A
year in review 2017/2018
W ELCOME A Year in Review
brighter
His future’s at Bedford
T
he English public school system prides itself on being able to present a mix of traditional and forward-looking education and there is good reason for this: whilst the pace of change seems to gather more quickly than ever, essential humanity remains the same as it has for millennia. People still have the same hopes and fears for their lives, relationships and environments as they have ever had, even if some of the tools to shape them have changed. It has always been important, therefore, for the longevity of the sector that our education can teach boys the agelong attributes for being a good human being, whilst also enabling them to be able to cope with a challenging and changing world. The representation of that ideal in the coming pages is as clear as it has ever been. Character continues to be developed on the sports field, in the theatre and through the study of Classics and English Literature, as it has done for (literally) centuries at Bedford School; yet interlaid with this, you will find the tools of the present in live genetic research, the latest music technology, flight simulation and the use of coding to create intelligent algorithms. Add in considerable time spent on the modern social constructs of well-being and positive mental health and you will discover a thoroughly modern school which acknowledges and celebrates its past. I do hope that you will enjoy reading on.
James Hodgson Head Master
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BOOK A VISIT
Book an individual visit to explore a Bedford School education for your son. Call our Admissions team on 01234 362216 or email admissions@bedfordschool.org.uk
OPEN MORNINGS
Join us at one of our 2019 open mornings and see the school in action. • Saturday 27 April 2019 • Saturday 5 October 2019 Book your family’s place at www.bedfordschool.org.uk/ Visits-and-Open-Mornings
EXAM RESULTS
bedfordschool.org.uk
Great GCSE Results Boys also enjoyed great success in their GCSEs, celebrating the best GCSE results since 2010. Over 69% of exams were graded at A*- A (or number grade equivalent), with a remarkable 22% of grades awarded at the new grade 9, invented to distinguish those marks at the very top of the A* range (against 4.3% nationally). Eleven boys gained straight A*s (or their equivalent), and over 30% of boys scored 7 A* grades or more.
Sixth Form 2018 Successes Over three-quarters of A-Level and International Baccalaureate pupils achieved A*- B grades, and two-thirds of boys gained places at Russell Group universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, along with leading universities across the world. Individual success stories included the following:
“These are indeed remarkable results at the top end, but there are also lots of personal triumphs away from the highest grades. This is a wonderful year group, inside and outside the classroom, and I congratulate them all on their achievements.�
Oliver Graham earned a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is one of several pupils who chose to study abroad in the USA, Germany and Denmark.
James Hodgson Head Master
Chris and Ed Lamb ensured their passage to Oxford and Cambridge to read Classics and Education respectively, after taking a gap year. The twins will no doubt appear in a boat or two! Harrison Burgoine took an alternative route to university, receiving an impressive five unconditional degree-level apprenticeship offers before opting for an apprenticeship with high-end construction company, Walter Lilly & Co Ltd. Harrison will spend one day of his working week reading Construction at London South Bank University.
Sixth Form Scholarships
P
Top 15 University Destinations* Birmingham University
Bristol University
Durham University
Imperial College London
King's College London
Loughborough University
Newcastle University
Nottingham Trent University
Oxbridge
Sheffield University
The University of Nottingham
The University of Warwick
University College London
University of Exeter
University of Leeds
*Top university destinations for 2016, 2017 and 2018 combined
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rofessor John Roach Scholarships are available for academically talented boys entering the Sixth Form. The scholarships are worth up to 25% of annual school fees. Combined with the standard 10% scholarship, the total award available is worth up to 35% of annual school fees. To find out more visit: www.bedfordschool.org.uk/ scholarships or call our Admissions Team on 01234 362216.
ACADEMIC A Year in Review
An Aptitude for Algorithms
L
ower Sixth Computer Science pupils showed their propensity for getting to the root of problems, using their creativity to explore solutions and their mathematical and coding skills to create intelligent algorithms in the school’s ‘Algorithm of the Month’ challenge. Highlights included Henry Shaw’s solution for converting any number in any base into another base. The algorithm allowed for any letter of the alphabet to describe a number base. Alex Ward turned in a great effort, solving two problems: a) how to decide if a polygon created by n points was convex or not; and b) what was the minimum distance one had to move each point on the polygon so that all points would fit onto a circle. Alex’s solution made great use of iteration and recursion. Daniil Dulgeru wrote his own version of Dijkstra’s famous ‘Shortest Path Algorithm’, which was accurate and fully functional with nicely abstracted and re-usable code, for finding the shortest path from a node in a mathematical graph to any other node in the tree.
Creative Coding
Fighting Language Loss
F
ifth Form pupils and staff have been playing their part in helping to preserve the world’s many endangered languages. Inspired by a special linguistics lesson with Wikitongues, during which boys helped to collect oral histories, diction and details of remote family dialects to record on Wikitongues’ database (an ambitious complete living platform for every language in the world), the pupils and staff have been working hard to further their understanding of language and have created their very own archive of language diversity. The archive now contains 37 films, which can be viewed on YouTube at bit.ly/LatBS.
Quick Bites Public Speaking Harry Hine, Ethan Ofosu (Fourth Form) and Freddie Pelling (Remove Form) won the Bedfordshire round of the English Speaking Union Churchill Public Speaking Competition to secure their place in the regional finals at Magdalene College, Cambridge.
British Biology Olympiad Daniel Liu (Upper Sixth) gained a gold award in the British Biology Olympiad, placing him in the top 6.05% of students nationally. David Holland and Jeevan Sandhu achieved silver, and George Christian and Alex Bird (all Upper Sixth) achieved bronze.
Senior Maths Team Challenge Thomas Pelling, Henry Shaw, Harry Chen (Lower Sixth) and Chester Wang (Upper Sixth) dropped only a single point to win the regional finals of the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Senior Team Maths Challenge and go on to the national finals for the second year in a row. The team finished 14th out of 85 nationally. Bedford School's Archive of Language Diversity
Legal Eagle
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Edwin Chan (Lower Sixth)
dwin Chan (Lower Sixth) was runner up in this year’s Corpus Christi College’s Peter Cane Prize for Legal Reasoning. Edwin entered the highly-competitive competition, which seeks to promote engagement with the ideas and reasoning behind law and legal studies, of his own accord. He diligently tracked down past legal cases to help form his answer, which involved analysis of Section 6 of the Human Rights Act and its provisions governing what constitutes a ‘public authority’ for the purposes of that act. 4
Scholarships & Bursaries
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edford School believes in rewarding talent, and its generous scholarships, worth up to 35% of school fees, are available to boys who excel academically or show outstanding talent in art, drama, music or sport, including golf. Bursaries, on the other hand, are means-tested awards, designed to welcome talented boys who would not otherwise be able to access a Bedford School education. Awards of up to 100% of annual fees are possible.
ACADEMIC bedfordschool.org.uk
Edge of Space P
upils from across the entire school gathered on the playing fields in November to witness the take-off of the school’s very first space mission. Sixth Form pupils, under the excited gaze of boys and staff, launched the highaltitude balloon from the 1st XV rugby pitch to a height of 30km (100,000 feet): quite literally the edge of space. The balloon, which measured approximately two metres in diameter, carried a marshmallow for the all-important marshmallow experiment, a camera for real-time images, a black box data recorder and GPS navigation to track the equipment as it fell to earth after reaching the Earth’s stratosphere and shattering into thousands of pieces. Both Upper School and Prep School boys enjoyed the opportunity to be involved in the mission, learning practical maths, physics and engineering skills in the process, and in the weeks that followed the boys were able to analyse and study the flight data in detail.
[ Exploring New Heights ]
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ACADEMIC A Year in Review
Linguistic Gold
O
scar Hudson (Fifth Form) achieved a gold award in the UK Linguistics Olympiad (UKLO), placing him in the top 5% of pupils in the country. During the Olympiad, Oscar answered questions about a wide range of languages (many of which he had never even heard of) and was required to decipher sentences in Icelandic, Vietnamese, Albanian and a small language called Central Pame, spoken by only 5,000 people in Central Mexico. The test demanded high linguistic aptitude and the ability to recognise patterns in languages. Last year Oscar achieved silver and so was naturally delighted to go one better this year. Oscar Hudson (Fifth Form)
Arkwright Scholarship
Linguistics Commendation Rahul Sheemar (Lower Sixth) received high praise from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, following his entry on the subject of machines such as Siri and their use of language into their Languages and Linguistics Essay Competition. The markers at Corpus Christi praised the clarity and structure of the academic paper, his understanding of all phenomena discussed, and the wide array of different aspects of language he focused on.
Chemistry Olympiad Eight Upper Sixth boys earned awards in the Chemistry Olympiad. Daniel Liu, Chester Wang, Hoffer Tsang and George Christian all achieved silver awards and John Kendall, Jeevan Sandhu, Henry Ngai and Frank Liu received bronze awards.
Model Ambassadors Edwin Chan (Lower Sixth), Conor Hilliard, Felix Asare and Harry Beard (Upper Sixth) scored notable successes at the Haileybury Model United Nations (MUN) Conference. Edwin Chan, speaking at his first conference, succeeded in passing a resolution on missile disarmament. Conor Hilliard and Felix Asare both won Highly Commended awards and Harry Beard won a Distinguished Delegate award, the highest level of individual achievement available at the conference.
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elix Mallalieu became the fourth Bedford School pupil in as many years to be awarded an Arkwright Scholarship. One of the most prestigious scholarships of its type, it aims to inspire and nurture high-calibre 16-year-old students to be future leaders in the engineering profession. As a result of the scholarship, Felix will benefit from valuable hands-on work experience, support for curriculum projects and a personal mentor to help with study and career planning. The award also includes a cash prize, industry-based engineering experience days, magazine subscriptions and technical lectures.
Quick Bites
Physics Olympiad Thomas Pelling (Lower Sixth) was awarded gold in the Physics Olympiad, placing him in the top 4% of the country and Chester Wang (Upper Sixth) secured a silver award.
Inspiring Careers Advice Felix Mallalieu (Lower Sixth)
Academic Extension
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e encourage boys to look beyond the syllabus, stretch their intellectual ambition and to develop critical skills for the next stage of their educational careers through our academic extension programmes.
Pupils gained a wealth of knowledge, advice and top tips from professionals in a series of careers events throughout the year, including the annual Old Bedfordians Careers Fair, the school's first evening dedicated to ‘Careers in International Business’, a 'Careers in Art' evening and a 'Why Drama?' event. Pupils also had numerous opportunities to join interactive seminars with universities and students around the world.
The Bedford School Independent Project (BSIP), undertaken by all boys in the Lower Sixth, allows pupils to explore their chosen areas of interest in a rigorous, critical and often interdisciplinary fashion. The exciting array of projects this year included ‘Explaining Einstein’ and ‘From powerful to outstanding: how to improve the competitiveness of China’s stateowned enterprises’. Jonathan Blake (Lower Sixth) particularly impressed judges to win the BSIP Presentation Prize with his project ‘Stalingrad: the turning point of World War Two?’ Results in the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), which offers A-Level boys the opportunity to build upon their BSIP in the Upper Sixth and earn up to 70 UCAS points, proved excellent this year, with 100% of candidates achieving A* to A grades and 75% of boys achieving A*. Topics ranged from ‘The biochemical behaviour and structure of the Ebola virus’ to ‘The evolving aims and geopolitical resonance of the Eurovision’ to ‘How did a man with almost no political experience beat the "best-qualified candidate of all time" to the US Presidency?’ 6
BSIP Presentation Prize
ACADEMIC bedfordschool.org.uk
Through the Archives W
ill Barnes (Lower Sixth) spent the last year meticulously researching and sharing many of the remarkable gems that are stored in Bedford School’s vast and varied archive collection, as well as travelling further afield to gather new evidence and archives to add to the school’s collection. Throughout the year he shared his fascinating finds with the school community via Twitter and with boys in school assembly. The culmination of his work was showcased in a carefully curated exhibition he organised to appeal to boys, staff, Old Bedfordians and guests. The items on show ranged from old photos of the science labs to programmes for swimming galas where ‘the monitors race the rest’. Talking about the experience, Will told us, “I feel very honoured to, in a way, represent the history of Bedford School. It is so great, and from my speech to the whole school, the archives have made me realise what a small part of the Bedford School jigsaw I am, and we all are. It has made me want to contribute something to the school, something that could find itself in the archives in ten years’ time.” Fittingly, Will has been named the next Head of School, where he will no doubt make a significant contribution.
[ Showcasing History ]
Life-changing Research L
aurence Pleuger (Lower Sixth) and 16 other Bedford School pupils are working collaboratively on a pioneering and challenging research project that could help change the lives of children around the world. Together with scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and European Bioinformatics Institute, the Biology pupils are helping to identify all of the genes in the Human Whipworm (Trichuris Trichiura) to aid the understanding of this significant global pathogen and the development of new treatments and vaccines. The Human Whipworm is a parasitic worm which affects 500 million people, mainly children, worldwide. Laurence Pleuger, who was identified as one of the top annotators on the ground-breaking project, led by The Institute for Research in Schools (IRIS), joined scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge over the summer to help them on the project.
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FE ATUR E STORY A Year in Review
Flight
simulator B
edford School's RAF section of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) can now take to the skies whatever the weather thanks to a new high-tech flight simulator, which was officially opened in May 2018. The new simulator system is capable of simulating 24 different aircraft and variants, from helicopters to aeroplanes of all sizes and even a space shuttle. Bedford School has one of the largest and most active CCF Corps in the country, and aims to get its RAF cadets flying as often as possible with the Cambridge University Air Squadron. Thanks to the new simulator, cadets can now supplement their flying sorties with regular, realistic flight training - regardless of weather conditions or pilot availability.
[ High Flying ]
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CR EATIVE ARTS bedfordschool.org.uk
One to
watch
T
alented composer Oliver Graham (Upper Sixth) is set to make his mark in the movies after winning a scholarship to study Film Scoring at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. Oliver's passion and talent for composition has been clearly evident and impressive throughout his Bedford School days. This year alone, he added two stunning film scores to his ever-growing portfolio: the feature film, Hollow, and the short film, The Boy Who Had It All. He composed the haunting music for the school's stage production of The Red Shoes, as well as leading many school musical events, including the recent and outstanding Evening of Film Music, which he both arranged and conducted. His musical achievements also extend beyond film and theatre scores: earlier in the year he and Oliver Walker (Lower Sixth) achieved one million downloads on Spotify for their OX2 arrangement of Hummingbird by Kyla La Grange.
[Oliver Graham (Upper Sixth) ] 9
CR EATIVE ARTS Year in Review A FEATUR E STORY
Quick Bites
bedfordschool.org.uk
World-Class Composition
Think Like An Artist
F
lik Feng (Fifth Form) was one of just 10 talented young composers worldwide to win a place on the prestigious ‘Very Young Composers Workshop’ in Shanghai with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra over the summer. Flik’s accomplished piano trio composition impressed the judges, who received over 1,000 entries from young composers. During the week-long workshop, Flik worked closely with Artistic Director, Jon Deak, and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra teaching artists, as well as musicians from the New York Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Excitingly, at the end of the workshop the two orchestras performed Flik’s composition as part of their ‘Music in the Summer Air’ concert at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra’s Chamber Hall.
Old Bedfordian and BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz returned to Bedford School to celebrate 10 years of Gilbert Lloyd Art lectures. In his insightful and entertaining talk, he shared some of the basic practices and processes adopted by the world’s greatest creative thinkers whose talents have flourished, and which can be used to help everyone achieve extraordinary things. Flik Feng (Fifth Form)
National Youth Choir Silas Sanders (Lower Sixth) won a place with the prestigious National Youth Choir, recognised as one of the world’s finest vocal ensembles.
Nature's Outback
Bedfordshire Festival
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Boys from across the school enjoyed a superb Bedfordshire Festival of Music, Speech and Drama, bringing home 75 top three places. Flik Feng (Fifth Form) and Silas Sanders (Lower Sixth) were invited to perform at the Gala Concert, where Flik was awarded the Hans Freyhan Salver Prize for Piano.
Articulation Christian Noble (Upper Sixth) was awarded second place for his articulate presentation on the fashion designer Rei Kawakubo and her work for the fashion label ‘Comme Des Garçons’ at the regional final of the ‘ARTiculation’ Art competition.
Our annual Detweiler Competition celebrates pupils' impressive Art, Music, Drama and Creative Writing skills.
Photography by Arthur Marie (Lower Sixth)
rthur Marie’s (Lower Sixth) photographic skills took visitors for a walk on the wild side with a wonderful nature photography exhibition, which formed part of the school’s Creative Arts Festival.
Britten Sinfonia
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lex Watson (Lower Sixth) was invited to join the Composer Hub of the Britten Sinfonia, one of the world’s most celebrated pioneering ensembles. Alex will learn how to develop his creative, technical and stylistic skills through a comprehensive programme of tailored composition briefs. He will also receive mentoring from professionals, join rehearsals and recordings, and take part in public performances. Alex's composing talent was also recognised in this year's 'Young Composers’ Competition, in which he came 32nd out of 2,000.
creative
ARTS
SCHOLARSHIPS
S
cholarships for Art, Music and Drama worth up to 35% of annual school fees are available to talented boys who are passionate about the creative arts. Call our Admissions team on 01234 362216 for an informal chat to find out more.
Alex Watson (Lower Sixth)
National Youth Theatre
P
eter Barrington (Fifth Form) joined a growing list of Bedford School boys to enter the elite National Youth Theatre (NYT) Company. Peter competed against 6,000 young hopefuls to gain one of just 70 workshop places. He is the fifth Bedford School pupil in as many years to secure a much sought-after place and will follow in the footsteps of British acting and singing stars such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Ed Sheeran. Peter Barrington (Fifth Form)
Art by Winki Chan (Upper Sixth)
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CR EATIVE ARTS FEATUR E STORY
Dramatic season
[ Romeo and Juliet ] 11
bedfordschool.org.uk
I
t proved a superb year of drama for our young actors in the Quarry Theatre.
First billed was a bold re-imagining of Shakespeare’s iconic tale of Romeo and Juliet, set against a backdrop of a fictional, post-apocalyptic, war-ravaged 1985. A joint production with Bedford Girls’ School and Mark Rutherford School, this extraordinary rendition was haunting, arousing and eerie, yet the talented cast brought a vulnerable warmth and feeling to the characters. The powerful Edelweiss Pirates told the tale of a group of teenagers in Nazi Germany who opposed Hitler when the adults wouldn’t. In a performance that was challenging, provoking and illuminating, the all-boy cast engaged, thrilled and moved its audience. Summer term saw the enactment of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which retold the story of Shakespeare’s Hamlet from the perspective of two of the famous play’s most insignificant characters. The cast gave a splendid insight into the absurdity and randomness of the world through the eyes of these two deepthinking, if nonsensical, characters. In Ethan Chappell-Mason’s (Upper Sixth) last ever performance in a Bedford School production, he took centre stage in the oneman show, Tonight with Donny Stixx. The black comedy, which demonstrated Ethan’s diversity and charisma as an actor, was sold out each night in the studio.
CR EATIVE ARTS Year in Review A FEATUR E STORY
Quick Bites
Making a Fanfare
Organ Masterclass
T
his season, many audiences at the Royal Opera House will head back to their seats listening to music composed by Jonathan Blake (Lower Sixth). Jonathan was named as one of 10 winners in the Royal Opera House’s Fanfare competition. He will now work alongside the Royal Opera House orchestra and its Artistic Director, Sir Antonio Pappano, to refine his composition before it is recorded by the orchestra. Jonathan will be credited in programmes every time his composition is played.
Three musicians from Bedford School enjoyed an organ masterclass led by international recitalist Anne Page at St Andrew’s Church, Bedford. Each of the boys also enjoyed individual expert help with their own pieces and had the opportunity to play the new organ in St Andrew’s.
Marcus Tsang (Remove Form) and Silas Sanders (Lower Sixth) also composed pieces which were highly commended, placing them in the top 25 in the country.
Drama Workshops Drama pupils of all ages benefitted from a series of workshops from leading theatre companies and professionals. GCSE pupils enjoyed a physical theatre workshop with the vibrant and energetic theatre company, Frantic Assembly. Award-winning playwright and director Robert Icke delivered an interactive workshop to Fifth and Lower Sixth Form pupils ahead of their production of Romeo and Juliet, before injecting some of his unique direction into their rehearsal. Steve Lambert, the creative director of Badac Theatre Company, led pupils in a workshop focusing on the practice of Artaud’s theories.
bedfordschool.org.uk
Silas Sanders, Jonathan Blake & Marcus Tsang
Royal Northern College of Music
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rchie Young-Lee (Upper Sixth) is set to study trombone at the Royal Northern College of Music: the leading international conservatoire in the heart of Manchester. Archie, who was selected to play the trombone in the London Schools' Symphony Orchestra earlier in the year, will study for a degree in Music in Classical Performance.
National Youth Music Theatre
J
onathan Hosking (Lower Sixth) joined the esteemed National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) Company, following a successful round of national auditions. Jonathan did not waste any time in securing a role in the NYMT’s latest musical, ‘Super Hero’, playing 'Buster Bicep'. Jonathan is also a member of the National Youth Theatre (NYT) and, last year, starred in their performance of ‘Zigger Zagger’. To be a member of both the NYMT and the NYT is exceptional and a testament to Jonathan's natural flair on the stage.
Let’s be social
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tay up to date with all the news from the Bedford School community by following us on social media:
@BEDFORDSCHOOL BEDFORD-SCHOOL BEDFORDSCHOOL_UK
Jonathan Hosking (Lower Sixth)
Archie Young-Lee (Upper Sixth)
National Children's Orchestra
D
ouble bassist James Watson (Fourth Form) was selected to join the National Children’s Orchestra. James, who also sings in the National Youth Boys’ Choir, underwent a rigorous application process to earn his place with the prestigious group for young musicians. James Watson (Fourth Form)
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COMMUNIT Y bedfordschool.org.uk
Move It Movember
[ Standing Together for Men's Health ]
S
ince Bedford School became involved with the Movember charity, it has habitually been the leading education sector fundraiser and consistently amongst the top 20 fundraisers in the UK. More importantly, however, it is the manner in which the whole school community enthusiastically commits to the initiative to raise awareness of both physical and mental health issues in men that makes us so proud–and Movember 2017 proved no exception. The Bedford School ‘MoBros’ once again pulled out all the stops to put together a wide-ranging and creative programme of activities. A sponsored run, cycle and row challenge; a house tug of war; dodgeball tournament; auction and open mic night took place alongside lessons–many delivered by Sixth Form boys– on mental health and other sensitive issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, child sexual exploitation and sexual health. The ‘MoBro’ team also took their valuable lessons ‘on the road’ and visited local schools to help educate and raise awareness with others. As in previous years, the boys impressively also wrote, filmed and produced a special film for Movember, this time highlighting the importance of seeking help for mental health issues.
A Shadow on my Back
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en boys from across the Upper School took part in the ‘Shadow on my Back’ awareness initiative in conjunction with local charity, The Mind Map. The boys spent 24 hours wearing weighted rucksacks in order to experience the realities of living with a mental health illness and to raise awareness and understanding of the crippling impact that mental illness can have on the lives of young people and the extent to which this pervades every aspect of their lives, including their ability to interact socially, engage academically and participate in a full and active life.
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COMMUNIT Y A Year in Review
Well-being Week
Quick Bites
A
Charity Concert for The Mind Map
s school exams ended, boys and staff alike enjoyed taking a step back and focusing on their wellbeing, and that of those around them, during the school's very first 'well-being week'. Pupils used the proven powers of art, music, exercise and cake to connect with those around them and focus on their mental health, as well as exploring activities that offer positive change. The boys also stepped away from their phones for a day for a refreshing digital detox. Enjoying Art to Unwind
Matt Fordham hosted a charity concert in aid of mental health charity ‘The Mind Map’. Pupils performed a variety of pieces with interesting back stories, as well as pieces composed by a composer with mental health problems.
Winning England U20 Debut OB Fraser Dingwall (13-17) earned his first cap at U20 level in style as England sealed the Six Nations opener with a win over Italy. Fraser played a critical role throughout the tournament, in which England won four out of their five matches to finish second. The former Head of School and 1st XV captain, who secured a senior academy place with Northampton Saints upon leaving the school, is no stranger to the England shirt. Fraser enjoyed a successful tour of South Africa with England U18s with convincing wins over France U19s and South Africa Schools in their three-game tour last summer.
Varsity Rugby History for OB Running for Charity
Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards
Running the Gold at Buckingham Extra Mile Palace
E
very year, after House Relays, boys go the extra mile and take part in a charity run with great enthusiasm and commitment. Each house joins in and aims to run over 100 laps of the estate between them. This year, they considerably exceeded this aim; helping to raise even more for the boys’ chosen charities, which this year included Cancer Research: a charity close to the hearts of boys and staff members.
C
harles Gee, Thomas Liggins, Harry Donougher, Matthew Fordham and Oakley McNulty (Upper Sixth) all achieved gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards. The five boys received their well-deserved awards at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace attended by The Duke of Cambridge. Each boy showed real dedication and hard work to achieve his gold award; carrying out volunteer work over a period of twelve months, learning new skills and undertaking a four-day/three-night expedition and a five-day/four-night residential trip.
Soupfest
Old Bedfordian Will Briggs (02-09) became the only player to have ever played in seven Varsity Matches as Cambridge beat Oxford 20-10 in the 136th historic battle of the blues. Over the last seven years Briggs has been joined in the Light Blues by numerous OBs, including Ilia Cherezov (03-08), Oliver Clough (00-11), Sam Farmer (07-10) and Harry Peck (97-98).
Silver Crest Award Max Sogan (Remove Form) was awarded a prestigious Silver Crest Award for the part he played in successfully managing and implementing a logistically-challenging evacuation project. Max played an integral role in a hypothetical situation, which was based on a real-life scenario involving the evacuation of a Third World country. Max and his team, who were attending the RAF Wittering STEM Camp, were only permitted a limited number of resources and were required to deploy the evacuation in the shortest, most efficient way possible.
Gold Standard CCF
B
edford School boys and staff were delighted to play their part in supporting a new community event: Bedford Soupfest. The school’s chefs, alongside restaurants across the town, cooked and contributed their signature soup for the event, which donated all proceeds from the soup sales directly to the homeless people of Bedford. Boys from the Upper School were also out in force in the town centre helping to raise awareness of the culinary event and directing people to the tantalising soups. Helping the Homeless in Bedford
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Nine cadets from our Combined Cadet Force (CCF) received gold awards for their performance at the annual Combat Cadet Competition, where the team finished an impressive second. During the course of the weekend, the cadets’ military knowledge and skills were tested through numerous activities including withdrawal under fire and casualty evacuation, weapons familiarisation and attack simulations as well as physical challenges.
SPORT bedfordschool.org.uk
Three National
Finals
B
edford School achieved the unprecedented feat of reaching the finals of all three leading national schoolboy cricket competitions in the same season—indeed the same week! The 1st XI reached the finals of the National Schools T20 Competition at Arundel Castle, the U15A team faced Tonbridge School in the English Schools Cricket Association U15 Cup (formerly the Lord’s Taverners Cup) and the U17A team eased through to the finals of the National Schools U17 Cup and played Millfield School in the final.
Head Master James Hodgson said, “Bedford School has a proud cricketing history, but it is hard to imagine a more exciting season than this one. The boys have played some fine cricket, whilst upholding the spirit and traditions of the game in all they do.” It has also been a fantastic season for individual successes, with four pupils signed to academies: Emilio Gay (Upper Sixth) Northants Academy and 2nd XI; Harry Gouldstone (Lower Sixth) Northants Academy; Rahul Sheemar (Lower Sixth) Essex Academy and 2nd XI; and Gus Miller (Fifth Form) Northants Academy. The school is also proud to boast 33 county cricketers representing Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Essex, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire. The phenomenal season is testament to the strength of cricket across all ages at Bedford School and shows great potential for success on the national stage in the years ahead.
[ Winning Ways ] 15
SPORT A Year in Review
Child Beale Cup
T
he 1st VIII produced the best performance by a Bedford School 1st VIII since 2005 to win the Child Beale Cup at the National Schools’ Regatta.
The crew achieved an excellent fourth place in an extremely tight time trial (less than a second separated third and eighth places) and a second place in the semi-finals to progress to the A final. The final was dominated by St Paul’s School from the beginning. However, the 1st VIII produced a strong first 500m to hold second position to the 1000m mark, before they were edged out by Radley. The 1st VIII were now under pressure from Shiplake who produced a blistering final 500m to take third place. Undeterred, the 1st VIII hung on to claim fourth place and earn themselves the Child Beale Cup - a first for the school. The 1st VIII
Quick Bites MCC Century The 1st XI
Hockey Success
A
ll in all, it was an excellent season for the school’s hockey teams. From U14D to the 1st XI, all boys showed great commitment and perseverance. The 1st XI played 11 games without loss and rounded off their exceptional season by finishing fifth in the country in the Hockey National Finals beating the highly-rated Repton School in the process. With nine of the 12-man squad in the Lower Sixth, next season has the promise to be another exceptional one. The U14D also enjoyed a highly successful season. Throughout the term, the team showed significant progress and ended on a high with a commanding display at Uppingham and a 4-0 win.
U14 Sevens Squad
Rugby Round-up
T
eams of all ages and levels set high standards in the latest rugby season.
The 1st XV had a mixed campaign, although with more victories than losses. Highlights included performances against Dulwich College where fast-flowing and expansive rugby put the XV out of sight in the first half, and beating Abingdon in the final game of the season, where all their hard work came together. Our U14C and U14D teams impressively both finished the season unbeaten. Thanks to the strength and depth of the U14 teams, this season we also ran an U14E team who proved themselves to be highly competitive, only losing to Harrow (and only by an agonising two points)! Our U14s also enjoyed success in sevens, winning the Merchant Taylor's tournament in style with a 36-0 win in the final.
Emilio Gay (Upper Sixth) scored a magnificent century to help set up victory for the school over the MCC. Emilio’s 107 came off just 143 balls with a fantastic strike rate of 74.83 on a slow surface. Emilio hit nine fours in the innings and finished not out. Following the match, MCC captain and Old Bedfordian Tim Chapman (88–98) presented him with a cap for his strong performance. As a result of his century he also attended a lunch at Lord's, and has been selected out of 2,500 school boys to represent MCC Schools against the England Schools at Lord’s.
Lambs Rugby Trio Alfie Orchard, Reni Omotomilola and Aaron Borland (Upper Sixth) enjoyed a competitive season at home and on tour in Croatia and Italy with the Independent Schools RFC Lambs U18 squad. The trio helped the Lambs to victories over the Irish Exiles, Exeter Chiefs, Croatia and Regionale Veneto. All three boys made their mark on the squad, with Reni and Alfie, who was co-captain for the season, scoring all-important tries.
Youth Olympic Games Sevens Joe Wallace (Upper Sixth) was selected to represent Team GB in rugby sevens at the Youth Olympic Games qualifying event in Panevezys, Lithuania.
SPORTS Scholarships We offer a range of sports scholarships worth up to 35% of annual school fees. Scholarships are available for Cricket, Hockey, Rowing, Rugby and Golf. Find out more at: www.bedfordschool.org.uk/scholarships
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SPORT bedfordschool.org.uk
[Triple GB Gold ]
Triple Rowing Gold Connor Sheridan (Upper Sixth) won a superb third gold medal for Great Britain at the 2018 World Rowing Junior Championships in the Czech Republic in June. Connor and his Eights crew started strongly and led the final by a canvas at the 500m mark. With the USA hot on their tail, the team really had to dig deep to hold off the Americans’ sprint. It was a closely fought race but Team GB crossed the line first to take the gold. Earlier in the season at the Munich Regatta, Connor also took gold in the Coxless Fours and the Eights.
On Track for International Success
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n an unforgettable year of cycling, Ethan Vernon (Upper Sixth) not only competed for Wales at the Commonwealth Games in Australia, where he missed a Commonwealth bronze medal by just a split second in the Team Pursuit, but he also smashed seconds off the world record at the HSBC UK National Youth and Junior Track Championships in July. Ethan stopped the clock at 3:10.121 in qualification—over six seconds clear of his nearest rival and obliterating the world record by two and a half seconds—a time which is a staggering 15 seconds faster than Sir Bradley Wiggins’ personal best. Ethan went under the world record mark again in the final, crossing the line at 3:10.371 to win gold and defend his title as National Champion. Ethan now has his sights firmly set on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo; we have no doubt that he will be a rider to watch.
Ethan Vernon (Upper Sixth) leads out the Welsh Pursuit Team at the Commonwealth Games
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SPORT A Year in Review
Bang on Target
Quick Bites
D
Ice Hockey National Selection
arcy McBride (Fourth Form) has enjoyed a truly successful season of shooting; winning the Schools' Winter Series, placing second in The Oxford Gun Company’s ‘Yildiz Championship’ U18 category, taking top spot in the The Schools Challenge Series 2018 Browning Rabbit Mania competition, and first place in the U14 Category of the National British Schools and Young Shots Championships 2018 with a score of 30/32. His win in this final competition places Darcy as the number one shot in the UK for his age group.
Tom Stephens was selected to represent England as part of the U15 England Ice Hockey squad who headed to Bratislava, Slovakia in April.
Germany Rugby Selection Lewis Schael (Remove Form) was selected to play for the German U16 Rugby squad against Poland over Easter and the German Rugby Sevens squad in Hungary in August.
A Talent for Beach Volleyball
Darcy McBride (Fourth Form)
Bedford School’s A and B Beach Volleyball teams put in terrific performances at the National Independent Schools’ Beach Volleyball Tournament. Seven schools and 12 teams competed on the sand courts in blistering heat, each playing 12 games. Bedford School’s A team, captained by Alfie Elston (Lower Sixth), and the B team, captained by Ben WilshawQuinn (Upper Sixth), demonstrated their skill, fantastic teamwork and sportsmanship in all matches.
Thomas Raut (Remove Form)
England Sabre Badminton Champion National Finals homas Raut (Remove Form) took
Anthony Hung, Leon Zhu, Ashlesh Chandrapu and Oliver Medley
T
top spot on the podium at the England Fencing Youth Championships in June. Competing in the U15 Sabre event, Thomas out-fenced the field of 64 contestants, defeating the current GB champion 15:9 in the semi-final, and winning the final 15:9 to take the national title.
T
he Bedford School team secured their place at the Badminton National Finals for a second consecutive year. Anthony Hung, Leon Zhu, Oliver Medley and Ashlesh Chandrapu produced an impressive clean sweep to win their qualifying tournament and secure their place. Once again, it was a truly dominant and skilful performance by the team.
A and B Beach Volleyball Teams
See all the school’s fixtures and results on our dedicated sports website: www.bedfordschoolsport.org.uk
High Hurdles
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eni Omotomilola (Upper Sixth) and Stephen Simmons (Remove Form) made their mark on the athletics track this summer. Reni not only qualified for the finals at the English Schools' East Anglia Combined Events competition, but was also selected to represent Hertfordshire at the South of England Inter County match in the 110m hurdles. Stephen also turned heads on the track after coming second at the England U15 Championships in the 80m hurdles. His season went from strength to strength with a third place in the Octathlon at the Anglian Regional Final of the English Schools Combined Event Championships—achieving personal best scores in five out of his eight disciplines and breaking the 100m hurdles school record that had stood since 1979 by an impressive 0.4 seconds. Stephen Simmons (Remove Form)
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2016-2017 bedfordschool.org.uk
Trips and Tours
Art History Trip Vienna
Geography Field Trip Nettlecombe, Somerset
Cricket Pre-Season Festival Eastbourne College
Drama Trip 'A Woman in Black', London
Rowing Training Camp Pangbourne College
Rowing Training Camp Radley, Oxford
Spanish Language Trip Valencia
Drama Trip 'My Name is Rachel Corrie', London
IB Biology Field Trip Wales
CCF Capel Bed Challenge Snowdonia
Adventure Trip Finland
Physics Trip Cern, Switzerland
IB Theory of Knowledge Trip Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
Ski Trip Italian Alps
English Theatre Trip 'Streetcar', Cambridge
Drama Trip 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', Apollo Theatre, London
Latin Trip Cambridge
Music Trip London Philharmonic Orchestra
Boat Club Training Camp Lake Sarnen, Switzerland
Fifth Form Trip Bletchley Park Trust
Physics and Engineering Trip Aircraft Research Association
CCF Royal Navy Cadets Powerboats Course Portsmouth
IB Fieldwork Trip Peak District
Chapel Choir Tour Durham
Geography Trip Iceland
Art & Religious Education Trip Germany
CCF RAF Cadets Flying RAF Wittering
Organists Trip Cambridge
Maths in Action Lectures Emmanuel Centre, London
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Expedition The Chilterns
Duke of Edinburgh Silver Expedition Peak District
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition Lake District
A Small Selection of Our Visitors and Lecturers
Dr Clare Finburgh – ‘Why Watch War in the Theatre?’
John Hoskinson - 'Facing Adversity'
Printmaker and illustrator Paul Catherall – Gilbert Lloyd lecture about his career and work.
Award-winning playwright and director Robert Icke – interactive drama workshop
Dr Carolin Crawford, 'When Galaxies Collide'
OB Sir Desmond Swayne - 'The Challenges for the current Government'
Paul Nicholson – ‘The History of Street Art’ OB Ed Lamb – ‘Ovid and the Age of Augustus’
Dr Gavin McCormick – ‘What do Classicists Do?’
Jerome Watson – ‘Inequalities’
Phil Coggins - ‘Infinity and its Uses in Mathematics’
James McTavish, currently finishing his PhD at Cambridge – ‘Fluid Dynamics: from E Coli to the Atomic Bomb’
Dr Will Rawes – speaking on how appropriate technology can be used to tackle deforestation in Malawi
Jeremy Rouse – 'The Science of Music'
Andrew Lound - 'Titanic'
Charles Phillips, Head of French at Lockers Park School, speaking about the Baha’i faith
Professor Peter Ling – 'The Radicalisation of Martin Luther King'
Toby Chinn - 'Iraq and the Middle East'
Kayleigh Betterton - 'Rare Books'
Andrew Grimshaw - 'First World War poet, Noel Hodgson'
Explorer Matt Dickinson 'Everest: High Adventure'
Jack Parsons, Oxford PhD student – ‘Working with genetic engineering and nitrogen fixing plants.’
Valentina Harris, 'The food of Italy and its culinary traditions, and cooking on a budget'
Michael Herring – ‘The US Constitution’
James Nichol - 'Guitar Wizardry'
Professor Elizabeth Schafer, Royal Holloway University – ‘Shrewing Around’
Steve Lambert, Creative Director of Badac Theatre Company – workshop and performance of ‘Ashes to Ashes’
Art historian, curator and writer Michael Peppiatt – ‘Francis Bacon, An Intimate Portrait’
Dr Bendor Grosvenor, British art dealer, art historian and writer – Gilbert Lloyd lecture
Eminent historian Professor Lawrence Goldman - 'Benjamin Disraeli and the transformation of Victorian Conservatism'
Professor Mark Thomson, The Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge University – ‘Neutrinos: Ghosts of the Universe’
Mr James Wills, former Bedford School maths teacher – ‘Postulating and Proving Patterns in the Primes’
Nick Hopton - 'Off the Mersey Beat: Liverpool Music and Musicians'
Gary Poyner - 'An Introduction to Variable Star Observing'
Dr Jason Dunn, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer at King’s College London and Oslo University – ‘Endoscopy in the 21st Century: Seeing is Believing’
Mr Alex Croker, d-Raw Associates, spoke about his career to date, including working for a Danish architecture practice.
Richard Gill, academic – ‘Shakespeare’s Othello’
Dr Aric Sigman - 'Alcohol and the Young'
Simon Lawford, former Organist and Director of Music at Perth Cathedral, Australia - organ masterclass
OB Will Gompertz, BBC Arts Editor – ‘Think Like an Artist’
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Professor Bill Murray, Department of CERN Physics, Warwick University – ‘The Interactions and the Properties of the Higgs Boson at CERN using the Atlas Detector’ Dr Ian Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières – ‘Tackling Global Health Problems in Dangerous Places’
Emma Cole - 'Positive Voice' Tim Brown, former Director of Music of Clare College, Cambridge – masterclass for The Chapel Choir
Bedford School is perfectly positioned for easy access to London and its international airports. St Pancras International/Kings Cross is just 45 minutes away by train, with Luton Airport 15 minutes away, Gatwick Airport an hour and a half away and Heathrow Airport an hour and three quarters away. By road, London is easily accessible, as are Oxford and Cambridge. There are extensive bus routes across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire for day boys. Visit www.bedfordschool.org.uk/transport for further details.
Bedford School, De Parys Avenue, Bedford, MK40 2TU Tel: +44 (0)1234 362216 Email: admissions@bedfordschool.org.uk www.bedfordschool.org.uk Bedford School is part of The Harpur Trust: a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: Company No. 3475202. Registered Office: Pilgrim Centre, Brickhill Drive, Bedford, MK41 7PZ. Registered Charity No. 1066861
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