Senior School

Collingwood House

Reflecting on this year, it has been a pleasure to see almost a complete return to normality after the disruption of the last couple of years. There has still been the odd casualty of Covid, but seeing the House work hard and compete together has felt like we were returning to PC, or PreCovid. The House has continued to compete and work hard, and while there have been a number of successes such as victory in the House Cricket and House Netball, we have not managed to find overall success in the House Cup. We will need to work hard at this over the next year to return the Palatinate to its rightful place.

Over the last year, the House has been ably led by Matilda Shapland and Sam Hibberd with their House Vice-Captains of Alice Robinson, Kim Monkman, George Feeney, and Jamie Willson. They have been a massive support, and whilst they have not been allowed the opportunity to get around the House as much have normal, they have had a massive impact on the House and its spirit. They and all the departing Upper Sixth will be missed, and the House will not be the same without them in it. You are all amazing and you and the rest of the House have my Seal of Approval.

Drake House

This academic year has been busy and action-packed, perhaps more so than usual, as we have embraced the end of Covid the restrictions that separated year groups and meant several annual events had to put on hold for the last two years.

One Covid keeper that has very quickly proved to be a huge success, is the move away from one wholeschool Sports Day to five separate Sports Days for the different year groups. With 2D, 3D, 4D, and L6D all winning their respective events, as well as 2D and 4D coming second and first respectively in the House Tennis Competitions, and a whitewash in every swimming gala, winning the Sports Cup on the last day of term was not only unsurprising, but thoroughly deserved. Every pupil in the House has, in some way, played their part in the Sports Cup victory, and whilst it was Sandy, one of next year’s House Captains, who lifted the cup in the final assembly of the year, it’s most definitely a cup that belongs to everyone in the House.

Of course, my job is made so much easier by the fantastic support of my Form Tutors, as well as the House Captains and Vice Captains who have also played their part this year, gamely taking House Assemblies, organising teams (with some considerable cajoling of certain individuals), and stepping up to the plate themselves across the House competitions. Beth Lewis and Mattie Wagstaff have led a dedicated team of Vice Captains made up of Holly Humberstone, Adie Matson, Henry Plewes, Kai Jackson, and Matthew Hodges. It is not only in the Sixth Form that these individuals have impressed; their commitment to the House for the last seven years has been second-to-none, and they are going to be sorely missed next year.

As I move onto a new role and reflect on my 17 years as Head of Drake, many things have changed at Churcher’s, not least the number of grey hairs on my head and the number of wrinkles on my forehead. But what hasn’t changed is the spirit of Drake, the friendliness and havea-go-attitude, and the enthusiasm, commitment, and competitive nature of the pupils. Being a Head of House is, unquestionably, a busy job, but it’s also a really satisfying and rewarding role - one that has enabled me to see a huge number of pupils through their seven years at the school, and enjoy the way in which they change and mature from rather timid First Years to confident, eloquent and wellrounded 18-year-olds. I feel privileged to have played a small part in the life of so many Churcher’s students. Leaving Drake behind will most

definitely be a wrench, but I leave you in the capable hands of Mr Daniel, and will certainly be rooting for Team Drake from the sidelines.

Suzanne Herrington

Grenville House

In the words of Aristotle, “Quality is not an act, it is a habit”, and it would appear to be a habit that the Grenville pupils have adopted, showing true quality throughout the year, starting strongly and maintaining an impressive pace throughout! This saw them excel in the termly ‘Attitude to Learning’ totals in the classroom, with 3G being the Best Form in School, as well as winning many of the sports trophies (especially the Grenville girls) – so many, in fact, that it was difficult for me to think of the best way to collate their myriad successes! No matter – a huge well done for winning the following sports trophies:

Hockey, both girls and boys in Second, Third, and Fourth Years (helping us win the overall Hockey Cup); Second and Fourth Year Netball; First and Second Year Girls’ Swim Gala; Girls’ Cricket; and the overall Tennis Cup. With the help of 2G and 4G both winning their respective House Quizzes, Grenville were joint winners of the overall House Quiz Cup (tied with Rodney). This meant Team Grenville had a clean sweep of the major trophies (the Academic Cup and the Sports Cup), which saw them retain the overall House Cup at the end of the year.

I am delighted with the Herculean efforts and enthusiasm that Grenville pupils show, whether it be with their studies in the classroom, in their extra-curricular pursuits, or with the trips we go on. Grenville pupils are always so willing to take that step forward when asked to participate, and I truly appreciate this wonderful spirit within the House. This ethos of working hard, putting yourself forward, and then enjoying the outcome - no matter if it is winning, coming last, or somewhere in between - has been modelled by those in the upper years, so a big thank you to all of them! The departing Upper Sixth have been great Grenville ambassadors, so thanks also to the House Captains (Amy, Ben, and Holly) and all the others that have gone the extra mile for Grenville.

Outside of daily routines, Grenville pupils have welcomed the chances to let their hair down with their form mates. Whether it be the outdoor games evening, laser quest, the boardgames evening, exit puzzle rooms in Portsmouth, or scaling the high ropes at Wild Wood, there has been much fun and laughter throughout the year.

Jon Seaton

Nelson House

My second year as Head of Nelson House has seen the welcome of restoration of normality. Nelsonians new and old have competed in the pool, on the sports field, and in the classroom, as well as supporting each other and our chosen charities, to the very best of their abilities. Calshot, as always, provided an early opportunity for our newest intake to enter into the Churcher’s spirit and get to know their new Housemates. They worked together fabulously as a House to support our Dogathlon and raise almost £1,000 for the Pets As Therapy charity, with major fundraising efforts from Maisie Bowman (1N), Theo Murdoch (2N), and Fred Hughes and Marna Stirling (3N).

Although Covid still lingered, we managed a flurry of House trips, combining with Rodney for a Rodson ice-skating outing, although sadly the Sixth Form curry night had to be cancelled. Our pupils knuckled down to the 300 pennies challenge in the Spring Term, and House sporting competitions culminated in the Summer Term with great participation at Sports Day, where there was notable

success for 1N in the tennis - special mention goes to 4N’s prize-winning Poppy Kilpatrick and Luke Wilkinson.

In her final hurrah as Assistant Head of House, Mrs Daniel, henceforth known as ‘Little Mrs D’, launched our very own Nelson Taskmaster, in honour of our combined love of the TV show where celebrities compete and complete a series of random and utterly pointless tasks. This year, the Nelson tutor groups have staged Christmas tableaus, recorded videos for aliens, and, in the final ‘live’ task, made a member of their form appear MUCH bigger. We told you it was pointless. Up for grabs was the coveted Taskmaster trophy, a golden Mr Harris: Nelson Taskmaster himself. In a closely fought contest, 1N and 3N were the frontrunners throughout the year, despite Benji Hutchinson’s best efforts (best forgotten now) for the Sixth Form. In the end though, it was 3N who lifted the golden bonce and won the 2022 Taskmaster Competition.

Jeremy Harris

Rodney House

As September approached, there were many unanswered questions going through my mind. Would we remain open for the full year? What adjustments would we have to make to keep Covid at bay? And what impact would the new normal have on the year to come? Now that I look back, what is evident, is that despite the small numbers of pupils self-isolating at home, school life was very normal. Rodney pupils were happy to be back at school with face-to-face contact, assemblies, concerts, and stage performances. Ski trips, and both the First and World Challenges took place, as did D of E and DW. It was great to see so many Rodney pupils involved in these activities and I am glad that they were able to catch up on some missed activities, which had been cancelled over the lock downs.

It was great to be able to welcome the new 1R intake to a social event in the last week of the summer holidays. Their enthusiasm and energy were evident from the outset and they continued to demonstrate their determination to take full advantage of being back at school throughout the year. The Autumn Term saw Calshot, Bowling trips, a combined BBQ and Swim, and a whole House trip to ice skate in Portsmouth’s Guild Hall square.

Having come second in last year’s House Cup, I had hoped we could have gone one better this year, but unfortunately, we did not manage that this time. We did, however, manage to narrow the margin and came a very close second to Grenville. This was testimony to the effort and enthusiasm of the members of Rodney House. Rodney boys won the rugby with three first places, and also won the overall swimming competition, whilst the girls came second in netball and also came second in the swimming galas. Rodney also came equal top of the House Quizzes. It was great to see we were once again at the top of the quiz table, but Rodney’s performance in the pool this year is worthy of a special mention. While there were some outstanding individual contributions, it was the combined efforts of all that produced the final points. I would like to thank all the Rodney staff, and Zac and Avril, our House Captains, for their help and support throughout the year. Let’s hope that next year is even more successful!

John Yugin-Power