focus Kingswood in
2012 - 2013
Contents
27
37
38
Regulars 1 2 4 6 7 8 22 26 28 39 42 44 66 67 68 72 73 74 76
Letter from the Headmaster Staff News Chapel and Community Examination Results Prizegiving The Houses Art Christmas Charity Ball Performing Arts International News Work Experience Sport Friends of Kingswood MUN Foreign Trips and Exchanges Eco-Schools English Department Out and About Outdoor Pursuits
41
Features 27
KATS 2012 This year’s celebrations marked the tenth anniversary of our annual awards ceremony to recognise our Artistically Talented Students
43
37
Music Department NestCam Diary A successful year at last; 8 eggs, 7 successfully fledged chicks!
38
Kingswood Theatre Appeal All the latest information on our most recent Development project
41
From the Archives We continue our reflections with a look back at Kingswood’s Pavilions
43
Focus on IT and Computing With a recent name change, we look at how ICT has evolved
Kingswood in Focus 2012 - 2013 Designed by Novum Communications www.novum.co.uk
Kingswood Senior School, Lansdown Road, Bath BA1 5RG T. 01225 734210 E. enquiries@kingswood.bath.sch.uk
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Letter from the Headmaster
A Warm Welcome Dear Parents and Friends, It is always a joy to be offered the opportunity to write some introductory words for our annual Kingswood in Focus. A school magazine should always aim in both style and content to be a true reflection of the School and this current edition certainly depicts a thriving school full of activity, variety, creativity, individual and collective success and above all that immensely strong sense of community which continues to be such a defining factor of the School. I particularly thank Peter Clarke, in his final year as Editor, for his sterling work in bringing this latest magazine to publication, and indeed his initiative in his years as Editor which has seen the magazine retain its many established strengths whilst also becoming a more formal record of a year in the life of the School. This will certainly please the archivists of the future as they seek to resolve disputes over the details of triumphs (or otherwise) in the classroom, on the sports field or in the theatre! New Humanities Block
The Autumn Term brings with it a period of intense activity for our Admissions Department as we plan for the following academic year, and alongside this for the Headmaster one of the great pleasures of his role, namely the opportunity to engage in lively conversation with prospective students and their families, occasions which offer an open book for extolling the School’s finest qualities! Discerning parents – and, indeed, students – ask many challenging questions and expect considered answers, but the essence of our conversations comes down to something very fundamental, namely whether Kingswood is actually the right school and whether the student would prosper here. In these conversations I make it clear that it is quite contrary to our ethos to seek to define one type of student as most suitable for Kingswood, as one of our fundamental tenets is that we wish to be diverse, encourage individual enterprise and counter a one-dimensional approach. Yet in these conversations I do often define the type of qualities which seem to be prevalent in those who gain the most from Kingswood, and these include a real sense of ambition which goes well beyond self, an open mindedness, a belief in the importance of making a difference, a sense of humility and responsibility and a confidence which lacks any sense of superiority or belief in innate entitlement. Interestingly I am often asked in
these conversations about what I look for in a teacher, and it is fair to say that these same qualities would feature high on my list of essential attributes; I want to employ teachers who are absolutely passionate about their subjects, but whose burning passion is for educating young people, teachers who are excited by the influential role they can play in helping young people realise their dreams, teachers whose motivation is selfless and whose sense of vocation is unwavering. These are high ideals indeed, but the finest schools are able to attract teachers with these qualities and the Kingswood Common Room is most certainly one of the finest examples of this. The environment in which teachers teach and students learn inevitably has a significant impact on the quality of that teaching and learning and at Kingswood we are of course blessed with a particularly attractive and impressively located school site. One of our greatest challenges is to develop the site in keeping with our clear educational vision whilst remaining fully in sympathy with both our distinctive history and our established local surroundings. The school year 2012/2013 saw the first phase of our Governors’ ambitious development plans come to fruition with the building on the Ferens Lawn of a stunning new Humanities building, a development which has simultaneously led to the recreation of the Ferens Quad, an area of the School which had become somewhat neglected. No sooner had the Humanities building been handed over to the School by the builders than we were embarking on Phase Two, a new boarding house on the site below Beaconfield, due for completion in Summer 2014. Such developments are very exciting indeed for the School and, as well as offering significantly enhanced facilities, they also act as a tangible symbol of our ambition. I was told recently by a prospective parent that Kingswood is seen as a ‘driven’ school and I chose to take that as a compliment - I think it was intended as one! We are certainly driven to provide the very best education for every student, driven to provide the very best pastoral support to every student and to see every student as an individual with personal needs, goals and aspirations. Yet such drive and ambition is ultimately meaningless unless it is seen in the context of our history and the ideals to which Kingswood has aspired since its foundation, so whilst investment in buildings and plant is rightly a development priority, our primary focus in our investment must always be in our students and in how we might support them in becoming young people with a strong set of values and a personal conviction based on those values which means that they really will leave school equipped to make a telling difference to the lives of others. To work in a school and have the opportunity to play a role in helping set young people off on the path towards future success and fulfilment is an immense privilege; to have that opportunity at Kingswood is something very special indeed. With my very best wishes
Mr Simon Morris (Headmaster and Principal of the Kingswood Foundation) Kingswood in Focus 1
Staff News
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK Once again, it is now October half term and, after what seems like only a few months but is in fact a whole year, I find myself sitting in front of the computer typing this out. This is one of my last acts in putting the issue together. From here, all that remains to be done is one last tweak of the design and one final trawl through by the Headmaster’s PA and the Headmaster. Once he is happy, the magazine is signed off and it goes to the printers. For those Professors of Pedantry amongst you who love finding mistakes, you may be interested to know that, each year, we do leave a few deliberate ones in the magazine for you to find. Congratulations to the (surprisingly) few of you who found last year’s DBM (Deliberate Big Mistake) amongst the Sports Results. Anyone who spots this year’s DBM will be entitled to a free copy of next year’s KIF! This is my third edition of KIF and, I am sad to say, my last as editor. After 39 years in the teaching profession, I have finally decided to hang up my mortarboard at the end of this academic year. A journey that started in St. Albans in 1975 has taken me round the world via Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Harpenden, Hong Kong and Bristol, before easing up to the buffers in Bath. It has been a fantastic journey – the journey of a lifetime, you might say - and to end it at Kingswood has been a privilege. I have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement with KIF and feel that, in my three years of tenure, we have made it more of a formal record of the school year than it was previously. It is, of course, a work in progress and I wish my successor all the best in taking it forward. All that remains for me to do is thank the many people who have contributed to the production of this issue of KIF: from the staff and students for providing the text to those who helped provide the photos, in particular Tim Martin and Alina Moiseeva, and from Angela Dudley-Warde, who oversees the project, to Sally Johnston, who does the final proofreading. For the third year in succession, my biggest thank you is reserved for Sam Dabbs-Cotton, the designer, who has once again woven her magic and turned bland text and standard jpegs into the impressive magazine you see before you. I hope you all enjoy reading Kingswood in Focus 2012 – 2013!
Mr Peter Clarke (Editor)
Footnote from the Development Director Well another magnificent edition of KIF from our Editor, Peter Clarke, who has, in his usual delicate style, extracted all the materials from every corner of the School. No member of staff escapes him as he combs the Common Room on a regular basis, gently prodding and nudging about pictures and articles that he needs to collate in order to bring this wonderful record of our School year together. What will we do without him? On a serious note, Peter, we are indebted to you for all your hard work and dedication to the cause – it has been a tremendous help to me as this is such an important publication in showing what a truly amazing school Kingswood is when we are talking to our new prospective families. A huge thank you from us all. Best wishes, Angela Dudley-Warde
2 Kingswood in Focus
Goodbye... At the end of the Summer Term we said farewell to a number of staff who have served Kingswood with distinction. Mrs Sally Cunliffe, who has retired, joined Kingswood in 2001 to teach English and History. In the ensuing twelve years she has been a very fine teacher indeed – committed, energetic, knowledgeable and with a really strong classroom presence. Mrs Cunliffe’s many qualities were recognised in her appointment as Senior Housemistress of Summerhill in 2006, a post which she held until 2011. Since then her all-round experience and talent has been recognised in her appointment as a Boarding Inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate, a role to which has brought an eye for detail, a keen sense of judgment and no little experience of what really matters in educating young people. Mr David Hughes also retires after six years as an outstanding Head of English and inspirational teacher whose influence at Kingswood has been quite exceptional. The English department of course has responsibilities which go well beyond examination success, and in every area Mr Hughes has led his team with distinction. His popularity amongst students is well documented, the regard in which he is held by his colleagues equally high. He was for the past few years Chairman of Common Room, a role which required him to not only look after his colleagues’ welfare but also, just occasionally, to offer the Headmaster timely advice. He has been equally strong, and diplomatic, in both these key responsibilities! Mrs Burt joined Kingswood in 2007 to teach Chemistry, showing herself very quickly to be a highly talented teacher in a subject which places significant demands on both academic and organisational dexterity and being rewarded after a short time with promotion firstly to Acting Head of Chemistry and subsequently Head of Chemistry. The department has thrived under her leadership, consistently achieving outstanding results and seeing a number of students going on to study Chemistry and related subjects at prestigious universities. She has now decided to take a break from teaching to spend more time with her young family.
Welcome... I was delighted to welcome the following new teaching staff this year: Mr Brendon Berg as part-time teacher of ICT and Drama. Mr Berg has a degree from Tshwane University in South Africa and a PGCE from the University of South Africa. He has previously taught ICT and Drama at Dainfern College, South Africa and Thames Christian College, London. Mrs Linda Blair as part-time teacher of Psychology. Mrs Blair has a BA in Psychology from Wellesley College, USA, an MA in Development Psychology from Harvard and an MPhil in Clinical Psychology from the University of London, Institute of Psychiatry. Mr Daniel Darwin to teach History and Politics. Mr Darwin has a BA in History and Politics from the University of Durham and recently completed his PGCE at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Mrs Sarah Herlinger to teach History and she is also our new Resident Assistant Housemistress in School House. Mrs Herlinger has a BSc in Speech Sciences from University College, Mr Darwin and London, a BA in History Mrs Herlinger from the University of Newcastle and recently completed her PGCE from the University of Bristol. Mr Jean-Michel Legg to teach Spanish and French. Mr Legg has a BA from the London School of Economics and a PGCE from Roehampton University. Before undertaking his PGCE, Mr Legg was an EFL teacher in Mexico.
L-R: Mrs Sim, Mr Thomas, Mr White, Mr Legg and Mr Smyth
Mrs Victoria Sim as Head of Girls’ Games. Mrs Sim has a BA with QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) from De Montfort University, Bedford and before joining Kingswood she was Head of Netball and PE Teacher at Berkhamsted School in Buckinghamshire. Mr Steven Smyth to teach Geography. Mr Smyth has a BSc from Loughborough University and a PGCE from Oxford University. Most recently he has been teaching Geography and Science and was an Assistant Housemaster and Head of Year 10 and 11 at Wells Cathedral School. He was also Master in Charge of Athletics and a Rugby Coach. Mr Sean Thomas to teach Design Technology. Mr Thomas has a BSc from Cardiff University and recently completed his PGCE at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Mr Roger White to teach Mathematics. Mr White has a BSc from the University of Birmingham and a PGCE from the University of Bath. Most recently he was teaching Mathematics at Norton Hill School. Miss Natalia Waring to teach Chemistry (to cover Mrs Burt’s maternity leave). Miss Waring has a BSc from the University of Birmingham and a PGCE from the University of Bristol. Until joining Kingswood she was teaching at Uppingham School in Rutland.
Mr Simon Morris (Headmaster)
This year we also said a fond farewell to the following teachers: Mrs Aimée Bassett, who has moved to a post at Bristol Grammar School after three years of exceptional service to Kingswood Music, in particular, most recently as Acting Director Of Music; Mrs Karen Parker, who has taught Design Technology since 2011; and Mr Brendon Berg and Mrs Linda Blair, who were with us for just one year.
L-R: Mr Hughes, Mrs Bassett, Mrs Burt, Mrs Cunliffe and Mr Berg on their last day at Kingswood
Kingswood in Focus 3
Chapel and the Community
From the Chaplain: Something Different The experiences of our youth shape the preferences, and perhaps the prejudices, of adulthood. That which didn’t work well for us, we are loathe to promote as good news for others. When it comes to those of teenage or close to teenage years, I tell them that if they want to make a public statement about being a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, I hope it will be different. Different, that is, to what it was for many of my generation and those who went before. Different to the inference that being confirmed was simply another box to tick once you had a dozen years counted up. Children born in the 1950s were set targets which would probably be meaningless to youngsters of this millennium. Two of the key three were 25 yards front crawl and a pass in the 11-Plus Examination. The third was confirmation. The 25 yards in the pool felt like an achievement; you swam from A to B and someone presented you with a certificate in the school assembly. If you were a cub / soon to be scout, you also had a badge to sew onto your sleeve. This was well worth the effort.
of batch production within ‘high’ church circles has shaped some of those preferences and prejudices of today. So, if I speak to students about making a public declaration of their faith, I want them to understand where the emphasis lies. Thankfully, delightfully, across the denominations which offer confirmation, that emphasis has been somewhat, but not entirely, re-shaped. In large part that has been due to some sensible theological reflection on where children and young people engage, within this family that we call the church. Back in the 1980s, amidst a smorgasbord of multi-denominational views in the Cambridge Theological Federation, there was talk of ‘open tables’. John Wesley, the founder of Kingswood School, put great store in the Lord’s Supper as a ‘converting ordinance.’ Regardless of whether someone was baptised or not, he believed that to be at this table could impact upon an individual’s life in a profound way. So, you might see a Methodist statement, in this case from the United Methodist Church, that runs like this….. “Because the table at which we gather belongs to the Lord, it should be open to all who respond to Christ’s love, regardless of age or church membership. The Wesleyan tradition has always recognised that Holy Communion may be an occasion for the reception of converting, justifying, and sanctifying grace.” To some extent, the Methodists were ahead of the trend. However, amongst Anglicans and United Reformed Christians, there was an emerging recognition that if we call ourselves a ‘family’ and exclude our children from the table that they wish to attend, we are behaving contrary to our normal household practice. We sit and eat: we do not ask our children simply to observe, learn and, one day, qualify for what is on the table. Let’s remember those words: ‘the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ So the last 30 years has seen more churches invite children to receive without confirmation. This, more than anything else, has seen the emphasis shift towards personal ownership of promises made. Of course, the very idea of confirmation can be to validate and ‘own’ promises made by parents at the point of baptism, usually when we were infants. Yet I have many copies, stretching back over years, of confirmation services held both at Kingswood School and at Bath Abbey, and every one of them begins with a liturgy for those present who will be baptised and confirmed in the same evening. The parallel with the Baptist church, which baptises ‘believers’, more or less at the age they might be confirmed, should not be missed.
“In the calendar year 2013, nine pupils of Kingswood School will have been confirmed.” The 11-Plus was a school requirement, not something to be avoided if educational progress was to be kept on course. It felt like confirmation was its spiritual equivalent; a rite of passage with, in those days, less emphasis on a life-changing decision, and more on a Sunday change of circumstance that would now put bread into your hand and wine onto your lip. The ‘real deal’ for a 12-year old choir boy was swapping a black cassock for a red one, as options on serving at the altar opened up. Me and my mates; we were in the choir, we were 12 and thus we would be confirmed. The personal promises seemed to evaporate at 14 / 15 years of age when our voices broke and we swapped cassocks for Sunday league football kit, leaving the front row of the choir stalls to the next shift of little boys with high voices. I would re-discover those promises some years later, but recollection
4 Kingswood in Focus
In the calendar year 2013, nine pupils of Kingswood School will have been confirmed. They have all chosen, from a number of options, the place of the celebration and the people who would share it with them. As I write, we have been to St Thomas-a-Becket Parish Church in Box, our own chapel at the school and we will visit Bath Abbey in mid-November. In every instance the joy of the event will be young people, promising to renounce evil, serve God and commit to a way of life which marks them out as disciples of Christ.
Malawi Market The annual Malawi Market took place in the evening on Friday 16th November.
We cannot know how that will work out for them. One thing is for sure, in this day and age, they are not doing it because everyone else is doing it and they are certainly not doing it to keep the Chaplain happy. Let’s hope the days of the minister who sweeps up the 12-year olds have passed. Let’s hope that our young people are recognising that committing to the ways of Jesus of Nazareth can bring a difference to a life, a difference that is worth owning.
Revd. Mike Wilkinson (School Chaplain)
It was an even bigger event than in previous years with 40 stalls spread between 3 venues - the Theatre Foyer, the Year 9-11 Common Room and the Dining Hall. Mulled wine, coffee and mince pies were on sale in the Common Room and in the Servery and there was a BBQ in the Theatre Quad. The Market opened at 6.30pm and was busy throughout the evening until 8.30pm when the raffle took place. The evening raised the grand sum of £7,300. This money will help Open Arms continue with all their good work in Malawi. We are very grateful to those people who donated the amazing raffle prizes. Most importantly a big thank you to all of you who came and spent money!
Mrs Jenny Opie (Head of Biology)
“The evening raised the grand sum of £7,300 for Open Arms.”
Kingswood in Focus 5
Exam Results
ION RESULTS A AND AS EXAMINAT grades A*-B rs of all A2 results at With over three quarte oyed another gswood School has enj and 50% at A*/A, Kin 100%, with s wa e overall pass rate highly successful year. Th /A grades. A* 3 st lea ts gaining at an impressive 28 studen by William results were achieved Particularly outstanding A* grades, 4 fans Rozanskis with Goodwin with 5 A*s, Ste Martha and i Hu tin itlin Owens, Jus and Conor O’Sullivan, Ca . des gra A* 3 ed ard aw re each Chilver Vaughan, who we at A or B, thirds of all grades were At AS Level, where two arkable 6 rem a ed Pope both achiev Alec Shute and Charlie least 3 A at ed iev ach ts r 30 studen A grades, whilst a furthe grades each. pleased commented: “I am always Headmaster Simon Morris ed with ard rew ts den stu d work of our to see the talent and har o have wh hope is that our leavers such excellent results. My y with onl not results are equipped achieved such excellent skills nd rou allthe h , but also wit will such fine academic results We . ion cat edu ir the of next stage y the to make the most of the t tha bt group, but I have no dou miss this very fine year ” s. eer car and in their chosen will thrive at university
GCSE EXAMINATION RESULTS Students and staff at Kingswood School are celebrating some excellent GCSE results with 56% of all grades at A*/A and over 97% at A*-C. Twenty-seven students achieved at least 5 A* grades; Leonard Budd, Hannah Sansford and Rhys Williams gained an impressive 11 A*s each, whilst other top achievers included Alisha Ganapathy and Bella Plumbly, with 10 A* grades. Headmaster Simon Morris said, “With the well publicised tightening of grade boundaries this year, I am particularly pleased that our students have achieved such excellent results. I congratulate them all and look forward to welcoming them back into our Sixth Form.”
6 Kingswood in Focus
Prizegiving
Years 7-11 Prize Winners
...took place in the Sports Hall on Friday 5th July. • There were 150 prizes awarded for Attainment in 28 subjects. • There were 140 prizes awarded for Effort. • There were over 750 commendations given with a number of students gaining 5 or more. • There were 22 Special Awards.
UPPER SIXTH PRIZEWINNERS FOR ATTAINMENT Art
Katie Simpson
Biology
Sam Morris
Critical Thinking
Veronica Cheung
Chemistry
Martha Chilver Vaughan
Design Technology
Evie Domaille
Drama & Theatre Studies
Mary Carter
Economics & Business Studies
Emily Crowe
English
Kristina Grant
French
Caitlin Owens
Games
Emily Rowlands Conor O’Sullivan
Sixth Form Prize Winners
Geography
Meuryn Daymond
German
Caitlin Owens
History
Charlotte Frude
SPECIAL AWARDS Heart of Westwood
Alfie Brooks Kate Hall
Model United Nations Cup
Pollyanna Whitehead
E.P. Thompson Prize
Charlotte Frude
Friends of Kingswood Silver Salver
Matthew Jeffery Kriti Rana
Dikran A. Knadjian Award for Medicine
Sam Morris
Chaplain’s Award for Charity
Monika Mangarova Amelia Maughan
Rebecca Bleathman Memorial Award
Caitlin Owens
Juba Prize for Endeavour
Oscar Dennis Madeleine Riley
John Allison Memorial Award
Robert Blackburn
Richard Neal Memorial Prize
Kimberley Chivers
Sullivan Drama Prize
Mary Carter
Grove Shield
Jessica Portman Lydia Thacker
Latin
Charlotte Frude
Mathematics
Sonia Suen
Music
Pollyanna Whitehead
Physical Education
Conor O’Sullivan
Golden Mask
Kriti Rana
Warmann Shield (Team Award)
U16 Rugby
Physics
William Goodwin
Jean Pratten Music Prize
Katja Cross
Rebecca Bleathman Travel Scholarship
Rachel Greenslade
Politics
Pollyanna Whitehead
Tom Pritchard Music & Drama Award
Mimi Templar-Gay
Heap Trophy
Nicholas Mackenzie Natasha Chapman
Psychology
Rosemary Hurley
Jasmin Lindsay-Rusher
Gary Best Travel Scholarship
Harry Penrhyn-Jones Kriti Rana
Stefans Rozanskis
Special Award for Maths
Alec Shute
Spanish
Sally Hargrave
Charlotte Hecquet Butterfly Award for Fine Art
Theology
Amber James
President’s Prize for Science
Kingswood in Focus 7
The Houses
Westwood Life BOARDING On each night there is usually a teacher looking after us. It could be Mr or Mrs Hollywell, Mr Duke, Mrs Mainwaring, Mr Brown, Mr Edgell or Miss Sparks. On Sundays the boarders go on trips. We go to places like Drayton Manor, Cadbury’s World, Splashdown, Swindon Oasis, Bristol Zoo, Wookey Hole and Legoland. On Saturdays, we go to the shops in Bath: Iceland, HMV, McDonalds, Krispy Kreme, The Apple Store, Jack Wills, Claire’s Accessories, Hollister, Shakeaway to name but a few. Boarding is a lot of fun. We are like one big family.
A Happy Boarder
BEING A DAY PUPIL You make friends easily and meet up with them in town, have birthday parties and do things that you will remember for ever. You are in tutor groups with your friends. In Year 7, you have a Challenge Day where you carry out exercises which help you get to know the rest of your year. After school you get a chance to join clubs and do activities like Hockey, Tennis, Rounders, Rugby, Cooking, Shakespeare Festival, Football and many more.
A Happy Day Pupil
THE FOOD We go to lessons during the day. We have 3 lessons before Quarter (which is a break where you get a snack) followed by another 3 lessons then a delicious lunch. Friday lunch is the best with either Pizza and Chips or Fish and Chips. After 3 more lessons in the afternoon, we have tea. The snack here can be Rocky Road, Brownies, Sponge Cake, Marshmallow Squares, Chocolate Cake, Flapjack etc, etc. The lucky boarders get breakfast and dinner as well, not to mention Sunday brunch…...Mmm!
A Happy Well-fed Pupil
8 Kingswood in Focus
The Westwood Prefects
THE WESTWOOD CODE Be yourself Do the best you can Enjoy yourself* *as you only get two years in Westwood!
Kingswood in Focus 9
Middle House 2012-2013 This year has been highly successful for Middle, starting right at the beginning with House Music. In the last 5 years we have been robbed of victory, however this year it was time for a change of fortune. After some deliberation over the song choice between Busted or Take That, we went back to our roots and Lion King. I Just Can’t Wait To Be King was our song choice and some African inspiration from our Kenyans meant we were able to secure the win and stop the long run of defeats. Sport is a particular strength in Middle and this was clearly demonstrated with a clean sweep in the house matches this year. However the road to victory was not easy. First, we lost one of our stars in Oscar Dennis and then we were tested to the limits with hail storms during the rugby. We had mud up to our knees in the cross country and in the hockey we were up against the high quality players of Hall. However, in typical Middle fashion, we stepped up to each challenge and each time came out victorious. My personal highlight was the cross country when, right down to the last man, Middle runners showed their determination to do their best. The performance epitomised Middle House spirit. Middle Men have also displayed their talents in the Performing Arts. Many members of the house have been on stage in the various 10 Kingswood in Focus
assessments and productions that have maintained the high quality of Kingswood drama. Music has also been strong, particularly with our brass players in Year 11, and with Sam Morris, Ben Brearey, Ben Hepburn and Jamie Padkin all performing as lead vocalists in the Green Park Station Concert. Boarding has been the highlight of my career in Middle. It has given me a completely different experience of school life. From “King of the Hill” and other games to Christmas Parties, there have been many laughs. I have also learnt the perfect technique for washing up, how to make nachos and never to be late for meetings. Most importantly, had I not boarded I would not have the close friends I have now and my time at Kingswood would not have been the same. In Year 9 the term “Middle House Men” always referred to the older years and, as such, it was something to aspire to. To achieve the transition, which took place as each year group moved up through the school, the help of the tutors and house staff was absolutely vital. Thank you to them all. In closing, I would like to thank Mr Matthews for two things. Firstly, for always being supportive and helping me to achieve in all areas of school life, whether it be rugby, academically or even socially and, secondly, for giving me the great honour of being head of the best house. This year has been the best in my eight years at Kingswood. Thank you Middle. We come as boys and leave as men!”
Nick Phillips (Head of Middle House)
“...in typical Middle fashion we stepped up to each challenge and each time came out victorious.”
Kingswood in Focus 11
Summerhill House 2012-2013 My last year in Summerhill has been eventful as usual. We started off in style winning House Music for the first time in many, many years! Our ensemble group wowed the judges with Florence’s ‘You Got The Love’ followed by the whole House performance of ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’ from The Lion King, along with Middle House. Considering rehearsals had started early on the Sunday morning after my 18th birthday celebrations the night before, I thought this was a pretty good effort!
Despite this a good time was had by all and the Upper Sixth team, as ever, were victorious in the end. Other events in the term included the Halloween Dinner and the Christmas Dinner and finally Secret Santa rounded the term off nicely, particularly with the snow settling outside in the Summerhill Garden. With the Easter term came netball and cross-country - everyone’s favourite sport. Whilst Summerhill cannot claim to have as much success in these as others, everyone was very supportive and the ‘pyjama’ theme encouraged a few more to tackle the course! The annual Easter Egg hunt took place indoors for the first time due to bad weather but was still a lot of fun, although most of the “bunnies” were found fairly quickly...
“...I feel so lucky to have shared my time in Summerhill with such a lovely group of girls...”
The new boarders settled in well and the endless energy of the Year 9s certainly livened up after-prep snacks and kept the prefects on their toes! Evening Hockey on the Lower Astro opposite typically characterised Monday nights followed by ‘Made in Chelsea’ on the TV in the lounge. This (the hockey, not the TV watching) led to a more successful than usual showing in the Inter House Hockey. In the House Entertainment just before Christmas, we had the traditional Wide Games on the Upper. Equally traditionally, it was freezing cold and no-one quite understood all the rules. 12 Kingswood in Focus
Summer saw the traditional sun-bathing during study leave and the exciting news of Mrs Knights’ pregnancy! I think we already see baby Wolfgang as a part of the House, and I’m only sorry I won’t be there to see him*. The end of term waterslide was great fun as usual, followed by a tearful leavers’ sleepover in the Summerhill lounge. I feel so lucky to have shared my time in Summerhill with such a lovely group of girls, and I know that we will all miss each other. I have loved being Head of House alongside Katie, and have had so much fun. I look forward to keeping in touch in the future!
Kristina Grant (Head of Summerhill House) *Sophie Rosemarie Knights was born on 26th September 2013, weighing in at a healthy 7lb 13oz. Mrs Brown
Kingswood in Focus 13
Upper House 2012-2013 Once again Upper House finished the year in rude health having been conspicuously well led by the excellent team of Conor O’Sullivan and Angus Batterham. The usual range of House competitions and events have all taken place this year and Upper House has played its part in making all of them enjoyable and competitive. Particular congratulations must go to Year 9 for winning their House Hockey Competition. In addition to the traditional end of term social events we have also managed an ice-skating trip and an Upper Sixth curry night, both of which were most enjoyable. The House will be at its biggest ever in 2013-14 and the new team of Head of House Angus Hawking and his Deputy Alistair Blackburn will be kept very busy. We are indebted to the Friends of Kingswood for funding a new set of rugby-hockey shirts which will hopefully provide extra inspiration for the junior House teams next year.
We also look forward to something of a refurbishment of the House over the course of the academic year 2013-14. The year ended with some traditional awards being made and it seems appropriate to record them here. James Humphrey was given the ‘Sporting Legend of Upper House Award’ having represented the House with great distinction in all competitions for five years. Notable achievements include three individual wins in the House Cross Country Race as well as many Sports Day successes including wins in the 1500m and the Steeplechase this year. The ‘Spirit of Upper House Award’ went to Angus Batterham who has been a fine representative of the House for five years, a very effective Deputy Head of House and a hugely enthusiastic participant in all House events. Angus is also the third member of the Batterham family to have passed through the House and it will be very strange not to see the name in the House register in September for the first time in over a decade.
“The Upper Sixth leavers will, of course, be much missed...” Mr Hughes is also leaving the House as he retires and will leave a huge hole. Since he joined Upper in 2007 he has been a magnificent contributor to all things Upper. My thanks as always to the fine team of Upper House tutors and particularly to Mr Hills for his invaluable work as Deputy Housemaster.
Mr John Davies (Senior Housemaster) 14 Kingswood in Focus
Kingswood in Focus 15
School House 2012-2013 This year has flown by as usual, jam packed full of exciting house events and sport. We would like to begin by going back to where it all began in September when skirts were long and not a trace of make-up was seen on the faces of the younger girls. The year kicked off with the annual House Music Competition where it was clear our performance of Rock DJ by Robbie Williams deserved the gold medal. Sadly the judges seem to have been bribed by Summerhill and Middle so we were robbed of our rightful reward!
in. The turnout this year from the School House girls was something we were really proud of, with us having one of the highest numbers of competitors to date. Dressed as zoo animals and / or in pink, and in the worst conditions Miss Paver has ever seen, we battled through with most of us making it round the (what seemed like) 10 mile long course through the forests and mountains of Lansdown! This definitely finished the Easter term with a bang (surely ‘with a bath’! Ed.) Now onto the final term. The swimming gala is one of the house favourites with girls rushing to us to offer their swimming talents when the time comes. However there are only so many events to go round so many were left disappointed, especially in the Upper Sixth. The afternoon was enjoyed by all and special mention must go to Antonia Leckie and Rosie Wakefield who stepped up and did School House proud. Thank you to everyone else who put on a swimsuit and hat; all of your efforts were greatly appreciated.
House hockey was next on the agenda with JP (Jess Portman) and HB (Hannah Bracey) leading us into attack against the violent Fonthill warriors. Despite our usual enthusiastic and dominating house spirit that day was just not our day. Many may say that the new addition of the Christmas Ice Skating Trip was a highlight of the term with comments such as “What a great opportunity for us all to share in the Christmas cheer”. Upper also made an appearance, giving us a chance to mingle with our brother house and for them to show off some rather questionable skating skills. The Upper Sixth were also given the opportunity to share a curry with the Upper boys and some of the teachers, which was a lovely, spicy evening. The next sporting mountain to conquer was House Netball where we were again ably led by sports captain JP. It was a great show by everyone involved and once again it’s safe to say we were robbed of our victory (but not in Year 10 where we managed to finally win our rightful gold medal!). House Cross Country is an event which some fear as it draws ever closer but others take in their stride and get stuck 16 Kingswood in Focus
KATS is always a glamorous event with everyone arriving in their best frocks. Within School House we had 4 winners and a number of nominations. Mimi Templar-Gay won Best GCSE Composition in Music. In Drama, Best Sixth Form Performer went to Polly Whitehead. Best AS Level Artist was won by Georgia Grinter, and finally the Artists’ Artist award was won by Hannah Enderby. Well done to all of you as well as everyone who was nominated. You have impressed the House and these awards are something to be really proud of.
Throughout the year School House has been a key player in the world of baking, holding numerous bake sales in order to raise money for our chosen house charity, Breast Cancer Research. The Year 10s have led from the front at these events, managing to both produce and sell some fabulous cakes and treats. The most recent one was in support of a group of senior girls and teachers competing in the Race for Life. As a house we managed to raise over £1,000 for this great cause. Well done and a massive thank you to everyone who either helped or baked or both!
“To Miss Paver and Mrs Herlinger...you have made School House such an amazing place to be.” A new addition to School House Traditions was the ‘Upper Sixth Challenge’ in the last week of the Summer Term. With everyone armed with water guns, buckets and bottles the house was able to enjoy a vicious water fight where the Upper Sixth took on the rest of the house. The evening was a great success and we hope everyone enjoyed throwing themselves down the water slide as much as we did. A big thank you to our lovely BBQers as well. Well done to all of the girls who participated in Sports Day the following day. A special mention must go to all those who stepped in at the last minute and who competed in the more difficult events like the 1500m. We would now like to say a huge thank you to all of the members of staff who make this house the best house! To the tutors: we appreciate everything you do and put up with throughout the year. To the matrons: thank you for always clearing up after us and for creating such a lovely house environment. To Miss Paver and Mrs Herlinger: this year was a new start for you both but despite this we could not have asked for a better year. It feels like you have been in these roles for years and you have made School House such an amazing place to be. Thank you for everything you have done for us and all the girls.
The Leavers
U6 Runners
Rachel Greenslade & Olivia Lines
Curry Night
Rosie Boyd and Sophie Hughes (Head and Deputy Head of School House) Rosie Boyd & Sophie Hughes
Kingswood in Focus 17
Hall House 2012-2013 Having grown up in a family of boys - I am the youngest of three brothers - I am blessed with three daughters. That’s the way it worked out and I wouldn’t have it any other way, but... season (Owen Waters) and reincorporated the House emblem - the I haven’t found the manual on how to bring up daughters yet and I star constellation Cassiopeia (which can be seen above the House have to learn a lot as I go along. Lots of people have advice to give; on a starry night). We created House ties for the Year 13 students, some people shake their heads and say: “you wait until they are and the boys will have brand new sports shirts to wear for House teenagers” and give me a knowing smile. Some say “girls are easier competitions. The interior of the House has been smartened up and a than boys” followed by a happier smile. Having been appointed Senior board listing all of the previous Heads of House dating back to 1895 Housemaster in charge of Hall House, I am now in a position to find out will appear on the wall shortly. the truth on both fronts. In the past twelve months I have experienced things I was “I want the boys to be equally Unsurprisingly, the year contained a mix of expecting and also things I couldn’t have old and the new. House entertainment imagined in my wildest dreams. The sense proud of being part of Hall House the took on a new slant, starting with ice skating of pride that you feel as one of your House so we have tried to introduce and a visit to Jimmy Spices for Christmas has his name read out for being awarded and then an egg hunt and karaoke evening School Colours, or because he has passed (and reintroduce) traditions and at Easter. The year culminated with a his latest music examination, or achieved summer fete that included a coconut shy, a a sense of history.” an outstanding set of examination results, welly boot throwing competition, a chance is something I did expect but to what level to throw wet sponges at the person in the stocks, beat the goalie and the I would feel this sense of pride I was unsure. I can tell you now; it is final event of the evening, and indeed the year, a tug of war between not that far removed from the pride you feel for your own children. the outgoing Year 13 and incoming Year 13 (which the incoming won!). So when our Head of House, Toby Briggs, collected his Colours for As for the old, there were still arguments over whose turn it was to wash Hockey, or when Stefans Rozanskis had his name read out for his up or load the dishwasher and disagreements about who had “borrowed” straight A* grades at A level, I was proud - very proud. whose kit and not returned it. I want the boys to be equally proud of being part of Hall House, so I am very grateful to my first group of Year 13s who could we have tried to introduce (and reintroduce) traditions and a easily have made things difficult for me in their last year sense of history. We acknowledged the Hall in the House. After all they had more right than anyone House rugby player of the to tell me that, “This is not how things are done in Hall House”. However, there is definitely a sense of sadness seeing them leave, especially those who I was also lucky enough to know when they boarded next to my family in Westwood (Max, Josh and Toby). But there are exciting times ahead with the new boarding house due to be completed in 2014, and a great group of prefects taking over the reins for 2013/14. It has been a memorable first year for me and my family; I feel very lucky to be leading Hall House into the future.
Mr Darrell Harding (Senior Housemaster) 18 Kingswood in Focus
Orion suffering at Bath Half
Toby (Head of House) in Cross Country
Bosco doing his ‘Elvis’ in goal
House Music
Boarders at Burns Night
Christmas celebrations at Jimmy Spices
Y12 end of year entertainment
Y9 Karaoke
Half Marathon Team
Kingswood in Focus 19
Fonthill House 2012-2013
20 Kingswood in Focus
Memorable moments from my first year in Fonthill:
F
riendly Faces – it was lovely to be made to feel so welcome in Fonthill, by girls and tutors alike, and I didn’t feel a newcomer for long. The infectious enthusiasm for House events ensured enjoyment for all, whether it was rehearsing and performing in the House Music Competition at the start of the Autumn Term or running in the Cross Country in freezing temperatures in the Spring Term.
O
utstanding Sporting Success – Fonthill was fortunate to celebrate team wins in Hockey, Netball and Tennis House Matches. Fine performances from individual runners, swimmers and athletes also contributed to House wins in Cross Country, Swimming and on Sports Day. Congratulations, Fonthill!
N
epalese Charity – the girls chose to raise money for Ama Ghar this year, a foundation for underprivileged Nepalese children. Thanks to their hard work selling candy canes at Christmas, chocolate-heart lollies for Valentine’s Day and baking numerous cakes to sell in the Summer Term, they raised over £850.
T
ug of War – the finale to our Summer Term House Entertainment with Hall House. After a selection of fairground-style games including coconut shy and stocks (all credit to Cielle and Hannah for subjecting themselves to endless wet sponges!), the tug of war brought out the competitive spirit in everyone and contributed to a lively event within the two Houses and between all age groups.
H
ouse Awards – it was a pleasure to present the Spirit of Fonthill award to Evie Domaille. Fonthill girls voted overwhelmingly in favour of Evie as she embodies the spirit of our House. She was described by her peers as ‘fun to be around’ and ‘very friendly to younger pupils’. Kriti Rana deservedly received the new Wright Way award, given by Miss Wright to mark her time as Housemistress, for somebody who goes that extra mile to help and who always acts with humility.
I
ce Skating – a crisp winter’s evening provided the perfect atmosphere for our Christmas House Entertainment when Fonthill and Hall students, and tutors, skated round the outdoor rink in Victoria Park. Some skated more gracefully and confidently than others, but all had permanent smiles on their faces! And, to Mr Harding’s and my relief, there were no broken bones!
L
a-La-La – listening to budding celebrity singers at our Easter karaoke made for an interesting evening. There were many volunteers in fine voice despite the wet and soggy egg hunt in the dark beforehand!
L
eavers – as the end of the Summer Term approached, I realised how hard it was going to be saying farewell to the leavers each year! I’m glad we have so many photos to remind us of their positive contributions to life in Fonthill. Head and Deputy Head of House, Freddie Best and Amber James, together with the House Prefects, did a great job in helping to run the House and we wish them well as they start the next chapter in their lives. It has been a memorable first year and I eagerly await the excitement of many more yet to come!
Mrs Clare Sergeant (Senior Housemistress) Kingswood in Focus 21
Art Department
Jessica Palmer Y11
Hannah Sansford Y11
Robert Harris Y12
Jasmin Lindsay-Rusher Y13
Harriet Leventhal Y11
22 Kingswood in Focus
Jamie Turek Y11
Emily Priest Y12
Cecilia Mabey Y12
Olivia Lines Y11
Kate Silvester Y13
Katie Simpson Y13
Kingswood in Focus 23
Daisy Bendrey Y13
Sophia Marshall Y11
Antonia Leckie Y12
Rhys Williams Y11
Kimberly Chivers Y13
Bella Plumbly Y11
24 Kingswood in Focus
Rebecca Nicholson Y12
Georgia Grinter Y12
Hannah Enderby Y13
Jessica Portman Y13
Natasha Dabell Y13
Peonie Ho Y12
Thomas Connolly Y12
Kingswood in Focus 25
Charity Event
Year 10 & 11 Christmas Ball The annual Year 10 & 11 Charity Christmas Ball took place on Saturday 8th December. The Ball committee, led by Hattie Leventhal and Parimal Shrestha, did a fantastic job organising ticket sales and liaising with the Catering Department. A group of pupils came in on the Saturday morning to decorate the Theatre Foyer and Year 9-11 Common Room, and lay the tables. This year the tables were named after some of the orphans at Open Arms and ball-goers were able to read the life stories of these children.
“The students arrived...looking very glamorous and suave...” The students arrived at 7.00pm looking very glamorous and suave; the girls in their amazing dresses (and shoes!), the boys in their dinner jackets. The evening started with fruit cocktails in the Common Room and then the guests were escorted to their tables in the Dining Hall. A number of Sixth
Form students and members of staff gave up their time to act as waiters and waitresses. Former students Hannah and Jess Bishay came back to Kingswood to entertain the guests with their fabulous singing. During the course of the meal, tickets were sold for the Charity raffle. There were over 30 prizes, all of which had been donated by parents and other members of the school community. The raffle raised over £500 for Open Arms. The disco took place in the Theatre Foyer. Another ex-student, Massimo Shayegan, was the DJ, playing music that had the dance floor packed right to the end.
Mrs Jenny Opie (Head of Biology)
26 Kingswood in Focus
KATS
KATS
‘KATS’ stands for Kingswood’s Artistically Talented Students... ...and the KATS evening is a celebration of all the students of Art, DT, Music and Drama have achieved in the previous academic year. Students and staff enjoy a fabulous meal followed by a traditional awards ceremony. This year’s after dinner speaker was former pupil and professional dancer Jack Widdowson who talked about his amazing rehabilitation following a brutal attack nearly two years ago.
Comments from the students: “Great evening, good food and hospitality, it recognises the talents of many.” Oliver Hill
“A fantastic evening to celebrate the Kingswood arts.” Rob Blackburn “I really enjoyed the night; seeing the creativity of the Kingswood students was amazing.” Joshua Fry “Loved the fireworks! Wasn’t expecting them!” Peonie Ho “I really enjoyed KATS this year; especially the new additions of fireworks, magic and the photo booth. KATS is a very unique event.” Anna Bools “KATS was the event of the year! The atmosphere was amazing, the whole evening was extremely professional and the fireworks really ended the night with a bang!” Abbie Dayman-Johns “It makes all the hard work worthwhile.” Sophie Roberts “A brilliant evening that celebrated everyone’s hard work and achievement throughout the year. It made me proud to be a student at Kingswood School.” Danielle Whealy
Judged by their peers – the one that they all want to win! The Designers’ Designer Award: The Artists’ Artist Award: The Actors’ Actor Award: The Musos’ Muso Award:
Josh Gammie Hannah Enderby Angus Hawking Katja Cross
Kingswood in Focus 27
Drama
A Level Drama Trip to London: September 2012 Our London experience began with a quick wander around the West End before enjoying a handmade pizza and some excited conversation about what we were going to see. With plates empty and stomachs full we headed for the Young Vic to see The Three Sisters by Chekhov. Three hours later, whilst it was a little hard to follow at times, we all agreed that the play had held us enthralled throughout and contained some outstandingly entertaining moments. The following day greeted us with typical English weather - rain. Despite the depressing atmosphere our spirits remained high as we set off for our tour of the Globe Theatre. The tour was fantastic and we all found it interesting to learn about ‘groundlings’ and how you shouldn’t bring an umbrella to a performance - even if it rains! Of course, our knowledge of Shakespeare and his plays grew too and by the end of our tour we had bought wonderful magnets, pens and other souvenirs with famous Shakespearian quotes on them to remind us of the visit.
Because of Mr Francis’ and Mrs Nash’s excellent timekeeping, we were back in the West End a little early to see Matilda which allowed us enough time to visit some London shops and market stalls. When our time was up, we pushed on through the rain and took our seats in the Cambridge Theatre ready for Matilda to start. From the moment it began to the second it was over, Matilda proved to be an absolutely incredible production. Some of our favourite moments included the swings that swung right over the audience’s head, the amazing lighting, the brilliant catchy songs and, of course, the unforgettable characters played by an extremely talented cast who never failed to make us smile, laugh or cry. Leaving Matilda and entering reality was like awakening from a wonderful dream; we wanted to experience it all over again.
Splendid Theatre Company Workshop and Performance Who would have thought that sitting down in a circle with 20 people and learning their names could be so much fun. Within the first 10 minutes of the drama workshop, Kerry, the creative director, had the sixth form drama students in stitches. With her great charm and charisma we all felt relaxed after merely introducing ourselves to her. Following this she got us all on our feet and acting out an expression - happy, sad, surprised - in the ‘biggest’ way we could, then, holding this, we had to ‘stretch’ every part of our body to make it even bigger, creating spectacular results. After making our own individual Statue of Liberty, being enlightened on the term ‘navel gazer’ and producing our own dance routine, we were instructed to walk around the room, enthusiastically pointing at objects and saying what they were.
“The workshop brought into focus how important play, games and having fun are to theatre.” More hilarity followed as we started using random words and saying the first thing that came into our heads every time we bumped into each other. The workshop ended with us sharing funny stories in small groups then recreating one in the style of Brecht using features of films like fast forward and rewind and creating mirages. This not only rounded off the workshop nicely, as we were able to try out everything we had learnt, but it showed us that we were all capable of producing good pieces of drama from absolutely anything. As Kerry put it: “You can create fantastic pieces of theatre about things as mundane as the colour beige!” This brought into focus how important play, games and having fun are to theatre.
The weekend was a total success, filled with joy, inspiration and lifelong memories.
It is an understatement to say we were eagerly anticipating the performance Kerry and the two other actors, Scott and Nicola, were due to put on for us. Using elements that Kerry taught us in the workshop the three performed ‘Everyman’, a piece about a pompous man, played superbly by Kerry, representing the average person being chosen by ‘death’ to take a book of accounts to God; God will then judge the worth of humanity. Throughout, Everyman is collecting elements of his life to go with him on the journey, things like wealth, beauty and strength. Needless to say, when it comes down to ending their lives with him they all prove useless. Each of these elements was portrayed by Scott and Nicola in very humorous ways and they kept our attention continuously, with one section even using an accordion. With all three actors often breaking down the fourth wall and involving the audience in songs and scenes, we felt like a part of the show as we laughed along with the characters and got involved with them emotionally. Splendid stayed true to its Brechtian aims and left us all thinking deeply and questioning ourselves.
Abbie Dayman-Johns (Year 12)
Sophie Roberts (Year 12)
“The best play I’ve ever seen!”
We returned home that evening with the excitement still fresh in us. Mrs Nash and Mr Francis were brilliant chaperones and for that (and their boundless enthusiasm) we thank them.
28 Kingswood in Focus
Hercules
Hercules and Jason! This year’s summer production was based on Ancient Greek mythology. The overall production was split into two parts. The first part was called The Twelve Labours of Hercules. This was written by the Actor In Residence, Miss Everett, who did an amazing job. She had the perfect balance of humour and action, all the while following the myths that the play was based upon, with some of her own twists added in. The main part of Hercules was played by Nick Harris. Despite being short (which was made very clear to the audience by Miss Everett’s humour!) he played the part very well, along with Harry Warne who played Eurythsyus, and Jess Brown who played the Earth Carrier, Atlas. As we were waiting for our turn, I heard comments from many parents; they found it very funny and were enthralled from start to finish.
where to be on stage? How will I get the most out of my character? These questions found answers very quickly, and I soon settled in with the cast. The Argonauts consisted of Jason (me), Kalius and Zetes (Kofi Sawyerr and Alex Haller), Heracles (Freddy Oliphant), and Orpheus (Dylan Bruce). The play was so well developed, after many gruelling hours of being shouted at, and going through a whole range of emotions: stress, anger (with the occasional bit of fun) and embarrassment. The play in the end was a great success and all my thanks go to Mr Harding for helping me through my first major role. I’d also like to give my thanks to Mrs Nash, who also helped a lot with the success of both parts of the production.
The second part of the production was called Jason and The Argonauts, a heroic tale of a dashing man who led his chums to victory on his trusty ship, the Argo. This was directed by Mr Harding, who did a fantastic job of working out how to make the different scenes work. This was the first play in which I have played the lead role, and when I heard that I would be playing Jason, I was so scared. How would I remember my lines or
Finally I’d like to say thank you and well done to everyone who was in the production; it was fantastic and you all did so well. I look forward to the year of Drama ahead.
Oliver Johnson (Year 9)
Jason
Kingswood in Focus 29
Shakespeare Schools’ Festival: The Tempest In the Autumn Term, Kingswood Drama Department were fortunate to be involved in the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival. This is a national event held annually, where schools across the country ‘workshop’, rehearse and perform a thirty minute version of one of Shakespeare’s plays. Kingswood chose The Tempest. A group of 35 pupils from Years 8 and 9 took part, but as the cast size was restricted to 30, several parts were doubled up. This gave more of our pupils a chance to take on the well-known roles of Prospero, Caliban and Ariel, amongst others. Thea Guy and Emma Stephens commanded the stage as the mighty Prospero, whilst Kate Hall and Conor Devlin-Cook both gave a comical and exciting performance as the creature Caliban. Charlie Aaron and Cormack Paul gave the performance a further boost of comedy in their roles as Trinculo and Stephano.
The Prep School also took part, with Years 5 and 6 performing ‘Macbeth’. Their performance was excellent, and ‘Macbeth’ himself stood out massively as one to watch in the coming years at Kingswood. As well as the performance at The Egg, the cast also attended a pre-show workshop run by the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival team. This was both motivating and beneficial for the rehearsal process. Kingswood also put on a final performance in our own theatre, allowing more spectators to attend, as space at The Egg was so limited.
“...being able to perform in a public theatre space was a valuable experience...”
Next year, Kingswood will be turning to The Bard’s work once more, with a Scholars’ performance of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, a Westwood production of ‘The Winter’s Tale’, and a Prep School rendition of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
Miss Ruth Everett (Actor in Residence)
This was Kingswood’s first venture into the world of the Shakespeare Schools’ Festival, and it was extremely enjoyable. At times we wondered why we’d left our spacious theatre for the cubby-hole that passes as a backstage area at The Egg, but being able to perform in a public theatre space was a valuable experience for the pupils. They even featured in the local newspaper! The clever direction of Mrs Kate Nash saw the use of lots of white material banners, used to great effect as the ship, the waves, Prospero’s staff, Caliban’s logs and many other things!
30 Kingswood in Focus
The Kingswood Mysteries: An Age Old Tradition Retold
Theatrical tradition in England has its roots in religious rituals and ceremony. Just as in Ancient Greece where Drama was part of a religious celebration - worshipping the god Dionysus - so in England Drama began in the church. Around 900AD a four line dialogue between the Angels and the Three Marys at the tomb of Jesus was performed, in Latin, at Easter. This small, seemingly insignificant moment marked the start of a tradition of theatrical performance - what became known as ‘Mystery Plays’. Move forward several hundred years and, by the 14th Century, these retellings of Bible stories had become so popular and, in the eyes of the church, not altogether appropriate for religious occasions, that they were moved outside into the open air. From the 14th Century to well into the 16th Century these plays were performed in every major city around the feast of Corpus Christi, at the end of May. There are several collections of these plays (known as Cycles) still in existence today. The most complete, The York Cycle, consists of 48 plays. Each play would have been performed in a single day with each Guild (an association of craftsmen) taking responsibility for one play - usually something appropriate. For instance, the Shipwrights would take on ‘The Building of the Ark’, ‘The Coming of the Kings’ by the Goldsmiths and so on. Ever since seeing the revived production of Tony Harrison’s ‘The Mysteries’ at The National Theatre at the start of the new millennium, I have wanted to retell these classic stories for myself. We have long had a good tradition of dramatic storytelling at Kingswood and the time seemed right - hence The Kingswood Mysteries were conceived.
“The look of the piece... was beautiful and the feel was pure, spiritual and essentially a celebration of all that it means to be human.”
The finished product was the result of an organic rehearsal process featuring input from each of the cast members. Predominantly Years 11-13, with a smattering of Drama Scholars thrown in for good measure, the creation of our version of the Mystery Plays was produced through a number of highly productive workshop sessions and a few late nights of feverish scripting, combining a mixture of the words improvised by the cast and an original Bible translation. The look of the piece, largely due to the technical genius of Mr Francis, was beautiful and the feel was just as I had wanted - pure, spiritual and essentially a celebration of all that it means to be human.
Mrs Kate Nash (Head of Drama & Theatre Studies) Kingswood in Focus 31
Music
Highlights of the Music Department Year Christmas Concert On Friday, 30th November, 220 students piled onto coaches to travel down to the Nexus Methodist Church for the annual Christmas Concert. In contrast to the weather (which was seasonally cold!) the church was warm and candlelit as the concert began with a lively ‘Jamaican Christmas’ offering from KFC. Westwood Choir impressed the audience with an old gospel number - ‘O Mary Don’t You Weep’ - featuring solos from 4 students, as well as a nostalgic unaccompanied version of The Beach Boys’ ‘In My Room.’ The guitar ensemble pleased the audience with an exotic ‘Spanish Dance’, followed by the Senior Strings, who brought classic and modern together with two festive pieces: ‘The War is Over’ and that well known Coldplay hit: ‘Viva La Santa’...! Westwood Orchestra closed the first half in style with a fabulous arrangement of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas.’
Kirsch Cocktails The evening of Thursday 20th September was the second time that the German and Music Departments combined to celebrate the end of a busy week with exchange students from the Schillergymnasium in Münster. An audience of parents, staff and students were entertained with a varied programme of musical items, from Albinoni to Christina Perri. These were performed by the A level Music students, five Münster students, their teacher Herr Meyer, and Mr Duke. With the theatre decorated as a low-lit jazz club, the first half featured William Davies, Anna Connolly, Isabelle Gardiner-Smith and Thomas Connolly - interspersed with a mixture of piano and vocal solos from the German exchange students. The second half comprised of further solos from James Cowell, Matthew Bolland, Pollyanna Whitehead, Samuel Haysom, Mari Nakazawa and Katja Cross, followed by a dramatic Chopin Polonaise on the piano from Herr Meyer, and a medley of German pop classics from Mr Duke to end the evening.
Woolley Church Concert On Thursday 18th October, all AS and A2 Music students travelled to Woolley Village for their annual concert. This is a favourite for the Music Department each year, as it provides the opportunity for students to perform at a high level in a beautiful setting to an audience of parents and local villagers. The evening’s programme featured a wide range of musical styles and genres, from Baroque through to Pop, and the audience was clearly impressed with the standard achieved by all performers. The evening ended with an audience-participation number. In keeping with tradition, a ‘Woolley’ themed piece was sung accompanied by all students, including body percussion from the audience! This year’s choice was the Whitney Houston classic, ‘I Will Always Love Ewe.’!
32 Kingswood in Focus
“The audience joined in with a rousing rendition of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’, creating a joyous finale...” After an interval of mulled wine (non alcoholic of course!) and mince pies, the second half began with a selection of vocal pieces. The Chamber Choir entertained with the rhythmically challenging ‘In the Mood’ followed by an acapella version of ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High.’ The Senior Choir continued in a traditional vein with a highly effective arrangement of the Renaissance carol ‘In Dulci Jubileo’ and a wonderfully warm crowd-pleaser: ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas.’ KJO then took up the reins with the Stevie Wonder classic: ‘Ma Cherie Amour,’ followed by the festive favourite: ‘Winter Wonderland.’ Finally, the Senior Orchestra took to the stage with two impressive pieces to close the second half: ‘Fanfare on Joy to The World’ and ‘Let it Snow.’ The audience were then invited to join in with a rousing rendition of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’, creating a joyous finale to a very fine evening of music-making.
Strictly Kingswood On Saturday 9th February, a large number of Kingswood students and staff provided the entertainment for the Kingswood Foundation’s ‘Strictly Kingswood’ Ball in the beautiful Bath Assembly Rooms. This event was created to help raise funds and awareness for the Kingswood Theatre Seating Project. The theme for the evening was based upon the ever-popular TV series ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and promised guests the opportunity to watch and participate in some ballroom action!
Piano Fortnight The last two weeks in January were taken up by Piano Fortnight which culminated in a gala concert entitled “88 Keys” on Friday 1st February. After an initial week of practice, over 60 Kingswood pianists took part in a successful week-long series of lunchtime concerts which featured students from every year group performing a very wide range of music. Towards the end the week, seven students were selected to perform in a Friday afternoon master class with renowned pianist Richard McMahon, Head of Keyboard at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and a judge on the BBC Young Musician of the Year series. Students were put through their paces as they played in front of a live audience; those who watched were able to learn much from having such an expert in their midst - who had encouraging advice for all. The gala concert was the perfect celebratory conclusion to a wonderful fortnight of music. Twenty-two Kingswood students performed an incredibly varied programme, which was followed by a stunning pair of Debussy pieces from Richard McMahon himself.
On arrival, guests were serenaded by a string quartet and during their meal they were treated to a vibrant dance routine to the Sam Cooke track ‘Twistin’ the Night Away’ and a fabulous group jive to the track ‘Umbrella’ performed by members of the ‘Kingswood Mysteries’ production from the previous December. The evening then went up several notches when the comperes introduced a surprise element: a Strictly Dance Competition involving members of Kingswood staff, judged by an expert panel comprising of professional dancers - James and Joanna Woodward - and Mr and Mrs Morris. The competition began with an exhilarating Argentinian Tango from Miss Wright and Mr Matthews, who proved that, despite being members of the PE department, they knew how to add drama to their performance. After strutting and weaving their way across the dance floor, they were awarded an impressive 35 by the judges! Next up was a beautiful Waltz from Mrs Sergeant and Mr Garforth, who enchanted the audience with their elegant routine and wonderful costumes. This performance earned them another fantastic score of 34 from the judging panel, and set the standard high for the final couple, this time from the English and Drama departments: Mrs Nash and Mr Hughes. This final routine featured the famous Cha-Cha, and both teachers performed the up-tempo number with flair and a great deal of petticoat twirling! This final routine achieved an astonishing 39 points, and the three couples then had a nervous wait as the audience cast their votes. During the counting all were entertained by the Kingswood Jazz Orchestra followed by a beautiful routine from dancers James and Joanne Whitehead. Finally, the results of the competition were announced, and Mrs Nash and Mr Hughes were crowned ‘Strictly Kingswood Winners’. The evening continued as guests were invited to learn Merengue and Salsa routines, followed by a another fantastic set from the Kingswood Jazz Orchestra, who accompanied a wide range of singers as they performed popular songs featured on the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ show.
Kingswood in Focus 33
SPRING! – The Easter Scholars’ Concert On Friday 15th March, over 250 students gathered in the theatre to take part in ‘Spring!’ The Easter Scholars’ Concert. An annual occasion, this event is designed to provide a platform for the Kingswood Music Scholars and ensembles to perform some of the more challenging repertoire they have been working on throughout the year. The first half began with youngest music scholar, Thomas Hudson, who kick-started the night in style with the aptly titled ‘Frühlingslied’ (Spring Song) by Mendelssohn on the clarinet. Next up were the Year 8s: Anna Rowland with the joyful ‘Hungarian Dance’ by Brahms on the violin, followed by Yemi Sawyerr with a super-cool rendition of ‘Round Robin’ on electric guitar. The Year 10 scholars were just as impressive, beginning with a magical ‘Prelude’ by Terrega for classical guitar from William Cross, followed by the technically demanding ‘Allegro’ by Arne from Tokes Sawyerr on piano. Harriet Haysom delighted the audience with an entertaining performance of ‘The Acrobat’ on trombone, and Olga Trunova kept us spell-bound with a sonorous rendition of ‘Le Sapin’ by Sibelius on the piano. Ben Richardson’s seamless performance of ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’ transported listeners to a by-gone era, and Leonard Budd continued to captivate with the jazz hit ‘Elsa’ by Bill Evans. The sixth form scholars then took the baton, with Matt Bolland delivering an effortless performance of ‘Mind the Gaps’ on bass guitar, followed by a beautiful and sensitive Chopin Nocturne from Mari Nakazawa on piano. Oldest scholar and principal musician, Katja Cross, brought the first half to a close with the impressive and challenging ‘Prelude No.1’ from Bach’s solo cello suite.
“...the Senior Strings impressed with a lively rendition of Warlock’s ‘Mattachins’...”
They were followed by Westwood Choir with a foot-stomping version of the American classic ‘Old Dan Tucker’, with powerful solos from members of the choir. They remained on stage as the Senior Choir joined them for a rousing performance of ‘Oh Happy Day’. The audience were then treated to the Beach Boys classic ‘Good Vibrations’ from the Senior Choir, followed by two beautiful South American folk songs from the Guitar Ensemble. The Chamber Choir then performed two acapella numbers: Billy Joel’s ‘The Longest Time’ and Stanford’s ‘The Bluebird’, featuring a soaring solo from Rebecca Nicholson. To finish, the Senior Strings impressed with a lively rendition of Warlock’s ‘Mattachins’, and the Senior Orchestra brought the evening to a close with a stirring performance of the theme from the soundtrack of Lord of the Rings.
The second half began with a nod to Mr Duke as KJO performed the classic, showy South American number ‘Donut King.’ Westwood Orchestra were next, causing the audience to hum along with a brilliant version of ‘Do You Hear The People Sing?’ from the popular musical Les Miserables.
Iford Manor On the afternoon of Sunday 5th May Kingswood’s Senior String Orchestra performed a wonderful concert at Iford Manor. The venue was a fantastic cloister within the Italianate garden which, combined with the glorious weather, proved to be a superb backdrop for the Strings’ performance. The ensemble played for an hour as part of the Iford Arts “3 to Tea” concert series, entertaining tourists, Iford staff, Kingswood staff and parents alike. The programme was varied, from Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite to Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. As well as the first-class performances from the orchestra, there were notable solos from Tom Connolly and Martha Chilver Vaughan.
34 Kingswood in Focus
Green Park Station On Friday 24th May the Kingswood Jazz Orchestra and singers headed down to Green Park Station for their fifth Party in the City – the opening weekend of the Bath Music Festival. This year’s theme - ‘Strictly at the Station’ - focused primarily on songs that have featured over the last few years on the popular TV show ‘Strictly Come Dancing. The songs, of course, had featured prominently 12 weeks earlier at the Kingswood Foundation’s fundraising evening at the Assembly Rooms. With an opening blast of the ‘Strictly’ theme tune from the band, Jamie Padkin began the set at a moderate pace with the Elvis classic I’m All Shook Up. Isabel Calvert and Pollyanna Whitehead followed with some smooth jazz numbers, and Alisha Ganapathy and Sophie Sergeant brought the first set to a close with a dramatic version of ‘I Will Survive’. The Music Department were thrilled to team up once more with professional dancers James and Joanna Whitehead. The dancers delighted the crowd with the dramatic Tango taken from the film ‘Phantom of the Opera’. After fabulous singing from Sophie McDermott and Grace Curtis, Emily Crowe and her backing crew, and a well-choreographed ‘Uptown Girl’ from Year 11 boys Ethan Chilcott, Oli Gardner, Felix Barnard-Weston and Parimal Shrestha, James and Joanna returned to teach a free Tango workshop for all. Some impressive moves from staff, students, parents and the public were seen whilst the band accompanied with ‘Adios Nonino’ by Piazzolla. The tempo picked up as the Latin theme continued with a performance of the tricky ‘Donut King’ from the Jazz Orchestra, and singers raced through a selection of 60s and 70s hits, featuring solos from Matt Bolland and Sam Morris, a duet from Rebecca Nicholson and Martha Overeynder and a quartet of Year 11 girls, Grace Curtis, Sophie McDermott, Mimi Templar-Gay and Martha Overeynder, who powered through the aptly titled ‘Dancing in the Street’. James and Joanna returned to impress the audience with a beautiful and romantic Waltz before embarking on another free workshop for the Cha-Cha. An even larger number of enthusiastic participants gathered to learn the steps for this dance, whilst Mary Gammie charmed the crowd with a sparkling rendition of the ‘Cha-Cha classic Sway’. Dance moves only increased with fervour as the final set drew to a close with timeless hits such such as ‘I Want You Back’ from Mimi Templar-Gay and Charlotte Ousby, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ from Katie Mitchell and ‘Simply The Best’ from Green Park veterans Verity Burke and Tash Chapman. Encouragement from the crowd was deafening as ‘The 3 Bens’ (Brearey, Hepburn and Richardson) took to the stage for an epic closing number by Robbie Williams ‘Let Me Entertain You’. A fabulous end to a fabulous concert to end yet another fabulous year!
Mrs Aimée Bassett (Acting Director of Music)
Kingswood in Focus 35
Folk @ Kingswood “...Kingswood Folk Club was set up to introduce the students to folk music and provide an opportunity for the students to learn songs that they wouldn’t normally encounter...” In September Mr Wilkinson, Mrs Bassett and myself, set up Kingswood Folk Club as an activity to introduce the students to folk music and to provide an opportunity for the students to learn songs that they wouldn’t normally encounter and to perform in front of a small sympathetic audience. The club met five times over the course of the year on Friday evenings. The evenings featured shanty sessions led by me, The “standards” – like Streets of London, The Wild Rover, Blowing in the Wind etc, led by Mr Wilkinson and “open mic” student performances in a variety of ensembles aided and abetted by Mrs Bassett.
36 Kingswood in Focus
Three of the evenings featured “professional” performances by Mrs Bassett and her husband who are known as The False Envelope, Tim Graham, a local Bath musician who is a stunning guitarist, and The Longest Johns, an extremely lively group of shanty singers from Bristol. Other folk events were a trip to a mini folk festival one Sunday afternoon in Bristol, a trip to an open mic night one Wednesday evening in Bath and a day of workshops at the school featuring Irish tunes, Irish set dancing and traditional singing run by Bath Folk Club on the first Sunday of the Easter holidays.
Mr Peter Clarke (Physics Department)
Music Department NestCam Diary 2013 The Friends of Kingswood bought a NestCam for the Music School three years ago. The first two nesting seasons were full of high drama - neglectful mothers, abandoned eggs, beautiful chicks and disastrous rainfall. Tragedy had befallen the little blue tit nestbox until the Spring of 2013 - was this year going to be any better?
MAY
(yes, after a disastrous early Spring, it took until May for things
to get going!) Sat 25th - all going well with nest building - mum sleeping in at nights. Thurs 30th - first chick hatched Thursday morning; there were four by the end of the day. Fri 31st - seven hatched by first thing on Friday and the last one appeared later in the morning! Weather was showery but improving.
About to fledge under the watchful eye of mum
Sat 15th - slightly worryingly it looks like there might be only 4 chicks now feeding - they’re very robust, preening, testing their wings. A blustery and showery cool day today, but tomorrow is the worry. Persistent rain all day. Let’s wait and see. Sun 16th - loads of rain - looks like 6 still in the nest. Parents still managing to find food through the rain.
June 3rd
June 9th
JUNE Sat 1st - weather over weekend glorious – chicks doing well. Mon 3rd - all back to school - weather beautiful. Should be plenty of caterpillars and insects around - dad and mum making regular visits to nest. Tues 4th - weather still great, lots of feeding going on. Loads of interest from staff and kids. Thurs 6th - another scorcher! Looks like 7 in the nestbox - all seem to be feeding and parents busy as ever. Some feathers starting to appear. Mon 10th - still really sunny. Feathers appearing, and wings on some being stretched. Looks like only 6 chicks left now. Tues 11th - rainy day and cooler. One or two of the birds really stretching out now. Feeding is frantic, with both parents in and out constantly - 10 times within a minute on occasions!
Mon 17th - a sunny spells day, with parents in and out. Chicks incredibly vocal now and loads of preening! I think I’ve just counted SEVEN! How brilliant. Looks like they’re going very very soon. Tues 18th - the nest is getting VERY crowded. One or two brave ones have peered out of the nest hole. Parents are still frantically keep up with feeding 7 big chicks. Weather okay - cool and grey, but plenty of food around. It’s going to happen soon. Parents look exhausted! Weds 19th - two chicks have fledged! The weather’s really nice, and two made the leap during the afternoon. Checked at 11.30pm and all the others are still there. Thurs 20th - switched on at 8am, to find all 5 remaining chicks gone. Wow! A successful year at last; 8 eggs, 7 successfully fledged chicks! What do we do next year? An eaglecam?
Mr Richard Mainwaring (Director of Music)
Thurs 13th - rainy in the morning, very blowy. Cleared up in the afternoon. They seem to be getting lots to eat, and there are definitely 6 alive. One is very dominant, and now fluttering its wings. Bit worried about the last few under the scrum, though they’re all asking for food, and coming to the top to get rid of their fecal sacks!
June 16th
June 17th
June 18th
Kingswood in Focus 37
LATEST DEVELOPMENT UPDATES ‘Strictly Kingswood’ was an amazing launch pad for our new fundraising project to refurbish the Kingswood Theatre seats. In October 2014 we look forward to celebrating the 20th anniversary of this much loved and well used venue which not only plays host to our magnificent musical and drama performances, but is where the whole School worships, and where many talks, lectures and presentations take place. As you will have read in the article on page 33, the event itself was a great success and we are most grateful for the support of parents and friends from both our Prep and Senior Schools who made this a ‘sell out’ success! Chairman of the Theatre Project, Dale Templar, took charge of the special auction for the first seats and we were delighted by Mr Simon Crowe’s most generous bid of £550 for Seat No. 1, and Mrs Jennifer Thomas’ bid of £350 for Seat No. 2. Our special thanks also to parents, Governors and one Old Kingswoodian who donated prices for our raffle and auction - Paul & Martha Baines, Max & Bettina Conze, Gavin Douglas, Bruce & Noreen Finnamore, Danny Lau, Nickie Portman, Fran Simpson and Vartkess Knadjan which enabled us to raise a magnificent £8,300 from this event and a great start to the fundraising initiatives.
Since fundraising for the project got underway, Mrs Nash came up with a great idea for pupils to get involved. The £50 Challenge was launched in the Summer Term where pupils were asked to think of ways in which they might be sponsored during the summer holidays to raise a minimum of £50. These were just a few of their ideas! By the end of the Autumn Term we shall draw a name out of the hat and the winner will have a seat named after them as part of the scheme.
“The total raised in sponsored seats, theatre foyer name tags and general donations currently stands at £29,300.”
Your name
here?
We have until the end of the next academic year, July 2014, to reach our target of £100,000 if we are to complete the project in time for the anniversary celebrations in October. We really need your help! There are still opportunities for naming in the Sports Pavilion if your son or daughter is more involved in sport at Kingswood and funds will still be donated to the Theatre project. For more information on how you can get involved or help this project in any way, please do call or contact me (Angela Dudley-Warde) in to the Development Office. I shall be very pleased to hear from you.
The following pupils have already taken the £50 Challenge....
WILL YOU TAKE THE £50 CHALLENGE? 38 Kingswood in Focus
I was sponsored by my family to climb the three highest peaks of the Brecon Beacons! I Raised £85. Max, Year 8
We raised the grand total of £105, $2 and 1 cent by busking in Bath! Emma & Olivia, Year 10
I raised £50 by spring cleaning the car, feeding the neighbours cats & chickens and looking after their plants. Hannah, Year 8
International News
The Global Kingswood Family Being a boarding and day school, at Kingswood we have the added bonus of being able to enjoy the mix and diversity of cultures and nationalities of a number of boarding pupils who join us from a growing number of overseas locations. We embrace and welcome our international families as part of the wider Kingswood community and although they only make up 10% of our whole school roll, they bring with them an exciting insight into different lives and backgrounds which our local students greatly appreciate and enjoy. By the same token, we hope that by joining such a warm and welcoming school where 90% of their new friends will be local to Bath or other parts of the UK, they will also benefit greatly from the type of traditional British education we provide with the ‘beyond the classroom’ experiences they are keen to explore. The parents of our overseas students are of course equally as important as our local parents, and are kept as closely in touch with the news and events at Kingswood largely through the weekly e-newsletter, website and contact with tutors and House parents. It is rare that many will be able to attend functions and social events or experience much of the day to day life at school. The Headmaster is very mindful of this and, therefore, in the last few years has been delighted to be able to take Kingswood to them! He has, on a number of occasions, been able to attend personally or other members of staff have accompanied me on the recruitment visits I make each year. Mr and Mrs Opie also regularly fly the flag for Kingswood in Kenya which results in a continuing and much loved link with many families in this part of the world.
As part of this trip I was also pleased to be able to visit Thailand again and to be able to build on the visit of 2011, when I met with Kingswood’s first Thai student, Charoen Chinalai [KS 1951-55]. This year he had been able to encourage ‘No. 3’ and ‘No. 5’ to come back to our very special gathering, and it was a great pleasure to meet with Kajohnsak Watanangura [KS 1959-63] and Jesda Watin [KS 1963-67] as part of our select group. Slightly younger generation Old Kingswoodians, Jo Vinijtrongjit [KS 2000-05] and Prom Chaikul [KS 1997-2000], also attended and the ‘common bond’ across the generations enabled them all to enjoy sharing many happy stories of their time at Kingswood.
“We embrace and welcome our international families as part of the wider Kingswood community...”
Whilst travelling overseas to meet with prospective families who are keen to know more about joining our School, I have been delighted to arrange social events for current overseas parents who come to meet with each other and hear more about the news and future exciting developments at Kingswood. It is such a pleasure to be developing close relationships with families who share a common bond of interest. During half term in October 2012, Headmaster, Simon Morris, was able to join me in Hong Kong and was greeted by many familiar faces, particularly our hosts, former parents Johnny and Laura Tsang, who had once again arranged the venue and the delicious buffet reception at the prestigious Hong Kong Football Club. Mr Morris was pleased to update everyone on the continued progress at Kingswood and his aspirations for the future: the completion of the new Sports Pavilion transforming the facilities on the Upper both for Kingswood pupils and also the wider community; more pupils now being supported by the John Wesley Bursary Fund; an on-going fundraising appeal for deserving families who would not normally be able to access the type of education Kingswood provides; and the plans for a new Humanities teaching block to provide a further eight new classrooms for September 2013.
As always, the opportunity to include current and even prospective families in our overseas Kingswood receptions is a welcome bonus to the occasion as parents are particularly interested in the lives of former students and how they have been shaped by their time at Kingswood. It was a great experience for the newest Thai student, 13 year old Indy Sankosik who joined Kingswood in September 2012, to meet with such distinguished former pupils. It will be his turn to wear the Kingswood Association tie in 5 years’ time but, in the meantime, he was proud to have his photograph taken with those who do qualify and who were particularly delighted to receive their ‘new’ Association ties.
Kingswood in Focus 39
“...we are extremely proud of the success and achievements of the very dedicated and hard-working pupils who join us each year from many different countries.” New areas of interest are always opening up to us and there are a number of new countries to be added for 2013, with plans to hold events or to meet personally with parents in Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Russia and Romania during the Autumn Term. The Headmaster & Angela Dudley-Warde with Johnny & Laura Tsang, former Kingswood parents of Jackie Tsang
We are very grateful to many of our current parents who welcome our overseas students to their homes at weekends or during holidays - an added bonus in getting to learn more about British family life. We are also grateful to all our staff and pupils for their kind support and the hand of friendship when they first arrive; for some, things can be so new and daunting!
In strengthening our links to many parts of the world, we are always grateful to the Kingswood Association and the networking opportunities available through our growing database of Old Kingswoodians around the globe. For our recent leavers travelling on gap years, this is such a great help and also a source of some comfort to any anxious parents here in the UK who can be assured of a friendly Kingswood connection, wherever they may be!
Angela Dudley-Warde (Director of Marketing & Development)
My name is Sapolachet, but my “English name” is Indy.
My name is Patiphat Jeerapaet, but everyone calls me “Jah”.
I used to go to school in Bangkok, but when I was 13 my parents decided that I should have an education in England because they felt that improving my English would help me get a good job in the future.
I come from Thailand, but I have been in studying in England for over a year. Before that I went to a school in Bangkok called Saint Gabriel’s College which is quite a well-known school in Thailand. The reasons that my parents decided to send me to study in England was that they felt that I would be in a smaller class than in my school in Thailand and would learn more as a result.
It was a really big decision for them as I would be really far away from home. I thought it would be really hard for me as well to spend my life in England for the reason that it was going to be my first time boarding at a school. However, instead I have found the boarding experience to be just like living at home.
Interest in Kingswood from many parts of the globe is certainly developing and we are extremely proud of the success and achievements of the very dedicated and hard-working pupils who join us each year from many different countries.
At Kingswood School people are really nice as they never make you feel that you are left out. I have found the experience really different from my old school in Thailand because there are so many things that you can do in at Kingswood, for example taking part in sports, such as rugby, for the school team. In my old school there is no sporting competition every weekend, all they do is just give out loads of prep. I really enjoy my life in Kingswood; I feel really at home here and I am looking forward to the next few exciting years.
Moreover, Bath has fresh air and beautiful countryside, and there aren’t as many traffic jams as there are in Bangkok! Living in a boarding school means that you don’t have to sit in a traffic jam on your way to school because you can walk everywhere. The best thing about being a boarder is that you will make friends with lots of boys and girls from lots of different countries. I have also made lots of friends with the English pupils because I have started getting into the sports that they play here. The main sports in England are rugby, football, hockey and cricket; every week we have a match against others schools, and we have a house matches which means that every boarding house has to compete against each other. We can understand the subject that we are studying well because we are put into sets according to our ability, so if you need help they will put you in a set where the teacher can spend more time with you and help you learn faster. I have really enjoyed being in smaller groups and feel that I have improved in all my subjects since coming to study in England.
Indy Sankosik (Year 10)
Patiphat Jeerapaet (Year 10)
“I really enjoy my life in Kingswood...”
40 Kingswood in Focus
From the Archives: School Pavilions The first Kingswood Cricket Pavilion opened on the Upper in the autumn of 1898. Funds were donated by the Old Boys’ and Masters’ of Kingswood and Woodhouse Grove School, being their gift to the “Institution in Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of its Foundation”. It cost £400, “plus £25 for furniture.” In 1900, the Headmaster remarked that, “the cricket pavilion was most satisfactory.”
Pavilion, 1898
Cricket Pavilion - 1898 In the 1900s, Mr Workman, the Headmaster, actively encouraged sports. In 1904, he made rugby compulsory for the whole school, seeking as the school magazine recorded: “to do away with the loafer and bully, and to develop the manliness and generosity which is the true ideal of sport.” Other sports were encouraged, “especially cricket.”
In 1912, the Games Committee thankfully acknowledged the generous gift by Mr J. W. Cleaver of a horse for the work on the Upper Field; and also the gift, from a donor who wished to remain anonymous, of a handsome flag. The School authorities provided a flagstaff measuring about twenty-five foot high, which was placed in the southern corner of the pavilion enclosure and on days when the School team played one of their big matches, the flag was unfurled.
A corner of the cricket field, with the Pavilion in the background
School v Old Boys, Outside The Pavilion, 1947
In the summer of 1933, the school magazine records:“Certain it is that no Old Boy has been blessed by more fortunate weather conditions than obtained at Whitsuntide. We, of the lazy incompetent set, were thankful for our ineptness or lack of skill as we watched, from the shelter of the pavilion, the players slowly grilling under a blazing sun.”
New Pavilion, June 1962
The first Kingswood School Cricket Pavilion was dismantled in the 1970s. It had provided a very sunny view point to watch games, but did not have any plumbed in facilities, whereas the new pavilion, which had opened in 1962, had changing rooms on the ground floor and upstairs there was a large tea room capable of serving up to eighty people with a balcony overlooking the cricket square.
On 2nd October 2011, the new Sports Pavilion was opened This Pavilion is not only used for sporting fixtures and dinners but for meetings, conferences, exhibitions, and special events, such as christenings and weddings. It has both a bar room catering for up to thirty people and a function room for up to eighty people and features solar panels on its roof. The building demonstrates and reflects the School’s sustainability ethos.
Mrs Zoe Parsons (Kingswood Archivist) Kingswood in Focus 41
Work Experience
Careers Education & Work Experience at Kingswood Our Careers Seminar programme and our Work Experience programme are integral components of the Lower Sixth Careers Education provision at Kingswood. The former is scheduled during the second half of the Autumn Term and involves a team of twenty four professionals coming into school on Friday afternoons, six speakers per session over a four week period, to talk to small, self-selected groups of students about the jobs they do. The programme for this Autumn Term is below, and current parents may recognise some of the names of the seminar leaders.
because talking about their profession to groups of sixth form students is regarded as a useful part of their own training in communication skills!
us with a different Physiotherapist each year for almost twenty years,
Mr Richard Garforth (Head of Careers & Work Experience Co-ordinator)
Work Experience occupies one whole week in mid-June following the completion the Lower Sixth AS examinations, and it is compulsory for all Lower Sixth to take part. This timing gives pupils a welcome break from the pressures of academic work, between completing their exams and starting their A2 courses before the end L-R: Ellen Yuen, Amber James, of the Summer Term. It also provides them with useful Old Kingswoodian Judge David Morgan, relevant material to add to their personal statements Daphne Leung, Veronica Cheung when applying for Higher Education places. To make the process as realistic as possible, pupils are given guidance in writing letters of application, preparing CVs and in interview technique – all important life skills. They then apply in writing to advertised places in competition with each other, selection by the providers being based on students’ performance in the application process. Other benefits of work experience are that it can improve pupils’ motivation, strengthen links between school and local businesses, and give pupils the chance to experience a professional working environment. In addition, because our programme is geared to the Lower Sixth, a particular emphasis is that it is career-orientated in that we try to place pupils in work that is related to their career interests. The photograph shows Of these, a few have been leading their seminars year after year for students at Cardiff Crown Court in June 2012 on work experience with several years, while others are relative new-comers. For example, the HH Judge David Morgan, an old Boy of Kingswood. Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases has been providing
Lower Sixth Career Seminars Friday 15th November
Friday 22nd November
Friday 29th November
Friday 6th December
1
Software Engineering Ms Ann Stainforth IPL Ltd, Bath
Marketing Research Mr John Groves-Hill MSS, Bristol
Accountancy Ms Gabrielle Akbar Theatre Royal, Bath
Running a Business Mr Geoff Ward Former Managing Director HMS, Bath
2
GP Medicine Dr Daisy Curling Fairfield Park Surgery, Bath
Hospital Medicine Dr Toby Hall Royal United Hospital, Bath
Physiotherapy Mr Tom Young Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath
Clinical Psychology Dr Linda Blair Formerly of NHS Child & Adult Mental Health Services, Bath
3
Introduction to Engineering Disciplines Dr Jos Darling University of Bath
Aeronautical Engineering Mr Marc Horobin Rolls Royce, Bristol
Civil / Structural Engineering Mr Paul Marsden Buro Happold, Bath
Pharmacology & Life Sciences Dr Eamonn Kelly University of Bristol
4
Police Mr Tim Harris, BANES ASB Team Manvers St. Police Station, Bath
Probation Service Mrs Jenny Rakoczi Avon Probation Service, Bath
Barristers Ms Sophie Holme Guildhall Chambers, Bristol
Solicitors Mr Luke Watson Mowbray Woodwards, Bath
5
Architecture Mr Andrew Theobald Feilden Clegg Bradley, Bath
The Theatre Mr Ed Browning, Ustinov Studio Theatre Royal Bath
Art Therapy Ms Angela Findlay Self-employed Artist, Stroud
Interior Design Mrs Georgina Caddick Self-employed Designer, Bath
6
Publishing Mr Greg Ingham Media Clash, Bath
Hotel Management Mr Laurence Beere Queensberry Hotel, Bath
Newspaper Journalism Mr Paul Wiltshire Editor, Bath Chronicle
Advertising Mrs Ann Gardiner Attinger Jack Advertising Agency Bath
42 Kingswood in Focus
Academic Feature
IT & Computing “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943 The IT Industry is one of the fastest changing industries in the economy. New developments abound and it is difficult to imagine modern life without the microchip, with computers being found in everything from mobile telephones through to washing machines. With new technologies and computer languages being launched at regular intervals, Kingswood recognises the importance of ensuring that the school curriculum keeps pace with these developments. The IT Department at Kingswood has recently changed the subject name to more closely match the curriculum that we offer. The new name for the subject, IT and Computing, addresses three key areas: Computer Science, Information Technology, and Digital Literacy. Each of these key areas focuses on specific areas of the discipline. Computer Science equips pupils with the necessary understanding to be able to develop their own computer applications. Computer Science is formally recognised as a science and involves the study of a range of programming languages and tools to allow pupils to develop their own algorithms to solve real world problems. In Year 7, pupils will learn to develop basic algorithms and then develop their own applications using a visual development environment called ‘Scratch’. As pupils progress through to Year 8 they will be introduced to text based languages. We focus upon the use of HTML and CSS to produce a website and a language called Python to develop applications. Python was developed by Google and is the language which their search engine is based upon. It is also a favoured language in many British Universities. A Python Games Development activity is offered for those who wish to develop their own computer games.
Pupils study how these different areas communicate with each other to form a computer system. Pupils will understand how different data types are stored within computer systems and how all computerised data is stored in a Boolean format. The key aim of the Information Technology elements of the curriculum are to give pupils a detailed understanding of how computer systems work. This helps to prepare them for the future when they may be involved in choosing which systems to implement into a business.
“...Kingswood recognises the importance of ensuring that the school curriculum keeps pace with new technologies and computer languages.”
The study of algorithms is an essential part of Computer Science and involves writing the steps that a computer will work through to solve a problem. To help with this area pupils use Lego Robotics where they develop their own robots using a variety of motors and sensors and then write a program to make them operate. For those who wish to further develop their problem solving skills we also offer a Lego Robotics club. Information Technology involves the study of both hardware and software.
Learning an algorithm to a dance!
The final part of the Kingswood IT and Computing curriculum is Digital Literacy. Digital Literacy addresses the use of computer systems and issues relating to E-Safety. This is a key area of the curriculum as the skills which pupils develop will be used throughout their academic lives and their future careers. At Kingswood we use a variety of business scenarios for which pupils develop solutions. Year 7 focuses upon developing an understanding of the use of IT Systems. By the end of Year 7 all pupils will have the ability to produce a wide variety of business documents including financial statements, product brochures and customer contact databases. Year 8 focuses on an overall development project. Pupils develop and code their own computer game and then produce a wide range of launch materials including a website, a radio advertisement and a brochure. They then produce forecasted profit and loss statements and develop a potential customer database. This database is used to produce a number of automatically personalised sales letters. During this project pupils develop both their IT and Project Management skills. In Year 9 all pupils study for a Level 2 Functional Skills in IT qualification. This is formally recognised as one half of a GCSE and is a pass or fail qualification. The areas studied all focus on real business scenarios and develop the important practical skills that all pupils will use in the future. For those wishing to develop their skills at GCSE level we offer IGCSE in IT and GCSE Computing. As pupils move into the Sixth Form they can choose to study both IT and Computing. Pupils who have chosen to study IT and / or Computing as one of their options at either GCSE or A level have the opportunity to go on a number of trips. Over the past year we have visited The Gadget Show and specialist computing days at various universities. IT and Computing at Kingswood will continue to adapt as new technologies and developments are launched. The curriculum will never stand still and this is what makes the subject so exciting to teach. Mr Gareth Edgell (Head of Academic IT from September 2013) Kingswood in Focus 43
Sports Tour
South Africa Tour In the last 3 weeks of the summer holidays Kingswood students embarked on the biggest ever Summer Sports Tour, as 40 boys’ rugby players and 23 girls’ hockey players set off for South Africa. The first week of the tour was spent in Cape Town. Unfortunately, rain prevented the planned walk up the iconic Table Mountain but the students enjoyed a coach trip around the city instead. The first matches against Bergvliet High School resulted in convincing wins for both of the boys teams and the girls’ 2nd XI but the girls’ 1st XI suffered their only defeat of the tour against strong opponents. The one low point of the trip came in these games, however, as Ben Papuca suffered a knee injury in the first half of his match and was unable to take part in any of the rugby after that. His positive attitude, however, typified what touring is all about as he cheerfully embraced the rest of the trip, helping in whatever way he could. The following day involved a boat trip to Seal Island and the Penguin Sanctuary and a trip amongst the baboons at Cape Point where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.
guides, who were former inmates, described their experiences and took us to see Nelson Mandela’s cell. The second set of hockey matches saw both teams secure wins against competitive teams from Fish Hoek School whilst the boys notched up two wins against Rondebosch, a school with a very strong rugby pedigree. These wins were probably their most impressive performances of the tour. Finally, before moving on from Cape Town, the weather did clear enough for the group to get up Table Mountain and experience the amazing views of the city.
“...a fantastic tour where the intensity of the sport was matched by a number of truly memorable life experiences.”
Towards the end of the week, it was great to catch up with former Kingswood “Gappie” Digby Webb. Digby put the boys through their paces in a training session and then took us to watch his former school in their big local derby against Rondebosch, who our boys were due to play next. The atmosphere at this game was fantastic with the “spirit committee” of both schools trying to out-sing each other. Needless to say, the shy, retiring Kingswood students couldn’t resist getting involved! That night the group enjoyed a Currie Cup match at the famous Newlands Stadium and the following day we visited Robben Island. For many, this was the sightseeing highlight as our 44 Kingswood in Focus
From Cape Town, we followed The Garden Route to train at the worldrenowned Stellenbosch University and play our third set of matches against York High School. Again, both rugby teams managed good wins as did the girls’ 2nd XI. The girls’ 1st XI, meanwhile, produced their best performance of the tour, digging in to secure a 0-0 draw against opponents who are ranked in the top 6 teams in South Africa. Trips to the Cango Caves followed and then a visit to an ostrich farm where students got to ride an ostrich. Highlights were Stanya Gardner’s ‘eyes-shut’ technique and Osh Devlin-Cook’s head-first dismount from his ride!
The final leg of the tour involved some long coach journeys where we were treated (at great length) to the tour choir’s renditions of Jubilate, Shine Jesus Shine and an amusing West Country twist on Spandau Ballet’s ‘Gold’! This part of the trip also enabled the students to sample some of South Africa’s best beaches and the day of training on the beach at Jeffery’s Bay was another great highlight. This training stood us in good stead for the final matches against Port Rex School, where Kingswood finished the tour in style with a clean sweep. The final night was spent at the impressive Kariega Game Reserve and our two game drives enabled most tourists to see four of the ‘Big Five’ up close – Lion, Elephant, Rhino and Buffalo - as well as Giraffe, Hippo, Wildebeest, Zebra and many others.
Kariega was a fitting end to a fantastic tour where the intensity of the sport was matched by a number of truly memorable life experiences. The students were excellent company throughout the whole trip, getting the balance right between training hard and making the most of the other opportunities on offer. They were great ambassadors for the school. However, such a tour takes nearly two years of planning and whilst thanks must go to all the teachers on the tour, we would all like to extend a huge thank you to Mr Reeman for all of the work that he did to make the tour such a successful one.
Mr James Brown (Head of Boys’ Games) Kingswood in Focus 45
Sport
Rugby 2012 In 2012, Kingswood’s rugby teams were tested against some stronger opposition with the addition to the fixture list of schools of the calibre of Millfield, Colston’s, Monmouth and Blundell’s. Our teams acquitted themselves well, with an overall win percentage of 64%. Pride of place must go to the U16As. To go unbeaten on such a tough circuit would be an achievement in itself, but to do so without two key players (who have been playing in the 1st XV) and not concede a single point, is a truly outstanding achievement. A record like this only comes about through a total team effort and every player, therefore, deserves immense credit. However, captain Jack Hurring and back-row partner George Broom do deserve a mention as they were performing on a higher level all season.
4 games. Elliott Hawtin led the team enthusiastically and William Moorey, Chhitij Lingden and Karan Dip were impressive in the pack. Jack Kenny and Founder Wan stood out in the backs both for their attack and for their defence. For the B team, Dexter Evans was the most consistent performer with Xavier Nicastro and Daniel Gurung also very dependable. Indy Sankosik also deserves a mention for earning a call-up to the A team in his first full season and scoring a hat-trick in his debut game against Colston’s.
The 2nd XV only lost one game and were one of the strongest we have produced for several seasons. Adam Parker, Ben Papuca, Sam Morris and Zinny Norman were key performers and the team was ably led by captain Alex Wilcox.
The U13As were also unbeaten for the second successive season, with the midfield trio of Al Mackenzie, Gregor Morton and Joshua Brace always a threat. Oliver Parry, Will Barnes, Tom Royston and James Milford also had fine seasons. In the B team, the half-back pairing of Charles Roberts and Alfie Brooks was a real strength. Nick Johncox and Brendan Curran also combined to make a strong second row pairing. Miles Pulley kicked superbly and Conor Devlin-Cook was enthusiasm personified.
U16A Team
For the U12As the season was a bit of a struggle but Hamish Walker, Callum Michie, Finley Feaver and Conor Finnamore were always consistent. Harry Bristow also made a big difference after his return from injury. The B team’s star man was undoubtedly Harry Leakey but he was well supported by strong tackling from Harvey Heap and Robin Ledbury and good link play from half backs Nathan Gregg and Michael Butler.
Mr James Brown In the 3rd XV, Keaton Reynolds-Cotterill led from the front with forwards Bosco Chan, Alistair Blackburn and James Brock all featuring prominently. In the backs, Ben Mayall was again the main try-scorer with Harry Merrill, Charles Pope and Harry Penrhyn Jones also having excellent seasons. The U16Bs only lost one game, a narrow defeat to Millfield, and played exciting rugby all season. Morgan Chalmers, Anish Shrestha, Osh Devlin-Cook, Oliver Richards and Cian O’Mahony all played well, but it was Cassidy Jones who set the tone in the second half of the season. The U15As had a mixed season and were disrupted by injuries but there were some fine performances from Oliver Akiwumi, Rupert Halls, Ashes Gurung and Billy Greenway. Ed Metcalfe also impressed in his first term at the school. An indication of the progress made by the U15Bs was the number of victories against teams that defeated them last season. Jack Brock was the player who showed most improvement and he was ably supported in the pack by Dylan Bruce, Peter Edwards and George Paxton. However, without a doubt, this team’s talisman was the tough-tackling Matt Williams. The U14As also went from a team used to losing to one that is tough to beat and they finished with 3 victories from their last 46 Kingswood in Focus
(Head of Boys’ Games)
The battle for the scrum-half position was keenly contested with Henry Darch and Josh Jackson fighting it out with Nick Haller. I know that choosing between Henry’s excellent passing, Josh’s physicality and game management and Nick’s sniping runs gave Mr Matthews his greatest selection headache.
1st XV
Nick Phillips was probably the smallest second-row on the circuit but certainly one of the most effective. His phenomenal work rate and huge tackle count made him one of the team’s most influential players. Oscar Dennis deserves a special mention. Losing Oscar due to injury this season was probably the biggest blow for the team. What could we have achieved if he had been fit? Despite his injury, however, he was always at training and on the touchline at matches offering support - a clear reflection of his commitment to the team ethic.
Joel Lees-Massey, Matt Scott, Jack Crowther, Nick Haller, Oscar Ryan, Connor McAlpine, Prahbat Gurung Oscar Dennis, Nick Mackenzie, Dominic Mackenzie, Fraser Russell, Henry Darch, Nick Phillips, Zach Hart, Angus Batterham, Mr J Matthews Conor O’Sullivan, Callum Lloyd-James, Toby Briggs, Jamie Williams (C), Owen Waters, Kieran Gibson, Josh Jackson
My back row colleagues of Fraser Russell and Conor O’Sullivan have also been outstanding. When Fraser wasn’t in the sin bin (!) we relied on him for big hits and a huge work rate. Put simply, Conor is one of the most consistent players that I’ve ever played alongside. He always put in a strong performance.
1st XV Report This rugby season has been one that will remain in my memory for many years. Whether it has been training on the Upper in bitter cold and snow, beating King Edward’s for the first time in 24 years or singing the team song in the changing rooms after a match, I will never forget it.
I must thank my vice-captain Nick Mackenzie who helped me enormously. His dedication was faultless and he has been an outstanding performer throughout his school career. His outrageous skill saw him involved in some of the best pieces of play this season.
The team included players of all ages and experience. The talent of Owen Waters and Dom Mackenzie in the backline proved influential throughout the season and the all Lower Sixth front row of Prabhat Gurung, Matt Scott and Jack Crowther was one of the team’s most potent attacking forces with their impressive scrummaging. New to Kingswood, Connor McAlpine and Kieran Gibson both had fine debut seasons.
Finally, the team would like to thank Mr Matthews for all of his effort throughout the season. I know much of our success was down to his hard work.
Callum Lloyd-James and Angus Batterham were always reliable when called upon, as was Joel Lees-Massey. Zach Hart was excellent in the second row and occasionally on the wing. The combination of his athleticism and speed around the pitch helped to give the forward pack the ideal blend of pace and power. In the backs, Toby Briggs was always dangerous. His try against Beechen Cliff under lights demonstrated Kingswood rugby at its finest.
Jamie Williams (Captain of Rugby)
Rugby Results - Autumn 2012 1st XV
2nd XV
3rd XV
U16A
U16B
U15A
U15B
U14A
U14B
U13A
U13B
U12A
U12B
Queen’s Taunton
W 49-5 W 74-0
W 71-0 W 43-7 W 76-0 W 47-15 L 10-22 W 43-0 W 70-0 W 66-5 L 17-27 W 39-26
King Edward’s
W 24-10 W 26-15
W 55-0
L 12-27 W 37-10 L 10-41
L 7-39
W 53-0 W 66-20 L 0-56
W 17-0 W 33-0
L 0-95
L 5-74
L 0-29
W 49-5 W 22-5
L 5-41
L 24-25 W 37-5 W 26-5
Clifton College Blundell’s
L 14-26 W 23-17 L 0-61
Beechen Cliff
W 28-25 W 41-0
Prior Park
W 26-22 W 12-10
L 0-78
W 20-17 W
W 43-0 W 55-7
L 5-34
L 15-22 W 19-7 W 54-0 W 24-10
Monkton Prep
L 0-19
L 5-25
W 51-0 W 17-0
W 64-0 W 44-5 L 10-54 W 41-29 L 10-38 L 11-44
Monmouth
L 7-24
L 12-17
Sir Thomas Rich
W 38-0
King’s Bruton
W 27-5 W 58-7 W 37-7 W 67-0 W 60-0 W 31-7 W 59-7 W 68-5
Colston’s
L 5-36 W 28-15 C
W 13-43 W 34-0
D 5-5
L 14-35
L 5-48
L 22-31
L 0-48
C
W 50-0
C
C
C
C
Millfield
L 17-27 W 20-0 W 12-0
QEH Bristol
W 29-12 W 26-10 L 12-24 W 45-0 W 26-12 L 0-54 70%
W 45-0 L 10-17
91%
C 67%
D 5-5
L 5-15
L 5-34
W 56-0 W 15-31 L 0-49
L 0-58
C
W 59-0
Dean Close Win Rate
L 7-31 W 57-10
W 36-0 L 14-19 W 50-0 W 40-0
Hereford Blue Coat
Monkton Combe
L 0-36
W 33-0
W 22-0
C
L 0-32
C
W 55-0 W 68-0 W 53-5 W 58-0 W 17-0 L 17-34 100%
89%
40%
L 5-46 56%
W 17-0 W 45-21 W 50-0 W 45-0 L 10-15 W 34-10 40%
33%
100%
71%
20%
56%
OVERALL WIN RATE – 64%
Kingswood in Focus 47
Girls’ Hockey Kingswood’s girls have enjoyed another memorable hockey season, continuing the School’s incredible run of success over recent years. Westwood House enjoyed their hockey immensely and demonstrated that hard work and determination always bring rewards. Westwood’s positive approach and team spirit was contagious and this led to many players showing considerable improvement over the course of the term, Charlotte Cutter and Kathryn Morton being prime examples. A highlight for the U12A team was winning the Prior Park tournament and being unbeaten by all our local rivals! Players of the Season were Hannah Morris for the A team and Isla Sandeman for the B team. The U13 girls struggled at the beginning of the term but, through hard work in lessons and in Hockey Club, they turned their fortunes around. All the girls who played for the teams contributed to a great season, including Natasha Thornton who receives Player of the Season for the A team and Lillie Keith for the B team. The U14A team lost only one match at the beginning of the season and, ever since, they have been on a steep upward curve, having developed into a strong unit. They are clearly a team to watch out for in the future. Six of the team have been selected for the junior academy training squad, from which the county sides are chosen, indicating what an accomplished side they are. They defeated the local schools and finished as county runners up. Captain Ella Reeman was always a force to be reckoned with and she receives Player of the Season. The U14B team is one of the teams that can boast an unbeaten record. They have worked hard in practice and there are some very skilful members, including Player of the Season Elsie Askew, and Most Improved Player Natasha Butt. The U15A team have had a promising season with many players
“It is satisfying to see that so many still love playing traditional team games. There have been 45 girls training and at least 35 have represented a team.” demonstrating excellent ball skills. They have greatly improved their win rate compared to last season and have enjoyed many victories in some high scoring games. Freya Courtaux has been the architect behind many of the goals but Player of the Season goes to Rhiannon Osborne. Olivia Pope has improved greatly and her support in defence is pivotal. The B team lost only one match and have worked tirelessly every game. Esmée Charley showed great leadership qualities and Becky Jackson receives Player of the Season. The 3rd XI and 4th XI have benefited from being able to draw from a large pool of players. It is satisfying to see that so many still love playing traditional team games. There have been 45 girls training and at least 35 have represented a team. The 4th XI welcomed Antonia Leckie who made an impact alongside Year 11 sweeper Olivia Watts. The 3rd XI ‘The Dragons’ team finally had an unbeaten season after 27 years! The whole squad, under co-captains Kim Chivers and Emily Crowe, have contributed tremendously to their success. Special mention must go to Charlotte Williams whose goal scoring and all round play has been so influential. Orla O’Sullivan receives the Most Improved Player award. The 2nds have been very lucky to be led by such a wonderful and determined captain, Tish Bailey. At the back, Player of the Season Anna Bools has been hugely influential with her experience and ability in the centre. Jess Weekes has been unlucky due to injury but, when fit, has been an outstanding 2nd XI goal keeper.
48 Kingswood in Focus
1ST XI
Now to my fellow leavers: Charlotte Frude, Natasha Chapman and Natasha Dabell have worked tirelessly in defence, anchoring us at the back, so Jess Portman was able to create opportunities in attack, along with Hannah Bracey in midfield. The continuous running of Rosie Dixon in the forward line was also a key part of our success. For Catherine Bolland, this is her fourth season in the 1st XI. She scored an amazing 28 goals during the season, taking her tally to 68 goals in 51 appearances for the school and earning a call-up to represent Wessex Leopards in the National Futures Cup. She is the person I rely on the most to get those crucial short corners when nothing else seems to work. Finally onto my vice-captain, Lydia Thacker - her attitude to training is one that everyone should aspire to; she leads by example and never loses focus or respect.
Meghan Duncan, Elleanor Tullberg, Ellie Lyne, Olivia Lines Charlotte Frude, Jess Portman, Tash Dabell, Rosie Dixon, Hattie Leventhal Tash Chapman, Lydia Thacker, Emily Rowlands (C), Catherine Bolland, Hannah Bracey
1st XI Report The 1st XI can boast an unbeaten season of eight wins and three draws including a thrilling 4-3 victory over Clifton College and a hard-earned draw against an outstanding Prior Park side. Getting the title ‘unbeaten’ has not been an easy task, with us nearly losing in the final two minutes of our last game. The sheer determination from all players has got us out of tricky situations more than once during the term and all players deserve a huge amount of credit for all the hard work that they have put in. The youngsters Eleanor Lyne, Olivia Lines and Harriet Leventhal have all stepped up this season and they certainly do not look like the least experienced at this level when faced with strong opposition. The only two Lower Sixth players this year, Meghan Duncan and Ellie Tullberg, are key players on the pitch who have both improved this year and will provide a strong backbone for the team next year.
Emily Rowlands (Captain of Girls’ Hockey)
Girls’ Hockey Results 2012 1st XI
2nd XI
W 6-1
W 3-1
Queen’s Taunton
D 2-2
W 2-1
W 3-1
Clifton College
W 4-3
L 0-6
D 1-1
Bristol Grammar
W 6-1
W 1-0
D 2-2
Colston’s
W 4-3
W 3-0
Prior Park
D 0-0
D 0-0
W 2-0
D 1-1
Red Maid’s
W 10-2
Dauntsey’s
W 3-1
L 1-2
D 1-1
L 0-3
Wells Cathedral
W 4-0
W 2-1
King Edward’s
3rd XI
4th XI
U15A
U15B
U14A
U14B
U13A
U13B
U12A
U12B
U12C
U12D
L 1-2
W 4-1
W 2-1
W 3-0
L 1-3
W 1-0
W 6-0
W 2-0
W 2-0
W 2-0
L 1-3
W 2-1
W 4-0
D 1-1
L 0-2
L 0-1
L 1-2 L 0-2
W 4-0
W 4-0
L 0-2
W 8-2
Royal High School
King’s Bruton Queen’s Taunton Bryanston Monkton Combe
W 2-1
W 2-1
W 2-1
W 2-0 W 7-0
C
C
C
C
D 3-3
L 0-1
W 3-1
W 2-1
W 8-0
W 7-1
W 4-0
W 4-0
W 5-1
W 9-2
W 6-0
W 3-2
W 6-0
W 3-0
W 4-0
W 2-0
L 0-4
D 0-0
W 1-0
W 3-1
W 2-0
C
C
C
C
L 0-3
W 4-1
L 1-2
W 2-1
W 1-0
W 5-0
W 3-0
W 5-1
L 1-2
W 5-0
W 11-2 W 2-0
Total goals for
53
16
19
1
18
14
23
11
16
4
26
30
7
Total goals against
18
12
6
9
8
5
9
2
5
1
9
4
0
0
73%
64%
57%
0%
63%
80%
88%
83%
50%
67%
83%
83%
100%
100%
Win percentage
2
OVERALL WIN RATE - 69%
Kingswood in Focus 49
Boys’ Hockey Despite the weather, Kingswood’s Hockey teams can be proud of the results they have produced this season. Of the fourteen teams that the school fielded, seven managed unbeaten seasons and four teams lost just one game. The six Westwood teams lost just one game between them with the U13A team leading the way by reaching the National Finals and being ranked 5th in the country. Henry Brearey, Al Mackenzie, Josh Brace and Charles Roberts were the key players with Ollie Parry also outstanding in his first season in goal. For the B team Theo Gammie was the stand-out performer and fully deserved his promotion to the A team whilst Jamie Rowley was prolific in front of goal. The U12As’ excellent season was largely down to the partnership of Harry Bristow and Nathan Gregg in midfield, the solidity of Hamish Walker and Harvey Heap at the back, and the attacking threat of Finley Feaver up front. For the U12Bs George Hayman was a consistent presence throughout and Alex Rawle, Finlay Marks and Max Brindley’s consistency earned them A team call-ups towards the end of the season. Hal Norman was the Most Improved Player. For the two U14 teams, it was a very different season. The A team struggled against some very strong sides despite the best efforts of Tommy Phillips, Joe Tait, Joe Han-Hauser and Karan Dip. However, the B team won 6 and drew 1, conceding just one goal throughout the course of the season. Harry Warne, Eddie Narbett and Matt North were all influential in this team. The U15A team can be proud of their efforts as they were without 3 key players for the majority of the season, including captain Jeremy Hardman who featured in the 1st XI on several occasions. However, Calum Montgomery, George Postlethwaite, Freddy Oliphant and Oliver Millner, in particular, ensured that the team was always competitive. In addition, the U15Bs won more games than they lost with Chris Kelly leading the side well. The 4th XI managed to score 48 goals in just 5 games despite a 2-2 draw against Dauntsey’s. In all other matches, however, they were far too strong for the opposition with Fraser Russell and Nick Phillips leading by example and Matt Scott and Josh Gammie forming an unlikely, but extremely effective, forward partnership. There was just one loss apiece for the both against Dauntsey’s. For the 3rd many consistent performers but was the stand-out performer and Ben Brearey was the principal goal-scorer. In the 2nd XI, captain Josh Jackson, Sam Morris and unsung hero Matt Jeffery all had fine seasons. Nick Haller and Leo Fini were also highly influential and Ben Mayall was the Most Improved Player.
Mr James Brown (Head of Boys’ Games)
50 Kingswood in Focus
2nd and 3rd XIs, XI, there were Matt Holmes
Conor O’Sullivan, Angus Batterham, Zach Hart, Ben Papuca Oscar Dennis, Hywel Jones, Owen Waters, Harry Merrill, Parimal Shrestha, Matt Bolland Nick Mackenzie, Henry Darch, Toby Briggs (C), Tim Rouse, Tom Hardman
Review of the 1st XI Season The success of the 1st XI this season has surprised many people and teams on our circuit. Having lost 7 of the starting 11 from the 2012 all-conquering side meant the 2013 team had a lot of new faces and had to play a very different style. The fact that they only lost one match reflects how talented the boys are and the huge effort that was made by the whole team. Those players that played in last year’s team have now played 23 games of hockey over the last two seasons and only lost one game. That is quite an achievement and very few school 1st XIs can claim such a good record. There was a wide range of ages in this year’s side. Jeremy Hardman in Year 10 and Parimal Shrestha, Hywel Jones and Owen Waters in Year 11 have shown great talent and skill and will cause a lot of trouble for opposition teams in the future. In the Lower Sixth, competition for places has been tough; Ben Papuca and Tom Hardman were important players in defence and Harry Merrill and Nick Haller were impact players in the forward line. Tim Rouse was a commanding presence as he controlled games from the centre of midfield and last, but not least, Matt Bolland, in goal, through sheer hard work has improved to the point where he kept us in the game on several occasions. Of the leavers, it is fair to say that they have all played their best hockey this season. Angus Batterham became a key performer. Henry Darch read the game superbly from sweeper and distributed the ball extremely well. Nick Mackenzie stepped up as a real leader with a phenomenal work rate and Zach Hart finally fulfilled his potential as a goal scorer in the forward line.
U13s Reach National Hockey Finals May 2013 Staying the night in a Premier Inn was good preparation for the busy day ahead and large breakfasts were the order of the day before the team set off for the short journey along the A5 to the Cannock Hockey Club for the U13 National Hockey Finals. The ten qualifying teams were divided into two pools of five in a round-robin format. It was clear by the end of the day that the Kingswood side had been placed in the tougher of the two groups. The only defeat of the day was in the first match against the eventual winners, Brandeston Hall, the champions of the Eastern Division. Despite dominating much of the game and gaining 5 short corners, the U13s were unable to convert these chances and fell behind in the final seconds of the match to a well-struck corner. The team remained undefeated in the rest of the pool matches, with good wins against Egglescliffe School, 2-0, and Princethorpe College, 6-2, and a tough draw, 0-0, against a good team from Magdalen College School. The boys had grown in confidence as the tournament progressed and played some of the best hockey of the day in that final match, with Joshua Brace strong on the right wing, and Archie Smith very solid in defence, alongside the calm Charlie Roberts. Henry Brearey led the team really well and Al Mackenzie was tireless and determined throughout the day.
Conor O’Sullivan has been the 1st X1’s Mr Dependable for the last 3 years and his calming influence will be difficult to replace.
“The success of the 1st XI this season has surprised many people and teams on our circuit.”
The final match of the tournament was a good win over Gresham’s School, 1-0, to place the team in 5th position overall. This was a great achievement for all of the boys who had clearly worked so hard in the months leading up to this tournament on both their hockey skills and their fitness. The whole team would like to thank all of the supporters who travelled up to watch the games and we look forward to similar success in the next few years.
I would like to thank Mr Opie for everything he has done this year. He has been the driving force behind our team and I don’t think we would have done half as well without him. From Monday night hockey, through every moment of training and for the duration of every match, it is very clear how much he cares about us playing hockey properly. Mr Opie, I hope our efforts on pitch this year have been a fitting reward for all that you do for hockey and that we are a side that made you proud.
Mr Phil Hollywell (Senior Housemaster, Westwood) U13A Team
In closing, I must say something about Oscar Dennis, Captain of Boys’ Hockey. I don’t think any schoolboy sportsman can imagine what it would be like to miss one season of your final year of school sport but for Oscar, he has now missed two – not only the hockey, but also the rugby. With his speed and ball skills, he may well have turned many of the draws we had this season into wins. Even with injury, he was often providing encouragement at training and never failed to come and support us at matches. I thank him for his support.
Toby Briggs (Vice-Captain of Boys’ Hockey)
Boys’ Hockey Results 2013 1st X1 2nd X1 3rd X1 4th X1 Clifton College
D 1-1
W 3-2
U15A
U15B
U14A
U14B
U13A
U13B
W 4-3
C
L 0-1
L 0-1
W 5-2
W 9-0
W 6-1
W 4-0
King Edward’s
W 4-1
W 9-0
Monkton Combe
L 2-3
W 2-0
C
C
L 0-5
W 3-0
W 8-0
C
C
W 8-0
L 3-4
W 5-0
C
C
C
C C
Wellsway
U13C
U12A
U12B
W 7-0
W 4-0
U12C
W 3-0
C
C
D 0-0
C
C
C
C
W 4-1
D 1-1
W 1-0
Colston’s College
D 3-3
C
Prior Park
D 1-1
W 3-0
W 8-0 W 14-0
Beechen Cliff
W 7-2
Bristol Grammar
D 4-4
W 8-0
W 7-1 W 11-1
Queen’s Taunton
W 2-0
W 4-1
W 7-0 W 13-0 W 3-2
Dauntsey’s
W 4-2
L 2-3
L 3-4
Wells Cathedral
W 8-1 W 10-0 W 8-0
C
C
C
L 0-3
W 3-0
C
L 2-5
L 1-3
L 0-3
W 5-0
D 2-2
W 1-0
W 3-2
W 7-1
W 2-1
W 3-2
L 1-9
W 2-0 W 11-0 W 19-0
L 1-3
W 4-0
D 1-1
W 4-1
D 1-1
W 9-0
W 6-0
W 3-1
W 4-1
W 6-2
W 7-0
W 2-1
D 2-2
W 3-2
W 5-0
W 5-0
Goals For
36
41
37
48
13
11
17
29
50
28
3
26
12
0
Goals Against
18
6
8
3
15
7
26
3
4
0
0
5
2
0
83%
88%
83%
100%
50%
60%
50%
100%
100%
100%
100%
86%
100%
0%
Win / Loss Rate
OVERALL WIN RATE – 81%
Kingswood in Focus 51
Netball The U12s have shown great improvement throughout the season. The girls were at their best when faced with competitive opponents – a highlight was winning the U12 King Edward’s Tournament and beating all local rivals. The U12A’s Most Improved Player goes to Amelia Low and Player of the Season to Lizzie White. The U12Bs have shown a superb attitude towards both matches and training. Player of the season is Izzy Jolliffe who shot consistently and Lily Landman, who controlled the game well at centre, wins Most Improved Player. The U13A team won all but one match. They were very strong and sharp across the entire court. Player of the Season for them goes to Natasha Thornton and Most Improved Player to Rebecca Ousby. The B team worked tirelessly to link play and developed smooth transition between attack and defence. Lillie Keith has made great strides in defence but due to her level of consistency, Kiana Portman receives Player of the Season. The U14s started their netball season in the autumn term as they entered the county rounds and got through to the regional finals. The squad has made tremendous progress over the course of the season knitting together all those elements that make for a good team; they are fast, well drilled and know their set plays. They played eight games and were unbeaten in all of them. Beth Hirst is named Most Improved Player and the Player of the Season goes to Ella Reeman who has led the team with a competitive yet calm manner that belies her years. The U14Bs have played well, winning all but one game. The work rate of the team and individual players has improved with each game and there are several players to watch out for in future years. Player of the Season is Amelia Disney, Most Improved Player is Frankie Kenyon. The U14Cs have also had an unbeaten season, proving far too strong for most of their opposition. They showed great team spirit and have been led well by Susanna Sealy and Tilly Weston. The Most Improved Player is Olivia Chamberlain and Player of the Season is defender Fiona Rundle, who has been versatile and controlled throughout. The U15As have shown increasing character and maturity in their play throughout the season, and hopefully this will stand them in good stead for when they go up for selection in the senior teams next year. Player of the Season goes to Esenya Mathews and Most Improved Player to Freya Courtaux. The U15Bs have had their hardest season yet, but have played some excellent netball against some tough opposition. Emma Hurring, Player of the Season, was effective in midcourt and Most Improved Player goes to Edith Fong for her sheer determination and commitment at training. 52 Kingswood in Focus
The 3rd VII had a fantastic season, only losing their first game to Marlborough when they had had little practice or game-time due to the snow. The team gelled together well, with a strong core of central court players from last season – Ellie Tullberg, Megan Duncan and Sophie Roberts. Player of the Season, for being instrumental in securing several victories, was Charlotte Williams. Most Improved Player was Olivia Harris. The 4th VII showed willingness to improve and had a stand-out performance against Prior Park. The Most Improved Player is Antonia Leckie who was often the saviour in defence. The Player of the Season is Regan Winton who has been calm and accurate in mid-court.
The 2nd VII team quickly gelled and showed good support for each other; captain Natasha Chapman led by example both in training and on court. Emily Bristow and Georgia McKibbin presented a formidable defence for any opposition in the circle and created many turnovers. Player of the Season is Maddy Dumpleton for her consistent and reliable performance throughout and Most Improved Player is Sophie Hughes.
1st VII Report The 1st team had a very successful season with an overall win rate at 73% per cent, which was a great improvement on last year. This shows how much we have developed and how far we have come as a squad due to our hard work and the extra hours that we put in outside regular training times. The extra hours included a 7am start every Monday morning! Our defence dominated with the superb partnership of Emily Rowlands and Ellie Lyne, creating a number of turnovers. We gained a lot of possession from turnovers and went on to score many points from the resulting play.
coach. Her positive energy and love for the game has meant the 1st VII underwent a complete transformation during the course of the season. Many many thanks!
1st VII
In closing, I hope that all netballers have as much fun as I have had over the eleven years that I have been in the school. It is a slightly surreal feeling that this experience has now come to an end, but I know that I leave safe in the knowledge that, with such strength coming up through the ranks, Kingswood netball will flourish for years to come!
Jessica Portman (Captain of Netball)
Mrs Sim, Emily Rowlands, Orla O’Sullivan, Ellie Lyne Hattie Leventhal, Rosie Dixon, Jess Portman (C), Livi Gauntlett, Lydia Thacker
Mid-court players Hattie Leventhal and Livi Gauntlett fitted into the Firsts perfectly. Their ball placement and dynamic movement on court made them a force to be reckoned with. Orla O’Sullivan, our sole member of the Lower Sixth, has impressed with her consistent shooting and her height was definitely an advantage! Lydia Thacker has been the driving force behind the team, fully deserving the Most Outstanding Player Award. Playing centre for four quarters is an extremely tiring job but she makes this seem effortless. Rosie Dixon has flourished all season and cannot be faulted on her commitment. Her shooting has been crucial to the team’s success. Finally there is my vice-captain, Emily Rowlands, who has made my position as captain very easy. Emily has not only been a highly effective defender but also has maintained the positivity and commitment of the squad which has made it such a pleasure to play in the team. Lastly, I must mention Mrs Sim, our incredibly inspiring
Congratulations to the U14 Netball Team on getting through to the Regional Finals! Olivia Sealy, Freya Jones, Jesse Akiwumi, Ella Reeman, Susanna Burke, Sarah Rawle, Lucy Rowlands, Issy Broom
Netball Results 2013 1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
King Edward’s
L 19-44 L 8-26
Prior Park
W 28-23 W 18-12 W 23-19 W 21-11 W 21-10 L 24-31
U15A U15B U15C U15D U14A U14B U14C U14D U14E U13A U13B U13C U12A U12B U12C L 15-19 W 28-4
W 33-15
L 20-21
W 22-17 W 15-6
W 24-15 W 30-13 W 22-7 W 18-8 W 28-5
Royal High School
W 23-7 W 12-1
Marlborough College
L 17-31 L 15-22 L 12-24 L 15-16
Bruton School for Girls
W 48-4 W37-4
W 23-6 W 21-4
W 19-5 W 10-4
W 28-6
W 36-2
All Hallows
L 4-12 W 12-2
Bryanston
W 28-27 W 27-8 W 28-16
Warminster
W 34-12 W 38-4 W 39-5
W 23-3 W 27-8 L 4-13 W 11-5
Clayesmore
W 23-12 W23-12 W 50-27 W36-16
W 41-10 W 30-5
W 33-7 W 31-4 W 24-10
Bristol Grammar
W 34-32 W 27-13 W 22-19 W 17-13
W 26-24 W 30-6
W 36-6 W 17-9
Beechen Cliff
W 29-8 W 28-4
L 15-22 W 20-7 W 20-7
W 19-12 W 10-7 W 19-13
W 22-19 L 12-22 W 17-9 L 14-19 W 17-7 W 21-4
Wells Cathedral
W 32-20 W 24-10 W 35-18 W 16-13
D 20-20 L 12-13
W 25-16 L 14-20 D 10-10
W 16-4
W 22-2 W 22-0
Dauntsey’s
W 27-22 W 13-8 W 12-11 L 4-16
W 17-16 L 15-22
W 30-11 W 26-2
W 23-7 L 10-11
W 29-7 W 15-11
Total goals for
295
269
258
109
21
157
185
45
11
223
168
75
18
28
117
22
17
110
91
Total goals against
262
123
143
85
10
114
71
24
5
89
62
40
8
5
53
33
9
62
30
4
Win percentage
73%
82%
89%
67%
100%
57%
75%
67%
100%
100%
88%
75%
100%
100%
80%
0%
100%
67%
100%
100%
21
Kingswood in Focus 53
Cross Country This has been one of the most memorable and muddiest cross country seasons we have experienced during our time at Kingswood. The season started in November when Kingswood hosted the BANES district finals on the Upper for the second consecutive year, with 460 pupils attending from 16 schools. The headline in the Bath Chronicle that week stated “Kingswood Reign Supreme”, which is a credit to all the individual and team successes. Highlights included the Year 7 girls who finished 111 points clear of their nearest rivals, the Year 10/11 girls who won their event and the individual medal winners who were Lily Landeman, Lizzie White, Charlie Patterson, Ella Reeman and Grace Goodwin. More success followed at the County Championships at Blaise Castle in Bristol with Lily winning the Year 7 race and Lexi Hart and Lizzie White close behind. Harry Leakey also ran well. The end of March saw Kingswood hosting the annual Road Race with 11 other schools and 140 competitors. Despite the word “road” in its name the afternoon consisted of slipping and sliding through Westwood Woods, which was basically a glorified mud bath. At the South West Championships, the Year 7 stars Lily, Lizzie and Lexi formed part of the County team to win gold medals for Avon, with all girls finishing in the top ten in the race itself. The Intermediate Boys’ team were also extremely successful, being placed 3rd overall. The team comprised of Charlie Patterson, Billy Greenway, Eddie Narbett, George Logut, Jonathan Brend and Rory Finnamore. The Senior Girls’ Team had their one and only race of the season at King’s, Bruton. After being dropped off in the middle of a field 5 minutes before the start of the first race, they did well to compete. The Senior Boys’ team had an improved season in comparison to the last year and came close to winning a team medal on more than one occasion. Finally, we would like to thank Mr Burgon, who has been on top form this season. Apart from the massive organisational skills required to run three large meets on Kingswood grounds and acting as the team’s personal chauffeur to schools all round the region on rainy Thursday afternoons, he has always been there to cheer us round gruelling courses in his distinctive Scottish style.
James Humphries and Amber James (Captains of Cross Country) 54 Kingswood in Focus
I know being captain of the Cross Country team this year has meant a lot to James. He has been very committed, even helping Mr Burgon with the setting up of courses. For James it was a third win in a row in the Senior Boys’ House Cross Country and the third time this year he has competed at the English National Championships. Running has been a big part of his life at Kingswood. I wish him the best of luck in the future.
Amber James Amber has demonstrated real commitment to cross country this season. She began her final term of cross country at Kingswood by qualifying for representative honours, a feat she has achieved every year since Year 7. This year she finished in second place at the BANES championships and progressed through to the regional South West Championships where she ended up being selected for the county team for the English National Championships where she finished in the top third of the field. Amber has been a brilliant captain and deserves to wear her full colours.
James Humphries
Avon Schools’ League and Championships
Kingswood won 3 out of the 8 events and drew one, finishing second overall to Gordano School for the second year running.
There were some new exciting areas including Savernake Forest and Ramscombe on the Quantocks.
Calum Wylie (Y10) and Eddie Narbett (Y11) were double winners, winning both the league and individual championships which were held at Wavering Down on the Mendips on a beautiful sunny day.
Eddie had an excellent year and was selected by the South West to attend a national training camp in Scotland over the summer.
Year
Schools League Position
Calum Wylie
Charlie Watts
Abigal Wylie
Schools Championships Position
Calum Wylie
10
1
1
Emma Narbett
10
4
1
Eddie Narbett
9
1
1
James Little
9
3
Alex Dale
8
5
2
Abigail Wylie
8
2
2
Ben Narbett
7
3
Charlotte Cutter
7
3
Lucy Tonge
7
4
British Schools’ Y7 Champions
“Kingswood won 3 out of the 8 Avon Schools’ League & Championship events and drew one, finishing second overall to Gordano School for the second year running.”
1
Champions! Well done to all the other competitors: Abi Wylie, James Little, Calum Wylie and Charlie Watts.
British Schools Score Championships*
The team at the British Schools Championships
British Schools Championships The British Schools’ Orienteering Championships took place in Delamere Forest, Cheshire in glorious sunshine. Kingswood had 8 competitors; for all but one it was their first time at a national competition. With over 600 competitors, gaining podium places would be very difficult. Eddie Narbett managed this though, with a third place in the Year 9 boys’ race. Outstanding achievement though this was, pride of place went to the Year 7 girls’ team of Charlotte Cutter (5th position), Lucy Tonge (7th) and Lizzie White (11th) who won the team trophy to become National Schools’ Eddie Narbett
James Little
The orienteers basked in sunshine yet again at the British Schools’ Score Orienteering championships at Kingsbury Water Park near Birmingham. Kingswood had two runners who made the podium: Lucy Tonge came 2nd in the Year 7 girls race and Eddie Narbett came 3rd in the Year 9 boys race. Well done to all the other competitors: James Little, Alex Dale, Emma Narbett, Calum Wylie and Charlie Watts!
Mrs Jackie Hallett (Teacher i/c Orienteering) * The Score Championships involve running for 45 minutes collecting as many controls as they can. Penalties are given for being late back. They choose a route themselves whereas the Schools’ Orienteering Championships involves running a set course for their age group. The older the children - the more difficult and more distance they run. Kingswood in Focus 55
Photographs of individual runners taken by Ray Barnes of The British Schools Orienteering Association
Orienteering
Junior Ski Trip
- Tignes, Easter 2013
For the seventh year in succession the Junior Ski trip visited the extensive resort of Tignes in the French Alps over the Easter holiday. A total of 55 travellers enjoyed the facilities on offer in this world famous ski area better known as the Espace Killy. The pupils ranged in age from 6 to 13 and in ability from complete beginner to very experienced. Cool conditions throughout the week meant that snow conditions were quite excellent and all groups made the very most of the superb pistes.
experienced instructor. Asterix Stott was picked out for her good humour and positive attitude and Kelly Read was chosen by the instructors as being the best skier in the group. All were able to ski many miles around the whole of the resort by the end of the week and all impressed their mentors with their application and excellent behaviour.
“Special mention must go to the entire beginners group who made fantastic progress throughout the week.�
The group was split into five ski groups according to ability. Each group had experienced French Ski School instructors and all made rapid progress. A very talented group of top skiers this year, led by Izzy Jolliffe, Andrei Dinu, Isabel Crane and Alfie Brooks showed great speed and style around the resort. Lizzie White, though, was selected by her instructor as being the best skier in the group. Charlie Knight, Al Mackenzie and James Milford showed great determination and technique and occasionally some control! Special mention must go to the entire beginners group who made fantastic progress throughout the week. After only six days on skis they were able to ski the whole resort ably led by their 56 Kingswood in Focus
Evening entertainment included swimming, dvd night, quiz night, disco night and the ever popular bumboard racing night where great speeds were reached down the piste in races that were as competitive as ever.
Overall the whole group had a fantastic time and were very well looked after by the kind and welcoming staff of the Hotel Curling. I would like to thank Mrs Mainwaring and Mrs Hollywell and, from the prep school, Miss Watts and Mrs Hesketh for all their hard work and their dedication in caring for all the pupils and for making the trip so enjoyable.
Mr Phil Hollywell (Senior Housemaster, Westwood)
Equestrian Kingswood School have been part of the National Schools’ Equestrian Association since 2011 but this year we have seen the numbers of our riding squad swell as we have welcomed more Year 7 and 8 members to the team. The NSEA organises competitions between schools in the skills of Dressage, Show Jumping and Eventing. Equestrian sports are among just a handful of sports where men and women are considered entirely equal and compete on equal terms. It requires complete dedication both on and off the horse. There is no time off for our riders – ponies and horses require constant care and attention and regular exercise to keep them fit and ready for competition. Our season started in September 2012 with the Stonar Senior Inter-Schools’ One Day Event – we had a number of competitors taking part and particular mention goes to Oliver Robley (Y12) who came first in his section, to Lexi Hart (Y7) who came 2nd in hers and to Sabrina Robley (Y9) who came 5th in hers. Also competing, but not placed, were Phoebe Wontner, Claudia Wallis, Poppy Clark and Olivia Sealy. On Sunday 21st April we took a squad of 6 riding team members to West Wilts Equestrian Centre for the Inter Schools Show Jumping Competition. This was a huge competition with over 500 entries on the day. Well done to Lily Landman (Y7) Lexi Hart (Y7) Chiara Conze (Y8) and Olivia Sealy (Y9) for their brilliant efforts and to Claudia Wallis (Y10) who had only one pole down in both the 90cm class and the 1.05m class. Freddie Best gave Kingswood the only clear round of the day in the latter class securing her an overall 8th place.
80cm show jumping team (L-R Olivia & Scramble, Lexi & Smokie, Lily &Hovis, Chiara & Smurf) Lexi Hart & Smokie
Sabrina & Squiggle
Freddie Best
Olivia & Scramble
“Equestrian sports require complete dedication both on and off the horse.” In May, three of our riders entered the Junior Two Day Event at Stonar School. On the Saturday Claudia Wallis and Lexi Hart competed in the 80cm class and Lexi and her pony Smokie achieved the second best dressage test in their section. On Sunday Claudia Wallis was back on her second pony in the 90cm class along with Sabrina Robley (Y9) who posted a double clear round but unfortunately, this was still not enough to put her in the ribbons. This was a great effort by all the girls who should be commended on their achievements as Stonar is a very exacting and demanding competition.
Claudia & Dessie
In the Dean Close Inter-Schools’ Show Jumping Competition on Saturday 29th July Claudia Wallis on her horse Deseada was the only representative for Kingswood. She jumped clear in both the 90cm class and the 1.05m class, but missed out on a placing by less than a second! We say goodbye to Freddie Best this year as she heads off to university. Freddie continues to go from strength to strength on the senior eventing circuit. Thank you to Freddie and her mum Pippa who sponsored our new saddlecloths which we will be proudly modelling next season, along with our new kit, kindly donated by the Friends of Kingswood.
Mrs Amanda Wallis (Parent i/c Kingswood Equestrian Team) Kingswood in Focus 57
Athletics Training sessions have been more interesting than in previous years what with Mr Burgon wearing strange hats, Mr Smyth racing James Humphrey around the track, Sarah Saunders’ 100m victory over Mr Griffiths, and Nick Phillips snapping the high jump bar in half on his first attempt at 90cm! However, the entire squad worked hard at those sessions and this has contributed to a successful season! The Junior Boys have impressed, with Elliott Hawtin constantly striving to succeed in the 100m. He broke the Junior Boys’ 100m record on his way to an impressive win in the BANES Championships at University of Bath. At the same event, Jack Kenny won the 200m, Oliver Johnson won the high jump and Matt North won the hurdles. Elliott later went on to win most of the remaining 100m races of the junior season and was eventually selected for the Avon team. Rory Finnamore and Eddie Narbett worked hard over the middle distances in the school fixtures. The Intermediate Boys have also performed well throughout the season. Charlie Fraser has developed his sprint hurdling, both Oliver Akiwumi and Jeremy Hardman have lowered their sprint PBs (PB = personal best! Ed.), while Dylan Bruce, Jack Hurring and Oliver Beere have raced well over 400m. Ben Crowe and George Logut have been competitive over 800m and, on the occasions that he has not been playing tennis, Billy Greenway has raced well over 1500m. In the field events, George Postlethwaite represented Avon in the javelin, while Gareth Hollywell showed his talents in the shot and discus. Wilf Brunt also impressed this year in the high hump, while Gordon Ip was able to compete in a wide range of jumping and sprinting events. The Senior Boys have enjoyed a very successful season with many standout performers in both year groups. The Year 12 boys, Oscar Ryan, Matt Bolland, Ben Papuca and Ben Mayall, deserve a mention for attending all the meets and competing well. Oscar managed to gain selection for Avon in the javelin. The Year 13 boys, James Humphrey, Nick Phillips
58 Kingswood in Focus
Catherine Bolland, Ben Crowe, Barney Eliot, Oliver Beere, George Stuart-Harris, George Logut, Nick Phillips, Alex Papuca, Ben Mayall, Jeremy Hardman Connor McAlpine, Lucy Rowlands, Sarah Saunders, Rachel Greenslade, Antonia Leckie, Oscar Ryan, Matt Bolland, Emily Rowland, Matt Jeffery, Jack Hurring, Jessie Davies, Elise Gauntlett Olivia Pope, Chloe Roberts, Kate Hall, Emma Narbett, Ashley Hunt, Beth Hirst, Jesse Akiwumi, Lea-Sophie Conze, Lizzie White, Harriet Leventhal, Elliott Hawtin, Olivia Hart Ben Papuca, Jess Portman, Zach Hart, Amber James, James Humphrey, Sophie Hughes
In the Senior Girls’ team both Jess Portman and Sophie Hughes have dominated the 400m week after week, pushing each other to achieve ever faster times, even when they have been the only two competitors in the race! The handful of other Upper Sixth girls in the team this year, Lydia Thacker, Emily Rowlands and Elise Gauntlett, are all extremely talented athletes. It is testament to them that, despite the small numbers available, they have managed to fill the team sheet each week. It is not uncommon for them, with the help of Antonia Leckie, Rachel Greenslade and Becky Nicholson in the Lower Sixth, to compete in three or more events each. Finally we would like to thank all the staff that helped with both the coaching and managing of the squad this year, in particular, Mrs Sim and Mr Smyth.
Zach Hart & Amber James (Boys’ & Girls’ Captains of Athletics)
Amber James reports on Boys’ Captain, Zach Hart
and Craig Meehan, have all helped make middle distance running ‘cool’ again, while Alex Papuca has been successful in high jump and 200m. Finally Toby Briggs has been an excellent vice-captain, sprinter and javelin thrower. The Junior Girls have also performed well throughout the summer. Lizzie White has been imperious in the 1500m and broke the Westwood Sports Day record by a massive margin. Jessie Davies, in her last year of athletics at Kingswood has proved a handful for her opposition, breaking the Junior Girls’ 200m and 300m records. Rebecca Ousby, Beth Hirst and Jesse Akiwumi have also represented the school well, with Ashley Hunt qualifying for the Regional Championships representing Avon. In the Intermediate Girls’ team, there was a newcomer in the form of Sarah Saunders who showed that her talent does not just lie on the football field. In her debut meet at Millfield she managed to smash the Senior Girls’ 100m record and played a key role in the Senior Girls’ 4x100m quartet. Hattie Leventhal has excelled in the triple jump this year, being selected to go to the English Schools’ Championships, representing Avon. Livi Gauntlett, despite injury this season, stormed the 80m hurdles by running an incredible 11.9 seconds, a new school record.
Although Zach’s mental approach to athletics is unusual, it certainly works. On a standard Saturday morning Zach never fails to inform the entire team of his twisted ankle, pulled groin or strained hamstring prior to his race and proclaim that he is unable to run! Then, despite all the injuries, he will storm either the 100m, 200m or 400m events, smashing records or PBs. I’ve noticed that the worse Zach’s physical impairments are, the better he performs, and, although I tease him for slowing down and walking over the line, he is one of the most talented athletes the school has seen. The highlight of the season for Zach was being selected for Avon and finally breaking the Senior Boys’ 400m record which had stood since 1957 and has now been lowered to 50 seconds dead.
Zach Hart reports on Girls’ Captain, Amber James Amber has made my job as Boys’ Captain very easy, drawing on her 2 years of experience of leading the team and thus leaving me with little to do. Amber has led by example on the track; dominating her races over 800m, as well as filling in with some high jump in which she was also very successful. I once mistakenly questioned Amber’s chosen event, the 800m, claiming it wasn’t really a race, as it wasn’t a sprint nor was it really long distance. However, after experiencing the race in a training session, I was forced to fake a groin injury so I wouldn’t have to run the distance again! The highlight of Amber’s season was lowering her 800m PB, breaking the school record in the process, and gaining selection for the Avon team.
“...the entire squad worked hard...and this has contributed to a successful season!”
Kingswood in Focus 59
1ST XI
Cricket Our Cricket teams can be grateful that the weather allowed us a much more enjoyable season than last year. Almost every team won more games than they lost and several boys showed themselves to be potential 1st XI players of the future. Nathan Gregg, Hamish Walker and Oscar Kenyon were the stand-out performers in Year 7, whilst Dan Greenslade and Josh Knight shone for the B team. The U13s won the County Cup, the first time a Kingswood team has achieved this feat in several years. Oliver Parry was exceptional with the bat and Al Mackenzie again showed that he is an all-rounder of real potential. The U13Bs were the only team to boast an unbeaten record this season and Theo Gammie, James Milford and Conor Devlin-Cook played a major role in the team’s success. Year 9 certainly benefitted from the arrival of Tommy Phillips at Kingswood. He didn’t fail once with the bat and always gave the team a fighting chance even on their very tough circuit. Captain Charlie Patterson, all-rounder Nick Harris and opening bowler Karan Dip also had good seasons. Toby Thurston, Charles Crow, James Little and Jake Lewis performed well with both bat and ball for the U14Bs. The U15s had a mixed season with some very convincing victories and some equally poor losses. Cameron Walker, Lucien Calkin, Oliver Millner and George Postlethwaite all had some really good moments but will need to find more consistency as they move into the senior teams next year. The 2nd XI was certainly the strongest it has been in my time at the school. A narrow loss against Clifton was the only negative in an otherwise excellent season. Fraser Russell captained the team superbly and was well supported by the other senior players, Henry Darch and Jamie Williams. Having said that, all players contributed at various times and the likes of Max Pugsley, Miles Thompson, Nick Haller and Jack Crowther will certainly keep the 1st XI players on their toes next season as they, along with the Year 10s, will be pushing hard for selection. 60 Kingswood in Focus
Lucas Reeman, Dom Mackenzie, Rob Blackburn, Nick Mackenzie, Kieran Gibson, Osh Devlin-Cook Mr Opie Mr Brown Matt Scott, Felix Barnard-Weston, Sam Morris, Tim Rouse, Owen Waters, Matt Holmes
Review of the 1st XI season The 1st XI enjoyed a particularly successful season this year, winning ten out of the 14 games and just failing, in the final league game, to clinch the title. This year’s team was a young one, with half of the team being Year 11s on a regular basis. Owen Waters was a consistent opener, Hywel Jones topped the averages and Felix Barnard-Weston scored his maiden 1st XI century in the win against King’s Gloucester.
“The 1st XI enjoyed a particularly successful season this year, winning ten out of the 14 games...” With the ball, no-one bowled more overs than Dominic Mackenzie. Osh Devlin-Cook was probably the stand-out performer with his leftarm orthodox spin and Matt Holmes was ever reliable with his away swing. Add to that the control and variation of Lucas Reeman in Year 10 and you have an attack to give us confidence for the foreseeable future. Of the sixth formers, Kieran Gibson had a strong debut season, particularly with the ball, as he topped the averages with 16 wickets at 8.8 apiece. He should be one of the leading lights in his final year. Rob Blackburn continues to take wickets in his 3rd season in the 1st XI. He works really hard in the field and has caught many important catches this season. Matt Scott has been a key figure as an all-rounder, making significant contributions with both bat and ball all year. And, finally, to Tim Rouse. As Tim was selected to play for Bath 1st XI on Saturdays, we didn’t see that much of him this year but he came up with some telling performances at crucial times in cup
games and during Cricket Week – not least his maiden century against the MCC in our final game to set up a good victory. His off-spin was also a huge part of the 1st XI game plan. His all-round talent was duly recognised as he claimed the player of the tournament at the ECB Super 4s in August. Hopefully this will be the first step on the road to England schoolboy selection and a possible county contract.
U13A Team
In such a young side, the influence of the two Upper Sixth players was enormous. Nick Mackenzie again demonstrated his leadership skills, not least with some stunning fielding displays and a match winning half-century against Christ’s College, Brecon. And, of course, there is the captain Sam Morris. As a batsman he plays some extraordinary and powerful shots and when he is on song, he is incredibly difficult to bowl at. He is one of only a handful of Kingswood centurions and he again scored some important runs this season. In addition, his wicket-keeping has improved significantly this year and has been a huge part of the team’s game plan. However, in such a young side, perhaps Sam’s most valuable asset has been his leadership and this was a key factor in the success of the side this year.
Mr James Brown (Head of Boys’ Games)
From the Captain of Cricket My final season in the 1st XI has been an excellent one, both from a results point of view, and for enjoyment. I have loved leading a young team, with their abundance of passion and commitment to the game. We have had a brilliant time together, and I will remember it for a very long time. My Kingswood cricketing career could not have ended better, winning all three games in Cricket Week, something I have not achieved in my four years of playing First Team cricket. The fact that we chased down three sizeable totals gave me immense pleasure. Beating the Forty Club was pleasing and of course beating the Headmaster’s Eleven was particularly enjoyable since it was a team of “Kingswood Greats”, led by my very own dad. It was a brilliant feeling, especially after he had spent the whole season telling me how his team of stars was going to thrash us. The icing on the cake, however, was beating the MCC, chasing down 250 in about 50 overs. On the Upper, this is no easy task, but we won the game showing a high level of maturity, overcoming a side renowned for being very experienced and very good. After getting out against the MCC for my final innings for Kingswood School, I sat down in the dressing room and reflected quietly. Kingswood Cricket has meant so much to me over the years, and to realise that it had finally come to an end was very emotional. Despite the fact I wasn’t personally able to go out on a high with the bat, I feel immensely proud having led a team of wonderful cricketers this year. I wish you all the best of luck for next year, and I know you will have a very successful season.
Sam Morris
The Centurions
Cricket Results 2013 1st XI 2nd XI U15 XI U14A XI U14B XI U13A XI U13B XI U12A XI U12B XI Wycliffe Won Won Clifton College Lost Lost Lost Lost Lost Won Won Won Won King Edward’s Won by 1 wkt Won Won Lost Lost Won Won Lost Won Colston’s Lost Won Won Won Abandoned Abandoned Abandoned Abandoned Abandoned Christ’s College Brecon Won by 88 runs Abandoned Abandoned Abandoned Abandoned Monkton Prep Lost Abandoned Abandoned Bristol Grammar School Won by 6 wkts Won Won Won Lost Won Won Lost Lost Prior Park Won by 28 runs Won Won Lost Won Won Won Wells Cathedral Won by 149 runs Abandoned Won Abandoned Won Abandoned Beechen Cliff Lost by 7 wkts Won Won Lost Lost Lost Lost King’s Gloucester Won by 89 runs Won Won Won Won Won Writhlington Won by 174 runs Monkton Combe Abandoned Won Dauntsey’s Lost by 36 runs Won Lost Won Lost Won Won Won Won XL Club Won by 6 wkts Headmaster’s XI Won by 1 wkt MCC Won by 4 wkts
CUP MATCHES Round 1 Round 2 Quarter-Final Semi-final Final WIN RATE
Won v Prior Park Won v Monkton Lost v Filton
72%
Lost
89%
67%
Lost v King Edward’s
50%
17%
Won v Clifton Won v King Edward’s Won v Winterbourne Won v BGS Won v Wellsway!!! 92% 100%
Lost v Monkton Prep
50%
60%
OVERALL WIN RATE = 69%
Kingswood in Focus 61
1ST VI
Boys’ Tennis Kingswood boys experienced yet another successful season of tennis in 2013.
Mr Duke, Geoge Broom, Angus Batterham, Mr White, Mr Walker Joseph Partridge, George Roberts, Conor O’Sullivan, Calum Montgomery, Leo Fini
The junior teams played well in fixtures against King Edward’s School and Prior Park College, with many players showing potential for the future. In Year 7, Finley Crowe and Finlay Sayce caught the eye, whilst Charlie Roberts, Alfie Brooks and Jamie Rowley in Year 8 showed they have the ability to step up and play in the senior teams. Mr Opie was pleased to have a steady number of junior boys at his early morning tennis sessions. In Year 9, Oliver Sowler and Thomas Phillips put in some solid performances. The Year 10 crop of players including Chris Kelly, Ben Bates and Rupert Halls showed much promise and, provided that they commit to the pre-season winter training starting in January 2014, they should all be featuring regularly in the senior teams next season. The senior teams were competitive this season and the hard work during pre-season sessions in the Victoria Park Bubble paid off. Raphael Poon and Justin Hui were the most successful pair in the 3rd Team as they were often seen to outclass their opposition with some solid groundstrokes and effective doubles play. Seumas Grant, Sanveer Singh, Orion Mathews, Ilia Rovda, Jaycob Porritt, Prabhat Gurung, Saugat Gurung, Leo Fini and Thomas Connolly were the mainstays of the 2nd Team. The team won over 70% of their matches.
“Tennis is in rude health at Kingswood and the dedication of staff has ensured that players continue to make progress and...enjoy the game.”
SENIOR RESULTS OPPOSITION
1st
2nd
3rd (U16)
Prior Park
L 1-5
W 5-2
-
Dean Close
W 5-4
W 6-3
-
King Edward’s
W 6-3
W 7-2
Monkton Combe
L 1-8
L 5-4
Wells Cathedral
W 6-3
U16 – W 6-3
Wycliffe
L 3-6
W8–1
Dauntsey’s
L 1-8
L 6-3
W 6-3
Cheltenham
L 2-4
W 6-0
W 5-1
cancelled
cancelled
P8 W3 L5
P8 W6 L2
Sherborne Boys’
P2 W2
Tour Match versus Bishop’s Diocesan College, South Africa: Kingswood lost 15-5 in sets
JUNIOR RESULTS OPPOSITION
U12
U13
U14
U15
Prior Park
L 3-5
L 0-9
L 3-6
W 7-2
King Edward’s
L 6-11
L 1-8
L 2-14
W 14-2
I enjoyed my season as captain but it was often difficult when players who are up to six years younger than me were able to beat me comfortably! Although he is still in Year 7, Joe Partridge was by far the biggest addition to the first team this year, even if he was still by far the smallest player! Joe’s competitiveness and ability to strike a ball with unbelievable accuracy often left his opponents amazed and confused, wondering what had just happened. His talents have also been recognised at representative level, as he has been playing for the Avon U12 county side which reached the National Finals. Calum Montgomery, who partnered him, showed his talents with a wide range of carefully selected shots. Calum and Joe have shown they are already capable of taking on the role of first pair, but as they still have three years left together, what does the future hold for them? George Roberts and George Broom improved their tennis throughout the season and Leo Fini and Daniel Banan will hopefully feature in next season’s team. Leo’s unorthodox technique and Daniel’s mighty forehand have already proven to be very effective. I would like to finish this report by mentioning my vice-captain Angus Batterham who has been my doubles partner for the last few years; I have greatly enjoyed my time playing alongside him. Tennis can be a very frustrating sport but having someone who understands the way you play, and knows how to get the best out of you has made it much easier, especially this season. Thank you Angus and I hope that we can continue playing together in the future. Tennis is in rude health at Kingswood and the dedication of staff has ensured that players continue to make progress and more importantly continue to enjoy the game.
Conor O’Sullivan (Captain of Boys’ Tennis) 62 Kingswood in Focus
Girls’ Tennis Starting with Westwood: The U12s had an excellent season, losing only one match to St Mary’s Calne. Players who caught the eye were Izzy Jolliffe and Alice O’Gorman who were unbeaten and Lily Landman and her partner Lexi Hart who accomplished the rare feat of a “triple bagel” - a 6-0 6-0 6-0 whitewash - of their opponents. The U13s have played all season without their star player Ellie Jackson who has been playing for the senior teams. In her absence the team showed a lot of improvement over the term and their players of the season were Zoe Brown and Laura Rouffiac.
Lydia Thacker & Rosie Dixon
Moving on to the intermediates: The U15s playing record does not really reflect their ability. Of the 6 matches played, they won 3 and lost 3, but two of the games they lost were by the closest of margins 4-5. Freya Courtaux and Kristy Lo were the key players, but they missed their star player, Masha Motchalnik, who was playing for the school first team. The U14s also lost their star player, Ella Reeman, for the same reason. Despite this they acquitted themselves superbly, the A team losing just one of their eight matches. The key players here were Susannah Burke and Ellie Jackson with Sarah Rawle and Issy Broom supporting well. Emer Buggy, Jesse Akiwumi, Millie Sergeant and Beth Hirst all played well for the Bs.
“Kingswood Girls’ Tennis looks to be in good hands for years to come!”
In the senior school, Merryn Jones, Olivia Watts, Hannah Potter and Isabelle Gardiner-Smith were consistent performers for the 3rd Team and 4th Team along with Orla O’Sullivan and Emily Bristow. Orla and Emily also battled it out for the final 2nd team spot along with leavers Tash Dabell, Hannah Lemoine, Kristina Grant and Tash Chapman. The season was successful with both teams winning more matches than they lost.
1ST VI
So to the 1st Team. We had a lot of strength in our squad in the nine players that made it up – this meant we had a strong 2nd team too. The season started well with a training trip to Basingstoke of all places. The trip provided an opportunity to bond as a team which is not so easy to do in tennis as in other team sports. This team spirit shone through in a great season where we lost just one match 5-4 to Bryanston. At the forefront of our team was our dynamic duo of Masha & Ella. As a pair they were unbeaten and were the runners up in the prestigious Independent Schools Tennis Tournament in June. Eleanor Lyne & Ellie Tullberg added subtlety to the squad and Anna Bools provided another booming forehand. All three will all be vying for places in the team next season with the host of talented youngsters coming up through the school. Kingswood Girls’ Tennis looks to be in good hands for years to come!
Mrs J Reeman, Becky Jackson, Bella Plumbly, Ellie Lyne, Miss A Wright Masha Motchalnik, Ella Reeman, Rosie Dixon, Lydia Thacker, Ellie Tullberg
Rosie Dixon & Lydia Thacker (Captain and Vice-captain of Tennis)
Tennis Results 2013 Sherborne Prior Park Dean Close
1st W 6-3 W 7-2 W 6-3
St Mary’s Calne Dauntsey’s Wells Cathedral Bruton School for Girls Bryanston Warminster King Edward’s Monkton Combe Total Win Percentage
W 6-3 W 8-1
L 4-5
C 83%
2nd L4-5 W 8-1 W 9-0 U16A W 6-3 W 6-3 W 7-2
3rd L 4-5 W 8-1 W 8-1 U16B L 3-6 W 6-3 W 7-2
U15A
U15B
U15C
U14A W 9-0 W 8-1 W 7-2
U14B L2-7
U14C L 2-7
L 4-5 W 5-4
L 4-5 W 7-2
W 5-4
L 4-5 L 3-6 W 7-2
W 9-0
W 8-1
L 4-5
L 1-8
L 3-6
L 1-5
L 2-7
L 6-10 L 5-11
L 3-6 W 9-0
W 7-2 W 6-3
L 4-5 L 4-5
W 5-4
L 3-6 W 8-1
W 7-2 W 9-0
W 7-2 W 8-1
W 5-4
L 4-5
W 8-1 C 87%
W 6-0
W 9-0 L 7-2
W 6-0 W 7-2
W 6-0 W 9-0
83%
80%
W 5-4 W 9-0 C 87%
66%
W 8-1 C 50%
W 4-0 50%
100%
28%
50%
U13A L 3-6 W 8-1
42%
U13C
U12A W 7-2
U12B
U12C
W 9-0
100%
W 9-0
100%
Kingswood in Focus 63
Swimming As you know from previous years we like to be creative with the swimming speech and this year we have done the A-Z of swimming at Kingswood.
A
J
is for Amelia Amelia has reduced her training commitments at the University this year, however, she still does 10 sessions a week which is more than Byron Dunn has done in his entire sixth form career. This year Amelia has been able to swim at every school gala and contributed much to the success of the Open Girls’ team. She holds 4 school records and of course her U13 world record.
is for Jamie and Jonny Jamie is really an athlete but he has transferred his sprinting skills to the pool for several galas. Jonny is one of the most committed swimmers at Kingswood. He has had a great season unbeaten in the IM. He holds the school breaststroke record.
B
is for Kingswood’s Pool Our pool is very valuable, as it is officially an antique. However the changing rooms leave a bit to be desired – they are certainly vintage!
is for Brandon Brandon loves to boast and he always knows best. However he is a classy swimmer and we expect him to get his name on the record sheet soon.
C D E
is for coaches Thanks must go to Trish, Mrs Wilcock and Mr & Mrs Opie for all the training sessions throughout the year.
is for Dean Close Dean Close cancelled at the last minute in both 2011 and 2012 and this year they just didn’t turn up! It must be because we’re just too good. is for Emily, Esmée and Esther Emily has been a superstar swimming for us even though her summer sport has been tennis. Esmée is the early morning queen – she hasn’t missed a session all year. Esther has had a good season coming first or second in every race.
F
is for Fonthill House Team Fonthill teams scored 88 out of a possible 90 points in the House gala. Special thanks to Upper Sixth formers Catherine Bolland & Emily Rowlands for a swimming for the House.
G H
is for Grace Goodwin Grace has some good wins (Get it!)
is for Haller and Ho Nick is really a cricketer but has been a key member of the Open Boys unbeaten team. He likes to be on poolside for the ladies to see his physique. Lisa Ho has had a really good season with her breaststroke and it is a great shame that she is leaving Kingswood - we wish her well (except if she swims against us).
I
is for Issy doing the Individual Medley (IM) Issy has been fantastic at swimming up an age group and in the hardest events.
64 Kingswood in Focus
K L
is for Lower Sixth Alec and Sophie have had wins in backstroke and Orion and Charlotte in freestyle.
M N
is for Marlborough pool We love this 8 lane high tech 25m state of the art pool but ours is much better as we get more practice at doing tumble turns! This is why Kingswood swimmers often win close races.
is for never lost Jonny in the IM, Patrick in the IM, breaststroke and freestyle, Amelia in freestyle and IM, Grace Goodwin in breaststroke and fly, Open Girls’ medley relay team and U16 Girls’ medley and freestyle teams.
O
is for Oscar Dennis Unfortunately Oscar was unable to swim this season and instead of training he spent his time eating vegetables.
P
is for Patrick Captain Pat to his friends - Patrick has been in the swimming team forever. He has the perfect physique for a swimmer and he holds 5 school records. He loves training so much he even arrived 3 days early for early morning swimming. However as he has got older he has found anything over 50m is just too tiring.
Q
is for Queen’s College This is our sister school, which copied our buildings, but we don’t swim against them. (Q is a tricky letter!)
Swimming Team
R S
is for Results We have swum at 8 galas throughout the year against a total of 13 different schools, 5 different age groups and had 9 clean sweeps. We have won 77% of all galas. is for sponsored swim 7 swimmers swam a total of 1798 lengths, which is over 20 miles. Amelia swam 688 lengths (7.8 miles), one length for every pupil at Kingswood in 3 hours 12 minutes. In total £1,084 was raised for the British Heart Foundation.
T
is for talented Tokes He is exceptionally good at backstroke but his little sister is catching him up and her biceps are nearly as big. No pressure, Tokes.
Natasha Thornton, Jonathon Brend, Emily Clutterbuck, Alec Shute, Oliver Johnson, Brandon Dyer-Pallister, Tokes Sawyerr, Louis Charley Jamie Rowley, Esmée Charley, Ruben Cleghorn, Grace Goodwin, Isabel Calvert, Esther Archer-Brown, Oliver Hall, Ana Fox, Yemi Sawyerr Nick Haller, Sophie Roberts, Patrick Seed, Amelia Maughan, Orion Mathews, Charlotte Williams
U V W
is for unbeaten teams The Open Boys are unbeaten against 9 schools with 4 clean sweeps.
I’ve really enjoyed being captain of the swimming team this year and look forward to my last year at Kingswood. Surprisingly, even though I have swum in international events I get more nervous swimming for the school. This shows how important Kingswood swimming is to me and it’s been great to swim with the team especially alongside Captain Pat. I wish him the best when he goes to Sheffield University; they have a great 50 metre pool so I’m sure he’ll be successful.
is for velocity (Velocity = distance / time) Amelia’s freestyle velocity = 2.34m/s. Patrick’s freestyle velocity = 2.35m/s - still quicker than a world record holder!
is for Westwood swimmers Yemi, Oliver, Jamie, Natasha and Anna have all had great season for the U16 teams. This is particularly impressive, as they have had to swim against people who are 3 or 4 years older.
X Y
Amelia Maughan
“...Kingswood swimming has had a lot of success...”
is for X rays Fortunately there were no broken bones and so no X rays were needed.
is for zebras Zebras do a special stroke - zebra paddle - obviously. They swim twice a year in the migration and even this is more than Byron has managed this term.
I have been in the Swim Team since Year 7 and have enjoyed it throughout my career here at Kingswood. Whether it is turning up on Saturdays for competitions, going to Monday and Wednesday training sessions or even the dreaded early morning training, I have to say that swimming really has made my time here memorable. Without the efforts of Trish and Mr and Mrs Opie I would not be the swimmer that I am today so I have a lot to thank them for. Despite our ancient pool Kingswood swimming has had a lot of success and I put that down to them and their excellent coaching and dedication to the sport. So I encourage those of you who haven’t given swimming a go, to try it out and see what it has to offer. I’d also like to thank Amelia for the work she has done for swimming here and even though you are always lapping me at training I will miss you. I wish you the best of luck with swimming and hope you make it to Rio in 2016.
Captains Patrick Seed and Amelia Maughan
Patrick Seed
is for Year 9 boys Ruben, Louis and Ollie have all made a significant contribution to the U16 team.
Z
SWIMMING RESULTS 2012-2013 U16 U16 Open Open Girls Boys Girls Boys Dauntsey’s (Term 1) Dauntsey’s (Term 2) Marlborough Cheltenham Bradfield Canford Sherborne Taunton Clayesmore Leweston Milton Abbey Dauntsey’s (Term 3)
Dauntsey’s Wycliffe
King’s Monkton Gloucester Coombe
W
W*
W
W
U13 Girls
W
-
-
W
L
W
W
W
-
-
W W W* W L L W W -
W* W* W W L L W W
L W W* W W W W W -
W* W* W* W* W W W W
U13 Boys U14 Girls
D
-
-
U14 Boys
L
-
-
U15 Girls
L
W
W
W
U15 Boys
L
W
L
L
W*
L
W
W
*A clean sweep
-
Patrick, Amelia and Anna Rowlands - Prize winners 2013
Kingswood in Focus 65
Friends of Kingswood
FoK Committee
The Friends of Kingswood would like to thank all parents for their support throughout the last year and we hope that we will see as many of you as possible at our forthcoming events. FOK holds a number of social events for parents each year and among the most successful have been the hugely popular Quiz Night and the Tea and Coffee Drop-ins held in the Pavilion on the Upper. These events allow parents to meet and get together with others and also raise valuable funds for FOK. Our year representatives help to organise contact lists and socials for their own year groups – if you would like to organise a get together for your year, please let your rep know! FOK also supports the School at various events such as Parents Evenings, Music and Drama productions and the MUN. The Second Hand Uniform Shop continues to provide a valuable service much appreciated by parents and thanks go to Sheena Stockley and her supporters who look after this. Peter Clarke also deserves a huge vote of thanks for organising the Bars at so many of the School events and Helen Beere for organising the tea and coffee rotas. The Tuck Shop, managed by Lynda Lloyd, is hugely popular at the MUN. Of course, none of these could be accomplished without the teams of volunteers who give their time freely, so a huge thank you to all concerned.
FOK meets twice a term to plan events and agree purchases – meetings are advertised in the School Diary and you are welcome to come along. If you would like more information on FOK or our latest news and events, then please visit the FOK page on the school website where you will find contact details for us and your year representatives. We are always looking for additional help so if you would like to get involved, please let us know.
Mrs Jacqui Harris (Chairperson)
The new Upper shirts
The funds raised by FOK, together with the annual subs are used to provide extra equipment for the School in response to direct requests from pupils and staff. Over this year we have spent over £12,000 on items unable to be funded by the School budget but which enrich the curriculum and environment and are much appreciated by the students. This year, our purchases included: the refurbishment of Westwood Court and the Art / DT garden; a new sound system for the sports field and gym; a grit blaster for DT and robots for ICT; table tennis tables, pool tables, picnic tables and garden benches; sports kit for rugby, orienteering and equestrian teams; Kobo eReaders for the Library and even a trolley for the grand piano in the Theatre.
Using the Kobos
The Art & DT garden
“The funds raised by FOK...provide extra equipment for the school...” The robots
The table tennis tables
FORTHCOMING FOK EVENT The Fonthill picnic table
66 Kingswood in Focus
1st February 2014 - Murder Mystery Evening
Model United Nations
MUN 2012 In March Kingswood played host to the twenty-third Bath Schools’ International Model United Nations Conference. The event, one of the largest of its type in the UK, brought together approximately six hundred students from across the country, as well as from Germany and the Czech Republic. Debates were held on a wide variety of topics, from the regulation of space and the situation in Syria to the rights of the disabled and combating cancer. The standard of debating was high, and once again the conference succeeded in maintaining its reputation as an event that succeeds in getting the balance right between the serious and the light-hearted. The conference began on Friday evening with the Opening Ceremony. Our guest speaker this year was Miss Louise Ruddell, founder and director of Fin Free Cambridge and Fin Fighters UK. She gave us a powerful and eye-opening insight into the problem of shark finning, and provided delegates with an inspiring example of how campaigning by individuals at a local level can make a real difference. Polly Whitehead, Secretary General for the 2013 Conference, also spoke eloquently at the ceremony, focusing on the issue of human rights. Quoting the words of another Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, she reminded delegates that young people are “a force for transformation,” and that it was time to “get engaged.” Heeding her advice, the students then threw themselves into two days of vigorous debate, representing their country’s views with passion, insight and occasional wit. In what is now something of an MUN tradition, the conference concluded on the Sunday with the emergency scenarios, which required delegates to respond to an unforeseen international crisis; this year these ranged from a widening of the war in Syria to a suspected biological weapons attack in South Sudan. Around 150 Kingswood students were involved in the conference, and all played their part in ensuring that the event was once again a great success.
The army of secretaries did a remarkable job, running enthusiastically from one end of the campus to the other to make sure that those all-important notes were delivered promptly and efficiently. Mr Neil Francis and his technical crew ensured that all the technology worked well over the conference weekend and Ms Hayley Smith coped admirably with the pressure of being Conference Administrator for the first time. The Friends of Kingswood also did sterling work, running the tuck-shop and entertaining our guests over the course of the weekend. Everyone involved in the weekend deserves a big thank you for their efforts, but particular mention should be made of the chairpersons, on whose shoulders the success of the conference always rests. Every one of them rose magnificently to the challenge of taking charge of their committees, showing exceptional organisational skills as well as great maturity in dealing with a variety of sometimes difficult situations. The head chairs for the weekend were especially impressive. They were Polly Whitehead, Gabriel Penn, Sam Morris, Josh Jackson, Craig Meehan, Toby Briggs, Patrick Seed, Emily Crowe, Nick Phillips, Kim Chivers, Alex Wynne Hughes, James Cowell, Lottie Frude, Natasha Hemmings, and Will Metcalf.
Mr Craig Woodgate (Head of Sixth Form)
Kingswood in Focus 67
Trips & Exchanges
Economics & Business Studies China Trip October 2012 Re nao or 热 闹, a Mandarin word for “populous” is often used by many to describe one’s experience of China. For twenty Sixth Form students and three members of staff, re nao would mean more than just that.
highlight of the trip. We had the chance to watch how steel is rolled as well as feel the intense heat and noise generated by the mechanised processes that the plant workers endure every day. Alongside our economic and business related visits, we found time to embrace the culture and heritage of ancient China. During our time in Xi’an, we visited the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, a well preserved ancient temple and holy place for Buddhists, followed by the opportunity to purchase KFC, whose outlet was located next door. This was yet another example of Westernised brands entering new and unchartered markets. The Terracotta Army was also a spectacular sight for many of us; the intricate detail of each warrior and horse was amazing to see up close. On our final day, we travelled by coach to the Juyongguan Section of the Great Wall, China’s famous landmark and the only man-made structure visible from outer space. None of the pupils had been to China before and so it was quite an experience for them. After seeing a country that continues to undergo rapid expansion at first-hand, hopefully they can share with others the positives and negatives, both culturally and economically, that come with such development.
Mr James Hills (Head of Business Studies)
Before departing the UK for Shanghai, we were given the chance to learn some basic Mandarin and practised using chop sticks picking up Cadbury’s Mini Eggs! Following a long overnight flight to Shanghai, we were met by our guide and immediately transferred to our hotel via The Maglev Train, reaching a top speed of 268 mph, the fastest operational commercial train to date! Once again, we were fortunate to receive a lecture from a Chinese professor on the economic growth miracle and what challenges lie ahead for China. Later that evening, we scaled China’s tallest building, the Shanghai World Financial Centre and explored Shanghai by night on a river cruise on the Huangpu River; what an ideal way to get to see the vibrancy and colour of the city at night! Once everyone had overcome the sheer scale of construction and the density of people living in the cities, we quietly immersed ourselves in the hustle and bustle of city life. You have to accept that the Chinese love to take a plunge into crowds of people already packed together. Cars and buses will also fight their way through to the front of traffic. For many, our visit to Bao Steel, a stateowned iron and steel company, was a key 68 Kingswood in Focus
“...our visit to Bao Steel...was a key highlight of the trip.”
German Exchange December 2012
German Trip to Koblenz On Friday 19th October, 44 pupils and 5 staff set off at 1am bound for Cologne. The long coach journey was broken just short of Cologne, when the pupils spent 2 hours enjoying the many slides and pools at Aqualand. Saturday was spent in Cologne. All 44 pupils and most of the staff made it up the 509 steps of the imposing Cologne Cathedral Tower after a treasure hunt based at the train station and the main shopping area. Pupils worked in groups on a kinaesthetic reading comprehension requiring them to find certain shops, menus, key words and make simple observations all in German. The afternoon was spent at the Stollwerck Chocolate Museum with a guided tour telling them about the origins of chocolate and the industry of chocolate making. The shop provided a great opportunity to sample plenty of chocolate! After some time for shopping, pupils then ordered and enjoyed ice creams before completing other tasks carried over from the morning session. In the evening, as they did every evening, pupils completed a diary entry in German recording the highlights of the day.
“Pupils threw themselves into all the activities and staff were impressed by their attempts to use their German.” Sunday was spent enjoying the delights of the Rhine river between Sankt Goar and Koblenz. The mist rose in time to allow the group to see the spectacular castles perched above the meandering river, the famous vineyards, the Lorelei and the magnificent autumn colours. The temperature was a balmy 21°C! That evening the Ten Pin Bowling was fiercely contested with Olly Parry narrowly defeating Mr Duke. The sight of Mrs Hutchison in bowling shoes will live long in the memory. Monday started with a visit to a Haribo Factory Shop - wall to wall Haribo! Kingswood pupils spent most of their remaining Euros and Mr Thatcher was in his element! The rest of the day was spent at Phantasialand - a theme park. Pupils and staff enjoyed everything from facepainting to the thrill of rollercoasters!
In deepest December, twenty-four students accompanied by Mr Duke, Mr Edgell and Fraulein Henrich, the German Assistant, left for Münster in northern Germany to participate in the annual exchange with our partner school the Schillergymnasium. Sporting some impressive Christmas jumpers, we were warmly welcomed by our partners and spent a week improving our German skills and getting a general insight into life in Germany.
“Everyone felt that their German improved dramatically with such intense practice.” The weekend was spent with our host families, and pupils enjoyed such diverse experiences as football riots, hospital visits and of course several visits to the beautiful Christmas Market. The group enjoyed a tour of Münster and its town museum, as well as trips to the cities of Osnabrück and Essen, with a hands-on tour of the Zollverein Coal Museum being particularly enjoyed by Mr Duke. Also enjoyable were the traditional sausages that were consumed aplenty by all of us in the Christmas Market. Many of us also experienced the school concert which was impressively attended. The remaining days were spent in school with our partners, where we were totally immersed in the language and where the hip-hop lesson was a real highlight for some. Everyone felt that their German improved dramatically with such intense practice. Mr Edgell in particular saw his Denglisch becoming ever more fluent as the week progressed. We also gained a deeper understanding of German culture and cuisine, which enabled us to put what we had learned in the classroom into context.
Caitlin Owens (Year 13)
On Tuesday it was time to return to Bath and this time the journey was punctuated with a brief visit to Bruges. Throughout the trip, the pupils were good company and well-behaved. They threw themselves into all the activities and staff were impressed by their attempts to use their German. Mrs Dakin was the keenest learner on the trip and Miss Dooley returned with a traditional Dirndl!
Mr Roderick Duke (Head of Modern Languages) Kingswood in Focus 69
French Exchange Toulouse 2013 During the first week of the Easter holidays, a group of 20 students from Years 10-13 flew to Toulouse with Miss Brookes, Mr Redman and Miss Beale. We met our partners at the Lycée Saint-Sernin which was situated right in the heart of the city. We spent the evening getting to know our partners and meeting their families. Some students even got to experience the disorientating French Metro. On our first day we met back at the school and travelled to the Lastours castles, where we were greeted by a lot of steps, but the climb was worth it when we got to the top and took in the breath-taking views. On the way up we also got to learn about the rich history of the area. That afternoon we visited another castle in Carcassonne where we learnt about the battle that took place there and saw how they used to live. On the second day, we went to the picturesque village of Foix where all the students enjoyed tasting as many different French foods we could find. After the morning spent there we travelled to the Niaux caves and went exploring inside. Our knowledge of French was tested as the guide spoke no English so gave the whole tour in French. Luckily, with our amazing French skills, everyone managed to understand at least parts of the tour. The following day, we all experienced a morning of lessons in a typical French school, where they had more complex English lessons than we do! That evening we met up with the whole group and the teachers again to enjoy bowling and a very nice meal. On the last day, all the Year 10 students and their partners went ice-skating in the morning, which everyone enjoyed, despite the many falls and lack of ability. In the afternoon we finally got to do what everyone was waiting for… making macaroons! We all got to make our own macaroons in three groups, and everyone managed to make a bit of mess along the way. After they had finished cooking, even though we only had French instructions to go by, we all tried each other’s delicious efforts. However, the right group, Mr Redman’s, won the title of best macaroons. The next day we travelled home, which meant saying a tearful goodbye to the French students we had bonded with during the week. We were all very sad to be leaving as everyone had had an amazing time and most had even managed to speak some French and improve their language skills!
Sarah Saunders, Edith Fong and Jodie Price (Year 10)
Spanish Exchange In October, a day before half-term started, we were the lucky ones setting off on the Spanish Exchange Trip. On arrival in Madrid in the late evening, after an uneventful Easyjet flight, we pulled up to the Leonardo Da Vinci School in Moralzalzal. With jittering nerves mixed with excitement we finally met our intercambios (exchange partners) in the flesh. After our first night spent in the company of our families we were taken to the Parque de Atracciones in Madrid for our first day trip. In typical Spanish style we had slept in late that morning and so our day only started when we arrived at the park around midday! After a fun afternoon we came to the most dramatic event of the whole holiday. That evening the Casa de Terrors (Haunted House) was open. One of the girls on the exchange took one step into the very first room and ran back out. Actors dressed as zombies came stealthily down the stairs, holding objects like daggers dripping with fake blood! Cobwebs clung from every corner and skeletons were dangling from the nooses on the ceiling! Sunday again started later than normal with another relaxing lie-in to compensate for the later than normal nights that we were having. We were treated to paella for lunch before going to join everyone else in the shopping mall. After a brief spell at the mall we went to the bowling alley where we spent most of the evening enjoying the games on offer there. By now we all considered each other the best of friends and were enjoying ourselves massively! When we weren’t learning colloquial phrases from our intercambios, we were going on interesting day trips around Madrid. These included a visit to the beautiful walled city of Toledo, the Royal Palace, a tour of the old town in Madrid and various visits to shopping centres. We spent each evening with our families and then went out - either latenight shopping or to watch a movie. One of the particular favourites was a Spanish rom-com: Tres Metros Sobre El Cielo (Three Metres Above the Sky); not quite such a favourite with the boys though! Our last day was spent in Moralzarzal; the morning with our Spanish exchanges in school and the afternoon at the Plaza de Toros. We started school at nine with Maths. Once we understood that the Spanish use different symbols for multiply and divide everything became much clearer! We moved onto Spanish, English and Geography. We only spoke in Spanish in all lessons. The afternoon was very interesting as we were guided around the local bullring where Mr Walker tried to convince us there was a bull about to attack every few minutes. On our last night we went to one of the intercambios and had a farewell party; it was a great end to such a wonderful stay. We can safely say that by the end of the week we had all dramatically improved our linguistic skills and were able to enjoy conversations in Spanish (albeit brief) that we could genuinely understand! Esmée Charley, Isabel Calvert & Esther Archer-Brown (Year 10)
70 Kingswood in Focus
Prague Exchange October 2012 Back in June in the previous academic year, four students from the English College in Prague came to Bath to visit Kingswood School to take part in the second cultural exchange of this type. Whilst staying with host families during the weekend, pupils were shown round the sights of Bath and experienced home life in the UK. In the following week, as well experiencing lessons, students enjoyed a traditional English high tea at the Pump Rooms and visited Wells, England’s smallest city.
“...trips allowed the students to get a feeling for life in and around Prague...”
In the October half term, our four Upper Sixth students took part in the return visit to Prague. After a very cold start to the week, encountering the first snow in Prague that winter, students enjoyed watching Dvorak’s Rusalka at the State Opera House. After spending the remainder of the weekend with host families, the students went to school and took part in lessons where, amongst many other things, they were able to see the difference between the International Baccalaureate and our own A levels. Outside the classroom a visit to Karlstejn Castle, an energetic walk to the top of Petrin Hill and a visit to The Museum of Communism were also enjoyed. These trips allowed the students to get a feeling for life in and around Prague. The square in the old town was a particularly popular place to visit in order to enjoy the impressive hourly chimes of the Astronomical Clock and spend time in the nearby cafés. Mr and Mrs Knights would like to take this opportunity to thank the girls for being such good ambassadors of the school and for their good company in the week.
Mrs Anna Knights (Teacher of Mathematics)
The Bleathman Travel Scholarship In July 2012, thanks to the very generous Bleathman Travel Scholarship, I was lucky enough to spend a week in Nantes in the Loire Valley. I stayed with a French teacher and had twenty hours of one-to-one tuition, as well as a number of excursions, all of which, although intense, were incredibly beneficial to my general level of French and particularly to my fluency and pronunciation, where I had been less confident. As they were private lessons, I also had a degree of control over the material that we studied, and found my introduction to French literature particularly fascinating and useful for my university application. For 5 days I spoke and heard only French, which was massively rewarding as I felt myself growing more fluent by the day. This was a huge confidence boost, and, as anyone who has done an exchange will know, there is nothing like trying to follow the dinner conversation to put all the vocabulary tests and grammar learning into context and to make them seem worthwhile! Following on from this trip, I planned and delivered an assembly to the rest of the school about my experiences and about learning foreign languages in general. Naturally, this was a rather daunting prospect, but standing in front of my peers and talking about a subject about which I am passionate, I also felt extremely privileged. I sincerely hope that others will apply for the scholarship in the future; it is an incredibly generous opportunity, especially as it remembers our wonderful former Head of French who died so tragically in 2010. I feel I gained a great deal from my experiences, both linguistically and personally. I recommend the experience without reservation.
Caitlin Owens (Year 13) Kingswood in Focus 71
Eco-Schools
How do students at Kingswood engage with the global movement for change? Join Green Vision... ...a movement run by young people in Bath and surrounding areas, whose mission is to promote sustainability in BANES. job was to keep the discussion and ideas flowing as well as involve all members of the group. This revolved around ‘open-space’ discussions as a forum to share ideas. Some really good topics were discussed, all of which had been chosen by the participants. Some popular ones included ‘How we can educate people about the Baka tribe?’, ‘What can we do to help local wildlife?’ and ‘How can we reduce food waste?’ Lunch consisted of locally sourced raw food, a new experience for many; it was met with mixed reviews. We ended the conference by sharing what we had learnt and what action we wanted to take. It was a great opportunity to get to know participants from other schools and think practically about how we can make a difference. Overall, it was an amazing experience and everyone involved came away inspired and with more knowledge.
Juliet Davenport
Help organise this event... Tim “Mac” Macartney
As part of this, they organised the Youth Climate Summit (YCS) which was held at Kingswood. Prior to the event, five Kingswood students joined others from Ralph Allen School and a school in Devon to be trained as YCS facilitators; our task being to develop skills in stimulating discussions in a ‘World Café’ where thoughts and ideas on climate change and sustainability would be shared.
Following on from this year’s success, some of us have become involved in the planning of the 2013 YCS. We consist of a group of students from local schools who meet regularly after school at Kingswood. To date, we have arranged for guest speakers and sponsors, as well as designing the 2013 YCS, which will again be held on the Upper. We are very excited about this upcoming event run by, and for, young people.
Esther Archer-Brown & Harriet Haysom (Year 10)
Attend the Youth Climate Summit... The YCS was held on the Upper on October 16th and 17th with over 100 students from schools all over BANES attending. The Upper was transformed with new locations for talks, including a Mongolian yurt and a Native American tipi. On the first day, inspirational speakers presented their ideas on subjects ranging from renewable energy (Juliet Davenport, CEO at Green Energy) and sustainable living (Tim “Mac” Macartney, founder of Embercombe) to the uses of seaweed. FareShare, a charity that takes food which supermarkets cannot sell to give to the homeless, provided the food for lunch, which was transformed into a very tasty curry thanks to the work of our talented Catering Department.
“...it was an amazing experience and everyone involved came away inspired and with more knowledge.” The second day, less formal than the first, was just as thoughtprovoking. This was where our new facilitation skills were tested; our 72 Kingswood in Focus
Esther
English
Poetry Slam Once again we held the Year 7 Poetry Slam in the Library, just before Christmas. There were some energetic performances from representatives of every form. Joe Partridge won the individual performance with his rap and the group poem, The Car, was written by Max Lister and performed with the help of Maddi Edwards, Finley Feaver, Ben Narbutt and Zach Wheelhouse Steel. We were very grateful to Mrs McNee and Mr Hughes for judging the competition with last year’s winners, Conor Devlin-Cook and Zoe Brown.
“...it was a really successful and entertaining day...”
‘The Car’
Visiting Author The English Department were delighted to join the Library in hosting the children’s writer, David Gatward. David spoke to the whole of Year 9 about his background as an author and how he devised the characters and storylines for his award-winning novels. He then held a series of workshops to help the pupils with their ideas for their own Gothic short stories. We all agreed that it was a really successful and entertaining day and the pupils were enthused with ideas for their own compositions.
Mrs Caroline Clarke (Teacher of English)
Literature Festival
The Judges
“Joe Partridge won the individual performance with his rap...”
In March, Kingswood sponsored authors Helen Dunmore and James Long in the Bath Literature Festival event at the Guildhall.
Kingswood in Focus 73
Science Department
Science Week
This year the Science Week theme was Planet Earth. Activities ranged from the “macro” to the “micro”. The highlight of the “macro” was when David Brown, a previous Head of Physics at Kingswood School and astronomer extraordinaire, brought the heavens to earth in the physics laboratory via a fantastic planetarium projector and dome that was donated to the school by The Friends of Kingswood back in the late sixties. We shared his enthusiasm and unique knowledge of the planetarium to enjoy a guided tour of the stars.
“The highlight of the “macro” was when David Brown...brought the heavens to earth via a fantastic planetarium projector and dome...” For the “micro” we looked at the effect humans have had on the planet. It is often the smaller organisms that we disrupt by our activities, leading to ripple effects further up the food chains. The water flea is a good organism to demonstrate these effects as the heart can be seen beating through the carapace. We were able to show this under the microscope which was then projected onto the big screen in the theatre.*
Dr Nick Sheffrin (Head of Science) *No organisms were harmed in this demonstration, only immersed in Coca-Cola! 74 Kingswood in Focus
Lower Sixth Chemistry Trip Last November all twenty five of our Lower Sixth Chemists, accompanied by Mr Garforth and Mrs Wilcock, enjoyed a day out at Bristol University Department of Chemistry. Bristol has the largest university Chemistry Department in the UK, with 700 undergraduates, including our own Charlotte Pickering from last year’s Upper Sixth, and over 300 doctoral and post-doctoral students, making a total of more than 1,000 students all under one roof! The morning was spent in the undergraduate laboratories where our students did hands-on practical work, extracting caffeine from tea leaves. This involved using techniques new to our students, such as solvent extraction, rotary evaporation, melting point determination and finally, to test the purity of their product, infra-red spectroscopy using bench top machines worth £45,000 each! We were advised not to eat the caffeine extracted, since a two gram sample, we were told, is sufficiently toxic to kill a small child! (Dear readers, please remember this when you have your next shot of tea, coffee or Coca-Cola!) Our students were surprised to observe that modern, state-of-the-art university chemistry departments no longer use Bunsen Burners, but that all heating is carried out electrically, a method that may one day filter (to use a good chemical term) down to secondary schools!
the audience for our students to sniff, but it didn’t seem to do much for them! This lecture was followed by another on the science of fireworks, accompanied by an impressive pyrotechnic demonstration. The event, especially the morning’s practical programme, was deemed by all participants to be both enjoyable and instructive.
Mr Richard Garforth (Head of Careers)
“The event...was deemed by all participants to be both enjoyable and instructive.” After our Kingswood packed lunches, the afternoon was spent attending lectures. One of these was about the chemical messenger molecules called pheromones used, for example, by insects to communicate information and instructions to each other. Samples of one of these pheromones, designed to enhance the sex-appeal of pigs during the mating season, were circulated around
Kingswood in Focus 75
Outdoor Pursuits
Mountain Biking in the Forest of Dean Year 9 Boarders’ Trip to the Forest of Dean
In October a group of Year 11 and Sixth Form students enjoyed the challenge of the two purpose-built mountain biking trails in the Forest of Dean. The Free-Miner and the Verderer Trails offer a total of 15 km of challenging single track riding starting from the Cannop cycle centre. The trip built upon the experience gained in the weekly mountain biking activity run from Kingswood using the school grounds and local bridleways.
September 2012 At the start of the academic year the Year 9 boarders took part in the traditional camping and activity weekend in the Forest of Dean. Based at the Biblins Youth Campsite on the bank of the River Wye the pupils had the chance to try climbing, caving, canoeing and kayaking.
Climbing The weekly Climbing Activity for all year groups continued this year with pupils enjoying the newly refurbished outdoor bouldering wall. The refurbishment was made possible by the generosity of the Friends of Kingswood who contributed funds to the project. Kingswood also once again entered a team into the South West Schools’ Bouldering League, with regular competitions at the Bristol Climbing Academy.
Year 9 Hike On Sunday 23rd June, twelve Year 9 pupils braved high winds and persistent rain to walk 14 km of the Beacons Way in the Black Mountains. The day began with a short sharp ascent of Table Mountain where conditions were assessed and the decision was taken to abandon the intended ridge walk and follow a lower level route. All of the participants were really positive and walked strongly despite the poor weather. I would like to thank the staff who joined me in yet another rather wet adventure.
Mr John Davies (Head of Outdoor Pursuits) 76 Kingswood in Focus
Ten Tors Challenge
Kingswood once again entered two teams for the Ten Tors Challenge. The pressure of examinations makes the conduct of the expedition increasingly difficult, however we did manage to get the two teams, an Upper Sixth 55-mile team and a Year 10 35-mile team, to the start line fully prepared. Twenty three Year 10 pupils began training so the final six had achieved a great deal just by being selected. Weather for the expedition, and indeed much of the training, was extremely challenging. The expedition began in thick fog with rain and high winds. The participants had already survived a very wet and windy night at Okehampton Camp before the start. Apart from a few hours dry weather on Saturday afternoon the whole weekend was wet and windy with poor visibility. Despite the tough conditions both teams made excellent progress on the first day. The Year 10 team reached their 8th Tor by evening and the Upper Sixth team made it through their 6th Tor, which had been their aim, and were able to walk on into the night.
The 35-mile team members were: Henry Corp – Team leader Sam James Grace Goodwin
Calum Wylie Ben Bates Billy Greenway
The 55-mile team members were: Nick Phillips – Team leader Tash Chapman James Humphrey
Conor O’Sullivan Jack Stuckes Will Blackmore
Day 2 went very well for the Year 10 team who reached the finish at 11.40am – 2nd on their route and one of the fastest 15 teams out of over 200 35-mile teams. The Upper Sixth team were delayed by 30 minutes at their 7th Tor due to registration procedures but continued to walk well until a navigational error cost them further time and put them outside the time limit when they arrived at their 10th Tor. Having walked over 55 miles and reached their 10th Tor they were then prevented from continuing and endured a 4hr evacuation process which might have been avoided had they been allowed to walk in to the finish!
Very wet Mendips Training on Dartmoor
Mr John Davies (Head of Outdoor Pursuits)
Heads of Upper & Middle provide leadership
Camping on Dartmoor
Kingswood in Focus 77
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award BRONZE AWARD During the weekly Bronze DofE activity, Year 10 students learn about navigation, camp craft and teamwork, before getting the chance to put their new skills to the test – and the arctic conditions during the March training expedition certainly tested them! However, in June, the 62 students enjoyed a sunny weekend on either the Mendip Hills or in the Forest of Dean in order to complete their Assessed Expedition. The five Forest of Dean groups had to navigate from St Briavels, through the forest, to the Biblins campsite. All of the groups arrived at the campsite in good time and were able to summon enough energy to play cricket, badminton and touch rugby. After a peaceful night’s sleep and a good breakfast, all of the five groups set off on their second day routes in high spirits. Seven hours later, and after a
couple of navigational slip-ups, all five groups reached the finish point to pass this section of the award. Meanwhile on the Mendip Hills, six groups set off from Priddy on Saturday morning and made their way to the campsite near Shipham. The routes chosen included some high ridges enjoying views across the Bristol Channel and Somerset Levels. All of the groups were able to make it to the campsite by the early evening, although not necessarily along the routes they had planned! A little more care with the map ensured much better navigation on the second day. All of the Year 10 participants then delivered presentations about their experiences to staff to complete the Expedition Section. Mr Steven Smyth (Teacher of Geography)
GOLD AWARD It has been another successful year for Kingswood’s DofE participants at Gold level. In October, I was delighted to be able to invite Mr Morris to St James’ Palace to see Emma Davey receive her certificate and meet HRH the Earl of Wessex in her Gold Award Presentation ceremony. Congratulations must also go to Caitlin Owens, who achieved the award during the Spring Term of her Upper Sixth year, and to Sally Hargrave and Rosie Dixon who have since completed their Gold. This year’s October Gold training / qualification expeditions took place in a snowy Black Mountains region, with the groups facing extra navigational challenges due to the unseasonal conditions, as well as needing to carry lots of extra layers. In contrast, the July expedition to the Lake District had a week of glorious sunshine, with the boys having to guard against sunburn! Both expeditions were successful and highly enjoyable. Miss Mary Telford (Teacher i/c Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme)
78 Kingswood in Focus
Year 7 Challenge Day This event is held every year to help Year 7 make new friends and to experience working as a team with new people.
The Year 8 Young Entrepreneurs’ Day On Thursday 27th July, Year 8 took part in Young Entrepreneurs’ Day. The whole year were challenged to present their ideas for a fictional catering company. The pupils were briefed to cater for and entertain a hundred people at a summer ball to take place at Kingswood School. Kingswood’s very own ‘Dragons’, Mrs Edwards and Mr Hills, watched as Year 8 got to grips with roles which included Managing Director, Finance Director and Marketing Director. Each pupil presented creative marketing ideas for promoting the event, as well as detailed spreadsheets showing costs and projected profits. In true Dragons’ Den style, a percentage of the company was offered to the Dragons in return for investment. The whole day was buzzing with excitement and the anticipation of winning the coveted ‘Young Entrepreneurs’ trophy. The standard was incredibly high, with many pupils in Year 8 showing true entrepreneurial style and creativity. This year the day was given the theme, ‘Gods and Heroes’. This enabled Mr Thatcher to indulge himself and purchase a Thor costume, complete with blond wig and hammer. Nine teams completed four challenges and were awarded points at the end of each challenge. Three of the teams, (The Flash, Super Kids and Nike) were neck and neck during the latter part of the day, but the winning team, by just two points, were the Super Kids: Emma Askew, Isabella North, Lucy Tonge, Jasmin Ryan, George Brunskill, Conor Finnamore, Will Jeffery, Finlay Marks, Robin Pun and Alexander Zikos Barlow.
The winning team were from 8E and were made up of Josh Brace, Alfie Brooks, Kate Hall, Harry Kerrison, James McLeod, Kelly Read and Charlie Roberts. The Dragons recognised that this team offered the best investment opportunity and showed a high level of creativity, as well as slick presentation skills.
Mrs Suzanne Marshall (Head of PSHCE)
Mrs Suzanne Marshall (Head of PSHCE)
Kingswood in Focus 79
School Prefects 2012 / 2013 The PR
Sporting Roll of Honour In 2012-2013 full colours were awarded to the following: RUGBY Conor O’Sullivan Fraser Russell Toby Briggs Nick Mackenzie Nick Phillips
GIRLS’ HOCKEY Head Boy
Fraser Russell
Head Girl
Charlotte Frude
Deputy Head Boy
Sam Morris
Deputy Head Girl
Natasha Chapman
Heads of House
Freddie Best (Head of Fonthill); Toby Briggs (Head of Hall); Nick Phillips (Head of Middle); Rosie Boyd (Head of School); Kristina Grant (Head of Summerhill); Conor O’Sullivan (Head of Upper)
Additional Members of the PR
Emily Rowlands (Fonthill); Jamie Williams (Upper)
Senior Prefects
Amber James (Deputy Head of Fonthill); Oscar Dennis (Deputy Head of Middle); Sanveer Singh (Deputy Head of Hall); Sophie Hughes (Deputy Head of School); Katie Simpson (Deputy Head of Summerhill); Angus Batterham (Deputy Head of Upper) Letitia Bailey; Monika Mangrova; Amber Backwell; Craig Meehan; Kim Chivers; Domante Miltientye; Max Courtaux; Caitlin Owens; Emily Crowe; Gabriel Penn; Natasha Dabell; Kriti Rana; Henry Darch; Patrick Seed; Sally Hargrave; Jack Stuckes; Joshua Jackson; Lydia Thacker; Matthew Jeffery; Pollyanna Whitehead; Callum Lloyd-James; Alex Wilcox; Samuel Man; Alex Wynne-Hughes
Lydia Thacker Jess Portman Natasha Chapman Catherine Bolland (re-awarded) Emily Rowlands (re-awarded)
BOYS’ HOCKEY Tim Rouse Angus Batterham Henry Darch Toby Briggs
NETBALL Lydia Thacker Jess Portman Rosie Dixon
CROSS COUNTRY James Humphreys Amber James
CRICKET
Kingswood School Governing Body 2012 / 2013 Chairman
Wing Cdr C S Burns RAF (Rtd)
Vice-Chairman, Chairman PEC
Mrs K M Pillinger
Vice-Chairman, Chairman FEC
Mr J G Forbes BSc
Governing Body
Mr P Baines; The Revd Dr J Barrett MA; Mr M Bishay FRCS; The Revd R J Borgars BA; Mrs S M Cook LLB; Mr A G Douglas FRICS; Mr A G Gibbs MA FCA; Dr M C Hayden; The Revd A W Jones MA MPhil; Mrs B R Pendle Cert Ed; Mr DJB Quine MA MEd BEd; Major General A J Raper CBE, Rtd; Mr R Sandry FCA; Ms G Smith AA Dip; Mr T Westbrook MA MSc; The Revd Canon P Whitworth MA; His Honour Judge Peter Wright MA.
80 Kingswood in Focus
Sam Morris
ATHLETICS Amber James (re-awarded) Zach Hart
SWIMMING Patrick Seed (re-awarded) Amelia Maughan
Kingswood School Teaching Staff 2012 / 2013 APPOINTED
APPOINTED Mr S A Morris
Headmaster
01/09/2008
Ms N McNee
Librarian
28/08/2005
Mr G D Opie
Deputy Head; Games; PE; English
01/09/1990
Mrs K L Nash
Head of Drama and Theatre Studies
01/09/2005
Mrs S C Dawson
Deputy Head Academic; English
01/09/2004
Mr C J Redman
Head of Maths; Resident Assistant Housemaster Middle House
01/09/2005
Rev M L Wilkinson
Chaplain; Deputy Head Pastoral; RE
01/09/1992
Mrs C M Sergeant
Head of ICT (Academic)
01/09/2005
Mr J R Garforth
Chemistry; Head of Careers
01/09/1973
Dr M D Fletcher
Head of Chemistry
01/09/2006
Miss A T Wright
Games; PE; English; Psychology
01/09/1983
Mrs M J Hutchison
German and RE
01/09/2006
Mrs D J Jenner
Head of Geography
01/09/1985
Mrs A K Matthews
Geography
23/04/2007
Mrs M L Brennan
Maths
01/09/2007
Mrs A Y Burt
Chemistry
01/09/2007
Mr S J Forrester
Head of ESL; Resident Assistant Housemaster Hall House
01/09/2007
Mrs S C Fountain
Humanities
01/09/2007
Miss U J Paver
Games; PE; Senior Housemistress School House
01/09/1990
Mrs J Reeman
Maths
01/09/1990
Mr S J Burgon
Maths; Head of Dixon
01/09/1991
Mrs J R Opie
Head of Biology
01/09/1992
Mrs V Gibson
History
01/09/2007
Miss N J Beale
French; German; Spanish
01/09/1993
Mr D P Hughes
Head of English
01/09/2007
Dr N M H Sheffrin
Head of Science
01/09/1993
Mr J P Hills
Head of Economics / Business
11/04/2008
Mrs J Cook
Head of Learning Support
22/11/1993
Mrs S Dakin
Head of Classics
01/09/2008
Mr J W Davies
History; Senior Housemaster Upper House; Outdoor Pursuits
01/09/1994
Mrs C E Edwards
Head of Psychology; Economics /Business
01/09/2008
Mr G J Musto
Maths; Director of CPD (Member of SMT)
01/09/1994
Mrs J Hallett
Learning Support
01/09/2008
Mrs L J Court
Head of RE and Critical Thinking
01/09/1995
Miss M E Telford
Second in English Department; Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
01/09/2008
Mrs A Hirst
Learning Support
01/07/1997
Mrs C D Morris
French; German
10/11/2008
Mr P J Hollywell
Geography, Games, Senior Housemaster Westwood
01/09/1998
Mr J B Brown
Head of Boys’ Games; PE
01/09/2009
Mr P Clarke
Physics; Editor of School Magazine
01/09/2009
Mr T P R Reeman
Director of Sport
01/09/1998
Miss K M Donovan
Geography
01/09/2009
Mr S R Snowden
Director of ICT
01/09/1998
Mr D Walker
Head of Spanish
01/09/2009
Mr R E Burton
Head of Physics
06/09/1999
Mrs A O Bassett
Acting Head of Music
01/09/2010
Mr R Mainwaring
Music
01/09/2000
Mr B N Brown
Head of Design Technology
01/09/2010
Mrs M K Patterson
Biology; ESD Coordinator
04/09/2000
Mr J C H Chua
Maths
01/09/2010
Mrs M L Brown
Physics; Timetabler; Senior Housemistress Summerhill House
01/09/2001
Mr G D Edgell
ICT
01/09/2010
Mrs S Cunliffe
English
01/09/2001
Miss N Robinson
French and Spanish
01/09/2010
Head of Sixth Form; History; Politics (Member of SMT)
Miss S B Brookes
Head of French
01/01/2011
Mr C B Woodgate
01/09/2001
Mr S T Brown
Head of Art
01/01/2011
Mr D T Harding
Drama and Theatre Studies; Senior Housemaster Hall House; Activities
01/09/2002
Mrs C A Clarke
English
01/09/2011
Mr E C Peerless
Physics
01/09/2011
Mr J Matthews
Games; PE; Senior Housemaster Middle House
01/09/2002
Mrs L E Smyth
Biology
01/09/2011
Mrs L J Bradbury
Art
01/09/2003
Mrs S Chilver Vaughan
Latin
01/09/2011
Head of Languages; Resident Assistant Housemaster Westwood
Mr B Berg
ICT; Drama
01/09/2012
Mr R J Duke
01/09/2003
Mr D M Darwin
History and Politics
01/09/2012
Mr P P G MacDonald
Head of History and Politics
01/09/2003
Mrs S F Herlinger
01/09/2012
Mrs J L Mainwaring
English; Housemistress Westwood
01/09/2003
History and Politics; Resident Assistant Housemistress School House
Miss M Newman
Games
12/01/2004
Mr J-M Legg
French and Spanish
01/09/2012
Mrs S J Marshall
Head of PSHCE; RE
31/07/2004
Mrs V M Sim
Head of Girls’ Games; PE
01/09/2012
Mrs K Fox
Art
31/08/2004
Mr S D Smyth
Geography
01/09/2012
Maths; Resident Assistant Housemistress Summerhill House
Mr S R Thomas
Design Technology
01/09/2012
Mrs A M Knights
01/09/2004
Mr J R White
Maths
01/09/2012
Kingswood in Focus 81
www.kingswood.bath.sch.uk