Decanian 2019 - A Year in the Life of Dean Close School

Decanian September 2018 - August 2019

A Year in the Life of Dean Close School

My Fair Lady stuns audiences Best Independent School In Gloucestershire… again!

Breathtaking performance of Rachmaninov

Decanian 2018/19

Record breaking rugby season

DC

DEAN CLOSE

CHELTENHAM

SENIOR SCHOOL

DEAN CLOSE SCHOOL Shelburne Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL51 6HE Telephone 01242 258000 Email: office@deanclose.org.uk www.deanclose.org.uk

2018/19

DC

DEAN CLOSE

CHELTENHAM

SENIOR SCHOOL

Common Room List 2018-19 Mrs CHS Montgomery, BA, PGCE,

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Editor Proof reader Photographers Design

: : : :

Amy Loveys Sylvia Klemz Mikal Ludlow & Stuart Robbie Adam Hathaway

Modern Languages

RP Wood, BSc, PGCE

University of Reading

School Marshall

2009

Mrs JE George, BSc, PGCE

Keele University & Cambridge

Mathematics

2010

GN Baber-Williams, BSc, PGCE

UWIC

Director of Sport

2010

Mrs K M Brown, MA

Queen’s College, Cambridge

Numeracy Support

2010

DK Chapman, BSc, PGCE

University of Bristol

Head of Chemistry

2011

Mrs E Gillett, BA, PGCE

Lancaster University

English

2011

ZS Suckle, BA, MA, PGCE

University of Bristol

Librarian, Study Skills

2011

Mrs RJ Vest, BA, PGCE (CELTA)

University of Exeter

EAL

2011

Mr SA Bell, MMus, BMus, FRCO

Royal College of Music

Director of Choral Music

2012

PJ Harvey, BA

Pembroke College, Oxford

Head of Physics, Common Room President

2013

Mrs KM Ledlie, MA, PGCE

Merton College, Oxford

Head of English

2013

Mrs K Holder

Contents

News Houses Chaplaincy Report Drama Music Art Cookery School Commemoration Cheltenham Literature Festival Cheltenham Science Festival Speakers Academic Highlights Community Action Trips CCF Sport Development Archives & ODs Staff Leavers Common Room List

University of Birmingham

2 6 16 19 26 38 44 45 50 52 53 56 68 72 78 82 104 106 109 112

38 23 46 36 55

2009

Netball Coach

2013

Miss DM Richards, BSc, PGCE

Brunel University, London

PE, Assistant HsM Shelburne

2013

FE Stewart, MA

University of Nottingham

Classics

2014

A Spring Wallis, BA, PGCE

University of Birmingham

English

2014

AA Stanley, BSc

University of the West of England

Director of Rugby

2014

MW Wilkes, BA, PGCE

Herford College, Oxford

Director of Sixth Form, Biology

2014

Mrs M J Davies, PGCE

University of Gloucestershire

Design Technology, IT

2015

DF Fitzgerald, BSc, PGCE

University of Exeter

Head of E - learning & Computer Science

2015

Miss K A Gordon, BSc, PGCS

University of St Andrews

Mathematics

2015

J M Hardaker, BA

Manchester Metropolitan

Head of Business Studies & Economics

2015

Mrs H D McKechnie, BSc, PGCE

University of Nottingham

Mathematics

2015

M J McKechnie, BA

University of Durham

Physics

2015

B S Poxon, MA, PGCE

University of Bristol

Housemaster (Tower), RS

2015

J M Sheldon, BA, PGCS

Lincoln College, Oxford Uni

Head of History & Politics

2015

Mrs M W Watts, BA, PGCE

University of Huddersfield

Learning Support

2015

M J Yemm

Bristol City College

Tennis

2015

Rev J C Ash, BA

University of Oxford

Chaplain

2016

Miss GC Archer, BA

University of Bristol

Classics

2016

Mrs CL Bourne, BA

University of the West of England

Head of Geography

2016

Mrs F Cradock, BSc, MA, MSc

University of the West of England

Head of Equestrianism

2016

Mrs CJ Derby, BSc, MSc, PGDip, PGCE

University of Leeds

Chemistry

2016

Mrs ML Franklin, BSc

University of Wales

Chemistry, Exams Officer

2016

Mrs R M Harbit, BA

University of Cambridge

Biology

2016

DC Mochan, BA, PGCE, MA, FRSA

University of London

Head of RS, UCAS Co-Ordinator

2016

M Powell

Director of Cricket

2016

Miss L C Ackroyd, BSc

University of Durham

Assistant Chaplain

2017

S Crumblehulme, MSc, PGCE

University of York

Psychology

2017

Mrs C K Lewis, BSc, PGCE

University of Wales

Biology

2017

Miss K Long, BSc

University of Gloucestershire

Director of Swimming

2017

Miss H Scrivener, BA

University of Exeter

Graduate Teaching Assistant

2017

J M Sumner, MA, PGCE

Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge

Head of MFL

2017

J H Briggs, MA, QTS

University of Reading

Housemistress (Fawley), English

2018

I Davies, BSc, PGCE

University of Bath

Hockey Coach

2018

A McShane BA, PGCE

University of Exeter

History, EPQ

2018

JM Pitt, BA, PGCE

University of Durham

Housemistress (Brook Court), Geography

2018

Dr NJ Roome, BSc, MSc, PhD, MCCT, QTS

University of Surrey

Physics

2018

J Stone, BMus (Hons)

Royal College of Music

Organ Scholar

2018

Dr E Suckle, BA, MA, PhD, PGCert

University of Warwick

Learning Support

2018

Mrs H Zeitz, BA (Hons), PGCE

University of Liverpool

Assistant Librarian

2018

contents

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69 2018/19

83

Decanian

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109 1 - DECANIAN 2017/18

NATIONAL CHAMPION LEADS BY EXAMPLE assive congratulations to our very own national champion, Ben Price, who recently won the Tri England National Duathlon, having placed first in both his age group and the overall competition.

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Ben is a geography teacher and Housemaster at Dean Close, who looks after the pastoral welfare of 61 boys in Dale House. Father of two, Ben, is a great role model for the boys, fitting in his gruelling training schedule around his 6-day a week job. The boys are great supporters of their Housemaster, often asking about his committed training sessions and big race experiences. Ben is a great believer in working hard and it is a mantra he tries to instil in his boys both by example and in word.

The race was hosted by Active Training World at the beautiful Ashridge House and involved a challenging course with the opening 10k run mainly off-road, an undulating 44km bike leg and a final run of 5km. Ben, a Cheltenham Harrier who has represented GBR at elite level for duathlon in the past two years, took the pace on early in the

News first run and managed to open a 30 second gap going into the first transition. From there he never looked back, extending his lead on the bike over his nearest rivals before running the fastest final run leg of the day to finish two minutes ahead of the pack.

After the race, Ben said: “I am really pleased with this result because it is part of my build to

Powerman Spain in Majorca in late February and so I wasn’t expecting to go quite as well just yet.

To win a national title is absolutely brilliant, especially against such quality opposition.” Ben will take a great deal of confidence from this result into the elite duathlon race in Majorca which will feature competitors from all over Europe.

First Ever Research Degree about Dean Close School School Historian, Charles Whitney, has completed the first ever research degree about Dean Close School. The 30,000 word thesis has taken four years and great deal of dedication to complete. The MA research degree was awarded by the University of Gloucestershire and it examined Dean Close School’s history, ethos and curriculum in the broadest sense between 1886 and 1914. It explored whether the School’s Evangelical Christian stance affected recruitment to the Armed Services during World War I, and compared those levels of commitment with other public schools. It also looked at the war through the eyes of The Decanian, and examined its role as a conduit of information between Old Decanians serving on the front line and the School.

Copies of the Thesis may be found with the Old Decanian Society, the Archives Department and in the Dean Close School Library as well as at the University.

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news

D-DAY Dean Close Remembers On the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Dean Close remembers two of its old boys who were lost on that mementous day in history.

Peter Maziere Mercer-Wilson was a Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery, but at the time of his death was in command of ‘Fighting Patrol’ C-Troop, 4 Commando. He was just 23 years old. Initially, he was buried at Pegasus Bridge alongside two other Commandos and an airborne soldier; footage taken at the site shows the graves and is available on the IWM website https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object /1060019906 He was reburied at La Delivrande War Cemetery, Douvres. Peter was a Brook House man between 1932-1939, a House prefect, captain of swimming and gained his School colours for Hockey and Shooting. He also won his House colours for Fives and was a member of the Officer Training Corps. His younger brother Stephen was in the Royal Navy and was the first Old Decanian to be lost during WW2 with the sinking of HMS Royal Oak on 14th October 1939. He was just 19.

Martin Bryan-Smith DFC & Bar, also Mentioned-inDespatches, was Acting Squadron Leader when he was killed aged 33. His Lancaster Z-Zebra was shot down at the Pointe Du Hoc having successfully bombed coastal targets on D-Day. He is named on the Runnymede Memorial.

Martin was in Gate House 1924-1928. He won his School colours for Gym and House colours in the Cross-Country. He was also a Corporal in the Officer Training Corps. His twin brother, Anthony, was also in the RAFVR, and was killed in 1940.

Operation Neptune, better known as D-Day, commenced on 6th June 1944. It involved a combined land, sea and air assault on Nazi occupied France with ground troops landing at

beaches code-named Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah and Omaha. By 1944, 2 million troops from over 12 countries were assembled in Britain awaiting the order. During D-Day itself 7000 naval vessels were responsible for the landing of 132,000 men on to the beaches, 18,000 paratroopers were flown in and dropped over the vicinity to support the ground troops, and the air force flew over 14,000 sorties to secure the airspace and support the invasion.

everyone has the right to fulfil their potential, no matter where that potential is found. It is a foundational principle at Dean Close that every pupil is equally valuable, and that it is our role as educators to help them find their gifts and to give them the inspiration, encouragement and expert input to enable them to shine. The award is a wonderful way to give public recognition for the extraordinary, and usually invisible efforts every pupil and member of staff makes to create this remarkable community.

BEST INDEPENDENT SCHOOL IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE…AGAIN! Dean Close was absolutely thrilled to retain the title of Best Independent School in Gloucestershire at the SoGlos Gloucestershire Lifestyle Awards 2019.

Dean Close Pre-Preparatory School Headmistress, Dr Carolyn Shelley and Dean Close Preparatory School Headmaster, Paddy Moss were amongst the 280 guests, dignitaries and hopeful businesses gathered at Gloucester Cathedral for the second SoGlos Gloucestershire Lifestyle Awards. Excited to be a part of the celebrations and nominated with

Cheltenham College (Runners-Up), Bredon School, Hatherop Castle School, Kitebrook Preparatory School, Hopelands Independent School and Rendcomb College, the Dean Close representatives were delighted to accept this prestigious award.

No two people are the same: in beliefs, abilities, age, ethnicity, gender and background; all these qualities contribute to our uniqueness. At Dean Close pupils arrive at different times in their lives, each with their own story and distinct personality.

It is the Dean Close community’s belief that

SoGlos said of the School, “Dean Close School is thriving, vibrant and progressive, renowned for focusing on individual development and helping to nurture each child’s strengths. The School is clearly loved by many SoGlos readers who showed their support with hundreds of votes!”

Thank you to everyone in the Dean Close community and the SoGlos readers for voting for us for the second year in a row.

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news

individual achievements ST HILDA’S COLLEGE OXFORD POETRY COMPETITION

OXFORD RECOGNITION Congratulations to Pollyanna Harris who has received a letter of commendation from the fellows of Corpus Christi, Oxford, recognising the standard of her entry in the Biomedical Science Category of the Schools’ Science Prize 2018.

Entrants of the competition were given the title ‘Are mutations good or bad for human health?’ and Pollyanna decided to enter as it gave her a practical way to apply the knowledge she had acquired through her extra reading which was part of her Oxbridge application.

Pollyanna is studying A level Biology, Psychology, Art and Spanish (independently) and has applied to study Biology at university, accepting an offer from Bath for a four-year course which includes a professional placement.

She says: “Entering this competition allowed me to go through a research process and formulate my own arguments by combining concepts from different areas to explain one phenomenon. It was a very enjoyable activity to take part in, and I have maintained the skills and pleasure I gained from it to this day.”

Pollyanna would like to continue to pursue her passion for biology with the goal of reaching a PhD in an area of specialism, investigating into her main areas of interest: genetics and evolution.

She says: “I would like to conduct research, write and maybe lecture or become involved in science communication and education.”

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Congratulations to Sixth Form pupil, Hunyi Lee, who was awarded third place in a very strong field for her entry ‘The Nature of Nature’ in the St Hilda’s College Oxford SciPo2019 Poetry Competition. Hunyi was invited to the College to collect her prize earlier this month.

The Nature of Nature When you came to me with questions simmering behind your eyes and a quiver in your lip, you followed me into the forest to unearth the nature of nature.

It’s dark out here, I said. Watch your step, for not all flowers bear fruit and not all light remains true.

Listen to the breath of the leaves but do not disrespect them.

Plant the seed, reap its crop: taste it, savor it, how sharp and sweet and green.

Nourish and heal, watch it grow, take root, but beware the spirits of the undergrowth; they might not want you to leave.

Ponder the nature of nature; feel the lead heavy on your heart.

When your time is done and you rest in the earth, will you not return to sustenance?

When all is but a memory of past and present and future, will not the trees take back what was rightfully theirs?

So ask Mother Nature, when it’s quiet.

Seek the significance of your end.

Reveal to her your doubt and tell me which you dread more: the echo or the answer?

Hunyi Lee

Oxford Commendation for Law Congratulations to Sixth Former Susie Main who received a ‘highly commended’ award from Oxford University following her submission for the Peter Cane Prize for Legal Reasoning by an Aspiring Lawyer.

The competition posed a question based on a particular statute relating to contract law which contestants were asked to interpret. With very limited legal knowledge, particularly in contract law, Susie spent her evenings researching online and reading books on contract law before using a weekend to write her essay.

Following her submission, Susie received a letter from the university stating that the judges had found her essay very interesting and as a result of its

strength of argument and the clarity of its writing, had classed it as “highly commended”. She was invited to spend a day at Oxford where she was able to find out what studying a law degree would entail, attending two workshops with law professors from Corpus Christi College which were very challenging but provided a great opportunity to experience law being taught as a subject.

Susie decided to enter the competition to give her a taste of studying and researching law and it is something she is interested in pursuing in the future. She says: “It was very challenging but also rewarding to understand and structure arguments around the statute in the question.”

Susie, who is studying A levels in

Biology, Maths, History and Politics, is considering a career in law. She hopes to study a law degree or alternatively a politics degree before studying a law conversion course.

The Peter Cane Prize was launched by Corpus Christi College, Oxford in 2017 and seeks to promote engagement with the ideas and reasoning behind law and legal studies, and in particular to encourage those from all backgrounds and walks of life to apply to engage with the academic study of law.

news

Gloucester Rugby Contracts for Dean Close Trio Dean Close School, Cheltenham is delighted to announce that three Upper Sixth boys have signed their first professional rugby contracts with Gloucester Rugby Club. Archie Benson (1st XV captain), Josh Gray and George Barton (vicecaptain) are all looking forward to life as full time sportsmen later this year, having just completed their A levels. All three boys also represented England’s U18s in the Six Nations tournament over the Easter break.

coaching which is enhanced by the relationship with Gloucester Rugby Academy with whom Dean Close are formal educational partners, and have been for the last five years. George, Archie and Josh all featured heavily (alongside Lower Sixth Decanians, Freddie Thomas and Matty Jones) in the Premiership U18 Academy League campaign and all five started in the final against Leicester Tigers at Allianz Park.

This news continues the trend over the last five years of Dean Close leavers going into professional rugby such as Tom Seabrook, Lloyd Evans and Ed Bogue who all signed for Gloucester Rugby Club, as well as Tiff Eden who initially started at Worcester Warriors before moving to Bristol Bears.

The boys have been an integral part of a hugely successful undefeated regular 1st XV season in which Dean Close was ranked 14th nationally in The Daily Mail Trophy. Whilst they were disappointed to lose narrowly in the last 16 of the National Schools Cup in January, they were delighted with these significant achievements in a School that boasts just 259 boys in total.

The Dean Close sports programme provides a clear pathway for development and excellence through a structured framework supporting and enhancing the individuals within an educational environment. Echoing the School’s ethos, sports pupils benefit from individual support and

Director of Sport, Greg Baber-Williams, said: “The School is exceptionally proud of Archie, Josh and George and wishes them all the very best of luck as they prepare for life as full time rugby players. It is great to see that all their hard work and personal sacrifice has concluded with

full time professional contracts, which was the primary goal alongside their academic studies.

The bar has certainly been set very high in recent years. With such positive role-models in the School it is no wonder that aspirations in the junior years are high.”

As the School looks to its 2019/20 season, there is plenty of talent in the tank. Freddie Thomas and Matty Jones (co-captains) have already received national recognition with Freddie going to South Africa this summer with England U18s. Alongside these, the School wishes James Humphreys, Sam Burgess, Jack Hamilton and Will Tong all the very best as they strive to achieve their ambitions in the same vein as Archie, George and Josh, as part of the Gloucester Academy programme.

LAWYER OF THE FUTURE Congratulations to Upper Sixth Former, Irene Garcia Rodriguez, who has been awarded a place at ESADE in Barcelona where she will study Law for the next five years. ESADE is one the most prestigious universities in Spain and Europe, and is known for its elite undergraduate programmes and its MBAs in Spain and New York. It is an exceptional achievement.

Ren came to Dean Close in 2015 as an international boarder and now in her final year, is studying A levels in English Literature, Politics, Art, French and Spanish. She chose to study in England as she was ambitious to realise her full academic level. She says: “Whilst it has been difficult to be away from my family and loved ones, Dean Close has shaped me into the individual that I am today and has provided me with the space to flourish and grow, both academically and personally. I have found this experience a great opportunity to break out of my comfort zone and become an individual with amazing international friendships. Having to adapt to a new environment was extremely hard, but Dean Close has always been welcoming since the very beginning. It has been an incredible four year experience and one I will never forget.”

Ren decided to study Law as she feels it aligns with her personality.

She says: “I have always considered myself to be an opinionated individual who is keen on debating and solving issues in an argumentative manner. On top of that, I firmly believe that Law is one of the most versatile university degrees, as it not only offers the legal perspective of a country, but it nourishes each and every individual who decides to take on such a course with a broad range of life and strategic tools for one’s future.

Achieving this place is a massive personal accomplishment for me.”

To achieve her place at ESADE, Ren had to undergo a number of tasks including five hours of exams. She describes it as one of the most intense experiences of her life. After she graduates, Ren plans to keep learning and growing as a legal expert. She is a strong believer in taking every opportunity and aspires to work in a great law firm and combine her legal expertise with a masters in finance.

Ren is also an extremely talented artist who featured in the Deanflix Art Series in 2017.

FIGHTING FOR HIS PLACE ON STAGE After auditioning against thousands for a place in this summer’s British Youth Musical Theatre, Fifth Former, Tom Bradford has been selected as a cast member in one of the flagship shows.

Fight Like a Girl will be performed in Mountview Theatre in London from 29th to 31st August. Tom will be playing the role of the best friend of Lukey, who is the reigning boxer in London.

Director of Drama, Lloyd Allington, said: “Tom is a delightful and talented lad who adores his acting and being in productions at School. He got immediately stuck in when he arrived three years ago, in Fiddler on the Roof, and was a talented dancer and singer in that and in My Fair Lady. He will be in Dean Close’s production of Amadeus this November playing Venticello, a gossip monger of Vienna.”

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houses

Brook Court y first year as housemaster of Brook Court has been both a hugely enjoyable and an immensely rewarding experience. I have always said that a boarding house is so much more than the bricks, mortar and green carpet that hold it together and is actually about the life that emanates from the boys within it and this incredible collection of boys have enriched this house with so much life and energy over the last year.

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From winning the whole House Shout boys’ section, house swimming, both junior and senior, and house badminton to the boys giving their all in unsuccessful bids to win house hockey and rugby, we really have broken the Brook Court mould and done well in many house sporting competitions. The fact that over 90% of Brook Court is full boarding means that winning or losing, commiserating or celebrating is always a group effort. The pace and feel of the house is fast but caring. We have created a new ‘Green’ committee and pupil led ‘Ground Force’ crew that have made a new bug garden and fire pit area in the woods at the back of the house and has had boys painting the benches to give a welcoming feel to the garden area of the house.

Pupil voice has shone through with the boys’ councils deciding on new ideas, spending projects and a revolutionary Instagram mentor system. They have also written all the articles for the termly Brook Court magazine.

The boys

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really have taken ownership of their house and this has led to amazing results and a house with the feel of home whilst being at school.

Outgoing superstars of the music world; Oscar Richardson, Matt Moorhouse, Ernest Tang and Jeff Gao have all excelled throughout the year and we now have new superstars growing up through the house with swimmers like Ollie Hodgson and Ben Ma, top shooter Calum Lee and county sprint champion Nacho Eleyae. We also have academic leaders in Jamie Treatman Clark, Dan Ngaboyimanzi, Josh Collenette, George Tang and Leo Escursell Tobella. This is a house that is gloriously eclectic, proudly both British and international in both personnel and outlook and always forward thinking. The outgoing leadership team have led the house with professionalism and maturity and will leave a legacy for future years to live up to that will make a mark on Brook Court for years to come. The future is bright for Brook Court and I am already looking forward to helping the boys to grow, develop and excel even more next year.

Jonathan Pitt, Housemaster

houses

Dale here have been many wonderful achievements to celebrate this year. The house has been led brilliantly by the Upper Sixth who have worked hard, swept the sheds and enhanced the noexcuse culture that we are striving for in House.

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It all began back in September with House Tug of War and then the much anticipated build up to House Shout. Following in the footsteps of the previous musical directors, Jason Richards and Andy Whitford, was an unenviable task, but commeth the hour, commeth the man….. Olly Smart stepped up to the plate and delivered. By his own admission, Olly is not in the same league as his predecessors when it comes to musical composition and arrangement, but he more than made up for this with enthusiasm, energy, commitment, unswerving focus and determination. He bellowed his orders, encouraged, and cajoled and in the end Dale produced two musical pieces to be proud of on the night. The part song, Hall of Fame was simply brilliant! We look forward to Olly bringing more of the same next year as Head of House.

The House Shout experience went a long way to integrate the new Fourth Form and generate an excellent house spirit which remained throughout the year. This manifested itself in some highly committed performances in house competitions. There was victory in the Junior House Rugby for the Remove (who made up the vast majority of the DCS U15 rugby side who had a brilliant cup run), runner up places for Ethan Bareham (main speech) and Paddy Benson (chairman) in Junior House Public Speaking with George Richards taking first prize for the vote of thanks. In the Senior House Public speaking, the Cambridge offeree, Max Thomas walked away with the trophy, and with Johnny Coniam and

Liam McKinnes supporting him brilliantly, Dale also took home the team prize. There have also been finals for the junior and senior quiz teams and Dale’s impressive acting heritage has been maintained with vast numbers involved in My Fair Lady, Blackadder and Arcadia. In particular, the performances of Ethan Bareham, George Richards and Oscar Faiers as Blackadder, Baldrick and Darling respectively will live long in the memory: the chemistry between these three was quite exceptional and led to many laughout-loud moments. Our musical talent has been led brilliantly by Matt Candy and Finn Fleming who have entertained the school magnificently on their guitars and Liam and Charlie McKinnes have flown the Dale flag in the orchestra.

There have been some outstanding individual achievements on the sports fields with the big second rower Archie Benson representing England U18s throughout the Six Nations. Archie has been rewarded for his incredible commitment and significant talent with a professional rugby contract at Gloucester Rugby, as has our other England star, George Barton. George missed a high number of England games through injury but we know he will bounce back stronger and we will follow his and Archie’s progress with real interest over the coming years. There have also been a number of other boys involved in the Gloucester Academy including Harley Holdship who has forced his way into the U18 setup (as an U16 year old) through some incredibly strong performances. In hockey, there has been international representation for Olly Smart and Ellis Robson. Olly even spent a week away with the U21 GB team! Rumour has it he was the youngest player ever to be called into this setup.

These two along with Sam Porter, Leo England, Oscar Newcombe and Liam McKinnes were big

players in the incredible U18 cup run which ended with a bronze medal at the national finals.

Not to be outdone, the U16s also reached the national finals with Ed Stevens, Jamie Baker, John Lindsay, Richard Swan, Paddy Benson, and Matt Candy all playing major parts. As well as these school events, the inaugural Dale House Pool Competition was strongly contested but in the end Ellis Clark of Fourth Form took the title.

However, whilst it is important to mention these impressive individual accolades it must be said that everyone in the house – including the highly committed tutor team – has made a contribution and done their bit to develop an atmosphere and culture in Dale that is a pleasure to be a part of. I would like to thank the Upper Sixth with James Hunt – our kind, committed and dynamic Head of House – leading the way. They have been excellent role models for the younger members of the house: achieving impressive outcomes and proving that it really is possible to aim high, whilst remaining humble and giving their time to others in the house. There are strong friendships in Dale and it is heartening to see these forming across year groups. Yes, mistakes have been made and there have been ups and downs along the way but a huge amount has been learned from these and we will continue to support one another, working hard and sweeping the sheds along the way.

Ben Price, Housemaster

7 - DECANIAN 2018/19

houses

Fawley t has been a privilege to have completed my first full, academic year as Housemistress of Fawley. Although time has flown by it seems like years, rather than months, since we welcomed the new, nervous, and quiet girls into our care at the end of August 2018. They are certainly no longer new, nervous or quiet now! Throughout the year we have been constantly impressed by our Fourth Form; not only have they all consistently been at the top of their year group for their effort and achievement grades but they have bonded together, united in their different backgrounds and in their shared values of kindness, compassion and empathy.

There are great things in store for these girls and I cannot wait to see what they will achieve as they rise through the School. At the other end of the House we have had a lively and fun-loving group of Upper Sixth girls to lead Fawley. Their ‘Pink Party’ at the start of the year set the tone for #FawleyFam and brought everyone together.

Their academic abilities and work ethic have been consistently impressive and I am pleased that the younger girls have witnessed their ability to juggle their academic work against their many co-curricular commitments.

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It is true to say that Fawley girls can be dramatic!

And their ability on stage shone through this year. The My Fair Lady musical gave Phoebe, Beth, Evie, Issie and Maddie the opportunity to develop their talents under Mr Allington’s keen director’s eye. In the Lent term, all the Fawley Fourth Form and most of the Remove were involved in Mrs Sawford’s production of Arabian Nights. It is a credit to the girls, and the Drama Department, that so many of them were willing, and able, to get up on stage and perform in front of pupils, parents and staff night after night.

Other successes this year have included: winning the House CCF Competition (thanks must go to 8 - DECANIAN 2018/19

Romelle), winning the House Shooting Cup (well done to Hunyi for getting ‘top shot’) and the U6th being victorious, for the fifth year in a row (!), at the House Tug of War. Individually, the girls have continued to grow and achieve. Chloe Dunwell gained a Distinction in her Grade 8 violin; a huge achievement for a 14 year old.

Georgie Shepherd continues to work towards being selected for the Welsh Shooting team, Issie Tingey, Hannah Nullmeyer and Millie Watkins represented the school in the National Hockey Championships, Molly Davies was selected to represent England’s U18 show jumping team, Alice Deasy debated in the European Youth Parliament and Melody was awarded the Art Scholarship for the Sixth Form.

Although all these achievements, and the many more which cannot fit into my 500 word allowance, are remarkable and noteworthy, it is the girls’ ability to live harmoniously amongst one another, no matter what age, race, religion or culture which really marks out a Fawley girl.

The happy and supportive family atmosphere which pervades the House is intrinsic to Laura and Emma, and as they take on the roles of Head and Deputy Head of House I know that my vision for a holistic House is in safe hands. I cannot wait to see what 2019/2020 will bring!

Jessica Briggs, Housemistress

houses

Field

Michaelmas Term Hopes were high for the start of the new term with a super new intake and a strong group of Upper Sixth led by Jacob Melville-Smith as Head of House. Aaron Osmond did a fine job taking a lead with the House Singing. The Unison Song was Twist and Shout but it was the more tuneful Africa by Toto in the Part Song that earned us a mention in despatches (Runners-Up of the Boys’ Houses). The Lower Sixth also enjoyed some success in the House Tug of War; although it seemed that Jack Hamilton and Freddie Thomas were doing most of the hard work! Oscar Jack gave a superb clarinet recital in the PMH and it was a treat for those able to go to hear Louis Fleming and Tom Richardson play in the chilled Acoustic Night.

Lent Term This was an action-packed term with progress and success on multiple fronts. Elliot Bancroft managed to outplay Toby Pallister in a House Table Tennis Championship Final of the highest quality. Though very good friends, it was played in a relaxed yet competitive manner. There were some fine academic performances too with Tom Richardson giving a passionate talk on: “Should we become a gender fluid society?” in the Junior House Public Speaking Competition. Evan Little gave a seriously impressive talk in the Senior Competition on “The truth behind Science.” On the music front, the boys did superbly to win the House Music Competition with some star performances. Harry Brookes and Harry McKinnes fended off Gate and then Dale to bring home the House Golf trophy. We had 12 Field boys representing the School in the U16/U18 National Hockey Finals at Lee Valley – a remarkable achievement. The Upper Sixth also started to gather an encouraging clutch of university offers.

Trinity Term Theo Bancroft won a cap for the U18 Wales hockey side and Alex Chihota got a cap for the U16 England hockey side. Freddie Thomas played in the England rugby trials while Ollie Dodman rode very well for the successful DCS Equestrian Team. Field men captained the 1st XI, U15A and U14A Cricket teams: Oliver Horne, Toby Greaves and Ben McShane respectively.

Nick Schubach was selected to be part of the Gloucestershire Cricket U17 Emerging Players’ Programme. Some of the boys have had to cope with difficult situations and the pressure of exams but they have all done superbly and shown remarkable good humour and the ability to get on together. Lots of them do some amazing things outside the School. We say farewell to Mr Mochan as he transfers across to Brook Court and welcome to Mrs Harbit as the new addition to the Field House Tutor Team. We say farewell to those leaving the House. We wish them all the very best either in new schools or as they start out in the next stage of life at university.

Paul Montgomery, Housemaster 9 - DECANIAN 2018/19

houses

Gate

Despite the constant churn that is the nature of a Sixth Form Boarding House, Gate remains a fantastic and vibrant atmosphere in which fine young men have the chance to prepare for university, form lasting friendships and have some incredible individual and collective achievements. ichaelmas kicked off with the House Tug of War, seeing the Lower Sixth narrowly miss out on overall victory. The highlight was in the first few weeks where Gate won the Part Song in House Shout and were highly placed in the Unison; with many of the boys having known each other for less than a month, this was a fantastic achievement.

Academically, the focus of the Upper Sixth was on UCAS with the boys getting off strong applications to top institutions. We also had to say goodbye to Matt Bowman after a one term placement from South Africa. He, alongside Fergus, Felix, and Sam C were stars of the stage in Blackadder and My Fair Lady.

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As we moved into Lent, an array of excellent university offers began to roll in, including Max’s offer of a place to study Maths at Oxford.

However, I think most of the boys would agree that the biggest event was that the Inter-House 6 Aside Football competition was no longer going to be dominated by Tower and Brook Court.

After many hard fought games (literally in some cases), Gate stood victorious and is looking forward to defending its title next year.

I would like to thank the House staff: Mr Harvey, Mr Hardaker, Mr Sumner, and Mr Jenkins for helping the new guard settle in. It has been a great first year as a Housemaster and that is in large part due to the team, but specifically to Mr Suckle as Assistant and Andrea as matron; I and the boys are lucky to have them. The Lower Sixth are a fantastic year group with numerous talents and a great future ahead of them, but I want to finish by considering each of the boys in the departing cohort.

“But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...and an athlete...and a basket case...a princess...and a criminal. Does that answer your question?”

It may seem trite to quote The Breakfast Club, but an education (and adolescence) is about discovering what you are, what you want, and what you might yet be.

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Kene quickly showed off his football skills; dapper and smooth and rarely found out of bed post 9pm. James the loveable rogue, too cool for school, but who secretly really cares. I am sure to remember Max’s wit and eccentricity for many years to come and I apologise for having supplied him with enough chocolate throughout the year, but I am pleased we have got value for money from the Netflix subscription. Sam’s gentle manner and considered nature means he is held in fond regard by all; I have no idea how I will cope with House Shout next year. Harvey, when not devising ways to see Meg or acquire take away, is a man with a profound sense of right, and a real compassion for others. Kaven is one of nature’s gentleman who I hope will remember us when he is a famous artist – I suspect he will still be walking Ada to her door. Leo is the bridge that bonds two distinct communities and he has continually impressed me with his diligence and sensitivity. I can honestly say there is nobody like Chris, from the hundreds of face creams to the LoL addiction. Jack is simply one of the nicest young men that one could ever meet, and his smile is a tonic in almost all situations. I am lucky in the Heads of House, both of whom have gone above and beyond. Eason, cool and unflappable, has willingly supported all that we have tried to do, encouraging his peers and stepping in whenever he is needed. Ben has been everything one could have wanted, leading by example, be it in the academic, as a School Prefect, or on the six aside pitch. I know I will remember all of them fondly and I hope they will hold the School, but particularly Gate, in similar regard.

So, each of these gentlemen is, in his own way, a brain, an athlete, a basket case, and (to varying degrees) a princess. However, most importantly they are kind and decent, and I have every confidence they will carry this out into the world and become fine young men. I would like to thank each and every one of them and I wish them every ounce of luck and hope they will keep in touch in the years to come.

Matt Wilkes, Housemaster

houses

Hatherley t has been another busy year in Hatherley – and our last in ‘The Chalet’! Michaelmas highlights included a very chilly, but successful, House Hockey tournament, and a very sunny, but less successful (for us!) House Tug-o-War. It was great to see Katie shine as Mrs. Higgins, and Grace as Mrs. Pearce, in My Fair Lady, and our first ever Whole House Secret Santa was a great addition at Christmas time to our traditional party and quiz.

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Later in the year, the Drama Department welcomed more Hatherley girls, as eager participants in the immensely moving revival of Dean Close Remembers, and this was followed by a fabulous adaptation of Arabian Nights, in which Melinda, Hannah and Daisy were delighted to star as sisters. The Remove continued to impress, with Helena, Katie S and Hannah going on to compete with aplomb in the Junior Public Speaking competition, discussing educational equality, and Hannah, alongside Abbey, Lois, Katie M and Tatyana, delivering superb performances in the House Music contest. Particular credit must go to Tatyana, for her beautiful playing in the Sherratt Cup. Sportingly, as ever, Hatherley continues strong.

Grace, Suzie, Leah, Katie S, Hannah and Helena all reached hockey National Finals, and Suzie and Hannah both won their respective competitions

at the Girls’ Schools’ Lawn Tennis competition, where Hannah also picked up a players’ player award for good sportsmanship; bravo! Bella swam in the Bath and Otter Cup at the Olympic pool, and Katie S was selected for Severn Stars netball, where she continues to excel.

A highlight of the year for me has been seeing the girls giving graciously of their time in their volunteering. Eliza and Abi T have led the way here, working weekly with children with special needs, but it was particularly special to share time with Verity over at Tree Tops nursery, and to work with Lara, participating in my Uganda fundraising group. Many of the girls also travelled up to Lee Valley to act as supporters for the boys’ U16 and U18 hockey teams, and have equally been supporting each other more consciously in House, following the launch of our new ‘Sisters’ peer support programme, in the Lent term.

good humoured interest, raising much needed funds for the Uganda Appeal. Of course, it was a proud moment to see the prize winners take to the podium, but equally, a fitting celebration of all that the Hatherley girls have achieved this year; it was wonderful to share it with so many guests.

As we say goodbye to our lovely Upper Sixth, and also to Mrs. Lewis, Hatherley is also looking ahead to our move to the Day House Village, and many more successes, experiences, joys and challenges next year. Onward!

Kate Milne, Housemistress

Commemoration was a really special day, and it was great to have so many parents and siblings join us for coffee, after the lovely service at Tewkesbury Abbey. Wandering over to enjoy the Art exhibition, pieces by our Upper Sixth artists, Emily, Lauren and Tatyana, drew many compliments from visitors, whilst our ‘Guess the number of sweets in a jar AND the weight of the cake’ stand, ably run by the Lower Sixth, drew 11 - DECANIAN 2018/19

houses

Mead 018-19 would see the final year of Mead in its original location in the main school building, before our move to the new and exciting Day House Village. No longer will we walk up the narrow staircase, past the cleaning cupboard sink, and down that long narrow corridor to the sanctuary that is the Mead House Common Room; with red sofas and windows to watch the happenings in the quad. It may be tatty around the edges, but we and many before us have all come to love the Mead that was, a parallel universe in the heart of Dean Close School. I know the spirit of those pioneering young women who first joined Dean Close in Mead in the late 1960s will continue to inspire wherever we are.

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their top 10 inspirational women to a whole school vote. The girls chose women they had been influenced by. These included names such as Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Malala Yousfzai, Gina Martin and Jacinda Ahern. The whole event stimulated some interesting conversations.

Success continued to grace the House with best team in the Junior House Public Speaking and as the winning girls’ House in House Music, beaten overall by only one point. The annual House Swimming always brings the weight of expectation and the girls did not disappoint.

Both the Senior and Junior teams won their events, ably lead, organised and cheered on by Imogen Sneath (Lower Sixth) and Lucy Stocks (Fifth Form). What a great way to end the term.

Michaelmas Term

Trinity Term

The Upper Sixth leadership team were determined to make 2018-19 “Mead’s Year” and they certainly did that; leading the House to an early victory in House Shout in September with their enthusiastic rendition of I Want You Back by The Jackson Five. The girls then stormed to victory once again in the Senior House Quiz with an impressive performance on the final day of the term, on the Bacon Theatre stage, University Challenge buzzer style. Not to be outdone, the Juniors in House also showed their prowess as winners in the House CCF Drill competition on Field Day in October. Leaders in the making, Pippa Salisbury and Lucy Stocks (both Fifth form), whipped the Remove into shape and did themselves and the House proud.

With the hope of brighter weather and longer days, the Trinity term brings fresh perspective.

However, it is also a busy time for Fifth Form and Upper Sixth with looming external exams. As ever, it was impressive to see how these students managed their time, work and temperaments; setting excellent examples to all those around. We celebrated our year with our annual House Soiree and the final ‘Handprint Canvas’ from our resident artist: Kat Scott Payne (Upper Sixth) was handed over one last time.

The evening was a great success, led by Olivia Colthart and her Upper Sixth team and possibly the best raffle prizes ever. The Junior girls finished the year with more success, this time in House tennis in June, winning with 292 points, 200 points ahead of the final contenders.

Lent Term In what can be a dreary term (weather and time of year), the Lent term was spiced up with some key House initiatives such as the Mead #30daychallenge and school wide celebration of International Women’s Day in March. Leading from the front, Mead put forward

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I would like to take the opportunity to publicly thank our Heads of House, Olivia Colthart and Katie Humphreys, and Deputy Head of House, Bea Bennett for their leadership this year, along with their team of Evie Crawford-Poxon, Nell Heron, Lilly Hill, Erin McMahon-Ansell and Kat Scott Payne. The girls have been terrific role models for the junior girls setting the standard for years to come in both their academics and their commitment to House (and House competitions). This year also saw the addition of two new surrogate Meadlings with the arrival of Oliver Ledlie (Mrs Kate Ledlie) and Wren McKechnie (Mrs Hermione McKechnie). I would like to thank Miss Iona Ludlow for her care of the girls in Mead whilst covering Mrs Ledlie’ s maternity. Mrs Kennedy, who covered for Mrs McKechnie’s maternity, will be staying on with us permanently as a full time member of the Maths Department and a tutor in Mead. We look forward to welcoming Mrs McKechnie back in September too. Ms Ash, Mrs Rushton, Mrs McShane, Miss Villiers have all worked hard throughout and without their daily support and guidance we would all be bereft. Indeed, we say a fond farewell to Miss Villiers, as she steps down from her role as Assistant Housemistress of Mead after 18 years. Miss Villiers has touched the lives of hundreds in her time in Mead and underestimates the enormous impact she has.

We all know that she will leave a huge void in Mead and we will miss her very much. Thankfully she will continue to teach in the Language Department and thus we will still benefit from her presence around school. We wish all our leavers every good wish as they move on to new places and thank everyone for their contributions to another hugely successful and happy year in Mead.

Cathy Feltham, Housemistress

houses

e have had an exciting year in Shelburne welcoming new girls into our Shelburne Family. The Sunday afternoon visits to the Green Coffee machine have become a regular event for smoothies and frappes and we have made a concerted effort to GO GREEN. Mrs Kent banned single use plastic bottles and bags to support plastic free February and not long after Susie Hicks Beach and Emily Smith organised a climate change march in town gathering many Dean Close pupils to make a stand….it is just a start.

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We were outstanding in the House Shout winning Girls’ Harmony and the Overall Trophy organised by our talented Upper Sixth and we must give Janice Ng a mention for all the years of playing the piano for the competition and winning the Keith Nutland Memorial prize locally, receiving £1000.

Thanks to our amazing tutors especially Miss Richards who has had baby Freddie and returned, Miss Brazil who has been with us a year and Miss Ackroyd who has been a fantastic tutor to the Fifth Form and leaves to go on to teach Chemistry in London.

Shelburne

#bigupshelbz Julie Kent, Housemistress

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houses

ower House has remained a vibrant and exciting place to live, learn and grow this year. Whilst sporting success has been seen again on the rugby pitch, and at Rosslyn Park, in Tug of War, and – unexpectedly – in winning House Hockey, it has been good to see the house come together around the new addition of the pool table, which has seen boys from different year groups get to know each other. The memorable pool final, won by Nils, together with the excitingly close Table Tennis tournament, eventually won by Isaac, were events which saw the boys enjoy each others’ company and get the competitive spirit just right. With a mix of pupils from 11 different nationalities and varying interests and skills, it has been wonderful to see friendships formed, new opportunities taken (Kevin Xie singing in Chinese at the Acoustic Night was perhaps the most memorable) and lessons learnt.

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With thoughtful leadership, Rob, Ethan and Toby have shown their care for the boys. Leading one’s peers is never easy, but I have been privileged to witness the way in which they have taken responsibility, demonstrated integrity, and led by example. Interestingly, the firey side of Rob came out on the gokart track, as did the more laid back approach of Sunday afternoon driving that Ethan demonstrated! Visits to Za Zas and a very memorable Leavers’ Meal, in which many ‘interesting‘ stories and embarrassing pictures emerged, have meant the Upper Sixth have had a good chance to reflect upon their final year and time in Tower.

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Tower As Housemaster, I have been very impressed by the musical talent on show this year. From Huw and Josh in IVth Form, to Samuel, Freddie, George and Ben in Remove, through to Tom, Barnaby and Edmund in Vth and Kevin, Lewis, Davin and Ethan in the Sixth Form, there are a range of skills in evidence, with the result that I can often walk past a room and hear someone on a guitar or singing, and it all sounds very good to me! The part song arrangement of ‘In the Jungle’ was particularly clever and melodious, and I know was appreciated by parents at the House Soiree.

Academically, the boys continue to do so well with Mo receiving national recognition in the Maths Challenge, offers being received from fine universities, and Bob, with the support of Rob and Jack, presenting a fascinating talk on corruption in Africa in the Senior House Public Speaking; Tom, in the junior equivalent, aided by Conor and Ben, spoke bravely about the role of teachers in not stopping child exploitation. In

other whole school endeavours many Tower boys took part in the excellent junior production Arabian Nights, both in front and behind the stage, and Arcadia and My Fair Lady saw starring roles for Jack and Lewis. Acoustic Night and Roc Soc saw so much talent on display from Barnaby to George, and a stroll down to the art room will discover significantly skilful work, not least by Josh McCouaig and Harry Shen. With an eclectic range of presentations in EPQ, skilful productions in DT and Leiths, prize winners from Chemistry (Ethan) to Economics (Ed) and many more, alongside basketball fundraising, the boys continue to achieve so much in a range of areas.

Of course, alongside that, the fun of Secret Santa, paintballing and donuts and duvets adds to making belonging to Tower such a rich experience.

Tower is so fortunate to have such a dedicated and pastorally skilled staff team who have been, again, such an outstanding support to the boys and to me. The house has benefitted so much from the input, commitment, integrity and sensitivity of Mr Strange as Resident Tutor, and we wish him so well as he goes on to join the police. We will not forget his lovely sense of humour and the great relationships he established with the boys, many of whom have been grateful for his sensible advice and compassionate care. And thus, another great and fun year in Tower which has flown by!

Brian Poxon, Housemaster

houses

Turner

nother year has flown by and the quiet, slightly nervous individuals who started in September have become the confident driving force behind a vibrant House full of individuals, personality and above all kindness. Key memories throughout the year have been our Sushi making evening, tray baking week (who will forget Hope and Caitlin ‘beating’ the fudge for almost two hours trying to get it to thicken! In the end it became a fudge sauce –equally delicious), aggressive football tactics in House Football and the real sense of camaraderie in House Hockey, where every single person played at some point (even though many had never held a Hockey stick until Miss Archer and Issy V whipped them into shape). However, rather than an old Housemistress waffling on, here are a few words from the girls themselves about how they have found living in Turner.

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Ciara Allen, Housemistress

“Everyone is so accepting and we embrace all our differences” - Izzy “A small, cozy and comfortable house that becomes your home away from home” - Issy V “I love it and can’t wait for next year” - Fiona “A small place but with an atmosphere that is very lovely and friendly to everyone” - Vaisey “An inviting and warm house where everyone feels like a second family” - Issy E “There is always going to be a guaranteed story to laugh about at the end of the day” - Caitlin “We have a lovely space to be by ourselves as well as together” - Fiona “Real life Hogwarts” - Hope “The best part of the school” - Katherine 15 - DECANIAN 2018/19

chaplaincy

Chaplaincy Year in Review his year has been special with all of the usual highlights and some unusual particulars thrown in to boot. The more formal Harvest, Remembrance, Carols and Leavers’ services struck an

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appropriate note and had us enjoying that timehonoured mix of hymnody, Scriptural input and community. The CU Getaway had us returning to last year’s haunt in Devon for some sunshine, and not a little food and fancy dress. There was plenty of food for thought from Mike Sohn’s talks from Luke’s account of the cross. Now in its second year, the CU BIG Day Out had us hanging out with young people from Kingham Hill and Monkton

for fellowship, worship, talks, seminars and games. It was particularly special to reconnect with many who came the previous year. Our confirmation service, although small, had a great deal to celebrate as we heard of lives totally transformed by a new faith in Christ. Another rollercoaster of a year. Bring on the next one!

chaplaincy

here are many paradoxes one could write about, concerning school chaplaincy. The way in which the teenager can make a lot of progressive noise one minute, and the very next play guardian of their beloved status quo. Or, as I recently discovered, the best way to ensure a listening Chapel is to give your congregants permission to close their ears. My muse, however, concerns the uncomfortable paradox of Chapel as an act of compulsory worship. If that’s not a paradox, then I don’t know what is. Every theological and compassionate instinct in me suggests that, in order for worship to be worship, it must be freely given. And yet…

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The Paradox of School Chaplaincy

In the UK the percentage of the population describing itself as belonging to no religion has risen from 31.4% to 50.6% between 1983 and 2013

What follows are two cultural observations, which will lead us back to our paradox. The first has to do with confirmation bias, and the second with UK religious belief.

The rise of populism and personality politics of late can at least in part claim the credit for the increasing polarisation in UK society.

Whether it be the geographical North and South, or home ownership’s ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, or the – now wearisome – Brexiteers and Remainers, we’re increasingly familiar with binary demographic divisions.

Another protagonist in this polarisation is the very vehicle through which much of it is reported: our favourite villainous hero, social media. On the one hand it serves to democratise opinion-giving and – to a lesser extent, listening – but on the other, it curates the conversations which we are invited to join. By means of hidden algorithms, and retweets, the technology begins to weave an equally hidden confirmation bias for every user whereby our prior opinion is encouraged and exaggerated by exposure to other like-minded bloggers and vloggers.

The ongoing astonishment in the wake of the Brexit referendum amongst both camps bears this out. For too many of us, the conversations we had enjoyed prior to the vote had been with those who agreed with us already. And therefore to discover that there were a full 48% or 52% of the

population who disagreed with us was something of a shock. That, in itself, I suggest is shocking. Speaking personally I had found myself in an information silo, or an echo chamber where my political bias was reflected back at me via agreeing blogs, friends and vox pops such that I felt in the sane majority. ‘Sane’, is the operating word.

Of course I knew that others disagreed with me, but much of their line of argument was knocked down like the proverbial straw man in the material I consumed. In retrospect it was all too simple, and too monochrome.

Although I’m ashamed to admit it, I was astonished that those who disagreed with me were made of sterner stuff than straw when it came to the ballot boxes and the result.

Second, an observation about religious belief in the UK. A couple of years ago an atheist pupil suggested to me that we conduct an experiment. ‘Why didn’t I make one main school chapel service voluntary, and see who turned up?’ He had the smile of someone operating a thumb screw. ‘After all we all believe in freedom, and this isn’t a Christian country any more – why pretend that it is?’

The screw tightened. He had a point. A 2015 report by the Commission on Religion and Belief in Public Life concluded that “Britain is no longer a Christian country and should stop acting as if it is.” In the UK the percentage of the population describing itself as belonging to no religion has risen from 31.4% to 50.6% between 1983 and 2013. Within that report it emerged that the Church of England has endured the greatest decline in numbers seeing its membership more than halve over the same period of time. So, yes the young man had a point, but I don’t think that his point undermines Chapel’s raison d’etre in quite the way his smile suggested. Let me explain.

As we have already noted, our increasingly echo chamber country is becoming more polarised and with each exaggerating and fractious shift, it seems to me that we are becoming dangerously poor at engaging with difference, with civility. In our increasingly pluralist – even secular – nation, I suggest in Chapel we find a rare opportunity for the next generation in our care to be taught a way of thinking and being which wouldn’t come across their Facebook feeds or trend on their Instagram stories. Here is a place where we are not enslaved to hidden algorithms designed to massage the prior opinions of the listeners, but where we can freely engage with refreshing difference. As I said to the atheist pupil with a glint in my eye, “Sometimes we care so much about the free choice of ideas that we make exposure to that choice compulsory.” It’s a paradox very close to my heart, and on which I suspect our Chaplain’s profession may increasingly depend.

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chaplaincy

A Service of Commemoration Once again we were privileged to have the Bishop of Gloucester preside at our annual confirmation service.

Reverend John Ash said, “This year the service had a more intimate feel with just five candidates proclaiming their faith in Christ, and claiming their baptismal promises for their own. In and amongst the rich symbolism of baptism, confirmation oils and communion the particular standout highlight was hearing a couple of the candidates share their personal stories. I am always struck that the God of the Bible brings such tremendous blessing when he is welcomed into an individual’s life.”

After the formality of the service quite a number of pupils joined the Chaplaincy team for a slap up dinner, and not a little laughter!

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DRAMA

drama

Blackadder Goes Forth OCTOBER 2018

BACON THEATRE

DIRECTED BY REBECCA VINES

s part of the DCS commemoration of the end of WW1, Rebecca Vines chose, rather daringly perhaps, to adapt some of the famous TV series by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis into a wonderful evening’s entertainment.

Daringly, because, of course, the series itself managed to be splendidly satirical, and yet maintain an infinite respect and sense of regard for all those who fell in that most terrible of conflicts. It also came as a slight shock, to those of us who were brought up in our 20s on Blackadder, to realise that very few of our current pupils even knew of its existence – we are indeed getting old. So to introduce the delights of such brilliant comic writing to a new audience was a joy. And it went down a storm. Anchored by the eternally scathing and terrific Ethan Bareham as Captain Blackadder (the Rowan Atkinson role), we had the wonderfully goofy Oscar Faiers as the idiotic but lovable chinless-wonder Lieutenant George (looking alarmingly glam in drag), George Richards (who seemed to be made to play the part) as the hapless and diminutive Private Baldric, and newcomer Fergus Holland as stuffed-shirt General Melchett. There were loving and immensely entertaining cameos from Owen Houser, Liam McKinnes (as the rampant Lord Flashheart), Sam Porter (as Baron von Richthoven), and Sydney Davis as sexy but starched Nurse Fletcher Brown – or is it Fleischher- Baum? The whole things went down a storm, and one likes to think that, perhaps the chaps at the front would have appreciated and joined in the freedom to laugh at these young Decanians’ tribute and hard work to commemorate 1918.

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drama

ARCADIA is Tom Stoppard’s whip-smart comedy that challenges the dichotomy of logic and emotion via garden design and mathematics, poetry and chaos theory. The story is set on the Croome Estate in two time periods; the turn of the Nineteenth Century and modern day. In the first thread, precocious young Thomasina Coverley learns logic via Latin, Geometry and Mathematics from her tutor Septimus Hodge.

During their lessons, Thomasina learns to question the orthodox thinking of Newton’s Principia through observation of a steam engine, brought to Croome to turn the Classical garden into a Romantic grotto, a symbol of the “decline from thinking to feeling” which concerns the character of Hannah in the present day. She is researching the garden’s transformation but is interrupted by the arrival of Bernard Nightingale, an academic who believes that he has discovered evidence that Lord Byron committed a murder at Croome.

Arcadia DRAMA SCHOLARS’ PLAY LENT 2019

Directed by Lloyd Allington

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drama

Stoppard interweaves the two time frames to challenge notions of truth, linearity of knowledge and the supremacy of the scientific over the poetic. As the modern academics struggle to piece together an objective truth Bernard bursts out “Truth? You’d have to be there…” and we are. The audience watch as Septimus hides letters without envelopes in a book he lends to Byron and see Chater set off on his ill-fated transition from poet to botanist…. and watch again as the modern characters attempt to infer the context of these objects and thus interpret their truth. Truth, Stoppard hints, is as much about interpreting signs as symbols as poetry and knowledge is as dependent on accident as scientific rigour; the burning of the Library at Alexandria, the size of the margin in Fermat’s Arithmetica and finally, Thomasina’s unguarded candle as she waits for Septimus in the final scene of the play. Stoppard draws out points about the relationship between logic and order, intuition and chance with a particular interest in the liminal areas in between; the beauty of order, theories of chaos and time and, of course, love and sex – “the attraction that Newton left out”.

As Max Thomas comments in his Programme Notes Stoppard encourages us “to reject the hypothesis that the islands of order and the seas of ashes can be separated at all.”

the audience, the comic timing was impeccable and the tragic climax delivered with elegant restraint. The set is common to both, featuring just a table which accumulates props that function in both time periods; both the simple, pared-back staging and precision in the use of the props was essential to the success of the evening. The leads in each of the time periods were played with considerable poise. Beth Ellison’s and Max Thomas’ portrayal of the relationship between Thomasina and Septimus was arch, witty but culminated in a tenderness that was very moving indeed; meanwhile Jack Coombs and Katie McCabe played the modern day academics Bernard and Hannah with a terrific combination of insufferable bombast and withering contempt. There was some super comedy with Fergus Holland’s playing Ezra Chater with brilliantly pompous bluster and a comedy cameo from Lewis Hayward as the socially and physically gauche Mr Noakes.

Adding to that was a turn from Lily Talbot, channelling Lady Bracknell as the peacockbefeathered Lady Croom. Stoppard asks a lot of his audience’s intellectual engagement and in this case, a grasp of mathematics is required; Liam McKinnes articulated this content with helpfully clear delivery that also managed to bring out the character’s humorous stoicism.

The Drama Scholars tackled this clever, funny play with impressive maturity; the dialogue was sharp enough to impress the mathematicians in

Like Thomasina’s rice pudding, Stoppard stirs his time frames together; the modern characters dress for a Ball in the costume of the Nineteenth

Century characters and Gus and Augustus become indistinguishable. The final scene, where characters from both time periods inhabit the stage together, was beautifully choreographed. Music from the two timeframes, composed by OD Jason Richards, blended and the characters circled each other in a waltz that led to an understated delivery of the tragic climax to the play. This was a terrific ensemble piece that drew our laughs and then broke our hearts.

Emma Gillett

This was a terrific ensemble piece that drew our laughs and then broke our hearts.

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drama

My

Fair

THE GREAT THING about My Fair Lady is that its starting point is a first-class script - from Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Secondly, it is blessed with so many brilliant and winninglyhummable musical numbers - I could have danced all night, I'm getting married in the morning, Wiv a little bit of luck, All I want is a room somewhere... the list goes on. Thirdly, the orchestration is stunningly clever, rich and imaginative. And fourthly, the four main characters are wonderfully sharply defined, whilst retaining exciting elements of development and ambiguity. When so many musicals nowadays are two-dimensional and even shallow, My Fair Lady is a beacon in "how to adapt and write a musical" - and the writers (Lerne and Loewe) don't get enough credit. That said, the musical has a problem, expounded in the programme note: it is hardly a fine example to hold up to the young and (rightly) equality-driven young women of DCS (or anywhere else, come to that). It is interesting that when the drama department mounted The Beggar's Opera, there were cries of "Sexism! Exploitation of women!" My Fair Lady raised not a single dissenting DCS voice in this area - and yet, is perhaps even worse from this point of view in its subjectmatter. An over-bearing, insensitive man takes a working class woman, treats her abominably as his experimental plaything, wins a big bet and then casts her off. Interesting...

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playfulness and outrage at the end of the play.

The cast apparently thought she should definitely have walked out on Higgins (as Shaw intended), and serve him right - but alas, the music and script does not allow for such unsentimental acts.

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That said (and perhaps it is rather a cold, if accurate, analysis of the plot), it is a wonderful story, with much comedy, pathos and wit en route. And as productions go, this was one of DCS' legendary best. For starters, the big ensemble scenes were thrilling - from the first tableau and opening number All I want is a room somewhere, to the stuffed-shirt Ascot scene (what a brilliantly conceived number!), to the acoholic-rough-and-tumble of I'm getting married in the morning - all were a delight: rarely a face or body was out of place, and the commitment and stage discipline of these young performers were astonishing for their age - as many an audience member commented. This reviewer's favourites included the Cockney high-kicking energy of Wiv a little bit of luck (with some superb support from the acrobatics of Liam McKinnes, Sam Porter, Fergus Holland and Nathan Kenshall), and Sue Jones and Vicky Jewkes' dazzlingly choreographed waltz scene at the ball. The enthusiasm of these young actors, all too numerous to mention, was completely palpable for the packed houses on all three nights.

Pride of place in plaudits for the cast must, of course, go to Jack Coombs as Professor Higgins and Beth Ellison as Eliza Doolittle. The latter stole our hearts as the flower-girl-turned duchess. It is no mean feat in terms of development of accent and physicality for an actress to show this metamorphosis convincingly on stage, and Beth did it truthfully and beautifully. The moment when she appeared on Higgins' staircase, to orchestration glittering like the tiara she was wearing, caused an audible gasp. One of her big highlights was her wonderful sense of abandon and joy in I could have danced all night - we felt we could have too. But she also caught the pathos of the post-ball scenes, and discovered exactly the right sense of ironic

Jack Coombs as Higgins gave us a splendid big baby - spoilt, self-indulgent and arrogant - but (as Shaw stipulates) he was never anything less than likeable. Jack's huge presence dominated the stage and every scene he was in - as it should whether he was thundering "no no no no NOOO!" or galloping round in the Rain in Spain.

But he also caught the pathos of the character at the end - I have rarely seen I've grown accustomed to her face done with such poignancy: he really did feel like a little lost boy in a world of love and emotions that he did not understand.

In support, Felix Nelson as Colonel Pickering (perhaps the most difficult role in one way) was the perfect gent: solicitous, humorous, charming, even boyish - for he shares some qualities with Higgins, even if they are more tempered with him. The sight of him fandango-ing in the Rain in Spain was a joy. And the person who seemed to steal the show for many was Lewis Haywood as the irresistible Alfred P Doolittle - a part which seemed tailor-made for Lewis. For those who know him, Lewis is irrepressible in real-life - and just as cheeky, outrageous and fun. And so he was on stage - and we were especially proud of this terrific young man, as he cavorted and danced his way into our affections. His highlight surely was I'm getting married in the morning the sight of him flying through the air supported

by Cockney-crowds was a moment of delight and occasioned massive applause.

Sam Crichton in his first big role was a very handsome Freddie, and completely puppy-like in his adoration of Eliza - and his big number On the street where you live was sung with abandon. And Kate Smart as the feisty

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Pride of place in plaudits for the cast must, of course, go to Jack Coombs as Professor Higgins and Beth Ellison as Eliza Doolittle.

Mrs Higgins was just that - elegant, superior but warm and human. Grace Greaves as Mrs Pearce must also get a mention - as one of the few people who can stand up to Higgins and get away with it - and Grace was feisty and stern and Owen Houser proved a suitably mad Karparthy.

This was one of the best bands we have ever had for a musical, led with huge commitment and musicality by the Director of Music, Helen Porter - it depends so much on rich harmony and stylish playing - and we had this in abundance.

But a show also stands or falls on its tech team, and Matt Reading led very strongly from the front - with immensely detailed and rehearsed scene changes. Matt clearly understood that the set and lights and sound must serve the piece and the actors - and he saw to it that they did, to a startlingly seamless level. Bravo him and Mark Elford and all the team. And huge credit to Sue Jones and Vicky Jukes and their team (Sydney Davies, Rachel Hellier and Beth Clink) for forensic

hard work on setting dances and seeing them through with such style and finish. Audience and cast owe a debt to the tireless wardrobe mistress, Sheila Charania, for her beautiful costuming. Behind the scenes, Caroline Baillie was indefatigable in her work to ensure the wellbeing of each and every person connected with the show.

As DCS musicals go (and they are hard to live up to), this was one of the best. Congratulations to the cast and crew on three magnificent nights.

Perhaps we are, in the end, reluctantly glad that Eliza comes back...

Dorothy Friendly 23 - DECANIAN 2018/19

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ARABIANNights JUNIOR PLAY

THE BACON THEATRE

his was a brilliant idea for a Junior production: the RSC version of the legendary Tales from the Arabian Nights, first adapted and mounted by Dominic Cooke for that company as one of its famous Christmas shows in December 2009. Brilliant because of the sheer quantity of parts and stage exposure it offers for young actors, and also because it is a witty and imaginative re-telling of these wonderful tales which everyone knows from their childhood – Sinbad and Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves and the like. Outstanding in this multifarious cast was Sydney Davis as Scheherazade herself, the beautiful but eminently sensible and practical mistress of King Shahrayar, who entrances her would-be lover (and murderer) by regaling him with mysterious and captivating tales, so that she lives to see another day because of his curiosity to finish each tale.

Sydney brought allure but also (deep-rooted in her Welshness, surely) her own brand of practical no-nonsense to her

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LENT 2019

DIRECTED BY VIVIENNE SAWFORD

story-telling – she managed to combine a sense of comedy and tragedy in this quite complex character. As the King, Matt Candy in his first major role, showed us a strong stage presence and a confident authoritative voice – a great foil to the sultry maidens in yashmaks cavorting here and there around him. Ben Stafford was outstanding as Ali Baba – he got exactly the right comic touch, and remains an exciting potential talent on the DC stage. A real discovery was Lily Griffiths, in various roles – an exciting voice and with some very watchable moments for an audience. One to watch, certainly. Too numerous to mention are the many fun cameos from the 4th through to 5th form, though Jamie Treatman-Clark was popular with the audience, and Niamh Allen’s Bird was beautifully delivered.

This was an evening of huge fun and colour, and well done to all those involved.

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DEAN CLOSE REMEMBERS COMMEMORATION OF THE END OF THE GREAT WAR 1918

SEPTEMBER 2018 THE BACON THEATRE

n September 2014, the drama department mounted a big commemoration of the start of that most terrible of conflicts, The Great War. Rebecca Vines and the schools’ Chief Archivist Rev’d Charles Whitney, came together to compile a musical and dramatic docu-drama montage of scenes from the lives of 12 Old Decanians, all of whom had been in the 1914-1918 war, and many of whom had died on active service.

Letters, diaries, accounts, remembrances were all lovingly compiled and edited to give a dramatic framework to this moving commemoration. In 2018, Rebecca Vines reprised the evening, and two performances were mounted on one day – and, as before, we welcomed back a number of dramatic and musical ODs to perform alongside current pupils. The central tableau of the whole piece remained the memorable re-enactment of the battle of the Somme – an intensely moving moment for the audience – a lone voice in the smoke and gunfire intoning the hymn Abide with Me, then taken up by a plaintive chorus of boys’ voices. The performance ended with The Last Post, and falling poppies covering the heads and shoulders of the

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assembled congregation, standing solemnly as the names of each and every OD who fell in battle were read out by current pupils all around the auditorium.

This was an important reminder, testament and act of remembrance on the part of the School for all those – not only ODs – who made the ultimate sacrifice in 1918 and gave their lives so that our young people, and indeed all of us, may live in freedom and safety.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning: WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

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MUSIC Commemoration

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Commemoration Concerts in recent years have been of a remarkably high standard and the 2019 concert was no exception. It began with Sinfonia playing the 1st movement (Allegro) of Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The first theme, lively and ascending, contrasted beautifully with the graceful and less hurried second theme; and the precise yet jaunty playing of the musicians brought the movement to its cheerful conclusion.

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Ernest Tang’s performance of Glazunov Saxophone Concerto in E flat Major, was masterly. While the focus is often and rightly on the soloist, in this instance the high standard of the accompanying Sinfonia (or as later in the programme the full Orchestra in the Rachmaninov,) deserves considerable praise.

Glazunov demands the highest technical and musical skills of the soloist and Ernest’s tone colour, intonation, nimble fingering, dynamics and breathing were quite remarkable – indeed, a bravura performance on his part.

Chamber Choir is well-balanced and was at the top of its game in its accomplished singing of O waly, waly arranged by Rutter and Among the leaves so green, O arranged by Byrt. Jenny Ng (piano), Tom Richardson (violin), and Rachel Hellier (‘cello), then played Saltarello, one of Frank Bridge’s Miniatures for Piano Trio with all three performers entering wholeheartedly into this fiery dance.

themes, was simply quite amazing. Her playing of the exquisite second movement, Adagio sostenuto, with its fiendish cadenza was beautifully sentimental and so very exciting. The Concerto is perhaps as near a tsunami as a piece of music can get and much depends on the relationship between soloist and orchestra in which Janice and the conductor, Helen Porter, were in perfect harmony. The final movement, Allegro scherzando, is a beast and hurtles towards its thudding climax. And yet, as calm and controlled as if she played it every day, Janice threw the lot at the audience which responded by leaping to its feet in wonder and awe at her most magnificent and utterly compelling performance. The whole concerto was moving and uplifting; and if superlatives are

inadequate to describe Janice’s playing, the Orchestra, too, was simply quite stupendously good. It may be invidious to pick out individuals in such a team performance, but the French horn player, Hunyi Lee, and the clarinettist, Oscar Richardson played their solos most beautifully.

As well as the well-deserved standing ovation, there were other visible signs that the audience was mightily moved by what must rank among the finest musical performances witnessed in the past forty years at Dean Close.

Jazz on the Terrace followed, a delightful way to end a magnificent concert and begin the Commemoration weekend. Congratulations to Helen Porter, Ciara Allen, Simon Bell and all the Music Department for another outstanding Commemoration Concert!

Close Harmony sang Down to the River to Pray (arr Lawson) and Take Me Home (Pentatonix).

This small a capella group produced a finely tuned, tight-knit sound, maintaining clarity, pitch and considerable style throughout.

The main performance of the evening was that of the talented pianist, Janice Ng, who played Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no. 2 in C minor in full. Janice performed all three movements from memory without a hitch and with considerable dexterity and great strength in her fingers. While this Concerto is perhaps one of, if not the, most famous works in the piano repertoire, it is also hugely demanding; and it is really quite astounding that a pianist still at school, no matter how gifted, and the School Orchestra can perform to this exceptionally high level. There is no hiding because there are always those in the audience who know it inside out! Janice’s skill, notably her control of the perfect storm of 27 - DECANIAN 2018/19

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Celebration of Music Across Dean Close Every year all three Schools join together for a Celebration of Music. Friends and family gather to listen to music from children as young as six to senior school pupils about to take their A-levels.

The concert is always an eclectic mix of ages, instruments, abilities and genres and this year was no exception.

The opening performance was an outstanding piece by Bach, Concerto in D minor for Two Violins: Vivace. Prep School pupils Michael Lei and Silas Jack gave two accomplished violin performances, accompanied by the Carducci Quartet and Mr Simon Bell on the keyboard.

Emily Takada, aged just six followed, playing Minuet in G major with outstanding confidence; definitely one to watch. Ernest Tang treated the audience to the melodic La plus que lent, ‘transporting’ everyone to beautiful French villages in the heat of summer.

Dean Close has a proud choral tradition and several performances across both the Prep and Senior School did not disappoint. DCPS Chamber Choir gave two spine tingling performances, Niamh Allen sang a challenging Eia mater fons amoris (Stabat Mater) with ease and grace, BBC Chorister of

Chapel Arts Chapel Arts, Cheltenham invited Dean Close musicians to headline a lunchtime concert. Chapel Arts is a beautiful venue, located in the St James’ area of town.

The former Baptist chapel has been modernised and restored to create a fantastic, flexible arts space.

Three of the School’s most accomplished musicians performed to members of the local community. All the pupils are in their final year of Sixth Form, taking time out of busy academic schedules to perform. Each pupil introduced their pieces with confidence, explaining the background to the music and highlighting movements and emotions for the audience to listen out for.

Jeff Gao, Janice Ng and Ernest Tang provided a splendid mixture of music on violin, piano and saxophone respectively. These were really first class performances and were greatly appreciated by the audience. Music included pieces by Debussy, Kreisler, Bartok, Grovlez and Liszt.

The pupils were ably accompanied by the Director of Music, Helen Porter as well as music teacher Sara Harris. Thank you to Chapel Arts and the Cheltenham Music Festival Society for allowing the pupils the opportunity to perform in such a wonderful venue to their local community.

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the Year, Cassian Pichler-Roca, also performed and Evie Schmidt-Martin entertained a captivated audience with Part of your World from The Little Mermaid.

Oscar Jack excelled with his fast paced, elaborate rendition of Sonata for clarinet and piano: Allegro con fuoco and Jeff Gao wowed the audience with the final performance of the evening playing Kreisler’s Praeludium and Allegro. It was wonderful to see members of the Carducci Quartet playing with students throughout the evening and to welcome some of the youngest members of the Dean Close Community to the stage. It really was a Celebration of Music.

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In Memoriam – Dean Close Foundation Concert in Tewkesbury Abbey on Friday 9 November 2018 to mark the one hundredth anniversary of the Armistice of 1918

‘At the going down of the sun and in the morning... his concert was a most moving part of the 2018 Remembrance weekend that concluded four years of events at Dean Close commemorating the centenary of the First World War. It was also the first major concert by the choirs of the Foundation Schools.

They were joined by the Schola Cantorum of Tewkesbury Abbey, the adult members of the Dean Close Foundation Choral Society, the DCPS Senior Strings and the Regency Sinfonia in a stirring programme of choral music under the direction of Simon Bell. Tim McVittie conducted the DCPS Chamber Choir and David Mitchell the Dean Close St John’s Chamber Choir.

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Choral Society, DCS Chamber Choir and Schola Cantorum opened the first half of choral pieces closely associated with Remembrance over the past century with John Ireland Greater love hath no man, and concluded it with Hear my words, ye people by Sir C Hubert H Parry. The choirs were privileged to be accompanied in both pieces by James Lancelot, until recently organist of Durham Cathedral, on the Milton Organ. DCPS Chamber Choir performed I remember by the contemporary Canadian composer, Sarah Quartel, and this was followed by the DCS Chamber Choir singing Parry Never weatherbeaten sail (from Songs of Farewell) and They are at rest, written in 1910 by Sir Edward Elgar to be sung on the anniversary of Queen Victoria’s death. Schola Cantorum’s focus was on two more of Parry’s Songs of Farewell, I know my

soul hath power and There is an old belief; and Dean Close St John’s joined with DCPS Senior Strings to perform Tim McVittie’s arrangement of Monk Abide with me in which James Lane was the treble soloist.

Sylvia Klemz, Ben Sawyer, Sam Lake, Edward Rimmer, and Steve Grice were the soloists and Jack Stone the organist in this exceptional performance of Sir Karl Jenkins The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace in which all the choirs and the Regency Sinfonia joined forces under the baton of Simon Bell. This extraordinary and extremely popular Mass (it is performed somewhere in the world every day), commissioned by the Royal Armouries at the millennium in the hope of a new century more peaceful than the last, calls on a range of musical genres and a wide body of texts in Greek, Latin, French and English, some religious, others secular.

The Mass opens with the marching beat (good work by the percussion section throughout the performance) of the 15th century French folk tune, L’homme Armé which leads to the dynamic and starkly beautiful Call to Prayers delivered on this occasion by Ismail Ginwalla as the Muezzin.

The symbolism of this daily Islamic tradition being called in the Abbey was very powerful reminder that we live in a modern multi-faith society. Kipling’s poem, Hymn before Action provides one text and Ode for St Cecilia’s Day

by Dryden another; and screams depicting the horrors of war are followed by silence and the

last Post. The words of the Japanese poet, Toge Sankichi, reflect the devastation of Hiroshima; and an extract from a Hindu epic is used in Torches before the serene Agnus Dei hints at mercy and peace. Now the Guns have Stopped portrays a lonely survivor mourning the loss of a friend in battle, and that mood is carried into the Benedictus with its famous ‘cello solo leading to a great Hosanna. The mass ends as it began with a folksy number, though with the emphasis now on Better is Peace than always war (Mallory) and Ring in the new (New Year Poem, Tennyson).

For performers and audience, this was a remarkable musical and spiritual experience.

Awkward questions are raised, nerves jangled, sensibilities both touched and shocked. There was a stunned silence at the end of the final unaccompanied hymn, the packed nave overwhelmed with the emotion of the challenging score and the powerful and uplifting, indeed epic, performance of over 150 musicians.

The whole programme was a very careful and meaningful construct. The musicianship and reverence with which it was delivered was a huge tribute to Simon Bell and the singers. It had a profound impact on all who were there. The ancient twelfth-century Benedictine Abbey of Tewkesbury, the scene of so much conflict (the 1471 battle, for example) and peril (one thinks of the flooding in 2007), was a most fitting and holy place in which to offer this choral act of Remembrance on this most solemn centenary.

...We will remember them’.

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RocSoc

his year’s RocSoc was another triumph of musicianship, sheer enthusiasm and slick organisation. It featured some compelling performances from the likes of Niamh Allen whose interpretation of Shallow (the huge hit song from A Star is Born) made the hairs on this reviewer’s neck stand on end; Lauren Ferro and her backing band delivered a powerful rendition of Zombie by the Cranberries, a fitting tribute to the late and much missed Dolores o’Riordan. The evening was a splendid celebration of different musical genres: Rock (Jimi Hendrix, Radiohead), Reggae (Bob Marley), Soul (Aretha Franklin) and Hip-Hop (Drake). Saph Leweni’s take on You make me a feel like a natural woman will live long in the memory as will Sam Crichton’s interpretation of No woman no cry. Sam, incidentally, has now taken on two of the giants of modern music, Freddy Mercury last year, Bob Marley this year and has produced two colossal performances. It was terrific to witness so many terrific contributions from the performers on stage to the lighting and production teams. The evening’s entertainment was very well supported by the student body who applauded raucously but appreciatively. To all those who contributed to the sonic splendour of RocSoc 2019, I congratulate you on a (loud!) job very well done.

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Acoustic Night Acoustic night is growing in popularity every year.

November saw a full PMH entertained by a packed programme of songs, ranging from traditional Chinese, to Eric Clapton and it was wonderful to hear some of the pupils’ original compositions. Stunning guitar solos were performed by Finn Fleming and Adam Gower and we were lucky enough to have our very own Sixth Former, Oscar Richardson do a fantastic job on the sound desk.

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Singer Songwriter Competition This year’s competition featured contributions from Oscar Jack, Ji Yoon Lee, Lauren Ferro, Hattie Gammon, George Orr-Ewing, Sophie Brown and Lewis Haywood. All of the participants accompanied themselves either on the piano or the guitar or, in the cases of Hattie and Lauren, the ukulele.

The competition underlined the depth of talent that exists behind closed doors within studies and bedrooms all over the school: Ji Yoon and Lauren shared second prize with Sophie Brown winning with her song Knocked one Time.

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Music Scholars’ Concert

he Music Scholars’ Concert in the Prince Michael Hall in November began with the inaugural performance of our newly-formed Ripieno Strings: led by The Carducci Quartet, this ensemble gave a stylish performance of La La Land and left us looking forward to future performances. The evening was primarily a showcase for some of our advanced singers and instrumentalists and included both solo and ensemble items.

Chamber Choir, under the direction of Jack Stone, performed two a cappella pieces by Parry and Elgar and the concert concluded with a

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slick rendition of Mozart’s famous Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The second movement of Mendelssohn’s Piano trio in D minor was sensitively played by Jenny Ng, Tom Richardson and Rachel Hellier, Tom also giving an assured performance of Beethoven’s Spring Sonata. Lois Dunning, Rachel Hellier and Jenny Ng, accompanied by Jeff Gao and Janice Ng on violin, sang The Snow by Elgar which contrasted well with I’ve got you under my skin, sung

beautifully by Lily Talbot whose velvety tone really suited the jazz idiom. Bea Bennett, Oscar Richardson and Matthew Moorhouse sang with sensitivity and conviction, Oscar and Matthew both singing from Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel, while Evie Crawford Poxon, Lois Dunning, Oscar Jack and Jeff Gao delighted the audience with Poulenc, Elgar, Ginistera and Bartok respectively.

The PMH was packed with an appreciative audience who enjoyed refreshments at the end of the concert.

Solo Singing Competition In February, 39 pupils sang in the finals of the annual Solo Singing Competition. This was a very high standard and followed a rigorous round of auditions. All 39 should be commended for having the courage to stand in front of their peers and visitors and sing!

We were extremely fortunate to have as our adjudicator this year OD Emma Brain, who gave very helpful and incisive comments throughout the course of the competition.

There were some lovely performances during the afternoon from 26 pupils in the Junior, Intermediate and Senior categories, but the cups were won by Grace Billington for Junior, Niamh Allen for Intermediate and Rachel Hellier for Senior. Runners-up were Henry Jordan, Megan John, Pippa Salisbury, Lucy Humphreys, Beth Rogers, Alastair Klemz, Lily Talbot and Tom Richardson.

After supper the audience was treated to 10 show songs of varying character. The cup was won by Lily Talbot singing I’m Calm by Sondheim, with Niamh Allen and Nathan Kenshall as second and third respectively. A most enjoyable class.

Song Recital Trophy Three pupils competed for this prestigious trophy – Matthew Moorhouse, Oscar Richardson and Beatrice Bennett. All three impressed with their maturity, preparation, sound and musicality. The trophy was won by Oscar who sang with total conviction and exact awareness of the composers’ intentions.

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Spring Concert he “Spring” Concert took place on a rather chilly winter’s evening at the beginning of February, fortunately escaping the snow storms of the earlier stages of the week!

Performers from all year groups delighted the appreciative audience with an extremely varied programme.

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Sinfonia began the evening with the well-known Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, beautifully executed and sensitively phrased, followed by Evening Hymn

by Purcell sung with depth of expression by Beatrice Bennett. Later in the programme, we were treated to four of Vaughan Williams’ Songs of Travel by Oscar Richardson and Matthew Moorhouse who both sang with real authority and careful reflection of the descriptive text.

The evening included two chamber groups. In the first half, the challenging Allegro from Weber’s Clarinet Quintet, headed by the talented Oscar Richardson, and, secondly, the divine slow movement of Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor, played with exquisite musicality by three members of the Fifth Form - Tom Richardson, Rachel Hellier and Jenny Ng.

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News and achievements Chamber Choir closed the first half with the uplifting Little Jazz Mass by Chilcott, expertly accompanied by Sara Harris (piano) and Louis Fleming (drums). This was received with great enthusiasm from the audience and demonstrated confident handling of some tricky jazzy vocal harmonies.

Following the interval, Jeff Gao played Bruch’s stunning Romance with orchestra, a delightful performance which, for many, was the highlight of the evening, in which Jeff displayed real control and musicality.

The final item of the concert was the Orchestra’s exciting and passionate rendition of Mendelssohn’s turbulent programmatic overture Ruy Blas which was a brilliant finish to a lovely evening.

n August 2018, Dean Close pupils past and present travelled to Capestang in the South of France to perform in a concert organised by Sue Jones, raising over 5000 euros for La Ligue contre le cancer. Lily Talbot, Gabriella Sills, Ben Crossley, Maddie Dunn and Orlando Giannini represented the school as current members and were joined by ODs Amy Porter, Laurence Kilsby, Maddie Harris, Jason Richards, Matthew Welch and Geraint Downing. They performed a selection of show songs in the first half. Dame Sarah Connolly was the guest artist in the second half of the concert, accompanied by Helen Porter, alongside Camille Bracher from the Royal Ballet and Matthew Sandiford from BalletBoyz.

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Grade 8 distinctions were obtained by the following pupils: Chloe Dunwell (violin), Janice Ng (singing), Hannah Porter (singing), Oscar Richardson (piano), Oscar Richardson (singing), Tom Richardson (violin), Lauren Ferro (singing) and Beatrice Bennett (singing).

Louis Morford and Hugo Till took up their respective Choral Scholarships to Merton College, Oxford and Queen’s College, Oxford, Louis studying Music and Jason Richards took up his Organ Scholarship at Jesus College, Cambridge.

Jeff Gao gained his ARSM diploma on both viola and violin.

Janice Ng wins the Keith Nutland Memorial Trophy he Keith Nutland Memorial Award competition was set up 24 years ago by Daphne Nutland in memory of her husband, Keith, treasurer of the Performing Arts Festival.

It is a prize of £1000 for the Festival Young Musician, who must be in Year 13 and either live in or be at school in Gloucestershire. There were eight competitors this year, including Jeff Gao and Janice Ng from Dean Close School, and the standard was extremely high.

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Janice gave an exquisite performance of a challenging piece by Liszt – Petrach’s 104th Sonnet, followed by the well-known Clair de Lune by Debussy.

This is the 4th time in the past 5 years that Dean Close musicians have won this award. Previous winners were Louis Morford, Laurence Kilsby and Brenna Tin.

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Music concerts/events 2018-2019 September Saturday 29: House Singing Competition October Tuesday 2: Prep Schools’ Orchestral Day Approximately 120 prep school children from 8 schools joined forces with members of Dean Close School orchestra for an exciting day of orchestral playing, culminating with a concert that included the infamous Dambusters March.

the Romantic and 20th Century repertoire, including Rachmaninov, Strauss and Parry.

Thursday 22: Lunchtime Concert

Friday 19: Half Term Concert

December Thursday 6 to Saturday 8: My Fair Lady

A light-hearted programme with several winning items from House Shout, a trombone solo from 4th former Alastair Klemz, music from Jazz Band, Concert Band, Sax Group and Close Harmony.

Thursday 4: Lunchtime Concert

November Friday 9: In Memoriam: Dean Close Foundation Concert

Thursday 4: Piano Masterclass: Irina Krasotina

Thursday 15: Lunchtime Concert

An opportunity for some of our most talented pianists to be instructed by Russian pianist, Irina Krasotina, particularly apt for Janice Ng who is in the process of learning Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto for her performance in May 2019!

Friday 5: Fridays at 6: Irina Krasotina A delightful recital by Irina Krasotina as part of our Fridays at 6 concert series, including works

by Grandados, Khachaturian, Scriabin and Rachmaninov.

Friday 5: New Pupils’ Recital A packed concert of 20 items, all from our new intake of 4th Form pupils, which bodes very well for the future. Many pupils performed on two instruments and it was particularly pleasing to see no fewer than four violas represented! This is a talented year group and we are greatly looking forward to seeing them in our future concerts.

Friday 12: Friday at 6: Sylvia Klemz Sylvia Klemz delighted a full PMH with a concert of vocal music, accompanied by Helen Porter, which included a beautiful array of songs from

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Friday 1: Fridays at 6: Oscar Jack A most accomplished recital, accompanied by Sara Harris, given by Remove Music Scholar Oscar Jack performing on clarinet. This ambitious programme included works by Rabaud, Pierne, Finzi and Poulenc.

Sunday 18: Acoustic Night Acoustic night grows in popularity every year and this year was no exception. Sunday 18th November saw a packed PMH entertained by a packed programme of songs, ranging from traditional Chinese, to Eric Clapton to some original compositions. It was great to see every year group represented with our regular performers such as Vaseva Leweni, Lewis Haywood, Sam Crichton and Tom Bradford, joined by some new faces. Stunning guitar solos were performed by Finn Fleming and Adam Gower and we were lucky enough to have our very own Sixth Form student, Oscar Richardson do a fantastic job on the sound desk.

Wednesday 21: Concert of Chamber, Instrumental and Vocal Music

A mind-blowing production of this joint production with the drama department. No fewer than nine pupils played in the professional pit orchestra.

Wednesday 12: Service of Nine Lessons and Carols As the Michaelmas term draws to a close, the annual Service of Nine Lessons and Carols provided a calming and uplifting interlude in what is always a very busy period. Dean Close School Chapel Choir treated the congregation to a wonderful mixture of traditional and modern carols in the School Chapel, surrounded by twinkling candlelight and interspersed with the best loved and well known bible passages telling the story of the birth of Jesus. There were lovely and accomplished solos, old favourites for all to sing and Sweet was the Song the Virgin Sang, a new Commission this year by awardwinning composer, Kerensa Briggs. Keresena discovered her love of choral music initially through Gloucester Cathedral’s Youth Choir and later for choirs including Trinity College, Cambridge and the Chapel Choir of King’s College, London where she currently holds a Choral Scholarship and is continuing a postgraduate studies on Composition.

Dean Close has a strong tradition of excellent choral music and this is just one of many events over the course of the school year where the choir can really showcase its breadth of talent.

As is customary, mulled wine and mince pies were on offer at the end of the service which everyone greatly appreciated as the temperature plunged and the wind howled outside!

Thursday 13: Carols by Candlelight

music

January Sunday 27: Mayor’s Concert for Youth

Sunday 10: RocSoc Friday 15: Lunchtime Recital (Chapel Arts)

Thursday 31: Lunchtime Concert February Sunday 3: Spring Concert Thursday 7: House Solo Singing Competition

A delightful lunchtime recital given by three of our A level musicians at the beautiful Chapel Arts venue in Cheltenham. Jeff Gao, Janice Ng and Ernest Tang provided a splendid mixture of music on violin, piano and saxophone respectively. These were really first-class performances which were greatly appreciated by the audience and included music by Debussy, Kreisler, Bartok, Grovlez and Liszt.

Friday 8: Fridays at 6: Jeff Gao A stunning recital, accompanied beautifully by Sara Harris, which included works by Telemann, Massenet, Smetana, Ravel and Bartok.

Friday 15: Half Term Concert Music from Concert Band, Jazz Band, Ripieno Strings, Close Harmony and Brass Group, with an impressive guitar solo by Finn Fleming.

March Friday March 1: Prep Schools’ Choral Day 150 prep school children from 5 different schools joined with Dean Close School Chapel Choir in a service which included Vivaldi’s Gloria and Vaughan Williams’ Let all the World.

Thursday 7: Lunchtime Concert Thursday 7: Opera Trip to Birmingham Hippodrome A level pupils attended a performance of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte given by Welsh National Opera.

Sunday 10: Song Writing Competition

Talented year 8 pupil Michael Lei from Dean Close Preparatory School impressed a full PMH with his stunning violin playing. Accompanied ever sensitively by Sara Harris, Michael delighted the audience with his dazzling virtuosity, lyricism and command of the instrument, performing a programme of Bach, Ravel, Smetana, Hess and Kabalevsky, ending with the popular Czardas by Monti.

Friday 24: Commemoration Concert & Jazz on the Terrace

Friday 15: Fridays at 6: A Level Recitals Janice Ng, Oscar Richardson and Ernest Tang performed their A level recitals in preparation for the forthcoming examinations this summer.

Friday 9: St Matthew’s Church, Cheltenham A small group of pupils performed at a very worthwhile charity event at St Matthew’s Church.

The event was raising money for Samara’s Aid, a charity which helps with the slow re-building of Syria through humanitarian relief and the rebuilding of hospitals. Despite some hard hitting video footage, the evening was very upbeat with a lovely selection of easy listening jazz, ranging from Django Reinhardt to Aretha Franklin and Jobim. Well done to Finn and Louis Fleming, Pippa Salisbury, Oscar Jack, Tom Richardson, Matt Candy and Vaseva Leweni for willingly giving of their time to help such a worthy cause.

Friday 17: Fridays at 6: Michael Lei

Wednesday 27: House Music Competition April Thursday 25: Lunchtime Recital: Amy Porter OD Amy Porter, studying Music in her final year at Durham University, returned to Dean Close to give a lovely vocal recital which included works

by MacMillan, Dvorak, Brahms and Canteloube.

Sunday 28: Jazz in the Park Ice-cream van, bunting, marquee, picnics, a bit of sunshine and most importantly, music – the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The festival atmosphere was set, bringing together both the Senior and Prep School communities for almost 2 hours of different musical jazz styles.

The Senior School covered Swing to Funk with their Big Band as well as Dixieland and Gypsy Jazz in some of the smaller combos. There were also some great vocal numbers ranging from Aretha Franklin to Julie London. The Prep School also played a big part in this event with great renditions of Tequila and Rock around the clock to name a few.

May Wednesday 1: A Celebration of Music across Dean Close Thursday 16: Lunchtime Concert

June Thursday 13: Lunchtime Concert Saturday 15: Song Writing workshop Tuesday 18: Junior Scholars’ Recital This concert demonstrated the emerging talent from our Fourth and Remove year groups, with 17 of our Music Scholars giving some very commendable performances. Sebastian Till opened the concert with a musically assured performance of Sonata by Eccles while Alastair Klemz ended with the rousing first movement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s trombone concerto, played with finesse and bravura. In between there were some lovely instrumental and vocal performances (always good to hear the “endangered” viola and oboe making an appearance!) with particularly noteworthy performances given by Chloe Dunwell, Kitty Oxley, Jason Perry and Oscar Jack. Freddie Philp-Sorensen also impressed the audience with his own composition entitled Tristesse, a most sensitive and well-constructed piece with an extensive harmonic vocabulary.

Monday 24: Valedictory Concert A fond farewell to our U6 leavers with a lovely varied mix of different musical styles from our 10 performers. This included a timpani solo (a first in my time!) and an original song composition alongside some more conventional items. The final item – Alla Turka Jazz – gave a rather different take on Mozart and certainly left a smile on the faces of the audience! The musical prowess and ambition have been quite evident in this year group and they will be truly missed.

Tuesday 25: Leavers’ Service

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House Competitions

House Music Competition The instrumental category of this year’s House Music Competition took place in March, culminating in the highly coveted Sherratt Prize after supper. We were delighted to welcome back as our adjudicator Nicholas Freestone, a former organ scholar some eight years ago, and currently Assistant Director of Music at Worcester Cathedral. Nick gave excellent adjudications throughout the day and his comments were both encouraging and helpful.

The Junior, Intermediate and Senior classes took place during the afternoon, with first place awarded to Carmen Ritchie for Junior, and the overall Intermediate and Senior cups won by Finn Fleming and Sebastian Till respectively. The following also took first place for their individual categories: Molly Godfrey, Evie Sharp, Alastair Klemz, Ernest Tang and Jiyoon Lee with Mimi Gleeson being awarded the Popular Music shield.

The Sherratt Prize This was of exceptionally high quality, with fourteen performances competing for the title from across Removes to Upper Sixth pupils. Oscar Jack won the Woodwind Cup, Samuel Chow the Brass Cup while the highly competitive strings and piano classes were won by Jeff Gao and Janice Ng. This year the department decided to have an audience vote at the end of the evening, a popular move, and one which interestingly resulted in a different winner. Our adjudicator awarded the prestigious Sherratt Cup to Janice Ng, who has won the cup for the past three years, but it was a closely-fought competition and Jeff Gao was an extremely close runner-up. However, the audience clearly hugely enjoyed Jeff’s playing and unanimously awarded him the audience prize of a rather large Easter egg!

Although Mead was over 60 points ahead of the other Houses at the start of the day, the result was extremely close and in the final count, Field just managed to secure the title of overall House winner by just one point!

Many congratulations to all performers on a most enjoyable afternoon and evening of extremely high-quality music-making.

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House Singing Competition

The theme for this year’s ever-popular singing competition was Songs from the 1960s. This inspired some great choices from the Houses, the Beatles, Jackson Five, The Monkees and the Temptations all appearing popular. The adjudicator was Oliver Parker, Head of Vocal Studies at The Cheltenham Ladies’ College, who was impressed by the level of singing and the commitment of the Houses. Brook Court won the Boys’ Unison song with Hooked on a Feeling with Gate’s beautifully sensitive rendition of Let it be taking second place. The Girls’ Unison Song was won by Mead with I want you back with Turner Hall taking second place with My Guy. The Part songs were more varied, with an ambitious performance of Short People by Brook Court appearing alongside songs such as Hallelujah by Cohen and In the Jungle.

Gate and Shelburne took first place and runners-up were Mead and Brook Court.

Overall winner was Shelburne and Brook Court was runner-up. Bea Bennett from Mead was judged to be the best conductor for her convincing direction of the part-song and best accompanist went to Jenny Ng from Shelburne.

Tug of War

The hotly contested annual Inter-House Tug of War was back with full force this year as staff and pupils took to the Humpty Dumpty field to pull for their Houses.

Five separate tug of war pitches ran a total of over 60 contests, generating a huge amount of excitement and even more noise! The cheers could be heard from all around the campus, as the whole Senior School of 480 pupils united to support their House teams.

The competition was initiated some years ago by a group of Bruneian pupils, as Tug of War is the national sport of Brunei. It is wonderful to see that the tradition has continued, as it is a fantastic team building exercise as well as a lot of fun.

Results Fourth Form Girls: 1st Shelburne Fourth Form Boys: 1st Tower Remove Girls: 1st Fawley Remove Boys: 1st Tower Fifth Form Girls: 1st Shelburne

Fifth Form Boys: 1st Tower Lower 6th Girls: 1st Mead Lower 6th Boys: 1st Field Upper 6th Girls: 1st Fawley Upper 6th Boys: 1st Tower

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Visiting Artists ROSIE TATCHELL EXHIBITION It was a pleasure to welcome Old Decanian, Rosie Tatchell, back to Dean Close to her own exhibition in the BonBernard Gallery. The Art School was filled with a range of stunning still-life and landscape pieces from the artist’s ‘Highlights’ exhibition and at a Private View, pupils, parents and members of the community were all welcome to explore the exhibits and chat to the artist herself.

Rosie was a Dean Close pupil for seven years. After leaving in 2005 she went on to pursue her passion for art and completed an Art Foundation Course. Later she attended the prestigious Charles H Cecil Studios in Florence for three years and it was there that she studied traditional drawing and oil painting techniques.

Since returning to England in 2011 Rosie has made art her career.

She always has commissions on the go and has taught herself how to paint still-lives, landscapes and animal portraits. The main focus for this exhibition were her favourite subjects which include glass, silverware, blue and white china and fruit. Painting her subjects from life, she is able to capture the natural light and in particular the highlights which dance around the objects.

Head of Art at Dean Close School, Caroline Evans, said: “It is a real pleasure to welcome Rosie back to Dean Close to exhibit her beautiful paintings. It is always especially rewarding to see the students we have taught thriving in the art world and making their living from their talent and creativity. Rosie has come a long way since her school days and we couldn’t be more proud!”

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Mazes of the Mind The first exhibition of 2019, Mazes of the Mind, by Francesca Wilkinson Shaw, featured a range of colourful, patternbased, abstract paintings. The exhibition was first shown at the Eric Liddell Centre, Edinburgh, in November 2018.

Francesca trained at Chelsea School of Art in the 1960s, before spending many years teaching Art and Design in Edinburgh. She now combines painting with work as an Art Psychotherapist in Edinburgh Prison.

Francesca said: “My paintings are a progressive experiment in the interplay between space, form and colour. Ideas arise and emerge through the act of painting, as the material process initially leads the way. I am interested in two balancing points that reoccur in my work: firstly exactly where shapes are in space, alternating backwards and forwards – coming and going – and secondly how much of an image needs to be visible for it to be read coherently. I aim for the point at which a visual balance between liminal states can be read, allowing differing interpretations to co-exist. At times I describe environments emotionally rather than naturalistically to create a notion of place, and to address another boundary – this time between abstraction and realism. I always aim to leave more to be found in my work than is at first evident.”

Beth Clink

5th Form Art Gallery

GCSE ART EXHIBITION The BonBernard Gallery hosted a vibrant exhibition of Year 10 artwork which was produced during the first year of GCSE. Works included a range of ‘Hockney inspired’ landscape paintings, charcoal self-portraits, sculpted clay models and a variety of photography and printmaking. A wonderfully busy and colourful Private View evening gave pupils the opportunity to bring along family and friends to see their work, alongside teachers and visitors from other schools. Visitors were also given the chance to meet A level pupils and talk to them about their studies whilst they worked on pieces in the studio. The exhibition gave an excellent example of the breadth and calibre of Art and Design at the Senior School and was a superb opportunity to see a colourful range of work from such young talent.

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Sixth Form Art Gallery Jemimah Ho

Matteo Alfonsi

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Emily George Tatyana Cheung

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Cookery School Dean Close Cookery School hosted the BSA National Bake Off final in the Trinity term. The competition saw 10 students ranging from Year 7 to 9 competing against each other to win the title. They whisked, folded and piped their way through the three and a half hour time limit and produced some wonderful results. The bakes included a Victoria sponge cake, blueberry and lemon drizzle cake as well as some beautifully decorated cupcakes and many more. The competition was judged by baked goods enthusiast, Mr Salisbury, a self-confessed foodie, Mr Hall, and an external judge from the BSA, Chris

Ryan. The results were extremely tight but Ben Quayle (Year 9) pipped the post and won with his beautiful Eton Mess Cake. Ben’s tower of light fluffy sponge was held together with a delicious fresh strawberry buttercream and decorated with a strawberry drizzle and his own handmade meringues. In second place came Anna Diakonova’s stunning presentation of a pumpkin and salted caramel cake followed

by Lydia Coniam’s caramel cake decorated with homemade honeycomb.

All the contestants did extremely well and the results were delicious! The School is tremendously proud to have a Dean Close pupil win BSA National Bake Off two years in a row.

LEITHS Canapés In December the Dean Close Cookery School hosted an Upper Sixth Leiths Canapé Evening. It is a requirement for the Certificate to devise, plan and execute a canapé party for a minimum of 50 guests. The group approached the task with enthusiasm and hard work, making the evening in the BonBernard Gallery a great success. It was attended by over 60 guests including parents, guardians, staff and prefects. The Lower Sixth Leiths group was fabulous and helped with the waiting and serving; both groups worked exceptionally well together as a team.

The canapés ranged from mini Yorkshire puddings containing roast beef and homemade horseradish, a delicious butternut squash and pear soup decorated with toasted pumpkin seeds, smoked mackerel paté on mini crostinis, cod cubes, as well as smoked salmon on homemade blinis and served with crème fraiche and dill. The desserts consisted of shortcrust pastry chocolate tortes sprinkled with shimmering glitter, white chocolate and raspberry pastry cups, and a superb vanilla and apple panna cotta topped with crumble.

Head of Cookery, Gemma Larkin-Lawton said: “I have been so impressed by the standard of delicious and professional looking canapés. Well done and thank you to this year’s Leiths group”.

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Commemoration receptions around the School grounds to welcome families to the event. This was followed by speeches in the marquee from the Head of School, Chair of Council, Headmaster and guest speaker, Priya Lakhani OBE. Katie Humphries started proceedings with a clever and amusing account of her time at Dean Close, using her L

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This year’s Commemoration of Benefactors, saw over 1000 parents, pupils and friends arrive at Dean Close to celebrate the successes of the year. The day began when the entire School boarded buses headed for the majestic Tewkesbury Abbey to attend a beautiful Service led by The Rev’d Elisabeth Goddard.

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s has become recent tradition, the whole school with guests began the day’s festivities with a commemorative service in Tewkesbury Abbey. Everything from the rarefied surroundings to the glorious singing led by the choir served to underline the significance of this milestone moment in the school year, looking back in celebration and forward in faith. We are especially grateful to the Rev’d Lis Goddard for her words from Isaiah 55 which served to remind us both of God’s utterly transcendent nature, and his desire to protect and provide for those who run to him. Thank you, as ever, to Father Paul and the Abbey staff who hosted us wonderfully.

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plates and lengthy driving lessons as a metaphor for her school days.

The Headmaster’s speech explored the School year, recognising some of the places where learning has taken place and celebrating many examples of success. Finally after handing out prizes with lots of congratulatory chat, Priya stood to give an account of her stunning life story, and her determination and ability to seize every opportunity to do good.

At lunchtime, picnickers set up across the school field with many gathered to watch the traditional cricket fixture of ODs v 1st XI. Alongside this, the Old Decanian Society held a ‘Class of ‘99’ reunion outside the pavilion with over 40 ODs and their families coming together for picnics and fun at their old School.

During the afternoon, visitors enjoyed walking around the highly impressive art exhibition in the BonBernard Gallery, tucking into homemade ice creams in the Cookery School and wandering around the charity fair. This year Mr Salisbury very admirably stepped up to the stocks and got more than a soaking before the day ended ready for half term.

Priya stood to give an account of her stunning life story, and her determination and ability to seize every opportunity to do good 45 - DECANIAN 2018/19

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Excerpts from the Headmaster’s Speech

ne of my favourite films of the last 12 months is Free Solo. A National Geographic documentary that tracks one person’s attempt to climb a 900 metre, vertical piece of granite known as El Capitan - The Chief.

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This particular attempt is unusual because the climber, Alex Honnold, is a free climber. Free climbers are just that. They are free of ropes, harnesses, carabiners, pegs, racks and helmets.

They have a good pair of trainers and a small bag of chalk to help them grip. There is no safety net. If they fall, that is it. Ladies and gentleman, it may surprise you to know that I am not a free climber. I do not know where I should put my hands and feet, my core strength and flexibility have not been sufficiently developed through training, I have not graduated from bouldering to climbing through a series of natural progressions. But we are in the business of preparing people to do just that. The Upper Sixth have been in training for 18 years or so.

From sleep and potty training, learning to read and do times tables, the difficult early adolescent years through to the challenges of A Level. They may well have fallen off a few times along the way, but that is often how we learn. Learn not to put our trust in certain things. We learn about those things we can put our trust in. This morning is about recognising some of the places where that learning has taken place and a sample of 46 - DECANIAN 2018/19

those who have learned well. We cannot cover everything and everyone but let’s pause and see some of what Dean Close has done this year.

When looking for a theme in our academic work this year, it occurred to me that we have started to get out more and take a few risks. Raising our sights to see what is there. This is evident in pupils such as Pollyanna Harris and Susie Main submitting successful contributions to Oxbridge essay competitions, Hunyi Li’s third place in the St Hilda’s College poetry competition, Oliver Wood being awarded the prestigious Arkwright Scholarship for his work in Product Design Technology, the rise of the excellent Extended Project Qualification with essays on everything from Trump to Plastics to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and projects which included a documentary, making a wooden chair, a coaching manual for children and a computer game. There have also been several superb trips that take academic learning into the world with trips to museums, two car companies, a cider factory, Salamanca, Florence and the annual Psychology trip to Erlestoke prison. Nowhere is this new found confidence to take academic beyond the classroom better evidenced than in Evan Little’s student newsletter, “The Bubble”.

Each edition provides a range of short articles that flow out of the academic studies of the contributors. It is then placed in the public

domain for everyone to read and comment on.

It is prime evidence of curious minds seeking to invest in the learning culture of their community.

The chosen title of “The Bubble” highlights our awareness that we could easily live in an echo chamber of self-congratulation. With this in mind it has been great to see our partnership work growing this year. For example, Sixth Formers who are considering a future in medicine have been meeting in our science department with students from three local schools. The sessions seek to add to their knowledge and understanding of their future career. The Warden and our Head of External Relations, David Evans, are working hard with the other secondary schools of Cheltenham to find a way in which we can build sustainable and long term partnerships that benefit our pupils by enabling us to do things we currently cannot, with a wider variety of people than we currently can.

This broadening is also seen in the upper sixth formers’ plans for next year with pupils hoping to study at universities across the world on a diverse range of courses alongside some exciting apprenticeship offers, combining work and study, and an eclectic set of gap year plans.

In many ways, our aim as a school has not changed for generations - to prepare Decanians for the world that lies ahead of them. But we know that the world is going through a period of

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arguably unprecedented change. Some argue that the level of change we are seeing is equivalent to that experienced in the industrial revolution. So, in the words of the Italian writer Lampedusa “We want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” We want to prepare Decanians to include some different post-school options in their thinking than just those we have presented in the last. I have been struck by the way in which the whole school community pupils, teachers and parents - have responded to the changes in options and have opened their minds to new possibilities.

This breadth of choice is brilliantly captured in the new poet Laureate, Simon Armitage’s Straight and Narrow. It opens with: “When the tall and bearded careers advisor set up his stall and his slide projector something clicked. . .”

The closing lines are: “The clouds opened up; we were leaving the past, drawn by a star that had risen inside us, some as astronauts and some as taxi-drivers.”

I hope that all of our leavers have experienced that sense of the clouds opening up this year and that you are excited to be leaving the past.

Whenever there is change, a few new voices can be heard above the general clamour. People who see potential for change and have the courage to pursue that goal. At a conference

earlier this year, I was fortunate to hear today’s Guest of Honour, Priya Lakharni OBE. I am really looking forward to hearing what Priya has to share with us shortly, but right now I am grateful that she has agreed to hand out our prizes.……

Dean Close has been blessed with a strong cocurricular tradition for many, many years. The opportunities to excel in a particular area are incredible and we have seen that in abundance this year. On the stage, there have been very different productions with incredible performances from a wide range of incredible actors, brilliantly supported by our superb technical team and led by inspiring staff. Dean Close Remembers, Blackadder Goes Forth, My Fair Lady, Arabian Nights and Arcadia - powerful, homegrown productions, fast talking comedy, great musical numbers, captivating storytelling and intelligent, thought provoking drama. The influence of Mr Allington, Miss Vines & Mrs Sawford brilliantly supported by Mrs Baillie on our cultural life cannot be understated.

This same breadth can be seen in the music department’s year with the inspiring evening at Tewkesbury Abbey that saw the massed choirs performing The Armed Man, great chamber and orchestral music in the Spring and Summer concerts, an incredible group of singer songwriters and musicians evident in the concert and jazz bands, the acoustic nights and RocSoc.

This was highlighted in last night’s remarkable concert, thank you all all of you who have worked so hard to bring it all together. We are very fortunate to have inspiring teachers in every corner of our music school, superbly led by Mrs Porter.

At a time when independent schools are under political and social pressure it is good to be reminded of the role that our independence has allowed us to play. One of our roles has been to maintain our investment in a thriving arts curriculum and this is evident in the number of pupils who go on to pursue an arts based degree after Dean Close. We are regularly making largely unseen contributions to the cultural capital of the UK and beyond.

This year’s sport has been one of breaking new ground with a partnership with David Lloyd providing some great exercise options for senior pupils on a Tuesday and Thursday afternoon; the 1st XI football team playing their first competitive fixture for decades, inspired and led by Max Welstead; a rider from St John’s joining the Dean Close equestrian team; an unprecedented undefeated season for the 1st and 2nd XV rugby team; extraordinary performances by the senior rugby sevens side who were entered into the main tournament for the first time and were runners up in the plate competition of the National Rugby Sevens 47 - DECANIAN 2018/19

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I cannot remember a year when so many of our sportsmen and women received international honours in Sport

tournament; magnificent success in the new England Hockey tournaments with the U16 Boys, U16 Girls and U18 Boys all qualifying for the finals and confirming our place as one of the top hockey schools in the country; U16 Netball side being crowned County Champions; the cricket team’s first International tour in 15 years. Their trip to Cardiff got the 1st XIs season off on a flyer with some great wins to start the season. I’m also following the fortunes of the U15Bs, not traditionally known as a force to be reckoned with but they seem to have come upon a winning formula this season, keep it up boys.

Tennis continues to be a growing force at Dean Close and it has been great to see the hard work of the winter paying off with improved performances by all the teams. This can be seen in Alice Howitt and Suzie Carter’s defence of the Midland Tennis Doubles tournament, the 7th time in a row that Dean Close has won that competition. But also in the style and quality of tennis that is being played by all the teams in the club.

I cannot remember a year when so many of our sportsmen and women received international honours in Sport. When you consider the numbers of people who play sport and the few who are chosen to represent their country in competition, each one of these is a remarkable achievement: Hockey: Ellis Robson, Ollie Smart and Alex Chihota have played for England U18s and U16s respectevily. Sydney Davies and Theo Bancroft competed for Wales U16s.

Rugby: Archie Benson, George Barton and Josh Gray have all played a key part in the England U18 team this year and Freddie Thomas has done the same with the England U17s.

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Individual sports: Estella Depierre has competed for Great Britain in Triathlon and Molly Davies has just been selected to ride for GB in Austria later this year.

Staff: Mr Price has enjoyed great success with the GB Duathlon team and Miss Condie continues to represent Scotland on the hockey pitch.…..

What next at Dean Close for those of us who are here next year?

The first change will be a physical change with the new Day Houses opening in September. The physical layout of the current houses seeks to provide pupils with small, separate spaces. They make mixing within year groups and across year groups difficult. When it comes to movement between houses, the location of the spaces we currently have discouraged visitors from other houses. The new spaces encourage collaboration. They seek to help people to work together rather than cut off from potential friendships and debates. I hope that the new spaces will usher in a new sense of openness between pupils in different houses. It should be easy for boarders and day pupils to mix, for girls and boys to develop friendships across the houses and to have somewhere other than the swimming pool corridor to sit and chat. Maybe we’ll see a reduction in the amount of time some pupils spend on their phones as the older year groups will be in a better position to set a visible example….. The main aim of the construction of the day houses, was not the construction of day houses. It was to provide us with the space to invest in our teaching places. To provide Maths, the Sciences and Humanities with spaces that allow for the kind of learning that can respond to the skills that we know that the next generation are going to need. We need spaces that enable pupils not only to learn, but to be fully active in

that process. The bottom line seems to be that our society is going to need people who can learn and keep learning. If you would like a discussion topic for lunch time, how far do you agree with these two statements?

The philosopher, Eric Hoffer, said:

"In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”

There will be some changes to our routine which aim to free up our activity programme to provide far more choice, particularly for those who do not have a major sporting, musical or dramatic commitment. These activities will range from the serious to the frivolous and will hopefully allow the passions and interests of the Dean Close community to come to the fore. We will also be experimenting with afternoon prep on two days a week. Our hope is that this will also raise the standard of prep as work will be completed earlier in the day, not late into a dark winter’s evening, providing good chances for rest at the end of the day….

Ultimately, it is community that lies at the heart of who we are….. I love hearing stories of our pupils regularly and consistently serving - Izzy volunteering at Tree Tops Nursey, George at Belmont School, Nina at Betteridge, the Monday Afternoon club in Hesters Way, Bella at Faithful House, Justin at Maths clinic the list goes on and on.

On a daily basis, individuals quietly put themselves out for others and our final set of prizes seek to recognise just some of those who give us a sense of the kind of service, strength of character and humility that we see at school on a daily basis.

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PRIZE WINNERS | Mathematics & Science | FLECKER PRIZE MATHS (Senior) Joe Lambon | FLECKER PRIZE MATHS (Intermediate) Lin Mo | FLECKER PRIZE MATHS (Junior) Jiyoon Lee | FLECKER PRIZE FURTHER

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MATHS Max Chatterji | CLAY PRIZE PHYSICS (Senior) Ben Stott | CLAY PRIZE PHYSICS (Junior)

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BACON PRIZE CHEMISTRY (Junior) Finn Fleming | BACON PRIZE CHEMISTRY (Practical) Ethan

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Leo Escursell Tobella | CLAY PRIZE PHYSICS (Practical) Joe Lambon | ABBEYDALE TRUST PRIZE ENGINEERING AT UNIVERSITY Tatyana Cheung | BACON PRIZE CHEMISTRY (Senior) Michelle Chan |

Butterfield | WOODWARD PRIZE BIOLOGY (Senior) Millie Tingey | WOODWARD PRIZE BIOLOGY (Junior) Owain Lonergan | WOODWARD PRIZE BIOLOGY (Practical) Pollyanna Harris | LORD RIBEIRO PRIZE MEDICAL SCIENCES Bella Moss | COMPUTER SCIENCE PRIZE COMPUTER SCIENCE (Intermediate) Lin Mo | FOOD PREP & NUTRITION PRIZE FOOD PREPARATION & NUTRITION Jennifer Vos | PSYCHOLOGY PRIZE PSYCHOLOGY Pollyanna Harris | MAJOR RICKERBY PRIZE PHYSICAL EDUCATION (James Hunt) Kieran Cooper | English, Languages & Culture | GONNER PRIZE ENGLISH (Senior) Max Thomas | GONNER PRIZE ENGLISH (Intermediate) Ethan Bareham |

GONNER PRIZE ENGLISH (Junior) Ella Woodward | FLECKER PRIZE CLASSICS (Senior) Lydia Ward | FLECKER PRIZE CLASSICS (Intermediate) Beth Rogers | FLECKER PRIZE CLASSICS (Junior) Jamie Treatman-Clark | GRIFFITHS & WALLER PRIZE FRENCH (Junior) Evie Sharpe | GRIFFITHS & WALLER PRIZE FRENCH (Senior) Johnny Coniam | GRIFFITHS & WALLER PRIZE SPANISH (Senior) Elliot Bancroft | GRIFFITHS & WALLER PRIZE SPANISH (Junior) Joseph Crathorn | MASSART-WEIT PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO EUROPEAN STUDIES Toby Pallister | Humanities | JOHN BAYLEY HISTORY (Senior) Katie Humphreys | JOHN BAYLER HISTORY (Intermediate) Edmund Matthews | JOHN BAYLER HISTORY (Junior) Niamh Allen | SIR CHARLES IRVING CUP POLITICS Hannah Betteley | BURRETT PRIZE GEOGRAPHY (Senior) Lydia Ward | BURRETT PRIZE GEOGRAPHY (Intermediate) Grace Greaves | BURRETT PRIZE GEOGRAPHY (Junior) Benjamin Quayle | FLECKER PRIZE RELIGIOUS STUDIES (Senior) Kat Scott Payne | FLECKER PRIZE RELIGIOUS STUDIES (Junior) Finn Fleming | CHARLES & ELIZABETH PRIZE RELIGIOUS STUDIES Louis Fleming | WOODWARD PRIZE ECONOMICS (Senior) Ed Lee | WOODWARD PRIZE BUSINESS (Senior) Oscar Newcombe | WOODWARD PRIZE ECONOMICS (Intermediate) Finn Fleming | WOODWARD PRIZE BUSINESS (Intermediate) Fiona Cheng | Creatives | MAJOR RICKERBY PRIZE ART (2D) (Senior) Flora Leather | MAJOR RICKERBY PRIZE ART (3D) (Senior) Pollyanna Harris | MAJOR RICKERBY PRIZE ART (Junior) Freya Clark | MAJOR RICKERBY PRIZE DESIGN TECHNOLOGY (Senior) Kieran Cooper | MAJOR RICKERBY PRIZE DESIGN TECHNOLOGY (Intermediate) Rachel Hellier | CALDECOTE DESIGN AWARD DESIGN TECHNOLOGY (Junior) Ellin Lee | LEITH PRIZE LEITHS COURSE Lola Blacker | DAVID LEPINE PRIZE MUSIC (Senior) Janice Ng | DAVID LEPINE PRIZE MUSIC (Junior) Tom Richardson | THEATRE STUDIES PRIZE THEATRE STUDIES (Senior) Evie Crawford Poxon | THEATRE STUDIES PRIZE THEATRE STUDIES (Intermediate) Grace Greaves | DAVID LEPINE PRIZE MUSIC (Composition) Matthew Moorhouse | All Round Academic | NAPIER PRIZE ACADEMIC RESEARCH Georgina Shephard | NAPIER PRIZE ENDEAVOUR IN THE CLASSROOM Max Wellstead | OLD DECANIAN PRIZE PUBLIC SPEAKING Max Thomas | LESLIE YOUNG PRIZE ALL ROUND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Max Thomas | ALFRED ROBERTS PRIZE ALL ROUND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Tatyana Cheung | BELLERBY AWARD ALL ROUND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Janice Ng | Music & Drama | DAVID LEPINE PRIZE ORCHESTRA Jeff Gao | DAVID WATSON PRIZE CHOIR Matthew Moorhouse & Bea Bennett | EMILY KENT CUP LIGHT MUSIC Lewis Haywood | COLIN SHERRATT CUP MUSIC Janice Ng | OLIVE MORGAN PIANO CUP MUSIC Janice Ng | CHRISTOPHER EDWARDS CUP CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC Ernest Tang | CHRISTOPHER EDWARDS PRIZE MUSIC PERFORMANCE Jeff Gao | SONG RECITAL TROPHY SINGING Oscar Richardson | BAY FORD PRIZE DRAMA (Senior) Max Thomas | BAY FORD PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO DRAMA Lewis Haywood | KING REYNOLDS PRIZE DRAMA (Junior) Sydney Davies | SPEECH & DRAMA PRIZE SPEECH & DRAMA Lily Talbot | THE BURGON PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO CULTURAL LIFE (JUNIOR) Rachel Hellier | Sport | FORBES SPORTS AWARD CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT (Junior Girls) Annabelle Asher | FORBES SPORTS AWARD CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT (Junior Boys) Ellis Robson | SWAN SPORTS AWARD CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT (Senior Girls) Lydia Ward | SWAN SPORTS AWARD CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT (Senior Boys) Oscar Newcombe | HALL EQUESTRIAN AWARDS ACHIEVEMENT IN EQUESTRIANISM Bella Stevens | HALL EQUESTRIAN AWARDS SERVICE TO DCS EQUESTRIANISM Molly Davies | CCF | MAJOR GOLDER PRIZE FOR SERVICE TO CCF Matthew Moorhouse | ARMY LEADERSHIP PRIZE LEADERSHIP OF THE CCF ARMY CORPS Kieran Cooper | THE GLOSTERS’ EGYPT CUP BEST RECRUIT IN TRAINING Iona Hutton | Lt. COL DENLEY ENDEAVOUR SWORD ENDEAVOUR IN CCF Georgia Faux | Community | ARNHEM SHIELD ENDEAVOUR Megan Williams | JOYCE OWERS CUP FOR SERVICE TO THE WIDER COMMUNITY Harry Brookes | COLIN COCKS PRIZE SERVICE TO THE SCHOOL (Junior) Tilly Amess | GILKES PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Elisa Pierrisnard | ELDER PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Toby Pallister | DOUGLAS GRAHAM PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE James Hunt | TURNER PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Bea Bennett | HM PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Amanda Chinye | HM PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Benjamin Avery | HM PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Irene Garcia Rodriguez | HM PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Jimmy Gleeson | HM PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Katie McCabe | HM PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Toby Haines | HM PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Jemimah Ho | HM PRIZE CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL LIFE Oscar Richardson | CLARKE CUP FOR SERVICE Johnny Coniam | CLARKE PRIZE FOR SERVICE Robert Hayes | BOLTON PRIZE FOR SERVICE Katie Humphreys |

49 - DECANIAN 2018/19

cheltenhamliteraturefestival

CHELTENHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL Allan Mallinson visits the Flecker Library This year’s Cheltenham Literature Festival celebrations began with a visit from celebrated historian and author, Allan Mallinson.

Dean Close historians were fortunate to have the opportunity to listen to Allan give a talk on the causes of the First World War, in the Flecker Library. Mallinson was a soldier for an impressive 35 years and he spoke to the pupils about his time with the army, and how it widened his horizons. He explained in depth about a wide range of different causes of the war and involved pupils in his talk by allowing them to debate their own ideas with him and other members of staff. Sixth form pupil, Georgia Goddard, said: “It was a very insightful talk that allowed us to look more deeply into the causes of the war, and we were extremely grateful to receive a signed copy of his new book ‘Fight to the Finish’ at the end of the talk.”

Dean Close was proud to sponsor the ‘Oh! What a Lovely War’ lecture. A group of Dean Close Historians excitedly went along to the talk, with Sixth Form pupil Susie Main ready to introduce the event. The panel was chaired by Allan Mallinson and included three other top academics including Hew Strachan – the leading British historian on World War One. After a super introduction by Susie, the panel helped the audience to see the War from some unusual aspects. Hew Strachan challenged the British narrative that its army adapted to its losses on the Western Front so that by 1918 the Allied victory was due mainly to the way commanders like Haig had learned from their earlier mistakes. Professor Strachan reminded the audience that it was very much a Coalition effort with the US Army, for example, adapting in a remarkable way after joining the war late.

Oh! What a Lovely War Another one of the highlights was the time allowed for questions from the floor which included one from Sixth Former, Ethan Bareham. He asked: “What was the biggest mistake made by each of the main Powers?” The speakers relished such a challenging question and they included: ‘the blank cheque’ Germany gave to Austria-Hungary in 1914, sticking to the Schlieffen Plan and underestimating the British response to the invasion of little Belgium, those that joined the war late in July 1914 and the British committing to both the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration.

Head of History, Jonny Sheldon said: “It was a very enjoyable and stimulating lecture to commemorate the centenary of the First World War ending. It left the group with lots to think about and discuss.”

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cheltenhamliteraturefestival

Writers’ Room Lunch A group of Sixth Form English Literature pupils were invited to lunch with Literature Festival’s Head of Programming, Nicola Tuxworth.

As well as enjoying a meal in an area normally reserved for VIPs, the invitation allowed them to catch a glimpse into the world of event organisation and the work that goes into planning such a significant event. Pupils questioned Nicola on last year’s scoop including the arrival of Hilary Clinton and Nicola shared her experiences with visiting writers such as David Attenborough and one of her own favourites, Gus O’Donnell, who provided a fascinating insight into the British political system.

She went on to discuss some of the legacy of the Festival and plans to make accessible archive footage of readers and writers from past festivals, such as Allan Ginsburg’s performance of ‘Howl’. Nicola also shared ways in which the Festival plans to celebrate its seventieth anniversary next year, she intends to be on the look-out for new talent with “Seven at Seventy” rather than a retrospective of Festivals past.

The pupils enjoyed a lovely lunch and left the Writers’ Room (after a spot of celebrity spotting) with a new enthusiasm for the Festivals.

We Need To Talk The final event sponsored at this year’s Festival was ‘We Need to Talk’. The event centered around challenging the normality of everyday sexism and racism and proposing potential solutions to the micro-aggressions that still prevail in society today.

Head of School, Katie Humphries, expertly introduced the event. Katie said: “Getting the chance to listen to Marisa Bate, author of The Periodic Table of Feminism, and Afua Hirsch, author of Brit(ish) tackle big questions on topics such as diversity, gender power dynamics, identity and patriotism was fascinating and thought provoking. I think it’s really encouraging we are beginning to think about the broader social world and ask interesting questions, especially in the context of an increasingly globalised world where we are often challenged to look again at the way we treat people who are not like ourselves and the legacy of how we have treated them in the past. I had the opportunity to speak to Marisa Bate and Afua Hirsch before the event and, alongside getting taught how to actually pronounce ‘Afua’, I was able to ask questions about their books, their career paths and plans for the future. I left the event feeling so inspired by these strong women and determined that solutions can be found to the pressing social issues in society today.”

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sciencefestival

CHELTENHAM

Science Festival

Grub’s Up! This year Dean Close challenged festival-goers to eat bugs at their Science Festival Discover Zone stand.

Based on this year’s theme of Health and Wellbeing, the School decided to examine ‘Food for the Future’ which will need to change due to the damaging environmental impact of food production and the explosive population growth forecasts. The exhibition stand explored the cost to the environment of modern food production and how other sources of food may be more emission efficient and better alternatives for the future.

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Dean Close Headmaster, Bradley Salisbury, said “At Dean Close School we are mindful of our environmental impact and are always looking to improve and reduce our carbon footprint. This year’s Science Festival theme is very fitting as we have recently initiated ‘Meat Free Mondays’ and set up our very first environmental committee”.

FA CT SH EET

T HEE TS FAC

One solution is the farming and consumption of insects which use little energy in their production. In fact, already 2.5 billion people eat insects around the globe. On the Dean Close stand, participants were encouraged to have a go at the Dean Close Bushtucker Trial…if they were brave enough… by spinning the wheel to see which type of critter they should eat: mealworms, crickets, locusts or buffalo worms. The School also put taste buds to the test with a chocolate tasting challenge where participants needed to work out the difference between diary and vegan chocolate.

speakers

Speakers Dick Moore: Let’s Talk about Mental Health Captain Lou Rudd Spirit of Endurance It was a pleasure to welcome Capt Louis Rudd MBE to the Bacon Theatre stage in the Trinity term. The Army Captain and polar adventurer spoke to the whole School about resilience, leadership and his travels across Antarctica.

As a child, Capt Rudd was inspired by stories of polar history, from Captain Scott to Captain Lawrence ‘Titus’ Oates. He joined the Army at 16 and had his first taste of polar exploration a few years later, when he successfully crossed Antarctica along with fellow Officer Henry Worsley.

He told the pupils of the sheer vastness of Antarctica, that it is twice the size of Australia, the lowest recorded temperature is -93C and that there are no permanent residents. Bar a few freezing injuries and the loss of a tooth to a frozen Mars bar, the pair crossed together relatively unscathed, spurring Henry on to attempt the journey alone.

Henry returned to Antarctica to attempt the 1000 mile challenge completely unsupported. Sadly, 900 miles in, he lost his life. On hearing the news, Capt Rudd knew he had to try to finish what his fellow adventurer had started, and last year began his epic tribute trek. He set off with 75 days’ worth of food, weighing around 130kg, and the clothes he set off in were the clothes that he would wear for the entire duration of the expedition. There was no room for luxuries.

After 41 days, Capt Rudd reached the South Pole. It was the first time since setting off that he had had any human contact. However, in accordance with the rules he was to complete the entire journey unsupported and that meant turning down a much needed cup of tea from researchers at the South Pole base, arguably one of the most difficult parts of his journey! His biggest motivator throughout the crossing was completing the journey in Henry’s memory and after 83 days he did just that, placing a flag with the Worsley family crest (given to him by Henry’s wife) at the very end of his expedition.

Pupils had clearly hugely engaged with Capt Rudd’s story, judging by the huge number of questions at the end, including; “How did you wash?”; “What was the hardest part?”; “How did you go to the toilet?” and “What’s next?”. He also stayed behind for photos and to show pupils some of the equipment he took with him. This was an incredibly inspiring talk which came just in time to motivate pupils for a busy, exam filled term.

n the Lent term, Dick Moore delivered a moving talk to Sixth Form pupils, parents and Housemasters and Matrons. Since November 2012, Dick has been visiting schools, universities and organisations to help raise awareness and provide support on mental health issues. Dick has been an English teacher, rugby coach, boarding school housemaster and, for over twenty years, the headmaster of a co-educational day and boarding school.

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The talk began with Dick speaking about his family: his wife and four sons. He explained how each of his sons is very different and how, sadly, one of his sons took his own life. This tragedy led Dick to develop a passionate interest in adolescent development and emotional wellbeing. He has qualified as a Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor and became an Associate Trainer for the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust.

Dick said: “I am not a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist or counsellor. But I do have wide experience of young people – not least as the father of four sometimes errant children!”

Dick went on to explain that his family are very privileged, but that mental health disorders do not discriminate, everyone is vulnerable, and that 75% of all mental health disorders begin in adolescence. He explained the range of signs and symptoms to look out, from lack of energy through to using alcohol or drugs, and encouraged pupils to talk to someone they trust if they are, or know someone who is, experiencing more than five of the symptoms. Talking to someone is the first step towards feeling better.

Dick left Dean Close pupils with the following advice:

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Eat well, sleep well Exercise and fresh air Beware technology Don’t expect to be perfect Don’t believe that A*s are essential for happiness Focus on what is really important (friends, family, loved ones) Accept your emotions Talk, talk, talk Be kind to others Be kind to yourself Laugh and smile (ask yourself everyday if you have had a laugh today, if the answer is no, watch a funny video on YouTube!)

And finally he said: “Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain.” To find out more, please visit: www.dickmoore.org 53 - DECANIAN 2018/19

Col Lucy Giles

t was a pleasure to welcome Colonel Lucy Giles to the Bacon Theatre to deliver a whole School lecture.

Colonel Giles was the perfect speaker to help commemorate 50 years of Co-Education at Dean Close, as the first female College Commander of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in its 300 year history. Colonel Giles spoke to pupils about her perspective of leadership and the lessons she has learnt through mistakes she has made throughout her career. Lessons that are not just applicable to army life but to the lives of Dean Close pupils.

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Post university, Lucy enrolled at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. She told pupils that she felt it was similar to school; there was a timetable to follow and she had to bond with fellow officers quickly. The friendships she made in these initial weeks of Sandhurst are friends she would have for life.

the Army and as such it is imperative at school and in later life that pupils are able to get along with all kinds of people.

When Lucy became the first female company commander at Sandhurst, she did not want a fuss to be made. She had passed the same fitness tests as men, completed the same exercises and had served as part of a troop with 70 men, she just wanted to be considered an equal. However, when a female Officer Cadet exclaimed that she had never seen a real female Senior Officer before, she decided that she should not shy away from being in the spotlight. She is proud to be a role model for future females of the British Army and encouraged pupils to be role models in their own right, no matter their level of responsibility; as a classmate, a prefect, a sportsman or a sibling. We all have a responsibility to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be.

Colonel Giles believes strongly in leading by example and soon learnt that you cannot be an effective leader whilst sitting behind a desk. She was incredibly keen to get out and engage with both her own troops and the wider world.

Lucy was part of a troop of 70 men and one woman trying to create safe and secure environments all around the world: Indonesia, Germany, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone. She was exposed to shocking scenes in a number of harrowing war zones and Lucy encouraged pupils to appreciate what they have, having seen people living in such terrible conditions.

Lucy gave the pupils some of her top tips for army life that are transferable to school life.

Always be prepared Avoid drama Make the most of opportunities on offer Have a purpose and be sure of your direction At Sandhurst, officers believe that diversity is a strength; all ages, sexes, faiths, races and sexualities are considered as equal and Colonel Giles explained that everyone, no matter their background, has an important part to play in 54 - DECANIAN 2018/19

Colonel Giles left the pupils with the following final thoughts: recognise that mistakes are part of journey, always be honest with yourself and the people you work with and perhaps most importantly, to be comfortable in your own skin.

Speakers

speakers

speakers

Nicholas McCarthy he Michaelmas term got off to an inspiring start as Nicholas McCarthy; the accomplished pianist and motivational speaker addressed the whole school as part of induction week.

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Nicholas was born with one hand and ‘concert pianist’ was not at the top of his parents’ list of potential careers for him. However, as a young boy, Nicholas heard a fellow pupil playing the piano in a school assemble and begged his parents for his own piano. He started to learn on a small Argos keyboard and began his journey of self-teaching. It wasn’t long before the budding pianist realised he was excelling and his parents allowed him to start formal piano lessons. With his teachers help he set his sights on a place at a specialist piano school; however he was promptly turned down when he told his interviewer that he did not want to play scales, he wanted to play music.

Following the rejection, Nicholas didn’t play the piano for three weeks (an awfully long time for the aspiring pianist). He set himself a new goal, to be accepted at the Royal College of Music. At this point in his talk, Nicholas treated the pupils to a performance of Scriabin’s Nocturne for the left hand. Nicholas encouraged the audience to close their eyes, as although the piece was left handed repertoire, it sounded like a two handed piece.

After rapturous applause, Nicholas told of his experience performing at the Paralympic closing ceremony in 2012. He received a phone call from Cold Play’s Chris Martin inviting him to play with the band and the Paralympic Orchestra to 86,000 people; the ceremony, which was also broadcast to half a billion people around the world, was also the performance that launched his career.

Nicholas continued to work on his craft and having been encouraged numerous times not to apply for the Royal College of Music, put himself up for one of only seven hotly contested places. He received offers and scholarships from some of the world’s most prestigious music schools and after years of hard work and dedication, accepted his place at the Royal College of Music.

The pianist realised that he had achieved in five years with one hand, what takes most people twenty years with two hands and set about telling the pupils his top tips for ‘How to create change quickly’.

1. To create change you must first break the pattern of what you are currently doing – people run on routine, but without breaking routine, change can never truly happen.

2. Make your dream public – Nicholas had kept his dream a secret for many years but by telling his friends and family the dream became more real and thus more achievable.

3. Dedication – to achieve his place at the Royal College of Music, Nicholas was up at 5am every morning, consistently missed his lunch breaks and stayed up till the early hours in order to achieve his goals.

Nicholas ended the talk with a performance of his own arrangement of Rachmaninov’s Prelude in G Minor, a two handed piece that he longed to play, so transposed to left hand repertoire himself.

Thank you Nicholas McCarthy for a wonderful afternoon of music and motivation.

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Academic highlights

Classics TEMPUS FUGIT: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF THE CLASSICS DEPARTMENT One of the strengths of the Classics department at DCS is its rich extracurricular programme that gives opportunities to the students to pursue their interests in the ancient world outside of the classroom. There have been many highlights this year, including the submissions for this year's Wilson Challenge, the Sixth Form trip to the British Museum and the Fifth Form Virgil Seminar. The department is planning an Easter 2020 trip to Greece, details of which will be made available on the website.

CHELTENHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL

PROFESSOR STEPHEN OAKLEY: TACITUS We have welcomed lots of excellent speakers to Dean Close over the years but the performance of Professor Stephen Oakley of Emmanuel College, Cambridge must rank amongst the very best. Professor Oakley delivered a stunning talk on the style of the Roman historian Tacitus which was wide-ranging, informative and a timely reminder to all of the brilliance of Tacitus.

Professor Oakley spoke eloquently on Tacitus’ debt to his literary predecessors, the historians Livy and Sallust, the historian’s use of antithesis and the insertion of the “ablatival appendage” into a sentence in order to convey a particularly biting critique of the Roman imperial system.

Tacitus’ aphoristic style and deployment of sententiae are perhaps best reflected in his acerbic comments on the reign of the hapless emperor Galba who was assassinated by his own Praetorian guard in 69 AD: et omnium consensus capax imperii nisi imperasset: “by general agreement well able to rule, if only he had not ruled”. And what about this for a scathing denunciation of Roman imperialism – these are the words of Calgacus, a proto-William Wallace, delivered to his men as the Romans advance under their general Agricola: atque ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant: and when they (the Romans) make a desert, they call it peace. Tacitus could so easily be describing the American invasion of Iraq!

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The trek into town on a Sunday morning was more than worth it: a group of 12 Latinists with their teachers were treated to a wonderful talk delivered by Professor Mary Beard (Britain’s most recognisable Classicist) and Dr Llewelyn Morgan of Brasenose College, Oxford.

Continuing with their series, How To Read A Latin Poem, (now in its seventh or eighth year and back by public demand after a brief hiatus), the two esteemed scholars introduced a Cheltenham audience to Ovid’s Amores. Battle commenced – was this “blokeish” verse i.e misogynistic and boorish (Mary Beard) or were we missing the point – this was poetry that was witty and allusive, written by a deeply self-conscious poet, altogether aware of the outrageous nature of his verse (Llewelyn Morgan)? A brief introduction to the mechanics of versification – the writing of elegiac couplets – followed that mystified some in the audience, I am sure.

This was an experience enjoyed by all, teachers and students and we look forward to the dynamic duo’s return to Cheltenham next year.

GRATINISTS TRIP TO ROMAN BATHS In October the Classics department took 18 enthusiastic Fifth Form Gratinists to visit the Roman baths. We set off bright and early and gave the pupils plenty of time to explore the complex. Each pupil received a headset which provided them with all the information they needed as they inspected the ancient artefacts and architecture. The pupils also experienced chatting to ‘real-life Romans’ and decided to test them on their Latin knowledge! Every pupil then got the chance to try the healing waters of Aquae Sulis but most did not go back for more!

After a spot of lunch, we visited the beautiful Bath Abbey with its stunning architecture. The pupils very much enjoyed translating the Latin inscriptions dotted around the abbey and were keen to share their grammatical knowledge.

highlights

PROFESSOR SUSAN DEACY: GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY

We were delighted to welcome Susan Deacy, Professor of Classics at the University of Roehampton, to Cheltenham on Thursday evening. Susan’s scholarly interests include gender, sexuality, ancient Greek mythology and religion. She is also an expert on the teaching of subjects which are potentially sensitive, including sexual and domestic violence, disability and infanticide; Susan is the series editor of Routledge’s Gods and Heroes

of the Ancient World to which she has contributed an excellent volume on Athena.

Susan spoke with great enthusiasm and with no little knowledge about the study of the Greek pantheon, suggesting ways in which we can approach some of the issues generated by the multifaceted nature of the Greek gods. Susan asked some particularly interesting questions in her talk including whether we can identify the twelve Olympians on the Parthenon Frieze with any real authority and whether the study of a particular god/goddess occludes the reality of deities with a multiplicity of identities. How Athena is Athena Parthenos or Athena Glaukopis, for example. This was a particularly good talk, one which will have benefited all students of Classical Civilisation at A level.

WILSON CHALLENGE 2019

DR GENEVIEVE LIVELEY: NARCISSUS Dr Genevieve Liveley, reader in Classics at Bristol University and the author of Ovid’s Love Songs, an exceptional study of the poet’s love poetry, delivered a stimulating talk (without recourse to any notes at all!) on the character of Narcissus as presented in book III of the Metamorphoses. Dr Lively paid due attention to Ovid’s love of paradox and verbal witticism and argued that parallels were to be drawn between Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection and Ovid himself, a deeply self-conscious poet who loved to parade his learning and his artistry. Dr Lively’s assessment mirrored that of Quintilian, the rhetorician of the 1st century AD, who remarked that Ovid was “nimium amator sui ingenii”, “a man who was overly in love with his own genius”!

VIRGIL SEMINAR 19 Latinists in the Fifth Form enjoyed a Virgil seminar led by Mr Allen and Miss Stewart on Tuesday afternoon and evening. This was an excellent revision opportunity – the Latin GCSE students are studying excerpts from Books 4 and 6 of the Aeneid, tracing the doomed relationship between Aeneas and the Carthaginian queen, Dido. The students honed their knowledge and understanding of both texts and practised GCSE style questions. In between the afternoon and evening study sessions, all enjoyed a top table supper, carefully prepared by the kitchen staff.

This year’s Wilson Challenge, the School’s Classics competition, focused on the rich legacy of the Ancient Greek world.

Contestants were asked to consider the achievements of a historical figure like Socrates or Pericles and analyse his importance to the development of the modern world. Presentations were made on figures as diverse as Pythagoras, Diogenes the Cynic, Aristotle and Alexander the Great. All of the students, both at junior and senior level, spoke eloquently about the individuals that they had researched and demonstrated a mastery of their material.

Special mention should be made of Emily Forge’s presentation on the 2nd Century AD author, Lucian, whose weird and wonderful satirical novel, A True Story, is regarded by some as the very first work of Science Fiction. Pollyanna Harris and Lydia Ward impressed in equal measure with presentations on Aristophanes, the comic genius of 5th Century Athens, and the sculptor Polykleitos whose pioneering contrapposto stance changed the way in which the human body was rendered forever.

RESULTS: Senior Competition: 1st Pollyanna Harris, 2nd Lydia Ward, 3rd = Valentin Brantl and Alice Deasy.

Junior Competition: 1st Emily Forge 2nd Jack Logan, 3rd Oscar Jack.

TRIP TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM Members of the Upper Sixth Classical Civilisation set who are studying Greek Art, accompanied by the Lower Sixth Latinists, enjoyed a rewarding trip to the British Museum, in spite of the early start (6.45am) and the interminable progress through London. Our pupils were able to view many of the sculptures and vases that they have studied and about which they have read a great deal. This was a valuable opportunity to reconsider the importance of the Parthenon Sculptures and to marvel at the dynamism of the Discobolos by Myron and the draughtsmanship of Sophilos and the Berlin Painter.

DR ADRIAN KELLY: ODYSSEUS AND THE EPIC HERO On a very cold winter’s night, the Gloucestershire Classical Association was able to offer a warm welcome to Dean Close to our guest speaker, Dr Adrian Kelly, Associate Professor of Classical Languages and Literature at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Balliol College. Dr Kelly possesses a deep love of Homer and is currently writing a commentary on Book XXIII of the Iliad. However, he set aside the funeral games of Patroclos and instead considered the characteristics of ”the man of many ways”, “the much enduring Odysseus”: some critics have attempted to view the Achilles of the Iliad as a kind of ur-epic hero whose excesses are, apparently, absent from the “more civilised/modern” hero, Odysseus. Dr Kelly refuted the idea that Odysseus is somehow a more palatable hero to modern day sensibilities, arguing that he is motivated by exactly the same concerns as Achilles, namely a love of honour and a desire to win glory either on the battlefield or in the political arena -“fame on the lips of men”. The explosion of violence that occurs at the end of the Odyssey as the eponymous hero of the poem takes his vengeance upon the suitors and those who colluded with them is as terrifying, surely, as Achilles’ death-dealing savagery in the Iliad.

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English Lower Sixth ENGLISH TRIP TO LONDON’S SOUTH BANK AND SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE “Teach me, dear creature, how to think and speak;” hese words spoken by Antipholus of Syracuse define the aim of the Lower Sixth’s trip to London - the ‘creature’ being the city. Just as Shakespeare’s character voiced his lack of identity and understanding of the universe, we celebrated ours, as English Literature students, inevitably and invariably excited by the world of the arts.

So we all piled into the bus, were commanded to refrain from singing and playing music “unless it’s Michael Bublé”, and set off on the four-hour drive. There were those who absorbed themselves in music and others who chatted, their voices blending together in the sweet ritual of friends, rising and falling with the hills of the Cotswolds. The pavements meandered into a greater river of life, movement, colour. Buildings stood in silent witness, stretching towards the silver-stitched blue skies. A great metropolis, intimidating and hostile, yet an exquisite and charismatic enchantress, luring in her subjects with the promise of adventure and the thrill in the lack of predictability.

T

Just as artists may provide a small nudge in the right direction in terms of the true intention of their work, authors have been seen to do the same. Yet it is not only the snippets of explanation on the gallery wall placed next to the pieces, nor the description of events and characters found on the following pages of novels that have the ability to orchestrate one’s conclusion of the creator’s premeditation. The very title can sway understanding and result in the devising of an entirely new exegesis. Take Matisse’s inordinately famous piece ‘The Snail’.

The composition alone could be taken to represent almost anything; a garden path, crazy paving, child’s play, and could be entitled a number of things such as ‘Through the Eyes of a Child’ or ‘Bits and Pieces’.

I find it fascinating how the human eye detects faces intuitively within amorphous objects as simple as a tap. John Stezaker picks up on this, as he re-examines the various relationships to photographic images. The explanation provided describes: “Stezaker covers an old publicity portrait of a film star with a postcard.

The postcard becomes a mask over the face, but rather than just concealing, it opens up a window into another space. These pairs of images activate our innate tendency to interpret faces in patterns and imagery. The scenes in the postcards could be seen to reflect the interior states of the figures. Alternatively, by replacing eyes with blackness or holes, they might be showing us death beneath the features of a living being.”

Much of the artwork at the exhibition, including Stezeker’s, demonstrated this subject of disguise and the unknown. This echoes the frequently occurring theme in much of literature, particularly Shakespeare – seeming vs. being and disguise.

This for me was immensely interesting as it highlighted the parallels that exist between literature and art. Throughout history, these two have been influencing one another, but they have also surpassed these barriers of time and brought together different ages through their intertextuality. These connections have been found in a multitude of masterpieces, for example Salvador Dali’s illustrations of Lewis Carroll’s globally beloved story ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Shakespeare also inspired a number of painters across many centuries, namely Sir John Everett Millais’s renowned ‘Ophelia’.

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Therefore, I found the activity of our afternoon entirely fitting. Shakespeare’s great works had been presented in another form of art: theatre.

The matinee production consisted of an ‘Audience Choice’, where which ever of the three options of Pericles, Twelfth Night and The Comedy of Errors received the loudest cheer was the one that they would act. Despite our best efforts and our consequential loss of voices, The Comedy of Errors (our third choice) happened to win. We were rather deflated by our loss in the game as well as being unfamiliar with the play, so it took us a while to let ourselves enjoy it and a brief phone call to the teachers who were sitting on the opposite side of the theatre to assimilate the events of the story. After a few forced chuckles to make ourselves seem more intellectual, we soon found ourselves howling with laughter, particularly at moments that I’m not so sure would make us come across as particularly highbrow… I personally find it remarkable and perplexing that those actors were able to perform any one of three whole Shakespeare plays and had prepared them all. My astonishment merely grew when they gave us such a spectacular production and didn’t once forget their lines or accidentally replace “If the skin were parchment and the blows you gave were ink” with “If music be the food of love”!

The day I believe was thoroughly enjoyed by all and really widened my perspective on the arts.

We encountered all sorts of tremendous talent within this realm, as well as unravelling all of the many ties between modern art, drama and literature. It has certainly proliferated my fascination and passion for the subject and induced me to take these studies further. It simultaneously inspired me and indicated the ways in which I may be able to spark the love for literature in younger Decanians through the wide array of techniques that can be employed to express it. As I hopefully take on a larger role within English Literature next year I will endeavour to display the absolute genius that literature is and find alternative methods to do so, whether that be through art, theatre, or anything else that I discover from which this enthusiasm can emanate.

Hope Morgan, Lower Sixth English student and English Literature Leader

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Waiting For Godot : Sixth Form theatre trip Tweedy the Clown may have been the draw for our trip to “Waiting for Godot” in February but we stayed for the Beckett. The play, in which, nothing famously happens, twice, was as challenging and enigmatic as ever; two tramps wait under a tree for the arrival of the mysterious Godot. Pozzo and Lucky arrive. They leave. A boy arrives to say that Godot is not coming. And then repeat. Yet this play asks the most fundamental of questions; what does it mean to live? What is happiness? What is death? It is a play by turns moving and funny; Tweedy’s clowning was restrained; for me, the stand-out performances were those of the Oliver Hardy-esque Pozzo and the Christ-like Lucky. The Sixth Form emerged from the theatre not puzzled or cynical but rather bubbling with ideas, questions and comments.

The Remove Recitals The Remove Recitals is an annual poetry reciting competition where sixteen members of the Remove cohort recite their chosen poems in front of their peers and to a panel of sixth form judges. If this doesn’t sound daunting enough, the venue this year moved from the sylvan Tuckwell (our outdoor theatre) to the imposing stage of the Bacon Theatre. If our plucky finalists felt any fear, they certainly did not show it! Every recital was word perfect and delivered with conviction. One particularly memorable performance was Laurence Archard who gave a spectacularly comedic rendition of Dahl’s version of the classic ‘Three Little Pigs’ fairy-tale, using a variety of pace, volume, accent and facial expression to bring this enduring tale to life. Who could ever forget the moment when Little Red Riding Hood kills the Wolf?

It was wonderful to hear poetry recited in other languages: Spanish, Ukrainian and German. The three winners, as decided by our judges, were Hannah Porter, Iona Hutton and Katie Smart.

They were praised by our Lower Sixth English A level pupils, Beth Ellison, Felix Nelson and George Harris, for the clarity of their delivery, pace, poise, tone and diction. Very well done to all involved, including our supportive and sensitive Remove audience.

‘The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.

She whips a pistol from her knickers.

Lower school trip to see Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ The Fourth Form and Remove were given the chance to flee from our hectic world to tranquil Forest of Arden. The RSC's aim was to bring the attention back to the audience and make the performance more interactive. The director Kimberley Sykes gave one of Shakespeare's classics some adjustments to cater for modern audiences.

Sophie Stanton's portrayal of Jacques gave the character a more insightful and less melancholy outlook, I thought that this was a marvellous performance and was very touching. Also, Lucy Phelps gave us a modern heroine. She acted from head to toe creating an incredibly realistic interpretation of the character, Rosalind. I am sure that all of the pupils walked out of the theatre wooed by the words of Shakespeare.

Charlie Harris, Fourth Form pupil

She aims it at the creature's head And bang bang bang, she shoots him dead.‘

Remove Recitals Finalists:

Hyman Tang – You Were My Everything, Joanna Fuchs

Alex Bryan Taff – Purple Violets by anonymous

Iona Hutton – The Listeners, Walter de La Mare

Alex Chihota – Flood, Gillian Clarke

Ismael Pcazo-Flores – a Spanish poem

Ben Stafford – Silly old baboon, Spike Milligan

Katie Smart – Mother Doesn’t Want a Dog, Judith Viorst

Conor Brockie – Sick Leave, Siegfried Sassoon Daisy Mason – Coming Home, Owen Sheers

Laurence Archard – Three Little Pigs, Roald Dahl

George Orr-Ewing – If, Rudyard Kipling

Lira Kravets – a Ukrainian poem

Georgie Powell – The Seven Ages of Man from As You Like It, William Shakespeare

Oskar Dennert – Es war einmal ein Lattenzaun, Christian Morgenstern

Hannah Porter – Mid-Term Break, Seamus Heaney

Will Duberley – Invictus, William Ernest Henley

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academichighlights

In March, Dean Close once again took part in the European Youth Parliament. Lower Sixth team member, Alice Deasy, writes: Several of my classmates (Emily Smith, Imogen Sneath, Evan Little, Susie Hicks Beach, Beth Ellison, Joshua Sansom) and I travelled to the Oxford Union in order to take part in the annual conference for the European Youth Parliament.

Dean Close is a regular competitor in this event, and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to participate this year, alongside many other bright, young students.

We had been asked to prepare an opposition argument to a motion about Gibraltar following Brexit. Our main speaker, Imogen Sneath, wrote and delivered a brilliant speech arguing against some of the clauses proposed, speaking well and doing our team proud. The general debate, which followed her opening speech and that of the proposition team, was full of questions that we

had not predicted and thus found difficult to argue against. However, as I had the privilege of delivering our concluding speech, I was able to lean on the support of the rest of the team when it came to responding to questions and challenges to our position. Following our debate, there were several other motions proposed and debated, all of which focused on prevalent issues today, such as anti-semitism, climate change and election fraud, and were incredibly interesting to be involved in. The day certainly gave us an insight into the kind of processes faced by those taking action around such issues. It was a stimulating and rewarding experience as we all left with a sense of pride about how we presented ourselves and represented Dean Close. I would like to thank Mrs Briggs and Mrs Feltham for taking us to Oxford as well as helping us through the process of preparing for the conference. I know that the whole team enjoyed the opportunity and are grateful for the experience.

Senior Debating Last Friday saw the first Senior Debating event of the academic year, with a range of pupils in action, both familiar and new. The standard was very high, particularly when one considered the cheese and wine on offer.

In the first motion ‘This House proposes that capitalism is the greatest barrier to human progress in the 21st century’, Mr Slade and Jimmy Gleeson argued the case for the proposition eloquently, focusing on the ills that a capitalist philosophy can inflict on the general population and society as a whole. Opposing the motion were Evan Little and Mr Wilkes, who cited some of the potential benefits of capitalism, parodied ‘The Life of Brian’, and suggested some alternative candidates (such as religious zeal and the limits of our own evolution) as bigger potential barriers.

The opposition narrowly won the floor vote and adjudication, but the audience were given much to think about.

In the second motion, an all-pupil team of Max Thomas, Pollyanna Harris and Johnny Coniam proposed that ‘This House believes that compulsory worship should not exist in schools’.

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Their arguments were rigorous, nuanced and wide ranging, making a very strong case for the dangers of forced collective worship. Opposing the motion, Mrs Montgomery, Alice Deasy and Max Chatterji made very well laid-out counter arguments regarding the many positive benefits of communal worship for believers, non-believers and the undecided. This debate generated a great deal of impassioned questioning and comment from the floor and challenged all the debaters to think on their feet in response to some occasionally forthright grilling. In the end, the proposition just claimed both the floor vote and the adjudication.

Director of Sixth Form Studies, Matt Wilkes, said, “As with all these things, there is no definitively right answer, and that is why they are such fun to debate and generate so much interest. It was a fantastic opportunity for both the participants and the audience to broaden their thinking and engage in what can be controversial issues. A huge thank you to Mr Hole for his excellent and considered adjudication. We look forward to another evening of cheese and wine (and perhaps some more debating) next term.”

Geography

European Youth Parliament

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It has been a very exciting and busy year for the Geography department in and out of the classroom.

We welcomed Mr Pitt, Housemaster of Brook Court to the department in September. He has brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise and we are delighted to have him as a member of our team.

Upper Sixth Field Trip to Slapton Ley Field Studies Centre – Devon The year started with a four-day residential trip in September for the Upper Sixth A level geographers to Slapton Ley Field Studies Centre in Devon. The students spent their time collecting primary data along the magnificent shingle beach at Start Bay. They learnt invaluable skills over the four days and many happy memories were made.

Iceland trip In November, Fourth Form to Upper Sixth geographers embarked on a trip of a life time to Iceland. We experienced the best that Iceland has to offer, with glacier hiking, a boat trip around the icebergs on the glacial lagoon and Gullfoss waterfall, being some of the many highlights.

Remove field trip to Bristol

Remove Field trip to Studland and Swanage Bay In October our GCSE remove pupils spent two glorious days along the Jurassic coast at Studland and Swanage. They enjoyed a walk along Studland Bay out to Old Harry rocks, Old Harry lies at the eastern edge of the Isle of Purbeck and is the start of the Jurassic coast World Heritage Site and a National Nature Reserve. The chalk stacks and surrounding cliffs are constantly eroding with regular cliff falls along the coastline between Studland and Swanage. The small stack next to Old Harry is often referred to as Old Harry’s Wife. Old Harry’s original wife fell into the sea in 1896 but erosion has since formed a new small stack which has become known as Old Harry’s Wife. Students were able to observe coastal processes, landforms and management in the field and relate them to the work done in the class room. We stayed at the wonderful Swanage Youth hostel, looking out over Swanage Bay and spent the second day colleting primary data along Swanage beach for our Physical GCSE field work.

In June the Remove geographers spent a day in Bristol collecting primary data. Their day started with an informative trip around the floating harbor. Will, our skipper, shared a wealth of information with us about Bristol’s industrial past and the regeneration that has occurred and is taking place. The students carried out field work in the newly regenerated Bristol Temple Quarter. They ended the day with a look around the impressive Cabot Circus.

Lower Sixth Field Trip to Slapton Ley Field Studies Centre – Devon The year ended as it began with the Lower Sixth visiting Slapton Ley Field Studies Centre to start their data collection for their Individual investigations. We were lucky to have some fantastic weather and the Lower Sixth worked tirelessly over the four days. I look forward to reading their final investigations.

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History It has been another busy and successful year in the History department, with our pupils participating in a number of visits designed to enhance their classroom learning. The start of the year saw the Centenary commemorations of the end of the First World War and, alongside the school wide events, our History students attended a number of events to further their study of the conflict at GCSE. Military historian Allan Mallinson visited the school to deliver a wide-ranging seminar on the causes of the conflict, and he shared some of his experiences stemming from 35 years serving in the military.

Allan was also generous enough to provide lots of copies of his recently published “Fight to the Finish”, an account of the last year of the war. A number of pupils then went to see the talk chaired by Allan at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, “Oh! What a Lovely War”, supported by a range of other high-profile academics including Hew Strachan. Introduced by our own Susie Main, this was a very stimulating lecture, with plenty of time given to a great Q+A session at the end. Ethan Bareham asked the most popular question of the evening, with each speaker giving their assessment of the biggest mistake made by the Allied Powers. Beyond the First World War, our Lower Sixth Tudor historians went on the annual trip to Gloucester Cathedral, where expert guide Mr David Evans gave them a superb guided tour. The visit was a fascinating insight into the way faith and worship changed as a consequence of the tumultuous impact of the Reformation. Our Upper Sixth historians also went on a day trip to London to visit the Imperial War Museum’s Holocaust exhibition, to support their study of 20th Century German history. This informative but very bleak exhibition is an extraordinary display, and whilst they would not say they enjoyed the exhibition, all of our students found it to be a profound and useful experience. To lighten the mood, we then went to the Tower of London for the afternoon, taking in the sites, examining the extraordinary graffiti

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created by prisoners in the Tower and also taking the opportunity to see the extravagant Crown jewels! Two Lower Sixth pupils, Caitlin Mahoney and Felix Nelson, served as this year’s ambassadors for the Holocaust Education Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project. A number of pupils have sought to stretch themselves academically this year by entering essay competitions with History related entries, and Toby Pallister’s essay arguing that Russia was the luckiest country in its history was highly commended by the John Locke Institute. Johnny Coniam won this year’s Senior Critical Essay Competition with an essay arguing that History is more of an art than a science, and we were additionally delighted that Katie Humphreys was offered a place to read History at Queen’s College, Oxford. We hope that the successes of this year’s Upper Sixth cohort in stretching themselves beyond the confines of the curriculum will encourage the new Sixth Form to seek to challenge themselves in the same way.

Jonny Sheldon

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Library Gothic Tales and Spooky Stories On the 7th November 2018, professional storyteller Mike James came to the library to tell Fourth Formers some gothic tales, many of which were true stories. As we entered the candlelit library we felt a sudden sense of spookiness. After being warmly welcomed with a cup of hot chocolate, brownies and donuts, we took a seat, and Mike began telling us some local myths, legends and ghostly tales. Mike’s stories were spine-tingling; my skin was covered in goosebumps! The eerie atmosphere in the room was outstanding – very well done to the staff who decorated as it was a very good touch. Mike James was amazing, and after each story he blew out a candle so the room grew darker as the night went on. Overall, I think the experience was great and I would definitely recommend it for those who love a horror story. It will also help with our English studies as we are writing gothic stories and studying The Woman in Black.

Ella – Fourth Form

Neurodiversity Week

In May Dean Close joined over 300 schools in celebrating neurodiversity week. To celebrate neurodiversity is to move beyond simply spreading awareness of neurological differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, ADHD and synaesthesia.

It goes beyond factoring such differences into how we teach and learn every day in our classrooms. It leads us further, to a juncture where we recognise the many strengths associated with neurodiversity and incorporate these assets into how we best teach and learn. These strengths include the hyper-focus and exceptional attention to detail associated with autism, as well as the creativity and lateral thinking associated with dyslexia – qualities needed to view and approach things in novel and inspiring ways.

During neurodiversity week we showcased 20 different individuals in the library, from Greta Thunberg to Richard Branson, from Will.i.am to Agatha Christie, and focused on the various ways in which these individuals are exceptional, not in spite of their neurological differences, but because of them. In particular we tried to emphasise how environmental factors are vital to how such inspiring individuals can turn what might be perceived as challenges into exceptional assets. Crucially, as Siena Castellon, the 16 year old who launched this

international project writes, neurodiversity celebration week seeks to ensure: ‘that kids who think differently and perceive the world differently know that their future is bright and full of promise.’ Every day in Learning Support we see both the difficulties and strengths associated with learning differently. The positive response to this initiative from all around the school has been testament to the commitment we share to ensure Dean Close continues to foster an environment where our neurodiverse pupils flourish.

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A year in the Modern Languages Department Un año en el departamento de lenguas modernas

September / septiembre / septembre / September

victory this year, our linguists spoke well under pressure and formed cogent arguments in another language.

January / enero / janvier / Januar

Sixth Form Lectures in Bristol We travelled to Bristol for a series of lectures run by the Association for Language Learning.

Experts in the fields talked to us about La identidad regional en España and Le Patrimoine.

Our L6 linguists also had a chance to visit the University of Bristol School of Modern Languages and explore their facilities before hearing more about what studying languages at university entails.

20 of our best linguists from across the school were invited to a Language Taster Day run by GCHQ. After an introduction to the important work that GCHQ does and how linguists help protect the UK, students had four workshops and got to learn some introductory phrases in Italian, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Russian. Fifth Form student, Joseph Crathorn, said, “I really enjoyed it and found it fascinating to hear about different languages from all corners of the world”.

Juvenes Translatores EU Translation Competition

French Film Evening – ‘L’empreinte de l’ange’

October / octubre / october / Oktober

Five linguists joined over 3000 students across the European Union participating in the annual Juvenes Translatores competition to find and reward the best young translators in the European Union. With the help of a paper dictionary, our students worked tirelessly and stretched themselves beyond their normal diet of A Level texts.

Cheltenham Literature Festival ‘Found in Translation’

Art and Revolution: France and Spain 1790 to 1830

Our Sixth Form linguists attended a talk at Cheltenham Town Hall which explored the nature of translation in literature. It was fascinating to learn how little British people read books in translation, and just what we’re missing out on.

We were left thinking about the art and power of translation to convey not just messages but cultures too.

We were honoured to welcome back former Dean Close teacher Martin Bowden who delivered a fascinating talk on art history in the period 1790 to 1830. Martin explored the history behind the works of Goya and Jacques-Louis David and after the talk a large number of students remained behind to ask questions about the pieces they had seen.

The plot of the movie is about Elsa (Catherine Frot) a woman who is battling with depression and is in the middle of a heated divorce with her husband. Elsa becomes fixated with a sevenyear-old girl she spots at a party while picking up her son Thomas. She is insistent on finding out more about this girl, and it is then revealed to us that Elsa believes that Lola could be her daughter who died in a hospital fire seven years ago. As the movie goes on you start to realise that you sympathise with Elsa, and what you see is a broken woman fighting for something she believes is right when faced with adversity.

This film makes you think even after leaving the cinema and shows how secrets and manipulative behaviour can disrupt a person’s life and change things forever.

Feranmi Wright, Shelburne, L6.

November / noviembre / novembre / November

December / diciembre / décembre / Dezember

Modern Languages Debates

Weihnachten – Gingerbread house making competition

European Day of Languages We started the year with a celebration of the linguistic diversity found across Europe and within the Dean Close community. Pupils practised their multilingual greetings in roll call and staff and pupils alike wore stickers with the phrase ‘Talk to me’ in different European languages. The MFL Selfie Booth was in full swing at break and lunch, and the Catering team treated us to European specialities, such as coq au vin, paella and Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte.

Film Evenings Our year started off with two film screenings, of La Famille Bélier and Volver. The keenest in the audience had been preparing the song ‘je vole’ from the former with Miss Villiers, and our Lower Sixth Hispanists didn’t see the twist in Almodóvar’s 2006 classic coming!

A team of eight Sixth Form linguists represented Dean Close in the annual inter-school Modern Languages debating competition held at Cheltenham College. Most successful were our Upper Sixth French pair, Max Thomas and Jonny Coniam, who made it all the way to the final, where they debated the motion “Le genre masculin et féminin ne représente plus rien et devrait disparaître”. Although we did not secure

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Our Sixth Form German students enjoyed the now annual tradition of competing to make and decorate gingerbread houses in their final German lessons of term.

GCHQ Language Taster Day

February / febrero / février / Februar UK Linguistics Olympiad Our top linguists stepped up to take part in the UK Linguistics Olympiad. Last year Aaron Osmond achieved a Silver Award at Intermediate Level so decided to push himself further this time by entering at Advanced Level.

He looked at some problems in Braille, in Ndebele (a language spoken in parts of southern Africa) and a language spoken by just 240 people in Northern Australia. Aaron was awarded a Silver Award at Advanced Level, a fantastic achievement.

academichighlights

Une année dans le département de langues vivantes Ein Jahr in der Abteilung Fremdsprache University of Lancaster Visit We were delighted to welcome Romain Bardot and Dr Samuel O’Donoghue from Lancaster University who delivered talks on topics linked to the A Level specification. Bardot’s talk, entitled ‘La Cuisine à la Télévision’, gave students the chance to learn more about French culinary heritage through an exploration of cooking programmes on French television through the ages. Dr O’Donoghue spoke to us about the highly controversial topic of what to do with the Valle de los Caídos outside Madrid, a Francoist regime Catholic basilica and monumental memorial. It was fantastic for our students to explore historical and cultural aspects of the course in more depth and to get a taste for university-level classes.

March / marzo / mars / März European Business Challenge Eleven Remove students took part in the European Business Challenge and got a taste of what it is like to sell goods overseas in a different language, developing their communication skills, cultural awareness and entrepreneurial flair.

Placed into teams with students from other schools, they had an opportunity to listen to a keynote talk about languages in export and receive some advice about marketing techniques, before learning about their challenge: to sell Stilton cheese into the European market. They tasted the product before getting to work planning a trade fair stall, a radio advert, a marketing plan, a presentation and putting in place the necessary arrangements for the visit to the trade fair, including a phone call to a hotel.

French Film Evening – ‘Les Diaboliques’ Les Diaboliques is thought of as one of the best French horror films ever and was even ranked the 19th best horror film by The Guardian. It was released in December 1955 and directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Two women brought together through their mutual hatred of their respective and abusive lover, plot to murder him and bring his reign of terror to an end. Things do not go the way they expected, however, when his body goes missing and is reported to be seen alive around school by students. The film is based on the novel, She Who Was No More, and it can be described as more of a thriller than a horror in my personal opinion as it has no

frightening scenes until the end and even then, I wouldn’t go as far to call it scary. However, that may be due to the fact that I am from the 21st century and have seen more graphic and more developed CGI in films. Caitlin Mahoney – Turner, Sixth Form

Journée internationale de la Francophonie This year again on March 20 our students helped the pupils of Holy Apostles Primary School celebrate the Journée internationale de la Francophonie by becoming their French teachers for the afternoon. For our students it was a formative and enjoyable experience and we were all very impressed with how well they rose to the challenge of preparing a lesson and teaching in a foreign language to a mixed-ability group of 30 young children. Who knows? They could be the next generation of French teachers!

Vive la Journée de la Francophonie!

Flash Fiction Competition A large group of Remove Linguists entered the Flash Fiction Competition and had to grapple with telling an engaging story in just 100 words or fewer. Our students rose to the challenge and there were some great pieces, the best of which were submitted to the University of Oxford for their annual competition.

May / mayo / mai / Mai French Poetry Workshop We welcomed Dr Natasha Ryan, the Schools Liaison and Outreach Officer for the University of Oxford Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, for an inspirational workshop entitled “A Picture Tells a Thousand Words: Exploring Modernity in French Poetry”. After much brainstorming and idea-sharing, the assembled students studied two poems by Guillaume Apollinaire and Blaise Cendrars, discussing our ideas and reactions as to how they captured the zeitgeist using imagery and form.

French Film Evening: Monsieur Batignole Monsieur Batignole was shown in the Bacon Theatre. It was a French film about a man who lived in France whilst the Nazis were controlling part of the country. He left his family to smuggle

three young Jewish children into Switzerland to reach safety. It was a very good movie and I’d recommend it to anyone who studies languages but even if you just want to watch a new type of film. Maddie Faux, Remove.

Spanish Film Evening: Todos lo saben Sixth Form Hispanists enjoyed an evening at the Gloucester Guildhall to see Todos lo saben, starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. We walked out of the cinema stunned, shocked and still discussing what might have happened next.

June / junio / juin / Juni Farewell to U6 Linguists We were sad to bid farewell to our cohort of Upper Sixth linguists who leave us this year having made superb progress over the last two years. Celebratory lunches after their final Spanish and French exams allowed us to look back fondly over their time in the MFL Department.

GCHQ Language Competition We sent an intrepid team of Fourth Form linguists to GCHQ for the GCHQ ALL Language Challenge, held in conjunction with the Association for Language Learning South West England. The team, made up of Lucy Humphreys, Lydia Coniam, Anthony Chihota and Jamie Treatman-Clark, had qualified as one of eight finalist schools from the West of England.

The team presented a guide to Valencia, in Spanish, and were commended for the clarity of their language and the quality of slides which gave a real flavour of the city. In the afternoon the team had taster lessons in Mandarin, Korean, Arabic, Persian and Russian which they found interesting as well as an explanation of language career options from the GCHQ linguist team. It was a very insightful and stimulating day for all.

Fourth Form French Poetry Competition Fourth Form French students finished the year with recitals of French poems, having explored some in class and made their own calligrammes and studied some Jacques Prévert. In our final lesson of the year, winners from the class heats recited in the Tuckwell Theatre and our L6 French students judged their performances. Well done Jamie Treatman-Clark, Lydia Coniam and Ben Mawer, who won prizes for their efforts.

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academichighlights

PSYCHOLOGISTS IN PRISON! As part of their A level studies, Upper Sixth Psychology students recently visited Erlestoke Prison, a category C prison in Devizes.

This was a real eye-opening experience for students, from examining the treatment programmes administered to prisoners, to seeing their accommodation including the Segregation Unit, to interviewing a prisoner who was half way through a 19 year conviction having murdered his wife.

All pupils expressed how much the visit had impacted them and how it was an experience they would never forget.

One pupil commented: “This is by far the most interesting trip I have been on and has changed my perspective of offenders.

Before I went on the trip I believed that any criminal offence such as murder deserved life in prison but speaking to Paul Grabham (who murdered his wife) made me change my perspective in a way that others wouldn't understand without actually speaking face to face, and feeling the emotions of the offender.”

Another said: “The trip was a highly enlightening experience. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to understand and assess the motives behind crimes including domestic murder and the ability to interview a renowned prisoner. It was interesting that through our psychological understanding studied in our A level course, we were able to understand the theories behind the treatments implemented to prisoners. Going to prison was (hopefully) a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget and a definite highlight within my Dean Close education.”

The visit was closely followed by a Lower Sixth group attending a Criminology Conference where they discussed reform, retribution and rehabilitation. The speakers included convicted offenders with whom they were able to have small group Q&A sessions.

The Department of Religion, Philosophy and Ethics enjoys setting challenges for its pupils and so they welcomed the chance to work with Mrs Clare Salisbury, Head of Religious Studies in Dean Close Prep School, in setting up a new curriculum for Year 7 to 9. Pupils will study a diverse range of topics and religions ensuring that they have a good grasp of all the disciplines which make up Religious Studies in the 21st Century. All pupils are now afford the opportunity to tackle some of the big religious and philosophical questions in preparation for further study at GCSE and A Level should they opt for them.

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Year 9

Year 8

Year 7

Religion, Philosophy and Ethics Department Michaelmas

Lent

Trinity

What do Christians believe about the world?

Why does Judaism believe that the Jews are the “Chosen people”?

What is so radical about Jesus?

Why are people good and bad?

Why do Christians believe Jesus was God on earth?

What makes a good leader?

How do the beliefs of Muslim people affect their actions?

What does it mean to forgive?

Can miracles happen?

What is Religion?

Problem of Evil

What does it mean to be

Buddhism

What happens when we die?

Ethics

here was another first this year with Fifth Form pupils taking the new OCR Full Course GCSE paper. They followed a broad ranging syllabus which includes sections on Christianity, Islam, Philosophy of Religion, War and Relationships. The A Level students were once again taken to Bristol Cathedral to see Dr Peter Vardy. The theme of this year’s conference was Happiness and topics covered included Utilitarianism, The Problem of Evil and The Teleological Argument. With the new A Level being only one year old, there was also plenty of usual feedback and advice on lessons learned from the first cohort to take the paper. All the pupils enjoyed the experience, especially as it all took place in the Nave of the beautiful Bristol Cathedral.

T

Dom Mochan

academichighlights

Science such delicacies as Locusts, Crickets, Meal worms and Buffalo worms.

The regular Monday Afternoon session has been attended by pupils from Chosen Hill, Bournside and Balcarras schools, together with Dean Close pupils we have had sessions ranging from undergraduate Biochemistry to ODs Jonny Woods and Rei Chin coming back to help the students through the application process for medicine and veterinary science.

2018–19 has been another successful year for the Dean Close Science Department, with excellent results across all three sciences both at IGCSE and A level. This coupled with Bella Moss accepting an offer to read medicine next year, Millie Tingey accepting an offer to study Veterinary Science and more than a dozen other students going on to study science based courses at University. In addition to the examination results both Ben Mawer (Year 9) and Joseph Abunasser (Year 10) gained gold awards in the Royal Society of Biology’s Biology Challenge.

The Science department has enjoyed putting on an expanded outreach programme this year, with the whole of Year 6 at St Mark’s Junior School coming over to investigate which fizzy drink had the most fizz in chemistry and what affects the strength of an electromagnet in physics.

We have also taken a group of potential medics on a guided tour of the facilities at the Cobalt Unit on Thirlstaine Road, which proved a fascinating insight into the process of cancer screening.

On the staffing front, the Science Department would like to welcome Mrs Rebecca Condie and Mr Wallace Ascham as new permanent members of the department and we would all like to congratulate Mrs Ruth Harbit on the birth of her son Stoffel, Mr Mark McKechnie on the birth of his daughter Wren and Mrs Michelle Franklin on the birth of her son Ralph.

We are all collectively looking forward to the challenges that the new academic year will bring.

Aron Needs

Earlier on in the year Mr Ascham ran the Dean Close Famelab competition with the year 9 students. This is where the students have 3 minutes to explain a scientific topic that interests them with no props. The finalists and their chosen topics were: Charlie Davis (Nightmares) Chloe Dunwell (addiction to mobiles) Hang Yi Wong (How owls rotate their head 360 degrees) Lucy Humphries (laughter) Jamie Treatman Clark (mitochondria) Henry Jordan (colour) The final placings were as follows:

1st Jamie Treatman Clark 2nd Hang Yi Wong 3rd Chloe Dunwell

In addition to this Dean Close Science was present in the Discovery Zone at the Cheltenham Science Festival for the third year running. This year we were exploring the ‘food of the future’ and involved the vegan chocolate challenge (can you tell the difference between vegan and normal milk chocolate?) and the Dean Close Bush Tucker Challenge where you could sample

The standard of the talks were all excellent and the judges had a very enjoyable time listening to them all and it was difficult decision to make.

Women in STEM Festival Three Lower Sixth pupils travelled to Cambridge to participate in Robinson College’s Women in Science Festival, an overnight event which offered the chance to sample academic sessions, experience real university life, and be inspired by current Cambridge students and the leading female academics who teach them. Eliza (Hatherley House) gave us a great summary of the experience: “When I arrived at Cambridge we were first given a tour of the college, then after dinner took part in a team quiz challenge. Our team, which

included the three of us from Dean Close, won – a great start to the event. The movie ‘Hidden figures’ followed, a very interesting and empowering movie. The next morning we started with lectures from a chemistry professor on her research project, The Duer Group 2017, which investigated the molecular structure of structural tissues, and the changes that occur in vascular tissue due to factors such as age. I found this fascinating as I enjoy chemistry, and like to expand my knowledge. Next, we had more lectures on light and then the use of science in

race courses. Next were presentations from students at Cambridge, who gave us an idea of what would be accessible at the school, including one about a trip to Antarctica researching and team-building. To finish, we had practical sessions where we learnt how to write SPARQL queries and also design helmets to stop eggs from breaking when dropped from a flight of stairs. The event allowed me to look at other career journeys and improve my knowledge of science to experience what I can study in the future.”

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n o i t c a

COMMUNITY Dean Close has built some new, exciting relationships with our Local Community over the academic year. Field days have welcomed new schools such as St Marks Primary in Benhall to come and play hockey, try some arts and crafts and play African drums. We have sent sixth formers to help at St James primary, Warden Hill and two special schools Bettridge and Belmont as well as supporting Cheltenham Open Door and Family Space with toiletries, food and gifts for Mums at Christmas.

Fundraising continues to be prevalent across the Houses and at whole school events. Tower support Retts, Shelburne support Pied Piper and the Charity Action Group have organised events to support Goals beyond Grass and a fantastic Pink Dinner for Breast Cancer Now raising ÂŁ2000.

It was great to have the Commemoration Charity Fair back which continues to support our link school, Nyakatukura Memorial Secondary School in Uganda.

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FIREWORKS

community

community

The final evening of Michaelmas half term saw the return of the biennial Dean Close Community Firework Display. This year, more than just fireworks, the charity Blue Skye Thinking hosted a Firewalk, which any member of the Community (over 18yrs) could fundraise for and participate in, undergoing nearly two hours of training behind closed doors before treading the hot coals to an audience of many.

The Firewalk provided excellent entertainment in the build up to the firework display, alongside the Leiths Cookery School team from Dean Close who cooked up over 300 ‘posh hot dogs’, all sold out well in advance of the grand finale. In addition, the Dean Bean was working overtime, sweets were selling like hot cakes, regular tea & coffees keeping the throng warm and the bar, ably manned by Operations Bursar, Steve Ewence, sold local craft beer from Deya Brewing and a range of ciders and fruit juices from Bensons the Juicers.

The feedback was wonderful: “It was incredible! It was far larger and longer than anyone had anticipated” “Hope you raised lots of money, the fireworks were amazing” “The fireworks were lovely, bring on next year!!”

“There was a wonderful atmosphere and it was good to see local families and ODs as well as many members of the Dean Close community” Miraculously the rain held off and the evening proved a lovely showcase of the breadth and warmth of the Dean Close Community with over 600 in attendance. Whilst free to enter, collection buckets were strategically placed to raise much needed funds to support treatment and research into childhood brain tumours, the focus of Blue Skye Thinking. As a result of the evening, Dean Close donated over £1,200 to the charity, not including funds raised by the firewalkers – a fantastic result.

Mayor’s Concert of Youth Dean Close School was proud to sponsor the Mayor’s Concert of Youth in January. Our very own Housemistress, Julie Kent, introduced the concert, starring Cheltenham Youth Choir, Gloucestershire Academy of Music and musicians from Dean Close School. The concert was held in the beautiful Cheltenham Town Hall to showcase Gloucestershire’s young talent and raised money for the Mayor’s charities; Pied Piper Appeal and Cheltenham Animal Shelter.

Dean Close musicians included the Preparatory Chamber Group, who performed a superb rendition of Pachelbel’s Canon. Three Preparatory School strings players were joined by Emma and Matthew of the Carducci Quartet and gave a professional standard performance. Year 10 pupil, Oscar Jack, also wowed the audience with a confident clarinet performance of Solo de Concours. Oscar was followed by musicians performing the first movement of Weber’s Clarinet Quintet. A wonderful first half of musical talent that also showcased a range of gifted local pupils from GAM and Cheltenham Youth Choir.

followed with a stunning performance of the tranquil Debussy piece, Clair de Lune. On what was Mozart’s birthday, it was only fitting that The Dean Close Sinfonia performed the 1st movement of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. A tune that everyone is familiar with and they did not disappoint!

The Mayor thanked all of the young musicians for their outstanding performances and the audience for supporting his elected charities.

The evening was drawn to a close with a crowd pleasing piece by the world renowned Carducci Quartet. The strings group played Four for Tango, replicating the sounds of feet sliding across a dance floor with their instruments. A magnificent end to an evening that displayed what a talented town we live in.

After a brief interval, a Dean Close Trio performed the second movement of Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor, once again impressing the 150 strong crowd with their ability and skill. Year 13 pupil, Janice Ng, 69 - DECANIAN 2018/19

community

National Apprenticeship Show In the Michaelmas Term, 36 Dean Close Fifth and Sixth Formers attended the National Apprenticeship Show (West) at Cheltenham Racecourse. Pupils explored a range of employment and apprenticeship options from chartered accountancy with Hazlewoods, to cybersecurity at GCHQ, to design and technological innovation with Hitachi, as well as many others. Pupils represented the School in excellent fashion, trying their hands at medical operations, bricklaying, military problem-solving, pulling the perfect pint, and departing with some excellent leads in regard to work experience and planning their next steps. This was a valuable opportunity, and fantastically accessible; so much so that Dean Close is already signed up and eagerly looking forward to next year’s event.

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Christmas Dinner

community

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trips

e c n e r o Fl Art and Classics Study Tour to Florence A group of Classics and Art students eager to behold the art treasures of Florence, the greatest city of the Italian Renaissance, set off from School in the very early morning of 30 March.

Landing at Pisa airport, we travelled by train to Florence where we met our guide, the irrepressible Lawrence, who led us through the narrow, medieval streets of the city past Giotto’s Campanile to the Piazza Signoria and over the world famous Ponte Vecchio. Supper that night was the first of a series of delicious meals.

n the next day, a chilly start soon gave way to warm sunshine and azure blue skies; all of a sudden England seemed a very long way away. We made our way to the Accademia to gaze upon Michelangelo’s David, one of the most recognisable statues in the entire world of Art. Standing some 13 and half feet tall, the twice life-sized David is shown patiently waiting for battle, sling in one hand and stone clasped in another. Michelangelo’s David is, in fact, a giant, an ironic take on the biblical story since it was his enemy, Goliath that was of enormous size. Thereafter, we made our way to the Medici Chapel, housed within the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the final resting place of members of the Medici family, the great political dynasty under whose rule Florence became the artistic centre of the Renaissance.

O

Lawrence now accompanied us to one of the highlights of the trip, the so-called Chapel of the Magi within the Palazzo Medici Ricardi.

Its walls are almost entirely covered by a famous cycle of frescoes

by Benozzo Gozzoli, painted in around 1459. On the east wall, hosts of angels sing while the procession of the Three Kings approaches Bethlehem, accompanied by their respective entourages. It is a sumptuous scene that dazzles and shines in the darkness of the chapel. Lunch was taken in the San Lorenzo market, home to Florentine specialities including the infamous Tuscan Lampredotto or cow’s stomach sandwich! This is a culinary adventure that should come with a health warning and one which only the steeliest should embark upon! We spent the afternoon in the Boboli Gardens, enjoying elevated views over the city and basking in the warm spring sunshine.

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Another early start the next morning saw our intrepid group do battle with the crowds that encircle Florence’s cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Baptistery. Patience and inexhaustible reserves of stoicism are required of the visitor to the Duomo – long lines of tourists queue for hours in a bid to gain admission. The climb to the top of Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome is wearying – there are 463 steps but the ascent affords a great opportunity to admire Giorgio Vasari’s frescoes of the Last Judgement as well as a spectacular view over the city. Next on the itinerary was the Brancacci Chapel within the church of Santa Maria del Carmine. The chapel is sometimes referred to as Florence’s Sistine Chapel on account of the painting cycle that decorates its walls and which illustrates episodes from the life of St Peter (created by two of the great names of the early Renaissance, Massolino and Massacio).

After lunch, we made our way across town to Santa Maria Novella, one of the most important churches in Florence with its dramatic façade of inlaid coloured marble. Its interior is yet another “who’s who of great Florentine artists”, containing works by Giambologna, Filippo Lippi, Massacio and Paolo Uccello.

Our final morning was spent in the Uffizi Gallery, arguably the greatest collection of Old Masters anywhere in the world. We feasted our eyes upon works by Duccio, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian and Caravaggio and wondered at the remarkable development in painting that took place in this city from the late medieval period through to the beginnings of the Baroque era. Alas, all good things must come to an end and a little later we were on our way home, footsore, a little weary but enlivened and already yearning to return to this city of wonders.

Jon Allen

Jurassic Coast

trips

In October, Remove geographers headed to the stunning Jurassic coastline of Studland and Old Harry Rocks. A mandatory requirement of the GCSE course is to undertake two days of field work, one human and one physical. Sunday afternoon started with a gentle stroll on Studland beach, which is a National Nature Reserve and an SSSI. Pupils collected data to see how the large volumes of tourists are managed on this long stretch of stunning coastline. Next they ventured out to Old Harry Rocks at Handfast Point. Here pupils were excited to see these famous natural chalk stacks and stumps, having studied them in the classroom. The group took a slight detour home along South Beach, taking advantage of the lovely National Trust café. The geographers then headed to their accommodation for the

evening, Swanage YHA, where the rooms and food were excellent; followed by a postsupper classroom session to run through the data collection methods for Monday.

Monday morning arrived and after a superb cooked breakfast, Dean Close hit Swanage beach and started measuring groynes to see if the process of longshore-drift was active along the coast of the bay. Pupils also practised several other primary data collection techniques, then, heading back along the beach, a kind café owner who was closing up for the season gave everyone free ice lollies.

Head of Geography, Claire Bourne, said: “We had an excellent time and the pupils excelled in their behaviour and geography data collection skills.”

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trips

The Lessons from Auschwitz Project This year, Caitlin Mahoney and Felix Nelson were the school’s ambassadors for the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Lessons from Auschwitz Project. Over a series of sessions, Caitlin and Felix met a Holocaust survivor and listened to their story, visited Auschwitz itself with a group of students from across the region and came up with creative ways to share their experience with others. Below are Caitlin’s initial thoughts on her visit to Auschwitz: It is difficult to put my experience into words. It is surreal to stand in a place where millions of people lost their lives, the lives of the Jewish people in particular. Felix and I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau with the Holocaust Educational Trust. You read and hear about the stories of all the families: the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, daughters and sons and it can all too easily melt together and no longer be about their stories but about the statistics. Around 5.9 million Jews, 7 million Soviet civilians, 2-3 million Soviet POWs, 1.8-1.9 million ethnic Poles, 220,000 Roma gypsies, up to 250,000 disabled, 2,500 Jehovah’s Witnesses and an unknown number of homosexuals. This means well over 18.6 million people were killed in the Holocaust. There will never be a known final number due to the Nazis’ attempt to destroy documentation and so we will never truly know how many people perished due to this atrocity. As mentioned earlier it so easy for these people to all blend together and what we were taught was that the individual stories are the most important and are what should be remembered. To imagine that there are people in the world today who do not believe that the Holocaust took place is just as unimaginable as the event itself. I stood there. I saw it with my own eyes. Auschwitz is still standing as a haunting reminder for it never to happen again. We still live in a world filled with hate and that will not change overnight, but what Felix and I learnt is that hate is never something you should feel towards anyone. It is the role of my and future generations to make sure that everyone feels a sense of security, that no matter your religion, race, or sexual orientation, you are free to be yourself without persecution.

Caitlin Mahoney, Sixth Form.

EUROPEAN BUSINESS CHALLENGE In March, eleven Remove students travelled to North Birmingham Academy to take part in the European Business Challenge. The aim of the day was to give students a taste of what it is like to sell goods overseas in a different language, developing their communication skills, cultural awareness and entrepreneurial flair.

After an early start, pupils arrived and were placed into teams alongside pupils from other schools. They had an opportunity to listen to a keynote talk about languages export and receive some advice about marketing techniques, before learning about their

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challenge: to sell Stilton cheese into the European market. There was an opportunity to taste the product – including vegan Stilton – before getting to work planning a trade fair stall, a radio advert, a marketing plan, a presentation and putting in place the necessary arrangements for the visit to the trade fair, including a phone call to a hotel.

After a long day’s work, we were delighted that two Dean Close students, Maddie Faux and Suzie Carter, were on the winning team of ‘Millionaire’s Cheesecake’, and that the runners up, ‘Stil-tons of Fun’, included Katie Smart and

Leah Barton.

The Dean Close language students showed great linguistic prowess and superb leadership skills, working with pupils they had never met before, as a team. Maddie commented: “The best thing about the day was meeting different people from different schools and coming together over languages. I learnt that in the working world, languages are important and useful. You may not initially get on with your team but you have to work to get the job done.”

Leah added: “I learnt the importance of speaking in public with confidence”.

trips

ICELAND DIARY During the October half term, a group of excited geographers set off for an adventure to the land of ice and fire: Iceland. Year 11 pupil, Grace wrote a trip diary …..

Day one: An early start of 4:00am set us up for a long and exciting first day in Iceland. After meeting our tour guide Gudni we jumped straight into the trip with a wander around the only city in Iceland – Reykjavik. This included a walk up to the magnificent church looking over the city and a bus to the Landbridge, created by the movement of the Eurasian and NorthAmerican plates. We then discovered the geothermal plant and mud pots that stank of rotting eggs as the gas escaped the ground. To finish the day we enjoyed fish and chips.

Day two: We started off the day with a brisk walk to the oldest lighthouse in Iceland and then drove to the Pingvellir National Park to see the rifting between the Eurasian and American plates. This marked the first snowball fight of the trip! After our walk, we drove to the secret lagoon at Laugarvatan where we relaxed in the baths heated by the geo-thermal energy and took quick dips into the freezing cold glacial lakes beside it. The largest geyser was “too big for its own good” as Gudni said, as there was too much water to heat up to the perfect temperature, but the adjacent geyser was no disappointment as it shot water up to 40m into the air. The day ended with a walk up to waterfall, Gullfoss, and up the gorge created by the fault line, it was covered in snow and a perfect end to a perfect day.

Day three: We were up bright and early to visit Seljandafoss, a 60m high waterfall that you can walk behind, and Skogarfoss, another huge 63m

waterfall. Afterwards, we travelled to Solheimajokus glacier, on arriving we were kitted up with helmets, crampons and harnesses and set off to find the beginning of the glacier. A glacier is formed over millions of years as snow is compressed, a glacier needs lot of snow to maintain its glacial status, but due to global warming, this isn’t happening, and we were shocked to learn that the glacier retreats between 60-200 metres a year. This is particularly bad in Iceland as some of the most dangerous volcanoes are under the glaciers, without this “lid” they may erupt, causing devastation. After we travelled to Reynishverfi, home to the Black Beach and huge black basalt columns, like a small scale giant’s causeway. After chasing the huge waves and getting very wet, we climbed the columns and performed James Bond style jumps and rolls from the ledges to bring a great day to a close.

ice, taken from an iceberg. We all got a chunk to taste and it was better than any tap water here in the UK that’s for sure! As the cold started to seep in, we decided the only thing to do was to dance the heat into our bodies and so, with Mrs Bourne taking the lead, we danced all the way back to shore! On the last night we were lucky enough to see the Northern lights. The sky was black with a white band across the tops of the mountains and every so often it tinged green and blue, it was the perfect ending to a fantastic day.

Day five: The final day was the trek back home and although we were all sad to be leaving such a beautiful and amazing place, we were all excited to tell everyone at home about the amazing trip we had had.

Day four: We walked through the beautiful snow covered Dverghamrar National Park up to the towering waterfall, spending two hours either throwing snowballs or checking over our shoulders for anyone who might throw them back! Now very cold and wet, we drove up to the Jokulsarlon Ice Lagoon, created by the melting glacier, which wasn’t there 100 years ago showing us just how rapid the glacier melt was.

We took a boat trip around the huge icebergs spotting seals. Then we stopped suddenly in the middle of the lagoon and another boat pulled up beside us and handed over a huge piece of

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trips

Pupils were put through their paces with intense technical drills

Ski Trip uring the Christmas break, a group of 25 pupils and four staff set off for a week in the mountains to St Michael im Lungau, Austria. The group of pupils from Years 10 – 12 departed from Dean Close at the civilised time of 10am and flew to Salzburg. Just a short transfer later, the pupils caught their first glimpse of snow as they arrived in the resort. Dinner and unpacking were followed by an early night, ready for the first day on the slopes. Some even laid out their ski outfits ready for the first day!

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In the morning, the skiers were split into groups, ranging from beginners to advanced. The 76 - DECANIAN 2018/19

five beginners headed to the nursery slopes to master their turns and the all-important snow plough while the remaining 20 pupils competed in a ski-off to determine the intermediate and advanced groups. A jam-packed first day that included guided off-piste skiing, some even attempted a few jumps (and falls!) at the snow park.

Pupils were put through their paces with intense technical drills in the mornings and it didn’t take long to see vast improvements from all members of the group.

Lunches were enjoyed on the mountain and followed by several epic snowball fights.

The mountain food was also very popular, ranging from small personal pizzas to the double decker house burger!

The afternoon sessions were more relaxed, with some free skiing, putting into practice what they had learnt that morning.

The advanced group took on the ‘trust short turns’ drill; where the first person skied downhill with their eyes closed, while the second person held their poles and created short turns to slow their fellow skier down.

The intermediate skiers were also challenged technically and made excellent progress, including a visit to the black slopes. The beginners made

trips

Sixth Formers Visit BMW MINI Facility

The Lower and Upper Sixth Product Design Technologists travelled to the BMW Mini production facility at Cowley, near Oxford. The site which formerly produced MG cars for many years is the home to the production of the First, Second and now Third generation Mini.

The groups toured the ‘Body in White’ facility and, at one point, were standing on a gantry surveying 360 degrees of the continuous movement of 2100+ robots, all busily picking, moving and welding the body shells of the vehicles as they moved along the production line. It was quite a sight to be surrounded by £10.5M+ of never ceasing manufacture.

The plant at this point aims to produce a body per hour.

steady progress throughout the week and all successfully made it down the red slopes.

Evening activities included an excellent quiz hosted by the staff, with rounds on General Knowledge, Christmas, Music, Logos, and Countries. Bingo was also very popular with Toby Greaves proving to be a first class second caller!

Mr Mochan’s party games included; cup flipping, transferring smarties with a straw, building the tallest cup tower, balloon slalom and the after eight game.

After a week of glorious blue skies, the final day was slalom day, where all the groups took

part in a downhill race. Several skiers took a tumble but all finished, and the day ended with Olly Hodgson being crowned the overall winner. A fantastic end to a wonderful week; a few falls, a few lost poles and gloves but all of the group returned safely and ready for Christmas with their friends and families.

Trip leader, Sara Paterson, said, “The pupils were exceptionally well behaved and a pleasure to travel with, thank you to Mrs Davis, Mr Mochan and Mr Winter who also provided excellent company and were exceptional dobble opponents!”

Following this, the groups went on to look at how ‘Lean Manufacture’ and ‘Just in Time’ production methods are used in the assembly plant where overall it takes a Mini around 28 hours to go from a highly scheduled set of parts to a running vehicle with over 95% working from first start. Quality control, logistics and team work were highlighted as key qualities at the plant. The pupils were amazed to see that the planning and scheduling that had gone on just six weeks previously was playing out in front of them.

Head of PDT, Dom Evans, said, “The group was given a real insight into how the use of technology helps build each car and its ‘DNA’ of data to support every stage from the time and power used in each weld to the smooth running of the assembly line. The environment was safe clean and highly organised as one would expect. Our thanks to all at BMW Cowley but especially John Strange our guide for the afternoon.”

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CCF Field day

CCF

he Michaelmas Field Day in September hosted the in House Cadet competition, the RLC Trophy. It was also the CCF Biannual Inspection. Teams from each house and two composite teams of Year 10, Year 11 and Sixth Form competed against each other in a range of physically and mentally challenging activities. The infamous Gun Run got heart rates running high as teams pushed themselves to be quickest to manoeuvre the Field Gun around an obstacle course. Air Rifle shooting, a Tower building activity were amongst the stands. The South West Army outreach team brought in a climbing tower and some quick reaction games to test skill as well as the hotly contested Drill competition.

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The Drill Competition Winners were Mead House commanded by Cdt Lucy Stocks.

The Over Winners of the Trophy were Fawley House commanded by Cpl Romelle Mills Moore.

Later in the day Head of Corps, CWO Pollyanna Harris hosted a black tie dinner night as part of the Biennial Inspection which was conducted by a current parent Chief of Staff Air Cdre Adam Sansom who was highly complementary of what he saw.

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Lent term’s Field Day saw 95 Remove students embark on their bravest expedition yet. The newly-opened Bear Grylls Adventure at the NEC awaited the students, packed with physical and mental trials designed to challenge our CCF Cadets.

Our first challenges were the formidable climbing walls, many of which were designed to mirror real-life rock faces from around the globe including Fontainebleau and El Capitan. After a brief practise on the bouldering walls, students quickly graduated to higher ascents and increasingly challenging terrains.

Tackling the assault course was no easy feat with students scrambling, leaping and climbing obstacles against the clock. We learned how to safely load and fire a bow on the archery range and, with some practise, all came close to hitting the bullseye. Perhaps the most demanding activity of the day was the survival maze, in which we confronted snakes, spiders, confined spaces, water, darkness and creepy crawlies. Every cadet bravely swallowed a handful of mealworms in order to ‘survive’, and were glad of the protein when faced with decoding and reasoning their way out of an escape room in under 7 minutes.

Staff were amazed at the resilience and fortitude shown by the students, many of whom pushed themselves to their limits, all while supporting and encouraging their teammates through every challenge.

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Fourth Form Lent Field Day Young Entrepreneurs In March, we welcomed gFutures to run the “Young Entrepreneurs” competition with the Fourth Form. The day consisted of working in small groups to come up with a product or service related to communications and technology. Once the idea was conceived and put down on paper, the idea was presented to the rest of the year.

There were many wacky and weird ideas and the winners of the day were group 8 with their idea for cleaning rivers.

The Fifth Form and NCOs were given a guided tour of the Defence College at Shrivenham. They were taken around the Armoury and the impressive Comerant building, where the staff officers’ courses are run. On their return one cadet commented “, 'It was much better than we thought it would be.' Faint praise indeed.

The Trinity Term saw the Navy Cadets depart for a day sailing and messing about in boats in preparation for their summer camp in Portsmouth. The Army and RAF cadets set about the morning with a swim test and then weapon training in advance of their summer camp. Air Rifle, .22 Target Rifle and L98 Cadet Weapons were all tested as well as an introduction to cleaning them post firing.

Major DD Evans

Charlie Harris, Madeleine Maysey, Harry Lindsay, Ellis Clark, Archie Shanahan and Ella Woodward went on to take their idea to a regional final at GCHQ, pitting their product against teams from schools such as Cheltenham College, The Crypt and Westonbirt. Their idea was one that would clean plastic waste from rivers via a filter system. Special mention goes to Ella as she led the team superbly in terms of preparation and on the day.

We arrived at GCHQ on the morning of Friday 10th May and were ushered into a small side area. After showing our ID to get in, and going through the airport style scanners, we settled down into the competition, judged by some bigwigs from GCHQ (who were clearly there to pinch ideas!). There were some great ideas from other teams, but we were confident that ours could be the winning idea. Everyone spoke with great confidence and handled the tricky questions from the judges with great aplomb. During the break, we were able to chat with members of staff from GCHQ and have a go at different activities – languages, artificial bombs and even the Enigma machine. After the break, the results were announced. Unfortunately we were not placed, although I think we were unlucky not to finish top 3! Westonbirt were the overall winners. It was a great experience and very interesting to hear from people who work at GCHQ and their different roles. This is our sixth year of doing this competition, and for the first time ever, we actually got to go into the Doughnut! We had an official team photograph in front of the GCHQ standard and had an additional tour of the Museum. An interesting morning!

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Flying Experience Day

In December, a group of six air cadets visited RAF Cosford for a flying experience. The group met early in the morning outside the CCF hut with high hopes and enthusiasm, then drove to the airbase where they were met by extremely friendly flight instructors. After watching a safety video explaining what to say and how to evacuate the aircraft in case of an emergency, the pupils’ knowledge was then tested with a simulation using a demonstration cockpit chair and a parachute.

Dressed in flight suits and gloves they waited in anticipation for their turn to take to the skies. Pupils donned parachutes, sunglasses and helmets with headphones and a microphone for communicating with the pilot. They were then escorted to the plane where they were strapped in and introduced to the pilot before any final safety checks. Once in the air, the

pilot began to explain how the plane turned and the neutral position for the joystick. The pilot then explained about G-force and its effects.

Year 10 pupil, Conor, said, “We experienced up to four Gs which made us feel really heavy and then zero Gs, which simulated the feeling of zero gravity. The pilot then performed some aerobatics, such as loop the loops and barrel rolls, which were great fun, despite one or two of us losing our lunches! The pilot then manoeuvred the plane into a safe flight position and gave us control of the plane which we had to level by gradually bringing the joystick back to the neutral position. On landing we thanked the pilot and waited for the others to finish their flight. All in all it was a fantastic experience and an excellent day, which may well lead to further exploration into flying for some of us.”.

A Service of Remembrance Sunday 11th November 2018 saw the Senior School community come together in the Dean Close School Memorial Chapel for the Annual Sunday Service of Remembrance and to mark the Centenary year of the signing of the Armistice, which lead to the cessation of the Great War. Cadet CPO Pollyanna Harris, LR Alex Genshaft, LR Jimmy Gleeson, CSjt Kieran Cooper, Cpl Jack Tolchard, Johnny Coniam, Cpl I Garcia, CFAV C Lewis, Lt A George, WO2 B Lloyd comprised the Banner and Wreath laying party as Maj D Evans read out names of the ODs who passed away during WW1 and 2. LR Zach Truscott played The Last Post and Reveille either side of the 2 minutes silence. Rev’d Ash lead prayers and the service, with Old Decanian Col Jack Hensman OBE recounting his time at school and in service with the Royal Marines: Evie Sharp gave the reading and then Rev’d Nick Stott gave the address, talking of his time in the Royal Engineers during the Kosovo conflict in the 1990s and what remembrance means both in the context of the Great War but also on a more individual level. During the service the choir sang both Crossing the Bar by Hubert Parry and Greater Love hath no Man by John Ireland.

As ever the service was a respectful, thought provoking and profoundly moving experience for all. A truly fitting way to commemorate those from our school and all others, who have gone before us to secure the freedoms that we often take for granted as we go about our busy daily lives.

Major DD Evans OC CCF

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Duke of Edinburgh 2pm - 7pm! More work on the navigation required! The assessed expedition went very well and was conducted over two hot days at the end of June, with a few detours but much improved navigation by everyone. This was the final section that five Fourth Form needed to complete their Bronze award.

They all received their certificates in the final Headmaster’s assembly of the year, leading the way for the rest of the Bronze pupils to follow.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award programme has had a busy year. The Michaelmas term saw the launch of the Bronze and Gold awards to the Fourth Form and Lower Sixth. By Christmas, 69 pupils had signed up for the Bronze award and 11 pupils were enrolled on to the Gold award.

Everyone was starting to complete their physical, skill and volunteering sections.

Volunteering section activities have seen students go weekly into the local school Belmont to support their work, a student who goes to visits an elderly person in Morris Court every week, continuous work by the sixth form as NCOs supporting the CCF and being members of the Uganda fundraising group at school.

The expedition year drew to a close with the Gold assessed expedition heading to the Lake District at the start of the summer holidays. Eight Sixth Form successfully completed their intense 4-day walking expedition, experiencing all weathers from hot sunshine to strong winds and drizzle. Throughout they remained in high spirits and successfully worked together in their teams.

With the poor weather over the September Exeat weekend; October half term saw the delayed Gold practice expedition head to the Brecon Beacons with four Upper Sixth, the days were fair but the nights were chilly. The Easter holidays brought along the second practice expedition for the Lower Sixth who also headed out to the Brecon Beacons. Both groups were very successful with near spot-on navigation, but all probably wished that they had warmer sleeping bags during the night!

The Trinity term brought about the bronze practice and assessed expeditions for the Fourth Form. The practice expedition left on a Sunday afternoon camping at Cranham Scout Centre, each group was taken out and did an hour’s navigation practice with a member of staff or the Lower Sixth Gold D of E pupils, whilst the other groups set up their camping areas. On Monday morning the campers were up bright and early with the dawn chorus and steadily made their way back to School; arrival times ranged from

weekly basis participating in a physical activity getting some exercise, learning a new skill and serving your local community are activities that can be seen and modelled as a way of life for the long term.

The expeditions are of course a big part of the Duke of Edinburgh programme but only make up 25% of the award at Bronze level and 20% at Gold level. There is much emphasis on completing the other sections of the award which includes physical activity, skill and volunteering for one hour a week and at gold level completing a residential where you can only know one other person at the start. On a

The expedition and residential sections are good for pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and making you achieve things to be really proud about. This year we have had different activities used for the residential: activity pursuit weeks, serving on children’s camps at Easter and in summer holidays, overseas mission trips and two girls flew to Spain independently to learn to surf for a week. I think this essentially embodies what Dean Close aims to provide for all pupils, exploring and discovering for themselves new interests and experiences, and giving them the confidence to step out and give it a go. The final mention must go to all of the staff who help make D of E happen. From issuing kit, signing off risk assessments, driving minibuses, camping, sitting at checkpoints and writing assessor reports - THANK YOU. Sara Paterson 81 - DECANIAN 2018/19

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SPORT

Overview his year’s sports programme has continued to raise the bar with both the opportunities available and the varying successes across the board. Once again we have achieved 100% participation in the junior years and seen a slight increase of 79% for the seniors, all played across 13 different sports, comprising 651 fixtures ranging from A-D team level.

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It has been the growth in the pupils’ interest in their own personal fitness that has been the most apparent over the last 12 months. Alongside the fantastic support offered by Mr Ben Jenkins the School’s Strength and Conditioner, the partnership with David Lloyd in Gloucester has once more proved to be a big success.

Some of our emerging sports have continued to develop at a steady rate with the opportunities in swimming, badminton and football increasing year on year, with a greater number of fixtures and swimming galas. This year witnessed the first U18 boys’ football fixture against Wycliffe College, which resulted in a closely fought 4-3 loss, but proved to be a fantastic experience for those involved. The junior boys’ badminton team entered the District Championships for the first time, with Mo Lin, Gordan Man, Sanjay Thekepatt and Harry Shen competing valiantly and finishing 3rd overall which was a fantastic achievement.

The School’s equestrian programme continues to go from strength to strength, with increased opportunities to compete and train as a team at Highnam Court Equine, our equestrian partner, providing excellent prepartaion prior to competitions. With many more riders coming through the School at a younger age, this has proved to be a big success.

Tennis is thriving, with over 300 tennis lessons per week shared across seven coaches, all of whom work passionately across the School at all ages providing opportunities for all pupils to develop their skills and knowledge. We have some fantastically talented pupils coming through the School, who are regionally and national ranked, so the future is certainly bright. The girls’ senior doubles 1st pair, comprising Alice Howitt and Suzie Carter won the Midlands Schools Girls’ Doubles Championship, ably supported by the 2nd pair of Hannah Porter and Louisa Neal who came runners up in their draw overall.

In the School’s 80th year of rugby, it has been a great one.

Under the leadership of Andrew Stanley, our partnership with Gloucester Rugby is continuing to reap rewards as we look to support the boys’ within the School to the highest level. With Archie Benson, Josh Gray and George Barton have all received professional contracts and caps at U18 level for England this year the relationship that we have developed over the last five years has really supported the playing pathway of not only these boys, but also the boys coming up through the School behind them in the younger years.

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Our emerging sports have continued to develop with increased, new exciting opportunities within swimming, badminton and football.

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Highlights of the year 1st & 2nd XV undefeated season 1st XV – Last 16 in the National NatWest Schools Cup 1st XI – 2nd Place in Rosslyn Park National Schoolboy Sevens U15A – National NatWest Schools Plate Semi-Finalists

International Honours England U18 and Gloucester Rugby Professional Contracts: Archie Benson, Josh Gray and George Barton

England U18 Development Squad Freddie Thomas (Freddie will travel with England U18 in the summer of 2019 to South Africa) and Matty Jones

Senior Gloucester Academy Sam Burgess, Will Tong, James Humphreys, Jack Hamilton, Matty Jones, Freddie Thomas, Harley Holdship and James Pollard The School’s Hockey programme continues to improve and this year we have witnessed more national and international success than ever before. Under the guidance of Gary Tredgett and hockey coach Ieuan Davies, the boys and girls are given all of the opportunities to achieve their ambitions and this is clearly highlighted with this list of individual international honours: U18s - Oli Smart and Ellis Robson (England) U16s - Alex Chihota, Theo Bancroft (Wales) and Sydney Davies (Wales) Coming into the 2018/19 year the following pupils were also playing international hockey for England U16 and will be hoping to do so again for the U18s as they embark on their Upper Sixth year: Nick Nurse, Adam Gower and Jacob Payton The teams have once again continued to challenge on a national scale and a huge amount has been achieved and we certainly hope for more of this to come over the next year and beyond. Highlights of the season:

U18 Boys’ National semi finalists U18 Boys’ National indoor finalists (runners up) U16 Boys’ National final (runners up) U16 Boys’ National indoor semi finalists U16 Girls’ National Semi Finalists All of the pupils have been tremendous ambassadors for the school at every level and should be proud of all that they have achieved and experienced, be that the girls in the U16 Netball Regionals squad, or the team competing at the Olympic Pool in the Bath and Otter Relay or the individuals testing themselves in the Show jumping arena. We are exceptionally proud of all of the endeavours of our community and we are delighted with the way that the boys and girls challenge themselves to be the best they can be and, hopefully, to realise their ambitions. All achievements take a great deal of personal sacrifice and commitment and we applaud those of you who have achieved these targets whilst at Dean Close. Here’s hoping to another fantastic year of sport and recreation next year.

Greg Baber-Williams, Director of Sport

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rugby

Rugby n its 80th year at Dean Close, Rugby has continued to develop at a tremendous rate and this year is no exception. With increasing numbers of boys in the Gloucester Rugby and England pathways, we are delighted with the increased opportunities and experiences for all boys, whether that is in the 1st XV or the junior C teams. With over 100 fixtures being played, involving over 200 boys, the opportunities for all are clear to see.

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The fantastically supportive, knowledgeable and committed common room coaching staff are joined by external coaches Lee Fortey (Gloucester Rugby and Worcester Warriors’), Chim Gale (Worcester Warriors’ Academy Manager) and Tom Broomfield (Gloucester Rugby Academy DPP coach). These coaches along with Director of Rugby Andrew Stanley have ensured that all boys have had access to top level coaching in which to support their development.

The 1st and 2nd XV, of which the majority toured to Biarritz as part of their pre-season preparations, recorded unbeaten seasons for the first time in the club’s 80 year history, with all pupils embracing what it meant to represent the School on every occasion, playing with pride, determination, and most importantly, confidence.

The 1st XV, led by captain Archie Benson and vice-captain George Barton, welcomed new joiners Jack Hamilton, Will Tong, Sam Burgess and Archie Whillock into an already strong group of players with high expectations for the season ahead.

The season started well with preparations made during the pre-season tour to Biarritz in which 26 boys bought into a hard training schedule having trained hard individually over the summer break. After 4 days of full training both on the pitch and in the gym, the week ended with a training game in which the boys ran out victors, however the result was a by-product of a strong performance in which all boys were able to demonstrate all of the skills and tactics that they had picked up during the week. Special mention must go to Jonny Coniam and Toby Pallister for ensuring good communication with our hosts and for allowing smooth logistical outcomes with their excellent French language.

Whilst there was plenty of fun on tour it was certainly built on foundations of hard work and commitment which set the tone for the rest of the season.

Highlights of the 1st XV season came through strong performances once more in the cup against Abingdon School Oxford, RGS High

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Wycombe and in a tense thriller against Sir Thomas Rich’s that was played in the most appalling weather conditions, resulting in a narrow Dean Close win. We were, of course, disappointed to lose 18-10 against Marlborough College in the last 16 of the National Cup, however the experience will certainly support the development of all the boys involved going forward. It was a game we could have, and arguably should have, won. Whilst an unbeaten season is nothing to be sniffed at, it is certainly not the primary aim of the rugby programme, but more of a positive bi-product of the way in which the boys are supported.

The rugby club at Dean Close is delighted to have been able to support the development of Upper Sixth form leavers Archie Benson (1st XV Captain), Josh Gray and George Barton (vicecaptain) as they look forward to life as full time sportsmen having signed their first professional contracts with Gloucester Rugby in the latter part of this year.

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Unfortunately, the 3rd XV had many fixtures cancelled by opposition schools and ended up only playing two fixtures out of the seven planned, leaving them with a 17-0 win against Magdalen College Oxford and a 12-24 loss against Malvern College.

The U16 teams have had another good season overall, although both teams have had to manage parts of the season without key players due to injuries and this allowed for other players to have opportunities to develop on the pitch.

Already this year we have seen James Pollard, Harley Holdship and Henry Blunt called up to senior 1st XV training so they, along with other boys in the U16, will provide good competition at senior level next year. For some in the U16 B team, this will have proved to be their last season in school rugby and as such, the club would like to thank them for their commitment over the last three years.

The U14 squads, new to the School this year, have had to gel as new groups and units and, as is typical at this age group, this lack of initial cohesion often meant that results didn’t go the teams’ way against schools who start at year 7.

However, looking at the boys in the Fourth Form at both A and B teams, there is plenty to be excited for going forward, and as they develop their understanding, they have the potential to be a genuine force on the rugby circuit.

This continues the trend of pupils leaving Dean Close in the last five years, such as Tom Seabrook, Lloyd Evans and Ed Bogue having signed for Gloucester Rugby, as well as Tiff Eden who having signed initially for Worcester Warriors is now plying his trade for Bristol Bears.

News of their individual success continues to reinforce the benefit of our support to the individual as is our school ethos, and this has been echoed in our relationship with Gloucester Rugby Academy with whom we are formal educational partners, and have been for the last five years. George, Archie and Josh all featured heavily (alongside Lower Sixth Decanians Freddie Thomas and Matty Jones) in the Premiership U18 Academy League campaign and all started in the final against Leicester Tigers at Allianz Park.

The 2nd XV had a fantastic season and were captained superbly well by Jacob Melville-Smith and under the guidance of Mr Mears and Mr Powell, the squad put in some excellent displays against all that came to challenge them. With a fairly consistent squad the boys proved too tough a match for most opponents, with the toughest fixtures occurring against opponents RGS Worcester in the first game of the season and then in the second half of term against Monmouth School for Boys.

exceptionally well and put in some fantastic performances turning last year’s losses into this year’s wins. Most notably, after losing to RGS Worcester last year, the boys won 66-0 this year, and after a 40-0 loss against Magdalen College Oxford last year, again the boys won 26-10. The Cup run also proved a valuable experience for the squad allowing opportunities to play under different knockout pressures. After losing in the first round of the cup, the boys had the determination to go far in the plate and after some fantastic wins against Churcher’s College (12-10) and Pate’s Grammar School, to name just a few, the boys found themselves playing in the semi-final of the national plate, unfortunately losing in a tight affair against Kings Taunton, who are now on our fixture card next year 2019/20. It was a fantastic season all around for the group and they should be exceptionally pleased with the achievements this year.

The U15 squad has had a remarkable turnaround this year under the guidance of coach Mr Mills. Last year as fourth formers the boys had a really difficult year, however, the group has gelled

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rugby

Rugby Sevens his year’s programme was once again hampered by bad weather and new RFU guidelines resulting in many of our competitions at other schools being cancelled. All of the U14 and U15 tournaments were cancelled and only the U16 and 1st VII teams managed to escape all of the cancellations.

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The commitment and pride that the boys have demonstrated have been evident throughout and it is no wonder that the season proved to be a big success

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The U16 played really well in their two outings at both Wycliffe and Rosslyn Park, with the former proving to be a great opportunity to put all of the training into practice prior to Rosslyn Park. At Rosslyn (the world’s largest schoolboy rugby sevens competition with over 500 teams competing at this age group alone), the team put in strong performances to win against Ibstock Place, Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, Leicester Grammar School and Sidcot to win the group comfortably. They, unfortunately, met Millfield in the first knockout round but after playing their part in an entertaining match ended up losing 10-29.

The 1st VII managed to prepare well for this year’s Rosslyn Park, narrowly losing in the semi-final of the cup against Llandovery College at the Christ College Brecon sevens, then losing to Llandovery College once more in the plate final at the Marches Sevens. The first silverware of the year was brought home after winning the Wycliffe sevens in which the boys became more dominant as they day progressed. The journey

was certainly gaining momentum and the group set off for Rosslyn Park with excitement and belief.

After frustratingly losing a game that we should have won by a conversion against last year’s winners Cranleigh School 15-17 the boys responded with wins against Moulton College, Brooksby Melton College (of whom both are rugby academy colleges in their respective area) and Stoneyhurst College we found ourselves in day 2 of the plate competition.

Starting off with a 26-26 draw against previous winners Whitgift we then marched on to the final after wins against Kings College Taunton and Northampton School for Boys. Unfortunately, we lost on the big stage to the Llanelli Scarlets academy school Coleg Sir Gar 17-26, however, it was a tremendous 2 days in which the boys challenged themselves on the biggest sevens circuit in the world.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the coaches who have helped in the various teams over the year and the boys themselves depart as Upper Sixth leavers. The commitment and pride that the boys have demonstrated have been evident throughout and it is no wonder that the season proved to be a big success. Good luck in all that you do.

Greg Baber-Williams, Director of Sport

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Girls’Hockey his years Girls’ Hockey season started in August with the 1st team at Pre season at Rugby School and ended in March at the National Finals. It was always going to be transition year after the previous year achieved so much, and the development of all sides in the school was so encouraging.

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The Girls U18s & U16s Indoor squads both lost narrowly in the Semi Finals of the regional tournament but improved as squads. The Under 16s Outdoor squad qualified in the new format for the Semi Finals of the National Knockout and came 4th in the country - an outstanding achievement in a very strong competition. The U18s and U14s had good cup campaigns too and though they didn’t qualify through both developed well as squads.

Sydney Davies was selected for the Wales U16s squad. We also have more girls than ever before in the England Hockey elite performance centres.

With ten sides for the second year running it was so encouraging to see so many girls enjoy and improve their skills and general play throughout the season.

The 1st team started in Pre season and had a productive year as players developed to

challenge for 1st team places. The Squad had some hard matches early season but against the two sides that ended up competing in the Final of the Nationals, Millfield and Repton, the squad competed so well with such a young squad and showed their development by having close games with both. Other highlights in school matches were wins against Marlborough and Kingswood. Grace Greaves was outstanding at the back with Abby Norwood and with Issy Viant dominating the Midfield. Sophie Horton was excellent upfront and her development as a player through the school has been so good to see. Susie Carter had an outstanding season for someone so young and with nearly the whole squad back next year it was so encouraging to see the confidence of the players by the end of term. The 2nd team, after a hard start to the term, developed well and had good results against Marlborough and Bradfield and played well and were so close to wins in several of their matches.

Hannah Betterley captained the side and led well from the front with Pollyanna Harris and Hayley Collenette strong in midfield. Beth Ellison and Maxine Huybreckx marshalled the defence well. The 3rd team enjoyed the season with Ren Garcia Rodriguez captaining the side well and also playing several times for the 2nd team.

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The stand out result for the group was a draw against Millfield with the squad knitting together well by the end of term

Anne Charlotte Huybreckx and Georgia Faux had many good matches and Kate McCabe led the forwards well. The stand out result for the group was a draw against Millfield with the squad knitting together well by the end of term. The 4th team enjoyed their hockey and had some really good results and beat Clifton in their last match to end the season well. Anna Lillywhite did well in goal and Rose Tingey and Emma Williams had good seasons too with the whole squad improving.

The U16s had a good season overall and with several of the group in the first team showed the depth in the group by gaining some good results. Lydia Smith played well at the back with Evie Sharp working hard in every match. Emily Stephens dominated the midfield and put in some very strong performances. The U15As had an outstanding season and, with several players moving up to the 1st team, still managed to win all but two of their matches.

Issy Tingey in goal and Helena Montgomery played well at the back with Louisa Neal dominating midfield. Grace Billington and Millie Watkins scored some good goals upfront. The squad played excellent hockey throughout the term. The U15Bs also had a good season and showed the depth in the year by gaining many wins and playing strong hockey throughout the

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term. Bella Stephens played well in goal and Lara Sharples, Georgia Day and Lily Griffiths had good seasons with Charlotte Read captaining the side well. The 15Bs continued on from last year improving and enjoying their hockey. All of the players were committed in training and enjoyed the matches. They had notable wins against Clifton and Millfield and they were

captained well by Daisy Mason. Ayaka Fushiki and Jess Pond played well at the back; Phoebe Channing and Iona Hutton were strong in midfield with Missy Quinlan and Jemima Holland causing defences problems in the forwards. Another good year of development for this group.

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The 14As had a good season but had to work hard in training and matches to develop as a squad and find the right combinations. As the season progressed they started to play some good hockey and gained confidence with good results against Rugby School, Kings College Taunton and Bradfield School. Olivia Walmsley was outstanding in goal and Daisy Mardon was strong at the back. Lucy Humphries, Mimi Gleeson and Phoebe McCouaig developed their play in Midfield, and Willow Perry and Niamh Allen caused teams problems in the forward line. The U14Bs similar to the A team took time to work out the right combinations but worked hard in training to develop their skills and game play.

Lily Bond had an excellent season and played in the A team in last few matches. Indy McNulty was outstanding in goal and Rin Kato, Blanca Garcia Fernandez and Amelia-May Cowley did well in all matches.

I would like to thank all the Coaches and Umpires and everybody who have made this year another strong Hockey season. To Mrs Milne and Mr Montgomery a massive thank you for all your help throughout the year in another very busy and successful season. Also a massive thank you to Ieuan Davies, the whole school Hockey Coach, who has worked tirelessly to develop the players in all teams.

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There are so many ways of describing this year’s Boys’ Hockey. One of the most successful, frustrating and devastatingly brilliant at times spring to mind. Our individual successes at International level were: Ellis Robson and Oli Smart England U18s and Alex Chihota England U16s.

Theo Bancroft Wales U16s and U18s.

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Boys’ Hockey

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This year, the U18 Boys came runners up in the West Finals. The boys also came very close to qualifying for the National Semi Finals but narrowly lost in a close match to the eventual finalists. The U16 Boys won the West Finals and then drew with eventual winners, Whitgift, for the first time at the National Finals, putting them through to the Semi Finals. They lost the Semi Final to Repton but this was an outstanding achievement for the squad.

We ran 11 sides this year and it was so good to see the development of all the players in the squads. The junior squads particularly developed well and although results didn’t always show the actual improvement they were making in training.

The First Team had an unbeaten season and in the year of a new National Cup League structure started this was an outstanding achievement. The squad started with a preseason tournament at Cranleigh School and with several new players coming into the squad we were able to knit the squad together. We were also able to see some of the junior players coming through. The squad was captained by Toby Pallister who simply led from the front in all matches and was the driving force behind so many of the wins during the season. The school matches were a mixture of school and National Cup league fixtures. We had notable wins against Millfield and a good draw against Whitgift School. Adam Gower and Nick Nurse with Leo England outstanding marshalled the side at the back all season. Stalwards of the First team Elliot Bancroft, Oscar Newcombe and Jacob Melville Smith showed all their experience in tight matches and Ellis Robson led the front line well. The Second team had a mixed season of results but had good results against Marlborough and Bradfield and played strongly in every match. They were captained by Jonny Coniam with Oli Horne in support at the back, the side was strong in defence. James Boden and Felix Nelson were excellent in midfield and Harry Brookes worked tirelessly in the forwards. The Third team had a good season and improved as the season went on. They had good wins against Warwick and Bloxham and were captained by Toby

Haines who led from the front. The Squad had a good season in front of goal but probably conceded too many goals.

Yousef Balla and Ilya Mordvintsev played well in goal and saved the side on numerous occasions though. Alfie Henson, Josh Sansom and Freddie Shepherd had good seasons. The whole squad competed and enjoyed the season. The Fourth team only had a few fixtures but had a 50% record and most of the players played in either the Third team or U16Bs for most of the matches. Nathan Kenshall and Guy Goodman played well.

The U16As had a really good season and developed into a strong squad. Theo Bancroft and Paddy Benson led from the front with Lorcan Knox working tirelessly in midfield. Felix Roth at the back dominated the play with Matt Candy destroying sides with his pace. They had good wins against Magdalen and Rugby School and a very narrow loss to Repton. The 16Bs were as

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hockey

strong as we have had at this level. They played a really good brand of Hockey and looked strong in all areas. Finn and Louis Fleming had a good season, as did Isaac Barlow. Ben Limbrick was solid at the back and with several of their matches cancelled, many of the players played in the higher teams.

The U15A squad developed into a really strong group. They worked hard in training and then showed with excellent results in matches how far they have progressed. The squad only lost two matches all season and had excellent results against Marlborough College and Whitgift School. Ed Stevens dominated the midfield with Freddie Philip- Sorenson and John Lindsay solid at the back. Nick Schubach and Leo Daenert scored many of the goals and caused many of the oppositions’ problems. The 15Bs had a tough season in matches but enjoyed and worked hard in training. Several players stood out during the season. Guy Green in goal and

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James Main, Fisayomi Michael-Idowu and Nacho Eleyae all had strong seasons. Lewis Limbrick dominated at the back and the side went from strength to strength. The U14Cs were an enthusiastic group who trained well and enjoyed playing matches. They improved their skills as the season progressed and looked a good side by the end of term. Caelen Lee, Seita Kaimori and Harry Henley all had good seasons and they had really close 2.1 loss to Repton to finish the term.

George Orr Ewing, Charlie Fewings and Vlad Petrov. It was good to see the spirit in the side, even in the last match against Repton which they did really well in.

The 14As had a good first season and much of the season was trying to find the line up that would work best. The squad improved their skills and game play in training and matches. Several good wins and several frustrating draws against strong opposition saw the squad become much stronger. Alex Powell played well at the back with Anthony Chihota excellent in Midfield with Josh Gordon. Charlie McKinnes worked tirelessly in the forward line supported by Paddy Clarkson. Ellis Clark was most improved player and it was good to his development. The U14Bs were a strong squad and had an unbeaten season. There were several stand out performances during the season by the squad especially the 1.1 draw with Repton in the last match of the season where Charlie Harris in goal was outstanding.

Every year it is wonderful to see all of the groups improve so much throughout the term. I would like to thank all of the Coaches, Umpires and supporters who always make the term such a good experience.

Special thanks as ever to Mr Montgomery for all his support throughout the term and to Mr Davies, the whole school Hockey coach, who has been a great support to me and spent hours improving the skills of all players.

Gary Tredgett

hockey

BOY’S NATIONAL HOCKEY FINALS U18s Dean Close boys U18s travelled to the National Hockey stadium at Lee Valley for the semi-finals of the National Knockout after qualifying first in the new Tier 1 League and beating Repton in the quarter finals.

The semi-final v Reeds School was a cagey affair to start with but gradually Dean Close started to dominate with Oscar Newcombe and Toby Pallister outstanding in midfield. Dean Close created two very good chances that were saved

by Reeds and several short corners followed for Dean Close, but even though the routines were good, they could not score. The second half was dominated more by Reeds and some outstanding defending

by Leo England and Nick Nurse, and some good saves by Oli Smart kept Reeds at bay. Jacob Melville Smith also made an excellent goal line save. With seconds remaining, Dean Close created a good chance to score but could not quite convert.

The match ended 0-0 and went to a penalty shoot-out. After the first round of five penalties both sides had scored four, so to sudden death. Reeds scored and Dean Close missed and a very disappointed squad went into the 3rd/4th play off the next day.

Dean Close, although still disappointed from the previous day’s experience, came out determined to make amends. They played Norwich School and started the match well and dominated possession but frustratingly could not score. Norwich, after defending well, scored a very good short corner to go 1-0 up at half time. The second half became a more open game and Dean Close played really well. After an excellent passing move between Ellis Robson and Jacob Payton, Jacob scored an excellent goal. Oscar Newcombe then scored from a short corner to make it 2-1. Ellis made it 3-1 with a great individual effort but Norwich managed to get a goal to make it 32, and a tense few minutes followed until Ellis scored his second to make the final score 4-2 securing a third place overall for the boys.

After starting at Cranleigh preseason and winning the Tier 1 League and remaining unbeaten throughout the season, apart from losing on penalties, the whole squad has shown amazing commitment, skill and passion.

Although third place is so disappointing for the squad it is the second best result in Dean Close history at U18s.

U16s Dean Close U16s, after qualifying with a good 4-1 win against King’s Taunton in the quarter final, travelled to the National Hockey stadium at Lee Valley for the semi final of the National Knockout against Portsmouth Grammar School. Dean Close started the match strongly and had several good chances but failed to score.

With Ed Stevens, Theo Bancroft and Lorcan Knox dominating midfield and Paddy Benson controlling the defence, Dean Close finally opened the scoring after good link play from Nick Schubach and Matt Candy.

Despite some good attacks from Portsmouth, Dean Close managed to go into half time 1-0 ahead. The second half was mainly a midfield battle with Ed Stevens outstanding and Freddie Philip-Sorenson and Richard Swan very strong in attack and defence. Dean Close then scored a second goal from Theo Bancroft after good build up play.

That goal sealed the win and an amazing achievement of qualifying for the National Final v Repton School.

The National Final against Repton was a tough match but Dean Close competed well and made it very difficult for Repton to

break the midfield and defence, with Paddy Benson and Freddie Philip- Sorenson outstanding. Richard Swan was working hard to close Repton down and, along with Matt Candy, caused some problems for the opposition.

Repton though went 1-0 ahead after a good finish which Dean Close could not quite keep out after several good saves from James Pollard. Dean Close immediately responded and dominated the rest of the half with Matt Candy and Nick Schubach causing continual problems but again just could not finish. They also missed several good opportunities at short corners and went into half time 1-0 down. In the second half, Repton scored a second goal midway through but Dean Close kept trying to penetrate. Sadly they could not score and Repton took a third goal to seal the win.

The squad were obviously disappointed but have achieved so much this season coming second in the country and should be so proud of what they achieved. Theo Bancroft and Paddy Benson led the side superbly.

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netball

NETBALL fter a successful preseason and first week of training, the fourteen Dean Close netball teams were selected. The coaching team, headed up by Mrs Holder, had whistles in hand and were ready for a competitive term of netball.

A

Our first block fixture was against Malvern College. This was a great opportunity for players and coaches to test out new combinations and really make a mark on the season ahead. In this first fixture eleven teams represented Dean Close and they really did have a fantastic start. The matches resulted in 10 wins with only the 2nd VII losing by 2 goals.

This was one of the most successful starts for Dean Close netball in a long time.

The 1st VII, captained by Lydia Ward, had high hopes of a solid season. Making their 1st team debut were Violet Little-Wollage, Hannah Betterley, Abby Norwood and Katie Smart who joined Lola Blacker, Lydia, Ava Da Costa Freeman and Annabelle Asher who returned to the team from last season. After a strong start against Malvern, the team came up against some very strong opposition.

A very physical game at Bristol Grammar School saw the girls take a close defeat (23–34) but they came back for quite possibly their best performance of the term against CLC who had recently qualified for Regional School Finals. This game went goal for goal with both teams playing stunning netball.

Sadly, we didn’t quite clinch the win, losing 33-34, but it was an excellent game to watch although Mrs Holder did need a sit down afterwards. Form returned against Chosen Hill with a great team effort to win 43-20.

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Although losing their first game by only two goals, the 2nd VII did not let this dampen their spirits. With Chloe Cubello as coach they quickly improved over their next few matches with notable wins against Bristol Grammar School (27–20) and CLC (24–18). Winning 4 out of their 8 matches the 2nd VII steadily improved over the term and really applied themselves during training. Captained by Katie McCabe with many 5th Form stepping up to the plate this team played some fabulous netball throughout the term.

It was a fantastic term for the 3rd VII. There were a couple of narrow losses to very strong sides from much bigger schools and a notable hard-fought draw against CLC. Highlights included wins over Malvern College, St Edwards and BGS. It was great that the majority of the team had played together the previous years and they were bolstered by some Fifth Form talent in the form of Mason, Stephens, and Sharpe.

Notable performances during the season included: the dogged defending of captain Susie Main that made the 3rds a very difficult team to beat, Georgie Shephard, Sophie Horton, Emily Stephens, and Immy Mason bossed the centre, whilst Izzy Turner, Evie Sharpe, and Tatyana Cheung were clinical in their finishing. However, the player of the season award is shared between Maxinne Huybreckx and Georgie McConnachie for a mixture of guts, determination, a never say die attitude, and an example that consistently fired up the rest of the team. It was a pleasure to work with them and their coach Mr Wilkes hopes to see many of them return next season.

netball

The U15A had the know-how of Miss Richards to guide them through the term. At times the girls were brilliant showing great game sense and then at times they ‘were not at the races’. This struggle to get any consistency continued over the term, but they were competitive in matches and had some good results against Malvern and Wycliffe. The pinnacle was finishing the season with a thrilling 21 all draw against Dauntseys which tested both teams. The Player of the Season went to Grace Billington. Grace improved so much over the course of the term and throughout the season showing some excellent skills and precision drives to circle edge, although Miss Richards said ‘a proper pair of trainers would improve her game further’.

The 4th VII season started with three wins against Malvern, BGS and Marlborough College - the only unbeaten team at one point. The rest of the season included two closely fought matches that were lost by fewer than six goals each. Hayley Collenette showed great dedication, playing despite acquiring blood blisters on the soles of her feet during the match. Emily Smith showed her commitment by acting as team manager when she was put ‘off games’ due to surgery.

Erin McMahon Ansell mastered a powerful long ball, that was the set-up of many goals. Hope Morgan frustrated the opposition with her impressive ability to intercept balls that she shouldn’t have been able to reach. Abbey Tanega, Susie Hicks Beach and Saph Leweni (who stepped up from the 5ths) all worked well as the team’s shooting unit showing great accuracy under pressure. Lucy Scudamore was always a solid presence in centre court, often playing her least favourite position (WD) which she would remind everyone frequently.

Even though the faithful 5ths only had two matches they still turned up for training and threw themselves into every session. Although the score line didn’t go in their favour they still worked hard on court keeping positive and supporting each other throughout. Tilly Amess and Pippa Salisbury were especially determined and showed resilience until the final whistle was blown. They so very nearly got a win against St Edwards Oxford but just missed out by two goals.

The U15C netball team had an excellent season under the guidance of Miss Archer. They were nearly undefeated (only losing one match) and played with enthusiasm throughout. Whilst they were not overly keen on training in the rain, they all put in their best effort to ensure that they worked hard for their teammates. The defence were dominating throughout the season, with Bella Stephens leading from the back at GK. The centre court worked hard, both offensively and defensively, with Lucy Brookes giving some excellent feeds into the circle as WA. The shooters improved throughout the year, working hard to get free in the circle and putting away some beautiful shots. The girls should be really proud of all that they have achieved this season.

Notable scores were their 15-0 win against Malvern College and impressive 18-4 win against Wycliffe. They have made real progress together and have shown their resilience when facing tough opponents.

U15D had a successful season under the guidance of Mrs Briggs who was always prepared with her excellent session plans. The girls narrowly missed out on being unbeaten, after losing their final match to a strong Dauntsey’s side but still secured two impressive wins. Highlights include: beating CLC 16-6 in their first match, Hattie Gammon’s consistent on-point shooting and Jemima Holland’s pre-match warm-ups. The U15Ds showed great improvements over the term and should be pleased with their performances.

The U15 B team had a successful term winning five out of seven matches. It was wonderful to see, as the term progressed, that the whole team were using skills and tactics learnt within training and applying this within their match play.

Specifically, on game days the girls had a cohesive nature about them, being sensitive and encouraging to one another and looking especially sharp during their warm up. Iona Hutton and Lara Sharples made some lovely shots working together soundly. They also had a strong defence led by Charlotte Read and Valentina Alfonsi who were solid shields, causing the opposition much frustration. All players should be commended on the effort they gave within every game and how they worked together as a team.

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The U14A Team were under the watchful eye of Mrs Lait. They had a challenging season with a close first game loss to CLC 10-17. After some focused training sessions, they gradually gained more confidence and the shooters’ accuracy started to gain consistency. All the girls worked really hard and took on board new tactics and strategies implementing these with gradual success at fixtures; the performances improved as the term went on even if the score line was not in our favour. Their drive and determination were excellent throughout the season and Mrs Lait was pleased with how they started to work as a team. Lydia Coniam was the most improved player and Lucy Humphreys and Madeleine Maysey were an awesome duo in defence working closely together and trusting each other completely. The team had an excellent match Vs Chosen Hill winning 26-16 which rewarded their resilience on a very windy day. Special mention to Mimi Gleeson who was always positive with her body language and feedback.

The U14Bs had a great start to the term. With two wins against Malvern College and then BGS they were confident moving forward. After a tough match v CLC the mighty Bs found form again v Wycliffe winning 16-6. With Miss Donaldson at the helm, the girls worked hard and improved over the term. Players who stood out included Ella Tolchard for her consistent shooting and Willow Perry who really came on at WD. Mrs Milne was coach for the U14Cs who peaked early in a freezing and very windy match at Malvern taking the game 18-1. In a hotly contested and rather physical match at Marlborough they maintained their equilibrium even though the score-line didn’t go in their favour. Key players were Carmen Ritchie who dominated in attack and Anoushka Page who showed grit and determination in defence. A tough season but morale remained high and the girls always gave a good example of themselves on court.

The U14Ds had many girls who had never played netball before, or were certainly very new to the game. However, they improved

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significantly over the term, mainly due to the growth in confidence from the team. The girls came with a really positive attitude and were great at looking out for each other. Overall the 14Ds had a lot of fun and laughter as a team, and for some they’ve even decided it is their favourite sport at Dean Close. Particular shout outs go to our defenders – Issy and Ella – who worked tirelessly every match. Most improved member was Cindy, who by the end of the term we witnessed breaking into a jog (shock!). And finally, to the team captain, Cherissa, for leading the team with her commitment and energy each week.

Back in September the Dean Close U16 Netball team, under the captaincy of Anabelle Asher, gained the crown of County Champions. They worked hard all afternoon with each girl taking to court. The group stage consisted of 4 games against Cleeve School, Cotswold School, Wycliffe and Tewkesbury. We progressed as group winners and met Cheltenham College in the first knock out round. A slow start saw College go 3 - 0 up but with true DCS grit we clawed it back and finished with an 11 - 6 win. In the semi-final we faced Ribston Hall winning 12 - 7. The final was against Farmors School. At half time it was all level at 5 - 5. However, we came out strong in the second half winning 9 - 5 gaining the title of County Champions. This success meant that the U16s now progressed to the Regional Schools Final at Sir David English Sports Centre in Bournemouth. A much tougher gig, Regional Finals tested the U16s as they faced the best teams in the South West. The girls secured a win against Highworth Warneford and drew against a strong BGS side but faced tough battles against Taunton, Truro and Canford who went on to win the tournament. As usual the girls represented the school impeccably and never looked out of place against such strong sides.

Well done to every girl who played a part in the netball term. You all worked tirelessy and represented Dean Close with pride, collectedness and showed team spirit throughout.

Katie Holder

cricket

Pre-season Tour to Wales

CRICKET

A squad of pupils met during the Easter break to commence pre-season training in Cardiff. Mr Powell had arranged a packed three days of activities designed to develop both cricket skills and team cohesion. The trip started at the Glamorgan Indoor Cricket Centre at Sophia Gardens, home of the county cricket side where the squad was joined by the Glamorgan team who were preparing for a match. This gave the boys the opportunity to see professional players training and they were keen to pick up as much as they could. The team then decamped to the Cardiff City Football ground indoor 3G pitch for an intensive fielding and Strength & Conditioning session. On the second day a surprise guest dropped by to give the team a few encouraging words. Sir Alastair Cook is a legend of the game and the boys were thrilled at having the opportunity to meet and chat with him before he went to play for Essex against Glamorgan. The tour ended with a practice match against Llandaff Cathedral School at the beautiful St Fagan’s Ground.

Firsts ollowing their time captaining and vice captaining the side in the Lower Sixth, Oliver Horne and James Boden have matured nicely into the role. Taking a lead in the winter nets has enabled them to put together a strong squad. The season started well with a win against King’s Worcester in a T20 match. Nick Schubach was the player of the match scoring 60 off 45 balls before chipping in with two vital wickets. We then came up against a strong Monmouth side whose aggressive running between the wickets was the difference between the two sides.

Encouragingly, this lesson was learned for the next game against RGS Worcester where a competitive total was set thanks to some positive batting by James Humphreys (41) and Oliver Horne (71*). In a thrilling chase, RGS needed 8 off the last over and once again, it was Oliver Horne who produced a brilliant over to secure the win by 5 runs. The local derby against King’s Gloucester produced another strong performance by the team setting 212 from 35 overs thanks to 50 from Nick Schubach and an exhilarating 53* from Oscar Newcombe. Tight bowling from two of the younger members of the side, Jack Logan (4 for 21) and Isaac Barlow (2 for 9) meant that it was a comfortable win by 38 runs in the end.

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The traditional Commemoration Day fixture against the Old Boys saw many of the recent

leavers return to take on a mostly U16 school side. A hugely enjoyable game of T20 was watched by a large crowd enjoying their picnics. Vigilance was the watchword of the day as both sides indulged in some lusty hitting. The school ran out winners in the end but the highlights of the day were certainly Toby Pallister’s 50 from 24 balls and Luca Cappucini’s epic dual with Oliver Horne.

Wet weather affected the second half of the season and it was something of a miracle that the game against Kingswood even went ahead. Despite a decent performance with the ball, the accurate bowling of the Kingswood opening pair made the chase difficult.

However, the team bounced back with a convincing win against The Wrekin with Nick Schubach (96) and James Hunt (58) putting on 131 for the 2nd wicket. Superb bowling from Horne, Boden, Hamilton and James Schubach meant that The Wrekin fell 55 runs short. This game also saw the debut of Kameel Sahabdeen, our U14 leg spinner who bowled very well.

Caps have been awarded to the following this year: James Schubach, Nick Schubach, Oscar Newcombe and Jack Logan. Nick Schubach has been part of the Gloucestershire U16 squad and we will watch with interest as he develops over the coming years.

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cricket

Seconds Expertly led by Toby Haines, the 2nd XI have won all their games this season so far.

The bowling of Isaac Barlow and Paddy Benson has been impressive, as has the batting of Toby Haines, and Theo and Elliot Bancroft. Perhaps the best performance of the season was against King’s chasing 140 to win, which the team did with the loss of only 1 wicket, Toby Haines opening and finishing unbeaten on 63. The team holding their nerve to win by 3 runs at Kingswood was also a great team effort.

U15s The Under 15A team only played 3 games in a rain-infested season; unseasonable dampness restricted the boys to matches against RGS Worcester, King’s Gloucester and Kingswood. Playing on Fawley, they lost the opening match to RGS Worcester by 5 wickets, having chosen to bat first and then collapsing from 36-0 to 67 all out. George Merritt led the charge in the bowling, taking 3-9 off his four overs, but it was never going to be enough. They fared better away to King’s Gloucester, posting 146 batting first, with Sam Williams and skipper Toby Greaves scoring particularly well. Toby then took 4-13 with the ball and John Lindsay padded his statistics by skittling the tail with 3 wickets for 2 runs off 1.4 overs! A win by 24 runs was thoroughly deserved. The Kingswood fixture turned out to be our final game. Our opponents posted 144, a gettable figure on the small Fawley ground, only for Dean Close to fall to 19-6 in the eighth over. Luckily, Freddie PhilipSorensen and Jamie Baker were in the mood for a counterattack, putting on 80 in short order. However, despite Jamie reaching his maiden 50 in the final over, we fell short by 12 runs.

Two of the Removes are already playing 1st XI cricket this season; hopefully, next year, a handful of this talented group of boys will join them and make the step up to the top level.

The B team won two out of two which is magnificent considering that B teams have only won one fixture in the previous two years in all sports! Highlights of the seaon were Vlad Petrov’s consistent batting and Arsen Kachalov’s direct hit run out.

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cricket

U14s Despite a disappointing set of results, the U14As had an enjoyable season and are a team full of talent and energy. They recorded two victories in their opening two matches against RGS Worcester and King’s Gloucester before losing the final 4 games with a number rained off. However three of the losses went right down to the wire and were decided in the final moments, so the results could have been very different.

The side was well captained by Ben McShane, who bowled with hostile pace and batted with similar aggression. A highlight for him was a superb 50 in the final match of the season against Wrekin. The opening pair of Charlie McKinnes and Josh Gordon were ever dependable: cutting, pulling, nudging and nurdling us off to some great starts. Josh’s half century against King’s Gloucester (ably supported by Charlie with 46*) was a particular highlight. Kameel Sahadeen, Alex Powell, Harry Amess and Paddy Clarkson brought some real firepower to our middle order.

Kameel’s 50 against a very strong RGS Worcester was impressive and earned him – along with his brilliant leg spin bowling – a call up to the 1st XI. Alex Powell could lay claim to the shot of the season when he hit a very able opening bowler at Kingswood back over his head for the straightest of 6s. Toby MacLeod also brought stability to the lower order in shaky situations. The bowling attack was led by Ben (as mentioned) and an ever improving Zach Brooks. Zach can bowl at good pace and can unleash utterly unplayable deliveries when he gets in right. If Alex is claiming shot of the season then Zach surely has to be in with a shout for delivery of the season when he clean bowled the Worcester county player and RGS Worcester captain with an absolute snorter that struck the very top of off stump. Harry Amess and Kameel bowled some really canny leg breaks and Ellis Clark and Henry Jordan took wickets when they were called upon.

Ellis’ 2 wickets against Kingwood was just reward for his committed training over the year. A final mention must go to Charlie Harris who came into the side towards the end of the season: happy not to bat and bowl, he threw himself around in the field and encouraged the team at all times. What a team player.

As mentioned, this is a very strong side with tonnes of cricketing talent.

They played hard for one another and impressed me with their attitude in

all of the matches played. With continued hard work in the nets during the

off season and a little more luck on their side, they will go on to win a lot of matches in the future.

The U14B cricket team have been a great group of young men, showing fantastic cohesion and support for one another combined with a highly competitive focus in matches. The team has improved throughout the season, growing more confidence in their batting strokes and increasing their consistency of bowling too. There were many stand out moments over the course of the season from all facets of the game. James Chapman was a solid all-rounder contributing with both bat and ball.

James Candy led by example with the bat scoring the highest score of 39 against Rencomb College. Fisayo Michael-Idowu led by example when bowling, constantly proving difficult for opposition batsmen to score runs and reliably taking wickets in all matches. Most of all the fielding from all the team has been exceptional with standout moments being Antony Chihota’s stunning caught and bowled against Sir Thomas Rich’s School and Lewis Limbrick’s high catch over his shoulder against Rencomb College.

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tennis

Tennis Senior Tennis

wise. Well done to Daisy Mason and Jemima Holland for being reluctant team players!

Overall, it has been a solid season for the U15s with some excellent skills on show each week.

It was another strong year for Dean Close tennis with four senior teams competing in classic fixtures, LTA schools’ competitions and tournaments across the county.

Remove girls Alice Howitt and Suzie Carter played together as first pair in the senior team and managed to go all season unbeaten picking up the Midlands Schools Girls’ Tennis Tournament title for an impressive seventh straight year beating King’s High, Warwick in the final. Their winning streak continued as they beat High School for Girls in the final of the U16 Gloucestershire School Girls’ Tennis Tournament.

U14 Tennis

standard was high and it was all to play for, despite having the first match point the girls eventually lost 11-9. They showed fantastic grit and determination and I am sure they will bounce back next year.

The Second Team had a mixed season with strong wins against Malvern and Clifton College and a very closely contested match against Cheltenham Ladies College only to lose 5-4.

They trained really well and I was pleased with how the team came together over the course of the season.

U15 Tennis Lydia Ward captained the teams to some impressive wins against Malvern College, Prior Park and Clifton College. The standard of tennis has been fast paced and incredibly enjoyable to watch.

The tennis season started early this year with the First team drawing against RGS Worcester in the first round of the LTA Schools Team Tennis before Easter. This was going to be a tough fixture as RGS has some strong tennis players. After the four singles rounds we were down 3 -1 going into the doubles, Alice Howitt, Suzie Carter, Lola Blacker and Lydia Ward battled hard and won both doubles matches to even the tie at 3-3. This meant it all came down to a match tie break. The

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The A Team has some strong players and only lost two matches all term. Hannah Porter and Louisa Neal were an excellent first pairing coming runner up in the Midlands School Girls Tennis Tournament B draw and being voted most enjoyable pair to play against by the other competitors. Their season got better and better and it was great to see them top it off with a good win again Prior Park’s first pair that was a tough fought battle.

The B Team has dominated most teams this term with Issie Tingey and Helena Montgomery convinced that their “handshake” gave them the winning edge, intimidating the opposition.

The C Team has improved as the term has progressed but has had a tough time fixture

This term has seen a mixture of results for the U14 tennis teams, due to weather or challenging sides. The positive attitude of the girls should be a credit to them as they turn up for matches and training with a bubbly nature making for an enjoyable and active environment. The highlight for the season would be seeing the progression made by all from the start to where they are now, specifically the U14 C team girls who work hard and are now having sound rallies making for a challenging side to beat. Hanni Wong, Indy McNulty, Madeleine Maysey and Clova Logan are some key team members who have particularly shown sound progression throughout this term. In addition Lydia Coniam, Niamh Allen, Lucy Humphreys and Mimi Gleeson are all individuals who put 100% effort into their games with a lovely cohesive team dynamic being shown throughout the afternoons. All the girls should be commended on their attitude towards tennis, their behaviour in lessons and their general sympathetic and kind approach to one another. Well done, U14 tennis girls!

Well done to all the girls who have represented the Dean Close tennis this year – the teams have had fantastic court etiquette and the competitive edge required to win some tough fixtures. I very much look forward to next year’s tennis season.

Matt Yemm

swimming

SWIMMING his year has seen Swimming at Dean Close grow and develop more than ever. Our team of keen swimmers set themselves a variety of rigorous challenges, regularly competing against different schools and taking part in a range of aquatic activities on a weekly basis.

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September started with old and new faces enrolling to swim three times a week, as part of the Health and Wellbeing Programme. Our swimmers are now well-practiced in their routine and continue to work hard and progress in their training, ranging from technique focused sets, sprint sets, long endurance sets and water skills.

Very early on, it was crystal clear that many of our swimmers had a fiercely competitive streak. With numbers increasing and a clear (but healthy!) boy/girl rivalry developing, Water Polo proved to be a particular favourite on Saturday afternoons, enabling players to blow off steam from their busy school lives. We have seen great skill in the game unleashed, particularly from Emily George and Evie Crawford-Poxon (both in the Upper Sixth) who swim so elegantly and gently in their practice sessions, but take no prisoners and hold a mean defence when it comes to Water Polo.

Towards the end of Michaelmas 2018, three teams were entered in the Cheltenham and District Relay Gala. Senior boys and senior/intermediate girls competed in both 4x25m medley and freestyle relay races. These were very close and our team managed to hold out with fourth and fifth positions throughout.

Later on in the term, students (and even our

Head of School, Katie Humphreys!) took part in friendly galas with local schools in and around Cheltenham. As the smell of mince pies were in the air and we edged towards Christmas, the swimmers even managed to create their very own Christmas themed swimming event, with festive themed relays and the all-important snow angel float, which brought back childhood memories for many.

A new year and new term saw many pupils’ resolutions of fitness and health spring into action and bring a fresh lease of life. With this positive spirit, we entered the British Long Distance Swimming Association Postal Swim. This competition has all swimmers swimming continuously for one hour. All swimmers continued for the full duration and covered some great distances, showing high levels of endurance. Fourth Form student Archie Shanahan managed to record the furthest swim. To keep up the happy spirits during the hour, the very best of the 1980s played in the background and there were sweet treats upon completion. All swimmers did their very best and gave it their all. We look forward to seeing where they ranked amongst the worldwide results when they are released.

Following on from this event, the U18 Boys and Girls team consisting of: Estella Depierre (Lower Sixth), Ollie Hodgson (Remove), Ben Ma (Fifth Form), Bella Moss (Upper Sixth), Aaron Osmond (Upper Sixth), Archie Shanahan (Fourth Form), Imogen Sneath (Lower Sixth) and Lucy Stocks (Fifth Form) participated in six weeks hard training, to get ready for the Bath and Otter

National Relay Finals taking place in the London Aquatics Centre. On the day, the squad set record times and really established Dean Close as a contender for the future. March also saw the inter-house gala, which was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon with a mixture of individual and relay events. Brook Court, as well as continuing to hold on to their victorious title for juniors managed a win for the seniors too. Whilst Mead rose to the challenge and were successful champions for both juniors and seniors. This event continued with a great buzz and large amount of support from the balcony.

As well as team accolades, we were very proud to see huge individual achievements. At the start of the year, Madeleine Maysey (Forth Form) set a new seasonal best time for 50m and 100m Breaststroke and achieved two bronze awards whilst representing Gloucester City Swimming club at a Level Two meet. In the Gloucestershire County Swimming Championships 2019 (held over four weekends in January and February), Archie Shanahan represented Cheltenham Swimming Club entering 13 events, reaching six finals and gaining a South West regional qualification in 50m Breaststroke. Ollie Hodgson, represented Cirencester Swimming Club entering 7 events, reaching three finals and gaining South West Regional qualification in: 50m Freestyle, 50m and 100m Backstroke. Fantastic triumphs!

Our year of competitive swimming galas finished with Cheltenham and District Relays in May; where Year Nine, Ten and Eleven and Sixth Form entered a girls team each and three individual boys competed; Ollie Hodgson, Archie Shanahan and Charlie Harris (Fourth Form). There were some nail-biting races and several photo finishes! Overall, we finished with superb results with girls overall placing third and boys placing fourth. After a year of diving in the deep end, things are going swimmingly for the team!

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equestrian

Equestrian The Equestrian season of 2018/19 has seen Dean Close senior riders dominate many of the inter-schools competitions they have contested. The numbers of riders at Dean Close is growing year on year and with new partnerships the Equestrian programme is able to offer a variety of options for all equestrian athletes. Linking with Old Decanian Jasmine Head at Highnam Court Equine has provided training grounds for both Prep and Senior riders as well as Livery options for Dean Close Boarders and international riders.

There has been a changing of the guard as the year has progressed with the Upper Sixth Senior Riders focusing on their exams, it has been the younger riders in the senior squad taking up the mantle at the latter competitions. With the arrival of some new and talented riders in September the equestrian programme now has good depth going forward.

NSEA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS October 2018 Teams and Individuals from all over the country have to qualify throughout the year to compete at the National Championships.

Dean Close qualified for 5 classes at the NSEA Championship Finals and were placed in each class they competed in.

The Hickstead Team, Molly Davies, Lydia Ward and Georgia Day were back together in the 1.10 show jumping finals they jumped well to secure their place in the jump off finishing in 3rd Place. Show Jumping Captain Molly Davies took on the Elite 1.15m/1.20 Show jumping class finishing 5th and 8th on her horses in a competitive final. Whilst Georgia Day finished 7th in her 1.10 SJ pony final.

Lydia Ward Eventing Capt, in the 1m and 1.10 Jumping with Style finals finished 5th and 3rd respectively which was a huge achievement with over 120 riders in each class.

Fantastic results and a great team spirit with everyone supportive of each other – Exciting and brilliant four days at the National Equestrian Championship.

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EQUESTRIAN 2019 PROGRAMME January saw the first equestrian celebratory dinner. Where all the team riders and parents were invited to celebrate their equestrian achievements and thank the parents for all their commitment to the equestrian programme. Olympian three day event rider Kitty King attended the event and spoke about her rise to success and the challenges she faced along the way and awarded the leaving Upper Sixth with their equestrian awards. It really was an inspirational way to start the New Year.

Show Jumping Capt.

Molly Davies was on form in the New Year at West Wilts to secure herself an early individual qualification for the Hickstead Elite winning the 1.10 horse class. Whilst Georgia Day also picked up her early qualification card for her return to Hickstead in the pony 1.10 Elite. Isabella Stevens new to Dean Close in September 2018 has proved to be a valuable and versatile member of the equestrian squad, picking up her qualification for the County Cup 1m Show Jumping finals at Bury Farm and coming 8th overall in the country.

DRESSAGE Dean Close qualified for the third consecutive year for the County Cup dressage finals at Bury Farm. The new squad arrivals of Ollie Dodman, Bella Stevens with support from Yr5 Prep rider Maddie Melville Smith finished 1st in the qualifier against all the other schools from Gloucestershire to go forward and represent Gloucestershire at the finals. With Bella Stevens and Ollie Dodman also securing individual qualifications for the prelim and novice tests. At the finals the young team rode brilliantly to secure 10th place out of 24 teams and Ollie Dodman individual 8th overall. Ollie has subsequently gone on to secure his individual qualifications for the NSEA National Championships in October 2019 in both the prelim and novice classes. Ollie is trained by GB Dressage Team rider Sara Gallop at Summer House Equestrian and I am sure there is a lot more to come from this combination.

equestrian

Hursteirpoint Interschool’s Show Jumping

DEAN CLOSE SHOW JUMPING COMPETITION A true highlight of the summer came in August when the Dean Close riders of Show Jumping Captain Molly Davies, Lydia Ward and Georgia Day headed down to compete at the All England Show Jumping ground at Hickstead for the Hursteirpoint Interschool’s Show Jumping competition. 38 schools took part. After excellent jumping in the first round Dean Close secured their place as one of the top 10 schools to go forward to the International Arena and contest the final. The team riders flew round: one of only three schools to finish on a zero score. A battle for the top 3 places ensued. Molly Davies pulled off a faultless round to finish Dean Close overall runners up for 2018 behind Newbridge College from Ireland and seeing off the competition of Millfield into 3rd place, quite some achievement!

RIDING LESSONS

The seventh running of the Dean Close Show Jumping competition held at Rectory Farm near Cirencester, proved to be as popular as ever with over 200 competitors and 37 different schools attending on the day. The hard work of Mrs Cradock and the many members of the Equestrian Club riders and their parents saw the show run smoothly and efficiently ensuring the day ran on time from 8am to a rather late 8pm finish. The 2019 show saw the introduction of the Elite Hickstead Qualifiers for the 1m team and 1.10 horse and pony. As well as the Grass Roots Qualifiers for our more junior riders which meant that it was a very long but successful day. Looking ahead to 2020 changes are being made to ensure that the competition is done in a more timely fashion. It was, as ever, lovely to see so many Dean Close members of staff attending the day and offering their time to help and support the event; it really brought a sense of school community to the fore.

For the Dean Close Senior riders it was a day of success with 4 NSEA National qualifications for the 90cms and 1m Teams of Ollie Dodman, Georgia Day, Mimi Payton and Isabella Stevens. Georgia Day also picked up individual qualifications for the 90cms, 1m and 1. 10 pony for the Elite.

The Equestrian Programme also provides those who wish to learn to ride or to improve their riding the opportunity to do so each week at Summerhouse Equitation Centre. These lessons in the Senior School each Tuesday afternoon prove to be a popular activity and are thoroughly enjoyed by all those taking part. For those students wishing to learn to ride or unable to bring their own horses to school this is a wonderful opportunity to have access to the equine world.

As part of the programme and our link with Summer House Equestrian Centre, we can now offer Prestige Lessons for more experienced riders and the ability to loan talented horses and ponies to riders wishing to train and compete for school.

There are 32 riders competing at all levels for the Dean Close Foundation and Equestrian Scholarships in the Senior and Prep Schools are being filled with more talent each year. The Dean Close equestrian squad has achieved great success which is down to the hard work of the riders themselves and that of the parents who willingly bring riders and horses to the competitions. With new riders and equestrian scholars joining us in September and young riders growing and developing their talents we have a lot to look forward to for 2019/20.

Fleur Cradock – Director of Equestrianism 103 - DECANIAN 2018/19

development

Development Progress Our plan to create environments that inspire a love of learning and support the most up to date and eective teaching.

21st Century campus Phase 1

The Day House Village The builders have put the ďŹ nishing touches to the development in preparation for the start of the new academic year. In addition to providing much-improved accommodation for day pupils, the rationale for this scheme was to free up space in the Academic Quad.

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Phase 2

The Academic Quad This will include re-designed facilities for Maths, Business, Economics, Humanities and Science, as well as the creation of a central social space. With an exciting concept on the table, the school is now liaising with architects on feasibility, timings and cost. The Quad Development is set to be the subject of a major fundraising campaign due for public launch in 2020.

development

Widening access From idea to reality... the Foundation Awards scheme is now underway, with four awards funded and our first Foundationers already in the school.

Our progress so far

The Denys Carnill Award

The Old Decanian Society Foundation Award

20

The Class of 2018 Foundation Award

Foundation Award funded by one very generous donor.

Last summer, many parents of the 2018 leavers donated their deposits towards a new Foundation Award bursary. Now, thanks to their generosity, the school has been able to award a place to a boy at Dean Close for the Sixth Form. The hope is that a year-group leavers’ gift of a Foundation Award will become a tradition. (At the time of writing, parents of the 2019 leavers are repeating this generosity.)

Additionally, the OD Society has confirmed that it will support a Foundationer through the Senior School, with match funding from Dean Close. The school has now found a suitable candidate for the Old Decanian Foundation Award, who starts at the Senior School in September 2019.

In the meantime, thanks to donations from ODs inspired by teaching legend, the late Denys Carnill, our Denys Carnill Foundationer has successfully finished her first year at Dean Close.

We are so very grateful to everyone who has supported the Foundation Awards campaign, thank you.

The power of video The Development Office has recently produced a video to promote the Foundation Awards scheme. Two young ODs, Izzy Fairthorne (Hatherley 2017) and James Best (Tower 2002) returned to Dean Close to take part in the production.

Felicity Copp, Development Manager: “Foundation Awards are all about changing lives. We wanted to show this through human stories. So, we are very grateful to Izzy and James for coming back here to speak in front of a camera about what their Dean Close bursary meant to them.”

Izzy summed up the scheme simply as ‘giving someone an extra opportunity in life.’ The video is narrated by OD, Lord Bernard Ribeiro (Tower 1962) who says ‘We are hoping that hundreds of donors will contribute – from a few pounds a month to a lump sum.’

You can watch the video on the Foundation Awards page on the school’s website: www.deanclose.org. uk/ foundationawards

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archives

Archives WW1 ROLL OF HONOUR This academic year marked the fruition of a long term project: The WW1 Centenary Commemoration School Roll of Honour. Produced soon after the end of the conflict, the original book had approximately 92 names and photographs of Old Decanians known to have lost their lives. It was compiled

by Joyce Flecker, the Headmaster’s daughter, and included Lionel Halse, former master of Dean Close and Joyce’s fiancé. The new Roll of Honour was on display in the Poppy Cloister during Commemoration and includes a further 43 names and a poem ‘A Vision of Home’ by Gerald Burghope OD, who was killed in 1917, aged just 20 years old.

THROWBACK THURSDAY In the Lent term, the Archive Department and Old Decanian Society set up a joint Instagram account entitled Behind DeanCloseDoors. Archives is currently contributing a weekly feature titled ‘Throwback Thursday’, so look out for our posts.

Here are just a few of the photographs which have featured…

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olddecanians

FAMILY HISTORY The Old Decanain Society has enjoyed another exciting year with 350+ ODs attending 38 events throughout the year. The third annual Old Decanian Day in June was very much the highlight of the year; with sports fixtures versus the School, BBQ lunch, reunions, Chapel service and dinner with guest speaker Henry Staelens (Dale, Class of 2006), the world’s youngest Football Club CEO, CEO of Forest Green Rovers.

Much of our research is as a result of enquiries for family history, and we have been involved with a number of these projects this year. In particular, we were able to provide a photograph to the family of Alfred Lionel Lane OD 1892-1896. He featured in the 1895 School Football team picture. Lionel, as he was known, went on to become a solicitor working in Gloucester and Lydney.

We were delighted to invite Jan and Bernard Andrews to Commemoration. Jan is the daughter of Alfred Kenneth Turner OD, who was a member of the 8th Armoured Brigade. He was killed in 1945 on active service in Germany, and has a memorial tree by the brook in the Headmaster’s Garden.

A Year with the Old Decanian Society Arrow Trophy For the first time, the Old Decanian Society entered a crew of nine into the Arrow Trophy, an alumni sailing competition between independent Schools’ alumni.

The event took place on the waters of the Solent with 27 yachts racing, finishing up in Cowes, followed by an Arrow Trophy Dinner at Cowes Yacht Haven.

The Dean Close crew was headed up by Richard Marquand (1967) and included Bella Acland (Fawley 2016), Felicity Copp (Dean Close Staff), Cy Fateh (Tower 2011), Tony Ayres (Tower 1975), Andrew Troughton (Field 1991), Ed Ayres (Gate 2002), James Lund-Lack and Oliver Parkinson Hill (Gate 1963).

SILVER SHIELD It was reported in last year’s Decanian that the Silver Shield awarded to the Lidderdale brothers at the 1906 Public Schools’ Gymnastics Competition had been discovered in a cupboard by the swimming pool. Following conservation work it was returned in Michaelmas looking almost as good as new. It is hoped it will be displayed for all to admire.

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olddecanians

Dean Close Sixes

In October, The Old Decanian Society hosted the Dean Close Sixes, an alumni women’s invitational hockey tournament, where teams battle it out to lift the Carnill Cup. Congratulations to this year’s winner, St Edward's (Oxford) who beat runners-up Cheltenham College on flicks in the final.

For more pictures and information on next year’s tournament visit www.deanclose.org.uk/DCHockeySixes .

Show jumping

Shooting 50 current parents and Old Decanians joined together for this year’s Dean Close Community Clay Pigeon Shoot at Ian Coley Shooting School in March. There was some excellent shooting, and some less good, as complete beginners and advanced shots competed for a prize. The overall highest score was highly contested and went to Hugo Hunton (Gate, 1991), with three others only one point behind. Everyone had a great fun day out with some friendly rivalry, and the teams were well fed with some delicious food provided by the catering team.

Careers Thank you to all those ODs who joined another 25 companies for the Lower Sixth Careers Fair in June. The pupils really benefited from honest conversations with ODs who are doing the jobs that they aspire to do.

If you would like to help with the Old Decanian careers programme, please do get in touch: ods@deanclose.org.uk

TreeTops Truck

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The Old Decanian Society were delighted to sponsor and support the 2019 Dean Close NSEA Show Jumping Competition which saw a record number of entries, with 224 rounds of show jumping completed on the day and 42 schools in attendance. The Society sponsored the 1m individual and team event, i2i Recruitment which is run by Charlie Ogden-Metherall née Bevan-Dimmer (Mead 1992) the 1.10m classes, Geoffrey Lane (Gate 1964) and Jeremy Winter (Court 1961) the 70cm and Grass Roots competitions. A fantastic day, one that the Society looks forward to supporting again next year, as the School and alumni equestrianism continues to go from strength to strength.

Judy Richards (Mead 2016), Andrew Troughton (Field 1991), Jonathan Holmes (Field 1967), James Best (Tower 2002), Sophie O'Neill née Brown (Shelburne 2008), Alastair James (DCJS 1990), Mike Slade (Brook 1983) and Georgia Kent (Mead, Class of 2018).

In May, Head of Design & Technology at DCPS and Old Decanian, Mr David Jones (Field 1994), challenged his Year 8 DT class to an apprentice style project. The class of 17 were invited to design playground toys for the Dean Close TreeTops Nursery. In consultation with TreeTops they chose to make a 4 x 4 truck climbing frame.

The project, which was partly funded by the Old Decanian Society, took 20 hours to build from scratch and was constructed on site by the pupils and Mr Jones, whilst eager TreeTops children waited for their first ‘drive’.

If you would like to read more Old Decanian news, please contact Alex Hume in the Old Decanian Society Office for a copy of The Flecker.

OLD D ECANI AN NE WS

fleck er 2019 SUMMER

~ Edition 5

staffleavers

Staff Leavers Pete Garner

He has a passion for numeracy, for developing the abilities of all young people and for caring for those who are sometimes not catered for by our mainstream activities

Mr Peter Garner (PJJG) joined Dean Close in September 2002 as teacher of Mathematics and was later promoted to the position of Head of Mathematics in 2009. During his 17 years at the school, Pete was involved in a wide variety of activities as well as flying the flag for Mathematics both in the school and across the region. He has a passion for numeracy, for developing the abilities of all young people and for caring for those who are sometimes not catered for by our mainstream activities. For Pete, Dean Close was a whole family commitment. His children, Hannah and Ed, were educated at the school and have now moved on to work in the fields of translation and engineering respectively. Karen was a regular supporter of whole school events and there are a long line of reluctant mathematicians who were lured to additional classes by her regular supply of brownies.

It is probably safe to say that I will never have another colleague like Pete. He is unique. But as he moves into his well-earned retirement, there are three distinct memories that I have of him that I think capture the school master that he was.

Pete was a devotee of the use of individual whiteboards in lessons. In his class, there was no-where to hide. Every pupil would need to show their answer for him to check. As you approached his top floor classroom from the direction of the Old Gym, you

would hear his dulcet tones echoing around the school: “One, two, three, show!” as the pupils frantically scribbled down their efforts and flicked their boards to face the front of the class.

I remember, one evening, waiting in line to vote at St Stephen’s church for one of the round of local or general elections. Pete was there with two of his tutees who came from a country that did not hold democratic elections. Pete had a great commitment to our international pupils, he and Karen welcomed them into their home and sought to broaden their education through food, board games and debate.

Pete was part of a group of strategy game players. An eclectic group of individuals from across the town, many of them fiercely intelligent and with a shared passion for strategy and logic. Pete would always include two or three pupils in a full day’s strategy scenario, played out on a very large board that occupied most of the Dean Close House dining room.

This was a fabulous and unique opportunity for Decanians to pit their wits against some seasoned games players. I suspect that we will have a gap in our offering for some time to come.

It is impossible to sum up a 17 year career in a few paragraphs but I do know that Dean Close has been far richer, as a result of the professionalism, commitment and care of Mr Garner.

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staffleavers

Karen Brown September 2010 was a serendipitous date for Karen, her son and for Dean Close as the Browns’ search for a prep school led them to both a wonderful educational environment for James and an opportunity to recruit an outstanding practitioner for Dean Close, with the school successfully persuading Karen to take on the role of part time Numeracy Support Teacher.

Karen’s dynamic and lively teaching style meant that she was soon drafted in to take on a host of additional responsibilities as well as her original role, teaching one-to-one lessons. She has taught the whole age range, from fast-track A-level to Fourth Form class teaching. She embraced the challenge of teaching both individual and group lessons and indeed many mathematicians have her to thank for their success.

Staff and pupils alike cannot fail to engage with her lively approach and wicked sense of humour. She has a wealth of experience, from working in a structural engineering company to being Principal of a Sixth Form Tutorial college. She has been a tremendous support to both colleagues and students alike.

As Karen leaves Dean Close to begin her next adventure, she will be sorely missed and we wish her every success for the future.

Marianne Watts

Farewell to Noah Strange and Lucy Ackroyd “The mark of Friendship is not that help will be given when the pinch comes (of course it will) but that, having been given, it makes no difference at all.” So writes CS Lewis, and so it has been with my good friends Noah Strange and Lucy Ackroyd, whom I cannot quite believe we are waving off.

Noah has been much loved as Resident Tutor in Tower, and hugely valued in Chaplaincy. He is the ‘no fuss man’, the relational oil in any team, keen to celebrate seeing others grow and succeed, happy to stand on the boundary (sometimes literally) and watch his charges take the applause. Lucy has been a force of nature, bringing her baking, reeling, eye for a good power point slide and barista coffees to bear on anyone within a 4 foot radius.

Above all their love for Jesus has been contagious and their love for people, heart-felt.

We’ve shared frustrations, laughter, successes and seen answers to prayer together. We’ve grieved and been disappointed and nervous together. They are the best of friends.

We wish Lucy (and her students) well as she embarks on a teaching career at The Paddington Academy. We wish Noah (and his arrestees) well as he begins walking the beat as a Police Officer in Tower Hamlets. One can’t help but wonder whether the similarities between the two Towers will be in more than name alone.

Thank you for your friendship and partnership. We are the poorer for your leaving.

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Staff Leavers

staffleavers

REBECCA VINES (RMOV) Drama Department 2002-2019

When Rebecca Vines arrived in 2002 to teach speech and drama, it was quite a small affair – around 20 pupils in the senior school, and Rebecca was teaching across all three schools – DCS, DCPS and DCPPS. It quickly became apparent that Rebecca had charismatic dramatic talents, and the numbers wanting to be taught by her grew very quickly. Having introduced A level Theatre Studies in the senior school from 2000, we wanted to follow this up with GCSE drama, and Rebecca was the ideal person to initiate this – there being no separate drama department at the time. We strove to re-organise the structure of teaching and Rebecca’s role, and she was brought over to DCS full time to run the speech and drama, and to start up a GCSE course. Both were terrific successes. In her time, the numbers taking S&D lessons rose to around 150 pupils at its height, and her successes with GCSE drama led to some of the strongest results individually in national terms – at one stage, 6 of the top marks in the country in one cohort. In addition, Rebecca was fanatical in entering pupils for the Cheltenham Festival, in which we quickly became the strongest competitors, winning

literally hundreds of cups and awards over many years, which was a great source of pride to her.

The achievements of many scholars owe their success to her determination and enthusiasm.

Rebecca also directed a very large number of productions while at DCS; outstanding amongst them must be her particular favourites: a production of The History Boys (with an exceptional cast, including Will Merrick, Lachlan Bond, Wes Lineham, James Evans, Paddy Fleming, Alex Carden and Cameron Chapman); whizz-along musicals, Anything Goes, High Society and Chicago – it was a mystery how she managed to mount these huge successes in around 5 weeks; and she helped massively with now-legendary productions of Les Miserables and Cabaret, amongst many, many others too numerous to mention. Rebecca’s chief achievement may be the Edinburgh Fringe trips, in which she helped to establish Close Up Theatre and its many successes, thereby introducing a decade and a half of Decanians (let alone parents and supporters) to this wonderful city and festival. Her enthusiasm for Edinburgh was infectious, and it was always the highlight of

her year. Rebecca had hugely high standards as a director, and many pupils and staff have reason to be grateful for her support and her ability to coax and even demand performances out of young actors – those who were talented and those who had no idea they could perform to such standards. Rebecca was also a very caring and outstanding tutor – many scholars have reason to be grateful for her assiduous and forensic pastoral kindness. She nurtured some exceptional talent over the years, and several Decanians went into the business as a result of her encouragement and guidance – notably Serena Jennings, Will Merrick, Wes Lineham and Beatrice Lawrence. To watch her teach on top form was indeed an education. For that, for many laughs (I personally will never forget the Gloria Swanson moment with Laurence Kilsby in her smashing production of Oliver!), and sometimes a few tears along the way, we are immensely grateful to Rebecca for all she did at DCS at her sparkling best over the years.

Lloyd Allington

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commonroom

Common Room List 2018-19 Warden EL Taylor, MA (Oxon)

2018

Headmaster B J Salisbury, MEd, PGCE

University of Bristol

2009

Senior Management Team D R Evans, MA

Oriel College, Oxford

Senior Master (Communications), Classics

2001

J A Davis, BA, PGCE

Girton College, Cambridge

Deputy Head Pastoral, Geography

2007

A S Hall, BA (HMS)

Rhodes University, SA

Deputy Head

2016

J A Hole, MA, PGCE

University of Warwick

Deputy Head Academic

2017

Operations Bursar

2017

S P Ewence The Common Room Miss S C Villiers, BA, PGCE

University of Birmingham

Modern Languages

1985

L S Allington, BA

University College, Durham

Director of Drama

1987

Mrs H L Porter, BA, LRAM, PGCE

University of Exeter

Director of Music

1987

Mrs J D Kent, GDLM

City of Leeds College of Music

Housemistress (Shelburne), Music

1990

P S Montgomery, MA, PGCE

Pembroke College, Cambridge

Housemaster (Field), History

1991

Mrs F M B Harris, MA, PGCE

Merton College, Oxford

Mathematics

1991

Mrs C Allen, BMus, ALCM, LGSM, PGCE

Royal Holloway, Univ. of London

Housemistress (Turner), Music

1992

Miss A E Ash, BDes, PGCE

University of Liverpool

Art

1993

J M Allen, MA, PGCE

Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge

Head of Classics

1995

Miss I M Carames-Castelo, BA, PGCE

Santiago de Compostela

Spanish

1996

A J George, MA, PGCE

Downing College, Cambridge

Director of Fourth Form Studies, Maths

1998

J Slade, MA

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Economics & Business

2001

Miss R J Donaldson, BSc, PGCE

Loughborough University

Director of Studies & Head of Academic PE

2002

P J J Garner, MA, PGCE

Peterhouse, Cambridge

Head of Mathematics

2002

Director of Hockey

2004

University of Kent

Head of Art

2003

G Tredgett Mrs C J Evans, BA, PGCE A R Needs, BSc, PGCE

Hatfield College, Durham

Head of Chemistry

2003

Miss R M O Vines, BA, FVCM, LALAM, ALAM

Cardiff University

Head of Speech & Drama

2003

D D Evans, BSc

Loughborough University

Head of Design Technology, Head of CCF

2004

Mrs K E Milne, BA

St Mary's College, Durham

Housemistress (Hatherley), English

2005

B P Price, BSc, PGCE

University of Bristol

Housemaster (Dale), Geography

2005

Mrs R S Rushton, BA, PGCE

Middlesex University

Art

2005

C J Hooper, BA, PGCE

University of Bath

Head of Modern Languages, External Course

2006

J Mears, BA, PGCE

Nottingham Trent University

Business Studies

2006

AGA Milne, MA, PGCE

University College, Oxford

History, Politics, Head of Cricket

2006

Dr M Bradley, MBioChem, DPhil, PGCE

University College, Oxford

Biology, Chemistry, Core Science

2008

Miss TL Williams, BSc, PGCE, GTP

Coventry University

Head of Psychology

2008

Mrs S Lait, BSc, PGCE

University of the West of England

PE

2008

JRB Stott, BSc, DipTh, PGCE

Durham University

Mathematics

2009

112 - DECANIAN 2018/19

Common Room List 2018-19 Mrs CHS Montgomery, BA, PGCE,

9

5 17

Editor Proof reader Photographers Design

: : : :

Amy Loveys Sylvia Klemz Mikal Ludlow & Stuart Robbie Adam Hathaway

Modern Languages

RP Wood, BSc, PGCE

University of Reading

School Marshall

2009

Mrs JE George, BSc, PGCE

Keele University & Cambridge

Mathematics

2010

GN Baber-Williams, BSc, PGCE

UWIC

Director of Sport

2010

Mrs K M Brown, MA

Queen’s College, Cambridge

Numeracy Support

2010

DK Chapman, BSc, PGCE

University of Bristol

Head of Chemistry

2011

Mrs E Gillett, BA, PGCE

Lancaster University

English

2011

ZS Suckle, BA, MA, PGCE

University of Bristol

Librarian, Study Skills

2011

Mrs RJ Vest, BA, PGCE (CELTA)

University of Exeter

EAL

2011

Mr SA Bell, MMus, BMus, FRCO

Royal College of Music

Director of Choral Music

2012

PJ Harvey, BA

Pembroke College, Oxford

Head of Physics, Common Room President

2013

Mrs KM Ledlie, MA, PGCE

Merton College, Oxford

Head of English

2013

Mrs K Holder

Contents

News Houses Chaplaincy Report Drama Music Art Cookery School Commemoration Cheltenham Literature Festival Cheltenham Science Festival Speakers Academic Highlights Community Action Trips CCF Sport Development Archives & ODs Staff Leavers Common Room List

University of Birmingham

2 6 16 19 26 38 44 45 50 52 53 56 68 72 78 82 104 106 109 112

38 23 46 36 55

2009

Netball Coach

2013

Miss DM Richards, BSc, PGCE

Brunel University, London

PE, Assistant HsM Shelburne

2013

FE Stewart, MA

University of Nottingham

Classics

2014

A Spring Wallis, BA, PGCE

University of Birmingham

English

2014

AA Stanley, BSc

University of the West of England

Director of Rugby

2014

MW Wilkes, BA, PGCE

Herford College, Oxford

Director of Sixth Form, Biology

2014

Mrs M J Davies, PGCE

University of Gloucestershire

Design Technology, IT

2015

DF Fitzgerald, BSc, PGCE

University of Exeter

Head of E - learning & Computer Science

2015

Miss K A Gordon, BSc, PGCS

University of St Andrews

Mathematics

2015

J M Hardaker, BA

Manchester Metropolitan

Head of Business Studies & Economics

2015

Mrs H D McKechnie, BSc, PGCE

University of Nottingham

Mathematics

2015

M J McKechnie, BA

University of Durham

Physics

2015

B S Poxon, MA, PGCE

University of Bristol

Housemaster (Tower), RS

2015

J M Sheldon, BA, PGCS

Lincoln College, Oxford Uni

Head of History & Politics

2015

Mrs M W Watts, BA, PGCE

University of Huddersfield

Learning Support

2015

M J Yemm

Bristol City College

Tennis

2015

Rev J C Ash, BA

University of Oxford

Chaplain

2016

Miss GC Archer, BA

University of Bristol

Classics

2016

Mrs CL Bourne, BA

University of the West of England

Head of Geography

2016

Mrs F Cradock, BSc, MA, MSc

University of the West of England

Head of Equestrianism

2016

Mrs CJ Derby, BSc, MSc, PGDip, PGCE

University of Leeds

Chemistry

2016

Mrs ML Franklin, BSc

University of Wales

Chemistry, Exams Officer

2016

Mrs R M Harbit, BA

University of Cambridge

Biology

2016

DC Mochan, BA, PGCE, MA, FRSA

University of London

Head of RS, UCAS Co-Ordinator

2016

M Powell

Director of Cricket

2016

Miss L C Ackroyd, BSc

University of Durham

Assistant Chaplain

2017

S Crumblehulme, MSc, PGCE

University of York

Psychology

2017

Mrs C K Lewis, BSc, PGCE

University of Wales

Biology

2017

Miss K Long, BSc

University of Gloucestershire

Director of Swimming

2017

Miss H Scrivener, BA

University of Exeter

Graduate Teaching Assistant

2017

J M Sumner, MA, PGCE

Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge

Head of MFL

2017

J H Briggs, MA, QTS

University of Reading

Housemistress (Fawley), English

2018

I Davies, BSc, PGCE

University of Bath

Hockey Coach

2018

A McShane BA, PGCE

University of Exeter

History, EPQ

2018

JM Pitt, BA, PGCE

University of Durham

Housemistress (Brook Court), Geography

2018

Dr NJ Roome, BSc, MSc, PhD, MCCT, QTS

University of Surrey

Physics

2018

J Stone, BMus (Hons)

Royal College of Music

Organ Scholar

2018

Dr E Suckle, BA, MA, PhD, PGCert

University of Warwick

Learning Support

2018

Mrs H Zeitz, BA (Hons), PGCE

University of Liverpool

Assistant Librarian

2018

Decanian September 2018 - August 2019

A Year in the Life of Dean Close School

My Fair Lady stuns audiences Best Independent School In Gloucestershire… again!

Breathtaking performance of Rachmaninov

Decanian 2018/19

Record breaking rugby season

DC

DEAN CLOSE

CHELTENHAM

SENIOR SCHOOL

DEAN CLOSE SCHOOL Shelburne Road Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL51 6HE Telephone 01242 258000 Email: office@deanclose.org.uk www.deanclose.org.uk

2018/19

DC

DEAN CLOSE

CHELTENHAM

SENIOR SCHOOL