Autumn 2023
A fresh start We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our school this year. Two Reception classes, Puffins and Dolphins, have joined forces to create our dynamic new Reception Unit. Our state-of-the-art, freshly constructed building, ready for our inaugural September cohort, features one brand new and one completely refurbished classroom. An inviting 'continuous provision' room, equipped with an art easel, water activity table, sand tray, and woodwork bench, offers a wealth of learning resources for our students to enjoy. Beyond the classroom, our Reception Garden, accessible from both classrooms, beckons students to engage in free-flow activities. From bikes and trikes to climbing and balancing equipment, a sandpit, slide, gardening, and digging areas, our children have a myriad of learning opportunities to explore within the realm of play. Children have been proudly modelling the new uniform on their return to school for the new academic year!
"I like the navy and green. They go together well." Caspian Year 4
"I like them. I can run around in the culottes." Aria Year 5
"The cord shorts are really comfy." Harry Year 5
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"I like that girls can play football in the trousers and they're comfy." Emily Year 4
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Nursery
Future farmers
Off on an adventure
Our own Nursery farm
Welcome to the farm shop
Counting seeds
Wheeeee! Outdoor classroom!
Clever construction
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Adding some colour!
Someone needs a haircut
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Reception Teamwork
Outdoor learning in the sensory garden
Making groups of five
Enjoying dressing up
We LOVE the outdoor play area, especially the pirate ship
Messy hands painting!
‘M’ for monkey
The Book Corner Practicing letter formation
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Year 1
Literacy The children really enjoy the Read Write Inc. literacy programme as part of Year 1, especially reading the stories to each other, helping their friends to read unfamiliar words, and discussing the story. The children have written recounts about their holidays, reports on their trip to the Toy Museum, stories galore, and even a postcard to Mrs Robinson. They were delighted to receive a reply!
History In History, we have been looking at the topic ‘Toys: old and new’. The children loved visiting the Toy Museum in Guildford, where they dressed up and participated in a Victorian school; they sorted toys, played traditional games, and even got to play with the toys out in the castle grounds.
Science Science lessons allow us to cover a wide range of subjects. The children loved creating skeletons out of straws when looking at the topic of ‘Ourselves’. Playing with toys was also a great way of finding out about pushing and pulling when exploring forces.
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Maths In Maths, we have employed lots of creative ways to re-enforce the students’ understanding: creating human number lines, using nature to help understand numbers, making human part-whole models, and playing lots of maths games, both board and interactive.
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Year 2
Football skills In preparation for their U7 football festival (see page 14), Year 2 enjoyed their afternoon full of football skills, drills, and matches. The children also loved their first match tea!
A walk around Liphook As part of our Geography topic, the children have been exploring maps to find places and features in Liphook. They then had the opportunity to see them firsthand with a walk into the town centre.
A Baptism! The children have been learning all about Baptism in RE. To complete the topic, we role-played the ceremony in the classroom.
Hayling Island trip As part of their ‘seaside’ topic, Year 2 visited Hayling Island. The children created Andy Goldsworthy-inspired natural sculptures, had a ride on the train, and enjoyed a delicious ice cream.
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Music & Drama
The Tempest There was a storm, a mighty tempest, and we all enjoyed it! The cast burst on to the stage to create an almighty storm and shipwreck as Prospero conjured up the vengeful gale. Hobgoblins and water sprites told the story, as King Alonso and his friends searched the island and Ferdinand and Miranda fell in love. Sebastian and Antonio plotted evilly as Caliban, Trinculo, and Stephano provided comical relief. Ariel and her sprites did a wonderful job of linking the show together. The costumes, set, and lighting created a magical atmosphere, and the children gave their audience a night to remember! Congratulations to all pupils in Year 6 for putting on an amazing show!
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Teatime Concert performers
Music news The Music Department continues to encourage our children to perform both individually and within groups, whether they choose to perform for exams or just for fun. We had a large entry for the ABRSM music examinations at the end of the Summer Term and we were all delighted with the results. Our new choirs, Only Girlz Aloud and Junior Boi Beatz, enjoyed entertaining the school by singing some upbeat pop songs during the Leavers Assembly on the last day of school – what a great way to end the year! We have continued to encourage solo performances at the beginning of music lessons as it’s a great stepping stone to playing in one of our regular Teatime Music Concerts. The first of this year’s concerts came during the first part of the Autumn Term, with an excellent set of performances from Years 3 and 4. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the children to perform in front of their friends and family and an excellent way to build confidence in performance, which is so important when learning an instrument.
Summer Festival of Performing Arts Back in the Summer Term, the youngest children in the school treated us to a wonderful afternoon of singing, dancing, and poetry. Year 2 worked wonderfully as a team to dance the maypole, twisting and untwisting the colourful ribbons, while Year 1 worked in groups and pairs to share their country dancing. Reception told the story of The Rainbow Fish, and Nursery used coloured ribbons to dance. Alongside this, parents were treated to singing and poetry on a ‘Summer’ theme. All the children looked fantastic in their coloured t-shirts and brought a bit of sunshine and lot of smiles to the whole school!
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Year 3
Ancient Egypt Year 3 have loved learning about Ancient Egypt, and what an amazing experience our visit to the British Museum was! The ‘Excavation in Egypt’ workshop and tour around the exhibition were both equally fascinating.
Adventure Day at Barfield The children enjoyed an amazing adventure day out at Three Peaks, Barfield, focusing on the skills that they have been working on throughout the year, with teamwork and building confidence at the heart of the activities. Quad biking, archery, high ropes, low ropes, and problem solving in a wonderful outdoor setting, provided everyone with a well-rounded and fun-filled day.
Caring for the environment Highfield forest was given a small makeover with children collecting both rubbish and recycling.
Year 3 proudly showing their paintings in the style of Tinga Tinga.
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Sustainability Centre We enjoyed pond-dipping minibeasts in the woodlands, with a dragonfly nymph and a baby newt being the most exciting finds. Hapa-zome, or leaf printing, was a huge hit with the children, and the herb garden sensory discovery was really interesting and particularly fragrant. It was lovely to spend the day working together as a year group, getting to know each other better, and it gave everyone food for thought working on our ‘Caring for the Environment’ topic.
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Year 4
Experimenting with sound in Science lessons
Outdoor pursuits! Year 4 enjoyed a fabulous time at the Embers Bushcraft Centre in June. Their activities ranged from cooking their own lunch and making a fire, to skinning a pigeon. We were very lucky with the weather which was absolutely glorious given that we were camping out in the wild. The highlight for all was axe throwing - much harder than we had imagined and obviously an essential skill!
Learning about habitats In Science this autumn, Year 4 have been studying different habitats and thinking about how we can protect and improve our own habitat at school. They are very environmentally aware of the issues surrounding various topics, such as protecting the rainforests and helping to slow global warming. They have also thought about how we can improve habitats in our immediate environment for creatures such as hedgehogs, which have shown decline over the past few years. Well done to Year 4 for becoming such responsible global citizens.
A visit from the farm At the end of the Summer Term, Year 4 enjoyed a fabulous visit from the Mill Cottage Farm, complete with their extensive menagerie. This was an opportunity for all children and staff to enjoy interacting with the animals and to relax after a busy and exhausting end to the term. A particular favourite was the young puppy, who was so patient with everyone and seemed to be really enjoying all the attention and cuddles.
Year 4 art club puppets
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Year 5 The Paperbag Prince Year 5 have been enjoying their new book, ‘The Paperbag Prince’ by Colin Thompson. They were wowed by the intricate and eclectic paintings from this artist, which tell the touching story of how the Paperbag Prince lost his farm to a rubbish dump. The paintings are a great source of inspiration for creative writing, and the story, which is ultimately one of renewal, has strong links to our geography curriculum - plastic pollution in our oceans. The children have also created posters identifying some of the problems and solutions associated with plastic pollution.
French café Year 5 practised their French speaking skills at the Senior School before their weekly swimming session. The dining room was converted into a French café and the children were encouraged to spend their Euros buying croissants, pain au chocolat, and jus d'orange.
Year 5 recycled bottle challenge
Mexicolore Year 5 had a wonderful visit from Mexicolore who introduced them to all things Aztec. It was amazing to see the bright colours and hear the noises of the instruments used in rituals hundreds of years ago.
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Challenging maths problems In maths, the children have been working on open-ended problems, sharing their ideas, and talking maths to solve a range of mathematical challenges.
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Horseshoe Lake At the end of September, the intrepid new Year 5s went on an epic adventure to Horseshoe Lake. Whilst there, they displayed all of the 5Rs, as well as identifying the new sixth R - rain! It was wonderful to be out on the water everyday taking part in stand-up paddle boarding, sailing, kayaking, and much more.
A visit to Gilbert White's house It was a glorious day out for both classes when they visited the gardens of Gilbert White's House in Selborne. It was amazing to see how different plants reproduce and learn about how to read an OS map.
A visit to a mosque Year 5 enjoyed their day at the Shah Jahan Mosque. The guide firstly introduced the history of the mosque, built in 1889 by Professor Leitnar, who was born in Budapest in 1840. His great ambition was to open an institute for oriental learning and provide a place of learning for Muslim students. The guide also explained the fundamentals of Islam to the children and the day-to-day practicalities of following this religion. The children were especially interested in the Hajj (pilgrimage) and the prayer ritual and were lucky enough to observe a prayer session before they left the mosque.
Making sound defenders In science, the children have been testing which materials would be best for insulating against sound. They used a datalogger to detect the volume of a sound and an iPad to create a sound with a constant volume. The children will use their results to help decide which materials they could use to make their own sound defenders.
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Sport
Year 2 Football Festival Working hard on their football skills for the first half of the Autumn Term, Year 2 put on a fantastic performance at their U7 Football Festival to showcase their talents to the parents. The children took part in a combination of team challenges, such as ‘beat the teacher’ and penalty shoot-out, followed by in-house matches and, of course, match tea!
Year 5 Swimming Gala Finishing off their unit of swimming and showcasing all their hard work over the term, the Year 5 swimmers put on a fantastic performance in their House Swimming Gala. Very well done to the winning House, Hamble!
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Junior Sports Day 2023 Unfortunately, Summer 2023 brought the wettest Sports Day we’ve had in many years, but the children certainly didn’t let that dampen their spirits! Throwing, jumping, and running their way through the day, they gave their all in an effort to help their House win the House Cup – very well done to the winning House, Arun!
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Year 6
End of an era! At the end of another academic year, it was a delight to celebrate the outgoing achievements of Year 6. It was a wonderful day where all the children received a book to help them remember their time at CCJS.
Fun at PGL Year 6 travelled to Little Canada on the Isle of Wight for their residential trip. The zip wire, vertical challenge, orienteering, and the matrix were just some of the challenges the children had to overcome. They also enjoyed night games, sleeping in cabins with their friends, and spending time together at mealtimes.
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Vashti Hardy Year 6 welcomed back Vashti Hardy, author of the Brightstorm Chronicles, for a wonderful workshop and question and answer session. Everyone felt inspired to use their passions to create their own wonderful piece of writing.
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Assemblies 6NR performed their assembly to the school and their parents, sharing some of their recent PSHE learning with the audience. They highlighted the difference between wants and needs using roleplays, and then identified needs as rights. Contrasting the experiences of children working in rural Ghana with their own life at school, the children went on to identify the rights they needed for working effectively in the classroom and enjoying school. 6NR shared their class rights and responsibilities and the class charter with the audience. A wonderfully informative assembly, well done class! Meanwhile, 6AR delivered a super assembly about aspirations. The children looked forward to their future selves and thought about potential careers and the steps they would need to take to reach their goals.
Maths In maths lessons, the children have been thinking about the properties of 2D shapes and calculating areas and perimeters. They used the paving slabs in the quad as a grid to help them draw shapes using chalk, which they then labelled, identifying parallel sides, equal angles, and the regularity of each shape.
Stepping up To help ease the transition from Junior to Senior School we have been arranging an exchange between the Computing Departments. In the Summer Term, Mr Tong and Mr Sangster visited the Year 6 students at the Junior School to run an event with Mr Hardy-Lenik. The Year 6s wrote a rock-paper-scissors program to run on the BBC micro:bit mini-computers and then had a tournament using an online form/ spreadsheet to track results and set pairings.
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A visit from a TV Doctor! Hot on the heels of Alan Titchmarsh’s visit to the Junior School & Nursery in May, we were lucky enough to welcome Dr Xand van Tulleken to school at the end of June. "Xand is a doctor and TV presenter, and is best known for presenting the CBBC children’s series Operation Ouch with his identical twin brother Chris. Head Girl Georgia and I are both big fans of Operation Ouch and knew that Xand would be a brilliant person to talk to children at our school. We were thrilled when he accepted our invitation!
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The children in our school were really excited when they heard that Xand was coming to our assembly – as were some of the teachers who had also seen him on TV! In the assembly, Xand showed us clips from Operation Ouch, told us about what it is like to work in a hospital as a doctor, and what it is like to go behind the scenes of a TV programme. He told us how emotions are felt in the body, and what happens when you are scared. He showed us funny pictures from the show, which made everyone laugh, and explained about lots of common childhood illnesses. This was really interesting, and we all learnt a lot. Xand told us remarkable stories about things that
happened when he was training to be a doctor, and how everyone, even doctors, can feel a bit sick, faint, or worried sometimes when they see something a bit gross. He explained how children who have to go into hospital feel much less worried if they know what is going to happen. He likes making Operation Ouch because it can help lots of children who have to see the Doctor. We all learnt a lot about medicine and had a wonderful time.” Olivia Ellis
When in Rome...
Classics students from the Fourth Year to the Upper Sixth visited Rome over the October half term. They visited a variety of ancient sites from the well-known Colosseum and the Pantheon to the small insulae tower block, which housed the poorer people of Rome. They experienced the large extent of the forum used by all and visited the golden palace of Nero (domus aurea), which has only just recently been opened to the public. As well as exploring
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the ancient sites, they also experienced the beautiful artwork in the Vatican, and visited various piazzas and the Trevi fountain. Although the weather didn’t always hold out for us, it was fantastic to see first-hand the sites that they study in the Classical Civilisation and Ancient History classes, as well as translating the Res Gestae at the Mausoleum of Augustus for our Latin students. A great time was had by all.
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Trips Marwell The First Year had a wonderful time when they visited Marwell Zoo at the end of the Summer Term. The perfect antidote to the pressures of exams, the day comprised an animal ‘treasure hunt’ as pupils began to appreciate and take note of the range of biodiversity of the three continental land masses they study at Key Stage 3. Of course, no trip to the zoo is complete without ice cream and a cuddly toy! As the pupils sported their snakes, meercats, and giraffes the day drew to an end having found that perfect balance of academic engagement and social interaction between students.
A visit to Peteresfield Museum Instead of a double History lesson at school, all the First Years enjoyed heading to Petersfield Museum to learn about local history. They did a treasure hunt-style task where they had to find specific facts within the museum’s displays in order to crack a secret code. The visit focused on topics such as: who was buried in the Bronze age barrows, how Petersfield became a rotten borough, when the railway arrived in town, the punishment for stealing a jar of marmalade, and sitting in the court room. Many pupils enjoyed dressing up too! Overall, it was a great way to get pupils out of the classroom and doing some active history.
Amberley Castle Our Second Years had a great day out deepening their historical knowledge. At Arundel Castle they saw the imposing defensive ramparts, the Medieval motte and bailey, and consolidated their First Year learning about land and power. They also saw the Roman Catholic Chapel of the Dukes of Norfolk and reflected on the Reformation period. They then had a taste of the Industrial revolution, by having a train ride along a narrow-gauge railway, attending two workshops on chalk and lime, handling artefacts, and seeing an amazing electrical display. Amberley was staffed with amazingly enthusiastic volunteers who had a real passion for the mechanical and industrial relics. Overall, it was a fantastic trip that brought history to life.
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A visit to Bletchley Park Just before half term, 38 pupils visited The National Museum of Computing in Bletchley, near Milton Keynes. The trip delved into the history and technology of computing, offering an exciting blend of learning and fun. Students learnt about the evolution of computing, including an opportunity to operate an authentic Enigma machine used in WWII codebreaking. In a high-tech twist, pupils engaged in a thrilling virtual reality bomb-defusal challenge, testing their teamwork and problem-solving skills. Everyone tried their hand at programming the Snake game on a 1970s BBC Microcomputer, and to round off the trip, a retro gaming section allowed pupils to enjoy classic video games from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, including Pac Man, Doom, and Sonic the Hedgehog.
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Highcliffe
Nice During October half term, 18 GCSE French students accompanied Mr Leysen and Miss Dickson to Nice, in the South of France. Despite flight delays and cancellations, an amazing time was had by all. Each morning the students attended two hours of fun and educational French conversation classes with Allan and Olivier. In the afternoons we visited such sites as the Matisse Museum, the Florian sweet shop, and the National Sports Museum, as well as exploring the old town and the famous Promenade des Anglais. On Thursday, we took the train out to Monte Carlo in Monaco where we visited the Prince’s palace, saw part of the F1 track, and (the exterior of!) the casino before a welldeserved relax on the beach.
43 Fourth Year pupils spent a lovely sunny June day on the beach at Highcliffe, collecting data for GCSE fieldwork in a physical environment. The pupils collected data at four locations to investigate the success of coastal management. This included recording the geological and marine vulnerability of the coastline, land use, and evidence of the effectiveness of the various elements of the coastal management scheme.
Isle of Wight “There's no beginning, there'll be no end”, sang the aptly named Wet, Wet, Wet. This certainly rang true when the rain came down during the geography residential to the Isle of Wight over half term, and boy, did it rain! Sandwiched between storms Babet and Ciaran, 43 intrepid Third Years demonstrated huge amounts of resilience and good humour to visit this little gem of an island. We may have had to adapt our plans for the weather, but we were still able to see some of its hidden geographical treasures. At The Needles, Allum Bay, and Ventnor Cliffs we saw first-hand the power of nature, whilst at Compton Bay we walked, literally, in the footsteps of dinosaurs, spotting fossils from nearly 120 million years ago! We even squeezed in some archery as well as high ropes at PGL.
Hampton Court On a beautiful June day, 150 First Year pupils thoroughly enjoyed a day out to Hampton Court. We were given excellent workshops on the Tudor religious rollercoaster, which was perfect consolidation of what had been learnt in class, and another workshop on Tudor global politics and links to the slave trade. Additionally, pupils managed not to get lost in the maze, they enjoyed a tour around the magnificent Tudor kitchens, and saw the state apartments. Relaxing in the kitchen garden and cooling down in the ‘Magic garden’ also proved to be very popular!
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We Will Remember
Petersfield Parade On Sunday 12 November, 270 cadets (bolstered by cadets from our partner, TPS) took part in the Petersfield Remembrance Parade. Led by the school CCF colours and corps of drums, the contingent marched from the Swan Street car-park to the town square for the Petersfield Remembrance Service conducted by Rev. Will Hughes. Following the service, the cadets marched to the town war memorial for the Last Post and Act of Remembrance, followed by the National Anthem. The Senior Wind Band was on duty as they led the music for the service in the Market Square and, once again, Dominic Hardie played the Last Post and Reveille.
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Remembrance Assembly On Friday 10 November, we marked the anniversary of Armistice Day with the school Remembrance service and assembly. In the Sports Hall, Dominic Hardie was the chosen trumpeter to play ‘The Last Post’, and Josie Scott Plummer and Jonny Murray played the moving Spiegel im Spiegel by Avo Pärt. Senior cadet NCOs laid wreaths and escorted the colours before leading the school, as all walked in respectful silence from the Sports Hall along the path, through the memorial arch, and past the silent soldier in the quiet garden. The path was lined by 220 cadets, with a rifle guard of honour at the memorial itself, while the Senior Wind Band provided suitably sombre music as accompaniment.
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Remembrance Concert The Remembrance Concert in St. Peter’s Church featured the Orchestra together with the various Senior choirs. The orchestra started the concert with a lively performance of Rossini’s ‘Thieving Magpie’ overture, followed by the finale of the powerful Saint - Saëns Organ Symphony, starring Laurie Horwood on the organ. The Senior Chamber Choir produced a very professional, moving performance of Bennet’s ‘Weep, O Mine Eyes’ and Sullivan’s ‘The Long Day Closes’. The
Barbershop, now featuring 25 fantastic singers, sang Mr Lofthouse’s arrangement of ‘If You’re Reading This’, followed by the SSA Girls’ choir who sang the beautiful ‘Remember Me’ by Bob Chilcott. We were then treated to a memorable performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria by the Senior Choir, where the massed 88 singers produced an impressive sound, accompanied by a professional orchestra.
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Inspire & Create
Ceramic Week As part of ‘ceramic week’, which took place before half term, Lower Sixth artists visited the Petersfield Museum and Gallery to view the work of Nicholas Lees and have an introduction to clay. After exploring the techniques of slab and coil building in stoneware in class, it was fascinating to view Lees’ abstract vessels made from porcelain and try to understand and identify how each piece was made. Lees’ sculptural work was displayed alongside his rarely seen works on paper, which explored themes of surface, presence, and absence, all of which were fascinating to our students who started the term immersing themselves in experimental drawing. It was a great opportunity to see the direct relationship between drawings and finished ceramic pieces and for our students to identify visual and conceptual connections between the two.
Famous Mathematicians Mathematicians are often portrayed in images as old and rather dull. This is not the case in their actual work, as they have been innovators and creative thinkers, set apart from their peers, often solving complex problems and changing the way we live. The Maths Department challenged the students to portray famous mathematicians in a new and modern art form, and we were thoroughly impressed with the entries received, which now adorn the walls of the Maths area in the Goodfield Building.
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Life Drawing As part of our Inspire & Create Series, the Art Department offered a masterclass for parents in Life Drawing. With only 15 places available, it was advertised to parents of those currently studying a GCSE or A Level in art, and proved very popular. The evening was great fun, and everyone produced some wonderful work; we will certainly look to repeat the evening and open it up to many more parents in future.
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A visit to Tate Britain On 29 September the Lower Sixth and Fourth Year Art students enjoyed a trip to Tate Britain. Students spent the whole day exploring the collection of British art accumulated over recent years. Students were able to engage with and experience many pieces of art after studying them in lessons. It was also a great opportunity to explore the importance of research within a creative subject.
Artist Carali McCall visit We had another Inspire & Create Series event, this time for the Upper Sixth. Our artists were lucky enough to have established artist Carali McCall visit and lead a workshop aimed at offering new ways of thinking about drawing and the role of the body in art. In exploring materials, the workshop encouraged experimenting with traditional drawing materials in charcoal and graphite on paper and expanding the various approaches to drawing using sound, movement, light, and space. Students were introduced to ‘Performance Drawing’, and made perform drawings as well as works on paper.
INSPIRE & CREATE
A Whistling of Birds In October, the Art Department was proud to host an event to celebrate the publication of ‘A Whistling of Birds’, a collaboration project by South African born poet, Isobel Dixon, and Churcher’s very own Scottish artist Douglas Robertson. The resulting collaboration is a work deeply concerned with nature and the paths we track through our environment, drawing inspiration from several poets and artists, and at times is in dialogue with D H Lawrence’s 1923 collection, ‘Birds, Beasts and Flowers!’ The work in both the book and the exhibition are the result of a long-running to-and-fro conversation around the birds, ‘beasties’, and Lawrence’s nature writing. The event was a great success with lots of guests sharing in the stories and asking questions about its development.
A WHISTLING OF BIRDS
Poetry reading by Isobel Dixon Drawing exhibition by Douglas Robertson Join us for canapés and drinks, all welcome
31 OCTOBER 2023 6 - 8PM DONALD BROOKS AUDITORIUM BOOK A SPACE ON MSP
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Adventurous Activities
Canoeing for Gold! Gold Practice Expedition Known to offer a more isolated and wilder hiking experience, the Rhinog mountains delivered challenging terrain for Lower Sixth students on their Gold DofE practice expedition in October. This lesser-visited area of the Snowdonia National Park proved navigationally tricky, as some of the paths were hidden in dense undergrowth and the ground was boggy following recent rain. Although progress was slow, all seven teams persevered and successfully completed the four-day, four-night expedition.
Silver Expedition A total of 90 Fifth Year students started the academic year with a three-day Silver DofE expedition to Exmoor. The weather was kind, but the students were challenged by relentless hills. A physically demanding expedition with some distraction offered by the fine views and clouds of flies! Students were moved out of their comfort zones, encouraging personal growth and development of character. Well done all!
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Our intrepid Gold DofE participants undertook an extremely wet canoeing practice expedition over half term. Due to the unprecedented levels of rainfall, with some areas experiencing flood levels at their highest for 80 years, the plan had to change to ensure the safety of all involved. With the Rivers Tame and Trent bursting their banks and covering most of the East Midlands, students paddled on the Trent and Mersey Canal system. While students gained skills, these will need to be developed further before paddling on the River Wye for the final expedition. Nonetheless, the students showed remarkable resilience and will have been able to learn from their experience, especially in terms of clothing and food.
Senior Senior Adventure Club A group of 18 Lower Sixth students showed their appetite for adventure in the Senior Adventure Club challenge - an extended weekend of mountain activities in Snowdonia. Day One saw the team complete a rather wet traverse of Snowdon, avoiding the crowds by approaching over The Horns and descending via the South Ridge, before setting up camp and heading off for a well-earned meal. Scrambling was a new experience for most of the students, and one they took to with impressive enthusiasm and ability. Day Two upped the stakes with more challenging routes such as the North Ridge of Tryfan and Gribin Ridge of Glyder Fawr, where they visited the famous Cantilever, which several Churcher’s year groups have found to be a lot more securely balanced than it looks! The team moved on from climbing mountains on Day Three with a morning jumping, sliding, and floating along the Afon Prysor, an impressive sight as the white water rushed down the beautiful gorge. A very successful and memorable weekend and, hopefully, the first of many such mountain adventures for these intrepid Sixth Formers.
OSCA This year’s OSCA programme is well underway. Having enjoyed perfect weather conditions for learning outdoors. OSCA students have so far created chariots and tripod structures, had a day-hike in the South Downs National Park, and cooked over fires and camped out in what can only be described as unseasonably warm conditions!
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Sixth Form Future Female Leaders On 28 September five Lower Sixth girls attended the ‘Global Conference: Inspiring Future Female Leaders’, hosted by Benenden School. More than 350 students attended in person with a further 700 joining from around the world on a live stream. The day started with HRH Princess Basma of Jordan, a leading figure in global humanitarian causes, joining us by a live link, followed by a diverse group of female leaders including an Olympian, entrepreneurs, and leading business people. Baroness
Manningham-Buller, former Director-General of MI5 and former Chair of the Wellcome Trust, spoke in the afternoon, followed by the final speaker, HRH The Princess Royal, whose speech touched on the changing nature of leadership in the social media age, the role of education in instilling skills for life beyond academia, and what leadership looks like in the public eye. We were inspired, empowered, and challenged to go out into the world as collaborative, kind, and confident leaders.
Captains' Lunch Goodwood Careers Trip 12 Lower Sixth students spent a brilliant, information-packed morning at the Goodwood Estate in October. They toured the estate in a minibus jumping out at various locations to find out about the running of the business and the careers involved. Our brilliant host David Macey, the Recruitment Business Partner at Goodwood, guided us for the morning, highlighting how the different parts of Goodwood generate various careers, including the farm, farm shop, hotel, motor circuit, aerodrome, racecourse, kennels, Private Members Club, golf course and, of course, all the amazing Goodwood events. As Katie summed up, “It was fascinating to see the different elements of the estate and the careers they produce”.
The traditional Captains’ Lunch took place early in the autumn term. This year it was fajitas, and the unlikely combination of Demis Roussos over the music system. The students never cease to surprise us! Many thanks to the Captains and Vice-Captains for serving the delicious food.
Dracula On the evening of 5 October, the Halloween season came early for our Sixth Form English students, as a group of our English Literature A Level students visited Portchester Castle for an immersive performance of Bram Stoker’s famous novel ‘Dracula’. With audience participation galore, a few screams and jumps, and many, many, many steps of the castle’s spiral staircases, our students were treated to a series of dramatic monologues and miniperformances in relation to their Gothic unit’s core text, really bringing it to life (or death!).
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Music Enrichment
Nettlecombe 29 A Level students spent three days in June at the FSC centre at Nettlecombe Court in North Somerset, learning and practising a wide range of established and contemporary data collection and analysis techniques as preparation for their NEAs. Lead by Emily, our FSC tutor, they returned to the familiar locations of Porlock Bay and Minehead to investigate coastal processes and management, but also visited previously untried sites at Watchet and Taunton to explore place perception and the impacts of rebranding. The weather was good and allowed games of football, rugby, and cricket on the lawn in the sunny evenings. The students are now putting theory into practice as they select a geographical concept and local destination to form the focus of their own independent investigations, and start to plan their individual data collection.
Sixth Form musicians spent a busy September day in London designed to complement the A Level course. A lunchtime concert at St. Martinin-the Fields of sacred choral music was followed by a visit to the recently reopened National Portrait Gallery, then to the Royal Opera House for a backstage tour; did you know that the backstage area is nine times bigger than the stage? Our evening was spent at Cadogan Hall for a superb concert given by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, of which the undoubted highlight was hearing Pierre-Laurent Aimard playing Bartók’s emotionally charged 3rd Piano Concerto. A very enjoyable and stimulating day!
Transform Society Commmunity Challenge One September Monday, the Lower Sixth were off–timetable all day for their Transform Society Community Challenge, which forms part of the induction into the Sixth Form. Run by James Darley, who has a wealth of experience in Graduate Recruitment, teams were tasked with putting together an action plan on the topic: “How we can educate young people around the reality of the world of work and help them prepare for lifelong employability”. Students had to look at the research base and decide a plan of action, including how to spend their fictional £10k, which they would then present in front of a panel. Team 18 were the winners: ‘DOSSI’, their concept, stands for Development of Soft Skills Initiative. Their presentation was excellent, and the panel liked their idea of bringing several schools together as part of the initiative.
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Drama & Dance
DANCE SHOWCASE
Tuesday 5 December The Donald Brooks Auditorium 7.30pm Free Entry
Dance Dancers at Churcher's had the opportunity to experience Street Dance this year with a Masterclass held by Phoebe Jenkins. Pupils from all year groups came together to experience the new style of dance and created their own dance to be performed at the Christmas Dance Showcase in December.
The Room Where it Happened At the end of September, 52 students from our musical ensembles saw the multi-awardwinning production of Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. To see such a renowned contemporary musical, which blends a variety of styles including hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and traditional musical theatre, was a valuable experience for all, and we were all blown away by the fantastic staging, dancing, and lighting. Many of our students who are taking part in the Junior performance of ‘Seussical’ were able to gain some fantastic inspiration for their own upcoming performances, and our instrumentalists were similarly entertained by the fantastic orchestra performing in the pit!
Quirky Bird Theatre On Tuesday 31 October, Lower Sixth Drama students enjoyed a visit from Quirky Bird Theatre. Anna Friend, founder of Quirky Bird, curated a superb workshop tailored to ignite our students' comprehension of the theatre practitioner Bertolt Brecht. The workshop was engaging and informative, but also infused with a great deal of humour. Witnessing the students gain confidence while embracing a new acting style was delightful. The students delved into various Brechtian techniques and obtained valuable insights into one of his plays, all within a few hours. This immersive experience provided them with a solid foundation, laying the groundwork for their A Level devised piece, which will undoubtedly bear the unmistakable influence of Brecht.
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A TV casting opportunity! On 2 November, a selected group of First and Second Year boys had an unusual and unique opportunity to participate in a different kind of audition after school. A casting director visited the school in search of boys for a new top secret television project. Despite the nerves, the boys all did themselves proud as they performed in-role, delivering the dialogue to just off the camera. They had the chance to try it a couple of times, with each take recorded and a few suggestions given to make each recording better. One of the biggest and unexpected challenges was adapting their acting style for the camera. In Drama lessons they are told to exaggerate, but here they learned that they had to keep it simple; when it comes to acting for television, less is more. We don’t know yet, if anyone will get a recall, but, regardless of the outcome, this novel and unique opportunity was worth it for the experience.
Charities
Senior
Maddy's Mark Churcher’s continues to support the Maddy’s Mark charity, named after OC Maddy Lawrence who sadly passed away due to sepsis in March 2022. This term, we hosted the annual Quiz Night, raising more than £3,500, and also dedicated a Saturday’s fun day of rugby, the game she so loved, to her memory and this great cause. The sight of the Senior Squad playing in pyjamas and dresses certainly drew some stares from our younger players, and raised some money too!
Haunted Library
Eco Games The inaugural Eco Games were held in July to raise awareness of the need for cleaner transport. Staff and students participated in a minibuspulling race over the length of the rugby pitch, won by Nelson in a fine time of 21.24 seconds pipping Drake by 0.25 of a second. Alongside the race, students had donated cakes which raised more than £130 in aid of four nature inspired charities.
Nothing screams Halloween more than a bunch of teachers jumping out through the smoke to frighten some First and Second Years in the Haunted Library – and this year did not disappoint! 179 students volunteered to put themselves through this terrifying ordeal, raising more than £150 for the charity Blueprint for All in the process.
Moroccan Earthquake Appeal When Morocco was struck by a catastrophic earthquake in September, the Charities Committee was quick to respond, with a plea to all members of the Churcher’s community to donate warm coats, blankets, and sleeping bags that could be sent to the devastated region. With amazing generosity from so many students, parents, and staff, a full van was loaded and the donations were flown out to Morocco within days.
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Music
Lunchtime Concert The first of our lunchtime concerts for this year was a great success, with a wide variety of solo performances ranging from Second Year Lucy Maier on the violin, right the way up to Caitlin Stevens on oboe and Evie Marden on voice in the Upper Sixth, as well as several more piano, violin, and voice performances. The concert opened with an atmospheric performance of Banchieri’s ‘Echo Fantasia’ by the Fifth Year Brass Ensemble, and was rounded off by the Junior Chamber Choir’s performance of ‘California Dreamin’, which certainly brightened up everyone’s day!
Senior Recital The Senior Recital is always an enjoyable evening, but this recital stood out as being exceptionally high quality from start to finish. There was such an eclectic mix of styles from an array of soloists, including Clement Siu performing the Giga from Partita No 2 by J.S. Bach, Jane Lang-Horgan playing the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven, Caitlin Stevens singing ‘In uomini, in Soldati’ by Mozart, to Alex Way with ‘Tender Surrender’ on the electric guitar, which was mind-blowingly virtuosic with guitar pyrotechnics a plenty. We were also treated to a high standard of ensemble performances from the Senior Wind Band, Flute group, Clarinet group, Fifth Year Brass group, Senior Jazz quintet, Saxophone group, Senior Brass quintet, Blues Group, SSA Choir, and to conclude the evening, Jackson George sang ‘Me and Mrs Jones’ with the Jazz Band and the band finished with the famous ‘Birdland’.
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Senior
String Quartet Our current Sixth Form String Quartet were delighted to be asked by OC musician, Hannah Locke, to play at her wedding on 1 July at Ramster Hall in Chiddingfold. They loved playing in the beautiful gardens, and we all send her our congratulations.
Nursing home visit Fourth Year musicians prepared a variety of solos to perform to the residents of the Down’s House in Sheet, beginning with a jazzy clarinet duet from Angus Cockburn and Caspar Molesworth, followed by solos from Jac Browning, Austen Cooke, Isabelle Fogelin, Torquil Morison, James Taylor and finishing with a stunning performance of Danse Macabre by Tahlia Horwood. As a finale, they came together to perform their arrangement of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from Titanic.
Rock School On a wet and windy September day, our Rock School entertained the brave contestants of the Butser Hill Challenge, and provided much needed getup-and-go on this damp occasion! Musicians from the First Year all the way through to the Upper Sixth entertained the crowd, with music from bands such as Status Quo, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Muse, and the Kaiser Chiefs.
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CCF Navy field days
The CCF navy section travelled to HMS Excellent for a day of training and water activities on the four ships: Blue Swan, Bellerophon, Amarillis, and Cornish Air. Although there was not much wind, each of the ship's crews were able to practice helming and navigating or rigging with the help of the naval instructors. This was a fantastic opportunity for the cadets to practice their knowledge of buoyage and the rules of the road, which they had been learning throughout the year. It was a brilliant experience for the cadets to have time on the water and another great Field Day.
In October, the Navy cadets travelled down to the Andrew Simpson Centre in Portsmouth for a day of water-based activities. Their first activity was kayaking, in both single and double kayaks; this was great fun despite being capsized near the end. After lunch on the slipway, cadets undertook a couple of activities: mega stand-up paddleboarding and canoe rafting. Canoe rafting was good fun and required a lot of teamwork as there were up to six in a canoe raft. The mega stand-up paddleboarding was by far the favourite activity as it involved a lot of falling in! The whole day was great fun, and it was fair to say everyone was very tired by the end of it!
On a sunny Saturday evening, the Navy section had a great overnight camp at Penn's Place. We arrived in time for some orientation games and then had delicious ration packs for supper. Capt Gibbins introduced us to some army training with a talk about camouflage, then put his words into practice as he disappeared into a bush and challenged us to find some hidden items. We had a peaceful night camping and really enjoyed getting to know each other as a section.
RAF cadets get a beasting! The Army Air Corps put on a fantastic programme at Yeovilton for our Fourth Year RAF cadets in June, starting with a “proper beasting” around the base and in the gym from a PTI (Physical Training Instructor). The real highlight of the day was, unsurprisingly, the Air Experience Flight, where groups of four cadets enjoyed 15-minute rides as passengers in the Wildcat helicopter fully-kitted up, side-doors open, flying over the local area including a buzz over Glastonbury Tor, while others enjoyed helicopter flying lessons in the Wildcat training simulator.
Trafalgar Dinner After a year’s absence it was lovely for the contingent to be able to host another Trafalgar Dinner on 17 October. 93 senior cadets, officers and guests enjoyed an excellent traditional roast beef dinner in the Donald Brooks Auditorium, decked out with pennants, ensigns, model sailing ships and the portrait of Nelson himself. Our guest speaker, Commander Bob Laverty RN, delivered the key element of the evening, his speech, identifying the values that Nelson represented and how his example presents the cadets with three lessons in leadership: be yourself, look after your people and acquire professional competence. The evening finished with the hearty singing of sea shanties.
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Senior A proud moment! Cadet Matthew Coghlan received his Promotion to Lance Corporal from his father Phil, an ex-regular Officer and now Cadet Instructor. As Phil said, "Thanks for letting me do the honours… Of all the promotions over the years, I rather enjoyed this one!" Congratulations to both.
In training!
Tri-service cadets have been back on the clay pigeon ranges in training for the National Cadet Clay Competition in June next year.
Exercise Hidden Tiger In October, the Army section deployed 80 cadets onto Exercise Hidden Tiger, on Longmoor training area. Our freshfaced recruits were quickly brought up to speed on their basic fieldcraft skills, including camouflage, concealment, stealthy movement, and silent communications. Under the direction of their staff, all cadets passed their assessment, and demonstrated an excellent understanding of the basic military skills taught throughout the day. The assessment took the form of a stalk; in their platoons, cadets had 10 minutes to get as close to an observer on high ground armed with binoculars without being seen, and although the ground was almost completely open, all cadets met the standard required to progress their training. Special mention goes to Cadets Zoe Houghton and Oscar Clifford-Brown for getting within 10m of Captain Gibbins without being seen.
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Sport Cross Country Cup The first round of the English Schools’ Cross Country Cup took place in Winchester. The intermediate girls’ and the junior girls’ and boys’ teams all qualified for the regional finals in Kent, in November, against some excellent opposition. As we go to press, we are delighted to announce that at this event, there were some amazing individual efforts and the junior boys’ team have progressed to the national finals!
Tennis Champions We were excited to be invited to the inaugural Bradfield College Mixed Doubles Tournament in the Summer Term, taking two pairs (Evie and Barney, and Jemima and Josh). Playing a round robin format, we represented our school magnificently, competing against Eton, Malborough, Bradfield, and many more. We were especially pleased to see Evie and Barney finish eighth overall.
Hockey The Autumn Term has seen continued successes for our girls’ hockey. The 1st XI and U16A continue to advance through the England Hockey Tier 2 National Cup competitions, including some impressive results against the likes of Portsmouth Grammar School and Canford. The U15A team finished in first place in the U16 Hampshire Cup tournament and have progressed through to the South Central Tier 3 Finals; a hugely impressive feat considering they were playing against pupils from the year above! Meanwhile, the U14A team finished second in their Hampshire Cup competition and have qualified for South Central Tier 2 Finals. We wish them all the very best of luck as they progress.
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Senior
Hampshire Track Knock Out Finals In June, the junior girls’, junior boys’, intermediate girls’, and intermediate boys’ teams all competed at the Hampshire Track Knock Out Finals at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth. A fifth place for the intermediate boys’, silver medals for the junior girls’ and boys’, and
gold for the intermediate girls’ capped off a tremendous day. As the only school in the county with a team in each final and three medals, the runners can be rightly proud.
The Henley Classic
Swimming A busy start to the term packed with fixtures and our first gala of the year competing against Charterhouse and Wellington College with our U15 and U18 teams. With some very close competitive races Churcher's students swam brilliantly showing our strength and depth as a team winning every relay event and coming out as overall winners of the gala. This success continued at the Hampshire Relays where 24 swimmers competed in six relay teams against the fastest in county. Both the junior and intermediate boys’ team have qualified for the National Relay Finals in November at the commonwealth pool in Birmingham.
Once again, students, OCs, staff and parents ditched the comfort of the pool for the open water, competing in The Henley Classic 2.1km upstream swim in the Summer. This year the conditions were perfect, and our swimmers Charlie Stevenson, Felix Brockdorff, Lottie Jackson, Lila Jackson, Tom Hall, Kitty Hogg, Tilly Discombe-Wells and Lewis Jordan put in some fantastic swims and as a team were the fastest school, winning the schools competition for an impressive fifth time. It was a close finish: Felix led the race from start to finish and won in a time of 30m 12s, closely followed by Charlie in third place in a time of 30m 32s.
Water Polo Our ever-increasing water polo enthusiasts ended the last academic year in style, taking on St Edmunds School and putting into practice their training and previous experience to win 17-2. This year has seen the U16 and U18's first matches against Charterhouse; both games were even going into the last quarter with a last attack from Charterhouse securing the win. A great learning experience with heaps of positives to take away.
A day out at Wimbledon! Having been lucky again in the Wimbledon ballot, eight lucky tennis players accompanied Mr Kelly and Mrs Jenkins to the home of British tennis. Although the sun tried its hardest to shine, after only an hour of watching Tsitsipas v Thiem on Court 2, the heavens opened and our day of live tennis came to an end, although we were spotted on television with our Churcher’s umbrellas aloft! We were able to watch some fabulous matches under cover of our brollies on Henman Hill and we ended our day out celebrating a great season of tennis at Wagamama’s!
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In Other News ACADEMIC LECTURE SERIES
Appeasing Hitler Chamberlain, Churchill and the road to war Tim Bouverie
Monday 16 October 2023 Refreshments 4pm Lecture 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Lecture Theatre
Academic Lecture Series
Pumpkin Carving
Tim Bouverie gave a superb talk on ‘Appeasement and the Road to War’. Some 80 students learned the motivations that led 1930s British politicians to appease Hitler’s territorial expansion, even though Hitler made it very clear from the outset what kind of regime he was going to create in Germany. He finished by saying that lessons we can take today from this episode were: to understand the nature of the regime and the nature of the threat that governments face, as well as not engage in wishful thinking or be corrupted by distorting the truth.
Just before half term, Drake House First and Second Years spent a fabulous time enjoying some spooky fun at the Rogate Pumpkin Patch. Thankfully the weather held for them to pick their own pumpkins, from a vast array of colours and sizes. Some students even dared to meet the Bubble Witch, who taught them
how to make bubbles inside of bubbles! The Halloween mood continued back at school the following day, when they carved and painted their pumpkins in the Art Department, and watched ‘Haunted Mansion’. Clearly inspired by the scary film, there were some truly terrifying pumpkins on display at the end!
Offering Dana
Minecraft Our GCSE students built binary adders in Minecraft Education Edition to consolidate their learning on logic gates and binary additions.
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Fifth Year R&P students were wowed by their visit to a monastery where they met with a monk, as seen in the photo showing Tom Williams offering dana (Spring onions) to Ajahn Ahimsako (Seeker of non-violence). Lay people offer dana, which is part of Parami (9 Virtues), which in turn is a part of Dhamma (teachings) of Buddha. Lay people experience that nice fuzzy feeling you get when giving a gift. Secondly, you learn the lesson of ‘letting go’ and not having attachment to your spring onions.
A Virtual Exchange The German Department has launched a virtual cultural exchange with Mariengymnasium in Warendorf, our partner school in Germany. We are excited about our Second Year students getting to know their German counterparts virtually via a padlet board. This will allow students from both countries to exchange information before they are able to meet via Zoom later on this year.
Senior
Careers Breakfast This year’s inaugural Coffee, Croissants and Careers morning welcomed some 20 visitors, all graduates of Humanities, Arts or Languages, who shared their experiences of studying their chosen subjects at university, and where those choices had taken them. Students from the Fourth Year to Upper Sixth were presented with a wide variety of career paths, from law to venture finance, broadcast media and publishing to the charity sector and even a zooarchaeologist! After listening to the introductions, students spent time networking with the guests.
Sulstemic STEM Event A group of Second Year pupils had a fantastic time at HMS Sultan in June, fun-packed event ranging from learning about a giant hexapod, helicopter flight checks and diagnosis and survival equipment maintenance, to using blockchain coding to programme a ‘Sphero’, snap circuits, pneumatic rigs and gas turbines. Students loved meeting and talking to the RN engineering trainees and members of staff. They filled up their activity passports and collected ‘gizits’, culminating in receipt of a beautiful commemorative coin and goodie bags, much appreciated at the end of a brilliant day!
Model United Nations 15 students, ranging from Third Year to Upper Sixth, barely had time to break in their new school shoes before busily preparing their research to represent Serbia, Argentina, and Haiti at Reigate Grammar School for the first MUN conference. A wide range of committees debated key global issues, including: the Civil War in Yemen, Reliability on the Banking Sector, Protecting Indigenous Communities, and how to prevent the Financing of Terrorism. Our numbers grew to 18 for our second conference in November, hosted by the Royal Grammar School. This time we were representing Australia and Ethiopia and the topics were again very broad, ranging from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to Cultural Erosion, not to mention the last-minute crisis of an ‘invasion’ in the South China Sea! Our delegates demonstrated superb research and debating skills.
UK Space Design Competition A 12-strong team ventured into London on Saturday 14 October to take part in the qualifying heat of the UK Space Design Competition, developing and presenting their plans for a moon mining base in the very near future. Considering the materials, temperatures, hostile environment, logistics,
and economic factors, the team came up with a winning bid, which means they now go to the UK final in March next year, along with 24 other schools. Winners here have a chance to represent the UK team in the international event in Florida in August 2024. Well done team Churcher’s!
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Senior Sports Tour
In July, 69 students embarked on a transformative journey to the southern hemisphere, from London to Cape Town, with a brief stop in Istanbul. The welcoming South African hotel greeted them with traditional treats like milk tart and koeksisters. Despite windy conditions preventing an ascent of Table Mountain on the first day, the group captured memorable photos. The rugby and netball fixtures against Melkbosstrand High School and Milnerton High School resulted in valiant efforts but unfortunate losses. A visit to Kayamandi Township offered a poignant glimpse into local life, blending stark realities with hope for the future. Cultural immersion continued with beach rugby, a visit to Jan Van Riebeek High School, and an enriching evening at Gold restaurant. Triumphs followed on the third day, with victories at Bosmansdam High School and, at last, a Table Mountain ascent. Adventure
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peaked with a thrilling zip line experience in the Elgin Valley and a sobering tour of Robben Island. The tour concluded at the Aquila Game Reserve, where students enjoyed encounters with the Big Five, culminating in a memorable evening of dinner, fire pits, and star gazing. Heartfelt gratitude was extended to the exemplary pupils from Churcher’s College who made the journey truly extraordinary.
Senior
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Success Outside School
Evie Bramall Third Year, Evie Bramall, has had an excellent triathlon season! In the Inter Regional Championships, the national final ,in which very best youth triathletes complete, Evie was given the second selection spot for the Tristar 3 South Central girls’ team, a great achievement considering she has a further year left in this category. She has since been invited to apply for a place on the British Triathlon Regional Academy Development Squad, which is the first step on the British Triathlon Performance Pathway. Being part of the squad provides her with incredible opportunities to train and develop alongside some of the most talented triathletes in the country, and over the winter months she will she attend the regional academy training camps to maintain the triathlon specific focus.
Lillianne and Ruby Upper Sixth students, Lillianne OrtleppAtkins and Ruby Woods, took to the South Downs Way in October to raise money for their upcoming World Challenge expedition. Setting off from Winchester at 6:30am on a Saturday morning, they cycled, with minimal breaks, to Amberley, covering an impressive 87 kms on the first day. An equally early start on the Sunday morning saw them reach Eastbourne at 8pm that evening, with an additional 83 kms covered! They took on this incredible challenge to raise money for their 2024 expedition, which will see them undertake some whale shark conservation work alongside trekking through Madagascar. They found the constant up and down hills particularly challenging, but tired and achy legs were rewarded by the endless spectacular views on the South Downs Way. We wish them the best of luck with their fundraising, and are sure that covering 170 kms in 18 hours in the saddle will stand them in excellent stead for the expedition ahead!
Equestrian News The Churcher’s College Equestrian team now boasts a squad of 21 students from First Year through to the Upper Sixth. The new academic year has brought plenty of opportunities for them to compete. Several pupils were out competing at Coombelands in October, with a win for Jocelyn Harris in the 80cm. Success at qualifiers earlier in the year meant the team also progressed to compete at the NSEA Championships, where Josephine Porter Wright, Clemmie Foster, Issie Rendall, and Charlie Doyle won the 1m 05 class to become National Champions! Clemmie was also placed in both the 1m 20 and 1m 10 classes. Aneka Wisniewska competed in the 90cm Jumping with Style class, Issie and Josephine competed in the 1 10 plate, both coming third, and Sophia Monk came fourth in the Preliminary Dressage Plate.
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Senior The Brooker Family
George and Will Sixth Formers, Will Houghton and George Fletcher, wanted to raise money in aid of Phyllis Tuckwell, who provided hospice care for a close family friend, Andrew. They pledged to undertake a year of fundraising and set their sights high, with a target of £5,000. This year has seen them take on the challenge of covering 45kms over the Ten Peaks in the Brecon Beacons, organise and compete in competitions and raffles at local village fairs, and run a local festival along with Andrew’s wife. With raffles, auction prizes, and bespoke t-shits, this in itself raised nearly £6,000. The highlight of their year came on a cold and clear October day in Wiltshire when they boys were crammed into a very small plane and headed up into the sky. Each attached to their tandem, they jumped out at somewhere over 12,000 feet (apparently leaving the plane was the worst bit), free falling for some 7,000 feet before parachuting down to terra firma. They loved it and wanted to go straight back up! Having reached their goal, with £5,175 raised to date, they plan to finish the year with a 5k race in full Santa suits!
Fourth Year, Joe Brooker, along with his brother and Mum, Suzie, Churcher’s own School Estates Administrator, cycled from Petersfield to Paris in the Summer. Part of a group of three Mums and seven teenagers, they finally arrived at the Eiffel Tower after lots of rain, wind, soggy clothes, a few punctures, a few injuries, and lots of wrong turns. In doing so, they raised more than £5,000 for a local cancer charity who provide much needed mini breaks and respite for families undergoing treatment for cancer.
What's On Spring Term Productions Seussical The Musical a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza! Amadeus an award-winning play promising music, genius, jealousy and revenge. Tickets selling fast! Get yours at ChurchersCollege.com/WhatsOn
The Musical
5 - 8 February 2024 }ìÐ 9ÐĮĴðŒă >ăăȤ qÐĴÐīĮũÐăÌ Ĵ ǰĨĉ OC Dan Shaw OC, Dan Shaw (22), was selected to play for the GB under 19 American Football Team against France in Coventry, on Friday 15 September. Dan, who is currently reading History at Durham University, played rugby for Churcher's College and Petersfield Rugby Club prior to being headhunted during Freshers' Week. Dan, happy to try a different sport for a bit of variety, has not looked back since! After four rounds of selection, Dan was chosen to play for the GB team – “something I didn't expect at all when I started”, he explained. While they were not victorious on this occasion, we look forward to following Dan’s future successes.
18 & 19 March 2024
ĮĮÐĉÅăř >ăăȤ ìķīÆìÐīɃĮ ďăăÐæÐ ǰȣǬǩĨĉ
25 March 2024
}ìÐĴīÐ tďřăȤ ðĊÆìÐĮĴÐī ǰȣǬǩĨĉ
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