The Wheatleyan 2009- 10

www.bablake.com

Celebrating 2009/10

Issue 196 | ISSN 1759-0302

‘The vitality and energy of the Bablake community leap out from between these warm and colourful pages! The joint enterprise of pupils and staff is richly evident in a vast array of accolades and experiences, which reflect a palpable sense of pride in our school and its shared values. High expectations and diverse opportunities are built on mutual encouragement and support, so that together we celebrate last year’s feast’ john watson, headmaster

Student Editorial Team News and Features Rees Herrod and Millie Ross (Editor) Beyond the Classroom Pippa Collison, Daniel Richards and Sophie Tumber Flair – Literature Beth Austin, Olivia Battle-Welch, Caitlin Edwards and Rosie Gaunt Flair – Art and Design Lauren Deeth-Kelt, Alex Hoare and Letitia Russell Performing Arts Mariam Ghadimzadeh, Leah Judge and Chris Starkey Sport Sam Jack, Alex Popplewell, Beth Sargent and Georgie Webber Former Pupils Hannah Barfield, Aaren Healy, Emily Mason and Katie Timms Advertising and Distribution Emily Sheard and Naomi Smith

Photography Isobel Ferguson and Catherine Langford Technical Guru Luke Briggs Design Mustard Design www.mustardhot.com Print Windrush Contributions Thanks especially for the photography to Abhimanyu Bose, Paul Cleaver and the Art department, Rob Dougall, Paul Hollingsworth, Jack Kelly, Scott Morgan, the PE department, Richard Smith, Chris West, Mark Woodward and many more.

Invaluable help with editing: Sarah Harris.

Front Cover photograph ‘The Chemist’ by Mark Woodward

Bablake School, founded in 1344, is a school within the Coventry School Foundation (registered charity No 528961) and exists to provide quality selective education for boys and girls. The senior school of around 850 pupils shares the site with the junior school of some 190 pupils. A language study centre at Le Fousseau, an 18th century manor house near Fougères in northern France, is used by pupils of the Foundation schools. King Henry VIII School founded in 1545 and Bablake Pre Prep founded in 1909 are also part of the Foundation.

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

www.bablake.com Printed on paper sourced from sustainably managed forests.

inthisissue

Highlights 4 News & features

Headmaster’s Review 6 Prize winners 8 Achievements 9 Beyond Bablake 10 Magic Bablake Moments 11 Staff News 12 Borneo Adventure 20

20

23 Beyond the classroom 24

Young Apprentice 24 Millie’s Almanac 25 CCF 30 D of E 31 Using the Plot 33 Well Weathered 38

65

51 Flair

Creative Writing 52 Art Gallery 56 Design Technology 60 Fashion 62 Photography 64

68 Performing arts 70

Taming of the Shrew 70 Nativity 73 On Song 74 West End Girl 77 Our Feet Keep Dancing 78

98

79 Sport

Sporting Board of Honour 80 SA Rugby Tour 83 Biathlon 84 Cricket 86 Netball 94

105

100 Former pupils

Obituaries 101 Peter Bush 102 Remembrance Day 103 In the Land of the Invisible Women 105 www.bablake.com

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news&features

news& features Edited by millie ross and rees herrod

‘In preparing this year’s edition of The Wheatleyan, the editorial team has gone further than ever to discover and present both the obvious and the more subtle talents that Bablake has to offer. It has been impossible to include everything that has happened over the past academic year because Bablake continues to offer such vast array of achievements on both the academic side and in an extensive variety of extra-curricular activities; however we have done our best to display an accurate image of life here at the school. We have endeavoured to portray the vibrant atmosphere and hope that in reading the magazine, you are able to experience a small feeling of the excitement and involvement that we believe is reflected throughout.’

Millie Ross, Student Editor

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the wheatleyan 2009/10

Highlights Headmaster’s Review 6 Prize Winners 8 Achievements 9 Beyond Bablake 10 Magic Bablake Moments 11 Staff News 12 Borneo Adventure 20

prizegiving

‘Stunning ambassadors who are clearly making the most of opportunities and expectations...’

Bablake Prize Giving for 2009/10 Dhiran Vagdia presents the prizes

Guest of honour, former pupil Mr Dhiran Vagdia (1989 – 96) presented the prizes.

An Architecture graduate from the University of Nottingham, Dhiran is director of Vagdia and Holmes Architects, Coventry. Chair of the West Midlands region of the Royal Institute of British Architects, he is an ambassador for Coventry, a member of the Round Table and Rotary and tutors and examines at the University of Nottingham.

As well as the traditional musical entertainment, performed this year by Bradley Gill and our U6th Form Music Scholars, the Headmaster invited the following 5 pupils, “stunning ambassadors who are clearly making the most of opportunities and expectations”, to express a highlight of their choice from 2009-10 at Bablake: Rory Kenney-Herbert, Aron Sood, Katie Carlson, Beth Rowland, Rebecca Appleton and Chris Starkey. www.bablake.com

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head’sreview

Bablake Prize Giving for 2009/10 Headmaster’s annual review Before the prizes were presented, in his Annual Review Headmaster Mr John Watson celebrated the sheer variety and sparkle of our pupils and explained our ‘core’ business.

2009-10 was not exceptional in providing a rich harvest of successes, but I am always staggered by the sheer variety and sparkle of our young people’s talents.

They are all different, they never cease to amaze and surprise us, and we can share their excitement when they both meet and outstrip our expectations.

Yes, we can again be proud of the statistics, but they actually tell the passive onlooker little about the vibrancy and care which make our community so special, or about the pride which we all share as its members.

But before we hear about some of last year’s highlights, it’s perhaps helpful to pause for a few moments as we consider what we’re trying to achieve, and also a little bit about how government helps or hinders us.

What’s our ‘core business’? Well, it must be the development of young people into successful, responsible and, hopefully, happy adulthood. Teaching, learning and guidance or support are the principal cornerstones of our community, and perhaps our greatest joy is seeing our leavers embark as generous, well-rounded and confident people on the next stage of their lives. I should also add that the leavers’ last day is also a day when many a tear is shed, mostly by staff!

School shouldn’t be comfortable and easy, for we actually grow most through challenge, adventure and mistakes. Children need to be nurtured, but they also need to be taken out of their comfort zone. The mantra at the beginning of the new school year has been expectations and opportunities.

As staff we must have the highest expectations of learning, selfmotivation and intellectual curiosity, as well as conduct, consideration and appearance. Aspiration comes through inspiration, and then determination and perspiration ensure ultimate success.

Those sitting in front of me are not primarily here through brilliance, but because they reached for the stars and then put in the necessary hard graft to get there. And we know that those who underachieve are those who expect success served up to them, who think it’ll be all right on the night. In an age of instant gratification, when so much is available at the touch of a button or the click of a mouse, we risk, as adults, cocooning our young people so that they never have personally to grapple or struggle in order to excel.

And what about that word ‘risk’? It’s pretty institutionally unfashionable. Everything has to be carefully measured and monitored, so that accidents or

‘...and we’ll be left to get on with what we’re best at: and that, of course, is the ‘core business’ of providing an excellent, well-rounded education for our young people.’

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the wheatleyan 2009/10

head’sreview mistakes don’t happen – because there’s no such thing as an accident! We now spend far too much time on ensuring that we comply as a school with almost 130 regulations, the majority relating to safe recruitment of staff. We have to phone up referees to ask them whether it really was them who signed and sent a reference. A retired member of staff who hasn’t set foot in school for three months but returns to help with some teaching or invigilation has to undergo a full criminal record check, and, unless we remember to ask him or her in for a cup of coffee within the next three months, will have to be checked out again. We conduct countless risk assessments to govern every department and activity in school, as well as off-site visits. I’m reminded of a primary school which allowed children a few years ago to make an ice-slide on the playground before school. It allowed them to have some fun, until (you guessed) one had an accident and broke his arm. The school was found negligent, but won their appeal when common sense prevailed. Lord Denning, Master of the Rolls at the time, spouted some Shakespeare and summed up by saying that children had to learn to take risks, and that there was no safer place in the land to learn such lessons than the school playground. We, of course, stayed open in last winter’s snow, helped by our tractor and ample supplies of grit, whilst many of the local state schools remained closed for days, petrified that children would slip on the uncleared ice.

Well, do we detect a slight change of heart in government? The fact that the DCSF (Department for Children Schools and Families) has reverted to being the Department for Education must surely be progress.

Some of the more ridiculous aspects of safeguarding have been scrapped, including that monumental waste of money and effort, Contact Point. Mr Gove wants a return to a more knowledge-based education – but not too soon, please, as staff are still coping with the introduction of new AS, new A2 and new GCSE specifications. He wants us to embrace the spirit of The Dangerous Book for Boys, although it’s a shame he omits to mention The Daring Book for Girls. Whilst there will be no return to assisted places, and the new government is unlikely to favour independent schools, perhaps, at least, there’ll be less meddling and we’ll be left to get on with what we’re best at: and that, of course, is the ‘core business’ of providing an excellent, well-rounded education for our young people.’

After the excellent pupils’ presentations, the Head then listed some of his own 2009-10 highlights.

Pupils again won prestigious Gold Crest Awards, with Lauren James (who joined us for the 6th Form) coming runner-up in the national awards for her project on Bees and their identification by DNA; bees proved quite lucrative for her, for she was not only given a medal, but also a £500 cash prize! We were national finalists in the British Professional Women’s Public Speaking Competition, the Business and Accounting Skills Education Competition and the Junior Maths Challenge.

Student journalism flourished, and the new online Squash magazine won a regional prize.

The Art and Design Technology summer exhibitions were particularly stunning: many of us would have willingly given a home to Arkwright Scholar Adam Rogozinski’s beautiful patio table which had originally been delivered to school as a huge lump of iroko hardwood. We thrilled to the playing and singing at the Easter Concert in the Main Hall, which culminated in Vivaldi’s Gloria. The House Drama Festival showed the house system at its best with Shell to 6th Formers working in perfect synergy and in mutual encouragement and friendship.

Duke of Edinburgh has continued to thrive, with over 230 participants, and the CCF, as we have heard, enjoyed a successful biennial inspection, with cadets unflinching as the rain poured down during the final parade. James Faulkner, then a 3rd Year, climbed 5700m up Mt Kilimanjaro for the NSPCC, whilst others of us puffed our way around the Bablake Mile for Sport Relief in an array of colourful costumes!

We are currently unbeaten in the Coventry Cup Cricket finals (with one still to play); in the U14 game, cousins Matthew Clements and Dominic Rae shared a partnership of 292 not out, with Matthew scoring 202, and Dominic the balance. Our U16 and U19 netball teams won through to the West Midlands Finals, whilst the U15s won the Coventry Schools Tournament, scoring 80 and conceding only 7. I enjoyed seeing jaws drop at the sight of our new Fitness Suite, Climbing Wall and Dance Studio, all of which have been a tremendous asset to our sports programme. Numerous city, county, regional and national representative honours have been won in a variety of sports.

Visits and expeditions at home and abroad included equally snowy trips to Russia for History and North Wales for Geography, as well as hockey and rugby tours for the boys. And the Headmaster visited China to establish links and to interview some prospective pupils; the first three have recently begun in our L6th, and I hope that we shall soon be organising a visit to the Suzhou Industrial Park Number 2 Middle School.

We couldn’t possibly cover every aspect of school life tonight, and I hope you are kept pretty well informed via the website and newsletters. As a staff, both teachers and support staff, we are all committed to extending these life-enriching opportunities.

Finally, please join with me in thanking all our staff for their dedication and service.

And thank you too to the Governors for their ongoing and passionate support of our school, and to you, the parents, for joining us in this unpredictable but hugely rewarding enterprise of nurturing the young people before me.

The full speech can be found online at www.bablake.com/headmasters_notes.php www.bablake.com

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prizewinners

Prize Winners The most prestigious of over 200 individual prize-winners this year included: Shell Scholars 2010 – 11

6th Form Scholarships

Academic Scholars Joe Harty, Katerina Jackson, Amelia Noble, Heena Pala, William Rowland, Harry Vincent, Jack Whitaker

Academic: Rebecca Appleton, Hannah Elsy, Bethany Evans, William Kenney-Herbert, Jonathan Lawrence, Hannah Naguib, Oliver Robinson, Robert Vallance Music: Emma Fairclough, Harriet Ryland Sport: Rebecca Appleton, Ben Davies, Ashni Desai, William Kenney-Herbert Whitehouse: Anuriti Aojula, Smiriti Aojula, Julia Ryland

Art Scholar Danny O’Malley Music Scholars Bethany Carter, Alexander Glendon-Doyle, Albert Jie, Harry Vincent

William Townsend Form Prizes Shells Attainment: Roisin Bowe, Madison Cotteret, Rory Kenney-Herbert, Nick Payne, Ciara Wyman Progress: Mej Farid, Rachel Faulkner, Charlotte Kane, Philippa Morris, Alesha Robinson 2nds Attainment: Francesca Bellingeri, Amy Kuner, Connor Putnam, Danujan Sivanesan, Alexander Towlson Progress: Phoebe Brook, Eleanor Brown, Jake Burgess, Honor Klesnik-Edwards, Emma Robinson 3rds Attainment: Jess Betts, Bradley Gill, Olivia Luciano, Kalika Puri, Joshua Rowe Progress: Philippa Chowne, Richard Price, Charles Taylor, Oliver Weaver, Adam Wellings

4ths Attainment: Ben Evans, Marlena Cummings, Anna French, Lois Miller, Georgia Powell Progress: Lucy Burns, Craig Easton, Abigail Mason, Charlotte Pinkham, Shannon Smith 5ths Form Prize: Hannah Elsy, Henry Hirst, Priya Jaspal, Nicola McIntyre, Mayanka Patel, Louise Poole, Mark Robinson Excellence at GCSE: Anuriti Aojula, Smiriti Aojula, Rebecca Appleton, Tom Calderbank, Sophie Carlson, Hannah Elsy, Bethany Evans, Emma Honess, Kurt Ibberson, Jodie Keith, William Kenney-Herbert, Jonathan Lawrence, Sophie Lilly, Daniel Parvis, Louise Poole, Julia Ryland, Samy Shebl, Ceri Smith, Elizabeth Stefaniak, Robert Vallance, Philip Wild

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the wheatleyan 2009/10

Named 6th Form Awards

Lane Scholarships awarded to L6th Formers for outstanding academic achievement: Jamie Bryson, David Dwyer, Eleanor Jones, Lydia Sharples, Oliver Towlson Pembroke Science Award: David McLennan

J V Rattigan Cup for Merit: Sophie Tumber Jackson Progress Prize: Rachel Hollinrake Leonard Ward Trophy for Sportswoman of the Year: Beth Hushon Seabourne Trophy for Sportsman of the Year: Conor Jones Best Contribution to the School by students new to the 6th Form: Lauren James, Nadine Naguib Chris Ashworth Trophy (Outstanding Achievement): Jonathan Smith Former Pupils’ Association Prize for Merit: Hitesh Bansal, Jim Chen, Jayson Parmar, Radha Seghal, James Vallance, Michael Whitlow H Curt Prize for Service: Paramjit Uppal Hawley Cup for Service: Roya Ziaie Humberstone Prize for Character and Scholarship: Daniel Lawrence 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.

achievements

Congratulations

Arkwright Scholarship: Luke Briggs (following Adam Rogozinski) British Computer Society Award (Coventry): Squash magazine – Luke Briggs (Technical Guru), Caitlin Edwards, Rosie Gaunt (Editor) and Millie Ross Business and Professional Women’s Public Speaking Competition National Finalists: Hannah Elsy, Julia Ryland Coventry Festival of Speech and Drama: Humorous Verse – Matthew Hayhurst Extended Project Qualification: Jim Chen, Tom Chen, Martyn Gray, Shindy Lall, Nadine Naguib, Jonathan Smith, Daisy Twigger Gold Award in the 2010 RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) International Chemistry Olympiad: Hitesh Bansal Gold Crest Award: Hitesh Bansal, Meera Garala, Kai Hartshorn, Lauren James (runner up in National Awards), Devan Pankhania, Radha Seghal, Josh Sood, Pam Uppal, James Vallance, Uma Venkataraman, Michael Whitlow.

Gold Crest Certificate for the Engineering Education Scheme: Arrandeep Banwait, Luke Briggs, Isobel Ferguson, Adam Pitt

ICAEW National Business Game National Finalists: Pip Collison, Rhys Edwards, Millie Ross, Charlotte Rouse, Chris Starkey, Will Thornhill Grade 8 Music: Matt Lewis (Recorder, Bassoon and Theory), Sam Lewis Maths Challenge: Senior Gold award winners – Kenny Sangha, Matt Lewis; Junior Challenge Team National Finalists – Elliot Forbes, Anna French, Lara Morley-White, Danujan Sivanesan Media: Coventry Telegraph Independent Education/ Shells/6th Form booklets – Nadine Naguib, Millie Ross Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD) Scholarship: Alex Hoare Physicist of the Year (University of Warwick award to local schools): Oliver Towlson School Captains 2010-11: Alex Hoare, Millie Ross Senior Prefects 2010-11: Jay Brahach, Pippa Collison, Caitlin Edwards, Rosie Gaunt, Rees Herrod, Sam Jack, Alex Popplewell, Emily Sheard, Chris Starkey, Sophie Tumber Young Apprentice (BBC): Arrandeep Banwait – reserve finalist www.bablake.com

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finaldestinations

Beyond Bablake

All 101 of our talented U6th leavers are embarking upon an impressive and exciting range of challenges presented by first-rate establishments and employers.

UK UNIVERSITIES 15 London (Imperial 5, King’s College – KCL 3, University College London – UCL 3, Heythrop College 1, London School Of Economics – LSE 1, Queen Mary 1, Royal Holloway 1) 7 Birmingham 5 Leeds 4 Nottingham, Warwick 3 Bath, Coventry, Durham, Exeter, Portsmouth 2 Aberystwyth, Gloucestershire, Leicester, Nottingham Trent, Oxford, Oxford Brookes, Sheffield 1 Brighton, Bristol, Brunel, Cardiff, Cumbria, Duchy College, Hull, Lancaster, Leeds Metropolitan, Leeds Trinity, Liverpool, Loughborough, Plymouth, Sheffield Hallam, Surrey, Swansea EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES 1 Debrecen, Hungary GAP YEAR 19 (inc Year In Industry placement 1) EMPLOYMENT 1 Listers – Audi DEGREE DISCIPLINES The Arts, Humanities and Languages – 9 1 Architecture (Landscape) 1 Art and Design 4 English (inc Creative Writing 1, History 1, Language & Literature 1) 2 French (German 1, Studies 1) 1 Religion, Philosophy and Ethics

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the wheatleyan 2009/10

Engineering, ICT, Health & Medicine, Natural & Physical Sciences, Sports Science – 34 2 Biochemistry 2 Biology (inc Biological Sciences 1) 2 Biomedical Science 3 Dentistry 2 Engineering (Mechanical 1, Motor 1) 1 Forensic Science 3 Mathematics (inc Music 1, Philosophy 1) 6 Medicine 3 Natural Sciences 4 Physics (inc Theoretical Physics & Applied Mathematics 1) 1 Physiotherapy 1 Radiotherapy 1 Speech Science 2 Sport and Exercise Sciences 1 Tournament Golf Social Sciences – 38 7 Business Studies (inc Business IT and Accounting & Financial Management 1, International Business Management 1, International 1, IT 1, Management 1) 2 Criminology (inc Criminal Justice 1) 8 Economics (inc Finance & International Business 1, Politics 1) 2 Education (English 1, Primary 1) 4 Geography (inc Human Geography 1) 2 History (Politics 1, Russian Studies 1) 3 Law (inc Management 1) 2 Management (inc International Management & German 1) 1 Politics 6 Psychology (inc Philosophy 1, Social Psychology 1) 1 Urban Studies and Planning

captains’spotlight

Magic Bablake moments Dan: Whatever our personal defining moments at Bablake, there are so many experiences and memories we all shared together.

Pam: Was it that feeling you had when you received those amazing GCSE results? Or the moment you realised that you had made a friend for life?

D: Was it the moment when, after so many cold morning practices, your sports team finally won that trophy?

P: I don’t think I’ll forget the day we first arrived in the Shells, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ties done up properly and shirts tucked in, all skirts below the knee, something Mrs. Thomas would definitely approve of. I will never forget getting lost in my first week and having to approach a scarily tall 6th former to ask how I could find the HE Department. It was daunting trying to make such a good first impression but we all quickly found our feet and in many cases, even in those first weeks, made a friend that we still call a friend today. What about our form trips to Fousseau in the 2nd year to help develop our French skills; certainly many benefited from this, some even using la langue de l’amour to express their own love. In fact this trip gave our year some of the best gossip we have ever had. Tales of ‘fun on the ferry’ and extensive visits to other people’s dormitories were certainly widespread.

However, one of the best moments from our classes’ Fousseau trip include how Robin White, who everyone knows as the 7ft 6’’ boy in our year, managed to get into the cinema on the ferry for free on an under 5s ticket and also how another member of our class, managed to turn up 24 hours late for the coach from Coventry to Portsmouth.

Millie Ross discovers 2009-10 school captains Daniel Lawrence and Pam Uppal reflecting on what the Class of 2003 may treasure about Bablake.

D: Many of you will guess that my years in the Rugby team were of special importance and be amused that all those years of training and competing as hard men culminated in that moment at the Leavers Ball where the team all sang ‘Angels’ by that beautiful man, Robbie Williams.

P: Our academic work, as much as some of us tried to avoid it, played arguably the biggest part of our Bablake experience. The preparation for public examinations, at GCSE and A Level, dominated our time here from 4th year and ever since really. None of us can ever forget our encounters with intensive revision the days before an important exam. None of us will forget how during every exam season, the usually gloomy British weather gave way to a blissful Mediterranean clime so we would spend our days longing for the glare of the hot sun during a painfully dull three hour exam. No one will forget how during exams even the most bright and bubbly amongst us could be transformed into stressed out monsters. But certainly no one here will ever forget the relief when it had all finished, and the joy of receiving good results. At this point I think it apt to thank our teachers, who taught us diligently, imparted so much knowledge and wisdom onto us and, sometimes in the face of all adversity, put up with us.

D: The Last Day will certainly rate in all our minds as one of the best times at Bablake. Mr Seeley busily trying to redirect traffic and get us out of the way to let buses into the turning circle was pure hilarity. Not only that, but posters of models with Mr Watson’s head superimposed upon them made many of us certain he was destined for a career in modelling instead of education. Costumes of particular mention were Saul Hillyer’s ‘Bear’ and Jonathan Smith’s ‘School Girl and Lollipop Lady’ combo. As much fun as the last day was, it was also for many quite a sad time, as it was on that day that the realisation hit many of us, that actually we were leaving school; this truly was our last ever day at Bablake.

P: I am certain each one of us has a memory that has impacted on our lives. I’m absolutely certain we wouldn’t be doing so many fantastic things this year, wouldn’t have the friends we have and, more importantly, would not be the same people without this School. Dan and I have been honoured to act as school captains for the year and wish you all the very best, Class of 03. www.bablake.com

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staffnews

Valete In the spotlight...

Student Editor Millie Ross discovers how Mr McConaghy (AJMc), Mr Dougall (RJD) and Mrs Tatum (PAGT) feel about leaving Bablake.

What roles have you had in school that my peers would not have seen?

AJMc: Throughout the 80s, there were only about 24 prefects at the time plus about 6 senior prefects. I was their form tutor and our form room used to be in room 6.

RJD: Life-saving and swimming responsibilities, as well as teaching rugby and cricket to Shell boys!

PAGT: Before coming to Bablake, I was already a professional singer.

Are you sad to be leaving?

AJMc: Oh yes. I’ve been here for my entire career, which of course was not the plan. I presumed I’d teach here, gain some experience and then move somewhere else but I was promoted within the school so I never felt the need to move.

RJD: I am looking forward to what the future will bring but obviously as the date gets closer and closer and particularly when I’m clearing my shelves and finding old year books, it has to be mixed feelings.

PAGT: It has been so much fun that I am sure I will, on the other hand I anticipate all the nice things that I will be able to do.

What will you miss the most about the school?

AJMc: The answer is a cliché, but the pupils! The great majority are fantastic which I know is not the same everywhere. I will of course also miss the teachers here, a great number of whom are good friends of mine.

RJD: The students, it has to be the students. I’ve discovered all sorts of cards and things which I haven’t been able to bring myself to throw away. It really is a caring school and there really is a sense of motivation amongst the pupils.

When exam time is looming I think people really do start buckling down and I think there is an inquisitiveness which makes them very enjoyable to teach.

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the wheatleyan 2009/10

PAGT: I will miss the people the most, the staff and the students! Everyone here is fantastic, although I’m sure everyone says that! It is a big family where we all feel safe.

Also I set myself very high standards for the choir, so I always expect the best and I will really miss that.

Is there anything you won’t miss?

AJMc: Oh yes a number of things! Being on duty for one, which I must say is incredibly boring. I won’t miss writing reports! I won’t miss the travelling to and from school in rush hour because whilst I think I’m even tempered, I become irrationally and violently upset at having to be in a queue!

RJD: Administration and there’s no secret to that. When I did my PGCE in the mid 70s, theory was an important element of it and there was something called Bloom’s Taxonomy that someone mentioned recently. Things tend to go full circle and you’ve just got to get out in time!

PAGT: I definitely won’t miss... the bell! I won’t miss the constant emails that one has to answer all the time. It seems that it seems to be something you can’t get away from as well as the health and safety paperwork one has to keep on top of nowadays. I can’t think of anything truly awful which just goes to show!

Is there a memory that stands out from your time at Bablake?

AJMc: That’s a difficult question. The way the staff and particularly the pupils reacted the day Dr Nuttall and his predecessor Mr Barker left.

RJD: I try to suppress the embarrassing moments! I can think of one which was almost a resigning issue. I was on duty on the terrace and someone kicked the ball onto the terrace and was being given a lecture by me.

Eventually I kicked the ball back, it bounced off a tree and came back and hit a staff member’s car. I think the

staffnews

‘The good thing about teaching is that younger people with new ideas are always replenishing it and that’s what needs to happen.’ whole school witnessed that. Don’t put that in though, it’s embarrassing. (Sorry, Rob – Staff Editor) Seriously, you have to take a pride in being party responsible for inspiring someone to go on and study English at university but the thing about English is that you sow seeds and it can take a long time for them to come into fruition: a lad who hated a Keats poem you taught in the 4th year may, 20 or 30 years later, proudly recite the first two lines and say ‘we did that with Mr Dougall!’

PAGT: Whilst pupils might cause angst at times, they will always pull it out of the bag at the last minute – even if I go home at the end of a rehearsal anxious, they always come through. But most of all there is really the incredible warmth. I have lots of strings to my bow and when I made the decision to go full time and be tied down, I didn’t feel that it would suit me but the atmosphere made me realise I had definitely made the right decision. I feel as though there is a good ethos of wanting to achieve and wanting to learn.

What plans have you got for retirement?

AJMc: Well I don’t have any significant plans but I can’t imagine not doing anything. I started school when I was four and a half in September 1955 and I haven’t had a break since! I’m going to do something but my wife unfortunately is retiring at the same time – I couldn’t persuade her not to! – so we’ll wait a little while before jumping into anything. Applying to be a magistrate, which my son, who is a barrister, suggested? I enjoy playing bridge so maybe a bit more of that; I will enjoy doing some gardening during the days rather than cramming it into the weekends. If I cannot find any part-time work that I would enjoy, I will maybe take on something voluntary. I would like to travel as, apart from the odd course, I’ve barely moved for over 30 years. I enjoy music so I hope to see some more concerts, in London perhaps.

I’d hoped to come to Mrs Tatum’s retirement concert but it’s my wife’s leaving do on the same day so as much as I would like to see Mrs Tatum’s concert, I would also like to live to see my retirement!

RJD: Well we’re moving to Devon. So we’ll have a summer of getting settled and then we hope to travel. I would like to be able to make some sort of a living from my photography. (National Geographic?) Well that might be being a bit ambitious.

PAGT: There are no huge plans, no travel plans like Mr Dougall! I want to reflect a bit, sit back a bit more. I enjoy my home, my garden, and my family mean very much to me so I like to be around and help out. There are lots of everyday things that I would like to take more of an interest in. I like walking, cycling, keeping fit – things I will now have some more time for and really enjoy. In another year or so I might consider a long trip.

What advice would you give to the person who is filling your shoes?

AJMc: To Miss Ormsby, I would say the pupils are really quite amazingly good and take advantage of it. To Mr Hopkins, as Director of Studies, I would advise him to just stay calm when he sees the queue of 6th formers asking to change subjects on first day back!

RJD: We’re not missed you know, we’re really not missed.

People come in with new ideas and that’s exactly what they need to do. The good thing about teaching is that younger people with new ideas are always replenishing it and that’s what needs to happen. So I don’t need to give anyone advice other than have your own ideas and that’s what the school needs.

PAGT: Lots of enthusiasm is very important! As a year head you need to be true to yourself, set your standards high and be fair – firm but fair. In music, lots of enthusiasm and a real passion for the subject will shine through. www.bablake.com

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staffnews ‘We saw the retirement this year of, amongst others, three highly esteemed colleagues, who between them devoted 77 years of their lives to serving the school.’

Mr John Watson, Headmaster

Mr Andrew McConaghy

by Mr John Watson Andrew McConaghy arrived at Bablake as a new teacher of History in 1973. Amongst the notes and doodles on the interview sheet, the then-headmaster Edward Burrough had written: ‘Very good man in a modest way.’

This prescient description was to remain true of Andrew throughout his 37 years at the school.

His outstanding History teaching and organisational skills soon earned him promotion, and, after a spell as Head of General Studies, he became Assistant Head of Sixth Form, and then Head of Sixth Form. In a self-evaluation, he wrote of himself: ‘I am not usually afflicted with doubts over what to do, other than the curse of all historians, which is being able to see many points of view.’

This level-headedness and exceptional judgement deservedly earned him a place on the Senior Management Team in 1992, as Director of Studies. He was hugely respected in this position, and continued to play a major role in both academic and curricular development at Bablake until his retirement. His analytical abilities as timetabler meant that he regularly outwitted the computer, almost invariably ensuring that pupils could study their desired options.

He possessed the remarkable gift of wearing his awesome cultural and historical knowledge lightly, and this benefited both his colleagues and numerous cohorts of historians. His pupils affectionately knew him as Mr Mac, and one of his greatest strengths was to keep them amused, whether intentionally or not. Whilst not a natural athlete, he was a true “all-round schoolmaster”, and supported water polo and bridge club, managed and refereed 3rd XV rugby, and taught musical appreciation.

Andrew appreciates the finer things in life, and music, theatre, travel and culinary delights will undoubtedly feature prominently in his retirement; indeed, his courseby-course accounts of meals he had enjoyed were enough to make anyone’s mouth water. He will certainly not get bored, and will enjoy spending more time with his family.

His qualities of uncomplaining hard work, dedication

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to school, unassuming talent, wit and appreciation of life’s pleasures could perhaps be summed up in an e-mail he sent to the Headmaster towards the end of the half-term holiday in the Summer: ‘The combination of the miserable weather earlier in the week and the current patio weather means I’ve had time to complete the timetable – I hope the alfresco sections, accompanied by the occasional Pinot Grigio, show no signs of flippancy.’

We are enormously grateful to Andrew for his exceptional 37 years of service to Bablake, and we wish him and Julia a very happy and healthy retirement.

Mr Rob Dougall

by Mr Peter Burden Rob, who was a pupil at Bablake between 1962 and 1969, returned to teach in 1989 and besides being a truly inspirational English teacher, was in charge of swimming and life-guard training, as well being Assistant Head of Sixth Form from 1995 and an incredibly talented photographer.

Mr Peter Burden delivered the following leaving speech: “It says something about the affection in which Rob is held by the English department that I should be giving this speech at all. Much of the material was provided by the two female members of the department but neither Laura (Reddish) nor Louise (Yates) trusted herself to present it without breaking down. I, however, am trusted to keep my upper lip stiff.

In a way I am an appropriate choice, since my first memories of Rob are from more than 40 years ago.

He was one of a charming group of second-year 6th prefects I enjoyed working with as a crusty old third-year 6th. One tiny but revealing memory has stayed with me. One of our fellow prefects was really struggling with his prefect’s tie: for some reason he just couldn’t get the lengths and angles right. While the rest of us just found this amusing, Rob walked up behind him, said ‘Come here’ and deftly tied the tie for him. How typical, I now see, of Rob. Not only did he see that help was needed and give it without fuss, but also he gave it without any defensive parody of a doting mother or camp lover.

staffnews One thing is clear: whoever gave this speech, Rob would hate the experience for he is the nearest I know to a man without ego.

First and foremost over the last 21 years Rob has been an outstanding English teacher, passionate and hugely effective. Inventive and painstaking, he has always been on the lookout for ways to inspire and enable. From his very first Bablake lesson he made the whole ability range feel that it was possible, especially on Creative Writing. Always his exam results were superb; always the take-up for A Level from his 5th form groups was high. He became a legend amongst his pupils. I am told that one A Level set was so enthused by him on Sylvia Plath that they wouldn’t let Ian Appleby even teach them Ted Hughes’ poems.

Part of what made Rob so fine an English teacher was his own depth and breadth – his knowledge of the arts, superb ICT skills, magnificent photography, cooking ability and intrepid travelling of the world. I am told one of Rob’s biggest regrets this year was that he didn’t become stranded in Damascus: he would have loved the challenge of making his way back in short stages across Europe. Much of the detailed finish of the theatre block is down to him, as is so much of the School’s publicity. Is it any wonder he was a Head of General Studies’ dream?

Always, as we have hinted, a source of willing help, Rob was seen by some as a knight in shining armour, always busy but never too rushed to offer assistance.

Though diligent in his roles as Form Tutor and Assistant Head of Sixth Form, Rob never chased the prizes or the status. He was always true to his first love: the children.

Pupil-tracking was not always high on his agenda, and he has been known to miss departmental meetings that even Prescott remembered!

We shall miss everything about him from his Bohemian spirit to his elegant, flowing script, though not perhaps the occasionally tuneless whistle.

And then there are his looks! Rob’s attractive older man image appealed widely to pupils, colleagues and colleagues’ spouses alike. It seems so unfair that he should be nearing 60 but look 41 – and that on a bad day!

You can’t work with someone for so long without picking up on some of his habits. One of Rob’s favourite phrases, much heard at parents’ evenings, is ‘I am mindful of the fact...’. Well, Rob, we are mindful of just how much we owe you.

I want to end by quoting a few words from Ian Appleby, Rob’s Head of Department for most of his time here. He writes, ‘Rob is a most unassuming man who shuns the limelight but if anyone deserves to be right in the centre of its glare then Rob is that man. As a teacher, as a colleague, as a friend he is quite simply the top.”

Mrs Patricia Tatum

by Mrs Gill Thomas Patricia was a professional singer before becoming a teacher, and joined Bablake in 1991. As well as being a source of great inspiration through her Music teaching and her direction of the school’s choirs, she was Head of Middle School from 1999, and her pastoral

encouragement, guidance and professionalism were hugely valued. The eagle-eyed may even have spotted her amongst the Coronation Street extras.

When we sung hymns in assembly I always strived to stand, or sit, close to Patricia. It was wonderful to hear her voice – controlled in the setting but beautiful and expressive, a fullness achieved with such ease. After 21 years working within the Foundation, both part time and full time, her voice no longer rings out in Bablake, though I sincerely hope we will be treated to more at Carol Services and other occasions in the future.

Respected and sought after by many organisations in Coventry, Pat also worked part-time for both KHVlll and Bablake before remaining at Bablake in 1995. She had developed links with the Junior School and this continued, ensuring continuity as pupils moved up from one school to the other.

She made an enormous contribution to the music in the school, particularly (but not exclusively) with singing. Her ready, reassuring and encouraging smile as her groups assembled and prepared to perform at concerts and competitions gave them confidence. At the end of each piece, it signified her acknowledgement of their achievement and pleasure at their performance.

Pupils were always thoroughly prepared and, over the years, the Chorale achieved considerable success at the Leamington Festival. Pat organised and supported many a musical waltz across most of Europe (e.g Vienna and Prague) and as far afield as New York. In her academic role she set and achieved the same high, professional standards as in performance.

In 1999 Patricia became Head of Middle School. As in all her roles, she was entirely professional in her approach and she was highly respected by her tutor team and by the pupils in her care. She spent a great deal of time following up pupils who gave cause for concern either academically or pastorally whilst always aiming to ensure that the remainder of the cohort achieved their potential.

In true Mikado style, ‘not one of them was missed – she had them all on the list’!

As a colleague, it was a pleasure and a privilege to work with Patricia. The demands on her talents grew but she never failed to carry out all aspects of her diverse roles with integrity, and always cheerfully and with good humour.

I will always be grateful for the time and invaluable support she gave to me in all aspects of school life, and for her sense of perspective and fun. How fortunate we were as staff to work alongside a professional and acclaimed soprano who had performed with the D’Oyly Carte in London, and at one of her retirement meals with Mrs Tumber and Mrs Booth.

More importantly, how fortunate we were that Patricia shared her warmth, professionalism, talents and friendship with us. www.bablake.com

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staffnews Bablake will miss her greatly but will remember her with affection.

We wish her well in her retirement and know that she will treasure her increased time with Adrian and all her family, including Inky and her new grandson Joshua.

Enjoy!

Mrs Mandy Reed

by Mrs Gill Thomas and Mrs Sue Smith Mandy started teaching at Bablake in January 1986, taking up a part-time post in the PE department. In 1993 she started to teach in the Junior School while continuing to work two afternoons in the Senior School. The Senior School PE Department was very disappointed when Mandy decided to work solely in the Junior School. While she may have been timetabled for only 6 periods a week, her contribution to the department, particularly with extra-curricular activities, was considerable.

She has been a dedicated teacher and given the girls a tremendous grounding in the basic skills and knowledge. Her lessons have always been meticulously planned and taught with much enthusiasm. There are many girls spread across the world that fondly recall Mandy teaching them the footwork rule in netball.

She has given endless hours to extra-curricular activities and has coached numerous athletes, U12 & U13 netball teams and U12 tennis squads. Her netball teams have gone from strength to strength, often winning the Coventry School netball tournaments. Many of these girls then went on, higher up in the school, to participate at regional and national finals. There is no doubt the basic skills taught by Mandy at both Junior and Senior level gave the girls the firm foundation necessary to achieve success. Her passion and expertise will be greatly missed.

Mandy eventually accepted a place to go on tour and went to Trinidad & St. Lucia in 2009. She was tremendous fun and the girls were very jealous of how well she tans! She thoroughly enjoyed seeing the girls improve their netball.

While the pupils in the Junior School will still benefit from Mandy’s expertise, the Senior School staff will miss her level-headed, wise input. The incredible contribution she has made over the years has been greatly valued by pupils and colleagues alike.

Mrs Brenda Wood

by Mr Paul Cleaver Brenda Wood came to Bablake School after a number of years in the state sector where she had served diligently as a Head of Department. During her degree she studied Sculpture and Print; these areas of expertise were put to good use during her time in our Art department, enabling pupils to realise some fantastic work throughout the whole age range that she taught.

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She took part in many of the extra-curricular activities that the department and school offered and was typically always willing to offer more than required of her. The department is already missing Brenda’s wonderful sense of humour and individual outlook on life. She is intending to resume her passion for sculpture and gardening now that she has more time on her hands.

Mr Jonty Boddington

by Mr Chris West Jonty came to join us from a state school where he had been a DT technician for several years. He quickly came to be appreciated for his calmness and quiet, but very effective approach, by both teaching staff and pupils. He was always quick to turn his hand to any demand made upon him by a pupil’s work and quite often he used to disappear for a time while he sorted out a particularly challenging problem. He would then emerge from the back of the storeroom or the maintenance department with a solution worked out which he then enjoyed putting into practice.

On many occasions a blind eye would have to be turned while he used a particular machine or tool in a manner for which it was not designed but it was impossible to argue against the result. It did not take too long for his expertise to be appreciated by many exam group pupils who all too often would be seeking out ‘Bodders’, as he came to be affectionately known, for assistance in preference to their teacher and it is not unreasonable to say that for many he achieved ‘legend’ status through his willingness to help and always take on a challenge.

Outside school his main hobby is gliding and, as well as having his pilot’s licence, he owns his own glider based near Stratford. All too often during the summer term he would spend an anxious afternoon counting down the time to the end of school and a quick drive across to his airfield and up into the sky for a couple of hours of soaring before nightfall. Despite his stories of gliding near misses, staff spent a delightful day with him last summer at his gliding club and took the chance to take to the skies and begin to understand the appeal.

His other great love was for his wife and family, especially his grandchildren, although his wife had great plans for his time during retirement starting with a holiday touring around Italy. We wish him well in his retirement but he can be assured it will be many years before the legacy he has left in the DT department is forgotten.

staffnews Mr Stuart Slater

by Mr Steve Jackson Stuart arrived at Bablake as a ‘security guard’ at our all weather hockey pitch complex on 4th March 1996.

Little did he know how his career was to blossom in the next few years! He joined the main school site staff as Assistant Caretaker in July 1998, a position he fulfilled until 2002. My first memory of him in this role was of him cheerfully pushing a trolley around the school, with number plates from a school minibus prominently positioned on the front. As was his way, he was never short of some time for some friendly banter, inevitably centring on his passion for football, Chelsea in particular, and of course speedway.

Although Stuart had already supposedly retired by the time he came to Bablake, such was his natural talent that he was seconded into the maintenance team in 2002, where he worked enthusiastically, mainly in painting and decorating, until his final retirement now in 2010, though his final duties saw him return briefly to the all weather complex.

I know so many of us amongst the teaching, administrative and support staff at Bablake thought of Stuart as a valued friend and dedicated work colleague.

His devotion to Chelsea and ‘her indoors’ is legendary! He would regale us with stories of countless away journeys, and would recount tales of Chelsea’s rise up the Premier League and into Europe, without ever admitting to being a ‘Glory Hunter’! No matter which team you supported, he would always be magnanimous in victory, and only slightly sardonic in rare defeats. Who else could have travelled to Moscow to watch their beloved team in the Champions’ League Final, there and back in less than 24 hours, when all he saw was the game, hundreds of policemen and the inside of a packed coach? No time for sightseeing, got to get back to work! His great mate at work has been Mick the joiner, and what a team they were, often watching games between Chelsea and Manchester United seated together divided in their loyalty but very much united as friends!

We wish Stuart every happiness in his retirement, but miss his company and his cockney sense of humour – it has been a pleasure, my friend!

and very positive about taking reading to young readers. She has a real passion for literature, but it is probably history that is her first love.

She proved a very easy colleague to work with and has been missed since her retirement.

The last couple of years have not blessed Pat with the best of health and we wish her well as she regains strength. She relished her role as doting grandmother and we suspect much of her spare time will be dedicated to this!

Mrs Chrissie Waddington

by Mr Ken Binsley Chrissie joined Bablake in September 2005 coming from the role of Physics technician at Caludon Castle School.

She settled in very quickly and, not long after starting here, she married Matthew. While she was working at Bablake, Chrissie was also studying hard with the Open University and was determined to progress her career. She leaves Bablake in September 2010 to study full-time at the University of Warwick.

As well as being a knowledgeable Physics technician, Chrissie is also very artistic and her influence could be seen in the Physics department.

The large beanbag and the cows will be remembered for some time, as well as the regular emails seeking homes for giant African land snails or similar!

Thank you also to our Language Assistants, Miss Someia Quaziz (French) and Miss Simone Limpert (German) for their enthusiastic preparation of our linguists, Mrs Claire Black (Modern Languages), Mr Sean Leigh (History), Mrs Anne Warren (History) and Dr Nicholas Wood (Biology) for their excellent work covering maternity leave, Mr John Robson (EVC and now Foundation – Health and Safety), Mr Howard Stringer (Assistant Caretaker, and now Junior School and Bablake Pre Prep Caretaker) and to Mr Tom Jackson for his assistance in the PE department.

Mrs Pat Thomas

by Mr Gary Park After a numbers of years giving staff invaluable reprographics help, first based in the 6th Form Library and then later in a new dedicated department, Pat moved to the area of school dearest to her as a qualified librarian.

In the four years that Pat then worked in the Main School Library she made a tremendous contribution. She was always very popular among both staff and pupils www.bablake.com

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staffnews

Salvete

A warm welcome to the following highly talented new members of staff...

Miss Kathryn Brindley (Geography) Kathryn is a former Bablake pupil, who has studied Geography and Geology at the University of Leicester and is joining us part-time. She will no doubt throw herself wholeheartedly into the life of her ‘old’ school, and, as a qualified coach, looks forward to supporting girls’ hockey.

Miss Katarzyna Dzikowska (Art) Katarzyna, who is with us part-time, studied Fine Art with Multimedia Activity at the University of Radom in Poland, where she also trained to be a teacher. She moved to England in 2008 and taught at Rugby High School. She particularly enjoys photography, outdoor activities and archery.

Miss Kate Ewart (English) Kate joins us from Charleston Academy in Inverness. She was a pupil at Fettes College before studying English Literature and Theatre Studies at the University of Glasgow. She has a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh and a PGDE from the University of Aberdeen. She has directed plays, supported the Duke of Edinburgh Award and played hockey at district level.

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Mr Alistair Hopkins (English, Director of Studies) Alistair joins us from Wolverhampton Grammar School where he was Head of English and Drama and Chairman of the Heads of Department Committee. He was educated in Kent, before studying English at St. Peter’s College, Oxford. He subsequently worked as a journalist in Bristol and Yorkshire before taking his PGCE at the University of Leeds. His first teaching post was at Bradford Grammar School, and he was Head of English at Woodhouse Grove School in Leeds before he moved to Wolverhampton. the wheatleyan 2009/10

Mr Inderpal Kalsi (Chemistry) Inderpal was educated at President Kennedy School in Coventry, before studying for his MSc in Chemistry at the University of Warwick. He took his PGCE at Warwick too, and is looking forward to his first teaching post. He is a keen cricketer and chess-player.

Miss Kelly Ormsby (History) Kelly was educated at KHVIII, where she was Head Girl. She studied for her BA in History at the University of Manchester, and completed her PGCE at the University of Warwick.

She is also qualified to teach Religious Education and Classics, and enjoys playing netball and rugby.

Mrs Catherine Scott-Burt (Music) Cathy was Assistant Director of Music at Aylesford School in Warwick. After graduating from Trinity College of Music in London, she spent several years as a professional violinist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and as a peripatetic violin teacher. She studied for her PGCE through the Open University, and is also a trained singer, accustomed to directing choirs.

Mr Ian Tovey (Chemistry) Ian is a graduate of Manchester University who has previously been Deputy Head at both North Leamington and Myton. Ian joins us part-time and is also looking forward to being part of our Choir.

Miss Stacey Wilson (Head of Girls’ Sport) Stacey studied Sports Science and Geography at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, where she was also a regional hockey player. She has taught PE, Games and Geography at Christ’s Hospital School in Horsham since 2005, and was an Assistant Housemistress in a girls’ boarding house.

staffnews

Weddings Miss Nicola Beasley (now Mrs Green) New Arrivals Mrs Lorainne Alexander, Mrs Sarah Harris, Mrs Laura Reddish, Mrs Ceri Rees as well as former staff Mrs Lucy Hardstaff and Mr Jeffrey Swales.

Mrs Abidah Hussain will be teaching Biology as maternity cover for Mrs Lorainne Alexander. Mrs Camilla Born joins to teach English as a Foreign Language to our new Chinese pupils, while Mr Liam Connelly (ICT Technician), Mrs Beverley Lewell (Senior Science Technician), Mr Patrick Herbert (Assistant Caretaker), Mr Andrew Solomon (DT Technician), Mr Anthony Jones (Maintenance) and Mr Saawan Patel (PE Assistant) all join our Support Staff.

Miscellaneous Mr Mark Taylor stood as a UKIP candidate in Coventry.

Former Staff Mr Mark Turner following a Ludlow art exhibition, received a commission for four paintings from Starbucks, Shrewsbury.

Congratulations: New responsibilities Mrs Louise Alderson, Head of 5th Year Mrs Helen Billings, Head of German Mr Ken Binsley, Physics Technician Miss Rana Blattner, Lead Timetabler Mr Rob Burdett, Assistant Head of 6th Form Mr Preet Chahal, Senior ICT Technician and EVC Mrs Carol Davey, Assistant Head of 6th Form Mrs Beth Hill, Minor Languages and Languages Visits Co-ordinator Mrs Linda Monarch, Minibuses Mrs Julie Needham, Head Librarian Mr Gary Park, Second in English and Acting Head of English Mr Andrew Phillips, Internal Examinations and Invigilation Co-ordinator Mrs Lucy Ryan, Assistant Librarian Mr Richard Sewell, Assistant Timetabler Mrs Sue Smith, Head of 4th Year, Assistant Timetabler Mr Ade Statham, Network Manager Mrs Danny Thomas, ICT training Mrs Gail Timothy, Head of French and Languages Co-ordinator Mrs Alison Tumber, Head of 6th Form Mrs Louise Yates, Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator

www.bablake.com

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parents’association

jungle jack’s borneo adventure U6th pupil Jack Kelly, who gratefully received the Parents’ Association’s Liz Riddoch Gap Year award, is interviewed

by Millie Ross about his Gapforce placement.

Firstly, you were given a grant for this trip. Tell us a little about that.

Yes, I received a grant from the Parents’ Association, in the memory of Liz Riddoch who was their treasurer. It is awarded to people who are taking part in voluntary or charity work and require funding, either in the UK or abroad. Luckily for me I was the only one to apply for the grant! So I received the full amount which really helped me pay for all the jabs and kit I needed.

Which three words would best describe the trip?

Challenge. Adventure. Life-changing!

For example, there is a danger in the jungle of ‘deadfall’, where a tree or branch dies and breaks off, but because the canopy is so thick it is held in place by the surrounding trees and vines. However. when there’s a large gust of wind or a branch below it dies, then the whole thing comes crashing down without warning. One night I set up my hammock between two trees but something didn’t feel right. They seemed too close together for a comfortable night’s sleep, so I moved to a different set of trees about ten metres away.

Halfway through the night there was a huge crash and a massive lump of deadwood had landed slap bang in the middle of the two trees I’d originally set my hammock up on. Safe to say I felt quite lucky seeing that.

Another time, thanks to a faulty GPS, we managed to find ourselves lost miles away from where we should’ve been; finding your way back through the dense jungle wilderness is no easy task! We were lost for 6 hours, 3 of which were in total darkness. I wasn’t worried about safety, as we had more than enough survival training to keep us going, it was more the fact that it was the complete unknown; there are less stressful places to get lost. A lot also depends on your state of mind. You can feel on top of the world out there, but when you get depressed or down, it can seem very claustrophobic and encroaching.

Were there any moments when you were genuinely worried for your safety or health?

To cope with the dangers and demanding environment of the jungle, we were given an intensive jungle survival training phase which is based on the British Army’s actions.

So we all knew potential dangers and the proper procedures to follow if something went wrong. Despite this, there were still a few very close calls!

Tell us about the wildlife that you encountered.

The wildlife made it feel like I was in another world. Borneo was my first step outside Europe so I wasn’t used to the huge amount of variety in everything, and how huge some of the insects were! There’s a constant buzzing around you during the day because of sweat bees. Yes, they drink your sweat! If that wasn’t bad enough, wasps about twice the size of the ones here hunt the sweat bees and there’s no

Was the trip worth all the preparation and fundraising?

Absolutely! It took a lot to get me there but it was really worth it. I had to have so many jabs because of the array of unpleasant diseases threatening the area, as well as buy a month’s supply of expensive malaria pills but once you’re immersed in breathtaking views of mountain ranges, enveloped in untouched jungle wilderness, surrounded by ancient tribal relics or wading waist deep in floodwater through dense jungle with a 20kg pack and creatures slithering past your legs, you feel like money’s no object for that kind of experience.

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parents’association escaping them flying around you. It was funny coming home after that and watching people leap out of their chair as soon as a wasp came near them.

Leeches were unwelcome guests on my legs on many occasions; the only time I was safe from them was in my hammock, otherwise I was on constant lookout for them crawling up my legs. The day I got lost, I had a grand total of 27 on me, because it was so dark I couldn’t see them climbing onto my boots.

As far as animals are concerned, many of them would disappear at the first sign of people nearby, but hearing them was great.

There’s nothing like waking up in the jungle listening to howling gibbons and other animals calling to each other. I managed to get a glimpse of a family of proboscis monkeys; it was incredible to see them in the wild. I also caught sight of a crocodile before it went back underwater but luckily that was from a boat and not on foot! Safe to say there were the biggest spiders I’ve ever seen out there, bigger than my hand which helped cure my phobia of spiders very quickly!

weird feeling that didn’t feel right. Almost a month after returning home I was still savouring warm water, a proper bed and my mum’s cooking. But even now, I still deeply miss life in the jungle.

Did you do any constructive voluntary work whilst you were out there?

The reason I went to Borneo was to do voluntary work and take part in a conservation and community project which provides endless benefits for the rainforest against deforestation, and also for the local Kelabit people from the surrounding villages such as Bario and Pa’ Umor. The work we did on a place called Hornbill Lodge was reported by the New York Times and has been selected to go into the Lonely Planet guide as well as the Borneo Post.

Do you intend to return?

I would leap at the opportunity as I’ve never experienced anything like it. It was really difficult and challenging at times but I miss it with an almost homesick feeling! It breaks my heart to think that the good Kelabit friends I made I may potentially never see again.

What was the biggest difference between UK and Borneo culture?

The Kelabit culture and that of the surrounding tribes were so much more respectful than what I was used to. It was humbling to be welcomed by so many people and to learn how some tribal languages in the area have no word for please or thank you as it is expected that those who have more give to those who have less. When people walk close past you, they use hand movements to mark out your personal space to show that they don’t want to intrude.

I saw the mark of respect some left for their loved ones: huge stone megaliths deep in the jungle in their honour.

Doors are left unlocked at night, as there is virtually no crime, so coming back home through Heathrow where no one trusts or helps a stranger was a very depressing feeling.

‘Trekking waist deep in floodwater through dense jungle wilderness, survival training, rations, machetes, leeches... all make CCF and D of E seem like a stroll in the park!’

What was the best part of the trip?

There was so much of it that I loved. Overcoming the challenge of trekking and living in those conditions, there were times I wanted to collapse crying and go home but overcoming that has made me a stronger person. The feeling of doing something worthwhile and completing the project, and also seeing animals in the wild, such as monkeys, lizards and all different insects, was awesome.

Observing a totally different culture and living and learning about the Kelabit tribe was an amazing, humbling experience too.

What was the biggest surprise about the experience?

Probably how much it changed me as it was so strange to come home. Those experiences and the isolation of the jungle had become the norm. Halfway through my time in the jungle, a plane flew overhead. It was the only reminder of an outside world. Watching it was so strange; to go from that to the hustle and bustle of cities and cars was a

Was it strange to return home?

Returning home felt so alien, I’d changed so much from what I was used to. For the first time in a long while I wasn’t covered in mud, everything was so easy. I wasn’t washing myself and my clothes in a river or lighting a fire from scratch for every meal. It was intimidating to stand in an airport with thousands of people bustling and bumping past you, and very strange to see so many white faces after living amongst a Malaysian community.

Cars sounded a lot louder than they did before I left and people seemed so much more unfriendly and rude because I was used to staying with such welcoming people.

It felt sad leaving the group behind, because we’d been living through thick and thin, from the city, to the village, to the deep jungle. Overcoming the harsh and demanding conditions of the jungle required us to depend on and support one another which brought us so close together, so my first night home was so lonely because I was sleeping alone for the first time without my group around me. It was a moving feeling once I’d come home to stand in front of the mirror, clean shaven, wearing a T-shirt rather than a cotton shirt, a pair of jeans rather than tattered combat trousers and trainers rather than the military jungle boots. www.bablake.com

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beyondtheclassroom

The following pages look through January snowfall the camera lens at a number of the opportunities shared by pupils outside the classroom both within and beyond Bablake.

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beyondtheclassroom

beyondthe classroom Edited by pippa collison, daniel richards and sophie tumber

Highlights Young Apprentice 24 Millie’s Almanac 25 CCF 30 D of E 31 Using the Plot 33 Well Weathered 38

Check online at www.bablake.com/extra_curricular.php to see the range of extra-curricular activity offered.

www.bablake.com

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beyondtheclassroom

Young

apprentice

L6th pupil Arrandeep Banwait was one of around 30,000 16-17 year olds who originally applied for Lord Sugar’s new Junior Apprentice series reports Sophie Tumber.

‘I knew I had to come across as confident but not cocky’ After passing four interviews, he was one of just 48 candidates invited to London for further task-based exercises and did tremendously well to make it through as reserve for the show. Delighted at being so close to selection for the televised tasks and the chance to be helped by Lord Sugar and his advisers, Arrandeep was sworn to secrecy about his progress until the show aired.

We asked Arrandeep for more information about his experience and for some interview tips along the way!

‘At my initial interview, I knew my first impression would be really important. I had to deliver a one minute pitch about why I should be on the show. I had to come across as smart and articulate, while making good eye contact with the interviewers. I stood up straight and didn’t slouch when being talked to. Only three out of ten candidates in my group went through!

The second round of interviews involved a five minute talk with an interviewer. I greeted her with a handshake and a smile, made sure I answered the questions to the best of my ability and took care not to overpower the interviewer. I remembered to let them have their say and asked a question of my own so they would remember me. I knew I had to come across as confident but not cocky. People always say to be yourself, relax and bring your own personality out. I had a good story to tell about how a couple of years ago I went to Cheryl Cole’s house to sell Ashley Cole a football

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shirt. This was a good ice-breaker and created a good dialogue between us. It also made me stand out from the many others she had interviewed.

My third interview was with the director and a business adviser. They quizzed me on my business ventures and asked general business questions.

Again I tried to make myself stand out by explaining my most impressive ventures. I tried to be as articulate as possible but made sure they understood everything I said and didn’t try to overcomplicate my explanations.

Again I made sure I used plenty of eye contact, smiles and clear dialogue.

Finally, I had a filmed interview. I was asked general questions about my business ventures, various questions on methods I would adopt on the show and what I felt made me stand out.

By now I was through to the final 48 and had to attend a filmed task-based interview/mock show with 12 other candidates in London. This lasted about 4 hours, included tasks as on the show, debates, writing an essay and a pitching task. I was so pleased to make it to the final 20 where there were psychological tests and interviews with my parents and directors of the show.

Naturally I had mixed feelings about not making the final 10 but being selected as reserve was a great achievement and I have learnt so much from the whole experience.’

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Millie’s almanac

One of Bablake’s 2010 – 11 school captains, Millie Ross reflects on 2009-10.

2009 – 10 has been one of the most hectic that I have experienced at Bablake.

With such an incredible range of extra-curricular activities to fit in around schoolwork and exams, there really is the opportunity to fill every day of the week! Within all these activities, some have really stood out.

The chance to visit Moscow and St Petersburg in February to enhance our knowledge of Stalinist Russia was simply too good to pass up, and after packing as many warm jumpers as possible into our suitcases we ventured into temperatures as low as -17 degrees Celsius to see the most famous attractions such as Lenin’s Mausoleum in Red Square, St Basil’s Cathedral, the Hermitage in St Petersburg and Catherine’s Palace in Tsarskoe Selo. It is a true testament to the accompanying teachers that despite such catastrophes as lost luggage, a misplaced passport, extremely over-zealous bureaucracy and a cancelled flight home due to an inch of snow in Birmingham extending our trip that I returned home wishing I’d never had to leave Russia and intending to return as soon as possible.

Back at school, the Spring term was busier than ever with House drama practices and the final performance. Then as the Summer term began, Bablake caught the same election fever which swept across the nation. People from all areas of the school community took an interest in our Mock Election.

Party leaders from the 6th Form held surgeries and canvassed in the corridors and foyers of the school.

A vast number of pupils visited the lunchtime surgeries and the final vote mirrored the national result with surprising accuracy. The hustings were very well attended by pupils from Shells through to the 6th Form and insightful questions came from all directions. The U6th also had the chance to interrogate the local candidates in a Bablake Question Time arranged and led by Mr Simon Enstone, coordinator of the school’s new U6th Enrichment programme.

The debate itself truly reflected traditional politics and was thrillingly controversial.

Something, which never fails to amaze me, is how Bablake pupils continually find more and more interesting and effective ways of raising money for charity.

This year, Sport Relief was taken upon with enthusiasm as staff and pupils completed the Bablake Mile and helped raise over £1000 for the national charity. Competitors dressed as superheroes, barefooted surfers who received much adoring attention, Miss Blobby, female sumo wrestlers, Blues Brothers, crawlers, hoppers and many more – the Headmaster even took part. I was proud to be part of a sponsored Swim the Channel event in the school pool, and with eight teams swimming simultaneously we completed the 22 mile swim in just less than two hours. One of the highlights of this event was that the group included pupils from Shells through to 6th Formers, with everyone giving their all.

Bearing this in mind, my final highlight of the last year was seeing my House, Wheatley, win the house cup. At Bablake, the house system really does offer another sense of family with each group containing

a quarter of the school from Shells all the way to teachers. Events in the house calendar range from the quiz competition, Scrabble, still fiercely competitive in the 6th Form, chess, and spelling to the drama festival, rugby, netball and many other sports! These give us the opportunity to get involved with things competitively, without necessarily having the skills for school representation. Being coaxed into the chess competition in the Shells gave me a foundation knowledge of the game and even led me to win once or twice. It also means that I have been able to interact with students throughout the school.

As I have progressed through the school, I believe I have gone from someone who learnt from the older pupils to someone who now teaches those in years below me. We clearly all have something to teach each other and I am still learning – yes, I was beaten in two moves by someone four years my junior in this year’s chess.

It is almost impossible to select highlights from the immense range of events that have happened over the past year and each year seems to present more and more.

For those new to the school my most important piece of advice is always the same: take every opportunity available to you.

We are so lucky to have the support from staff and peers at Bablake to make every day at school full of adventure and it really does pass in the blink of an eye. www.bablake.com

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beyondtheclassroom Shooting around the world...

Once again, our pupils travelled all over the world with arranged trips; in fact our pupils visited France for four different reasons! For the 6th Form, trips organised by the History and Economics departments to Russia (Moscow and St Petersburg) and America (New York) respectively really stood out.

Russia highlights

• Visiting Lenin in his Mausoleum in Red Square • Warm welcome from a local Moscow school • Excitement of being inside the Kremlin • Cultural experience of the Jazz Club and ballet • Stunning art collection in the Hermitage • Beauty and extravagance of Catherine’s Palace • The sombre gravity of the memorial to the Siege of Leningrad Photographs from Isobel Ferguson, Mrs Helen Skilton and Mr Chris West

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US highlights

• Insight into world relations via United Nations visit • Amazing photographic opportunities • Amazing sights: inc 5th Avenue, Empire State building, Wall Street, new World Trade Centre, Grand Central station, Manhattan’s Rockefeller Centre • Crazily substantial ‘trenta’-style food portions • Amazing group of people • Shopping for Leavers’ Ball dresses and accessories Photographs from Abhimanyu Bose www.bablake.com

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Across the UK

Throughout the year, there were many excursions across the UK for our CCF contingents, Duke of Edinburgh groups, drama pupils, public speakers and sports players among others.

Once again our Summer Activity Day was tremendously successful. While the Shells visited the Black Country Museum, the 2nds Birmingham’s Science Museum The Thinktank and the 3rds Nottingham’s Law Courts, most of the 4th Year headed to Bath.

4th Years visit Aquae Sulis

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Beth Shalom

Bablake’s 3rd Year pupils and those 5th Formers studying Judaism for GCSE Religious Studies have visited Beth Shalom, the Holocaust Memorial Centre, every year since it opened in the mid 90s.

The most moving part of the day for staff and pupils is always listening to a survivor of the Holocaust talk about their experiences. This year, the speaker was Mrs Mala Tribich, who first of all lived in hiding in Poland, then

experienced life in the ghetto and finally survived concentration camps at Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen.

She spoke of being vulnerable, homesick, frightened and permanently unsafe; she told how she lost so many family members, her freedom and gradually her personality when, like too many, she was made to live in a camp with her head shaven and with the same uniform as everyone else.

The words of George Santayana, displayed prominently in the centre, have a certain poignancy:

‘He who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it’

www.bablake.com

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beyondtheclassroom Three members of Bablake’s Combined Cadet Force (CCF) from across the age groups, explained to Sophie Tumber what they have gained from their service as leaders.

CCF – leading from the front...

Cadet Charlotte Loasby ‘Since joining the CCF, I have soon learnt how to work efficiently in a group and to be motivated during tasks. CCF has enabled me to develop my skills of leading a group, always allowing them to be tested during general training. I have made lots of friends and the camps are always a lot of fun. My favourite aspects are shooting, climbing and leadership.’

Cadet Charlotte Loasby

Lance Corporal Eleanor Morris

Corporal Joe Barr

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Lance Corporal Eleanor Morris ‘Two years in Bablake’s CCF has been an interesting experience, giving me many new and varied skills ranging from weapons’ handling and tactical manoeuvres to kayaking and canoeing. Due to the commitment and keenness I had shown over the two years, as well as good performance on the summer camp, I felt honoured to be promoted to Lance Corporal.

With promotion came responsibility and the chance for me to put my knowledge to the test. As Lance Corporal, the other senior cadets and I have the responsibility of teaching the new cadets the basic training cadre, including rifle training, field craft and adventure training. We also aim to inspire them to be dedicated and enthusiastic cadets, giving them, at school, a taste of what they will experience on camp.

On camp this year, I undertook the role of section commander for the first time. Being thrown into the deep end exposed my leadership skills and I soon realised what acute skills are required to take charge of a section during a camp exercise. Control, organisation and clear communication are all skills that are vital for successful leadership. Previously on camp exercises, I had just been a cadet within the section, without the pressure of making decisions and planning the task. I realised how much preparation was needed as well as the ability to make rational decisions under pressure. I gained an insight into the trials and tribulations of leading a section on a task which involved setting up a harbour and finding an enemy harbour. This needed specific skills such as orienteering and patrolling a section, skills that I’d never put into practice before. Mistakes were made and I ended up getting my section lost! A good leader though has the ability to overcome a mistake and recover the situation by not faltering under pressure.

The whole experience was a great learning curve but I felt I had succeeded when I managed, with assistance from my excellent second in command Robbie Gibbens, to locate the harbour. I hope to be offered more opportunities on future camps to build on the skills I have developed since taking on the role of Lance Corporal.’

Corporal Joe Barr ‘This year I was promoted to the rank of Corporal and given a section to command and teach with assistance from Lance Corporals Lane and Wilson. It was an interesting experience having never taught a structured classroom lesson before, but as with everything, you get the hang of it, and any nerves and anticipation are soon replaced with confidence and ease, especially when teaching the Movement under Fire lesson, where running across the school field screaming was the highlight of everyone’s night, I think. From a non-military point of view, my role in the CCF has given me the confidence to make decisions, stand up and give presentations in front of a group of people as well as know prior preparation goes a long way towards preventing a poor performance!’

beyondtheclassroom The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme has never been more popular at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels with Bablake pupils. Not only is the scheme itself thoroughly rewarding, providing participants with outdoor survival skills, but it also encourages pupils to branch out and take part in a variety of other new and challenging activities.

Last year another bunch of courageous pupils from the 4th year and above took part in various expeditions locally and up and down the country in the Peak District and the Yorkshire Dales.

The expeditions are tough and require rigorous planning and peak physical fitness. Millie Ross, who is currently completing the Gold award said, ‘My feet most definitely hurt a lot when I finished the expedition but it was worth every painful second!’

As well as completing their expeditions, the pupils are required to complete the Volunteering, Skills, Physical and Residential (Gold only) sections of the award. To achieve these, it means pupils carry out a variety of activities including netball and rock climbing, helping out at local community centres and even learning new skills such as how to play the piano and photography.

The scheme allows room for all kinds of diverse skills. Ross Wilford, who completed his Silver award said, ‘I enjoyed all aspects of it, from the sporting activities to helping the community.’ Will Skalka and Charlotte Brooks added that everyone had learnt valuable team skills and felt a great sense of achievement upon completing the award.

Daniel Richards and Pippa Collison report on the successful Duke of Edinburgh award.

D of E groups march on Next year, once again Bablake pupils will spread out in large numbers across England and Wales to take part in this prestigious award and although they may not enjoy the blisters and agonising pain which Duke of Edinburgh entails, there is no doubt that they will not regret enrolling. As Will Skalka, who has completed his Silver award, said to us: ‘There is no greater feeling than the sense of achievement the award gives you.’

‘There is no greater feeling than the sense of achievement this award gives you’ www.bablake.com

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Enrichment Studies for the U6th Sophie Tumber asked Mr Simon Enstone, who runs our Enrichment course, to explain its purpose and some of the activities on offer.

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he Enrichment programme runs on a Friday afternoon in the U6th and the aim is for pupils to enjoy some new activities and learn some new skills before they leave home and enter the world of work or go to university.

There are five sessions, each lasting for six weeks (half a term) and most pupils have a free choice of the courses that they wish to follow. Those applying for Oxbridge or undertaking the Extended Project Qualification join the programme after Christmas.

The current list of courses includes woodland management, growing your own fruit and vegetables, creative computer animation, cooking for yourself on a budget, creative textiles and crafting, motor vehicle maintenance, practical PC repair, tracing your family history, holiday Spanish, beginner’s Russian and Chinese language, a musical mystery tour, practical music, history and culture.

The occasional visiting speaker also addresses the year group.

Recent speakers have included Rasheed Ogunlaru (motivational speaker and business and corporate coach) and Rebecca Stephens, the first British woman to climb Everest and the seven summits.

This year, we also set up a Question Time panel of local politicians prior to the recent General Election.

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Using the plot

D

by Mr Simon Enstone

id you know that there used to be a Headmaster’s vegetable garden on the main school site? It used to be where the EDM block stands today. Inspired by the River Cottage TV series, a growing interest in self-sufficiency and reducing food miles, and the recent trend for growing your own produce (all of which is of course very green and sustainable), I have been busy transforming a plot of land behind the cricket nets at the games field into a small market garden. As part of ‘Enrichment’, U6th pupils have helped to set up this exciting new project. With excellent support from Roy Goodwin and Karl Ward, work started in September with tractor mad 5th former Tom Stobart kindly offering his beautifully restored tractor and ploughing expertise to prepare the ground. I was even trusted to plough a couple of furrows myself.

As all keen gardeners know, compost is an essential part of preparing the ground and local company Tom White Waste was kind enough to supply a free skip of what certainly smelled like good organic matter for the soil. Using a vintage rotavator restored by Tom, the compost was worked into the ground and it was then left to break up over what proved a very long and hard winter.

Over the winter, the task of manufacturing the edging for the raised beds progressed using wood from old pallets and also materials kindly donated by local wood merchant Bates Timber.

Thanks to the ‘Let’s Grow’ voucher scheme at Morrisons, which was very well supported by staff and pupils, we were able to obtain a lot of ‘free’ gardening equipment such as a compost bin, seeds, trowels, compost and potato barrels. The large growing areas have yielded potatoes, garlic, onions, beetroot, carrots, broad beans, courgettes, peppers, cabbages, lettuce and rocket, a variety of herbs and hopefully some rhubarb. There is also an apple tree, plum tree and blackcurrant and redcurrant bush.

Hopefully, as well as teaching our youngsters where food comes from (not a supermarket shelf), we will be helping them to enjoy vegetables and think about being more self sufficient as adults and work towards reducing their impact on the planet.

If growing continues to be successful, we hope we may be able to sell ‘vegetable boxes’ and put the money raised back into improving and extending the plot for future generations of keen young gardeners to benefit from. Once again, the Headmaster of Bablake may well be regularly enjoying home grown produce from his very own school vegetable garden! Watch this space!

www.bablake.com

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Charity report from information provided by charity coordinator mrs alyson heath

‘Charity is so much more than just giving money; it is about giving your time and effort.

This year Bablake has been as thoughtful and generous as ever’ mrs alyson heath

Factsheet • 20 local, national and international charities supported included Jeans for Genes, Jo Homan Trust, Children in Need, British Heart Foundation, Lost War Heroes, Zoe’s Place, Teenage Cancer Trust, Brecon Rescue Team, NSPCC, Sports Relief, Hats for Haiti.

• 2 senior citizen parties, with the summer one themed on the World Cup • Raffles, novelty cakes, sponsored silence, nearly new sales plus events like the Bablake Mile • ‘Hats for Haiti’ and related events raised £2400 towards rescue work • Total of money raised: £14, 784

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Mrs Harley, a guest at our senior citizens’ summer party, wrote to our pupils after the event, saying: ‘Very many thanks for inviting me to the summer strawberry tea. I do look forward so much to seeing you all as you make us feel so welcome and look after us so well. It is much appreciated and everything was perfect. The entertainment was really good and I felt sorry to say goodbye to the music teacher Mrs Tatum, as she has been so good over the years.’

Notable mentions • Amy Lilly (2S) made and raffled a fine Pudsey cake for Children in Need.

• Mr Tyas ran the Coventry half marathon and his tutor group raised £300.

• Our very popular caretaker Malcolm Martin, his wife Sue and Head Housekeeper Jo Davidson raised over £1000 for the University Hospital.

• James Faulkner (3C) raised in excess of £3,000 for the NSPCC by climbing Kilimanjaro in very difficult conditions. This was a tough challenge and school collections added £350 to his total.

• Staff and pupils, in the Bablake Mile, dressed up (e.g. the Modern Languages department entered as European food and drinks) and ran, walked, crawled, cartwheeled, sumo-wrestled, chased, sang, walked backwards, staggered with 3 or 5 legs and travelled by shopping trolley or toy car round and round the school perimeter to raise £1,000.

• Miss Jayne Simmons and around 20 Bablake pupils, mainly from the Shells and L6th, teamed up to ‘Swim the English Channel’ for Aspire, a spinal injury charity.

Eight teams swum simultaneously, completing the 22 mile swim in just 1 hour 52 minutes with each pupil making their way through about 100 lengths.

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www.bablake.com

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else have Bablake’s pupils beyond What been up to in 2009/10? the classroom shorts Speech and Drama Matthew Hayhurst began the academic year with two proud public speaking moments. Firstly he recited In Flanders Fields at the Bedworth Armistice Day parade and service and then was awarded first place for humorous verse at the Coventry Festival of Speech and Drama.

Chess International John Naylor coached our teams early in the season. His approach was innovative and exciting, putting the players in sharp middle game positions where the initiative was key, and improvement in all our players was noticeable.

The highlight of the season was the Coventry Schools Lightning Competition with 32 players from all the schools in the area. After six exciting rounds, Robert Chowne went into his last game knowing a win would give him the title. Unfortunately he was playing the 2nd best player in the country! Despite an early advantage, in the end he lost and finished 4th overall. Tom Chen showed why he was our most consistent player this season by finishing 2nd, an excellent performance.

We finished 3rd in division 1 of the Coventry Schools League with the leading players being: 9 – Tom Chen; 8 – Rory Doherty, Michael Whitlow; 6.5 – Robert Chowne, Jim Chen. For the third year in the row, we will now lose our A team to university but with very few older players to replace them, there is the opportunity for younger players to prove themselves.

Thanks go to Mr Smith for all his help as well as to Mr. Rowlands who kindly donated a Bablake Chess cup for a 16 player knockout tournament. In a close final Daniel Rowlands beat Jim Chen.

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Brain Club After Eva Ball’s tremendous achievement in 2009 when she became the UK Schools’ Memory champion, Brain Club started using some of the mind-mapping software Eva won for the school. Her progress was closely followed by a Japanese TV crew that shadowed Eva at Bablake for a day.

Maths Challenge Second year pupils Elliot Forbes and Danujan Sivanesan teamed up with Kate French and Lara Morley-White from the year above to win their regional round of the Junior Maths Challenge, beating 10 other schools for a place at the National Finals.

Maths teacher, Mr Shoyeb Memon was very proud of the team, saying: ‘It really was great to see two year groups working so closely and so effectively together.’

beyondtheclassroom In an election year when Bablake pupils made excellent progress in the Taylor Hammond trophy and Business and Professional Women’s Schools Public Speaking competition, interest in public speaking and debating is vibrant.

With this in mind, we felt it would be good for two of our experienced public speakers to offer some advice to those looking to stand out in a debate.

1. Do remember to introduce and close the debate by thanking the judges, chairperson and audience. It’s always good to be polite and gains you extra marks. It’s also a debating tradition which you must uphold to reach the top marks.

2. Don’t leave writing, preparing and learning your speech to the last minute! This can result in a poorly remembered speech, a worried face turning the colour of the table, which coincidentally is often red. Having a well-rehearsed speech, a few notes on cue cards and a clear thought process will ultimately make you look stronger on stage.

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debating dos and don’ts by hannah elsy and jonathan lawrence

3. Do interrupt the opposition with your own ‘points of information’ – questions or statements which you can turn down or reject if they’re fired at you. This breaks their flow and makes them think on their feet, and come up with a sensible answer – all within about five seconds!

7. Do stay within the time limit. The end of your time is made clear to you by the sound of the ‘gong’. Not only is it embarrassing to run over on time and have to try and swiftly conclude your speech, but the judges do not like speakers to outstay their welcome.

4. Don’t be rude! This is tragic to watch. If a debater is rude to the opposition, it is worse because everyone is watching you. It is important to remain polite, friendly and look interested during the other team’s argument. This is by far the most important point. You must be polite or you’ll lose valuable points.

8. Don’t waffle. If you cannot remember a point, move on.

There is no point losing valuable time on a subject you have no confidence in. Stick to the points you know and make sure you do know them. Waffling and talking for no reason will result in confusion and make you look stupid.

5. Do make ‘em laugh wherever suitable. This can be inappropriate if you are debating a serious matter such as abortion, but otherwise ensure you pack in a few punch lines. Humour is an important tool in the orator’s armoury.

The audience will warm to your stage presence and it shows confidence.

6. Don’t be too loud. However tempting it is to bellow at the audience, just in case they didn’t quite catch you on the last row, you mustn’t. You must remain calm and collected the whole way through. Having a sensible approach looks like you’re in control of the situation. Once the people on row 26 start to lean back in their chairs, you need to tone it down.

9. Do create ‘team dynamics’. Even if you’re best friends with your partner and have loads in common, you need to have a contrasting personality on stage. Having two contrasting points of view and personalities putting forward one argument, makes sure it appeals to more people than just one select group. Finding the correct balance between theatre and fact is important. Too much theatre looks melodramatic and ridiculous, and too many facts can lead to a few zzzs around the room!

10. Don’t laugh. This is serious! Laughing during another person’s argument – whether it’s your opposition, or an entirely different debate – is completely uncalled for. It doesn’t matter how funny their joke about giving a fish a bath is, it’s not time to start giggling. www.bablake.com

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Bablake’s weather station hosts BBC presenter Shefali Oza and film crew

Well weathered Over the last few years, Bablake’s Weather Station has celebrated 30 years of operations, received official Meteorological Office recognition and its founder Mr Steve Jackson, Head of Geography, has been given a Royal Meteorological Award for his services. However, the pride and honour in all of these were surpassed by the summer visit of the BBC’s Midlands Today news and weather presenter Shefali Oza. Shefali also brought with her the producer and cameraman for Winter Weather a programme planned for national broadcast in September 2010.

Shefali and her colleagues spent an afternoon behind the scenes of our Weather Station, interviewing our team of experienced and enthusiastic pupil helpers. After initial filming in the Weather Station office, everyone moved to our Games Field for the first filming of a specific experiment.

The experiment was also conducted in Coundon Street just outside the school, in the Lower Precinct in Coventry and also at Coundon Wedge. The purpose was to show the different temperatures across the city and then explain the reasons for this. The day was a memorable one for all involved.

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www.bablake.com

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‘This House believes that a public person has no right to a private life’

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hese visits were at the kind invitation of Will Chamberlain, Oxford Union Librarian and, on both occasions, we were also very well looked after by former pupils and current Oxford undergraduates, Laura Dean, Francesca Melhuish and James Ross.

The first visit saw Caitlin Edwards and Rosie Gaunt enjoy the Fashion Forum which began Oxford Fashion Week. The panel of guests included the UK top male model David Gandy, vogue. com’s editor Dolly Jones, renowned photographer Tony McGee and Claire Wilcox, curator of Fashion and Textiles at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Each spoke about their lives in Fashion before answering an excellent range of questions from the floor.

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Members from the Wheatleyan and Stretch editorial teams made two visits to the Oxford Union this year as preparation for their respective editions.

Part of the Union Millie Ross and Dan Richards visited the prestigious chamber to observe the motion: ‘This House believes that a public person has no right to a private life.’ Attending on the eve of the Presidential Election, they listened to a marathon 11 speakers that included journalist Heather Brooke who helped bring MPs expenses into the open, Andrew Caldecott QC, Baroness Buscombe Chairwoman of the Press Complaints Commission and Max Mosley as well as former Bablake pupil Will Chamberlain. The motion was successfully opposed.

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Electionfever Marshalled by Bablake’s Jeremy Paxman, Mr Gary Park and benefiting from Audio Visual technician Mr Mark Taylor’s experience as a local UKIP candidate, Bablake was alive with election fever at the start of the Summer term.

W ‘This was a fantastic opportunity to get young people involved with politics’

hipped up by the televised Brown, Cameron and Clegg debates and, in the case of the 6th Form, after witnessing local candidates from the main parties enjoy a lively Political Forum in our Theatre, there was much fervent online and corridor or classroom discussion in the lead up to Bablake’s Mock Election.

The Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green and UKIP parties were all represented, with each led by a 5th or 6th Form pupil. Parties canvassed support in the weeks before election day and a husting was held in our Main Hall. On Polling Day itself, each tutor group represented one constituency, forty-eight in total. Unlike the real election there was a clear majority winner with Jonathan Smith and his Conservatives polling more than 50% of the vote and 29 seats, a clear majority of 10 seats.

Caitlin Edwards (Labour) with 10 seats, Millie Ross and Jack Kelly (Liberal Democrats) with 8 seats, Lizzie Stefaniak (Green) who retained her own ‘constituency’ and Jonathan Lawrence (UKIP) expertly acted as leaders of the other parties.

Asked to comment on the Mock Election, U6th pupil Jack Kelly said: ‘‘This was a fantastic opportunity to get young people involved with politics. My aim wasn’t only to convey Liberal Democrat policies but to help members of the Bablake community develop a greater understanding of the political system, what the parties stand for and how they differ. Pupils can make up their own minds about whom they would like to see walking into Number 10, rather than just following the choice of their parents or other influences.’ www.bablake.com

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House activities

2009/10

through the words of the House Heads

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Bayley Mr Jeremy Hobday

House officials Staff Mr Jeremy Hobday Miss Lynsey Cheffings Captains Rachel Hollinrake Devan Pankhania

The most enjoyable aspect of 2009 – 10 for Bayley was not specific victories or even spectacular individual successes but rather the fact that once again so many different pupils took part in so many different activities.

The House Drama Festival, not for the first time, showed what is best about the House system with opportunities for senior pupils like the House Captain Devan Pankhania and 5th year Laura Weaver who both used their time and enthusiasm, working with the younger members of the house, to produce a great performance of The Butler Did it.

I hope that house activities on offer will continue to provide great opportunity for everyone, whatever talents or interests they have to get involved in Bablake school life.

www.bablake.com

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Crow Mr clive mohamed

‘They bounce back from setbacks and are always supportive of the other Houses...’

House officials Staff Mrs Lorainne Alexander Mr Clive Mohamed Mr John Pease Captains Abhimanyu Bose Roya Ziaie 44

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We kicked off the year runners up in the Shell Olympics on the first Saturday of term. House staff and prefects were out early to set up and unusually the only weather concerns were about sunburn. Our Shells were soon throwing themselves into welly-wanging, obstacle races, football and hockey penalty shootouts and much more.

House Scrabble was anything but a quiet game of thought and strategy for all years, especially the seniors while for the Basketball tournament, House and Sport Captains exerted tremendous effort organising and rallying the players. Our senior pupils then proved their cerebral dominance winning the Quiz and sharing the spoils with Fairfax at Chess to preserve an unbeaten run in the competition.

With events such as Squash, Netball and Badminton, often Friday evening affairs, there was no shortage of Crow members willing to give their time and energy to support the House. There were wins in the Badminton

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for the senior girls as well as the combined 2nd and 3rd years. In a similar vein, dark, cold wintry nights signal only one thing in House terms, Senior Hockey where our girls excelled and took 1st place.

For House Drama, we presented Our Day Out, a Willy Russell comedy, and our strong cast spent many hours rehearsing their lines in private before theatre rehearsals.

There were many hours of behind the scene work also; it was an ambitious choice requiring a cast of 15 actors but everyone who saw the play was very impressed by all the characters interacting together rather than seeing one or two key characters dominating. The actors received great support from the House cultural captains and prefects and Mr Pease, who had been parachuted in to act as House Deputy, kept the play on track with the able assistance of the prefects. It was very refreshing to see the casts from all four houses supporting each other from the balcony.

Shell tutors oversaw the elimination rounds of Spelling Bee where we came second and in the Open Tennis competition, our unstoppable pairing of Jonine Bains and Katie Wainhouse smashed their way to victory.

In the Ready Steady Cook competition, presenting a mixture of flavours from around the world on a very limited budget, Crow’s chefs had a battle on this year and only the 3rd year team managed 1st place.

Arriving at Sports Day hoping to retain our crown, the year captains ran around herding our athletes to the right place at the right time but it was not to be. New to Crow and happy to deputise for Mrs Alexander during her maternity leave, the enthusiasm of the pupils has made a lasting impression. They bounce back from setbacks and are always supportive of the other Houses and their teams. We have a lot to do in 2010-11 to prove that Crow are a force to be reckoned with but we hope Crow ‘the legend’ continues! www.bablake.com

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Fairfax Mr martin rhodes

House officials Staff Mr Martin Rhodes Miss Nicola Beasley Captains Jonathan Smith Pam Uppal

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Fairfax’s impressive performance at the Shell Olympics set the tone for the year – the noise of our anthem had drowned out the other houses and our boys had won their section with the football shooting a rather rich source of success for the girls as well.

After a mere 20 years waiting for a Basketball win at senior level, we held our nerve to win for the second year running while our 4th year team faced the despair of losing to a final minute basket.

Super sub and former county player Henry Chamberlain helped us win the senior boys Hockey while, celebrating Fairfax brainpower, we rushed to the record books to see whether one house had ever matched our feat of winning all three Quiz levels in the same year. As for Chess, it went to the final board and we settled for a share of the 1st place that had eluded us last year.

Despite beginning their first match a player down, the senior girls had a resounding win in the Netball. 3rd

beyondtheclassroom

Year basketball and Shells Spelling Bee brought further wins but the Spring Term was, as often before, a slippery slope and 3rd place seemed to be our favourite position in so many of the competitions.

Marmalade Atkins, our play for House Drama, was enjoyed by all... cast, crew and audience alike. Directors, actors (both lead and cameo players) and stage crew were all superb. (See the Performing Arts section for Beth Rowland’s account of the experience.)

Sports Day, for some years not a Fairfax strength, arrived with all thoughts of winning the overall House Championship trophy gone after seeming to be within our grasp earlier in the year. However we won both the 3rd and 4th year competitions and were overall House Athletics champions. We had shown true teamwork with willing substitutes standing in when injuries occurred and we had been perfectly organised in team events like the Tug of War and long-distance races.

Overall we didn’t quite do enough to snatch the House Championship from Wheatley’s grasp but it was mighty close and we had had a brilliant year all round nevertheless.

‘‘Marmalade Atkins, our play for House Drama, was enjoyed by all... cast, crew and audience alike’ www.bablake.com

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Wheatley Mr paul shelley

House officials Staff Mr Paul Shelley Miss Jayne Simmons Captains Emily Burns Dan Lawrence

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After the reintroduction of a trophy and a collection of points for each house according to individual or team rankings in each event over the year in all age groups, Wheatley was very pleased to receive the 2009-10 House Championship trophy from the Headmaster at the final assembly of the year. Winning did go down to the wire with especially stiff competition from Fairfax and, throughout Sports Day, it could have gone either way. In fact, it was final day excitement akin to the noise, competitive spirit and tension senior Scrabble always stirs!

We started the year very strongly with our Shells enjoying the Olympics, a great day full of excitement and enthusiasm, and made all the better when we were presented a trophy for winning this event overall.

Fortunately our nerve held on the final day where despite not winning Sports Day, we did enough to maintain our pole position over the year.

beyondtheclassroom

Moby Dick, our play for the House Drama Festival was a great success and our cast, backstage crew and director Sam Rowe were all sensational. This was another occasion that proved how the House system offers so many platforms for the outstanding talents every member of the house has and allows them the opportunities to really develop these skills and confidently display them.

‘Wheatley House wins House Championship!’

www.bablake.com

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2009 ended excellently for English teacher, Mr Rob Dougall, as The Times travel section chose his photograph of a procession of monks in Taungoo, Central Burma, as the monthly winner of its Citizen Traveller feature. Rob’s prize was a Light and Land Photography Masterclass with one of his photographic inspirations, leading landscape photographer Charlie Waite.

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Edited by lauren Deeth-Kelt, alex hoare and letitia russell (art, design and textiles)

beth austin, olivia battle-welch, caitlin edwards and rosie gaunt (literature) Highlights

Creative Writing 52 Art Gallery 56 Design Technology 60 Fashion 62 Photography 64

MODERN LANGUAGES SHOWCASE – GERMAN Alex Hoare’s Prize-Winning Essay for the PAD, written in German about the impact of the fall of the Berlin Wall on the German people.

Was hat der Fall der Berliner Mauer für Deutschland als Land und für die Schicksale einzelner Menschen bedeutet?

Die Berliner Mauer, das Symbol der Trennung und Unterdrückung einer Nation stand 28 Jahre, war 107 Kilometer lang und 3,6 Meter hoch. Die Mauer hatte 302 Wachttürme und mehr als 192 Personen kamen ums Leben durch die Kugeln der schwer bewaffneten Wächter, die die Mauer bewacht hatten, um die Flüchtlinge daran zu verhindern, von Ostberlin nach Westberlin zu fliehen. Am 8 und 9 November 1989 hat sich alles verändert. Die Mauer fiel und es gab zuerst viel Euphorie, weil die Menschen froh waren, dass das Land endlich wiedervereinigt wurde.

Nach dem Mauerfall entstanden viele Probleme, die früher nicht existierten, wie Kriminalität und Rassismus. Für die Ostdeutschen gab es Arbeitslosigkeit und finanzielle Probleme, Probleme womit Menschen umgehen mussten. Ein sehr großer Anteil der Ostdeutschen kamen nach Westberlin, um sowohl da zu wohnen als auch zu arbeiten. Aber dieser Zustrom von Ostberlinern, die nach Westberlin gekommen sind, verursachte, dass es nicht genug Arbeitsplätze gab. Deshalb hat sich die Lebensweise der Einwohner Westberlins wirklich geändert! Vor dem Mauerfall gab es keine finanziellen Probleme und keine Arbeitslosigkeit. Natürlich entstanden Gefühle von Ärger unter den Westberlinern, als sie dachten sie ihre Leben gestohlen wurde (oder so schien es).

Die Westdeutschen haben gedacht, das alles in dem östlichen Teil Berlins kaputt ging. Alle die Straßen waren sehr alt, und musste repariert werden, und es kostete natürlich Geld. Mit der Wiedervereinigung hatten die Westdeutschen jetzt eine Verantwortung, diese Probleme zu lösen, aber viele Menschen waren gegen diese Idee, weil sie mit der Mauer aufgewachsen waren. Die jüngere Generation hat sich besser an das neue System angepasst aber viele alte Leute waren einfach mit dem Leben in den ehemaligen Osten zufrieden und haben sich gegen alle Änderungen gewehrt.

2010 feierte Deutschland das zwanzig jährige Jubiläum des Mauerfalls und bis zu einem gewissen Grad, kann man behaupten, dass die Mauer immer noch in dem Köpfen existiert. Das gilt nicht nur für den Osten sondern auch für dem Westen.

Es gibt immer noch sehr viele Leute, die das Leben vor dem Mauerfall in Erinnerung halten, nach 10 Jahren aber, gibt es immer mehr Menschen für die die Berliner Mauer und der Mauerfall nur ein historisches Ereigniss sind und nichts anders. www.bablake.com

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Eruption seth hillyer Winner of the Felicity Chapman Poetry Prize 2009-10

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The thriving streets

the rustling leaves

The lifeless height

The lazy poolside

The apathetic ocean

the sliding tiles

The looming church

the glistening windows

The emerald grass

The steaming fractures

The tumbling rocks

The clouded darkness

The spitting magma

the roaring mouth

The howling crowds

the buried city

The cracking fulmination

the toxic snow

the clear azure the rumbling car

the oblivious public the sulphuric stench the rumbling harmony the grey flow

flair

Pushing your luck georgia clarke

A wolf in the park karam bhathal Is there a wolf, A wolf in the park, A wolf who wakes when the night gets dark?

Is there a wolf in the park?

Hovering patiently, Eyes fixed, Deeply gazing, Emotions mixed, Wings fluttering, Otherwise still, Mouths gaping, Entranced, against his will.

Flames flickering, Yellow and white, Tongues rolling, Caught in flight.

Trapped in the orbit Of the gentle heat That the flames emits, Until they meet.

Burning, spitting, Set alight, Glowing, Scorching, Throughout the night.

Is there a wolf, A wolf, who creeps From his hidden den while the city sleeps?

Is there a wolf in the park?

Is there a wolf, Whose nightly track Circles the park fence, zigzags back?

Is there a wolf in the park?

Is there a wolf, Who pads his way Between the tables of the closed cafĂŠ?

Is there a wolf in the park?

www.bablake.com

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Bandits

kim jamison

T

he silhouette could barely be

made out against the dark backdrop of the deep navy sky. It was a starless night and fog had settled casting an eerie atmosphere for any unfortunate traveller that happened to walk past. This was a dangerous place and these were dangerous times. Bandits roamed the woods. Some of them, however, were far more sinister than petty thieves. Some of them had only plans for revenge on their minds. The locals feared to walk close to the forests even during hours of sunlight; however, the tax collector the king had sent from the capital was not to know this. He was new to these parts.

He would learn the hard way.

He sat upon his stagecoach, diligently gripping the reins. The horses were acting up more than usual. Something had spooked them about a mile back. He had chosen to travel down the edge of the forest because it sheltered him somewhat from the harsh February winds.

Suddenly leaf and plant debris blew out onto the path, the nervous horses reared. He took his eyes of the road for a moment, just a moment to pull the reins back and regain control.

That was the moment they needed.

As soon as he looked back, there was a hooded figure standing in the centre of the forest. The figure lifted his head and the lunar glow outlined his face. It was haunting, his cheekbones hollowed out and his eyes had dilated so much they were just one pool of blackness. He may have been human but there was something equally demonic about him. Before the tax collector realised, he had been surrounded by another four men.

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‘Stand and deliver!’ The figure ordered holding a bow and arrow aimed at the taxman’s head. The tax collector pulled out his sword from under the rug he had laid on his seat.

He had been trained for this. With one jump he was on the ground and he lurched towards one of the bandits. Quick as a flash, he moved silently. The tax collector stabbed at thin air, then felt a crushing blow to the back of his head. He swivelled round as he fell and swiped outwards with the blade and caught his assailant on the shoulder. The man barely flinched. The taxman writhed in agony. The bandit turned back to the coach, knowing the man he had just injured wouldn’t pose any more threat.

The tax collector’s mind was now in panic, maybe it had just been a flesh wound, or maybe he didn’t even hit him, maybe. His only thoughts were on the contents of the coach. He hadn’t only been carrying the taxes. The king had entrusted him to bring deeds that could potentially dethrone him. If anyone got hold of them, especially the bandits, the country could be in ruins. The taxman started to recognise them from their wanted posters and acts of treason. By now the imperial guards inside the coach had jumped out, no doubt they had been asleep. They were in full arm-to-arm combat. The king’s men outnumbered these expert highwaymen, yet somehow they seemed to be fighting on the losing side. It wasn’t superior fighting ability that they were fighting against; they just seemed to be quicker. The knights couldn’t seem to hit them.

The injury to his head was agonising. As his breathing swallowed, everything seemed to start spinning. He could feel the sticky liquid oozing from his head, staining his livery scarlet.

There was one last thing he could do.

The horses couldn’t bolt the same way because the coach was too heavy, weighted down due to the preciousness of the cargo that they couldn’t afford to lose. The collector did have to haul himself up the slope where they had run to. He dragged himself to the coach. He had to dodge the horses that were rearing out of control. He pulled himself up to the window and reached inside.

He found the wooden torch that they used to patrol the villages and lit it. He threw it out at the bandits who had defeated all the guards who were now lying worryingly still on the ground. They scattered. High pitched screeches and wails came from them. The blaze caught the dead wood on the ground and the flames began to get higher.

He looked around; his vision was now one continuous blur. He managed to focus enough to grab onto one of the horses. He hit it, signalling to run and they charged as fast as the coach would let them.

There were arms trying to pull him off the horse but they disappeared as soon as the horses charged off. He felt a sharp pain in his arm but didn’t have the energy to look round to see what it was.

The chief bandit lowered his bow, he had hit his target but it hadn’t stopped the coach. He had a cruel grin on his thin face. They had waited years; they could wait even more to exact their revenge. They knew exactly what was contained in the deeds the coach held and exactly how to use them. He had found anyone in the king’s court could be treacherous if they gave enough money. He and his men were not going to let this opportunity slip through their hands; they had a cause after all.

He watched the coach drive into the distance. It was okay, he had men stationed every few miles and anyway, the chase was his favourite part…

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Moment

olivia battle-welch

M

y naked feet dragged along the ground;

every so often my toes would entwine with the long wild grass that mirrored the shore. Each strand had danced and played with those around it. Deep laughter had erupted from my chest as my feet were tickled by the nature on my path. Auburn hair was tossed to and fro like a helpless ship, a prey of the sheer power and magnificence of the current. Up above a morose sky layered lightly with cushiony clouds. The slow lapping of the waves; a mighty stretch of eternal motion, moving and changing underneath a dark overshadow. I listened to the sound of moans and groans echoing around me; the voice of a living creature full of emotion, ushering me in, a place of beauty that seemed to reach infinity.

Emotionally I was at one with this vast misunderstood creature. The waves seemed to move further and further away, enticing me into its chilling depths. The water finally hit me; a thousand shivers were sent crawling down my spine. I had wanted to work with nature instead of against it. I thought the mighty sea would save me from drowning, sinking into the abyss but the sea was angry, the sun withdrawn and the water murky. All I had wanted to do was swim and let nature do with me as she wished. I soon became its toy as I was tossed around and dragged under by sky reaching waves. I had never felt so terrified in my life. Although without religion, I prayed and prayed as I was at my most vulnerable and the sheer vengeance of the waves caused desperate thoughts on spirituality and death. I was going to drown and lie under the great beast forever.

I survived. The giant beast had spat me back out and I lay spluttering on the shore, the salt water lodged in the back of my throat. My eyes were so blurred that I was sure the beast had blinded me. Bright light was all around. The sun that had been hidden all morning fought back against the soft clouds. I felt I was in heaven as I watched the rays smile through the grey layers and beam down like a spotlight highlighting the beach.

Even the beast seemed to be tamed. It looked bashful compared to the confident waves of the yellow star. I sat solitarily on the very spot where I was thrown by the beast for hours upon end, contemplating my new sense of the infinite and the transcendental. www.bablake.com

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Art gallery Some of the best work from our 2009-10 public examination Art pupils

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big

picture book The Jumbo Coventry Storybook is one of the largest storybooks ever created and used a vast number of illustrations provided by our pupils.

Jewellery

workshop

Jewellery designer Mikaela Lyons led an intensive two day workshop on the process of designing and producing brooches. This involved using digital manipulation, a laser cutter, metal piercing and soldering to achieve a final piece inspired by her highly individual and vibrant style of work.

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art&design exhibition

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design

technology Tractor Tom GCSE pupil Tom Stobart turned heads when he delivered his Design and Realisation coursework attached to the back of his 1951 Massey Ferguson tractor. Tom designed and made a box to carry fence posts, soil and various bits of equipment around a farm, and, to prove it worked, he drove the tractor into School one morning. As well as restoring this machine, he also has a second tractor, a Fordson Major, which he is currently overhauling.

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exhibition design

Once again, the work on display at the Design Technology exhibition this summer showed increasing invention and technical skills.

www.bablake.com

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fashion

gcse textiles fashion show

In the year that Sophie Carlson won Mr Clive Hushon’s Seventh Seal/Lee Cooper textiles competition, our Fashion Show was a combination of the pieces from this and last year’s GCSE Textiles coursework.

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www.bablake.com

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Photographic excellence from current Bablake pupils Images, taken in preparation for A2 work, from a family holiday in India by Declan Jones.

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flair Two images showcasing the emerging photographic talent of 4th year pupil Anna French.

www.bablake.com

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Crystal Ball A pictorial record of the evening arranged by our U6th for the enjoyment of our 5th year pupils. (Formal photographs by Richard Smith (2000 – 07) from www.ras-photography.co.uk)

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flair

Leavers’ Ball

A pictorial record of the evening enjoyed by our U6th pupils. Formal photographs by Richard Smith (2000 – 07) from www.ras-photography.co.uk

www.bablake.com

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performingarts

performing arts Edited by mariam ghadimzadeh, leah judge and chris starkey Quickfire Q and A with new Music Director, Mr Tim Crompton by Chris Starkey

Highlights

Where were you educated?

Princethorpe College and Birmingham Conservatoire.

Where did you teach before Bablake?

I taught Music for 5 years at Kineton High School in South Warwickshire, then was Head of Music at Myton School in Warwick for 10 years.

What did you know about Bablake before arriving here?

That it was a traditional school with a vibrant extra-curricular life and many talented musicians.

Has it lived up to your hopes?

Yes it has.

Are you enjoying promoting music?

Yes. Which instruments do you play?

The bassoon, piano and organ.

Who is your favourite composer?

I don’t have one favourite as there are too many to choose from!

What are your plans for music at Bablake?

I would like to see more students involved in a broader range of musical activities.

What relaxes you apart from music?

I enjoy travel, dog-walking and visiting historic buildings Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?

Hopefully, still here!!

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Taming of the Shrew 70 Nativity 73 On Song 74 West End Girl 77 Our Feet Keep Dancing 78

onstage ‘O think no ill of me, I could not bear it; I never did you wrong, Never, I swear it’

A servant of two masters

M

r John Pease’s first senior production received rave reviews from audiences who saw the play on its three night run. The cast, drawn from the U6th and L6th, presented Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni’s quaint Italian comedy with pace and panache, totally immersing itself in the mid 18th Century setting.

www.bablake.com

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onstage

onstage

O

ur production of The Taming of the Shrew had already been presented as part of the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival at the Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham before being put on in school.

The plays for the festival use scripts taken from the BBC’s abbreviated Shakespeare series and last about half an hour, so the pace rattles along.

While much of the subtlety of the text is diluted, the remaining plot is clear and compelling and the Festival assessors were impressed by our young cast’s handling of the script, praising the good understanding and clarity of presentation. Certainly, it was good to see the young, lively cast getting to grips with Shakespeare and so obviously enjoy the whole project.

It was an ensemble production, with actors drawn from the Shells to the 4th year. Simeon Blake-Hall made a rather unpleasant bully of Petruchio, forcing the feisty Katherina (Katie Carlson) into submission, using force and psychological warfare as necessary. The latter’s final speech where she acknowledged her new husband as her ‘lord, life and keeper’ did not fit neatly into 21st century thinking, whereas it probably raised very few eyebrows in the 1590s when the message was probably right on line.

Mr Mark Woodward

the taming of the shrew ‘Kiss me Kate, we will be married o’ Sunday’ The Taming of the Shrew, 2. 1

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onstage Bablake at the Edinburgh Fringe: part 24

A handbag

by Anthony Horowitz

B

ablake Dramatic Society’s successful Edinburgh Fringe productions continued this year as a group of talented performers took Anthony Horowitz’s A Handbag to the festival.

A relentless daytime ‘flyering’ routine was soon established, selling the show hard. Horowitz’s dark comedy proved very popular, with good audiences and complimentary critics. Chris Lamb and Danny Lightfoot were both praised for their performances by the Morning Star, and the Jewish Chronicle heralded the play as one which ‘demanded attention’.

Despite busily promoting Bablake’s own show, many of the group found time for Fringe trawling, enjoying a number of excellent plays out of the thousands on offer. Others were entertained by street performers and relished the eclectic and vibrant atmosphere. A good mix of stand up comedy filled the evenings although much of the mirth was often at our party’s expense.

Overall, once again a memorable week was had by everyone and it was excellent to see so many former pupils and staff turn up to support the Bablake troupe!

Roll on 2011, which amazingly will be the school’s 25th Fringe visit in succession.

About the play A group of young people are rehearsing Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. But the choice of play seems strange and the cast has almost no understanding of what they are doing, and the place where they will perform is certainly not a theatre.

As they struggle to make sense of the text, we see that they are actually fighting for their own survival.

This dark and disturbing comedy explores crime and punishment in an increasingly vengeful world and asks whether there is a group in society that is actually beyond redemption.

Chris Starkey www.bablake.com

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The House Drama Festival is most definitely not a competition but every house clearly wants to perform to its best. Beth Rowland, who starred in Fairfax’s Marmalade Atkins, writes about the experience:

house drama festival

Thursday 29 April 2010

S

how night for the House Drama Festival. Months of preparation, learning lines, sorting costumes, stressful rehearsals, script alterations and hard work were finally over, and as the lights went down to start the show, a huge sigh of relief could be heard from all the teachers and 6th formers involved in the running the festival; the show had started and was running smoothly!

Waiting in the wings though, the nerves were only just starting. This was the first real acting I had done and while my fellow actors and actresses all had some musical, dance or theatre background, I was a complete novice, and had been cast as the lead. Would I cope?

Would I stammer or forget my lines? Would my family being on the front row put me off? Or would my friends, in the audience to cheer me on, be disappointed by an uninspiring performance?

I read and re-read my first line over again, while the other Fairfax performers relaxed with sweets and fizzy drinks. I could see I was the most nervous, and others could too, but they all reassured me I would be fine. In fact, everyone said I was typecast for my role!

Fairfax’s play was Marmalade Atkins, the story of the ‘naughtiest girl in the world’ and her adventures at her convent school and then in space, where she was banished when the nuns could no longer handle her. It was a fantastic play, crazy I have to admit, but so much fun to act in. The cast was made up of two nuns with batons, a very posh Mr and Mrs Atkins, two ex-army officers sent to space with Marmalade to look after her, two robotic ‘sweet girls’, Pepe the pot-smashin’ Potman, Reeny the space holiday tour guide, Mrs Allgood, head nun at the convent and even a talking alsatian.

Until the minute the spotlight was focused on Mrs Allgood, I was shaking with nerves, but luckily I did not have the first line! As soon as we started, I took a deep breath and delivered my first line with confidence, and it

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only went uphill from there. The play flashed by in what seemed like a minute and soon it was all over. Everyone was congratulating us on how well the whole cast had done! I knew then that it would be an experience I would never forget.

The House Drama Festival was aptly named to remind everyone that it was not competitive, and I would like to congratulate all the other houses on their great performances. To follow them and finish the night was a difficult task as there was a lot of excellent acting on show, believe me!

My final thoughts? Well, I would urge everyone in school to become involved in some kind of drama. As a total novice, being cast as the lead in Fairfax’s play was both a shock but also a tremendous honour. My first acting will always be a brilliant memory, as I met lots of amazing people and learnt a lot from them both as people and as actors. The fact that I am still talking about the show months on shows how much I loved it. Don’t be afraid, or nervous, there is a place for everyone in the theatre, and you might find, like me, not only a new talent, but also something that you absolutely adore!

onscreen

onscreen

Nativity F

ilmgoers skipped the 150 million pound blockbuster A Christmas Carol and, instead, treated themselves to the festive fun and frolics on offer in Nativity, Debbie Isitt’s film that was set in Coventry and Bablake among many other Midlands and Warwickshire locations.

The Coventry Telegraph awarded this ‘Christmas cracker’ a full 5 stars, describing it as ‘the best Christmas present you could unwrap this year.’ The Daily Mirror praised the ‘show-stopping closing performance’ while The Guardian stated ‘it’s hard to dislike this warm fuzzy hot-water bottle of a movie’.

We fiercely backed Nativity as it was a true ‘Cov-fest’. It also involved many of our Junior School children and you will have recognised many senior school landmarks in it too.

Imogen Stern was one of 3 senior school actors in the film and former pupils from the late 90s will spot Emily Morris (aka Amelia Tyler) a number of times.

Martin Freeman, Marc Wootton, Ashley Jensen, Jason Watkins, Pam Ferris, Alan Carr and Ricky Tomlinson were the big name draws but to us the children from Holy Family and naturally Bablake stole the show!

‘The best Christmas present you could unwrap this year’ Coventry Telegraph

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onsong

Onsong...

Musical highlights for the year at Bablake

The Musical Year My first year leading Bablake’s Music department was a very busy year with many students participating in a wide range of instrumental and choral groups. I was particularly delighted with the improving standards of performance and the increased numbers of people coming to listen to the concerts.

One of the musical highlights of the year was the combined Bablake choirs and orchestra performing the Vivaldi Gloria under the direction of Mrs Patricia Tatum in the Easter Concert which took place in the school hall – a welcome return to this underused venue. One of our new ventures was to set up a Wind band under the direction of Mr Steve Cooper that has proved very popular and a great success.

Over 100 students were successful in their Associated Board music exams taken at school last year on a wide range of instruments at all grades. Special mention must go to Matthew Lewis who achieved Grade eight distinction on bassoon, recorder and in theory in one year, also to Christopher Tuttle who gained the highest individual mark of 138 for his Grade four piano.

As well as dedicating themselves to school music, many students still found time to represent the school at county and regional level in the Coventry and Warwickshire youth orchestras, the Coventry Cathedral choir, the Youth Opera group and CBSO Youth orchestra.

At the end of the summer term Mrs Tatum took our chorale to compete in the Leamington festival where they performed exceptionally well and won their class and brought the trophy back to Bablake. Congratulations to all who sang there, a fitting end to a very busy and successful year.

Mr Tim Crompton

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‘...the service reflected on the traditional values of the season, casting a clear emphasis on the joy of giving and appreciation of our good fortune’ Summer Serenade for Mrs Patricia Tatum There were many mixed feelings surrounding Mrs Patricia Tatum’s summer concert, since although the recital was enjoyable, undoubtedly many were sorry to see her retire.

Several collaborations, with Bablake musicians from past and present, complemented the programme of virtuoso performances by Mrs Tatum.

At the ensuing reception, we were all able to bid farewell to a much admired teacher. Pursuing a successful professional singing career had never hindered Mrs Tatum’s ability to enthuse and direct Bablake’s choirs with effortless skill and remarkable energy. She will be sorely missed.

Chris Starkey Carol Service Bablake’s annual Carol Service, held at St Osburg’s Church, was a rousing, fitting and warm finale for the busy Autumn Term. Once again, it was most heartening to welcome back a number of former staff and pupils and everyone’s enjoyment was most evident.

Away from the increased commercialism of the Festive period, the service reflected on the traditional values of the season, casting a clear emphasis on the joy of giving and appreciation of our good fortune. The traditional, the modern and the original were delicately blended in the readings and music.

The rich variety of our students’ talents, from Shells through to the 6th Form, was clearly evident and a retiring collection allowed us to send £125 to Crisis for their Changing Lives project, working with the young homeless, and £350 to Coventry Cyrenians for their work at Norton House.

onsong

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For many, the outstanding musical highlight of the year was the Spring Concert, performed to an animated, appreciative audience in the Main School Hall. The first half of the concert showcased all of Bablake’s ensembles who performed a rich and varied repertoire.

Easter

concert

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T

he Concert Orchestra’s thrilling Pirates of the Caribbean medley was well received and followed by the Flute choir and Brass Ensemble playing pieces that ranged from Abba to Bach. The Swing Band confidently presented Gershwin’s An American in Paris, a complex piece arranged

by Josh Sood, who directed the talented band with gusto. The Wind Band played a lively Blues Brothers medley, complete with cool shades! U6th pupils Marie Low and Josh Sood demonstrated their exceptional musical aptitude as soloists and the first half finished with the Chamber Choir singing Josh’s original composition, Cantate Domino.

For the second half of the concert, the massed choirs and orchestra gave a radiant performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria, expertly directed and conducted on the night by Mrs Patricia Tatum in one of her final concerts before her retirement.

Mr Tim Crompton, Head of Music, said: ‘The performers certainly gave a memorable performance, with excellent singing of the choruses as well as more intimate solo and duet numbers.’ The audience agreed and left feeling thoroughly entertained, and the performers were justly proud of a spectacular concert.

dance

dance

I

have always dreamt of performing nightly on the big stages in London with a show smile and tidy dance routines. There has never been a point when I have thought that I could live without dance; it is a universal art form that speaks to everybody. Obviously, it doesn’t come without hard practice and gruelling rehearsals that make a routine look effortless. Even outside the dance studio I am tap dancing under the table or spontaneously high kicking. In the words of Betty Pattison, the founder of my first dance school: ‘Dance cannot just be a hobby girls, it has to be a way of life.’

Pattison’s Theatre Arts School blooded me in Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Modern and Jazz dance for over twelve years and I gained Star Four, the highest grade, in Modern, Star Three in Tap and Grade Six in RAD Ballet. I recently joined Jill Bartlett School of Dance to focus on my dancing technique under a different and stricter syllabus GKT. In 2008 I was selected to attend an IDTA Hip Hop and Street seminar in Worcester taught by top dancers and completed the seminar with a Distinction.

My dancing highlight is performing principal roles on a West End stage in workshop productions of Hairspray in 2009 and We Will Rock You in 2010. West End stars also choreographed the dances. For Hairspray, I played the ‘big, blonde and beautiful’ host of Negro Day, Motormouth Maybelle, singing a chunk of Good Morning Baltimore and taking part in the group dance of You Can’t Stop The Beat. While for We Will Rock You, I played the villain of the musical, who rules over Planet Mall with an iron fist, Killer Queen. The acting tutor told me to play a diva, and that was very exciting! We danced to Headlong and sung Crazy Little Thing Called Love in which I had the final solo.

How many girls at the age of seventeen can say that they have performed twice in two different shows on an elite stage in the West End? Or been trained in voice and stage combat by Mickey and Eddie from the West End cast of Blood Brothers? Had a headshot taken by the world famous Robin Savage? Taken dance workshops with Chris Ellis-Stanton from Legally Blonde: The Musical or Rebecca Clifford of Evita fame? Or danced with the London cast of Anything Goes at Pineapple Dance Studios (with sadly no Louie Spence) in 2008?

‘Dance cannot just be a hobby, girls, it has to be a way of life’

West End girl leah judge

I have been one of the lucky few to attend West End Stage School, based in the heart of London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, run by one of the UK’s most notable theatrical agents, Mark Puddle. The enthusiasm and atmosphere of the school is electric, every single person there is devoted to musical theatre and it really shows. Every effort is put in to prove yourself a worthy performer, standing out from the crowd. The days too are very long but thoroughly enjoyable, preparing for the professional show at the end of the course at Her Majesty’s Theatre, home to Phantom of the Opera. Past students of West End Stage have appeared in top shows such as Waiting for Godot, Billy Elliot, Les Miserables, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert and Oliver! to name but a few.

A definite highlight of the course is the hot ticket to see a top West End show where the atmosphere in the auditorium is unbelievable with the audience clapping and whooping as loudly as they can! The post-show meet and greet session with the cast is a fantastic experience.

This year I was fortunate enough to meet one of my theatrical heroes, Alex Gaumond, as well as the likes of Sheridan Smith, Richard Fleeshman and Paul Davison.

As well as making friends from all over the country, through my experiences I have learnt so much about being a professional performer. It’s a powerful thing theatre; it can make you laugh, move you to the point of tears, change outlooks on life and send you home with a heart full of hope… and to be a part of that is something wonderful. www.bablake.com

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Our feet keep dancing Mariam Ghadimzadeh

With the advent of a new Dance Studio in the Sports Hall, dance is alive and well at Bablake with so many pupils already excelling.

Y

ou will have read about Leah Judge’s experiences but many others are finding the same thrill.

Tyrone Thiara and Aisling Flanagan go from strength to strength in ballroom and Irish dance respectively and congratulations to Bhavika Raichura for returning from the Dance Grand Prix Italia Competition 2009 with two trophies. Her dance school won one trophy for Best Street Dance and one for the Judges’ Favourite Act. Congratulations also go to Uma Venkataraman, Nayantara Sriram and Anjana Marimuthu on being selected to attend the Centre for Advanced Training for South Asian and Contemporary Dance.

Everyone’s enjoyment is so clear. 6th Former Emily Aucutt explained: ‘I have been dancing since I was 3. I started with just ballet but now I do ballet, tap, musical theatre, Irish and street. Not only is it a good way to keep fit but also it has enabled me to have some great experiences. I have danced on many West End stages, at the Royal Albert Hall, Saddler Wells and Her Majesty’s many times. I have also danced in an international competition in Barcelona where the

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troupe brought home 3 trophies. I don’t really have a favourite style of dance as they are all different; I enjoy making beats and rhythms with my feet in tap but I like the grace of ballet and the energy involved in street.’

Amrita Kaur is another 6th Former whose love of dance, especially over the last five years, has taken her all over the UK with her Bhangra/ Giddha group Asian

Street Remix, very often performing with international stars such as Navin Kundra, Jaz Dhami and Punjabi By Nature (PBN). The group has also appeared in various video releases. She kindly explained more about her experiences: ‘Harripa! This is something commonly heard from Bhangra teams all across world and mine is no different. Originating in the Punjab, Bhangra was initially a joyful dance in order to celebrate the year’s crop harvest. But nowadays, it has reached a whole new level – from music videos to performances to international competitions. Meeting people like Imran Khan has been amazing but I love performing the most. I love how the crowd reacts to gimmicks in our routines and we have always kept true to our slogan: ‘Mixing yesterday’s traditions with today’s culture.’

‘Not only is it a good way to keep fit but also it has enabled me to have some great experiences.’

sport

Sport

Edited by sam jack, alex popplewell, beth sargent and georgie webber

‘Bablake pupils continue to excel in a wide range of team and individual sports.’

Highlights

Mr Rob Burdett, Head of Boys’ PE Sporting Board of Honour 80 SA Rugby Tour 83 Biathlon 84 Cricket 86 Netball 94

www.bablake.com

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sporting board of honour 2009/10 congratulations to our sporting achievers over the past year.

International Honours England Athletics: Schools National Finals Lucy Smith U19 Cricket: Paul Best (1 day captain) U16 Hockey: Jessica Horn U15 Hipac England Jake Basra U17 Netball: Ashleigh Green (trial) Germany U18 Rugby: Kilian Kleine Wales U16 Hockey: U16 Will Kenney-Herbert Regional Honours Midlands U15 Cricket: Mark Best U16 Rugby: Josh Buggea, Ben Cooper, Richard Synnott U14 Swimming: Lauren Carr West Midlands Athletics Intermediates: Lucy Smith (Shot) Athletics Juniors: Beth Mordey (High Jump) Cross Country: Jamie Cozens, Richard Price Hockey (Junior Regional Performance) U17 Hockey: Bethany Evans U16 Hockey: Jake Basra, Jessica Horn, Hugh Kenney-Herbert, Jack Webber U15 Hockey: Beth Jepson U17 Netball: Ashleigh Green U16 Netball: Rebecca Appleton, Ashleigh Green, Erin Hushon, Beth Jepson U14 Netball: Aimee Piercy, Mollie Sargent

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honours

County Honours (Warwickshire)

Congratulations also to

Cricket Summer Contract/2nd XI: Paul Best U15: Mark Best U14: Matthew Clements U13: Harvey Burke U12: Ross Parnell

Mark Best, Matt Clements, Ben Cooper, Ross Parnell: cricket centurions for our Combined 1st XI v MCC, U14s, 2nds and U12s.

Hockey U17: Rebecca Appleton, Bethany Evans, Ellie Hutchinson-James U16: Alice Haywood, Georgina Mosley U15: Beth Jepson Netball U16: Rebecca Appleton, Emma Davies, Ashleigh Green, Erin Hushon, Beth Jepson U14: Aimee Piercy, Mollie Sargent Rugby U18/17: Dominic Ainsworth, Henry Chamberlain, Max Goodyer, Sam Jack, Adam King, Kilian Kleine, Alex Myers, Chuka Ogbuneke, Will Thornhill U15: Emile Pokoj U14: James Faulkner, Lewis Marshall, Liam Moore Team Achievements Netball: U19 (semi-finalists) and U16 squads reached the West Midlands round of the National Schools Tournament

Matt Clements: double centurion for the U14s v KHVIII. Christine Goldfinch: 5th official for the Ladies’ IRB Rugby World Cup. Max Goodyer and Kristian Ostrowski: trained with the Scottish Exiles.

Hayley Griffiths: defender for Coventry City Girls U16 Tesco County Cup winners.

Beth Hushon: one of the final 40 girls chosen for 2016 Olympics UK Tall and Talented programme.

Nicola McIntyre: two Bronze Trophies and two medals at the European Championships for Tang Soo Do (a Korean martial art).

Lucy Smith: 6th in the Shot at the National Schools finals.

Paula Strong: National Dressage Championships win with ‘Midnight Express’.

Adam Weir: featured in ‘Climber’ magazine in article regarding choice and cost of climbing gear.

Tennis: Midlands Senior Tennis Doubles, Jonine Bains and Katie Wainhouse semi-finalists

www.bablake.com

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fitness

‘mens sana in corpore sano’

fantastic new fitness suite, dance studio and climbing wall Pupils (and staff) have even less excuse for not enjoying the benefits of a healthy mind in a healthy body as Bablake now boasts a generously equipped new Fitness Suite, a Climbing Wall and a roomy Dance Studio. All of these facilities have proved very popular for curriculum lessons in PE, team fitness and individual leisure fitness programmes.

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ontour

South Africa Tour sam jack

O

ur tour party brought two very talented Bablake teams together which suggested we would enjoy contesting some good close rugby as well as all the other benefits of such a trip. With little time to practise together, our touring XVs were soon thrown in at the deep end against some very well drilled and highly physical sides.

With spirits high on this once in a lifetime tour, we contested strongly against top South African teams such as Wynberg and Strand.

Unfortunately, no matter how much heart and spirit we were all willing to give, the lack of experience playing together led to losses.

Gradually though we found unity in the Rainbow nation and enjoyed a string of three victories, with the first against a strong Kloof side.

The rugby was just part of an amazing experience. Table Mountain offered stunning scenery of Cape Town, over 1000 metres below, and a perfect opportunity for group and individual photos. We also visited Robben Island which since housing its last prisoner in 1996, had become a museum that symbolised

‘It was a poignant experience that made everyone appreciate not only the luxury of participating in the tour but every aspect of the comfortable lives we live’ the struggle to overcome racial segregation formerly practised in the Republic of South Africa. The visit was both insightful and extremely moving as we saw glimpses of what people like Nelson Mandela had to endure.

Visiting a township in Cape Town allowed us to view the awful conditions that many have to withstand in the poorer regions of South Africa and other areas of the world. It was a poignant experience that made everyone appreciate not only the luxury of participating in the tour but every aspect of the comfortable lives we live.

While on tour, we also had many chances to view first hand the wealth of animals that inhabit the land and oceans of South Africa.

At the Two Oceans Aquarium we saw some of the 3000 sea animals that inhabit the Indian and Atlantic

ocean, while at uShaka Marine World in Durban, there was even an opportunity for the braver of the group to dive with sharks in the safety of a cage. Even with the majority of a day there, there was too much to do in too little time.

Another highlight, while staying in Hluhluwe, a small town in northern KwaZulu-Natal, was a full day game drive and St Lucia Estuary cruise, where we observed elephants, giraffes, rhinos, crocodiles, hippopotami and a massive variety of other animals in their natural habitats.

Looking back, the tour gave a great social and sports platform for the rugby squad to bond and I am sure the experience will pay dividends on the pitch next season when we play our usual school fixtures. www.bablake.com

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ontrack

biathlon

In February, Bablake was honoured to host the inaugural Coventry Super 8 Biathlon for years 5 – 8 and the guest of honour was UK pentathlete Georgie Harland, who won a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

The emphasis of the day was to introduce the girls to shooting and fencing, two events that would be new to most of them, and then allow them to compete in swimming and running. The whole event took place over almost 7 hours, using 2 other venues as well – Coventry Baths and the athletics tracks at the University of Warwick – and the girls were just as excited at the awards ceremony as they had been at the start of the day.

Peter Evans, Development Officer for the Modern Pentathlon, was delighted with the success of the event while Mrs Sue Smith, Head of Girls’ PE was pleased to see Bablake’s success. Shell athlete Grace Harrold put in a great challenge for the Year 7 trophy, Sophie Greer won the Year 8 1000m race to add to her win in the pool and Bablake girls Helen Rowland and Hayley Smith finished overall 2nd and 3rd respectively.

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‘Who knows where this biathlon will take them?’ simon hurley-smith, health matters

Georgie Harland summed up the day: ‘The girls are starting on their journey to 2012 and beyond. I will cherish my Olympic medal for the rest of my life and I was here to try to encourage young girls to reach out for their goals.

Who knows where this biathlon will take them?’

Sponsor Simon Hurley-Smith (Health Matters) was delighted with the success of the day’s activities and thought the athletes were a credit to their respective schools, saying: ‘All the girls clearly wanted to do their very best for themselves and for their schools and the competition was tough with some outstanding performances.’

ontrack

athletics

Girls’ Athletics

Boys’ Athletics

Mrs Suzanne Webley

Mr rob burdett

The girls have had another successful athletics season.

In the Coventry School championships, Bablake came second in the Intermediate and Year 7 age groups and were winners of the Year 8 and Junior Championships.

Individual champions were Lucy Smith (shot and discus) at intermediate level and Hollie Molloy (long jump), Beth Mordey (high jump) and Lauren Carr (javelin), all at the junior level. Year 8 champions were Hollie Molloy (high jump and 100m), Amy Lilly (hurdles), Aimee Piercy (shot) and Mollie Sargent (javelin) while Year 7 champions were Miranda Attariani (hurdles), Rachel Faulkner (75m), Daisy Williams (long jump and 150m) and Grace Harrold (joint winner for 600m).

Ten girls from Bablake represented Coventry at the West Midlands Championships. Lucy Smith came 2nd in the intermediate shot and 3rd in javelin, Beth Mordey finished 2nd in the junior high jump, Amy Lilly came 3rd in U14 hurdles and Mollie Sargent 4th in U14 javelin.

In the English Schools track and field both the junior and intermediate teams came first. The intermediate team made the Regional B final and finished 3rd and the junior team went onto the Regional A final where they finished 8th Congratulations go to Lucy Smith on achieving 6th place in shot at the English Schools Track and Field Championships.

Ronan Jones and Jake Hinley secured a Bablake 1-2 in the Year 10 City Combined Events competition. This is a pentathlon style competition with points awarded for performances in 5 events: sprint, hurdles, shot, javelin and long jump. Ronan finished as champion with an impressive 161 points while Jake’s 146 points held off the rest of the field to secure 2nd place. James Tumber finished 3rd with 109 points in the Year 9 competition, a remarkable performance as he unfortunately failed to score at all in the shot, one of his strongest events!

Jamie Cozens, Ben Davies, James Faulkner, Paul Gascoigne, Lewis Marshall and Bradley Pinkham were all selected to represent Coventry Schools in the West Midlands Championships. Bradley won the long jump and went forward to represent the region.

The most encouraging aspect of the season was the increased number of boys attending Athletics club after school. With some of these pupils also joining clubs outside school, the future looks very bright. The fact that most of our Shell and 2nd year athletes qualified for their respective finals bodes well too!

www.bablake.com

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cricket

Best Summer Ever Gap year student Paul Best enjoyed a professional summer contract with Warwickshire, playing and often captaining in all 2nd team games. He was selected for a series of U19 international fixtures at home and abroad versus Sri Lanka – tests, one-dayers and Twenty20s – captaining England 11 times in all and named England’s one day Man of the Series. Captain of Stratford Upon Avon, he was looking forward to a 4 day county 2nd team National Final against Surrey, to be played at Sir Paul Getty’s private (and magnificent!) cricket ground near High Wycombe (Wormsley) in September 2010.

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Meanwhile brother Mark blossomed for school and county; in a staggering 73 competitive games, he scored over 2500 runs, averaging over 50. At county level, Warwickshire U15s and U16s, as opening bat, he scored 754 runs, with four 50s and one century, making him second highest run-scorer for all the Warwickshire agegroup teams for 2010. Voted Players’ Player for the U15s, a lovely accolade to have from your peers, he played in the National U15s County Finals at Oakham School. Selected for the Midlands Regional team, he played in the famous Bunbury Regional tournament. He scored 419 runs for our 1st X1, at an average of 70, including 101 not out for a combined Bablake/ King Henry’s team versus MCC. A regular club 2nd XI player, he also made his debut for Leamington 1st XI at 15 years old. In his career so far, he has scored an impressive 16 centuries.

boys’sport ‘Vivek Desai’s first ever hat-trick dismissal came in front of the Wheatleyan’s camera for the U15s versus Princethorpe’ The Hat-Trick Vivek Desai’s first ever hat-trick dismissal came in front of the Wheatleyan’s camera for the U15s versus Princethorpe.

Vivek’s dismissals, all bowled, ripped out the opposition’s middle order and paved the way for a victory. After taking two wickets with the first two balls of his third over, it took a few moments before the bowler and his teammates remembered he had closed his previous over with a wicket. It was a moment he will remember for a long time and rightly so! On the same day, Scott Spencer saw his U13s hat-trick ball dropped at midwicket but lead to a run out – a team hat-trick!

Most Promising Young Cricketers Mark Best, Matt Clements and Ross Parnell will be the beneficiaries of a cricket scholarship. All three have shown excellent potential at school and county level and we look forward to further news of their success higher up the school.

Triple Century Partnership Cousins Matt Clements and Dominic Rae almost certainly achieved an all-time record in the Coventry Schools Cricket Under 14 Final, compiling a partnership of 322.

Matthew’s 202 not out and Dominic’s 90 not out have been immortalised by the presentation of a tankard to each of them that details their tremendous feat in an engraving. The tankards were presented to the boys at a school assembly on behalf of the Coventry Schools Cricket Association. Matt’s score is the highest by a Bablake pupil since the 90s when both Steve Byng and Adam Smyth scored 234 in cup fixtures.

New Coach In Town Steve Perryman was appointed in the Spring Term to work with our teams as cricket coach this season. Steve played first class cricket for Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the 1970s and 1980s where he gained a reputation as a masterful swing bowler but more recently has been a key figure in the backroom coaching staff at Warwickshire CC. His encouragement and expertise have already inspired our young cricketers to start reaching their potential.

City Finals Will it be a clean sweep for Bablake? All four of our Junior sides (U12, U13, U14, U15) have made it to the Coventry Schools finals. We have won all three that have been played and await the result of the U15 fixture that will be played at the start of the 2011 season. www.bablake.com

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cricket review mr andrew phillips

Bablake’s cricket teams all enjoyed success throughout a relatively short school cricket season and it was excellent to see all our junior sides reach and win the Coventry Schools finals played so far.

Both the 1st and 2nd XIs had mixed seasons, showing signs of brilliance interspersed with periods of complacency. After early defeats for the 1st XI, hard work in training paid dividends especially against Bishop Vesey where impressive resilience in freezing conditions allowed us to emerge victorious. U15 player Mark Best obviously took the plaudits stepping up to this level without being fazed and his century for a combined Bablake/ KHVIII side versus the MCC caught the eye. The 2nd XI’s most impressive victory against Solihull School saw Ben Cooper score an excellent 141.

Once again Bablake hosted the annual Twenty20 competition. Our 1st XI recorded victories against Warwick, Lawrence Sheriff and KE Aston to tie for 2nd place on points going into the final round but lost out narrowly on net run rate to finish 4th overall.

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The U15 cricket team had an excellent season, losing just three games and enjoyed a fine victory over Warwick and progression into the final of the Coventry Cup. Highlights with the bat included innings from Jake Basra, Hugh Kenney-Herbert, Ryan Parnell and Emile Pokoj. Jake Basra, Ryan Parnell and Dhyan Patel also excelled with the ball. Mark Best, as well as representing the 1st XI this year, has produced some excellent innings and of course Vivek Desai’s hat-trick was a memorable moment.

The U14s had another very successful season which culminated in reaching the Coventry Cup Final where all records were smashed as cousins Matt Clements and Dominic Rae put on an unbeaten stand of 322 in their allotted 30 overs against local rivals KHVIII to win the Harold Suddens Bowl by 142 runs. Matt Clements is the Warwickshire County U14 captain and had already hit three centuries before his 202 not out in the final; a truly remarkable knock containing 12 sixes and 22 fours.

Dominic Rae’s career best 90 not out included 14 fours.

Matt’s captaincy through the season was a particular highlight too.

boys’sport ‘A three year development plan has been put into action which will include a comprehensive programme of winter training starting in January, focusing on core skills, technique development and fitness work’ The U13s improved dramatically ending the season as Coventry Cup champions. Progress to the cup semifinal and a crushing win over KHVIII were the team’s highlights. Matt Bird has continued to impress as an attacking batsman and latterly wicketkeeper while Adam and Stephen Shaw together with Nirgun Bhandal have bowled well. Paul Gascoigne and Bradley Pinkham proved adept with both bat and ball as did Simran Bansal and Scott Spencer who have led the side with skill and enthusiasm.

Batting first in their Cup final, the U12s made the best of a good wicket, with Ross Parnell scoring an impressive 72 and Nick Payne achieving a maiden half century, finishing on 59 not out. Owen McGlinchey’s 3 for 7 then paved the way for a good victory. Winning the Coventry Cup was a fitting climax to what was a very enjoyable season for the U12s and no doubt the beginning of what will become, in the words of Mr Jim Burns, their coach, ‘an era of success and triumph for this group of talented and enthusiastic cricketers.’ He continued: ‘The statistics show the team won eight of its eleven fixtures but far more impressive was the way that the team competed and battled in every match and responded to defeats early in the season by bouncing back, learning from defeat and consequently producing thrilling, entertaining and winning cricket that pleased the large army of parents and grandparents who eagerly supported the team home and away.’

The strength of the U12 side was undoubtedly with the bat and special mention has to be made of the captain Ross Parnell who never failed with the bat regularly scoring 50 or more to give the team the platform needed to go on to win. Particularly impressive were wins against Bishop Vesey and KHVIII in difficult conditions.

Few who watched the Bishop Vesey match will forget the weather and it is rumoured some are still thawing out!

The U12s are certainly not a one man band. Messrs Bhathal, Checklin, Collins, McGlinchey, Payne, Rowlands and Sargent all had excellent knocks, while with the

ball, vice captain Rory Kenney-Herbert was ably assisted by ‘an army of accurate bowlers’, namely messrs Basra, Betts, Bhathal, Checklin, Hundall and Williams and by Burke who was extremely tidy with the gloves behind the stumps. Their coach praised the group for being an extremely pleasant team to work with and looked forward to hearing about even greater success for them in years to come.

Plans For The Future Cricket at Bablake is going from strength to strength and Steve Perryman, our professional coach, has been an excellent addition this year. A three year development plan has been put into action which will include a comprehensive programme of winter training starting in January, focusing on core skills, technique development and fitness work. Professional contractors have also undertaken major work on the main cricket square and our groundstaff are developing Pitch 2 and levelling areas of the outfield. We have set ambitious performance targets for each of the A teams, however, it is our aim to increase the number of B team fixtures at all age groups so that more boys are given an opportunity to represent the school at a competitive level.

www.bablake.com

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boys’sport

hockey review mr andrew phillips

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boys’sport ‘2010-11 should bring even more success and the Singapore and Malaysia tour in the summer of 2011 will also offer our senior teams a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the sport on a different continent’

Boys’ Hockey at Bablake is at a very exciting point as the sport continues to grow in recognition and popularity and all our teams can reflect upon an enjoyable, successful season.

The increase in the number of pupils involved in the sport has consequently raised the standard of school representative teams across the age groups and all teams trained hard for fixtures and cup competitions under the eye of expert coach Phil Gooderham (Wales U21 and Birmingham University Women’s 1st XI coach).

It is excellent to be able to report on representative honours. Will Kenney-Herbert enjoyed success representing Wales U16s in the Four Nations tournament during the summer while Jack Webber (U14) and Jake Basra and Hugh Kenney-Herbert (both U15) deserve congratulations for being selected for the Junior Regional Performance Centre. A large number of players also trialled successfully for places in the various Junior Development Centres.

The senior teams had a successful season and thoroughly enjoyed a Hamburg tour in the October half term. The 1st XI were a pleasure to coach and manage; not only were they excellent role models for younger students but they have also been a credit to the school when travelling away from home. Their exceptional work ethic paid dividends throughout the season, with some strong results and excellent performances, especially against Bishop Vesey (1-0), KHVIII (0-0), Princethorpe (3-0), Loughborough GS (0-0) and Lawrence Sheriff (4-0). Conor Jones captained the side with great maturity and showed excellent leadership throughout the season.

Confidence grew in the 2nd and 3rd XIs too after early victories. Both worked hard throughout and the 2nds were rewarded with good wins against Camp Hill (5-1), Queen Mary’s (3-2), Bishop Vesey (2-1), KHVIII (1-0) and Princethorpe (4-1), while the 3rd XI recorded wins against King Edward’s Birmingham (1-0), Queen Mary’s (2-0) and North Leamington College (5-1).

The U15s had a fantastic unbeaten season. Their highlights were wins against Bromsgrove(3-0), KHVIII (40), Nottingham HS (3-0), Solihull (1-0) and Warwick (2-1).

Tom Bird (captain), Ronan Jones, Matthew Hollinrake and William Hine all had exceptional seasons.

The U14s had patches of brilliance during the season, recording wins against Warwick (6-0), KHVIII (2-0), Bishop Vesey (7-3), Lawrence Sheriff (3-1) and Camp Hill (9-0); however, they will look back with regret at underperforming at the Warwickshire County Tournament.

The U13s continued to build on their work from last year and although they were not rewarded with the results they deserved, improvement has been significant and this bodes well for the future.

The U12s trained exceptionally hard during their first year at Bablake and a strong squad of players has formed. This hard work paid off, as they convincingly beat Loughborough Grammar School (3-0) in their first game representing the school.

2010-11 should bring even more success and the Singapore and Malaysia tour in the summer of 2011 will also offer our senior teams a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the sport on a different continent.

www.bablake.com

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girls’sport

hockey U18s

U16s

rachel hollinrake

becky appleton

Our season began with a 5-1 defeat against King Edward’s High School when half of our team was playing in a netball tournament. However, once we were at full strength again, we drew against Princethorpe and won against Newcastleunder-Lyme.

We struggled to convert our chances early in the season so results were a little mixed. One of our highlights was reaching the semi finals in the Warwickshire tournament where we lost 3-1 to the notoriously strong King’s High – the team we have struggled against throughout our Bablake careers! We took great pride in the 1-0 score at half-time since we knew that collectively we had played our best hockey as a team throughout our time together.

We ended the season so strongly, winning the final four games out of five and the 3-1 win in our final game was a fitting finale. It was a great privilege to captain the side; I thoroughly enjoyed every moment, and although we have not been as successful as last year’s first team, we enjoyed our hockey and shared some brilliant experiences Along with the rest of the leavers, I thank Mrs Smith for all her time and effort over the past seven years. We will miss her greatly!

Our season began well with wins against Bedford High 2nd XI (1-0), Kenilworth (3-1), the first of three unbeaten games against their strong side, one of which saw Sophie Bullen make key saves as substitute goalkeeper, and Newcastle-under-Lyme.(5-0).

The biggest test came in the U16 county tournament.

We started off slowly in our group, losing to King’s High and drawing with Kenilworth. Fortunately, this was enough to reach the semi finals where we played excellently in a very close match against Rugby School, eventually losing 3-2.

We drew twice against KHVIII and enjoyed a fantastic 4-4 draw against Wrekin College 2nd XI, where the team showed excellent work rate and worked well together, with Ashni Desai scoring a hat trick.

The team ended the season strongly, with wins against Nottingham High (5-0) and KEHS (2-0). Six wins, three draws and just one loss against a very strong King’s High side signalled a very successful season and hard training definitely improved our individual skills and tactical play.

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girls’sport U14s

U12s

bethany shaw

Mrs Suzanne Webley

The team showed lots of spirit to bounce back from a heavy defeat in our first game. We drew against Solihull School (1-1) and only lost narrowly to King’s High (2-1). This definite improvement boosted the teams’ confidence and we then went on a five match unbeaten run: Kenilworth (0-0), KHVIII (1-0, 0-0, 0-0) and King’s Worcester (2-2).

We began the U14 Warwickshire tournament strongly, winning 2-1 against Kenilworth. A defeat v King’s High (20) and 2 draws against KHVIII (1-1 – where we gave a lead away in the final 10 seconds) and Stratford Grammar (0-0) saw us finish a creditable 3rd.

Our final three games brought a win against Nottingham High( 5-2), a loss to King Edward’s High School (2-1) and a win against Newcastle Under-Lyme (2-1).

We have a strong squad which has definitely gained confidence over the season.

The year groups had a pleasing season, finishing strongly with some excellent results and it was excellent to see more than 20 girls represent the school in hockey fixtures.

The A team won six, drew one and lost six.

Despite some early defeats the team continued to work hard on its individual skills and was rewarded by reaching the semi finals of the Solihull invitation tournament. We beat Kenilworth (6-1), Twycross (3-1), KHVIII (2-1) and KEHS (4-2) and did particularly well to draw with the Kingsley U13 team.

We also reached the semi final of the Warwickshire tournament, narrowly losing to KHVIII (0-2) but the highlight of the season came in the Bablake invitational tournament where in the group stage we beat Kenilworth (2-0), Princethorpe (2-0) and Twycross (7-0) with some excellent individual performances from Emily White and Daisy Williams. We recorded our first victory against the county champions, King’s High, to reach the final, where we lost 0-1 to KHVIII. The B team gained in confidence throughout the season and finished with a very respectable record of six wins, four draws and two losses. Wins against Kenilworth (5-3), Twycross (2-0), KHVIII (3-0) and Newcastle-underLyme (5-2) were particularly pleasing. The B team worked extremely hard to improve individual skills and tactics and they proved themselves very capable when they drew 2-2 with the Kingsley U12A team.

In the annual fixture against KHVIII we fielded 4 strong teams and it is testimony to the depth of talent in this age group that we won 3 of the matches: the As lost 2-7, while the Bs won 3-0, the Cs 5-0 and the Ds 6-0.

Well done to all the girls who have represented the school and a special thank you to Mrs Pam Marchant for her help this year.

Addendum The promisingly talented U15 team is congratulated on winning its event in Loughborough High School’s Festival of Sport and reaching the Warwickshire Schools triangular final, while the U13s were worthy runners up in the Bablake invitation tournament.

www.bablake.com

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girls’sport

netball Seniors

U16s

mrs gill thomas

ashni desai

Each season brings its challenges and highs and lows and this was no exception. The rebuilding of the squads always provides challenges: finding the right balance in a squad to compete in the National Schools Tournaments, providing opportunities for all those who have the potential to make the first team squad, finding games to stretch those who play in the second team squad, and of course keeping the momentum going through snow and all the important January modules without impacting on exam performance.

Numbers were great throughout the whole season, everyone showed great commitment and reliability and results show consequent rewards. 23 wins from 30 games was a fine tribute to the excellence of the A team and for the B team to win 50% of their games was very pleasing especially since a number of their games were against A teams.

The A and B teams both played very well at the Coventry Schools’ Tournament, winning all their games, enabling the As to represent Coventry at the Warwickshire Tournament, where they would meet some of the strongest schools in the region. A close, tough win against Loughborough High was excellent preparation as with three wins and a narrow 7-8 defeat to KHVIII, we had to beat Higham Lane to reach the West Midlands round. The team played magnificently, won 8-5 and was on its way!

In preparation for the West Midlands Tournament, the team were keen to work on new tactics (‘The Higham’ for example) and work as a squad of 10. Results were good in the build-up and we did ourselves proud on the day. Credit should go to all players for their efforts, especially since the tournament coincided with important examinations.

We found ourselves in a group that eventually provided both West Midlands representatives and in Bromsgrove, the eventual National winners.

The spirit of the squad did not drop and we won all bar one A team fixture including a match against Princethorpe U18B, while the B team won the Coventry U16B tournament and defeated Princethorpe A.

So what were the season’s ‘highs’?

• The excellent commitment of all players to training and to matches.

• The improvement in skills and tactical knowledge of all players.

• Managing to persuade attacking players that feeding into the circle from the centre third is not always a good idea!

• The 2nd team squad being placed 3rd behind our own 1st VII and KHVIII at the Coventry Schools Tournament.

• The 1st team squad winning the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire tournament and progressing to the West Midlands round of the National Schools Tournament when after our last game, with one round to go, we thought we would be third and not qualify!

• The pride at reaching the semi-finals of the West Midlands Tournament – it was a tough ask.

• The ‘B’ Team winning the plate competition at the Dominique Matthews Memorial Tournament.

And the ‘lows’?

• Disappointment at being knocked out of the West Midlands Tournament at the semi-final stage and therefore missing an opportunity to go to the National Finals. But what an excellent effort!

• Increasing Mrs Friebe’s and my blood pressure when, on the directions ‘possession’, ‘steady’ and ‘discipline’, it was clear that there was no way any of those calls were going to be carried out!

Thank you to all who supported the senior netballers throughout the season, to all players and in particular to the U6th who leave us having given seven years to Bablake netball.

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girls’sport U13s mollie sargent The A team had an excellent season winning 12 of their 14 games, mostly by at least 10 goals and notably against King Edward’s High, King’s High, Nottingham High and KHVIII. This was even more impressive as an early season injury to Cara Mattu, our Goal Defence, left the team with a hole in defence. After a few different combinations, Mollie Sargent stepped into the position and formed a solid partnership with Georgina Lloyd whereby only 150 goals were scored against us this season.

Centre court players Keisha Simms, Hollie Molloy and Hayley Smith gelled well throughout the season moving the ball down the court to the shooting circle for shooters Aimee Piercy and Amanda Attariani to score over 340 goals! As the winners of the Loughborough Festival and Coventry Tournament, the team eagerly awaits the challenges of next season.

The B team worked hard and really improved their skills and timing. In 11 friendly matches and the Coventry Schools tournament, they won all bar a narrow two goal defeat to Nottingham High and a draw on their way to their Coventry Schools title.

U15s

U12s

jenny reay

mrs mandy reed

17 wins from 21 games for the A team and 7 from 11 for the B team proved how committed players in the group were to work hard and achieve success. Encouraging early victories against KHVIII and Bluecoat were followed by narrow defeats for As and Bs against Higham Lane but valuable match play experience, expert coaching from Mrs Mills and hard work to improve personal skills and team tactics took us confidently to the Coventry Schools` Tournament with a string of excellent victories behind us.

The A team proved much too strong for their opponents winning the Tournament, scoring 80 goals and only conceding 7 while the B team was unlucky to finish 2nd after 2 wins and a single goal defeat.

Our focus turned to preparation for the Uppingham School Tournament with both teams working hard and gaining excellent victories over Princethorpe College. The loss of Ashleigh Green to injury proved significant in a very keenly contested competition. We managed to defeat Stamford School and Leicester Grammar but lost to a very strong team from Bromsgrove School, many of whom were squad members of the Bromsgrove U16 who went on to win the National Schools Tournament. However this was a very valuable experience as we competed against schools we do not normally meet and the standard was at another level. It was no surprise our season finished with excellent victories for both teams against King Edward`s Edgbaston and Solihull School.

The talent in this year group was clearly evident right from the first Shell netball practice. Numbers at lunchtime practices were encouraging and our evening netball club was attracting a regular attendance of over 30 girls, so help from Mrs Chris Friebe and Dr Trish Archer was most welcome.

Those early signs of promise were proven in the season’s results as the A team, which clearly has an outstanding future ahead, amassed a fantastic 411 goals in the season; a record for any Bablake U12 team. Losing just three of 25 games, the Loughborough tournament was the first outing of the season where the team was undefeated throughout to secure the trophy and individual gold medals.

After such a wonderful start, the season continued in the same vein and the manner of victories was equally impressive. They defeated King’s High 19-9, Bilton Grange 215, St Thomas More 31-3, Nottingham High 27-7, Higham Lane 33-7 and Solihull School 34-6. We had to be content with the runners up position in the Coventry Schools tournament where in a nail-biting final, we gave away a 2 goal half-time lead and lost in the dying seconds of the match.

The B team worked tirelessly to improve match skills and positional play, winning 10 of its 16 games. Many players adapted to new positions and several deputised most ably for the A team. There was great pleasure finishing as runners up in the Coventry Schools B Team tournament after 3 comfortable victories and 1 narrow defeat. www.bablake.com

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boys’sport

rugby review mr rob burdett

As a coach you take pleasure from the squad that train hard, gel well, play above themselves and gain confidence from victory.

There is also the excitement of seeing star players going to trials for their city, region and country and being selected. Not only does this inspire young players to play like them but their teammates see the opposition’s concerns about playing against them.

This year seemed a bumper year for representative honours. Kilian Kleine trained and then played for the U18 German national team. Three of Bablake’s promising young rugby players, Joshua Buggea, Ben Cooper and Richard Synnott must be congratulated on reaching the Midlands U16 trials. Joshua and Richard both went on to represent the Midlands in the annual Divisional Festival held at Broadstreet RFC which is effectively the England U16 trials. The experience was bitter-sweet, however, as while it was an excellent achievement to be invited to trial, both boys fell short of the final cut for the final England squad, for the time being. Josh went on to represent a combined English Divisions XV and we will follow the progress of all three, from a distance though since all have moved to different institutions for their 6th form education.

Over the season the 1st XV showed glimpses of real talent. After a stunning victory over Wellingborough, notable wins came against Bishop Vesey, Princethorpe and Lawrence Sheriff. With more belief and determination, they began to develop into a fine team and completed the season in great style with a fantastic performance in defeating a Sedbergh XV in the Peter Bush memorial match and a comfortable victory at the Butts Stadium against KHVIII. There was real talent in this group of players: Dominic Ainsworth, Henry Chamberlain, Max Goodyer, Sam Jack, Kilian Kleine and Alex Myers all represented Warwickshire whilst Kristian Ostrowski and Max also trained with the Scottish Exiles.

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The Under 15 XV made initial progress in the Daily Mail cup and James Brindley, Aleem Iqbal, Ronan Jones and Emile Pokoj have all been selected for Coventry.

There is a certainty that a new generation is always around the corner. James Faulkner, Lewis Marshall and Liam Moore were selected for the Warwickshire U14 rugby squad this season and in them is the hope they develop in the same vein as our Midlands trio. The U14s game moved forward really well this season and they won half of their fixtures. The forwards played with a lot more focus and determination and Liam Moore led the squad very well as well as playing some really effective, aggressive rugby The defensive play in the backs became much more organised and frequently made the difference between winning and losing. Rob Faulkner’s tackling and Lewis Marshall’s running with the ball in hand were particularly impressive. The most enjoyable fixtures were probably the wins against Bishop Vesey and KHVIII but we were given a demonstration of just how good U14 play can be by Rugby School.

As for the U13s, at the end of a long season, there is always time to reflect on the highs and lows of the previous two terms. Coach Mr Chris Seeley said: ‘If this had been football, I would have had to resign months ago given our playing record, yet just like Portsmouth, we made it to a final, for us the Coventry Cup!’ The U13s eventually began to play confident rugby and achieve the results they were capable of, albeit inconsistently As well as their cup final, they reached the Quarter Finals of the Warwick 7s tournament. The talent is there! Matt Bird, Paul Gascoigne, Bradley Pinkham and Edward Skalka all give the side a genuine cutting edge, but until the forwards win sufficient ball, the real strength of the team, the backs, will not be used to the full. Winning could become an enjoyable habit!

Throughout the year groups, the spirit in training and at fixtures was excellent, so with confidence and belief, the future looks bright.

boys’sport

‘If this had been football, I would have had to resign months ago given our playing record, yet just like Portsmouth, we made it to a final, for us the Coventry Cup!’

www.bablake.com

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rugby

Bablake vs KHVIII at Coventry RFC Only when Dominic Ainsworth dived over at Coventry RFC’s Butts Stadium for a try, deftly converted by Ben Cooper, was the outcome of the annual 1st XV fixture against KHVIII certain. Soon after, Bablake’s captain Max Goodyer proudly received the trophy from James Grindal (Leicester Tigers), guest of honour, in recognition of a 19-0 win that was not as comfortable as the scoreline might suggest.

It could certainly have been very different if KHVIII had not missed 3 early penalties before winger Chuka Ogbuneke confidently raced clear to touch down for the only score of the first half. This fixture is always very tight – often played close to the packs – and the game reached the final quarter before Alex Popplewell made a successful stretch for a try converted by Henry Chamberlain.

In near freezing conditions, 1400 spectators once again had been treated to a game played in an excellent spirit on the pitch and, for the players of both teams, running out and playing in front of such a crowd will undoubtedly be a highlight for many years.

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‘Don’t forget the contribution of the pack powering through the mud for 80 minutes’ jo taylor

sportsshorts

sports shorts

Rounders Football With our squad struggling to field more than a bare 5 a side team at the start of the year, this was a definite season of rebuilding and main coach Mr Jeffrey Grantham soon developed a youth policy, wheeling and dealing most adeptly for players from the 5th year on matchdays.

Cameron Taylor and Liam Kavanagh led our team ably with Daniel Lightfoot, Club Captain, proving the most consistent outfield player. Traditionally stronger once the Spring Term arrives, we had goalkeeper Arthur Ripley with a wonderful string of saves and the exhaustion of possibly all fortune for the next decade to thank in one of the most one-sided 0-0 draws ever against Princethorpe.

Beaten comfortably twice by Lawrence Sheriff, the squad enjoyed a superb 5-4 win versus Aylesford (helped immeasurably by their donation of one of their A team players) and a close 3-4 aggregate defeat (2-1,0-3) in our annual two leg ‘final’ versus North Leamington.

Mr Mark Woodward

From U15A to U12B, we played 42 games this season, winning 25 of them. The U14s won their Coventry Schools tournament, both U15s and U13s were runners up and the U12s were semi-finalists.

As for the girls new to the game, with the summer sun a keen temptation, we regularly had over 25 girls at U12 practice which, while really encouraging, made competition for team places very high. Despite a slow start, the girls finished the season winning their last five games. Some valuable practices on batting technique and team tactics, with invaluable help from Mrs Cath Mills, had paid off.

Mrs Sue Smith and Mrs Suzanne Webley Tennis The girls have had an encouraging season. Jonine Bains and Katie Wainhouse’s fine performance reaching the semi-finals of the Midlands Senior Tennis tournament gave all our players a boost.

Beth Jepson played superbly well to take the Coventry Schools U15 title, while Jenny Tasker (U14) and Aimee Piercy (U13) reached the semi-final in their respective age groups. Bablake took three of the four titles at the Coventry Doubles tournament: Erin Hushon and Beth Jepson won the U15A, with Jenny Reay and Beth Rowland runners up at U15B, while Jessica Betts and Jenny Tasker, and Alexa Goodyer and Annabel Knight respectively won the U14A and B titles.

A keen, enthusiastic but inexperienced group of Shell girls attended tennis practices and without exception all pupils showed considerable improvement during the very short season, thanks in no short measure to the help from Mrs Suzanne Webley. The highlight of the season was a creditable draw by our A team pairs in our last fixture against KHVIII. Mrs Chris Scott and Mrs Mandy Reed www.bablake.com

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formerpupils

former pupils

Edited by hannah barfield, aaren healy, emily mason and katie timms Former Pupils’ Association Officers President: Alan Partridge Secretary: Dave Parnell Committee: Bob Beere, Dean Bryant, Geoff Clamp, Paul Cowley, Dave Edwards, Ted McQuilan, Simon Miles, James Paxton, Dave Sidworthy, Brad Thompson, John Watson The Former Pupils’ Association is always looking for new members. If you attended Bablake (or KHVIII), then for a small amount each year, you can become an official member. The membership cost goes towards the running cost of The Old Boys Club, where you are always welcome. We also have rugby, football and cricket sporting subsections. Membership entitles you to a free copy of the school magazine and you will receive regular updates on what is happening within the association and at the school.

Highlights

Obituaries 101 Peter Bush 102 Remembrance Day 103 Grapevine 106

Please contact one of the following for more information or to become a member: Alan Partridge 024 7667 9095 (partridge_alan@sky.com) or Dean Bryant 07712 877772 (dbryant@hbgc.co.uk).

Sage and Wyley Scholarships The Trustees of the Coventry School Foundation Prizes Fund invite applications for: • The Sage Scholarship: tenable in any subject by a former pupil of the school at any university, college or other institute of further education (including professional and technical education) approved by the trustees.

• The Colonel Sir W F Wyley Scholarship: similarly available to former pupils but restricted to those studying science subjects.

The Trustees envisage offering assistance towards the cost of projects, expeditions or travel relevant to an applicant’s subject of study. Application should be made in writing to the Headmaster, Mr John W Watson, giving full details of the purpose for which a scholarship is being sought.

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Advertising and Distribution Team: Emily Sheard and Naomi Smith

formerpupils OBITUARIES

Former Staff Mrs ‘Wiggy’ Field Mrs Field died in October 2009, a day before her 89th birthday. She had always described her work as Main School Librarian as the happiest time of her life.

Former pupils Patrick Bennett QC (1934 – 1942) Patrick was school captain at the time everyone was being evacuated to Lincoln and the archives refer to his studies suffering as the library had been bombed.

(Sir Philip Otton) Pat Cameron (1947 – 1954) A setter operator, postman and dubbed the ‘sports quiz king of Nuneaton’, he leaves a wife Julie, three daughters, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.

John Crowther (1940 – 1945) John Roberts, a contemporary of the ‘Lincoln Years’, reports John gained a degree in Civil Engineering at Birmingham University and his career took him to posts in Sunderland, Bury and finally Oldham where he was Borough Engineer and Director of Engineering Services for 19 years until his retirement in 1988. John played cricket for the Old Boys and Rugby for the Old Wheatleyans and leaves a widow, Phyllis, and two daughters by his first wife. (John Roberts) George Gould (1919 – 1926) Aged 99, he always had a great admiration for the school.

(Matt Lang – great nephew) Jon Grote (1976 – 1983) Popular landlord of the Rainbow Inn, Allesley Village, died after a fall downstairs.

Mick Hibbert (1958 – 1965) Michael ‘ Mick ‘ Hibbert lost his fight with cancer on the 20th May 2010 aged 63 and left a huge void in the lives of many. The Old Wheatleyans and Former Pupils’ Association certainly miss his booming voice, his laugh and the massive amount of work he did to keep these organisations running. There has never been such a dedicated club man. (Alan Partridge)

Everard Perrens (1926 – 1934) Grandfather to former pupils Sarah and Ian Hamilton.

(Judge Donald Hamilton) Alec Shortley (1955 – 1962) Suffering kidney cancer, he died aged 64. Alec opened England’s first Fairtrade shop in the 70s and was committed to delivering the message about this cause.

Howard Skinner (1936 – 1943) A well respected solicitor, he worked at Rotherham and Co for over 40 years and became a senior partner.

His wife died shortly after his retirement but he lived to 83 before suffering a stroke. He leaves three sons and four grandchildren.

Dr Tony Smith (1936 – 1943) One of the country’s top health writers, switching from Law to Medicine at Oxford, he wrote for The Times for 11 years, was deputy editor of the British Medical Journal and penned a number of health books.

Robert Whewell (1960s) Former Head Boy Rob lost his battle with motor neurone disease on 6th Feb 2010. After studying Science at Durham University, he taught before moving into the Pharmaceutical industry and latterly consultancy, speaking at conferences across the globe promoting his work against the massive influx of counterfeit drugs. Despite his illness, diagnosed in 2008, he set up a business importing and selling fine Italian Wines and Olive Oil as well as keeping his blog up to date with the progress of his life and health issues. (Cathie Clohessy) Also William Robert Townsend (1948 – 1953) Barry Tranter (1956 – 1963)

www.bablake.com

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formerpupils

Peter Bush Memorial match

I

t was surely very fitting that the Peter Bush Memorial Match, immaculately organised by his devoted family, and played between Bablake and Sedbergh, the two schools dearest to him, should witness exciting, flowing rugby and finish with the narrowest of margins – a single point win for his alma mater, Bablake.

The match between Bablake’s 1st XV and a Sedbergh team that had a mix of 1st team and development players was certainly competitive, with neither side wishing to relinquish the honour of a win in Peter Bush’s memory. The game was a fine tribute to Peter, Sedbergh’s Head of Economics and former Bablake pupil, much loved son of Janet and the late David, loving partner of Alana, beloved brother of Richard, who sadly and suddenly died in March 2009, at the age of 46.

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formerpupils

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day is always marked in school with a special assembly remembering those who lost their lives in service of their country in the World Wars. A minute’s silence is observed and a pupil plays the Last Post. This year a plaque was unveiled commemorating three pupils who were part of the RAF in 1940’s Battle of Britain.

On the same day, Mr Mark Woodward, Wheatleyan Editor, was invited to attend an England rugby training session in Bagshot that involved international centre/ fly half and former pupil, Shane Geraghty. Mark took this photograph of the England players observing the traditional silence.

‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.’ laurence binyon

www.bablake.com

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alumnusfocus

O

ne thing is for sure; when my interest in design started and I began to study Product Design at Bournemouth University I did not see myself doing what I do now.

I saw myself designing consumer goods, working with plastics and following a career path much like many of my University peers are.

Starting as a fresher in 2002, outside university I quickly became involved with the RNLI Lifeguards and spent every summer working in Poole Bay. The equipment used was still developing and sparked my interest as a designer. I designed and prototyped a new medical pack intended for use by Lifeguards and Emergency Services.

Upon graduation I had meetings with the RNLI in an attempt to secure a job within the technical department.

Unfortunately I quickly discovered that without a marine based engineering degree I had little to no chance.

However, in a slightly cruel twist of fate, having worked for no more than a month in my new job I was approached by the RNLI to design a prototype Lifeguard Tower. I accepted and worked on the job through the company I worked for. In late 2005 a prototype was commissioned for use during the summer of 2006.

‘...stick at it, keep doing what you enjoy and someone will take you seriously eventually, just as I found!’

Beyond the realms of product design Alex Hill (1994 – 2001)

My influence beyond concept design was limited and again I found myself wanting more. At the beginning of 2006 I left full-time employment as a designer to lifeguard and pursue work for the RNLI. Over the summer I developed the prototyped tower, kicking right back to concept work, with a full revision of manufacturing processes and the steel sub-structure. I was certainly beginning to push the realms of my University knowledge. However, to me this is pretty much what design is all about and I successfully applied the processes I was used to.

In late 2006 I got a step closer to my ultimate goal and began working full time as a design consultant.

During this time I worked on a range of projects, from brochures to new lifeguard facilities. The most successful of these projects was a mobile lifeguard facility now manufactured by Marco Trailers, a ‘mobile board bin’ now manufactured by me and, of course, my Tower. I then won the tender for the manufacture of the Lifeguard Stations, much to my surprise. I work well under pressure; I think this is a valuable asset for any designer but this did push the boundaries.

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I started my own company: ‘Weld It’. I succeeded in moving into, tooling and staffing a workshop and in building 4 towers inside the deadline. One tower and three board bins missed the deadline, despite several months of long days and sleeping in the office. In 2008 we put lifeguard towers on Bournemouth, Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Beaches. Following the downfall of our steel contractor I brought all manufacturing in-house and I now run a team of Joiners and Welder Fabricators, with orders of 21 towers continuing through to the end of 2010.

I hope my story in my late 20s is of interest to Bablake’s DT groups especially. It’s tough on the Product Design courses as well as after but stick at it, keep doing what you enjoy and someone will take you seriously eventually, just as I found!

alumnafocus

In the Land of the Invisible Women © Jack Alterman

Former pupil Dr Qanta Ahmed (1979 – 1986) is a quadruple-boarded medic who currently lives in the US. Mr Terry Patchett was Qanta’s English teacher for two years and here reviews her fascinating book.

A

two-year placement in a Saudi hospital evokes these thought-provoking memoirs penned by former pupil Qanta Ahmed. An ambition to visit Mecca and participate in the Hajj is fulfilled; this is no mean feat for an unmarried Muslim woman. ‘The entire point of the Hajj was to remind Muslims of our equal status in the eyes of God.’ Mingling with 800,000 pilgrims, she revels in the uplifting experience but this is in stark contrast to her experience in Riyadh Hospital where she is a highly qualified practitioner yet coldly ignored by a majority of the male doctors.

The controversial imposition of the abbayah (burqa) disguises the human beneath the veil and Qanta is challenged by the brutal intolerance displayed especially by the Mutawaeen, who force erring women beneath their cover in public. She insists this is a man-made rather than Godrequired practice.

In Saudi, a world of strict Sharia Law and the death penalty, women long for freedoms such as driving cars, short hair, no scarf, pursuing a career, being free; they hunger for education and autonomy in the workplace. She compares ‘the invisible tentacles of control that had smothered her into submission’ with ‘the alluring, intoxicating recesses of the private Saudi underneath the miasma mask.’

Qanta returns to the USA an enlightened pilgrim but free once again to reveal her exceptional beauty and be treated as at least an equal. This account will shock but enlighten you. terry patchett

www.bablake.com

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grapevine

grapevine Brief news about former pupils

Rod Adlington (1979 – 1982) Local poultry farmer and fine food manufacturer, supplying prestigious food halls.

Bilal Akhtar (1996 – 2003) Proud father, working in the finance department at Warwick Hospital.

Ryan Birch (2000 – 2007) Received a call for Notts County reserves at football.

Sally Bradley (1990 – 1997) Formerly teaching English at Ernesford Grange, now full-time at KHVIII, teaching English and Classics.

Darren Carnall (1990 – 1995) Danced in La Cage Aux Folles on West End. Jon Cartwright (1995 – 2002) Lead story on the cover of The Times Higher Education Supplement.

Will Chamberlain (2001 – 2008) Oxford Union Librarian and creditable second in the Presidential election with around a third of the vote.

Katherine Cooke (1998 – 2005) Working for Spearing Waite after Law degree.

Sophie Devall (2000 – 2007) Top of her year in Geography degree at the University of Birmingham.

Ellie Donaldson (2001 – 2008) Raised over £2200 for ChildReach International by conquering Mount Kilimanjaro.

Graham Drury (1992 – 1999) Scored a fine brace (an emphatic 10 yard volley and run from half way) to help Bacton United 89 lift the Suffolk FA Junior Cup at Portman Road.

Richard Drury (2003 – 2005) Played for Loughborough Students v Halifax in an 80-16 Carnegie Challenge Rugby League defeat.

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grapevine

Daniel Friebe (1991 – 1998) Excellent reviews for his work as ghostwriter for Mark Cavendish’s Boy Racer.

Shane Geraghty (1997 – 2002) September 2009 Rugby World cover. Electric for Northampton, especially versus Munster, and Saxons, now with six England caps. Featured in England’s autumn internationals in a restricted role.

John Haidar (2002 – 2009) Cambridge Theology undergraduate John enjoyed an appearance on The Weakest Link. The strongest link in one round, he was voted out when only three contestants remained, therefore missed the final and a chance to supplement his student income!

John Hall (1948 –1955) Professor of Dental Medicine at the University of Warwick.

Ash Hawkins (1998 – 2005) Working for Apple, still a musician and magician, he now has his own film company, Lightyear Productions and produces promo reels.

Kira Hewitt (1994 – 2002) Subject leader of Music at Manor Park Community School.

David Hill (1997 – 2004) Rising star of Mixed Martial Arts, signing sponsorship deals.

Paul Hollingsworth (2001 – 2008) Is enjoying a placement with the Civil Service in London as part of his year out on his degree with Sheffield University.

He continues to support Bablake with Stretch magazine photography.

Alex Kantor (1999 – 2006) In crowd for Over the Rainbow.

Melissa Kite (1983 – 1990) Very prominent in the Sunday Telegraph as deputy political editor, also writing regular columns for The Spectator and GQ after occasional writing of this nature for the Sunday Telegraph.

Cassie Leedham (1992 – 1997) Partner in Good Show Studio, graphic designer Cassie designed www.bablake.com for her old school and continues to be a pleasure to work with.

Kirstie Logan (2006 – 2008) Chosen as Miss Coventry 2010 and did very well in the Miss England final, gaining national newspaper notice.

A talented singer-songwriter, now studying at Coventry University, Kirstie suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and worked tirelessly to gain awareness and funds for NRAS, ARC, Help For Heroes and the Variety Club.

Victoria McNaney (1996 – 2003) Teaching German at KHVIII. Andrew Monaghan (2002 – 2007) Successful steps toward West End involvement.

Emily Morris (1992 – 98) aka Amelia Tyler Not just a voiceover and actress but also a screenwriter as well. Her production company Barely Human Productions (run with award-winning writer/director and author Paul Hardy) is up and running as well as her official website – www.ameliatyler.com.

Craig Mosey (1994 – 2000) and John Barrett (1990 – 1997) Business partners who own Club Heat and Maison in Coventry. Craig has developed an interest in boxing too.

Michelle Mosey (1994 – 2002) Has just finished a two year graduate management training scheme with the NHS and gone into her first post as a project manager for Greater Manchester West Mental Health Trust, managing service redesign projects and cost improvement programmes.

She passed on news of her peers, most of whom she holidayed with in the summer: Matt Bench – works in the finance sector in Milton Keynes. Hetty Bostock – recently finished her medical training, now working as an acute medicine doctor in Bath. Rachel Buswell – compiling albums for the Ministry of Sound. Vicki Hoare – communications officer for the National Policing Improvement Agency at Ryton. Letty Ison-Jaques – Personal Injury solicitor in London. Cassie Kirk – has been www.bablake.com

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grapevine

living in Beijing for the last 4 years learning Mandarin, teaching English, doing some journalism work and now looking to move to Paris. Sarah O’Flanagan – journalist in Donegal, married and a mother. Sarah Playdon – child protection social worker for Solihull Council, recently married. Carlie Stubbs – nurse in Warwick Hospital’s ITU. Lottie West-Williams – lives in London and organises all of the entertainment at Bethnal Green Working Mens Club!

Jamie Moulding (1986 – 1991) Managed to spend a great deal of time out in Silicon Valley in the late 90s – something he had always wanted to do. Now runs his own corporate finance firm, which has a very niche focus of helping nanotechnology and renewable energy companies to raise funding from large corporate investors in the Middle East and Asia-Pac. Elisse Power (1998 – 2005) Still enjoying her Languages, especially French and Italian.

Was looking forward to study in Paris at the Sorbonne.

Clare Reynolds (1998 – 2005) Blogging – http://creynolds.travellerspoint.com – about her travels through Thailand.

Richard Smith (2000 – 2007) Worked as photographer for the Leeds student newspaper.

Continues to support Bablake with Leavers’ Ball formal photography and the Stretch magazine photoshoots.

Angus Russell (1967 – 1974) Now a CEO in the US and featured in The Sunday Times.

Alex T Smith (1996 – 2003) Illustrator whose book Home, published in January 2009, was book of the month in Waterstone’s. Also engaged to Jemma Handley (1996 – 2003).

Jamie Stefaniak (2001 – 2008) Top out of 350 students in his first year at Cambridge studying Medicine. This emulates Anna Seeley’s (2004 – 2006) performance in 2006-7. Also invited by Lord Drayson to attend the Building the Britain of the Future expo and a judge at the National Finals of the CREST awards.

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Jonathan Thompson (1998 – 2005) Former School Captain featured in BBC 1’s Economy Gastronomy with his University of Cambridge housemates.

James Townend (1986 – 1989) After performing live, moved into recording and managed own studio. Worked for Apple before landing dream job working for AMS Neve.

Dhiran Vagdia (1989 – 1996) Guest of Honour at our Prize Giving – see pages 5-7.

Melissa Walton (2001 – 2006) Left Hollyoaks; regular Tweeter; regular presence on Daily Mail website holidaying in Ibiza or Marbella with former Hollyoaks mates; about to be engaged to Ryan Wells (1996 – 2001) Michael Warmington (1995 – 2002) After a degree at Nottingham and brief dip into the corporate world, he has set up Removal Masters (www.removalmasters.co.uk) with his contemporary, Matt Holden (1994 – 2002).

Anthony Wells (1955-1962) The Dorrance Publishing Company Inc published his novel Black Gold Finale.

Ben Wishart (1973 – 1980) CIO for the Whitbread group, he fondly recalls learning to canoe in the Bablake pool with Mr Alan Brown which, in turn, inspired him to raft in Kathmandu which had given invaluable skills in crisis management. To work in IT, he said you need to ‘learn to work with people, as IT always works with almost every other department of a company’.

He added that employees look for a ‘rounded person’ and that pupils should ‘relax, choose subjects you enjoy and seize every available opportunity’.

He thanked Bablake for teaching him how to learn and enjoy learning.

grapevine

Submissions for The Wheatleyan 2010/11: please submit photographs and text digitally for inclusion to mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk by 1 September 2011

Congratulations to the following Degrees Rosie Bassnett-Barker (1996 – 2003): Geography (Aberdeen) Marcus Brown (1998 – 2005): Marine Biology (Newcastle) Claudia Campbell (2000 – 2006): Psychology (Newcastle) Ashwin Chauhan (1998 – 2005): Pharmacy (Aston) Sean Clothier (1997 – 2004): English (UCL) Matt Ilchyshyn (1994 – 2001): Medicine (UCL) Katie Ingram (1999– 2004): Fine Art (Loughborough) Sarah Kendall (1998 – 2005): Woven Textiles (Loughborough) Amar Kachhia (1995 – 2002): Medicine (Leicester) Jo Kobylak (1997 – 2004): International Business and Economics BSc (Aston) Gurjit Lidder (1999 – 2005): Pharmacy (Aston) Jenni Lines (1998 – 2005): Physical Geography (Queen Mary) Georgina Marriott (1997 – 2004): History (Leicester) Peter Mills (1999 – 2004): Medical Biochemistry (Leicester) Amun Sachdev (1999 – 2006): Medicine (Oxford) Anna Seeley (2004 – 2006): Medicine (Cambridge), now studying at Oxford Sanjeev Sharma (1997-2004): Mechanical Engineering (Birmingham) Lorna Syson (1997 – 2004): Multimedia Textile Design (Loughborough) Claire Taggart (1999 – 2006): Architecture (UCL) Eleanor Thomas (2002 – 2004): English (UCL) Kelly Walker (1999 – 2006): Biochemistry (Warwick) Weddings Laura Gill (now Hilmi) (1994 – 2001) Sarah Gill (now Laventure) (1989 – 1996) Victoria McNaney (now Kaczur) (1996 – 2003) Sarah Tatum (now Dodd) (1988 – 1995) Lizzie Wallace (now Singh) (1996 – 2003)

Spotted in/on...

Bablake observing: Natalie Box, Caroline Gibbs, and Hannah Sheard BBC Cov and Warks radio – Mr Terry Patchett on Sky Blues Interactive CBeebies – Reading of Alex Smith’s Eliot Jones Hustle (BBC 1) as well as Apple and Sky ads – Adam Fray John Lewis documentary – Emma Jowett Nottingham Uni prospectus – Ben Cave Over the Rainbow crowd – Alex Kantor Oxford Union debate – Jonathan Collett Question Time – Ellie McCarthy Radcliffe and Maconie Radio 2 show – Bablake mentioned in Kate Walsh interview Radio Times – Ian Barnes Rugby World – Shane Geraghty Sheffield Uni prospectus – Laura Hutchison Behind a lens (belonging to Ben Duffy) and Sky commentators at Netball international – Mr Mark Woodward Soap magazines, Loaded, More – Melissa Walton The Times, Frank Skinner article – Bablake Fringe cast, esp John Haidar, inspired a comment The Weakest Link – Mark McKelvie Wedding TV – Becki Hawkins Former Staff Mike Thomas (1982 – 1993) After his appointment to a lectureship in Mathematics education in the Mathematics Department at The University of Auckland, New Zealand, he was promoted to Professor with effect from 1 February 2010.

Births Phil Barnwell (1988 – 1995) Maria Friebe (1989 – 1996) Lucy Hancock (now Hardstaff) (1988 – 1995) Becky Jones (now Lucas) (1998 – 2005) Sarah Thompson (now Brown) (1988 – 1995) www.bablake.com

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goodbye

lastword A message from Staff Editor, Mr Mark Woodward

N

ever have the achievements of Bablake’s talented current and former pupils been more comprehensively celebrated in print and online. We publish The Lion three times a year, have a vibrant newsdesk at www.bablake.com and regularly microblog at www.twitter.com/bablakeschool. So is there still a place for The Wheatleyan?

Most definitely and I am sure after reading this issue you will feel the same. Every year I am at the Headmaster’s door making a case for just a few more pages than the previous year as there are numerous activities and achievements that we cannot celebrate in words or photographs.

When pondering, planning and editing, it is always suitably humbling to see how talented our pupils are. Working with these pupils is a similar experience. Over 2009/10 I have been privileged to work with once again so many excellent pupils. Five in particular stand out: Luke Briggs, Caitlin Edwards, Rosie Gaunt, Daniel Richards and Millie Ross. Impassioned, intelligent and voraciously eager to take on responsibility and then attempt even more, they have made my Bablake year an absolute pleasure. The girls have enjoyed successful leadership roles with Stretch, Squash (a new online venture) and The Wheatleyan respectively – their individual spirit has driven these ventures to great success; mustard keen to be involved in every publication, they have been unfailingly impressive in their mutual support.

Daniel’s intelligence and sound common sense have solved potential editorial crises, while Luke’s technical prowess cannot be praised highly enough and official recognition for Squash’s Content Management System was richly deserved.

I have been privileged to teach and work with pupils of outstanding character and intelligence in my 23 years at the school but this year’s Wheatleyan editor, Millie, is undoubtedly one of the most impressive pupils ever; it is no surprise she has been an immaculate Editor and received an Oxbridge PPE offer. Alive when challenged, involved in almost every extracurricular activity, expectant of very high standards, she has the knack of completing tasks emphatically before they are set. Full of good humour and discretion, her future is very bright and I look forward to reporting on it in future editions! It has been a pleasure working with you, Millie.

Once again, don’t hesitate to contact me with ideas on how to maintain the high standard of journalism that ensures the Bablake experience is as interactive and vibrant on paper as in reality.

Submissions for The Wheatleyan 2010/11: please submit photographs and text digitally for inclusion to mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk by 1 September 2011

mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk

‘A truly great school and one I am proud to be part of’ Former member of staff

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the wheatleyan 2009/10

The Class of 1960 (with thanks to Roya Ziaie and her family)

What can you tell us about this photograph?

Please email: mgaw@bablake.coventry.sch.uk And it would be excellent to include more photographs of pupils from the past, so please send us your archive footage.

Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU t +44 (0)24 7627 1200 f +44 (0)24 7627 1293 e info@bablake.coventry.sch.uk w www.bablake.com t www.twitter.com/bablake-school