The Wheatleyan 2006- 2007

TheWheatleyan www.bablake.com

celebrating 2006/07

‘I could sense the life and happiness of Bablake the moment I walked through the door. One year in, the feeling is as strong as ever, and The Wheatleyan bears abundant testimony to the inspiration and energy of so many talented individuals, who together build such a rich and diverse community.

I have no doubt that you will enjoy sampling and digesting the fine fare served up to us in this annual feast of endeavour and achievement. The editors have truly spoilt us, and I find myself drawn irresistibly to the conclusion that Bablake is a remarkable school. I hope you will agree.’ john watson, headmaster

TheWheatleyan the team Will Chamberlain (Editor) News & features Adam Austin, Sport Jessica Blake, Performing Arts Amy Bruck, Extra-curricular Laura Dean, News & features Faith Hannon, Apprentice-Flair Niamh Luckett, Flair Lee Paplauskas, Apprentice-Flair Jessica Phillips, Flair Hannah Sheard, Extra-curricular Rebecca Stuart , Sport Simone Willis, Beyond the classroom Printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests.

design Mustard Design www.mustardhot.com print Talisman plc contributors Thanks to Jenny Bullas, Paul Cleaver, Rob Dougall, Faith Hannon, Richard Smith, Sue Smith and the PE department, Chris West, Mark Woodward and many, many more for the photography. front cover photograph ‘The Storyteller’ by Rob Dougall

Bablake School, which exists to provide quality education for boys and girls, is a registered charity (No 528961) and is a school within the Coventry School Foundation. The Foundation provides independent education for 7-18 year olds through two selective schools, Bablake, founded in 1344, and King Henry VIII, founded in 1545. It also offers non-selective education for 3-13 year olds through Coventry Preparatory School, established in 1920, and language study for all pupils of the Foundation schools at Le Fousseau, an 18th century manor house in Fougères in northern France.

Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU t +44 (0)24 7627 1200 f +44 (0)24 7627 1293 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk

www.bablake.com

inthisissue

highlights 02 News & features

Headmaster’s Annual Review 3 Prize winners 9 Notable achievements 10 Final destinations 12 Staff news 14 Talking point 23

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Beyond the classroom

A heavenly Experience 30 New York, New York 31 Keeping a weather eye open 33 House reports 41

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Flair

Bablake 24/7 48 Beth Shalom 52 In the thick of the action 54 Illustrating success 56 In control 58 Art & Design 62 Photographic memory 66

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Performing arts

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The Threepenny Opera 70 On the Fringe 71 Daisy Pulls It Off 72 Oh Vienna... 74

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Sport

Shane Geraghty – rugby superstar 78 South Africa hockey tour 80 House sports day 82 Cricket 84 Hockey 86 Rugby 90 Netball 93

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Former students T E Dunville 101 Grapevine 102 Get involved 104

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news&features

‘Over the last year, I have particularly enjoyed being involved in many school trips and other extracurricular activities on offer at Bablake.

My time has been spent in Bablake’s Weather Station, Young Enterprise, Debating, Duke of Edinburgh and the RAF but the opportunities are almost endless. All pupils are encouraged to participate in such activities to enrich their learning experience greatly.

One of my mother’s first memories of her initial visit to Bablake as a prospective parent was the smiles she saw on everyone’s faces – staff and pupils! During my time at Bablake, the faces have changed but the smiles remain the same.

The Wheatleyan celebrates many of the reasons we have for smiling at Bablake.

I hope you enjoy reading the issue as much as we all enjoy being part of the stories and successes.’

Will Chamberlain, Student editor

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Edited by Will Chamberlain & Laura Dean

news& features Highlights Headmaster’s Annual Review 3 Prize winners 9 Notable achievements 10 Final destinations 12 Staff news 14 Talking point 23

head’sreview

Bablake prize giving for 2006/07 Headmaster’s annual review Mr John Watson celebrates the achievements and experiences of Bablake’s pupils in his annual speech to parents

A

s another school year rolls round, it’s actually unpredictability which makes working in education such a dynamic and exciting vocation.

I don’t just mean the unpredictability of waking up wondering who the Secretary of State for Education is today, or what his or her department is called (how many of you could answer that question, I wonder?), or what new reform he or she is proposing (and thank God for the blessings of independence), and I don’t mean the unpredictability of walking through the door in the morning, and having no idea of what surprises the day ahead will bring me – although I can sometimes guess from the look on my PA’s face. I refer more to the unpredictability or frisson that the most seasoned teacher feels every September, because he or she has a new set of pupils. Young people love to surprise us, partly for their own amusement and entertainment (and ours too), partly because they are imaginative and idealistic. As their educators, we too should aim to surprise, and to look at new approaches, for it is in changes to routine that young minds (and indeed older minds) are often most receptive to learning. We should expect the unexpected, and frequently as a source of opportunity or rejoicing rather than anxiety or disappointment. Some of you will have heard this excerpt from a girl’s school report before: “She has not done as well as I expected. I didn’t think she would.” Well, we have many instances last year of our young people actually not only exceeding our expectations, but also surprising themselves, and it gives me immense pleasure to report on those successes tonight.

We were again delighted by the outstanding academic successes of our pupils, whose results in public examinations placed Bablake amongst the highest performing selective schools nationally. The A level results did indeed exceed expectations, with a record 81.2% of grades at A or B, with 54% at A grade. This

will enable the vast majority of Upper Sixth Formers to continue to their first choice of university in an increasingly competitive arena, and I am grateful to Mr Woodward, Head of Careers, as well as Mr Burns and his team, for all the advice which they offer. Star performer was Marco Orsini-Jones, who achieved six As at A level and one A at AS level. He also achieved one of the top 5 marks nationally in General Studies A level, which, as an exam allowing little targeted preparation, is an excellent indicator of all-round intelligence. So, congratulations to all last year’s U6 Formers with us today – you should be justifiably proud of your achievements.

Let’s applaud them. The AS level results were also encouraging, but, with individual module scores now available to universities should they request them, the current U6 will need to ensure that they maximise their efforts during the coming year if they are to fulfil their dreams. Record results were recorded at GCSE, with a third of the year group achieving at least nine A* or A grades, and all 156 pupils gaining at least five passes at A*– C, including Maths, English and a Science. James Ross and Thomas Hine each amassed twelve A* grades, with Katherine Hull hot on their heels with 11 A*s. 69.3% of all grades were at A*. At a time when employers and universities are lamenting a national decline in numeracy, it is particularly noteworthy that no pupil scored lower than a B in Maths. Overall, the girls fractionally outperformed the boys, both at A and GCSE levels, so I challenge our current male Fifth Form to reverse the trend next summer.

Academic achievements have been complemented and enhanced by participation and success in numerous competitions.

You may sometimes wonder why your children are so good at arguing. Well, it may have something to do with our tradition of debate and public speaking. Our senior debaters were victorious in regional rounds of the Schools’ Debating Competition, English Speaking Union Debates, and the Rotary Club ‘Youthspeaks’ contest; bablake school

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in the British Professional Women’s Schools Public Speaking, the Bablake trio (all boys actually!) were placed third in the national finals amongst the best five trios in the United Kingdom. Three teams won through to the Coventry Final of the excellent Young Enterprise scheme, and Touchdown won the prize for best product in the Coventry and Warwickshire Final for their Easy-squeeze tube-squeezer. If you are looking for Christmas stocking fillers, I’m afraid that it has probably already sold out. In the Young Enterprise level 2 examination, Jamie Stefaniak achieved the top mark in the West Midlands. Fifth Form Design Students Sam Sharples and Lee Paplauskas have received prestigious Arkwright scholarships for the duration of the Sixth Form for demonstrating Engineering flair and originality. Reena Panchal’s project on a hospital superbug won her top project prize from 73 entries in the West Midlands Gold Crest awards. Four Sixth Form artists were selected to take part in the Mad UK fashion show alongside undergraduates and professional designers from around the country, illustrating the themes of Renaissance, Peace and War and the equally worthy Party Pants. In the regional 2007 Mathematics Team Challenge, Bablake was placed second behind King Edward’s Birmingham in a field of 16 schools. Several pupils have won Mathematics Gold certificates at Senior, Intermediate and Junior levels, placing them amongst the top 4% of Mathematicians nationally; James Lambert was our first Fifth Former to achieve this accolade in the senior challenge. Lower Sixth Form Physicists won the Midlands Paperclip Physics competition, as they explained the concept of inertia by making eggs fall from a tray into beer glasses and pulling a tablecloth from beneath a vase of flowers. Plenty of creative energy there. A team of Economists was placed third nationally in the Shares 4 Schools competition, increasing the value of their shares by 20% during a six month period. They will offer financial advice to interested parties after the evening – at a fee, of course. Some of this team then combined with others in the Bank of England/ Times Two Point Zero Interest Rate Challenge, reaching the national finals in London in March, visiting the gold reserves and rising to the dizzy heights of sitting in the Governor’s chair. They were ultimately placed fourth out of 265 teams nationwide, having won through heats in Leamington and the West Midlands and South West England finals. We shall celebrate this highly commendable achievement in the prizes later on.

All pupils have benefited from healthy competition and rivalry through the house system in many an activity, and, for the first time in four years, we dodged the showers to enjoy a muddy but exciting Sports Day at the beginning of July; we actually could probably be more confident of it taking place if we were to move it to December. The same might be said of our summer games fixtures, a good number of which suffered from wintry showers and downpours. This did not, however, dampen spirits, and the 1st XI cricket and U15 rounders teams fared particularly well, the former team winning through to the final of the Warwickshire Cup – which was actually played in glorious September sunshine. Many pupils have enjoyed successful seasons representing the school in sport, and there have been some fine highlights, over and above frequent wins in Coventry leagues and cups. Morale remained high amongst the rugby players, with the 2nd XV virtually unbeaten, and the U14s almost completing two seasons without a defeat. Our best players combined with the best from King Henry’s to take on a very strong Warwick School side just before Warwick went on

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to win the Daily Mail Cup at Twickenham; the Coventry Schools team was winning until the last few minutes, but our two schools’ players, rarely in harmony, were ultimately united in defeat. The 1st Netball VII won all their league matches to take the West Midlands South league trophy. The U14 team won the Coventry Schools, the Warwickshire/ Solihull and Coventry Schools and the West Midlands Tournaments, and were only knocked out by the eventual winners in the semi-finals of the National Schools Netball Finals in Bournemouth. There is also great enthusiasm on the hockey front, with the appointment of two international players to the teaching staff, and the U16 girls’ and the U13 boys’ teams achieved particular success; the latter finished 6th in the Midlands finals, competing against strong club and school sides from seven counties. Individual successes are too numerous to list, but many pupils have gained city, county, regional and even national representative honours.

Lucy Horn and Holly Payne trained exceptionally hard to be selected for the U16 England hockey team. Helen Price played rugby for England. Pippa Collison and Emily McNeice competed in the International Children’s Games in Iceland. Rebecca Sewell went to Holland with the Midlands U15 hockey team. Alex Owens competed for Warwickshire Schools in the prestigious Badminton England Harrods inter-county tournament. Paul Best captained the Warwickshire U17 cricket team. Brett Chatwin played rugby for Midlands U18s. Chuka Ogbuneke ran the 200 metres for the West Midlands. Jennifer Gardner represented the West Midlands in the pole vault at the UK Schools’ Games. Philip Walker will be training this autumn and winter with an Olympic coach, hoping to achieve national ranking in 2008. Joshua Baines will be shooting in the National Air Rifle finals at Bisley in October. The Senior Girls hockey and netball players have completed some pre-season training on tour in South Africa, whilst boys’ hockey will go to Gibraltar in October, and rugby to South Africa and Kenya next Summer. It seems that they will go to any lengths to track down some elusive sunshine, whilst pretending to forge international links in the name of sport. And lest we lack inspiration, we have only to look to Old Wheatleyan Shane Geraghty, who, earlier this year, helped English rugby to a morale-boosting victory over France.

Surely there can’t be time for any other activity, let alone work?

Well, we have enjoyed several drama productions, particularly The Threepenny Opera, a junior 40-minute Tempest, and Daisy Pulls It Off, which was one of four plays in a most entertaining evening of House Drama. The Threepenny Opera recently played to packed houses during the Drama Department’s annual visit to the Edinburgh Fringe. Our musicians have continued to entertain us, and there have been some notable individual achievements: Fourth Former Nadine Minty gained distinction in Grade 8 piano, David Cheetham the same accolade on the oboe, and Simone Willis played for the City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Orchestra. Jessica Blake won the Class Act competition at Leamington’s Spa centre, performing her own composition alongside pupils from nine other local schools and colleges. In addition to the annual Battle of the Bands, the school has hosted several concerts of contemporary music, raising over £1000 for charity. This contributed to a total of over £17000 raised last year by Bablake pupils, for charities such as Send a Cow, which provides livestock and training for the poorest people in Africa, Myton Hospice and the Meningitis Trust, for which Mr Dougall raised £3500 by completing the London Marathon in a most respectable time. I should also mention at

head’sreview

‘We were again delighted by the outstanding academic successes of our pupils, whose results in public examinations placed Bablake amongst the highest performing selective schools nationally’

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this juncture that about 65 of our pupils do community service in various guises on a weekly basis, some as their service element for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which continues to attract large numbers: in fact, 200 this year, making Bablake the largest award unit in Coventry. The lure of the outdoors and camping in the wilds are overwhelmingly popular, and the Combined Cadet Force now has both Army and RAF sections, where pupils enjoy tremendous opportunities, and learn valuable skills for life. Visits this year have been as varied as Italy and Sicily (Classics), Wales and Derbyshire for Biology and Geography field trips, Heavenly skiing in Canada, New York (Economics and Business Studies), the Battlefields for Historians, Beth Shalom (the holocaust memorial centre), Vienna for our musicians, and Germany and France for our linguists, including the annual week-long visit to Fousseau for all Second Years. The Artists will be going to Istanbul in October, and Economics and Business Studies to China at Easter.

And we remain committed to subsidising curricular visits for those who would otherwise be unable to afford them.

As we know, a school is only as good as its staff, and, in this respect, Bablake pupils are most privileged. They give devotedly of their time and their talent, as teachers, pastoral tutors and support staff, in a desire to see each individual flourish and be happy. Please join with me in expressing our gratitude.

We were very saddened at the beginning of the year by the death, in service, of Mr John Lawrence. Mr Lawrence was diagnosed with cancer, and died a few weeks later. He was a Bablake pupil, and had served the school with great loyalty and passion in various capacities, being Head of Science before he retired, and then as our part-time Archivist, forging links with former pupils. He is remembered by many with great affection, and his family, with two grandsons still at Bablake, have generously offered to contribute to the creation of a memorial garden in the Science area of school. This will be designed by pupils this term, and we hope that it will be a haven of tranquillity at the heart of the site.

Every year, we see staff leave, some to more senior posts elsewhere or to relocate, and some for retirement from Bablake. In the former category, we have said farewell to Mr McFadden, Mr Lang, Dr Robilliard and Mr Lander. Mrs Bland was appointed almost eleven years ago as school nurse, during which time she made an enormous contribution to the physical well-being of pupils, whilst also being a listening ear to many.

In the latter category are four members of staff, who together have given 107 years’ service to the school. It would be impossible to pay adequate tribute to all that they have done, and to what they

have given to successive generations of pupils.

Mrs Price came to Bablake in 1993, and was Head of a hugely successful Home Economics Department, where pupils invariably enjoy their food and their textiles, and achieve excellent results in public examinations. She will also be greatly missed for her selfless dedication to the old people who come for our annual Christmas Party and Strawberry Tea, and for her lively organisation of our shoe-box contribution to Operation Christmas Child.

Mrs Goodyer came to Bablake in 1983 and inspired many a budding historian through her energetic love of History. She was a highly effective Head of Department, equally adept at inspiring the most able and the more historically challenged. She was also a most caring and respected form tutor.

Mrs Chapman joined the school in 1979, and she too was a devoted and inspiring teacher.

She contributed a great deal in her roles of Library Co-ordinator and teacher in charge of Oxbridge entries, where her advice and encouragement were always wise and appreciated. She also helped to co-ordinate our annual carol services. It is typical of her dedication that she spent all of her penultimate week at Bablake accompanying a class to Fousseau.

We were very fortunate that Mr Proctor remained part-time beyond his official retirement from Bablake in 2005. Mr Proctor has been a much-loved and greatly respected Mathematics teacher, fondly remembered by many generations of pupils.

He previously ran the Chess Club, was a house head, and was latterly our press officer, responsible for securing the publication of many an article in the Coventry Telegraph. His 41 years’ service to Bablake is quite remarkable.

So, please join with me in expressing an enormous thank you to all these staff, and in wishing them happiness for the future.

As you can see, the Bablake academic year 2006/2007 was as happily busy as ever. During the holidays, the school is of course largely manned by support staff, and it is undoubtedly the busiest time for our maintenance team. I have already written to you to summarise the summer works, but I would particularly like to thank the Parents’ Association for their financial contribution to our Main Hall refurbishment. We now have splendid new lighting, and redecoration and replacement of curtains will occur next summer. The PA has, as ever, been active in its fundraising, and very supportive in providing refreshments at all manner of school occasions. So, a big thank you to Mrs Aucutt and Mrs Hatfield, and their enthusiastic team. The Fire Alarm system has also been thoroughly upgraded, so that your children should be safer than

‘It is patently apparent that underpinning everything to which we aspire as a school is a happy, inclusive and caring environment, with core traditional values, where each individual is cherished and nurtured. I am grateful to you, as parents, for your ongoing support of this ethos, and for working in partnership with us to reinforce these values at home’

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head’sreview

ever, but perhaps regretting that they will spend less time out of lessons for false alarms. I began this section by mentioning the support staff, who are a very loyal, dedicated and professional body, without whom the school could in no way run so efficiently, nor could pupils’ learning be so effectively supported. So, I would like to express my appreciation to them too.

What does the future hold? I promised consultation at the beginning of last year, and this has certainly occurred, at all levels, and with all constituencies. We have redrafted the school aims, to best reflect what we are trying to achieve, and I have sent these to you, along with the new strategic objectives for 2007-2010. To whet your appetites a little, these are just some of the things which we shall be considering: the structure of the school day, the variety of teaching methods which we employ and how pupils can become better independent and co-operative learners, the Sixth Form General Studies programme, our homework policy and practice, delivery of the PSHE and Citizenship programme, further mentoring opportunities for older pupils, our rewards system and electronic communication with parents. You will soon receive a letter (not yet electronically, I’m afraid – although don’t forget that group mailings are available to view on the website) about our revised reporting system. We shall monitor the introduction of Spanish, and explore new curricular opportunities, as new national examinations are introduced. As we build closer liaison with the Junior School, we’re also very excited by the possibilities engendered by the potential construction of a new Junior School on our playing fields. We hope that this year’s Shells and Second Year will be the first to luxuriate in a new Sixth Form Centre (where the current Junior School is), and to benefit from the consequent reordering of other areas of the school buildings. This is a supreme vote of confidence in the school on the part of the governors, and I am grateful to them, as I am for their support of Bablake in many other ways.

Over the last year, we have evaluated what we stand for and where we are heading, for Bablake is a community of flourishing minds, which looks dynamically and optimistically to the future.

At the same time, it is patently apparent that underpinning everything to which we aspire as a school is a happy, inclusive and caring environment, with core traditional values, where each individual is cherished and nurtured. I am grateful to you, as parents, for your ongoing support of this ethos, and for working in partnership with us to reinforce these values at home. This is especially important at a time when gang-culture rather than community-culture seems to be the supreme attraction for some young people.

I’m now going to cede this place to our honoured guest, Mr Courtenay Griffiths.

Mr Griffiths has already been introduced by the Chairman, and I am very grateful to him for speaking earlier today to our potential lawyers. From reading your programmes, you will know that he attended Bablake between 1967 and 1974, and has since acquired an astonishing experience of criminal law and civil liberties, travelling and lecturing extensively, with his most notable cases including the Brighton, Harrods and Canary Wharf Bombings, as well as acting as defence barrister in the Damilola Taylor murder trial. He is Joint Head of Garden Court Chambers, founded 32 years ago, with a fundamental commitment to human rights, social justice and equality. If you Google him, you will find 84,100 references online.

Most eminent QC, Courtenay Griffiths, attended our Prize Giving as our guest of honour. Earlier in the day he led a workshop with a mix of senior and middle school students where he advised prospective Law students to consider the advantages of a different first degree discipline, while appreciating the extra cost of the consequent conversion course. His colourful anecdotes and direct advice were excellent stimuli for all present.

Those of you here last year will remember that I’d also Googled myself, to find over 19 million references, none of them, alas, about the John Watson before you. Well, Bablake’s headmaster has now acquired fame, with several genuine online references: one page on a Business People profiling site had even been visited four times, and, by clicking on and off, I’ve now increased that number to seven.

Well, Mr Griffiths, I’m sure you’re not so vain, and I’m also sure that we will be greatly inspired by what you have to say tonight. So, I’m delighted to hand over to you to present the prizes, and then to address us. bablake school

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prizewinners

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prizewinners

Prizes awarded There were over 200 individual prize-winners this year. The most prestigious of these included: Shell Scholars 2007-08 Academic Scholars Thomas Ball, Katie Carlson, Thomas Grantham, Lara Morley-White, Lauren Morris, Luke O’Neill, Aaran Patel, Joshua Rowe, Jacob Williams Music Scholar Bradley Gill, Joshua Rowe Art Scholar Eleanor Davies

William Townsend Form Prizes Shells Attainment – Marlena Cummings, Arun Dhanjal, Melissa James, Georgia Powell, Maneesha Sehgal Progress – Coral Billingham, Rebecca Garforth, Ellen Parker, Katie Stanton, Daryl Townsend 2nds Attainment – Anuriti Aojula, Smriti Aojula, Rebecca Appleton, Samuel Cooper, Bethany Evans, Samy Shebl

Excellence at GCSE Zain Ali, Lauren Carpenter, Matthew Drage, Artur Foguet-Gonzalez, John Haidar, Faith Hannon, Thomas Hine, Katherine Hull, Lara Jackson, Tom Jackson, Michelle Jie, Sareena Kainth, Ira Kleine, Victoria Martin, Eleanor McCarthy, Katherine Raison, Siobhan Robinson, James Ross, Thomas Varley 6th Form Scholarships Whitehouse – Lara Jackson, Ira Kleine Academic – Matthew Drage, John Haidar, Faith Hannon, Thomas Hine, Victoria Martin, James Ross Music – Michelle Jie, Paul Jordan, Rachel Powell Sport – Paul Best, Holly Payne Lane Scholarships awarded to L6th pupils for outstanding academic achievement Emily Bardell, Elizabeth Collison, Alexander Jones, Isabelle Moran, Alexander Owens The J V Rattigan Cup for Merit Simone Willis The Jackson Progress Prize Emily Stansfield The Leonard Ward Trophy for Sportswoman of the Year Jessica Thompson The Seabourne Trophy for Sportsman of the Year Brett Chatwin

Progress – Emma Honess, James Kirkman, Callum McDonagh, Harry Owen, Robert Vallance, Harnake Virk

Best Contribution to the School by Students new to the 6th Form Laura Ellis, Helen Price

3rds Attainment – David Dwyer, Shannon Easterlow, Daniel Richards, Amelia Ross, Oliver Towlson

Former Pupils’ Association Prize for Merit Amy Corrigan, Hannah Davies, Rebecca Lane, Someit Sidhu, Richard Smith

Progress – Georgia Horn, Samuel Mason, Benjamin Maudsley, Benjamin Stansfield, Elizabeth Stubbington

The H Curt Prize for Service Rebeka Healy

4ths Attainment – Christopher Haidar, Jayson Parmar, Kenny Sangha, Ami Shirley, Jonathan Smith, Uma Venkataraman

The Hawley Cup for Service Kiranjit Juj

Progress – Harry Gogarty, Martyn Gray, Qi Jin, Nadine Minty, Georgina Newbold, Sophie Smith 5ths Abigail Bird, Sam Clarke, Rebecca Devall, Nisha Panchal, Jodie Shaw

The Humberstone Prize for Character and Scholarship This Prize is awarded each year by the Trustees of the Humberstone Memorial on the recommendation of the school staff, in memory of F W Humberstone, Headmaster of Bablake School 1870–1890.

Mark McKelvie bablake school

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achievements

Notable achievements

Sport (Individuals)

Great Britain RYA Youth Transitional Squad and Olympic Development Training Squad Philip Walker (Sailing)

West Midlands Intermediate Athletics Dominic Ainsworth (100m), Toby Donaldson (Javelin), Kai Hartshorn (Discus), Robert Thomason (High Jump), Mathew Storey (100m), Kilian Kleine (100m and High Jump), Sam Jack (Hurdles).

Junior Athletics Ben Davies (Hurdles), William Sibley (Triple Jump), Richard Synnott (High Jump).

U19 Netball Talent Team Jessica Thompson U18 Rugby Brett Chatwin

United Kingdom Schools’ Games Jennifer Gardner (Pole Vault)

Ben, Lucy, Georgia and Jessica Horn for representational hockey at every level.

England International U19 Rugby Helen Price

Paul and Mark Best for prodigious cricketing feats at school, club and County level.

Great Britain International Children’s Games Dominic Ainsworth (100m), Pippa Collison (High Jump and Relay), Emily McNeice (100m & Relay), Robert Thomason (High Jump)

England International U16 Hockey Lucy Horn, Holly Payne

Sport (Team)

England Netball Talent Camp Georgia Horn, Alice O’Connor, Jessica Thompson, Shannon Thompson

West Midlands Netball U18 West Midlands Colleges South Division 1 Champions U14 Winners (and 4th at the Nationals)

Midlands U15 Hockey Jessica Horn, Rebecca Sewell

Warwickshire Hockey Boys U13 Champions Air Rifle Nationals Joshua Baines

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achievements

Academic Prestigious Arkwright Scholarships for Lee Paplauskas and Sam Sharples.

7 Grade As at A Level for Marco Orsini-Jones including a top 5 mark nationally in General Studies.

Jamie Stefaniak, for achieving the highest mark in the West Midlands in the OCR Young Enterprise Level 2 examination.

3rd place for Liam Collins-McIntyre, Mark McKelvie and Someit Sidhu in the British Professional Women’s Schools’ Public Speaking National Finals Senior Maths Challenge Gold Awards for Bradley Bosher, Sam Brown, David Buckeridge, Lee Harrison, Rebecca Lane, James Lambert (1st Bablake 5th Former to achieve Gold), Marco Orsini-Jones, Alex Owens, Jack Preston and Alex Raison.

John Haidar for gaining one of the five top marks nationally in GCSE Home Economics which he studied in lunchtime sessions.

Qi Jin, a year early, was placed in the top 10 for GCSE Chinese while Ana Areola was in the top 5 for Spanish.

Someit Sidhu, Lee Harrison, Jodie-Leigh Angus and Amarpal Jandoo, for winning the Midlands section of the Shares 4 Schools competition, and for being placed third nationally. They increased the value of their shares by 20% over a six month period. They have donated their prize money of £100 to Cancer Research UK. Someit Sidhu, Becky Healy, Malcolm Thomas and Jodie-Leigh Angus on reaching the finals of the Bank of England/Times Interest Rate Challenge, Target 2.0.

Reena Panchal, whose project on hospital superbugs was judged to be the best in the West Midlands at the Gold Crest awards ceremony.

Musicians Nadine Minty – a distinction in Grade 8 piano (while in the 4th Year).

David Cheetham – a distinction in Grade 8 oboe.

Chris Walters – achieved a merit in his Grade 8 flute.

Matthew Weeden – passed Grade 8 piano.

Simone Willis gained a place in the CBSO Youth orchestra.

Bablake was Coventry’s leading secondary school in the Government’s A Level and newly revised GCSE league tables.

The Times placed Bablake 30th nationally. All these accolades follow us being rated 3rd best value mixed co-educational independent school in the Sunday Times listings.

school aims The purpose of Bablake School is to provide an excellent and stimulating education for boys and girls, by developing character, intellect and physical well being within a happy, scholarly and caring community. In order to achieve this, the School aims to: Provide well-qualified, dedicated and enthusiastic staff, who enable pupils to enjoy their education and to fulfil their academic potential whilst at school.

Encourage the growth of reflection, intellectual curiosity and creativity, within a spirit of independent and co-operative learning.

Value and support each individual, providing a high quality of pastoral care, and nurturing self-esteem and mutual respect, in partnership with parents.

Provide a challenging and balanced curriculum, which prepares pupils for adulthood, enabling them to succeed in higher education and their chosen careers, and equipping them with skills for life.

Offer a wide range of activities and opportunities for enrichment, enabling pupils to develop sporting and cultural interests through participation with others.

Celebrate achievement and success in all areas of endeavour, within a purposeful and secure community.

Encourage development of character, a sense of responsibility, spiritual values, and a strong personal and moral code, leading to the highest standards of behaviour and consideration for others.

Welcome pupils of diverse beliefs and backgrounds.

Promote an awareness of the world beyond school, a generosity of spirit, and a sense of service to the wider community.

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destinations

Final destinations – U6th leavers Mapping the route beyond Bablake...

Degree subjects (inc 2006 gappers) health 24 Medicine 10 Psychology 6 Nursing 3 Dentistry 2 Biomedicine 1 Veterinary Medicine 1 Pharmacy 1

Creative Arts 9 Architecture 2 English 2 Creative Writing and Drama 1 Dance 1 Drama 1 Graphic Design 1 Music Technology 1

Business Related 19 Accounting and Finance 5 Business Management 4 Economics 4 Management 3 Marketing 2 Retail Management 1

Environment 9 Geography 4 Land Management 2 Property Development 1 Biology and Ecology 1 Marine Biology 1

Science, ICT and Engineering 18 Engineering 7 (Automotive 1, Civil 1, Mechanical 5) Physics 5 Mathematics 4 ICT 2

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Humanities 8 Law 3 History (Ancient and Modern) 2 Philosophy 2 Classics 1

Languages 4 French 1 French and German 1 French and Italian 1 Modern Languages 1 Education 3 Primary Education 2 Childhood Studies 1 Sports 1 Sports Studies 1 students in EMPLOYMENT 3 PriceWaterhouseCoopers 1 Team India 1 Apprenticeship 1 GAP YEAR students 23 Year in Industry, China and mix and match

destinations

University destinations (inc 2006 gappers) Nottingham 14 Leicester 5 Bristol 4 Cardiff 4 Coventry 4 Loughborough 4 Manchester 4 Reading 4 Bath 3 Birmingham 3 Oxford 3 Queen Mary College, London 3 Sheffield 3 Warwick 3 Bournemouth 2 Cambridge 2 Hull 2 Imperial College, London 2 Leeds 2 London School of Economics 2 Southampton 2

Aston 1 Bangor 1 De Montfort 1 Debrecen University, Hungary 1 Derby 1 Durham 1 King’s College, London 1 Lancaster 1 Leeds Met 1 Liverpool 1 London (Paris) 1 Newcastle 1 Nottingham Trent 1 Oxford Brookes 1 Plymouth 1 Portsmouth 1 Surrey 1 University College, London 1 Worcester 1 York 1

The piazza steps at the University of Warwick – a top ten ranked University only 4 miles from Bablake bablake school

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Mrs Felicity Chapman Mr Peter Burden It was in January 1979 that Felicity joined the English department on a part-time basis. She was replacing Joan Locock, who was leaving to start a family. Initially Felicity was one of a select band of female teachers in a school which was still not coeducational all the way through. I remember my first impression of her as pleasant but undoubtedly posh, a university wife who had already taught

briefly at KHVIII. Nearly three decades later Felicity retires as a stalwart of the department, mature if never matronly, having long proved herself an inventive and painstaking teacher and most willing colleague.

Felicity’s academic standing was soon apparent. She is proud of having been there in the pioneer days of Warwick University, was later to take a sabbatical term at St Peter’s College, Oxford and has displayed an eclectic love of literature and no little skill in languages, having lived for several months in Florence.

In her early Bablake years she poured many of her enthusiasms into the 6th Form Literary Society, and there too we saw her unfailing warmth and wit, which remained in evidence despite the ups and downs of her own life. One remembers the loving care that went into A Lad in Bablake and other pantomimes. In such ventures many pupils came to feel great affection for her, even if some did still fear sudden changes of mood!

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As the years went on, and her three daughters grew to adulthood, Felicity was able to give still more to the School. Her linguistic skills made her much in demand for Fousseau trips, not to mention the unforgettable Italy trip of 1988 in which she was such a key player. Her assistance with dramatic productions culminated in the extraordinary undertaking of the Bablake Pageant, which Felicity conceived, wrote and directed from scratch to mark the centenary of the School on the present site. She is the first to remember the setbacks she had to overcome, from snow shutting us down for several days to the night when the sound effect of Second World War bombing droned on well into the 1960s. More generally, Felicity was pleased to play a full role in the Centenary Committee which generated ideas galore to mark this milestone – everything from floodlighting to pullovers. That same imaginative flair and desire to serve the School as a whole underlay the key role she played, year on year, in the creation of our Carol Service, most often held in the welcoming atmosphere of St John’s (or Bablake) Church. In unison with Chris Mellers and Bernard Sutton she strove always to elicit the best from all participants.

Felicity was to serve Bablake signally in other areas. For many years she has taken charge of our library, overseeing its extension and refurbishment as well as the day-to-day work of both adult and pupil librarians. Visiting writers have also fitted happily within her remit. As teacher in charge of Oxbridge candidates, she has given selfless attention to the needs of the individual.

We have also benefited considerably from Felicity’s role as a Schools’ Inspector, one in which she has shown herself perceptive and enthusiastic, as well as most anxious to be a spreader of good practice.

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In all that she has done for so many of us Felicity has been sustained by the benign and tolerant presence of husband Roger.

Colleagues in the English department will know how often they have been willing to host social events of many kinds. It will certainly seem very strange in the English office without her. Many, of course, would say that it is strange in the English office anyway.

We wish both Felicity and Roger many more happy years to go on revelling in their status as grandparents.

Mrs Pat Goodyer Mr Andrew McConaghy/Mrs Chris Friebe/Mrs Karen Baker When Pat Goodyer joined the Bablake staff as a part-time teacher of History in January 1983, she did not anticipate staying here for very long; she retired in August 2007 after almost 25 years teaching at the school, over half of them as Head of Department.

During her time at Bablake she thoroughly transformed the History Department, contributed enormously to the wider life of the school and became a much respected form tutor.

From the very outset, Pat showed herself to be an energetic and passionate teacher. Her commitment to her subject was second to none, and many pupils owe a great deal to her untiring efforts on their behalf. Few prisoners were taken amongst the half hearted or the shirkers, but to those who needed help she gave unstintingly

of her time and patience. 6th form pupils could be sure that they were being introduced to the most up to date interpretations of the subject, and were always being challenged to think for themselves.

During her reign as Head of Department, national changes forced major alterations to the A Level History course twice, and she took it all in her stride, exuding confidence and giving strong reassurance to both pupils and staff – as Lord Palmerston said of one of his colleagues “I wish I was as sure of anything as he is of everything”.

Under her auspices annual visits by 5th years to the World War One battlefields and by Shells to Warwick Castle were established.

Both have proved extremely popular, enjoyable and successful. The History Department also acquired its own computer room and, in the last few years, new whiteboard technology. She took her role as mentor of staff in her department very seriously, and some of the young (mainly male) appointments have moved on successfully to senior positions elsewhere. It is not at all surprising that they continue to keep in close touch with her. Things did not always go completely smoothly – during the brief tenure of one member of the department, it became apparent that, in spite of all advice, he was using the television to excess in his lessons. Pat, for whom one would have thought the term WYSIWYG was invented, resorted to subterfuge. Suddenly the rest of the History Department had reserved the television for most lessons, or, when it was free, the key to the video cabinet seemed to have gone astray. He left at the end of the year.

Extra-curricular activities benefited a great deal from Pat’s interest. For a number of years she was in charge of front of house arrangements for school productions, dispensing wine and other refreshments with a grasp of portion control to make the most bablake school

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ardent purveyor of nouvelle cuisine envious. For several years she managed the school quiz team, achieving notable successes in the National Schools’ Challenge competition, something she put down to the rigorous practice they were given, through the use of teaspoons, in getting to the buzzer first! She was also one of the first to volunteer for the annual 5th form visit to Alton Towers and, one of her darker secrets, a keen football fan and participant in schoolorganised trips to Wembley.

As a form tutor, Pat earned the respect and affection of almost a generation of pupils. To those with genuine problems she was unfailingly sympathetic yet resolutely practical; to those who lacked confidence she gave encouragement and support; to those who fell short of expected standards of behaviour or work ethic she was a scourge, but not a merciless one.

Some people stop work before they retire. That certainly didn’t happen in Pat’s case – in fact, given her formidable work rate and energy, one hopes that she occasionally listens to the advice of Dr Johnson, even if she would have given short shrift to one of her pupils quoting him: “All intellectual improvement arises from leisure.”

Mrs Jane Price Mr Chris West Jane’s career and time at Bablake are like reviewing the growth and increase in success and popularity of Home Economics and Textiles. When she joined the school in 1993 she came as a part-time teacher to set up a new subject, Textiles, in one room and when she retired she left as the head of a very successful department encompassing a suite of four rooms catering for Home Economics and Textiles. Staffing levels have also risen and now there are three full time teachers and one part time, backed up by a full time technician. However, just to concentrate on her teaching and organisational talents would be missing out on a major contribution to many areas of the school by a person who sought no publicity and was more concerned about the pupils in her care.

Initially, Jane taught Textiles in what is currently the ICT department office before moving across to what is now room 28 which was altered to cope with her ideas and the new subject. In 1995 she went full time and also took on some Home Economics before accepting the role of Head of Department in 1996. What followed next showed her enthusiasm and determination to establish subjects which were not, at that time, mainstream in the Bablake curriculum. The department went from strength to strength culminating in a major refurbishment in 2001 which produced the current layout of rooms and equipment. Some may recall the old girls’ toilets which became the textiles/computer room and the Geography/drawing room which was converted into what is now the main Home Economics area. At the same time the GCSE groups became firmly established with two Textiles and three Food sets.

The quality of her teaching has also been reflected through success nationally with one student being awarded the medal for

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being top in her subject at GCSE level and two others who achieved top 5 status. There are also many students who have passed her subject through support and encouragement to achieve a standard they might not have expected when they started the course. For two consecutive years the school entered the Rover Challenge and her contribution saw the team successful at a National level where the judges were stunned to see such young pupils produce such interesting and diverse work in their Bablake designed and made uniforms.

It would be easy to imagine that with the effort and energy Jane has put into her department that she had little time for other areas of the school, but not so. The annual Harvest Festival baskets put together in the lower school benefited from Jane’s input and organisation for many years and the old folk of Coundon have enjoyed hospitality and catering too at many parties. There have even been complaints from some who have been missed off lists and therefore gone without her excellent mince pies at Christmas!

The International Events have also been well supported by Jane who demonstrated just a sample of her culinary talents through Italian dishes and the Xmas Fayre passed all the more merrily with her mulled wine stalls. On several occasions she also found time to rustle up a few costumes for a variety of school dramatic productions.

For many years Jane also took on the onerous duty of form tutor with pupils gaining from her advice and encouragement, while she still organised her department. Many 2nd form pupils enjoyed the more relaxed side of her nature during six Fousseau trips where her sense of humour and easy going demeanour came to the fore and produced some memorable times in France. Jane was also a regular on pupil end of year trips to Alton Towers and Blackpool where she was first on the big rides and invariably last off. She has always enjoyed travelling abroad and in recent years became involved with supporting Classics trips, participating with groups to Greece and Italy. During these trips she proved excellent company to pupils and staff alike and also established the Early Morning Swim Club which can now, perhaps, be revealed to all. With recent changes to health and safety requirements, pupils are no longer allowed to swim, an activity which Jane enjoys immensely. The Classics trip took in some beautiful locations and hotels situated adjacent to spectacular beaches. Not to be outdone and not wishing to cause trouble swimming in front of the pupils, Jane decided to coerce a few other nameless staff to get up at a ridiculously early time to go for a swim before the pupils were up and about. For those involved the memories are fantastic of swimming in darkness with just a few stars to light up the sky, phosphorescence in the water, and also some pesky dogs in Sicily who almost ran off with a pile of clothes and towels.

So we all wish Jane well as she takes up an active retirement and a chance to enjoy her home and children. The final year of her teaching career also summed up her outstanding contribution to Bablake in two notable areas. At GCSE one pupil, John Haidar, achieved top 5 status in the country for Home Economics and this he did through Jane teaching him in her own time as he took it as an additional subject. Outside the department, Jane’s final act was a trip to Disneyland Paris in the summer holidays with the 5th form, where her good company, sense of humour and endless screams of fun as she rode the roller coasters wearing a pink princess’ crown will never be forgotten.

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Mr Stephen Lander Mr Kris Tyas Stephen joined the Mathematics department in September 2003 but, unfortunately for us, his stay was to be all too short as he left the school to take up a teaching post at Caterham School.

Stephen settled into the department with ease and became a respected colleague leading many a Mathematical discussion, especially enjoying the most difficult concepts, as may be expected from an Oxford Maths graduate.

An exceptional Mathematician, he was always keen to push our very best students to the limits of their ability. He taught throughout the school and, whilst always modest about his performance, his results were among the best in the department.

His inspiration led to the top grade for every one of his 5th form students who, all bar one, continued with Mathematics into the 6th form. His help to those applying to Oxbridge was immense and always freely given.

When he arrived, Stephen was asked to run the Badminton Club, perhaps not his extracurricular pursuit of choice. Very soon we realised his real passion was the pursuit of Mathematical excellence, coupled with a love for outdoors and the fells of his native Lake District. After a short period the Badminton Club found another patron and Mr Lander moved on to helping with the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.

I am not sure if it was Mr Lander’s overriding desire never to teach Stats coursework again or the arrival of his twin boys that hastened his departure to live nearer family, I suspect the latter!

In his departure, Bablake has lost a true Mathematician and a great teacher. I know staff and pupils alike would like to take this opportunity to wish him well and thank him for his efforts on our behalf.

Dr Donna Robilliard Mr Andrew Hall Donna joined the Biology Department as a Newly Qualified Teacher in 2003. As a former pupil of Bablake, she settled in quickly, enjoying an excellent rapport with both colleagues and pupils alike. Donna’s calm and patient manner made her very approachable to all and she would spend many a free lunchtime helping pupils who found topics difficult to understand. She was well respected and well thought of by all the classes she taught.

One of her roles within the Department was to assist with the medic extension lessons and the Crest award. Within this role, her PhD background greatly helped, as she was able to give pupils advice on biological topics not covered by the syllabuses and therefore extend their knowledge on a whole variety of subjects.

During her weekly sessions with the 6th form, she also talked to them about university courses, as well as helping them with their personal statements for university entry and advising them on interview procedures.

Donna quite rightly became a member of Wheatley, as this was the house she was in as a pupil, and in 2005 was appointed Deputy House Head. Within this position, Donna gave a lot of time organising and supporting house events with Peter Hancock.

In fact, during her two years in this position, she never missed watching and encouraging pupils at a single event!

As a pupil, Donna had been the Chess captain, and Wheatley House always won their matches with her in charge. As a teacher, she also helped with the Chess Club every Friday night, teaching pupils how to play the game and encouraging others who were playing in matches against other schools. A couple of 3rd form pupils had asked Donna whether she would help to set up a Warhammer club at school. She jumped at the new challenge, and soon after the new club was up and running, pupils from all year groups enjoyed playing against one another in friendly battles. It is nice to see that this club is still a popular choice, and continues to flourish.

Donna took advantage of being fully involved in Bablake life as well as teaching and her other responsibilities within the school.

She also became a regular member of the Bronze D of E practice expeditions. Walking with groups, she taught pupils how to map read and use a compass, as well as ensuring they could cook a hot meal and put up a tent.

2007 was definitely Donna’s year. After celebrating her marriage to long term fiancé, Stuart, during the Easter holidays, she then celebrated her 30th birthday in May and within days had successfully gained the position of Head of Department at KHVIII. I am sure Donna will enjoy her new challenges and will be as successful there as she was at Bablake. KHVIII’s gain is most definitely Bablake’s loss.

Mr Matthew Lang Mr Mike Masters/Miss Caroline Hall/Physics Department After teaching at Uppingham, Matt moved to Newcastle Royal Grammar School. As Captain in their CCF, once he discovered that Bablake, his alma mater, also had a division, he was soon in contact with Miss Hall and Mr Masters. Coincidentally, Matt was looking to leave Newcastle RGS to relocate back to Coventry and at the same time, Bablake was looking for a Physics teacher and another member of staff for the ever-growing CCF. Once appointed, he took charge of the Army Section and within his first month, he had arranged a military weekend for the older members of the Army section for an exercise in Otterburn.

Matt was a very enthusiastic and entertaining member of staff and pupils found his bags of energy enjoyable and inspiring. As an old Wheatley boy, Matt naturally rejoined the House where he took a very active role and spent a huge amount of time and effort helping organise and rehearse pupils for the Drama Festival.

Matt also helped out with the U14 rugby team and the 2nd XV. bablake school

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Greatly enthusiastic, with a good knowledge and a good rapport with the players, his U14 team lost just two matches all season and won the Coventry Cup. Matt has now decided to give up teaching Physics though the beats of his favoured dance music may haunt the confines of the Department staffroom for a while. It is also true that Physics lessons without the artillery slant and juggling demonstrations won’t be quite the same! Matt continues as a leader in the CCF, enjoying parade nights and camps. He is also still coaching the U14s.

Mr ‘Terry’ Proctor Mr Mark Woodward After his formal retirement in 2003, perhaps it was no surprise that as a fine, passionate teacher of a rigorous discipline, Terry was persuaded to supplement his pension with some part-time Mathematics teaching and continue his roles as Press Officer and Maître d’Hôte at school events. There were some who cruelly jibed that Terry’s return helped his coming to terms with the loss of extra points on his loyalty cards when purchasing wine for school events!

Now Gill, his wife, has also retired, Terry has finally put away his A4 sheet of reports comments and stopped researching the latest hip band or artist to include in his Maths tests. Instead he can either be found enjoying £5 one-course lunch vouchers from the Daily Telegraph or The Times or in term-time ever sampling the delights of the Lake District, Bude or beyond.

Terry and his family remain fond supporters of many of the Foundation’s events and are very welcome guests upon any return.

We miss the laconic quips and sound common sense.

Miss Zoe Allen Mr Mark Woodward/Mrs Danny Thomas Joining us in July 2005, Zoe – a passionate Coventry City supporter – was a friendly, approachable, hard-working member of staff whose efficiency and professionalism in Reprographics were fully appreciated by all staff. With ability to process tasks electronically, Zoe met her deadlines easily and soon began to pre-empt a lot of the work given to her. A lot of staff commented on how her support made their job as a teacher so much easier.

Zoe’s familiarity with Adobe Illustrator and her extensive design skills were soon much in demand. Instrumental in designing the new intranet and Phil Walker’s Bablake ‘sail’, Zoe was also very adept at ‘polishing’ various departmental booklets and updated many of the school’s internal publications.

Zoe had a pride in her work and it was no surprise that such a resourceful, skilled technician would look for new opportunities.

OCR has gained another excellent new recruit!

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Mrs Georgina Bland Mrs Gill Thomas If anyone was to dispel the image of the matronly type School Nurse, then Georgina was the person to do so. When the Governors took the decision to advertise this new position, few could have appreciated the extent to which such an appointment would benefit the whole school community – pupils in both the Junior and Senior schools, their parents and all staff, teaching and support, benefited from her skills and care.

Calm, competent and caring, the triage system Mrs Bland operated at break, lunchtime and between lessons could indeed be a model of good practice for any Accident and Emergency Department at any hospital in the country. Waiting times would certainly be met – even comprehensively slashed! Swiftly assessed she knew who needed to stay, who required paracetamol (and those who didn’t, even if requested), and those who, gently but firmly, needed to be returned to lessons despite their reluctance to do so.

There was always an opportunity to rest, take time out or return and she knew just which pupils fell into each of the categories.

Pupils who needed to take exams were accommodated within the system, those who needed support from outside agencies were counselled and referred if necessary and parents were supported with sound professional advice, compassion and a listening ear. She was always entirely professional using her discretion and skills to support and always acted with the individual’s interest at heart but within the school setting.

The new position meant that systems and practices needed to be set up and developed to support the school community and over the years these were adapted and reassessed as needs, experiences and Health and Safety legislation required. Georgina supported the Shells PSHE programme with her First Aid skills and expertise and Mrs Stubbs (the Health Trust School Nurse) in delivering aspects of Health Education to various year groups. She oversaw the immunisation programmes (when carried out in school), advised the School Health and Safety Committee and more recently accompanied a number of school trips – for example, skiing. In Georgina’s time, the role expanded enormously, many aspects demanding expansion of knowledge and skills and she took on all the challenges that came with the increased demands.

In addition to these qualities seen in her professional role, Georgina was a lively, kind and generous colleague and friend to many– having a keen sense of humour and fun. At Christmas, to raise money for charity, she would appear at the staff meal in fancy dress, as Santa Claus, Santa’s Helper, a fairy complete with wand, wings and sparkly costume or perhaps with antlers, flashing earrings and/or badges. Children, Richard and Charlotte perhaps sighed with relief when the staff lunch moved off site and this practice stopped, but they were adept at changing the ring tone on her phone – perhaps to get their own back?!

Thank you for the expert care you gave to all, Georgina – we will certainly miss you. We know that, in time, the plan is for you and Gary to travel and see as much of the world as you can. Enjoy the experiences and we hope you will keep in touch.

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Mr Simon Jephcott

Mrs Janet Critchley

Mr Mark Woodward/Mrs Danny Thomas

Mrs Pat Thomas

Simon was appointed in July 2006 as Database Manager and took a pride and interest in all his tasks. Accurate, analytical and full of initiative, he demonstrated a high degree of skill and proficiency in carrying out assigned tasks and successfully developed our database to satisfy the current needs of the school.

In the short time that he was here, Simon proved himself an exemplary employee. Often volunteering his time and expertise to help others, he was reliable, trustworthy and highly regarded by his colleagues. Kind and considerate, his capability and excellent skills will be highly regarded by his new employer, OCR.

Janet, part-time School Office Assistant, came to Bablake on 4th May 1992 and retired on 31st December 2006.

Her commitment to Bablake was total. Both of her children were educated here; daughter Alix being appointed Senior Prefect in her final year followed by son, Ian who was School Captain 2000 – 2001.

An excellent sportswoman, Janet represented England as a veteran at squash some 10 years ago in a Home international in Ireland. Not only did she win all of her individual matches but England went on to take the overall team title.

For many years Janet helped with Senior games squash on Wednesday afternoons on a voluntary basis and was always keen to play any member of staff who would take her on. Many of these can confirm just what a keen and accomplished player she is!

Janet is enjoying every minute of her retirement and we wish her a long, healthy and very happy time.

Mr Ben McFadden Mr Mark Woodward/Mrs Danny Thomas Ben was appointed in Summer 2005 with extensive experience of AV and digital media and a passion for creating film and video. He arrived with a 2.1 honours degree in Media Production from Lincoln University and advanced knowledge of industry standard media related software.

Affable, unfailingly patient and unfazed by our endearing yet ever so slightly frustrating technical inexpertise, Ben’s skills were a tremendous asset. Efficient, full of initiative and uncomplaining, his professional skills were highly valued by many staff that soon included AV work as an excellent complement for their teaching. His technical knowledge and support have encouraged far more advanced presentations which definitely have enriched the learning of all the students and staff in attendance.

Ben’s help filming school gigs was invaluable and he spent much of his own time editing footage for our archives. A fledgling Media Club was established and he was highly regarded by the students. All too enthusiastically he was first in the queue for our excursion to watch the filming of the Jeremy Kyle show and was hard to prise from the studio.

As a long-suffering and devoted Sky Blue supporter, Ben was no stranger to teams raised on spirit and endeavour so soon got to grips with coaching the Senior football team. An impressive forward himself, Ben gave inspirational team-talks and his humour struck home easily with the squad. Many staff remember his contribution to the staff football team. Partnered up front with the missile (Mr Tyas), Ben brought skill and fitness to the team and his 30 yard volleyed goal one foggy Friday evening is still the talk of the after match debriefs.

Music, films, football and charitable ventures are all close to Ben’s heart but it was a passion for travel that finally drew him away from Bablake and we wish him all the best for the future.

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‘All the best to those who have left Bablake for retirement or opportunities with a new employer. Their legacy is very much appreciated by students and staff alike’ bablake school

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A warm hello to our new members of staff Mrs Carol Davey (Home Economics)

Mr John Pease (English & Drama)

Carol was responsible for Food Technology at King Edward VI Five Ways in Birmingham, where she had also been Assistant Head of Sixth Form.

She is a graduate of Oxford Polytechnic, where she studied Food and Nutrition/Biology.

Formerly a PGCE student here, John is a graduate of Manchester University, where he took a Combined Studies degree in English and French.

He has subsequently gained a PGCE in English and Drama from Warwick University, and taught at Royds Hall High School in Huddersfield. He will make a significant contribution to Drama productions.

Mrs Lisa French (Mathematics) Lisa studied Mathematics at Exeter University, and as well as teaching at Arnold Lodge in Leamington Spa was Maths Innovator at Bilton High School, where she also acted as Assistant Head of Department.

Miss Vanessa Hawkins (PE) Vanessa is a graduate of Bath University where she studied Sports Development and Coaching.

She has coached Hockey at Royal High School, Bath and Repton. She is a 1st team player for National League champions, Leicester Ladies and has international experience too.

Mr Shoyeb Memon (Mathematics) Shoyeb studied Mathematics and Computer Science at Aston University. He worked at IBM in Winchester, before beginning his teaching career at Lutterworth Grammar School. He is a qualified table-tennis coach.

Mr Clive Mohamed (Science) Clive spent 22 years in the Royal Air Force Regiment, including extensive periods on operational duties. He then took an Open University degree in Natural Sciences with Biology, before undertaking a PGCE at Warwick University. He taught previously at Finham Park and will help with CCF and Duke of Edinburgh.

Mrs Karen Orwin & Miss Clare Connelly (Art)

There are new faces this year in the Art Department with Karen Orwin covering for Pam Goodwin and Clare Connelly covering Caroline Daley’s maternity leave as Art and Textiles Technician.

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Miss Jayne Simmons (Physics) Jayne is an ex-Bablake pupil, who has a Master’s degree in Chemical Physics and Industrial Experience from Bristol University. She studied for her PGCE at Warwick and taught at Lawrence Sheriff in Rugby.

Mrs Helen Skilton (History) Helen studied Modern History at Oxford, before qualifying as a solicitor. She retrained as a teacher in 1997, and was second in the History Department and i/c Law at St Ignatius College, Enfield.

Mrs Judith Smith (Spanish) After covering for maternity leave, Judith returns with a particular brief to introduce Spanish to the school at Junior level. She has a Modern Languages degree from Exeter University, was previously Head of German at a school in Essex and has more recently taught at Trinity School in Leamington Spa.

The Nursing Team Of course with Georgina Bland’s departure, there is a new nursing team. Amanda Weatherall has been joined by Debbie Harris.

Amanda is a qualified midwife and started at Bablake in September 2006. She has also worked as a staff nurse in A&E. Debbie previously worked one-to-one supporting a disabled child within a school environment.

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Miscellaneous staff news Congratulations to...

More New Faces Karen James (Database Manager), Tracy Mair (Reprographics), Jane Brett (Office Assistant in Pupil Services) and Malcolm Wyatt (Theatre Technician) have started work at Bablake.

Karen attended Coundon Court School, before studying Civil Engineering at Exeter University and has worked in various business contexts. She joined us from Coventry City Council’s Children’s Learning and Young People’s Directorate.

Tracy has already redesigned the Reprographics area. She has settled excellently to her role and continues to offer the excellent support this department has always provided.

Jane was based at Blue Coat School, where she provided administrative support and is the mother of Emily and Daniel. The staff is very gently being brought into line with its admin!

Malcolm, a keen musician with his own band (Brightside), has also settled into his role and offering excellent support for school and external events.

The ‘retired’ Ian Appleby on his award of an OBE for his sterling work for PHAB amongst other creditable deeds with Bablake thespians who have benefited from over 20 years at the Edinburgh Fringe and countless other productions.

Helen Billings, Shona Thompson, Caroline Daley and their partners on recent births.

Rachel Mason (née East), Lucy Hardstaff (née Hancock) and Ceri Rees (née Imber) and for their respective marriages.

Peter Burden on his appointment as voluntary Director of Samaritans for Coventry.

New responsibilities The following took up new posts for 2006/07: Mr Rob Burdett – Head of Boys’ PE Mr Malcolm Duerdin – Head of Physics Mrs Louise Fletcher – Assistant Year Head for 4ths/5ths Mr Andrew Hall – Head of Biology Mrs Amanda Jones – Assistant Year Head for Shells Mrs Dianne Surgey – Assistant Year Head for 2nds/3rds Mr Mark Woodward – Extended role as Head of Careers The following will take up new posts for 2007/08: Mrs Lorainne Alexander – Assistant Head of Crow Mr Julian Bunce – i/c Fousseau and now full-time Classics Mr Peter Burden – School Archivist Miss Caroline Hall – Assistant Head of Wheatley Mr Peter Hancock – i/c Front of House and Hospitality Mrs Sarah Harris – Director of Marketing and Admissions and member of the SMT Mrs Amanda Jones – Head of Shells Mr Gary Park – i/c The School Library Mrs Ceri Rees – Assistant Head of Shells Mrs Chris Scott – Assistant Year Head for 2nds/3rds Mrs Dianne Surgey – Head of HE and Textiles Mrs Alison Tumber – Assistant Year Head for 6th Form and Oxbridge Coordinator Mr Mark Woodward – Press Officer, The Wheatleyan and Work Experience

Miscellaneous The whole of Bablake (staff, students and parents) was stunned to hear of the illness of caretaker, Malcolm Martin, but amazed and delighted at his bravery and recovery from a vicious cancer. Fund-raising has begun to help those who suffer similarly in the future and a full feature will appear in the next issue of The Wheatleyan.

Thanks to Mr Matthew Neal who taught History part-time this year in Mrs Goodyer’s absence. We wish him well for his future career. Also thanks to Mrs Jane Gough who worked in Pupil Services.

There was a big sigh of relief as the Language Laboratory was opened with access to online language resources and downloads for listening and speaking exercises. Exercises can be downloaded to an MP3 player or iPod for work on listening and speaking skills at home or on the move! Great for examination oral and aural preparation.

We said goodbye to Miss Rachel East at Christmas 2006 and her leaving report was included in the last issue of The Wheatleyan. bablake school

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‘I plan to work with a positive team to raise the profile of Bablake, making sure people know the name, and are aware of the qualities of the school’

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talkingpoint Sarah Harris, Bablake’s new Director of Marketing and Admissions talks to Will Chamberlain and Laura Dean What exactly does your new role as Marketing Director involve?

What would you say is the school’s greatest asset?

I have a very broad outline from the job description but the way I see it is to give Bablake a higher profile. We have a great school and lots to be proud of. But sometimes, outside Coventry you say ‘Bablake’ and people look at you quizzically and don’t know where you’re talking about. We need more people to know who we are, what we do, and why we’re so proud of our school.

Our pupils! We’ve just had an open session and the feedback from parents about how good our guides were was so positive. It’s always the same at our November Open Evening, when even Shells show round prospective parents and are so knowledgeable about the school.

Pupils come across as confident (but not overly so) and proud to be at this school. Of course, we have an excellent staff as well, but the pupils are top notch.

How do you feel about taking on this new role?

I’m a little bit daunted by it, especially as it’s a new role, which means it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. It’s good in that there’s noone I can compare myself to and there are no boots to fill, but at the same time, there is no model for me to follow. I suppose I’m going into the unknown with the opportunity to make this job my own.

I need to see the whole picture and I think it is important that I work in the team with others, who have been doing what they have been doing for a lot longer than me.

And why do you want to take on this challenge?

Well, I’ve been at Bablake for quite a while. I was a pupil here and I’ve been Head of Shells for 10 years and I now feel I want a new challenge. This job came up, and I questioned at first whether it was right for me, but I decided to go for it and I’m very glad I did. I didn’t want to become fossilised as Head of Shells forever!

Why is it now necessary for Bablake to have a Marketing Director?

Certainly, the independent sector is becoming increasingly competitive. More people are turning to independent schools, because more parents are willing to make the financial sacrifice for their child’s education. We are placed right in the centre of an area with some very competitive schools; KHVIII is less than a mile away and mirrors exactly what we’re doing. There are also Warwick, Solihull and King Edward’s. Lots of these schools are going down the road of employing a Marketing Director to attract the pupils they want.

And do you feel there is competition from the state sector?

Absolutely. Some pupils pass the entrance exam, and would fit in perfectly at Bablake, but choose to go into the state sector.

Do you feel that the school has any weaknesses?

I am not sure I would say weaknesses, but there are always areas we should look at. But I wouldn’t say there are many! When I visit other schools, I come away thinking that we at Bablake are very lucky and lack many of the problems found at other schools.

Of course there will be times when some departments are better off than others, such as English and Music as a result of the new EDM building, compared to other departments which do not have the luxury of nice new buildings.

I think Bablake’s lack of weaknesses can be best illustrated with an example from the other day, when I was covering a Shell class.

They had been set an essay on their First Year experiences, writing about the highs and lows of Shell life, and I was very pleased when a group of them complained that they couldn’t find anything bad to write about!

What are your plans for Bablake, and what is your vision for the school in the future?

I plan to work with a positive team to raise the profile of Bablake, making sure people know the name, and are aware of the qualities of the school. Enabling the school to attract the very best students, and to go from strength to strength, is of course my aim for Bablake.

We already have a strong reputation and are well respected as a school, but we shouldn’t be complacent. We need to build on the reputation, year on year, to reach our aims.

Further information > For more about Sarah’s plans for Bablake’s image please contact: t 024 7627 1248 e svh@bablake.coventry.sch.uk bablake school

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alumnifocus

Highflyer Former student Melissa Kite reveals the inside world of political journalism to Will Chamberlain and Laura Dean

M

any Bablake students will be familiar with Melissa Kite, the ex-pupil and Deputy Political Editor of The Sunday Telegraph, who was our guest speaker at the prize giving ceremony of 2006. We were given the chance to interview Melissa in July 2007, and saw this as an ideal opportunity to quiz her about life after Bablake, the world of journalism, and the controversial world of politics.

Picture Westminster and you see ageing buildings, towers and over-sized clocks, but we were met at Portcullis House by a vast glass frontage, airport-style security, and a bustle of activity. We were met by Melissa at 1 o’clock, and her presence was our ticket to entry into this modern wing of the Houses of Parliament.

After forcing a few young MPs’ assistants off a table in the cafeteria (which had the same open, expanding feeling of the Birmingham Bull Ring, of course minus a Topshop and Selfridges), we could begin discussing with Melissa her experiences in the ever growing world of the media.

The first question on anybody’s mind is how did she get to this point? From studying at Bablake to flying to the States with Tony Blair seems like quite a journey. ‘I studied English, History, French and General Studies at A Level, and got A, B, C, D in that order!’ Melissa laughs when we ask her about her Bablake education. ‘And yes, I think they helped me in my career; especially English and History, where essay writing skills taught me how to put my thoughts into a coherent order. When I have to put together a ‘write through’, which is one to two thousand words on the weeks’ political

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developments, such as the advent of the Brown government or trouble in the Tory party for example, the analytical techniques learnt at school really help.’

Melissa tells us how she went on to study English Literature at the Royal Holloway College in London, but what really intrigues us is how she made her break into the journalistic world. ‘I always liked the concept of seeing my work in print,’ Melissa tells us. ‘I gained a postgraduate diploma in newspaper journalism, and then got a job with The Worcester Evening News.’ Melissa then explains to us her excitement when she got a job with the Press Association in London, believing she had made it into the capital. ‘But practically before I even got in the door, the editor met me, took me to a café in West London and sat me down, and told me that my job was in Belfast, which was certainly not the best place to be in 1995!’

This was clearly a major turning point for Melissa. She says she’s immensely thankful that she took up this offer, and her three years in Belfast were the best years of her life. Whilst in Northern Ireland, Melissa had her most interesting journalism experience, covering the Good Friday Agreement: ‘It happened in the early hours. They came out and announced this amazing agreement which we had waited for for so long.’

We decide to question her about other particularly interesting moments in her career, and Melissa describes a plane trip she was on with Tony Blair in July 2003 when it was discovered that David Kelly had committed suicide. ‘It was an unbelievable trip, and really tragic. Instead of the captain speaking over the

‘...we can now appreciate why Melissa believes that politics is like a ‘theatre’; a world of drama, comedy, tragedy and of course, entertainment’

alumnifocus

tannoy on landing, we heard the Prime Minister’s press secretary giving us a press briefing.’

So, how exactly do Melissa’s ideas turn into the black and white print which adorns the front page of the Sunday Telegraph? We question her about the sources she uses to gain her information, and whether much editorial influence shapes her work. ‘There are a number of options for a source of a story; it could be an MP, a special adviser, a White Hall official or someone making the tea in an MP’s office. I probably spend 99% of my time talking to people. Regarding levels of editorial influence, I would say 80% is my own. Occasionally, the Editor will come up with a story, which is brilliant, and I of course try to accommodate it.’

After a light lunch, surrounded by a gaggle of gossiping MPs’ assistants (who, Melissa remarks, are making pennies but having the time of their lives) we begin our tour of the Houses of Parliament. Whilst standing outside Big Ben, I ask Melissa if she feels the media has too much

influence in modern society: ‘In some ways it does, but in other ways not. Yes, once we’ve made a headline, it can take over the minds of the public completely, even if we’ve overstated it. But, if there is something newsworthy in a piece of legislation, I see it as our duty to find it and bring it to the public’s attention.’

We follow Melissa into the lobby, the House of Commons (characterised by green furnishings) jetting off to the left, and the House of Lords (characterised by red) jetting to the right. After another security check, we sit in on a debate in the Lords (the Commons is out of bounds following an incident involving flour bombs a few years ago); some of the debaters look as if they’ve been in that great hall for centuries.

The sense of tradition which hangs in the air makes the Houses of Parliament quite a remarkable place, and we can now appreciate why Melissa believes that politics is like a ‘theatre’; a world of drama, comedy, tragedy and of course, entertainment.

Will, Laura and Melissa putting Government Minister Phil Woolas on the spot at the House of Commons

bablake school

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pupilfocus

underthespotlight

Will Chamberlain and Laura Dean asked the School Captains Kiranjit Juj and Mark McKelvie about their time at Bablake and their hopes for the future The past…

How do you feel about reaching then end of your seven year Bablake journey?

Kiranjit Sad, definitely. You grow so close to everyone in your year over those years, and now it’s time to start all over again.

Mark I feel a mixture of emotions. I can’t wait to go to university in one sense, but have some apprehension about what to expect.

Going away for the first week or so and making a fresh start seems quite daunting, and we have to leave all the good relations with staff behind, and start to build up a whole new reputation.

However, I’m sure this apprehension will subside.

Do any particularly special memories from your time at the school stand out in your mind, and why?

Kiranjit Being chosen to be School Captain. I didn’t expect it at all.

And then there was the first school report we had to do; we were so nervous, and had to write it all in one day! Oh, and giving a speech at prize giving was so scary. Mark was shaking.

Mark Excuse me, I wasn’t nervous!

Kiranjit Well, your shaking came out in your speech!

(Now, now…)

Mark Oh no it didn’t. The nerve-wracking thing was though we had to rewrite our speech just before, because we weren’t sure if the guest speaker was going to arrive – and most our speech was about them! Another memory I have is from the Shells, when three or four pupils from Barrs Hill came over the fence from the park by the Sports Hall, crossed the playground, strode past the EDM and up to the door at the side of the main school, where Mr Wilson walked out, causing all the invaders to flee! Oh, and I have fantastic memories from Fousseau – it’s good to look back at those days which where so carefree and free of the exam pressure How about any moments you wouldn’t mind forgetting about?

Kiranjit Summer of the 5th year – taking so many exams in one session is tough.

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Mark One moment I would like to forget was in one of the first science lessons of the shells, when we were doing the “blue cone test” to prove how the blue cone in the centre of a Bunsen flame isn’t very hot; however Richard Smith managed to set fire to his piece of cardboard, and then put it down on even more cardboard, creating a larger fire. I then breathed in the smoke and collapsed, and Mrs. Hall had to carry me to the nurse’s office, while Richard stood in corner of the classroom for the rest of the lesson.

Which year group do you feel you enjoyed being in most, and why?

Mark My favourite time at Bablake was in the Shells and 2nd Year, when there was no exam pressure, and no requirement to get a certain grade in an exam to get into university or anything like that.

Looking back the work was easy. Life was generally just easier back then I guess.

Kiranjit 3rd year for me. I was really close to everyone in my form at this point – we’d been together since the Shells, and had all our lessons together.

The present…

Do you think the school has changed much during your time here?

Mark Not really, no. Although I did used to look up to Sixth Formers, and saw them as big and scary. They actually commanded respect and I am not sure if that is still the case! Also there is now a bigger pool of extra curricular activities for pupils; students have greater opportunities now- they can learn new languages like Spanish, Japanese and Chinese, and we now even have pupils off flying planes. Another change is that now we no longer have a tuck shop, so now we don’t have the mad rush to the tuck shop at the beginning of lunch and break. Of course, overall the school is still essentially the same, with the same kind of spirit and camaraderie between pupils and staff.

Kiranjit I don’t think there have been any significant changes, but as Mark says, pupils now have even more choice and opportunitiesI think it’s great that students now have the chance to study things such as Spanish and Chinese. The modernisation of the language lab is another really positive change- typical that it was done as soon as I’d dropped French!

pupilfocus

Kiranjit Yes, once in a while you have to make decisions that upset some people, such as recently when we were organising the Leavers’ Ball and the Year Book. These big decisions are always on your shoulders. It can also be hard to tell your friends what to do when we’re arranging the prefects’ duties.

The future…

What are your feelings about entering the world of higher education?

Mark I have mixed emotions; I am very excited but have a feeling of apprehension, and I don’t really know what to expect. It’s a new environment; I’ll have to make new friends, and learn to cope away from home. I’m sure it’s going to be great though.

Head Girl Kiranjit Juj

Head Boy Mark McKelvie

What’s been the best thing about being the 2007 School Captains?

Mark You command a lot of respect.

Kiranjit Well, you try to.

Kiranjit Well, I think I do feel ready to leave, and I’m excited about university. I’m quite nervous about living on my own and starting up new friendships though, and it’s really sad that our year group is splitting up. I’ve grown so close to everyone recently since organising the Leavers’ Concert, Leavers’ Ball and Year Book.

In an ideal world, where do you see yourselves in 10 years time?

Mark I will probably be half way through my hospital training.

I would like to be in a surgical post, perhaps doing something related to neurosurgery or cosmetic surgery – it depends where my morals lie!

Mark Oh, I can. Maybe you can’t. (They’re not arguing again are they?) There is a lot of prestige in being a School Captain, and it’s great to be an ambassador for the school. Although it is hard work, and a difficult duty, especially if the senior prefects aren’t pulling their weight (ouch!), there is a lot of satisfaction in the end.

Kiranjit I’ll hopefully own my own dental practice, somewhere in Leamington. I love the houses and general environment there.

Kiranjit Yes, there is a lot of prestige in being school captain. You get a lot of say in how events are managed, such as the Leavers’ Ball, and you get to meet and make friends with the head boy and girl from KHVIII’s which is nice. There’s a lot of responsibility, but loads of satisfaction.

Kiranjit Just enjoy yourselves, and make the best of all the opportunities at this school.

What’s been the worst or most difficult aspect of the job?

Mark Trying to juggle the work load of 6th Form with the extra duties of being a School Captain. It is also sometimes difficult to make a compromise – as a School Captain you have to make decisions, some of which you know will upset either members of staff or pupils. You also have to try and represent the values and views of the entire year, and it can be very difficult to make those decisions, but the secret is to stick to them once you have made them. However, it sometimes seemed that a system of dictatorship would have been far easier!

Any final words of wisdom you would like to leave for current Bablake students?

Mark Yes, definitely. You’ll look back and wish you could have done more. To get involved is really good fun, and there’s so much going on with all the sport, music, drama, public speaking… the list is endless.

And how about some advice for your successors, the 2008 School Captains?

Kiranjit Enjoy it! The year goes so fast. Also, don’t let the stress get to you or get you down, because staff and pupils do appreciate what you do.

Mark The job can be hard work at the time, but the U6th goes so quickly- it’s important to make the best of it. bablake school

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news&features

Welcome to the new Shells!

A big welcome to our new Shells – their year begins with the House Olympics which is a great morning of fun with the chance to meet new friends

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beyondtheclassroom

‘Bablake has a whole range of extracurricular activities, from the Weather station to the Warhammmer club, allowing pupils to go beyond the classroom, make new friends and learn new skills. Whatever direction your talents lie in, Bablake has a society or group for you to join, whether it is trying something fresh or developing what you know already. In addition, there are all manner of trips and expeditions to take you off the school site and expand your horizons!

Bablake operates 24-7 throughout the year!

Space prevents accounts of all activities. What happens? Amnesty International, lunchtime clubs for Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, History Club, Warhammer, Theatre trips, Pro Share, Target 2.0 and First Aid courses. Trips to the theatre, Aston Martin and Jaguar, Classical Italy, Alton Towers, Chedworth, Cern, Fousseau, Millfield, the French Battlefields and numerous excursions for Art, Biology, Geology and Geography. CCF camps, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, a German exchange, opportunities for mentoring GCSE and A Level subjects, the School Council… we offer just a selection here!’

Edited by amy bruck & hannah sheard

beyondthe classroom Highlights

A heavenly Experience 30 New York, New York 31 Bablake Weather Station 33 House reports 41

amy bruck & hannah sheard

bablake school

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beyondtheclassroom

A heavenly experience...

Mrs Sue Smith

Even though we should have all been groggy with sleep we seemed bright and buzzing, excited to be at last embarking on a trip which would encompass the cosmopolitan and the highly energetic – sightseeing in San Francisco and skiing in the glorious Sierra Mountains.

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Everything about the journey went to plan. The sightseeing tour was superb, the weather making it the best ever, because, for the first time, The Golden Gate Bridge was not swathed in mist and the Twin Peaks view over the bay from the highest point in San Francisco was clear and afforded views for miles around.

Without a doubt we enjoyed one of the most trouble-free skiing holidays in Bablake history as it was not marred by any injury at all! The lessons and instructors were terrific and everyone made great progress so that by the end of the week, complete beginners had turned into very competent skiers indeed. The resort is known for the quality of its runs and ‘powder’; that is perhaps why it is called Heavenly, and you certainly can understand why, even in an age of global warming, people are increasingly flying to America to ski.

Despite the high temperatures, the runs were still exhilarating with plenty to challenge and enjoy at the same time.

The trails that are so much a part of an American skiing experience allowed the pupils to crisscross through the mountain

range from California to Nevada and back to California in time for tea. So enjoyable was our time there that when it dawned on us that it was the end of the week we felt that perhaps we had skipped a time zone, the trip had gone so quickly.

We said goodbye to Heavenly but hoped that there would be a trip back there some time in the future.

Thanks to all the pupils who were so well behaved and such great company and to the staff who helped make the trip one of the most successful of recent years.

beyondtheclassroom

New York, New York Mrs Gill Dolphin

shorts

Business Studies and Economics move out to New York Start spreading the news… well actually, it was more like: “Richard Wells, please stop spreading your news, it’s 3 o’clock in the morning!!!” as 32 Economics and Business Studies students and five brave adults set off to New York. 18 hours later and we were admiring the view from the top of the Empire State Building, which can only be described as awesome. After our first dose of burger and chips at a diner, we called it a day and raced back through the revolving doors of the salubrious Hotel Pennsylvania.

The next day we were treated to a walking tour of the finance district, taking in the NY Stock Exchange, Wall Street and Ground Zero. It was good to see the reality behind familiar TV images and have time to reflect on the capitalist nature of the West. More varied cultures were explored at the United Nations Building where we learnt about the UN’s diverse role, from peacekeeping and health programmes to deciding what constitutes ‘chocolate ’.

The rain finally cleared to enable the Torvill and Deans among us to go ice skating on an open air rink in front of the Rockefeller Centre. We ended up wet and bruised, but exhilarated by the experience! Later we learnt how the ‘world’s largest department store’, Macy’s, sets out to woo us with clever marketing tricks – which many students succumbed to later in the day, taking full advantage of their knowledge of exchange rates and the cheap dollar! A trip across the vast Central Park and more culture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art followed.

A free morning rounded off what for many was a trip of a lifetime. The buzz of the ‘city which never sleeps’ leaves one feeling we only scratched the surface and wanting to go back for more.

Lee Cooper Denim Design Competition Lee Cooper, the well known jeans manufacturer, ran a competition for our GCSE Textiles groups.

The prize was to have the pupil’s own original design made up for them in their size. The winner was Laura Fellows who is now the proud owner of a denim mini-dress. There was great excitement when Laura’s dress arrived and it was presented to her in a school assembly by the Headmaster.

We hope to hold a similar competition again this year, so look forward to further news in next year’s edition.

Languages Club All year, students have been learning Mandarin Chinese but in the Spring, a group of them enjoyed a traditional Chinese tea-making ceremony, together with tasty nibbles direct from China to celebrate the Festival of Lanterns. Mrs Chiang, who teaches Mandarin Chinese twice a week, says there has been an increasing interest shown in the subject as people begin to appreciate the advantages and the enjoyment of learning about the language and culture of the world’s fastest-growing economy. Pupils have learned, for example, about the Chinese New Year, as well as getting to grips with Chinese characters, which they learn alongside Pinyin, a phonetic language which represents the sounds of Chinese in the Roman alphabet.

Lifesaving For a number of years, Bablake students have had the opportunity of gaining a qualification that really does stand out from the rest. Under Mr Dougall’s care and with external teaching, another group of our senior students qualified this year as professional lifeguards completing the 10 week National Pool Lifeguard course.

Students involved were: Katherine Eaton, Gavin Harman, Laura Hutchison, Oliver Lowson, Charlotte Malbasa, Daniel McSorley, Max Phillips, Emily Wainhouse, Abby White and Emily Wildbore. bablake school

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beyondtheclassroom

Oh Come All Ye Faithful Mrs Felicity Chapman

In the Bablake Carol Service for 2006 we celebrated, once again, the birth of Jesus in a stable. As we looked at the world around us we might perhaps have wondered what had happened to the Spirit of Christmas in our contemporary world where often religion itself is blamed for the conflict and division in society.

Our theme for this year was to seek a modern interpretation of that spirit and we used as our inspiration some of the memorable pieces that we had already chosen for carol services over the last twelve years.

Once again the church of St John in Fleet St, with its traditional association with Old Bablake, provided the setting.

It was a most appropriate atmosphere for the haunting opening carol Hodie Christus Natus Est sung, unaccompanied, by the choir as they processed through the darkness of the church to the altar. As the lights came up on waiting pupils and congregation four 6th formers read out promises from the Old Testament and the service continued with the congregational

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carol Come, Come, Come to the Manger.

The service continued with Sir John Betjeman’s poem Christmas and readings from The New Testament recounting the story of the nativity. The Shell choir sang Patapan, ably accompanied by the recorder group and guitarists Oliver George and Samy Shebl, with extra assistance on the drum from Mr Sutton. The chamber choir’s performance of the lilting Basque melody The Angel Gabriel and the delightful duet from Abigail Bird and Sarah Barnard, The Virgin Slumber Song by Max Reger, sustained the holy and possibly romantic atmosphere of the Bethlehem story. But, as the intervention of King Herod reminded us, there was cruelty, rivalry and appalling disaster even at the moment of the first

Christmas. Natalie Box gave a dramatic rendering of Charles Causley’s poem Herod.

However, the promise of peace and love is always there for those who really seek it. The spirit of Christmas continues to manifest itself in many ways and, after Jessica Blake’s solo introduction to ‘Once in Royal David’s City’, the congregation took up the theme, to be followed by varied interpretations of Christmas. These included pupils’ personal reflections as well as extracts from the writings of TS Eliot, Basil Hume and Oscar Romero and inevitably a piece from ‘A Christmas Carol’, presented by Ben (‘Bah Humbug’) Cave and his more kindly ‘nephew’, Lizzie Stefaniak.

The service concluded with St. John’s account of the incarnation and the prayers and blessing led by Father Paul Such.

The congregation dispersed to enjoy mulled wine and mince pies having first contributed to the retiring collection which was shared between ‘Helping the Homeless’ and ‘Children with Leukaemia’.

This year seemed to provide a particularly successful combination of musical and dramatic talents. It was delightful to welcome back Mr Jenkins at the organ and to bring together the many people who combine to make this an appropriate climax to the Christmas term whether in performance or backstage technical support, in patient preparation or provision of refreshments.

beyondtheclassroom

It’s been another busy year on the weather front at Bablake’s weather station writes Faith Hannon

With no two days ever the same in terms of weather, BWS has had another busy year as Coventry’s principal station. As well as registering the wettest summer on record, it’s also been a year with a definite goal; our 30th anniversary on the 19th of September which marks a dramatic contrast to the Weather Station’s most humble beginnings of an exercise book, a fairy liquid bottle and a huge amount of enthusiasm.

This however was just a distant date at the beginning of the previous academic year, when there was still the daily data to collect and organise and with the website gaining in popularity each day, forecasts were becoming more in demand as the year rolled on.

Under the expert eye of Will Chamberlain, the website shows some of the most dramatic changes within the station; having undergone a complete make-over, it now features a messageboard and images from the newly installed webcam that sits on top of the school tower. Records dating back to the 1970s can also be found on the site which allows the enormity of the data collected over the years to be fully appreciated by the people

Keeping a weather eye open

of Coventry and weather enthusiasts on a global scale, alike. All of these changes have helped to bring BWS well and truly into the 21st century and this is only set to continue as we anticipate the Met Office takeover, scheduled for 2008, which will see BWS become a fully functioning Met station, with new equipment (and responsibilities) to come.

We have also welcomed a new member to the team this year in the form of Jonathan Smith who is already becoming a competent helper under the leadership of Jamie Stefaniak, the first BWS member to be School Captain, who now leads the small group of pupils helping Mr Steve Jackson with the day-to-day running of the station.

Already a favourite for the answerphone duties, Jonathan is sure to earn his place on the prestigious notice board in no time.

Bablake’s Weather Station is steeped in history, but there is no doubt that the future holds just as much promise as its prestigious past. The coming year holds some of the most exciting changes that the station has seen for many years and so we can all look forward to more generations of Bablake pupils who will be able to enjoy being part of such an establishment that still, even after 30 years, is a true labour of love.

Further information > See www.bablakeweather.co.uk for more information and forecasts bablake school

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beyondtheclassroom

CCF (Captured on Film) Miss Caroline Hall

Our CCF goes from strength to strength and now includes a rapidly growing RAF section too The RAF cadets had their first taste of flying in January when 12 students visited RAF Cosford. They were blessed with good weather on arrival and soon found themselves being fitted out with flying overalls, helmets and parachutes. The team was allocated three aircraft, each with a highly experienced instructor. The students were briefed on safety, basic instruments and control of the aircraft before taxiing out to the main runway.

Each student was then taken on a 20 minute flight that included a loop the

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loop and several barrel roll turns, and all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. All the students had a go at flying the aircraft themselves and are now looking forward to gliding sessions later this year. The trip finished with a quick tour around the aircraft museum. Our special thanks go to all the instructors and ground crew of RAF Cosford.

Duke of Edinburgh No sooner had the previous year’s extensive series of expeditions and challenges ended

and blisters barely healed than the intrepid and dedicated staff were off once again, blooding eager new Bronze Award recruits and stretching those aiming for the Silver and Gold level.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is a phenomenal opportunity presented every year to our student. On your travels in 200708, do not be surprised to chance upon groups of 50 or more Bablake students anywhere from the hills of Shropshire to Warwickshire as over 250 students have signed up for the experience!

beyondtheclassroom

Crest award

Charity news Mrs Alyson Heath

Dr Donna Robilliard

Seven budding young scientists were presented with their Gold CREST (Creativity in Science and Technology) awards at the Great Hall at Birmingham University. They had received bursaries from the Nuffield Foundation to carry out research in hospitals and universities during their summer holidays.

After putting up posters to illustrate the research project completed, each pupil gave a presentation and was then gently cross-examined by three judges.

There were 73 projects from the West Midlands and the competition was tough. Our projects were: Reena Panchal Clostridium Difficile (a hospital superbug) Someit Sidhu Coronary Stents Imran Ahmed Obesity and Type II Diabetes Kiran Desai Effectiveness of Eye Protection against

Optical Radiation Helen Price Effect of Foot Rot on Ewe Productivity Aradhna Sachdev Release of Adenosine and the control

of Sleep Suzie Smith Production of Hydrogen Sulphide

from the Heart Someit and Reena’s projects were both judged to be in the Top 5 in the region and Reena was further judged to be the best in the West Midlands.

The pupils would like to express their gratitude to the project mentors and the Nuffield Foundation for providing them with such a great opportunity to experience real scientific research so early in their lives.

Reena Panchal produced the best Crest award in the West Midlands

A remarkable number of events are arranged every year to raise money for local, national and international causes, all supplementing the generous weekly collections. 2006-07 was another remarkable year. £17,000 was the fabulous amount raised by the charity team, led by Mrs Goodwin and Mrs Heath.

Running, not your Editor’s pleasure, was a popular fundraiser this year, especially among the staff. Messrs Dougall, Hall and Lang all completed full or half marathons. Mr Lang ran his 10km Two Castles Run with a 40lb back pack on his back, the weight of roughly a couple of Year 2 pupils – suitable since he was looking to raise money for a swimming pool refurbishment programme at Thorns Community Infant School in Kenilworth. The former both completed the London Marathon in very respectable times.

As well hosting the usual OAP parties at Christmas and in the Summer, the school raised £3,720 for ‘Send a Cow’ which will provide direct practical, tangible help for some of the poorest families in Rwanda. The long-term impact brings about positive, permanent changes. We supported two children’s charities in India, the Bethesda Orphanage and The Joe Homan Trust, as well as raising £1,500 for Comic Relief and £750 for PHAB. The ICT department ensured old computer hardware was put to excellent use. It was delivered to the computer workshop at HMP Stafford and HMYOI Swinfen Hall, where it was overhauled and refurbished for swift despatch to Bulgaria, Romania, Africa and schools in this country.

Gigs at school, inc Paul Wye and Chris Walters’ ‘One Big Gig’, raised over £1000 for various cancer charities and The British Heart Foundation was delighted with over £2000 that Mrs Scott and over 240 of our girls raised through sponsored skipping. Top fund raiser was Katie Wildbore with an impressive £95.

Healthy donations were also made to Macmillan Nurses, Myton Hospice, UNICEF, Water Aid, Brooke Hospital, The Meningitis Trust, Children with Leukaemia, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Children in Need and the Air Ambulance. bablake school

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beyondtheclassroom

Our enterprising youngsters

Speaking of success

There was intense competition for the between the L6th groups for the Young Enterprise Award this year with Pinnacle and Touchdown Sports making most progress. Trade Fairs were brisk and busy.

Inspired by the number of learner drivers in Bablake, Pinnacle decided to sell show plates as their main product – mock car registration plates with personalised messages on them, which were offered in a variety of colours and at very competitive prices. The team even set up www. pinnedbypinnacle.co.uk to advertise them online.

With the practical and very helpful ‘Eazy-Squeeze’ tube squeezer, Mark Lam and his Touchdown team might just have a product that, with a patent already sought, could be a mass market product. It won the Best Product award in the West Midlands final.

Seeds for future groups were scattered again with a Business Dynamics day for the 4th Year and the popularity of the entrepreneurial exercises shows no sign of disappearing.

The debating and public speaking teams have completed another successful year: rounds were won in four different prestigious competitions; the lunchtime debating competition saw nearly 40 pupils compete and culminated in a very close final; and for the first time, the senior public speaking team competed in the final of a national competition and came away with some silverware.

We won rounds in the Birmingham and Midland Institute’s Schools’ Debating competition, the English Speaking Union debates, the Rotary Club ‘Youthspeaks’ contest and the British Professional Women’s Schools’ Public Speaking. It was in the last of these that the most progress was made: the senior trio – Mark McKelvie, Liam Collins-McIntyre and Someit Sidhu won the Semi Final at the University of Derby in February, speaking about the necessity to trade with Less Economically Developed Countries rather than send them development aid. The final was held in Oswestry the following month. By qualifying for this stage the team could truthfully claim to be one of the best five trios in the United Kingdom and one of the best two in England. They performed very well, finishing third overall and Someit was awarded the cup for best speaker – a fitting tribute to a very successful ‘career’ in public speaking and debating at Bablake.

Someit featured heavily, along with his partner Marco Orsini-Jones, in the lunchtime debating competition. This contest saw the emergence of much new talent and there was a real sense of the baton being passed from one year to the next when a L6th pairing – Jamie Stefaniak and William Chamberlain – beat Someit and Marco in the final by the narrowest of margins. Jamie and Will, both leading members of the CCF, appreciated the irony of having to speak in the final against the idea of compulsory military service.

Messrs Stefaniak and Chamberlain will represent the school as our senior pairing in 2007-08, but there was a real sense of the end of an era last summer as many of our leading debaters, mentioned above, left the school. Our appreciation particularly goes to Mark McKelvie and Liam Collins-McIntyre, who have represented us magnificently in numerous competitions since they were in the 4th Form. They, together with Marco, Someit and Matthew Galloway, have made a major contribution to establishing a minitradition in the arts of public speaking and debating at Bablake. We thank them for it and offer them our best wishes for the future.

Mrs Louise Fletcher

Engineering success Clare Stoker & Natalie Box

The Engineering Education Scheme – well what can we say? What an experience. The team, consisting of Natalie Box, Clare Stoker, Chris Walters and Paul Wye, had a great time enduring long minibus rides and exciting visits to Birmingham University and the NEC. So what did we do?

Well, for our project, we built a replica model of a leading reservoir with a lot of help from our engineer mentors Chris Furneaux and Chris Jackson and, of course, the fabulous Mrs Hardstaff and Mr West. Did we mention our water problem? Homebuilt models of reservoirs by 6th formers and water can only mean one thing – a very wet DT room. So after a lot of sealant and paper towels to mop up the mess, our final project was observed.

We took it to the NEC on a celebration day to present it (very shakily) to a panel of experienced engineering-based judges, who said it was actually a good project. All in all, it was a very worthwhile experience, which gave us something very different to help make us stand out in the competitive world of university applications.

(Congratulations to the team on being awarded Gold Crest Awards for their project – Ed)

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Mr Gary Park & Miss Lynsey Cheffings

beyondtheclassroom

Checkmate

Careers

How to replace Paul Lam? The first decision was easy. Mark Lam took on the role of captain and board 1. He led the team brilliantly taking us to second in the league and to the final of the Coventry Schools cup. Mark ended the season by winning the Lightning Tournament – a great achievement.

Alex Raison changed, from playing in the C team while waiting for his sister, into a tremendous player. He played board 2 for the A team gaining more wins than anyone else.

Second in the Lightning Tournament, he led right up to the last round. Only losing one other game in the season, Alex is clearly an exciting player.

Having lost 41/2 – 11/2 to KHVIII in the league the previous week, we were not expecting to win the Coventry Schools final but Mark Lam and Alex Raison had two superb wins to take us into an early lead. Jamie Stefaniak drew which left us with Kathy Raison only needing a draw for us to win the cup. Unfortunately she lost on time when ahead. Nevertheless it was a great effort by all.

The biggest loss of the season was Dr Robilliard. Having represented Bablake for many years as a pupil and been so dynamic in helping run the Chess Club, she has now moved to KHVIII. We wish her well but know that she will seem impossible to replace.

I would like to thank Mr Smith for all his help in running the away matches and Mrs Hardstaff for being a willing standby.

Leading scorers: Alex Raison 11, Mark Lam 91/2, James Ross 71/2, Kathy Raison 7, Jim Chen and Robert Chowne 61/2. Tom Chen, Michael Goldfinch, Jamie Stefaniak, Michael Whitlow all 6. Jonathan Smith 5. Sam Brown, James Grute, Jamie Paxton and Adam Trailor 41/2. Louis Osborne, Jack Preston and Sarah Strong 4.

A new era was heralded with the full-time appointment of a Head of Careers with a reduced teaching timetable and a brief to deliver individual Careers reviews to the 5th Year with support from Connexions for those looking at options outside Bablake.

The L6th faced a new challenge – ‘11 Steps’ – to help them onto the next stage after university. Students can record progress made in each of 11 key steps for staying ahead of their peers in and outside Bablake. The booklet can act as an aide-memoire to be closely surveyed before important applications and form part of any portfolio taken to interview.

The U6th Mock Interview Morning once again proved a most useful and demanding exercise; placed earlier in the year, it became a very helpful aid for the pre-University application stage. Rhea Morgan stood out as best performer but there were many pushing her close.

All other year groups have an injection of Careers guidance and the department began to use some senior pupils for mentoring those choosing GCSE options. Branding, networking and portfolios are key elements for those starting out in the world of work and Bablake students are being continually alerted that academic qualifications alone do not bring the golden job offer.

Katherine Hull won the ASDA Challenge – Eileen Hudleston, from the Walsgrave store, once again kindly marked over 100 ‘parttime job applications’. Ira Kleine produced the best work to win the 5th Year CV challenge while Suzanne Smith produced the best U6th version.

In a new age of constant exam pressure and media discussion about the relative merits of examinations and courses, we invited Rasheed Ogunlaru, an esteemed life coach, who has worked with performers, entrepreneurs, politicians and creative artists, to talk to the 6th Form. His visit was an excellent tonic since the students were about to tackle more public exams and Rasheed’s ideas for a happy, successful life were warmly welcomed.

Mr Andrew Chowne

Mr Mark Woodward

In the media Mr Mark Woodward

We began the year with hopes of a Media Club that would complete a TV project. Various complications and many clashes in the L6th timetable put paid to our ambitions but a loyal and perky little group filmed at Music Live, the November Charity gig and more, under the trusty guidance of Mr ‘Ben’ as Mr McFadden was known.

Fever pitch broke out at the chance to attend the Trisha Show and Jeremy Kyle – both offered excellent opportunities to see ‘live’ television first-hand and for the latter an assault on the Manchester’s impressive shopping malls. The travel involved proved tiring and the melodramas viewed seemed gladiatorial – neither dampened the eagerness to see the final television edit. bablake school

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beyondtheclassroom

Stretching it Mr Mark Woodward

This year saw two issues of Stretch – the student magazine produced in Work Experience week by L6th students. Katie Weeden was editor of Issue 3 which featured excellent photography by Richard Smith and wonderfully edgy political ranting by her reporters. The writing by Imogen Hill, Rhea Morgan and Sarah O’Donnell had a feisty feel and the creative urges of Claire Baldwin and culinary delights conjured up by Laura Treharne complemented it well. Jo Cameron, from The Apprentice, added some local star quality.

Issue 4 was created in record time. Expanded to 44 pages, it was themed the Green Issue and elicited positive press for its balance of topicality, fun and pungent manifesto. Expertly edited by Jessica Phillips, the team worked tremendously hard and in harmony to produce a piece worthy of comparison with the quality Sunday broadsheet supplements. Interviews with talented Pole Vaulter Jennie Gardner, emerging illustrator Alex T Smith, Europhile Jemma Handley, footballer Karen Carney, one of England’s stars in the recent ladies’ World Cup and Russ Thorne, editor of Etc magazine, for whom Bablake’s Head of Careers is careers guru, rested easily alongside a Teacher Top Trumps spread, green and political debate and an Agony Aunt column. The team was a proud one and its copy was excellent. The extraction of over 250 bottles of Original Source shower gel to run alongside an article on the product led to a charity venture that will be featured in the 2007-08 Wheatleyan!

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Target 2.0 Mr Derek Faulkner

From an original field of 265 teams nationwide, a team of U6th Economics students won two heats to secure a place in the National Final at the Bank of England in London The team of four students, Becky Healy, Jodie-Leigh Angus, Someit Sidhu and Malcolm Thomas took on the role of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee. Back in October, they started to carry out a rigorous assessment of economic conditions in the UK, the EU and the rest of the world to judge the outlook for inflation in the UK. They were assisted in their research by Marcus Balhatchet-Browne and Lee Harrison. They then had to decide what level of interest rate they would set to meet the Government’s target of 2%.

In the 2007 National Final, the team again took on the role of the MPC and, in a 20 minute presentation, gave their analysis of economic conditions, the outlook for inflation, and their interest rate decision to a panel of four judges, comprising three members of the actual MPC and a representative from The Times newspaper.

The team was placed joint fourth, winning individual prizes and a cheque for £1,000 for the school. Furthermore the team was given an exclusive guided tour of the Bank itself, including a visit to where the gold reserves are stored, sitting in the Governor’s chair in the conference room and the opportunity to meet the Governor, Mervyn King.

In addition they were provided with first class accommodation and hospitality and entertainment at the musical We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre for the duration of their two-day stay in The City.

Reaching the National Final was a tremendous achievement and the whole experience was something the team will value and remember for the rest of their lives.

beyondtheclassroom

‘The library looks, feels and sounds different’

Library notes Mrs Felicity Chapman

The Autumn Term of 2006 began relatively calmly with the library in working order and Mrs Julie Needham and Mrs Pat Thomas prepared for anything

Compared with the many changes of accommodation and personnel that had been experienced over the previous 12 months, a new headmaster hardly caused a ripple! In any case we still had Dr. Nuttall in our midst as his portrait was hung in the library during the summer holidays.

The routine began as usual with arrangements for Prize-Giving followed

by Shell induction and the accessioning of exciting new stock in many subject areas.

In October we joined in the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of National Book Week with a variety of displays and a visit from the prize winning children’s author Stuart Hill who entertained and inspired the Shell formers for an afternoon.

By Open Evening, all the work area in the library had been completed allowing us to accommodate up to 10 PCs for student use. With this, and the acquisition of some of Mr Dougall’s photographs and some small items of furniture, it is possible to say that this stage of the refurbishment of the library is complete. At the same time work has continued on the development of the library website, with a significant contribution from Lee Paplauskas which he hopes to complete in the next 12 months.

Throughout the year the librarians have promoted competitions and events to encourage an interest in reading and study. November saw the introduction of a reformatted library newsletter and a week long Book Fair which together with a school charity collection enabled us to send a healthy contribution to Book Aid International.

To celebrate World Book Day, we arranged a visit from Chloe of Midnight Storytellers, who spent a dynamic afternoon with the 2nd year encouraging them with her inspiring and imaginative ideas for stories. As a result the library organised its own short story competition on the World Book day theme of ‘A Day in My Life’. The title was interpreted in many ways and contestants chose different

genres including poetry, autobiography and fantasy. Congratulations to everyone who entered and particularly to the two prizewinners, Hannah Elsy and Lauren Ritchie.

This has been a busy and exciting year in the library with quite an influx of new younger pupils aspiring to be librarians.

Many of the 6th Form librarians who have given years of responsible service are leaving now for further studies. We wish them a successful future. This has been my last year, too, and a great deal has changed since 1997 when I took over the responsibility.

The library looks, feels and sounds different.

While there are many tasks left to complete, I am grateful to all those who have helped me to achieve a lighter more modern looking space for study; Mrs Thomas and Mrs. Needham and all the pupil librarians of course, but also Mr West who rescued the signs, Mrs D Thomas who has been indefatigably patient with our IT illiteracy, ICT Technicians Adrian and Peter similarly, and the whole team of people ( Stuart, Mick, Neil, Howard, Malcolm et al) who smiled and sighed, but then came and put things up and took things down and moved shelves, cupboards, cardboard and glass at my behest and sometimes, dare I say it, without the right coloured slip! I wish Mr Park well as he continues. bablake school

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House reports

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housereports

Bayley

Mrs Lynda Jackson House Head House Deputy

Mrs L J Jackson Mr J C Hobday

House Staff

Dr P B M Archer Miss L R T Cheffings Mr J M Drury Mrs L J Fletcher Mrs P Goodyer Mr J M Grantham Mr A M Hall Mr S W Jackson Mr D J Parkins Mrs J J Price Mr R A Smith Mrs G A Timothy Mrs A J Tumber Mr K J Tyas Mr M G A Woodward

House Officials Captains

Hannah Davies Marco Orsini-Jones

Prefects

Amy Corrigan Stephanie Goldie Shah Ali Someit Sidhu Robert Taylor Benjamin Weaver

The seventh Shell Activity Morning took place as usual on the first Saturday of the new school year. This year however it was an extra special occasion because the 6th Formers who were running the morning had stood in exactly the same place as the new Shells at the inauguration of the event seven years ago! It was also special because it was Mr. Watson’s first school occasion in his new role as Headmaster and we were so pleased it was a House event.

Once again the sun shone and great fun was had by all, as each of the Shells had a go at welly-wanging, netball and hockey shooting, a penalty shoot out, a relay race and obstacle course. In fact I was surprised that the 6th Formers running the latter event, Ben Cave, Paddy Hyslop, Richard Perry and Jenny Bullas, had any voice left at the end of the morning, after all the enthusiastic encouragement they gave to each competitor as they undertook the course, including Mrs Yates, the House Head of Crow, who completed the course, though not in record time!

Although the morning is ultimately an introduction to the House system for the Shells and their parents, the different events

are scored and this year there were joint winners. So Fairfax and Wheatley shared the honours and were jointly awarded the trophy

by Mr. Watson.

Then early in the autumn term, the scrabble competitions began. At Shell and 2nds the honours were equally distributed through the Houses with Bayley winning the 2nd Year Girls competition jointly with Fairfax. Then at 6th Form level, after winning the competition for many years, we were beaten by Wheatley this year, but we will be back to try again next time!

The basketball competition is always a hard fought battle and last year was no exception. The seniors played extremely well, but we couldn’t match the skill of Crow at Senior level and Wheatley at Intermediate level. This winning streak for Wheatley continued in the Chess, where they once again were victorious, with Bayley’s team coming third.

So, as you can tell, Bayley was not doing too well up to this point, but in the Spring term things started to improve.

Squash is an event that we have done extremely well in over the past few years. I explained in my previous two reports how Paul Best as a 4th and then 5th year student took on 6th formers in the Open competition and won. So what happened this year? In the Junior competition Callum McDonagh won convincingly, as did Simon Godfrey in the Intermediate event. So for the hat-trick we just needed Paul to do likewise.

However this year it was not quite so easy and Fairfax had a strong competitor for the Browne Cup. Paul was more than up to the challenge though and it ended up a tie. So the judges decided the winner should be the one with the most points and unfortunately Paul just lost out. But I know that Paul will be back again next year as a 6th former this time!

Then came the House Drama Festival, which I must admit I had not been looking forward to, as I am not at all dramatic! However help was at hand in the form of Amy Corrigan, Steph Goldie and Marco Orsini Jones, who ran the whole show! These 6th Formers produced the children’s version of The Miller’s Tale, which was further cut by Mrs Jackson! I can honestly say that even though I had a great deal of trepidation about the event, I enjoyed every moment of the experience, and Amy and Steph richly deserved the bouquet of flowers that were presented to them as they took their bow. These along with Marco’s gift were just a small token of my appreciation for all that they had achieved. Another star emerged from the other end of the Bayley ranks. Nikolaus Elz, a Shell Former, had been given a part with two lines, but as one of the 4th years who had one of the leading roles was absent from school prior to the performance Nikolaus took his part and did a tremendous job! The whole evening was a terrific success and reflected all the qualities of the House system.

Finally Sports Day was upon us, and yes the heavens opened again but we enjoyed a competitive end to an excellent year of House events.

So to conclude, all it remains for me to do is to thank all the members of Staff that have supported me during the year, and the House Officials for all their hard work and involvement throughout the year. We wish them and all the Upper 6th who left last July, continued success in the years ahead. The new officials from the Lower 6th have been voted for by the House and I am delighted with those that have been appointed to lead Bayley during the next academic year. bablake school

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housereports

Crow

Mrs Louise Yates

House Head House Deputy

Mrs L A Yates Miss C A Imber

House Staff Mrs L B Alexander

Mrs K Baker

Miss R M Blattner

Mr P F Burden

Mrs F M Chapman

Mr P Cleaver

Mr M Duerdin

Mrs P S Goodwin

Miss L J Neale

Mr G L Park

Mrs E D Surgey

Mr B J Sutton

Mrs D A Thomas

House Captains Mark McKelvie

Becky Healy Deputy House Captains

Emily Stansfield Lee Harrison

Sports Captains

Brett Chatwin David Buckeridge Jen Elen Laura Treharne

Cultural Captains

Jess Long Richard Perry Joseph Simmonds Sarah Marks

House Prefects

Richard Thomas Jack Preston Richard Wells Kathryn Brindley Rachel Thomas

The year began with the Shell Olympics which has become something of an institution, starting the year with a popular and enjoyable event. Crow fielded an excellent team with every Shell member of the House turning up to support the year group, gaining a commendation in the process. We managed to achieve third place but the day was more important as a reflection of team spirit and for providing an indication of the talent within the House – we especially excelled in the penalty shooting competition as we were the highest scoring girls’ team of the day. This was a really impressive start from the Shells and boded well for the rest of the year.

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The Shells were very soon able to exhibit their more academic skills the following week when the first of the Scrabble competitions took place. Both Shells and 2nds tried their best, winning many rounds but victory eluded them, Crow achieving 3rd place in both year groups. Next was the basketball competition for the Senior and 4th years. Crow had high hopes of both teams and was not disappointed – with some terrific games and very close finishes we won the Senior competition convincingly and came 2nd in the 4th year competition.

The quiz teams were raring to go next with the Senior and Intermediate competitions seeing Crow teams perform well. We didn’t manage a win overall but nevertheless congratulations to all those who tried so hard for the House. Chess was another event which Crow have traditionally done well in and which was particularly successful again this year. Well done to all who helped us win the event for another year.

By now the term was drawing to a close and the cold weather was starting to bite – surely the time for House hockey! Crow fielded a great boys’ team and narrowly missed out on a win overall coming second. The girls played their matches in the Spring term this year and again were pipped to second place – this time by Fairfax.

Senior Badminton, instead of the swimming gala, finished off the term this year and despite our enthusiasm we just missed victory in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions.

The Spring term was to be dominated by preparations for the Drama Festival and Crow’s production this year was Denise Deegan’s Angela Brazil spoof Daisy Pulls it Off. Rehearsals happened regularly at lunchtime and after school, the play needing and receiving a great deal of commitment from its young cast and 6th form production team. Nevertheless other House activities continued with 2nd year Netball seeing Crow win their first event of the New Year in style despite the cold and wet weather. Shell and 2nd year badminton was another event in which Crow excelled – we came second in the boys’ competition but won the girls’ with ease. Squash was another successful event for the House as Crow managed to win the Senior boys’ competition and the Intermediate girls’ competition with the talents of Alex Owens and Becky Sewell respectively.

As the term drew to an end and rehearsals increased in number, our spirits seemed to flag a little, losing as we did both the Junior and the Intermediate netball competitions. Our pride was restored though by our win in the 2nd year girls’ hockey competition. We just needed to learn those lines over the Easter holidays!

We came back at the start of the Summer term almost completely focused on the House Drama Production. We had had some rehearsals during the Easter holiday and a ski trip and an economics trip to New York could not deter us from seeking theatrical perfection – we even rehearsed for three Saturdays on the trot – that’s dedication! Hannah Elsy who played the villain of the piece, Miss Sybil Burlington, reports on the play elsewhere in the Wheatleyan.

After ‘Daisy’ it was difficult to get back to thinking about the rest of the term’s activities – we were all too exhausted!

Nevertheless the biggest event of any normal term was still to come – jinx-ridden Sports day! This event had been doomed with cancellations ranging from too much rain to too much sun. But this year we were determined and despite the rain we had a wonderful day. Mrs Alexander and Miss Imber held the fort (or the Crow notice-board as it turned out!) because with a 21/2 year old screaming infant in tow, I could do little other than stifle sobs

housereports

and cheer! We have to thank the whole House for making it a memorable and winning year for Crow – the first year Crow have won Sports Day under my stewardship. Well done to you all!

It has been a tremendous year for me as House Head and I would like to thank the entire House, both staff and pupils for their support. It was sad to say goodbye to the outgoing Upper 6th. My House captains Mark McKelvie and Becky Healy were fantastic role models, leading by example and ever ready to de-stress the House Head come Wednesday morning! I thank them and all my House prefects for their efforts throughout the year – Crow House will be lucky indeed to get another year group as committed, helpful and supportive as them. And thank you to Miss Imber who left her post after supervising the triumphant Sports Day victory to take on a new position within the school, that of Deputy Head of Shells. We wish her all the best and thank her for all her hard work for the house over the last two years.

Fairfax

Mr Martin Rhodes House Head House Deputy

Mr D M Rhodes Mrs P J Marchant

House Staff

Mr L Atwal Miss N D Beasley Mr A D Chowne Mr R J Dougall Mr D L Faulkner Mrs M C Field Mrs J Foster Mrs L C Hardstaff Mr A R Homer Mr T Hyde Mrs A J Jones Dr P J Knight Mr C Mellers Mrs M R Prowse Ms S Thompson Mrs B Wood

Boys Joint Captains Ben Horn and Drama Liam Collins-McIntyre Girls Captain

Joanne Mitchell

Girls Vice Captain

Kiranjit Juj

Girls Sports Captain Abi Taberer Deputies/ House Prefects

Gillian Ball Emma Charlesworth Laura Rouse

What do we remember of those Shell Form Olympics now so long ago? Well second place for the boys was pretty good and first place for the girls was even better. That gave us a share of the overall trophy too, but better still were the virtually 100% attendance, the team photos and the little lad in the queue ready to try his hand at slam-dunking. What did he say? Not “I can’t do this” but “I haven’t scored yet”, meaning “I want another go. I’m jolly well going to do this.” Determination? Yes, but pure enjoyment too and no shortage of talent. Jessica Horn scored so many on the hockey-shooting that everyone lost count.

At Scrabble first and second places were reversed for the new Shell formers and the 2nd year girls and boys and seniors all had to make do with second place.

How would we fare then at basketball, our wooden spoon event for so many years? Remarkably the senior boys started with two wins but lost the winner-takes-all final. Matt Wood scored a remarkable 18 points. Enter the 4th year boy – Kristian Ostrowski scored 20 points here – again it was a case of won two out of three and altogether this has been the best Fairfax performance at basketball for over a decade.

Chess did not bring the same degree of success despite two wins for both Richard Starritt and Chris Reynolds. More importantly though, we had people queuing up to take part in this nail-biting competition.

If a pool of intellect is now needed to be found then the intermediate quiz team would provide the answer. The seniors had been placed third but the number three for the intermediates meant three straight wins and very large ones too. Gavin Hillyer, Chris Reynolds, Virginia Charlesworth and in particular Jonathan Smith were the stars.

December is always a busy time for the seniors. With Captain Jo Mitchell in New York how would the senior girls’ badminton results go? Answer: played nine, won eight. Well done Laura Rouse, Abi Taberer, Ira Kleine, Lucy Horn, Beccy Devall and Joanne Simons.

This was something the senior boys simply could not match.

Instead they chose to show off on the hockey pitch scoring eight goals to no reply. A fine achievement of ‘clean sheets’ for young goalkeeper Andrew Timms. Ben Horn scored three, Matt Hall and Peter Sidwell two each but perhaps the best and last goal was the one which flew into the roof of the net off the stick of Sam Harrold.

The spring term was one dominated by racquet sports but first there was the house quiz to finish. Dan Slater, Katrina Breckenridge, Jo Cashmore, Eva Ball, Scott Morgan and Mayanka Patel represented Fairfax in the Junior Quiz and were on a roll with two huge wins behind them when they met Wheatley on the rebound. We lost heavily and had to share first place with our opponents that day.

At badminton we played well. Our junior boys suffered an injury just before play commenced. Even with a whole team down we still managed third place. The junior girls with a huge turnout finished as runners-up with pleasing evidence of some rising stars. The same outcome came for the intermediate boys but the girls went on to first place at this age group with an especially strong performance from Emily Jackson, Uma Venkataraman and Pam Uppal.

At squash Rees Herrod finished a very creditable runner-up at intermediate level with Jessica Horn the outright winner at junior level and Jo Mitchell retaining her hold on the Hemsley Rose Bowl in the open competition to bring the trophy back to Fairfax for the ninth year running. bablake school

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Netball produced some most enjoyable tournaments – we were third in the intermediates with some tremendous team play, but it was the seniors who had the most nail-biting contest of all. In the end, and with the final move of the final game on the B-Court, we were pipped into second place by just one goal. The Shells came second too, so it was to the girls’ hockey we were all looking now.

The third years and shell girls had both just won their tournaments.

Now it was the senior girls’ turn...

Sadly the ghost of senior girls’ hockey in Fairfax came back to haunt us. Despite the best efforts and superb running of Laura Rouse the ball just wouldn’t go in the net. We finished third. More importantly we had a full team and willing team and special thanks go to goalkeeper Sarah Reynolds.

By now rehearsals for our House Drama production of Hot Cakes had been underway for many months, so the departure to another school of one of the leading ladies called for some quick thinking. Enter Jonathan Smith – in drag!

The entire production, finally seen by parents in May, had needed a lot of thinking on your feet and what made it stand out was that it was entirely student led with no input from adults other than smarties and jaffa cakes. Liam Collins-McIntyre in particular and, Ben Horn too, must take most of the credit for this exquisitely produced piece of light-hearted and thoroughly enjoyable drama but in charge of all the costumes, props and the programme too Francesca Clifford also did a magnificent job, aided

by Jennifer Wood.

Hot Cakes had only a small cast allowing each individual a real chance to shine, once they had learned their lines (and what a task that was for some). Lauren Deeth-Kelt took every opportunity to show off her considerable talent with ample input from Evie Tither, Georgia Horn, Scott Morgan, Virginia Charlesworth, Lois Miller, Tom Curtis, Daryl Townsend, Pam Uppal and Caitlin Edwards. Gavin Hillyer, Eva Ball and Mayanka Patel were all late additions to the plot, but it is to Beth Rowlands that we should all offer our thanks for saving the day and switching roles so cleverly at almost the last minute with a disappointed Katrina Breckenridge having to go home too poorly to take the stage after all that effort.

Was the show a success? Well undoubtedly so, according to the letters, postcards and other messages we received in the days which followed. At last we could relax, or could we? With sports day on the horizon there was also the matter of a resurrected open tennis tournament to deal with. Peter Sidwell and Oliver Manning represented our boys with Ollie winning a service game to snatch second place, but for Jo Mitchell and Laura Rouse this was their swansong after so many years of service for Fairfax. Together they recorded win, win and win but how delightfully they conducted themselves particularly against the up and coming youngsters of Crow.

As for Sports Day itself – over 3,000 points were earned by the four houses and despite last place we were still only 75 points behind the overall winners. The 3rd years were runners-up but the highlight was almost certainly winning both the boys’ and girls’ 100m relays for the 4th year. Rachel Blakemore, Dominic Ainsworth and Kai Hartshorn all finished with outstanding results. Could it be we were too complacent or too well organised for our own good?

Certainly the only way now is UP.

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Wheatley Mr Peter Hancock House Head House Deputy

Mr P R H Hancock Dr D L Robilliard

House Staff

Mrs K F Barnacle Mrs H M Billings Mrs D R Booth Mr S P Enstone Miss C E Hall Mrs S V Harris Mrs A S Heath Mrs S E Hill Mr M J Lang Mr S J Lander Mr M J Masters Mr D F Prescott Mrs P A G Tatum Mr C R West Miss R F Young

House Officials Captains

Zina Parekh Ben Cave

Deputy Captains

Katie Weeden Paddy Hyslop

Sports Captains

Jessica Thompson Matthew Elliott

Cultural Captains

Jenny Bullas David Cheetham

Wheatley House started the new year by welcoming a new Assistant House Head, Dr D L Robilliard. Already a member of the House staff and an old girl of Wheatley house, she was to make an impact in many areas of the House and in one area in particular, but more of that later.

The House year, as usual, started with the very successful and enjoyable Shell Activity Morning, on the first Saturday of term. Again, this year we had almost 100% participation in Wheatley House, and many of our House Officials helped with the organisation. The Wheatley Shells had a very enjoyable and successful morning, putting in some excellent performances in both the girls’ and boys’ competitions, the boys giving the House an excellent start to the year by gaining a victory.

The Scrabble competition is always one of the first full house events. The Shell girls went first gaining a very close second.

The boys also came a very close second place for Wheatley. The

housereports

following week the 2nd year boys had very strong competition, but managed an excellent win. Unfortunately the girls could not match the boys’ success in their event. Finally the seniors had their turn and in a very popular and hard fought event gained a deserved victory giving Wheatley House the overall title. Meanwhile the basketball competitions for the senior and intermediate teams were taking place. The seniors had very difficult and unsuccessful matches, even though there were some great individual performances. The intermediates had a much more successful time winning both matches easily against Crow and Fairfax, but losing narrowly to a strong Bayley squad in the final round. However, this still gave them overall victory.

Over the last few years Wheatley has produced some very strong quiz teams, and this year was no exception. The seniors started by demolishing the opposition, Fairfax, and went on to do the same to Crow. In the final round Bayley put up very strong resistance but were eventually beaten by just 10 points, giving us a brilliant overall win. The Intermediate squad, however, did not really show their potential till the last round against Bayley when they won by 260 points giving them third place. We expect that next year things will be different.

At the beginning of this report, I mentioned our welcome of Dr Robilliard. I did not mention, however, that she had been Wheatley chess captain in her youth. She was at this point of the year to make an even greater difference to the fortunes of Wheatley chess, an area which has been lacking in success for more than a decade.

This year was to turn out very differently. In the first round versus Bayley the match hung in the balance until the final board which we won giving us victory by one board. After a second victory against Crow we had to beat Fairfax, the favourites, by a large margin to ensure overall victory. This we did spectacularly with a six board to two win, giving us the title for the first time since Dr Robilliard was a pupil at the school.

In the senior boys’ hockey we had a much more difficult time, losing all our matches, but they redeemed themselves in the badminton with a stunning victory. In the senior girls’ badminton we could only manage third place even though we had an excellent turn out. With the end of term looming, the 2nd year rugby and swimming brought third places in both.

The spring term was to be dominated by rehearsals for the House play directed by a new member of staff, yet another old boy of Wheatley, Mr Lang, but more of this later.

The first event of the spring term was the Intermediate badminton. In the boys’ event we had a very successful evening winning all our games. The girls went next and although we had a very good turnout we could only manage third place. In the junior badminton we unfortunately were overwhelmed in the boys’ section, but managed third in the girls. Junior squash also took place at this time and although our two players were novices they both managed creditable third places. This was followed by the junior quiz. Again we had a very strong squad which unfortunately lost its first match. In the second round, however, they won against Crow, while in the final round against Fairfax they gained an even better win making them first equal. This was followed by a very lean time for the house teams apart from the Intermediate girls in netball who managed a comfortable first place. The senior ‘A’ squad not only won their section but also loaned players to other houses.

For the first time in many years the summer term started with

an open tennis competition. The boys’ pair of Chris Haidar and Neil Simmonds played very well to come second, while the girls’ pair of Izzy Moran and Lara Morris had hard close games and came fourth.

Then the first of the biggest two events of the year took place, the House Play. This year Wheatley put on The Demon Headmaster.

We had a large cast (23) of 1st to 4th years and a back stage crew of equal numbers of senior pupils. It was a huge task and we were very lucky to have an experienced director in Mr Matt Lang. The end result of all the hard work and countless rehearsals was a spectacular show enjoyed by a large audience in the school theatre.

It is fair to say that every one of the cast played their hearts out but I have to make special mention of certain characters. Jack Lewis was a particularly evil headmaster and actually frightened some of the younger actors. Beth Hushon was a very convincing middle aged housewife, while Millie Ross was a completely wild game show host. Many thanks must also go to Ben Cave who was Assistant Director, to Katie Weeden who was the Producer, Kate Byrne who was not only the prompt but also gave valuable advice to the young cast. Last but not least to Faith Hannon and Thomas Hine, who produced spectacular posters and programmes as well as working the lighting and other technical effects.

At the end of the summer term we had an event that for the last three years had been cancelled because of bad weather – Sports Day. This year we were determined that whatever the weather it would take place. Although the weather was not perfect everybody agreed that it was an enjoyable and successful day. I was pleased that almost every pupil in the house took part and competed to the best of their ability as well as supporting others while they took part in their events. It was a very close competition with only 72 points separating the first and the last house. Wheatley did very well, winning a large number of events, culminating in winning the 4th year competition outright.

So ended a very successful year. So many Wheatley House members have taken part in events that it is not possible to mention them all, but I must congratulate them and hope that they enjoyed taking part and will continue to take part over their lives in Wheatley House.

Finally, we say goodbye to Dr D L Robilliard, our Deputy House Head. She is to take the post as Head of Biology at KHVIII and will be sadly missed by the whole House, particularly the chess team. We wish her the very best for the future and hope she will remember her days in Wheatley House with fondness.

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flair

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flair

flair (fl창r) noun.

[Middle English, fragrance, from Old French, from flairer, to scent, from Late Latin flagrare , alteration of Latin fragrare, to emit an odour.]

1 A natural talent or aptitude; a knack: a flair for interior decorating.

2 Instinctive discernment; keenness: a flair for the task.

3 Distinctive elegance or style: served us with flair.

4 A new vibrant section in The Wheatleyan: including some of the best creative work of current and former Bablake students.

Edited by niamh luckett & jess phillips

flair Highlights Bablake 24/7 48 Beth Shalom 52 Ben Duffy 54 Illustrating success 56 In control 58 Art & Design 62 Photographic memory 66

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bablake24/7

Round the clock...

Bablake is alive 24/7 2:59 New day‌ new challenges Heading for Fousseau

8:15

10:08

10:56

6th Form Psychology All change

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bablake24/7

In the Language Lab

13:09

Supplementing the academic diet

11:52 14:46 20:20 Healthy exercise

Junior drama

Easter concert

23:36

Dancing the night away at the 5th Year Crystal Ball

21:17 bablake school

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housedrama

Acting

up

Some superb performances were noted and enjoyed in the House Drama Festival for 2007

The Miller’s Tale Bayley

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housedrama

The Demon Headmaster Wheatley

Daisy Pulls It Off Crow

Hot Cakes Fairfax

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flair

beth

shalom

(HOUSE OF PEACE)

‘Every single person who lived during the holocaust period has had traumatic, life changing experiences’ ‘It makes you remember that they were just ordinary people with hopes, dreams and fear’ ‘The trip taught me to appreciate how lucky I am’

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‘It really hits you when you actually see the faces of people, not just a number’ bablake school

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retroflair

In the thick of the action...

Ben Duffy

Ben left Bablake in 1993 and is currently official photographer for the Scottish Rugby Football Union. His portfolio speaks for itself but we asked him for some essential advice for aspiring sports photographers

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retroflair

1

A course in photography is a must to give you the freedom to find out what a camera can do and maximise your creativity.

2

During your course, work experience in the field you want to go into will give you a taste of what you’re letting yourself in for. A local newspaper and a big freelance news agency are very different experiences. Tackle as many agencies or papers as possible and talk to as many people working in the field as you can.

3

Work experience should give you access to some big sporting events and give you the opportunity to create a professional portfolio. There is little time for being a rookie and the learning curve is steep; an immediate impact with a great set of pictures should put you on the ladder very quickly.

4

If you are on work experience with a pro at a football match, he/ she could be in the wrong place and you could be right in front of a fantastic incident to get it yourself. It could well be you on the front page of the Sunday Times sport pages.

5

Don’t forget that we all use the same equipment! Any picture you see in a newspaper, you could take! It’s a question of being prepared, so when you’re in the right place at the right time, you’ve got all the skills to make sure you get it and get it sharp!

6

Know your gear inside out. No day is ever the same from the conditions to the people and being prepared is half the battle won

7

Thinking on your feet and being able to take control quickly is very important. On a recent shoot with Ronaldinho in Barcelona, I was given 4 minutes, 30 seconds to get the pictures. Someone stood next to me with a stopwatch as the sponsor had 90 minutes with him and had a lot to fit in. I had to be in control of the lighting and the subject to make sure the picture was definitely in the bag. I did it in 4 minutes and used the last 30 seconds to make sure I had a picture of me and him together!

8

When I’m doing editorial portraits from newspapers to go with interviews, I will try and imagine the picture I want on the way there as a premiership footballer will not be overly generous with his time if he’s not being paid. You will need to be quick – waiting for inspiration will not go down well.

9

The job can take you to many different countries, so do your research to make it as easy as possible: e.g. plug sockets. Is there a 3g phone network and can you get on it as you’ve got to get your pictures back quickly? Do you need a visa and are the cabbies likely to try and rip you off? In Armenia, a few well spent dollars with the hotel security guards got me two escorts to and from the national stadium, built in a very salubrious part of Yerevan, and with at least £12,000 of equipment over my shoulders, it’s sometimes better to be safe than camera-less. Often at a football ground, young lads will offer to look after your car for a few quid. Legend has it a photographer who declined the ‘protection’ as he had left his Alsatian dog in the back of the car was asked: “Can he put out fires, mister?”

10

It’s a very competitive industry and at big events you can generally expect a big media scrum. Prepare for the odd elbow in the ribs or camera in the side of the face. “Give as good as you get” is my motto. Everyone has a good laugh after anyway. We all want the best pictures and everyone understands this. Some great contacts will give you the inside track every now and again. Some people try a little too hard sometimes. One photographer at a national newspaper was called by his editor asking which was the real ball? He thought his goal picture didn’t have the ball in so he’d copied one from a different frame without spotting the real one in background.

11

It’s a cliché but you really are only as good as the last picture you take. Some days are not pleasant. A Friday night game in Grimsby in the depths of winter is very hard to get excited about, but then you find yourself in a private jet with Wayne Rooney (spying at him writing text messages to Colleen over his shoulder) and life is as a sports snapper is awesome! bablake school

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retroflair

illustrating

success

Alex Smith

Alex left Bablake in 2003 and has designed the cover of Adrianne Frost’s book ‘I Hate Other People’s Kids: How to Handle Tiny Terrors... and Their Parents’. His illustrations will also be in Anne Cottringer’s book, ‘Eliot Jones Midnight Superhero’ 56

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retroflair

About Alex 1

2

Wanted to be a chef, a rabbit or an illustrator from an early age. Achieving the last one, passable at the first and still secretly hoping for the second!

Big fan of cake, pyjamas, France, vintage clothes shops and second hand book stores.

3 Makes tiny soft toys in his spare time.

4 Loves all small animals. Currently has two

tiny dogs ( Lucy Locket and Bella Boo) but would love two more, a cat and some small furry animals.

5

Dreams of owning a farmhouse and a barn to keep goats and chickens and a small flock of sheep.

6 Lives with Jemma, the dogs and a hedgehog, who visits, called Percy Prickles.

7

Collects dropped shopping lists.

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retroflair

incontrol ‘graphic design allowed me to use all of my skills: problem solving, language, art and creativity in general’ 58

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retroflair

Ex Bablake pupil Cassie Leedham recently worked on the multi awardwinning British film Control as the sole graphic designer on the project The role required Cassie to create graphics to dress the scenes in the film, which included posters, signs, tickets, magazines, newspapers, cards, calendars and even contracts written in blood.

Control is the story of Ian Curtis – the lead singer of 70s band Joy Division. His life was one of tragedy, with Curtis suffering from epilepsy and eventually ending his own life. The 70s backdrop was a real challenge for Cassie, as everything she created had to look completely authentic.

A good example is the Employment Exchange scene, which without graphics was basically a bare office. Cassie created 1970s employment posters, piles of hand-written paperwork, index cards with jobs typed onto them, desk-top advertisements and signs, all of which helped distinguish this office as a Job Centre.

Cassie attended Bablake from 1992 to 1997, before going on to study Art, French and English at A Level. After travelling the world, she stop-started on degrees in Psycholinguistics and French, but quit them all, thinking she would never find her calling.

Fate dealt a fresh hand the following academic year, when she secured a place on the graphic design degree course and from there, there was no looking back.

“Graphic design allowed me to use all of my skills: problem solving, language, art and creativity in general. I’d always wanted a job that could be different from day to day and graphic design seemed the perfect solution.”

Cassie now works as an independent graphic designer, as part of a collective of self-employed creatives, called Kin, who are based at Coventry Canal Basin.

Further information > View their work at www.kincreative.com and see Cassie’s own work at www.cassieleedham.com. bablake school

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flairforfashion

Our annual GCSE Textiles Fashion Show was an excellent display of our students’ creativity writes Mrs Dianne Surgey.

The students’ work ranged from children’s bedroom soft furnishings to ball-gowns

fashion

sense...

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The show began by taking us back to the 1960s with a bright, flamboyant pink mini dress, followed by two quite different dresses in the stark monochrome colours of the day, one updating the geometric theme while the other hinted at the impact which space travel had on fashion at that time.

We then moved to the influence of flower power with a cute little red dress embellished with hand painted flowers. Punk fashions came next with a very funky tartan skirt followed by a truly rebellious black and red tutu style dress, frayed at the edges and finished with criss-cross straps.

Next we had two garments which showed the influence of the Orient. The first was a kimono style coat dress in rich wine silk with a hand painted black belt. We then travelled to India for a very modern little top resembling a sari and made from bands of silk chiffon in vibrant colours. Both were designed to appeal to the teenage market and proved very popular with our audience.

The theatre was the focus for our next group of costumes and glamour was much in evidence. A flapper style dress for a local drama production was made from black satin with brightly contrasting pinks.

This was followed by a dramatic two-piece outfit in raw silk for a 19th century masquerade ball, complete with a hand-made mask.

An elegant flowing white strapless gown with a boned corset came next before a beautiful gold satin dress embellished with hand sewn beads and finished with a matching stole.

The final exhibit, inspired by Jane Austen, was a very flattering ball-gown, also in gold but with the addition of a sheer black chiffon panel and sleeves.

Also on display was an elegant Empire line dress in shades of pink and a set of bedding for a young child. The latter was based on a jungle theme and made up in reversible printed fabric in bright primary colours.

The students helped to put the show together, producing music to reflect each textiles item and assisting with sound and lighting.

The audience were very enthusiastic and obviously enjoyed the show. A small entrance fee raised £50 for the pupils chosen charity, Breast Cancer Care.

flairforfashion

MAD UK 2007 searched nationwide for the most creative, inventive, sculptural costumes and four of the finalists were from Bablake: Aimee Alderson, Yasmin Jaspal and our editors Niamh Luckett and Jessica Phillips Designers, models and performers strutted their stuff in front of a live audience and panel of judges including top fashion designer, Wayne Hemingway, founder of ‘Red or Dead’.

The extraordinary international street based Performance Company from Barcelona, Osadia, provided the pre-show entertainment, with mesmeric hair sculpting on unsuspecting members of the audience. Throughout the evening they were joined on stage by the Kombat Breakers, Freeman Dance Students and Coventry University Dance Students, who gave explosive dance performances to a variety of pulsating tracks.

Mad Heads was another entertaining part of the evening, which gave members of the audience the opportunity to create and come along with an extreme, crazy, frantic or dangerous hairstyle or head-dress with the chance to win a cash prize.

All the finalists and their models thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend that anyone creative, who is interested in art and fashion, must definitely enter next year’s competition.

...or

madness? bablake school

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art&design

public examination work for art and design technology The culmination and celebration of the hard work and creativity of our Art and Design Technology students in various media

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art&design

bablake school

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creativewriting

QUICKSANDS Eva Ball Charlotte began her way home, through the country lanes. It was mid-November so it was dark; owls were hooting, trees were swaying and the moon lit up the sky.

She became aware that someone was following her. She heard footsteps behind her. As Charlotte’s pace quickened so did the footsteps. She looked behind her but she saw no-one.

She craned her neck back and squinted into the dark lane but again she saw no-one.

She was now running, trying to escape her feeling of fear.

She felt a bony hand grip her shoulder. She stopped dead.

“Co-operate and you will see your family again” said a husky voice. Her attacker placed a knife to her throat and led her to a wooded area. She kicked, punched and even bit him but his grip stayed firm. But as they made their way to the forest the silence was broken with the sound of a dog barking. Charlotte’s attacker jumped and his grip loosened.

She seized the chance, Charlotte ran; literally for her life.

Her attacker was not far behind, he reached out and clutched her wrist, but as they struggled they tripped and rolled down into a pit. They immediately began very slowly sinking. The attacker leapt at Charlotte, gashing her arm with his knife. Charlotte reacted. As she could not move her legs she fiercely punched him, knocking out two teeth. He fell back, one arm getting stuck in the sand. She reached for a nearby branch and tried hauling herself out but her attacker grabbed her leg and began yanking her back. She kicked free and, with her one good arm, pulled herself back to dry land.

She ran as fast as she could, weeping with shock and relief.

Charlotte looked back in time to see her attacker sink down into the pit.

“He got what he deserved”, she thought and ran back to the safety of her home.

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bestofBablake

What do you think of Bablake?

shells speak out!

‘Everybody is from different backgrounds, helping pupils gain a better understanding of the world. Everybody helps each other do well’ Chloe Bramwell

‘There are so many opportunities to take part and learn other things besides school subjects’ Coral Billingham

‘It’s a warm and friendly school’ Melissa James

‘A very good school with good facilities’ James Colburn

‘Teachers are always willing to listen.

They’re really kind and helpful’ Rachel Jones and Gurpreet Kaur-Dosanjh

What did the form think were the highlights? with thanks ‘Trips to Warwick Castle and France’ to shell J ‘House activities, especially the Drama Festival’ ‘Performing The Tempest’ ‘Lunchtimes spent walking round school with your friends’ ‘All the sport – rugby, netball, hockey, rounders, cricket, fitness…’

‘The ICT facilities’ ‘The snakes, lizards and turtles in Biology!’

‘Making very good friends’ ‘Weekly charity collections’ bablake school

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imageconscious

photographic

memory

An album of images taken on our world trips in 2007...

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imageconscious

Submit your best photographs and creative writing to mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk for inclusion in next year’s Flair Jenny Bullas and Richard Smith left in the summer and for years were invaluable photographers at school events. These images advertise their excellence and were taken on the Economics and Business Studies trip to New York

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performingarts

‘All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts’ William shakespeare, as you like it 2/7

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Edited by jessica blake & simone willis

performing arts Highlights

The Threepenny Opera 70 On the Fringe 71 Daisy Pulls It Off 72 Oh Vienna... 74

performingarts

DNA © National Theatre

The National Theatre Connections programme has been running in various guises for ‘DNA is a strong piece of theatre dealing with many years now a group of students who have been involved writes Mr Dave in some very serious bullying’ Prescott Schools can choose from ten plays specially written for the scheme by well known modern playwrights. The programme includes workshops, the chance to perform the play in a professional theatre, and an assessment of your production by a member of the National Theatre. We had previously been involved in the scheme with a production of Samurai, and looked forward to the selection of plays for 2007 being published. In Edinburgh three years ago we had really liked a new play called After the End by Dennis Kelly, an intense drama about a madman who kidnaps a girl, claiming that he is protecting her from terrorists. When a new play by Dennis Kelly was on the list of plays for 2007, the A2 Drama group were really keen to prepare his play for their project.

DNA is a strong piece of theatre dealing with a group of students who have been involved in some very serious bullying. Their attempts to cover up their crimes get increasingly complicated, until they convince themselves that all evidence must be finally, and fatally, removed from

the scene. The 40 minute play was prepared by the A2 drama group with considerable help from Ben Cave and Jenny Bullas (lighting). Claire Baldwin and Richard Perry as the fast talking friends Jan and Mark; obsessive Lea, played by Beth Mills and her sinister, silent (until provoked) boyfriend Phil played by Rob Taylor; ringleader John Tate (Richard Overton) and the studious Danni (Amy Bason) worried that things might be putting her university place in jeopardy if they become public; soppy, tearful Brian (James Plester), the darkly sadistic Cathy (Katie Weeden) and the desperate to impress Richard (Ben Cave) made up the cast. The project was essentially run and organised by the students themselves, with staff only helping as facilitators. The end result was a gripping and tense piece, with as many questions being raised as answered about the worrying behaviour of these characters.

The nature of peer group pressure, the need to fit in, how behaviour gets out of control, how limits on behaviour are set, or not set, the need to protect yourself at all costs –

these and many other issues were raised in this forceful script.

The performance at school was a convincing one and the cast got very positive feedback from the assessor. The show was fast in pace and the audience felt that something interesting and different had been offered. If only more people had come to see it. Our regional partner was the Royal and Derngate Theatre in Northampton, and we were successful enough in our performance at school to be allowed to perform in this professional theatre in the Easter holidays. To take a production to another theatre, set it up, rehearse and run the play through in one session, and then perform in front of a paying audience, is a character building task, and the group carried out the project with skill and maturity. The performance was warmly received and again the group got a great deal of positive feedback. This was an intense but rewarding project, and we hope to carry on our participation in NT Connections 08.

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performingarts

The Threepenny Opera Mr Dave Prescott

At the end of the Christmas term it was pleasing to have good audience numbers to see Brecht and Weill’s The Threepenny Opera in the school theatre

Not an easy piece, but with a clear moral, the play raises many questions, and points an accusing finger at society – both the hypocritical society of Victorian England where the play is set, and the parallel hypocrisies of our modern age. A criminal buying favour from those in authority and being rewarded with a title he has paid for… this could surely never happen in real life?

The ensemble opening, with a threatening rendition of the best known song in the show, Mack the Knife, set the tone, and the chorus of beggars, police and harlots was indeed vital in setting the scene throughout the play. As has often been said, the chorus in such productions makes or breaks the piece, and this year the chorus was particularly strong. In fact, Mr Appleby commented on the worrying veracity of those performing their night-time roles in sordid Soho.

Ben Cave as Mack the Knife was at times, and as necessary, sinister or charming, threatening or ingratiating, and his singing with Beth Mills as Mrs Peachum, Rosie Tressler as Jenny, and Laura Dean as Polly Peachum had conviction and presence. Beth Mills was totally confident on stage, and her scenes with Richard Perry as Mr Peachum, added the comic lightness that was needed. Richard, as the coordinator of all beggars on the streets in London, was as seedy as you could wish. Rob Taylor as Tiger Brown, the Chief of Police and confidant of Mack, received special mention by many for his gravitas and stage presence. His final appearance as the royal messenger, high on the lighting gallery astride a pantomime horse, was an image for all health and safety officers to forget. The famous Jealousy Duet sung by Mack’s two wives was suitably catty,

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and Francesca Clifford as Lucy Brown and Laura Dean spat suitable feathers. As Polly Peachum, Laura had real range, from simpering at the side of her new love, to threatening and bullying Mack’s gang as she takes control.

The entire cast was consistently strong in their performances, and handled the sometimes complex music of Kurt Weill with maturity and style. The band, stashed away in a claustrophobically tiny space off stage, moved the piece along at pace and with talent.

The musical direction of Mr BJ Sutton was subtle and, as ever, most professional.

The production sadly marked the demise of the huge set that has occupied the theatre for two years. The multi-roomed two storey house that was built by Mr West for A Small Family Business, transformed into pirate ships and Cornish cliffs for The Pirates of Penzance, and then morphed into an American fairground and book depository for Assassins, before finally becoming a Victorian street (complete with street light and brazier) with a slimy, oozing cellar beneath. The transitory nature of theatre was evident as Mr West dismantled his own creation, what used to be is no more… such is life, children.

performingarts

On the Fringe...

Laura Dean

‘Officially recognised as a ‘Sell Out’, allowing an official logo to be used on future advertising’

It would be hard to find a more vibrant city than Edinburgh in August, during the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival season.

Picture a city packed with hundreds of drama ‘luvvies’, musical enthusiasts, celebrity comedians and thousands of theatre-goers, throw in the odd bit of tartan and a bagpipe or two, and the ‘scene is set’. Excuse the pun.

The cast arrived in Edinburgh, after a slightly traumatic journey from Coventry, involving an alarming amount of smoke and an RAC man. The following day, this had been put behind us and Mr Prescott deployed us onto the Royal Mile to begin encouraging potential musical theatre fans to buy tickets for our 3 o’clock performance. This was to be our task each morning throughout the week.

We had some tough competition: we were surrounded by theatre companies, touting for business for their own shows. Some mimed, some sang, some were painted from head-to-toe, some were dressed in sacks (you had to be there), and some belly-danced.

Yes, belly-danced. We relied upon the occasional rendition of Mack the Knife (after being moved on several times for singing when stationary, which is apparently not allowed in August – fine at any other time of year, mind you – and a short synopsis of the musical for anyone who seemed genuinely interested. It wasn’t unusual to be shouted down: “Hello sir; can I interest you at all in a piece of musical theatre?” “No”. We strode on nonetheless, managing to sell all tickets for our performances.

After leafleting, which had to be a performance in itself, we made the short walk to our venue, thankful that the conventional Scottish weather had held up, and we did not look like a cast of drowned rats. This gave us an hour to change, warm up the old vocal chords, swot up on a few lines, and of course apply a few layers of make-up – and that was just the boys.

By 3 o’clock, the audience was packed into the theatre, the nerves started tingling and the performance got into full swing.

Monday proved to be especially stressful, with several critics lurking in the audience, ready to pounce upon the slip of a note or the mix-up of a line. The week saw no major hiccups, apart from the one time the entire cast forgot to get on stage before Mack’s

hanging – I don’t think anyone noticed – and when Rosie managed to snap her necklace and a few stray beads rolled onto the set from backstage; but most of the time, all went to plan.

By 5pm, the show was over, and it was time to vacate the venue for the next performers. Our evenings involved cooking enough food to feed a small army, then heading back into the city, this time as spectators. The evening shows we enjoyed involved several stand-up comics, and it became a competition between us to see who could sit nearest the front and have the treat of being ripped to shreds: in the verbal sense, of course. It’s safe to say that Paul, Chris and Rob came out on top here, thanks to Jason Byrne.

By Sunday, we had seen enough comedies to keep us going until next year, performed our show for the final time and become professional street singers. All that remained was to thank Mr Prescott for his brilliant direction and for sleeping on the floor for a week, Mr Sutton for his musical expertise, Mr West for his fantastic set design and Mrs Surgey for her help backstage and all-important menu planning. We packed up the minibus, said “cheeriooo” to the most ‘artsy’ city imaginable, and mourned the end of Bablake’s 21st annual Highland fling.

Footnote > Official reviews were ‘mixed’, but Ben Cave, Rob Taylor, Richard Perry and Beth Mills all had very positive things said about them, and bizarrely Mr Prescott was called ‘enthusiastic’ by one reviewer … actually it was ‘over-enthusiastic’! bablake school

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performingarts

Daisy Pulls It Off The House Drama Festival displays so many of the qualities of Bablake life – endeavour, commitment, fun, professional performances and a ruthless competitive streak… but enough about the House Heads! Here Hannah Elsy describes Crow House’s performance...

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At the Crow House drama audition, it was hard to pretend I wasn’t nervous. The claustrophobic English classroom was packed to bursting with members of the lower school. We were split into groups of four and each handed a slim yellow script entitled Daisy Pulls It Off. I had never heard of it, and neither judging by the blank looks on everyone’s faces, had anyone else. Reading the blurb on the back, ‘Perfectly ripping, absolutely spiffing, not to mention “scrummy” entertainment…’, I sensed a cross between Enid Blyton and St Trinians.

Our little group rehearsed the given scene – I was reading Daisy.

Everyone was practising the same words at the same time and I couldn’t even hear myself think. Unlike Daisy, I never thought I would be able to pull this audition off.

Five minutes later but really, it felt like five seconds, we were the 1st to be called into a still and unnerving audition room.

Trouping in, we were faced by a panel of 6th Formers. As they asked our full names and twiddled their posh biros, it was hard to believe that these people were only five years older than me; I felt more like I was on the X Factor facing Simon Cowell. After we did our piece; there was much muttering between the judges, a few scrawled notes, then we were dismissed with a careless wave of the hand.

A few days later a much-awaited notice came up on the Crow House board announcing the cast. I was in! A cracking grin on my face kept me sparkling throughout the rest of the day. However, I still had no idea what my part was.

Walking cautiously into the first rehearsal, I realised that most of the cast were older than me. They all seemed to know each

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other. It looked like this production was going to test more than just my acting skills. We all sat down in the Theatre and our parts were announced. I was Alice Fitzpatrick, Prefect, Deputy Sports Captain and best chum of Claire Beaumont. Mrs Yates (aka The Boss) delivered a spectacular pre-production pitch. Of course, it is the House Drama ‘Festival’, but the way some people address it, it is more along the lines of ‘cut-throat competition’. No pressure then!

Daisy Pulls It Off, I discovered, is a jolly old romp set in a 1920s boarding school. Elementary schoolgirl Daisy Meredith (Katie Mulhern) is given a less than lukewarm reception when she wins the first ever scholarship to Grangewood School. In her battle to become accepted, she makes many enemies; an incredibly bitchy Sybil (Nikita Bains) and her sycophantic side-kick Monica (Hannah Mulhern). Daisy and her (“Jubilate!”) chum Trixie (Jessica Elliott) discover the secrets of Grangewood (“Treasure!”) and find out the real meaning of the ‘Hairy Star’... not forgetting finding her long lost father (Jamie Paxton) and her Head Girl cousin (Harriet Simmons).

We decided that the part of Mr Gibson the Headmaster (Chris Lamb) should be parodied just slightly on another headmaster whom everyone knows… Oliver George had already got the accent and mannerisms of Mr. Scoblowski, the sinister, pipe-smoking Russian music teacher, off to a tee – “Vot arrr you gerls doing heeere!?”

I arrived at rehearsal as a well-prepared Alice, but by an unexpected twist of casting fate, I left as Sybil Burlington. I was really pleased, because it would be much more of a venture for me – she was the baddie!

Rehearsals were on Monday and Wednesday lunchtime, and Thursday after school – a lot more than the other houses! On Wednesday, there was always a race between Crow and Wheatley to see who could bag the theatre first – most of the time we found Mr. Hancock (Wheatley House Head) firmly glued to centre-stage and announcing that this was his turf. Then it was a charge up to the rehearsal room where Fairfax would glower at us as if we were criminals for daring to interrupt their precious rehearsal time. I don’t know what Bayley did.

Our rehearsals were becoming chaotic. Without Mrs Yates or Miss Imber (Deputy) to supervise our practice, we all ended up giggling wrecks on the floor. After a week or two of this pandemonium, I and a few others decided enough was enough. We had a quiet word with Mrs Yates asking if she could possibly come once in a while to run it through with us.

She was better than her word. Mrs Yates got all of us unruly mob ship-shape and Bristol fashion within the hour. Our first assignment was to sort out our accents – ‘They don’t drop their t’s or drawl their vowels in Grangewood!’ We spent some lunchtimes watching old Famous Five videos, which were stupidly hilarious but gave us a good idea of the acting style.

The script was slashed ruthlessly to condense it into 30 minutes and a narrator (Zoe Clements) had been added to move the story along. The new approach felt like a breath of fresh air, but when Mrs Yates announced that Mr Appleby MBE, legendary in Bablake dramatic circles, would be adding some of his extra special magic and sparkle at Saturday morning rehearsals, it was a fine tonic and we knew everything was going in the right direction.

Mr Appleby soon took the leadership baton, and the cast were busy shifting ladders to make the pivotal cliff scene where heroine Daisy rescues her arch enemies Sybil and Monica from almost certain death when they are stranded on a precipice. We had tried

the scene before, all on the flat and using curtains as the cliff face, but it didn’t quite have the same effect of everything being on different levels. The ladders as cliffs definitely added an extra dimension to the play.

It was a struggle to represent Monica’s sycophantic attitude toward Sybil because Hannah Mulhern is about a foot taller than me!

We managed it by getting Hannah to hunch her shoulders and follow me around like a little puppy dog, constantly offering me sweets!

The hockey match, which had originally been cut, was reinstated with new lines for everyone. Mr Appleby had the brilliant idea of everyone banging their hockey sticks with an imposing rhythmic chant, while Trixie provided energetic commentary. It looked and sounded very effective, but if anyone put a foot wrong, then the whole match was doomed.

Rehearsals reached fever-pitch as the performance night approached. Mrs Yates had us on a gruelling schedule, morning, noon and night. The day of the performance seemed to rush towards us. Everything was polished and perfect, but the hockey scene still needed work. The ‘precision click’ of hockey sticks sounded like dustbin lids being randomly banged together!

It is usual for any young cast to be totally hyper on excitement before the show, and our little play was no exception. As soon as we stepped into the dressing room, bottles of coke were whipped out and improbably large packets of Haribos were produced. I had more pressing worries, however. In the excitement I had plastered on about an inch of make-up onto my now unrecognisable face.

Feeling like a Barbie doll, I and the rest of the cast begged Mrs Yates to see if we could watch all the other houses performances.

She refused point-blank! “Last minute rehearsals are vital!”

Vital? All we did was apprehensively perch in the dressing room nervously biting the heads off gummy snakes.

Wheatley had the ‘honour’ of going first – their re-telling of The Demon Headmaster involved custard pies and unfeasibly large Baked Beans tins. Fairfax served up Hot Cakes and Bayley were third with the energetic and enthusiastic The Canterbury Tales. The organiser was definitely saving the best until last then!

The show kicked off with us handing out our smart-looking programmes to the audience. We then set up, and began performing our magnum opus. The audience seemed interested and we managed to raise a few giggles, which is always a good sign. It all went smoothly until the Hockey Scene. The rhythmic banging of the sticks went horribly out of time, so the commentary got all confused and we ended up repeating the same section twice! I don’t think the audience noticed, because we all kept level heads. Some might have pondered over the end score though – Grangewood won, but the score was 3-3.

The whole cast was on real top-form, and when we took our first bow the audience exploded into cheers and clapping! I was on top of the world! The rehearsals had paid off and now the whole of Bablake’s theatre loved us! Our polished play had stolen the show.

The next day Mrs Yates called us all to the theatre for a postshow meeting. I was feeling mournful because it was all over. Or so I thought! Mrs Yates announced that Mr. Prescott (Head of Drama) had enjoyed our production so much that he wanted us to do it again as an end of term extravaganza! But this news had to be kept under wraps, because the details hadn’t been confirmed yet. This was such exciting news that it took all my self control not to shout it out to the world. bablake school

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Oh Vienna...

Simone Willis & Jess Blake

After three days of rehearsing, the small but mighty Bablake music-makers set off on their 26 hour coach journey to Vienna Having travelled through England, France, Belgium and Germany, they found accommodation, fully equipped with its very own pool and pony! Although exhausted, the dedicated music-makers unloaded instruments and added the finishing touches to the polished repertoire with a last minute rehearsal. After a challenging gender wars game of Trivial Pursuits, an early night was much appreciated.

As in Vienna, home to many musical geniuses, it was imperative to visit one of Beethoven’s many residences.

Unfortunately Ludwig wasn’t in, so we decided upon a walk through the beautiful architecture and gardens of the capital.

Not before too long we arrived at our first concert venue, a very glamorous senior citizens’ home. The programme included the usual anthems and two instrumental pieces plus four solos from Nadine Minty, Josh Sood, Simone Willis and Abhi Bose.

The performance was very well received and a kind lady donated money for a well deserved ice cream! Meanwhile back at the ranch, following a tasty supper, the music-makers had a refreshing swim in the luxurious pool. That evening’s entertainment was ‘Tell me’ hosted by Mrs Tatum, Richard Overton and Rob Taylor. The two teams settled on a draw.

The following day produced another of Beethoven’s residences.

The party experienced some of the events in his life through the many letters and manuscripts on display. Then it was off to one of Schubert’s homes, full of many artefacts from his lifetime. Our next stop was Schloss Esterhazy, the well renowned home of Haydn

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for the majority of his career. Having survived a tour, there was a performance in the stunning and breathtaking theatre. Dashing to the next destination, in the centre of Vienna, Peterskirche, the Bablake Music-makers were dropped off miles from their next venue and traipsed through the streets of Vienna carrying all they could, including instruments, stands, a trolley, uniform and their music. Eventually the ornate church appeared and it was off to the choir vestry for another spectacular performance, enjoyed immensely in the magnificent acoustics by many. There was a welcome home supporter amongst the gathering, Mr Homer...

After an evening of Charades – remember Star Wars or Sky Ninjas – the final performance took place in St Stevens, the famous Cathedral in the heart of the city. An emotional and memorable performance was ended very dramatically with Amazing Grace.

A visit to Haus der Musik with its many fascinating facts about the history of music and many theories on the development and the future of music came before venturing to the Prata, where the oldest ferrous wheel in the world is situated.

The last day in Vienna began with a surprise birthday cake and card for Nadine and was a relaxing day for sightseeing and shopping. A small group visited the Royal Opera House, which certainly lived up to its expectations for its vast size and mere elegance. Having the privilege to stand on the stage there was something to remember for a lifetime.

The 42nd annual ‘Bernie Awards’ helped pass the 26 hour return coach journey. The majority of the Music-makers received either a nomination or a prize, and everyone went home happy! Obviously there was a very big thank you to organisers Mr Sutton and Mrs Tatum for another wonderful musical trip. Looking forward to next year!

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shorts Choirs

The Tempest

Mr Dave Prescott

The script was as provided by the Schools’ Shakespeare Festival, which had in turn been developed for the BBC’s Animated Shakespeare series. Compressing a three hour play into 40 minutes means that, if you are unfamiliar with the play, you have to make a few leaps of imagination, and when our performers entered hyperdrive and rattled through the script in 30 minutes, the audience had to work even harder.

There were, though, many memorable highlights. The play began with an imaginative storm scene, noisy and very physical, with the chorus forming the raging sea, and the nobles creating their own ship and shipwreck, all being presented behind two long blue and white rippling cloths.

Chorus scenes with a strong physical element formed a large part of the production.

The play’s theme of reconciliation and forgiveness was summed up thoughtfully towards the end of the play. There were many successful dramatic scenes, and the understanding of the Shakespearean text was clearly demonstrated. There were a few problems; things did seem rushed at times, with one scene moving into another a little too quickly. A few lines were noticeably missed, and, with such a dense script, that did make a difference. However, the piece was visually interesting throughout and the young cast faced up to the demanding challenge of 17th century language with great maturity.

Mrs Patricia Tatum

The Chamber Choir’s repertoire during the year proved to be very eclectic, ranging from the anthem I Give You a New Commandment for the Remembrance Service to the gospel classic Feel the spirit at the Autumn Concert. The Carol Service brought out the best in the choir who sang such traditional pieces as The Angel Gabriel (a special request from Mrs Chapman as it was her last service before retirement) and the Harold Darke version of In The Bleak Midwinter. The beautiful acoustics of St. John’s certainly added to the clarity of sound produced. The Spring Concert provided a mixture of varied pieces from the sacred Ave Verum Corpus to the folk song Blue Mountain River, rounded off by the tongue-twisting Old Macdonald.

James Plester, Richard Overton, Rob Taylor and Julian Bunce worked on their skills of barbershop singing and provided an extremely entertaining rendition of Unchained Melody complete with the indispensable boaters!

Bablake’s Chorale continued to be popular and welcomed ten new singers at the beginning of the year. As usual the programme, particularly for the Autumn Term, kept everyone busy. The choir held a rehearsal as part of Open Evening activities and performed in the Autumn concert. There was a surfeit of carols for the Christmas Fair, the school carol service, for charity and for the senior citizens party.

The Easter Concert brought about a change of repertoire when the choir entertained with a performance of Across the skies by Alan Simmons and a lively rendition of Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. The Rhythm of Life was a popular item for the Junior summer concert and we rounded off the term taking part in the Strawberry Tea Party for the senior citizens. Mrs Tatum would particularly like to thank her loyal 5th years who have all been promoted to the Chamber Choir.

Recorder Group

Mrs Ceri Rees

It was another good year. We took part in a variety of school concerts, including the carol concert in December where we played a mixture of traditional Christmas Carols to entertain the guests as they entered. In the summer concert the group entertained the audience with their rendition of the Pink Panther. Sadly the recorder group had to say goodbye to two of their stalwart players as Fiona Brown and Rhea Morgan left to take up their university places. We would like to thank them for their dedication to the group, and wish them every success for the future.

Orchestras

Mr Bernard Sutton

The orchestras played a key part in each of our concerts this year. and were led ably by Simone Willis, first violinist. Staff and students enjoyed playing a variety of classical and popular pieces.

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Music and magic Mr Mark Woodward

This year Kate Walsh (who headlined a Jordan Accardi concert for us in 2005) began to become a household name to follow KT Tunstall who had also played the EDM in 2004. So we approached the year, wondering who would be the next success story.

Ash Hawkins brought his illusionary magic to the Theatre early in the year, with musical support from a variety of sources including James Aucutt’s spirited group and two talented ladies from the Cherry Bang label, Abi Lanigan and Suzy Indygo.

Elliot Minor, later to hit the Top 30 three times in the year, arrived as ‘The Academy’ and were well supported by local band, The Satin Dolls. The latter recorded a video for a track in our Theatre and look set for signing.

Jessica Blake, our 2006 Bablake X Factor winner, shared the stage with Jane Taylor in the Autumn at a concert raising awareness for the cancer charity, Ovacome. Joined by Judie Tzukeendorsed Claire Toomey and local talent, Al Britten, Jessica played a set that included both her own compositions and some lively covers (accompanied by Phil Hefford on keyboard and Ross Harrison on drums). The Estate Agents opened the night.

We had various Acoustic Lunchtime performances from Kristy Gallacher and Livingston and Faze romped home as favourites with both the crowd and judges at the annual Battle of the Bands.

There was time for the Satin Dolls and Broken Dolls to headline a gig and Chris Walters and Paul Wye staged a really popular night of music to whip up a frenzy for the Battle of the Bands.

Despite dashing from an AS Maths Stats exam to compete against students from nine other local schools and colleges, Jessica Blake produced a flawless performance at the Spa Centre in Leamington to win the inaugural Class Act show run by Big Help Management. Performing her own composition Owls and Me, she impressed a panel of judges that included, amongst others, Trish Adudu from the BBC, Phil Harding (former producer of the Clash and Kylie) and the Head of EMI’s UK Distribution. The show also included singing and dancing from another of our talented students, Francesca Clifford.

All in all, this year, there has been more fine talent on show and over £1000 has been raised for various charities (including Myton Hospice, Breast Cancer and Lymphatic Cancer).

Further information > For further news on concerts planned for 2007/08, go to www.myspace.com/bablakegigs

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Battle of the Bands Rosie Tressler

It’s always a popular evening, and tonight was no different. Excitedly I got ready to take to the stage. Hair straighteners in one hand, eyeliner in the other, dressed in stereotypical skinny jeans and rock t-shirt. I was good to go. Walking aimlessly around backstage, my voice broke mid vocal warm up. It was not looking good. I thought to myself how amazing the other bands sounded. There sure were a lot of talented musicians that evening. The Big Muffin Debate, Lard, Assorted Meat, Bang a la Bang, The Basics, Jack and the Renegades and Disk were all deservingly well received by the crowd. What if the rowdy riff raff think Faze aren’t up to scratch?

Hopefully the loud, distorted guitar sounds of the previous bands would give the crowd of 200 Bablake students such a ringing in their ears that they would be unable to hear the under rehearsed set which would follow. We had done this before I kept telling myself, thinking positively. There was a lot of competition but I was eager to win the prestigious Battle of the Bands 2007 title. The atmosphere was fantastic especially with the standing area, a new idea, making it a much greater experience for those on stage.

I heard the beginning riff of our set. The rest of the band was now on stage and it was time to take my place as front woman. I shakily put my bottle of water on the floor by the mike stand and pursed my lips. The blinding stage lights shielded my view of the anticipating audience. I belted out the first few lyrics to hear my voice pounding back at me through the monitors over the drums, bass and guitar of my fellow band mates. But even this explosion of noise could not block the pounding of my heart resonating in my head.

As I began to relax, I felt a sense of realisation. Performing wasn’t too scary. I was not going to get pelted off stage. This was school bands at Bablake Theatre, not 50 Cent being bottled off stage at Reading. After our 20 minute set, I left the stage with a great sense of relief and satisfaction. When I thought the evening could not possibly get any better, judges Livingston played an outstanding acoustic set whilst the all important audience vote was being counted and verified. Last year’s winners Super Heroes in Training concluded the evening by playing their final gig at Bablake School. They revealed to the eager crowd the winners of both the judges’ and audience’s vote. I was ecstatic to find that it was Faze that claimed both prizes, particularly when the competition had been so fierce. All in all, it was a marvellous evening’s entertainment which left us wondering who will win Battle of the Bands 2008. Has your band got what it takes?!

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The PE department would like to thank the players for their commitment and dedication, the captains for their organisational and leadership skills, the staff for assistance with transport, coaching and umpiring and finally the parents for the support and time that have been given to enable Bablake pupils to develop and excel in their sport.

Edited by rebecca stuart & adam austin

sport Highlights

Shane Geraghty 78 South Africa hockey 80 House sports day 82

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Shane Geraghty Rugby superstar

It has been a golden year for national representation. For one former student, London Irish rugby star Shane Geraghty, there was a full England debut to savour explains Rebecca Stuart

The Wheatleyan caught up with Shane while he was nursing a broken hand and set him a selection of questions from current students: Why did you choose to represent England rather than Ireland? Rebecca Stuart Having the offer from Eddie O’Sullivan and Ireland was a great honour. Having previously represented Ireland at U18 age group, I knew what it was like to play for them and it was a great experience.

However, having grown up in England, having so many friends here and having always dreamt of pulling on the white shirt, there was no choice to be made other than that of declaring for England. The most disappointed person here was my father, who is 100% Irish. However sometimes in life you have to think for yourself… this was my time!

What was it like playing for England?

Katie Stanton Playing for England was a dream come true. From such an early age my ambition has always been to represent my country.

Playing alongside players you’ve watched for years and idolised when young creates such a surreal environment that’s hard to explain, but coming on against France in front of 80,000 fans singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot at Twickenham was the best experience I’ve had so far and I’m desperate to add to my two caps.

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Do you have a role model? If so, how did he/ she inspire you? Kristie Thorpe, Shannon Thompson and Becky Wells I have a mixture of role models. In rugby I’ve always idolised people like Mike Catt and Jonny Wilkinson. Mike Catt is my mentor and has had a massive influence on my career on and off the field. He’s a great friend and someone who’s always willing to help me out, be it kicking or even with problems off the field. I would say Jonny’s more of a hero than a role model but he’s certainly someone I look to for inspiration, always striving to be the best. Watching him whilst on the pre-world cup squad in Portugal was fascinating; early morning

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What’s the best thing about being a rugby player? Avril Patel The best thing about being a rugby player is having the chance to run out in front of 80,000 fans at fantastic arenas such

as Twickenham. Playing against Wales in Cardiff with the roof closed was the loudest arena I’ve ever experienced... and it felt more like a rock concert than a 6 Nations match. Also, travelling around the world to places like Argentina, South Africa, France and Italy is another benefit… and I have to mention the freebies, you sometimes get, make it even better.

What’s the most important thing to do if you want to make it to a high standard of rugby? Ben Cooper The most important thing is to have the dedication to succeed at all costs. You can have all the talent in the world but if you

don’t commit to succeeding and do all that is necessary, you will never make it to the top level of rugby. Rugby is a simple game so if you practice the basics, you have a good chance of going far.

Do you wish you had finished off your run against France with a try? Sam Clements I still wonder whether I could have gone myself! Marking my debut with a try in front of my home fans would have been amazing; however, the important thing is that we scored from it. I’m not sure what I would have done if I had have scored… probably gone crazy and celebrated more like a football player?! But I suppose we will never know.

Who was your favourite teacher at Bablake and why? Georgia Horn My favourite teacher at Bablake had to be Mr Warmington, mainly because PE and games were the favourite part of my week. Must also say I had great fun in Mr Burden’s classes, listening to Craig Higgins being told off.

What was your view on England’s World Cup performance? Editor After a slow start, England can be proud of their achievements. Although they did not win overall, the wins over France and especially Australia made everyone proud to be English again. Some people questioned Brian Ashton’s philosophy of selection, basing his team around experience, not youth with people like myself losing out there, however, before the tournament most would have agreed that making the final would have been an over achievement looking at how England had performed in the three previous years. Only the players would have expected more.

© Ben Duffy

starts consisted of hours of kicking and extra fitness sessions on top of the already exhausting schedule we endured. However, the days by the beach spent sunbathing soon helped with the recovery. I would also have to say my mother has been a great role model, always allowing me to follow my dream and always being very supportive and trusting about what I wanted to achieve.

*STAR QUESTION* Do you get scared when making tackles?! Rebecca Brown Sometimes yes... ha ha! I don’t really look forward to tackling the South Seas islanders, like Vainikolo, the Tongan Volcano or Feaunati, with his ‘Samoan sidestep’; they both just try and bulldoze the tackler by running straight over them. With giants like Chabal and Danny Grewcock, sometimes I just put my head down, close my eyes and hope for the best. bablake school

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South Africa hockey tour Rebecca Stuart & Ira Kleine

An excited bunch of Bablake 5th and L6th girls gathered in matching shocking pink T-shirts, ready for a trip of a life-time.

Destination: South Africa After a 10 hour flight we arrived in Johannesburg. Exhausted and stiff, we set off to our first lodgings – Mabula Game Reserve. It was then time to explore the site, including the Spa where quite a few rand were spent over the couple of days.

We enjoyed four game drives over the two day stay, during which we saw many animals in their natural environment; some perhaps a little too close for comfort! The charges of the elephant and tetchy lioness were most memorable and the overall opinion was that it was all well worth the 5am wake up call!

During our stay at Mabula, we enjoyed a range of buffet food, including crocodile pie and antelope. The last night brought African dancing and the girls on the front row of our party had the chance to showcase their “moves”. After this we drove to the capital Pretoria for our first netball matches against Pretoria High School.

The matches were closely contested and after a meal at the school, we met our host families.

Despite the busy schedule we

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crammed in some sight-seeing. Visiting the Apartheid Museum was very poignant.

We learned more about South Africa’s History and the struggles it had only recently overcome. Strangely the museum was located next to theme park, Gold Reef City, which we tasted before returning to Pretoria High School to play hockey. Again the Bablake girls were well represented, even though Pretoria boasted numerous

South African national team members.

The last few days in Johannesburg were spent visiting the impressive Vortrekker Monument and Lesedi Cultural Village.

We were greeted with song and dance before touring the camps of the various tribes which exist in South Africa. It was interesting to learn about the different languages and cultures that make South Africa such a fascinating country. We played netball against St. Mary’s School after which we sung our unique rendition of the National anthem and the South African girls theirs.

The next day, Cape Town was on the agenda after a two hour internal flight. Our first visit was to the township, Langa. It was one of the most touching experiences of the trip, as we saw how people lived in abject poverty.

After a short drive we arrived in the renowned wine region, Stellenbosch, where we played netball matches against Parel Vallei High School. On the second night at Parel Vallei High school, we joined in a drumming session and were initiated by the girls in true Parel Vallei style… a ghost walk to scare us witless.

Following the hockey matches with Parel Vallei, we enjoyed an excursion around the Cape Peninsula, Boulder’s Beach penguin colony and the Cape of Good Hope.

The last hockey matches were played at Paarl Gymnasium, with a superb mountainous backdrop, and were once again of a high standard. Our final evening was spent at Café Africa, where we were spoiled with 13 courses of traditional food!

Everyone really enjoyed the tour and will have their own special memories. A huge thank you goes to the teachers, particularly to Mrs Smith’s organisational skills.

sportingshorts

Hockey Internationals Following in a rich tradition of outstanding Hockey players and coaches like Messrs Clift, Sutton, Tite, Wade and Burgess and Mrs Sue Sutton, this year Bablake was home to four international players.

Mr Michael Johnson – an Olympian for certain, if not a double Olympian – and Miss Vanessa Hawkins were on the staff to offer inspiration and act as role models. Holly Payne and Lucy Horn were the first girls from Bablake to gain international junior caps, playing in the 4 Nations tournament in Spain for the U16 England team.

Cross Country

Mr Jeremy Hobday

This was another pleasing year with over 25 people involved in representing the school and 10 qualifying to represent Coventry.

The club was well supported this year with a good number of 2nd years. A number of boys and girls are now training and running for club sides and have achieved honours with them.

In the Coventry Schools League competition, 2nd year Jamie Cozens finished third winning a bronze medal in the U14 competition and the U14 boys retained the team first place. Team: Cameron Lindsay, Aaron Healy, Samuel Lewis, Dominic Carroll, Thomas Dwyer, William Kenney-Herbert, Jamie Cozens and Sam Stern.

In the Coventry City Championships, Kayleigh Herschell and Isobel Lindsay finished eighth and ninth in the U12s.

Chloe Arji finished ninth in the U14s and Aaren Healy sixth in the U15s. Sam Stern and Jamie Cozens finished fourth and fifth in the U13s and the U13 boys came second in the team event, winning silver medals.

Team: Jamie Cozens, Sam Stern, William Kenney-Herbert, Oliver Comyn, Jack Orford, Ben Wormleighton and Sam Paplauskas.

Sam Stern and Jamie Cozens have represented the West Midlands Schools with Jamie narrowly missing out on selection for the All England Schools Championship. Sam runs for Leamington C & AC, has finished fifth in the Warwickshire Championships and was selected to run at the UK Inter Counties Championships which was live on Sky. With his club team he has won Gold in the Midland Championships, Silver in the Gloucester league, and came sixth in the Nationals.

While competing for their clubs several Bablake athletes teamed up one Sunday to win the Northbrook County Schools Cup – congratulations to Jamie Cozen, Aaren Healy and Harriet Simmonds

Cycling Chris Brooks continues his dominance in the schoolboy 10 Mile Time Trials to remain the Schoolboy Champion of the Hinckley and Lutterworth region for the second year in a row. His winning time was 1 minute 22 seconds faster than last year. Next year he moves to the Junior Class where he is already over 4 minutes faster than the present winner of that category.

Next season Chris also intends to compete in different regions, widen his perspective and have a go at the 25 Mile Time Trials, where 75 minutes should be achievable.

Martial Arts Sam Clarke recently achieved his Senior Black Belt in Ju Jitsu. Sam has committed over 10 years to the martial art, and he is the only student at Coventry Ju Jitsu Club ever to progress from Junior Black Belt to Senior Black Belt First Dan. We will report on Nicola McIntyre’s progress in Tang Soo Do in the next issue.

© John Kerr

shorts

Motocross Since he was five years old, Charles Davies has been riding motorbikes. With both his father and grandfather previously involved in motorsports, it was inevitable that Charles would also take to it. In February, Charles began to race AMCA (Amateur Motorcycle Association) motocross and managed to win his first meeting of three races in the Junior class.

Within a few weeks, Charles had obtained enough points through his wins to be promoted to Senior class. These classes are based on ability rather than age. The majority of riders are adults and Charles is usually the youngest rider in his classes. During the early summer months he rode all over the Midlands, as far as Wales in the west and Lincolnshire in the east, and was quickly promoted again to the highest class, Experts.

The racing is very fast and furious and the competition is fierce. Within a few months Charles has managed to obtain some high places and improves with every race. Sometimes there are disappointments and the bikes and riders are pushed to their limits. Injuries are commonplace and a worry for anxious parents and friends who support him each week.

Racing is an expensive and timeconsuming business and many hours are spent preparing the bikes for race meetings. With imminent GCSE mock exams, Charles has agreed to take time off from riding to concentrate on his studies, but he is counting the days until he can return to the track and add to his trophies. bablake school

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House sports day For the first time in four years, the day did not fall victim to the extremes of the British Summer and Mr Rob Dougall was there to capture the excitement and pain

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athletics

athletics Boys’ Athletics

Mr Rob Burdett

This was another excellent season. In the first event the Intermediate Team (4ths and 5ths) were Coventry Champions.

Individual winners included Robert Thomason in the high jump, the 4 x 100m relay team, and Kai Hartshorn in the discus. There were second places for Toby Donaldson in the javelin and Dominic Ainsworth in the 100m. These boys all represented Coventry in the West Midlands Championships.

Not to be outdone the 3rds also won the Coventry Championship with Chuka Ogbuneke in the 200m and the 4 x 100m relay team finishing individual winners. Mathew Storey was runner up in both the 100m and 200m, Aaren Healy in the 800m and Sam Jack in the discus. Chuka, Sam, Mathew and Kilian Kleine all represented Coventry.

Josh Buggea should also be congratulated for winning the Coventry Multi Events Championship for 2nd year boys, making him the best overall athlete in the city. Ben Davies finished 3rd in this event, again a fantastic achievement.

The U12 and U13 teams both finished runners up in the Coventry Championships. Individual winners were Richard Synnott in the high jump, Josh Buggea in the shot, William Sibley in the triple jump and Ben Davies in the hurdles. The 4 x 100m relay team finished runners up. In the U12 competition Emile Pokoj in the 150m, Jake Hinley in the javelin, Ronan Jones in the shot and Andrew Clisham in the 70m hurdles all finished as runners up.

In the English Schools Athletics Event both Juniors and Intermediates reached the Midlands ‘B’ Final after finishing third and second respectively in the 1st Round.

Congratulations again to those who represented Coventry in the West Midlands Championships and particularly Chuka Ogbuneke who was also selected for the West Midlands team in the 200m.

Girls’ Athletics

Mrs Sue Smith

On a Monday evening up to 60 Bablake pupils take over the track at Canley to train, supplementing lunchtime practices in the Sports Hall. Commitment and hard work have been worthwhile.

In the Coventry Schools Championships, the Intermediate team finished second overall. Lijana Kaziow, Siobhan Robinson, Lauren Boon and Charlotte Weaver won their relay and Lijana also won the long jump. Danielle Smith came second in the shot put, as did Lucy Horn in the 800m and Holly Payne in the javelin. The Junior team went one better and won the Coventry Schools Championships comfortably. Individual event winners were Letitia Russell in the hurdles, Emily McNeice in the 200m and Aisling Flanagan in the high jump. In a Year 8 multi events competition, athletes compete in hurdles, sprint, shot, javelin and long jump. Points are awarded and Ashni Desai was the overall winner of the girls from schools in Coventry plus Kenilworth School and Heart of England. In the English Track and Field competition, the Junior team came runners up in the area and went through to the Midlands B finals. The Intermediate team were overall winners and reached the Midlands A final.

Bablake were runners up in the U14 competition and champions in the U13s. The Year 7 team scored 118 points winning the competition by a staggering 48 points. Individual champions at U14 were Beth Evans in the hurdles and long jump and Emily McNeice in the 100m. Lucy Smith won the javelin and shot, Beth Jepson came 1st in the discus and Victoria Aldridge won the hurdles and high jump in the U13s competition. Beth Evans, Emma Honess, Emily McNeice and Ashni Desai also came 1st in the U13 relay. Runners up at U14 level were Aiza Asghar (shot), Rebecca Pearce (javelin) and Rebecca Appleton (hurdles). At U13 level, Olivia Harrison-Dodd (long jump), Jennifer Reay (600m), Jessica Horn (1000m), Ashleigh Green (javelin) and finally Jodie Harvey (high jump and shot) all came second.

Girls selected to represent Coventry at the West Midlands were Lucy Horn, Aisling Flanagan, Lijana Kaziow, Emily McNeice, Letitia Russell and Danielle Smith.

Emily McNeice and Pippa Collison went to Iceland to perform in the Youth Games and Jennifer Gardner represented the West Midlands in the pole vault at the 1st UK Schools Games held in Glasgow.

Congratulations also go to Lucy Smith on her selection for the Warwickshire team and breaking the shot record at the Godiva Club that has stood for her age group for the last none years. bablake school

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cricket

cricket

1st Xl Mr Bruce Wilson After several lean years when the 1st XI has struggled to find success, 2007 saw a sparkling return to form. Ably led by the captaincy team of Richard Wells and Paul Best, the squad produced some 1st class cricket to record many excellent victories.

First day back after Easter, we faced KE Stratford. Traditionally a tough fixture, we won comfortably by 5 wickets and confidence was high. Next up were new opponents Ninestiles, in the County Cup. They proved “interesting” but were dispatched in a comfortable 63 run victory.

We met Solihull School, one of the strongest in the area, in the new 20/20 format. We batted first and, showing how expectations had grown, were disappointed in scoring only 181 despite Paul Best managing to pepper the second floor windows of the History department with several large sixes. Solihull made a good effort but never looked likely to match us, falling 22 runs short.

Lawrence Sheriff and Old Swinford were also beaten, quickly followed by Fairfax in the cup. The win over Fairfax showed why the team were having such a good season. Bowled out for just 99 on a tight pitch with short boundaries, they looked to be going out of the cup; Fairfax certainly thought so. However, sharp fielding and superb control from the bowlers saw Fairfax bowled out for just 49, a remarkable performance.

By this time the weather was playing a big role in the season and many games were rained off including Warwick, Camp Hill and Bishop Vesey.

The cup semi-final saw Bablake paired against Sheriff again.

Having won earlier in the season, confidence was high and, as it turned out to be, rightly so. Again good bowling and fielding pressured opponents into making errors and Sheriff were rolled over for just 72. Bablake then opted for an attacking opening pair

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sending in Brett Chatwin and Robert Thomason who duly got the runs in just 6 overs! In the final for the first time in many years to play Solihull 6th Form College, formidable opponents.

Before that match, the small matter of local rivals KHVIII. On a wet day a one-sided contest saw Bablake stroll to victory with KHVIII looking for rain as their only salvation. The rain held off and Bablake triumphed by 87 runs.

There was one loss, to Bablake Lions, an impressive collection of cricketing superstars gathered from all over the world. Inspired by Mr M Johnson, and led by “Cat” Burdett, the Lions held off the 1st XI to win by 17 runs.

The County final was held over to the start of school in September because of the rain in July. Unfortunately two stalwarts of the team, captain Richard Wells and Brett Chatwin, were unable to play due to work and injury respectively. No doubt the team missed them as they fell just short, losing by 30 runs to a very strong Solihull.

The final did give a 1st XI debut to Mark Best. There have been very few U13 players in the 1st XI, but he is a great prospect.

Season 2007 was a great success, a shame so many matches were lost to the weather, including our own 20/20 tournament, which on the form shown we would have fancied winning.

As always, there were some stand-out individual performances but the season was really about the squad, the team and playing for each other. Everyone who played was playing for the team, not himself; positive and aggressive, they played good attacking cricket and deserved all their success. With so many returning, let’s hope next season can be even better. Individual congratulations to Paul Best for his continued success at Warwickshire and Midlands and to Chris Walters for his selection by Leicestershire.

Squad: R Wells (captain), P Best (vice-captain), C Walters, B Chatwin, T Jackson, R Thomason, J Mitchell, C Taylor, M Lam, R Thomas, I Ahmed, S Willacy, M Best and S Sidhu.

cricket

K E Stratford Ninestiles (Cup) L Sheriff Solihull Fairfax (Cup) OSH J Chamberlaine (Cup) L Sheriff (Cup) Bablake Lions KH VIII Solihull 6th Form (Cup)

U14

won by 5 wkts won by 63 runs won by 6 wkts won by 22 runs won by 50 runs won by 6 wkts won by 4 runs won by 10 wkts lost by 17 runs won by 87 runs lost by 30 runs

Alex Popplewell

The season was short, with rain spoiling many fixtures, including a greatly anticipated match against KHVIII. The season started well with a solid victory over KES Stratford, largely thanks to what proved to be only one of Simon Godfrey’s many crucial innings. He made 62 not out, an innings, which included eleven 4s.

Accompanied by a helpful 17 made by Kilian Kleine, Bablake pushed on to a very respectable 140-8 off their allotted 25 overs. In reply, the opposition managed to make a game of it thanks to some hard hitting late on, but ended on 134-5.

The next match against Kineton was somewhat a disappointment, with the only positive being Adam King’s innings of 52. Then came the Warwickshire Cup rematch against KES Stratford and with it came bitter disappointment. None of the batsmen really got off the mark, and in doing so only set a modest target of 100. The opposition knocked these off in just 18 overs, with Arrandeep Banwait the pick of the bowlers with 2-20 off 4 overs.

Against Coundon Court came probably the biggest disappointment of the season, as we slumped to just 49 all out after 14 overs, despite Simon Godfrey knocking 28 before being bowled.

The bowling wasn’t much better, although again Arrandeep Banwait was the pick with 2-12 off his 4 overs.

A highlight of the season was against KES Aston, a team that has failed to accept defeat on the three previous meetings. The bowling and fielding was superb, with Arrandeep Banwait picking up 3-21 off 5 and Olly White taking 5-22 off his 5 overs. John Masser and Morgan Baker picked up the other two wickets. The thanks for the win though has to go largely to Simon Godfrey, scoring 51 not out, bringing his half century up with a four and the winning runs.

There was then an easy win over Lawrence Sheriff, with bowling figures of 5-4 for Alex Popplewell’s 4 overs.

A poor end to the season came against a Warwick side that simply outclassed Bablake. Despite Alex Popplewell’s figures of 4-27 off 5 overs and Morgan Baker taking the wicket of one of their opening batsmen, they managed to increase their total from 74-6 off 18 overs to 134-6 off their 25 overs. Bablake couldn’t reply and struggled under the constant pressure from the Warwick bowling attack.

Overall the season could have gone a lot better, but on occasions individuals and the team have showed great skill and potential and there should be a lot to look forward to for next season.

U13

Mr Rob Burdett

There were some very good results. The games that we did play, we mostly won, apart from against a few strong sides. The team played

very well in the Coventry and Warwickshire Cup, where we were unfortunate not to proceed through to the finals due to rain.

Throughout the season there were some brilliant individual performances. We usually opened the batting with Ben Cooper and Will Kenney–Herbert, who gave us a tidy start, with both batsmen making some good scores. Will posted some well timed innings including a 51, while Ben hit his way to some nice 30s. Richard Miles came in at 3 and often just played a captain’s innings before Josh Buggea came to the crease offering some hard hitting. Ben Davies also scored decently. From 6 downwards, we had a mixture of batsmen including Ashley Jones who had a good knock versus KE Aston, Richard Synot who played well for a good 20* versus KES Stratford, Sam Stern who played a gutsy innings against Old Swinford and Will Vines who, on occasion, had a good bat. The lower order helped with some vital runs.

As for the bowling we relied on Ben Davies and Josh Buggea to pierce the openers with some pace, then turned to the spin of Ashley Jones and Richard Miles. Charley Mulhall should be congratulated for his 4 wicket haul against Stratford. Ben Cooper kept wicket well behind the stumps with some key catches and stumpings but recognition should go to Will Vines who kept wicket well in his absence.

Ben Charlesworth, Sam Frampton, Devpal Kalsi, James Kirkman, Will Newcombe, Matthew Smith and Brandon Sohal all represented the team also and played well with bat and ball.

U12

Mr Rob Burdett & Mr Jim Burns

For many people of a certain age and disposition, mention of the term “Tragedy” usually stirs a dreadful rendition of a dreadful song by Steps. Sadly it also sums up the end of the cricket season for the Shells.

When we played, it was a very good season and the team always tried their best in every single match. Victories against Kineton, Woodlands, Cardinal Newman, Cardinal Wiseman and King Edward’s Aston were all pleasing and illustrated what a talented team of cricketers the Shell year has. In fact batting at number 4 often meant not getting a bat. The highlights of the year were a 146* and 87* by Mark Best, a 50* by Emile Pokoj and the convincing win over KES Aston. Ryan Parnell, Hugh Kenney-Herbert and Jake Basra all scored vital runs, occupying the crease at crucial times. The bowling attack had the pace of Vivek Desai and the spin of Dhyan Patel at the heart of its strategy At the beginning of the year, I thought we would never lose a game; we did get through to the semi-final of the Coventry Cup and the quarter final of the Warwickshire Cup which was excellent and played a one off match against Finham Park. Reduced to a 10 over thrash in the rain, with our side depleted, we lost. Finham Park were the better side that day and deserved to win.

The real strength however of the team was its spirit and the way they conducted themselves on the field. Let’s hope the summer weather in 2008 is kinder to them. They have a very bright future.

Footnote > Obviously, Mark Best should be congratulated for representing Warwickshire and scoring two centuries. He has since been selected for the Midlands U13 training Squad. Emile Pokoj also represented Warwickshire and Ryan Parnell played for Coventry. bablake school

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hockey

hockey Boys’ 1st Xl

Mr Michael Johnson

The 1st XI hockey squad had a mixed season. Following a very tough start to the year, the team managed to find their form and experienced a much better second half. The return to the side of inspirational captain, Ben Horn, helped enormously. Highlights of the season were two wins over a strong KHVIII. There were significant contributions from members of the U6th and they provided clear leadership on the pitch. Mark McKelvie was the key performer in the defence. His short corner defence commitment was sensational. Shamir Chandarana was a midfield dynamo. Matthew Given scored crucial goals throughout the season. Goalkeeper Paddy Hyslop was the most improved player and his motivational tactics pre-match helped to prepare the side.

With many of the squad available for next year, the experience of this year’s campaign will help tremendously.

The team should be thanked for their hard work and commitment.

Played 16, Won 8, Drew 1, Lost 7.

Boys’ 2nd Xl

Mr Michael Johnson

The team experienced a tough season. It was a largely inexperienced side and this showed in the initial stages of the year.

Continued commitment from the team meant that there was an improvement in results towards the end of the year. The side played with more structure and enthusiasm. Excellent contributions from Tom Costello, Matthew Fellows, Sam Sharples and Thomas Hine led to their inclusion in some 1st XI fixtures.

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Boys’ U15

Mr Michael Johnson

The squad had an excellent season. They played extremely well together and showed a tremendous team spirit. They recorded excellent wins against Warwick, Queen Mary’s Walsall and Lawrence Sheriff. All members of the squad made excellent contributions at various stages of the season. Conor Jones was a key performer for the side and captained the team well. George Skalka and Saawan Patel were the foundations at the back. There was excellent goalkeeping from Andrew Timms. Midfield generals were Robin White, Chris Reynolds and Christopher Haidar. Philip ‘the goal sniffer’ Catherall was on fine form throughout the year, never scoring a goal from further than two yards.

Boys’ U14

Alex Popplewell

The season was mixed – there were some stunning attacking performances against Princethorpe College, Lawrence Sheriff and King Henry VIII, yet we could not cope with the more experienced likes of Solihull and Warwick.

We were often boosted by performances from various U13s but the year group pulled together well when required. Regular goals from Declan Jones, the captain Alex Popplewell and Oliver White were supported by strong defensive performances from Arrandeep Banwait, Paul Wilson, Luke Briggs and Ben Maudsley, combined with the attacking flair of Jay Brahach, Rees Herrod and Mitchell Fray. Newcomers this year such as Aaren Healy, Adam Pitt and Daley Gavin were gratefully received and have progressed well.

With the squad strengthening itself for next season, things can only get better.

hockey

10 – 1 vs Princethorpe College 8 – 1 vs Lawrence Sheriff 5 – 1 vs KHVIII 1 – 3 vs Solihull 6 – 3 vs KHVIII 2 – 2 vs KES Birmingham 2 – 2 vs Queen Mary’s Walsall 0 – 2 vs Solihull 0 – 3 vs Warwick 3 – 1 vs Princethorpe College (Cup) 3 – 3 vs Lawrence Sheriff 1 – 4 vs Solihull (Cup) 3 – 5 vs Ratcliffe

Boys’ U13

Will Kenney-Herbert

This season has been an excellent one for all the Shell and 2nd year boys involved. We began with a challenging match against Warwick where the team kept up the pace for the whole match but inexperience showed and we went down 4-2.

The next match against Princethorpe was a great game with the whole team gelling and dominating the opposition with people really beginning to settle into their positions. We came out 4-0 winners. The next few matches were a reality check as we learnt about many aspects of the game including positional play and the strengthening of basic skills.

Then came the Warwickshire Tournament. This was a 7-a-side tournament with matches 12 minutes one way and fitness and skills under pressure really showed. We went into the semi-final after some mediocre performances and from then on everything seemed to click into place. Against Sutton Coldfield we stepped up a gear and really showed that we could play some excellent hockey.

We were rewarded with a 1-0 win thanks to a great build up and finish by captain Will Kenney-Herbert. That put us through to the final against an ‘in form’ Coventry & North Warwickshire side who were the strong favourites after beating last year’s winners Bilton in the semi-final. We matched them in all areas and strong play almost rewarded us with a goal. The game went into extra time with both sides not giving anything away and penalty flicks followed. Thanks to some excellent flicks and saves from both sides we went into sudden death. Matthew Smith calmly slotted away our first flick and the pressure was on Cov & NW; one mistake could end it all. Then keeper Samy Shebl pulled off a Dudek-esque save to win the tournament for Bablake.

After the tournament we enjoyed a purple patch remaining unbeaten for the rest of the season in 11-a-side matches. The last task of the season was the Midlands Regional tournament where we represented Warwickshire. It was an excellent experience with every match going down to the wire. We won an excellent match against Oundle and lost to Bromsgrove. We then went into the 5th place play off against the one of the premier sides in Britain – Beeston. It was a tight match which again ended in flicks where we unfortunately lost in sudden death. It was a great learning experience which I hope we can take into next season. Sixth in the Midlands is not a bad result for a team where half of the team hadn’t picked up a hockey stick before!

The team was captained by Will Kenney-Herbert. Will Newcombe, Will Knight, Jamie Cozens and Shells Hugh Kenney-

Herbert and Mark Best all played extremely well up front. Will Kenney-Herbert, Jeeven Bisal, Charlie Mulhall made the midfield a force to be reckoned with. Finally Matthew Smith, Emile Pokoj, William Hine, Tom Stobart, Oli Given and Steven Beard made a solid defence. Samy Shebl improved beyond belief and barely anything went past him into the goal. Thank you to Devpal Kalsi, Ashley Jones, Jonathan Lawrence and many others for helping the team. Finally thank you to Mr Johnson who helped us improve immensely.

Overall Record: Played 19 Won 11 Lost 6 Drawn 2

Girls’ U18

Miss Vanessa Hawkins

The girls, captained by Kathryn Brindley, with Jade Payne as Vice-Captain played 18 matches over the course of a season that started with defeat in a tough fixture against Rugby School. The team recovered quickly to beat Newcastle-Under-Lyne 5-1 with Jade Payne scoring a hat-trick.

The Warwickshire tournament came early this year; however it did not hinder the level of performance displayed by the girls.

They won two matches and drew two in their pool, convincingly beating KHVIII 3-1. The girls came head to head with Princethorpe College in the semi-final and lost narrowly lost 2-1. The team quickly regrouped after the tournament and won their following two matches against Twycross School (4-3) and King Edward’s Stourbridge (2-0). The highlight of the season came with a 9-1 win over King Edwards. In all, the team won eight of their fixtures, drew two and lost eight, scoring and conceding 38 goals.

Due to the popularity of girl’s hockey within the School, at Under 18 level we run two teams and the seconds recorded impressive victories against Solihull (3-1) and Princethorpe College (2-0).

Squad: Kathryn Brindley (captain), Jade Payne (vice-captain), Lisa Bird, Charlotte Bland, Vicky Bolstridge, Gerri Cassidy, Emma Charlesworth, Ellie Donaldson, Kat Eaton, Jen Elen, Jenny Gardner, Heather McCleod, Izzie Moran, Rhea Morgan, Lauren Newbury, Bianca Phillips, Emily Power, Laura Trehame.

bablake school

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Girls’ U16

Lauren Boon

On drawing their first game to Rugby and losing their second game to Solihull 1st XI, the girls felt there was a need for improvement and hard training as they were a little rusty after the summer holidays. However when the Warwickshire tournament came along, the girls were on form and won 2-0 against KHVIII, 6-0 against Princethorpe, and with great work from the forwards 3-0 against King’s High in the semi-final. Rugby School had also made it through to the final and it was not a game that was as easy as anticipated. After the final whistle, it was 0-0 and penalty strokes were taken. Excitingly Bablake won 3-2 to secure a place in the Midlands finals.

The Midlands Finals came round very quickly and a key centre midfield player was not able to play due to a hamstring injury. The girls were slightly nervous. They went on to win their first game 4-0 over Edgbaston and the second 3-1 over Moreton Hall, but unfortunately lost the third game 1-0 to Oundle, which shook the girls a little but they regained their focus to win their final game of the section 2-0 over John Taylor. This meant that they went through as runners up in their section and would play Ecclesbourne in the semi-finals.

The team played some amazing hockey but lost 2-1 in a close game. Ecclesbourne went on to win the tournament and Bablake were the only team to score against the winners, with a great short corner goal in the last minute by Lucy Horn. The girls finished the season on a high with a 6-0 victory over Twycross House.

Overall, the U16s have had a good season this year, especially considering they took on the challenge of stronger competition.

They won 10, drew 2 and lost just 4 scoring 48 goals and conceding just 15.

Regional & County representative honours U16 England Squad: Lucy Horn & Holly Payne Midlands Squad: Lucy Horn & Holly Payne Warwickshire U17 Squad: Lauren Boon, Lucy Horn, Lijana Kaziow, Jodie Neale and Holly Payne.

Players: Lauren Boon (C), Samantha Brindley, Lauren Carpenter, Lucy Horn, Lara Jackson, Lijana Kaziow, Ira Kleine, Adelle Middleton, Jodie Neale, Orlaith Norton, Laura Owen, Holly Payne, Rachel Powell, Charlotte Weaver and Roxana Ziaie.

The U16 indoor team progressed further than any previous team in the indoor competition. In the Warwickshire Schools and Clubs round, Bablake beat KHVIII 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Nuneaton after some excellent goal keeping from Jodie Neale. In the semi-final Bablake beat King’s High 3-0 with some great play and goals from Lijana Kaziow. The final was a very close game against Kenilworth who put a determined performance for the game to end in a draw 1-1. Penalty strokes were taken and Bablake won 2-1.

The Midlands zone round brought stronger competition with a 2-1 win over Malvern and a 1-2 loss to Sutton Hockey club. However on aggregate Bablake went through to the Midlands Finals, played at Lilleshall National Sports Centre. They put in a fine performance against Wolverhampton High and won 6-0, but they lost their other two games. The girls gained a lot from this experience and four of the squad were U15 players.

In all the team won 6, drew 1 and lost 3. They scored 20 goals and conceded 16.

Players: Lauren Boon, Samantha Brindley (C), Amy Harwood, Rachel Hollinrake, Emily Jackson, Lijana Kaziow, Jodie Neale & Rebecca Sewell.

Girls’ U15

Jessica Elliott

Congratulations to the U15 hockey team for their continued success.

The year started off well with the girls reaching the semi-final at the Loughborough Festival of Sport, narrowly losing to Dame Alice by one goal. The highlight of the year was playing KHVIII for the Coventry Schools trophy. After a 1-1 draw, a decision was taken to play a re-match. After another tense game, penalty strokes decided the winning side. Bablake girls had been practising their penalty strokes and this paid off. Abigail Rewhorn made some excellent saves for Bablake and the stroke-takers secured a 3-1 victory.

The girls were delighted and it gave them the confidence to play well in the Warwickshire tournament at the end of the season where they got off to an excellent start, with a 1-1 draw against a very strong King’s High team. This was followed by a win over Kineton High. The section was close and only one team went through to the finals, unfortunately a 1-1 draw against Stratford Grammar meant Bablake missed out on the finals on goal difference.

By the end of the season, the team had won 8, drawn 7 and lost 5, scoring 32 goals and conceding 19.

Rebecca Sewell has been a key player in the school U15 side and her achievement on playing for the U15 Midlands team in Holland at Easter was well deserved.

Regional & County representative honours Midlands Squad: Rebecca Sewell Warwickshire U17 Squad: Abigail Rewhorn Warwickshire U15 Squad: Rachel Hollinrake, Rebecca Sewell and Roya Ziaie.

Players: Emily Burns, Virginia Charlesworth, Jessica Elliott, Amy Harwood, Rachel Hollinrake, Beth Hushon, Emily Jackson, Clare Jepson, Nadine Minty, Katie Mulhern, Hannah Quinn, Abigail Rewhorn, Rebecca Sewell, Uma Venkataraman and Roya Ziaie.

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hockey

side tournament, Bablake played well to reach the semi-final but were then defeated by a stronger King’s High side.

The team has worked hard throughout the year showing dedication and enthusiasm in abundance. Goals scored totalled 31 with just 10 conceded. Congratulations to Beth Evans for her selection for the county squad and to everyone for working so hard this year. I wish them every success next season.

Girls’ U12

Girls’ U14

Miss Vanessa Hawkins

The girls started the season with a trip to Millfield School, a school recognised for their sporting excellence. The girls lost this fixture but soon fought back to beat Kenilworth 3-0 the following week. This side is full of natural talent, with Georgia Horn, Aisling Flanagan the captain, and Alice O’Connor representing Warwickshire. It’s a fantastic achievement having three girls from Bablake in this side.

The county tournament came after only 3 fixtures together; however this did not deter the group! They won three of their four pool matches, beating KHVIII 1-0, Kenilworth 2-0 and Princethorpe College 3-0. Bablake then went onto face the dominating King’s High in the semi-final. Both teams displayed some excellent hockey and King’s High narrowly won 1-0. The season then continued with the girls beating Kenilworth again 2-1, drawing against Princethorpe College 1-1, beating Pates School 3-2 and gaining revenge on King’s High winning 1-0. The girls then progressed to win the County Schools Trophy beating KHVIII 5-1, confirming their status as the top U14 school hockey team in the area.

In summary, the team played 15, won 8, lost 3 and drew 4. They scored 22 goals and conceded 14. The following players made up the team: Aisling Flanagan (captain), Olivia Battle-Welch, Roseanne Elkington, Georgia Horn, Mia Leonard, Emily Mason, Ella Morrell, Hannah Mulhem, Alice O’Connor, Millie Ross, Beth Sargent, Lizzie Stubbington, Shannon Thompson and Jemma Williams.

Girls’ U13

Miss Vanessa Hawkins

The U12 hockey squad is always full of energy, enthusiasm, commitment and excitement and this group certainly had all these attributes. They started the season with a fixture against King’s High, notoriously known for putting out exceptional U12 teams.

The A team lost 8-3 and the B team lost 16-0. Solihull was the next fixture where both teams drew 1-1. The team then progressed to the Warwickshire tournament where they successfully reached the semi-finals. In a hard fought match they narrowly lost to Princethorpe College 2-1. Each player in the squad was gradually improving and the team started playing well together as a unit.

Progressing well, the team then went on to convincingly beat Kingsley 5-0 and KHVIII 4-0. The B team lost to Kingsley 2-0, beat KHVIII again 2-0 and drew 0-0 with Princethorpe College. The season finished with the team winning the Bablake Invitational tournament, with Jess Horn scoring some spectacular goals to secure the trophy. Jess has also achieved outside school hockey, representing the Under 14 County team and she is also a member of the Midlands Development squad.

Ashleigh Green captained the A team this year with Mia Davies leading the B team. The following players made up the teams: Ashleigh Green (captain), Vicky Aldridge, Amelia Brook, Lucy Burns, Mia Davis, Gurpreet Dosanjh, Rebecca Garforth, Jessica Horn, Erin Hushon, Beth Jepson, Abi Mason, Ellie Morris, Ellen Parker, Chandni Patel, Georgia Powell, Jenny Reay, Beth Rowland and Katie Stanton.

Mrs Chris Scott

The team enjoyed a successful season, building on the individual skills they mastered as Shells and developing stronger team tactics. They played a total of 16 matches throughout the season, commencing with a challenging match against Millfield which they narrowly lost. As the year progressed, the team had a total of 10 victories with significant wins over King Edward’s (4-0), Twycross (4-0), KHVIII (2-0) and Newcastle under Lyme (3-0).

In the tournaments played this year the U13s were unlucky.

They put up a feisty battle in the Warwickshire tournament but could only manage a 0-0 draw against Stratford and a 1-2 defeat against eventual winners Twycross. In the Warwickshire seven-abablake school

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rugby

led to his selection for the Midlands Under 18 team. Ryan Birch was extremely unlucky not to also make this squad, missing out narrowly in the final trial.

I would like to thank all of the boys who worked so hard throughout the season to maintain the high standards expected of the Bablake 1st XV. Results: Wellingborough 41-12 Coundon Court 25-10 (Daily Mail Cup) KES Aston 37-3 Nottingham High 14-5 Lawrence Sheriff 38-8 (Daily Mail Cup) KES Camp Hill 34-30 King Henry VIII 15-10 (Daily Mail Cup) KES Stratford 0-24 John Cleveland College 10-47 (Daily Mail Cup) Princethorpe 57-10 Bishop Vesey GS 0-20 Old Swinford Hospital 14-17 King Henry VIII 10-12 Bromsgrove 22-41 KES Birmingham 20-3 Leicester Grammar 20-8 Shrewsbury 10-10

1st XV

Mr Rob Burdett

The 1st XV enjoyed a successful season with a number of pleasing victories and some fine performances in defeat. Most notably rare victories over King Edward’s, Birmingham and Bromsgrove in the second term were fantastic results, whilst in the 1st, the best performances perhaps came in defeat with a galling last minute loss at Old Swinford and a narrow loss to Nottingham High School.

The first term however did finish on a disappointing note with defeat to arch rivals King Henry VIII despite having previously defeated them in the Daily Mail Cup. Warwickshire players Ryan Birch and Brett Chatwin often provided the inspiration and organisation of the team throughout the year and when missing, the team often found life difficult. Mark Lam however continued his development into a courageous and skilful scrum half and the continued progress of L6th players such as wingers Oliver Millerchip and Richard Parsley and centre Gavin Harman augurs well for the coming season.

In the forwards, the leadership often came from number 8 Lee Harrison who also showed his versatility by appearing at centre and on the wing. Ben Weaver, Jamie Stefaniak and Marco Orsini-Jones shared the other back row duties and all performed exceptionally well throughout the year. In the 2nd row Jack Biggins, Gareth Rees and Jeremy Riddell performed with great determination and skill. Joe Simmonds was reliable and effective at hooker with James Thomason outstanding at prop. Dominic Watson is also developing into a fine player and I look forward to a fantastic input from him next year.

A number of 5th formers also represented the 1st XV this season and deserve a great deal of praise. Not least Daniel Jack, Daniel Nolan and Adam Simmonds. Brett Chatwin deserves a special mention for his outstanding performances for Warwickshire which

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2nd XV

Mr Andrew Hall

The season started with an away game against Wellingborough School. On a lovely Autumn day, Bablake blew away the opposition with their expansive free running brand of simple rugby. This was typified by a length of the field try by fly half James Hancox who accelerated onto the fast ball delivered by the pack. After selling two outrageous dummies, he coasted to score under the posts.

The season continued with the majority of games following this pattern. Occasionally the lack of a cohesive kicking game and effective decision making cost the team field position and ultimately games. The forwards who were never going to be the biggest and most powerful of packs ensured enough quick ball for the quicksilver backs to cut the opposition to ribbons. Skills honed on the fields of Africa were put to good use and players such as Steven Robilliard, Kiran Desai, Bradley Bosher, Dan Jack, Liam Meade and Danny Booth added both nous and physicality. Henry Swanson and Andrew and Robert Thomason, along with Billy Hyslop, gave the pack the much needed mobility required to retain possession or slow down the opposition advances.

However it was the backs who added the cutting edge that often made the difference. Alex Jones provided the link between backs and forwards. His aggression in the tackle and around the park often disrupted the flow of the opposition play. Once the ball was in the hands of the backs, simple passing moves were performed with the alacrity required to penetrate the most organised of defences. Pace and power was in abundance from 10 to 15. Sam Bristow became a rapier in attack and players such as Obi Ogbuneke, Dan Nolan, Rhys Horton and Adam Simmonds were all capable of scoring tries from anywhere. The support play of all players was excellent and solid defence built around Gavin Harman in the centre proved time and again to be impenetrable.

rugby

Throughout all of the season, only a handful of games were lost which made for an exceptional year. The defeats occurred mainly after Mr Burdett decided that many of the aforementioned players were required for the 1st XV. However this did allow for the essential blooding of younger players. Charlie Taylor, James Mitchell, Phil McCallum et al showed enough promise to hope for a similar if not better season next year.

U15

Kai Hartshorn

Overall I feel this has been our most positive season yet, both in terms of individual achievements and team successes. Through the course of the year, significant improvements were noticed in the general play of several people, most notably Kristian Ostrowski and Neil Simmonds. In previous seasons both players had struggled to enter team play through lack of aggression, however on gaining more experience and aggression during many hard fought games both players became recognisable and valuable members of the team. The highlight of this was Kristian’s gaining of District honours and Neil’s performance in a gruelling match against Warwick school where he more than held his ground scrummaging against a well recognised county prop.

Daniel Lightfoot and Abhi Bose proved that they were capable of using their blistering acceleration to exploit gaps. Also Toby Donaldson showed flashes of brilliance; he has the potential to become a top class player if only he could become more consistent. Special mention must be given to Alex Myers who after an operation slotted straight back into the team perfectly and represented Coventry with little time for recovery. Dominic Ainsworth, Harry Gogarty, Max Goodyear and myself all played strong roles in the county representing Warwickshire in several games. Kristian Ostrowski, Alex Myers and Daniel Lawrence all played for district.

Having possibly the smallest squad Bablake has ever seen, with only 18 players at the best of times, training was extremely difficult. All drills and run-throughs had to be done unopposed and at times, to provide opposition for the forwards, the backs had to swallow hard and step up to the scrum. If anyone has ever seen the size of Neil and Kristian you will realise why this prospect did not excite our somewhat less bulky backs. Despite this lack of ability to train effectively, the team’s attitude to both games and training was notably improved from previous seasons. Due to this and the development of individuals, we obtained some excellent results. We beat our local rivals KHVIII by a clear margin. We overcame Solihull in a gripping tit-for-tat game when Dominic Ainsworth rose from a wheelchair on the sidelines to score a final try which Harry Gogarty converted for the winning points. We rubbed salt into their wounds by beating them heavily at their own 7s tournament, where we reached the semi-final. Fatigue kicked in though and we failed to progress any further.

We put large scores on Bilton, Lawrence Sheriff and Princethorpe. Moreover we won what is usually regarded as our toughest fixture of the season against Warwick with an excellent team try finished off by Elliot Bates. We were knocked out of the Daily Mail Cup by Camp Hill whom we had previously beaten in a gruelling Saturday fixture. There were also several games which we lost by the narrowest of margins, as the team seemed to lack the killer instinct to finish teams off, possibly because we were not in

the winning habit. Despite all of this I feel the game which summed up the improvement of the team was the epic battle against King Edward’s Stratford. For the first 20 minutes of the game we were pinned back hard on our own try line, the whole team needing to tackle to prevent a score. Then after a runaway try by Dominic Ainsworth, we slowly started to rack up the points in what would seem from the score card to be a comfortable win. In the past after twenty minutes of sustained pressure the team would have given in, let their heads drop and been defeated heavily. Great thanks must go to Mr. Wilson who made this vast improvement possible

U14

Chuka Ogbuneke

After having a great season last year being undefeated and winning the Coventry cup we were determined to keep that winning streak going on. However we knew it wouldn’t be easy with teams like Warwick, Woodlands, Old Swinford, and Coundon to play against. When we found out that we had Woodlands as our 1st match, we were a little worried that we might lose but we had confidence that we would win after beating them last year in the Coventry Cup and after the excellent pre-season training that we had from Mr Seeley and Mr Lang. After beating them, we had great confidence about carrying on the winning streak.

It wasn’t easy but the season carried on with the U14s remaining undefeated,. Nevertheless we did hit some tough challenges that we had to overcome, like the match against Princethorpe. We were losing after the 1st half but, after a couple of substitutions by Mr Lang, we rose to the challenge and won.

After that match we played a few good teams but none more so than Old Swinford, a team that has always been tough to beat. We knew it would be even harder to win without Mr Seeley at the side.

The game ended in a draw which I thought was a good result; both teams played really well and either side could have won. So our winning streak was stopped but we were still undefeated.

The next weeks were the time that we really needed to focus because we had games against Coundon, Warwick, and the Coventry Cup. In the 1st match after Christmas, we had Kenilworth and I have to say we dominated that match so much that Mr Seeley took off Chuka Ogbuneke, Adam King, Matt Storey and Sam Jack, key players in the squad. However that didn’t stop Bablake scoring more tries with Morgan Baker scoring three.

Unfortunately our winning streak was ended with a loss to Coundon Court by one try. Next we had to play against Warwick, with some of our key players like Ben Stansfield (Captain), Kieran Virdi and Lloyd Connell injured. We were all going to have to be at our best to even stand a chance. The Warwick team was well drilled; they rucked, tackled and scrummaged really well and even though the squad played well we still ended up losing.

The week after it was a Coventry Cup match against KHVIII. We had already beaten them earlier in the season but after the two losses we were all determined to show everyone that we were still a great team, and I have to say that we did that in that match.

Everyone in the squad played their best. The passing and tackling were great and after a training session with Mr Wilson and Mr Burdett, our rucking was really good. Excellent performances from Charlie Ladbury, Kilian Kleine, Sam Jack, Alex Popplewell and Oliver White allowed us to win and progress to the semi-final. Mr Seeley said it was the best we had played for quite a while. bablake school

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After an easy semi-final victory we advanced to the finals where we met Woodlands. We were determined to win to show that we were the best team in Coventry again. The match was the toughest we had had all season with the score 0-0 at half time. Both teams played extremely well and it was hard to tell who was going to win, however in the middle of the second half Kilian Kleine (captain for the match) scored a try and converted and we were in the lead. We were leading for the rest of the match but in the last few minutes Woodlands broke and it looked like they were going to score. After a great tackle by Chuka Ogbuneke, the score remained 7-0.

Despite losing two matches, we still had a great season and we were all looking forward to the next season.

Coventry Schools: Lloyd Connell, Sam Jack, Adam King, Kilian Kleine, Rory Moynihan Alex Newbold, Chuka Ogbuneke, Mathew Storey.

Warwick Schools: Adam King and Kilian Kleine.

Warwick Elite: Ben Stansfield and Adam King.

U13

Ben Cooper & Josh Buggea

The 2006/07 season was a very good one and it started on a high with an impressive 20 point victory over Woodlands. This winning streak continued with some high scoring victories over some very tough teams.

On a very cold Saturday morning, Bablake travelled to Lawrence Sheriff and this game really tested the players’ stamina and strength. The game ended with a narrow loss for Bablake which didn’t reflect their performance and hard work.

The day after the Lawrence Sheriff game, fly half and captain Ben Cooper broke his leg and ankle in an horrific injury sustained while playing for his club side Nuneaton RFU. For an extremely disappointed Ben, his season was well and truly over. Josh Buggea took over as captain, and what an extremely good job he did.

Richard Miles was moved from inside centre to the fly half role, with James Langton moving from second row to centre.

The Coventry Cup journey started against a strong Coundon Court side. On a bitterly cold ‘after school’ game, Bablake was triumphant and after a few more difficult games progressed to the semi-final for a match against KHVIII. What a match this was! Bablake had never beaten the KHVIII side before and so the pressure was on.

Mr Tyas fired the lads up and the team talk seemed to work as Bablake finished triumphant, with the highlight of the win being

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a spectacular Tom Lane 30 metre sprint for the line to outpace the speedy KHVIII fly half for a try he’ll remember for a very long time.

This first win over their local rivals meant that the Under 13s were off to the Butts Arena, home of Coventry Rugby Club. Bablake played Woodlands, whom they had beaten on that first game of the season. However, this time was a different matter and it’s fair to say that Bablake didn’t perform against Woodlands as they had in that first game, or indeed, as they had throughout the season. The boys narrowly lost 14-7, but will be up for the rematch next season.

Returning from injury, Ben Cooper was allowed to play five minutes at the end, thanks to a nice touch from the coaches.

Losing in the final did not seem the right way to top off an excellent season of progression for all of the team and the lads would like to thank the coaches for their support throughout the season. A big thank you to all of the squad who have performed well over the season, with special mention going to Tom Lane for that superb semi-final try. Well done to Ben Davies, together with Richard Synot, on scoring many tries. These two players also put in some very hard and try-saving tackles. Good luck to the lads for next season.

U12

Mr Jeremy Hobday

The A team has made good progress this year scoring over 150 points in the season. Though they have only won four games, their performances deserved more with wins over KHVIII, Coundon Court and Kineton. Emile Pokoj has produced some excellent performances and has made good progress as has the team. The B team has managed to win half of their games and the Cs were unbeaten in their two matches.

netball

netball

Seniors

Mrs Gill Thomas

The Senior Netball Squads have had a very successful season recovering from the disappointment of missing out on a place at the West Midlands Tournament, by the narrowest of margins. In friendly and league matches the first VII were undefeated, winning 17 and drawing one of their 18 games and the Second VII won 8 of their 14 matches.

The season started with a testing 1st VII game against Nottingham High School and resulted in a draw. This was followed by triangular league matches against Worcester 6th Form College and Old Swinford for 1st and 2nd VIIs which gave an excellent opportunity for different combinations of players to be trialled.

With the absence of the Coventry Tournament the first opportunity for the 1st team squad to play such matches was the open area tournament comprising of teams from Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire. Having won our section defeating St Martin’s, King’s High School and Solihull 6th Form College and playing to our seeding, we were disappointed to discover we were to play King Edward VI College, Nuneaton in the semi-final as it was the contest between arguably the two strongest teams at the tournament. One would not reach the West Midlands Tournament; it was a pressure match. At full time we were drawing 7–7 only for us to lose 10-11 in extra time in the final 30 seconds. It was a bitter pill to swallow for such a successful group of players and KEGs proved to be stronger in tournament play at the end of the season too. However in the league match the team played excellently, fighting determinedly to win 17–15 and restore their confidence. During the season there were excellent wins against Litchfield, King’s Worcester, Loughborough and, second time round, Nottingham High School.

The diversity of matches allowed the L6th members of the squad to gain invaluable experience for the challenges of next season.

The 2nd team made excellent strides throughout the season, adapted to accommodating a large squad and played with full commitment, spirit and a sense of fun. They played several matches against 1st team opposition from other schools and colleges and recorded good wins against teams of this standing – Princethorpe College, Edgbaston High and Cadbury College. A good measure of the squad’s progress is indicated by the results against a strong King Edward VI College Stourbridge 2nd team, where a 14 goal defeat at the beginning of the season was reduced to six at the end.

And what of the characters? In the U6th Jo Mitchell and Hannah Davies continued as the dominant attacking circle players with Meisha Nicely and occasionally Jess Thompson giving good support in the shooting role. Jess Thompson, Jade Payne, Abi Taberer, Ellie Donaldson and Becky Stuart worked in numerous combinations in the centre court and Laura Rouse, Abi and Meisha were the main circle defenders showing excellent discipline in turning defence into attack. In the second team Lara Morris and Emily Stansfield proved to be extremely effective in defence-linking well and showing good understanding. Kiranjit Juj, Laura Ellis, Becky Healy, Lisa Bird and Abby White were adaptable in their play and were the centre court players and Liz Collison and Laura Dean (with an occasional input from Lisa) were the shooting force. We were delighted that by the end of the season Hannah Reed who was sorely missed was able to take some time on court and play a part in the final few matches.

The strength and quality of the 1st team is reflected in their results and they were worthy winners of the West Midlands Colleges South Netball League. The 2nd team finished second to King Edward’s VI College Stourbridge in their league but this was a fine achievement indeed. The final court time for the 1st team was taken at the Colleges Tournament and the deciding game against KEGs ended in defeat – but this should not be the overriding memory of a team in which six members had been to the National Finals four times out of a possible six.

Jessica Thompson was selected for the England Talent Camp and also for the West Midlands Development Squad, playing in a spotlight game against the East Midlands prior to a Loughborough Lightning Super League game in March.

All players in both squads are to be commended for their determination, commitment and excellent play. We wish those leaving every success in the future, thank them for their service and hope they will return to ‘star’ in any ‘Old Girls’ games in the future.

As a group of players they have shown outstanding loyalty and considerable talent.

Thank you to all the staff who have supported the Senior teams this season and particularly to Mrs Friebe for her assistance and expertise at training and matches. Also to parents for their support throughout the season.

A particular thank you to Jo Mitchell and Emily Stansfield for captaining the 1st and 2nd VIIs respectively and for their dedication and excellent leadership skills and to Jessica Thompson as Vice Captain of the 1st VII. Squads: Jo Mitchell (captain), Jessica Thompson (vice-captain), Hannah Davies, Jade Payne, Laura Rouse, Abi Taberer, Ellie Donaldson, Meisha Nicely and Becky Stuart.

Emily Stansfield (captain), Laura Ellis, Becky Healy, Kiranjit Juj, Hannah Reed, Lisa Bird, Liz Collison, Laura Dean, Lara Morris and Abby White. bablake school

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Results (excluding tournaments)

1st Vll 2nd Vll

U14

P 18 14

W 17 8

D 1 0

L 0 6

F 481 250

A 264 249

Mrs Chris Scott

This season, the U14s continued to develop the skills they had secured as U13s. In total, including tournaments, the girls played 38 matches, winning 32, losing 4 and drawing 2.

The “A” team started the season against formidable opposition at Millfield. The team thoroughly enjoyed the experience of visiting one of the top boarding schools in the country despite being narrowly defeated. The B Team also experienced defeat at Millfield losing to a fitter, better organised team by 8 goals to 22.

The Coventry Tournament was seen as the first step on the road towards the “Nationals”. Bablake have such a good past record for reaching the Nationals and our U14s were living the dream. Having prepared well, they were confident of success. They won all their matches easily except the final, which they eventually clinched 7-5 after extra time. The “B” team also performed well in their round robin tournament only losing to KHVIII on goal difference.

At the Warwickshire Tournament, Bablake saw off all opposition (Cardinal Newman, King’s High, St Martin’s and Higham Lane) and won the title convincingly. The girls were playing to a high standard and beginning to consolidate as a team. The future looked promising.

Preparation for each match and tournament became more intense and the girls’ dedication could not be faulted. Their commitment to the game was massive. Beth Shepherd and Emily Mason were selected for Warwickshire squads while Ella Morrell, Shannon Thompson, Alice O’Connor and Georgia Horn were also selected for England trials. Shannon, Alice and Georgia went on to be selected for the preliminary England squad.

The Midlands Tournament was played on a cold showery day in January. The girls now had the Nationals clearly in their sights and were determined to live up to the Bablake reputation.

Never wavering from their final goal the girls put up a spectacular performance systematically defeating opponents and eventually reaching the final against King Edward’s Lichfield which they won 9 goals to 3. They could now add West Midlands Champions to their other titles and were thrilled to be heading to the Nationals to be held in Bournemouth.

As a warm up to the big event our Under 14s were invited to play in the Bromsgrove tournament. Another chance to prove themselves! They took the challenge in a very positive fashion, however the girls underperformed, maybe it was over confidence or not really being focussed on this tournament. They scraped a place in the semi-final and lost to a sudden death ‘golden goal’ to the eventual winners. They left the tournament somewhat subdued, but it was a good lesson to learn just before the Nationals.

The weekend in Bournemouth was undoubtedly the highlight of the season. The girls will have amusing recollections of the hotel which was in the throes of a 2nd World War themed weekend.

So, making our way to bed involved wandering past sandbags and machine guns with Vera Lynn playing on the gramophone.

(Nostalgic for Mrs Scott? Ed) A strange preparation for the

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tournament of their lives, but the girls took it in their stride.

And so to the day itself. The weather was kind to us and the location, Bournemouth High School, was ideal. The girls played with great determination and tactical awareness. They secured a place in the semi-final winning 6 of their matches, drawing 1 and losing 1 by a single goal. The semi-final was a nail biting match where we lost to Bancroft school 2 goals to 4. Bancroft went on to win the tournament. Overall Bablake came 4th which is the highest position ever achieved by our U14s. We also had the 3rd best defensive record conceding only 39 goals.

Congratulations to the entire squad for their well deserved results this season. The future will be exciting for you. Many thanks to Mrs Mills for her hard work and to Mrs Reed and Mrs Smith for their support and help at the Nationals.

Squad: Emily Chomitzki, Pip Collison, Aisling Flanagan, Georgia Horn, Emily Mason, Ella Morrell, Alice O’Connor, Charlotte Rouse, Beth Sargent, Shannon Thompson, Rebecca Wells.

U13

Mrs Sue Smith

The U13 players have shown commitment to practices, determination in matches, support for one another and excellent teamwork. The girls have made promising progress throughout the year and the ‘A’ team in particular has risen to the challenge of some strong opposition.

Progress can be seen in the King’s High results, where Bablake A won narrowly 13-12 and the B team won 9-6 at the start of the season but convincingly 25-9 and 15-7 respectively at the end of the season. The A team have had some fantastic wins such as 29-12 over King’s, Worcester, 34-7 over Solihull and 27-6 over Princethorpe.

Their losses have been extremely close matches such as 14-15 to Nottingham High and 13-14 to Loughborough High.

Ashni Desai has been a key player at centre in turning the ball over and her work rate was exceptional. Aiza Asghar showed much improvement in her timing and reactions at GK and Ameena Tahir has become more consistent in her shooting. Rebecca Appleton and Clare Greevy have been versatile in their playing positions and Eva Ball, Emma Davis and Emily Duerdin have contributed well to team play. In the Coventry Schools tournament the A team won their section and beat Bluecoat in the semi-final 8-2. They met KHVIII in the final, against whom there had been a loss and a win in friendly matches at U13 level., Bablake played superbly and won 11-1 to take the trophy. In the whole tournament Bablake scored 55 goals and conceded only 5.

There have been over 20 players regularly attending practices so the girls have rotated in the B team and occasionally a C team played.

The most impressive win was 24-1 against Princethorpe. Rebecca Pearce has been the main goal scorer for this team, Louise Poole has played consistently well all season and Elizabeth Stefaniak showed real determination in defence. With 3 key players unable to play in the tournament, injuries playing a part, girls had to change positions and put in some hard work to adjust. A 12-0 win over Cardinal Newman in the 1st game settled their nerves and their play and Bablake went on to win all their games to take the trophy for the ‘B’ team tournament, scoring 31 goals and conceding 11.

County satellite academy: Rebecca Appleton, Aiza Asghar, Eva Ball, Ashni Desai, Clare Greevy and Louise Poole.

netball

Results (including tournaments)

U13 Team

P 45

W 33

D 0

L 12

Players: Lauren Adams, Rebecca Appleton, Aiza Asghar, Eva Ball, Naranjun Bhandal, Lydia Brown, Sophie Bullen, Emma Davis, Ashni Desai, Emily Duerdin, Bethany Evans, Clare Greevy (A team captain), Jodie Keith, Emily Lewis, Sophie Lilly, Nicola McIntyre, Demi-Lee Moore, Georgina Mosley, Rebecca Pearce, Louise Poole (B team captain), Anastasia Skamarauskas, Elizabeth Stefaniak and Ameena Tahir.

U12

Mrs Mandy Reid

Monday was a very busy day for Shell netballers with both lunchtime and after school club. Attendance at both sessions remained high throughout the season with over 30 girls attending on a regular basis.

A Team

A special mention must go to Mrs Friebe for her invaluable help at lunchtime practices and at the end of season tournament, also to all players who made the season so enjoyable and rewarding.

Results (including tournaments)

P W A Team 27 19

D 1

L 7

F 306

A 168

Squad: Victoria Aldridge, Ashleigh Green, Jodie Harvey, Erin Hushon, Beth Jepson, Jennifer Reay, Lucy Smith.

Also played: Jessica Horn, Abigail Mason, Beth Rowland.

B Team

P 15

W 13

D 0

L 2

F 123

A 61

Squad: Mia Davies, Eleanor Jones, Rachel Jones, Abigail Mason, Ellen Parker, Avril Patel, Beth Rowland, Maneesha Sehgal.

Also played: Rebecca Brown, Lucy Burns, Rebecca Garforth, Nicole Minty, Chandni Patel, Charlotte Pinkham, Sukhdeep Vraitch, U13 Satellite Academy: Victoria Aldridge, Ashleigh Green, Erin Hushon, Jennifer Reay.

Early September saw the A team competing against other more experienced teams in the Loughborough Netball Festival. With only two practices to select a squad and prepare for the tournament, we finished a creditable fourth place. This early experience was invaluable and the team continued the season with some impressive victories, 21-2 v Finham Park, 30-3 v King Edward’s Camp Hill, 23-5 v Princethorpe, 16-3 v Tile Hill Wood and 17-7 v King’s High, Warwick.

The U12 Coventry Schools Netball Tournament was held at Cardinal Wiseman in early March. After an early injury scare in their first match, we defeated all the schools in our section to qualify for the semi-final against Bluecoat. We played superbly to record an excellent 12-0 victory and to qualify for a place in the final. The team had not conceded a single goal up to this point in the tournament. Our opponents in the final were KHVIII. This match was to more competitive. The opposition held us to a halftime score of 4-4. In the second half, however after great defensive play we denied KHVIII team any further goals and emerged as victors by 11-4 goals.

B Team The B team played with enthusiasm throughout the season.

With the exception of a few players, the majority of girls in the squad had little experience of playing netball at their previous school. However their commitment to practices and matches and eagerness to learn new skills was apparent from early September.

Of the 15 matches played during the season the B team won an impressive 13 games and lost only 2. In the B section of the U12 Coventry Schools Tournament, we defeated all teams in our section to qualify for the semi-final against Tile Hill Wood. The semi was closely contested but at full time we earned a narrow 1 goal victory to qualify for a place in the final against KHVIII. The final proved to be as exciting as the semi but despite a valiant effort, we had to settle for the runners up position.

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Tennis

Mrs Chris Scott There has been much interest in tennis this year. The lower school years have been very committed and filled the courts at their practices. The U12 team won all four of its matches. The U13 team was undefeated in the Nestlé competition as were the U15s, whose area tournament was abandoned due to continued poor weather throughout the summer.

In the Coventry Schools singles tournament two Bablake girls made the final. Katie Wainhouse took the title after beating Jonine Bains in a close set, 6-4.

Bablake had much success in the U14 and U15 Coventry Schools doubles events taking three out of the four trophies. U15 A pair, Beth Hushon and Jessica Elliott, U15 B pair Alice O’Connor and Pam Uppal and U14 B pair Olivia Battle-Welch and Georgia Horn took gold medals. The U14 A pair, Rebecca Wells and Roseanne Elkington gained silver medals.

The senior season was once again painfully short with a mere handful of fixtures being completed. All matches were played in good spirit with successful victories over KHVIII and Wrekin College.

During the Summer Open Evening, an open mixed doubles tournament was run. This proved to be a highly successful format with several of the boys reluctantly admitting to being impressed by the standard of some of the girls’ tennis. It is hoped to repeat this event next year.

Thanks to everyone who attended practices and worked hard to improve both their individual skills and their doubles play.

Also thanks to Mrs Marchant and Miss Hawkins for their help at practices. Hopefully several pupils played during the Summer holidays and will continue to play through the Winter season.

Footnote > Congratulations to Philip Catherall for his success at club level.

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Football

Mr Mark Woodward As Christmas arrived, the statistics for the season bore little cheer: played 5, lost 5; goals for 4, goals against 21. The squad did not lack enthusiasm and spirit but faded badly in the final quarter of fixtures and was proving more adept at scoring in its own net than the opposition’s and often spectacularly so! So often bailed out by the excellent long-limbed keeper, Sam Willacy and effectively rallied by rumbustious captain and central defender, Chris Delahunty, we found ourselves too often bypassed in midfield, leaving Amarpal Jandoo and Imran Ahmed stranded up front.

With some crafty haggling, the New Year’s transfer window brought Lewis Edwards’ creative midfield play to the squad. New personalised shirts arrived and coach McFadden’s inspiring team-talks began to bring success on the field. Five wins and a draw were an excellent return from eight fixtures and importantly the team reversed all the results against opponents met before Christmas.

Two wins against North Leamington (3-0, 4-1) reinstalled some confidence – Kyle Green scored a sharp hat-trick and Deniz Kog’s energy rating impressed all spectators. Crucially we began to keep the ball more than our opposition and distributed it better. Amarpal Jandoo’s breakaway goal seemed to have sealed an impressive away win against Aylesford before a last minute equaliser squeezed into our net from a low firmly struck corner. We lost the return fixture to a wonder goal despite dominating the second half and peppering their goal.

Two wins in two days against Twycross (2-1) and Princethorpe (4-1) proved the new firm resistance, though in the former we put ourselves under pressure with a soft early goal and it was twilight before the hard fought skirmish concluded. Amarpal Jandoo mastered the boggiest of goalmouths for a hat-trick versus Princethorpe. Nerves jangled in the 3-2 win over Arden but it was good to see us hold a lead better. All credit to Will Hall for marshalling a solid defensive line.

Another hat-trick for Amarpal Jandoo in our final game of the season versus Coundon Court could not prevent a 9-4 defeat – disappointing perhaps but the measure of the journey for this squad was the fact we scored as many goals in this defeat as we had in the first half of the season.

The Golden Boot award went to Amarpal Jandoo for his 11 goals.

Kyle Green bagged 4 while Imran Ahmed and Lewis Edwards scored 2 each. The latter won the Goal of the Season for a mazy run from halfway against Twycross but was under pressure from a number of sweetly struck goals from distance.

Signs look good for the 2007/08 season as the new L6th will bring three or more proven club footballers and others eager to compete for places while the U6th will offer a blend of experience, confidence, skill, passion and energy.

sport

Rounders Mrs Sue Smith U15 The U15s were undefeated this season with their largest victory being over Rugby School by 15 rounders and their narrowest victory against Twycross House 161/2 to 15. Effective application of skills and tactical knowledge took them comfortably into the Coventry Schools Rounders final. They beat Tile Hill Wood and Bluecoat before facing KHVIII. They had already beaten them earlier in the season 27-19, but needed to win this match to take the title. It was a very close game, but with a flurry of good batting Bablake scored enough rounders to win the tournament.

Squad: Rachel Blakemore, Emily Burns, Harriet Carter, Rachel Cooke, Jessica Elliott, Rebecca Evans (captain), Amy Harwood, Rachel Hollinrake, Beth Hushon, Emily Jackson, Katie Mulhern, Ellis Pulley, Hannah Quinn, Rebecca Sewell, Danielle Smith, Uma Venkataraman and Roya Ziaie.

U14 The U14s played consistently well during their fixtures; apart from two close games in their Coventry Schools tournament, they won all their matches. The team finished second in the tournament, just 1 /2 a rounder behind the winners, KHVIII. Squad: Olivia Battle-Welch, Aisling Flanagan, Georgia Horn (captain), Mia Leonard, Alice O’Connor, Bethany Sargent, Elizabeth Stubbington, Shannon Thompson, Kristie Thorpe, Rebecca Wells.

Many thanks to the girls who helped out with extra fixtures, they all played very well: Roseanne Elkington, Catherine Langford, Charlotte Mosley, Rebecca Thom and Jemma Williams.

U13

(with help from Mrs Chris Scott)

U13 practices were very well attended with over 20 girls always attending. It was very hard selecting for matches as the standard was very high. It was a short but exciting season where we proved daunting opposition, losing just 2 matches and winning 11, scoring 171 rounders in total and conceding 79. We were very sharp on our fielding, dismissing many opponents at 1st post while our deep fielding accuracy was legendary.

In the North section of the Coventry tournament we scored a total of 56 rounders and conceded only 5. In the finals, we finished runners up to Tile Hill Wood whose batting was astounding.

All round a great season. Thanks to everyone who attended practices regularly. There is plenty of talent in this age group ready to take forward next Summer.

U13 Squad: Rebecca Appleton. Eva Ball, Emily Duerdin, Beth Evans, Hayley Griffiths, Alice Haywood, Katherine Hughes, Ellie Hutchinson-James (captain), Mandeep Kaur, Sophie Lilly, Georgina Mosley, Louise Poole and Katie Wainhouse.

U12 The U12s started the season relatively slowly, but after lots of hard work and commitment to practices, they progressed rapidly, beating teams such as King Edward’s, Edgbaston and Kingsley. The season concluded with the girls reaching the Coventry Schools finals and gaining silver medals. Overall the girls have done extremely well and we are confident they will continue to progress next year.

U12 Squad: Victoria Aldridge, Mia Davis, Ashleigh Green, Jodie Harvey, Jessica Horn, Erin Hushon, Bethany Jepson, Abigail Mason, Avril Patel, Jennifer Reay and Lucy Smith. bablake school

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formerstudents

former students With thanks to Mr Geoff Clamp and Mr Alan Partridge as well as Mrs Laura Baines who oversees Bablake Reunited.

Highlights

FORMER PUPILS’ ASSOCIATION Officers President Bob Beere 6 Steeplefield Road, Coventry CV6 1JL 024 7659 1884 bobbeere@yahoo.com Chairman Alan Partridge 62 Spencer Avenue, Coventry CV5 6PN 024 7667 9095 alanpartridge1945@tiscali.co.uk Secretary Graham Paine 2 Craven Street, Coventry CV5 8DU 024 7667 9864 totallyuntamed@hotmail.com Treasurer David Edwards 3 Beechwood Avenue, Coventry CV5 6DF 024 7667 3036 dave.edwards@ctsnet.co.uk Committee Dean Bryant, Geoff Clamp, Geoff Eames, Mick Hibbert, Ted McQuillan, Simon Miles, Dave Parnell, James Paxton, Dave Parnell, Dave Stidworthy, Brad Thompson and John Watson

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T E Dunville 101 Grapevine 102 Get involved 104

obituaries

Obituaries Rob Scanlon (1988-1995) Rob died of cancer this year… too early, leaving his young wife Jo (née James 1987-94) and much treasured baby son, Jimmy. Three of his best friends at and beyond Bablake have written a moving tribute to him.

‘Memories from the rugby pitch’ Ibe Ihenacho I was left grasping at thin air for the third time in the match – the slight, ginger boy had made me look a fool – again. As I trudged off the pitch at the end of the game I begrudgingly shook hands with my nemesis. It was 1987 and although I did not know it at the time, I had just met Rob Scanlon.

Fortunately for me, that was the sole occasion that I had to pit my wits against Rob on the rugby field as a year later we both joined Bablake School and embarked on a decade of playing rugby together all over the UK, in Europe and in North America. Representing our school, our city and our county, I had the privilege and honour of being able to call Rob a team-mate in over 250 matches.

Playing rugby with Rob was a joy. He possessed an incredible appetite for the game, a quiet assurance, a steely determination and all-round footballing skills that were quite inspirational.

A natural fly-half, Rob had in his considerable armoury the deftest of ‘dummies’ and an amazing ability to step off either foot, losing neither balance nor pace. So ‘off the cuff’ and imaginative were Rob’s attacking exploits that it was only after eight years of playing together that I was able to have a vague inclination of what Rob would do next with the ball in hand. He was several moves ahead of me – the opposition too for that matter – and his ability to read a game and see space set him apart.

But it was defensively that I considered Rob to be at his most awe-inspiring. Opposition back-row forwards would gather the ball and accelerate their large frames directly at Rob; their sole aim being to run straight through him. Most of them only tried it once.

They would be scythed down and left to nurse bruises to both their body and their ego. The five-plus stone weight disadvantage was not a consideration for Rob. He had the heart of a lion and when it came to defending Rob was both technically outstanding and outstandingly fearless.

Quiet in manner both off and on the rugby field, Rob’s unassuming nature won him many, many friends amongst the Rugby Union brotherhood. It was difficult to believe that someone with such talent could also be blessed with such modesty.

The best player I ever played with? Certainly one of them. The bravest and most courageous player I ever played with? Certainly.

I thank you for the memories Rob. It was an honour and privilege fighting side-by-side with you over the years. Until we meet again on the big grassy pitch in the sky; save me a seat at the bar my friend.

‘Further memories’ Adam Mason and Stuart Smyth One of my first memories of Rob is the moment in the playground at Cannon Park Junior School, when he stepped on my hand with his rugged new grey Clarks shoes. And thus was coined the phrase ‘concrete Clarks’. For a few days after this episode, some of Rob’s classmates (myself included) teased him about his concrete Clarks until, on one occasion, he flew into a rage, threatening to punch anyone who dared repeat it. And that, in more than 20 years as Rob’s friend, is the only time I can recall seeing him lose control or act in an unreasonable manner.

As our gang of friends grew up, had various adventures, incidences and falling-outs typical of children and adolescents, Rob stood out precisely because of his sense of calm and refusal to get drawn into bickering or silly arguments. And this was one of Rob’s many qualities – this calmness, this softly-spoken maturity beyond his years. As our gang would wreak havoc in one house or another, Rob must have been a breath of fresh air for our parents, always courteous and well mannered.

However, his laid back nature disguised a fantastic, keen and at times offbeat sense of humour which all those who shared their childhood or school years with him will no doubt remember. With sudden, unexpected bursts of energy, Rob had an ability to leave those around him in stitches. In my entire life, I don’t think I have ever laughed more than the time on a camping holiday in southern France, when Rob entertained us with his hilarious dance routine in the middle of a busy nightclub, leaving us literally bent over on the floor with laughter. I also have fond memories of the various ideas – the Chubb key was my favourite – Rob would concoct to ambush his big brother, John with my help until he got the better of us, and I ran.

Rob’s prowess and myriad of talents on the rugby pitch are well documented. But it was not just rugby. He had a natural ability and excelled in practically every sport he put his hand to, controlling the ball or his opponents with a calmness, strength and deftness of touch that again, defied his years. In spite of his superiority and the fact that he almost always won, Rob never bragged or became bigheaded, taking his success humbly and with grace. As an opponent, he was respected and admired, as a team mate he was revered. Off the pitch, his wit and good nature were an integral part of rugby team social events over the years.

Rob’s life was a resounding success together with his fantastic wife Jo (who was astute enough to realise his many qualities while he was in his late teens, in spite of the juvenile antics of his peers, no names mentioned, who would have tarnished the reputation of a lesser man by association) and son little Jimmy, and in a short space of time he had gained the respect of colleagues and students alike at Rugby School.

I am in no doubt whatsoever, that everyone – bruised opponents, team mates, friends, family, teachers and pupils – will have nothing but positive memories of Rob Scanlon, the boy and the man. And while his absence hurts terribly, I and no doubt all who knew him, will be thankful – for the qualities mentioned above and many more besides – that this unassuming yet remarkable man so enriched our lives. bablake school

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obituaries

john barker-davies (1934-1939) John was chairman of Coventry Rugby Club during their most successful period in the 60s and 70s. A D-Day veteran, he was a stormtrooper in the Second World War and a captain by 21. He heroically led 60 men against Hitler’s fanatical SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in the Battle of Rots. A successful solicitor, he loved all sports and was described as one of those people who would light up a room on entry.

He is survived by his wife, Marjorie, sons Miles and Clive and six grandchildren. (There is a fascinating account of the Normandy experiences, written by Jack Davies, if anyone wishes to contact the Editor for a copy). derek ‘danny’ clare (late 1930s) Wing Commander Gleed

john lawrence (1937-2007) For so long and to many people, John Lawrence encapsulated Bablake. He was a kind, thoughtful, reliable and engaging man who was a tremendous inspiration to many. Our thoughts are with his wife, Vivien, and his family.

First as a Bablake boy, then, after his Chemistry degree at Imperial College in London, from 1958 as a Bablake teacher and finally, in retirement, as our archivist, John will be remembered for a long, long time. We asked Martin Rhodes, his trusty companion on many a train excursion, to share his memories.

‘Best of times’ Mr Martin Rhodes John will be remembered as a family man so supportive in every way to those close to him. He loved his science, garden and Coventry City FC. He travelled widely to the Alps, Italy, Jordan and the USA in recent years, as well as to family in Australia. There was hardly a corner of Britain he had not visited on the railways, as he eagerly followed another of his hobbies, trains (both real ones and models).

There are many memories of train trips around the UK: 1 The D200 to Kyle of Lochalsh via Aberdeen in 36 very cold hours.

2 Eight kids, three armed guards and two teachers deep inside Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant.

3 Spotted during the eclipse at Paignton.

4 Chairlift to the top of Cairngorm – twice.

5 Jinty footplate ‘sweat’ at Butterley.

6 Storm crossing to the Isle of Wight.

7 Hitting buffers at Walton on the Naze.

8 Flying pickets ‘arrest’ at Scunthorpe.

9 ‘Shot at’ at Birkhill – under the Forth bridge.

10 King’s Cross to Inverness and back on Persil vouchers.

John’s film and photography knowledge and a growing interest in geology were all impressive. His happiest times would be spent at his cottage in Addingham on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales where he and Vivien would frequently escape. Yes, he did like to relax sometimes, but no-one will forget John as the man, forever with a spring in his step.

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‘Danny’ died on 10th Oct 2006. As a Bablake boy, he was keenly interested in many sports, but especially rugby. He met his wife-tobe, Audrey Turner, before serving in the RAF in the 2nd World War. He rose to Group Captain and completed a distinguished RAF career of some 35 years. Awarded the DFC for exceptionally accurate night shadowing of enemy ships, he logged over 3,500 hours of flying. He also briefly joined MI5. A gregarious man who lived life to the full, in retirement Danny was a tireless fundraiser. He is survived by daughter, Vicki and son Michael. donald hancox (1934-1939) John Greenhill Don Hancox died peacefully in September 2007, aged 85. An excellent academic and sportsman, he gained full colours for rugby.

Chief Metallurgist and Technical Manager for Sterling Metals Ltd, he was a founder member and first President of the Coventry section of the Institute of British Foundrymen. He was awarded the British Foundry Gold Medal in 1969. He captained the Old Wheats rugby team, playing for over 25 years and believed any sport developed character and integrity in the young. He is survived by his wife Phil and son Robert (1960-65) and two grandchildren.

Mili patel (1997-1999) We are sorry to report that Mili sadly died on 6th March 2007. Mili was an important member of our 6th Form from 1997-99. She left Bablake to study optometry, was working in London as an optician and doing very well. She found out she had cancer about 18 months ago and did not recover from a recent infection. Our deepest sympathy goes to her immediate family and friends. monty reynolds (1936-1941) John Greenhill Monty died in Dec 2006 after a series of short illnesses, borne with his usual cheer. After Bablake, Monty worked for Sterling Metals Ltd as a metallurgist before acting as consultant for the British Cast Iron Research Association until retirement in 1986. He married Lucy Gardner in 1947, who sadly died a few weeks after Monty.

As we went to press, we were saddened to hear of the death of Deepesh Patel (2003) and our sympathies go to his family and friends. A full obituary will appear in the next issue.

spotlight

T E Dunville

The tragic story of an old boy Written by Mr Pete Chambers, local musical authority and author whose weekly Backbeat column appears in the Coventry Telegraph T E Dunville lived his life as a funny man, the Victorian equivalent to an alternative comedian; by 1900 he was earning a staggering £100 a week, yet he was to die a tragic figure now virtually unheard of, even in his own city and probably by his old school!

Thomas Edward Wallen was born in Coventry 29th July 1867 at 32 New St, moving to 15 Lower Ford Street then to 13 New Street (now demolished, just to the rear of the Cathedral ruins where Coventry University now stands).

He was educated at the old Bablake School in Hill Street. He began yearning for a life on the stage after seeing the theatricals at Coventry Fair.

His father thought otherwise and expected his son to follow him in the silk trade, instead Ted (as he was then known), chose to form a trio named the Three Spires and run away to London to seek their fortune. Hungry and penniless they got as far as Northampton and made a weary journey back to Coventry.

For a time Ted looked to be settling down in his new job at car manufacturers Rudge Whitworth, until his foreman slipped on the floor Ted had greased to practise his splits on.

The sixteen-year-old was fired, and from then on Ted dedicated his time to the stage. He formed a dance troupe called The Merry Men, eventually going solo and becoming T E Dunville.

By 1890 he was a huge music hall star famous for his long lanky haired wig, red nose, tight trousers and big boots. Billed as an ‘Eccentric Comedian and Contortionist’, he also sang an array of odd songs, like Pop, Popperty, Pop, UmpiDoodle-Um and Then We Had Another One. He owned a fleet of cars, and was in demand from America, but his success in Britain gave him no time to cross the Atlantic. In November 1902 he came back to Coventry to appear at The Opera House. To quote one of songs: “It was packed every night” and he received a hero’s welcome.

During his week in Coventry he visited his old school Bablake and was asked about his school days. “My teacher Mr. Humberstone was a

‘My teacher Mr Humberstone was a dear friend to me, a most excellent master and I cannot speak too highly of him’

dear friend to me, a most excellent master and I cannot speak too highly of him. I greatly enjoyed my stay at Bablake School and would not mind going through it again if necessary. I was always at the head of writing class, but arithmetic seemed to get me down and worry me”.

Sadly though his unique style of humour became somewhat ‘passé’ by the turn of the Century with the advent of cinema and review shows and by 1913 he was struggling for work.

His last appearance was at The Grand in Clapham on March 20th 1924. A goodbye note was left in his hotel for his second wife and their son Toni, it read, “God bless you and Toni… I feel I cannot bear it any longer”. Two days later he was found dead.

He had apparently overheard someone declare he was ‘past it’ and had at first made an unsuccessful attempt to slit his throat with a penknife, before eventually throwing himself into the Thames at Caversham Lock near Reading.

When they found him it was said that there was a contented smile on the drowned man’s face. He left just £236 in his will. The inscription on his gravestone contains the shortest sentence in the bible: ‘Jesus Wept’. bablake school

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furthernews

grapevine Matthew Archer (2002-2004) Has completed an Economics degree at Southampton University (2:1). After an internship at Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) he starts work on their Management Fast Track Programme. Represented his Uni at snooker and was involved in renovating a building in Foleshill to turn it into a new church.

Nick Bates (1985-1992) After a BSc in Economics at Bristol, spent time travelling and settled in Christchurch, New Zealand. Now married and granted New Zealand citizenship. Working in IT, in a Management Information role. Interests include cycling, football, skiing and hill walking.

Sioned Beale (1995-2002) After a degree in Social and Economic History at Liverpool (2.1), now doing a Masters in History of Art at Warwick. Tells me that Nick Simmons is in Plymouth mapping the sea, Jonathan Shilton is working for an estate agent in London and concentrating on photography, Mandy Flemons is at a computer game company in Coventry and Rob McGowan has just finished his course at Coventry Uni in Disaster Management.

Graham Bray (1968-1975) After a UC Cardiff joint honours degree in Botany and Zoology, time as a Research Assistant on an off-shore island by the Pembrokeshire coast, a move to UEA in Norwich for research into rabbit physiology and behaviour and a PhD in 1988, Martyn is currently Director of Science at a large comprehensive school in East Sussex. Has celebrated his silver wedding anniversary and has two daughters.

Olivia Broadfield (1992-1999) Again another successful management of the Acoustic Stage at the Godiva Festival, much more music promotion throughout the city and now a debut album Eyes wide open to be released in Jan 2008.

Martyn Brunt (1979-1986) Successfully representing Great Britain at the Triathlon, namely 3km open water swimming, 90km cycling and a half marathon run.

Has been racing competitively in triathla since 2003. Specialises in endurance events and last year completed Ironman Canada (2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile marathon) but only entered the sport in his mid-30s. Cruelly an old school friend described his sporting turnaround as the equivalent of Joe Royle winning the Grand National. Also Head of Communications at Barclaycard.

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Nicola Carey (1996-2003) 2.1 BA Honours degree in Communication, Culture and Media. Now working for Coventry Hospital’s Radio as a volunteer presenter. Also working full time at Friars House gaining work experience with the radio station Touch FM, providing weekly Vox Pops.

Darren Carnall (1990-1995) Has been in a number of West End shows but is currently appearing in the new and spectacular show Lord of the Rings at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Sean Clothier (1997-2004) NUS President at University College, London.

Stephen Connolly (1967-1971) Worked for The Sex Pistols and The Clash in their heyday, then with Bob Marley (Zimbabwe independence day amongst others), The Rolling Stones, The Pretenders, Stiff Little Fingers, ABC, The Undertones, PIL, Bow Wow Wow, Bob Dylan, Santana et al…

David Corbett (1985-1992) Culinary star on BBC recently and director of Roland Dowell.

Graham Drury (1992-1999) Teaching and enjoying gigs with Menergy X. Hopefully appearing at Bablake in November 2008. See www.myspace.com/bablakegigs

Richard Drury (2003-2005) More TV performances and proudly part of a Girls Aloud video!

Ben Duffy (1986-1993) Cover photo of Tiger Woods for Sport magazine. See Flair for more.

Sam Foster (1997-2004) Impressive golfing progress locally and nationally.

Steven Fulleylove (1996-2003) Weakest Link heat winner and working for ExxonMobil.

Shane Geraghty (1997-2002) Full England rugby international debut and promise for future caps.

Instrumental for London Irish. See Sport section for more.

furthernews

Adrian Haynes (1977-1982)

Jamie McDonnell (1997-2004)

At Bablake, an incorrigible sports player whose academic reports too often left room for improvement. Now a lawyer, voracious learner and ex-academic underperformer! “Bablake was responsible for giving me an educational foundation whose legacy is invaluable and not at all common, even if I did not grasp its significance until later in life”. Living primarily in the US.

NUS President at Newcastle University.

Professor Basil Jarvis (1947-1954) Involved with Ross Biosciences Ltd

Jayesh Jotangia (1989-1992) Barrister and solicitor advocate. Has undertaken and headed numerous charitable projects in Coventry and now resides in London. University internship in Chicago included involvement in a case that eventually exonerated a death-row inmate and instigated a massive compensation payment.

Alex Kantor (1999-2006) Enjoying stage fright as part of The Promise (aka Scout Club 7).

Touring to mark the Centenary of Scouting. Has been appointed Lead Tenor and is quite excited by the promise of some TV work.

Christopher Mitchell (1996-2003) BSc degree in Psychology from Reading University.

Michael K Montrose (1961-1968) On www.yoyomedicalguide.com, you will go from submarines to Kilimanjaro a few times but find someone who has lived by the philosophy that life is and should be fun!

Simon Over (1975-1980) Interviewed on Classic FM – conductor of the Parliament choir!

Catharine Parker (1993-2000) Working in Canary Wharf for KPMG.

Adam Pearson (1974-1981) Sisters of Mercy guitarist from 1993-2005 , then the MC5s. Now based in Berlin.

Andrew Lawrence (1976-1983)

Dr Donna Robilliard (1988-1995)

Youngest son of John Lawrence. Been in Australia for 15 years pursuing neuroscience research. Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society.Recently promoted to Professor, in the Centre for Neuroscience at the University of Melbourne. An avid cyclist.

Appointed Head of Biology at KHVIII and celebrated her marriage in the summer.

Cassie Leedham (1992-1997)

Spotted in Heartbeat!

Sole graphic designer on Control – Ian Curtis biopic. See Flair.

Alex Smith (1996-2003)

Chris Lester (1954-1961)

Illustrator whose first books will be published in early 2008. See Flair.

Went into theatre training (RADA), despite Mr Seabourne’s expressions of disapproval! A director and producer, he gained a PhD in Musical Theatre. In America and Canada for much of his career, and retired recently from McGill University (Head of Music and Drama) to return to Coventry.

Sarah-Jane Tatum (1988-1995)

Karanjit Singh Mangat (1988-1995)

Selected to play for Cambridge against Oxford at Rugby League.

After a medical degree, now working in a major trauma unit in Birmingham as part of his ongoing Surgical training.

Readers may be interested in Trevor Harkin’s account Bablake School and the Great War which explores the school’s role during this pivotal period and traces the stories of those who died in the Great War of 191418. War Memorial Park Publications ISBN 978-184426-427-8 £11.95.

Adam Mason (1988-1995) and Rachel East (1988-1995) Congratulations on their marriage in Dec 2006 and Rachel’s new job as Head of A Level PE/ Hockey at KHVIII.

Abby Simpson (1997-1999)

Now teaching at Bablake Junior School.

Jonathan Thompson (1998-2005)

Footnote > Submit further reports of former students to mgaw@bablake. coventry.sch.uk for inclusion in the next issue. bablake school

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goodbye

getinvolved

Mark McKelvie

The address by the School Captain in his final assembly

As my time in office starts to draw to a close, and as I prepare to hand on the baton to the new, soon-tobe-elected school captains, whoever they turn out to be, I have taken a moment to reflect on my life at Bablake.

It has been almost seven years since I first arrived at Bablake, as part of the Class of 2000; a member of the last Shell L form under Miss Ledbrook, now Mrs Harris.

This was back in the times when full school assemblies were just that with Shells to U6th all crammed into the hall, all standing together with many staff seated in these seats behind me. We would have to sing a hymn to the accompaniment of the organ.

There were numerous faintings and Mr Prescott had to dive in to catch them before they hit the ground.

A lot has changed in those seven years. The one thing I notice most, that hasn’t changed, is that Bablake continues to achieve academic and sporting excellence within a very sociable framework.

Many of you will have been able to identify me from my position in school, but I feel privileged to have known many outside of my own year on a more friendly level – even if that was a brief ‘hello’ in the corridor. It might not seem a lot, but it certainly makes a busy day just that bit more enjoyable – and I hope the new captains will appreciate that warmth.

Over the years, apart from the compulsory work and games, I have been involved in numerous activities including concerts, public speaking competitions across the country, Young Enterprise, Quiz tournaments, a Physics trip to Geneva, CREST award projects, one of which I presented at the Royal Society in London; speaking at the Annual District Assembly for the Rotary club, the Robot Wars club back in the second year, even appearing on TV for last year’s BBC Test the Nation for ‘Public School Pupils’ with two other classmates.

If you are to learn anything from my experience, it is to get involved and take an active part in your Bablake life. It will make the overall experience that much better.

I am very proud of the school and will miss it deeply but I wish you the very best for the future.

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last word ‘I hope you enjoy reading the magazine as much as we have all enjoyed compiling it. Bablake combines the best of the traditional with the very best of the modern and I believe we have captured that in print to celebrate the achievements of the 2006/07 year.

After spending 20 years at Bablake as a teacher, it was an immense privilege to be asked to edit The Wheatleyan and I recognise the fine legacy Mr Burden has left after over more than two decades as Editor of the school magazines.

Thank you to my editorial team who enjoyed (all too much) chasing staff for articles and brought innovation and youthful spirit! Credit especially to my main editor Will Chamberlain, an unflappable, courteous, entertaining and talented young man.

Please let me know what you think of this issue and how we can improve it even more next year! I apologise in advance for unintentional omissions or errors.’ Mark woodward , staff editor

mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk

oops!

Captions invited!

Contributions for inclusion in the 2007/08 Flair should be submitted by email to mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk

by Sept 1st 2008.

One of the country’s leading independent schools is closer than you think...

Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU t +44 (0)24 7627 1200 f +44 (0)24 7627 1293 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk