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Issue 36 Spring 2019
W I T L E Y
Photo courtesy Luke Whatley-Bigg, Fourth Form
KING EDWARD’S WITLEY and BARROW HILLS SCHOOLS
APPOINTMENT OF NEW HEAD
The Governors of King Edward’s Witley are delighted to announce the appointment of a new Head and Principal of Bridewell Royal Hospital, Mrs Joanna Wright, effective from September 2019. On her appointment, Mrs Wright said, “I feel privileged to take over the stewardship of King Edward’s, working with a dedicated team to fulfil the School’s future aspirations and ambitions – and ultimately carving out the next chapter of its illustrious history. I am very much enjoying working with John Attwater and the senior team to help ensure a smooth transition. I will continue to build on John’s successful work in steering the School to preserve its ethos, values and the founding principles originally defined at the time of its inception in 1553. The School is committed to ensuring that all day and boarding pupils enjoy an excellent education by creating a coherent, connected community with opportunity and inclusivity at its core; this aligns deeply with my own values. Together with my husband, daughters and our doggish cat we are looking forward to joining the King Edward’s community in the summer”. Mrs Justine Voisin, Treasurer and Chair of the Selection Committee said: “In Joanna we wholeheartedly believe that we have found an educator and leader who will continue to develop King Edward’s as a school and will enhance the foundations and values on which we are built. We look forward to welcoming her and Graham, her husband, to the School.”
Flying High at the Lord Mayor’s Show On Saturday 10 November King Edward’s Witley proudly reaffirmed its deep-rooted links with the City of London by participating in the world-famous Lord Mayor’s Show, to celebrate the appointment of Alderman Peter Estlin - Governor and former King Edward’s Witley pupil and Head Boy - as the newly elected Lord Mayor of the City of London. Twenty eight girls and boys from King Edward’s and four from Barrow Hills School joined the extraordinary pageantry and drama of the three-mile long procession in ninth spot (out of 149). The Schools’ specially designed float joined military marching bands, floats and carriages, all proclaiming the new Lord Mayor’s theme for his year in office: ‘Shaping tomorrow’s city today’, and championing the digital innovation that is shaping our future, our cities and our lives. The School’s full sized float featured a giant paper aeroplane, measuring eight by three metres, with the strapline ‘Tomorrow’s leaders take off from King Edward’s Witley’, reflecting the School’s commitment to providing outstanding preparation and careers guidance to help each child reach their full potential. Pupils who took part in the procession, which was broadcast live on the BBC and witnessed by some 400,000 people on the day, wore a variety of hats to demonstrate the diverse range of careers pupils aspire to, from surgeons to chefs, engineers to teachers, captains to bishops, athletes to astronauts to Lord Mayor.
Jacob Trevor, King Edward’s Head Boy, said “Being part of the parade was one of the most unique experiences I have ever had. Seeing such huge crowds and waving to them was a new experience for me and will remain in my mind as a fond memory for a long time. The highlight, however, had to be the look of pure joy on the Lord Mayor’s face as we walked past. That alone made waking up so early worth it!”. Commenting on his personal connection with the School, the new Lord Mayor of the City of London said, “I have always been passionate about the role that education can play in shaping the future of young people and, in particular, encouraging a more inclusive society that offers equal access to an excellent education. King Edward’s Witley is a fine example of championing this belief and it was uplifting to see my former School support the Lord Mayor’s Show with such enthusiasm – and with such an eye-catching float! The School clearly demonstrated the benefits of a great education to spectators watching the world’s oldest and longest civic procession. It was fantastic to see some of tomorrow’s leaders take part.” Following the Lord Mayor’s Show, the float returned to King Edward’s affording all staff and pupils from both King Edward’s and Barrow Hills a chance to climb aboard the float and join the high spirits of the event. A memorable day for everyone. See page 14 for more photographs.
CONTACT DETAILS
CONTENTS page(s)
Drama and Theatre
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King Edward’s Witley, Petworth Road, Godalming, Surrey GU8 5SG
Inspired by Experts and Each Other
Music
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General enquiries: 01428 686700 Admission enquiries: 01428 686735
E: info@kesw.org E: admissions@kesw.org
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Competition fuels Success & Reward
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Art
Web site: www.kesw.org
Pastoral and Community
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Sport
11-13
Follow our School stories on Twitter, Facebook, @KESWitley
Trips Abroad and at Home
Development and Old Witleians
14-16
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IN S P I RE D B Y E X PERTS AND EAC H OTHE R
Grand Master Nicholas Pert’s expert strategy training delivers wins
Life beyond School As Fifth and Sixth Form pupils explore exam choices and career opportunities the School helps them navigate the world beyond through a number of career events, UCAS fairs, and inviting speakers in from experts to apprentices.
Thank you to the Chylikin family for sponsoring King Edward’s Witley Chess club, enabling players to receive expert tuition from Grand Master Nicholas Pert. Nicholas has encouraged our players to enter the English Chess Federation competitions, which he organises and hosts. Congratulations to Dmytro Chylikin who finished first out of 24 competitors in the Senior Improvers category at the November English Chess Federation. Well done also to William Bensley for third, and Henry Bensley and Jayon Raveendran finishing fourth and sixth place. In the March English Chess Federation tournament, hosted at King Edward’s Witley, our 11 pupils between them won a second place trophy and three medals in a competition of over 80 attendees.
Sixth Form pupils discuss Law at Mansion House with Lord Leveson QC, December 2018
It was a truly enthralling day for our Sixth Form budding lawyers in the company of Lord Justice Leveson. The debate topic was ‘Prosecution is an intellectual pursuit whereas defence requires an appeal to emotion to undermine the prosecution’s argument’. Lord Justice Leveson was able to share his experience in both camps. After the debate our aspiring lawyers put Sir Brian Leveson QC through his paces at a Q&A.
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Physics in action: a quantum of solace? Sixth Form Physics pupils had a very engaging and informative trip to London to listen to experts on Laser Technology in medicine, evidence of the Big Bang, Superconductors and Quantum Physics.
GCSE Science Live! Energising! Fifth Form Physics pupils visited the Apollo Victoria Theatre, London to attend a GCSE Science Live event with top scientists in Britain, carefully chosen for their ability to communicate with pupils in a direct and exciting way. Presenters included Professor Robert Winston and Dr Maggie AderinPocock. The lectures were fast-moving, provoking and offered pupils the opportunity to raise questions with the scientists.
Thank you to the five Microsoft apprentices who shared their work experience and advice on managing a job alongside studies.
Thank you to Old Witleians’ Mr William Kriehn, Mr Oliver Hall, Mr Edward Small and Mr Lance Jordan for insights in the military, business, international development and aviation respectively.
INSPI RED BY EXPERTS A N D E AC H OT HE R
Musicians inspired by experts Our singers and musicians were emboldened as Diva Sarah Walker, the renowned opera singer and mezzo soprano, hosted a masterclass. The pupils relished her experience, expertise, musicianship and stage presence. Seven pupils performed a range of music from Giordani’s Caro Mia Ben to Frederick Loewe’s I’m Getting Married in the Morning from My Fair Lady.
King Edward’s pianists were honoured to have an afternoon of expert tuition from the world class pianist Mr Cristian Sandrin at the annual Countess of Munster masterclass.
The Wind Band had an action packed workshop with the Band of Royal Logistics Corps in the Selborne Room before heading outside to parade and fill the School grounds with upbeat pieces for marching bands.
Fo l l ow S c h o o l stor i es
Onatti Productions David Hyner advocates bring Modern Foreign “Imagination is key to Languages to life on learning” The Lower School and Fourth Form relished a stage with humour motivational talk from Mr David Hyner. Mr Hyner This academic year the School has hosted French, German and Spanish plays by Onatti Productions for King Edward’s and local schools’ GCSE pupils. The actors bring foreign languages to life in exciting and amusing modern plays which involve their audience.
is a entrepreneur, professional speaker, researcher, trainer, author and broadcaster, as well as giving time to charities. Mr Hyner delivered his talk with great energy involving the pupils in fun challenges including a memory test challenge that proved ‘learning is best if interactive and imaginative as it helps the mind process information for a longer period of time’.
Alex Pickering and Ron Wallace help us celebrate European Day of Languages Our European Day of Languages started in Chapel with all pupils singing ‘How Great Thou Art’ in five languages – Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Russian. The Second and Third Form pupils continued their European Day with a talk from our guest speaker Mr Alex Pickering, a special projects advisor for the Goethe Institute. He shared many interesting and thought-provoking facts on “Why Languages?”. Mr Pickering explained the importance of a second language and used the example of the gap between the large number of German subsidiaries in the UK
and the small number of pupils proficient in German and able to take job opportunities in these German companies. The Fifth Form then switched to Spanish and French for GCSE workshops run by Mr Ron Wallace, an experienced Modern Foreign Languages’ (MFL) teacher, trainer, examiner and author.
Sixth Form scientists host Café Scientifique
Mr Philip Wells starts World Book Day 2019 with a Big Bang
The first Cafe Scientifique of the year was hosted by Mr Nick Emsley (Physics teacher) and Sixth Form pupils, including Gulfara Bekbolatova (Lower Sixth) who designed the interactive presentation. The evening focused on ‘the Psychology behind our Perception of the World’ and challenged how we perceive the world from basic brain structures through to the five human senses. The audience, Fourth and Fifth Form pupils and parents, were encouraged to take part in interactive activities ranging from a quiz to a chocolate tasting experiment testing the different sensations on the taste when eaten with high and low-pitched sounds. Feedback concluded that chocolate had a more bitter taste when eaten with lowfrequency sounds. The evening was a great accomplishment from our gifted and talented pupils, and a motivation for their younger peers to follow STEM subjects.
After a drum banging, fun assembly to all in the Chapel, Mr Philip Wells, the performance poet, spent the morning with Third Form pupils on freestyle writing and creativity. Mr Wells enthused, “The pupils’ engagement and gusto resulted in their beautiful, thought provoking poems and proved that with a bit of imagination and creativity you can produce the most amazing poems and short literature.”
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The day embedded European culture with a themed lunch, Second Form pupils making and eating German pancakes and French crepes. Our European Languages Day 2018 was rounded off with a film night.
Art workshops extend skills Workshop days at the Watts Gallery have been a great success for both the Second and Fourth Form pupils with outcomes ranging from mixed media paintings to sculptural mod roc responses to artwork.
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C O MP E TITION FUELS SUCCESS AND R E WA R D S Competition is often aligned to sports fixtures but there is much contested in the academic and co-curricular activities in our School life. We see at first hand how competition helps focus, demands discipline, develops self esteem, embraces engagement, rewards success with confidence and builds resilience with failure, and importantly offers a lot of fun with friends.
The Art of Diplomacy Model United Nations visit, November 2018 – Report by Gulfara Bekbolatova (Lower Sixth) On Saturday 17 November, we went up to Croydon for our very first Model United Nations (MUN) Conference of the year. The Conference was held in Croydon High, and we were all very excited to see what each committee was like. King Edward’s Witley was fortunate to have been given two very interesting nations, in Kuwait and Belgium. I decided to be the delegate of Kuwait in the Economic and Financial
Committee. Within each committee, pupils had to prepare short speeches regarding the perspectives their nations had on the issue. We were also given the opportunity to write up formal resolutions for these issues if we felt the need to. As we all headed into the main room for the start of the conference, we were all very excited, yet anxious for what lay ahead. Each committee was different. The problems were challenging, and the people in each group all had varying levels of experience. Nevertheless, my committee was filled with many pupils who were all very friendly, and relatively new to the intricate, debating format required for a MUN Conference. We discussed the issue of the recent sanctions placed on Iran by the United States and the problem with intellectual property theft. As the debate started, many delegates made excellent points regarding the proposed issues. We talked about the damaging effects the sanctions had on Iran’s economy. As well as the prospects that would be developed if more
A glimpse at our success and rewards Well done to our pupils who took part in the Surrey SATRO, the educational charity and social enterprise, science competitions. Particular congratulations to our Third Form team for securing a place in the final, where they rose to the challenges and constraints of designing and building a gravitypowered Ferris wheel using Polo mints.
Overall the day was a success as everyone who went learned something new. As a matter of fact, it was fascinating to see how we were all able to discuss such tough topics. In the end, all of us were glad to have prepared, discussed, and met new people. So, undoubtedly, this was a great experience!
Congratulations to Luke WhatleyBigg, (Fourth Form), for winning the Horsham Film Festival in association with Silver Tip Films and Horsham District Year of Culture 2019. This is one of many awards Luke has secured this term for his film making.
Congratulations to Head Girl, Gabriella Brantley, for a ‘Highly Commended’ award from the City of London Law Officer for her paper on ‘The extent to which victims of bullying in schools should be permitted to hold their aggressors to account and ultimately prosecute them’.
Well done to seventy-two Third, Fourth and Fifth Form pupils who took the Intermediate Mathematics Challenge, and particular congratulations to those pupils who secured one of the four Gold, five Silver and 21 Bronze certificates awarded.
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nations imposed harsher regulations on intellectual property theft; and even more specifically on how these stricter regulations would (hopefully) incentivise firms to innovate more. At the very end of our debates, we were all left pondering on what the solution would be if we were able to debate soley based on our own opinions, as during the debating process the delegate must represent the view of the nation.
Business Language Champions guided our Third Form pupils to organise and promote an International Music Festival in three languages. It was a challenging, busy and rewarding day. Congratulations to all the prize winners.
Monty Nelson, (Third Form), proudly represented the School at the RSCM Area Choir Festival at Guildford Cathedral with other Dean’s Choristers in a 230-strong combined choir.
Gut gemacht! Well done to all of those involved in the Second Form German Spelling Bee contest. To spell out loud, in German, in front of your peers is no mean feat!
PASTO R A L A N D C O M M U N I TY Stimulating talks and presentations, from various walks of life, challenge all to take the time to reflect and think Pupils, parents and staff across the School were delighted and privileged to listen to Mrs Natasha Devon MBE speaking on Positive Mental Health with carefully targeted presentations to the varied audiences. To quote one audience member, “Very valuable and very grateful”.
operation to remove a brain tumour, delivered a highly engaging talk about his personal challenges and overcoming major setbacks; he focused on mindset and self-confidence with a variety of interactive videos. He put forward a framework for achieving personal visions through a sense of belonging, value, meaningful work and a secure future. He summarised his afternoon presentation by encouraging everyone to, “...be the CEO of your own life”. Other thought provoking events have embraced serious topics from Mr Justyn Larcombe opening up on his fall into gambling addiction and his road to recovery, to a lighter occasion where staff and pupils presented to each other on ‘What makes me happy’.
King Edward’s in the Community King Edward’s and Barrow Hills enjoy supporting and mingling with the local community. In September the School proudly sponsored the Godalming bandstand and will continue to contribute to local fairs and fetes this summer.
Special occasions and House competitions build bonds within and across the School Houses.
Sixth Form pupils were honoured to meet and listen to Mr James Shone, Founder of the ‘I Can & I Am’ Charity and a leading and inspirational educational speaker. Mr Shone, an ex Headmaster of Monkton Combe School who lost his sight during a life saving
Art enthuses, and brings our pupils and broader communities together Evening life drawing classes using different materials and study observations have benefited staff and pupils. Art exhibitions, open to all, have embraced our artist in residence work, IB pupils’ creations, KESPA’s exhibit of First Form talent and the King Edward’s Spring Art Competition open to local preparatory schools.
Making A Difference Pupils in Wakefield and Edward Houses enjoyed organising, packing and sending 72 Christmas boxes to The Samaritans Purse Operation for Bulgaria.
Father David Standen praised the School’s fundraising endeavours this academic year, with £2,150 raised to date with activities ranging from movie nights, mufti days, an Easter egg raffle and tennis tournament. The amount will be split between the David School in Sierra Leone and the New Destiny Orphanage in Cameroon. Both are small charities for which this money will make a real difference improving underprivileged children’s lives.
Fo l l ow S c h o o l stor i es
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T RI PS AB ROAD AND AT HO ME Outings to museums and galleries, workshops and lectures are a great change of scenery to the classroom and help bring to life, thus enhance, classroom learning. These are just a glimpse of pupils out and about soaking up knowledge.
Imperial War Museum
Engineering and Geography trips Sixth Form Design Technology and Physics pupils visited the BMW Mini factory to immerse themselves in design and engineering in the car industry.
Fourth Form pupils had a very sobering day at the Imperial War Museum that took in a lecture, an audio guided tour of the The Holocaust Exhibition ending with an open discussion reflecting the World War II events.
Roman Baths, Somerset Some Third Form and Pre-Sixth pupils ventured to the Roman Baths for a workshop on the Aquae Sulis (the old City of Bath). They analyzed various objects such as amphorae, a strigil, oil bottles, and oyster shells as well as interpreting several Roman inscriptions on gravestones. One pupil said, “The preserved remains from Roman times were a true wonder to see”.
Sixth Form coursework takes Geography pupils to the English coast.
Art trips challenge and extend creativity Trips to galleries have included Pallant House in Chichester, to view Cathie Pilkington and Julian Trevelyan’s work; a day in London to take in contemporary art at the Hayward Gallery, followed by the iconic portraiture and paintings at the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. All were valuable opportunities for our pupils to experience first-hand fine art in context and come away inspired and compelled to create their own work with fresh enthusiasm.
An extract from Xandro’s letter after a fabulous trip to Berlin Dear Mrs Hinton and Mrs Shouksmith,
Netball tour, Spain In October 2018 U13s and U16s girls’ netball teams ventured to Spain for a week-long tour. They trained with other schools in the mornings, and played matches against them in the afternoons. Both teams played some fantastic netball with the U16s coming second and bringing the trophy home for the most goals scored in the tournament. Congratulations to U13 player India Steer voted player of the tournament by the Spanish coaches. Off court team bonding included, bowling, mini golf and a relaxing day on the beach.
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Thank you both for taking Third, Fourth and Fifth Form pupils to Berlin. I had an incredible week touring Berlin, experiencing the culture, landmarks and food. I was in awe of the places visited and stories told. My highlights were the Christmas Markets, the remnants of the Berlin Wall, and passing through the Brandenburg Gate under its glowing night lights. The food culture was delectable. My favourite included the Bratwurst made with local meats, the large salted
pretzels, which I watched being made, Kartoffelpuffer, the pan fried pancake made with grated potatoes, flour, eggs and onion, and a sweet local German street food called ‘Schneebälle’, which I discovered translates to ‘snowball’ and is made of short strips of short crust pastry, deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. Thank you again for our Berlin adventure. Xandro Rinaldi, Fourth Form.
TRI PS A B ROA D A N D AT HO M E
The Big Apple: Economics and Business Trip to New York
fuelled by our great interest, he extended his tour to the 9/11 Memorial. A very powerful experience. A behind the scenes tour in Macy’s department store was made more interesting as our guide shared the marketing strategies implemented to increase the demand for products during different periods of the year, as well as how important it is to be strategic in the arrangement of the department floors to create the best customer satisfaction and engagement.
October 2018 Written by Viktoria Ondriasova (Upper Sixth) The opportunity to go on an Economics and Business trip to New York was one that nobody wanted to miss, and it did not disappoint. The actionpacked four days were beyond my expectations.
Visits took in the history of the Empire State Building and its magnificent views from the 86th floor observation deck. My highlight was the guided tour of the United Nations Headquarters. Being able to see the Chambers, where important meetings on the socioeconomic and environmental issues confronting humanity take place, was unique. We even managed to witness a meeting but unfortunately, due to confidentiality, could not stay long.
The trip was very informative as well as a true cultural experience, with our special requests of the boat trip around Liberty Island and Ellis Island, as well as a visit to a street food market by the Brooklyn Bridge fulfilled. I had an amazing time and enjoyed exploring the city through an economic perspective. Thank you to everyone for making it an memorable few days in the famous city.
Another high point was Wall Street where a retired trader gave a fascinating insight into the development of the stock market. We had the awesome opportunity to get answers from real ‘New Yorkers’, as well as to play an interesting trading game. Our guide was a keen educator, and
Ski Trip to the Dolomites February 2019
A group of Senior School pupils had a fabulous February Half Term improving their skiing skills in the Italian Dolomites. There were blue skies, sun, fun, and strengthening friendship bonds. Report by Mykhaylo Frenkel. “As we left King Edward’s I knew the ski trip to Madonna di Campiglio would be full of exciting moments. Mrs Harris Jones’ first morning call was at seven which gave us time for a hearty breakfast. The first day started with ski and boot fitting and much questioning, “Do these ski boots fit?”. Then it was off to meet our ski instructors who divided us into three groups: beginners, middle and advanced. My ski experience allowed me to go in advanced group. Our first day was simple red runs, nothing difficult.
evening as the moon shone like the morning sun; a disco night with everyone dancing with all sad to leave as we wanted to keep dancing! On the last day of skiing we tried to cover more runs, and to ski the hardest tracks before leaving Madonna di Campiglio. After bringing skis back to the hotel our instructor presented us with medals for good skiing and made notes about improvements. The icing on the cake was a trip to the city that allowed me to
spend all my remaining money and buy all sorts of wonderful chocolate and sweets. Thank you to all the staff for such an exciting ski trip”.
Easter trips to Russia and India
I thought that everyone understood everything on the first day, but no... SOMEONE was late, and this made for a few funny situations. It was back with our skiing instructor for a second day straight away showing us his professional skills. Each day we got better at skiing, and also more tired! We had a day snow shoe walking where we trudged the incredibly beautiful Italian forest, which impressed everyone. The day was exhausting, but it was worth it. Fun nights out included a pizza restaurant with amazing pizzas – I am very glad we walked that
Fo l l ow S c h o o l stor i es
This Easter break some King Edward’s pupils immersed themselves in the history of Russia in St. Petersburg while another group soaked up the culture and religions in India. More news in the next Kestrel issue.
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DR A M A AN D TH EATRE
Mrs Lynsey Cleaves, Director of Drama Pupils have enjoyed extending their drama and theatre skills beyond the curriculum with fantastic workshops from leading theatre professionals, LAMDA tuition and venturing into London and local theatres to see sensational and innovative performances. This has all fed into dynamic and exciting productions being presented by our pupils in Charter Hall.
FIVE STAR REVIEWS FOR SCHOOL PRODUCTION OF DENNIS KELLY’S DNA: “I was amazed and impressed by the professionalism with which these young actors portrayed complex characters, and often by pupils for whom English is not their mother tongue.” Parent. “The performances were incredible for their age group. They inhabited their roles with maturity and professionalism, and were so believable. From start to finish I was totally absorbed and my trepidation increased right up to the end. Well done to you all.” Staff member.
The Third and Fourth Form presented an evening around the theme of Transformations including adaptations of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, showcasing their teamwork and collaboration to give visually arresting ensemble performances.
“That was BRILLIANT!! It takes real skill to perform a dark comedy because it requires such nuance between funny and tragic - but it was perfect. I went in expecting a horrifying, harrowing tale of woe and it turns out we got something way better.” Matron. 250 people came to see our production of DNA in March, staged in the round theatre space, created in Charter Hall, with the actors only centimetres from their audience. This added to the real challenge for our Third to Sixth Form actors, who worked intensively for six weeks to achieve a spectacular performance. What a joy to share such glowing reviews, motivating all of us as we work towards the next production:
“..first class performance..” KESPA Chairman
Beyond the stage, our Tech Crew Club work with expert guidance from our theatre technician to take the leading roles in costume, lighting, and sound management at School productions. Through drama and theatre involvement pupils learn teamwork, build confidence and create wonderful memories, memories that I treasure too.
Simon Stephens, whose accolades include Herons, Punk Rock and the stage version of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, delivered an extraordinary workshop and Q and A with Fifth Form drama pupils which fuelled an exceptional grasp of naturalistic acting of Punk Rock for their GCSE performance exam. The Fourth Form utilised their workshop, and a trip to see the West-End version of The Curious Incident, to produce some brilliant physical theatre. International Baccalaureate (IB) theatre pupils and drama scholars got their own taste of working with leading theatre professionals when Gecko, a worldrenowned theatre company, delivered an energetic introduction to their physical theatre style. This was complemented with a trip to see Gecko’s production of ‘Missing’ at the Battersea Arts Centre. Other theatre visits to enthuse GCSE and IB pupils have been Dead Centre, an experimental theatre company from Ireland, present Chekhov’s First Play; a London fringe theatre solo performance by the exciting prospect Michelle Payne and to Farnham Maltings to see a spell-binding fusion of song and choreography in Truth by Helen Chadwick and Steven Hoggett.
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MUSIC
Mr Stasio Sliwka, Director of Music Music is alive and well both in the classroom and in the extensive co-curricular programme on offer. Our pupils have much to celebrate and to be proud of. Our Upper Sixth A Level and IB candidates are all going on to read music at university. From Grace George-Sterling reading Music and Music Technology at Nottingham and Niki Hung reading Music Technology at the University of Surrey, to Jozef Gaszka gaining a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Practical examination results remain very strong with our first pupil taking his ARSM diploma and achieving an outstanding 49 marks out of 50. We have enjoyed an abundance of concerts, workshops and masterclasses. Chapel Choir, instrumental ensembles and soloists have continued to maintain the excellent reputation for music both in and out of school.
Chapel Choir
Chapel Choir continue to entertain, beginning the academic year in fine style by singing Schubert in G for Mass at Westminster Cathedral, such a privilege to be able to sing at this most extraordinary venue and an experience that is hard to beat. Admissions Day in October was the chance for the choir to officially welcome the new members of our community and they did so in style, singing Parry’s Best Pair of Sirens. Christmas was upon us before we knew it, but as ever, Chapel Choir were well prepared for their six tricky carols with Mathias’ Sir Christemas and Cooman’s Adam lay ye Bounden proving to be
House Music Houses descended onto Charter Hall for the annual House Music Competition. Could anyone take the title from the previous winners Wakefield and Elizabeth? It proved to be a closely contested evening’s music but Wakefield and Elizabeth came out as overall winners for the fifth year in a row. This year’s standard of musicianship and complexity of music must be noted as being one of the best years in memory. Particular mention to the instrumental categories from Grafton, Edward and Tudor houses, who demonstrated a high standard of
real highlights. Everyone deserved their Christmas break but the choir were ready for action in February to sing Evensong at Guildford Cathedral, parents and families in the congregation were treated to Stanford in Bb, and a firm choir favourite, Parry’s I Was Glad. As March dawned it was off to London for the historic Spital Sermon, the choir were very pleased to be singing from the Commonwealth Chapel of St. Lawrence Jewry next Guildhall, firstly with a rousing rendition of I Was Glad and then the haunting and more intimate setting of Lotti’s Crucifixus. Such difficult music made to sound easy by a choir that has gained an enviable reputation both locally and in the City. With just enough time to draw breath, the choir returned to London four days later for our annual Bridewell Day celebration at St Bride’s, Fleet Street. This is without doubt one of the highlights for the choir and this year the congregation were treated to a choral spectacular, Elgar’s Great is The Lord and Bruckner’s Christus Factus Est. Such challenging music which the choir handled with aplomb.
Victoria Attwater, Assistant Director of Music ensemble showmanship that made the category one of the closest decisions to make. The solo category, won by Catherine Cao, for Ridley and Queens’, gave us a mix of genres and styles. Grafton House won the Director of Music’s prize for a truly tremendous effort in all catagories. The performers hard work and bravery to perform in front of the whole school should be commended. Then the moment of truth as the judge came to the stage to announce the winner following feedback to all the Houses and the individual prizes for best solo, instrumental, vocal group and House song. A tremendous achievement by all and a huge well done to all who took part. A thank you to the technical team for putting on such a wonderful display.
Theo Frazer, Graduate Musician
Jozef Gaszka
King Edward’s Musician of the Year 2019
with grade 8 and beyond. Our adjudicator was Sir Andrew Parmley, a distinguished musician himself and former Lord Mayor of the City of London, had the difficult task of picking our category winners, and the overall winner. A well-deserved thank you to all the performers and their teachers who prepared them so well.
Early in February we held the first rounds of our annual search for King Edward’s Musician of the Year. We were treated to over 120 performances over three days and the choice of finalists was extremely difficult. The final in March, showcased our best musicians at all levels of their musical journeys. This mammoth final consisted of nearly six hours of quality music-making. The categories consider every stage of the learning process for musicians, with some performers having only started this academic year, to pupils
Fo l l ow S c h o o l stor i es
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ART
Mrs Caroline Shouksmith, Head of Art It has been an amazing few months in the Art department with pupils stretching boundaries as they soak up the challenges of their curriculum fuelled by inspiration from trips to galleries, workshops with our artist in residence, Shivani Patel, and the build-up to our end of year pupil exhibitions.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Visual Arts Show
collection of work. Each Sixth Form candidate curated their own exhibit with help from Mrs Shouksmith and Art Technician, Mr Bardell. These are extracts of work from Jeffrey Chui, Aleksandrina Rahneva, Liseli Thomas and Victoria Westphalen. Jeffrey has plans to study Games Art at university and Aleksandrina has her sights set on a fashion marketing degree.
The Bunker Gallery affords our pupils the opportunity to professionally display their artworks at the end of their relevant paths of study. The current IB Visual Arts show offers a mature, cohesive and exciting
Liseli Thomas wins Painter-Stainer Award
First Form pupils exhibited their work to parents and friends in October. This term they ventured outside for a creative carousel of activities, under the expert guidance of Miss Wheeler, our Graduate Assistant. Tie-dye and fashion illustration and photography workshops have taken place and Barrow Hills’ Year 5 pupils joined us for a mixed media drawing workshop. Trips to galleries have provided valuable occasions for pupils to experience firsthand fine art in context and come away inspired and compelled to create their own work with fresh enthusiasm.
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Encouraging a wider engagement with the arts is integral to the department’s ethos. Among other recognitions, each year a Sixth Form pupil is selected to receive The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers’ prize. Congratulations to this year’s winner, Upper Sixth pupil, Liseli Thomas.
S P O RT
Mr Phil Miller, Director of Sport Improving sporting provision for pupils is a priority at King Edward’s and since his recent appointment Mr Phil Miller, Director of Sport, has strengthened his team. A dedicated Head of Hockey and Cricket, Mr Paul Harrison joined this term. Mr Paul Harrison joined as Head of Hockey and Cricket. Mr Harrison boasts a cricket playing career including five seasons in Australia
and as a player in the victorious Leicestershire County Cricket Club in the 2006 Twenty20 Cup. Mrs Hannah Pullen, who has worked tirelessly for girls’ sport in the School and is an inspiration for pupils – she achieved 2 hours 59 seconds in the London Marathon this year – has been promoted to Head of Girls’ Games. Mr Adam Ryman, a specialist sports
coach, will continue to add value across the sporting curriculum. These appointments are in addition to Mr Garry Haylock’s appointment last term, bringing his professional football experience as a Pro-License coach to strengthen the sport at King Edward’s. Add to this our link with the Surrey Human Performance Institute and recent partnership with Premier Tennis, it is an exciting time for sport at King Edward’s.
Girls’ sport The girls’ focus on skills and fitness in training has resulted in many competitive successes, with netball and hockey being our core sports. Highlights of the hockey season include the 1st XI’s victory against Charterhouse and unbeaten record against Reed’s School. The U14s enjoyed a resounding win against Seaford, and a hard fought draw against Lord Wandsworth. The U13s hockey team has been the most successful with convincing wins against Cranleigh, St. Edmund’s and Barrow Hills Schools. Netball players have been inspired on and off court, at home and abroad, these last two terms. In October 2018 U13s and U16s girls netball teams ventured to Spain for a week-long tour (see Trips Abroad). Nearer home, a number of girls headed to Surrey Sports Park to watch and meet the Surrey Storm netball team, one of eight teams in the Netball Superleague. It was an inspiring occasion and the girls left fuelled with enthusiasm and competitive drive to improve performance. The netball team of the term goes to the U13s girls who have proved to a be major force within Surrey, with an impressive 85% win rate to date, with a highpoint winning Gold at the annual Prebendal Tournament. Congratulations go to Tudor House for winning both the Inters and Seniors House netball competitions.
Boys’ sport
Football
Hockey The 1st XIs notable results include a 6-0 victory versus Bedales, an emphatic dethroning of Lord Wandsworth as well as a comprehensive 5-0 win against Worth. The U16 side took the Hampshire Trophy silver medal having gone undefeated throughout the day and only conceded one goal in the tournament. The gold medal slipped through their hands due to goal difference having drawn with winners Romsey School. The U15 side has had a superb season winning six out of ten matches, including against Winchester and Lancing College. U14s highlights were a swashbuckling victory over Charterhouse and comprehensive victory at home to Bedales. The U12s finished the season superbly winning their last five matches including wins over Worth, Seaford and Aldro.
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Mr Garry Haylock, Head of Football, has been instrumental in setting high standards for the boys, with the senior teams acting as superb role models for the younger years. The future looks bright for the Fourth Form moving into the Inters age group. The U14A and U15A teams progressed well in their cup competitions and will be looking to go even further next year. The 1st XI and 2nd Xl squads have achieved some excellent results. The 2nd XI,in particular, has been a formidable team and remained unbeaten. The last match of the season was for the 1st XI against Hampton School with a 2-2 draw.
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S P O RT
Professional links supporting our Sporting Development Links with professional bodies afford our sporting talent the access to professional training and mentoring Mr Ali Shaw on our link with Surrey Human Performance Institute The PE department’s link with Surrey Human Performance Institute (SHPI) is a valuable learning environment for our Emerging Athlete Programme. This term pupils graced the same sport science laboratories used by Harlequins RFC and Surrey Storm Netball to undergo a series of fitness tests. Pupils underwent V02 max testing, a strength assessment using an isokinetic dynamometer and body composition examination to measure the results of regular Strength & Conditioning sessions. The opportunity to compare their scores with elite athletes, as well as each other, was fuel for our sporting talent in their pursuit for sporting excellence. Tanvir Chahal (Lower Sixth) 1st XI football said, “Getting accurate measurements and identifying strengths and weaknesses has shown me what I can achieve, has made me reset my ambition upwards. I look forward to continuing to assess and develop my fitness that will make me a better football player.” Not only did the visit provide valuable performance measurements for our athletes in a world where marginal gains are so important, it supplemented their academic studies. Georgina Ezechie, Fourth Form
netball player stated, “This visit to SHPI, as well as huge fun, has provided a further insight into my iGCSE PE course. We have been studying Fitness Testing and VO2 Max so being put through my paces in these tests has enhanced my understanding surrounding these topics”. A successful trip for our Emerging Athletes who set the bar high with some impressive results. The hard work starts now if they are to improve between now and our next visit.
King Edward’s proudly secures the support of Premier Tennis Mr Phil Miller, Director of Sport, and Mr Jim Langan, teacher in charge of Tennis at King Edward’s, visited the All England Lawn Tennis Club in February at the invitation of Mr James Auckland of Premier Tennis. James is a former professional tennis player with career highlights including representing England in the Davis Cup, playing in Grand Slam Open tournaments, including the Wimbledon Championships, and reaching an ATP doubles rank 57, on occasions teaming up with Andy Murray. James’ focus in now on developing tennis for all ages through an integrated coaching methodology that engages players the same way as when he coached Wimbledon Champions Jamie Murray and Jonathan Marray. James visited King Edward’s Witley on the 29th March to coach a tennis workshop with pupils. This day was the final seal of a new partnership at a time when King Edward’s is stepping up its tennis activities for all ages and plans to maximise the use of its 15 tennis courts. The partnership will provide training opportunities for an elite group of School tennis players and widen King
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Edward’s participation in competitive tennis for all player levels. Mr Langan said, “Our tennis players are looking forward to an active summer. We wish our players competing in the U14 Road to Wimbledon and National Schools Tennis Championships much success.”
S P O RT There are many sporting opportunities for pupils to follow sport beyond the curriculum, whether through a School club or in support of an outside sporting endeavour. Of note is the success pupils have enjoyed through the basketball and table tennis clubs. Mr Andreas Skau has devoted a great deal of time and energy building an active and successful boys’ and girls’ basketball club and this term celebrated his 100th competitive game as coach with an emphatic boys’ 80-20 victory over Leighton Park. Our Senior Boys’ basketball team is currently top of the Surrey basketball league after an almost clean sweep of victories – only one defeat – with significant wins against Eton, Charterhouse, St. Andrew’s Catholic School and Hurtwood House. A committed group of Senior girls take part in weekly training sessions building their technical skills ready to represent our School in competitive fixtures soon.
The School’s Table Tennis Club, open to all pupils, benefits from coaching by Janet Spicer, Scotland’s former number one player who competed at a Commonwealth, European and World Championship level and holds a Commonwealth Bronze Medal. Congratulations to Gabriela Lee, (Third Form), for winning the Surrey Schools U16 Girls’ Individual Table Tennis Championships, qualifying for the English Schools’ Butterfly Individual Championships National Finals organised by Table Tennis England. Janet spotted Gabriela’s talent and successfully helped her navigate her pathway to achieve success playing at a county level.
Individual sporting endeavours The School has supported and congratulated a number of individual sporting successes and is very proud of the commitment, dedication and wins our pupils achieve, balancing their sporting demands with academic and School life. Timur Gimalov (Pre-Sixth) finished ninth out of 130 contestants at the Public Schools’ Fencing
Championships; Elliot Moreve won bronze in the London Youth Track League and secured a place on the British Cycling training programme; Joseph Kennedy took 12th place in the individual 500m sprint class and 15th in the 1316 4-crew relay in the British National Indoor Rowing Championships; Jamie Pickering’s Surrey county swimming success included bronze medals in the 50m freestyle and 50m medal relay teams as well as individual bronze in the 200m butterfly; Justice Keshinro represented the Surrey Wing of the RAF Cadet Netball team at a divisional tournament and subsequently was selected for the London and South East England team; Nathan Williamson was selected for the Waverley District Cross-Country team; Eddie Campbell-John represented U15 Surrey hockey; congratulations to Jenson Hoskins for winning the 1st Place at the U15 Daytona Karting Championship and Toby Robert’s win, for the third consecutive year, at the British Mountaineering Council Youth Climbing Series 2019.
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DE V ELOP ME N T
Flying High at the Lord Mayor’s Show A day to remember
Thanks to Luke Whatley-Bigg, Fourth Form, for majority of these photos.
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D E V E LO P M E N T
A new partnership with Sir John Cass’s Foundation This year King Edward’s renewed its historical link with Sir John Cass’s Foundation, one of London’s oldest and largest education charities, which has most generously granted support of £500,000 for bursaries over the next seven years. This is a truly transformational grant and we sincerely thank the Foundation for their consideration and generosity. Sir John Cass (1661 – 1718) was an Alderman and Sheriff of the City of London (1711). He served
as Master to the Carpenters’ Company and the Skinners’ Company and was knighted in 1712. Between 1709 and 1714 Sir John Cass was Treasurer of the Bethlem and Bridewell Hospital, King Edward’s governing charity.
With both Bridewell Royal Hospital and Sir John Cass’s Foundation seeking to address disadvantage through education there is much to celebrate in our shared vision as we begin our partnership. We certainly look forward to forging a long-lasting collaboration to the benefit of children in need of a boarding-style of education.
When he died in 1718 he bestowed the Cass Charity School with the income from his various properties in London to provide education for poor London children. It took another 30 years, until 1748, before the Sir John Cass’s Foundation was fully founded. Today, the mission of the Sir John Cass’s Foundation is to promote the education of young people in inner London through its grant programmes for individuals, educational institutions and organisations.
“In this tercentenary year of Sir John Cass’s death, Sir John Cass’s Foundation is delighted to be able to draw upon his legacy to advance a centuries-old friendship with the School.” Richard Foley, Chief Executive of Sir John Cass’s Foundation.
A ‘new book’ on the block! The history and architecture buffs among you will be pleased to know that, besides the splendid book written by Bertie Mawer, Bridewell to Witley 1553 – 2000 King Edward’s School, there is a booklet by Clifford Leake (1951 – 1957) called King Edward’s Witley Buildings since 1949 which, over 60 pages and with 75 photos, chronicles the changes to the School’s buildings since the return of pupils from Hambledon in 1949 up until the present day. As you may have read from last year’s Autumn Kestrel changes and upgrades to the buildings at King Edward’s Witley continue as the School evolves to meet the needs of pupils. For those of you who have not been back to the School for many years, the booklet is an excellent way to meander down memory lane. Clifford Leake’s booklet can be bought for £10 at any Old Witleian event or by emailing oldwitleians@kesw.org with the proceeds going towards the Bridewell Royal Hospital Foundation.
Lower Lawn
Talking about memory lane, you can also find other memorabilia items in our gift shop at http://www.kesw.org/Gift-Shop
Recreation Room
Thanks and farewell to Marilyn Wilkes At the end of March Marilyn Wilkes hung up her white gloves after 12 years as the School’s Archivist, a job which began, she recalls, when having recently retired from the History Department she was asked to create a small display using some of our collection of ephemera and memorabilia. The rest is history! During her time, Marilyn has answered innumerable queries from Old Wits, researchers and relatives tracing their family history, mounted many displays in South Side and on Old Wits Day, catalogued a growing collection of photographs, documents and artefacts and overseen the move of the collection to its current location in the Copeland Building, creating the Old Witleians’ Reading Room in the process. Marilyn herself is far from being consigned to the archive and will be kept busy with her grandchildren in what we wish to be a long and happy retirement.
North Side Dormitory
KEEP IN TOUCH! King Edward’s Development Office Development@kesw.org
Old Witleians Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldwits/
King Edward’s Alumni Relations oldwitleians@kesw.org
Old Witleians LinkedIn Group www.linkedin.com/groups/3551272
Old Witleians Web Pages http://www.kesw.org/Old-Witleians
Old Witleians Twitter @OldWitleians
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O L D WITLE IAN S Obituary
Mr Christopher Winston Lack, (Grafton 19521957) former School Governor, Old Witleian and Honorary Old Witleian Vice-President sadly passed away in November 2018. John Attwater, Headmaster and Stephen Pugh, Senior Deputy Headmaster together with many Old Witleians attended the funeral in Wokingham in December. We would also like to apologise for the incorrect photo used in the Autumn Kestrel for the Old Witleian Spotlight article on Mr Lack.
1969 Old Witleians Diary Date 29th June 2019 Can you believe that next year it will be 50 years since we all said goodbye to King Edward’s and each other and went our separate ways? Judging by the class notes many of us scattered across the world, some of us remained and others eventually returned to the UK. Could you make it back to King Edward’s Old Witleians’ Reunion on the 29 June 2019? Some of us have already made contact with each other and have put the date in our calendars. We would love to meet up with as many of you who could make the journey back to Witley. Please book online at www.kesw.org/ Old-Witleians-Summer-Reunion-2019
Old Witleians cycle and run for King Edward’s bursary pupils Mr Will Kriehn attended Barrow Hills, our partner School from 2001 to 2012 and then King Edward’s Witley from 2012 to 2017 and has been a huge supporter of both schools. For the last two summers Will, together with fellow Old Witleians Mr Chris Mistlin and Mr Charlie Howard, have set themselves sponsored cycle challenges to raise funds for the Bridewell Royal Hospital. Summer 2017 saw them cycle from Witley to Paris and summer 2018 from Amsterdam to Spain. After finishing his IB Diploma in 2017, Will taught PE at Barrow Hills for his gap year and this year completed his Army Officer training at Sandhurst, commissioned into the Royal Logistic Corps as a troop commander. Congratulations to Mr Bob Jenkins who completed the London Marathon in six hours, 50 seconds this year, raising money for Bridewell Royal Hospital. This was Bob’s 22nd marathon, and his 3rd
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fundraising for Bridewell. We thank Bob for his tremendous support.
Hazel King (née Parry), Sue Evans, Sarah Rawlins and Brian Fredrick
JUNE Friday 28th Old Witleians 40th Anniversary Golf Day at West Surrey Golf Club followed by a celebratory dinner at King Edward’s Witley Saturday 29th Old Witleian Summer Reunion
SEPTEMBER Thursday 26th London Drinks at the Enterprise Pub 18:00 – 21:00
NOVEMBER Sunday 10th Remembrance Sunday Service Sunday 17th Autumn Sports Day
DECEMBER Friday 13th Bridewell Fellows’ Luncheon (by invitation only) Friday 13th King Edward’s Carol Service – all welcome For more details visit http://www.kesw.org/
Old-Witleians-Upcoming-Events