Sotoniensis 2021 by King Edward VI School

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Sotoniensis 2021

Contents 04 35 45

Editorial From the Head Chaplaincy Chat The COVID-19 Year Staff Farewells The Allen Grant Competition

Creative Arts Art at KES Dance at KES Drama at KES Music at KES

Clubs & Societies Animanga Association Basketball Club Book Club Character Design Club Charities Commission Classics Society Creative Writing Society Debating Society Digital Leaders Diversity Society Doodle Club Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Economics Society Fashion Design Club Geography Society

Italian Club Library Leaders MedSOC Modelling & Miniatures Club Paddle boarding Club Stage Crew Club Sailing Club Sanskrit Club Table Tennis Club Wargaming Club

Events & Trips Activities Week Endeavour Go Ape! Geography Field Trip Science Festival Summer Trips Second Year Activity Day

Sport The Elite Sports Performance Programme The KES Super League Football Cricket

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From the Head Welcome to this extraordinary edition of the annual Sotoniensis magazine. In my office at school, I have a somewhat grand wall of bookshelves – those who have visited me either for good or ill will no doubt remember them. Prominent amongst the books displayed are past editions of the Sotoniensis magazine, going right back to the first edition, published in 1897. Since that time, there has been an unbroken chain of the Sotoniensis extending through two world wars; numerous Headmasters; a move to our current Hill Lane site; the establishment of our partnership with Stroud School and much more besides. But until the past year, never the challenges to normal school activities that have been witnessed as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In 1897, the editor notes with pride the need to create this brandnew school magazine as a means to celebrate and record sporting, artistic and academic achievement at King Edward’s. He notes that with a healthy school roll of nearly 200 boys, there is much upon which to comment. I am pleased to note that with a healthy school roll of about 970 boys and girls, this most recent edition still seeks to celebrate the huge diversity of endeavour and talent at our wonderful school, even despite the lockdowns and a myriad of additional restrictions with which we have been confronted. It is undoubtedly true that over this past academic year the pressures and disruptions caused by the pandemic have grown and intensified. Whilst COVID-19 first impacted the school with the lockdown of March 2020, this only caused disruption to the Summer Term of the academic year 2019/20. But for the year 2020/21, COVID-19 proved to be a more constant source of challenge and frustration. That we were able to sustain and maintain our standards, our values and the opportunities upon which a King Edward’s education is founded throughout the long year speaks volumes about the resilience of the organisation and the people within it. Time and again we have found new ways to deliver a KES education and experience, and it is this endless sense of determination and innovation that is to be most celebrated within these pages. None were put under greater pressure than those pupils undertaking public examinations. For much of the year, they did not know whether they were to be judged through formal examination papers sat in the Summer Term, or whether any given termtime assignment might be used as evidence of achievement. Far too late in the day did we, and they, learn how ‘teacher assessed grades’ were to be conducted. At King Edward’s, our students sat formal

assessments at Easter and through the Summer Term, combining this rigorous source of evidence with other work completed during the course. This being the case, I can confidently and clearly state that our students absolutely deserve their final results, which reflect so well upon their dedication and learning, as well as the patient professionalism of the teaching staff at KES. For our GCSE students, over 80% of exams sat achieved an A* or A grade (or the new numerical equivalent), with 95% of the results earned being at B grade or better. At A Level, about 69% achieved A* or A grades, and just under 93% a B grade or better. These are superb results, and our congratulations go to the students who earned them. In other areas of school life, we sought and found new ways to flourish and inspire. Encouraging a wider engagement beyond the classroom is a core part of the King Edward’s ethos. But to maintain the breadth of opportunities of which we are so rightly proud when socially distanced age-group ‘bubbles’ are required, along with numerous other restrictive measures to combat the spread of COVID, proved challenging to say the least! Challenging, but not impossible. In the arts, COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns meant that the many live performances which so often represent high points of the school year had to be curtailed. It was only late in the Summer Term that a very lucky, select audience of parents were able once again to enjoy an in-person performance at the stunning Summer Concert. Earlier in the year, we were instead treated to recorded and televised performances: from the historic remote Carol Service, through to the wonderful Dance Gala and the powerful

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theatre production of ‘Game Over’ - challenging, thought-provoking theatre at its best! These productions needed vast amounts of time and skill to create and record, and the results are testament to the creativity of everybody involved. In sports, a ban on fixtures against other schools prompted the creation of the KES Super League, an internal multi-sport contest running across all age groups during the Spring Term in which hundreds of students participated to represent their ‘franchise’, seeking to win their particular competition and contribute to the overall standings. Elsewhere, having lost the 2019/20 summer term season, cricket suddenly found itself to be the main representative sport for the first half of the Autumn Term, during a period when non-contact competitive sports were still permitted. Cricket duly returned to its more traditional slot back in the Summer Term, once the lockdown eased. For me, however, the highlight of the sporting year was Sports Day. Whilst we were unable to allow parents to attend, this traditional coming together of the whole school was one of the first such events to be allowed, after nearly a year and a half of remote and segregated teaching and learning. To see, and to hear, the outpouring of sheer joy at being together again, on the day, was a memory I shall always take with me, and I know that the same can be said for many other students and colleagues who were there.

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Indeed, Sports Day was just one Summer Term event to bring renewed optimism to the School. Almost at the same time, the lifting of restrictions allowed for the magnificent Science and Technology Festival to take place; for the excitement of our ‘Endeavour’ programme to go ahead, and for a one-off ‘Activities Week’ to be arranged for the examination year groups, after their very difficult year. This hotbed of activity has continued through the recent summer holidays, with Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions back in full swing, alongside pre-season sports tours and a marvelous activities week, in partnership with the Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association. In any school year, we must say a fond farewell to a number of colleagues, as they move on to pursue a new path elsewhere. A number of teachers came to the end of fixed-term contracts. Mr Marino, Miss Mitchell, Mr Clarke, Miss Latter and Miss Greig all left after covering for maternity or other short-term roles. Miss Horn left at the end of her training contract, and Mr Hyder moved on to a new teaching position. Mr and Mrs Brown both departed to fulfil a long-held dream of working abroad. Mr Mapstone moved just up the road to become Head of Computing at Winchester College, whilst Miss Yerbury joined an exciting online education provider, and after 27 years, Mr Tofts made the decision to retire from teaching.

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Earlier in the year we also saw the departure of Mr Smart after 34 years of service to the school, most latterly as Head of Curriculum Support. Mrs Hardwick retired from the English Department after a long career in teaching and Mrs Cullen moved on to take up the position as Head of English at Portsmouth High School. Ms Moody also left the Psychology Department for pastures new. We were also sad to lose some non-teaching colleagues. Mrs Cox and Mrs Roe moved on from our nursing team. Mrs Hurst retired from the reception staff. In the library, we said farewell to Mrs Swainson and Mrs Burrough. Mrs Mandley retired as Student Guidance Co-ordinator, and Mr Consterdine moved on from his role as Theatre Manager. Finally, driver Mr Matthews and IT Support member Mr Penny left the school this summer. These valued colleagues have served the school with great distinction and we are all enormously grateful for their impressive contribution to King Edward’s. We wish them all well for the future. I also want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the outgoing Upper Sixth, and especially to the Student Leadership Team. The final year at school ought to be a memorable rite of passage, a chance truly to be a role-model for the whole school. Our student leaders inevitably missed out on many of the more glamorous elements of that role, but strived nonetheless to keep spirits up and to demonstrate to their younger peers

that the pandemic would not stop the year from being productive and worthwhile. In this they showed true leadership, and I am immensely grateful to them. In particular, it was a privilege to work alongside Anoushka Umranikar, our Head of School, as well as her key deputies: Alex Georgiou, Yusuf Ghanizadeh, Carol Naoum Ateya and Luke Davis. I can personally attest to their dedication to King Edward’s and to their outstanding leadership qualities. They were wonderful! I was so pleased that we were able to put on a fabulous Leavers’ Event for the whole year group in August, even if the rain occasionally did its best to dampen spirits – something it utterly failed to do! As I write these concluding remarks for the introduction to this edition of Sotoniensis, I am sitting in my office on the very first day of the new academic year. I can hear the pupils laughing and chatting outside my window, and have spent the day welcoming new pupils to the school. As things stand, the swathe of COVID-19 restrictions have largely been lifted, and we all look forward in hope and anticipation for a ‘normal’ KES year. The sun is even shining! It would be foolish to think that COVID-19 is entirely in the past, and no doubt it will continue to make an impact. But the sense of renewal and optimism is tangible. We have weathered an extraordinary storm, and I know that we can be confident as we turn towards a brighter future.

Mr Parker Head

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Chaplaincy Chat Old Edwardians, staff, governors and parents in production and participation. It was a huge effort and the help of all involved in many ways was much appreciated as the final results were engaging and inspiring. If you missed these, or just wish to see them again, they may still be viewed under digital assemblies on the school website.

Hope, a year of hope! For many of us this year has seen the need to look forward with hope, particularly in regard to the people we love, things we enjoy or plans for the future. The Chaplaincy has felt this too, but also grasped the opportunities to continue in different ways. The desire to support and walk with people in their struggles and joys has been accomplished still whether by face to face or remote means. The opportunities for gathering together have been much reduced - yet, we have enjoyed services, memorials and celebrations together. In short, our community has travelled this path together looking forward with hope, living with increasing kindness in the present and drawing on our past. The first service of the academic year focused on the idea of journey, picking up on the Mayflower Pilgrims as they journeyed from Southampton 400 years ago. We subsequently sailed our own journeys through the year as we created further services to commemorate Remembrance Day and Christmas. These in particular brought together many students,

The sailing analogy continued as we weathered the storm of another lockdown and more online lessons. In March our hopes were realised in part when a return to the classroom was possible and we looked towards Easter with anticipation. Our service just before the Easter break focused on the storms and difficulties and overcoming them together, looking in detail at Ludolf Backhuysen’s fantastic oil painting of Jesus Christ in the storm. Wonderful musical performances were still possible as live streaming and our summer recording of “Our God Our Help in Ages Past” were items to relish and enjoy. As the year draws to a close and the prospect of another dawns, hope inspires and motivates. There is much to look forward to with the prospect of gatherings once more being possible, wider contacts with our local communities being re-established and the regular pattern of events and celebrations able to take place. My hope though is centred on Jesus Christ. Whether suffering or joy comes our way, our community will work towards the hope of better, be it for justice, equality, the environment, or simply a world more kind and compassionate. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 15:13) Mr Robinson School Chaplain

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The KES COVID timeline

14 September

• The rule of 6 is introduced in the face of rising numbers of coronavirus cases.

21 September

Oct 2020

• The UK coronavirus alert level is upgraded to level 4, meaning transmission is “high or rising exponentially”.

12 October

• The Prime Minister launches a three-tier system of local alert levels for England that will come into force on 14 October.

30 October

• The Office for National Statistics infection survey in England showed that secondary school children up to age 16 had the fastest rate of increase in COVID-19 incidence of any age range, giving them the second highest average incidence of 2.0% of any measured age range, fifty times higher than when children returned

31 October

• Boris Johnson holds a Downing Street press conference at which he announces a second national lockdown for England, for four weeks from 5 November to 2 December.

5 November

• Lockdown #2 begins with the closure of non-essential retail, gyms and hairdressers but schools remain open.

26 November

• England’s new tier system is announced, to come into force on 2 December.

14 December

• Health Secretary Matt Hancock tells MPs that a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been identified that is spreading faster in some areas of the country.

17 December

• Last day of the Autumn Term and the KES community breaks for Christmas.

19 December

• With respect to just England, Boris Johnson announces that London, South East and East of England are to go into new Tier 4 restrictions from the following day. The rules are mostly the same as the national restrictions in November.

30 December

• It is announced that an additional 20 million people in England will move to the tightest restrictions, making a total of 44 million in Tier 4, or 78% of the population.

January 2021

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to school after the summer holiday, and just slightly behind the 16 to 24 years old age range.

Nov 2020

• KES reopens for the 20202021 academic year. • Pupils are in non-uniform due to the need to have ventilation in classrooms and therefore wrap up warm. • Year groups are placed in bubbles, identified by coloured wrist bands. • Masks are required in corridors and on school transport and one-way systems are in place around the school. • Lunches are staggered, as are the start and finish times for lessons, to reduce the amount of social contact between different bubbles. • Marquees are erected on the school field so that each year group has a place to congregate and stay dry during break and lunch times. • Staff teach from the front of the classroom and maintain social distance from pupils at all times during lessons.

Dec 2020

Sept 2020

5 September

4 January

• Boris Johnson confirms that England will enter a third lockdown from 5 January. • The UK’s chief medical officers recommend the COVID alert level is moved from level four to level five.

5 January

• Instead of opening for the new Spring Term, KES resumes its on-line provision for learning with students attending all classes via Zoom and staff working from home. School is closed apart from for the children of keyworkers and vulnerable children.

6 January

• The government confirmed that in summer 2021, students taking GCSE, AS and A levels regulated by Ofqual, would be awarded grades based on an assessment by their teachers.

24 January

• Speaking to Sky News, Health Secretary Matt Hancock says he would hope for schools to be open again by Easter, but whether they do or not will depend on the data.

27 January

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson tells the House of Commons it will not be possible for schools to return in England after February half-term, but that he is hopeful it can begin to happen from 8 March. A final decision will depend on meeting vaccination targets, and schools will get two weeks’ notice before returning.

31 January

• This date marks one year since the United Kingdom recorded its first domestic cases of COVID-19.

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• Over the course of a couple of days, all pupils and staff complete lateral flow tests in school. These tests are repeated twice more at 3-5 day intervals with results reported via the NHS track and trace system. • Pupils and teaching staff return to KES wearing school uniform. • Masks are mandatory within the classroom setting and within corridors.

17 May

• KES breaks for Easter. Pupils are issued with self-test kits to continue with twice weekly lateral flow testing during the holidays.

• COVID rules are eased in England, Scotland and Wales, with pubs and restaurants allowed to reopen. Indoor mixing is permitted for up to six people from two separate households, and hugging is also allowed in England for the first time since March 2020. Outdoor weddings can have up to 30 attendees, while there is no cap on the number of people attending funerals, though numbers are dependent on the size of the venue. • Pupils are no longer required to wear masks during classes but are still encouraged to wear them in corridors.

23 March

• The UK marks the anniversary of the day the UK’s first lockdown was announced; events to remember the occasion include a minute’s silence at midday and a doorstep “beacon of hope” at 8pm during which people are encouraged to stand on their doorsteps and shine torches, candles or mobile phones to pay homage to those who have died.

29 March

Apr 2021

12 April

• Non-essential retail re-opens in England and Wales.

1 June

Jun 2021

• The stay at home order for England comes to an end, as two households or six people are allowed to meet up outside.

19 April

• Pupils and staff return to school after the Easter Break.

7 May

May 2021

Mar 2021

8 March

• Pupils sit A Level in-house subject assessments.

19 March

25 February

• The UK’s COVID alert level is lowered from five to four as the threat of the virus overwhelming the NHS has “receded”. • The Education Secretary announces that students will receive grades for GCSE and A Levels will be awarded and determined by teachers, with pupils only assessed on what they have been taught.

13-25 May

• One-way systems remain in place in corridors.

• Boris Johnson unveils a four-step plan for ending coronavirus restrictions in England by 21 June. Subject to four tests on vaccines, infection rates and new variants being met, the plan will include the following: o Schools and colleges will reopen on 8 March, with outdoor school activities allowed; universities will return at a later time. o Outdoor gatherings of up to six people or two households will resume from 29 March, along with grassroots sports. o Non-essential shops, hairdressers, gyms and outdoor hospitality will resume on 12 April. o Two households will be able to mix indoors, with the rule of six applying to pub settings from 17 May. o Legal limits on social contact to be lifted by 21 June.

• A new traffic light system for international travel is published for England, with 12 countries added to a “green list” from 17 May.

10 May

The UK’s coronavirus alert level is lowered from four to three, meaning the virus is in general circulation but not rising significantly.

10-26 May

• Pupils sit GCSE in-house subject assessments.

• Deadline for teacher marking, standardisation, moderation and awarding of grades within departments.

18 June

• Submission of final grades to the Awarding Bodies.

10 August

• A level Results Day.

Aug 2021

Feb 2021

22 February

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12 August

• GCSE Results Day.

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A Year To Go Down In KES History The 2020-2021 academic year was a year unlike any other that has gone before it and will certainly go down in KES history, just like it has throughout the world. From further school closures, mask wearing, oneway systems around the building and on-line lessons to digital assemblies and teacher-assessed grades in place of final examinations – the necessary adaptations and changes were countless. Innovation was evident wherever you looked, as ways were found to deliver inspiring lessons and continue with cocurricular clubs and activities on-line. However, despite all this disruption, one thing that remained constant throughout this last year was the KES spirit, and staff and pupils adapted to all of these changes, sometimes overnight, with good humour and fortitude.

From the Head of School

Being Head of School has been one of the most amazing opportunities! From first being offered the post to now being at the end of the year, it has been so fulfilling to be able to represent KES on the student front and as a school. As Head of School you are given the chance to speak in numerous services and assemblies as well as the opportunity

to make decisions alongside teachers regarding different aspects of the school. This has allowed me to further grow in confidence and also to express my views openly regarding any school matters. Being Head of School is a commitment but is one that is so rewarding. It has helped me to further develop my time management skills, balancing school activities with Head of School duties and making sure that I stay on top of things! Although being Head of School during this ‘COVID- dominated’ year has been a challenge, it has given me the experience to adapt to a completely new situation, ranging from doing live streamed assemblies (which I had never imagined I would be doing!) to having digital Zoom meetings! Being Head of School has allowed me to get a small glimpse into what life will be like in the working world outside of KES and for that I am very grateful!

Anoushka Head of School 2020/2021

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Digital Assemblies

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The COVID-19 Year from the students’ perspective I did very much enjoy some parts of having schooling online and the lockdown. Having Zoom lessons made the days go so fast and I still felt that I was very much part of school life. For example, it was easier to be involved with lots of co-curricular clubs via Zoom, which I could never have normally attended, as usually they clash in normal school hours. The club I enjoyed the most was ‘French is Fun’ club which I felt worked particularly well on-line. In between my lessons at lunchtimes, it was lovely to go for a walk with my family and, although I really missed seeing all of my friends and teachers in person, I loved that my cat could actually join me in school!

Guy

First Year Although some parts of lockdown were difficult, the main thing I will take away from it is that having Zoom lessons really helped me to gain a sense of independence and individuality. You had to make sure you were very organised and well prepared and had to set your own goals. I also found that I built skills and became very proficient at using and experimenting with different technology. I believe this experience of working online will really help me in the future. I did really enjoy many of my Zoom lessons, but I really missed the wider school community and am definitely glad to be back!

Ozan

Second Year

This year has been different but school has sustained a normal environment in many ways. Lessons both on Zoom, and in person, have been equally informative and teachers have worked hard to keep us engaged while doing online learning which was really important. Although education through a screen clearly isn’t the same as having somebody there to help you, it felt as close as it could be to normal learning and I am grateful for the efforts put into lessons. As for co-curricular activity, once back in school, clubs, matches and sport training went ahead as normal which was great for so many people. Assemblies were either filmed or streamed on Zoom to our separate classrooms, charity fundraising events went ahead as usual and, unlike last year, Sports Day took place and was great fun. The Dance Gala was filmed live and a selected audience of staff were there to watch performers. Concerts were filmed and the next school production has rehearsals underway! The usual Christmas Carol Service was filmed with choir performances, a dance, and readings by students and staffs. Also, unlike last year, the annual Endeavour activity trips took place which was a great end to an unusual school year.

Isabelle

Second Year

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Lockdown was no doubt one of the biggest challenges any student had to face over the past year. At first it was a challenge to adapt to the new way of online learning but everyone persevered and got on top of it. Although there was the lovely opportunity to have an extra lie-in in the mornings, due to not having to catch the bus, and everyone becoming masters at using Google classroom and Zoom. Who knew that zooming your friendship group would become one of the best ways to stay in touch with everyone with some weeks maybe even having themes and doing quiz nights. Eventually restrictions were lifted meaning we could have the joys of the early morning wake ups and bus journeys. Coming back to KES after months off to be presented with 5 huge white marquees was a slight shock to the system, but they were put to good use especially during some of the awful weather. At least the weather brightened up to give us a huge heat wave, making games more enjoyable with everyone having big smiles on their faces and we welcomed back the daily ice cream van. Nothing can beat those bubblegum sherbet ice creams. Annual Sports Day took place bringing back the classic House competitiveness throughout the school and the iconic commentating from Mr Powell. But no matter what, the isolation and lockdowns did not change the KES spirit. People came back to school as if nothing had changed, ball games still being enjoyed on the field and astro, along with everyone relaxing at lunches and having fun. I think it is safe to say that adaptation is something the students of KES are exceptional at, especially due to the current circumstances.

Incoming Student Leadership Team

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Staff Farewells Tim Tofts

In the twenty-seven years that Tim Tofts has been at King Edward’s he has maintained his passion and his focus. Like Ted Hastings in ‘Line of Duty’, he has carried the fire. In this case the fire is the deeply held belief that our students should know facts about religious beliefs and that they should understand a range of philosophical perspectives which enable them to think about how they encounter

Stefan Smart

Stefan Smart leaves King Edward’s after 34 years of classroom teaching and departmental leadership. He joined the English Department in 1986 as a newly qualified teacher of English and Drama and also had responsibility for teaching A Level Ancient History for the first three years of his career after a throwaway promise in his interview with the then, Head, Colin Dobson. His long career as an English teacher was characterised by a meticulousness of preparation; he took his subject extremely seriously, and demanded that the

the world. He has been tireless in encouraging students to think clearly and to argue logically; to express themselves with acuity both verbally and on paper. His lessons have been imaginative and intellectually demanding and he has enhanced them with his multisensory approach using artefacts, food and role-play. Outside of the classroom he has taught cooking to the Sixth Formers in Foundation Studies and has led the Philosophy Society, ‘Lyceum’, inspiring numerous debates about significant issues. He has nurtured Third Year philosophers and enabled them to work with younger children at Highfield School through the Philosophy Shop outreach. During First Year Extended Studies he has encouraged students to challenge

students took the same approach. He also loved the dramatic, and his classes were often lively as the students took on the lives of the characters. He organised annual A Level English Literature trips to Hardy country working to a meticulous itinerary, taking in Hardy’s birthplace, cottage, the Hardy Museum, his house, as well as scenes specific to the novel being studied. Along the route he would ask students to perform scenes from the novel, and he was even known to bring some props and costumes along for added atmosphere. Stefan also loves to perform himself, and whether it was an assembly singing ‘Love me Tender’, dressing up as Maid Marion for the staff panto or giving us his one man ‘Mark in the Park’ – a solo word-for-word dramatisation of Mark’s Gospel, he always ensured a compelling spectacle. Outside of the classroom, he managed the basketball team for 31 years, winning the Southampton

ideas and has forged many links within the local community allowing him to take students regularly to visit the Medina Mosque. Great teachers teach life lessons alongside the curriculum and these truths come to us years after we have left the classroom and Tim has ensured that his lessons will continue to unfold down the years. Tim has been diligent, wellprepared, exacting and caring. He has provided many moments of light-hearted humour and amusing repartee. He has been a loyal colleague and a worthy opposition in debate about moral philosophy. A true devotee of Kant, he has undeniably acted unfailingly out of duty in his work. We wish him the very best as he retires. Mrs Lane

Schools’ U16 Championship twice, the Hampshire Colleges’ U19 Championship, the Hampshire U17 cup, and 10th place at an international tournament. He is also the founder of the popular Byron Society and has worked as a First Year tutor. In 2003, as Literacy Support Coordinator, Stefan was asked to become Head of the new ‘Curriculum Support’ Department, initially by himself for the first four years, and since 2008, working with a small team of colleagues. He has succeeded in creating a department now integral to what we offer as a school. For Stefan, his Christian faith is core to him and informs all he does. During retirement he will be able to commit further time to his spiritual direction and vocational coaching, concentrate on his professional acting career and spend time with his wife and his wider family. Dr Waymark

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Julia Hardwick

Julia Hardwick arrived at the school in 2008, having already worked in the state sector for more than twenty years. Her experience as a teacher, as well as her time spent as a Senior Examiner, have been of considerable benefit to King Edward’s. As Second in the English Department in charge of GCSE and then IGCSE, Julia has had to help negotiate a variety of

Andrea Cox

Andrea joined King Edward’s in 2008, having previously worked in the Child Health unit at Southampton University Hospital. During her time at the school the number of students that the nursing team have to deal with on a daily basis, as well as the variety of issues that are presented, has risen exponentially so that the nursing team can easily see forty

tricky turns, and the fact that the examination results have stayed so stable is due in no small part to her dedication. The phrase ‘passion for the subject’ is absolutely applicable to Julia, who transferred this passion to all her classes. In recent years she doubled up her IGCSE classes, which for most teachers would be very tough, but Julia seemed to thrive with the pressure, and her marking was always impeccable. At A Level Julia particularly enjoyed enthusing students with her own love for the Pastoral, as well as her favourite Shakespeare play, ‘King Lear’. As a Sixth Form tutor, Julia also displayed the same level of professionalism, and she took the welfare of her tutees very

or fifty students a day. The life of a school nurse in 2021 is constantly busy and requires people of real character and energy; thankfully, in Andrea the school has been lucky enough to have just such a person. This rise in numbers of students attending the nurses’ station is testimony to the safe, welcoming environment that Andrea has created, where students of all ages know that they will receive help. Whether it is a case of a minor injury and an ice pack, or the occasional more serious situations that need urgent care, Andrea has been the face of calm reassurance and professional excellence for generations of students. She has also attended well over a hundred rugby games

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seriously. She also worked as a mentor for those participating in the Teacher Training programme, and, on the co-curricular side, was a longstanding member of the Shirley Reading Scheme team, and organised several departmental theatre trips. Julia is retiring, and will no doubt keep up her daily swims and love of all things artistic. She leaves with our very best wishes for a long and happy retirement. Dr Schofield

during her time at KES and has been invaluable support for both players and coaches. However, it is not only physical injuries that Andrea has helped students with. Over the years she has also been a shoulder to cry on for countless students experiencing emotional turmoil or periods of poor mental health, and her compassion and good sense has been invaluable in patching up these cases too. Andrea will be sorely missed by all of the nursing team, the pastoral team and the KES community at large. She has been a wonderful colleague and we wish her the very best of luck in her new role. Mr Collinson

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Susie Smart

Susie Smart joined the school in 2008 to support Stefan Smart in the development of the Curriculum Support Department. As a specialist teacher for learners with specific learning difficulties, Susie’s first role was in teaching Literacy Support. She qualified as an assessor the following year and, alongside some assessments for the Local Authority, she expanded her role at KES to include identifying students with possible special needs; liaising with teachers, parents and

Nicky Swainson

Nicky Swainson started at King Edward’s in March 2013 as the Learning Resources Manager. With a background in academic libraries (RNLI Lifeboat College, FE, post-16, and university) it was the first time Nicky had worked at the secondary

external assessors, composing specific advice for teachers in the classroom and ensuring ongoing support – as well as organising special arrangements in exams. Susie has contributed an enormous amount to the Curriculum Support Department beyond her every day work. She created a bespoke study skills course for Sixth Formers on the Curriculum Support Register and her handwriting lessons (using a very round toy sheep) made a huge difference to many an illegible scrawl. Her eye for detail and organisational abilities have generally kept her SEND colleagues ahead of the game, having a large part to play in making the department the welloiled machine that it now is.

and became something of the department guru when it came to dyspraxia and visual stress. She has mentored colleagues who were new to the teaching profession and has made a significant contribution to whole staff INSET. But it is perhaps for her personal qualities – her kindness, warmth and enthusiasm, and her considerable powers of empathy – that Susie is to be remembered for most. Parents, colleagues and students are unanimous in testifying to her care and devotion to her pupils’ welfare. She leaves us to establish her own business as a Declutter Coach and is also keen to spend more time with her family, including her two grandchildren in San Francisco. Mr Smart

She has always been keen to extend her knowledge of SEND

school level. She has thoroughly enjoyed being part of the KES community and was always passionate about putting the library at the heart of the school, as both a pastoral and a learning space. Her child-centred approach, and imagination to encourage the use of the library, was directly responsible in substantially increasing the usage of the space, to the point where capacity was reached. This, in turn, became a primary driver in the recent extension and refurbishment of the Library in summer 2019, in which Nicky played an integral part in both its design and realisation.

Nicky will be very much missed by colleagues and pupils alike, especially those children for whom the Library became their most important space in the school. In retirement, Nicky hopes to travel, undertake some volunteer work and continue to support educational initiatives alongside a spot of garden design. We wish her the very best and thank her for all her dedication and hard work. Dr Waymark

SOTONIENSIS

Carrie Mandley

Carrie joined King Edward’s in 2006 following a 16-year career in the RAF. Within her role of

Jean Burrough

Jean Burrough joined the staff at KES in 2008 to work in the Library. Prior to taking up this role she had worked with NatWest Bank for 15 years; working in

Pete Mapstone

Pete Mapstone joined King Edward’s in September 2010 and has taken the Computer Science and Digital Literacy Department (although it wasn’t called that back then!) on a journey through new technologies and foreign lands.

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Careers Advisor, she has been hugely influential on the lives of innumerable KES students, helping and guiding them in making decisions that will affect their HE choices and ultimately their chosen professional pathways. She has introduced younger students to the world of work, held literally thousands of individual careers guidance interviews, overseen the work experience programme for Sixth Formers, hosted industry-focused lunches and lectures, and been

instrumental in setting up and running the annual KES Careers Fair. As well as all these talents, Carrie is a qualified Pilates instructor, running daily classes in the afternoons and is a keen runner and swimmer. We wish her all the best as she retires and hope she will now be able to spend more time enjoying these pastimes.

several branches and also in the HR department at their regional office. She additionally had valuable experience of working in an educational environment, having worked at Totton College for nearly two years. Jean will be remembered by her colleagues for her hard work and high standards that helped shape the library service into what it is now. She has experienced tremendous change in the Library during her time at KES, seeing it evolve from a traditional space with parquet floors and trestle study tables, to the bright

and modern learning environment, at the heart of the school, that it is today. She played a significant part in supporting the Learning Resources Manager achieve this. Jean is looking forward to being able to travel again and explore nature with her husband Simon, as well as spending more time with her family, especially her two young grandchildren.

Over the years, Pete has expanded the subject to all year levels to create a continuous pathway for our students to progress through to become budding computer scientists. He has provided numerous opportunities for our students to witness and experience the world of computing. Most notably, he led two ‘Digital High Tech Treks’, first to Silicon Valley in California and then to Tokyo, where the party were able to see first-hand the centres of innovation and meet the people who work there. Closer to home, he has taken teams to the Student Robotics Competition,

reaching the final in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and trips to the National Museum of Computing.

Mrs Millar

Ms Swainson

Away from his computer screen, Pete has been a long term member of the DofE team and has taken numerous cricket teams in the Lower School. He is moving on to lead the Computing Department at Winchester College and we wish him all the best for vers 2.0.1 of his teaching career. Mr Eyssens

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2021

Katrina Yerbury

Katrina joined KES in 2005. Her academic credentials meant that she began her teaching at King Edward’s taking both Biology and Chemistry classes at A Level. She has solely taught Biology for several years and guided numerous cohorts of IGCSE and A Level students. Among her classes have been the children of several staff members and all of the children of the previous Head. Their commendation tells you much of what you need to know. Many of Katrina’s students have gone on to gain access to the best universities to study Medicine and other biology related subjects.

David Brown

David Brown’s nine years at KES have been full of enthusiasm, dedication and passion. He joined King Edward’s in September 2012 on a temporary maternity cover contract, and swiftly became a permanent member of the

Katrina’s students appreciate both her excellent subject knowledge and great understanding of how Biology mark schemes are interpreted. She loves her subject and is looking at ways to adapt her teaching and explanations; over the first lockdown this included filming herself in various habitats in a range of weather conditions. Lessons are well ordered, engaging and with no room for passengers. Her subject expertise, honed over years as an examiner and contributor to academic papers, is also much appreciated by her colleagues within the department. This has been especially helpful over the period of the pandemic where we have been marking, moderating and awarding grades. Outside of the classroom Katrina has contributed in most areas of the school at some time. She ran the Charlotte Exchange in the days when both the Third Year and Lower Sixth were involved and has also run the Charities Commission. She has coached

Geography Department. He is a fantastic teacher, who engages and enthuses his students. He continuously strives to deepen his own subject knowledge and encourages his students to do the same. Getting students to ‘think like a geographer’ is at the centre of what David does. He has played a leading role in Geography Society, organising a number of talks both inside and outside school in order to ignite students’ passion for the subject. There is also far more to David Brown than just being a Geography teacher. During his time at the school, he has wholeheartedly

netball teams in every year she has been at the school, tackling both the U16A and U16B for several of these. She has been on countless field trips and contributed to other trips in the UK and abroad; being able to converse in three European languages is certainly a helpful skill. Students and staff may be unaware that for several of the past years Katrina has also competed for Great Britain in short-course triathlon; gaining several top 10 finishes at World and European level as well as gaining the bronze medal at the national Aquathlon championships. Katrina moves on from King Edward’s, to a new exciting role as the Biology Teacher at Harrow School Online, with the very best wishes of the Biology Department who will miss her contribution both professionally and personally. Mr Aellen

embraced school life, involving himself in a wide range of areas and opportunities. His competitive nature has meant he has excelled in the role as Head of Lawrence; his firm but fair demeanour has allowed him to thrive as Assistant Head of Upper School; and his drive for academic rigour enabled him to successfully take on the role as Head of Geography for a year. David is an extremely wellrespected teacher and colleague. He has a strong belief in nurturing students to become well-rounded young adults and he demonstrates this through his participation in

SOTONIENSIS

a wide variety of trips and cocurricular activities across the school. A keen sportsman himself, David has been involved in both cricket and football at KES - the Sri Lanka Cricket Tour being a particular highlight. As a Duke of Edinburgh Supervisor, he has supported many groups in both the New Forest and Dartmoor. When trip leaders think about staffing, David is always high up on the list of people to ask. He is a brilliant team-player, great company and you know students are in safe hands with Mr Brown!

Emily Brown

Emily joined King Edward’s in September 2014 with a degree in International Relations and French from the University of Exeter. She has taught French and Spanish and has been an enthusiastic hockey coach, lending a hand at coaching rounders and netball too. Although her first teaching job, this was not her first experience of the school, as she was previously a pupil and completed her GCSEs here. Emily has been a conscientious and passionate teacher who has always had the best interest of her students at heart. Emily has always thrown herself into co-curricular activities and trips at school, and has been a valuable member of the hockey

For these reasons, David has been involved in a large number of trips both domestic and international including four ski trips to Italy and France, two watersports trips, three trips to Morocco (two of which he led), two trips to Paris and a German Exchange. He has also supported and run numerous day and residential geography fieldtrips in the UK.

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am sure his new post will offer an exciting array of opportunities, he will be hugely missed by both staff and students. We wish him all the very best for his new adventure and cannot thank him enough for everything he has done. Mrs Gibbs

David has always had the dream to teach abroad and he will be leaving KES for the warmer climate of Dubai. Whilst I am delighted that he is able to fulfil his dream and I

coaching set-up since her arrival. She has enjoyed strong and happy relationships with pupils in her teams, working mostly with the U14B team, who have appreciated her dedication and commitment to them. Emily took over the role of Sustainability Co-ordinator in 2017, and brought new energy to the role. She treated the role as it should be treated – as a holistic approach to all things environmental – and has achieved some significant achievements in her time – not least the removal of paper cups from the staff room, no more drinks waste from packed lunches, and a huge amount of work on awareness through her assemblies. She has left a legacy of change in attitude and behaviour which is a wonderful foundation for the school to now build upon. In Foundation Studies, Emily brought her passion for sustainable living and helped Lower Sixth students to appreciate their individual responsibility for action, and provided tangible and practical tips for students to

reduce their waste and be more sustainable in their daily lives. Emily has led a number of successful overseas trips, including the Second Year trip to Normandy and accompanied many others. She always makes sure that trips run smoothly, and are enjoyable, memorable and a safe experience for all. She is also a great colleague to have assisting on trips and can be relied upon to muck in or use her initiative where appropriate. We are grateful to her for giving up so much of her time and energy for the benefit of the pupils. She leaves us to start a new chapter of her teaching career in Dubai with her husband David Brown. We wish them both all the best for the future. Mr Sinclair

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2021

Rachel Moody

Rachel joined King Edward’s in 2016 and very rapidly made her mark on the Psychology Department and the wider school community, engaging with enthusiasm and energy in many co-curricular activities and supporting her students in all their academic ambitions and interest. A formidable intellect, Rachel took the reins of an alreadysuccessful department and helped

Emer Cullen

give it further academic rigour. She revitalised the Psychology Society and introduced Lower Sixth research projects into the curriculum, a study unit on gender issues, annual trips to the Freud Museum in London and many other lecture trips. Her work with the exam board and in contributing to textbooks gave her an extremely valuable insight into the level of understanding required of the pupils and she translated this into an extremely well-resourced, organised and effective teaching approach for the whole department. In her relatively short time at the school she gave a number of fascinating assemblies and took every opportunity to fly the flag for her subject.

in the staff choir and became a stalwart of the Duke of Edinburgh team – she is a keen and accomplished mountain walker and was always happy to share her knowledge and give her time. She has been a great colleague and a kind and supportive friend to many. Rachel has become increasingly interested in environmental issues and is moving to France to work on a project close to these interests. She leaves the Psychology Department in a very strong position and all her colleagues wish her the very best in her new endeavour. Mr Herklots

Outside the classroom, amongst other contributions, Rachel sang

Emer Cullen arrived at King Edward’s in 2016. She has taught English throughout the school, and is entirely comfortable teaching a First Year class or Upper Sixth Literature. She was also a Sixth Form tutor until 2018 when she went on maternity leave, returning on a part-time timetable in 2019. As a Teaching and Learning Lead Practitioner, Emer led several INSET courses, and she also acted as a mentor. On the co-curricular

side, she worked as assistant director on several school plays, and also organised a ‘Jane Austen at Home’ evening in the Dobson Theatre. Emer also took part in the Booker Prize Challenge, an initiative she intends to start up at her new school, Portsmouth High, where she is taking up the post of Head of English. We wish her every success in her new role. Dr Schofield

SOTONIENSIS

James Consterdine

If you are lucky enough to have attended a KES production of Beauty and the Beast, Treasure Island, Wind in the Willows or West Side Story you will have seen first-hand the phenomenal creative work of James Consterdine; his illustrations projected to enhance scenes, fantastic scenery and scores and lighting. No

Mel Roe

Mel joined the nursing team part-time in January 2017 whilst continuing her work as a Practice Nurse alongside. She brought a wealth of experience to the role, and has been a reliable, dependable and supportive colleague over the last four years, often stepping in at the last minute when needed. Her enthusiasm

suggestions and requests are too small for James to bring to life. If you want a flag hoisted on your battleship he is your man! James has been instrumental in every aspect of the Dobson Theatre that we know and love. From the seats to the lighting box, and everything in between, he created the working space and runs the Theatre with impressive professional standards. Even a global pandemic could not hold him back and he created impressive videos of the Remembrance Day and Carol Services for the school. His eye behind the camera gave our pupils an audience in these challenging times.

when delivering First Aid to the First Year classes during Extended Studies knows no bounds and they have always enjoyed these fun but informative sessions. She has thoroughly enjoyed her Junior House and Saturday rugby cover - despite the wind and rain - and I know she will miss spurring them all on from the side lines. Mel’s cheerful nature has brought with it, at times, some radical ideas (the ice-skating rink and the petting zoo at Christmas did not get the go ahead!), but she has always strived to make KES an enjoyable and fun place to be, as well as encouraging pupils’ learning and personal development. During this strange past year, Mel has been continuing with her

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He has been a fundamental part of the Creative Arts Faculty. Working across the departments and more widely across the school community to bring life to everyone’s visions for a vibrant and ambitious KES. When I asked for a lit lamp post and smoke machine for one of the Spring Concert items he just smiled and said “no problem”, and I will bet that every member of the KES staff has a story like that to tell of James’s willingness and kindness. He will be missed beyond words by us all and we have no doubt he will sprinkle a little magic on all projects he continues with in his future. Thank you, Mr Consterdine! Miss Forsey

important work outside of school as a Practice Nurse, enabling important medical examinations to continue, and maintaining the delivery of immunisations to pre-school children. She has also worked exceptionally hard to help with the roll out of COVID-19 vaccinations and returned to school in March to support pupils in carrying out the Lateral Flow tests. Mel’s positivity and dedication to her role will be sorely missed, but we look forward to welcoming her back as a bank nurse. She leaves us to develop her role as the Practice Nurse Manager at a GP surgery in Hedge End. Mrs Cox

26 | SOTONIENSIS

2021

James Hyder

He is a calm and unflappable presence both with his colleagues in the office and students of all year groups in the classroom, who appreciate his measured and consistent approach. James has also been a real support to those who have followed in his footsteps on the KES teacher training pathway and his contribution here will be missed.

residential field trip. He has also helped advise those Sixth Formers looking to take a Gap Year. In the Biology office, James has raised the standard of conversation about rugby and cricket and really does get on well with everyone. He also has a real interest in his subject, spending long stretches during the holidays watching birds. James has developed into an excellent teacher during his time at KES and he will be missed as he moves to take a new teaching role away from Southampton.

James joined King Edward’s in 2017 following a spell working in the recruitment profession for several years. He joined the school as part of the Teach First teacher training programme and, during his four years with us, he has become a qualified teacher and completed his NQT year.

Students will tell you that his contribution to the wider life of the school has been enormous. He has coached both boys and girls in hockey (having played at a high standard himself), he accompanied the South Africa trip, he has helped with Summer Camp each year as well as attending the annual Biology

Adam Penny

Adam joined King Edward’s from Eastleigh College as our Technical Support Specialist in July 2018. He quickly became a core member of the IT Support Team, readily turning his skills to each task presented. Most recently, his focus has been on piloting our move towards cloud with Microsoft 365 and he leaves us with a clear path forward.

We will miss Adam’s calm and professional manner as he moves onto a role focused on Microsoft 365 and wish him all the best in his new role.

Ryan joined King Edward’s in September 2020 as IT Support Technician on the sandwich work-placement component of his degree course in Computer Networks at the University of Portsmouth. Ryan’s customer service skills shine and he is always keen to assist anyone who asks for help. His enthusiasm and ability to adjust explanations to match the ability of those being

supported has meant that he will be sadly missed by everyone. The school has also benefited from his computer network skills on a number of projects over the year that he has spent with us. We wish him well in his continuing study.

Ryan Gent

Mr Aellen

Mr Rigg

Fixed term contract staff Mrs Latter (German), Mr Clarke (PE), Miss Greig (Geography) and Mr Marino (Spanish) also leave us having worked at King Edward’s for the past year on fixed-term contracts. We thank them for their contributions to school life.

SOTONIENSIS

Sharon Hurst

Rosie Horn

Rosie joined the PE Department at King Edward’s in November 2018 as a trainee teacher of PE. During her time here, she has become a valued member of the PE Department and made many contributions across many areas of the school. Throughout all of her work it is very clear how passionate she is about the children, making sure they are given every opportunity to learn and develop. She quickly builds an excellent rapport with her groups which leads to the students enjoying the work she asks them to do.

Holly Stevens

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Sharon joined the reception team in September 2020 at the height of COVID restrictions and following a long period of school closure. She threw herself into our new way of working and picked up the role really quickly. In some ways, she hasn’t seen the school in its normal routine at all but she has been a pleasure to work with over this past year and we wish her all

the luck in the world as she leaves us to enjoy a very early retirement, including spending time with her beautiful new grandchild.

Rosie taught both core PE and GCSE Sports Science and she particularly liked to enhance her lessons with the use of IT. Her use of QR codes, and iPads in practical lessons is excellent and her sports science set benefited greatly from the many Kahoot quizzes she produced.

organising the competitions, or as a tutor encouraging her charges to get involved and make a positive contribution.

She has contributed to the coaching of sports teams in hockey, netball and cricket leading A teams in the Lower School to a lot of success. But she was also equally conscious of the needs of the B, C and D teams ensuring that all students felt fully involved and valued. Netball is her particular area of expertise and she was very keen to broaden the experiences of our students. In order to do this, she organised a very successful trip to watch a Team Bath Superleague home match.

Mrs Canty

Rosie has interests outside of the sporting world and this prompted her to assist with the Summer Camp team over 2 years, join a school trip to the Natural History Museum and one of the Geography Department’s Living Rainforest trips. Her tutor group in Lawrence House experienced first-hand her compassionate nature as she worked to support all of her tutees as they moved through the lower school. Rosie leaves us with our good wishes as she continues to work to pursue a career in teaching. Mr Kent

Rosie was a keen supporter of the House competitions whether this be in her role as PE teacher,

Miss Stevens joined King Edward’s in April 2019 to take up the post of Marketing Assistant/Theatre Bookings Co-ordinator. She was immensely organised and efficient and did much to promote the school’s social media presence, monitoring and populating the accounts, as well as ensuring our presence in a range of publications and updating parts of the website.

She also worked to introduce the new weekly parents’ bulletin and oversaw a range of external bookings in the Dobson Theatre. She left the school at the very end of August to return to her native Kent. We thank her for all her hard work. Mrs Sheppard

28 | SOTONIENSIS

2021

The Allen Grant Trophy

As with every activity in school, the House competition was a little tricky and looked a bit different this year. Not being able to mix year groups had the largest impact, meaning that competitions had to mostly be year group based, and so we didn’t have Lower School or Colts activities in the same way. However, to the credit of the House team, many events still took place.

The games staff ran all other sporting competitions in games lessons, which was great fun, but lacking the usual spirit of having spectators from other years watching. Other non-sporting activities that we have always enjoyed so much, chess, the Christmas Quiz, Greenpower and cookery, were all stymied because of the mixing of ‘bubbles’ - a phrase that we came to fear in 2021!

Junior House at the beginning of the academic year saw strong rugby and girls’ hockey performances across the Houses. This would be the only Junior House competition of the year. We enjoyed Sixth Form girls’ hockey and football, football in lower years, and a full complement of cross country events, albeit that each year group ran separately!

However, as Sports Day approached, we could see a clear pattern emerging for this year’s competition. Without merits or Sports Day included, and without the promise of a Swimming Gala to look forward to, Reynolds were out in front by 10 points. Therefore, after Sports Day, with Lawrence coming out on top, and the frantic counting up of the merit totals, the eventual Allen Grant Trophy winners were Reynolds who retain the title for a second consecutive year.

SOTONIENSIS

And after 34 events, the result went down to the wire, with just three points separating champions and runners up: 1st place:

Reynolds

149

2nd place:

Lawrence

146

3rd place:

Sylvester

130

4th place:

Capon

113

5th place:

Lake

109

6th place:

Watts

First Year: Champions: Runners Up:

Reynolds 39 Sylvester 35

Lower School: Champions: Runners Up:

Reynolds 74 Lawrence 60

Upper School: Champions: Runners Up:

Lawrence 34 Lake 31

Results of House events Event/House

Capon

Lake

Lawrence

Reynolds

Sylvester

Watts

JH Rugby A

JH Rugby B

JH Rugby C

JH Hockey A

JH Hockey B

6th G Hockey

6th Football

1st X Country

2nd X Country

3rd X Country

4th X Country

3rd Football

4th Football

2nd Football

1st Hockey

1st Rugby

1st Team Ch

5th Hockey

5th Netball

1st Hockey

1st Netball

2nd Hockey

2nd Netball

1st Football

3rd Hockey

3rd Netball

4th Hockey

4th Netball

Total

112

122

104

Placing

4th

6th

2nd

1st

3rd

5th

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30 | SOTONIENSIS

2021

Sports Day The weather kept us guessing until the last minute but, happily, for all concerned we were afforded an afternoon of sunshine on 25th June and Sports Day was able to go ahead as planned. The whole school came together for the first time in two years as the students worked hard to gain points for their Houses. It was a wonderful afternoon of fun and competitive spirit and a number of longstanding records fell. The overall winners were Lawrence House

New Records: 800m U14 Girls

Eve broke this record at 2m 27.8 secs (Record previously 2m 29.21 secs in 2016)

Triple Jump U12 Girls

Hilda broke this record at 8.40m (Record previously 8.18m in 2015)

100m U12 Boys

Oladele (John) broke this record at 12.3 secs (Record previously 12.44 secs in 2014)

100m U13 Boys

James broke this record at 12.14 secs (Record previously 12.16 secs in 2015)

100m U14 Boys

Munashe tied the current record at 12.1 secs (Record initially set in 1989)

200m U15 Boys

Henry tied the current record at 23.9 secs (Record initially set in 1968)

Year Group Cup winners:

Individual Cup winners: Mossman Cup (First Year Girls)

Millie

Minns Cup (First Year Boys)

Hector

OE Association Cup (Second Year Girls)

Sophie

Wright Cup (First Year Winning House)

Reynolds

Fred

Cross Cup (Second Year Winning House)

Dykes Cup (Second Year Boys)

Reynolds

Katie and Evie

Caddick Cup (Third First Year Winning House)

APA Rowthorn Cup (Third Year Girls)

Sylvester

Ashley Archie and Oliver

Holt Cup (Fourth First Year Winning House)

Brian Gay Cup (Third Year Boys)

Lawrence

Daisy

Sixth Form Cup

Lawrence

KES Society Cup (Fourth Year Girls)

Spranger Cup (Overall Winner)

Lawrence

J H Guilmants Cup (Fourth Year Boys)

James

Final scores: 1st Place: Lawrence (442 points) 2nd Place: Reynolds (406 points) 3rd Place: Lake (361 points) 4th Place: Sylvester (333 points) 5th Place: Capon (322 points) 6th Place: Watts (311 points)

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2021

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Sixth Form Sports Day

The Upper Sixth finished their time at KES with a House athletics event, alongside Lower Sixth students. There were a number of close races and excellent performances with Bella (800m), and Charlotte (Shot Putt) both setting new school records! The final positions which count towards the Allen Grant trophy were:

Students then enjoyed an ‘alternative Sports Day’ competing in events such as the 3 legged race, sack race, egg and spoon race, obstacle course, leapfrog race, space hopper race, tug of war competition and the classic, welly boot throw. While these activities were great fun, they did not count towards the overall House competition but the final positions were:

Final scores:

1st place: Lawrence

1st place: Sylvester

2nd place: Sylvester

2nd place: Lawrence

3rd place: Lake

4th place: Capon

4th place: Reynolds

5th place: Reynolds

5th place: Capon

6th place: Watts

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2021

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Creative A r ts

Art at KES This extraordinary year has seen the Art Department have to adapt to the challenges of remote learning and it has done so with aplomb. With Zoom and remote teaching, art staff and KES students found themselves new and often exciting ways of working. Google classroom and slides allowed for a wonderfully interactive way of presenting work, with the slightly unnerving bonus of seeing annotations and submissions in real time. Some classes were set the challenge of finding creative materials from around the house, whether that was the red from a berry muesli or using tea and coffee to use as a brown wash. Our examination classes had the advantage of having KES art boxes with a lovely array of materials in them, allowing them to carry on with their pieces, whilst the exam board and government decided how, when and on what they would be assessed. Having on-line digital sketchbooks ensured that as we entered the second lockdown, everyone knew the routine! In January, the department launched an art competition based around David Attenborough’s ‘Take Action Through Art Competition’ which asked entrants to reimagine a future where we celebrate and protect nature through new laws and lifestyle choices, and reinvent what our rebuilt future might look like if we put nature at the heart of our decision-making. There were some fabulous and inspiring entries. Despite all the disruptions, our GCSE and A Level Fine Art students and photographers produced some magnificent work both in sketchbooks and as final pieces. They are to be congratulated for their perseverance and creativity in trying times. We look forward to being able to celebrate their achievements at some point soon. When we finally returned to school, it has lovely to be back in the art studios for both the students and staff. The sense of renewal that creativity brings has been a joy to see.

Throughout the year, Miss McGinn has worked hard to ensure that her co-curricular Illustration Club has continued, allowing students to interact with the Art Department outside of their normal lessons. We have also seen the introduction of a new Fashion Design Club which has seen students produce bold and stylish fashion drawings and create tie-dyed T-shirts. During Activities Week, the Art Studios become a hive of activity and colour for the Fifth Year and Sixth Form students who opted to spend their week learning about the cyanotype process and creating a beautiful large-scale mural commemorating the year under COVID. This will be permanently exhibited within the school buildings and will pay fitting tribute to the hard work and resilience of the whole community over so many months. Unfortunately, we were unable to hold the annual Art Exhibition in its usual form as with the delayed opening up, and changes to government regulations, we could not welcome visitors on-site. Instead, we held an on-line celebration of our students’ work that parents and friends could view at their leisure.

Mr Piggott Head of Art

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2021

Creative A r ts

Dance at KES Despite another unsurprisingly rocky year, we are thrilled to still be able to celebrate many exciting moments for the Dance Department.

This year, we introduced GCSE Dance and we have been so excited to deepen our roots within the Creative Arts Faculty with this new option. Our various clubs have continued to excel with the welcoming of our new cohort of dancers, and our Dance Studio continues to be at the heart of this blossoming department. And, despite a brief spell at home, the Dobson Theatre still continued to play host to our talented performers as part of our hotly anticipated Dance Gala. Dance has continued to feature in various aspects of school life and this year, the Dance Department was also invited to be a part of the annual, traditional Carol Service. As we were unable to perform at our usual venue of Romsey Abbey, we adapted and overcame with a special, pre-recorded Service of ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’ featuring many of the school’s talented creatives. Our ballerinas elegantly twirled in their festive costumes in front of the Dobson Theatre’s Christmas tree to a rousing performance of ‘Ding! Dong! Merrily on High!’ by the Choir. Fifth Year pupil, Josie, also performed a beautifully tender and inspiring lyrical solo to ‘A Maiden Most Gentle’ accompanied by Mia on vocals with Lusin on the flute. Each dancer performed with professionalism and poise, and really did themselves proud.

This year, our Upper Sixth students also had the opportunity to take part in some musical theatre workshops as part of their Activities Week to celebrate their hard work despite an uncertain and disruptive year. The students threw themselves into learning high energy choreography from ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Grease’ and were able to perform their pieces in full costume and make up under the dazzling lights of the Dobson. Great fun was had by all. Emerging from lockdown, it was with much excitement and anticipation that we were able to perform our ever-anticipated Dance Gala. This year, the event felt extra special and was the first opportunity for our dancers to return to the stage under our beloved glitter ball. With a cast of 40, showcasing the most diverse and dynamic styles, it was an honour to see our pupils’ wings take flight again. With styles including African, Bharatanatyam, Ballet, Hip Hop and Contemporary (to name a few), the evening was a true celebration of expression and freedom and once again stayed true to the department’s ethos; where anybody with an interest for dance and performance should be encouraged to celebrate their passion regardless of ability. Despite not being able to welcome the dancers’ family and friends to support, we were able to film the event and have since shared the performance. It is lovely to have a memento of the evening and

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solos based on the intention of “fear of the outside” with originality and imagination. Since returning, this year’s cohort have enjoyed preparing solos for the Dance Gala and also had a dynamic workshop with Juka Dance, learning their set phrases which they will perform in Fifth Year. We are very excited for the department to continue to gather force and look forward to more opportunities for our GCSE dancers.

celebrate the hard work of each performer who worked tirelessly to choreograph and rehearse their performances. With the introduction of GCSE Dance, it is safe to say that dance is well and truly on the map here. Our GCSE students have launched themselves into their course by studying six professional works by companies including The Royal Ballet and Rambert. They have had the opportunity to hone their choreographic skills, whilst also developing their expressive, technical and physical skills. The spring term challenged our students having to learn from home, but, inspired by Christopher Bruce’s piece ‘Shadows’, our students choreographed and filmed

We cannot wait for the new academic year to bring about more exciting opportunities for our dynamic dancers. We hope that dance will continue to be an integral part of school life with opportunities for our students to perform in assemblies, take part in workshops, work with partnership schools and, of course, visit the theatre! In the Autumn Term, we are looking forward to the production of ‘Les Misérables’, which sees the Creative Arts departments collaborate in all disciplines. Our next Dance Gala: ‘At the Movies’ will take a glittering visit through Hollywood. Despite the challenging choreography of the year, our dancers have maintained resilient and creative throughout, and we look forward to continuing to push the department to grow beyond all expectation.

Miss Barnett

Dance Co-ordinator

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Creative A r ts

Drama at KES Well what a year it has been for the Theatre world... We have had to really think outside of the Proscenium Arch box having had to deal with; restrictions with having audiences, cast members in different bubbles, year groups of students in isolation or issues around creating theatre that maintains social distancing or having to perform in masks with only half the performer’s face being seen. However, all these limitations have ensured that we have been ever more creative. Creativity is the solution finding resource for overcoming limitations. Just as “necessity is the mother of invention.” This year, students were able to access theatre professionals from around the world. This included working with Dr Corinna Di Niro in Australia who is a leading expert in Commedia dell’arte, via an on-line workshop and presentation, a virtual vocal and dialect workshop with H. Russ Brown, Head of Theatre and Artistic Director of Texas Performing Arts Academy and a page to stage masterclass with Rich Gittins an Actor and Director with the Royal Opera Company. Co-curricular lunchtime drama clubs have continued with students creating theatre, including work on Roald Dahl’s ‘Revolting Rhymes’ by members of the First Year Production Club. We were very sad to say farewell to our Theatre Manager, Mr Consterdine, earlier in the year and are extremely grateful to him for all the hard work he did within the department. With his departure, we had the pleasure of welcoming our new Creative Arts Lead Technician, Mrs Brewer, to the team. She brings with her a wonderful set of technical theatre skills and industry experience which have enhanced the department and she has already introduced a new co-curricular lunchtime Stage Crew Club - a hands-on activity club that gives pupils the chance to design and operate lighting and sound equipment and take part in other technical theatre and backstage roles.

Our LAMDA provision continues to be a very popular and successful programme of study offered at KES, with over 90 students signed up and achieving awards in acting from grades 4-8, highlighting the exceptional dramatic talents of KES students and the hard work of the LAMDA team. This year’s Upper School production of the hard hitting Mark Wheeler play ‘Game Over’ was a challenge for the cast and crew alike, having to be postponed several times due to COVID-19. But as we say in the industry the ‘show must go on’ and go on it did. With the help of Zoom rehearsals, and a variety of different staging options used, a wonderfully creative and innovative filmed performance was produced, with the cast showing an immense level of skill, versatility and patience. The production captured some truly heartfelt and emotion-driven performances from all the ensemble cast. Particular performances to note were that of Charlotte Wallis who played Lorin - Breck’s mum, Toby Ellis - Breck’s Dad, Mikey Brog who played Breck, Rebecca Vaughan and Charlotte Ackerman who played Breck’s sisters and Ben Thimbleby who gave a highly effective and spine chilling performance as LD. The cast were amazing in their handling of such a sensitive and important subject matter. Mr Blow and Mrs Brewer did a sterling job in organising the technical support, filming and editing of this production in order to enable it to reach its audience. Do you hear the people sing? You certainly would have if you had walked past the Music Recital Room after school this term. Following a comprehensive audition process, we have been able to form an amazing cast of highly talented performers for the whole school production of ‘Les Misérables’. The cast are already deeply immersed in vocal rehearsals, led by Miss Forsey, in preparation for creating a production which promises to be quite spectacular.

Mrs Gilmour

Head of Drama

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Creative A r ts

Music at KES Building on the fantastic success of West Side Story, in the Autumn Term, the Music Department hosted a vocal workshop with West End performer Rebecca Laverty who delivered masterclasses and workshops with the vocal talent at KES. Working on the performance quality that elevates a singer’s communication, students learnt a number of techniques and skills employed by professionals to give them their singing star quality. As with so many of the co-curricular opportunities in music, this event was for all year groups and encompassed a vast range of singing styles, passions and abilities. From Elton John to Claude-Michel Schonberg, students let their creativity fly in the Dobson Theatre and explored just what it is that brings a performance to the next level. As a music student, I have been fortunate enough to be in the odd TV appearance: Songs of Praise not being one that I ever thought might come in handy in my teaching career but Christmas 2020 was my chance to relive filming a Service once again! Christmas is without a doubt my favourite time of year and the sacred music to celebrate it is nothing short of life affirming to my mind. The nine lessons and carols format is one I’ve long enjoyed, and this year gave us a chance to reinvent and programme a beautiful Service using this time-honoured tradition. Singing may have been compartmentalised into bubbles but you cannot compartmentalise creativity! The Service was an opportunity to celebrate all the arts and remind ourselves of the cherished history of KES choral singing. We found ways to add the talented instrumental pupils alongside dance, drama and art for this year’s film. It will, I am sure, become a cherished memory of the spirit of KES and the fortitude of the students, finding creativity in difficult times. As assemblies found a new live stream style this year, musicians stepped up to provide a rich and varied programme of thought-provoking repertoire from a diverse range of composers and styles. Each month the department was able to showcase the talents of soloists and individuals on this whole school platform. Musicians were often treated with

congratulations in the corridor from teachers or peers who recognised them from their assembly performance. The Steinway piano in the Dobson was the perfect instrument to showcase our Sixth Form virtuosic performances of Liszt and Beethoven but there was also a range from euphonium, singers, trumpeters, oboes and many more! The termly KES Services were steamed or recorded this year which, for our musicians, meant capturing beautiful performances on film. Particularly elegant and moving were those by Sixth Form chant scholar Adam and Upper School music captain Elias in the Service of Remembrance. In the absence of opportunity to sing as a community, Lower School music scholar, Joshua, took to the stage with a solo performance of ‘Jerusalem’ which brought joy to many who had missed the comradery and well-being of singing together during lockdown. It was with absolute joy that our community returned to the concert stage for the postponed 2021 Music Competition. Adjudicator, Ruth Rodgers, (principal violinist of the London Mozart Players) spent time giving one-to-one feedback and workshopping performances with each entrant. The absence of a live audience might have been viewed by some as a disadvantage, but this was turned very much in our pupils’ favour with time spent discussing and talking to Ruth exploring aspects of the piece and sometimes even revising sections, performing fresh ideas in the moment. It was a brilliant day with fantastic performances across the board. Highly commended in the Grade V-VII category went to Lucy (voice), Nathan (clarinet) and Leo (piano). The winner was Joshua (piano). Highly commended in the Grade VIII+ category was Sophie (voice) and the winner was Elias (piano). The department did not want to miss the opportunity to share this special time with friends and family, so the competition was

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filmed, alongside two impressive performances by the Chamber Orchestra and soloists William (Upper Sixth chant scholar) who performed the slow movement of Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto. For the musicians it felt like such a special day, finally back on the stage and enjoying the rewards of all those months of private practice. As the Summer Term drew to a close, we just had time to fit in a few more events and the piano lecture from Dr Samantha Carrasco was just one of them. Members of the GCSE and A Level Music classes were able to learn about the history of piano engineering, its role in musical culture and techniques of playing, making it the most popular solo concerto instrument. The Romantic period is studied in depth at A Level so pupils were able to explore the topic with an expert and see aspects of the textbook brought to life during this lecture. Dr Carrasco also joined us later in the term for a piano masterclass, engaging with our piano students and exploring technical and musical communicative features of live performance. Moving out into the community, musicians were privileged to perform a lunchtime recital at Romsey Abbey in July. Competition winners and showcase artists all enjoyed this magnificent performance space and delighted the Romsey Music Festival audience. It was particularly memorable to enjoy the diverse and individual repertoire choices of our performers. From musical theatre to virtuosic diploma level repertoire the young performers of KES were a huge hit. In a triumphant return to live performance the Music Department was determined to do something really special for all our students, parents and friends. The Summer Concert was thoughtfully designed and planned by Sophie and Elias who wanted to bring memories and homage to opportunities missed and opportunities to come, with a cast performance from ‘Les Misérables’ and opportunities gained through private practice and friendships this year. The Live Dobson Theatre performances had a focus on Classical and Musical Theatre repertoire but, as KES boasts such a talent of musicians of all genres, we also included brilliant pop and rock performances by 404 Not Found and Euan during the drinks reception. Congratulations and thanks to all involved in this event - it was a night to remember!

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Academic music was also top of our agenda this year. Second Year pupils were able to engage in a Jazz and Blues workshop that complemented their studies. The pupils were taught the building blocks of improvisation, blues stylings and all things Jazz with Mr Ted Carrasco who has performed with famous Jazz musicians such as Gilad Atzmon’s Orient House Ensemble, The Baker Brothers and The Paul Jordanous Ensemble. Being able to bring the practical elements of musical academia to life was a real pleasure and all pupils were able to have fun in this lively workshop! The Music Department couldn’t let the year pass without celebrating our wonderful Jazz ensembles, Swing Band and Big Band, and June gave us the perfect time to showcase their hard work this year. In a combination of workshop, with the famous Paul Jordanous Ensemble, and performance the pupils were able to go to town on their jazz stylings. A newly formed Jazz Trio also joined the stage and the finished performances were recorded to share with friends and family. After a year of hard work and dedicated rehearsal it was only fitting that our young musicians were able to join together and perform to a delighted audience of teachers. Third year pupils enjoyed an afternoon learning about composing in the film and video game industry in our remote learning environment during lockdown. Guest composer Jono Buchanan revealed all the tricks of the trade, exploring the ways composers write for film. With a great imagination as your best tool, we discovered what spotting sessions are, how you should never use lyrics and a voice over at the same time, and how humour can be found by having music and action diametrically opposed. There are many roles within the creative industry that pupils may not even have thought of and the workshop opened their eyes to the vast range of opportunities available to them.

Miss Forsey

Director of Creative Arts and Head of Music

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Music Groups Chamber Orchestra Beginning the school year with great enthusiasm in September the Chamber Orchestra were able to maintain rehearsals and make music throughout their time together at school. Keen to perform at every opportunity they supported the Carol Service video with orchestral arrangements and descants recording in early October! Unable to perform live, all members of the ensemble felt such value in making live music together every week and still wanted to showcase the group’s sound however they could. The Chamber Orchestra invited Will (Sixth Form Chant Music Scholar) to perform a concerto movement with them in addition to learning the Elgar String Serenade. Both pieces were able to have their concert outing in May as part of our filmed Music Concert 2021. The Orchestra did not hang up their bows however and rehearsals are underway in earnest to be ready for our next exciting project, a side by side concert with the London Mozart Players in October 2021. The programme will include Elgar, Britten and Bartok as KES string players share the stage with this world class ensemble. Chamber Orchestra have enjoyed their experience in the recording studio and filming on camera but cannot wait to bring you their live concerts once more.

Miss Forsey

First Year Choir Welcoming our new students into their first secondary school choir is always one of the highlights of the new school term. Our enthusiastic recruits rehearsed weekly in the Dobson Theatre, learning how to sing as an ensemble. First Year Choir prepared a wonderful performance of ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ for our annual carol service. Recorded on location in the Southampton Common, their voices brought festive cheer to the film. Rehearsals continue throughout the Spring and Summer Terms with the students enjoying an eclectic mix of repertoire that they are eager to share!

Miss Hayden

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Chamber Choir

Piano Trio & Oboe Quartet

This year, Chamber Choir was split into a Sixth Form and Upper School ensembles in order to ensure a safe rehearsal for all involved. Our Remembrance Day service was commemorated with a beautiful performance of ‘The Lamb’ by John Tavener from Sixth Form and staff singers. Chamber Choir led the charge in learning their repertoire for the annual Carol Service in record time. The Upper School ensemble performed arrangements of ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’ and ‘The First Noel/Pachelbel’s Canon’, and the Sixth Form ensemble took on the challenge of learning ‘There is No Rose’ by Randall Stroope. With COVID restrictions lifting, the Chamber Choir have been preparing new repertoire for the performance opportunities we very much look forward to.

When forced into a bubble you find a way to make it work in the Music Department! Seeing all kinds of changes to our usual school day became a fun puzzle for us to solve. Just how could we put ensembles and friends together? What resulted was a very busy and engaged chamber music programme that gave us two fantastic ensembles performing as part of Thought for the Day assembly programme as well as live concerts and even an informal concert for the KES staff in May 2021. Studying the Mozart Oboe Quartet and combining woodwind and strings is no easy task. Mozart’s work is notoriously difficult in its seeming simplicity and the ensemble did an excellent job rising to the challenge. They will continue with this ensemble into the next year it has been so successful. So too has the newly formed Piano Trio which, despite having a teacher in the group, has enjoyed the chance to play repertoire from this great Romantic chamber catalogue and develop musicianship skills that surpass usual school ensemble levels. As the writer Catherine Drinker Bowen said, chamber music is “a conversation between friends”.

Miss Hayden

Sinfonia Sinfonia continue to grow from strength to strength, and this year was no exception. Within their bubbles, old and new members rehearsed weekly. Lower School students mastered ‘The Great Escape’, ‘Eye of the Tiger’ and ‘The Final Countdown’ while also undertaking a medley of songs from ‘Les Misérables’ and Bizet’s ‘Carmen’. Upper school students enjoyed performing the theme from ‘Mission Impossible’ and took on the challenge of learning the theme from ‘The Simpsons’. While we couldn’t share a live performance with you this year, recordings of their performances have been created and shared to enjoy.

Miss Hayden

Music While You Lunch/Music While You Lockdown! It is a great pleasure to showcase the talents of our students and listen to the pieces of music they have worked diligently towards perfecting throughout the year. It is an even bigger treat to host these lunchtime concerts and welcome friends and staff to attend them. This year we have been fortunate to host a few socially distanced concerts, in which our students relished the chance to perform for a small audience. During the period of lockdown, students of all abilities from across the school enthusiastically volunteered recordings of their performances from home. We were most grateful for the enjoyment these videos brought us and delighted to share them with you at home.

Miss Hayden

Miss Forsey

KES Senior Choir The Choir has rehearsed both live and via Zoom, been divided and reunited and still managed to keep going despite a year that has well and truly struck at the heart of the singing community. No one can deny that the joyful efforts of the singers in the Carol Service brought a smile, with Christmas jumpers and tinsel at the ready the Choir divided into Second and Third Year and Fourth Year groups for the Service. Unable to sing as part of the usual concert series, the members of Choir have pressed on and covered a vast range of classical, musical theatre, medley and popular repertoire. There have been new members joining every term as the value of live singing can never be held back for long! Many of our choristers are also part of the newly formed cast of the 2021 production of ‘Les Misérables’ so have also been preparing the vocal aspects of this during the Summer Term.

Miss Forsey

Rock Academy ‘It’s helped us be creative and has been a new experience being in a band’ say the members of First Year band, Delirium. The photo shoot may not have happened and Battle of the Bands was sadly postponed but the corridors of the Music Department have kept buzzing with the preparation and anticipation of all the cool things to come!

Mr Kotch

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Clubs and Societies Animanga Association One of the most exciting newly created clubs this year is our new Anime, Manga and Graphic Novel Club. Originally created by Library Leaders, Aryan, Alex and Sesika, this club is open to all students who share a love for this increasingly popular genre. Whether it is reading, illustration, playing or watching Manga which you enjoy, you are encouraged to join in on a Thursday lunchtime in the Library where we will discuss plans and ideas for author/illustrator visits in conjunction with the Art Department, card game tournaments and just sharing new Anime or Manga recommendations.

Ms Speck

Basketball Club 2021 has been a year to remember at KES, forever! In fact, it has been an unforgettable experience for all the students; those who have decided to become basketballers or those who have proved to themselves that they have, always, been basketball players. As we approach the end of the year, we can, definitely, say that we have created a basketball movement formed by pupils belonging to the all year groups. In September, on the first day of term, we were just 12. However, we managed to double our followers to 25 and reach 35 by the beginning of October. Then, the explosion of our movement was confirmed by the number of students reaching 50, who proclaimed that Basketball Club was the most popular at KES. Potentially we can now boast 4 teams (one per each year group) and hope that June will be ‘our month’ in which we will be able to compete against other schools. This will be the best way to celebrate what we have created, hoping that our legacy will continue in the future and that 2021 will be remembered forever as ‘the best basketball of your life’.

Mr Marino

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Book Club In an unusual year, more of us have found solitude in the literary world. At Book Club, we celebrate and share our love of reading, discussing books that have been read and offering recommendations to other members of the club. Book Club meets every week and alternates between a quiet reading session and a discussion session. During quiet reading, members bring along their own books, making time and space in the busy school day to enjoy reading. In discussion sessions, our members discuss the books they have been reading, exploring plots, themes, and characters. We have the opportunity to ask questions about the book and share thoughts. We look forward to Book Club continuing into the next academic year as we discover even more new worlds and viewpoints.

Dr Woolstenhulme

Book Club – Sixth Form We began our Sixth Form book chats during lockdown each Friday over Zoom and these quickly developed into a Book Club during which we each shared a wish list of reads which we could enjoy and discuss together, with no pressure to finish the book, but rather to get a sense and feel of the writing and motivations behind the text. The first book we read was Lois Lowry’s dystopian triumph ‘The Giver’. Although often thought of as a novel for younger readers, the language and themes resonate hugely with older readers. It is one of the first dystopian books written for teens before the hype of the more modern dystopian releases. We also read du Maurier’s gothic romance ‘Rebecca’, joined by teachers Mrs Boyle and Mrs Moxon who shared how much they enjoyed this timeless wildly metaphorical read.

‘Slaughterhouse Five’ or ‘The Children’s Crusade’ by Vonnegut generated a huge amount of discussion. Most of us agreed that having been left to our own reading choices we would have never read this. Suggested by Kai (who really enjoyed the Vonnegut), ‘Slaughterhouse Five’ is a hugely famous darkly comic and tragic read and anybody who wants to know about brutal, terrifying realities of the Dresden bombing and war in general should read this - ‘So it goes’. Thank you so much to Erika Lace of the Upper Sixth for asking me to start the Sixth Form Book Club during lockdown. It has been an absolute pleasure to share our love of literature particularly during these times.

Ms Speck

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Character Design Club During the Autumn and Spring Term Character Design Club opened for First Year students, to enable them to explore the world of illustration and complete some their own Patronus creations. In the Summer Term the club opened its doors to Second and Third Year students who were challenged to create their own ‘Monster from the Deep.’ These illustrations were a combination of real sea creatures found in the darkest depths of our oceans and were exhibited during the school’s Science Festival in June.

Miss McGinn

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Charities Commission Members of the Charities Commission have had another productive year, despite sometimes challenging circumstances, and have hosted a variety of events, shows and stalls. We have raised money for a range of charities from local organisations, such as Yellow Door Southampton, to national campaigns such as Save the Children. Turnout to both Upper and Lower School Charities has been impressive, despite having to transfer to virtual meetings during lockdown. To begin the Autumn Term, the Commission held the annual shoe collection for Sal’s Shoes, Toe to Toe campaign. An impressive 523 pairs of shoes were collected and sorted to be sent to those in need across the globe. The subsequent non-uniform day and Krispy Kreme doughnut sale was held in aid of The Marine Conservation Trust and raised over £1000. This year’s First Year Toy Appeal Fun Run was a huge success. Not only did students create the most fantastic and creative toy-inspired costumes but they managed to raise over £3000. This money is currently being used to buy presents that will be distributed by the Scratch charity in Southampton this Christmas for disadvantaged children. For International Men’s day, in November, Sixth Form students sold gingerbread men to raise money for Prostate Cancer charities and, in December, there were the traditional candy canes and advent calendar sales in aid of all the

Sixth Form charity projects including the Sholing Partnerships Project, Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association and Summer Camp. During lockdown, the Charities Commission still strived to think of others in the local community. For Valentine’s Day the students sent heart-warming videos to share with the residents of 30 local care homes. Additionally, they also sent Easter cards to these residents once they returned to school. Easter sales were managed in year group bubbles, to ensure students were supplied with Easter eggs prior to the spring break, raising valuable further funds for the Sixth Form charity projects. In April, the Commission ran an awareness assembly to bring difficult subject matters to the forefront of the school’s attention. These issues included inequality, racism, prejudice, and violence against women. They decided to donate the Spring Term’s non-uniform day proceeds to Yellow Door Southampton - a charity which prevents and responds to domestic and sexual abuse. They also put together a display on the boards in the Crush Hall to ensure that these issues are still viewed and discussed on a regular basis by the school community.

Miss McGinn

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Classics Society It has been an unusual yet interesting year at Classical Society with the new lunch times and lockdowns causing changes in the way it has run. Nevertheless, the Society has continued running weekly with a number of fascinating talks and discussions providing subjects of interest to ponder throughout the time we have been staying at home.

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creation stories in religious texts and ancient mythology, and debated how the evolving view of the gods reflected change in society. Our A Level Latinists, Sophia and Xanthe, provided an insight into Cicero and presented their study into a controversial rethinking of the Second Philippic. In addition to talks and quizzes, Hannah created fun kahoots about death in the ancient world and ancient quotes.

During this year, we have had various fascinating talks such as Tasmiah’s exploration into the world of the old Babylonians, as well as presentations about the Aztec gods and the Sumerian goddess Inanna. Over the period of Zoom school, the society discussed the parallels between the different

We hope to continue the Society, whether virtual or in person, throughout the forthcoming academic year and discover more about the Ancient World.

Creative Writing Society

lifespan or their happiness but rather cared about the one she wanted.”

The Upper School Creative Writing Society may be little, but they are fierce. Formed to indulge their need for a communal creative space, they meet weekly after school to devise ideas, write, and unveil what they have written to each other. They even met during lockdown via Zoom. A poem written by one of the group’s members was performed to great acclaim as the ‘Thought for the Day’ in a Monday morning assembly. That poem and other written works have contributed to the KES Creative and Critical Review, and some pieces were written for national contests. Students worked together on a collaborative writing project, and on their own, they wrote everything from poetry to detective stories, creating unique and individual fantastical worlds.

“Stories are powerful things. They have all of humanity woven into them; a loom on which one may weave patterns that speak of love, evil, goodness, and all that may be found in between. Storytellers will never be bereft of a home, or a friendly seat at a fire, for they are the keepers of all the shades of life.

Here are a selection of teasers from their recent works. “She picked it up and twirled it around in her hand. The flower was destined to die after being picked, without its roots embedded in the soil for food and support but it was honoured to be picked so it flickered softly in the wind and its colours gleamed in the sun; the other flowers were jealous, and shamed themselves for being too small or petite or too fat of a stem, or having a lack of leaves or too many leaves, but they didn’t notice their luck as them being the least perfect, they could live the longest. Perhaps it was better to be picked: to have a short, happy life; perhaps it was better to be ignored: to have a long life, striving to be like someone else. The young girl was the one who chose and she didn’t care at all for the flowers’

Sophia

Lower Sixth

And stories can be the truth, a truth twisted and cut through like a sabotaged rope, yet truth all the same. Or stories may be built on a foundation of slowly rotting lies, with snakes and their venomous stares hidden beneath. If one breaks through the lies, then the rotted wood that the snakes hide beneath will crumble into nothing, and they must face the consequences of learning the truth. It is the true stories – the ones that are truly true, not a frayed truth that is almost untrue – that are most dangerous, though. Truth is always dangerous, and true stories, most of all.” “I used to believe that I wouldn’t miss the shadows when they left. Of course, it was inevitable, so I had plenty of time to prepare, I wouldn’t even notice they were gone, right? So, I fell into the lull of a peaceful comfort, almost a symbiotic relationship with them. But when they left, it felt as if a warm blanket that I had wrapped around me, cushioning me from the outside, had been torn away, leaving me to face the cold, dark world.

Samantha, Amanda, Isabel & Amelia Fourth Years

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Junior Debating Society Junior Debating has had a very exciting year with various debates including the more improvised, onthe-spot tennis debates, such as the question of the better streaming service, to more formal debates over whether vaccines should be mandatory, which brought up a plethora of fascinating arguments including the matter of free will and governmental influence. Towards the end of Zoom debating, the junior debaters embarked on themed debating. These topics included questions such as the value of life and the voting age. Over the year, they developed their public speaking skills, becoming more confident and composed. We had a talk on fallacies to avoid in debates along with tips for speaking which was presented by Hannah for the Third Years and myself for the Second and First Years. At Christmas, the Second and Third Year debaters competed in a Model UN, held in the Main Hall, contemplating the refugee crisis from the point of view of different countries such as Malta (our winners) and Lebanon. The debate covered ways to address the problems faced by refugees upon their arrival and how to turn a problem, often stigmatised by the media, into a positive change for their countries. After three weeks of research and speech preparation, the competition was fierce with

many countries coming up with innovative ideas and providing compelling arguments as to why their country should win the funding from the UN panel, which consisted of a jury of First Years as well as Hannah and I. This experience led the junior debaters to become better versed with current affairs, more comfortable with speaking in front of a large audience and to come up with thoughtprovoking, judicious proposals. In the next academic year, we hope to continue broadening our topics of discussion and see the junior debaters grow more confident in presenting their original and fascinating thoughts, both in the debates and out of them.

Sophia

President of Debating Society

Senior Debating Society This academic year has been unconventional yet eventful for the Society. Over the year, we have discussed a wide range of subjects, from debates on the destructive nature of patriotism on international relations, to the question of whether the impacts of colonisation should be part of the curriculum by the Upper School. Members, having been separated due to pandemic bubbles, challenged these subjects with creative, original perspectives and curiosity to expand their knowledge with passion in presenting their argument. During this year we were struck by a lockdown which brought the challenges of Zoom debating which were turned into an opportunity for a debate with Bournemouth Grammar School for Girls. Sixth Form teams debated enthusiastically over capitalism and social media in spite of Zoom; the delivery of their arguments conveying their diligent preparation for what turned out to be highly passionate and intellectual discussions.

Meanwhile, the Upper School embarked on a themed debating timetable to delve into a variety of subjects over the weeks, including a philosophical debate on the greatest happiness, a reflection on the body positivity movement, the impact of social media and the investigation of whether Great Britain is ultimately an oligarchy. The Upper School tackled these unusual, more obscure subjects with exuberance and came up with greatly intriguing and well-thought-out debates (in the time allotted) to form their arguments. In the next year we hope to organise more external debates and partake in competitions as well as looking forward to more exciting debates

Sophia

President of Debating Society

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Digital Leaders Being a Digital Leader during my first year at KES has been really fun. Although this year has been tough with lockdown and COVID, being a Digital Leader has been an enjoyable and fun experience, making this year more bearable. During lockdown we met on Zoom every Tuesday lunchtime to code Swift Playgrounds on our iPads, We learnt skills used to make games and to store and display data and covered a range of languages, such as python, JavaScript, C++, html, swift and C. Being a Digital leader is an honour and I highly recommend it!

Angus

First Year

Diversity Society Whilst the traditional DivSoc events of the past few years, such as bake sales, silent discos and bouncy castles, have not been possible this year, there has nonetheless been a flurry of activity in this area of the school. October saw us mark Black History Month, with some thought-provoking assembly pieces regarding Black Lives Matter and the future of problematic statues around the UK. In November we raised over £400 for a prostate cancer charity on International Men’s Day, by selling gingerbread men sourced from a local bakery. Even in the depths of lockdown, members of DivSoc came together to create innovative digital assemblies to mark Children’s Mental Health Week, International Women’s Day and the traditional rainbow-fuelled craziness of KES Pride. My especial thanks go to the Heads of School and to this year’s Wellbeing Prepositors – Kai and Katherine - for their enthusiasm and hard work in producing a memorable year for diversity in the school.

Mr Collinson

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Doodle Club In the autumn term, members of the Doodle Club met regularly during Thursday lunchtime for a spot of mindful doodling. Doodling has been proven to help with focus, relieve stress by lowering cortisol levels and improve overall productivity. And, as well as all this, it has provided a creative outlet for the regular members, allowed them to forge new friendships outside of their usual groups and has been a fun thing to do. During the lockdown period the group continued to meet virtually on Mondays and now boasts a core group of members who have worked on doodling on a range of themes. These have included heroes, spring, waves, flowers and plants and things that fly, producing some amazing results in a range of media.

Mrs Collinson

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Duke of Edinburgh’s Award As the school year draws to a close, we look back on quite a tumultuous year! We have just returned from a Gold expedition in mid Wales which has seen an expedition run as close to normal as we have managed this year. This gives us all hope. It took place during 30°c heat, and the teams elected to start walking at 5:00am to avoid the heat of the day – a fantastic effort! The year has been full of uncertainty for all involved in a DofE award, but I am happy to say that all those that wished to continue with their awards were able to do so, and those that were able to attend an expedition were also facilitated. We have seen day walk expeditions, temperature checks, we have hired entire Youth Hostels, camped in one-person tents, disinfected tents between use, hired and used remote abandoned farmhouses on Dartmoor and even camped inside Wellington Sports Ground. KES has been one of the first centres to maintain their intent to expedition as soon as possible within the guidelines of the day. Throughout all of this, the over-arching memory has been that of the attitude of the participants and indeed the staff facilitating the expeditions. Everyone has been fantastic – a “can-do” attitude and enjoyment to be back outdoors and enjoying each other’s socially-distanced company in great surroundings. Of course, this year we also lost the Duke of Edinburgh; founder and former Patron of the Award. As we look back over the last year, and remember his legacy, we hope and believe that the endeavours of our DofE participants will have lived up to his principles.

Mr Barnes

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Economics Society Economics Society has thrived over the past year, delivering a multitude of talks both virtually and in-person. Despite the several disruptions caused by restrictions throughout the ongoing pandemic, the Society has been able to adapt accordingly and has found ways to benefit and grasp the opportunities that have been presented to it from the rise of Zoom. Consequently, the society has welcomed outstanding notable speakers from around the world to give talks that would otherwise have been unfeasible. The programme commenced with a talk on Trilemmas and Trade-Offs by Lusin and Maddy. This thought-provoking talk provided a great start to the year following a difficult lockdown period. This followed with a live gameshow-style economics rendition of the game Higher or Lower, presented by myself and Jack – a first for the society. The turnout was substantial with the entire audience able to participate. We then had Luke deliver a talk on how Britain could not survive without the arts. Luke highlighted the importance of the arts sector which he argued is often overlooked in economics. For our first external speaker of the year, we were delighted to host a joint Economics and Politics Society with Mark Hoban; former MP for Fareham, former Minister of State for Employment, NonExecutive Director of the London Stock Exchange and Borsa Italiana, and senior adviser to PwC.

Hoban delivered a talk entitled ‘Financial Services - A force for good or a source of greed’. He spoke about financial markets, the mistakes the UK made following the financial crisis of 2008, and how we have improved since. Towards the end of the first term, we invited back some Old Edwardians who are currently studying economics or an economics related degree to offer a Q&A session to prospective university applicants. This year, the OEs joined us virtually while the audience attended in person. We would like to thank Rishabh Chugh, Andy Crawford, Kai England, Charlie Hurst, Daniel Miller, Sam Rachman, and Aditya Rokade for offering their time and experience to answer the students’ questions. The term ended with our annual Economics Christmas Quiz, which saw teams of contestants compete with a festive spirit, in hope of winning a range of prizes. This marked a more relaxed end to what had been a distinctly challenging calendar year. The Spring Term began with another unforeseen lockdown which acted as both a regulatory burden and a supply-side shock to the Society. Like the best innovative businesses, the Society embraced the restriction and seamlessly moved its product offering online, using the technology to reduce transport and transaction costs, and enabling us to go transatlantic for the first time with our Harvard speaker detailed below. The first of these virtual events was a talk on Hyperinflation by Beau,

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James, and Harry. Through this talk, they delivered a striking comparison of the effects of hyperinflation on different countries in recent history. For our next external speaker, we were honoured to welcome one of Britain’s leading academics, award-winning economist Sir Tim Besley, Professor of Development Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE) and former external member of the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee, to deliver a lecture titled ‘State Capacity and Economic Development’. Besley spoke about how a government’s ability to accomplish its intended policy goals affects the country’s economic development. This talk was unequivocally one of the highlights of this year’s Economics Society. Our next speaker joined us all the way from Massachusetts, United States. We were pleased to host Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Economics at Harvard University, Jeffrey Miron. He gave a talk titled ‘The Economics of Drug Legalisation’, where he introduced the thought-provoking idea that all drugs should be legalised, purely based on Economic theory. The talk prompted further discussion in the classroom, highlighting additional economic, political, and social arguments for consideration. The penultimate meeting saw Poppy talk about ‘Why Printing Money Isn’t All That Bad’, giving an introduction to Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). This gave the audience valuable extended knowledge beyond the taught syllabus, which can still be harnessed when answering exam questions. For our final Economics Society of the year, the Presidents of the Economics Society hosted a

Fashion Design Club The new Fashion Design Club for Third Year students launched in the Summer Term Those students who attended completed a series of illustrations influenced by Lauren Tamaki - a Brooklyn-based illustrator, graphic designer and photography art director who creates bold, stylish fashion drawings and expressive editorial illustrations. Her use of bright and vivid colour hues inspired the students to create their own tie-dyed t-shirts.

Miss McGinn

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gameshow-style rendition of the popular CBS show The Price is Right, entitled ‘The Wage is Right’. The game saw teams battle to determine who could guess the correct or nearest wage for a variety of occupations. This offered an enjoyable end to the programme with one last chance to win prizes. We would like to thank all the speakers for their stellar participation in maintaining the remarkable quality of talks this society continues to produce, and the audience who attended and asked questions, preserving our esteemed attendance record with which we continue to boast our status as the leading humanities society! I would also like to thank the other Presidents: Luke, Jack, Lusin, and Maddy for their incredible contributions in further expanding the society and drawing such a vast array of talent to the school for students to enjoy over the past year. We wish all the best to the future of the KES Economics Society, and hope for its continued success for years to come.

Yusuf Economics Society President Mr Culver adds: This has been a truly vintage year for Economics Society, with Yusuf, Jack, Lusin, Luke and Maddy responding with extraordinary creativity, energy and flair to all of the lockdown and social distancing restrictions that were thrown at them. Thanks to them, the programme of events not only continued but flourished, and the students delivered the perfect blend of serious economics and more light-hearted quizzes and competitions. I am deeply grateful and very impressed.

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Geography Society GeogSoc continued to pull in the numbers this year and we were delighted to welcome a number of external speakers via Zoom. The Lower Sixth were in control of proceedings and helped deliver and arrange talks on a wide range of geographical topics. Highlights included talks from Dr Brain about his experiences in Nigeria, Mr Ryan about his work at the Ordnance Survey, and champion sailor Mike Golding recounting tales from a life spent on the ocean. My thanks got to Anna, Olivia, Rozy and Russell for their work this year, I know that they are looking forward to organising and attending external geography talks next year.

Mr Brown

Library Leaders We are absolutely thrilled with how many students at KES have signed up to join us in the new position of Library Leader this year. We now have over 45 leaders, across 3 year groups, including our Sixth Form Literature Ambassadors – Erika, Alice and Eeman. Our Library Leaders are outstanding young people, keen readers who love to chat and share literature, and are extremely proud to undertake the responsibility of helping to run their library. They received their badges from Mr Parker after Easter, having given so much to the development of the Library and helping to turn it from a blank canvas into a place of comfort, life and joy. They have developed skills in teamwork, have made like-minded new friends and enjoyed huge benefits included no less than 8 famous author visits spanning a diverse range of genres – Chris Bradford, Ali Sparkes and Tom Palmer to name but a few. With the guidance of Library Assistant Miss Phillips, Library Leaders are constantly learning the day-to-day inner workings of running a large and popular library using an advanced database. Their knowledge of children’s and teen literature has helped build our new fiction collections such as Anime and Manga. During lockdown we had weekly Zoom chats about reading and new books

to keep in touch and up-to-date with reading recommendations. Most of our Library Leaders can be found every single day in the library, on hand to help peers choose new reading choices, helping with day-today activities and just generally enjoying using the Library as their place of wellbeing. We are also presenting the first ever KES Library Leader of the Year Award in this year’s end of term assembly. This promises to be an extremely prestigious award going forwards and will be displayed in pride of place in the Library.

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Italian Club Despite circumstances, we managed to meet a few times this year to talk about all things Italian! We realised that everybody already knew lots of Italian words, recognised Italian brands and businesses famous throughout the world, discovered Italian traditions - especially New Year superstitions - and enjoyed some Christmas foods. Siete tutti bravi! All’anno prossimo

Mrs Rugge-Price

In the Summer Term, we are excited to be recording the first ever episode of our Reading for Pleasure podcast engineered by our Sixth Form Literature Ambassadors. Our students can also look forward to their first Library Leaders’ summer party and exclusive access to read and review brand new publications during the summer holidays. We are very excited for all of our Library Leader plans coming in the next academic year.

Ms Speck

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MedSoc Due to COVID-19, the MedSoc experience has definitely been far from normal. Nevertheless, thanks to Zoom, the Sixth Form bubble, and adherence to social distancing measures, this past year has again seen a wide range of speakers address members. Each talk never failed to motivate the new batch of aspiring medics, particularly at a time in which the entire world is dependent on, and extremely grateful for, the tireless efforts of healthcare professionals. We saw some familiar faces from previous years, like consultant respiratory physician Dr Ben Marshall, and paediatric and neonatal surgeon Dr Robert Wheeler, both of whom delivered fascinating talks. Furthermore, the past terms have seen some new speakers give a fresh perspective on medicine, with some of the most notable including Dr Megan Roberts, Dr Suyog Dhakras and Georgina Havers. Dr Roberts and Dr Dhakras, both Consultant Psychiatrists, spoke passionately of their roles in diagnosing mental health disorders based on symptomatology and investigations, and prescribing appropriate treatments and therapies for such disorders. Mention of disorders such as OCD and schizophrenia added to the knowledge of A Level Psychology students in the society, whilst others were new to all. Both doctors emphasised what an extreme privilege it is to listen to patients’ inner most thoughts and worries, hoping to see them get better and move forward with their lives. Passion for their work was a common theme amongst all the speakers. Regardless of their speciality, each and every individual was completely dedicated to their career. This clearly highlighted to students the vast opportunities and the variety a career in medicine offers, whether that be a

career as a radiologist, as for Dr Stephen Harden, as an anaesthetist, as for Dr Samir Naoum, or as a Cardiologist as for Dr Nick Curzen. During this strange time, learning about vaccines, and the clinical trials that they go through, was fascinating and crucial. Our aspiring medics got the chance to hear about the development of the Moderna vaccine from Georgina Havers, a clinical research professional, who broke down the complicated and fast process that the COVID-19 vaccines went through before being released for public use all around the world. This was extremely interesting as we got the chance to hear more about the research side of healthcare, whilst Upper Sixth students were able to familiarise themselves with this hot topic ahead of their upcoming interviews. The year ended with a motivating talk from OEs Daisy Porter, Ben Millar, Evie Wateridge, Arev Melikyan and Zak Martyn who teamed up to break down all aspects of the gruelling process of applying to medical school. They each gave their own experiences and tops tips regarding preparation for the BMAT and UCAT, work experience, being interview savvy and how to write the dreaded personal statement. Lower Sixth members of the society had the opportunity to ask all their burning questions, as well as learn how medicine was taught in different schools and thus which best suited their learning style, what life was really like as a medical student and the truth behind the transition from A Level student to medical student. In the Autumn Term, the Medic Portal ran a socially distanced interview preparation day at KES. This enabled students to master the technique of answering difficult interview questions under timed pressure, practise their interview skills, as well as learn from the responses of their peers. This was an invaluable session which provided lots of knowledge

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and advice for the Upper Sixth students eagerly awaiting interview invites following the submission of their UCAS application. The Summer Term is one of the busiest times for Lower Sixth applicants, with mock exams, university open days, work experience, personal statement brainstorming sessions, and UCAT and BMAT preparation. Various sessions were run to safely see the Lower Sixth through their UCAS applications. For example, a number of essay workshops ran for students in preparation for Section 3 of the challenging BMAT. Often students who are inclined to a career in medicine decide on science based A Levels, thus by the time BMAT test day approaches many feel unprepared for the essay writing section. Despite being a daunting task at first, with practise, students became accustomed to the format over time and were able to produce concise, well-reasoned arguments. Another intimidating exam for aspiring medics is the UCAT. As with the BMAT, this exam evaluates a skill set outside the A Level curriculum but, through effective preparation, students can ensure they achieve high scores which will undoubtedly boost their application. To further aid Lower Sixth students and prepare them for their own independent UCAT revision during the summer, Mrs Millar ran a crash course with general tips, resources and timed example questions to familiarise the students with a test format most will have never come across before. Talks this year, albeit some in a slightly different format than usual due to the pandemic, have provided students with an insight into, and greater knowledge of, the world of medicine and how to best succeed in this very competitive environment. MedSoc will of course resume next year, hoping to bring back the more handson practical sessions, trips and in-person talks to aid those students wishing to pursue a career in medicine, medical research or related healthcare professions. We would like to express our immense gratitude to all the speakers who presented to MedSoc this year, taking time out of their extremely busy schedules to share their experiences with us. We are also extremely grateful to Mrs Millar for running the society and for her help and enthusiasm throughout this demanding application process in a particularly competitive year, giving each and every student the advice and support they require.

Izel & Carol

Medsoc Presidents 2020-21

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Modelling & Miniatures Club

During the lockdown after Christmas a new club was born at KES. Constrained to stay in again and not socialise for “real” the Modelling & Miniatures Club was born on Zoom. Painting models, miniatures such as from War Hammer and World War 2 figures, building kits and dioramas was the aim. A project on World War 2 was suggested and the fun began. Once we could meet for “real” the Club moved to a Monday after School and, with supplies of models, paints, tools and plenty of patience, a group of us now build and paint together in a relaxing environment. This group will hopefully incorporate Rocketry next year too, as we look towards new builds and inspiring one another.

Mr Robinson

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Paddle boarding Club As a naturally socially distant sport, paddle boarding has been incredibly popular this year. Each year group was offered a block of lessons on Tuesday evenings after school. The First and Second Years were very stoical about having all their sessions in near gale force winds and pouring rain. They came along with big smiles every week and mastered the art of standing up and turning, even when the wind was doing its best to knock them over. They had some fun on the 10-man Mega SUP too which really helps with communication and team building skills. The Third and Fourth Years were rather luckier with some beautiful sunny evenings and they rapidly progressed through the basics and were able to cruise up and down the Itchen after a couple of lessons. Sixth Formers enjoyed paddle boarding as a Games option on Wednesday afternoons. Some weeks they have had a good workout battling the tide and wind out to Southampton Water, whilst other weeks have been more gentle with paddle board football or jelly fish spotting. My thanks go to all the pupils for their commitment and enthusiasm this year, and to all the staff at SWAC and KES who have helped with sessions.

Mrs Burrows

Stage Crew Club Stage Crew is a hands-on activity with the chance to design and operate lighting, sound and take part in other technical theatre and backstage roles. We work as a team towards supporting the co-curricular productions throughout the year, as well as taking part in workshops and devising tasks to bring all areas of backstage skills together. Our focus over the course of the next term will be working practically on the technical skills required to bring the school production of ‘Les Misérables’ to life with sound, lighting, stage management and special effects.

Mrs Brewer

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Sailing Club COVID and the miserable May weather has not deterred our pupils from going on the water this year. Like everything, we have had to adapt the way sailing club runs this year to maintain our bubbles and social distancing. Each year group was offered the opportunity to have a 3-4 week block of Sunday morning sailing, in the autumn and summer terms. We have welcomed many beginners to the sailing club for the first time. They have made rapid progress through the RYA stages and can now launch and recover their own boats and sail a triangle. Our Lower School pupils should be congratulated on managing to do this on the four windiest weeks in May imaginable - but they weren’t put off! Our more experienced sailors kindly helped the beginners by sailing with them initially. Many of our more advanced sailors went on to try seamanship skills and sailing with spinnakers. They taught them so well that we had to expand the Sailing Club in June to accommodate more people.

Our Fifth Years and Sixth Formers enjoyed sailing as part of our Activities Week in glorious weather. We have been unable to offer sailing as a games option this year due to our staggered lunch break, but we hope to resume in September. My thanks go to all the pupils for their commitment and enthusiasm this year, and to all the staff who have helped with our KES watersport activities.

Mrs Burrows

Sanskrit Society Sanskrit Society continued this year with the small group of Sixth Formers who began learning Sanskrit the previous year. Having mastered the Sanskrit characters and transliteration and learnt the common words, we have been continuing to study separately at different rates, with some of us working on the stories and translating and others working through the work book. In between the stories, we have learnt the grammar and sentence structuring such as noun declensions and were introduced to new cases such as the locative and the instrumental, as well as beginning to learn the language and the commonly used language. The stories have also taught us about ancient Indian mythology such as the stories about Rama and Sita.

Sophia Lower Sixth

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Table Tennis Club After such an amazing season the previous year, there was a great deal of optimism in September 2020. Sadly though, the coronavirus pandemic failed to abate, putting an end to any chance of competitive matches with other schools. This did not dampen the enthusiasm of the mainly First Year students who gathered weekly for practice sessions. Great fun was had, and many competitive encounters ensued. A number of students were consistently committed and made encouraging progress, including Aryan, Alex, Andrew, Aryan and Talat. The First Year Inter-Form competition was won this year by 1/6, with some fine play from team captain Aryan. A number of individual competitions also took place with a variety of different champions emerging, indicating just how closely matched and keenly fought all the contests were. Congratulations to everyone who took part and hopefully next year will be even more exciting.

Mr Singleton

Wargaming Club Once again, the year started well with a good supply of new recruits joining some reliable old warriors and the increase in numbers and requirement to separate bubbles gave us an excuse to expand across two rooms. In the Spring Term lockdown affected Wargaming Club just like everything else and the club was effectively moth-balled. Although there are many excellent digital games of the sort we play, much of the pleasure of the club is in the social interaction and tactile pleasure of pushing cardboard counters around a real board. Despite this prolonged ceasefire it was great to see all the regulars return, eager to renew battle, as soon as we came back to school. New games this year have included Century Spice Road (a great looking, card driven engine builder), Champions of Midgard (a Viking themed worker placement game) and Port Royal (a simple but tense little card game) but many old favourites have also continued to be enjoyed by the group. There are too many troops to mention them all but special mention in dispatches must go to stalwarts Charlie, Afjal, Travis and Taylor.

Dr Gamblin

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Events and Trips

Activities Week – Fifth Year and Upper Sixth From 14th-18th June 2021 Fifth Year and Upper Sixth students were offered the chance to take part in a range of activities to celebrate the end of their assessments. From watersports at SWAC and jewellery making to mountain biking, art and musical theatre, the week of timetabled sessions were designed so that students could dip in and dip out of different activities on each of the days. At SWAC, students enjoyed multi-watersports days with the opportunity to try out sailing, rib driving, windsurfing, paddleboarding and keel boating. On the Sports Field at Wellington, our keen sportsmen and women enjoyed a mixture of training and fixtures across the four days. In the Art Studios, students were encouraged to reflect, refresh and renew, creating a piece of art using the cyanotype process. The Library offered topical workshops on feminism and activism giving insight into the historical roots of these movements, encouraging open discussion, challenging stereotypes and exploring the role of such movements in today’s society.

“This week was unique. We had the genuine pleasure of welcoming back our Fifth Year and Upper Sixth students after their exam assessments for a one-off ‘Activities Week’. As with everyone else, these students have had a disrupted year, but for them the pressures have been exacerbated by the uncertainty surrounding how and when they might undertake their GCSEs and A Levels. Of course, in the end they (and we) were given the appropriate instructions, but it is worth remembering that many of the details were only published a matter of weeks ago… in the case of the summer appeal process, we only received the final guidance after the students had already completed their assessments. The fog of indecision created by those in charge of the national examinations process has generated much stress and insecurity. And so, at the end of it all, we wanted to give these young people a treat. Thus – Activities Week!” Mr Parker

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Game Jam was based over two days and gave participants the chance to get some experience in game development. The first day was spent learning the basics of the game development engine Unity before the Jam theme was announced, giving our KES gamers just a few days to work in a team or with friends to build a game from scratch before coming together again on the second day to share designs and win prizes. The Musical Theatre option provided two stand-alone days of hedonistic fun. Singing, dancing, make-up, costume, sound and lighting and set building all came together to produce a recording at the end of each day. The thrill seekers travelled to Swanage for a day of outdoor climbing or to Swinley Forest for a taste of mountain biking. There was also the chance to try out jewellery making and learn to cast resin and the Sixth Formers also tried their hand at impressing the judges in the Sixth Form Bake Off. In short, there was something for everyone, regardless of interests and passions and a week to relax and enjoy some time with friends and create some lasting memories of KES.

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Biology field trip (Autumn Term) During my time at King Edward’s I have undertaken nine UK-based residential field courses and visited Madagascar, Ecuador and the Galapagos. I would not have predicted that one of the highlights of this year would be our delayed and truncated field trip of just a day spread over the sand dunes of Studland and the rocky shores of Kimmeridge Bay. At least the weather in October was kind enough to resemble the dates in July we normally travel over; though the icecream vendor was not in attendance. Forty-eight students were able to complete their core practical work constructing transects, to reinforce the ecology content of the A Level. It is this hands-on experience and collaborating with peers, that gives a flavour of research and helps appreciate the nature of the subject. This year (of all years) we received a visit from the exam board to look at the quality of the practical work we do. It was a great reflection on our students that the range and quality of their work on the field trip, and across the two years, was described as ‘hugely impressive’.

Mr Aellen

Biology Field Trip (Summer Term) It’s a field trip but not quite as we know it. In a year of moving goal posts, the Biology Department’s Sixth Form summer field trip took on several incarnations before a final form emerged. In its final form, the group spent time sampling a variety of habitats with the staff from Leeson House, based in Swanage, practising statistics and completing an individual investigation. They undertook work on succession and then independent research projects investigating growth conditions of many common plant species including Hedera helix and Lecanora campestris. The students clearly enjoyed their time ‘in the field’ and got thoroughly involved in designing experiments to try to support the hypotheses they had decided upon. They had to identify their plant species and determine growing conditions such as soil pH, light levels, soil compaction, species competition, etc, in order to isolate one intendent variable for testing. Examples of investigations included: Investigating the effect of soil compaction level on percentage cover of Plantago major and What is the effect of

light intensity on the intermodal length of Dog’s Mercury? Whereas in normal times, the Lower Sixth would have experienced a residential field trip, COVID-19 and government regulations have meant that this year they have completed day trips which, for the students, has at least meant that they have not been woken early by Mr Aellen.

Mr Aellen

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Events and Trips

Endeavour

E N DE AVOU R 2021

On 1st and 2nd July, the whole school came off timetable to participate in the annual Endeavour programme. The activities for each year group are based around a differing area of personal development.

climbing, archery and kayaking at Woodmill and a group of keen sailors spent two days sailing and paddleboarding at SWAC. Some joined the Second Years in the music workshop and others spent their time completing a Dragons’ Den style challenge.

The First Years had a fantastic time at Fairthorne Manor Activity Centre where they worked on their ‘independence’ by participating in a range of teambuilding activities. These included water sports and high ropes.

Fourth Year pupils either took part in the Dragons’ Den style challenge to create a board game, or participated in Duke of Edinburgh Award expeditions – a change from the usual ‘community’ focus due to fact that we were sadly unable to welcome our partnership schools this year.

The Second Years developed their ‘confidence’, either with their culinary skills on a cookery workshop, on the water at Poole Watersports Academy, of heights by climbing in the Peak District, behind the lens on a photography course, in their film-making abilities on a film workshop or in their musical talents creating a music video. The Third Years worked on their ‘collaboration’. Some travelled to Blenheim Woods for a twoday Bushcraft residential, others took part in

Sixth Formers chose from a range of options working on their ‘self-development’. Our biologists travelled to Leeson House for their annual biology field trip whilst others worked on science, art or EPQ projects. A small group travelled to Bristol to the Wave centre where they were able to learn to surf. All in all, the two days were filled with sunshine, activity, learning and fun – the perfect way to end the penultimate week of the Summer Term.

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First Year Fairthorne Manor Instead of the usual First Year camp, this year’s cohort spent two full days at Fairthorne Manor Activities Centre participating in a range of activities. Fairthorne is located in a stunning 94 acre setting beside the River Hamble, enabling land and waterbased pursuits. The First Years were able to try their hand at kayaking and den building as well as completing a host of team building challenges and an assault course with their friends and classmates.

Second Year Climbing Trip A small group of Second Year students set off on a three day climbing and camping trip in the Peak District, as part of their Endeavour experience. The activities included scaling the famous Peak District Rock, an indoor climbing session and recreational swimming. This was a fabulous chance for our junior climbing enthusiasts to build on their existing climbing skills and learn and develop new ones.

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Photography Workshop Some students selected to attend a two-day photography workshop. They spent time getting to know their camera and building their confidence behind the lens, before experimenting with different viewpoints, objects and people, as well as having

a masterclass in processing, editing and sharing images safely. They were given a range of topics to explore artistically and were challenged to submit photographs within each category.

Watersports at Poole An enthusiastic bunch of Second Year students headed off to the Poole Watersports Academy for two days of mixed watersports. They enjoyed paddle boarding, sailing, kayaking, power boating

and wind surfing as well as consuming a good deal of ice cream. The glorious weather certainly added further enjoyment to their water-based fun.

Cookery Masterclass Those Second Year students who had opted for a cookery masterclass during Endeavour headed over to Stroud where they made use of their facilities under the expert guidance of Mrs Collinson and Mrs Thorogood. Students mixed, poured, kneaded

and baked, producing some delicious dishes and sweet treats! On Thursday they made beef spaghetti bolognaise, scones and shortbread and on the Friday, a delicious Sri Lankan chicken curry, complete with raita sauce and naan bread.

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Film Workshop Students with an interest in cinema and film tried their hands at making short films over the two days under the expert guidance of visitors from One Day Film Academy. Guided by video lessons and practical exercises, and attending sessions on film history, fight choreography, screenwriting, camera work and editing, students were given the chance to create their very own short film. On Friday, the short films were premiered to the group. Congratulations to the Oscar winners behind the outstanding films ‘Love Between a Wall’ and ‘The Last Straw’. The challenge was to create short dramatic films and learn some of the essentials of the film making business. “It was great being able to work with my friends in a completely different way. We felt well supported and were really proud of what we achieved”. “I quickly learnt that you should never shoot the same angles consecutively with the same background – this made a big difference”. “I never thought it would come out so well and look good on a big screen”.

Music Academy Lower School students could also select to spend two days attending an in-house Music Academy short course creating their own music video from scratch; composing their own music, recording their performances and designing their imagery independently. This highly original creativity was aided by their use of Garageband and iMovie, delivering professional results. On the second day, they were given a guided tour of the Mayflower Theatre where they learnt a host of interesting historical facts about the theatre and the world of entertainment in Southampton. The saw the beautiful front of house, tested out all the viewing points, explored the orchestra pit, fly tower and backstage dressing rooms. They also spoke with many professionals working for the theatre, discussing the interesting developments of the Grade II listed building. The highlight of the tour was standing on the same stage that hosted Julie Andrews’ debut performance, The Beatles on their first national tour, and a host of inspirational comedians, operas, and musical theatre productions.

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Third Year Bushcraft Blenheim Woods in Oxfordshire was the destination for 38 Third Years who enjoyed a bushcraft skills course during a two-day residential. The diverse woodland at Blenheim is filled with old oaks and beeches, as well as many younger plantations, creating a wonderful backdrop for the camp. The students tried their hands at fire making, shelter building, camouflage and concealment, trap making, and much more. Each camp comprised of a large yurt and cosy campfire for mealtimes and talks, its own field kitchen, and safari-style bell tents to sleep in.

Woodmill A group of Third Year students headed to Woodmill Outdoor Activity Centre, based locally in Southampton, for their Endeavour experience. Here they spent their two days on and off the water under the watchful eye of the Woodmill staff. From paddling down the River Itchen in a canoe or kayak, to archery, climbing, abseiling and an exhilarating high-ropes course; their days were full of adrenaline packed activities that were not for the faint hearted.

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Watersports – SWAC A group of avid watersports enthusiasts headed off to Southampton Water Activities Centre as their chosen option for Endeavour. SWAC is situated at the base of the Itchen Bridge with immediate access to the River Itchen and Southampton Waters. The group were able to experience dingy sailing, riding in ribs and paddleboarding, both on the smaller boards and on the massive multi-person SUP.

Third Year and Fourth Year Dragons’ Apprentice Groups from both the Third Year and Fourth Year participated in this year’s Dragons’ Apprentice activity. The pupils (5 in a group) had to design and make a board game producing instructions/rules and all the pieces/questions needed for their prototype. They then put together a presentation to pitch their idea to the judges. They displayed a huge amount of creativity and design flair in their ideas. Examples of games produced by the Third Year teams included a version of Monopoly based on football, ‘Footopoly’ and an advanced Jenga inspired game which built on the original with questions when the bricks were removed; ‘Jengalation’. The Fourth Years also created some novel and inventive examples showing real entrepreneurship. The winning Fourth Years were the creators of ‘Pay Day’ and the Third Year winners were the creators behind ‘Trivial Dash’.

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Fourth Year Duke of Edinburgh Award Fourteen Duke of Edinburgh Award participants headed to the New Forest for a Bronze qualifying award expedition. The students spent two full days walking and orienteering whilst spending their nights under canvas at Wellington Sports Ground.

Lower Sixth Science projects Chemistry and Physics teachers offered Sixth Form students the opportunity of participating in numerous Science projects and experiments during Endeavour. Although many of the students have not studied the sciences for over a year, they decided to select this option to be able to participate in the fun aspects of a subject they like but have decided not to pursue at A Level. As part of the chemistry project they got to carry out flame tests, something they had last done much lower down the school.

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Art Projects Artistically minded students were challenged to create a drypoint print and illustration that will be displayed in a residential care home in Southampton when complete. The starting point was to take some successful still life photographs. A walk across the common allowed them to compile images and to study natural forms. Cyanotype (a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue print) was then used to develop the photographs through exposure to sunlight. It was a fun and rewarding experience to see their work come to life.

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Surfing and watersports Lower Sixth students travelled to Bristol for a day of surfing at The Wave for the first day of the Endeavour programme. The consistent and safe waves allowed students to quickly pick up the skills needed or build on existing experience during two lessons. On Day 2, they visited the New Forest Water Park where they took part in a tow line session, progressing quickly from knee boards to wakeboards before a stop at the beautiful Christchurch Harbour and a windsurfing and SUP session in the sun.

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Events and Trips

Go Ape!

As part of their settling-in and orientation period at KES, all First Year pupils took part in an activity and team building excursion to the Go Ape centre at Itchen Valley Country Park with their tutor and Sixth Form prefects early in the Autumn Term. As well as braving the high ropes course, they also took part in a range of tasks designed to challenge them and promote team working – a great way to get to know their new class mates.

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Events and Trips

Geography Field Trip

On Friday 18th June, the Lower Sixth geographers headed to the coast to undertake preparation work for their forthcoming independent investigations. Students were given hands-on experience with a variety of coastal fieldwork techniques including beach profiling, sediment sampling, re-photography and exploring the geology of the coastal area. A number of different locations were visited throughout the course of the day – Milford-onSea, Highcliffe and Avon Beach – in order to give students a range of different examples and ideas for their own projects. On Saturday 19th June, they then undertook urban fieldwork in Southampton, visiting the areas of St Mary’s and Ocean Village. Again, the students were given opportunities to learn about fieldwork techniques and collect data specific to an urban environment and they looked at potential independent investigation ideas linked to the Geography A Level specification.

Mrs Gibbs

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Events and Trips

Science Festival

The biennial Science Festival took place from 21st to 23rd June with a fantastically varied timetable of practical events and workshops covering all aspects of science, to engage and enthuse all year groups. From the physics of music technology, veterinary science workshops, wind tunnel experiments and psychology lectures to a Horrible Science writing competition, talks from visiting speakers, a Science Magic show, lots of impressive rocket launches and much more besides. The Festival certainly went off with a bang! Lower School students attended a ‘Surprising Science’ show with Matt Pritchard in the Dobson Theatre. His show challenged students to think creatively, like both a scientist and a magician, to discover the sneaky scientific secrets behind the most surprising illusions. It was a fantastic show to watch, and Matt Pritchard enthused, motivated and inspired every child in the room! Dr Cael, Senior Research Scientist at the National Oceanography Centre, gave students a concise overview of how the ocean works, how it influences our weather and climate, and how we study it. This includes not only the physics of ocean currents but also the chemistry of ocean carbon storage and the biology of life in the ocean. He also gave a demo of

the mini boats program the National Oceanography Centre will be running in the school next year and how that ties in with the ways that we study the ocean. Alex Potter is a designer and maker of musical instruments. In his presentation to pupils, he spoke about ‘How to design a guitar’ - providing an overview of the process and considerations of designing an acoustic guitar, covering things like size and air volume resonance, material selection and ways that design choices can be used to control the sound of an instrument. He brought two instruments with him that were tuned the same but have a very different sound which got the group thinking about what makes them sound different in spite of the fact that they have strings vibrating at the same frequency. Dr Greg Dickens has had a varied veterinary career to date including working in small-animal practice in Cambridgeshire and Hampshire, leading veterinary treatment in a primate sanctuary in West Africa and combining veterinary medicine with industry to invent new medical and surgical tools. He was able to enlighten students to the highs and lows, challenges and rewards of being a vet, in what can be an extremely varied profession.

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Prof. Tom Anderson gave a talk on why we should trust the projections of global warming by climate models, explaining how global warming threatens the very future of humankind. Earth System Models (ESMs), run on supercomputers, lie at the heart of climate science and are used to make projections of how much warming will occur during the 21st century, in response to different CO2 emission scenarios. Professor Anderson is a senior research scientist in the Marine Systems Modelling group at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. He is primarily a marine ecosystem modeller studying biogeochemical cycles in the ocean, but has a wide range of interests including climate science, complexity science, and the history and philosophy of science. Nick Arnolds is the bestselling children’s author of the ‘Horrible Science’ series. He joined us by Zoom for his presentation ‘My Horrible Life’ talking about how his interest in writing and Science developed and how he writes creatively whilst maintaining accurate scientific research.

Professor David Read is the Director of Outreach in Chemistry for the University of Southampton and gave an interactive presentation outlining the central role played by chemistry in tackling some of the most pressing problems of our time. In order to reduce the impacts of climate change, we need to develop sustainable sources of energy, and chemistry lies at the heart of many potential solutions. In medicine, chemistry holds the key to designing and producing drugs that will enable us to meet the challenge of beating diseases and improving our quality of life in the future.

Craig Leff works for University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory where he is the operations lead for ExoMars PanCam, a colour stereo camera on the ExoMars 2022 rover and previously spent nearly 20 years at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). In his talk, Craig discussed the science and exploration that the ExoMars mission plans to accomplish, PanCam’s role in that exploration, and how one drives a rover on another planet.

We are extremely grateful for all those who visited the school either in person or virtually to inspire and inform our pupils about the many facets of science. Science Festival Team

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Events and Trips

Summer Trips Activities trip to Dartmoor The core of this Sixth Form group were those students who had been planning to be part of the scheduled international expedition to Tanzania. With a set budget, the first stop was the Tesco’s at Leemoor to buy enough food to feed the team throughout the trip. After many years of training expedition teams, we credit this group of students with being amongst the top ten for food preparation! On the first afternoon everyone enjoyed a “dump hike” which included a good few short cuts, sitting on rocks enjoying the view and making the most of ice cream vans. In the evening we all enjoyed the first meal of our fabulous menu followed by setting up the night time bivouac in the woods behind the cottage. The students also used their bushcraft skills to make mallets and pegs from the natural environment. The kitchen had remained busy producing some fabulous brownies for late evening before everyone eventually settled under their mosquito nets and drifted off to sleep watching the stars. After a full cooked breakfast, the group headed for the famous Dewerstone Valley for a day of rock climbing. Confidence grew during the day with some of the Sixth Formers used to climbing in their games sessions finding that climbing on the granite of Dartmoor is not the same as following colours on an indoor wall. Many hilarious moments followed on

‘Troglatite’ and ‘Holly Bush’ but the highlight brought Mr Havers to tears of laughter as Ben worked his way up “Window Slit” towards the end of the afternoon, witnessed by the entire group and some members of the public, who wondered where the strange noises were coming from. In the late heat of the afternoon, another ice cream van was sourced followed by river crossing training including stretcher making and moving of casualties across the river. Many items of clothing and boots were needed to be dried that evening as the food was prepared and slack line practice commenced. More climbing was the order of the day on Thursday on Sheep’s Tor, known to many who have attended Second Year camp over the years. That afternoon, the late nights and bivouac sleeping caught up with many of the students but, following a game of ultimate frisbee, raft racing commenced with many competitive races taking place. The weather was fabulous on Dartmoor, the group were brilliant to work with and there was much laughter. The last evening saw the sunset on the moor with a very different type of rounders. We are sorry we were not in Tanzania but, hopefully, we can see over the horizon as the next international expedition will be launched in September 2021 for the summer of 2023. Mr Havers and Mrs Henderson

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Summer Camp Undaunted by the difficulties of COVID-19, the Summer Camp Team endeavoured to do as much as possible with the young carers at No Limits over the summer break, despite not being able to organise the usual residential camping trip away. Instead, they took the children on three separate day trips, one to Go Ape at Itchen Valley Country Park, one to Mighty Adventures Crazy Golf and finally to a Treasure Trail around the streets of Southampton. Each of the days was a great success and vital bonds were formed between the Sixth Form Team and the young carers ahead of what we all hope will be a return to normality this year for the Summer Camp programme. The thank you letter sent to us from No Limits featured quotes from the young people and highlighted just how much they appreciated the days out and time spent with the Sixth Form team.

“I would like to say that the trip to Itchen Valley was amazing and the Sixth Formers were absolutely fantastic. I would like to see them again. A massive thank you to everyone for making the trip awesome.”

“I thought the trip was brilliant and would definitely go again. The Sixth Formers were really cool and lots of fun. They were so friendly and funny too.”

Mr Dormehl

Summer Activity week with PDSA

On 23rd August, we gathered at KES to meet our Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association friends. Some of them we had already met at previously gettogethers and others were new to this partnership.

We had planned a busy first day of activities, starting with parachute games and a musical talent show, which included some enthusiastic performances of Michael Jackson and One Direction. After lunch we took part in an art workshop, each of us painting our own interpretations of a ‘moving sky’ theme, and this was followed by the very popular activity of cake decorating. On day 2 we went on a trip to Marwell Zoo. We saw an array of animals, with meerkats and penguins being the overall favourites. In smaller groups, we all got the chance to get to know people better. Day 3 was a highlight for many, as we travelled to Paultons Park to enjoy our favourite rides before rounding off the week with a sunny activity day at Wellington Sports Ground. We started off with rounders, followed by a movie, before an afternoon of fun races and dodgeball. The last day was bittersweet as we were sad to say goodbye to our new friends, but at the same time it was amazing to see how everyone’s confidence had grown throughout the week. Overall, we loved this experience because we had a lot of fun participating in such a variety of activities with an incredible group of people.

Evie and Rozy

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Events and Trips

Second Year Activity Day

I had fun going to the Second Year Activity Day. When I arrived, I didn’t think we would be manhandling injured dummies through caves of tables and tarpaulins, nor eating ‘space’ food around a camping stove. It was, however, a thoroughly enjoyable day. In the morning, we did team building activities such as orienteering and making wooden catapults. My team fired our tennis ball 20 paces away which, although not the winning score, was an impressive feat in our eyes as we had struggled to make it fire at all at the beginning. The last activity of the morning was learning some first aid skills. We practised CPR on dummies and bandaged blue sharpie wounds. Then we retired to the field to cook our lunch on stoves. I had never done this by myself so it was an interesting experience. After lunch we did more activities together such as blindfolded games, water transporting games and map skills. The highlight of the day for me however, was rescuing an injured dummy from a makeshift cave using the first aid skills we had learnt in the morning. Though, of course, not real, it was very

exciting and funny. We lost a few points for possible neck breakage but we still managed to save our dummy just two minutes late and I’m sure he would have survived! We then went home tired and a bit cold (due to the unseasonal May weather) but having had an amazing day.

Phoebe Second Year

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On Monday 3rd May, we went to Wellington Sports Ground and experienced one of the most fun, engaging and interesting days ever. We took part in various activities, like orienteering, disarming a bomb with some rope and a clothes hanger, constructing a slingshot to fire a tennis ball, geographical signposting, performing CPR on mannequins, and rescuing those mannequins on stretchers out of hilariously made up but realistic perilous situations. There was also a sheep herding game which made use of blindfolds and good listening. Also, we played the human knot game which is also a challenge but encourages teamwork and we must say, is very satisfying when completed. Our two favourites were probably disarming the bomb as it was very engaging and lively and we beat the record time of 11 seconds with 9 seconds and the slingshot game as it required teamwork to make a base for the sling with wooden poles and the tennis ball fired pretty far. At lunch, we also cooked foods like pasta or beans and toast on small cooking stoves with gas, which was very authentic, as it felt like we were camping. The food was delicious and there is something soothing and therapeutic about cooking and preparing your own food outdoors. Overall, that day was fantastic, inclusive and we look forward to all other outdoor days to come.

Darren and Josh Second Year

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The Elite Sports Performance Programme

The Elite Sports Performance programme continues to grow. There are over fifty students at King Edward’s who are competing at regional level or higher across a number of different sports. Students who are involved in the programme have enjoyed expert strength and conditioning training via Zoom and in the fitness suite. These sessions aid them with injury prevention, as well as developing their movement skills. It has been a challenging year for all, but notably for young elite athletes. Having training and competitions continuously postponed and then cancelled has been a huge disappointment. We have therefore had a number of on-line seminars from external speakers. These have included Dr Britton advising our young athletes on how to adjust their goals, and double Olympic silver medallist and Director of Racing for the RYA, Ian Walker, discussing performing under pressure and developing talent, alongside the importance of focusing on the process rather than the outcome. Last year we started a series of talks from the Sixth Form sports scholars to the Lower School and this has continued to develop. The Sixth Form athletes are performing at the highest national levels and are able to provide a great insight into managing school

with sport commitments, how to stand out at trials, nutrition and injury prevention. Another exciting new element of the programme this year has been the introduction of coaching clinics to pupils at Stroud, run by the Sixth Form sports scholars and followed by a question and answer session. They have been fantastic role models, engaging the students and demonstrating excellent leadership skills.

Mrs Penn

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The KES Super League Results Hockey The Eagles finished in 4th place, 2 points behind the Sharks in 3rd place. The Tigers finished in 2nd on 70 points meaning the hockey winners by just ½ a point were the Cobras. 4th

Eagles

58 points

3rd

Sharks

60½ points

2nd

Tigers

70 points

1st

Cobras

70½ points

Netball In order to provide a meaningful and competitive Saturday sports programme during the Autumn Term (with the cancellation of inter-school and external sports fixtures), the Sports Department ran an internal hockey festival for the boys, and netball festival for the girls. Named ‘The KES Super League’ the event ran on Saturdays over the second half of term with members of the Sports Department dividing pupils into one of four ‘franchise’ teams. Players then each competed for one occasion, representing their team in the Super League event. The four franchises: The Cobras, The Eagles, The Sharks and The Tigers each donned their individual coloured playing shirts for each of their events and, whilst members of the sports staff ran and officiated the festival, students were encouraged to take leadership roles and organisational responsibilities for their respective franchise teams.

The Cobras finished in 4th, the Sharks in 3rd, the Eagles in 2nd and the overall netball winners were the Tigers. 4th

Cobras

54 Points

3rd

Sharks

59 Points

2nd

Eagles

63 Points

1st

Tigers

74 Points

Overall 4th place on 119 ½ points were the Sharks 3rd place - 1 ½ points ahead were the Eagles 2nd place - 3 ½ points ahead were the Cobras 1st place with a convincing 19 ½ point lead on the 2nd place team were the Tigers. 4th

Sharks

119 ½ Points

3rd

Eagles

121 Points

2nd

Cobras

124 ½ Points

1st

Tigers

144 Points

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Football Report 2020-2021

The 2020-21 season finally began for the footballers in April, 13 months after their last game. At one point, it looked like there would be no fixtures at all in the season, so we were all grateful for the Hampshire Colleges League creating a schedule for us. KES won all three of their matches to finish top of their group and the level of football showed what could have been achieved in a normal season. I have thoroughly enjoyed the chance to coach and manage the football team over the past 4 years. I hope that it has been a rewarding and enjoyable experience for all involved. The students have all represented the school in a positive light. I wish my successor all the best and hope that they continue to highlight the importance of Sixth Form football here at KES. V Peter Symonds 3rds, 4-3 victory The KES 1st XI recorded a pleasing victory against Peter Symonds 3rds. The victory would have been far greater had it not been for some impressive keeping from the visiting team. At 3-1 up with 25 minutes to go, I was feeling fairly happy. But the boys obviously wanted to get my heart rate going and it went back to 3-3. Ethan scored the winner and his second of the match with 5 minutes to go. Goals also for Joel and Marcus. Impressive debuts from Dan and Alex. V Barton Peveril College 4ths, 2-0 victory The KES side put in another impressive performance to beat Barton Peveril 4ths 2-0. The home team dominated possession and offered up very few chances to BP. In the first half, the team lacked a cutting edge and went into the break at 0-0. Following a few tactical changes, KES found the breakthrough, with Ethan scoring a guided header

from a well worked free kick, his third goal in two matches. Captain, Marcus, made the points secure as he scored low to the keeper’s right following a fine run. Alex was a commanding presence at the back and was deservedly man of the match. V Havant and Southdown 1sts, 5-2 victory Wow, wow, wow, where to begin! The KES 1st XI produced their performance of the past two years to beat a competitive and skilful Havant and Southdown 1st XI 5-2, making it 3 wins out of 3 for the season. HSD started the stronger, but KES weathered the storm, with Huw producing a vital save to keep it 0-0. Will was the heartbeat of the team in central midfield, dictating play and pressing the opposition, his good work was rewarded with the first goal. Captain, Rory, then produced the moment of the match, after excellent build up play. Rory let fly and the ball sailed into the top right-hand corner from 25 yards. HSD got 1 back before the break. With yellow cards mounting up for the opposition, the KES team kept their cool and represented the school with distinction. Ethan added a third, before Marcus extended the lead. HSD then went down to 10 men, before Ethan scored a second. Everyone in the KES team was immense and showed how well the season might have gone if it were not for Covid.

Mr Brown

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Cricket Overview 2021

Another busy, competitive and successful cricket season draws to a close. Looking back over this academic year, I am filled with a huge amount of pride at where cricket at KES has finished this season. Whilst a large proportion of schools have been cancelling block fixtures, KES has been right at the forefront of the re-introduction of school sport in the region. Despite a number of logistical challenges, we have managed to increase the number of fixtures played, ultimately leading to more students having the opportunity to represent their school.

a remarkable achievement.

Over the course of this season, we have had over 420 students play cricket for KES across 123 fixtures. During the current pandemic, it is outstanding that this number of students have had the chance to get out and enjoy this sport. The U12 age group, in particular, had 87% of the year group playing throughout the summer which is staggering!

This year, cricket has also seen several firsts at KES. We have introduced a girls’ 1st XI side for the first time whose players trained alongside their male counterparts throughout the winter, culminating in their first competitive fixture this summer against Hursley Cricket Club. Second Year, Ben, was the first Second Year boy to represent the boys’ 1st XI, Sanya (Fifth Year) was the first girl to play in the boys’ 1st XI team alongside her older brother Aryan in the Upper Sixth.

There have been a number of cup successes this season. The U15A boys reached the semi-final of the county cup and the U12A boys reached the county final with the U13A and U14A boys’ teams both winning their respective county finals, beating PGS and Winchester College respectively. The U14 win means that they will now be representing the region in the U15 National Cup next season which is

The U13A boys have, however, not only won the county cup this season they have, alongside the U14A girls, gone through the season undefeated! The U13A team played 17 games and won 17, whilst the U14A girls played 6 and won 6. These are outstanding achievements and certainly make these age groups ones to keep a close eye on in the future. I would like to pass on my thanks and huge congratulations to them and their coaches, Mr Chandrachud and Mr Clarke, for a superb season.

On top of all these outstanding achievements this term we have introduced the KES cricket team of the week. Students have been nominated throughout the season by their coaches for producing excellent individual performances, demonstrating leadership

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and sportsmanship and for representing the school with distinction. Our 1st XI cricket team of the term were named as Milly, Iris, James, Ben, Amelie, Sophie, Charlie, Daisy, Ava, Peter, Sanya, Hamish and Oscar. Congratulations to these students. Finally, I would like to thank all the coaching staff and players. This pandemic period has been difficult for everyone and the way we, as a school, have responded to the challenges posed to us, has been outstanding. Success is not built on luck it is down to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved and the players have played their part by rising to the challenges set by their coaches.

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Thank you to the girls’ cricket coaches: Mrs Penn, Miss Cole, Miss Horn, Miss Mitchell, Mrs Kent, Mrs Henderson, Mrs Sheppard, Mr Clarke and Miss Judd and the boys’ cricket staff: Mr Kent, Mr Bassett, Mr Mixer, Mr Eyssens, Mr Diver, Mr Smith, Mr Mapstone, Mr Crichton, Mr Richardson and Mr Hodgson. A special mention must go to Mr Parker, Mr Dudson, Mrs Kent and Mr Thompson from Stroud for supporting the KES cricket programme, highlighting that the relationship between the two schools is strong and flourishing.

Mr Penn

Head of Cricket

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Boys’ 1st XI cricket report

Played: 10 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 5 This cricket season for the Boys’1st XI has been a season of ups and downs. In the first game against Lord Wandsworth College, the side batted superbly scoring 171 against a strong bowling attack with Kamran and Hamish guiding KES to a competitive total. Nick and Hamish then bowled with control, until the first drink break, restricting the hosts to 40 from 10 overs. The boys then had an awful hour in which they bowled without control and made errors in the field. This hour cost them a win, which was a shame considering the start they had made with the bat. Game two was a far more complete display against a strong Winchester College side. Batting first again, the boys set 254 to win. Kamran (40), Daksh (58) and Hamish (69) scored with the bat, batting superbly with control and commitment. The team did what was asked of them after game one and were much improved with the ball. They made breakthroughs at regular intervals; but could not get their key player out and he took the game away from them at the end. Winchester College won by 4 wickets with 9 balls to spare.

Unfortunately, the rain over the next three weekends meant that the boys missed fixtures against Bryanston, PGS and Churcher’s. They struggled in the semi-final of the Altham Trophy, against a strong Peter Symonds team, losing the game without challenging the opposition. They then secured a comfortable victory against Alton College to finish third this season. Next up was a T20 against Bishop Wordsworth School, during the week, followed by Dauntsey’s on the Saturday. The boys responded well following the disappointment of the Altham Trophy by playing some exceptional cricket over the course of the week. Against Bishop’s, Charlie scored well at the top of the innings with 27. This was then backed up by the bowlers restricting BWS in their run chase allowing KES to win by 30 runs. The match against Dauntsey’s saw an excellent team performance and batting first KES managed to score 193 on a challenging pitch. Kamran again made an impressive start, but it was 1st XI débutant Third Year pupil, Charlie, who was the pick of the batters scoring 55. The boys once again showed that with a little application and time to get in, they

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can compile an incredibly competitive total. The wickets were shared across seven bowlers and all the bowlers bowled with control and patience with Fourth Year, Peter, showing excellent control. They were ably backed up in the field throughout as the side bowled Dauntsey’s out for 121 to record a convincing 69 run win.

were superb, balancing the risk to ensure that they crossed the line with 2 overs to spare and Matt hitting the winning runs over the back peddling KES co-captain Charlie on as a sub fielder for the opposition at mid-on! A superb game and our thanks to the MCC for making it such an enjoyable occasion.

Sadly, the Canford block was cancelled and so the final game of the season was a return match against Dauntsey’s in the form of a T20. History was made in this game by having Sanya and Aryan play together in the 1st XI; the first brother and sister to do so, as well as Ben, who made his 1st XI debut whilst a Second Year pupil. We believe he is the youngest pupil to play for the 1st XI. Unfortunately, the T20 format suited Dauntsey’s, and they set an imposing target of 149 despite some tight overs with the ball from Aryan, Hamish and both Bens. Charlie dug in for his 40 and Sanya was undefeated at the end. However, we never looked like challenging Dauntsey’s total.

I would like to thank both Mr Kent and Mr Smith for all their help over the course of this season. The students are extremely fortunate to have such a talented and experienced group of coaches to call upon. Finally, to the Upper Sixth, Mr Kent and I would like to thank you for what you have done, and we wish you all the absolute best as you move onto the next chapter of your lives.

The performance of the season came against the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) in mid-June. This was a tight encounter throughout with KES ending up 1 wicket winners. The boys lost the toss and were sent into the field on a dry, turning wicket. At drinks, they felt that the game was in the balance and that the spinners would be the deciding factor. On came Monty and Aryan and in went James under the helmet at short leg (an inspired bit of captaincy, as it turned out). Twenty overs later, the game had overwhelmingly swung in the boys’ favour as KES restricted MCC to 189-9. Both KES spinners were superb and James at short leg was a revelation, taking one of the best catches I have seen! All this would have been for nothing if the team had not played equally well with the bat, and they boys needed a good start. The batters played their opening bowlers well and, at drinks, KES were 75-2. They then lost a steady stream of wickets throughout the next hour of the game, finding themselves requiring 14 to win, with 5 overs to get them in and 1 wicket remaining. Monty and Matt

Charlie summed up this group of leavers perfectly after his debut: “I could not have asked for a more supportive, welcoming and talented group to play with. Coming into the 1st XI as a Third Year is a daunting experience, however, every single one of them have made me feel welcomed and part of the team from the very beginning. The younger guys and I in the team will have to work hard to live up to the incredibly high standards they have set for us.” Co-captains, Nick and Charlie, have been outstanding leaders and their parting gift to KES cricket will be a legacy of being supportive of your team-mates, playing hard and enjoying every minute together. I am confident this will continue for years to come. To Nick and Charlie, I would like to thank you both for all you have done on and off the field over the past two years as captains and players; your passion and enthusiasm for all things cricket will be hugely missed next season. Coach: Mr Penn, Mr Kent and Mr Smith Squad: Charlie, Daksh, Harry, James, Peter, Hamish, Nick (C), Ben, Kamran, Matthew, Pierre, Soren, Oscar, Charlie (C), Aryan, Sanya, Ben and Monty.

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Boys’ 2nd XI cricket report

Played: 3 Won: 0 Drew: 0 Lost: 3 Despite there being 6 games scheduled for the 2nd XI cricket team this season, we unfortunately lost 2 games to rain, and the final game of the season couldn’t take place due to players having to selfisolate. We were fortunate to have a consistently reliable side that enjoyed their cricket, providing very competitive games against Lord Wandsworth and Dauntsey’s which both resulted in narrow losses, despite some good batting from Oscar (75* and 59) and George (57 from 27). Jacob was always a threat with the ball up front whilst Josh and Dillon provided the side with some much needed control. The main area the KES side needed to improve was reducing extras when bowling, particularly becoming more accurate with their lines! With less extras, the KES side could have turned two defeats into victories.

Thanks to all the players for their commitment to 2nd XI cricket, and a particular thanks to Sam for captaining the side this season and providing an Upper Sixth presence each week! Coach: Mr Bassett Squad: Tom, Rory, Samuel (C), Oscar, Freddie, William, Jacob, Harry, Josh, Mathieu, Charlie, Robert, Dillon, Euan, James, Joe and Aaron.

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Boys’ U15 A cricket report Played: 8 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 4 This was an excellent season for a year group that had struggled a little in previous years. The season started with the best two wins of the season; a 34 run win over Lord Wandsworth (Oscar 51) and an 8 wicket win over Churcher’s College (Peter 52 not out). Easy wins against Mountbatten and Bishop Wordsworth’s followed. The side lost a very tight game against Dauntsey’s (Prem 42, Sam 30, Aryan 30) but met their match against very strong Winchester and PGS teams who showed the levels they need to aspire to next year. I was particularly happy with the fielding performances throughout the season. Everyone seemed to take pride in their fielding and there were some outstanding diving saves in the field, notably by Sam, Rory and Hugo. Peter set the standard for the bowling and was well supported by Prem, Aryan,

Venura, Callum and Savinu who all bowled well at times and showed great promise for next year. Coach: Mr Mixer Squad: Sam, Rory, Peter (C), Sam, Oscar, Venura, Prem, Sam, Aryan, John, Callum, Savinu, Hugo and Freddie.

U15B Boys’ cricket report Played: 6 Won: 2 Drew: 0 Lost 4 Back in April, a good squad of cricketers looked forward to getting back onto the cricket field after such a long break. They were able to play 6 good matches, with a couple of good wins, but some narrow defeats just tipped the ledger against them. Nick’s 55, in a strong score of 118, wasn’t enough against Lord Wandsworth’s in the opening fixture as they chased the target with an over to spare. This was followed by the best performance of the season in a 121 run win over Winchester College with Marcus chipping in with runs and wickets. After disappointing losses to Churcher’s and PGS, when the boys weren’t able to put enough runs on the board in difficult conditions, they returned to the winner’s circle with a win over Dauntsey’s when wickets to Freddie, Michael and Dylan prevented the opposition from getting close to the KES total. Unfortunately, Dauntsey’s turned the tables in the return match, when the U15Bs were unable to chase down a smallish target. Well done to Nick and Tim, the leading run scorers for the year, and Freddie, Dylan and Marcus, the leading wicket takers.

I would like to thank all of the boys who played for the school this term and encourage them to continue to play cricket in the future - hopefully with some of them playing for the senior teams. Coach: Mr G Eyssens Squad: Tim (C), Sam, Nick, Shaeel, Hugo, Joe, Marcus, Rajeev, George, Michael, Jamie, Freddie, John, Euan and Dylan.

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Boys’ U14A cricket report

Played: 10 Won: 6 Drew: 0 Lost: 3 Abandoned: 1 Cancelled: 3 The U14 boys’ A team enjoyed an excellent season of cricket. A team blessed with talent put in some outstanding performances, with notable victories against Winchester College (twice), Portsmouth Grammar School and Churcher’s College. The culmination of the season was victory in the local cup final to finish as U14 County Cup Champions. The team kicked-off the season at Lord Wandsworth College and a rusty side, devoid of competitive summer action for the school since they were U12s, struggled to defeat against a well-drilled outfit. However, this provided the run-out the team needed, as they followed up with three stellar performances. The first in a win against Winchester College on the beautiful Meads pitch, which saw an opening stand of 162 between Charlie (89) and Rory (49) propel the team to 228 off their 30 overs. Winchester never looked to knock these off and a comfortable 62 run victory ensued, with Rory (3-26) also starring with the ball. The second grand performance, against

Portsmouth Grammar School (PGS), in what was to be a brutal abandoned finish, inches from the finish line, saw a second hundred partnership between Charlie (57) and Rory (100*). Rory earned a Dobson Bat Award for a maiden century for the school from just 74 balls. Defeat never looked likely, as PGS stumbled to 73-9, but the heavy rain came to steal away the chance of victory. Following such cruel luck, the team travelled to Churcher’s the following weekend and looked determined not to be undone by weather a second time. A third consecutive hundred opening stand this time saw Charlie (106 from 67 balls) score his maiden ton and another Dobson Bat Award in a mammoth total of 182 from 20 overs. Wickets were shared between bowlers and fielders to restrict Churcher’s to 115 in a 67 run victory. Following the half-term break, the team had the opportunity to enjoy a cup run. Seeded first in the ESCA U14 Hampshire County Cup draw, they enjoyed a bye in the first round to head straight to a semi-final clash against PGS. Following the previous encounter, a forlorn PGS team fell to 75 all out, with wickets shared. The boys took just 10.3 overs to

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knock off the runs in a 9 wicket victory. This saw the team return to picture-perfect Meads at Winchester College for a final for the ages. Batting first in less than perfect conditions, Charlie (46) and Second Year, Ben, (47) helped drag the team to 180 from their 35 overs. This felt underpar and, despite two early wickets, Winchester accumulated steadily, reaching 98-2 at drinks. Then came the chaos! The returning Olly, took two quick wickets but two overs either side yielded 28 runs, as sixes rained down from Winchester’s number three. Then an over to end all overs from Olly. Wicket. Dot. Wicket. Wicket. Wicket. Dot. Winchester were shattered and had nothing left as they capitulated to 133 all out. Olly finished the game with 6-16 and the team were crowned U14 County Cup Champions. As a result, they also qualified for the National U15 competition in 2022. Two final Saturday matches saw the team have to cope without captain and star batsman Charlie, as he earned his first 1st XI cap. A narrow and galling

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loss at home to Dauntsey’s, where the team failed to chase 118, was followed by a more comprehensive defeat in the return away fixture, where the team could only muster 93 on a tough track. Despite this, there was no doubt that this was a hugely successful and breakout season for the team. There were contributions across the squad and the depth of talent and potential for further improvement fuels anticipation for 2022, the National Cup and beyond. Most Runs: Charlie (352 runs at 70.40) Most Wickets: Olly (9 wickets at 15.44) Coach: Mr Smith Squad: Charlie (C), Aashish (VC), Rory (VC), Tom (Wicketkeeper), Jeevan, Tom, Olly, Cassian, Raaghav, Ben, Rayhaan, Eddie, Charlie, Nathan, Henry, Ben (U13) and Ayinen (U13).

Boys’ U14B cricket report Played: 4 Won: 1 Drew: 0 Lost: 3 Abandoned: 1 The U14 B cricket team has had a range of coaches and umpires being utilised at different times to help the team and manage school matches. However, the team enjoyed a pleasant term, playing five school matches, winning some and losing some and learning much more about the game in the process. Although my own input was restricted due to the pressures of the teacher assessed grade process, I enjoyed the company of the players on the occasions when I could be present and appreciated the quality of the cricket being played. Coach: Mr Diver

Squad: Max, Devansh, Paddy, Oliver, Archie (C), Freddie, Charlie, Henry, Charlie, Cassian, Nathan, Ben, Hamish, Joe, Junhao, Zayd, Aman, Max (VC), Dan, Oscar, Eddie, Charlie, Oli and Louie.

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Boys’ U13A cricket report

Played: 17 Won: 17 Drew: 0 Lost: 0 Including September Fixtures This has been a truly fantastic season for the U13A boys’ cricket team. Right from the beginning of the year the boys impressed me with their intensity in training and desire to improve every week, particularly in the field, where significant improvements were made throughout the summer term. The season started prematurely in September with convincing victories against Haliford, Ryde and Stroud, laying the foundations for the success that would come in the summer. After a win against Lord Wandsworth’s College, the team’s first major test came against RGS Guildford, where a mature innings from Sam, followed by accurate bowling from Seth, led to the narrowest of victories in the final over. A huge amount of credit should be given to the boys for the composure by which they approached this great challenge. This certainly proved to be a momentum builder as the boys went on to comfortably defeat Churcher’s and Dauntsey’s (twice), with Ben batting with great

confidence to help the team to large totals. The team carried their good form into the County Cup, with victories against Silesians and Yateley Manor before a convincing win over PGS in the final to become U13 County Champions; credit goes to Josh for 4 wickets against Silesians, as well as Ayinen for a 5 wicket haul against Yateley. It should be noted that the team’s success was a result of a collective buy in, and the variety of successful performers with the bat and ball throughout the season provides evidence of the vast array of talent that this year group possesses. I have no doubts that this tremendous group of boys will achieve even more success as they move up through the school. Coach: Mr Chandrachud Squad: Ben (C), Sam (VC), Ayinen (VC), Edward, Josh, Ioan, Arthur, Harry, Seth, Viraj, James, Darsh, Parrv, Aleks, Edward, Rufus, William and Lucas.

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Boys’ U13B cricket report

Played: 6 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 2 Including September Fixtures The season got off to a somewhat damp start with the weather forcing the cancellation of several fixtures. The first competitive match against Lord Wandsworth College resulted in a close match, with victory for KES by just 8 runs. RGS Guildford proved tough competition and they decisively won by 138 runs. The team, by this stage, was gelling and cohesion was apparent. William was starting to find his bowling stride and Rufus was becoming more assured in his excellent captaincy, supported by Lucca. Another cancelled match due to rain was followed by a spirited match against Churcher’s College, losing by 41 runs. The great English weather though was beginning to find its stride. The next two matches were victorious for the boys with some exhilarating moments and several boundaries. A memorable moment for all was Theo’s diving one-handed catch against Dauntsey’s back in June. All boys showed a desire for victory and represented the school positively.

Coach: Mr Mapstone Squad: Rufus (C), Theo (W), Ethan, Tanush, Lucca (VC), James, Ben, William, Monty, Edward and Lucas.

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Boys’ U12A cricket report

Played: 9 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 4 The U12 A team has been a fantastic group to work with this season. The boys have shown great improvement, and commitment to developing their cricket skills. Attendance at after school training was excellent which transferred to their match play. It was great to see so many boys given a chance to bat and bowl in every match. The first match was against Lord Wandsworth College and KES won comfortably with all boys getting a chance to bowl. The next match was a last-over thriller against RGS Guildford (away). Having them on the ropes after 10 overs, the U12 A team gave them 40 extras which gave them a total to defend. Darsh was the pick of the batsmen with 40 runs and nearly saw us home, but eventually KES fell 4 runs short of what would have been an excellent run chase and one that showed the boys’ potential and fighting spirit. The squad then had an excellent 63 run game against Bishop Wordsworth’s School, with Sam taking great joy in beating them, as his father was the coach. Unfortunately, rain would cancel the match versus PGS.

The first round of the Hampshire Cup saw KES play Churcher’s on a very wet Saturday. James would prove to be the match winner for KES with his 44 runs, with Sam taking some very important wickets at the end of the innings to secure the win and a place in the semi-final. The Hampshire Cup semifinal against Westhill Park was a tough encounter and some good bowling and fielding limited them to 87 runs. The Westhill bowling attack was quick and had KES struggling up front until Darsh and Navashen saw the side home for an excellent 7 wicket win. Darsh played a captain’s innings with 40 runs not out to win KES the match for a place in the final. The team then played another last-over thriller with KES needing a 4 off the last ball to win the match against Dauntsey’s. KES fell short by 2 runs but played well, with many boys getting a chance to bat. Sam top scored and batted the entire innings for a valuable 36 runs. The U12As then beat Embley Park convincingly and played a return fixture against Dauntsey’s. The last match of the season was the final of the Hampshire Cup versus Twyford School. KES batted

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first and looked to have built a strong foundation of an innings, but struggled to score regularly against some quick bowling. The boys eventually scored 77 runs with James top scoring with 26 not out to give KES a total which they could defend. Twyford started strong and looked comfortable until a few wickets fell late on. However, they eventually secured the win by 7 wickets. The KES team finished in second place in the Hampshire Cup and can be happy with their improvement and

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effort throughout the season. Many lessons were learnt and there is so much potential in this group of players. They have been a fantastic team and a good example of what cricket is all about. Coach: Mr Crichton Squad: James, Parrv (VC), Bertie, Darsh (C), Navashen (VC), James, Sam, Rivinu, Benji, Jake, Atharv, William, Jack, Aarav and Krishiv

Boys’ U12B cricket report Played: 6 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 1 It was a brilliant cricket season for the U12B team. With all the disruption to school sport during their first year at KES, it was great to see how the boys took it all in their stride, trained hard and played with passion and sportsmanship. They started their season off with a very dominant performance against Stroud School, winning by 10 wickets, and continued this brilliant run into the next game, beating Lord Wandsworth comfortably. The first real test of the season came the week after, as the U12Bs travelled to RGS Guilford to play their first away game of the season. The boys batted fantastically, Atharv was named in team of the week after his performance with bat and ball, and the game came down to the last over. Unfortunately, RGS manged to reach our total with 1 ball to spare. The team trained well all season with great numbers across the board, and they really reaped the rewards of this in the second half of the season by not losing another game. The boys travelled to Churcher’s expecting a challenging afternoon, and we weren’t disappointed. After a few weeks of rain which had affected games, the team were raring to go. With rain in the air and a slow pitch, KES won the toss and elected to bowl first. The team fielded well and took wickets, with a score of 75 to win, which we thought we would be able to knock off quite quickly. However, as the rain came down and with a misbehaving wicket, we realised it wouldn’t be easy. Tom and Will

opened the batting and got us off to a great start with Tom hitting a few quick boundaries, but we quickly started to lose wickets. However, the team steadied the ship and managed to get the required runs with an over to spare. The penultimate game of the season saw a convincing win against Dauntsey’s School, with two great batting performances from Henry and Jonathan both retiring on 50 not out. It was a fantastic season which has set a great foundation for this group of players to build upon throughout the rest of their time at KES. Coach: Mr Mapstone Squad: Jack, Henry, Tom, Edward, George, Will, Ewan, Olly, Aarav, Jonathan, Charlie, Krishiv, Jimmy, Leo, Benji, Ollie, Atharv, Angus and Noah

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Girls’ 1st Cricket

Played: 1 Won: 0 Drew: 0 Lost: 1 It has been a real pleasure to see girls’ cricket grow over the last two school years to a point where we can field a 1st XI. There were regularly over 20 girls throughout the winter training programme and, whilst there were some club cricketers in their midst, many had never picked up a bat or bowled before. They approached it with great enthusiasm and the skill level rapidly developed. This continued into the Summer Term and the outdoor sessions were just as enjoyable and productive and the girls eagerly awaited their first competitive opportunity. Sadly, the other schools on the fixtures list were unable to field teams and it looked like the season might slip by without a ball being bowled. However, we were very grateful to our friends at Hursley Cricket Club who fielded an U18 girls’ team to enable us to have the first ever girls’ 1st XI cricket fixture. We fielded a side with students from the Third Year upwards which bodes really well for the future growth of this sport at KES. Our girls fielded first and there was some very disciplined bowling at the start of the innings from Sophie. Freya had the delight of taking the first wicket for the school in her first ever cricket match and our girls

continued to impress with good fielding and excellent bowling. Hursley set a challenging total which the girls approached in a positive manner against a strong bowling attack with county players in their midst. Lola got the side off to a great start and, with Sanya also scoring well, the girls gave it a good go. However, ultimately, Hursley’s greater amount of experience and quality of bowling proved to be a little too good for the KES team and the side finished up losing by 20 runs. This was a very creditable performance against a strong team which the girls really enjoyed but, sadly, it was the only game of the season. We were delighted by the approach of the girls throughout both the training and the match and we can look forward with great optimism to the future of girls’ cricket at KES. Many thanks to Mr Penn for his relentless effort and enthusiasm for getting girls’ cricket up and running, and I am sure it will continue to thrive under his leadership for years to come.

Mr Kent Director of Sport

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Girls’ U15A cricket report

Played: 6 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 2 This season has seen this group of girls go from strength to strength, growing both as individuals and as a group of very talented athletes. From the very start of the season right until the end, all of them have shown great commitment and dedication to training sessions, fixtures both mid-week and on Saturdays, as well as a desire to question and learn more about the sport. The girls started the season with a fixture against Ryde School. This was a pairs softball game in which KES took the win by a convincing 87 runs. The girls demonstrated some great fielding skills with plenty of wickets being taken, and some excellent batting partnerships starting to develop. A few weeks of rain meant the U15As missed out on some fixtures but the girls worked hard in the nets, and during training, to prepare for a mid-week game of hard ball pairs against PGS. The first hard ball game of the season saw the result come down to the final over of the innings. The whole game was competitive with both teams taking 7 wickets each. The KES girls were phenomenal in the field

and prevented PGS from running numerous singles. Following this, they ran hard between the wickets and took every opportunity to take those extra points and the final over saw Mel and Elinor hit boundary after boundary, scoring 24 off of the final over!! Following this fixture, the girls were on a high and continued with their team work, excellent batting and fielding against St Swithun’s. Unfortunately, a win was not to be and, although KES worked hard to keep St Swithun’s at bay, their batting was just too strong on this occasion. In typical style for this age group they bounced back from this loss and worked on attacking the ball in the field and ensuring that their communication when batting was loud and clear. Having lost some key players to the senior girls’ team, those who were new to hardball didn’t look out of place at all. The next game saw them play Embley in hardball pairs and, once again, this game went to the last few overs. After a fantastic start with the bat, KES challenged Embley with a score of 265 to chase down. Embley rose to the challenge, closing down the score, but 2 wickets in the final over meant we

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kept Embley to a score of only 262. A nail-biting game that could have gone either way! The last game of the season saw the U15A side finish with a game against Gordon’s School. The girls played the best cricket that they had all season and finished off with a triumphant win beating Gordon’s by 223 runs. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch these girls train and play throughout the season, to see their talent constantly growing, as well as their team

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work and smiling faces. They have challenged me as a coach this year and I cannot wait to see them playing for the girls’ 1st XI over the next few years! Keep up the good work girls and remember “send the bails to Wales!”. Coach: Miss Cole Squad: Daisy (Captain), Sophie, Charlotte, Celia, Mel, Claudia, Matilde, Ava, Isabelle, Zofia, Isla, Ottilie, Elinor, Charlotte, Tessa, Alannah, Georgina, Erin, Lola and Sanya.

Girls’ U14A cricket report Played: 6 Won: 6 Drew: 0 Lost: 0 The U14A girls’ cricket team have had an amazing season, remaining unbeaten throughout, with some convincing victories. Over the course of the year there have been many impressive talents on show and commitment to every training session and Saturday fixtures. The girls have shown great strength and ability and are a challenge to older age groups. At the start of the season, they played against the year group above and won by an outstanding 32 runs. Special mentions to Ellie and Sophie for setting such a high standard with their bowling, taking 3 wickets each, and Emily for a great batting performance with the top score of 14. There have been many impressive performances over the year with highlights from fixtures away at Ryde and at home to St Swithun’s. The girls beat Ryde by an extremely impressive 85 runs and St Swithun’s by 68 and have shown an increased development with the bat and are able to hit the ball in some great areas, with great technique. Evie and Josie have achieved an elevated number of runs during the season with some courageous quick runs and sometimes scary to watch close call running. The whole team has been based around high quality fielding and being fast around the field while taking some amazing catches. The highlight from the last

game of the season was Scarlet and Kiran taking amazing catches. There has been an outright winner for the most catches of the season and this goes to Millie. She has been amazing in every single game and really grown into her role of wicket keeper. I look forward to seeing her develop her skills over the next few years at KES I hope to see all the girls continue to play cricket together and continue to drive their high standards forward. I believe they will be able to achieve great things and are the team to beat during cup competitions. Coach: Mr Clarke Squad: Millie, Evie, Emily, Charlotte, Kiran, Emily, Laura, Cara, Sophie, Scarlett, Ellie, Josie, Jemima and Rhyseren.

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Girls’ U13A cricket report

Played: 6 Won: 5 Drew: 0 Lost: 1 Cancelled: 1 The U13A team is blessed with talented and committed cricketers. The season began with a great victory against Ryde School. The girls batted well and won the game by an impressive 96 runs. Elizabeth managed 4 catches and a wicket, whilst Megan hit three 4s and one 6. Unfortunately, the weather was against us for the next two fixtures which were cancelled. The following game saw us lose to Churcher’s by only 2 runs; the girls played extremely well and it was a close game all the way through. Ava received ‘player of the match’ gaining 4 wickets and hitting two 6s. In the next game, the girls were very well matched against St Swithun’s at home. This was an impressive game and King Edward’s came out on top winning by just 12 runs. For the next fixture, the girls were away at Twyford School but this time in a hard ball game. This was the best I had seen them play. Their fielding was second to none and they were so supportive of each other. The result was KES: 258 runs and Twyford: 248 runs. Isabelle stepped up as wicket keeper for the whole game and performed outstandingly.

In the penultimate game of the season, the side faced Embley and this seemed to be a relaxed affair: the girls won this game by almost 200 runs and the result reflected their astounding batting performance. Lastly, the U13As played Gordon’s School at home. The two teams were evenly matched the whole way through the game and it could have gone either way. Fortunately for KES, in the last over of the game Amelie batted exceptionally and it was because of this the girls secured their final win. I am so proud of the U13As this season and they should be extremely proud of themselves. They only lost one game and this by only by 2 runs. It has been great coaching the girls this year and I wish them all the best for future cricket seasons. Coach: Miss Horn Squad: Megan, Isabelle, Elisabeth, Ava, Holly, Emily, Harriet, Amelie, Flora, Isabelle, Lily, Immi and Anu.

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Girls’ U13B cricket report

Played: 5 Won: 4 Drew: 0 Lost: 1 The Second Year girls have been a delight to coach and to spend Saturdays with! They have been enthusiastic, competitive, friendly and encouraging to each other at all times. They have also had a very successful season with four wins and only one loss (which was only by 15 runs). Their bowling was a little wayward at the start of the season, with many of the girls having played little, or no, cricket before this term, but that has improved considerably and the team now contain a good number of very reliable and effective bowlers. Their batting has been a real strength with a few of the girls regularly hitting fours and with an occasional six thrown in! As a team their fielding has been solid and consistent, showing great backing up and teamwork. Coach: Mrs Sheppard Squad: Rosie, Lana, Emily, Sophie, Immi, Bella, Edie, Ayushna, Alice, Evie, Sophie, Rosa, Sophie, Isabelle, Anu, Isabelle, Catherine, Sophie and Flora.

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Girls’ U12A cricket report

Played: 7 Won: 6 Drew: 0 Lost: 1 The First Year girls have really taken to cricket this term with over 30 girls turning up to training every Wednesday after school, and record attendance for Saturday matches. Although a number of the girls had prior experience of the game before joining KES, the majority didn’t and it has been fantastic to see their skills and understanding develop over the weeks. This, alongside the strong competitive spirit, has meant that places for Saturday matches have been fought over with passion. The aim for the coaching team was to ensure that whilst we allowed the A team to push forward as a unit, every student who attended practice and was available on a Saturday, should get an opportunity to represent the school and, as such, teams were rotated regularly. The U12 A team has had a fantastic season with some outstanding performances from all the girls across the matches. Cancellations due to weather were frustrating for all, but the girls always regrouped and came out fighting for the next game. The first game of the season was against Ryde and the girls took to the field in bright sunshine and with

a sense of anticipation. Having lost the toss, they batted first but soon learnt that this had advantages as they set such a high score that the Ryde girls were demoralised before they took to the wicket. Their next match was against Churcher’s and once again they went out first to set the score and pushed the benchmark too high for the opposition. By now the team was gaining confidence and vocally supporting each other with “Wicket ball”, “Good ball” and “Great hit” ringing around the field. The match against St Swithun’s came next and, yet again, the girls played well. The game was played in two parts and credit has to be given to the St Swithun’s girls who came back much more strongly in the second game and set the KES girls a challenge with their batting. Mid-week saw the first hard ball match of the season against Twyford which gave some of the girls their first experience of running in pads and facing a hard ball. Despite the loss, this was a positive experience for them and I am sure that they will build on this next year. The final two matches were soft ball against Embley and Gordon’s School. In both cases, the matches went to KES without a huge amount of effort which reflected the progress the girls have made over the

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season, their ability to produce consistent quality bowling across the squad and decent batting averages off every over. Particular individual highlights of the season have included the quality and consistency of batting and bowling from our more experienced players in the form of Milly, Iris and Isobel, some super batting from Annabel, Isla and Leonie, the improvement in bowling from Elysia, which made her quite deadly in the final two games, and the shear speed and dynamism of fielding from Milly, Elin and Maya.

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Coach: Mrs Henderson Squad: Leonie, Milly, Iris, Milly, Isla, Annabel, Elin, Isobel, Elysia, Ava and Maia.

All in all, this was a fantastic squad of girls to work with and I look forward to charting their progress and success as they move through the school.

Girls’ U12B cricket report Played: 5 Won: 3 Drew: 0 Lost: 2 Every Wednesday, the girls arrived to training eager to improve their cricket skills and their commitment was certainly reflected in their performances at fixtures. Although the weather cancelled their first fixture, momentarily dampening their spirits, they were excited to finally represent the school in a fixture against Ryde School. A victorious first fixture was secured by excellent fielding and bowling from all the players. Unfortunately, the Bs faced a rather competitive Churcher’s as their second fixture. They ascended onto the field with determination and a desire to be triumphant in their second game and fought tremendously, sprinting as fast as they could to secure the quick singles, but this was not enough to win. However, they remained positive, attending training to improve for their next game against St Swithun’s. The Bs achieved two very different results in the two games they played against St Swithun’s this season. The first game, the warm-up game, they narrowly lost by 6 runs but the camaraderie of the girls, especially from their captain, was outstanding. Fortunately, the girls were able to face St Swithun’s for a rematch and this time were incredibly successful. Megan had an outstanding innings scoring three 6s in the final over of the game. The final fixture of the season was against Gordon’s

School. The girls were determined to win their final game and with excellent communication in the field, powerful hitting and accurate bowling, secured their win. The U12 Bs should be very proud of their achievement this season - I certainly am. Coach: Miss Mitchell Squad: Roxanna, Elin, Elsa, Sadie, Chloe (C), Megan, Rosa, Mathie, Ole, Sophie, Avani, Tess, Alice, Delilah, Jessica, Freya, Lotte, Shreya, Isla, Chloe and Zunairah.

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Cover designed by Mr G Piggott.

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King Edward VI School . Wilton Road . Southampton . Hampshire SO15 5UQ