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Sotoniensis 2018
CONTENTS
04
Editorial
20
Creative Arts
31
From the Head Chaplaincy Chat Staff Farewells The Allen Grant Shield 2017-18
The Art Department The Dance Department The Drama Department The Music Department
Clubs & Societies Architectural Society Beekeeping Club Biological Illustration Club Byron Society Cactus Club Character Design Club Charities Commission Chess Club Christian Union Classics Society Coding Club Cookery Club Debating Society Digital Leaders Economics Society
56
Trips & Visits
95
Sport
Aachen Christmas Market Biology trip to Leeson House CERN Charlotte Exchange Creative Arts trip to Vienna Cricket tour to Menorca Duke of Edinburgh Award Endeavour French trip to Montpellier French trip to Normandy French trip to The Opal Coast French trip to Paris
Athletics Boys’ Rugby Boys’ Hockey Boys’ Cricket Boys’ Basketball
English Society First Aid Club Geography Society German Club (Lower School) Greek Club Green Team Greenpower Harry Potter Society Historical Society Interface Japanese Club Linguistics Olympiad Club MedSoc Mountain Biking Club Partnerships
Philosophy Society Photography Society Politics Society Polyglots Society Robotics Club Sailing Club Scamp Club Scrabble Club Sewing Bees Spanish Bilingual Club STEM Club Table Tennis Club Wargames Club Young Enterprise
Geography trip to Slapton History trip to WWI Battlefields History trip to Poland Hockey tour of Glasgow Hockey tour of Holland Milan 2018 Mutterstadt Exchange Netball trip to Belfast Netball tour of Jamaica Operation Wallacea Rugby tour of France San Francisco
Science Festival Second Year Camp Ski trip South Africa trip Space Camp Spanish trip to Andalucia Spanish trip to Catalonia Spanish trip to Salamanca Summer Camp Tile Barn Watersports
Boys’ Football Boys’ Tennis Girls’ Hockey Girls’ Netball Girls’ Rounders
Girls’ Cricket Girls’ Tennis
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From the Head The academic year 2017/18 has seen a number of significant developments. We began the year with 960 students on the roll and the School continues to be full at every level. We enjoyed our first Prizegiving event in our new theatre and the prizes were presented by Dr Steve Bull, three times Olympic Team GB Psychologist and former consultant to the English cricket team. We have continued to invest in the School’s fabric with the reconstruction of our Dining Hall, and the construction of a new five classroom facility for Key Stage 1 pupils on our Stroud site. Our students have enjoyed another very good set of academic results. At A Level students achieved 86% of all grades at A*, A or B, with over 54% at A* and A. A third of all students achieved at least 3 A and A* grades. 47% of grades at IGCSE were at A* and 90% A*, A and B. We were also very pleased with our university admissions. Over 96% of our students proceeded to courses at the top 25 universities with twelve students offered places at Oxford and Cambridge and eleven at medical school. Once more KES students have excelled themselves on the sports field with two-thirds of the students representing the School at some stage during the year. The girls’ hockey season went well for a number of age groups with the new U12 teams in particular, showing ability. The U14s won half of their matches and the U16 team reached the south rounds of the national cup. It was the 1st XI who produced the best set of results, reaching the final four in the south. Indoor hockey is now well-established and both the U16 girls and U16 boys reached the south finals. The boys’ hockey season matched that of the girls. The U13s won the majority of their matches with the A team reaching the south finals. The U15 team were impressive winning all bar one of their fixtures and providing the core of the U16 cup team that reached the regional rounds. The 1st XI also had a good season with the highlight being an outstanding 3-1 win over Kingston Grammar as they progressed to the last sixteen in the country. A large number of boys showed great gusto for rugby with the U15 A and U14 A teams the most successful, both progressing well in cup competitions. We were just as proud to be able to regularly field a successful U12 C team. This was also the year the girls’ rugby club was founded, and they competed with enthusiasm in a 7s festival. Netball had an excellent season as the sport continues to develop at a rapid rate at KES. Twenty-two teams were fielded, for the first time ever, and the results were excellent throughout the year groups. This was
also the first year in which we have had two netball teams qualify for the regional rounds which was achieved by the U14 and U16 sides. The cricket season was a successful one with the U12 team reaching the county final and the U15s narrowly losing the county semi-final. The 1st XI played well to retain the County Cup, the Altham Trophy, and also recorded a fantastic 151 run victory over Portsmouth Grammar School. The greatest achievement was that of the U13 team; they reached the national semi-final after a competitive match with Millfield Preparatory School. Girls’ cricket is deepening its foundations with U13 and U15 matches at Hill Lane and a festival at Wellington. This will continue to grow in years to come. In the summer, the U15 boys’ athletics track teams reached the county final. There were some good results in the Aegon Cup for the tennis teams and some excellent rounders results for our younger teams, although fixtures were harder to come by as girls’ cricket grows within the sector. A number of students have also been successful in their own right and, as well as the many performers who compete at county and regional level, there are national and international performers in sailing, hockey, cross country skiing, modern biathlon and basketball. The number of visits the School organises each year continues to grow and is a major part of our educational provision. This year KES students have enjoyed visits to the USA, South Africa, Ecuador,
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Spain, France, Belgium, Austria and Germany. These have ranged from exploring Ecuador and The Galapagos and skiing in France to sports tours in Europe and Jamaica. Closer to home, students have participated in language exchanges and study visits to Berlin, Cordoba, Catalonia, Salamanca, Paris, Montpellier, Mutterstadt and Vienna and trips across the UK from regular theatre, music and art visits to London, to geography and biology field trips across the country. Hundreds of our students have made excellent use of the New Forest and our Rural Studies Centre at Lovaton on Dartmoor for Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions.
The arts have had a high profile using our new arts facilities, with regular occasions such as the Carol Service at Romsey Abbey and the Service of Thanksgiving interspersed with a wide range of concerts and drama productions. Drama has been busy with a number of productions including the magnificent ‘Beauty and the Beast’ directed by Mr Collinson as well as the Junior Drama Club and specialist Drama Department events. The Science Festival provided an extensive variety of instructive and stimulating events, performances, exhibitions and activities to stimulate the imagination of our students.
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Charitable and community work has long had considerable prominence at King Edward’s. In the past year over £30,000 has been raised by the students themselves for a range of different organisations including our Summer Camp for Southampton young carers, the South Africa venture supporting the Goedgedacht Trust near Cape Town and a new venture with children from Sholing Junior School at Lovaton, our base on Dartmoor. Dozens of volunteers helped with cake sales, sponsored events, discos and talent shows. Likewise, our primary school partnerships have prospered involving a range of art, literacy, mathematics, languages, computer coding and science clubs as well as special events such as the July partnership day for local primary schools as a part of the Endeavour programme. We have been very well-served by William Thompson as Head of School over the last year, ably supported by his deputies, Madeleine Burton, Ben Millar and Daisy Porter. Our Prepositors and Heads of House, together with the Lower School Prefects, provide excellent leadership across the School. They have all worked very effectively with a varied range of responsibilities and opportunities to develop their teamwork and communication skills. A number of staff have served the school with distinction for limited periods and we thank Mr Pothecary and Mr Elphick, our IT Assistants for the past year. We have also said farewell to Mrs Ahmad, Ms Gadsbey, Miss Champion and Mr Westwater. Mrs Piggott also leaves the School after five years in the Drama Department, three as Head of Department. We wish her the very best in her retirement. Particular thanks are owed to Mrs Jones, Mrs Freemantle, Mrs Lupton and Mr Foyle with over 80 years of service
at King Edward’s shared between them. Mrs Jones did much to enhance the teaching of French at King Edward’s and Mrs Freemantle transformed the musical culture of the School and, as Head of Creative Arts, raised the cultural profile of the School significantly. Mrs Lupton has been a superb Head of German and, most recently, Head of Modern Languages, organising dozens of visits abroad to encourage an interest in languages. Mr Foyle, the longest serving of our colleagues in the Physics Department, also attended the School for seven years as a pupil. In every sense he was a loyal and industrious Edwardian, not least as our Junior Science Coordinator for many years. KESPTA has prospered under the direction of Mrs Leask. We are very grateful for their support for a range of activities. We have particularly enjoyed the use of the PTA Steinway grand piano in our new theatre. Our OEs have enjoyed numerous reunions organised by our Development Officer, Ms Hooper, with much useful work completed by our King Edward VI Foundation to help students applying to King Edward’s from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is also the occasion to record our thanks to Mr Morgan and the governors for their work supporting the School over the past year. King Edward’s has continued to be a very successful School offering its students a very wide range of activities, visits, sport and cultural opportunities. They leave School as confident adults and impressive leaders, combining personal ambition with a strong commitment to the wider community.
AJ Thould / Head
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New Head appointed for 2019 Following the announcement of Julian Thould’s retirement at the end of the 2018/2019 academic year, the Chair of Governors has announced the appointment of the new Head, Neal Parker, who will take up his post in September 2019. He is currently Vice Principal and Head of the Senior School at The Grammar School at Leeds, a co-educational independent 3-18 day school with a very similar structure to King Edward’s. He joined the school in 2012 as a Senior Deputy Head, before taking up his current role in 2016. Previously, Neal was Director of Music and Head of Performing Arts at the Newcastle Royal Grammar School, having started his teaching career at King’s College School in Wimbledon. Educated at the British School in the Netherlands and The Purcell School of Music, Neal read music at St. Anne’s College, Oxford. He also holds a Masters in Educational Leadership from Newcastle University, and is currently studying for an MBA. He is a long-standing ISI inspector and is currently a member of the Board of Directors at Leeds College of Music. Neal is married to Sarah, a Deputy Head at Harrogate Ladies’ College, and they have a son, Joe. As well as his passion for music in all its many forms, Neal is an avid sports fan and lover of the outdoors, particularly enjoying hiking in the Lake District.
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Chaplaincy Chat
It is my constant prayer that together, as members of the School, we can demonstrate at least some of the values that our founders, William Capon and Edward VI, embraced and wished for future generations. Their world was one shaped by the Christian Gospel and though many of us may be of another faith, or none, I hope we can all subscribe to a world view that demands we honour all people, that we join in striving for a world that knows peace not war, love not hatred, where Creation is treasured, where human creativity is delighted in and where all people can be free. Each year, I believe the KES staff have modelled those values and aspirations and in the student body I have certainly seen them evident in the phenomenal efforts made for charities. Our community has been greatly enriched by those working to celebrate diversity, and I have been delighted to support events and to provide opportunities for issues to be raised and discussed thoughtfully and passionately. There are a myriad of examples of great community and mutual support evident in the School. I believe this willingness to care for others is a defining characteristic of our student body and the staff that support them. It is something passed on to each new generation. These are the values we commit to at the Ceremony of Admissions that takes place in the oldest part of the School and in the Prizegiving held for the first time in the newest part, the splendid Dobson Theatre. These are also the values we celebrate and ask God’s help in making a reality in our annual Thanksgiving Services, and in the very moving Act of Remembrance we stop to remember all who died and fought to defend.
Our experiences have been greatly enriched by the contributions of many students who have led these services and the guests who have spoken to us. Mhairi Carson sounded the Last Post and Reveille for the last time this year as she leaves the School and it was a great pleasure to welcome Elizabeth Oldfield, Director of Theos, the UK’s leading religion and society think tank as our guest speaker for the Service of Thanksgiving. Elizabeth gave a powerful address, championing the foundational importance of unconditional love in living a happy and fulfilled life, not shaped by self-interest and the forces that undermine our sense of self-worth, or that of others. Elizabeth also spent time in classes discussing medical ethics and questions about Hell. During the service, we had contributions from the Chamber Choir and Angus Armstrong who played solo guitar, alongside some twenty-five students leading the proceedings from the School Council, Prepositors and Heads of House. The First Year had their own bespoke service at St Nicolas’ Church, Stoneham Lane with The Revd Sheena Williams presiding and speaking for the second year. It had many of the similar elements to that taking place in the School but was designed with the Jewish Passover meal in mind, which has a series of questions by a child prompting the unfolding of the biblical story. The First Year Choir performed ‘For the Beauty of the Earth’ by John Rutter. The service was lead by a team of students from each of the tutor groups.
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We had a very happy return to hold our Carol Service to Romsey Abbey. Every effort was made to involve a good number of children and adults as members of the leaders, readers and choirs. Ms Anderson directed the Choirs and brass players in an ambitious selection of music. The Heads of House rose to the challenge of reading very well conveying the message very effectively. At the request of the School’s Charity Commission, our collection was in support of CRY in memory of Ben Smith. Ben tragically died suddenly in May 2017 whilst in the Fifth Year. One of the most moving events of the summer term was the marking of the anniversary of Ben’s death. The weights room in the Fitness Suite was dedicated to his memory in a short service attended by a number of Ben’s friends and staff. I am pleased to say the tree on the field planted in his memory is thriving and that awards are now made in Drama and Sport in his name.
The KES Assembly Programme has been revised to provide opportunities for pupils and staff to voice their ideas, to perform and to look beyond the walls of the School. It has been good to have the Dobson Theatre available allowing sectional and year group assemblies on a fortnightly cycle. The rolling programme of section assemblies has greatly enriched opportunities for student led presentations. We have had our annual sequence of reporting of charitable activities, looking beyond our own horizons and encouraging us to think differently. Mr Diver has continued to help the School reflect on the Great War with a powerful presentation marking of the end of the battle of the Passchendaele and also Holocaust Memorial Day. Mr Herklots, Mr Piggott and Mr Miller have also challenged and moved us. It has been good to see pupils take up the daunting challenge to lead assemblies. The Third Year Charlotte Exchange students made a fine presentation about their experiences. The sustainability and charities teams have also made presentations. Having had such a wonderful and enriching experience with the Summer Camp project last summer, I am delighted the Head Master has recently asked me to oversee a new initiative within the partnership programme, developing a relationship with Sholing Junior School and again working alongside a team of Sixth Formers in taking twelve Year 5 children to Lovaton in July. Their staff are very eager to encourage the possibilities of education and three of the Sholing children are exploring applying to join the School in due course. I continue to be in discussion with the Bishop of Southampton about Sixth Formers joining the annual diocesan youth pilgrimage to Taize in July. It is hoped that this might in turn lead to a future School pilgrimage with younger students. Mr Robinson continues to be a source of great support, working faithfully with the Christian Union, which is busy and has a number of very committed students. Mr Robinson also coordinates the Staff Parent Prayer group who have met each half-term. The parents are very appreciative of the care and support their children receive and of the ethos the school promotes where religious freedom and tolerance are respected and encouraged. Mr Singleton continues his work with the youngest pupils with Interface. During Lent, staff and students were encouraged to make use of a prayer resource supplied by the Salisbury Diocese. Staff met weekly before school on a Thursday in the Commemoration Room for a very short liturgy. We have tried to keep this slot open for morning prayers throughout the subsequent months and have timetabled it weekly in the calendar for the forthcoming year. It would be good to welcome students to these moments of calm.
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I was pleased to be part of the Extended Studies First Year programme once again this year. I have worked with Mr Tofts in his excellent unit on Reality and Representation and we have established a very healthy relationship with the Central Mosque. On one visit, we were pleased to coincide with a visiting Muslim scholar and Mufti who graciously spoke to the children at length. Winchester Cathedral is also delighted to meet us to explore the spiritual journey. The Second Year excursions to Oxford to visit the Jewish Centre and synagogue, St Barnabus’ Church in Jericho and the Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museums also provided valuable opportunity for conversation. The funeral of Carole Pierce (former Governor) in her home church was very moving and inspiring, as was her life and ministry as a much-loved GP, parent, spouse and church member. It was wonderful to hear her daughters (all former pupils at the School) speak so powerfully of their mother who sadly died in the prime of life, after living with cancer so bravely for a number of years. The sudden death, in January, of recent OE Amaar Hamid whilst at University was a great shock for his family and his sister, Ameena, at the start of her Upper Sixth year. I was honoured to attend Amaar’s committal along with a number of colleagues and alumnae. I have enjoyed working with Mr Baker and Mrs Peebles on the Memorial Garden which has now been completed. The area will be dedicated as part of what I hope will be a memorable Act of Remembrance in November. As we begin to get used to the idea of the retirement of Julian Thould as Headmaster next year, we look to the future. New students will come, others will reach the end of their school education. There will be a number of new babies born to staff and former students and there is much to look forward to. The community will continue to be enriched and I am always delighted to hear from, and meet, former students, some of whom get in touch well over a decade after leaving KES, perhaps for some advice about marriage ceremonies or other significant moments I was delighted to baptise Miss Smith’s daughter, in Ellingham Church near Ringwood. Going forward, I believe that as a school community, we can offer a different paradigm to that to which we are exposed in the wider world. By proclaiming and embodying a message of the unswerving and inalienable value of all humanity, grounded in our Christian heritage and a message that we all are children of a loving God, we may keep finding ways to encourage all of our community to live fulfilled lives of service and joy. Revd. Poppleton
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Staff Farewells Teaching Staff Jon Foyle Jon Foyle joined King Edward’s in September 1983, having been a pupil at the School in the 1970s. He very quickly made his mark on the Physics Department and on the wider life of the School. Jon’s skills as a practical physicist have enriched the experience of generations of pupils as well as broadening the work of the department as a whole. One example, amongst many, is his development of an electronics course in Foundation Studies. In the 1990s he took on the oftentricky preparations of the A Level practical examinations and later used his understanding of experimental work in his leadership of the Junior Science team. Jon’s degree subject was Physics and Music. He is a very talented cellist and bassist who has supported the orchestra and string quartets on many occasions. He has been a stalwart of the music behind the three ‘science musicals’ staged over the years,
as well as playing for many other events. In this area, as in many others, he will be sadly missed. In recent years, Jon has trained as a counsellor and has been increasingly involved in this area, working with a number of different teams outside the School. He has brought these skills into the classroom and has always been a sensitive, empathetic and supportive teacher and tutor. For a long period, Jon has been in charge of the school bells which have rung smoothly and correctly under his watch. This task is not always as simple as it might appear but Jon’s calm and unflustered manner has ensured that thousands of pupils (and staff) have arrived at their lessons on time. Jon has been a wonderful colleague over the last thirty-five years. He will be greatly missed by his friends in the Science Department for his contribution
to physics, his quiet good humour, his musicianship and his thoughtfulness to others. Such a talented man as Jon will no doubt have a very busy and fulfilling retirement and we send him all good wishes.
Mr Herklots
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Heather Freemantle Heather is a tour de force, a creative genius, a kind manager, a valued colleague and a much loved teacher. She joined us from King’s School Winchester, where she had been Head of Music and Creative Arts. The department that exists now does not have many similarities with the one she began with. How lucky we were that she accepted the job to come and join us as Director of Music in 2005, and not long after, Head of Creative Arts. Over the next five years she began a programme of reinvention for the department. Academically, her results went from strength to strength, and her department has been awarded the ISM Gold and Silver awards for several years running for outstanding examination results. Her teaching style is totally engaging and expressive. Pupils are interested, focussed, on task and desperate to please. When pupils have instruments in their hands it seems nigh-on impossible to control them but she always manages this. Pupils really enjoy being part of her dynamic lessons and would be very happy for them to continue longer. Anyone who has watched her teach can clearly see that she gives a huge amount of energy to her lessons. Her skill, talent and experience shine through. Pupils taught by her have been lucky indeed. Under her leadership we have seen performances in the Anvil in Basingstoke, St Johns’ Smith Square in London, the Turner Sims alongside the Southbank Sinfonia and for our own Spring Concerts. This year, back on home turf in the new Dobson Theatre, complete with Steinway piano, she staged the Spring Concert including conducting a Rachmaninoff Piano concerto with the Orchestra and guest professional pianist. There have been tours to Italy, Berlin, Vienna and New York. She has been involved in school musicals, being musical director of several great productions.
And how could we not mention the Arts Festivals? 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 – four extravaganzas of sensory stimulation for the whole school over three days – a huge feat of creativity and organisation. These festivals are now highly awaited and hugely enjoyed by the whole school community and the Arts Festival must be one of her biggest legacies. It is quite right that she uses her skill and experience to continue to train other teachers as she has done at KES, and she has developed a role at Buckingham University as a PGCE tutor. It is this that she will pursue as she moves into semi-retirement. Anyone who has worked with or been taught by Mrs Freemantle will know that she is a power house, a force to be reckoned with but can get the giggles, the most dedicated figurehead, demanding and at the same time not at all demanding. She is incredibly loyal to her faculty, but pulls no punches, and if you are in her orchestra, don’t miss a rehearsal without a very good reason. If you are there, expect to have a great time. She is also a diplomat and negotiator, with countless hours of discussion with the Sports Faculty, as they vie over the same pupil on the same day. She has brought boundless life and energy into the Music Department and the Creative Arts Faculty, along with tight administration and strategic thinking. Her department describe her as an incredible boss. As Head of Faculty she has managed to both support the Creative Arts as a whole but also the individual needs of each department. Most importantly she has really championed the Arts at King Edward’s. We wish her all the best in the years to come. How she will be missed.
Miss Smith
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Susan Lupton Susan leaves the school and retires from teaching after twenty-six years at King Edward’s. Over this time, she has become a very highly regarded and much respected teacher, tutor, Head of Department and, in recent years, Head of the Modern Languages Faculty. The list of activities and trips, which Susan introduced to benefit students and to further their appreciation and knowledge of other languages, in particular, German, is both long and impressive. The longest standing one, and one of her favourites, is the Aachen Christmas market trip, which she set up in 1994 and is still running. Over the years a great many students and, indeed staff, have participated in and enjoyed this annual event. Another favourite, the Mutterstadt exchange, has been running since 1999 and German Magazine Club, which produced a termly copy for every learner of German, kept going for over twenty years. Beyond these well-established trips, there have been shorter lived or one-off excursions for
the Sixth Form. In 1993, she took a group to Moscow and St Petersburg, inspired by her own love of Russia. Cologne (1997, 1998), Mutterstadt (2000, 2008), Berlin (2004, 2006), Vienna (2014) and Schifferstadt (2015) have all featured and highlight her deep seated desire for all students to experience as much as they can of German and European culture. Susan has been a driving force, not only for the promotion of languages, but also for the encouragement of academic excellence within them. Under her auspices, the School’s brightest linguists participate in the Linguistics Olympiad and occasionally deliver talks at Polyglots Society. Susan’s contributions to school life go way beyond her work in languages. Not only did she work in the Curriculum Support Department for a number of years, but she also used to run the staff children’s Christmas party, an event which she enjoyed immensely. She led and organised the KES Amnesty Group, including
the annual christmas card sale, for several years and had enormous fun working on the Critical and Creative Review with Dave Blow. Finally, as well as her role as a classroom teacher, Susan has stalwartly managed Upper School, Lower School and, more recently, First Year tutor groups. In all of her guises, her continued professionalism, combined with her sensitivity and diplomacy, have been much valued and appreciated over the years and she will be greatly missed. We wish her all the best for her retirement.
Mrs Meredith
Jenny Jones Jenny Jones joined King Edward’s in September 2005 and immediately made her mark. Her passion for languages and her high levels of energy, enthusiasm and commitment quickly became apparent, so it was no surprise that she soon took on additional roles, whether as Media Co-ordinator, IT link within the Languages Department or leading the Goedgedacht team. The role of Head of French followed swiftly afterwards in 2009. Jenny’s belief that every pupil can achieve success in a language with the right support, underpinned her whole philosophy of teaching. Her pupils responded well to her expert guidance and appreciated the detailed, structured resources she routinely produced to support their learning. The wealth of material available on Jenny’s famous
Moodle courses, and more recently on the French website, was simply astonishing, but this was equally matched by the extensive range of co-curricular opportunities which Jenny personally introduced. These included the Lower School Normandy visit, the Upper School Paris trip and the Montpellier Sixth Form trip. In addition, exam pupils were generously catered for by regular extra oral sessions. No-one could have worked harder for their cause, supporting both pupils and teachers of French so extensively and effectively. It was certainly no accident that numbers of pupils opting for French rose, and results during Jenny’s tenure as Head of French, and later as Assistant Head of Faculty, were regularly amongst the best in the School. She achieved so much on so many fronts.
Jenny will long be held up as a model of industry with an inspiring, transformative vision of language teaching and learning. Jenny herself may be leaving KES to pursue other avenues, but her impact will long be felt, and I have no doubt that her resources will live on to be used again and again by future generations!
Mrs Lupton
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Caroline Piggott Caroline joined the Drama Department in 2012 initially to cover a sabbatical and within two years took over the role of Head of Department. She is a highly creative and inspirational teacher, producer and director who loves to work in a collaborative way, bringing out the very best in pupils and staff alike. Caroline introduced LAMDA lessons, established Drama as part of the Foundation Studies programme and the Extended Studies programme for the First Years, started the New Views playwriting programme with the National Theatre in school, initiated the Prop Making Club and Improvisation Club, and quietly campaigned for more lessons of Lower School Drama. Directing is one of Caroline’s passions and during her time at the School she directed large scale productions of ‘Haroun and the Sea of Stories’, ‘Grease’,
and ‘Welcome to Thebes’ as well as many shorter plays for a variety of year groups; all to great acclaim. Caroline always encouraged pupils to get involved in all aspects of the production, from assisting with direction, making costumes, posters, programmes, helping with photography, making promotional films, prop making to set painting, loving the creative hub this offered pupils (and staff) and the chance for them to see all that is involved in producing a play. Caroline was an Upper School tutor and took numerous trips to theatres all over the south coast and London, as well as accompanying an art trip to New York. Her creativity, intellect and enthusiasm will be very much missed and we wish her well in her retirement.
Mrs Freemantle
Gareth Westwater Gareth joined King Edward’s in September 2013 as an NQT after completing his studies at the University of Birmingham. He settled very quickly to become a valuable member of the department who is happy to contribute in any way he can. He is an excellent mathematician who is equally at ease with A Level calculus and mechanics, as he is with Second Year equations. He has produced highly rated resources that not only is he happy to share with the rest of the department, but also with the wider teaching community through the TES and other online forums. He has also been generous of his time in running
two after school sessions each week for our Sixth Form – the famous ‘Westie’s Workshops’. Gareth has thrown himself into the wider school community. He has been Head of Watts for the past four years and his passion is well known, although he didn’t quite manage to deliver the long awaited victory in the House Cup. He has been a rugby coach throughout his time at the School and this is certainly something that he has cherished. He has taken a group for the last four years through a series of county titles, including the Hampshire 10s at U14, all the way to Round 5 of the National Cup this year.
This has been one of the most successful teams of recent times and his enthusiasm and commitment will be greatly missed by the players and indeed all of us here at KES.
Mr Eyssens
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Andrea Gadsbey Andrea Gadsbey is leaving the School after three years to take up a post as Key Stage 5 English Co-ordinator and become Lead Mentor for English trainees for the School’s Teaching Alliance. During her time at King Edward’s she has taught English from First Year through to Sixth Form and, for the past two years, she has been the Lead Practitioner for English Language A Level.
She has also established an English Language Linguistics Society, been a Sixth Form tutor and worked with the Initial Teacher Training students, as well as coaching a netball team. We wish her well in her new role.
Dr Schofield
Rebekah Champion Rebekah Champion is leaving the School after three years to take up a promotion as the post of Head of Key Stage Four. During her time at King Edward’s, she has taught English throughout the School and has also been a mentor in the Initial Teacher Training programme, as well as being a Sixth Form tutor. Rebekah took over the popular Debating Society, for which she has
organised several competitions and trips, and started the Harry Potter Society, whose members she took to the Warner Bros Studios. She has also been involved in The Reading Scheme with local partnership schools. We wish her well in her future endeavours.
Dr Schofield
Dura Ahmad Dura joined the Spanish Department in September 2016 and very quickly established herself as a very competent and dependable member of the team. Her relationships with her students were always very positive as it was clear from the word go that she only had their best interests at heart. During her two years at KES, she has taught all ability ranges but it is probably
at IGCSE level that she has made the biggest impact, having regularly worked with individuals outside the classroom, pushing them that little bit closer to the top grade. Dura has been a great colleague to work with and she will be greatly missed.
Mrs Ladislao
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Non-teaching Staff Jenny Sayers Jenny Sayers was an active and valued member of both the Junior Science team and the Science Faculty. She became fully involved with the co-curricula aspect of the Science Department and her enthusiasm and willingness to help was appreciated by both staff and students alike. Jenny’s knowledge and expertise
helped all our practical work run seamlessly, providing great benefit to the students in both First and Second Year. She will be very much missed within the department but we wish her all the best for her new career in the NHS.
Miss Downing
Cliff Baker Cliff Baker joined KES in September 2011 as the Chemistry Technician having previously spent most of his working life in the chemical industry. He therefore brought a wealth of experience to the Chemistry Department in terms of safe handling of hazardous chemicals, preparation of experiments and creative manipulation of glassware.
cheery demeanour and raucous laugh soon endeared him to colleagues both in and out of the department.
It didn’t take long for Cliff to adapt to the rhythm of the School and his
Mr Cross
Unbeknown to many on the staff, Cliff is a man of many other talents: a golfer with a competitive handicap, a Shakespearian actor and a dancer who has graced many local venues. We wish him the very best for his retirement.
Kevin Wright Kevin Wright joined King Edward’s from Southampton University in October 2005 and over the past thirteen years has worked as Head Groundsman at Wellington Sports Ground. He has been responsible for the upkeep and presentation of Wellington, being instrumental in the very positive experience enjoyed by users of the
grounds over the last few years. Kevin enjoyed a close working relationship with his team and was always available, come rain or shine, to deal with all eventualities. He leaves the school with all of our best wishes for a productive retirement.
Mr Baker
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Michael Davison Michael was appointed in January 2015 as IT Support - Systems and Development. The focus on development was a role he took to heart; attending seminars, conferences and exhibitions to ensure that he was able to give the School up-to-date advice on the best systems in which to invest. He brought many skills from his days as an IT contractor, which enabled him to support our systems, particularly MS Exchange and the virtual environment, which now hosts most of our network servers. This expertise enabled him to manage many complex updates of MS Exchange and improve the resilience of the
virtual environment which will be implemented this summer. Many times he regaled staff with tales of previous times in the Canadian Army, before he moved to the UK, and many other remarkable occasions and used some of his army talents to support Duke of Edinburgh expeditions in both the New Forest and Dartmoor. Michael will also be remembered for his ballroom dancing assembly and his musical performances. He left King Edward’s for a new job in March. We wish him well in his future.
Mr Rigg
Harry Elphick and Mark Pothecary Both Harry and Mark joined the IT Support team for the 2017-2018 academic year for the sandwich work-placement component of their degree studies at Portsmouth University. They have ably managed to achieve whatever King Edward’s has asked of them. Their role as IT/Web Classroom Support Technicians has meant that they have both experienced many new situations and people and have gained numerous valuable skills.
The IT team thank them both for their hard work throughout the year and wish them both well in their studies in their final year at university.
Mr Rigg
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The Allen Grant Shield 2017-18 After 45 events, incorporating almost every pupil in the School, starting back in September and finishing in July, and with many energetically contested events in between, the Allen Grant Shield table was completed for the 2017-18 academic year.
The runner up in Lower School Cup, with 108 points, was LAWRENCE The winner, with 131 points, was LAKE The runner up in Upper School Cup, with 27 points, was LAWRENCE The winner, with 39 points, was LAKE The overall results were therefore: In third place with 164 points: SYLVESTER In second place with 180 points: LAWRENCE And the runaway winner was LAKE, for the fourth year in succession, with 213 points.
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CREATIVE ARTS
Art at KES It has been a great pleasure to be fully operational in our new studios this year. The department is characteristically busy with something always going on. Students from all year groups participate in a wide variety of clubs and societies at lunchtimes and after school. There has certainly been some outstanding work this year across a range of media from clay sculpture to plaster casting, drypoint to large oil on canvas pieces. The First Years have been exploring the ideas of tone, and mastering the magic of perspective, as well as exploring sculpture and working in three dimensions. The Second Years have been experimenting with colour and learning how to expertly mix tones, tints and hues. Some of this has been through still life compositions, before applying this knowledge to making impressive masks in clay. The Third Years have been introduced to a wide range of techniques and processes, but have also spent some time looking at the art and artists of WWI. Their maturity in dealing which such a complex subject has been noteworthy as has their interpretation of the artists they have studied. The GCSE classes have been working hard on their portfolios of work and in mid-January started preparing for the examination. The range of work and ambition was impressive with students working on large canvas portraits and mixed media pieces, all informed by exciting and highly personal sketchbooks. The Lower Sixth artists in the new linear world of examinations have created some exciting artwork and learnt to work in a more expressive and experimental manner than the GCSE allows. The Lower Sixth photographers have explored both the analogue and digital worlds and inaugurated the small darkroom. Their work has grown in confidence and scope as they have started to specialise in specific genres. The Upper Sixth are a wonderful group of students this year and it has been exciting to see their work grew in confidence over the past twelve months. Alice Liardet took Art as her fourth A Level so her stunning portraits of her friends are even more impressive. She is also to be congratulated for one of her pieces to be selected for the Royal Academy A Level online exhibition. Over 2000 students submitted work and only forty-three were selected by the judges. Rupert Rochford has developed a lovely fluid style of painting and drawing and all his work has a maturity that seems far beyond a student of his age. Georgina Dyne’s work is exciting and very contemporary using the sewing machine to create a new descriptive
narrative on landscape imagery as well as Julian Opie style interpretations of Baroque stately homes. Kate Ward turned her gaze inwards and painted herself. This series of paintings was engaging and with a lovely use of paint and colour. Blake Miller took on the subject of surveillance in dry point and then exaggerated and distorted perspective for his exam. Anna Pang’s large oil paintings were interpretations of domestic abuse with bold studies making disturbing use of the point of focus. Laura Moody’s large abstract landscapes have looked great in the new studios and need the space to be fully appreciated just as they would be in a contemporary gallery. Grace Stokes has worked on interpreting the sense of absence, painting scenes in watercolour that feel like film stills, the absence of people disturbing and unnerving. Mathew Man’s work has been characterised by an impressive knowledge of abstract and historical painting linked to a topic that explores the legacy of war. His canvases for both his coursework and exam (Political Art) are mysterious places where the literal layers of paint slowly reveal hints of historical symbolism. The Sixth Form have also have attended evening life drawing classes which certainly improved their drawing skills but importantly provided their portfolios with a sophistication usually seen at degree level. Martha Lawrence’s photography has been outstanding. Her coursework explored the idea of the ‘new topographic’ where a landscape photograph can be interpreted as a social document illustrating, in Martha’s case, the St Mary’s area of Southampton. Her images and essays were passionate and political and showed that A2 photography is so much more than just the images. All this work can be viewed on the department’s Flickr site. The new Atrium space has given us a wonderful opportunity to exhibit and celebrate students’ work with six shows being hung this year ranging from linocuts from our Third Years to Miss McGinn’s quirky and inventive Character Design Club and culminating with our Annual Summer Exhibition. We also hosted our first Prep School Art Exhibition highlighting the art being created by students in our feeder schools. It was very well- attended and will become an annual event.
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Upon leaving KES, our students continue to get places on Art Foundation courses and architecture university courses where they need a specific portfolio showing both their creative and drawing skills. This year we have two students studying Foundation courses at Oxford Brookes as well as Bournemouth University. Art continues to thrive at KES and students from all years enjoy the atmosphere and ethos of the department and the opportunity to be creative thinkers in the broadest sense.
Mr Piggott (Head of Art)
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Dance at KES Dance has continued to gather momentum and flourish here at KES this past year. Once again, we welcomed a particularly talented and enthusiastic cohort of dancers into the First Year and they have jumped at the opportunity to perform and take part in our thriving co-curricular provision. Our pupils have continued to make full use of our excellent Dance Studio at various lunchtimes and after School, in addition to the fantastic new Dobson Theatre, which has been the backdrop to a number of exciting events. We have continued to offer a variety of dynamic and current clubs for our dancers to take part in, including Ballet and Street Dance. This year we launched a Tap Club, and a general Dance Club which has proved popular amongst our Lower School pupils, culminating in a powerful performance in this year’s impressive Dance Gala.
In January, KES welcomed Layton Williams (Bad Education, Billy Elliot, Rent) from the cast of the touring musical ‘Hairspray’ to lead an exciting and dynamic workshop based on the hit musical. A number of Lower School dancers took part and were given the opportunity to learn some of the moves from finale number ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’. The pupils gave the workshop so much enthusiasm and energy and it was such a joy to see them let go and be in the moment. They were then lucky to visit The Mayflower in the evening to see Layton and the rest of the cast perform the moves they had learnt. Everyone came out buzzing from the infectiously fun production. Dance has continued to feature in various aspects of school life. This year our Senior Spring Concert showcased some of our talented performers including an outstanding Classical Ballet variation by Charlotte Farrell-Poulton and a rousing performance of ‘Lord of the Dance’ by Ella McCarthy, accompanied by the Chamber Orchestra. Dance has also become an important feature of Endeavour, with pupils leading workshops with various partnership schools. Further congratulations go to Evie Wateridge who was awarded full colours this year for her contribution to dance.
During the autumn term, a number of our talented performers graced the brand new Dobson stage in a dazzling production of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. The forty-strong cast of pupils from the whole school did an outstanding job of this demanding, all singing and dancing production. It was a pleasure to choreograph for the pupils and see them bring every step to life with their enthusiasm and commitment. ‘Be Our Guest’ absolutely brought the house down with ten minutes of full out dancing from spinning plates, cheese graters and sugar bowls to name but a few of the enchanted objects! Not complete without a tango, the can-can and a beautiful waltz between our leading lady and man, the production was exciting from start to finish and the professionalism our pupils displayed will forever remain impressive.
The summer term saw the return of the electrifying Dance Gala, this year bigger and better in its new home, the Dobson Theatre. KES dancers from across the whole school came together once again to showcase their unique talents in various styles including tap, ballet, Hungarian, Irish, street and contemporary. The pupils did an outstanding job of choreographing some of the many numbers and filled the stage with impressive stage presence and professionalism. The evening was an outstanding success and the pupils received glowing reviews all round. Dance has had an impressive year at KES and with the anticipated return of the Arts Festival and several performance opportunities and workshops in the pipeline, there is no doubt much to look forward to. Miss Barnett (Head of Dance)
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Drama at KES The Drama Department has had a wonderful year, making the most of our fantastic new facilities with three major productions, academic performances and even more co-curricular opportunities for students to participate in. The Dobson Theatre was opened in style in the autumn term, with the vibrant musical ‘Beauty and the Beast’. This was presented in collaboration with the Music Department and was certainly one of the highlights of the school year. Featuring some outstanding performances from students in all years across the School and with exceptional production value, this sell-out production was widely praised by audiences and set the bar high for future productions on this scale. Also in the autumn term, the GCSE and A Level Theatre Studies students created some innovative and challenging devised work on a range of topics as part of their examination course. This included students choosing to follow a technical theatre option in lighting or costume design. These students benefited greatly from the improved Dobson facilities, such as the new LED lighting and improved performance space. Parents, staff and friends of the students were invited to view the work at a Preview Evening and the performers received glowing feedback, as there were some truly exceptional pieces of a standard far beyond what is expected at this level.
The Drama team feel strongly that all students can benefit from performance experience and in December, all Second Year students took part in an informal performance of ‘A Christmas Carol’ to an invited audience of parents. The students were able to share their class work with parents and many performed in front of an audience for the first time in their lives. In February, members of the Sixth Form staged a version of ‘And Then There Were None’ by Agatha Christie. This tense murder mystery was a stark contrast to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and gave the students the opportunity to participate in a more serious, naturalistic play, with some powerful themes. There were some memorable performances from students and the play was very well-received by all. In the spring term, the GCSE and A Level students had the chance to perform again, this time producing some thought-provoking and highly engaging scripted pieces for their visiting examiners. Once again, we were delighted to see so many parents and friends attending the Preview Evening to support the students involved.
In June, the Dobson was transformed into a pirate ship for the Lower School production of ‘Treasure Island’. This new adaptation featured a large cast from First, Second and Third Year and was certainly a spectacular event, with swashbuckling swordfights and an incredible set, which was part-funded by the KES PTA. There were some very entertaining and notable performances, particularly given the age of the students involved. As part of the preparation for this show, members of the cast were lucky enough to take part in a hugely entertaining Stage Combat workshop, where they learnt to safely sword and fist fight.
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The academic year has been punctuated with some wonderful co-curricular opportunities. As well as theatre trips to see ‘Things I Know to be True’ and ‘War Horse’, the Drama Department this year offered a residential trip to London for the first time. During the Easter holiday, twenty-four Upper School students joined us for our ‘West End Week’. The trip was engaging as it was busy. In just three days, we saw as many shows: ‘Matilda’, ‘The Woman in Black’ and ‘The Lion King’. Students gained invaluable experiences; taking part in a workshop with Disney performing artists, a masterclass at the Central School for Speech and Drama and a tour of the Globe Theatre. We had excellent feedback from the trip and hope to run a similar opportunity again. LAMDA lessons are now so popular that we have two teachers working in the Department and there have been some very successful examinations this year. Junior Drama Club has been a highlight once again with large numbers of students attending every week and we have also had a keen group attending Stage Crew, which is run in collaboration with the Art Department. These students have been given practical experience in all aspects of stage design and have created wonderful props and costume items for our productions. This year, a small group of students also participated in the National Theatre New Views playwriting scheme, which involved them working with a professional writer to write their own thirty minute plays.
Mrs Arnold (Head of Drama)
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Music at KES It has been another whirlwind year of excitement, high standards and fun in the Music Department. Fifth Year GCSE Music classes took part in an inspiring African Drum workshop with master drummer Abass in September. This was a high energy and in-depth workshop, which brought the topic to life and reinforced pupils’ understanding. In October, KES musicians joined forces with the London Mozart Players and eighty young musicians from our prep and partnerships schools for an exciting day of side-by-side music making. The day culminated in a first-class concert in the new Dobson Theatre, where the wonderful acoustic of the new space impressed both players and audience. Music included traditional works by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Susato and rousing numbers from ‘The Lion King’ and ‘La La Land’. Former KES student, Baroque oboist and graduate of the Julliard School, Fiona Last, visited King Edward’s in November to deliver an oboe masterclass to the School’s advanced oboe players. The opportunity to explore the complexities of this instrument with such an accomplished musician was inspirational and fascinating, and left students with much to reflect on and new ideas to build into their own practice.
Beginning in darkness and moving towards light, this year’s Carol Service saw the KES Chamber Choir leading the singing, alongside the full Combined Choirs and instrumentalists. The Choirs performed a wide range of repertoire, from a traditional hymn to the Virgin Mary in the Quecha language from South America, ‘Hanacpachap Cussicuinin’, to Wilberg’s ethereal ‘Still, Still, Still’. The service finished with a rousing version of ‘Ding! Dong! Merrily on High’ which sent the congregation out into the wintery weather with a cheer in their heart and a smile on their face. In December pianist Samantha Carrasco led an exciting and informative piano workshop for A Level Music students. Samantha is a highly skilled soloist, accompanist, orchestral player and chamber musician and has developed an impressive reputation as a teacher, presenter and ensemble coach. She gave a fascinating insight to the programmatic piano music of Schumann and Grieg which the students have been studying as part of the course. A group of GCSE and A Level musicians visited London over the Christmas holidays for an enlightening foray into the world of opera. We spent time at the excellent Opera exhibition at
the V&A museum, a multimedia installation which led students through the history of the genre from Monteverdi and Purcell to Britten and Shostakovich, experiencing some of the most exquisite music composed for the stage while face to face with objects and artefacts which place it in a unique cultural context. Afterwards we went for dinner in Covent Garden before attending a dazzling production of Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Royal Opera House.
KING EDWARD VI SCHOOL MUSICIANS PRESENT
7th February 2018 7.30pm Dobson Theatre Tickets £5
WWW.TICKETSOURCE.CO.UK/DOBSONKES T: 023 8070 4561 E: DOBSON@KES.HANTS.SCH.UK
In February, the Dobson Theatre hosted the Junior Spring Concert featuring, amongst others, the Swing Band, Sinfonia, several soloists, a violin duet and even a bagpiper. Around seventy pupils, mainly from the Lower School, performed to a packed auditorium filled with family and friends. KES Chamber Choir performed in a concert in the Dobson Theatre alongside the Winchester Cathedral Chamber Choir. The performance included Vaughan Williams’s ‘Five Mystical Songs’ with professional soloist Andrew De Silva, as well as a heart-warming rendition of Elgar’s ‘Songs from the Bavarian Highlands’. This was an excellent
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opportunity to sing alongside one of the county’s leading choirs and provided a valuable learning experience to all. Many thanks to Mr Belassie for all his work learning the piano accompaniment, and to Mr Castle for conducting the rehearsal and concert. Also in February, virtuoso drummer Ted Carrasco, and his professional jazz band, led an extraordinary afternoon of music making in a Jazz Workshop for nearly 50 students – all members of our junior and senior jazz ensembles, Big Band and Swing Band. The focus of the afternoon was on the freedom and artistry of improvisation, and the workshop culminated in a combined performance with students of all ages performing and improvising together with top-level professionals. The inspirational day was topped off with a sensational concert including student and professional performers, and special solo items from Ben Carter and Jackson Taylor. March saw a spectacular Senior Spring Concert, showcasing many of the School’s advanced musicians, take place in the Dobson Theatre. There were a number of outstanding chamber groups and solo performances in the lively programme, demonstrating the depth and breadth of music at King Edward’s. The Chamber Choir performed a stunning newly-commissioned vocal piece entitled ‘The Curtain Lifts’ by composer Paul Burke and the Chamber Orchestra excelled at all levels with a performance of the
last movement of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto with guest professional pianist Samantha Carrasco. Senior musicians joined art students for five days of seemingly non-stop cultural activity in Vienna over the Easter break. It was lovely to join forces with the Art Department for this trip and a wonderful time was had by all. At the end of May a number of Lower School musicians entertained family and friends at a well-supported teatime concert. There were some outstanding soloists and lively performances from the First Year Choir and Swing band. Tea and cakes rounded off the event perfectly In June KES musicians joined forces with Folk Active for the Southampton Schools’ Ceilidh 2018 which took place in the Dobson Theatre. Our musicians performed a variety of Jigs, Reels and Hornpipes for over one hundred local junior pupils who danced their way through the morning learning new skills and having lots of fun. For the KES musicians it was a lovely way to celebrate the end of the busy school exam season! The musical year came to a close with an excellent Alumni Concert which saw several OEs and music staff perform a glittering programme of music including works by Debussy, Brahms, Grieg and Wieniawski. Once again the KES Music Department has been awarded a Gold Certificate
from the ISM congratulating last year’s Fifth Year GCSE musicians on excellent exam results. The certificate is awarded to schools who enter a large number of pupils for GCSE Music. Last year’s GCSE Music classes achieved 100% A/A * grades for the third year running.
2018 Music Competition Winners Grade I - III 1st: James Tall 2nd: Toby Ellis 3rd: Amelia Roberts
Grade IV-VI 1st: Boheng Shen 2nd: Kym Anderson 3rd: Sophie Roe
Grade VII+ 1st: Aelfred Hillman 2nd: Eleanor Dunlop 3rd: Jordan Abbott
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Chamber Orchestra The whole orchestra was on top form at the Spring Concert and excelled with Rachmaninov’s Second Piano concerto with a professional guest pianist, playing with utter focus, poise and professionalism. They also accompanied the audience sensitively in Puccini’s Humming Chorus and rounded off the evening with the fun and ever-popular arrangement of ‘Cry of The Celts’. It has been and absolute privilege to conduct the fiftyfour players of the advanced Chamber Orchestra. They bring commitment and enthusiasm to every rehearsal and are never fazed by the challenging repertoire put in front of them. The Chamber Orchestra have had an exciting year which began with the woodwind, brass and percussion sections involved in a side-by-side project with the London Mozart Players in October. KES and LMP performed a lively selection of pieces from ‘La La Land’ in the afternoon concert combined with a number of popular items, which also involved young musicians from our prep and partnership schools. The combined players produced a joyful sound and many visitors commented on the leadership and helpfulness of the KES musicians, being excellent ambassadors for music in the School.
This year we say goodbye to some outstanding players who have contributed so much to the orchestra during their time at KES: Mhairi Carson, Guy Ripper, Hannah Edwards, Jess Holt, Ben Millar, Daisy Porter, Sophie Khakoo, Alice Ridley, Eva Carlyle, Lara Anderson, Jordan Abbott and George Budden. We wish them well as they move on to university and following on the tradition maintained by OEs, we hope to see them again as guest players at some point in the future.
Mrs Freemantle (Director of Chamber Orchestra)
Chamber Choir This has again been a busy year for the advanced singers of the Chamber Choir. They took a leading role in this year’s Carol Service, performing a diverse range of repertoire, including the atmospheric ‘Hanacpachap’, ably supported by the brass quintet, recorder and harp. In February, the Chamber Choir was given the opportunity to perform two big choral works alongside Winchester Cathedral Chamber Choir, Vaughan Williams’s ‘Five Mystical Songs’ with professional baritone soloist
Andrew De Silva, and Elgar’s ‘From the Bavarian Highlands’. The choir really rose to this occasion and received plaudits for their confident sound and mastery of this difficult music. The final event of the year, a performance at the Senior Concert saw the première of an exciting piece commissioned for the choir by the KES PTA from Paul Burke, an upcoming composer of choral music. The text was specially commissioned from Kate Wakeling and celebrated the opening of the new school theatre.
The performance was dynamic and engaging and the choir performed with great enthusiasm. Sadly, this year we must say goodbye to a number of singers who have made a significant contribution during their time at KES: Mhairi Carson, Luka Peart, Dominik Reynolds, Guy Ripper and Sophie Roe. It has been a pleasure working with the choir this year, and I would like to thank them for all their dedication and hard work.
Ms Anderson (Director of Chamber Choir)
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Senior Choir The Senior Choir is an enthusiastic group who join with the Chamber Choir and Parent and Staff Choir to sing in the Carol Service. They rose admirably to the challenge of singing in four-part harmony, and even in eight parts for a movement from Monteverdi’s ‘Vespers’. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank all of the parents, friends of KES and staff who join the choir each year and bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm.
Ms Anderson (Director of Senior Choir)
Senior Wind Band The Senior Wind Band’s work this year culminated in very successful performance of Shostakovich’s ‘Tahiti Trot’, achieving a well-earned laugh at the end, alongside two movements from Holst’s ‘Second Suite for Wind Band’, featuring the use of an anvil in ‘The Song of the Blacksmith’. Both works provided challenges in rhythmic ensemble and some tricky faster passages, and the group worked hard to achieve an excellent performance standard. It has been a pleasure working with the band this year and I would commend them for their commitment and work ethic. Particular thanks go to Matthew Titcombe for whom this was his final concert.
Ms Anderson (Director of Senior Wind Band)
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Rock Academy Rock stars in the making, that’s what we’ve seen this year in Rock Academy. With the build up to the Battle of the Bands, both new and experienced bands reached never-before-seen levels of performance, skill and personality! The photoshoot helped bands to gel and strut their stuff with intense poses and pouts. Battle of the Bands exploded in the new Dobson Theatre with sensitive solo intensity as well as foundation shaking band performances. Once the dust settled after the competition, the bands learnt to rehearse songs quickly and effectively to increase repertoire rapidly. Judging by this year’s Rock Academy it looks like rock stars have already arrived.
Mr Kotch (Director of Rock Academy)
Musical Theatre Group KES Musical Theatre Group has continued as a lively lunchtime singing activity for any pupil who loves to sing West End and Broadway show songs. Repertoire over the past couple of years has spanned a period of 100 years, with songs from musicals such as oldtime favourites ‘Oklahoma’ and ‘Annie’, to more recent popular shows such as ‘Wicked’, ‘Matilda’ and - of course – ‘The Greatest Showman’. Attendees have had the opportunity to sing both solo and in unison, to learn how to acquire good vocal technique, the different vocal qualities found within the Musical Theatre genre - including our favourite, ‘Twang’! - and genre-specific skills, such as acting through song.
Miss Simon (Director of Musical Theatre Club)
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Sinfonia The Sinfonia is a group of Lower School musicians who meet after school every Thursday. Throughout this year they have been enthusiastic and hard-working, tackling difficult repertoire with determination. In the Junior School Concert they gave a very impressive performance of Elgar’s ‘Pomp and Circumstance March’ followed by an orchestral arrangement of the Beatles song ‘When I’m SixtyFour’. I was particularly impressed by their attention to musical details such as dynamics, phrasing and articulation. Well done and thank you to everyone who has been a part of this group, you have been a pleasure to work with.
Mrs Salmon (Director of Sinfonia) The newly-formed Swing Band ensemble has made a name for itself with two charismatic and lively performances in 2018, at the Junior Spring Concert and in a special Jazz Evening. Exploring repertoire by the likes of Glenn Miller, they have worked tirelessly, always aiming high and achieving an impressive musical standard. The group rounded the year off in style with a more informal afternoon ‘tea-time’ concert in the Music Department.
Mr Belassie (Director of Swing Band)
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CLUBS AND SOCIETIES
Architectural Society Every Friday lunchtime, the Art Department has hosted students who are interested in architecture in the broadest sense. It has been the forum for some lively discussions on a wide range of statement buildings across the world and debates about the merits of each. It has been a good platform for students who are thinking of studying architecture at
university as it has allowed for opinions to be finetuned as well as preparing for the creative tasks set by each institution. Titles such as ‘Inside to Outside’ can be scary, so understanding how to draw buildings in the environment is a valuable skill.
Mr Piggott
Beekeeping Club (KES Bees) Following a rather long winter, during which the bees were once again serenaded with a few carols in December, they emerged strongly; their low numbers soon building, with plenty of feed supplied by the KES beekeepers. By the beginning of July, the bees had already collected a couple of supers of honey and were a good sized colony. The sunny weather helped their cause enormously. Hopefully we will look to take off the honey in September and get a taste of this wonderful food. There were a good number of First Year students swelling the ranks of beekeepers this year and we needed to purchase more suits to accommodate plenty of interest from the Lower Sixth. If you think you may be interested in learning about being a beekeeper, or just think you might want to put your head into a hive of bees just once, then get yourself involved!
Mr Robinson
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Biological Illustration Club Biological Illustration Club has focused on natural forms from the sea this year, with squid, crabs and octopuses on the visual menu. The regular Sixth Form members were accompanied by some brave Third Year students in the spring term, drawing these strange and alien forms directly from life. We escaped the confines of the Art Department for our annual
trek to Biology to capture the movement and energy of this year’s clutch of ducklings, to great success. The club has been building on a long tradition of learning through observation and recording, and is of benefit to both artists and scientists alike.
Mr Lewis
Byron Society Esteemed Byronists and non-Byronists alike, The great Lord Byron himself has bestowed the honour upon me of recounting the joyous adventures of our past year as a
society. This task has prompted much fond reminiscing on my part and, as the escapades of our infamous society play back in my mind, I find myself with a wide smile across my face - one I believe will remain for a while to come when thinking of these events. We kicked off our adventures as a society in the winter time with a trip out to Newstead Abbey, the residence of our
esteemed Lord Byron, in order to pay our respects to him and get a first-hand look at an essential piece of Byronic history.
Whilst I was sadly not able to attend this particular event (the Weimar had me ever so busy with the plans for a new theatre) I am unanimously informed by my colleagues that it was a thoroughly interesting trip, with a real connection to our Lord being felt on that day. Moving on from this joyous occasion, our next large event as a society was the famous Byron Ball,
and what an occasion it was! A night of edible excellency, frivolous fun, and Regency style rejoicing was enjoyed by all, with some impeccably choreographed Regency dancing bringing hilarity to proceedings, as well delectable home-baked treats and
a stream of consciousness confessions about fellow members raising more than a few smiles amongst those present. I must say everyone looked incredible in their evening wear, and a special mention must go to Hobbhouse for truly bringing the event a seasonal touch through his, ahem, ‘borrowing’ of a Christmas tree from elsewhere within our venue. January rolled around, as it generally tends to do, and with it came the momentous occasion of our Lord’s 230th birthday; celebrations were most
certainly in order. The Executive gathered in Chambers for a toast to our Lord’s continued good health, and we ate heartily to celebrate the colossal significance of his life, with a wonderful time being had by all. Continuing our apparent tradition of
eating whenever we find ourselves together, the Byron Society celebrated the end of a successful year together at a local eatery in the old town of Winchester. Here we indulged in a banquet so magnificent that its splendour was only topped by one member of the party, that being one Robert Charles Dallas and his wondrous outfit, displaying the works of Van Gogh with real panache. We reflected on the larger events of the year, but we also reflected on the smaller events which, while admittedly less grand
in their proceedings, were no less important in knitting us closer together as the last standing pillar of Romanticism within
our institution. We remembered fondly the countless meetings we shared together in Chambers, the readings we’ve conducted together to mark occasions such as World Book Day, and the pure, unfiltered enjoyment we have felt whilst discovering our
Byronic selves. The meal was a fitting way to end our year as a society, and it was with a wide grin but a heavy heart that
I left the establishment, knowing that my time within this society was over. However, upon further reflection, I realise I was naïve to believe that my time in the Byron society had come to an end. The amazing times I have had, and the wealth of
knowledge I have gained, as a direct result of this wonderful society will stay with me forever, no matter what corner of the globe I find myself in, and for this I am truly thankful.
My boat is about to depart, shipping me back off to the Weimar, so as a final goodbye I would just like to reiterate quite what a great pleasure it has been to lead the Byron Society this year. It is no exaggeration to say that the experience has changed me fundamentally as a person, and I will hold a space in my aged heart for each and every member until the day I pass. Thank you all, and as they say in my homeland, ‘auf wiedersehen’. Yours fondly, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
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Cactus Club This year has been a great success for the Cactus Club, with membership at an all time high of 42. We started the year by giving our new members their own cactus before embarking on a series of talks, from ‘Cacti Wonders of the World’, presented by the Cactus Club President Thomas Mitchell, to ‘Cacti Life on Mars’, an investigation led by Jamie McManus. During the winter storms our Club greenhouse changed shape. The plan is to create a large cactus cold frame from the original design. The spring term hosted the annual Cactus Club Competition where members’ cacti fought for the titles of Best Cactus, Best Succulent, Best Group Cacti, Best From-Seed Cactus, and Best in Show. Lucy Giles, Callum Jacob and Tom Mitchell emerged as the most gifted cacti cultivators this year. This was soon followed by a trip to the Eden Project at the beginning of the summer term, with the Rural Study Centre at Lovaton as our base. Members learnt a great deal about the native environment of cacti, as well as enjoying the Cornish sunshine. Cacti were purchased from the Cactus Shop in mid Devon and from a new outlet, the Groves Garden Centre in Bridport. Lectures continued during our regular Monday lunchtime slot, with Colin McCann delivering ‘Cacti Defence Systems’ and Tom Mitchell warning us about ‘Predators of Cacti’. Cactus Bingo, Cacti in Geneva, an illustrated lecture on cacti in northern climes and Freddie Bestford’s splendid talk on the key cacti distributors in the UK were both educational and fun. To top the year off the club ran a two-day Endeavour programme, with the first day being spent tidying up the Cactus Club garden at the Stroud School, and the second spent visiting RHS Wisley and their botanic delights.
Tom Mitchell and the Cactus Club Team
Character Design Club This year Character Design Club designed their own fantastical beasts inspired by J.K Rowling’s book ‘Fantastic Beasts and where to find them’. The illustrations and descriptions of the students’ beasts were exhibited in the Atrium Gallery during the summer term. This display presented the students’ broad imaginations and artistic skills, as they have successfully brought their characters to life through drawing, watercolour and digital editing. Character Design Club is also currently creating steampunk three-dimensional models of modes of transport which are intended to hang in the Art Studios.
Miss McGinn
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Charities Commission Charities Commission has had another fantastic year with a wide variety of events, shows and stalls. We have raised money for many different charities ranging from local organisations (such as the Honeypot Children’s Charity) to national campaigns (such as Jeans for Genes). Turnout to both Upper and Lower School Charities Commissions have been excellent, with lots of new faces getting involved in fundraising.
We began the autumn term with the Toy Appeal Fun Run, with the whole of the First Year dressing up as toys and running around the perimeter of the School to raise money to buy Christmas gifts for local disadvantaged children. Later that term we participated in the Link to Hope Shoebox Appeal. We filled a record 225 shoeboxes with gifts for families in Eastern Europe and a great deal of teamwork was on show as the Upper School charities group worked hard to sort through and deliver all the boxes. The nonuniform day of the term was in support of Jeans for Genes and saw lots of pupils and staff wearing double denim to raise money for this cause. We supported Children in Need in November with some merchandise and fun stalls and in December, the Summer Camp team ran a successful disco for First Year pupils with the interesting theme of neon/Christmas. There were some imaginative outfits on display that night. All pupils enjoyed the music and activities put on by the Sixth Formers. This Christmas, King Edward’s did its first food collection for those in need in Southampton. Tins and packaged food were collected and delivered to a food bank in the city. We were pleased to help provide much needed nourishment for people worse off than us at Christmas time. A team of Fifth Year students ran a fun Christmas film evening at the end of term where pupils enjoyed some festive activities and a picnic dinner before settling down for the film. The usual Christmas stalls were a big hit with lots of sweet treats on offer, as well as presents for those last minute shoppers.
The spring term was just as busy and started with the summer camp ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition in January. Many talented students performed with a range of acts from solo singers to bands with tricks up their sleeves. The team also held their annual ‘triathlonathon’ near the end of term. This involved pupils keeping three exercise machines going constantly for eight hours. Lots of money (and heart rates) were raised. The ever popular ‘Mr and Mrs’ returned this term for Fifth Years and Sixth Formers. Several couples went under scrutiny much to the delight of the packed out audience. Baking and eating cakes remains a favourite pass time of KES pupils and this term did not disappoint. We had break time cake sales, a pancake sale to celebrate Shrove Tuesday as well as the first ever KES Bake Off competition judged by the Headmaster and won by first year pupil Destiny Annan. A team of enthusiastic Sixth Form boys ran a dodgeball tournament for First Years after the success of their football tournament in the autumn term and this provided another enjoyable lunchtime for the pupils. The term ended with the popular ‘KES has got talent’, which again attracted a full audience and was enjoyed by all. Acts included juggling, accents and singing.
The summer term began with a break time ice cream sale and continued with some fun to celebrate Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding. The team set up a photo booth with props and sold patriotic cakes and cookies. The annual fun run was this year in support of New Forest charity – Honeypot Children’s Charity, which provides local young carers with weekend respite and days out in the summer. Bumble, the charity mascot, was even able to visit and take part! This term’s non-uniform day has a blue theme as we raised money for toilet twinning with the aim of twinning all of our toilets with one in a developing country. Thank you to all pupils who have helped to run and organise events, but also thank you to everyone who has supported our events by buying a biscuit, watching a lunchtime event or participating in a tournament.
Mrs Hall
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Chess Club The Chess Club gather together on four lunch hour slots per week. At times, there have been in excess of twenty- four players although on other occasions it has been much quieter. Joshua Lam, Malachy Allen and Duncan Little have certainly impressed and their presence in the club remains invaluable. The House Competition this year was won by Watts with Lawrence coming in second place. There were some excellent close fought matches with Joshua Lam recovering well after losing his queen early on.
Mr Collins
Christian Union
Classics Society
Christian Union has met regularly on a Wednesday lunchtime, partaking in a variety of activities from hearing talks to engaging in meaningful discussions about the big questions of life – and also eating cake!
This year was a very successful year for Classics Society. It has been an exciting year for the members with many new Second and Third years joining. During the year, we held many exciting events such as the Classics Gameshow and BakeOff, participated in debates and watched movies and gave talks which ranged from Norse Mythology by Hetty Lloyd and Sophie Braakenburg to a talk about left-handers in the Ancient World by Hannah Smith.
With members from the Fourth, Fifth, Lower and Upper Sixth, all year groups were represented as we made plans for the year. A variety of talks, discussions and guest speakers were planned over the two terms up to Easter. These included a look at the Science and Christianity topic through “Test of Faith”, a read through of the Gospel of Mark using the “Soul” material and a look at some contemporary issues including Science & Faith and LGBT+. As the group look ahead to the new academic year new members and ideas are always welcome.
Mr Robinson
We have also made changes in the society to try to include more unknown and less recognised ancient civilisations instead of focusing just on European and Egyptian civilisations. Therefore we also had talks about the Yayoi Period in Japan and the Kingdom of Kush in modern day Sudan. We hope that the club continues to thrive over the next year as well as putting on another Classics play.
Sophia Skenderis, Hannah Smith and Catherine Wray
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Coding Club At the start of the year, we were learning the basics of coding, and learning the programming language Python. More recently, we have been applying the programming knowledge using Unity Game Engine, and the programming language Unity C#. This is a professional game and app development tool.
Will Atherton
Cookery Club Cookery Club enjoyed a very successful year with pupils from the Second Year creating a variety of challenging dishes. A delicious spaghetti bolognaise was a highlight, alongside some interesting gingerbread and fruit crumble. The annual KES Bake Off resulted in a high level of competition and the Head Master joined us in the judging of the beautiful creations. The Fourth Year took on a few more advanced recipes and the smell of Thai green chicken curry wafted over the School. They finished the year off with some traditional scones.
Mrs Searles
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Debating and Public Speaking Society Debating and Public Speaking Society continues to be a popular and energy fuelled Club. We have been fortunate enough to continue with our President, Ameena Hamid, and welcome the new Vice President John Joyce. They have continued to work hard to make the society what it is and keep up interest in current politics. DAPSOC has been fortunate enough to participate in a first of its kind this year. Four Sixth Form
pupils attended a conference at the Civic Centre in Southampton, led by the Sheriff of the city. Students debated the significance of the United Nations and evaluated its current impact. All four boys conducted themselves in an excellent manner and devoted their time appropriately. We hope to continue to run this trip in the future and expand our horizons with other schools.
Miss Champion
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Digital Leaders It has been another productive year for the KES digital leaders, starting off with the Digital Leader Conference, held at Stroud. The conference is an annual event, which gives digital leaders from across the South the chance to come together and talk about what they have been doing throughout the year, as well as try out a range of exciting activities involving various technologies. There were eight activities, as well as a presentation from each school. Activities included Sphero programming and green screen recording, a LEGO mindstorm activity and a session exploring virtual reality. The presentations, presented by the students, provided an insight into what exactly other schools’ digital leaders do and this was an opportunity for KES students to see new ideas which we could also use. The presentations were varied, with topics such as avoiding viruses, the use of the google suite and Chromebooks in classrooms and e-safety. Following this event, we started recruiting new First Year pupils to join us as digital leaders. There was a lot of interest in the roles, but after interviews, in front of a distinguished panel, we reduced it down to the final six. Current KES digital leaders also helped the new First Years which benefited them hugely. The First to Third Year students have designed a QR code to go in The Memorial Garden, when it officially opens in November, that will host lots of photos and information about King Edward’s in the First World War. The Fifth Years have been designing an app to say which school bus has arrived or when it is due. Towards the end of the year the six new First Year
digital leaders held an assembly on the importance of being safe online. Many people found this very helpful and informative.
James Jellett
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Economics Society This year we were very fortunate to have an excellent array of speakers, from passionate students in the Lower and Upper Sixth to inspiring external speakers who allowed us to access more advanced economic principles.
We rounded off the year with the final co-president Archie Millar’s stimulating talk on motivation in work, rewarding us with attendance-linked refreshments and leaving us inspired for the forthcoming exam season and future careers.
Our topics this year provided fantastic knowledge beyond the specification of the A Level course for all our keen members, starting with Charlie Hurst who gave a theatrical and interactive talk on the ethical limits of the free market, questioning whether one can put a price on his superb presentation. The first co-president talk came from Henry Waring on herd behaviour in financial markets, where members were shepherded out of the door after a short but sweet talk. This also provoked the start of an ongoing sibling rivalry between the Warings. John Naoum was up next, invading the Society with the economics of war, shooting down any tough questions. The first external speaker this year came from the University of Southampton. Dr Helen Paul gave a thrilling account of the South Sea Company and provided a new historical perspective on asset bubbles for which we were all very grateful. The mid way point of the year allowed for the hotly contested Christmas Quiz to take place. A tough set of questions left the participants sweating like turkeys at Christmas, with Mr Sheppard and Mr Culver narrowly beating the students despite tricky questions designed to catch them out.
This year the Economics Society was very proud of the fantastic attendance of students studying economics as well as those supporting peers giving a presentation, and the few who came to disprove that “there’s no such thing as a free [cake]”. We wish all the best to the KES Economics Society and hope that it will continue to grow and develop.
In the new year, James Harden coerced the audience with his talk on nudge theory, touching on the ideas of libertarian paternalism. The second co-president Rishabh Chugh benefited the audience with his talk on welfare economics, dispensing the ideas of Universal Basic Income and negative income tax, using some advanced mathematical models. The Society saw the return of the popular and highly requested Andrew Holder; the Central Southern Agent from the Bank of England. He offered a true insight into the working of the bank and the Monetary Policy Committee, whilst enlightening us with his expertise during the Q&A session. This made it the highlight of this year’s Economics Society.
Archie Millar, Rishabh Chugh and Henry Waring Mr Culver adds: Academic societies at KES largely thrive or wither according to the energy, enthusiasm and ambition of the students who lead them. We have been extremely fortunate to have had a society this year led by three students who have these attributes, and many more, in spades. My thanks, and that of all those who have enjoyed Economics Society, go to Archie, Rishabh, and Henry, as well as all those who spoke and attended.
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English Society The term started with the Booker Prize Challenge, the challenge being to read all of the short-listed novels in the five weeks between the short-list being announced and the award ceremony. Once again, this was well-attended, attracting mostly Literature students but some from other disciplines. The level of debate was high, and the students certainly had plenty to say about the novels, although they did not agree with the final winner! Two students, Harry Tidby and Jane Bentham, managed to read all six books, which is very impressive given that one was over 900 pages long, and they received book tokens of £25 each in assembly. Another reading initiative further down the School has been the Jane Austen reading group. Led by Mrs Gunton, the students were challenged to read all of Austen’s novels before Christmas. Mrs Gunton says that there is a hard-core of Austen enthusiasts in the Lower School who attended all of the meetings and read all of the novels. This has been a very successful club, so there may well be a repeat next year, but obviously with a different author. In an initiative similar to the popular Booker Prize Challenge but for younger students, a reading group was formed in the summer term whose members
were encouraged to read the eight books on the Carnegie Book Award shortlist. The group met once a week, organised by Mrs Hardwick with the help of the Librarian. Talks this year have included a remarkably in-depth and knowledgeable one about Charles Dickens, which ran over the allotted time and was, by popular demand, continued at a different venue. These were presented by the equally remarkable Mr Mason, who has given several well-researched talks over the years. Dr Schofield also spoke about ‘Trainspotting’, and about ‘Paradise Lost’, and Aelfred Hillman of the Lower Sixth gave us a very interesting insight into Dylan Thomas. The English Society has been reborn as the Literature Society for the coming academic year, with an executive committee rather than a President. The committee are very keen and have a number of ideas, including a reading group and a trip to Chawton. We would like to get a literary big hitter to the School, and have received an encouraging response from Sebastian Faulks’s agent.
Dr Schofield
First Aid Club This year I have run two separate First Aid Clubs and we now have twelve more newly qualified First Aiders with certificates from the Red Cross Life Live It schools programme. Our programme includes basics like the recovery position, CPR, keeping yourself safe in emergency situations, bleeding, burns and choking. We also cover a range of medical conditions that the pupils are encouraged to research. They then report back with their research using a variety of media including power point presentations, role plays and even posters.
We have a range of equipment in the Medical Room that we can use for demonstrations such as resuscitation, and choking Charlie and baby mannequins so that we can teach a range of first aid skills. The students have enjoyed using a training defibrillator so that we can equip them with the skills to use these potentially life-saving machines. Each course lasts 10 weeks and each pupil who successfully completes the programme is awarded a certificate in conjunction with the Red Cross with a qualification that lasts three years.
The course also cover topics such as bites and stings, hypo/hyperthermia, sunburn and sunstroke, all medical topics that are relevant to anyone wanting to do the Duke of Edinburgh award. The second group this academic year were all D of E participants and so we factored in extra training sessions to ensure they reached their Skills target.
Mrs Duke
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Geography Society It has been a busy year for Geography Society with a plethora of interesting talks from teachers, students, and outside speakers. Geography Society has taken advantage of the travels of both teachers and students who have given a variety of talks about different geographical locations, including South Africa and New Zealand. The Geography Ambassadors also organised for a range of outside speakers to come in and give insightful talks about various geographical topics. Mike Brown, Managing Director of CLEAR project in Southampton, came in to talk about migration and the issues of integration within the city, Adam Wheeler, from the Southampton Common Forum, came in to discuss issues surrounding the redevelopment
of the Common and plans for the future, and British Adventurer, Charlie Walker, came in to give a mesmerising talk about his expeditions. Old Edwardian, Bronwyn Lee, also came back to give a fascinating talk about her current degree at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. Geography Society has continued to be very popular on a Thursday lunchtime, with teachers as well as students coming to listen to the talks. It has been great to see such a large audience each week.
Fred Davies and George Vincent
German Club (Lower School)
This year’s Lower School German Club has been a fantastic opportunity for our younger Germanists to practise their language in a fun, interactive way and to stretch themselves beyond the classroom. Many pupils, particularly from the First Year, have taken part, but Samantha MacNaughton, Chloe Saunders and Isabel Smith deserve a particular mention for their attendance week in, week out.
They have certainly learnt a lot of new vocabulary and, hopefully, had a lot of fun with the help of the Languages Online games under the supervision of Mrs Ruggles, to whom we are very grateful. We hope that next year’s German clubbers will enjoy Tuesday lunchtimes as much as this year’s.
Mr Jepson
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Greek Club Ancient Greek Club continues to meet at the beginning of every Friday lunchtime. With regular members from the Second, Third and Fifth years, we have introduced packed lunches so that people can go directly to Classics Society afterwards. We have a group of very dedicated students who come every week to Friday’s ‘Classical Hour’ and bring energy to the clubs with their unique sense of humour. The newcomers spend the sessions working on learning the alphabet and going through Gorilla Greek. For those of us who are more
advanced, our sessions are more focused on studying the vocabulary and sentence structure in the Advanced Greek book and learning our weekly grammar point taught by Mrs Meredith. As well as language the club is also about discovering more about Ancient Greek culture and we hope to see the club continue in the coming school year.
Sophia Skenderis, Hannah Smith and Catherine Wray
Green Team Green Team have worked enthusiastically over the last year, trying to promote more sustainable living. The big push has been to consider our plastic usage, following national and international campaigns. Encouraging students to bring in water bottles and mugs rather than disposable drinks bottles and cups are easy ways of reducing single-use waste. Predictions are that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish, which will obviously have detrimental impacts on other species as well as us. Green Team led a dynamic and interactive wholeschool assembly discussing various issues and shocking students about the breadth of the problem. They quizzed the community on facts and I think many people were surprised and shocked with how bad the situation is today. Green Team has been following the Twitter hashtags #turnthetideonplastics #saveourseas and #strawssuck to get a greater understanding of the problem via the Twittersphere. @GreenKEShants is slowly gaining followers and providing facts, articles and ideas to become a more sustainable community. We had a very successful animal-themed non-school uniform day, raising nearly £1000 for the WWF and MCS (Marine Conservation Society). The charities will use the money towards beach cleans in the UK. February saw the team take on the nationally run ‘Plastic Freebruary Challenge’ and generally they were very successful, making changes like buying bamboo toothbrushes, returning to glass milk bottles and declining a straw when being served at a restaurant. These little steps go a long way.
We were grateful to governor, Dr Roger Buchanan who visited us prior to the Upper Sixth leaving for study leave. He is very knowledgeable and enjoyed speaking to the team and getting an understanding of changes we could make. We are looking forward to next year and are hoping to target the menu for more sustainable options.
Mrs Brown
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Greenpower A record 100 teams turned out for the Greenpower regional heats at a warm and sunny Goodwood race circuit on Sunday 10th June this year. With a completely rebuilt car, the KES Racing Team were confident but with no practice session so far this season, everyone was ready for any quick modifications that might have been required. The team, led by Alex Everest in the Lower Sixth, used the practice session to maximum effect giving everyone at least one lap of the circuit before heading in to the first 1 hour 30 minute race of the day. Everything went according to plan and the team finished in an impressive 20th place and went back to the paddock area in high spirits. The second race was not quite so smooth as a lost drive pin forced an early pit stop. However, the problem was quickly identified and fixed, allowing the team to still finish in 30th place with high hopes they have done enough to qualify for the International finals at Rockingham Speedway in October.
In other team news, this season we are preparing to take delivery of a second kit car generously purchased with funds from the KES PTA. A second car will provide another eight sought after spaces on the race team and the hope is to get some more female drivers involved and maybe even enter a full girls’ team into the 2019 season.
Mr Blow
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Harry Potter Society KES has operated a first of its kind this year, the Harry Potter Society. We have spent our time creating artistic designs, taking part in creative writing and of course discussing all things Harry Potter! We were fortunate enough to run the first KES trip to the Warner Brothers Studios in October. This proved a truly magical experience for all pupils and staff alike!
Miss Champion
Historical Society This year has been very successful for the Historical Society, with informative talks on subjects ranging from, ‘A History of Cricket’ by Sam Rachman to ‘Communist Poland’ by Michael Magier, as well as an EPQ presentation about Battlefield Medicine from the Somme to Afghanistan. We were lucky to have a selection of students, both past and present, as well as academic experts giving talks on their specialist subjects. Attendance has flourished thanks to them, and we owe our gratitude to all who have attended to talk and listen. The highlights of the year included a talk from Oscarnominated producer Alan Wright on the History of Northern Ireland which provided an intellectual account of the trial of the Guildford Four and the historical divide between Protestants and Catholics
in Ireland. We also heard from Old Edwardian Hamish Traill, returning from Warwick University, where he reads Classical Civilisations, to discuss the real fall of Troy; his talk covered topics such as the illusive ‘sea people’ (a race whose existence is greatly debated) and the role of natural disasters in shaping human development. As for current students, talks on Desmond Doss, the subject of the film Hacksaw Ridge and the hiistory of cricket proved to be very popular. We wish the best of luck to Omar Al-Gholmy, who will be President during the coming year. His position is well-deserved and bodes well for the future of the society.
Tabitha Traill and Henry Townsend
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Interface Every Friday, a group of First, Second and Third Years meet in M10 to play games, attempt challenges, consider topical issues, compete at quizzes or solve problems. Often the big questions of life are touched upon and all viewpoints are welcome.
Japanese Club
Remembering was a prominent theme, as well as how important impossible things can be. Estimating, cheating and doing things on your head all played a part so there was something for everyone!
Japanese Club has been a really fun experience this year. We have learnt some basics of the Japanese language, including months, days, numbers and greetings, as well as seeing how they are written. As well as learning the language, we are also picking up some facts about Japanese culture, and we feel more in touch with Japan. It has also been a good opportunity to meet new people, and chat to them using the vocab we have learnt, and it’s very satisfying when the dialogue in the animé we watch begins to make sense!
Mr Singleton
Emma Appleby
During the last year, there were plenty of games of chance (always with an element of skill thrown in), various drawing competitions, World Cup predictions, famous quotes and problems about cannibals and frogs. In some meetings emotions were stirred: the powerful Rachel Denhollander testimony was considered, Jesus’ dying words taken to heart and the persecution of believers around the world highlighted.
Linguistics Olympiad Club Linguistics Olympiad Club has met weekly throughout the whole year. Although the main aim of the club is to prepare for the UK-wide Linguistics Olympiad Competition in February, the lure of tackling the linguistics puzzles remains even after the competition has taken place. The puzzles are all based on samples of real-life languages (or occasionally made-up languages), with language patterns and rules for the candidates to spot which then need to be re-applied to new tasks. Sometimes the languages are in an unfamiliar script, often they are obscure languages that we have never heard of, but they are all ‘crackable’ with patience and experience. This year all the competing teams in the competition gained a Gold Certificate at Intermediate Level. Well done to all the following: Isobel Searles, Jessica Lu, Iolanta Spanner, Charis Saer, Charlotte Saudek and Xyla Taufaniska. In September 2018, we’ll be looking for new members to replace those who’ve left the School. Give it a try if you’re in the Upper School or Sixth Form.
Mrs Lupton
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MedSoc This past year has again seen a wide range of speakers address MedSoc. From research-based careers to hands-on sessions, every talk further demonstrated the variety in a medical career, never failing to motivate the new batch of aspiring medics. Our first meeting really threw our new members into the deep end, testing their practical skills on medical models. Like those that medical students use for their training, the models simulated real skin, which provided a unique and valuable insight into studying medicine. The rest of the year was equally actionpacked, hearing from over twenty different speakers from diverse medical backgrounds. Whilst we saw some familiar faces from previous years, like Professor of genomics Diana Baralle and trauma neurologist Andy Eynon, both of whom delivered fascinating talks, the past terms have seen some new speakers give a fresh perspective on medicine. Some of the most notable included Dr Krzysztof Magier, Dr Mike Harrigan and Prof. Deborah Mackay.
surgery, as for Dr Doug Dunlop, to psychiatry, like Dr Nathan Huneke, is encouraging; choosing medicine really does open boundless opportunity. We are all indebted to the doctors, surgeons, researchers, and medical students who came to speak, and we are very grateful they took time out of their schedule to help what will hopefully be the next generation of doctors.
A polish born and trained paediatrician, Dr Magier’s experience working abroad in different medical systems was especially interesting to hear about, as for many KES students the NHS was the only healthcare system familiar to them. Combining sharp-witted humour with an in-depth analysis of the benefits of working in medicine, Dr Magier’s talk was certainly inspiring. Dr Harrigan’s talk was received with a mixture of jealousy and admiration. The life of an army aviation medic is certainly fast-paced, as we discovered hearing about Dr Harrigan’s exploits globally. For those who were enamoured with the high pressure life or death working conditions, the exotic locations Dr Harrigan had worked in only added to the appeal. In stark contrast to the first hand clinical care delivered by an army medic, Professor Deborah Mackay delivered a talk on the role of epigenetics. Epigenetics is a topic hugely brushed over in A Level, and unsurprisingly her talk attracted some of the more curious biology students as well as medics. One of the great advantages of a society like MedSoc is enabling the curious to go beyond the limitations of the curriculum and Professor Mackay’s talk did not disappoint. Her incredible enthusiasm for her subject enthralled everyone in the audience and she left everyone more open to a research career.
MedSoc continued into the summer term with a successful trauma first aid course. In the final weeks with upcoming applications, support sessions in the form of BMAT and Medical Interview Days are seeing the Lower Sixth safely through their UCAS process. Next year MedSoc will be back with more talks in the same vein to help and encourage any future medics. Our thanks to Mrs Millar for running the society and for helping to prepare aspiring medics for the gruelling medical application process.
Professor Mackay’s passion was a common theme amongst all the speakers. Whilst no two people were in exactly the same speciality, each and every one of them were totally dedicated to their career. That medicine alone could lead to careers in orthopaedic
Jess Holmes and George Budden (Medsoc Presidents 2017-18)
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Mountain Biking Club It has been the inaugural year for the KES Mountain Biking Club with five members signed up in 2017/2018. The group have enjoyed Sunday rides to the New Forest and to Swinley Trail Centre as well as a residential every term, utilising the Rural Study Centre on Dartmoor. We have had fortnightly maintenance meetings during which the group have learned and practised various skills from puncture and chain repair to indexing of gears and brake maintenance. The group’s skills and riding ability has improved over the year and as a result they visited Snowdonia during Endeavour to visit an iconic trail centre and climb Snowdon whilst there.
Mr Barnes
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Partnerships Partnerships continue to be an increasingly prevalent feature in the School with local primary schools taking part in a range of after-school and lunchtime activities accompanied by our dedicated KES volunteers. At KES we have regular links with a number of local primary schools, including Springhill Catholic Primary School, Hollybrook Junior School, Nursling Primary School, Wordsworth Primary School and Highfield Primary School. Pupils from these schools have been given the opportunity to participate in clubs including French, Science, Reading Schemes, Art, ICT, Maths and Fencing. Clubs have been well received by the schools involved and have also been extremely enjoyable for the KES volunteers, who are able to work with small groups of children, and teach them something they are clearly interested in. This has allowed volunteers to develop their leadership and teamwork skills, whilst having a lot of fun! Both Springhill and Wordsworth have continued to be involved with the Science partnerships club, run by Mrs Burnett and Mrs Collinson. Throughout the year, groups of primary children are able to participate in eight weeks of fun science experiments which encompass aspects of physics, biology and chemistry. This greatly improves their scientific knowledge, preparing them for science in secondary school. Highlights included inspecting onion cells under the microscope, searching through leaf litter and identifying insect species, and a dissection of a rat and a pig heart in the final week.
Our Reading Schemes have also grown from strength to strength, with more and more KES volunteers getting involved each year. Volunteers are partnered with a primary school student and both reading to the pupil and allowing the pupil to read for themselves are involved. Everybody gets attached to his or her buddy and volunteers can form a relationship with a primary school pupil. A highlight of this school year’s partnerships work was the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ performance in November and December of 2017, which involved over 50 cast members from KES. The fantastic musical was watched by many of our partnerships schools who all came together on a Wednesday afternoon. The play was greatly received by the primary school children who really enjoyed watching their favourite Disney film come to life. This event summed up the aims of the partnerships programme and was a fun-filled afternoon for all.
Natalie Oldfield (Partnerships Prepositor)
Philosophy shop also continued for the first term of the school year, run by Mr Tofts and our KES volunteers. Groups of pupils from Highfield School were met twice a week in small groups, where they discussed arguably extremely complex philosophical ideas, including topics like what happiness is and what beauty is. Complicated ideas were made into fun activities, which helped pupils develop their thought process and think critically about what they were saying.
Philosophy Society Philosophy Society emerged from the passions of the students learning the subject. The society allowed for the presentation of integral ideas to philosophy that often sparked lively debate. The society gave a range of talks from existentialist ideas of what it is to be human, to the concept
of objectivity and whether we can logically claim objective truths. All the talks were extremely interesting and were well received. Furthermore, the talk on ‘The Problem of Evil’ was also useful revision to those studying the subject.
Dominic Staniforth
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Photography Society The photography group has been very popular once again this year and we have met on a Thursday lunchtime to engage in a number of different photographic activities. We have been on numerous ‘photo walks’ in the local area, photographing parts of Southampton Common and the cemetery as well as local roads. A number of interesting techniques have been investigated inside, as we have used the studio equipment, photographed miniatures, smoke and painted with light. There have been two opportunities to showcase these pictures with competitions and shows, each with several categories. Photos taken with DSLRs, phones and iPads have all been entered. We also had an excellent lunchtime talk, and opportunity to use pin hole cameras, that was led by Roger Buchanan. A few of the winning competition entries are displayed here and further pictures can always be seen on the display board in the Mathematics corridor or on the school website.
Mr Robinson
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Politics Society This year’s newly-formed Politics Society has attracted a great variety of speakers and audiences, proving to be a great success. Issues ranging from freedom of speech to gun control were discussed with tenacity and verve. A range of talks was also delivered including a challenge to the status quo of political correctness, whilst the School was also fortunate enough to be able to welcome Conservative and Labour MPs to question and
answer sessions. No talk was free from controversy; however, freedom of expression, enshrined in the society’s nature, provided that truth always triumphed. We hope that the Society and its popularity will continue for many years to come.
Rishabh Chugh, Henry Townsend and Michael Magier
Polyglots Society Polyglots (the Upper School and Sixth Form Languages Society) has ventured into new territory this year, featuring several cultural topics as well as embracing linguistic matters. The first presentation of the year, was given by our French Assistant, Fatma Berdous Majnun on the topic of ‘The Berbers, the amazing culture and the Tamazight language’. Fatma’s own experiences of this topic - her native culture and language - provided some vivid insights into this fascinating but unfamiliar area. For the presentation, Fatma wore an example of national dress and explained the history of this unusual script. The second presentation was by Tom Rugge-Price who condensed the findings of his EPQ for the audience, entitling his talk ‘An insight into Columbia: Pablo Escobar and the Medellín Cartel’. Tom’s
intriguing talk attracted the largest crowd we had ever had at Polyglots and did not disappoint. It was delivered professionally and was gripping, whilst packed with startling statistics about this once allpowerful drug lord. The final presentation of the year was a masterclass by Isobel Searles and Jess Lu on ‘How to Tackle the Linguistics Olympiad Competition and win Gold’. Isobel and Jess both competed in this year’s Linguistics Olympiad Competition and won Gold certificates at Intermediate Level, so they were ideally placed to talk their audience through two tasks, a relatively simple one on Japanese and a more challenging one on N’Ko. My thanks go to all the presenters for their wellresearched and carefully prepared presentations and the audiences for their attendance.
Mrs Lupton
Robotics Club The usual Student Robotics Competition was suspended this year and replaced by a Southampton University Competition called Sourcebots. A small team of Upper Sixth students duly planned to take part in the competition and designed and prototyped a potentially competitive robot. However, due to
circumstances beyond their control, some of the key components for the design were not delivered by the competition date and therefore the team were unable to compete this year. Better luck next year!
Mr Mapstone
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Sailing and Paddleboarding Club The KES Sailing Club has expanded to include paddleboarding this year thanks to a very generous donation from the KES PTA. We now have a fleet of seven paddle boards and many pupils have either tried paddleboarding for the first time or enjoyed a paddle up the Itchen, if they are more experienced, to make the most of the glorious summer weather. We have started doing evening sailing on Tuesday and Wednesday after school. Pupils are enjoying trying out the range of boats that SWAC offers. Some evenings we have cruised round to Weston in a Wayfarer and other evenings we have been racing the brand new Zests. We also sail on Sunday afternoons in the autumn and summer terms; often joining forces with Stroud pupils to have races, or play pirates if there isn’t much wind! In the Easter holidays lots of pupils gained their RYA stage 1 and 2 in an unusually sunny week. Our more
experienced pupils benefited from some expert tuition in racing and seamanship to gain their stages 3 and 4. For the first time we offered a windsurfing course which proved very popular. Many Upper School pupils come sailing to work towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award ‘skill’ or ‘physical’ section. Sixth Formers have enjoyed using a variety of boats at SWAC and honing their paddleboarding skills with Mr Blow at the new facilities at Eastleigh Lakeside. On Tuesday afternoons, the club is also used by Sixth Formers for power boating and for sailing and paddleboarding on a Wednesday. My thanks go to all the pupils for their commitment and enthusiasm this year and to Mr Havers, Mr Allen, Mrs Sheridan, Dr Waymark, Dr Schofield and Mr Barker for all their help.
Mrs Burrows
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Scamp Club Our annual venture to Dartmoor was stopped this year by the heavy falls of snow which blanketed the UK in the early days of March. Instead, Scamp Club members found the best armchair in their respective houses, put another log on the fire and settled down to some serious study of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
be back on the podium later in the year. In February, Callum Jacob presented ‘Sorcerers’, a lively account that touched on the world of Harry Potter and the realm of magic generally. Then in March the gripping tale of ‘Smuggling in Rye’, a Pirates of the Caribbean romp through dastardly yet romantic escapades led by Colin McCann, wrapped up the term.
A wide range of students yet again graced CL3 over the course of the year to present lectures on topics both pet and universal. September was the month of the Cyber Security Challenge as teams were formed and practices undertaken in preparation for the three rounds which took place during the winter months. Ethan Celinski, Blake Margason, Tom McCarthy and Natalie Thompson led the four teams admirably, with the Thompson team narrowly missing out on the finals in London.
The summer term heralded the delights of Jamie McManus’s ‘Mysteries of the Pyramids’, a wellplanned and compelling presentation on Pharoahs, mazes and aliens, the thrilling ‘Inspirational People’ by a returning Lucy Giles, and Max Bouras’s glorious appraisal of the famous ‘Terracotta Warriors’. The year was rounded-off by an animal tale, ‘Racoons’, by Jack Lovett and Ben Mundy.
In October, Blake Margason and Harry Radford gave us an entertaining talk on ‘Survival’, both in the wild and from nuclear attack. Lucy Giles timed her splendidly illustrated and rather cuddly November lecture on ‘Paddington’ to coincide with the cinema release of the second film in the series. Then, in December, President Tom McCarthy wrapped matters up for the term with the annual quiz in which everyone was a winner. ‘Unlikely Events and Coincidences’ started the new year. This was the first lecture to the group by Jamie McManus. It was very well received, and Jamie would
Scrabble Club We have really enjoyed Scrabble Club this year; it has been a fantastic opportunity to learn new words and get to know new people. Over the past year, we have done some really fun things, including a Harry Potter themed Scrabble game and a small grouped contest between the members, with delicious prizes for the winners! Each week we have had a designated theme for our play and whoever includes the most words from this category won an edible prize for the following week. Overall, Scrabble has been a fun experience for all of us, and a nice chance to just sit back and relax with friends.
Emma Appleby and Isabel Wilson
Tom McCarthy has guided the fortunes of Scamp Club over the last twelve months with great style and energy. Not only have members readily come forward at Tom’s call to pass on their passions in a series of glorious, illustrated lectures, but a great many of them have made their debuts before an audience at the same time. Attendance each Tuesday fills the classroom. We thank all who come to support and to present talks on a breadth of topics often on more than one occasion.
Members of the Scamp Club team
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Sewing Bees The KES Sewing Bees are an absolute delight to be with, their enthusiasm and industriousness is indeed most contagious. They have been busy this year making a variety of items ranging from draw string shoe bags, shorts, pin cushions, decorative hair clips and broaches, envelope tissue pouches and free style embroidery designs with which to adorn work. The
group have certainly shown their creativity through their selection of fabric combinations and pattern combinations resulting in stylish final pieces. Their ambition continues with plenty more tasks on their wish list to undertake in the coming academic year.
Mrs Moxon
Spanish Bilingual Club There are currently four bilingual students in the Second year alone so, with them in mind, Mrs Ladislao decided to create a new club in which these students could have the chance to speak in Spanish outside the classroom context. The group meet every Wednesday lunchtime and this year the activities have ranged from reading Spanish magazines to singing the latest Hispanic hot hits as well as playing games and, of course, learning more about Spanish grammar and spelling rules. Chocolate, a well-known product of Hispanic origin, is always present!
Mrs Ladislao
STEM Club Members of the STEM Club meet after school on Wednesdays. The group are currently working on a prototype for an automatic table tennis returner and this is steadily making progress. The team are developing an app with which they can control the appliance and this is in the early testing stage. Several of the components needed to continue with the construction process are still awaiting design, after which they will be 3D printed.Â
Mr Mapstone
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Table Tennis Club A good number of enthusiastic table tennis players arrived in September and over the following months many exciting matches ensued. Some of the new First Years were particularly skilful and rapid progress was made. In the Southampton Schools’ U13 League we had a committed and able team (Billy Goodridge, Mayan Gupta, Sanya Khurana and Sammy Venable). The first match was against a traditionally strong opponent, Cantell School, and although the team narrowly lost 5 – 3 it augured well for the remaining six fixtures. The seventh and final match was a crucial one against Mountbatten School. A win would see us joint top of the league, while a win for Mountbatten would leave them outright champions. In the end, Mayan won a vital match 19 – 17, 12 – 10 to gain a draw and leave the King Edward’s team tantalisingly short, just one point behind the winners. All four players made extremely valuable contributions. In the annual Inter-Form competition 1/2 powered to victory with an excellent squad (Luka Thomas, Oliver Wilkinson, Michael Wong and Marcus Wray). Luka was also the First Year Champion and the Lower School champion so great things are expected from him in the future! Poppy Culver was once again the best female player who attended the club regularly.
Mr Singleton
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Wargames Club The continued support of seasoned grognards, augmented by new recruits, has made 2017-18 a vintage year for Wargames Club and most weeks have seen at least two, sometimes three, games afoot on the hallowed ground of J2. Continuing the trend of recent years, war has been a relatively uncommon theme, largely overtaken by more general strategy games and we have seen players contesting fantasy realms, the wild-west, haunted houses, rail networks and space on the forest floor. Technology has appeared via some app assisted games but it has also been good to see the re-appearance of old fashioned pen and paper role-playing.
Thanks to all who turned up but special mention to the regular infantry Tom McCarthy, Will Atherton, Alfie Wright, Joe Linehan, Toby Ellis, Jamie McManus, Callum Jacob, Travis Stafford and Milo Turner.
Dr Gamblin
Young Enterprise In 2017/18, the participants in the Young Enterprise programme traded as Radar Hockey and, unusually, continued to operate after the competitive elements of the programme were over. A team of eight Lower Sixth students (James Harden, Jovan Dhariwal, James Lander, Adam Lock, Colin McCann, Thomas Mitchell, Will Penrose and Max Pumphrey) identified a gap in the market for affordable, high quality hockey sticks. Suppliers were identified in Pakistan, and Radar imported batches of sticks that they had designed. The sticks were tested and the team carried out appropriate market research in order to retail successfully at KES, at their respective hockey clubs and via social media pages and their website. To complement the stick range, the team also decided to expand and diversify into the clothing market and sold an array of sporting apparel including hoodies, t-shirts, tracksuits and caps. Radar attracted demand from Belgium, Holland, France, USA, Barbados, Argentina, South Africa and the UK, whilst sponsorship deals were also secured. Radar made good use of the Art Department with Christian Price and Louis Thatcher producing powerful promotional videos that bolstered the team’s success.
The team decided to donate a proportion of their profits to charitable causes at the end of the academic year. Radar won the Young Enterprise Area Final, held at Winchester College at the end of March, and were unlucky not to win the next round; however, their social media and marketing materials impressed the judges and were entered into the South East Regional Final. The team worked well together and each member played a key role according to their individual stengths.
James Harden
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TRIPS AND VISITS
Aachen Christmas Market trip Thirty-three First and Second Year pupils set off at 10 o’clock on a cold Friday evening, accompanied by five teachers, for an 11-hour journey to Aachen. We arrived in Aachen and walked to the Café van den Daele to enjoy a typical German breakfast. The cobbled streets and impressive buildings of Aachen were a little bit like stepping back in time. Then we divided into three groups to take part in a Stadtrallye competition. This helped us to familiarise ourselves with the town and discover its history. We saw a lot of fountains in Aachen; all had unique statues on them that paid homage to a particular piece of the town’s history. An especially attractive one was the puppet fountain; there were several movable puppets and masks made out of brass. Aachen has many old-fashioned streets and shops, such as Korbstraße (Basket Street), where there were several basket shops. Although one group got a bit lost, they enjoyed the experience and it proved to be an opportunity for them to take plenty of photos of themselves and Aachen. At noon, we were allowed to look round the market by ourselves. The stalls were little wooden cabins hung with fairy lights and tinsel. There was also a merry-goround, the delicious aroma of traditional German food and the sound of Christmas carols creating a festive and joyful mood. For lunch, you could eat German favourites such as Reibkuchen (potato cake) or, the preferred choice among most of us, large bags of popcorn and chips.
Mid-afternoon we went to see the cathedral. On the outside it looked magnificent with its tall spire and dome and the pillars and carvings of saints that lined the walls. Many of us liked the decorative ceiling inside and it featured prominently in our photographs. It was a sea of blue, and covered in mosaic patterns such as flowers. The stained glass windows were a deep indigo. It was now getting dark and in the twilight and drizzle, we set off to the Lindt chocolate outlet. We came away from the old-fashioned town centre and into industrial Aachen. The shop was a favourite among many, with one person spending a staggering 60 euros on chocolate! We had never seen so much chocolate in one place before. This was, for many of us, our first KES trip, and it really sets the bar for the ones that will follow!
Isabel Smith and Samantha MacNaughton
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Biology Field Trip to Leeson House In early July, forty-nine Lower Sixth biologists set off for three days of fieldwork around the Isle of Purbeck, based at Leeson House Field Studies centre. As well as covering some of the required core practical skills, the trip is really useful practice with statistics in the field, and an opportunity for students to design and undertake their own piece of individual research. This is what the students said about it: “Such fun” “The sausages are really tasty” “I quite liked doing my own investigation” “It’s coming home” By the end of the week, the students’ confidence in experimental design and dealing with data has increased enormously and in the final few days of term, students prepared and presented their findings to their peers.
Mr Aellen
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CERN
Twenty Lower Sixth physicists travelled to Geneva at the beginning of February to visit CERN – the world’s largest particle accelerator. After a late arrival in Switzerland, we were up early in the morning to have a lab session. The students built their own cloud chambers and observed alpha particle trails and muon trails arising from cosmic rays. It was fascinating to see the trails of individual particles in this manner. The rest of the day was taken up with visiting the two superb exhibitions on the site before we travelled across the border into France to see the facility where the huge magnets used in the accelerator are tested.
The day ended with a visit to the control centre for the cosmic ray detector on board the International Space Station. As our guide (one of the CERN engineers) described the experiment we could all see live footage of a spacewalk from the station, giving a feel of really being close to the action. The next day was spent exploring Geneva and visiting the Natural History Museum before catching our plane back to the UK. This trip is a superb opportunity to see physics and engineering at work as well as learning about recent advances in particle physics and cosmology.
Mr Herklots
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The Charlotte Exchange After a term of interviews and applications, followed by months of anticipation, the moment finally came: 10 KES students arrived at Heathrow airport in the early hours of October 26th 2017 to jet off to Charlotte, North Carolina. The day’s surreality was unbelievable, and even as we boarded the plane, most of us couldn’t believe what we were about to take part in: the 2017/18 Charlotte Exchange! This exchange was momentous for us pupils personally as it gave us a sense of independence, and was significant for the school too as this was the first year that King Edwards had put ten students forward for the exchange (even after decades of partaking) instead of the usual eight. Once we got off the plane, we were greeted by our buddies, who were all so caring towards us and understanding about our jet lag. Firstly, we set off to a welcome party, where they introduced us to quintessential American foods with a Carolinian twist; the most renowned Charlotte food out of these was the BBQ pulled pork sandwich. The KES and CCDS students easily integrated and we became quick friends. After getting to know each other, we all headed to our buddy’s house, where we unpacked and settled in, and had our first night’s sleep in America.
The next week was fast-paced. We visited the Blumenthal Center for the Performing Arts, where we received a tour of the theatres, then we headed to the Levine Museum of the New South, which taught us a lot more about Charlotte’s heritage. Then came Halloween and we went into school in our costumes! We even headed to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in costume. The next day, we spent time at the middle school, with a break for Colombian Arepas in between working on our projects. We finished the day with a circus workshop. On Thursday, we headed to the town of Black Mountain where we got to admire the animals in the Western North Carolina Nature Center. Then we visited the Folk Art Center and went shopping in the streets of Black Mountain. Our final (unplanned!) trip of Thursday was to the mall, where many people spent their last dollars in the outlet stores. On Friday, we headed to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, where we received a tour from the resident art experts. Afterwards, we ate at the renowned Pike’s Old Fashioned Soda Shop. Finally, at the end of the week, we headed back to school for a debriefing with all the teachers. This was a sad moment as it made us realise that the exchange was almost over.
The next day, we had a campus tour with our exchange partners before heading uptown for a scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt involved finding prominent landmarks and completing tasks in their vicinity. This was hectic but a fun activity to do and it also helped us get to know the city of Charlotte. Then we headed to the Charlotte Country Day High School for an open house event. After this we had our first weekend with our host families; some of us in places other than Charlotte, such as the nearby mountains, or even New York!
To finish the trip off on a high, most of the exchange students watched the Carolina Panthers match on the penultimate day of the trip, where they beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 - the first win against this team for at least five years! Then the next day, we headed back to the airport, this time to say goodbye to friends rather than greet strangers. As we waved goodbye, we were already becoming excited about the CCDS students coming to England. This trip was an amazing experience which I would recommend to everyone. Not only do you make a great friend, but you experience a different culture, whilst also gaining independence and an experience away from home.
Abigail McCarthy
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Creative Arts trip to Vienna Meeting at school at 3.45am was never going to be ideal, however a wonderful group of students and staff were eager to get to Vienna and British Airways whizzed us away. Transit from the airport to central Vienna was very quick as was the walk from the underground stop to our hotel. Rooms allocated and bags unpacked we set out to seize the day. Our first excursion was a boat tour of Vienna from the Danube. Once ashore we then sauntered to St Stephen’s Cathedral before heading to visit Mozart’s house which gave us a sense of where Mozart had sat and composed his sublime ‘Marriage of Figaro’. Appropriately, the House of Music was next and as it was Guy Ripper’s 18th birthday so the grand piano was opened spontaneously and we sang heartedly. The House of Music is fascinating taking the visitor through both technological elements of music but also the lives of the great composers. Wednesday morning saw us touring the wonderful Wiener Musikverein. The Great Hall is considered to be the best concert hall in the world with its distinctive narrow shoebox shape. The acoustics are primarily based on the architect’s intuition, as he could not rely on any studies on architectural acoustics. The room’s neoclassical rectangular shape and proportions, its boxes and sculptures allow early and numerous sound reflections. It was a real treat then to hear a few members of the Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra practising whilst we were in the Hall. We also saw the exciting new contemporary spaces underground, constructed from glass, metal (gold), and stone. The Albertina collection was our first art gallery of the tour. We started at the impressionist and progressed to the work of Bacon and Picasso. Mr Piggott gave short art history talks as we went along and the ‘isms’ changed. The students were brilliant and showed a mature and perceptive approach in engaging with the works. We also saw the special exhibition of photographs spanning all the iconic images of the 20th century. After such an arty morning we then strolled to the food market to look for food for a picnic and maybe sample a strudel or torte. Fully loaded we all headed to the Prater Park to eat our sandwiches with the iconic Ferris wheel in the background. The Giant Ferris Wheel in the Prater is one of the city’s symbols. Almost 65 meters tall, it offers a breathtaking view of the city on the Danube. That evening after supper we headed to the Jazz Club Porgy and Bess. It was a great night of music and after the folk whispers of Fräulein Hona, the main act came on. Holler My Dear were an eclectic mix of high tempo Jazz fused with an afro latino vibe and even rap. It was a real inspiration for the musicians to see such quality so close.
Thursday saw the group visiting the Vienna State Opera. This tour around the world-famous opera house was fascinating, especially seeing how each year it is transformed to host the famous debutante ball. As we sat in the auditorium, we could see the huge deep stage and wings as the stage crew prepared for that night’s performance of Parsifal. What was extraordinary was how clearly we could hear their voices, which illustrated the wonderful acoustics. After this we went to the Leopold Museum in the museum quarter. This houses the largest collection of drawings and painting by Egon Schiele. His work is awkward, demanding and unsettling as he challenges the viewer to share in the raw honesty of his work especially in the case of his self-portraits and nudes. The iconic Vienna tram system took us to the Belvedere Palace for yet more art. The undisputed highlight here is the iconic painting ‘The Kiss’ by Gustav Klimt, along with ‘Judith’ and the huge painting of Napoleon on his horse by David. ‘The Kiss’ provoked some lovely responses from the students ranging from observations about composition and meanings to observing the mass crowds treating it like a religious icon. Karlskirche was the wonderful setting for an evening performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’. The baroque splendor of the church and warm fleece blankets set the scene. The next hour was a real treat as the ‘Orchestra 1756’ provided a dynamic and fervent interpretation of this classic work. As we left the church the rain started and it was decided to head back to our hotel for a few rounds of Uno and cards alongside the massed ranks of other European school groups. On Friday it was time to tidy rooms and pack bags before a few last hours in Vienna. Some of the students went to the Viennese Riding School to see the horses being rehearsed, whilst others braved the steps up the tower of St Stephen’s Cathedral but were rewarded with a glorious panorama of the city.
Mr Piggott
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Cricket tour to Menorca Over the Easter holiday, the U13 cricket squad participated in a pre-season training camp in the cricket hotspot that is Menorca! They had a busy season ahead of them, and had qualified for the U13 National Cup, by virtue of winning the county championship as U12s the previous summer. This trip was intended to prepare them for all of this. After a very early morning flight, we checked into our accommodation; the wonderful Ca’n Antoni Verd and by 10.00 am the boys soon felt at home with a relaxing morning by the pool in the Easter sunshine. After lunch everyone made the short journey to the Menorca Cricket Club which was set up for ex pats to continue their enjoyment of cricket and is in a delightful setting. With two artificial wickets and an artificial strip, it proved to be an excellent base for the group. Over the course of the week, the group had 2½ days of cricket which gave the boys the chance to cover a lot of work to prepare for the season. The first afternoon was a mix of technical work in the nets, and game based practices in the middle, and the boys were put through their paces. The second day started with a fielding competition and was followed by more work, split between nets and game play. The boys worked well throughout, and then got the chance to put this work into good use on game day to complete the trip. The group of eighteen boys was split into two teams of nine who played a 40 over game split across two 20 over innings. The batting was reversed for the second innings to ensure all boys played a full part and the game amazingly came down to the final over, with some unlikely heroes throughout the game.
Away from the cricket field, the boys had the chance to have a look around the two main cities of Ciutadella and Mahón which are themselves picturesque sites that boast a considerable amount of history. However, for many the highlight was the catamaran trip. We spent a day on the boat with regular stops in the many beautiful coves which gave the boys a chance for beach cricket and a sea dip, along with a tasty BBQ lunch on the boat.
We were fortunate to be accommodated in a lovely guesthouse set in thirteen acres of land which gave the boys lots of space and included a tennis court, swimming pool and hot tub. Not to mention the great food which meant even thirteen year old boys’ appetites were fully satisfied. It was a great trip that was successful both on and off the field. My thanks to all the boys who were such great company and to Mr Mixer and Mr Crichton for helping in all aspects of the week.
Mr Kent
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Duke of Edinburgh Award The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme remains as popular as ever at King Edward’s with a large number of students working towards one of the levels at any one time. Attendance at one or more of the vast array of clubs and co-curricular societies that run during a lunch-time or after school can count towards a DofE activity in either of the volunteering, physical or skill sections. For others, activities outside of school are also many and varied. This year, these have included; volunteering at a charity shop, Youth Club leadership, helping with a weekly Parish litter sweep, learning to climb, volunteering at a Food Bank, rowing, archery, learning to drive, coarse fishing, website design, birdwatching, marshalling at Parkrun, diving and volunteering at a Hospice. The list is endless and, combined with the completion of the expedition part of the award makes for a very worthwhile, challenging and rewarding additional qualification for our students. Well done to all those that have committed their time and effort over the last year in the process of attaining a DofE Award, be that Bronze, Silver or Gold.
Mr Barnes
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Endeavour Endeavour is a well-established part of the summer term, now in its fourth year. The whole school came off timetable in early July, with year groups all focussing on a different part of their development. The First Year worked on their ‘independence’ at Fairthorne Manor for two nights. The Second Year had the opportunity to improve their ‘confidence’ on water, abroad in Normandy, with heights on a climbing trip, or behind the lens with a photography workshop. The Third Year ‘collaborated’. A large group went to learn about collaboration in the trenches on the Battlefields trip and those who stayed behind worked in teams in a Dragons’ Den simulation. The Fourth Year either went to Wimbledon, completed a Duke of Edinburgh expedition, or threw themselves into a number of ‘community’ projects with partnership schools. The Lower Sixth were involved in a range of activities in pursuit of ‘self-improvement’, engaging in Biology or Geography fieldwork, open days, work experience, starting their extended project or planting a cactus garden at Stroud.
Mrs Burrows
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French trip to Montpellier During Easter, we had a lovely visit to Montpellier where we very lucky to have such glorious weather all week, so much so that Mrs Jones and Mrs Brown were handing out sun cream generously. Staying with host families was a new experience which we thoroughly enjoyed and allowed us to gain a richer understanding of the country as a whole and also the subjects we study in lessons. On the first day, each of us spent the day with our host families which encouraged us to speak lots of French and visits ranged from the beach to exploring the zoo! Every morning we attended lessons in which we discussed themes for our summer exams as well as practising our grammar. Engaging in deep discussions without speaking a word of English was admittedly challenging at first, but when it came to sitting in a little french café or on the beach to practise our oral presentations for the upcoming exams, the programme the language school had developed for us was definitely worthwhile. Moreover, the opportunity to be fully immersed in the language was a unique experience that allowed us to not only develop our linguistic skills but further our understanding of French culture. From learning about the very foundations Montpellier was built upon from guided strolls around the city, to the rich history of Nîmes we touched upon during a day excursion, the trip truly was an amalgamation of not only language but history, arts and so much more.
On our guided tour of Montpellier, we were told that we must be prepared to go into every building that had its doors open as you could never know what rich history and treasures you might find within! We even got the opportunity to survey the French public on the importance of voluntary work, something we have studied in class. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to their opinions on this subject. Playing a friendly but highly competitive game of pétanque in the park after school and enjoying evening meals together at local restaurants truly allowed us to explore the culture and identity of which the French are so famously proud, not only through lessons and games but also through our stomachs!
Isi Browning, Gemma Pearson and Evie Wateridge
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French trip to Normandy Sixty-four Second Years and seven staff enjoyed beautiful weather when visiting La Belle France whilst away for their Endeavour trip. The group visited the towns of Arromanches, Bayeux and Caen and learnt about Guillaume le Conquérant, the D-Day Landings and the 100 jours de Normandie. The students found the cemeteries a very moving, yet peaceful place and enjoyed going to the different markets. The good weather meant that the group took advantage of the front lawn outside the Château du Molay, with staff and students taking part in ‘It’s a Knockout’ and giant games of football.
Mrs Brown
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French trip to The Opal Coast Twenty-six Third Year students spent four days in the north of France during the May half-term with an early start to make the most of our time away. Our first stop was a family-run bakery where we learnt the ingredients for croissants and bread, thanks to the baker’s very authoritative manner! We also learnt how to roll a croissant correctly and were able to have a go ourselves. Afterwards, we were treated to a fresh pastry. Miam miam! The following day we visited the market in BoulogneSur-Mer and were able to buy a few tasty treats like pastries and fresh fruit. The weather was so lovely that we then headed to the beach for some games, paddling and a picnic. In the afternoon, we visited the old fortified town where we stumbled upon an American festival, with lots of motorbikes and old cars. Before dinner we had a visit to a crêperie, where we learnt about making crêpes. We were even allowed to flip our own, before enjoying it with the topping of our choice, mostly Nutella! On Sunday, we spent the day at the nearby theme park – Parc Bagatelle. Again, we were lucky to have fantastic weather and even luckier that there were so few other visitors. We zoomed through the queues and enjoyed the wide range of rides on offer. Our last day was a busy one. Firstly, we headed to a chocolaterie where we watched different chocolates being made and learnt about where the cocoa comes from. After sampling a couple of delicious chocolates, we headed to the shop and spent the last of our euros before our next stop at a snail farm.
This was a fascinating visit and we all learnt a lot about how the snails grow, what they eat and their habitat. We were also able to sample eating snails as well as some of the jam the farmer makes on his farm. We enjoyed our picnic lunch on the beach at Le Touquet, which was beautiful for our final French meal. Finally, we stopped at Cité Europe before getting the ferry home for a well-earned rest.
Mrs Hall
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French trip to Paris During the half-term break, forty-seven Fourth and Fifth Year students spent four full days in Paris making the most of the stunning weather. Activities included a trip on a ‘bateau mouche’ and a visit to the famous ‘Stade de France’, as well as language lessons at ‘France Langue’. Students enjoyed some free time, during which they managed to negotiate the Paris Métro, do some shopping on the Champs Elysées or return to the Pompidou Centre and Notre Dame.
Our visit to the ‘Stade de France’ was good fun. We got to see things that you would never normally see. The changing rooms were particularly interesting as we could see shirts that had been worn by some of the best sportsmen ever. The tour was made even more enjoyable by our very knowledgeable tour guide. He taught us a lot about the stadium and we even learnt that it was built in thirty-one months.
Mrs Jones
James Bristow
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Geography trip to Slapton The unusually hot June weather continued into July providing the Sixth Form geographers with perfect conditions for our important field trip during the Endeavour period to Slapton Sands in Devon, and the nearby City of Plymouth. This trip was essential in providing us with the ability to practise fieldwork techniques and then put them into practice to collect data for our own projects. The title and focus of these projects was chosen individually by each student and this freedom was initially daunting for many, but allowed everyone to focus on a topic that interested them. This year there was a roughly even divide between those opting for a ‘human’ or ‘physical’ project. Human projects chosen involved topics such as investigating levels of deprivation or carbon emissions between two contrasting urban areas or assessing how successful a rebranding strategy has been in an area. Those completing these projects paid particular attention on the first day when we toured the major sites of Plymouth and learnt about its history. Data collection techniques were also learnt and tested in Plymouth. Two days later some of us would be returning to the various locations independently to carry out our own questionnaires, interviews and take photos, alongside investigating whether ice cream flavours differed between Devon and Hampshire! An even more attractive prospect was a day at the beaches along Start Bay. Saturday was a particularly hot and tiring day as it involved walking northwards from the prominent lighthouse at Start Point to the Field Centre where we were staying. Along this journey we learnt of the immense impact that coastal erosion has had both in the past but also today. Our teachers noticed dramatic changes to the coastline since last year’s trip in 2017 as part of the A379 along Slapton
Sands had been heavily damaged by erosion during Storm Emma in February this year. The threat of storms, and the need for coastal defences to protect communities, was apparent and this motivated many of us to make this a central focus for our projects. Whilst walking we too considered how the fieldwork techniques we were shown might be used to provide data to answer our study question. The heat in the sheltered bays was unbearable, but the promise that if back in time we would be able to watch the football motivated us all. Indeed, that night’s historic victory provided an alternative focus in a weekend spent largely working. On Sunday morning, everyone’s enthusiasm to get started on their individual project was clear. This day could possibly provide us with the data from gathering measurements in the field to achieve 20% of our A Level grade. The two mini buses left the centre at 10am. One began the hour journey back to Plymouth whilst the other took the slightly shorter route down to the Torcross. Once in groups of three and four, we were free to collect data as we deemed necessary at the locations we had chosen. For some, this process took slightly longer, meaning ice cream samples were also taken here too! This day was demanding both mentally and physically and, given the weather, the cold showers and traditional roast dinner on offer when we returned were eagerly accepted by all. The last day included more work on our projects. Thanks must go to the Mrs Penfold, Mr Gilbert and Mrs Walls for running this trip, for supporting us through times of doubt when the size of the project seemed daunting.
Jonny Tait
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History trip to WWI Battlefields The 2018 World War One battlefields trip saw a group of fifty Third Year pupils journey to Ypres in an effort to develop their understanding of the Great War in general, and the Third Battle of Ypres in particular. The students visited Essex Farm, Tyne Cot Cemetery and Langemarck German Cemetery, amongst a number of other sites, and also witnessed the famous and moving Menin Gate Service of Remembrance. It is impossible to visit these extraordinary places without returning to the UK in a thoughtful and contemplative frame of mind and our pupils will certainly have much now to ponder over in the weeks and months to come.
Mr Diver
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History trip to Poland In the February half-term, the annual History Department IGCSE trip took place. This year the pupils visited Krakow in Poland, in an effort to develop their understanding of Nazi Germany and the events of the Second World War. The trip took in a tour of Krakow itself and the famous, and remarkable, Wieliczka Salt Mines on the first day. Days two and three were devoted to studying The Holocaust. The group spent a day at Auschwitz whilst also visiting two relevant museums in Krakow itself. The trip concluded with the opportunity to listen to a Polish “Righteous Gentile�- a lady whose family had sheltered a young Jewish girl from the Nazis during the dreadful years of the early 1940s. The subject matter of the trip was of course sombre and unsettling but the experience as a whole was enormously worthwhile for all involved.
Mr Diver
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Hockey tour of Glasgow The girls’ 1st XI hockey team travelled up to Glasgow for the Topflight Schools’ Tournament during the October half-term; a competition in which four teams from each of the Home nations took part. This was a great opportunity for the squad to experience playing against girls from Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland.
in control of the match, and their quality showed. As the character of the KES team was being tested, the girls rose to the challenge and made it as difficult as possible for the Dollar girls to find space and time. Zoe Kyle-Henney was outstanding in goal making some incredible saves and had by far the best game of the season despite KES losing 4-0.
The KES girls took the train from Southampton to London and then London up to Glasgow. This was a great experience for the girls, although the goalkeepers, Roma Creedon and Zoe Kyle-Henny, did not find it amusing carrying their goalkeeper kits on the London Underground.
The final match of the day was against The High School of Glasgow. The girls started well but as the match went on they started to run out of legs and struggled to keep up to match speed which they had done so well in the previous two matches. They lost their final match of the day to finish 3rd in the pool.
We were collected at Glasgow Central Station by coach and taken to our hotel on the outskirts of the city. Some of the girls had some great rooms and thought they were in luxury and some were not so luxurious. This bonded the team together with lots of laughs about the different rooms.
In our quarter-final match, KES faced St Columbas from Ireland. The match was delayed due to the frozen pitch but the girls were up for the challenge and went on to win a very tight match 1-0 and move into the semi-final. The semi-final was a tough fixture; KES taking the lead with only 5 minutes to go. The girls looked to be able to hold onto the win but a late goal (with 30 seconds left on the clock) sent the match into penalty flicks. KES did well but unfortunately lost on sudden death penalty strokes finishing the tournament ranked 12 out of 16. They can be proud of their achievements.
Their first match was against a very strong Wallace High School who had won the Northern Ireland competition a few weeks earlier. Their star player created many problems for the KES defence but, as always, Ottilie Beal and Daisy Porter stood firm and ensured she did not get any of her lethal reverse stick shots off. KES would run out winners after a very tight match. Next up was Dollar Academy from Glasgow. After mistaking their players for the coaching staff, we knew this was going to be a tough match as Dollar fielded four Scotland U18 players who always looked to be
Alice Ridley was named in the tournament team for her outstanding performance for KES throughout the tournament. A big thank you to Miss Cole and Mrs Kelly for taking the girls to Glasgow in what was a great trip for them to have experienced.
Mr Crichton
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Hockey tour of Holland Early on the morning of 22nd October, we set off with twenty-three boys and four staff to Nordwijk, in The Netherlands, for an U14 hockey camp. Following a long coach trip and ferry from Dover to Calais, the group stopped at Oranje Rood HC to watch a Hoofdklasse match against Almere, which provided the boys with an insight into the high level of domestic hockey in Holland, and the scale of Dutch hockey clubs. Following the hockey match, we arrived at our hotel, after a long day of travelling. During the tour, the boys trained locally on Nordwijk HC’s water based pitches, where the coaches were able to put in some preparation work for the new season. In addition, the boys played three matches, hosted superbly at hockey clubs all boasting at least five pitches. KES U14A vs. Huizen HC JB1 - Lost 3-1 KES U14B vs. Huizen HC JB2 - Lost 4-2 KES U14A vs. AMHC Rood-Wit JB1/2 - Won 5-1 KES U14B vs. Zoetermeer JB3 - Drew 1-1 KES U14A vs. Amersfoort HC JB1/2 - Lost 5-2 KES U14B vs. Amersfoort HC JB3 - Lost 4-2 The boys also undertook some sightseeing in Amsterdam during the tour. They visited the Anne Frank Museum and were moved by the struggles the Frank family faced during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. There was also some time for a light-hearted race on pedal boats along a pre-agreed route around the city’s canals. On the final day, we visited Hockey Republic, a superstore for hockey equipment in Holland. The boys and staff were in their element purchasing an array of goods and memorabilia. All that was left to do was make the journey home from what had been a fantastic preseason training camp, with plenty of lessons learnt for the new season ahead.
Mr Bassett
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Milan 2018 This year, nine Art and Italian students from the Upper School, plus Mrs Moxon and Mrs Rugge-Price, headed to Milan during February half-term with the aim of experiencing the contemporary art, design and culture of this exciting and beautiful city. They could not have packed more into five days: nine hours of Italian lessons, a pizza making class, visits to the Armani Silos, the Fondazione Prada, the Bicocca Hangar, the Duomo, the Navigli canal district, the Brera design quarter, the Castello Sforzesco, the Pinacoteca di Brera, a ToulouseLautrec exhibition, a Frida Kahlo exhibition, the Triennale design museum, shopping, eating, experiencing street art, riding the metro and trams and seeing the city get itself ready for Milan Fashion Week. Everyone learnt lots about Milan’s past and present, ate many panzerotti and gelati, spoke plenty of Italian, and generally had a great, exhausting time.
Milanese Memories “Milan has been amazing. My Italian improved so much through our really fun lessons with Georgia.” “We experienced the Milanese culture first-hand. Eating authentic gelato and panzerotto was one of my favourite parts.” “The Navigli district was beautiful; I really enjoyed sitting in a café by the water as it had such a great atmosphere.” “The galleries were so cool and the city was so eye-catching and different to home.” “I loved the Wes Anderson café at the Prada Foundation, some of the street art and the Anselm Kiefer Celestial Towers at Hangar Bicocca.” “I loved walking on top of the Duomo and making (and eating) the pizza!” “I highly recommend this trip as you get to experience a new culture and way of life.” “Everything we have done on this trip, from the food to the quirky art galleries, has absolutely been worthwhile!”
Mrs Rugge-Price
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Mutterstadt Exchange Over the Easter holidays, ten Third and Fourth Year students travelled to Germany to improve their German as part of the first leg of the Mutterstadt exchange. We flew to Frankfurt, got the train to Mannheim and were met by our host families with a warm welcome and an opportunity to experience living with a family in Germany for a week. While in Germany, we went to an amazing theme park, played football golf, visited the towns of Speyer and Heidelberg, and tried some amazing food, eating a lot of ice cream throughout our time there, as well as trying different types of asparagus, for which the region is famous. We also visited the school where our exchange partners went and experienced some of their lessons. One main difference we noticed was how early their school began but also how much earlier it finished. Our time in Germany was concluded with an amazing barbecue all together, with all the exchanges and their families.
In May, our exchanges visited England, where they were surprised by the very hot temperatures. While they were here, they visited the Portsmouth Historic Dockyards, travelled to London and experienced some lessons at KES. We all visited the Isle of Wight, where we went to Osbourne House and the Donkey Sanctuary, before our time together ended with a group trip to Wagamama. The exchange was a great way to improve our language skills and experience the lifestyle in a different culture.
Katherine Roberts
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Netball trip to Belfast In October, seventeen U13 girls embarked on the first four-day netball tour to Belfast. Over the course of the trip, they were to get a mix of netball experiences as well as discover much of what Northern Ireland has to offer.
past but also showed the girls that the city is now thriving. The first competitive action followed that evening against Bangor Netball Club. The A team impressed with a victory whilst the B team worked hard but lost their match.
On the netball court they got off to the best possible start with a two hour coaching session from two of the current Northern Ireland players who have since competed in the Commonwealth Games. This session got their netball brains going and the KES girls also enjoyed the opportunity of asking the international players a range of questions about playing at that level.
The fully interactive Titanic Museum was a must-see for a group from Southampton and the girls enjoyed finding out more behind the story of this tragic ship. The afternoon gave a shopping opportunity, which the girls loved, before a quick turnaround into the afternoon fixture. This was a mini tournament against Hollywood Netball Club in which the A team won all their matches and the B team also enjoyed success, winning half of their games. All the players showed progress from the previous match. The evening’s bowling was a good way to wind down.
The trip took place over Halloween and the girls didn’t need any more excuse for a party, taking the hotel by storm. With trick or treating out of the question, the teachers came up with a whole host of fun games which allowed the girls’ imaginations to run wild. What a great first night on tour. A Belfast city bus tour greeted the girls the following morning and this was really interesting as it highlighted the political struggles of the recent
On the final day, with netball finished, the group made their way to Portrush and the Giant’s Causeway. The weather was glorious and this was a truly memorable visit as we could see it in all its glory. Lunch was in a fantastic restaurant with a three course meal overlooking the wonderful East Strand Beach of Portrush. This was rounded off by a coastal walk along some of Northern Ireland’s stunning coastline and included the crossing of the narrow rope bridge at Carrick-A-Rede. It was a whistle stop tour, but much was achieved in the four days we were away and the trip will live long in the memories of the girls and staff. Indeed it was so successful that we intend it to become an annual venture. Well done to all involved on such a successful trip.
Mrs Kent
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Netball tour of Jamaica On 9th February, a squad of fourteen girls, Mrs Penn and Mr Powell boarded a plane to Montego Bay, feeling hugely excited for our netball tour in Jamaica. After a long but enjoyable flight crammed with movies and very welcome regular refreshments, we took a minibus to the hotel in Kingston, arriving finally at around 10 o’clock in the evening, Jamaican time. Exhausted from the long journey, we were eager to get to bed, ready for an early start in the morning. The first full day consisted of training in the intense heat and a dip in the pool to cool off, followed by a tour around the Bob Marley museum. After lunch we had a stomach churning drive up the Blue Mountains, where we were rewarded with incredible views that cameras couldn’t quite capture. On the next day we played our first two matches against Norman Manley netball club. Although we were defeated (the A team 26-7 and the B team 36-5) we put up a good fight and enjoyed playing against such challenging opposition. The match was filmed for Jamaican television and both Mrs Penn and Mr Powell were interviewed. The same cameraman
returned for the next game and another appeared at a match in Ocho Rios. By the end of the tour people were recognising us in the street and a few even approached us and congratulated us on our later wins! On the way home from the match we all enjoyed incredibly delicious ice creams from Devon House, dubbed the fourth best place to eat ice cream in the world by National Geographic’s, “Food Journeys of a Lifetime”. We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the pool and snacking on food we bought in the local supermarket. We played our next two matches the following afternoon. These score lines were much closer, with the B team only losing by two goals, 13-11, in an exciting game against Excelsior High School. The A team also had a tense game, against Denbigh High School, as we were winning by two goals by the end of the first half! However, worn down by the heat of the afternoon (which hardly phased the opposition) we eventually succumbed to a 30-18 defeat. Despite losing, all the players from both teams enjoyed the games and we were very pleased with our performance. The following day, we took a beautifully scenic route from Kingston to Ocho Rios on the north coast. There was a view of the sea from the hotel, which was lovely and we relaxed for the rest of the day. In the morning we had an early start to fit in a training session before lunch and in the afternoon, we played our first two winning matches of the tour; the B team against Brown Town High School and the A team against St Hilda’s. With our squad fitness raised and some very welcome clouds lessening the mid-day heat, the A team secured a 17-6 victory, and the B team a slightly tighter win of 21-14. After the action of the previous day, we had a short training session followed by frozen yoghurt. In the evening we went on an excursion to The Luminous Lagoon. When it was dark, we boarded a boat into the middle of the lagoon. The water remained dark at first, but as soon as the motor began churning it, the ripples glowed with beautiful turquoise bioluminescence. We all enjoyed dipping our hands into the almost glittering water, and watching Mrs Penn take a short but rather magical swim. For our final match, Mr Powell and Mrs Penn mixed up the squads creating two integrated teams; Thunder and Bombers. Knowing full well that this was our last game of the tour, we all played our hearts out, aided by a characteristic and much appreciated motivational speech from Mr Powell. Bombers gained a fabulous 23-6 victory over St Hilda’s in what was a rather physical game which really tested our strength. Thunder came up against Bethel Town United, a very competitive and skilled team which apparently provides a number of players for the Jamaican national squad. Although we lost the match 25-9, we put up a good fight and thoroughly enjoyed playing against such quality opposition.
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On our final full day on tour, we visited the Dunn’s River falls, a 600ft long, multi-step cascade waterfall. Starting at the beach, we all took the exhilarating climb to the top, stopping occasionally to try out the naturally formed water slides or take photos underneath the tiny waterfalls. Led by our guide, Orlando, we held hands for safety in the trickier areas, which somehow didn’t prevent a rather amusing level of anxiety from Mr Powell. We got back on the bus rather soggy but happy. For our last dinner in Jamaica we went out to the Usain Bolt restaurant, ‘Tracks & Records’. There we had a delicious dinner (and puddings!) with speeches from Mr Powell and our tour captain, Martha Lawrence. It was a wonderful evening. After the excitement of the previous day, we were all disappointed to be leaving but we still had one visit to make. On the way back to the airport in Montego Bay, we had the opportunity to visit the SOS children’s orphanage. This was a truly eye-opening and sobering experience but also one that was enjoyed by everyone involved. We first delivered all of the clothes, books, toys and stationary that we had collected to the orphanage but were allowed to take small soft toys with us to give to children we met on our tour. It was amazing to see the joy that these children could get from receiving something as simple as a foam football or a small teddy bear. The children were shy when we met them at first, but soon took the gifts happily and followed us down to a tennis court where we spent an hour playing games with them. The experience made us all realise how grateful we should be for all we have.
The netball tour to Jamaica was an incredible trip, full to the brim with unique and wonderful experiences. We all had a fantastic time and I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing that we could be back there again now.
Ellie Dunlop
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Operation Wallacea – Ecuador and the Galapagos The Operation Wallacea expedition for 2018 was in part a repeat of the popular trip to Ecuador in 2016, but with some different destinations and experiences included. There was the usual combination of working on a genuine biodiversity research project with opportunities to meet local people and see the wildlife. On this occasion, we were working with the Huaorani Indians in the Sani community in the Amazon jungle and we spent a week visiting Santa Cruz in The Galapagos Islands, completing a course on Galapagos Island ecology. This included diving, snorkelling, and a trip to the uninhabited island of Sante Fe. The wildlife was as abundant and exciting as expected. We saw birds aplenty, tracked jaguars and panthers, listened to howler monkeys screaming and watched spider monkeys leaping through the trees. Comfortably surviving exposure to three tarantulas in the first hour settled most early nerves in the jungle, but they were then rattled by the sight of a fer-de-lance, a particularly venomous snake, a little too close for comfort and we all put our wellies back on. Many of us had our first experience of diving with sharks in the coastal waters where we also saw various large rays and turtles. Seabirds were everywhere, including the magnificent frigate birds, and we watched from sea kayaks as pelicans and blue-footed boobies dived for fish.
We worked with a small group of scientists in the forest alongside Sani guides who were keen to show off their lands and who became good friends to some. Their understanding of the forest was remarkable and we would have walked past much of the wildlife had they not pointed it out. We were very fortunate to be invited into the Sani community to celebrate their annual independence day. This included a football tournament and a beauty pageant as well as singing and dancing throughout the night. We were in no fit state to last the pace, however, having just emerged from an exhausting week in the jungle, but we heard the celebrations from afar until the morning.
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Operation Wallacea – Ecuador and the Galapagos
The students and staff had an amazing trip with comments including; “I had an incredible time in Ecuador and The Galapagos. The rainforest was so full of life, from the squirrel monkeys we saw swinging through the trees above our canoe, to the fer-de-lance snake that we saw from less than a metre away. There was never a quiet moment in the rainforest, whether it was the morning calls of the howler monkeys or the many species of birds flying above the canopy. We were even able to watch the birds from the canopy tower; a platform at the top of a 150 foot tall ceiba tree from which we had an amazing view over the rainforest spotting at least 26 species of birds. Well worth the 5 o’clock wake up!” “For the second week of our trip we were in The Galapagos, where we spent the week on the most populated island of Santa Cruz. We stayed up in the highlands where it was surprisingly cold and wet, but a 15-minute bus ride down to the water would take us to the warm sunny weather we had been expecting. Most of our week was spent in the water, where we saw a massive array of marine life, including turtles, sharks, and sea lions. During the week, we also identified bird and plant species, as well as observing marine iguanas
and giant tortoises in the wild. We had the opportunity to visit the Darwin research station where we saw the giant tortoises that were in the breeding programme, some were as small as tennis balls!” “The trip was firstly just a great experience in a part of the world I had never visited before. This was due to all the things we saw and did, for example, a highlight for me was swimming alongside playful sea lions in The Galapagos. Before we went on the trip I think a lot of us were looking forward to visiting The Galapagos far more than the rainforest but I certainly enjoyed both equally. I especially liked being completely cut off from the world in the jungle because we had to make our own entertainment. It was also a great opportunity to practise my Spanish with some of the guides. One guide in particular, called Fernando, was very popular. I knew I would have fun with the people I was travelling with but everyone came to know each other much better over the two weeks. A combination of this, and the unique experiences, made this trip incredible and has made me want to travel much more in the future.”
Mr Hall and members of the expedition team
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Rugby tour of France During the autumn half-term break Mr Nichols and I took a great bunch of U14 KES rugby players on a tour to France. It was a slightly different tour than previous expeditions in that we combined training and playing rugby with visiting some incredible historical areas that have become synonymous with the 1st World War; Reims Memorial, Chemin des Dames, the newly installed World Rugby Memorial at Craonne, and “Les Cavernes des Dragons�. These excursions were fantastic and truly added to the impact of being in such a beautiful, historic and welcoming part of the country. Our games against Laon were also a real experience for the players; we combined a mini 7s tournament with a full 15-a-side fixture against a very strong and experienced Laon team and won two of the four fixtures. I cannot thank Mr Nichols enough for his amazing coaching and management of the players throughout the tour. Pete Jones (Single Step Tours) also put together an incredible schedule and made sure that the balance between rugby and history was perfect.
Mr Powell
Player of the Tour: Aaron Henderson Tourist of the Tour: Harry Stembridge
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San Francisco In October, a group of sixteen students travelled to San Francisco to visit the places where some of the most influential advances in technology have happened, and are still happening. Upon arrival, we took the tram to dinner and then the next day, we got up early and took a ferry across the bay to Alcatraz. It was fascinating to see what was, previously, the most feared prison in the US, housing criminals such as Al Capone; whose cell we saw. In the afternoon we took a tour of San Francisco; our guide took us to see the golden gate bridge (named “golden” after the nickname of the bay, not the colour of the bridge), and then we visited the famous Haight-Ashbury district. This area was especially vibrant as it was the 50th anniversary of the 1967 ‘summer of love’; the birth of the hippie movement. We also visited the film studio responsible for the Star Wars animation and learnt about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake that devastated the city. On Monday, we visited the main Stanford University campus that is home to the longest straight structure in the world - a 3.2km long particle accelerator - and were inspired by the sheer size of the campus. That afternoon, we went to Google’s headquarters where our guide told us a bit about the housing crisis in San Jose where many workers live in caravans. On Tuesday we visited the Exploratorium, a hands-on museum of science and art on the San Francisco pier, before riding on one of the historic cable cars up to China Town. We spent some time in China Town, before heading up to Union Square; San Francisco’s main shopping area. The following day we visited the San Jose Tech Museum. This included a fascinating tour, featuring plasticised human bodies, a VR flight simulator, and an interactive cryptography demo. We also visited Intel’s museum, whose founder came up with Moore’s Law - the idea that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit will double every two years, while halving in price.
On Thursday, we visited the Computing History Museum which took us on a whistle-stop tour of 2000 years of computational history, from abacuses to smartphones. We also visited NASA’s Ames Centre, where we saw some moon rock! On the last day, we climbed up Nob Hill to the top of Coit Tower, which gave us breathtaking panoramic views of the city. We ended the trip with another cable car trip to Union Square, giving us one last chance to spend our money, before heading to the airport. Truly an amazing trip!
Tim Ward
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Science and Technology Festival 2018 The second Science and Technology Festival took place in wonderful weather as pupils, parents, pupils from local schools and members of the public enjoyed a variety of talks, presentations and workshops from nine in the morning until nine at night. The festival used the new Dobson Theatre to great effect, as evening audiences enjoyed talks ranging from the science of fireworks to the working of the brain and the physics of electric guitars and linked to an ultimate theory of matter. During the day pupils from KES, and beyond, learned about the magic of science, jellyfish, life in the jungle, exploring the solar system, becoming an astronaut, the science of materials, the criminal brain, car design using a wind tunnel, took part in a rocket-powered car competition, quizzes and much, much more. The ‘street fair’ on the last lunchtime proved a hit with many and helped round off a superb festival!
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Second Year Camp During the time we were at Second Year Camp at Lovaton on Dartmoor, we were always busy as we went on hikes across the moor, did rock climbing, made rafts and much much more. Each evening we cooked our own dinner before doing another activity. Some of us had rather burnt food, but most of us managed to produce something edible. Our evening activities consisted of a human tightrope, simulated bomb disposal and other team building exercises.
All students and staff thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The teachers revealed their inner child to us by joining in and helping out with the challenges. It was a great experience as it helped us on the way to independence. We had so much fun and we all want to say a big thank you to the staff that helped out.
Alice Turner-Hall and Annabel Stonadge
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Ski Trip On the morning of the 31st of March, everyone gathered at KES and said our farewells to our parents knowing we’d signed up for a week of freedom with our friends. Upon arriving in France, it was a slow process getting through security and receiving our bags. We were then faced with a three-hour bus journey through the mountains until we could get to Hotel La Renardière. We settled down to our first meal at the hotel and finally got to our rooms and slept. The first day started with ski and boot fittings before we finally headed onto the slopes and to our ski lessons. The first few days passed slowly but then we started to get the hang of it and the lessons were thoroughly enjoyable, with the instructors leading us onto slopes of varying difficulty levels. In the mornings, after ski school, we were offered opportunities to do an extra ski session with our friends and teachers. As a first-time skier, I could not have asked for a better way of experiencing the slopes. We returned back to the hotel for lunch and a rest before returning to our afternoon lessons. Free time was allocated between ski lessons and dinner so we took the opportunity to explore the little town and what it had to offer. Every night after dinner, we were given an amusing summary of the day delivered by Mr Wood. Needless to say, many questionable antics of the Fourth Year boys were exposed. The evening activities included navigating through Serre Chevalier at night, bowling and even a general knowledge quiz.
The trip was truly amazing. By the last day, we were all reluctant to leave each other and Serre Chevalier. We said our goodbyes to our instructors and even had a ceremony. The ski instructors ensured our safety throughout the ski lessons but also made sure we had fun! The journey back was mostly singing on the bus and sleeping. Spending a week with the same people had enabled new friendships to be made. The ski trip was a really great way to begin the Easter holidays. It was an amazing opportunity that I would highly recommend to anyone regardless of ski ability. On behalf of the Second and Fourth Years who went, thank you to the teachers who gave up their time and looked after us.
Sophie Wu
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South Africa trip Cape Town After a twelve-hour flight from Heathrow, we landed in Cape Town and we were met by our guide, Heath. Our first activity was a visit to the lighthouse on Cape Point, which had incredible views across the bay. This is where we spotted our first animals on the trip with ostriches and baboons walking along the side of the road. The next day was our first full day in South Africa and it began with a visit to the District Six Museum. We were given the tour around the museum by a guide who herself had lived and been evicted from District Six under the apartheid government and had been forced to move away from her family with a young baby. This visit gave us our first real insight into the impact of the apartheid regime, and how it continues to impact upon people’s lives in the present day. That afternoon we took the cable car up Table Mountain for more incredible panoramic views. The next day Heath took us to Boulder Bay Beach where we had the incredible opportunity to see numerous African penguins in their natural habitat interacting with each other. That afternoon we completed our first hike of the trip to the top of Elsie’s Peak where good weather allowed for long distance views over the heart shaped bays. After a steep climb down, we were kindly invited back to Heath and Belinda’s house for a BBQ. On our final night in Cape Town, we visited Gold’s restaurant where we were served fourteen courses of traditional African food that was accompanied by a variety of music and performances from different countries across the continent. Our final day included a visit to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, located at the foot of Table Mountain before we drove towards Geogedacht Farm for the next part of our trip.
Beth Ryan Goedgedacht Farm After about an hour’s drive from Cape Town we arrived at Goedgedacht Farm. We were given a friendly welcome by the staff before heading into the barn for icebreakers and an introduction to the Path out of Poverty (POP) initiative. The POP aims to break the cycle of poverty present in many rural areas of the Western Cape. The programme focuses on education as a crucial tool for breaking the cycle and does everything it can to reduce the level of school drop outs each year. The programme combines this with personal development and health and care for the planet to help bring up intelligent and conscientious young people. Goedgedacht itself is home to POP 1, the very first POP centre under the initiative. The next morning we headed out for a short tour of the farm, viewing the olive grove donations, sports
facilities and finally attempting the Goedgedacht obstacle course. We visited our first POP centre that afternoon at Riverlands. We had an amazing time playing games and dancing with the children before helping in the kitchen with their dinner. Most days at the farm were spent either visiting the POP centres or helping on the farm’s various projects. We spent one morning packaging seeds that would be sent out to the local communities and helping in the Goedgedacht bicycle project that repairs bikes before distributing them to local people. Each evening was spent with the Goedgedacht Youth. They are 17-25 year olds that the farm employs in construction, as well as on a programme that aims to help them through this crucial phase in life into adulthood. On Monday we had a bonfire and played games to get to know each other. On Tuesday it was Apartheid games in which we were all given a colour: either white, black or coloured and played games in which the whites were always given the advantage. This furthered our understanding of the Apartheid regime and how it was set up for Black and Coloured people to fail. The next evening was less serious as we were split up into teams for a karaoke competition in the barn. Thursday was equally competitive with teams competing to win the Goedgedacht mini Olympics and on Friday KES competed against Goedgedacht in a talent show. By this time, close bonds had been made between us and on Saturday there were emotional goodbyes. A highlight of our stay at Goedgedacht included a visit to the KES-funded POP 6 at which we could see the huge impact that our fundraising throughout the year was having. Saturday, in particular, was a special day as we each took a child from the Riverlands POP centre out into Cape Town for the day. We went ice skating, ate pizza for lunch and then spent the afternoon at the beach. For many of these children it was the first time they had even seen the sea. Sunday was a sad day as we said goodbye to the farm and headed south-east to the Garden Route Game Lodge.
Robert Dye
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Garden Route Game Lodge After a week filled with emotion, we took a scenic four hour drive to the Southern Cape, where we would spend the next couple of days at the Garden Route Game Lodge. Over the course of these two days, we did four fantastic game drives, during which we sighted numerous African animals including rhinos, cheetahs, lions, giraffes, hippos, zebras, springbok, wildebeest, elephants and more. Unfortunately, we didn’t complete the big 5 as we didn’t find any leopards. We also got the chance to go to the Lodge’s reptile centre and handle some snakes. Our accommodation provided some amazing buffets, which included ostrich, kudu and eland. During our time at the lodge, we had valuable time to reflect on the experiences at the farm, as well as share meaningful stories and memories. The safari was also a great change of scene from the intense but eyeopening previous week, and allowed us to bond and relax as a group during the last few days of the trip.
Archie Attfield
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Space Camp In February 2018, a group of twenty-four Third Year students and four members of staff visited the Euro Space Centre in Belgium. The Euro Space Centre is a discovery and recreation centre based around the theme of space exploration and its impact on our daily lives and has distinguished itself with its Space Adventure Camps for young people. During the two day stay at the astronaut’s camp, KES students took part in various activities and training sessions. These included a space mission control activity that involved the launching and landing of a space shuttle, exercises on the different simulators used for astronaut training such as the zero gravity wall, Moon and Mars walks and the multi-axis and spinning chairs. They also took part in a micro rocket building and launch workshop and listened to presentations on topics about ‘living and working in space’, ‘weightlessness and its effects’, and ‘the International Space Station’. During the time in Belgium, the group enjoyed 3-4 inches of snow in which the pupils enjoyed playing. A torch lit evening visit and tour to Bouillon Castle was also a highlight. All the students received an achievement certificate from the Euro Space Centre and left with some great memories and loads of inspiration for their future careers!
Mrs Mahdavi
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Spanish trip to Andalucia
At Easter, a group of Third and Fourth Years went to the south of Spain (Andalucía) to Córdoba where we stayed with host families and immersed ourselves in Spanish culture and history. Being with hosts that spoke no English made us all nervous at first but we all got used to speaking in Spanish very quickly and the whole trip was great! In Andalucía, there was a great range of delicious foods to try! In the town, there was incredible ice cream and we all went to a café to taste some proper Spanish chocolate con churros! It was delicious. One afternoon we also went to get some tapas and the tortillas were the highlight. With our hosts, we got to experience eating the food a normal Spanish family would eat and some of us even got to try some snails. Everyone was with different sized families in different parts of the city. Some stayed in flats with couples right in the centre of town whilst others were with bigger families on the outskirts. We spent a lot of time with our families speaking Spanish and seeing how they spend their evenings. Many watched game shows on the television whilst others played football. My host told us of his time in the army! Because we were there at Easter, many of us were taken by our hosts to witness the spectacular night parades. The hosts were very nice, and although there was a language barrier, everyone got on very well. One of the days was spent in Sevilla. On our arrival, we first went to El Parque de María Luisa. This is a beautiful open space with a large building with fountains and different murals representing the different Spanish regions. It is notable for being used as a set in films such as ‘The Dictator’ and one
of the Star Wars films. Then, after lunch, we went to El Álcazar. This incredible palace was massive with beautiful outdoor spaces. There were plenty of peacocks in the gardens. However, we spent most of our days in Córdoba, which is where we were staying. One highlight was La Mezquita, which was originally a large mosque built by the Moors, but was later converted into a cathedral. The architecture was striking and wonderful. This was located in La Judería (the Jewish Quarter) which had pretty, winding streets. Here we could go into a range of tourist shops selling everything from food to Flamenco dresses. This came in handy when, on one afternoon, we did a Flamenco session where we learnt the intricacies of the dance - though we were all pretty terrible! Córdoba is a very nice city with great shops and a lovely vibe. The trip was incredible and I would love to go to Andalucía again in the future!
Joe Rachman
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Spanish trip to Catalonia During the May half-term fortyfive hardy First and Second Year students met up at 5am to begin the journey to Tossa de Mar for this year’s visit to Catalonia. After a short flight, and a lively coach journey, the students arrived at their hotel and were greeted by blue skies and an inviting swimming pool. The first full day of the tour saw the students thrown straight into the deep end as they were taken on a walking tour through the centre of Barcelona. They were able to mingle with various street performers and vendors as they made their way down the world famous ‘Ramblas’ and experienced at first hand the sights and sounds of an authentic Spanish market at La Boqueria.
All this before taking advantage of a cooling breeze down by the port where they viewed the monument to Christopher Colombus and enjoyed some magnificent sea views. The afternoon was devoted to Spain’s visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the students went on a tour of his outlandish interpretation of an English garden at Park Guell. The group were given further exposure to Catalonia’s rich cultural heritage through a visit to the Dalí museum in Figueres. Mrs Peterson enthralled the group with her description of the origins and nature of surrealist art and the key themes that Salvador Dalí sought to express in his works. The afternoon was an opportunity for
the group to visit Roses, a quaint seaside resort, where they were able enjoy some time on the beach followed by the challenge of a town trail quiz which was fiercely contested by Mrs Walls and Mr Hyder’s groups. The medieval city of Girona, the spiritual and municipal capital of Catalonia, provided the next destination and the students enjoyed a walk around the city’s stone walls and ancient Arab baths and an opportunity to see the Cathedral of Girona, which has been popularised through its use in the TV show ‘Game of Thrones’. The final day of the trip was devoted to a visit to FC Barcelona and their imposing Nou Camp stadium. After a tour of their trophy-laden museum, the students had the opportunity to visit the changing rooms and press facilities and take in a view from the very top of the stadium. A somewhat more tired group of students returned to the school at 11pm on the Monday evening, eagerly anticipating the school week ahead. A huge thank you to all of the staff who accompanied the trip and to the students for their tireless enthusiasm and for making the trip such a pleasure.
Mr Sinclair
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Spanish trip to Salamanca The Sixth Form languages trip to Salamanca was again a great success. February half-term is always a cold one in Salamanca but this year the group landed in a snow-covered Madrid. Luckily the weather improved as they crossed the mountains and Salamanca itself was mainly sunny. As usual the fifteen Upper and Lower Sixth students stayed with host families scattered around the centre of the city. They attended four hours of lessons every morning in Abaco, a local language school, and the afternoons and evenings were spent in what seemed more like a gastronomic adventure. Not only did they eat the compulsory ‘chocolate con churros’, they also went out for tapas, watched a Spanish film at the cinema and spent an afternoon at a famous bakery headquarters learning how to cook ‘hornazo’. A hornazo is similar to a pasty but it is filled with steak and chorizo or tuna. The students also learned how to write on cakes with liquid chocolate and had fun dipping big marshmallows into their chocolate fountain. On another occasion everyone learned how to dance salsa and of course did a lot of sightseeing. Salamanca is a beautiful city and wherever you turn your head you cannot fail to be amazed by its architecture but it doesn’t stop there; it’s a very good place to shop and certainly to have fun! The trip took place during the Carnival so the students decided to join in and dress up on the final night after a goodbye dinner in a traditional restaurant.
The final day was spent in Madrid, where the group had a tour of ‘Las Ventas’ bullring and a wander around the most iconic places in the city centre. All in all, the trip was a success, much Spanish was spoken and the students came back with a wealth of cultural knowledge that will prove invaluable in their A Level examinations.
Mrs Ladislao
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Summer Camp The summer camp team spent another busy year of fundraising in preparation for taking the young carers away in July. Particular highlights from the year were the annual events, such as the First Year disco, Triathlonathon and Battle of the Bands. All these were successful in raising significant amounts of money; the most lucrative of which was Battle of the Bands, which raised an incredible £1,700! A handful of Sixth Formers also conducted individual fundraising activities. Martha Lawrence’s idea to organise a cloakroom for the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ production raised over £600 across the three evenings. This year there was a change in the camp location to the Tile Barn site in Brockenhurst. The team of Sixth Formers and the group of young carers spent a week based here whilst enjoying a wide variety of activities during the day. Being based in the New Forest enabled them to take advantage of some of the many tourist attractions nearby such as Go Ape at Moors Valley, the Lymington Sea Water Park, Monkey World in Wareham and the local beaches. The young carers were able to spend a well-deserved and valuable stay away from their everyday responsibilities in what was a week of beautiful weather and lots of fun and laughter.
Mrs Hawker
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First Year trip to Tile Barn
The trip to Tile Barn was a fantastic experience. We completed fun but challenging tasks that focused on team building and making everyone work together. From hauling each other across imaginary lava rivers to getting some water to survive, the leaders pushed us to our limits showing who is who in a team, and with the hastily elected leader taking charge, we started working like some well-oiled gears. Overall, it was an amazing experience and really made the entire class feel more together.
Maxim Vorobev On Monday 18th September all of 1/6 tutor group headed off to Tile Barn on the coach. When we arrived we were split into groups and my group’s first activity was the low ropes. I wasn’t very good at it and fell off a lot but even though I was clumsy, I really enjoyed it. After low ropes it was team activities and we had to listen to each other to complete all the challenges. Afterwards we had lunch and then did climbing; that was really fun and I reached the top several times. We then did some abseiling and even though each person only did it once, coming down the wall was great.
Matthew Evans
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Watersports Towards the end of the summer holiday, fortyfive Second, Third and Fourth Year pupils were accompanied by five staff on the long trek by coach to the Rockley Watersports Centre at La Rive Campsite in the south of France. Beautifully sunny weather made the lake even more appealing than usual and for those that capsized or fell in over the course of the week it was like a welcome dip into a warm bath. Light breezes at the start of the week suited the kayaking sessions more than windsurfing but by the end of our stay, there was enough wind to sail dinghies and catamarans. The ever energetic Rockley instructors were pleased to discover just how many of our pupils were competent sailors and on one of the final days they organised some genuine racing. Trips off site saw the group enjoy a sunny morning at the slides and pools of the AquaLand water park and one evening we all raced up the largest sand dune in Europe to see the sun setting over the Atlantic horizon (to the spontaneous applause of crowds of onlookers). Thanks to all the Rockley staff for making it such a great week and a special mention to our trusty coach drivers Tony and Andy for getting the bus into and out of some tight spots and jams.
Dr Gamblin
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SPORT AT KES
Athletics The 2018 summer athletics programme was as busy as ever with our regular Monday night sessions always fielding over thirty students. Our Track Knock Out competition at U13 and U15 levels always starts quickly in the term and our U15 boys’ and girls’ teams were in action on the track in Winchester in early May. The boys pushed hard for a worthy second place and movement into the next round but our girls, ably led by Ida Goodridge, narrowly missed out on a Round 2 place. The U13 teams performed brilliantly in their Round 1 meet at St Swithun’s School and both the boys’ and the girls’ teams gained entry to the next level and a possible place in the final. The three teams that travelled to their respective semi-final meets were fantastic with outstanding performances from the likes of Felix Clacy, Aaron Henderson, Daniel Wickes and Ben Brown at U15 level and Jamie McManus, Gabriel Suttie, Melanie Georgiou and Celia Brabazon the stars of their U13 races. The U15 boys team rightfully earned their place in the final of the Track Knock Out competition where stunning performances from Ben Brown and Ben Butson, who was a late injury replacement for Felix Sinker, meant the team finished 4th in Hampshire. Athletics will continue to grow at KES and, as the recent tumbling of School records at our recent Sports Day and the continually high numbers through the doors of the Fitness Suite suggest, the product of all the effort from our athletics staff and commitment from our students will be seen well into the future and across many KES sporting pursuits.
Mr Powell
Athletics Squad: Boys: Felix Clacy, Ollie Herbert, Daniel Wickes (Captain), Sam McIlroy, Will Chambers, Felix Sinker, Rory Urquhart-Hawkins, Ben Brown, Aaron Henderson, Tim Harris, Ollie Wilkinson, Rory Duncan, Jamie McManus, Henry McIlroy, Ben Butson, Luka Thomas, Gabriel Suttie and Luca Gualano. Girls: Issy Nutbourne, Daisy Kendall, Melanie Georgiou, Suraya Hughes, Claudia Hargreaves, Phoebe Mufushwa, Celia Brabazon, Erin Woo, Tamsin Morris, Charlotte Dunkley, Abigail McCarthy, Lottie Ashton, Ese Okitikpi, Ida Goodridge (Captain) and Evie Brighton.
In exceptionally hot weather, Sports Day 2018 also produced some moments of brilliance on the athletics track and in the field events with individual prize winners as follows: Mossman Cup for Leading First Year Girl Claudia Hargreaves Minns Cup for Leading First Year Boy Harry McIlroy OEA Cup for Leading Second Year Girl Eloise Muller Dykes Cup for Leading Second Year Boy Sam McIlroy and Harry Day APA Rowthorn Cup for Leading Third Year Girl Charlotte Dunkley and Abigail McCarthy B Gay OE Cup for Leading Third Year Boy Rory Urquhart-Hawkins KES Society Cup for Leading Fourth Year Girls Marianne Brabazon, Amelia Harris and Elizabeth Beardsall
The winning Houses for each of the Sports Day cups were: Wright Cup for winning First Year House WATTS Cross Cup for winning Second Year House WATTS Caddick Cup for winning Third Year House LAKE
JH Guilmant Cup for Leading Fourth Year Boys Rory Holm and Jack Sherred
Holt Cup for winning Fourth Year House LAWRENCE
Victrix Ludorum for Leading Sixth Form Girl Izzie Wedderburn
Chill Cup for winning Sixth Form House LAWRENCE
Victor Ludorum for Leading Sixth Form Boy Henry Beardsall and Sam Cooper
Spranger Cup for overall winning House LAKE
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BOYS’ SPORT AT KES 2017-2018
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Rugby overview The game of rugby continues to grow at King Edward’s with more boys, AND girls, playing the sport. With A, B and C teams in many of year groups, all players are having the opportunity to represent the School. This continued upward trend in the rugby programme seems to be a consistent theme and one that all staff believe in and are committed to perpetuate in the seasons that follow. The season started for the 1st XV with the traditional pre-season training in August which culminated with the 15th South Coast Kings Tournament. Other year groups engaged in a series of pre-season training camps in preparation for their first competitive games of the campaign. The tournament was well attended with several schools making their tournament debuts. Even though the weather did its best to dampen the energy of all participating players, everyone engaged with the “free and fast” ethos of the competition and displayed some great attacking skills in the wet. The U15 teams were very evenly matched with only a few scores separating the top four teams. Eventually Bedford School emerged as trophy winners with Dean
Close School picking up the bowl; KES finished a very respectable 4th. In the U18 tournament there was pace and power amongst the top four teams with Whitchurch High, Dean Close, Bishop Wordsworth and Beechen Cliff all vying for top honours. Dean Close were eventually crowned winners of the tournament with Bishop Wordsworth taking the bowl back to Wiltshire. As well as the referees, grounds and catering staff, special mention and thanks must go to Claire Powell who managed the tournament scheduling before and during the event, Mrs Paul who coordinated all the administration for the event and the KES teachers who supported and encouraged the KES players in what was the wettest tournament in history! Rugby at King Edward’s is as much about teamwork as it is about results and there was a real improvement in the “squad mentality”. Our B team coaches are to thank for the continued growth in playing numbers; their enthusiasm and organisation in fielding full teams every week was fantastic; Mr Aellen, Mr Sinclair, Mr Rosenberg and Mr Seaby deserve a great deal of thanks for their efforts in building a B/C team ethos at KES. The autumn term was blessed with perfect rugby playing weather, which saw all our teams participate in the early rounds of their prospective National and County Cup competitions. Individual players from several teams were also beginning to create a name for themselves among a variety of representative teams; Nick Hepworth managed a run out for the
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HSRFU U18 team and we had further Hampshire County caps for Jamie Cook, Ben Pearce and Henry Gwilliam (Fifth Year) and Jamie Dunn (Fourth Year). There are also several Second Year boys involved in the DP programme with HSRFU. The senior squads boasted pleasing numbers during this season; 18+ at training. Their hard work, throughout the season, typified by players such as Ed Dawson and Ben Millar, has brought its rewards and wins against Churcher’s College and Lord Wandsworth School were notable highlights. The First Year players were mostly small but skilful, quick and as determined as you could hope for. Mr Kent, Mr Aellen and Mr Nicholls crafted three squads full of energy and skill! They pulled off some mighty victories. The U13 squads made excellent progress throughout the season, growing in skill and speed, and performing well in the invitational tournament held at Cokethorpe School. Our U14 teams were one of the most skilful and ruthless set of players I have seen at this age group; they never failed to produce two full teams every Saturday and some of their performances were breath taking to say the least. They had an unbeaten season with 444 points scored and only 47 points conceded; Mr Mixer has directed some passionate, industrious and energetic players with real guile throughout the term. Mr Westwater once again managed the very talented U15 team and, despite the traditional block fixtures in the first half of the season which rarely challenged the A team, they still managed to score heavily and finished in December with a +309 points difference. It was a shame that their R2 NatWest Cup game against Churcher’s College saw them exit the
competition. However, retribution was meted out in their Saturday fixture in which the boys held on to win 18-14; this speaks volumes of the development this U15 squad made throughout the season and how much autonomy, leading to a player-led motivational culture, was facilitated by Mr Westwater. Mr Wood worked hard with the U16 squad. This set of U16 players knuckled down and worked industriously throughout the season. Several players from this squad represented the 1st XV highlighting the toughness of many of these young men. Girls’ rugby continued its progress with twenty-eight players regularly training every Tuesday lunchtime. Led by Naomi Lee and Harriet Smith, this talented group made huge strides within the sport. They entered the Christ’s Hospital School 7’s Tournament with players such as Ellie Dunlop and Naomi Lee scoring in every game. The KES girls’ rugby team was not only a skilful unit, they also became the crowd’s favourite with spectacular celebrations after each try was scored. I would like to personally thank the staff and players for their hard work. Coaches demand high standards which our participants respond to accordingly. The students understand the need to put their heart and soul into representing the School and this is rewarded with the positive experiences that they receive and, in a less direct way, from the results that they are achieving. I look forward to seeing more players representing the School, and as many parents as possible coming to support.
Mr Powell Head of Rugby
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Senior Rugby
Played: 16 Won: 6 Drew: 0 Lost: 10
A strong pre-season camp in August saw the senior players in good shape as they headed into the regular fixture card. Before term started, the School hosted the South Coast Kings Tournament at Wellington Sports Grounds and the boys competed well to finish the competition as Plate finalists.
There must also be a mention to players such as Dom Payne and Mike Magier who played with nothing less than 100% effort and determination in every game. Lastly, the leadership of Filippo Hall (2nd XV) and Will Thompson (1st XV) meant that my job as coach became almost ancillary; they were truly incredible.
In the first half of term disaster struck with the loss, through injury, of such influential players as Nick Hepworth and Henry Waring; this would leave the squad having to up-skill a player to play in the front row; stand up Dom Staniforth! Even with relatively low numbers in the Sixth Form, they managed several 1st XV and 2nd XV games – this was as a result of the willingness of the amazing U16 squad to play at senior level; I will forever value their courage in this regard.
Mr Powell and Mr Penn
The second half of the season brought some terrific opposition; not simply in regards to their playing standards but also in the care and patience of their heads of rugby to accommodate, at times, our inability to contest the scrummage. There were some notable performances as a team, in particular the matches against Lord Wandsworth College and Seaford College which were among two of the best 1st XV games I have witnessed in recent years.
Squad members: *Will Thompson, *Ben Millar, *Oliver Viant, *Jake Rowland, *Scott Olive, Jamie Cook, *James Webb, *Dom Payne, *Michael Magier, Oliver Jones-Hughes, Ben Pearce, *Archie Millar, Andrew Crawford, *Adam Lock, Daniel Leake, *Henry Waring, *Edward Dawson, John Naoum, *Dominic Staniforth, Robert McFarlane, Henry Gwilliam, Angus Armstrong, Hugo Wybourne, Filippo Hall, Sam Thompson, Michael Shenouda, Nick Hepworth, Luke Collins, Jai Mew, Rufus Beck, Will Barker, Edward Kellett, Toby Reid, Josh Golledge and Henry Tudor *Denotes an awardee of school rugby colours.
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U16 Rugby The squad of twenty-seven players assembled at the start of term and some were immediately involved in the South Coast Tournament with the senior squad. This was a recurring theme throughout the season and the players will no doubt note that they did not have the opportunity to play at their perceived full strength. However, this allowed other players to develop and strengthen their cause for inclusion in the team. With low numbers, and injuries in the Sixth Form, the U16s provided players for both the 1st XV and 2nd XV when they did not have a fixture. This provided invaluable experience for these players and they all rose to the challenge of playing senior rugby very well. As an U16 team the boys wanted to play bold attacking rugby at a fast pace and, in the early season, they achieved this and put together a winning run of three confident victories. The matches after half-term were against tougher opposition but the team carried on playing the same way. Churcher’s won comfortably, although it should be noted that they ran in three late tries as the KES squad chased the win and ran everything from their own line. Magdalen sealed victory in the last few minutes of a game that could so easily have been a KES victory. The performance at PGS was outstanding and those boys that played deserved and enjoyed the victory. Seaford fielded a very good side and they played a powerful offloading game moving the ball quickly away from contact areas. The KES team struggled in the first half and were consequently 27–7 down at half-time. In the second half the KES players adapted and played significantly better losing the half by a much narrower margin.
Played: 7 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 3
The stars of this side have delivered time and time again but they would not have been able to operate without the contributions from the other members of the squad; it is these players who make this team workable and successful in their style of rugby. Their ‘never say die’ attitude to defence, their willingness to support each other and their ability to learn have enhanced these squad members; Josh Golledge and Oliver Showell have been outstanding. Their attitude in training, playing matches, their adaptability to playing other positions and the general manner in which they carry themselves around the School has been superb. I have enjoyed the challenge this season but if all players can work hard on the training field then there are endless possibilities for the members of this squad. I look forward to seeing how they develop over the next two years. My thanks to Mr Powell for his assistance with training and to the parents who have supported this team whether it be at Wellington or an away fixture. I hope you have enjoyed our style of rugby.
Mr Wood Squad members: Oscar Bailey, William Barker, Rufus Beck, Sam Burton, Like Collins, Jamie Cook, Josh Golledge, Henry Gwilliam, Filippo Hall, Cam Jesney, Paddy Johnston, Patrick Keith, Ed Kellett, Daniel Leake, Behrang Mansourian, Arev Melikyan, Jai Mew, Max Mills, Ben Pearce, Toby Reid, Jake Reilly, Michael Shenouda, Oliver Showell, Charles Thomas, Sam Thompson, Henry Tudor, Oliver Wilson, James Bristowe, Jamie Dunn and Alex Miles.
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U15A Rugby
Played: 12 Won: 8 Drew: 0 Lost: 4
This was very much a season of ‘what ifs?’ for the boys of the U15 A squad. The team was struck by injuries before the season had even begun and was never fully able to recover meaning a full strength squad was never quite able to make it to the field. Nevertheless, the boys showed great perseverance throughout this and still managed some excellent performances. There was a steep learning curve for several players who stepped up to play more regularly for the A team. Nathanial Holland-Wright improved tremendously to establish himself in the front row and Marcus Beresford became a solid member of the back line in both attack and defence.
Throughout the season, James Bristowe and Jamie Dunn continued to lead by example with crunching runs and tackles. Luke Ward also had a fantastic season as he became a reliable member of the squad to break the gain line, and Alex Georgiou also improved to fit a new role of number 8. Whilst I cannot thank each member of the team individually, I am sure they know how much of a pleasure it has been for me to work with them all over the last three years. It has been the highlight of my year and I hope they continue playing far beyond their time at KES.
The season started slowly as defensive frailties creeped into play early on. The boys must learn from this and remember to approach every future game with the same intensity, organisation and control as taking fixtures for granted opened up their defence more than in previous seasons. A little humility would go a long way. This was, however, gradually addressed and the performances steadily improved to the highlight of the season, which was undoubtedly the 36-0 victory against local rivals PGS in the National Cup. Unfortunately, the injuries picked up in this fixture and the subsequent weekends meant a weakened team played an extremely strong Hampton squad, who had already won their county cup and knocked out the previous winners of the national competition. Whilst the boys took the lead, the experience and depth of the Hampton team proved too great, but they should be proud of their performance and I cannot fault the effort of any individual.
Squad members: Jack Sherred, Finn Sambrook-Smith, Nathaniel Holland-Wright, Jamie Dunn, Harry Croft-Baker, Luke Ward, Nick Damley-Jones, Tom Henley, Tom Sutton, Alexander Georgiou, Charlie Harden, Noah Cooper, James Bristowe, Samuel Smith, Niall Armstrong, Jacob Adeniji, Euan Etheridge, Alex Miles, William Jackson and Marcus Beresford.
Mr Westwater
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U15B Rugby The U15 B team had a tough season, but their hard work and effort enabled them to improve with each performance. Pre-season training went well and the intricacies of lifting in the lineout were taught; a skill the players absorbed. The team had a tough first fixture away to Halliford. Although KES put in a strong performance, Halliford eventually ran out winners 26-14. The final fixtures before the half-term break saw the team secure two victories against Clayesmore and Dauntsey’s School 62-21 and 40-5. Strong performances by the forwards, including Theo Roberts and Will Waring, created the space for the backs to run in a number of tries in the last quarter of both matches. The second half of the season proved to be more difficult, both in terms of the quality of the opposition and the number of injuries suffered by the A team. This resulted in the need for members of the B team to play for the A team. The team suffered defeats against strong teams from Lord Wandsworth College, Magdalen College and Portsmouth Grammar School. However, what was pleasing in these defeats was the way the team stuck together and never gave up. The highlight of these games was the fantastic solo try scored by Faisal Kekere-Ekun, who used his amazing footwork to leave four PGS defenders grasping at thin air, before scoring near the posts. The team also lost a very close game to Churcher’s College 10-12. Unfortunately, the final match of the season, against Seaford College fell victim to the weather.
Played: 7 Won: 2 Drew: 1 Lost: 4
I would like to thank all the boys who have represented the U15 B team this year, but special mention must be made of the two Third Year boys, Riley Wiltshire and Russell Pugh who made themselves available on a number of occasions towards the end of the season. It has been great working with you all for the last two years and I hope that you continue to play and enjoy your rugby as you move up to the next year group.
Mr Rosenburg Squad members: James McIlroy, Soren Golding, Rory Anderson, William Booth, William Brench-Jones, George Butler, James Ghirarduzzi, Ralf Lloyd, Tom Hand, Will Jackson, Alex Miles, Sam Richards, Theo Roberts, Ryan Scott, Oscar Self, Archie Stokes, William Waring, Jonty Yonge, Sam Smith, Faisal Kekera-Ekun, Jacob Adeniji, Tom Sutton, Riley Wiltshire and Russell Pugh.
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U14A Rugby
Played: 10 Won: 7 Drew: 0 Lost: 3
Squad members: Archie Callaghan, William Chambers, Aaron Henderson, Benedict Potter, Kerem Nebol, Jack Warrener, Jack Wells, Daniel Wickes, Harry Stembridge, Jim Pearce, Alexander Brain, Ben Butson, Archie Kilpatrick, Jack Light, Daniel Newman, Huw Dunlop, Billy Smith, Finn Leake, Ree Okitikpi, Isaac Chapman-Sheath and Hal Armstrong. Honours: Perins County 10s Champions. This was another successful season for the players who continue to improve in all areas. The squad was boosted by the arrival of some new strong players who joined the School (A. Brain, B. Butson, A. Kilpatrick, J. Light, D. Newman and F.Leake). Ree Okitikpi continued to defy expectations to become a regular starter having been in group 3 at the start of last year! The season started off in spectacular fashion with a well fought 24-17 game against a physical Halliford team which showed that the boys where prepared to tackle and battle for each other. Highlights of the season were the excellent win against a very strong Churcher’s team and the County 10s final where the boys were trailing Lord Wandsworth by 3 tries with 3
minutes left on the clock. The captain, Dan Wickes, managed to equalise off the last play and then Jack Warrener went over to win it in injury time! Lord Wandsworth got their revenge in a scrappy 8-7 win in wet conditions and, as injuries and illness took their toll, two more losses to Magdalen and Seaford followed, meaning the season whimpered to a close. The team is capable of progressing well in the county cup next year as long as they continue to look to play more as a team and rely less on the athleticism and strong running of individuals. This has achieved them a level of success so far but they will need more as opposition teams improve their size and skill levels.
Mr Mixer
U14B Rugby The season began with a superb victory over a strong Halliford team which featured a nail-biting climax as the team came through to win 19-17. The early part of the season also saw a fine victory over Dauntsey’s School with Cameron Yates scoring four tries during the game and the emergence of a number of individuals who have demonstrated that they have the potential to represent the School at a higher level. During the initial matches, both Will Daniels and Eric Bentham showed excellent levels of physicality and rugby nous that will serve them well in the future. In the backs, Cameron Yates progressed from Group 3 at the start of the year to being our most dangerous ballcarrier and he scored a number of fine tries during the course of the season. Success was hard to come by in the second half of the season where a combination of injuries and illness made life difficult against some strong opposition.
Played: 9 Won: 2 Drew: 0 Lost: 7
Nevertheless, the squad was a delight to coach and a superb try in the last play of the game by Daniel Houston-Robb, against a dominant Seaford College side, epitomised the indomitable spirit of the team. The team has already seen a number of individuals elevated into the A team squad and they have shown some wonderful flourishes during the course of the season. The challenge is for them to play more cohesively and to look to develop the continuity of their play next year.
Mr Sinclair Squad members: Hal Armstrong, Theo Beech, Edward Bence, Eric Bentham, William Daniels, Beau Darrer, Charlie Duffin, Flynn Denman, Huw Dunlop, Alex England, Robert Evans, Ben Hews, Daniel Houston-Robb, Toby Jeffes, Jack Lyne, Charlie Massey, Andrew McFarlane, Max Mehta, Tom Parsons, Jin Sandhu, Charlie Smeeton, Cameron Yates and Sam Young.
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U13A Rugby The second season for the U13 A team players was another positive one, characterised by commitment, in both matches and training. Numbers attending training were excellent and this strength in depth meant players worked hard to gain and keep a place in the A team. A large squad travelled to the opening encounter of the season; a tournament at Millfield School. The boys equipped themselves well and were competitive throughout in a tournament format that did not record results. This enabled them to focus on performance and to experience an intensity of rugby to which they could aspire. The first few games saw some really good performances from the team. The most notable exception being the heavy loss to an excellent PGS side. That aside, the team began to play with a pleasing style and ambition. With Harry Bristowe pulling the strings at fly half, the boys were able to utilise the pace of the wingers. Sammy McIlroy was outstanding in those early games with his pace and willingness to run. The Bournemouth game was memorable for good performances by wingers Wilf Sutton and Charlie Hand; the latter scoring after making a try for himself with a skilful grubber kick. The forwards were also developing into an effective unit during the early part of the season against HCS, Dauntsey’s and St. John’s Southsea. Bruno Jesney was the clear man of the match at the St John’s encounter but, unfortunately, he had volunteered to play for the opposition who were short. Ethan Wood and Ben Morgan enjoyed good performances against HCS, whilst Ollie Williams had his best game against Dauntsey’s. The Dauntsey’s match was also memorable for some fine attacking running from both Alex Kips and Harry Day. The KES boys fought hard to achieve physical dominance in these matches and open up and attack with precision. However, the squad also demonstrated they could be
Played: 8 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 3
an effective defensive unit. Sam Golledge usually led the way and, as captain, he led the team by example. Defeats against Lord Wandsworth and Churcher’s were disappointing, although during these matches Barnaby Saer began proving his potential. I feel the team learnt more during these defeats and developed as a unit, never giving up and always finishing strongly. The positive attitude was admirably demonstrated by Dominic Fernando, who ensured his physical approach was delivered fully throughout each encounter. The team recorded a good win against Magdalen College School. Matt Loran and George Coltart deserve special recognition for their willingness to do the hard work and always get the basics right. Hugo Dunkley also deserves praise for his committed and skilful contribution, providing the link needed to open up. Away to PGS the two teams played a mixed format game. This was a good opportunity for the KES players to contribute to an excellent, and wholly physical, game of rugby. The highlight of the season was perhaps the Cokethorpe School tournament. The boys did not find their form in the early group games but they did enough to qualify for the plate tournament. It was in the semi-final that they started to play some excellent rugby and the opposition were unable to match the organised defence, coupled with the speed out wide. In a difficult final match, KES went a try down and it looked like they had left themselves with too much to do as the final whistle approached. However, two quick tries proved decisive, with Harry Day going over for the decisive score. KES subsequently ended up winners of the plate competition. I would like to offer my thanks to the commitment and effort of all the boys who played and attended training throughout the season.
Mr Laverty Squad members: Harry Bristowe, Sammy McIlroy, Wilf Sutton, Charlie Hand, Bruno Jesney, Ethan Wood, Ben Morgan, Ollie Williams, Alex Kips, Harry Day, Sam Golledge (C), Barnaby Saer, Dominic Fernando, Matt Loran, George Coltart, Hugo Dunkley and Harry Day.
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U13B Rugby This year saw an excellent season for the U13 B team, not only in squad cohesion but also individual skill sets. The team maintained a positive mindset and constant level of improvement, from start to finish, which made them extremely exciting to watch and coach. A team players were kept on their toes with several B team players challenging for positions throughout and ensuring a healthy work rate by both squads during the season. The season began with a fixture against Portsmouth Grammar School. There was a clear demonstration of individual skill that led to an early win for KES. The next game against Dauntsey’s was a real highlight of the season for the team. The first half showed strength from both teams and concluded 10-10. The second half, however, was a class demonstration of composure and teamwork with a selfless performance from Joe Thompson. Jack Williams also demonstrated a tremendous work rate in defence. Will Armstrong showed his defensive and attacking class, which continued throughout the season. This fixture was followed by two resounding wins over St John’s College Southsea and Lord Wandsworth College. Wilf Sutton showed his pace and agility and James Cummings-Candel displayed his new-found rucking abilities. The first loss of the season came from a strong Churcher’s side who ran away with a 45-5 win
Played: 8 Won: 6 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
over KES. Josh Kent had a superb ‘kick and chase’ game which secured him a breakaway try towards the end of the game. The season concluded with two tough games against Magdalen College School and Portsmouth Grammar School. The MCS match finished in a KES win (15-5) whilst the PGS game finished in a defeat as PGS (40-35) demonstrated their strength in depth with some late substitutions who unfortunately were the turning force in the second half. The U13 B team have shown much promise, and were a pleasure to coach throughout the season. I look forward to seeing their success and development in the future.
Mr Seaby Squad members: Josh Kent, Wilf Sutton, Oliver Herbert, Joshua Kurr, Kym Anderson, James Cummings-Candal, Tom Lugton, Harry Loveridge, Kamran Dhariwal, Jack Williams, Daani Nayyar, Matthew CarrallWilcocks, William Armstrong, Oliver Lander, Joe Thompson, Frank Hancox, James Capewell, Seb Mills, George Coltart, Charlie Hand, James Tall, Ata Yilmaz, Daniel Burrows and Barnaby Saer.
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U12A Rugby There is always a massive range of rugby experience amongst the First Year boys and this year was no different. Two mornings of pre-season training provided a great opportunity to get to know them and establish a group to take to Millfield for an early season festival. This was an invaluable day of learning for players and staff alike, revealing much work to do but the potential for some good rugby. Throughout the season the team focused on performance, rather than results, and the phenomenal improvement in the boys’ play should be the lasting memory of this season for the players. The first fixture against Bournemouth School was a tough one as the boys failed to adapt to the physicality of senior school rugby. They suffered defeat by 5 tries to 1. Against PGS, the boys coped much better with the physical aspects of the game and a 35-20 defeat was due mainly to some defensive naivety. However, in scoring 4 tries it was clear that this group had the attacking ability to threaten teams if they were given enough possession. Against HCS, the U12s continued to show their attacking potential as they gained a comfortable victory 6 tries to 2. Thereafter followed an outstanding game against Dauntsey’s. At half-time KES were leading by 2 tries but, in the second half, Dauntsey’s pressed hard and went ahead 3-2. However, the squad continued to show great commitment with some fantastic last ditch tackles and managed to break away to score an equalising try. Circumstances conspired against the boys in the match against St. John’s, Southsea and they lost a game in the final play of the match. The trip to Lord Wandsworth was a frustrating one as the team played a lot of good rugby but came up against opponents who had the physical edge. The game against Churcher’s was tense but not only did the
Played: 9 Won: 1 Drew: 3 Lost: 5
squad equalise, the boys also had a number of chances of scoring a decisive try but had to settle for a 10-10 draw. A defeat (10-20) to Magdalen College School followed and the ability to start the game with intensity is an area that this group need to focus on. The U12 A team then played a tournament at Cokethorpe School. The boys grew into the competition to come 3rd in their group and really showed off their attacking strengths in the plate semifinal. They sadly ran out of steam in the final to finish as runners-up. The final game off the season was a rematch with PGS and an opportunity to see how much progress had been made during the season. The first half was disappointing but in the second half the boys showed good skill at the contact area, patience with the ball and excellent handling skills to score the try of the season and finish with a 10-10 draw. I am very proud to have seen this group of boys develop over the course of the season and they have improved considerably in all areas of the game. They have grown in independence, their skills in contact are better, they are making better decisions with the ball and they have shown a determination in defence. They need now to continue to work hard on these elements so that they can do it all with more consistency and maintain an intensity for longer periods of time. I look forward to seeing their rugby develop in years to come and they should approach next season with a belief that if their performance continues to improve, they have the ability to beat all the teams they played this year and, more importantly, to turn into good rugby players with a real enthusiasm for the sport. Good luck to all the boys for the future and many thanks to many parents who supported this team each week.
Mr Kent Squad members: Luca Gualano (C), Sam Attfield, Max Bouras, Dylan Burrows, Ethan ChapmanSheath, Oliver Daniels, Rory Duncan, Freddie Elliot, Tim Harris, Andre Hughes, Harry McIlroy, Max Smith, Kobe Stavonhagen, Gabriel Suttie, Jamie Wickes and Oliver Wilkinson.
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U12B Rugby
U12C Rugby
Played: 8 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 7
Played: 5 Won: 2 Drew: 0 Lost: 3
This season the B team played a full calendar of fixtures, against a mixture of A and B opponents, and although they lost most matches, they were not outplayed in any, and the level of performance improved dramatically over the season. A solid foundation was laid for future seasons with well over thirty boys at training each week and twenty-six of them have represented the B team at some point. Many of the players were in their first season of rugby and reached the heights of the A team before the final match, the pace of Sam Attfield or strong running of Max Bouras catching the eye.
The majority of the team had never played rugby before so it was very pleasing to see how quickly they picked up the basic skills needed on the field of play. They approached each game with enthusiasm and a determination to apply what they had learnt on the training pitch. By the final game, the team showed some real cohesion in their running game, putting together multiple phases of tight forward play before attempting to pass out wide. Five tries against a welldrilled Churcher’s College team were the highlight, a reward for some direct running, neat handling and solid defensive work to keep the opposition down to a single try of their own.
After pre-season and Saturday training with a 25-30 score in a trial match, our first game was against PGS. The boys defended well (as they did in each game) but were not quite able to get continuity in their attack. Our next match against HCS brought a good win 15-5 and all seemed set fair for the rest of the season. The following games brought similar score-lines where KES defended very well individually but were not quite able to maintain momentum in attack. By the time the boys finished the season against Magdalen College School, things had come together and KES scored in both final matches with some good handling, competitive rucking and ambitious running. A measure of progress was the fright we gave to PGS after a much more one-sided affair at the start of the season. Special mention should go to Marcus W, who scored the most tries with 3 over the season. I look forward to seeing all the boys develop as players and together as a team in future seasons.
Mr Aellen Squad members: Blair Galloway, Marcus Wray, Euan Holm, Savinu Ariyawansa, Ollie Ginns, Callum Jacob, Sam Tyson, Dylan Burrows, Gabriel Suttie, Luka Thomas, James Booth, Max Bouras, Joseph Warrener, James Quigley, Archie Bell, Sam Gavin, Michael Wong, Ryan Moreau, Fraser Reynolds, Matthew Evans, Sam Attfield, James McManus, Charlie Luescher, William Hoyland, Benjy Groves and Joseph Culver.
Mr Nichols Squad members: Jarrad Allerton, James Booth, James Cox, Joseph Culver, Matthew Evans, Ollie Ginns, Benjy Groves, Joseph Ho, Euan Holm, William Hoyland, Charlie Luescher, James McManus, Ryan Moreau, Albert Paxton, James Quigley, Fraser Reynolds, Andre Roman, Theo Shaw, Thomas Waggett, Joseph Warrener, Michael Wong and Marcus Wray.
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Hockey overview The 2018 boys’ hockey season has proved to be a challenging, testing and a productive one for player development and the hockey programme overall. The ‘Beast from the East’ did hamper two weeks of play, which disrupted our Saturday block fixtures and the final training sessions before the South Finals. The 1st team returned from their summer tour to South Africa and the U15s enjoyed a tour to Holland in October. Once again we have increased the amount of teams playing on a Saturday which has resulted in KES having an ever-increasing strength of block fixture. More games were played throughout the year and the percentage of wins and draws was up again on last season. The stand out boys’ team was the 1st XI who reached the final sixteen in the country, fielding a team heavily dominated with Lower Sixth players. The U16s found themselves in a strong pool at the south round that contained the eventual winners. The U14s did well to win the Hampshire Cup but fell short at the south rounds. The U13s are a team to watch over the next few years with huge potential, skill and depth in all positions. They lost on flicks in the Plate final of the National U13 In2hockey competition.
Indoor hockey has again proved to be very popular amongst the boys. The U16s boys made the South Finals and, after a tough day, found themselves in a semi-final with a place in the nationals in touching distance. Sadly, they let their concentration slip as they had led for most of the match but lost out on flicks to miss reaching the National Finals. The team was dominated by U15 players. The U18 boys enjoyed playing in the Hampshire Indoor League hosted at KES on Monday nights. They developed well throughout the league and many experienced teams struggled to break them down. They unfortunately missed out on the making the South Finals, not for lack of ability but by not being tournament ready. They will look to make South Finals next year with many lessons learnt from this year’s experience. I would like to thank the coaching staff for helping put teams out each week, as the term is short and intense with an ever-increasing fixture card. The large number of boys playing is a credit to the coaches, who have been positive and created a culture of hockey amongst the boys. A big thank you to Mr Bassett for organising the U15s tour to Holland. Thank you also to Mr Gilbert, Mr Dellar, Mr Mckenzie, Mr Wood, Mrs Kelly, Mr Dodds, Mr Kent, Mr Penn, Mr Sheppard, Mr Twum-Barima, Mr Bassett and Mr Wright.
Mr Crichton
110 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
1st XI Hockey
2018 has been a successful season for the KES 1st XI boys’ hockey squad overall. The team began with a trip to Cranleigh to play in the annual preseason tournament and this allowed the boys the opportunity to test themselves before the season started. The team consisted of some boys from the Upper School highlighting the strength of hockey in these year groups. They had some excellent results against some of the country’s strongest hockey schools. Jacob Fay has been an outstanding captain; his maturity, focus and work rate is one which many younger players can learn from. He is always positive, not influenced by the side antics and he has been a great servant and asset to the 1st team for the past three seasons. The Saturday fixture lists started off with a tough match against Canford. The game, as always, was end to end, with both teams creating chances to score. Canford took their chances well with a penalty corner, and then a minute later a deflected goal but KES fought back to 2-2 before Canford took the lead again. The boys worked hard to create more scoring opportunities and two great chances fell to the midfield but they were too casual in their shots and the Canford keeper made good saves, for Canford to hold on for a 3-2 win. The squad then travelled to Portsmouth Grammar where PGS fielded a younger team and KES ran out 5-0 winners.
Played: 6 Won: 2 Drew: 2 Lost: 2
Next up was Magdalen College who are a wellorganised and hardworking team. The boys found themselves facing former KES student Alex Shadbolt in goal who denied his ex-classmates many chances to score; the School losing 2-0. Against Sherborne College, KES had to settle for a 2-2 draw after being 2-0 up and were lucky to hold onto the draw as Sherborne pushed hard at the end of the match. Unfortunately, the weather affected most of the matches after half-term with only a 4-4 draw vs the Old Edwardians and a 5-2 win vs St John’s Leatherhead to finish off a good season for the 1st team. The boys were also invited to play the St George’s Sixes tournament. They had a slow start losing their first game to Tonbridge but it was a game in which many vital lessons were learnt. In the remaining matches, the boys took the valuable lessons from the first game and put them into practice beating Aldenham 6-0, Redds 3-0, Langley Park 3-1, Eastbourne 2-1 and drawing with Charterhouse 1-1. They finished second in the pool behind Tonbridge and went into the Plate competition. In this match, the boys gave their opponents two easy goals in the first two minutes of the game before staging a fight back to 2-2. However, a last minute goal saw the boys knocked out.
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England Schools U18 Competition
Hampshire Cup
In the first round of the England Schools’ U18 Cup the School was drawn to play Wellington College away. The boys started well with James Harden controlling the game from the back and the team was able to put some great passages of play together to run out 8-0 winners. In the second round KES was up against RGS Reigate. The boys started well but struggled to break down the RGS team, with RGS creating a few good opportunities to score early on. KES eventually found the back of the net through a well-worked penalty corner and the match went back and forth with both teams creating chances. KES created more scoring opportunities to finish 7-2 winners. Next the boys faced Kingston Grammar away. The team worked hard off the ball with Rob Atkinson being hit over the head when defending in the circle, having tracked his player 75 metres across the field. This was followed by Will Fleming scoring to give KES a 1-0 lead. KES came under huge pressure from the Kingston attacks with Jacob Fay making many tackles in midfield and Nathan Hastings and James Harden picking up anything missed, they protected the circle with great determination until James Gaunt took his chance to put KES 2-0 ahead. Kingston got one back and the KES boys began to tire. With substitutes and fresh legs, KES went 3-1 up with 5 minutes to play holding on to the scoreline and progressing into the top 16 of the country. Round 4 saw KES drawn against RGS Guildford at home with the winner of the match due to play Dean Close at home for a place in the National U18 Cup semifinal. The School started well and put RGS under pressure from the start, creating chances but failing to find the net. Three short corners for KES also failed to be converted into goals and with the scores tied at half-time the boys felt they had the upper hand. RGS scored quickly after half-time against the run of play but KES pushed for the equaliser. With all players in the RGS half, a poor pass turned over led to a counter attack goal. The boys pushed hard for the rest of the half but but lost 5-0. However, the score did not reflect the work rate and determination shown by the boys throughout the match and with eleven of the players back next year, it is hoped that the lessons learnt will stand them in good stead for a more favourable outcome although finishing in the top sixteen in the country was still an outstanding achievement.
The Hampshire Cup matches were moved to Wednesdays this year meaning that KES were able to enter the competition after missing the tournament for a few years. The boys started well with a good win against Lord Wandsworth, which was followed by another victory against Churcher’s. However, the boys had struggled to score goals and turn chances into goals and this started to cost KES as they missed numerous chances to score against Peter Symonds and were exposed at the back without the reliable services of James Harden. The squad also went on to lose to Portsmouth Grammar and Barton Peveril and were disappointed with the results having had many chances in all games but not capitalising on their opportunities.
Mr Crichton Squad members: Matthew Bell, William Fleming, Jacob Fay (C), James Gaunt, James Lander, Joe Murphy, James Harden, Sam Allsop, Nathan Hastings, Sam Rachman, Will Penrose, Jovan Dhariwal, Charlie Harrigan, Ben Millar, Henry Beardsall, Robert Atkinson, Oliver Viant and James Diaper.
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2nd XI Hockey The boys 2nd XI hockey team had a great season this year with a relatively new team of Lower Sixth boys making up the majority of the squad. They worked hard in training and the improvement by the end of the season was noticeable. The first two matches were against Canford and Kingston Grammar. Against Canford, both teams went on the attack early; Jackson Taylor making some great early saves in goal and Raul Patel sweeping up any Canford attacks well. A quick turnover and break by KES saw Archie Attfield slot one home from close range, with KES taking the lead at half-time 1-0. Canford quickly levelled the score to 1-1 in the second half, with the end of the match finely in the balance between the two teams, but ending 1-1. The boys achieved another draw (4-4) against KGS. KES opened up a 3-0 lead going into the first half but KGS fought back well and some nervous defending saw them fight back to 3-3. Oliver Kimmance scored a fantastic solo goal, but KGS scored from a short corner resulting in a tough draw to take for the boys. The boys’ first block fixture was against Ryde School. The team dominated the first half but they did not manage to score despite having several short corners and a few one on ones against the Ryde keeper. However, the boys did not give up and Ned Goodridge smashed into the top right-hand corner from the lefthand side of the semi-circle. The match finished 1-0 to KES. The next three matches saw KES lose two and win one. They lost to Magdalen College 3-2; a match which could have gone either way. This trend was repeated against the Southampton University team,
Played: 9 Won: 4 Drew: 2 Lost: 3
whose players were a lot older and more physical, and the team lost 4-1. The Sherborne School fixture saw a closely fought match between the two sides. The first half saw some great build-up play by the team, but again they could not capitalise on their opportunities. However, two goals in the second half saw them beat Sherborne 2-1. A cancelled match against Churcher’s College, due to a frozen pitch, was followed by a loss against HCS school 6-4, in what was a messy game. However, against Seaford College the 2nd XI turned on the style resulting in a resounding 8-1 victory. Some fantastic passing and attacking play saw the squad dominate from start to finish, with Luca Astles (Fifth Year) being bought up into the seconds and striking 4 goals. The last match was away at St John’s, Leatherhead. Once again the boys played some lovely free flowing hockey, attacking nicely down the flanks and into the circle. They finished on a high with a surprise goal from goalkeeper Scott Olive on the reverse stick in his last match in a KES shirt, rounding off a well-deserved 4-0 victory. Overall, the standard of hockey by the 2nd XI was exceptionally high against some tough opposition and with some hard-fought matches. I hope that they stick together for next season as they have a good squad, with some excellent Fifth Year players coming up to join the ranks. I want to thank all the boys involved in the squad for coming to training and for always giving 100% in their matches. See you all next season!
Mr Dodds
Squad members: Raul Patel, Seb Harris, Jackson Taylor, James Diaper (C), Jack Wergan (Vice Capt), Scott Olive, Rob Atkinson, Ned Goodridge, Luca Astles, Oli Kimmance, Archie Attfield, Adiyta Rokade, Andrew Crawford, Jovan Dharvial, Max Pumphrey, Dan Atchley, Archie Lawrence, Oliver Viant, Sam Rachman and Sam Allsop.
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U16A Hockey The U16 A side had a difficult season in terms of their block fixtures, despite good endeavour by a small squad. There was a consistent theme throughout the season where the boys ran out of steam in the second half, due to the small amount of possession they were able to maintain against very good sides. However, the season started with a good win against Kingston Grammar School, with the team made up of a combination of Fourth and Fifth years, in preparation for the Hampshire Cup. The Hampshire Cup was a relatively disappointing day, culminating in a second place finish. As a result, the boys faced St James School in a play-off match to make it into the regional heats. KES were comfortable 10-1 victors against St James. The team then faced a tough regional group, with eventual national champions Whitgift, Cranleigh and Eastbourne. KES came third in the group after losses to Whitgift (4-0) and Cranleigh (2-0) but put in a good performance to beat Eastbourne 2-1. With so many U15s playing in the side, the national cup squad looks to be well placed to go further next season.
Played: 12 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 9
Squad members: Ned Goodridge, Sam Thompson, Sam Burton, Oscar Bussey-Jones, Finn McCullagh, Josh Golledge, Will Barker, Luca Astles, Ben Donnison, Tom Lockyer, James Wilkinson, Jai Mew, James Williams, Toby Reid, Jack Dyer-Slade, Joe Mills and James Bristowe.
Mr Bassett
U16B Hockey In a short season complicated by examinations, it is credit to the members of the Fifth Year B team that they stuck together and grew together (over the small number of matches) into a cohesive and entertaining unit in what can be best described as a season of two halves. A stuttering start in January saw goals hard to come by and strong opposition, but a resurgence after half-term produced three consecutive victories to round the season off in fine style. At times we relied upon others to make up the squad (and thanks go to those players from the years below), but the committed members of the team can be pleased with the impression they cast to other teams. The win against Seaford is the main reason for a net goal difference of 10 but it was the metal shown in close games either side of half-term that was so pleasing. Two matches stand out towards the end of the campaign – the wins over Sherborne and St George’s College; both saw KES hit the net four times and both saw a comeback from the opposition which was ultimately thwarted by our free-flowing attacking style. When spirits were up and teamwork came to the fore, the boys were pretty formidable B team opposition.
Played: 5 Won: 3 Drew: 1 Lost: 1
Thanks in particular must go to Scott Olive, who turned down the opportunity to enjoy live sport elsewhere, to see us field a full side against Sherborne – an attitude to helping others that will surely serve him well in coming years. Tom Boyland also offered a quiet determination to the squad as captain, both on the pitch and with administration and encouragement to his teammates off the pitch. As a note to future squads, it is always a disrupted term, but a commitment to both training and matches will see plenty of entertainment on Saturday fixtures and most likely fulfilment of the idea that you will indeed get out of sport, what you are prepared to put in.
Mr Sheppard Squad members: Tom Boyland (C), Sam Alkin, Luca Astles, Torin Atchley, Cameron Barr, Oscar Bussey-Jones, Will Daniels, Matthew Duke, Jack Dyer-Slade, Josh Golledge, Alex Hall, Cam Jesney, Patrick Keith, Finn McCullagh and Henry Tudor.
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U15A Hockey
Having reached the South finals at U14 level last year, it was going to be interesting to see how this group developed. They did not disappoint. Wins over both Canford U15 and U16s (6-1 and 2-1 respectively) were an excellent start to the season and demonstrated that this team had potential in attack and good solidity in defence. A 3-0 victory over Kingston Grammar School U16 B team followed. The only defeat of the season came on a weekend when the U15s fielded a team missing nine of the starting A team due to DofE expeditions. In this game, those who did play impressed with their commitment and, despite going behind, they kept working their way back into the game. It finished in a 2-4 defeat but was a great learning experience for these players. A trip to Magdalen College School followed and again, a number of players were missing. Some positional changes worked out well for the team and although the boys conceded the first goal, they recovered well to play some good hockey to create a number of chances. The game was a close affair but the KES boys managed to hold on for a 4-3 victory. Sherborne School were hosts for the next game. A tough game was expected but after a tight opening ten minutes, the quality of their play deteriorated and KES scored at repeated intervals. The final score of 9-3 could have been higher as the KES boys showed more skill and discipline than their opponents. It was with confidence that the U15s took on Seaford at home in what proved to be another tough and physical game. Seaford did not have the same skill level, but were full of quick and strong athletes providing a good challenge. KES fell behind but the boys remained
Played: 8 Won: 7 Drew: 0 Lost: 1
composed, trusting in their hockey ability, and it did not take long to equalise. The second half was tense but the squad earned a good 2-1 victory. The final game was against St George’s College, Weybridge and the boys certainly went out in style as they played some excellent hockey using the ball well to create a number of chances. As well as this the boys were solid in defence and were well worth the 3-0 win. These boys were a good group to work with and I enjoyed watching some impressive hockey over the course of the season. I hope that they get together as a group and set themselves high expectations next year as they have an opportunity to do very well indeed.
Mr Kent Squad members: Harry Croft-Baker (C), James Bristowe, Noah Cooper, Nick Damley-Jones, Alfie Dudson, Jamie Dunn, Euan Etheridge, Pierre Forster, Alex Georgiou (GK), Soren Golding, Charlie Harden, Tom Henley, Rory Holm, Will Jackson, Rory Penrose, Tom Sutton and Rufus Taylor
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U15B Hockey The U15 B team have enjoyed the perfect season, winning all seven of their games to complete an unbeaten campaign. Scoring forty-two goals and conceding only five shows the dominance that the team demonstrated throughout the season, with the first three games setting the tone. A strike force of Theo Roberts, Josh Williams and James Bristowe combined well to ensure comfortable wins over Canford School, Winchester College A team and The Portsmouth Grammar School. The team’s first real test came against a well-organised Magdalen College side. Both teams played some high quality hockey, and a tense first half ended with KES narrowly taking the lead through a well-worked team goal. The boys continued this momentum into the second half, eventually proving too strong for the opposition and recording a well-deserved 3-0 win. Special mentions must go to Will Booth and Archie Stokes for their outstanding defensive efforts against the forward line. Following on from this impressive performance, the team travelled to Sherborne School. Here a first half hat-trick from Pierre Forster confirmed a simple and clinical 9-1 win. The next two games were unfortunately cancelled due to snow. Next up came St George’s College Weybridge, who had matched our results against other teams throughout the season and looked a tricky test on paper.
Played: 7 Won: 7 Drew: 0 Lost: 0
With snow falling and settling on the astroturf, the game went ahead. Both teams battled hard, despite the conditions, providing great viewing for the spectators who braved the elements. Some lovely play down the left from Benjamin Axton led to KES taking the lead just before the half-time whistle. The weather proceeded to hamper play after the interval but nevertheless the team fought hard to run out 2-0 winners with their unbeaten record was still intact. A final mid-week win against King’s School Winchester A team completed the season. The team has grown in both confidence and ability throughout their matches and I would like to congratulate them on achieving an excellent set of results.
Mr Hyder Squad members: Torin Atchley, Benjamin Axton, Marcus Beresford, Will Booth, Will Brench-Jones, James Bristowe, Noah Cooper, Nick Damley-Jones, Alfie Dudson, Daniel Erwig, Pierre Forster, Dominic Goddard, Soren Golding, Tom Hand, Charlie Harden, Tom Henley, Erik Hillman, Noah Inada-Kim, William Jackson, Sam Kendall, Sam Richards, Theo Roberts, Anthony Rogers, Samuel Smith, Archie Stokes, Tom Sutton, Rufus Taylor, Luke Ward, Ethan Webster, Harry Webster and Josh Williams.
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U14A Hockey
Hampshire Cup: Winners I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the boys’ U14 A team once again this season. The players had a very unique work rate and I was impressed with their dedication and eagerness to improve. All they wanted to do was play! This meant that they were quick to arrive at the astro turf for training and slow to leave. This attitude was excellent and made the year group a pleasure to work with and fun to coach. Squad places were competitive and therefore the boys had to work really hard for their places. Sam Young was an exceptional captain and was a great role model for not just the A team, but for the B and C teams too. He was organised, competitive and very supportive of his team players. It was a shame that the unusual weather meant some cancellations in the fixture list but the boys dealt with the disruption well. There were a number of new players to the squad who joined King Edward’s this year and they settled in quickly and added exciting elements to the team. A special mention must go to talented goalkeeper Theo Beech who really was instrumental in helping the team win the Hampshire Cup and sharp-shooter Isaac Chapman-Sheath who scored many goals throughout the season. Isaac is an absolute natural in front of goal and an exciting talent coming through the hockey system. Unfortunately the team were regularly hit with injuries and we were lucky to have a large squad of high quality players. Many of the B team players had an opportunity to represent the A team and this just highlights the quality and dedication of the players.
Played: 6 Won: 1 Drew: 2 Lost: 3
There were a few memorable and noteworthy performances throughout the season. A couple of very tough games against Canford and Kingston Grammar, early on, resulted in 1-1 draws, but the KES boys demonstrated excellent determination and solid defensive skills in both of these. They pulled off the performance of the season to beat Portsmouth Grammar School 8-0 and were thrilled with this result. One important learning experience of the season was a heavy defeat to Sherborne School who fielded one of the most talented squads I have seen. King Edward’s boys demonstrated determination, resilience and great passion to keep their heads held high and this was a great experience to learn from for our players. The boys had a very successful season by becoming Hampshire County Champions and they should be proud of their achievements. They have been an absolute pleasure to work with and I am sure they will continue to go from strength to strength in the future.
Mrs Kelly Squad members: Sam Young (C), Theo Beech, Flynn Denman, Daniel Wickes, Finnian Coleman, Aaron Henderson, William Chambers, Archie Kilpatrick, Freddie Coulson, Isaac Chapman-Sheath, Toby Jeffes, Ben Butson, Harry Stembridge, Oliver Lander, Owen Ramamoorthy, Alexander Brain, Matt Dyer, Josh Kent and Alex England.
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U14B Hockey U14C Hockey Played: 2 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 1
Played: 8 Won: 3 Drew: 1 Lost: 4 I was delighted to be working with this year group who proved to be a motivated, talented and dedicated group of students. These boys were an absolute pleasure to work with and it was obvious from the start of the season that we were going to have a fun, busy and productive season. It was unfortunate that the training schedule and game play was disrupted due to the unusual weather, but this did not prevent the boys from improving and wanting to represent the School. Hopefully, they will have more luck with the weather next year! The boys trained with enthusiasm and places for team selection were very competitive. It was also great to see so many hockey players out at training and sometimes this number exceeded forty students for the combined A,B and C teams. They were energetic, keen to improve and demonstrate their skills on every occasion. Owen Ramamoorthy was an organised captain who certainly was a fabulous role model for his team. The boys had some exceptional performances and ones notable of mention include wins over Canford School 2-0, Portsmouth Grammar School 1-0 and Seaford College 4-1. The Canford game was a real highlight and the team had to work really hard to achieve this result. The boys enjoyed the whole experience of playing for the School and I am sure the bus journeys were also a highlight! The squad should feel pleased with their achievements and I look forward to seeing this dedicated and enthusiastic group of hockey players progress as they move up through the School. Well done U 14 B team!
Mrs Kelly Squad members: Alex England, Sam Mediratta, Archie Callaghan, Oliver Alford-Evans, Beau Darrer, Jack Warrener, Giles Bailey, Sam Boyland, Alexander Brain, Will Daniels, Huw Dunlop, Simon Ladd, Duncan Little, George McGinn, Charlie Duffin, Owen Ramamoorthy (C), Robert Evans, Oscar Groves, Jack Light, Charlie Massey, Tom Mason and Toby Jeffes.
It was a delight to see so many boys out at training on a Monday evening and wanting to represent the School. The boys demonstrated great dedication and a willingness to improve and gain competitive experience. The highlight of the season was a 3-0 victory over Canford School. The boys displayed an outstanding team dynamic and were resilient, hardworking and keen to impress. Many of the C team players had opportunities to play for the B team and it was great that the pupils wanted to get involved in this way. The boys were unlucky to have so many fixtures cancelled due to the poor weather and I hope they are more successful on this front next year. The boys should be pleased with their efforts – they have been an absolute pleasure to work with and I am looking forward to observing their progress in the coming seasons. I urge all the boys to continue playing as they are a talented group of players.
Mrs Kelly Squad members: Tom Mason (C), Charlie Massey, Edward Bence, Ben Le Poidevin, Eric Bentham, Charlie Duffin, Daniel Houston-Robb, Max Mehta, Tom Parsons, Will Porter, Riley Wiltshire, Cameron Yates, Jack Light, Andrew McFarlane, Russell Pugh, Felix Sinker, Jin Sandhu and Huw Dunlop.
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U13A Hockey This has been a very successful season for the boys’ U13 A team; third place in the KES Prep Schools’ Tournament, county champions and regional plate finalists. The boys can be very proud of their achievements. With over thirty-five boys regularly attending training, competition for places was very strong and tough decisions had to be made about who played where. When they were prepared to work hard for each other, the boys played excellent hockey and were at their best, showing enormous potential. They moved the ball well, made self-sacrificing runs to make space for other teammates, and generally took the early shot at goal. If they have a weakness, it is a tendency to lose concentration and therefore lose shape in their defensive pattern.
Played: 24 Won: 16 Drew: 3 Lost: 5
Those who played are to be thanked for their hard work, commitment to playing and their camaraderie. They have been good fun to work with and I hope they have learnt a few crucial ideas about the game this season; moving the ball early, beating the defender on the right and keeping concentration will be important for success next year at U14 level and in the 11-a-side format. In future years they have the opportunity and ability to put KES hockey well and truly on the map.
Mr Wood Squad members: Oliver Lander, Harry Loveridge, Charlie Hand, Dominic Fernando, Josh Kent, Oliver Herbert, Fin Kilpatrick, Kamran Dhariwal, Harry Bristowe, George Coltart, Alex Kipps, Joe Thompson and William Armstrong.
Apart from the performances in the three tournaments, there were some outstanding displays on Saturdays, most notably the wins against Kingston Grammar and Portsmouth Grammar. The final match of the season also produced a good performance, albeit a 2-1 defeat in an eleven-a-side match against St George’s College. For most of the game KES were the better side.
U13B Hockey The U13 B team were an absolute pleasure to manage this season with their first match of the season away at Churcher’s that they won 4-1. The boys then marched on to KGS and played some exceptional hockey, beating them 6-3 and moving the goal difference onto +6, which ended up on +18 after six matches. In their next match the boys came out on top 5-3 which left the spirits high as they went into halfterm. The quality of the hockey the side played was demonstrated when they played a couple of games in training, A squad versus B squad. The difference in the sides was very small and I have no doubt that any one of the squad members could have played in the A team. After half-term the B team played Warminster and Ryde School, winning against both, despite only having five players on the pitch for the majority of the time against Warminster. The final game of the season, and the only defeat, was against Kings Winchester at Hill Lane, in which mental lapses on a Monday evening got the better of the players.
Played: 6 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 1
The boys were amazing to coach and nurture through the season and I look forward to hearing what amazing hockey players and gentlemen the boys all grow up to be.
Mr Mckenzie Squad members: James Capewell, Matthew Carrall-Wilcocks, Will Donnison, Will Armstrong, Findlay Bell, Seb Mills, Tom Andrews, Hamish Croft, Alex Kipps, Joe Thompson and Sam Golledge.
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U13C Hockey The U13Cs had a positive season overall and showed lots of potential and improvement as the season went on. They won twice as many games as they lost and the only two defeats were by a single goal, Churcher’s and Stroud 13 A side in their debut 11-a-side hockey match. Good wins against St George’s and Kings rounded off a promising season for the boys with structural development, in terms of positional play, improving lesson by lesson. Success was achieved by playing good and simple hockey, in which possession retention was key and we stuck to those things that we knew best. Decision making also improved drastically as the season progressed and the boys continually impressed with their dedication, hard work and listening skills meaning they were a pleasure to coach.
Played: 6 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
Squad members: Robert Mckenzie, Ben Morgan, Wilf Sutton, Sam Venable, Bruno Jesney, Dillon Patel, Raihan Tarafdar, Daani Nayyar, Hugo Dunkley, Daniel Burrows, Mayan Gupta, Sam Golledge and Charlie Shannon.
I wish them luck for the rest of their hockey careers.
Mr Mckenzie
U13D Hockey Despite losing the opening fixture of the season, the boys’ U 13 D team remained buoyant and committed to playing attacking hockey. This they achieved in spectacular fashion with hard work, teamwork and no recognised defensive pattern! When our opponents attacked, the boys just chased them down and put the opposition under such pressure that they just gave us the ball back. Kingston Grammar, Portsmouth Grammar and St George’s College are three very impressive scalps to claim during an all-too-short hockey season for these boys. They regularly attended training on Monday nights, worked enthusiastically to improve their individual skills and as a result they improved. They have been fun and good company and I am sure that a number of them will break into the B team next year.
Mr Wood Squad members: Tom Jackson, Daniel Burrows, Archie Wright, Isaac Haq, Hugo Dunkley, Tom Lugton, Kym Anderson, Sam McIlroy, Daani Nayyar, Tom Collins, Mayan Gupta, Frank Hancox, James Cummings-Candal and Raihan Tarafdar.
Played: 4 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 1
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U12A Hockey The boys enjoyed really close and competitive matches this season. After two narrow defeats to Churcher’s College and Kingston Grammar School, the lads worked really hard in training to produce a determined performance with better passing to beat PGS. It was good to see the team moving the ball to the sides of the pitch to find more space. Further improvements were made with the accuracy of passing and shooting resulting in more shots hitting the target than had been the case in the first few weeks of the season. We lost our composure a little in the Warminster game, with the loss of skipper Rory, but bounced back well to beat Ryde School. The cold weather meant that we did not play St George’s but the lads kept their best until last with a magnificent 3–2 win against Stroud. The team played with more urgency, reacting much more quickly on losing the ball to keep our older opponents at bay. This said, we turned over the ball too cheaply at times and failed to get low and make use of our bodies well to protect the ball. We scored some great goals in this game with one flying into the roof of the net in spectacular style.
Played: 6 Won: 3 Drew: 1 Lost: 2
the School. This group has a lot to learn, but with the right attitude could be a successful team. Some of the players have little experience and would benefit from Club and Development Centre hockey.
Mr Gilbert Squad members: Ethan Chapman-Sheath, Tim Harris, Sam Attfield, Oliver Daniels, Rory Duncan (C), Matthew Evans, Andre Hughes, James Quigley, Marcus Wray, Sam Tyson, Euan Holm and Luca Thomas.
It was a pleasure to work with such a good group of lads. Polite and helpful, they enjoyed every moment and are already talking about next season! I hope they continue to listen and learn as they progress up
U12B Hockey It has been a real pleasure to work with a lovely group of enthusiastic boys. With many of them new to hockey, the early part of the season was always likely to be challenging. However, the boys encouraged each other through the first three games which saw them concede thirteen goals to only one for. Training sessions were beginning to show that the boys were learning fast and it was only a matter of time before they would show this in match conditions. After an excellent draw against Ryde School in late February, their development really showed with an impressive 5-0 win over Warminster School. With two games cancelled due to the weather the season ended in the sunshine at Wellington and another terrific performance, but the season-long lack of goals returned as Stroud ran out 3-1 victors. I cannot write this report without mentioning the incredible saves the goalkeeper made all season long, at times receiving gasps of amazement and applause from the spectators of both schools. The boys need to continue to work on their hockey skills and composure in front of the goal. If they continue to learn as they have this year, the second year should be a more positive year in terms of results.
Mr Dellar
Played: 6 Won: 1 Drew: 1 Lost: 4
Squad members: Joe Warrener, James Quigley, Michael Wong, Sam Tyson, Euan Holm (C), Luca Thomas, Ollie Ginns, Tom Waggett, Fraser Reynolds, Freddie Elliott, Luca Gualano, Dylan Burrows, Callum Jacob, William Read and Kobe Stavonhagen.
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U12C Hockey The boys had a tough start to the season. Many had never played the game before and were thrown in at the deep end. Swim they certainly did, although there was some spluttering in the first few weeks. The team show plenty of spirit and determination in the first three matches but suffered defeat at the hands of Churcher’s College, Kingston Grammar and PGS. To be frank, the 2–3 by PGS was against the run of play and it was noticeable that the team’s hard work at training was beginning to pay a dividend with all players having more control and the ability to get good pace onto their passes. The team scored lots of good goals against Ryde and Warminster before holding King’s School A team to a draw in the last match of the season. The work rate of the team was impressive as was their improvement in getting the ball to the right hand side of the pitch.
Played: 6 Won: 2 Drew: 1 Lost: 3
Squad members: Savinu Ariyawansa, Joseph Culver, Freddie Elliot, Oliver Ginns, Travis Stafford, Michael Wong, Callum Jacob, Thomas Waggett, Kobe Stavonhagen, William Read, Archie Bell, Fraser Reynolds, Max Smith, Oliver Wilkinson, Gabriel Suttie (C) and Jamie Wickes.
All the boys deserve praise for their good play and hard work and for representing the school so well. Rarely have I heard such hearty ‘Three Cheers!’
Mr Gilbert
U12D Hockey With over 40 boys regularly coming along for training, choosing teams has always been very tricky but I am pleased to report that all of those boys have played at least one hockey game for KES this season. Inevitably, with only one training session before the first game and the vast majority of the boys new to hockey, the start of the season was going to be a huge learning curve. With two early defeats, a rapidly developing D team was chomping at the bit to start hitting the back of the net. Sure enough, this came at the end of January in a game in which PGS conceded five for no reply. The season was now well and truly underway with Ryde becoming the next team to come up against a ruthless KES side keeping another clean sheet and scoring three. Unfortunately, poor weather in March saw two fixtures cancelled which left only one game to play. King’s School B team were the opposition and our D team played the best they had all year to win emphatically. The boys need to continue to work on their hockey skills and if they continue to develop as they have over this spring many will be playing in higher teams next year.
Mr Dellar
Played: 5 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
Squad members: Jamie Wickes, Zak Ahmed, Ashwin Arunachalam, James Booth, Blair Galloway, Will Hoyland, Ryan Moreau, Theo Shaw, Gabriel Suttie (C), Max Bouras, Archie Bell, Venura Ranmandala, Oliver Wilkinson, Ben Langer, Joe Culver, Travis Stafford, Charley Lovett and Prem Raichura.
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Cricket overview This has been an excellent summer for cricket at KES, with some excellent performances throughout the School, and this was made possible by the continued support of many people.
As always, it is here that we recognise individual achievements of centuries and hat-tricks this season.
The foundations of the sports at the School look healthy with the U12 teams making progress and the A team reaching the county cup final. The U13 age group had an excellent season which started with a great trip to Menorca and culminated with a national semi-final thanks to a regional final win over Millfield. This age group also enjoyed having the opportunity to host a touring team from South Africa. The U14 teams worked hard and showed considerable signs of improvement and the U15s put in some great performances in trying circumstances and were unlucky to miss out on a county cup final. The 2nd XI were frustrated that the opposition failed to field teams on a number of occasions and the 1st XI had an excellent season with highlights including the win over PGS and retaining the Altham trophy.
Nathanial Holland-Wright achieved a hat-trick v Lancing College.
This was the year that girls cricket really came to the fore with ever-increasing numbers of players at practices. Both U13 and U15 fixtures were played at Hill Lane and an U12 and U13 team competed in a festival hosted by KES at Wellington. It seems that the future of girls’ summer sport may well be in cricket as its popularity in the media gathers momentum, and the number of girls playing in clubs and feeder schools increases.
Jovan Dhariwal scored 124 v PGS Charlie Harden scored 100 v PGS
The cricket programme is made possible by the staff who give so willingly of their time for both practices and fixtures. Our students are also very fortunate to be able to play on such wonderful fields. The groundstaff deserve particular thanks for the considerable time that they give in preparing outstanding facilities but there is also notable support from the catering department and from Mrs Paul, our Sports and Co-curriculum Administrator. King Edward’s also continues to play a part in cricket in the wider community as we continue to be the main base for Hampshire’s junior development programme and we have hosted county matches from U12 up to U17 level. In addition to this, we host an MCC Foundation Hub which is the charitable arm of the MCC, providing opportunities for talented cricketers from a wide range of backgrounds. I hope that all involved have enjoyed the wide range of provision for cricket this year and look forward already to resuming with the indoor programme in January.
Mr D Kent Director of Sport and Head of Cricket
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1st XI Cricket
This has been another excellent season for the 1st XI. There were a number of players for whom this was their third or even fourth season in the senior side and this experience was evident in many performances. The start of the season was disrupted by poor weather and it wasn’t until the end of the second week of term that we managed to complete a game. This was against Bryanston and, as in previous years, this was another excellent contest. KES scored 184, batting first, with Ben Millar top scoring on 47, and we took wickets at regular intervals in their reply reducing them to 10-4, 24-6, 90-8 and 109-9. The Bryanston number 6 batsmen found good support from their number 11 and they moved the score on, reducing the deficit at a good rate. There were some concerned faces amongst our side as they got ever closer to our target but we finally got our chance and took the last wicket with the score on 172, to win by 18 runs. Our defence of the Altham Trophy started in the next game and this proved to be a comfortable win over Itchen College by 10 wickets, with Ben Millar once again in the runs scoring an unbeaten 64. And so our cup campaign was up and running. The game against Lancing was frustratingly rained off as we were building a good position in the first innings and therefore, it was Queen Mary’s who were the next opposition in the Altham Trophy. Once the first wicket was prized out, we took the rest at regular intervals with James Gaunt taking 6 wickets for 10 runs in his 4 overs in a very controlled display of bowling. A target of 84 was never going to trouble us and we won well to top our Altham Trophy group. The following week saw our final game of half-term and this was to prove to be the performance of
Played: 14 Won: 8 Drew: 1 Lost: 3
the term. Winning the toss against PGS, we had no hesitation in choosing to bat with the intention of batting them out of the game. Jovan Dhariwal and Ben Millar laid excellent foundations putting on 151 for the first wicket which fell in the 32nd over. This brought Jacob Fay to the crease and he and Jovan set about the PGS bowling. They put on 93 in the next 8 overs taking the score to 244 when the next wicket fell. This was Jovan who, by this time, had scored his maiden century for the school finishing with 123 off 129 balls. The onslaught from Jacob continued and he finished with 72 from 34 balls and we finished on 299 off 45 overs thanks to a cameo innings of 24 off 12 balls from James Harden. This was always going to be a challenging target for PGS and, after a good start, they lost two wickets with the score on 39 and three more with the score on 49. At 91-9 a 200 run victory looked on the cards but a determined last stand restricted the winning margin to 151. The second half of term was a little frustrating with exams having an impact on availability. This did, however, give a number of younger players the opportunity to experience 1st XI cricket and they all made a number of good contributions which will stand them in good stead in the future. We had a good win over Churcher’s College and a draw against the MCC before frustrating defeats to Reading Blue Coats and Canford. We were in positions to win both of these games but a lack of discipline in the batting resulted in a number of soft wickets being given up. This was most disappointing against Canford after we had done really well to bowl them out for just 147 but then lost by just 19 runs. In addition to this, the returning Old Edwardians played well to defeat us for the first time in five years.
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The final week saw the Altham Trophy finals day and a block fixture against Dauntsey’s. In the Altham Trophy our semi-final was against Barton Peveril. In spite of only reaching 100 runs, we bowled well on a dry pitch to dismiss them for 60, with Archie Millar taking 3-8, and moved into the final against Peter Symonds. This was a good game of cricket. Batting first they reached 106 in their 20 overs which was a reasonable target. Jovan Dhariwal and Ben Millar were restored as the opening partnership and they resumed their good form from earlier in the season. 26 from Ben and 45 not out from Jovan saw us to the target with 2 overs in hand for a 9 wicket victory and we managed to retain the Altham Trophy. This left one final game against Dauntsey’s School. This was a very good match to finish with. The pitch was not easy to bat on and we took early wickets once more. However, two of their players showed that it was possible to bat on the surface and with good application they put on 100 runs for the 4th wicket. A final score of 187 was very competitive. In reply, we were reduced to 80-4 and recent batting collapses came to mind. However, a 50 run partnership between Jacob Fay and Fred Davies put us in a good position to move on to victory. It was not to be as straight-forward as that and we lost 4 more wickets in chasing down the target. It was fantastic
to see Jacob play his captain’s inning to win the game for his side in his final game but it was tinged with frustration too. With one run needed, he was on 95 not out and a length ball followed which he struck well towards the boundary. Needing a 6 to reach his first century for the School the ball fell just 5 metres short and he finished his last innings at KES unbeaten on 99. It has been a pleasure to work with these players over the course of this, and many other, seasons and I would like to thank them all for their efforts. In particular, I would like to thank Jacob for the hard work and great lead he gave as captain and the success of this side is down largely to his efforts. I would also like to thank Mr Penn for the considerable amount of time he put into working with these players. Mr Kent The following boys all played at least 3 games for the 1st XI: Squad members: Jacob Fay (C), Matthew Bell, Nick Damley-Jones, Fred Davies, Jovan Dhariwal, Tom Duff, James Gaunt, Charlie Harden, James Harden, Aryan Khurana, Ralf Lloyd, George McCarthy, Archie Millar, Ben Millar, Max Pumphrey, Aditya Rokade, and Will Wickham
2nd XI Cricket The 2nd XI team started off the season with two matches cancelled, but this slow start did not stop the boys’ enthusiasm and they played their first match against Lancing College at Wellington Sports Ground in perfect summer conditions. KES bowled and fielded well to limit the Lancing batters and the team were superb in the field, helping the bowlers’ figures. The boys went into bat and played well to reach Lancing’s score with only 4 wickets down, winning by 6 wickets. The second match was against the KES U15A team and the 2nd XI performed well. They opened the batting with a solid foundation and most batters scored runs freely. The U15A bowlers struggled against the aggressive approach of the 2nd XI teams and the batters found the boundary regularly. The U15s put up a strong challenge but the 2nd XI bowling attack proved too strong for them and the 2nd XI ran out winners. The final match of the season saw KES take on Canford’s 2nd XI. KES batted first and started well with Rob Dyer and James Lander looking strong. Unfortunately, the wicket played a few tricks on the batsmen with Rob receiving a ball that did not
Played: 3 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
bounce and was bowled out. James Lander miss-hit a full toss and was caught out too whilst the other 2nd XI batsmen all chipped in with a few runs but not enough to put a big total on the board. KES bowlers started well and had Canford on the back foot taking early wickets, but a few missed chances cost the KES boys as Canford knocked the total over with 6 wickets in hand. Well done to the boys who played regularly for the 2nd XI this season. You are a great bunch of lads who have enjoyed their cricket.
Mr Crichton Squad members: Sam Rachman (C), Aditya Rokade, Max Pumphrey, James Diaper, Angus Armstrong, Nathan Hastings, Oscar Bussey-Jones, William Tall, Torin Atchley, Alfie Dudson, Pierre Forster, Mattie Diamond, Robert Dye, James Lander, Will Fleming, Sam Allsop, Daniel Atchley, Sebastian Harris and Nathan Mitchard.
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U15A Cricket This was a season in which the U15 A team gained some good results but, more importantly, showed that they have the potential to make the step up to the senior teams next year. The season started really well with a good win over Bryanston School as the team successfully defended 156. The second game was against Lancing College and there were a number of good performances. KES scored 242 for 4 with Aryan Khurana being dismissed on 96. In reply, they were never in doubt, being dismissed 168 runs short of their target. The highlight in this game was a hat-trick from Nathaniel Holland-Wright. The Cup quarter-final saw the boys achieve a 42 run victory over Aldworth Science College before two games against the 2nd XI and a mixed PGS A/B team. The 2nd XI game showed them that they could play against older boys and did much for their confidence, whilst the game against PGS was notable for the first century of the season scored by Charlie Harden, off the final ball of the innings, earning him his Dobson Bat award in the process. The team were drawn against PGS in the Cup semifinal and this was a close game. The U15s set a reasonable target of 146 in their 20 overs which gave them a fighting chance. However, the team suffered defeat off the final ball of the match and the boys, whilst disappointed, need to use this as a learning experience for future years. There were more runs that could have been scored and more that could have been saved with both tighter bowling and improved fielding and field placements. The second half of term was frustrating for the group as absences in senior teams led to four players being
Played: 9 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 5
called up to the 1st XI which in turn had an impact on what this team was able to achieve. There were defeats to Reading Blue Coat School, Winchester College, Canford School and Dauntsey’s. In spite of the results, those who did play, gave their all in these performances and deserved credit for sticking at it even when things were not going as desired. Over the course of the season, the boys worked hard in training at a range of skills and started to appreciate the importance of self-discipline, pride in appearance and focus in training. This should make them better cricketers in the long run. A number of the players should look to be playing in the 1st XI next year and I very much hope that they will continue to play throughout their exam period next summer. My thanks to all the players for their efforts, to Mr Diver for his assistance with this age group, to Mr McKenzie for his help with the coaching of the individual lunchtime sessions and to Mr Kent for the support given to me as a coach running a year group for the first time.
Mr Hodgson The following boys played on at least three occasions for the U15A team: Squad members: Charlie Harden (C), Daksh Bhatnagar, James Bristowe, Noah Cooper, Harry Croft-Baker, Nick Damley-Jones, Jamie Dunn, Pierre Forster, Soren Golding, Tom Henley, Nathaniel Holland-Wright, Rory Holm, Aryan Khurana, Ralf Lloyd, Anthony Rogers and Luke Ward
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U15B Cricket The U15 B side played three matches during the course of the term, beating Bryanston by eight wickets and losing 20/20 weekday afternoon matches to Winchester College and PGS. The matches were played with skill, in a good spirit and the boys enjoyed themselves, whilst also representing the School in a very positive manner. I would like to thank all of the players involved and hope that their enthusiasm for the game continues as they move up the School.
Played: 3 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
Squad members: Anthony Rogers, Torin Atchley, Ethan Webster, Alfie Dudson, Pierre Forster, Rufus Taylor, Sam Kendall, Sam Smith, Tom Sutton, Sam Richards, Nathan Mitchard and Jeremy Hill.
Mr Diver
U14A Cricket The season got off to a wet start with the St Edward’s fixture being cancelled due to rain. Good wins followed against Bryanston and King’s, Winchester with strong batting performances from KES in both, leading to a 24 run victory and 8 run win respectively. Flynn Denman made a patient 39* to carry his bat against Bryanston, whilst Will Porter bowled beautifully against King’s to return figures of 3/6. Unfortunately the Lancing fixture was abandoned a few overs into the game after a long journey to Sussex. Following the team’s previous win against King’s in the cup, KES faced Churcher’s College in the semi-final of the County Cup. A strong Churcher’s side chased down the KES total of 89 with the loss of a solitary wicket, despite a run of 33 by Finn Coleman in the KES innings. Further losses followed against PGS and Churcher’s College in the Saturday blocks. After a tough three games, KES put in a solid performance against Reading Blue Coat School despite a narrow defeat. KES came 18 runs short of the Reading total of 175 off their allotted 20 overs, with Will Chambers scoring 45 and Caleb Hillier hitting a quick fire 33. KES got back to winning ways against Winchester College restricting the opposition to 89/4 with tight bowling from Ed Bence, most improved player Oscar Groves and the returning Jack Warrener. The upward curve continued with the side’s best performance of the year against Canford. After digging in against a superb bowling attack to score 118/8 from 30 overs, including a disciplined maiden 50 from Finn Coleman, KES bowled extremely tight lines to bowl Canford out for 107. The performance of the season came from captain Oliver Alford-Evans, who bowled 5 overs, 6/16 to change the game when Canford were poised to cruise past the KES total. The final game of the season saw KES complete a comfortable win over Dauntsey’s, with Matt Dyer
Played: 10 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 4
scoring a career best 58 off 53 balls, whilst Finn Coleman (33) and Sam Mediratta (27*) added to the KES total of 154/5 off 25 overs. Dauntsey’s were unable to challenge this total, bowled out for 86 (Oliver Alford-Evans 3/11). The side have improved huge amounts since the Second Year in both the batting and bowling departments. They have learnt the importance of batting out all the overs, pushing for additional runs and restricting extras in the field. These lessons have won the side a number of games this season, which they might have lost 12 months ago.
Mr Bassett Squad members: Flynn Denman, Finn Coleman, Caleb Hillier, Will Porter, Sam Mediratta, Will Chambers, Alex Brain, Theeran Ramanan, Oscar Groves, Oliver AlfordEvans, Ed Bence, Matt Dyer, Freddie Coulson, Jack Warrener and Aaron Henderson
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U14B Cricket The U14 age group is blessed with a good number of talented and willing cricketers who all made solid contributions across the season. The bowling was impressive with leading wicket-takers Tom Mason, Charlie Massey, Jacob Hampshire, and Alex Brain all capable of keeping the opposition batsmen on their toes. Ben Butson, Theeran Ramanan and Henry Smith were also regular contributors who could be relied on to keep the scoring down. The batting was probably our weak area, as we lost wickets regularly playing impatient shots, but Jack Light, Kerem Nebol and Charlie Duffin had some excellent innings during the season. As the summer rolled on, Huw Dunlop provided some handy runs and some much needed calm at the crease, while Theeran’s lower order hitting and cheeky running between the wickets got us within range of a last ball victory over Winchester College. Alas, it was not to be. Huw Dunlop did a brilliant job as wicketkeeper; he was one of the most consistently good performers with his excellent glovework and agility on show every time he went
Played: 8 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 4 Abandoned: 1
behind the stumps. All-rounders Toby Jeffes and Daniel Wickes were also regular members of the team, but injuries limited their opportunities, and it was good to have Archie Kilpatrick back for the last game. Special mention must go to Ree Okitikpi who played his first cricket matches this year and we’d love to see him back again next year. The highlight of the season was undoubtedly the comfortable win against PGS and it was fantastic to end the year with an impressive win against Dauntsey’s. I am looking forward to seeing what these boys can achieve next year in the Under 15s.
Mr Eyssens Squad members: Charlie Duffin, Kerem Nebol, Jack Light, Huw Dunlop, Tom Mason, Henry Smith, Charlie Massey, Daniel Wickes, Archie Kilpatrick, Alex Brain, Toby Jeffes, Jack Warrener, Ben Butson, Jacob Hampshire, Theeran Ramanan and Ree Okitikpi.
U13A Cricket Honours: U13 National Cup Semi-Finalists This enjoyable and successful season started with an excellent pre-season tour to Menorca. As a result, the boys hit the ground running with some good performances. The first Saturday game was an excellent win over a strong RGS Guilford side (Lander 46 off 21 balls and Bristowe 21 off 16 balls) before a dominant 84 run win over Marling school in the National Cup and then a 7 wicket win over PGS (Coltart 80 not out and Dhariwal 75). The season was not one for those of a nervous disposition with the most closely fought games of any I can remember. The highlight of the season was a 6 run win over Millfield. An excellent 54 from Dhariwal was marred by a collapse from 89-3 to 100 all out before the boys then really came into their own. All the bowlers bowled well with Kent, Golledge, Dhariwal and Hand all bowling tightly and supported in the field to restrict Millfield to 93! A very strong Churcher’s side lost their only game of the year due to the best all-round
Played: 13 Won: 9 Drew: 0 Lost: 3
performance of the season with Coltart and Croft bowling particularly well and Dhariwal scoring another half century. Another highlight was the 98 not out from Croft against Dauntsey’s. The semi-final of the National Cup competition against Whitgift proved a step too far, but the boys will learn a lot about the level of consistency they need to achieve in both their batting and bowling.
Mr Mixer Squad members: Harry Bristowe, Hamish Croft, George Coltart, Joe Thompson, Sam Golledge, Alex Kipps, James Tall, Kamran Dhariwal, Josh Kent, Charlie Hand, Oliver Lander, Will Donnison, James Tall, Mayan Gupta, Hugo Dunkley, Archie Wright and Findlay Bell.
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U13B Cricket
Played: 7 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 6
The Under 13 B team have had a tough cricket season but nonetheless showed a never-give-up attitude and strength of character right the way throughout. Despite the results, the boys improved throughout the season with the main objectives to pitch the ball up on bowling, to be more efficient in the field and not to give away the wicket whilst batting.
College U14 boys). This was a close match with the boys losing out by only 40 runs. Despite the loss, both the fielding and bowling had improved vastly. A moment of magic saw Josh Kerr throw a ball into the keeper from just inside the boundary, which landed plumb on the stumps running out Winchester College - much to both teams’ amazement.
The first match was due to be against PGS, but was cancelled due to a rain-sodden pitch. However, the following week saw the sun shine for an away trip to RGS Guildford which was played on a wonderful pitch with a springy wicket. KES went into bat first and made a score of 98 all out. With a quick turnaround, RGS went into bat and bowlers Josh Kerr and Finley Bell put the openers under some pressure until RGS started to hit the ball around the KES fielders with efficiency. It wasn’t until captain, and spin bowler, Dillon Patel, that some wickets eventually fell. In the end the squad lost by six wickets with RGS making the KES total with 4 overs to spare. The next match against Stroud was a bit of a mis-match against their A team and they overpowered the U13 B players, especially whilst batting. The team were not consistent enough, eventually losing by 125 runs.
The last fixture against Dauntsey’s was played on a scorching afternoon at Wellington. KES were put into bat first and the openers, Matthieu Loren and James Tall, played themselves in really nicely; Loren playing some brilliant shots through the covers. A few wickets fell, but Loren managed to make 45 runs before he was bowled in the last couple of overs. The boys made 124 all out at the break. After tea, the bowling was accurate and the opposition were struggling at 5 runs for 4 wickets in the first 6 overs. Dauntsey’s steadied the ship with their middle order batsmen, but fine bowling spells from James Tall, Finley Bell and Dillon Patel saw them clean up with Dauntsey’s all out for 62 runs. It was a great way to end the season and it is a credit to the boys that they never gave up and believed that they could win. I hope the boys go onto enjoy more cricket next season as they move up the School.
The next couple of matches were much closer; a re-scheduled PGS fixture with the boys losing by 25 runs in the last 2 overs followed by another close fixture against Churcher’s College, losing by 4 wickets. The boys’ cricket was improving and their fielding and bowling were becoming much more competitive. Another tough fixture away to Reading Bluecoats School saw the team lose by 130 runs and the next fixture was against an older opposition (Winchester
Mr Dodds Squad members: Dillon Patel (C), Matthieu Loren, Kym Anderson, Finley Bell, Finn Kilpatrick, Matthew CarollWilcox, Josh Kerr, James Tall, Ben Morgan, Mayan Gupta, Neeve Bakshi, Frankie Hancox, Archie Wright, Harry Day and Hugo Dunkley.
U13C Cricket The U13C team have played with plenty of pluck and determination this year, although unfortunately results haven’t quite gone the way they hoped. Ably captained by Frank Hancox/Tom Andrews, they made good progress as a team and were unlucky to not get the rub of the green on a few occasions. Standout moments include Ivor Berry’s two wickets with consecutive balls against PGS, Oliver William’s patient score of 25, also against PGS, and Fin Kilpatrick and James Capewell’s last-wicket stand of 31 to almost match Churcher’s total in our last game. A few stalwarts have really done well to turn up and play at each training and match with great enthusiasm, and
Played: 3 Won: 0 Drew: 0 Lost: 3
their efforts are much appreciated, whilst others were new to the game and developed their play well. I am sure that competition for places will be that much fiercer next year as a result.
Dr Filtness Squad members: Tom Andrews, James Capewell, Henry Harber, Neev Bakshi, Tom Lupton, Frank Hancox, Wilf Sutton, Khalid Elsheikh, Harry Loveridge, Harry Day, Ivor Berry, Bruno Jesney, Oliver Williams, Isaac Haq and Fin Kilpatrick
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U12A Cricket
This year’s U12 A team showed that they had great team spirit and they certainly enjoyed each other’s company on a match day. However, results were not always as positive as they might have been. A defeat in the first game against RGS Guildford showed there was work to do on the batting front and after capitulating to 34 all out, they were kept on for some extra batting practice. This seemed to pay off in the next game in the County Cup against Salesian College as they successfully chased down 105 for the loss of just 2 wickets. Whilst the batting improved, the fielding deteriorated and against PGS the team suffered a heavy defeat by a strong team. More practice ensued, and in the next cup game against St George’s the boys gained a straightforward victory which took them into the County Cup semi-final against Churcher’s. A good bowling display restricted them to a below par score which KES were able to reach with ease and they reached the county final against Twyford School who had knocked out PGS. The boys had a reasonable game against Reading Blue Coat scoring 102-6 and taking 5 wickets before they reached the target, but also suffered defeat in the cup final as Twyford proved to be too strong and deservedly won this.
Played: 7 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 4
It is therefore a mixed story. On the one hand, to have reached the county final is a good achievement of which the boys should be proud, but there were also opportunities throughout the season to play better than they did. In order to do this in future years, they need to ensure that they listen and practise with more purpose so that they unleash the potential that they have. On the batting front, they must learn to build confidence and innings and the bowlers need to develop the patience to understand the importance of bowling a stock ball and delivering a whole spell of bowling. I am sure that if the boys take these words of advice on board, they will develop into very effective young cricketers who will do well as the progress through the School.
Mr Wheeler The following boys played at least three games for the A team over the course of the season: Squad members: Savinu Ariyawansa, Sam Attfield, Oliver Daniels, Rory Duncan (C), Freddie Elliot, Luca Gualano, Tim Harris, Shaeel Naqvi, Prem Raichura, Venura Ranmandala, Sam Tyson, Max Smith and Marcus Wray.
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U12B Cricket The season started in a wet May with a defeat to Royal Grammar School, Guildford. The boys were not yet fully bonded and were lacking cohesion in a loss by 79 runs with a high number of extras. Quickly though, the boys started to play more and more as a team and notched up three wins in a row, against Stroud, PGS and Churcher’s College. Strong batting emerged from Callum Jacob, and a stunning 50 not out from Euan Holm against Churcher’s lifted the side. Reading Blue Coat School offered strong opposition and this was a game that we should have won but stagnated in bat. The bowling front was led with consistency from Callum Jacob, and Euan Holm, with speed from Andre Hughes and some spin by Rajeev Sathyanath. Under blistering heat, the final watch saw drama as KES came close to victory after setting a low target. Each opponent this season was given a competitive match from this group of boys.
Mr Mapstone
Played: 5 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
Squad members: Dylan Burrows, Joseph Culver, Oliver Daniels, Ollie Ginns, Euan Holm, Andre Hughes, Callum Jacob, Rajeev Sathyanath, Gabriel Suttie, Luka Thomas, Sam Tyson, Thomas Waggett, Joseph Warrener, Jamie Wickes and Michael Wong.
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Basketball Despite a shortage of available players, the senior team played some outstanding basketball this year, and learned a great deal in the process. The squad managed to play two games this year, one against Itchen College, which we lost 69-64, and the other against Winchester College. The latter was largely memorable for the way it ended, with James Diaper making a layup at the buzzer to win us the game 37-36. The whole team are to be congratulated for their work ethic in supporting the more experienced players, such as Max Pumphrey, Jack Wiseman and Rory Urqhuart-Hawkins. In the game against Itchen College, Max scored 18 points and Jack finished with 16. With support from the sideline, we ran a varied set of plays that almost saw KES take the initiative against a strong Itchen side. Rory Urqhuart-Hawkins had numerous assists, setting Max up in the paint and passing to Jack Wiseman, whose shooting was excellent, particularly in the fourth quarter. A notable factor in our success was Aditya Rokade’s defence: he played relentlessly, especially when attempting steals and securing rebounds. Meanwhile Tom Boyland remained very
calm under pressure, dribbling the ball to great effect against a full court press. Finally, Will Sharp made a limited but valuable contribution against a very good and experienced side. Winchester College on the other hand was not such an experienced side and the scoreline should have reflected this more convincingly. With players such as Aryan Khurana, Joe Worthy, Luke Ward and Jacob Adeniji making their debuts, this was an ideal opportunity to assess the prospects of future KES teams. In a close game, James Diaper deserves a special mention for his ability to drive past players, as he scored point after point in the face of intense defence. Another player to perform well was Luke Shaw, who utilised his height effectively in all areas of the court. Overall, the season was a success. A special thank you goes to Mr Smart, who continues to manage and referee our games as well as organising the practices and coaching staff, thus enabling us to play week-in and week-out.
Max Pumphrey (Captain)
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1st XI Football
After the departure of Mr Kukla at the end of 2017, and with the restructuring of the league system, the 2018 season felt like the start of a new era for the KES football team. Numbers at the initial training sessions were very high, and the players responded well to the new idea of drills and fitness. Morale amongst the squad was good and there appeared to be a nice balance between the seasoned pros of the Upper Sixth and the new fresh faces of the Lower Sixth. Despite there being no opportunity for any pre-season friendlies, the squad appeared to gel together quickly. The first match of the season against Bournemouth School was a sign of things to come: highly competitive, playing with a quick tempo and just the odd goal in it. Unfortunately for KES, they were on the wrong side of a 3-2 result, but the goal scoring form of Jacob Fay was a promising sign. The next two league matches saw excellent wins against Fareham and Farnborough, with brilliant performances at the back from Matt Diamond and Archie Attfield. A swift and disappointing exit from the cup was compounded with a second league defeat of the season against Barton Peveril College. The season could have gone two ways at this stage, but fortunately for KES, the Upper Sixth players of George McCarthy, Matt Stelling and Barney Taylor, started to assert their dominance. This allowed the more attacking players of Fred Davies, Ben Fox and Will Fleming to show off their box of tricks and these three created numerous assists. Convincing victories against Itchen and Havant followed, with contributions from Mateus Janaway, Will Wickham and Alex Lock. As the season approached Christmas, the weather conditions deteriorated and it is fair to say that KES boys do not fare as well in the cold and wet. The team conceded an 89th minute goal against Bournemouth
in the cold conditions, before the quality opposition of Farnborough tore the KES team apart in the fierce wind and rain. Unlike the premiership, the KES team had an extended winter break, seven weeks in total, and on this evidence, I would not recommend it. A combination of squad losses to hockey, rustiness and some poor managerial decisions saw the team slipping down the table. A hard-fought draw against Fareham helped to stop the slide but as the last match of the season approached, KES knew that they had to win in order to avoid the relegation play-offs. Any nerves that the team had were quickly dispelled as Will Thompson scored early on. The goals continued to flow, as KES won 6-0 to round up a very enjoyable season. It has been a great privilege to manage the side this season. It has been wonderful to see the students develop as footballers and I have enjoyed the banter on the bus. A huge thanks go to the Jeff Stelling for turning up most weeks to help run the line. A special mention also goes to the two rocks at the back, Bruce Carpenter and Matt Giles. I hope that the students will continue with their football in the future and I am looking forward to the 2018/19 season.
Sam Woodcock Squad members: Matt Stelling (C), Mateus Janaway, Archie Attfield, Bruce Carpenter, Matt Giles, Matt Diamond, James Gaunt, Barney Taylor, George McCarthy, Alex Lock, Will Wickham, Ben Fox, Jacob Fay, Will Fleming, Will Thompson, Ed Dawson, Fred Davies, Alex Chandler and Will Upcraft. Player of the season: Matt Giles Top scorer: Jacob Fay (9)
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Tennis The U12 tennis was solid this term, with the First Year horde bringing in great strength on the courts. Despite few competitive matches the friendly fixtures showed off our breadth and depth of talent across the First and Second Year boys. There were solid performances all round, but the Second Year pairing of Turner and Williams saw great success against St James’s and set an excellent example of focus and maturity for the new cohort. There are some prolific new talents at King Edwards who demonstrated patience and wisdom on the court, as well as consistent strength on both the fore and back hand. The talents are too many to list but it would be unfair not to mention the great performances put in by Luka Thomas, Marcus Wray and Oliver Wilkinson. The School entered both available Aegon competitions (U13 and U15), but the U15s were placed in a group
U14 boys’ team
with just two other schools. This meant that a single loss would guarantee we would not progress in the tournament, and dispiritingly we were first up against a very strong Thornden side. The boys battled well and Archie Callaghan won our only match to ensure we at least did not suffer the dreaded whitewash. Our remaining Aegon fixture against Romsey was thus something of a dead rubber, so it was great to see that the boys not only playing in a very determined fashion, but coming away with a convincing victory. Thanks go to those who played for the team - Beau Darrer, Andrew McFarlane, Torin Atchley, Archie Callaghan. Reuben Donvito and Tom Parsons, and to all those who turned out for practice sessions and training.
Mr Culver and Mr Lewis
U12 boys’ team
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GIRLS’ SPORT AT KES 2017-2018
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Hockey overview As another remarkably busy and successful season draws to a close, it would be erroneous not to reflect on the healthy state of girls’ hockey at KES. It is a great credit that, at a time when many other leading independent schools are reducing the quality and quantity of their fixture list, KES has been reversing this trend. KES has continued to add more fixtures, more teams and more girls to represent the School on a Saturday. Every year the fixture card has increased and now stretches the width of the South Coast. Everyone concerned should feel justifiably proud of their contributions. The girls’ 1st team reached the top four in the South of England for the third time over the past four years, the U16 girls made the south round and the U14 girls were unlucky not to make the south rounds after a slow start. The School enjoyed the opportunity of hosting the touring St Alban’s School from Argentina which is always a highlight for the KES girls. The 1st XI experienced a tour to Glasgow for the TopFlight Schools’ Hockey Tournament, where they played some great hockey against some of the best teams from Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland and England. We had success at eleven-a-side but we also did well in the indoor hockey circuit. Indoor hockey continues to be very popular amongst the students as the numbers at lunchtime training sessions far exceeds
the space available. The demand for places was very encouraging and saw a wide range of girls pushing for places, with two Third Years even making the U16 team demonstrating the strength and quality in the lower years. The girls’ U16 indoor team made the south finals for the third time and were unlucky to have missed out on a place at nationals, losing in the semi-final, having played so well throughout the day. The 1st XI indoor team missed out on making the south finals to a penalty corner after the final whistle had gone. I would like to thank all of the coaches and girls because this success is not down to luck. The staff and girls of all the teams work incredibly hard. The coaches have set a high standard throughout the season and the girls have always been able to rise to their coaches’ expectations. The girls have been fantastic this season and have achieved great results in all age groups. Thank you to the following coaches for all the work that has gone into putting teams together every week; Mrs Ferrand, Miss Cole, Mrs Jordan, Mr Cross, Mrs Brown, Mr Dodds, Mr Bassett, Mr McKenzie, Mrs Penn, Mr Penn, Mr Wright and Mrs Kelly.
Mr Crichton
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1st XI Hockey
Played: 32 Won: 21 Drew: 4 Lost: 7
Squad members: Alice Ridley (Captain), Daisy Porter (Vice Captain), Zoe Kyle-Henney, Ottilie Beal, Stella Bendoni, Honey Lander, Steph Judd, Isobel Richardson, Nyah Clark, Marianne Brabazon, Zoe Henderson, Maddie Deakin, Jenny Pimley, Eve Henley, Eleanor Todd and Sarah Macleod. This group of players is surely one of the most cohesive squads I have worked with in the 12 years I have been at the School. From day one, they were keen to support, develop and encourage each other to ensure we achieved great things as a team. And great things they certainly achieved! The coaches were delighted with the journey of progression and every squad player should also be proud. The girls were undefeated in regular fixtures and produced some outstanding results with flair, creativity and industry. Highlights included impressive wins over Canford School, Portsmouth Grammar School and Bryanston School. A special mention must go to Alice Ridley and Daisy Porter who were exceptional leaders and great role models to a relatively young squad. It is unusual to have a 1st XI including players from four year groups and it was a delight to see how our girls looked after each other. This was also recognised by the many parents who supported us weekly on our journey to success. The coaches were very grateful for the cheering and support that our wonderful parents provided in all weather conditions – always with massive smiles and lots of encouragement. The KES team travelled to Glasgow in the October half-term to play in the Top Flight Schools’ Tournament. The hockey was extremely competitive and provided certainly some of the best hockey to which our girls have been exposed in recent years. The conditions were tough and the games were long: excellent preparation for the national competition when we returned home. The girls played some good hockey finishing in 12th place overall. Their sportsmanship, team play and behaviour was impeccable throughout the trip and certainly placed us in a great position moving forward. Some of the best hockey we played was in the
National Cup Competition and after progressing out of Hampshire, the 1st XI girls’ hockey team played in the group rounds of the South of England Schools’ Hockey Tournament at Cranleigh School. The girls topped their group with a 0-0 draw with Bradfield College and wins over Latymer Upper School and Alleyn’s School meaning they progressed to the semi-finals against Eastbourne College. The girls continued their excellent run with a convincing 8-1 victory over Eastbourne College. KES started well and after scoring in the first five minutes they continued to attack and take their chances to lead 5-0 at halftime. Eastbourne started the second half strongly but the KES defence remained resolute whilst at the other end the girls took more chances. It is important to note that it is very rare to have a score line like this at this stage of the competition and the KES girls certainly silenced the two KES coaches on the side-lines: a rare occurrence. Eastbourne are a strong side and the KES team thoroughly deserved their day at the regional finals where Cranleigh, Kingston Grammar and Bradfield College awaited them. Unfortunately, the girls did not progress any further in the competition but an outstanding goal from Maddie Deakin against Cranleigh was certainly one of the many highlights the season provided. Future squads have much to live up to and I know that Mr Crichton and I have thoroughly enjoyed every single minute of working with such a talented and dedicated group of players. We are sad to see the season draw to a close, but are looking forward to seeing their progress as many of our players move on to university. Thank you for a successful and inspiring season ladies!
Mr Crichton and Mrs Kelly
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2nd XI Hockey The girls’ 2nd XI team experienced a fantastic term of hockey with some hard-fought results and great performances. The team spirit and application from all the girls was nothing short of excellent. Results started really well with girls picking up four wins from four matches before the half-term break. The first match was against Ryde School with a hard fought 2-1 win in windy and wet conditions. The next game against the visiting St Alban’s College side from Argentina was end to end and it was a short corner that decided the result; KES winning 1-0. Thereafter followed a gritty 1-0 win over Cranleigh School. A breakaway goal, followed by a resolute performance in defence from goalkeeper Maddie Burton and defenders Jess Holmes, Indie Chugh, Hattie Smith and Gemma Pearson, secured a great win. This was followed by another victory against Portsmouth Grammar School 2-0. The team’s first match after the break was against Lord’s Wandsworth College which produced an exciting end-to-end, open game with the girls unfortunately losing 2-1. The next few matches did also not go their way, and they lost heavily to Bryanston School (8-1) and to Canford (6-2). The final few matches again produced two losses. Against Churcher’s College an unfortunate defensive error saw the ball trickle over the line resulting in a 2-1
Played: 9 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 5
loss and the last match of the season saw a defeat to Dauntsey’s School (3-1). After being 1-0 up in the first half of the game, the girls just couldn’t hold out a series of strong attacks by the Dauntsey’s team. It was a shame that the second half of term couldn’t produce the desired results but, nevertheless, the 2nd XI’s spirit was never dampened and they showed real grit and enthusiasm during each match. The girls have shown dedication and hardwork during practices, always turning up with a smile on their faces and have approached their matches in a similar fashion. I hope that they will all continue with their hockey whether it be at university or club.
Mr Dodds Squad members: Maddie Burton, Jess Holmes, Indie Chugh, Gemma Pearson, Harriet Smith, Anna Pang, Miffy Allen, Olivia Leask, Katrina Penn-Newman, Fin Mckenzie, Meg Green, Kate Ward, Iona Howells, Eva Carlyle, Izzy Rose, Izzy Holland, Alice Dean, Roma Creedon, Flossy Rose, Sarah Macleod, Klaudia Glowacz and Iolanta Spanner.
138 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U15A Hockey
The season started well for the U15A team with a successful visit to Sherborne School for their annual pre-season tournament. Following strong wins against King’s College, Taunton (3-0) and Wellington School (2-0), the girls came up against a very good Canford side, leading to a 3-0 loss. However, after a useful discussion with the team regarding the press, KES put much more pressure on Wells Cathedral School in the semi-final and the high work rate led to a well fought 1-0 win. The girls were then faced with a replay of their group game against Canford but were confident that they could perform better than in the previous game. Despite very few chances on the Canford goal, KES defended valiantly to restrict Canford to the only goal of the match and cap off a good start to the season for the squad. Due to a number of strong performances from the U15 players in the tournament, they were subsequently selected to play for the 1st XI for the remainder of the season. This gave the remaining girls the opportunity to play a more central role in the team. The first fixture against Cranleigh was a tough challenge and, despite a valiant effort, led to a 7-0 loss. However, the following week provided a good opportunity for the girls to bounce back against local rivals HCS when they secured a 6-0 win. This was followed by another healthy result against PGS away at Hilsea (3-0). The last three games of the season provided a good test with some very close games against Lord Wandsworth (1-2) and Bryanston (1-1); this draw being the highlight of the year. The girls played superbly and worked tirelessly until the final
Played: 11 Won: 5 Drew: 1 Lost: 5
whistle, with Izzy Chapman scoring the equaliser with seconds remaining, capping off a fantastic performance as Captain. The squad finished their season with a rematch against Canford who proved just too strong and KES fell to a 7-0 defeat.
Mr Bassett Squad members: Lizzie Armstrong, Jen Bareham, Elizabeth Beardsall, Marianne Brabazon, Isobel Chapman, Nyah Clark, Elizabeth Field, Elli Gingell, Lucy Howarth, Lena Mills, Puja Muthalagu, Carol Naoum Ateya, Lucy Pumphrey, Anna Schmalz, Roos Schmalz, Lucy Tait, Rebecca Waggett and Harriet Wheeler.
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U15B Hockey
The girls got off to a good start with a 1-0 win away at St John’s College, Portsmouth. During the next three weeks the KES side faced difficult opposition in Cranleigh, Seaford A and Portsmouth Grammar School. Unfortunately, the girls were unable to score any points from these games against well-structured sides. Following this tough run, the U15Bs put in a good performance at home to Lord Wandsworth College in order to grab a 1-1 draw. The side were very unlucky to not get anything from the game against Bryanston where they lost by the odd goal in five. This was the performance of the season against a strong Bryanston squad. The season ended with losses to Canford and Kings A. The girls worked hard to improve in training sessions and now move on to senior hockey next season.
Mr Bassett Squad members: Elli Gingell, Natasha Thompson, Lena Mills (C), Lucy Pumphrey, Elizabeth Armstrong, Elizabeth Field, Isobel Fleming, Darcey Harber, Elspeth Hargreaves, Anoushka Umranikar, Sophia Olive, AbbyTaylor, Freya Crowley, Carol Naoum Ateya (C), Madeleine Wright, Rebekah Davis, Katie Duff, Catherine Thomson, Anais Ansari, Mia Blake and Jen Bareham.
Played: 8 Won: 1 Drew: 1 Lost: 6
140 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U14A Hockey
Played: 12 Won: 6 Drew: 1 Lost: 5
Squad members: Bella Davies-Roche, Ida Goodridge, Isabella Tam, Grace Loveridge, Isi Murphy, Lucia Rugge-Price, Abbie Morton, Ellie Small, Sophie Khan, Abigail McCarthy, Charlotte Dunkley, Julia Schmalz, Rachel Howarth, Katie Smart, Martha Sullivan, Olivia Tudor, Alice Leather, Sophie Diamond and Emilia Walker.
This has been a mixed year for the U14 girls who have shown a lot of potential. I have been particularly impressed to see over thirty girls regularly training and forty-nine getting the opportunity to play competitive matches illustrates their commitment to the game. The girls should be very proud of scoring forty-two goals this season and only conceding twenty-five. On a warm sunny day in September, we travelled to Ryde for our first match of the season against their U15A team. This was a positive start and the girls impressed me with their ability to create and use space, resulting in an 8-0 win. The next game was far more challenging and tested the girls’ resilience; Cranleigh were quicker and stronger but the girls learnt a tremendous amount and developed as the game went on. Isi Murphy played fantastically in goal, blocking many deflections and her reactions made it very hard for the opposition. Against HCS, the girls really showed off what they had learnt by putting pressure on their opponents, allowing them very little space and getting behind the ball. Our tackling got stronger and passing more accurate resulting in a 7-1 win. The fourth match against PGS saw the girls show off some fantastic hockey. The KES pressure on the ball carrier caused many turnovers and the girls’ understanding of how to play effective hockey by moving the ball quickly, linking up with one another and defending together started to click into play securing a 7-0 win. Unfortunately, our next fixture clashed with the U14 county netball tournament, meaning we had five A team girls missing. However, I was impressed with how some of the B team stepped up to the challenge but Lord Wandsworth were too strong for us on this occasion.
At home at Wellington against Bryanston, the girls secured a 4-2 win. The U14 county tournament fell on the first day back after half-term. Unfortunately, due to the break in team play and some jet lagged girls we were slow to get going and allowed the opposition to control the game. Isi Murphy worked tremendously hard in goal and played fantastically throughout. In the third game KES beat the overall winners 3-1 illustrating how they under achieved over all at this tournament. Our next fixture was against Canford. The team underestimated their own ability and allowed Canford, an extremely well-drilled team to take control. Their coaches were vocal, they were strong, athletic and we lacked belief as well as substitutes. The match against Kingston Grammar was cancelled due to a frozen pitch but in December we travelled to Dauntsey’s. Due to illness, we only had eleven players. Our opposition marking was poor and this allowed Dauntsey’s to dictate play and go 2-0 up at half-time. The girls fought harder in the second half using the width to create space and released the ball earlier to win the second half 1-0. This team are a talented group who show a lot of potential should they remain focused. It has been exciting to watch these girls develop throughout the season and I wish them all the best of luck as they move up to the U15s and beyond. I hope they will have learnt the importance of warming up mentally as well as physically to ensure they start a game well and take control. They have been a pleasure to coach this season.
Mrs Penn
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U14B Hockey A lack of continuity, due to illness and other commitments, meant that the U14B team did not field the same players two weeks running in any of the fixtures and this led to a real up and down season. It is always disappointing to record more losses than victories, but the girls should take pride in their progress; there were glimpses of real improvement during the season. A very busy September saw the season open with four fixtures on the trot. Against Ryde and Upper Chine the team were 2-0 up at half-time and, buoyed by this, a very fluid and fast-paced second half ensued, ending in an excellent 7-0 victory for KES. The girls then faced strong opposition in the form of Cranleigh where they lost 2-0 before, a week later, travelling to Seaford where the U14Bs suffered a harsh defeat to a very competent A team, losing 8-0. At the end of September, the squad returned home and to winning ways, beating Portsmouth Grammar School 5-0. The girls had excellent passages of play in which they worked the ball well, pressed against the opposition at every opportunity and made the most of possession. However, two weeks prior to halfterm a bout of illness, and the loss of our netballers, meant members of the C team had to step up to play. The team showed moments of skill but ultimately recorded a disappointing loss to Lord Wandsworth College 2-0. Thereafter followed a victory over Bryanston 3-0. The girls played well, specifically in the midfield where most of the possession was won. After the half-term break, the team faced a string of away fixtures. The girls lost to a confident and skilful Canford side 0-6 on a cold and dark November
Played: 9 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 5
afternoon before the match against Kingston Grammar School was cancelled due to frozen pitches. In December, the girls lost to Dauntsey’s 4-0 playing against a very strong B team. The final game of the season was a frantic, high-energy game but the team showed hunger on the pitch. It was tight throughout, with possession constantly changing and lots of pressure in both Ds, but the KES side managed to secure a 2-0 win. I hope that the girls look back at their season in terms of what they have accomplished as opposed to what they failed to achieve. Individually I would like to comment on Claudia Leeming’s solid defence as sweeper and captain, as well as Rosi Dye’s fortitude in goal. Katie Smart and Darcie Burrows always played with dogged determination, skill and persistence. Each week a different team member was selected as ‘Players’ Player’ but my player of the season was Emmy Walker; she was outstanding in every match and really developed as a player throughout the autumn term. I hope all the girls pick up their hockey sticks for many more seasons to come.
Mrs Brown Squad members: Anna Aksenova, Tara Alavi, Sophia Bassi, Darcie Burrows, Sophie Diamond, Charlotte Dunkley, Rosi Dye, Tomi Gibson, Sophie Khan, Kate Leask, Alice Leather, Claudia Leeming, Jas Mandair, Tamsin Morris, Tash Pillai, Bella Roe, Antonia Ruprecht-Smith Julia Schmalz, Grace Showell, Katie Smart, Xanthe Thompson, Olivia Tilley, Olivia Tudor, Emmy Walker and Jas Williams.
142 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U14C Hockey
This hockey season saw a first for KES. We produced our first girls’ U14 C hockey team illustrating the depth in sporting talent of this year group. I have been particularly impressed with their commitment to training and fantastic team spirit. They have had a mixture of results playing some large boarding schools whose teams train twice more than us each week. Particular highlights include beating the U14B team at Seaford 2-0 and drawing to St John’s Southsea U14A team 1-1. The girls have worked hard to develop their skills and I hope they continue to enjoy their hockey.
Mrs Penn
Played: 6 Won: 2 Drew: 1 Lost: 3
Squad members: Anna Aksenova, Emily Bull, Lily Cooper, Sophie Diamond, Suheera Ebrahim, Maddie Gallagher, Tomi Gibson, Kate Leask, Alice Leather, Megan Matthews, Eve Musson, Nadia Paine, Katie Powell, Tabi Rouf, Antonia Ruprecht-Smith, Grace Showell, Katie Smart, Emily Smith, Hannah Smith, Xanthe Thompson, Olivia Tilley, Anna Tunney and Florence Wright.
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U13A Hockey The A team were, sadly, on the wrong side of results for most of the term: the need for much closer marking in defence and to capitalise on goal scoring opportunities, are skills that I am sure they will improve upon in time. The Lord Wandsworth Festival (comprising teams from Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset) was entertaining, particularly on the grass pitches; something that the girls had never experienced! Although the scores were irrelevant, it was pleasing to see forwards and defence working together, and scoring goals! The In2Hockey tournament saw the KES U13 and U12 teams play as one, and fare reasonably well. Although they did not manage to progress to the next round, they improved as the day evolved. A special mention must go to Melanie G and Claudia H from our First Year who guested for the A team in one fixture – they represented themselves superbly and strengthened the squad considerably.
KJ and Mr Cross
Played: 7 Won: 0 Drew: 1 Lost: 5 plus 2 tournaments
Squad members: Emily Ardern-Jones, Lottie Ashton, Izzy Hall, Ruby Slowen, Lola Dibden, Imogen Miller, Hannah Procter and April Richards
144 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U13B Hockey
For the B team, the season started with an encouraging goalless draw against Ryde, but then back-to-back defeats against Churcher’s College and PGS caused the girls to lose confidence. A timely tournament at Lord Wandsworth College allowed the girls to find some form and learn more about zonal marking and tackling. They also managed to win their group of six without conceding a goal. However, it was then almost one month later that the girls had their next Saturday fixture, away to a very strong Westbourne House School. The rustiness was evident as the girls played naively in a 0-5 defeat before the following Saturday saw them notch up their final victory of the season; a 3-0 win over Farleigh School. Unfortunately, the last two games of the season resulted in heavy defeats for the team, but I’m sure the girls would have learnt a lot playing against some very talented opposition.
KJ and Mr Cross
Played: 8 Won: 1 Drew: 1 Lost: 5 plus 1 tournament
Squad members: Katie Ryan, Anna Morley, Orla Paterson, Annabel Stonadge, Ella Danby, Myah Ganjavian-Connor and Kate Dunn.
SOTONIENSIS 2018 | 145
U13C Hockey
Unfortunately the C team only managed three matches due to lack of availability. In spite of this, they were victorious throughout; a great achievement. Many thanks go to Mr Bassett for his input with the team and Gregor McKenzie, our gap year student, whose enthusiasm and knowledge of all things KES assisted greatly at training and on match days.
KJ and Mr Cross Squad members: Freya McCauley, Grace Orton, Charlotte Roberts, Catherine Short, Neha Syed, Emma Appleby, Sophie Keeble and Megan Maltby.
Played: 3 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 0
146 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U12A Hockey
This has been an outstanding season for our U12 girls who have fast become one of the most successful U12 teams that KES has seen in recent years. Most weeks we have had over forty girls at training and their positive attitude, coupled with their passion, has made them an absolute joy to coach. We started the season well with five wins on the trot against St John’s College, Churcher’s, St Mary’s School Ascot, Castle Court and HCS. With every game the girls’ confidence grew and they showed great cohesion, team spirit and excellent game play. At times it looked as though they had been playing together for years, not weeks. After a tough game against Westbourne House, that resulted in a 0-7 loss, the girls were determined to come back fighting. This led to the highlight of the season; our match against Farleigh. After losing 1-0 to them earlier in the week during a tournament, the girls came out on Saturday with a real desire to win and played some outstanding hockey! Everything that we had been working on during training had come together at once and the girls were a real force to be reckoned with. The defence were unbreakable, and they demonstrated great tenacity, the midfielders linked the defence and attack effortlessly, driving the ball down the wings, and the forwards were goal hungry! The girls ended up beating Farleigh 6-1, a result of which they should be very proud.
Played: 10 Won: 7 Drew: 1 Lost: 2
Due to the standard of players in the U12 A team, many of the girls were selected to represent the School in the U13 In2Hockey County Tournament. This was a tough challenge for them but they never failed to impress. Although the squad did not progress past the first rounds, they certainly improved as the tournament went on and I have every confidence in them achieving more next year. The team should feel very proud of their achievements throughout this season; their commitment and attitude towards training and matches has enabled them to make excellent progress and achieve great success.
Mrs Ferrand Squad members: Melanie Georgiou (C), Celia Brabazon, Lucy Robinson, Charlotte Stembridge, Tessa Tomsom, Elinor Sharp, Matilde Mathies, Claudia Hargeaves, Georgie Wheeler, Molly Knapman, Daisy Kendall and Nell Sarton.
SOTONIENSIS 2018 | 147
U12B Hockey
The U12B team have made a brilliant start to their KES hockey careers. It started on a bright sunny Saturday morning in September with the girls eager to start their pre-season tournament against St John’s College. The team improved their core skills but the major improvement was in their actual understanding of hockey and judgement of what to do in certain situations. I was particularly impressed with the development of their passing and movement on and off the ball. Due to their outstanding commitment to training and their positive attitudes they have flourished in their changing environment which sets them up for a strong start next season. Highlights of the season must include the resounding 10-0 win over HCS and wins over big schools like Churcher’s, Farleigh and a good draw with PGS. Nell Sarton, in particular, deserves a mention. She has gone from strength to strength, steadily rising through the hockey groups and playing her final game of the season in the A team, for which there is always competition for places. All the girls deserve my applause for the season and they should be very proud of what they have achieved.
Mr McKenzie
Played: 9 Won: 6 Drew: 1 Lost: 2
Squad members: Elspeth McFarlane, Isla Osman, Ava Neilson, Sophie Blaydes, Daisy Kendall, Sophie Carter, Erin Woo, Nell Sarton, Annabel Coltart, Eleanor Oakley, Charlotte Akerman, Eva Waktare, Katharine Cecil, Charlotte Wallis, Molly Knapman, Natasha Begbour and Adele Congreve.
148 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U12C Hockey The C team had a very strong start to their season successfully beating St. Mary’s School Ascot by a convincing 7 goals. Throughout the rest of their season the players built on the strength of their passing and attacking play. All of the girls worked hard for the whole season and the progress they have made from this has been clear to see. They have challenged themselves by playing in a variety of positions with new tactics and have supported one another throughout this encouraging each other’s confidence and progress. The girls all tried their hardest to apply what they had been asked to do on the pitch. A great season for the team with things to work on next year defensively.
Played:7 Won: 2 Drew: 2 Lost: 3
Squad members: Lucy Walker, Adele Congreve, Bea Blake, Charlotte Akerman, Sophie Kileff, Charlotte Wallis, Eva Waktare, Emily Pizzey, Isabelle Nutbourne and Katherine Cecil.
Miss Cole
U12D&E Hockey Both the D and E team had a good season with the girls playing across both teams and willing to trying new positions, many of them having to step in as a goalkeeper. They made huge progress both in their attacking and defensive play during the season. The passing quality and speed improved allowing the girls to have more opportunities to score but, unfortunately at times, the girls were unable to convert this into a goal leaving us a target to aim for next year. Defensively the girls grew in confidence to make tackles therefore applying pressure to the opponents and making it challenging for them to hit the target especially in the 1-1 draw with Stroud. The players have lots to work on for next year but a great start to hockey for the girls.
Miss Cole and Mr McKenzie
Played:9 Won: 0 Drew: 1 Lost: 8
Squad members: Suraya Hughes, Sophie Hews, Grace Cooper, Andreanna Solomou, Samantha McNaughton, Destin Annan, Charlotte Wallis, Zofia Osgood, Emily Pizzey, Amanda Mensah, Mahira Sumra, Sophie Murray-Dryden, Phoebe Gregory, Hannah Barton, Sophie Cowan, Amelia Roberts, Evelyn Nagy, Katie Ramamoorthy, Ottilie Saunders, Kira Woodd, Annie Cate-Boyle and Elsa Buerk.
149 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
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Netball overview Netball at KES is continuing to grow across all age groups. It has been a great season, that has seen more and more girls committing to training sessions and Saturday fixtures. Many of the age groups were able to field an A, B and C team on a weekly basis with some achieving impressive numbers to get out a D and even an E team in some age groups. This allows a vast number of girls to have the opportunity to represent the School. This year’s netball season has been the most successful in KES history with both the U14 and U16 teams narrowly missing out on a place at the national school finals. Both teams showed great resilience, teamwork and determination and all whilst having fun with their team mates. During the regional tournament, which was held at Farnborough, both teams played some fantastic, fast paced and athletic netball. It was very challenging to begin with as the courts were slippery but as the surfaces began to dry, the girls developed throughout each game. The U16s had a great day and finished 5th in a very competitive group whilst the U14s finished in a very respectful 3rd, just missing out on going on to the finals. The weather was very challenging this season. However, all of the teams embraced this and pulled out numerous wins even in the snow towards the end
of term. In total, there was 117 games played and this was made possible due to the outstanding staff who worked tirelessly with the pupils coaching, organising and umpiring the teams every week. Thank you to the parents and supporters who have attended the games and encouraged the girls to perform to their best. We have some very successful tours this year. Our U13s headed to Belfast where they played some very exciting games and learnt a lot from some of the Northern Ireland players who then later attended the Commonwealth Games in Australia. Our senior players travelled further afield with an exotic trip to Jamaica. The girls worked hard to undertake numerous training sessions in order to acclimatise followed by numerous intense games in the heat. They all did KES very proud! We look forward to taking the U13s back to Belfast next academic year. A huge thank you to all the staff who have given up their time to help organise, run and attend the tours to allow the girls to experience netball in different cultures. The fixture programme for 2018 is already looking strong with some excellent new opposition to play on our new netball courts at Hill Lane. 2019 will be a very exciting season!
Miss Cole
150 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
1st VII Netball
Played: 8 Won: 2 Drew: 1 Lost: 5
The 1st team have shown great commitment to both training and Saturday fixtures this year, often putting school sport before club, which was hugely appreciated by the members of the team. For many of the girls, it was their first time playing for the 1st team and they did a superb job at adapting their netball style to the team’s style of play.
skill level and versatility as some had to play out of position to support players that were missing due to illness and injury. This allowed the players to try new combinations and different set plays during the game which proved to be very efficient, winning by 16-2 in the first half, leaving the second half in good stead for the 2nd team to take over.
The girls had a great start to their season in what was a very hard fought game against Churcher’s with some fantastic attacking play bringing the ball down the court with great speed and skill to the defenders who were turning over numerous amounts in the defending third. The girls didn’t give up fighting and, after a long fought battle on the court, KES came away with a very well deserved win 28-24.
The end of the season saw the girls play in the OE game again showing real skill, determination and great team ethic. This displayed all the traits that the team are capable of achieving whilst setting out a great example of KES netball.
As the team progressed through the season, it saw them face some very tough opponents. Again the girls displayed fantastic netball skills and were unlucky to not come away with wins against Wellington College and PGS where the girls lost by only 4 goals in both of the games. During the game against Bedales, the team evolved once again, and the girls showed great maturity,
A fantastic season of competitive netball and it will be very exciting to see you when you return to play in the OE game in the years to come!
Mrs J Ferrand and Miss L Cole Squad members: Martha Lawrence (C), Naomi Lee, Maddie Deakin, Eleanor Dunlop, Gemma Pearson, Stephanie Judd, Zoe Henderson, Eleanor Todd, Issy Todd, Madeleine Burton, Sophie Roe and Daisy Porter.
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2nd VII Netball The 2nd team have had a great season and again showed great netball skills and team ethic throughout the season, especially in the games that were challenging. At times, the girls had to adapt from game to game, losing players to the 1st VII which did not seem to phase them. Everyone on the squad stepped up when necessary, aiming to achieve what had been set for them each quarter. Against Bedales, the girls were leading 16-2 at halftime and took over from the 1st team to perform in what was one of the most memorable performances of the season. The girls were intercepting balls, both in attack and in defence, with the shooters rarely missing the target. A great all-round senior netball performance which saw the 2nd team win the second half convincingly 18-5. A couple of fixtures later saw the 2nd team face Lord Wandsworth. After an agonising wait, having to watch the first team play beforehand, the girls stepped on the court with great determination and
Played: 9 Won: 2 Drew: 0 Lost: 7
focus. An excellent warm up, led by Jess Holmes, set the girls up for a great first quarter coming off the court 15 minutes in to the game with the lead. Lord Wandsworth kept fighting back and made the attacking play very difficult for KES, but the team stayed calm and played the ball with great patience into the shooting circle where shooters Fin McKenzie, Alicia Martel and Annamaria Shenouda scored some fantastic goals during the last half of the game.
Miss Cole Squad members: Alicia Martel, Fin McKenzie, Madeleine Burton, Jess Holmes, Molly Troup, Ottilie Beal, Sophie Roe, Isabel Rose, Annamaria Shenouda, Olivia Abraham, Zoe Kyle-Henney, Gemma Pearson, Maisie Molyneaux, Daisy Porter, Alice Dean, Katrina Penn-Newman, Honey Lander, Isobel Holland and Amy Tunney.
3rd VII Netball Ably captained by Jess Holmes, the mighty 3rd VII were utterly fantastic. They have been an eclectic bunch - a mixture of bright young Fifth Years, agile Lower Sixth and ageing Upper Sixth Formers, but this just made them more interesting and dynamic. It was a mixed season. Churcher’s gave us a run for our money at the beginning of the season and, although defeated, we were still smiling. However, at home, Wellington College were no match for us, and even though it rained throughout, the courts and our resolve stayed strong and we gained an impressive victory. PGS remains the highlight of the season; a fixture in which we played two teams and five quarters (!) and showed fitness and resilience in our victory. Dauntsey’s was a long day. Changed arrangements and changed teams left us a little shaken and not at our best, but the Lord Wandsworth fixture showed regained composure and an impressive score line. The final match of the season will always be remembered for its snow and the feeling of absolute joy for the teams playing inside and the misery of those playing in falling snow outside.
Played: 6 Won: 1 Drew: 2 Lost: 3
It has been a short but very pleasurable season. I would like to thank all of the Upper Sixth who resurrected their netball careers for their last season at KES, and to all of the girls who showed skill and perseverance during practices and matches. It has been a pleasure to coach you.
Miss Smith Squad members: Maddie Burton (C), Alex Hopkins-Manceri, Fin McKenzie, Jess Holmes, Iman Elsheikh, Rosie Daniels, Millie Hargreaves, Katya Seifert, Gemma Pearson, Honey Lander, Isobel Rose, Iolanta Spanner and Katie Mote.
152 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U15A Netball The results will never fully illustrate what an awesome season the U15A netball team actually had. This was a season that was blighted by some of the coldest spring term weather I have ever experienced meaning that so many of the eleven scheduled games were cancelled. I do not recall an outdoor match that didn’t need the players to wear multiple layers; on one occasion Katie Duff for the B team was shooting in woollen mittens! However, the standard of netball produced by the A team was exceptional and, at times, impossible to break down or defend; the Perins County Tournament was particularly impressive with the team only conceding twelve goals in five matches to be crowned champions. These players will agree that, in order to take the next step on their netball journey, a greater emphasis on a commitment to training and improved fitness levels will be at the top of the priority list.
Mr Powell
Played: 6 Won: 2 Drew: 0 Lost: 4
Squad members: Rebecca Waggett, Lucy Tait, Nyah Clark (C), Freya Crowley (C), Catherine Thomson, Lucy Howarth, Lucy Pumphrey, Carol Naoum Ateya, Lena Mills, Claudia Leeming, Sophie Khan, Charlotte Dunkley, Grace Loveridge, Puja Muthalagu, Lizzie Armstrong, Elspeth Hargreaves and Sophia Olive.
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U15B Netball
Consistent attendance at training, in spite of the challenging wintry weather and other school commitments, meant the U15 B squad fielded a full team for fixtures this season. The first few games saw the squad finding its feet and training was key to picking a team who performed in the right positions. The terrible weather impacted heavily on consistency of fixtures, but the girls remained stoic amid brutally cold and torrentially wet conditions at times. I was impressed by their resilience and cheer. Despite some difficulties in defence, the girls showed determination and, by half term, the B team demonstrated dramatic improvements in their cohesion and skill, with impressive shooting performances by Magdalena Mills and Rebekah Davis keeping scores high in all matches and contributing to the string of wins at fixtures. By the time February half term arrived, the quality and pace of netball from the whole team had improved. Circle and goal third defensive players, Natasha Thompson and Anoushka Umranikar, listened to advice in training and at quarter time fixture huddles; they changed their player marking positioning to better effect in remaining games and more convincing scores were the result. This meant that end-to-
Played: 6 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 1
end play across the court improved. Overall, more strategic position-related play meant the girls soon played more impressive netball in their remaining matches leading up to Easter, and the season ended in a buoyant mood. All girls showed fantastic sportsmanship and commitment throughout the training and match schedule, with particular improvements in performance and fitness by Elspeth Hargreaves and Elizabeth Armstrong. The girls’ commitment to training and successful match performances means the B team squad look poised for an even better netball season as they approach the senior league in 2019.
Ms Gadsbey Squad members: Lizzie Armstrong, Natasha Thompson, Lena Mills, Sophia Olive, Anoushka Umranikar, Elspeth Hargreaves, Marianne Brabazon, Rebekah Davis, Abby Taylor, Georgina Clay, Lucy Pumphrey, Carol Naoum Ateya, Katie Duff, Isobel Chapman, Elizabeth Beardsall, Lucy Tait, Lusin Melikyan and Darcey Harber.
154 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U14A Netball This has been a fantastic year for the U14s who have shown outstanding commitment to training and weekly fixtures and have improved greatly as a result of this. For the second year in a row, they have produced four teams at U14 level. The season started with the county tournament in which the girls played some fast-paced netball illustrating high levels of athleticism. They found it hard to settle in the first game but lost only one game to St Swithun’s (who progressed to the national stages). The girls improved with each game finishing second in the county tournament and qualifying for the regionals in January. The first game of the netball season in January was against Churcher’s. The girls moved around the court well, creating space to win 20-14. They then travelled to Wellington College, where again the players found the wet conditions hard to adjust to. After the first two quarters, the girls became more controlled and won the next two quarters. This was a fantastic practice game before travelling to Farnborough on for the regional tournament. The team won four out of six matches, losing to Brighton College by two goals and Wellington College by one goal. These very narrow defeats meant they finished third, just missing out on qualification for the nationals, but the girls should be extremely proud of how they performed; starting every game with focus and at a high intensity. The defence worked tirelessly and scored seventy goals in hard conditions. Unfortunately, our local rival match against PGS was cancelled due to more unsettled weather, but we managed to play Dauntsey’s in the final weekend before half-term. The girls started slowly but found a way to stay on top. At each break, the girls knew what they needed to do next demonstrating their game awareness skills. They showed great versatility with many playing out of position due to missing three
Played: 20 Won: 14 Drew: 1 Lost: 5
starting seven players, and as always worked tirelessly to play better and better each quarter. After half-term, the squad were due to play St George’s but this time snow put pay to the match. Against Lord Wandsworth, we showed great defence, gaining turnover after turnover, winning by twenty goals, with all the girls moving positions. This is a testament to the talent of this group of girls. Our final weekend of fixtures was against Cheltenham and Bradfield College. Against Cheltenham, the girls showed moments of great play but found consistency hard in the -6 degrees wind chill. Winning 15-6 in a 24-minute game was a sound result. After warming up inside, the girls braced the cold again, this time extremely fired up as Bradfield had just beaten Cheltenham by a similar score line. They were considerably more focused, well-disciplined and as their hands warmed, their ball control improved. Fantastic defensive skills across the whole court creating many turnovers resulted in a 27-6 win. It has been a pleasure to run this year group two years in a row as well as lead the A team from strength to strength. Their cheerful, friendly characters, determination and resilience have all meant they are a delight to coach. They deserve a lot of credit for their fantastic teamwork and leadership skills that has been visible across all teams. Although it was not an undefeated season, the girls have balanced club commitments well to avoid clashes wherever possible. I would also like to say a big thank you to the parents who have been supportive through rain and freezing temperatures to ensure the girls develop and get numerous play opportunities. I hope all the girls that participated in netball this year will continue to play and enjoy the game as they move up through the school and wish them the best of luck for next season.
Mrs Penn Squad members: Claudia Leeming (C), Sophie Khan, Charlotte Dunkley, Grace Loveridge, Abbie Morton, Sophia Bassi, Jasriah Mandair, Tamsin Morris, Annabella Davies-Roche, Abigail McCarthy, Diba Mansourian and Evie Bulstrode.
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U14B Netball This was a tough season for the girls with many matches cancelled due to the poor weather. Playing conditions were not ideal for several matches but the girls coped extremely well and always played with good spirit and enthusiasm. The team had a strong end to the season with wins against Lord Wandsworth College and Cheltenham College. Mid-court players were a strong feature of the team with Ida, Katie, Esme and Bella providing excellent support to the defenders, as well as moving the ball efficiently to our attacking end. They demonstrated excellent movement around court, and knowledge of the game, whilst having the stamina to always give their maximum effort. The defensive team were persistent with their efforts and made good use of their height to gain possession of the ball. The defensive tactics shown by the girls improved week on week. The attackers were determined in their approach and several girls saw success in the circle, notably Nadia who began the season with the U14C team. Nadia has been an asset to the team, which was evident from the number of times she was awarded players’ player.
Played: 6 Won: 2 Drew: 0 Lost: 4 The girls responded well to training and were able to implement new skills in matches. As the season went on, they grew in confidence and became increasingly vocal on court; directing and encouraging each other in their movements. It has been a pleasure to work with the team this season.
Mrs Hall Squad members: Bella Davies-Roche, Thomasina Gibson, Ida Goodridge, Emily Hancock, Rachel Howarth, Esme Lock, Abigail McCarthy, Nadia Paine, Lucia RuggePrice, Antonia Ruprecht-Smith, Katie Smart, Xanthe Thompson, Olivia Tilley, Emilia Walker and Jasmine Williams.
156 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U14C&D Netball
The U14C girls put in some excellent performances across the season, starting with two impressive away wins against Churcher’s and Wellington College. Unfortunately, the next two matches, against Sherborne and PGS, fell victim to the rain and were followed by a loss to a strong Ryde A team. The unseasonal snow meant that the fixture against St George’s was cancelled but the girls bounced back to beat Lord Wandsworth College at Wellington. The final weekend saw a round robin involving Bradfield College (in which KES lost to one of their U15 teams) and Cheltenham Ladies College (a game that produced a win). The U14D had two fixtures, against Churcher’s and Ryde School. Although both ended in defeat, the team lost to Churcher’s by only one point and they were closely fought matches.
Mrs Quinn
Played: 6 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
Squad members: Olivia Tudor, Isabella Tam, Jasmine Williams, Lily Cooper, Thomasina Gibson, Darcie Burrows, Sophie Diamond, Anna Tunney, Florence Wright, Xanthe Thompson, Martha Sullivan, Lucia Rugge-Price, Nadia Paine, Emily Hancock, Rosalind Dye, Emilia Walker, Natasha Pillai, Olivia Tilley, Eve Musson, Bella Roe, Anna Aksenova, Maddie Gallagher, Isi Murphy, Katie Powell, Kate Leask, Rosalind Dye and Elizabeth Lotery.
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U13A Netball
Played: 8 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 3
The U13 girls have been a pleasure to work with throughout the season. Coping well with playing netball in some unpleasant weather, they have approached all games with a positive determination. The squad has performed in a number of combinations throughout and I commend them all for their flexibility on court and note the progression that many of them have made in their personal skill level.
Highlights included the two matches involving Churcher’s College with the home advantage being the benefit on each occasion. In the direct fixture, KES maintained a strong game throughout really pressurising the mid and attacking play and coming out as winners. The return match (during the Churcher’s Tournament) was equally close and went to Churcher’s by the slimmest of margins.
The shooting circle benefited hugely from the experience, height and accuracy that Kate and Orla brought to games when they were both available. The centre court combinations of Evie, Lola, Grace, Ruby and Lottie worked hard in both attack and defence ensuring good pace on the ball and regular early turnovers. The defensive circle showed persistence throughout the season; Diba, Charlotte, and on occasion Lottie, ensured that there was plenty of pressure put on every opposition. During the season, they developed a dynamic approach that really frustrated the opposition’s shooters.
The team should look forward to the County Tournament in the autumn term with high expectations as they have a lot of potential.
Mrs Henderson Squad members: Kate Dunn (C), Charlotte Ashton, Evie Bulstrode, Lola Dibden, Diba Mansourian, Grace Orion, Orla Paterson, Charlotte Roberts and Ruby Slowen.
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U13B Netball There has been excellent progression shown in U13 netball this season despite some truly awful weather conditions. The term kicked off with a well-matched fixture against Churcher’s; the girls finished the first quarter 2-2, but unfortunately from that point onwards, Churcher’s managed to maintain more possession of the ball and we lost by 3 goals. Izzy had a fantastic game, with some very accurate shooting, earning her player of the match. The next fixture brought its own challenges with some rather awful wet weather. We made our way up to Wellington College where we played a year up against their U14D. We were down a shooter, so Sienna (from the First Year) came to join us. The girls really came together with some excellent defending from Ese, Emily and Annabelle but unfortunately we came out with another loss. The torrential rain appeared to be following us; our next fixture against Farleigh was again a wet one. Possibly our most disappointing fixture of the season, we came out with an 11-0 loss. We were down a shooter and the girls really fought to get the ball into the D but did not quite manage it. The focus in training from then on was looking at the position on court and using the channels to make sure the girls were not crowding around the ball. The PGS fixture came next and it was fabulous to see a full squad – the girls played beautifully together showing how much they had grown as a team.
U13C Netball The games played this year were very much determined by the weather, with some matches being played in extreme conditions such as pouring rain and even the onset of snow. However, the girls were always positive and did their best, often playing out of their favoured position. The team members changed from week to week but were usually captained by Susie Bence. When she was available to play, Poppy was an outstanding shooter and April showed the most improvement throughout the season, gaining player of the match in the penultimate game. In the final game, the girls totally outclassed their opponents, who were from the year above, but conducted themselves brilliantly.
Miss Yerbury
Played: 7 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 3
The communication was there and they pushed themselves throughout, resulting in a much-needed and well-deserved win. Lola made a fantastic centre, with some excellent and accurate shooting from Izzy and Amy, fast-paced mid-court performances from Grace and Katie and again, some excellent defence from Ese, Ella and Emily. This gave the girls the confidence they needed to have an undefeated remainder to the season. I have been particularly impressed with the clear progression shown by the defence; Ella, Annabelle, Emily and Ese who have worked cohesively with great determination and, as such, have drastically improved as players. Amy, Grace and Katie have all interchanged as captain and vice-captain, providing a very confident and mature approach. Amy in particular has shone with her communication and encouragement on court. I would like to thank all the girls for a very enjoyable term of netball.
Miss Downing Squad members: Amy Oldfield, Izzy Hall, Katie Ryan, Myah Ganjavian-Connor, Grace Orton, Emily ArdenJones, Annabelle Stonadge, Ese Okitikpi, Ella Danby, Susie Bence, Anna Morely, Neha Syed, Catherine Roberts, Lola Dibden, Sanya Khurana, Catherine Shore and Sienna Mandair.
Played: 4 Won: 2 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
Squad members: Susie Bence (C), Ese Okitikpi, April Richards, Catherine Shore, Sanya Khurana, Anna Morley, Clemmie Fowle, Alicia Laverty, Annabelle Oddoye, Poppy Hernandez, Imogen Blick, Emily Buckland, Megan Maltby, Neha Syed, Myah GanjavianConnor, Freya McCauley.
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U12A Netball
Played: 9 Won: 6 Drew: 1 Lost: 2
The girls have been an absolute delight to work with throughout the whole netball season. They have produced some amazing results this season in the coldest of conditions. Every single person on this team has shown great commitment and dedication; not only to Saturday fixtures but also to training after school giving 100% of their effort the whole time.
and the shooters took full advantage of this, scoring a very good 137 goals in fixtures and another 27 at the Churcher’s Tournament. Equally, this was echoed at the defensive end of the netball court where other teams found it difficult to attack their circle and score against KES. The girls only conceded 89 goals in fixtures and 18 at the tournament.
The versatile ability within this group has allowed us to try different combinations and this really shone through when we attended the Churcher’s Tournament. The girls unfortunately lost their first game, but they brushed themselves off and came back fighting, with it all to play for in the last game. Here the girls played some of the best netball of the season and they fully deserved to come away with medals and a trophy.
The determination and support amongst these nine girls has really helped them to develop as a squad, always wanting the others to succeed and celebrating this when appropriate. This very talented group have a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing their progression over the next few years.
As a squad, the girls also had some very challenging times in their games but they always fought hard and worked towards what I had set out for them to achieve; with some close results against Churcher’s and a draw to PGS. They showed sportsmanship to opposing teams and at times assisted them when on the court. The girls have great passion for netball and this was evident throughout the season. At times, the girls’ netball was impossible to break down defensively
I would also like to thank all the parents who have supported the girls in their first netball season at KES. Parental support is appreciated by the players and especially when the games have been close and they have needed encouragement from the sidelines.
Miss Cole Squad members: Ava Neilson, Sophie Kileff (C), Lucy Robinson, Erin Woo, Claudia Hargreaves, Isabelle Nutbourne, Lucy Walker, Georgina Wheeler, Melanie Georgiou and Elinor Sharp.
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U12B Netball
The B team had a very successful term, which began with a convincing win at the start of the season against Churcher’s College by 16 goals. In the following two matches, the girls faced tough opposition and difficult weather conditions resulting in consecutive losses in their games against Farleigh and Portsmouth Grammar. Despite the overall scores, there was some excellent centre court play from Georgie Wheeler and Kira Woodd and the team learnt a lot from these fixtures. In training, the girls focused on their attacking play and concentrated on moving the ball effectively around the court and finding the space. In their next fixture, the team played Ryde School and after all their hard work had a resounding win by 33 goals. The defensive play was strong with Eleanor Oakley named best defender and the girls made full use of the circle edge to feed the ball into the shooters. The team’s determination throughout the season was highlighted in their penultimate match against Lord Wandsworth in which they scored 29 goals with Sienna Mandair and Daisy Kendall as GS and GA. All the girls were committed and hard-working members of the B team and their enthusiasm for each game was unwavering.
Mrs Walls
Played: 8 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 3
Squad members: Eleanor Oakley, Nell Sarton, Eva Waktare, Georgie Wheeler, Daisy Kendall, Sienna Mandair, Kira Woodd, Charlotte Stembridge, Sophie Blaydes and Emily Pizzey.
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U12C Netball
U12D Netball
Played: 4 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 0
Played: 4 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 1
The C team had a very positive season, playing four fixtures. The team won all of their games and made excellent progress as the season went on. The first fixture against Churcher’s College ended in a 17-6 victory and the final victory was against Twyford, where they came out on top with a close 10-9 finish. The other two fixtures, against Portsmouth Grammar School and Castle Court, were equally close but the KES team found that extra bit of strength to push ahead each time. The girls were versatile and this really helped, as they were able to adapt to their strengths in different situations. Celia Brabazon showed that she was a strong centre court player, Charlotte Akerman worked hard on her shooting along with Matilde Mathies, and Destiny Annan showed great strength as a defence player. All of the players took on board feedback from each match to help them to improve.
The D team had a good season with the girls willing to play a variety of positions across the season. They made good progress in their footwork, defending and attacking during training sessions and were able to implement this in their games. Their passing and communication improved hugely, enabling movement of the ball across court to flow. Together as a team, they supported one another, encouraging each other’s confidence and progress. Although our defence was stronger than our shooting team, it did not stop the girls from winning three out of their four matches. It has been a great start to playing school netball for the girls.
Mrs Penfold Squad members: Celia Brabazon, Destiny Annan, Charlotte Ackerman, Ottilie Saunders, Matilde Mathies, Adele Congreve, Phoebe Mufushwa, Sophie Carter, Annabelle Coltart and Isla Osman.
Miss McGregor Squad members: Sophie Murray-Dryden, Elsa Buerk, Suraya Hughes, Samantha McNaughton, Adele Congreve, Andreanna Solomou, Mahira Sumra, Phoebe Gregory, Elspeth McFarlane, Isla Osman and Tessa Tomson.
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Rounders overview Once again A and B teams were fielded from U12 to U15 level and I have been delighted to see fixtures for the C team matches at U12, U13 and U14 level. There were some very good performances during the season with forty-six rounders matches played, thirty of which were won and only eighteen lost. 184 girls have represented KES in this sport this term, across sixteen teams illustrating the continued growth in girls’ sport at KES. The First Years have trained well, allowing them to develop their skills across the term, and have shown excellent commitment to school sport. It is brilliant to see more and more girls training, supporting one another as they improve and their confidence grows. As a year group, they have scored 191.5 rounders during the term. The U13s have had a hard season with many girls affected by injury. They have, however, managed to get a C team out for the first time at this age group and the U13Cs should be proud of their unbeaten score. They all continue to develop due to the commitment to after-school training. As a result, their fielding has developed greatly, supporting one another and moving onto the ball. They have now played two seasons together and illustrate excellent teamwork and communication. The U14 squad continue to go from strength to strength. They are have worked hard in training and made it extremely hard for Mrs Sheppard to select teams. This group of girls are very adaptable and their movement in fantastic. Their competitive and hardworking nature is inspiring and I hope they will continue to challenge themselves as they move up the School. The A team should be extremely proud of scoring 89 rounders and only conceding 45 across this season. The B team were unbeaten.
The U15s have unfortunately not had many fixtures this season due to exams and Duke of Edinburgh expeditions. Despite this, a number have remained committed to training and they have a great team spirit. The majority of the games have been mid-week which has shown some commitment from the girls. The U15As should be proud of their unbeaten season and, although they will be studying for the IGCSEs next year, I hope we will be able to play some games before they begin. Senior rounders continues to have its difficulties due to exams and the girls wanting to revise at weekends. The majority of games this year have been mid-week to try and avoid their other commitments. I hope the girls realise the importance that sport can play in allowing you to switch off during busy periods, as they move on from KES. A variety of girls have played 1st and 2nd team games in which they have learnt a great deal about adjusting their field and developing teamwork quickly. All games were played in fantastic spirit and enjoyed by all. Rounders is an important element of the summer programme for girls’ sport and I would like to thank Mrs Henderson, Mrs Sheppard, and Miss Cole for their considerable effort in ensuring that the girls had the same opportunity for summer sporting involvement as they do in the autumn and spring terms. To produce sixteen teams is a testament to their hard work and desire to ensure the girls all gain experiences and achieve. I would also like to thank all the girls for their efforts as we continue to develop girls’ summer sport at KES.
Mrs Penn
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U15A Rounders It has been a great season for the U15A squad winning all of their fixtures. Throughout their season they have shown some fantastic batting and fielding skills as well as working well as a team showing lots of encouragement. Following their game against Seaford College, which saw the girls having to battle for a win beating Seaford 14-13.5, the girls put on a great performance against Churcher’s demonstrating some dedicated fielding and an amazing one-handed catch from Lucy Tait. Superb batting saw the girls beat Churcher’s 17-13.5. The final game of the season was against PGS. The girls had the home advantage but both teams up to this point had won all their games previously played. In the first innings, batting was incredible and saw the girls score what PGS had scored in the first 10 balls. It was very close going in to the second innings but the KES girls fielded well showing great accuracy in their throwing.
Played: 3 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 0
The team have had a great season and should be very pleased with everything they have achieved!
Miss Cole Squad members: Freya Crowley, Isobel Chapman, Nyah Clark, Puja Muthalagu, Lucy Tait, Lucy Howarth, Lucy Pumphrey, Lena Mills, Elizabeth Chapman, Rebecca Waggett and Harriet Wheeler.
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U15B Rounders The first game of the season was away to Churcher’s. The girls showed great enthusiasm and determination in the game as well as wonderful sportsmanship towards our opposition. The first innings was very close with Churcher’s only being up by half a rounder. During the second innings the girls batted well but unfortunately a few mistakes in the field saw Churcher’s take the win. The team did not let this phase them at all and, at times, had a very enjoyable laugh with fellow team mates and members of the opposition. The final game for the B team saw them play PGS. They progressed superbly on the mistakes they had made in their first game against Churcher’s and played some great rounders. Many of the girls had some wonderful runs and great teamwork in the field saw the KES girls get 5 outs within the first 8 balls of the PGS batting innings. This was a great result and way to finish the season for the U15B team beating PGS 10-8. Well done girls; a great season and you should all be very proud with everything you have achieved and shown this year!
Miss Cole
Played: 2 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 1
Squad members: Natasha Thompson, Abby Taylor, Sophia Olive, Caryl Naoum Ateya, Elizabeth Armstrong, Catherine Thomson, Anais Ansari, Rebecca Davis, Amelia Harris and Mia Blake.
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U14A Rounders
Played: 11 Won: 9 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
A Team
The U14 girls have been keen, committed and wonderful fun and company this season. They are an incredibly talented group of sportswomen as the scorelines reflect. Out of 11 matches they have won 9! The A team demonstrated brilliant teamwork and communication skills in the field throughout this term. Their outstanding fielding was tight and organised at all times. As the term went on, their batting got stronger and stronger. They were nearly unbeaten this term against some very strong opponents.
Mrs Sheppard
Squad members: A Team: Sophia Bassi, Bella Davies-Roche, Charlotte Dunkley, Tomi Gibson, Ida Goodridge, Sophie Khan, Claudia Leeming, Abigail McCarthy, Abbie Morton, Lucia Rugge-Price, Ellie Small and Katie Smart.
166 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U14B&C Rounders
B Team
The B team’s unbeaten season reflects their outstanding commitment, teamwork and skill. They approached every game with enthusiasm and energy. Their fielding skills were very strong throughout the season and their batting went from strength to strength.
Squad members: B Team: Darcie Burrows, Charlotte Dunkley, Rosalind Dye, Tomi Gibson, Rachel Howarth, Jasriah Mandair, Tamsin Morris, Bella Roe, Martha Sullivan, Emmy Walker, Jasmine William and Catherine Wray.
The C team played against Churcher’s College and demonstrated good teamwork and skills. They were unlucky to lose the game by just half a rounder!
C Team: Anna Aksenova, Jasriah Mandair, Bella Roe, Antonia Ruprecht-Smith, Xanthe Thompson, Olivia Tudor and Emmy Walker.
Mrs Sheppard
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U13 Rounders The Second Year have been an enthusiastic bunch with regard to attending training and supporting each other during fixtures. The first outing, during the bank holiday weekend, was a challenging experience with a mixed KES team taking on an experienced 1st team from Twyford. However, it exposed the squad’s weaknesses and, whilst it was too tight to turn this around for the Prep Schools’ Tournament later that week, there was time to put a plan in action prior to the matches against Ryde School. With a little more active fielding, and a growing belief in their batting, the side put in an improved performance and obtained a more deserved result. The following weekend the opposition was PGS. The girls were in the mood for the local derby and both A and B teams enjoyed the experience coming out with clear wins. Particular players of note for the B team where Rosie Dyer-Slade who was voted ‘fielder of the match’ and Sophie Keeble who gained ‘batter of the match’. The first game of the second half of term was a rematch against Farleigh and thanks to some excellent fielding from Lola Dibden at second base, and in the deep from Sanya Khurana, the Farleigh
A Team
A Team - Played: 10 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 6 B Team - Played: 4 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 1 C Team - Played: 1 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 0
girls were prevented from putting many rounders on the scoreboard. A trip to HCS led to a close match, with Emma Appleby being voted ‘batter of the match’ not for the first time, and the combination of Ruby Slowen and Katie Ryan proving lethal to any opponent who missed the ball and was subsequently stumped at first. The final Saturday of the season brought A, B and C team matches against Churcher’s College. The Hill Lane field was hot, sunny and buzzing with shouts of encouragement and cheering of rounders scored. All three teams played well with deserved wins by the B and C team and although the A team finished the season with a loss, it was against probably the strongest team that they had played against all season.
Mrs Henderson Team Squad members: A Team: Sanya Khurana (C), Charlotte Ashton (VC), Emma Appleby, Lola Dibden, Izzy Hall, Diba Mansourian, Amy Oldfield, Grace Orton, Orla Paterson, Charlotte Roberts, Ruby Slowen and Neha Syed.
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U13 Rounders
B Team
Team Squad members: B Team: Ruby Slowen (Captain), Katie Ryan (Vice Captain) Emily Arden-Jones, Susannah Bence, Ella Danby, Rosie DyerSlade, Myer Ganjavian-Connor, Izzy Hall, Sophie Keeble, Megan Maltby, Amy Oldfield, Hannah Proctor, April Richards, Katie Ryan, Catherine Shore and Annabel Stonadge. C Team: Ella Danby (Captain), Freya McCauley (Vice Captain) Evie Brighton, Sophie Keeble, Grace McCauley, Eloise Muller, Ese Okitikpi, Hannah Proctor and Catherine Shore.
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U12 Rounders
A Team - Played: 4 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 1 B Team - Played: 5 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 2 C Team - Played: 3 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 2
These girls continue to go from strength to strength as they move through the different sports. They have worked hard in games and training to improve their skills and have an excellent desire to do their best. I have been impressed with their problem solving skills and fantastic teamwork across all three teams. As a year group, they have scored 191.5 rounders something they should be extremely proud of.
The girls used this opportunity to challenge themselves to play with their less dominant hand but continued to score rounders. The A team won by 21.5 rounders and the B team by 30 rounders. The A team’s fielding was going from strength to strength winning their second match, the B team showed great resilience whilst the C team’s determination took them to a win after losing the first innings.
The first match of the season kicked off on a beautiful May day. Unfortunately, having only had one training session, it was a defeat to Twyford across all three teams. Many girls were unavailable this week, which allowed others an opportunity to play against a strong, well-trained opposition and learn from their experiences. It was a challenge for the girls to communicate effectively but their positivity shone through. The following weekend, after a couple more training sessions, positions now worked out and, teamwork having improved, the girls illustrated a fantastic display of hard hitting, competitiveness but also true sportsmanship to win both A and B team matches against Ryde.
After half-term and their examinations, the B team got the opportunity to challenge themselves against Hampshire Collegiate A team. The girls worked hard and their catching was excellent, ensuring they gained a win by 4 rounders. Then the girls travelled to Churcher’s for another A,B and C team fixture. After being down in the second half by 1 rounder, the A team batted well, ran cleverly and fielded accurately to win overall by 2 rounders. The B team made their opposition work hard and read the game well to win by 6 rounders, whilst the C team also showed good communication and understanding of the tactics to win by 3 rounders. All were fantastically competitive games that were a pleasure to watch.
Mrs Penn
A Team
A Team Squad members: Georgina Wheeler, Charlotte Stembridge, Elinor Sharp, Ava Nielson, Daisy Kendall, Celia Brabazon, Alannah Walker-Webb, Melanie Georgiou, Claudia Hargreaves, Olivia Keefe, Sophie Kileff, Matilde Mathies, Isabelle Nutbourne, Eva Waktare and Lucy Walker.
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B Team Squad members: Alannah WwalkerWebb, Erin Woo, Kira Woodd, Eva Waktare, Ottilie Saunders, Lucy Robinson, Emily Pizzey, Isla Osman, Zofia Osgood, Pheobe Mufushwa, Matilde Mathies, Sienna Mandair, Daisy Kendall, Annabel Coltart, Sophie Carter, Charlotte Akerman and Destiny Annan.
B Team
C Team
C Team Squad members: Charlotte Akerman, Destiny Annan, Annabel Coltart, Kira Woodd, Sophie Blaydes, Katherine Cecil, Sophie Hews, Suraya Hughes, Samantha MacNaughton, Elspeth McFarlane, Sophie MurrayDryden, Evelyn Nagy, Eleanor Oakley, Zofia Osgood, Isla Osman, Amelie Pinto, Amelia Roberts, Nell Sarton, Ottilie Saunders, Andreanna Solomou and Mahira Wood.
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Girls’ Cricket Girls’ sport at KES has made history this year with the first ever girls’ game being held at KES. This season girls’ cricket has flourished and the increasing numbers at training have been encouraging. With three coaches training the girls on a Tuesday night, the more experienced players have had the opportunity for specific one to one coaching and those new to the game have learnt through game play. All have made significant improvements over the term and it has been great to see them all encouraging each other, regardless of their age and playing standard. The commitment from the girls at training was evident and everyone had the opportunity to apply what they had learnt in training in the matches. St George’s travelled to us on two occasions with an U15 team and two U13 teams. The U15 team won convincingly with six of our players retiring having scored their 20 runs. Their bowling was impressive and a number of wickets were taken. When the U13 teams visited us, we played two different formats, which allowed for the differing abilities of the girls. It was great to see some of the younger KES girls in their first ever game, enjoying the whole experience. The U13A team again applied their cricketing knowledge and previous match experiences, coming away with a convincing win. The U13B team played a much closer game, and they narrowly lost by 12 runs. The U12 girls travelled to PGS during their games lesson in which they played pairs cricket. Mr Powell was impressed with the standard of the girls and the etiquette which our girls showed during the match.
On Friday 22nd June, KES hosted the annual U13 girls’ cricket festival in which we entered two teams. It was a scorching hot day and eight teams competed in a round robin competition. This meant that the girls played a great amount of cricket and improvements were made with each match. King Edward’s finished 3rd and 7th in the festival. This was a great second year of KES running girls’ cricket, and we look forward to increasing the opportunities for girls to take part in what is a fast developing game.
Mrs Kent and Miss Cole
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U15 Tennis Having played one Aegon match and two friendlies, the season was not the busiest, but the fantastic four of Lucy Howarth, Abby Taylor, Lena Mills and Mattie Gazzard, excelled both in matches and at almost every practice, come rain or shine. Although we were soundly beaten by a talented St Swithun’s team in the Aegon competition, the KES girls never gave up and many points could have gone either way. The two friendlies were entertaining and
keenly contested. This short season culminated in an inter year tournament. Nine players attended and with girls from different years randomly selected and paired up, the event was a resounding success. Thanks to Joe our resident coach, whose practices were always enjoyable, and most of all three cheers to Lucy, Abby, Lena and Mattie, whose enthusiasm for, and commitment to, this sport made it all worthwhile.
KJ
SOTONIENSIS 2018 | 173
U14 Tennis
The U14 girls were out in force this year for the practice sessions and were not deterred by the weather (torrential rain or scorching heat). We played and drew against Kings’ School Winchester but our match against St George’s Catholic College was more successful and our teams won 6-0. Congratulations to our regular players of Abbie Morton, Florence Wright, Bella Davies-Roche, Rachel Howarth and Tamsin Morris as well as all of those who attended the practices. The inaugural Inter- Year Tennis Tournament was played out in the blazing heat of early July and was very well contested with one of the joint winners being our own U14 player, Florence Wright.
Mrs Searles
174 | SOTONIENSIS 2018
U13&U12 Tennis As in previous years, the School fielded an U13 Aegon team that contained a mix of First and Second Year pupils. In fact, due to the enthusiasm and ability of the younger age group, the majority of the squad came from the First Year. The team played two cup matches, winning one, and two friendlies, winning both. Their first fixture proved to be the toughest of the summer, away, against a good St Swithun’s team. The team was missing key players due to rehearsals for the upcoming dance show, so performed creditably in a 2-4 defeat, with wins in the singles for Sanya Khurana and Mel Georgiou. They were not to be beaten again. In the next game, they proved far too strong for St George’s winning 6-0 and then defeated King’s where Emma Appleby and Sanya Khurana played particularly well to defeat an U14 pairing at both singles and doubles. In the final game of the season, the U12 A team, ably captained by Elspeth McFarlane, beat St George’s U13 team 8-0, while the U12B team played some friendly games that also generally played out in King Edward’s favour.
Miss Barron and Mrs Evans
Squad members: Emma Appleby, Mel Georgiou, Daisy Kendall, Sanya Khurana (U13 captain), Elspeth McFarlane (U12 captain), Mathilde Mathies, Isabelle Nutbourne, Ottilie Saunders, Charlotte Stembridge, Eva Waktare and Allanah Walker-Webb.
Cover designed by Mr G Piggott. Our grateful thanks to him for this and many of the wonderful photographs contained in this publication.
King Edward VI School Wilton Road . Southampton . Hampshire SO15 5UQ Telephone: 023 8070 4561 www.kes.hants.sch.uk