park
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the Leighton Park School newsletter
Quaker Schools Week Adventures on the China Trip Debating Matters JBH Competition
Autumn 2017
Headlines share my enthusiasm. Our impressive students are a constant source of inspiration. Their achievements, ideals and drive reassure me that solutions will be found to the many and varied challenges facing society. The future lives of our students is of particular interest to me. What skills will ensure success and happiness for each and every student. How do we prepare our young people for jobs and careers that do not currently exist? Part of the answer inevitably lies in the past. The Quaker values are as relevant today as they were when they were first adopted. The testimonies of Simplicity, Truth, Respect, Integrity, Peace, Equality and Sustainability, which have evolved as society has changed, offer our students a valuable compass to navigate the ever shifting sands. In these tumultuous times I feel very lucky to be part of the dynamic, purposeful and positive Leighton Park community. I hope the snapshots contained in this edition help you to
As an IB World School our Creativity, Activity Service programme, which is an integral part of our curriculum, helps students to develop character, grit and resilience. This is
especially important at a time when research from Department for Education (DfE) shows that 57 per cent of staff in UK schools report that time pressure is a significant barrier to developing desirable character traits among their students. To an extent we can predict the future needs of society, whether in terms of careers or care. Automation will replace structured, predictable tasks far more readily than tasks requiring genuine creativity or interpersonal skills. Leighton Park’s academic approach fuses analytical skills from science, technology, engineering and mathematics with creative habits of mind gained from creative arts subjects – skills such as problem-solving, innovation and collaborative working - whilst reminding all that they need to work together and help each other in order to improve. Ultimately, I believe that our most important responsibility is to ensure that our young people do not just understand their learning but truly enjoy it. The greatest security that we can provide is to inspire students to continually learn and better themselves. Plutarch perhaps said it best: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” With best wishes, Nigel Williams, Head
Contents
Final Collect
News
pages three, four, five, six and seven
Learning Adventurously page eight
Art & Design page nine
STEM
pages ten and eleven
Library
page twelve
Quaker Schools Week page thirteen
Music
page fourteen
Drama
page fifteen
Sport
pages sixteen and seventeen
Sixth Form
page eighteen
LP Community
The last Collect of the term took place in Main Hall on Friday 15th December, recognising the efforts and achievements of students across the curriculum and within the school community. The Lurner Prize and the Reinstein-Alldis Awards were presented before concluding with a viewing of the 2017 Christmas video card, including some hilarious outtakes.
page nineteen
PSC
page twenty Please visit Leightonpark.com for up-to-date news throughout the year. The cover image shows the U16 Netball Team taken at the Berkshire County Netball Tournament in November.
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News
New School, New Laptop!
New Head for Leighton Park “I am thrilled to be joining Leighton Park School as Head to lead the amazing community with its exceptional commitment to the holistic education of young individuals. Never have Quaker principles for a mindful and reflective education been more important. I am proud to be joining a School dedicated to bringing out the best in young people in their academic and co-curricular lives at school and beyond.” Matthew said:
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Matthew Judd as Head from 1st September 2018. Matthew joins us with a very impressive track record of success from Haberdashers’ Aske’s School, where he is Second Master (equivalent to Deputy Head) and Executive Head of the preparatory school. He has been instrumental in driving academic standards whilst bringing greater focus on values education and personalised learning. Haberdashers’ Aske’s School is one of the UK’s leading independent schools and won Sunday Times Independent School of the Year in 2017. Prior to this, Matthew was Principal of Mander Portman Woodward College - an independent co-educational school. He is a Geography graduate of the University of Wales and qualified in education at Queens’ College, Cambridge.
Students who joined our Year 7 cohort in September have been the first to benefit from the school’s introduction of Chromebooks for our incoming 11 year olds. This exciting move was greeted by delighted smiles from the newcomers who were eager to get going with their new technology. The Chromebooks offer students the opportunity to work collaboratively online, access resources during lessons and to submit homework via Google Classroom. Head of Lower School, Adrian Stewart, commented, “This is a great opportunity to prepare children for the world they are moving into.”
David Isherwood, Chair of Governors, said:
“I am confident that Matthew is the right person to lead and shape the School through its next phase. He has achieved excellent results over a sustained period at his previous school and will have a superb foundation to build on at Leighton Park.”
Music and Media Centre Update
The Music and Media Centre build has been progressing well over the autumn term. Work for the new car park continues, along with completion of the drainage work and installation of the final section of the steel frame. Extensive work on the roof and the external brickwork of the classrooms area is almost complete. The internal blockwork and concrete floors at the foyer end of the building are taking shape; windows, electrical and mechanical fittings are due to be fitted before the end of the year, with completion due in spring 2018.
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Student Ambassadors Steer STEM
We now have a group of STEM ambassadors offering input and guidance on plans for the development of STEM at Leighton Park. “How students engage is critical to the success of any initiative in a school and it has been wonderful to see how students at Leighton Park have contributed to STEM development in the last few months,” commented Mark Budge, Maths teacher.
News
Creating Castles Crenellations and cardboard filled the classroom in the last week of term as Year 7s revealed their castle projects to fellow historians. All sorts of mixed media had been used in the creation of ramparts, turrets and drawbridges, arrow slot windows and towering keeps. History teacher Christopher Tyer, was delighted by the array of battlements on display and students were keen to discuss the defensive advantages of their different constructions.
Parliament Week
“I enjoyed making a motte and bailey because I liked using the different techniques to create different effects.” commented Jocelyn Eddy. “It was lots of fun making my castle, detailing its features and researching.” added David Awittor.
On 13th November, the school took part in celebrating Parliament Week, where students broadened their knowledge on UK parliament through quizzes, exercises and presentations. Tom Mitchell, (Upper Sixth) commented, “UK Parliament Week has provided daily opportunities to learn about Politics. It’s important for people to have an interest in Politics.” Melanie Clarke (Year 10) added, “The presentations were really good. I leant some things that I didn’t know about Parliament.” On Friday 17th November, Matt Rodda, Labour parliamentarian for Reading East visited the Park describing his day-to-day work and revealing insights into the initiatives that he is currently working on, covering everything from youth crime, to electoral systems. “Matt’s story of why he decided to become an MP was really interesting: after being involved in the tragedy of the Paddington train crash in 1999, he was inspired to do all that he could with his life, including becoming a local councillor and now a Member of Parliament, representing the voices of the people.” commented Aamina Morbi (Lower Sixth) Matt said, “The link between parliament and schools is one of the most important. It is vital that young people have a say. I am looking forward to welcoming a group from Leighton Park to parliament and introducing students to colleagues. The students I met here were very informed and asked probing questions.” “Matt was able to answer all the questions with conviction and confidence and spoke in a way that engaged the whole audience.“ enthused Chunya Munga (Lower Sixth).
DofE Update Undeterred by the wet English weather, Duke of Edinburgh Award participants have been making great progress this term. On Saturday 4th November, 34 students were split into two groups with one walking from Ruscombe to Waltham St Lawrence and the other vice versa. The teams greatly impressed the assessor and completed the next step of their Silver Award. Later in the term, students spent time learning and practising first aid in Peckover Hall, and practised their compass navigation skills on the Park, helping to prepare them for any situations they may encounter on future expeditions.
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Africa Launch
Christmas Jumper Day
Inspire Worldwide are co-ordinating a trip for our Year 11 and Lower Sixth students to support African communities in Tanzania, Uganda and Malawi in 2018 and fundraising has already begun this term following the success of the official launch day.
On Friday 8th December, students showed off their finest festive knits for our Christmas jumper day on the Park. The event raised money for Amicus’ chosen charity, West Berkshire Foodbank. From traditional snowmen and reindeers, to a Christmassy Sonic the Hedgehog; shop-bought to handmade; there was an eclectic and vibrant mixture for the whole community to enjoy!
Economics Trip Fifteen Economics students visited Warwick University on Tuesday 14th November, where they gained insight into a range of economic matters including financial markets, misperceptions of trading, and the relationship between social networks and economic decisions from a range of fascinating speakers.
Burpeeathon On National Fitness Day, Wednesday 27th September, the inaugural Leighton Park Burpeeathon saw 4,558 burpees completed in a single hour by 23 challengers. Six contenders lasted the full hour and many put in a shift, including five members of staff, to achieve the grand total. Still a little short of the 13,260 world record though; there’s always next year!
“The Africa trips have been something that since Year 7 I have aspired to be a part of and now the opportunity has come.” enthused Chunya Munga (Lower Sixth). “The launch day gave us an insight into what the trips to the three countries would be like. It was great to see how previous groups coordinated their expeditions and fundraising. Ella Starkey (Year 11) added, “I’m really looking forward to experiencing a different culture and helping to make a difference, however small that may be.” Fundraising activity so far has included Krispy Crème doughnut sales at the PSC Fireworks on 10th November and festive hand-made crafts available at the Christmas concert.
Reckitt Mic Night On 30th November, Reckitt House students and staff set up an acoustic lounge and showcased their talents in an amazing evening of musical entertainment. There was a mixture of genres from Metallica to N-Sync, as well as original compositions, solos, duets and performers from every year group. The quality of music was high and bodes well for a successful challenge to win House Music next term! Huge thanks to Tom Rawlings, Boarding Tutor in Reckitt House, for organising and Jacco Hui (Upper Sixth) for taking photos!
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News
Phenomenal on Film!
JBH Competition Thursday 23rd November saw the 101st JBH Speech Competition. Five Sixth Formers researched their topics and honed their public speaking skills ready to talk for three minutes uninterrupted, withstand seven minutes of heckling whilst continuing and then sum up in a further two minutes.
Simon Ratigan, a Film Director from HLA, one of the most highly regarded and renowned commercial production companies in London, visited Leighton Park on Thursday 9th November. Simon has won countless awards including those recognising his work for Eurostar and for the Army and has also recently completed projects for The Guardian and Amazon.
The students kept cool under fire and their professionalism and ability were truly remarkable. This year’s finalists and their topics were: Rhiannon Griffiths, ‘XX or XY?’, Kirsty Walker, ‘Armani or Primani? Choose wisely’, Faye Mui, ‘Why modern feminism is wrong’, Chunya Munga, ‘Those who earn more should be taxed more than they are now’ and Josh Milhofer, ‘Vaccination or incarceration?’
As we are now successfully running the first year of the Creative Digital Media Production BTEC, and continuing to develop our partnership with Pinewood Studios, this was a perfect moment to welcome Simon to the Park.
“This year’s JBH competition was fantastic to compete in and I can only credit the other competitors for pushing me to win!” Chunya, the winner, said
Jonathan Porter-Hughes, event coordinator and English teacher, said,
“I was thrilled by the standard reached by this year’s finalists Photographs by and continue to be impressed by Jacco Hui, Upper Sixth how well the audience play their part with the heckling. The competition continues to go from strength to strength and is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the LP calendar.”
Globe Trotting
Students were thrilled to learn all about pitching, prepping and planning a production and everything that happens before you start filming. Using his recently released TUI film as an example, Simon demonstrated how he prepared for the shoot. Chris Mitchell, Assistant Director of Music with Media Arts Development, commented, “Some of the pre-production resources Simon was able to show us were really interesting!” Simon encouraged students to use their initiative and start creating films, explaining the experience is invaluable. “The best thing is to make things and learn what works. There’s no other way to explore what’s good and what’s bad. You’ve got to make stuff to decide whether to do that or not again.” Upper Sixth student, Helena Heil, has her sights set on becoming a Director, and found Simon to be inspirational, commenting, “The talk from Simon was very helpful. I got a lot of information about how I can plan a video or film and he has given me an idea of what directing is about and how I can get there.”
Upper Sixth leavers who are planning independent travel adventures have the chance to win up to £1,000 through Leighton Park’s prestigious Travel Scholarship Award. When the scheme was set up in 1925, long before the idea of a “gap year” was popular, £50 was on offer. Reports submitted detail incredible journeys made for this princely sum! Since then, Old Leightonians have travelled all over the world, from Sri Lanka to Skye, Argentina to Athens. The Scholarship can be awarded to one person or split between several, as judged by a staff committee, headed by MFL teacher, Pablo Gorostidi Perez. Jonty Hyde (Upper Sixth) who is applying for an award, commented, “I am planning on spending twelve months in the Far East teaching English in either China, Japan or the Solomon Islands. I need to raise a significant amount financially, and am hoping to benefit from some support from the school.”
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LP Challenge
Teaching Tolerance The Quaker ethos at Leighton Park embraces tolerance as an expression of respect and a recognition of equality, regardless of faith. The relationship between two of our Year 10 students, Alem Mohamed, a Shi’a muslim, and Murad Ahmed, who is Sunni, is a testament to the values inherent in the school community. Despite the religious, and political divergences between Shi’a and Sunni muslims, which play such a major part in conflicts in the Middle East and other corners of the globe, Alem and Murad get on just fine.
This term launched the LP Challenge to recognise achievement and contribution outside the classroom. Our students take part in a vast array of activities that help them to develop a variety of skills. The Challenge has awards at three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold, and begins in Year 9. One hour of active participation will earn one credit with the awards requiring upwards of 100 credits to complete. Co-ordinator, Lindsay Merrony, stresses the challenge highlights the importance of the school’s co-curricular programme, preparing students for the greater challenges beyond their school years.
Thinking Ahead
Part of the syllabus of the GCSE Religious Studies course we offer delves into the influence of Islam on the lives of Muslims today. In September, Beliefs and Values teacher, Paulo Arruda, organised a chatty and lively Q&A for Alem and Murad’s class. “We spoke about the Oneness of Allah, or Tawid, about attendance at mosque, the festival of Ramadan, and, of course, the boys’ passion for football.” commented Paulo. “These are all aspects of Islam we explore in the course, minus the football perhaps, and values that come to life in the daily experience and practice of these two students.”
Young Marx
On 7th December the English Department organised a trip to Vue Cinema, Reading, for a National Theatre Live screening of the new play ‘Young Marx’ starring Rory Kinnear. The purpose of the trip was to give students a broader appreciation of literature and to start questioning their assumptions as to what great art can be.
Year 11 got stuck into Futurewise tests on 14th September when they used IT to discover which exciting careers might suit their unique talents. To develop their ideas and give them more insights into the options available to them, Year 11s went to the What Career Live? event in London, joined by the Lower Sixth, where they considered options available after Leighton Park. Students found the event very beneficial and are feeling confident they will make positive decisions in the future.
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Jonty Hyde, Upper Sixth, commented, “Young Marx”s biggest triumph is its tonal lucidity, which it nails it every time. This is due to its clever, witty and poignant writing that is well acted by the cast, including Rory Kinnear as the titular Max. The play never loses sight of its serious historic roots, whilst still being hilariously mocking of the ghosts of society past, present and future.”
Learning
Adventurously
Chinese Trip of a Lifetime
Belgian Battlefields
Nine students had the experience of a lifetime as they explored, visited or tasted many of China’s best experiences over eight days during October. Students explored Beijing’s most famous tourist spots such as the Great Wall of China, the Imperial Palace and Tian An Men Square. “I was so excited about the Great Wall of China as it is everyone’s dream to go up it! Only a few of us managed to get to the highest peak.” exclaimed Niam Patel (Year 9). Another highlight for students was seeing pandas up close in the Beijing zoo and travelling on a high speed ‘bullet’ train, which reaches up to 350 km/h. The train brought the group into Suzhou where they continued exploring sights in Suzhou and Shanghai. Students visited two Chinese schools during their trip; the second, Suzhou International School, impressed everyone tremendously. One student concluded, “The school might be the nicest school in the world as they had a room with some of the best drones, to a room for boxing – the school had everything! If I was living in Suzhou this would be the school I would 100% want to go to!” commented Marcus Coppen (Year 9).
Exploring the Eternal City During October long leave, Years 10 and 11 Beliefs and Values students absorbed as much Roman culture as time would allow when they visited the Eternal City. Their adventures began by learning about the Catacombs and their origins in early Christianity, followed by a visit to the Forum, the Circus Maximus, the basilica of St John Lateran, the first Church of Rome and the seat of the Pope. The second half of the trip included stops at the Vatican City, the port of Ostia, the Spanish Steps, the Vergine Aqueduct, the Trevi Fountain and Sistine Chapel. Understandably, eating plenty of food to keep their energy up was essential whilst exploring the incredible sights, and everyone sampled a range of delicious Italian cuisine. “We all enjoyed the trip and I can’t wait for the next one! It helped us a lot in seeing different parts of Christianity along with the history.” concluded Alem Mohamed (Year 10). “Thank you all so much for looking after Lily Koro (Year 10) so well on the trip. She had an amazing time and I imagine it is something that she will remember for a long time.” commented parent, Louise Koro.
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On 24th and 25th November Year 9 and 10 History students went to Ypres and explored the World War I battlefields of Flanders. The students’ journey included the Memorial Museum of Passchendaele, where they learnt all about the front line, life in the trenches, had a ‘Trench’ meal and even had the opportunity to handle period equipment and weaponry. This was followed by a poignant and emotional visit to the Voormezele Cemetery and the Langemarck Germany Cemetery, where they learnt more in depth information about the Germans in 1940 and the causes of World War II. Students had a brilliant time on the trip expanding their historical knowledge and gaining poignant memories that will last a lifetime.
Art & Design Inspirational Art Lectures
On 6th December 20 A Level and IB Art students had the opportunity to listen to four brilliant and inspiring contemporary artists at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster, London. Speakers included award-winning documentary photographer Simon Norfolk; sculptor David Mach, who has created incredible installations using a range of materials from bricks to coat hangers; leading portrait painter Stuart Pearson Wright, who has work featured in the National Portrait Gallery and the infamous fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, who has designed for clients including Diana, Princess of Wales, Elizabeth Taylor and Freddie Mercury. “The talks were really helpful with showing us how we can evolve our own portfolios. David Mach was really engaging and it was great to hear Stuart’s experience of how he developed his work.” commented Sophie Williams (Lower Sixth). “I really enjoyed listening to Stuart and seeing how he has adapted his work. It was interesting seeing his initial skillset and then how he developed his work by continuously circling back and drawing upon his original skills.” added Matthew Choi (Upper Sixth).
Art, Culture and Beauty in Bilbao
No sooner had the academic year begun, when this year’s Year 11 students were off in search of sun once more, heading to the heart of Spain’s Basque region, Bilbao, to soak up a myriad of art, design and architecture – as well as a bit of sun and sand. Students experienced an abundance of wonderful cultural delights from food to artwork and were captivated by the stunning scenery both in and surrounding the bustling city. The Guggenheim Museum was a highlight for many, as students absorbed the artwork around them through their own photography and drawing. Another memorable part of the trip was visiting the beautiful, old Basilica De Santa Maria, a popular stop over on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. It provided the perfect inspiration to develop the ‘People and Places’ theme that many of the group had chosen. “The artwork to follow will surely reflect fond memories and I can’t wait for our own art show come June 2018. Thanks to everyone who took part in the trip and made it such a success!” commented Mark Wood, Head of Art.
Textile Artist in Spotlight This term, Lihi Othnay (Year 11), brought a cascading wall of colourful textile work to Oakview, documenting the changing colours of each season as the Artist in the Spotlight. The textiles work formed part of her GCSE portfolio exploring natural forms. “My work is based on trees and the seasons. When I was younger I used to go on long walks with my family and there would always be hundreds of birds in the trees. That is what first inspired this idea, as well as the works of Alfred Basha.”
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The Lurner Prize The art 2017 award, the Lurner Prize, was awarded to Catherine Douneen (Year 10) in Final Collect for her poem, ‘Cyclic Elevation’, inspired by Phillip Glass’s chamber music ‘Glassworks’. Mark Wood, Head of Art said, “The poem was evocative of the interplay of man and the universe, focusing on the transience of water and our love and appreciation of the natural world. We are hoping the work will be published next year as part of an Art and English collaboration.”
STEM
Proud of our A iDEA Digital Awards
Rising to the Challenge Masters of Maths Runners up in the Regional Team Maths Challenge, Seb Milhofer, Yongxin Cai (both Upper Sixth), Gary Liu (Lower Sixth) and Sam Sheng (Lower Sixth) beat 24 other local schools with an impressive 174 out of a possible 186 marks (94%). In the Individual Maths Challenge Sixth Formers accrued 27 medals (eight Gold, seven Silver and twelve Bronze), with Sam Sheng going through to the British Maths Olympiad, a first for the school.
Green Meets Grey
Fifteen excited Leighton Park students teamed up with pupils from UTC, Kendrick School and John Madejski Academy for the two-day Internet of Things (IoT) solutions challenge at the Green Park Conference Centre on the 9th and 10th November.
Congratulations to Alex Yi, Richard Budge (both Year 7) and Josh Woodlock (Year 8) for winning the Duke of York iDEA bronze digital award. They achieved online badges involving tasks around e-safety, enterprise, web design, computational thinking and programming.
DigiGirlz @ Microsoft Ten Year 8 students were inspired by technological career opportunities at the Microsoft DigiGirlz Day on Friday 1st December. The STEM day developed students’ skills from technical to management, using computational thinking in order to program a MicroBit using blockbased coding methods. As well as building on their technical capabilities, the girls also highlighted further areas for development in their project and reflected on their performance both as individuals and as a group. “I loved it! I thought it was a great experience as we could see another job in our future!” commented Bisi Adeniji.
Students had to brainstorm solutions to real world problems, splitting themselves into two groups: technical and business. The business team developed marketing and financial plans around a client profile; the technical teams used Python controlled sensor boards to measure elements such as temperature, rotation and moisture and then used computational thinking skills to edit existing libraries and transmit the output from the sensor readings.
Arkwright Engineering Scholarship Matthew Meade (Lower Sixth) has won a prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. Scholars are selected for their potential as future engineering leaders by assessing their academic, practical and leadership skills in STEM and are gauged through a rigorous selection process.
“I approached it with an open mind and thought I would give it my best shot.” said Matthew, “I was really surprised and really happy when I found out I had won it”.
Teams made further developments to their prototypes on day two, undertaking strategic testing to demonstrate their solutions with a pitch communicating the full business solution to all participants. “It was heartening to hear the key skills required in today’s workplace echo many of our Quaker values: particularly the notion of an equal voice. Additionally, our students were encouraged to adopt the principles of ‘agile development’ and to raise the bar to achieve, and pitch for success!” reflected Karen GracieLangrick, Deputy Head (Academic).
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Achievements! Ripple Competition Winners Hewlett Packard (HP), Intel and IT solutions specialists XMA have awarded Leighton Park the exciting Ripple Effect prize. The award-winning submission took the form of a video, which was produced by students and staff. The school was presented with an HP STEM & Creative Learning Studio, worth over £20,000. As well as specialist laptops, the prize includes the latest 3D scanning and immersive computing technology.
Education and Experience Women in STEM Talks The Institute of Engineering (IET) Women in STEM talks are held in collaboration with UTC Reading, Reading Girls’ School and Kendrick School. This term lecturers have included Dr Caroline Cox, an Earth Observation Specialist at Rutherford, and three inspirational women, Gemma Hood (People’s Strategy), Sarah Roland (Digital Project Manager) and Linda Hansson (Programmer and Developer), from Volume AI (Artificial Intelligence) Ltd, a leading global technology and innovation company dedicated to taking artificially intelligent applications to market.
Ben Brown, Head of Schools and Further Education at XMA commented,
Experiencing the Workplace
“XMA were really happy to award the 2017 Ripple Effect Prize to Leighton Park whose exciting use of technology in the school really is supporting the STEM agenda and will be preparing the pupils for life outside of the school.”
A week long work-related experience at Cisco, coordinated by Sam MoylanHedt, was afforded to students in Year 11 building their understanding of the company’s technical (IT) and business related roles. Undertaking a range of workshops including one in cybersecurity and speed interviews, Millie Dean-Lewis definitely recommends the experience, “After listening to a number of talks and taking part in both preparation and presentation activities, I can really see the benefit of spending even just a few days in a work place”.
Take Maths Further On Friday 22nd September six mathematicians from Year 11 and three from Year 10 went to Surrey University for an all-day event organised by the Further Maths Support Programme to encourage pupils to ‘Take Maths Further’ to A Level. The students benefited greatly from Ben Spark’s inspirational talk ‘The Creation of Number’ and three workshops: ‘Bridge Building’, ‘Beyond the 3rd Dimension’ and ‘Fun Maths Roadshow’. Sam Caley (Year 11) enthused, “The Creation of Number lecture was absolutely mind blowing. It changed the whole way I think about numbers and how they interact.”
Innovating for the Future In October, a group of Year 8s tested their creativity and presentation skills with professionals from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and other organisations within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Teams designed an innovative chair and implemented an advertising strategy to promote their product, using their problem solving skills to identify the most suitable media outlets for their marketing. The panel of judges were bowled over by the imaginative ideas on show and the levels of confidence shown to deliver such polished presentations under time constraints. “The students learnt a lot from the day, in particular teamwork and leadership skills; it has given them an understanding of different roles within an organisation and the diversity of tasks and employees.” commented Peter Marshman, Head of Computing and ICT.
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Library An Evening of Reading Six students contributed to an informal evening for parents about reading at Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) by talking about books that they had recently enjoyed reading. Angelika EtheringtonSmith (Year 9) introduced ‘We are all Molecules’; Lizzie Bedford (Year 7) talked about ‘George’; Daniel Hewitt (Year 8) enthused about the ‘Cherub’ series; Tiger Goslar (Year 8) introduced ‘Wonder’; Gregor Jones (Year 8) talked about ‘The Wizards of Once’; and Aiden Shaya (Year 9) provided an overview of ‘1984’. Their personal choices reflected the variety and range of books that KS3 students read for pleasure.
Patron of Reading In October we welcomed author, Julian Sedgwick, as our new Patron of reading to Quaker Schools Week. For his first official visit, Julian prepared a special presentation around the theme of friendship in turbulent times. He shared personal experiences from his own Quaker background and his schooldays with his Year 9 audience highlighting the importance of communication in our relationships. Julian had a box of precious letters which he hadn’t previously shared with a school. They described his discovery of a Quaker refuge which sheltered wartime refugees. These formed the basis of three workshops, in which students created characters and scenarios, in preparation for letter writing in their English lessons.
National Non-Fiction November Our enthusiastic Librarian, Chris Routh, has coordinated the 2017 celebration of information books on behalf of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, commissioning our Artist in Residence, Sam Heath, to design a fabulous set of book marks for the event, available for staff and students to pick up from the Library. Years 7 and 8 have reviewed books shortlisted for The School Library Association Information Book Awards, voting for their favourites. The Library has also been recommending a different information book every day on the school’s digital notice boards.
Riverboat Challenge New Year 7 students spent the summer break rising to the annual holiday challenge set by Librarian, Chris Routh. Centred around the River Thames, contestants brought together a plan of a river boat based on a book, series or author that they have particularly enjoyed, and created either a guide to riverbank flora and fauna or a log book describing their journey along a river. Patron of reading, Julian Sedgwick, and Chris, enjoyed judging the competition. Congratulations to winners, Erin Perkins, Martha Morgan, Freya Cook, Arun Bright-Thomas, Thomas Billing and Arthur de Kroon.
Launch of Book Buzz
We were delighted to welcome the Book Trust to Fryer Book Club on Monday 16th October for the launch of Book Buzz. There are seventeen exciting titles in this national initiative to inspire our 11-13 year olds and encourage them to get stuck into a good book for free! Having spent time choosing the titles they would like, the Year 7s were delighted to receive their chosen paperbacks in December. “It’s so nice that an organisation like Book Trust exists to encourage reading in young people like us.” enthused Benjamin Gruber (Year 7).
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Quaker
Schools Week For the second year running, Quaker Schools Week at Leighton Park was aligned with Quaker Week, a national event which is intended to help people find out about Quakers and the Quaker way. This year’s theme was ‘In Turbulent Times: Be a Quaker’,
A Carousel of Sustainability On Monday 2nd October, Years 7 and 8 sampled an exciting carousel of workshops exploring aspects of Sustainability. ‘Bees and Trees’ focused on how we use, nurture and protect the school’s beautiful grounds, with the help of Gemma Sims, Head of Biology, Tom Sheldon, Grounds and Facilities Manager, and Chris Lockwood, Biology Technician. The University of Reading’s Museum of English Rural Life invited students to consider countryside issues, including food production, employment, recreation and conservation. The charity Cord introduced their overseas work and students re-enacted scenarios involving conflict and peaceful resolution. Getting suited up in bee-keeping gear, handling museum objects, participating in energetic drama sessions, creating posters and making presentations engaged students with a wide range of issues.
Roots and Racism Students in Year 10 to Upper Sixth were riveted by the Worklight Theatre company as Joe Sellman-Leava shared his personal story, reflecting the experience of many who make up our multicultural society and are mislabelled through ignorance and prejudice. The show was entertaining and very warmly received, but it was also challenging and thought-provoking. Joe’s superb performance highlighted the need for tolerance, equality and respect in the face of our own turbulent times. “Many of us have been able to convince ourselves that racism is no longer a thing.” reflected Letitia Kansime (Year 11). “After having the presentation about labels, we, as the young generation, were able to be empowered with knowledge of the type of world we have the responsibility to create.”
Reading Meeting House
Year 7s continued their Quaker learning on Thursday 5th October, when they went on a trip to Reading Meeting House; the highlight for many was getting to sample the fruits of the roof garden! The Year 9s were also fortunate enough to have the opportunity to experience the Meeting House with their Beliefs and Values trip the following week with their teachers, Shazia Taj and Paulo Arruda.
In Time of War
Fantastic Foxtrot Three Sixth Formers embarked on the annual Quaker Schools Pilgrimage, known as the Foxtrot Challenge joining students from other UK-based Quaker schools for the experience. Jonty Hyde, Helena Heil and Artem Alexandrov (Upper Sixth) hiked from Pendle Hill, where George Fox first envisaged his plans for Quakerism, to Firbank Fell, where a meeting of over 1,000 people founding the Quaker movement took place in 1652.
Leighton Park Archives held an insightful talk titled, ‘The Still Small Voice of Calm’, hosted by the PSC, exploring what Leighton Park was like during the wars. The talk revealed interesting facts about the school’s history, such as a bursar that kept pigs and chickens, the Park being dug up to grow potatoes, and students that had a rota to watch for fire on the roof of Old School!
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Music
Carol Singing
Autumn Musical Medley
In the last week of term carol singers returned to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, accompanied by a brass quartet. After receiving incredible responses last year, students were keen to perform and as ever, patients were delighted. The second carol singing event was to a local care home, Milward Court, to perform for the residents and again everyone was greeted with smiles and some wonderful singing. Rosemary Scales, Director of Music commented,
The Ensembles Concert kicked off the musical events for the autumn term on 18th October, involving musicians throughout the school, from Year 7s to long serving staff. The Soloists’ Concert followed, with more excellent performances from a number of first timers! The Jazz Infusions concert was another memorable night with ‘Take the A Train’, ‘Cry Me A River’, ‘Jungle Boogie’ and a wonderful voice and piano solo by Jonny Balaes (Year 10) called ‘Baby Grand’ being just a few of the highlights. The Christmas Concert brought the musical events of the term to a close and everyone enjoyed singing along to festive favourites such as ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’ and ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’.
Guitar Star Ravi Nathwani (Upper Sixth) has been preparing and auditioning on classical guitar at some of the top music conservatoires in the country this term. His hard work has paid off, as Ravi received two offers of places for study in September from The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and The Royal Northern College of Music. “As a member of the National Youth Guitar Ensemble UK London Camerata we know Ravi has a bright future ahead of him. I’m so pleased for Ravi, this is a phenomenal achievement.” commented Director of Music, Rosemary Scales.
“Performances in the local community are an important part of the year for our students and I am always impressed with the way they are so keen to go out of school to perform and really make an impact with their talents.”
Reinstein & Alldis Award The Reinstein & Alldis Award is given each year to the student who has demonstrated the most musical development. They should also set a good example to the others, no matter what age group they are in, exhibiting high standards of performance and a good professional approach to rehearsal etiquette. The winner of the Reinstein & Allis award 2017 is shared between two Year 11 musicians, Michael Rincon and Nicola Wilson.
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RBH Memorial Service The Senior Choir performed a second Memorial Service for the Intensive Care Unit at St Andrew’s United Reform Church, Reading. Highlights were Stephanie Cameron (Year 11) who wrote a composition especially for the event and Christian Wheeler (Upper Sixth) performing ‘Photograph’ by Ed Sheeran. “We were honoured to be involved in such a deeply personal and private service in memory of patients who had passed away in the RBH Intensive Care Unit in the previous six months. Thank you to all of the musicians who gave up a Sunday afternoon to perform.” commented Rosemary Scales, Director of Music.
Drama
Parade Preparations! The Drama and Music departments have been busy preparing for this year’s senior production, the musical ‘Parade’, which will be presented in Main Hall with a full orchestra in February 2018.
Drama Reaches New Heights!
Set in Atlanta, Georgia in 1913, the performance packs a punch with many great songs in different styles to tell the story of an out-of-town Jew working as a factory manager who is framed for a murder. Only his wife believes he is innocent as his plight gets caught up in the political manipulation of anti-semitic and racial prejudice in the southern states of the USA at the time. The performance is packed with a huge range of talent and students have been working hard during activities sessions to shape a splendid show.
Drama students were excited to receive a mobile staging system in November allowing them to configure options for ‘instant’ staging during Drama and Theatre Studies lessons. Year 11 GCSE students were the first to try out the system and found it a great addition to the Drama Studio. “It really has changed the way that we think about presenting drama as we can now plan to create different areas and levels depending on the work we are presenting.” said Lucy Childs. “We are upgrading the equipment we use in lessons to inspire our students and this is just one of many new projects we have.” adds Peter Scoggins, Head of Drama. Other resources in the Drama department are being renewed – including props and costumes, so if you have any interesting items that you think could be used on stage please let Peter know!
This Evil Thing
During Remembrance Week, Michael Mears was welcomed to the Park to give his performance of the one-man play, ‘This Evil Thing’, fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The play was an engaging portrayal of the plight of conscientious objectors in The Great War. Michael played all eight of the characters himself with impressive skill and technique. There was a question and answer session after the performance to discuss the writing of the play and its relevance to the world today.
Double Bill for Theatre Students There have been two exciting theatre trips this term. ‘Girl from the North Country’ by Connor McPherson presented some wonderfully skilled actors/singers in a tale set in a 1930s. The show, at The Old Vic, was fast-paced, inventive and worthy of the many excellent reviews it has received. Students also enjoyed seeing ‘Loot’, a West End production transferred to The Watermill Theatre, Newbury. Joe Orton’s play is a hilarious farce in a funeral parlour, so although the play still has the power to shock and provoke serious thought, the evening was also spent in serious laughter!
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Sport Hockey Success Rugby Round Up
The U15 A squad have maintained last year’s 100% win record showing the girls’ fantastic team ethos, commitment and skill level. The U18 1st XI have also had a brilliant season as they remain unbeaten, winning the Super 8 League. With no obvious Goal Keeper at the start of the season Rhiannon Griffiths (Upper Sixth) stepped in and has been a star performer throughout the term, with fantastic displays from all of the players.
It has been a successful season for rugby at Leighton Park this term. The 1st XV have won 75% of their games and reached the final of the Super 8 Cup. The team performed extremely well in the final and it was a close game as they only missed out by one point, losing 19-20. Captains, Ben Green (Upper Sixth) and Chunya Munga (Lower Sixth) have done a great job leading the men on and off the field and a congratulations is also due to the top points’ scorer this term, Alex Shean (Lower Sixth). The 2nd XV have had the best season in years winning 55% of their games; congratulations to Jack Williams (Upper Sixth) for scoring in every game this season. The U15s have shown tremendous improvement so far this year; well done to Hari Gupta (Year 10) for captaining the team; Archie Webb (Year 10) for being the top try scorer and Lorcan Friel (Year 10) who has had a phenomenal season individually. The U14s highlight of the term was the rugby tour to Treviso, Italy, where they played against Benetton Academy and enjoyed a day out in Venice.
Netball County Tournament The U16 netball team trained hard this term and faced challenging competition on Saturday 18th November, at the County Netball Tournament. The girls stood strong against the other teams, their Captain Livvy Edwards (Year 11) and Vice-Captain Anna Worsfold (Year 10) leading the team exceptionally well. The girls played five matches, with one win and the other matches were extremely close. Zoë Macpherson, PE & Games teacher, commented,
“Well done to all of the girls for working so hard and for playing brilliantly at the County Tournament. I am looking forward to the upcoming netball season”.
Football Update All Fryer boys have had the opportunity to represent the school in at least one fixture this season, as well as being involved in the House football competition at the end of term. Congratulations in particular to Jack Mancey and James Waterer (both Year 7) who attended recent Prep School Lions trial and have been selected to attend the Gothia Cup (an international youth football tournament) in the summer. The Middle School’s U16 team progressed to the last sixteen of the ISFA Small Schools Cup, losing 4-1 to a very strong Priory School. Congratulations to Anton Miller and Ellie Pearson, who have both been selected to represent the Berkshire U16 Boys’ and Girls’ Football teams respectively in regular fixtures against other county teams.
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Elite Athletes Leighton Park’s elite sportsmen and women continue to achieve greatness outside school in their respective sports and disciplines. Emma Kendall (Year 8) has enjoyed an amazing few months in Gymnastics competitions, becoming All Round Berkshire Champion, 4th in the South Region All Round and National Floor Champion at the English Gold Silver Bronze Championship. Felix Thomis (Year 8) continues to represent England in Table Tennis. The Eurominis tournament in France was a huge highlight; Felix played and beat many other hopeful Olympians from all over Europe. Nicola Lee (Year 9) was selected from Berkshire County Cricket to be put forward to a selection process with the English women’s Twenty20 cricket team, Southern Vipers. Nicola was assessed on her fielding, batting, bowling and match awareness by the head coach for the Vipers and was the youngest of 20 girls identified with the right level of talent and ability. Diamond Edwards (Year 9) continues to play for the Reading U14 Academy team and was selected to attend the U14 England training sessions over this term at St George’s Park. Kate Hipkins (Year 11) became U16 National 1000m Kayaking champion. She was one of only two fifteen year olds to be named in a Senior ‘Olympic Hopes’ squad
Autumn APP Now in its fourth year, Leighton Park’s Advanced Performer Programme (APP) aims to provide additional training, support and sports science education to help progress all athletes that play representative sport. Our new Strength and Conditioning Coach, Jacob Staines, works with elite rowers at the English Institute of Sport and now runs the S&C programme for our APP athletes. Students were delighted to finish the term with a trip to local Sports Performance Hub GoPerform on Thursday 14th December, where they took part in physical training, testing, nutrition and rehabilitation workshops.
that competed in Prague. Kate is training hard to reach the Youth Olympic Games next October in Buenos Aires. Chunya Munga (Lower Sixth) is now on the Gold programme for the London Irish Rugby Academy and vice captained the 1st XV Rugby squad to the final of their Super 8 competition. Owen Say (Lower Sixth) is achieving numerous personal bests in Para-swimming competitions. Owen returned from the National Para-Swimming Championships in Manchester winning three gold and two silver medals in his age group. Daisy Butterworth (Upper Sixth) has had a great rowing season, her Henley U18 Coxed Four team won the ‘Fullers Head of the Rivers Four’ event against 21 teams from across the country. Daisy has been selected to attend the GB training camps where she hopes to be chosen to attend the 2018 World Rowing Junior Championships in the Czech Republic. Abbie Dixon (Upper Sixth) continues to represent the U18 England Women’s Hockey Squad and has captained the 1st XI Girls to success in the Super 8 league this term.
Off to Wembley Leighton Park students got the opportunity to visit Wembley twice this term to watch the England national team play football. The matches against Slovakia and Brazil provided a great setting for many who were watching their first England match at the 90,000 seater stadium. Tom Mitchell (Upper Sixth) commented
“We have had two excellent trips to watch England play, it is not often we get the opportunity to watch England v Brazil so that was really good. I am looking forward to watching them again in the future.” 17
Sixth Form Off to the Isle of Wight
Oxbridge Swap On Friday 10th November students interested in applying for Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine or Law practised their interview skills in an exchange with Lord Wandsworth College. “I felt it was an interesting yet challenging experience to be interviewed by people whom we had never met - just like the real thing!” said Irene Burke (Upper Sixth)
Celebrating Christmas! Fantastic food, great company, a touch of dancing, and some interesting renditions of Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ all featured in the Sixth Form Christmas Dinner on Friday 8th December. Ho ho ho!
On the first weekend of term our new Lower Sixth Formers visited the PGL Little Canada Adventure Centre where they tried a variety of exciting activities including abseiling, aero ball, sailing and tree top adventures. “All of the students were fantastic and did extremely well.” commented Helen Taylor, Head of Sixth Form. “They really impressed me with their attitude: they threw themselves into everything with great enthusiasm!” George Lee reflected, “I’ll remember the courage it took to take part in a few of the
activities throughout the weekend, I believe this gave me a newly found idea about what is possible and what is not. I will be taking these ideas into my A levels!” “I really enjoyed my time at PGL because it was a chance for me to really bond with people and make new friends. As a new student it gave me a chance to get to know my fellow classmates.” added Kierah Nabena, “My favourite part about the trip was overcoming my fear of heights and going on the massive long swing. Overall I really had a nice time and I look forward to my new adventure.”
Safe Drive, Stay Alive Upper Sixth students attended a hard-hitting production about road awareness; ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ this term at The Hexagon, Reading. “It is about the impact a road traffic accident can have on the lives of individuals.” commented Helen Taylor, Head of Sixth Form. “We go every year; it is a very useful and valuable message for our young drivers.”
Psychologists Visit Bedlam On 3rd October the Upper Sixth A Level Psychology students visited Bethlem Royal Hospital in Beckenham. Bethlem was the first psychiatric hospital to be founded in the UK established in 1247, and originally known as ‘Bedlam’, an idiom now incorporated into the English language. Students explored the archives discovering records considering issues such as diagnosis and treatment as well as the use of restraint. They were given a closed viewing of the contemporary artwork produced by current
patients and spent time analysing one of the hospital’s more famous artists, William Kurelek’s painting, ‘The Maze’ to help understand his illness. The highlight of the day was the talk delivered by a senior nurse consultant who spoke of the range of disorders patients present, as well as explaining the range of treatments that are provided and the nature of how patients may come into the care of the hospital.
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LP Community Leighton Park Connect We are excited to announce the launch of our new online networking platform, Leighton Park Connect. It has been rolled out to Old Leightonians (OLs), but we are planning to open it up to our whole community, including parents and Sixth Form students. Users can search for old classmates, expand their professional network and keep up to date with school news. OLs can indicate careers support they would be willing to offer, so students and young alumni will be able to search the network for work experience opportunities or mentors. We also hope to set up parent discussion groups on the platform. Look out for more details soon!
Our First Telephone Campaign Leighton Park’s first telephone campaign was held during the summer, where eleven young OLs, Upper Sixth and Lower Sixth students spoke to 576 Old Leightonians about their experiences at school and asked them to consider supporting the Bursary Fund. Over £80,000 has been pledged over the next four years. “Your caller was charming, I am delighted to see you are still producing well-rounded young adults.” Jason Williams (School 1988) “I found it most impressive that a person of your caller’s age was able to call an OL whom she had never met.” Francis Hewetson (School 1963) “There was a real community within the calling team and also with the OLs. The only thing linking us was our school, but by the end of each call that link felt so much stronger. Some of us even had offers of work experience or internships. The OLs I spoke to are an inspiration to the attitude and outlook on life I aspire to.” Irene Burke (Upper Sixth)
Explore Your Archives Week
Hong Kong Event Head of Development, Celia BlakewayPhillips, organised an event for OLs and local parents in November at the Hong Kong Club. She met 49 members of the school community on her trip, including Eric Gan (Field 1983) and Katsuko Okabe (Field 1988) in Tokyo. It was a great opportunity to re-engage with OLs we had not been in touch with before. Katsuko said “It was great to meet up and reminisce about my time at Leighton Park. I had lost touch with the school and am glad to have the opportunity to be part of the OL community”.
Do you know your prags from your breathers? Why did the pupils go on strike in the 70s? When did Leighton Park introduce rugby? Who were Joseph Fryer and Lord Caradon? These were just some of questions answered in “Explore Your Archives Week”, from 18th – 24th November, where students, staff, OLs and parents had the chance to ask everything they wanted to know about Leighton Park’s history and a lot they wouldn’t think to ask!
Starring on BBC South BBC South visited Leighton Park Archives in November to film a documentary about Old Leightonian David Lean (School 1926) which is due to air in January. Leighton Park’s Archivist, John Allinson said “It was a great pleasure to work with such an amicable and enthusiastic film crew. I feel it is an honour to have met David Lean and I must admit to having a passionate interest in his work. I hope I did Sir David and the school justice in the interview!”
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PSC
Assisting Open Morning
PSC Family Quiz If you enjoyed the camaraderie of the Fireworks, why not test your smarts at the PSC Family Quiz? With questions to suit the whole family, a licensed bar and dinner in Oakview, it’s a brilliant family night out. This is fast becoming another well-loved PSC event that is not to be missed, with its legendary ‘Leighton Park’ twist, courtesy of our crafty Quizmaster, Tim Dean-Lewis!
Parents’ Lunch
Saturday 30th September saw the PSC providing support for the school’s Annual Open Morning. Thanks to all those who came along to help sign in, to direct prospective parents and provide a warm Leighton Park welcome – including dashing around the Park with umbrellas for those caught in the rain!
Sparks on the Park
44 parents and guardians met up on Friday 20th October to learn about the care and attention that goes into feeding our students, staff and community and enjoy some excellent food, courtesy of Catering Manager, Alessandro Albanese, and his team.
“I had a lot of very positive feedback from parents about how happy and well fed the children are, here at Leighton Park”
commented Alessandro.
The PSC Fireworks is the biggest event in our calendar and the night of the 10th November did not disappoint! To put on such a well-loved event, we are dependent on the support of the many PSC helpers, the talents of the Music department and the awesome Estates team. Our thanks to the fantastic Oakview staff for feeding the hoards ahead of the spectacular show.
Farewell to Eme A fond farewell and enormous thanks to Eme Dean-Lewis, who stepped down as PSC Treasurer this term. Eme has been a tremendous support to the PSC over the last few years and we will miss her steadfast commitment and efficiency. But happily it’s not goodbye as Eme has just joined the Leighton Park Board of Governors.
What’s Coming Up PSC Committee Meeting 16th January, 6.30 - 8.30pm, Cadbury Room Book Group 22nd January, 7.00 - 8.45pm, Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’, Library PSC Family Quiz 27th January, from 7.00pm, Oakview – tickets available at http://bit.ly/LPFamilyQuiz2017 PSC Committee Meeting 6th March, 6.30 - 8.30pm, Cadbury Room
www.leightonpark.com The Park is printed using paper from a sustainable source.
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Nearly New Uniform The nearly new uniform shop is open with sports kit and uniform for Year 7 to Upper Sixth, with all proceeds going to charity. Please see the ‘Parents’ page of the website and eBulletins for dates.
Get involved! We can’t do all this without YOU! You can be involved as much or as little as you’d like. More and more people are enjoying meeting other parents, guardians and staff in the process. Contact us through psc@leightonpark. com, we’d love to hear from you.