Skylight - Autumn 2019

Autumn 2019

Featured in this issue...

Sixth Former wins Global Youth Award

Habs Boys and Girls represent the UK at Hamburg

Senior School play Habs supports ‘Food For All’ charity

CCF Annual Act of Remembrance and Parade 2019

Routine Reminders

The Headmaster’s

End of Term Letter

Dear Parents, This has been a very long, varied and enjoyable term with all manner of successes to celebrate. Our pupils and staff have worked tirelessly, and I have been delighted to witness their enthusiasm, ambition, commitment and mutual respect and to see them accomplish so much together.

Collaboration underpins everything that happens in school, from the way in which a class learns and makes progress together in each lesson, to our Choir learning to sing in complex harmony in the Carol Service at St Albans Cathedral. Teams are central to so much at Habs, starting with our House teams which encourage every pupil to support and celebrate the achievements of those around them.

Throughout the term, I have also been very proud of the spirit shown by our teams on the sports pitches. Sport tests and develops our character, not only as individuals but also as a group, and there has been no shortage of challenge for the boys this term.

I have been especially impressed by many of our younger teams, whose talent and commitment bode very well for the future.

Our Prep rugby tournament was a great success, made even more memorable by the arrival of European silverware, courtesy of Saracens RFC. All the while, the remarkable HabsDash, the weekly team event that fosters a sense of great unity and shared purpose, continues to grow and evolve and we were delighted to welcome guests from ‘over the wall’ in the second half of term.

Collaboration with our sibling school has been a defining feature of the term. In September, we published our joint strategy,

which received a very positive reception.

Our schools are stronger in unison, and every young man and woman leaving us must be equipped to thrive in a coeducational, and increasingly complex, world. Throughout the term, senior staff in both schools have worked hard to translate that ambition into deliverable actions for the coming years.

It has been an exciting and energising process, requiring two teams to work with each other more closely, exploring the many opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead for our pupils.

We have also seen the many collaborative activities that already exist. Our musicians got together in August for the Jazz Summer School and it was a joy to hear them perform again last week in ‘Jazzmas’. Our inaugural Stellar Strings weekend was a resounding success, demonstrating, with some power, just how magnificent the massed ranks of our string players sound when combined.

Musicians and dancers from both schools performed at the Lord Mayor’s Show and, despite the rain, it was a day that everyone will remember.

Having won the national round of the European Youth Parliament last summer, our joint debating team earned the right to represent the UK in Hamburg in the actual European Youth Parliament. They acquitted themselves exceptionally well, inspired perhaps by one Old Haberdasher’s recent stint as Deputy Prime Minster. They might equally have been inspired by any number of exceptional speakers who visited us this term, not least Marina Litvinenko, an incredible role model and inspiration for boys and girls alike, having challenged

the might of Putin’s regime following the appalling murder of her husband. Prep boys and Junior girls enjoyed a rather more light-hearted, but equally memorable, talk from Sir Michael Morpurgo, one of the greatest ever children’s authors and a true inspiration.

One of the real highlights of the term was the production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring a fabulous cast of boys and girls, an incredible set and some quite astonishing music, devised and composed by our staff and pupils. It was a treat for all the senses. With terrific Inter-House drama performances and an accomplished rendition of Henry IV as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, it is reassuring to see the depth of talent and enthusiasm that exists for the stage. There will be many more great productions in the years ahead.

All the while, of course, academic study has been to the fore. One of the great privileges of being a Head is that one gets to see into many different classrooms and talk to many different boys about what they are learning, what they are reading, what they most enjoy and find most challenging. The answers so often surprise and delight and they truly are a remarkable group of young men; ahead of them lies lots of hard work and perseverance, but also very bright and fulfilling futures.

A great deal has happened and August feels like a very distant memory. I am looking forward to a restful Christmas with my family, before the exhilaration of the

admissions round in January with a record number of applicants once again.

I wish you and your families the very best for the festive season, good health and every happiness for 2020.

Gus Lock

Headmaster

Awards and Achievements Habs boys and girls represent the UK at Hamburg In late June, a team of students from Habs Boys and Habs Girls won the Summer National Session 2019 of European Youth Parliament UK in Liverpool. They were invited to represent the United Kingdom in the 91st International Session of the European Youth Parliament. A group of seven Upper Sixth students travelled to Hamburg on Friday 20 September to take part in a busy programme of team building, cultural activities and committee work over a few days.

Saturday 21 September saw the opportunity for the United Kingdom delegation to introduce themselves to more than 300 other delegates from the Council of Europe. On Sunday 22 September, the delegates were busy in committees and received talks on the session theme of ‘Remember, Reflect, React’. The official opening ceremony for the 91st session of the European Youth Parliament took place on Monday morning in the St. Katharinen Main Church, where five different speakers talked for two hours about European cooperation and the need for civic engagement from young people in the era of populism. We look forward to our students continuing to make a positive contribution to the conference through their role in committee work and the forthcoming debates in the General Assembly.

Inspirational teacher cycles over 500 miles in 24 hours At 5pm on Friday 1 November 2019, Mr Broadwith, teacher of Mathematics at Habs and also an Old Boy of the School, started the 24-Hour World Time Trial Championship (WTTC) in Borrego Springs, California. Mr Broadwith covered an astonishing 510 miles in 24 hours and finished second out of 108 cyclists, winning the silver medal. The WTTC took place in the desert and the conditions were harsh, particularly overnight. Despite this, Mr Broadwith maintained an impressive average speed of just over 21mph. Mr Broadwith is the current holder of the Land’s End to John O’Groats cycling record, which he set in June of last year. He is also three time National 24-hour time trial champion.

All at Habs congratulate Mr Broadwith on another remarkable feat. He is a shining example of how hard work and determination pay off to achieve success.

Awards and Achievements Habs pupil awarded Global Youth Award changed his life. He learned how children around the world were being exploited and forced into slavery. After talking about the programme at the School, Ishaan further committed to raising awareness of slavery and human trafficking in a way young people might understand. In 2017, Ishaan founded Stolen Dreams, a website and communications organisation to get young people to engage with positive action around human trafficking.

Habs is delighted to announce Ishaan (Lower Sixth) has been awarded the Global Youth Award – Empowering Leadership for his antislavery and anti-human trafficking efforts. At the age of 14, Ishaan saw a documentary which

Since then, he has spread his message widely across social media, podcasts and through public speaking, especially at other schools.

As a result of this award, Ishaan now has access to a global talent bank that offers opportunities for collaboration and creation between young people and forward-thinking organisations. Ishaan will continue his work tackling slavery and human trafficking.

Success at National Schools Chess Championship

The Social Value of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at Habs

Earlier in the term, the School’s Chess ‘B’ team emerged victorious in the ECF U19 National Schools Championship at Highgate School. Habs Boys beat both North London Collegiate School A and B teams, as well as Highgate A team, with 6-0, 6-0, 4.5-1.5 victories respectively. No games were lost by our boys, with Avi, Aman and Lukas drawing against their Highgate opponents.

Each year a huge amount of effort goes into the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award by pupils and staff at Habs.

The competition was strong and the opposition played very well. Our boys played admirably and resolutely throughout. Many congratulations to Kian (Year 8), Niall (Year 11), Aman (Year 10), Avi (Year 11), Lukas (Year 8) and Pranav (Year 8)!

The Award has a real social benefit in the number of volunteering hours and a real contribution in many communities.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award acknowledges the contributions made by youngsters and last year boys from Habs spent over 3,000 hours helping communities at a financial value of more than £13,000!

Awards and Achievements Habs boys excel at LSE Schools’ Debating Competition On 30 November, four Habs teams went with Mr Simm to the LSE Schools’ Debating Competition 2019. Speaking on motions varying from ‘This house would cap the amount that parents can spend on children’, to ‘This house believes that the UK should pursue closer ties with China at the expense of relations with the US’, the boys were intellectually stimulated and engaged throughout the day.

Results were especially impressive given the size of the competition, with over 100 teams and 200 competitors attending on the day.

Special congratulations must extend to Aniket and Aarnav, who finished 6th, and Lucas and Veylan, who finished 7th. Both teams qualified for the silver final, which Aniket and Aarnav then won – defeating teams from Dulwich College and Sevenoaks. No other school had two teams in the top eight. There were excellent results among younger boys too, with Fola (who is only in Year 9) finishing 2nd on the novice speaker tab whilst Lucas finished 3rd in the same category. The impressive

performance of our novice speakers shows that the future of Habs debating is very bright.

This result follows impressive performances at the Dulwich College School’s Competition and in the first round of the ESU Debating Competition, where our boys were accompanied by Mr Hall. This has been a term of excellent progress, and we look forward with confidence to LSE Juniors, Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and other competitions next term.

Senior mathematics team challenge On Wednesday 27 November, a team of four Habs mathematicians took part in the Middlesex regional final of the Senior Mathematics Team Challenge, organised by the UK Mathematics Trust and the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme.

The School is pleased to report that the Habs team came first and hence qualified for the national finals of the competition in February.

The Habs team of Josh (Upper Sixth), Krish (Lower Sixth), Daniel (Lower Sixth) and Akira (Lower Sixth) competed in three rounds of mathematical competition including: • a group round, featuring ten problems of varying type and difficulty • a series of shuttles in which the answer from one question feeds in to the next • a crossnumber (a type of mathematical crossword) The competition combines mathematical, communication and teamwork skills and offers students another way to express and develop their enjoyment of mathematics.

Many thanks must go to Mrs Brock and Mr Haring for their work with the strongest mathematicians from our after-school maths club, which continues to grow in popularity.

Awards and Achievements Rave reviews for Jobe Habs is delighted to announce the success of Year 9 pupil, Jobe, who has recently been recognised for his brilliant performance as best friend Billy in BIG, The Musical. Jobe has been involved in musical theatre productions outside of the School for the last three years.

He started as Billy (original cast) in School of Rock at the New London Theatre for 12 months (2016/17). He then moved on to performing as Eric and Nigel (original cast) in Matilda during the UK and Ireland Tour for six months

(2017/18) and then solely as Nigel in Matilda again at The Cambridge Theatre for another six months (2018/19). Jobe was also invited to a Press Night for Big, The Musical, and his recent performance in the show at the Dominion has been greeted with nothing but praise from the press. The Guardian mentioned “Josh’s firecracker best friend Billy (Jobe) is a scene-stealer.” The School would like to congratulate Jobe on his fantastic success!

The Cricketer selects Habs as one of the Top 100 Cricketing Schools Habs is excited to announce that the School has, once again, been selected as one of the Top 100 Cricketing Schools listed in The Cricketer Schools Guide 2020.

Mr Simon Hughes, Editor at The Cricketer Magazine, said: “The Schools Guide is, as ever, a fantastic publication that celebrates schools’ cricket and gives deserved praise to all those teachers and coaches who put in the hard work to develop our future club, county and international cricketers.

Having watched many schools matches this summer I am pleased to report that the standard of cricket programmes and the level of passion for the game is as high as ever.

“Schools cricket has certainly benefitted from this incredible year for the sport. Congratulations to all of the schools included and I look forward to hearing about all of your future successes.”

Habs is extremely pleased to be included in the Guide once more after such a successful year, which saw the introduction of two additional teams in the U12 age group due to growth in numbers and three HSCA County Final wins from a potential four, along with pupil selections for Middlesex Elite Player Groups.

Mr Lock, Headmaster, commented: “I am delighted that The Cricketer Magazine has again placed Habs in the Top 100 Schools. We pride ourselves on excellence not only inside the classroom, but beyond it as well. Art, music, drama, and indeed, sports form a huge part of school life here. We are blessed with world-class facilities and our pupils certainly make the most of them! Congratulations to the pupils, teachers and coaches for yet another outstanding year of cricket at Habs.”

Awards and Achievements Go4Set 2019 success paired with mentors from Smiths Interconnect, a leading provider of electronic components and microwave and radio frequency products.

Representatives from the company supported the students with their work at weekly meetings at school. Smiths Interconnect also invited the team to their Elstree site for a tour and a talk from the company director, and provided the students with a greater insight into what they do on a day-to-day basis.

Over the summer term, three boys along with three girls from the Girls’ School worked on their Go4Set project. The Go4Set scheme is a 10-week, environmentally-themed project that aims to inspire students towards STEMrelated careers by linking education and industry in real life situations. Our team was

The team then attended the celebration and assessment day at the RAF Museum London.

The students presented their work to a panel of judges from STEM industries and answered questions from guests. The judges commented on their brilliant presentation skills and evident teamwork - and the pupils went on to win the Most Innovative Project prize in the award ceremony. Well done to all involved!

Habs supports Borehamwood Foodbank charity Over the final week of term, the School collected food donations for Borehamwood Foodbank, part of the Trussell Trust. The food bank supports the most vulnerable people in our local community.

At this time of year, the Trust is very stretched for resources and every single donation we made as a school will make a substantial difference to somebody in need, who is unable to put food on the table this Christmas.

The donations were loaded into a School van on Thursday 19 December and taken to Borehamwood Foodbank. Thanks to all members of the Habs community for their generosity!

Events The Carol Service at St Albans Cathedral “As this Autumn term draws to a close, our presence here in this ancient Cathedral reminds us of the blessing that we share in belonging to our school community and to each other’s lives.” - Reverend Brandon

The annual Carol Service took place on Monday 9 December in St Albans Cathedral. This traditional event traces its roots back into the School’s history bringing together staff, pupils, parents, Old Boys and governors to strengthen relationships within our community and celebrate the birth of Christ.

religions – an original blessing, then a fall from grace and finally a restoration of harmony and blessing once more. This pattern strikes a chord in our hearts – for human relationships are masked by … the deep significance of loss and redemption.”

On the theme of loss and redemption, the Chaplain extended his message to include major debates of our time, such as climate change: “It is there that we can witness the extent of man’s fall from grace and his misuse of this earth of majesty, entrusted to him for future generations.”

The service featured the School choir, who sang A Spotless Rose, Deo Gracias, Bethlehem Down and Sir Christèmas, as well as lessons from the Bible read out by members of staff, pupils and governors. There were also addresses and prayers from Reverend Brandon and the Reverend Canon Tim Bull.

The School’s Chaplain, Reverend Brandon, emphasised the theme of ‘Blessing’ this year; a Biblical theme reflected in society even now: “Such a pattern is repeated in almost all

The Chaplain also emphasised the importance of looking ahead with a positive outlook, and how the School can make a difference. He said: “Such reminders serve to impress upon us the importance of rebuilding, reimagining and restoring the connection between God and mankind and between each other. As we gather in this place today, let our prayer be a prayer for restoration – that we can use what God has given us to steward and not destroy, to plant and not to plunder.”

The School would like to thank everyone who came along to the service.

Events Habs welcomes Sir Michael Morpurgo On the evening of Friday 18 October, Habs had the tremendous pleasure of welcoming celebrated children’s author, poet, playwright, and librettist Sir Michael Morpurgo to give a much-anticipated talk to excited pupils, parents and staff in a packed Bourne Hall. The author of 140 books, Sir Michael discussed the rich history of his storytelling career, touching upon moments in his life which had inspired his countless books. He reflected that his latest work ‘Boy Giant: Son of Gulliver’ while being influenced by Jonathan Swift’s classic story, was ultimately inspired by the lives of modern-day migrants trying to find their way to safer lands.

Sir Michael was full of wit and humour throughout the evening, entertaining parents and children alike with his tales from real life and fiction. The question and answer section at the end of the evening allowed Sir Michael to explore in greater detail more specific moments of his life. Before he left, Habs was honoured to provide Sir Michael with a cheque for £2,000, which will be donated to his charity ‘Farms for City Children’. The School would like to thank Sir Michael Morpurgo for visiting Habs and addressing our excited Prep pupils, parents and staff. Thanks must also go to Mr Bloch for organising the event. It was a truly wonderful and memorable evening.

Year 12 peer listener support training Our School Counsellor, Mrs Churney, led the Year 12 pupils in the first of three sessions to become mentors and supportive members of the School community. It was heartening to see nearly 40 pupils, from all Houses, volunteer to be academic or emotional supporters for the younger members of the School. Their role was to be part of the pastoral teams in their Houses and to draw on their own experiences to advise any pupil in need. The emphasis of the training was on developing skills as confident, reflective listeners. Much use will be made of the team in our forthcoming awareness weeks on antibullying, wellbeing and mental health.

Events Marina Litvinenko visits Habs Habs Politics Society was privileged to host Marina Litvinenko on Thursday 21 November.

Mrs Litvinenko gave a deeply moving, informative and fascinating talk on the events that led to the poisoning of her husband, Alexander, the consequences of his death, and where she sees Russia heading into the future.

Nearly 200 pupils from the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools packed the Bourne Hall and listened to a balanced, hopeful and personal account of the family’s fight for truth and justice. We are deeply grateful to Mrs Litvinenko for visiting us and giving our school such a spellbinding talk.

Habs hustings and mock election General Election fever has reached Habs! We have held a series of hustings events for our mock election candidates to debate topical issues such as Brexit, the UK economy, climate change, education, the NHS and how to restore public confidence in the political process. The final debate took place at lunchtime on Friday 6 December, with Rohan, Krish, Sam, Ethan and George representing the Brexit Party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and the Labour Party.

The lively 40-minute debate was well attended by a large crowd of students and staff from the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools. Passion, eloquence and political knowledge were all on display throughout the debate. The School also held a mock election ahead of the UK General Election 2019 on Thursday 12 December. Engagement with the democratic process is very much evident within our School community.

The results of our School Mock Election were published late on Thursday night. They make for interesting reading…

Party

Votes

Brexit Party

40

Conservative Party

169 (winning candidate)

Green Party

107

Labour Party

49

Liberal Democrats

156

Spoilt Ballot

1

Events Diving in Lanzarote

15 boys headed off to Lanzarote to put their newly acquired PADI diving licence to the test. They had an action-packed few days and enjoyed a total of six dives: this included dives from the shore and dives from a boat. The boys behaved exceptionally well, impressing both their diving instructors and teachers with their skills and their enthusiasm for discovering the underwater world. We saw a vast array of marine life, including angel sharks, sea horses, barracuda, damsel fish, trumpet fish, cuttlefish and many more. The diving was a huge success, and we are already excitedly planning our next diving trip!

Jeffrey Weinberg visits Habs The School was delighted to welcome to Habs Mr Jeffrey Weinberg on Monday 25 November.

His lunchtime talk in the Aske Hall to the Politics Society was attended by over 120 students from the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools, as well as staff from both Schools.

Mr Weinberg is respected on both sides of Atlantic for his unique perspective on the contemporary US presidency - as both a practitioner and an academic. Mr Weinberg served each of the last nine Presidents of the United States as a legislative attorney at the Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President. His presentation ‘The View from the Oval Office: Insights into the legislative presidency’ examined the tools available to contemporary presidents. He answered a wide array of questions about Presidents past and present and gave our students advice for making the most productive

use of university. The School is grateful to The HABS Foundation and the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford, as well as Mr Weinberg, for allowing this event to happen.

Events Time and Space Event It was a privilege to welcome Mr Bill and Mrs Lisa Jennings to Haberdashers’ to offer parents/ mentors - as well as their sons - the opportunity to spend an evening together in structured conversation. The focus of both events was to support families in effective communication, with some suggestions for how to create both ‘Time’ and ‘Space’ to allow this to happen.

The events on both evenings culminated in time dedicated to the sharing of treasures between the parent/mentor and son. These treasures, kept secret until the end of the evening, included photos, certificates, cricket bats and even a first tooth! The feedback from those involved has been excellent. One of the most touching pieces of feedback came from a Year 12 pupil who said: “If I could go back it would have been something I would have loved to have done with my mum.” Thank you very much to Bill and Lisa for bringing this wonderful event to the School. The challenge now for our Junior School boys is to keep making time and space with their parents/mentors for more one to one conversations.

Senior citizens’ tea party The senior citizens’ tea party took place on Sunday 15 December at the Girls’ School. Bingo, a raffle, carol singing, tea and cakes and some fabulous dancing were among the highlights of the afternoon. Huge thanks to all the regular and new guests that came to the party, to all the volunteers and committees from both schools for making the party so much fun for our guests and to the catering staff for the delicious treats.

Joint Schools general knowledge quiz Year 7 pupils joined Habs Girls for a fun afternoon in early November, tackling a general knowledge quiz with questions and subjects ranging from ‘Disney Films’ to ‘Famous Fours’.

Thanks must go to the Girls’ School for hosting the boys thoroughly enjoyed themselves!

Events Joint Schools novel writing competition The English department competition final took place on Wednesday 11 December at the Girls’ School. Mr Plotkin co-ordinated the event from the Boys’ School side.

The challenge was open to all Senior School pupils from both Schools to write the first 10 pages of a novel. The judge was top literary agent, Luigi Bonomi, from LBA Books. Luigi is also the judge of the Daily Mail novel writing competition, in conjunction with Penguin Random House publishers.

School entries, as well as for the best reading of their novel.

Many congratulations to Boys’ School winners Sam (first place), Raghav (second place) and Abrim (best reading of novel), and to Girls’ School winners Shalini (first place) and Yael (second place). Well done to all involved!

The evening began with a wonderful reception of drinks and canapés, followed by an introduction to the event. Then, each entrant read an extract from their novel. There were prizes awarded for the best Boys’ and Girls’

Author Nicky Hansell speaks about ‘The Sage Train’ philosophers and the theories for which they are known.

The Theology and Philosophy department welcomed author Nicky Hansell on Wednesday 9 October to lead a reading circle on her recent publication ‘The Sage Train’. All Year 9 students had begun reading ‘The Sage Train’ at the beginning of term. Nicky spoke to approximately 100 students in the School library about the lives of eight very different

Nicky’s fictional book brings to life abstract theories explored in the subject, including absolute and relative morality, Eudaimonia and Kant’s Categorical Imperative. The talk concluded with a practical application of Betham’s hedonic calculus and Mill’s utilitarianism. It was wonderful to see the library full of curious minds engaging and grappling with the theology and philosophy of Nietzsche and Chesterton among others. The School would like to thank Nicky Hansell for taking the time to visit our pupils – and to our colleagues in the library for hosting the event.

Stephen Gibson gives talk on regulation The Economics Society was pleased to host Mr Stephen Gibson (OH 1983), former Chief Economist at Ofwat and Postcomm. Stephen is a member of the Regulatory Policy Committee, which scrutinises and quality assesses all Government Impact Assessments. He also lectures at Birkbeck College.

Stephen gave a fascinating talk on the regulation of the advertising of junk food, based on his work as Principal Economist at Ofcom. It was enlightening to see how economic theory is applied in practice to weigh up possible policy remedies for a market failure. The audience listened attentively and asked highly pertinent questions throughout an excellent presentation.

Events Dr Paul Mulholland visits Habs On Tuesday 26 November, the Science Society welcomed to Habs Dr Paul Mulholland, a neuroscientist at UCL. Dr Mulholland leads a team of researchers, investigating cures for glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer. His talk about the variety of previous failed treatments, along with the applications of Ipilimumab (the current leading medication for skin melanomas), gave the pupils a great insight into the field of medical research. The talk also provided the students with a better understanding of the ethics behind experimental trials, as well as the processes involved in gaining funding for such projects. Dr Mulholland’s talk proved to be very thought-provoking, especially for the budding doctors and scientists attending.

Junior School welcome criminal defence barrister Lefi Anacreonte The School was thrilled to welcome Mrs Lefi Anacreonte to speak during Junior School assembly on Tuesday 10 December. Mrs Anacreonte is a criminal defence barrister with over 28 years’ experience who is currently practising at Furnival Chambers.

Mrs Anacreonte has been a member of Gray’s Inn and South Eastern Circuit for barristers during her distinguished career, where she has defended those accused of murder, fraud, robberies and financial crimes.

During the assembly she spoke about the role of a barrister and her passion for the law. Mrs Anacreonte then remained after the assembly to take a Year 7 values’ lesson, answer questions and speak to the class about those values that she felt were key: truth and integrity.

VEX Robotics VEX is an international competition where teams are challenged with designing, building and programming a robot to complete a set of tasks. A key part of the Habs co-curricular programme, it has tested some of our best engineers to challenge themselves with some truly 21st Century thinking. By deepening their understanding of programming, robotics and artificial intelligence, VEX is a great example of how our pupils are developing skills for forthcoming exams, the modern workplace and also for the excellence in education that we stand for.

We wish both our teams the best of luck in their forthcoming competitions and for the subsequent challenges of the year ahead!

Events HabsDash - 1st birthday On Tuesday 15 October, the School celebrated the 1st birthday of HabsDash by running a suitably themed ‘BirthdayDash’.

‘SantaDash’ On the final week of term, Habs held ‘SantaDash’...

Art, Music and Drama Senior School play During the process of creating A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the 2019 Senior School play, the cast worked with external movement directors, internal musicians and the drama department. Despite being a long and intensive process, it was both fun and rewarding, helping the cast to work on their acting skills as well as their communication skills, since we worked with students across the Boys’ and Girls’ Schools. The intricate and stunning set, made through the use of artificial trees, created a walkway of trees for the audience, running from the Bourne foyer to the seats. This year’s Senior School play proved to be a huge success – many thanks to all staff and students involved.

Inter-House Drama On Monday 14 October, the Senior Inter-House Drama competition took place, showcasing the best theatrical talent in the School. Six plays of 10 to 15 minutes were performed, discussing themes as diverse as religion and poker. Meadows opened the evening with ‘Dealer’s Choice’, before Russells brought their hilarious take on provincial theatre to the stage with ‘Bums on Seats’. Joblings performed ‘Trayf’, a piece questioning normative values, while Strouts combined comedy and heartache in their adaptation of ‘So Here We Are’.

Hendersons followed with a chilling adaptation of ‘Hansel and Gretel’, before Calverts finished the night with a fantastic piece from ‘Jerusalem’. In the final results, Strouts came in third, Russells second, and Joblings were victorious. The School is hugely grateful to Mr Weinman and Mr Ross, without whom the night could not have gone ahead, as well as Mr Hammond for the tech and Mrs Morris-Wolffe for her help and advice.

Art, Music and Drama Habs Big Band perform at the renowned Lord Mayor’s Show Habs Big Band were honoured to perform as part of the celebrations for the 804th Lord Mayor’s Show on Saturday 9 November, welcoming the appointment of the 692nd Lord Mayor of London, William Russell. Led by Mr Simm and performing in the Show Zone in Paternoster Square, Habs Big Band closed the afternoon performance in style, joining fellow ensembles from within the Haberdashers’ family: the Abraham Darby Show Band and Monmouth Jazz Orchestra.

The energy, punch and swing of the Habs Big Band powerfully emerged, wowing the audiences that had amassed around the stage. From their opening number, Buddy Rich’s version of ‘Love for Sale’, through to their closing item, ‘Count Bubba’ by Gordon Goodwin, the raw power in the Band was mirrored by the whooping and warm applause from our audience, who braved the elements to enjoy a terrific afternoon of jazz and Big Band playing. The pupils were, typically, superb ambassadors for the music department and our wider school community. It was a great privilege for the School to be invited to memorable day.

Guitar Concert 2019 A recent lunchtime Guitar Concert was a showcase of talent from over 80 Habs Guitarists, with the Upper Sixth being the main feature, as it was their final guitar performance of their school careers. Miss Galuszka arranged a spectacular range of pieces, from Stevie Wonder to The Gypsy Kings, and allowed the boys to show off their hard work through various musical styles in this ‘mini-Barbican’. It was an appropriate farewell to Miss Galuszka as well – she will be starting her maternity leave in the spring term and all at the School wish her well! The pupils have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Guitar Orchestra and always

appreciate the hard work Miss Galuszka does for them.

Art, Music and Drama Autumn Concert 2019 The annual Autumn Concert took place on Thursday 17 October and proved to be a musical triumph. Under the Director of Music, Mr Osmond, the Year 7s opened the evening with true flare and brilliance with their performance of Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’.

This was followed by the Senior Guitar Ensemble, School Choir, Junior Young Musician of the Year, Big Band, Concert Band, and Symphony Orchestra. To close the evening, the Year 7s gave their all, singing ‘Blame it on the Boogie’ and ‘Thriller’

by Michael Jackson, this time with orchestral accompaniment. This Autumn Concert was a real accomplishment and a highlight of this year’s concert calendar – once again, the Music department would like to pass on our thanks to the boys, the parents and the instrumental staff involved.

Habs Jazz Summer School 2020

Our inspirational Jazz Summer School returned for the last two weeks of August and concluded with a final concert at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho. The Summer School was a fantastic opportunity for our young musicians to develop their skills and further their love for playing music. The audience was blown away by the incredible level of the performing students, who were completely at home playing in this internationally-renowned jazz venue.

The course will be back in 2020 and will run for two weeks: from 17-21 August and 24-28 August.

Stellar Strings 2020 The School is looking forward to the 2020 Stellar Strings music weekend! This is a wonderful opportunity for over 100 students from both the Boys’ and the Girls’ Schools to perform and appreciate strings together.

The application form for the weekend will be available on Parent Portal across both Schools in January 2020.

Art, Music and Drama Art GCSE and A Level exhibition The School community has enjoyed viewing the fantastic artwork created by the GCSE and A Level students.

At an exhibition held in the Bourne Foyer, a wide range of pieces were on display, including large-scale paintings and mixed media work; lino printing; ceramics and drawing. The pupils were very excited to see the outcomes of each candidate’s personal investigation and in awe of the variety of exciting themes and approaches.

Sketchbooks, presented alongside the works, provided visual and written explanation of the research, development and refinement undertaken by each boy.

Art, Music and Drama Inter-House art competition The annual Inter-House art and drawing competition took place in the Old Refectory on Tuesday 12 November. Participants were set the challenge of drawing all (or a section) of the artistic themed installation in a specifically chosen material. Year 7 were asked to complete a pencil study of the still life, Year 8 were set the task of a biro study with markmaking and Year 9 were challenged to do an A3 study in chalk and charcoal.

The boys rose to the challenge beautifully and all our artists were deeply engrossed in their creative works. The Art department has been exceptionally impressed with the skill demonstrated by the participants.

Congratulations to all who took part!

James Lake fine art workshop This term our 11 fine artists enjoyed a fantastic workshop with artist James Lake.

They worked with a seemingly humble material – cardboard - to make sophisticated sculptures. In doing so, the pupils learnt a variety of new and inspiring techniques. James also talked to us about his own sculptures which he regularly exhibits and receives commissions for, and even brought in examples of his brilliant artwork. It was an exciting, busy and productive day for all.

Ian Murphy visits Habs art department On Wednesday 11 December, Year 9 and Year 10 students participated in an incredible all day workshop with visiting artist Mr Ian Murphy.

Mr Murphy creates exciting, accurate architectural drawings and paintings using a wide range of media. He is also passionate about sharing his techniques and experience through workshops in schools.

The pupils worked very hard and produced a range of work to extend their portfolios with new and sophisticated pieces.

Sport Rugby report Early success The U12 squad, under the dedicated coaching of Messrs Lawrence and Lokinmakin-Dutta, has enjoyed an excellent first season in the Senior School.

The rugby club has enjoyed an extremely busy autumn term with over 100 matches taking place across five different age groups. The overall picture is one of genuine optimism at the lower end of the School with huge swathes of enthusiastic players at U12 and sustained development at U13 and U14. Our strongest team, the U15s, were unbeaten in the regular season and have embarked upon an exciting run in the national plate competition. Round four will be played in January against Emanuel School, Wandsworth, with a quarter-final berth awaiting the winners. At the senior end, the 1st XV has endured a challenging year. School sport does tend to be cyclical, however, and with so much positivity abounding in the lower reaches of the club, there is much to enthuse about as we move into the next decade of rugby at Habs.

U14 pre-season tour to Biarritz Towards the end of the summer holidays, 18 future U14 rugby players arrived at Luton airport as they prepared to travel for their pre-season training camp to Biarritz. The boys rose early the next morning to allow for a 90-minute training session in preparation for a match against Tyrosse in the evening.

Handling, tackling and rucking drills were covered to prepare for the match ahead. The evening game was arranged very much as a training game, with the first three 10-minute quarters giving the opportunity for the whole squad to take the field at some stage. In the final quarter, teams were mixed up to allow the Habs players to experience some real French flare. The opposition were well drilled

The U12As have only lost two matches all season and those were at the start of the term when the team was in the process of being assembled. A draw against Dr Challoner’s and a fine win against St George’s Harpenden were particularly notable performances.

The U12Bs, alongside an increasingly large number of keen rugby players that train with the squad, have shown promise in their own right and the future looks rosy.

Old Boy Blues and other notable achievements

Congratulations are extended to both Sam Schusman (OH 2014) who came on to the field from the replacements bench to win his second blue in Cambridge’s win against Oxford in the 2019 Varsity match, and to Michael Miller (OH 2018), who was a travelling reserve for Cambridge.

Keelan (Year 10) is part of the Wasps DPP programme and Jacob (Year 11) has recently played for Hertfordshire as part of the Saracens DPP set up. and highly skilled, throwing the ball wide into space. The experience was fantastic for the team and showed them just how much work they needed to put in over the coming months.

An invaluable four training sessions and a game exposed the players to almost seven hours of rugby over three days, which set them up well for the coming season.

Sport

Football report The football season began with a home fixture against Emmanuel. The squad contained six Year 11s making their senior debuts, marshalled by Ben the captain, with Joe and Henry as vice-captains.

A resounding 5-0 victory kicked off the season, providing a great platform on which to improve for the rest of the season. A clean sheet and five goals gave a good sign of things to come. A particular highlight of the season came against Highgate School, one our local rivals. Wet conditions and a 9:30am kick-off promised a fast-paced affair. After conceding two unlucky goals, Habs found themselves 1-2 down with twelve minutes to go. Wise words from captain, Ben and Mr Hails gave the team hope. Ed equalised quickly after a smart through ball by Daniel and Habs knew a win was in their sights. With seconds remaining, Habs played a long ball, as Remy rose to head Ed through. He finished superbly to give Habs a dramatic, deserved late win. The lack of a cup run was disappointing, however this is something to improve on in the coming years. We would like to thank Mr Hails, Mr Kerr and Mr Bulling for helping settle the team and providing expert training and tactics.

Habs boy selected for national ISFA squad After successfully representing the ISFA South of England team - and playing in a further representative trial match - the School is delighted to announce that 1st XI captain Ben has been selected for the full National Independent Schools team for the season. Ben played in a fixture against Shrewsbury Town FC on Sunday 24 November. He was also involved in the International Camp at St George’s Park (FA/National Team HQ) on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 December. This is a tremendous achievement: it is the first time any pupil from the School has made the national squad.

Congratulations, Ben!

Sport Sixth Former re-selected for Middlesex Cricket Elite Player Group Habs is delighted to announce that Sixth Former Joe has been re-selected into the Middlesex Elite Player Group (EPG) for 2019/20.

The EPG comprises 18 high-potential players between the ages of U14 - U18 who follow an individualised programme aimed to develop them into the best player they can be.

Through the 2019 season, Joe very maturely dealt with an injury by using it as an

opportunity to work incredibly hard for his GCSEs, while at the same time working on regaining and maintaining his fitness.

Joe has come back at the start of the winter looking fitter and stronger than ever looking to improve all facets of his game. His appetite to learn and work ethic have been standout characteristics over the last 12 months and the School is looking forward to watching how he develops through the year. Well done, Joe!

Middlesex call up Habs boy for D40 National League squad

Year 9 pupil selected for prestigious award for swimming

Aryan has been selected to represent Middlesex in the D40 National League squad.

This is the highest level of disability cricket before international status. Aryan will play against other counties across England and will start training fortnightly from January 2020. There will be eight league games and a national semi-final and final if Middlesex have a successful run. Aryan’s first fixture is on Sunday 17 May 2020 and he is hoping to bring as much intensity to training and the fixtures as possible and move up in disability cricket.

Congratulations, Aryan!

Congratulations to James in Year 9 for being selected for a prestigious award from Maccabi GB for his achievements in swimming at the JCC Maccabi Games in Detroit.

James won 14 of the 24 medals that team GB won including six golds. This Maccabi GB award is for the standout athlete of the GB delegation for these games; however the panel was also looking for someone who represented the Maccabi ethos of respect and support of other athletes and staff.

Year 10 pupil selected for U17 GB American football Max in Year 10 has been selected for the U17 GB American football squad. Max’s American football journey started in 2018 when he joined the Hertfordshire Cheetahs. After a successful season, his team qualified for the Britbowl national finals, where they came third. Max was disappointed not to be selected for the national teams closed trials, so decided to enter the open trials in the south in September. After a month of anticipation, Max received an email from the head coach inviting him to join the U17 Great Britain squad.

Once every month Max trains with the squad at various locations around the UK as they prepare for the 2021 European championships.

Max is really excited to see where it takes him in the future. Well done, Max!

Trips Royal Russell MUN conference 2019 Habs students attended their second MUN conference of the year at Royal Russell School in South Croydon from 19 to 22 October. 17 Habs students attended and participated by representing Kazakhstan, Russia and DR Congo. All had the opportunity to make friends with students from across Europe and the USA. The pupils particularly enjoyed supporting their nations’ points of view. Of special mention was the resolution proposed by George for DR Congo on the topic of Israel-Palestine, which was passed in front of all delegates at the General Assembly. Many students won individual awards, and the Habs Russia delegation won one of three outstanding delegation awards. We now look forward to further conferences, and our own HabsMUN in March. A huge thanks to Miss Edgell and Mr Cooper for their support and encouragement.

History trip to Berlin Over the October half term, 26 students visited Berlin with the aim of exploring the city’s central role in Europe’s recent history. On the first day, the students explored some aspects of the history of the Third Reich. They began with a tour of some sites of Berlin’s Jewish History, including the Oranienburger Synagogue and the Jewish Memorial Cemetery on Grosser Hamburger Strasse. On day two, the group spent the morning visiting the Concentration Camp Memorial at Sachsenhausen. The third day focused on the history of the German Democratic Republic, including a bus ride to the former Stasi (Ministry of State Security) prison at Hohenschoenhausen.

This was followed by a visit to the former headquarters of the Stasi at Normannestrasse. The final day included a walking tour of the former Berlin Wall at Bernauer Strasse. Altogether it was a fabulous trip. The School would like to thank Mr Simm, Mrs Turbett and Mr Swallow for their invaluable help.

Trips Geography trip to Iceland Pupils from Years 9 and 10 enjoyed five days in Iceland during the half-term break. Highlights included lava tube caving, a glacier hike on the Solheimajokull glacier, visits to many picturesque waterfalls, the Geysir geothermal area, as well as the opportunity to bathe in geothermal waters at the Laugarvatn Spa.

On their first day, the boys enjoyed a tour of Reykjavik and saw some spectacular ‘Aurora Borealis’ in the evening. Visits to the Lava Centre and earthquake simulator allowed them to learn more about Iceland’s history of volcanic eruptions – it also gave them a good appreciation of one of Iceland’s most severe earthquakes in recent history. Many thanks to all involved on a thoroughly enjoyable and educational trip.

Year 7 Tower of London trip On Friday 4 October, Year 7 joined the History department on a guided tour of the Tower of London. They went around the UNESCO World Heritage Site in their House groups. Each group took part in a workshop conducted by the Historic Royal Palace Education team on either the Norman Tower or Richard III (and the Princes in the Tower). Many thanks to all staff and students involved!

Trips Year 8 Barcelona trip During half term, our Year 8 pupils took a trip to some of the most iconic places in Barcelona. Despite the political situation in the Catalan region, all activities and planned visits went ahead as previously organised. The pupils were fantastic company for the week and were great ambassadors for the School.

They had the opportunity to have some fun while learning about some incredible locations they visited.

The School would like to thank Mr Bowley, Mr Charlwood, Ms Gomez and Mrs Miller-Smith, who were all essential to the success of the trip, along with Mr Simm, Mrs Goldberg, Mrs Mensah and Mrs Clay for their behind-thescenes work on the pre-trip preparation.

Guthrie Cup 2019 Earlier this month, 10 members of Habs CCF Army Section, ably Commanded by Cadet Under Officer Ayaan (Army Scholar), travelled to Harrow School to compete against nine other London District CCF contingents in the Guthrie Cup, accompanied by Capt Gannarelli and Cpl Maj Sandercock.

Against some extremely strong competition, Habs performed well, especially in the section attack, shooting and fitness stands. The day culminated in addresses by Lt Col Land, the Contingent Commander and Headmaster of Harrow School, and by Her Majesty’s representative, the Deputy Lieutenant of Harrow. Many thanks to the students and staff involved.

Isabel Allende’s La Casa de los Espíritus in the theatre On Monday 18 November, Year 12 and Year 13 enjoyed going to see La Casa de los Espíritus, a play adapted from the Chilean writer Isabel Allende’s famous first novel. It was a fantastic opportunity, both to immerse the pupils into Hispanic culture outside of the classroom and for them to practise their Spanish by experiencing Spanish literature being brought to life on stage. The play was thought-provoking and made all think about the troubled history of Chile. The pupils are looking forward to going back to the Cervantes Theatre in February to see Lorca’s La Casa de Bernarda Alba!

Prep and Pre-Prep Pre-Prep winter concert

Prep and Pre-Prep Year 2 Life in Ancient Egypt day On Monday 11 November, the Year 2 boys experienced a day of life in Ancient Egypt.

They dressed up to get into character and enthusiastically participated in making artefacts and taking on a variety of roles to represent the society of 14th Century BC Egypt.

Through drama, music, dance and roleplay the pupils re-created the Royal Court and entertained their very own Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti!

Harvest Festival Reverend Brandon delighted the Pre-Prep boys with a story about how the church mice shared their harvest feast with him, the rat. He reminded the pupils of the importance of sharing the food we have with others less fortunate. Our harvest donations will be delivered to Keech Hospice Care, a charity which provides care for children and adults with life limiting illnesses.

Our Year 2 School Council representatives Sahil and Riyan are pictured with some of the donations.

Pupils celebrate St Andrew’s Day Pupils in Andrew’s House came in dressed in blue and white. They learnt facts about St Andrew and sampled some Scottish delicacies whilst listening to Scottish music.

Some of the boys really got into the spirit of things and tried on traditional highland dress and attempted to play the bagpipes. Lots of fun and laughter was had by all!

Prep and Pre-Prep Pre-Prep and Prep boys donate to ‘Food For All’ Our Pre-Prep and Prep Schools are proud to be supporting London’s homeless this winter.

The boys and their parents donated bags full of items that can make a real difference to people struggling on the streets. These will be donated to the charity ‘Food For All’.

This proved an ideal opportunity for the boys to engage in a positive way and make a difference to those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Head of Prep School for the day Congratulations to Ish in Year 3 for winning the Head of Preparatory School for the day prize at the summer fayre raffle.

Ish had a wonderful day as Head and shared some lovely ideas when he delivered the morning assembly in the Prep Hall. His main theme was ‘compassion’, which is one of the School’s values.

He urged all to share at least one act of kindness during the day. He closed his assembly with: “I hope that everybody has a really great day and learns at least one new way of how to be kind to others. We might just be kids, but kids can do big things, too!”

Annual NSPCC art exhibition awards Congratulations to all who submitted their inspiring artwork for the NSPCC art exhibition held in Borehamwood on Sunday 17 November.

Mr Oliver Dowden, MP for Hertsmere, presented the Habs pupils with their awards.

Well done to Aiden (Year 4) and Onkaar (Year 4) for their joint 1st place, and to Kian (Year 4), Maanav (Year 6) and Kabir (Year 4) for coming joint 2nd!

Prep and Pre-Prep Christmas carol concert

Prep sports report 2019 In the Prep School’s sports this term, both in PE and Games, the pupils have been working on the values of teamwork, respect, creativity, courage and leadership. It has been a busy term with lots of fixtures in a range of sports and there have been great examples of the boys demonstrating our sporting values. The Prep School handed out 55 values’ badges at the end of term and awarded three boys in Year 6 their rugby colours.

The School would like to acknowledge a number of notable performances throughout the term, including our U10/11 football team winning the Borehamwood Primary Schools Football Association Cup and the Year 3 to Year 6 table tennis teams remaining undefeated during their two fixtures. We must also share the success the Prep School has seen with rugby this year, having taken our Year 6 rugby tour to Ireland this year and every boy representing the School in numerous matches.

The Year 4s also played superbly in the U9

Rugby Festival, improving every game and enjoying the opportunity to have a photo with the Heineken and Premiership Cups that were brought in by representatives from Saracens. Our Donkin Cup cross country event saw outstanding performances across all School years.

Finally, the Prep School’s rugby House match results are: 1st - Patricks, 2nd - Davids, 3rd - Georges, 4th – Andrews.

Thank you all parents and staff who have come along and supported the boys in their fixtures.

The Habs Community

CCF Annual Act of Remembrance and Parade On Friday 8 November, the Habs CCF held its Annual Act of Remembrance and Parade, which was attended by Old Boys, former and current staff, parents and current pupils.

In the morning, our Prep School pupils lined up along the edge of the croquet lawn to listen to Senior School pupils and Reverend Brandon, and reflected on the lives of those who had fallen during wartime. Head of the Preparatory School, Mr Rossetti and two Prep pupils then laid a wreath at the School war memorial.

Later in the day, we were delighted to welcome many Old Boys back to the School for the Annual Act of Remembrance and Parade. After meeting in Aldenham House, our Old Boys headed out to the croquet lawn, where the current CCF boys stood smartly to attention, awaiting the arrival of the Contingent Commander Lt Col Woodall and Reverend Brandon. Cadets from the Navy, Army and RAF sections read out the names of Old Boys who had died in the service of their country. There then followed the sounding of The Last Post by a lone bugler. Wreaths were laid at the School war memorial by Headmaster, Mr Lock, and President of the Old Haberdashers’ Association, Mr Blessley. Following the service, officers and cadets from the CCF joined the Old Boys and other members of the School community in the Old Refectory for afternoon tea, where memories and experiences were shared.

The Habs Community The HABS Foundation is now on AmazonSmile If you are an AmazonSmile customer, you can now support The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School Foundation via the Amazon shopping app or website. Funds raised by the Foundation provide bursarial support for those bright boys whose parents might otherwise be unable to afford Habs’ exceptional education.

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices and shopping features as Amazon.co.uk. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases.

There is no cost to charities or customers, and 100% of the donation generated from eligible purchases goes to the consumer’s charity of choice.

Step 1: In your internet browser go to smile.amazon.com and log in using your Amazon credentials Step 2: Under the heading ‘Or pick your own charitable organisation’ enter ‘The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School Foundation’ then click ‘Search’ Step 3: You will be redirected to the page below. Check the box next to ‘Yes’ and then click ‘Start Shopping’ You will then be signed up for AmazonSmile.

Visit smile.amazon.com every time you normally visit Amazon to make sure your eligible purchases are having a portion of the price donated to The Foundation. Note that you may also set up AmazonSmile on your device via the Amazon app.

Class of 2019 certificate collection and reunion Wednesday 18 December saw the Class of 2019 return to the School for the first time as Old Boys. The evening provided them with the chance to collect their A Level certificates and to catch up with friends and former teachers.

With many having completed their first term at university, conversations were filled with stories of their first few months of life ‘post Habs’.

All had a wonderful time and, as the evening came to a close, promises were made to stay in touch with each other, as well as the School.

We look forward to many such occasions in years to come.

Stay connected to Habs

www.habsboys.org.uk www.habsboys.org.uk /habsboys /habsboys

@habsboys @habsboys @habsboysschool

J Suchak and T Lunn - December 2019

Routine Reminders SCHOOL CLOSURE DATES The School will be closed over the Christmas and New Year period. There will be NO access to the School and there will be minimal caretaking staff. The dates for the closure are from 16:00 on Friday 20 December 2019 to 06:00 on Thursday 2 January 2020.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE START OF THE SPRING TERM 2019 The Spring Term starts on Monday 13 January 2020 for all boys in the Senior School, Prep School and Pre-Prep School.

Our 13+ Entrance Examinations and our 7+ Entrance Tests take place on Thursday 9 January 2020 and 11+ Entrance Examinations take place on Friday 10 January 2020. Only boys taking or helping with the examinations are needed in school on those days.

PARENT TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS – WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY 2020 For your information, the Girls’ School examination day takes place on Wednesday 15 January 2020. Boys’ School parents should be aware there will be increased traffic on this day so please do allow extra time for journeys.

TERM DATES You will find these enclosed and on our website under ‘News and Events’.

Please note there will be NO SCHOOL FOR THE PREP & PRE-PREP on Monday 20 January 2020 due to 7+ Entrance Interviews.

There is also a Staff Development day on Monday 24 February 2020, so there will be NO SCHOOL FOR ANY PUPIL that day.

PARENTS’ CONSULTATION EVENINGS The usual programme of consultation evenings will take place throughout the Spring Term. For your reference, the dates are as follows: Year Year Year Year

7 8 9 11

Thursday 6 February 2020 Thursday 13 February 2020 Tuesday 21 January 2020 Monday 27 January 2020

17:45 17:45 17:45 17:45

– – – –

20:30 20:30 20:30 20:30

Boys in Year 7 and 8 do not accompany their parents.

Boys in Years 9 and 11 are expected to be present in school uniform.

SCHOOL SHOP The School Shop will close from Thursday 19 December 2019 at 12:00 until Monday 13 January 2020 at 08:30.

The School Shop website is available during term time only, enabling parents to buy online and choose delivery or collection of the item. The website is easily accessible through a link on the school website.

If you intend to visit the School Shop during the working day (08:30-11:50 and 12:35-16:00) please sign in at Aldenham House reception to collect a visitor’s badge and enable the Receptionist to ring ahead and alert the

Routine Reminders Shop of your visit. If possible, please arrange a time to visit the School Shop (Tel: 020 8266 1710) in advance so that your journey is not wasted if the item you require is not in stock.

The uniform list is available online. Attention should be paid to the colour of boys’ trousers (charcoal) and to the fact that school shoes should not bear any branding and should be business-like.

E-SAFETY The Parent Portal has advice on e-safety for parents and helping to prepare children for a digital future.

Please familiarise yourself with this. Please monitor your son’s screen time (especially use late at night) and his use of social media. WhatsApp’s minimum age of use is 16 years old if you live in the European Union or a country that has adopted the GDPR, as the UK has. He should also not be using Facebook below the age of 13.

PARENT CAR PARKING – BOYS’ SCHOOL Pupils may arrive from 08:00. There will be no pupil supervision prior to 08:00.

When dropping off at the Girls’ School, vehicles must enter the car park and not park on the pavement on the other side of the road (completely blocking the pedestrian path) as this causes a safety hazard. We also do not want any children trying to cross Aldenham Road at this point as crossing this road is dangerous; it is a national speed limit and it is close to a bend. We have no jurisdiction over the public highway but have shared our concerns with the local authorities.

The North Drive Car Park is the designated location for all parent parking unless you are visiting Aldenham House, the Medical Centre or School Shop. Parents are kindly asked not to proceed up the North Drive and attempt to park in either the Modern Languages Car Park or in the area of the Prep School. This is to ensure we minimise vehicle movement around campus, especially when there is increased pedestrian movement at the end of the school day. Please also use the footpath on the left-hand side of the North Drive and alongside the Modern Languages block when transiting on foot from the North Drive Car Park to the Prep School, thereby avoiding the main road bridge and the oncoming traffic.

Please do not attempt to ‘jump’ the barriers after a car has driven through to gain access to the School. Not only is it dangerous, but it also restricts the manoeuvring area for the exiting car. Please also note that as there is no sensor on the barrier it will continue to close. On several occasions this has resulted in expensive repair costs for the School and damage to the vehicle attempting to gain access this way. This area is covered

by CCTV. DOGS ON CAMPUS Parents attending sports fixtures, clubs and other outside events are kindly asked to note that dogs are NOT permitted on campus under any circumstances. This is an important health and safety measure to protect the playing fields and campus from any soiling. The ONLY exception is dogs belonging to on-site residents and Guide Dogs. Your co-operation in this matter is appreciated.

NO SMOKING Parents and visitors are kindly reminded that the School is designated as a No Smoking or Vaping area.

PARENTPAY LUNCH SYSTEM Parents are reminded to top up their sons’ lunch accounts by adding appropriate funds online at ParentPay.com.

Routine Reminders NUT POLICY The School’s main catering contractor, Chartwells, and the School Shop do not use any products which contain nuts or nut by-products. However, parents should note that current labelling regulations do not allow us to declare a ‘nut free’ status. Therefore, the policy is one that avoids the use of and sale of nut products as far as we are reasonably able to do so. This policy is widely accepted across the education sector and our suppliers are informed of it. In addition, Chartwells make every effort to keep up to date with new products and changes in products to ensure that, to the best of their knowledge, they adhere to this policy.

The management of children with food allergies and intolerances within school is a shared responsibility between the School, medical practitioners, parents and boys. All staff, boys and parents are reminded that a number of boys suffer very severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reactions to nuts or nut-based products (e.g. peanut butter). Pupils must not bring nuts or any nut-based products to school, nor should they have them on the coach. This policy is consistent between the Boys’ School and the Girls’ School. If your son is uncertain about the ingredients of a particular dish which he may need to avoid because of a food intolerance, he should ask a member of the catering staff.

MEDICAL CENTRE The Medical Centre is staffed by two fully-qualified and experienced nurses, Gillian McGrath (RGN) and Martina McGrath (RGN), who are employed primarily to deal with the unexpected onset of illness or injury, to dispense over-the-counter medications, to organise health checks and to assist any boys who may have chronic conditions that have been notified to the School.

MEDICAL INFORMATION HELD ON THE PARENT PORTAL As you are aware, the medical information and consent for medication is now completed by you on the Parent Portal. Please ensure this is up to date and, if you need to make any changes, you can do this via the Parent Portal. If you wish to discuss the changes, contact the nurses directly in the Medical Centre, especially if it is a new illness or condition.

DISPENSING PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION If your son requires any prescription medicine to be taken at school, please fill in the consent form on the parent portal and print or email it to us; schoolnurse@habsboys.org.uk. Either you or your son should bring the form to the Medical Centre, along with the medication to be dispensed in its original labelled bottle. It is your son’s responsibility to attend the Medical Centre to be given the medication.

COLLECTING AN UNWELL BOY A reminder that if your son is unwell and wishes to go home, he must attend the Medical Centre, where either he or one of the nurses will phone you. The nurses will then inform your son’s Form Tutor, Housemaster, Head of Section and Absences, thereby ensuring that the relevant personnel are aware that your son is no longer in school.

DIARRHOEA AND VOMITING Owing to the contagious nature of the above, we request that you wait at least 48 hours after the last episode of sickness or diarrhoea before returning your son to school, as advised by the NHS Choices website.

Routine Reminders ASTHMA If your son is asthmatic, please ensure he has his inhaler at all times in school.

EPIPEN If your son has been prescribed an epipen, please ensure he has all the required medication in school with him and that it is in date.

REPORTING PUPIL ABSENCE DUE TO ILLNESS If your child is unable to attend school because of illness, you do need to let us know on each day of the absence. This can be done by sending an email to absences@habsboys.org.uk before 08:45.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE All boys must attend school and all timetabled activities punctually and regularly. Except in the event of illness, no boy may be absent from school without permission previously obtained as follows: Appointments Form Tutor

1 Full Day Head of Section 1+ Days Headmaster There is no right of leave of absence for parental holidays in term time. In exceptional circumstances, the Headmaster is prepared to consider a request made to him in writing (this can be done via email to hm@habsboys.org.uk) before any commitment or booking is made.

In the event of parents being away from home, parents must inform the School who is looking after their son during their absence. The School must have contact details in case of emergency and in order to fulfil our responsibility in knowing that pupils are being looked after.

BARMITZVAH As per the letter on the portal, you are respectfully requested to contact the School in plenty of time if you are planning a Barmitzvah. Please let us know if your guests will include significant numbers to be withdrawn from sporting fixtures scheduled for a Saturday.

The expectation is that boys do not miss any school time during the period around their Barmitzvah, so we expect to see the boys in school on the Friday preceding and the Monday afterwards, unless under exceptional circumstances where written permission should be sought from the Headmaster (hm@habsboys.org.uk).

TRANSPORT NOTICES SPRING 2019 NEW TRANSPORT MANAGER We are pleased to announce that from January 2020, Ms Emma Summers will take the position of Transport Manager. The Transport Office will now be contactable from 07:30 to 18:30, Monday to Friday.

COACH E-TICKETS All casual tickets can now be obtained via the Parent Portal. You can also use the Portal to amend or request a cancellation to your current transport arrangements. Please ensure your children have either an electronic or

Routine Reminders paper copy of their e-ticket. We will print when an ad hoc passenger does not have access to an email copy.

We will resend e-tickets at the end of term detailing your current arrangements. Please check these and advise the Transport Office if changes are required. It should be noted that we cannot guarantee a place on a new route mid-term as a number of our coaches are currently at capacity.

TIMETABLE AND STOP LOCATIONS We would like to remind you that you can access on the Parent Portal the link to a postcode search of all our stops and the timetable. This information can be found under the School Links section; simply click on the ‘Coach Service’ link via ‘About Us’.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR BAD WEATHER CONDITIONS May we remind you that all children using the coach service must have a phone.

In the event of bad weather, the Schools will remain open whenever possible and parents are asked to make every endeavour to get their children to school each day. This includes the Pre-Prep School. Coach drivers are urged to make every effort to reach the Schools, trying alternative routes where necessary. However, if the Schools have to close, parents should be aware of the following: SCHOOL CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENTS Messages will be placed on the Schools’ websites as soon as a decision to close is taken. Please check the website regularly in the event of bad weather. The default setting unless shown otherwise on the School web site is that the School is open.

COACH STOP PROTOCOL: INBOUND If the coach is late, one of the passengers at the stop should contact the Transport Office on 020 8266 1705.

The Transport Office will establish the whereabouts of the coach and confirm what alternative arrangements are in place via email. If the coach service is not running, parents will need to make arrangements for looking after their children.

Parents are requested to advise their children of a number to call and the means to make the call if the coach drivers cannot reach the School and must return passengers to their coach stop.

GENERAL ADVICE Pupils should wear sensible boots and plenty of warm clothes. Please do not let your son or daughter set out inadequately or unsuitably clad. They should have a spare pair of socks and shoes in school during a period of bad weather.

EXAMINATIONS EXAMINATION TIMETABLES The provisional Summer 2020 GCSE and GCE examination timetables can be found on HabsNet. The final version will appear in the New Year. It is likely that many students will have clashes, where individuals are timetabled to sit two (or possibly more) exams at the same time. Thus, several exams are likely to be moved by a few hours. We will notify students when timetables have been finalised.

Routine Reminders RE-SIT EXAMINATIONS IN SUMMER 2020 Although it would be unusual for boys to take re-sits this year, since most qualifications are now linear, students in Year 13 may re-sit GCE Advanced Supplementary subjects in Summer 2020.

The application form can be found on HabsNet. The closing date for such applications was Thursday 12 December 2019. Please ask your son to see Mrs Thakar, Head of Examinations, in the first week of the Spring Term if he wishes to take a re-sit and has missed this deadline.

All re-sits must be agreed in advance by the Head of the Department concerned.

UCIs All students from Year 7 upwards already have a Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) number. It is important that this number is used in all examinations taken throughout your son’s secondary education, whether at Habs or elsewhere. Having two UCIs can cause problems with university entry or in the checking procedures adopted by some professions. Should you need to know this UCI number, perhaps because your son is sitting an examination outside School, please contact the Examinations Office: exams@habsboys.org.uk.

EXTRA SUBJECTS Achieving high grades in GCSE exams is much more important than the number of subjects taken. If you are thinking about increasing the number of GCSEs with additional subjects, we strongly urge you to seek advice from your son’s Tutor.

We can offer students from Year 10 upwards the opportunity to sit additional examinations on campus. It would certainly be less disruptive to your son’s studies to sit such examinations here. Furthermore, it may be less stressful to do this in familiar surroundings, as opposed to visiting a different location.

We can only offer private language examinations in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Arabic, or if the examination does not have a speaking component.

There is a charge for this service; the application form can be downloaded from HabsNet. The closing date for such applications was Thursday 12 December 2019. Please ask your son to see Mrs Thakar, Head of Examinations, in the first week of the spring term if he wishes to take an extra subject and has missed this deadline.

ACCESS ARRANGEMENTS The Awarding Bodies allow special arrangements in examinations for candidates who have a long term disability or disadvantage. We expect parents to inform us of any pre-existing physical (e.g. colour blindness), medical or learning difficulties, and to provide appropriate evidence in support of applications for access arrangements. In particular, there must be evidence over many months showing a history of the provision of appropriate help. Requests in the last few months before the GCSEs and GCEs are unlikely to be permitted by the Awarding Bodies.

ILLNESS DURING THE EXAMINATION SEASON Special Consideration is a post-examination adjustment to a candidate’s mark or grade to reflect temporary illness, temporary injury or other indisposition at the time of the assessment, which has had or is reasonably likely to have had a material effect on a candidate’s ability to take an assessment or demonstrate his level of attainment in an assessment.

Routine Reminders If your son is, or becomes, unwell during the examination season, the School will need medical evidence which is held on file for inspection by the Awarding Bodies. It is important to have a medical report in school quickly. If you are unable to see your own doctor, your son should visit the Medical Centre. In any case, boys should report to the Medical Centre on the morning/afternoon of any exam where they are feeling unwell. All enquiries regarding Special Consideration should be sent to specialconsideration@habsboys.org.uk.

PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS SAT BY OUR STUDENTS AT ANOTHER EXAMINATION CENTRE We are always delighted to hear of the success of one of our students, who has achieved a GCE or GCSE pass at an external Examination Centre (although we do hope that he was entered employing the same Unique Candidate Identifier (UCI) number as the one used here at Habs). To have any such results entered in our school records, we will need to have sight of the original GCE/GCSE certificate. Please ask your son to bring this certificate, ideally with the Statement of Results, and give it to the Examinations Department. Once we have identified the specification and made a certified copy, the paperwork will be returned.

CAREERS AND UNIVERSITY APPLICATIONS WORK EXPERIENCE The Year 11 work experience programme began with a Careers Information Evening for pupils and parents, during which we heard from a valued work experience provider about how to prepare for and make the most of a work experience placement. This was followed by an assembly for Year 11s in which three Lower Sixth students spoke informatively about their own placements. CV and covering letter drop-in sessions have been available, and staff in the Careers Office are very happy to see students to review CVs and applications.

If your son has already arranged his work experience, please remind him to log this on the Work Experience portal - details of this are in his Work Experience handbook which can be found on HabsNet. Please also remind your son to keep an eye on both his school email and the Careers pages on HabsNet for work experience opportunities – we are extremely lucky to be offered some excellent placements through parents and friends of the School and we update the students with these regularly.

The continuing success of the work experience scheme does rely on the goodwill and support of friends of the School. If you think you may be able to offer a placement either to one of our Year 11 pupils or to a Sixth Former (during the school holidays), please email howe_s@habsboys.org.uk.

HABS DRAGONS’ DEN Our biennial Habs Dragons’ Den competition is now underway for students from Years 10 and 11 and, for the first time this year, will be running in partnership with the Girls’ School. The competition encourages the students to work creatively and as part of a team, developing their presentation skills, entrepreneurial spirit, and ability to think on their feet as they take questions from our panel of high-profile Dragons. This year’s Grand Final will take place on the morning of Wednesday 4 March 2020 as part of National Careers Week.

YEAR 11: EMPLOYABILITY DAY Our next Employability Day for Year 11 pupils, which ran for the first time in June 2019, will be taking place on Thursday 18 June 2020, after GCSE exams and before work experience. The day will help boys to start thinking about how they can apply their skills to the workplace and will involve mock interviews, as well as sessions on topics such as expectations in the workplace and presentation skills. We would be delighted to hear from any parents who would be interested in helping out, either by conducting mock interviews or running a workshop – please email nash_k@habsboys.org.uk if so.

Routine Reminders YEAR 11: MORRISBY FOLLOW UP INTERVIEWS The majority of Year 11 students took the Online Morrisby test at the end of Year 10. This term, Form Tutors have been conducting follow up interviews which should assist boys with their A Level choices. There are some excellent resources available on the Morrisby website so please remind your son to make use of these, and to share his profile with you if he hasn’t already done so.

YEAR 11: A LEVEL SUBJECT INFORMATION EVENING All Y11 students and their parents are invited to our first A Level Subject Information Evening. The purpose of this evening is to provide you and your son with information about the Sixth Form curriculum and the range of subjects on offer at A Level. The evening will be a chance for you and your son to get a flavour of the subjects on offer and in particular for your son to explore the subjects he is considering studying at A Level but is undecided on.

YEAR 12: CAREERS BREAKFASTS Our series of Careers Networking Breakfasts for the Lower Sixth got started on 25 November 2019 with a Media & Creative Industries breakfast. These events are being organised in partnership with the Girls’ School and give the students the opportunity to network with professionals from their career area of interest, finding out more about career pathways whilst also developing their communication and networking skills. A further five breakfast sessions will be taking place over the rest of this academic year covering Law, STEM, Medicine & Dentistry, Finance; and Entrepreneurship. If you would be interested in attending and speaking to our students about your profession, please contact nash_k@habsboys.org.uk.

LOWER SIXTH: HIGHER EDUCATION ADVICE Lower Sixth pupils have been following a Higher Education Induction Programme with their Tutor using The University Handbook Part 1 and have been invited to a meeting with subject advisers. More detailed advice and guidance concerning the preparation of the application is given to the pupils in June at our UCAS Conference, when we run personal statement workshops, a presentation skills seminar and subject-specific mock interviews. Parents and Lower Sixth pupils will also be invited to the second of our Higher Education Evenings in June to meet admissions tutors.

Information concerning higher education opportunities, degree apprenticeships, careers experience courses and work experience is routinely emailed directly to the pupils’ school email addresses. It is also published in a regular bulletin, emailed to pupils, and is accessible to the pupils via HabsNet and to parents via the Parent Portal. Pupils are expected to consult these sources frequently. Please note that this information is received by the Careers Office and advertised with no endorsement of the products. It is also not comprehensive; pupils must do their own research into their own interests.

LOWER SIXTH: UNIVERSITY OPEN DAYS University open days may be scheduled from as early as February 2020, though the great majority take place in the summer term 2020. Pupils in the Lower Sixth may attend up to two open days in the spring term and four in the summer term, for which a special exeat is issued, authorised by their Form Tutor. Pupils are expected to do their utmost to minimise disruption to their studies. It is the pupil’s responsibility to catch up on all work missed.

Pupils and parents should note that most universities have more than one open day, at least one of which will be held during school holidays, and a number of universities will conduct guided tours by appointment.

Lower Sixth pupils requesting permission to attend an additional open day requiring absence from school must

Routine Reminders do so in writing to the Head of Sixth Form.

Pupils and parents should consult the UCAS site and the university websites for updates on open days.

LOWER SIXTH ESSAY COMPETITIONS AND TASTER DAYS Information regarding essay competitions can be found on university websites. Similarly, taster days/ masterclasses etc can be accessed through the university sites. HabsNet also guides pupils and the Lower Sixth on how to access this information.

LOWER SIXTH: ADMISSIONS TESTS 2020 FOR 2021 ENTRY Lower Sixth students need to be aware of any university admissions tests they will have to sit. Some Imperial and UCL courses, among others, most Oxford and some Cambridge courses and certainly Medicine, Dentistry and VetSci courses require applicants to sit an admissions test in Autumn 2020. Parents might like to be aware of this regarding their son’s future planning. Pupils are advised to consult the Cambridge Assessment website: www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk or the website of the university department of their chosen course for further details.

Medics, Dentists and Vets should access information concerning the bmat: https://www.admissionstesting. org/for-test-takers/bmat/ and ucat: www.ucat.ac.uk/ : https://www.studential.com/university/applying/ UK-university-admissions-tests is a useful site for details of the majority of admissions tests used by the universities.

Note that for Cambridge some courses run tests at interview. Pupils must do the necessary research.

UPPER SIXTH: APPLICATIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENT SUPPORT Applications for higher education student support are made online using the website: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/index. htm.

Pupils apply for student support in the spring of the year in which they take up their university studies.

Further guidance on financial support will be issued to parents at the appropriate time next term.

PRE-SEASON TRAINING FOR HOCKEY SQUADS Unfortunately, there will not be any pre-season hockey this year. Hockey will commence at the start of term with squad selections made during the first week.

CANCELLATION PROCEDURE FOR SPORTS FIXTURES ON SATURDAYS If there is any doubt on the day, parents/boys should phone the PE Office number – 020 8266 1740. If games are cancelled, a message will be passed through the captain of each team and forwarded to the rest of the squad. Where possible, a message will also appear on the School website and on the PE Twitter account @HabsPE.

Staff News LEAVERS Chelsea Caterer, Alumni Relations & Communications Assistant in the HABS Foundation leaves us to join Harrow School as their Data and Information Officer. Always bright and cheerful and unceasingly helpful, it has seemed that nothing is too much trouble for her and she has always been ready to lend a hand with customary efficiency. We thank her for all that she has contributed and wish her well in her new role.

Rachel Caterer, Transport Manager leaves us after 10 years. She has made a huge contribution to many aspects of the life of the School. Under Rachel’s excellent leadership the school transport facility has transformed into the modern, fully equipped service we see today. She has worked tirelessly in this role to improve the experience for the boys and we are enormously grateful for her contribution. Rachel has given up countless hours over the years, from starting the very first Triathlon Club, running lunchtime Volleyball to volunteering at many school charity events, participating in a number of residential and day trips to being Head of SCS. Rachel’s wit and good humour will be missed and we thank her for her dedication and all she has brought to Habs and wish her well for her world travels.

John Maguire, Deputy Head (Academic), and in 2018-19 our Senior Deputy Head, leaves us to become Executive Head at the British School of Bahrain. Over his 11 years at Habs, John was a hugely successful and inspiring Head of Geography, as well as a keen Hockey coach, before becoming a key player on the Senior Leadership Team. The academic success of the School in recent years and outstanding quality of the education on offer are a result of his ambition, vision and tremendous hard work and he will make a great success of his first headship at a very prestigious school. We wish John every congratulation and success for the future.

Judy Woodham, PA to the Deputy Head (Staff) leaves us after 11 years. We thank Judy for her dedication, professionalism and commitment to a post which has seen many changes since she was first appointed. She has carried out a multitude of tasks assisting not only the Second Master and Deputy Head (Staff) but many other members of staff too. We wish her every success and happiness for the future.

APPOINTMENTS Olivia Belchier, Sports Administrator Sergio Cuartero Simarro, Spanish Language Assistant Richard Davis, Teacher of Theology and Philosophy joins from Highgate School Daniel Dinu, Sports Centre Assistant and Lifeguard Max Wells Gray, Art Technician Nick Hamshaw, Senior Deputy Head, joining from St Albans High School for Girls Rachel James, Physics Technician Rafael Lokinmakin-Dutta, Graduate Sports Assistant Myles Oliver, Gate Security Eyleen Paul, French Language Assistant Sophie Revens, Teacher of Physics Emma Summers, Transport Manager Oliver Tromans, Temporary Teacher of T&P INTERNAL APPOINTMENTS Catherine Lyons will step away from full time senior leadership and her current post as Deputy Head Staff in December 2019. She will take on a one-year, part-time post as Senior Advisor to the SLT, assisting with staff appointment, induction, the oversight of NQTs, teacher training and staff appraisals.

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J Suchak and T Lunn - December 2019