2013-14
Our main strength at Cheltenham Prep is the people who make up its purposeful and caring community.
Contents 2 3 4 7 14 22
Academic Pastoral Boarding House Houses Kingfishers Lower School
Reflections from the Study
Middle and Upper School subject overview
26 28 30 32 34 35 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 59 60 76 88 89 90 92 94 96 100 102 104
English Science Maths History Classics Religious Studies Geography Modern Foreign Languages Craft, Design and Technology Drama Music Art Coach House Charity Tennis Sport Clubs and Activities Middle School Upper School Chapel and Charities Friends of The Prep The Cheltonian Association Prizes and Awards Year 8 Pupils Pupils Headmaster's Prize Giving Address
Positions of Responsibility Captains of Sports Captains of Athletics Captain of Cricket
Heads of Extra-Curricular Max Williams
Head Girl
Izzy Kemp
Head Boy
Max Williams
Captain of Boys’ Hockey
Max Pemberton
Captain of Girls’ Hockey
Mollie Lyle
Captain of Netball Captain of Rounders Captain of Rugby Captain of Rugby 7s
Olivia Mitchell Catherine Abraham Alexander Sharam Jonnie Gunn
Head of Boarding Leader of the Orchestra Head Chorister
Corinth
Olivia Mitchell
Captains of Swimming
Robbie Carson
Rome
Poppy Pearey
Sparta
Kaela Wilson
Captain of Tennis
Kaela Wilson
Captain of Clay Shooting
Ben Southall
Ellie Davies Izzy Kemp
Athens Alastair Llewellen Palmer
Captain of Skiing
Captain of Polo
James Wheeler Boris Pustoshinskiy
Heads of Houses
Persia
Romilly Bodington
Troy
Phoebe Barnes Olivia Mitchell Catherine Abraham Mollie Lyle Alexander Sharam
Any school magazine can only hope to offer a flavour of the past year, rather than trying to detail every event. In reading this edition of “The Year”, I do hope that the atmosphere of renewed purpose and direction becomes apparent. In my first year as the Headmaster of Cheltenham College Prep, I have witnessed so much energy, kindness, drive, consideration and esprit de corps, that one cannot but conclude that the whole school community is moving in one direction - forward! Jonathan Whybrow Headmaster
Academic The Prep continues to provide pupils with breadth and depth of learning opportunities. Many parents would marvel at the range of opportunities and learning experiences presented to pupils every day if they had the chance to shadow their son or daughter. A Year 5 pupil may spend a day moving from a double Craft Design Technology lesson, toa swimming lesson, then on to German using iPads; the afternoon might then bring them Drama followed by a talk with a Buddhist monk in Religious Studies; finally they may go on to experimenting with Bunsen burners in double Science. The children soon learn to cope with this variety and to embrace all the challenges provided to them. Of course English and Maths remain at the core of our curriculum, providing the foundation and skills needed across departments. It is of great importance that teachers at The Prep strive to get the very best from all pupils and this means ensuring that children achieve their best in formal examinations. The 11+ exams in January resulted in three full academic scholarships for Prep pupils and four further academic exhibitions. Two pupils also received recognition for outstanding attainment in one of the four scholarship papers. The 13+ exams in the Spring Term brought success too, with one Prep pupil winning the top academic award - the Lord James Hereford scholarship for gaining the top overall marks in all subjects. Three further pupils were awarded All-Rounder Scholarships, with academic attainment a key
2 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
element in earning this accolade. The Common Entrance examinations in June also saw success, with Prep pupils gaining prizes from College for the top marks in Spanish and Chemistry. Importantly other pupils, who may not have gained awards, achieved well, demonstrated the progress they have made at the school and were delighted with many of the grades recorded on their certificates. Good teachers are always striving to make progress in their own professional lives as well as helping pupils move up their own personal ladder. The culture of learning from each other has continued with Learning Lunches and opportunities to gain new ideas by observing each other in ‘Open Door’ weeks and more formal peer observations. Our focus has been on differentiating effectively to ensure all children feel supported and appropriately challenged, whatever their ability level. This focus has moved into our lesson planning and has meant that we
are getting better and better at knowing exactly where the children are in their learning and how we can move them onwards. Tracking pupils’ progress is a vital element in allowing staff to differentiate effectively and enables them to help pupils achieve. Our systems have been refined and improved this year and staff can pinpoint exactly how to help pupils improve. V. Jenkins
Pastoral Pastoral care remains very much at the forefront of all that happens within The Prep. The quality of communication in the triangular relationship between home, school and the pupils themselves is crucial to their success. Having established a good rapport not just with their peers but also with their tutors, the children are all the more likely to embrace the full range of opportunities on offer at the school with a sense of tenacity and confidence. From a pastoral perspective, the past year has perhaps been most notable for the embedding of the children’s voice within the wider decisionmaking processes of the school. The School Council now affords a wide range of pupils the chance to comment on and develop ideas that we are putting forward to improve the school itself. Thanks to their input, the school has revised its Anti-Bullying Policy, so that the language used is meaningful to all pupils, and the Council has also been instrumental in helping to choose the school’s nominated charity for the coming academic year. In addition, we have a range of new equipment for the playground that has been chosen (and enjoyed) by the pupils themselves. Perhaps most importantly, School Council has also been able to revise ‘bun and drink’ options at break times! Given that membership of the Council has been rotated, lots of pupils have been able to see the school’s decision-making processes first-hand and, just as importantly, understand the need for compromise and debate.
and 4 contributed to a county-wide online survey that explored their experience of and attitudes towards bullying. The feedback we receive by comparison with other schools will be of great interest in continuing to help and protect our children. We have also introduced talks to parents on children’s safety online during
Parents’ Evenings and an Upper School pupil questionnaire that covers all aspects of their life at school; again the feedback we receive will help us to be sure that we are offering the best possible support to each and every child. N. Jenkins
At a wider level, we have also sought out the pupils’ views on a range of issues. Years 8, 6
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 3
Boarding at The Prep No-one can prepare you for the frenzied activity and minute-to-minute fun-packed action of House Parenting. We have spent our first year in the Boarding House in a whirlwind of activities, laughter and hilarity. Our enthusiastic team of Resident Tutors and Matrons (eagerly assisted by our longstanding Boarders) has taught us so much about how the Boarding House ticks and helped us to keep our Boarding family working, living and playing together in harmony. It’s been a wonderful year and hard to choose highlights, as there have been countless great moments. We have enjoyed a staggering amount of terrific activities, including picnics at the Lido, Mountain Boarding, trips to Gifford’s Circus, a sight-seeing tour to London, a visit to Bristol Zoo, water slides and barbecues on the lawn. Bob and I think we
have the best job in the world and particularly enjoy our living room on Saturday nights with masses of Boarders in pyjamas curled up with our dogs Meg and Bertie, tucking into popcorn and watching a film. Here are some highlights from the Boarders this year: R. Wells and F. Wells
’For me, the Boarding house became part of my family of friends - the younger Boarders are like brothers and sisters, as well as staff like mums and dads.’
‘Boarding gives you an opportunity to meet different people of different year groups, to get to know them better and to find many friends.’
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‘Alton Towers was really fun - some of the rides looked scary, but when you rode them it was really fun. My favourite ride was the Sonic.’ ‘The Matrons are really nice and they take care of us all the time, but it is always really sad when the Gappies have to leave.’
‘I think my favourite trip was the Mystery Tour to London, because we just had such a packed full and fun day, and I loved going on the London Eye.’
‘My highlight of the year has been the great activities we do - one of my favourites was paintballing and I also like going down to Bath Road with my friends.’
‘It was brilliant to have a taster of horse-riding one weekend and we got the full experience as we got to clean the horses as well as ride them. I really liked the riding - it was one of my favourite activities.’
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 5
houses image page
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Athens After winning the overall House Competition at the end of the previous Summer Term, we started off the year with the pride and excitement of having Athenian Red diaries. A great confidence boost for the jam-packed year to come… Shrieks of “Go Camos!” and “Get them Black Caps!” were some of the phrases that could be heard booming across the school grounds one sunny September Sunday. It was Athens’ first House event of the year and we played an enormously enjoyable and surprisingly competitive game of Laser Tag. A couple of weeks later this was followed by the Athens V Persia ‘Qurry’ night, a quiz and curry-fest that is becoming a popular fixture in both Mrs Miles’s and Miss Anderes’s social calendars! After a number of quiz rounds aimed at parents and pupils alike (not to mention second and
third portions of curry) Athens was relieved to retain the Qurry trophy for another year. Along with a number of new pupils, we were delighted to welcome Miss Gooch into our House this year. There have been some fabulous moments during our Friday morning assemblies, including Miss Gooch’s highly entertaining Tower Building activity. How high can you build upwards with wine gums, cocktail sticks and bundles of team work? Pretty high it seems! The pupils were also treated to an activity, devised, organised and judged by our Head of House; each group attempting to create the most effective vessel to hold water, using just paper and sellotape. Very soggy, but lots of fun. Yet again Athens has had plenty of sporting and musical success, with individual and team wins in the Music Competitions, Cross-country,
Cross-country Relays and Triathlon. We came second in the school Swimming Gala and also had a nail-bitingly close Spelling Bee, where we pipped Persia to it and came away with a tremendous first place! Sports Day yet again brought a host of triumphs, with Middle School Athenians very dominant on the track. The whole morning was a close fought battle and we were delighted to come a very close overall second, missing out on the top spot by just a couple of points. The year was rounded off beautifully by a ‘Summer’ Hog Roast, where not even the torrential rain could dampen the spirits of the Athenian children and parents who had gathered to celebrate another successful year. J. Miles
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 7
Persia I always find it difficult to look back over a busy year and separate the events that went on from term to term. As always the House social events, competitions and all-important House places merge into one and it is usually by looking at the photographs, that I place them into some sort of timeline. There is no way of sugarcoating our positions this year and they began with a very disappointing 5th place. Sporting competitions aside, Lower School and Middle School put on an excellent show, with perhaps Upper School needing to put in a few extra pluses overall. It has been a long time since I have seen orange so low on the listings! We fared slightly better in the Spring Term, rising to 3rd. The final term saw us finish in 6th place. We have had two super social gatherings this year, both with Athens. The bi-annual Qurry
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evening, held as a fundraiser for WellChild, saw seven heated rounds ranging from popular culture to adverts from the past. The catering team prepared a wonderful curry and a fabulous evening resulted in 2nd place and a handing over of the Quizmeister trophy to the House in red! Our second event was a lot wetter, unfortunately, and saw us having a soggy Hog Roast in the grounds on a Sunday afternoon in June. Our two Houses got together to produce a wonderful array of salads and puddings to go along with the hogs. The planned tug-of-war had to be postponed to the last House meeting of term.
It has not necessarily been our best year, academically, but I feel we have worked well together as a House, which is really what we aim to be. A House that works well and plays well together, where the Year 8s know the Year 3s and talk to them and where everyone feels part of the whole. I would like to thank all the staff, and parents, who have supported the children and myself, and I would like to thank the Year 8s who have led by example and especially to our super Head of House, who has supported every event we have done, even sending along her mum, when she has been abroad skiing!
On the sporting field we did not fare too badly and we achieved more success here, with several second places in many events. The House Bakeoff needed a few more entries, so hopefully next year we’ll see more budding Mary Berrys and Paul Hollywoods coming out of the woodwork. Our team did very well in the House Spelling Bee and we were really only defeated by hirachy, hyrarchy, hierarchy!
On a sad note, we also said goodbye to Mr Kim Parsley who has been a Persian longer than even myself. Over the years he has supported me without fail and I was very grateful to him for taking over the role of Housemaster during my sabbatical. Go Persia! D. Anderes
Corinth The Corinth and Troy House barbecue at the start of the Autumn Term was nearly a washout, but thanks to a dry spell with some sunshine, the day was saved and we had a great time outside on the first team pitches. The two Houses joined and took part in football, rounders, throwing games and a physical challenge. The evening was finished off with a meal and a chance to chat and make new friends at the start of the academic year. Soon after we had a ‘tasty’ House meeting with all sorts of Fair Trade chocolate. One of our House staff gave a talk on how the chocolate was made, and why Fair Trade is important. Our Head of House also organised a Treasure Hunt, which finished with an obstacle course. The House matches in the Summer Term saw Corinth come 1st in the Upper School girls’ hockey. We have not won this title in a long
time and there was much celebrating this achievement. The rugby was well fought, but much harder for us, and despite a valiant effort, we did not manage a place in the top three. At the end of term we were delighted to see Corinth taking 1st place in Lower School for effort and pluses. The girls fought hard in the House netball in the Spring Term, but we again found this difficult. This was also the case with the Swimming Gala. We managed some first places, but not enough to get us a good position overall. House hockey was also challenging. The boys played really well, and it came down to penalty flicks for 3rd position. However, we missed one flick and so had to settle for 4th place. Cross-country was better for us and we managed 3rd overall, thanks to our Middle School runners coming 2nd!
interplay, pitching and accuracy, but not well enough to get us into the top three. However, soon after we came 1st in the House Bake-off, with some winning cakes being made. In the Summer Term we managed 4th in the boys’ Middle School cricket and 5th in Upper School. The girls in Middle School were 4th overall in tennis and rounders, and we came 2nd in the Upper School tennis, which was a real achievement. At the end of term was the joint House barbecue with Rome, which involved fun, games and a treasure hunt, and the House Spelling Bee in which we came 4th. Finally, on Sports Day I was impressed with all the effort that went into both the field and track events, and the support everyone gave each other. R. Woodbridge.
For our House song we chose ‘Fly Me To The Moon’. This was a good song because it was easy to learn and sing, but therein lay the challenge. We sang well on the day, with good group
Cheltenham CheltenhamCollege CollegePreparatory PreparatorySchool SchoolThe TheYear Year 9
Rome Rome House welcomed our Year 3 pupils by hosting a Fun Swim session for all House members in Lower School. Everyone had lots of fun falling (or being pushed) off the inflatable dragon and then we had drinks and cakes, and a chance to get to know one another. This was followed by our main House event of the term, our House Dinner. Since we had won the House competition the term before, we decided to celebrate and have a party theme. We played some ice-breaker games in the hall to start with; everyone had a sticker on their back with the name of a character on it, and they had to ask questions to find out who they were. During the meal, we had a highest tower building competition and balloon making, and ended with some dancing. In the main sporting competitions of the term, hockey and rugby, both our boys and girls came 2nd overall, which was a commendable achievement. The highlight for the Spring Term was winning the House Music Competition and we had a large
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number of pupils competing in the individual events. For the House Singing Competition, we were fortunate to be allocated the House song “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing”, which had a great rhythm. We had an outing to the Gloucester Climbing Centre, with almost every pupil from Year 3 to Year 8 attending, and improving their bouldering and climbing skills. Sport was a real strength for us this term. We won the House Swimming championships, marginally pipping Persia in the final race to come top. Our girls in Lower School won the netball and we had strong performances in the cross-country, and the new Triathlon event. The Summer Term is always a time for barbecues and this year we held ours jointly with Corinth House. It was a day of showers, but luckily the rain held off for long enough for the pupils to take part in a treasure hunt (with edible prizes!), play some Danish longball, and of course enjoy some lovely puddings made by families from Rome House. Personally, the event that causes most excitement, and raises my competitive
drive, is the House Spelling Bee. Who would think that spelling could create such emotion and excitement? Playing to retain the winning title this year, we kept our House jingle of “Who let the dogs out”, primed our strongest spellers and wrote like demons to beat our competitors. Unfortunately, we did not win the event this year, but did come an admirable 3rd. Does “quantitative” really have that many vowels? Only when it comes to writing such a report, does one realise how much we have undertaken in one year. We have flicked a hockey ball, ridden bikes in our swimsuits, created animals from balloons, danced a strip the willow, rummaged in a scavenger hunt, been taken back in time on history tour, and most of all had incredible fun together. I wish to thank all Romans for their continued support, and to wish Mr Maddock a long and happy retirement. S. Gilmour
Sparta Having taken the reins of Sparta House from Mr Wells I was thrilled at the warm reception I was afforded by its members. House sport was a rollercoaster ride as there were Houses with better athletes who represented higher echelon teams within the school. Pragmatically, I was unbothered by results – I was more encouraged by commitment and enthusiasm. To see the Middle School rugby team finish 2nd was impressive; to see the Upper School team fight for their House, never giving up and never arguing when things were not going their way, was humbling. It is never too late to learn from children. The girls showed the same commitment. In Middle School, the girls moved from a 4th place finish in hockey to a 1st place position in House netball. I still remember how excited they were running across to tell me the good news! The Upper School girls showed the same improvement rising from 5th in hockey to 2nd place in netball. The Swimming Gala saw us come 4th. In the Spring Term it was the Spartan biannual dinner! The House decided on an Italian theme with pizza and an ice cream factory to follow. Again, literally everyone in the House attended. We had a mummy wrapping competition arranged by Mr Baker in the Assembly Hall, to begin with, followed by food and fun – the fun being in the form of a box of party games on each table. As the term progressed Sparta drew their House song: ‘The Bare Necessities’. This to me exemplified the Spartan spirit, for on the day the children sang their hearts out to gain 2nd place to Troy’s West End production.
The Lower School children performed well in their mixed House sport events, showing great determination against the odds. It is important for children of this age to learn to participate and I was never short of volunteers to perform for their House.
camaraderie and fosters a strong bond between all members of the House.
When the children returned for the Summer Term they immediately embarked on a trip to Drayton Manor. Whilst their Housemaster was willing to enjoy the sedate, genteel rides such as the teacups, he was often cajoled into joining the pupils on some of the more aggressive rides, from which he is still recovering! Whilst other Houses stayed in classrooms during meetings, we ventured outside. For me the House is an area where the children from different sections should blend and socialise; where girls and boys mix seamlessly. Therefore we would often engage in games to bring the different age groups together as one.
‘In Sparta it is all about timing your run! We rose from 6th place in the Winter Term to 5th by Spring, only to emerge in 1st place by the final Term. Never give up! Never surrender to defeat! - just like the Spartans of old!!’
Sparta have had a really great year; we can look people in the eye and say that our House is a safe and happy environment that promotes
Go Sparta!! M. Dawson
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 11
Troy When I took over the reigns as Housemistress of Troy two years ago, it was with a distinct purpose of building the members of the House into a strong team. Every term we have had a theme to work with that encourages this. In the first term we were ‘Building Strong Foundations’, in the Spring we were ‘Proud of our Achievements’ and in the final term of the year we wanted to make sure that we would all ‘Participate and Join in’. We are so lucky to have such creative House staff that generate some great team games and competitions, treasure hunts and unusual activities that encourage the pupils to put these ideas into practice. For example, one recent House Assembly started off completely in Norwegian, to the amazement of pupils and staff alike. The House members have had a very strong sense of team and identity this year and have made a huge effort to take part and do their best in all the House competitions. It has been a pleasure to see the enthusiasm and competitive spirit from so many. Equally, I have been impressed by the perseverance and
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determination of others. We have had some major achievements this year; first in the rugby, Lower School and Upper School cross-country, Lower School hockey and Upper School netball. And of course we were delighted to be placed first in the House Singing Competition, an event we haven’t won for many years. I am so proud of all our efforts. One of the things that makes Troy a special House to be in is the fact that everyone really does try to participate and join in. The events that we have run this year began with our Welcome Games and Barbecue with Corinth House back in September and ensured the year started on a high note. We joined with Sparta House for our Christmas Carols and Mince Pies Party this year. After some very rousing carols had been sung, our parents enjoyed the mulled wine and mince pies, whilst our Trojans seemed to want to see how much chocolate from the chocolate fountain they could consume. For our Easter activity, we once again invited our younger House members to come and decorate some Easter treats. The Summer Term saw our Troy House Dinner. Based loosely on a Mediterranean Summer theme, our Trojans did justice to a fantastic menu, certainly very little food saw its way back to the kitchens. Followed
by some fun and games in the hall, our Trojans went home very happy, having had a go at everything from ‘Tin Can Alley‘ to ‘Pin the Tail on the Trojan Horse’! The highlight of our year has been winning the House Competition in the Spring Term and spending the Summer Term with our green diary of victory. This was our proudest moment and was truly deserved by the Trojan pupils. I know that our pupils feel that much of this success is owed to our wonderful House staff, who continually work hard to create the activities, make all the House events work, support in competitions, provide a listening ear and words of wisdom and always encourage everyone to be the best they can be. It has been a wonderful year of achievement for Troy House and I feel very privileged to be Housemistress of this hard working, talented and tenacious group of pupils. A. Grieves
House Competitions This year, each House has wholeheartedly competed in a range of academic, non-academic and sporting challenges to endeavour to receive the coveted House ‘colour’ on pupil organisers for the following term, along with the accolade of being a participant in their Houses’ success. The array of competitions on offer means that every child can find a way to contribute and participate in House events. Again, this year, no one House dominated the Leaderboard, showing that there is always everything to play for! Autumn 2013
Spring 2014
Summer 2014
House
Points
House
Points
House
Points
Athens
74.5
Troy
133.5
Sparta
87.0
Rome
70.0
Rome
120.0
Rome
84.0
Troy
69.0
Persia
115.0
Athens
80.5
Corinth
68.5
Athens
114.5
Troy
79.5
Persia
66.5
Sparta
113.5
Corinth
79.0
Sparta
59.5
Corinth
103.5
Persia
73.0
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 13
Welcome to Kingfishers What a busy year we have had in Kingfishers! The children have worked hard and enjoyed themselves whilst working towards their own personal goals. The next few pages will give you an idea of the types of activities in which they have been involved. Our most notable event was the marking of the 21st year of Kingfishers with a party and showcase of Art and Music. It gave the children the opportunity to show their parents, not only their talents in
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these areas, but also their classwork and progress across the curriculum. Kingfishers bounced and face-painted their way through the afternoon, our party atmosphere continued in the Assembly Hall with a chance
to chat with present and previous staff and also some special ‘grown-up’ Kingfishers, who managed to make time in their busy schedules to come back and visit us.
Our parents joined us for lunch on several occasions this year. The children were pleased to use their times-tables plates and show how independent they are at lunchtime.
Art Exhibition
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 15
Activities and Sport To complement classroom learning, we have expanded our co-curricular programme to include new lunchtime clubs for Foundation Stage and activities after school for Years 1 and 2, such as Drama, Chess, Forest School, Italian Club and Challenge Club. In Kookaburra Club this year the children have participated in puzzle nights, arts and crafts, baking and team games. Kingfishers have enjoyed their sports this year and there have been many opportunities for the children to show their progress. Sports Day was a fun mix of traditional and competitive races, enjoyed by pupils, parents and staff.
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Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 17
Welcome to Foundation Stage Children in both the Cottage and Reception have enjoyed outings to Forest School this year, going on an exciting Bear Hunt and inviting their parents to join them. They received our reindeer visitors well and were pleased to feed them. Children from the Cottage took part in Morris Dancing and carried out a sponsored walk for our charity WellChild. Reception classes went on a visit to Slimbridge, went to Chapel to witness awedding and melted hearts with their Mothers’ Day assembly.
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Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 19
Welcome to Years 1 and 2 Children in Years 1 and 2 have taken part in a range of fun and interesting topics this year. The topics for Year 1 have been Pirates, the Rainforest and Space. We have sailed the seven seas with Black Beard and Long John Silver; we undertook an expedition to the Amazon Forest School; sadly the planned rocket launch was hit by technical difficulties! Visits to the Cotswold Farm Park and the Literature Festival have rounded off a busy and productive year. Hockey and cricket tournaments and termly Chess Competitions constitute some of the events that have occupied Year 2 this year. We led the Nativity with panache, travelled the world with Barnaby Bear and the visit to @Bristol complemented their electrifying Science topic. In Forest School we learned practically about forces. R. Buttress
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Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 21
Over Farm
Welcome to Year 3
Year 3 had an interesting time at Over Farm learning about the process of growing plants for consumption. We ate asparagus that had travelled zero food miles.
Fashion Show
Egyptian Theatre
Pupils showcased their Egyptian crafts that they had created during Art lessons on the catwalk.
We were visited by the Daylight Theatre Company, who performed a play called ‘The Pharoah’s Son’, and some of the pupils even got starring roles!
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Roman Day It was toga fun all round, while we feasted on dormice and other traditional Roman foods, and made shields and helmets.
Learning about the environment Year 3 has been thinking about recycling in Geography and visited the land-fill site to learn about what happens to our rubbish. At the Science festival we were amazed to learn how we could save the planet in just 50 minutes!
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 23
Welcome to Year 4 During this second year within Lower School, our Year 4 pupils become more independent and take more responsibility for their own learning, to be true role models for the Year 3s. The curriculum continues to be busy and diverse, allowing the children to build upon strengths, identifying their preferred learning styles. Have a look at the photos showing the pupils enjoying a wealth of activities on offer throughout the year.
Friendship Friday
Literature Festival
A small group of Year 4 children spent time one Friday afternoon cooking delicious treats for all Lower School pupils to enjoy. They had the opportunity to chat through personal successes, share any worries or concerns and enjoy baking with friends.
With the Literature Festival on our doorstep, the children enjoyed listening to humorous stories from Tony Robinson, including: Weird World of Romans and Egyptians.
D. Isaachsen
Enrichment Using our History and Craft Design Technology skills the children made an Anglo-Saxon village with a collection of inhabitants.
Monks and Monasteries Year 4 visited Gloucester Cathedral to experience a day in the life of a monk.
India Day The children were taught a traditional Indian stick dance which they performed to the parents. They also made chapatis and ate them with curry.
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Reading around the World Reading became a main focus in the first term as we travelled around the globe picking up air miles as we went.
Roald Dahl Day The children were inspired on Roald Dahl Day, listening to extracts from his books and creating their own wonderful adventures.
Viking Day A trip to the depths of Worcestershire saw the children learning to behave like little vandals!
Science The children had a light bulb moment whilst creating quiz boards and burglar alarms. They also enjoyed exploring the grounds for different habitats.
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 25
English Literature Festival There was something for everyone at this year’s Literature Festival: Julia Donaldson and Fran Parnell excited Kingfishers with time focused on singing, performance and illustration, as well as an invitation to travel the world with monster stories; Lower School were whisked away on a weird and wonderful tour of history with Tony Robinson; Middle School encountered squabbling goblins, dwarfs, cloud-maidens and swamp monsters in Philip Reeve’s world of magical creatures; and Patrick Ness educated our Upper School pupils about how to fill writing with our own inspirations, passions and people to make it come alive. R. Humphrey
The Spelling Bee buzzed into town! During the Summer Term Cheltenham College staged its second Spelling Bee with contestants from Years 3 to 8 taking part. Every House turned out to cheer on their contestants and there were some very tense moments. For a while it looked like Corinth was going to steal the show, but the other Houses fought valiantly and managed to close the lead. There was everything to play for right up to the final round when the entire House teams played head to head against each other. Mr Dawson did a wonderful job as host to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats, until finally the champions were announced- Athens! Well done to all who took part in this nerve-wracking, but exciting event. Bee seeing you all next year at the Spelling Bee! A. Forward-Davies
National Poetry Day We created a storm this year to celebrate National Poetry Day’s theme of ‘water’. Pupils were invited to write their own words, phrases and poetry on the theme of all things wet; some arresting examples followed and one from Year 8 is published below: Fisherman A heavy bank hangs, full of menace; then rolls steadily. Soundless stillness follows as the terrible black bowl shrouds the light. Sudden, monstrous waves leap at sodden nets unleashing a swirling mass of water. The tempest beats – smashes – torments – calling opaque rain sheets and frenzied, rearing gusts R. Humphrey
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World Book Day Everyone at The Prep took part in World Book Day 2014 in the Spring Term. As you would expect, it was a characterful celebration with a whole school dress up, led by an extraordinary Headmaster (or mistress?) who arrived as Miss Trunchbull. The school Library hosted a number of competitions including ‘Extreme Reading’ (home photographs of pupils reading in extraordinary places, displayed for all to see) and, new for this year, ‘In Their Shoes’ – a competition which asked pupils to represent a character by decorating a shoe. In addition, Upper School pupils retold well-known stories in the style of Kevin Crossley-Holland and produced their own versions of ‘The Pied Piper’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and ‘The Ugly Duckling’, among others, for younger readers in the library.
workshop. Over the course of the day, the children worked in groups to develop original story ideas; all wrote highly original stories which were published on our website. R. Humphrey
Slavery & Industrial Britain This year, early exam finishers broadened their socio-historic horizons with a trip to the Black Country Museum and Liverpool’s Slavery Museum. The work which followed was pupil-led, with each individual choosing their own area of study; an example of this work in English follows: Slavery shackled their hills and valleys as an ominous fog grows a place dark, hanging, creeping, swirling thickly, seething, gaining, groping, choking and blinding. It smeared and stained their rich ebony skin; the familiar world stumbled as eyes were
R. Humphrey
covered in a protracted game of Blind
Young Writers’ Day
Man’s Buff.
We were proud to host Cheltenham’s Young Writers’ Day in connection with the Literature Festival again this year. Fleur Hitchcock treated some of our Year 6 pupils, along with children from other local schools, to a story-writing
harbour, its sturdy tugs at the pier be-
The Zong held fast to Africa’s traying a greedy hunger to swallow blank faces into its belly. Beneath impenetrable timber - stolen from faraway forests - waves crash leer lick smack and tumble while rows of blank faces pale and heave. Sweat and salt punch nostrils - an Atlantic assault on tinned bodies bound for soul sales. Then Olaudahs became Gustavs, Adams, Bills, and women stripped of children lost love. Now shackles quietly rattle in the hands of eleven-year-old Tamil girls who sew sequins on t-shirts. Now slavery lurks in our high streets - hanging, buttoning and twinkling as sequins do, blinding us. We model the slavery, guilt developing unknown as cancer yet permitted like an unknown atrocity. R. Humphrey
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 27
Science Immediately as the Common Entrance exams finished, the whole of Year 8 made their annual excursion to Imperial Gardens and the Cheltenham Science Festival, where two events were attended – It Doesn’t Add Up, and the Discover Zone. With a delightful picnic taken between each event, the post exam experiences could not have got off to a better start. The first event gave a number of examples of maths, numbers and science used in everyday life, while the latter event allowed for two hours of ‘hands-on’ activity, where the pupils from The Prep were able to browse at their leisure the many stalls and exhibits from national companies and research bodies. A few comments from the pupils follow –
I learnt... ‘that the surface sea current in the south by Antarctic is faster than other places as there is less land to impede the flow.’
‘that they use 3-D printers to create a piece of titanium which fits into the skull after you have a piece cut out (e.g brain tumour).’
‘that diamonds are harder than rock.’
‘how popcorn is made, and that when the corn is moist it does not ‘pop’.’
‘that some people can taste things and others can’t because of our genes.’
‘how to make flour.’ ‘that when you are drilling at the earth when you get to a hard rock if you go too fast the drill will break.’ ‘that bridges can help to keep banks from bursting and keep the earth on the edge of a river from being eroded away.’
‘that the tool that is used to dig up very hard rock is made with diamonds.‘
‘that a toaster uses up more energy watts than an LCD TV.’
robots with a sensor so they could follow your movements.’
‘that GCHQ has over 5,000 workers.’
‘that turbine engines and jet ‘that there are twelve different engines will be made of a type personality types, three different of crystal to avoid metal getting ‘fatigued’ as quickly.’ eye colours and five different hair colours and types.’ ‘that a nuclear power station can power over two million homes.’ ‘that you could programme
28 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
‘that juggling has something to do with Maths and has a method.’
‘that there are three types of carbon: graphite, diamond, coal.’ ‘that fruit and humans are able to conduct electricity.’ ‘about the wind and wave patterns of the ocean throughout the past 10 years; that winds are strongest towards the bottom of the equator and this causes high velocity waves, winds and hurricanes.’ ‘how to crack a safe in record breaking time - I did it in 12 seconds and the record was 17 seconds.’
Amate Animalia The loose translation of Amate Animalia is ‘love the animals’. It is a self-funding charity set up about 12 years ago, which advertises itself as ‘Exotic Animal Rescue’ – it tries to conserve wild, endangered and exotic species. It takes in animals in the same way that cat and dog refuges do, but with a difference. It will accept
illegal and mistreated animals found or given up, and care for them. Years 5, 6, 7 and 8 had separate presentations which involved a number of the current ‘in mates’ of the charity – a chameleon and its mate, a skunk, a Burmese python and a tegu. The brief history of each of the animals was given, including how they are found, their
characteristics and behaviour, and how they are caught, poached and trafficked, and current methods of conservation. The boys and girls were privileged to handle these live animals and had a most informative insight into their lives, adaptation and natural environments. K. Parsley
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 29
Maths This year the Maths Department has had a varied and interesting time. All the pupils have had the chance to represent their Houses ‘mathematically’. Every exeat and half term the pupils have had to answer a selection of problems, each correct answer was a point for their House. Early in the year we hosted a ‘Number Dayz’ event – an NSPCC event to raise money for children who are not able to go to school. All the pupils took part in different events and came to school wearing some sort of number. Every year we host the DCB Eagle competitions for Years 4 and 5. This year nearly sixty schools and two hundred children took part in an array of challenges as a team. The afternoons are always greatly received. Our Year 8 pupils helped as guides and markers and did a great job; they were also fantastic ambassadors for the school. At the start of the year we introduced a new piece of software – MyMaths, used by College
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Maths students, to everyone in Years 6, 7 and 8. Pupils can use it for fun and in their own free time, they can revise from it, access lessons, and staff can set specific tasks to individual pupils. It is a great tool and something used regularly to bolster the rich and varied Maths curriculum. In November most of Years 5 and 6 took part in the Primary Maths Challenge, a national competition for Year 5 and 6 pupils. We received four gold certificates, six silvers and ten bronzes. In March Andrew Jeffrey (a Maths magician, author and radio presenter) visited the school, he performed ‘Mathsmagic’ shows to every pupil from Reception to Year 8. He was a fantastic entertainer and very informative. His shows were enjoyed by everyone who saw him. In an effort to constantly change the approach to Maths and the way it is taught and accessed, Miss Masood and Dr Gilmour organised a Middle School Maths Challenge. Pupils from Years 5 and 6 took part in mixed ability groups. It was a great event that highlighted not only the best parts of
Maths, but also of the Middle School pupils who showed a great ability to solve problems and work as a group. Each year we enter two UKMT events (United Kingdom Mathematics Trust): the team event and the individual event. In the team event we entered our two best Year 8 pupils with two Year 9 pupils from College. It is a great opportunity for them to experience some higher level Maths in a competitive environment and also meet College Maths teachers and pupils. The individual event is an exam paper style challenge sat by Set 1 pupils in Years 7 and 8, then marked at Leeds University. This year we achieved three Golds, seven Silvers and five Bronzes. The Gold certificates were all won by Year 7 pupils. As part of the Year 8 Post Examination Programme, the College Maths Department organised a Maths Challenge for all of them to take part in. It was a huge amount of fun. C. Murray
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 31
History Classroom teaching is varied in style and use of equipment and facilities, but the intention is to interest, inspire and encourage the children to develop enthusiasm for the subject. Getting out of the classroom is a key element of teaching, introducing the children to different voices and experiences that help develop their abilities and knowledge. Below are accounts of trips and experiences in Years 5 to 8 showing elements of history teaching within the school.
Year 8 Post Exam Group trip to Black Country Museum and International Slavery Museum This was a new venture shared between Religious Studies, English, Geography and History departments. The intention – a cross-curricular approach to show how life and beliefs had changed for people over the time span that Britain became “Great”. What were the moral guidelines? Did economic advantage outweigh awareness that slavery was wrong? Were people racist, or did they not even think about it? Combining the museums with an overnight stop in a Youth Hostel proved a great combination and the students were then given a “free” rein to explore a topic of interest. Research was undertaken, students became experts in their “field” and they were then asked to present their findings. Topics were wide and varied, including the Industrial Revolution, medical provision, treatment of animals within society, racism and segregation in the USA, Rastafarianism, Voodoo and Slave music. The concept of presentation was daunting, but superb knowledge was on display and pupils used a variety of methods
32 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
to interest their audience. Mrs Humphrey, Mrs Conner and myself were most impressed with their hard work and efforts.
Year 5 – World War Two studies
Common Entrance pupils at the Black Country Museum
Mr Hicks in another guise, this time in dual roles as a Schutzstaffel (SS) officer contrasted with a British soldier to help the pupils understand how the war came about. The Home Front was then explored through wartime cookery. A large number of parents and a grandparent helped the pupils cook genuine wartime food. High on vegetables, low on meat and other rationed goods and very limited in terms of colour – everything seemed green or brown – but a valuable experience in showing that good nutritious food can be made from humble ingredients, and that people had to pitch in to work together at this time.
Their focus was the industrial heritage and social conditions faced by Victorians. We explored drift mining, saw a chain-maker at work, visited various houses from the relatively affluent Brass-maker’s house to the lowly back-to-back, experienced a lesson in the Victorian school and realised the horrors of the lime kilns and the risk of injury in a rolling mill.
Year 7 London Trip The Globe Theatre was visited, and pupils experienced drama workshops before enjoying an evening performance of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. After staying at the London School of Economics, they continued to Hampton Court where they were introduced to Young Henry and the ‘sport of kings’. Walking in the corridors of Hampton Court, meeting a re-enactor dressed as Henry, and seeing the Great Hall as Henry would have seen it, is a great introduction to the Tudor topic.
Year 6 – Chepstow Castle Not the warmest day, but a valuable experience, which brought about a culmination of studies on castle development. Chepstow has four clearly defined stages of development and the pupils became history detectives as they unravelled the past. Mr Hicks of the History Squad accompanied us dressed as a medieval archer and gave the pupils a great insight into life and conditions of the time.
D. Maddock
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 33
Classics It has been a busy and productive year in Classics, with all areas of the curriculum in Latin, Classical Civilisation and Greek being covered, as well as some work on archaeology and Egyptology. Our aims are to educate each child and give them a taste and love of the Ancient World in all its aspects. From an academic viewpoint, we now have a number of pupils from Years 5 to 8 studying Classical Greek. The pupils have mastered the alphabet and are moving onto more complex
work. Year 8 in particular has enjoyed reciting the alphabet as quickly as possible around school, to the bafflement of the wider school community. Year 7 enjoyed their trip to the Roman Bath earlier in the year. This gave the pupils the chance to see first hand what had been covered in class: the different pools, the hypocaust (heating) system and finally the Great Bath itself. This survives almost intact, and with the steam rising upwards on a cold November day, was a memorable sight. The water itself is bright green, due to the algae, and some of the braver pupils enjoyed tasting it. Years 5 and 6 had a talk delivered by Ben Harris, the translator of ‘The Gruffalo Latin Edition’. They learned all the different words and adjectives used in writing the book, and enjoyed seeing the beautiful art work and descriptive phrases in another language.
Within the curriculum, the focus has been on teaching and learning and ensuring the pupils have the best experience in the classroom. Year 5 covered work on dinner parties, Roman Britain and slavery, whilst Year 6 continued their classical education with more complex language work and different aspects of Greek Mythology. We also enjoyed looking at the Roman army and trying on different parts of the armour, as well as the obligatory work on the horrors of being a gladiator in the amphitheatre. In Upper School, we welcomed lots of new Year 7s with different amounts of Latin experience: they enjoyed their topic work on Odysseus and the Cyclops, and Greek Heroes, as well as working on their language skills as we look to honing those skills for Year 8. I have been delighted with their work and enthusiasm for the subject. The Post Exam Group, in Year 8, covered a variety of topics, including attempting some really challenging work in preparation for their exams. They too had the opportunity to learn some Greek and read stories in the original languages, to give them a taste of the ‘real thing’ in preparation for Year 9 and beyond, as they take the next step of their education. In conclusion, it has been a fulfilling and ambitious year within the Department. I look forward very much to leading the Department next year, and aiming high academically for all the pupils who study Classics at The Prep. S. Reid
34 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Religious Studies In the Autumn Term Year 4 enjoyed a Hindu experience day. They had the opportunity to cook and taste curries. They also learnt various traditional dances. In January Year 5 had the chance to explore the Orthodox Jewish Synagogue in the centre of Cheltenham. The children were separated into girls and boys and had to sit on the correct side of the Temple. They had a talk from the Rabbi who sang the Torah to the pupils. They were then able to ask questions. They learnt that the present congregation is just under 100 and includes people from as far as Scotland. They then returned to school and had a talk by a practising member of the Jewish faith. She told them in detail about the festivals and how these are practised by ordinary Jewish families. She also explained to the children how her husband had converted to Judaism and what he needed to do in order to become a Jew. The highlight for many of the pupils was to be able to try some traditional kosher food.
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 35
Geography In November Year 5 visited Cheltenham High Street and took part in their first fieldwork project. They were investigating whether the public felt that the High Street should be closed to traffic and what impact this would have. They wrote their own surveys and with encouragement the majority had the courage to try these out on members of the public. When they returned to school they analysed their data. They enjoyed their introduction to basic fieldwork. Year 8 Post Exam Groups explored Leckhampton Hill and with Mr Penny, Head of Geography at Cheltenham College, carried out an investigation into the effect altitude has on temperature and wind speed. They enjoyed recording their results and learnt a few valuable lessons such as a thermometer is affected when it is carried in an inside pocket.
36 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
In the Spring Term Year 3 were studying their local area in Cheltenham. They took a trip to the Bath Road and looked at land use and the different shops. It was an opportunity for them to take a closer look at their own area. In March Year 6 took a trip to Weston as part of their work on coasts. They carried out fieldwork looking at wave velocity, coastal defences and practised some basic map skills. They then looked at the town of Weston and carried out a land use survey. In April Year 7 had the opportunity to take part in a survey being carried out by University College, Worcester in sustainability in schools. They had the opportunity to analyse their own school and assess its “green factor”! During Activity Week Years 4 and 5 spent the morning with the Rainforest Roadshow and had a fascinating insight into this area of the world.
They were able to have a few close encounters with the local wildlife. In June Year 5 visited Hayden Water Treatment Plant and had a rare glimpse into sewage. It did change the viewpoints of many of the children and proved not too much for those with a sensitive stomach. Year 3 also tested how sensitive their noses were when in the Summer Term they visited the local landfill centre and recycling plant. Even the large amounts of airspray failed to protect the children. C. Connor
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 37
Modern Foreign Languages There are so many good reasons for learning a modern foreign language. We are all interested in meeting people and finding out about someone else, their life, their habits and customs – what makes them tick. Through Modern Foreign Languages, we encourage a fascination for European countries, their people, their culture and geography. We set pupils from The Prep on a firm path towards some exciting career possibilities in an everchanging world. We also believe that the learning of a language is a compelling intellectual puzzle; why language works the way it does and how it links with English. The training of the mind to look for patterns, create links and ask questions is of paramount importance. We have been able to make some promising changes to create a curriculum that ensures continuity and progression in the subject. In Middle and Upper School we introduced new textbooks for French and Spanish. In addition, we
38 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
have subscribed to Linguascope – an interactive language website that enables all pupils to practise their MFL at differentiated levels through games and tests from home and at school. The 26th September was the European Day of Languages. We celebrated with quizzes about famous multilingual superstars around the school grounds, and in lessons we learned to distinguish between the different European languages that we heard on YouTube. At lunchtime the catering department treated us to an array of different European foods. Pupils gratefully thanked the catering staff in a variety of different European languages for their pizza, paella and pommes à la dauphinoise. In the MFL Department, we strongly believe that pupils should be given the opportunity to use their languages for real purposes and in Year 6, our pupils visit Normandy to do just that. Every day, they had to converse with the locals at the markets, charcuteries and pâtisseries in order to buy ingredients for their pique-nique. By the end of the trip the pupils had also perfected their ice cream flavour vocabulary! Equally, the
trip provided countless cross-curricular lessons in History, Art and Geography since pupils visited several World War 2 battle sites and museums, saw the Bayeux tapestry, looked at rock formations in Etretat and sketched the same scene that Monet had drawn over 150 years ago. After their exams, our Scholars were given different projects, which would benefit not only their own linguistic ability, but also that of Lower School. In just six weeks the Scholars had learned enough German to be able to perform two short fairy tales in the target language to their younger peers. Some Scholars also translated their favourite children’s books into French and illustrated them. Not simply content with the progress we have made thus far, we will see increased curriculum time in Kingfishers from next year and the ability to specialise in either French or Spanish from Year 6. Lunchtime ‘catch up’ clinics will also be available for new pupils entering the school with either no or little knowledge of their chosen modern foreign language. L. Gooch
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 39
Craft, Design and Technology Over the year, the Craft Design Technology Department has continued to keep hundreds of children busy in lesson times, and to promote extra-curricular activities, particularly for our Boarding pupils. Most pupils begin their introduction to this subject in Year 3 as part of their ‘enrichment’ programme. This year, the project-work has been largely History-linked and it has been fun to produce group dioramas, such as a model of Athens Harbour, as well as more individually
based work. Some outstanding miniature Egyptian mummies were made earlier in the year. Alongside the work done with ‘resistant materials’, other Lower School groups worked with textiles, producing some lovely woven fabric mats, and with food, where Mrs Upton supervised a programme of cookery lessons. Year 4, also under the title of ‘enrichment’, received some more formal carpentry tuition where wooden pencil boxes were made. These are often kept by the pupils for years afterwards, and I spoke to a Fifth Form pupil at College who still
uses hers! In addition to this, a cross-curricular link with Science yielded some very original work where small model habitats were made inside a frame, illustrating as always how varied and diverse are the ideas generated by young minds in response to a suitably open-ended design brief. Our Year 5s have commenced their Middle School course with some old-fashioned carpentry, where they were required to design and make a wooden bookend. For several pupils this was their first excursion into a more thorough standard of preparatory drawing, and some excellent designs were included as first additions to their new folders. Having completed these they were shown how heat can mould plastic so that a ball-bearing game could be made inside the plastic dome formed. Another completely different material was used in their next project, where textile techniques were introduced in support of the production of a soft toy. Year 6 pupils commenced the Autumn Term with an investigation into cranks and cams, and how they are used to make small mechanisms. Again the diversity of outcome was very wide, and several weeks later I was marking a huge variety of mechanical figures, flying machines, and even a car which travelled to and fro along a see-saw when a crank-handle was turned. As an ‘antidote’ to this somewhat lengthy project the children were given some smaller projects which were very popular and included acrylic clocks, pencil holders and small torches. The latter provided a
40 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
useful introduction to printed circuit work and the standard of soldering produced by our ten year olds was almost universally excellent. After a course of lessons to develop their perspective drawing skills, the Year 7s used those skills to design a wooden ‘musical money box’. Essentially a carpentry project, there was also plenty of leeway in the methods of personalising their projects to complement the electronic musical inserts provided. Some very diverse and original responses were also generated out of the next brief, which was to produce an acrylic case for a small ‘rainbow lamp’, which all pupils constructed during an electronics lesson. Recent work on a project based on photograph frames really impressed me, with a number of Headmaster’s Commendations received for the attractively conceived and well-executed
work produced. It is good to look back over a complete CDT course and reflect that the same children turning out such professional looking results were taking their first steps in the subject only four years earlier. Year 8 pupils have used the wonderful Design Technology facilities at College, where they received a thorough drawing course from Mr. Cutts and Mr. McKegney, before embarking on a series of projects which culminated in the ever-popular music amplifiers. Here a printed circuit was prepared and equipped by the pupils themselves, before being fitted into a wooden case based on a ‘retro design’.
approach to the production of a prescribed project. This year, ‘bedroom storage’ was the brief set. One pupil produced an imaginative ‘gaming chair’, which included the obligatory storage inside the arms and under the seat, whilst another produced a very professional looking shelving unit for the storage of games equipment. Both boys were rewarded with exhibitions for their dedication and effort. J. Baker
Two pupils entered the Design Technology scholarship examinations last February. This involved an advanced and thorough
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 41
Drama - Academic Drama at The Prep is a programme of learning through fun, practical tasks that aim to increase confidence and deliver a well-rounded knowledge and experience of all things ‘dramatic’. Weekly lessons are taught up to the end of Year 6 and in Upper School there are opportunities to continue drama skills and interests through extra-curricular activities and performances. Teamwork and improvisation is the basis of discovering and honing drama techniques. Our work encompasses acting, clear speech, exploration of social issues, backstage and technical opportunities and a discovery of theatre through the ages. Lower School also includes producing a pantomime at Christmas. There are visits to professional theatre productions and a halfday workshop by the London-based Young Shakespeare Company. Middle School Drama builds on the basic skills already learned and has recently included further Shakespeare studies, puppetry, stage fighting techniques and sword skills as well as a staged play. This year the whole year group performed ‘Alice in Wonderland’. For those interested there is the opportunity, in Year 6, to be a part of the school play with Years 7 and 8; 2014 was a widely acclaimed production of the musical ‘Oliver’.
42 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Middle School also has a Young Shakespeare Company drama workshop. Year 7 begins with a residential experience in London that includes a tour, drama workshop and performance of a play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Year 8 pupils who are particularly interested in drama have the opportunity to be part of the national Shakespeare Schools Festival and to perform an abridged Shakespeare play in a professional theatre with all its technical help and support. It is a fabulous project that The Prep has been involved in for the past eight years and is a wonderful experience for those who have a passion for drama. There is a clear emphasis on educating pupils to understand all the elements that come together to form a production and many opportunities for those interested in costumes, lights, sound, stage-management and special effects. The sound and light, technical teams and crew for all our productions are run solely by the pupils, with teacher supervision should they need support. From this year, LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) courses and examinations will be available at The Prep, that will further extend those pupils wishing to take or continue professional qualifications in drama. J. Douglas
Drama Productions
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 43
Music It has been another jam-packed year for the Music Department. Our goal is to make music as inclusive as possible, whilst still providing plenty of opportunities for the most able. This starts in the classroom, and our facilities in Lake House are constantly evolving and being upgraded. Our music technology room, complete with iMacs and keyboards is utilised for general class music in Years 5 to 8, alongside a multitude of percussion and other instruments. If the pupils enjoy class music, then my hope is that they might be enthused to take it up outside the classroom too. Class music remains one of my primary focuses here at The Prep, and we cover topics as varied as Mozart and the Classical Period, Rap and Beat-Boxing, Tudor Music, Programme Music, music composed for the story of Romeo & Juliet, Form and Structure and much, much more! Our ensembles have had as busy a year as ever, performing in our Christmas Concert (complete
44 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
with tinsel on instruments, Santa hats and the 1st XV playing the hand-bells!) and our end of year Summer Concert (finishing with a performance of ‘Match of the Day’ to celebrate the World Cup!). We have held our usual round of Informal Pupils’ Concerts throughout each half-term, and our choirs have provided music for each of our weekly Chapel services. In addition, both the Junior and Chapel Choirs joined with the adult choral society and singers from College to perform in the Choral Concert in Chapel during the Spring Term. In a varied programme, the main item was a piece called ‘The Reluctant Dragon’ which had comic solo parts for Dr Peterken (St. George), Mr Byrne (The Dragon), our very own Head Chorister (The Boy), and Mr Whybrow (The Narrator). This was not an event to forget. We have held two workshops during the year as well. One, a junk percussion workshop for Year 6 (hitting long, tuned bits of drainpipe to make ensemble pieces), and the other, a Rap and Beat-Boxing workshop for Year 8. The latter, run by two professionals from London (whose work can be found on iTunes and soundtracks
for commercials on TV), was captivating for the pupils and feeds into work they completed in the Summer Term during class music. As usual, we have run termly ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) exams, and have achieved considerable success throughout the year. Our team of 16 visiting music staff continues to work hard with all of our pupils learning instruments, and the effects are clear from our exam results. My thanks go to all the staff in the department for the crucial help and support they provide to our pupils of all ages learning music. In particular, I would like to thank Anthony McNaught and Sue Mills, who have been teaching class music to Kingfishers and Lower School for the last three years. In September, we will welcome our new Assistant Director of Music (Miss Georgina Jones) who will take on all class teaching from Kingfishers to Year 4. K. Perona-Wright
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 45
Art During the year, we have covered an array of genres and mediums, paint, print and ceramics to name a few. For inspiration, Mr Baker and I took a trip of artists to The Harry Potter Studios which helped to fire the imagination. The second annual “Arts Alive� exhibition took place in the Spring Term, where Drama, Music and Art is showcased in an informal live event presenting work by our 13+ Scholars. Hosting a Print Workshop for local schools and exhibiting alongside print makers, and participation in the SATIPS National Arts Exhibition has ensured that the Art Department at The Prep has enjoyed a fulfilling and creative year.
46 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 47
Coach House Coach House provides a range of support from Years 3 to 8, including individual and group lessons for literacy, maths, revision skills for Upper School pupils, plus some laptop support as required. We teach in a fun, multisensory way, whenever possible, to promote effective learning. The photographs show some highlights from this year. World Book Day provided opportunity for some excellent costumes! The Coach House has two fulltime staff plus a dedicated team of part-time Learning Support Workers who support pupils in-class. G. Barrett
48 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Pupil Achievement and Learning Skills (PALS) Tutorial Programme Pupils follow a structured tutorial programme, which includes instruction on handwriting, thinking skills, revision and personal achievement. Many lessons teach skills such as mind-mapping, emotional intelligence and listening skills, which are all vital skills for life. Year 5 learnt about the key skills of listening and note-taking as well as how to create mind-maps, which will be an invaluable tool to aid their future revision. Year 6 worked hard to create some excellent Plague Projects. This
taught them how to do research and how to construct the different sections of a project. Year 6 also learnt about de Bono Six Thinking Hats as a way of looking at a problem from different perspectives. The focus for Upper School PALS was on developing their revision skills to help them in their exam preparation. Year 7 learnt how to be organised for exams, the importance of memory for revision, and they prepared index cards and mind-maps. Year 8 learnt about building personal confidence, developing
emotional intelligence, setting goals for life and stress management, as well as further developing their study skills. The whole school, including many Kingfisher pupils, entered the annual SATIPS (Support & Training in Prep Schools) National Handwriting Competition, with some excellent entries being produced. The photographs show some of the highlights from this year across the school in PALS. G. Barrett
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 49
EAL Our children who are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) settled quickly into school life. Throughout this year all EAL students have made good progress in their spoken and written language and have actively participated in many activities at The Prep. There have been many good achievements in all areas of school life for our EAL pupils; many have gained awards for being the most improved in sporting and academic areas of the curriculum. Some of our EAL students delivered a cookery lesson in their first language to our English speaking children; this provided an opportunity for English speaking children to experience how our EAL students feel when they first arrive at The Prep. Those children who attended the cookery lesson stated how difficult it was initially to understand what the lesson was about; but how the visual aids used during the lesson quickly helped them to understand what was being taught. They felt that they had gained an insight into how difficult it must be to listen to a lesson not using your first language, so would try to use different techniques to help all their EAL friends to understand what was happening around them. The photographs illustrate some of the activities that our EAL children have been involved in during last year. B. Williams
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Handwriting Club in Coach House Handwriting Club runs in the morning and is a fun activity that aims to develop the fine motor skills required for writing. The activities vary from practising the shapes necessary for handwriting, to cutting, sticking and colouring, using a variety of mediums. This may involve making themed items, which are displayed in Coach House. The children and the staff thoroughly enjoy these activities, and the laughter ringing out so early in the morning, is evidence of this. Handwriting Club is run by Learning Support Workers: Mrs McDowell, Mrs Hawkins and Mrs Goodman. G. Barrett
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 51
Stretch and Challenge in Kingfishers Throughout this year, Kingfishers have been working really hard on their problem solving and thinking skills. In the Autumn Term, the first Puzzle Morning was introduced, where children from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 were mixed together and encouraged to play various puzzle games that would challenge them. They had to engage their brains by solving Maths word puzzles; Sudukos and anagrams, and pupils even had a go at following instructions to make origami models, in which some proved quite complex! There were also other games, which required careful thought and memory to win, for example the classic “Guess Who?” and “Hit the Hat”. Following the success of this, in the Spring Term, a similar activity was introduced where children had to work co-operatively, during the “Board Game Morning”, which meant bringing in their favourite game from home and explaining it to their friends in order to play it effectively. Some of the more classic games were very popular, such as Monopoly, Chess and Connect 4, but there were a range of games on offer that all the children thoroughly enjoyed both learning and teaching. During this term, the children also took part in a National Handwriting Competition,
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where they copied a poem or sentence in their best handwriting. Throughout the whole year, Kingfishers have enjoyed teaming up and competing against Lower School in the Chess Challenge. This has been repeated throughout each term and continues to be enjoyable and memorable. R. Buttress All children in Lower School are given opportunities to be challenged at their ability during lessons. The Stretch and Challenge sessions allow staff to identify children who are either working at a level significantly above the rest of their class or who have a real passion for a subject. The Heads of both Maths and English have spent time each term with a group of children, encouraging lateral thinking and group work within their subject. Likewise six children were asked to create a ‘Welcome to Lower School’ DVD which is sent to all prospective parents. The children spent a day, planning, recording and editing their work. Children excelling in sport have also had individual time with Senior coaches to work on improving their specific skills.
It’s wonderful to see children develop both academically and socially through these sessions. D. Isaachsen
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 53
Stretch and Challenge in Middle School Our Middle School teachers are continually on the look out within their lessons for those pupils who can take on and benefit from an extra challenge to their skills and thought processes; stretching activities are regularly planned into the lessons. Opportunities are also offered in Drama and Music for pupils to try something new or to demonstrate their talents and hone their skills. This was clearly in evidence with the school production of ‘Oliver’, where budding actors and singers took key parts, also the Middle School drama production for Year 5 of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Every Year 6 pupil had the chance to experience the amazing ‘Polyphones Workshop’, a musical experience not to be forgotten.
A number of our Year 6 pupils who are particularly interested in literary techniques were given the chance to attend a ‘Writers Day’ with the author Fleur Hitchcock. Acting as hosts to the Inter School Maths Challenge, six of our mathematicians in Year 5 went forward to represent us at this event in
a range of timed challenges. Not only did they act as amazing hosts and ambassadors, they put their thinking skills to the test, persevering with the problems set. A. Grieves
Regular clubs are attended by many children. Middle School Art Club enables our artists to try out new and creative experiences, whilst the Maths Puzzle and Philosophy for Children clubs have encouraged our mathematicians and philosophers into many different ways of thinking and questioning. In addition a number of one-off events have been organised. The Gloucestershire Printing Cooperative visited our art room and several pupils spent an enjoyable day, together with children from five different Primary Schools, learning a variety of new print techniques.
Upper School Stretch & Challenge Activities, Academic Year 2013 - 2014 Within Upper School we have introduced a Lecture Series to broaden the pupils’ knowledge in a range of topics. In the Autumn Term we were fortunate to have an informal lecture from the Neurosurgeon and Old Cheltonian, Mr Chris Adams. Not only did Mr Adams provide us with detailed information on brain surgery, he also inspired us with his own personal experiences; informing us that although he had dyslexia, he was able to use strategies to help him learn which enabled him gain a place at Cambridge University to study medicine. In the Spring Term we were delighted to have the opportunity to listen to a talk on Astronomy by a Nuclear Physicist, Dr McEllin from EDF Energy. He showed us how to calculate the distances between the stars and planets, about how much energy stars put out and the Big Bang. This was clearly an interesting topic, as Dr McEllin barely had time to answer all the questions that our pupils asked! G. Barrett
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Science & CDT with a Bang! The Prep hosted the Cheltenham Festival Young Scientists’ Day On Friday 6 June, The Prep hosted the annual Cheltenham Festival Young Scientists’ Day, where Year 5 and 6 pupils from five local primary schools joined with Prep pupils to experience some hands-on science and technology. The chemistry sessions started with a bang with Mrs Flanagan demonstrating various explosive reactions, including her ever-popular setting her arms on fire! Very dramatic – one not to be tried at home! This was followed by the pupils learning how to create different colours of paint. In biology, pupils learnt about the importance of penicillin and the vital role it plays in treating serious diseases. Much fun was had in CDT where the pupils built their own rocket cars. The only casualty of the day was a window at the far end of the corridor used for testing the rocket cars – clearly they were more powerful than expected! For many visiting pupils this was the first opportunity they had to visit Science laboratories, light a Bunsen burner, use specialist science apparatus or use a saw and glue gun – so lots of new learning experiences.
At the end of the day, the children were treated to a brief talk and demonstration by Professor Andrea Sella, of University College London, followed by an enormous cake in the shape of a tank crossing a First World War battlefield complete with trench, chocolate boards and ladders! It was delicious! As the photographs show, lots of fun and lots of learning took place. Definitely a day the young scientists won’t forget. G. Barrett
"It was a thousand times better than school!" "I want to do more science!"
"I enjoyed chemistry because we mixed different chemicals and saw a teacher set her hands on fire." Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 55
Year 7 Independent Learning Project This year saw the launch of our inaugural Independent Learning Project for all Year 6 pupils entering into Year 7. Over the summer holiday they were tasked with preparing a personal project on the theme of ‘Dream Island’. The results were outstanding, as shown in the photographs. The entries included a papier mache parrot, edible islands, an island designed on Minecraft, powerpoints, written essays, and a video recording. In addition, many pupils had put lots of effort in to make huge models of their dream islands. The entries were displayed to the school and parents, and prize-winners selected and rewarded. G. Barrett
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Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 57
Christian the Lion Day 11 June 2013 – A Roaring Success!
John Rendall’s talk to Years 1 to 8, plus parents and staff, was a great success. We heard the amazing and true story of how John had looked after Christian when he was a cub. The story was very moving, especially seeing the YouTube clip of their reunion after a year and it touched many of our hearts.
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The pupils responded brilliantly to the challenge of sports, stripes, animal or safari mufti – as the photographs show. Over £800 was raised for the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust, which is instrumental in protecting endangered Rhinos and African Wild Dogs in its work in Kenya, as well as building classrooms as part of its outreach programme and helping to rehabilitate Kora to become a National Park. John
is a trustee of this Trust and is passionate about wildlife conservation. John thoroughly enjoyed his visit to us, he said: “Christian’s story is such a positive one and to look at those young faces brimming with interest and excitement is a wonderful experience.” G. Barrett
Parents and Pupil Charity Tennis Tournament 2014 In excess of £250 was raised for ‘WellChild’ at this year’s Parent and Pupil Tennis Tournament. Every year we have more entries, more brother/sister combinations playing (despite the title of the tournament!), standards are higher and the competition becomes more fierce. Two pools of thirteen couples played in round– robin style in the morning, to establish two top couples to play a cross–over semi-final – this might have meant that the final was a replay of an earlier match! We were facing a South Africa versus America final! At 6-6 and two changes of end, it was anyone’s match to win. Consistent serving and great volleying from a Year 6 girl pushed her and Dad into the lead, at which point they became more confident, showing that they were the Number 1 couple winning 15-7. Thank you to the immense support from both Day and Boarding pupils, parents and pseudo–parents, siblings, staff and catering who contributed to a truly family, fun event. J. Upton
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 59
Girls’ Sport Hockey 2013 was a good year for our girls’ hockey teams. The highlight was undoubtedly the U11 team finishing as runners-up in the National IAPS Finals. After winning their regional competition, they went on to the Nationals held at Bishops Stortford College in Hertfordshire, where they really showed their class, comfortably winning their group then steadily progressing through the quarter-finals and semi-finals. Unfortunately St George’s Weybridge was just one step too far in the final, but to be in the top two teams in the whole country is certainly a very impressive accolade. In domestic competition, this U11A team has completed the school hockey season unbeaten, with some very impressive scorelines. Huge congratulations to the girls involved in this great success. The first team has also had a successful season, improving steadily as the games have gone on. This was a team of dedicated, determined and very hard working girls, who finished the season in a much stronger position than where they started, thanks to finally finding their scoring touch. They also performed very well at the regional IAPS tournament and were dealt a harsh blow when a penalty stroke competition stopped them progressing to the finals. Their record in the competition though, of three wins, one draw and only one loss, should be commended. The second and third teams had their most successful seasons for a good few years, with both teams recording wins in more than 60% of their matches and losing very few. In the fourth team, we are very proud that our girls who were completely new to hockey have been guided and supported by their teammates throughout the season and are now all competent hockey players, who finished the season with some well-deserved good results.
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In Middle School, although the U11A team were often in the limelight, it did not go unnoticed how steady, consistent and committed our other teams were, with players in both Years 5 and 6 constantly pushing for places in the A teams, never giving up and as a result, coming out of their matches with some well-earned wins and hard-fought draws. The U11B team completed the season with two convincing wins in a row, a highlight in the U10A team was a high scoring victory over St Edward’s, and the U10Bs won six of their nine matches; well done Middle School, keep up the good work. More fixtures were arranged for Lower School than in previous years and the girls responded positively and enthusiastically to this. Both the U8 and U9 teams picked up skills very quickly and now have a very good understanding of formations. The extra match practice has done them the world of good and if their impressive attitude continues, the future looks very bright. I am already looking forward to the next hockey season. Thank you very much to all staff who gave up their time to coach a team and who all went above and beyond the call of duty. Our teams would not have run so successfully without you and I am very grateful. S. Ramsay
Netball The first team played with great conviction and got off to a great start, winning their first three matches. The weather intervened to really disrupt the fixture list, but coming from behind to defeat the formidable St Hugh’s really gave them confidence for the IAPS at Millfield. They certainly started well with wins over Dean Close and Prior Park. Opposition parents and coaches agreed that they gave Millfield their best game of the day, playing strong, physical netball, but unfortunately they could not get the win and
did not progress to the National Finals. They were disappointed not to fulfill their considerable potential on the day, however they set an outstanding example throughout, with the right balance of aggression and sportsmanship at all times. They completed their domestic season with only two defeats and the competition for places in the team remained high in Upper School throughout the season. It has been a pleasure to coach the girls. Their willingness to listen, adapt and play with determination has been outstanding and they have shown enormous skill in their matches. The U13B team completed an unbeaten season and achieved some particularly high scorelines along the way, and the U12A team, although frustrated at times by the fact they were quite a “small” team, which seemed to work against them, played with incredible pace and is definitely a team to watch out for next year. Moving from U13 and U12 in Upper School to combined teams next year will definitely prove to be interesting and competitive. Our U11A team was again in the spotlight after their regional IAPS competition, when they managed to qualify for the National Finals held at Rodean School in Brighton. This was the first time (that anyone can remember) that Cheltenham has qualified for National Finals in Netball. It was a huge, very high profile event in a beautiful setting right on the seafront. Thirty-two teams were involved in the U11 competition and the girls faced some very tough opposition. They did not get off to
the best start in the very short matches, but their fighting spirit and determination shone through and they began to grind out better results as the day went on. Although they did not progress beyond the group stages, they finished on a high and were incredibly proud to have got so far. The fact that the majority of the girls were also in the hockey team that finished as runner-up in the National Finals this year, really does highlight the talent we have in Middle School. In Lower School, the netball is also looking bright. Many of our Year 3s had attended preseason in the Autumn Term and this certainly paid off as the U8 team, many of whom were completely new to netball, also completed an unbeaten season. They gelled together beautifully and played some excellent netball at a standard that was probably beyond their years. Well done to all of our girls who played netball this year; everyone showed real team spirit and commitment regardless of which team they were in, we achieved some fantastic results across the board and most importantly the girls had fun doing it. V. Jenkins and S. Ramsay
Tennis, Rounders and Cricket
almost every week. Our Year 6 girls had an unbeaten tennis season and Year 5 and Upper School girls really progressed throughout the course of their fixtures. Given their very limited previous experience of tennis, the teams finished in a very strong position and should be commended for their hard work and speedy development. Tennis and rounders results were very varied, which is to be expected when their time is being split between the two, but most importantly, the Summer Term was about experience and enjoyment and we definitely achieved this. On top of these major games being played on Wednesday and Saturday, we also found time to form a girls’ cricket team, who played in a number of fixtures and tournaments. This team had to run as an after school activity and so the girls, who ranged from Years 6-8 should be commended for their commitment. They came second in the Lady Taverners before convincingly winning the Gloucestershire Kwik Cricket Tournament, an event which The Prep actually hosted and where our girls were an absolute credit to the school, displaying excellent sportsmanship and teamwork. It has been a very busy sporting term and I must again thank staff for the huge amount of extra time and
effort they put into their teams. Girls’ Sport is an exciting place to be at the moment with so many enthusiastic staff helping to drive it forward. S. Ramsay
During the Summer Term the girls were offered a plethora of sporting opportunities. In Lower School, rounders was the major game and the girls’ skills noticeably improved throughout the term. They played in matches, at festivals, and picked up some good results. As part of our tennis development plan however, they also gave over one of their Games sessions to tennis practice and this was very popular. So much so; that when we also offered it as an after school club, it was massively oversubscribed with Lower School girls and boys, a very positive sign for the growth of tennis at The Prep. Look out for a Lower School tennis festival next year. In Middle and Upper School our girls were very busy with both tennis and rounders fixtures
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 61
Boys’ Sport Rugby The first season of rugby at the school was certainly one of success. Although the teams did not match the statistical success of the previous season, there was plenty of success in development and performance. The first fifteen again provided boys and staff to the Gloucester Academy and won some famous victories against much larger schools. Hard fought victories against the likes of the Dragon and Monmouth showed that once again this school punched well above its weight category. The Upper School boys across the board played very well and had strong wins against the likes of St Hugh’s and Blundell’s, showing that coaching was not focused on the elite, but ensured opportunities were available to all. Dan Murphy, the Gloucester prop forward, came on the coaching staff for the term – but instead of focusing on the first fifteen, devoted his time
to all the teams, teaching safe scrummaging technique, building the confidence of the lower teams and extending the challenges applied to the higher teams.
as the U7s charged onto the fields on a Friday afternoon. There is a great deal of talent in this bunch and we look forward to watching their development.
Middle School was without doubt a slow burner. The season began with some heavy losses as the boys found their feet, but suddenly exploded into life. An outstanding win over Clifton College was followed up with a huge win over Dean Close and the season was proven to be a success. More is expected of these boys over the next few years, as there was plenty of talent on show.
The sevens season was also a great success. Although we did not win any tournaments, we made great progress in all of them and won great plaudits on the circuit for our style of play. We pushed the National Champions, Millfield, very close in two tournaments and won our group at Rosslyn Park, only to fall to a very strong Caldicott team in the last thirty-two.
Lower School saw the first year of Wednesday matches for Year 4s and it was a great success. The accelerated learning had massive benefits as the A team went through festivals unbeaten and more importantly the U9C team came within one game of an unbeaten season. The U8s, like the Colts, were also slow burners but came to life as the season ran on and showed great progress. 2013 also saw the start of Year 2 Games,
D. Simpson
Hockey The hockey season here at The Prep was a real rollercoaster of a season. The boys worked very hard on their skills all season and of particular pride was the way new boys to the school were taught hockey and quickly progressed – showing how much focus there is on individual development here at the school. Of particular note was how well the teams functioned as a seven rather than an eleven, which is the way many Prep Schools are moving. Great wins over Pinewood at all levels and battling draws against the Dragon and Colston’s showed grit and determination at all ability levels. The representation of Cheltenham Prep boys in the county and district squads shows the talent at the school. The Colts season was one of frustration. When they clicked as a team, they were outstanding,
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with wins over Bilton Grange at Colts A and the Colts C winning a great triangular over Richard Pate’s and Magdalen College. However at other times things just didn’t come together. The Colts year groups will come good, there is plenty of talent and they will gel into a strong team. The U8s and U9s made great strides at the beginning of their hockey careers. Good wins over Dean Close and Downs Wraxall at these ages show the benefit of training with the College hockey professionals. This year also saw the first time we ran Year 2 hockey Games lessons, which culminated in a Year 2 internal festival. The future is bright. D. Simpson
Cricket This cricket season began with a real back to basics attitude; before the Summer Term had even begun, the annual pre-season training camp in Spain had hardened the Upper School boys and we had our first round draw in the county cup. The season began with a clear focus on the basics of cricket and this continued through all sessions with great effect. The first eleven had a great run in the county cup and this was followed by some outstanding results in the regular season, including wins over Dean Close, Beaudesert and St John’s. The other Upper School teams have shown strong performances such as the third eleven win over Clifton and the Wanderers win over Dean Close. The Colts have had a good season with plenty of great talent coming through for the future. The Colts A put in strong performances, including a very narrow defeat to the Cardiff District team. Of particular note has been the improvement in basic fielding skills amongst the Colts C and D teams, the back to basics approach is paying huge dividends. Of particular note has been the progress in the lower ages. Spring Term saw the Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4 Saturday morning Cricket Club. Well attended, this provided the perfect springboard to the strong summer. The Year 2s have continued to play on Saturday mornings, along with Friday afternoons, in order to continue to build the basics. The Year 3s have improved their bowling immensely and the Year 4s have become three very tidy cricket sides. At The Prep the history of cricket is very strong, the current ability is very pleasing, but it is the future that continues to excite. D. Simpson
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 63
Football This was the first time competitive football had been played at the school for many a year and the boys threw themselves into it with the enthusiasm and passion we know all our boys approach life with. The Upper School boys had a tough first outing against Clifton and the Elms, two established footballing schools, however the real talent was on show at the House Football. The boys really grew during the tournament and there was some fine football being played towards the end.
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The Middle School boys, having more of a background in football, took to the game very quickly. Great wins over Beaudesert from the U10s signalled that football was here to stay at the school. The Lower School boys had good games with St Hugh’s and tournaments at Beaudesert and showed enthusiasm and no little skill. The exposure to football at a young age will ensure we are better prepared in future years.
Football has not been introduced to lessen the hockey programme here at the school, it is simply following our belief that at this young age the boys should be playing as many different sports as possible, until they reach a point when commitments and life in general means they will have to specialize. With this belief in mind we will approach the football season with enjoyment as the most important factor. R. Hall
Swimming When I arrived at The Prep I inherited a very committed swim squad full of pupils very passionate about swimming and I was delighted to be a part of this and be involved in its development. For this year I decided to pilot an “open” squad where anyone could attend and this certainly served to confirm my initial opinion that there was a huge demand for swimming by both pupils and parents. Although the exact format and the running of swim squad will change for next year, as a result of my observations and analysis this year, you can be assured that the passion and enthusiasm for swimming will not be lost and if anything the sport will be even further developed. Swimming has been an excellent example of our commitment to co-education.
sessions and the number of pupils who have taken up this opportunity is very encouraging. Back in February we ran what was a major highlight of the House Challenge – our InterHouse Swimming Gala. Every single pupil from Years 3-8 played their part and swam for their House in a number of races. The atmosphere on the packed poolside was excitable, one of friendly competition, and at times very tense. The results remained very close right up until the final House relay. The event was an excellent
display of the quality of most of our children’s swimming ability. More information about the structure of swim squad will be sent out in due course, but in the meantime I would like to thank all parents, pupils and staff for their support of our swimming programme both curricular and extra-curricular. S. Ramsay
Over the course of the Autumn and Spring Terms we had in the region of one hundred boys and girls who regularly represented the school in various friendly galas. Results were varied; some wins, some losses, some very close, some not so close, but all the time, our swimmers gave their all and continued to push themselves. We also took a large number of swimmers to the IAPS Regional Competition which, although a steep learning curve, was a very valuable experience for our young swimmers. From this, one of our Year 8 girls qualified for the National Finals where she finished fifteenth in the 50m Freestyle. This year, The Prep has strengthened its links with Gloucester City Swim Club and through the club we can now offer early morning swim
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 65
Sports Teams
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Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 67
Triathlon The final day of the Spring Term witnessed a ‘first’ for Cheltenham College Prep: a school Triathlon. The first aim of this event was to give the children a taste of competing in a very different type of sport than usual. The second aim was to raise money and awareness for the school charity, WellChild.
lined up on the racks and ready for action. Nearly the entirety of Middle and Upper School children signed up to take part and an admirable cross-section of the staff were brilliant sports and also got stuck into the competition. The race consisted of a six-length swim, three laps of the school grounds on the bike and a final lap of running. The starts were staggered and each competitor was timed over the total distance.
Lower School children kicked off the afternoon with a nail-bitingly close Aquathlon. The children all started together and ran one lap of the school grounds and went immediately into the pool. Quick changing was key and meant an earlier entry into the water to tussle it out over six lengths! There was a photo finish at the end with two boys both claiming the Lower School Aquathlon crown.
The appearance of the charity mascots, as well as the raffles, hot dogs, pumping music and crowd of spectators, all gave the afternoon a fabulous carnival feel. It really was special to see each and every child (and member of staff) gritting their teeth and working their hardest to rise to the challenge. Everyone found it tough, but all seemed to cross the line with a sense of elation that they had completed the course! A total of £2,146 was raised on the day for WellChild.
Middle and Upper School took part in a full Triathlon. At 08.30 on the day of the race the main field was turned into a very professional looking transition area; 162 bikes were all neatly
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J. Miles
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 69
Spain sports trip
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Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 71
Middle and Upper School
SPORTS DAY
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Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 73
kingfishers and lower School
SPORTS DAY
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Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 75
Clubs and Activities Circus Skills During the Autumn Term, Lower School pupils were able to opt to participate in a Circus Skills Club. This was very well attended with much fun to be had: scarf juggling, ball juggling, ring juggling, club juggling, diabloing, devil sticking, plate spinning and much more were enjoyed. Some pupils enjoyed planning and practising routines, and then performing to the rest of the club, whilst others
Philosophy for Children Philosophy for Children is about thinking skills and developing the confidence to explore new ideas. It has been led by the interest of the small group of children taking part. We have played a range of games to develop lateral thinking. We have also learnt the importance of working as a team if we are going to achieve our goals. The sessions have primarily been an opportunity to have fun and enjoy playing a range of games and activities, with the chance to mix and talk to children from a range of year groups. C. Conner
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were determined to build their speed and balance using the go-pedal carts. A highlight and finale for many was attempting to ride the unicycles. Overall, the club was a great success, with the pupils learning new skills and understanding the many benefits of taking part in Circus Skills. A.Theedom
Cookery Club I like food, so what better activity is there than to cook it, and if I can teach some young cooks to love food too, then even better! We started simply, with a basic sponge mixture to make fairy cakes, but once the children had started to understand how to measure accurately, then we became more adventurous. We started to develop a series of recipes with pastry. The children learned how to rub the fat into the flour – clean palms please! Fingers only! Chicken and leek pasties (using leeks, as they are easier for the novice to chop than onions), crumble (also teaching them therefore how to peel and chop the base ingredient of apples) and quiche followed in quick succession.
Did they do well? Yes! Could they be a bit messy – absolutely! Occasionally the preparation area looked like a disaster zone, but they learned a lot and were becoming confident enough towards the end to need relatively little intervention from Mrs Barrett and myself. Thanks to Mrs Barrett, the
kitchen staff and especially Chef Julie who was always on the Monday rota, but did not let any interventions from us faze her!
walking and trotting on a lead rein to riding on their own, many soon became confident with getting their ponies to canter. Whilst some found steering to be quite a challenge in the early stages, they are now able to trot ponies across trotting poles and even have a little jump over the crossed poles. Our more experienced riders worked on knowing whether they were rising correctly at trot, improving their canter and jumping approaches and position.
Much of the lesson takes place in the large outdoor school and in good light and weather it was possible for the more experienced riders to ride and jump in the spacious field. Coupled with learning about pony care, our riders have had a brilliant year gaining a better understanding of how to tack up, muck out and ride their ponies.
D. Maddock
We then switched our attention to some cakes. Again the weighing out is rather crucial, so experience was gained by cooking a Victoria Sponge, muffins, scones and cookies, before we finished the term with a pizza, making our own sauce and choosing the toppings to add to the yeast dough that, due to time constraints, the kitchens had made for us. The second term showed us being more adventurous, with the children making proper meals, like cannelloni, meatballs in tomato sauce and pasta bake, which they took home in containers to finish for their tea. These were interspersed with a lovely Lemon Drizzle, a Marble Cake and to finish off the year a cheesecake.
Equestrian Club This was the first year that we had run the Equestrian Club and we welcomed riders of all abilities, from complete novices to pupils with their own ponies. Riding with children of similar abilities, it has been evident the progress made across the year. As our novices quickly progressed through
A. Grieves
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 77
Clay Pigeon Shooting During the Autumn Term, this activity was held on Thursday evenings after school. A small group of Upper School pupils were taken to Chatcombe Park, where they were met by professional shooting instructors. Over the course of about an hour they were given a variety of different moving targets at which to aim. These ‘clay pigeons’ are catapulted from various angles, mimicking the flight of a passing pigeon; or at ground level, the path of a bolting rabbit. Having received their introductory tuition in the safe use and handling of shotguns, the pupils had their developing skills challenged, and were presented with some fast, paired clays, requiring
the use of both barrels of their guns to be used in rapid succession. Some pupils tasted enormous success and satisfaction in what is a completely new sport for some of them, and it is a tantalising point for conjecture whether we have, in this recently introduced activity, sown the seeds of something which will become a lifetime passion, or result in the eventual appearance of some national shooting champions. J. Baker
Everything Alice Club The girls at Everything Alice Club have had a fantastic time this year. We have been looking at different events and characters within the story of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to see what we would like to use for our craft
club. We settled on two sewing projects: a wall hanging showing the White Rabbit, a playing card and a bottle of shrinking potion, and another focusing on the suits of cards. Our first project (the wall hanging) was a bit of a challenge as some of the sewing on the Rabbit’s ears was quite fiddly. One particularly accidentprone member of our club even managed to stitch her rabbit to her jumper at one stage! Fortunately we were able to disentangle her. We then decided that our second project would be bunting and, fortunately, this time nobody found themselves in too much of a pickle. Everyone worked really hard on our projects and we think that they look fabulous decorating our bedrooms- we hope you agree! A. Forward-Davies
"I have enjoyed learning the helicopter move." "It has been good to learn to do new moves. I practised at home and was able to use the moves at my sister’s party." "Sharing our own new ideas in warm-up has been great."
Street Dance Street Dance was offered to Lower School for the first time this year. Taken by professional dancer, Miss Tominey, a group of 20 took to the dance floor on a Tuesday after school. The majority of the group were girls, but there were some boys who also enjoyed participating. Warm-ups, routines and new cool moves were all the order of the day! We learnt to dance in time to the music, work as a team and express ourselves. It culminated in a short dance display to an interested audience.
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Maths Puzzle Club
Grow Your Own Cash
We welcomed a mixture of enthusiastic pupils from across both Years 5 and 6 to the club this year.
The aim of this activity is to promote pupils’ entrepreneurial skills and to raise money for charity. To achieve this the pupils needed to be committed, willing to offer ideas, and creative.
All our pupils worked together, supporting and encouraging each other, whether they were investigating individual activities, working in pairs or playing in groups. We worked our way through a range of ‘Impuzzables’ where everyone was keen to master the different levels of challenge from ‘OK Orange’ to ‘Baffling Blue’. Another challenge included our ‘Reptangles’, learning through play all about and how to create some amazing 3D shapes, including the wonderful Truncated Octahedron. However one of our absolute favourite games was the lateral thinking game ‘Thought Exchange’. Regularly chosen by the group, pupils would choose to play as pairs or individually in this fast thinking game, where they were challenged by each other to think in different ways, working out sequences and codes, using memory recall, testing their visual perception, processing information at speed and thinking laterally about different topics. Full of fun and some great learning at the same time, the pupils loved the opportunity to explore mathematics in different ways.
Our group began in September with £6 (£1 for each member of the group). At this stage we did not know whether we would stick at it for one term, two terms or the entire year, but plans were discussed on how we could make our first profit and ‘grow’ our £6 to something more. It was decided that a second-hand book sale (with added tasty homemade cakes to lure in the punters) would be a good platform. Amazingly we ended this event with £110.93 in the coffers, thanks to the donations of books and generous spending of the parents at exeat.
arranged to buy the required boxes of sour strawberries, lollipops and cola bottles. This event was a real hit and our next count of cash showed we had grown our original amount to £217.77. Tuck was a clear winner for all pupils from Kngfishers to the parents (!) so a second sale went ahead in the Spring Term. Our profit had now multiplied to £283.03. Splat the Rat, Guess the Number of Sherbert Straws, more cakes and more second-hand books were available at the stall with an addition: WellChild charity bands bought by the group to sell at a profit to children, staff and parents alike. The day was a real success and left our final profit at £364.04. The group should feel really proud of the money they have raised and the time they have invested to make their cash grow. We hope to be back next year! V. Jenkins
Flushed with this success, the group began to explore products they may be able to sell and events we could plan for the future. A half term tuck shop was decided upon and a visit to the Cash and Carry was
A. Grieves
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 79
Gymnastics Club This year Gymnastics Club was open to everyone from Year 3 to Year 8. We were lucky enough to have use of the Sports Hall, and as such we were able to utilise the larger gymnastic equipment such as the vaults, ropes and trampette. The club was incredibly popular with around 30 girls and boys attending on a Friday evening throughout the Autumn and Spring Terms.
‘Core Skills’ Badge, which many embarked upon with great gusto. It was also a pleasure to witness the delight of a child with no previous vaulting
The aim of the club was to develop the children’s basic skill and floor work as well as teaching them how to vault. Each gymnast was given the opportunity to work towards a British Gymnastics
Model Boat Club This ever-popular club has met, with enormous popularity, virtually every week for the last 28 years and it has continued to attract practically-minded children in this, its final year. In 1986 Cheltenham College Junior School, as it was then, was a school for boys only and our first meetings were vastly oversubscribed. The boys arrived after school on a Tuesday and were given individual jobs on some large-scale models, which we developed as a group over the months until the wonderful moment when we could all go to the school lake and launch a warship, and operate it under radio control. Fuelled by the double enthusiasms of both my interest in naval history and the boys’ new-found interest in the emergent subject of CDT, a vibrant and productive activity was established which ultimately produced a small fleet of wartime warships, including what I suspect is one of the largest models ever built: H.M.S. ‘Hood’, a fifteen foot scale model of the famous battle cruiser. The current activity, still under the old name, retains vestiges of the old club, with a small group working with the school boats. Increasingly however, several pupils have worked on their own models whilst a greater number of children have individual CDT projects under way, which
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are now as many and diverse as the facilities which have engendered them. This year, a very busy activity met weekly to continue with the production of a motor boat, and a submarine, both radio-controlled; some bookshelves, some string puppets, some cushions made on a sewingmachine, some model vehicles and a large variety of other individual projects. So, whilst the old fleet gradually sinks into retirement, alongside the CDT master who oversaw it all, the activity has remained as vibrant as ever. J. Baker
experience, learning to master the ‘headspring’ and ‘long straddle’ over the box. J. Miles
British Schools Biathlon Competition This year, seven committed athletes entered this National Competition, which began with the regional time trials in Solihull. Here they met a host of other budding Biathletes from a huge variety of schools and had to compete in a timed pool swim, followed by a track run of either 800m or 1600m depending on their age. It was a classic South Birmingham October day and the weather conditions were positively torrid! Despite this, they all performed brilliantly and I was proud to see each of them cross the line, very wet but elated. Two pupils did so well that they earned a place in the National Finals, which were held in the newly-opened Olympic Park in April.
Fencing
Polo
Fencing is a multifaceted discipline, which provides a workout for the body and mind. Taught by an experienced fencing instructor (Mr. Rees), this sport has been part of many different cultures throughout history and teaches the crucial skills of blade work, footwork and tactics. This new club has been very successful having only started this year; some of our young fencers have achieved their level 1 Epee certificates without any previous experience, which is a great achievement!
Polo is run by Mrs. Styler, who is a very experienced Polo instructor and the member of staff responsible for running Polo at College too. Polo is a very popular sport seen as ‘the sport of kings’. The club (open to Lower, Middle and Upper School) teaches the rules of the game, proper horsemanship and playing skills. Pupils of different abilities have enjoyed taking part, and various tournaments have taken place throughout the year. K. Perona-Wright
National Finals day was a fantastic experience for both of them with 150-200 competitors in each age group. Our Year 6 pupil did exceptionally well to come 15th overall and our Year 7 pupil gained a personal best in points. Well done to both of them for their commitment to the sport. J. Miles
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 81
Karate Club
Chess Club
A current parent of the school (Mr. Dominic Campbell Black) holds a black belt in Karate, and kindly offered to run a club so he can use his knowledge and experience to encourage the benefits of Karate amongst the children. This club delivers a balance of life skills, such as self-defence, fitness energy and workout and character development through practised techniques involving the entire body. It has been fantastic to see these children develop during the course of the year at this new skill!
This club has been an exciting way for the pupils to train their brains to increase creativity and memory. Mr Hatvany is an experienced chess player, who teaches the pupils moves, openings and strategies. Chess is not only a challenging skill, which improves IQ, but it teaches core life skills. This club will also provide opportunities to compete in national competitions with various other schools in due course. K. Perona-Wright
Badminton Club Archery Club Archery is a great sport for encouraging mental and physical health and fitness. Mr Griffin is a highly experienced county coach, and promotes the importance of safety whilst combining mental and physical attributes to good effect in order to develop focus, flexibility and attention. This club not only directs the focus and concentration, but has offered the children opportunity to gain their Archery GB progress awards. An exciting start for a new club at The Prep.
There has been an ever-increasing participation of enthusiastic badminton players joining this club on Monday evenings. The club is open to all pupils, from Year 5 to 8, for all levels of experience, from complete beginner to club player. The aim is to allow pupils to experience a new sport that they may not have had the opportunity to play before, or to develop a keener interest in a sport that can be played at all levels in future life. The club has been run in a very relaxed fashion, with the pupils having input into the activities planned. There have been self-organised matches, a variety of fun games, doubles and singles play and also some informal coaching for our newer players. The year ended with a mini doubles tournament. S. Gilmour 82 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 83
Water Sports The Water Sports option in the Summer Term provides a great opportunity to do something different on Wednesday afternoons. This activity takes place near Cirencester at the South Cerney Outdoor Education Centre, in the Cotswold Waterpark. Six pupils from Years 7 and 8 opted for the paddleboat sessions, which included kayaking and Canadian canoeing. The boys worked their way through different levels of proficiency, aided by a professionally qualified instructor called John, and everyone made good progress gaining new completed logbook levels.
84 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
The weather was good this year, and everyone enjoyed learning new skills. R. Woodbridge
Skiing Ski Activity has been a huge success this year, allowing pupils from Year 1 to Year 8 to hone and develop their skills. We have been lucky to have some very good coaching and instruction from the staff at the Gloucester Ski Centre. The ski season started very well with one team qualifying for the National Finals in Norwich – the girls U14. The weekend of the ESSKIA National Finals was good; after a long journey across nearly the entire width of the country we settled into our hotel, relaxed in the pool and had a hearty
meal – preparing ourselves for an intense skiing session against some of the best skiers in the country the following day. All the girls skied very well and could not have performed any better; they all skied clear runs and improved their times on each run. The School Ski Competition took on a new format this year, having previously been a House competition, it was felt that there was not a proportionate representation of skiers in each of the Houses, so a decision was made to make it a school competition. There were four sections: Kingfishers, Lower School, Middle School and Upper School, who all competed in a round-robin style competition. It was a hugely successful event with more than 40 skiers taking
part. The skiers raced on a dual slalom course, head to head against their peers. The event was well supported by parents, despite the cold conditions. All the competitors thoroughly deserved their burger, chips and hot chocolate afterwards. A big thank you to Mrs Upton, Mrs Conner, Mr McDougall and Miss Parkes for all their help. This year we had three skiers taking part in some form of representative skiing, one of whom was selected based on their performance at the ESSKIA National Finals. C. Murray
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 85
Scouts 48th Cheltenham Scouts Celebrate 100 Years This has been a full and exciting year of scouting activities for the 48th Cheltenham Scouts as we celebrate our 100th year of scouting. This year has seen the renovation of the Scout Hut, giving us a fabulous new space to hold our meetings and we even have some heating for those cold, winter evenings. Skip appointed the first troop Senior Patrol Leader, who has shown himself to be a fantastic support to the leaders and has taken on leading games at our meetings and helping organise jobs and activities on camp.
We welcomed a number of new scouts in September who have worked hard to learn their promises and were invested by Pat Hopes, our District Commissioner, in the Autumn Term. Many of our existing scouts have earned new badges, including the Fitness Challenge badge, Camp Cook and various badges for overnight camping. Some of our more experienced scouts have gained their Expedition, Adventure or Outdoor Challenge badges and are well on their way to attaining their Chief Scout award. J. Godding (Assistant Scout Leader) J. Buxton and G. Neale (Scout Helpers)
Guernsey 2014 One of the highlights of our year was our wonderful camping trip to Guernsey during the summer Half Term. At 05:00 on the Monday of Half Term we all set off aboard the minibus for Guernsey via the fast catamaran from Poole.
We were met at St. Peters Port by Mr and Mrs Walton, who guided us through the maze of tiny, narrow streets and out to the north west edge of the island to the Scout camp. Events through the week included: • a hiking trip along the coast practising map reading and orienteering skills (stopping en route for the obligatory ice cream) • a swim in the sea – Year 5 girls were first in the sea, Year 7 boys claimed the deepest paddling prize • high ropes and crate stacking challenge • canoeing including some fun capsizing • indoor climbing • campfire with singing, jokes and toasting marshmallows • a ‘Masterchef’ cooking demonstration from our troop cooking expert • visit to a WW2 German hospital Martin ‘Skip’ Adams, Scout leader
86 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 87
Middle School Activity Week 2014 Year 5 Year 5 enthusiastically threw themselves into Activity Week 2014 here at The Prep. What did we do? We investigated animal habitats in the rainforest; we discussed Hinduism with Daxa, a local lady from Northern India; we made movies together and put on a mini film show for our parents; and finally, we trekked around Hayden Water Treatment Plant retracing the process of purifying our water. Our Activity Week ended with a cultural tour around Cheltenham Art Gallery, before a picnic lunch in the park and a cool, refreshing swim in our local outdoor pool. The children and teachers worked and played hard this week, it was rewarding, stimulating, informative and fun! D. Bond
88 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Upper School Activity Week 2014 Year 7 Trip to @Bristol Science Centre To enhance their Science Curriculum, Year 7 spent a day at @Bristol Science Centre. The pupils participated in a workshop “Atoms to Astrophysics”, where they learned about the structure of the atom, charge, and electrical and magnetic fields. Some of the group had their hair stand on end by being charged by a Van de Graaff generator, and observed the heat in their arteries using an infra-red camera. They had a session in the planetarium, where they learned more about astronomy, and observed the various constellations that they themselves could view with a basic telescope or binoculars. There was of course plenty of time to try out the huge range of hands-on experiments that the centre has on offer; observing the pattern of dry ice as it is dropped on water, creating convection currents, weighing a brain, and pumping water by running round a “hamster wheel”, to name but a few. This centre improves year on year, and hopefully inspires some of our pupils to consider a career in science or technology. S. Gilmour
Bude 2014 Having arrived on the Cornish coast to breathtaking views and blistering sunshine, Year 8 looked forward to a week of getting outdoors. By midweek, pupils had already experienced a range of waterbased activities: they went canoeing on the local canal to improve their teamwork skills; they braved the waves at Bude’s bay equipped with wetsuits, bodyboards, surfboards and plenty of courage; and they loved the kayaking at the end of the trip. With the British weather on our side, it was be a splashing end to the week!
Tired as we were at the end of each day, the evenings proved to be a lot of fun: a ‘Just Dance’ party got everyone moving; ‘Map Out’ showed them the interesting sites of Bude; five-a-side got
many of them on the pitch; and everyone looked forward to the disco evening to finish the week. S. Reid
Between their watery activities, time was being spent in the mud. This included mountainboarding and biking (for which even the forty-five minute walk along the valley was a challenge!). They also got an inside look into the building in which they stayed, by caving… Not only was it a thrilling adventure, but it also gave them an opportunity to overcome their fears. Another new experience around their lodgings was abseiling – surprisingly new to many of them, but all were very keen to try it out. They loved the adrenalin rush as they conquered the building’s lofty heights.
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 89
Chapel 2014 Chapel provides a welcome break and sanctuary in a magnificent building for reflection in the busy life of The Prep. Weekly services, mainly led by our Chaplains, The Revd Dr Dunning and The Revd Samuel, seek to involve pupils from all sections of the school, and get them thinking about the Christian message and what is important in life to build a firm 90 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
foundation. Stories from both the Old and New Testaments are brought alive and made relevant for today, with audience questions and answers, role play, illustrations, readings led by Year 8s and prayers led by a different House each week. In addition to the weekly services, Sunday services were held to celebrate particular events, such as Harvest, Advent and of course Christmas. In our Harvest
service and for the second year running, a large amount of non-perishable food was donated by pupils, which went to a local project called ‘The Garage’ to feed the homeless and those less fortunate. The Chapel Choir also plays a huge role in our services and consistently sings to a very high standard, providing a key role in our collective worship. R. Woodbridge
Charities The charity of the year at The Prep has been WellChild, the National Charity for sick children, based here in Cheltenham, but supporting nurses throughout the UK. Over the year we have held several events ranging from small individual activities to the large school-based occasions. The Autumn Term saw the creation of the recipe book, with entries being offered by all parts of the School, from Kingfishers to staff. Recipes ranged from the basic to the creative and included an entry from one of the beneficiaries of a WellChild courage award, Johnathan He. Huge thanks goes to the ladies of the Admin Staff and a small posse of colleagues, who spent a long evening working out the various machines needed to put the book together. Other events held this term included the Santa Fun Run, ably supported by various
sized red-coated participants, the Cake Stall, the Book Stall, the Persian and Athenian Qurry Night and the Tuck Shop. The Spring Term had two main events, which focused our fundraising minds. The Friends of the Prep had a wonderful Chinese New Year evening, which enabled many of us to dress up, eat excellent Chinese food and participate in both Dragon dancing and martial arts. At the end of the term we carried out the inaugural Triathlon, and Aquathlon for Lower School, which involved members of the whole school community, with catering staff, teaching staff and virtually all the children participating, in a very gruelling event in horrendously cold conditions. A total of over 300 participants swam, cycled and ran. Brrrr! The Summer Term saw the youngest members of our community doing their bit too, with a lovely sponsored walk on the wild side with their Dads
on Father’s Day. It also saw the children in the ‘Grow your own Cash’ Club, developing their original £6 into a sum around £350, simply by ploughing profits back into the business and the Year 8 newspapers outdoing Fleet Street! The term culminated in the Summer Fête. Again the Friends of The Prep were instrumental in organising the day, backed up by several of the children, who had come up with ideas for their own stalls. We were pleased to welcome members of WellChild as special guests. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their involvement with fundraising this year. A tremendous effort by all enabled us to present a cheque for £7,510 to Colin Dyer, the Chief Executive of WellChild, at Parents’ Day. D. Anderes WellChild supporter and volunteer
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 91
Friends of The Prep My name is Rachel Edwards and I am the Chair for the Friends of The Prep (FOTP). I have been a parent at the school for twenty-one years, so I know the school very well indeed. The FOTP is a committee of volunteers who put together the social events for The Prep to raise funds for its chosen charity for the year. This money is raised by putting on events such as a Santa Fun Run, a Triathlon, a Chinese New
92 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Year party complete with dancing dragon, and our big school fête. Last year we raised £3,000 for the Watershed group, ‘Riding for the Disabled Association’, which is a small local group based in Coates, and the money we raised built a tarmac strip of track and a wooden ramp and mounting block. This year our chosen charity was WellChild and the final amount is £7,510! We also put on a pantomime trip in the Christmas holidays and an Easter egg hunt for the children.
As well as arranging the social events, the FOTP reps are there to welcome new parents at the various coffee mornings, drinks receptions, and open mornings. I look forward to the next year as the Chair of the Friends of The Prep and meeting you all at the various events. R. Edwards
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 93
The Cheltonian Association & Society The Cheltonian Association and Society has an ever-growing network of over 8,000 members across 80 countries. All those with an association to College are automatically members. We endeavour to organise events that appeal to all sections of our audience and hope to welcome you at one of our events in the future! We also have a networking group on LinkedIn cheltonianassociation&society group, please do join us and if you are able to offer careers advice or work experience we would be very grateful if you could get in touch.
94 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Cheltonian Association & Society Cheltenham College Bath Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7LD Contact Details: Tel: 01242 265694 Email: r.creed@cheltenhamcollege.com www.cheltonianassociation.com Contact: Christiane Dickens, Development Director Rebecca Creed, Association Manager Malcolm Sloan, OC Administrator Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 95
Prizes and Awards 11+ Scholarship & Exhibition Awards
Sport continued‌
September 2014 Entry
Charles Anton-Smith
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
Finn Dawson
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
Academic
Louis Dessalles
Airthrie School
Exhibition
Frederick Merrett
St Lawrence Primary
Exhibition
Joseph Efthymiou
Charlton Kings Junior
11+ Award
Anna Forde
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Frederick Merrett
St Lawrence Primary
Scholarship
Rebecca Todd
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Anabelle Wells
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Laura Arnott
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
William Bradley
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
Finn Dawson
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
Holly Ellis
Melrose, Guernsey
Exhibition
Academic
George Hardy
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
Eleanor Davies
Peter Marstrand
Cheltenham Prep
11+Award
Matilda Parsley
Cheltenham Prep
11+ Award
13+ Awards – Academic, Art, DT, Drama, Music & All Round September 2014 Entry
Cheltenham Prep Lord James of Hereford Scholarship
(Top Academic Performance overall)
Art
Art Rebecca Cook
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
Hannah Mansell-King
Grangefield
Exhibition
Design & Technology
Romilly Bodington
Proud Amornthien
Cheltenham Prep
Joseph Murphy
Temple Guiting Primary Exhibition
Drama
Franek Szymanski
Cheltenham Prep
See All Round
Exhibition
Music
Exhibition
Design & Technology Benjamin Southall
Exhibition
Cheltenham Prep
Cheltenham Prep
11+ Exhibition
Music (Awarded in February)
George Hardy
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
Eleanor Davies
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Charles Hellens
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
Gemma Taylor Baggs
Cheltenham Prep
Exhibition
Noah Short
Churchdown Primary
Exhibition
Isabella Reid
Cheltenham Prep
Free Tuition
Zac Beim
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Freya Coull
Airthrie School
Scholarship
Olivia Freer
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Monty Graveney
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Scarlett Jinks
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
William Naish
Minchinhampton Primary Scholarship
Rebecca Todd
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Felicity Townend
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Anabelle Wells
Cheltenham Prep
Scholarship
Sport
96 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
ALL ROUND AWARDS Constituent elements Robert Caesar
Cheltenham Prep Academic Scholarship Music Exhibition DT Exhibition
Isabelle Kemp
Cheltenham Prep Scholarship Academic Exhibition Art Scholarship Choral Exhibition
13+ Sport Scholarships – Offers September 2014 Entry Scholarship Maya Jeveons
Cheltenham Prep
Olivia Mitchell
Cheltenham Prep
Alexander Sharam
Cheltenham Prep
Charles Meecham-Jones Cheltenham Prep Scholarship Academic Scholarship Music Exhibition/Drama Contributor
Jonathan Gunn
Cheltenham Prep
Max Pemberton
Cheltenham Prep Scholarship Drama Exhibition Sport Exhibition
Phoebe Barnes
Cheltenham Prep
Romilly Bodington
Cheltenham Prep
Charlotte Renaud
Cheltenham Prep
Cheltenham Prep Exhibition Art Exhibition Sport Exhibition
Mollie Lyle
Cheltenham Prep
Oliver Isherwood
Cheltenham Prep
Alistair Llewellen Palmer
Cheltenham Prep
Max Pemberton
Cheltenham Prep
Phoebe Barnes
Exhibition
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 97
End of Year Academic Prizes Prizes for Years 3 – 7
Excellence in History Year 3
George Trafford
Excellence in English
Year 4
Archie McNeill
Year 5
David Noble
Year 6
Charles Hellens
Year 7
Charlotte Maddinson
Year 3
Grace Adams
Year 4
Lily Brown
Year 5
Laura Bingham
Year 6
Rebecca Todd
Year 7
Megan Message
Excellence in Mathematics Year 3
Oscar Isaachsen
Year 4
Finn Merheim-Kealy
Year 5
Rory Maddinson
Year 6
Anna Forde
Year 7
Maja Matschey
Excellence in Biology Year 5
Ian Chakravarti
Year 6
George Hardy
Year 7
Duncan Pinchen
Excellence in Chemistry
Excellence in Geography Year 3
Meredith Aylott
Year 4
Harry Dawson
Year 5
Isabella Isaachsen
Year 6
William Bradley
Year 7
Jenny Carson
Excellence in Religious Studies Year 3
Kamila Aldongar
Year 4
William Dutton
Year 5
Dorothea Peterken
Year 6
Lara Pearson
Year 7
Sebastian Blake
Excellence in Art Year 3
Alice Wheatley
Year 4
Ed Carter
Year 5
Helena Keatinge
Year 6
Rebecca Cook
Excellence in Physics
Year 7
Archie Garbutt
Year 5
Minette Tombleson
Year 6
Anabelle Wells
Excellence in CDT
Year 7
Sophie Morton
Year 5
Finlay Hurst
Year 6
Finn Dawson
Year 7
Tucker Young
Excellence in Science Year 3
Finn Keatinge
Year 4
Ben Barltrop
Excellence in Modern Foreign Languages Year 3
Izzy Anton-Smith
Year 4
Alice Bradley
Year 5
Tatty Anton-Smith
Year 6
Laura Arnott
Year 7
Beth Jenkins (French)
Year 7
Allison Fuerst (Spanish)
Excellence in Latin Year 5
Ella McCombie
Year 6
Matilda Parsley
Year 7
Benjamin Norman
98 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Year 3
Noah Campbell Black
Year 4
Claudie MacInnes
Year 5
Oliver Callon Hine
Year 6
Franek Szymanski
Year 7
Jago MacInnes
Excellence in Drama Year 3
Autumn Conner
Year 4
Eva de Quincey Adams
Year 5
Georgina Hamer
Year 6
Isabella England
Year 7
Harry Lyle
Excellence in ICT Year 3
Tom Shaw
Year 4
Jasper Norman
Year 5
Ashley Tan
Year 6
Peter Marstrand
Outstanding Musician Year 3
Violet Bailey
Year 4
George Bailey
Year 5 Kiera Ferchland-Howe Year 7 Louis Hillman-Cooper
Izzy Kemp All-Round Award Excellence in History Benji Shine Award for Creativity and Innovation in Art Alexander Edwards Cup for Excellence as a Chorister Stovoid Cup for School Life and Leadership
Most Promising Musician
Olivia Ladkin Friends of The Prep Post-Common Entrance Award
Year 3 Martha Llewellen Palmer
Alastair Llewellen Commitment in Chemistry and Boys’ Rugby Palmer Hockey Player of the Year (Boys) Ian Baillie Memorial Award for Boys’ Sport
Year 4
Charlie Keene
Year 5
William Henry
Year 6
Thomas Buxton
Year 7
Yuriko Fukuda
Heads of School
Mollie Lyle Sports Award Rounders Player of the Year (Girls) Tom Maber-Jones
Common Entrance pass
Yasmin Mayes
Commitment in Latin
Charlie Meecham- All-Round Award, Jones Excellence in Biology Andrew Swaite Britten Cup for General Musicianship
Jenny Carson Edward Ferris
Prizes for Students in Year 8 Catherine Abraham
Excellence in French
Ben Anton-Smith
Common Entrance pass
Phoebe Barnes All-Round Award, Excellence in Art
Olivia Mitchell Sports Award Excellence in Physical Education Netball Player of the Year Victrix Ludorum Prize for Contribution to Girls’ Sport
Santiago Benedit Commitment to French and Physics Most Improved Hockey Player (Boys)
Georgia Mitchell
Commitment in English
Lamar Moller
Common Entrance pass
Annabella Bifulco
Alexandra Noble
Common Entrance pass
Regan O’Toole
Common Entrance pass
Commitment to Biology
Romilly Bodington Award in Sport and Art Hockey Player of the Year (Girls) James Burden Excellence in Chemistry Boarder of the Term (Boys)
Kaelan O’Toole Commitment in Spanish Most Improved Rounders Player
Rob Caesar All-Round Award, Outstanding Percussion
Max Pemberton All-Round Award Acting Excellence in Drama
Christian Campbell
Valeriya Popeta English as an Additional Language Prize
Common Entrance pass
Robbie Carson Commitment in Mathematics Technical Excellence in Drama
Milly Potter
External Drama Award
Boris Pustoshinskiy
Common Entrance pass
Thomas Creed
Charlotte Renaud All-Round Award, Excellence in Geography Tennis Player of the Year
Common Entrance pass
Ellie Davies Academic Award, Music Award Excellence in Mathematics and Physics Andrew Swaite Beethoven Award for Orchestra Théa Davies
Alex Sharam Sports Award Commitment in Geography Edward Shaw Common Entrance pass (highest score in Spanish)
Sumaya Dowling- Membrado
Oliver Roberts Memorial Award for Fellowship Boarder of the Term (Girls)
Victoria Edwards
Nikos Malandrinos Trophy
Ben Southall Excellence in CDT Most Improved Rugby Player
Harvey Edwards
Common Entrance pass
Tom Styler
Common Entrance pass
Parker Frandsen
Common Entrance pass
Lucas Tanir
Commitment in History
Ollie Frisby
Common Entrance pass
Matthew Fuerst
Common Entrance pass
Gemma Taylor Music Award Baggs Excellence in Religious Studies Andrew Swaite Bach Award for Choral Endeavour
TJ Gittins Commitment in Physical Education Jonnie Gunn Azim Noorani Cricketer of the Year Cup Sports Award Nicholas Hill Coach House Cup for Endeavour Oliver Isherwood Commitment in Religious Studies Sports Award Maya Jeveons
Excellence in Latin
Parker Joly
Commitment in Drama
Oscar Keene
Excellence in English
Kyle Villanueva Common Entrance pass (returning to United States) James Wheeler
Excellence in Spanish
Max Williams
Common Entrance pass
Kaela Wilson
Common Entrance pass
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 99
Year 8 Leavers
100 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Destinations of Year 8 Leavers Cheltenham College
44
Cheltenham Ladies’ College
4
Wellington College
1
The King’s School, Gloucester
1
Malvern College
1
Marlborough College
1
Malvern St. James
1
Tonbridge School
1
Harrow
1
British Council School Madrid
1
Relocating abroad (school as yet undecided)
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Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 101
List of Pupils Catherine Abraham 8J Grace Adams 3E Joshua Adams RG Jamie Alcock 5C Kamila Aldongar 3E Zhangir Aldongar 1B Dameli Aldongar KC Proud Amornthien 6A Finlay Anderson KC Ben Anton-Smith 8R Charles Anton-Smith 6L Izzy Anton-Smith 3S Tatty Anton-Smith 5P Magdalen Archer 1B Theo Archer KC Laura Arnott 6L Steffan Axen 8W Kristian Axen 5P Celeste Aylott 5P Meredith Aylott 3S Jocasta Aylott KC George Bailey 4T Violet Bailey 3E Jemima Bailey RB Sammy Baines 5P Ben Barltrop 4T Phoebe Barnes 8W Tabitha Barnes 7H Zac Beim 6M Santiago Benedit 8H Bertie Bennett 1B Teddy Bennett 3S Javier Berrow 5F Beatriz Berrow 2B Annabella Bifulco 8R Gabby Bifulco 5P Gennaro Bifulco RC Laura Bingham 5C Freddie Birch KC Ava Blackhurst RB Sebastian Blake 7D Romilly Bodington 8H Uliana Bogdasarova 4A Lily Bond 4T Georgina Boyce 1D William Bradley 6A Alice Bradley 4S Caitlin Brister 6L Max Brown 5C Lily Brown 4S Piers Brown 6A Delilah Brown 1D Harrison Brown KC James Burden 8J Seb Burden 6M Eddie Buttress 5C Will Buttress 7G Thomas Buxton 6M Sebastian Bynorth KC Rob Caesar 8W Charlie Callon Hine 7D Oliver Callon Hine 5C Max Callon Hine 2S Christian Campbell 8W Noah Campbell Black 3E Monty Campbell Black RB 102 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
Sofia-Maria Capelastegui 5C Jenny Carson 7D Robbie Carson 8W Annie Carter 5F Ed Carter 4A Ian Chakravarti 5F Harry Checketts 1D Wei Keat Chong 7G Ophelia Christensen 3S Felix Christensen 4T Eva Colbourne 3S Maya Colbourne 1B Autumn Conner 3S Rebecca Cook 6A Evie Cook 5F Kitty Corbyn KC Maria Cowing 5C Ronan Cowing 3E Thomas Creed 8H Imogen Creed 6L Ed Critchley 2B Emma Critchley RC Jack Cunningham 7G Lily Cutts 7G Emmiline Cyphus-Hocken 1B Peter Cyphus-Hocken KC Octavia D’Orazi RB William Davey 4S Ellie Davies 8R Edward Davies KC Thea Davies 8J Hannah Davies 1D Finn Dawson 6L Monty Dawson 4T Harry Dawson 4A Alice Dawson 2B Morgan Dawson KC Eva de Quincey Adams 4S Tom de Quincey Adams 2S Daisy de Quincey Adams KC Vivien Devillers 7G Sumaya Dowling-Membrado 8W Fionnuala Dowling-Membrado 6M Kitty Dunkerton 3E Matilda Dunkerton Bennett 7G William Dutton 4T James Dutton 1B Victoria Edwards 8J Harvey Edwards 8R Toby Ellis 2S Aydin Emirali RC Adam Emirali 2S Isabella England 6A Carina Enright KC Jack Evans RG Oliver Evans KC Hector Evans 1D Tobias Evans KC Simon Evlyn-Bufton 5P Bryn Fair 7H Sydney Fairs 3E Emily Faulkner KC Devan Feinberg RG Ethan Feinson 3S Kiera Ferchland-Howe 5C Edward Ferris 7G
Mathilde Fibiger RG Franchesca Flexer RB Anna Forde 6L Parker Frandsen 8J Grace Frandsen 4T Ava Frandsen 2B Olivia Freer 6L James French 5C Ollie Frisby 8R Allison Fuerst 7D Matthew Fuerst 8H Yuriko Fukuda 7H Archie Garbutt 7G TJ Gittins 8H Cole Gittins 7H Ike Gittins 1D Angelica Gledhill 4A Sofya Glukhovskaya 6L Annaliese Goff 6A Monty Graveney 6M Fergus Gray 7G Sophia Griffin 1D Scarlett Griffin KC Lily Griffiths RC Jonnie Gunn 8J Maja Hague 4A Libby Hall 5F Magnus Hall 2S Freddie Hall 1B Georgina Hamer 5C Harry Hamer 5F George Hardy 6L Pavneet Harrar 2S Tanvee Harrar KC Jules Hazeldine 1D Charles Hellens 6A William Henry 5C Thomas Hesketh 4A Eme Hesketh 1D Nicholas Hill 8W Louis Hillman-Cooper 7D Edward Hitchins 7D Amelia Hounam-Brooker 2S Emer Hughes 6A Abigail Hulett 4S Finlay Hurst 5F Isabella Isaachsen 5F Oscar Isaachsen 3S Oliver Isherwood 8H Rory Jenkins 5P Beth Jenkins 7D Maya Jeveons 8R Ines Jeveons 6M Aleki Jeveons 3E Lois Jeveons 1D Harry Jinks 7H Scarlett Jinks 6M Parker Joly 8H Jackson Joly 5P Helena Keatinge 5P Finn Keatinge 3S Harriet Keen 2S Elizabeth Keen KC Oscar Keene 8J Charlie Keene 4A Izzy Kemp 8R
Charlotte Kirkham 7G Olivia Ladkin 8J Hugo Ladkin 5P Thomas Lait 3S Edward Lait 2B Hattie Lait RC Oscar Lait KC Victoria Larsen 6M Victor Larsen 3E Zara Leach 2B Tula Leach 2S Helaina Lenden 4S George Leon 1B Edward Leon RB Violet Leon KC Alastair Llewellen Palmer 8J Martha Llewellen Palmer 3S Thomas Llewellyn KC Jack Logan 5P Clova Logan 4T Emily Lopez 3E Jaylynn Lopez 1B Mollie Lyle 8W Harry Lyle 7G Tom Maber-Jones 8R Jago MacInnes 7G Claudie MacInnes 4T Georgie Maclaren 7H Charlotte Maddinson 7D Rory Maddinson 5C Oscar Mann 2B Ted Mann RC Alvaro Marco 8R Amalie Marhaug 6A Isabelle Marriott 1B Peter Marstrand 6M Charles Martin 1B Thomas Martin-Harrington 3E Maja Matschey 7H Isabella Mawdesley-Thomas 2S Sebastian Mawdesley-Thomas RC Flora Maxwell KC Billy Mayes 6M Yasmin Mayes 8H Sophia McCarthy RB Ella McCombie 5P Alexander McCombie 2B Ollie McGrath 4A Archie McNeill 4S Ted McQuitty KC Charles Meecham-Jones 8R Sarah Meisel 3S Finn Merheim-Kealy 4S Megan Message 7G Isabella Mills 5F Harry Mills 3S Charles Mills 2S George Mills RC Olivia Mitchell 8R Georgia Mitchell 8H Lamar Moller 8R Noor Montacer-Shilvock 4A Maximus Morris 7D Sophie Morton 7G Ryan Navaei RB Mia Naylor 7D Theodore Nelson 3E Raif Nelson 1B David Noble 5F Harry Noble 2B Alexandra Noble 8R Benjamin Norman 7D
Jasper Norman 4A Owen O’Brien 5P Tom O’Bryan 7D William O’Connor RB Zak O’Sullivan 4S Regan O’Toole 8R Kaelan O’Toole 8W Rui Palmer 4S Vasco Palmer 3E Savannah Palmer 1B Robyn Parks 2B Matilda Parsley 6M Poppy Pearey 8W Lara Pearson 6L Harry Pearson 2B Sivert Pedersen 6M Milo Pelissier 8J Max Pemberton 8W Jemima Penny RC Jasper Penny KC Dorothea Peterken 5P Thomas Peterken 2S Francesca Pinchard 6A Duncan Pinchen 7G Maximilian Pini 7H Maxim Pioli DeCam 2S Valeriya Popeta 8H Milly Potter 8W Boris Pustoshinskiy 8R Jemima Rees 7D Isabella Reid 6A Jamie Reid 4T Charlotte Renaud 8J Ben Richards 2B Harry Richardson 2S Joey Richardson RB Arthur Robinson 3E Paulina Rodriguez 1B Natalia Rodriguez KC Frankie Russell 7H Fifi Russell 5F James Ryder 5C Abdelrahman Sallam 2B Farida Sallam KC Daniela Samodurova 8J Oliver Schallamach 6A Jacob Schmidt 7H Dylan Schmidt 4S Hunter Schmidt 1D Freddie Scott 7H Alexander Sharam 8H Miya Shave KC Edward Shaw 8H Tom Shaw 3S Nicole Shen 4A Max Shortt 4T Eloise Shortt 1D Sofiia Shulzhenko 2B Mikhail Shulzhenko KC Craig Simpson 1D Rory Simpson KC Izabella Sneyd 4T Jakob Sneyd 2B Ben Southall 8H Rory Southall 6L William Speke 5F Thomas Styler 8W Maja Szymanska RG Franek Szymanski 6L Joseph Tagg 4A Isaac Tagg 4S Ashley Mei Lynn Tan 5C
Lucas Tanir 8H Austin Taroey 5C Henry Tarrant 7G Gemma Taylor Baggs 8J Rebecca Todd 6M Minette Tombleson 5F Felicity Townend 6A George Trafford 3E Kyle Villanueva 8J Isabella Villanueva 5P Alice Waley-Cohen 1D Iola Waley-Cohen KC Max Walker RG Florence Walker 1D Jasmine Walker KC Evie Ward RG Sophia Ward KC Felix Warr 2S Michael Warr RB Alfie Watkins 6A Miles Watkins 7D Poppy Watkins 3E Oliver Watkins 1D Henry Watkinson 1B Amelia Weale 4S Oliver Weale RC Leonard Weidhofer KC Anabelle Wells 6M William Westlake 7H Alice Wheatley 3S Jay Wheatley 3E Flo Wheatley RG James Wheeler 8W Jack Wheeler 5F Ethan Wheeler 5F Joaquin Wheeler 1B Esteban Wheeler KC Isabella Whitelocks RG Charles Whitney 3S Harry Whitney RG Abbie Whybrow 7D Poppy Wilcox 7G Felix Williams 5P Theo Williams 6L Martha Williams 2B Max Williams 8W Archie Wills 2B Kaela Wilson 8H Phina Wilson 6M Ethan Winters 2S Gwener Wood 1B Freddie Young 2B Tucker Young 7H Sarah Young 3S Lawrence Young RB Andre Zamora 6A Nastya Zinoveva 4T
Cheltenham College Preparatory School The Year 103
Headmaster’s Prize Giving Address The giving of prizes at such a formal occasion as Parents’ Day is a celebration of pupil achievement throughout the academic year. It is important though, that this does not devalue the efforts of all those children who do not receive anything at this time. However, recognising that life is competitive and that effort and ability is rewarded is a life lesson for our pupils. All of the children here have already won many prizes; they have been born safely into a developed country, free from persecution, famine and conflict. They have been born to loving parents. These same parents have decided to invest heavily in education, not just in terms of money but also in terms of interest, support and involvement. You will be pleased to know that your investment is well managed and that the Council has agreed to embark on a multi million pound programme of investment. A virtual rebuilding of the Science block, improvements and additions to the Sports Hall, including the relaying of both Astros, will allow refurbishment and reconfiguration of the Prep School. Kingfishers, including the Cottage, under one roof with bespoke storage and changing facilities, our own Science facilities, modernised Design Technology and Computing facilities and refurbished classrooms offering clear progression are all part of these exciting plans. We work together in a community which will not tolerate bigotry from any culture or creed. Nor will it tolerate chauvinism; co-education is the heart of what we do. Children at The Prep work in a school which is free from class prejudice. Some pupils board, at a school where the care is of the highest standard, and I congratulate Mr and Mrs Wells on their achievement in passing this term’s inspection with flying colours. The children here will be able to contribute to the future of the
104 The Year Cheltenham College Preparatory School
school. Mrs Wells’ work with the School Council has already reaped rewards with their decision to provide more equipment for the playground and their role in choosing next year’s school charity. The children work in a school where the whole child is valued. The academic achievements of this year’s Year 8, all of whom gained entry to the senior school of their choice with 20 gaining awards, is admirable and evidence of the academic rigour that is demanded of our pupils. In order to further improve these academic standards, next year’s timetable has been constructed to allow Mrs Buttress, Mrs Isaachsen and Mrs Jenkins to conduct regular observations of lessons. Children work in a school which is recognised and respected locally. Please rejoice when I tell you that members of the public are very quick to voice their admiration of the general behaviour of your children whilst under Cheltenham College Prep colours. The children are surrounded by adults who work hard for them and my thanks go to all of the staff for their hard work this year and for their support for me on my arrival. I would like to record my special thanks to Noll and Vicky Jenkins for their hard work and support this year. Unfortunately, several members of staff leave this year. Gemma Crane moves to Beaudesert School to continue her teaching in the Early Years, whilst Tracy Hayling and Sara Boulton leave to spend more time with their families. Patricia McDowell retires, Alexandra Forward-Davies becomes the Head of English at St. Edward’s Preparatory School and Luci Roskilly embarks on a new stage in her career by founding a School search and guardianship business. Mr Parsley plans to gain further experience with ISI and to take up the earlier than expected opportunity of training for Reporting Inspector. Fiona Busbridge, Derek Maddock and John Baker
all retire this term. Their combined years of service to Cheltenham College easily tops the hundred mark. Their impact on so many children is immeasurable. They represent true schoolmasters and mistresses whose contribution has stretched beyond the classroom, who were developing the whole child long before the phrase ‘extracurricular’ was coined. I know that you will wish to join me in wishing them all a very happy retirement, although knowing them as we all do, I am sure that we will see them at school in the future in some guise or another. Thank you all. One of the greatest prizes is that children work in a school that provides a wide variety of opportunities for all children. Six major dramatic productions have ensured that all children have had the opportunity to tread the boards and as many sporting fixtures as possible have been organised. Trips have been varied, concerts have been inclusive and challenging, the highlights being the Autumn and Summer Concerts and the Choral Society performance of “The Reluctant Dragon”. Some children have fed pigs and chickens, some have worked in clay, others have re-enacted the English Civil War on the playing fields; life is undoubtedly varied. Your children are educated in a spiritually aware environment and are educated to think beyond materialism and belongings. Chapel and morning assemblies are an essential part of our school week. Children are made aware of those less fortunate than themselves. This year the School’s efforts for charity have targeted WellChild and we happily presented Mr Colin Dyer - Chief Executive of WellChild with a cheque for £7,510.31 which the school has raised throughout this academic year. If education is the flourishing of humanity then The Prep will be at the forefront. This first rate school will not stand still, and will always value the efforts of all. J. Whybrow
At Cheltenham Prep, we seek to identify and unlock talent and passions in and outside the classroom.
Cheltenham College Preparatory School Thirlestaine Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 7AB Tel: +44 (0) 1242 522 697 Fax: +44 (0) 1242 265 620 Email: theprep@cheltenhamcollege.org www.cheltenhamcollege.org Registered Charity No. 311720