park
the
the Leighton Park School newsletter
1st XV Win Super Six Rugby Greenfingers Grow and Grow Oxfam Reworked on the Runway
Autumn 2015
Headlines
The Leighton Park community extends across the world and I was delighted to catch up with Old Leightonians, Nikita Rachmaninov and Jack Stubbs, as well as to meet some of our current and future parents, when I visited Russia recently. Eddie Falshaw, Deputy Head, went to China to present to an international conference on Science and Reading, whilst closer to home we welcomed representatives from five Dutch Universities to the Park as part of our higher education preparation programme. Current Year 11 and Lower Sixth Formers have been inspired by the launch of the fundraising plans for the next Africa Live project, due to take place in October 2016, and students from all year groups have been visiting British and other European cities in their quest to further broaden their education. I hope very much that you will enjoy reading about their varied and adventurous learning on the pages of The Park. I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope that you have received our animated Christmas card, with illustrations by Max Jennings (Upper Sixth). With best wishes, Nigel Williams, Head
Contents News
pages three, four, five, six and seven
Learning Adventurously pages eight and nine
Team Sports As Christmas approaches and the Park has lost its leafy cloak I am amazed at how beautiful it still appears. Despite nature slowing down throughout the autumn preparing for the winter months, it has been a very busy term for us with a multitude of events and activities on top of the solid core of academic hard work. The end of term is an excellent opportunity for students, staff, parents and Old Leightonians to draw breath, reflect and celebrate with other members of the Leighton Park community and to strengthen the bonds of lifelong friendship that make our school such a special place. The recent festivities have included the Christmas Concert, the Oxfam Reworked fashion show and LP’s Got Talent displaying the skills, talents and collective spirit of our students. In addition, success on the hockey pitch and rugby field has ensured that our dedicated sports boys and girls have ended the term on a well-deserved high. Christmas Evening Meeting, organised by Geraint Thomas and Rosemary Scales, was, as always, a beautiful and moving event followed by happy laughter and the enthusiastic singing of carols in Peckover Hall, beautifully decorated by our wonderful PSC. The end of term would not have been complete without the parties in the Houses and the fantastic Christmas dinners provided by our caterers, Thomas Franks.
Weekly eBulletin
pages ten and eleven
Sports News page twelve
Library
page thirteen
Music & Drama
pages fourteen and fifteen
Science
page sixteen
Sixth Form
page seventeen
Old Leightonians
pages eighteen and nineteen
PSC
page twenty
Our primary means of communicating with our parents and guardians is through our weekly eBulletin which is sent out each Wednesday during term time. It is also emailed to students for their interest. Here you and your family will find information about up and coming events, reminders and Year Group notices, so it is important that you open and read the eBulletin each week. If, for any reason, you do not receive the eBulletin or you cannot open a document or link please email marketing@leightonpark.com. You can also access the eBulletin on the school website www.leightonpark.com/communications.
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Please visit www.leightonpark.com for up-to-date news throughout the year. The front cover picture is from the 1st XV Super Six Final against Burnham Grammar School, won by Leighton Park 13-10.
News Greenfingers Grows and Grows
Our Year 7 and 8 gardeners continued to breathe new life into their allotment throughout the Autumn Term as part of the ‘Greenfingers’ activity which was launched in March 2015. On Saturday 17th October students received a helping hand from boarders, staff and parents, who picked up their shovels and pitchforks to prepare the beds for fresh crops, including potatoes, strawberries, spaghetti squash, onions, leeks, maize, beetroot, cucamelons, rhubarb, gooseberries, chillies, asparagus and a wide selection of herbs. A number of bushels of apples were also gathered and passed to the school dining hall, Oakview, where catering staff produced a delicious crumble. The Grounds and Maintenance team repaired the raised wooden beds and improved the paths, laying wood-chips sourced on the Park. With an abundance of fruit and vegetables being grown, the decision was also made to donate some of the crops to Reading Town Meal’s ‘Pledge your Veg’ initiative. Reading Town Meal is an event held every two years in Forbury Gardens and aims to ‘celebrate and promote home-grown and locally produced food’ by providing a three course meal and entertainment to the local community. The
event encourages the community around Reading to grow the food that will be served on the day and provide support during the afternoon. Keen to achieve the Eco-Schools ‘Green Flag’ award alongside the work on the allotment, and to further increase biodiversity on the Park, bee hives will be introduced in the Spring term. The bees will help pollinate the crops in the orchard and give the students access to some freshly produced honey. Ruth Mills (Year 8), a gardening project pioneer, commented, “Greenfingers has been really fun and rewarding. I love growing plants, picking them and then giving them to Oakview. I’m really excited about getting bees as well.” A bee-themed mufti day was organised by student charity group, Amicus, in aid of the Ridgeline Trust, a garden located in East Reading which helps people with special needs to learn new gardening and social skills, growing confidence and self-esteem. Continuing to fundraise, Greenfingers planted and festively decorated some terracotta pots of ‘Tete a Tete’ narcissi which were sold at the end of term Fryer Parent Tea.
It’s Christmas!
Festive Markets
Boarders took a trip to the Christmas markets in Winchester on 29th November, browsing an array of stalls offering a wide range of festive delights from hats and jewellery to art, sculpture, Christmas decorations and of course, lots of lovely food. Nearer the cathedral there was a ‘Step into the Story’ nativity scene and Jane Mulvihill (Mathematics) managed to convince some coolly reluctant students to join her in dressing up!
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Max Jennings (Upper Sixth) created some fabulous characters to adorn our animated Christmas card. The cheeky robin on his signpost and the snowman, wearing a scarf in school colours, were sent, in a seasonally sustainable fashion, to over 6,000 members of our community via e-mail.
News Amicus Take to the Stage!
Students Support Reading Refocus
Amicus has hosted a number of theatrical events based on popular television shows, but with a distinctive Leighton Park twist. On the10th November, a Leighton Park edition of the popular BBC game show ‘Pointless’ was held. With a survey conducted before the event, it was left to the contestants to rack their brains for an obscure answer to questions such as ‘Name someone who takes A Level Psychology’ and ‘Name a teacher with a double-barrelled surname’. After a fiercely fought game the eventual winners were Max Jennings (Upper Sixth) and Melissa Cavaloc (Lower Sixth) of Reckitt House.
Amicus, Leighton Park’s Sixth Form fundraising group, invited speaker James Pyle, founder of Reading Refocus, to Collect in September for an inspiring and moving talk about the difference support can make to a charitable cause. Reading Refocus is a small Readingbased charity which aims to change the direction of young people involved in crime, violence and anti-social activities, through mentoring and counselling. In 2012 a group of five Year 10 students were successful in securing £3,000 via the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) competition to support the work of Reading Refocus, a donation which made a huge difference to the charity. Current Sixth Former, Owen Turner, who was part of the original YPI group, commented
Amicus also hosted the popular ‘LP’s got Talent’ on 25th November following last year’s success. Representatives from each of the four senior houses took to the stage to present three acts in the categories of Lipsync, Comedy and Other. With some highly imaginative performances, including fully costumed lip-sync battles and some expertly delivered stand-up comedy, the evening was extremely entertaining. Despite Grove being announced as the winners on the evening, a controversial reassessment of the judges’ papers found that Field were, in actual fact, the worthy recipients of the trophy.
“Our YPI win boosted the income of Reading Refocus by a massive 50%. The reason we won was that the £3,000 really would help them, where as some of the other charities in the competition would hardly have noticed the extra income.”
Photographs by Alex Semenov (Lower Sixth)
This term, Reading Refocus became a focus of the Sixth Form charity group’s fundraising initiatives. With over 25 students behind the group, a number of creative projects were launched to help raise money and make a difference to the lives of young people through the charity.
Superheroes on the Park Staff and students got into the spirit of Children in Need this term with a Super-Hero themed mufti day held on Friday 13th November. Even Bananaman, made famous from his appearances in ‘The Dandy’ and ‘The Beano’ comic books made an appearance in the staff room!
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Oxfam Reworked 25 models and dozens of technical crew, sound and lighting, hair and make-up experts and talented musicians contributed to a spectacular fashion show in aid of Oxfam on the 26th November. Featuring clothing that had been given an extreme make-over by students to create unique fashion pieces, the show offered a delighted audience a series of visual treats. A formal wear section preceded the official ‘Reworked by Oxfam’ line from the Caversham store, then it was back to Leighton Park’s creations for a rock theme, the Fryers’ ensemble with an amazing evening dress, and finally a boho section of casual, indie and hipster garments. Interludes included live musicians, Josh Holder-Browne, Will Mackay and Obren Kusick (Lower Sixth) and the showing of an Oxfam video. Compered by Lillie Sokolski and Marijn Vuijk (Upper Sixth), the fashion show has taken 18 months to prepare, masterminded by the core team of IB students Sophie Laing, Marijn Vuijk and Max Jennings (Upper Sixth).
“I used the skills I’ve learnt at school, especially machine sewing with Jo Jones and Ann Farmer, to create the clothes. I managed to make a playsuit out of one of Max’s old shirts!” said Sophie “We deconstructed a lot of the clothes and restructured them using the fabric to create different garments. The formal wear section also featured an LP Showcase which was an exhibition of GCSE and A Level textiles pieces.” Ellie Washington (Lower Sixth), one of the six student photographers snapping the event added, “The show flowed really well. The clothes and the music went well together and in between there was a video or some talking or some music. It just flowed.” Organiser, Max Jennings (Upper Sixth), commented “It has been great to use our creativity towards a charitable goal. We’ve taken on making clothes, organising the event and presenting the show; so many people from every year group have taken part. It’s been great to have so many of the community involved.” Photographs by Nat Hindle (Pre-Sixth), Ellie Washington (Lower Sixth) and Mikki Choy (Upper Sixth)
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News
Mooncakes!
Rotary ‘Youth Speaks’ District Competition Leighton Park students braved a damp and dismal evening to travel to Woodley Library on the 18th November to challenge pupils from local schools at the Rotary Club ‘Youth Speaks’ competition. Leighton Park was represented by two teams, Ruth Mills (Year 8), Laoise Morgan (Year 7) and Pratush Prasad (Year 7) on one team, with Year 11 students, Noah Curtis-Machin, Jack Bowes-Reynolds and Zachary Badawi-Crook on the other.
Oakview was adorned with Chinese lanterns and paper moons on the 28th September as students decked the dining room in celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.
Public speaking is all about timing, delivery and artifice. At the school’s internal heats the previous week, Club President and Rotarian, Anne Coulson told our students, “You must work together and show the judges that you can do this.” The students obviously took her advice to heart as when judge, Deidre Smith, gave her final verdict on the evening’s proceedings she commented “You haven’t made our job easy!” With topics as diverse as “Is the education system sucking the creativity out of learning?” to “The war on reason,” every team gave of its best. So how did our teams do? It was very close. Both teams were virtually faultless with near perfect delivery of their material. Jokes were laughed at and enjoyed at the right moment. No-one overran. I was proud they did such a good job and am looking forward to next year’s competition.
Over 50 students took part in the festivities by drinking tea and eating mooncakes, which are a traditional Chinese pastry with a sweet dense filling often containing whole egg yolks in the centre to symbolise the full moon.
Maths Challenge
Jim Marshall (English)
A Haunted Halloween Lunch This year’s UK Senior Maths Challenge took place on Thursday 5th November. Out of 74,003 participants nationally, 40 Leighton Park A Level students took part and showed their best performance yet by achieving a total of 27 merit certificates. They gained 4 Gold, 11 Silver and 12 Bronze certificates overall. We are very proud to mention that Nat Dean-Lewis (Upper Sixth) has achieved the highest possible level, reaching the maximum score of 125 out of 125. “The UKMT Maths Challenges are always a great opportunity to explore some more lateral mathematical problems, something which is often unavailable as part of the standard maths syllabuses. They have thousands of entries per year from school children aged between 11 and 18 and it is exciting, for me at least, to be part of such a mathematical initiative on a national scale. I enjoy the chance to challenge myself and be introduced to a few new ways of thinking about the mathematical universe we live in.” Nat Dean-Lewis (Upper Sixth)
A gruesome and ghastly Halloween lunch was served in a spookily decorated Oakview this term. With ‘vampire blood and bat eye soup’ (beetroot and black olive) and ‘rat and mouse hotpot served with witches fingers’ (lamb hotpot served with carrot batons) on the menu, there was definitely something there for every ghost and ghoul!
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JBH Speech Competition
Rain Stopped Play! The whole school gathered for a photograph on Grove Field early in the Autumn Term. All eyes turned to the skies as clouds loomed ever closer. Sure enough, as the photographers finalised the shot and the last few people filed onto the benches the heavens opened, leaving some very damp-looking students and staff posing for the camera.
Polyamorous relationships, veganism saving the environment, the NHS services and the treatment of diseases caused by alcohol, smoking and obesity, mandatory vaccinations, and why eating meat is good for you were the hot topics in this year’s JBH Speech Competition entered by Upper Sixth Former, Manu Sidhu and Lower Sixth Formers Kara Ellis, Anna Bagneris, Sophie Rowe and Alex Lazenby. In front of an audience of parents, students, governors and staff the five contestants confidently and passionately delivered their speeches. As is the tradition of the JBH, after eight minutes of speaking the audience is encouraged to ask questions and politely heckle. The audience spared no mercy as each of the contestants contended with a barrage of questions which they had to answer whilst staying on course to conclude their speeches. Like seasoned professionals, each of the contestants held their nerve and remained very cool under fire. The three judges, Mitch Whitehead (Beliefs and Values, Theory of Knowledge IB coordinator), Marjory Morris (former English teacher and Head of Sixth Form) and OL, Ezra Steinhardt, truly had their work cut out to select the winner. After congratulating all
the contestants for their professionalism, the high standard of preparation and confidence in their individual performances the winner was announced as Sophie Rowe for her speech ‘Why polyamorous relationships are superior to their monogamous equivalents’. Sophie’s speech was delivered flawlessly and for a topic that the audience clearly saw as controversial she remained unruffled by some serious heckling and contentious questioning! Commenting on the evening, Sophie said “I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the competition, it was a fantastic night and I loved every minute of it, even when it did get quite heated during the heckling! I am of course thrilled to have won, but all of my fellow competitors were equally deserving, giving such passionate and thoughtful speeches. I would thoroughly recommend anyone who is thinking about taking part next year to give it a go as it is an amazing experience.”
Newcomers’ Day Whether they had been at the school since Year 7, or had joined Leighton Park for the first time, all Year 9 students joined on Grove Field on Newcomers’ Day to take part in some exciting team-building exercises on Wednesday 4th September. Our new Year 7 students also had an opportunity to get to know one another with some activities in Fryer House and a game of ‘Spot the Clue’ with Fryer House tutors.
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Learning Adventurously Artists in Bilbao September saw Years 11 and 12 head to the Basque country to take in the architectural genius of Frank Gehry’s iconic Guggenheim Museum. From the contemporary exhibits of Jean MichelBasquiat to the abstract structures of local artist Eduardo Chilada, students were inspired by all the region has to offer. Bilbao provided the contrast of industrial heritage as a backdrop to the sleek modern architecture now found throughout the city, while San Sebastian provided the open space and fresh air to work on temporary sand sculptures on the beach. The trip continued to inspire a whole host of new ideas and artwork once back in the studios at Leighton Park. January will see a new exhibition of a selection of work inspired by the trip. Mark Wood (Head of Art)
World Philosophy in London
World Philosophy Day on Thursday 19th November was marked with a trip to London by eleven Sixth Form students as part of their International Baccalaureate Diploma course. Visiting the Hunterian Museum’s ‘Being Human / Being Animal’ and the Royal Academy’s Ai Weiwei exhibition they also went to The Wellcome Collection for ‘Tibet’s Secret Temple’ an exhibition of over 120 objects exploring Tibetan Buddhist meditative and yogic practices. They also encountered the ‘States of Mind’ installation by Ann Veronica Janssens, known as ‘yellowbluepink’ as participants become lost in the mists of a fog which changes colour as you walk through it. And in the middle of it all our tireless
students even managed to squeeze in some time to admire Fortnum and Mason’s festively aesthetic displays! “[It was] a great day out; the whole trip was really well organised, the exhibitions we visited were really interesting and helped us to identify new ways of thinking about art philosophically, something I’d never really thought about before!” commented Ellie Washington. Sara Abassi enthusiastically summed up the outing,
“I loved the trip, every exhibition was in its own way amazing. It was so great and one of the best trips I’ve been on.”
Quakerism for Fryers On the 5th October Year 7 visited Jordan’s Meeting House, a Quaker meeting house in Buckinghamshire which has been called ‘the Quaker Westminster Abbey’. Fryer students describe the trip: “We went outside to look at the graveyard so that we could understand how it was different from other Christian graveyards. The Quaker graveyard has tombstones which are all the same because everyone is equal.” Olivia Walcott “I really enjoyed that we got to act out the Quaker stories that the Friends had prepared. I think that it was really fun and helped us to work as a team and also to help us understand what Quakers believe. I also enjoyed meeting with the elders and I learnt a lot.” Rhiannon Pearce “It was a great trip and I ate lovely food, which I enjoyed. I would definitely come back and explore more. The staff there were extremely inspirational, handy, helpful and caring. They taught us a lot about Quakers and their lives.” Anon
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Sixth Formers in Spain
Seven students from the IB and A Level Spanish courses together with one keen Year 11 student, spent a long weekend in Madrid sightseeing in the Spanish city and practising their language skills. They enjoyed exploring the city centre, visiting the Museo del Prado, where they saw classic Spanish paintings by Goya, Velazquez and El Greco, the Opera House, the Modern Art Museum, the Cathedral, the Plaza Mayor and of course, Real Madrid Football Stadium, where David Beckham’s football boots are on display! Following a train ride to the city’s outskirts, the group went to El Monasterio del Escorial and El Valle de los Caidos (the Valley of the Fallen), where General Franco is buried. Sunday morning was spent soaking up the atmosphere of El Rastro and bartering their way around the open markets before heading home, full of tapas and tales of Spain.
Exploring East Asia
25 students from Year 8 travelled to China between the 18th and 26th October to learn more about Chinese culture and history and to practice their Mandarin. Lan Kuang (Mandarin) describes the trip: We safely and happily arrived at Beijing, as we were all arranged on the second level of the plane, which was very comfortable. After checking in the hotel and having lunch, we visited the Panda Zoo and the tea shop. The students were all very happy and excited and they all behaved very well. The next day we went to the Great Wall, National Museum, Beijing Haidian Experimental Middle School and to the Silk Market for some shopping. It was a really busy day but we all enjoyed it very much. Our students learnt Chinese
painting in the school and tried ‘hot pot’ food with the help of the Chinese students. On day three, we left Beijing by the fastest train to go to Luo Yang. There are more than 15,000 Buddhist statues on the whole of Song Mountain at the Luo Yang Dragon Gate. By the side of the Song mountain there is a big river called Luo river which flows to the Yellow river. It is so big and great that it is hard to believe it was made by humans during the Ming and Tang dynasties even though Luo Yang was the capital city for thirteen dynasties in Chinese history. On day four we visited the Summer Palace, Tian An Men Square, the Imperial Palace and watched a Chinese traditional acrobatics
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performance in the theatre in the evening. The next day the group took the China Southern Airway from Zhengzhou to Shanghai where we visited the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai History Museum and Bund. We also got to see a Chinese ‘Dai’ performance while having dinner. On the final day of the very busy trip, the students managed to see the Shanghai National Museum and the famous Nanjing Road in the morning, and a Silk factory, Jade Garden and enjoy some shopping in Chenghuangmiao in the afternoon. The trip concluded with a fantastic boat ride with views of Shanghai city on the Huangpu River.
Team Sports High Five for Hockey Hockey at Leighton Park is on a high following victories by the U18 Girls’ outdoor team in the Super Seven league and by the U16 Girls’ indoor team in Berkshire Schools’ Indoor Hockey Finals, qualifying them to represent the county at the Regionals. Following an excellent season under the direction of new coach, Cookie Liu, the indoor squad came 2nd in the Berkshire School’s Indoor Hockey Finals. The Finals at Bradfield College on the 16th November saw the girls face The Abbey, Bradfield, Wellington College, Kendrick and Pangbourne College. Some great play, and even greater celebrations, meant that the girls were delighted to represent the county at the Southern Regional Finals played at King Edward VI School, Southampton on the 29th November. On the 2nd December the senior girls’ 1st XI U18 outdoor Hockey team travelled to Licensed Victuallers’ School (LVS) for their third place play-off game in the Super Seven competition. The girls met LVS four weeks previously in the league and managed to hold on for a 1-1 draw, so we knew that we would be in for a battle if we were to win the game. As the girls started to work together goal after goal was scored
and the final score was 6-1 to Leighton Park. The Fryer Girls’ Hockey team travelled to Holyport and played two U13 teams with the A’s winning 4-0 and the B’s winning 4-1. During the first half term the U13’s played in the Reading Schools In2Hockey League coming second overall. The U14’s reached the semi-finals of the County Plate competition and also finished second in the Reading School Junior Hockey Tournament. Special mention must go to three outstanding Hockey players who give their all not only for the school but also the external teams they play for: Abbie Dixon (Year 11) who plays for Great Britain in the National Age Groups U16 Squad and for Reading Ladies 1st team in the National Investec League; Anna Gutierrez (Year 11) who plays for Reading Ladies 2nd team and has reached Tier 1 on the England Performance Pathway and Phoebe Butler (Year 10) who plays in goal for Maidenhead and Berkshire U15 Teams. Jakki Marr, Head of PE
Table Tennis
Fryer Football It was an exciting season for Fryer football this term; all the boys took part in at least two fixtures and for many we saw a massive improvement and progression. The highlight of the season was the 1st team’s 4-0 victory over Reddam House, where the boys put in a great team performance at an away game, when they had previously lost to them at home. Not to be outshone, the 2nd team went to Sherfield and won 8-0 with their best performance of the season, leaving the pitch with massive smiles. When the 3rd team returned to play Sherfield, it was smiles once more thanks to James Walton (Year 8) scoring 1-0.
The new table tennis activity is going for glory despite only launching after halfterm! We have two teams (Under 16 and Under 19) lined up to represent Berkshire at the next round of the English Schools Championships in London next term. Berkshire Schools’ Representative and coach, Cookie Liu, commented,
Player of the Season went to Nicola Lee and Jack Gilbey. Most Improved Player went to Archie Webb and Tom Davis. Top Goal Scorer went to Diamond Edwards with 15 goals in 11 matches. Finally, Michael Clarke was recognised for his improvement, for showing commitment and enjoyment every week and for scoring on his debut appearance for the 2nd team having progressed from the 4th team in only one term.
“Table tennis is a great sport for anyone, no matter what your technical level. It’s a tremendous workout and you can get a high sense of achievement very quickly. It’s very appealing and a lot of fun!”
Jack Windle, PE and Games Coach
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Rugby The Seniors have had a fantastic term, winning eight of their ten matches including the final of the Super Six tournament in a hard-fought game on 2nd December over Burnham Grammar School. BGS piled on the pressure in the last 15 minutes after the 13-0 half-time score but the 1st XV managed to hold on to win 13-10. Senior Master, Mark Simmons, said “It is a real testament to the character of the team after training so hard.” There have been some promising performances by the Juniors this term. Adam Ellis (Year 10) was awarded Coaches’ Player and George Lee (Year 10) was awarded Players’ Player. Alex Barnard (Year 10) scored eleven tries. Chunya Munga (Year 10) improved the performance level of the whole team, handing his captaincy to Marcus Laing (Year 10) who showed passion and commitment in every game. Barnaby Charles (Year 9) scored six tries for his team and three tries for the year above. Toby Gilbey (Year 9) captained the U14s well and always led the team by example and with determination. Jamie Rowson (Year 9) led exceptionally well this season. Fryer have had a good pre-season beating Holme Grange very comfortably and just losing out by two tries to Shiplake College, who are coming to the end of their rugby term. Alex Fox, Head Coach for Year 7 and 8 commented,
“It will be a very positive season for the Fryers next term, they train with intensity and play with passion; the talent we have is brilliant and through careful nurturing, this team could be a great success.” Mark Simmons and Alex Fox, Rugby Coaches
Basketball When over a dozen keen basketball players were clamouring for a club in 2014 Leighton Park was only too happy to respond. Now nearing the end of their second season, the team has enjoyed unprecedented success: emerging victorious from every single game they have played! Basketball Captain, Ryan Hong (Upper Sixth), commented “Thanks to the support of the school staff we have had plenty of chances to practice under match conditions. Everyone in the team has done a great job despite the training sessions being hard.” Coach Pablo Gorostidi Perez added,
“It is a pleasure to see students from so many different backgrounds building together a basketball team. How insightful it is to see that we all share the same values when it comes to being part of a team: commitment, collaboration, reliability, responsibility, communication and enthusiasm.” 11
Sports News Optimist-ic
Sky High Harry!
Fergus Fox (Year 10) has been making waves for the GB Intermediate Squad in Cesme, Turkey this term as one of the UK’s 50 best Optimist sailors.
Harry Minter (Year 12) deserves to be jumping for joy with his sky high success on the trampoline. Recently elevated to Division 1 in the National Trampoline League, Harry ended last season with a clutch of gold medals from his Division 2 competitions. Impressing the judges with his superb form, Harry has been proud to achieve a bronze medal in the Individual League 1 competition and a silver medal in the Synchro round of the National Trampoline League Finals held at the Copperbox Arena on the Olympic Park in East London. Despite a busy schedule of A Level studies, he will now be setting his sights on reaching the super league and GB national development program, from which the GB trampoline squad is chosen for events such as the Olympics and trampoline World Cup.
Fergus has been sailing the singlehanded Optimist dinghy since he was seven and enjoys competing in both RYA and Optimist Class Association regattas. Now he is almost 15, Fergus has only one season left as an Optimist sailor. Hoping for a grand finale, Fergus is looking forward to taking part in the European and the World Championships should he be one of the five successful candidates chosen from a pre-qualified field of 80 at the UK selection trials held in Weymouth next May.
Netball Coaching with Lindsay Keable
Cricket’s Schoolboy of the Year Oscar Gutierrez (Upper Sixth) had an unforgettable evening when he was invited to a presentation dinner in the Long Room at Lord’s in November to collect the ‘Walter Lawrence Schools Award’. This was for making the highest score of any schoolboy against the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) last summer when he scored 134 as captain of the school team. Oscar received his award from Roger Knight OBE, former England cricketer and President of the MCC who play fixtures against around 100 keen cricketing schools all over the country.
The Senior Girls finished off a great sporting term on the 8th December with a special sports star visit from an England Netball Defence Player, Lindsay Keable. The exclusive pre-season training session included practice drills, game play tactics and some excellent motivational coaching to get the girls ready for next term.
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Photographs courtesy of www.mattbright.co.uk
Invited to join a team of five young sailors, three British and two Greek, sailing twelve races over three days, Fergus competed against 300 boats, achieving an impressive 10th place in his best race and a brilliant 52nd ranking overall. “It has been really tough for Fergus to cope with five hours a day of sailing and whether it’s gone well or not so well, having to get back up and do it all over again.” commented Fergus’ mother, Wendy, “We are so proud of him and the way he has handled it.”
Library
Our Honour List Librarian
Exploring Everest with Matt Dickinson Years 7, 8 and 9 were captivated by presentations and a workshop by explorer, author and filmmaker, Matt Dickinson in November. Matt’s exciting career has involved him with National Geographic Television, Discovery Channel and the BBC primarily focusing on adventure and exploration programmes. In 1996 he became the first British film-maker to film on the summit of Everest and return alive. His harrowing experiences on the mountain have reached 20 million people worldwide through the film ‘Summit Fever’ and through his book, ‘The Death Zone’.
Leighton Park’s Librarian, Chris Routh, was one of three Honour List Librarians who were selected by the School Library Association (SLA) judges to be put forward as School Librarian of the Year. The Award is the SLA’s prestigious honour recognising the excellent work that is carried out in school libraries every day and highlighting the best practice of those whose work is outstanding. Karen Gracie-Langrick, Deputy Head Academic, who supported Chris’ nomination for the Award and also attended the event, commented
Years 7 and 8 were treated to a reading from Matt’s novel for young adults, ‘Mortal Chaos’ together with a very entertaining and interactive presentation. Year 9 enjoyed a compelling and informative session, making the most of the opportunity for a lively Q&A at the end. Matt also led a Year 8 English group in a creative writing workshop resulting in some great pieces of writing from all the students on topics such as ‘your tent-buddy on Everest’ or ‘what you would most miss if you went to Everest’.
“We were so delighted when Chris received the news that she was down to the last three. To be cited within the Honour List is a tremendous accolade and tribute to the wonderful contribution that Chris makes to the life of the school”.
Librarian, Chris Routh, who organised the event, commented, “I was impressed by how well Matt pitched his talks to the different audiences and have already started discussions with him about a return visit. Inspirational!!”
Write Around the World Our new Year 7 students were challenged to design a postcard based on a book set in another part of the world and write a message in the voice of one of the characters. These became the basis of a fantastic display which also showcased the winners selected by our Patron of Reading Gillian Cross. Congratulations to winners Niam Patel, Lucy Pither, Laoise Morgan and Michael Clark with runners up Marcus Coppen, Olivia Walcott, Tehya Whelan and Ege Hanci.
Non-Fiction November Launched at a whole school Collect by Head of Geography, Robin Longworth, ‘Mapping the World’ was designed to reflect the ‘maps’ theme of this year’s National NonFiction November. A selection of fascinating books about maps and an exhibition of large scale maps has been installed in the library, and includes some of the oldest images, as well as a mix of familiar and unusual examples.
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Music & Drama Autumn Concert Series What a term! It’s been a fantastic whirlwind of a musical start to this academic year with high standards and an extremely wide range of music performed by all of our musicians. Our regular Wednesday evening Concert Series started back in October with an excellent Ensembles Concert, following just a few weeks of rehearsals. Items ranged from LP Brass performing Myfanwy, the Senior Choir performing Karl Jenkins’ Adiemus to an original composition for orchestra called Ashford Celebration. As we moved into November, so the concerts continued. The Soloists’ Concert involved many more superb performances on double bass, clarinet, voice, guitar and piano. With a number of first time solo performers, it was wonderful to again see such a large and supportive audience for this concert. During our Jazz Infusions concert, our musicians demonstrated their talent and extraordinary versatility by performing in yet another range of ensembles and the standard and variety of performances were again breath-taking. There were so many highlights during the evening, but the Leighton Park Jazz Orchestra performing the great Neal Hefti tune Splanky was a real treat. Before we knew it, we were into the festive programme and a truly spectacular and fun Christmas Concert, with over 160 students involved, announced the arrival of the Christmas festivities. The parents also did an excellent aerobic workout during their interactive performance of the 12 Days of Christmas. Rosemary Scales, Director of Music
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Carolling at RBH As we moved towards the final days of term, 25 students and four staff went to the Royal Berkshire Hospital to sing carols to the patients. We divided into two smaller choirs, and simultaneously visited different wards to perform to as many people as we could. As ever, our students were excellent and a real credit to us. The experience is really exciting for the patients, but it is also very fulfilling for the students (and us as staff) as the reactions from the patients are always so positive and receptive. This is our second Christmas visit to the hospital and we have already been asked if we will go back again next year.
Sweeney in Preparation
Rosemary Scales, Director of Music
The Merchant of Venice On the 1st December, the English Department took Year 11 to a National Youth Theatre Production of William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’ at the Ambassador’s Theatre in London’s West End. This was a chance for the students to experience their IGCSE drama text in performance and to explore how the play might be reinterpreted for a modern audience. The production did not disappoint. Energy and dynamism shone from the stage in a youthful, fresh performance that transformed ancient Venice into a lively, rich, party town full of life and vigour with flashing lights and blaring dance music.
“It wasn’t what I expected. I didn’t think we were in the right theatre to start with. I’m really enjoying it.” In the words of Henry Middleton at the interval,
This was a production that cast aside old fashioned notions of what Shakespeare could be and, in an abridged form, gave students the essence and vitality of this controversial work. In speaking with students after the performance they felt that, ‘it had given them a fresh perspective on the play,’ (Celestine Poirier) with a, ‘unique take on Shakespeare,’ that had been wholly ‘unexpected’ (Frankie Johnson). Tom Rawlings, Head of English
Our Country’s Good On Saturday 3rd October, 14 Theatre Studies students in the Sixth Form travelled to London to see Timberlake Wertenbaker’s production of ‘Our Country’s Good’ at the National Theatre.
We are currently just over half way through the rehearsal process for our latest production of Sweeney Todd. As ever, the challenges are immense for a student cast encountering the complexities of this great work for the first time. Sondheim demands actor/singers of the highest quality. His words need to be so carefully delivered, his characters so well prepared that every nuance creates the right mood or impression, his music so confidently sung and played that his great melodies are not lost, that we are attempting to challenge our students to their limits. In so doing, we appear to be creating a style unique to Leighton Park. This has come as something of a surprise to me as the Stage Director and Designer. I thought I had arrived at my interpretation and our talented students would be able to deliver it. I was wrong in this assumption. Working with the whole company has intrinsically changed the style of performance I was first attempting. The company have taken everything on board and claimed ownership. It has been a joy to experience and a very rare occurrence in a school. In adapting to this emerging style, I have created significant challenges for Rosemary Scales, as the Musical Director. I am so grateful for her spirit of adventure that she has supported and encouraged this development. We still have a very long way to go but, whatever happens, the experience, so far, has been extremely rewarding. Tickets for Sweeney will be available in the New Year.
The play tells the story of real convicts on an English ship packed with outcasts arriving at Botany Bay. To keep the convicts in line it is decided that they put on a play of their own which changes the attitudes of many of the prisoners and officers, bringing them together as friends and as humans.
Geraint Thomas, Head of Drama
There were so many exceptional moments within the play which deserve to be mentioned from the touching acapella folk music to the perfectly timed humour lightening the dark play to the powerful message of human rights but overall we felt the poignant emotion that theatre can have and we look forward to where the inspiration the theatre has given us will take us to next. Aiyana Tandon (Lower Sixth)
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Grade 8 Guitar! Congratulations to Ravi Nathwani (Year 11) who has successfully achieved his Grade 8 Classical Guitar this term. Well done, Ravi!
Science
Biodiversity at BBOWT
Criminology Conference
On the 25th November Upper Sixth Psychology students travelled to London for a criminology conference. The day gave them a taste of higher education with lectures of a more academic nature from renowned experts in the field from the Teeside Centre for Realist Criminology, the Open University, Nottingham University and the University of Greenwich. We started the morning considering what crime is and what the difference is between crime and deviance and what the purpose of criminology is as a subject, as well as its links to psychology, sociology, law and politics. We were than presented with a range of fascinating lectures; some dispelled the CSI myths of how crimes are solved, while others explored the changing nature of terrorism from the Northern Ireland conflicts in the past to the more recent emergence of terrorist acts. The students’ knowledge of our prison populations and their associated costs were also put to the test with some challenging questions from another speaker, who also gave a talk on the aims of custodial sentences and the effectiveness of prisons. The final speaker of the day was Andrew, an ex-con who talked about his crimes and the factors that led to his offence. This provided
some clear real life application of the theories of offending that students are currently studying as part of the curriculum. Students were given questions and a framework to assess the convict and his behaviour and speech in the same way that a psychologist might be assessing a prisoner for parole. One student commented, “I really enjoyed the talk on crime myths, as it was a truthful insight into the misconceptions we have, and the evaluative talk on the effectiveness of prison. It was really insightful to listen to an ex-convict, as someone who has been through the system themselves.” Claire Gulliver, Psychology
Upper Sixth International Baccalaureate Biologists visited Warburg Nature Reserve in Oxfordshire on Saturday 26th September to collect data on the vegetation in the area. With quadrats at the ready, students searched through the reserve analysing the biodiversity of their stunning surroundings. The reserve consists of ancient woodland and chalk grassland, which gave students plenty to study and report on before they returned to school.
Baking Biologists
Meteorology Masterclass
The University of Reading hosted an Environmental Physics Masterclass for our Lower Sixth Form Physics students on Wednesday 4th November. Students had a crash course on the subject of meteorology and were able to get hands-on with a wide-range of hi-tech scientific analysis equipment, including some ThermalImaging Cameras!
Year 9 students learnt all about the structure of cells this term by baking their own cell-cakes! Students painstakingly decorated and labelled the cakes to demonstrate each element that makes a cell specialised to its particular purpose.
Students also experimented with Fire Pistons, which consist of a piston inside an airtight cylinder that when compressed can create temperatures up to 260°C through rapid and adiabatic compression.
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Sixth Form Sixth Form Christmas Dinner
The Sixth Form Christmas Dinner was a very stylish event with students interpreting the formal dress code in a variety of ways, from floor-length dresses (some worn most sensibly with trainers), to eye-wateringly high heels, velvet jackets and kilts. The food was fabulous, although the tradition of having Sixth Form tutors serving the meal meant that more than one thumb ended up in the gravy. The evening ended with a bit of a dance; although it looked more like a good-natured scrum at times. It was an absolute pleasure to spend the evening with such a great group of young people. Helen Taylor, Head of Sixth Form
Isle of Wight Induction Trip The Isle of Wight trip is a fabulous start to life in the Sixth Form and a particularly important weekend for newcomers to the school. It was lovely to see how quickly and easily new people are welcomed into the group. Everyone enjoyed a wide range of activities from sailing and archery to toasting marshmallows on the campfire. Not everyone enjoyed climbing up a telegraph pole to stand on a tea tray with a couple of fellow students but it was a great exercise in teamwork and very funny to watch! The students encouraged each other during all the activities, appreciating that whilst some are happy to wave around in the breeze 20 feet up; for others it was a huge achievement to reach the platform. “I particularly enjoyed the vast array of activities available to each and every one of us! The newcomers meshed in well with the rest whilst old friendships were rekindled.” Alex Lazenby “I love seeing how friendly everyone was and how they included the newcomers really well. I really enjoyed the ‘All Aboard’ activity and getting to push people off at the end.” Melissa Cavaloc “Under the glorious sunshine of the Isle of Wight coast, we pushed our boundaries and gained a profound sense community and understanding of one another.” Anna Bagneris
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Safe Drive Stay Alive
Members of the Upper Sixth Form set off for the Hexagon in Reading on the 16th November to witness a theatrical production from the Thames Valley Police. Through a dramatic video and talks from members of the emergency services, students learnt how their actions as drivers and passengers can lead to or prevent a crash. “I do think it was very good to attend this because I believe it will make people think more about their behaviour in a car (and with things like putting on seat belt). I think having it in Upper Sixth when people have started driving makes it feel closer to us, more realistic that something like that can quite easily happen.” Marijn Vuijk With around one in four deaths on the road happening to those aged 17-24, the campaign aims to “reach new and pre-drivers in an emotive and hard-hitting way, influencing behaviour and attitude on the road”. Since the show started touring in 2006, it has been watched by over 125,000 people from around the Thames Valley and Hampshire area.
Old Leightonians OL Jordan’s Got the X Factor
Global Entrepreneur Goes Back to School On the 16th November, Leighton Park School was delighted to welcome OL Lance Clark (1954), one of the sixth generation of the famous shoe retailing family, Clarks, back to the Park. Lance is the founder of the social enterprise ‘Soul of Africa’ and for the last twelve years has been developing a selfsustainable business that aims to create employment through the sale of hand-stitched shoes and raise funds to educate and care for children orphaned as a result of the South Africa Aids pandemic. Lance came back to address the school as part of the Government-backed Entrepreneurs4Schools initiative which forms part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015. The initiative sees well-known entrepreneurs, like Lance, going back to their schools to share their experiences in business and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. The students, especially the budding entrepreneurs within the audience, listened to Lance’s experience in setting up ‘Soul of Africa’ and also his guidance on becoming an entrepreneur. Lance told his young audience “The key is to find something that you know you will enjoy and follow your gut feeling. You will need courage, good contacts, sound financial advice and be very aware of the risk of losing money as well as making it”. Sixth Form economics and geography students took advantage of the opportunity to meet with Lance after his talk to gain more insight into the social and economic impact of setting up ‘Soul of Africa’ and talk to him specifically about the challenges of starting up your own business.
The judges on TV’s X Factor didn’t need to tell Leighton Park just how talented OL Jordan Luke Gage is; anyone who saw him sing and act as a student could have told them. Jordan’s extraordinary performance as the lead, Tony, in the school’s production of ‘West Side Story’ was probably the highlight of his school career. After leaving school in 2010, Jordan studied at the prestigious Mountview Academy. He received great reviews for his performance in ‘Taboo’ at Brixton Academy and was recently in ITV’s ‘Cilla’.
Work Experience with OL Heart Transplant Surgeon Observing a heart transplant, a coronary artery bypass surgery and being a fly on the wall at meetings with patients’ families and the hospital multi-disciplinary team, were just some of the highlights of an amazing work experience for Manu Sidhu (Upper Sixth) with OL surgeon Steven Tsui (1982) at the world famous Papworth Hospital. Manu explains “Mr Tsui wears many hats, taking up a variety of roles in Papworth: on top of being a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and the Clinical Director of the Transplant Service, Mr Tsui also plays a vital role in the business side of things as a Specialist Advisor to the NICE Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee and as a member of the Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) forum, National Commissioning Group (NCG). Furthermore, Mr Tsui is heavily involved in important research at Papworth as the Clinical Lead for the Mechanical Circulatory Support Device Programme at Papworth. He also feels it is very important to educate the doctors of the future and is also Chairman of the Cardiothoracic Advisory Group at NHS Blood
& Transplant as well as an examiner on the Intercollegiate Board for the FCRS (C-Th) exam.” Steven is passionate about enabling prospective medical students to have opportunities to discover the right path for them. He explains,
“As a child, I had always liked buildings and making things. I was good at Physics and Mathematics and I really enjoyed metal work and wood work during hobby hours at Leighton Park. Therefore, Architecture or Engineering would have been the
natural choices. However, I became very intrigued by the first successful UK heart transplant at Papworth Hospital and had the craziest of dreams of being a heart transplant surgeon. That would have required studying medicine at university, training to be a doctor and then a surgeon - all a bit far-fetched really.” At the last minute he switched his application to Cambridge from Engineering to Medicine, and has never regretted this change in direction.
Leighton Park is currently looking for members of the school community to offer careers advice to students. The next careers fair date is Thursday 17th March 2016. If you are interested in giving a Masterclass or talking more informally about your specialism that day, please contact development@leightonpark.com
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125 Day Celebrations Leighton Park School’s special 125th birthday celebrations for Old Leightonians was held on Saturday 19th September. It was not only a day for reminiscing about school days but looking forward into the school’s future as a time capsule was buried. Students were on hand to give guided tours, and visits to the boarding houses proved to be incredibly popular. The sun shone so OLs were able to enjoy picnicking in the Park. One of the highlights of the day was burying the time capsule, to be opened in 25 years, with the ceremony officiated by OL Hugh Dawson (1943), who was celebrating his 90th birthday that weekend. The School Archivist and former Senior Master, John Allinson opened the school Archives for visitors for the first time and gave an entertaining talk with photos that had the audience murmuring and calling out memories. It was wonderful that Malcolm Brahams (1959), one of the original makers of the 1959 school film, was able to introduce a screening of the film ‘A School in a Park’. A film made by OL Alice Martineau (2010), perfectly sums up the day. It can be viewed by searching online for ‘125 Old Leightonians Day – YouTube’.
Good Sport and Good Friends
Rounding off the summer in style, the Old Leightonians Mixed Hockey and Rugby 7s was another great afternoon. 27 OLs turned up to play hockey against the school team, which also featured some highly competitive teachers! OLs Neil Pipe (2002) and Hollie Williams (2003), made a huge success of rallying the OLs, using a Facebook group. It was good to see the Class of 2015’s leavers mixing with those who left 10 or 15 years before. A round robin competition was devised so everyone could play, and there was some first class hockey. In the end however, the OLs lifted the trophy. Two teams played rugby sevens, from the Class of 2012 and 2015’s leavers under the watchful eye of Mark Simmons. After some good rugby, finally the 2012’s went away with the trophy.
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PSC PSC AGM
Adrian Stewart hosted this year’s AGM in the Fryer Dining Hall. Once the formal business was concluded, we enjoyed a fascinating discussion about Sustainability on the Park and in the community with our guest speakers: Tom Sheldon (Leighton Park Estates), Gemma Sims (Biology) and Lauren Earl (Sixth Form, Amicus).
PSC Book Group Bees were the hot topic when we gathered to discuss ‘The Secret Life of Bees’, by Sue Monk Kidd. We were delighted that Biology teacher, Gemma Sims, could join us. Gemma brought lots of beekeeping paraphernalia and told us about her plans for keeping bees on the Park. For more information about the PSC Book Group, please see the PSC page on the school website.
PSC Fireworks on the Park
Decorating Peckover Hall Thank you to all our PSC volunteers who transformed Peckover Hall into a fragrant, festive scene for carol singing and refreshments. Following a beautiful Christmas Evening Meeting of music, silence and readings, the community adjourned to Peckover. There we enjoyed wassail (nonalcoholic, but hit the spot!) and mince pies, as we joined the choir around the piano for traditional carols.
This extremely popular family event was once again a huge success, with over 650 parents, students and staff attending the glorious, technicolour show! Fantastic food was served in Oakview prior to the display and Milestones Jazz Band entertained us. Amicus raised funds for Reading Refocus by selling glowsticks, sweets and popcorn.
Parents’ Open Lunch in Oakview This annual opportunity to sample the food that students enjoy each lunchtime was extremely well attended. 21 parents came along to meet those from other year groups, as well as to discuss food sourcing with Catering Manager, Fabrice Barlet and Head Chef, Alex Albanese.
Nearly New Shop The Nearly New Shop is open in Fryer selling good quality school clothing on the following dates. Proceeds are donated to charity. Shop dates (16:00-17:30) Friday 5th February Tuesday 15th March
Coming up in the Spring Term Further information is available on the PSC website or by contacting psc@leightonpark.com January February March
Monday 18th Tuesday 9th – Friday 12th Monday 29th Saturday 12th
PSC Book Group: Travels with My Aunt – Graham Greene PSC Bar for School Production: Sweeney Todd PSC Book Group: The Shock of the Fall – Nathan Filer PSC Family Quiz Night
www.leightonpark.com The Park is printed using paper from a sustainable source.
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Can you help? Although we have fantastic support throughout the year from parents who kindly help at events, we are always looking for new volunteers. If you would like to spare a few hours to support Leighton Park community events, simply email psc@leightonpark.com We’ll be delighted to hear from you!
Family Quiz Night Date Announced! Quiz Night is back by popular demand on Saturday 12th March 2016! Tickets for this fun family night will be available in the New Year and early booking is advised. ‘Quiz Master Max’ is back with his usual flurry of fantastic questions to test us all. Profits from this event will be donated to the Autumn 2016 Africa Trip charities.