The Whinchat 2022-2023 by Bedford-School

2022 2023

BEDFORD P R E PA R ATO RY SCHOOL W H I N C H AT M A G A Z I N E AUTUMN 2023

Photo: Giam alicidu cimaio. Culpa ventius voluptasi

Photo: Days out at Ickwell By Rachel Osborne

B E D F O R D P R E PA R ATO RY

2022 2023

SCHOOL

O C TO B E R 2 0 2 3

CONTENTS

Whinchat 2022-23 INTRODUCTION 2 3

Headmaster’s introduction Head Boy’s Speech

STA F F

THE ARTS

5 6

24 26 28 30 32

Salvete - welcome alete - goodbye

Music DT Art Drama Speech & Drama

INDEPENDENT BOYS’ SCHOOL OF THE YEAR

WORLD LEADING BOARDING SCHOOL

ENRICHMENT

HOUSES

38 Eagle House 40 Bunyan 42 Harpur 44 Howard 46 Whitbread

WHINCHAT Editorial team: Ian Silk Patsy Turton Rachel Osborne Rania Kashi

CHARITIES

Photographer: Mark Lewis

Enrichment

48 Charities 49 Christmas Carols 2021 50 Prep Guild 51 BS

Printed by: Pureprint Group, ckfield, East Sussex

CONTENTS 76

ACADEMIC

7 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 23

English Patron of reading Mathematics Science Geography MFL History Latin R.E.

TRIPS/OUTINGS/ CLUBS 52 54 57 58 60 62 63 64 65 66 67 69

Computer Science Extra Curricular cademic support Trips, events & talks Forest School Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Chapel Choir

SPORT 70 72 74 75 76 80 81 82 84 88

Rugby Rugby 7s Fencing, Rowing & Badminton Rugby Cricket Swimming & Water Polo Golf Hockey Y8 Leavers Parting Shot

Produced by

Thank you to all the staff and boys who contributed to this magazine

Osborne Creative www.osborne-creative.co.uk lee@osborne-creative.co.uk

LTD

INTRODUCTION

W H I N C H AT

Headmaster’s introduction WELCOME TO W H I N C H AT M A G A Z I N E 2022-2023 This has been a superb year at the Prep School, and would like to kick off this year’s Whinchat editorial with profound thanks to all in our community for working so hard to make it such a wonderful place to learn and work.

n Speech ay, in both the Prep and pper School, we had the chance to say goodbye and thank you to our Chair of Governors, Sir Clive oader. Sir Clive has led our talented and dedicated team of Governors with warmth, humour, dedication and clarity, including and especially during the recent lockdown years. He helped to steer us out of the pandemic and beyond, and has constantly challenged the school to provide the best education possible. We en oyed hearing his words of wisdom at Speech ay. t Speech ay, uoted Plato, who wrote that, the direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life. gainst a backdrop of economic uncertainty, at home and abroad, boys have started in a very promising direction, because the school has flourished in a significant way thanks to the boys, their parents, staff and governors. Much has been written about the effect of the pandemic on children our boys’ age, but our boys have been brilliant, and have ensured that every day, even during the exceptionally busy and occasionally stressful times, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to come to school. The vivacity and sheer energy of our boys is constantly life affirming, and, as said last year, the will to live life

to the full, and the laughter in every corridor and corner of the playground and in the boarding house continues to give us reason to be ambitious for what we provide for our boys. Thank you, too, to our parents who continue to entrust us with their son’s education iving at school, as many of us do, it perhaps easy to overlook uite how exceptional our boys and teachers are and what exceptional feats they achieve in a number of areas. The Whinchat maga ine affords us the opportunity to review the year, and there is no doubt that it has been a year of outstanding achievements. One only needs to look at the photos of the school plays, the outstanding concerts, and the reports of a highly successful sporting year to see the truth in this. So, thank you to our Whinchat editorial team. They have worked tirelessly to capture as much of the year as possible, with the usual caveat that it is simply not possible for a school magazine to capture every brilliant thing which happens. As have said before, it can best be described as a highlights reel, which records the best bits, and inevitably misses out much which is nonetheless important in shaping our boys’ young lives. hope you en oy reading our review of the year.

WORDS BY

Mr Ian Silk, Headmaster

At Speech Day, I quoted Plato, who wrote that, “the direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life

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INTRODUCTION

Oliver Barbour

HEAD BOY’S SPEECH 2022

hank you Mr Silk, Headmasters, Governors, invited guests, staff, parents and boys of Bedford Prep School; it is an honour to have the opportunity to speak to you on behalf of the boys. 51 weeks ago, when I was given the role of Head Boy, was standing on the astro telling my mum the news when Mr Guest strolled past, offering some words of wisdom. He said Well done Oliver, if you need any okes for your speech, ust let me know. Now unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, depending on your opinion of Mr Guest’s self proclaimed comedy genius, ust don’t appear to have managed to catch up with him all year, so am afraid, Mr Guest, that you will have to save your comedy material for next year’s unsuspecting head boy. Today we focus in particular on academic success. I know that each and every one of the prize winners will have worked extremely hard to achieve these awards. Hard work’ is a term that is flung around frequently, but what actually is hard work Hard work is about repetition, but not ust repetition of what you can already do. Hard work should be hard. t should make your eyes

water, your muscles ache and your brain hurt. Hard work is about challenging yourself by trying things that are difficult. Of course, if it is difficult, you will make mistakes, but you are much less likely to make the same mistakes the next time you do it, instead you will improve. t is this hard work, this perseverance, this repetition of what you can’t already do that underpins the academic achievements, and indeed our collective successes across all areas of school life that we celebrate today. Now, I gather that this year is Mr Silk’s th year as Headmaster of the prep school and consequently his 10th Speech day too. know this as he sent me all nine previous speeches, a total of pages and over , words. have read them all and have ui ed on them t was good research but was secretly hoping that there might be another badge in it for me I want to take this opportunity to thank him especially for his contribution to the school over the past decade and for being such a great headmaster. His wholehearted involvement in school life alongside the boys helps make him very

much appreciated among parents and pupils. ou know it’s World Book Day when you see Mr Silk dressed as Winnie the Pooh. Or at least, you hope it is. Now, I know that Mr Silk has a special place in his heart for a quote. I apologise now that my sources are perhaps not the most renowned of philosophers. As the semi-famous American hip-hop rapper Frank Ocean said on modesty, Work hard in silence and let success be your noise . Today have the opportunity to be your noise’ and to sing the praises of our collective successes. It has been another great year at Bedford School in all areas, be it academic, sporting, musical or theatrical and there was something for everyone. SPORTS On the sports fields, we have had an extremely successful year. The U13 rugby team remained unbeaten in their regular fixtures. The s uad were ubilant as oint winners of the Finborough Rugby festival, crowned in a final so evenly matched that it couldn’t be decided even after a period of a golden try’. There has been some outstanding hockey

MUSIC In the recital halls, we have been privileged to en oy some fabulous performances from our musicians, not least in the Bedfordshire Festival. In Year 8, Fikayo Okusanya won an overall singing prize and Christian Hiemstra, inn Bantock and saac West, also known as the Mondrian Trio, continued to impress us with their phenomenal talents and continuing to en oy their music as they develop even further is something I am particularly looking forward to in the pper School.

In February, the Great Hall came alive with the sound of music once again with the muchanticipated return of House Singing a oyous occasion, not least due to the three year hiatus but it is also the one musical event that brings everyone in the Prep School together. Howard won the part song competition but it was Sammy Hughes’ energetic conducting of nder the Sea’ which lead Harpur to victory in the unison song and the overall title. Over two-thirds of the boys in the prep school learn at least one musical instrument and have counted at least instrumental and choral ensembles running this term. The Autumn & Summer concerts, as well as the nine informal concerts that have taken place during the year, have provided the opportunity for these boys to display their musical talent and show family and friends the progress made across weeks of hard work. The musical year concluded last weekend with the anomamo’ production, directed by the brilliant and highly tolerant Mrs Gedye and Mrs Turton. The musical tells the tale of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest through the medium of incredible choral performances and some stunning solos, showcasing the impressive vocal talent of boys in the prep school. DRAMA On the stage, we had great successes with 140 boys taking Speech and rama lessons all of whom entered the Bedfordshire estival in

Deputy Head Boy

Jacob Adedeji

Head Boy

played this year across all the year groups. Whilst the U13A team narrowly missed out on the PS finals through penalty strokes, the team progressed through to the IAPS national finals and the U11A team convincingly won their IAPS regional competition. The cricket season started early this year with excited ear and boys setting out for a sun-kissed tour to South Africa. The action-packed week of sight-seeing and cricket matches prepared them well for a fantastic season of cricket this summer, culminating in being crowned IAPS National Cricket Champions two weeks ago in a high-scoring final won in the last over of the match. nd the future looks bright with the U11 team winning the Sixes tournament cup, for the first time since 1999. Thank you very much to saac incent-Emery for his contribution to these sporting highlights and wish that had time to mention more of them.

Isaac Vincent-Emery

Headmaster’s introduction

Deputy Head Boy

2022 2023

INTRODUCTION

W H I N C H AT

Head Boy’s Speech 2021 March, with 94 of them achieving top three placings. In fact, two boys received invitations to the Gala at the end of the festival so very well done to Chris Gentry and Cayo Sinclair in Year 7. But would also like to acknowledge all of you, whether you were placed or not, who pushed yourselves beyond your comfort zone. Make it your mission to go back next year and have another go. dded to this, I must mention Daniel Lee in Year 5 for his involvement in two shows in ondon’s West End. This is an incredible achievement and a really exciting opportunity for him and his future. In March, the inaugural Bedford Prep School’s Got Talent, hosted by our very own nt and ec, aniel Joaille-Burge and Sammy Hughes, showcased the comedy, acting, singing, musical and magical talents of the brilliant boys we have here. Years 3 & 4 performed their very own mini-musical, Goldilocks and the Three Grizzlies – Huge thanks and respect go to Matthew Moretto who took his prefect duties to the next level by standing in for an absent cast member as a somewhat oversi ed Mrs Grizzly! I know you actually en oyed it Matthew! So with all of that success on the stage, it is unsurprising that we have had our best M exam results ever.

ACADEMIC In the classrooms, this year has seen difficult academic challenges that boys have thrown themselves into, with success in many fields maths, computing, but would like to give a special mention to George Plumley in Year 7 who came seventh overall in the country in the TownsendWarner prize, a gruelling national prep school history competition that experienced well over 1000 entrants this year. I think it is fair to say that the effort involved in achieving all of these successes is the type of hard work have been talking about: the repetitive hockey drills, the hours of revision and the relentless rehearsals. Huge congratulations to all of the boys. THANKING TEACHERS Now I want to take this opportunity to thank saac incent-Emery and Jacob dede i, the eputy Head Boys and the team of Prefects for reliably carrying out our collective responsibilities this year. would like to give some heartfelt thanks to several teachers who have particularly helped me throughout my time in the prep school. irstly, would like to thank Mrs Hone, who was my ear tutor and, like all Year 3 teachers, she nurtured and supported me through those shorts and longsocked days when the school was very big and

Bedford Prep School’s Got Talent was very small. dded to this, she has gone to enormous effort to plan and run the ear s’ diverse and exciting post-exam program and so I thank you, on behalf of not ust seven-yearold me, but all of the Year 8s as well. Although I am aware that he left the teaching staff two years ago, I would like to thank Mr Hooley for helping me unearth my passion for drama when, in ear , he entrusted me with a ma or role in his production of Oliver Twist. basically had to play the role of a young boy, called Oliver, who looked and sounded terrified most of the time so don’t think that it was a terribly high risk piece of casting! Nonetheless the opportunities he gave to me in school productions helped ease me out of Nash’s building and into

the wider school. That is something I encourage all the younger boys to do. Next, would like to thank Mrs Goodman who has been my geography teacher for four years and my ear form tutor. When first knew her in Year 5, I was completely terrified of her and her tough bags and military use of the green pen but, with a greater understanding of her love of teaching the boys (as well as her love of cake) she has been nothing other than a great support to me and has always helped with anything I have ever gone to her with. I will miss our games of Werewolf! would also like to thank the lesser known, and utterly delightful, Mrs Philippa Bennett who has taught me to play the flute over the past five years and leaves

Miss Hone supported me through those shorts and long-socked days when the school was very big and I was very small

Bedford School next week after 36 years of flute teaching, mostly spent tucked away in the little practice rooms of the music department. On behalf of all of those she has taught, I wish her well in her retirement. inally, need to thank Mrs Gedye. mean don’t we all She has the most incredible energy and commitment to getting the best out of the most musical and non-musical of boys and she is like a machine in the summer term, fuelled entirely by caffeine, relentlessly churning out performance after performance. She has been an extremely supportive form tutor helping me to uggle all of my interests and responsibilities this year. Thank you and may you sleep well this summer holidays I am sure that all the boys will have members of the teaching staff that they want to thank. We are very lucky to have a great team of energetic, dedicated and supportive teachers who help us to achieve so much. Please may you all oin me in a round of applause for our excellent teachers.

nd now to my fellow ear s. What a ourney it has been. We’ve cycled around Grafham Water, we’ve danced the Jerusalema, we’ve sung carols at the kiosk in the park, we’ve slept at the Science Museum, we’ve slammed some Shakespeare, we’ve played uidditch (although a low quality version on hockey sticks with a yellow tennis ball) we’ve toasted marshmallows, we’ve sung for our houses, we’ve planned a leisure business we’ve constructed castles, bird boxes, iking shields and robot clocks we’ve read millions of words and lost millions of pieces of clothing part from an excruciating experience with a violin in Year 3, ’ve absolutely loved it. But the ourney doesn’t end here. We have some incredibly talented sportsmen, academics, artists, actors and musicians in this year group and the pper School awaits us all. Now, don’t know whether they sing a roof-raising rendition of The Twelve ays of Christmas’ in the final assembly of the autumn term, or whether Mr Hodgson dresses as fictional children’s book characters on a semiregular basis but what I do know is that it will be a new adventure and a new challenge. nd now, to conclude, I will offer one last piece of advice to all the younger boys in the prep school. Take as many of the opportunities that are offered to you here as possible and always offer your very best because, as the worldfamous philosopher olly Parton once said, “A peacock that rests on its tail feathers is ust another turkey. En oy the morning. Thank you.

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S TA F F

Salvete M I S S O C TAV I A C AV I L L Ye a r 3 Te a c h e r

Miss Cavill joined us in September to teach in Year 3. She attended Stowe School and Bedford Modern School, and gained a BA (Hons) with QTS in Primary Education from Bedfordshire University (where she has subsequently lectured to current QTS students). She joined us from Great Ouse Primary Academy, where she taught Year 3, was the PSHE subject lead and Designated Senior Mental Health Lead. Miss Cavill has competed at county and regional level in tennis, hockey and badminton, and at international level at lacrosse and athletics (gaining a silver medal competing for England at international level).

MISS LISA EMMS

S c i e n c e Te c h n i c i a n

Miss Emms has taken over from Mr Roberts as our new Science Technician. She is an alumna of Dame Alice, has a PGCE in Secondary Science Teaching, as well as a First Class Degree in Chemistry with Forensic Analysis from Loughborough University. She joined us from Castle Newnham School where she had a role as cover supervisor, and has previously taught Science and Chemistry at Bedford Modern School (including to Mr Glasspool ) and has been a police officer with Thames Valley Police. She is a keen badminton player (although by her own admission not in the same league as her sister, silver Olympic medal winner, Gail!). She also teaches climbing on our climbing wall.

M R S E M M A H A R G R E AV E S Prep School Administrator

Mrs Hargreaves joined us in early November 2022 as the Prep School Administrator, taking over from Mrs Lesley Johnson. She oined us from Harrold Primary cademy where she worked as the inance and HR officer. She has also held roles as Events Officer for The Chartered nstitute of egal Executives, and as an administrator at the Bedford Corn Exchange. She has a degree in Tourism and Hospitality Business Management from Sheffield Hallam University and attended Sharnbrook Upper School. Her interests are attending theatre, especially musicals, and watching sports. She has already made a significant difference in the running of the school office. She also manages to run her own business selling lovely, personalised gifts.

M R DAV I D ( DA I ) H A R R I E S Te a c h e r o f M a t h s a n d G a m e s

Mr Harries joined us in September to teach Maths and Games. He has a BA (Hons) and PGCE in Physical Education and Maths from W C. He oined us from ingshott School where he taught Maths and Games, and was Head of ears and . Prior to ingshott, he taught in another Prep School, ockers Park, and has considerable experience in the state sector, including a Deputy Headteacher role at Windermere Primary School.

MRS CHLOE NEILSON Te a c h e r o f M F L

Mrs Neilson, who is already with us as a maternity cover, has been appointed to join us as a full-time, permanent member of staff to replace Mrs Chaillou- indred. Mrs Neilson has a B (Hons) in rench and talian from niversity of Edinburgh, a BSc (Hons) in inancial Services from M ST, and a istinction in her PGCE from University of Hertfordshire. She joined us from Mark Rutherford School where she taught rench, Spanish and talian, and led the department in her last term. She has previously led an MFL department in another state secondary school. Prior to teaching she worked in marketing and communications roles at two different banks.

S TA F F

W H I N C H AT

Valete MRS EUGENIE CHAILLOU-KINDRED

F r e n c h & G e r m a n Te a c h e r a n d B u n y a n H o u s e m a s t e r Mrs Chaillou- indred has left a deep impression first and foremost as a superb teacher of languages, leading our provision of German. But her contribution to school has extended well beyond the classroom, transforming Prep School climbing, running thoroughly en oyable trips, creating a bu about gardening, supporting a number of other activities, and, most recently leading Bunyan House. She will also be much missed and is a true professional. We hope she en oys her next challenge.

M R DAV I D G L A S S P O O L

M a t h e m a t i c s & S c i e n c e Te a c h e r Mr Glasspool oined us in September following a career as a Scientist at nilever. He has spent a superb year with us, and has passed on his own love of Science and Maths to the boys. We take great pride that the school has played a part in his burgeoning love of teaching, and whilst he won’t be with us next year, am delighted that another good person will be committing to our profession. number of boys have spoken to me to say how sad they are that he is leaving, and how much they have en oyed being taught by him.

MR JONNY LEE Ye a r 3 Te a c h e r

Mr ee is, in many ways, the classic public school teacher, involved in absolutely everything, a firm but fair big brother in the boarding house, an inspiring and popular teacher and a really kind person with a great sense of humour. He is the sort of person who doesn’t mind having sponges thrown at him at un ay to raise money for charity (like many of our staff). His ability on the sports field extends beyond the Prep School, and he coached a very successful team this year (and led the staff pancake race team ). He also anchored the staff relay team at Sports ay, clawing back a metre deficit to draw level in a superb race against the boys who were National Silver medallists. He goes off to Singapore to work at ulwich College, Singapore, with our very fondest regards.

MRS LESLEY JOHNSON Prep School Administrator

Mrs esley Johnson has been the Prep School secretary and administrator for ten years. She has been a wonderful support in her time in the role, handling issues with skills and sensitivity and he has gone above and beyond in helping colleagues. Many thanks to her for her contribution to the smooth running of the school. She will be much missed, but we hope that her new role at the Open niversity is thoroughly en oyable.

M R M I C H A E L RO B E RT S S c i e n c e Te c h n i c i a n

Mr Roberts has been absolutely superb. He has been at the Prep School for eight years, and worked in the pper School as one of their Science Technicians before that. He completely transformed the role of Science Technician in the Prep School he has made significant contributions in other areas of school life, too, on the sports field, up the climbing wall and in supporting orest School and outdoor learning. He also set up and has constantly expanded the animal menagerie which has become a mainstay of our promotion of well-being. have no doubt that he will en oy the next stage of life, as he looks for more adventures.

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AC ADEMIC

English

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

Ms Sophie Bamber, Head of English

he English epartment at Bedford Prep School proudly offers a diverse array of experiences to cultivate en uiring minds, ignite enthusiasm, and foster a passion of words, language, and the power of literature and stories while e uipping boys with essential foundations in reading, writing and oracy.

P U N C T UAT I O N SHOW n the utumn Term, we welcomed Barry Mc ermid to the school to help boys remember, understand and apply key English skills through two highly-interactive (there was air guitar and serious silent saxophone ) and laugh-out-loud shows that had all boys singing about everything from ad ectives to clauses to semi-colons and verbs. t was a brilliant show that inspired boys to be attentive in their use of punctuation in writing.

GOTHIC NIGHT To launch the ear Gothic Horror unit, we invited our Patron of Reading, Steve Skidmore, to provide a masterclass in Gothic writing. Covering pathetic fallacy, sentence length and style and how to build mood and atmosphere, the boys left inspired about how to describe their own Gothic settings. s the light faded, boys were invited to return to the nky after school and listen to ghost stories before heading to the EMH for more spine-chilling

The opening of Gabriel Borelli’s description of a Gothic setting thrills. tmospheric storytelling awaited boys, courtesy of the Red Heart Theatre Company, who retold H.G. Wells’ The Red Room, Edgar llen Poe’s, The Tell Tale Heart, and ickens’ The Signalman.

OUNDLE D E B AT E lso in November, Cayo Sinclair, Chris Gentry and aniel Joaille-Burge ( )

represented Bedford Prep School in a balloon debate between five different prep schools. Needing to vie for the audience’s approval by presenting as different characters in a perilously sinking metaphorical hot air balloon, the boys had to argue convincingly why they should be spared. or the first round, Cayo embodied the achievements of nn Meyers rysdale, a notable

2022 2023

AC ADEMIC

W H I N C H AT

English Redheart Theatre, Gothic Night Right: ngelo Milioto in the Shakespeare Slam final

Above: aniel Joaille-Burge, Cayo Sinclair and Chris Gentry at Oundle School for a debate.

basketball player and sports broadcaster, while opting for heavy metal vocalist O y Osbourne for the second round. Chris channelled the spirit of Colin aepernick, an merican football uarterback and civil rights activist, and embodied merican country musician Willie Nelson. aniel showcased the accomplishments of lan Page, a former professional football player turned udge, and seamlessly transitioned into olly Parton. t was a superb afternoon and the boys were complimented for their skill analysing the words of others.

B M S D E B AT E More oracy opportunities took place when Prep School’s ebating Society took part in a debate against Bedford Modern School. Eben Clarke ( C), Oliver Smart ( C), Hugo O’Boyle ( B) and Ma or Grewal

uthor Steve Skidmore delivering a Gothic writing workshop to Left: Half Term Hero board celebrating boys’ writing. Far right: World Book ay costume fun

( H) debated whether school holidays should be shortened, the issues of keeping animals in captivity, and whether books are more educational than films.

SHAKESPEARE SOWS The spring term saw the introduction of four new Shakespeare schemes of work ear , Macbeth ear , Midsummer Night’s ream ear , Romeo and Juliet ear , Julius Caesar. Each scheme provided exciting opportunities for boys to analyse the complex characters, theme and plot as well as engage with role-play opportunities and develop their creative writing skills.

SHAKESPEARE SLAM n ebruary, all boys in the Prep School participated in the Shakespeare Slam. They memorised a Shakespearean monologue and performed it to their respective classes after the half term break. The performances were all exceptional, but a huge congratulations must be given to this year’s deserving winners Will Paul, Michael Piercy-Hughes, James Workman, ian Walia, dam Purdie and James ngus.

WORLD B O O K DAY One of the most cherished days of the spring term, World

Book ay allowed all boys to celebrate the magic of stories and their captivating characters. Classrooms transformed into scenes from The Hungry Caterpillar, almations, inosaurs ove nderpants, and The Midnight Gang. Our brilliant patron, Steve Skidmore introduced ear - boys to his iHereo books, and visiting author, Sarah Haggar-Holt spoke to boys in - about her interest in the themes of inclusivity and the GBT community.

READING AMBASSADORS This year saw the introduction of Reading mbassadors, a programme which invites older boys to share their passion and enthusiasm for reading with younger boys during registration once a week. Wearing their ambassador badges with great pride, boys

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AC ADEMIC

English have been listening to their partners read each week, asking comprehension uestions, and helping to build confidence and fluency. We are tremendously proud of all boys involved with this initiative.

PEEL REVISION CLINICS Prior to the mid-year and summer exams, boys in were offered PEE paragraph revision clinics. These sessions aimed to boost boys’ confidence writing analytically before their exams. PEE stands for Point, Evidence, Explain, ink, and it is a solid foundation on which to structure arguments.

EXTENDED WRITING BOARD This year, we proudly launched our Half Term Hero board in the nky building to honour the exceptional extended writing produced by boys in - . s part of each scheme of work, boys undertake a formal writing assessment every half term. Class teachers assess their work and a selection of the most outstanding pieces are showcased for all to en oy. t has been wonderful way to celebrate the talents of our boys.

everything the boys had learned about persuasive language. Balloon Debate Finalists: Ned Neale, Nathan Nolan, Freddie Gibbs, Austin Reddy, Angelo Rampello, Marcos Fraile-Lara, Abbas Baig, James Clements, Samarth Serish, Oliver Smart, Leo Butler, Jacob Schouten and Arjun Dey.

POETRY R E C I TAT I O N nother calendar highlight for the English department is the - Poetry Recitation competition. iligently learning their poems over half term, boys return to school after half term ready to perform in front of their classmates. emonstrating great confidence, elo uence and command of the stage,

WHOLE SCHOOL POETRY WRITING COMPETITION Bedford Prep School’s passion for poetry doesn’t stop with the recitation. n fact, all boys in ear - were challenged to write their own poem in the summer term. ear - boys wrote delightful poems to celebrate the ing’s coronation while boys in ear - had the broader theme of Great Britain. The Prep School English teachers en oyed reading boys’ poems about ing Charles , British cultural diversity, fish and chips, the great British weather, and some uite profound political commentary

Y7 PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

Y6 BALLOON D E B AT E n the summer term, ear boys were treated to a brandnew debating scheme of work. magining they are participants in a sinking hot air balloon that can only carry a limited number of people, boys had to take on the role of a historical figure and convince the audience why they, and their achievements, should remain in the balloon. Research over half term, speech writing in lessons and cue card creation culminated in nailbiting class heats and an overall final in the EMH. t was great fun and a super way to celebrate

the boys did not make this an easy competition to udge. ollowing class heats, finalists performed in the EMH. The standard was exceptional and we were delighted to announce this year’s worthy winners Ben Smart, Teddy Stewart-Jones, James Workman, Gene Baker and Wilfred S uire.

From left to right: Gene Baker, Wilfred S uire, then James Workman, Teddy StewartJones, and Ben Smart

lways eager to champion oracy, the English epartment took ear on a ourney through the history of rhetoric in the summer term. earning about the ristotelian Triad (Ethos, ogos, Pathos) and persuasive techni ues, boys chose a topic and wrote a persuasive speech to deliver in front of their classmates. ollowing terrific performances in class, our finalists competed in the EMH. Many congratulations to our overall winners George Plumley, aniel Joaille-Burge, Max Blake and Conor Hayes. Year 7 Public Speaking Finalists: Chris Gentry, Ailbe Mantini, Aidan Beckham, Cayo Sinclair, Alex O’Cearbhaill, George Plumley, Angelo Milioto, Henry Gandesha, Max Blake, Conor Hayes, Berty Parry, Daniel Joaille-Burge. t has been an action-packed year for the English department, and we look forward to seeing boys take more strides in their reading, writing and oracy next year.

AC ADEMIC

Library

teve Skidmore has been our Patron of Reading since and has been visiting us once a term. He works with a class for a double lesson and boys might have a writing masterclass, or write and perform some raps, or act out an Hero adventure. n the autumn term Steve worked with our boys, as part of their Gothic day. Each group en oyed a fun writing masterclass covering all things Gothic, from exploring what makes this genre uni ue to Steve’s top tips for writing Gothic fiction. Steve talked about pathetic fallacy, the magic of three (think Harry Potter) and his number one tip for writing, now your ending before you start plan long and write uickly . Steve was with us on World Book ay again this year, and returned in the summer term to work with ear on debating skills. Boys started their session with some verbal boxing uickfire one-minute matches in pairs using words to convince your opponent or disrupt the conversation. The boys sparred backwards and forwards, the rest of the class choosing the winner and discussing the arguments to decide the most successful tactics. The boys then moved on to verbal wrestling. n two teams, they had the chance to use timeouts to discuss arguments and strategy and tag in new speakers. However, if the wrestlers hesitated or faltered Steve started the countdown... , , , , , , , , , you’re out t was really nice to see boys listening carefully, revising their arguments, and learning the

PAT R O N O F R E A D I N G

role status can play in a debate and how to use that to their advantage. astly Steve used some scenes from Macbeth as an example of persuasive arguments. Steve is now stepping down as our Patron of Reading after seven brilliant, illuminating and entertaining years. Boys have benefited hugely from his experience in that time and have really en oyed his visits. The Steves books are always very popular in both the prep school libraries and have inspired many a reluctant reader.

WORDS BY

Mrs Amy Lumley-Wood, Prep School Librarian

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Library Steve Skidmore in action

, , ,, , , , , ,

YOU’RE OUT!

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Mathematics Y6 boys enjoying some outdoor maths

2022 2023 W O R D S B Y Mrs Kathryn Lee,

Head of Mathematics

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

nother exciting year for the boys in Maths They have demonstrated such resilience and commitment to their learning. s a department we are so proud of how the boys have remained engaged and driven with their Maths.

AUTUMN TERM

ll year groups celebrated Maths Week England during the utumn Term.

Y3 & 4

Competed in a Times Tables Rockstars Challenge, improving their recall of the timetables to win points for their class and school.

YEAR 5 & 6 Competed in the Maths World Cup online challenges set by Maths Week England. The challenges were set to improve their arithmetic skills and involved high energy movement and challenges to gain points. They also completed lots of murder mystery pu les, treasure hunts and Maths colour by numbers.

YEAR 7

Created limping seagulls . These were created using origami and slotted together to form large cubes and octahedral units. Boys demonstrated many of the uture Skills during the week with a good dose of grit and determination. They soon

discovered that accuracy in measuring, cutting and folding was re uired to achieve a perfect shape. Some boys went on to learn the Power of magic trick.

YEAR 8

ocused on Curves of Pursuit - constructing curves using straight lines. Boys created some wonderful patterns and pictures, initially in lead pencil and moving onto colours. Some even went on to Curve Stitching and created the patterns on cards with thread.

YEAR 5 & 6

Competed in the Primary Maths Challenge with lyas Hosein and eo Butler invited to compete in a further round where lyas was awarded a Silver. Big congratulations to both boys.

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Mathematics SPRING TERM

he Spring Term saw two of our boys trained as mentors to a talented mathematician in ear at Pilgrims. ollowing their first meeting, Raihaan dil and Matthew Moretto planned a series of lessons and delivered Maths to inspire and extend the young boy’s passion for the sub ect. They attended the school on a weekly basis for a term. ll parties en oyed the experience and we hope to forge more links with Maths at Pilgrims in the future. ll boys in ear competed in the MT Junior Maths Challenge. Gold, silver and bron e certificates were awarded to of participants nationally. Roughly the top receive gold, the next silver and the next bron e. pproximately of the top of students were invited to sit a followon competition, the Junior Mathematical Olympiad (top ) or angaroo (next ). Excellent results for Bedford Prep School with Gold, Silver and Bron e Certificates awarded. The following boys were awarded medals for their fantastic Maths.

GOLD MEDALS WERE AWA R D E D TO : hruv Patel, gastya Saketh Marla, led Wright, saac West, Matthew Moretto, Raihaan dil, Semilore pesin and Oliver Barbour. Raihaan dil, Semilore pesin, Matthew Moretto and saac West all ualified for the angaroo Challenge. The top-scoring of participants each receive a Certificate of Merit and congratulations go to Matthew Moretto and saac West who both achieved a Certificate of Merit. Oliver Barbour ualified for the Junior Mathematical Olympiad. t is a two-hour challenge consisting of problems in Section and six in Section B. Only answers are re uired to the problems in Section whereas full written solutions are re uired for problems in Section B. The top-scoring

of participants will receive a Certificate of istinction, the next top will receive a Certificate of Merit. Congratulations to Oliver for achieving a Certificate of Merit.

SUMMER TERM

ll boys throughout ear to ear have had the opportunity to compete in team Maths challenges during this summer term - using logic and high order thinking to compete against their peers. The traditional ear Maths House Cup has seen boys headed out onto the Prep stro for some fun but challenging Maths events. Competing for the glory of their Houses and all-important House Cup points, the boys have tackled a variety of highspeed, uick thinking Maths challenges. This year’s winners were Howard.

D O O D L E M AT H S

BRONZE MEDALS WERE AWA R D E D TO : Jacky Hou, George Millar, Harry Mullan, Stuart Phillips, Gus Willson, Carlos amora Sebrango, George Garosi, Rhys Newman, Sebastian Warner, Gabriel Borelli, mar Rai, onnell Creek, saac Johnson, reddie Barnes, Howie Barnett- incent, Muhammad Chaudhry, Taish aleem, saac lgie, Jun Oakes, Oscar Price, Miron Savelyev, Elliot llen, Ethan aubney, Jacob dede i, Miles Trueman, Rocco Shelton, ylan ppal, ucien Carron, Nathaniel letcher, Toby Hudson, Tom lvert, Gabriel Taiola- ouriss.

Y5 and 6 boys working through their doodle maths stars

S I LV E R M E DA L S W E R E AWA R D E D TO : Max Midgley, Ben anna, Harry Hodgson, saac incent-Emery, ukas Collins, lastair Tierney, Edward eggin, Jamie ingsbury, ikayo Okusanya, Woody agger, gastya ahkar, aryan Nair, ustin u, aniel ushchay, ewis Pettengell, Christian Hiemstra, Joshua McMurran, Olly Meier, bid Wasif, avikaran rishnaruban, uvan Meka, ston Thygesen, eo Clavier and Harry Maling.

ear and continue to be motivated by oodleMaths achieving high streaks (number of days in a row) in their Maths learning. Special mentions go to

■ aniel ee ( ear ) ■ Thomas Mc onald ( ear ) ■ Henry Hillier ( ear ) ll with streaks of over days.

■ Gene Baker ( ear ) ■ Jacob Schouten ( ear ) ■ Jonathan Pugsley ( ear ) ll with streaks of over days.

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Science

Below: Y6 students spark their curiosity by combusting methane Inset: Creating structures from spaghetti and marshmallows during the House Science Competition

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

Mr Dan Mason, Head of Science

t has been a brilliant year in Science with lots of new experiences and topics being added to the curriculum, as well as the continuation of some of the most popular activities from recent years. Highlights included our Earth Day celebrations, the House Science competition, some fascinating evenings at the planetarium and observatory and a Y7 trip to the National Space Centre in Leicester. We also welcomed two chameleons, a tortoise and another corn snake to our ever-expanding menagerie housed in the back of the science labs and to the wellestablished and hugely popular Animal Care Club on Mondays. There was quizzing success in November

with Sacha Ryan (Y5), Eben Clarke (Y6), Zachary Caldy (Y5) and Isaac Dailey (Y6) performing superbly in the area heat of Quiz Club’s Science Quiz Championship to take ninth place and secure a spot in the semifinals. The boys oined teams from schools online to compete in the area final, answering questions such as ‘Which star is closest to the Earth?’ (Answer: Proxima Centauri) and “Which subatomic particle did J J Thomson discover?’ (Answer: the electron). The start of the Summer Term saw boys in Y5 to Y8 step up to play their part in helping to build a brighter and greener future as they participated in a wide range of activities for Earth ay . Throughout the day, the

boys learned about climate change and the importance of protecting the environment, engaging in scientific activities looking at the water cycle, clean water and renewable energy through water wheels. They acted

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Science Students create an epic eagle with recycled plastic bottles as part of Earth Day

Y7 and Y8 students work on the school garden during Earth Day

as roving reporters to create news stories on and around the issues raised by climate change, as well as creating eye-catching art by reusing plastic bottles to create a giant eagle and packaging tape to create incredible figure sculptures designed to interact with the school environment. Boys also engaged with coding to aid recycling, coding microbots to track which ob ects can be recycled to help to avoid ‘wishcycling’. Outside the classroom, they made a positive difference in the school

Members of Science Club explore how electricity is generated

environment by helping tidy the wildlife garden, constructing bug hotels by whittling elder and

The boys acted as roving reporters to create news stories on and around the issues raised by climate change

making bird feeders and planters from old bottles. We say two fond farewells from the department this year. Firstly, Mr Glasspool leaves after a fantastic year with us in which he has brought great enthusiasm and passion for the sub ect, as well as expert knowledge from industry. Secondly, we wish Mr Roberts a very happy retirement after 8 years as our ever-dependable, knowledgeable and generous Science Technician. The animals will definitely miss him

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Geography

GEOGRAPHY R E P O RT WORDS BY

Miss Emma Goodman, Head of Geography

n today’s fast-paced and interconnected world, there’s a sub ect that holds tremendous value and relevance for our young boys’ education: Geography. Geography serves as a gateway to understanding the world around us. It broadens horizons, instilling in boys a deep appreciation for the diverse cultures, natural wonders, and interconnectedness of our planet. By delving into geography, their young minds have embarked on a ourney of discovery. Through embracing their lessons, boys have developed critical thinking, problemsolving, and reasoning skills. They learnt to analyse patterns, make connections, and understand the impact of human actions on

“During the plate tectonics topic in Year 7, some of my favourite lessons were the lessons where we did the Montserrat evacuation and the hot chocolate experiment. The Montserrat evacuation was when we got to perform an ‘evacuation’ of Montserrat whilst the volcano was

the environment. We have encouraged boys to become active global citizens who are aware of their responsibilities in preserving and protecting our planet for future generations. Year 4 students showcased their exceptional skills during the captivating geographic workshop. With blindfolds securely in place, they fearlessly embarked on a challenge to create shapes using compass rose directions. Engaging in the activity, they ingeniously drew a compass on the ground, employing unique mnemonic rules to remember the different directions. Through this hands-on experience, the students not only had fun but also acquired valuable knowledge about techniques to determine North when lacking a compass.

erupting, this happened in different stages, and we really had to listen carefully to what was being said via the walkietalkie. The hot chocolate experiment was when we put hot chocolate powder on top of milk and warmed it in a pan. This showed how the convection currents would

It was a truly remarkable workshop that left everyone inspired and enlightened. Year 6 boys eagerly seized the opportunity to smash open a geode, unlocking a captivating lesson on their formation. With a sense of excitement, they carefully observed as the geode revealed its stunning interior. The experience provided them with a firsthand understanding of how these geodes were created over time. As a memento of their memorable adventure, each boy was granted the privilege of taking home a geode, ensuring that their remarkable experience would remain etched in their minds for years to come.

move the plates (including Pangaea). My favourite lesson from the tourism unit was when we were the designers of a national park. We had a budget that we had to stick to in order to create our park. We then gained and lost money depending on what happened over the next five,

ten, and fifteen years. Overall Geography has been one of my favourite sub ects this year with various fun activities.” Chris Gentry, Year 7 “Looking back on what I have learned this year in Geography, I particularly en oyed studying the plate

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Geography tectonics unit. Mrs Goodman taught us about the key factor that causes the movement of tectonic plates, which is convection currents. To gain a better understanding of how this process works, we conducted a fun experiment using cocoa powder and milk. First, we poured milk into a pan and sprinkled cocoa powder on top. Then, we heated it up, and the cocoa powder dispersed, demonstrating the movement of tectonic plates. Through this experiment, I gained a deeper understanding of convection currents and continental drift. It was during this time that my love for Geography truly ignited.” Simon Zhang, Year 7 Each team was allocated a virtual 100-acre plot of undeveloped land and given a budget of £150 million to spend on various amenities, ranging from natural features like mountains and rivers, to recreational attractions such as roller coasters and casinos, as well as essential services like cafes, hotels, hospitals, and fire stations. The boys quickly collaborated to create an appealing attraction, considering the needs and interests of their target audience while also being mindful of potential challenges. To assess the viability of each team’s plans, the advantages and disadvantages were evaluated to determine their profitability over a fiveyear period. After calculating the financial gains or losses, the boys had the opportunity to modify their attractions to improve their prospects (unless they had already lost all their money ). The ob ective was to determine which parks would endure over time, lasting ten or even 25 years, and identify the most successful tourism

business teams. While not all teams achieved success, the lessons learned were well-received by the boys and enhanced their understanding of different types of tourism and emerging trends in the industry. “Throughout this year in Geography, designing our very own tourist locations was personally my favourite activity. In my opinion, it was the best activity because it had an element of chance, resembling a game of bingo or roulette, which made it exciting and unpredictable. Additionally, we were able to work in pairs with classmates, making it more collaborative and easier, as they say, ‘two heads are better than one’. The game began with each team of two being allocated a budget of 150 million pounds, which we had to carefully allocate to create a sustainable and popular tourist destination.” Words by Cayo Sinclair, Year 7 “This year has been full of wonderful and amazing lessons. A few highlights included a really fun lesson called the 5-15 years experiment. In this activity, we had to stick to a budget and carefully add and innovate cafes, lakes, fun activities, and basic necessities. The ob ective was to ensure that our park was attractive enough to attract people and sustain its operations.” Archie Fleming, Year 7 “The role play activity was one of the best activities we could have done because it required us to

have compelling reasons for wanting specific changes in the park. The ob ective of the game was to gather a list of names of people who either agreed or disagreed with our proposals. It was challenging to persuade people to agree with our statements, especially when they had already aligned themselves with someone advocating the opposite. In my case, I played the role of a bird watcher who wanted a separate area for dogs, away from the bird hut, to prevent them from scaring away the birds. Overall, this task was en oyable and greatly contributed to our lessons.” Alex Woodhouse, Year 7 “Geography has been an exhilarating ourney for us this year, filled with captivating pro ects such as the Otzi the Iceman and the fascinating history of the Titanic. During the initial weeks, our focus was on the captivating world of glacial erosion, gaining insights into the formation and movement of glaciers along coastlines and mountainous terrains. In the subsequent term, we learnt about coastal erosion and deposition, confining a wide array of captivating sub ects. inally, we learnt about urbanisation, examining the dynamic growth and development of cities. We underwent block tests encompassing diverse geography topics and culminating in comprehensive exams. Overall, Geography was a blast this year, especially with Mrs Goodman Raihaan Adil, Year 8 “Geography this year has been completely immersing and fascinating. We have explored a huge variety

of topics. n our first term we started strong with the topic of glaciers. In this unit we spent time learning about glacial processes but also spent time understanding more about intriguing topics like Otzi the Ice Man and the Titanic. In term two, we were learning about coasts doing independent pro ects on the formation of a spit, which resulted in some fascinating builds, videos and games being shared in class. In the final term, we spent most of our time preparing for exams however still managed to fit in some good pro ects and topics on extreme weather. Overall, Geography this year has been amazing we have been given opportunities to learn independently and in groups covering engaging topics throughout.” Isaac Johnson, Year 8 “We started off the year by taking part in an exhilarating Antarctica Exploration mission (within the cosy confines of our own classrooms, naturally). Prior to setting off on our mission, we had to buy provisions. Subsequently, we found ourselves immersed in realistic scenarios and were “punished” if we hadn’t packed appropriately, such as losing a toe due to frost bite. I feel that this was a very nice introduction to our Glaciation unit.” Words by Dylan Uppal, Year 8. “All boys in 8JG worked hard over two weeks to create a piece of prep around coastal features for Geography. Some boys created models and others created mechanised pro ects. One boy even made a video game on Scratch Edward Keggin, Year 8

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Modern Foreign Languages

Below: Le Gruffalo courtesy of our youngest boys

MFL R E P O RT WORDS BY

Madame Kelly Faulkner, Head of Modern Foreign Languages

earning languages is crucial for children and we are delighted to play our part in this at Bedford Prep School, through our exciting and interactive French, German and Spanish lessons. Learning another language promotes cognitive development by enhancing memory, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. It fosters cultural understanding, empathy,

and respect for diversity as our boys gain insights into different traditions and perspectives. Ultimately, early language learning enriches our boys’ lives, broadens their horizons, and equips them with valuable skills for success in an ever-changing world. hope you en oy this snapshot of what the boys have been up to this year in MFL.

SJ Gill in Y6 created a whole website to help himself and his peers revise for their Summer French exam. He included some instructional videos, games and stories and earned a Headmaster’s Commendation for his hard work.

Y3 OXFORD UNIVERSITY

The boys en oyed being part of Oxford University’s research programme recently, where they were trying to establish how children learn a new language. Our boys spent two sessions doing interactive games to learn Japanese, and the data gained on how well the boys managed with the different tasks will be used to create language learning programmes in the future. Heike Krusemann, the Oxford University Researcher, said “ The boys were wonderful, thank you so much for being involved in this language learning experiment.”

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O 2022 2023

ur Y7 and Y8 boys headed to Berlin over February half term for a wonderful German adventure. After arriving, the boys were soon out exploring the incredible history, art and blend of cultures in this exciting city, taking in Parliament and the iconic Brandenburg Gate. Next, the boys en oyed a cultural tour of the East Side Gallery, an inspiring . km openair gallery of murals by 118 artists from 21 countries on the longest surviving section of the Berlin Wall, followed by a scary trip to the Berlin Dungeons. A walking tour of Berlin took the boys to the striking and haunting Holocaust Memorial. Within its information centre, the boys saw the names and dates of birth and death of the Jewish people, men, women and children locked up in the concentration camps during the Second World War. It was then on to the Olympic stadium, another location with an eye-opening history. Food, as always, was a real highlight for the boys, who got to try their first Currywurst mit Pommes in an Imbiss (takeaway kiosk) as part of a tasting session. The following evening, they were confident enough to order

their own from another Imbiss. A real treat to eat and an even bigger treat to hear the boys’ great German language skills The boys also en oyed exploring museums: from the Checkpoint Charlie Museum to the Futurium for a futuretastic adventure. A speedy shopping trip to the famous Ampelmann shop, a dedicated shop for the symbolic East German traffic light, proved popular,

especially as the boys spotted this little figure all around the city, which made for a memorable aspect of the trip. Throughout the week, boys soaked up the city’s culture, practised their German, expertly navigated the city’s underground and sampled copious amounts of local cuisine. Then, as with all the best trips, it was time to return home all too soon but complete with a wealth of experiences to remember.

Y7 & 8 BERLIN

Y 8 S PA N I S H A DV E N T U R E S

Above and right: Y8 boys loving the sights of Barcelona

arcelona was the destination for this summer’s Y8 Spanish Trip, and what an action-packed four days it proved to be. fter a morning flight, the boys headed straight to Camp Nou for a tour of the iconic stadium that is home of FC Barcelona. Then, after a quick and refreshing dip in the hotel pool overlooking the sea, the boys were off again for a cookery demo in making paella - and an allimportant tasting Day two started with touch rugby on the beach, followed by some sea kayaking before the boys headed off to explore the city. Highlights of the day included taking in the stunning Sagrada Familia and sampling the food along Las Ramblas, the iconic tree-lined boulevard in the heart of Barcelona. Then it was time for more sport, this time ten-pin bowling. The boys’ language skills were tested on day three as they oined pupils from a local Spanish school to learn about the differences and similarities between their school lives. The pupils then en oyed a spot of friendly competition with a city quest treasure hunt and a couple of hotly contested football matches, in which our A team managed a - draw - a Spanish trip all-time best result But, as with all good things, all too soon, it was time to say adiós and head for home with a wealth of experiences to remember, a greater understanding and appreciation of the Spanish language and culture and some newfound friends

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History

H I S TO RY R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Paul Dennis, Head of History

The study of history is not merely a chronicle of events but an exploration of the human experience that shaped our world. At Bedford Prep School we aim to look at captivating historical topics, highlighting key figures, events, and eras that have shaped the course of British and global history.

YEAR 6

ear 6 starts by delving into the fascinating era of the Tudor dynasty, beginning with the ascension of Henry VII in 1485. The boys learnt about the Battle of Bosworth, and the consolidation of power by the Tudor monarchs beginning with the captivating reign of Henry VIII, known for his six marriages and the religious changes he brought to England. Boys looked into the reasons behind Henry’s divorces, the Break from Rome, and the subsequent establishment of the Church of England. Next comes the reign of Mary I, exploring why she earned the epithet “Bloody Mary” examining the religious conflicts of the time, the persecution of Protestants, and the challenges faced by the first

queen regnant of England. The year ends with the transformative reign of Elizabeth I, highlighting her accomplishments, the defeat of the Spanish rmada, and the flourishing of arts and culture during the Elizabethan era.

YEAR 7

uring my first year at this school, have had excellent opportunities to expand my knowledge of history. As a year group, we have learnt all about our Year 7 topics of James I and the Gunpowder Plot to the English Civil War and the trial/execution of Charles I. In our lessons we have progressed our knowledge through fun research tasks and debates. Along with this we are

encouraged to see different perspectives on how the government may have used the Gunpowder Plot to frame the Catholics. In the Spring Term, we learnt about the rule of Charles I, his troubled relationship with Parliament and how this acted as the catalyst for the English Civil War and later on how the Civil War was fought. In the Summer Term we learnt about Oliver Cromwell rising throughout the ranks of Britain’s’ army all the way to ieutenant-General finishing the end of the Summer Term by looking at Oliver Cromwell’s actions to see if we and the public at the time would view him as a hero or villain. Joseph Roberts (7M)

YEAR 8

have really enjoyed Year 8 History this year, especially the British Empire. In the Autumn Term we learnt about The Industrial Revolution and Jack the Ripper, it was fascinating to understand how Britain has changed over the years and why Victorian London made it easy

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History

Year 6 enjoying the array of activities on offer during Tudor Day

for ‘Jack’. In the Spring Term we learnt about the British Empire and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade - found the horrific Middle Passage interesting. In the Summer Term we learnt about the abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights Movement in the USA. I thought this was a great topic to learn about as it taught us awareness about racism and segregation, and we were able to make links to the modern day. We looked at multiple different leaders against racism in the 20th century, such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King. I am looking forward to continuing history and the new topics we will learn about in the Upper School. Freddie Barnes (8KD)

TOWNSENDWA R N E R PRIZE

2022 2023

his year’s Townsend Warner prize was nothing short of exhilarating, uplifting and occasionally tough to the core. I, and I am sure everyone else who took part in it can say this, am incredibly proud to have competed in a national pri e in which figures such as George Orwell, Cyril Connoly and Kwasi Kwarteng all took part in. The first round was a series of one hundred questions about a vast range of historical subjects. In this round, more than 1,000 children from years 6-8 fought to enter the top 250, who were all heading to the final round. n our school, only two made it through, me and Oliver Barbour ( ear ), with me coming second in the first round The second round was to write five essays on different subjects, both historical and political. This proved to be rather more challenging than the opening round, but we prevailed, and we did pretty well, I would say. I came 7th nationally and Oliver came 67th, a 70-place increase since last year. I am happy with my result, but hopefully, we can win next year George Plumley (7M)

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Latin

Y 6 L AT I N R E P O RT

his year in Y6 we had the great pleasure to be able to dive into the wonderful culture of the ancient Greeks and Romans. We began the year learning about Greek history, then proceeded to learn about the myths and legends of ancient Greece. The enthusiasm of the boys as they learned about all the gods, quests, and expeditions of ancient myths always enriches our lessons. “My favourite part was learning all about Odysseus’ travels and the mishaps of his crew, as they were very funny to read and made for great lessons full of fun.” Words by Laith Shadid (6A)

L AT I N R E P O RT

“My favourite part of Latin was learning about Alexander the Great; I always found the mystery surrounding his sudden death fascinating and found his bravery shocking. I also enjoyed learning about all the gods and goddesses, especially Poseidon, as their unique features are amazing.”By Kian Walia (6C) “I really liked learning about the Greek army, and all the clever strategies they used to win their wars. I also loved learning about the Odyssey and ﬁnding out all the things Odysseus did to escape from all those sticky situations.” By Nikhil Das Gupta (6O)

Y 7 L AT I N R E P O RT

his year we got the great opportunity to explore all the different aspects of Latin grammar and ancient Roman life. For the language part, we explored all the similarities between Latin and many of today’s modern languages and learned all about the tenses and declensions. For the classical civilisation part of our year, we got to learn about ancient Pompeii and followed the life of Caecillius, an ancient Roman banker, and his family. We discovered many intriguing aspects of ancient Roman society including the role of

slaves and the fights of gladiators. We visited the Roman baths in Welwyn and enjoyed many exciting activities at the Roman museum. “I loved learning about all the different types of gladiators and how they fought, and I particularly enjoyed going on the Latin trip to Welwyn.”By Joshua Yuen, Winner of Latin Prize 2023 (7AG)

Y 8 L AT I N R E P O RT

n Y8 we continued to explore ancient Roman society and we learnt all about the eruption of Vesuvius. We visited Verulanium and enjoyed witnessing the legacy of Rome in Britain. For the language part, we explored new cases such as dative and genitive. This made our translation more accurate and allow us to explore complex Latin texts.

“Latin has been more challenging this year but very enjoyable. I also study Spanish and I found that Latin really helps with that!” Abid Wasif 8JG “I had fun studying Latin this year and particularly enjoyed going on the Latin trip to Verulanium because it was really interesting to see how the Romans were in Britain” Matthew Moretto 8JG “I found the new cases very interesting and enjoyed using OneNote as it is used in the Upper School.” Joshua McMurran 8JG “I found it extremely useful to learn the different verb endings in Latin as they really helped me with French.” Dylan Uppal 8JG

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Religious Studies RE REPORT YEAR 6

YEAR 7 RE REPORT

by Kian Walia

by Ibrahim Khalid, Year 7 RE Prize Winner

ow, what another phenomenal year ear have had a very busy, yet a super exciting year of R.E. We started the academic year with Christianity and more specifically topics of worship denominations; church buildings; festivals; and miracles within the Christian Church. We covered subjects like Passover, Palm Sunday, Easter, Christmas as well as many more. We were also fascinated by the rich history, art and the fabulous facts of this important religion. As an additional personal enquiry, I took the lead and made a presentation, sharing highlights of my own religion, Sikhism. To support my presentation to the class, I showed our holy book which is kept safely at my home. I also talked about our clothing, hair coverings, prayer, and the Gurudwara. It was fun to answer my friends’ questions and teach them a little more about my religion. During the second half the of the year, we moved on to the world of Buddhism where we learnt about the history of the Buddha and the origins of this philosophy. I was interested to learn that Buddhists use meditation as a tool to help them cope with everyday life and that their way to manage suffering is to detach. We explored the topics of Nirvana, the Eightfold Path to Enlightenment, Puja, Mudras and Meditation. Buddhism and Christianity were really fascinating religions to learn about and it reinforced that no matter what someone’s faith is, everyone is equal.

2022 2023

R.E. R E P O RT

YEAR 8 RE REPORT

Thomas Davidson, RE prize winner

E lessons this year have been captivating. n the first term, we learned about differing accounts of how the world was created; the origins of Judaism; and the Jewish patriarchs. This included looking at the story of God creating the Earth in Genesis; the story of Adam and Eve and how they were expelled from the Garden of Eden, leading to the idea of Original Sin; and one of my favourite stories - David and Goliath, which sparked some great class discussions. During the second term, we focused on the main beliefs and practices of Judaism today. We discovered that Judaism has around 14 million followers, that they have a belief in one God called Yahweh and how they consider themselves as God’s ‘chosen people’. The Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, is incredibly important to them and offers over mit vot (or laws) on how to live This was an interesting course of study for me as I had little previous knowledge and it was good to learn about their various festivals and holy days (such as the Sabbath). Towards the end of the year, we studied the Holocaust and how Jews were treated under Hitler’s rule, including the operation of death camps. This was chilling and very sad, however, it is important that we learn about this so that we can honour those who suffered and so that we ensure it can never happen again. Overall, RE this year has been fascinating, and I’ve enjoyed the lively class discussions and learning about the Jewish faith.

n Year 7, we explored many different beliefs and considered various philosophical questions and debates. We learnt about the early Christians including Jesus and his disciples’ unique backstories, and we took a deep dive into the many components of Islam, such as the Five Pillars, the religion’s history and how it was created. After that, we studied philosophy and ethics engaging in multiple arguments and debates and acknowledging famous philosophers like Plato and Socrates, learning about their personal life and achievements as well as their theories on some of the ‘big questions’ in life. In the Autumn Term, we began by taking a look at Early Christianity, and I took part in many discussions about God, Jesus, the Holy Trinity and their relationship with each other. This subject was very interesting as I could learn about the perspectives of God in a religion separate to my own, and it deeply fascinated me. After that, we studied Islam learning about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the main beliefs of the religion. I enjoyed sharing my personal experiences about Islam, such as fasting, praying and my connection with God, which interested many other boys during discussions in lessons. We elaborated on Hajj, Sawm, Shahadah, Zakat and Salah – the Five Pillars. We reflected and shared opinions on many questions like ‘Is Hajj the most important pillar of Islam?’ which I thoroughly enjoyed as I could hear many people’s perspectives on the topic and share my own arguments. I believe that Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca - is very important as Muslims around the world come together to perform religious rituals that have been performed since the beginning of Islam and it brings a sense of equality and unity. Finally, in the Summer term, we explored philosophy and ethics, debating on many questions revolving around making tough moral decisions and justifying your answer. For example, we considered somebody’s character, job and age, and how it impacts someone’s worth. This was then applied to various moral dilemmas or ‘thought experiments’. I enjoyed thinking creatively and hearing others’ ideas very much, and I look forward to deepening my understanding of this topic in Year 8.

THE ARTS

W H I N C H AT

Music Leo Clavier demonstrating all he has learnt in DJ lessons

WORDS BY

Mrs Joanne Gedye, Prep School Head of Music

M U S I C R E P O RT

s another successful year draws to a close, we reflect upon the remarkable achievements and musical delights that have graced our department. The boys, along with the dedicated Music staff, have once again left us in awe with their exceptional talents and boundless enthusiasm. It is with great pride and gratitude that we acknowledge their contributions, making this year a resounding success. Throughout the year, the Prep Informal

Concerts served as a delightful showcase of the boys’ progress and growth. These concerts, designed to foster confidence in performing before an audience in a relaxed setting, witnessed an impressive increase in first-time performers. The significance of this opportunity cannot be overstated, as it allows our young musicians to nurture their skills and flourish. The culmination of this series was the Instrumental Starter Presentation, an epic event held in the Erskine May Hall.

This event celebrated our ground-breaking initiative of providing free instrumental lessons within the curriculum to all Year 5 and 6 boys. The resplendent sounds of the instrumentalists reverberated throughout the hall, captivating the audience, who responded with rapturous applause. The Autumn and Summer Concerts further dazzled us with a kaleidoscope of musical magic from every corner of the Music Department. From awe-inspiring choirs to numerous bands, ensembles, and orchestras, the audiences were treated to an auditory feast. The level of musical proficiency achieved by these groups continues to astound us, reaffirming the depth of talent within our department. Other highlights of the year were the fiercely contested House Singing, Composition Competition, and Prep Music Competition. These events not only showcased the boys’ diversity and skill but also provided a platform for them to express their creativity. Congratulations to all the participants who poured their hearts into these competitions. However, the pinnacle of this year’s musical endeavours was undoubtedly the Year 5-8 Musical Production of ‘Yanomamo’ – the world’s first ecological musical. Transporting the audience to the Amazon Rainforest, this remarkable production delved into the struggles faced by the Yanomami People, their delicate balance with nature, and the consequences of outsiders’ intrusion. With catchy songs, endearing characters like the sloth and an ant army, and a powerful message, the 89-member cast brought this important story to life in a truly magical manner. Each boy involved demonstrated brilliance on stage, leaving an indelible impression on all who witnessed their performance. As we bid farewell to another year of music making, heartfelt thanks must be extended to the tireless Music staff, whose unwavering dedication and energy have been instrumental in nurturing the boys’ talents. However, the greatest appreciation must be directed towards the boys themselves. It is their unyielding enthusiasm and unwavering ‘give it a go’ attitude that has fuelled our collective success. Without their passion and commitment, our musical endeavours would lack the vibrancy and vitality that make them so special. Looking ahead, we eagerly anticipate the coming year with enthusiasm. The foundation of this year’s accomplishments will serve as a springboard for even greater achievements. Onwards and upwards we go; the possibilities are endless. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those involved and eagerly await the melodious symphony that awaits us in the future.

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THE ARTS

Prep School boys enjoying various ways of making music

The Prep Informal Concerts served as a delightful showcase of the boys’ progress and growth

2022 2023

THE ARTS

W H I N C H AT

Design Technology

DT R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Michelle Aldridge, Head of Design Technology

he Design and Technology Department has consistently strived to provide students with a stimulating and comprehensive learning experience, fostering creativity, problem-solving skills, and technological literacy. The Design and Technology Department

revised the curriculum to align with current industry standards and emerging trends. This included integrating advanced technologies, such as electronics into project-based learning activities with the outcome of an electronic USB fan, LED handheld light and mini battery-operated fan car. The department actively collaborated with other subject areas, such as Science, Mathematics, and Art, to create interdisciplinary projects that encouraged students to apply their design and technology skills in real-world contexts. A new emphasis was placed on sustainable design and practices, educating students about environmentally friendly materials, energy-efficient solutions, and

recycling processes. This approach aimed to develop students’ awareness of the environmental impact of design choices. Students showcased exceptional creativity and problem-solving abilities through their projects. Examples include designing and constructing functional products, developing and gaining deeper subject knowledge and skills. Several students from the Design and Technology and the Computer Science Department collaborated together and participated in regional robotics competitions, securing great recognition for their efforts. Their achievements reflect the department’s commitment to nurturing talent and promoting excellence. The department invested in upgrading

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Boys show exceptional focus in DT lessons.

THE DT AWARDS 2023

Well done to the following boys for all their efforts and outstanding work this year and gaining a DT award:

Designer:Ollie Clements Manufacturer: Herbie Squire

Designer:Hugo Reddy Manufacturer: Tommy Barker

Designer: William Wootton Manufacturer: Oscar Goodeve

The D 2 202

RD AWA

Designer: Noah Campbell Manufacturer: Austin Reddy

Designer:Leo Tapp Manufacturer: Bertie Parry

YR. 8

Designer: James Angus Manufacturer: Harry Hodgson

2022 2023

Special Award for outstanding work: Evan Byrne Special Award for outstanding work: Ned Neale Special Award for outstanding work: Jasper Stone Special award for outstanding work: Veer Ramani Special Award for outstanding work: Arlo Mallison Special Award Aaniketh Gusswami Overall Best designer Jacob Schouten Overall Best manufacturer Max Blake Best DT Student of the Year: Oscar McCartie

A new emphasis was placed on sustainable design and practices, educating students about environmentally friendly materials, energyefﬁcient solutions, and recycling processes. some of our equipment in the workshop, which included a class set of wireless soldering irons. This allowed students to work with industry-standard equipment and enhanced their practical skills within learning how to solder, plus the theory behind electronics.

The introduction of industry-standard design software, such as Solid works, a CAD software that has empowered students to create high-quality digital presentations. This development improved their technical proficiency and prepared them for future design careers.

The Design and Technology Department at Bedford Prep School has experienced a successful year, marked by notable achievements, student engagement, and technological advancements. The department’s commitment to providing a well-rounded education, integrating cuttingedge technology, and fostering creativity has yielded positive outcomes. The successes described in this report demonstrate the department’s dedication to empowering students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in design-related fields. Moving forward, the Design and Technology Department will continue to innovate, adapt to industry changes, and inspire students to become confident and proficient designers and technologists.

W H I N C H AT

Art

YEAR 8

A RT R E P O RT

Mr Phil Studd , Head of Art

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AC ADEMIC

Art 02

*For individual artist credits turn to page 87

THE ARTS

Drama

W H I N C H AT

O C TO B E R 2 0 2 3

Drama

Main picture Bedford Prep School’s Got Talent Photos as a part of the Curriculum Collapse ay

DRAMA R E P O RT

WORDS BY

Mrs Patsy Turton, Head of Prep School Drama

hat an exciting year it has been in the Drama department this year! t’s a oy to see rama flourishing throughout the Prep School and more performance opportunities developing so that all boys from ears to can utilise the benefits rama has to offer. rom enhancing emotional intelligence and communication skills to fostering collaboration, creativity, and personal growth, rama plays a vital role in developing well-rounded individuals. Whether participating in formal theatre productions or engaging in drama-based exercises and workshops, boys can reap the rewards of improved self-confidence, effective communication, and a deeper understanding of themselves and others. Embracing rama as a means of personal and interpersonal development can have a transformative impact on individuals’ lives and as we look back on the year it’s been a privilege to see so many boys participate in rama activities. ears and and ears and rama clubs continued to grow this year. Boys en oyed the opportunity to explore a range of skills including radio interviews, improvisation, devising, and costume designing. Pupils en oyed learning a variety of skills. ears and Tech Club has been a firm favourite for many years and this year did not disappoint. Run by Mr.Tearle, in the utumn Term, our tech pupils ac uired an understanding of lighting and backstage elements of the Theatre. This has especially ignited interest in boys who have a keen interest in rama but prefer not to perform. n addition, it allows their interest and knowledge to grow whilst working with the uarry Theatre technician. n the utumn Term, ear en oyed a trip to Milton eynes Theatre to see Charlie and the Chocolate actory. We were transported to a delightful, chocolatey world of awe and wonder. The digital effects and interdisciplinary techni ues used in the show were a real insight to how theatre can bring

THE ARTS

W H I N C H AT

Drama the magic to the stage and how technical elements can support this. real highlight this year was the launch of Bedford Prep Schools Got Talent. Boys across all year groups had the opportunity to audition for the event, and the finalists took to the stage in front of the udges, Mr Silk and Mrs versen, who had the challenging task of choosing the winners. s always, the boys demonstrated that they are an incredibly talented bunch - we saw acts from magicians, singers, comedians and musicians, o-yo skills and Rubix Cube challenges. aniel Joaille-Burge ( ear ) and Samuel Hughes ( ear ) were our resident nt and ec for the evening, taking on the challenge that any live performance gives and handling it extremely professionally. aniel ee won the ear to ear category, and ian Walia won the ear to ear category to lift the first-ever Bedford Prep School’s Got Talent trophies. The whole premise around this idea was to give boys the opportunity to perform and showcase their talents in a supportive environment, no matter how experienced. t truly was a oy to watch the boys shine. nother first this year was a collaboration between the rama department and the rench department to bring a ear production of The Gruffalo, in rench, of course. Boys worked so hard in their lessons to learn their scripts, in rench, and met weekly to learn and develop their acting skills and put the play together. What a triumph. One ’m confident the Gruffalo himself would have been proud of House rama took shape in the form of a play in a day’. Throughout the day, the boys worked hard rehearsing for the evening’s competition. While in the uarry Theatre, boys created lighting states for each House’s play. The result was an extraordinary evening. ollowing the boys’ brilliant performances of Jay and The Peacock, The ox and The Stork, The Goose and The Golden Egg and The Mouse and The ion, Harpur House was named the overall winner by udge Craig Stratton, irector of ance and rama, Bedford Girls’ School, and Oliver Gibson ( ear ) from Bunyan House the most promising actor. The evening also helped to raise for the school’s House charities.

What loved most about rama this year is the final rama pro ect. loved this as en oyed acting out my own piece written by my group, and it was fun doing it in a group and showing others. also loved thinking of ideas for it and working together with other classmates. Jun Oakes, Year 8

2022 2023 real delight every year is the school production and this year, ear to performed anomamo’. collaboration with the music department, the boys transported their audience to the ma on Rainforest and the oldest ndian tribe living there, the anomamo. The musical, based on the struggles of the reallife anomani People, explored how the arrival of outsiders and their plans to clear the trees affects the delicate balance of nature and - if no action is taken - what will happen to the rainforests, which are crucial to the world’s ecosystem. The performances took place in the

rama this year has been absolutely brilliant for me and have thoroughly en oyed it. My favourite thing that we have done this year was going to see Charlie and the chocolate factory at Milton eynes. This trip really opened my eyes as to how ama ing the acting was but it also made me reflect and realise what can personally do to improve. rama has helped me so much from ear all the way to ear and helped me with public speaking’ Geroge Garosi, Year 8

uarry Theatre, over three days and gave the boys a real insight into what it was like to perform in a working professional theatre. n ear academic lessons, boys have learnt a variety of theatre rama skills through a range of skills based knowledge learning. We have explored practitioners and put their theories into practice further strengthening boys’ understanding and aiding their transition into. pper School rama lessons. n area pupils have particularly en oyed this year was forming mini theatre companies and have en oyed learning about marketing, box office sales and script writing skills this term in order to form an idea for devising theatre t’s been an absolute honour to see so many boys take part in the many Drama opportunities on offer in the Prep School and as drama continues to grow we look forward to seeing what the academic year has in store!

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THE ARTS

Speech & Drama

S P E E C H & D R A M A R E P O RT WORDS BY

By Mrs Patsy Turton, Head of Drama and Speech and Drama

peech and rama in the Prep School continues to flourish with boys across the year groups en oying Speech and rama lessons. Bedfordshire Speech and rama estival n the Spring Term boys participated in the much loved Bedford Speech and rama estival which sees thousands of pupils from schools across the region compete in a variety of categories such as erse Speaking, Prose reading, Write and Read a story, ramatic Solos, cting for Screen and much more Our boys took to the stage and flourished. Scooping up a remarkable top-three placings between them and, impressively,

Christopher Gentry ( ear ), Cayo Sinclair ( ear ) were selected to perform in the Gala Concert with their erse Speaking uet. great honour and a remarkable achievement. (Results chart below) LAMDA Results: n the Summer Term all boys undertook their M Exams in cting, erse and Prose and Public Speaking. Our amda results this year have been some of our best yet. We have had pass rate ( boys) with the following scores 82 Distinction 48 Merit 6 Passes

Special mention has to go to James Workman ( ear ) with , Marcos raile- ara ( ear ) with , Wilfred S uire ( ear ) , Monty dams ( ear ) and Harrison yers ( ear ) with Congratulations to all boys for your hard work, dedication and professionalism throughout.

W H I N C H AT

Speech & Drama Wednesday 8th March

BEDFORDSHIRE SPEECH AND D R A M A R E S U LT S 2 0 2 3 Saturday 5th March Names

ryan Sohanpal

ramatic Solo

Oliver

uince

ramatic Solo

Joshua incoln

ramatic Solo

Sacha Ryan

Class no

hushal Pattni

Class Write and Read a Story

Year

Result

William Paull

Henry incoln

erse Speaking Solo

ngelo Milioto

dam Purdie Toby Huiskamp

erse Speaking

uet

lex Woodhouse

erse Speaking

uet

ucas Hill

erse Speaking Solo

Christopher Gentry

erse Speaking Solo

rchie leming

Joshua Worboys uke Mitchell

Sunday 6th March

Group Poem

Wilfred S uire and Sebastian Bodfield

r un Niravane

Prepared Reading

Milan

Prepared Reading

ureshi

James ngus Samuel Hughes

uologues

erse Speaking

uet

ryan Sohanpal

Write and Speak a Poem

Charles Gandesha

Write and Speak a Poem

Charlie Gibson

ramatic Solo

Gabriel Roberts rd

Thursday 9th March

Rocco Sarro

Prepared Reading

Thomas Barker

asim Sheikh

Prepared Reading

Ralph ranklin

Prepared Reading

Thomas Mc onald

erse Speaking

uet

under

Write and Read a Story Centenary Class

Milan

ureshi

Write and Read a Story Centenary Class

Monday 7th March Names

reddie olbigg and Class no.

Ethan

aubney

Class

ear

Result

Prepared Reading

aniel uotong

Write and Read a Story Centenary Class

ewis Pettengell st

Friday 10th March

Oliver Biffa

Presentation

Wilfred S uire

Prepared Reading

Thomas

Presentation

Tristan Price

Prepared Reading

Samuel Hughes

ramatic Solo

eo Mathew

ramatic Solo

saac incent-Emery

ramatic Solo

cting for Screen

any age

Ethan

r un

aubney

erse Speaking

ewe

uet

Write and Read a Story

bhay Raghunath

Write and Read a Story

Centenary Class Centenary Class

Oscar Price

dam Purdie

ramatic Solo

Sebastian Warner

cting for Screen

Hugo incent

ramatic Solo

Oliver Barbour

Write and Speak a Story

Sebastian Searle, Rhys Newman, Semilore pesin and Raihaan dil ramatic Scene Matthew Moretto, aryan Nair and Henry

Conor Hayes, Hugo incent and Harry Spencer ryan Sohanpal

ramatic Scene

Shakespeare Solo -

Write and Speak a Story

Charles Gibson

ueral

Write and Speak a Story

Samuel eomans

Write and Speak a Story

dvik Mishra

Prepared Reading ny age

ny age

Centenary Class Nirmay Patel

Prepared Reading Centenary Class

Tuesday 8th March

Toby Hudson

James Workman

erse Speaking Solo -

Gabriel Roberts

erse Speaking Solo -

ngelo Milioto

Centenary Class - Solo -

und.

Centenary Class

Monty omax

erse Speaking Solo

uologues -

Ralph ranklin and ston Emeana

uologues -

ryan Sohanpal and Oliver

Saturday 11th March

aniel Joaille-Burge

Oscar McCartie Orson Pettengell Henry Gandesha

Prepared Reading

Charles Whittle- ueral

Christopher Gentry Cayo Sinclair Henry Warner

Charles Whittle-

avidson

ramatic Scene

Prepared Reading -

Joshua Worboys

Prepared Reading -

Harry Spencer

Prepared Reading -

uologues

uince

Theo Wang, lfred Williams, dvik Mishra, Sam Millar and Nirmay Patel ramatic Scene Harry Brown, Thomas

ewe, Noah Southwell and Oliver Biffa ramatic Scene

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ENRICHMENT

Enrichment

t Bedford Prep School, we pride ourselves on providing an educational experience that extends beyond the classroom setting. In addition to our extensive co-curricular programme, we offer a wide range of enrichment opportunities which are designed to nurture the naturally inquisitive minds of boys and equip them with a sense of curiosity and love of lifelong learning.

QUIZ CLUB

In the autumn, Sacha Ryan (Y5), Eben Clarke (Y6), Zachary Caldy (Y5) and Isaac Dailey (Y6) joined 65 teams from 36 schools online

to compete in an area heat of Quiz Club’s Science Quiz Championship. They answered challenging questions such as ‘Which star is closest to earth?’ and ‘Which subatomic particle did J.J. Thomson discover?’. Performing brilliantly, the boys secured a spot in ebruary’s semi-finals.

D E B AT I N G S O C I E T Y

Also in the Autumn Term, boys from the Prep School’s Debating Society took part in a debate against Bedford Modern School. The team avidly prepared for the event for weeks: learning how to formulate logical arguments, use evidence and examples to support ideas,

Total focus for House General Knowledge

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

Ms Sophie Bamber, Head of Enrichment

W H I N C H AT

Enrichment and how to effectively rebut the opposition. Eben Clarke ( C), Oliver Smart ( C), Hugo O’Boyle ( B) and Ma or Grewal ( H) debated whether school holidays should be shortened, the issues involved in keeping animals in captivity, and whether books are more educational than films. ll boys were confident and poised and delivered their arguments succinctly with Oliver taking a worthy nd place for best overall speaker.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

eading up to the Christmas break, an exhilarating House General nowledge competition captivated the entire school. uring form time, each year group participated in heats, showcasing their knowledge and intellectual prowess. The highest-scoring boys from each year group earned the honour of representing their House in the highly anticipated final, held in January. The final was an electrifying event filled with suspense, as the contestants faced a barrage of challenging uestions. rom in uiries about Charles arwin’s iconic voyage to South merica aboard a renowned ship, to unravelling the nickname bestowed upon the city of Oxford. Compered by our brilliant ui master, Mr Guest, it was a fantastic way to celebrate the end of mid-year exams.

ENRICHMENT SEMINARS uring the spring term, we introduced an exciting array of enrichment sessions that catered for all year groups. Each week, boys were presented with a variety of options on the morning bulletin, encouraging them to explore new sub ects and expand their hori ons. The sessions offered a diverse range of

topics to engage the boys’ interests. rom a captivating Geography Escape Room, where students unravelled geographical pu les and challenges, to sessions dedicated to analysing the language used in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and exploring the intricacies of poetry with the guidance of Mr Silk. Students in ear had the opportunity to delve deeper into Circle Theorem extension work, while those in ears and embraced their creativity by crafting spooky tales. The in uisitive minds of ears to were engaged by cracking language codes and others sei ed the chance to learn the intricacies of Photoshop, solve intriguing mathematical mysteries, and gain insights into the fascinating intricacies of the Cold War through the session What made the Cold War so Chilly . To foster a hands-on approach to learning, boys also en oyed visits to the observatory and planetarium. n the lead up to exams, boys in - were also offered PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation, ink) paragraph revision clinics.

SHAKESPEARE SLAM

ebruary saw all boys across the Prep School engage with the Shakespeare Slam memorising a Shakespearean monologue and performing it to their class after half term with the winning performers delivering their piece again in a key stage assembly. This year the standard was resoundingly brilliant, and we were blown away by every performance. Congratulations again to this year’s winners Will Paul, Michael PiercyHughes, James Workman, ian Walia, dam Purdie and James ngus.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE The spring term also saw more General

2022 2023

The ui Club team ready for action

nowledge success with Chris Gentry, aniel Joaille-Burge, Matthew Moretto and Noe Simplicio taking part in the Schools Challenge General nowledge ui against Merchants Taylor School. istening to the ui master online via Microsoft Teams, boys had to use their phone as an electronic bu er. Their minds were tested with uestions about the forces commanded by Hannibal, and the precise number of syllables in each line of a Haiku. ndeterred by the trickiness of the uestions, the boys demonstrated their intellectual agility with each correct answer propelling them towards their victory and the next stage of the competition, a superb accomplishment.

YEAR 3-4 OUTDOOR C L A S S RO O M DAY On a gloriously sunny day in June, the boys of ear - eagerly participated in their annual Outdoor Classroom ay. The event commenced with a delightful theatre performance of Midsummer Night’s ream in the serene setting of the uarry gardens. ollowing this, the highly anticipated poetry recitation semi-finals took place against the magnificent backdrop of the main school building. n the afternoon, boys embarked on a carousel of creative activities hunting for bugs and handling stick insects in the uarry gardens, painting kindness stones with vibrant acrylic paints, sketching shadows in the shade of one of the Prep School’s towering trees and capturing the intricate details of various creepie crawlies. t was a terrific day with boys truly connecting with nature.

ESU PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION n the latter part of June, we had the honour of hosting the English Speaking nion’s S Public Speaking competition, and our ear team rose to the challenge magnificently. Saffal Jethwa, Jeremy unn, Nayan Pattni, and reserve participant James Workman, dedicated significant effort at home and during their lunch breaks to prepare for their presentation on the motion The Roman invasion of Britain still significantly impacts the country we live in today’. fter much research over half term, boys practised their respective roles of speaker, chair and uestioner, before taking on Brickhill Primary and delivering their presentation with poise and confidence. huge range of enriching opportunities have been offered to boys this year, and they are encouraged to keep busy’ by trying new things, developing new skills, and taking ownership of their personal growth outside of the classroom.

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School Life

Pictured right: Oracy opportunities aplenty

HOUSES

W H I N C H AT

Houses

The Eagle House boys enjoying some scrambling whilst on their annual house trip!

EAGLE HOUSE R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Ed Loader, Eagle Housemaster

nother marvellous, busy, fantastic and exciting year in Eagle House! It seems that, just like in School, no two years, or even days, in the boarding house are ever the same. Living in Eagle House is a special thing. The boarders trade one family for another, and go from a home where they may have no siblings, to another environment where they are one of many! I must compliment the boys here, especially the Year 8 group: to have progressed through a whole year where the boys have involved themselves in every activity with enthusiasm, support for their peers, and enjoyment, is no mean feat. For me as housemaster, this makes running the house a real privilege and I would like to thank all the boys for their part in making this year such a positive one. As ever, there are several moments that stick in the mind as I look back on the year. Most notably, perhaps, would be the unexpected addition of our temporary basement swimming pool after a tumultuous downpour during the October half term… This had some interesting impacts on everyone in the house, but, in true Bedford School style, the boys adapted beautifully to the changes that had to be made. This, ironically, did nothing to dampen the spirits of the house, and the year continued with high energy; weekend activities, our Christmas party, summer BBQs, endless games of football and werewolves in the house were particular highlights. For me,

O C TO B E R 2 0 2 3

however, the event that always seems to provide a resounding finale to the year is the Eagle House trip. This year, we journeyed up to Edale in the Peak District, where 21 boys enjoyed three days of fun and challenge to celebrate us all living together for a full year! On Saturday, we travelled to Alton Towers waterpark, where all the boys enjoyed the slides and wave pool. In the afternoon, we continued on to the Edale Youth Hostels Association which was our base for the trip. After settling in and enjoying some dinner, the staff and boys climbed to the top of Mam Tor, a local hill, and enjoyed the views of the beautiful Derbyshire countryside. On our second day, we took part in ‘weaselling’, which involves journeying through a boulder field and s uee ing through the gaps and holes left between the fallen rocks. They boys were ama ing at this, and particular praise must go to Edward Keggin and Hugo O’Boyle, who gave this their all and were undoubtedly ‘chief weasels’! That afternoon, we took part in

HOUSES

activities at the Youth Hostels Association. The boys had a go at Jacob’s ladder, a challenge of bravery, perseverance and teamwork. There are some notable successes here, with Carlos Zamora doing brilliantly to make the top. Several boys then followed in this impressive summiting of the ladder, with Aidan Beckham simply saying ‘I didn’t think I’d be able to do that!’ An epic game of the boys’ favourite game followed that evening; Werewolves! Max Blake putting in one of the performances of the year as the sheriff! or the final day of our trip, the boys went to enjoy Alton Towers theme park before heading back to Eagle House. A great way to celebrate the end of a good year. Looking forward, it has been fantastic to see Richard and Saffal as the ‘next

generation’ of Eagle House boys, learning from the years above them and getting stuck into all that the house has to offer. At the end of this year, we say goodbye not only to the Year 8 group, but also to Mr Lee, who leaves to take on a new challenge teaching in Singapore. Mr Lee has been a superstar in the house. He is a kind and reassuring presence with the boys, as well as always bringing fun (and occasionally a fair amount of silliness) to proceedings. He will be sorely missed by staff and boys. We wish him all the very best as he moves on. Well done to all the boys and staff for making this such a successful year.

Living in Eagle House is a special thing. The boarders trade one family for another Eagle House boys enjoying their time together

2022 2023

HOUSES

W H I N C H AT

Houses

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

Eugenie Chaillou-Kindred, Bunyan Housemaster

nother year filled with opportunities and successes for Bunyan. I felt incredibly honoured to take over from Miss Bamber and become Housemaster of Bunyan in September. We welcomed our new boys during our first assembly and each received a welcome card designed by the rest of the house. We also welcomed our House Mascot and during our second

assembly, House Captain Woody drew the name “sheep” from the list. Sheep visited many houses, including the boys who got the most merits in the first utumn Half Term. On the 1st November we completed a curriculum collapse day which emphasi ed on the uture skills and hosted the traditional House Drama. Like last year we were given the challenge to prepare a play in one day. The selected crew

received the lines before the half term break and worked during the whole day to put the play together. Sam Turton was our director, and the play was a fable inspired from Aesop called the Jay and the Peacock. It was adapted to fit a cast of keen actors. Rehearsals took place all day including a sound tech session in the uarry theatre. The performance was in the Quarry theatre in front of the actors’ parents. Mr Stratton was the adjudicator, and the plays were all well received. We assisted a wonderful catwalk on the song Vogue by Madonna from our peacocks who wore shiny costumes and beautiful peacock feathers. The results were in and Oliver Gibson received the award for being

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HOUSES

Houses

Above: Bunyan boys seed swapping for charity Left: Bunyan during House Singing Right: Bunyan House Drama team ready for action

2022 2023 the most promising actor. Unfortunately, the victory was not ours and Harpur won a second year in a row. It is worth mentioning the hard work and dedication from the crew and the great experience of the day. Well done to the following boys for taking part in the play: Olly Stopford, Ciaran Donlevy, Dominic Burton, Will Basden, Jeremy Dunn, Daniel Lee, James Workman, Oliver Gibson, Isaac Dailey, Nikhil Dasgupta, Marcos Fraile-Lara, Rafael Spajic, Alexander Woodhouse, Aidan Beckhan, Daniel Joaille-Burge, Adam Purdie, Rhys Newham, Isaac Johnson, Freddie Barnes, Oscar Price, Harry Maling, Aled Wright. The Autumn Term was also full of sporting

events such as House Badminton where both Year 8 and ear finished first. ear and Year 6 took the third place in that competition. In terms of House Rugby, Year 3 came second, ear and ear took the first place and Year 6 came second. A very big well done to everybody involved in those competitions. By the end of the Autumn, our Bunyan boys completed ui es on the ccelerated Reader Scheme placing us in first place. t was very pleasing to see so many boys dedicating time for reading and working towards their millionaire status. One particular boy who stood out is Joshua Yuen who achieved his 10 million word mark before Christmas. The utumn Term also finished on a high with Bunyan winning the future skills merits cup with a whopping total of 5061 merits earnt across the weeks from September. The first Spring Term event was the House General Knowledge. A very well done to Olly Stopford, Finn Spicer, Harris Robertson, Tristan Price, Albie Hanbury and Joshua McMurran for representing the house. We dedicated a lot of our Friday House assemblies to prepare for the House Singing event which comprised of two songs: a unison involving every boys in Bunyan and a part Song with a selected number of boys. This was the first time since we ran this event post-covid and many boys were avid to take part. I was very impressed by the beautiful performance on both songs and would like to congratulate everybody for their efforts. Despite not winning the house singing event, the Bunyan flag flew high and proud for several weeks in a row during the first half of the Spring Term, which is a true testament to the hard work of everybody. We marked Shrove Tuesday

with our annual pancake race where Rohan Dasgupta, Robert Lammie, Aaniketh Gusswami Angelo Rampello, Daniel Joaille-B, Jacky Hou and Oscar Price represented the house. This year we decided to raise funds for the charity C.R.Y which raises awareness of cardiac arrest in the young. This is a charity which means a lot to us as it affected the Prices when they sadly lost their older brother Aiden. The mystery seed and seedling swap events were both very successful and raised a brilliant £344 which will be added to the other fundraising events including the non-uniform days. Sporting events carried on in the Spring Term with many events including House S uash, House Badminton, and House Swimming to name a few. Bunyan excelled at House Hockey with Year 5, Year 7 and ear placing first in the competition. This is certainly a sport Bunyanites have terrific skills in We e ually kept busy in the Summer Term with the exciting Sports Day where many boys took the chance to represent our house in both track and field events. very big well done to everybody taking parts in the different race and field events. As I feel it is time for me to move on, I will cherish my fond memories of this year as a housemistress and am confident that Mr Mason will be a terrific housemaster. ery well done everybody and I hope you have a brilliant summer break!

reddie flipping for Bunyan

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HOUSES

Houses

H A R P U R H O U S E R E P O RT

ohn Donne famously once said, ‘No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of a continent, a part of a main.’ This is the very essence of the House system at Bedford Prep School. We all display individual skills and talents, but we are part of a greater whole, and the boys of Harpur House repeatedly showed the power of collaboration and teamwork to achieve wonderful ends during this year. This team ethic was beautifully illustrated in the Autumn Term, when Harpur won House Drama for the second consecutive year. Our truly ensemble performance consisted of boys from Y3 to Y8, and I was privy to their fantastic focus and joyful endeavours during the rehearsal period. A huge congratulations to all the boys involved, especially Drama Captain Nathaniel Fletcher, as well as the always inspirational Mrs Loader for directing the cast so superbly, as ever. The first term of the year also saw successes for Harpur in Y3 and Y6 rugby, Y3 book reading and Y7&8 merits totals. This all added up to a very commendable second place in the

WORDS BY

Mr Andrew Whitbread, Harpur Housemaster

overall House totals at the end of the term. Harpur really got into their stride in the Spring Term with a series of stunning results. Victories came in the annual Pancake Race, Y4 table tennis, Y3 football, Y4 school run, Y3&4 book reading, Y3, Y4 and Y7 merits totals,

and the House Tug of War. The standout result of the term, if not the whole year, was Harpur’s spectacular victory in the House Singing competition. Throughout the whole rehearsal period, for both the Unison and Part Song contests, the boys displayed a multitude of Future Skills, including a positive attitude to learning the songs, selfdiscipline and tremendous focus. But, the over-riding sense one got at every rehearsal session was the great fun the boys were having. It was undoubtedly the most relaxed feeling I had ever experienced during our singing practices, and I thank all the boys for their efforts, especially the superb leadership displayed by Fikayo Okusanya for the Part Song group, who claimed a wonderful second place as they sang the very comical ‘Gosling’ song. Our Unison Wicket fun performance of The Little Mermaid’s ‘Under the Sea’ was toe-tappingly at the Big tremendous! The packed Great Hall was Harpur Bowling utterly spellbound by the boys’ engaging a and Bonana enthusiastic rendition of the Disney classic. We were all e ually transfixed by

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the performance of our talented conductor, Sammy Hughes; he was a superbly assured presence throughout the practice sessions, so we knew the boys were in safe hands to deliver on the day. Ultimately, the boys’ successful performance was down to the ‘power-house’ of energy that is the phenomenal Mrs Gedye! I am forever grateful for her infectious exuberance, fortitude and attention to detail. With such successes, it was not surprising to see our House Captain, Matthew Moretto, lift both the Merit Cup and the Term Cup at the end of Spring Term. The victories kept coming for the ‘Mighty Reds’ in the Summer Term s uash, Y3 book reading (a clean sweep for our Y3 boys!), and the collaborative spirit continued as Harpur won the House Art competition, a result of individual excellence and the number of entries submitted by

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our boys. Our hardworking Y7&8 boys also maintained their conscientious standards by coming top in their respective merit totals. As is tradition, the Sports Day at Bedford Athletics Stadium provided the perfect opportunity in the final week of term to show the school community what Harpur are all about - not only highly talented in their athletic abilities but also the loudest, most supportive team cheering on their brothersin-arms from the stands! A huge thanks to all the House Officers for all they did to help make the day run so smoothly, especially our Sports Captains, Berkley Barnicoat and Ollie Jackson, who have been a constant source of help and support throughout our busy year of House sporting competitions. Our joint Harpur boys representing their house with pride.

first place at Sports ay was testament to all the boys’ efforts on the track and in the field. n the final whole school assembly of the year, Harpur were announced as Merit Cup winners for the second consecutive term - another sign of how we have reaped the benefits of our collective efforts. Although our narrow second place in the final placings (many congratulations to Bunyan, and their outgoing Housemaster, Mde ChaillouKindred) may be tinged with a sense of ‘what might have been’, one cannot deny it has been a most memorable and highlight-packed year for Harpur. A huge thanks to the superb team of House Officers - Matthew Moretto, Toby Hudson, Berkley Barnicoat, Ollie Jackson, Sammy Hughes, Fikayo Okusanya, Nathaniel Fletcher and Amar Rai - as well as all of our wonderfully supportive House Tutors. Thanks for all the marvellous memories, Harpur

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Houses

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

Miss Penny Oakley, Howard Housemaster

‘V

ictory is in the uality of the competition, not ust the final score.’ Mike Marshall A huge thank you to Harpur, Bunyan and Whitbread for making 2022-2023 such an enjoyably competitive year! From professional conducting performances to smooth butterfly techni ue, stunning sprinting and incredible singing solos - the breadth of House Competitions has certainly oo ed uality at every turn rom the sports fields to the music halls and everywhere in between; every talent is catered for, embraced, nurtured, celebrated and valued. One of the fabulous things about Bedford Prep School is the boys’ commitment to their Houses and the sense of community it brings. It has been a pleasure to witness the boys in Howard demonstrate this in spades this year. Our assemblies together as a House have included; the History of Mothers’ Day, World Environment Day and a wonderful presentation by the House Officers on Eid,

to name but a few. We have had our House Matchbox Challenge, small group discussions and interhouse challenges; a vast array of topics and activities to engage the boys and forge that sense of community. Rugby and Badminton kept us busy in the sports arenas in the Autumn Term. Howard participated eagerly but saved their victories for other disciplines; Year 5 winning the Reading competition and Year 6 the Merits. Our first ma or victory in the race for the House Cup came at the end of the first Spring Half Term when House Singing returned to the Great Hall for the first time in years And what an occasion it was! The standard of singing was incredible and it was glorious to experience the magic of the event after such a long sojourn; the boys and their voices did not disappoint! Huge thanks to our fabulous conductor, Isaac West, who wowed the judge with his polished performance. Howard’s Part Song boys won their section with their stunning performance of ‘Sail Away,’ arranged

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by Mr Roberts. Well done on all your hard work at the rehearsals, boys! The Spring Term had many other competitions too; table tennis, general knowledge, football, hockey, swimming relays, running – I’m exhausted just reading the list! Howard won: Year 3 and Year 6 school run, Year 5, Year 6, and Year 7 table tennis, Year 3 hockey and the Year 4-8 swimming relays! Well done to those boys who represented us so adeptly. House Art also took place; this year’s theme was ‘Welcoming Refugees.’ It was a close competition resulting in an overall 2nd place for Howard. Well done to all those who entered and a special mention to Sebby Danks in Year 3 and Jack Efe Taylor in Year 5 who both placed second in their year groups. In the Summer Term Howard held their House Charity event; ‘The Howard House Olympics’. Unusual events like the ‘Balloon Waddle,’ ’The Remove-asock Bucket Balance’ and the ‘Blindfold Water-pass,’ filled the Prep School site with laughter. We had SO much fun; the boys really took on the challenges with fervour, encouraging each other and most importantly raising money for our fabulous charity; ‘Together for mental well-being.’ Thank you to everyone who supported us! From the sensitive guitar pieces to Uptown Funk on the drums and DJing, House Music was another splendid day! It showcased the breadth of musical skills in the Prep School. Howard finished in st place with notable victories for: Austin Reddy and Isaac West in the Year 5 and 6 and Year 7 and 8 Woodwind categories respectively; Oliver Gauntlett and Hugo Morgan in the Year 7 and 8 String section and Arjun Niravane in the Year 3 and 4 Piano. Well done to all those who entered and worked hard on their performances. The term continued with cricket and Sports ay the site always bu ing with activity. Y6 were successful in the Cricket and there were stand out performances at the athletics track by: Charlie Tillison, Sam Williams, Oliver Smart and Jack Efe Taylor in their sprinting endeavours. A special mention, also to Joe Southern, whose enthusiastic chanting raised the roof, a huge smile from me and Howard’s team spirit as the whole House followed with an echo! It was a special moment, indeed and Joe is officially hired for next year My officers Harry Hodgson, Olly Meier, Ollie Bodfield, Theo Rees, Ben Elliot, Isaac West, Dylan Uppal, Edward Keggin

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and Abid Wasif have all been fantastic! I have appreciated your support in so many areas, thoroughly earning your stripes, so very well done and a heart-felt thank you. I wish you luck as you move on from the Prep School. A HUGE thank you, too, to my House Staff who have stepped into the breach on more than one occasion; The boys and I are so very lucky to have had you on ‘Team Howard.’ Mr Mason, we wish you well as you change your allegiance to take up the reins as Bunyan Housemaster next year! We thank you for all you have done and will miss you very much, but we look forward to the imminent friendly rivalry! The increased opportunities for vertical groupings this year have deepened the House connections. It has been lovely to see the boys of Howard of all age groups, enjoy each other’s company, share time together and most importantly grow and learn together; a testament to how and why the house system is so wonderous. I have smiled, laughed, and been left with that awesome warm, fu y feeling of oy in so

Howard boys enjoy fun activities during Howard House Olympics

2022 2023

many arenas, so thank you all for an incredible year. It was not to be a blue cup win this time but I am sure the boys of Howard will all agree that the year has not been without it’s rewards. Enjoying the moment counts for everything in my book. It keeps you grounded and grateful for what you have. It allows you to be fully immersed in your current situation and experience it with all your senses. It improves relationships by allowing you to connect with others more deeply. And this year I believe Howard have felt more connected than ever. ‘The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job in hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.’ Vince Lombardi Have a wonderful summer, boys, your dedication and commitment to Howard House, come rain or shine, means everything. ‘Winners are not the people who never fail, but people who never uit.’ non I look forward to another exciting year ahead!

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Houses

WORDS BY

Mrs Michelle Aldridge, Whitbread Housemaster

WHITBREAD HOUSE

he academic year 2022-2023 was a remarkable period of growth and achievement for Whitbread House. Throughout the year, all students within the house showcased their talents, engaged in various academic and extracurricular activities, and fostered a sense of unity. In this report, I will highlight the accomplishments and notable events from during the past year. Whitbread house has consistently demonstrated excellence in academics, and this year was no exception. Numerous students from Whitbread House achieved outstanding academic results. The dedication and hard work of our students, combined with

the support and guidance of our committed teachers, contributed to our house’s overall academic success across all year groups. In the realm of sports and athletics, Whitbread made a strong impact throughout the year showing great sportsmanship, dedication and determination to their house. Our house members participated enthusiastically in inter-house competitions, representing Whitbread in various sporting events. We witnessed exceptional performances in sports such as football, cricket, hockey, s uash, swimming,

track and field, and much, much more. The teamwork, perseverance, and sportsmanship displayed by our students served as an inspiration to others. Whitbread House also thrived in the cultural and artistic spheres, showcasing the diverse talents of our students. Our house members actively participated in music concerts, drama productions, and art exhibitions. We celebrated the creativity and artistic flair of our students, with their contributions enriching the cultural fabric of our school. Contributing to the

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students, teachers, and staff members, creating lasting memories and strengthening the bonds within our house. would like to thank all the house officers for their fantastic efforts in supporting the house, but in particular to Max Midgley for his outstanding enthusiasm and dedication. Always being present at all events, for organising all the boys and his fellow house officers. He truly has been one ama ing house captain, a hard act to follow for the next boy to take on this role. I wish all the Year 8s luck for their next steps in their education. s we reflect on the past year’s successes, let us use them as a foundation for further growth and accomplishment in the years to come. Together, we will continue to strive for excellence, embrace new opportunities, and make a positive impact within our school and the wider community. You always do me proud Whitbread- onwards and upwards for yet another year. The force is always with you

These efforts embodied the values of empathy and compassion that Whitbread holds dear This page and opposite: Getting a soaking and bouncing for Whitbread

community has always been an essential aspect of our house’s identity. Throughout the year, Whitbread House took part in numerous charity events to raised money for S - The rmed orces Charity. These efforts embodied the values of empathy and compassion that Whitbread holds dear. Our house organi ed and participated in various inter-house competitions, fostering healthy competition and camaraderie among students. rom ui contests and debates to talent shows and sports tournaments, Whitbread House consistently demonstrated teamwork, resilience, and a spirited drive to succeed. These events brought together

2022 2023

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Charity

CHARITIES 2022-23 Legion through the sale of poppies. The Royal British Legion is a well-respected charity that provides vital support to serving and ex-serving members of the British Armed Forces, as well as their families. The sale of poppies is a symbolic gesture of remembrance and support for those who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. The funds raised through poppy sales enable the Royal British Legion to provide assistance in various ways, such as offering financial aid, housing support, career guidance, and mental health services to veterans and their families. A HUGE THANK YOU from Bedford Prep School! Total money raised £6,846.40 ■ All Nations Church Food Bank Christmas Hampers (pictured above) Once all the donations are received All Nations Church personalise each hamper for the recipient family or single person. This year they were able to provide over 850 hampers for more than 2000 people. ■ Harvest Festival Food Bank Thank you from the Food Bank - Bedford. We have supported many local families with food parcels. ■ Grange Academy: Pre-loved clothing donation. Grange Academy is a special school for 138 pupils aged 7 -16 with moderate learning difficulties, complex needs, autism and accompanying sensory and medical needs. Many of the pupils come from families who face multiple disadvantages. The school’s ethos is to empower pupils rather than teach them to rely on gifts or donations and the pupils have come up with the idea of using their reward points to exchange for clothes/shoes in a pupil led school reward shop. They earn points for their work, demonstration of school values or supporting our community. Our Bedford School community supported this initiative and helped fill their school reward store with second hand clothes which pupils receive for free in exchange for their reward points. Grange Academy were delighted with our donations thank you.

■ Madame Chaillou-Kindred: Macmillan We supported Madame ChaillouKindred on her Norfolk Coast Mighty Hike for Macmillan Cancer Support. It is a meaningful way to make a positive impact in the fight against cancer. Madame Chaillou-Kindred’s efforts in raising funds and participating in the hike are commendable. Macmillan Cancer Support is a wellknown charity in the United Kingdom that provides invaluable assistance to individuals and families affected by cancer. They offer practical, emotional, and financial support to help improve the lives of those dealing with cancer, from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. By participating in events like the Norfolk Coast Mighty Hike and raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, Madame Chaillou-Kindred has helped to ensure that people affected by cancer receive the care, support, and resources they need. It’s a fantastic cause, and your support and involvement in the hike are greatly appreciated. Remember, every contribution, no matter how big or small, can make a significant difference in supporting individuals and families affected by cancer. Thank you for your support and for being part of this important cause! ■ Royal British Legion Remembrance Day We raised £579 for the Royal British

Our Four House Charities: ■ B U N Y A N : CRY - Cardiac Risk in the Young Preventing young sudden cardiac deaths through awareness,screening and research, and supporting affected families. ■HARPUR: Sue Ryder - St John’s Hospice, Moggerhanger Providing expert care for life-limiting conditions, combining specialist medical care for managing pain and other symptoms, with other emotional, practical and spiritual support. ■WHITBREAD: SSAFA - The Armed Forces Charity Providing lifelong support to serving men and women and veterans from the British ArmedForces and their families or dependents. ■ H OWA R D : Together for Mental Wellbeing Working alongside people on their journey towards better mental wellbeing and independent lives.

Total raised

£6846.40* The generosity of our boys not only helped many local families but also raised awareness among the pupils about the increasing difficulties faced by numerous families at Christmas time each year.

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Festivities

CHRISTMAS 2022

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

W H I N C H AT

Prep Guild

PREP GUILD R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Emily Hudson, Chair of the Prep Guild

nother amazing and action-packed year, the Prep Guild has been at the centre of a wide variety of events, whether it be to build the school parents’ community or to raise funds for initiatives to enrich the boys’ experience in the Prep school. Before the year had officially started, we held a drop-in Coffee Morning, whilst boys attended the pre-season rugby sessions. This turned out to be a really popular idea and a great way for new parents to meet and old friends to catch up after the summer. efinitely one to be repeated In the Autumn Term, we arranged Year Group nights out and before we knew it, it was time for us to officially kick-off Christmas with our much-loved Gift Sale. Our savvy team sourced and shopped a huge array of gifts

for the boys’ families and friends. And I mustn’t forget to mention our amazing army of volunteers, who wrapped the boxes of gifts in record time. In January, we held a Burns Night Celebration jointly with the Upper School, where over 200 guests had a superb evening in the Great Hall, beautifully decorated in a suitably Scottish theme. We felt we did ol’ Robbie proud with our (albeit English) efforts and danced the night away with a live Ceilidh band.

We held a Quiz Night, jointly with Bedford Girls’ School, where teams not only competed to be the best brains in Bedford, but also for the Best Dressed Table. We supported the Year 8 boys with their Fun Morning raising money for House Charities, boosting funds with sweet treats (thank you bakers!) and providing inflatable entertainments for the younger guests. For the third year running, the Prep Parents’ Cricket Team donned their whites to take on The Ousels (Teachers) Team. Most ably captained by Giles Warner, the team enjoyed a nets training session together before the big game. On the day, the Prep Guild set up a Pimms Bar and Tuck Shop to keep the spectators on form as they cheered on their team. In the last week of term, 16 parent volunteers supported Scenes from the Prep Parents’ vs Ousels cricket match, and from the Life Skills sessions with Y8 boys.

the Year 8 Life Skills sessions. Whilst on paper, sewing a button or polishing shoes may look a bit lame to the boys; they all embraced the activities with aplomb and everyone said what a wonderfully rewarding morning it was. I could go on listing every single event, but I’m sure the Editor would rather I didn’t! We’ve had a fantastic committee this year and I would especially like to thank the brilliant Melissa Morgan, Debbie Macey-White, nna Heathfield-Taylor and Jen Hayes for all they do, along with the school staff and parents for supporting our endeavours. I feel we sign off the year having strengthened our wonderful community and made some great memories. Further information on fundraising efforts will be shared at the AGM.

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

BSA (Bedford School Association)

BSA R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Hugh Maltby, Director of the Bedford School Association

Above: Revellers celebrate the Mother’s Guild centenary at the Guild Ball Left: an image of the new building

he Bedford School Association (BSA) is made up of several groups from across the wider school community comprising of the Prep School Parents’ Guild, the Upper School Parents’ Guild, the Past Parents Association, the Old Bedfordians Club and the Bedford School Foundation Trust. It is doubtful that the founders of the Parents’ Guild in 1922 (originally the Mother’s Guild) would have dreamt that one hundred years later the school community would celebrate the founding of this organisation in such style. After nearly a year in planning, 400 guests, from across the school community, came together at the Guild’s Centenary Ball on Saturday 2nd July. The Ball organised jointly by both guilds was the main event in the centenary celebrations, which took place throughout the year. Thanks to the kind generosity of members of our community and local businesses, in providing pri es for a raffle and silent auction, these together raised £9,000 on the night. This money

was divided equally 3 ways, with money going to both the Parents’ and Prep Guilds to fund projects for the boys. The remaining third was donated to the charity CHUMS which many families in our school community have accessed. Eagle Connect (www. eagleconnect.uk), our digital business and social networking platform open to all parents, Old Bedfordians and past parents, now has over 2,100 members, sharing connections and business opportunities. Our annual Upper School Careers Convention, which was once again online this year, attracted a broad range of guest speakers from many different business sectors, giving over 500 pupils, including ten non Harpur Trust schools, the opportunity to ask questions and learn about a variety of different careers. The Bedford School Foundation Trust continued its

fundraising activities last year in support of the boys, providing funding for many different projects. or example, to help broaden the offering and encourage more boys to pick up an instrument, the Music Department decided to widen their ‘Instrumental Starter Programme’ in the Prep School from years 3 and 4 to Years 5 and 6, in the hope that they could reach more boys who are better able to cope with the challenges of starting a musical instrument. Thanks to the generosity of some current parents, along with a welcome donation from the Canadian Friends of Bedford School, the Music Department was able to purchase some smaller instruments and plastic trombones for use by the Prep School boys. Although the programme is in its infancy, it is already having a positive impact, allowing more boys to play an

instrument. The proposed Estates Master Plan will usher in the next, and arguably most exciting phase of Bedford School’s development since the science building in the 1930s. The concept, which now has planning permission, would reimagine much of the estate, refining the visual aesthetic of the school’s entrance via the installation of an innovative facility to house Maths, Entrepreneurship, Computer Science, Business Studies and Economics. These subjects have been chosen carefully and are woven into the strategic vision of Bedford. Our young men will grow up in a world where digital technologies underpin their lives, and where entrepreneurial endeavours will be some of their most likely routes to success. We need to enable our boys to pursue these areas boldly, in the best possible facilities, and foster the skills and determination they need to thrive. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those connected to the BSA for their ongoing support and help for both our own and the local community.

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Computing

2022 2023

COMPUTING REVIEW W O R D S B Y Mrs Kashta Dale, Head of Computer Science

s we reflect on the accomplishments of the past academic year, it is undeniable that the Computing Department has soared to new heights. The students involved have shown an unwavering passion for computing and an eagerness to embrace the world of programming and computational thinking. From packed coding clubs and challenges to robotics competitions, the department is moving from strength to strength. Let us take a closer look at the successes and achievements that have made this year such fun. The year commenced with an exciting event the first-ever time the Prep School took part in the National Coding Week. This week-long extravagan a was an homage to programming, promoting it among students and teachers alike. Each day was dedicated to a specific aspect of programming, ranging from block languages like Microbit and Scratch to more advanced text-based languages like Python. What made this event truly remarkable was the involvement of student experts, who enthusiastically supported and taught teachers from across the school how to code. This collaborative effort created a vibrant learning environment, fostering a sense of camaraderie and mutual growth. Shortly after, the entire student body participated in the UK Bebras Computational

Logic Challenges. This International competition presented students with intricate problems that required logical thinking and computational skills to solve. Thirteen of our students displayed exceptional aptitude, advancing to the next level to compete in the Oxford niversity dvance Challenge. Their achievements are a testament to the dedication and hard work put forth in honing their computational abilities. Building on this momentum, a selection of year 7 and year 8 students undertook the Perse Coding Challenge for the first time. This exhilarating competition re uired participants to tackle programming tasks individually or in pairs. With determination and diligence,

our students rose to the Clockwise from top left: Y3 taking occasion, showcasing part in the Bebras their proficiency in Computational coding. Their efforts Logic Competition demonstrated not only (Herbie); Y5 Young technical prowess but Coders Competition also the importance entry (Vihaan); of collaboration and Y7 Python Turtle teamwork in solving example of work complex problems. Y6&7 Robotics Competition in Continuing the Hertfordshire (Aryan, trend of innovation, the Jonathan, Gene) Raspberry Pi Coolest Project competition returned this year. or the first time, we witnessed the participation of a year 5 and year student, both of whom excelled in their projects. One student even developed an impressive HTML site he entitled ‘Positivity Gallery’ dedicated to promoting positive mental health as the website allowed the user to choose an image and it then displayed a motivational message or proverb. These young innovators exemplify the limitless possibilities of technology and how it can be harnessed to address real-world issues. One of the judges’ feedback was “I feel more positive already! This is a great project - it’s a really original and

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creative idea, and you’ve clearly put loads of thought and effort into the code. Great work!” In the realm of creative programming, the Young Coders Competition on the Future of STEM proved to be a catalyst for imaginative projects. Students were tasked with creating Scratch projects that taught about different STEM careers. The outcome was nothing short of remarkable, with students crafting engaging and informative projects that inspired their peers to explore the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This year also marked the inception of the Robotics Club, offering students a platform to delve into STEM through building and programming robots. In the VEX Robotics Competition, our students collaborated with other schools, collectively completing challenges and earning points. Beyond the thrill of competition, the boys gained invaluable knowledge and skills, fuelling their enthusiasm for robotics and automation. Within the curriculum, each year group embarked on two programming units, covering essential topics such as e-safety and T modules. Students explored video editing, image editing, PowerPoint creation,

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and research skills, while also delving into computing theory, including networks and network security, password creation and protection, emails and cyber security as well as the inner workings of the internet. These comprehensive modules ensured that our students received a well-rounded education in computing, preparing them for the digital landscape that awaits them. s we reflect on the successes and achievements of the Computing Department, it is evident that our students have embraced the opportunities provided, pushing boundaries, and excelling in various competitions and challenges. Through their participation, they have not only honed their technical skills but also developed critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities. From the Coding Week to the robotics competitions and various coding challenges, our students have demonstrated their enthusiasm for programming and computational thinking and are a testament to their dedication and passion for the subject. As we bid farewell to this academic year, we eagerly anticipate the future achievements that await us in the world of computing.

Students explored video editing, image editing, PowerPoint creation, while also delving into computing theory, including networks and cyber security

Main photo: Y4 student teaching staff how to do coding (Arjun with Mr Lee) Top right: Y6 boys demonstrating their ex Robot (Gene, Georgi, Thomas); Student Experts (Hayden, Ethan, Thomas)

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W H I N C H AT

Co-curricular

CLUBS & SOCIETIES

CLIMBING CLUB Our climbing adventures carried on this year with the club opened to boys in Year 5 to Year 8. Every Wednesday lunchtime, a small group of students would ascend the wall and develop both confidence and climbing skills during the dedicated thirty minutes sessions. The club was quite a popular option and had sometimes waiting lists! Climbing is offered to Year 7 and Year 8 as part of their Games’ carousel. The students would have sessions three weeks in a row and develop their understanding of the different skills needed to be an efficient climber as well as being introduced to the crucial belaying technique. More staff completed their training in the Summer Term so keep an eye out in September for some exciting opportunities.

POKEMON CLUB

Pokemon Club started in the Prep School two years ago following a request from a Year 7 boy who also helped to run and organise the club. It is available for all the boys in the Prep School but they must arrive early as it is a popular club. The boys can bring in physical cards to swap and play with which they thoroughly enjoy. They can also play on their laptops where they challenge each other online. Some boys come every week, whilst others pop in and out when they fancy it. It has been really enjoyable as all ages are invited to come along, so the older boys are often

seen helping the younger ones.

ROBOTICS CLUB This year has been the first year that we have offered Robotics as a club in Prep School. We have focused on ex Robotics with students in Year 6 and 7. These students have been working consistently on building, designing, and coding a robot to complete set challenges as part of the ex Robotics Competition task this year: ‘Snapshot’. Working in small groups has pushed the boys to build their collaborative and problem-solving skills alongside their STEM. ‘I like building things and adding attachments, it’s fun, I mean the clue’s in the name we’re building robots, what next maybe we’ll take over the world’ lyas (Year 6) chuckled. The Robotics team took part this summer in a Build day and competition this year. In two teams of three, each Bedford Prep team worked side by side with a team from another school to strategize collaboratively to score the most points together. Accuracy and precision were vital. The boys did brilliantly! Using the VEX IQ robotics system, which allowed them to use motors, gears, modular construction pieces, sensors and more, all the teams created wildly different robots for the competition. They worked well throughout the day, adjusting their strategy with their partnered team for each match. While our boys may have missed out on the

top prize this time round, the competition day proved a great experience, and the boys are already keen to get started on next year’s competition, asking, “Can we have sessions three times a week?” Aryan (Year 7). Beyond robotics, it was also great to see the boys practising their teamwork, leadership, communication and troubleshooting skills and, I’m proud to say, demonstrating every one of our Future Skills. Our thanks go to Mr Stuart Higham from The John Warner School and his Year 9 students for organising and running the Competition and Build Day scrimmage. His Year 9 students judged, scored and umpired making for a brilliant event for students led by students. Thanks also go to our own Mr Roberts for driving and supporting the boys during both days and to Mrs Aldridge for supporting the boys in building their robots.

ART CLUB AND CLINIC Art Club has been a blast this year! The boys from Years 3 to 6 have made great use of their time in the art room focusing on their drawing and creativity skills, catching up or extending their art tasks and taking part in club projects. In the club the boys get to experience different materials and a range of artists outside of their curriculum provision. ‘I like art club because you get to draw things you like but there is also set project that you can do too’ Saf in Year 5. The club projects range from collaborative painting pieces for International Women’s Day and set designs pieces for the Year 3 Gruffalo performance to individual works for House rt, graffiti lettering and braille art.

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Clubs & societies ANIMAL CARE CLUB

H U N G RY B OYS’ CLUB From Year 3 to Year 7, boys have enjoyed cooking up a storm over the year at Hungry Boys’ Club. With the expert help of chefs Jimmy and Rob, the boys have been busy making pizzas, chocolate chip cookies, burritos, mince pies and spaghetti Bolognese to take home and share with their families (or not!). The boys also made sure the health and safety knowledge of the kitchens was up to scratch as well as being able to have a tour of our very own industrial kitchens. The Hungry Boys’ Club is always hugely popular and provides boys with valuable and rewarding life skills, which we hope they put to good practice at home too.

COMPUTING CLINIC AND CODING CLUB Computing Clinic is an opportunity for students to get small group support on areas within the Computing curriculum that they are finding challenging or wish to extend. ‘Coding clinic has been really helpful for me because it has allowed be to catch up on missed lesson and improve my understanding of the topic’, Berkley Barnicoat (Year 8). While Coding club is specifically for students to explore the realm of coding in ways that extend beyond the curriculum. like that we can build what we like we’re only confined by our imagination’ Christian (Year 8). They can use this space to work collaboratively on projects, competition entries or continue working on their own personal projects.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE CLUB The Wells building is a hive of buzzer activity on a Tuesday lunchtime with the hotlycontested Year 7 to 8 General Knowledge club. From capitals to chemicals, the boys showcase their quizzing ability in teams, for the pride of winning the weekly competition. Now, who can tell me what colour a giraffe’s tongue is.....?

SCIENCE CLUB

The boys have looked at a variety of different topics this year from examining renewable energy, making elastic-powered cars and exploding methane bubbles, to making slime and dissecting flowers and even getting electric shocks and making their hair stand up with the Van De Graaff Generator. Well done to all those scientists who came to the club.

The co-curricular animal care club continues to attract many boys across all ages and is a great place for learning and socialising with like-minded boys in a more relaxed environment. We encourage learning and it is great to have a living and hands on example of the life cycle, vertebrates, invertebrates, coldblooded creatures, mammals, and insects for our boys to enjoy. Our current offering provides three corn snakes, a royal python, a crested gecko, two bearded dragons, a tortoise, many gerbils, stick insects, tropical fish tank and a marine environment tank. The benefits of our a uariums, reptiles and animals have been seen in cognitive development, imagination, and social and emotional skills. The taking care of our creatures, fish and a uariums has many positive effects to include both calming and excitement for our children. Having different species of animals gives Bedford Prep School students a unique avenue to learn about many aspects of the Science curriculum such as ecology, adaptations, inheritance, energy, and plant topics. We know that our animals are a great tool for inspiring our students to take responsibility and act on current environmental issues. We

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Co-curricular teach them to understand the importance of diversity and fundamentals of cleaning, grooming, feeding, and handling. They have started to get quite familiar with the parts of the world that our animals came from, how they behave and reproduce. Those who specialise can identify species, monitor, and look for signs of illness and decide what care might be needed.

boys were asked to re-create a scene from a favourite film or tv programme. This led to some interesting creations – with the Jaws scene being a particularly harrowing highlight!

CHESS CLUB

A wide range of boys from Y3 – 8 attended Chess Club this term. We have some very proficient chess players in the school and it has been a pleasure teaching boys a range of opening manoeuvres to get them thinking more tactically about their play. Our aim next term will be to discover different ways to counter these opening moves rather than just moving into broken play and relying on a bit of luck or talent to see us through. It is great to see the boys learning from one another, particularly when it is the younger boys teaching the older boys how to effectively open the game.

BOARD GAMES CLUB

HOBBIES CLUB

Boys have been enjoying a multitude of activities this year. Computer games, Lego, drawing and playing board games; to name but a few. Hobbies club is always a hive of activity and a great opportunity for the boys to catch up with friends who enjoy the same things.

CLASSICAL SOCIETY

Boys have enjoyed playing a variety of board games, card games and puzzles with each other during lunch breaks. or example Battleships, Chess, Connect 4, Cluedo, Mahjong and more! This club is particularly popular during the colder and wetter months when being outside is not so appealing! Not only does playing board games benefit skills such as problem-solving, decision-making and dealing with losing, but it is also a great way for boys to relax, have some fun and mix with other age groups.

YEAR 3 & 4 ICT CLUB

In the Classical Society we discussed our favourite Greek myths and the boys chose Pandora’s box. They improvised an exciting act making masks and a very creative Pandora’s box where the item representing hope was...a Latin booklet!

For those enthusiastic mathematicians, the CT club provides an excellent chance to refine their skills and gain a competitive edge on platforms like TT Rockstars, Numbots and Sumdog. This opportunity enables them to elevate their abilities in times tables, numerical concepts, and overall number work, empowering them to excel in their mathematical journey.

LEGO CLUB

SCIENCE CLUB

The boys completed a number of challenges during the Autumn Term that focused on engineering. The aim was to create a machine that could operate and complete simple functions. A more creative task was added in the later half of the Autumn Term; where

There’s been a buzz on Thursday lunchtimes as boys in Y4 to Y7 attended our newly introduced Science Club. The boys have looked at a variety of different topics this year from examining renewable energy, making elastic-powered cars and exploding methane

bubbles, to making slime and dissecting flowers and even getting electric shocks and making their hair stand up with the Van De Graaff Generator. Well done to all those scientists who came to the club. “It’s just the best club – we do so many really cool things,” said Eben Clarke (Year 6).

GLOBAL CITIZENS GROUP This year the Global Citizens Group, of boys from ear to ear , took on the extra challenge of creating presentations and newsletters about the topics they discussed monthly. The students have produced information, led assemblies and discussion topics on areas such as South Asian Heritage Month, Black History Month, International Men’s and Women’s Day, disability awareness, World Religions Day, Holocaust Memorial Day, LGBT history and environmental issues and cancer awareness.

DRAMA CLUB

Drama tech club runs for boys in Year 7 and 8 every Friday lunch time, in the Autumn Term, at the Quarry Theatre. It has been a fantastic opportunity for boys to explore all the elements of lighting and backstage areas. Throughout the term boys learnt the skills required to be a theatre technician and have the opportunity to work as part of the technical team in the muchloved House Drama competition, taking place in the Spring Term. The club was run by Mr. Tearle who has years of experience to share with the boys. Every week they return to their Drama lessons and share their weekly stories. The most popular element being operating the theatre disco ball and smoke machine! It’s been a real joy to see boys taking an interest in all elements of theatre and gives those boys who are perhaps not keen performers, the confidence to still participate in theatre in some way and have a real sense of achievement that comes from the magic of Drama!

CALM CLUB

Calm Kids Club ran to offer pupils an introduction to mindfulness and meditation. We followed a short, guided meditation from the well-known ‘Daily Calm’ app, allowing children to find a space to ground, be still and retreat from the busyness of school life. A short time of reflection and setting intentions afterwards meant all were ready for the afternoon ahead!

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2022 2023

AC ADEMIC S U P P O RT R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Debbie Rossington, Head of Academic Support

OA “COC EN BE HAS SSIVE A MA ND ESS A SUCC BOYS THE HER” LOVE

e have had an exciting time in the Academic Support department this year. Most notably the arrival of our reading/therapy dog Cocoa. She has been a massive success and the boys absolutely love having her around. She has definitely encouraged the boys to read more and has also helped some of the more reticent boys to chat and socialise more readily. The Paired Reading Intervention Programme, which has focused on improving reading standards, has been very positive and the younger boys have enjoyed having a reading role-model in the older years. It has increased their reading engagement and also helped with their comprehension skills. The Reading Challenges in the Autumn Term encouraged the boys in Years 3 and 4 to read a selection of books and to compete against each other in forms. We have also been running more bespoke spelling programmes in Year 3-6 this year and have been pleased with the results. Next year we hope to expand on this by purchasing some computer-based programmes which will support this and will also be in line with our digital strategy. It is with great sadness that we are bidding farewell to Mrs Chris Chapman who has been associated with school for over thirty years. She has assessed many of the boys at Bedford School and her knowledge of Special Educational Needs is second to none. We will all miss her support and her expertise but know she will keep in touch.

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Trips, events & talks EASTER SKI TRIP W O R D S B Y Mr Paul Dennis

t Easter it was the turn of our Y3 to Y6 boys to enjoy a high-altitude adventure; we headed to our favourite spot in the Zillertal Valley for a spot of skiing. Twenty-seven boys, along with Mr Dennis, Mr Guest and Mr and Mrs Carrington, set off on Saturday 25 March, arriving in Austria the following day. After a good night’s sleep, the boys were buzzing to get up on the mountain. Whilst the weather was a little bleak to begin with, it did nothing to dampen the boys’ spirits as they took their first steps in the snow. Then, after a hard day’s skiing, it was back to the resort for some Tyrolean fun, complete with music, dancing, lederhosen and a rather unique nail competition! As the week progressed, we are pleased to say the weather improved, and the boys made the most of every moment on the slopes, learning new skills, refining their ski techni ues, and for our beginners taking on chair lifts for the first time and, above all, having great fun. Despite busy days on the slopes, the boys also made the most of their evenings with fun ui es, swimming and flume rides and, on the final night, a celebratory party. A happy but sleepy group of boys returned to Burnaby Road on 1 April with many happy memories of their wonderful alpine adventure.

2022 2023

DANISH SCHOOL VISIT W O R D S B Y Mr Ian Silk

ack in 2017, Mr Silk undertook an exchange programme with several other teachers from Bedford Borough to schools in Copenhagen and Helsinki, with teachers from both those cities visiting Bedford in return. Mr Silk made some excellent contacts, particularly with Danish Headteachers (called Skoleleder) and has enjoyed discussing pedagogy with colleagues from other high-performing nations. This has led to further teacher exchanges (with two more coming this year), and also some pupil exchanges. In November, six boys, six girls and two teachers from Korsager School in Copenhagen came to Bedford and spent two days with us. They spent time in lessons with our boys, and delivered a fascinating assembly about what life was like in a Danish school compared to a British school. Korsager School’s Headmaster, Peter Aksten, was actually on the ITV news in May 2020 when talking about how they brought pupils back to school after lockdown. This was followed in June by a visit from children from Skolen Ved Soerne (The School by the Lakes), whose Headmaster, Kristian Svinth Sorenson has visited Bedford School a number of times. This time one boy and eleven girls visited with their teachers and spent a week with us, mostly in the Prep School, with a day in the Upper School. As well as attending lessons with Prep School buddies, they attended the Summer Concert, helped out with Outdoor Classroom Day and with the Year 6 Activity Day with BGS at Cople Fields, and, as the children from Korsager School did, delivered an assembly on what it was like to learn in a Danish school. The assembly was excellent and generated a lot of interested questions from our boys. These visits are something that we would like to continue in future, with the opportunity for taking a group of boys back to Denmark at some stage.

The group delivered a fascinating assembly about what life was like in a Danish school compared to a British school

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Trips, events & talks

2021 2022

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6 T0 WHINCHA

School trips

D AY S O U T AT I C K W E L L W O R D S B Y Mrs Rebecca Russell, Forest School Leader

ver 400 Prep school boys visited our beautiful Nature reserve at Ickwell over a 6 week period at the start of the Autumn term. The aim being to build and strengthen friendships and make new ones in the outdoors and to experience a range of team building activities with their tutors. Younger age groups enjoyed minibeast investigations, den building, toasting marshmallows, making roman forts, outdoor art, team games and learnt to use flint and steels to light fires. Older year groups loved our Archery tag games (thanks to the parents guild,) using walkie talkies for Nato phonetic alphabet challenges, team games, developing knife skills, campfire cooking (popcorn,

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TRIPS/OUTINGS

School trips

Well-being at the fore at our outdoor learning centre at Ickwell

toasties etc) and making survival shelters. Who doesn’t love a s’more!

FOREST SCHOOL

Each Friday lunchtime has been a hive of activity round the pond area on the school grounds. Boys ranging from 7-13years old are invited to come along to attend a 5 week programme to build on their team building skills, make new friends and learn how to use Kelly Kettles. This involves preparing wood for the fuel, using fixed blade knives and mallets, flint and steels to create a source of heat and to keep their micro fires going to boil the water needed for their hot chocolates and toast their marshmallows for their s’mores. A huge thank you must go to the following Year 8 Young leaders who have consistently helped the younger boys throughout the year: Max Midgley, Ethan Daubney, George Garosi, Edward Ogborne and Dhruv Patel.

W H AT I S F O R E S T SCHOOL ■ ‘Forest School is an inspirational process, which offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees.’ Forest School Association’ ■ Our aim at Bedford Prep School ■ To provide learning opportunities in the outdoor environment through exciting practical activities. ■ To allow boys to take risks, problem solve, be creative and be part of a team. ■ To build independence and self-esteem in a relaxed and diverse environment. ■ Forest School will allow boys freedom to explore safely in the natural world. ■ Increase the connection between children and the natural environment.

HEAD OF YEAR REPORTS

W H I N C H AT

Year 3

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

Mrs Nicki Carrington, Head of Year 3

his Year 3 has shown themselves to be an adventurous and hard working group, who have set super high standards in this area and left a lasting mark in our memories. Academically they have thrown themselves into everything. Their creativity and wild imagination being apparent in all they do. The Autumn Term gave us a real taste of the team spirit that our Year 3 have with our ckwell Trip setting the flavour for the rest of the year. Their teamwork when building dens and tackling problem solving challenges showed that they could think outside the box and work well with old friends and new. This was also evident in the England Rocks times table challenge where the boys worked independently and collaboratively against other schools across the country to prove themselves with their times tables knowledge. Their resilience, drive and determination paid off with progress in speed and accuracy, but sadly not a first place this time. inally this term, we were treated to a festive performance at The Kiosk in Russell Park. The boys sang together oyfully to fill us all with the Christmas spirit and their efforts were rewarded with hot chocolate and cookies. The Spring Term has shown off the boys’

passion and determination. Our Topic work of Extreme Earth really sparked the boys’ imagination and resulted in amazing Mini Pro ect Preps. rom erupting volcanoes to interactive electronic maps and fact filled presentations. ear definitely showed curiosity and endeavour. The Shakespeare Slam pushed the boys out of their comfort zone to show yet another skill set. Their public speaking and dramatic interpretations of the chosen monologues really impressed us. The boys should all be very proud of themselves and their theatrical talents. Mrs Turton watch this space! The Summer Term has definitely been a highlight for me. The boys’ endeavour has echoed in their class work, Accelerated Reader being a perfect example as they came together to achieve not only individual targets, but also class targets. We have even earned ourselves a handful of millionaires which is very rare within Year 3! The biggest memory from this year will definitely be the joint Year 3 and 4 Bushcraft trip. The boys tested their resilience with an overnight stay. They learnt about den building, camouflage, animal tracking and first aid, which they put to the test when they found their teachers seriously injured in a dramatic plane crash. Kindness shone through as they made sure all staff were looked after and well after the

dangerous events. It was so lovely to be able to end the year with a sporting afternoon with Bedford Girls’ School. The boys and girls worked together to enjoy an afternoon of testing relay races and Mr Whitbread’s brain aching quiz. Collaborating, competing, conversing were all on the cards. We are so grateful to The Parents Guild for supplying us with much needed ice lollies too. What a wonderful year! Every term saw the boys throw themselves into challenges and in turn show off their range of uture Skills. We cannot wait to see where the boys’ Bedford journey will take them. We will be watching with excitement. To quote Dr Seuss, from Oh, the places you’ll go! You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way!

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HEAD OF YEAR REPORTS

Year 4

iss Oakley, Miss Valentino and I have absolutely loved teaching this incredibly engaging group of boys as they have developed their independence, both socially and academically. The boys exploded with character and unbridled enthusiasm for subject-matter from September to July! What a super year group to teach. In Maths, they became more adept at flexible problem-solving and took part in a variety of Rockstar’s competitions; in English, they threw themselves once again into the Accelerated Reader programme with many boys achieving their targets and some even becoming millionaires! This love of reading built up their confidence at writing creatively and at length. The boys were emersed in learning new Alan Peat writing structures and proved themselves as exceptionally good writers too. The progress was fantastic! In Topic, they enjoyed discovering about Romans, Rainforests and our first ever Becoming Bedford unit; 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 Pizza making, Whipsnade Zoo, the cinema and a variety of author talks. The Dragon’s Den for Becoming Bedford showed the boys off as persuasive entrepreneurs who fully engaged the judges with their real-life presentation skills, research and sales techniques! We had a variety of Co-curricular days, visiting speakers

and immersive workshops from some of our very own subject lead teachers. And who could forget the amazing celebratory trip to Bushcraft! Many Year 4 boys featured prominently in the musical and dramatic life of the School this year, including in the school’s fantastic Mini Musical, performed by the choir. The boys have dived head-first into a range of dramatic opportunities, with many taking on extra Speech and Drama lessons and achieved great things at the Bedfordshire speech and drama festival. They took part in the Shakespeare monologue competition and showed passion and determination as learned long speeches off by heart, from Julius Caesar to As you Like it. They had an amazing Drama morning with the Royal Shakespeare company, practising different techniques and scenes. The Performance poetry recital competition was again, an absolutely fantastic event where all the boys showed their confidence. The House Drama, play in a day, was an incredible event that gave the boys opportunities to perform, understand marketing and work across different year groups. It was a pleasure to watch, not only the actors mixing in with the older year groups, but the work behind the scenes too. It was wonderful as well to see such commitment to music from Year 4 boys in the various musical concerts across the year- what talent on our hands! There were some glorious days on the sports field- both training and honing our

WORDS BY

Mr Sam Powell , Head of Year 4

Y E A R 4 R E P O RT

skills and it was a pleasure taking the boys on fixtures. Mr Phillips takes great pride in being able to say that every boy in the year group experienced these. Some amazing performances across the board and some delicious match teas. The boys showed leadership, respect and a good understanding of healthy competition at every level. We kept up our vitally important collaboration with Bedford Girls school in a range of activity days, hosted both here and there. These included a brilliant Panto performance, dance workshops and an incredible Summer sports afternoon. In June, every boy in the year 3 and 4 year groups headed to their first residential trip at Bedford Prep. The boys dived into their learning in the wilderness and showed fantastic behaviour, manners and respect to the guides. They learned shelter building, fire making (where they cooked their own lunch) and variety of outdoor camouflage and concealment games. A brilliant time had by all as they developed their uture skills outside of the classroom context. It has been an unbelievable, unforgettable, and thoroughly enjoyable year and we have loved working with this group of boys. I hope they look back on their year, full of achievements, with pride. We wish them all the very best of luck for Year 5 as they continue their learning journey through Bedford Prep.

HEAD OF YEAR REPORTS

W H I N C H AT

Year 5 MY ICKWELL TRIP R E V I E W BY K U B A KO P E C

Year 5 R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Dominic Affleck, Head of Year 5

ear 5 have had a very successful year. The transition from Year 4 and the addition of many new boys meant that an action-packed year was promised. The new boys settled in quickly thanks to the friendliness of the year group and the four new classes soon got used to their new(ish) environments and all that Year 5 and a new sense of independence entails. The boys soon settled to life in Year 5, and we were struck by how quickly they acclimatised. Some subtle changes to their timetable meant that they got to spend more quality curriculum time with their tutors. 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 the senior part of the Prep School. The introduction of a new subject, Topic, to the Year 5 curriculum has been fantastic. Under the guidance of Mrs Hone & Mrs Russell the boys have studied the British sles and Our Place in the Wider World. Some fine events have been run by the boys from a traditional tea party for the parents to the final sustainability Expo at the end of the Summer Term, as well as a wonderful enlightening multi- aith tour here in Bedford which was the highlight of the Religious Studies element of the subject. Sport has been a major part of the boys’ Wednesday afternoons and it has been lovely to experience first hand all the boys engaged in matches against other schools in Rugby, Hockey ootball and Cricket. Travelling around the country and engaging in match tea are as important as the matches themselves and it’s been lovely to watch the boys grow in confidence socially. Our three-day residential to Ickwell was one of the highlights. The boys were put into tribes and revelled in the team-based activities planned for them. rom erecting their own tents, to performing in the inaugural Tribes Got Talent competition the boys embraced the three days and made wonderful memories which they will talk about for years to come. We were also pleased to be able to run this ourselves at our amazing site at Ickwell – how lucky we are to have such a diverse resource at our disposal. The amazing Shuttleworth Collection and the sheer joy of water-based activities at Box End also featured highly. We have en oyed this fine crop of ear boys and are confident that they will go onto great things. Ms Bowis, Mrs Hone, Mrs Russell, Mr Roberts and I wish them every success as they move onto the dizzy heights of Year 6.

I had an incredibly fun time during my school trip to Ickwell! There were so many exciting activities and experiences that made it a memorable adventure. One of my absolute favourites was the Box End water park. The lifeguards there were really kind and there were endless things to try and enjoy. The trip started off on Monday when we set up our tents and received eggs to take care of until Wednesday. Unfortunately, none of the tribes were able to keep their eggs intact. Then, we were divided into tribes named Guile, Virtuosity, Potential, Ingenuity, and Acumen. I was placed in the Guile tribe. After that, we embarked on a scavenger hunt before heading back home. Tuesday was the most exciting day as the overnight sleep was approaching. I arrived at school with my heavy luggage, brimming with excitement for the day ahead. We left for Shuttleworth, which I highly recommend visiting because it’s incredibly cool and even houses the world’s oldest plane! We had lunch and then visited the gift shop, where I bought two boxes of metal building kits and a finger monster for my sister. Upon returning to the camp, we organized our sleeping mats and bags in our tents and then participated in archery tag, a wild walk, and den building. We also spent time rehearsing for our tribes’ talent show, which was just around the corner. We had dinner, and the tribes’ talent show was amazing. cumen won first place, and our tribe came in third. ater in the evening, we gathered at the fire area and enjoyed delicious s’mores with hot chocolate. It was then time to go to bed, although I only managed to get about two hours of sleep due to the excitement. The following morning we woke up and had a scrumptious breakfast. The cheese rolls were particularly amazing, and I couldn’t resist having two of them. Soon after, we took down our tents, which was a bit challenging to fit correctly into the bags, but we managed after some effort. We then packed up for our visit to Box End and boarded the minibuses. Upon arrival, a friendly staff member welcomed us and showed us where to place our bags. We changed into our swimming gear and put on life ackets, followed by a safety briefing. inally, we dived into the water park, and it was an absolute blast! I wished I could have stayed in the water longer, but unfortunately, it had to come to an end. Afterwards, we enjoyed the most amazing food I had ever tasted. Sadly, it was time to head back to school, but we had a couple of hours to spare, so we watched “The Secret Life of Pets” (which happens to be my favourite film) before finally returning home. Overall, the Ickwell trip was a fantastic experience filled with thrilling activities, delicious food, and great company. I had loads of fun and it will be a trip I’ll cherish in my memories for a lon time.

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HEAD OF YEAR REPORTS

Year 6

Year 6 R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mrs Charlie Walker, Head of Year 6

t has been another fun packed year for Year 6. In the Autumn Term, we visited our outdoor learning centre at Ickwell. This was the first time for many of the boys, and some staff too! The boys had the opportunity to get to know their new forms and tutors better. Archery tag was a big hit and there were surprises in the den building where some boys were so well hidden we couldn’t find them. The team games involved boys moving through hoops as a group and playing tic-tac-toe with coloured cones. As ever, the campfire was the biggest draw. We all en oyed making s’mores, hot chocolate and toasting our sandwiches for lunch. We also enjoyed our first event with BGS in the utumn Term. The team games and activities were based indoors this time and involved the boys and girls working together to complete a marble run and build Lego through the Broken Telephone game and quick challenges. The combined drawing challenge created some interesting animal designs and the balloon challenges meant that teamwork and communication were definitely utilised well. In the Spring Term our focus was on improving communication and internet safety awareness. Working with the girls and staff from BGS, the boys worked on verbal and non-verbal communication with activities like: ‘That’s my shoe’, map drawing, match the pairs, and assertive communication. Whilst at BGS, they worked together to improve their understanding of internet safety, including: bystander activities;

Kind Kingdom; online scenarios; and debating the use of What’sApp, a topic which I’m sure will continue for some time to come. In the Summer Term, we enjoyed a lovely day at Cople ields, hosted by BGS. We played the inaugural game of human hungry hippos, which was fast paced and fiercely contested. Archery tag was a favourite activity alongside rounders-lacrosse, blindfolded obstacle course, scavenger hunt and silly races. A fantastic end to our activities with the girls this year, topped off with an ice lolly in the Quarry Gardens. Trips week was a fantastic end to the year for Year 6. The interactive museum at Silverstone was insightful and fun. The boys even got to race on the scale model Scalextric track. The boys produced some beautiful artwork based on their visit, alongside finding out more about the history of the track. They loved making their own cars in their DT session. It was lovely to see their artistic and design skills on show. Trips week was finished off with a morning of team and individual challenges, including a duck hunt, dance choreography and story writing. The Spring and Summer Terms saw form groups taking assemblies in

front of Year 5 and Year 6. The boys worked hard to create their presentations and to speak clearly in front of an audience. 6A taught us about unusual inventions and wowed us with their unusual finds. O chose to enlighten us on unusual sports, including wife carrying and cheeserolling. 6C researched unusual jobs - some of which were decidedly disgusting (dog foodtaster). 6R completed the Year 6 assemblies with unusual animals, although I think this could have been titled ‘ugliest animals’. The boys should be proud of the independent work, organisation and effort that they put into these assemblies - they were a pleasure to watch I wish all the boys the best of luck in Year 7. It has been a pleasure to get to know them this year .

HEAD OF YEAR REPORTS

W H I N C H AT

Year 7

nd ust like that, another year has flown by! As always in Year 7, the year began by welcoming over 30 new boys into the year group, and thanks to our ‘old boys’ making them feel very welcome, they settled very quickly. It has been a pleasure to watch the whole year group grow this year, whether that growth has been in the classroom, on the sports fields, on stage, in concerts, or any other area that our fabulous school offers to the boys. Every single boy has progressed in a multitude of ways. The Autumn Term was a busy one. On top of everyday lessons and clubs, the boys had an excellent team building day at Bedford School’s fantastic nature reserve in Ickwell. The boys were able to make dens, play archery tag, take part in some orienteering, and of course, arguably the best activity of the day, make s’mores on the campfire. t was a great day which allowed the boys to lay the early foundations to some brilliant friendships. On the sports field, the utumn Term’s major sport was rugby. Once again, we managed to make sure that all boys in Year 7, providing they wanted to be, were selected to represent the school on at least one occasion during this term. rom the team to the team, all teams played with courage and togetherness, showing an excellent level of strength in depth throughout the year group. Well done to all boys that represented the

school at rugby this year, I look forward to seeing your continued enthusiasm next year. House Drama was another major event during the first term, and it was a oy to behold. It was billed as ‘a play in a day’, and this is exactly what it was. rom the acting to the props, to the lighting, all of this was created during one school day - an extremely impressive feat! Harpur were this year’s winners, but all four performances were very enjoyable. The first term was finished off in style with a joint Bedford Prep School and Bedford Girls School disco, and then later in the week, the Autumn Concert. A huge well done to not only the many Year 7 boys involved in the concert, but also to Mrs. Gedye and the rest of the team who never fail to put on a great show. The Spring Term soon sprang into action. ssessments dominated the first few weeks, and as usual, our boys dealt with these with extremely high levels of maturity. ollowing on from this, our boys enjoyed a plethora of opportunities such as the Informal Concert, The Bedfordshire estival of Speech and Drama, U13 UKMT Maths Competition, visits to the schools very own Planetarium and Observatory, plenty of hockey fixtures (the ’s reached the PS National inals) and much, much more. The main highlight of this term, however, was the return of the wonderful House Singing competition. This is

WORDS BY

Mr Rob Heaney, Head of Year 7

Year 7 R E P O R T

always such a great event, but it seemed even more special this year with us being able to welcome family members back into the Great Hall to enjoy the tremendous performances. Well done to all boys for giving this their all, but a particular well done to the Harpur boys for putting in an exceptional and winning performance. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, we arrived at the final term of the year. nother busy term ensued with events such as trips to The National Space Centre and Box End Park, Prep School production, Sports Day, the Summer BBQ with BGS, the Public Speaking Competition, won brilliantly by George Plumley, the Summer Concert, and of course, the cricket season. Well done to all boys who took part in the above events and well done to all boys who represented the school at cricket throughout the summer. A particular well done must go to Leo Tapp, Joshua Edmundson and Harry Spencer who were all part of the U13 National Cup winning team. A fantastic achievement considering the rest of the team were Year 8’s. Trips week was a real success and a lovely way to begin to draw the year to a close. On the Monday, the boys had a brilliant, action packed, adrenaline filled day at Box End Park, and they were a real credit to the school. It was particularly pleasing to hear comments from boys who had never been before explaining just how much fun they had. On Tuesday, we spent the day at the National Space Centre, furthering the boy’s knowledge on the fascinating and mind-blowing topic of Space. And so, to next year. This year group now move on to being top of the tree, and with that comes great responsibility. Quite often, they set the tone for the younger boys, so it is really important that they display the core school values on a regular basis. Well done to all boys that have been given leadership responsibilities for next year. I know that you will all do a fantastic job and I look forward to seeing your leadership skills progress as the year goes on. inally, a huge thank you to my fantastic Year 7 team of tutors. Mrs Gordon, Mr Studd, Miss Goodman/Mr Glasspool, Ms Kashi and Mr Mason. Their care and support for the boys has been fantastic and it has meant that the boys in Year 7 have had a brilliant year. The role of a tutor is an extremely important one and I have been very lucky to have the team that I have had this year. I would like to wish all boys and families a lovely summer and I look forward to seeing you all again in September.

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HEAD OF YEAR REPORTS

Year 8

Year 8 R E P O R T

s the academic year draws to a close, it is time to reflect on the remarkable journey and outstanding accomplishments of our Year 8 boys. This group of resilient and optimistic young men have overcome many challenges, emerging stronger and more determined to be the best they can be as they move upwards and onwards from BPS. They have truly exemplified the spirit of our school, embracing life with enthusiasm, kindness and a zest for learning. At the forefront of this year group, we find Head Boy Oliver Barbour, along with Deputy Head Boys, Isaac Vincent-Emery and Jacob Adedeji, with their team of excellent prefects and Future Skills Ambassadors. Their exceptional leadership and model behaviour have been instrumental in shaping the success and achievements we are able to celebrate. Academically, Year 8 has soared to new heights, leaving an indelible mark on the Prep School. Their dedication and hard work have yielded superb results, as they have consistently excelled in their studies. They have shown curiosity for knowledge, seeking to expand their intellectual horizons. The sporting arena has been witness to the extraordinary talents of this Year 8. A special mention must be made of the 1st XI cricket

team, whose remarkable triumph in the IAPS National Finals has brought great pride to Bedford Prep School. Their teamwork, skills, and determination have set them apart as deserved champions. Congratulations also to the 4x100m athletics relay team consisting of Berkley Barincoat, Oliver Whittam and Elliot Allen (from Year 7) for gaining a silver medal in the National Finals. Not limited to the realm of sports, our Year 8s have showcased their artistic, musical, and dramatic abilities. Their performances have enthralled audiences and demonstrated their creative flair. Whether it be on the stage, in the art studio, or through musical performances, these young men have left an indelible impression.

CARE HOME VISIT

WORDS BY

By Simon Lincoln, Head of Year 8

Post exam programme here. The year culminated with Speech Day and Prize Giving, a moment to recognise and celebrate the multitude of talents present within Year 8. Among the deserving recipients, we must highlight Carlos Zamora, who was awarded the prestigious Arthur Tisdall’s Award for embodying the school values, particularly kindness. Congratulations to all the boys who received well-deserved recognition for their achievements. As we bid farewell to Christian Hiemstra, Berkley Barnicoat, Carlos Zamora, and Agastya Saketh Marla, who are embarking on new adventures elsewhere, we extend our best wishes for their future endeavours. To every Year 8 boy who has completed their Prep

In November, six Y8 boys paid a visit to Elcombe House residential home on De Parys Avenue as part of the Future Skills day, focussing on the skills of empathy and kindness. The boys (Muhammad Chaudhry, Rory Stewart-Jones, Jacob O’Neill, Berkley Barnicoat, Olly Meier and Gus Willson) played some board games with the residents, read some poetry and performed some musical pieces. They were very well received by the residents and the boys learned a lot from the experience. Rory: I really enjoyed going to the care home, it was good to communicate with the older people in the local area. I enjoyed playing dominoes and bingo with them. Gus: I enjoyed connecting with people that I wouldn’t normally have the chance to connect with. It was a lot of fun. Berkley: It was eye opening to talk with different people. I particularly liked talking to Maggie and reading books to her. The residents really liked it when I played them some music on the bassoon. Olly: It was really interesting to hear what older people had to say and they liked it when I played the saxophone for them.

HEAD OF YEAR REPORTS

W H I N C H AT

Year 8 School journey, we commend you on your accomplishments and wish you continued success as you transition to the Upper School and beyond.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to this bunch of young men. Your resilience, optimism, and achievements have made us all proud. As you move forward, remember

Y8 POST-EXAM PROGRAMME

WORDS BY

Mrs Jessica Hone, Post-Exam Co-ordinator

his year, the Year 8 post exam programme was condensed down into 3 intense weeks of action packed, creative learning and fun all with the overarching theme of ‘Entrepreneurship’. In true Year 8 fashion, the inter-form battles commenced with the annual Come Dine With Me dinners in which the boys budget for, plan, prepare, cook and host a 3 course culinary experience for their families. Some highlights were 8JGs musical performances, 8SPs comedic stand up and staff dance off, s street food fiesta and 8PDs astonishing magician! In the end, 8B where crowned CDWM 2023 champions with their attentional to detail, personal touches and “the best brownie ever tasted” (as said by our head chef himself) at their American banquet! ollowing, Mr and Mrs Barbour were crucial in launching the independent project work this year where the boys worked throughout the 3 weeks in teams to create unique business plans aimed at introducing a new attraction to Box End Aqua Park. They had to budget, conduct market research, propose profit and loss plans and pitch their proposals

to a panel of experts, just like Dragons Den, before Edward, Oliver, Matthew and Abid were awarded as the final winners with Water Zorbing! Luckily, after all their hard work, Year 8 got to enjoy a fantastic day at Box End itself taking part in team building challenges and of course having a go on the legendary Aqua Park! During the programme there was also the opportunity for the boys to take part in a ife Savers irst id ualification. They were thrown into action-packed scenarios and asked to make the crucial decisions whilst learning and practising the essential skills needed to save a life. Boys also practised life skills with the help of the amazing prep guild and volunteers who aided them in learning how to polish shoes, sew buttons, iron shirts, and change duvet sheets - just to name a few! If successful, the boys could claim the title of ‘domestic god’ if their efforts were awarded enough points why not put them to the test again at home parents? The penultimate day of the Post Exam Programme saw the boys spend their day focussed on careers. They joined in workshops led by incredible volunteers from a variety of vastly interesting fields of work. They experienced an inspirational talk from

to stay in touch and continue to make a positive impact wherever you go. arewell, ear . ou will be missed!

Boys gained new skills in cooking and first aid

an exciting Earthquake engineer, learnt the wonders Cyber resilience and security, delved into the world of banking and hedge funds and also got to ‘play doctor’ under the guidance of talented medical professionals. A fantastically valuable day into the wonderful working world beyond school. Some other highlights included a commentary and confidence lecture run by our own Mr Roberts, myth busting sessions with our upper school students as well as talks from the Head of Logistics for AstraZeneca and A Cancer research Scientist. In addition, the boys took park in a A ‘Making Me’ charity workshop looking at self confidence and t Happens’ PSHE seminar designed to help them understand hormonal changes into adolescence. They also of course planned, led, and hosted the annual un day’ with the support of the prep guild, which this year raised an impressive £1638 (the teachers docks surprisingly bringing in a good proportion of that ). inally, of course not forgetting the infamous PGL residential trip. Phew! What a busy three weeks. Hopefully, a fantastic end to the boys time in the Prep School combining a mixture of fun memories and knowledge about life going forward.

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022/23 has seen a consolidation of the exciting, but slightly scary, 2021/22 when we were trying to get a completely new batch of boys up to scratch as choristers with only 2 other PS boys who were already there. Our 2021/22 batch are now veterans (of a whole year!) and have now experienced pretty much everything that the Chapel Choir does: carol services, evensongs, eucharists, a weeklong residency at a Cathedral, a Christmas outing, and their improvement over the year has been remarkable. We start with our four-day trip over the summer holidays to Salisbury. When the regular cathedral choirs are on holiday, they invite choirs from all over the country to sing the services, so they (we) have to behave and sing so they will hardly notice that their regulars were missing. We sang five services in four days, as well as fitting in activities like Go Ape and bowling around it. Despite a few accidents including having to remove members of the congregation from our stalls as we processed in at the start of the first service, and someone being sick in the middle of a Magnificat resulting in one of us having to borrow green robes from Salisbury for a couple of days, it was a very successful trip

AC ADEMIC

musically, and everyone had fun and got very tired pretending to be professional choristers, staying in the same dormitories as the choristers stay in, (and of course taking part in all the activities). Our regular weekly routine started in September with practices and weekly services in the Chapel. Highlights included the ounders’ and Benefactors’ Service with brass, the Great ire service with strings (and a broken chamber organ), singing Handel’s Zadok the Priest a few days before it was sung in Westminster Abbey for the Coronation, and a joint service in St. Paul’s Church in town with the choirs of St. Paul’s and St. Andrew’s. There was some brilliant carol singing with three different Year 8 boys singing Once In Royal David’s City at the start, and the choir Christmas outing, where we go-karted and laser quested in Letchworth. And now our 2022/23 batch have joined us, in ceremonies at two services in June, and they are most welcome, and will be very good. We have a full gamut of trebles in the choir. We have started to sing little anthems at Prep School chapel assemblies, which I hope will become more regular moving forward. And we have another Cathedral residency to look

forward to in July, to Exeter, and are midway through auditioning for the 2023/24 batch, to replace our older ones who, with nature catching up with them, become altos, tenors and basses as they go to the Upper School. I am extremely proud of the achievements of our Prep School choristers, and the choir as a whole this year.

CHAPEL CHOIR WORDS BY

Mr Keith Roberts, Head of Choral Music and Master in Charge of Chapel Choir

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Prep School boys adding huge talent to the Chapel Choir

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W H I N C H AT

Rugby

U13 A Team after defeating NSB

WORDS BY

Mr James Hinkins, Director of Rugby

U10 A Team

U11A Team

RUGBY R E P O RT

U10 B Team

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Rugby

nother rugby season goes by in a flash however, much has happened and it has been a season full of positive experiences and special camaraderie. A term of rugby always proves to be a great learning experience and an opportunity for the boys to make close friends and fond memories for life and this one was no different. With close to fixtures played this year, the term has been a busy and productive one. The U13 A team very much lead the way and would have had an unbeaten season had it not been for one short 12-minute game against Northampton School for Boys, incidentally, who they beat later on in the season in a regulation game. Many of the games they played were conditioned to challenge them, but they still ended up with a staggering +400 points difference. They have an enviable team spirit in a team that can boast strength in every position. The U13 B team were not far behind as they also put together some brilliant performances, playing expansive and fast flowing rugby. Mr ennis and Mr Satchwill must be thanked for their part in generating such a positive playing and training culture and encouraging the boys to play exciting rugby without fear. Mr Satchwill said, ‘It was a pleasure to coach the boys and watch them play some great, entertaining rugby throughout the season.’ The U12s, without doubt, have a huge amount of potential and can boast an incredible strength in depth. There is always a wonderfully positive atmosphere in training and in games and they are committed to improving as a squad. Results have largely been in their favour and they have always been respectful of every opponent faced. The U12 coaching staff have found them delightful to coach as the boys have relished all the opportunities given to them. Mr Loader was enthusiastic in saying, ‘The thing I love most about these boys is their hunger to learn and they always have a sense of fun when they train and play, after all, it is so important that they enjoy their rugby experience.’ The U11s are a highly committed year group and certainly play with passion. They have had a number of tight games with their sheer determination and ‘never say die’ attitude always pulling them through. They finished their block by winning a fast paced and committed triangular against Stamford and Witham Hall. nice game to finish with that encapsulated their season well. Mr Guest gushed, ‘When they had the bit between their teeth, they were able to play with an intense, energetic and relentless all-round game. They wanted to spread the ball wide and were never

reliant on individuals to dominate possession.’ The U10s have made incredible progress this season. Some simple areas of the game in terms of skill and tactical awareness have been focussed on, which has allowed boys to play a faster and more inclusive game that exploits space and seizes opportunity in attack and defence. Their hard work was evident in their final game of the season where boys moved the ball quickly into spaces against a physical club team. They also took opportunities to turn the ball over with a connected and committed defence. Mr Lincoln proudly said, ‘Boys have worked incredibly hard all season on their individual skill development and team play. As a result, all sides have made huge progress producing some fine, expansive rugby performances.’ The U9 and U8 teams have had a lot of fun this year. Excellent games sessions have led

to boys developing a good knowledge of the game and they understand the values of playing as a team in defence and attack. The U9s have relished the challenge of full contact and have put together some committed performances against other like-minded schools. They have played triangulars and festivals, so experienced competitive sport for the school and benefitted from the values these give. They have an exciting future of school sport ahead of them and have been a great group to work with. Mr Phillips said, ‘They are so much fun to teach, they are full of enthusiasm and hungry to learn. They make so much progress in such a short period of time.’ Well done and thank you to all boys who have represented the school with such distinction this term.

A term of rugby always proves to be a great learning experience and an opportunity for the boys to make close friends and fond memories for life, and this one was no different

U13 A Team after defeating Caldicott

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Rugby

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Rugby

RUGBY 7S

his has been an exceptional 7s season for the U13s. The strength in depth is superb and was highlighted by the fact that over 20 boys represented the

school at tournaments throughout the term. Tournament wins at St John’s Beaumont and Oundle set the standard early, with a secondplace finish at the Warwick s also highlighting

how capable this cohort is. The season finished with the prestigious Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s where we were seeded in the top group for the second consecutive year. The boys played some superb rugby in difficult conditions, winning four of their games only losing, in a tight game, to overall winners Dubai College. This placed them second in the country for Prep Schools. A big thank you to all the boys for their energy and commitment as well as the parents for the unwavering support on the sidelines. It is safe to say the future of Bedford School rugby is bright.

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W H I N C H AT

Fencing

Fencing club this year was a great experience of techni ues and exercises which have greatly improved my fencing skills. I greatly enjoyed warmups and exercises but especially en oyed the final fencing part with a foil in hand. would highly recommend it to anyone interested to try it. Jeremy Dunn Y5

I’m really happy that I’ve had the opportunity to learn fencing - it was great fun and I’ve thoroughly en oyed it. encing is good exercise and ’ve learnt all about the equipment and how to defend and attack. would highly recommend it Joshua Worboys Y7 Badminton 2

FENCING R E P O RT

Photography: Jonathan Falcon/Unsplash

Personally, the reason I got into fencing is because it’s basically sword fighting Wouldn’t any boy want to try that out? I also learnt that things aren’t as easy as they look and ust en oyed the essence of it. Sword fighting Abid Wasif Y8

WORDS BY

Various Fencing pupils

he badminton squad enjoyed another successful year with over 30 boys from ears - representing the school in fixtures. The badminton clubs have been very well attended. This allowed boys to have fun playing games plus fine tune their skills and game tactics. This enabled lots of boys the opportunity to play for the team in the district competition where we entered to teams consisting of players per team playing against local schools. Over the week competition the boys got to play many matches and when the competition was complete Bedford School came st, nd, rd and th. This allowed the and B Teams to ualify for the county finals in uton. In another enjoyable day the Bedford Prep School teams dominated playing some fine singles and doubles badminton. The B Team won all their external games only losing to the Team who went on to be county champions. Unfortunately, Badminton England have not run a national competition this year but the boys will hopeful get the opportunity as U14s to progress further to the regional and national rounds in the tournament. BADMINTON HONOURS

Congratulations to the following boys who have been awarded their colours: Half colours: Rory Stewart-Jones, Gus Wilson Full Colours: ylan ppal, saac Johnson, Carlos amora, Tom Miles Trueman, Oliver Bodfield, Harry Hodgson

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

lvert,

Mr Simon Lincoln, Head of Sport

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Rowing

‘I

t’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Rowing taught me that success is not achieved overnight but through consistent effort, resilience, and unwavering commitment.’ Sir Steve Redgrave Rowing is a sport that combines physical strength, mental discipline, and exceptional teamwork. It has a rich history and has evolved into a popular competitive activity enjoyed by individuals of all ages and backgrounds. It embodies all our Future Skills Values and develops a mentality that can be utilised in all walks of life. No wonder it proves to be so popular year after year in the Prep School and beyond. 2022-23 has been no exception, with over 85 of our Year 7 and 8 boys involved in rowing either during games lessons or by attending one of our very popular after school rowing clubs. Boys have rowed in all sorts of boats from octos to single sculls and it has been wonderful to watch them make such good progress. We have watched boys grow from nervous, wobbly, scullers in September to being competent enough to take part in some fun racing in the summer. Spring Term saw us back to land training on the ergos, working on stamina and technique with Mr Mulkerrins’, ever imaginative, fun competitions and challenges, testing both strength and skill. Plenty of progress was made with

ROW I N G R E P O RT WORDS BY

Miss Imogen Bowis, Rowing Teacher

boys improving their run times on a regular basis, developing their core stability and improving their rowing technique. May brought the return of Bedford Regatta, this time in

glorious sunshine, and some of our Year 8 boys volunteering to man the stake boats. This involved lying on a pontoon holding the stern of the racing boats so that they could manoeuvre into a straight position ready to start their races. All the boys did a super job and were complimented on their professionalism. Moreover it was a great opportunity for the boys to experience the regatta environment and a race start before beginning their own racing career in the Upper School. During the heatwave of the last few weeks of the Summer Term, Mr Mulkerrins reintroduced the ‘Skills Roulette’ in the single sculls where boys were given challenges of increasing difficulty until they were unsuccessful. It was great to see them challenging themselves to have a go and often surprising themselves with how much they could achieve. Special mention

Messing about in boats – there’s really nothing better

should go to Dylan Uppal who managed to complete ‘the helicopter’ (standing in his boat, circling a sculling blade above his head ) and stay dry. We finished the term with some fun racing in singles and quads where we mixed the boys with experience and size. Much fun was had by all, finishing the year on a high. I can already see some future stars and will follow their progress, with interest, as they move up the school. My thanks, as always, go to the fabulous coaching team, without whom we wouldn’t be able to provide this fabulous experience.

‘It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Rowing taught me that success is not achieved overnight but through consistent effort, resilience, and unwavering commitment.’ SIR STEVE REDGRAVE

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W H I N C H AT

Cricket

CRICKET R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Simon Lincoln, Head of Cricket

1ST XI CRICKET REPORT

he st cricket team en oyed a hugely successful season off the back of their amazing tour to South Africa. Throughout the season there were setbacks with three of the squad breaking bones (playing football ) and yet depth and character of the squad allowed them perform well and achieve the title of IAPS Cup U13 Champions and David English Cup Midlands Champions. In total the squad played 16 games and won

14 of them losing only to Derbyshire U13 in a friendly and Manchester Grammar School in the avid English National Semi inals. Here are some of the highlights of the season. David English Cup:After a great win in York on Monday in the IAPS Cup quarter finals against St Olaves the Prep st were on the road again to play RGS Worcester in the David English Cup Midland Final and a place in the national semi finals. This has been a challenging cup that started last

year by qualifying as U12 county champions allowing us to represent Bedfordshire in the U13 competition playing other county champions. The side had already beaten ragon School (Oxfordshire), ing Edwards Birmingham (Warwickshire) and St Joshep’s Stoke (Staffordshire) to set up the Midlands final. Having won the toss BPS put RGS into bat and restricted them to 91 all out with a fine spell of bowling by Toby Hudson - . The game was won by wickets with eo Tapp

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Left: istening to the coach is crucial to success

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and Tom lvert seeing the side home. Unfortunately in the National Semi Finals against Manchester Grammar the side were not able to chase down the runs to get them into the finals but it was a fine effort in an incredibly competitive cup competition. PS National Champions BPS st won the IAPS National Finals in York beating Farleigh School by 10 runs in a tense high scoring game. Having beaten Great Walstead School in the morning’s semi final by wickets with a successful run chase of 85 this set up a competitive final against arleigh. BPS lost the toss and were put into bat and built a solid total of 174-8 from 25 overs. Fine contributions from Joshua Edmundson 37, Ollie Jackson and a uick and important from Toby Hudson. n reply arleigh came out with intent and whilst they were staying with the run rate BPS continued to take key wickets at crucial times with fine bowling from Gus Wilson, eo Tapp, Toby Hudson, saac incent-Emery and avin rishnaruban. The game was won in the final over with a run out by Harry Hodgson to secure a run victory. Congratulations to all the boys on the win which is just rewards for all the hard work that began back in September as they prepared for the tour to South Africa. Most pleasingly is how it was a genuine team effort with all boys contributing to the win.

fantastic season for the st

I A P S N AT I O N A L CRICKET QUARTER FINAL WIN

The Prep School 1st XI enjoyed a successful day in the heat at St Olave’s ork in the uarter finals of the PS Cricket National Cup. After an early start and long journey the boys got off to a fine start with a run out in the first over. The success continued as we took our opportunities to restrict St Olave’s to 140-9 in their 25 overs. Congratulations to avin rishnaruban - for his fine spell of bowling. In reply we started fast with Josh Edmundson crashing a quick fire before Tom lvert and saac incent-Emery off balls saw the victory completed.

CRICKET HONOURS Full Colours Awarded to: Tom lvert, saac incent-Emery, Harry Hodgson, Toby Hudson, Joshua Edmundson, eo Tapp, Ollie Jackson, Ollie Bodfield, Gus Wilson, Harry Spencer, Harry Mullan, avin rishnaruban, reddie Barnes.

2022 2023 BEDFORD SIXES WINNERS st celebrating success

Bedford Sixes Y6, from left to right: Arthur Mullaney, Samarth Serrish, Ned Neale, Joe Willard, Eben Clarke, reddie Gibbs, Charlie Tillison

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Cricket

U11 CRICKET 6S TOURNAMENT

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IC R C

This must be one of the few occasions this term we have played with the sun out, allowing all participants the chance to play uninterrupted cricket. For the Bedford-1 team, the day got brighter as they played some outstanding cricket with bat and ball to qualify for the Cup Competition. The fielding and bowling in the semi-final were at the highest standard to restrict our opponents to 34 runs on the smallest of pitches. We made the score with five balls to spare against a resilient Beechwood team. n the final, it was more convincing an unbeaten 60-run partnership between Freddie Gibbs and Ned Neale put pressure on M PS from the off, a stranglehold that was never relinquished by any bowler. Not since 1999 had a BPS team won this trophy so we would like to look after this for a few more years - over to you, ear Bedford-2 improved on their Group Matches to advance to the Plate Final where they lost narrowly to ocker’s Park by three runs. Bedford-3 battled hard and while no silverware came their way, they can look back on a rewarding day of cricket. The B’s also had an excellent time in the sun on Sunday. They started off with a win against Aldwickbury winning in the last over of the game. They then lost to ings College, Cambridge not uite having enough runs on the board. Then losing to Westbook Hay School to a very high scoring game but ultimately losing out on runs on the board. The boys went through to the plate final beating the Bedford Prep Sschool C team on the way but sadly lost out to ockers School in the final who needed eight off the last over. All games were very competitive; Ben Brading was the pick of the bowlers and Monty Pool batting excellently in the plate final. The ear C team (including one ear in William Wootton) had a fabulous day in the sun. The boys knew they were there for experience and learning, and gleaned tactics and techniques from every match. Whilst they didn’t notch up a win, they were always playing against other schools’ teams. They ran eventual finalist, Milton eynes Prep close, in losing off the last ball, and will use all the skills learnt for the rest of the cricket season.

S A ou fri th ca

Sunday 21st May 2023

n Thursday the th of ebruary, boys and four members of staff left Bedford School to travel to Heathrow Airport for their cricket tour to South Africa. With a sleepy yet excitable atmosphere on the coach, all minds turned to the long journey via oha to Cape Town. Having arrived in Cape Town, we regathered all our luggage and headed to Bishops Prep School for our first training session in the boiling heat. Here, we batted, bowled and practised our fielding to ensure we were ready for the challenges that were ahead. After the training session, the boys and staff were pleased to be heading to the comfort of the hotel before watching the first game of the Women’s T Cricket World Cup between the hosts South frica and Sri anka. In what should have been an easy victory for South Africa, the game had many twists and turns with Sri anka running out eventual winners in the last over by 2 runs. Being at the iconic ground Newlands was a fantastic

experience for the boys and staff with many of the boys taking in the sights, sounds and endless supply of sweets and drinks on offer. Day three had an early start due to a fixture taking place the morning before the searing heat returned at Midday. The first game was against Bastion Primary and was an opportunity for both Bedford sides to be mixed s. The side performed well coming away with a victory with Oliver Featherstone commenting on the superb performances with bat and ball and an ama ing bit of fielding from Edward Page of his own bowling’. The s were not so fortunate and lost a game in which they began batting with Joshua Edmonson and Tom lvert reaching - at the first drinks break, before they ‘tumbled like skittles’ as described by Harry Hodgson. espite a fightback with the ball, the Bastion batters nudged away beating the boys with nine balls remaining. Sunday 12th February arrived with another early start for the boys and a thirty over

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fixture at Curro urbanville. This was a fixed and side, with the latter again winning. When asked about their performance Chris Gentry said The team were helped by strong batting and good bowling, with Ed Page taking four wickets’. Despite the lovely views, the U13 side were not able to match the change in pace and action from the Curro Durbanville boys and struggled adjusting to the yard run up. avin rishnaruban was a standout performer securing three wickets. After a long bus journey to the next hotel in Worcester, the boys and staff all en oyed Spurs’ Steakhouse with Freddie Barnes commenting on the ‘outstanding service and delicious food’. At 5:30am the following morning, all the squad embarked on a journey to Aquila Game Reserve. This for many, was a highlight of the st trip as it allowed close up experiences with animals such as rhinos and elephants celebrating that you may not be able to experience success otherwise. Joshua Edmondson was said to

SPORT

enjoy the various facts given to him by the Game Reserve eader taking them around. Toby Hudson also mentioned that this was the best breakfast he had received on the tour so far with a fabulous buffet offering more than you could eat. The boys en oyed games in the swimming pool before playing giant chess. Mr incoln and Mr ee even en oyed a game of crazy golf, however it ended in a rather dubious manner with victory going to Mr incoln. long ourney back took the boys to Reddam Constantia School to meet their host families for their two-night stay. Fresh from a stay in with their host families the boys were then met back at the school to go up Table Mountain via the cable car. Unfortunately, the clouds covered the top and views were very limited, though the boys all enjoyed the experience and were now able to say that they had been to the top of this historic mountain. With friendships made, the mixed U12/13 sides were able to play against their host families and play for the

honour that evening. Fortunately for Bedford, both team were victorious. Jake Woodrow expressing how well his team performed, bowling the opposition out for 93, before all the side watched a tense finish to the fixture. Man of the Match, Harry Mullan who batted with a composure and desire hoped this was the first of many to come’. ollowing the game it was lovely to see families and coaches all mingling together and enjoying the glorious Cape Town evening. fter collecting the boys from their final stay with their Reddam House host families, the tour company headed towards Paarl for their final days on tour. On the way here they visited a penguin farm, crocodile sanctuary and finally were able to see the last of the big five’ - the lion. rriving at the impressive Paarl school, both teams felt this could be their toughest opponent yet. The s performed exceptionally well to close up a tight fixture and bring home yet another win. Mr Brett and Mr Steer were pleased, but not surprised with the cricket specialists saying, ‘this is just what we do’. The s struggled again with the adjustment to 22 yards and were punished by bowling a shorter delivery. Freddie Barnes and Tom lvert did show their capabilities with the bat; however, this would not change the outcome of the match. The boys then had their penultimate night with another host family before meeting all together again the following morning. final game awaited against Western Province, before a final tour dinner at the beautiful Cape Town Waterfront. The U13 teams both pushed for the win, with the U12 aiming for a clean sweep of results in South Africa. Unfortunately, they were beaten in a closely fought game, despite some good wicket-keeping from Rory Stewart-Jones. The U13 team ended their tour in delight with Ollie Jackson hitting a six in what he thought were the winning runs. This was then followed by a reverse scoop for four to win the game. Skill or ust Jacko Mr ee and Mr incoln both left the field amused and bewildered at what had ust happened. The final meal was a time for staff to say how much they appreciated the support from the thirty-person strong touring party of brothers, sisters and parents. A thank you must go to the people of South Africa for all this hospitality and their kindness to have the boys to stay. Thank you to the schools for their fixtures and generosity. The boys were fantastic all tour and were a credit to Bedford School. Finally, a thank you to all the four coaches who took time away from their holiday and families to take the boys to South frica. n the words of Mr incoln, o we like cricket No, we love it ahhhhhh ’

W WH H II N C H A T

S P O RT

Swimming & Water Polo

SWIMMING

uiet utumn Term for the swim team saw a couple of matches against Aldwickbury and St Faith’s. Both were closely fought with the Year 7 and Year 8 teams leading the way. This enabled a close victory over Aldwickbury, but St Faith’s younger swimmers proved too strong giving them a close win over us. The Spring Term matches opened with a tough fixture against Beechwood Park in preparation for the PS ualifiers. very strong performance by the Year 8 team set the tone and the other boys reacted well and a combined year group win was achieved. In the match with Bedford Girls’ School, the Year 4 team came close to winning but the superior technique of the girls proved too strong for the other age groups. The Warwick s are always a great challenge with a lot of talented swimmers on show. The ear team put in a great amount of effort with some seasons personal best performances achieved. The ear team showed their potential and pushed really hard in every race. No first places in any event were achieved but a lot of seconds and thirds gave them a team win in the tournament. t is the first time this has been achieved - well done to Olly Meier, Berkeley Barnicoat, Isaac Vincent-Emery and Elliot Allen. Great expectations for the PS ualifiers, held at Bishop’s Stortford, saw the Year 5

Medley Relay team achieve a first place and a time that will challenge for the finals, but ultimately they just missed out. All boys gave their all, working hard to achieve the fastest times that they could. Once again, the Year 8 squad put in amazing performances to demonstrate their talent. The Spring Term finished with a friendly gala with Pilgrims for Year 3 boys. Great fun was had by all, with some encouraging swims by our youngest boys. n the Summer Term the finals of the PS swimming were the only event to take place. Nine boys travelled to the ondon Aquatics Centre to represent the Prep School in the PS finals during the half term break. The ear freestyle relay team, made up of ucas Northey, George otsidis, Arlo Mallison and Monty Adams, improved their ualifying time and finished th. nfortunately, they were dis ualified in the medley relay. rlo finished th in the m backstroke and ucas finished th in the m breaststroke. The ear medley relay team, made up of Elliot Allen, Jun Oakes, Berkeley Barnicoat and Olly Meier finished th. The ear freestyle relay team, made up of Berkley Barnicoat, Elliot Allen, Isaac incent-Emery and Olly Meier finished rd, with Olly also finishing th in the m freestyle. The ear team therefore finished th in their year group. The School finished rd out of teams who swam at the finals. Well done on an excellent day.

SWIMMING & WAT E R P O L O R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Shawn Phillips, Director of Sport

WAT E R P O LO

s Year 8 had a strong swimming group it followed that potentially the water polo team would be equally as good: this proved to be the case. The main competition is the National Schools’ Championships with all entrants playing in two qualifying tournaments before the Final. With only a couple of warm up games, against Bedford Modern School and Stamford Under 14s, who both proved to be stronger, we played our first tournament at Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet. Facing schools with much more water polo playing experience, the chances of doing well were slim on paper though in the water this proved significantly different. Playing the hosts first we got into our stride and won convincingly 7-3. Dylan Uppal played well in goal whilst Elliot Allen dominated in defence and Berkley Barnicoat proved to be too strong for the defence. Next up was Warwick School and the boys began a little overconfident and had to fight to win - Ollie Meier covering more metres than a training session to stall the opposition. rd up was the favourite Haberdashers’ ske’s School, the nursery of Watford Water Polo Club, who have competitive teams in all age groups. The team produced their best performance, with Jun Oakes, Toby Hudson and Harry Hodgson showing good resilience in defence, although losing the game 1-3. ast up was St Paul’s School, another school with a long water polo tradition. A win would achieve a second place and in a tight battle Bedford ran out winners 5-4. Howie Barnett- incent used his rocket shot effectively with Ailbe Mantini and ucas Northey (both ear ) being effective replacements for tired boys. Unfortunately, round two clashed with Year 8 exams and we were not able to attend so the team played at the etchworth ido in a club tournament for players born in and later. We had to face the mighty Watford first, losing but then picked up with convincing wins against Enfield and Hitchin Boys, - and - only to face Watford again in the semifinal. Watford went into a - lead uickly. This stirred the Bedford beast and we ended the half 3-2 up. In the second half the relentless pressure from Watford wore the team down, the final score being - . s the boys pointed out, we were the only team to score against Watford on the day. A fun end to an eventful year.

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Golf

GOLF

R E P O RT WORDS BY

Mr Sam Roberts, Bedford Prep School

nce again, Golf found itself in rude health in the Prep School. 42 boys took part in the Bedford Prep School Golf Squad, the team beat the staff and many individuals performed superbly on the national stage. Thanks must go to Mr Richard Banks up at Bedfordshire Golf Club, whose patience and expertise with everyone was much appreciated. Swings were improved, better contact was made and putts were holed. Everyone benefitted from their visits to the driving range. The business end of the season began in the Easter holidays when four prep school boys (Rocco Shelton, Josh Riley, Sammy Hughes and Oliver Gauntlett) oined the pper School golf tour in visiting the ‘home of golf’, St Andrews in Scotland. 108 holes in three days was some going and tired bodies trudged their way back down Euston Road on the Thursday morning, having conquered some of the most memorable links in the world. Huge thanks must go to Mr Thomson and Mr Roberts for making this incredible trip possible. n the Summer Term, House Golf was won by Bunyan (Rocco Shelton and ston Thygesen) who beat off the challenge of Howard (Nathan Nolan and Oliver Gauntlett), Harpur (Josh Riley

and Sammy Hughes) and Whitbread (Jacob Schouten and ush Ganatra). The boys team beat the staff team 3 points to 2 with a dubious length of putt on the last being conceded by Mr Guest leaving Mr Whitbread a twisty footer to tie the match. The ball lipped out and the boys walked off victorious, but golf has the biggest smile on its face. Fantastic performances from all the boys showed just how far their game had come this year. The Bedford Prep School Open was ust as good an affair. The cademy course at Stagsden is tricky. Set up fast and punishing, you need to keep it straight and measured. To see all boys taking part (at least one in every year from Year - ear ) was glorious and the scores posted were nothing short of remarkable. At the Stowe Putter the boys were excellent. Finishing 2nd overall in the U13 competition

WINNERS Y E A R 3 Max Bahous Parnell Y E A R 4 Jack Greenwood ( nd Overall) Y E A R 5 Saffal Jethwa Y E A R 6 Nathan Nolan (on countback from Jacob Schouten) Y E A R 7 Oliver Gauntlett

(Rocco Shelton and Oliver Gauntlett), with two boys, (Jacob Schouten and Jack Greenwood) coming rd and th in the Junior Jigger Competition. This represented the best results of any of the schools competing. At the ISGA Junior Open in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, the good form continued with Sammy Hughes shooting and Rocco Shelton shooting 73. Rocco’s card was good enough for second in the overall gross competition. Their two scores were combined to finish oint th alongside teams from the likes of Merchiston, Millfield and Rossall. t was a fantastic end to a brilliant year of golf. Huge thanks to Mr Roberts for all his hard work organising all of the transport, lessons and chocolate bars

Y E A R 8 Sammy Hughes OVERALL WINNER

Rocco Shelton ongest rive was won by Caelan Standen and the nearest the pin was won by Noah Campbell

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W H I N C H AT

Hockey

t was another fantastic season of hockey at Bedford Prep School, playing over 220 matches across six age groups and scoring over 300 goals in what was a really enjoyable season. The pupils who played demonstrated a superb work ethic and passion for the game throughout the season with coaches boasting of how well they have developed. Despite narrowly missing out on a place in the Ps finals on penalty strokes, and the last stages of the regional finals by a single goal, the U13As played some outstanding hockey. They demonstrated excellent resilience and resolve to come from behind and win games in emphatic fashion, playing their best hockey when their backs were against the wall. The most notable performances were against Warwick School in the ase, coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2, and coming back against Bishop Stortford College to win 6-2 - a stupendous effort. Honourable mentions go to Ollie Jackson and Rory Stewart-Jones, who orchestrated some sublime goals over the season, and to Carlos Zamora Sebrango we say ‘good luck’ as he returns to Spain. The Bs performed admirably with results mainly going in their favour, including a 6-3 win away at Oundle and a - victory at Winchester House. They improved collectively, with their stick skills and positional play developing well over the course of the season resulting in some lovely interlinking hockey. Sebastian Warner and Theo Rees were at the forefront of the attack, with Oliver Barbour and Ben Zanna controlling things at the back. The C team produced some brilliant hockey and came a long way from the start of the year. Their ability to move the ball early, at pace and with accuracy meant they were unstoppable at times, producing some eye-catching hockey. Highlights of the season included a 6-2 victory over Oundle and 9-0 against imbolton. The team worked really hard with their skills developing well, as well as their understanding of how to move the ball into space. A particular highlight was the win at

Oundle School, where the boys played fast, well-structured hockey, winning the game at a canter. Well done for all your progress as a team. On their day, the U12As produced some very exciting hockey. Games like the home match against The Perse, in which they ran out winners, prove how keeping play simple, accurate and fast will hurt any opponent. One of the highlights of the year was the trip to Taunton to compete in the Ps inals, getting through the group stages but being knocked out by a very good Fettes College side. Joshua Edmondson and Oliver Featherstone showed superb composure and skill on the ball to dominate their opposition throughout the season. They were an enthusiastic and enjoyable group to work with all term. For the U12Bs, it was a pity the season came to an end when it did, as this group had just begun to turn a corner in their positional awareness and performance. They showed good work-rate and passing in the last two fixtures, not giving the ball away cheaply, and, as they develop their stick skills and speed of hand, they will grow in confidence to play out of tight areas. The C, and E teams made huge progress with their game awareness and skill development. This meant that all three teams were able to enjoy playing some good hockey and, when they used the wide channels, they opened the opposition up allowing them to create and score some fine goals. Most pleasing was the approach that all the boys had to further develop their game and work hard for whichever team they were representing. As a result, there was movement between the teams, giving boys the opportunity to stretch their game. Well done to all the boys who played. The s developed exceptionally well during the season. The s were incredibly successful, convincingly winning their IAPS Regional competition and winning against Felsted 4-1 and St Faith’s 5-2. Ned Neale and Freddie Gibbs led the way with their fast, free-flowing style of hockey. ll boys in ear

H O C K E Y R E P O RT

WORDS BY

U11 Regional IAPS competition winners

Mr Dan Mason, Head of Hockey

O C TO B E R 2 0 2 3

SPORT

Perfect control on display

Pupils who played demonstrated a superb work ethic and passion for the game throughout the season with coaches boasting how well they have developed. 6 should be proud of their achievements and performances throughout the season. They are an exciting year group with lots of potential and the ability to play fluent, competitive hockey. All the U10 teams made great progress and it was wonderful to see the development of

all the boys. The students worked hard to control games with real dominance through the development of an emphatic passing game and sharp stick skill. Convincing wins against St. aith’s and imbolton stood out in a term heavily disrupted by the weather. It is an exciting time for Bedford School

hockey with our teams littered with quality hockey players all trying to play an inspiring brand of hockey. A huge thanks goes to all of the amazing staff who worked so hard with their teams this year and also to Mr Mee and we wish him all the very best as he leaves us for BGS.

LEAVERS

W H I N C H AT

Bedford Preparatory

Adedeji, Jacob

Adil, Raihaan

Algie, Isaac

Allen, Elliot

Angus, James

Anstee, Basil

Apesin, Oluwasemilore (Semilore)

Bantock, Finn

Barbour, Oliver

Barnes, Frederick (Freddie)

Barnett-Vincent, Howie

Barnicoat, Berkley

Bhukhan, Aryan

Bodfield, Oliver

Borelli, Gabriel

Carron, Lucien

Chadwick, William (Will)

Chaudhry, Muhammad

Clavier, Leo

Coles, Toby

Collins, Lukas

Creek, Donnell

Dagger, Woody

Daubney, Ethan

Davidson, Henry

Davidson, Thomas

Devenish, Isaac

Elliott, Benjamin (Ben)

Fairhead, Dominic

Fitzpatrick, Arthur

O C TO B E R 2 0 2 3

LEAVERS

Leavers 2022-23

Fletcher, Nathaniel

Garosi, George

Gentle, Ollie

Grattan, Hayden

Gray, Thomas (Tom)

Harrison, George

Hiemstra, Christian-Peter (Christian)

Hodgson, Henry (Harry)

Hooley, Jago

Hou, Ziqi (Jacky)

Hudson, Toby

Hughes, Samuel (Sammy)

Jackson, Oliver (Ollie)

Jenkins, Fergus

Johnson, Richard (Isaac)

Kaleem, Taish

Keating-Anderson, Samuel (Sam)

Keggin, Edward

Kingsbury, Jamie

Krishnaruban, Kavikaran (Kavin)

Lahkar, Agastya

Lushchay, Daniel

Maling, Harry

McMurran, Joshua

Meier, Oliver (Olly)

Meka, Yuvan

Midgley, Max

Millar, George

Moretto, Matthew

Mullan, Harry

AC ADEMIC

W H I N C H AT

Bedford Preparatory

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O C TO B E R 2 0 2 3

Leavers 2022-23 Credits ART CREDITS Page 28 & 29 YEAR 8

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W H I N C H AT

Parting shot

Above: We have had great fun. See you next year!

Photo: Knitting club had the boys in stitches!

Photo: Egypt Day celebrations

BEDFORD P R E PA R ATO RY SCHOOL D E PA RY S AV E N U E B E D F O R D, M K 4 0 2 T U UNITED KINGDOM T +44 (0)1234 362274 F +44 (0)1234 362285 E PREPINFO@BEDFORDSCHOOL.ORG.UK