The Whinchat 2018

B E D F O R D P R E PA R ATO RY S C H O O L

BEDFORD P R E PA R ATO RY SCHOOL

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MAGAZINE AUTUMN 2018

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W H I N C H AT

BEDFORD P R E PA R ATO RY SCHOOL D E PA R Y S AV E N U E B E D F O R D, M K 4 0 2 T U UNITED KINGDOM

W H I N C H AT M A G A Z I N E A U T U M N 2 0 1 8

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CONTENTS

1

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 2

Headmaster’s introduction

WHINCHAT

2017 2018

S TA F F 4 5

Salvete - new staff Valete - staff moving on

ACADEMIC 6 9 12 13 14 16 18 21

English Library Maths RE Science MFL History Geography

T H E A RT S 22 24 25 28 30

Music DT Art Drama Speech & Drama

Barack Obama, linocut Sam Wells Y8 , Art, page 27

ENRICHMENT

TRIPS/OUTINGS

S P O RT

32 32

48 50 51 52 53 55 56 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67

69 70 72 74 76 77 78 79 80 81 81 82

Enrichment Enrichment

HOUSES 34 36 38 40 42

Eagle House Bunyan Harpur Howard Whitbread

CHARITIES 44 45 46 47

Charities EMA Prep guild BSA

Bude Ski trip Easter Ski trip December Jersey Sports tour South Africa sports tour PGL, Whipsnade Bunyan Museum, Archaeology trip Tignes Ickwell Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Speech day & Final Day Assembly Talks & Shows

84

Football Rugby Hockey Cricket Athletics Cross country Badminton Rowing Golf Swimming Table tennis Y8 Leavers Art (continued)

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INTRODUCTION

W H I N C H AT

Headmaster’s introduction WELCOME TO THE W H I N C H AT 2 0 1 7 - 2 0 1 8 It has been a wonderful year in many ways, and boys have excelled in all areas. Some of their many exploits have been captured within the pages of the Whinchat 2017-18, and we hope you enjoy it.

T

here are so many highlights of the year. Great sporting endeavour, including national success, again, for our badminton team, and a strong run in the national cups for our U11 and U13 hockey teams and our U13 cricket team, following an amazing tour to South Africa. We have had highly entertaining shows, including interesting dramatisation of myths in House Drama, the amazing Emil and the Detectives with a cast ranging from Y3 to Y13, Mr Groom’s delightful musical romp through the mid-west, Double or Nothing, and a powerful retelling of Timon of Athens.

Music has been, as ever, stunning. House Singing was the highlight, with other thoroughly enjoyable performances at the Autumn and Summer concerts, informal and starter concerts and the Evening at the Musicals.

We have seen a number of new initiatives this year.

A handful of boys showed great dedication in turning up weekly for Gardening Club, cultivating a shaded garden corner and growing everything from carrots to French beans, and marigolds to sunflowers. Also, a dedicated group of 20 boys pioneered the Prep School’s first radio station, Eagle Radio, and they produced three podcasts in the second half of the year. Our Science Technician nurtured our first menagerie of animals: a very friendly chameleon called Karma, a salamander, two types of stick insects, fresh and seawater fish, and our four gerbils which turned into ten when two of them became parents, allowing many of our boys to see the births. We also had two new trips: 35 Year 5 & 6 boys went to Tignes for a truly amazing holiday which included white-water rafting, stunning hikes, high (and I mean high) ropes, and jumping on to an airbag from a great height. Year 8 boys also enjoyed three days in the forest on their bushcraft trip during their superb post-exam programme. Some of them even ate fish eyes!

Nine new members of staff have settled in seamlessly and we also welcomed a new Chair of the Prep Guild, Rosie Biffa, who took over from Andrea Spice, and huge thanks to both ladies for the enormous amount they have done, and continue to do to build and sustain the sense of community at the school.

Finally, it is worth mentioning the excellent work the Houses have done to raise money for the House Charities. The overall charities fund was added to by the great efforts of teachers during the Evening of Mild Amusement, which saw teachers putting their acting ability and dignity on the line for the sake of

charity. At Speech Day this year, our Guest of Honour was our outgoing Chairman of Governors, Stephen Mayson who has been associated with the school from 1989 when his son, Chris, joined the school (more of him later in the pages about Speech Day). He has been Governor for 16 years, with 8 as our Chairman. His speech was excellent, and he talked passionately about the school values, how they applied to his own son, and how they set him up for a successful life. He also talked about how another boy, ERIC, an acronym for our school values, provides a great role model for all of our boys. Boys have demonstrated all of our values this year: Endeavour, Responsibility, Integrity and Curiosity. Professor Stephen also talked about the value which underpins all the others, that of kindness, and told us about his mother-in-law’s wise words: “It is nice to be clever, but cleverer to be nice!”

Thank you, from me, to all in our community who make the school such a superb place to be: to our parents for raising such wonderful boys and being so supportive of what we are doing, to all of our boys, and to our prefects in particular, especially Deputy Head boy Tom Godber and Head Boy Robert Parrish, the latter who gave an outstanding and hilarious speech at Speech Day, and has been superb all year. A particular thank you to Miss Hone for her tireles efforts putting together The Whinchat magazine.

And finally, a huge thank you to our staff, teaching and support, for their combined energy to put on so much to enrich the boys’ lives.

WORDS BY

Ian Silk, Headmaster

WHINCHAT

Robert Parrish, Head Boy Tom Godber, Deputy Head Boy

2017 2018

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INTRODUCTION

Boys have demonstrated all of our values this year: Endeavour, Responsibility, Integrity and Curiosity

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4

S TA F F

W H I N C H AT

Salvete MS. MOIRA COMANI Te a c h e r o f M F L

Moira Comani joined the MFL department officially in September, although unofficially spent a great deal of time with us in the Summer Term. Moira has a Classics degree from the University of Bologna (founded in 1088, the oldest university in the world!). She also has a Secondary PGCE in MFL specialising in teaching French and Italian. She is also able to teach Latin, Ancient Greek and Classics and has taught at a number of local schools, including as a French teacher at Elstow primary and St Thomas More, and also an Italian teacher at St John Rigby. She worked for Deutsche Bank for four years and is a qualified life coach. She writes stories for children and adults, enjoys teaching cookery, and is keen to run languages trips to enhance the boys’ language learning. Moira replaces Lesley Chalmers in the MFL team.

MRS. ALEX GORDON

Te a c h e r o f E S L

Alex joins us full time, after teaching on a part-time basis for the last three years. She has a total of 17 years of experience teaching English to speakers of other languages, both young learners and adults. She moved to Spain in 1992, and lived and worked there for a number of years before relocating with the family to England in 2010. She has a CELTA qualification from Cambridge University and a Diploma in Translation and Interpretation from the Estudio Sampere, in Madrid. As well as an interest in maintaining her fluent Spanish, she is also keen about photography and baking. She is looking forward to running extracurricular clubs for boys who speak English as a second language

M R . RO B E RT H E A N E Y

Te a c h e r o f G e r m a n , S c i e n c e a n d G a m e s

Rob Heaney, taught Science, German and PE at Lincroft School, and joined us in September.

At Lincroft he was also Head of House, and coached and ran teams in a number of sports including rugby, cricket, football, cross-country, athletics, tennis, badminton and basketball.

He is currently the Bedfordshire Cross-Country team manager for all age groups from Junior to Senior Boys and he manages the U13 District football team. He also excelled as an sportsman himself, representing the county in athletics, cross-country, football and golf. In 2010 he was ranked in the top 10 in the UK at 1500 metres and was the men’s South of England Champion.

Previously, he has taught Geography, Maths, PSHE and ICT, and was a Year 8 tutor.

MRS. DEBBIE ROSSINGTON

Head of Prep School Academic Support

Debbie is the new Head of Prep School Academic Support. The role will include responsibility for the transition of boys with SEND to Year 9. Many parents and boys will know Debbie in her previous role as SENDCo and EAL coordinator at Pilgrims where she was also a member of the SLT. She has supported many of the boys who are with us now. She has spent much of her career working with children with SEND, is a dyslexia specialist and has completed her OCR Level 7 Diploma in Assessing and Teaching Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties. As part of her role she regularly led training sessions to staff and parents. She also loves Amateur Dramatics and every Christmas at Pilgrims organised a staff pantomime for the children.

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5

S TA F F

Valete MRS. LESLEY CHALMERS Te a c h e r o f M F L

Auf wiedersehen to Frau Chalmers, who retired in August after 37 years of teaching. She started her career at Bedford High School in 1981 and has been at Bedford Prep School for the last decade. She has taught hundreds of children, inspiring a love of languages, and has been especially influential in inspiring a love of German in many a Bedford School boy, thanks to her teaching and excellent trips. We wish her luck and joy for her future.

A RT P R E V I E W MURALS INSPIRED BY KEITH HARING

To see more, turn to pages 25,26 and 27

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W H I N C H AT

English

E N G L I S H R E P O RT WORDS BY

Dominic Affleck, Head of English

The following pages will give you an insight into what an amazing year we have had in the English department. The recently refurbished library has been amazing and it has become a haven for all boys wanting to read in their spare time or to take time out to play games and relax. The Accelerated Reader programme has been introduced to the whole school: in all, boys have read nearly 8000 books, which has helped us to go a considerable way to enhancing the reading culture here at school. We look forward to introducing the programme to our new boys next year and hope to smash all of these remarkable records and to reward many more new reading millionaires with badges.

T

he English pages give a snapshot into the work of the boys, but the Inky Blot, which was published for the first time this year, was a celebration of some of the brilliant work that our boys do.

The boys have enjoyed a rich curriculum this year. They seem to have thoroughly enjoyed the books we study, the creative writing work and the poetry and essay writing, and have even shown great gusto in their efforts for the spelling tests, grammar and punctuation.

In addition, we have hugely enjoyed having Steve Skidmore as our resident Patron of Reading; it has been a really positive experience for the boys and their teachers. He will be joining us again next year.

Other highlights have been the 500 word writing competition, the YSCs

HANDWRITING PRIZES

WINNER Y 8 Luca Moretto Y7 Aaron Berman Y6 Harry Clifton Y5 Benjamin Cutts Y4 Isaac Raddan Y3 Isaac West

production of the Tempest, our infamous Gothic film night (which we hope will manifest itself into a night of terror in London watching ‘The Woman in Black’ next year) the wonderful Poetry Recitation competition and, of course, the amazing poetry competition this year, judged by our head of History, Mrs Badhan, the winners of which are shown here. The final of the Year 7 public speaking competition will also take place early next year and we have enjoyed judging all the boys’ efforts.

We are delighted with the progress that the boys have made this year and are looking forward to another exciting year in English come September. We wish our intrepid Year 8s good fortunes as they make their way into the Upper School and look forward to welcoming in the new boys and in particular the boys in Year 3.

P O E T RY P R I Z E S

Y8 Y7 Y6 Y5 Y4 Y3 SP

W I N N E R Nathanael Lord Hari Mistry Ollie Wright Alfie James Monty Lomax Seb Warner Daniel Blight

RU R U Murray Silk Josha Mital Matthew Goodman Shaun Thomas Edward Dagg Charlie Eggleton Ruairi Cassell Zach Whelan Freddie Bowis Rocco Sarro Leo Clavier Freddie Barnes

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P O E T RY C O M P E T I T I O N

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he poetry composition competition had a historical theme to it this year. Some amazing poems were created and the preceding are the winners from each year group. Judging was carried out by Mrs Badhan and this is what she said about the process: “Many thanks for asking me to judge the Prep School poetry. This was a real honour to do and I thoroughly enjoyed how rich in knowledge the boys are on a number of historical periods. The judging process was very difficult but I based it on the following criteria: 1. How historically accurate the students’ content was of the time period they had chosen.

2. Their use and incorporation of the poetic structures/techniques that they had been taught (haiku, couplets, personification etc) 3. How engaging the poem was– how it caught my attention and how

it made me feel through the use of different language (emotive etc) It was a tough call for every year group. Ultimately, I chose the poems which made me feel like I was taken back to the period. The ones which showed and evoked empathy or took me to the time period. A few made me laugh and even some made me want to cry. I loved this role and was only happy to have taken part in the selection process.

Alongside the composition, boys were also assessed on their handwriting and some lovely poems illustrated that Bedford boys can use a confident cursive script.

The recitation competition was also keenly contested in Years 3 & 4 with some very confident contestants.

It was a pleasure to judge and thehigh standards of other years certainly continued. Congratulations to Lewis Woodhouse and Isaac West for coming first in Year 4 and 3 respectively.”

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JOURNEY DOWN A RIVER

Breathtakingly beautiful I must exclaim!

The scenery, the calm, the peace, I just can’t explain.

All I could hear was the water flowing, The trees whispering, bird chirping, my happiness growing.

The water hurried over the rocks into the waiting arms of the sea, Unaware of the beauty around it, nothing short of a dream.

I came home with a mounting energy, Ready for the world with a new perspective.

With a promise to free my demons, Take the world as if thee.

By Ismi Malik Y4

CANOEING UP THE NENE. O U R J O U R N E Y BY WAT E R

Pull the paddle, Water drips from the end, Ripples growing on the water.

Our canoe drifts glides through the ripples, Like a swan past lily pads, reeds, swaying in the current.

Trees reaching into the sky, as we drift through their reflections.

Glide to the bank to our camp, The sun is setting orange and pink, The river is slow and peaceful and ready to sleep.

The stars and the moon are starting to come out, So we eat our food and go to bed.

by Thomas Noble Y4

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W H I N C H AT

English YEAR 3

ANCIENT GREEK LAND B Y S E B WA R N E R Gold sand running into the shining sea, Blue sea shouting, ‘come and play in the boiling sun,’ White houses chatting while the sun shines in the air, Rocky mountains growing taller and taller, Bright beaches smile showing their golden teeth, Islands building up like houses growing in the air, Calm sea waving hello and bye, playing with the kids, Sand running up mountains to reach the top.

YEAR 4

T H E D E AT H O F T H E M O N K S

BY MONTY LOMAX The wet sand cools my bare timid feet, I can see in the distance; the swimming Dragons, The ships’ silhouettes in the sinking sand, As I think to myself, ‘we’ll need a plan.’

Blood thirsty Vikings are looking for death, As us Monks take our last fateful breaths The Vikings slaughter our precious people The flames engulf our land, Burning bright.

The fearsome Vikings, They taste our fear We are monks and we are weak Vicious Vikings show no mercy And one day, these slaughtering Vikings Will be coming for YOU!

AWA R D WINNING POEMS YEAR 6

LEST WE FORGET BY O L LY W R I G H T Battles were fought, Lives were lost, Death all around, This is the cost.

Standing for countries Men young and old Prepared for the sacrifice, Death from bullets or cold.

Young men taken, The prime of their lives, Leaving behind them, Children and wives.

With the squadron’s thunder, The sky, it grumbles, When the bombs rain down, The ground, it rumbles.

Desolate land, War torn and battered, Souls are destroyed, Bodies are scattered.

Battles were fought, Lives were lost, Death all around, This is the cost.

YEAR 5

BLOOD DRIPPING POPPIES

BY ALFIE JAMES

YEAR 7

Looking over the fields seeing the poppies sway, Representing the lives of men blown away.

Spreading far and wide I have to catch my breath, How can something so pretty represent so much death?

T H E G R E AT F I R E OF LONDON, B Y H A R I M I S T RY

Hundreds of boys, not much older than me, Fighting on land, in sky and on sea.

Bombs dropping down, the ground covered with dead, The cries flying out from their blood splattered heads.

The flames danced on the roads As buildings turned to ashes, The flames flickered like fury from God Or a tear from the sun.

No sleep for a week, no food for some days, Yet these men fight on with hard and tough ways.

Marching for miles, feet bitter and cold, Some are only eighteen, yet feel a hundred years old.

The sky an open of rust The river a sea of slime The furious fire fuelled As the steam slithered slowly away.

Dreams of home push the boys on, Trying not to think of their friends who have gone.

All of England wishing them well, They are desperate to get out of this war torn hell.

The sizzles and screams Echoed through the houses The screams continued As the fire cried out over the rooftops.

The guns are now silent, no bullets around, England has won and protected our ground.

Thousands of men, their blood, tears and sweat, These poppies remind us – never forget.

When all was lost even the fire died, Hungry and lost the fire turned to ashes, Families dead, screaming no longer Can the city ever find peace again?

S P E C I A L H I STO RY P R I Z E ROMANS ARE LOSERS

BY DANIEL BLIGHT Caesar said ‘Head north!

Because Scotland rocks,’ The soldiers said ‘No way!’

They needed more socks!

Romans brought straight roads, Aqueducts, sewage, Asparagus, peas, Turnips and cabbage, They wiped their big butts, With a sponge on a stick, They shared it around, Which makes me feel sick Underfloor heating, Helped the Romans a lot, Cloudy and rainy, But hot, it was not, Beaten by the weather, They thought they were bold, ‘Back home we will go, Scotland’s far too cold!’

YEAR 8

ILS VIENNENT ( PA R I S B O M B I N G ) B Y N AT H A N A E L L O R D They come to kill, Venir, venir.

To hurt and wound, Venir, venir.

To live or to die, Venir, venir.

What do they want.

A million screams in colour, Crier, crier.

All escaping from certain doom, Crier, crier.

So run, run faster than ever before, Crier, crier.

They are coming.

A baby stripped from it’s mother, Où es-tu, où es-tu!

Crying for her to come, Où es-tu, où es-tu!

So hold onto your family, Où es-tu, où es-tu!

For this may be the last time you do.

Are you ready, Ils sont ici, ils sont ici.

For the end?

Ils sont ici, ils sont ici.

For the end, Ils sont ici, ils sont ici.

Is ready for you.

Yes they come to kill, C’est fini, c’est fini.

To hurt and wound, Pour maintenant, pour maintenant.

But we will never surrender, Nous vivons sur, nous vivons sur.

And we live on in the hearts of others.

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9

Library WORDS BY

Amy Lumley-Wood Librarian

O

nce again, we took part in Harry Potter Book Night and dressed up in our cloaks for an action packed day of magic. The theme this year was Fantastic Beasts and boys in Year 3 and 4 let their creativity run wild; creating origami monster bookmarks, quill feather pencils, balloon owls, fire-breathing dragons and pipe cleaner bowtruckles. There were magical quizzes and word searches to try, and then staff held the boys attention for a little while with dramatic readings from the Harry Potter books.

Lunchtime was equally exciting with a whole array of Hogwarts’ wizarding delights, including chocolate frogs, golden snitches and butterbeer! Thank goodness there was an energetic game of Quidditch after lunch to burn off all those desserts.

I really enjoyed the whole day especially the quidditch using our hockey sticks as brooms! Erik Knutsson It was great to dress up and really get into character for the day.

Yousif Abroaf

H A R RY P OT T E R BOOK NIGHT 2018

I really loved the after school activities making Harry Potter creations! I also liked using our wands when playing outside at break times.

Ethan Wrightson

My favourite part was quidditch, especially being a seeker where you had to catch the snitch! It meant lots of running even whilst the boys threw footballs (quaffles) and tennis balls (bludgers)!

Toby Hudson

The lunch was amazing! We had butterbeer, chocolate frogs and golden snitch puddings which were so clever and delicious!

Will Chadwick

The evening was brilliant! I made a bookmark, owl balloon and fireplace letter as well as a golden snitch all to take home!

Oliver Barbour

AA C CA ADDE EMMI CI C

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W H I N C H AT

Library INKY L I B R A RY MAKEOVER

A

s you might have seen, our Inky Library had a complete make over in the summer holidays.

It is now much lighter, brighter and more colourful, spacious and comfortable. The boys all really like the new look library as a place to come and work, take a book quiz, do some research, play a board game, or just chill out with a good book. It is making a real difference to boys who already love to read and encouraging other boys to read more.

In December, rather than a formal opening ceremony, we had an after school celebration event. Boys and Parents were invited to come and see the new look library and to have a chat with Mrs Lumley-Wood, our librarian and author Steve Skidmore, our Patron of Reading.

AUTHOR VISIT THE TWO STEVES ALL WORDS BY

Amy Lumley-Wood Librarian

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n November we were very lucky to have authors Steve Barlow and Steve Skidmore visit us again for what turned out to be the last ever 2 Steves UK school visit. Once again they held our boys captivated with their enthusiasm for telling stories.

Once again boys up to Year 6 joined in an ‘I Hero’ gameshow, putting themselves at the heart of the story, and guiding a volunteer through one of the books. Well done to our ‘Ninjas’, ‘Warrior Princesses’ and especially to ‘Captain Scoreboard’, who gamely donned cape, mask and superhero pants over his school trousers. The older boys listened to some of Steve’s stories from his childhood and heard

how they ended up as the basis for some of their characters adventures. I think the smoking pants episode will remain with me for quite a while. This year Steve Skidmore has agreed to be our Patron of Reading. This is a scheme where an author and a school form a longer term relationship and for us this has allowed Steve to work with smaller groups of boys.

He has visited us each term and run writing masterclasses with boys in Years, 4, 6 and 8.

He also managed to squeeze in a quick Action Dogs session with Year 3, which they really enjoyed, especially those who dressed up as the dogs. Most impressive was Miss Hone’s evil Mexican Chihuahua complete with accent.

The two Steves were very funny and I had a great time listening to their jokes when they came to Bedford School. My favourite part of the talk in the EMH was when we had the choices of how the story went. The way the talk worked was the authors told some people to come up to the front and decide which option to take in the book. I thought when they called Captain Scoreboard up was quite funny.

When it came to finding out the true identity of some heroes I found it quite hard but I managed to find out 1 or 2. I really enjoyed the talk and wish they would do something like that again!!

Henry Pask Y4

The two Steves make a series called IHERO and they are really fun to read because you choose what you do in the story.

I decided to buy two books called Earth Attack and Demon Sea. I was so thrilled when the two Steves signed them!

Sammy Rawlings Y4

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11

Library PETER BUNZL VISIT

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eter Bunzl, author of steampunk adventure ‘Cogheart’, came to visit us just before World Book Day. He talked to the boys about how he comes up with the fantastical ideas for his books, and showed boys how old photographs and his favourite ‘Star Wars’ robots have inspired some of his characters. He read from his book, introducing the boys to deportment lessons, and then some of them had a go at balancing books on their heads. There were also plenty of volunteers to dress up in a zany costume as part of the robot quiz! We are looking forward to the next instalment in the Cogheart story – Sky Circus – set in a floating evil circus, which is due to be published in the autumn.

PETER’S TOP WRITING TIPS FOR THE BOYS WERE: n Write about anything that interests you n Write just a little bit every day n You can write at any time – even in your pyjamas! n It might take a while, but don’t give up. n Be original.

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W H I N C H AT

Mathematics

M AT H E M AT I C S R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Angela Travis

I

t has been a very successful year in the Mathematics department; the new Ks3 scheme workbooks have been written and used extensively throughout the year.

They have been an invaluable addition to the department and more importantly an excellent aid to the boys’ love and understanding of the subject.

Focus is on the teaching and not on the copying down of examples as all have been written for the boys. There is also access to digital instructional videos direct from the workbook itself, using QR codes. The department has seen a real change in the mindset of the boys since the Workbooks have been introduced; not only are they are proud of the work that they are producing, they are also finding it easier to facilitate the maths motto of “ Revise, Recap, Revisit” as the new scheme has excellent structure in its layout and presentation.

The KS2 Busy Ant schemes are now well embedded in Years 3 to 6 and the maths team continue to do an amazing job at directing the boys forward in their understanding of the subject by providing excellent lessons and a real sense of group cohesion to do

the best they can. We are now starting to see a huge change in the boys ability down in the lower years with the recall of the multiplication facts due to the TTRockstar scheme that is now in its second year here at BPS. By the time the boys are in the upper KS2 years they will all be able to recall the necessary facts that are fundamental to help them build their knowledge base and understanding of the wonderful world of mathematics. We were fortunate enough for this to spill over into a Times Table competition that some of our Year 6 boys were involved in, which was hosted at the girls school. Our turn next year.

This year the department was successful in our bid to get a class set of Ipads, this has opened up a whole new avenue of teaching and resource for the department, the boys in particular loving Kahoot.

The boys must be congratulated for their hard work as it continues to pay off.

A big thank you also to the marvellous mathematics teachers for all their hard work and unconditional support they provide for everyone in this subject.

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13

Religious Studies

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n the Spring Term, the Independent Schools Religious Studies Association announced their essay writing competition.

Hundreds of students from independent WHINCHAT schools around the country submitted 2017 essays exploring the 2018 statement: ‘How can religious understanding bring about peace?’

The ISRSA’s response is testament to the hard work that students put into their entries - they were ‘overwhelmed with the response’ and ‘absolutely delighted to receive so many essays of such a high standard’.

Amongst the many schools that entered, Bedford School was delighted to have a prize winner in the Prep School category.

Huge congratulations to Gabriel Almeida in year 6 who, as one of the prize winners, was awarded a book token.

His entry is featured opposite.

Well done, Gabriel!

RELIGIOUS S T U D I E S R E P O RT WORDS BY

Miss Louise Williams

M

y name is Gabriel Almeida. I am ten years old and I learn Religious Education at Bedford School on a Monday. I enjoy Religious Education because I love to appreciate my classmates’ religions and how they are all different.

As well as enjoying learning about world religions, I also gain an insight into different countries and cultures.

So far I’ve learnt about Hinduism, Christianity and Sikhism. In Year 3 we visited 3 places of worship. These were a Gudwara, a Mosque and a church. I have friends that are Sikh, Muslim and Christian so these are important places to them.

I think wars are often caused by religious intolerance, and this can be due to misunderstanding and lack of empathy about cultural differences. This can lead to anger,

violence and racial attacks.

I think you cannot stop people disagreeing with each others’ beliefs but you can teach them to tolerate each other.

If people understand each others’ cultures there might be less religious intolerance and less violence.

An example of cultural coordination is the Bedford International Kite Festival.

Think of all the different people there would be of different religions there.

Think of all the kites as peoples’ spirits soaring through the air and living together in peace and harmony.

In conclusion, a way to bring religious peace is to educate young people about tolerance and understanding. After all, all religions believe in peace.

Gabriel Almeida

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S TA F F

S C I E N C E R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Michael Mallalieu

2

017-18 was another eventful year in the PS Science Dept. With Debbie Gunn’s retirement after 30 years at Bedford School we welcomed Michael Roberts as her replacement. He settled in quickly and has made a number of positive contributions so far, not least in helping to facilitate the acquisition of a number of animals.

As ever, a number of trips and visits have helped develop understanding and pique interest in all things Science.

In the October half-term a a group of 12 Y8 PS boys was taken to the Institute of Engineering in London for the EngFest event. They took part in a number of excellent hands-on activities plus 3 informative and interesting lectures including one from Andrew Smyth who is an engineer with a passion for baking (he was a runner up in the Great British Bake-off in 2016!)

A large number of Y7 boys got to attend the Observatory and Planetarium hosted by resident experts Mr Guise and Mr Stone.

In March, Tom Godber, Oliver Pope, Will Reddy and Ivan Iankov were taken to Cambridge University to take part in one of

W H I N C H AT

the Salters’s Festivals of Chemistry.

The first half of the summer term was busy with a number of activities. The Science-DT Family Competition was a keenly fought contest with challenges including making a weighing machine from a rubber band and building a bridge out of spaghetti and marshmallows. This year, the proud recipients of the Golden Bunsen Burner were the Bonnington (Christopher) family.

Then on Friday 11th May, 55 Y5 boys attended the Science Night at the Science Museum in London. This year the boys got the rare opportunity of sleeping in the exciting ‘Space’ gallery. After an action packed 20 hours, the boys and accompanying adults and staff returned to BPS for a wellneeded rest!

The following Friday the Y4 boys were inspired by a visit to Whipsnade Zoo. As well as some Science-based enrichment sessions provided by Lower 6th boys, a number of Y7 and Y8 boys got to complete their Bronze CREST Award at a club run by Mr Green and Mrs Mainstone.

The undisputed highlight for many of the boys and staff this year was witnessing the birth and development of the baby gerbils.

They were born on 24th April and the Y6 boys in particular were able to closely monitor their growth and changes in appearance and behaviour over the next few weeks. In addition boys were able, under Mr Roberts guidance, to come two lunchtimes a week to help care for and handle the menagerie of animals that the Science Dept has developed.

The animal that has probably provided most interest is a wonderfully coloured chameleon!

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Science BOYS’ REPORTS ON GERBILS: B RO O K LY N F U The time that the six gerbils were born, they were very, very small. Gerbils couldn’t open their eyes when they were born, they were just lying on each other and used their lungs for the first time. Their average mass for the first day was 2.9g. The second day, they started to grow. They grew so fast that I didn’t know that it was them, I think their tail grew the most, their average mass was 3.2g!

For the next few days, they made lots of changes, their tails grew very long, and some hair appeared. The average for the fourth day was 3.6g. On the fifth day, their ears started to open and the AM(average mass) was 4.0g.

On the seventh day, a soft fur appear, AM was 4.9g. On the eighth day, they tried to walk, AM was 5.2g. On the ninth day, they had a bit more fur on them, AM was 5.6g. On the tenth day, some brave babies began to walk very slowly with eyes shut! AM was 6.2g. On the fourteenth day, some teeth came out, AM was 8.0g. On the fifteenth day, the pups begin to drink from the water bottle and began to eat some solid food, AM was 8.5g.

On the next few days, their eyes began to open (finally)! The AM for sixteenth day was 8.7g, seventeenth was 9.5g, twenty-first was 11.7g, and twenty-second was 12.2g! Between twenty-second thirty-five days, the young gerbils ate alone and were independent. After those days, they began to run around quite a lot. The AM for the thirtieth day was 16.9g, for the forty-third day was 28.1g, for the fiftyfifth day was 43.2, and finally for the sixtysecond day was 49.3g.

Overall, I would say that the gerbils’ growth was very quick, it could grow to almost adult in sixty-two days. And also, they’re very lively. Once the teacher tried to weigh the babies, but they jumped so much that he had to put on the lid(that’s what we usually do when we are weighing the mother!). That’s the cute, smart gerbils.

A L E X DAV I S They were born on 24-4-18 (there were seven of them). They looked very red, had seethrough skin with no fur and a very short tail and had an average weight of 2.9g. At this point we did not know which were boys and which were girls.

On the 27-4-18 thin fur tiny whiskers and still a short tail, average weight of 3.2g.

When 2-5-18 came they could walk, had a longer tail and more fur, weighed 5.2g.

On the 9-5-18 they were super fast and very furry just an average weighing at 8.5g but sadly one died as he/she fell to their death.

Soon the 23-5-18 came and we could tell who was who, 3 boys and 3 girls. They could see with their eyes and almost normal tail size, look like gerbils but smaller and the average weight was 16.5g.

Back from the half term break 27-6-18 they were huge, have fur on tail and the average weight is 50g!

M AT T H E W J O N E S On day one the average mass of the gerbils was 2.9g and they didn’t have fur and could not open their eyes. By the seventh day they had grown to 4.9g and had small bits of fur but still could not open their eyes.Two weeks later they weighed 11.7g and could crawl and open their eyes. They are now almost nine weeks old and weigh 49.3g and are moving with their eyes wide open and full body of hair.

The three boys and three girls grew at a rate of 0.3g a day in the first week, 0.6g a day in the fourth week and 0.9g a day in the ninth week.

C H A R L I E WA L L I S : DAY 1 Gerbils look like little sausages, eyes closed and red colour.

DAY 3 Eyes still closed, now look like purple dots.

DAY 9 Starting to grow fur and a tail.

DAY 1 4 Eyes starting to open.

DAY 1 7 Eyes fully open and starting to grow a lot more fur.

DAY 3 1 Starting to feed themselves.

DAY 4 2 Can stand up on their back legs.

DAY 4 6 Their bodies are nearly the size of their Mum

ELLIOT ROSSINGTON The Gerbils have impacted the school and the boys so much and I can’t wait to see them next year. I have enjoyed watching them grow and develop and am hoping to get some gerbils of my own in the summer.

YAW A M A N KO N A Our gerbils are really cute and we take really good care of them.

ALFIE GANDESHA Amazingly we saw six gerbils getting born and two becoming parents but sadly one of the babies died. We kept track of their health for 62 days. Every day we would weigh all of them, divide them by the total number and this would allow us to find out their average weight. If you come at lunch-time you can pick up the gerbils.

(There is also a type of chameleon lizard that you can hold and some small fish, which have beautiful colours). Having looked at the measurements it looks like the gerbils have nearly reached their fullgrown weight, as they have not increased in weight the last couple of days.

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W H I N C H AT

Modern Foreign Languages

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ir Edward Lucas’ recent article in the Times entitled “We can’t afford to let language teaching die” was spot on. In this age of ready access to translation apps on our mobile phones, one might be forgiven for not fully appreciating what learning a foreign language can do for us.

Apart from its well-acknowledged cognitive benefits, the study of modern languages produces better individuals – not only more intellectually agile but more understanding and accepting of the world around us. Fluency in another language makes travel and discovery that much more

exciting, benefits which far outweigh the ability to order an ice cream on a sunny beach in Marbella!

Visitors to the Wells building would testify that we are certainly not letting languages die in the Prep School. Whether we are singing a verb conjugation, following a recipe for French bread, acting out scenes at a Spanish café or learning about a typical German Christmas, our language lessons are very much alive.

This year the Y8 boys found out what it is like to be a teacher, with every boy involved in planning, delivering and then evaluating

M F L R E P O RT WORDS BY

Madame Kelly Faulkner

a French grammar lesson to a Y7 class. “It’s really fun being a teacher but hard work too, you have to be really well prepared!” was the comment from one boy.

We had one of our biggest ever school trips in March, with 40 boys from Y7-8 travelling to Maison Claire Fontaine in beautiful Burgundy. Lots of fun (and language learning!) was had as you will read in Jack’s report.

Closer to home, the Y3-4 boys enjoyed a fun French morning in July, starting with a delicious French breakfast and rounded off with some linguistic challenges and outdoor games to widen the boys’ appreciation of French culture. We have also had fashion shows from our Y5 boys in French, with some budding catwalk models emerging!

So while the rest of the country continues to debate Brexit, in the MFL department we are most definitely IN when it comes to embracing our languages!

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FRENCH TRIP REVIEW

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t the start of the Easter Holidays, over 30 boys went on the French Trip. Everyone was really excited. The best part of the journey was being on the Eurostar because Mr. Loader set up lots of fun games. Finally, after 12 hours of travelling we arrived at the centre, which was called Maison Claire Fontaine. At the centre, there were activities for everyone from mosaic making and creating a cake to high ropes and circus skills. All of the instructions in the activities were given in French and we had to translate them into English! There were even activities in the evening! My favourite activity was petanque where a small ball is thrown and you have to throw bigger balls closer to the small ball. The closest ball wins. Petanque was my favourite activity because I won! The most interesting activity was the trip to the market because in groups, we had to buy our own lunch. It was interesting to see the different prices of food and to ask for them in French. The food was tasty at Maison Claire Fontaine. We even tried snails! All of the teachers/instructors were kind and helpful. You always felt welcome. C’Êtait fantastique!

J AC K H A RT E

FRENCH MORNING

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n the final Thursday of the summer term all boys in year 3 & 4 enjoyed a spectacular French morning! Filled with games, quizzes, pain au chocolate, crepes and croissants, language development skills and of course French themed fancy dress!

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History

H I S TO RY R E P O RT Year 6 TRIP TO S U L G R AV E MANOR

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his year, Year 6 have been focusing mainly on the Tudors. This has been brilliant from start to finish. In this summary I am going to pick up on some of the highlights.

One of the highlights was when we learnt about the Battle of Bosworth. I enjoyed this because we were able to study it in detail. I liked writing a comic strip about the events that happened that day at Bosworth.

I also liked finding out about Henry Tudor and Richard III’s strengths and weaknesses: for

example, no noble families from the south supported Richard.

Another highlight of the year was learning about Henry VIII’s problems with breaking with Rome. We also drew some good mind maps which I found useful to help me understand further.

An example of a problem that Henry faced was that he needed money and by breaking with Rome he would get his hands on a good source of income. My final highlight and arguably my favourite was learning about the Spanish Armada. I enjoyed this because we did lots of fun pieces of work like writing our own speech that we would make as if we were Philip II of Spain.

Another enjoyable piece we did was writing a diary we would write if we were a Spanish sailor getting ready for war. We wrote a plan of the invasion and then the

reality. I also enjoyed learning about the tactics Sir Francis Drake, used including Fireships.

This year I loved History because it went from the burnings by Bloody Mary to the dissolution of the monasteries. This we learnt about gore, greatness, gruesome ambitions.I can’t wait for Year 7!

FRED DIXON

Year 7 ENGLISH C I V I L WA R TA L K

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n one of the first days back from Spring half term holidays (13th March), Year 7 boys were treated to a History workshop based on

weapons with Kevin Hicks. The workshop consisted of Mr Hicks talking and demonstrating how different weapons worked and how they were used.

The purpose of the workshop was to inform us about the English Civil War before we covered the topic in school lessons. So, Mr Hicks brought in an array of weapons used in that era. Weapons, such as the pike (a long piece of shaven wood with a sharpened, metal spike on the end of it), a musket (a long gun that shot a small, black metallic ball) and swords with different lengths were on display. Mr Hicks placed body armour on some of the boys, who were barely able to stand because of their weight.

After Mr Hicks showed us what the different weapons looked like, he took us over

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History to the Inky pitch where he demonstrated how to shoot a real-life musket. Mr Hicks said that it was really powerful and effective. The only problem was that it was really slow to reload and a good musketeer could only shoot about 3 rounds per minute. Mr Hicks shot the musket and there was a massive “Bang!” This took us by surprise as we weren’t expecting the noise to be that loud. After this demonstration Mr Hicks took us back to the hall where he told us some interesting stories about the English Civil War. My personal favourite story was when the two armies (Royalists and Parliamentarians) faced off in the Battle of Naesby in 1645 (the battle that defined the Parliamentarians as the winners.) Charles I, before the battle, stared over to the other side of the battlefield into Oliver Cromwell’s eyes. Both reflected the amount of hatred they had shown towards each other, previously. Charles I

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then commands his troops to “Charge with no remorse.” I liked this because it contrasted so much from what should have actually happened. A King and his Parliament should get along really well as they need to collaborate to rule the country.

I also enjoyed listening to the story when Charles I laughed when he saw the New Model Army who appeared in the Battle of Naesby. He laughed as the army had half the troops that Charles himself had.

However, what Charles didn’t know was that General Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell had conspired to prepare a flank to fool Charles I. The Royalists were ambushed and the New Model Army demolished them.

I really enjoyed the workshop and I’m sure the rest of the boys did too. Mr Hicks gave us a good foundation of knowledge prior to our topic and helped us to understand it even more. He made his talks humorous so that it would stick in our memories.

SHAUN THOMAS

ear 7 enjoyed a talk given by Kevin Hicks. This presentation began from the side of Parliament, showing the ills of Charles I and the Royalist cause, but also showed Charles’ role of a father and husband. It gave the boys the opportunity to engage into the debate of the rights and wrongs of the Civil War. During this workshop-based presentation, some of the boys were dressed in armour as a pikeman, an ironside cavalryman and a musketeer.The presentation culminated in a live firing demonstration of both a matchlock and a flintock musket. When Mr Hicks began the workshop everybody was full of anticipation and excitement. He taught us lots about the English Civil War, specifically the battles and weaponry used. He even demonstrated how to use some of the weapons, such as the basket-hilted sword, and how to wear chainmail. But he did not only teach us about the English Civil War, he taught us what wars were really like and that they were not something to trivialise or dilute. The highlight of the workshop (in my opinion) was when Mr Hicks demonstrated how to use a musket. A musket is a long-barrelled gun that was used in the early 16th century, in Europe. He showed us how to load the musket, ball, how to check the gun was safe to shoot, and how to fire it. It was very interesting and caught my attention, I was fascinated at how far weaponry has moved on since then. Overall, I found the workshop very interesting and I felt it reinforced and expanded my knowledge of the English Civil War. I think it is a great workshop for everybody as it makes learning about the Civil War fun and interesting.

F I N N M O N T G O M E RY

Year 8

THE BRITISH EMPIRE A N D S L AV E RY TA L K

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e were delighted to have Paul Crooks talk to the boys about his ancestors and their lives as slaves. Mr Crooks explored the different interpretations of the Empire and the legacy it has left. He talked about his trials and tribulations in his research to create his family tree and he shared some personal stories of his ancestors. It was a real pleasure to have him and he inspired us to go on to look in to our own family history.

On March 19 2018 Paul Crooks came to Bedford Prep School to visit Year 8 and he talked about the importance of finding your roots. Crooks is an author of two books: “Ancestors” and “A Tree Without Roots”. Crooks talked about his first book Ancestors, it was told through the life of his 4 time Great Grandmother Ami Djaba. He spoke of the hardships of leaving a life behind, and people being seen as subhuman creatures. He also emphasised how important it is to find yourself and find where you came from.This talk encouraged the Year 8 boys to do some research of their own and find out about their family trees and where they came from. This really interested me, it made me think about who came before my Grandfather’s Grandfather and his Father.

I asked numerous family members about the Hundal family, and I found out so much. Things like the village in Punjab we live in (Pala) was a gift from one of Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji Generals to Lal Singh Hundal in the 1800’s for his valiant efforts in the Sikh Army. I also discovered how Kartar Singh Hundal, my great great Grandfather, was the first Hundal to leave the village of Pala and decided to live in America in the 1940’s. He stayed there for about 5 years, and Sarmukh Singh Hundal, my Great Grandfather, was the first Hundal to come to England in 1963. The thing that struck me the most was the desire for bettering their lives. Kartar Singh wanted to see the world to try and better his life, and then his son Sarmukh Singh Hundal came to England to better his family’s life. This shows the inquisitiveness that my family had and determination. I may never have met Sarmukh Singh Hundal, but what I would like to do is make sure he is not forgotten, because without the curiosity of Sarmukh and the endeavour of my Grandparents, to not be affected by racism and exclusion, I would not be where I am today. I am only honoured to share his name and hope I can do as many good things he did to uphold his reputation.

SARMUKH HUNDAL The Paul Crooks talk was truly inspiring and made me think about my nationality and my roots. It was amazing that he could find out about his family’s roots and being able to make a family tree that went back to slavery. This inspired me to find more about my family and has made me think about myself as a historian. This talk then led me to create and find out about my own family History and made me think about my identity.

Jeremy Okpere

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History Year 8

H I S TO RY R E V I E W

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he year 8 boys have really been pushed to some of their limits when it comes to History this year. Most starting year 8 only knowing how to answer with one sentence or dumping their brain on the page.

Now all the boys are writing very mature well-structured essays with their eyes closed (not literally), I think that shows progress!

We started the historic year learning how to structure the dreaded essay! Introduction, paragraph, conclusion were drilled into us.

Also I cannot seem to be able to get PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) out of my head.

Our first topic this year was the Industrial Revolution. We learnt some amazing facts that changed the world today, such as John McAdam’s invention of tarmac and that Isambard Kingdom Brunel was the designer of London Paddington Station. Knowing all this wonderful knowledge already, we moved onto the different industries during the

Y E A R 8 FA M I LY HISTORY PROJECT

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fter the Year 8’s heard about Paul Crooks’ investigation into finding his own family History, many of the Year 8’s felt inspired to look in to their own family’s past. We decided to complete our own independent research to discover our ancestors and family history. This research included conducting interviews, constructing a family tree, sharing photographs and sharing an heirloom. This enabled boys to have a deeper understanding of their personal history. The pride taken by the boys in their final projects was exceptional. It is important that our loved ones are remembered and not forgotten. I hope that they will treasure the work and pass it on to their children and grandchildren.

Harry (left) and James Wooton- Evans with their family Tree

1800’s and how each one affects the cause of the Industrial Revolution. For me, this was one of the many things in history I found a challenge, as we wrote multiple essays on all the ways each industry affected the cause of the Revolution. My hand must have been throbbing after this topic! I found it really interesting learning about all the different, gruelling and disgusting jobs some of the Victorians carried out. For example Rat Catchers lurked in the poor and uncontrolled sewage system of London or they were hired to work in someone’s house, these poor men had to put their hands into Rat territory and would have to try and catch them! Many of the Rat catchers caught infections from the rat bites. On average, seven hundred rats were found in each building! Don’t moan about going to school now boys! Additionally, we learnt about workhouses, the living conditions of the streets of Great Britain, especially London,

and finally about what difference having an Empire made to Britain.

The second topic was my class’ favourite, Jack The Ripper! Learning about the poor living and street conditions in London, the problems with the police force at the time and the factors that allowed Jack get away with murder definitely added to the suspense. I do have to admit that this was my favourite topic out of the lot as I do love murder mystery and action and this topic had both of them! I enjoyed learning about the victims of Jack the Ripper and what they all had in common, for example they were all prostitutes. I felt the same way when learning about the suspects. All of them were men except one nasty Lady called Jill the Ripper. She was a midwife and was known for illegal abortions and stabbing her lover’s wife and baby! Was it a Lady hiding away under the famous hat? Nobody knows. I don’t think I have ever thought as much as I ever had for this topic because there were so many factors to take into perspective.

I thoroughly enjoyed this topic and I can’t wait for History in the Upper School!

TOM DEARDON

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Geography

GEOGRAPHY R E P O RT WORDS BY

Miss Emma Goodman

G

eography has once again covered a broad range of topics this year from studying biomes around the work to why dinosaurs became extinct. The boys enthusiastically engaged with the world around them learning how and why populations change, to the causes of why natural hazards occur. Throughout all units the boys have greatly enhanced their geographical skills, such as map work and graphical presentation.

Autumn saw us travel to Ickwell to further practice our map skills, in particular grid references and contour mapping. As the term drew to a close Y6 examined rocks and fossils which included a fantastic talk given by Graham whereby many dinosaur artefacts were available to touch and feel. Y5 ended the year with a visit from the MET Police where they investigated crimes in an area and had to use geographical skills to find the criminal.

After a great year in geography the boys are now well armed to further their Geographical studies as they enter into a new and exciting term.

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n May 2018, Y6 attended a Geography lecture on Rocks, Fossils and Dinosaurs.

Two palaeontologists talked to us about the different types and uses of various rocks.

The lecture was both interesting and useful because we learnt a lot about rock formation, different types of dinosaurs and the creation and discovery of fossils.

As the lecture started, the palaeontologists asked us numerous questions. For example, “What are the three types of rock?” and “How are Sedimentary rocks formed?” Questions like these were easy but they sometimes asked us harder questions. We were told that that the White Cliffs of Dover are made out of chalk. We were shown a timeline board with information on the different ages of the dinosaurs and the types of dinosaurs that lived during these ages. Had it not been for the extinction, we mammals probably would not be here today. We learnt about the formation of fossils. In particular, the palaeontologists brought along a fossilized

dinosaur egg and it was fascinating to know that the baby also remained fossilized inside that egg. One of the palaeontologists revealed that he had found ten fossils in Bedford.

We were asked to participate in an activity that involved working through questions on Rocks, Fossils and Dinosaurs, and locating the answers. Around the hall there were boards containing information on the questions. All we had to do was find the corresponding board and work through the question. We worked in pairs and we helped each other to find the answers. Some questions were quite challenging whilst others were very straightforward. The last question was slightly different to the rest. We had to identify different fossils. At the end of the day, two of my friends and I were asked to pose for a photograph where we held some heavy fossils.

In conclusion, the session was informative and educational and I enjoyed it very much.

RUBEN JACOB

O

n Thursday 14th June we had a crime talk from a London Metropolitan Police detective called Louise. We got to learn a lot about crime which was our new topic in Geography.

During our session we had a serial case to solve and we started by looking through witness statements and finding similarities. We wrote these down on a big chart and we used stickers to find where the crimes happened, which was a lot of fun. After, we reviewed the similarities and found that they were all handbag thefts and they were all expensive bags.

We then went through different ways to prevent the crime happening and finally decided on placing four undercover officers around the main street, Fenchurch Street.

Later on, we looked at forensics, as a footprint was left behind. We learnt that the police had files on the pattern of the underside of every shoe in the world. We used these to find out what type of shoe the thief was wearing. Through CCTV footage we found two people who were wearing that type of shoe, and they were our suspects.

After we had done that we looked at fingerprints and even had a go at printing our own. As the thief had left behind a handbag with fingerprints on, we matched these up with one of the suspect’s ones.

We found the thief and got him arrested I really enjoyed it and I would like to say thank you to the teachers who made it happen.

FRASER MORGAN

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Music

M U S I C R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Joanne Gedye

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nother successful year comes to a close and as a department we have much to be proud of. Throughout the year, the boys and staff did not fail to impress with a plethora of musical delicacies that was breathtaking. Sadly, we said a heart-felt farewell in the summer term, to our Head of Woodwind, Mr Green, who has been with us for an amazing 37 years. We will miss his wealth of knowledge and enthusiastic leadership, particularly inspiring and encouraging the boys to take up woodwind instruments in the Prep School.

As always, the Prep Informal Concerts throughout the year have been a delight to watch; the growth in the number of first time performers clearly demonstrates the importance of this opportunity to build up confidence in performing in front of an audience in an informal and relaxed environment. This series of concerts concluded with the Instrumental Starter Presentation at the end of the Summer Term, involving all the Y3 and 4 boys. This was a great fun (and slightly epic) event culminating

in a breath-taking group performance and world premiere of ‘The Flobberwomple’ a hilarious musical story written and composed

by Mr Groom. The EMH reverberated with the dulcet sounds of the nearly 90 strong orchestra, the audience responding with rapturous applause at the end.

Both the Autumn and Summer Concerts this year produced a kaleidoscope of musical magic from throughout the Music Department. From the Steel Pans to the numerous bands (guitars, string ensembles, orchestras) the audiences were treated to musical banquet of aural delights and, yet again, the level of musical proficiency that the groups were able to achieve was astounding.

Yet again, House Singing, the Composition Competition and the Prep Music Competition were all fiercely contested and as always, showed the great diversity and talent of the boys. Congratulations to all who participated.

However, the highlight of this year for me was the production of ‘Double or Nothing’.

This year’s production moved away from the grizzly fairy tale theme of the past two

shows and plunged us headlong into a surreal romp through the Wild Wild West. Involving just under100 boys, we took the audience on a crazy adventure following a family of cowboys in search of their beloved cow, Betty Lou, stolen by the dastardly El Bandito and his gang of wicked bandits. Western Legends, a sheriff and his quarrelling deputies (not forgetting his nine daughters), an English bank and an enigmatic bounty hunter; waltzing cows and line dancing cacti completed the line-up. A huge thank you to Mr Groom for creating yet another outstanding, albeit crazy, show for us to work on!

And so we reach the end of another year of music making. Thank you must, as ever, go to all the Music Staff, for their tireless energy.

However, it is the boys that the biggest thank you should go to. It is their enthusiasm and their ‘give it a go’ attitude that makes the difference. Onwards and upwards to next year – I can’t wait!

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Design Technology

D T R E P O RT WORDS BY

Michelle Aldridge, Head of Design Technology

“W

hen you say ‘design,’ everybody thinks of magazine pages. So, it’s an emotive word. Everybody thinks it’s how something looks, whereas for me, design is pretty much everything.” – James Dyson. In Design and Technology lessons at Bedford Prep School students have the opportunity to perfect practical skills, learn about design theory, hone their styles of presentation and enjoy freedom to produce unique and functional products. This is a subject that requires an all-encompassing use of a wide variety of skills, therefore keeping interest for every individual.The variety of skills and learning opportunities make DT an ideal subject for equipping students with skills for life. Our boys engage with a client and have to take into account their views and manipulate their designs to fit for particular needs. Their design ideas enable the students to think openly, consider wisely and adapt their reasoning. Design and Technology at Bedford Prep School is cutting edge. We have state of the art technology facilities and resources which

allow students to achieve the best possible design ideas and successful, functioning products. DT encompasses a huge range of skills and encourages our boys to work independently from the start.The focus of Design and Technology is to prepare children to play an integral part in the development of tomorrow’s manufactured world. Our aim, is to motivate, excite and inspire our boys to embrace the process of design and, at the same time, to exploit the possibilities afforded by modern technology.Design and Technology is an important strand within

WHINCHAT

2017 2018 the wider curriculum. It gives pupils a first hand, practical understanding of the manufacturing world, introducing them to the basic properties of wood, plastic and metal. Through a variety of projects, they learn how to cut, shape, fix and finish a range of materials and are gradually introduced to the design process. Well done to the boys on another fantastic year of creativity!

YEAR HIGHLIGHTS n Y E A R 3 produced bird boxes and crazy sculptural chickens n Y E A R 4 designed and made tool boxes and shields n Y E A R 5 manufactured animal scooters and Mexican masks n Y E A R 6 manufactured iPhone amps and Dr Seuss animal head wall trophies. n Y E A R 7 researched, designed and manufactured Art Deco clocks and radios and then their second project they produced robot lamps n Y E A R 8 learnt how to use CAD/CAM program and they also manufactured a Hook and Toothbrush holder using a wide range of materials.

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A RT R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Phil Studd , Head of Art

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t has been said that to practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow.

This principle is at the very core of teaching and learning art at Bedford Prep School - after all, this is a subject that offers children the opportunity to escape the mundane routines of life and to see, feel and imagine a world beyond reality. The artwork on display around the school, as well as the significant progress that we witness within both art rooms, serve to show that all boys, from Y3 to Y8, respond positively and with enthusiasm to such opportunities. One visiting parent to the School during the year remarked on the assured manner with which our boys explore their ideas through a range of media, referring to the magnificent ceramic sea-towers constructed by Y4 pupils. She is, of course, right! It is difficult to believe that boys aged 9 were the architects of these delicately improvised structures. The truth is all year groups have achieved in the same way during the year. Along with my colleagues, I have been genuinely impressed by the values and expectations our boys demonstrate to achieve in art. I congratulate you all.

Main image Oscar Jewers Y6 01 Jack Sivills Y4 02 Rhys Brook Y4 0 3 H a r r y To w n s e n d Y 5 04 Collaborative Y5 05 Zachary Hone Y6 06 SamCutler Y6 07 Clement Rahwangi-Gough Y6 08 Oliver Munn Y7 09 Carson Cheung Y7 1 0 R i c h a r d Ya n g Y 7 11 Joshua Romeo Y8

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Art

HOUSE ART COMPETITION 2018

‘My happy place’ Y3-Y4 COMMENDED Ethan Wrightson, Y3 [Howard] – Cat Nir vana Harry Lousada, Y4 [Whitbread] Sea Crush 3RD Sammy Rawlings, Y4 [Bunyan] Beach Huts of Southwold 2ND Berkley Barnicoat, Y3 [Harpur] A Chilling Read 1ST Freddie Bowis, Y4 [Howard] The Goalkeeper’s Dream Y5-Y6 CommendeD Shayen Patel, Y6 [Whitbread] Paradise Island

B e r t i e S a y e r, Y5 [Whitbread] Ta b l e Te n n i s i s My Happy Place 3RD W i l l Tu r n e r, Y6 [Whitbread] Memories of Blakeney

3RD Arav Kir tane, Y8 [Harpur] Dreams of Solitude 2ND S a m We l l s , Y8 [Bunyan]

2ND Alex Carlton Smith, Y5 [Bunyan] Mondr ian’s Tree

1ST John Ogunyiluka, Y8 [Howard] At Work with My Pastels

R E S U LT B U N YA N HARPUR HOWARD WHITBREAD

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1ST Olly Wright, Y6 [Whitbread] Running Free Y7-Y8 COMMENDED To m G o d b e r , Y8 [Bunyan] Windows into My Happiness

Holiday High Ropes

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Sachin Kambli, Y8 [Bunyan] Coast of Lincolnshire

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Olly Wright Y6 Oliver Barbour Y3 Harry Howlett Y4 Ethan Wrightson Y3 Lewis Noble Y4 Freddie Bowis Y4 W i l l Tu r n e r Y 6

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Art SCHOOL VA L U E M U R A L S

in the style of Keith Haring

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APRIL 2018

t the start of the Summer Term, boys from Y6 to Y8 were engaged in a workshop to visually convey the school values as two-dimensional artworks. They viewed the work of American pop artist, Keith Haring as the starting point to represent the principle values of endeavour, responsibility, integrity and curiosity, as well as other important virtues of friendship, teamwork and resilience. Boys worked in small groups to develop the work of the previous groups, using space to improvise mark-making and patterns in the artist’s style. Their work has drawn considerable and positive comments from boys, staff, parents and visitors to the school.

I congratulate them all for their productivity, creativity and teamwork.

ART SCHOLARSHIP 2018

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f the eighteen boys who applied for 13+ Art Scholarship this year, five made the second phase of assessment that took place in January - Tom Godber, Sachin Kambli, Ryan Lasaki, John Ogunyiluka and Sam Wells. Congratulations are due to them all for this achievement and, as a result, they received their art colours.

Sachin and John eventually received scholarships awards to the Upper School.

01, 04, 08 & 09 Sachin Kambli Y8 02, 05, 06, 07 & 10 S a m We l l s Y 8 03 John Ogunyiluka Y8

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Drama

D R A M A R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Jonathan Hooley

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t’s been another busy year in the Drama department.

Three Prep School productions were staged in the Quarry Theatre in the Summer Term alone, and including the House Drama Competition in the Autumn Term, over 230 boys have performed on the stage at some point during the year: that’s over half the School! Well done to everyone who took part in the productions this year, both on stage and off; it is fair to say that each performance reflected the wealth of talent here at the School.

There have been many outstanding performances this year and you can read about the individual productions in these pages. With so many boys committing to taking part in the plays and showing how talented they are, no matter what their age, everyone will have their personal favourite show and performance, but what is clear is the confidence and sense of purpose taking part in a Prep School production gives the boys, and long may this continue.

Notable achievements this year are as follows: THE DRAMA PRIZE

Will Roberts & Sam Hundal (Y8) DRAMA COLOURS

Will Roberts, Sam Hundal, Robert Parrish, Tom Howe, Charlie Blythman, Josh Cooke (Y8) UPPER SCHOOL DRAMA EXHIBITION

Will Roberts & Joshua Cooke (Y8)

HOUSE DRAMA BEST ACTOR

Aryan Sohanpal (Y4)

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Drama Y8 DRAMA GROUP P R E S E N TAT I O N S Timon of Athens, Re-Imagined WORDS BY

Mr Jonathan Hooley

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t the end of the Summer Term, the Y8 Drama group worked on a three week project to edit, devise and perform a production of one of Shakespeare’s lesserknown plays: The Tragedy of Timon of Athens.

The final performance was staged in the Quarry Theatre in front of an audience and Sam Hundal played the lead role of Timon, in what was arguably the most assured performance ever given by a Prep School pupil. He was supported by an outstanding ensemble cast, each playing a character instrumental in the downfall of Timon, a wealthy Athenian who is used by ‘friends’ until he has nothing left. In the end, Timon dies penniless and destitute outside the walls of Athenian society.

Here, the cast share some of their thoughts on the project, including what it was like to create a play in three weeks and how it felt to perform it: Learning the lines in a short amount of time was a challenge, but it helped me focus on the character a lot more.

Sam Hundal Yes, I felt like we were molding the story ourselves and made it what we wanted it to be. I felt like we really created the characters we played and this came across in the final performance.

Tom Deardon It was great to dress up and really get into character for the day. It was exciting and it felt like a lot of

Emil & The Detectives

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A Review by Asier Mokhtar-Esteban (Y8)

responsibility too. It gave us the focus to work hard because we knew every moment we spent on the project was vital. Because it was a small scale production, it felt more low-key and intimate, working as part of a group of thirteen. This made it feel quite relaxed and more personal than other plays we’ve worked on. It also helped us focus on creating our characters in a lot more detail.

Robert Parrish, Tom Deardon and Will Roberts

we worked well together to create the story. I felt there was more freedom during rehearsals to add ideas and refine them; it felt like a collective achievement.

Robert Parrish

It really was a team effort and I thought

The modern setting worked really well and the

It was my first Prep School production and it felt really nice to be involved. I felt a sense of relief after the performance, but I also felt incredibly proud of what we had achieved. It really felt like ‘our play’.

Christian Tyrell

fact that the script was updated with modern language allowed me to fully understand how Timon was feeling and why he did what he did. I enjoyed building the character through rehearsals and the language created that for me. My favourite bit in performance was the music; it helped me bring the mood of the character across and enhanced the emotion.

Sam Hundal I thought the quality of our work was excellent!

Bryn O’Dell

dapted from a classic German children’s story about a young boy’s adventure in pre-war Berlin, Emil & The Detectives featured a cast of 60 pupils, ranging from Y3 to Y13. Year 5 pupils Elio Lepore and Ben Cutts shared the lead role of Emil and both actors played the part with great expression and confidence. The boys were on stage for most of the play, interacting with every single character in the story and I thought their energy and honesty were excellent.

Elio and Ben were supported by an excellent ensemble cast. In particular, the ‘Detectives’ who help Emil get his money back made sure that the imaginative storytelling was shared amongst the whole cast. Aaron Berman (Y7) as Toots, Oliver Quince (Y4) as Tuesday, Robert Wells (Y6) as Harold, Arthur Polhill (Y6) as The Professor, Hamish Whiteman (Y6) as Arnie, Zach Cumming (Y7) as Silent Isaac deserve special mention for their excellent acting skills!

The whole cast deserve much credit for creating the busy streets of Berlin with such energy, imagination and focus. The scenes changed instantaneously as Emil tracked his thief through the bustling streets of Berlin, before confronting him in the sewers underneath the city.

Whether it was standing on a crowded tram, or selling newspapers on street corners, the actors switched roles in the blink of an eye and worked in harmony with the lighting and the sound effects to create an enthralling and exciting atmosphere on stage.

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Drama HOUSE DRAMA COMPETITION, 2017 WORDS BY

Mr Jonathan Hooley

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his year’s annual House Drama Competition was another lively affair, with over 80 boys from Years 3 - 8 performing in four plays, produced by each of the day houses in the School. This year’s theme was: Folktales From Around the World and it certainly made for a colourful, diverse and imaginative evening! Local actor, Richard Mann, judged the competition and was impressed by the quality of the ensemble acting and imaginative storytelling.

The Oriental provenance of the stories from Bunyan and Harpur ensured that dragons roamed the stage, mountains and valleys were imaginatively created out of thin air and the costumes were bold and dynamic. Both plays featured an excellent ensemble cast and the storytelling was richly woven and engrossing. Aryan Sohanpal (Y4, Harpur) won the overall Best Actor category for his role as a young villager, transformed into a butterfly. He played the part with an honesty and thoughtfulness that belies his young age, and alongside other young performers like Elio Lepore, Noah SIlk, Oliver Quince and Monty Lomax, it is clear that the quality of acting in the School will be high for years to come. Howard produced a more abstract piece, based on the travels of Marco Polo. The cast of displaced travellers used bamboo to create streets and buildings from their past and this was a particularly engaging spectacle.

The winners on the night were Whitbread, who claimed the title for a second year running! Their own, unique take on an African tale about six brothers trying to make their way in the world was one of the funniest tales I have ever seen and had the audience in stitches from start to finish. Somehow, Mr Roberts found a space for himself on the stage amongst what seemed to be a thirty strong cast and some ringers from the audience; certainly the rule book had been chucked out the window for this one, but in the end, the judge made the right decision and everyone went home satisfied and entertained!

Congratulations to all the boys involved in another outstanding evening of Drama.

SPEECH & DRAMA R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Eleanor Bell

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peech and Drama has continued to develop and grow this year with over 150 boys now opting to have lessons.

Mrs Eleanor Bell joined us in September and has been exceptional in her love of the subject, meticulous organisation and outstanding care of the boys. We bid a very sad farewell to Mrs Keane at Christmas who taught part-time in the department over the past few years following her “retirement”!

An inspiration to all she taught and a true master of public speaking and performance, she is and will always be much missed. To fill this void, we welcomed two new wonderful teachers: Mrs Ana Iversen and Mr Simon Rawlings, who have been very worthy replacements and have brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to Speech and Drama. In the first term, boys focused on a different performance skill each week such as: projection, characterisation, improvisation, facial expression, diction and line-learning skills. In the Spring, our boys enjoyed a superb Bedfordshire Festival of Speech, Drama and Music, with several boys being awarded top three places over the course of the festival! Our congratulations go to everyone who took part – it takes great courage to stand up on stage and perform, and they all did splendidly. A particularly notable performance from Thomas Hayward and Charlie Blythman in their stunning interpretation of R.C Sheriff ’s Journey’s End duologue where they achieved first place and an ‘Outstanding’. Sarmukh Hundal’s presentation on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings was also a stand out moment; a delivery full of passion, empathy and

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Speech & Drama maturity resulting in another first place. The pre-Festival showcases in the EMH prior to Festival week also proved a hit where boys could perform their pieces in front of an audience beforehand. Finally, in the Summer term, all boys prepared and undertook their LAMDA exam ranging from Solo Introductory levels right up to Grade 5 in Acting or Verse and Prose. We are sure there will be many successes here as well - results will be returned in the new academic year.

A final and exciting development in the Speech and Drama Department is our new podcast: Eagle Radio. In the Summer term, approximately 35 Y7/8 boys sent in recordings to audition for a role in the show ranging from the main hosts to subject specific correspondents. The superb cast has included: Main hosts & Station Managers: Will Roberts & Cole Balachandran Chief Editors: Harry Norris & Freddie McPhail Sports: Charlie Blythman News: Arav Kirtane (Ar’Av you ‘erd?)

History: Murray Silk BPS Meets…: Callum Ward & Nathanael Lord (The WarLords) Adam Rants: Adam Trussell What’s On in Bedford: Aaron Berman Thought of the Day: Joshua Romeo Literature: Charlie Lawrence Assistant Editors: James Keylock & Ryan Lasaki The first show, released on May 4th, tenuously linked to Star Wars with some terrible Star Wars related puns and a memorable Chewbacca impression from Mr Silk in his WarLords interview. The second show was a mixed bag in terms of theme but highlighted the cast’s professionalism and huge progress in the production of a much slicker and impressive podcast. The final podcast was based around the theme of ‘Leavers’ and again, the quality of individual segments and the slick and final edit showcased the unbelievable talent of these boys. There will be a new team for the 20182019 academic year and hopefully the existing team will carry on in Y9 under the guidance of Mr Rooke.

Started at the beginning of the Summer Term for Year 7 and 8s, the Eagle Radio programme has been a very enjoyable

experience.

Led by Miss Portsmouth and Mr Rooke with professional help given

by Mr David Clarke,

we managed to broadcast three shows in total.

Myself, 10 other budding reporters and two fantastic editors helped create a first show with much to improve on! However, every show grew in quality as we learnt the tricks of the trade and most importantly, how to not start doing it a week before the release deadline! A

variety of segments and roles gave a real taste of how much the Prep School get up to. From Arav Kirtane and his segment called ‘Arav you heard?’, talking about news from the school and around the world, to Callum Ward and Nat Lord’s, ‘Warlords’ giving us interviews with the likes of Mr Silk and Mr Groom and a slightly bonkers end of year

leavers episode, interviewing Year 8s. Personally, I have gained so much experience and some amazing memories from doing this Radio Show; working alongside my co-presenter Cole Balachandran. As someone who would like to pursue the life of a reporter with my interviews down at Bedford Blues, this has given

me the opportunity to improve my craft and do something I love outside the classroom, in a state-of-the-art studio. Next year, the new cast and crew have some big boots to fill!”

William Roberts on

his experience of being part of the podcast.

Overall, a brilliant and exciting year for Speech and Drama!

BEFORDSHIRE F E S T I VA L , 2017

Festival placings FIRST PLACE POSITIONS

Leo Mathew Y4 Prepared Reading Oliver Quince Y4 Verse Solo Aryan Sohanpal Y4 Verse Solo Aryan Sohanpal Y4 Write and Read a Story Elio Lepore Y5 Dramatic Solo Benjamin Roberts Y5 Write and Read Your Own Story Charlie Eggleton Y6 Verse Solo Will Hayward Y6 Verse Solo Tobi Mitchell and Will Everitt Y7 Verse Duet Murray Silk Y8 Bible Reading Thomas Hayward and Charlie Blythman Y8 Duologue Sarmukh Hundal Y8 Presentation

SECOND PLACE POSITIONS George Harrison Y3 Write and Read a Story

Noah Silk and James Pinkney Y5 Verse Duet Sam Gray Y5 Write and Read Your Own Story Robert Wells and Arthur Polhill Y6 Verse Duet Arthur Polhill Y6 Prepared Reading Harry Clifton Y6 Verse Solo Aaron Berman Y7 Verse Speaking Solo Thomas Deardon Y8 Dramatic Solo Thomas Hayward Y8 Presentation Tom Deardon and Callum Ward Y8 Verse Speaking Duet Joshua Cooke and Robert Parrish Y8 Verse Speaking Duet

THIRD PLACE POSITIONS Auryn Hills-Jones Verse Speaking Solo Toby Hudson Write and Read a Story Prejeev Suhitharan Verse Solo Josh Lincoln and Prejeev

Y3 Y3 Y4

Suhitharan Y4 Verse Speaking Duet Charles Whittle-Querrel Y4 Verse Speaking Solo Ben Rioch Y5 Verse Speaking Solo William Brunsden-Parsons, James Robertson & Brooklyn Fu Y6 Dramatic Scene Alex Lamb and Arthur Polhill Y6 Prepared Reading Tanay Rai Y6 Verse Solo Hari Mistry, Kiyo Kasai, Jack Aldridge & Leo Butler Y7 Group Devised Scene William Ngan Y7 Presentation Jamie Welch & Will Trobe Y7 Verse Duet Jacob Foster Y7 Verse Speaking Solo Ryan Jordan & Cole Balachandran Y8 Duologue Luca Moretto Y8 Shakespeare Monologue Joshua Jeganathan Y8 Verse Solo We were also awarded joint third place for the ‘Y3/Y4 Group Poems’ overall class.

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Enrichment

E N R I C H M E N T R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Jonathan Hooley

YEAR 5-8 ENRICHMENT

Deep Thinkers Club

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e were highly impressed by the thought-provoking exhibition put on by the Prep School’s Deep Thinkers Club on Tuesday 19 June.

The Deep Thinkers Club is a group of 16 Y8 boys who meet once a week throughout the year to discuss ideas and enjoy lectures on various topics based on a single theme. This year the theme the boys considered was ‘Monuments’.

From icons of the British Empire and the human need to celebrate the achievements of others, to religious and

cultural monuments from across the globe that serve as both inspiration and warning, each session explored ideas about what monuments say about the human condition and how they shape our experiences of the past and our hopes for the future.

At the end of the year, the boys produced their own unique monuments in response to the question: ‘Who would you build a monument to, and why?’ The boys had the opportunity to interpret the concept of ‘monument’ in their own way.

Monuments presented included a piece of classical music in honour of ordinary, everyday lifesavers, a monologue to the first human and a model of a school in recognition of the right to education and the inspirational school girl, Malala Yousafzai.

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Enrichment AMBASSADOR PROGRAMME Enrichment has been very exciting this year in Year 3 & 4.

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e have been lucky enough to have some wonderful year 8 Ambassadors who displayed an excellent passion for learning and teaching. The younger boys experienced various outstanding sessions run by these leaders in activities such as: Spanish crash course, Ka-boom science, Extreme sports, Whistle-stop drama tour and a Quiz club. This has allowed the younger boys a chance to gain new insights, learn and develop new skills, work with other boys and be creative in their approach to broadening their life experiences and knowledge.

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September 28th

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WORDS BY

Miss Jessica Hone

s part of our Enrichment initiatives this year, all the prep school boys y3-8 were lucky enough to experience Andy Craven-Griffiths’ writing and performance workshops on National Poetry day in September. As a poet he has performed most extensively live on stage (Glastonbury, Latitude, BAC) but has also had work broadcast (Radio 1, Radio 4, BBC 2). Andy spent the day with our pupils’ building confidence and making literacy exciting and engaging, honing myriad creative writing skills in the process.

I thought he was very inspirational and he helped us to write our own poetry, which was cool!

Dylan Uppal I loved that his poems were full of fun!

Toby Hudson

I didn’t even realise I could write poetry until today!

Freddie Barnes His rap-style poetry was something different to what I had experienced poetry as before.

Zach Hone

It was great that he incorporated and used our names in his demo pieces. It made it really personal and engaging, which led to some very creative poems of our own following his inspiration.

Harry Clifton

OUTDOOR C L A S S RO O M DAY

May 2018

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utdoor classroom day is a global campaign to celebrate and inspire outdoor learning and play. In May 2018, the year 3 & 4 boys joined thousands of others around the world and took their lessons outside for an entire day.

Outdoor learning improves children’s health, engages them with learning and leads to a greater connection with nature. Play not only teaches critical life skills such as resilience, teamwork and creativity, but it is also central to children’s mental well being and enjoyment of childhood.

The boys and staff alike experienced many exciting activities such as pond dipping and identifying species, making natural bird feeders, orienteering, map-reading, building 3D shapes with stick-letts, colour scavenger hunts, parachute games, den building and outdoor survival skills, camp fire team games, songs and cooking s’mores!

I loved the drama workshops! We played games and I made new friends. The year 8s were really kind and taught us lots of new things.

Aaryan Nair

My favourite was the quiz! We got to work in teams with some year 4 boys and the questions really made us think!

I learnt so many new facts. It was clever how the ambassadors had made it all interactive too.

Monty Lomax

I learnt lots of new exciting words when I went to the German and Spanish crash courses. I am interested in learning these languages more now.

Amar Rai

I absolutely loved outdoor classroom day!

Especially the PE mini tournaments and using the clay to create bird nests because mine looked so realistic.

Jack Down Outdoor classroom day was so fun! I hadn’t considered how much

use we can get out of recycled or natural resources! We made bird feeders, aboriginal pebble art and I learnt all about the different minibeasts living in our schools pond habitat.

Lewis Woodhouse

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HOUSES

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Houses

EAGLE HOUSE R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Simon Lincoln

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t has been a particularly special year as the House celebrated its 25th Birthday with a big party which included a hog roast and lots of inflatables for all the guests to enjoy. It was fantastic to welcome over one hundred guests which included many old boys of the House and also the two previous Houseparent’s, Mr and Mrs Clarke and Mr Spencer.

It has been another year of adventure, achievement and personal growth for our boys. Numerous exciting trips and experiences have brought us all closer together as a family. Many thanks must got to our y8’s this year who have set high standards and have really enabled this year to be such an enjoyable one for Staff and Boys. Special thanks to our Head of House Ivan Savleyev, Deputy Head of House Owen Dong and our prefects Kabir Singh, Ryan Lasaki, Makar Molchanov, Rafa Carabonel

and Jeremy Okpere. Special mention should also go to Yaw Amankora who won the cup for Boarder of the Year for all round contributions to the House.

The House will again see a big change as seventeen boys move up or on and we wish them all the best as they start their new adventure. It does mean the House will welcome fifteen new boys in September which is very exciting.

Academic success has been enjoyed with many boys reaching their Gold and Platinum Awards and also seven boys received prizes on Speech Day. On the sports field boys have represented various teams at all levels in a range of sports including rugby, football, hockey, cricket, tennis, athletics, swimming badminton, golf and table tennis. All these thing just demonstrate how much the boys have thrown themselves into boarding life and

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take all the opportunities given to them.

As always we enjoy many weekend trips which have this year included cinema, rock climbing, go carting, inflatable water park at Box End, tenpin bowling, high rope climbing and crazy golf, to name but some of the activities that have challenged the boys and given them new and exciting adventures. We have also enjoyed a fantastic day at Ickwell Conservation Center where we had the opportunity to explore and paly.

Regular visits to the theatre have been enjoyed watching all the Prep productions and the opportunity for our older boys to watch Upper School and external productions at the Quarry Theatre. We also all enjoyed a trip to Milton Keynes Theatre to watch the fantastic West End Show Matlida.

As always the House trip to the Peak

HOUSES

Numerous exciting trips and experiences have brought us all closer together as a family District was an outstanding experience for all. The boys were a credit to the School and enjoyed some fantastic sights and superb activities as we cycled eighteen miles down an old railway line, quad biked through woods and streams, played laser tag games

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and walked our way around the countryside in Ilam with many of the boys climbing to the highest point in Derbyshire. We also discovered streams which many boys swam in, caves and hills. The boys also had a full day at Alton Towers Theme Park as we all enjoyed the thrills of the rollercoasters and the spills of the log flume and rapids.

Finally, many thanks to the wonderful team of Matrons and Staff especially Mr and Mrs Travis, Mr Brett and Mr Guest who have helped give the boys at Eagle House a wonderful year. A special thank you to Mr Loader and Miss Portsmouth for moving in for the Christmas Term as acting Assistant Houseparent’s and doing such a wonderful job whilst Mrs Travis recovered from her operation. We are all looking forward to next year where we hope we will all continue to maximize all the opportunities boarding gives to the boys.

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hat a difference a year makes!

Twelve months ago, I sat at my tired-looking desk, watching the rain lashing against the window and looking back on the previous three hectic terms, trying to think up some platitudes to alleviate the proud Bunyan boys’ disappointment at finishing fourth in the Nestor Cup rankings. A year later and I’ve got a new desk and there’s not a cloud in the sky!

It’s been a fantastic year with every boy in the House doing their bit - where do I start? Sport? Music? Drama? Reading?

Merits? Academics?

It’s fair to say that we had a slow start! Victories were hard to come by before Christmas but we had fun trying.

After a winless first term, 2018 became a revelation! At times, I struggled to remember which teams to congratulate in our assemblies - apologies if I missed anyone! Yet again, the swimmers led the way. Three victories and a second place was a pretty impressive return from the four galas - clearly, last year’s charity swim to France set the boys up well!

Staying with charities for a moment, we

supported Headway Bedford this year, after one of our Y8 boys nominated them as the charity recently supported his Granny. This year’s fundraising event was an assault on basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s personal record of 149 three pointers in a season.

Each year group had a basket to shoot at and in 25 minutes, and with the assistance of my meagre two baskets, we managed to double Kobe’s mark with a total of 298.

Congratulations to the Y3s who scored an impressive one hundred and three baskets by themselves!

Yet again, the boys amazed me with their commitment to House Singing. Simon and Garfunkel served us well and the Part Song boys spent hours rehearsing and fully deserved their first place - the Unison

song gained an honourable runners up place so all of the hours of preparation clearly paid off. Wilfred conducted the Unison fantastically. It was lovely to see him coming up with his own ideas on the direction we could go and giving the boys feedback on their performance.

I was however, somewhat concerned that he might fall off his pedestal in the performance as he was very mobile in his conducting! Huge thanks are due to Mrs Gedye and Mr Rooke for their energy and guidance for both performances - you both were amazing!

The wins just seemed to keep coming and coming after Christmas. School Run, Art, Hockey, Squash, Rowing, Cricket, Accelerated Reader Programme quizzing

B U N YA N H O U S E R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Matt Allen

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We’ll keep having fun, keep trying our hardest and keep living the Bunyan dream!

(I didn’t even know that was a competition!), Merits, Squash - you name it, we won it! To see all of this hard work culminate in Bunyan House being announced as the Nestor Cup winners was so amazing - the boys worked so hard and, more importantly, enjoyed working for each other so I was so thrilled to see them celebrating in Final Assembly.

Finally from me, some Oscar acceptancelike thank yous. The House Officers have been fantastic this year. Tom Godber has been our leader - how could the boys not want to perform for the House when Tom’s beaming smile welcomed them every week?

His band of Officers have supported him manfully - I marvel at the number of times that, unsolicited, boys have stepped up to offer help in some form. Thank you boys you’ve been amazing! And then there are the teachers. Their unstinting support has been so valuable. From Mr Guest chivvying the sportsmen on, to Mr Maitland, Madame

Faulkner, Mrs Badhan and Mrs Leeson sharing their thoughts, and often stepping out of their own comfort zones, in assemblies (especially after Mrs Badhan raised the stakes and started rating each assembly!) and Mrs Bell bringing the best out of our actors and producing our House Drama performance, they’ve been the final piece in the jigsaw - thank you team! A huge thank you also must go to Mr Phillips, Mr Lincoln, Mrs Gedye, Mr Studd, Mr Affleck and any other teachers who organised competitions, and to Mr Mallalieu for coordinating everything - without your help, the House system simply wouldn’t work. So, what next then?

Who knows? In all honesty, results aren’t important (well, not that important!) we’ll keep having fun, keep trying our hardest and keep living the Bunyan dream! Let’s go Bunyan, let’s go!

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HARPUR H O U S E R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Andrew Whitbread

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A

nd so, another action-packed year draws to a close for Harpur. In terms of House competitions and events, I have never known a busier and more varied schedule for boys to take part in as we currently have in the school calendar. My theme for my final Harpur assembly was ‘things we treasure’ and I am sure all boys and staff of Harpur House will have some wonderful memories to treasure when they reflect back on the year.

Our flair in racquet sports was highlighted in the Autumn Term when both the Year 5&6 and Year 7&8 badminton teams won their respective competitions. On the rugby field, there were also commendable second places for the Year 6 and Year 8 teams. The biggest event of the term was undoubtedly the House Drama competition in the Quarry Theatre. In coming second on the night, the adjudicator rightly praised the Harpur cast for their excellent ensemble piece. All years from Year 3 right through to Year 8 were represented and I was struck in the rehearsal period by how open and inclusive the older boys were when working with the younger boys. This collaboration really shone through in their performance and a huge debt of gratitude should be given to Miss Portsmouth who prepared the boys superbly to reach the standard they achieved. A special mention also to Aryan Sohanpal for being selected by the adjudicator as the stand-out actor of the evening. I also thank our Drama Captains, Luca Moretto and Murray Silk for their support and guidance with the whole cast.

The Spring Term saw Harpur claim a creditable second place in the Swimming Relays event. The Year 3 to Year 8 Tug-ofWar squad were hugely impressive and were unbeaten throughout the competition to win convincingly. As always, the term was dominated by the House Singing competition.

As with the House Drama, this event is only possible because of hours of dedicated rehearsal time given by both the unison and part-singers; once again, the boys of Harpur did not disappoint on this front and they showed great focus, endeavour and

Sports Day brought the House together admirably and our support for each other willingness to improve. On the day, both the unison singers’ ‘Numbers’ medley and the part-singers’ rendition of ‘Hallelujah’ were performed superbly and, dare I say it, woefully underscored. All the boys give it their all and they came off the stage with no regrets. Our Music Captain, Harlan Todd, was outstanding in his expertise and leadership throughout the rehearsal process and his conducting on the day was exemplary.

We witnessed more victories for Harpur in the summer term in the Year 5&6 swimming gala and in Year 8 cricket. A special mention should be made for the Year 3 cricketers. The ‘Magnificent Seven’ faced larger numbers in their games but they managed to ‘out-gun’ the opposition and come through victorious.

Sports Day, as always, brought the House together admirably and our support for each other, most noticeably heard through the loudest chanting and cheering in the stands, was wonderful to behold. Overall, a jointsecond place on the day was a very pleasing result. The highlight of the term came on the penultimate Friday of the year with the ‘Big Harpur Bowl-Off’, our main fund-raising event for our chosen charity, the East Anglia Air Ambulance service. It was a spectacular sight to see the prep astro a hive of bowling activity as boys from the House and across

the school bowled their hearts out in hot, energy-sapping conditions. Our Charity Officer, Josha Mital, summed it up very well in our final assembly when he described the support and camaraderie shown by all the boys as the perfect reflection of our communal House spirit.

A collective effort of over forty thousand yards bowled took us from Bedford School to the County Ground in Northampton, a fantastic achievement in just under an hour. We are still waiting to find out our grand total of money raised, but a big ‘thank you’ to all who contributed to this worthy cause.

This brief report should give one the idea that we did, indeed, have lots of great memories to treasure this year.

Along with the Officers I have already mentioned, I thank House Captain, Joseph Mullaney, Vice Captains, Harry and James Wotton Evans and Sports Captains, Charlie Blythman and Hayden Melly for all their wonderful help and leadership of the House this year. I am also blessed with the best team of House Tutors in the School who constantly go out of their way to support me and the boys. Here’s to discovering lots more beautiful treasure next year!

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W H I N C H AT

Houses

H OWA R D H O U S E R E P O RT WORDS BY

Miss Penny Oakley

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busy first term with the rugby, badminton and drama competitions, allowing as ever, the boys to get stuck into the competition in earnest. By Christmas 75 boys out of the 100 had already competed for the House, astounding me as always with the breadth of opportunities available to our boys. Howard’s highlight of the term was definitely the House Drama competition! Howard performed ‘Invisible Cities,’ a story about a mighty Emperor ruling in the time of Marco Polo, searching for lands to conquer. The ensemble cast worked together to create a caravan of travellers

who dream new cities each night around the campfire. The performance, most of which was choreographed by the boys themselves, was dynamic and powerful.

The standards ever improving, it was an incredible night! Thanks to the entire cast for their commitment and focus. Special mentions to Josh Cooke and Tom Howe, who led the cast admirably; to Harry Norris and James Lumley-Wood whose expertise with lighting brought an excellent atmosphere to the piece; and, of course, to our very own Mr Hooley, whose tireless and unerring passion always drives and enthuses the

boys, pushing their skills beyond even their own imagination, proving beyond doubt that the world of Drama at Bedford Prep School continues to flourish.

The first Half of the Spring Term, dominated as ever in the House competition, by the House Singing. Howard chose a Billy Joel medley this year and the boys worked hard to polish their performance with invaluable guidance from Joss Sanders.

Josh Cooke took on the unenviable role of conductor and I was pleased that the boys rose to the occasion winning the Unison competition, in spite of the added pressure of

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A particular mention to John Ogunyiluka who deserves praise indeed for his beautiful self-portrait, which won the House Art in Year 7/8 and also went on to win the Harpur Trust’s competition titled ‘My Happy Place.’

Fantastic!

Howard chose the Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue Centre to support this year and we had great fun in our charity run. Sterling efforts from staff and boys; so lovely to see the boys all contributing with smiles on their faces. We managed a total of 286.4km between us; enough distance to get us from London to Paris and we raised a fabulous £190 to contribute to support our wonderful local wildlife centre. Thank you and well done!

The whirlwind of the Summer Term continued with Poetry, Cricket, Handwriting, Swimming Galas and Sports Day; events aplenty. E. Bradley, T. Northey and W.Hayward showing particularly fine form H E N RY WA R D - B E E C H E R . in the pool and notable performances in Sports Day from the Y6,7 and 8 stunning relay teams: J Dagg, E Dagg, W. Hayward and O. Simmonds, S. Thomas, O. Needham, L. a late change in pianist. Always an impossible Butler and J. Welch, J. Okpere, J. Ogunyiluka, J. Stewart and H. Norris. An excellent competition to call, congratulations to all of Howard win on the day for multiple the Houses for maintaining such incredibly successes. Very well done to all the boys who high standards at one of my most favourite participated, especially those who did so events and a HUGE thank you to Robert Thompson for stepping in, in our final hour, with little or no notice!A successful year in so many disciplines. What I love about the quite literally, to help us to victory. Bedford House system is that it showcases the broad School’s very own ‘Piano Man!’ opportunities that the School has to offer. It Other exciting events in the Spring Term: allows every single boy to truly feel part of squash, hockey, football, tug of war, a new the House as they can all find their niche, rowing competition (what an amazing whether that be English, Music, Art, Drama opportunity) and House Art (my favourite) or Sport and much else besides, and play which saw record entries across the School their part in the competition. You only have and stunning works by many of the boys.

It is defeat that turns bone to flint; it is defeat that turns gristle to muscle; it is defeat that makes men invincible.

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to stand on the side-lines at a House event to understand the strong sense of a community which is most certainly thriving here at Bedford Prep School!

Thank you to all the boys for their hard work and commitment to the House. A BIG thank you to my Officers this year: Allen, Norris, Romeo, Cooke, Howe, Hayward, Kooner, Lumley-Wood. Reliable, good-humoured, mature beyond your years.

I honestly don’t know where I would be without you chaps! Good luck as you move on to new opportunities and another HUGE thank you to my House Staff who as always help to make our journey a smooth and enjoyable one.

A wise person once said: ‘So often we become so focused on the finish line that we forget to enjoy the journey’ , but I can honestly say I really have enjoyed Howard’s journey this year; seeing boys give their all, seeing laughter and tears along the way. The voyage of growth has just been awesome!

What a lovely end to the year to hear Howard had earned the most Conduct Merits this term, truly reflecting the sportsmanship and kindness displayed within the House.

And so… although that elusive cup is beyond our reach once again, even in defeat we have had many valuable many gains; resilience, endeavour, reflection to name but a few.

‘It is defeat that turns bone to flint; it is defeat that turns gristle to muscle; it is defeat that makes men invincible.’ Henry WardBeecher. Howard boys, you totally rock! Enjoy a very well earned rest over the summer!

And in the words Avril Lavigne: ‘Life is a rollercoaster; live it, be happy and enjoy life.’ See you in September, boys, for another exciting ride on the rollercoaster!

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Houses

WHITBREAD H O U S E R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Michelle Aldridge

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t is an absolute privilege to be the Housemaster of Whitbread House. This really is a unique set of boys with a great sense of community, where every single member of the House considers themselves to be part of a ‘big family’. It’s like having 100 sons to look after and watch them grow.

100 brothers who look out for each other both in and out of school. It is this bond that galvanises Bedford Prep School Boys in all they do and my Whitbread boys all succeed in our School Values. The enthusiasm and commitment from all the Whitbread Boys during competitions and events is truly remarkable; we consistently punch above our weight and have been a real credit with some outstanding achievements. House Drama was an amazing, professional and very amusing production.

The tears and laughter did not stop for days as it was definitely a performance not to be forgotten! House singing was another fabulous event as always, where again we worked our socks off to ensure that we performed to perfection. Remember it’s one

person’s point of view! In my eyes we were the winners of this event; let’s face it boys we have to give the other Houses a chance; we can’t win everything!

House Rowing was an exciting new event that took place this year and without a doubt as always, we were very competitive.

Even I lost my voice shouting PULL! I wanted to get on the Rowing machine to help too, especially when it was neck and neck.

Well done in all the other sporting events too, you really make me proud and I always come away from events knowing that you all put your best efforts in and you are all great sportsmen too!

Whether we win an event or not there is always fantastic Sportsmanship and Team work.

I love my job as a Housemaster as I get to watch the boys grow into true gentleman over the years. Goodbye to the Year 8s and all my House Officers, you have been amazing and may the force be with you always.

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It’s like having 100 sons to look after and watch them grow. 100 brothers who look out for each other

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W H I N C H AT

Charity

CHARITIES 2017-18

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he following monies were raised in 2016-17 and distributed in the Autumn Term 2017-18: 2016-17 Charity money: H OWA R D Bedfordshire Down’s Syndrome Support Group £2069.39 HARPUR Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice £1965.88 B U N YA N Autism Bedfordshire £2411.88 WHITBREAD Race against Dementia £2126.20 OTHER Schoolreaders £1000

BRASS £685

Total raised

£10,258.35 HOUSE CHARITIES FOR 2017-18

Bunyan - Headway, Bedford Harpur - East Anglian Air Ambulance Howard - Bedfordshire Wildlife Rescue Whitbread - Stroke Association

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Charity

F

ollowing the rip-roaring successes of previous ‘Evenings of Mild Amusement’, our Prep School staff took to the stage once again to raise money for the school’s charities over two nights.

In a wonderful array of sketches and playlets, 25 staff took the audience on a hilarious trip to the zoo, to a rugby match with an unforgettable haka/ morris dance showdown, back to the ‘good old days’, on a fairytale adventure with a rather special fairy godmother, deep in to the jungle to discover a bird of paradise and back to school.

A huge thank you to all the Prep School staff who gave their time and dignity for this great charity event, which raised over £4,800. Thank you also to all the families and friends who bought tickets and made donations, with special thanks to our Prep Guild for their generous donation.

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G U I L D S & A S S O C I AT I O N S

Prep Guild

P R E P G U I L D R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Rosie Biffa

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nother year is over and my first year as Chair complete…..Phew! It’s been a busy fun year for the Prep Guild and we have held many successful events with continued support from within the fantastic community we have.

Our first event of every year is the Macmillan coffee event, held in September. It was a lovely morning with coffee, cakes and some great stalls whilst raising money for an excellent charity.

In October, we had the ever popular, highly competitive quiz night. The ‘Year 5 Beatniks’ team won, beating the teachers table after many fantastic rounds of challenging questions. A lovely hog roast and plenty of wine flowed throughout the evening.

Following on from this, we started buying presents ready for the incredibly busy Christmas sales. Over two thousand gifts were bought and individually wrapped over three days by the committee and lovely volunteers from our helpers list! The sales were amazing. The Atrium was buzzing with excited boys and helpers. The boys were full of Christmas spirit and showed great generosity, buying gifts for their families, friends and, of course, pets!

The wonderful carol services were next, followed by mulled wine, which was kindly donated by Mr Silk, and mince pies and biscuits, donated and served by the Prep Guild. It was a lovely atmosphere and ended the term perfectly.

What can I say about the Evening of Mild Amusement put on by the staff? Just some things can never be unseen! We arranged and manned the bar, offering wine, beer, soft

drinks and snacks - which flew off the tables and helped raise a staggering amount for the house charities.

The Year 8s and the Prep Guild held their 2nd annual Fun Day in June and what a wonderful morning it was. The Year 8s had some amazing stalls from beat the goalie, soak the boys (in the absence of any teacher volunteers!), roulette, prize pong, blindfolded obstacles, apple bobbing, ergo racing and many many more. Plenty of fun was had on the inflatable assault course and human football table, which of course, wasn’t competitive at all! Again, an incredible amount of money was raised for the four house charities.

Sports day followed in July where we provided tea, coffee, biscuits and cold drinks to parents and our famous ice lollies to the boys. The boys had impeccable manners and gratefully received them on such a hot sunny day! I think quite a few teachers enjoyed them too! Another fantastic day and a fabulous opportunity for us to provide complimentary refreshments, as a thank you to parents for their continuous support.

On top of this we have assisted at open days, New Parents’ evenings and Speech Day. All were great and it is lovely to see so many parents willing and wanting to get involved.

Overall, it’s been a brilliant year, bringing us all together at fantastic events.

Thank you so much to all parents, boys and staff for your ongoing support. The Prep Guild have had a great time organising, planning and running all the events and are already doing the same for next year. We look forward to seeing you all again in September!

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BSA (Bedford School Association)

B S A R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Richard Garrett

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he Bedford School Association (BSA) is made up of a number of groups from across the wider School community; the Prep Guild, the Past Parents Association, the Old Bedfordians Club and Bedford School Foundation. All have been busy over the last year and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their on-going support and the way in which they make everybody feel part of the School community.

WHINCHAT

2017 2018

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School trips

BUDE R E P O RT 2017 WORDS BY

Mrs Michelle Aldridge

TRIPS/OUTINGS

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School trips

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he moment you arrive at the Outdoor Adventure Centre, you become immersed in a magnificent naturally wild coastal environment.

Each morning you wake up to the roar of the surf and incredible views up and down the coast. This creates a very special experience, and this really focuses and engages the pupils in why they are here.

The Activity Centre is perched on the cliff top within 10 acres of beautiful grounds. We had a very memorable adventure and great excitement on this trip in all of the outdoor and adventurous activities.

This ensured that our boys had many fantastic moments and personal gains from experiencing the great outdoors. Many boys overcame their fear of heights and water! A proud moment for me was watching Robert Wells abseil down the cliff; he was absolutely frightened of heights and was determined to have a go anyway. A true Bedford School boy showing resilience, and he was proud of himself too! Well done.

S U R F I N G : Not just a sport it even has its own culture. By far the most popular amongst the boys, especially when Mr Lewis had his wetsuit on inside out! Whether it’s getting the buzz from your first wave ever, the challenge of learning to bottom turn on a green wave or the sheer adrenaline of down the line surfing over an unforgiving Cornish reef!

B O D Y B O A R D I N G : There were lots of levels of body boarding from the thrill of catching the broken waves close to the

beach through to the radical body boarding manoeuvres of 360s, aerial re-entries and tube rides. This was something Kiyo was very good at. Climbing at Widemouth and Bude sea cliffs: A tidal location you can walk to 1km from the Centre at a secret unvisited cove and a rock face perched half way up a cliff. These inspiring locations offered many different grades of route for the beginner to the most experienced climbers. Wildlife is all around you too. Many boys overcame their fear of heights here and really impressed themselves with great achievement.

A B S E I L I N G : takes your breath away! Boys abseiled down a Cornish cliff face with the sea crashing beneath them.

As you descend you can marvel at the spectacular views all around. Many boys are apprehensive about this activity, but with good coaching and the support from the rest of the group everybody mastered it! The feeling of accomplishment when you’re at the bottom is overwhelming!

K A Y A K I N G : Miss Mann was the master of this activity. This is an excellent way of building personal gain and teamwork.

The boys could use solo boats or doubles and they have a multitude of uses from sea kayaking, fishing to surfing. Their popularity is primarily down to the fact that you aren’t required to roll if you capsize as the boat can be righted without it filling and needing emptying. Many boys got capsized anyway by the instructors...

A R C H E R Y : The archery session was engaging, fun and highly addictive! It is

a fantastic sport to develop dexterity, precision and self-control – no one can hide the smile when you hit the gold!

Very competitive too.

C OA STA L T R AV E R S I N G : This is an unusual activity where you make your way along the base of the sea cliffs over or under whatever comes your way. We were picking our way through boulder fields, jumping across rock pools, traversing barnacle covered ledges into secret bays where you will see no other human visitors. It was slightly raining when my group did this, and Mr Silk was the role model for this activity as he tried everything; braver than I was, I must say!

T E A M B U I L D I N G : A fun, powerful way to help pupils develop the skills to succeed in life. This is an area in which we as staff were able to spot and use the moments that arise in these sessions to help pupils develop their people and leadership skills. We looked at what makes someone a good communicator and put active listening to the test. Pupils become aware that everyone’s opinion and input matters.

This was truly a fantastic trip and a great experience for staff and pupils. All the boys were amazing. We must not forget our Trip Mascot too. He was an eagle with all the house colours attached to him and named Pasty. Pasty the Eagle was a great help when boys were feeling the strain of overcoming their fears. By having Pasty beside them, it gave the boys great courage!

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TRIPS/OUTINGS

School trips WORDS BY

Mr Stephen Guest

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s we left Bedford, the snow was already waiting for us in the Austrian mountains. We were all very excited, especially the first-time skiers. This trip is unique for Bedford Prep School, as we also invite the parents along. They are able to enjoy a week skiing, watch their children accomplish some amazing skills and personal achievements. They have no fuss in managing the day’s agenda and the nitty gritty elements that a week’s skiing can pose. The ‘old hands’ were trying to be cool and relaxed, but couldn’t contain their enthusiasm as the snow topped Alps approached.

The Ski Guides were professional and enthusiastic. When the groups, helped by Mr Guest and Mr Milton, spread across the mountain, it was great to hear the stories of derring-do and slopes conquered when we

met up for lunch. Big thank you from all, Mr Milton!

The evenings were spent at the various entertainment venues, and whether it be bowling, swimming or the infamous Tyrolean Evening, the boys and their parents all tried to outdo and be victorious in whichever competition was set before them.

Special mention to the parents’ bowling team for their efforts and four of the sisters who won the team dance whilst fixed into one extra-long ski!

The journey back to Bedford is a long and a winding one, but as is the case every year, much sleeping was done.

A special thanks go to Mrs Travis, who is amazing, and first timer Miss Williams, whose efforts ensured the seamless running of the trip from De Parys to Pill, Tyrol and back.

Years 3,4 & 5

SKI TRIP EASTER 2017

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School trips

SKI TRIP DECEMBER 2017

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very excited group of Year 6-8 boys said their farewells to their parents before stepping on a coach that would take them on a 22 hour journey across the English Channel and through Europe before eventually arriving in Uderns, a village in the Ziller valley of Austria. We were joined by our friends from Wellingborough School who shared the coach. Any such apprehension at having another school join us was misplaced quickly as the boys got on famously and new friendships were struck. After a long night journey, we were refreshed by a trip to McDonald’s prior to being equipped with our ski equipment for the week. We spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and relaxing in our dorms with our friends before being called for dinner. Many thanks to the staff at the hotel for cooking us some delicious food. Both the breakfast and the dinner were lovely, and I think it is fair to say that we were well fed! After dinner, we were introduced to

WORDS BY

Ivan Savelyev all the instructors at Ski Astons who filled us with enthusiasm and eagerness for the week ahead.

In breakfast by 7.00am, showered and in ski gear, took some organising. Thank you Mr Guest and Mr Beckwith for ruining our beauty sleep. We don’t need it as much as those two! Breakfast was packed full of energy for the tiring day ahead. Then, sooner or later we were on the coach and ready to go. Of course, there was always that one boy who forgot something (and/or the time) and delayed everyone else. But we made sure we gave him all the derision he deserved for that!

Time to ski! The skiing was amazing with mileage covered and steeps conquered.

The best part was the journey back to the hotel as we listened to the stories of derring

do and massive wipeouts from the other groups, We tried not to listen to Mr Guest’s potted history of the area, corny jokes, that we have all heard before, and pseudo geography knowledge about glaciers, which even the Y6 knew were made up.

Every night had us swimming or bowling or dancing! The Tyrolean night was great fun, because it was funny to watch people attempt (and usually fail) to complete traditional Austrian activities.

Also, we were wearing genuine Austrian wear such as Lederhosen, or leather shorts.

We were great at log sawing, and Ivan claimed “I am an expert after going out in the forest of Mother Russia to chop down firewood.” We think he has been trying to copy too many of Mr Guest’s tall stories!

The Ski trip was fantastic with days packed full of activity that seemed to just fly by.

It was quickly the time that everyone was dreading: Time to go home!

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TRIPS/OUTINGS

School trips

J E R S E Y TO U R 2 0 1 7 WORDS BY

Mr Shawn Phillips

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n a snowy Friday (2nd March) morning the decision was made to travel to Gatwick to get the flight to Jersey for the 38th Y6 sports tour. Despite the weather the journey to the airport was trouble free and the flight was on time. The party touched down in Jersey at 1330 and proceeded to the hotel to check in and prepare for the hockey festival.

Three mixed teams played a round robin which included teams from Victoria College (U12s) and Victoria College Prep (U11s). It was cold but the boys all made a super effort and we were rewarded with some very entertaining hockey. The Vic College U12s won the festival with Bedford team 1 scoring the most points for us. Well done to all the boys with a special mention to Yaw Amankona who played in goal for the first time ever and put on a great display! The evening was spent swimming and enjoying pizza.

Saturday 3rd March brought sunshine to the island and a smile to the faces of the boys who were about to play rugby. The A team were dominant in their match v Victoria College Prep playing some powerful as well as skilful rugby. A solid victory in this match. The B team had a closely fought encounter with their opponents from VCP and enjoyed a 4-2 win in a hard fought encounter very well refereed by

Mr Loader. All boys played well. The afternoon involved stints on zip wires, high ropes and a powerfan, which certainly put a lot of boys outside their comfort zone, as well as time at the amusement arcade and, believe it or not, playing on the beach. In the evening the boys and staff enjoyed time playing 10 pin bowling, eating, and celebrating the birthdays of Oscar Jewers and Mrs Travis.

On Sunday 4th March the weather continued to bless us when we played football against VCP. The A team had a closely contested match in which the football skills shown were pleasing.

The team work led to them securing a 3-2 victory so well done to the boys. The B team had their work cut out and, despite putting everything into their match, came away losing 1-6. However, all the boys enjoyed playing.

The flight back to Gatwick and the journey home to Bedford were faultless with the tired party arriving on Burnaby Road at 1730 - 30 minutes ahead of schedule.

Well done to all the boys who went. You were a credit to the School and you learned a lot both on and off the sports field. Many thanks too to Mr Loader & Mrs Travis who gave their time to accompany the group over the weekend. A last thank you goes to the six Mums who supported the boys in all their matches.

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School trips S AT U R D AY 1 0 T H F E B RUA RY

WORDS BY: VEDANT SOMAL After months of preparation and waiting for 26 boys, the day to leave for the much-awaited cricket tour of South Africa had come. We all reached London Heathrow’s around 6 pm and the flight took off at 9pm and then the overnight journey started which took us to Johannesburg before our connecting flight to Cape Town. After a long flight we met our bus driver Salvin who was very nice to us and took us to our hotel. After we checked in we all transferred to Spur Steak House where we had some delicious steak and burgers whilst enjoying watching England play Wales.

Afterwards we all went to bed to get some rest with lots of excitement for our first matches.

S U N DAY 1 1 T H F E B RUA RY

WO R D S B Y: E L D O N C R AV E N

After an early wake up and good breakfast we set off to Sunningdale Cricket Club to play a total of 4 T20 matches over the day. We knew we were going to find it difficult adapting to the hard and fast wickets, South African bowlers and the blistering heat. The U13 team did not get off to a strong start as a very fast opening bowler welcomed us to South Africa in their true competitive way taking 3 wickets in the first 4 balls of our tour. The side did manage to recover well and put on a competitive 115 runs. However Sunningdale managed to knock these runs off easily as we registered our first but only loss of the tour.

The U12 side showed some endeavour with Tom Hayward who captained scoring a hard earned fifty. In the afternoon we played 2 more T20 matches again against the same club and ended up winning both and therefore three out of the four games on the first day which is an excellent return.

After the matches we had time to socialise with our hosts, playing football and watching rugby before returning to the Water Front

Cricket Tour of

where we enjoyed the most amazing burgers before returning to our beds for a well-earned sleep.

M O N DAY 1 2 T H F E B RUA RY

W O R D S B Y : TO M H AY WA R D We started the day by going to Table Mountain, the views were amazing; seeing the city of Cape Town was stunning. We saw Robben Island (which was where Nelson Mandela was in prison.) Also the South African Stadium was where the 2012 Football World Cup was held and the Newlands Cricket Stadium.

Then we got the bus and went to Canal walk shopping Centre, where we stopped for lunch and did some shopping. After some lunch, we got back on the bus and made our way out of Cape Town to a place called Parrl, which was very warm, and just outside Cape Town.

Cricket match against Parrl, with

SOUTH AFRICA 2018

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TRIPS/OUTINGS

W H I N C H AT

School trips both teams winning (A&B) and a very good performance by Hayden Melly who scored 52 and Hugh Williams who got a 5 wicket haul. After an exhausting day of cricket and exploring Cape Town, we made our way back with our new host family.

T U E S DAY 1 3 T H F E B RUA RY

W O R D S B Y : H AY D E N M E L LY Tuesday started off very early in the morning having already spent our first night with our hosts at Paarl Primary School. Firstly, we visited Giraffe House Wildlife Awareness Centre where we enjoyed a wildlife walk before making our way to an outdoor animal show room in which many boys and even staff held snakes, spiders and other reptiles with nervous looks on their faces. After that we had a final look around the centre which gave all the boys a chance to see many different types of wildlife including giraffes.

Quickly after our wildlife experience we went to the crocodile farm in which we had an amazing time! All of the boys and teachers held a baby crocodile. We learned about how the crocodiles lived and how they were transferred to the farm.

In the afternoon both the U12 and U13 teams had fixtures against Bridge House. The A team were lucky enough to play on the oldest pitch in South Africa on a scorching hot day with an amazing mountain side view behind us. Both fixtures went well with a convincing victory for the A team by 60 runs. Highlights with the bat were 28 for Sam Wells and 23 for Thomas Hayward. As well as this highlights with the ball in hand were from Josh Stewart with 2 wickets for 16 runs from 3 overs. Not far away from this the U12 team performed well and won again to go into the rest day having won 4 from 4.

We then returned back to our hosts in which we enjoyed the second and final night with our first hosting family.

W E D N E S DAY 1 4 T H F E B RUA RY

farm. We all got the opportunity to sit on an ostrich and to test the strength of an ostrich egg by standing on it.

After an enjoyable lunch and play on the beach, we headed off to the Buffelsfontein Game Reserve. We enjoyed a 3 hour game drive where we were really lucky as we saw 4 of the ‘big 5’ animals in South Africa, lion, buffalo and a white rhino which our guide said before we set off that we were unlikely to see. We also saw a cheetah, giraffe, zebra, lynx and springbok. After the drive we went back to the lodge to watch the lion and cheetahs feeding which was spectacular before enjoying a well-earned swim and ice cream.

After another amazing day on safari, we transferred to Curro Durbanville to meet our new hosts for the next two nights.

WORDS BY: CHARLIE B LY T H M A N

T H U R S DAY 1 5 T H F E B RUA RY

It was an early start as we needed to get to the Ostrich Farm. The farm was interesting as we learnt all about the history of ostriches in Africa and were taken around the farm by one of the guides. There were loads of ostriches including the world’s smallest, and there were even emus at the

We woke up after a great night with our hosts on a beautiful sunny morning with high hopes for the day ahead. We were dropped off at Durbanville and made our way back to Cape Town for a morning at the fascinating Springbok museum learning

WORDS BY: SAM WELLS

about the history of South African rugby.

We then went to the Two Oceans Aquarium, seeing some of South Africa’s most amazing sea creatures. My personal favourite bit was walking up close to the sharks. Afterwards, we had time to shop and buy lunch on the Waterfront before jumping back on the bus and preparing ourselves for the final games of the tour.

After a delayed start due to the drought and no water to prepare the wickets we were reduced to shorter games. The U13 Durbanville bowling attack was strong and on a difficult wicket with huge boundaries, opening batsman Zaid Faleel was able to see the early overs through, scoring a strong 28 which lead to retirement. Sam Wells and Josh Stewart were able to put on a good partnership towards the end of the innings meaning we ended our innings with a score off 116 for 6.

We went onto the field realising we were going to need to bowl very well if we were to win. We got off to a great start though, with Thomas Hayward getting their strike batsman out first ball of the innings with a superb stumping from Hayden Melly. This backed up by some outstanding individual bowling performances especially Jamie Wallwork’s 3 wickets meant we won the game by 18 runs.

After the match the boys went back to the main school for a BBQ with the Durbanville boys and then were picked up for the last night of hosting.

F R I DAY 1 6 T H F E B RU A RY

WORDS BY: JAMES WO OT TO N - E VA N S

After another early start we headed to a lion sanctuary. At the sanctuary rescue lions

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School trips from circuses, illegal breeders who only breed them for game and from people who torture the animals. At the place they had 7 white lions that are bigger and heavier. They also had one lion that was blind from how he was kept before they rescued him. The sanctuary was brilliant and we learnt a lot about lions and the work they do there.

Once we finished we went to Chimp Haven, here they have the smallest breed of chimp. They also had some chimps that loved to throw things and one chimp kept throwing mud balls at us that shattered against the fence in a show of dominance.

This was amazing.

We also went to see Cape Cobras play at Boland Park in a 4 day match. In a beautiful setting we were able to see how the professionals do it and were lucky enough to see one batsman get his double century.

Afterwards we had time down the Water Front to get our lunch and do some shopping before enjoying our last afternoon in the sun at Camps Bay playing on the beach and in the cold Atlantic Ocean.

That evening we checked in at the hotel, freshened up and headed out the tour dinner with all the parents at Quay Four Restaurant which looked out over the Cape Town Harbour. We enjoyed another fantastic meal, had speeches and presentations before hitting the dance to boogie to the live band that were playing. This night was the best night of the tour.

building because lots of people were getting wet, including me, but I got used to the temperature of the water so I dived in about four times. The orienteering was clever because we got to run around the site trying to find different stamps and it was really fun.

PGL

6TH TO 8TH JUNE

P

B Y L E O M AT H E W GL was awesome! My favourite part was when we went quad biking because it was really cool and I felt like I was going really fast! I also loved raft

BY BEN MADDAFORD As a member of year 4 I went to Caythorpe Court PGL. I packed my big, black bag with blue sleeping bag, pillow and old clothes.

We travelled by coach in the morning and arrived for lunch. I shared a dorm with Jack, Luca and Freddie (and my toy cat!). We were lucky that our room had its own shower - no excuse not to wash for 3 days!

We did loads of cool activities with our leader, Tori. She was so much fun. I loved the trapeze the most as it was so scary being that tall especially when the pole wobbled!

I managed to stand up, jump and catch the bar which was over a metre away!

The food was nice but not as good as my mum’s. I really liked the melted marshmallows around the campfire on the first night. On our last day we did raft building. Out team managed to float but still somehow got soaked! It was such a good trip and is one of the highlights of Year 4.

S AT U R D AY 1 7 T H F E B RUA RY

WORDS BY: VEDANT SOMAL After the brilliant week of cricket, it was the last day of tour. We checked out of the hotel and we all transferred to a swimming pool.

We had a lot of fun there. After the swim and some high diving we transferred to the airport where we bid goodbye to our coach driver Mr Salvin and Christelle and took our flight back home via Johannesburg.

It was great learning experience for all of us and we all would like to thank our school and our coaches for giving us this opportunity and looking after us on the tour.

WHIPSNADE

E

arly in the Summer term, Year 4 spent a day at Whipsnade Zoo as part of their Science studies of animals and habitats. They enjoyed seeing vertebrates and invertebrates of ll shapes and sizes. It was fascinating to see up close and for real the adaptations to their particular habitats of the various species. Highlights for many of the boys were the penguins (surprisingly small!), the rhinos (massive!) and the butterflies (humid room!).

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School trips

ARCHAEOLOGY MUSEUM

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t the Museum I like the statue of Poseidon the best because he had a lot of muscles. I liked the story of the princess and the king who didn’t even want his daughter (the princess) to get married to anyone! I also liked the wrestler sculpture that we had to draw. It was a hard challenge.

B Y H E N RY W E B B My favourite bit about the museum was looking at all the amazing statues and the story because I liked looking at how old and broken they were. It is so amazing how they replicate the originals from Greece so we could imagine what it was like. The story was so fun to listen to while being told which statue is which. It definitely made my topic work all make much more sense now.

BY FREDDIE BARNES The Museum was full to bursting with statues that were replicas, which I thought would be disappointing but it wasn’t.

I liked the area all about fighting and athletes. We had to draw a tricky sculpture of a Greek wrestling match. I loved the trip because it was filled with facts that I did not know about.

BY ERIK KNUTSSON I found this trip very fascinating because the statues are very uniquely shaped and crafted with precision so they actually look like the real things. Unless you know otherwise, no one would know that these are replicas. My favourite statue was the huge Athena statue with the snake and cute owl.

BY GEORGE GAROSI

J O H N B U N YA N M U S E U M

O

n Thursday we went to the John Bunyan Museum in Bedford to learn about John Bunyan, a Christian writer and preacher.He wrote the Pilgrim’s Progress which was copied into more than 200 different languages. Preaching was illegal in some places and John Bunyan ended up in prison. He made shoelaces for his family so they could sell them whilst he was in prison, because they were very poor at the time. I really enjoyed the trip and walking through our town seeing the statues that I hadn’t noticed properly before. I learnt so many things and realise now why Bedford is such an important place.

B Y L E O C L AV I E R

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School trips

D

uring the first week of the summer holidays, 35 boys from Year 5 and Year 6, along with Mr Silk, Miss Donley, Mrs Badhan and Mr Roberts, embarked on a six-day adventure, travelling to Tignes in the beautiful French Alps.

Driving up the mountain roads to Tignes Le Lac (our home for the week), we were treated to the breath-taking scenery that was to be our constant view throughout the whole of the trip. Boys and staff alike were amazed by the snow-capped mountains, stunning waterfalls, lush greenery and clear (but cold!) water. The weather was perfect all week and we returned home feeling refreshed and reenergised by the mountain air.

Each day was jammed-packed with a range of activities, making the most of the environment and the excellent facilities Tignes and the surrounding area had to offer. Each morning a group of boys and the teachers started their day (before breakfast!) with a run around the lake and a yoga session led by Mr Roberts – a perfect way to start any day. During the trip we completed three amazing hikes from Tignes to Val D’Isere, Val Claret and up to The Eye of the Needle, a striking rock formation, making full use of the ski-lifts on the way up the mountains and enjoying the incredible views, and learning about the flora and fauna.

A real highlight for all was the white water rafting on the Isere River. The female members of staff, along with a couple of boys, were nervous at the start but threw themselves into the exhilarating experience and it was certainly one to be remembered.

TIGNES 2018 WORDS BY

Mrs Rachel Stratton

The five rafts, led by an experienced team of guides, hurtled down a five-mile course of rapids, losing a few over the side in the process! We all even had a go at ‘floating’ (minus the rafts) down a stretch of the river, which was great fun.

Other activities included mountain biking, archery, mini-golf, beach football, use of the impressive indoor climbing

and bouldering walls, kayaking, paddle boarding, high ropes, throwing ourselves off a platform onto a giant airbag, bowling (a particularly impressive score achieved by Mr Silk) and swimming – needless to say we all slept incredibly well after each actionfilled day. The only low-point of the trip was watching England lose to Croatia in the semi-finals of the World Cup! Our final night included an awards presentation where the boys were recognised for over-coming their fears; their positivity and enthusiasm as well as encouragement and support of each other - they really were a credit to the school (and their parents) throughout the trip. Thanks also to Graham, Matt and Dave from Land and Wave, the company we partnered with to run this trip, without whom the trip would not have been the success it was.

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School trips

M OT I VAT I N G O U T D O O R L E A R N I N G & E D U C AT I O N AT I C K W E L L

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School trips

WORDS BY

Mrs Rebecca Russell

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ckwell Nature Reserve is a real asset to our school, almost like a secret garden which is in our care.

Year group day trips to Ickwell for years 3 – 7 have covered a vast array of activities depending on the age group from team building activities, den building, toasting marshmallows, fire lighting, map skills, survival shelters, scavenger hunts, minibeast identification, outdoor art and making mini Roman forts to name a few.

Year 8 enjoyed tutor group sessions in the Quarry Theatre gardens as part of their post exam programme building on the skills they had learnt on their Bushcraft residential.

They learnt to use Kelly kettles, boil their own water and make hot chocolate and develop their knife skills to make butter knives, tent pegs and whistles.

Even the 30+ staff had fun learning how to make elder whistles! We held our first 3 day Forest School Holiday activity course at Ickwell which was attended by Y7 & Y8

boys in the first week of the holidays. It was amazing to see boys’ ability and confidence grow in the outdoors learning new skills with fixed blade knives, whittling everything from tent pegs, to mallets, whistles and bows and arrows. They even made toasted sandwiches and popcorn over the fire!

OVER THE PAST YEAR… n 401 Prep school boys have benefitted from Outdoor Learning n 5 year group sessions have visited Ickwell n 5 Tutor group sessions took place for Y8’s as part of their post exam programme n Staff Inset at Ickwell and wellbeing sessions in QT gardens n 3 day Forest School Holiday camp at Ickwell n Ickwell day for Y3 girls from BGS I look forward to more visits to Ickwell next year and hopefully an overnight residential or two!

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Year 3

Y E A R 3 R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Nicola Carrington

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hat a year! This year group has brought so much fun and adventure with our learning and extra-curricular activities. The Autumn Term brought the inaugural Hungry Boys Club for Year 3. Along with pizza making, shortbread and spaghetti bolognese, the highlight for me was most definitely the amazing Christmas cake decorating! The boys showcased their hidden talents and would definitely give the Great British Bake

Bedford Boys joined Bedford Girls School for some STEM building

off contestants a run for their money.

In the Spring Term we got to meet incredible creatures that lived in the desert when we were visited by the Dinosaur, Wildlife and Education Centre. Meeting creatures first hand and getting to touch and hold them was an extra special thrill.

To name just one, lots of us had never even heard of a genet let alone seen its amazing jumping ability.

We ventured to Cambridge in the Summer Term, for the first time, to see and amazing collection of replica Greek artefacts. The boys showed off their meant you had to work together the most as a team and share the K-nex.

Oliver Barbour

I loved the plastic cup challenge where you had to build the tallest tower.

I thought we had finished but then we discovered turning cups

over alternately to add a turret to our tower so we won!

Berkley Barnicoat I enjoyed all 3 tasks. The bridge building

The ball and string task meant we had to work together to talk and trial our ideas to be successful. It was all about trust, teamwork and communication.

Ethan Daubney I thought it was really nice to see the

incredible knowledge of the Greek gods and goddesses and were stunned by the statues created to honour them. Their Mini Project preps have really showcased this knowledge and desire to develop deeper in to their learning with this Greek topic but also our other units too.

The boys this year have set the standard high. They have showed us that there are no limits to their curiosity and endeavour and we have been really proud of all they have achieved. We have really enjoyed our adventures and look forward to seeing what next year brings.

girls. I knew some of them from when I was at Pilgrims.

It was fun to play together again.

Will Chadwick The bridges were my favourite.

We had no choice but to work well together.

Our end result was super strong because we worked so hard and effectively as a group.

Harry Maling

The string experiment set my brain a challenge!

It took us a lot of attempts to get the ball into the cup so really made us think hard. Henry Webb The string game required lots of teamwork and skills.

Freddie Barnes I learnt a lot about trying and not giving up today.

Aaryan Nair

The K-nex bridge was so difficult!

I made a draw bridge which meant I had to think differently about mechanisms that other people haven’t used before.�

Toby Hudson It was such a fun day! I laughed so much!

Leo Clavier

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Year 4

Y E A R 4 R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Daniel Maitland

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he 2017-18 academic year was a successful one for Year 4. Ms Valentino, Miss Oakley, Mrs Medd and I as tutors very much enjoyed the company of an engaging group of boys who really matured nicely during the course of the year.

In the classrooms, the boys all moved forward on their journeys as learners, improving their independence and resilience.

In Maths, they became more adept at flexible problem-solving; in English, they threw themselves once again into the Accelerated Reader programme and as a result built up their confidence at writing creatively at length themselves; in Topic, they enjoyed discovering about Romans, Anglo Saxons and Vikings, Mountains, Rivers and Coasts; in Science, they furthered their knowledge of plants, animals (especially humans), light, sound and electricity. This learning was all brought to life with the help of several trips and events, including expeditions to the Verulamium museum and Whipsnade Zoo and visits to the Prep School from

mountaineer Mary-Ann Ochota and a Viking actor from the Portals to the Past organisation. We also enjoyed a Science and team building trip to the school’s nature reserve at Ickwell Bury in the Autumn term and the Outdoor Classroom Day in the Summer term.

Year 4 were a sporty bunch this year and they channelled their energies to great effect in all three terms, exhibiting great tenacity and producing excellent results. It was pleasing to see teamwork and support for each other developing well in this arena. We have high ambitions for this year group on the sports fields over the coming years, but most importantly we hope that all of them continue to enjoy their sporting endeavours and play for the right reasons.

Many Year 4 boys featured prominently in the musical and dramatic life of the School this year. Emil and the Detectives and Double or Nothing were outstanding productions in the Quarry Theatre, and Year 4 delivered quantity and quality of performances to both. It was wonderful also to see such commitment to music from Year 4 boys in the various musical concerts across the year, including the Starter Class Concert towards the end of the Summer term in which every

single boy performed.

We wish the 2017-18 cohort of Year 4 boys all the very best of luck as they move onto the new and different challenges of Year 5, and we hope that they enjoy being allowed to wear trousers!

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Year 5

Year 5 R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Dominic Affleck

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e have been very proud of Year 5 this year. The transition from Year 4 and the addition of many new boys does mean that it can take boys a little time to adjust. An action packed day out at Ickwell did mean that the tutors (Mr Roberts, Mr McGregor, Mrs Aldridge & I) got a real opportunity to bond with their tutees, and of course for the boys themselves to form new friendships and perhaps rekindle older ones. Under the guidance of Mrs Russell the boys enjoyed a range of activities from fire-lighting to team building games.

The school is lucky to have such a resource at its disposal.

The boys soon settled to life in Year 5 and we were struck by how quickly they acclimatised. Independence is our buzzword and we really encouraged the boys to pack their own bags, use their lockers and remember where they were meant to be at any given time. With the added bonus of long trousers and blazers, we were delighted to see how quickly they merged to life in senior part of the Prep School.

The Autumn Term flashed by. Rugby fixtures across the breadth of the country, music concerts and the usual wide range of extra-curricular activities. The boys were

understandably tired by Christmas, but a wonderful trip to see Cinderella at the Milton Keynes theatre was a fitting way to end the term, with much laughter and good spirit!

The Spring Term was fairly miserable, weather wise, but the boys persevered, playing hockey and football and gearing up for their first set of school assessments.

For many, this was the first time having to do this, so they were a little nervous.

Thankfully doing these tests in their own form rooms does help to alleviate the stress just a little. We were treated to the marvellous production of ‘Emil and the Detectives’ with many Year 5 boys taking part. However, special mentions must go to Benjamin Cutts and Elio Lepore who

took it in turn to play the lead role over four performances. It was lovely to see such confidence in boys so young.

The Summer Term, after an inclement and ominous beginning, soon brightened and sparkling warm weather completed the academic year. The sound of willow on leather, summer concerts, athletics, swimming and a fantastic day with the girls from BGS were particular highlights.

It was a great event and we really enjoyed a range of fantastic activities with the girls at both our school and theirs. An annual event which the boys love.

We have enjoyed this fine crop of Year 5 boys and are confident that they will go onto great things. We wish them every success as they move onto the dizzy heights of Year 6.

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Year 6

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fantastic year! Year 6 is always a big step for the boys in terms of developing their own voice and finding their niche.

The boys this year have never failed to impress their staff with their maturity and willingness to meet challenges head on.

The Autumn Term saw the introduction of a new member of staff to the Y6 team: Madame Chaillou, bringing unparalleled enthusiasm, a second language and many gardening skills to the Y6 boys. Boys competed in various House events such as Drama and Rugby with the rugby teams performing exceptionally well this year. Y6 House rugby was won by Harpur in this fiercely contested event. The term concluded with the Y5/6 Carol Service and a particular highlight was the spectacular performance of Canon in D by the year group with fantastic accompaniment by Brooklyn Fu and Sebastian Tatham.

In the Spring, selected boys were invited on the longstanding Sports Tour to Jersey - a wonderful opportunity to meet counterparts from Victoria College Prep and put their sporting ability to the test; this year, as with previous, we played tournament competitions for hockey and rugby earning some good wins against strong opposition. Our final match was the football where Victoria College Prep usually excel - this year was no exception! Other events this term were House Singing, House Hockey and House Art. Really well done to the U11A Hockey team at the Nationals.In our final term, the boys had an enlightening and informative talk from Jo Radnor at the Guys and Guardians evening as well as enjoying learning about our prehistoric friends during the rocks and Dinosaurs talk. All this alongside a vast quantity of cricket and athletics and some superb performances in Mr Groom’s Double or Nothing. Well done to all those boys in Y6, especially those who have shown endeavour and curiosity to get themselves involved in Extracurricular activities.

A final thank you to all staff but especially my excellent Y6 team: Mr Milton, Mrs Leeson and Mme Chaillou. We look forward to welcoming Mr McGregor to the team next year.

Best of luck to all in Year 7.

Year 6 R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Ed Loader

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Year 7

Year 7 R E P O R T WORDS BY

Mr Matt Allen

WHINCHAT

2017 2018

Y

ear 7 is always a time of transition and change - the influx of new boys into the year group brings about a fresh dynamic and new friendship groups.

The bar gets raised in all aspects of school life and the boys are challenged to respond positively and raise their games accordingly.

This year’s cohort passed the test with flying colours! They hit the ground running and rarely stopped to look back. Before they knew it, they were thrust into new groups on the Spy Games trip. Teamwork was tested, subterfuge was needed and the boys soon realised that, for them to succeed as group, they had to work together, support each other and think about the group as a whole, not just their own roles. Later in the year, they were able to put these teamwork skills into further practice on the Year 7 Ickwell trip. Lighting fires and cooking on them, building survival shelters, minibeast hunting and team challenges were the order of the day. Ably led by Mrs Russell, Mr (Michael) Roberts and our old friend Mr Blacklock, the boys had a wonderful time.

Marshmallows were cooked, mice, insects and even a snake were found and boys were

confused and astounded by Mrs Russell’s ‘Helium Sticks’ and it was a pleasure to see some of the boys who sometimes aren’t quite as confident in the classroom coming to the fore and leading the way.

It would be remiss of me not to mention some of the individual achievements that were made during the year. Whilst numerous boys gained second and third placings in the Bedfordshire Festival of Speech, Drama and Music, particular congratulations go to Louis Montgomery (Brass solo Grade 4 or 5) and Toby Mitchell and William Everitt (Verse Duet) for winning their categories. The Year 7 Athletics team performed fantastically well this year with the 4x100m team qualifying for the National Championships and, in particular, Ben Agbenu who won the District Championships 100m and came fourth in the Nationals - well done Ben! Pablo Peraire Navarro deserves a special mention as he managed to gain over one hundred Academic Merits during the year. For any boy to do this is a feat in itself but for Pablo to have done this when he wasn’t studying in his first language was astounding. He

made a huge impact in his one year at Bedford Prep School and he deserves huge praise for doing so well. Whilst talking of leavers, we bid farewell to Pablo, Javi and Juan who all joined us from Spain for a single year and we also say a fond farewell to Kiyotaka who, having been at the school for four years, returns to Japan with his family you will be missed Kiyo!

I am indebted to the Year 7 tutors, Miss Goodman, Mrs Christian and Mrs Travis and Miss Donley. The boys have been guided, cajoled and sometimes pushed, throughout the year, by their tutors and it has been a pleasure to witness the tutors develop strong bonds with their tutees in their unstinting efforts to bring the best out of each and every boy.

And finally, my congratulations go to the boys that were appointed as the first batch of prefects, in particular Shaun and Barnaby, our Deputy Head Boy and Head Boy. The personification of Bedford Prep School’s four values of Endeavour, Responsibility, Integrity and Curiosity, they both fully deserve their roles and I am sure that they will carry their responsibilities out with pride!

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Year 8

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memorable final year for a fantastic year group! This year, the Y8 boys have been full of personality, vibrancy and determination and have been ably led by Head Boy, Robert Parrish, Deputy Head Boy, Thomas Godber and a team of 20 prefects. There have been academic, sporting, artistic, musical and dramatic successes across the board for this talented group of boys who have certainly left their mark on the Prep School. Being at the top of the school has meant many more opportunities for roles of responsibility, especially within the 4 Day Houses.

The Autumn Term saw some great events such as House Drama (congratulations to Whitbread!) and House Rugby where our House Officers were put to work for the first time. The Spring term was a busy one for Y8 with mid-year assessments, House Singing, House Hockey, Slavery workshops, a fantastic trip abroad to Burgundy in France, as well as the day to day clubs and extracurricular activities. Finally, the Summer term has been a very exciting one; once Summer Assessments were done and dusted, boys were able to begin their ‘PostExam Programme’.

This year boys have enjoyed an Upper School Music and Drama workshop, Social Media awareness, cooking classes with our excellent catering team, art workshops, first-aid training, talks from various industry professionals, a brilliant charity ‘fun day’ which raised over £1800 for the house charities and a particular highlight was the 3-day residential Bushcraft trip which brought out survival instincts and a love for the outdoors in our Y8s.

The year was concluded with Speech Day and Prize Giving where a huge amount of our boys were recognised for their talents both in and out the classroom. A special mention must go to Thomas Deardon who was awarded the Arthur Tisdall’s Award which is given to a boy who embodies the school values and most of all, kindness.

Best of luck to Asier Mokhtar-Esteban and Sam Walker who have left the school for new challenges elsewhere. Massive congratulations to each boy who has now completed his Prep School journey and is moving on to the Upper School or beyond.

Year 8 R E P O R T WORDS BY

Miss Sarah Portsmouth

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Events

S P E E C H D AY 2 0 1 8 WORDS BY

S

peech Day this year was a wonderful occasion which celebrated not only the deserved winners of this year’s prizes, but also the achievements of all of our boys who have made so much effort, and so much progress over the course of the year.

We also had two excellent speeches which summed up the year and gave us plenty to think about. Robert Parrish told us about the highlights of the year and delivered some hilarious lines. He spoke eloquently about what it means to be a boy at Bedford Prep School. After awarding the prizes to this year’s prize winners, Professor Stephen Mayson talked about school values and how important it is to live by them, both at school, and in life afterwards. Stephen has had a long association with the school. His son, Chris, attended the school from 19891999, and since then has given 16 years’ service to the school as Governor, with the last 8 as Chairman of the Governors. It goes without saying what an important job this is, and Stephen has been exceptional in this role.

Mr Ian Silk, Headmaster His background is in Law. After a spell as a tax lawyer with Clifford-Turner, Stephen turned his attention to the business of law.

As an adviser, he has worked with hundreds of organisations around the world, helping them to make difficult decisions in times of structural and industry change. He has worked with law firms, barristers’ chambers, corporate and government legal departments, and regulators.

He is a barrister and Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn, and chairs the Inn’s Regulatory Panel. He is also an honorary professor in the Centre for Ethics and Law at UCL, and emeritus professor of legal services regulation at The University of Law. Stephen is the author of several books too; as you can see he is very busy man whose advice is much sought after and we are incredibly lucky that he has brought all this to bear in the increasingly complex and time-consuming role of Chairman of Governors. Stephen absolutely loves the school, and this has been strongly evident in the many superb years of service and

amount of unpaid time he has given to it.

I hope he is able to take much pride in the direction the school has travelled in his time at the helm.

His successor in the role of Chair of Governors is Sir Clive Loader who served as an Harrier pilot in the RAF, before going on to command at nearly every level. He was awarded the OBE following his squadron commander tour (air operations over Iraq and the Balkans) and, by then an air marshal, was knighted for services to the country in 2006. His last tour (2007-09), as an air chief marshal, saw him commanding the front-line RAF, with responsibility for 31,500 personnel and a budget of £2.62bn. Having retired from the RAF in 2009, he was elected in 2012 as the first Police & Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, standing down from that role in 2016. Golf, rugby, cricket, fly fishing, history, lecturing on leadership, seeing his family, and a home in France now consume most of his time (albeit not necessarily in that order). We give him a warm welcome to the role.

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TA L K S & S H O W S

Talks & shows

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In the morning we went to the EMH all dressed in great Egyptian costumes! We had a history lesson and went fact finding where we had to answer quiz questions about life in Egypt. I found out who made the first mummy, how long Lord Carnarvon was searching for Tutankhamun for and who the step pyramid was built for. I even found out the Tutankhamun had 139 walking sticks!

After break we played board games and did some Egyptian maths. We learnt how to write Egyptian numerals and measure in cubits.

I loved the afternoon where we did role play of mummification.

This was my favourite part as it was so funny. Lots of boys were temple priests or mummy wrappers. We wrapped the mummy and put it in a gold sarcophagus, it was so great and I will remember it for a long time.

Later, we did a hunting game with wooden animals and javelins. It was really fun being put in teams! My team didn’t win because Miss Hone shot 3 animals in one throw for the others.

We finished the day by listening to a story which turned out to be the real version of Cinderella.

Oliver Barbour

TA L K S & S H O W S

he Atrium was alive with the sounds of the desert and murmurs of excitement as we welcomed some very special guests to the school yesterday. Meerkats, snakes, skunks, hedgehogs and even a genet (a cat-like carnivore) were introduced to our Y3 boys in their interactive session on desert animals. The boys also got to hold and stroke a selection of them, although some took more than one pair of hands!

I learnt lots of facts on Egypt day.

Men and women both wore makeup in Egyptian times.

They used mouldy bread to help with infections.

They were one of the first civilizations to invent writing.

The Pharaoh kept his head covered.

Cats were considered sacred in Ancient Egypt.

Will Chadwick Arriving to school on Egypt workshop day was great as everyone was in costume! Even some of the teachers! I knew it was going to be a fun day.

I loved playing the hunting animal game where you had to throw a javelin at the wooden animals to score points. Miss Hone killed 3 in one shot!

I also found learning about mummification really interesting. I did not know you needed to remove their organs and especially didn’t know that they just threw the brain away!

I enjoyed listening to the true story at the end of the day too. I didn’t know the real cinderella story came from Ancient Egypt.

Yousif Abroaf

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Talks & shows

SPY CHALLENGE

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Year 7

he whole of Year 7 went on a covert trip to Spy Games Milton Keynes, to gain some valuable spy skills. Following a very wet arrival at school, the boys climbed on board the bus, hoping that the rain wouldn’t dampen their spirits. Skills gained included code breaking, bomb deactivation, sniper firing whilst laser mazes and minefields were also negotiated. The boys had a great day, under the careful supervision and tutelage of instructors and Mr Allen, Mrs Christian, Miss Donley and Miss Goodman, brushed up their skills whilst also getting to know each other better. Mr Allen (Head of Year 7) felt the day was a great opportunity to help integrate the many new boys in the year group - “It was great to see the boys getting so involved and working together so well, even though they weren’t all in their usual friendship groups” he said. “The ultimate aim was to gain ‘Spy Dollars’ but these were only gained if boys worked together and displayed teamwork. Not only did they enjoy themselves but the rain also held off so they managed to stay dry too!”

WORDS BY

Matt Allen

V I K I N G D AY

M A R Y- A N N O C H O T A

B

WORDS BY

Daniel Maitland

M O U N TA I N E E R I N G TA L K 28TH FEBRUARY 2018 A mountain climber came to visit us and she talked about what equipment you need. If there’s an icy section that you have to go across, you should put crampons on. Crampons are spikes that you clip onto your boots which help you to grip. She also talked about mountain animals and asked us how they are adapted to mountainous conditions. This talk made me want to be a mountaineer as a hobby. I loved it! Josh Lincoln Y4

TA L K S & S H O W S

edford Prep School was invaded by a Viking army, albeit on a diminutive scale, on Friday 29 June as our Y4 boys wrapped up their studies on the topic in Viking-style. Dressed in striking Viking costumes and sporting the brilliant shields and swords the boys created in Design Technology, the boys discovered everything about Viking times from home-life to battles to Viking gods. They enjoyed games and quizzes, examined artefacts from the time, found out about weapons and armour, and even took part in a Viking battle.

A mountaineer came to talk to the whole year group. She demonstrated how to use all of the kit that mountaineers need. The crampons were the most interesting piece of equipment. These are used to grip onto the mountain. She showed us a video that showed lots of mountaineering skills. It was amazing to see how to climb a very narrow ridge. Not only is the lady a mountaineer, she is also a TV presenter. Harry Howlett Y4 My favourite part of the mountaineering talk was when Stirling wore the lady’s coat and it was way too big for him. I cannot imagine how dangerous and scary it would be to be a mountaineer. Now I know what equipment I need to be a mountain climber and how to do it. I hope that I will never be caught in a blizzard high up a mountain and get frostbite. Reuben Maddocks Y4 Year 4 had a visit from explorer Mary-Ann Ochota. The presentation was really good because she brought in some real mountaineering equipment. We were given the opportunity to hold some crampons. These are spiky sandals that grip onto your mountain boots. She spoke about how to survive in mountains. A warm jacket and food supplies are very important for survival. Chamonix Mont Blanc is one of the areas that she has climbed in. Jo Gardner Y4 Today we had a visit from a mountaineer. She spoke to us about how to keep warm. She also showed us a thing called a belay device that helps you save someone from falling when mountaineering. Then she showed us a video of her climbing the mountain that she is most proud of climbing. It is in Scotland and is called The Inaccessible Pinnacle. She said that she has met a man who got frostbite when he got caught in a blizzard. He has no fingers and toes but he still goes mountaineering. His nickname is Mr Frostbite. Jack Down Y4

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Football

F O OT B A L L R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Tom Brett & Mr Dominic Affleck

T

he U10s Football season started slowly, but once we established the teams the boys really worked well together, demonstrating good communication, passing and dribbling skills on the football pitch.

A special mention to a few boys! John Logan had many great moments in goal, what a fantastic goalkeeper! Ben Roberts had a wide variety of superb goals and once he started scoring, he did not stop! Eeshan Agrawal, also a very good footballer, showed good teamwork and scored many great goals.

Well done to all the boys that took part in this Term’s football season, whichever team you played in. Great-spirit and many great skilful moments on the pitch.

A small but enthusiastic band of footballers from Year 6, trained hard this season. They were boys who definitely enjoyed their football and were keen to play

competitively to show what they could do. A series of fixtures across the term saw some memorable victories against Caldicott & Wellingborough, plus a terrific afternoon for the B team who won a tournament at Maidwell Hall.

Three months, 21 teams and 41 fixtures brings us to the end of the Prep School Football season. All of the boys have worked hard in training and in games throughout the season. The boys have had to battle against some testing weather conditions this term with the cold and snow seeming to be more regular than ever.

During the Football season, we aim to give boys many opportunities to learn and enjoy their football. In training we not only work on their football skills we try to always enforce the School values in

whatever we are doing as we are aware that sport is a great opportunity to work on the boys interpersonal skills etc.

Of our  41 games we have won 14 of them and drawn 7 which shows the fixture list is providing the boys with a good challenge. The boys learn to deal withdefeat and how to act when they achieve a successful outcome, which will be good for them going forward.

All the Y7 and Y8 teams have shown huge improvements and have had some impressive returns. The Under 12A in particular led the way with a 66.7% win ratio which is a fantastic effort. I look forward to working with those boys closely again next year. The Under 13A boys always put up a spirited fight and came close on a couple of occasions to securing wins in nail biting games.

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Rugby

For the U8 and U9 teams it is all about experience as, for some, it was the first time they have played, travelled and competed as a team.

R U G B Y R E P O RT

T

WORDS BY

Mr James Hinkins

hree months, 32 teams and 189 fixtures brings us to the end of another busy and productive Rugby term at Bedford Prep School. What is most pleasing is that most age groups had at least one fixture through to E or F team. The rugby term continues to be of high value to the positive culture of the school, so it is fantastic to see that so many boys have been involved in fixtures. The 50% win ratio means that we continue to have a well-balanced fixture list, highly important for boys’ development, as the programme remains

fundamentally process focussed. The aim is for the boys to play enjoyable and expansive rugby where they are put under pressure to make decisions and take ownership of their development. Our boys thrive in this environment, thoroughly enjoy the challenges and have made great strides as players and people as a result.This development was very evident in the U13 A team who, in the latter stages of the season, played some quite outstanding rugby at times to score a number of well worked team tries. They were certainly

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Rugby an exciting rugby future.For the U8 and U9 teams it is all about experience as, for some, it was the first time they have played, travelled and competed as a team. They had some truly thrilling fixtures this year and have started to forge friendships and memories that will stand the test of time.

U12 and U11 teams had successful seasons, playing some simply gorgeous rugby at times. High skill level, good understanding and committed defences were on display every time they played. They played some the U10 teams. With high skill level and a of the best schools in the country in a very clear understanding of the game, the boys tough fixture list. However, the pressure produced tries which could only be described from well organised opposition teams did as things of beauty. The ball was regularly not detract from their desire to move the ball moved from side to side and the boys’ and attack the spaces with free flowing rugby, decision making, timing of pass and accuracy keeping true to Bedford School’s core playing often meant the opposition were clutching principles. More exciting times to come for at thin air. They are a group of boys with these two year groups at Bedford School.

PREP SCHOOL RUGBY TERM 2017

not a team with the luxury of individuals who could run around or through opposition, so any success on the pitch had to be grafted through slick ball movement, effective support and committed defence. A highlight of their season was their performance against the much-fancied Ousedale who could boast a number of able individuals. The ball movement and pace onto the ball was quite outstanding, as all players maximised their potential for involvement in the game.Some of the best rugby played all season came from

AGE LEVEL

P

W

D

L

PF

PA

Boys-U13A Boys-U13B Boys-U13C Boys-U13D Boys-U13E Boys-U12A Boys-U12B Boys-U12C Boys-U12D Boys-U12E Boys-U11A Boys-U11B Boys-U11C Boys-U11D Boys-U11E Boys-U11F Boys-U10A Boys-U10B Boys-U10C Boys-U10D Boys-U10E Boys-U10F Boys-U9A Boys-U9B Boys-U9C Boys-U9D Boys-U9E Boys-U8A Boys-U8B Boys-U8C Boys-U8D Boys-U8E TOTA L S :

13 10 11 7 4 8 10 8 6 3 5 8 7 6 2 1 8 20 8 2 3 1 7 6 6 3 3 4 4 2 2 1 189

4 6 4 6 2 5 4 4 3 0 2 4 6 3 0 1 5 14 5 0 0 0 2 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 94

0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 3 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 1 23

9 3 6 1 1 3 6 3 3 1 3 4 1 2 1 0 2 3 3 1 2 0 3 2 3 1 1 1 2 1 0 0 72

193 189 173 231 65 200 181 211 170 22 131 165 150 87 36 10 172 540 53 32 23 12 85 36 66 87 70 90 90 11 62 0 3643

425 181 325 193 68 115 203 188 230 72 140 125 90 86 43 9 72 170 24 47 35 12 96 33 92 88 93 110 80 10 62 0 3517

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Hockey

HOCKEY R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Sam Mee

T

he Prep School hockey programme was very successful, with boys displaying their talents on the national stage as well as showing their dedication to improve within all games sessions. The weather proved to be a slight burden throughout the year, but this did not affect the boys’ spirits and their attitude towards their own performances whilst representing the Prep School hockey teams.

With a real focus on playing fast flowing and attacking hockey using specific themes and patterns of play, the boys gained huge praise from staff from other schools and parents. This was extremely noticeable with the U11A team who competed at the national IAPS finals, with several comments from other schools about the hockey they played being right up there with the very best, even out playing the eventual winners of the tournament for large phases of their game, only to come out losing 1-0 in the shortened format. The U11 As had an excellent year on the pitch becoming Bedford County Champions, England Hockey Regional Runners Up, IAPS Regional Runners Up, going on to finish 7th at the IAPS Nationals. The progress made by the U11s as a year group was fantastic from the start of the year under the guidance of Mr McGregor, Mrs Travis and Mrs Leeson.

The Prep School’s senior boys had a fantastic year winning their County Championships and finishing 7th at the IAPS National Finals following a second placed finish in the regional Qualifier. The boys played an exciting brand of hockey with some excellent performances from individuals throughout the term. Joshua Stewart was a real threat in front of goal and backed up by solid team defensive performances. The boys were led by a leadership group of Sam Walker Charlie Blythman and Joshua Stewart, all of whom captained the side excellently at different times. The boysrepresented the school fantastically throughout the term and have shown real promise going into 11-aside hockey next year.Progress would be the key word to describe all the lower year groups in the Prep School from U9s upwards, with a real focus on the process of skills as opposed to outcome, a theme continuing from last year. Hopefully the boys will be able to apply the skills learnt in fixtures next year and continue to represent the school for years to come, enjoying their hockey in the process.

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Hockey GROUPS Lost 2-0 v St. George’s Won 1-0 v Heath Mount Won 3-0 v The Beacon Drew 0-0 v St. John’s QUARTER FINAL Drew 0-0 v Aldwickbury (Won 4-3 on Penalties Shuffles after 11 rounds)

U11 IAPS N AT I O N A L FINALS

SEMI FINAL Won 2-1 v New Hall FINAL Lost 4-0 v St. George’s

T

he U11s finished second, and therefore qualified for IAPS Nationals at Tonbridge on 21st of March. Fresh from winning the In2 Hockey County Festival, the U11’s took part in the IAPS regionals and they were successful once more as they secured a place in the National competition after a hard day of competition. A tough group saw the boys lose to eventual champions St. George’s in their first game before securing fine results against Heath Mount, The Beacon and St. John’s to qualify for the afternoon cup competition. The quarter final that followed was incredibly tense with both sides threatening to win the game in normal time before a penalty shuffle competition commenced, that saw both keepers make some scintillating saves to keep the scores level until the 11th round of sudden death and a passage to the Semi Final for Bedford. With National qualification now secured, by virtue of making the final 4, the pressure was off and the boys played some free flowing hockey to beat New Hall and move on to the final, to play St. Georges once more. The final proved one game too far, with the exertions of the earlier rounds taking their toll, but this did not take away from the enormity of their achievement to qualify for the National finals.

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S TO Arthur Proctor, Edward Dagg, James Dagg, Will Hayward, Fred Dickson, Harmun Basra, Oscar Jewers, Sam Mullaney, Zach Hone & Oliver Simmonds on a fantastic result.

AGE LEVEL Boys-U13A Boys-U13B Boys-U13C Boys-U13D Boys-U12A Boys-U12B Boys-U12C Boys-U12D Boys-U11A Boys-U11B Boys-U11C Boys-U11D Boys-U10A Boys-U10B Boys-U10C Boys-U10D B o y s - U 9 A B o y s - U 9 B T O T A L S :

P W D L P F PA P D W R 15 9 3 3 52 18 34 60.0% 5 3 1 1 1 5 6 9 6 0 . 0 % 4 1 0 3 5 1 1 - 6 2 5 . 0 % 4 3 1 0 1 0 5 5 7 5 . 0 % 6 2 2 2 1 2 2 8 -16 33.3% 5 3 2 0 1 9 7 1 2 60.0% 5 3 0 2 2 3 9 1 4 60.0% 5 0 0 5 4 2 5 - 2 1 00.0% 24 12 5 7 23 20 3 50.0% 5 2 2 1 1 8 4 1 4 4 0 . 0 % 4 2 0 2 7 3 4 50.0% 3 2 1 0 7 0 7 66.7% 4 3 0 1 6 4 2 75.0% 5 4 0 1 9 8 1 80.0% 3 1 1 1 3 2 1 33.3% 3 2 0 1 1 0 4 6 6 6 . 7 % 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 00.0% 1 1 0 0 4 0 4 100% 102 53 19 30 227 154 73 52.0%

U13 IAPS N AT I O N A L S WORDS BY

Charlie Blythman

T

he U13A team alongside Mr Phillips and Mr Gilbert set off in a minibus on a bright sunny afternoon on the 19th March. A long three and a half hour journey eventually ended as we got to the Premier Inn in Glastonbury where we were staying that night. After a quick turnaround we were straight off on a quick walk to the Brewers Fayre where we enjoyed a mixture of curries, burgers and a lot of fizzy drinks. After that we were straight asleep as we were very tired. After a quick breakfast we set off to Millfield School. We had a quick warm up and then we were straight on against Kingshott who we beat 2-0. Next up we had the New Beacon who we beat 4-0 in a really promising match as everyone played really well. For our 3rd match out of 5 in our groups we played a very strong Craigclowan who we lost to, 1-0. Next we played Bromsgrove in a disappointing 3-0 losswhich meant we would have to win our last game to get through to thecup competition. A very good performance meant that we beat Kings hall 1-0 and we were through to the cup as runners up, which meant we played the winners of Group 2, Bilton Grange. A very good team goal put us 1-0 up at half time. However Bilton Grange scored 2 goals in the second half, making them winners and semi finalists. Despite our disappointing loss, we still had two more games to try and get 5th place. A tiresome loss against Monkton Prep put us into the 7th and 8th playoff where we beat Hazlegrove to eventually come seventh.

C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S TO Sam Walker, Gabriel O’Neill, Charlie Blythman, Max Pearson, Hayden Melly, Joshua Stewart, Max Allen, Samuel Wells, Eldon Craven, Tom Godber

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Cricket

CRICKET R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Gary Steer

n B O B T A Y L O R (Derbyshire CCC & England) Wicket Keeping Master classes n D A V I D C A P E L (Northamptonshire CCC & England Fast bowling master classes nJAMES KETTLEBOROUGH (Derbyshire CCC) Batting classes n T O M B R E T T (Northants CCC) & n J A M E S S Y K E S (Leicestershire CCC) Spin bowling Master Class

T

he cricket programme started back in October 2017 where the boys were given the opportunity to keep their cricket ticking over up until Christmas by way of net practice, 1:2 coaching sessions and Strength and Conditioning in the Fitness suite. However, after Christmas the programme became far more intense as this was the run up period to the cricket season. Boys from across all the squads attended net sessions and fielding sessions, however boys from year 7 and 8 A and B squads were also invited to attend the sessions of excellence listed opposite:

It was another successful season in terms of results. The Prep School played some excellent cricket across the board to achieve nearly an 80% win ratio, a 10% increase on last season. There were many very good wins by all the squads, including n A clean sweep against Bishop’s Stortford winning 10 out of 10 games n A clean sweep against St Albans winning 4 out of 4 n A clean sweep against Chigwell winning 4 out of 4 n Won 5 out of 6 games against Merchant Taylors School n The U9 ABC teams won played 23 games between them and won 22 of them n The U13 D team were undefeated winning all 5 of their fixtures. n The under 13A team (School 1st Team) started the season a little slowly by unfortunately losing the first round of the David English Cup to Wheatley Park from Oxfordshire. However, the team bounced back to progress in the IAPS Cup with comfortable wins against Witham Hall and

Holmwood House to reach the quarter final, away to St Olaves. After a long journey up to York, the boys bowled and fielded really well to restrict St Olaves to 119 for 5 off 25. However, the chase never really got going because every time we looked like taking a hold of the game, we lost a wicket to keep St Olaves noses in front. Eventually the team were bowled out for 105 and lost by 14 runs to the eventual cup winners. Whilst this was a set-back for the team, they did manage to win big games against Bedfordshire and Cornwall Hill College, the touring South African School.

Slightly below the bright lights of playing 1st XI cricket, the other age group squads played more games than in the past, recording more wins at all levels. It was pleasing to see more boys have the opportunity to represent the school as we fielded more squads than we have done in the recent past eg under 13 F & G teams, 4 teams at u12, 5 teams at u8 and u9s.

Whilst our cricket teams have had plenty of success, it is always nice to reflect on the individual performances by our boys: PREP SCHOOL COLOURS

Charlie Blythman, Vedant Somal, Zaid Faleel, Sam Walker, Sam, Wells, Hayden Melly, Joshua Stewart, Eldon Craven and Tom Hayward PREP SCHOOL HALF COLOURS

Harry Wootton Evans, Jamie Wallwork, Freddie Sowerby and Adam Trussell

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Cricket INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES FOR THE SEASON 207/18 N A M E O F P L AY E R

SQUAD

DAT E

O P P O S I T I O N

B A T T I N G

BOWLING

A W A R D 5 W K T S ( S C O R E S T A K E N O F 5 0 + ) C H A R L I E B LY T H M A N U 1 3 A 23/5/18 B I S H O P ’ S S TO RT F O R D 5 3 N OT O U T J O S H U A S T E WA RT U 1 3 A 23/5/18 B I S H O P ’ S S TO RT F O R D 5 2 N OT O U T V E D A N T S O M A L U 1 3 A 1 6 / 5 / 1 8 B E D F O R D S H I R E 8 0 C H A R L I E B LY T H M A N U 1 3 A 1 6 / 5 / 1 8 B E D F O R D S H I R E 5 9 S A M W E L L S U 1 3 A 2 3 / 4 / 1 8 W H E A T L E Y P A R K 6 1 G A B R I E L O ’ N E I L U 1 3 B 9/6/18 M E R C H A N T TAY L O R ’ S 6 0 N OT O U T VA R U N C . N AT H A N U 1 3 B 9/6/18 M E R C H A N T TAY L O R ’ S 5 4 N OT O U T VA R U N C . N AT H A N U 1 3 B 23/5/18 B I S H O P ’ S S TO RT F O R D 5 1 N OT O U T G A B R I E L O ’ N E I L U 1 3 B 14/5/18 Q U I N T O N H O U S E 66 NOT OUT S A M M Y I N M A N U 1 0 A / B 9/6/18 K I M B O L T O N 5 4 C O L E B A L A C H A N D R A N U 1 3 D 23/5/18 B I S H O P ’ S S TO RT F O R D 5 2 N OT O U T V A R U N N A T H A N U 1 3 B 2 3 / 6 / 1 8 S T A L B A N S 5 1 N O T O U T V A R U N N A T H A N U 1 3 B 2 5 / 6 / 1 8 K I N G S C O L L E G E S C H H A T T R I C K K U S H S H A H U 1 3 B 3 0 / 6 / 1 8 C H I G W E L L 7 1 N O T O U T Z A I D F A L E E L U 1 3 A 3 0 / 6 / 1 8 C H I G W E L L 5 1 N O T O U T H A Y D E N M E L L Y U 1 3 A 3 0 / 6 / 1 8 C H I G W E L L 5 0 N O T O U T OLIVER NEEDHAM U 1 2 A 30/6/18 C H I G W E L L 50 NOT OUT J O E M A R A V A L A U 1 2 A 4/7/18 BEDS DEVELOPMENT 50 4/7/18 BEDS DEVELOPMENT 50 OLIVER NEEDHAM U 1 2 A

P R E P S C H O O L STAT S F O R THE SEASON 207/18 ALL AGE LEVELS S Q U A D P L AY E D WON LOST B O Y S - U 1 3 A 1 4 1 1 3 B O Y S - U 1 3 B 1 1 8 3 B O Y S - U 1 3 D 5 5 0 B O Y S - U 1 3 F 1 1 0 B O Y S - U 1 3 G 2 2 0 B O Y S - U 1 2 A 1 1 4 7 B O Y S - U 1 2 B 8 7 1 B O Y S - U 1 2 C 2 2 0 B O Y S - U 1 2 D 1 1 0 B O Y S - U 1 1 A 1 0 7 3 B O Y S - U 1 1 B 8 5 3 B O Y S - U 1 1 C 5 5 0 B O Y S - U 1 0 A 3 1 2 B O Y S - U 1 0 B 5 4 1 B O Y S - U 1 0 C 2 2 0 B O Y S - U 9 A 7 7 0 B O Y S - U 9 B 9 8 1 B O Y S - U 9 C 7 7 0 B O Y S - U 9 D 4 3 1 B O Y S - U 9 E 3 2 1 B O Y S - U 8 A 4 3 1 B O Y S - U 8 B 4 3 1 B O Y S - U 8 C 2 2 0 B O Y S - U 8 E 1 1 0 T O T A L S : 1 2 9 1 0 1 2 8

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Athletics

AT H L E T I C S R E P O RT 2 0 1 8 WORDS BY

Mr James Hinkins

T

he U11 athletics squad have had a successful year of competition. Having competed in three league matches they comfortably qualified for the Bedford Schools League Final, where they finished a very respectable 3rd. A special mention to Edward Dagg who won the 1200m and James Dagg who won the 600m. Furthermore, when Justin Fasanya, who impressed all season in the 75m, was competing against boys from his own year group in the District Final, he won, breaking the record along the way. He will have another year at U11 next season. Overall it was a fantastic squad effort throughout and they finished with a commendable 3rd place in the District.

S Q U A D : Yaw Amankona, Edward Dagg, James Dagg, Sam Deardon, Justin Fasanya, Oscar Jewers, Samuel Mullaney, Arthur Proctor, Edward Walker The U13 athletics squad also have had a busy year competing in the district league. Having lost their first fixture to rain they successfully qualified for the League District Finals.

They competed very well and individual performances from Tom Deardon and Ben Agbenu were very impressive.

S Q U A D : Ben Agbenu, Korede Alagbe, Tom Deardon, Alex Hall, Harry Norris, Bryn O’Dell, Jeremy Okpere, Robert Parrish, Kabir Singh, Nick Sherriff, Joshua Romeo The Year 7 boys faced a very tough test as they entered the East Area Prep Schools Athletics Competition. In a packed out Bedford

Athletics stadium the boys were fiercely competitive. Ben Agbenu demonstrated a superbly gritty 100m sprint in the final to come a close 2nd and automatic selection to represent the East Region in the National Finals. In the final showcase event, the 4 x 100m relay, the Bedford Prep team of Jack Aldridge, Jason Fasanya, Alex Hall and Ben Agbenu held off all challengers to book their place in the National Finals at The Alexander Stadium, Birmingham.

What an experience the finals was. Ben was up first in his 100m heats and produced a solid performance to qualify for the final with the 6th fastest time of all the heats.

His performance in the final was much more composed but still demonstrated his trademark ‘grit’. He was agonisingly beaten to 4th place with a dip at the finish line. In fact only 0.18s separated 1st from 4th place.

Agonising but a great performance and a fantastic learning experience none-the-less.

The 4 x 100m relay team came through the heats unscathed and managed to finish a creditable 6th place in a seriously quick field.

Well done boys!

In a packed out Bedford Athletics stadium the boys were fiercely competitive

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Cross-country

WORDS BY

Mrs Michelle Aldridge

C RO S S C O U N T RY

A new venue for Cross-country this Year - Box End Park, Kempston.

Super Runner Edward Dagg took the lead from the start of the race and kept his position all the way round to the finish line. Well done, a superb performance from all of our runners from years 6,7 and 8; the weather was perfect too for a change!

T

he Cross-country season kicked off really well, with boysfrom Year 6-8 always finishing collectively in the top three places. It’s not easy to motivate yourself in freezing cold conditions, waiting for what seems to be an age at the start line in your shorts and t-shirt and when your teacher is encouraging you to, “keep moving, stay warm, elbows out and stay focused!”

Some new runners stepped up and ran really well too! A great effort all round well done! A special mention to Tom Deardon who has really been ontop form and represented the County Juniors in the National Finals. We missed some of themajor events this year due to thesnow, but I am sure the boys did not miss the Maidwell Hall Hill!

Lastly, we had the Year 4 and

SEPTEMBER 2017

O

5 Cross-country team running for the first time and they ran really well too!

Sam Deardon and Ben Coomber finished in the top 10, which was amazing and Joshua Lincoln came in next in 29th place, a great effort for a Y4 boy.

Well done to all the runners thathave run in the Cross-country fixtures this season.

WHINCHAT

2017 2018

ur first Cross-country of the year was at Browns Wood and I am afraid it was a very wet one! Year 6s ran with great enthusiasm and made us proud; Edward Dagg quite comfortably came 1st, with his brother James coming very narrowly 3rd. Oscar Jewers also ran well, coming home in 5th place with Sam Mullaney, a new member to our Cross Country team, coming in 8th. Seven Year 8 boys also ran in the CrossCountry School league. Tom Deardon got to the finish line in a really tough race, in 3rd place! Well done to all the boys that took part in a very wet and chilly race.

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Badminton

B A D M I N TO N R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Simon Lincoln IAPS On Saturday 13th January, 8 boys made the long trip to Great Walstead School to take part in the annual IAPS Badminton Doubles Competition. BPS had two pairs entered into both U11 and U13 competitions. The U11 B Team pair of Jamie Maling and Sammy Inman had an enjoyable day but were not able to make it out of the group stages.

They are both U10 so will have next year to look forward to for a chance of improving on this. The A team pair of Alex Lamb and Dylan French enjoyed more success as they won 5 out of 6 of their group games which qualified them for a quarter final against Milton Keynes A. In a well contested game BPS won 21-16 to set up a semi-final against a very strong St Martins side. Unfortunately St Martins went on to win 21-17 in what was a superb game. They also won the final which shows just how close the boys came.

The U13 A Team pair of Josha Mital and Joshua Stewart were looking to defend the title they won last year and the B Team pair of Max Pearson and Vedant Somal were hoping to go one better as runners up last year. Both teams started well winning all 7 of their respective group games allowing them both to qualify first from their group. They both won their quarter-finals against YorkHouse A and Great Walstead A comfortably setting up semi-finals against York House Band Aldwickbury. Josha and Joshua beat York House B 21-7 to gain their place in the final and Vedant and Max enjoyed a close match which they eventually won 21-17. This set upa repeat of last year’s final as the two pairs meteach other in the best of 3 sets. The power and speed of the A

Team was just too much to handle as they won 21-3 and 21-13, allowing Josha Mital and Joshua Stewart to retain their IAPS Badminton title.

A special mention should go to JoshaMital who played in his 6th and final IAPS Badminton competition. He first played back in 2013 with his brother for MK Prep, winning his first title. He has in total won the U11 competition 3 times and runner up once and won the U13 competition twice, which is an incredible achievement.

DISTRICT AND COUNTY ROUNDS U13 A, B and C teams played a number of fixtures spread over 3 weeks against other local sides, and the A team qualified for the county finals. Here they played the other best schools in Bedfordshire in a round robin tournament. They won all their matches against Denbigh, Goldington, Stopsley, Lincroft, Etonbury 5-0 to becrowned county champions and qualify for a play-off with the U14 county champions for a place in the East Regional Finals. This was to be played away at Putteridge School in Luton where again the A Team dominated to win the fixture 5-0 and qualify for the East Finals.

EAST OF ENGLAND FINALS Another fantastic achievement from the U13 A Team (consisting of Josha Mital, Vedant Somal, Joshua Stewart and Max Pearson) asthey won the U14 East Region Badminton Tournament and consequently qualified for the National Final in Milton Keynes on Sunday 29th April. What makes this achievement even more amazing is that all the boys are a year young and will be able to compete in the same competition next year. In the group stages, the team

enjoyed a 5-0 win against Parkside from Cambridgeshire and a 4-1 win versus East Bergholt from Suffolk. This qualified them for a placein the final against Haberdashers Aske’sfrom Hertfordshire. In a very exciting encounter where the lead swung both ways, we managed to win 3 games to 2 to win the competition. It was a superb team effort from all the boys as they showed true grit, determination and skill to gain a place in the National Finals.

N AT I O N A L F I N A L S Bedford Prep School’s U13 Badminton Team enjoyed a fantastic day at the National Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes for the U14 National Badminton Finals on Sunday 29 April.

After photos, briefings and the opening ceremony, the tournament began and the boys faced a strong Camps Hill (Birmingham) team, followed by an even stronger Silverdale School. Unfortunately, the boys lost both of these matches (3-2 and5-0), which put them in the play-off for the seventh, eighth or ninth place. With good wins against Newbridge High (4-1) and Hummersknott Academy (Durham) (5-0), the boys finished seventh: the top possible place.

Our congratulations go to Vedant Somal, Joshua Stewart, Max Pearson and Josha Mital (who captained the team brilliantly) on their amazing efforts. To put their success inperspective, when the competition started back in November there were over 6400 teams competing for a place! So to reach the final alone and be placed in the top nine teams in the country was an amazing achievement in itself. However, seventh place for a team who are a year young is even more impressive! Hopefully, they can build on their superb achievement next year.

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Rowing Remember these six minutes for the rest of your lives. Listen to the crowd and take it all in. This is the stuff of dreams

RO W I N G R E P O RT 2 0 1 8 WORDS BY

Ms Imogen Bowis

‘R

emember these six minutes for the rest of your lives. Listen to the crowd and take it all in. This is the stuff of dreams.’ ~ Sir Steve Redgrave, 5 times Olympic Gold Champion.

Rowing is an important part of Bedford School and as a community we are immensely proud of the ‘First Eight Boys’ who have had a very successful season and managed to get to the the quarter finals at Henley Royal Regatta for the first time in 15 years! If they could only have heard the ‘cheers of the crowd’ in the EMH as the Prep School willed them to win while watching the race on the Live Stream during Final Assembly. Several young men in that Eight started rowing in the Prep school, one of whom has already rowed for GB, proving that this really is the ‘stuff of dreams’. What great role models they are.

This year’s cohort have shown just as much promise and signs of a mental strength, in some, that bodes well for the future. With both the Wednesday Rowing Option and the Thursday After School Club we have had over 60 boys involved in rowing this year. That’s a third of the two year groups combined. All the boys have made

good progress with their skills and fitness.

There have been the inevitable ‘swimmers’ but that just proves they are becoming ‘Real Rowers’. We have had a great team of coaches, including some of the First Eight Boys themselves, who have come back to inspire the younger boys. My thanks go to Director of rowing and ex Olympian Mr Mulkerrins, Mrs Maltby, Mr Satchwill and Miss Taylor, who has been a great addition to the team.

Our inaugural ‘House Rowing’ event, run by Miss Taylor, took place in the Spring term. Excitement built in The EMH during the Y7&8 Assembly, as each house raced in 4 relay events (Single, Double, Four and Eight).

The crews competed on Ergos, with a video representation of their progress portrayed on a big screen for all to see. The results were: 1st Bunyan, 2nd Howard, 3rd Whitbread, 4th Harpur.

We ended the Summer term with our annual race day. With so many boys we split the competition into two events. Four brave single scullers raced a sculling matrix. This event was very exciting with a few unlucky steering incidents. It was won by Merlin Toms with Calum Nanda not far behind. The rest of the group took part in a ‘Scratched Quad’ event where all boats were made up of boys of mixed ability, size and strength to try to make them as even as possible.

The event was a close run thing with only 4 points between the 4 crews. It was won by

the crew named after Sir Matthew Pinsent (4x Olympic gold medalist), consisting of James Marchant, Matvei Omelchenko, Tom Deardon, Christian Tyrrell and George Worthington.

Well done to all the boys involved in Rowing this year and I look forward to following your progress and maybe cheering for you at Henley in a few years time!

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Golf

G O L F R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Sam Roberts

A

nother good year for the golf team as the sport continues to grow within the school. The Golf Squad at Bedford Prep School practises up at Bedfordshire Golf Club in Stagsden under the watchful eye of PGA Professional Richard Banks and this year has continued to develop.

The summer term has seen the team in competitive action. They just lost to Stowe Upper School 2-1 and unfortunately lost out to some incredible golf from the staff who beat them 4½ to 2½. The match against Wellingborough was cancelled but we did have individual success at the Wellington Salver, with Shaun Thomas winning the U12 category. The Junior Open at Sunningdale wasn’t quite as memorable but Charlie Carey, Dale Sirivisal and Shaun Thomas all gained valuable experience. The BPS Open was played on the penultimate Tuesday of term and the standard of golf was fantastic.

William Mowe, Dale Sirivisal, Shaun Thomas and Charlie Carey all won the year group prizes and the overall trophy won by Flynn Gill.

Some very talented golfers exist at BPS with handicaps coming down all the time.

Next year could be even better.

Some very talented golfers exist at BPS with handicaps coming down all the time. Next year could be even better

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SPORT

Table Tennis + Swiming

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comprehensive Table Tennis programme took place for the Prep School this ear including a mixture of cup and friendly matches against Lincroft, Biddenham, Kempston, Goldington, Wixams, Westfield, and Castle Newnham Schools. The boys performed very well, winning many of their matches with some quality table tennis skills on show. Both the U11 and U13 squads entered the county competition and performed very well in the first round to qualify for

the semi-final round.Although both squads played well in the semi-finals, they were just edged out by Lincroft at U13 and Castle Newnham at U11. The rest of the games played were all friendlies and were a mixture of singles and doubles matches.

Well done to the following boys who all played table tennis for the school this term.

TA B L E TENNIS R E P O RT

U 1 0 Eeshan Agrawal, Neo Bantock, Ben Barrett, Sammy Inman, Toby Northey, George Sivills, Luka Ilic U 1 1 Elliot Rossington, Harry Clifton, Oliver Briggs, Fred Dickson, Sahvan Jutla, Abhinav Iarala, Oscar Jewers U 1 2 Charlie Faulkner, Ismaeel Khan, Luke Langridge, Joseph Maravala, Oliver Needham, Jamie Welch, Hugh Williams, Aiden Ainsworth-Cave, Will Trobe U 1 3 George Gebhardt, Karan Srivastava, Ben Edwards, Joshua Jeganathan, Max Pearson, Josha Mital, Zaid Faleel, Vedant Somal, Sebastian Clifton, Cole Balachandran Joshua Jeganathan tested the water of the IAPS championships for the School for the first time this year where he enjoyed playing at a high level in all games. He managed to reach the quarterfinals, which is commendable, and recommends that we enter a full squad next year. Well done, Joshua.

WORDS BY

Mr Gary Steer

B

oys from Y3 to Y8 have been part of the swimming squad this Autumn Term with many ‘having a go’ for the first time and surprising themselves! The opening match with Aldwickbury was a hard lesson with all ages struggling. Bedford Girls are always formidable opponents and so it proved when we met them against Beechwood Park and later against Kimbolton.

However, in November, a super swim, against BGS alone, with the Y3s & 4s at the forefront, saw the team triumph, which has not been done for a while! The Year 4s won all of their matches so if they keep training, who knows what the future holds. Thank you to all those who have competed for the school and to those who regularly train.

The Spring Term saw six pool based events, starting with some Y3 boys swimming against Pilgrims swimming squad in a friendly event which was followed by a lovely hot match tea. Perhaps the other swimmers were a bit jealous. The second match for the U10,11,12&13 teams was against St Faith’s, who had boys and girls in their team. This was, again, a hard fixture for our boys but improvements were made and, although finishing 2nd overall, the scores were close.

Match three was for all age groups

S W I M M I N G R E P O RT WORDS BY

Messers Shawn Phillips and Tim Whitwham against BGS where there was the usual great atmosphere; the boys reacted well and put in one of their best performances of the year.

The U8, U9 & U10 age groups won with the U11, U12 & U13s losing.

Match four was against a very capable Heath Mount School who provided strong opposition. The U9 & U10 teams won their age groups but the rest came second.

Tough, but worthwhile preparation for the upcoming IAPS heats. The next competition was the IAPS heats held at Bishop’s Stortford School where 10 boys trialled to see if they could progress to the finals in June. Some committed swimming saw the boys record some pleasing times. When the results from all over the country came through it showed that Eamon Bradley for the U12 Boys 25m butterfly, Daniel Blight in the U10 Boys 25m backstroke, Jamie Mailing in the U10 Boys 25m Breaststroke and the U10 Boys Medley Relay had all qualified for the finals.

At finals day at the Olympic Park the boys

enjoyed an amazing experience, testing their skills against some of the best swimmers in the country. The boys exceeded all expectations by all qualifying for the finals with the U10 relay team finishing 11th, Daniel gaining and incredible 3rd place, Jamie 9th and Eamon 8th (which surely would have been higher but for a glitch at the start. Superb effort on these achievements.

The House swimming relays were very competitive and risks were taken by all teams to ensure their best finish in each race. Bunyan were the eventual winners of this competition. In the House Swimming competition congratulations to Bunyan for winning the Y3-4 and Y7-8 events and to Harpur for winning the Y5-6 competition.

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Bedford Preparatory School

FRONT ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)

Vivek Rav, Aryan Sisodia, Kevin Subeegaran, Flynn Gill, Freddie McPhail, Asier Mokhtar-Esteban, Merlin Toms, Robert Parrish, Mr Silk (Headmaster), Tom Godber, Jeremy Okpere, Leo De Luca, Rafael Carbonell Macias, Subhaan Rashid, Gabriel O’Neill, Joshua Romeo, Ben Edwards, Joshua Cooke.

SECOND ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)

Korede Alagbe, Max Pearson, Vedant Somal, Jovan Kooner, Samuel Wells, Christian Tyrrell, Harry Norris, Emanuel Rumanura, Wenyu Dong, Saihaj, Lahal, Ivan Savelyev, Mathew Omelchenko, John Ogunyiluka, Daniil Smirnov, Karan Srivastava, Arav Kirtane.

THIRD ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)

Kush Katechia, Sachin Kambli, James Lumley-Wood, Cyrus Goddard, Kiran Katechia, Makar Molchanov, Lucas Nisbett-Hadaway, Jonny Burgess, Ryan Lasaki, Tom Howe, Joseph Mullaney, Hasan Manji, Nathanael Lord, Ryan Jordan, Sarmukh Hundal.

FOURTH ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)

Josha Mital, Nick Sherriff, James Marchant, Sam Blewitt, Adam Trussell, Callum Ward, Joshua Jeganathan, Kabir Singh, Alexis Ivanov, Sam Qiu, Romeo Chen, Connor Hawthorne, Oli Pope, George Gebhardt.

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Leavers 2018-19

FIFTH ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)

Joshua Stewart, Jamie Wallwork, Charlie Carey, Ali Raza Abbas, Harry Midgley, James Barney, Freddie Sowerby, Thomas Hayward, Sebastian Clifton, Tom Kerr, James Hine, Eldon Craven, Hayden Melly, William Roberts, Oskar Martin SIXTH ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)

Tomas Spice, Koushik Daggu Riaz Bakr, Sam Walker, Harry Wootton Evans, Varun Nathan, Harlan Todd, Oliver Comery, Murray Silk, Tom Deardon, Max Allen, Khush Shah, Luca Moretto, Wilbur Collier BACK ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT)

Cole Balachandran, Wilfred Barker, James Wootton Evans, Calum Nanda, Zaid Faleel

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ART SCHOLARSHIP 2018

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