Sit Down James 2 The Slow Train Flanders & Swann 3 War Requiem Benjamin Britten* 4 Insomnia Faithless 5 Don’t Look Back in Anger Oasis 6 Hi Ho Silver Lining Jeff Beck
7 St Matthew Passion JS Bach 8 It Couldn’t Please Me More Original Broadway Cast of Cabaret Book: Rights of Man Thomas Paine Luxury: trombone Mr Bevis (Learning Support) 1 Stop the Clocks Oasis* 2 Parachutes Coldplay 3 Running on Empty Jackson Browne 4 Hot Fuss The Killers 5 Favourite Worst Nightmare The Arctic Monkeys 6 Never Mind the B******s Sex Pistols 7 Thunder Road Bruce Springsteen 8 Teenage Kicks Undertones Book: To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee Luxury: football Mr Menashe (Head of Classics) 1 Last Temptation of Chris Chris Difford* 2 American Demo The Indelicates 3 Solid State Warrior Roger Manning Jr. 4 Comfortably Numb Pink Floyd 5 Harvest Festival XTC 6 The Smokey Life Leonard Cohen 7 The Winner Takes It All ABBA 8 London’s Brilliant Parade Elvis Costello Book: The Moonstone Wilkie Collins Luxury: radio Mr Cleaver (Head of Art) 1 Come Together Primal Scream 2 Rematerialize Death in Vegas 3 Close I’ve Come Ben Lee* 4 Silver Stallion Cat Power 5 Sympathy for the Devil The Rolling Stones 6 The Revolution Will Not Be Televised Gil Scott Heron 7 I Love It Icona Pop 8 Just Can’t Get Enough Depeche Mode Book: survival guide Luxury: hammock Mr Woodward (Head of Careers) 1 Superstition Stevie Wonder / Complete Motown catalogue! 2 The Catalogue Kraftwerk (Box Set) 3 The Collection Simon and Garfunkel (Box Set) 4 Alright Now Free / any typical Dad Rock compilation inc Eagles / ELO 5 Sleep with 4AD Various inc Pixies, Cocteau Twins (LP) 6 Rapper’s Delight Sugarhill Gang 7 Sensitive Field Mice / any indie compilation inc New Order / The Smiths 8 What’s Goin’ On LP Marvin Gaye (LP)* Book: blank notebook / Aeneid Bk 4 Virgil Luxury: tennis ball
Mrs Aitchison (Finance Office) 1 Mr Blue Sky ELO* 2 Lyin’ Eyes The Eagles 3 Bohemian Rhapsody Queen 4 Beggin’ Franki Valli and The 4 Seasons 5 Diary Bread 6 Piano Concerto No 2 Shostakovich 7 MacArthur Park Grimethorpe Colliery Band 8 Jurassic Park (Theme) John Williams Book: British Isles atlas Luxury: photograph of my family Mrs Adlington (Finance Office) 1 Don’t Stop Me Now Queen 2 Who Wants To Live Forever Queen* 3 Bohemian Rhapsody Queen 4 Glasgow Love Theme Love Actually OST 5 Now We Are Free Gladiators OST 6 Children Robert Miles 7 Private Investigations Dire Straits 8 The Planets Holst Book: Subversive Cross Stitch Julie Jackson Luxury: sewing box Mr Duerdin (Physics) 1 Glory Days Bruce Springsteen 2 Go To Sleep Radiohead 3 I Threw It All Away Bob Dylan* 4 Can’t Win Richard Thompson 5 Fields of Anfield Road The Liverpool Collective 6 God Knows I’m Good David Bowie 7 Mr Brightside The Killers 8 Beasley Street John Cooper Clarke Book: The God Delusion Richard Dawkins Luxury: guitar or telescope (no light pollution for a clear view of the stars) Mr Bunce (Classics) 1 Pet Sounds (LP) Beach Boys* 2 Dark Side of The Moon (LP) Pink Floyd 3 A Night At The Opera (LP) Queen 4 X and Y (LP) Coldplay 5 In These Shoes Kirsty McColl 6 23rd Piano Concerto Mozart 7 Gloria Vivaldi 8 Leningrad Billy Joel Book: Odyssey Homer Luxury: camera *The recording to be saved if all were to be washed away by the sea
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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onstage
“Working with Highly Sprung was an extremely educational experience for me and other cast members. Not only did we learn many dramatic techniques and skills, we also learnt how to work together as an ensemble. Highly Sprung was able to find different ways to educate us, through exciting and energetic yet extremely beneficial games. As a group, we all learnt that it is not about you as a performer, it is about the whole cast, and how we should work together to create something amazing.” Grace Giles (cast member)
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“I really enjoyed performing in ‘Oliver Twist’ because it was very different from any play I have been part of before. It was interesting to try physical theatre, though it was very challenging. I liked the idea of having all the cast on stage throughout the performance because it meant everyone was able to take part equally. Working with Highly Sprung has been a great experience and I would be very keen to try it again in the future.” Ayesha Riaz (cast member)
Oliver Twist Under the direction of the Highly Sprung Theatre Company, a relatively small cast of actors, drawn from almost every year group, put on a highly original dark interpretation of an already adventurous play Oliver Twist, writes Steven Floyd. Every actor was on stage throughout both acts, either performing their own role or contributing to the stage background and atmosphere, while our director, Lucy, brought very new ideas to the play, many of which were derived from studying theatre production in Poland the previous year. Rehearsals which began in October were intense, as there was a lot to learn, however there was a real sense of emphasis on being truly engaged with the story and really developing your character. This made all the work a lot easier, and working with Highly Sprung really helped us gain a sense of understanding for the performance. By the start of our three night run, the cast felt more prepared than ever before. Everyone worked together to deliver the best performance possible, and there was a real sense of unity, strengthened by the cast staying on stage throughout. When the whole experience was finally over, I felt the people I knew at the end of the performance were very different from the people I had met on the day of auditions. We had all come to appreciate everything that makes a successful production, and we will convey this knowledge to actors involved in future Bablake drama productions.
“By the start of our three night run, the cast felt more prepared than ever before.� @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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onstage
Shakespeare Festival All Third year pupils had the opportunity to learn more about the works of Stratford-upon-Avon playwright William Shakespeare, when they performed a scene from one of his plays, that they had prepared with their English teacher, in front of their peers at Bablake’s first Shakespeare Festival, writes Steven Floyd. Not only did this initiative teach them about Shakespeare’s works, but they also experienced some basic stage production, as they had to organise costumes, set design and stage directions. Studying Shakespeare is excellent for everyone since it offers the opportunity to learn more about some of the roots of our language, and learning in an environment outside the classroom complements what is taught within class. The festival ended up being so successful that Bhavan Amar and Harvey Thomas-Benton were asked to perform their scenes at Prize Giving. When asked about the whole experience, Harvey said: ‘After learning we were able to choose a scene from Shakespeare, I jumped for joy! I decided to present Iago’s monologue from Othello. Mrs Martlew and Mr Wyatt helped direct and develop my interpretation, while the opportunity to perform in school and at Prize Giving was a fantastic experience. I really hope this festival is run again with next year’s Third years, as nurturing a love of Shakespeare is a very good thing!’ We thank the English department for its support and tuition throughout the process, and commend former pupil, actor Matthew Bretton and new Deputy Head Academic Mr Wright for kindly acting as judges, alongside Mrs Duke (Head of English) and Mr Hobday (Head of Third Year).
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“Studying Shakespeare is excellent for everyone since it offers the opportunity to learn more about some of the roots of our language ...�
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Sport Edited by Sophie Hollinrake, Olivia Kelly, Jordan Motlib and Daniel Smith Should school sport be inclusive or exclusive? Jordan Motlib “A question every school sports coach will face at some point, is whether it is more important to win, or more important to give everyone a chance to play. Sports participation is an issue for sports teams at school level, and we have all heard the saying, ‘it’s the taking part that counts’, but if school sports are the foundation for the country’s future sports stars, then surely a ‘win at all costs’ mentality has to be established. For younger age groups, it is important that everyone is given a chance to play, especially as someone may discover a hidden talent for a sport they did not know they had. However, as the school years progress, emphasis should be placed on winning, and being successful. I have experienced examples of this during my own time playing in the cricket 1st XI, and there are certainly two sides to the argument. Despite being involved with the cricket 1st XI last year, I would gladly admit I am not at the level of the other players in the team, and even some of those who are not. I know Bablake has many talented cricketers in several years below me who would offer more to the team than myself. On one side of the argument you would say that these players should play to give the team an
Daniel Smith 76
The Wheatleyan 2016/17
Olivia Kelly
increased chance of winning. There is the other side of the argument however, that those who have given themselves to the team and have shown commitment to the team, should be given rewards for that. There is also the camaraderie gained from playing sport alongside your peers. For some, winning is everything, while, for others, it is not so important. Some people play sport purely for the enjoyment, and it is often the case, that when it comes to competitive sport, the enjoyment is removed, and this is what deters some people from playing sport. If children begin their sporting careers only seeing the competitive side of sport, it is likely they are going to be put off by this. There ultimately needs to be a balance between winning and taking part. Whichever side of the argument you side with, it is agreed by most that when it comes to playing sports, the ultimate aims are to enjoy yourself and gain health benefits. Winning and taking part are irrelevant if you do not enjoy the sport you play. Having fun is the most important thing and whether you achieve that by winning or by playing sport with your friends, I urge you to be involved, and play with a smile on your face.”
Jordan Motlib
Sophie Hollinrake
coverstory
rio and beyond Kare returns to Bablake to a hero’s welcome
We asked GB paralympian Kare Adenegan to summarise her amazing past 12 months on the track. Here is her report:
For those who want to get into competitive sports, I would suggest that you take all the opportunities you can get and know that you need experience. Things don’t happen right away so you need patience too. Kare Adenegan
Friends present Kare with her medals from the Paralympic Games
The past year has been exceptional! I had the privilege of representing Great Britain at the 2016 Paralympic Games last September in Rio, and it was an experience I will never forget. The atmosphere in the team apartment was extremely positive and the crowds in the stadium were loud and supportive even towards athletes who were not Brazilian! I was proud of my performances and elated with the results, winning two bronze medals (400m, 800m) and a silver (100m) as well as setting personal bests in all the races. However, I did not realise how many people had watched the games and the impact back in the UK, until I arrived home to ‘pride of the nation’ celebrations for the team, and of course the warm reception when I returned to Bablake. I could not relax for long after Rio, as 2017 was going to be another busy season with a home World Championships in London! I was so excited by the prospect of racing in front of family and friends. My 2017 season started strongly with a win at the London Mini Marathon, retaining the U17 Girls title in the 3-mile race. My main focus, however, was on the World Championships. The races were tough but the support of the crowd for the British athletes gave me added determination! I won two bronze medals (400m and 800m) and a silver (100m), matching my performance of the previous year. Considering I had been studying for my GCSEs as well as training for a major sporting event, I was very pleased. Next year, I hope to compete at the Para-Athletics European Championships in Berlin and continue to make improvements in all distances. Of course my long term goal is to compete for Great Britain at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and win Gold, but, in the meantime, I will train hard and focus on turning such goals into a reality. @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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England U14 Ice Hockey player Rhodes Mitchell-King
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sportinghonours
Representative Honours 2016/17
We congratulate the following individuals and teams on their success in 2016-17, which we hope will inspire their peers to match them in the future.
International/Prestigious 51st International Children’s Games 1500m Lucas Bennett (representing Coventry) England Ice Hockey U14: Rhodes Mitchell-King Team GB Athletics T34 Wheelchair Racing: Kare Adenegan, 1 silver, 2 bronze medals at both Paralympics (Rio) and World Para Athletics (London) in 100m, 200m and 800m Wheelchair Basketball U23 World Champions/U19 captain: Peter Cusack Trinidad and Tobago Swimming Jasmine Morajh
U23 GB Wheelchair Basketball team (image by Mrs N Cusack)
County Representative Honours Leicestershire Cricket U19: Cameron Park
U16: Liam Duggan, Rory Meechan U15: Nick Buckley, Will Canning Table Tennis U16: Jack Green U14: Milly Green
Warwickshire Clay Pigeon Shooting U16 Colts: Jonathan Knibbs
Team Achievements
Cricket U17: Daniel Mousley; (Development of Excellence) Prabhjote Sahota U13: Alex Mousley, Jamie Parnell U12: Thomas Mousley
Cricket Bablake T20: Runners up Cross Country Girls: England Schools Cross Country Cup, U15 regional finalists
Regional Midlands Hockey (Elite) U14: Emma Allroggen, Freya Bennett Junior Regional Performance Centre U17: Julian Wreford U15: Danveer Ghata-Aura, Thomas Oswald, Oliver Pemble West Midlands Athletics Juniors: Olivia Kelly (3000m) Intermediates: Emma Allroggen, Freya Bennett (1500m) Cross Country (inc Inter County) Girls: Emma Allroggen, Freya Bennett, Olivia Kelly U15: Emma Allroggen, Championships 2nd, Trials 4th
Hockey Junior Academy Centre U17: Sam Lowe U16: Amrit Gill, James Sawyer U15: Daniel Barnes, Xander Bennett, Guy Jewkes U14: Farah Al-Dabbagh, Imogen AlDabbagh, Freya Bennett, Hannah Denton, Hattie Evans, Danveer Ghata-Aura, Millie McCamley, Thomas Oswald, Oliver Pemble, Maria Savage, Ben Sawyer, Emilia Scimeca. U13: Harry Court, Hari Gill
Hockey Boys: Warwickshire League 2nd X1 2nd. Girls: Warwickshire Tournament U15, U14, U12: runners up; U13 Minis, runners up, QFs at Regional 7-a-side
Junior Development Centre U16: Josh Lowe
Kare Adenegan, as documented on p77, for her amazing season at the Rio Paralympics and 2017 World Para Athletics in London
Netball Satellite Academy U17: Hattie Morris U14: Hannah Denton, Maria Savage Rugby U18: Chris Bale, Daniel Smith
Congratulations Our teams and individuals, who also won major Coventry Schools trophies for athletics, cross country, hockey, netball, rounders, rugby and swimming
Bablake Cricket Scholars: Daniel Mousley and Daniel Smith Wasps DPP U15: Will Canning, Ben Harrison; U14: Sam Herniman; U13: Micheal Adeyami, Max Newman and Assad Ssemwogerere
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Touring Lanka James Sawyer delivered an excellent assembly to Bayley House and then later the Sixth Form about his experience on this summer’s boys’ hockey and cricket tour of Sri Lanka, sponsored by Whitworths. Here, he addresses his thoughts to The Wheatleyan audience.
O
ur journey to Sri Lanka took over 18 hours and we soon found the temperature — c30 degrees centigrade and 80/85% humidity — a huge change from Coventry, as we looked forward to our two-week tour that would be split between cricket and hockey fixtures and excursions. On our first day, we climbed Sigiriya, an ancient rock fortress, where we soon discovered physical activity and Sri Lankan weather were not natural partners, but the views and welcome, cool breeze made the effort worth it. We learnt a lot about Sri Lanka’s heritage and came face to face with much of the wildlife when on safari or visiting an elephant orphanage, where we had the opportunity to ride the elephants. At a turtle sanctuary, we witnessed hundreds of baby turtles and many fully grown specimens. To understand more about the island’s culture, we went to a show in Kandy which was a unique experience. We 80
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also visited a few Buddhist temples and places of worship. We played four hockey matches and three cricket fixtures against schools, clubs or districts who all play at a high level. The 1st XI hockey team remained undefeated, with three wins and a draw. One victory came on grass, which was new for all bar Wales veteran Mr Atwal whose experience paid off with his team talk. Our cricket team, admittedly missing some key players, had peaked as runners up in our T20 and, despite the best efforts of Cameron Park, struggled to gain the upper hand in their fixtures against tough opposition. They will surely remember playing on an international ground for the rest of their lives. Competing in the heat and humidity made every performance, as a team or individual, even more impressive, and some members of the touring party are now also able to add ‘H2O technician’ to their CVs. (A distinct honour previously only meted out to 3rd XI Mr ‘Waterboy’ Williams — Staff Ed.)
#SriLanka2017
“...the cricket was played with a plank of wood and tennis ball, while rugby was played with a stick!” It would be easy to say the tour highlights were the sights we saw, the sports we played, the teachers who accompanied us, the camaraderie of the touring party and the amazing hotels we stayed at, but during our time in Sri Lanka we interacted with so many different people, all incredibly friendly and welcoming, and it is the memory of these people that will be greatest for so many of us. At St. Anthony’s College in Kandy, children came to watch our match during their lunchtime and enjoyed laughing, running around and playing sport just like Bablake pupils do at break. However, unlike what we are used to, the cricket was played with a plank of wood and tennis ball, while rugby was played with a stick. The lack of
“...it is so crucial to value what you have in life and be happy regardless.”
equipment available was eye-opening, but these boys were the happiest boys I have ever met. They were not glued to technology, but were so happy and content; cricket did not need to be played with a bat, as, whatever they used, they loved playing. Seeing this really made me appreciate the small things in life that these boys did not have and realise how we take everything at home for granted. Eventually we did find a rugby ball and all of us played touch rugby against these boys. The sport did not matter to either side — everyone was smiling and having fun, which is an experience that I will never forget. The tour was a wonderful holiday and seeing the places we visited was amazing, but I would leave readers with two messages: the first being, if you can, to take up any opportunity to go away on a sports tour or to go to Harrismith, like a small group did this year, because of the people you will meet, the sights you will see and the incredible time you will have. My second message would be it is so crucial to value what you have in life and be happy regardless. The people we met, especially the boys at St Anthony’s College, were an inspiration, truly happy and content, regardless of the little they had.
Sri Lankan FACT SHEET Small island off the south coast of India Home to many cultures, languages, and races Recovering from 26 year civil war (1983-2009) National sport: volleyball Largest export: tea Produces 90% of the world’s cinnamon Population: 21.2 million, 70% citizens are Buddhists National flag: 4 bo leaves symbolise kindness, friendliness, happiness and equanimity
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CricketReview Jordan Motlib
An over of the best of Bablake’s cricket season!
1st Ball
Three centuries for three brothers… in one week History was surely made this season, when, in the space of a single week, all three Mousley brothers scored centuries for the school. The Warwickshire CC trio began their run fest with Alex scoring 116 not out for our U13s (v King Edward’s Camp Hill), only for GCSE student Dan to hit 105 not out for the 1st XI (v Queen Mary’s Grammar School). Then, the youngest of the trio, Tom scored 118 not out for our U12s (v Ratcliffe College) to complete a remarkable week! While Alex and Tom proudly recorded their maiden centuries, Dan’s knock was his 7th competitive ton! Factoid! If we were to combine the three innings, the Mousleys’ 339 not out would easily surpass Bablake’s individual innings batting record held by Stephen Byng and Adam Smyth, who both hit 234 not out in the 90s for our U13s and U12s respectively.
2nd Ball
Sri Lanka Tour 2017 A tough tour for a depleted squad, that had just been runners-up at the Bablake 2017 T20, against excellent opponents with matches played at international grounds even. See page 80 for James Sawyer’s tour report. #SpiritWilling
3rd Ball
Coventry Schools Cricket Cup winners Bablake’s cricket teams retained the Coventry Schools Cricket Cup (v KHVIII) for the third year in a row. Fixtures across all year groups (including B, C and D teams where possible) count towards the trophy.
4th Ball
Bablake Cricket Academy Opens 2017 was the inaugural year for Bablake’s Cricket Academy, which aims to improve the strength and depth of our cricket squads. Although initially aimed at our ‘elite’ cricketers, once the county winter coaching starts, we ‘release’ our most talented players who are involved in Development of Excellence programmes at Edgbaston (home to Warwickshire CC). This then allows us to target our aspiring county cricketers to provide them with the time and support they require for them to reach their full potential.
5th Ball
Warwickshire Selection Cricket Scholar Dan Mousley was selected for Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s Academy Programme, which will include a development tour to Barbados in 2018.
6th Ball
Fixture Expansion There were more ‘B’ team fixtures than ever before during the 2017 season, ensuring an inclusive programme of competitive cricket.
“ ... the Mousleys’ 339 not out would easily surpass Bablake’s individual innings batting record.” 82
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Girls’HockeyReview Mrs Jade Russell
Bablake’s girls show great resolve and future success beckons
The Seniors lost a number of talented players at the end of last season as they moved from Bablake to University, however they did gain some talented new players from the Fifth year. Following our excellent tour in South Africa, it was no surprise the teams, successfully captained by Anna Price and Minnie Klesnik-Edwards bonded well all season. The 1st XI fought hard, facing some tough opposition, but their persistent hard work and commitment gave them two great wins, against Wolverhampton (4-0) and King Edward’s VI (2-1) at the end of the season. The 2nd XI, after an unfortunate run of cancelled games, beat King’s High (1-0), KHVIII (1-0) and Wolverhampton (2-1), but saved the best win until last against Saint Martin’s (5-0). Our U15s had an enjoyable season, with a much improved second half to the season. Facing a snow-covered pitch for their Warwickshire tournament, undeterred by the weather, they started their first match against Kingsley with urgency and determination, attacking with lovely link up play between the forwards and midfield. A comfortable win was followed by a tougher game versus Princethorpe where we had the majority of possession. Princethorpe countered aggressively and we had to play well to gain an equalizer. A comfortable win against KHVIII and creditable 0-0 draw versus King’s High ensured a silver medal for our girls. Our ‘most successful team of the season’ has to be the U14s, who established an 100% win record for the season, scoring 88 goals in just 14 games, an absolutely outstanding achievement by a very talented team. We started with wins over Newcastle-underLyme (4-1) and KHVIII (8-0). With so many goals scored but just 8 conceded, the depth and ability of the whole team as a unit are clear. The team did Bablake proud qualifying for the Midlands zonal round from the Warwickshire tournament, and then the Midlands finals from the zonal rounds. Despite the girls’ disappointment at not progressing further, they had a fantastic season, one they should be proud of. We are very excited to see what success this team can bring in the future. The U13s followed in the footsteps of their role models, the U14s, finishing runners up at the Warwickshire tournament, and so qualifying for the regional zonal round. The girls prepared well, but lost confidence in the face of the competition they were due to meet at this tournament. The team had no reason to be nervous and played its best hockey all season. We finished 6th overall, beating some tough opposition from around the Midlands.
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“Our ‘most successful team of the season’ has to be the U14s who established an 100% win record ... ” The U12s competed well in its Warwickshire tournament. King’s High was a tough first match, especially after going a goal down early on. The girls worked very hard as a team defending well and linking up nicely in their attacking play. This hard work paid dividends as our girls came back to win 2-1. This created a confidence for our next match, against a very strong Princethorpe team that had beaten us easily earlier in the season. With excellent marking and suitable attacking play when given the opportunity, the team grabbed a fantastic 0-0 draw. After back to back games with such intense effort, Stratford capitalised on our understandable fatigue, however the U12s regrouped to win the final two matches. This left us in second place, level on points with Princethorpe, but the girls missed out on the next round on goal difference.
sportsfocus
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Boys’HockeyReview Mr Rob Burdett and Mr Andrew Phillips
A season of consolidation and preparation for the future
The 1st XI has been through a transitional period after losing eight players from last season — a squad of players who reached the last eight in the National Plate. However, results and performances improved throughout the season and, after the Christmas holidays, the team put together a string of excellent performances, beating Lawrence Sheriff and KHVIII, and gaining close fought draws against Bishop Vesey’s and Princethorpe. Often playing against teams composed largely of Upper Sixth players, we finished above Bromsgrove and KHVIII in the League. The team will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in 2017/18. The 2nd and 3rd XIs also had a significant change of personnel. Under the guidance of Mr Atwal, the 2nd XI gelled together quickly, with notable wins against Warwick, Princethorpe and KHVIII leaving the team second in the league, narrowly missing out on the crown by a single point. The ever-entertaining 3rd XI reports once again flowed from the keyboard of ‘Coach West’ and ‘Waterboy Williams’, offering a lighthearted view of the world of hockey. The team had three outstanding wins, with those against Nottingham High School and KES Birmingham especial collectors’ items. The Under 15s endured a difficult season against strong opposition, but there were encouraging signs of improvement in both the team and individuals who will no doubt develop into fine 1st and 2nd XI players. Our U14 side was undoubtedly our ‘team of the year’. Captained by Oliver Pemble and managed by Mr Ed Benfield (BJS), they played 15, won 11 and lost 3. Representative honours at county level gave some of the squad invaluable experience, helping the side end a close third in the Warwickshire League. There is great promise here and it is good to see many members involved in club hockey outside school.
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“The U13s faced stiff opposition all season but produced fine wins against Lawrence Sheriff and King Edward’s Stratford. ” The U13s faced stiff opposition all season but produced fine wins against Lawrence Sheriff and King Edward’s Stratford. The local derby against KHVIII was a nail-biting draw (1-1) to finish the season; in this match, our players showed great determination and will no doubt continue to improve in confidence and ability in the future. Another local derby saw our U12s gain a hard fought 2-1 win against KHVIII to end the year on a high. A particular positive was the excellent attendance at Friday night training; this team also shows much promise and is committed to improving. We say goodbye to coach Phil Gooderham whose increased professional coaching commitments mean he will have to break his link with Bablake hockey that has lasted for over 10 years. We wish him well for the future and thank him for his excellent work developing our boys over the past decade.
sportsfocus
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Girls’NetballReview Mrs Jade Russell
Our coaches show a great optimism seeing such strength in our younger teams Bablake’s Senior teams, full of commitment and keen to improve, entered the season as a squad of 30 girls and trained hard. Following our decision to combine three age groups last season, we were able to field four senior teams. The 1st VII, captained by Danika Patel, had a challenging season, adapting well to the introduction of new players into the team. The girls developed well together, showed real promise, and were rewarded for their efforts by winning the Coventry Schools tournament and recording an outstanding win against strong opponents Solihull (25-13). The 2nd VII, led by Jasmine Hundal, had an excellent season winning 12 out of their 17 games, scoring an outstanding 224 goals. Their most significant victories were against King’s High (19-14), Alcester Grammar (19-8) and Solihull (15-11).
“A successful year for all our girls with a 70% win rate across all games.” The U15 VIl started its season slowly, but went from strength to strength and the netball they demonstrated at the Uppingham Tournament was outstanding with the girls competing excellently with some top class boarding schools. After beating The Perse (7-6), drawing with Greshams (9-9) and beating Kimbolton (8-3), the team met an undefeated Uppingham side. Our side rose to the challenge and beat the host school (7-5). The next game against Oakham was tight and tense, and we lost (8-9) a game we should have at least drawn. Fitness and the disappointment of the previous loss took away our focus for the match versus Bromsgrove (2-11). We finished 4th on goal difference, a superb achievement since the level of competition should not be underestimated. Our players were a credit to take to the tournament. The U14As, captained by Anna Williams, showed real determination last season, despite a disappointing run. They continued to demonstrate great focus and always challenged themselves to improve. The Bs, captained by Farah Al-Dabbagh, had a better season, winning 80% of their games, including a great win against boarding school Bromsgrove (13-8). The A team finished as runners up in its Coventry Schools tournament, while the 13B team won its own competition for the third year in a row. Our U13 VII was a real force to be reckoned with. With Hannah Denton at the helm as captain, the girls showed great flair and confidence on court, winning 10 of their 13 games and only losing twice all season. After such an excellent season, it will be exciting to see how far the team will progress in the Netball Nationals in the future. It was very pleasing to see our youngest teams challenge the older girls for the limelight. Our U12s have real potential for the future and won 13 of their 17 games, only losing three times. The team began the season in 4th place at the Loughborough festival, but both A & B teams went on to win their respective Coventry Schools tournament, at the end of the season.
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RugbyReview Mr Rob Burdett
For regular updates on next season, please follow @bablakerugby After starting the season in fine form with wins over KES Aston and Ratcliffe College, the 1st XV season often proved frustrating with a number of narrow losses despite good performances. The squad, led superbly by the outstanding Daniel O’Malley and Daniel Lanning, maintained an excellent attitude throughout the season. However, despite often dominating possession, they found it difficult to convert scoring chances and therefore close out victories. In the end of season match versus KHVIII, Bablake faced the strongest team Henry’s had put together in the last 15 years. A fantastic, tight match followed, but again Bablake could not quite put the scores together that their buildup play promised; a narrow 13-0 loss ensued. We were delighted to have coaching support from Wasps’ Scottish international Nick de Luca, and England Saxons player James Gaskell assisted with our boys’ summer strength and conditioning programme.
“It’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up.” The 2nd XV started the season in stunning form winning its first six matches in fine style up scoring 189 points and conceding just 55, under the excellent leadership of Alex Heron and coach Mr Paul Wilkes. The season got a little tougher after that, but the team finished with a fine win over KHVIII. The U15 team started extremely well with notable wins over KES Aston, Ratcliffe and Princethorpe. Injuries then took their toll and deprived the team of a number of key players; the backline in particular was devastated and results dipped. However after the Christmas break, with wounds healed, the boys stormed back to great form winning six of their eight fixtures, finishing the season with an outstanding 20-5 win in the Coventry Cup Final versus KHVIII. ‘It’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up’ — the spirit and resilience shown by many of the U14 squad stood out. The boys had a really tough season, but deserve huge credit for persevering and their 6 wins were all well deserved and a great improvement on the previous season. Performance is key, keep going! We were Coventry Schools Cup semi-finalists. The U13s also continue to develop at an excellent rate and achieved 8 wins and 2 draws in their 18 fixtures. The team should be commended for ending the season as runners up in the Coventry Schools U13 Festival. Our Shells made a real impact this season with a number of excellent wins for the U12A team. The team made huge progress and look to have an extremely bright future. The U12B side also had an outstanding year and was arguably ‘team of the year’ with 8 wins and a draw in their 10 games, all under the expert guidance of Mr Burns. I would like to congratulate all our players for their dedication, effort and determination shown representing the school over the 2016/17 season, and for the great progress they have made. The support from our team managers and, of course, parents on the touchline is also very much appreciated.
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Sportstalk We report on some of the other team sports played over the year. Further news will always be in our termly newsletter The Lion.
Athletics
Our girls had a very successful season, including city success for our Shells and 2nds against tough opposition and victories at the English Schools Track and Field Cup. Many congratulations to the following girls that represented Coventry at the West Midlands finals: Lily Allison, Freya Bennett, Farah Al-Dabbagh, Katie Hart, Erin Keeling, Lauren Matkin and Jaya Minhas. Lily, 1st at the discus for Coventry, represented the Midlands at the Mason trophy, where she finished 4th. Our Shells won the City Athletics Championships, while the 2nds were runners up. Mrs Jade Russell
Badminton
The Senior Mixed Badminton team — a squad rich in depth, with more than a dozen enthusiastic, talented players — ended its inaugural season undefeated, much to the delight of team captain Jakevir Shoker and coach Mr Inderpal Kalsi. Consistent training, confident match play and support from Head of Boys’ PE Mr Rob Burdett and the Bablake Media Room certainly paid off. The season began with many strong doubles performances versus Solihull School, in a win that was replicated in the return fixture. History repeated itself, despite Bablake fielding a very different team. In Bablake’s Singles tournament, Warwickshire county player Ravi Bodalia triumphed, defeating Jakevir Shoker in the final, with Joe Haigh and Rajen Parekh the losing semi-finalists. With an expanded fixture list, we are looking to carry our momentum into the 2017/18 season. Jakevir Shoker
Chess
Another fine season saw our 1st VI/ A team, ably led by Rajen Parekh, complete another League and Cup double. To be Division 1 League champions, Bablake’s A team won four of its matches, drew one and lost one, while our B team came 3rd overall in Division 2, after promising more when the squad was top of the league with two matches to play. 92
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In our local Cup competition, the 1st VI beat Warwick School 4-2 in the Final, with Rajen Parekh and Raajun Nagra both winning their boards and Dhru Bodalia, Vikesh Puri, Jakevir Shoker and Leshanth Uthayanan all achieving honourable draws. Rajen Parekh won the Rowlands Cup for the fourth year running, putting aside his disappointment a week earlier at not extending his impressive three year hold on the Coventry Schools Lightning Chess trophy. Beating ‘wild card’ Harry Bowser in the final, Rajen will now be aiming for a record-breaking ‘5 in a row’ next year, when he will also hope to equal England international and former pupil Paul Lam’s four Lightning Chess titles. Well done to all involved and thank you to coaches Mr Andrew Chowne (Mathematics) and Mr Inderpal Kalsi (Head of Fairfax) for their dedication and expertise. Mr Mark Woodward
Football
It was another topsy-turvy season. After a couple of fine early results against Lawrence Sheriff and Bilton Grange, we lost 4-1 to Camp Hill in the game that would have given us an unbeaten record for the year. The disappointment of this defeat left its mark on the squad and led to a drop in performance and worrying reliance on long-ball tactics. The momentum was only regained in a comfortable win over Bablake’s Rugby team, which gave the impetus for an emphatic display against KHVIII where we scored 6 goals and created the obvious highlight of our season. Josh Thind
sportstalk
Rounders
For the second year running, our teams won 70% of all matches played. Despite unfortunate weather at the start of terms, the girls soon had the chance to play some exciting and challenging fixtures. The U12s seem to be the up and coming stars with an excellent display of fielding in their Coventry Schools tournament, and, alongside the U13s and U15s, must be congratulated as Coventry Champions. Our U14s finished runners up. Mrs Jade Russell
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runner’s year Olivia Kelly is one Bablake student disproving the current national concern over girls turning away from sport. She offers an insight into her year as a runner, documenting the highs and lows. Competitive sport, whether team-based or solo, is unrivalled. Success, the social aspect and the physical benefits compare to nothing else. Plans do not always go smoothly however, as I found out this summer. At the start of the season, I was running better than previous years, optimistic I would attain the qualifying time and be among the top two runners in my county at 3000m to qualify for the English Schools Track and `z``zzzField championships. Eager to achieve this time as soon as possible, I attended an open track meeting in Watford on a fairly still, cool Wednesday evening — perfect conditions for middle distance running. Anyone who had attended an area track meeting might have felt sport at its grassroots level was dying as participation at secondary school is often low, e.g. I was the sole runner in the U20 Warwickshire 3000m this year. Volunteers and officials do a great job, but even their numbers can be limited, and some track surfaces look as weary as the turnout due to a lack of funding. At Watford on this occasion, this was by no means the case.
The meeting was ‘open’, allowing anyone of any age, gender or ability to turn up, pay a small fee and be put into a race of about their standard. There were 25 800m races with 10+ runners in each and 120 runners split across four 3000m races. Everyone is running for a time and you sense this looking at everyone’s warm up and support on the side of the track before and during the races. I was no different, I had my time fixed in my head, I had memorised the lap times I needed to hit, and I checked who was there to try and pace my run with. Due to the huge turnout, three and a half hours after my arrival, at 10pm I stood on the start line. I hit my target with a few seconds to spare and was elated! I was set to go to the English Schools — my aspiration was about to be realised. It had been a perfect evening save for something niggling in my shin. When participating in regular sport, you are susceptible to small aches and pains that fade away, so at first, I felt confident this would occur. When after days and then weeks the pain persisted, my concern rose and common sense suggested a couple of days off for recovery. However, such is the emotion with sport, that you let your heart override reasoning and, in the build-up to the biggest race that I had ever qualified for, the last thing I wanted to do was to stop. Another factor that affected my decision to continue training was that this unfolded in the midst of my AS exams and I find running very therapeutic when stress is high. I carried on running, the pain only increased and in time I had to rely solely on aqua-jogging — a form of cross-training Team GB’s Kelly Holmes used in the build-up to the 2000 Olympics. I thereby maintained my general fitness, but could not replicate the necessary real track running conditioning. A week before the championships, I was still unable to run without pain and had the pleasing complication of a residential visit to the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, thanks to an essay competition I had entered. We would return just before the championships and, although my training had already been hugely disrupted, the academic experience seemed too good to turn down. On race day, despite my best efforts, I was struggling to remain positive. Deprived of training opportunities via injury and circumstance, I had also picked up a cold — the final nail in an already sealed coffin perhaps. Trying to put everything behind me, about an hour before my race, I set off to warm up as usual; I had been resting as much as I could, so, for me, this was the moment of truth. I could see my competition warming up — girls stronger and faster than I had raced before. I felt defeated as I was limping before the race had even started, I came 16th out of 19, over a minute behind the winner and 45 seconds slower than the time I had run to qualify. My national track race debut had been a bitter experience, but I discovered the girls who finished behind me had very similar experiences with injuries. We all knew we could not do ourselves justice, but wanted to feel part of the achievement and satisfaction from qualifying. In that sense, we all had our own small victory, even if it did not feel like it. Sport brings its ups and its downs, but the positives outweigh the negatives. Studies have shown sport improves mental and physical health, and even academic performance. With running thriving at the grass roots level — via schemes like Park Run and the many 10k fundraisers, mini marathons et al — it shows you do not need to be at the top of your sport to feel the benefits. With such a wide range of sporting opportunities on offer at Bablake, I am sure many students have had similar experiences to mine. Persevere through the disappointments and enjoy your successes! #ThisGirlCan #menssanaincorporesano @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Former Pupils Edited by Charlotte Allitt and Mollie O’Sullivan
School visits Former Pupils and staff are warmly encouraged to visit Bablake on an informal basis by school archivist Mr Peter Burden (pfb@ bablake.coventry.sch.uk) and Alumni Relations Officer Mrs Sylvia O’Sullivan (sosullivan@bablake.coventry.co.uk). There are numerous concerts, drama productions and sports fixtures, where former pupils are also very welcome! Archives We host a vast array of records dating back to 1902, including complete sets of school magazines, photographs, written records, exercise books and much more. If you are interested in viewing such material, Mr Burden will be happy to help out with any enquiries.
The Trustees envisage offering assistance towards the cost of projects, expeditions or travel relevant to an applicant’s subject of study. Applications should be made in writing to the Headmaster, Mr John W Watson, giving full details of the purpose for which a scholarship is being sought. HMC Bulkeley-Evans Gap Year Scholarships are also available via www.gap-year-the-bulkeley-evans.co.uk
#BablakePupilsEverywhere #RealisingTheirPotential
Bablake 1344 Former pupils may be interested to know that Bablake Wines (www.bablakewines.co.uk) is still selling bottles of very acceptable red and white wine and champagne with a ‘Bablake 1344’ label. Scholarships The Trustees of the Coventry School Foundation Prizes Fund invite applications for: • The Sage Scholarship: tenable in any subject by a former pupil of the school at any university, college or other institute of further education (including professional and technical education) approved by the trustees. • The Colonel Sir W F Wyley Scholarship: similarly available to former pupils but restricted to those studying science subjects.
Generations meet at Bablake’s Spring Coffee Morning
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reunions
Family matters! Could you believe the life of a Bablake journalist or Wheatleyan reporter is a tough one? Mollie O’Sullivan was given the task of interviewing her mother, Alumni Relations Officer Mrs Sylvia O’Sullivan, in the comfort of her own home! Here is Mollie’s report.
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hroughout my time at Bablake, I have always been ‘encouraged’ to help at many of the Alumni events my mother arranges, either as a photographer or a waitress, so it was interesting to talk in greater depth about her daily work and hear some of her compelling stories drawn from weekly meetings with Archivist Mr Peter Burden and regular updates from Bablake’s former pupils. I was amazed to learn one former pupil Mr Douglas Hirons, who came to Bablake in 1930, was going to celebrate his 100th birthday on 1st October. I asked for an update on what had happened in a year when the Alumni Office had moved from the top of the Sixth Form Centre to E8A in February and survived a few months overlooking the Careers department, before moving to new facilities by the Dining Room at the end of the summer break. Reunions, visits and general news have once again kept Bablake’s ‘Mrs O’ and her assistant Mrs Kayleigh Lacey busy. The annual Spring Coffee Morning, always a lovely event, was held in the Rehearsal Room rather than the Main Library. This had worked really well, with quite a few new faces bringing fresh stories about their time at
Role reversal: Mollie interviews her mum
“...our ‘big’ anniversary in 2019, when the school will celebrate its 675th birthday.” Bablake. The former pupils were delighted to be joined by a young Shell class who mingled and chatted enthusiastically, in between enjoying the excellent cakes on offer. Late in the Summer term, there was a reunion for former pupils who attended Bablake during the 1980s. This was a hugely successful event with nearly 100 guests spending a lovely few hours reminiscing and recapturing memories roaming round the campus before gathering for lunch in the Dining Hall. Mrs Sarah Harris, Bablake’s Director of Marketing, herself a former pupil, was one of the guests. Earlier in the year, in November, some of our more senior former pupils, all with memories of WWII, joined the Bablake community for our Remembrance Day assembly, marked by a very poignant tribute from our Headmaster Mr John Watson. The group then spent time in our
Memorial Garden. The whole event was particularly emotional. As well as continuing with the twice yearly newsletters, Alumni Relations plans for the future include the return of the Leavers of 2005 in May 2018, and something special for our ‘big’ anniversary in 2019, when the school will celebrate its 675th birthday. For the moment though, the Alumni Office wishes Mrs Lacey all the very best for her maternity leave. After talking to my mother about her work, I am in a better position now to decide whether to keep in touch with her first as a former pupil or as a daughter, when I leave Bablake at the end of this year. I may yet take advice from my elder brother Joseph (2012 leaver) on the best path to tread, as he has already faced this dilemma!
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Creatives
Northern
Charlotte Allitt and Mollie O’Sullivan interviewed three former pupils Eve, Charlotte and Isobel, all outstanding recent graduates, whose love of A level Art steered each to the North for a creative degree.
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Are you sitting comfortably? Eve Kershaw on her sofa
Which A Levels did you study?
Eve Kershaw: AS Psychology plus Art, Biology and Maths. Charlotte Loasby: Art, Economics and History. Isobel Lindsay: Art, History and Psychology.
You all graduated with a 2:1 (upper second-class honours), but what did you study and where? Charlotte: Fashion Communication at Leeds Arts University. Eve: I went on to study Fine Art at Newcastle University, and am now studying for my postgrad certificate in Stage Management at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which is a 2 year foundation degree. Isobel: After leaving Bablake, I completed an Art & Design Foundation Diploma at Warwickshire College; it was such a fun year and I would recommend it to anyone as it allowed me to explore all areas of Art and Design. Following that, I went to Manchester School of Art to study a Fashion BA and graduated this year.
creativestudies Which is best? Art or Science, or both?
“Do as much as you can to inform your decisions, and that way, you stand a better chance of making the right choice.”
Charlotte: Definitely both. I’m lucky with Art because, as a subject, it fuelled my hobby as well as my profession, however science is at the core of a lot of we do, which is an important factor to acknowledge. I think about aspects of it all the time; sometimes it will occur to me that, actually, what I was taught in Physics which I might have considered to be pointless, really does apply to an everyday situation. Isobel: Obviously science is important, no one can deny that. However, I feel the Arts do not receive the respect they deserve. The creative arts are so important to this country; it is our creativity that gives us an edge over other countries. Speaking on behalf of the fashion and textile industry, it is a 66 billion pound industry, which offers thousands of jobs. In the fashion industry, you need to understand both practical aspects of design and production as well as the aesthetic outcomes. You also have to understand your consumer needs alongside creating new trends. It’s a difficult industry, and a demanding course, it’s not just making pretty dresses!
What would you tell your 16 year old self? What was the best part of your degree? Eve: All the experience I gained around my course and using the university’s facilities. This meant I had enough experience to get into Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. So far the best bit about my new course is just how much I have learnt in such a small time, and how I have been able to use skills I already have in different ways. Charlotte: The best aspect of my degree was progressing in a field I was particularly passionate about, but did not know much about on an industry level to begin with. This made me value having knowledge of new concepts that I was not aware of or did not know I could be good at. The modules were very varied, so I was taught some areas of graphic design, trend forecasting and styling for example which gave me a good grounding for choosing which jobs to apply for. I was able to manage my own projects and choose their themes which was useful for personal development. I also learnt a lot about myself and met some of my best friends in Leeds, which is an amazing city for a student. Isobel: For me, it was a mixture of both the freedom of design and the great amount of textiles equipment available to us. We were all encouraged to experiment with print, embroidery and knit before we decided where to specialise. This greatly helped the success of my final collection in the final year where I created my collection, complete with my very own embroidery. This led to the highlight of my course when my work was selected to go down the catwalk at Graduate Fashion Week in London.
What are your plans now? Charlotte: I am currently working within Ted Baker’s UK Press Team on a permanent basis in London. I aim to learn as much as I can within my role, particularly from an events perspective and build my network within the industry. There is lots of scope for travel and progression within the company, so I plan to embrace all the opportunities open to me. Isobel: I am currently looking for a job as a Design assistant in a high-street fashion house. I did a fabulous internship this summer at Coast, where I learnt so much, so I am hoping to find similar employment. Eve: I am planning on working in the theatre and film industry in stage management and production management.
Eve: That’s a hard question! I would tell myself to look into creative jobs more as I did not realise I could use my organisational, mathematical and creative skills in one job: stage management. Charlotte: Do as much as you can to inform your decisions, and that way, you stand a better chance of making the right choice. Perfect what you are already good at, but try your best with the things you are not so good at, so nobody can tell you did not try. Look at universities and their requirements (or alternative routes), and even jobs because the A levels you choose will or will not help you there.
Describe Bablake’s Art Department in three words Isobel: Inspirational, supportive and sassy! Eve: Crazy, creative and experimental. Charlotte: Inspired, memorable and warm. The Art department was the warmest place in the school, especially the Sixth Form room.
About the creatives Charlotte is an outstanding singer songwriter and was the 2014 Shine School Media Awards Journalist of the Year for her work on Stretch magazine. Eve was going to study Mathematics at Newcastle, until she had a change of heart and took her Art portfolio up to the university a couple of weeks before she was due to start. Isobel is an excellent embroiderer and chose her course in Manchester over the London College of Fashion.
“The creative arts are so important to this country; it is our creativity that gives us an edge over other countries.” @TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Grapevine News from 2016/17 about former pupils and staff. Compiled by Mr Mark Woodward, with help from Mrs Kayleigh Lacey.
A calming influence: Laura Needham runs a weekly staff yoga session
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The Wheatleyan 2016/17
alumninews
Uma Venkataraman and Adam Walters
Shindy Lall and Mrs Alison Tumber
John Greenhill
Heard, mentioned or spotted
News about our former pupils is regularly reported via our social media coverage, often with use of the following hashtags: #BablakePupilsEverywhere, #OldWheats and #RealisingTheirPotential
It’s been another amazing year for our former pupils. Mr Mark Woodward has gleaned some info about their lives beyond Bablake. Audio downloads: Roger Worrod, miscellaneous. Authors: Vernon Dewhurst, Lauren James, Roger Parkes, Alex T Smith. Award Winners: Dan Cotton (CapGemini/ Aston University digital apprenticeship); Alex Smith’s Claude Going For Gold 5-9 year old fiction award winner at the 2016 Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards; Kirstie Townshend, Miss GB Talent 2017; Rosie Tressler, Student Minds, national award; Ameena Tahir, British Asian Wedding Awards winner for her henna designs; Tim Williams, Certificate of Special Service from the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) for ‘a significant local contribution to church music’ at St Wulfram’s. Bablake: seen in Nativity, Nativity 2 on Christmas TV schedules.
Congratulations to the following ... Richard Adams, (1961-1968). Has been living in the Scottish Border for over 30 years. Former teacher, now works in a finance office. After a stem cell transplant, Richard took up competitive swimming. In 2015, at the World Transplant Games, he won a gold, silver and bronze; this year, he won a bronze in the 50m breaststroke race. Mini Wheats and Old Wheatleyans RFC — Thanks to the selfless enthusiasm of club officials and volunteers, the Mini Wheats set up, for primary age children (Reception, Y1, Y2), goes from strength to strength every Sunday as a long-term investment for the OW RFC’s future. The 1st XV, with new coach Matt Cappell, retained its Midlands 3 West (South) league status in 2015/16, but will be keen to challenge the leading sides in the league more in the new season.
New Year’s Honours List Karen Fraser, director of Credos, was awarded an MBE for her work promoting diversity in advertising.
Weddings of the Year Anna French and Will Hine (both Class of 2006). Uma Venkataraman and Adam Walters (both Class of 2003). There were over a dozen former pupils in attendance, including Alex Myers (Best Man) and former Alumni Database Assistant Rachel Hollinrake.
Bablake legends: Numerous pupils and staff at our Art and Design Technology exhibition, Carol Service (inc. Charlie Bramwell, Clara Ross), KHVIII rugby match, Mock Interview Morning, school concerts/plays et al. #BablakePupilsEverywhere, #RealisingTheirPotential: see Twitter. Back at Bablake: Mr Ian Appleby (using an iPad in the EDM Foyer on the blue chairs, awaiting A Rainbow Cinderella rehearsal); Ronan Cassidy (2016 Prize Giving Guest of Honour), Matt Davidson (now Bretton) (Shakespeare Festival); James Elkins (IFA); Sam Griffiths (Sherlock performance after Fringe run, Tech Camp); Andy Moran (surveyor); Shindy Lall (L6th Beyond Bablake day); Kayleigh Mullarkey (now Lacey) (Alumni Database Clerk/ Learning Support Assistant); Laura Needham (Staff Yoga teacher); Professor Chris Norbury (2017 Prize Giving Guest of Honour); Manisha Magar, Rajan Sheth (visits from the USA); Aaran Patel (BMAT advice); Michael Warmington (Removal Masters, 6th Form Centre move); Tom Watts (6th Form Centre build); Laura Weaver (Bablake Feminist Society). Back in the UK: Paul Burke visiting from Tokyo, with his wife Chigusa. BBC News presenter Martine Croxall, much praised (‘in the worst of times, a star rises in the field of journalism…’), and one of 40 BBC female presenters to write an open letter to their bosses with the request for equal pay. At Bomber Command Memorial: John Greenhill.
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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Whiney Talisman
Lorna Syson
Charitable action: Michael Douglas climbing Mt Kilimanjaro (Georgie’s Gift); Hope Hughes (Exeter’s RAG Hike to Amsterdam); Jack Kelly (Refugees in Lesbos); Jonah Ogbuneke (Love for the Streets, Manchester); Beth Rowland Himalayas trek (Grief Encounter). Checkatrade Trophy Cup Final/1987 FA Cup Final 30 Year Reunion: Bablake’s former pupils were a sizeable percentage of the 40,000 crowd. Coventry Telegraph: Paul Wright (commentary on payments for players in lower league rugby). Creatives: Vernon Dewhurst (Snap Galleries exhibition of his Bowie photography). Designs on the Catwalk: Jo Edden (various); Supriya Lele, named by i-D magazine as one of the Top 10 graduate designers. DJ-in’ (with no ‘g’)/On the Decks: Sean Clothier, Will Hine, Matt Despilia (aka Lang), Malik Mattu. Donor: Martyn Taylor, NHS Blood and Transplant Service commemorative medal for over 30 years of blood donations. Found: Neil Simmonds’ Shell P blazer — rumoured to have a copy of The Blackbird poem/Chris Haidar in its pocket! Lost: Andy Jeanes (parka coat, 1982); Jim Lodder (scarf, 1968). Gastronomic and liquid lunch UK tour: The Nog Inn, Wincanton (Will Cutts); Dragon Inn, Worcester (Katie Elliott); The Little Owl, Solihull (Jacqui Matthews); Not Dogs, Link Street, Birmingham (Katie McDermott); Taylor’s Diner (Julia Pearson); Coleshill Hotel (Emily Robinson). ‘Sponsored’ by Kondwani Mhone (Diageo), Richard East (InBev) and Helen Keays (Domino’s). Travel via Emma Head (HS2). Wolverhampton stop to follow (Natalie Jackson). Beyond UK Tour: Q Bar, Saigon (Sean Mulraine); Bells Brewery, Michigan (David Munro). Club Stop: ‘Samoan Joe’s’ (Johnny Barrett, Craig Mosey). Detox: Champneys (Becki Douglas, formerly Hawkins). Guardian Masterclasses: Alex T Smith. Inspired by Philip Larkin & Shakespeare: Wes Finch. iTunes, Soundcloud and other reputable digital stores/streams: new material from Jake Burgess (Fun Sponge); Wes Finch; Will Hine (Whiney Stranger Tides EP, Talisman debut album); Charlotte Loasby.
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The Wheatleyan 2016/17
Nick Skelton
Local newsagents, service stations, airports and any high streets left: UK Cache Mag, edited by Adam Redshaw. National News (TV): Economist Paul Hollingsworth (BBC News, News at 10). National Press: Kate Bradford (was Townshend) (Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Grazia, TES); Juliet Hodges, alcohol abstinence (Men’s Health); Supriya Lele, (i-D, Vogue); Ben Morriss-Roberts, no 16 on Film Power List (Sunday Times); Kate Ross, Finals celebrations (Daily Mail); Lorna Syson (various inc The Observer); Rosie Tressler (The Guardian); Alex T Smith (various). Music Video: Morwenna Hocken (The Dunwells). Not the famous London MC/rapper, simply sharing the same name: AJ Tracey. Old Wheatleyans newsletter (biannual): message from Bablake archivist Mr Peter Burden. Old Wheatleyans RFC: Many former pupils ‘on the books’. On the High Street: Lorna Syson’s materials in John Lewis. On the March: Women’s March, numerous former pupils including Vanessa Frank, Millie Ross, Tish Russell, Sophie Tumber et al. On the Seas: Ben Duffy was again an official photographer for the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. On Song: Bradley Gill (solo alongside City of Birminghan Symphony Orchestra). On Stage (Conference Platform): Robin Trewinnard-Boyle (ITEC 2017, Rotterdam). On Your Radio: Whiney a.k.a. Will Hine, Guest Mix for Friction, Radio 1; Brian Matthew, left Radio 2’s Saturday Sounds of the Sixties and sadly died a few months later; Adam Redshaw (Simon Mayo Drivetime, Radio 2) re geocaching. On Your Telly: Nicky Beards, Pointless winner (#spoiler) (BBC 1); Michelle Beckett, The Big Question (BBC 1); Daniel Friebe, Tour de France interviews (ITV 4); Katie Ingram (TOWIE, photographing Diags’ 2017 calendar); Katie McDermott, Dragon’s Den (BBC 2); Mark McKelvie, Bargain Hunt (BBC 1); Nick Skelton, Sports Personality of the Year, 3rd (BBC 1). Promoted: James Parsley, Equity Partner (Shortland Parsley); Richard Parsley, Senior Cost Manager (Gardiner & Theobald, New York).
alumninews
Millie Ross
Old Wheats RFC End of Season dinner
Featured in Promotional Material: James Allitt (Loughborough University Engineering video) Adam Pearman (Audi, Listers, Coventry); Natalie Gardner (Head and Shoulders ad); Millie Ross (Streatham-Croydon WRFC); Lucy Tucker (PwC brochure); Suki Vraitch (University of Law brochure). Representative Rugby: Bedford, Josh Buggea, including poster adverts; Nuneaton RFC, Harry Garforth; Bristol to Stade Français Paris, Shane Geraghty; London Scottish, Frank Sackey; Nottingham, Jamie Jack. Stage Life: Kate Byrne, understudy for Imogen Poots, and John Haidar, assistant director (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?); Katie Carlson (Oxford); Hannah Elsy producer (The Quentin Dentin Show, Arts Theatre, West End); Emily Lewis (now Hall) 9 to 5 (St Augustine’s Musical Company, Solihull); Laura Weaver (Pretty Petite). Teacher Watch: Mrs Gill Thomas, Loughborough Sports Centre (Melissa Croxall); Mr Bruce Wilson, Bablake Turning Circle (Richard East) 23 year ‘tour’ reunion.
Former staff Mr Martin Barker, former Vice Principal at Bablake, celebrated his 90th birthday. Mr David Prescott (Director of Drama), Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr Mark Warner (Head of Art), even more gallery displays, prodigious sketching & painting breaks.
In memoriam We are very sorry to inform readers of the deaths of the following: Mr John Malin (1933 — 1940) then a French teacher (1943 — 1984). Peter Amery (Class of 1942). Anand Dave (Class of 1995). Brian Matthew (1939 — 1946), BBC Radio presenter (Saturday Club, Round Midnight, Sounds of the 60s et al). Brian’s death was announced on Radio 2, then after a brief reprise, it was sadly confirmed. Tony Mottram (Class of 1932).
Upper Sixth Question Time panel: Beckie Carter, Chris Starkey.
Mark Tomlin (Class of 1984).
Waterstones and all good independent bookshops: Vernon Dewhurst (Rubies in the Dust); Lauren James (The Last Beginning); Roger Parkes (The Traffic Light Syndrome, The Secret’s Holder, The Octopus Virus); Alex T Smith (Santa Claude).
David Tweed (Class of 1986).
Yogahush: another prompt for yoga classes by Genevieve Prue.
Most likely to…
Reminiscences Thank you to those of you posting so many photographs and memories on the Former Pupils Facebook group. Special mention to Charlie Cook, Mike Godwin, Andrew Harvey, Roger Worrod.
Be still yearning to be on Strictly Come Dancing: Richard Drury, Martyn Gray, Richard Lowe. Conduct a casual conversation with an Old Wheat at traffic lights, tube stations or on a bicycle: Millie Ross.
Addenda… Many former pupils returned for our 80s reunion, and Mock Interview Morning (www.2morrow-2day.com/mock-interview. html) (July 2017), held on the same day in fact. If you would like to assist at the 2018 Careers Convention (www.2morrow-2day.com/ careers-convention.html), please contact mgw@bablake.coventry. sch.uk.
Please submit news for inclusion in the 2017-18 Wheatleyan by email (mgw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk) to Staff Editor, Mr Mark Woodward, by 1 September 2018.
@TheWheatleyan / www.bablake.com / @bablakeschool
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thelastword
Your first published novel, The Next Together, was a romance through time. Where did you derive your inspiration from? I had been thinking about a couple who are reincarnated throughout history since I was about 16 and always wrote about them during Creative Writing assignments at school. This idea stuck long enough for me to start writing the full novel when I was 18 and at university.
Lauren James (image by Pete Bedwell)
The last
word
Harsimran Sansoy and Shamayel Sayeed interviewed Lauren James, a firm advocate of STEM activities and emerging Young Adult fiction writer, whose third novel ‘The Loneliest Girl in the Universe’ will be published in September 2017. Lauren left Bablake in 2010 to study Chemistry and Physics at the University of Nottingham.
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Are the characters Katherine and Matthew based on people around you, or is it entirely fictional? Both Kate and Matt are a little bit of me, and like my babies! Apart from just shamelessly stealing my own characteristics, Matt is based a little on Prince Char from Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine — I absolutely adored that book when I was 13. Kate is inspired by Jim Kirk as played by Chris Pine in the Star Trek reboot, because, when I saw that film, I was desperate for a silly, lewd, brave character like him — but someone who was a girl! I love them for all their ridiculousness — Kate is very bossy and confident, while Matt is a little more shy and contemplative, and completely in awe of Kate. For the characters in the sequel, Clove was trying to combine Kate and Matt’s personalities into a way that made sense, complete with their flaws and abilities to work as a team. Was the sequel, The Last Beginning, planned originally, or did you decide to write it after the success of your first novel? I did not know there was going to be a sequel until I finished writing The Next Together. When I got to the end, I realised there was this whole other story to be told. I was working on edits while writing The Last Beginning, so I was able to go back to the first book and sew scenes, conversations and plot developments I had come up with while writing the sequel. I enjoyed writing offhand mentions of characters to come, knowing readers would glide over them without paying attention, until they realised in the sequel. Writing a second novel is infamously harder because you write it with an awareness people are going to read it, whereas a first novel is just written for yourself! Besides which, a first novel is made up of a lifetime’s worth of experiences, but a second novel has to find something new and unique based on only a year’s worth of new living.
The pressure can be crippling at times. The hardest part was keeping track of what was happening from the perspectives of the different characters in each scene, especially because there is a lot of time travel. Sometimes I would have a character offering information they did not actually know (yet), which gave my editors a headache! If you could try writing another genre, which genre would it be and why? I already try to make my books a little bit of every genre — The Next Together is an historical drama, conspiracy theory thriller, science fiction adventure and plenty more besides! If I did not write a variety of different genres, I would probably get bored.
“My current goal is to continue to earn enough from writing to make it my career, instead of an occasionally-funded hobby.”
Have you got any other projects in the making? The Loneliest Girl is about Romy, who was born on a spaceship and is now the only occupant. NASA sends a newer, faster spaceship, which starts catching up with hers, and she starts talking to the boy on board. This started with a question on special relativity in my Physics coursework at university, which made me wonder what it would be like to be that first astronaut, and dedicate years to travelling alone in space, only for your ship to be overtaken by a faster one before you even arrive. What kind of relationship would you have with the person on the faster ship? The project after this — out in 2018 — is a sci fi detective story about the extinction of humanity. Do you draw any inspiration from other authors, and if so, whom? Susannah Clarke, Neil Gaiman, Audrey Niffenegger, Rainbow Rowell, Sarah Waters, PG Wodehouse … I could go on all day! I am always making notes when I read books by Douglas Adams — he is the master of humorous sci-fi and I have adored his work since I was young. I have also recently discovered Maggie Stiefvater, who has an incredible way of really making her characters seem like real people. Would you agree being an author is a worthwhile career choice, and did you experience any problems while writing or publishing your novels? I started writing The Next Together at 16, and finished the first draft at 19. I had no idea how the publishing industry worked, and read one ‘How To’ article on ‘query letters’ before blithely sending one into the ether! I found an A to Z list of agents and started emailing with the Zs, because
I thought they would have the fewest submissions. In the end, I found an agent on W, after I had emailed only six agencies. It was a very naive way to apply, but I got very lucky — my agent is incredible, and last year she was shortlisted for the Bookseller’s Agent of the Year award. We then submitted to publishers after a whole year of revisions and within a fortnight, two publishers had offered. That seems so easy and fast, but at the time it was the most stressful, delirious fortnight of my life. I have been through the submission process several times since, and it does not get any easier. My second novel was 20 times harder, because suddenly there was all this pressure. When I was writing for myself, there was no pressure to write something good. I always loved the idea of being a writer, but did not think it was possible.
I thought people who became authors must have spent their whole life writing, and I was too interested in doing other things for that. My current goal is to continue to earn enough from writing to make it my career, instead of an occasionally-funded hobby. Everything you read tells you that for a new author in the 21st century, it is impossible to support yourself by writing. I am going to fight to prove that is not the case. Being an author is quite similar to how I imagined it, though — spending a lot of time alone, staying up late at night to write, summoning the devil in exchange for book ideas ... wait, what?!
For more information about Lauren, please see @Lauren_E_James or www.laurenejames.co.uk
O ne of the country’s leading co -educational independent schools is closer than you think…
“i want to show young people that, if you have a dream, you should just go for it and not think too much about obstacles in your way.” kare adenegan * inspiring a generation
*bablake pupil kare Competed for Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in rio at the age of 15. she won a silver and two bronze medals. Cover image: ‘Celebration and Inspiration’ by Mr Andrew Phillips.