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STONYHURST ST MARY’S HALL ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW HEADMASTER
The Governors of Stonyhurst are delighted to announce the appointment of a new Headmaster for Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall. Fr Christopher Cann is currently Headmaster of Ratcliffe College Preparatory School in Leicestershire and was previously Headmaster of Leicester Preparatory School and Denstone College Preparatory School. He has a Master of Arts degree in French from the University of St Andrews and in Theology from the University of Oxford. He is married to Honor, who is a GP, and has six children and two grandchildren.
Fr Christopher is a former Anglican priest who was received into the Catholic church in 2011 and is now a priest of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. Fr Christopher joins on September 1, 2022, providing a seamless transition following the stepping down of Ian Murphy at the end of the academic year after eight extremely successful years as Headmaster.
He said: “I feel very honoured to be appointed as the next Headmaster of Stonyhurst St Mary’s Hall. I very much look forward to getting to know all the SMH children, parents and staff and to working closely, under the guidance of the Governing Body, with John Browne, Head of Stonyhurst, to build on the tremendous success the school has enjoyed in recent years.”
John Browne, Head of Stonyhurst, said: “I am delighted to welcome Fr Christopher Cann and his wife Honor to St Mary’s Hall and the Stonyhurst family. He brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep experience of education and spirituality to Stonyhurst, as well as a background in all areas of school leadership, including eight years as Headmaster of Ratcliffe College Preparatory School immediately before joining us.”
Mr Browne added: “I should like to thank Ian Murphy for his contribution to Stonyhurst. He has played a hugely significant role in leading the St Mary’s Hall community since 2014, and particularly in meeting the challenges of the pandemic in recent times. Ian has fostered a culture that ensures that St Mary’s Hall is a joyful place for young people to flourish.”
MAYFIELD GIRLS TAKE ON MCC
Cricketers of Mayfield Girls’ School were recently delighted to welcome the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) for just the second time in their history. The students, ranging in age from 11 to 18, played two T20 fixtures against a women’s representative MCC side, containing two ex-international cricketers.
On both occasions the MCC won the toss and elected to bat first. On a warm and sunny day they were able to make the most of the conditions, setting a tough target for Mayfield’s young cricketers to chase down. Despite some great batting performances from Lizzie (39 not out), Zara (35) and Flo (26), Mayfield fell just short in their run chase in both games.
Emily Starr, Mayfield’s Head of Cricket, said: “It is a real honour to play the MCC and play our part in championing women’s cricket. The sport is now a firm favourite at Mayfield even though we introduced it as a major sport only five years ago. In that time we have established a comprehensive programme and now have several girls in their respective age group county squads. For the last two years we have been recognised by The Cricketer magazine as one of the country’s top 20 all-girls’ schools for cricket. A big thank you to the MCC for giving our girls this opportunity.”
Recent reports in the media suggest that “Girls see physics as for white men only” and MPs have been told that girls do not take physics at A level because they think the subject is only for white boys.
The Science Outreach at Badminton School is a unique programme established to help redress this imbalance in three key ways: by providing strong, positive role models of young female scientists engaged in exciting practical work in the wider community, by encouraging the uptake of STEM subjects through the opportunity to deliver practical-based shows, and by providing girls who wish to study science beyond A level with a set of unique experiences they can use to support applications to higher education courses.
Pupils get the opportunity to demonstrate and present a range of science experiments in front of audiences varying from primary school-aged children to audiences in their thousands. The Science Outreach teams get invited to perform live demonstrations and present to big ticket events such as The UK Big Bang, WOMAD and Green Man festivals.
The events are almost always aimed at both girls and boys. The girls need the inspiration of seeing female scientists doing exciting practical physics and speaking confidently about the subject. Meanwhile a key element of overcoming gender-based stereotypes in science is for boys to see that it is normal for girls to be confidently undertaking practical roles. Science Outreach keep being invited back to large events because it is a unique example of girls engaged in the physical sciences. Noor Fatima, Badminton School’s Science Outreach Officer (aged 16), said: “Our main work is providing a diverse set of role models for young children, to counteract the perception that physics and other sciences only appeal to white men. At my school we want the physical sciences to be inclusive; to show young women’s interest and involvement in them. Through this approach we also enable our community to continue engaging with science even when they choose a different academic path. Everyone can have fun doing physics even if they don’t become a physicist because we make science accessible to all.”
Mr David Williams, Head of Science Outreach at Badminton School, said: “There is no difference between girls’ and boys’ ability in physics when they come to choose A-level subjects and the key to achieving a more equal balance in the physical sciences – especially physics – is for young people of both genders to have strong, positive role models of young women engaging in exciting practical activities. I am proud that Badminton School is at the forefront of increasing the participation and visibility of young women in physics and I hope that through our work with other schools and organisations, we can show that science is for everyone to an ever-increasing audience.”
NEW GIGGLESWICK SCHOOL HEADTEACHER TO BUILD FROM ‘A POSITION OF STRENGTH’
“I was driving up the M6 and my smile was growing bigger and bigger.” Sam Hart believes he has made the best decision of his career and has vowed to increase the reputation of the leading northern independent school.
Mr Hart has worked in education for 14 years and joined from Winchester College in Hampshire where he held roles as a teacher of physics, Housemaster, Director of Sport and Contingent Commander of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF).
He has wasted no time in getting to know the strengths of the school, staff and students, and said: “It’s clear I have a superb team around me and I already have no doubts that this is an excellent place of learning. I am certainly starting from a position of strength. The senior leadership is incredibly capable and supportive, there are strong relationships between the pupils and staff which is reflected in the positive atmosphere, and the academic and extra-curricular opportunities are excellent. But I don’t think it’s enough to just keep that going. I want to build on those strengths and I am confident I can take the school forward even further. I want everyone to know where Giggleswick is, the wonderful school we’ve created here and our reputation for excellence.”
Through his experiences at Winchester, Mr Hart believes the pastoral care offered to children is one of the most important factors in running a school, particularly for boarders, and this was something that attracted him to Giggleswick.
“As a housemaster, I was responsible for the pastoral care of 63 boys, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Keeping them safe, happy and feeling they belonged and were part of something was key. It was like a family, and I learned a lot about the importance of the all-round care of a child.” Mr Hart enjoyed a successful career in the Army Air Corp and was awarded the NATO Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding leadership on an Operation in Afghanistan. However, he wants his work in education to take precedence.
“I do come from a military background. When my father left the Royal Air Force, he went to work at Tonbridge School and it inspired me to look at education seriously. I quickly realised it was a very worthwhile career. Many of my skills complemented it, and with a good degree behind me, it felt like a very good fit.
“I feel what I’ve done and what I’m doing now in education is important and what I want to be known for. I’ve a full range of pastoral, academic and co-curricular experience, and that sense of helping a child to become a grounded, all-round person, building their confidence and developing their individual abilities is incredibly rewarding.
“It fits really well with Giggleswick’s ethos of participation, ambition and respect. We recognise that every child is different, and we want to give them the opportunity to develop their strengths, find out about themselves and strive for excellence. Academic achievement is an absolute priority, but equally important is our curriculum for life and preparing them for when they go out into the world, be it to university or the workplace.”
WELLS CATHEDRAL SCHOOL APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Mr Alex Laing has started his role as the new Director of Music at Wells Cathedral School. Alex was previously Artistic Director (Music) at King’s High School, Warwick and Warwick Preparatory School. He is also well known as a conductor and coach for national level ensembles including the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain and the Benedetti Foundation. Alex was previously Head of Strings at Uppingham School, and has been a violin teacher, coach and conductor at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music. He studied Music at Cambridge University (where he held a prestigious instrumental award as well as being a choral scholar) and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Alex Laing says: “I am delighted and privileged to be joining this wonderful and unique school where music is at the centre of life. The buzz at Wells Cathedral School is palpable and I look forward to supporting, sharing and celebrating music with everyone there from the youngest pupil to the most senior instrumentalist and the world class Cathedral choristers. It is a dream job.”
Wells Cathedral School Head Master Alastair Tighe says: “It was heartening for us as a school to see this wonderful opportunity to attract such a high calibre field. Alex shone at every level, not just because of his extensive experience and reputation, but also because of the creative, fresh and dynamic outlook he presented. Alex’s vision for our worldclass specialist music provision alongside our chorister and ‘music for all’ opportunities was engaging and compelling, and he demonstrated a real passion for, and understanding of, all that we are uniquely placed to offer here at Wells. I very much look forward to working with him as he builds on the work of his predecessors, most recently Mark Stringer, and alongside our team of outstanding music experts in all fields. This is an exciting appointment for the whole school.”
LEYS DEBATE TEAM WINS REGIONAL COMPETITION
A team of sixth-form pupils from The Leys School, Cambridge was named regional winner of this year’s ‘Youth Speaks’, the Rotary Club Youth Public Speaking competition. The competition has been run by the Rotary Club since 1988 and provides the opportunity for teams to build their confidence and ambition.
The winning team comprised of Ellie M, Sienna H and Georgia D. The girls were required to deliver a 15-minute presentation on why the institution of marriage is outdated, competing against strong teams from St Albans Girls’ School and Stamford High School. The girls’ victory follows their success in the district finals against teams from St Joseph’s College, Ipswich and The Perse.
Miss Garrett, Head of English at The Leys, commented: “We are so proud of the team, who retained the same winning formula of eloquence, humour and teamwork as they have done throughout the competition. They saved their best performance for the final and the way they worked with one another in answering questions was a remarkable feat of collaboration. The other teams were by far the strongest we had faced, and I think we were all aware that getting this far in the competition was a remarkable achievement in itself. Nevertheless, when The Leys were announced victorious, our team and the parents supporting them were absolutely thrilled. It is a shame that the national finals have been cancelled, as the next round would have been held at the NEC in Birmingham, which would have been a wonderful experience for them, but the team will now remain unbeaten and should be incredibly proud of their achievements.”
Post-GCSE courses for Dauntsey’s pupils
Pupils from Dauntsey’s, who have now completed their GCSEs, are being kept busy with a range of non-curriculum courses thanks to the school’s extensive post-GCSE activity programme.
The range of courses this year includes: Lifeguarding, Emergency First Aid and Rescue, Cookery, Sewing, a Jurassic Adventure, the Dauntsey’s Leadership Academy and the Jolie Brise Life Skills course.
These courses run during the week after the last GCSE examination and are open to all Fifth Formers. Each option is designed to provide pupils with specific life skills; some of these are practical, like CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) or cooking, others will affect many areas of their lives, such as teamwork and leadership. Above all, they are designed to be fun.
Mark Lascelles, Head Master, Dauntsey’s, said:
“The pupils have worked incredibly hard in the run up to, and during, the GCSEs. Understandably they don’t want to go straight back into the classroom having completed their exams.
Students from Dauntsey’s enjoying post-GCSE activities
