The Borlasian 2020

THE BORLASIAN 2020

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Amelie Holford

Lucy Banks

Basel Hammond

Olivia Henderson

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Hannah Dring

The Borlasian 2020 HEADTEACHER’S FOREWORD

When I sit down to write something for an annual event - leavers’ speeches, transition assemblies for Year 6 or 12, or the foreword for The Borlasian - I would usually reference the previous year’s writing to remind me what I need to cover. However, 2020 has been a year like no other. This is a year that none of us will forget. It is a year that has brought challenges and change on an unprecedented scale, but it is also a year I will look back on with enormous pride in the way that our whole school community has responded.

The year started with great energy and enthusiasm. We had a very busy Autumn Term into which we tried, and succeeded, to pack even more than usual. Teaching and Learning was rightly at the top of our agenda; teachers were buzzing with new ideas to take to the classroom and our new supervised study and supporting aspiration systems were being embraced by students positively.

With outstanding student leadership in place our academic societies and wider curriculum were thriving.

Sport started the Autumn season very positively, until the rains came, and between Remembrance Day and the Christmas activities we squeezed in a Brexit debate and a mock election. This was followed up by sporting tournaments, maths challenges, trips, auditions for the Junior Musical and a Modern Foreign Languages Showcase in March. And then everything stopped.

March 20th 2020 will remain in my memory as one of the most emotional days of my life; I think many of us at school would say that, even though there was no time to show or process those emotions at the time. Year 7 students less than two terms into their new school; Year 9 students just settling into their option choices and all year groups half way through an academic year were asked to empty their lockers and go home. It had been an uncertain few weeks for everyone as the pandemic began to take hold across the country but none of us quite expected the finality of closure and, with that, the cancellation of the exams. Years 11 and 13 were stoic, as were their teachers, but over the subsequent days, weeks and months I am sure they have all been through every emotion. On that last day, each year group said goodbye and sang the school song. There were smiles and laughter, but also worried faces and quiet tears.

The school has felt eerily silent. With no children and teachers the cloisters have been empty; abandoned water bottles rolled around like tumbleweed for the first few days, and classrooms, like the Marie Celeste, looked as if children had just popped out for break. In the term and a half that have followed, I have never felt more proud of anyone or anything than I do of the staff, students, parents and governors of Borlase. Without missing a beat, the whole school community set up their computers, redefined learning and were back together in Borlase@Home.

The school has never experienced such a significant change in its almost four hundred year history. Even during the two World Wars which impacted enormously on the school community, the school remained open.

Therefore this year’s edition of The Borlasian should be dedicated to everyone who has shared this very strange, sometimes desperately sad, but also hugely uplifting chapter in our history. We have been separated, isolated, but we have tried our best to stay together. May we all be back home@Borlase soon.

Te Digna Sequere!

Miss K Mountfield

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AN EVEN BRIGHTER BORLASE

As we move towards our 400th birthday in 2024 we want to keep improving the school to meet the needs of our students here now and ensure the school buildings will endure for the next 400 years. A series of successful Capital Grants which must be spent on improving and developing buildings, have enabled some exciting developments. We had to tolerate the inconvenience of five months of scaffolding while the moss-covered, crumbling tiles on the roofs of cloisters were replaced. I held my breath at the thought of being the Head forever

EDITORS’ FOREWORD

If you were to read through the last 10 years of Borlasian editions you would find there to be a common theme of procrastination and biscuit-centred meetings. This year these meetings might have become Google Meets but as we sit at home the biscuit tradition has certainly not been compromised! Despite lessons being taught virtually, reading this year’s edition you will see how the Borlase values are stronger than ever as we have strived together to create the Borlase@Home community. The spirits of the teachers and students continue to be optimistic as we work through these uncertain times; however, our willingness to work with one another has only grown stronger.

Looking back at some of the challenges set by past magazine teams in their forewords, we are really proud of what we have achieved this year. The 2018 team highlighted a quote from Dr Johnson who said that ‘great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance,’ and we would certainly agree with that.

In 2013, the team worked extremely hard to make The

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associated with the desecration of the school’s historic centre. However, the first two roofs have made a very visible improvement, so we now hope to complete the rest of the cloister. See photos on page 69.

The other improvement that has excited everyone who has taught or been taught through a winter in the cloisters is less interesting to capture in a photograph.

However, the new heating system is wonderful. Coats, hats, gloves and secret electric fires are now things of the past - lovely!

Miss Mountfield Borlasian available online; this year, we were happy to launch the new online Sequere which has allowed even more student content to be published all year round.

And although we are writing this a few weeks before publishing, we are quite sure that we will have failed to improve on 2011’s challenge to complete the magazine in better time than just minutes before the deadline.

We English students might have been hoping for 2020 life to be closer to Fitzgerald’s ‘Gatsby’ than Beckett’s ‘Endgame’. But Shakespeare wrote ‘King Lear’ whilst in quarantine, so we have high hopes for what we can achieve. Although life at Borlase has been somewhat unconventional these past few months, Borlase@Home is a testament to the work ethic and community of Borlase pupils and teachers. We would like to thank all the teachers who have done an amazing job overcoming our new online working, everyone who has contributed to this year’s magazine, and Mr Lofthouse for putting The Borlasian together for yet another year!

Isobel Potter, Lily Pratt & Tenzin Yangzom

SCHOOL CAPTAINS’ FOREWORD

It’s incredibly impressive that the Borlasian team have put together the magazine this year, despite the obvious challenges of the last few months. The very existence of this edition is a demonstration of the can-do spirit of Borlase, with Borlase@Home being a perfect illustration of the school’s ability to evolve. It’s amazing how teachers and students alike have adapted, not only with lessons, but societies, assemblies and even choirs being shifted online, providing a sense of continuity in uncertain times.

Reflecting on the past decade, this year’s events highlight how much the school has changed, even since both of us arrived in Year 7. Google Meet lessons would be inconceivable on First Class, the clunky predecessor to Realsmart, while the school’s YouTube channel was only started in our first year, and the Twitter account only a couple of years before that. So whilst the towering

facade of the Sixth Form block is a physical reminder of how much the school has progressed in the last decade, there are so many other changes too, many of which have equipped us to deal with the challenges that this year has brought.

Yet although Borlase is constantly evolving, there are so many traditions that form a part of the school’s identity: the Christmas services at All Saints’ Church, the Cross Country by the Thames, singing in the chapel… even The Borlasian itself was first published in 1885!

This combination of the old and the new, the mix of tradition and innovation help make Borlase so unique.

As do the numerous extracurricular activities that take place throughout every day of every term - even during the lockdown. This vast array of activities is once again showcased in this year’s Borlasian.

The only downside of this sometimes frenetic pace is the speed at which our time here has passed. Although our Year 13 was somewhat curtailed, the sheer number of memories from our seven years here is more than enough to make up for it.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Amy and Charlie as our deputies, and to the whole prefect team, for putting up with last minute changes and frantic Whatsapp messages! Best of luck to all the leavers for the future, as well as those still at Borlase. It’s been a pleasure to work with you all.

Georgia Tuke & Callum Kunchur

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HOUSE REPORTS

BRITONS

The year started with the traditional Inter-House Cross Country race. Off the back of a narrow defeat in both Sports Day and the House Cup, where we finished 2nd in both events, we did not let this defeat us, but in fact we let it fuel us for the upcoming year. After having the motivational team-talk from the passionate Mr Robertson, the house was ready to do anything to win the cup. The anthem ‘Britons ‘til I Die’ was ringing in the ears of the seniors who got the day underway. The morning was rather successful for the house, where Britons saw a gold and silver in the Boys’ category, thanks to Myles Caddell and Thomas Crockett, which helped secure a Senior win and paved the way for the rest of the day. The added success in the lower years, in particular the Year 9 and 10 races, resulted in the house managing to secure a win in Cross Country 2019 in outstanding fashion.

The next event to look forward to was the House Music competition. The tutor group category was one to forget, and I am sure will not be going down in the Britons’ history book, as it saw us finish in a dismal 6th place. However, thanks to the enthusiasm of Miss Rayner, Sra Roman and the 6th Form, we quickly turned this around for the main event which saw us finish 2nd in the Whole House song after singing ‘Consider Yourself’, coming behind a well-deserved win for Saxons. Solid performances of 3rd place in the solo/ensemble rounds and in the 6th Form Chapel Choir, aided us to a respectable 3rd place overall.

However, the rest of Britons’ promising success was cut short by the Coronavirus outbreak. The Government’s indefinite closure of schools on 20th March 2020 meant that the upcoming events in the school calendar were cancelled. With the momentum carried through from last year we are certain the Sports Cup and House Cup would have had Britons' name engraved on them.

The year has finished earlier than expected and with that it is time to say goodbye, meaning the baton must be passed on to the next successful generation of Britons.

Everyone in the house deserves a big thank you for all the hard work and commitment they have put in over the last year. We would also like to thank all the Britons staff and senior prefects, in particular Mrs Walder, Sra Roman and Miss Rayner for all their help this year in running assemblies and organising events.

It was a privilege to have led such a fantastic house for the last year and we would like to wish everyone the best of luck for the future!

Coming into the school year, we were already in a strong position having run off with a win at Sports Day and if it wasn’t for the rain - we fancied our chances in the end of year ‘Tug of War’. As of the closure of school on 20th March, Danes were 1st place overall in the House Points table (although, without a doubt, we are sure to have some complaints of there being no fair end to the year from other houses, due to the friendly competitive spirit of Borlase!).

Sports Day is not the only sporting event where Danes have shone through, with inter-house events giving us some excellent results. A highlight was the Year 7 Boys’ Hockey team, who came in an impressive 1st place. In Cross Country, Danes earned a respectable 3rd place, a massive improvement from our 6th place last year! The Senior Girls’ made us proud, coming 1st in their category.

In House Music, Danes soared through the ranks to achieve 2nd place, just being beaten in the finals’ evening

by Romans. We were most proud, however, of gaining 1st place in the solo/ensemble competition entries, as well as the most tutor group points. This really showed the team spirit that Danes have developed this year: dedication and mass-participation being key to our success!

Unfortunately the year has come to a very sudden end; however we have lots to take away from an incredibly successful year as a whole house. We are sure you will all continue to make each other proud, as Danes always do, and keep the winning mentality going for years to come!

It has been a pleasure to be your House Prefects and we owe a big thank you to Mr Miall and all other Danes teachers. Without their organisation for House events, assemblies etc, the success of this year would not have been possible. Special thanks to Mr Miall for ensuring there was not a single student missing for a Sports Day event, and - with strong Danes spirit - I’m sure he would have even filled in for a couple races if allowed, to not miss out on any valuable points!

Go Danes!

Tom O’Connell & Leah Tilley

DANES

Hello all Danes! Well, we are certainly in a different place than we would expect at this time of year. Instead of waking up early going to school, we are now at home. Nevertheless, now is a great time to look back and reminisce of the many successes we Danes have achieved this year.

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Liv Lowrie & Munmeet Bahra

NORMANS

We have thoroughly enjoyed our captaincy and are honoured to have led the Normans through this incredible year. We started off with a convincing win in the House Cup, to then organising and leading our fellow students

HOUSE REPORTS through Sports Day 2019, finishing the event in 4th, with endless amounts of positivity and house spirit. Every single person put their best foot forward and gave it their all. Special shout-out to the wonderful Year 7 Girls, Track and Field, for coming first overall in their category. The main victory of the day was the money raised for charity on the stalls, with a special thanks to all teachers and students who helped raise money for our chosen charity.

In October came the House Music competition. We Normans sang our hearts out in the House heats, with ‘Time of my Life’ from the movie ‘Dirty Dancing’. This really helped to showcase the team spirit and creativity of the new tutor group system, in which we saw the form groups collated from a range of year groups for the first time in history. We came second overall in Tutor Group entries, and thanks go to the amazing form tutors who rallied their students and collected a mass of 180 points.

Well done to all staff and students who entered.

Following this competition, came the period in which each tutor group took the stage, and delivered an assembly of their choice. These assemblies ranged from an informative assembly regarding the newly-emerging coronavirus, to an educational assembly which explored different cultures and the dancing rituals of many different countries.

This year will truly be one to remember, not least because of the major disruption caused by the Coronavirus.

However, every cloud has a silver lining, and lockdown has resulted in a tremendous sense of community.

House assemblies have carried on, albeit virtually, and the Normans really came together during these difficult and unprecedented times. On a final note, to all those leaving Borlase, we’d like to wish you luck as you move into the next chapter of your lives. Thanks to all those who have made this another brilliant year for the house, and let's hope for continued success next year.

Dominic Reid & Lola Castle

ROMANS

Romans has had an amazing year and has thrived as a community, with Sports Day 2019 being a shining example. It began with a ceremonial lap of the field and some stretching to music led by our sportiest prefects.

Other prefects took the initiative to help timetable people into events, or to help with our two stalls, a bake sale and a ‘Sweet Pong’ table (a variation on the classic Beer Pong voted in by the house); there were smiles and laughter as everyone took to the roles fantastically led and encouraged by Kate Paterson, our House Captain, all for fantastic charities. Romans also showed their strength and came home with Gold in the Girls’ Senior 100m (Ellie Yeomans), Girls Junior Javelin (Eloise Heminsley) and the Boys’ Junior and Intermediate Relays.

In September we rolled out a welcome mat to our newest Romans with a flourish; some ice breaking games to

learn a bit about each other followed by some incredibly funky dance moves inspired and taught by our very own Roman prefects Evie Amos and Ashwin Goyal. Two who brightened a rainy day with their infectious smiles and good humour.

For House Music we performed ‘Eye of the Tiger’ from the movie ‘Rocky III’. The whole house gave a fantastic performance including accompanying dance moves, fight scene and a live band. Many members of the house also entered group and individual performances. With entries including a wide range of styles and instruments, some fantastic musicians made it into the House Music Finals. Romans was well represented by Lizzy Ainscough and Imogen Dorosh in Junior Soloists, Hannah Hobbs and Josh Kaushal in Intermediate Soloists and Jonny Ainscough, Thomas Kershaw and Elenor Vockins in Senior Soloists. This was an extremely enjoyable night featuring really talented students both in individual and ensemble categories. Students from Romans won the Junior, Intermediate and Ensemble categories, leading to an overall victory for Romans in House Music.

The House Captains took an active role in leading house assemblies. Kate Paterson led an informative assembly on the effects on global warming and their impact on the Australian Bushfires that devastated large parts of the continent at the beginning of 2020. Toby Broyhill-Fogg led the whole House in a rousing rendition of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’.

Of course this year would not have been the same without the work put in by our fantastic form tutors, Mrs Klikis, Miss Holmes, Mr Day, Miss Longstaff, Miss Anderson, Mrs Bull and Mr Marchand. We would like to thank them for their endless support, and, above all, the patience and commitment of our wonderful head of house Mr Black who, along with all the tutors, helped assemblies and day-to-day school life run smoothly.

Kate Paterson & Toby Broyhill-Fogg

SAXONS

Being Saxons’ House Captains is something we’ll never forget. Even though it was cut a few months short and we missed out on our expertise in Tug of War, it has still been a great year for Saxons and we have moved up the House Points leaderboard since last year, being placed 2nd at the time of writing. This shows the brilliant Saxons’ house spirit. Who would have thought that our strong point would have been Sports Day, in which we came 2nd and won 4 of the 8 Victor/Victrix Ludorum titles though excellent performances from Chloe Adams, Raayan Ulhaq, Elliot Marston and Michael Hall.

In House Music Saxons showed how well we could work as a team, winning the Whole House Song and House Chapel Hymn categories; pre-school practices, vocals, musicians (Luke and Olly) and moves (thank you Mrs Ashby) definitely paid off!

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HOUSE REPORTS Saxons have delivered a series of imaginative assemblies supporting school values, with S7’s Dog’s Trust doughnut fundraiser, including celebrity sponsorship from Mrs Birkett’s dogs, polling highly. Further on the individual achievement front, commendable performances from Josh Mustard (overall STEM Fayre winner and recipient of the Old Borlasians Cup) and Bartley Rackard (Physics prize), and, just to emphasise the breadth of our talent, in the Poetry by Heart Competition, Joe Reid, first in the school’s KS3 competition and then third place in the National Final, and Maria Kharatishvilli second in the school competition.

Although Saxons historically aren’t known for winning, we’ve made large progress towards the House Cup, and in years to come Saxons will be the ones to beat… hopefully.

Thank you to all Saxons, our Tutors and House Prefects, Lucie P, Lucie P and Bea, for your support this year.

Katya Krajewski & Tom Chorlton

VIKINGS

As leaders of Vikings this year, we would like to start by saying what an absolute privilege it was to work with, get to know, and enjoy school life with every individual Viking.

The sense of community that we all have experienced and built throughout our house is something that we as leaders are incredibly proud of, and it is something that every Viking should be proud of too.

The first House event we were responsible for leading was Sports Day, in which we narrowly missed 5th place by one point. However, we redeemed ourselves during the Inter-house Cross country, placing 2nd overall, with exceptional participation from all year groups. From this we moved on to House Music, performing our rendition of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’. On top of our Whole House performance, we saw numerous individual and ensemble entries, earning us 342 House Points.

Throughout the year, we have seen a variety of phenomenal and outstanding presentations from individuals and groups within our house, from all year groups. Among the many marvellous presentations

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created were the one on Flora and Fauna given by our Year 7 and 8 Vikings, and the one on Respect given by some of our Sixth Formers.

Daniel: An event that stood out for me during my time as Head of House was welcoming the new Year 7 Vikings into Borlase. I remember vividly the time when I was the Year 7 Induction Day, talking with the then Heads of House, joining in the activities organised by them and meeting some of my still current friends. The people I met then throughout that day as an 11-year-old had such a profound impact on the bonds and relationships that I developed throughout my time at Borlase. It was such a privilege to lead this event for the next generation of Vikings and give back the same experience that I benefited so greatly from.

Etienne: I have such fond memories of my house and especially my form in both Year 12 and Year 13. During Year 12 I was lucky enough to experience a form with both older and younger years, from year 7-13. I got on very well with each individual in my form, and we all respected and took care of each other, like a form should; from that moment, I knew Vikings was an important house to be a part of.

Unfortunately our time as leaders has been cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although our time ended abruptly, we are grateful for the time that we had as leaders. Again, we would like to emphasise how thankful we are to all Vikings. You all as individuals have truly made our time as Heads of House an absolute pleasure and an unforgettable experience that we will cherish forever. Thank you to all those who participated in and contributed to our House activities, and to the staff and tutors who contributed and assisted us to lead the House. And an enormous thank you Miss Williams and Mrs. Reinhold! The help and advice you provided was invaluable throughout our time and the lessons we learned are lessons we will undoubtedly take into our future. We would not have been able to do it without all the support and help provided by these important people! We encourage you to continue embracing the Viking spirit in your day-to-day lives.

It is with regret that we say farewell to Mrs Reinhold who is leaving the school, and wish her continuing success.

Daniel Porter and Etienne Hawkins

BORLASE@HOME

BORLASE@HOME The defining feature of the year 2019-20 has been the complete closure of the school from 20th March 2020 until the end of the school year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Borlase responded rapidly to this incredibly challenging situation and immediately moved as much of the school as possible online, creating the Borlase@ Home community. It is an extraordinary testament to the versatility and enthusiasm of staff and students that so much has been achieved in such a short period of time. In this section you can read about some of the remarkable activities that staff and students have created.

The closure of schools in March ended up happening more rapidly than many people expected and, all around the country, schools did their best to adapt to the challenges of remote, home learning. Reviewing the situation as we approach the end of the academic year, it is clear that the Borlase@Home model that we have developed stands as an example of what schools can do remotely in order to maintain the continuity of teaching and learning, as well as look after the sense of belonging and community that is part and parcel of normal school life.

Our success in rapidly developing the Borlase@Home model is rooted in two key factors. Firstly, the investment we have made over the last seven years in developing our use of Google G Suite for Education and helping staff and students to get the best from it has paid dividends.

Staff were introduced to Google Meet as a tool in the week before the shutdown: they were using it confidently just seven days later. Secondly, and more significantly however, the rapid adjustment to the Borlase@Home programme was possible because of our staff’s dedication, adaptability and resilience. We have long emphasised these values as being at the heart of our approach to learning at Borlase, as recognised by our accreditation as a World Class School by the High Performance Learning organisation a year ago; it has been fantastic to see our staff and students so clearly demonstrate these attitudes and competencies when faced with a situation for which they were most certainly not trained or prepared!

Necessity is the mother of invention, and Borlase staff and students responded to the challenges of the lockdown by organising themselves in all kinds of exciting new ways.

Student societies moved online, the Music Department has pulled students and staff together into a range of amazing online choirs and the Sports Department led the Borlase Boost which saw our community collectively cover over 30,000km to get us to Tokyo and back and then some. Online YouTube assemblies have become the norm and even the Arts Dinner was an online event!

Most significantly, all our students have received regular, scheduled face-to-face lessons with their teachers.

The importance of this cannot be overstated. The creativity and innovation of the teaching staff has been phenomenal. Levels of confidence in the use of online

technologies soared and staff experimented effectively with tools and techniques such as PearDeck to make even more effective use of the core Google tools.

We also moved our Year 7, 9 and 12 induction processes into the Borlase@Home world. In May, over 250 students who aspire to start in the 6th form in September took part in a busy programme of induction activities that gave them a real taste of life at Borlase, as well as meaningful and focused work to be getting on with over the course of the summer. In June, our Year 7 and Year 9 students had the opportunity to start their Borlase journey with their own, bespoke Borlase@Home induction.

At the time of writing, in June 2020, we do not know when or how this period of school closures will end, but we can be confident and proud that no school has done more to maintain teaching, learning and community than Borlase.

Mr Simpson We are very grateful that many parents wrote to us with positive feedback on our Borlase@Home learning programme: We really appreciate the fantastic variety of on-line lessons and the varied delivery and engagement that teachers are providing.

A huge volume of content has been covered in the last few weeks.

We are very aware that not all schools have managed to deliver on-line learning and that by setting this up so quickly, and always introducing new on-line structure, the children have had more consistency than would have been possible through other means.

Overall this has really helped to keep everyone engaged and working hard.

Thank you to you and all the staff for a tremendous effort in challenging and uncertain times.

jIiJ

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BORLASE@HOME Thank you all for all that you are doing to keep lessons going during this period. We have been so impressed by all that you are doing to ensure that our boys receive as full an education as possible.

We are aware that it is not easy to prepare, present and follow up teaching via google classroom.... We are also aware that the school is working really hard to provide support for those children who are struggling academically and emotionally with the lockdown and again we are so impressed by this.

jIiJ

We would just like to thank you and your teaching staff for having done such a fantastic job in adapting your teaching in the current difficult circumstances. We are very impressed by the number of online and pre-recorded lessons, which are helping to keep the students motivated.

I wanted to let you know how impressed I was by the Parents/ Options meeting on Wednesday. It was the best parents evening I have ever attended! From a parent’s point of view, we didn’t have to find parking, find the correct teacher or wait around if appointments were running late. Everything ran incredibly smoothly and we managed to discuss everything we wanted to cover. Thank you - maybe this could be the way forward?!

jIiJ

To all the staff for the tremendous work and transition into online schooling. Thank you. Amazing schooling.

jIiJ

Thank you so much for all your work these last couple of weeks in keeping my children happy and engaged in their classes. I can hear my daughter happily chatting to classmates - all encouraging each other and being supportive. She has been up and ready for her day keen to get on line and see everyone.

jIiJ

I just wanted to thank you and your wonderful team for your great work during these unimaginable times. I am grateful for the structure you are providing to the day and your efforts at promoting a level of normality.

A MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNORS

I am sure everyone remembers March 20th when all UK schools closed. At that time, we thought that, at worst, students might be at home until after the Easter holidays.

How little we knew!

Closure presented staff and leadership with many challenges. How to maintain contact with all students, and ensure their wellbeing? How to maintain teaching and learning, so that no students fell behind? How to support mental health and promote healthy interactions?

As Chair of Governors, I felt we had a mountain to climb.

However, as a result of the school’s forward-thinking decision to embrace Bring Your Own Device, it was wellplaced to implement remote learning. The leadership team and staff worked flat out over the weekend, and in two working days, Borlase@Home sprang into life. This was a truly remarkable achievement, that delivered a near-

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seamless transition to a virtual teaching environment.

Not content to rest on its laurels, the Borlase team have taken staff and student feedback, and continually reviewed and improved the virtual experience. New apps have been introduced, best practice shared and pedagogic techniques continually refined and developed.

As a Governor, I have been astonished and humbled by the creative effort, energy and sheer hard work behind this delivery.

As well as staying on top of the curriculum, Borlase students have participated in virtual extra-curricular activities – clubs, societies and even choirs (virtual hockey remains work-in-progress…) Additional academic support remains in place for students who need it.

Pastoral support, key worker and SEND provision is fully operational in the virtual and socially-distanced world.

Tutor groups are still in place, and assemblies are being held. An on-line parents’ evening was even held for Year 8, to help them with GCSE options.

Looking forward, what next? We know that SWBGS can provide an excellent education when all students are on site. We have also proved that the school can step up and deliver a truly extraordinary virtual experience, when the students are off-site. The question is; what will be needed in September? Perhaps a combination of on-line and on-site learning. It won’t be easy, and there will be many challenges to overcome, but all of the staff have been working incredibly hard to be ready for whatever September brings.

SWBGS staff have also been reaching out to other schools, offering to share what they have learned and the best practice they have developed, to help them prepare for September.

Covid-19 was, we hope, a once-in-a-lifetime challenge.

I know I speak on behalf of the whole governing body when I say that the way the whole school rose to that challenge was truly extraordinary and inspirational. I am proud to be associated with such an amazing body of people.

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”– Haruki Murakami Mrs C Redcliffe, Chair of Governors

BORLASE@HOME

MUSIC@HOME

The buzz of extracurricular music has, for a long time, been a key feature of the daily Borlase environment.

The lockdown and subsequent shutting of schools have meant the large range of musical activities usually taking place have been somewhat curtailed. However, we have been adamant that this does not stop students, and staff, being able to come together as a community to make, perform and enjoy music. Indeed, across the world over the last few months we have been strongly reminded of how music, and the wider performing arts, can bring people together and offer comfort and solace to those in difficult situations. A number of musical activities have taken place during our Summer Term in lockdown, all of which can be found on the school’s YouTube channel:

VE DAY

Borlasians provided musical tributes for the school's, and Marlow's, VE Day commemorations on Friday 8th May. Ben Jones (Y10) performed the ‘Last Post’ and ‘Reveille’, and members of the Senior Jazz Band came together with an exciting virtual performance of Duke Ellington's ‘Satin Doll’. Those involved were: Ben Jones (Y10), Cormac Diamond (Y13), Florence Ridley (Y12), Joel Taylor (Y10), Josh Kaushal (Y11), Leon Tasch (Y12), Luke Haldane (Y12) and Daniela Taverner (Y12).

The tributes also included an arrangement of ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ performed wonderfully by the Year 13 Vocal Octet, featuring Georgia Tuke, Lucy Banks, Isabelle Jones, Ava Sherwood-Rogers, Callum Kunchur, Raphael Conte, Cormac Diamond and Fergus Cooper.

LUNCHTIME CONCERT

As part of the activities in our Year 12 induction week in May, a short online concert featuring students from across year groups was streamed at 1.00pm on the Borlase YouTube channel. It was a lovely opportunity to watch and hear performances on a range of instruments and a chance to reconnect with the normally very busy musical world of Borlase.

The concert included two very special arrangements: the first, a performance of a musical setting of the poem ‘Trees’ by Joyce Kilmer sung by Cormac Diamond (Y13) and accompanied on the piano by Mrs Hopper using a

handwritten manuscript of the music copied out by her grandfather almost 100 years ago. The second was a three-part vocal arrangement, written by Amy Harris (Y12), of the Scottish traditional 'The Parting Glass'.

Amy recorded herself singing all three parts before using software to mix them together into one performance.

The other performers were Reuben Bignell (Y12), French horn; Lauren Bull (Y9), vocal; Gabe Smith (Y12), guitar; Ellie Vockins (Y12), vocal; Charlotte Farmer (Y12), flute; and Oisin Elliot (Y7), saxophone.

MUSIC@HOME CELEBRATION WEEK

In the week before Half Term we wanted to celebrate the depth and variety of choral music at Borlase. Each day at 1pm a virtual choir performance by Cantorum, Gospel Choir, Chapel Choir, Madriguys and Youth Voices was released, combining well over a hundred students from all year groups. The students each recorded their piece at home during the preceding weeks and the individual videos were then combined to create the virtual choirs.

For the final day of the celebration week we wanted to create something that would not only bring our school community even closer together during these difficult times, but be something memorable to look back on in future years, so staff and students joined together to create a rousing virtual performance of The Beatles’ 'Hey Jude'.

None of this would have been possible without the amazing work of Ms Jenny Chislett, who dedicated countless hours to mixing together all of the individual videos to create the final performances.

Mr Miall

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BORLASE@HOME

SPORT@HOME

On Monday 18th May, we launched our Borlase Boost event. We wanted to get Borlase to Tokyo! Our challenge was to cover 10,000km in distance, taking Borlase to the

DofE@HOME

Although all of the planned expeditions for awards have had to be cancelled, many students have been practising during the lockdown with home camping and cooking one-pot meals.

Mr Stevens

2020 Olympic Stadium in Shinjuku, Japan. Our aim was to support the physical and mental health of all Borlasians by getting active, as well as raising much needed funds for our Fitness Suite in the new Sports Hall. In addition, in recognition of their fantastic work in difficult times, we decided to donate 20% of all funds raised to support the NHS heroes.

People who entered needed to get active and record the distances they covered during the 10 days of the challenge. There was a large number of people who got involved, including students, members of staff, Old Borlasians, parents and other members of the Borlase community. We had 2,217 total entries of people being active over the week, 274 people were emailed updates each night and on top of that we had a large number of members of staff participating too. See photographs on page 59. People cycled, ran, walked, swam, played golf, did zumba, kayaked, scooted and covered as many kilometres as possible. By Day 4, we had smashed our 10,000km target, so we set a revised target of 20,000km for a return journey from Japan. Having hit that target, we then set a revised target of 25,000km and finally 30,000km. It was great to see the huge efforts during the final days, meaning we finished the Boost having covered an amazing 33,304 kms.

It goes without saying that during the time we did the Boost, things were obviously different, changing daily and challenging for everyone, in different ways. Not completely knowing how the 'Borlase Boost' would go, given what was going on at the time, it was very heartwarming to see how the Borlase community came together to support one another (from afar). On behalf of the School, and especially the PE and Sport team - we are massively grateful for everyone's support with our fundraising challenge.

Mr Duggan

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BORLASE@HOME

HISTORY@HOME

Friday 8 May 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi tyranny. Known as VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), the stage was set for a whole range of commemorative events. However, due to the current Covid-19 crisis, whereby our world faces a new and invisible enemy, these events had to take on a more virtual tone.

Not to be outdone by this, the Borlase History department decided to challenge the entire school community to a VE Day Bake Off. The remit was simple: design a recipe, use an old wartime recipe, or, if flour was to be an issue, go for biscuits, flapjacks and the like. The response was typically and brilliantly Borlase, for we were inundated with said wartime recipes, Grandparents’ recipes, Russian recipes, Candian recipes, Kiwi recipes, gingerbreads and a Kladdkaka cake! At the time of writing the competition is yet to be judged, but it can be said with certainty that the History department are going to find it extremely hard to decide upon the winners for each year group, staff, and governors!

The Bake Off aside, ‘Team History’ also decided to make a commemorative video for the occasion. In short, it features Mr Mead attempting to appear statesmanlike, an extremely poignant reading from the School Captain, Callum Kunchur, and a moving tribute to the Old Borlasians who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Thanks to Mr ‘Spielberg’ Holloran for putting the video together.

In addition, our fabulous History Society, led by the golden trio of Jess Cattanach, Olly Gale and Ben Furley, led a wonderful tribute of their own, which can also be viewed on the School’s YouTube channel.

Food has also featured prominently. Our French students have risen to the challenge of ‘Il faut faire les crêpes!’, whilst Sra Roman challenged students and staff to make a Spanish omelette following her ‘how to’ video.

Ms Morton

Mr Mead

MFL@HOME

Creativity is the name of the game, and we love the fact that our students and staff have enjoyed being creative in their approach to their work. Our Year 7 French students have recorded entertaining videos of themselves reciting French poetry and recording conversations in ‘phone-afriend’ style. Our Year 8 Germanists have extended a useful written exercise on using modal verbs in simple sentences to create a poem on the life of a family during lockdown.

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BORLASE@HOME

HELPING THE NHS

Borlase was very proud to be able to support the NHS and care homes at the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak when there was an acute shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The Science department donated disposable gloves and other PPE to Marlow Health Centre and Amersham Hospital.

Meanwhile, Design and Technology Teacher, Mr Nicholls put his skills to use designing and making face shields at home, using whatever materials were available, and ably assisted by his sons! His first products were quite labour intensive - cutting, drilling and heat bending strips of plastic for headbands, before applying screens with rivets, foam strips and elastic bands. He was able to produce around 500 of these with the materials he had available.

Mr Nicholls then developed a different design process using the school’s 3D printer, printing stacks of headbands, and clipping on hole-punched screens.

As these were not as labour intensive, he was able to produce more of these and, at the time of writing, had made well over 1000. The face shields were distributed to local hospitals, medical centres and care homes through local distribution schemes. Some distribution has also been through Borlase staff or parents letting us know of people or organisations who need them. One such plea came from a parent whose father was a resident at a care home in Watlington which was very short of protective equipment for staff; Mr Nicholls personally delivered 40 face shields the same day

THE NHS AND THE PANDEMIC

In Year 12 students at Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School are encouraged to complete an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) research project. The title of one of last year’s projects, written in the first half of 2019, caught our eye, so we asked Year 13 student Tara Brogan to tell us about it.

The question I chose for my EPQ back in late 2018 was, ‘To what extent is the current NHS successfully prepared to tackle a pandemic of Influenza?’ Since becoming more interested in healthcare I had been drawn to reading more about the reality of working as a healthcare worker. From reading Adam Kay’s ‘ This is going to hurt’ and Christie Watson’s ‘The language of kindness’ I was taken back by the immense commitment and emotional effort based on their experience as a Doctor and nurse. The idolised scenes from Grey’s Anatomy were unsurprisingly vastly different from what healthcare workers were expressing in their novels and other articles I read. Through contacting professors of infectious disease and looking into research from past pandemics I concluded the NHS was not strongly prepared to tackle a pandemic of Influenza. I concluded this based on the financial deficit the NHS has been experiencing for years, alongside the reassortment of the virus which is a prominent threat today.

I was rather surprised that we are partly living through the hypothetical situation I brainstormed last year. One prominent topic I focused on in my EPQ was the ability and willingness of healthcare workers to come to work, based on a study that was done in the Midlands in 2014.

Seeing the hard work of healthcare workers that everyone has come to recognise is something that inspired me to get a job as a Healthcare Assistant, and for the last month I have been working at Wexham Park Hospital as an HCA. This has taught me an abundance of life skills and shown me first hand what working in healthcare is really like. 12 hour shifts certainly have given me foot ache! However, reflecting on my short time I have been working there, I have learnt how acts of kindness and empathy are so important. My EPQ and experience at Wexham has confirmed my ambition to work in healthcare and shown me first hand how rewarding - but also emotionally draining - it can be. The coincidence of my once hypothetical EPQ becoming a reality is something that has shocked me. What I have found most surprising and heartwarming about this experience is the teamwork I have seen between all members of staff that work in healthcare, and the support I have seen them give each other and me, as a particularly innocent student starting out.

Tara Brogan

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RETROSPECTIVE

RETROSPECTIVE

As we enter a new decade, the editorial team felt it was a great opportunity to look back at the decade 2010-19 and how our world has changed.

MENTAL HEALTH IN THE LAST DECADE

The issues surrounding mental health are such that they can affect a victim’s life drastically; they may lose touch with loved ones, be unable to perform everyday tasks and may even struggle to obtain qualifications required to be a working member of society. According to the Mental Health Foundation UK, having good mental health is not exclusive to those who are free from any mental disorders, in fact it is when you can ‘make the most of your potential’, ‘ cope with life’ and ‘play a full part in your family, workplace, community and among friends’.

Although it would be fair to assume that everyone probably struggles with at least one of these criteria at some point in their lives, there are people who have more difficulty in overcoming such moments. Therefore it is vital that people understand that anyone can be affected by mental health problems, regardless of race, gender, class or age - as a matter of fact, one out of 4 of us will suffer from a mental health problem each year; that is approximately 16 million people in the UK. In this article, I will explore how public opinion about mental health has changed during this decade.

Firstly, it is paramount that we acknowledge the vast improvements we have made as a society, in terms of tackling stigma and misconceptions regarding mental illness. For example, it was found in 2010 that 34% of a sample disagreed with the statement that ‘residents have nothing to fear from people coming into their neighbourhood to obtain mental health services‘, whereas in 2016 in a world survey ( of 596,712 respondents ) only 7% felt that mentally ill people were more violent than someone who wasn’t mentally ill. This is evidence that people have become more knowledgeable regarding the reality of mental illness and the various impacts that mental illness can have on someone’s life. Part of this transition towards a more accepting society may stem from various celebrities (e.g Demi Lovato sharing her story about depression or Prince Harry revealing his struggle with panic attacks after the death of his mother) shedding light on their personal struggles with becoming mentally healthy. These notable individuals, who are otherwise perceived as distant and extremely dissimilar to the average person, speaking out about their own battles with achieving a state of mental well being communicate to young people and others that are inspired by them, that they are not alone in their suffering. This message of positivity which states that sometimes it is ok to not be ok, that mental illness is not something to be ashamed of but rather another barrier to overcome and learn from, stands at the core of improving awareness of mental health.

However, there remain multiple areas where improvements could be made in order to create a community where people are not exposed to hateful comments that could possibly contribute to the degradation of someone's mental wellbeing. One of these is that people should be more mindful of others.

Throughout this decade we have seen that the number of people using social media has increased rapidly; for example, Instagram usage doubled between 2016 and 2018. Unfortunately, this increased utilization of social media also resulted in an increase in cyberbullying.

48% of children have admitted to being bullied online; those who have been cyberbullied are twice as likely to self-harm than someone who hasn’t, and 24% of these victims had suicidal thoughts. Although we have made advancements in our knowledge around various mental illnesses, we have yet to learn the true weight of our words. Just this year Caroline Flack, host of the popular reality show ‘Love Island’, committed suicide after a surge of hateful comments following allegations of domestic abuse. We must learn to respect the privacy of others, to sometimes hold back on our words in consideration of the emotions of others, to understand that everyone has their own conflicts to deal with every day. If we adopt a positive approach to life, where we treat everyone with respect and love, then fewer people will fall victim to various conditions.

We live currently in times where mental illness is likely to increase significantly due to the lockdown: there has been an increase in domestic abuse cases, heightened anxiety and an increased feeling of loneliness amongst adults. Moments like these are when our community needs to unite and support each other. Even though this past decade has been one of growing knowledge and empathy towards those suffering from mental illness, we need to all understand the role we could play in making someone’s battle to win against mental illness easier, or that much more difficult. In this new decade, it is imperative that we support each other during difficult times, and strive towards raising greater awareness of mental health.

Tenzin Yangzom

BREXIT: HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Following decades of Euroscepticism since the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973, 2010 kicked off with a General Election filled with EU-centred manifestos and Nigel Farage fanned the flames of a wildfire of Euroscepticism.

In 2011, during the coalition government of David Cameron and Nick Clegg, momentum began to build for a change in the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union. A campaign for a referendum was launched in May, and by September had been signed by 100,000 people. However, a motion calling for a

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RETROSPECTIVE referendum was defeated in the House of Commons by 483 votes to 111 on the 24th October.

The tirade truly began in January 2013 with a speech made

by David Cameron, in which he vowed a renegotiation of the UK’s relationship with the EU if he won the next election, giving the British people the “simple choice” between staying in the EU under the newly negotiated terms or leaving.

In May 2015, with the Tories' first outright victory for 23 years and a small majority, Cameron reaffirmed the government’s intention to hold a referendum on the EU. 2016 was the year in which the prospect of departing the EU became all the more tangible. The year began with ministers being released from Cabinet restrictions, allowing them to campaign for either side despite the official government position being Remain. The pressure was piled on to a number of notable faces as the press waited for them to declare their position for the first time.

On 20th February the date was announced: Thursday 23rd June 2016 would be the day that the nation would finally decide on Europe.

Once it was established that 52% of the British public had voted to leave the European Union, Cameron quickly resigned as Prime Minister saying that “I don’t think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination,” and the tumultuous sea of political turmoil that has been observed since has made this logic very clear.

A month later Theresa May took over, beating Michael Gove, Stephen Crabb, Liam Fox and, most memorably, Andrea Leadsom who withdrew following her comment that her status as a mother meant that she had a ‘real stake’ in the country’s future - inferring that the childless May did not. The idea that a Remainer would be able to deliver Brexit, was extremely controversial; however May made it immediately clear that she would be working towards a ‘quick Brexit’. Looking back on this now, we may laugh at this plan, as we know the struggles endured

by Mrs May and the sluggish years which entailed as she struggled to pass legislation to withdraw from the European Union.

A 2016 Supreme Court case saw the decision that only a vote by parliament should be able to trigger Article 50, the part of the Treaty on European Union that would officially start Brexit. On 29th March 2017, Theresa May triggered Article 50 regardless, doing as she had vowed to do after the final ruling in November.

Mrs May held a general election on 8th June in an effort to gain a working majority, however, the lacklustre Conservative campaign awarded Corbyn’s Labour Party 40% of the popular vote. This depleted the already small majority previously held by the Conservatives, thus forcing the Conservatives into a confidence and supply agreement with the DUP. The DUP’s strict opposition to areas of policy such as gay marriage caused

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further electoral outrage as the new executive seemed to supporting an outdated wave of politics. And 10 days later, with a minority government and Article 50 implemented, the Brexit negotiations truly began.

The first Withdrawal Agreement was more commonly known as the ‘Chequers Agreement’.

Following its release there was a series of resignations including the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis, local MP and Chair of the ERG, Steve Baker, and Boris Johnson who was Foreign Secretary at the time. On 25th November the other EU member states endorsed the Withdrawal Agreement and also approved the political declaration of future relations between the UK and EU. The ghosts of the 2016 referendum were not forgotten.

Vote Leave were officially fined £61,000 for breaking electoral spending laws and referred to the police after they were found to be coordinating with another Brexit supporting group, BeLeave.

The first few months of 2019 were dominated by the series of parliamentary votes on Withdrawal Agreements. The first ‘meaningful vote’ made history as being the worst government defeat ever, with Theresa May losing by 432 - 202. A series of crushing defeats in the Commons reflected the futility of May’s Brexit strategy, forcing her to resign and step down on 7th June.

After beating rival Jeremy Hunt, the blustering Boris Johnson became Prime Minister on 24th July 2019; however, with no majority in the Commons and bickering within and outside the party, Johnson, too, was faced with the inability to pass Withdrawal Agreements through the Commons decisively. At the end of August, Johnson announced that he intended to prorogue Parliament for 5 weeks so that they returned to the House of Commons with only 17 days before the 31st October Brexit deadline. The beginning of the new parliamentary year was a busy one. Former Speaker John Bercow announced his resignation: he would either stand down on the 31st October, or at the next general election, whichever was first. Just two weeks later came the pivotal Supreme Court case that saw Gina Miller go up against the government regarding the unlawful proroguing of Parliament.

To pass the Withdrawal Agreement through the Commons would require a strong parliamentary majority, thus an election was paramount to the UK’s departure from the European Union. Mr Johnson announced that an election would take place on 12th December. Johnson heavily campaigned for a quick Brexit under the slogan ‘Get Brexit done’ and was rewarded with a majority of 80 seats in the Commons.

Finally, after years of political turmoil and defeats, on 22nd January 2020 the Withdrawal Agreement was passed by Parliament 342-254, and on 31st January, the United Kingdom officially left the European Union.

RETROSPECTIVE The first step will be negotiating a new trade deal with EU member states. Although in light of the recents events regarding COVID-19, the Brexit headlines have disappeared, the process continues behind the scenes. Perhaps the smaller public audience will change the process, perhaps it won’t. The possibilities for how different Brexit could be given the decade long rollercoaster the UK has been on are endless. The only hope we can have now is that we don’t crash.

Isobel Potter & Lily Pratt

A DECADE OF SPORT

What a decade of sport the 2010s was! The Olympics in 2012, the first British winner of a cycling Grand Tour, football almost coming home in 2018, that last-second Commonwealth Netball Gold and Ben Stokes’ Super Over.

However, let's step back from those golden moments and see where sport has changed so dramatically over the decade. Three areas spring to mind: how far parasport has progressed, how the profile of women's sport has increased and how we have fought back at doping.

And what a decade it has been for women’s sport! I, like many of you, tuned in with 12 million others to watch the BBC coverage of the Lionesses’ dramatic semi-final against the USA in the Women’s Football World Cup. Great to see high-level women’s football on prime-time TV at last, when at the start of the decade you may have struggled to find even the highlights. Even though this was a great achievement for the game it still has a long way to go to match the profile of the men's game, and many sports are much further behind football in their development and profile. Take cycling, for example: there is still no women's Tour de France. The women's World Tour gets significantly fewer race days and TV coverage each year than the men’s; only as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have the UCI agreed to put a women’s Paris-Roubaix, one of the most prestigious cycling races, into the cycling calendar, When I put the question of women’s sport to Giselle Ansley MBE, a member of the GB women’s Gold medal-winning hockey team from Rio, she felt that while there has definitely been an increase in the amount women's sport is in the media, it still lags a long, long way behind men's sport: “We are normally pushed to the very back of mainstream media and really lack television presence. Netball being shown on Sky is a great step forward and the pro league Hockey on BT; however this is still not accessible by all.”

Giselle thinks that positives include the huge increase in participation rates, the bridging of the pay gap/prize money in tennis and the increasing number of women in sports-presenting roles, such as Claire Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott. More sportswomen are also being used in adverts, making them more of a household name - Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Jessica Ennis-Hill, Dina Asher-Smith. It has been a great decade for women’s

sport, but where will we see it go in the next 10 years?

Giselle would love to see “a time where we no longer have to say women's sport. It just becomes sport!!”

Para-sport has also made huge progress over the past decade. Janette Chippington MBE, and three-time Paralympic gold medalist, told me she no longer needs to explain what she means when she tells people she is a Paralympian. She first competed in Seoul 1988 and has seen a huge increase in the recognition surrounding para-sport. At Atlanta 1996 the entire GB Olympic Team won just one Gold medal; the GB Paralympic Team won 40 Gold medals, with Janette winning 2 in Swimming - yet there was little, if any, official media recognition of what the Paralympians had achieved. Fast-forward to London 2012 and, for the first time, there was a sole commercial sponsor for the Paralympic Games with gold medalists from both games being recognised through the gold post boxes. In 2016, Jeanette won Gold at Rio and was awarded an MBE. There is also more equality in the sport with Pound-for-Pound funding for Para and Olympic sports. Recognition of para-athletes is filtering down into commercial advertising but coverage on media channels remains small. Looking to the next decade, Jeanette would love to see greater sponsorship opportunities for para-athletes and a continuation of a separate Paralympics to the Olympics.

From positives to the negatives... In the last decade, doping came to the forefront of public attention like never before. From Lance Armstrong’s public confession to Oprah Winfrey in 2012, to the Russian state-sponsored doping scandal revealed in 2015 (and still a huge issue today), it feels that every sport has been tainted by this huge issue. Most recently Sun Yang, the multiple Olympic gold medal-winning Chinese swimmer, has been banned for 8 years following tampering with the doping process and previous positive tests. Testing has improved, bans are becoming slightly more severe but, in my view, this remains a huge problem for sport and one that is unlikely to go away any time soon.

And what of COVID-19? Who would have believed that the new decade would start with all sports being put on hold? What will this mean for the future of sport this decade? What changes might occur? Will we see a new era of greater focus on the athletes’ well-being, rather than sport being driven by commercial and financial factors? When asking Giselle Ansley about the impact of COVID on hockey, she said it was amazing to see how the hockey world (like other sports) has adapted and are refocusing during this period. But what will Tokyo 2021 look like - if we even get there?

Instead of ending on this slightly down-heartening mood, let's take this opportunity to reflect on some of the great performances we have seen over this past decade in sport. Here are my top 5 sporting moments from the last 10 years: • Super Saturday - London 2012 • Chris Froome winning the Tour de France for the 4th time in 2017

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RETROSPECTIVE • Australian Women's Cricket Team winning the Women’s T20 World Cup for the 5th time this decade in front of a near-capacity home crowd at the MCG in March 2020 • Siya Kolisi and the South African Rugby Team winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup • Ben Stokes’ innings in the 2019 Cricket World Cup Final What would your top five sporting moments of the last ten years be?

Ben Furley

A DECADE OF FILM

The 2010s were a time of significant changes in the film industry. Streaming services such as Netflix have impacted how we view films and offered more choice in what we want to view. Improvements and innovation in technology meant that for the first time there was a melding of reality and make-believe. We were transported into fantastical worlds which left cinema-goers in awe. We also saw the movement toward inclusivity, particularly in Hollywood. Women demanded to be heard. Black and ethnic actors moved into mainstream roles, with diversity also becoming apparent behind the camera - their talent and skills overriding long-standing prejudices within the film industry.

In previous decades, Black characters were onedimensional, either portrayed as tough-men, providing reference points to main characters, or presented as exotic or unreal. That is of course if they were not challenging racist bigots in the Southern states. While these stories are important and we need to empathise with characters and sense the destructive power of discrimination, there is also a need to sometimes move away from this type of story-telling. Yes, we had instances in film history where directors challenged the status-quo - Sidney Poitier in Norman Jewison's ‘Heat of the Night’, 1967, or native American actor, Will Sampson, as 'Chief' in the wonderful One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest”, 1975.

2014 saw a shift with the powerful ‘12 Years a Slave’, a heart-rending depiction of slavery told from the slave’s perspective, that received rightful recognition with a Best Actor award for Chiwetel Ejiofor at the BAFTAs and a Best Picture award at the Oscars. 2017 saw another Best Picture winner from an African American director; Barry Jenkins' ‘Moonlight’, is a visually stunning, heartfelt coming of age story which immersed us in the life of a gay Black man and his journey to self-realisation.

And let's not forget the roaring success of ‘Black Panther’ (2018). An African American, Ryan Coogler, directed a near-enough entirely Black cast in one film of many in the Marvel superhero genre which captured us for a long time in the 2010s. Although an entertaining movie, its success was based on the uniqueness of the concept

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- Black Panther was an important film for that precise reason, rather than its contribution to filmmaking or sophisticated story-telling. Importantly, cinema-goers bought into it: the film remains the 12th highest-grossing movie of all time.

Armando Iannucci's 2019 interpretation of David Copperfield starring Dev Patel as the eponymous hero gets the point being made here:casting without considering what has gone before, challenging people's perception of what a character should look like makes things much more interesting.

We also have to consider that female actors are being heard. The ‘me too’ movement has shaken the industry, providing a platform for women to now demand a working environment that is as it should be. ‘Wonder Woman’ (Gal Gadot), ‘Black Widow’ (Scarlett Johansson) and of course the essential 'Captain Marvel' (played somewhat disappointingly by Brie Larsson) all contributed to the superhero genre. However, despite having standalone films, female characters still always seem to take the supporting role in the end - think back to the slightly cringe-inducing ‘girl power’ scene in ‘Avengers Endgame’, suggesting that women in leading roles is not quite normalised, and is seen as more of a tick-box to satisfy Hollywood producers. Institutional sexism and pay disparities remain in the film industry but the last decade has seen steps in the right direction.

Film has always reflected shifts in society and the 2010s were no different. Real life reflects art, and vice-versa.

It feels that the shine of Hollywood has been tarnished.

We know now that it does not represent us all and cases such as that concerning Harvey Weinstein, or the furore that the Oscars does not recognise minority efforts, have demonstrated this. But, if we work together to clean it up again, it will look different, and that is encouraging.

Finally, it would be remiss of us to not mention some of our favourite films of the 2010s. This list, whilst being in no particular order, we feel, presents some of the best in cinema from the past decade.

• Parasite - Boon Joon-ho (2019) • Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse - Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman (2018) • Moonlight - Barry Jenkins (2017) • Under the Skin - Jonathan Glazer (2013) • Hereditary - Ari Aster (2018) • Mad Max Fury Road - George Miller (2015) • Blade Runner 2049 - Denis Villeneuve (2017) • Get Out - Jordan Peele (2017) • The Master - Paul Thomas Anderson (2012) • Uncut Gems - Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie (2019) FILM SOC

SOCIETIES

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SOCIETIES

CLUBS & SOCIETIES AT BORLASE

The wide range of student-led academic societies, clubs and groups is a significant feature of Borlase life. From PolSoc to MedSoc, Debate Soc to the improbably-named Pete’s Bar and Grill, Drama Clubs to Mindfulness, Care Home Visiting to School Photography, these societies, clubs and activities are run by students eager to share their knowledge, experience and passion with their peers.

bring to every presentation). We’ve even worked with the competition, and completed a joint presentation with HistSoc on Penicillin.

As well as discussing theory as a group we have often included practical demonstrations that attendees can recreate at home, for example work we did on polymer synthesis with an experiment where we made bouncy balls!

Ellie Harkin, Jana Lakatos, Clara Maccallum & Dani Taverner

COMPSOC

ASTROSOC

So far, we have centred around the solar system, with one or two presentations that were ‘closer to home’ on the International Space Station (ISS) and simple astrophotography you can even do with your smartphone.

There’s been much debate as to whether Astrosoc would be astrophysics or astronomy. We opted for both, with a guide to whatever topic we are presenting on, with a ‘Starcast’ at the end - a short guide on the celestial spectacles to look out for in the forthcoming weeks.

Also, Astro Soc was the first virtual society for Borlase@ home!

Basel H, Josie D

BIOSOC

So far BioSoc has covered a range of exciting topics, from medicinal stem cell therapy, to the Australian bushfires to the world’s weirdest living things. Although sadly the school year was cut short on account of Covid-19, we had many plans for the year ahead, including a collaboration with VetSoc to organise a mass dissection. We hope to keep up the interest and excitement with a virtual meet every Wednesday break.

Since Gabe and I took over at Christmas, CompSoc has done many weird and wonderful things, including a contest to decide the society’s name where the premise was whoever could abuse bots and software vulnerabilities in the survey the most won the contest.

Since going virtual via Meets we’ve also held a Guess the Bug competition for small material prizes.

Luke Haldane & Gabe Smith

DENTSOC

DentSoc is a new society, created in response to a lack of focussed help for prospective dental students.

We have been exploring the fascinating technological advancements in the wider dental world which, we hope, will aid us in the preparation for both interviews and the future studies. In addition, we have been expanding our knowledge of common dental equipment and the anatomy of the tooth. Ultimately, I aim to ensure all prospective dentists have a clear idea of the fundamental basics of dentistry and ensure they are certain of the pathways into dentistry.

Hannah Hussain

ENGSOC

CHEMSOC

We started leading ChemSoc in January with a classic practical: Coke and Mentos. We used interactive and educational presentations to inspire an interest in chemistry and to look at how it is incorporated into our daily lives. Our presentations have covered a wide range of topics: from weird facts about food, to non-Newtonian fluids, to the chemistry behind vaping. With a wide range of attendees, we’ve led presentations of different complexities and worked hard to ensure everyone who attends can stay engaged (something we’re sure is helped along by the sheer number of Jaffa Cakes we

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This year, EngSoc took on five new leaders, because all of us had an area of expertise to present on - namely aviation, space exploration, mechanical engineering with cars, and on water. Topics covered so far include Aviation: Red Bull Air Race, Engineering behind airports;

SOCIETIES Mechanical engineering: London Underground; Space exploration: SpaceX; Boats: Flying boats.

It is also our aspiration to give an insight to the younger years what the wonders of engineering are and how significant it is to our everyday lives, with a hope to inspire them to adopt the same passion we have for how things work and what makes them behave the way they do.

Basel Hammond, Jack Rait, Ben Osborne, Ben Wiggins, Alfie Dean

KS3 SCIENCE CLUB

however, the amount of food bought each week dwindled, but luckily our member numbers increased.

And at Christmas we did our greatest presentation yet; honeycomb and, more specifically, how to make it - including an edible product at the end (which was not consumed due to lab safety rules.) As great as the presentations and witty leadership were, the star of our metaphorical show was the members. They were keen and vocal and still came when we forgot food.

They brought their friends and their own presentations which were great for giving us a rest, even if some were questionable at points. But our members were our driving force and really were the most important to the society.

Caitlin Sadie, Amy Greener & Emily Stephens

MEDSOC

One is the best parts about MedSoc is that there are so many different topics that we can discuss from neurological diseases like Synesthesia which causes the brain to process data in many senses at once (they may hear a noise a see a swirl of colour) to the ethics behind medicine that form the basis of every treatment plan. We have all done presentations on cases that interest us, as well as many relevant topics like the lack of funding for the NHS. We have really enjoyed being able to expand our medical knowledge further.

Gracie Newbold, Simrit Dhariwal, Rishi Miriyala & Oliver Warren

Every week we find something new and exciting to do; from slime to candles, and egg parachutes to plastic milk.

There is always something fun to get stuck in with!

At Halloween we made Flaming pumpkins. Students and adults alike enjoyed this activity, watching Dr Sowden flame the pumpkins which were carved by students.

The Year 12 leaders organised many exciting activities.

With the Week A team (Ella and Alice ) we made supersaturated sugar crystals and slime/bouncy balls.

We also experimented with germinating avocado stones.

The Week B team (James and Alfie) organised activities to promote Chemistry and Physics, including Fruit Batteries (they were able to produce 13V using lemons! Isn’t that amazing?) as well as Dancing Oobleck, Fire Writing and the Egg Drop experiment.

RESEARCH CLUB

This year, Research Club - which I am fairly confident is the smallest society in the school - has been focussing on the extraction of toxic metal ions from solutions.

I have been doing this through the use of EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) and coriander. As of yet, we have not reached a conclusive result.

Joseph Martin

KS4 SCIENCE CLUB

At the beginning of the year, we were nervous about leading the Key Stage 4 Science Society especially as we were not 6th form leaders, but delighted by the strong response, even from those in younger year groups. We started the year with a presentation on taste and lots of food to ensure we had it right. As the year progressed

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SOCIETIES P(exτeiπ∫ β∝ℝ ∩ Gr2i⌊⌋) (PBΔG) As the new leaders of Pete’s Bar & Grill, we are proud to say that business has been booming this year. We have delighted in discovering brand new, exciting and, indeed, tasty areas of mathematics to present to our loyal clientele.

A particularly glorious part of our leadership would have to be our various pi calculation methods, including throwing ‘darts’ (sharpies with wings) at a target, dropping matchsticks on paper, and Adam’s intrepid calculation by hand on the whiteboard! However, perhaps the most unorthodox (and to the best of our knowledge, most accurate in Borlase history) practical calculation of pi was our collaboration with the wonderful PhySoc - it was the most touching armistice of two sworn rivals since the Christmas truce of WW1. We hung carefully weighed portions of pizza along a balancing beam using PhySoc’s force calculations, to model an infinite series that we could use to calculate pi. This was no easy task: emergency engineering was necessary from Joseph, as well as emergency mathematical calculation; however, words cannot convey the look of excitement on Leon’s face when he saw π arise in our final calculations: our value for pi was… wait for it… π = 3.236(!), which gives us an error of just 3.005%! We celebrated with a feast of pizza afterwards - a worthy reward.

We are pleased to say that presentations have continued into isolation via video calls, and the quality of the talks has not suffered! We’ve used this opportunity to do talks with everything from 3D graphing to grand pianos. We’re all thrilled to be keeping the mathematical spirit alive through the Borlase@Home era!

Leon Tasch, Adam Town & Joseph Haslehurst

Thank you to all the PhySocians who have continued to turn up to virtual meetings to listen to me babble on about sci-fi and black holes and levitating cats. It has been a blast!

Josephine D

VETSOC

This year, as aspiring vets, we delivered a variety of interesting presentations varying from small to large issues within the veterinary profession, including the hazards of grass seeds, bovine tuberculosis, and mental health in animals. We were also lucky enough to get hands on with dissecting and exploring the anatomy of a rat!

Sadly, Covid-19 has forced us to cancel planned activities, but we have continued to share our passion with one another through a virtual society.

Emily Farmer, Eleanor Whittle & Ophelia Almeyda

HELM DEBATE SOCIETY (KS3)

Every Tuesday a group of enthusiastic Year 7s and 8s research, brainstorm and then debate a chosen topic.

The best thing about the society is that, even though members have different debating abilities, they all get the opportunity to share their opinions. And the closure of school hasn't stopped debates - we now do an online debate through google meet, every week, like normal.

But we have a running competition between the Red Team and the Green Team that will end whenever we get out of lockdown.

Jess Cattanach

PHYSOC

This year, PhySoc has continued to find outlandish explanations for some of science’s strangest conundrums.

Our weekly presentations on various physics related topics - or rather topics which have been tenuously linked to physics - have included: the life and many times of Stephen Hawking; Time And Relative Dimension In Space; the physics of phireworks (unfortunately lacking in a practical demonstration because pyrotechnics in M6U would apparently “breach school policies on 'health and safety and generally not-blowing-things-up’”); the large Hadron collider and CERN, preceding a webchat with an engineer at CERN, and many more.

One of my favourite PhySoc presentations was the 3.14 PhySoc-PBAG Pi-Day Pizza-Pie Practical Party (see above).

Other notices: our plans to build a time machine have been put on hold for now, but stay tuned; Ringo Jr is still MIA; his suit has been found intact, so we can only assume that he has fulfilled his lifelong dream of joining the space agency as a crash test dummy.

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DEBATE SOCIETY (KS5)

Throughout the course of this year, Debate Society has hosted some very interesting and thought provoking discussions across politics, ethics and society. We hope to inspire more critical thinking as the year goes on, during Borlase@Home through Google Meet!

Izzie Alexandrou & Becca Lamping

DIVERSITY SOCIETY

Diversity Society is Borlase’s newest society, as we began just a few weeks before school closed. We have been discussing topics to do with race and religion in order to raise awareness within the Borlase community.

We look forward to coordinating with other societies in the future (such as Law Society). As well as inviting in speakers and lecturers to share their story in relation to diversity.

Na’Imah Bowen & Grace Venus

SOCIETIES

ECONOMICS SOCIETY

Over the past year and a half we have been able to run some of the most fascinating debates and conversations on the subject of economics. We have discussed a broad range of subjects ranging from gender segregation in the labour market, Middle Eastern oil-based growth, the history of Wall Street, the implications of AI for our economy, to the economics of gun laws and various Brexit related topics. We would like to thank all our society members for making our discussions diverse, with a wide range of opinions from various people.

Parallel to this, we have been running the Borlase Economics Newsletter since September. Every month we were able to share and discuss a range of economic events, from the US trade war and China’s colossal economic decline, to more microeconomic topics such as the economics behind Black Friday.

Calum, Matt, Charlotte & Daniel

implications of the Armenian Genocide and the atrocities of Mao Zedong's regime. We talked about the 1960s race riots in America and reflected on today’s society: one in which racism is systemic, and African-Americans such as George Floyd become the victims of police brutality. As well as a series of critical reviews of English monarchs (spanning eight centuries), we have looked east, to the West Bank and the region's contested past from the era of the Umayyads to the present day. Defying the Coronavirus crisis, History Society collaborated virtually with Chemistry Society on Google Meet, fusing the mighty powers to form 'Hem Soc'. At other points during the year, Ben Furley's detailed presentations on World War Two have allowed us to plumb the immense depths of his knowledge about the complexities and intricacies of military operations and individuals' war-time stories.

We would like to thank our unwaveringly devoted fanbase for supporting us.

Olly Gale, Jess Cattanach & Ben Furley

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SOCIETY

FEMINIST SOCIETY

Since the start of the year, Feminist Society have discussed a wide range of topics within the realm of feminism, including gender stereotypes in childhood, sexual assault in regards to men and what PSHE in schools should look like - as well as providing a comfortable place for everyone to discuss their opinions on feminism. As for the future, we will be keeping up to date with current progress in the feminist movement and continuing to present changes that have been made worldwide surrounding feminism.

Izzy Palmer-Garrett & Na’Imah Bowen

HISTORY SOCIETY

This year the History Society has covered many subjects, from 17th century Japanese 'Edo' culture to Vladimir Putin's rise to power, discussing the prospects and possibility of several decades more under his rule.

We have considered the profound and devastating

In a time of fraught international relations, the society has been able to grow both numerically and intellectually with participation from many new members. Over the last year, we have discussed and debated a wide range of topics with particular focus on the Middle East and Asia as well as occasionally returning to the UK’s ties and

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SOCIETIES roles in Europe and beyond. The scope of international relations has allowed us to explore a variety of topics and themes as well as geographical areas including migration, climate change, race relations, power and conflict, Euroscepticism, freedom, human rights and democracy with everything in between.

When thinking back on our stewardship of the society, several discussions come to mind; those which were, you could say, ‘particularly lively’. Most noteworthy perhaps, remains the time we explored the issues around the Palestinian/Israeli border and inherently controversial was made much more so.

Raphael Conte & Thomas Guillian With the introduction of lockdown, we thought: "Trump conducts his foreign policy on Twitter, why can't we conduct Int Rel Soc on google meet?" and thus Virtual Int Rel Soc was born. VIR Soc will continue to bring new concepts to people and be a forum for different points of view. We would like to thank our members, whose discussions make NATO Summits look like child's play.

Matthew Williams & Olly Gale

JUNIOR LAW SOCIETY

A new society for Borlase, the year began with us forming a team for a Magistrates Mock Trial competition. We spent months preparing legal arguments with the team, exploring the structure of the UK legal system and how a Magistrates Court works. It was great to see everyone’s confidence and skills in public speaking and analysis improve. Unfortunately we were not able to show our hard work in competition but we decided to continue meeting to discuss some weird and wonderful elements of the law: most recently we discussed whether Jaffa Cakes are cakes or biscuits and the 1991 legal case that provided an answer to this question.

Our virtual sessions are going really well and we would like to say a massive thank you to the group who have consistently supported us and each other this year.

Isobel Potter, Becca Lamping & Akaash Pipial

LAW SOCIETY (KS5)

At Law Soc, we have been reviewing controversial cases and laws, from the right to self-defense to affirmative action. Each week, we come together to discuss these issues and topics with a wide range of views. We propose how the law might be changed to better reflect society, or how it should be kept the same so it continues its good work. In the future, we hope to run a trip to Old Bailey, as our predecessors did, and hope to hear more cases from other aspects of the law.

Jardine Barrington-Cook, Na’Imah Bowen & Pavlos Papanestis

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POLITICS SOCIETY

It’s been an exceptionally busy year for Polsoc, with discussions dominated by the government losing their majority, deadlock over Brexit, a prorogation of Parliament that was deemed unlawful, a general election, and of course Brexit itself. And that’s only on this side of the Atlantic!

In partnership with the school election team, we hosted the Independent candidate Dominic Grieve, as well as the Conservative, Labour and Green candidates for Beaconsfield in the run-up to the country (and Borlase) going to the polls.

Polsoc offers a forum for debate and persuasion, but also cooperation, compromise and acknowledging shared opinions, regardless of party or ideology. The school election confirmed this and, despite obvious political differences, cleanly-fought and professional campaigns succeeded in a shared goal: getting a school turnout higher than the national one!

Currently, face-to-face meetings aren’t possible, but there have already been online sessions run by this year’s new leaders. Nothing will stop the debate!

Callum Kunchur & Ava Sherwood-Rogers

SOCIETIES

PERFORMING ARTS

OTHER GROUPS

YEAR 7 DRAMA CLUB

CARE HOME VOLUNTEERING

Coming into Year 7 drama club in September and seeing a bunch of fresh faces excited to act was a fantastic start to the year. We've been learning some great drama skills, like auditioning, scripted and devised scenes, blocking, corpsing, using your body as props and even set design. We hope the students will take these skills into their everyday lives, any future acting aspirations, and their school curriculum. It’s something I can’t wait for next year, as leading the club is one of the highlights of my school week, and I hope that is the case for all who attend.

Sacha Smith & Darcey Seymour

YEAR 8 DRAMA CLUB

Despite the year coming to an untimely end, it was a very successful one. Over the last 6 months, we saw the Year 8s become more confident in their abilities and eager to put forward suggestions and ideas. During the first few weeks, we got to know all of them and had a lot of fun exploring different dramatic methods and techniques. We then began focusing more on scripted pieces including ‘Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’. This was met with such enthusiasm and commitment from all members. It was wonderful to watch the play progress along with all of the actors, and even though it will not be performed at the moment, what we saw reflected what a hardworking, energetic and talented group the Year 8s are.

Poppy Morgan & Lizzy Rackstraw

YEAR 9 DRAMA CLUB

The Club was initiated in January of 2020 and unfortunately, due to lockdown, was very short-lived!

We began with improvisation, where we learnt that it is imperative for an actor to trust their instincts and cooperate with their scene partner in order for a scene to flow. We also looked at what it meant to build an ensemble; to do this, we engaged in some trust exercises as well as exercises that demanded the group to detect each others' energies in order to perform certain tasks as a unit. Additionally, we had a go at creating pieces using texts by Moira Buffini and Caryl Churchill, where the context of the script could be freely interpreted, and some included the opportunity to create soundscapes as well as more stylised physical movement.

Between the October half-term and lockdown, we visited the Sir Aubrey Ward care home in Marlow, as part of the school’s extracurricular volunteering programme. I found my visits to the care home every two weeks to be a relaxing break from school and always enjoyed seeing the residents.

We helped to brighten up their days with many varied activities from reading short stories and playing the piano to joining in with their mobility exercise routines; we even helped with a bowls tournament for the residents against Marlow Bowls club that took place in the care home’s main foyer. Often just chatting together and allowing the residents to reminisce about their past was enough to provide interaction that is so important. We all found it to be a rewarding experience, especially on occasions when we could see the residents were benefiting from our visit. I remember Connie used to say how the music I played on the piano helped her morning to move more quickly.

Reuben Bignell

MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION

This year saw the founding of a meditation and mindfulness group. The aim of the group is to create a regular safe place within the school, where students and teachers are invited to escape from the fast pace of busy, ordinary life. The group meets weekly in the dance studio where we set the scene with mats (for those who want to lie down), music, inspirational quotes, diffusing essential oils and biscuits. As well as being a place to relax, we've also tried to encourage it to be a place to make new friends with people in other year groups, following the cessation of vertical tutor groups. The meditations allow participants to love themselves and then group chats and hugs at the end encourage them to spread this love to others.

Hana Jolly & Harriet Liebowitz

Hana Jolly

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SOCIETIES

FILM CLUB

We welcomed several new members this year, and immediately got working on filming Cross Country 2019, which brought the team together and, along with the help of some brilliant Borlase photographers, we got some really wonderful footage, which was then edited and made into a video.

We continued filming events for the school, such as the House Music final and the Autumn concert, which were great insights into filming live performances, and overcoming potential problems quickly and calmly.

As for creating our own original pieces, our creative endeavours were cut short by Covid-19, but we have been communicating virtually, discussing our ideas for future projects, and exploring interests in abstract/ experimental and rhetorical film.

Clara Mathieson-Spires

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SCHOOL EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography is a school-wide requirement for events, however, it mostly goes unnoticed throughout the events. From the beginning of the year there has been a drive for more photographers to come onboard and help capture the moments that really show this school’s aspiration and creativity, everything from musicals, plays to charity sport events and huge concerts. We have many big events, over the course of the year such as Sports Day, Junior Musical, and Dance Shows. All of these provide a good opportunity for photographers to practise and build on their skills, while doing what they love.

Harvey Green

HELM

(Humanities, English, Literacy, Modern Foreign Languages)

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HELM

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS AT BORLASE

Government and Politics continues to enjoy popularity and dynamism. At home and abroad, fast moving developments captivate interest and prompt questions which challenge our understanding. In the UK, tracing Boris Johnson’s journey to becoming PM; his leadership qualities; the implications of his parliamentary majority for UK democracy; finally exiting the EU; lockdown and state spending at record levels - a new level of intervention for the Conservatives; the prospect for Labour’s evolution and political positioning under Sir Keir Starmer; new Lib Dem leadership and its implications; just a small sample of points for discussion within lessons and PolSoc. Year 13 enjoyed an insightful trip to Washington DC and New York last October. Sitting in Congress, the heart of government, with a year to the presidential election, the cogs of government could be seen, heard and felt. The Supreme Court, visited on a very wet day, is now deliberating over a potential landmark ruling regarding whether faithless electors in 2016, who voted on conscience rather than convention, acted unconstitutionally, with enormous implications for the 2020 election. Year 13 students continue to join online ‘chats’ with myself and Mr Simpson to discuss events unfolding.

Last summer, students visited Parliament, the Supreme Court and City Hall. We also met the Rt Hon Dominic Grieve, then MP for Beaconsfield, whose office organised our entry to the Palace of Westminster. Mr Grieve entertained questions from students who were quite divided in their views on Brexit, responding with a persuasive eloquence; an invaluable experience for students of a subject requiring the appreciation of different perspectives.

Autumn 2020 saw the UK heading towards its first Christmas election for nearly a century. There are several parallels which could be drawn with the 1923 election, a period of political turmoil, instability and election fatigue; notable differences, 1918 reforms extended the right to vote to women over 30 with a certain amount of property; similarity or difference: post WW1 Britain was paying £34m a year in repayments for war loans taken out which were not finally cleared until 2015; at the time of writing monthly government borrowing has itself made history at £62bn! How will political history make sense of the current climate?

At Borlase, we engaged actively with our own Mock Election, with the right to vote extended to all students and staff. The whole school momentum generated is captured in a separate article written by the Election Team.

Borlase hosted forums for Beaconsfield constituency candidates from all parties and hustings at the start of General Election week with our internal candidates. One of the best memories was overhearing a Year 7 class waiting for their lesson, discussing how they had voted!

Post the election, there was no Borlase fatigue and a

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monthly Politics Newsletter was launched.

Academic societies continue to be a busy, focal point of Borlase@home engagement for students of Politics or not and accessible to students transitioning into Year 12 in September within and beyond Borlase.

This past year has been another exceptional year. My thanks to Politics’ teachers, Mr Simpson and Miss Picton who continue to inspire, and to all staff and students who demonstrated their interest by participating in the Mock Election.

Mrs F Pryor, Head of Politics

MOCK ELECTION

Upon the announcement of the 2019 election at the end of October, we decided that Borlase students should vote alongside the country in our very own mock general election. It was clear that a forced, fourth general election in a decade, would be a pivotal point in UK politics and so the school was immersed in the race for PM. Year 12 students represented the five major parties: Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats, the Brexit Party and Green Party. Rosettes were gathered and manifestos formed as the parties geared up for what was increasingly becoming known as ‘The Brexit Election.’

And as any good campaign does, the Borlase leaders took on the electorate in the form of assemblies, pitching their plans to every year group in an early bid to win over some voters. It was certainly an interesting experience to observe the reactions of each assembly, with some of the younger years perhaps being confronted with political realities for the first time. There were some zealous speeches and already, there was clear tension between the parties.

Borlase was lucky enough to have local political candidates for Beaconsfield to visit the sixth form. Dominic Grieve, Joy Morrisey, Zoe Hatch and Alexa Collins all inspired students and ignited much debate, which allowed all sixth formers to ask questions and engage as well.

Sequere, Borlase’s online magazine, covered all the mock election news on its live election page, as well as including videos of the political debate which took

HELM place in the year-12 lecture series slot between all the candidates in a Question Time-style answering questions from the audience which was instrumental in engaging the ‘electorate’ across all year groups.

The election ignited interest across all year groups, with those in younger years willing to help with the election team. There were many lunch times spent and emails exchanged in the lead up to the election day. A 2m banner appeared in Mimi’s telling people to ‘Vote Conservative’.

Labour, the Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats put up posters in most corners of the school and the Green Party sent out e-posters to minimise waste, all trying to persuade undecided voters and immersing the school in election-fever.

When election day rolled around, the election team got into school bright and early to set up the polling booths and sort ballot paper before the voting opened at 8:15 in the hall foyer, continuing until the end of the day. The school succeeded in beating the national turnout, with a student turnout of 79.8%, exceeding the average by more than 10%. The school’s result contrasted that of the country, with the Liberal Democrats winning a landslide victory ahead of the Greens. Third were the Conservatives, then Labour, and lastly the Brexit Party.

WESTMINSTER VISIT

On June 26th, the Year 12 Politics class had the opportunity to visit the Palace of Westminster, including a discussion with the Rt Hon Dominic Grieve MP, Member for Beaconsfield. The day commenced with a tour of the Palace of Westminster, where we were informed of the Palace’s history and its use in present day politics.

We entered the House of Commons through Member’s Lobby, past the small but foreboding door of the Whip’s office. Towering above Member’s Lobby were 4 bronze statues of the 20th Century Prime Ministerial greats: Lloyd George, Churchill, Atlee and Thatcher. Sadly Mrs Thatcher’s statue wasn’t made of iron as would have befitted her nickname. We were then ushered into the lobby where MPs assemble to vote if an oral vote isn’t sufficient for the Speaker to reach a verdict on the vote.

The nature of voting highlighted how immense the pressure of party loyalty would be, as any disobedience would be visible. As we entered the Commons Chamber we were all struck by how much smaller the Chamber is in person. It’s surprising that the Commons can fit even 427 out of its 650 MPs. Everything in the Chamber had some significance ranging from the use of prayer cards to allocate seats, to the decision to use wood from around the Commonwealth to build the Chamber and its furniture. In true Commons fashion even the red lines on the floor by the dispatch box have interesting historical significance. MPs are unable to step over the lines as they are supposedly placed 2 sword lengths apart to prevent cross bench squabbles turning violent.

We were fortunate to be able to have a discussion with Dominic Grieve in Westminster Hall. What followed was a debate that would have overshadowed PMQs later that day. Mr Grieve was unfortunate to be on the end of a grilling on topics ranging from the legitimacy of a second referendum, to how best to eradicate the growing distrust between politicians and the public. In true Conservative fashion, after a bit of Corbyn-bashing he answered the questions he thought we’d asked. However, his answers were transparent and principled, something almost unique in the current political climate. They were not plagued by the typical linguistic obfuscation that would make even Sir Humphrey Appleby proud. Overall, it was very interesting to hear his opinion of the current political climate. He anticipated a general election appearing ever more likely and even predicting the Labour Party being cleaved in two over Brexit. Perhaps ironic coming from a Remain supporting Conservative MP. After the Palace of Westminster, we had a pleasant walk across the South Bank to the Greater London Assembly, an elegant building which quickly lost its appeal after having to walk up a few hundred metres of spiral ramps.

Modern architecture at its finest.

In summary, it was an interesting and engaging experience for everyone, allowing us to better understand the current political landscape by immersing ourselves in its epicentre.

Leo Langridge

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HELM

LINKLATERS NATIONAL ESSAY COMPETITION

Following Cece Briscoe’s success in 2019, for the second consecutive year Borlase had a finalist in the Linklaters ‘Making Links’ national student essay competition.

Run by Linklaters LLC, a major multinational legal firm, Making Links is an essay competition for 6th Form students in state schools, designed to promote independent and creative thinking and analysis. The challenge was to write a 500-word essay on the subject ‘What has been the single biggest disruption or innovation in the business world, within your lifetime?’ Year 12 student Matthew Williams wrote about the profound effect that the increased use of automation and Artificial Intelligence have already had, and will have in the future, on our lives. He was selected from hundreds of entrants as one of 20 national finalists to receive a £250 prize and the opportunity to attend the final event at Linklaters’ offices. Sadly, in what is now an all too familiar theme in these challenging times, that final became a virtual event in which Matthew participated in a series of stimulating and helpful presentations and seminars.

HISTORY AT BORLASE

The still relatively new History department has continued to build on the foundations laid in their first academic year of 2018-19, with the addition of both Mr Holloran and Miss Janczynska. Indeed, change is very much the buzzword in the History corridors at present, for this was the first year of our new A Level course, whereby our fabulous Year 12 students took the plunge to study both the Tudors and Revolutionary Russia. All things considered, the decision to make the change has paid dividends, as the Year 12s are very much enjoying the course and are looking forward to studying the US civil rights movement for their upcoming NEA. What is more, numbers for the next cohort of Year 12s are looking extremely encouraging too.

That all said, Messrs Mead and Simpson, along with Miss Picton, very much enjoyed taking our wonderful Year 13 students through their second year of A Level History and thus the ‘legacy’ modules of Stuart Britain and America: A Nation Divided. . For the record, we are certain that our students would have performed exceptionally well had they actually taken the exams. Our congratulations must go to Callum Kunchur, who has been offered a place to study History at Oxford University. We also have several others that have chosen to study History at university and we wish them all the very best.

Moving on to GCSE HIstory, again there has been some change, whereby our Year 11s were the first to study our newly introduced ‘Health and the People’ module. We of course did not envisage both studying past pandemics,

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and actually living through one of our own! Another thing that Miss Mountfield may not have envisaged would have been Mr Mead making up a medieval herbal remedy for his Year 11 students from Bald’s Leechbook, which contained all sorts of ingredients including leeks, garlic, and white wine! One must try to imagine the scene whereby ‘mid flow’, and bottle in hand, Miss Mountfield, along with several Governors, decided to pop into said lesson! Two things must be said about the episode: one, it was non-alcoholic wine (obviously); two, that remedy, which was used to treat eye soreness back in the day, has actually been proven to be as effective against MRSA as anything that our modern world can throw at it. So you never know what history can teach us… which is most certainly how it was explained to fellow historian and pastoral chef de mission, Miss Williams.

In continuation with our theme of change, our Key Stage 3 curriculum has had something of a ‘Miss Picton shake-up’, and this has seen new topics studied such as Richard III, Slavery, US civil rights, the role of significant women and Revolutionary Russia. A little bit like our A Level numbers, our GCSE take-up is looking extremely promising for next year, and we are set to have four GCSE classes, rather than the usual three. This is something that we, as a Department, are striving for - we want our students to fall in love with our subject.

There has of course been no greater period of both challenge and change, than the current predicament that we all currently find ourselves in. However, we would like to acknowledge the efforts of all of our amazing students, who have adapted to the situation admirably.

In addition, Miss Picton has performed wonders with her online lessons, with a series of Tudor masterclasses being a real highlight.

Mr P Mead, Head of History

YEAR 7 CASTLE COMPETITION

In December we held our second annual ‘Year 7 Castle Building Competition’. The brief was ‘simple’ enough: create a motte-and-bailey, shell keep, stone keep or concentric castle out of anything you like. Fourteen days later, we were taken aback by just how awesome these castles were, and our eyes widened at the sight of parents and pupils carrying, and somewhat struggling with, huge masterpieces into school, whilst our mouths salivated at the prospect of tucking into a motte-and-bailey chocolate cake. Such was the sheer brilliance on display, we again contacted Windsor Castle to see if they were interested in putting a few models on display. They were, and so over February half term we delivered several which

HELM are now sitting proudly in their (currently sadly deserted) Learning Centre. Our thanks go to our fabulous Year 7 students, who really took to this challenge, and of course to their parents, who may well have been ‘press-ganged’ into helping out. We also hope that the bill wasn’t too large…

YEAR 13 HISTORY AND POLITICS TRIP TO USA

If you ask any Politics or History student what the highlight of their A-Level was, they would answer ‘the US trip!’ We started off in Washington DC, from where we travelled to Harpers Ferry, a key site in an abolitionist raid in the Civil War. As I had not studied history, I was naturally worried that I wouldn’t understand anything and the meaning of the site would be completely lost on me. I was, fortunately, mistaken. With Mr Simpson as our tour guide, we all were able to connect to the events at Harpers Ferry in a fun and interactive way. We then proceeded to Antietam National Battlefield, where we were given a blow-by-blow account of the vital 1862 battle by a local specialist guide - we even had parts to play as we traced the scene of the fighting from the Cornfield, to the Bloody Lane, to the Burnside Bridge.

we also visited the White House. The iconic building really invokes a sense of great importance around the presidency, in a way that is unmistakably different from that of 10 Downing Street.

Next up was the Supreme Court. Despite walking there in the pouring rain, which wasn’t much fun for any of us, it was still incredible to see the revered institution that holds so much importance in US politics. As any politics student could tell you, the US Constitution is codified - meaning that every rule for the governing of the country is all written in one document. We had the chance to see this document for ourselves in the National Archives. It was an excellent way to connect with the syllabus - instead of just learning about the constitution, we were able to see it up close. Some of us were so absorbed in the exhibits on the history of the constitution that we managed to get lost, and had to be rescued by Mrs Pryor… We also put in some serious miles walking around Arlington National Cemetery and the museums and monuments of the National Mall and tidal basin.

On Wednesday we left Washington DC for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Whereas Antietam was a relatively compact site, the Gettysburg Battlefield was vast, befitting the three day fight that stands as the bloodiest battle in American history. Another excellent tour guide showed us all around the vast panoramas in beautiful Fall weather. We then travelled to New York by coach, listening to a lot of New York themed songs on the way (courtesy of Mr Miall!). We took an early morning ferry out past the Statue of Liberty and onto Ellis Island, on which we learnt about the history of immigration, as Ellis Island was the site for processing some 12 million immigrants from 1892 to 1954. For an insight into the modern history of the US, we visited the 9/11 memorial museum, which was very moving. We also had time to do typical tourist things, such as go to the top of the Rockefeller Center, walk the High Line and visit Central Park.

When I look back on it all, it amazes me to think how much we did in less than a week. The trip was an excellent way to truly engage with US history and politics, while also having a lot of fun! I am certain it is a fond memory for all of us.

Mollie Marsh

Back in Washington, we visited the Capitol Building, and managed to see the inside of Congress. Unfortunately it was not in session, but it was brilliant to see the inside of Congress in real life rather than on a TV screen. Of course,

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HELM

ENGLISH AT BORLASE

At the time of writing (May half-term), I am sitting in my garden, oddly aware that I will not be receiving a single email from a panic-stricken Year 11 or Year 13 students about their upcoming English exams. We’d usually be halfway through at this point, at least as far as English is concerned, and one or two half-term revision sessions would be taking place to assist with any last-minute nerves about the remaining exams. Yet, this year, as we are only too aware, has been like no other.

And yet, the curtailing of our time in school has not detracted from the multitudinous events and experiences up to the moment of our forced closure, and I am very grateful that those first seven months in my role at Borlase was time enough to convince me of the brilliance and vivacity of the department, with what might be around three years’ worth of trips, visits and experiences at any ordinary school crammed into this relatively short period.

The year started with a WW1 Battlefields trip, covering France and Belgium, with our Year 13 students. It was an excellent trip, combining locations from Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong with key locations of major battles, field hospitals and cemeteries, providing great insight into the experiences of fallen poets, writers and diarists of The Great War. Expertly guided by Vivian Whelpton, a scholar of both WW1 history and its literature, our students and staff alike gained an in-depth understanding about this world-changing event and about the lives of those we were to go on to study in our A level course.

This was later followed in the Autumn term with the annual creative writing trip to Venice. Here, our Year 12 students were guided around the streets and thin alleyways of this historic and majestic city, using both sights of grandeur and everyday life as inspiration for their own creative writing. A ghost-tour of the city was equally enjoyed by the students, providing a glance at the darker and more sinister side of this history-drenched city.

Further down the school, the Autumn term also saw a visit from Dr Charles Farris, Head of Education at the Chaucer Heritage Trust, to introduce Year 7 and 8 students to the first great writer in the English language – Geoffrey Chaucer. In a series of lively sessions, he introduced them to Middle English, Chaucer, and some of the characters from his best-known work, ‘The Canterbury Tales’, this year focusing on hopes and dreams in The Wife of Bath’s and the Nun’s Priest’s Tales.

Later that term, Years 8 and 9 were treated to a visit from children’s author Francis Hardinge, who discussed her recently published novel ‘Deeplight’. And, it was less than a week later that Year 8 students were again extending their English experiences as they attended a theatre performance of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse.

Not to be left out, Year 10s were taken to London to see a production of the classic GCSE text An Inspector Calls.

With the plot and characters unknown to most of the students at this time, this trip allowed the students to experience the drama of the play as Priestley intended

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– through performance on stage. This allowed them to wrestle with the morality of the characters’ decisions with increased understanding in consequent English lessons, and provided some interesting debate.

At Christmastime, Year 7 students were able to take their understanding of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol beyond the classroom to a theatre production of the novella at The Old Vic. This entertaining and immersive performance allowed the students to gain a greater understanding of the text’s central themes, as well as helping to get everyone in the Christmas spirit. Such was the enjoyment of this trip that we have already rebooked our places for next year!

At the start of the new calendar year, our Year 11 students were taken to Reading Minster for a haunting performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The artistic decisions of this performance (most notably a female Macbeth) sparked much discussion in subsequent lessons, and challenged some students’ assumptions and preconceptions about the play – always a useful and intellectually-stimulating experience, particularly for demonstrating perceptive awareness of seemingly insignificant details in later essays.

Later in January, our sixth formers shunned the darkness and depravity of Shakespeare’s play in favour of ostentatiousness and glamour in which they indulged through The Great Gatsby immersive experience in London. Here, daggers were traded for champagne flutes, with students gaining a better understanding of the lives and historical context of those central characters in Fitzgerald’s masterpiece set during the ‘Roaring 20s’ in the United States of America.

Later that term, Year 13 students attended a Shakespeare workshop in Stratford-upon-Avon for some final insights into Shakespeare’s Othello. A day of performing, discussing and, at times, re-interpreting key speeches in the play all proved to be a useful means of revisiting central characters, themes and events ready for the May exam. Similarly, our Year 12 student attended an Othello lecture series in February, hosted by Literature professors from UCL and the University of Warwick, broadening our sixth formers’ understanding of characters’ motivations and the play’s historical context.

The final highpoint of the year before closure was the Poetry by Heart final. Following in-class rounds of memorised poetry recital, finalists from Years 7, 8 and 9 gave performances from their chosen poems to their year groups in the chapel, before a grand final during assembly.

This was a brilliant experience for the performers and audience alike, with Joe Reid proving to have edged his way past some exceptional competitors. Joe was consequently entered into the national final (which was, owing to current circumstance, judged on recorded performances) where he placed 3rd. An outstanding achievement!

Sadly, the early closure of school has managed to stop us in our tracks, with a whole host of future events

HELM being cancelled or postponed, including WW1 lectures and seminars from Viv Whelpton, performances of The Tempest, A Comedy of Errors, The Winter’s Tale and Romeo and Juliet at various theatres, a visit to Keats House and a creative writing residential in Dorset Yet, the one thing that was never under threat of cancellation was the continued commitment of my colleagues to provide an outstanding education in English for our pupils. I have been both immensely proud and impressed by the ingenuity that they have shown in adapting to this new way of teaching and learning, and we have worked hard to ensure that no time nor enthusiasm has been lost in this period.

From Mrs Birkett’s continuation of the Advanced Reading group and Mrs Bungey’s new WW1 Literature reading group for sixth formers, to Mr Robson’s innovative Literature podcasts; from Miss Holmes’ research projects to aid our Year 11s planning to study English Literature at A level, to Miss Longstaff’s planning of engaging and academically-challenging lessons for KS3 students; from Miss Rayner’s planning of a Shakespeare project for our KS3 students next term, to the overwhelming support and extra lessons that our trainee teachers – Mrs LlewellynJones and Mr Metcalf – have provided for their students, particularly during lockdown, I am incredibly grateful. I am equally indebted to Mr Lofthouse, who continues to work tirelessly to ensure that the volume and the quality of learning experiences our students have beyond the classroom are second to none. The support of such a team gives me great confidence that, when we return to our classrooms, we do so knowing that our students have every opportunity to thrive in English at Borlase.

So, as we approach the conclusion of this strange chapter, it is worth remembering we are not the first in history to undergo such an unsettling period. Moreover, it is just as important to remember that, as with most difficult times in life, the solace, wisdom and advice that we need can almost always be found in the works of those who have gone before us. So, what better way to utilise the extra time that most of us are being granted this summer than to find the escapism we are desperately craving through reading?

The more that you read, the more things you will know.

'The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.'

Dr Seuss.

Mr O Cross, Head of English

YEAR 12 THEATRE TRIPS

Measure for Measure, The Barbican Theatre, London The Year 12 Advanced Reading Group had the opportunity to go and watch the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance of ‘Measure for Measure’ on Thursday 16th January, a dark comedy set in Vienna, a city teeming with loose morals, as well as brothels.

It has an incredibly relevant theme of politics, the justice

system and morality, despite it being written nearly 400 years ago. As one of Shakespeare's comedies, we expected it to have an underlying humour but they certainly exacerbated the comical aspects, even incorporating some slapstick elements. Watching productions beyond the curriculum are paramount in enhancing our appreciation for literature and plays, and will certainly be something to mention in our personal statements.

IMMERSIVE GREAT GATSBY

A-level English Lit students went to The Gatsby Mansion in January. It was just off Oxford Street, and students were taken away from the 21st century shoppers and plunged into 1920s America.

Gatsby's party was well underway: the characters were mingling with the crowd, Myrtle was standing on the bar singing and Jazz music was playing.

Nick opened the show with a monologue before the dancing began. The story was told through the actors starting conversations around the main room for everyone to overhear. Groups of the audience were ushered into various side rooms throughout the event; some went to Daisy's parlour, Gatsby's library and bedroom, others to play a rather risqué game that combined spin the bottle and truth or dare. Although there was not always literary accuracy, it was a wonderful, and certainly memorable, evening.

Lily Pratt

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HELM

VENICE CREATIVE WRITING TRIP

Venice: the ‘city of masks’, perched on precarious wooden stakes driven into the mud of the ancient salt marshes, filled with art and beauty and, in the October half term, eighteen Year 12s from Borlase. This swarm of teenagers, armed with enormous notebooks and ballpoint pens, descended on the city as tourists have for hundreds of years, led by the indefatigable Mr Lofthouse, Mrs Birkett and Mrs Bungey. Their eyes, wide with awe or drooping with sleep deprivation, gazed upon paintings and sculptures by Tintoretto and scribbled desperately, trying to record by pen what they had seen. These students toiled, and sweated, and in some notable cases hiccoughed their way through passages, all with the same aim in mind: to capture the essence of Venice.

The Galleria dell'Accademia, Santa Maria della Salute and the Basilica de San Marco, the Palazzo Ducale and the Ghetto provided inspiration for their quest to immortalise in writing the beauty and culture they had seen. It was an amazing trip and, what’s more, not a single person fell into a canal!

Florence Ridley

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MACABRE CHRIST

A twisted milky man, flesh flaking and curdling with the sunlight as it bleeds like an open wound, Lulling him into an eternal sleep.

Dripping warm blood over an ashen sky Fringes of sunlight feather his bony arms, Blackened bones are washed, Soot melts off of his scabbed face, And his eyes are christened by the moonlight.

His purgatorial features distort into an angelic beauty, Sickly skin so pale it melts into the crimson curtain so he glows.

The moon casts a halo over his bowed head, His hair is matted with thick blood and thorns.

His body shakes with convulsion and like meat drenched in water, the colour drains from his face And his breath escapes through crusted lips.

Lily Pratt

WW1 BATTLEFIELDS TRIP

In late September, 25 Year 13 students travelled to France and Belgium to deepen their understanding of the First World War literature they are studying for English A Level. On Friday we visited the town of Amiens where part of the novel Birdsong is set. Here we went on a boat tour of the Hortillonnages water gardens,visited the magnificent Gothic cathedral, and saw the exterior of 39 Boulevard du Cange, all of which feature in the novel.

We began the day by reading poems written around the beginning of World War 1, as we waited on the coach to board the ferry in Dover, and then read extracts of the novel to each other in Amiens. Exploring the environment and house in which Sebastian Faulks set his novel was very intriguing, and it was interesting to compare it to what I had imagined when reading the novel. Amongst the scenery and architecture were delicate flowers and vast stained glass windows that brought to life the 1910 Amiens that we analyse through ink and paper at school.

On Saturday and Sunday we visited a wide range of battle sites and reflected on those who fought and died in the war. We went to Sunken Lane near Beaumont Hamel, and stood in the location of the famous photograph of soldiers of the Lancashire Fusiliers on the morning of 1st July 1916, before climbing the bank into the field, much as those soldiers did 103 years ago. We visited the Thiepval Memorial which commemorates those killed in the Somme who have no known grave. Amongst the nearly 74,000 names engraved on the monument are six Old Borlasians. We went and located their names, read about their lives, and left a cross of remembrance for each. Later in the day we visited the Arras Memorial, which commemorates those killed in that area who also have no known grave. Here we located the name of Old Boralsian Second Lieutenant Basil Horsfall, who was awarded the Victoria Cross, and read the letter from

HELM his commanding officer to his parents which explained his heroism. We also sought out, and learned about, four other OBs commemorated there, including two members of the Royal Flying Corps, leaving a cross of remembrance for each. That evening, we attended the very moving Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate in Arras, where a further two OBs are commemorated. At every site we visited we read extracts and poems which brought to life the experiences of those who had fought there, and this literature truly conveyed the destruction and horror of war. In some ways the most thoughtprovoking memorial we visited was the Langemark German Cemetery, which, in stark contrast to the white Portland stone gravestones in the Allied cemeteries, has small grey slabs that lie on the ground around a mass grave.This made us think about the very different reality German families must have faced following the war in which they, too, had lost loved ones. In addition, seeing artefacts at the Passchendaele museum and walking through the trenches there, brought home to us how ordinary these fallen soldiers were. This was underlined

by the personal stories of some of those on the trip. At Mametz Wood, Mr Cross was surprised to learn that his great, great grandfather had fought in - and survived that brutal battle in 1916 with the 10th Bn. South Wales Borderers. At Arras, Callum told us about his great grandfather, who was wounded near Arras in 1917 and sent back to England for medical treatment, where he fell in love with, and married, his nurse. Maya told us about her great, great grandfather who was sadly killed in the battle of Passchendaele, and read us a wonderful letter he had written to his family. And at Vancouver Corner, Ruby read us a very moving poem about the war, written by her grandfather. Bringing all of these fallen soldiers to life made us reflect on how familiar they were - they, too, were Borlasians, young men, writers, fathers and sons, dragged into a horrific conflict. This, above all, is what all of us will take away from the trip, from the literature, letters and biographies we read at each memorial and museum.

Tara Brogan

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POETRY BY HEART

During January and February, Year 7, 8 and 9 students took part in a Poetry by Heart competition to select a School Champion to enter for the national competition.

Every student learned one poem during the Christmas holidays and then recited it in class during January. Three winners were selected from each class to go into the year group finals, which took place in the Chapel in February, with each finalist reciting two poems before our judges and around 60 of their peers. We saw some wonderful performances and the judges had the difficult task of choosing 2 winners for each Year Group. These were: Year 7: Kai Punwani and Alex Marthinusen Year 8: Joseph Reid and Matthew Gillespie Year 9: Sacha Smith and Maria Kharatishvili The Grand Final took place in the Hall and the 6 finalists each performed their two poems to a judging panel of Miss Mountfield, Miss Holmes and Mr Cross and 240 of their peers - a very daunting task. All of them performed brilliantly and the standard was extremely high. After much deliberation the judges selected Year 8’s Joseph Reid as the school’s Champion, for his performances of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky and A P Herbert’s First World War poem, The Cookers. The judges were very impressed by the way in which Joseph demonstrated his understanding of the poems and the way in which he brought them to life through his performance.

We filmed performances of his poems and submitted them to the National competition, to be judged first on a county basis, and then on a national basis. In March we were very excited to learn that Joseph had been selected out of hundreds of entrants as one of the 10 national finalists for the Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) competition, and he was invited to attend the national final event at Tate Modern in London, to perform his poems in front of a panel of judges. Sadly Covid-19 intervened and, like so many things, the event had to be cancelled at the last minute. The final judging was conducted virtually, using the filmed performances, and we were delighted to learn that Joseph achieved a brilliant 3rd place.

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CREATIVE WRITING CONKER THROUGH THE SEASONS Embedded in the cosy, silky soil Lies a little conker, A helpless new life, Its first sprout is a miniature green shoot, The journey just begins.

Slowly but surely growing, There’s bright sticky buds and a thickening trunk, Its roots digging into the ground, Weaving through the soil Drinking up the water.

Suddenly majestic green leaves appear, Bathing in the warmth of the blazing sun It’s growing faster now, Bright greens and browns reaching tall, It’s such a joyful time.

Now it's time to rest again, The leaves crumple and fall, The cold is growing all around While the wind blows ferociously, The little conker tree stands quiet.

Kasper Ostbye-Strom (Year 7)

MISS RONA

Locked up in our little houses only windows for the light losing track of time as days fade in and out of night, but mother nature flourishes nearly spilling at the seams trying to put on a performance with her brightest swathes of green, and the universe it seems to sigh gulping in fresh and clean while we cower inside as Miss Rona struts the scene.

A blank slate like a film on pause, rewind time to reframe our altered troubled minds for the sound of the starting gun where we will resume the life we had already begun.

Eleanor Whittle (Year 12)

HELM

THE OPERATION “This is Agent One reporting to Base Command. Over.”

“Agent One this is Base Command, we hear you loud and clear. Over.”

“The final defence is closed. I repeat, the final defence is-” the voice suddenly cut out. I sighed; I was on my own.

I surveyed my surroundings. This seemingly impossible barrier stood in my way. But I would find a way – I always did. That’s why I was a professional. My first attempt was to scale the walls, and check if there was a way in up top, however I quickly realised that I had no chance of getting up there. The walls were completely vertical and super smooth. I took a step back and planned my next go. I decided upon checking the barrier for any secret entrances. A tiny hidden button maybe? Or what about a newer looking panel? Yet again, no luck. Suddenly I had a brainwave. An explosive in the miniscule gap in between the barrier and the floor. This idea was discarded almost as fast as it appeared. An explosive would not only kill me but alert them to an intruder. I dreaded to think what would happen in They found me sneaking around. I slumped against the barrier, having truly given up. There was no chance. It was completely unfair. There was no way in whatsoever. He shoved the wall in frustration, and to his complete amazement, the barrier ever so slowly creaked open. I slipped inside and immediately, my eyes were drawn to my prize. It was situated on a small ledge just next to a massive cuboid. It was such a shame that I had to share its treasures with my colleagues. I had done all the work after all. Maybe I could sneak off with it all to myself. I leaped nimbly up onto the cuboid and was about to make the simple jump to my prize, when suddenly the floor shifted beneath me. I cried out loudly and got trapped by a roll in the floor, which ebbed and flowed under me. Just then a light flicked on. It was Them. I made a desperate lunge for the prize, but they batted me away.

“No! Down! Bad Kitten! Bad Bad Kitten! I could have sworn I shut the door. And what on earth have you been doing with kids’ walkie-talkies!!!???”

Oliver Green (Year 8) Oliver’s story made it to the top 100 in the national BBC Radio 2 500 Words competition.

SPACE

An infinite pool of mystery, Stretching beyond our reach.

A kaleidoscopic world; Telling a story from the beginning of time.

A vast blackness framing a blanket of sparkling diamonds, Each burning with a ferocious determination.

Until its time comes, And it fades away.

Rocky worlds float in perpetual motion, Enigmatic, dark and graceful.

Our transcendental neighbours, Guarding hidden secrets.

Freya Millard (Year 8)

A MESSAGE FROM EARTH The tree roots are my bones The rivers are my veins.

The stars are my thoughts The humans bring my pain.

My blood has been polluted While I just watch and sob.

I scream out for you to stop But most just go about their job.

You dump your rubbish anywhere Who knows what you're thinking?

Mountains of trash floating in the ocean My tolerance is sinking.

Why do you cut the trees, Destroying your oxygen supplies.

You’ll be the only ones to blame When you bring about our demise.

And now you torture me And laugh right in my face.

I’ve never stopped crying Since I became the mother of the human race.

Navraj Johal (Year 7)

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GEORGE FLOYD AND BREONNA TAYLOR

In 2019, the Youth Voices choir sang pieces from the hit musical ‘Hamilton’ about the 18th century American Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. A member of the choir has used one of the songs ‘Alexander Hamilton’ as the inspiration for a tribute to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, African-Americans killed by police in the USA in 2020.

How does a black man, innocent of any crime And a woman, both racially profiled before They could stop the inevitable, murderous scene Both taken from us someone's father, someone's sister, someone's son or daughter The twenty dollar, bill forged without a forger Has murdered a man, born guilty, seen guilty In the eyes of the law, in the eyes of the forger Only forty-six someone's son, father, brother, uncle And every day corona victims dying and carted away One less nurse, shot eight times in the depths of the night Inside her pain there is no way we can heal A woman ready to stay, help and heal So our hurricane has come we’ve seen the devastation its reigned Can’t we see the injustice piling up down the range?

Take a pencil from the fir, connect the smoke to the flame And so I write this refrain, trying to testify their pain Well, let's get the word around, don’t let them say we’re insane We’ll take up this collection of unjustifiable names Learn your racial privileges, don’t forget from whence this came And the world has to know their names What were their names George Floyd and Breonna Taylor Their names were George Floyd and Breonna Taylor And there’s a million things the couldn’t do But just you wait, just you wait When she was twenty- six the officers stormed her house with a ‘permit’ Two mins later see Breonna and her boy floor-ridden Half-dead, sittin’ in their own blood, the scent thick Well her boyfriend got better but Breonna went quick George Floyd couldn’t breathe, now he’s six- feet down under Died on his knees, ruined pride, shouting out to our side Breathe, I can’t breathe, no I can’t, no I can never We’re no readin’ and watchin’ every truth left on the shelf There has to be something we can do in the world of the ‘astute’

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We cannot let this cause die we have our cent of restitution We’ve started workin’, writing down our late friends mantra Showin’ our advances getting to the centre of the injustice Sharin’ every post we can double tap our screens for

Plannin’ for the change as we sail our ship into the harbour, headed to the port, the hub of the injustice No this can never, ever, ever happen again No this can never, ever, ever happen again No this can never, ever, ever happen again Cannot!

Cannot!

Happen again George Floyd and Breonna Taylor

We can never see your faces again Now we can’t back down

There’s no need to take our time

Oh’ George Floyd and Breonna Taylor Protests rage in the streets for you

Can you know what's been overcame?

Do you know we’re re-writing the game?

The world can never be the same, no, no, no The ship is in the harbour now See so many people spot it

Another crime, we can’t bury this one to the bottom

Don’t let the bigots destroy this tale, the world cannot forget ‘em We will fight for them We will rage for them We will sing for them

We will break rules for them

We will!!...Not be silent because of them There’s a million things they couldn’t do But just you wait

What were their names?

George Floyd and Breonna Taylor Ella Jenkins (Year 8)

HELM

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT BORLASE

This year the MFL department has been a whirlwind of activities, culminating in the biennial Languages Showcase, exhibiting the diversity of languages spoken by the Borlase community and displaying the intense efforts of all the students involved to demonstrate their language skills and cultural awareness. The theme this year was ‘Save the world, making languages matter,’ a fitting title for the crisis we are currently experiencing. Throughout the year, students from all years have participated in a range of exciting activities from the annual Bake-Off and weekly societies celebrating different languages to the various exchanges with partner schools in France, Germany and Spain. In February, all sixth form German students embarked on a theatre trip to London to see the tragicomedy, ‘The Visit’ by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, in an adaptation by Tony Kushner. This was an enriching experience to supplement our classroom study of this A Level set text.

This plethora of experiences has proved invaluable and has shown all of us how privileged we have been to work with such a supportive and talented MFL department.

Raphael Conte & Claudia Mura, MFL prefects

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES HUB

Sir WIlliam Borlase’s Grammar is Lead School for the National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (NCELP). Our MFL Hub continues to work apace on the national project to improve teaching of MFL and takeup of foreign languages at GCSE. During the past year we have attended and led CPD on a wide range of MFL pedagogy, including most recently exploiting literature and authentic texts, and assessment and IT support for grammar learning. The programme for the rest of this academic year includes a specific focus on KS2 to KS3 transition, not least to build on the basics of grammar embedded in KS 2 English teaching and its successful transfer into KS3 MFL teaching. There is significant research underpinning NCELP’s suggestions and many practical suggestions on how to improve the transition process.

We are enjoying a thriving working relationship with our 8 fellow lead schools at a national level and with our four local hub schools, Highcrest, Holmer Green, Chiltern Hills and John Colet. Enthusiasm for the programme and the teaching approach is being seen by teachers and students alike and our hub schools are seeing an increase in their take up of MFL at GCSE. The lead teachers, Jenny Hopper and Blanca Roman have been increasingly involved in producing material and resources for the national centre, and these include a BBC video of Mrs Hopper’s Year 8 German class, focusing on the innovative way we teach languages in the younger

years. The video can be seen on BBC Teach under “MFL teaching aids: - Making phonics an indispensable tool in language learning (KS3)”.

Mrs Hopper

LANGUAGES SHOWCASE

The 2020 Languages Showcase took place in March in the school theatre. This biennial event celebrates the wealth of linguistic variety in the school, with students from all years singing, dancing and performing in a host of different languages! The theme for this year's Showcase was ‘Save the World, making languages matter’. We started the evening with two videos: the first, expertly edited by Harvey Green (Year 10), and co-ordinated

by MFL prefects Raphael and Claudia, focused on the wealth of languages already spoken among the Borlase community; the second was clips of former Borlasians telling us about how studying languages at Borlase has taken them in directions they could never have imagined.

During the evening we were very lucky to have two performances from Youth Voices, firstly singing ‘A Million Dreams’' in German, and then a beautiful rendition of ‘Riu Riu Chiu’ to start the second half. Our younger French students sang a memorable and catchy song about elephants, while our younger German students entertained us with the ever-popular ‘Fliegerlied’. Our Year 10 Mandarin students performed a beautiful poem, followed by a wonderful Chinese fan dance performed by some KS3 Mandarin students together with some of the Year 9 Dance students. The Year 13 Spanish class performed a powerful version of ‘Casa de Bernada Alba’ (see next page) and Katie Haveron-Jones read the moving poem ‘Somos Cinco Mil’ by Victor Jara. We were also treated to a performance by the Borlase Barbershop singing a lovely rendition of ‘Mein kleiner grüner Kaktus’, originally made famous by the Comedian Harmonists, a world-renowned pre-WW2 barbershop group.

In the second half, our Year 9 German students gave a presentation about their Christmas trip to Aachen - in rhyme! The Year 13 German class followed with an amusing sketch entitled ‘The Brexit Room’, which highlighted the importance of languages for communication and understanding in the rapidly changing world of today.

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Year 12 French gave us a brilliant video and live final of The Great French Bake Off - ‘Le Meilleur Pâtissier’ which was one of the highlights of the evening. There was a presentation from the German sustainability club, run by our German language assistant, Vanessa, about the sustainability map of the school they had produced.

Continuing with our theme of the environment, we enjoyed Year 8 and 9 Spanish students singing and dancing to ‘Madre Tierra’ (Mother Earth), which had people dancing in the corridor! After Year 12 German’s review of their environment debate, the finale was a multilingual pantomime on the theme of saving the planet. Some members of the Gospel Choir joined with us to sing our concluding song, ’Colours of the Wind’, in three languages, accompanied gracefully and passionately in sign language by Grace Dixon.

The evening showed, in an entertaining way, the role that learning languages can play in being able to work with others to tackle some of the environmental challenges the world faces, and perhaps inspire our students as to how they, in their own way, may be able to save the world.

Lorca’s play, which Year 13 Spanish students had been studying, was written in 1936 and deals with issues which still resonate today, such as the repression of women and religious extremism.

Set in Andalucia, five sisters, together with their mother, Bernarda Alba, have started eight years of mourning after the death of their father. One of the sisters, Angustias, is engaged to marry Pepe el Romano; however, some of the other sisters have their eye on him too. Ultimately, Adela, one of the sisters, is unable to escape the repression imposed on her by her society and takes her own life because of this.

As we were performing the play around International Women’s Day, we decided to adapt the ending to show the empowerment of women and liberated Adela - in our version she chose to escape her mother and live by herself, free of society’s restrictions.

Everyone involved was so passionate about their performance, making it a really enjoyable and memorable experience for all of us!

Mrs Morton

Mollie Marsh

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LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA

HELM

MFL BAKE OFF

In September we held the annual MFL Bake Off to tie in with the European Day of Languages.

The overall winner was Sofia Heard-Norrish (Year 10) with a magnificent Germanthemed cake, and we also raised nearly £50 for ICAN, a children’s communication charity, through the cake sale.

GOETHE INSTITUT DEBATING COMPETITION

In December Borlase was one of a handful of schools selected to take part in the German Debating Competition for secondary schools run by the Goethe Institut. Toby Tremelling (Y11) and Reuben Bignell, Elenor Vockins and Isabella Foley (Y12) travelled to Hampton School in southwest London to take part. They had the challenging task of arguing against the proposal "Should school pupils be given permission to participate in climate strikes?" The team put in a fantastic effort but on this occasion the other school was deemed to be the winner. Nevertheless, all those involved very much enjoyed the event and we hope to participate again next year!

CHINESE NEW YEAR SCHOOL CELEBRATION

Thanks to the support of the Swire Foundation, we have been able to provide free after school Mandarin lessons for our Year 7 and 8 students. We have been delighted to see the progress the students have made.

At the beginning of the year twelve students from Years 7-9 studying Mandarin and Dance had the unique opportunity to be taught a traditional Chinese fan dance.

The original aim had been to perform at a Chinese New Year Celebration for local schools, which unfortunately had to be cancelled because of COVID-19. However, our dancers had the opportunity to show what they had learnt at our Languages Showcase in March.

CHRISTMAS WITH A GERMAN FEEL!

Year 8 enjoyed the now traditional German Christmas party, decorating biscuits, tasting traditional German festive treats and making Christmas cards. We also ran our very successful overnight trip to Aachen to see the Christmas market for our Year 9 German students.

UK LINGUISTICS OLYMPIAD

In February several of Borlase's 6th Formers took part in the UK Linguistics Olympiad, with Reuben Bignell, Alex Huxley and Claudia Mura winning gold awards, Leon Tasch a silver and Sasha Radford a bronze. We also received a special commendation for our exams officer, Mrs Lesley Haldane!

YEAR 10 SPANISH EXCHANGE

The Spanish Exchange was my favourite school trip ever. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Spanish students and making new friends. They are such lovely people and brought so much energy and positive attitude into our lives. I learned a great deal about their culture and ways of life; I love how they have so much respect for family and friends and are very welcoming and affectionate.

Rebecca Johnny IN ENGLAND On the first day (for what we had been told was a first in the long standing exchange program run between the two schools), we held ‘¡Una fiesta muy guay!’ (or for those who do not ‘hablais español’, a very cool party!).

This event gave us the first opportunity to socialise as a collective, to learn the names of everyone else and in general just get to know each other.

During the week our Spanish ‘amigos’ went on trips to Windsor and Oxford.

The most exciting day for the English (and probably Spanish) students was Wednesday, when we all went into London. We started with a visit to The Tower of London. We saw many ‘cosas de interes’ (I’m sure you can figure this one out!) including animal models and medieval looking artwork. After this, we went up the London Eye which gave us ‘vistas del río y la ciudad’ (any guesses … anyone?) which were quite superb.

We met up again on Thursday after school for pizza and a farewell party. This - like the first get together- was brilliant. On Friday, they came into school, where they were shown round and had a bit of fun whilst we went back to our lessons, meeting up with them in break and at lunch. At the end of the day we waved our friends off from Springfield Layby, after a considerable amount of handshakes, hugs and tears of course. ¡Hasta luego nuestros amigos!

Joseph Martin

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HELM IN SPAIN During the first week of February, we travelled to Spain to experience the language, culture and of course the food, building friendships and lasting bonds at every step!

On Saturday and Sunday we spent time with our exchange families. Many of us walked along the walls of the historic city of Avila to experience the views, and also went to an escape room where all the clues were in Spanish. This made it both challenging and exciting. Later we had amazing dinners, which for me was a traditional Spanish Paella. In the evening we went to a supermarket and picked food for lunches that week - an important part of the Exchange experience!

On Monday we went to Madrid and went on a bus tour of the city, seeing the monuments. Then we went into the Royal Palace and the Armoury, where we saw endless amounts of gold which was very impressive. On Tuesday we went to Toledo which is a mountain town; we took the mini train around all of the sights, taking amazing pictures of something almost out of a film.

On Wednesday we went to Segovia with our exchange partners; once again we saw amazing views and also looked around a medieval castle (Alcรกzar de Segovia). On

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Thursday we went to Salamanca, which is home to a very old University. Sra Roman studied at the University, so she knew the area well and helped translate the guide!

On the last day we went into their school and did lots of activities including computing with some 11-year-olds and dancing with 6-year-olds. Finally we ate Churros with Chocolate sauce with our Spanish partners.

All in all it was a successful adventure into Spanish culture and life, and it helped me improve my Spanish greatly.

Ed Perry

HELM

Y10 GERMAN EXCHANGE

As part of our biennial 6th Form exchange programme we were delighted to welcome twelve students from Lycée René Gosse in Clermont L’Hérault, near Montpellier in November. Having arrived on Eurostar on Saturday afternoon, our visitors spent the rest of the weekend with their Borlase partners before spending a busy week exploring Oxford, Windsor, London including a visit to St Pauls, the National Gallery, the Wellcome Collection and a street art tour. The Borlase students were very much looking forward to seeing their partners again on the return leg of the exchange in mid March and were very disappointed that circumstances did not permit it.

However, our students have continued to stay in touch with their partners, and we hope very much that they may have the chance to meet up when international travel becomes a possibility once again.

In November last year twenty one Year 10 Borlase students hosted German exchange students for a week from our partner school Gymnasium Saarburg, as part of our longstanding exchange programme which offers students an unparalleled opportunity to experience a different culture and language first-hand. As well as spending time with their host families, our guests visited Windsor, Oxford and London, including a joint trip with their Borlase partners to visit the Tower of London and the London Eye. The students also spent a day in school, taking part in lessons and finding out what similarities and differences there are between our school and theirs.

Our students were very much looking forward to our return visit to Germany at the end of March; however it was not to be. We hope very much we can continue our exchange programme next year, perhaps through project weeks, to maintain our relationship with our partner school in Saarburg and continue the friendships that have been formed.

MFL STAFF - JOINERS AND LEAVERS

Y12 FRENCH EXCHANGE

We have been so fortunate this year to have the services of Mrs Emma Morton as our MFL administrator. She has done a wonderful job supporting our general administration, our trips, the Languages Showcase, and so much more, alongside her responsibilities in supervising the LRC and 6th Form study areas. We are looking forward to her support next year as we maintain this and add KS3 cookery to the MFL repertoire!

And we are always sad to have to say farewell to our language assistants every year. This year we have been blessed with 3 wonderful assistants and have asked them to tell you their own stories.

VANESSA WEBER - GERMAN

My assistantship started in October 2019. I was warmly introduced into the MFL Team by Sra Roman and I couldn’t have wished for a better placement. Over my six months at Borlase, I was working together with Sixth Form students and Years 10 and 11. I was delighted to find students who were motivated and passionate about language learning. The Language Showcase highlighted in particular the appreciation of linguistic variety at our school. Furthermore, I was really happy that I could run a German Environmental Club for the students which was supported by the Cultural Ambassadors program of the UKGerman-Connection. This program allowed a cultural exchange with a school in Berlin and encouraged students to see the benefits of learning a foreign language beyond studying grammar and vocabulary. There are too many wonderful memories to write about. One of my favorite memories, however, was the Year 12 Goethe Institute debating competition. It was fascinating seeing the students' excitement and their language learning increasing immensely. I really enjoyed my time working at Borlase and I am very sad that my time was cut short but I am very grateful to have met so many wonderful people.

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HELM

SILVIA COLMENERO ATANES - SPANISH

CAMILLE LHEUREUX - FRENCH

When I was first told that I would be working and living in Marlow, I had no idea that it would be one of the greatest experiences of my life. Not only are the town and the school beautiful, but the people here are also incredibly kind and welcoming. From my housemates to my colleagues, everyone that I have met has made my time here unforgettable. I am going to miss you all so much. Thank you for everything that you did for me! I am also truly happy to have shared this amazing experience with Miss Weber, the best German assistant in the whole wide world, with whom I have travelled all across the country. At Borlase I had to get used to pupils wearing uniforms, and to people assuming that I am French. The facilities, the organisation, and the many concerts and shows greatly impressed me. Among all these shows, my favourite one had to be the Languages Showcase.

My Year 12s rose to the challenge of creating a parody of The Great British Bake-off in French! Borlase is without a doubt an extraordinary school, with a truly dedicated staff. I hope that all the students here realise how lucky they are.

Lastly, to all the kids that I have had the privilege to work with, I am tremendously proud of your progress. It has been a real pleasure to work with such well-behaved, kind, and motivated learners. And please, do me a favour, keep up your French!

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It is hard to believe that it has been 3 years since I joined the MFL department as Spanish assistant and a year later as a Spanish teacher.

It was a wonderful and surely unforgettable experience through which I was lucky to meet and work with such amazing professionals; teachers who have inspired me in every possible way due to their dedication, commitment and passion for teaching. I also had the chance to meet and educate many of the students from Y12 and Y13 who shared with me their aspirations, goals and achievements too. Today, I can happily say, I am very proud of all of them.

Studying foreign languages can be challenging. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important to ensure that students understand from the beginning that it is alright not to know everything and most importantly, it is absolutely normal and necessary to make mistakes so they can learn from them. Sometimes, we forget that learning a second or third language is a long process that requires patience among many other abilities. As once a student of foreign languages myself, I recognise how important it is to show students empathy: to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. From my own experience, as soon as they were able to see and understand this, their change became considerable by increasing their confidence and therefore their self-esteem. Just like Herbie Hancock said “a great teacher is one who realises that he himself is also a student and whose goal is not to dictate the answers, but to stimulate his student’s creativity enough so that they go out and find the answers themselves”.

Teaching Spanish is not only about the language itself, but about the culture and history of all Hispanic countries.

It was extraordinary to share with students traditions, rituals and myths, especially those related to “the land of witches” - Galicia in Spain - where I come from. I enjoyed very much these three years and I am very grateful for the whole experience: all the advice, every conversation and for every lesson learnt. So, THANK YOU very much to all of you who made my day-to-day a little bit better in so many ways. I also want to thank the whole MFL Department for everything: you, ladies, are extraordinary in every single way.

PERFORMING ARTS

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PERFORMING ARTS

MUSIC AT BORLASE

Although it did not end in the way we might have expected, this year has been a very busy and successful one for the Music Department, in terms of musical breadth, depth and quality. Academic activities continue to flourish with an ambitious and challenging curriculum that intends to inspire and empower all students through musical learning. Teaching Music within Borlase@ Home has offered some new challenges, however we have continued to teach our planned curriculum for all year groups and all students have been able to access practical musical learning at home. Our students achieved outstanding results in summer 2019: 57% of the A Level cohort received an A grade, and the grades of our GCSE cohort were placed in the top 3% of Music results nationally, with 57% receiving a Level 9. The number of students choosing the subject beyond KS3 continues to be high, against the current national trends, with two sets now the norm at GCSE, and our students continue to choose Music beyond A Level; this year receiving offers from institutions including Oxford University and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Extra-curricular music has continued to thrive. Inclusivity is a key part of the department’s vision and philosophy: providing the widest number of musical opportunities for the widest number of students. It is therefore pleasing to have seen concerts involving some of the largest numbers on record and music rooms which have rarely been without the sounds of students rehearsing, working on classwork compositions or just ‘jamming’ at break and lunchtimes. This year has also seen the return of a few instrumental ensembles we have missed over the past couple of years: the Brass Ensemble, led by Mr Vanryne, the Junior String Ensemble, led by Mrs Atabek, and the Guitar Ensemble, led by Y12 student Akaash Pipial. We now have 21 music ensembles rehearsing each week.

The extracurricular year began in full throttle in October with a joint concert involving Borlase Choirs and Ascot Brass, at the invitation of Marlow Rotary Club. Performing to a large All Saints’ Church audience, Cantorum, Gospel Choir, Chapel Choir, Barbershop and Y13 Quintet provided a combined total of 11 outstanding pieces, with repertoire ranging from Camille Saint-Saëns to Aretha Franklin. It was a fantastic opportunity for our student singers to showcase their talents in a public venue, and as one audience member said - “it was just a joy to listen to them all”.

Following shortly after this, Borlase was treated to its first contemporary music event of the year and a new take on the traditional ‘Rocktober’ event. Taking place in the theatre, rather than the drama studio, ‘Forever Autumn’ featured a great mix of classic songs and original material, from light individual acoustic performances to heavy rock bands. The diversity of styles on display was really impressive, and it was clear the audience thoroughly enjoyed the event. Forever Autumn has not been the

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only event showcasing contemporary music within the school since this time last year. A very warm evening in July saw our biennial ‘Summer Unplugged’ which took place on an outdoor stage on the field. The hard work and energy of Ms Chislett and the Technical Theatre students ensured both events were real successes.

The second half term of the Autumn Term marked the busiest period of the Music Department’s year, beginning with the House Music competition. This triennial event provides an opportunity to celebrate the musical work, talents and energy of the whole school. This year we saw more students than ever get involved, with individuals, ensembles, tutor groups, chapel choirs and whole houses having the opportunity to earn points. The theme for the Whole-House Song category this year was the ‘Oscars’, for which each house performed a song from an Oscar-winning film after several weeks of rehearsal. Miss Mountfield and Mr Simpson judged these performances, which also included live orchestras, choreography and even - in one case - the famous ‘Dirty Dancing’ leap and hold! The winning house in this category was Saxons with a powerful rendition of ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’ from ‘Les Miserablés’. The second category was for tutor groups: this was closely fought across 32 tutor groups (around 800 students) but Miss Picton’s S1, Miss Anderson’s R4 and Mrs Birkett’s S7 were judged by Mr Simpson to have presented the best performances of oscar-winning film songs. This year we introduced a new third category: House Chapel Choirs. For this, houses were given the opportunity to be awarded points for choral singing in a Chapel Assembly, with a performance of a hymn. All houses chose to take part, with some wonderful 4-part unaccompanied singing, but Saxons were again victorious with the rousing ‘Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer’. Finally, there were the Solo and Ensemble categories. The heats for these categories received almost 300 entries, and after three full days of back to back auditions, 19 solo and 4 ensemble entries were invited to the final to perform in front of external judge Mark Griffiths, recently the Choral Director and Lead Tutor in Voice for the Junior Department of Trinity College of Music. The final was a real celebration of Borlase musical talent, with a range of high quality performances across all year groups. It was a close and tense battle between Danes and Romans; however, with 10 students performing in the final, Romans collected many points during the evening and were declared overall winners.

Many thanks must go to all the students and staff who in any way support this House Music competition.

Only one week later hundreds of students were involved in our Autumn Concert. This concert gives our main larger groups, including Concert Band and Senior String Orchestra, the chance to show how much they can achieve in the few short weeks from the beginning of the academic year. The concert started in upbeat fashion with Symphony Orchestra playing the Overture

PERFORMING ARTS from ‘Pirates of Penzance’. Other highlights included Madriguys’ entertaining performance of' ‘Singing in the Rain’ (including umbrellas!) and the 70-strong Youth Voices’ own arrangement of ‘Wonderwall’. The concert finished on a real high with Jazz Band’s rendition of ‘Play That Funky Music’.

Four weeks later and the school’s choirs - who continue to go from strength to strength - found themselves back in All Saints’ Church for the traditional much-loved Christmas Carol Services, led by Cantorum. The hugely popular events celebrate the huge variety and depth of the students’ musical achievements. The services once again culminated in a massed choirs performance featuring around 180 students - of John Rutter’s classic arrangement of Sans Day Carol. It was also very pleasing to welcome back a large number of alumni students (around 50!) to perform as part of the ‘Alumni Choir’.

Preceding this, Mr Robson’s Christmas Chamber Concert provided a welcome musical advent to the festive season, involving some delightful and engaging performances from some of our older musicians.

The Spring Term saw the return of the Year 13 Performances Evening, an opportunity for the A Level students to practice their planned recitals. Some of our student-led ensembles took the lead in brilliantly representing the school in a variety of public events. In the space of just a few days, the Y13 Barbershop group, led by Cormac Diamond, performed at the Wycombe Orpheus Festival of Young Musicians and won the Senior Ensemble Category; the Gospel Choir, led by Georgia Tuke and Ava Sherwood-Rogers, performed alongside Taplow Girls' Choir and Becky High Chorale in an excellent concert at Norden Farm, Maidenhead, singing their own pieces as well as a couple of joint items with the other choirs; and the Chapel Choir, led by Charlotte Farmer, presented a wonderful concert in the Chapel to celebrate International Women's Day, which allowed the audience to experience the works of female composers and to hear the stories and words of some of the most significant women in history. On this note I would like to thank and congratulate all students who have been leading vocal and instrumental groups this year (indeed, 11 of our 21 weekly music clubs involve student leadership); they have done a fantastic job.

One other key event of the Spring Term was our Jazz Night. A favourite occasion for many, this was led by Mr Davie and the Senior and Junior Jazz Bands in a 1920s-themed theatre, aptly named for one night only ‘The West Street Lounge’. Big Band homophony and stylistic improvisation were prominent throughout the night, with smaller Jazz ensembles and soloists also performing, including a very special alumni group. It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening which really did showcase the growth and popularity of Jazz music at Borlase under Mr Davie’s leadership.

The COVID-19 lockdown has inevitably had a huge

impact on our ability to make and enjoy music together.

We were particularly disappointed to have to halt rehearsals for our Junior Musical production, ‘The Wind in the Willows’, which was steaming ahead with a company of 120 students. However, we were adamant that working ‘virtually’ would not mean a complete end to extracurricular music opportunities. Indeed, the enthusiasm of our students has not been diminished by the current situation and we have done our best to support this. Peripatetic music lessons have continued on line (my sincere thanks to all of the peripatetic music staff for their hard work and flexibility in ensuring the success of this) and in May we undertook a ‘BorlaseMusic@Home’ celebration featuring virtual performances from several of our choirs and a very special whole-school performance of ‘Hey Jude’. The latter even ended up being featured on Scala Radio with Angellica Bell! Other virtual musical activities have included an online soloists concert, performances as part of Marlow’s VE Day celebrations, and weekly streaming of past musical productions on our YouTube channel.

The current situation has reinforced how important music is to us all, and the benefits that both academic and extracurricular music can bring to students’ education.

It has also highlighted the fact that, even in the most difficult situations, new ways of working are possible.

So, as the academic year comes to a close, we can absolutely guarantee that, no matter what the coming months bring, there will still be opportunities for practical learning in lessons and extracurricular music activities for all children. My very best wishes and thanks to the departing Y13s who have given so much to the school’s musical offering over the past seven years, and my thanks to all the staff in the department for their hard work and support.

Mr S Miall, Director of Music

JUNIOR CONCERT

The Junior Concert is a chance for the younger students to showcase their hard work in front of a group of supportive parents and friends . The concert last summer was a massive success and included everything from piano solos to full orchestras filling up the stage. In this show the audience was captivated by the performers and their instruments; whether it was a trumpet, clarinet, violin, piano or even their voice! There was a lovely atmosphere and the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy the evening and its intimate atmosphere. Some of the highlights were Youth Voices performing a Hamilton medley, our Arts Captain, Cormac Diamond, who conducted Cambiata, and the wonderful duets during the interval.

Harvey Green

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PERFORMING ARTS the renowned brass ensemble Ascot Brass in a concert that thrilled the capacity audience in the church. Borlase choirs included the large senior choir Cantorum as well as smaller groups such as the Barbershop Boys and the Gospel Choir. The repertoire on display, totalling over 12 different pieces, was exceptionally polished for a concert so early in the school year.

SUMMER SOUNDWAVES

AUTUMN CHAMBER CONCERT

Summer Soundwaves was an amazing event on Home Meadow. Over the course of the evening, a great variety of music was heard, from classic rock and country music to the performance of a Hamilton medley by youth voices.

There was also an emotional last performance by Grayn, an indie rock band that first performed two years ago at the previous Summer Unplugged. There were also many stalls including a highly competitive obstacle course, various food and drink stands, a raffle and, in traditional Borlase fashion, Croquet. The atmosphere was busy and exciting, especially towards the end of the evening, when it began to get darker and the crowd started dancing to the last few acts such as Celestia. Overall, Summer Soundwaves was a great success and everyone who went had a wonderful time!

Will Tucker

BORLASE CHOIRS WITH ASCOT BRASS

On Saturday 5 October a range of choirs from Sir William Borlase's Grammar school performed in All Saints' Church, Marlow, as part of the Marlow Rotary Club's annual charity concert. They were performing alongside

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The chamber concerts are a terrific opportunity for students to gain valuable experience in performing, with a very warm and non-intimidating audience. The solo performers at this year’s Autumn Chamber concert once again filled the Wethered Room with a great variety of sounds and spectacles for those audience members able to squeeze in! It featured performances from across the school on an array of instruments, including piano, voice, guitar, trumpet and - a particular highlight - the harp. From Beethoven to Riptide, there was certainly no shortage of musical diversity.

Cormac Diamond

FOREVER AUTUMN

Previously known as Rocktober, this annual concert is, and always has been, one of my favourite events at Borlase. Our band, The Polite Reminders, performed a selection of indie rock songs by bands such as Arctic Monkeys and The Wombats and we had some excellent laughs in rehearsals. We’ve been doing this event for a few years now and have all become really firm friends through the band and the music.

This event was also a fantastic platform for soloists and songwriters to perform; one of my favourite acts of the night was Eleanor Whittle singing two of her own beautiful, acoustic songs. Another example to show the diversity of the event was instrumental band ‘The Kicks’ who covered ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’, the lead being played by Josh Kaushal on the saxophone. Another factor that made it such a great evening was the ceaseless effort from the tech theatre team; the lighting and stage setup in the theatre truly transformed the space and created an electric atmosphere that carried into the performances.

All the people at the event were amazing, supporting each other and helping the evening run as smoothly as possible, even with the occasional, memorable mishap.

At one point in the evening, one of the drummer’s sticks went flying but was soon replaced when another drummer, Leon, quickly emerged from the audience and handed over a replacement. During our set, our guitarist Jack snapped one of his strings and began to bleed on his guitar (if that isn’t Metal, I don’t know what is!) until another everyday hero, Kim, appeared from the audience and lent Jack his guitar for the rest of our set. And hilarity ensued when the legend himself, Mr Miall, ran up to tune

PERFORMING ARTS a very stubborn ukulele. This kind of helpful spontaneity and sense of community made for some of the most memorable moments of the night.

An event such as Forever Autumn is such a great experience for anyone interested in contemporary music.

I think that performing songs you love, for an energetic crowd of people who love them just as much, is one of the most fun and fulfilling experiences out there.

Amy Harris

and readings by members of staff. The first half ended with the duet ‘O Lovely Peace’ sung by Georgia Tuke and Elenor Vockins. In the interval, guests were treated to mince pies and mulled wine which complemented the cheery, festive atmosphere. Highlights in the second half of the concert included the flute duet of Bach’s Allegro in C Major played by Lucy Barnes and Evie Harper, ‘L’autor d’ogni Mio bene’ by Scarlatti, beautifully sung by Poppy Murray and Zelenka’s ‘Alma Redemptoris Mater’ sung by Amy Harris. The concert concluded with an outstanding rendition of ‘Concerto for Two Trumpets in C Major’ (Vivaldi), featuring Mr Vanryne and Mr Davie. This was then followed by a selection of audience carols, ending on the popular favourite: ‘God rest you merry, gentlemen’.

Elenor Vockins

HOUSE MUSIC

On the 14th of November, finalists from junior, intermediate, senior and ensemble categories performed a wide variety of different pieces for 2019s House Music Show. The evening included outstanding instrumental performances of classical piano, jazz saxophone and some beautiful string pieces. The audience also got to enjoy some magnificent vocal performances from a range of styles. Whether it was with piano accompaniment, ukulele, guitar or acapella, each act really engaged the audience’s full attention. The ensemble round saw students from the same house playing or singing together in small groups or pairs. This competitive round involved seamless blending of voices and instruments and some impressive harmonies. With so many wonderful students and even some teachers from each house coming together to perform, the evening was a fantastic display of Borlase musical talent.

Kate Paterson

MR ROBSON’S ADVENT CONCERT

On the evening of the 10th December, a small audience gathered in the Wethered room for Mr Robson’s much loved annual chamber concert. The concert began with a fantastic performance of Handel’s ‘Courante and Minuet’ on the harpsichord, followed by an impressive orchestral piece, several solos, duets (including violinists Raphael Conte and Callum Kunchur returning with ‘La Forqueray’)

CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICES

All Saints’ Church provided a historic and magnificent setting for our 2019 carol concert. The evening began with an atmospheric, candlelit performance of ‘O Magnum Mysterium’ by the Year 13 Vocal Ensemble, who then set a joyful celebratory tone for the rest of the evening with their performance of ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’.

The evening continued with a varied and enchanting programme of well loved carols. The junior choirs sang flawlessly throughout the evening; Cambiata gave a moving performance of the ‘African Crib Carol’ while the Junior Girls’ Choir performed an impeccable arrangement

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PERFORMING ARTS of ‘The Little Road to Bethlehem’. Out student-led choirs were beautifully coordinated as the melodious harmonies of the Chapel Choir echoed around the church with an angelic ‘Child of the Stable’s Secret Birth’. Gospel Choir then followed with spiritually uplifting performances of ‘The Night that Christ Was Born’ and ‘Joy to the world’ that delighted the whole audience. Madriguys then took our breath away with a truly moving performance of the Welsh song ‘Suo Gân’. Their pronunciation, we were reliably informed by Ms Mountfield, was executed perfectly. Adding to this multicultural theme, Youth Voices sang ‘Ríu, Ríu, Chíu’ in Spanish; their musicality was glorious and solo performances within the piece showed a maturity and talent that was startling. The audience were then given another treat with Cantorum’s ‘O Holy Night’ which left them feeling truly ready for Christmas. The service ended with the mass choir performance of ‘Sans Day Carol’, closing a wonderful and inspiring evening with a cheerful and merry atmosphere.

celebrate pioneering female figures who have changed the world. This programme comprised music by female composers, including Ethel Smyth’s, ‘The March of the Women’ (dedicated to The Suffragettes), and ‘Now is the Time’ by Cecilia McDowall (written to the words of Marie Curie). The songs were preceded by readings of speeches by women past and present such as Virginia Woolf, Isadora Duncan and Malala Yousafzai, showcasing powerful female voices that have made an impact.

Overall, the concert raised £200 for Freedom4Girls, a charity committed to providing sanitary products to girls in the UK and worldwide. Furthermore, being surrounded by the stories of influential females told through music was a touching reminder of the importance of worldwide female equality. However, all of this wouldn’t have been possible without the help of teachers who kindly did readings, Mr Robson, accompanists Leon and Luke, and finally our brilliant conductor Charlotte.

Lizzie Rackstraw

Imogen Baguley

CAMBIATA

JAZZ NIGHT

For Jazz Night the theatre was transformed by the Tech Team into the ‘West Street Lounge’, a 1920s speakeasy.

Never one to disappoint, Mr Davie put together a full evening of music with both Senior and Junior Jazz Bands, including ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ with soloist Cormac Diamond, ‘Love Shack’ and ‘Respect’. A number of small acts also performed - Hector Walker, Amy Harris, Cormac Diamond and Year 12 band ‘The Polite Reminders’, accompanied by instrumentalists Olly Gale, Leon Tasch and Luke Haldane. We were also really pleased to see a Borlase Alumni Band, who discovered the fun of the ‘E’ key on the theatre piano, which definitely needs some tuning! Overall it was a lovely, relaxed evening enjoyed by audience and performers alike.

Charlotte Farmer

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CONCERT

To celebrate International Women’s Day Borlase's student-led chapel choir put together a concert to help raise money for women fighting period poverty and to

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The boys of Cambiata continued to brave the early Tuesday morning rehearsals this year, and produced some fantastic and enthusiastic performances in the Autumn concert and the Carol Services, with particularly energised performances of ‘The Virgin Mary’, ‘The Battle of Jericho’, and ‘African Crib Carol’. In the Spring Term, the group worked hard at mastering their cockney accents for a medley of songs from ‘Oliver!’, and - with the help of Hector Walker and Luke Haldane - a small group had been rehearsing some chorales towards a performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Wooburn singers in March. Although it hasn’t been possible to showcase these pieces, the boys can be very pleased with the progress they’ve made this year, and I’m sure it will go a long way towards all their future singing at the school!

A big thank you to Mrs Ross for directing the group and giving me the opportunity to conduct them this year.

Cormac Diamond

CANTORUM

Although sadly cut short, this year has been yet another very successful year for Cantorum, if not one of the busiest we’ve ever had. It started off rather differently as we were given the opportunity to perform in the Marlow Rotary Club Concert with Ascot Brass! Each and every member of the choir rose to the challenge and after a month of in- and out-of-school rehearsals, we had prepared an impressive repertoire which we sang in October at All Saints’ Church, Marlow.

Immediately after this, we performed in the Autumn concert, where the American traditional ‘Shenandoah’ was a favourite among many audience and choir members.

PERFORMING ARTS Our next, and sadly last performance, was at the Christmas Carol service. This was my fifth Christmas in the school and I can proudly say that this year's services were the best I have ever heard. We performed pieces ranging from the beautiful ‘Balulalow’ to the challenging and impressive ‘O Holy Night’.

Sadly, the opportunity to perform in the Senior Concert and say our goodbyes to our amazing year 13s has been taken from us; however, not even a global pandemic can stop Cantorum! We will all be recording ourselves over the coming weeks to put together a virtual performance of ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ to lift everyone’s spirits.

Poppy Murray

YOUTH VOICES

SENIOR STRINGS

This year Senior Strings have been fortunate enough to welcome the arrival of some younger talented musicians.

Playing in a chamber group setting has allowed all ensemble members to progress in a variety of ways, such as developing key sight-reading and other musicianship skills as well as leadership abilities. At the Autumn Concert, we played the deeply moving ‘Theme from Schindler’s List’ by John Williams as well as the energetic ‘Jig’ from Holst’s St Paul’s Suite, a cornerstone of the string repertoire. Although the 4 Year 13s, including the invaluable viola player, are very sad to be leaving without the Senior Concert performance opportunity, we hope that younger years will continue to enjoy a rich variety of string concerts and wish them much success in carrying on this important Borlasian tradition.

Raphael Conte

CONCERT BAND

Everyone loves Stevie Wonder, right? Concert Band would definitely agree with you there: at the Autumn Concert the audience was treated to a Stevie medley, with renditions of countless classics including ‘Superstition’, ‘Sir Duke’ and ‘Isn’t She Lovely?’ The piece proved to be the perfect balance between fun, uplifting music and challenging rhythmic and melodic parts; we really enjoyed playing it, and it kept us on our toes.

Thank you to the members of staff who play in the band, and to the Year 13 leavers for their commitment over the years.

Leon Tasch Youth Voices is a mixed-gender singing group for Years 7, 8 and 9, now numbering over 60 members, who sing a range of modern styles including musical theatre and pop, and it is a great environment to discover new music and share a love for singing and performing. We started the year by performing our own arrangement of Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ at the Autumn Concert. This arrangement included adding vocal harmonies and even a canon. At the Christmas Carol Service we sang the Spanish ‘Riu Riu Chiu’; the powerful sound of over 60 singers performing a cappella in two-part harmony left the audience speechless. In early March we were given the challenge of learning ‘A Million Dreams’ in German for the Languages Showcase, in which we also performed ‘Riu Riu Chiu’.

We were busy rehearsing new material for the Junior Concert and a joint concert with Caldicott School in June when school closed; however we all enjoyed creating a virtual performance of ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ for the BorlaseMusic@Home celebration.

Ruby Peacey

MADRIGUYS

Once again, Madriguys have had a fantastic year, despite the unexpected break from rehearsals. Luckily, we managed to fit more repertoire than usual into the time we had, learning a huge variety of pieces from the African freedom song ‘Tshotscholoza’ to Billy Joel’s ‘For the Longest Time’.

At the Autumn Concert, we performed the classic ‘Singing in the Rain’, of course accompanied by the mandatory umbrellas and lots of close jazz harmony. And we must have been feeling particularly confident with languages this year, because, on top of ‘Tshotscholoza’ we sang the Welsh lullaby ‘Suo Gân’ at the Christmas Carol Services.

Fortunately, we had a (near) native choirmaster to help us master the pronunciation!

From sailor hats to bananas, a concert doesn’t go by without a Madriguys twist, and some may even tentatively suggest that Madriguys regularly have the best choir choreography (sorry Gospel!). Of course, none of it could happen without Dr P, the kingpin of the group, with his unique warmups and his incredible bravery for

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PERFORMING ARTS always singing the Tenor 1 part when no one else wants to...

It’s been another great year for Madriguys, and of course for some of us it’s sadly our last. I know I can speak for my fellow Year 13s when I say we’ve had an amazing time singing in the group, filled with last minute wordlearning, frantic choreography, zealous basses, relativelyin-tune tenors and plenty of voice cracks. It has truly been a pleasure to sing with all of you. We leavers may not have had our expected final Madriguys concert, but we can’t wait to come back and watch the younger years perform, no doubt with plenty of props and surprises!

Callum Kunchur

BORLASE JAZZ BAND

Some would call it The Mr Davie Jazz Ensemble; others might call it a new version of the Count Basie Jazz Orchestra, but I think that the Borlase Jazz Band has this year acquired legendary status of its own. After a fine performance in the Autumn Concert, Jazz Band served up the classics once again at the Jazz Night, which served as a perfect, if not a little premature, finale to a fantastic year of performances. With the improv of Stevie, Fergus and Matt bringing such great energy, a Sinatra-esque rendition of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ by Cormac and examples of Jonny’s wonderful soloing, the Year 13s reminded us that we will really miss them next year. We’ve covered a wide range of music over the past 6 months, from Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ to a Jaco Pastorius arrangement of ‘The Chicken’. We would like to assure our fans that Jazz Band will return from this enforced sabbatical with more 80s hits, more Standards and, most importantly, more colourful shirts.

BARBERSHOP

The Barbershop’s second and final year together has been just as exciting and varied as the first, despite the early conclusion. In the summer we had a blast performing at two very special weddings, and consequently had to expand our repertoire quicker than ever before! This was very useful for all of the other concerts throughout the year, especially for the school’s Autumn Concert and the Wycombe Orpheus Male Voice Choir’s fundraising event in the Wycombe Old Town Hall, in which the pieces ‘Dream a Little Dream’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and ‘The Longest Time’ took centre stage. Christmas then brought us further need for rapid turnover of repertoire, as we performed at Sonning Boat club’s Christmas party, requiring the employment of a few old Madriguys classics! The Spring Term started with the Languages Extravaganza, for which we delved into some of the origins of Barbershop harmony as well as the challenges of singing in German, with the legendary Comedian Harmonists’ ‘Mein Kleiner Grüner Kaktus’ (‘My Little Green Cactus’) followed by another Wycombe Orpheus Youth competition. We were especially determined after the second place finish in the ensembles category the year before, so we chose our most technically demanding pieces ‘Java Jive’, ‘When I fall in Love’ and the newly learnt, ‘Yes Sir, that’s my Baby’ - which paid off, as we won the category! Although we didn’t get to perform in the Senior Concert, the Year 13 assembly on our final day was the perfect way to end our time together, after two years of growing really close as a unit.

Cormac Diamond

Olly Gale

JUNIOR JAZZ BAND

Junior Jazz Band has enjoyed another fantastic year, and despite the sudden end to rehearsals, we were lucky enough to have performed in two concerts this year, the Autumn Concert and Jazz Night. At both concerts, the audience loved our rendition of ‘Moves like Jagger’, and as a performer, these were both great experiences.

We are led by the fantastic Mr Davie, who is always encouraging us, and our weekly rehearsals are so much fun. He helps us to build our confidence by encouraging us to do solo improvisations, both in rehearsals and concerts. Although this seemed a bit daunting at first, we all got used to it, and almost every member of the band played a solo improvisation at the Jazz Night!

During lockdown, Mr Davie has continued to support us, by regularly sending us resources in order to help us with our improvisation skills. I am looking forward to playing together again and a big thank you to Mr Davie for helping us to develop as musicians.

Emily Hillier

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CHAPEL CHOIR

This year has been extremely busy for Chapel Choir, launching straight into our first performance in October as part of the Borlase Choirs joint concert with Ascot Brass Band. This was closely followed with a challenging piece by Thomas Thomkins at the Autumn Concert.

Our Christmas piece - Thomas Hewitt Jones’ Child of the Stable’s Secret Birth - was far simpler, but the performance was enchanting, splitting into as much as 6-part harmony.

PERFORMING ARTS

In March we chose to put on our own concert for International Women’s Day. We performed 5 pieces, each dedicated to one of key women in history. The concert was a real challenge, with a wide variety of pieces from different musical eras, but very rewarding We will miss our Y13 leavers, Georgia, Ava and Lucy, but hopefully next year will be just as successful.

Charlotte Farmer

FLUTE CHOIR

A positive year began with a popular performance of Harold Arlen’s evergreen ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ in our Autumn concert.

We had planned to perform J.S.Bach’s ‘Badinerie’ from Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor in the Senior Concert.

I had rearranged the piece so that everyone had both the opportunity to show their individual skill within this challenging work and play together as a full ensemble.

Sadly, won’t get to perform this when we had planned to, but it has been great for us to expand our repertoire with this more advanced baroque piece, and we hope that we will be able to perform it soon.

Lucy Barnes

GOSPEL CHOIR

This year saw the Borlase Gospel Choir reach new heights as we became an all singing, all dancing choral family. It has been a pleasure to get to know and sing with such a special group of girls. They have been outstandingly hardworking, learning 12 songs (off by heart, with moves) in 17 weeks - almost a song a week!

We started as we meant to go on, wowing the audience in All Saints’ Church at the joint Borlase Choirs and Ascot Band concert with Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’. Next came the Autumn Concert with ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ and ‘Beautiful Day’, including some complex dance moves to rival those in Pitch Perfect. We had the pleasure of singing at Sir Aubrey Ward Care home, before finishing in a ‘Joyful’ mood at the Christmas Carol Services.

Then came our highlight of the year, a joint concert with Becky High Chorale and Taplow Girls Choir at Norden Farm in March. With five new songs and plenty more dance moves, this concert was a huge amount of fun and ensured plenty of audience involvement.

Gospel had so much more to give; however, we finished the year with a bang in the last day assemblies - moments to be remembered forever.

We have had the most incredible time leading this choir, and a final shout out to Joe Parkinson for being the most legendary piano accompanist of all time.

Georgia Tuke & Ava Sherwood-Rogers

JUNIOR GIRLS’ CHOIR

Whilst the year did not end as we had hoped, there are many things for the choir to be proud of. In November, the girls performed ‘The Turtle Dove’ at the Autumn concert, closely followed by ‘Little Road to Bethlehem’ at the Christmas Carol Service. This required a massive commitment from all of the girls, for which we are very grateful. In the Spring term, the girls prepared ‘Dancing Queen’ as well as ‘Turtle Dove’ for the National Music For Youth Competition. We recorded the pieces shortly before school closed; we were very pleased with the quality of singing that the girls produced, and the whole choir had loads of fun doing it. Although we submitted the entries, it now seems unlikely that the competition will go ahead, but we hope that the girls will have the same opportunity next year. Overall, we would like to thank both the girls and Mrs Redgard-Siler for their patience and commitment this year, and for the experience we have had conducting them as student leaders.

Megan Ellis & Emily Farmer

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PERFORMING ARTS

This year Rock Club has been as action packed as ever, the most memorable event being our fantastic showing at October’s ‘Forever Autumn’ show, which showcased our many acts in front of an enthusiastic audience.

Outside of performing, our weekly practice sessions always provide not only an opportunity to play and create with fellow contemporary musicians, but also to have fun enjoying music with friends. We are really pleased to have seen the development of several KS3 bands as well as the continued work of Y10 and Y12 musicians.

Though the current situation has made playing music together almost impossible, nonetheless it is important that we all continue to enjoy, share and create music, despite the circumstances.

and Schubert’s Death and the Maiden. Playing in this setting has offered each member a unique experience of musical leadership and independence, while performing together with emphasis on highlighting harmonic and textural contrasts.

Although it has been a shortened year, we have been very successful with multiple performances in the Autumn term at weddings in Marlow and Henley, playing a wide range of repertoire from Bach to Piazzolla. Another highlight was our performance of the Haydn Emperor Quartet in St Mary’s Church, Henley, where we also accompanied a singer performing the deeply moving Schubert’s Ave Maria. In the Autumn Concert, the group played the well-known Haydn Quartet No. 13, as well as accompanying the Year 13 Girls’ Quintet in the more contemporary Tundra by Ola Gjeilo.

Gabe Smith

Raphael Conte

The Quintet began, and ended, singing the music of our favourite Ola Gjelio. We first performed as a Y12 quartet in the Autumn Chamber Concert of 2018, singing ‘The Rose’. We then took on the ambitious ‘Ave Verum Corpus’ by Poulenc for Christmas, before finishing Year 12 at the Arts Dinner with the legendary ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ - dance moves and all! Year 13 saw the transition from Quartet to Quintet with the addition of Lauren Hibbert. At the Autumn Concert we performed an a cappella, percussive ‘Bring me Little Water, Sylvie’, before finishing our time here with the beautiful ‘Tundra’, accompanied by the String Quartet and Luke Haldane on the piano. It has been a pleasure to sing with these girls throughout the years, and we’ve loved giving Barbershop a bit of competition.

This year has been a busy and exciting year for dance at Borlase and despite being cut short we did manage a few performances and projects along the way.

At the end of Summer term 2019 we had our annual Year 7 dance project ‘Humanite’. This was an extremely exciting collaboration with the English Department. The idea behind the piece was to explore humanity across different continents, using as stimulus four beautifully written poems by Miss Holmes. These gave our Year 12 students a huge amount of inspiration to create intricate and expressive contemporary dance pieces which were performed whilst the poems were read live.

On to September and our dance clubs took off with a bang. We would like to thank all of our dance leaders who do an amazing job of running the clubs every week: Imogen Baguley, Harry Fayers, Amy Croall, Rosie Lewis, Jodie Brown, Emily Annis, Josh Leech, Alex Elliott, Jardine Barrington-Cook, Miss Yazdi and Tim Woodford.

The end of September saw the newly-formed Evolve 2019-20 start rehearsing for a piece that got longer and longer as the weeks went on. Creating this piece with these dancers was a pleasure and I hope that one day the piece will make it to the Borlase stage.

Throughout the Autumn term Years 11 and 13 were working hard on their exam work. Year 11 had their practical exam for their duo/trios in December in which they all presented outstanding work, and Harry and Lizzie

ROCK CLUB

QUINTET

Georgia Tuke

STRING QUARTET

This year, we welcomed a new 2nd Violin and Cello in Callum and Kate. It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege being able to work on some more challenging quartet repertoire, such as Shostakovich’s Quartet No.8

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DANCE AT BORLASE

PERFORMING ARTS performed their breathtaking piece in assemblies for the rest of the school.

In December we also said a sad ‘farewell for now’ to Adam Galbraith who had been working with us for the past year, covering for Mrs Hindley. Adam has been a pleasure to work with and I know many of you have gained huge amounts from his technical expertise.

January bought our annual Year 8 Strictly Come Dancing.

As always this was a dazzling event and I would like to thank the judges and the presenters for making the evening so special. A particular highlight of Strictly this year was the performance by our Latin and Ballroom dance club, a club which has gone from strength to strength under the expert guidance of Harry and Imogen.

Congratulations to this year’s champions, Matthew Gillespe and Megan Fulton.

Not only did January bring Strictly, it also brought back our very own Shirley Ballas - Mrs Hindley. We were all delighted to see her back in the studio making us all look rubbish at stretching, and I know the students have learnt a huge amount already.

Just before school closed on 20th March, both the A-level and GCSE dance classes filmed their practical work. We were extremely proud of every single one of our dancers for working so hard to produce beautiful work, and we are grateful to all the dancers who performed in Year 13 choreographies.

Mrs Hindley and I miss the hustle and bustle of our studio enormously. Our dance family is made up of some very special and talented young people and we cannot wait to get back to hard work.

Saying goodbye to Year 11 and especially Year 13 has been incredibly hard, but we are extremely proud of all they achieved. Particular congratulations go to Jodie Brown, who is going to take a place to study contemporary dance at the prestigious Northern School of Contemporary Dance, and to Amy Croall who has been offered a place at the extremely competitive Performers’ College in Essex to study musical theatre.

Mrs Ashby & Mrs Hindley

The exceptional standards sustained by Borlase’s dance department continue to thrive and advance this year. Students have been extensively rehearsing since September and persevering to achieve their full potential within this art. The Year 8 students worked exceptionally hard, as many of them experienced their first dance competition. They were given the opportunity to perform in front of an audience during Borlase Strictly Come Dancing. After the twelve finalists had performed the judges had a tough choice to make, but in the end it was Megan Fulton and Matty Gillespie who lifted the glitter-ball trophy with their beautiful waltz. The evening also saw a special appearance by the Latin and Ballroom club, who performed an exciting and intricate jive to stun the audience. Of course the Year 8s are not the only hard workers in the Dance department; every year group has been committed to producing some outstanding performances Two classes however have worked particularly hard since we came back to school last September; the Year 11 and Year 13 exam classes.

Not only have these students put in countless hours in the studio, but they also manage to complete all of their practical exams in spite of the school closure, with the GCSE class choreographing their entire showpiece (a sassy and fabulous burlesque piece, which shall one day be seen in public) in one day! Moreover, the perseverance of the students was clearly demonstrated in the A Level exam, which took place on the final day of school; this did not faze the dancers, who stuck to their goal and smashed their exam, despite any stresses or concerns they felt. Huge congratulations to both exam classes and a huge thank you to the other year groups who assisted in the Year 13 choreographies. In addition and most importantly our gratitude is endless for the staff who make dance at Borlase as amazing as it is.

Overall, dance is not a subject or art for the light hearted.

Dancers are determined, hardworking and, we feel, embody the key values Borlase promotes. It has been a great year for dance and we have all enjoyed every second of our teaching, participation and performance.

Harry Fayers, Lily Meyer & Lizzy Rackstraw

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PERFORMING ARTS

DRAMA AT BORLASE

It has been another exciting year for the Drama Department and we are very proud of the high quality curricular work and extra-curricular Drama that has been produced. A highlight of the Drama calendar this year was the Senior Production, a contemporary adaptation of Ibsen’s ‘An Enemy of the People’ performed in December. The production was led by Miss Anderson, supported by members of the Performing Arts team and Borlase staff, including Miss Rayner, Mrs Ashby, Miss Yazdi-Davis, Mrs Beswick and Miss Reinhold. The production involved over 70 Borlase students, including the performers, and a vast technical team, mentored by our fantastic Performing Arts technician, Miss Chislett.

Mr Hartley, our Technical Theatre teacher, worked long hours to construct a stunning set, which was so impressive in performance.

It was a joy to work with everybody in this highly committed cast, who were all keen to be part of the creative process. Together we explored ways to communicate the play, drawing on techniques from Frantic Assembly Theatre Company, whose innovative approach has been a great inspiration to us over the past few years. The company’s style combines naturalistic dialogue with movement and music; hence the sections of choral choreography incorporated into the production, which added an interesting dimension to the world of the play, making the ‘people’ more present throughout.

This work really does take time to develop and hone throughout a rehearsal process, and the actors worked hard to perfect this.

Additionally, the play featured highly sophisticated characters, meticulously thought-out by both Ibsen and Lenkiewicz (who wrote the adaptation of the text), which demanded a huge amount from the young actors. It took great commitment to develop and refine these roles.

The cast truly rose to this challenge, and I am very proud of the performances that they worked hard to create.

The brilliant technical team that worked on this production were equally impressive. Hours of work and preparation goes into staging a senior production and it is the people behind-the-scenes that are responsible for bringing the world of the play to life. The talented technical team, led by Lucie Plummer as a superb DSM, included stage managers, props managers, lighting designers and operators, sound designers and operators, scenic painters, set constructors, a make-up and wardrobe team and a Front of House team. Visually the production was highly impressive, due to the hard work of these students.

Overall the production was a great success; everybody involved approached the process with such rigour and positivity and an outstanding quality was produced. The audiences truly enjoyed the play and were very impressed indeed.

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The standard of curricular work has, once again, been excellent this academic year. A special mention must go to the Year 11 cohort who produced some outstanding performances of their scripted plays in front of a live audience in February. It was a busy two days, with students performing a variety of interesting texts, both contemporary and classical, including: ‘Bouncers’, ‘Daisy Pulls It off’, ‘A Doll’s House’, ‘All Over Lovely’, ‘The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband’ and many, many more. There were equally impressive designs from our technical theatre candidates in their individual specialisms, including Lighting design, Costume design and Set design.

Our Year 13 A level cohort have been very busy this year and have produced some outstanding practical work throughout their two years at Borlase. This included their devised performances at the very end of Year 12, which incorporated the real life stories of Princess Latifa and Frida Khalo as well as a hilarious Brechtian comedy. They also produced some fantastic work for Component 2 of their course during this academic year, which included Monologues and Duologues and work on the group plays: ‘We Happy Few’, ‘Monsters’ and ‘The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband’.

As well as our senior production and curriculum work, we have had lots going on in extracurricular Drama this year across the different year groups. One highlight was the Year 10 & 11 project, where a group of students explored the text ‘Living with Lady Macbeth’ by Rob John. Earlier this year, the group participated in a workshop led by professional theatre company Frantic Assembly and used their techniques and ethos as inspiration when shaping their piece. The aim was to perform this piece in the Maidenhead Drama Festival. Sadly, due to Covid-19, the group was unable to perform their work. Despite this, the students were very positive about the whole experience and what they gained from participating in the project.

I know they are very grateful to Hana Jolly, Charlotte Farmer and Harvey Green who assisted in directorial and technical support, and to Mrs Davie for leading them. I was lucky enough to see some of the work in rehearsal, and I can safely say that an audience would have been in for a treat.

Mrs Davie has also been running extracurricular classes this year for LAMDA Speech and Drama examinations.

Many thanks to Mrs Davie for all her hard work, and congratulations to the students, all of whom received a Distinction in their examinations - what an achievement!

The Borlase Drama clubs have continued to provide opportunities for our juniors. The popular Year 7 Drama club, this year run by Year 9s Sasha Smith and Darcey Seymour, focused on auditioning, scripted and devised work, how to block scenes and even set design! The Year 8 Drama club, run by Year 11s Poppy Morgan and Elizabeth Rackstraw has been equally popular, with students exploring the play ‘Charlie and the Chocolate

PERFORMING ARTS Factory’. Hana Jolly began leading the new Year 9 Drama Club during the spring term, where students explored contemporary playwrights such as Churchill and Buffini.

We are now in our third term, and Drama has continued at Borlase in a different way. Although we are all missing working practically together, we have found innovative ways to approach drama together virtually. At the moment, we are exploring new set texts, the role of designers in theatre, making our own puppet theatres and we are taking advantage of all the online theatre productions that we are now able to view, with lots of interesting analysis, review and discussion.

It has been, and continues to be, another dynamic and packed year for the Drama department, and we look forward to the next time we are able to work safely and creatively together again in person, in the rehearsal room.

Ms L Anderson, Head of Drama

ARTS DINNER

Despite not being in school, the Performing Arts Department could not miss the opportunity to review and celebrate all of the events and achievements in the Performing Arts this year. Our annual Arts dinner is our chance to reflect on, and celebrate, everything that has taken place across the department since last May. We would normally hold this event on the school grounds; however, seeing as we couldn’t gather together in person, we wanted to celebrate with a Virtual Event.

All students in Y11-Y13 who were involved in the Arts were invited to a watch party on Friday 5 June.

The Arts Prefects put together a programme of virtual performances for the event which included Barbershop, Chapel Choir, Gospel Choir, Madriguy, and a lockdown dance. Staff and students sent reams of video footage to Ms Chislett to edit together into a feature length film which was screened as a YouTube Premiere on the Borlase YouTube Channel. Students were encouraged to dress up and make this into a fantastic celebration at home. A particular highlight was the staff dance to The Weekend’s ‘Blinding Lights’. The 14 staff who sent in footage filmed amongst other things a popular tiktok dance.

Dance Awards

BOSCARS 2018

Best Ensemble Dancer Male: Joshua Leech Best Ensemble Dancer Female: Jodie Brown Best Dance Performer: Maddy Hill Best Female Dancer: Amy Croall Best Male Dancer: Harry Fayers Best Choreographer: Rosie Lewis

Technical Theatre Awards Best Make-Up: Amy Harris Best Front-of-House: Ben Ford Best Technical Support: Toby Broyhill-Fogg Best Technical Design & Operation: Pat Heys Best Technical Leadership: Lucie Plummer Music Awards Classical Instrumentalists Best Brass Player: Thomas Kershaw Best Woodwind Player: Jonny Ainscough Best Strings Player: Raphael Conte Contemporary Musicians Best Jazz Musician: Matthew Garske Best Contemporary Musician: Gabe Smith Vocalists Best Male Chorister: Fergus Cooper & Callum Kunchur Best Female Chorister: Lucy Banks Best Male Vocalist: Cormac Diamond Best Female Vocalist: Georgia Tuke Musical Leadership Best Musical Director: Ava Sherwood-Rogers & Georgia Tuke Best Student-Led Ensemble: Barbershop Drama Awards Best Actor: Cormac Diamond Best Actress: Beatrice Lofthouse Best Company Actor: Freddie MacGregor Best Company Actress: Na’imah Bowen & Zuzu Zaldua Best Drama Leadership: Hana Jolly

JUNIOR MUSICAL: THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS

The story so far…

The biennial Junior Musical production was launched at the end of January, with auditions just before February half term. It got off to a flying start and by the beginning of March many of the important ensemble songs had been learnt, both vocally and choreographically. The cast had been split into ‘River Folk’ (the good otters, rabbits and other river folk) and the ‘Wild Wooders’ (the bad weasels, stoats and foxes). Both groups had learnt their main introduction songs: ‘Spring’ (River Folk) and ‘We’re the Wild Wooders’. The rehearsals were split into two parts, with one group learning a new song and the other half the choreography for a new number. Also, after most of the characters had been cast there was some script work included for some people as well. The few rehearsals we had were great fun and everyone got along really well.

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PERFORMING ARTS I know that everybody is really looking forward to continuing the Wind In The Willows whenever we can; personally, I was enjoying the musical so much that I can’t wait to perform it some time - hopefully in the near future.

Matty Gillespie

LAMDA SPEECH AND DRAMA

This year we have been offering LAMDA lessons, led by experienced drama teacher Mrs Davie. LAMDA (London Academy of Dramatic Art) is the oldest drama school in the UK and offers public examinations in speech and drama. The sessions have been run on an individual or group basis and the students have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Examined performances this year included a devised piece based on the stimulus ‘The Emergency’ and scripted pieces including ‘Mobile Madness’ and ‘Daisy Pulls It off’. It has been wonderful to hear positive feedback from students about their classes. Finally, congratulations to the students, all of whom received a Distinction for their examinations this year; what an achievement!

THE NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE

Last year, I did my first ever audition with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. NYT are a world leading youth arts organisation who discover, inspire and showcase exceptional young people aged 14 to 25.

The auditions themselves are a good experience. I was really nervous but soon realised they are not daunting in any way. There is a three hour workshop in which you play drama games and do some devising in groups; finally there is an individual monologue slot, and that’s it!

A few months later (and much to my suprise!) I received an email stating that I’d been successful and that I was welcome to their summer course, which you have to

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complete in order to become a company member. This was the best experience of my life. It took place at Goldsmiths University, London and you stay in student accommodation. It was a real slice of independent living, budgeting, cooking and cleaning for yourself in a big city.

Every day at about 9am we would go to Goldsmith’s for different workshops with our course director, such as: acting, movement, ensemble techniques, voice and many more. We also had a Q&A evening with industry professionals.

I had the best time on the course and have made lifelong friends, I’ve never been in a place and felt more like myself and after the course had finished, I felt such a boost in confidence. Now that I am a member of NYT, I have unlocked a wealth of opportunities, free workshops, internal and external casting opportunities - I couldn’t recommend it enough. Coming from a single-parent family, I was really worried about the cost of the audition and the course, but I discovered if you are eligible you can apply to their bursary scheme and they will endeavour to get you to that audition or course.

If I could offer any auditioning advice it would be, to be yourself and to introduce yourself to people when you get there to find some familiar faces for the day. I always pick monologues that resonate with me; it doesn’t have to be something you have experienced but a piece which excites you and makes you feel something. Finally, don’t be disheartened if you don’t get in the first time, loads of people I met on the course had got in after their fifth attempt - simply see the audition as an opportunity to do what you love: acting!

Evie Amos

DRAMA SCHOOLS: TECHNICAL THEATRE

When I started the process of applying to drama schools it was incredibly daunting, as I never expected I would be applying for a degree in creative arts. However, when I started at Borlase the vivid arts scene inspired me to follow my passion for theatre and turn it into a career. I decided to apply for technical theatre at the top drama schools: LIPA, Rose Bruford, Central School Of Speech and Drama, RADA, Guildhall and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. When applying for any creative subject the process is long and can be quite stressful, but Mr Hartley and the other teachers at Borlase helped me immensely.

As not all drama schools are applied to through UCAS there is more than one application that you have to fill out.

For me there were three applications, one through UCAS and two direct. The direct applications had more specific questions which allow the universities to get to know you better. Additionally every arts school requires you to go to an interview, either at the school or on a skype call. I decided to attend each university, as it’s an opportunity to really get a feel for the place and meet students who are there already. Each university has an individual one-

PERFORMING ARTS to-one interview, a group tour and occasionally a group task. Each interview is completely different, and as Borlase has sent over a dozen students into performing arts degrees there was so much advice, and in addition I had practice interviews. My first interview was in January and the last in March, however for acting students the process can go on until June. In the interviews the most important thing to get across is your passion for theatre, and to enjoy the day as much as possible. I was offered places at every school I applied to, and I am really looking forward to starting at RADA in September!

Lucie Plummer

design. We were just a few weeks away from performing at the Maidenhead Drama Festival when it was cancelled due to Covid-19. However, we are all grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this process and develop our acting skills, teamwork and decision-making in such a fun, welcoming environment. We would all like to thank the drama department, but especially Mrs Davie for making this great experience possible and giving us her time and input, both of which were truly integral in transforming the play into its finished product.

Will Tucker, Poppy Morgan and Elizabeth Rackstraw

‘LIVING WITH LADY MACBETH’

Following their experience in the production of Scroggy’s War in Year 10, the Year 11 drama students were keen to establish a drama club for both Year 10 and 11 that would allow them to work towards another successful performance. Their wishes were met when Mrs Davie stepped up to do just that. This news was met with much excitement and a great turnout from the year groups. It was a great opportunity for both GCSE Drama students and those not studying for the GCSE, to explore different styles of drama and production in more depth, all thanks to Mrs Davie and Hana Jolly as assistant director. For the first half term, we focused on different elements and styles of drama. This undoubtedly made the whole experience so much more rewarding as we gained a deeper understanding in regards to the detail of performance before the audition process for ‘Living with Lady Macbeth’ even began. Despite having known each other for almost 5 years, the experience managed to bring the small cast closer together, making the whole process more enjoyable and worthwhile.

The cast then took part in a Frantic Assembly workshop, where we learned how physical theatre can be used as a way of heightening dramatic moments, whilst also allowing us to have our own interpretation of the text. In addition to this, we learned some sequences taken from the popular Frantic Assembly-inspired play ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.’ The process helped us understand the importance of teamwork, especially in a small cast, as we were required to trust each other during lifts and cooperate calmly yet quickly throughout each physical theatre sequence. We then began our own rehearsals which, though supervised by the wonderful Mrs Davie, who offered her invaluable directorial input, were run by the cast themselves. In these sessions, we applied what we had learned from the workshops and wider experience in order to shape our production into one that we thought would echo the text’s themes and ensure our performance was a good one. We were also joined by Charlotte Farmer and Harvey Green, who helped us by designing the technical aspects of the show, for example, the lighting and sound

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PERFORMING ARTS

TECHNICAL THEATRE

school year, both curricular and extracurricular. Without an army of shifters and lifters, riggers, painters, and all of the technical expertise, the shows at Borlase simply wouldn’t happen. This year we have three students moving on to higher education where they will be studying technical theatre, which is a testament both to the professional way in which we run our shows and to the enthusiasm and talent of our students.

I have missed our weekly tech theatre lessons and for those who will not be returning I wish you the very very best in your future plans, whatever they may be.

Ms Lewington-Chislett

SENIOR PRODUCTION: AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE An Interview with the Director

The past 12 months have been busy, as always. The team spent countless hours in July putting together our outdoor live music event, rebranded as ‘Summer Soundwaves.’ With the Year 13s intent on rebranding everything, ‘Rocktober’ became ‘Forever Autumn’ - a chilled acoustic event that out of necessity ended up in the theatre rather than our usual Borlase cavern club.

It was a lovely autumn-themed evening with plenty of fantastic music and many, many, mini pumpkins.

We never seem to stop in Technical Theatre and we were straight into production for the senior play ‘An Enemy of the People’. The set was Mark’s most ambitious yet and, in true Mark fashion, was larger than he had imagined!

However, on the upside this meant that for once there was no lugging of staging up and down the stairs, as Mark made everything in the theatre ahead of time.

What it did mean, though, was that the students had to rehearse for a long time to get the moving of the walls just right.

The technical crew was brilliantly led by Lucie Plummer as Deputy Stage Manager and Lola Castle as Deputy Production Manager. Pat Heys created a wonderful sound design and Charles Washbourne made sure the stage was lit to perfection. Stage-side, Gianni wrangled the tech crew of new Year 12s and Megan and Liora looked after the many, many props; I can only assume Miss Anderson took some inspiration from Miss Mountfield in creating a very proppy show indeed!

Mrs Beswick has led our make-up team again and thanks must go to Mrs Reinhold for helping us out during the shows as well. Our Front-of-House team, under the excellent leadership of Lucie & Ben has grown in strength and numbers.

Everyone in our tech crew, senior or junior has played a vital part in putting all the performances together for the

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Why did you choose 'An Enemy of the People'? What about it appealed to you?

'When choosing a text, I think good writing is really very important. If something isn't written well, it can be really challenging to direct the actors and make the scenes work. Ibsen is one of the greatest writers of all time - there is great attention to detail in the characters he creates, which are really interesting to explore during the rehearsal process. More difficult, was choosing an adaptation - I read through many different versions there are lots of different translations/ adaptations as the original play is in Norwegian! I think Rebecca Lenkiewicz's version of the text is fresh, exciting, relevant. It stood out from the rest.

'Obviously the play is highly relevant to us today - our recent election, daily headlines charting the rise of populism, the US election and rhetoric at the Trump rallies; Brexit; climate change denial; fake news; political corruption - the list goes on. The themes and issues that the play explores and raises really do resonate with us. I also thought it would be suitable for a large cast with the role of the 'people' being important to explore. I thought this would provide opportunity for lots of performers, which is really important.'

How do you feel that the performances went?

'Very well! It is always interesting to see how the play shifts over the three evenings- each night is different, which is what is exciting about live theatre. I was really proud of the cast and tech team and what was achieved.

It is a challenging play to rehearse and perform - I thought everybody really rose to this. I was delighted with the outcome.'

Which character do you relate to most? Why? 'When you direct, I think it's important to try to relate to all of the characters in a play - regardless of whether you feel they are morally right or wrong. You do have to work to understand them - what are their motivations?

Why do they behave in a certain way / what makes them tick? How can you empathise with their position and

PERFORMING ARTS understand where they are coming from? I think all of the characters are interesting in their own way - the dilemma for Dr Stockmann, for example - would you go to the extent of totally sacrificing yourself and your family for the greater good? The Mayor could be perceived as selfserving, corrupt, neglectful - but from his perspective, he is saving a town he has built from the ground up and doesn't want to see it's people fall back into poverty.

Who is right? Who is wrong? I think that's Ibsen's point - he makes his audience think about what they have seen on stage.'

What have you enjoyed most about your role in producing/directing this play?

'The whole creative process - from rehearsal to performance - it is always really rewarding to work with the students and staff at Borlase, who all work hard to create something to be proud of. It was a joy!'

AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE

This year's senior production was a modern take on the politically charged 19th century play 'An Enemy of the People' by Henrik Ibsen. Directed by Ms Anderson, the play follows Dr Stockmann, (Beatrice Lofthouse) who discovers that the water supply for a struggling town's soon to be opened spa is contaminated. As Stockmann tries to spread the truth she faces opposition from her own brother, the Mayor (Cormac Diamond) and his assistant (Catie Newton). The play raises questions about the importance of truth and the power of politicians as

we see the journalists (Isabelle Jones, Fergus Cooper, Tom McCrorie) have to choose between their ideals and their livelihoods, along with Stockmann's family who are ostracised by the town’s people. As the town’s people side with the Mayor to protect themselves and their jobs, Stockmann's elder daughter (Grace Venus) is fired from her job and her younger children ( Eloise Hillebrand, Riley O'Hagan) are bullied at school. Dr Stockmann's quest for truth leaves a scorched path, hopeful despite losing her husband's (Toby Broyhill-Fogg) inheritance from his father (Mark D'Arcy).

The modern take was enhanced by the ensemble who gave an exciting performance through Frantic Assemblystyle dance and movement that gave an impression of the mob mentality explored in the production. It was also made by an ingenious design concept, slaved over by countless tech students in order to create a beautiful set that revolved to show different locations, including the inside of a house, an office and a seaside boardwalk.

On behalf of everyone who was part of the play, we would like to say a huge thank you to Mr Hartley and Miss Lewington-Chislett, along with the tech team, for creating a fascinating set, lighting and sound design.

We would also like to thank Mrs Ashby and Miss YazdiDavis for choreographing the movement in the show.

Finally, we would like to say the biggest thank you to Miss Anderson for directing an incredible production and putting in so much effort to make everything possible.

She worked us all very hard!

Maddy Hill & Tom McCrorie

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PE & SPORT AT BORLASE

As a PE department we want to ensure our young people develop

AmBition EnjOyment

Resilience An active Lifestyle LeAdership ReSpect for others, and Aim for Excellence.

We want PE and Sport to help students learn skills, morals and qualities that will benefit them in their present life but also help to develop those individuals for their future.

It is important that students understand the benefits of engagement and enjoyment in PE and Sport, and the benefit to everyone’s physical, social and mental well being. We want students to develop their ability to evaluate situations effectively, become people who make good, positive decisions and most importantly be people who are not afraid to have a go, as these can be moments of learning.

Sport at Borlase has had another busy year and, despite this year being one that has had to be flexible due to staffing changes, facilities being changed, re-built and newly built there have been some great successes along the way. We continue to compete against some of the ‘top schools’ in the country, in a variety of sports.

In the Autumn and Spring terms we competed in 14 sports and participated in over 420 fixtures. The Rowing squads trained hard over the Autumn and Spring terms, but their racing season was heavily disrupted.

We are very proud of our successes, but also the mass participation throughout the school. Approximately 545 students represented the school in various sports, which is just under half of the school’s student body.

In addition to the inter-school fixtures, students also compete in our Inter-house Sport programme, with House competitions for Cross Country, Netball, Football,

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Rugby and Hockey. It was great to see so many students getting involved and representing their houses proudly.

As a result of the extensive opportunities provided, we were awarded a Gold School Games Mark by the Youth Sports Trust.

On behalf of the team, I would like to thank all the members of staff who give so much to Sport and PE at Borlase. We are a team who support one another and we would not be able to give so many opportunities to our students, without the support of a number of members of staff The future of PE and Sport and Borlase looks very bright.

Quoitings field has been re-seeded and is growing into a new football pitch. Our ‘old’ Astroturf has been converted and relaid as hard courts to ensure we have a top quality Netball facility. As of May 2020, Home Meadow is being converted into a new Hockey astro, something that will really support our Hockey programme and give us a top class facility on the school site - something we have not had for a while. Once the work has finished on the Hockey astro, the work on our brand new Sports Hall will commence. This will help to really impact our sports provision positively, giving us a specific PE and Sport teaching facility, a new Fitness Suite along with a much needed full size Sports Hall. I would like to thank Miss Lewis and Ms O’Hara who moved on to new horizons during the year; both have given a huge amount to Borlase and we thank them for all their hard work. I also want to thank and wish Mr Wilkinson well as he leaves for pastures new, having been Director of Rowing at Borlase. He has worked tirelessly to support Rowing during his time at Borlase, having success along the way with participation numbers growing in the sport. I would also like to thank and wish Mr Hill all the best as he leaves Borlase. He is someone who has impacted students throughout the school and I know a large number are grateful for his support.

On a personal note, it has been an incredible first year at Borlase. Having arrived at the school in September, I have been made to feel very welcome and it has been great to work alongside the amazing students here.

Mr Duggan, Director of PE and Sport

SPORTS

SPORTS DAY 2019

On Wednesday 10th July the whole school came to together for the 138th annual School Sports Day. Students were involved in Track & Field, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, Rowing and Croquet competitions. It really was a great day with all students and staff involved. All the houses also organised stalls to raise money for their chosen charities. Congratulations to Danes for a decisive victory.

1st Danes 1745 2nd Saxons 1569 3rd Britons 1539 4th Normans 1474 5th Romans 1448 6th Vikings 1447

RESULTS

VICTOR/VICTRIX LUDORUM

Awarded to the individual who accumulates the most points in the Track & Field competition: Year 7 Boys: Sam Gavin; Girls: Lily Pollard Year 8 Boys: Rayan Ulhaq; Girls: Chloe Adams Intermediate Boys: Elliot Marston; Girls: Ellen Cooper Senior Boys: Michael Hall; Girls: Jas Presho, Georgia Tuke

SCHOOL RECORDS BROKEN

Senior Girls Discus: Jas Presho - 24.21m

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ATHLETICS

2019 was a successful year for Athletics at Borlase. The numbers were consistently strong attending the Athletics club. The Year 8, 9 and 10s represented the school well in the District Athletics League at Little Marlow Track on Tuesday evenings. In District Athletics, the Year 9 Girls achieved 1st place, and the Year 9 Boys 4th place; the Year 10 Girls and Year 10 Boys both came 3rd.

It was great to see the Inter Athletics team finish so high in the District League Competition: the Inter Girls came 3rd and the Inter Boys came 1st.

In the ESAA Track & Field Cup, 54 athletes competed in 4 Borlase teams - Junior Girls, Junior Boys, Inter Girls, Inter Boys.

Mr Skevington and Mr Duggan

CRICKET

It saddens me writing this year’s cricket column, knowing that there will be nothing to report next year. I do hope the Year 9s who were engaging in ‘playground’ cricket through the winter months, have continued to play backyard cricket at home with their families. I for one have enjoyed many Tests and limited overs games with my family.

In 2019, the U13s yet again retained the County Trophy.

Year 7s Aarav Band & Mohit Babu were some of the stand-out contributors with both bat and ball, along with Tom Gear’s impressive spin bowling and Sam Babes’ run-a-ball batting. The Year 8s showed good maturity and played fine leadership roles, sacrificing some of their own opportunities in order to help upskill the less able players in the group. Ruby Paish represented our female contingent well, holding her own against teams who selected all boys. They tallied up some impressive scores and even in the final they notched 174 off their 20 overs.

Jack Lee fielded well to limit the opposition score and

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Joe Hoggan took an ‘absolute worldy of a catch’ and hit 42 not out as part of a 102 partnership with his skipper Toby Petit.

The U15 team dominated the District league and reached a final that was sadly never played due to the great British weather. Special mentions must go to Chris Jackson, Josh Brown, Harry Bussell, Will Stubbings & Joseph Martin.

The 1st XI were set alight by the addition of Mathew Allen and his swashbuckling batting, with fine contributions from Alec Bussell and captain Ashwin Goyal. The highlight of their season was the game against Australian tourists, St Patrick’s College, from Sydney. Borlase secured the win thanks to an outstanding 121 partnership between Allen and promising youngster George Evans. SPC had a good go at the chase, but fell just shy in the last over.

I would like to say a big thanks to Mr Skevington for all his support with training and fixtures, and also to the England team for setting the summer alight.

Mr Chappell

TENNIS

Borlase Tennis continues to go from strength to strength, with five teams entering the Aegon leagues for the 2019 season.

The BU15 A team entered the U15 Division 1 league for the third season in a row and, after losing close games to Aylesbury Grammar and Dr Challoner’s, the team recorded their first victory away at RGS High Wycombe.

Max Branet led the team with great attitude, commitment and ability, and Archie Myall completed four years of service to Borlase Tennis.

The BU15 B team enjoyed competing in one of the U15 Division 2 leagues, and enjoyed victories against Great Marlow, John Hampden and Burnham Grammar, all by the same margin of 10-2, with their only defeat coming in the first fixture of the season against a strong Bourne End Academy side.

The GU15 A team were one of our most committed groups and thoroughly deserved their positive results.

The team entered one of the U15 Division 2 leagues and finished the season with three impressive 12-0 victories and just one defeat, to Wycombe Abbey. The girls can be extremely pleased with their performances. Thanks to Alison Ormond, Flossie Rowley, Poppy Morgan and Emily Stephens for their four years of service to Borlase Tennis.

The BU13 A team also entered one of the Division 2 leagues. In total, 10 Year 7 & 8 players were given the opportunity to play for the team, with the highlights of the season coming in the first game against Bourne End Academy - a 12-0 victory - and in a tightly contested match against Caldicott Prep School. a 4-8 defeat that could have gone either way.

SPORTS The GU13 A team played four fixtures in total in the U13 Division 2 league. With eight students involved across Year 7 & 8, the girls won one fixture - a 12-0 win over The Beaconsfield School - and learnt a great deal in the others, which will undoubtedly stand them in good stead for the future.

Mr Monk

RUGBY

BU12: We started the season with lots of inexperienced players and unfortunately lost 4 out of our first 5 games, drawing the 5th with a well fought comeback. We then put lots of effort into training, which paid off with a great performance against Desborough College with Sam Caldwell and Ben Roehrig each scoring two and Josh Fry scoring a late winner. Our hard work paid off as we finished the season with a 4 game winning streak, winning 2015 against the Royal Latin School with Soichiro Lamsdale scoring a hatrick and a nice team try to seal the win, 2015 against John Hampden with Oscar Scott scoring twice and myself twice and 10-5 against Lord Williams’ School to end the season. On behalf of the squad, I would like to give a big thanks to Mr Holloran who has helped us develop an awful lot from our first session.

We then lost a cup match against Chesham Grammar 12-36, though the scoreline doesn’t really reflect the closeness of the game. Our next match was away at Dr. Challoner’s, a highly anticipated one for many of the team. We started off with a resounding lead, stuttered a bit after half time, but then pulled it back from the brink of defeat to win 33-24. The season ended with two tough losses against Desborough and Lord Williams’ School, two teams with great sides and a fair few more players than us. I would like to thank all of the teachers that coached us, particularly Mr. Stevens, for keeping us working hard.

Sasha Smith

Oscar Walker BU13: Once again our season has been a rollercoaster of emotions, from intense victories to heartbreaking defeats. We began with a win against The Beaconsfield School, but drew 20-20 with Desborough College (always a tough game). We then beat both John Hampden and Great Marlow before losing our first game of the season against Royal Latin, but bounced back with two big wins against Dr Challoners (25-5) and Lord Williams (45-5).

Having lost many of our key players to other sporting events, we lost our final game to a strong Claire’s Court side, who were definitely the better team. Some players who have stood out this season have been Max Stokes, Sam Puddephatt, Murray Cartwright and James Cooper, who are always working hard to do well for the team.

The work that we have put in over the past 2 years has been intense, but overall, as a squad we have grown so much; we have begun to play more as a team rather than individuals.

Dom Monger BU14: We began the season losing a hard fought match against Great Marlow, with an all-round very positive team performance. Despite the loss, we took the good things from that match, and improved thoroughly at training sessions, before two wins on the trot against John Hampden (46-29) and Burnham Grammar (50-29), with standout performances from Rayan Ulhaq, a new player starting this season, and Ed Thomson.

BU15: We started the season with very few players; however, the commitment was evident. In the first few matches we experienced some bad losses, but after that the team began to work together better. We sadly got knocked out of the Schools Cup early on in a tough match against John Hampden. We secured a well-deserved win away against Royal Latin School 14-15, then beat Burnham Grammar 22-0 in our best match. Well done to Reece Chapman, our highest try scorer, who could run through most defenders, and Liam Ryan and Billy Dhariwal, our most improved players, who were new to rugby at the start of the season, but by the end were key players.

We have improved so much from last year, where we only had one match. Our ninth and final match this year was a narrow defeat to Dr Challoners, but this was a great finish against a very good team.

James Ley BU18: Following the loss of some key talent, and with an inexperienced squad we found ourselves on the receiving end of a less than flattering opening defeat by Aylesbury Grammar. Following a few weeks of training the team then displayed a strong performance against Roundwood Park; Norbert Bolier in particular was key in driving

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SPORTS

ROWING SUMMER 2019

the momentum forward, however we were unable to capitalise at key moments, resulting in the team getting knocked out of the Schools Cup. Despite these early setbacks the team appeared rejuvenated just after Half Term in a highly competitive match against Dr Challenor’s, but despite the allure of a rugby social if we won, we were unable to hold onto a slim lead. Against Lord Williams School, with key personnel missing, we found ourselves on the receiving end of 3 unanswered tries; we bounced back with standout performances from James Sarney and Matt Allen, but were not able to claim the victory. We finished the season with a strong performance against Royal Grammar School in the rain and mud.

Despite a mixed season our improvement has been very clear over the course of it, especially by the Year 11s stepping up and making key contributions to the team, particularly Kit Selman.

Cam Jones

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The build up to Henley Royal Regatta saw our crews race at qualifying events, Marlow International and Henley Women's Regatta. The Boys’ squad saw a new line up 4x combining our J17 and J16 rowers who produced a blistering performance on the day in their first ever race together. They lead the field against some of the best crews in the country and finished just behind the eventual winner, Leander Club, enabling them to qualify for Henley Royal. Our Girls’ squad raced at Henley Women's regatta, having only recently switched discipline from sweep to sculling; they raced impressively and finished 30th in a very strong field. Meanwhile our girls J16 4x finished 16th in their event.

At Henley Royal Regatta our Boys’ squad raced excellently against Scotch College, Australia. The lead changed throughout the race, with Scotch College pipping the Borlase crew on the line by just 6 feet.

AUTUMN

On 28th September Borlase took to the water in their first Head Race of the Season, Wallingford Long Distance Sculls. The stand-out performances of the day came from our J18 Quad of Ben Furley, Ben Jackson, Ed O'Neill and Sam Nicklin, who took victory in their event. Our J15 Boys 4x+ of Willem Bateson, Hector Downes, Ed Ridley, Billy Dhariwal and cox Will Shipton Jones also took victory, while our girls J15 4x+of Maya Jackson, Sofia HeardNorrish, Eliza Seymour, Emily Tremelling and cox Eden Hunt, finished 5th.

At Reading Head, Borlase achieved 4 event wins: IM 4x Jackson, Furley, Nicklin,O'Neill; J15 4x+ Downes, Dhariwal, Greene, Stephens, Andrea (Cox); J17 2x Lennard, Francis; J18 1x Jackson.

In November, five of our athletes - Ben J, Ben F, Ethan, Ana and Giulia - were selected to participate in the Great Britain Long Distance Trials in Boston, Lincolnshire.

Hundreds of athletes from all over the country complete an ergo test (2,000m) with the top 150 boys and 125 girls selected to compete in the trial. The rowers all raced well in challenging conditions.

In December we took a record 80 athletes to the British Indoor Rowing Championships at the Olympic Park Velodrome in London. Thousands of spectators filled the stands to watch the athletes race. For our Year 9 squad it was their first competitive race for Borlase. Our J18 squad took a hard earned silver medal in the relay.

SPORTS

HEAD OF THE CHARLES REGATTA

For the first time, Borlase entered The Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, USA, one of the biggest regattas in the world. Our 3 crews joined nearly 12,000 athletes from 26 countries to compete on the 4.8km course from the Boston University Boathouse to Belmont Hill School Boat Club. The race passes through 5 big bends and under 6 bridges, and his year, the amazing weather encouraged over 350,000 spectators to line the banks and cheer on the crews.

HOME TRAINING

Although the lockdown has resulted in the cancellation of all rowing activities, the boat club has had a strong online training and racing presence. Many of our squad members have rowing machines at home and we assigned as many rowing machines as we could for our rowers to take home. Our squads meet regularly online to train together, encourage each other and compare scores.

In March we entered the World Erg Challenge, an international competition to see how far a team of rowers can row on a rowing machine in one month.

Borlase finished 24th out of 721 teams from all over the world and a fantastic 2nd in the school’s category.

The 97 members of Team Borlase covered over 8 million meters and finished ahead of Eton College and the Polish National team.

In April we entered the Spring VIII Series which consists of 6 weekly erg challenges. Borlase finished in 2nd place, beating crews from Australia, New Zealand, Germany and America.

Mr Wilkinson

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FOOTBALL BOYS’ FOOTBALL

BU12: This season we did really well and it is not just the results that matter - it is that we are a team. The most memorable game was our first; we were all nervous but excited about representing Borlase and put in a great team performance which gave us all confidence for matches to come. Henry Coombs and Alexis Besnard were our stand-out players this year, both helping us perform well in matches.

Rio Oatut BU13: We were confident after our unbeaten last season, but had to adapt to the change from 9-a-side to 11-a-side. We started the season with a home game to Thorpe House. We tried out many different players and all of them did very well in adapting to the larger game, and we were in good spirits going into the next game against an improved Shiplake College. We put in a great team performance, with notable individual displays from Jack Johnson, who got a hat-trick, and debutant Joe Reid, who played as if he had been in the team for a long time.

Next we had to face Princes Risborough, who again had improved on last year. We started a little slowly, going behind, but as the game went on, we got into it and managed to put in another good performance, Jack Johnson with another hat-trick. Our fourth and final game was against Great Marlow and we were expecting a very tough battle. They were the stronger team in the first half deservedly going up 1-0. It stayed that way for the rest of the game until the last 5 minutes, but we were all determined not to break our unbeaten run and managed to grab an equalizer in the dying moments; real show of the character by the side.

We are proud of what we achieved this year and I would like to congratulate the whole team, especially the players who had not played football for the school before.

Sam Puddephatt BU14: The U14 boys had a really good start to the season, and it was interrupted just when it was about to really kick on, which was disappointing for everyone.

More than 30 boys regularly attended training, which made selection hard and squad rotation crucial to help keep everyone involved. In their game against Cressex, the team played very well to control possession and territory. The boys capitalised on the mistakes that they were able to force from the opponent, ensuring a victory.

Mr Duggan BU15: After 3 years playing in a squad together, we’ve built a strong and reliable team chemistry and this has been proven via the results the team has gathered within this short season.

Our first game was away at Cressex which we won 9-2,

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with goals being scored by Irfan Totakhill, Zac Bayliss, Freddie Pollard and Joe Ovens. We began to switch off in the first half with a three goal lead, and ended that period only 3-1 up. In the second half, we put the left and right flanks to good use, exposing their full backs with long balls down the line to the likes of Ryo Punwani and Irfan, and managed to bag 6 goals, conceding only 1 to a wild half volley from the middle of the pitch. In our second, and final, game we came up against Sir William Ramsay.

Last year we just about managed to scrape a 3-3 draw against them; this year we won a hard fought 4-1 victory, with goals coming from Zac Bayliss and Irfan Totatkhill.

Throughout the game we held a strong defensive line, consistently taking advantage of the offside trap to render their long balls over the top useless.

Every member of the squad played consistently, although I have to give an honourable mention to Joe Starkey for going in goal for both games when no one else wanted to, and putting in a great effort.

Ben Skelton BU18: This season saw the introduction of a new coach, John Cullen, a young squad, and Dominic Reid and Thomas Crockett as Captain and Vice Captain. We had a somewhat rocky start, with some very undeserved results. However, a brilliant comeback against Aylesbury Grammar proved a turning point, and started a great run that saw just one defeat in the final seven games.

The highlight of the season has to be the 2-0 win over Shiplake College, which was a solid performance from the 11 available, with many of the players unavailable due to exams. A battle to gain control of the game and then put Shiplake away. Great opener from Dom and then some sensible game management to see it out.

Special mentions to Noah Fletcher, who stepped up from Year 11 and became a key player throughout the season, and to Jake Ward as top goal scorer, which included a brilliant hat trick and important goals. Thanks also go out to John, who stepped up to coach us, and worked fantastically with the lads. A thoroughly enjoyable season, with great camaraderie and some brilliant football.

Dom Reid

GIRLS’ FOOTBALL

GU13: An incredibly successful season was crowned by reaching the County Cup final. We played 6 matches, scored 32 goals and conceded only 2, both in the finals match in the WWFC tournament. A handful of us were scouted and invited for tryouts after the tournament. All of the players have worked very hard throughout the season. We have specifically worked on improving the pace of the game, passing around the players, running for every ball, looking for space and running until we ensure our win.

Although we are a team, there are a few individuals

SPORTS who have stood out this season. Firstly, our talented goalkeeper Amelie Furphy-Yamazaki, who has most definitely saved us more than once; her perseverance and confidence make her an amazing team player and goalie. Secondly, Hannah MacDiarmid has shown great dedication and commitment, running up and down the pitch and dribbling around players double her size. Every time she steps on the pitch she’s determined to score.

Sadly we cannot play the County Cup final against Great Marlow, but we are very proud of our team’s superb performance.

Daniela Yakubovich & Ruby Duncan

GU14: Over the season, we have played a number of schools with mixed results, but most importantly, we became tighters as a team and played the game in good spirits.

This year we entered the English Schools’ Football Association Cup. Having won the first three rounds, a win in the fourth round would take us further in the competition than any other Borlase team. After leading 2-0 at half time, our performance dropped a little but we pulled together as a team and managed to grind out a 2-1 victory.

Round 5 put us up against last year’s winners, Shenfield High School. This turned out to be a very close, competitive match which could have gone either way. The game was decided in the last few moments when, unfortunately, we conceded and bowed out of the cup. Nonetheless, we are all proud of what we achieved: scoring 23 goals in 5 games and conceding only 3. Special mention must be made of Triti Panda, who was a crucial centre back in our eleven-a-side team, and the most improved player.

Rebecca Hesketh GU15: After dominating the local Cressex league last season the team had a much bigger challenge this year as U15s - the County Cup. After beating Misbourne 6-0 and losing to the former winners, Chesham Grammar 6-2, our progress depended on our match against Wycombe High. Despite missing a few players Borlase played well and had a goal disallowed in the first half, but Wycombe High managed to secure in the second half, eliminating us from the Cup. The season still ended on a very positive note as Ruby Paish, Naomi Tilley, Rebecca Hesketh, Natasha Rasmussen, Millie Elwood and Manasi Athwal played with the Borlase U18 team, beating Magdalen College 6-0, followed by a 5-0 win against Bradfield College The squad has improved a lot and is ready for a bigger challenge next year. Massive thanks to everyone who played this season, and our coach, Mr Robertson, who is always providing us with opportunities.

Mansai Athwal GU18: Following our defeat in the Cup to an impressive Sandringham side, our season epitomised our attitude and belief, and the girls pulled together to produce a hard working and talented team which produced the results to show for it.

I have never seen a more dedicated group of players on a pitch; their competitiveness and drive really shone through during every match. We were lucky to have the additional help of Year 11 player Poppy Morgan who continued to commit to our team and score a number of goals. Our goalie Eilidh Duncan was also a great asset to the team.

We had a number of moments worth mentioning during our matches, such as Millie Catchpole’s ability to fall after every tackle, Sophia Rios’ and Cassie Halpin’s headers, as well as Georgie Watkins’ powerful right foot. Leah Tilley's diversity is also worth a creditable mention as she produced WOTM performances in the defence but could step up into the midfield when needed. The season most certainly did end on a positive note after a 6-0 win away at Magdalen College School. We would have never had this much success if it wasn’t for the girls’ dedication and love for football, as well as the continued support of Mr Robertson.

Georgie Watkins

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SPORTS

NETBALL

GU12: As our first season comes to an abrupt close, we can look back on our magnificent first year with great triumph and pride. We were undefeated in the league, with over 70 goals scored in only 6 matches, none of which were played in the school grounds.

We played in some rough conditions, and, more than once, we couldn’t bring our full squad to matches. We played in some freezing conditions, such as when playing against Pipers Corner. One of the highlights of the year was against Great Marlow. We were down 1 player due to illness. It was a hard game, with Eloise Hillebrand marking 2 people, as well as playing centre. Despite being only 6 people, we really pulled through and won 6-11!

GU14A: We managed to win 6 out of 9 of our matches, only losing to the tough St Michael’s and Wycombe High, who went on to win the District Tournament. Each match we played we improved our play as individuals and, more importantly, as a team. This showed in our amazing play at the District Tournament at the end of the season, when we beat St Michael’s who we had lost to at the start of the season. The team’s commitment really paid off and we ended up placing 3rd in the tournament. The whole team is brilliant, of course, but Maisy Mathieson-Spires and Amelie Wild worked amazingly together in defence and won lots of interceptions, and Imogen Cole barely missed a goal.

Helena Kennedy

Bea Minter

GU13A: The most memorable games was our first match against Great Marlow; we were able to really bind together as a team and came away with a win. It got us all excited about our future games. One of our best matches was against Wycombe High U13B, which we won 17-1. This game stood out to me because it was after a loss and we all wanted to prove something so we went out and played amazingly; I think one reason we won was because we had great communication and teamwork. One of our best players is Elsa Lamping; she is a great defender and everyone on the team knows that if the ball is anywhere near her she always ends up getting it.

Amelia Warburton GU13B: We had a rocky start as we were adapting to the new season and improving our game, and lost 3-11 and 1-9 against Bourne End Academy and St Michaels.

But as we polished our game, we saw our scores and performances improve. We learnt how each player played and their style. Near the end of the season, we mixed up positions, with nearly everyone trying out a new place.

This really helped us find the right places to play.

Emily Tucker

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GU14 B: We have improved so much as a team and won 2 out of the 4 games we played. Our first matches were tight and tense affairs with Sir William Ramsey and Great Marlow School We were able to pull through as a team and win. Against Wycombe High a slow start really cost us but we worked together as a group to improve as the match went on. Despite losing the game, we were proud of what we had shown. The highlight of our season was the District Tournament. We were tied with another school for 2nd place so it went to goal difference and the other school had one more goal than us, so we came 3rd.

Triti Panda GU15: We really came together this year and built great team chemistry. Although we struggled to find players to make a squad of 9, with a core squad of 7 we managed, and we are all proud of each other and what we’ve achieved.

We won all of our matches, with some respectable scores, including 28-11 against Great Marlow. We took 2nd place in the District Tournament, losing to Wycombe Abbey by 2 points, however this fired us all up and we came out fighting for the remaining matches. Our match against Wycombe High, we knew would be intense, but

SPORTS we put in a great performance and did not make it easy for them.

Krishni Chavda

GU16: At the start of the season we challenged ourselves with a tournament against unfamiliar private schools and a match against a touring team from South Africa. The experience and abundance of tall athletic girls from these teams really pushed us, and although we didn’t get the result we hoped, it allowed us to bond as a team and work on our tournament play.

As the season progressed, we had some fantastic results including 35-10 against Great Marlow and 17-9 against Princes Risborough and won 5 of our 6 games, so when the District Tournament came about we were confident and prepared. There was brilliant play from all the girls with multiple standout performances despite missing our star shooter through injury. With fair court time for everyone and lots of position switches, we ended up placing second, sadly just missing out by one goal against Wycombe Abbey. Olivia Hall and Hannah Dawkins pulled

out some impressive shooting statistics over the year, backed up by formidable midcourters Immy Duguid, Rosie Harris, Ella Dyson and Ana Graham, and not forgetting Charlotte Dudley and Caitlin Sadie backing me up in the defensive end against the opposing towering shooters. I would also like to commend some of the younger players who helped us out immensely this year when some girls couldn’t commit due to the busy Year 11 schedules.

Molly Edmondson GU18: The girls played really well in a number of fixtures over the course of the season. They had victories early in the season over Dr Challoner’s and Berkshire College of Agriculture before suffering narrow defeats to Wycombe Abbey and Wycombe High. They finished the league season with a win against Great Marlow. The highlight of their season had to be the County round of the National Schools competition. The girls played brilliantly throughout the tournament, winning some close fixtures and ensuring they were always competitive, and it was great to see them secure the bronze medal for their efforts.

Mr Duggan

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SPORTS

HOCKEY GIRLS’ HOCKEY

GU12 A: It has been a really great season for the GU12.

We managed to qualify for the regionals and came second in the qualifiers. I think one of our biggest achievements was against Dr Channellors. The first time we played them they won by 8-0. We then worked very hard (especially on our short corners) and when we met them in the County Cup they only beat us 1-0, so we knew that we had improved massively. Another great match was against Godolphin and Latymer. Congratulations to Player of the Season, Eloise, and Charlotte Hesketh, Most Improved!

beating all of them including Great Marlow 3-0, meaning that we became the County champions! Everyone played amazingly, with Mia as goalkeeper who saved nearly all the shots that came her way, Ellie, Gracie and Anna as a strong defense, Hattie, Lyla, Holly and Freya as a

quick-minded midfield and Lily and Megan as goalhungry attack. We only conceded two goals and scored a stonking 18 goals in 6 games. In March we competed in the Regional rounds against some of the country's strongest school teams. We were put in a tough pool and won 1, drew 2 and lost 2 by fine margins. We ended entering into the plate, where we won our first game then had a hard game which we just lost 1-0. After playing some amazing hockey and setting the day's record for the largest goal difference in a game (5-0) we came 3rd in the plate competition, which was a good result.

Bo Ridley GU12 B: We have had a good season and we have all had lots of fun playing hockey with our friends, and we have learnt so much. Because it was our first season we decided to focus on improving our skills, rather than winning every match. We played a total of 15 matches; we won some, lost some and drew a few, but enjoyed them all., Lyra Shaffrey GU12 C: I enjoyed the first Borlase Hockey season because developing as an individual and team every week was amazing; we would help each other when we were losing - we had a great team spirit. I would like to mention Georgie Thatcher because she has improved so much and has helped the team a lot. Also Lauren is so joyful and is really good at defending the goal.

Bronte Brown GU13 A: In a shortened but successful season we played 13 games, winning 5, drawing 3 and losing 5, scoring a cracking 26 goals overall. In February we competed in our County rounds where we played all the local schools,

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Gracie Runcie GU13 B: We have had a really good season with lots of fun and friendship along the way. We started off by winning 3-2 against Pipers Corner and this really boosted our confidence. In our 12 matches we managed to score 28 goals and our best match was a 10-4 win against Dr Challoner’s.

Evie Ringrose GU13 C: We improved a lot this season and grew as a team. Although our results were not great, we had a good end to the year winning a friendly against Kingston Grammar 2-0. In January we went to Canterbury where we got coached by different coaches and had lots of fun.

We would like to say a big thank you to Sophie BowenEvans and Aggie Anderson for helping to coach us this year.

Malvika Mehta GU14: Throughout the season we have all developed individually and as a team through our constant communication, dedication, hard work and respect for each other. Even though we didn't win every match, our morale remained high all the way through the season.

One of our highlights was coming 2nd at the County tournament, and we ended on a high by winning the District tournament.

SPORTS This year we also got to experience a tour to Amsterdam which helped us bond as a squad and develop our teamwork.

Our Player of the Season was Katy Shaw, one of our amazing goalkeepers whose face was never missing a smile. Our Most Improved player was Mille West, due to her dedication and determination; both of these players proved themselves throughout the season and deserve huge congratulations.

Sophie Mactear GU16 OUTDOOR: In a very successful season we won 11 of our 16 full matches. We started the season at the County tournament hosted by Stowe School, a fun day which allowed us to work on different things we had been developing in training, but in a match environment, and also allowed us to bond as a team early on in the season. We won all of our matches, beating Great Marlow, Beaconsfield High, Wycombe High and Stowe to win the tournament.

This season was the first where we had knockout matches in the National Cup competition. Our first round was against Bradfield College which we won 9-0, giving us confidence going into the second round against Beaconsfield High which was a close 2-0 win.

Our third round match was against Headington and we lost 0-3, sadly meaning we were out of the competition.

Headington went on to reach the semi-finals, so it was still a good result and allowed us to learn lessons about teamwork, determination and resilience. During the season we played friendlies against teams like Beaconsfield High, Great Marlow, St Mary’s and Surbiton High. These matches meant everyone had match time across the season and with different teammates each time. The whole team has been brilliant and determined to succeed, all while having fun at the same time.

Immy Duguid GU16 INDOOR: We started the season with some players having never played indoor before, but ended with some excellent hockey and playing as a unit.

After impressive wins in training matches against Great Marlow and Beaconsfield High we qualified for the South

Regional Prelims. These took place at Aylesbury High and we recorded four wins and one defeat to qualify for the South Regional Heats which took place at City of London Freemen’s School. After beating the hosts in the first game, we drew 1-1 against St. George’s having dominated the match; we finished second on goal difference and made it through to the final round. In the South Regional Finals at St George’s, we lost 2-1 to Cranleigh after conceding in an overtime penalty corner, and then drew 2-2 with St Teresa’s. We finished the day with a 1-0 win over Kingston GS, finishing 3rd in our pool.

Our progress throughout the season has been amazing and so much effort has been put in by all of the players.

Lucy Barnes GU18 OUTDOOR: We began the season by gaining some very valuable and talented players like Katie, Becky, Beth and Lulu, who added great skill and determination to the team. We had a very mixed season, with some great results, and other tough results which helped our team to develop skills, and ways to work together to improve our team potential. Some of our best results were against teams such as Beaconsfield High, Surbiton High and Charterhouse; however a very close and tense loss against Teddies unfortunately knocked us out of the National Cup. I would also like to say a big thank you to Katy Shaw, who played in goal for us multiple times from Year 9; we very much appreciate your help and wish you luck in the future - you have great potential!

Ellie Yeomans GU18 INDOOR: The indoor season began by recruiting some new Y12 students, all of whom had never played indoor before. However this lack of experience was not apparent due to the girls dedication at training and Mr Chappell's countless YouTube tutorial sessions. Although the season was not as long as we had hoped, we had some great results against very well drilled teams at City of London Freeman’s School during the Regional round.

This included a very well contested game against Reigate Grammar which we won despite this being some of our girls’ first indoor game.

Gaby Crosby

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SPORTS

BOYS’ HOCKEY

BU12 A: We have all improved so much during our first season and have learned many new skills. We had so many people coming in and out of the squad throughout this season, and the team is very supportive the team never gives up. Although we started slowly, we ended the season on a high. We did not win a game until the very end against Great Marlow and Magdalen College.

We took that momentum into the County cup and all played so well that day that we won. Sadly, the Regional round was cancelled.

Hugh Ormond

and we finished well, winning 3 out of our last 4 matches, 4-1, 2-1 and 2-0. Thank you to all the coaches and players who made the year so enjoyable.

Asad Ali & Cormac Boden BU13 A: We really developed as players during a very high scoring season, with wins such as 7-1 and 9-0, though there were lows as well, including a 9-2 defeat

by Whitgift.

When it came to the County cup, there was a lot of excitement, but a loss to RGS in our first match, put us at risk. To progress we would have to win all our games, and with a large goal difference. After a stunning drag flick from Josh Covus secured us a win against John Hampden, we still had to beat Beacon by 8 goals or more. We played excellently to win 10-0 and in doing so qualified for the Regional finals. Another stand-out performer was Joe Reid, who deservedly won the Player of the Season award.

Oliver Green

BU12 B: The start of the season saw a mix of losses and wins, but over the course of the season we started to pick up the pace, securing consistent wins and very few losses. Out of the 13 fantastic games we played, we won 7, drew 2 and only lost 4 - including one 8-0 victory. Not bad for the first year playing hockey for many of us! Early in the season we lost 1-4 to Merchant Taylors School but later on we came back and beat them 7-5, which goes to show how much we improved as a team and on an individual level through the year.

Soichiro Lamsdale BU12 C: To me, hockey is not about winning, it is about practising and getting better. Before Christmas, we were not focused, and our playing was not great, but when the coaches persistently taught us, we eventually grew as a team, and started winning more. We may not win every match, but we learn something new every time.

The coaches give us great feedback, telling us how to improve and have brought many people happiness, as we can now play very well.

Charlie Russell BU12 D: We won some matches and lost some, but it didn’t really matter if we lost or won because we had fun.

Everyone was good and learned a lot during the season

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BU13 B: This season has been a struggle. We lost most of our games except one against Dr Challoner’s which we won 5-2. But it was never about the scoreline; it was about enjoyment and getting better, and during this season we have developed as a team and are progressing towards playing better hockey through improved communication and trying not to get frustrated during matches. Alex Ley has been a phenomenal captain this season and is the rock at the back of our defense who’s always giving advice and trying to bring the team together. Arav and Devirr have been doing a fantastic job of pushing height on the pitch and also taking shot opportunities whenever they receive the ball. But, for me at least, Will Baker has been playing the best hockey, consistently trying to create space and opportunities for everyone on the pitch.

Callum Rayner

SPORTS BU13 C: Although we only managed to win one of our matches (3-1 against Shiplake) we never gave up and continued to try our best throughout the season. Some players, like Mohit Babu and Stanley Sparrow, who joined this year have become some of the best players in the team, and Flynn Stevenson-Bunney and Toby Dickinson were voted the best players for their skills in defence and their sportsmanship. However, hockey is a team game and all of the team have great skills and qualities.

Toby Dickinson BU14 A: Considering it was our first year of 11-a-side, we adjusted very well and made massive progress throughout the season. We had a tough start facing some strong opponents such as Whitgift and Kingston Grammar, but we gained in confidence as the season progressed and ended up winning 9 out of 15 games and scoring 61 goals. In October we travelled to Holland on a magnificent tour to play against some quality Dutch teams and did well to get a 100% winning record. We had a great time and by the end of the tour we had improved our hockey, our fitness and our love for the game.

We had an outstanding Bucks Cup winning all our games without conceding a goal, and felt very confident and motivated going forward to regionals. Unfortunately, the Regional cup was not our day, and we lost all our games.

Alex Greener was our Player of the Season, and Seb Hillebrand the Most Improved.

George Evans & Joe Carlyle-Hoggan

BU14B: During the season we improved dramatically, both in our hockey skills and teamwork. Despite starting the season with a heartbreaking defeat on penalties to The Perse School we regrouped and won our next two matches 3-1 and 4-2 against Stowe and West London Free School. The middle of the season saw a fantastic run of three wins in a row against RGS, Magdalen College School and John Lyon. In January, with our confidence riding high, we went to the County tournament at Stowe and played phenomenally, beating two schools. However, in our final match, we played Great Marlow A team. After an early lead in the match they took the upper hand and sadly we could not secure the victory. Despite this loss

we were placed second in the tournament, which overall was a great result.

We have had many great goal scorers in our 9 matches this season, particularly Henry Johnston, Dylan Sylvester and Sam Furley.

Oliver Wiggins BU16 OUTDOOR: Going into this outdoor season, we knew that we had a squad that could achieve very well in the National Cup this year. Following promising friendly wins against Charterhouse, Whitgift and John Hampden, and a fortunate bye in the first round, we were drawn against Wellington College in the second round. We all knew how tough this game would be, but after a strong first half performance we were able to hold on to win 3-2.

In the next round, we had to travel to Kingston Grammar School, which resulted in flicks due to a lackluster 0-0 draw in normal time. Thanks to some amazing saves from Elliot Kent we managed to win 4-3, adding to coach Mike Irving’s record of always winning on flicks at Kingston. In the last 16 we drew St George’s Weybridge, who usually place very high in the cup. We were unfortunately outclassed in this game and lost 3-0, with two goals being well worked short corner routines.

The fantastic ability of our squad showed throughout the season, especially stand-out performers like Frederik Pollard, Chris Jackson and Elliot Kent.

Oliver Neal

BU16 INDOOR: After many 7am training sessions in the gym, we were becoming a very decent side going into the regional playoffs. A tough first game against RGS Guildford called on an Ed Ridley wonder goal to get a 1-1 draw. After that disappointment we proceeded to cruise through the remaining matches, beating RGS Wycombe, John Hampden and Magdalen College School. With 3 wins and a draw we finished top of the group going into the Regional Heats at St George's School. Following solid wins in the first two games we knew the third game against the hosts would be our toughest match yet and a last-minute penalty flick lost a hard-fought game.

Finishing the group in 2nd place we progressed to the South Region finals.

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SPORTS In our first game against a very strong Trinity College side we managed to hold out against the relentless short corners and a quick counter attack saw us snatch the game. We then lost a difficult second game against St Lawrence College 2-1, but a win in the final group game against Cranleigh, meant we proceeded into the semi finals where we played Whitgift School. With the game not going our way, we came out with a hard fought loss and into 3rd and 4th playoff where we won on flicks to take 3rd place.

Frederik Pollard

BU18 OUTDOOR: The season began with several intense and competitive friendlies against the best hockey schools around, including Whitgift, Reeds and an away day to Millfield. The County cup competition began with a 2-0 win over Reading Blue Coat with a team propped up by several Year 11s while the indoor team played in

a tournament elsewhere. Next, an away match against Bradfield was arguably our best game of the season; having gone 2-1 down we came back to win 3-2, helped by an incredible reverse stick shot by Tristan Rints.

Tristan also scored a brilliant goal in the County cup against RGS, securing his place as Most Improved Player of the season. The Player of the Season Award went to Ben Ferguson, with honourable mentions to Felix Wragg and Ben Hoggan who played big roles in the team as well. Unfortunately, we fell at the next hurdle and were knocked out of the cup by Abingdon. Other highlights of the season include playing in a warm-up match against Ipswich for the Varsity game between Oxford and Cambridge where Ed Tyler, a former Borlase captain, was captaining the Cambridge side.

The season finished with the County Cup, in which we came 2nd out of the 4 teams, having beaten John Hampden Grammar School and Royal Grammar School.

In all, it was a very good season even if the results didn’t always reflect that.

Ben Ferguson BU18 INDOOR: The season started with, well, few of us.

A pre-school training session of just 4 people, meant that we were not overly optimistic for the season to come.

However, the quality and determination that was shown by every individual on the pitch, combined with the spirit and chemistry of the squad off the pitch, ultimately led to yet another enjoyable and successful season.

The season kicked off with an indoor tournament at Charterhouse in which we emerged victorious, winning all of our games against Charterhouse, Reeds and RGS Guildford. This acted as a good foundation, and we therefore entered the South Regional Prelims with a fair amount of justified confidence, especially after beating MSC Oxford 4-3 in a friendly prior to the tournament.

After a brilliant display from the squad, and a couple of vicious drag flicks from Hoggan, Borlase yet again came out on top; winning all but one game - an unexpected loss to MSC Oxford. Still, morale remained high, and a bit of karaoke on the bus back to celebrate was evidence of this.

The season came to a close at the South Regional Heats, where we faced a very tough line-up and unfortunately lost to Whitgift and Lingfield; however, heads didn’t drop, and a 3-3 draw in an intense final game against Reeds showed the spirit of the squad - Reeds even went on to become National finalists!

Danny Burroughs

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SPORTS

CROSS-COUNTRY

This year, Borlase has had a very successful season in Cross Country. We started with an impressive 9 runners finishing in the top 25 of their races at Cross Country Cup, and both the Intermediate Boys’ and Intermediate Girls’ teams finished in 4th place. We also had great results at the Bucks County Championships, with Jemima Ridley, Ellen Cooper and Henry Johnston all qualifying for the County team. Jemima then had a very successful race, competing for the county at the English Schools Championships in Liverpool, where she finished 58th.

Congratulations to all the athletes who competed for the school.

Ellen Cooper

SWIMMING

It has been a relatively quiet year for the Girls’ swimming team, but a very successful one. All three age group teams competed at the ESSA regional heats, where our Junior team of Chloe, Helena, Rebecca and Ellie qualified to swim at the ESSA National Finals in London. All of our swimming teams competed very well at the various swimming galas over the course of the academic year.

We had Junior boys’ and girls’, along with Inter boys’ and girls’ teams competing at the Regional Finals, held during the Autumn Term in Watford. It was great to see so many students represent the school, some in their first races for Borlase. We now have a number of students, both male and female swimming competitively outside school and we hope we can continue to build on the successes of recent years.

ELLA WINS GOLD!

At the end of January, Ella Dyson (Year 11) represented the South East of England swimming team at the Luxembourg Euro Meet, her first international swim meet. As this was the first event at which swimmers could get 2020 Olympic qualifying times, it was a very high profile meet with many top-level and Olympian swimmers in attendance.

Ella's commitment to her training certainly reaped rewards and she won a gold medal in the 1500m freestyle race in the junior age group - an excellent achievement.

Congratulations Ella!

Mr Duggan

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SPORTS

SCHOOLS GAMES

Having been challenged to reframe competition nationally, the school games programme combined forces with John Hampden to produce a series of competitions throughout the year. The competitions have been fiercely contested all year with a large number of different school teams showcasing their abilities from a young age, secondary competitions in particular.

Borlase used the relevant school games competitions for a mixture of reasons this year and have continued to use them as a platform for students to explore sports that may otherwise not be available. Notable performances in the school games calendar came from the U13 Boys’ Squash team who came out as winners of squash event, as well as the U12 Girls being victorious in their football tournament. As always, next year we are planning to go bigger and better with the school games calendar, however adapting to the times will prove to be a large step. No doubt the Borlase contingency will be up to the challenge!

Mr Sewell umpire the matches, collect and analyse the scores and deliver some coaching. We wish them all the very best for their final year at Borlase and beyond.

Miss O’Hara & Mrs Porter

BASKETBALL

BU13: Before the season was cut short due to world problems, the boys took part in a very entertaining match against Great Marlow. A great block from Dom Monger, who held down our defense, as well as some excellent drives into the paint by Sam Puddephat created opportunities that helped us secure a convincing 10-5 victory.

Reuben H-Cubitt & Michael Tether

SPORTS LEADERS

This year Borlase enrolled seven Year 12 students in the Sports Leader UK Level 2 Leadership Award. The group quickly bonded and delivered mini badminton lessons to several primary schools culminating in a badminton competition held in the gym at Borlase. The students then progressed to plan and deliver hockey lessons to junior students. Just before breaking up for the Easter break, the leaders went to Marlow CE Infants School and delivered multi skills lessons with Year 1 students, concentrating on developing agility, balance and coordination skills.

Due to school closure and the practical nature of this qualification, the remainder of the curriculum will be covered in the Autumn Term. The Leaders will focus on teaching running and jumping skills and culminate in the leaders running a hockey competition for all the local primary schools in which they will manage the process,

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BU14: The team started quite late in the season but there was a big sense of excitement when it came to our first fixture against Highcrest. Having never played them before we didn't really know what to expect. By the end of the first quarter, we were up by quite a bit but kept

SPORTS the total score. Alex Elliott controlled the pace of the game and found some brilliant passes as the point guard, one of those being for Thomas Crockett’s big 3-pointer.

Captain Toby King was also 100% from the free throw line, and the second highest scorer. The squad was starting to bond and understand each other’s roles; for half of the team this was the first time playing in a while too. It was disappointing that coronavirus put a stop to the season, as we really feel our team would’ve left a statement on the schools in the area finishing the season undefeated.

Toby King & Dede Okoro

SPORT AND PE FACILITIES

pushing and won 45-21. We were all ecstatic about the result and happy that all of our training had paid off.

Not long after the first match, we went to play Dr Challoner’s. We knew that this match wouldn't be easy but we had trained hard and were feeling confident. The match started a bit rough, and we conceded some points, and by the halfway mark we were down by around 15 points. We rallied in the second half and by the fourth quarter the gap was closing slowly, but not enough.

Although we lost, this was one of the team’s best games as we really had to work for the points.

Special mention to BU13 Reuben Hudson-Cubitt who helped the team for both fixtures despite playing against players a year older.

Adam & Rayan Ghani BU18: The team were looking very promising with a solid squad and won their first game against Dr Challoner’s without one of their star players, Callum Joseph. Dede Okoro dominated the game, his size and ferocity on the rebounds grabbing 18 points for the team - almost half

Borlase Sport and PE has excelled in recent years in spite of limited facilities. As a result of a lot of hard work behind the scenes, led by Miss Mountfield, the school has been able to secure planning permission and the finances to upgrade our facilities.

The work started this year, with our netball courts being pulled up. This has been replaced by a new grass football pitch which will act as a junior football pitch once the grass seed has fully grown through. The next stage was our ‘old astro’ being replaced with a hard court surface. We were fortunate to play a few netball fixtures before school closed and this will be a multi-use facility with netball and tennis primarily being played there. During the lockdown more building work commenced with the construction of a new hockey astro on Home Meadow. This will be a top class facility that we have not had on the school site for a long time and will really help to drive our hockey forward.

It will be heavily used throughout the school day and by multiple sports. The final scheduled piece of work will be the construction of our brand new Sports Hall which will provide us with a classroom, fitness suite, changing rooms and a much needed full size sports hall. This will completely revolutionise what we can offer within PE lessons, the fixtures we can host and the opportunities that we will be able to give all students and staff. We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed to the planning and construction of all the facilities.

Mr Duggan

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DUKE OF EDINBURGH

DUKE OF EDINBURGH

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Sir William Borlase continues to go from strength to strength, with 210 students from Years 9 to 12 starting their Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards this year. The year started off with Bronze students getting their awards finalised and finished ready for their presentation and awards evening which was a big success with a wide range of presentations.

Although there has been a slight setback this year, we are still planning and working towards our awards with all expeditions having been rearranged.

Since September we have had 126 awards being achieved. 85 Bronze, 26 Silver and 15 Gold which is fantastic and there are so many more almost completed!

I would like to say thank you to all of the staff who have supported me this year, as well as Mrs Sadie, Ms Morris and Mrs Garrow in the administration office; the programme would not be possible without all of their help and support.

Mr Stevens, Duke of Edinburgh Coordinator

GOLD EXPEDITION

A tough journey of ups and downs, many laughs and memorable moments, with many life lessons learnt.

Bonding with new people and making new friends. A great accomplishment. Couldn’t have done it without Graham who kept us going. Favourite moment being when we got pizzas one night, and of course reaching the top of Pen Y Fan and Snowdon.

Following the practice expedition to the Brecon Beacons in early July, the two Gold Award walking groups headed to Snowdonia in late August to complete their assessed expedition.

Over 4 days and 4 nights the group really bonded, through blisters, Graham’s questionable music choices and challenging weather conditions including the freezing climb up the Watkin Path to the summit of Mount Snowdon on the last day. Overall, it was a fantastic experience which promoted physical and mental endurance.

Lucie Pryor The expedition could not have happened without ‘Bryn the bus’ and Mrs Pryor’s amazing driving. No country lane was too narrow, field too muddy or mountain pass too steep. Undaunted, Bryn and Mrs Pryor conquered Snowdonia!

Overall, this was the best Gold DofE expedition I have been on (apart from the weather on summit day!) because of the team spirit, the fun, and the camaraderie.

Thank you Mrs Pryor, Graham and the sixth form for a memorable week.

Raphael Conte

Miss Holmes

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STEM

(Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths)

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STEM

STEM AT BORLASE STEM PREFECTS’ REPORT

When we took over from the previous STEM prefects, Alex and Sara, we were very excited about the year to come. We had great plans for all we could do to promote STEM at Borlase and looked forward to sharing our excitement with everyone!

We organised the successful promotion of the STEM societies to the new and returning year 12s, as well as a few dedicated younger years and helped support each of the societies each week. Although it was very sad to say goodbye to the Year 13 leaders in December, it was very exciting to meet all of the new Year 12 leaders, who had so many creative and interesting ways of sharing their passion for their area of science. We really enjoyed helping to organise the STEM Fayre, and it was very hard to choose winners from all the amazing different environmental-related CREST Awards that the Year 7s had researched and produced.

Despite many of our plans being derailed by coronavirus (specifically the cancellation of our annual celebration, the STEM Dinner), we have loved seeing all the new virtual societies, who in true Borlase spirit, have continued their presentations and discussions online.

Our biggest thanks have to go to Mrs Barclay - thanks for all your help and advice, and we hope to see your Greta costume in person next year! We would also like to thank all the teachers and technicians who have helped us out in many different ways, as well as all the Year 13 STEM enthusiasts, who (sometimes) made our job a lot easier.

We hope to see all of you next year, and hope we are invited back to the STEM Dinner!

Alex, Georgia, Nav and Stevie I was thrilled to be chosen as one of the STEM prefects for this year and have loved working with my fellow STEM prefects to help coordinate many different events.

When I joined Borlase for Sixth Form, I wasn’t entirely sure of what I wanted to study, but I had always been interested in studying to become a vet. In my first month, I went to the STEM Cell, and decided to ask the librarian about choosing a university course. I walked away from my chat with Mrs Barclay with many ways to widen my knowledge, and I decided to commit to applying for Veterinary Medicine.

I have found the school and the STEM department in particular to be incredibly enthusiastic about encouraging me to pursue my particular interests, such as assisting me to set up my own society, Vet Soc, helping to organise the chick hatching project in the summer term of Year 12 and also through enabling numerous rat dissections at various points in the year! I was also able to help others, through the mentoring programme and the STEM Cell’s

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book donation to Beechview. Some of my other personal favourites included the chance to take part in both the Biology and Chemistry Olympiads and our trips to different universities and science conferences.

After much interview practice and proofreading of my personal statement, as well as a lot of hard work, I have been offered the opportunity to read Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, starting in September 2020. Looking back, this was my ideal course and university when I was about 7 years old, so it feels like I have been able to fulfil a lifelong dream! Although I will miss my friends, teachers and the support staff who have helped me to develop in so many ways, I look forward to returning to the school in the years to come. I can’t wait to find out who the new STEM prefects are, and I hope they find their tasks as enjoyable as I did.

Georgia Mill

STEM AWARDS

Sadly we had to cancel our STEM dinner this year, but as the STEM Awards had already been made, we decided to present them virtually in The Borlasian.

Please welcome our special guest virtual presenter, Greta Thunberg.

STEM The 2020 Computing STEM Award, made by Alex Huxley and Mr Win, goes to Alfie Stafford.

The 2020 Chemistry STEM Award, made by the Chemistry Team & KS3 Technicians, goes to Miles Davies.

The 2020 Physics STEM Award, made by our Physics Technician Mr Horne, goes to Myles Caddell.

The 2020 Biology STEM Award, inspired by the Biology Team, goes to Georgia Mill.

Congratulations to all our winners. We promise to get the actual trophies to you just as soon as we can!

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STEM

STEM FAYRE

Inspired and empowered by David Attenborough’s recent series, ‘Seven Worlds, One Planet’, and Greta Thunberg’s words to the Houses of Parliament, “The moment we decide to fulfill something, we can do anything,” our Year 7s had spent the last two months carrying out their own environment-based research and experiments. At truly STEMTASTIC evening we watched our young students be excited about cleaning dirty water and making their own sunscreen to save coral reefs from being damaged, and listened to debates about whether shopping online is better for the environment and scientific discussions about how we feel about eating Lab grown meat.

We were particularly delighted to have two old Borlasians back with products from their shop FourState in Marlow and are grateful to them for sponsoring one of the prizes. We are also very grateful to The Old Borlasian Club for the donation of a new STEM Fayre Winners Cup and for funding all of the prizes.

There were so many excellent projects it was really difficult to choose the winners. Well done to all, particularly our prize winners…

Overall Winner and Old Borlasian Prize Josh Mustard & Oscar Walker - Anaerobic Digestion Overall Runner-up Jake Britton - The Melting World Mrs Barclay’s STEM Award Maya Misra - Can Biodegradable plastic be produced for retail?

Mary Mosley & Georgina Lee - Natural Soaps Tech Award Soichiro Lamsdale - Stirling Engines FourState Prize Kaspar Ostbye-Strom - Causes and Effects of Deforestation Savannah Mason & Isabella Ashton - The Seedy Solution for Saving the Planet Physics Harley Hillier & Ben Critchlow - Are Drought Balls good for our EcoSystem?

Environmental Bartley Rackard - Rooftop Garden Biology Anna Dixon & Eloise Hillebrand - Perfect Packaging - Edible Plastics Chemistry Mei Babes - Homemade Suncream

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FINLAND TRIP

STEM During February Half Term, 23 Year 8 and 9 students went on an amazing expedition to Finland. We experienced many fantastic activities including snow-shoeing, cross country skiing and even husky sledding. The facilities were amazing and we had lots of downtime to bond and play games. It was great because you became so close to everyone, even people who you had never spoken to before. The age gap between us didn’t make a difference.

Even though we were split up during the activities, we were together in the morning, at meals and in the evening. One of the highlights was the sauna. Every cabin had a sauna, but it was really fun when we went to the communal saunas, where we played dares and rolled in the snow. Let's just say lying in the snow in your swimsuit hurts, but you forget about that when you’re having so much fun! We also played countless snowball fights. Fair to say, snowballing a teacher is literally the best thing ever.

One night we went down to the turf cabin, an incredible place, and participated in a Finnish tradition. We were given a Finnish name and cooked sausages on the fire.

After, we lay on the frozen lake and stargazed underneath the constellations and the Northern Lights. Magical.

Probably the most sensational thing we will ever see.

So many hilarious things happened: Miss Leibowitz was ambushed with snowballs and Miss Rayner broke a snow-shoeing pole, fell in a ditch, and created a fire which resulted in the fire brigade coming!

On the last day, the two metre deep snow that was on top of the reception and dining hall fell down. Our instructors, Nick and Alex, decided to create a magical cave which had a little tunnel leading to a room. They lit small candles and placed them in little dents in the wall.

Overall, there was a beautiful atmosphere and we had an experience we will never forget. It was such a privilege to go. Best trip ever!

Natasha Rasmussen, Darcey Skelton, Keani Choi

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YOUNG SCIENTIST OF THE YEAR

At Borlase we believe that hard work, commitment and achievement in science should be recognised. That’s why we are delighted that Georgia Mill (Biology), Anastasia Emelyanenko (Chemistry), Myles Caddell (Physics) and Max Brazier (Computer Science) were awarded the prestigious title of Young Scientists of the Year at a ceremony hosted by Science Oxford. The Young Scientist of the Year Awards, held at Bucks New University, featured some of the county's most outstanding Year 13 Science students, based on progress made during their A-Level courses or in recognition of their enthusiasm and commitment to the subject. They were presented with certificates and listened to a variety of fascinating and inspirational speakers on AI, game development, the future of batteries, astrophysics and space exploration.

The event was a fantastic opportunity to meet and talk with other young scientists.

SCIENCE OXFORD STEM INSIGHT WEEK

Two Year 10 Students - Rebecca Johnny and Irfan Totakhil had an amazing opportunity when they attended the STEM Insight week organised by Science Oxford.

One of the highlights was a visit to the £115 million ultra-modern Big Data Institute (BDI), an interdisciplinary

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research institute that focuses on the analysis of large, complex data sets into the causes, prevention and treatment of disease. The 20 research groups working at BDI analyse and evaluate data for large clinical research studies to identify associations between lifestyle, genetic variants, infections and health outcomes around the world, potentially improving the everyday lives of millions.

The scientists – from a wide range of research areas – based at the centre often create headlines for their work like – “Pan-Cancer Project discovers causes of previously unexplained cancers”, or “Modelling research informs new WHO roadmap for neglected tropical diseases.”

The morning visit to BDI included talks on research from two studies – one on how people spend their time and their associated risk of developing a heart attack or stroke and one on research into Alzheimer’s and dementia. A great insight for our Year 10 students on how to collect, measure and interrogate data and the ins and outs of doing a PhD or detailed study. We also had a tour and talk on the state-of-the-art four-storey building, including its huge servers and specially-designed heating and cooling system, known as “the labyrinth”. After all that, we enjoyed a presentation by the Head of IT Infrastructure, Dave Ewart, known as the “computer guy”, who gave us the low-down on his role in maintaining equipment for the huge number of staff based at BDI. We learnt so much about the computer science industry and possible careers. We met lots of staff that gave a lot of information about how they got to where they are now, what qualifications are needed, and what they do.

The STEM week was amazing, every day we went to two different companies that were related to computer science and technology and listened to the staff talk about what the company does on a daily basis.

Day 1: In the morning we went to the Oxford STEM centre for an introduction to the week and talked to the other students. There were 15 of us in total from many different schools. Then in the afternoon, we went to the INTEL office in Marlow. They manufacture motherboard chipsets, network interface controllers and integrated circuits, flash memory, graphics chips and embedded processors. We also learnt how they encrypt passwords and how hackers learn to decrypt them as well.

Day 2: In the morning we went to Microbit Oxford Centre, where we got to play with and program micro bits in python. Later, we got a talk from one of the creators of the micro bit and he told us about the challenge and journey of creating and making one for the BBC. Later that day we went to McAfee. This was our favourite part of the week. We got a tour around the office and a talk from one of the interns and we learnt about her journey through uni to doing an internship at McAfee. Then we got the chance to learn how to hack ourselves, by typing code and commands which were later transferred to the computer through Bluetooth connection. It's scary how something could easily be hacked just by having your

STEM computer connected to an everyday Bluetooth device like a speaker or mouse. They showed us that they store all the viruses they discover in servers and there were rows and rows of hard drives stored with viruses.

Day 3: In the morning we stayed at the Oxford STEM building and we listened to one of the workers of Imageworks, who talked us through the process of web designing and the creating and coding of websites and how to project it to customers and take feedback. We thought it was very interesting and especially when he showed us one of the current game apps he was working on.

Later that day we went to STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and they studied particle physics, scientific computing, laser development, space research and technology. They also had many servers but not to store viruses but scientists' research and information and lots of data. It was really interesting to see what they were researching and data they were handling. We then got to program Arduinos and used components like resistors and LEDs to try and make an alarm system and a temperature system with different LEDs. Day 4: The next day we went to the Big Data Institute which is a part of oxford university and the research centre focuses on the analysis of large and complex data sets for research into causes and consequences, prevention and treatment of disease. We had talks from different workers, one was analysing data and trends of how sleep, exercise and rest was linked to risk of heart disease, another was researching into Alzheimer's and created an app to detect early signs of it in people, and the last talk was given by a technician who analyses data there and has to code things in his everyday work life.

Day 5: This was the last day and we visited a small company named Olumalu, a website design company. I found it very interesting how websites are created from scratch and coded with languages like python, C#, PHP, HTML, Java and JavaScript.

We found this week very useful and we learnt a lot about the computing, science and technology industry and this week gave us a massive insight into careers in computing which we look forward to striving towards.

Rebecca Johnny & Irfan Totakhil

BIOLOGY IN ACTION

Held at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster, Biology in Action gave Year 12 students the chance to hear a variety of opinions and learn more about Biology in the wider world.

Students learnt about how we smell and how to hack the genetic code. Darren Logan explained how our chemical receptors determine our palate and more; that chemical sense provides a personalised perception of the world and also how it keeps us alive and predicts our demise.

Physiology and genetics were swiftly followed by ‘The Evolution of Mammals’. Did you know that milk is a form of sweat? And platypuses sweat their milk for their young on their stomachs? We didn’t! The hands-down favourite was ‘Hacking the Code of Life’ with Nessa Carey using CRISPR. Having focused on smell and lactation before lunch, we moved onto what your faeces can tell us about your health, debunking myths on probiotics and celebrity diets. We rounded the day off with Greg Foot’s ‘How can we Feed our Planet?’ challenging students to overcome their prejudices and give lab-grown meat, insects and meatless burgers a try.

Georgia Mill

BRITISH BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD

The BBO challenges and stimulates students from around the world with an interest in biology to expand and extend their talents. It enables students to demonstrate their knowledge and to be suitably rewarded with publicly recognised certificates and medals.

Silver

Georgia Mill, James Meyrick, Claudia Mura, Rachael Dunleavy, Taryn Rothman

Bronze

Cameron Wilkins, Danny Burroughs, Clara Maccallum, Haidee Owen

Highly Commended

Rishi Miriyala, Sofia Corcoran, Adam Town, James Wilks, James Massie, Alice Turnbull, Alfie Stafford, Leah Tilley

Commended

Simrit Dhariwal, Imogen Baguley, Romily Wels, Ellie Woodgate, Joseph Sable, Hannah Hussain

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STEM

RSC CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD Gold

Tom Chorlton, Ethan Cole

Silver

Georgia Mill, Ashwin Goyal, Clara MacCallum, Emily Farmer, Isabelle Molhoek

Bronze

Harjeev Soomal, Imogen Waller, Megan Lister, Rishi Miriyala, Adam Town, James Wallace, Chris Taylor, Annie Kemp, Joseph Haslehurst, Olivia Lowrie, Isabel Murray, Imogen Baguley

LONGITUDE EXPLORER PRIZE

We saw an advert for the Longitude Explorer Prize STEM competition on Instagram and decided to enter! It is a national competition, open to 11-16 year olds, run by the innovation company Nesta, with a prize of £25,000 for the winner’s school!

To enter, groups had to submit an original idea for something which uses AI to help us live longer, live greener, live better or live together. The idea our group entered was an app designed to help reduce food waste. When putting away groceries, you simply say the food and use by date out loud, and the app uses voice recognition to create an online fridge. It can then make meal plans and shopping lists, suggest recipes, notify you when things are close to going out of date and give compost advice.

We were very excited to hear that we had been picked to join 59 other groups in attending the semi final. The event took place in January in London.

As the competition is run by a large company, we were lucky enough to spend the day in a large, quite futuristic (there were orange and black designs across the glass buildings and shuttle buses!) business theatre. What made the day so enjoyable was that we were not there to compete, but simply to learn about AI and entrepreneurship.

We took part in interactive activities and listened to talks with inspiring entrepreneurs. We got to look at robots and try writing code for them. We even took part in some quizzes, with virtual reality headsets as the prize.

The focus of the day was to give us an idea of what it would be like to really work in a high tech entrepreneurial job, rather than simply treating us as kids or younger visitors. And of course, we were given lots of freebies, including t-shirts, mugs, water bottles and pedometers.

We were then given just two weeks to prepare our submission for a place in the final, during which time we had to make a presentation and video showing what we learnt from the semi final. We were thrilled to hear we made it as one of the 30 groups and 10 wildcard entries going to the final. The next is that we will be provided

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with a mentor to help us develop our idea further in preparation for a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitch in July.

Maya Kunchur, Rucha Potdukhe, Holly Baker & Daisy Foley

CLIMATE EMERGENCY CONFERENCE

In February a group of Year 8s participated in the Climate Emergency Challenge 2020. They joined with participants from grammar schools across Buckinghamshire for an interactive conference developed by the Economist Educational Foundation. It was an interactive challenge to sort out environmental related issues at participants’ schools. The day was very productive, challenging and fun too and helped to develop courage in students to address and discuss issues with management and put forward their own idea to make school greener. The Borlase group was very keen and well engaged with the challenge and has met with the school’s SLT to discuss school environmental issues. They have now started to carry out their planned activities to make a difference at school, which will mainly focus on waste recycling and how to save energy within the school.

ROBOT WARS

The European Beetleweight Robot Wars Championships were proudly hosted by Borlase once again. Kindly sponsored by VMware and supported by Kinematic Events, we are pleased to report another very successful year with entrants from Britain and beyond - more

STEM Sadly, the team didn’t progress to the one-on-one rounds; however, the team put up a fierce fight through the ‘grudge matches’.

Well done to all of our contestants at the competition the fights this year were some of the most electrifying we’ve seen.

As always, the Borlase Tech Team did an incredibly professional job putting together sound and lighting effects to enhance the atmosphere, as well as haze effects and a real-time projection of the battles on the theatre screen.

It truly was a thrilling day for all, and we look forward to next year’s competition!

Imogen Baguley & Leon Tasch

GEOGRAPHY AT BORLASE

competitors, a larger audience, and fiercer battles than ever. It is safe to say that Borlase is well and truly falling in love with Robot Wars.

Congratulations to all our contestants from all year groups who entered our school Robot Wars competition.

It was a fantastic contest with a professional size and quality arena, and 19 exhilarating battles.

The champions of our Borlase competition, led by Juno Edwards, proved to be worthy competitors for the fulltime robot fighters with their robot, Scooper Trouper.

The 2019 summer term wound up in its accustomed fashion with the Year 9 geographers off to Lulworth Cove to study coastal processes and landforms as part of their UK Landscapes unit. Eighty students learned about the role of geology & marine activity on features of the Jurassic Coast such as the Lulworth Crumple and Durdle Door, but possibly enjoyed more the fine quality of the Italian ice cream or Dorset cream tea that rounded off the day. Meanwhile Years 7 & 8 carried out local investigations into microclimates and synoptic studies of China and the USA, whilst the Sixth Formers were focussing on their 4,000 word independent investigations on topics ranging from beach morphology in Hornsea to evidence of globalisation in Maidenhead High Street.

Autumn 2020 began with the Year 11 field trip to Chichester Harbour to carry out the physical geography fieldwork required to answer questions in the third Edexcel GCSE exam paper that covers UK Challenges and practical geography. Torrential rain meant that the health and safety briefing had to be delivered in the spacious (but otherwise uninhabited) gents toilets in West Wittering car park. Happily the rain stopped, the sun came out and the fieldwork was completed without a hitch. The complementary human geography trip to Amersham & High Wycombe in January to study urban land use went much more smoothly, ably led by staff from the Amersham Field Study Council centre.

The spring term was, of course, dramatically impacted by the arrival of COVID-19, shutting the school down one week before the sixth form were to set off for their week long field trip in Yorkshire. Sadly the Year 11s and Year 13s would not get the opportunity to exhibit the knowledge and understanding of geography that they had worked so hard to accumulate in any formal summer examinations. The remaining year groups have, however, risen to the occasion, quickly becoming used to online lessons and virtual field trips via Google Earth!

Mr King

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MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT NEWS

Mrs Shurrock joined our enthusiastic department in January as Mrs Sanghera took maternity leave.

Mrs Shurrock’s kind nature and welcoming learning environment has meant that she has settled into our school quickly and her pupils are enjoying Maths as ever.

We were also lucky enough to have Mrs Leibowitz join our team, alongside her role as Student Support Officer for KS4. We are continually astounded at how much she can do at once; working as a brilliant Maths teacher as well as running back and forth to KS4 meetings and solving parental queries.

The department now includes Mrs Walder, Mr Marchand, Mr Day, Mr Campbell, Ms Watson, Mrs Shurrock, Mrs Leibowitz and Mrs Richardson (plus Mrs Sanghera on maternity leave). I would like to thank all the teachers for the hours they have put in with marking and supporting students, as well as their amazing ability to adapt to the ever changing times and expectations presented by lockdown.

Mrs Richardson

EXTRA CURRICULAR CLUBS

talk about Maths applied to real life problems, careers and even The Simpsons!

The day started off with a talk about 3D shapes with a constant diameter, by YouTube educator Steve Mould.

He demonstrated that these shapes could be used as ‘wheels’ and created a makeshift skateboard to try this theory. After that, Mithuna Yoganathan, affiliated member of the Maths department at Cambridge, explained how heat and energy is transferred between molecules, and how this related to certainty.

Next, we got to see Ben Sparks and James Grime present Numberphile Live and answer complex Maths problems on the spot. Then Rob Eastaway talked about Diffy Squares, followed by Nicole Cozen’s insightful discussion about the job of examiners and valuable tips for gaining the most marks possible in an exam. The show finished with an amusing talk about The Simpsons by Simon Singh - popular science and mathematics author. He taught us that the show's makers are mainly Mathematicians and revealed lots of the Maths gems hidden within episodes.

Overall it was a brilliant trip, being informative yet entertaining - plus we got the chance to meet some of our favourite maths celebrities!

HUMBLE PI: MATHS ERROR! TALK

STEP Maths Club has been busy, with Year 12 and 13 pupils tackling the problems presented in the STEP and MAT papers, with help from Mr Marchand and Mr Campbell. As well as good practice, STEP Maths also offers a very friendly group for students to chat and socialise after school. This club has been continuing via Google Meet, where pupils are supporting one another and giving tips on solving the questions.

Mr Campbell’s Chess Club runs every break and lunchtime; it is virtually impossible to walk past his door without seeing students engaged in challenging games at the back of the room. The excitement always increases when Mr Campbell himself plays against a pupil - will they manage to win against him? Crowds often gather around the board with bated breath to see the outcome!

MATHS MENTORS

Year 12 mentors contributed enormously to the Maths department this year and a team of mentors ran the KS4 support on Thursdays and helped pupils in KS3 and KS4 lessons. These pupils are invaluable in supporting those in increasingly popular Maths Support lunchtime sessions.

We are hugely grateful to all our mentors - thank you!

MATHSFEST

Mrs Richardson, Mr Marchand and Ms Watson took a group of over 70 Year 12 students to the Maths Fest at Kensington Town Hall. This day saw a variety of speakers

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A group of Year 11 pupils made their most of a Friday evening in November by doing the most enjoyable activity possible - going to see a Maths talk! Mrs Walder and Mrs Richardson joined fifteen students to see a talk

by Matt Parker at the Old Town Hall in High Wycombe.

We didn’t have to look far - only a few rows! - to see some fellow Borlasians also attending the event; some Year 10 pupils, a Year 8 and another member of staff!

The talk consisted of a series of real life examples of where Maths errors have caused problems to individuals or companies, often with hilarious results. McDonald’s was shown to have not really thought through their advertising campaign when they said their menu offered

STEM 1 million possible combinations. A man started a lawsuit against Pepsi, saying they owed him a Harrier Jet as he had saved enough ‘Pepsi Points’. A plane (safely!) crashed after the conversion rates for fuel were confused. We were shown how the image of a football on road signs is an impossible 3D shape.

All those involved in the trip had an excellent time, often finding themselves laughing loudly - Matt Parker truly is the king of Stand Up Maths. Our group was often referred to by him as the “excitable bunch” and Mrs Walder even risked a Maths heckle!

COMPETITION SUCCESSES

We regularly send teams to Maths competitions which allow our most enthusiastic and able students the opportunity to pit their Maths brains against equally keen students from other schools. These occasions are always tremendous fun and extremely exciting, especially for the accompanying teachers!

UKMT Maths Challenges Nationally around 600,000 students take part in the three challenges and the top 40% receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze Certificate in the ratio 1:2:3. For each round, a few hundred nationally are invited to take part in the Olympiad Follow On Competition, and a few thousand take part in the Kangaroo Follow On Multiple Choice round.

At Borlase this year, 180 students took the Senior Maths challenge, 100 took the Intermediate Maths challenge.

Unfortunately, the Junior Maths challenge was cancelled this year. Our students achieved 41 Gold Certificates, 86 Silver and 99 Bronze certificates, with 38 students going through to the follow on Kangaroo Round and 4 students through to the Olympiad Competitions. We also had seven Year 11 and 12 pupils sit the Maths Olympiad for Girls.

The students who went through to the advanced Kangaroo and Olympiad rounds this year were: Year 13: Ben Ford (BIY), Alex Huxley, Thomas Kershaw (Senior Kangaroo) Year 12: Leon Tasch (BIY, BIS) (British Olympiad), Adam Town, Daniel Garcia Ben, Gabe Smith, Oscar Wilkinson (Senior Kangaroo) Year 11: Yubin Kim (BIY) (Senior Kangaroo) Anthony Adamson (BIY) (Maclaurin) Adam Ulhaq, Charlotte Dudley, Eilidh Duncan, Elliot Kent, Emily Stephens, Hannah Dawkins, Harry Fayers, James Perry, Lily Meyer, Mani Ipchi, Oliver Neal, Raife Foulkes, William Layton Watts, Yubin Kim (Pink Kangaroo)

Year 10: Charlie Warren, Daisy Foley, Daniel Hillier, Dhruv Arora, Ethan Dsouza, James Ley, Thomas Bull, Toby Brocas, Tom Ainscough (Pink Kangaroo) Alex Stephens, Joel Taylor (BIY, BIS) (Hamilton) Year 9: Amelie Crook, Dominic Porter, Jamie Shepherd, Lisa Dixon, Oliver West (BIY), Sebastian Hillebrand, Simon Ormond (Grey Kangaroo) Maths Olympiad for Girls: Distinction - Eilidh Duncan (Y11), Bridget Smith, Clara Maccallum (Y12) Participation - Amy Greener, Kitty Cooper (Y11), Alice Turnball, Lulu Broadbent (Y12) Senior Team Maths Challenge

Ms Watson trained the team at lunchtimes and took them to the Oxford regional competition in November.

Congratulations to the team of Alex Huxley, Ben Ford, Adam Town and Leon Tasch, who came 3rd out of the 20 teams in the Regional round - a fantastic result. In the 1st place was Oxford International College, and in the 2nd position – Magdalen College School.

The competition consists of 3 rounds: Group Round: There are ten questions which the teams have around 40 minutes to solve. Teams must decide their own strategy: work in pairs, as a group or individually.

Crossnumber: Similar to a crossword but with numerical answers. Teams work in pairs. One pair has the across clues, and the other pair has the down clues. Pairs work independently to complete the grid using logic and deduction.

Shuttle (previously called Mini Relay): Teams compete against the clock to correctly answer a series of four questions.

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STEM Year 10 Maths Feast In March, eight Year 10 students participated in the annual Maths Feast competition at John Hampden. The competition was an enjoyable and challenging team competition that tested mathematical, team-working and communication skills. Congratulations to all our participants for winning certificates throughout the day: - Billy Dhariwal, Theo Leibowitz, Hector Downes and James Ley came joint top scorers in two rounds, and Alex Stephens, Jemima Ridley, Joel Taylor and Daisy Foley achieved the highest overall score across the 4 categories, without winning an individual category.

Team Maths Challenge Unfortunately, this year’s Team Challenge for Year 8 and 9 pupils was cancelled just days before the event was to take place. However, we commend all pupils who attended the lunchtime practice sessions to challenge themselves, including the four pupils intending to enter the competition - Charlotte Bridges, Jamie Shepherd, Fin Engelberts and Nathan Taylor.

DESMOS GLOBAL MATHS ART CONTEST

In April, the Mathematical graphing website Desmos ran a global competition for pupils to submit Maths Art using their graphing software. This saw pupils from around the world using equations of lines, inequalities, regions and animations to produce beautiful art.

We were blown away to find out that Leon Tasch - one of our Year 12 Further Mathematicians - had not only entered the competition but is being considered as a finalist! The judges were impressed by his moving graph and hard work, so we asked Leon a few questions about his work.

Why did you enter the competition?

“It was a quiet week in lockdown, so I figured why not have a crack. It appealed to me because of what a 'bothsides-of-the-brain' task it was.”

What inspired you to choose the image/animation you did?

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“I wish I could say it was a far-fetched inspiration... it's a portrait of the vinyl collection in my room (with a few more records than mine, though).”

Are you familiar with using Desmos in this way? Did you have to learn anything new to do this?

“This was all totally new. I possibly used Desmos once or twice in KS3/4, but this was a whole new ballgame.

It felt a little bit like coding to me. (Math geeks - if you ever want to know about ellipses, damped sine waves or rotation functions I am definitely your guy...)”

I see you did an impressive 473 lines of equations!! How long did it take to make?

“The competition reached me around 3 days before the deadline, so all pretty quickly... 8-10 hours? A few hours after dinner each day.”

You are being considered for the Finalists - so your entry could reach top 10 of all global entries in your age group!

How do you feel? What will you do to celebrate?

“I really didn't expect to hear back, I considered it to be for fun (yes, maths is fun). Honestly I'm just so excited to see all the other finalists' graphs and check out everything they've put into it. I know I hid a couple of mathematical 'easter eggs' in mine for other people to spot.”

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OLD BORLASIANS

DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

Borlase’s Here & Now Annual Fund has generated nearly £100,000 in income, which each year is used to support the provision of an incredibly wide range of opportunities beyond the boundaries of the Government’s basic funded level.

A key part of our success is the role our parents and exstudents play in supporting the school and giving back both in terms of time and funds. Each year we see a remarkable level of warmth and willingness to give from both our parents and past cohorts of students.

Over the past few years as the necessity for the Here & Now fund has increased, we have seen a growing willingness amongst our community to give back - an appreciation of the education and experience our students receive at Borlase. Perhaps even more remarkable has been the continued support from our community during the Covid-19 crisis with both one-off and regular gifts continuing to support the school even in these difficult times. These gifts have enabled us to continue to provide an outstanding learning environment through Borlase@Home and are supporting the work that needs to take place for us to prepare for the return to school post pandemic.

We would like to thank each and every one of you who have given to Borlase throughout this past year. Borlase simply would not be Borlase without your generous support.

To find out more about giving to Borlase visit Support Us on the website.

‘It is at times like these that we are reminded of how important our Borlase community truly is’.

Ms I Cains, Development Director

THANK YOU!

I would like to say an enormous Thank You to everyone who has donated to the Here and Now Fund. The Fund subsidises so much of what we do at Borlase, enabling us to provide an enriched education to the students of this school. It enables us to have learning support, technicians, extra curricular opportunities and so much more. Through this period we have lost all our income that we raise through lettings and we have incurred additional costs to set up a virtual school and prepare our school to be a safer environment for the return. The Here and Now is proving absolutely crucial in enabling us to respond in the way we have to the COVID crisis, so thank you everyone.

While everyone has been busy in Borlase@Home we have been fortunate in being able to make great progress with

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other developments for the return to school. Quoitings field was an uneven area of grass with a fallen tree lying across it and netball/ tennis courts that were in need of resurfacing. This has now been levelled to create a newly seeded football pitch for school matches and recreational games at lunchtime. The old, uneven astro pitch above Home Meadow has been replaced by brand new netball/ tennis courts. And Home Meadow itself now has a new hockey training astroturf, bigger than the previous pitch and securely fenced. Further down the meadow the bulldozers have started to dig the foundations of a brand new Sports Hall. We have raised the money for the completed buildings but are still raising money to ensure it is fully-equipped. We are landscaping around the meadow and planting new trees.

Meanwhile, we have also created a Home Square. We have opened up the space between cloisters and the canteen with additional paving to create a bigger, open square around the perimeter of which we will place benches. If anyone would like to name a bench, do contact the development office icains@swbgs.com There are more plans ahead. With the sports hall in place we will be able to create additional classrooms and study areas, and our aim is to create an improved refectory and coffee shop for everyone to enjoy.

Miss Mountfield, Headteacher

OLD BORLASIANS

‘Once a Borlasian, always a Borlasian’

REMEMBRANCE

Once again we were delighted to welcome Old Borlasians and members of the Old Borlasian Club to our annual Remembrance Day Service. The service began in the Chapel, where the Year 7 students represented the school. Readings included In Flanders Fields and the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of GCHQ. This year’s invited guest was Squadron Leader Petersen, RAF, who laid a wreath alongside Andy Howland (former staff 2008) on behalf of the Old Borlasian Club, and the School Captains, Georgia and Callum, on behalf of the school. Following the service the entire school gathered on Colonel’s Meadow where the names of the Borlase Fallen were read out by representatives from the Sea, Army and RAF Cadets and, after the sounding of the Last Post, the school observed the two minutes’ silence at 11am.

Old Borlasians lost in WW1 In September a group of Year 13 English students visited the WWI battlefields in France and Belgium to deepen their knowledge of the war for their studies. As part of the trip, they visited and honoured the resting places of Old Borlasians who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

OLD BORLASIANS Old Borlasians lost in WWII Friday 8 May 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany. The stage had been set for a whole range of commemorative events. However, due to the Covid-19 crisis, these events took a virtual tone, but Borlase still organised some truly memorable activities.

Churchill's speech was delivered by our School Captain, Callum Kunchur and we invited Old Borlasians to send us their war time memories, which have now been added to the Borlase archive for future generations.

We also researched the 36 Borlasians who lost their lives during World War II. The Borlasian magazines from the time give us a true insight into Borlase during the war. The school proudly made a contribution to the war effort every year through fundraisers and events including Warships Week, Salute the Soldier and Wings for Victory. In Chapel, news of the fate of serving Old Borlasians was shared by the Headmaster and the boys were remembered and honoured for preserving freedom.

The Borlasian magazine itself was sent to Old Borlasians all over the world, throughout the duration of the war, as a beacon of hope and to bring happy memories of life at school during the dark times of war.

COMMUNITY BOOST

There were many activities planned for the summer term this year that have had to be postponed, including The Borlase Trail Run and Class Reunions including that of the Class of 1965, which had been more than a year in the planning.

Since the school closed its doors in March, as a community we have been faced with a new much more virtual world.

This has brought with it challenges and opportunities, and one thing is certain, everyone has had to adapt in their own way.

Early on in lockdown it was clear that there was an opportunity for the whole Borlase community to come together and support each other. We wanted to boost the physical and mental well being of the entire Borlase community at this difficult time. Keeping well is not only about keeping active, but it is also about staying connected - and so the Borlase Boost was born.

The Borlase Boost challenge was for the whole Borlase community to connect and to cover the 10,000kms in distance from West Street to Shinjuku Olympic Stadium, the site of the (postponed) 2020 Olympics. Old Borlasians, students, siblings, parents and staff were invited to take part and in true Borlase style, the Borlase community spirit was dazzling. It turned out that in terms of distance, we would make it to Tokyo, complete the return journey, and then make second trip to Tokyo during the ten days of the challenge (all without a plane in the sky!)

This was not only a physical challenge, but also a fundraising one. Thanks to the generosity of our whole

community coming together to support the Boost, we raised nearly £4,500 with 20% being donated to our NHS heroes and the rest going towards essential equipment for the fitness suite in the new sports hall. These funds will enable us to continue to support our vision of ‘sport for all’ - and enable Borlasians to be proactive in taking care of their physical and mental health when the school doors are opened once again.

WALK THROUGH TIME

As part of our 400th birthday celebrations we have been looking into various ways to bring our school archives out of the archive cupboard, where they have been gathered and catalogued over the past five years.

Our archive photographs are in a mixture of conditions, with older photographs dating back to the 1800’s being unframed, and more recent photos being framed and in varying conditions too. Upon receiving a legacy gift from an Old Borlasian, we began to look into the costs of framing a selection of our archive photographs for display in the cloisters. Eighty photographs were selected and we began to look into the costs to undertake the project.

The estimated cost was £10,000-15,000 - well beyond our budget - so we began to look for other solutions. By chance we spoke to Vancols Photography, specialists in school photography, who have taken some of our whole school photographs in the past. Mark Misquitta, their General Manager, offered to visit Borlase to see if he could assist. When he visited the archive cupboard and understood what we were trying to do he immediately offered to help and, being a historian himself, offered to undertake the project with no fee, a very generous gift.

The photographs have been scanned and edited by Vancols - preserving the original blemishes and in many cases including information previously unknown about the students and staff in the images. It has been a lengthy process but as we go to print, so too do these copies of the archive photos.

When we return to school, the cloisters will be filled with images from previous cohorts of students - dating back to the 1800s. We hope you enjoy walking through time with us the next time you visit Borlase!

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT

We were delighted to once again invite Old Borlasians to our annual alumni Carols by Candlelight Christmas Service at All Saint Church in December. As always, it was a very special evening with a traditional service with nine lessons and carols, plus performances from both current students and our wonderful alumni choir that comes together just once a year for the occasion. The beautiful voices, the candles and the smell of mince pies is a truly wonderful way to celebrate the festive season and the end of term.

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OLD BORLASIANS

OLD BORLASIAN CLUB

A message from our President

Since acceding to the presidency of the Old Borlasian Club I have been delighted to attend many school and OBC functions and see at first hand how important it is for students to remain in touch with Borlase well beyond the end of their education at the school.

Current students benefit from the work of the Club in many ways. We reward those who excel in the Arts, Sports and the Sciences, with subscriptions from the club sponsoring prizes for the STEM fair, the Boscars and the Sports Captain’s caps.

In addition, the Old Borlasian prize each year is presented to the student who most embodies the spirit of the school. This is our most prestigious prize, because it is this spirit that brings us all back as Old Borlasian Club Members; the unique ethos that has helped the school to encounter numerous challenges over the last few hundred years and sail through them.

None of these difficulties have been met with a more flexible and innovative approach than the current Covid-19 crisis, which has seen the school reinvented as a virtual education experience practically overnight. Little did we realise, as the Old Borlasian Club committee thanked the current staff at our annual Sherry Party in December, just how pivotal their energy, enthusiasm and commitment to the school would be over the coming few months.

Of course the Old Borlasian Club is also instrumental in providing a link between past students and the school.

Our Curry Night last October was a very enjoyable evening and allowed former students who studied at Borlase under a wide variety of different Heads, to come together in celebrating the continued success of the school. Many stories of past adventures and indeed misadventures were swapped on the night, against a backdrop of photographs from our vast school collection, all of which have been carefully scanned by our Memorabilia Secretary, Julien Bussell. Having these pictorial school records in digital form will allow them to be accessed far more easily in the future. As you will read in Tony Compton’s article much progress has been made towards converting C5 and C6 to the Lever Room, a memorabilia gallery. This is an exciting opportunity to share a vast wealth of photographs, documents, trophies and other objects of historical importance with both current students and Old Borlasians. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to my predecessor, Chris Funnell and our OBC Secretary Tony Compton for their tireless work in turning this long cherished idea into a reality.

As we build up to 400 years of Borlase, this gallery will be complemented by an updated version of the school history, which is currently being co-ordinated by past OBC President and long-time committee member, Greg Lim.

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This year, there have been new innovations in the OBC structure, with the one year trial membership launched last summer to the Year 13 leavers. This has been successful in encouraging more younger members to join the OBC. We have also been delighted to have two of the school prefect team working with us this year, Isabel Murray and Samuel Nicklin. This role is key in making sure that the profile of the OBC is raised within the school and I look forward to meeting the new Alumni Prefects in September. We were also able to introduce the new Old Borlasian Club badge at the Curry Night. This is in addition to the Club tie that has been available for many years and has proved to be very popular amongst OBC members.

So the Old Borlasian Club has been busy, ensuring that what we all loved about the school is preserved for future generations. We are always delighted to welcome new members to the Old Borlasian Club, so please do get in touch. It has been a privilege to be President over the last 18 months and I am hopeful that I will be able to finish my two year tenure with another highly successful social event when this becomes possible.

Cathie Wells

RECENT EVENTS

Spice And Swing At Old Borlasian Dinner

The latest reunion dinner held on the 4th of October was heralded as a great success by all who attended. The committee members had planned a more relaxed event than previous dinners whilst keeping some of the more traditional features of an Old Borlasian reunion, so about 55 Old Borlasians and guests sat down to enjoy a curry evening in the school. We saw a wide range of ages at the dinner and also many welcome new faces, together with past and present teaching staff.

The dinner was held in what is now known as the Lever Room off the cloisters, which proved to be an agreeably intimate venue and one which will become an important space for Old Borlasians to visit in the future. The evening started with complimentary drinks and much chatter arising from the pleasure of renewed friendships before sitting down to eat. The buffet style curry menu worked well with a tasty selection of Indian dishes. Many went back for ‘seconds’ in true school dining manner. This was followed by a mouth- watering range of puddings prepared by several committee members. During the evening we were entertained by Old Borlasian jazz musician Martin Kemp with his music colleague Phil.

With Martin on clarinet and saxophone and Phil on guitar the evening swung along to great jazz standards like Duke Ellington’s ‘Satin Doll’.

OLD BORLASIANS In her speech proposing the toast to the School, Club President Cathie Wells outlined the valuable work that the Club does in helping the school where it can, and spoke of the importance of a strong Club membership that is necessary to support aspects of school life at Borlase. She also informed everyone about the current plans to create a memorabilia archive and display in the Lever Room, a joint project between the School and the Old Borlasian Club made possible by a generous bequest from Stuart Lever who died last year.

Tony Compton, the Club’s Secretary, proposed the toast to the Old Borlasian Club and briefly made mention of long serving committee members who worked hard for the Club. One of them, Peter Allen, was presented with an engraved tankard in recognition of his 20 years service as Treasurer.

At gone midnight there remained a large group still chatting and reminiscing whilst they downed the last of their drinks. Clearly a good evening was had by all.

The Old Borlasian committee are already thinking about a suitable theme for next year’s dinner and the likelihood of catering for increased numbers attending this most enjoyable reunion event.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019

This year’s AGM took place on the 4th of December.

As is customary the minutes of the previous meeting and the annual report on the Club’s activities were read by our Honorary Secretary Tony Compton. Honorary Treasurer Andy Howland presented his financial report.

The accumulated funds stand at £2,484 for the year ending 30th June 2019.

The election of officers and committee was as follows: President – Cathie Wells

Honorary Secretary – Tony Compton Honorary Treasurer – Andy Howland

Committee – John Barry, Peter Allen, Simon Funnell, Chris Funnell, Greg Lim, Julien Bussell, Grant Taylor and John Jayes Kay Mountfield is ex officio member and Ilona Cains is co-opted.

John ‘Jocky’ Jayes is a welcome new member to the committee.

Grant Taylor agreed to take on the Membership Secretary’s role. Cathie is in the second year of her two year Presidentship. Julien Bussell is President Elect.

New members are always welcome onto the committee.

We would particularly like to have more women on the committee to give it better balance. We are a very relaxed, informal bunch of Old Borlasians. We meet about 4 or 5 times a year and are committed to doing what we can to

support the school in a variety of ways.

As is becoming customary, after the meeting we all adjourned to the George and Dragon for drinks and dinner. This gathering is open to all OBs particularly those who live locally.

For any enquiries, or to stay in touch with the Old Borlasian Club, please contact Tony Compton via honsecborlase@hotmail.com or the school Development Office via icains@swbgs.com

THE OLD BORLASIAN PRIZE 2019

This year, the Bates Cup and £100 which is funded by the Club, is awarded to Callum Kunchur and Georgia Tuke to whom we offer our congratulations.

IN MEMORIAM 2018-19

Old Borlasian pupils and staff who have sadly passed away in the last year and whose deaths have been notified to the School or Club: Ian (Rocky) Richmond (1951-58) James Clark (1970-75)

Carolyn Leonard (1989) Bryan Welch (1953-85)

Malcolm Galloway (1980-93)

Tony (Tiny) Townsend (1944-50) ex committee member, Secretary and Past President.

Saskia Corder (1993-99)

OBITUARIES ANTHONY PATRICK TOWNSEND (1944-50)

Anthony Patrick Townsend or ‘Tinny’ (Tiny) as we all knew him at school was perhaps the most popular pupil ever to have passed through Sir William Borlase’s School – with a pleasant word for everyone and never any nastiness.

Tinny was born on 31st July 1931 in Bourne End near the railway station. His Bourne End accent remained with him all his life. Tinny had a very distinct voice and loved the hymns sung at his church, St. Mark’s, which he joined at the age of eight. Here at St. Mark’s he served loyally throughout his life as a Church Warden and as a member of the Guild of Servers.

He joined Borlase in wartime, 1944, where he joined his cousin Ken’s form. Many members of the Townsend family attended Borlase including Tinny’s father, Leslie; 65 years later Kallie, Tinny’s cousin’s granddaughter, became Deputy Head Girl in 2015. Tinny himself was a Saxon and eventually became Captain of that House and in that same period Ken became Captain of Britons. His great physical size ensured that he excelled in the field

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OLD BORLASIANS the Borlase Masonic Lodge and held various positions within the organisation including that of Grand Master.

Not long after joining the Club Tinny took on the office of Honorary Secretary in 1961 and held that position for 25 years until 1986. He became President in 1973.

Pat and Tinny later moved to Great Kingshill near Missenden and, after 60 years of marriage, Pat sadly died. Tinny was left alone, much saddened by Pat’s departure. He himself eventually became ill and died on 18th March 2020, by now living in a care home near to where he was born. Daughter Lesley said of her Dad that he had a generous heart and sometimes was as stubborn as a mule. The vicar of St. Mark’s expressed the view of all of his acquaintances: he was such a very genuine, loyal and sincere person. sports of Shot Put, Discus and Javelin. Contemporaries recall how Tinny, running with the Rugby ball, could easily push away any tackle, and in Cricket Tinny was a fearsome bowler. As reported in the magazines of the time, Tinny’s career at Borlase was quite legendary; The Borlasian 1948 reports that in July 1948 Tinny claimed a new school record for the Shot Put and came second in the same event at the All England Sports. In that same year he took 13 wickets in the school’s 1st XI and was awarded half colours for Cricket.

The Borlasian of the following year, 1949, tells us that Tinny became the School Captain (Head Boy), and Head of Prefects. The coveted Gold Medal accompanied this position. He then went on to captain the 1st XV in Rugby and to represent the school winning both the Shot and Discus in the Bucks Athletics Championships. At Cricket in that year Tinny took 14 wickets. In 1950, with two other athletes, he represented the school (Shot Put) at the annual AAA meeting at Port Sunlight.

Tinny’s funeral took place on 2nd April and he is buried in Little Marlow cemetery. With the current Coronavirus restrictions well in force at the time, there was no church service in St. Mark’s itself, but the Rev’d Janet Binns conducted a Church of England graveside service with only two family members and two close neighbours allowed to attend. Lesley has said she will organise a Memorial Service for her dad, but present circumstances mean that no firm date can be fixed.

A true Borlasian has left us. ‘Te Digna Sequere’.

John Barry (1948-54)

MALCOLM GALLOWAY (STAFF 1980-93)

Malcolm was a son, brother, husband, father and

After school-life followed National Service which we all served in those post-war years. Tinny joined the Royal Air Force Military Police; he had the physique to match the position.

After National Service Tinny joined the Wycombe company Broome and Wade and managed a large staff in the Spares Department. He remained in this sole employment until resigning in 1993.

Tinny met his wife Marion Patricia of Flackwell Heath in 1953. He and Pat (as she was always known) were married in church at Wooburn Green on 26th March 1955. Cousin Ken was the Best Man. Tinny and Pat made their home in Flackwell Heath. Then, in June 1956, their daughter Lesley arrived. She was named after her grandfather Leslie, Tinny’s father, who ran the business of Townsend Boat Builders in Bourne End. This business frequently sponsored the Borlasian magazine.

Tinny, already a member of the Old Borlasian Club, joined

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grandfather. By profession a Maths teacher, he was also a pianist of excellence, a church organist, an enthusiastic reader of English Literature (particularly the works of Thomas Hardy), a devotee of the works of Chopin and Schubert and an outstanding accompanist of lieder as well as the Edwardian and church music repertoire, a lover of Lake District fellwalking and the Ridgeway Path

OLD BORLASIANS in Berkshire, and a cruciverbalist - one of the few who could solve The Listener crossword most weeks. It is rare to come across somebody so diverse and also selfeffacing, honest and supportive.

Malcolm was a family man. Married to Olwen for more than half a century, he was a devoted, proud and admiring husband, secure in his married life, well aware of how much he owed to her support and partnership in the job of establishing a home and bringing up three sons. In our walks together, I learnt much of his early life in Thornley, and the relationship with his father, a very strong character of the old Durham school. He was grateful to his father for the high standards which he expected and the piano teaching, which led him as a boy to many top prizes in music competitions and to a lifetime of musical recreation, as an organist as well as solo pianist and accompanist.

Whilst making music or walking , Malcolm reminisced of family life in Durham: the cycle rides into Newcastle when snow built up around his chest, the performance as the Police Sergeant in his school’s ‘Pirates of Penzance’, the loss of his mother and adjustment to the stepmothers, since his father remarried and was again widowed twice, and his brothers, one of whom, Peter, survived him and played at his funeral.

After graduating from Imperial College, Malcolm lectured at Leicester, but the climate was adverse and he moved to Worthing Sixth Form College. I know that, as an organist, his favourite post had been at Findon in West Sussex, and he recollected with pleasure the relationship with the vicar of that church. It led to a love of Sussex, and Eastbourne was a favourite holiday resort.

He moved to the Glyn Grammar School, near Epsom, where his musicianship and cultural interests led to some lasting friendships, and then in 1980 to Marlow as Head of Maths at Sir William Borlase’s School.

His teaching was characterised by his sense of humour and mordant wit which went down well with the boys (and later the girls), and a strength in the subject which, with his clarity of explanation, gave his pupils confidence and led them to success. His excellence as a keyboard player meant that he contributed richly and generously to the musical life of the school (when there was no Music Department) and he supported individual instrumentalists as an accompanist, as well as playing the organ for the Chapel services. Two of his three sons were pupils at the school. Several of Malcolm’s pupils have written with accounts of his lessons: in all of these there is the respect for his teaching, conscientiousness and expertise; some had abiding memories of moments in the classroom.

Former Pupils speak of him as “a great teacher - someone who was very easy to respect and full of integrity - a good man”. They recollected his “stunning” playing

of Chopin’s minute waltz in assembly, and his brilliant sense of humour: exemplified on one occasion when Neil Moore put a tennis ball from the fives court through the window of the classroom he was teaching in. Far from losing his temper, he paused the lesson so that he and his Additional Maths class could have a stab at working out how fast the ball must have been travelling. A class act.

Colleagues respected his utter reliability, his judicious evaluation of the way education was moving, his expertise, and his musicianship. He and I formed a lasting friendship through mutual interests in music, particularly Schubert lieder and piano music, Thomas Hardy, crosswords and fellwalking. I was privileged to be one of his colleagues and a friend, and I owe him an enormous debt as it was with him, and very much with his encouragement, that we explored the Schubert song cycles ‘Die Schöne Müllerin’ and ‘Winterreise’, as well as a range of Victorian ballads, sacred music and English song. His piano playing accompanied me for the best part of 38 years, and we entered several music competitions and festivals which I am glad to say we won, and in which Malcolm’s sensitive accompaniment attracted praise from the distinguished international singers who were the judges.

I am indebted to Malcolm also for taking me on fellwalking trips to the Lakes, and these walks were occasions for those reminiscences of life in Durham, of discussions of Thomas Hardy’s poems and his novels. I read more of the works of Hardy as a result and it was fascinating to hear his viewpoint , which was not that of an analytical and technically minded English Literature graduate and teacher, but of a reader who deeply felt the text.

These walks, and those of the Ridgeway Path across the Berkshire Downs were occasions to remember: on one occasion, we had completed a very wet expedition up Hellvelyn and returned soaking to the car at Patterdale.

All walkers keep sets of dry clothes to change into, and at the point when we were both completely naked, a party of Girl Guides walked stolidly by: fortunately the windows were so steamed up that due decency was preserved.

Perhaps it was the great vistas of the fells and the Berkshire and Oxfordshire countryside and the literary associations of the Romantics and Hardy which led us to explore while on the move the profoundest things: our faith and beliefs in the existence of what Hardy calls the President of the Immortals and Shakespeare Providence Divine and share with Hamlet our thoughts of what dreams may come in that sleep of death. At Malcolm’s funeral Hardy’s ‘The Darkling Thrush’ brought those discussions vividly to mind: but it seemed to me that Malcolm was not quite so unaware as Hardy of some Blessed Hope : indeed there were occasions in his life, he

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OLD BORLASIANS told me, where he could not dismiss the possibility of some unseen intervention.

As an organist, Malcolm was at many church occasions and services: playing for these was a lifetime’s occupation until the last few years: after Findon, there was also Wimbledon, and then Maidenhead High Street Methodist Church, where the excellence of his organ and piano performances made him a deeply valued accompanist, and also Henley, and in both these places his quiet, polished professionalism and accommodating character brought him friendship and esteem. We will remember his many strengths of character and virtues of integrity and honesty and the love for his family which characterised Malcolm Galloway.

Andrew Schofield

LEE MUMBRAY-WILLIAMS (STAFF 1999-2012)

It is with great sadness that we record the death of Lee Mumbray-Williams on June 5th of this year. Lee joined Borlase as Librarian in September 1999, taking early retirement in December 2012. These were busy and changeful years for the school and for the whole country; years in which the role of librarian (previously defined simply as ‘custodian of a library’) now began to adjust to the complex demands of the new digital age.

Lee responded to the many rapid changes during this time with alacrity and good humour, superintending the library’s move from its old premises (now in the Science block) to its present location, the former sixth form common room. She oversaw the new cataloguing system, updating it from card to digital format, and re-organized the entire layout of the books, leading to greater clarity and ease of access.

Throughout her time at Borlase, Lee maintained the traditional image of a school librarian, with an insistence on silence and formal conduct in the library at all times.

She was assisted for some years by Diana Gill who took the same line and together they could seem a doughty duo. But to those who took the time to get to know them better, and treated them with courtesy, both showed themselves to be the kind, humorous and knowledgeable people they truly were. Students and teachers were alike fortunate in being able to draw on Lee’s immense knowledge and expertise as well as her tirelessness in pursuit of even the most frivolous and inessential enquiries.

When Lee retired in 2012 she had good reason to feel proud of all she had accomplished during her time here.

She had established herself as a strong, independent voice in the school community and will be remembered by those who knew her as a true bibliophile, not just a lover of books but of what books mean as part of the currency of a civilised society. She will be greatly missed

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by all who had the good fortune to work with her.

Hugh Robson

NORMAN BATEMAN (STAFF 1957-83)

Just as The Borlasian 2020 went to press, we learned the sad news of the passing of Norman Bateman, teacher of German and Head of Modern Languages. ‘I did make a list of his contributions to the school,’ noted Bryan Welch in The Borlasian 1984. ‘But to write that out here would send production costs soaring and read like a catalogue.’

A full obituary will be published in The Borlasian 2021.

SON FOUND LANGUISHING IN SCHOOL ATTIC

No one knows how long Sir John has been sleeping there, or why he ended up there in the first place, but although he’s a bit grubby he looks happy enough. The school’s history gives us a bit of a clue. Around 1930 it tells us that when the old dormitory for boarders (now the staff common room) was converted to the library, two pictures were too big to be displayed there. One of them was the seascape now hanging in the Wethered Room. The other was a portrait of our founder’s son, Sir John Borlase. We are not sure how long Sir John had been hanging round the school, or why he was eventually confined to the attic to gather dust and eventually share the company of teachers having a smoke out of sight of any pupils.

Sir John was the youngest son of Sir William Borlase and became the First Baronet of Widmer in 1642. He married Lady Alice Bankes of Kingston Lacy in Dorset. The Bankes were a wealthy and important family, as were the Borlases. The original portraits of Sir John and Lady Alice, painted by none other than Sir Anthony Van Dyck, hang in Kingston Lacy, now owned by the National Trust.

Because of this we became quite excited that ours was also a Van Dyck, or possibly a studio copy, the practise of producing studio copies of family portraits being quite common at that time.

With great disappointment we were advised that ours is probably a 19th century copy, although this has yet to be confirmed. Nevertheless, in due course Sir John will be dusted off, smartened up and given pride of place in a suitable position in the school for all to admire, no longer condemned to the dark and dusty attic.

Research into this painting and Sir John Borlase has led us to find out more about the Borlase family which will all be collected together as part of the eventual permanent exhibition of memorabilia in The Lever Room, and work on this will resume as soon as we get life back to normal.

What we would really like to find is a portrait of Sir William himself. We have learned that there is a “questionable “portrait of him in Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire, which we will certainly check out as part of the ongoing research.

OLD BORLASIANS

A SPOONFUL OF HUMOUR

During the lockdown many people have felt they were in need of some humour to lighten the tension of everyday life, not least among them myself. I felt I did not need a lot, perhaps just a spoonful to cheer me up.

Spoonful is a lovely sounding word. It conjures up memories of being given medicine as a small child always from a spoon by my caring mother. And also a spoonful of malt from a big brown jar -I loved it. It was a loving spoonful. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, thank you Mary Poppins. The Loving Spoonful, one of my favourite groups of the mid-sixties - ‘What a Day for a Daydream’, ‘Summer in the City’, ‘Nashville Cats’ and so on - great songs by John Sebastian. I suppose I transformed into an adult in the sixties having been a child of the fifties. In 1964 I started studying architecture in London. The Swinging Sixties they called it. Up to Soho and Carnaby Street to buy my first pair of flared trousers.

The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, our heroes then.

In 1967, the year of Flower Power, I spent the summer travelling around North America by Greyhound bus, including San Francisco of course. They said that was where it was all happening, and it was. I recall being asked by a waitress as we sat down in a café, “You guys here for the love-in”? Love-ins were all the rage but I never actually went to one, so don’t ask me what they were all about – sex, drugs and rock’n’roll I believe. Nothing has changed much.

But I digress. Humour. I decided to scan my bookshelves for something amusing to read, rather than the more serious stuff like Hardy’s ‘Return of the Native’ which I had just completed. I like Hardy, and I like Dorset, but he is a bit heavy. I needed something to lighten the weight of the evening news on the television, and the endless articles in the paper about the virus.

‘The Catcher in the Rye’ caught my eye. An old favourite, but, no, I have read it so many times.

‘Three Men in a Boat’ maybe, or even J P Donleavy’s ‘The Onion Eaters’? No, a bit too weird. I finally went for P G Wodehouse – just the ticket. What a comedy double act Wooster and Jeeves are. First up was ‘Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves’ followed by ‘The Code of the Woosters’. Highly recommended for some light entertainment to take your mind off more serious matters - probably best combined with a few repeats of ‘Dad’s Army’ to get the chuckle muscles working.

I don’t know what kind of humour is popular at Borlase these days. When I was there humour was an essential part of school life - or it was for me anyway, perhaps a bit too much sometimes. There was quite a lot of cracking jokes in lessons instead of concentrating on the likes of Molière. The only quote I ever remembered from ‘Les Femmes Savantes’ was “qui parle de grand-mère?”

when grammar was being discussed in the play. A lot of the play was humorous - or so I was told - but most of it went over ma tête, I am afraid.

However, I do remember we liked spoonerisms. One key event of the school day was lunchtime in the canteen.

The food was not great, but we still gobbled it up and often went looking for seconds. On the menu were things like Keak and Stidney Pie, Spoast Ruds of course and, for pudding, Dotted Spick, Takewell Bart, or some kind of Cart and Tustard. Sometimes it was Tam Jart or Teacle Trart. Dustcar was always popular, served in a jug, and if you sat at the end of the table, by the time it reached you there were probably only a few Lops Dreft.

In the senior school some boys did not fancy the school lunch and would visit the school Shuck Top and buy things like a small Broaf of Lead with a few Spices of Slam or you could get a Rausage Soll or Reese Choll or even a Cham and Heeze sandwich - and of course a Crag of Bisps. I recall that Oxo flavour was a favourite that tasted the same however you spelt it. Perhaps a Bocolate Char to finish if you had enough Mocket Poney left.

Yes, a spoonerism of humour. It does you good.

Cony Tompton (1964-57)

1921 AND ALL THAT

Next year, 2021, marks the centenary of the founding of Borlase Boat Club. Those of you who are in touch with the rowing world will know how successful the sport is at international level in this country, and this is reflected in the success that Borlase Boat Club has gradually developed from those embryonic beginnings in the 1920s and particularly in this century.

The School Boat Club, the Old Borlasian Club and the Boat Club Parents Support Group, will jointly be organising some form of celebration - possibly a reunion dinner and a mini regatta. We certainly hope to see a coming together of the many Old Borlasians who enjoyed this fantastic sport at school. Also I am planning to update and expand the brief history of the Boat Club that I wrote some years ago.

At the same time I hope that we will at last have achieved planning permission for a new boathouse and be on our way with raising funds to build it. The construction of first class facilities for schools’ rowing in Marlow, to be shared with Great Marlow School, will provide a muchneeded secure base for further rowing success in the next hundred years. It goes without saying that any form of support from the Borlase rowing fraternity to help realise the new facilities will be much needed and appreciated.

Tony Compton (1957-64)

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OLD BORLASIANS

THE FIRST 400 YEARS

As the school song recalls, “A knight there lived in days of old, when James the First was king. A school he founded in this town, and left a motto rare…” The knight was Sir William Borlase, and he founded the school in 1624, meaning that Borlase will mark its Quatercentenary in just 4 years’ time. As the school starts to plan how to celebrate this important milestone, the Old Borlasian Club is working with the school to document its rich history in the form of a commemorative book to be published in 2024.

A book that records the foundation of the school and its development over roughly the first 350 years already exists, but it has not been updated since 1984, and much additional research has been undertaken since its publication, especially around the First and Second World Wars. In the new anniversary publication, we will aim both to enrich and supplement the existing History of Borlase and to bring it up to date with all the changes and achievements over the past 50 years.

We are very much at the planning stage, but we envisage that the book will cover the foundation of the school, its relationship with Marlow, and the notable artefacts and treasures that the school houses. A chapter will be dedicated to the architecture of school, with details of the cloisters, chapel and the more recent additions that have been built, right up to the state-of-the-art sporting facilities currently under construction. Much of the book will be given over to how school life has evolved and what makes Borlase unique: the school uniform, the school song, the house system, orders, Speech Day, the academic curriculum, sporting achievements, and of course this — the Borlasian magazine.

Finally, the Old Borlasian Club and the memories and anecdotes of past students and teachers will feature, so please do let us know (by contacting the school) if there are things that you would like to be included or people from whom you would like to hear. Are there any aspects of the school about which you are particularly nostalgic, or that you never quite understood and would like us to research in more detail?

Of note, the book will be richly supplemented throughout with photographs, both newly commissioned and old prints that have been recently digitized. The Old Borlasian Club and the school are collaborating on a project to digitize hundreds of images from the archive, including many of the whole-school photographs, so there’s a good chance that you will feature!

We hope that the souvenir book will embody the spirit of Borlase by showcasing its rich and varied history and documenting how Borlasians throughout the past 400 years have upheld that “motto rare” and followed things worthy of themselves. Te digna sequere!

Gregory Lim (1997-2003)

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INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT CATHIE WELLS Cathie Wells is in her second year as President of the Old Borlasian Club having been a committee member for many years. She is only the second female President of the Club despite girls having been at Borlase for more than 30 years. Uniquely she has been pupil, teacher and parent at Borlase.

We caught up with Cathie to ask her about her Borlase experience.

You have been both a pupil and teacher at Borlase.

What years were you at school?

I joined Borlase for the Sixth Form from 1990 to 1992.

After university and a first teaching position in an all boys comprehensive in London, I was delighted to be able to return to Borlase in 2000. I taught at the school for four years, introducing the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme to the school, becoming Second in Maths and Head of Years 12 and 13. In 2004 I moved to the Royal Grammar School to take up the post of Head of Mathematics there.

After adding to my family, I later returned to Borlase as a part time teacher and Acting Head of Maths, spending a further three years at the school.

Who were your best friends as a pupil, are you still in touch with them?

My best friends were Rosalie Garry and Stephanie Keele.

I still see both of them and have recently had the pleasure of attending Rosalie's wedding. I also keep in touch with Mrs. Crittenden, one of the Deputy Heads of the school when I was there. She was a wonderful mentor during my Sixth Form years and I still really enjoy sharing news with her. It would be great to see a few more of my classmates at OBC events, as my year group always seems quite under represented. My Physics set, Further Maths class and French group were all fabulous and we had a lot of fun over the two years I spent at the school.

You are a mathematician, but what were your best and worst subjects at school?

The logic of Maths and the other Sciences appealed a lot, but I also loved a good debate about History, English or French literature. I was awful at anything more practical, like Art, Music and Drama. I loathed Games and managed to get a piano lesson that was timed to coincide with the middle of my Games lesson, so that I managed to skip Hockey, Tennis, Athletics and Netball for the whole of Key Stages 3 and 4.

What school activities did you take part in?

At Borlase I was in the ‘Young Consumer of the Year’ quiz team. This involved learning lots of general knowledge, but also some really useful Law. I still quote various Acts at people when I need to get my money back in

OLD BORLASIANS shops! The team won the UK competition when I was in the Upper Sixth and we were very lucky to be sent to Washington DC to play against the top US team. It was a fabulous four days, with one day of competition and three days of all expenses paid sightseeing!

In the Upper Sixth we also had an exciting long weekend school trip to Paris. There were no staff available to accompany us, so one of the students who had turned 18 a few days before acted as our ‘teacher’. The other schools we shared a coach with were all very jealous as ‘Sir’ set us a curfew of 4am and didn't make us do any work at all!

Did you enjoy university life? And what did you plan to do with your degree?

University life was so much fun that I'm back at university again now. Originally I was going to be a Mechanical Engineer, but eventually I settled for Mathematics with French Language and Literature, when I realised how bad I was at hands on engineering projects. My experience of Design Technology at school had been limited to Textiles and Nutrition, so suddenly being let loose with a load of angle iron and a rivet gun was all a bit challenging.

What did you enjoy about Borlase, both as a pupil and later as a teacher?

I loved the camaraderie of working with the other students. I was the only girl in my Further Maths group and one of only two girls in my Physics group and the positive attitude of the lads to doing well in exams was so refreshing. I also really enjoyed working in the school Canteen at lunchtime. There weren't any cash tills, so I had to memorise all the prices and then add up the food for the whole school as they trooped through. This might sound a little dull, but it was a lot of fun, as I got to have a quick chat with everyone every lunch hour. It really helped me to get to know students throughout the school, which was useful in my role as Head of Saxons.

As a teacher I really enjoyed working in a team with both the Maths Department and with the Sixth Form Tutors.

In the classroom I loved trying to incorporate puzzles and practical activities into my lessons, so that students never quite knew what to expect when they walked in.

The students at Borlase always had a great sense of humour, so I loved listening to their ideas and responses.

Helping the Sixth Form with their university applications was also very enjoyable; they were, and I'm sure still are, a really talented bunch.

Perhaps both the most worrying and the most enjoyable part of my teaching was taking large Duke of Edinburgh expeditions out around the local area. Setting up the scheme at the school came as something of a surprise to me. On my first day as a teacher at Borlase, a student came up to me and asked: "Are you the teacher that is

going to be setting up the D of E scheme here?" When I said that I wasn't, the member of staff next to me chimed in with: "I think you'll find you are!" It was a bit of a shock at the time, but seeing a group of 50 Year 10 students running round a field playing leapfrog and telling me how much fun it was to be playing outside, away from technology, was wonderful.

You are also a parent of Borlase children. What changes, if any, have you noticed about Borlase life since you were a pupil?

The school has obviously become much larger since my time there as a student, not least with the addition of the Year 7s. Previously Bucks Grammars had started at Year 8. The school is also much more geared towards mixed education, having girls throughout each year group.

Being in the third year of girls to arrive at the school, Year 11 was still all boys when I was in the Lower Sixth and there were far more boys than girls in the Sixth Form.

There has been a lot of building on site since the nineties, so accommodation is far more tailored to each lesson and activity now. I'm pleased that the main buildings around the cloisters and the Chapel have continued to look much the same as before though, as these represent for me the very heart of the school. Currently there are far more opportunities in terms of Clubs and Societies available, as well as a wider range of academic subjects. I'm always impressed by just how much goes on at the school now, from Robot Wars to Space Camp trips!

The atmosphere around Borlase still has the warmth and vibrancy that I remember. The ethos of the teaching and learning is still broadly the same; everyone is encouraged to excel and given the opportunity to make the most of their talents.

What are you doing now, and where do you see your career heading?

After twenty-one years of teaching Maths, I am currently back at university as a postgraduate researcher, studying for a PhD in the Mathematics of Planet Earth. My work is mostly centred on making the aviation industry more sustainable, so I will probably look at the opportunities available in this area when I finish in a couple of years.

However, I'm hoping to incorporate some more machine learning into my current work involving optimal control theory, so this is pretty adaptable to most industries.

What is your favourite meal?

I love a French Tunisian couscous with the traditional seven vegetables and merguez sausages. My grandmother grew up in Tunisia, before her family moved back to France, so her cooking was heavily influenced by North African cuisine. When you eat couscous with my French cousins, sitting down to lunch can take most of the day!

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OLD BORLASIANS How do you relax at the weekend?

Most weekends I'm up at half four to take my daughter skating. There is a gym at the rink, so I start Saturday and Sunday by watching dawn break over Slough whilst I complete a two hour workout. Not very picturesque, but it makes you feel pretty virtuous for the rest of the day!

On Sundays I also get to put my skates on, as the whole family volunteer with SPICE, a group that helps disabled children and young adults to enjoy ice skating. It is really good fun and we've made some great friends there. In the summer I swim every day and I enjoy going out on the tandem or walking around the local countryside. All this exercise is pretty vital, as my big failing is that I love to spend the rest of my time baking cakes and inventing new desserts!

How important is the Old Borlasian Club in post school life?

Being a member of the Old Borlasian Club has not just kept me up to date with what the school does now, but it has also meant meeting past pupils from many different eras. Listening to anecdotes of school life under various headteachers is always fascinating and I feel particularly privileged to have worked with the members of the Old Borlasian Club Committee over many years. Having taught at the school and more recently having had my older son progress through from Year 7 to 13, I also get to catch up with a wide range of younger Old Borlasian Club members at our functions. It is wonderful hearing about all of the incredibly varied and exciting things our members have been up to since their years at the school.

Being part of the Old Borlasian Club is also a way of saying thank you to the school for everything I experienced there. The Sixth Form at Borlase was easily the most enjoyable part of my school career, so it feels fitting that I should now be involved in celebrating the experiences of the current Borlase students. This is done annually through the Arts, Sports and Science prizes that the OBC now provide, alongside the Old Borlasian Prize that has long been part of our history.

As the school approaches its 400th birthday, celebrating everything that the school has stood for over four centuries is more relevant than ever. For that reason I am absolutely delighted that The Lever Room will soon become a permanent feature of the cloisters, allowing artefacts, historical documents and photographs from the school's long history to be displayed. This will prove a huge asset both to current students and to any Old Borlasians who fancy taking a look back at the long heritage in which they have played a part.

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REMEMBERING CORONA

When I think back 75 years to the time when I was a 12-year-old school boy enjoying the VE Day Street celebrations in Mead Way, Burnham, Corona only meant one thing, and that was Lemonade.

Families from Royston Way, Lawrence Way, Crosthwaite Way and The Spur decided that the top end of Mead Way was the most suitable location to hold the party. All the area consisted of detached bungalows built in the early thirties.

Collectively, tables and chairs, linen and lots of colourful bunting were set up. Despite strict food rationing all the neighbours contributed cakes, sandwiches, all kinds of pies and Corona lemonade, Tizer and Ginger Beer. Music was provided mainly by popular records played on wind up gramophones, but as the celebrations continued an upright piano was wheeled, or maybe carried, out into the street.

But another big treat was to carry out our plan to build the biggest bonfire, as they had been banned throughout the war. The site chosen was wasteland by the side of Burnham Railway Station - in recent years this area has been developed as an additional car park in preparation for Crossrail. We spent most of the day collecting firewood and everything combustible. There were no cars available in those times, so everything was transported on bike, trolley and by hand. Hard work but with great expectations for the fire. At dusk we all gathered round the bonfire as the flames flared and we continued rejoicing into the night. As a lovely surprise the nearby Commodore Cinema (later The Essoldo) was lit up in full neon, highlighting the entire building; it was the first time the cinema and ballroom lights had been seen for five years. As the fire glowed we tried to roast potatoes, with varying degrees of success, as we younger ones had no previous experience, and we finished what was left of the Corona lemonade. Everything we have striven for over the past 75 years must not be lost to the Corona-virus!

William (Billy) Gilbert (1944-50)

REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE AND THE PRESIDENTS’ SHERRY PARTY

In line with tradition some Old Borlasians attended these two events which take place in the second half of the Autumn term. They are very different but both give us the chance to revisit school and mix with some of the staff and pupils.

The service is more serious but nevertheless it is always a delight to be able to sit in the intimate confines of the Chapel again and remember the past, and in particular those Old Borlasians who gave their life for their country.

OLD BORLASIANS

THE BORLASE MASONIC LODGE Now incorporated into

THAMES SCHOOLS LODGE No.6216

The Lodge announces its new Worshipful Master Frances Veaver, as of 1st September 2019.

Anyone requiring information about the Lodge should contact: K.R.Cartland, 4 Fontwell Close, Maidenhead, Berks, SL6 5JX. Tel.01628 636179.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

The Presidents’ Sherry party is a very different affair. Held on the last day of term, it is so called as past Presidents are meant to put their hand in their pockets and fund the informal buffet lunch. These days the Club shares the cost with the school and it is a very relaxed get-together with all staff members to thank them for their hard work during the year. Past members of staff are particularly welcome, along with any ex pupils.

Remembrance Day: The annual service of Remembrance will be held in the School Chapel on Wednesday 11th November at 10am.

AGM: The AGM will be held in the School in late November – date to be arranged.

OB Carol Service: All Saints’ Parish Church, Marlow, on the evening of Wednesday 16th December.

Presidents’ Sherry Party: Friday 18th December from 12pm onwards.

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VE DAY ANNIVERSARY

VE DAY ANNIVERSARY In late 2019 one of our Maths teachers, Ms Watson, published a delightful children’s book, Mooncat, a collection of fictional, humorous and autobiographical stories. The titular Mooncat is based on the experiences of her family in Russia during World War 2. To mark the 75th anniversary of the end of that war, she recounts the experiences of her family during the war.

MY GRANDPARENTS’ WAR ‘You’ve got to run through your life as if walking on the razor blade – beautifully, solicitously, swiftly’ Nikolai Ostrovski ‘How the Steel was Tempered’ My mother Eleonora was born in October 1941. Her father, Anatoly (my grandfather), did not see his one and only daughter until the end of the war, because in June 1941 he was summoned to the front. When Eleonora was just 4 months old, her mother, Lydia (my grandmother), joined her husband on the Ukrainian Front and Eleonora was evacuated with her two grandmothers, Marta and Maria (my great grandmothers), to Samarkand, Uzbekistan. They lived in a tiny one-room hut on the outskirts of the town. Grandma Marta looked after Eleonora; Grandma Maria worked as a postal train driver and was the only breadwinner. Maria’s sister had died from starvation and her husband had been killed in

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a war, leaving their 6-year-old son Georka (George) an orphan. Maria did everything she could to find the boy and persuaded Anatoly to help her to adopt him, and so Georka came to join toddler Eleonora in Samarkand. Food was very scarce, the town was full of war refugees and the homeless and there were lots of infectious diseases. Maria was almost always away for days and weeks, Vera, Lydia's sister, and my carrying with her on a postal train mother Eleonora, August 1943 fruit and melons from Uzbekistan, and trading them for butter, flour and potatoes on the black markets in Ukraine. With the money sent home from the front by Anatoly, they bought a goat, and Georka pastured her on the hills with the yellow-sunburned grass. The goat was very good, small, but she gave a lot of milk – enough for them all. Marta often went with the children to the desert, collecting turtles’ eggs which they boiled to eat, but the yolks would never go hard.

They also had a cat, a stray tomcat that Georka had saved from near death, and who adored him. Georka was a very streetwise boy, outrageously brave, mischievous, and ready for anything. He was very loving and caring, and very protective of Eleonora. He trained the cat to do lots of tricks – jump high, recognise his voice and commands and, finally, steal from the local street market and small shops. The cat understood his role perfectly well: he was to contribute to the family’s budget in any way he could – and he was often seen running at a great speed along the dusty town road, carrying a string of sausages behind him, all covered in dirt. The cat never ate a single one, delivering all his ‘prey’ and proudly presenting it to his beloved Georka. Georka would reward him, and cook the rest for the family. This cat’s adventures lasted for over a year; then one day the cat did not come home.

Georka found him dead, lying in a pool of blood in the dusty market, where he had once picked him up as a dying kitten.

My granddad, Anatoly, told me so many stories as a child, every night, at bedtime. He always said that there was someone up there, looking after him. Once, he had to find a missing part for a broken engine and spent two hours searching in a field where pieces of artillery and machinery had been left. When he came to the field’s edge, he realised that it was surrounded by a barbed wire fence with signs warning that there were mines. He could not believe the signs, so he picked up a rock and threw it with all his force onto the field he’d just been wandering in. There was a massive explosion and he hardly had time to fall on the ground, covering his head.

Another time, he was sitting beside a driver in a truck advancing with the front. They stopped to get some water and, as it was hot, Anatoly decided not to sit in the cabin

VE DAY ANNIVERSARY with the driver, but in the open body of the truck. They set off again and the very next moment there was a huge explosion; the truck had hit a landmine. The driver was killed on the spot and Anatoly was thrown out into the road, unconscious, but alive.

One night, Anatoly was lost, looking for his men who were scattered in the forest near Peremyshl’ after a sudden attack My grandfather Anatoly, 1940s by the German forces had broken the Soviet frontline. He was exhausted, and dared not call out for fear of being heard by the Germans. It was so dark that he could not see further than his own nose, and he decided to give up until dawn. Planning to spend the night in the forest, he suddenly walked to a clearing that had a small hut and a vegetable garden close to it. Everything was quiet, not a light, not a sound. He went inside and climbed up to the loft which had hay generously scattered on the floor to dry, and immediately fell asleep. In the middle of the night he was suddenly woken up by the sound of loud talking, laughing, heavy footsteps. He looked down through the floorboards and saw that the small room below him was full of German soldiers, drinking, eating, and smoking. The small courtyard outside was packed with German motorcycles and trucks. Like Anatoly they had obviously found the hut and decided to stay there for the night. It was a matter of minutes before they climbed upstairs to sleep and found him, alone, and without any weapons. Anatoly searched through his emergency ration pack and found a tin of ‘tushenka’ (stewed meat). Holding it like a hand grenade in one hand, with his pistol in the other, he crept to the ladder leading downstairs, stood up and yelled, ‘Hande hoch!’ (Hands up!) The Germans were astonished at seeing a mad Russian with a hand grenade, ready to throw it down to kill them all, and immediately fell to the floor, covering their heads. Anatoly ran out of the hut, turning at the door and throwing the ‘grenade’ inside.

He had time to hide in the forest before the Germans got outside. They did not dare to follow him, and he ran

and walked all night until he finally found some of his men.

They all survived the war.

Georka stayed with Maria, and lived until he was 17.

He died as outrageously bravely as he lived. There was a fire on a passenger Georka, shortly before he died. barge on the River Volga, in Saratov and a young girl Georka had never seen before began crying hysterically for help – all her scarce belongings and passport were on the barge. Georka could not bear to see people crying, so he told her not Marta, Eleonora and Vera after the war, 1940s to worry, and jumped onto the burning barge. He died in the fire, burned alive for the useless belongings of an unknown girl.

Maria was the greatest spirit of all time, the strongest, toughest, most fearless human I ever knew. She could do anything; the words ‘I can’t’ did not exist in her vocabulary. She was the most practical and energetic woman, the greatest expert in human nature. Maria never sat resting; even in her very last days she was cooking her own meals, sewing her own clothes, knitting, cleaning.

My grandfather, Anatoly, was in the Army until the very last days of the war. During only 3 months January-April 1945 they built 4362 km of railway track and 279 bridges in German territory. Anatoly was so skilled in mechanics - he could tell what was wrong with an engine just by listening to it - that the Germans wanted him to stay in Germany, and offered him a garage business to run. But Anatoly and Lydia had only one thought and hope: to go home!

Ms Watson ‘Mooncat’ by Elena Watson is available for purchase through Amazon UK

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SEQUERE

SEQUERE day without eating meat then maybe try doing it a meal at a time. Try eating vegetarian or vegan lunches every Monday for a few weeks; then you could progress to two meals, and so on until your whole Monday is meat free!

Ella Murgatroyd Last year, the Sequere student magazine was launched

by Beatrice Lofthouse and Anastasia Emelyanenko. This year we moved the newest Borlase publication online with even more student content. The mock election launched alongside the website where we put daily updates on politics, and since then the number of articles featured has only gone up, with student writers in every year group contributing everything from horoscopes to news from academic societies, to sport and the performing arts, mental health columns and much more. Here we reprint a few of the articles.

MEAT-FREE MONDAYS

This year ‘Meat-free Mondays’ was launched in school, meaning that every Monday Mimi’s and the canteen will only provide vegetarian options for students and staff.

What is ‘Meat-free Mondays’?

Meat-free Mondays is a global project to encourage people to take a step towards making kinder choices for the animals, improving their health and reducing their carbon footprint on the earth, all by simply not eating meat on Mondays.

What are your aims? What are you hoping to achieve?

We are hoping that many people will embrace this opportunity to take a day of the week to try plant based options and possibly may choose to integrate more plant based meals into their everyday lives.

Why should people take part?

Eating less meat is a compassionate step to reducing your contribution to the cruelty and suffering that animals farmed for their flesh endure. It is also proven that eating less meat helps reduce your cholesterol, which improves heart health and decreases your chances of developing heart disease. It can also decrease your chances of developing Type 2 diabetes and obesity. Livestock production is also the largest greenhouse gas producer - it produces more greenhouse gases than all transportation combined - so skipping animal products and replacing them with plant based alternatives decreases your carbon footprint significantly! Also, producing one quarterpound beef burger uses 425 gallons of water (enough to fill 10 BATHTUBS!) and uses enough electricity to power an iPhone for 6 months!

Do you have any suggestions on how people can get involved more easily?

If you are worried that you will struggle with a whole

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THE MEDIA AND FLACK: THE EFFECTOF CONTINUOUS NEGATIVE INFATUATION

Caroline Flack was a TV presenter, most commonly known as the presenter for ‘Love Island’. Since 2019, this show has become inextricably linked with suicide due to three deaths in one year. Flack’s death has sent shockwaves through modern society, with the petition for ‘Caroline’s Law’ surpassing 500,000 signatures.

Caroline’s suicide is blamed on the continuous scruitiny of the British tabloids. According to the Guardian Online, there were 99 articles regarding Caroline in a six month period before she died. These 99 articles nearly account for a quarter of all articles (387) which were published in the same time period. The tabloids ignored Flack’s pleas for privacy and thus the general public were constantly aware of Caroline’s flawed home life.

However, through this abhorrent event ‘Caroline’s Law’ has emerged and has amassed over 500,000 signatures.

According to the campaign’s creator, Dennis Patton, “Caroline’s Law’ would: “make it a criminal offence, not dissimilar to Corporate Manslaughter, for the British Media to knowingly and relentlessly bully a person, whether they be in the public eye or not, up to the point that they take their own life”. This bill aims to cease the sordid and immoral actions of British tabloids who attack celebrities' home lives in order to sell more papers. This bill aims to cease the torment which Caroline and other celebrities have been subject to. This bill aims to cease the monopolistic power which the media wield. This bill will force media outlets to be accountable for their heinous actions.

SEQUERE But one question which has emerged from this event is one which alludes to the challenges of this modern generation: should humans be famous? Can humans cope with the scrutiny of millions?

But, regardless, her death has forced people to think about mental health. Hadely Stewart, a medical journalist, states that “Flack was not alone in struggling with poor mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that the number of people in the WHO European Region living with poor mental health was 110 million, or 12% of the population.”

What can we do to reduce occurrences such as this one?

• Talk. ask your friends (or strangers) how they are and LISTEN to their reply. You can check in with friends who you have not seen for a while. Start a conversation on how your friends can help you and vice versa. Remember the Peer Support room is open every break and lunch for a chat.

• If you are struggling with issues such as this: stay away from drugs and alcohol

•

Do something you enjoy. Allow yourself to have fun, this may be going for a walk with your dog, listening to music or going out with friends.

A list of helplines: Samaritans - for everyone Call 116 123 Email jo@samaritans.org Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) - for men Call 0800 58 58 58 - 5pm to midnight every day Papyrus - for people under 35 Call 0800 068 41 41 -Monday to Friday 10 am to 10 pm Childine - for under 19’s Call 0800 1111- this number won’t show up on your phone bill Freddie MacGregor

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SCHOOL RECORDS

2019 LEAVERS' DESTINATIONS Ahmed, Maisha: Birmingham - Law with German Law Aldiss, William: Southampton - Geology Allanson, Benjamin: Queen’s College Cambridge - Mathematics Annable, Olivia: Brighton & Sussex Medical School - Medicine Baguley, Jana - unknown Barclay, Amelia: Bath- Biochemistry Barnes, Jack: Manchester - Economics Barry, Alexander: Bath - Civil Engineering Barton, Andrew: Bath - Business Administration Bayliss, Talia: Imperial - Materials Science & Engineering Beales, Ella: Oxford Brookes - Interior Architecture Beaumont, Oliver: Southampton - Archaeology & Anthropology (2020) Beesley, Sam: Southampton - Modern History & Politics Biggs, Dylan: Cardiff - History Bodman, Matthew: Southampton - Biomedical Sciences Boland, Patrick: Liverpool - Geology Borg, Ruby: Leeds - International Development (2020) Brammer, Nathan: Leicester - Computer Science Briscoe, Cece - unknown Brockwell, Charles: Birmingham - Medicine Brown, Lucy: Bristol - Veterinary Science Brown, Emily: Oxford Brookes - Social Anthropology Butler, Phoebe: Exeter - Liberal Arts (2020) Cadinouche, Louis: Nottingham - Mechanical Engineering Calvete Al-Khalidi, Oscar: Birmingham - Ancient History Carter, Ella: Loughborough - History (2020) Chivers, Ella: Keele - Forensic Science and Criminology Chong, Victoria: Christ’s College, Cambridge - Architecture Clark, Emily: Bath - Modern Languages & European Studies Covus, Matthew - unknown Crane, Daniel: Exeter - International Relations Crick, Amelia: Durham - Combined Honours in Social Sciences Dale, Francesca: Birmingham - Biochemistry (2020) Day, Josephine: Liverpool - Medicine (2020) Dobson, James: Warwick - Chemistry Douglas, Sean: York - Music Droney, Tiger: Newcastle - Architecture Dudley, Juliette: Bristol - Hispanic Studies Eagles, Scarlett: Nottingham - Ancient History Eddon-Weavers, Rowanne - unknown Ellis, Max: Nottingham Trent - Law with Business Farquhar, Duncan: York - Biochemistry Fitzgerald, Matthew - unknown Fletcher, Ben: Bournemouth - Business Studies (2020) Fores, Alexander: Nottingham - Mechanical Engineering Formstone, Emily - unknown Forsyth, Andrew: Manchester - Physics Foulkes, Fabrianne: Southampton - Fashion Marketing with Management Fraser, Harvey: Bristol - Physics

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Freedman, Harry: Birmingham - Mechanical Engineering Garcia-Ben, Joseph: Christ Church, Oxford - Philosophy, Politics & Economics Gayter, Thomas: UEA - History Gazard, Emma: Leeds - Music Gerrits, Melike: Birmingham - Medicine Gill, Ikmun: Bath - Civil Engineering Gladstone, Sophie: Nottingham Trent - Fashion Design Graham, Henry: Swansea - Marketing Grigg, Ursula: Loughborough - International Business Gurung, Nikita: Bristol West of England - Business Management & Economics Haddrell, Liberty: Wadham College, Oxford - Law Hale, Benjamin: Cardiff - Ancient History Hall, Benjamin: Bath - Economics Hanlon, Bettina: Liverpool - Physics Harding, Imogen: Cardiff - Civil Engineering Harding-Hubbard, Sasha: UCL - Language & Culture Hariharan, Aniruddh - unknown Harris, Hal: Bath Spa - Creative Computing (Gaming) Harris, Charlie: Durham - Modern Languages & Cultures Harris, Sam: Durham - Natural Sciences Harris, Zara: Leeds - Mathematics and Music Harris-Reeve, Seth: Birmingham - English & Film Helin, Sara: Oxford - Engineering Henry, Graham - unknown Heuser, Charlotte: Exeter - Human Biosciences Hibbert, Rachel: Nottingham - Management Hill, Toby: Bath - Natural Sciences Hobbs, Elliot: Durham - Natural Sciences Hopson, Tara: Sheffield - Mathematics Hucks, Sam: Loughborough - Engineering Management Hughes, Minna - unknown Hussain, Sophia - unknown James, Isabella: Arts University Bournemouth - Graphic Design James, Oscar: Exeter - Zoology James, Hannah: Lancaster - French Studies & Linguistics James, Thomas: Nottingham - Biology Johnson, Karys: Manchester - Medicine Jonca, Patryk: Warwick - Mathematics & Physics Jones Jj: Durham - Japanese Studies Jones, Charley - unknown Kernick, Matthew: Swansea - Accounting & Finance Keys, Georgia: Newcastle - Geography Khan, Hassan: London Metropolitan - Psychology Kim, Jinna: St Andrews - Medicine Krajewski, Natassja: York - Philosophy, Politics & Economics Lambert, Syd: Royal Holloway - Computer Science (Software Engineering) Lang, Alexander: Magdalen College, Oxford - English Language & Literature

SCHOOL RECORDS Legtmann, Etienne: Loughborough - International Business Leibowitz, Emelia: Bath - Economics

Rietiker-Wright, Jamie-Luca: Cardiff Metropolitan - Sport Performance Analysis

Lewis, Jessica: Exeter - Neuroscience

Lewis, Emma: Nottingham - Geography

Roddick, Benjamin: Sussex - Economics

Lidgate, Holly - unknown

Rogers, Phoebe - unknown Rolfe, Philippa - unknown

Lofthouse, Joseph: Bath Spa - Creative Computing (Gaming)

Lurshay, Ciara: Nottingham - Engineering & Physical Sciences Lyons, Alexander: York - English & History of Art MacCallum, Luke: Durham - History MaCrae, Kirsty: Leeds - Midwifery

Markwell, Rebecca: Nottingham - Modern Languages with Business Marshall, Luke - unknown

Marston, Harry: Exeter - Accounting and Finance Maynard, Alexander: Durham - Liberal Arts

McCrorie, Olivia: Edinburgh - German & English Literature McDonald, Olivia: Exeter - Geography (Science)

McGurin, Lydia: Cardiff - Media and Communications

McLaren, Edward: Keble College, Oxford - English Language & Literature McLoughlin, Erin - unknown

McTighe-Trott, Bliss: Liverpool - Veterinary Science Meeks, Dominic: Sheffield - Biology

Minter, Pippa: Bath - Education with Psychology

Misra, Rohan: Nottingham - Mechanical Engineering Mitchell, Ben: Cardiff - Geology

Moussavi-Azad, Ella - unknown

Moussavi-Azad, Yasmin - unknown

Murphy, Oscar: Leeds - International Relations Nairn, Alex: Durham - Economics

Neal, William: Nottingham - Medicine BMBS Nickels, James: Reading - Law

Nixon, Amelia: Newcastle - English Literature & History (2020) Norfolk, Matthew: Liverpool John Moores - Animal Behaviour (2020)

Ronan, Ella: Bristol - Biology

Rowlands, Alexandra: St Hugh’s College, Oxford - Medicine Rowley, Marielle: Sussex - Zoology (2020)

Roy, Florence: Durham - Ancient, Medieval & Modern History Seeger, Katherine: Exeter - Physics

Selbourne, Sam: Manchester - Physics Seymour, Grace - unknown

Sharif, Aman: Manchester - Pharmacy

Sharp, Samuel: Newcastle - Medicine & Surgery Sheldon, Thomas: Nottingham - Economics

Shepherd, Katie: Birmingham - Classical Literature & Civilisation Sidgwick, Joe: Essex - Genetics Sidgwick, Lauren: Exeter - Law Slater, Elliot: Bath - Economics

Smith, Amelia: Liverpool - Geography

Smith, Brandon: Magdalen College, Oxford - Physics Smith, Cavan - unknown

Smith, Madeleine: Newnham College, Cambridge - Linguistics Soni, Arnav: Cardiff - Financial Mathematics

Stinchcombe, Arianne: Liverpool - Psychology

Sullivan, Adam: Portsmouth - Economics, Finance & Banking Thomlinson, Emilia: Bath - Sport & Exercise Science

Thomson, Louis: Arts University Bournemouth - Film Production Thrush, Charles - unknown

Tillyer, Amy: Nottingham - Psychology & Cognitive Neuroscience (2020) Troth, Daniel - unknown

Turner, Harry: Bath - Management with Marketing

Vallee, Jonathan: York - Politics with International Relations

O'Connell, Louis: Nottingham - Physics with European Language

Vicentini, Francesco: Exeter - Business and Management

Otto, Leah: Cardiff - Human Geography

Walker, Joseph: York - Physics with Philosophy

O'Mahony, Olivia: Bristol - History

Walker, Ivor: Aberdeen - Economics

Otun, Christopher: Exeter - Biochemistry

Watharow, Ella - unknown

Parry, Charlie: Sussex - Economics & Management Studies

Welch, Mila: Nottingham - Modern Languages with Business

Paul, Isabella: York - Biochemistry

Whitaker, Julian: St Catherine’s College, Oxford - Materials Science

Parfitt, Felicity: Leeds - Geological Sciences

Webb, Abigail: Bristol West of England - Forensic Science

Patel, Riya: Surrey - Economics & Finance

Wermann, Max: Bath - Physics(2020)

Payne, Emily: Glasgow - English Language & Linguistics with History

Whitfeld, Matthew: Bath - Economics

Petersen, Daisy - unknown

Williams, Alexander: Southampton - Mechanical Engineering

Powell, Henry: Southampton - Economics

Wilson, Lucy: Leeds - Psychology (2020)

Ratcliffe, Samuel: Southampton - Film & English

Worman, Matthew: Swansea - Sport and Exercise Science

Reineke, Mae: Nottingham Trent - Biomedical Sciences

Yeomans, Harry: Nottingham Trent - Business Management & HR

Poots, Joe: Liverpool John Moores - Sport Psychology

Williams, Alana: Swansea - Psychology

Pretlove, Travis: Cardiff - Exploration & Resource Geology

Winter, Grace: Oxford Brookes - History

Rees, Maria: Solent - Film & Television

Yazdi-Davis, Sophie: Leeds - Theatre and Performance (2020)

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SCHOOL RECORDS

SENIOR PREFECTS 2019-20

School Captains – Georgia Tuke, Callum Kunchur Vice Captains – Amy Badham, Charlie Evans HELM – Beatrice Lofthouse, Iesha Allen, Jeevan Sembi MFL – Claudia Mura, Raphael Conte Sports – Gaby Crosby, Ben Ferguson Environment – Charlotte Emmerson, Anastasia Emelyanenko Performing Arts – Rosie Lewis, Cormac Diamond STEM – Georgia Mill, Nav Basra, Stevie Cooper, Alex Huxley Charities – Polly Bennett, Ed O’Neill Front of House – Lucie Plummer, Ben Ford Development & Alumni – Isabelle Murray, Samuel Nicklin KS3 – Lucie Pryor, Max Brazier KS4 – Megan Lister, Tom Crockett Year 11 – Evie Amos, Ashwin Goyal

SCHOOL PRIZES 2019-20 YEAR 7

7A Attitude to Learning - Jake Britton 7A Academic Achievement - Emily Grainger 7B Attitude to Learning - Beatrix Minter 7B Academic Achievement - Martin Ho 7C Attitude to Learning - Charlotte Hesketh 7C Academic Achievement - Hana MacDiarmid 7D Attitude to Learning - Lola Bradley 7D Academic Achievement - Lucy Browning Year 7 Sporting Prowess Prize - Eloise Hillebrand Year 7 Sporting Endeavour Prize - Alexis Besnard

YEAR 8

8A Attitude to Learning - Juno Edwards 8A Academic Achievement - Fin Engelberts 8B Attitude to Learning - Nathan Taylor 8B Academic Achievement - Lyr Feldberg 8C Attitude to Learning - Daniela Yakubovich 8C Academic Achievement - Ruby Duncan 8D Attitude to Learning - Georgina Lonergan 8D Academic Achievement - Alex Ley Year 8 Sporting Prowess Prize - Ellie Lane Year 8 Sporting Endeavour Prize - Sam Puddephatt Prize for Academic Excellence in KS3 - Elsa Lamping The D.J. Colthup Prize for the most promising artist in Year 8 - Elsa Jago The Dr Isles STEM Prize - Gracie Runcie

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YEAR 9

Art - Imogen Cole Biology – Julia Koteles Chemistry - Lisa Dixon Computing - Tvisha Mediratta Design - Lisa Dixon Dance - Max Blackbourn Drama - Sacha Smith English - Natasha Rasmussen French - Naomi Haldane Geography - Julia Koteles German - Lisa Dixon History - Julia Koteles Mathematics - Jamie Shepherd Music - Sacha Smith Physical Education - Ryaan Ghani Physics - Sasha Helin Religious Studies - Millie Elwood Spanish - Julia Koteles Extra-curricular Performing Arts - Dilsher Bagri Extra-curricular Sport - Max Blackbourn, Natasha Rasmussen The Hamer Prize for Draughtsmanship in Year 9 - Ivet Mircheva

YEAR 10

Art - Hannah Rooney Biology - Holly Baker Chemistry - Alex Stephens Computing - Joel Taylor Design - Eloise Rints Dance - Grace Potter Drama - Katherine Perry English - Daisy Foley French - Joel Taylor Geography - Daisy Foley German - Thomas Buick History - Leela Briggs Mathematics - Alex Stephens Music - Joel Taylor Physical Education - Sadie Smith Physics - Anne Irving Spanish - Holly Baker Extra-curricular Performing Arts - Alex Coe Extra-curricular Sport - James Ley, Jemima Ridley

SCHOOL RECORDS

YEAR 11

Art - Hannah Dring Biology - Giulia Sarno Chemistry - Nina Passler Computing - Adam Ulhaq Design - Max Byng-Maddick Dance - Lizzie Rackstraw Drama - Will Tucker English - Poppy Murray French - Poppy McLean-Inglis Geography - Nina Passler German - Harriet Evans Mandarin - Lara Hancox History - Joe Parkinson Mathematics - Anthony Adamson Music - Nina Passler Physical Education - Noah Fletcher Physics - Mani Ipchi Spanish - Hope Auman Extra-curricular Performing Arts - Will Tucker Extra-curricular Sport - Charlie Shaw, Immy Duguid The Colin Prime Prize for Design - Will Tucker

YEAR 12

Art - Indigo Gow Biology - Imogen Baguley Business Studies - Alfie Green Chemistry - Clara MacCallum Computing - Oscar Wilkinson Physics - Joseph Haslehurst Drama - Grace Venus Dance - Maddy Hill English - Florence Ridley Economics - James Wilks French - Olly Gale Further Maths - Joseph Haslehurst, Gautam Nemani Geography - Matthew Lyons German - Elenor Vockins, Reuben Bignell Government & Politics - Isobel Potter History - Olly Gale Mathematics - Kellan Fernandes Music - Leon Tasch Physical Education - Dennis Minter Psychology - Nikita Atcar Spanish - Catarina Silva, Annabelle Robson

Technical Theatre - Charlotte Farmer Extra-curricular Performing Arts - Grace Venus, Charlotte Farmer Extra-curricular Sport - Will Hunter, Miranda Coombs The Governors' Award for the best GCSE Results 2019 - Clara MacCallum, Angus Mactear, Leon Tasch, Adam Town

SPECIAL PRIZES

The J.C. Davies Prize for History - Dominic Jones The E.W. Hester Prize for Geography - Charlie Mactear The Alison Barraclough Geology Prize - Krystian Kula The Moores Prize for Music - Raphael Conte The Enos Moore Memorial Prize for Literature - Arjan Bagri The G.J. White Prize for Economics - Raphael Conte The Marly-le-Roi Prize for French - Iesha Allen The Urenco Prize for German - Raphael Conte The Mor de Fuentes Prize for Spanish - Mollie Marsh The D.C.W. Banner Prize for Art - Charis Horsley The Xerox Prize for Business Studies - Cameron Chadwick The Audrey Moore Prize for Creative Writing - Ben Hoggan The Lidgate Markwell Prize for Dance - Rosie Lewis The Switchshop Prize for Computing - Toby BroyhillFogg The Alex Wylde Government & Politics Prize - Mollie Marsh The Wendy Farmer Psychology Prize - Charlie Evans The Eatwell Prize for Mathematics - Aaryan Samant The Tim Magee Prize for Drama - Evie Amos The Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson Prize for Improvised Music - Stevie Cooper The Borlase Maynard Ferguson Creative Music Bursary Cormac Diamond, Jonny Ainscough The John Schofield Prize for Science - Tom Chorlton The Tocky Technical Theatre Prize - Lucie Plummer The Harry Stranger Prize for PE - Charlotte Burnage The Enterprise Award (for the most enterprising member of the sixth form) - Holly Baker, Daisy Foley, Maya Kunchur, Rucha Potdukhe The Old Borlasian Prize (for all round positive contribution to school life) - Callum Kunchur, Georgia Tuke Thames Schools Lodge Prize (School Service Prize) Ben Ford The Wethered Prize - Cormac Diamond (for Music Diploma Support)

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SCHOOL RECORDS

STAFF 2019-20 Mike Adamson Jillian Addison Vicki Alexander Nayani Algama Rachael Allen Lauren Anderson Kirsty Ashby Brett Bagley Erica Barclay Amanda Barrett Sarah Barrett-Klikis Jo Beswick Alan Bigsby Sarah Birch Suzanne Birkett Christopher Black Harry Blackwell Jane Blane Kate Bownass Elizabeth Brassington Lucy Budge Ben Bui Helen Bull Jane Bungey Ilona Cains Mark Campbell Nick Cartwright Susan Caskey Fiona Challis Suzanne Chaplin Kevin Chappell Anu Chawla John Clegg Silvia Colmenero Fiona Colville Chloe Conan Rachel Cork Nigel Couch Oliver Cross

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Science (Chemistry) Geography MFL (Trainee) Science Technician Science Technician (Biology) Head of Drama Dance, Head of Year 11 Assistant Caretaker STEM Administrator Cover Supervisor MFL KS4 Learning Mentor Design & Technology Technician MFL English, Assistant Head of Sixth Form Psychology, Head of Romans Biology Geography School Counsellor, Head of Vikings Biology (Trainee) Alumni Relations Officer Cover Assistant KS5 Student Support Officer English, Head of Key Stage 5 Director of Development Maths Senior IT Technician Careers Lead Art Communications & Marketing PE, Hockey, Head of Normans IT Director Assistant Business Manager (Temporary) Spanish MFL School Administrator MFL Head of Physics Head of English

Cameron Cupitt-Jones Lynn Cupitt-Jones Diana Davis Will Davies Charlie Day Nicola Day James Dexter Chris Duggan Linda Fortnam Adam Galbraith Christine Garrow Glenda Godfrey Caroline Goodall Mark Gould Lesley Haldane Marshall Hall Yinghua Han Kasia Harding Mark Hartley Stuart Hill Claire Hindley Joe Holloran Rachael Holmes Jenny Hopper Nick Horne Kate Hyett Lydia Janczynska Sammy Karim Paul King Ray Kipping Ali Leibowitz Jenny LewingtonChislett Patience Lewis Susanne Lewis Sarah Llewellyn-Jones James Lofthouse Joe Long Henrietta Longstaff Dianne Malatt

IT Technician SIMS Administrator KS3 Learning Mentor Performing Arts Apprentice Maths Matron Maths Support Director of PE and Sport KS5 Student Support Dance Reception, Peripatetic Music Administration Art Technician Teaching Schools Administrator Physics Examinations Officer Head of Art, Photography Mandarin School Administrator Technical Theatre PE, PHSE, Head of Key Stage 4 Dance History English, Assistant Head Head of MFL, Head of Normans Science Technician (Physics) Data Manager History (Trainee) Sixth Form Administrator Head of Geography Site Manager KS4 Learning Mentor Performing Arts Technician PE Maths English (Trainee) Literary Co-ordinator, Borlasian Editor PE Technician English Maths

SCHOOL RECORDS Bevan Marchand Catriona McLeod Joseph McNally Peter Mead Jake Metcalf Seth Miall Helen Milne Nathan Monk Charlotte Morris Emma Morton Kay Mountfield Richard Neill Kim Nicholas Graham Nicholls Margaret Nixon Amanda O’Hara Ben Parsons Georgina Parsons Joanna Picton Phil Preston Fiona Pryor Andy Ramdeen Sarah Rayner Jessica Reinhold Isabel Richardson Craig Robertson Sonya Robinson Hugh Robson Blanca Roman Karen Rooke Megan Sadie Harneet Sanghera Gayathri Sangkara Raman Claire Shurrock James Simpson Rebecca Sowden Petra Stafford Dean Stevens Anna Summerfield

Maths Director of Finance & Operations Head of Business Studies & Economics, Head of Saxons Head of History English (Trainee) Director of Music, Head of Danes Biology

Director of Hockey School and Performing Arts Administrator MFL Co-ordinator Headteacher Assistant Caretaker RE D&T Finance Assistant PE Music, Assistant Head, Teaching Schools Head of Biology, Head of Science History Physics Business Studies, Economics, Politics, Head of Saxons Physics Drama & English Science Maths Head of Key Stage 3 Science Technician (Chemistry) English, Organist Spanish Biology Finance Assistant Maths Chemistry Maths Deputy Headteacher Head of Chemistry Chemistry Duke of Edinburgh Co-ordinator HR Manager

Louise Walder Elena Watson Brian Wilds Tom Wilkinson Rhian Williams

Maths, Director of Studies Maths Assistant Caretaker Director of Rowing History, Assistant Head, Head of Vikings PE Computing Head’s and Deputy Head’s PA Cover Assistant

Jo Wilson Kyaw Win Clare Woodgate Sophie Yazdi-Davis

Language Assistants - Vanessa Weber (German), Camille Lheureux (French) Peripatetic Music Teachers - Hugh Robson (harpsichord /organ); Jason Reeve (percussion/piano); Jean Garrett (piano); Emma Walker (flute); David Young (classical guitar); Simon Bishop (electric guitar); Jon Woodhouse (saxophone); Sue Cossins (clarinet/cello); Marilyn Vanryne (violin/viola); Gilly Ross/Robina Redgard-Siler (singing); Simon Davie (brass).

STAFF LEAVERS During the year we said farewell to the following members of staff: Jillian Addison Elizabeth Brassington Susan Caskey Silvia Colmenero Will Davies Adam Galbraith Stuart Hill Lydia Janczynska Sammy Karim Sarah Llewellyn-Jones Dianne Mallatt Jake Metcalf Amanda O’Hara Phil Preston Andy Ramdeen Jess Reinhold

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STAFF LEAVERS

STAFF LEAVERS 2019-20 We caught up with some of the members of staff leaving this year and asked them the questions that matter.

MR HILL

What are some of your most memorable/funny/ embarrassing Borlase moments?

I think most of those are restricted information! I have had some incredible moments on trips, rugby tours to the other side of the world, Arctic expedition to Greenland, ski trips. One of the funny moments I can share would be about a food fight that was taking place during an event many years ago. I was being a little bit devious and throwing a few bits of food around (mainly at Robin Dowell and the rowing coaches) but then I may have hit someone more important without realising..... I won't say who but he retired a few years ago and had a big office at the front of the school!!

What has been your favourite part of working at Borlase?

Whilst I have not been at Borlase as long as some (looking especially at Mr King here!) this will be my 11th year. In this time I have seen nearly 2000 different pupils through KS4 alone and I have met some of the most incredible, talented and amazing young adults. I have really enjoyed getting to know, help and support those students and whilst sometimes it is difficult and challenging, that has to be one of my favourite things. Alongside that I would say coaching the rugby and the success we had in sport

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generally; playing the saxophone or clarinet in bands at the school has been one of my favourite parts as well.

And the trips.

What will you miss the most from working at school (apart from Mr Miall)?

Why can't I just say Mr Miall! I will miss everything but it goes without saying that I will miss the people the most.

Our buildings are stunning and when you stop and absorb the history of cloisters you really sense you are in a unique and special place. That said, if the buildings are the body of the school, then the people are the heartbeat. Borlase would not be the special place it is without people - staff, students, parents etc making it special.

What sentiment would you like to leave with staff and students?

Gratitude.

How would you describe your role at Borlase, and what advice would you give to your successor?

I'm not sure how I would describe it!

Counsellor - Sometimes you find yourself dealing with nothing but other people's problems (staff, students & parents) and that can be a drain emotionally, but in most cases you are helping, so it is rewarding at the same time.

Detective - It was Joe Bloggs, in the toilet, with a pipette from biology Teacher - top 10 counts, right???

Coach Confidant Mediator Problem Solver/Creator Disciplinarian I think the list goes on!

Advice to my successor - learn to switch off and try not to overthink things; normally your gut instinct is the right one.

What are you going on to do next?

I am moving to China to work at King’s College in Hangzhou. I am becoming the Director of Co-Curricular Activities and a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

It's a job I have wanted for a long time as I believe in the concept of education outside of the classroom, so I am very excited about it. I will be moving out to China on a permanent basis at the start of August.

Three words to describe Borlase students?

Amazing, talented, legends Any hidden talents?

I guess it would be that I am pretty musical. I am a Grade 8 saxophonist (or at least I used to be!) and have played

STAFF LEAVERS in bands at school, but also play in one of the best wind bands in the country in my own time. Not many people know that, and I still get staff and pupils asking me why I'm carrying around instruments at times. Mr Duggan still just shakes his head at me and tells me to stop lying!

Who is your idol?

So many deserving answers to this question but I will keep it simple and say two people - my mum and dad.

Interviewed by Hana Jolly

MS LLEWELLYN-JONES

How long have you been teaching at Borlase?

A year.

What subject do you teach?

English.

What is your life motto?

Reflect, don't regret.

What was your worst subject in school?

Physics. Embarrassing because my dad was a physicist.

What has being at Borlase taught you?

To be organised: it's a very long walk to the staff loo from the English block.

As biscuits have been a uniting theme in past Borlasians, what is your favourite?

My grandmother's homemade chocolate-chip cookies.

Just a delicious memory now.

What’s next for you? What are your plans post-Borlase?

I'm teaching English at the Royal Latin School in Buckingham. Another grammar school with, I hope, some similarly lovely pupils.

What has been the most memorable moment during your time at Borlase?

Playing the piano in an animal onesie for the staff rendition of 'Wanna Be Like You' during House Music.

Have you got any advice for students at Borlase?

All worthwhile things in life take time: be patient and persevere.

MS REINHOLD

How long have you been teaching at Borlase?

2 years What subject do you teach?

Biology and Physics What is your life motto?

Fill your life with things you love What was your worst subject in school?

History. The only date I could remember was 1066.

What has being at Borlase taught you?

The absolute importance of organisation - I don't go anywhere without my planner!

As biscuits have been a uniting theme in past Borlasians, what is your favourite?

Cadbury’s Chocolate Fingers every time What’s next for you? What are your plans post-Borlase?

I am moving to teach Biology and Physics at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire along with my two naughty sausage dogs. I'm hoping post lockdown to finally start learning to race old motor cars and get out sailing again.

What has been the most memorable moment during your time at Borlase?

There are so many wonderful moments to choose from.

Probably making the Year 12s (now 13s) dress up in hats to form a molecule of DNA. Or perhaps the cocoa powder...

Have you got any advice for students at Borlase?

Enjoy your time at Borlase; you are so lucky to have an incredible team of teachers and staff who really believe in you. It is corny, but you will never be so well looked after again by so many people who genuinely care about you.

Make mistakes and learn from these; you have a whole lifetime ahead of you to practice getting it right. The most important skill you can learn in life is to be content.

Don't worry about comparing yourself to others, just be happy being you.

MR METCALF

How long have you been teaching at Borlase?

I've been teaching since September. I am a studentteacher and spent two terms at Borlase and one at Great Marlow.

What subject do you teach?

I teach English.

What is your life motto?

Everyone does the best they can with the tools they have.

What was your worst subject in school?

I received my lowest grade in Drama but now I am part of an amateur dramatic group. My last role was as a drag queen who lip-syncs to 'Be Our Guest' from Beauty & The Beast.

What has being at Borlase taught you?

How to be a teacher, how to plan lessons, how to build relationships with pupils and how to give good feedback.

As biscuits have been a uniting theme in past Borlasians, what is your favourite?

I enjoy a Party Ring from time to time.

What’s next for you? What are your plans post-Borlase?

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I'm going to spend the summer relaxing and, next year, I'm going to teach at Highcrest.

What has been the most memorable moment during your time at Borlase?

The time I spent with the pupils in my classes has been memorable - each pupil has been a delight to teach in their own individual way.

Have you got any advice for students at Borlase?

Take a moment to remind yourself how fantastic you are at least three times a day.

MS JANCZYNSKA

How long have you been teaching at Borlase?

One year.

What subject do you teach?

History!

What is your life motto?

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

What was your worst subject in school?

French. My first language is Polish, and French language rules made absolutely no sense to me at school. And the pronunciation of French was difficult as a Polish speaker in Polish, you pronounce every single letter in every word which is very unlike French pronunciation. It made for some interesting lessons for sure!

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What has being at Borlase taught you?

Being at Borlase has taught me to always be prepared - you never know quite how your day will turn out and what you will learn. It's also taught me how supportive the Borlase community is - especially when the majority of school has been held online for much of the last month.

As biscuits have been a uniting theme in past Borlasians, what is your favourite?

Double coat Tim Tams are my favourite! I once filled an entire carry-on suitcase with packets of them, to bring them back from Australia. I made that suitcase full of biscuits last a whole year!

What’s next for you? What are your plans post-Borlase?

To move to and teach in the North of England, where much of my family is from.

What has been the most memorable moment during your time at Borlase?

Helping out on the D of E weekend just before school closed. It was wonderful to be able to support the Year 9s and 10s and hear about their expeditions over the weekend while we could still all be outdoors and enjoying the fresh air!

Have you got any advice for students at Borlase?

Never stop reading - there truly is a book for everyone.

Books can open up a whole world of different experiences and perspectives that can inspire you for life, no matter what you enjoy.

Nicola Chmielewska

Mali Knibbs

Amy Harris

Sadie Brown

Katy Haveron-Jones 125

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Front cover by Basel Hammond; Back cover by Charis Horsley