2019 - 2020
HIGHLIGHTS
CHAPEL CHOIR
OB BULLETIN
I N S P I R I N G TA L K S SERIES
NO LIMITS SERIES L AU N C H
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Index Welcome .............................................. 4 Highlights Early Year s ....................................... 6 Pre-Pre p ........................................... 8 Pre p ................................................ 12 Remote Lear ning .............................. 19 Les Misérables ................................. 20 Inspiring Talks Series ....................... 22 Senior s ........................................... 26 Leader ship ....................................... 32 Chapel & Charitable Giving ............... 33 Chapel Choir ................................... 36 Music .............................................. 38 Parents’ Association .......................... 44 Star Activities ................................. . 45 Subject News ................................... 46 Sport .............................................. 60 Sixth For m ...................................... . 73 A Level Results 2020 ......................... 81 GCSE Results 2020 .......................... 82 Staf f Leaver s .................................... 83 Sixth For m Leaver s .......................... 85 Old Birkonian Society Bulletin . . ....... . 87
Birkenhead School, 58 Beresford Road, Oxton, Wirral, CH43 2JD Tel: 0151 652 4014 Email: enquire@birkenheadschool.co.uk /birkenheadschool
@birkenheadschl
birkenheadschool
www.birkenheadschool.co.uk 2
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We l c o m e From the Headmaster As a School, our vision remains to inspire each and every one of our students. We continue to believe in, and provide curriculum time for the teaching of wider skills, not just subject knowledge, to all ages, and new initiatives this year have included the ‘No Limits’ programme: record-breaking yachtswoman, Nikki Henderson, delivered this year’s inaugural set of workshops. The support of parents and Old Birkonians (OBs) continues to be central to our ethos. The Finance and Law Careers Conference in February, open to all students across Wirral, once again highlighted the depth of support within our wider community to provide advice and opportunities, and the work of our Futures Team has seen our students secure prestigious local and national apprenticeships alongside the more established diet of university places and exciting gap years.
It is a pleasure to welcome you, once again, to this year’s edition of In Focus. Of course, it has been a year like no other, with the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic leading to over a third of the year’s education being delivered remotely. The disruption has been felt by everyone within our community, some gravely, but it has been a privilege to observe how the community has rallied around one another, and the School has remained ‘open’ throughout, teaching remotely, and continuing to provide the breadth of opportunities and individual pastoral guidance, from a ‘distance’, that are very much hallmarks of a Birkonian education. I could not be prouder of the positive attitude and resilience displayed on a daily basis by our students, their families and staff, and we have shown our true colours as a community, as I knew we would, under the most challenging circumstances. The 2019–2020 academic year started on the back of strong external exam results, of which the A Levels were the strongest on Wirral. The School roll numbered approximately. 880 children and students, including a second successive 80+ roll into Year 7, and 8 new entrants joined our Sixth Form. Numbers have continued to increase throughout the academic year. A number of new staff joined Birkenhead School to continue to drive academic excellence for all and pass on that all-important wider outlook on life, but one outstanding servant to the School retired, Ian Allister, Classics teacher and Exams Officer for the last 39 years. A few words are mentioned about Ian on page 83.
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Over the coming years, we will continue to drive forward our co-curricular programme, developing staff and facilities to support this growth. These wider opportunities provide so many of the building blocks for personal development that are key to our provision. One of the most significant impacts of the pandemic was the unfortunate curtailment of a number of these opportunities during the second half of the year, not least the musical production for Year 6, and the Seniors' performances of Les Misérables. The ability to celebrate individual and collective academic and wider achievements during Birkonian Week, which provided such an uplifting end to the 2018–2019 academic year, was also lost. We will merely celebrate with even greater joy when the opportunity arises in the future. All that remains is for me to wish all our community an enjoyable read, especially the departing Upper Sixth who, along with the GCSE cohort, have experienced significant educational disruption and the removal of a ‘rite of passage’ so many of us will remember. They should take heart that their response to the unfolding pandemic, especially news of the impact on exams and their last few months ‘on site’, was quite exemplary, and showed that they have the requisite skills and resilience to leave Birkenhead School and succeed in whatever career path they follow. Like all our students, they continue to make us very proud. Beati Mundo Corde.
Paul Vicars @Birkenhead_Head
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From the Head of Prep varied as “recycling” and “mini-beasts” and they also put on a truly magnificent Christmas Show, “There’s Something Amazing Going On!” You can read about Junior Prep’s involvement in British Science Week and Change a Child’s Life and you can also read a full round-up of this year’s sporting achievements. And World Book Day (in early March) was a truly memorable event with the whole of Prep and Early Years involved.
It is a great pleasure for me to introduce another wonderful issue of In Focus and to commend all the children and staff in Early Years and Prep for everything they have achieved during the 2019-20 academic year. You will see from the pages ahead that the children were thriving in School during the Michaelmas and Lent terms, clearly enjoying the plethora of activities and opportunities on offer. I’ll mention just a few highlights: our Nursery building had a fantastic makeover and also opened a brand new facility – the Rising 3s Room, Pre-Prep learned all about “people who help us” and had inspiring visits from police officers, doctors, dentists and vets. The children in Little School enjoyed some wonderful school trips on themes as
Of course, soon after World Book Day, the Government announced the lockdown and so the Summer term was a most unusual one for us all, but we were delighted with the way the children responded to remote learning and the way they engaged with their topics online, demonstrating ICT skills beyond their years. My heartfelt thanks to the teaching and support staff for their enormous efforts to adapt our programme in the light of the lockdown restrictions through their creative use of Zoom and video lessons, Firefly, Class Dojo and the Early Years YouTube Channel. The fact that co-curricular initiatives such as the House Art Competitions still went ahead epitomises the Birkenhead School spirit of resilience. And my ever-grateful thanks to our Prep and Early Years parents for their help and support at home during lockdown. This community is a truly special one, doing everything it can to ensure the children’s long-term success and happiness. In Focus provides a special memory for us all of a year we will never forget. So, have a good read of this year’s In Focus and celebrate all that the children have achieved! My very best wishes for the year ahead,
Harry FitzHerbert
Take a 360° Virtual Tour of the campus at: www.birkenheadschool.co.uk/ admissions/360tour
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By Mrs Mason, Head of Early Years
What a year we have all had! Despite these incredibly disconcerting times, we do still have so much to celebrate within our Early Years Department. Over the summer of 2019, we finished updating our Nursery building. We are incredibly pleased with all our new, neutral and calming spaces. We are continuing to look at our resources and are slowly moving away from artificial manufactured items and continue to focus more on natural, loose part materials. Of course, these will take many years to build up, but we have made a good start, and our children certainly have access to a broader scope of new learning materials and opportunities. I am incredibly excited to watch this develop over the years. As we move forward, we are looking to redesign and develop our Pre-Prep provision, again creating a neutral, natural and non-overstimulating environment. We will continue to provide lots of challenging opportunities for the children using a vast array of resources and look forward to sharing with you how this progresses over the year.
on their faces, particularly with our youngest children as they are simply bursting with inquisitiveness! Children can learn to be fearful from the anxieties of others around them, so we provide an environment that is calm, encouraging and patient, and gives the children the confidence to have a go. We are very much looking forward to a return visit at the start of the next academic year. In November, we opened The Rising 3s Room led by Mrs Samantha Tempest. This learning stage is designed to be slightly more challenging than the Toddler room and will be preparing the children for their transition over to PrePrep. We are now able to focus a little more on phonics preparation, pre-writing skills, independent skills and developing the children’s social interactions with both adults and their peers.
The room is once again a very calming space but continues to provide a fun environment, thought-provoking and challenging. This will encourage all the children to extend their learning naturally with an Early Years Educator scaffolding their progress. Back in November 2019, we participated in a fundraising event for Tam O’Shanter Farm. The children made some animal handprints on canvas, and families were able to purchase them from us. All funds raised went to help support the farm, as they survive on donations and fundraising alone. They have had a particularly hard time
In October we had a wonderful visit from ‘Animals Take Over’. The children had the opportunity to get up close and personal with some frogs, a chinchilla, a snake, a sugar glider, a hedgehog, a bearded dragon and so much more. It is truly amazing to watch the curiosity and wonder
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throughout the lockdown period, but after a recent social media push became overwhelmed by donations and funds. It was fantastic to hear the local community pull together to support such an important local amenity, particularly when we all facing our own challenges. The sense of community and looking out for one another has been something incredibly positive to come out of this experience. In December, we worked with Wirral’s Home-Start Project to support three families over the festive period. We collected numerous gifts for the children, along with food hampers and pamper bags for the mums. The families concerned were hugely overwhelmed by the generosity of the Nursery parents and staff, and it truly made an enormous difference to their whole Christmas experience. The School is fortunate to have an amazing Design and Technology department who designed and made some stunning Rudolph name tags for the Nursery children as a Christmas present. A genuinely wonderful memento that can be brought out year after year!
YouTube channel. Staff were way out of their comfort zone with the filming but were encouraged by such a fantastic response from our families, so it soon took on its own momentum supporting the weekly challenges, developing letters & sounds skills, music and movement as well as favourite stories. Such was the response from families that we would really like to continue running this alongside our Early Years Department as we move into the next academic year. We have all certainly had a very different kind of year at the School and yet still so much has been achieved.
As we are all very well aware‌normal life was halted rather abruptly, and the lockdown began in March. This presented us all with many challenges, not least how do we support our children and families remotely, particularly with a heavy furloughed team. We needed to adapt and be creative, and the team initially prepared four weeks’ worth of activities and resources personalised for individual children. As the lockdown continued, it became apparent that we would not be able to reach all our families with additional resources. We began to contact them daily with activities ideas, weekly challenges, strategies for parents who may be struggling with behaviours and of course, links to our
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By Mr Davies, Pre-Prep
It has been a wonderful year in Pre-Prep with so many exciting and memorable experiences to look back on. Back in Michaelmas term, the children went on their very first school trip to Greenacres Farm. There were many exciting experiences during our visit, not least the visit to the Lemur house, howling along with the wolves and the tractor ride through the fields, seeing highland cows, llamas and the Cameroon sheep. It was a fantastic day and one that led to many exciting learning opportunities during the rest of term.
Michaelmas term came to a close in Pre-Prep’s traditional and well-loved Nativity Play. The children had practised extremely hard and this was evident in their final performance in which they sang exceptionally and looked fantastic in their costumes. The applause at the end
highlighted how proud staff and parents alike were with the children for their effort. As part of our ‘People Who Help Us’ topic, the children were lucky enough to have a number of special visitors come into School and talk about their professions. From dentists to anaesthetists and vets to police officers, the children were treated to some inspiring stories about life in these professions as well as the chance to explore different resources and equipment used in their daily work lives. Throughout the year Pre-Prep looked at different ways to promote a love of literacy and stories. The ever-popular reading buddy initiative returned with classes from Year 6 partnering up with a Pre-Prep buddy each week to share stories. Once again, we were also fortunate to welcome a number of ‘Mystery Readers’ into School. Relatives of the children have volunteered to come to Pre-Prep and share their favourite stories with the cohort. This proved to be an extremely exciting and popular scheme with both children and adults alike. The lockdown proved to be a challenging time for all involved but as a team, we were immensely proud of the home learning that was undertaken by the children, supported by their parents. There were so many lovely stories and photographs of the activities, games and experiences that the children had whilst at home. The Early Years’ YouTube channel was a particular hit, with staff reading stories, teaching phonics and delivering fun activities and ideas. What a fantastic year it has been, despite the challenging circumstances, and all of the Pre-Prep team are very proud of the children’s endeavour and achievements.
What our children got up to during lockdown
As part of our H tasks w e challe ome learning to create nged our child ren a ‘Zoo P oster’.
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Rose en joyed m a used th em on h king binoculars er walk and on Bids ton Hill.
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Pre-Prep Nativity
E a r l y Ye a r s Yo u Tu b e C h a n n e l During lockdown, the Early Years team launched across Nursery and Pre-Prep a new YouTube channel to help support children and parents at home. The channel has proved extremely popular!
You can follow us on YouTube /Birkenhead School Early Years
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Little School Highlights There’s Something Amazing Going On – Little School Christmas production By Miss Harris, Head of Little School
This year’s Little School production was ‘There’s Something Amazing Going On’ and wasn’t there just! Directed by Miss Harris and under the musical direction of Miss Parry it saw children from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 perform to family and friends who had come for an afternoon of entertainment during the festive period. The musical talents of Little School were fully on display and the children performed with great gusto, filling the Prep Hall with an abundance of festive cheer. All the children acted, sang and danced beautifully and the teachers beamed
with pride as the confidence and talents of such young children were showcased in such a spectacular way.
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Award Wirral Civic le School By Miss Har
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rowing gramme is g ro p rd a w A ivic in Years The Wirral C ith children w p re P in m arris first in momentu With Miss H . rt a p g n ki award has 1 to 4 now ta in 2017, the rd a ad w a e th g at she has h introducin that much th lp e ty h ri la to u p e o yn p Mrs Co grown in m o fr rt o p p yn me su rs Co e to recruit so nior Prep. M Ju in ts n a icip r Prep, her with part ts from Junio ipants n a ip ic rt a p s ic now support g Infant part is supportin rr me as a a m H ra s g is ro M p h wit rsee the ve o to g in u and contin whole. uding
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ro p e D a y u E in y r o t ic V urope Victory in E May was th Day on 8 whilst celebrated was l o o the Sch for n w o d ck in lo Covid-19. as still The School w ildren ch e th r fo open . Here rs ke of Key Wor e th of e m are so hool children at Sc VE ng ki ar today m Baker rs M ith w ay D s. and Mrs Loftu
ity including: their commun and serving nce, physical ess, self-relia local awaren hers and ot to t, service en em ev hi ac is a fantastic leisure. This wide use of are really n the childre initiative and life skills as r ei th veloping level. enjoying de ch ss through ea they progre ndidates successful ca receive Last October l al to sey Town H as a lovely visited Walla l Mayor. It w ca lo e th om evements fr ds e huge achi their awar th ed at br their le uly ce completing event that tr tained from at d ha n re that the child ard. vel of the aw particular le this year’s restrictions 9 -1 id ov C poned until t porarily post Due to curren m te e be to s had will take plac ceremony ha assured this st Re . ill ar w n ye re ic ild next academ so and all ch d to is safe to do oking forwar lo is ris ar as soon as it H s rk is M ba . em ds ar to r aw ho wish receive thei ar 1 pupils w Ye w r. ne e be th em welcoming ney in Sept ic Award jour upon the Civ
World Museu m Liver pool Vis it
In February , Reception visited the W Museum in orld Liverpool. E ach class ha education se d an ssion about minibeasts. They
also looked closely at di such as a ta fferent minib rantula, mill easts ipede, stick cockroache insects and s learning so me interestin them. Afterw g facts abou ards they ha t d the opport them close unity to view up under a m icroscope to them. The ch observe ildren enjoye d exploring exhibits in th the different e museum. The Aquariu very interest m exhibit was ing and the children real the ‘Dinosau ly enjoyed r’ and ‘Bug H ouse’ exhibi ts.
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P r e p - Ju n i o r H i g h l i g h t s Prep Science By Mrs Clarke, Science Subject Leader What an exciting year we have had in Prep Science! In Prep we value the questions that children ask us. During a range of exciting scientific opportunities the children have explored and found answers together. They need time and space to explore and they have learned from their mistakes. At all times curiosity has been invited. We are very privileged that every junior class has timetabled access to the Science room. Science Clubs have continued to run very successfully throughout the year both in the Infants (Miss Harris) and Juniors (Mrs Clarke). Chemistry, Physics and Biology programmes have been followed in a practical and explorative way. We are thrilled to have followed and been awarded the exciting Crest Awards at Star and Superstar levels. CREST is the British Science Association's scheme for STEM project work that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers. We have close links with Seniors who also complete Crest awards at higher levels. For the older students involvement in the award scheme can lead to improved GCSE grades and an increased interest in continuing in STEM education and careers.
Digital Leaders
Throughout the year, social media has been used to demonstrate to a wider audience the vast range of practical opportunities on offer to our pupils. These pictures have included projects completed for the Crest award scheme and also practical work in Science lessons.
After passing a careful selection process which provided an opportunity for them to show off their skills, the elected students have had some exciting opportunities, most notably a trip up to Senior School to try out Virtual Reality technology with Mr Parry. With excitement levels high, this unique experience allowed the Leaders to take a tour around the human heart, climb out of a space station and even use a light sabre! It’s fair to say, they were inspired by what they saw and there was plenty of discussion amongst the group afterwards about whether all future lessons could be conducted in this way. We will see…
British Science Week Junior Prep celebrated British Science Week in March. Year 3 made marshmallow 3D structures, Year 4 made ice cream, Year 5 explored how air pressure could be used in a magic experiment and Year 6 made a root beer ice cream float in order to explore states of matter. All children were invited to enter a national poster competition based on Our Diverse Planet.
By Mr Pillow, ICT Subject Leader
With the Digital Leaders initiative now firmly established in Prep, seven enthusiastic candidates from Years 5 and 6 took on the role of pioneering ICT and computing across Prep for the academic year.
Reliable, knowledgeable and patient in their approach, they organised and ran their own clubs with children in Years 1 and 2, where they taught them essential coding skills each week in ‘Scratch Jnr’. Additionally, the Prep ICT teachers have been grateful for the assistance and support during lessons, where the Leaders have assisted with children logging on and any pupils who need a helping hand with their work. I would like to thank all of the Digital Leaders for their hard work and commitment to the role throughout their time in School this year. This year’s Digital Leaders were: Ted Golding (Y6) Prem Nagra (Y6) Daniel Moreton (Y6) Zach Ellis (Y6) Holly Mei (Y5) Charlotte Hope-Thompson (Y5) Charlie Dodd (Y5)
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Lockdown Art & Design Technology
House Art Competitions
By Mr Ryan, Art Teacher
The summer term saw the return of the House Art Competition in Junior Prep.
By Mr Ryan, Art Teacher
Continuity of education has presented many challenges for parents and children working at home during lockdown, not least in creative subjects like Art and Design and Technology. Whilst every attempt has been made to plan topics and activities that are achievable at home, I have been fully aware that it has not always been possible to complete these tasks. It has made it even more overwhelming, therefore, to see the level of creativity that the children have displayed throughout this difficult period. Some of the artwork that I have received has astounded me! Despite limited resources, the children have managed to produce masterpieces. It has been quite a humbling experience to see the passion and commitment that the children have shown their work in Art and Design and Technology. They have risen to the challenge admirably and I only wish I could have been in the room with them to witness first-hand their creativity.
Over the course of the term, three separate competitions were launched, designed to inspire and challenge the children in equal measure. I have to say, it has been an absolute pleasure organising these competitions; the children’s entries have been incredible! However, it has been quite an ordeal having to choose winners from such an outstanding collection of artwork! Unlike tasks set in art lessons, the children are given complete creative freedom to produce their pieces in any style and using any medium they choose. This makes for some truly intriguing and inspired work! I hope that the children enjoyed creating these pieces as much as I did receiving them and look forward to next year’s competitions! Below are a selection of the winning entries.
Below are some standout pieces produced during the Lent and Summer terms.
Bird Feeder Charlotte Jenner Y5
Picasso Self-Portrait Olanna Quinn Y5
'Recreate a Famous Artwork’ Winner Bethany Kennedy - Y4
'Recreate a Famous Artwork’ Winner Zaila Jackson - Y3
'Recreate a Famous Artwork’ Winner Sophie Thuraisingam - Y5
‘Rainbows’ Winner - Rufus White - Y5
Chester Christmas Tree Festival We entered into the wonderful Christmas Tree Festival at Chester Cathedral once again this year. The festival features 50 majestic Christmas trees decorated by local schools and businesses from across Chester and beyond. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 created decorations during their lessons with Mrs FitzHerbert and this year’s theme was the Ocean.
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Prep Sport By Mr Corran
This year really has been a case of ‘what could have been’ in the Prep sporting calendar with so many events and tournaments falling foul of Covid-19. We managed to complete three quarters of our winter sports programme but unfortunately the summer season was lost which included the Cricket, Rounders and Outdoor Athletics seasons as well as Tennis, Kwik Cricket tournaments and various other planned sporting activities.
Prep Sports Captains We would like to thank our Prep Sports Captains this year who offered motivation, support and leadership to their fellow Prep pupils. During the year they helped assist coaches with the smooth running of events. To be selected they must show positivity, enthusiasm and excellent organisational skills. Athletics (Girls) – Annabelle Cooper Rounders – Cecilia Wilcocks Cross Country (Girls) – Rosa Washington Athletics (Boys) - Rory Gardner Cross Country (Boys) - Ben Dyson Cricket – Jamie Young Netball – Reefe Pankhurst Rugby – Harry Ballantyne Football – Rocco Armstrong
Pupils on the London trip
Fortunately, we managed to squeeze a successful weekend football tour to London in at the beginning of March. This included victories against Bedford Prep School and Berkhamsted School as well as a trip to West Ham United. In other year groups, the Year 5 football team enjoyed a successful season finishing joint third in the AJIS Football festival hosted by St. Bede’s and runners up in the Manchester City tournament as well as qualifying for the latter stages of the Wirral Schools Corgi Cup. The promising Year 4 team had a good season winning the vast majority of matches including qualifying for the Merseyside Games Futsal Finals by winning the Wirral Schools qualifying tournament held at Tranmere Rovers.
Prep Sports Captains
Football
Year 4 Football Team
Football, as ever, played a key role throughout Prep with the ever popular House matches involving all pupils and inter school fixtures and tournaments for all year groups. One highlight for each year group was a tournament at Manchester City’s training ground where the children experienced top class facilities, competitive matches and some even had the opportunity to meet the players. The Year 6 football team, after a steady start to the season, began to put some good results together until the season was curtailed in March. At the time, they had secured qualification for the Liverpool Echo Shield semi final and the latter stages of the Wirral Schools Houlihan Cup.
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Cross Country Prep have had yet another successful Cross Country season this year until the curtailment midway through the second half of the season. All junior children have run in half-termly races in school where they are able to achieve bronze, silver and gold standards. We have competed regularly, taking 40 children across three age groups, in the Wirral Schools Cross Country races against children from a number of local primary schools. These races have brought much success to both our boys’ and girls’ teams. Special mention must go to Jac Chapman who on more than one occasion has won the Year 6 boys' race.
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We also entered the annual AJIS Cross Country event for Year 5 and 6 boys and girls. Much to our delight, in the Year 5 girls’ race, we returned victorious with the gold medals, winning the event by some margin after a tremendous effort from all.
Indoor Athletics One of the highlights of the year was undoubtedly the AJIS Indoor Athletics Championship held at Robin Park, Wigan. An individual-based event saw us perform tremendously well and return to Birkenhead with several medals and a new AJIS record. Medallists (pictured below) were: Zack Barwick who won gold in the Year 6 One Lap Sprint, gold in the Year 6 Speed Bounce and a bronze in the Year 6 Paarlauf Relay with Rory Gardner. Harry Ballantyne who won silver in the Year 6 Triple Jump. Olanna Quinn who won gold in the Year 5 One Lap Sprint with a new AJIS record time and a silver in the Year 5 Paarlauf Relay with Darcey Golborne.
Ashleigh Neal with Year 5 pupils
In early December, we were fortunate enough to have a visit from Ashleigh Neal, a professional netball player with Manchester Thunder. Throughout the day, Ashleigh gave tutorials and held ‘Question and Answer’ sessions for girls across all age ranges. Our Year 5 girls were given the opportunity in the afternoon and thoroughly made the most of it. In early November, the Year 3 and 4 netball teams took part in a tournament at Pownall School in Wilmslow. The Year 3 team, in their first ever netball tournament, played exceptionally well winning 6 out of 6 games. Across the tournament they scored a total of 30 goals and only conceded 1! On the following day, it was the turn of the Year 4 netball team. Despite strong opposition, they performed admirably winning two of their games comfortably and being unlucky in their third, losing by one.
AJIS Indoor Athletics Championship Medallists
Netball Prep girls have played many netball matches this year from whole year group fixtures to separate team games. We have played teams and been involved in tournaments from Year 3 to Year 6 and have had great success in all areas. It has been encouraging to come away with wins from large schools such as King’s Chester, Queen’s Chester and King’s Macclesfield. Well done to all of the girls involved and to our Year 6 netball captain this year, Reefe Pankhurst who has been a superb leader both on and off the court. In March, the Year 6 girls’ netball team finished third in their group at the ‛Sisters in Sport Tournament’ held at Stockport Grammar School, having been beaten by the eventual tournament winners.
Year 3 Netball Team
Year 4 Netball team
Tri Golf
Year 6 Netball Team
In February, two teams of five boys and girls took part in the Wirral Schools Tri-Golf tournament at The Hive in Birkenhead. After a highly entertaining afternoon’s golf with eight different activities undertaken on a rota system, Birkenhead School managed to finish second overall and, with it, qualify for the Merseyside Games Tri-Golf Festival, set for the end of June. Unfortunately, this became yet another casualty of the present situation so we will never know what might have been…. w w w. b i r k e n h e a d s c h o o l . c o . u k
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P r e p - Ju n i o r H i g h l i g h t s
continued
Chester Zoo Vist Rangers from Chester Zoo visited Prep and put on curriculum-linked workshops that covered topics such as 'Talking Rubbish', 'Sustainable Palm Oil' and 'Animals in the Rainforest'.
Boumphrey Lecture Miss Julie Yardley On Friday 18th October, the last Friday before half-term break, the first Boumphrey Lecture of this academic year took place. Years 5 and 6 pupils were treated to an inspiring and thought-provoking lecture from Miss Julie Yardley entitled ‘Chimps and Icebergs’. The talk was focused on how we can lead healthier, happier and more successful lives by having greater emotional intelligence.
Every class in Juniors were visited by rangers from Chester Zoo in November, linking in with Geography, Science and Art work. Years 3 and 4 took part in ‘Talking Rubbish’ workshops, learning all about plastic pollution and how long different materials take to break down when we’ve finished using them. Year 5 learnt about animals in the Rainforest, enhancing this term’s Geography topic and Year 6 sessions were based on Sustainable Palm Oil. The children discovered how useful and versatile palm oil is. They also discussed the importance of using a sustainable source for the benefit of the environment. All the workshops were informative, hands-on and fun and we are really grateful to Chester Zoo for the fantastic experience.
Miss Yardley began her lecture by using the movie “Inside Out” as an example to showcase the many emotions that live inside our brains and how they influence every action that we make. She then went on to cite Professor Steve Peters' books “My Hidden Chimp” and “The Chimp Paradox”, detailing how everyone has a “chimp” in their brain which at the wrong moment can introduce doubt into a person’s mind, causing them to second guess themselves, which results in negative outcomes. Miss Yardley explained that we must train ourselves to “cage our hidden chimp” and that we should use the logical part of our brain and not let the emotional part take over in potentially stressful situations. She concluded the lecture by explaining that our behaviour drives our outcome; we need to be self-aware.
Year 3 Caribbean T-Shirts Year 3 pupils had lots of fun designing their Caribbeanthemed t-shirt in their Design and Technology lessons during the Lent Term and they were thrilled to show them off in the sunshine.
Miss Yardley encouraged the audience to label their emotions and to explain to themselves why they might be feeling a certain way, rather than acting instantaneously on the negative emotion. She recommended reflecting on your emotions before making decisions, and to think about your words and actions and how they may affect others. Miss Yardley stated that to become good at emotional control you need to practise and encouraged the pupils to practise controlling their emotions in their everyday lives; the more they practised, the more likely they would be to form good habits.
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Christmas Chapel Services Years 3 to 6 performed songs and poems for friends and family at the Christmas services held in Chapel.
Bumble the therapy dog
Prep Music
In March, Bumble came to visit children in Prep. Bumble is a therapy dog at Arrowe Park Hospital and the children loved learning about how Bumble helps patients' recovery.
By Mrs Keating, Prep Music
As the Year 6 Production of Aladdin wasn’t able to go ahead at the end of this term, I thought recording a medley of ‘Aladdin’ songs would be possible, as a small memento of Year 6’s musical life in Prep. Will Fletcher (Aladdin), Jemima Blair (Jasmine) and Olivia Parfect (Genie) worked hard rehearsing their solos and all of Year 6 rehearsed (in their ‘bubbles’) a large part of the song ’Friend Like Me’. Photos of the Year 6 were taken and those who were willing to take part vocally, were recorded individually over a couple of days. Many thanks go to Mr Robinson who kindly put the backing track together and mixed all the vocal parts and to the Marketing Team, Mrs Alcock and Mr Mohan for taking the photographs and producing the ‘Aladdin Medley’ video.
B u l l y i n g Wo r k s h o p We were delighted to welcome Actionwork Creative Arts to the School in February to run a series of anti-bullying and e-safety workshops. Over the course of the two days, Professor Dr Andy Hickson delivered a series of interactive sessions to students from Prep and Seniors along with an informative seminar for our parents as part of our Parent Seminar series.
The sessions were fun and delivered the messages in a powerful way. Dr Andy Hickson is the latest speaker in our series of Parent Seminars which run throughout the academic year. In November, we welcomed Rachel Munns to talk about how parents can support the mental health and resilience of children.
Through the fun sessions, Dr Hickson explored the concept of bullying and its many levels from power to empowerment. Children in reception enjoyed a puppet workshop in which they explored what it means to be a good friend and if someone is unhappy what they could to do help. Children from Years 1 up to Year 10 enjoyed workshops where the concept of bullying was explored on its many different levels and the different forms it can take. They explored what the word bullying means to them, strategies for dealing with bullying, and building confidence and assertiveness skills.
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WORLD BOOK DAY It was a fabulous day throughout the School in March with everyone getting involved from our children in Nursery right through to Seniors. Everyone had a tremendous day, they loved dressing up as their favourite characters and reading books with their friends and other year groups.
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Re m o t e L e a r n i n g Prep By Mr Halpin, Deputy Head of Prep
Up until a few months ago, the phrase, ‘remote learning’ was a relatively unfamiliar one, left to older students studying university courses from afar. As I write this entry in the last week of June, a close and committed acquaintance with remote learning has developed over this unique period with pupils, parents and teachers fully immersed in its practice. With Prep initially focusing on hardcopy work packs and consolidation of Lent term learning in the latter weeks of March, attention soon shifted to the expansion of our provision and gradual introduction of Firefly in Juniors and Class Dojo in Infants. Learning platforms such as Firefly, not typically available and used in primary education, provided an excellent vehicle for interaction via forums, setting work, providing valuable feedback for pupils and sharing teaching support videos. Whilst we were ambitious in asking younger pupils to engage through Firefly, our children rose to the challenge admirably and soon became increasingly familiar with its functionality. From that point on, Firefly became the primary focus of the remote learning provision in Juniors with the user friendly and age appropriate, Class Dojo, spearheading the Infant campaign. Following some valuable Inset training after Easter, teacher support videos became a key and constant feature throughout our offering. Whether it was introducing a task, sharing some useful tips and techniques or an opportunity to speak directly to the children, those videos provided a useful way to support the children. With interaction between home and school very much on our minds, Zoom lessons soon became an increasing medium for that level of engagement.
These opportunities initially focused on Year 6 before moving down the year groups to Year 4. Whilst Zoom lessons weren’t always the answer from an educational perspective, they provided some much needed interaction between the children themselves and their teachers. With engagement via Zoom not appropriate for our younger pupils, we recognised, very early on, the need for direct contact with our pupils. Weekly telephone conversations between teacher and pupil and teacher and parents became routine after Easter for all families in Reception to Year 4. These proved an excellent addition for all involved, allowing us, as a school, to digest and act upon the regular feedback we received. Throughout the remote learning process, we have been delighted with the pupil engagement and the willingness of our parent body to support the children and embrace all that has been thrust upon them. We know there will have been challenging times with conflict between work commitments, home learning and the general uncertainty and concern for what this period of time has brought. Not everything we have done will have been perfect for every household, but true to our approach, has been the importance of continuity of education and the wellbeing of our children. The unwavering support of parents, whether it be when designing a bird bath during Prep Enrichment Week or explaining the appropriate use of a fronted adverbial to a nine year old, has been greatly appreciated. Whilst we would not wish to embark on another period such as this, we can be confident in the manner in which our School community can come together and rise to the challenge.
Seniors By Mr Whitworth, Deputy Head (Academic)
If we cast our minds back to the start of 2020 we certainly could not have imagined how the second half of this academic year would unfold. As I write this piece, we certainly now have a staff and student body who have become well accustomed to learning and teaching online and remotely.
remote teaching approach after Easter, with audio feedback, pre-recorded teaching and voiceover Powerpoints becoming more prominent. Throughout, and in communication with parents, the importance of balance shone through. For many, an interactive lesson followed by substantial lesson time to complete tasks was the desire and so not overloading the interactive element was important.
At the outset of Covid-19, our approach in the Senior School was very much to continue the full teaching timetable and provide as much structure as possible in what were, and still are, unsettling times. Although Firefly is now in its third year of use in Seniors, there is no doubt that its use very quickly developed to became our go-to platform for teaching resources, activities, assessment and communication. Although we utilised the ‘forum’ function for discussion and dialogue, we swiftly experimented with elements of interactive teaching, primarily, although not exclusively, through Zoom; this took us to the Easter break and some reflection.
We fully recognise the challenges faced at home for both students and parents; indeed, teaching staff have felt that strain personally. There is no doubt that students have responded superbly to the new learning reality they have found themselves in, and we remain proud of their fortitude during this time. We also thank parents for their support and patience as we have looked to navigate the journey together. Whilst we aim to be fully in School in September, there is no doubt that we will be stronger for this experience, should remote elements be required again.
Building on a successful and much valued INSET day, teaching staff added further breadth and variety to the
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By Mrs Parkhurst, Deputy Head and Director
Les Misérables in name, Les Misérables in nature! The Musical Year began as usual with ferociously contested auditions, frequently revised rehearsal schedules and the transformation of Bushell Hall into a teenage squat.
The choice of Les Mis as the annual production was particularly poignant, chosen as it was to give a ‘send-off’ to two of our most loyal and talented students who played the roles in Year 7 and, in 2020 are in their final year of study. Ed Oulton played Gavroche in 2014 and was successful in auditioning for the role of Jean Valjean and Esme Brennan who has transformed herself from Little Cosette to Eponine. With Les Mis holding such affection from the cast, the dedication and commitment was even greater than in previous years, and they were all an absolute delight to work with. The musical is a well-known favourite and over the months it became clear that this was certain to be another crowd-pleaser. With two weeks left before opening night tickets were sold out, the sewers were eerily smoking and the barricades ceremoniously erected. It was during our final dress rehearsal that we received the news that we had been dreading, but expecting; schools were to close and all public gatherings suspended for an unspecified time.
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This was certainly a sad day for us all. We left the barricades erected, the Tricolour flying and, as tradition dictates, one light burning to welcome us when we return. And whilst all the cast was left with a sense of sadness, it is particularly difficult to accept that our wonderful and talented Upper Sixth students won’t take their places at the ‘empty chairs’ that are rightfully theirs, they won’t have ‘one day more’ to entertain and entrance us, they won’t hear their applause, they won’t have their Finale Ultimo. Ed Oulton, Esme Brennan, Alex Herod, Toby Meisner, Ben Goodwin, Jack Hodgson, Alex Wilkinson, Reeve Taylor, Kevin Wu – thank you all for everything you have given to our drama community. Our theatre will be there to welcome you when we return, and I will make sure that the theatre light remains lit, in your honour, until then.
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I n s p i r i n g Ta l k s S e r i e s Our Inspiring Talks Series sees leading professionals within their respective fields visit the School to talk to students and the wider community. BOUMPHREY LECTURE SERIES // NICHOLLS LECTURE SERIES // STUDENT TALKS PARENT SEMINAR PROGRAMME // SPORTS PERSONALITY DINNER // PUBLIC EVENTS
Nikki Henderson We were delighted to welcome record-breaking Yachtswoman, Nikki Henderson, to the School in January to launch the 'No Limits' workshops. Nikki visited the School to launch the ‘No Limits’ workshop series. The workshops are aimed at inspiring our girls, across all age groups, to see no limits to what they can achieve. As part of our Inspiring Talks Series, the No Limits workshops will bring inspirational speakers to Birkenhead School from a wide variety of sectors, providing contemporary role models for our students to aspire to emulate and to both seek, and seize, life's exciting opportunities. Nikki is a British professional yachtswoman who in 2018 became the youngest ever skipper to lead a team in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race at the age of 23. Nikki shared her own life story and life experiences during the day and what has led her to be one of the world’s leading sailors. She encouraged students to think about who they admire, their own values and the choices that they have. Nikki stressed the importance of being an ‘active’ participant in life by going out and seizing opportunities and not setting limits on what is achievable.
experiences of leading and inspiring teams of people who can often be older than herself, the importance of listening and how the way that you feel about yourself will affect how you present yourself to others. Nikki spent time with our younger pupils and shared with Years 5 and 6 what it is like to be at sea in a fun and engaging session. A number of pupils across the School enjoy and compete in sailing and enjoyed the opportunity to pose questions to someone who undoubtedly is a role model to them during the day. Paul Vicars, Headmaster, commented, 'It was a privilege to be able to bring one of the world's leading sailors to the School. In addition, Nikki was a natural at engaging with the students, of all levels, and making her story so far, and what she has learned of life's ups and downs, relatable to all. There was a great deal for every student to take from the day, not least that they are all in control of their own choices, and to drive their life in the direction of their passions.'
During the day, Nikki spoke to sixth formers as the guest speaker for the weekly Nicholls Lecture series and spoke with the students about having goals and working hard towards these whilst encouraging them to follow their own path in life, which may not necessarily be the one expected of them. Through sharing her own story and her experiences Nikki expressed the importance of preparing to fail as this will undoubtedly happen but, by preparing for failure, they will ultimately be better placed to succeed. Nikki shared how
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George Alagiah Birkenhead School and Linghams Booksellers in Heswall welcomed the multi award winning journalist and presenter of BBC News at Six, George Alagiah to the School in August to promote his debut political thriller ‘The Burning Land’. George worked for ten years as a foreign correspondent at the forefront of world changing events including 9/11 attacks on New York, the genocide in Rwanda, civil wars in Liberia, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, and Nelson Mandela’s presidency. In 2008 he was awarded an OBE for services to journalism. For a long time, George has held a desire to write a fiction novel and the idea for this book had been germinating for many years. Fiction and storytelling is something George has always kept at the forefront of his journalism, as he believes that fiction allows you to uncover the actual facts and the truth of an event.
During the question and answer session George gave great insight into his years as a foreign correspondent which range from moving stories of farmers still holding out hope for the prospect of fertile soil during the third year of a drought, to heart-breaking stories of African mothers having to choose which of their children they would feed due to their poverty. George also spoke about his extreme exposure to violence and how he was confronted by a young child holding a Kalashnikov rifle which particularly affected him. Despite all of the harrowing and tragic events George has witnessed throughout his career, he still believes in the goodness of the human spirit and hopes that his book will be one of optimism. George spoke with great serenity and is a truly inspiring and fascinating person.
In front of over 140 guests, George read extracts from his new novel and explained the inspiration for his characters and the story. He delved into how he developed his characters during the writing process. The book is set in South Africa, a country that George has a strong affinity towards and lived in for four years. George stressed the key theme of his novel, was the idea of a birth right and how people are inherently connected to the “land, ground and soil” of where they live and were born. He spoke of how it was the very land that has caused and continues to cause people to resort to violence, when the land is disputed over. George spoke of a defining moment in his career when he met Nelson Mandela. A key message that Mandela told him during this interview was how his imprisonment had taught him to “think through his brain and not through his blood”. George hopes that his book echoes this message.
Jojo Moyes Birkenhead School and Linghams Booksellers welcomed bestselling novelist Jojo Moyes to Birkenhead School to talk about her latest romance novel ‘The Giver of Stars’. Jojo is one of the UK’s most accomplished authors and has sold more than 38 million books in 46 languages. She initially started writing historical fiction, but it is her book ‘Me Before You’, published in 2012 and that was later made into a movie, that has made her one of the most successful authors for the past decade. Over 200 guests attended the talk at Bushell Hall during which Jojo answered questions from the audience and spoke with warmth and humour about her career and inspirations for her books. Overall, another great evening with one of the country’s leading authors hosted by Birkenhead School and Linghams Booksellers.
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I n s p i r i n g Ta l k s S e r i e s
Konnie Huq Birkenhead School was delighted to welcome Konnie Huq in February as a latest speaker in the Inspiring Talks Series, in partnership with Linghams Booksellers. Konnie is a television presenter and writer, and the longest-serving female presenter of Blue Peter. Konnie visited the School to promote her first novel which she has written and illustrated: ‘Cookie and the Most Annoying Boy in the World.’ With an audience of over 400 with prep pupils from Birkenhead School, The Firs, Oxton St. Saviour’s and St. Bridget's West Kirby, Konnie began by asking the audience to raise their hand if they knew someone who is annoying. 400 hands immediately shot into the air. Konnie explained that she asked this question to demonstrate that you should write about what you know; when she was a child she knew the ‘most annoying boy in the world.’ Konnie then asked the audience ‘What are the elements that make a really good story?’. Again a flurry of hands shot into the air. The first response was: ‘good characters.’ Konnie smiled, delighted with the great answer. Konnie said ‘good characters have good character traits.’ Konnie explained that Cookie, the main character from her new novel, is quite stubborn, funny and smiley, and that she uses these traits to help guide how she writes the character and how she responds to situations in the book. Konnie then went on to explain that all stories need a structure: a beginning, a middle and an end. Konnie gave a top tip to the pupils to help improve their written skills; she said ‘you should write about what you know as it makes your writing more realistic and authentic.’ Konnie asked the audience how they could make the middle of a story more interesting. The audience responded with answers such as: ‘add an adventure’, ‘have a good story line’ and ‘add a problem or a twist’ Konnie said adding a twist is a crucial element in story writing, as it makes the reader want to solve it, which ultimately encourages the reader to turn the page. Konnie explained you should write the title of your story once you have finished writing, as you have a better understanding what your story is about.
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but through practice and little tips she has now illustrated her very own novel. Konnie passed on some of her tips, such as: ‘put stuff in a box and write where the character is’ to help position the scene of the story. She said to ‘use speech bubbles to show what the character is thinking.' The children thoroughly enjoyed helping to write the comic story with Konnie, and they were brilliant at giving answers to Konnie’s questions. Konnie then did a brain buster quiz with the pupils. Dividing the audience into two teams, Konnie took turns asking the two teams a range of difficult science questions, which the children answered very well. The quiz ended in a draw, with both teams getting a big round of applause. Konnie then chose two pupils to help her do a science experiment on stage. Using a bottle of lemonade and some Mentos she got the pupils to drop the sweets as quickly as they could into the lemonade, which resulted in an eruption from the bottles, and an eruption of excitement from the audience. Konnie explained that this is because the roughness on the Mentos reacts with the carbonated drink causing it to fizz rapidly. Konnie’s penultimate activity was to do a Q&A with the audience, where a variety of questions were asked, such as what inspired her to write her book, and how long did it take to write the book She concluded her talk by reading an extract from her novel, in which a pupil catches a teacher stealing from a shop. The children thoroughly enjoyed the morning with Konnie Huq and the range of activities that she put on. They were delighted to receive books personally signed by Konnie at the end of the talk.
Konnie then told the audience to memorise these ingredients of what makes a good story, because now they were going to write a comic book style story, which she would draw on the big screen. Konnie began the story by asking the audience ‘What are you going to do when you get home today?'. ‘Go on my Nintendo Switch’ was loudly blurted out from the audience. Whilst drawing the story, Konnie explained that she never thought of herself as a good artist,
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Lisa Williamson Birkenhead School was thrilled to welcome awardwinning author Lisa Williamson in January to present a talk on her books and her life as a novelist. Students from The Academy St Francis of Assisi, Belvedere Academy and Oldershaw Academy, along with our Year 9 students, were in attendance. Lisa Williamson is the author of The Art of Being Normal and All About Mia. She has also collaborated with other bestselling and award-winning young adult authors in Floored. Lisa began by telling the audience of over 150 students about her childhood and her dreams and aspirations as a five-year-old to be a story writer when she “grew up”. Lisa read out the first story she ever wrote as a five-year-old and even had the accompanying illustrations, which she displayed on the projector. Lisa said that her imagination and the inspiration for her stories grew from the fact she lived in a “boring” part of the world. There was little else to do — she grew up in the 90s before smart phones and Instagram— so she would invent stories and characters to allay her boredom. Lisa was a very shy child and preferred to be quiet so that she could observe her surroundings and take note of details which she would use in her stories. A big change for Lisa happened when she met ‘Barbie’ in a WH Smith store, where a passion to become an actress emerged — despite being terrified of speaking in public and insisting on taking non-speaking roles in school plays. Lisa wanted to act so that she could experience other people’s lives, in particular those who she thought were braver than her. She kept her acting aspiration a big secret as she thought people wouldn’t approve of it. A breakthrough for Lisa came at age 16. She began to do drama outside of school, allowing her to relaunch herself as a person, without the preconceptions everyone had about her at school. Despite her parents not being keen on acting, Lisa performed in a John Lewis Christmas commercial. Lisa enjoyed the work but acting wasn't what she thought it would be. She really wanted to be able to put herself in other people's shoes but she wasn't getting the emotional roles she hoped for. It dawned on her she wanted to be in charge. She wanted to write the lines and develop the characters - something that the directors had responsibility for.
she had office jobs. One in particular, at Tavistock Centre for mental health, had a life-changing effect on her. It was where she rekindled her love of writing and drew inspiration for her first novel “The Art of Being Normal”. She was especially proud of her novel as it was an LGBT teenage novel with a happy ending—quite different to books she read as a teenager. Lisa Williamson has published three novels: “The Art of being Normal”, “All About Mia” and “Paper Avalanche”. Lisa read extracts from each and candidly explained where the inspiration for the themes and characters originated. Lisa even treated us to an exclusive reading from the proof of her latest novel (which hasn’t yet been released). She hopes that her books help and guide teenagers through the issues they might have. She hopes to reassure teenagers with her books that they are not the only ones going through the struggles of growing up. Lisa loves being able to relate to books and she wants her books to relate to others. Lisa concluded with a Q & A session where she ran around Bushell Hall, ensuring that even those at the back got a chance to ask a question. Each student who asked a question was entered into a raffle, with the winner receiving a signed copy of one of Lisa’s novels of their choosing. Lisa answered a variety of good questions about: her writing process, how her ideas formed, her favourite authors and books, how she built up her confidence and how the students could improve their writing styles. It was a fantastic occasion; it was especially significant as Lisa Williamson herself told us that throughout her entire education, from prep school through to seniors, an author had never visited any of her schools. This demonstrated how important these events are and what a great impact they can have on the lives of our young people.
As with many aspiring actors, life gate-crashed her Hollywood dreams. She still had to pay the bills, therefore
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By Ms Crawford, Teacher of Physics
On 20th October 2019, as most of Birkenhead School pupils were enjoying a nice lie in on the first day of half term, a group of fifty brave students and five lucky staff set off for a week of fun and learning in Florida. Unsurprisingly, there were a significant number of very tired faces at 6.30am but most managed to say goodbye to their parents in good humour. Everyone was learning from the early start – taking responsibility for getting their own hand luggage through security at Manchester Airport provided the first real test of the trip for some.
Both groups took a trip to Wild Florida to see alligators and eagles in their natural habitats. They were able to feed animals and relished the chance to get up close. One student did report having a nightmare after feeding the alligators, which provided an excellent opportunity to practise some resilience. After some insightful questioning of our guides, students learned that alligators never stop growing, but they don’t tend to eat humans. The trip to Kennedy Space Centre was the only day out we spent as a whole group, and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Here we were able to listen to an astronaut talk about his experiences of space and ask questions. The scale of the infrastructure was awe- inspiring. Launch pads, the Atlantis 26
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shuttle and Saturn V Rocket are so huge it is impossible to describe. There was also a chance for students to try on an astronaut flight suit and experience the bumpy ride of a space shuttle launch, as well as many artefacts from the NASA missions. For the third day of the trip, the Forensics group said goodbye to their Business counterparts and set off for the University of Florida. Having been introduced to the fundamental principles of crime scene investigation, students learned how to analyse key forensic evidence. There were masterclasses in weapon casting, blood spatter analysis and fingerprinting techniques. In each session the students were given the knowledge and tools necessary to carry out an investigation and had the opportunity to practise their new-found skills. Their overall objective was to analyse a complete murder scene and identify the correct suspect.
On the final day at the CSI Centre, students were given the opportunity to present their findings in a mock court set up. This required the students to act as expert witnesses, providing a review of evidence and being questioned. Although many were nervous to start with, they were able to give a good account of themselves, clearly articulating all of the techniques learned over the previous two days and maintaining their confidence under cross examination. Mr Webster enjoyed his role a little too much!
opportunity to meet a local meteorologist who discussed the impact of weather on outdoor businesses such as Universal Studios. It was also a chance to talk through career paths and students were reassured that even those who were unsure of what career they want be able to find their path through hard work. Thanks to our wonderful local guide, Joyce, Business students were able to fit in a surprise trip to watch Orlando Magics play Cleveland Cavaliers in their first NBA game of the season. The atmosphere was electric and the loud support of the crowd made a Saturday afternoon match at Anfield seem quiet. The frequent timeouts were filled with live music, giant board games and drones flying around the stadium. The need for so many timeouts was queried though – our netball players don’t get to take a break every few minutes in their matches! Though the rules were unknown to most before it started, everyone had it pretty much figured out by the end. After the game, students found time to practise some dance routines while waiting for the coach, and even managed to convince Mr Armstrong to show off his best moves. The trip home was an awful lot quieter than the journey out. Frankly, everyone was exhausted from the sheer volume of activities and needed sleep. It had been a non-stop week full of learning and fun, thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Over on the Business trip, the learning opportunities provided by Universal Orlando were wide-ranging and totally different from a normal classroom environment. Students were given some background information, had to conduct research in the parks and then present their findings to the group. Although a number of students found talking in front of the group somewhat challenging, the support of their peers and excellent guidance of the Universal staff meant that by the end of the week they had all mastered this key life skill. In the last session of the week, students had the
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Sports Sponsorship with Bridging Finance Solutions We are delighted to announce that Bridging Finance Solutions is sponsoring Birkenhead School’s First Team Match Shirts for the School’s focus sports; Rugby, Netball, Girls' and Boys' Hockey, Lacrosse and Cricket. The Wirral-based specialist property lender has agreed to sponsor the kits until Summer 2022. Under the agreement, over 100 shirts and staff jackets displaying the BFS logo will feature at fixtures played most weekends and often midweek throughout each season. Director of Sport, Keith Fowles commented: “I am very grateful that Bridging Finance Solutions has offered to work with Birkenhead School, supporting our Seniors' first team
focus sports. The additional support will allow us to improve on already strong foundations, offer even more outstanding opportunities to our students.” Steve Barber, Managing Director at Bridging Finance Solutions commented: “Birkenhead School is a local education facility that our company has long standing links and associations with. We’re pleased to be able to offer this support to the sports department and see our logo feature at matches and events.” The sponsorship is part of the School’s wider Sports Development plan which will see investment across a number of areas to provide further outstanding opportunities for all students from Prep to Seniors.
Mr Vicars and Mr Barber from Bridging Finance Solutions with the Seniors' Sports Captains and sponsored shirts
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S p o t l i g h t o n Ye a r 7 By Mr Murdoch, Head of Overdale
We began the year with a programme of activities at Barnstondale in our traditional Outdoor Pursuits residential. As we piled onto the coaches on Bidston Road ahead of our overnight trip, there was a mixture of emotions: excitement, nerves and even a few tears. I soon steadied myself and ended up having a fantastic time, and I put that down to all of our Year 7 students. Often the Outdoor Pursuits trip sets the tone for the year and tells me a great deal about the young people in our care and so it was that I came back to School feeling so enthusiastic and impressed by the resourcefulness, commitment and determination which they showed. Little did I know at the time how much more valuable these personal qualities would become over the course of the academic year. Having spent much of the last few months in a frequently empty Overdale building, with classroom chairs stacked on desks and leaves gathering on the playground, it
has never been more clear to me that our students make the School what it is. It has been genuinely heart-warming to welcome Year 7 students back on site in the last days of summer term, to have the chance for a catch-up and offer some words of guidance, and to have a noisy Overdale playground once again. This is the reason why we became teachers and we are all very much looking forward to their safe return to School. I would also like to add a brief word about a particular group within the Overdale community. Whilst we have all adapted to the changes, and turned our homes into school rooms, I must commend the small group of key worker students who have been on site throughout the lockdown and who have faced enormous individual challenges. We are very proud of our keyworker students and families and the role they have played in keeping our communities safe. A big thank you must also go to all the Year 7 Form Tutors – Mrs Ballantyne, Mr Bell, Miss Hamblett and Mrs Washington - and to the Head of Year 7, Mrs Tharme, for the fantastic job she has done this year in supporting and guiding our students through the challenges they have faced. It really has been a fantastic team effort.
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Whittam-Smith Essay Prize Mr Whitworth, Deputy Head, presented the winners of the Whittam-Smith Essay Prize 2019-20 with their awards in January. The competition encouraged entrants to develop their critical thinking, use evidence to produce arguments, and come to evidence-based conclusions. The entries were of a high standard, and the winners which stood out as particularly strong in these areas were selected by Sir Andreas-Whittam Smith, an Old Birkonian and Birkenhead School President. There was a prize for the winner in each Key Stage with there being joint winners in Key Stage 4. Winners pictured left to right: Max, Scarlett, Annie, Seb
T h e J. P. H a r g r e a v e s D i p l o m a By Mr McKie, Assistant Head
The J. P. Hargreaves Diploma was introduced to students in September 2018 and it is with great pleasure that we can announce the first recipients of this prestigious award below. Before doing so, however, it is worth bearing in mind the background and purpose of this still relatively new initiative. The Diploma is awarded to students who have made a very significant contribution to the wider life of both the School and the local community. J. P. Hargreaves was a past President of the OBS (1908-1910), Chair of Governors and was absolutely committed to an all-round education. In November, Year 10 visited The Walker Art Gallery and an exhibition of paintings and prints by the Japanese artist Taki Katei at the World Museum which informed much of their accomplished Autumn coursework.
There are seven categories that students must fulfil to be awarded the Hargreaves Diploma (academic, cultural, physical, communication, service, skill, private reading). It takes a great deal of commitment to achieve this award and for many students it meant challenging themselves to do something they would not ordinarily do, such as perhaps volunteering at a local foodbank or running a half marathon. First and foremost, it presents a significant challenge and the students below deserve immense credit for keeping at it over the course of the past two years: • • • • •
Natasha Keeling Varun Singh Natalie Hallam Madeleine Hill Ellie Price
H M S P r i n c e o f Wa l e s V i s i t In March, ten of our students were delighted to have the opportunity to visit HMS Prince of Wales docked in Liverpool. An extensive tour of the ship, and detailed description of life on board, helped to inspire many in terms of future career possibilities.
Old Birkonian Admiral Sir Philip Andrew Jones served as the First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy from April 2016 to June 2019 and we were delighted to welcome him back to the School in March 2019.
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier is one of the most powerful surface warships that has been constructed in the UK. The carrier is the second of the Royal Navy’s giant new air craft carriers and is affiliated with both Liverpool and Bristol. The ship’s flight deck is 70 metres wide and 280 metres long which is enough space for three football pitches. Currently the carrier has a ship’s company of 700 sailors which will increase to approximately 1600 with aircraft on board. The ship began sea trials in September 2019 and first arrived at her new home base of HMNB Portsmouth in November 2019. The ship’s commissioning date in December 2019 marked the 78th anniversary of the sinking of its predecessor which was lost in action in 1941. HMS Prince of Wales will be fully ready for front-line duties around the globe from 2023.
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Beyond the Cur riculum By Mr Murdoch, Head of Overdale
Throughout the School year, our Beyond the Curriculum programme has once again proven to be a highlight each week, for both Year 7 and Year 8. We have further expanded our range of activities and topics to broaden our students’ horizons and to encourage them to step out of their comfort zone. We have also incorporated a number of practical study skills which have proven very valuable for some students during the period of remote learning. While Touch Typing and Research Skills may not grab the headlines in the same way as the ever-popular Etiquette Training or Yoga sessions, students were effusive in their praise for these sessions and the skills which they developed in them. I cannot deny, however, that the Etiquette Lunch proved once again to be the perennial Beyond the Curriculum favourite. With fantastic support from Mr Hodgson and the entire Catering Team, this five-course lunch with the Headmaster and selected colleagues followed a week of ‘training’ whereby students were educated on the correct cutlery to use for different courses, appropriate table manners and how to make suitable conversation with a fellow guest. Having replied in writing to a formal invitation from the Headmaster, students very much enjoyed this novel experience where the mango sorbet continued to prove particularly popular. I remain ever hopeful that next year, I will receive an invitation.
Yo g a Yoga has continued to go from strength to strength this year with six year groups in Seniors all having some contact time in the yoga studio. The Beyond the Curriculum groups in Year 7 and 8 have undertaken their four week rotation with amazing focus and relaxation from all four House groups. The main focus has been on the physical practice and we have also introduced breathing and relaxation techniques to help the students work on their mental strength and resilience. The Seniors’ Games provision has seen a group of 24 students from Year 11 and Sixth Form spending two hours each week with Mr Parry, developing core strength and balance with lots of fun along the way. Each session also has a focus on a specific relaxation technique with some guided meditations too. Mr Parry has also had the chance to share his expertise with the Year 10 Academic PE GCSE groups while they studied a section of their course based around non-competitive sport and fitness. Mr Hendry has brought the Seniors Rugby squad along to some sessions too, helping to bring in different core skills and flexibility into their rigorous training schedule whilst helping to build strength and reduce injuries.
With further sessions on Entrepreneurship Skills, Charity and Poverty, Oxbridge and Lifelong Learning, Cookery Skills, Political Hot Potatoes, Body Language, How to Fail Well and Public Speaking, among many others, the BtC programme has given our Overdale students a fantastic opportunity to learn what life can offer, not only at Birkenhead School but in the wider world. We believe not only in academic excellence for all, nor only in developing our students’ sporting, musical and dramatic talents, but we also want to give students an even wider range of experiences to develop the confidence, curiosity and empathy to embrace the new challenges of our evolving global society.
The planned Yoga Retreat to Portugal that was due to take place in 2020 has been temporarily postponed but there are already plans a foot for future trips for the students. We are continually grateful to the Parents' Association for their support in helping to buy equipment and Mr Parry is looking at being able to provide a weekly session for parents too so watch this space during the next academic year.
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Seniors’ Prefect Team
Leadership We believe it’s essential for all of our students to develop their leadership skills, to be better prepared for their working lives and to give them the resolve, commitment and resilience that sets apart a good leader from a great one. Motivation is a key factor in leadership and we believe that all students should be encouraged to develop their passions, skills and talents in all areas, so that they can go on to inspire others. In order to do this, we encourage our students to take on roles in a number of different areas that not only promote leadership qualities but also their confidence, ability and knowledge. Thank you to everyone who took on leadership roles during 2019/20.
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Head Student Team
Overdale Head Student Team
Overdale Prefect Team
Prep Head Boy & Head Girl
Prep Prefect Team
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Chapel
Charitable Giving
(Half) a year of Sunday services
By Father Mark, School Chaplain
We were delighted to welcome back Revd Steve Mansfield OB as our visiting preacher at the first service of Choral Evensong of the year in early September, part of the Old Birkonian Weekend. The choir sang music by Thomas Tallis and Charles Villiers Stanford, and the Introit was conducted by Organ Scholar and Head of School, Dionne Lee – who also played an organ voluntary before the service! Alongside the regular services of Choral Evensong during Michaelmas term, the choir also sang a special Russian Orthodox service of Great Vespers on 29th September led by local Orthodox priest, Fr Paul Elliott, as well as a Sung Eucharist for Harvest on 13th October. The second half term began with the special Service of Remembrance, which featured several movements from Fauré’s Requiem. The season of Advent and Christmas is always a highlight, and this year the choir joined with parents, staff, and OBs for a ‘Come and Sing’ Advent Carol Service, which also included a performance of Bach’s Cantata 140 ‘Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme’ with superb solos from Grace Harvey, Ted Ford, and David Turner. The choir was invited to lead ‘Carols by Candlelight’ at Christ Church, Higher Bebington, and then the traditional pair of ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’ in Chapel and finally the Christmas Eucharist on Christmas Eve as we welcomed the arrival of Christmas Day with a packed Chapel. Weekly Evensong services continued throughout the Lent term, including another special Cantata Evensong for Candlemas on 2nd February. The final Sunday service before the lockdown was on 8th March and featured a psalm chant specially written for the choir six years ago by former Deputy Head (Academic), Ralph Barlow.
Charitable giving is an important part of School life and is an area where we encourage students to think of others in our wider community. This year in our charity endeavours we have tried some slightly different ideas. Focusing more on targeted responses.
Michaelmas Term We started the year in Prep with an assembly given by Change a Child’s Life which really set the year. In this we also collected a lot of older School uniforms ready to ship over to Kenya. I would like to thank Lisa Brocklebank and Paul Kenny for the link that they have provided here. Mr FitzHerbert and I have certainly enjoyed being part of this project and over the course of the year we raised over £2,100 for Change a Child’s Life which was an excellent effort by everyone involved. As we progressed in Michaelmas Term, we made a concerted effort with our Harvest Festival in which two vans collected our produce. This year, we could not get a weight value to compare from last Harvest, but I certainly felt we collected more. Thank you all so much for your contributions, you have been generous in your support of Number 7 Community Café and Supermarket and the Foodbank and I know that all the recipients have been grateful for our support. We were involved in Tranmere Rovers Carols on the Kop this year led by Mrs Coleman. A great example of a different take on our charitable year, donating time, expertise, and talent to help make a difference.
Baptisms, Confirmations and Weddings This year in Chapel, the planned baptisms, confirmations and weddings were unable to take place and instead we look forward to welcoming those families into Chapel as soon as we are able to during 2020-21. If you or your family are looking for that special bespoke event please contact Father Mark, School Chaplain at: mrt@birkenheadschool.co.uk.
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Talking about talent and making a difference (and the Coleman family!) Gene in Year 4 with the aid of Nanna knitted pumpkins and sold them for £65.46. What an entrepreneurial spirit we have in our Prep department.
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Charitable Giving
continued
By kind permission of the Headmaster and the Bursar we have been able to support a charity for boys and girls aged between 10 and 18 years in the Birkenhead area with their football competition practice and we invited Birkenhead Sea Cadet Corps to use our Sports Hall on Sunday evenings. The Birkenhead Sea Cadet Corps supported the School in March 2019 when they attended an event with Old Birkonian, Sir Philip Jones, Former Admiral and Sea Lord. In November, Little School classes were invited to create their own shoebox collections for the Charles Thompson Mission. This is always a success and collated by Miss Harris, Head of Little School. This year their Christmas appeal involves items that the mission requires all year round and always struggle for in order to support our local homeless and other local people in need. Prep organised another great Children in Need event raising over £900. I know a lot of fun was had by all involved. In December 2019 I received a £250 private donation of food money from a parent. This money was used to purchase larder type foods for Café Seven. I mention this mainly to show that our charitable giving and way of thinking is a whole community movement. Thank you to those concerned. Again, in the case of individual acts of kindness we have had people donating suits for a homeless charity. These were used for those recently off the streets who were going for job interviews. This was a one-off charity collection, but very much a success for those involved. Thank you to people who donated. In December, over 20 Beyond the Curriculum students from Sixth Form went to spend time with residents of Caldy Manor Residential Home to sing carols. This was organised by Deputy Head Student, Toby Brown. Again, showing us that Charity can be about showing care for others and spending time with them as fellow human beings. Well done Toby and the team!
A massive congratulations to Prep for their efforts with Christmas Jumper Day raising over £500 helping children around the world.
Overdale Charity This year we introduced a different structure for charity in the Overdale year groups. Each class in Overdale is given a week as their charity week. During this time, they can do whatever they see fit to raise as much money as possible. Selling water, cake sale, sponsored events, raffles, you name it. Well done to 8LC, 8KSM and 8AJC for their efforts. I would also like to thank the Overdale Prefects for their assistance with organisation. Well done Overdale!!! In particular, well done to Storm Woodward who organised a bake sale.
Lent Term
School charity fund. Mr and Mrs Vicars organised a donation of children's coats that were distributed to families in need. This all came under the umbrella of the Feeding Britain (and therefore Birkenhead) campaign. As the pandemic started to take over our lives, we tried another harvest type collection. This time with a twist. Year 11 had the can-can challenge for instance. Each year group was asked to donate targeted products to the Foodbank. This then continued each week. During lockdown Max Hall was kind enough to pick up the food items from School and take them to Café Seven and the Foodbank. Thank you Max for this personal act of kindness. Also thank you to all the students, parents and staff who donated. The first performance of Les Mis was to be open as a charity event, but sadly the 50+ people this was open to could not attend as the show was postponed due to Covid-19. We look forward to seeing the performance in 2020-21.
Lent Term Whilst Covid-19 brought a number of activities to a stop, it did not stop Year 1, who back in May 2020 set up a Just giving page and over £2,340 was raised for Wirral Hospice St John's by setting themselves exercise targets over the month of May. I am so proud of Year 1 for their efforts. In May and during the period of remote learning, Zoom coffee mornings were organised to raise money for Wirral Foodback by individuals donating money directly to this worthwhile cause. Thank you to all those who took part. During the same month, Mrs Clarke and Mrs Brand worked with a small group of students to write letters to nursing homes. At the end of the Lent Term I asked for all old uniform so that this could be donated to children in the local Birkenhead area. A large number of shirts, trousers and dresses were donated along with over 50 pairs of school shoes. As well as uniforms a lot of families donated good quality general items which due to the large number, we felt this best given to Claire House to use in their shops. Again, thank you all for your individual donations. You have been very kind! Thank you is also extended to a family who made another generous donation by donating money so that food could be purchased to donate to Café Seven. Thank you again, you know who you are! As well as uniforms a lot of families donated good quality general items which due to the large number, we felt this best given to Claire House to use in their shops. Again, thank you all for your individual donations. Finally, I introduced at the start of the academic year the “Good Samaritan Award”, which is a whole School initiative. This is a way for us as a community to recognise the selfless acts that are taking place around School. We do not commit acts of kindness and charity for people to praise us, but I think these types of kindness do need recognition. Thank you all for your hard work and commitment to making a difference. God Bless, Father Mark.
£58 was raised by Isaac Dufton with a Bake Sale in February 2020. Thank you so much Isaac, this has been added to the 34
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C h a n g e a C h i l d ’s L i f e At a Prep Assembly in March Mr FitzHerbert and Father Mark presented Paul and Lisa (Trustees of Change a Child’s Life) with a cheque amounting to £5,017.01. With the funds, Birkenhead School is delighted to be able to sponsor Natalia Muthoni (aged 3) so that she can attend Maria Immaculata School in North Nairobi as a boarding student. Paul and Lisa gave a fantastic presentation about Natalia's life and showed pupils photographs of Natalia at school. The pupils were delighted to see the huge influence they have had on her life. Mr FitzHerbert, Head of Prep, says “It has been wonderful to see the response of Prep families to our fundraising for 'Change a Child’s Life' and I am delighted that the funds raised so far mean that we can sponsor Natalia Muthoni through her primary education at Maria Immaculata School in Nairobi. It is amazing to think just how much of a difference this will make to Natalia’s life and we look forward to following her progress over the coming years.” Previously, the School has given Change a Child's Life books for the new library they built in North Nairobi and donated old school uniforms Prep children did not want to just stop there; they wanted to make a significant difference and were very enthusiastic about coming up with creative ways to raise money for such an important cause. Change a Child’s Life presented the idea to Mr FitzHerbert and to Father Mark that we could potentially sponsor Natalia’s education as they have sponsored Natalia’s brother Maxwell. Natalia’s family are poor and live in awful conditions in the slums of Kenya. At the very young age of three, Natalia would beg on the streets every day with her mother to try to get some money for food. They do not have the sanitation
systems which are a given in our society; wastewater frequently runs down the same streets people walk, which leads to a lot of sickness. Thankfully, due to the generosity of our pupils, their families and the organisation of Father Mark and the Change a Child’s Life charity, Natalia is now able to attend school. Natalia is loving learning how to count and learning the sounds of letters. She wants to be a teacher when she grows up and enjoys helping her classmates with their learning. Maria Immaculata School were able to celebrate their first World Book Day due to the generosity of the books donated by Birkenhead School. Maria Immaculata School is a wonderful institution, which is reflected by the fact old students return to assist the sisters running the school. Change a Child’s Life hope to use the money raised to build a science lab and a computer suite for the school, to add to their library and playground. The charity Change a Child’s Life believe that these facilities are vital components of any successful school. Mr FitzHerbert has visited Maria Immaculata School to see the impact of the money raised by Birkenhead School, and to get to know the school and the sisters who run it. Mr FitzHerbert thoroughly enjoyed his visit and took a great deal from seeing how the money raised has made a difference for the children attending the school. Birkenhead School is extremely delighted and proud of the pupils’ enthusiasm to raise money for such a worthy cause. The pupils are very eager to come up with ideas how to raise money and they are looking forward to hearing more about Natalia’s progress.
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Evensong and Chapel Choir By Mr Robinson, Director of Music
At the centre of the School’s campus and pastoral life is our beautiful Victorian Chapel. In addition to School assemblies and performances, the Chapel hosts weekly Sunday evening services during term time which are open to all. Most of these services are Choral Evensong, the most popular service in the Anglican Church.
Based on the ancient monastic hours of vespers and compline, Evensong dates back to the Reformation and uses the words set out in the Book of Common Prayer. The attraction of this service is the fact that many of the words are sung by the choir, allowing the congregation simply to sit, listen and contemplate in a wonderful acoustic and stunning surroundings. As one visitor has remarked, it’s a free concert and makes you stop for a while in an otherwise busy life! The congregation is made up of choir parents, families of Old Birkonians, and members of the public who appreciate the exquisite music and warm welcome. With music at the heart of these services, we are extremely proud of our excellent robed Chapel Choir. Much more than just a good school choir, auditioned members benefit from an outstanding musical education (in addition to what they already receive in the classroom!); learning to sing music that spans five centuries, the relevance of that music to our world
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now, and an understanding of the history of the music they perform. The commitment and hard work that Chapel Choir members give is significantly rewarded in the opportunities they have: we are a regular visiting choir at local cathedrals, have been resident choir at cathedrals further afield, have sung in services and concerts abroad, and choir members have taken part in masterclasses and workshops with professionals. Socially, the choir has a unique bond – the age range spanning ten years encourages friendships across year groups, allows older pupils to take responsibility for the younger ones, and the younger singers look up to their seniors as excellent role models. Musically, they become familiar with sight-reading, increase their listening and watching skills, have opportunities to sing solos, and gain knowledge of a special repertoire which stays with them always. It is so rewarding to watch them grow in fluency, ability and most importantly confidence as they stay with us through the years (which almost every choir member does!). Another vital part of the music in Chapel is our beautiful organ. Any student, of any age, who shows an interest in the organ is encouraged to take lessons, and we always have an organ scholar who receives lessons from our highly talented and experienced organist. Organ scholars also have many opportunities to increase their responsibility, from playing in services to assisting in choosing the music for services. All students, but in particular organ scholars, are encouraged to
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Chapel Choir: A Reflection Looking back on my time at school, it is nearly impossible to single out one aspect as my favourite. However, I do feel as though being a member of Chapel Choir affords an opportunity like no other. With members from Years 5 to Upper Sixth, Chapel Choir is a perfect microcosm of Birkenhead School in terms of the prevalent family ethos, with friendships being easily built across year groups. When I first joined the choir, a while ago now, I recall being immediately struck by how welcome I was made to feel. Being surrounded by older students who acted as both role models and close friends is something that I feel privileged to have experienced, and far outweighs the sacrifice of nearly every Friday after-school for the past seven years or so.
“have a go” at taking parts of rehearsals and conducting if they have an interest in pursuing this, and we have a number of former choir members who have gained choral and organ scholarships at university. It is no surprise to discover that over the past five years, three Heads of School have also been organ scholars – this cannot be a coincidence, so if you have future hopes of flying high, consider finding out more about learning to play the organ!
With regular tours (including a cancelled trip to Northern Italy due to take place this summer), the choir has sung at incredible venues including Sherborne Abbey, Girona Cathedral, both inside and outside Montserrat Abbey, and Selwyn College, Cambridge. These trips are fantastic bonding opportunities, and really allow us to stretch our singing ability. However, for me, there is nowhere quite as special as School Chapel by candlelight in Nine Lessons and Carols and Christmas Eucharist. Christmas is both the busiest and the best time for the choir, with lots of extra rehearsing and carolling sessions. Drawing this season to a close at midnight on Christmas Eve in Chapel is the perfect way to start Christmas Day, even if it introduces some logistical complications for Santa! Chapel Choir has been a truly defining part of my time at school. The memories and friendships I have made will live with me for the rest of my life. I know this is something that other choristers would echo, and we are all grateful for the incredibly hard work Mr Robinson puts into organising and directing us. William Blessing, Choir Prefect, Upper Sixth
Join us! The Chapel Choir sings Choral Evensong in Chapel every Sunday during term time at 6.30pm. We welcome a wide range of visiting preachers from all over the area, and the services are open to all. If you have not yet made it to a Sunday Chapel service here at Birkenhead School, then please do come along one Sunday once services resume and enjoy some quiet reflection and beautiful singing. Refreshments are served before the service from 6pm in the Headmaster’s Dining Room, and all are most welcome. The current music list is displayed on the Chapel page of the School website. Our Director of Music, Mr Robinson, is always keen to hear prospective new singers, and membership of the choir is open to all pupils from Year 5 upwards and Year 4 in exceptional circumstances. Please do get in touch at any stage if you would like to find out more about being part of one of the things that makes Birkenhead School unique.
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Music The view from the organ loft This has been my third and final year holding the post as the Organ Scholar and it has brought a multitude of opportunities. As a member of the Chapel Choir, I have been exposed to a large variety of choral music. This year, we were invited to sing a service at Chester Cathedral, and further afield, at Selwyn College, Cambridge. This was an incredible experience, not only to sing in such a wonderful venue but alongside the college’s choir. I was lucky enough to play the 1st movement of Bach’s Organ Sonata No.1 in E-flat major as a voluntary on Chester’s 4 manual Grand Organ and Selwyn’s 3 manual Létourneau organ. As the Organ Scholar, I have had the opportunity to conduct the choir, a skill that I am keen to develop. This has ranged from conducting weekday morning services to anthems and hymns at Sunday Evensong. Another highlight was accompanying and conducting the Christmas Eucharist service on Christmas Eve. Whilst it was challenging at times, I am grateful to have experienced it and have gained an insight into the role of a Cathedral Organist. Dionne Lee, Organ Scholar, Upper Sixth
Trips outside Birkenhead In November the choir continued its long tradition of visiting inspirational buildings to sing evensong with trips to Chester Cathedral and the Chapel of Selwyn College, Cambridge. Whilst Chester is a regular destination, it was a measure of the wider reputation of the choir to be invited to sing alongside the Choir of Selwyn College and work with their Director of Music, Sarah MacDonald. Frequent trips, both across the UK and abroad, are one of the highlights for choristers, and you can read below the thoughts of some current Prep pupils, compiled by Alice Khoo, Year 6. I liked the pizza, the churches and the shop (and also my new watch, from the shop!). The churches were MASSIVE! I really liked the church organs, they had lots of tubes! I enjoyed the singing too! Rollo, Year 4 Today was crazy, fun and long! Cambridge was a beautiful city, it was interesting, with lots of activities. I enjoyed the pizza and also shopping! Chapel choir is like a family, everyone supports you and you get to go on exciting trips. The singing was fun too, but quite hard, as the Cambridge conductor went really fast!
I liked looking around King's College. It was really nice – it had loads of paintings and books….. It was just beautiful! There were loads of buildings in Cambridge that were cleverly designed. I would definitely recommend Cambridge as a day out. The singing was great because the chapel had more acoustic in it than in our School Chapel, so the sound projected well. Chapel choir is great, for musical experience and also for social experience. You meet new friends and get to know other people in school. Sometimes you meet new people on trips out too. It is also a good way to learn languages, as we sing in different languages, such as Latin and French. Patrick, Year 5
Chapel Choir and soloists at Williamson Art Gallery During August, Chapel Choir gave another recital to a packed Williamson Art Gallery. The choir performs regularly at the Sunday Serenades concert series, and this year were joined by soloists, Dionne and Tasmin Lee (violins), Armand Rabot OB (viola and voice), Grace Harvey (cello) and David Turner (clarinet).
Jemima, Year 6 This day was very cool! I found the Cambridge choir people to be funny and friendly. I would really like to go to University there when I am older. Jacob, Year 6
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Simon Cowen, who worked with several of our young brass players in a performance masterclass. We also welcomed Adrian Horn, Head of Music Technology at Chetham’s School of Music to work with our more advanced students, and three members of the awardwinning female a cappella vocal ensemble from King’s College, London: The Rolling Tones. Including two Old Birkonians, Mallika Bhagwat and Emily Pulford, the ‘Tones’ led a fabulous workshop for our Senior girls.
Concerts and events Festival of Music After the success of the last three festival weeks, this year’s Birkenhead School Festival of Music spread itself over an entire half term! November began with the Chamber Choir singing at the Wirral Bazaar followed by the Chapel Choir’s trip to sing evensong at Selwyn College, Cambridge.
Emily and Mallika also joined us for the first studentled Jazz Night to be held for several years. Organised entirely by Sixth Form musician, Ted Ford, the evening featured performances from OB Matthew Oulton as well as several student soloists, house band, and even budding rock superstars, Stripy Liquid!
Other events during the week included the first Chamber Music Concert, with a wonderful range of performers from both Prep and Seniors, Chapel Choir singing evensong at Chester Cathedral, a GCSE and A Level composition workshop led by Mr Robinson, and the ‘closing’ Gala Concert with the Birkenhead School Concert Band performing alongside the Wirral Symphonic Wind Band. The concert began with each band performing separately before joining together to play Vaughan Williams’s English Folk Song Suite.
The focus on a single week of events was also an important part of this year’s festival, which began with a special Service of Remembrance in Chapel on 10th November and the first of our visiting musicians, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra principal trombonist,
Every lunchtime was also filled with music as our dedicated team of visiting music teachers and their pupils entertained audiences in Chapel. Mr Glossop (violin and viola), Miss Sousa (flute), Mrs Thomas (clarinet and saxophone), Mrs Dennerly (cello), and Mrs Howard (piano) all performed brilliantly, together with students Dionne and Tasmin Lee, Grace Harvey, Rebecca Othick, the Saxophone Ensemble, and the Junior Flutes.
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Music
continued
The journey to Christmas Following the spectacular Advent Sunday ‘Come and Sing’ carol service, the last few weeks of the Michaelmas term were even busier than usual. Senior Choir visited Tranmere Rovers for Carols on the Kop, and Chapel Choir returned to Christ Church, Higher Bebington to lead their Carols by Candlelight, before our School Christmas celebrations began in earnest.
Pre-Prep performed their Nativity, Little School gave two poignant performances as they said goodbye to Miss Parry, each year in Junior Prep held their own Christmas Celebration Service in Chapel, and our more advanced instrumentalists joined the Wirral Symphonic Wind Band in a Christmas Family Fun Concert. In amongst all that, we had our Whole School Christmas Concert in Bushell Hall, and Chapel Choir sang two services of Nine Lessons and Carols to a packed Chapel, finishing with the Christmas Eucharist on Christmas Eve.
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Individual achievements: going above and beyond The Chapel Choir Prefect appointed for the next academic year is David Turner and the Senior Musicians, awarded to our leading Upper Sixth form instrumentalists, are Ted Ford (saxophones), Grace Harvey (strings), Elizabeth Hyatt (piano), Ben Keating (technology), and Simon Lawrence (woodwind). The new Organ Scholar will be Luke Crocker. Our huge thanks to William Blessing, David Coyne, Dionne Lee, Reeve Taylor, and JJ VallanceOwen for all their hard work in these roles over the last year. Once again, several of our dedicated young musicians have passed their Grade 8 examinations on their chosen instruments, and this year congratulations go to Elizabeth Hyatt (piano), David Coyne (violin), and Edward Oulton (voice). At the beginning of the year, Dionne Lee was appointed Leader of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Tasmin Lee was Principal Second Violin, and Grace Harvey no. 3 cello. Grace has also studied cello and voice at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Paulo Infante has continued to perform with the Liverpool Empire Youth Theatre, and David Turner, Simon Lawrence, and Luke Crocker have been members of the Wirral Symphonic Wind Band. David, together with Ted Ford, have also played with several local bands, including newly-founded Out of the Blue big band.
Early Music As Education in lockdown Due to lockdown restrictions, our weekly rehearsals with Early Music as Education have been put to a halt. Instead, we now have individual sessions via the medium of zoom with our respective tutors in which we have been able to focus on intonation, bowing techniques and developing our musical ear, all skills needed when playing together as an ensemble. In addition, EMAE have hosted a series of zoom webinars for students, with a variety of topics from music as a career to singing exercises and orchestral parts. I am immensely grateful that I have been able to continue to develop my playing on an online platform as well as gaining invaluable advice from the tutors. I look forward to the time when we can come together as an ensemble again, performing the works of Albinoni, Corelli and more. Dionne Lee, Upper Sixth
Junior Royal Northern College of Music Since September, I have been a student at JRNCM, a Saturday music college at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. This was sadly forced to stop when the nation-wide lockdown began, however I was partially relieved as I wouldn’t have to haul my cello on the 7:30 train from Liverpool Lime Street every week! Every Saturday, I have had my regularly scheduled lessons with my cello and voice teachers on zoom, which has been different but I am so thankful that they have been able to carry on. Sadly, the ensembles that I normally take part in, vocal ensemble and chamber choir, could not carry on, but my theory and analysis classes could, the work being set online for completion in the week. I had an exciting chance to take part in a student organised concert that has recently premiered on YouTube. It shows why I love music college so much! There are so many opportunities to perform and organise concerts with like minded and equally as passionate people! Next year I am looking to set up a baroque chamber group, inspired my experience with EMAE. Grace Harvey, Lower Sixth
Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra This year I have had the opportunity to lead the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra as principal violinist. Although the year has been cut short, I have thoroughly enjoyed making music at a high standard, alongside two other Birkenhead students: Tasmin Lee, leader of the 2nd Violins and Grace Harvey, a cellist. Repertoire for November’s concert included Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.2 ‘Little Russian’ and Vaughan Williams’ Tuba Concerto, with soloist Robin Haggart from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. February’s concert included Mahler’s Totenfeier and Copland’s Danzón Cubano. Furthermore, we performed Beethoven’s Symphony No.1 under the baton of Andrew Manze and accompanied Sheku Kanneh-Mason who played Fauré’s Élégie for cello and orchestra. It was amazing to work alongside these world-renowned musicians and we gained invaluable advice on how to advance our playing. This is my third and final year with the LPYO and I feel lucky to have been able to participate in so many performances and activities within the Youth Company, helping to develop my musicianship alongside a welcoming and diverse group of like-minded individuals.
Rehearsal Hub The Music School is now home to three excellent local bands: the Wirral Symphonic Wind Band, Heswall Concert Band, and Out of the Blue Big Band. These ensembles offer a variety of different musical experiences beyond those on offer in School, and are open to all our wind, brass and percussion players. School bands and choirs collaborate frequently in concerts both on site and in the local community, and a number of students already play with each group.
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RLPO Schools’ Concert On Tuesday 3rd March, the pupils in Years 3, 4, 5 & 6 attended a Schools’ Concert entitled ‘Our Global Vision’ at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. The concert was presented by Alasdair Malloy and was performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The programme included different genres of music to empower young people to help save the world. The concert was really engaging and our pupils learnt a great deal about different ‘Ozones’ and famous ‘Eco-heroes’ from all over the world. They sang and signed a song entitled People Of Tomorrow very well indeed.
Chapel Choir video was a huge success, and our Upper Strings have made their own performance of Beethoven’s Ode to joy, produced by teacher, Mr Glossop. Both are available on the music YouTube channel. Watch out for the next Virtual Choir video which is coming soon! Several students have taken part in some of the many new online music making initiatives led by musicians such as Nicola Benedetti and Jess Gillam, and you can read a report from one of them here:
This is what our Music prefects said about the concert... "I was excited to go the the concert because my violin teacher, Justin, is in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The concert was very different to any other concerts that I have been to because they had pictures on a big screen at the back of the hall and it really added to the performance. My favourite piece was Sunset because it was very calming and I really liked the pictures that went with it. It was wonderful to be able to hear the harp clearly and it makes such a magical sound." Jemima, Year 6 "The year the theme of the concert was the environment and our song was about saving it! They played interesting pieces like Vivaldi, Beethoven and more modern composers too. My favourite was when we all stood up and did the penguin dance. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to everyone." Alice, Year 6 "The Liverpool Philharmonic concert was a great experience for all of the schools that went. The pieces that the orchestra played were well chosen for the message of climate change. The song that all the schools sang was People of Tomorrow which was a great choice. Personally I think that the trip was fantastic and I think all the other schools enjoyed it as well." William, Year 6 "The Philharmonic was a fantastic experience and thought it was a 10 out of 10. I thought it was the right message for the world to not litter or destroy and especially with the climate change. The song that everyone sang was 'People of Tomorrow' which was a great song." Damon, Year 6
Year 3 EMAE project The latest development of the work of local charity, Early Music as Education, has been to launch a weekly cocurricular music session for Year 3 pupils. This pilot scheme has run on Friday mornings throughout the year and around 18 of our Prep pupils have benefitted from the scheme, which has enhanced their existing class and year group music lessons with experience of singing in different languages, movement, basic music theory, and an introduction to playing stringed instruments. Led by the inspirational music educator, Ruth Minton, and a range of top notch visiting musicians, this has been a superb experience for our pupils and one that we hope will continue post-lockdown.
Senior Choir to Wallasey and Tranmere This year the Senior Choir numbers were boosted by our new talented intake of Year 7s as well as the continued commitment from the upper years and staff. Alongside our usual School performances, conductor Mrs Coleman was delighted to be asked to join forces with Heswall Concert Band, conducted by our own visiting instrumental tutor, Becky Thomas and Heswall Musical Society in a concert at Wallasey Town Hall in October as part of the Wirral Festival of Arts and Claire House ‘Claire’s 40 for 40 appeal’. Most of the songs for the collaboration were learnt and rehearsed on the day as part of the Band’s playday and the Choir proved their professionalism and quick learning! Along with a saxophone quartet, they also performed a medley of Beatles songs, music from The Jungle Book and Mary Poppins, and finished off with a lively rendition of Beyonce’s Survivor to a full and appreciative audience! In December Mrs Coleman braved the weather with a group of singers from Senior Choir to perform at Tranmere Rovers Football ground where we had been invited to help lead the festivities in their Carols in the Kop event. Along with a few other Wirral schools, they sang along to favourite Christmas carols with Ben Cuthbertson (Year 8) leading the congregation by singing the first verse of Once In Royal David’s City.
Music during lockdown Whilst we will need to wait before getting Les Misérables on stage, there have been some innovative new projects that have happened during the last few months. The first Virtual
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The Benedetti Sessions When I heard that Nicola Benedetti was doing a 3 week online music programme inviting musicians to play together online I immediately signed up as my violin lessons hadn’t been able to continue during lockdown. I was lucky to get a place as there were thousands of applicants. We were given four pieces of music to prepare – two of which were Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 and Warlock’s Capriol Suite, Movement 6 ‘Mattachins’. Music and scores were provided online and we had tutorials via zoom. There were 500 violinists of all ages on my particular sectional and Nicky herself would watch us and say hello! There were daily seminars, lessons and talks and we had to practise our pieces in order to perform it together virtually on finale day with the world renowned
conductor Karina Canellakis. I loved the Warlock piece but it was so fast! It was really great fun on the last day as they sent us out some new music for a fun play-along concert before the repertoire performances. One of the pieces of new music was a Disney ensemble which made me upset as one of the songs was from Aladdin and we missed performing this in our end of year 6 production. It made me think of all my friends and how disappointed we all were. I was sad when the virtual sessions were over as it had been good to do something new and challenge myself with the music and virtual practising. I would definitely like to do it again. I’m now looking forward to getting a new violin as my current one has become too small for me during lockdown! Jemima Blair, Year 6
Lent term The curtailed Lent term saw the annual House Music competition, once again adjudicated by the ‘dream team’ of Mrs Coleman and Mrs Keating, and the second of our new series of termly Chamber Music concerts. House Music this year gave students the theme of ‘the environment’, which resulted in some imaginative song choices from each
Hello and goodbye It was with huge sadness that we said goodbye in December to our Infants music specialist, Sue Parry, who had made such huge strides in introducing quality music education to some of our youngest pupils. Two particular legacies are the increased number of pupils in the Infants who have now started violin and piano lessons, and of course their wonderful choir which took to the Whole School stage last summer during Birkonian Week. We were therefore relieved to recruit a superb music practitioner, Rob Shannon, to take on the Infants music mantle and with him and his family every happiness here at Birkenhead. Not quite a new face, as he is already our music administrator and one of our team of piano teachers, in January Jon Barton was appointed as an additional classroom music teacher in Seniors. He has made a wonderful start and we wish him well in his new role. We also said goodbye this year to two of our team of visiting music teachers: oboe and bassoon specialist, Linton Stephens, and long-serving piano teacher Stephanie Howard. A warm welcome to Jane Evans (oboe) and Gareth Twigg (bassoon), who take on the double reed challenge!
house. It was wonderful to see large numbers of both Senior and Prep pupils — and staff — all taking part. The second Chamber Music Concert also had a very positive number of students from Prep and Seniors taking part, and has already proved to be an important addition to the co-curricular calendar. Watch out for the next concert, which will appear on the music YouTube channel in due course!
This year also saw an increase in the number of students who continued with their music theory exams, and we were very grateful to Diane Barton for joining the team to deliver additional theory tuition.
Alumni news Alexander Van Ingen OB, recently announced that he will be leaving his role as Chief Executive of the Academy of Ancient Music to take up the same position at the Philharmonia Orchestra. Prior to his position at the AAM he was an Executive Producer and A&R lead at Decca Classics for five years, working with artists including Daniel Barenboim, Nicola Benedetti, Janine Jansen and Leonidas Kavakos.
Did you know that the Music Department is on Social Media? You can follow them on YouTube: /BSMusicSchool You can follow them on Facebook: /birkenheadschoolmusic You can follow them on Instagram: birkenheadschoolmusic You can follow them on Twitter: @BSMusicSchool
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Parents� Association By Melanie George, Chair 2019/20
This academic year 2019/20 got off to a flying start with a pre-loved uniform sale and coffee morning. Not only did it start our fundraising in a very positive way but we were also delighted to send a donation to Macmillan of £105. It was great to see lots of familiar and new faces at the Annual Bonfire Night when we were lucky to have a dry and clear night to watch the wonderful firework display coordinated by Colin Gaskell and the Estates team. Many hot dogs were consumed and the field was lit at both ends by the bonfire and the glowsticks. Once again the School community spirit sprang into action for the Christmas Bazaar: generous donations from families; much help before
Little did we know that would be the end of our fundraising for the year! We were in the process of organising a Barn Dance for the end of the year but the do-si-do will have to wait ! I have been waiting many years to see the school hall full of bales of hay, callers and a band so watch this space.
Where has the money gone this year?
The Committee
Although our fundraising came to an abrupt end we have continued to support the School and have donated funds to purchase the ‘extras’ which enhance the school life of our children. It is thanks to your support and generosity that we are able to do this and although fundraising might be a little different for now we hope you will continue to support us.
The committee is made up of a group of parents from across the school and anyone is welcome to join us and commit as much or as little as they are able. We meet once a term to discuss events and activities. Meetings are short and helped along with coffee and cake!
Items paid for by the PA this year • Equipment for the Outdoor Classroom • Playground equipment • Music equipment for Prep • Incubators for chicks • Hymn Books • Hoodies for Year 6 Leavers • Development of the allotment in Prep • Creation of a fun/learning Lunar loft in Overdale • Lacrosse tops • Lighting Desk for use in school productions and drama • Contribution to the Sixth Form Leavers’ Ball
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during and after from the Sixth Form; beautiful wooden decorations from Mr Dean and the DT department and, of course, a lot of hard work by the committee and the parent volunteers. Christmas card designs from Little School and Prep were as popular as ever and thanks to Lynn Pownall for the unenviable task of coordinating this. We finished the term with discos for Little School and Prep.
As we are a school group this means that sadly we have to say goodbye to some of our members each year. This year is no exception and we have two long standing members leaving us, Bev McCann and Denise Durband. Bev has been the Secretary for the last year, carrying out the role with her usual efficiency and Denise was the Chair of the Committee for many years. They will be missed by us all and I would like to thank both of them for their time and effort over their many years in School. Thanks must also go to everyone at School who supports our activities; Carl Williams and his fantastic Estates team, for who nothing is too much trouble and the office staff in Prep and Seniors who put up with our many requests and the staff, pupils and parents of the School who are always willing to help out and join in. I cannot finish without thanking all of the committee for their support throughout the year, it would not be as much fun without them. With best wishes to you all and hoping that this new School year will see some new and fun fundraising and activities.
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AT BIRKENHEAD SCHOOL By Miss Harris, Star Activities Director
What a busy time we have had this year in Star Activities. What started as normal during February half term, quickly became the new normal during the Easter holidays thanks to the pandemic we found ourselves a part of. Star Activities staff have provided care for Key Workers children throughout Lockdown school holidays. Even working bank holidays to provide much needed cover and for this, I would like to thank all staff involved. Your contribution and willingness to go above and beyond is much appreciated by myself, Clare, the wider school community and of course our parents.
Planning for Star Activities starts at the beginning of each academic year and a lot of time and effort goes into ensuring that we have a wide range of courses suitable across the different age ranges. This year we have introduced Nature Detectives, Magic Masterclass and Performing Arts courses and all of these courses have been full. We have seen a huge increase in numbers throughout the summer, which has meant we have had to constantly adapt and refine our processes in order to ensure everybody’s safety but we believe we have managed to provide fun, inspiring activities that have encouraged social distancing and made sure all the children had fun throughout the summer.
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Spotlight on Art By Mrs Margerison, Head of Art It has been another amazing creative year in Art despite the unwelcome end. Our annual Sixth Form Art Trip to London was organised this year with the aim of seeing the way different artists use the figure within their work. Sixth Form students visited the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery and the much-anticipated Antony Gormley exhibition at the Royal Academy; an inspiring, interactive show which made a lasting impression on us all. In November, Year 10 visited The Walker Art Gallery and an exhibition of paintings and prints by the Japanese artist Taki Katei at the World Museum which informed much of their accomplished Autumn coursework.
Sadly, this year our Year 11s and Upper Sixth have been denied the opportunity to complete their courses with the normal intense flourish of final exam pieces. Nevertheless, we hope at some point in the future to celebrate their many creative achievements at a rescheduled Art & Design exhibition. I would like to thank Mrs Cormack and our art technician, Miss O’Connell for all their hard work and support throughout this unprecedented year.
On a chilly Friday in late January, Lower Sixth students explored the North Wirral coast to gather resources and develop photographic skills as part of their Urban Landscape project. In late Spring, Year 5 pupils visited the department for an afternoon ceramic workshop, assisted in their work by some of our Year 10 students; a busy and productive occasion.
Did you know that the Art Department is on Social Media? You can follow them on Twitter: @Birkenhead_Art Or follow them on Instagram: /birkenheadschoolart/ birkenheadschoolphotography
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Art Exhibition
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Classics By Mrs Washington, Head of Classics
Year 7 Latin trip to Roman Chester (Dewa) Year 7 enjoyed their annual Latin trip to the Roman Legionary Fortress of Chester (Deva) in October. Students walked along Roman walls, visited the amphitheatre, and explored the hypocaust in the Roman gardens. They also learned about archaeological evidence of Roman occupation in Chester, by taking part in a workshop at the Grosvenor Museum, as well as investigating Roman artefacts exhibited at the Museum.
Year 3 Roman Lifestyle Year 3 had a great afternoon learning about what the Romans wore and ate in January. Thank you to Mrs Washington, Latin and Classics teacher, and the year 10 students who helped inspire the children and bring their learning to life.
Year 7 Latin: Roman Theatre Mask Making To develop their studies on Roman theatre, and following the Cambridge Latin Course Stage 5, Year 7 Latin students created their own masks. Students worked on three pieces of evidence, based on frescoes and statues, which showed the types of masks which would have been used in theatres in Pompeii, and they made their own interpretations of the characters by creating their own designs.
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It has been another great year for the Design and Technology department with exciting projects at all stages. The Year 7 projects this year have been a ‘Puzzle in a Box’ project where students designed mazes and jigsaws and then housed them in a traditional pine box, a ‘Steady Hand Game’ and during the remote learning part of the year they investigated, designed and then built a solar water heater. Year 8 have undertaken a ‘Pewter Casting Project’, then either the ‘E-Textiles Bag for Life’ or the ‘Lego Scale Model Minifigure Design’ project and then during remote learning they worked on a ‘Shed of the Year’ project where students designed and made their own innovative and personalised sheds. The Year 9s worked on making a ‘Board Game in a Box’ which involved designing and manufacturing a detailed board game using computer aided design, the laser cutter and the dye sublimation printer, a ‘Desk Lamp Design’ project looking at design houses such as Alessi and during the remote learning they undertook an ‘Amplifier Design’ project and studied sustainable design. GCSE exam classes worked through detailed theory preparation and their coursework which was unfortunately cut short before the final manufacturing stages had been completed.
Jack Price's desk lamp
Lucy's light for School
Chapel
We are proud of all the work that they did up to the point where remote learning took over. Our Lower Sixth students have worked really hard this year and also were selected to advance in a regional design competition to redesign a shipping container for another use such as a café, office space or summerhouse. The Upper Sixth students worked tirelessly on their coursework this year with a vast array of amazing lighting designs in the pipeline. Again, the time was cut short so much of these were not quite finished due to the deadlines being several weeks after the lockdown. Well done to all of our design students this year, we are super proud of all of you and all of your hard work. A Level Electronics The A Level Electronics group worked on high level and ambitious projects for their coursework. These included a baby monitor with selective frequency filters and a multifunction garden sensor/alarm. Unfortunately, these exciting projects were cut short but hopefully the experience of designing and constructing such challenging and complex electronic systems will give the students the confidence to aim high in the next stage of their educational journey.
Examples of
Lucy Mayers designed a plywood light for the school chapel and Jack Price designed a cast resin and plywood desk lamp for use in a modern office space. students' wo
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English By Mrs Ballantyne, Head of English
What an unexpected ending to another fabulous year for the English Department. Although lessons have been moved online, this has not stopped the creativity, passion and enthusiasm of both colleagues and students. From interactive Zoom lessons (did anyone spot Mrs B dressed up as Lady Macbeth?), to research projects on Sir Thomas Mallory and King Arthur, all have risen to the extra challenges admirably. This academic year saw the launch of ‘A Ghost Story for Christmas’, an event that borrows from the tradition of M. R. James at Eton. Students from across the senior year groups read stories they had written to parents and special guests Ramsey Campbell and his wife, Jenny. Ramsey Campbell is Britain’s foremost horror writer and a crucial figure in the Gothic literary tradition. It is anticipated that this will become an annual event which encourages students’ creativity, their understanding of the Gothic literary tradition and which celebrates the work and influence of Mr Campbell.
A medieval week was planned for the summer term. Although the visit of a re-enactor was sadly cancelled, resources were created which focused on the medieval work of Malory and the Arthurian tradition. Sixth Form volunteers also created their own resources for use with Years 7 and 8. World Book day involved welcoming Year 6 students up to Overdale, the first of many transitional opportunities for the year group. This year’s theme, ‘Sharing a Story’ involved Year 7s sharing tales with Year 6 and a group effort at origami bookmarks. A wider reading club has been established which aims to prepare key Stage 4 students for A level and to extend the reading of Year 12 students. This focused on the ‘Lyrical Ballads’ and ‘King Lear’. Years 7 and 8 were offered the chance to submit project home works which offered them the chance to make models, design clothes, produce films as well as write stories inspired by the texts they have been studying.
This academic year has seen a push to intensify students' engagement with literary texts. The Year 8 curriculum has been adapted to include readings of ‘Dracula’, ‘Macbeth’, Romantic poetry and ‘Animal Farm’. Students have flourished when studying such canonical texts. A mentoring scheme has been established which links gifted Year 8 students with English Literature A level students.
Debating has continued to flourish this year, with teams successful in the English Speaking Union’s MACE and Churchill’s competitions. Overdale Debating club also experienced their first forays into public speaking winning the Rotary Youth Speaks, hosted at School this year. Mrs Ballantyne’s delivery of a debating module as part of the Overdale Beyond the Curriculum series, has enabled all students to have their first taste of public speaking, a huge pool of potential talent has been uncovered, ready for future competition!
'A Ghost Story for Christmas' with Ramsey Campbell
Event organiser Mr Bell said, ‘the students did themselves proud. In two months the writers have crafted well-plotted narratives with sophisticated vocabulary and excellent imagery; they delivered their pieces in a confident, articulate fashion before a sizeable crowd whilst the film-makers have explored the potential in various settings using a range of shot styles.’
Internationally acclaimed horror author – Ramsey Campbell – was guest of honour at Birkenhead School’s inaugural ‘A Ghost Story for Christmas’ event. Mr Campbell along with his wife, Jenny, listened to stories written and read by students from across the senior year groups. Three groups of Year 7 students also showcased their experiments in film making. Mr Campbell praised both the content and delivery of students' work and during a question and answer session discussed his own publishing career which started in his teens.
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‘We are grateful to Mr Campbell who is a long-established and hugely influential author for attending our event and showing such warm and enthusiastic support to the writers and film-makers of the future.’ ‘The Influence’, a film adaption of Mr Campbell’s work is currently available on Netflix whilst his latest novel ‘The Wise Friend’ will be published in the new year.
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Geog raphy By Miss Barsoum, Head of Geography
Another great year for Team Geography! We have had a very successful year, maintaining strong numbers at both GCSE and A Level. We are very lucky to have some extremely motivated students in our department and it has been great to see their proactive approach to this year.
Normally during the Summer term the Geography department is exceptionally busy with GCSE and A Level examinations and different fieldtrips taking place. Instead attention was altered to remote learning provision and it has been great to see students work on a number of different topics and skills with some great work being produced under very challenging circumstances for all.
November saw our first residential field trip with our Lower Sixth students to the “fastest eroding coastline in Europe”. The purpose of the trip was not only to bring to life coastal processes studied in the Physical Geography course, but to “skill up” ready to start the coursework element of the course which requires student independence within their chosen fieldwork topic. Students got to experience the North Sea in all it’s stormy glory and were able to witness a stack in Selwicks Bay. We then spent a day in Salford Quays on the way home to focus on the large-scale urban regeneration project to support the Contemporary Urban Environment module as well as Human Geography skill acquisition.
Geography is very excited for 2020/21 and have a number of plans to increase opportunities for our students. We would like to wish our Upper Sixth students the very best for their bright futures.
In the classroom we have had a whole host of positives this year which have blown us away. Sophia Grundy, Conor Ruttiman and Henry Worden-Roberts are just three examples of Year 7 students who made fantastic anemometers or weather stations as part of their “Weather and Climate” course this year. Using DT skills to make them from wood, plastics, plants and a whole multitude of other materials. September 2019 saw the launch of our School Climate Change Leaders Society. After Miss Barsoum achieved UN accreditation as a Climate Change Teacher last summer, it seemed a natural progression to involve the wider School community and empower students to lead in environmental initiatives around School. Archie Finter and Izza Majeed have very much stepped up to the plate in leading the group and a number of initiatives are ready to begin in the new academic year, creating a new link between Seniors and Prep. Students from almost all year groups are represented and we look forward to planning a ‘Green Week’ to raise environmental awareness across the School.
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History Year 8 Tudor Experience By James Huxley, Year 8
Year 8s were treated to an interactive Tudor Day provided by two talented historians and actors in February. The day included a variety of different activities which included a role-play timeline of the Tudor dynasty, a clothing and Tudor dress workshop and weaponry.
We all individually enjoyed the day, from the timeline to the weapons and armour. However, the day would not have been possible without our history team, so on behalf of all of the year group I would like to say a big thank you to the History Department for arranging this visit from Black Knight Historical.
The day started with a Tudor timeline in which volunteers from the audience would come up and act one of the thirty parts provided by the actors. The timeline took us through all the Tudor monarchs and their lives through from Henry VII to James I. This was both engaging and really interesting as all of Year 8, whether acting or not, had fun dressing up in role and laughing at their fellow students wearing humorous hats and garments. After break, we started with the Tudor dress in which the year group got to see the materials, styles and clothing in the different ranks of society. We also saw how the clothing evolved through the different monarchs. It was fascinating to see how different the clothing of someone like the king was compared to the clothing of the peasants. This encouraged many students to have a go at wearing the outfits and asking questions about them and their functions. To end the day, we enjoyed a talk and touch experience with the weaponry. This ranged from olden-day, heavy, close-range weapons and armour to the modern long and short-range light armour which influenced the weapons we know today. Personally, this part of the day was my, and likely others, favourite part of the day as I am into olden day warfare and weaponry. My experience of this included holding a heavy sword and a long bow and arrow. Others also came up and tried armour and jousting, close range and long-range weapons. This year, I have thoroughly enjoyed all the opportunities and activities the School has to offer but this was by far my favourite and I am sure the rest of Year 8 will agree.
VE Day - 75th Anniversary By Mrs Vicars, Teacher of History
To recognise the VE 75 celebrations Year 8 classes were challenged to use the skills developed during Remote Learning to find innovative ways to participate in the celebrations. From interactive powerpoints to multi-media presentations the students produced a variety of work explaining the events of VE Day, using videos and even their own musical compositions to convey the mood of the event. Some students were able to draw on their own family experiences, using oral history to capture what VE Day meant to the people of Liverpool, describing celebrations and street parties. It was inspiring to see what our students are capable of when challenged to be inventive!
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VE Day: celebration for the end of the war 8th May 1945 Journalist-Scarlett Quinn, Year 8 Relief, joy, happiness, laughter something that has not been seen for years, until now. Yesterday at 2:41am, General Jodl signed the act of unconditional surrender of all German land sea and air forces. The war officially ended at one minute after midnight tonight. Churchill stated to only allow ourselves a ‘brief period of celebration’ but the whole of the country took that as non-stop celebration which is going to go on for days, but nobody cares because the war with Germany was over, after 6 years of worry and death and bombing and fighting, there is finally something to be ecstatic about. The anticipated speech of Churchill was eagerly listened to by people across the country and ended with: ‘Advance Britannia. Long live the cause of freedom. God save the King.’ And with that the crowds gathered burst into an uproar applause. People surrounded Churchill as the procession for the Thanksgiving service parted the huge crowds in London. And I feel the partying will go on for days!
When the King and his family appeared on the palace balcony, the noise was thunderous and even more so when Winston made an appearance later on! For he is the hero not of the hour but of the life to all Britain’s, we are forever grateful. And also, forever grateful to everyone who participated in the war whether helping make machinery, building shelters, those who look after the evacuated children. But in this huge celebration there is sadness as we remember and deeply thank and appreciate those very brave young men who went out and fought for our country in terrible conditions and saw and endured horrendous things. And to those who tragically laid down their lives out on the battle-field for us…
ICT & Computing By Mr Bell, Head of ICT & Computing
This year, throughout the School, students have been developing their ICT skills and have been enhancing their understanding of computational thinking. With Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics being such a big part of their futures, we are endeavouring to prepare them for this new and exciting future. Coding is something that is introduced in Year 7 and is built on throughout Key Stage 3. A Level ICT gives students the opportunity to develop a range of ICT and Computing skills to a very high level that will prepare them for university and their working life. We actively encourage students to embrace and develop their coding skills in their free time to open up a diverse range of possibilities for them in the future. It has been a pleasure to have two Physicists, Mr Webster and Mr Matthews working in the Computing Department this year and they have been able to add the Science into Computing. Animation Club is offered as part of the School’s Co-Curricular programme and students have been learning Adobe flash to create 2D animations and are now using these skills to create their own short animations. In years to come, we hope that Birkenhead School will have unearthed the next Nick Park or a creator of the latest Pixar blockbuster!
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M a t h s – O u r Ye a r By Mr Hope, Head of Maths
UKMT Senior Team Maths Challenge At the start of the year, Sixth Form mathematicians were invited to “audition” to be in our team for the UKMT Senior Team Maths Challenge. Toby Brown, Chloe Byers, Samarth Kumar and David Turner were successful and so they embarked on a series of lunchtime practice sessions to prepare for the regional round of the competition which took place at North Liverpool Academy (a very new amazing looking building) in November. The team performed really well and came second out of over 20 teams. As a second-placed team, they had to wait until the end of term to find out whether they were one of the highest scoring runners-up. They were and so preparations then began for the national final in London. More lunchtime practice sessions followed and then, just before the final,
Maths in Action Lectures In December, 25 Year 11 mathematicians went to Salford University for a day of Maths lectures entitled GCSE Maths in Action. Several inspirational speakers entertained and challenged us. James Grimes talked about how messages and photographs are transmitted accurately on the internet and even from space and also how film studios can tell if you’re sharing movies illegally! Emily Grossman used her own experiences as a television science broadcaster to illustrate how we can’t believe everything we read in the newspapers or see on television.
they received their instructions about the poster they would have to make for the big day. Frantic work on that followed before we set off on the early morning train to London on 4th February. The journey from Euston to the Royal Horticultural Halls was fun with most of us experiencing for the first time the tube during rush hour (this was some weeks before social distancing!) There were around 90 teams in the national final and the competition was very difficult. The team performed well and really enjoyed the day but were beaten by some brilliant mathematicians. The highlight was meeting and being photographed with the inspirational Bobby Seagull, who presented the prizes and even tweeted us a good luck message at the start of the day. We arrived home tired but happy that evening. Three team members will still be at school next year and so we look forward to another great competition with them soon.
Mark Lewney entertained us with his analysis of whether Maths really exists and whether there is a rational explanation for its effectiveness in the natural sciences. He accompanied his presentation with some loud rock guitar playing! Finally, Matthew Scroggs showed us his entertaining adventures with some old computer games, finding the shortest way to complete Pac-Man levels and how to adapt the old game of Meteors using different projections of the world. I think that final one hurt our brains but we returned home having had our mathematical worlds broadened. This was the first time we had attended a Maths in Action lecture day and we might well now include it in future years’ trips out.
Aimi Elias focused on her time as a civil engineer involved in Crossrail and her current role with NOW TV.
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UKMT Team Maths Challenge Not to be outdone by the seniors, Mrs Eassie coached a group of Year 7, 8 and 9 students in practice for the junior version of this event. The team consisted of George Ayre, Max Hendry, Tom Lindberg and Luca Noorpuri. For many years now we have hosted the regional round at Birkenhead School and did so again on 9th March this year in Bushell Hall under the beginnings of the Covid-19 precautions. The team performed remarkably well and won the event by some way. They would have gone to London for the National Final, similarly to the senior team, however, the Covid-19 lockdown unfortunately put a stop to that as the National Final was cancelled for this year. We have high hopes for the team for next year.
Maths Inspiration Lectures In March, just a few weeks before we moved to learning from home, a small group of sixth form students went with Mr Maher to the Storyhouse Theatre in Chester for an afternoon of Maths lectures. They enjoyed an entertaining afternoon hosted by Jennifer Rogers who introduced the mathematician and author, Rob Eastaway who did some “Maths on the Back of an Envelope”, Hugh Hunt who spoke about “Maths in a Spin” and Ben Sparks who presented “The Sacred Geometry of Chance”. The group enjoyed the afternoon and hopefully will help spread the word so that more Sixth Form mathematicians will want to come along to similar events next year.
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M o d e r n Fo r e i g n L a n g u a g e s By Mrs Holgate, Head of Foreign Languages
Trips Abroad It seems unbelievable now that Mr Turner, Mrs Margerison and I were basking in the Parisian sunshine with a group of Year 10 and Year 11 students just twelve months ago. Since then, we have, unfortunately, had to expand our vocabulary to include such previously unfamiliar phrases as le confinement and la distanciation sociale. Hopefully, this challenging situation will end soon so that we can resume our programme of trips abroad.
Year 7 French:
Year 10 DRH Spanish:
Gold - Storm Woodward Silver - Sadie Cardall Bronze - Carmen Wu
Gold - Madison Marsh Silver - Matthew Corran Bronze - Enya Dalby
Year 8 French:
Year 10 JHW Spanish
Gold - Sebastian Richmond Silver - Caspar Jennings Bronze - Henry Jones
Gold - Holly Hall Silver - Jamie Price Bronze - Oliver Brennan
Year 9 French:
Year 11 French:
Gold - Han Khoo Silver - Bonnie Lau Bronze - George Ayre
Gold - Meghan Doran Silver - Jimmy Sergi Bronze - Lucy Cuthbertson
Many students had been using the website, Memrise, on a weekly basis before lockdown to practise and consolidate vocabulary introduced in class or listed on the GCSE specification.
Year 9 Spanish:
Year 11 DRH Spanish:
Gold - Bonnie Lau Silver - Han Khoo Bronze - Debra Abraham
Gold - Callum Byers Silver - Meghan Doran Bronze - Varun Singh
Some students took this to a whole new level once remote learning started and congratulations to the students below for achieving one of the top three all-time scores in their group!
Year 10 French:
Year 11 JHW Spanish
Gold - Jonathan Stam Silver - Charlotte Dowell Bronze - Alex Parkinson
Gold - Tasmin Lee Silver - Mary Cotton Bronze - Ellie Price
Memrise
For those students who are not yet a keen ‘Memriser’, please do engage with this useful resource, as there is a strong correlation between regular use of Memrise and excellent examination results.
Prep Spanish Club
Linguistic Olympiad Competition Congratulations to the students below, who achieved excellent results in the Intermediate UK Linguistics Olympiad competition this year: Gold: Izza Majeed, Ted Ford, Sophie McGrath Silver: Katie Sergi, Matthew Diaz-Rainey, Theo Haralambous
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Our Prep Spanish Club enjoyed a successful first term from January until lockdown with children from Years 5 and 6 visiting Seniors every Tuesday after school to learn vocabulary by completing workbooks with drawing, colouring and writing exercises alongside games and singing with Miss Hamblett and Mr Turner. Unfortunately ‘la cuarentena’ brought their fun to an abrupt end, but we hope to resume with a Modern Languages Club for Prep next year.
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Re l i g i o u s E d u c a t i o n By Ms Grey, Head of Religious Education
The crisis has been a steep learning curve for the Religious Education department and we have, like everyone else, moved online much of the time. We have been teaching and learning via Firefly, emails, Zoom and even phone calls. Year 7 still managed to explore Judaism and Christianity, Year 8 managed to complete their investigations into Hinduism and Buddhism and Year 9 are well acquainted with the beliefs and practices of Islam and further Christianity. GCSE and A level groups have got everything they need to hit the ground running in September and we are really looking forward to teaching them face to face!
Izza, under the guidance of Ms. Grey and Miss Smith. We arrived eagerly, excited to hear what topics we would debating. The first debate was about the legalisation of drugs, followed by a debate about setting a minimum percentage of media having to come from the local area. Our three teams each came up with unique ideas to tackle these subjects. At the end of the day, the final results were announced. David and Jimmy were able to finish in first place on the day, while Isabella and Matthew also managed to qualify for the final round! Our finalists are now preparing for finals day in March, thoroughly excited to being given the opportunity to go to Oxford University, and debate schools from across the country and the world.
Our usual trips to places of worship were unfortunately cancelled but will be up and running again next year, as will Debating Club, where we hope to replicate our fantastic success this year. We made it to the finals of the Oxford Schools' Debating competition, which was cancelled at the very last minute. Although this was most frustrating, it does mean that our two teams will forever remain unbeaten finalists!
In February six students from Years 10-13 went to Manchester Grammar to take part in the North West round of the Oxford Schools debating competition. By Jimmy Sergi, Year 11 Student. The competition, run by Oxford University Union, allows school students to learn British parliamentary style debating, the format of typical university debating. Our three teams, comprised of Jimmy, David, Isabella, Matthew, Archie and
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Science
Hydration Of T he Nation – Why T he Alteration? By Mrs Tharme, Teacher of Chemistry and Co-Curricular Co-ordinator
Following their success at the regional final in July 2019 for UK Young Scientists of the Year. Our team of Scientists were ready to compete at the National Finals in March 2020 to present their investigation into the chemistry and health issues associated with carbonated drinks and caffeine-based beverages, compared to water. This project looked at the choices made by members of the public to achieve the recommended two litres of water intake a day. Carbonated drinks and caffeinated beverages are very popular, but both have health risks. The students asked, “Wouldn’t we do better if we just drank water?”
to be held during the National Big Bang Science Fair, was only days away when it was cancelled in March 2020. What a shame. Working with these students has been a pleasure. They have made the mentor role, for Mr Hayward, Mrs Tharme and Mr Britton, an absolute pleasure. Mr Lindberg and the Science department staff are very proud of the work and the resultant project. All nine students have attained the Gold Crest Award for their work and we wish these scientists every success in the future.
Some of the key findings of their investigation relate to the notion of aspartame not being the problem-free solution it is made out to be. They looked at the health risks associated with colourings and alternatives and also the problems with caffeine dependence and the decaffeination process. Having enjoyed a successful day of judging at the regional final in July 2019, the team developed their project to be ready for the big event. The UK Young Scientists of the Year,
Astrophysics By Mr Mathew, Teacher of Physics
In November, Upper Sixth students visited Liverpool John Moores University to explore the field of Astrophysics.
Back row left to right: Kevin Wu, Rohan Shenoy, Shivank Sharma, Alex Herod, Will Blessing Front row left to right: Ed Oulton, John Nguyen, Chris Kenchington, Cahan O’Driscoll
Our students used the opportunity to ask questions about the subject, and through their experiences on the day, gained a flavour of university life as well. They represented the School very well during the day, and we hope to visit again next year.
The session was led by Dr Andrew Newsham, researcher and lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University. Dr Newsham covered the fundamentals of the field and the latest developments in telescope technology. In preparation for the visit, students had access to the imaging software of the Liverpool Telescope, with which they took field images of celestial objects such as the Moon. Dr Newsham also discussed his own progression in astrophysics, along with the current challenges and opportunities in the field, which was well received. 58
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Biology By Mr Armstrong, Head of Biology
The 2019-20 academic year started well with a fieldwork trip to the rocky shores of Anglesey for the Upper Sixth, something we have done for a few years now. It is a full day of practical ecology, where students start off by appreciating that there is more than one type of seaweed and that the different species are quite picky about where they live on the shore. Biology students competed in three Olympiad competitions this year. In the prestigious Biology Olympiad, we achieved
our highest number of Golds ever, along with Silver and Bronze awards. The Intermediate Biology Olympiad for the Lower Sixth and the Biology Challenge for Years 9 and 10 were taken during lockdown and again the students collected a number of awards at each level. Unfortunately, our other trips and fieldwork outings fell victim to the circumstances imposed from the pandemic, and we look forward to catching those up in the coming academic year. Finally, we want to wish Mrs Brooks our very best as she has her baby and enjoys maternity leave, and we look forward to her return in due course.
Chemistry By Mrs Tharme, Teacher of Chemistry and Co-Curricular Co-ordinator
We have, once again, competed in Regional and National competitions for Chemistry this year.
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Young Analyst competition in March
Top of the Bench in November
Lower Sixth students Samarth Kumar, Archie Parker-Goff and Rohan Singhal finished runners-up in the 30-team competition held at Liverpool University in March. As part of the competition the team had to determine the molecular formulae of the acids present in some common drinks, using techniques such as volumetric analysis, visible spectrophotometry and IR spectroscopy.
Four students, two from Year 9 and one from Years 10 and 11, finished runners-up in the Chester and Wirral section of the Top of the Bench competition. The team members were George Ayre, Max Hendry, Connor McCausland and Cameron Walker. They had to design a poster commemorating 150 years of the Periodic Table, plan and carry out a practical method to separate a mixture of five solids and sit individual test papers. Congratulations go to George and Connor who won the individual Year 9 and 11 awards respectively.
The UK Chemistry Olympiad: February 2020 Sixth Form students achieved success in the UK Chemistry Olympiad held in February 2020. The competition is the leading chemistry competition for students in secondary education. We were delighted with our team’s performance that saw Cahan O’Driscoll being placed in the top 3% of candidates, Rohan Shenoy and Will Blessing achieving Gold awards and Toby Brown achieving a Silver award. w w w. b i r k e n h e a d s c h o o l . c o . u k
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The new strength and conditioning gym
Sport By Mr Keith Fowles, Director of Sport
I want to start by thanking you all for welcoming me into your community, I have been made to feel at home from the moment I joined the school. Students, parents and colleagues have gone above and beyond, helping me hit the ground running. Colleagues have been amazing, helping me understand current systems and start to adapt things as we look to move forward. I am excited by the passion of staff in the Prep and Senior schools, the efforts they make to provide our students with a great programme that offers an opportunity for all, but also regularly provides the chance to compete locally, regionally and nationally. The school has invested in our infrastructure, committing to improving our communication. We are in the process of moving to the SOCS sports management and communication platform and recently installed a new strength and conditioning facility. It provides the ability to improve a student’s health and wellbeing, through to helping a studentathlete who aspire to play at the highest professional level. We really are lucky to now have the best school functional movement facility around, I look forward to bringing you more news on the facility and helping all students to benefit from it. Our rugby teams have truly impressed me this year, Mr Lytollis told me we are a school that regularly punch above our weight. I have now seen this first had from our boys, competing on one of the best circuits in the north and against much bigger schools, we have been very successful. Our boys are hardworking, determined young men who give their all for their friends and school. Our 1st XV and
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U14 teams had challenging years but stayed the course and have developed individually and collectively as a result. Our U15 group was again very successful, if we can keep these boys engaged and enjoying their rugby the 1st team will be competitive and hopefully successful in the coming few years. Our U12 and U13 groups have shown great potential, both groups had slow start but developed throughout the year and enjoyed massive success when they found their feet. They both enjoyed pleasing wins against local and nationally rated opposition. It would not be right to not mention the Covid-19 pandemic and the effect it has had on us all. It has been a truly challenging time with many people experiencing hardship and loss. I have been inspired by the monumental efforts of all involved at the school, adapting, working hard and overcoming so many challenges. The loss of our cricket season was a big blow to so many students, parents and staff. The School has a national reputation for the games, the cancellation of our cricket tour and a national cup run for one of our most talented 1st XI for many years cannot be underestimated. Of course, these decisions were all for the right reasons and had to be made. I am still truly saddened not to have enjoyed epic winning performances, hosting the 1st XI cricket festival and a fun rewarding end to so many senior students time at their school. Our student body has impressed me so much, committed students who are hardworking, resilient, talented and passionate about their school. I have heard it said many times, but we do really punch above our weight. I am looking forward to building on the relationships I have built so far, helping every member of our community to enjoy their time and involvement in school sport.
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Rugby 1st XV By Mr Hendry
After losing so many players from last year’s squad, this season was always going to involve a period of rebuilding. With another six players unavailable for the first match, against last year’s leavers, School performed admirably in defeat, losing 27-45 to the Old Birkonians. Henry Wild scored a hat-trick for School and deservedly was awarded the tankard for the outstanding moment in the match for his superb second try. With only a small squad any injuries or unavailability would undoubtedly hit us hard and so, with ten players not available for the following week, seven Year 11 students made their debuts for the School 1st XV and acquitted themselves with great aplomb as we went down 12-36 away to Newcastle-Under-Lyme. Despite some set-backs, training continued to be well attended and individuals were improving all the time. Each match brought passages of superb rugby but we just couldn’t maintain this for 70 minutes, against some stronger, bigger teams. Our first victory came in mid-November with a well-deserved and hard fought win away at AKS in Blackpool. This was backed-up the following week with the performance of the season in beating Rydal 44-14. We were away and on a roll! However, it was not to last and it wasn’t until our final match of the season, in February, that we gained our third victory, over Rishworth School 22-14. We did get to play in three sevens competitions before the premature end to the season but only managed one win.
Always keen to learn and improve, this set of players will enjoy greater success next season. Mention must go to captain, George McCann, who gave his all in every match and was excellent at encouraging the youngsters to have a go and enjoy their rugby. On the playing front, along with George, Isaac Hardisty and Jack Breheny were the heartbeat of the team. They were ably supported by Ben Keating, who never gave less than 100%, Seb Botes and Ollie Last. In all, 30 players represented the 1st XV, Jack Breheny made the most appearences, only missing one out of fifteen matches, and Isaac Hardisty was top scorer with 10 tries. I hope many of our leaving Upper Sixth boys will continue their rugby at university or club level once rugby restarts, and those boys returning to school next September should be able to go into the new season, whenever that maybe, fit and full of confidence.
AWARDS Captain’s Cup – George McCann Players’ Player of the Year – Isaac Hardisty Young Player of the Year – Jack Grundy Most Improved Player – Ben Keating Half Colours – Henry Bevan, David Jones, Ben Keating, Caelan Phillips, David Turner, Oliver Last, Seb Botes, Ted Ford, Jack Taylor & Harry Walker Full Colours – Jack Breheny, Toby Brown, Elliott Cotton, Isaac Hardisty, Ed Oulton & Henry Wild Full Colours Re-Awarded – George McCann
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Hockey
Girls' Hockey The girls’ sports season got off to a strong start with a resounding 27-5 victory in the OBs game.
By Miss Noakes
Boys’ Hockey The 1st team have had another fantastic year, progressing to the North West finals for the second time in two seasons with some excellent hockey matches played. We are saying goodbye to some very committed Upper Sixth boys, who have progressed massively over the years and whose talent and attitude will be sorely missed. The 2nd team have progressed really well and I'm looking forward to seeing numerous players stepping up into the 1st team squad. The U16s/U15s have had a tough year with the small numbers that we have in both year groups. It has though, been a great development year, with huge improvement in results and performances within the second half of the season. The U14s have had a great season, only losing a couple of games before Christmas. We secured a place at the North West finals for the first season in a long time, demonstrating the depth of talent that we have coming up through the School. This U14 squad was boosted by a very promising U13 squad and shows the potential we will have for next season. It has been a very enjoyable year with a lot of positives to take from it. I look forward to seeing what we can achieve next season.
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The Hockey season began with our top girls team taking to the pitch, and after little training with it being early on in the season they produced a 3-0 win over Rydal Penrhos. They demonstrated great cohesion for a mixture of age groups that hadn’t played together before and considering the team are mainly Year 11 and Lower Sixth, the future looks bright for the 1st XI. They dominated their season winning all games but one, including a thumping 7-1 win over Merchant Taylors’ and were looking forward to taking on their toughest rivals King’s, Chester to complete a solid season but as we know everyone’s season was unfortunately cut short. The U16s played mainly in cup competitions this season and although did not progress past the semi-finals, had some notable victories including a 4-0 win over Wilmslow High school. The U14/15 team exhibited a strong line up with several county and club players and a young international in the form of Rebecca Hennesey. And like their senior counterparts enjoyed a 3-1 win over Rydal in their first game of the season. Several more victories over local schools saw us well prepared for the end of season county tournaments which were ultimately cancelled. The U12 and U13 teams (or as I affectionately like to call them ‘my hockey army’) week on week would turn out in their droves to training In all weather. They have had an abundance of games this season, the U13s winning 4, drawing 3 and losing 2, which after losing all of their games last year is definitely progress! They too were due to play in their end of season National Schools Tournament with a very high chance of progressing to the next stage before everything came to a standstill. The U12s for whom hockey is a relatively new sport, put on some excellent displays, but had to adjust to a high number of players coming in and out of the squad to allow everyone to play. They won 2, drew 2 and lost 3. A number of the current squad play at club level which again shows real promise for the future. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, they also had their end of season tournament cancelled as a result of Covid-19.
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Netball By Mrs Jones The netball season got off to an excellent start with the Senior team beating the OBs in their annual match 27-5 and Most Valued Player going to Lower Sixth student Catherine Molloy.
year. An excellent achievement and the first time one of our senior teams has reached this stage. With only two Upper Sixth students in the team we are hoping for this to continue next year. The Regional Final, took place at Wright Robinson Sports Centre with the top teams in the
This success then continued into a busy fixture-filled September. The U15 team, captained by Scarlett Walters, had their first Sisters in Sport Cup game, travelling away to AKS Lytham and comfortably winning 58-14 to open a very promising season. This month they also played Queen's Chester in the Independent Schools Cup in a close-fought game and coming out victors to win 32-28. Our first block home fixture early in September was against Liverpool College, again resulting in a win for the U15 team (35-5) and a convincing win for the U12 team (also 35-5!) who were already showing signs of great potential and exceptional netball talent. Only narrow loses for the U13 and U14 teams, who would both continue to build on this for the remainder of the season. The U12 team, captained by Eve Sewell, faced a very tough team from The Grange School in their Sisters in Sport Cup competition, but showed resilience and a high level of skill and this would prove to be the only game they lost in 2019! The U13 team had a difficult start to the season, with challenging cup games against Sedburgh and Alderley Edge, however the determination, team work and good spirit they showed in these games was sure to lead onto a more successful season. September’s final block fixture was at home versus Rydal – a fabulous morning of netball, with 40 girls taking part with many U12 B team players stepping up to the challenge. Four convincing wins for the U12, U13, U14 and U15 made for a good Saturday morning and rounded off a great start to the season. A quieter October, with half term, saw the U13 team coming together and their hard work and commitment to training was starting to pay off with a 28-17 Cup win against AKS Lytham. The 1st VII were winners against St. Mary’s College 27-13. November saw the Merseyside Round of the National Schools Netball Tournament. The U19 and U14 competitions both saw an exceptionally high level of netball, with the best schools in the county coming together with the aim of reaching the Regional Finals. The U14 netball team (MVP Daisy Scott) proved exceptionally unlucky on the day. They played some superb netball, losing only one match throughout the competition. However, an unfortunate draw and 5 wins meant we were relying on results from other matches to go our way and we very narrowly missed out on qualification by goal difference. The U19 team (MVP Lucy Mayers), captained by Esme Brennan stepped up their netball and played some very good games, beating Merchant Taylors, St. Mary’s and Range to finish Runners Up in Merseyside. This meant they progressed through to the Regional Finals which would take place later in the
North-West competing to reach National Finals. With only 2 teams from each region going through it was always going to be tough and we did superbly well to finish in the top 10 in the North-West of England. Congratulations to Year 10 student Emily Taylor who made her senior team netball debut. November also saw the U12 Netball girls travel to Scarisbrick Hall – we took an A, B and C to for a Tuesday afternoon fixture, with 30 girls from Year 7 representing the school. For some, this was the first time they had played in a competitive match. A great afternoon and 3 wins! Well done to all girls who played in this fixture and also to the commitment Year 7 girls have shown to netball this year with over 30 girls regularly attending training. The senior team, feeling confident after their National Schools success won both the 1st VII and 2nd VII matches against Rydal. A more difficult year for the U16 netball team, with some challenging cup games and fewer fixtures, but good wins against St. Mary’s College and Weatherhead and exceptionally well done to the U16 players who have stepped up to represent the senior teams this year. In December we welcomed Manchester Thunder player Ashleigh Neil, to deliver a netball masterclass to both prep students and the U14/U15 netball squads. A brilliant session, giving our girls lots to think about, which we
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couldn’t wait to put into action. Also this month, the end of year Annual Staff v Sixth form netball match took place. A close game… with a variety of skill levels evident from both teams (but definite determination to win!) saw the staff team victorious 14-13, coming back in the final quarter. A home fixture against Abbeygate College saw 2019 draw to a close with impressive wins for the U12 and U13 teams. With the season nearing to an end, the majority of netball after Christmas was tournament netball, which we had been working hard towards all season. The Wirral Schools Championships proved very successful for our teams. The U13, U14 and U15 teams showed the depth of netball talent we have at Birkenhead and all only lost one match to come RunnersUp in Wirral. MVPs going to Isabella Lorne (Year 9), Nicole Dowell (Year 10) and for the U13 team the whole team, superbly led by captain Scarlett Quinn, was awarded MVP for their improvement made throughout the season.
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The U12 team, who were undefeated since September were very unlucky not to finish runners-up, losing only one game, drawing one and winning 3, to finish 3rd in Wirral on goal difference. The U13 team unfortunately were unable to go onto their Merseyside Final, due to it taking place in late March and therefore being cancelled, however the U14, U15, U16 and U18 competed in their tournament. We were only one of 2 schools in the whole of Merseyside who had all 4 teams qualify to take part – this in itself is an outstanding achievement and we look to build on the netball success we had this year in future seasons. The U14 team were our team of the day…. Some great netball, excellent team work and well fought matches saw the team, led by talented captain Darcy Jenkins, lose only one match to become Merseyside Netball Runners Up. A great way to end the season. Well done to all the girls who have represented the school this year.
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Lacrosse By Ms Walsh
The lacrosse season made an exciting start with a strong victory in the OBs game, which saw the new senior team win 10-3. Grace Carroll showed potential and promise for the season ahead and was named this year’s player of the game. The senior team were shaken early in the season, losing their new captain Ellie Simpson to injury, however they showed a promising start. At the Moreton Hall start of season tournament Birkenhead had strong wins against Sherborne and Stowe, they lost narrowly to lacrosse powerhouses Berkhamsted and drew with both Withington and Moreton 2nds.
competition organisers used last year’s results, placing us in division 2 for the morning group games with the possibility of afternoon knock outs. This was disappointing for us as we knew this year we could have placed higher, but nonetheless the girls got down to business. The girls performed well in their group stages, placing second overall. They reached the quarterfinals, where they were unfortunately knocked out. It was particularly cruel to not progress to the semis after not losing, but drawing, with earlier goal difference seeing the other team progress. Our MVP of the tournament was captain, Ellie Simpson.
Shortly after, the U13s began their season in a similar tournament where they placed 4th overall and had a great win against local lacrosse rivals Queen’s. U19 North Schools Championships came quickly and with the senior captain still injured the girls had a tough challenge ahead, but they performed well with strong wins throughout the day, a couple a well fought draws and a narrow loss against champions Moreton. This girls showed great promise for the season ahead. All the teams continued with good games, getting wins or draws against Queen’s, Shrewsbury and Bolton and performing well against stronger sides like Moreton. Most exciting was our U12s who were showing huge potential and becoming an exciting prospect, beating Bolton 7-3. Other notable successes included an outstanding 14-0 win for our U15s against Queen’s, who went on to place 3rd in their Northern School Championships, whilst the U13s, after a number of unlucky draws, placed 4th in theirs.
The team at the National Schools Championship
The lacrosse season ending prematurely, due to Covid-19, but it did end on the highest of highs with our U12s team being crowned U12 Northern Champions! The team was unbeaten all day and were truly outstanding, with top goal scorer Eve Sewell netting over 20 girls and U12 captain, Sofia Grundy performing exceptionally well all day. Congratulations to those girls!
The annual National School Championships was a little different this year, when after making the long journey down to Aldershot, the team woke to the news that Saturday's play had been cancelled because of waterlogged pitches. The team made the most of the situation and enjoyed a training session, cinema trip and evening meal together, before getting an early night. With no Saturday group matches the
Birkenhead School individual lacrosse achievements 2019/2020 COUNTY U13 Eve Sewell Ruby Wilcox Tabi Oakden Kate Baker Sofia Grundy Eva Spooner Farrah Smales
REGIONAL/SUPER COUNTY U14 REGIONAL ACADEMY Isabella Lorne
U15 Scarlett Walters Anastacia Grundy Holly Hall
U17 REGIONAL ACADEMY Lucy Andrews
U18 Lucy Andrews Lucy Mayers
U15 REGIONAL ACADEMY Scarlett Walters Anastacia Grundy Holly Hall
U19 SUPER COUNTY Lucy Andrews Lucy Mayers
NATIONAL ACADEMY U19 Camilla Azurdia Ellie Simpson Lucy Mayers
INTERNATIONAL U19 ENGLAND Ellie Simpson Lucy Mayers
Lacrosse has once again seen a number of girls receiving representative honours this year, with a number of girls selected for Cheshire across the age groups, players selected for North West and girls being accepted into the England Regional and National Academies. Seniors Ellie Simpson and Lucy Mayers were also selected for the U19 Home Internationals England A squad, the tournament was unfortunately cancelled, but huge congratulations to both those girls on their outstanding achievement.
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Football
and I wish them well. Particular thanks to Max and Noah who have been squad stalwarts over the last 3 seasons.
By Mr Lindberg The senior football group was larger this year, making it easier for us to put fixtures in place. Despite the season coming to a premature end, we managed to play eight matches, against other schools’ 2nd and 3rd XIs, winning seven and drawing one. The squad was ably led by captain Max Hall, who provided strength and tactical acumen in either his centre midfield or central defensive roles. With outstanding performer, Luca Infante, marshalling the back four, ably assisted by regulars Louis Mason, Jacob Toolan, Rohan Shenoy, Paulo Infante, Chris Rowland (equally effective at centre-half or in goal) and goalkeeper Seb Morgan, we were defensively secure. Will Delaney and Zaydan Khan provided balance and work rate down the flanks, whilst Shazeb Pahsa and Matthew Devitt supplied guile in midfield, along with Alex Herod and Will Lawrence (when available). Sammy Kumar and Noah Lawrenson dovetailed nicely upfront, with Noah’s close control and skill opening up space for Sammy to exploit with his pace. The season highlight was a dramatic, injury time 2:1 victory versus QEGS Blackburn 2nd XI, in which Will Delaney scored from just inside his own half after robbing an over-adventurous opposition goalkeeper. This was perfectly sweet as it followed a 25 minute period of sustained QEGS pressure, after they had replaced most of their 2nd XI with first team players.
U13 Football For the first time, we entered a team in the U13 Independent Schools’ Cup competition. After just five training sessions, a squad was assembled and we were able to organise a fixture against King’s Chester U13s. Unusually, they proved to be weak opposition and a 10:0 victory didn’t really provide adequate preparation for the tougher fixture to follow against Grange Hartford. The loss of midfield dynamo Charlie McKee, through a broken arm, plus two other absentees, left us short in that area. Nevertheless, the game was very even and a fine strike from star forward Kareem Ahmed gave us an early lead. A speculative cross from the right drifted in to the top corner, giving our opponents a fortunate equaliser and a psychological boost. When captain Finn Eymond fell ill during the early part of the second half, we lost our shape and Grange assumed greater control of the midfield. A heroic display by goalkeeper Samson Bannon kept us in the game and we continued to look a threat on the break. In fact, only the width of the post prevented a Kareem dribble and shot taking the game in to extra time. However, despite a great team effort, the 2:1 result was a fair reflection of the overall match. The students were disappointed but hopefully enjoyed their experience. Hopefully they will be able to enter more football cup competitions in the future.
Our other memorable moments include: Sammy Kumar scoring all 4 goals in our 4:0 win over a physical Oswestry 2nd XI, a fine team goal (involving superb interplay between Alex Herod, Shazeb Pasha and Noah Lawrenson) to secure a victory over King’s 3rd XI, an excellent turn and strike by Harvey Forster, with his first touch in his debut game, against Ellesmere 2nd XI and Will Lawrence’s late equaliser versus Merchant Taylors 2nd XI; making effective use of the notorious Hall Road gale force wind with his free kick strike from half way. A number of the students now move on to pastures new
1st XI Cricket By Mr Lindberg With the bulk of last year's successful squad still available, an experienced captain in Toby Brown, and some promising younger students giving us additional depth, it was a season Mr Walker and I were very much looking forward to. In addition, there was a tour planned to Grenada/ St. Lucia in July (replacing the proposed Sri Lankan trip), which would follow on from the usual four-school festival that we were scheduled to host this time (having won all 3 games last season). Sadly, as events conspired against
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us, the season consisted of only a few late winter/early spring indoor practice sessions. It is a great shame that this team never got to compete and our frustration was further compounded by the two months of unbroken sunshine and warm weather that comprised the early part of the summer term. The square, professionally prepared by Carl and Trevor from the Estates Team, remained unused. A number of the students had looked forward to their Senior Cricket tour for several years and I am disappointed that they won't get that memorable experience. As well as the Upper Sixth students, some of our talented Year 11 cricketers leave us this year. It is not the way any of us would have liked their cricket at school to finish but I hope they continue to enjoy the game at college, university, and beyond.
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Orienteering in Seniors
British Orienteering Young Leaders Award
By Mrs Barnes
Cheshire and Merseyside Senior Schools Orienteering League After five competitions, Birkenhead School A team placed 4th overall and the B team placed 11th out of 18 school teams. This is an excellent result given that last year we only had one team, which placed 10th. In the individual category Aden Husseyn (the team Captain) won the bronze medal for Year 12, Isla Barnes won gold for Year 9 and Storm Woodward won silver for Year 7. Simon Lawrence (Lower Sixth), Jacob Williams (Year 9) and Willow Ellis-Jones (Year 7) all came 4th in their age groups and so just missed out on the Bronze medals. We hope they won’t miss out next season! 12 students took part in the full league.
Score Orienteering 11 students attended a Manchester league score orienteering competition for the first time at Sale Water Park. This was an individual competition. Our best performance was by Cahan O’Driscoll who came 7th out of 62 competitors. Mr Turner also put in a strong performance, placing 24th!
This year, four senior orienteerers helped to set up and run a lunchtime orienteering club for Prep. This allowed the seniors to work towards the British Orienteering Young Leaders Award. Cahan O’Driscoll, Simon Lawrence and Aden Husseyn have now achieved this award.
Orienteering in Prep The weekly Prep Orienteering Club began in January and was regularly attended by 20 Year 6 students. Ten year 6 students took part in the primary schools orienteering practice competition at Speke Hall in January. Everyone manged to complete the white course without missing any checkpoints. Rufus Murray and Jacob Smith came joint 2nd out of 48 competitors. Fifteen prep students attended the Cheshire and Merseyside Primary School Championships at Formby in February. Thirty-six primary schools students from 5 different schools took part in this event. Birkenhead won the overall competition. In the individual competition medals were won by Olivia Parfect (Gold – 1st girl plus overall winner), Angelica Noopuri (Silver) and Jacob Smith (Bronze).
British Score Championships After practising their score orienteering skills at Sale, a team of 10 students represented Birkenhead at the British Schools Score Orienteering Championships at Heaton Park, Manchester. Forty-nine schools from all over Britain attended this national event. All students performed very well at what was an intimidating national competition. This year we did not win any team prizes but in the individual competition Isla Barnes won the bronze medal for Year 9 girls. Next season we hope to attend both the National Score Championships and the National Orienteering Championships (which the Birkenhead team won in 2018).
NORTH WEST ORIENTEERING COLOUR STANDARD AWARDS These awards recognise the progression of orienteers through increasingly difficult courses. Light Green – Aden Husseyn and Isla Barnes Orange – Henry Christian and Jacob Williams Yellow – Emily Pownall, Anna Leuf-Nicholls, Sebastian Richmond, Storm Woodward, Willow Ellis-Jones, Conrad Baker & Murray Cowan
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Individual Highlights content has been submitted by the students and parents Camilla Azurdia Lower Sixth student, Camilla Azurdia, is another leading player in our girls’ Lacrosse programme and has played for the first team since Year 8, when she attended the National Championships and helped the team qualify for the Championship division. During her time at Birkenhead she has been presented with half-colours.. Camilla was a standout candidate for the position of first team Lacrosse captain and we are looking forward to her taking up the role of captain during 2020/21. At Club level Camilla has been playing for a number of years for Oxton and is on the ladies’ first team. In 2016, she was selected for the England Regional Talent Pathway Academy and regularly takes part in residential training weekends throughout the UK. Camilla is a member of England’s U19 National Academy Squad. Well done Camilla and we are looking forward to you leading the Lacrosse teams to great success in 2020/21.
Lucy Mayers Lucy has continued to improve and push on to even greater success in Lacrosse during her final year at School. Lucy is an example of a true Birkonian and is a credit to her family and the School community. Lucy fully commits to all academic and co-curricular challenges and continually strives to be her best and looks to help others around her.
A select team from the North of England was invited to play in an Ireland Competition against American Teams, with three fixtures. Lucy captained the team and was once again awarded MVP in the first game. We wish Lucy every success as she leaves the School and we look forward to continuing to hear about her accomplishments on the field.
During 2019/20 she was a leading player in the Northern Schools and National tournaments for the School. At Club level Lucy played for the Oxton U19s and Oxton Ladies’ Senior Team with both teams top of their respective leagues and was due to play in the UK Finals, with the winners playing in the European Final, before the season had to end early. Lucy was awarded the ‘Most Improved Player’ for the U19s team. At County Level, Lucy was Captain of the Cheshire Lacrosse Team that played in the ‘Super Counties’ and she was awarded MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the tournament. Lucy was also invited to play for the North East of England and was named captain of the team after a series of high tempo and well-structured training and selection events. At National Level, Lucy has been the England Number 1 goalkeeper and was the only keeper selected to play in the Home Internationals in 2019 which they subsequently won. Lucy represented the North Region by being the only player selected from the Northern Region Teams. Lucy was selected once again in 2020 with England looking to retain the trophy.
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Ellie Simpson Ellie has had a great 2019 Lacrosse Season playing at School, Club and National levels alongside studying for her final year of A Levels.
We would like to thank Ellie for being the Lacrosse Sports Captain for the past two years and for her commitment to School lacrosse and for her assistance and support to Miss Walsh (coach) during her time at Birkenhead.
At School level, Ellie has been the School First Team Captain for the past two years and captained the School in the National Schools’ Finals at Farnborough in 2019. Ellie was awarded Players’ Player of the Year this year. At Club level, Ellie captained the U18 Oxton team in the Junior North Girls’ League and the team remained undefeated for the season. She has been a member of the Senior Women’s Team and took part in the 2019 National Championship Final and was due to compete again in the National Finals in May 2020 before the season ended. Ellie’s contribution to the Club was recognised by being awarded Club Honours for the 2019/20 season. At National level, Ellie played for England in the U19 Lacrosse World Cup Festival in Canada in August 2019, where they won bronze, and was selected for the 2020 Home Internationals which were due to take place in April 2020.
Darcy Jenkins Darcy has been playing Netball for the last five years, first at School, then at Chester Netball Club. This year, Darcy was selected to take part in the Manchester Thunder Trials, a big achievement being an U14 at an U15 selection day and just before the season ended, Darcy found out that she had been successful in being selected as a Thunder Targeted athlete – one of only five players in Cheshire. During the year, Darcy was selected to represent Cheshire in a series of matches against the Australian Wanderers, with Cheshire being victorious in all games, and subsequently toured Guernsey where she took part in a series of matches. Darcy’s contribution to the winning performances was recognised by her being awarded ‘Player of the Tournament’. Well done Darcy.
Emily Taylor Emily is an impressive athlete who has gone from strength to strength since joining the School this year. Emily plays for Chester Netball Club and was selected as part of their team to represent the club at the U16 regional tournament. Through impressive performances, Emily was selected to play for Cheshire Netball U15s and went on to successfully trial for North Wales U17s Development Squad following a period of injury. In March, Emily trialled for Manchester Thunder and secured a place on the U15 team. Well done Emily!
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Daisy Scott Daisy has made a big impact in a short time since joining us in September, during which time she been fully involved with our girls’ focus sports. Netball is Daisy’s passion and she plays for Chester Netball Club. During the 2019/20 season Daisy was selected to represent the Cheshire U14 Netball team which saw her compete against international touring teams from Switzerland and Australia. Daisy toured Guernsey with Cheshire Academy during February half-term, which was a fantastic experience and saw her play in some challenging and exciting games. Here’s to a great 2020/21 season.
Ayman Ahmed Ayman has had a busy 2019/20 Rugby season which has seen him experience success both collectively and individually. At team level, Ayman has been a key player in the School’s U15 team which has had another good season following a run of successful years, during which they only tasted defeat a handful of times. Outside of School, Ayman has been a member of the Caldy U15 team who progressed through to the semi-final of the Cheshire Cup before the tournament had to be abandoned, and he was selected for the Cheshire U15 squad which saw him play in fixtures against Lancashire and Warwickshire. Ayman found out towards the end of the season that he has been selected for the Sale Development Group, along with 50 other boys from across the North West, who will train together next season at the Sale Academy on a weekly basis. It was disappointing that the season was cut prematurely short, but Ayman is hoping for another successful year next year when the rugby restarts.
George McCann George has been the 1st XV Rugby Captain for this year and led from the front. He has been a standout player in his year during his time at the School and was nominated by the School to trial for England Lambs in the Michaelmas term, for which he was successful. George trained with the Northern Lambs for a number of weeks, allowing him to adapt with the Lambs unique style of play. The high standard of coaching at the Lambs allowed George and his team mates to develop their own personal skills as well as playing together as a unit. He played with the Central Lambs and went on to achieve success with the team. George found the experience beneficial as he was able to develop his rugby skills further and would urge any Lower Sixth, or future rugby players at the School, to seize the opportunity to play for a prestigious establishment such as the Lambs.
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Isaac Hardisty Isaac is a standout Rugby player for the School who has been selected as 1st team captain for the 2020/21 academic year. Isaac has been involved with playing at county level for Cheshire since he first joined the U15 squad and has played at hooker and open side flanker for them. As well as county rugby, Isaac has been involved with Sale Sharks DPP group which has seen him train at their Carrington training ground and his involvement at this top level, and in a performance environment, has seen Isaac further develop as a rugby player. He played against Saracens, Bristol Bears, Harlequins and Bath for Sale Shark’s U16 squad last year and took part in two games this season as hooker against Northampton Saints and Yorkshire before the lockdown prevented any more fixtures. During lockdown, Isaac has continued to train and Sale Sharks has sent through weekly fitness programmes in anticipation of a return to play. Isaac is looking forward to a successful final year as the first team Rugby Captain and we’re looking forward to seeing what the year brings for Isaac, the first team, and seeing him go onto achieve further success with Sale Sharks.
Rebecca Hennessy Rebecca is a talented all-around athlete and is committed to all of the focus sports at the School. Rebecca has been identified as an exceptional talent in Hockey for some time and has been selected to join the Performance Centre at Brooklands on the England Hockey Pathway, following a successful year with the UK Lions. Rebecca’s selection for the England Hockey Pathways sees her benefit from regular coaching from England coaches and Rebecca has played in several tournaments which could see her have the opportunity to take part in the Futures Cup – a weekend tournament during which players can be chosen for the National Age Group for England. Unfortunately, training had to be halted for this year, but we are excited to see what 2020/21 will bring Rebecca and wish her every success in her qualification for the NAGS group.
Millie Gidman Millie swims with the Wirral Metro Performance Squad and Hoylake Swimming Club, where she has been voted Girls’ Captain for 2020/21. In 2019/20, Millie competed in the Cheshire County Championships and won a total of 13 medals, the Junior and Senior Butterfly Cheshire Championship trophy and the Silver plaque for top Cheshire girl. Millie was nominated for the Swim Northwest Youth Achievement which she won and was invited to the National Awards Ceremony in Birmingham. Millie competed at the Regional Championships in Manchester and qualified for the English National Finals, where she took part in the 50M Butterfly and 400M Individual Medley and was placed 4th and 6th nationally. Mille had once again qualified for the English Nationals which were due to take place in Summer 2020 and which unfortunately had to be cancelled. Overall, this has been a remarkable year for Millie and we hope 2020/21 is set to be another successful year, and we wish Millie every success.
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Psycholog y By Miss Hadley, Head of Psychology
In October, Upper Sixth Psychology and Biology students took part in another, much anticipated ‘Brain Day’ led by Neuroscientist Dr Guy Sutton.
of connectedness, if the pandemic has affected men and women equally and how Covid-19 could make things worse for those with obsessive-type conditions.
As the Honorary Consultant Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham Medical School, he provided amazing insight into the role of our brains in shaping behaviour.
In previous years, students have enjoyed conferences on Science and Psychology and a visit to the Sigmund Freud Museum. Although we have been unable to do so this year, we hope to be offering students the opportunity to attend a Criminology Conference and a range of workshops on Primate Behaviour at Chester Zoo next year.
To enrich the Biopsychology content of the A Level, students were invited to witness the dissection of a sheep’s brain, with the core structures and similarities to the human brain explained throughout. They learned how drugs and social media affect the brain and the benefits of musical education on brain development. To support their work on Forensic Psychology, Dr Sutton explained the role of the brain in crime, leading to a discussion about the complexities of the nature-nurture debate when applied to legal case studies. The new year brought a global health pandemic and unprecedented changes to our social world. Students took the opportunity to apply their psychological knowledge and explore the impact of ‘lockdown’ on human behaviour. Areas they considered included the psychology of panic buying and hoarding behaviour, whether this is a new age
Business & Economics Mr Rule, Head of Business & Economics
This year the Business and Economics department has been busier than ever. We have taught more Lower Sixth students than ever before, with a full teaching set of economists and two sets required for Business. The Upper Sixth had many students applying for Business and Economics related university courses and Degree Apprenticeships. Global trade wars, Brexit and the financial implications of the Coronavirus are making now, more than ever, a time to be studying these forward-thinking subjects. As A Level subjects only, we were incredibly disappointed when the government removed the opportunity for our students to shine under exam conditions this year. However,
with a very well-resourced departmental section on Firefly, we have been well positioned to continue teaching students remotely. Necessity is the mother of invention and since 'lock down' Mrs Fountain and I have launched departmental 'blogs' for both Business and Economics, as well as having regular contact with our students via forums and Zoom. Some of our Economics Oxbridge and Russell Group applicants have recently taken part in an online Treasury competition, ‘Economic Horizons’, where students were asked to deliver a presentation on the state of the economy and policies to meet governmental objectives. No easy task at this time! I’m pleased to announce that, in competition with some of the finest HMC Schools in the North-West of England, our team came second. Well done to Matthew DiazRainey, Archie Parker-Goff, Andrew Rutherford and David Turner for their excellent work. Students are also being asked to write entries for the annual IEA Dorian Fisher essay competition and a number have taken part in the departmental monthly book club. To date, we have read and discussed 'Predictably Irrational' by Dan Airely and 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell. We have our fingers crossed for a more normal year ahead, but are very confident that those studying our A Levels are well positioned to take on whatever may come.
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A (far from ordinary) Year in the Sixth Form
By Ms Smeaton, Head of Sixth Form
The academic year 2019-20 started much like any other… In early September, and bathed in glorious sunshine, the School played host to the annual Old Birkonian Weekend. A range of events took place and the weekend was brought to a close with the first Choral Evensong of the new year, sung by the Chapel Choir. In the same month, we opened the doors of Bushell Hall to our first guest speaker of the year as part of the Nicholls Lecture Series. A Justice of the Supreme Court provided us with an insight into his fascinating career, as well as his unwavering commitment to defending the defenceless and the disadvantaged. Lectures over the following weeks were similarly inspiring, and it was especially heart-warming to welcome back so many Old Birkonians, keen to share with our current sixth formers their own personal stories. The start of term also saw the introduction of the core Futures programme, in which students took courses in critical thinking, presentation, interview and research skills. Designed to prepare students for Higher Education and the world of work, the Futures programme is part of our ongoing commitment to offering sixth formers the very best advice and guidance. Each area of Birkenhead Futures is overseen by a specialist member of the Sixth Form team, offering students valuable opportunities to develop their wider reading and research skills, as well as providing them with interview practice and tailored preparation for the various tests required for certain courses. In June, we held a Futures Day to aid our students to begin the process of preparing for life after Birkenhead School. It comprised of Zoom sessions led by the Futures Team and was a beneficial day for all involved. Once again, we ran our personal development programme, delivered by a local company with experience of working with leadership teams both nationally and internationally. Students took part in a range of interactive and engaging sessions which will stand them in good stead for the future and which will continue into next year.
A particular highlight of Michaelmas Term was, of course, the Festival of Music, organised by our Director of Music, Philip Robinson. Whether it was a lunch time recital or an a capella workshop, an evening of jazz organised entirely by a current Lower Sixth former or a gala concert, what struck me most was not only the considerable talent we have in our School, but the willingness of your sons and daughters to give so freely of their time to support and lead such events. I think it’s fair to say that December was a busy month. ‘A Ghost Story for Christmas,’ was held for the first time, an evening of student readings attended by internationally acclaimed horror author, Ramsey Campbell. This was swiftly followed by the return of the Inter-House Drama Competition, again run by Sixth Form students. Then, of course, there was the Christmas Concert – another significant event in the School calendar. In February, two teams of students from Years 11 to Upper Sixth took part in the Oxford Schools Debating Competition, both securing places in the final round. Unfortunately, a much anticipated visit to the University of Oxford to compete against schools on an international platform has had to be postponed; one of many opportunities denied to our students by the current situation. At this point, worthy of mention is the School’s production of Les Misérables, rehearsals for which came to an abrupt end just before the Government’s announcement that schools were to close. Having spent many hours with such talented and dedicated cast and crew members, it was with heavy hearts that Mrs Pankhurst, Mr Robinson and I walked out of Bushell Hall on that Sunday morning. Whilst we remain in uncertain times, I know that the School will do all it can to ensure that next academic year we are still able to see what promised to be an extremely moving, powerful and accomplished production. Of course, it was also with more than a tinge of sadness that we bade an untimely farewell to our Upper Sixth students. For some, it marked a relationship with Birkenhead School that
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A (far from ordinary) Year in the Sixth Form has spanned fifteen years. For others, a mere two. And yet, as I wrote in my letter to them, were time to permit, I would have something heart-warming to say about each and every one of them. I would thank them for all that they have brought to our School during their time with us. For, regardless of the duration, your sons and daughters have all contributed in their own unique way and I hope that, as they look back on their time here, it is with a sense of pride and fondness. For my part, I shall remember them as an immensely kind, caring and generous-spirited group of young men and women. We need look no further than their response to the situation in which we find ourselves for evidence of that. Whether they have been supporting the local community by delivering food parcels, making visors or simply by keeping
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in touch with one another, they have shown those qualities in abundance that make me so proud to have been their Head of Year. I am confident that they have made life-long friendships, created wonderful and unforgettable memories, and that they have exciting new opportunities and challenges to embrace in the future. As I bring this to a close, and reflect on what has been a rather extraordinary year, I would like to thank every member of the Sixth Form community: students, parents and colleagues. Whilst it wouldn’t have been the year we had anticipated, or imagined, it has brought us closer together in many ways and I look forward to celebrating the many successes and achievements with you and your families when time allows.
The Nicholls Lecture Series provides Sixth Form students with thought-provoking lectures on a broad range of topics to introduce them to ideas, interests and experiences beyond the academic curriculum. This year we were delighted to welcome a broad range of speakers that included the following speakers to the School:
Andrew Brodbelt
Chris Boardman
Dr Chris Evans
Dr Jaclyn Bell
Dr Natalie Kenny
Jonathan Quinn
Lord Wilson
Philippa Glover
Otto Dawes
Professor Steve Rannard
Chris Martin
Callum McDougall
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O p e n i n g u p t o t h e Wo r l d o f Wo r k By Ms Keegan, Futures Co-ordinator and Alumni Officer
Birkenhead School runs a range of careers activities throughout the year, to inspire and encourage students to consider their future choices. Events have previously included specialist conferences in the fields of Healthcare; Engineering, Design and Technology and Media and Arts. This year we have held both a general Careers Fair, plus a Finance and Law Conference. At the Careers Fair in October, students and parents filled Bushell Hall to come and talk to the many gathered professionals who had travelled to the School to offer advice and guidance.
A wide range of careers were represented offering students the chance to explore opportunities and find out about different future pathways beyond their education. All Senior students, and their parents, were invited to attend the evening to chat informally to the assembled experts. Many students, from Year 7 to Upper Sixth, took advantage of the occasion to gain an insight into the working world and start thinking about their own futures. Some older students who are now thinking about their next steps were able to make helpful contacts to follow up with work experience, guidance with job or university applications and interview practice.
O’Malley and Melanie Walters spoke about dentistry, and healthcare workers promoted their varied fields, including Diabetes Dietician Julia Collier, George Lock from the Allied Services team, and Vascular Surgeon Leith Williams. The Armed Forces were well represented with the Navy, Army and RAF all attending. Law careers guidance came from Carpenters Law, DWF Law and Brabners, and financial services from Quilter Cheviot, Griffiths and Armour, Steven Barber from Bridging Finance Solutions and Will Roberts from Rathbones Plc and Chair of the Old Birkonian Society. Several higher education providers were also on hand to offer information on potential courses following A levels, including Manchester Metropolitan University, Edge Hill University, Liverpool John Moores University, Manchester Film School, LIPA, SAE Liverpool, and advice on apprenticeships was given by the Liverpool City Region Apprenticeship Hub. Alongside the informal fair, there was also a series of advice workshops held in the Sixth Form Centre. Topics included ‘The Importance of Networking’, which was delivered by Josh Stirrett and Andrew Maxwell from the Old Birkonian Society Council, who discussed the benefits of utilising contacts to access work experience and advance career prospects. Maria Williams, from Wirral based company B & M Waste Services, delivered a talk on ‘What Employers Want’, debunking myths about what students think are priorities on job applications, and highlighting that employers often prefer well-rounded candidates who show a passion for the job, rather than exam results. Internal Futures Team Apprenticeships Advisor, Lisa Fountain, spoke about the growing opportunities in the apprenticeships and degree apprenticeship fields; and Andrew Moore from Manchester Metropolitan University gave information and advice on student finance and the ways to access funds to pay for university.
There was also high attendance for Finance and Law Careers Conference held in February. Many industries were catered for at the event highlighting the wide range of careers that students could follow. Sean Marley, director at Mad As Birds Films, was present, as was OB James Smethurst from digital marketing company The Social Desk. Engineering careers was covered by Airbus and EA Technology, and Unilever were also there to talk about the range of options in their worldwide company. Adrian
The large numbers of Birkenhead School students, their parents, plus students from local schools across the region, indicates the popularity of the fields of both finance and law to young people. The conference began with a presentation to the audience from OB Nik White, Managing Partner at Brabners in Liverpool who are ranked top in the Legal 500 table of North
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West law firms. Nik joined Brabners as a trainee solicitor in 1995, spent six years on the management board before becoming partner in 2018. He gave a frank talk to the students about how law is hard work and you must enjoy what you do to be able to cope with the pressures of the job. Following on was James O’Neil, OB class of 2016 and 2019 Durham Law Graduate. He will begin as a Trainee Solicitor at Travers Smith LLP in London in September this year and spoke about the importance of making contacts and taking advantage of as many opportunities as possible. From the field of finance, Victoria Walker, Assistant Investment Manager on the charity team at Rathbones in Liverpool, spoke about how to get recruited into a company such as Rathbones, and how apprenticeships are becoming more popular. Finally to speak was OB Hamish Robertson, who is a Fundamental Equity Investor with Janus Henderson Investors based in London. Hamish spoke about all the different kinds of personalities that can work together as part of a team, so there is a place for everyone. While he was visiting, Hamish also spent some time with our Upper Sixth Economics students to discuss financial
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economics in the macro-economy, clarifying how investment banks work and how they interact with central banks. Thank you to Hamish for sharing his expertise. In addition, there were professionals offering advice from a number of high profile companies, including Exchange Chambers, Weightmans LLP, 29 Bedford Row Chambers, St John’s Building’s Chambers, Jonathan Goodwin Solicitor’s, DWF, Camalax Corporate Finance, Deepbridge Capital, Langtons, Bridging Finance Solutions, St James’ Place Wealth Management, Quilter Cheviot and Handelsbanken. Advice was also available from education providers including the University of Liverpool, Wirral Metropolitan College, the University of Chester and the University of Law. We are incredibly grateful to all of those who attended our events to offer advice to the students, in particular to the many parents and Old Birkonians who offered their time and expertise to help young people to understand and discover the best paths to follow, and offer them helpful insights. We would also like to thank the students and parents who supported the activities and hope that they found it useful. Remember, the Futures Team is always on hand if you would like to follow up on any of the conversations that took place, or if you would like to explore more career options.
Pete Pennington Stethoscope Donation Each year, students who are going on to study Medicine at university are presented with engraved stethoscopes courtesy of Old Birkonian, Peter Pennington and family. In September 2019, two of the students, going on to study Medicine, Hannah and Safiya, were presented with their own stethoscopes from Mr Vicars. This is a lovely tradition and another example of the great support provided by the School's alumni.
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Last Day for Upper Sixth This year, was a very different last day for our Upper Sixth students as the Government announced that the country was going into lockdown due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. We would like to thank Reeve Taylor for capturing the Upper Sixth’s last day and extend a special thanks to him for his photography support throughout the year.
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Fa r e w e l l t o o u r U p p e r S i x t h Mr Armstrong
Mrs Vicars
Dear U6PGA, you have been such a delight to work with! We speak in school about being adaptable to changing circumstances, but the events of this 2020 have required you to be the most resilient group to date. I want to say that I have greatly appreciated being the one to say ‘Good morning!’ to you. Each of you possesses a uniqueness that I would urge you to hold onto as the world outside tries to press you into its mould. Jack Hodgson, you will be remembered as the budding scriptwriter and director; just mention the words ‘House Play’ and you immediately unveil a few rolled up A4 pages that you’ve been working on behind the scenes. No doubt, you have the potential and accompanying personality to make it big in the industry… probably earning enough money to afford a chauffeur! Speaking of stage management, the team had better include Kevin Wu, or the performance will fall like a house of cards. Kevin, you are always willing to contribute where you are most needed, even if it doesn’t involve the limelight and this is a rare quality in modern society. You are a man of few words, and yet your opinion is always sought and listened to. Then there’s our leading lady – Lucy Mayers! A shining example of what it means to get the most out of School life, I am so proud of you for all you have achieved already. You are great company and certainly among the most thoughtful and kind-hearted young women I know. It has been lovely to watch you as an effective motivator, strong role model and fish feeder! Finally, Elliot Norcott, a top-rate young man with a level-headed perspective on life that is refreshing and spreads common sense to the world. I am sure that whatever you get involved with in life, if you put your best into it, you are sure to impress people. To all of you, I wish my very best for the future and look forward to hearing where life takes you. Please keep in touch and God bless.
New to the Sixth Form tutor team I was lucky to gain a confident, eloquent group of Upper Sixth formers. With their broad range of interests and responsibilities they were able to steer the incoming year group with both knowledge and care. Esme as prefect and through her love of Drama and Sport was a fantastic role model to her peers and those in younger years. Always passionate in her views Molly’s spirit and keen sense of fairness is missed as much as her willingness to volunteer to help others, even if it took her out of her comfort zone. Christopher’s wry sense of humour always brought light relief to the morning routine, his “one liners” continuing well in to remote learning. In the form room he was ably supported by Ben, a man of few words but who speaks volumes through his art and when on the stage. Amy was the quiet warrior of the group, who would say little but had a steely determination to achieve her goals. George is a man who embraced his Captain of Rugby role within School with assuredness but has a side he doesn’t always let many see, spending hours volunteering to help others and working to feed families at the height of the crisis with bravery and humility. Finally Noah, who despite the numerous challenges he faced this year managed to stay focused on his end goal, realising where he passion lay and determining his own path. I wish them well on the journey that lies ahead and commend them for their mature approach to the extraordinary circumstances that saw such an unusual finish to their Birkenhead School education.
Mrs Margerison It has been a pleasure to be Form Tutor to such a super group of Upper Sixth students this year; Madi, Jack, Shivank, Max, Heather and Jack. In making the long trek up to Art each day from the safety of the Sixth Form Centre they have exposed themselves to the perils of creating house play props, Christmas decorations and impromptu money raising clay teddies for Children in Need. All done with genuine good humour and generosity which says much about them as a group and as individuals (Competitive Flag Kahoots aside!). I am so sad we did not have the opportunity for the normal end of year fun and send off, and look forward to a future occasion to celebrate their many achievements at Birkenhead School. Good Luck Class of 2020.
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Mrs Parry-Jones A very fond farewell to Mairead, Caitlin, Ellie, John, Alex and John. It has been such a pleasure to have you in my form the past two years and it is a very quiet place here in my lab first thing in the morning. Fond memories of wondering whether Mairead would get up enough car speed to make it to registration on time and whether Caitlin would have overtaken her on the way! To then join Ellie in an animated and joyous huddle of chatter before the start of the day. John always a little bleary eyed first thing but ready to get stuck into another book, such an avid reader. Alex bright eyed and bushy tailed going over his lines for the next drama production. It has been very special for me to follow both your academic and pastoral progress for the past seven years as we all started senior school at the same time. I know you will have got so much out of your time here, just as I have. A wonderful place to be a student and teacher. Thank you for your company and for sharing a small part of your lives with me.
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Mrs Fountain Becoming a form tutor this year was something I was really looking forward to doing. Having only three Upper Sixth students in the form this year and losing Mr Britton as their Form Tutor probably made things feel very different for Rohan, Chris and Austin. However, they coped well with the transition to having me in charge. Rohan was dependable, hardworking and had a great sense of humour, muttering a dry comment in response to something said in form period. Austin who can be described as the ‘whirlwind’ of the form group, sometimes arriving slightly late but always the main contributor to all of our class discussions. Chris had a great determination to get the A Level grades he needed and a real passion for his chosen course. I will miss the three of them, checking-in via a Form Forum and Zoom form periods are no replacement for the time spent in Form Period every day. All three of them will go to do amazing things after school and I wish them success in their careers but more importantly the happiest of lives.
Mrs Holgate It would have been hard to imagine Adam and Miles as sixth formers when I first met these tiny four-yearolds in Mrs Porter's Pre-Prep class alongside my own three-year-old daughter back in 2006. However, you have both matured into very effective senior prefects, who have certainly made your mark at Birkenhead School. You have all been strong characters, who gelled well as a unit and I am wondering if formtime will ever be the same without Miles' repartee or Reeve’s dry sense of humour ... and daily chat about car engines! I will remember Toby as the driving force behind our House drama in which many of you participated - these impressive contributions will certainly leave a gaping hole. I will also miss JJ’s polite cooperation and quiet determination simply to get on with the main task in hand of completing your A-level courses to the very best of your ability. You are a talented group of young men and I am sure you will all go far and enjoy success in exciting careers. I am missing you all already, despite the weekly checkins, and I wish you all the very best for a happy and fulfilling future.
Mr Hill 6GRH bids a sorrowful farewell this year to Will Lawrence, Cahan O'Driscoll, Ed Tilleard and Max Varey. Will is to sport, what polymaths are to Science. Like the Pin-ball wizard in the famous song by 'The Who', 'he must have played 'em all' during a long career at Birkenhead School. He has distinguished himself in many ways in the sporting arena and hopes to study Sports Management at university. O'Driscoll, scientist extraordinaire and the Prince of Orienteers, is heading for a career in engineering. He has already begun to read for the first year course. I have greatly appreciated his ironic, yet courteous sense of humour. Ed Tilleard has battled through a difficult final year with admirable courage and resilience in the face of adversity. How he misses his Rugby and Cricket. Ed is heading for a military career. They say that the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton, or did they mean McAllester Field? Roll over James Dyson, roll over Clive Sinclair, here comes Max Varey. Another young man to watch as he heads off to University to studying engineering. A second generation Birkonian, his cheerful and affable presence will be missed by all of us and the hockey field not be the same without him.
Mr Bell It has been a pleasure over the last two years to get to know and spend time with the sixth form students in my form. These fine men included Alex, David, Dylan and Joe. I had the delight of not only spending form time with Dylan and Joe but also teaching them A level ICT, so it was a good job that we had a lot of fun along the way and shared a common passion, namely supporting the mighty Liverpool. It was great to see them develop their computing skills and for Joe to have already been accepted onto an apprenticeship scheme. Quiet, knowledgeable and a gifted musician David has put a lot time and energy into musical activities within the school. Alex has shown himself to be very creative and has been active throughout his time in school with various different drama productions. The form time will not be the same without you and I wish you well in the next chapter of your lives. We look forward to seeing you again in the near future.
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Haven’t T hey Grown Each year, the Upper Sixth share their baby photos at their Leavers’ assembly, to many laughs and smiles. As lockdown prevented this years Upper Sixth having an opportunity to share them during the assembly, a number of them asked if there was still an opportunity for them to be shared – and hopefully some laughs and smiles too!
AMY
ADAM
CAHAN
DIONNE
CAITLIN
ED
JACK
KEVIN
ELLIE
LUCY
ESME
MADI
GEORGE
MAIREAD
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HEATHER
JOHN
MAX
ROHAN
WILL
BEN
DAVID
JJ VALENCE
NOAH
TOBY
AUSTIN
CHRIS
JACK
MOLLY
TOBY
ALEX
CHRIS
JACK
MILES
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A L e v e l Re s u l t s 2 0 2 0 For many and obvious reasons outside of the School’s control, there has not been a celebratory mood surrounding A Level results this year. The pandemic, with us since February, and resulting in the cancellation of public exams, has robbed Upper Sixth Leavers nationally of this ‘rite of passage’, with uncertainty further exacerbated by news regarding Scottish Highers, and late changes bringing mock results into the appeals process. This anxiety made it even more important to see and talk to our Leavers in person, socially distanced, on Results Day, and to calmly navigate together through the results process, potential appeals, and confirming next steps in further education or the world of work. We remain exceptionally proud of our cohort of 2020 Leavers, who have handled the disruption of the last few months with maturity and resilience and who have continued to drive their learning and wider skills development through the School’s extensive remote learning programme. They now become Old Birkonians, and join the global OB network, which plays such a pivotal role in both supporting recent leavers and assisting their old School to thrive. Quoting exam grade statistics can be flawed during the most ‘normal’ of academic years, but especially so this year following the Government’s U-turn announcement on the
17th August that students’ final grades would be the higher of their Centre Assessed Grades and the algorithm’s calculated grades. So our pride this year is even more focused than usual on the achievements of each individual, the journeys they have travelled, obstacles overcome and the doors that these results now open to an exciting future. The leaving cohort of students have contributed a rich variety of academic, sporting and creative talents to the community, and will now enter courses as diverse as Law, Filmmaking, Physiotherapy and Civil Engineering: over threequarters will be attending their university of first choice. Four students achieved A*s in all their exams, of whom two go on to study Biochemistry and Medicine at Oxford. In all, a third of students achieved all A* and A grades across all their subjects and now leave to take up places at universities such as Bath, Bristol, Imperial and Warwick. The Futures Team, who continue to organise and host industry specific conferences for students across the Wirral, have also guided a number of students to achieve prestigious local and national apprenticeships this year, amongst them, a great opportunity at the BBC. We would like to wish them all the greatest success and happiness as they move on to their next chapter and we look forward to welcoming them back to the School at future events.
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G C S E Re s u l t s 2 0 2 0 After the uncertainty and last-minute changes that have characterised the 2020 exam season, it was a relief to all associated with this year’s Year 11, that Results Day dawned and we were able to welcome the year group back on site to collect their results. Like the collection of A Level results a week previously, it was important to see the students and their families once again, and congratulate them all on their achievements at the end of their much disrupted GCSE journey. In a year when grades have been awarded on the basis of the higher of the Centre Assessed Grade and that awarded by the algorithm, the appropriate focus should once again be on the individuals, not collective statistics. We are proud of each and every one of our students, and are delighted that the results reflect the academic strength of the cohort: twenty students out of a cohort of seventy-three achieved grades 7 to 9 in all their exams, a reflection of their attitude to learning, and the diligence and commitment of both them and their teachers over the last two years. The results also reflect the importance of balance in the lives of our students,
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with top academic grades sitting alongside outstanding contributions outside of the classroom, for instance regional and national music and debating recognition and representative sporting honours. The majority of Year 11 now move into the School’s Sixth Form, where they will be joined by a number of richly talented students arriving from elsewhere on Wirral and Cheshire. The majority of Sixth Formers will study four A levels, within a curriculum that provides and develops independence and looks to guide and inspire students towards the next stage in their lives. Core modules in Critical Thinking, Interview, Presentation and Research Skills, alongside increasing engagement with the Old Birkonian network prepare students for university and the world of work, guided by the Futures Team established to provide bespoke advice to each of our students. The Sixth Form is a significant area of growth at Birkenhead School, with extensive means tested bursaries available to talented students with a positive attitude and an open mindset.
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Staf f Leaver s Ian Allister It is hard for me to come to terms with the fact that Mr Allister is retiring: It seems, very much in the sentiment of the present times, unreal. Ian has upheld the Classics standard at Birkenhead School unassumingly and unswervingly through many facets of education, various departmental relocations, through times of prosperity as well as in challenging times. His gentle approach to teaching, and his care for his students has shined over the years, as generations of Old and current Birkonians speak of him with fondness, looking back at Mr Allister’s lessons, meticulous in approach, yet underpinned with great laconic sense of humour. A wonderful colleague, hugely supportive, a critical thinker, thorough in his preparation for lessons, enthusiastic about learning and teaching alike, and vastly knowledgeable in anything and everything Classical. It has been a huge honour to have worked alongside Ian, I have enjoyed his company, appreciated his encouragement and patience, and valued his honest care for his students and staff. I will miss him enormously, and wish him a long deserved retirement. I hope he keeps in touch, whether it may be from the long distant lands of Peru or the proximity of Oxton. Thank you, Ian!
I would like to pay special tribute to one particular member of staff, Ian Allister, who is retiring after 39 years – yes, Ian started teaching here on the 1st September 1981. One of the great joys in life is the sheer diversity of people that we work with. We may not always appreciate the diversity of viewpoints or personalities on every occasion, but I have always greatly respected those who are rarely inclined to be the loudest or the first voice, who sit and absorb prior to making an incisive remark, and Ian certainly sits in this category. He is Birkenhead School through and through, Classics Teacher, more latterly, Exams Officer, entirely reliable, utterly dedicated and someone who has had a lasting impact on so many generations of Birkonians. I mentioned in one of my communications the genuine affection and emotion expressed when an OB saw Mr Allister for the first time in almost 3 decades when the OB returned as a Nicholls Lecture Speaker this year. Truly emotional, and a reminder of the positive impact and responsibility dedicated staff can have. Ian is not one for fanfare, but thank you Ian, and we look forward to marking your many years of selfless service in appropriate fashion when we’re allowed to do so. By Mr Vicars
By Mrs Washington
Emma Howard
Sue Par r y The end of Michaelmas Term was tinged with sadness for the Little School team in Prep as they bid a fond farewell to Miss Parry.
This year we have said goodbye to Emma Howard, Head of Psychology and Teacher of English. Emma joined the School, alongside Mrs Ballantyne, in September 2015 and she will be sorely missed by colleagues and pupils alike. Emma’s classroom door was always open for her students – a welcoming, safe haven where she would often be found listening and offering gentle advice or support. As Head of Psychology, her impeccable organisation and thorough preparation enabled her students to fulfil their potential. Also a dedicated Form Tutor, Emma’s unfailing kindness and empathy towards her tutees was exceptional. In her original role as teacher of English, Emma was a thoroughly committed, thoughtful and organised colleague. She was a true team player and supported the department and the students in so many ways. Emma’s motto was displayed on her door for all to read as they entered her classroom; it seems all the more pertinent given the current climate of uncertainty in which we now find ourselves in: ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about’.
Since 2014 Miss Parry has been a great asset to the Little School department, helping to develop music teaching throughout the age range, being the musical director of concerts and starting up our very own Infant choir. Miss Parry started life here at school as a Year 2 teacher. She had a lovely, calm and caring nature and nurtured many little minds whilst here at School. She then went on to teach in Reception, her area of expertise, which she helped to develop in a number of ways. She ended her time at School in Year 1 and it was with a heavy heart that she left at Christmas to accept a new job, closer to home. By Ms Harris
By Mrs Ballantyne
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Staf f Leaver s
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Pat Dale
We are all sad to say goodbye to Mrs Dale this September as she leaves for retirement. She has been a real asset to the school and has supported numerous children over the 10+ years she has been with us. It has been a pleasure to work with her
Alexandra Sadlers & Sophie Griffiths
and I have learned a great deal from her expertise. She has developed wonderful relationships with the children she taught supporting them with their work and boosting their self-esteem. She will be greatly missed by both the children and the teaching staff. On their behalf and mine, I'd like to wish her all the best for her retirement. I know she will enjoy having more time to spend with her grandchildren. By Mrs Pye
Glenys Morgan-Hayes After 12 years of teaching extracurricular Ballet Lessons in Prep, Glenys Morgan-Hayes has decided to retire. Faith Johnson, Head Girl in Prep and former pupil of Miss Morgan-Hayes, remembers her fondly and has written a special thank you below. Miss Morgan-Hayes will be a hard act to follow. Her calm, caring and enthusiastic approach has endeared her to us all. We shall miss her very much and we wish her every happiness in her retirement.
The end of the Summer Term was greeted with some sadness as both Miss Sadlers and Miss Griffiths announced they were leaving school to pursue and develop their teaching careers at other schools in Year 1 and Reception respectively. They have both played important roles in the development and restructuring of Pre-Prep since it became all year round provision nearly 4 years ago. Miss Sadlers' enthusiasm and love of reading saw her develop the delivery of phonics and reading within Pre-Prep. Miss Griffiths brought a sense of creativity and fun to her role, leading an art club and developing writing in the Early Years curriculum. Miss Sadlers was filled with boundless energy and enthusiasm, which will be missed by both staff and children. She developed instant relationships with the children in Pre-Prep and they looked to her as a role model. Miss Griffiths brought a sense of compassion and kindness and developed extremely good relationships, helping to make Pre-Prep a caring and loving environment for the children. They will both be greatly missed. By Mr Davies, Pre-Prep
“Thank you for all the years you have taught ballet and dance at Birkenhead School. You have been patient and kind and have made so many students happy. We always knew how much you cared and how hard you worked to prepare us for our exams. You put on extra lessons and sent CDs and DVDs home to help us. You are a brilliant ballerina and you taught us so well. You are such a lovely teacher always making sure we were ok and giving us little presents. You will be missed very much and have left us with very happy memories. You deserve a very happy retirement. Enjoy it and keep dancing!” By Faith Johnson, Year 6
Nicky Gwynn Nicky Gwynn leaves after 9 years of running optional extra Speech and Drama lessons in Prep. She took small groups of children who would prepare pieces for festivals and for the LAMDA Speech and Drama exams. I know the children loved her classes and, every now and then, they would present their prepared pieces in assembly. The development of their skills and confidence was clear to see and they were highly successful in their LAMDA exams. We will all miss Nicky’s smiling face, enthusiasm and passion for her subject and we wish her the very best for the future. By Mr FitzHerbert
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S i x t h Fo r m L e a v e r s - Class of 2020 -
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S i x t h Fo r m L e a v e r s - Class of 2020 -
Leavers 2020 Mairead Anderson, Madeleine (Madi) Arthur, William Blessing, Jack Breheny, Esme Brennan, Toby Brown, Amy Bryers, David Coyne, Austin Dalby, Adam Durband, Ben Goodwin, Max Hall, Alexander Herod, Jack Hodgson, Joseph Inglis, Christopher Kenchington, William Lawrence, Noah Lawrenson, Dionne Lee, Lucy Mayers, George McCann, Toby Meisner, Miles Morton, Elliot Norcott, John Nguyen, Cahan O’Driscoll, Edward Oulton, Jack Price, Molly Rogerson-Bevan, Christopher Rowlands, Dylan Sandhu, Shivank Sharma, Rohan Shenoy, Eleanor (Ellie) Simpson, Reeve Taylor, Edward Tilleard, Heather Tran, JJ Vallance-Owen, Max Varey, Caitlin Watson, Alexander Wilkinson, Kevin Wu. 86
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T H E OLD BI RKON IAN SOCIETY
O L D B I R KO N I A N S O C I E T Y B U L L E T I N the Hoblyn Cup was held at Caldy Golf Club. Zach Smith emerged victorious in the main competition. Continuing with sport, the OBS Rugby Club annual fixture against Birkenhead Park RUFC took place on the 28th December with the hosts edging out the OBS in an entertaining game, 33 - 31. In November, the London Dinner was held on-board HMS Belfast under the gaze of Tower Bridge. The event was a tremendous success attended by seventy OBs and their partners. Meanwhile, the biannual Liverpool lunches and the Bazaar continue to thrive. In May this year, the OB Council made history by holding the first ever virtual meeting over Zoom. As a result, we had the best attendance for years! Part of the meeting was given over to a discussion with the Headmaster and three of the School Governors as to how the Society can provide Access Scholarships going forward. As a result, details are being finalised for Sixth Form Access Scholarships which the OBS will be funding in part. I have enjoyed working with the Headmaster and Governors to ensure that we, as a Society, are able to help individuals join the School community.
Chairman’s Report 2019 My second year as Chairman began with an enjoyable AGM at the School as part of the Old Birkonian Society weekend in September 2019. Two new Council members were appointed, namely John Williams and Phil Adams, to replace Tom Harrison and Jim McGrath. My thanks to the latter two for their service over the years. Those present then enjoyed a splendid lunch in the Sixth Form Centre. This was followed in the evening by an equally excellent three-course dinner in the Dining Room during which the Headmaster provided a detailed update on life at the School. In terms of the weekend’s sporting fixtures, the School won the Hockey and Netball fixtures in the morning. In the afternoon, a further victory was notched up by the School in Lacrosse but the OBS prevailed in the Rugby. Later in the month, the Society hosted the inaugural under25s drinks event at the Courtyard in Oxton village which was attended by around 45 people. This allowed OBs to catch up with each other as well as with Mr Roden, Mr Edmunds, Mr McGrath, the Headmaster and Carol Keegan. Because the Walker Cup was being played at Royal Liverpool
I had high hopes that the development of the Society was going to continue apace into 2020 but these were dashed early on by the spread of Covid-19 leading to the UK lockdown in late March. I would like to offer my condolences to any families who have lost loved ones due to the virus. My thanks go to all key workers and frontline NHS staff who have worked tirelessly and selflessly on our behalf. Mr Vicars, Mr FitzHerbert and all the staff at the School are to be congratulated for all the support that they have provided to current pupils during these extraordinary times and in particular for putting arrangements in place that allowed some year groups to return to school for half the summer term. Unfortunately, as a result of the virus, we have already seen several OBS events cancelled or postponed this year. The Tanners wine tasting event, OB weekend, Euro 2020 drinks, under 25s OB drinks and the London dinner have all fallen victim to the current crisis. As things stand, the Hoblyn Trophy remains in the diary for the 25th September at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. The current pandemic is truly the test of our time and while it can be easy to focus on the negatives that are constantly being beamed into our homes twenty four hours a day, I think it is also important to reflect on the positives that have come from this crisis. One of the main developments is
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Chairman’s Report 2019 continued how communities across the country and indeed the world have come together again. People have reconnected with neighbours and individuals are working hard to make sure everyone in society is supported. People have learnt to think of others again and not just of themselves or their immediate families. That cannot be a bad thing. Helping others is one of the key takeaway lessons from this period in our history and the VE Day celebrations in the early-May sunshine helped to reinforce this spirit. Long may this continue. I think we all now appreciate what we had before this crisis and perhaps took for granted. Never again! The sense of community spirit is very much alive at Birkenhead School and within the alumni network; I hope that this has been strengthened further in the face of adversity. I hope too that this extends out beyond the boundaries of our tight knit community as we all seek to play our part in repairing the damage that the crisis has inflicted upon our society. The School continues to work closely with local charities such as Wirral Foodbank, the Hive and Claire House so please do consider helping. There is a lot we can all do to help others who are not in as fortunate a position as ourselves. It is always a sobering thought that even in the 21st Century there are still a huge number of people who rely on the generosity and kindness of others. Please contact the School for more details. In the context of education, vast swathes of school leavers and graduates have had their worlds turned upside down at a point when they were gearing up to sit the most important exams of their lives or looking to embark on their chosen career. I cannot imagine how that must feel and yet across the country the number of people who have had to adapt quickly to the change in circumstances is staggering.
To those at the start of their careers, I would say reach out to the OBS for advice. I would remind all recent leavers that you automatically became a member of the Society upon leaving the School so please do make the most of it. If you do not know where to begin please do not hesitate to contact Carol Keegan or myself through the OB website. To those established in their careers, please help others. We can all respond to random email requests for a chat about a certain sector and we can post job vacancies on social media. To those that come upon hard times, reconnect with your contacts. An informal chat over Zoom or, not too long from now, a meeting over an al fresco coffee goes a long way. OBs can assist younger alumni through the Futures Department headed up by Carol Keegan. I am certain any offers of help would be hugely appreciated. Now more than ever we all need to work together as a community and harness the spirit and energy that I know exist within the OBS and Birkenhead School. Finally, for their support and help to me at all times during this period of transition for the Society I offer my sincere thanks to my wonderful fellow Council members, the Society’s President Mike Burrell, the Archives department and other voluntary leaders of our Group activities. My thanks also go to Carol Keegan and the Headmaster who have been hugely supportive of what we are trying to achieve. Both are working with the Society to ensure that it benefits all OBs as well as current pupils who will one day become members of our very special Society. Hopefully, we are through the worst of this crisis but in the meantime please stay safe. I wish you and your families all the very best. Will Roberts (1982-1996), Chairman of the Old Birkonian Society
Old Birkonian Society Council Members 2019-2020 President: Michael Burrell Chairman: Will Roberts Secretary: Andrew Maxwell Treasurer: Trevor Mathew-Jones Members: Phil Adams, Daniel Ellis, Kirsten Stewart, Josh Stirrett, Jennifer Taylor, John Williams
The Old Birkonian Society Bulletin is produced by the Old Birkonian Society. 88
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In Memoriam We offer our condolences to the families and friends of Old Birkonians of whose passing we have been informed during the past twelve months. Name B E Jones
Years at School (1949-57)
Passed 2019
Name R E Pickering
Years at School (1942-48)
Passed 2019
D Hoblyn
(1940-48)
2019
J G Horton
(2001-08)
2019
D J Nicholls, Baron (1943-49) Nicholls of Birkenhead
2019
D L Bishop
(1946-52)
2019
T P Williams
(1945-53)
2019
R S Clarkson
(1944-50)
2019
G MacAulay
(1948-53)
2019
J S Walton
(1980-87)
2020
R D Gilchrist
(1944-51)
2019
R Taylor
(1958-64)
2020
D Whittaker
(1941-48)
2019
W Shiplee
(1956-62)
2020
A Owen
(1939-46)
2019
G H Fletcher
(1937-43)
2020
J Lockhart
(staff)
2019
S L Cross
(1980-87)
2020
C Turner
(1970-77)
2019
W P Twidale
(1979-86)
2020
D Conway
(1951-58)
2020
Obituary: Goodbye Miss Lockhart Former pupils of Birkenhead Preparatory School will be sorry to hear of the death of Joan Lockhart, who taught at the School from 1951 until 1995. Joan passed away on 11th November 2019, aged 89. A Memorial Service was held in Birkenhead School Chapel and was well attended by friends, former colleagues and former pupils. The account below is taken from The Birkonian Magazine 1994-95, written by Jeremy Eyre, who looks back over Joan’s 44 years of service. Jeremy was former Deputy Head of Prep 1981-94, who also sadly passed away in 2018. Our first meeting with Joan Lockhart was at a Prep Open Day, some years ago, when we were struck by her common-sense, unruffled approach to the matter of progress at school – being top isn’t essential for everybody! I came to know her better when I joined the staff of the Prep the following year, where one of the very first things that we shared that year was a visit to Liverpool Museum to see the important Egyptology section, on which the boys of these forms were doing projects. In making this kind of impact she was joined by her colleague, Pat Housby, another very effective teacher, who left the Prep only a few years ago to live in Spain. Only today I was looking at a programme of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, which they produced together in 1983. Miss Lockhart, who has nearly always lived in the Heswall/Barnston area, except when she was training, was at Birkenhead High School under the legendary Miss Steven; her brother, Michael, was Birkenhead School under both Mr Bushell and Mr Robinson during the ‘40s. She later trained at Clapham and Streatham College (GPDST). This trained teachers in the method of Froebel (founder of the original Kindergarten, and himself influenced by Pestalozzi) with its emphasis on a good environment, activity and play in the education of young children, with the involvement of both parents. She joined the Prep in 1951, the year of the Festival of Britain, and two years before the well-documented school Elizabethan Fayre and Pageant, held to celebrate the Queen’s Coronation: she recalls how everyone dressed up as Elizabethans for this two-day event. There was everything from trade exhibitions to a torture-chamber, and the Prep contributed a handiworkexhibition showing the living conditions in those days (1593 not 1953!). “Pictures were even radioed to Liverpool” (The Birkonian, Dec ’53). It sounds like the event of the decade, and is still talked about!
The Prep itself was about half today’s size, and Miss Lockhart found that she was much younger than the other members of staff, many of whom had been there during the war years: the Headmistress herself, Mrs Coggan, had been on the senior school staff during the war and afterwards. Like many others before and since, she found herself involved with the Cubs, though she hadn’t actually been offered her post on that condition – such things have been known! Cubbing, because of Mrs Coggan’s particular interest, and up to her retirement as Head in 1977, was more of a classroom than out-of-school activity: there was a Cub Week for the top year (Remove) in the last week of every summer term. Like many others, she helped with the operettas of those days, which seem to have taken up the remainder of the summer term for the leavers! (Some titles: A Health to John Patch, Once Aboard the Lugger, The Bells of Bruges.) Later, with Mr Franklin, she ran a Maths Club which involved a lot of ‘paper-engineering’, the forerunner of some of today’s Design/Technology. She has always had an especial interest in history, concentrating for many years on the times of the Tudors and Stuarts. Since Mrs Skelly’s arrival, Miss Lockhart has had an important role in the development of teaching French language and life. As a teacher, though not always in the most robust of health in recent years, she has always been cheerful and positive, with a good sense of humour. She is also a great listener – not necessarily always the case with teachers! She has been firm but kindly with her classes, and has given generations of her pupils a solid foundation for their future studies: the lynchpin for boys in their middle Prep years. As a colleague she has always been extremely easy, considerate and affable to work with. She is also what is sometime called ‘an inveterate traveller’ (I am never quite sure what ‘inveterate’ means!) and we have often compared notes and photographs of our respective visits to Switzerland, the Italian Lakes, etc. She has also been on numerous cruises (for example, to the Black Sea, to Crete, to the Azores) and, recently, to Malta. I am sure that she hopes to continue these adventures in the future. A recent disappointment was the (temporary?) closure of St Thomas’s church in Parkgate (although, in the Neston parish, there is a new church at Little Neston). Joan will be staying in this area amid a large circle of friends and collagues. She has hopes to keep her contacts with the School, to which her length of service surpasses even that of Miss Cox, first Headmistress of the Prep. We wish her a very long, happy and well-deserved retirement.
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It was at Cambridge that Donald first met Jennifer Thomas, a fellow undergraduate reading law. They were to wed a few years later, and to remain blissfully happily married for almost 60 years. Jenny survives Donald, as do their three children and six grandchildren. After Donald’s exceptional academic results, he was offered a law fellowship at Trinity Hall, but he declined this, instead taking Bar finals and being called to the Bar by Middle Temple in November 1958. He then joined Chambers at 13 Old Square, Lincoln’s Inn, initially as the pupil of Peter Oliver (later Lord Oliver of Aylmerton) and then as a tenant for the next 25 years. Donald’s practice as a junior was largely Chancery based, and his advice and advocacy were soon in considerable demand. He took Silk in 1974, and his practice became ever broader and more high-profile, both in England and abroad. Donald was appointed a High Court Judge in the Chancery Division in 1983 and knighted. He heard front page news cases involving Elton John, Terry Venables, and Arthur Scargill and the National Union of Mineworkers. He was, amusingly and aptly, nicknamed “the Don” by his judicial clerks. In 1986, he was elevated to the Court of Appeal, whereupon he became one of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council. He was enormously honoured and pleased at that point to be elected an honorary fellow of Trinity Hall, appointed President of Birkenhead School, and awarded an honorary doctorate in law by Liverpool University.
Obituary: Donald James Nicholls, Baron Nicholls of Birkenhead, of Stoke d’Abernon, PC 1943 - 1949 and President of Birkenhead School 1986 - 2019 Donald was born on 25th January 1933 in Bebington on the Wirral. Early tragedy struck when his mother died when he was aged just six. His father remarried but then spent most of the war years in India, not returning until 1946. In the meantime, Donald at the age of ten won a scholarship to Birkenhead School. He left school at 16 and then (having been rejected by Lloyds Bank, where his father worked) joined Lever Brothers in the registrars’ department, embarking upon various courses run by the Chartered Institute of Secretaries. One of the subjects was the elementary law of contract, which was Donald’s first exposure to the law and which instantly fascinated him. National Service then intervened for two years but during that time his parents reconsidered their previous opposition to Donald attending a university, and in September 1953 Donald duly became the first member of his family to do so when he went to Liverpool University to study law. He obtained a first class degree, and then attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge where he spent two years, studying part II of the Law Tripos and the LLB course, obtaining a starred first in each.
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In 1991, Donald was appointed Vice-Chancellor, as the head of the Chancery Division was known at that time, and subsequently from 1994 until 2007 a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary. In the latter role, he gave seminal judgments on matters as varied as torture (the extradition of Senator Pinochet), divorce (White v White) and libel (claim by Mr Reynolds, the former Taoiseach of Ireland, against the Sunday Times). Donald also sat as a judge of Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal. Donald’s manner in court was as in the remainder of his life: modest and even somewhat shy, he was unfailingly calm, patient and courteous. In his judgments, he would always seek to identify the principles at stake and then explain them and their application as simply and succinctly as possible. And at the core of Donald’s thinking in every decision were the words which he chose for his Coat of Arms (and for his 2015 autobiography), “Let Equity Prevail”. In retirement, Donald had more time to pursue his other interests, notably gardening, walking, reading and music. Above all, and as was always the case, he loved spending time with Jennifer, their children and their families, and a particular highlight was a magnificent family weekend at Cliveden to celebrate his 80th birthday. Donald died on 25th September 2019 with his family by his side. Details of a memorial service to celebrate his life will be announced in due course.
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his earlier years he took an active interest in local politics serving as a local Conservative councillor in both Birkenhead and, after his move to Birmingham, in Sutton Coldfield. Then, after moving to Morpeth in Northumberland in 1980, he directed his energies to supporting Mitford Church, the Northumberland and Newcastle Society and more latterly the U3A. Always one for a campaign, amongst other things he also committed his time to subjects ranging from clearing footpaths around Sutton, getting the North Stratford canal fit for navigation, and street cleaning in Morpeth.
Obituary: Douglas Hoblyn 1941 - 1947 Douglas passed away in August 2019 at the age of 89. He was brought up in Prenton by his parents Fred and Edith and after leaving Birkenhead School he went on to do his National Service with the Border regiment in Trieste. On returning from that in 1950 he joined the Bank of England in Liverpool and this was the start of a 40 year career that saw him move to the Birmingham branch between 1965-1979 and finally to the Newcastle branch where he retired in 1990. In
Throughout his life he was a keen golf player, initially as a member of Prenton GC when living on the Wirral and then later as a member of The Northumberland Golf Club when he moved to Morpeth. Together with his father Fred, in the 1950’s they donated the Hoblyn Trophy to the Old Birkonian Golf Society to be played for at an annual competition which has continued to this day. He was always grateful for the chances he was given by attending the school and over many years he was pleased to be in a position where he was able to support the school bursary scheme and allow others to benefit in the same way. Douglas is survived by his wife Pat who he married in 1958, his two children Ian (aka Tim) and Sarah, and six grandchildren.
Glyn was the founding Chairman of Tearfund in 1968, now the UK's 5th largest development agency, touching the lives of over 5 million people a year through hundreds of international partners. Tearfund was started by George Hoffman, working closely with Glyn and Sir Cliff Richard. These three often travelled together in the poorest nations in those early years. On many occasions he joined colleagues at Neville Russell, in charitable work.
Obituary: Glyn MacAulay 1948 - 1956 Glyn was born on 27th February 1937 and grew up on the Wirral with his younger brother Jay. He was educated at Birkenhead School, qualified as an accountant and joined Neville Russell (a large independent Christian firm of accountants in the City of London) in 1964. Glyn became senior partner and it merged with Mazars. Many of his fellow partners and staff shared Glyn's strong personal faith in Christ. He was famous as a kind-hearted, down-to-earth leader, encouraging and positive, fun to work with, inspiring loyalty and strong commitment. Faith in Christ was central to Glyn. He was deeply impacted by the youth ministry of Will T.C. Rankin (Headmaster of Junior School), who was a Crusader leader in Birkenhead, and spent many evenings in Will's family home. Glyn's greatest passion throughout his life was to see young people find faith and discover their own destiny. He led many Crusader holidays and joined the General Committee in 1968. He celebrated 65 years of service in 2019 of what is now known as Urban Saints, including 39 years as Finance Director / Chairman of Finance.
Glyn was also Chairman of Riding Lights theatre group for several decades, and deeply involved in supporting Christians in the performing arts through Christians in Entertainment. He was Treasurer of the Oasis Trust for over 12 years, where he played a major role at a time of astonishing growth in their Schools Academies and other ministries. For over 15 years he was a board member, then Chairman of ACET, supporting teenage sexual health, HIV prevention and care programmes in the UK and many of the world's poorest nations, some of which he visited. He was a longstanding Council Member of the Evangelical Alliance as well as sitting on numerous other boards and committees including Prom Praise. Glyn was a prominent member of St Paul's Church Kingston, where he preached regularly. He was a lover of sport, particularly tennis, cricket and football (Tranmere Rovers and Kingstonian), and Wimbledon was a major annual feature in his life, to which he invited many others. He was also a significant supporter of Christians in Sport. Glyn was a very generous philanthropist, donating substantial amounts to a wide range of different causes, with a focus on youth projects and mission. He lived a frugal life, hated spending money on himself, but loved giving happiness to others. He was a loyal friend and supporter of many prominent Christian leaders, with wise advice, encouragement and financial help for their own ministries or organisations. Glyn never liked being in the limelight, and was always modest. With friends and family he was always good company with a tremendous sense of humour and deep interest in other people.
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It was with some considerable satisfaction that he accepted an appointment to Her Majesty’s Circuit Bench in 1981, sitting first on circuit around Lancashire and then moving back to Liverpool where he, in his own words, “dispensed justice” in court 4.6 of the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts until 1998. Retirement did not see him slow down, with senior posts in the Clatterbridge Hospital League of Friends and the Wirral West Conservative Association (his interest in things political having already manifested itself during his service as the Councillor for Caldy on the Hoylake UDC). Whilst his professional success and appointments caused him enormous satisfaction and enjoyment, they were only a part of what he would have described as “Pickering - the man”. He married Jean on 10th February 1962 in Chester and they had two sons Charles and Andrew (both OBs). He had a passion for history and I think he would have always described himself as a historian first and a lawyer second. A survey of the numerous shelves of books in his study at Trelyon would reveal only a handful of legal works but a treasure trove of works of history by favourite authors such as Churchill and Gibbon. That passion was particularly directed towards military history, and he was a fount of knowledge on the Victorian Colonial wars, and rather more esoterically, towards recent scholarly works on King Arthur and immediate post-Roman Britain.
Obituary: Richard Pickering 1942 - 1948 Richard Pickering was born on 16th August 1929 and died on 25th December 2019. He packed a great deal into the intervening 90 years. After school at Avalon and Birkenhead he went up to Magdalene College Cambridge in 1949 where he read history. He once said that he had wanted to become a general, a bishop, a butler or a Judge and, as he finished his studies at Cambridge he had already decided to pursue the last of those options (although he always felt he would have made a very good butler, possibly rather along the lines of PG Wodehouse’s Beech). He was called to the Bar as a member of Lincoln’s Inn in 1953 and started his practice on the Northern Circuit, being called in 1955 and holding the post of Junior soon thereafter. Whilst the first few years at the bar, making his way at a difficult time, were not always as busy as he would have wished, with the weight of his big bag often being provided by his copy of Alfred Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire rather than a collection of lucrative briefs, his professional career soon blossomed and his remorseless progress towards what he always referred to as “the judicial lifeboat” was marked by appointments as a Legal Chairman of the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance Tribunal in Liverpool in 1967, part time Chairman of the Liverpool Industrial Tribunal and Recorder in 1977 and Regional Chairman of the Merseyside Mental Health Review Tribunal in 1979 (an appointment which was particularly important to him).
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The fondness for military history might explain another of his great loves, model soldiers, which he started collecting when a young man. This fondness remained with him throughout his life. He loved the outdoors, not the dramatic terrain of the Alps or Snowdonia, but making a bonfire in the field at Trelyon, laying a dry stone wall at the cottage in Wales, walking with friends from Heswall Probus along the footpaths of Wirral and West Cheshire and on family holidays marching across the grassy slopes of the Clwydian mountains. The other great love of his life was words. Written, spoken, sung or recited. The breadth of his reading was vast and his ability to recollect, and quote at length from, what he had read, astounding. His love of language and the “best words in the best order” was central to “Pickering - the man”. A colleague, in one of the many very kind letters the family received since his death, described him aptly as a “wordsmith”. His speech was laden with beautifully crafted and often carefully understated but occasionally splendid words and phrases. This love of words, particularly his own, was probably given free reign at meetings of the 25 Club and the Prenton Literary and Debating Society. Richard was always courteous. A quality, which has been remarked on by many in their kind words to the family since his passing, was that he was always, until the end, a gentleman and that courtesy was hugely important to him.
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N e w s f ro m H o m e a n d Aw ay New look Old Birkonian Society website The Old Birkonian Society’s website had a facelift in September 2019, now sporting a fresh new design and easy-to-use navigation. The upgrade was approved by the Council as part of the ongoing plan to increase the engagement, reach and usefulness of the Society and all its events to its members.
We also have a LinkedIn group for OBs, which has been gathering momentum with over 600 members. Please do join this group if you are on LinkedIN so that we can make this a valuable resource for professionals. If you are already a member, please invite your OB contacts to join, as we may not have up to date contact information for them. The more people we can get involved, the better our network will be! Join here: https://www.linkedin.com/ groups/1860991/ If you have any feedback, please do let us know. www.obs.org.uk
In addition to the new website, use of social media on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is also being pushed, as well as online booking facilities for events. It is hoped that using more effective digital tools will help to make the Society more appealing and get more OBs involved! The OBS has twitter @OldBirkonianSoc and facebook @OldBirkonianSociety accounts that anyone can follow, and why not follow the School’s facebook page @birkenheadschool, or the Headmaster Paul Vicars on twitter @Birkenhead_Head ? These channels are a great way to keep up to date with the latest news and, once we are back up and running, the latest events.
Karl McCartney MP Re-elected Karl McCartney (OB 1980-86) was re-elected as Conservative MP for Lincoln in December 2019. Originally a candidate for the seat in 2005, he won it in 2010, but lost it in 2017. A swing to the Conservatives of 5.05% saw him return to the House of Commons after the vote on 12th December.
High Sheriff of Merseyside Appointment We extend our congratulations to John Roberts, Retired Crown Court Judge, on his recent appointment, by the Queen, as High Sheriff of Merseyside. John is an Honorary Old Birkonian. He was educated at Calday Grange Grammar School and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He was called to the Bar in 1970 and elevated to the Bench in 1993. Latterly he sat in Liverpool, trying mainly criminal cases, until he retired in 2012. His support for Birkenhead School is evidenced by the fact that his three sons, James, Edward and William, were pupils between 1985 and 1996; his granddaughter, Olivia, is currently in Prep Reception. Soon after Stuart Haggett’s arrival as Headmaster in 1988 he asked John to chair Campus 90; this Appeal raised money for the building of the Sports Hall, which has proved such a major asset to the facilities offered by the School on its main site.
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continued
Appointment to the Queen’s Council We are pleased to congratulate John Hipkin OB (1978-1984) on his appointment as a QC at a service held on 16th March. John was in the Modern Languages form during his time in the Sixth Form at School and went to the University of Manchester, where he read Law. After studying at the Inns of Court School of Law in London he worked as a Criminal Barrister on the Wales and Chester Circuit, involved, inter alia, in the prosecution of modern slavery cases. He currently works from Chambers in Swansea, London and Liverpool.
HMC school bibliographies project A project by HMC to commemorate their 150th anniversary will contain a bibliography of Birkenhead School's publications. The extract below will feature as an entry along with 250 other schools' information. We look forward to seeing the final publication in due course. BIRKENHEAD SCHOOL
The Bushell Hall Portraits, by The Archives Department (Birkenhead: Birkenhead School, 3rd Edition, 2019) A guide to the portraits of Headmasters and prominent former pupils in the school’s Bushell Hall. B: Historical Perspectives
A: School Histories Birkenhead School: Pictorial history. Part 1, 1860-1960 Birkenhead School: Pictorial history. Part 2, 1960-2010 by the Archives Department (Birkenhead: The Old Birkonian Society, 2006 & 2010) Two volumes published, respectively, to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Old Birkonian Society in 1906 and the school’s 150th Anniversary. One Hundred Years of Birkenhead Preparatory School 1889-1989 by D.E. Franklin (Birkenhead: Birkenhead School, 1990). The author, Headmaster of Birkenhead’s Preparatory School during 1977-1990, provides a comprehensive record drawing on written and oral accounts of pupils and staff. Memorials of Old Birkonians Who Fell in the Great War 1914-1918, by C.A. Macvicar (Birkenhead: Birkenhead School, 1920). Old Birkonians in World War II, 1939 – 1946, by the Archives Department (Birkenhead: The Old Birkonian Society, 1998). 94
The first volume presents profiles of the ninety-six Old Birkonians who fell in the Great War compiled by the school chaplain who also left notes in 1947 towards a second volume which was expanded for publication fifty years later.
One in Heart by W.E. Woodhouse (Birkenhead: The Old Birkonian Society, Wirral, 1967). Compiled by a former pupil and history master (1919-1951), this anthology draws on articles from the school magazine and memories of Old Birkonians over the century from 1860. Three appendices, by the then Headmaster and his two predecessors, give personal accounts of the School under their respective headships. School Memories by W.F. Bushell (Liverpool: Philip Son & Nephew Ltd., 1962). An autobiography of the teaching career of a former Headmaster (1930-1946). C: The contemporary school and the future The Birkonian (1874 ). This school magazine was compiled by pupils and published termly until 1998. Renamed In Focus (1999- ), its successor publication maintains this record of school life through the decades. Since 2018 it has incorporated the magazine of the Old Birkonian Society.
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A look back to World War One A fascinating account of a battle from World War One, written by Old Birkonian Joseph MacSwiney, has been discovered by John Spencer Silver whilst sorting through his grandfather’s belongings; he has kindly sent it to us for safekeeping. The account, written on 14th March 1918, details a successful ‘Counter Attack’ a few days earlier, in which 5 gunmen were killed and 9 more captured. Joseph was in France in the ranks of the Liverpool Scottish in 1914, and obtained his commission the next year. On April 13th 1918 he won the Military Cross, which was as a result of the aforementioned account, the official description of the award being:
for 1914. Bombadier Denis Quin MacSwiney of the Royal Field Artillery died of wounds received in Belgium on March 20th 1916. The third son, he entered the School in 1900 and left in 1903. He was for some time in the State Insurance Company, after which he served for eight years in the Regular Army, mostly in India. Coming over from India with the Lahore Division in October 1914, he fought at La Bassee, La Chapelle and Ypres. Having been overseas by October 1914 he became entitled to the “Mons” ribbon and medal for 1914. The three brothers are commemorated on the War Memorial in the School Chapel.
“During the night the enemy attacked the strong point known as ‘Route A’ Keep, north-west of Festubert, and was completely repulsed. Captain MacSwiney commanded his company in an attack on a strong point. Having captured the first objective, he went forward to reconnoitre, and found a company of another battalion which had lost all its officers and had not reached its objective. He brought up his own company and completed the capture of the position, taking nine prisoners and one machine gun. He then organised the defence and repelled a counter-attack two hours later.” After his death on 2nd November 1918, his Colonel wrote: “Your son was a most gallant and trustworthy officer, and was beloved of his fellow officers and his men. I really cannot tell you how grieved we all are.” Captain J R MacSwiney, M.C., 10th (Scottish) Battalion the King’s (Liverpool Regiment) was the fifth son of Lieut. Colonel Eugene V MacSwiney. He entered Birkenhead School in 1904, having previously been in the Prep, and on leaving in 1908, entered the State Insurance Company in Liverpool. Joseph is sadly one of three MacSwiney brothers to have died in World War One. Private Brisco Francis MacSwiney, also of the 10th (Scottish) Battalion, was killed in action at Hooge, Flanders, on June 16th 1915. The second son of the family, he entered the School in 1900 and left in 1901. At the outbreak of war he was in the Royal Insurance Company, and had for six years been in the Cheshire Engineers. He at once enlisted in the Liverpool Scottish, and served with them in the early days of the war, being thus entitled to the ‘Mons’ ribbon and medal
Greetings from Australia The daughter of John Hickling Rogers, Sally Massey, has kindly been in touch with the School with a delightful photograph of her father in the School Rugby Team in 1926-27. Mrs Massey discovered the photograph whilst looking through some old family albums, noting her father’s appearance on the left of the back row. Rogers is listed in our ‘Notable Old Birkonians’ as being a First Class Cricketer, but he was also a good rugby player. He went to Merton College, Oxford and during the Second World War he started with the Cheshire Regiment before being transferred to the Royal Signals.
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O B We e k e n d 2 0 1 9 Beautiful weather ensured that the events for the annual Old Birkonian Weekend on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th September 2019 were well supported and enjoyed by all the Birkenhead School community. The weekend began with sports matches setting OB teams versus School, with boys’ Hockey at McAllester Field and girls’ Netball in the Sports Hall. The Hockey match saw the OBs leading 3-0 at half-time, but the School team rallied in the second half, winning 6-5 overall. Trophies were presented by Headmaster Paul Vicars to the winning captain Max Varey, and also to the player of the match, School’s Nick Johnson.
answer questions and to find bespoke photographs or artefacts which were relevant to individual visitors. Members of the new Prefect team were also on hand for tours of the School. The Old Birkonian Society AGM then took place in the Meeting Room above the Library. It was chaired by continuing OBS President Michael Burrell and members heard from OBS Chair Will Roberts about the year’s activities and the continued new initiatives the Council have put in place, including an invigorated social and professional networking programme. Headmaster Paul Vicars also spoke about the growth of the School, its pleasing exam results and his plans for future investment in student educational resources and wellbeing. The AGM was followed by an excellent lunch in the Sixth Form Centre, provided by the School’s internal caterers, Chartwells Independent. The afternoon’s sporting activities were based at Noctorum Field with Lacrosse and Rugby games taking place in the glorious sunshine, with many onlookers attending to support the matches. In Lacrosse, the OBs captained by Hannah Durband played well but were defeated 10-3 by a strong School side, captained by last year’s Player of the Match, Ellie Simpson. This year the Player’s Award was given to the School’s Grace Carroll.
Nick Johnson
Max Varey
Simultaneously in the morning in the Sports Hall, a rather onesided netball match took place, with the School victorious with a 27-5 win over the OB team. The Chair of the Old Birkonian Society, Will Roberts, presented the awards to the School captain Esme Brennan, with the Player of the Match trophy being awarded to the School’s Catherine Molloy. Although they were defeated, it was wonderful to see so many female Old Birkonians attend to play.
In Rugby, an exciting game saw the OBs gain their first and only win of the weekend with a score of 46-27. The School’s Henry Wild had an excellent game and won the Player of the Match trophy, presented by Will Roberts. The Pat Redmond OBFC Winner’s trophy was presented to OB captain Lawrence Kehoe by Paul Vicars.
The OB and School Rugby Players The OB and School Netballers
The Archives department was open in the morning, serving coffee and offering the chance to view the extensive gallery documenting the School’s history. The team was on hand to
The day ended with a gathering for dinner in the Dining Hall of Old Birkonians of all ages – both seasoned and those recent joiners who had just finished School. Many staff and former staff were also present and it was an enjoyable occasion of good food and good company with some lifelong connections being remembered and new ones forged. Sunday 8th September saw a moment of reflection at the annual Old Birkonian Choral Evensong in Chapel, with OB Rev Steven Mansfield the preacher and several OBs returning to join and sing with the Chapel Choir conducted by Director of Music Philip Robinson. Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, other than the AGM, the 2020 OB Weekend will not take place. We look forward to welcoming you and your families back for the September 2021 celebrations.
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Yo u n g O B s D r i n k s We held our first exclusive drinks social event in September for our under-25 Old Birkonian members, who enjoyed a round or two on behalf of the OBS. It was wonderful to hear how all the young people were getting on since leaving School and we were very happy to hear about our successful OB women going on to impressive careers. Congratulations to Hannah Durband who is reading Medicine, Aradhana Gupta who is progressing in Dentistry, and Bronwen Morris with her Veterinary studies. It was also exciting to see several former Heads of School together – Eleanor Hilton, Ollie Jones, Will Harvey and Holly FitzHerbert. We thank them for all their hard work and dedication to Birkenhead School over the years.
London Dinner 2019 HMS Belfast On Friday 8th November, Old Birkonians gathered at the stunning HMS Belfast moored on the South Bank of the Thames, to enjoy the annual London dinner. Seventy OBs were present, with all the decades since the 1950s represented. Former Chairman of Governors Andrew Sutton and former Headmaster John Clark were in attendance and OBS Chairman, Will Roberts, welcomed guests and invited the School’s Headmaster, Paul Vicars, to speak. As guests left the venue, floodlit Tower Bridge presented a magical spectacle. All agreed that the evening had been very enjoyable. We are sorry to announce that the annual dinner in London will not take place in November 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but we look forward to an extra-special event in November 2021.
1 9 9 4 Re u n i o n The Class of 1994 enjoyed a 25-year reunion event last August Bank Holiday where OBs from across the globe gathered together at Birkenhead School to reconnect.
During Saturday, tours of the School were sustained with afternoon tea in the Sixth Form Centre, which was followed by a celebratory evening meal in the Dining Hall.
Many brought their families to show them the grounds and to tell stories of their times at School. The Archives were open where OBs could look up their old records and be reminded of their teachers, grades and successes.
Sunday provided a time for remembrance of those who we have lost, and we thank Rev Stephen Ridley and Graham Jordan Ellis for their contributions to this evening’s memorial chapel service, and to Stuart Haggett, Alan Boyd-Hall and Mark Collier for their readings.
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Careers Support from Old Birkonians
We are extremely grateful to our Old Birkonian community who continue to offer support and guidance to our students and encourage them as they prepare for life beyond Birkenhead School.
excellent programme including Flying Officer Otto Dawes (pictured), who has had a thrilling RAF career so far, being chosen to train with the Red Arrows. Otto’s lecture on ‘YOUniversity’ focussed on the need for drive and motivation to succeed.
Individuals from a wide variety of professions regularly give up their time to speak to students about careers, whether it be to offer first thoughts on what is to be expected, or to help sixth formers with university applications and mock interviews. Recently, Professor Neil Berry, Head of the Chemistry Department at the University of Liverpool, helped Upper Sixth student, Will Blessing, with preparations for his interview at Oxford to read Biochemistry, for which he was offered a place.
Andrew Brodbelt, consultant neurosurgeon at the Walton Centre in Liverpool, gave a presentation entitled ‘It’s not Rocket Science’ and spoke about his fascinating experiences as a surgeon. Andrew included a practical demonstration, drilling a hole in a watermelon and inserting a tube, similar to how he would operate on a patient with hydrocephalus. After this, he used some case studies and showed a clip of how he drills into the skull and removes a tumour.
In October 2019 we held our biennial Careers Fair, which was studded with OBs from across professional fields. Thank you to Josh Stirrett and Andrew Maxwell from the Old Birkonian Society Council, who also gave a talk to students and parents on the importance of networking. This was followed in February by a Finance and Law Conference, which was also well supported by OBs. In addition, OBs are a regular fixture of the Sixth Form Nicholls Lecture Series on a Friday. This year has seen an
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Paul Corris, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Newcastle University, talked about the insights and outcomes of transplantation in 2019 and discussed his research into medical fields, enlightening the Sixth Form in particular about the transplant of lungs. If you would like to support the School’s careers activity, please get in touch with Alumni and Futures Coordinator, Carol Keegan, on cek@birkenheadschool.co.uk.
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Sport Old Birkonians vs Birkenhead Park
Thank you to everyone who played and supported, and to Birkenhead Park RUFC for hosting. Particular thanks to the OBRUFC committee and the Hearn family for organising the day, Duncan Hendry for his invaluable help and assistance, and Dave Edmunds for refereeing the match.
Saturday 28th December 2019
The Old Birkonians played a very close game against Birkenhead Park in their annual festive rugby match on Saturday 28th December 2019. In a game of good spirits, the result was a narrow 31-33 defeat with the conversion of the last try in the last minute drifting wide. Players for the OB team were Steve Brooks, Ollie Hearn, Chris McGowan, George Sturgess, Jack Walsh, Steve Hearn, Nick Hearn, Will Grabe, Chris Thomas, Liam Isaacs, Sam Corlett, Josh Corlett, Tom Corlett, Dave Edge, and Nathan Demetrios. Scorers were Ollie Hearn: 3 tries, Sam Corlett: 1 try, Tom Corlett: 1 try and Liam Isaacs: 3 conversions.
The Hoblyn Trophy The annual Hoblyn Golf Trophy this year was played at Caldy in September 2019 due to the Royal Liverpool Golf Club being occupied by the Walker Cup. The winner was Zach Smith (pictured with organiser Jim McGrath) and the Hoblyn Prize winner was Richard Porter. The runners up were John Newton and Simon Hughes, with Birkenhead School Headmaster Paul Vicars winning the Scratch Shield. At the evening dinner, tributes were paid to the founder of the tournament, Douglas Hoblyn, who passed away in August this year. Many thanks to Jim McGrath for organising the day. The next event is due to take place on Friday 25th September 2020 at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club and will be organised by Trevor Mathew-Jones. Issues arising from the Coronavirus pandemic may mean that the running of this event is altered or even cancelled.
Grafton Morrish Win The Birkenhead Team who entered the annual Grafton Morrish Golf Tournament in October 2019 were victorious, winning the coveted trophy. In testing Norfolk weather, the team beat Malvern College 2.5/0.5 in the final following a number of tough games over three days including coming up against the 2018 winners, George Heriot’s School, Edinburgh. Many congratulations go to Kris Archer, Carl Adams, Anthony Shields, Josh Sims, John Hargreaves and Dominic Barnes. Birkenhead now join an elite group who have won the trophy three times, having also won in 2011 and 2016.
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Ye a r s P a s t 20 years ago 1999/2000 Archivist Brian Dunn OB (1948-54) awarded MBE for youth work. Alan Hanson (Physics) and Graham Berry (Maths) retired. Breakfast was now available in the Dining Hall. The School’s Gala Carol. Concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall was hosted by local actress Jean Boht. Numbers: 582 (155 in 6th form), Prep 357.
40 years ago 1979/80 Mr Crossland (‘Fred Lead’), NL (‘Les’) Hargreaves and WT (‘Tom’) Weatherhead retired.
50 years ago 1969/70 The Donnison Report advised Direct Grant Schools to go either comprehensive or completely independent - the School chose the latter. The Scout Camp in Crouay, Normandy, was one of many camps held there organised by FE (‘Freddy’) Wakelin over the years. Numbers: Big School 644. 70 years ago 1949/50 Rev CA (‘Chuck’) MacVicar moved to 46 Bidston Road, enabling the School to purchase No. 42, which was developed as a staff common room, classrooms and Bursar’s Office (with a top-floor teacher’s flat). No.44 Bidston Road (Memorial House) became ready for use as a recreation centre. The Royal Navy section of the CCF was established. Numbers: 538 Big School.
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10 years ago 2009/10 School’s 150th Anniversary celebrations started with HRH the Earl of Wessex’s visit to open the new Prep extension. Mary Butterworth, Dave Rule, Janet Coventry, Linda Dale-Jones and DI Hodgkinson retired. The Archives team published a 128 page hard-back book “Birkenhead School Pictorial History Part Two 1960-2010” with all pupils then at the School given a copy*. Numbers: Big School 404, Prep 322 and Nursery 61. 30 years ago 1989/90 Centenary of the Prep celebrated. The two temporary huts, adjacent to “Overdale”, were demolished and replaced with a new Science Block. The new Sports Pavilion opened and work started on the Artificial Hockey Pitch at McAllester Field, work also started on the new Sports Hall facing the School field. Numbers: Big School 749, Prep 248.
60 years ago 1959/60 The School Centenary was celebrated with a Victorian Pageant. Chris Morris OB (195159) reached No. 4 in the top ten hit parade with the song “Be Mine” under the name ‘Lance Fortune’. Numbers: Big School 588.
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Ye a r s P a s t 90 years ago 1929/30 “Overdale”, which had been loaned and used as masters’ accommodation, was gifted to the School by Rt Hon H Graham White MP and OB (1889-98). FE Smith OB died on 30 September. Headmaster Kennard Davis left to take up Headship of Magdalen College School, Oxford with Mr WF Bushell appointed as his successor. Numbers: Big School 321, Prep 125.
110 years ago 1909/10 To commemorate the School’s Jubilee - it had been founded in 1860 - a subscription list was started to fund the new cricket pavilion, which opened in 1911. Andrew (Sandy) Irvine, whose portrait is in “Bushell Hall”, is pictured in the Prep photograph. Noctorum Field, which had previously been rented, was purchased by the School. Numbers: Big School 214, Prep 84.
140 years ago 1879/80 Rev JT Pearse still Headmaster (appointed 1860). An OB remembered the sandcovered playground, where swings and gymnastic apparatus were used at break time.
80 years ago 1939/40 Outbreak of War: 30 Prep boys who lived in Birkenhead were evacuated to Shropshire, returning in the summer of 1940. Girls were admitted to the Prep for a short time during the early War years, usually younger sisters of boys at the school. The Auxiliary Fire Service occupied the Prep building in Beresford Road, with the pupils moving to “Overdale” until the end of the War. Several masters joined the armed forces, replaced by female teachers until the end of the War. Numbers: Big School 236 with 22 in sixth form. 100 years ago 1919/20 A book “Memorials of Old Birkonians Who Fell in The Great War, 1914-1918” was published, with pictures and obituaries. A War Memorial Service was held in School Chapel on 28th September in memory of the 96 Old Boys who had fallen in the War. FE Smith OB, who was considered to be the most brilliant man of his time, was appointed Lord Chancellor. 120 years ago 1899/1900 Measles epidemic in Senior School with 79 boys absent in one day (luckily none from Prep). Complaint made in the School magazine that the warm weather melted the roof of the cycle shed, with the dripping tar causing boys to become stuck to their seats! On 29 May 1900 the School was given a half-day holiday to celebrate the Relief of Mafeking during the Boer War. 130 years ago 1889/90 New Prep department opened in September 1889 in two rooms within School House (moving across to Beresford Road in 1905 and returning here 1984/5) with Miss Cox appointed the first Headmistress. Fees ranged from £12 to £15 per term (£1,600 to £2,000 today). The present wall down the length of Beresford Road was built. Some School prizes which existed in 1890 are still awarded today: Jackson prizes for Geography and English Literature, and the Brassey prize for History.
150 years ago 1869/70 Debenture bonds were issued to pay for building the school on its present site work started on the new Shrewsbury Road site which opened in November 1871. School numbers: 85.
* “Birkenhead School Pictorial History Part 1 & 2” available at half price £5 each + p&p - contact Archives Monday morning 0151 651 3076 or archives@birkenheadschool.co.uk for details.
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