Winter Newsletter 2020

WINTER

NEWSLETTER 2020

www.plymouthcollege.com Prep School ages 3 to 11 | Senior School ages 11 to 18 1.

CONTENTS 3.

Head’s Foreword

4.

Meet Our Heads of School

5 - 8.

Academic

9.

Extra-curricular

10.

Achievements

11 - 14. Preparatory School 15 - 16. Events 17.

Boarding

18.

Combined Cadet Force

19.

Outdoor Education

20 - 21. Sports 22 - 23. Alumni

2.

HEAD’S FOREWORD It’s safe to say that I don’t think I could have ever anticipated my first term as a Head to be in the middle of a global pandemic but being able to see our entire Plymouth College community support one another, face adversity and prevail, makes me incredibly proud.This term has seen us face many challenges but, despite these, I have had the pleasure of seeing our pupils and staff rise to the occasion and show resilience and determination to tackle what is in front of them.

A particular strength of Plymouth College has always been the plethora of extra-curricular activities on offer - this has been particularly important since our return in September and especially during the second lockdown, where pupils were only permitted to participate in sport and other extra-curricular activities via their school. As always, our teaching staff organised an incredible variety of clubs; from Space and Computer Animation to Art and STEM, our pupils have had much to develop and challenge them. I would like to thank all our staff who have organised, supervised and supported our pupils in all our after-school clubs, extra-curricular sports and creative practices.

I feel it is important to recognise the achievements of the Upper Sixth Class of 2020, who faced a tough end to their academic careers at Plymouth College, without the final examinations enabling them to demonstrate their academic prowess following two years of hard work and missing out on their celebrations and goodbyes. We hope to organise a fitting celebration at a suitable time in the future and will be delighted to welcome them back as OPMs, who always remain part of the Plymouth College family. I am delighted to share in this newsletter the success stories of some of our OPMs who have furthered their careers through hard work and adaptability, especially during these challenging times.

We have much to look forward to next term - including our continued extra-curricular programme and after school clubs, the continued progress of the Prep School relocation and our Blended Learning programme, which will start with our Year 7 and Year 10 pupils. As restrictions hopefully ease in the Spring, we eagerly anticipate a return to other events such as sporting fixtures, field trips and residentials - we will keep you posted on these.

My family and I would like to wish the entire Plymouth College community a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

Mrs Jo Hayward, Head

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MEET OUR HEADS OF SCHOOL This term, we were able to appoint our Heads of School for this academic year and we are delighted to introduce our Head Boy and Head Girl, Henry Dean and Charlotte Harris, and our Deputy Head Boy and Deputy Head Girl, Zion Yeung and Naomi Chatfield. We are so incredibly proud of these wonderful individuals and how hard they have worked over their time here at Plymouth College.This opportunity to represent the school is well deserved for Henry, Charlotte, Zion and Naomi and we are honoured to have four pupils that speak for the student voice.

Find out more about Heads of School:

Henry Dean

Hi there, I’m Henry and I’m really excited to now be this year’s Head Boy at Plymouth College. I’ve been at the school since Year 7 and I’ve loved being a part of the team all the way through. I’m currently living in Plymouth as a day pupil; however I was a member of boarding from Year 7 up until Lower Sixth, whilst I was living abroad, which I absolutely loved. My future plans are to hopefully study Business at university, which is something I find fascinating and then potentially join the Royal Marines or pursue business further.

I’ve played rugby along with other sports at the school since I joined, and I am now Vice Captain of the First XV. Some of my best experiences were during my time in CCF where I learnt many useful skills and often took on exciting new tasks. I can’t wait to see what this year has to offer.

Charlotte Harris

My name is Charlotte Harris and I have been granted the role of Head Girl at Plymouth College. Having been at the school since Year 8, it was such an honour to be given the opportunity to take on a leadership role and give back to Plymouth College in any way possible. In Upper Sixth, I am applying to study Medicine, with hopes to travel to Australia for my gap year. I represent Plymouth College in both girls’ sports inside and outside of school, alongside being involved in music and drama. I am excited to see what this academic year brings at such an unprecedented time, but hopefully it allows us as Heads of School to make innovative and positive changes for the future.

Zion Yeung

I’m Zion Yeung and I’m really excited to be the Deputy Head Boy at Plymouth College. I’m from Hong Kong and currently board at the school since joining Plymouth College in 2019. I am planning to head to university at the end of next year. Although I don’t participate in any team sports, I’m a gym enthusiast. I love going to the school gym and working out. Some of my best memories at Plymouth College have been the boarding life and Sixth Form community because the students all have wonderful personalities and they are very caring. I’m really looking forward to what this year has in store.

Naomi Chatfield

I’m Naomi Chatfield, I have been a boarder and pupil at Plymouth College since Year 7. I’m so glad that I am now able to give something back to the school in my new role as Deputy Head Girl. In the future I hope to study Engineering after my gap year as a Sail Training Volunteer. I love being outdoors and some of my best memories are from our trips to Whiteworks, DofE canoeing expeditions and representing the school in Ten Tors 2018.

I’m looking forward to all the challenges and joy this upcoming year will bring.

4.

ACADEMIC Over the summer holidays, our Upper Sixth pupils celebrated their A Level and BTEC results. With a pass rate of 99%, 42% achieving A*- A and 70% A*B in the A Level or equivalent grades awarded, our Class of 2020 achieved fantastic grades.

Mrs Hayward was delighted with this year’s results and said: “I am incredibly proud of our Sixth Form pupils and have been struck by the positivity and resilience shown by each and every one of them this year.They have worked incredibly hard throughout their time at Plymouth College and although the summer term wasn’t what any of us could have imagined, I’m delighted to see them move on to exciting new chapters at top universities and employers.The results speak for themselves and our excellent teaching both traditionally and virtually since March, ensured that every pupil fulfilled their academic and intellectual potential. Our Upper Sixth ‘Hub’, that was set up when COVID forced schools to shut, provided dedicated resources and tools to prepare them for life beyond school and it’s a pleasure to see them leave Plymouth College as rounded, confident young men and women.”

There were some notable performances by a number of pupils (in fact too many to mention all by name) including outstanding performances from all of our Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) candidates

- with all achieving the top grade. Topics included medical robotics, criminal law and physiotherapy.

Emma Andrews balanced her commitment to school in her role as Head of School with her academics and achieved two A* and one A grade. Joe Sair achieved two A* grades one A grade and goes on to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Leeds.

Angolan swimmer Henrique Mascarenhas will study Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath following his results of A*BB. Henrique joined us for his A Level studies to benefit from our partnership with Plymouth Leander and balance this with his academic commitments. Chloe Olford who has represented Great Britain at biathle, goes on to study Physiotherapy at Southampton after achieving A*BB in her A Levels. Chloe joined us for A Levels and we are delighted to see her achieve such great results; “Coming to Plymouth College for my A Levels was the best decision I’ve made. My teachers have been amazing and the support I’ve had over the last two years has allowed me to pursue my dream career”.

The Sports Baccalaureate Programme has also had another successful year.The course is Level 3 Extended Diploma BTEC-based course. Notable performances include Harry Edwards, Sam Mills-Shute, Alexander Rose, Tim Neuss and Reid Jones who balanced the demanding course alongside numerous other commitments both in school and externally (representing county and country

in numerous sports, being Head of School and sports captains for the school). All listed achieved the top level of award - D*D*D*.

Destinations and courses for our Sports Baccalaureate pupils are diverse - ranging from Sports Development Coaching at Plymouth Marjon University and Sport Performance at the University of Bath, to courses in Business Management & HR. In recent years, Plymouth College has achieved an outstanding success rate in securing offers for students applying to medical school.Those going to study Medicine this year include Oscar Boyhan-Irvine who will study at Cardiff University, while Lucy Armitage will study Veterinary Science at the University of Bristol. Morwenna Dunstan has also secured her place at Norland to study Early Years Development and Learning, following her dream to become a Norland Nanny.

As ever the destinations and courses of our class of 2020 are a true testament to the broad range of talents and interests of our leavers. Pupils will be studying at institutions across the country, including York, Edinburgh, Cardiff and University of Arts London, reading subjects as diverse as Law, Politics and Fashion. Our mission at Plymouth College is to educate, enrich and empower every one of our pupils, where they benefit from a bespoke education that delivers excellence both in and out of the classroom. We are immensely proud of all our pupils this year, and wish them well and look forward to hearing about the next chapter in their lives.

5.

ACADEMIC Following outstanding A Level results, our Year 11 cohort overcame the challenges of lock-down and celebrated fantastic GCSE results.

In an unprecedented year, results were awarded on the basis of the teaching staff ’s professional judgement of the pupils’ prior performance in their academic studies.This, combined with their knowledge of the pupils as individuals, formed the grades awarded from Plymouth College (known as our Centre Assessed Grades).

Following the Government’s ‘U-turn’ with regards to the planned moderation of Centre Assessed Grades, all results were formed from a combination of the CAGs and of the standardised score from the examination board - whichever grade was higher. It has been a challenging time for all and we are incredibly proud of the resilience and dedication of our pupils and staff.

Amongst results, there were a number of excellent achievements by pupils that have embraced the holistic education that Plymouth College offers. Academic performances were many and varied, with a number of our pupils achieving nine or more A* or equivalent grades, with stand out performer Rocky Dutta, achieving exclusively A*/9 grades.

There were also outstanding results for Ben Abbott, Eugenio Fatti, Daniel Coles, Megan

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Shorey and Aidan Bath.Twins, Poppy and Sasha Sathasivam and Danielle and Georgia Trathen combined their wide sporting and creative interests with excellent academic results, achieving an impressive 33 A*/A or equivalent grades between them. In addition, four of our pupils completed the Higher Project Qualification project with all four being awarded A* grades.This independent learning project will benefit the pupils immensely in their further studies and this year’s subjects included ‘How can science stop or slow ageing?’ by Rocky Dutta and ‘Market leaders in the film industry’ by Lex Irish.

Our young sportsmen and women, have delivered outstanding results, alongside their sporting successes, with notable achievements including Abagael Black (who represented Great Britain in fencing), and from swimmers Sophie de Groot (British Championships and Olympic trials, 2021), Sophie Freeman (European Junior Finalist, 2019) and James Hart (British Championships and Olympic trials in 200m butterfly, 2021), all of whom have managed their academic studies at the same time as maintaining a gruelling training

regime and excelling in their chosen sports.

Success looks different for everyone and at Plymouth College we encourage and support all pupils to exceed their potential, whatever that may be, including Lex Irish who combined his notable contributions to drama with an outstanding set of GCSE results.

There are simply too many talented pupils for us to name and we are delighted for them all.

Mrs Hayward said: “Despite this being such a unique year, I am delighted for our Year 11 pupils and the results reflect the hard work they have put in during their time at Plymouth College.They have shown such strength in character over recent months and I’m incredibly proud of each and every one of them. As our Upper Sixth pupils head off to leading universities next month, I’m looking forward to welcoming our Year 11s back, alongside those new pupils joining our Sixth Form from other local and international schools. I’m sure they are excited about starting the next chapter in their lives”.

ACADEMIC Design Technology

It has been a busy first term back for DT at the Senior School! Our new Year 7 pupils got straight into practical work by making bespoke LED push torches using the laser cutter, our Year 10 pupils made use of their practical skills and the Sixth Form A Level pupils started their idea generation for projects.

Science

In Science, we have seen fascinating experiments and activities across Biology, Chemistry & Physics. Even with a few of our pupils learning online from home, that hasn’t stopped us involving everyone in practical lessons.

In Biology, our Year 10 pupils have been learning about osmosis in cells and looking at onion skins that have been treated through the microscope. Our A Level biologists have also been busy making serial dilutions to discover the concentrations of different liquids as well as looking at the anatomy of the heart using dissection.

We’ve also had fun and interesting practicals in Chemistry and Physics. In Chemistry, our Sixth Form pupils have had fun whilst completing their core practicals for their A Levels including the oxidation of ethanol whilst our Year 8 physicists have been studying topics such as electrostatics and having fun with a Van der Graaf generator!

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ACADEMIC Art

In Art, we have seen some wonderful pieces of work created in Graphic Design, Art and Design and Photography.

History

In History, our classes been practising their debating skills, including our Year 8 class who have learned about Guy Fawkes and recreated the trial to weigh up the arguments and decide guilty or not guilty!

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Music

In Music, there have been a lot of extracurricular activities from the school choir and the orchestra! The choir had a busy term practising for the virtual Remembrance Service and the Christmas Carol Service whilst the orchestra have had a busy time practising their instruments in their socially distanced bubbles with Mr Hiscock and Mr Bennett.

Classics

Our Year 7 classes have loved Classics this term and have learnt all about Greek Gods and Goddesses by dressing up and learning their Greek and Roman names!

EXTRA CURRICULAR Enterprise Club

In Enterprise Club, our budding business people have been busy finding ways to use old books and generate revenue.They have been re-selling old books using E-commerce platforms and have also used the pages to make Christmas gift tags and decorations.

STEM Club

In STEM Club, we have had 3D printed bath bomb moulds being made, model games controllers being made along with some lip balm experiments from our Year 10 pupil Charlotte! We have also been choosing the Crest Award projects to enter.The Crest Awards are the British Science Association’s scheme for STEM project work that inspires young people to think and behave like scientists and engineers. Groups in our STEM Club are going to be experimenting and developing products using their knowledge and skills in STEM subjects and Enterprise Club students, who are also a part of STEM, have chosen a range of projects from developing a lipstick to discovering what makes the perfect cup of tea.

Art Club

The Year 7 Art Club has been getting festive in the second half term this year by using artistic techniques to create Christmas card designs!

Craft Club

In Craft Club with Miss Venon, all of our pupils have had fun and been busy deco-patching a jewellery box while others have chosen origami.

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ACHIEVEMENTS Even though COVID has taken its toll by creating a mass of restrictions on activities, it still hasn’t stopped our Plymouth College pupils from achieving great successes from music, to sports, to writing!

Alice Northey (Year 8)

Josh Cann (Lower Sixth)

Keeley-Rose Magill (Year 9)

This term, Lower Sixth pupil Josh has been shortlisted for the BBC Young Reporter of the Year Awards; a competition for budding journalists aged 11-18 to write about a current issue that is affecting the world around us. Josh chose the topic of ‘Coronavirus’, more specifically, how sanitising hands has had a long term effect on overall health.

Ethan Roberts (Year 8)

A huge congratulations to Year 8 pupil, Ethan, who this term achieved a Distinction in his Level 1 Solo Acting with LAMDA!

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Our LAMDA success continues with Year 8 pupil, Alice, who achieved a Distinction in Level 1 in her Speaking Verse and Prose this term. Well done Alice!

Last, but by no means least, congratulations to our Year 9 pupil Keeley, who has furthered our LAMDA success by flying through her Grade 3 Acting and scoring 90, achieving Distinction!

Martha Miles (Year 11)

At the beginning of term,Year 11 pupil, Martha, was selected to compete for Devon in the British Dressage U25 Regional Championships and was selected on her horses Father Ted III, for the team championships, and Mack (pictured), for the individual championships. A huge well done!

Kevin Lau (Lower Sixth)

A huge well done to Lower Sixth pupil, Kevin, who alongside former Plymouth College student Ann Mok, won the mixed doubles Plymouth and District restricted tournament last year. Unfortunately due to COVID, Kevin had to wait until this term to receive his trophy!

Matilda James (Year 7)

This term,Year 7 pupil, Matilda, has passed her Grade 5 Theory of Music with a Distinction!

Matilda has worked incredibly hard to achieve this and is currently working towards getting her Grade 6 in piano and Grade 5 in violin.

PREPARATORY SCHOOL Harvest

This year’s Harvest celebration was a tad different, with the school assembly being delivered virtually. We had some beautiful songs, poems and prayers from pupils throughout the Prep School.

Anti-Bullying Week

For Anti-Bullying Week this term, our Prep pupils had fun completing different activities and learning about the Plymouth College Principle of Communication.

Children in Need

Our Children in Need fundraising this year took place on the field as all children took part in a socially distanced exercise, led by Joe Wicks.

Freddie Lown (Year 4)

Spent the summer playing cricket for Plymouth Cricket Club U11s (Peverell) cricket team.This was his first year playing hard ball cricket and he loved every minute. Freddie performed well in batting and bowling and was quick in the field taking some great catches. Freddie was awarded Player of the Year. We are extremely proud of him.

Joe Roberts (Year 6)

A huge well done to Joe, who this year took part in the Virtual Remembrance Service and sang a beautiful rendition of ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables.

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PREPARATORY SCHOOL Year 1 Assembly

Year 1 pupils were fantastic in their seaside themed assembly.To stand up and deliver words, read poems and sing and create artwork on the same theme was a lovely treat. Well done to them all! Mrs Manuel, Mrs Hanvey and Mrs Smith would like to commend the children in Year 1 for presenting a very enjoyable assembly.

Origami Club

Take a look at the photos below to see the festive goings on in our Origami Club!

Year 6 Science

Year 6 have had a fun time in Science this term learning about light with Mrs Burnman, including light refraction through a prism that projected onto Lucas!

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PREPARATORY SCHOOL Freya Wynne

A massive well done to Year 3 pupil, Freya, for winning the ‘Guess the Weight’ competition for the giant pumpkin that was grown and donated by our Governor, Chris Morton.The weight was a whopping 24.7kg!!

Pre-School

Our pre-school pupils have been learning all about story mapping.They have listened to the story of ’The Gingerbread Man’ and used this to order numbers as well as re-tell the story using pictures.

Year 3 Roman Day

It was Roman Day for Year 3 during this term and everybody had tremendous fun! We started the day writing Roman numerals on scrolls and making analogue clocks. It was then time to sample Mrs Bales’ home-baked honey cake, made from an original Roman recipe. It wasn’t to everyone’s liking but some children did ask for the recipe!

using different military formations. After lunch, the children had a chance to get creative and make a clay pinch pot. Finally, after all that excitement, the children enjoyed a story based on the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii. Of course, the best part was seeing the children all dressed up in their fabulous Roman costumes.

Year 3 then learnt lots of interesting facts about the Roman Army and practised marching with their shields in straight lines and

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PREPARATORY SCHOOL Moving the current Prep School up to Ford Park not only allows pupils of prep school age to access and benefit from the facilities and staff on the Ford Park site, but it also realises the vision of one school on one site.

The new prep building will, in effect, be ‘a school within a school’, enclosed within secure fencing with access controlled by

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a series of key-pads and electronic locks.

Car parking will be available as well as a dedicated drop off and collection point. In terms of outdoor space, not only will children have direct access to a dedicated, multizoned outside area that has been designed exclusively for their needs but they will also have access to the large playing fields and astroturf already on the Ford Park site.

Part of the Prep outdoor space will also incorporate a Forest School area, benefiting from existing expertise amongst the teaching staff.

We are all excited about the enhanced provision and endless opportunities this move will give to the younger members of the Plymouth College community.

EVENTS This term saw the Remembrance Service presented a little differently, but nevertheless we were able to commemorate the day and bring both the Prep and Senior School ‘together’ in their year group bubbles to watch the service that was created using a mixture of pre-recorded footage and a live ceremony of Mrs Hayward and our

Head Boy and Head Girl laying wreaths to remember the fallen. Pre-recorded videos included readings of poems by our Deputy Heads of School, Naomi and Zion, and Year 8 pupils, Ethan and Aviva and we also had music performances from our Senior School choir and Prep pupil Joe.

Thank you to everybody that took part in the virtual Remembrance Service - you represented Plymouth College incredibly to the wider community that were able to join in and watch as well. We’re very proud to have been able to provide a Remembrance Service to those who weren’t able to attend one in person.

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EVENTS Yellow Socks Day

World Mental Health Day was marked on 10th October 2020 and was deemed to have been one of ‘the most important to date’.

Given the months of lockdown, and enforced isolation we have all experienced as a result of COVID, the #lonelynotalone campaign felt a particularly relevant one for our school to support.The initiative was conceived by young people, for young people and aims to highlight the impact of loneliness amongst this group.

This campaign encouraged the wearing of brightly coloured socks, to show a sense of solidarity and awareness for those who may be struggling with a sense of loneliness. It was wonderful to see so many staff and students involved in this, a subtle but powerful way to say ‘it’s hard being lonely, but we’re in this together’.

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Wear It Pink Day

To celebrate the end of the first half term and to raise money and awareness for Breast Cancer Now, we had a fabulous mufti day at both the Prep and Senior School and held a socially-distant bake sale in year group bubbles.

We are delighted to be able to announce that we raised a whopping £1072 at the Senior School (which has been matched by a very generous parent) and an amazing £214.40 at the Prep School.Thank you to all who took part and who donated.

BOARDING This term saw isolation, testing, re-testing, periods of quarantine, broken bones and new starters. But once again the students and staff have risen tremendously to these challenges.

With no boarding activities off site allowed the times we have come together as a community in Colson, Haven,Thompson and Mannamead have been somewhat of a throwback to a simpler time.The houses have been regularly filled with screams of laughter and cries of injustice over card and board games. With Mr Wesley’s movie and musical nights proving hugely popular across all ages in Mannamead and the standard fervent support for the boys football teams and the odd Wombat game and ‘Articulate’ meaning the term has flown.

The lockdown period has had an impact on the swimming program but perhaps not as much as was once feared. Due to the excellent work of Director of Swimming Robin Armayan, Director of Sport Phil Mutlow and the Head, the programme has merely transferred to the school pool. Indeed one of the most pleasing times of the week is a Saturday afternoon when many swimmers have chosen to access the boarding swim slot and coached each other.These qualities of mate-ship, care for your fellow boarders and maturity are exactly what we would wish for our young men and women in our care when they leave.

formal gathering since last year’s event. It is a mark of the quality of the staff group, many of whom worked throughout the half term, that the level of pastoral care and support provided has remained first class. It is safe to say that for students and staff alike, the morning of Monday 14th December is a lie in that we are all looking forward to very much. For me, the holiday period allows for time spent with family and loved ones but also an opportunity to reflect on pride in the boarding community that, thus far, has dealt with all the challenges presented during these strange times.

Mr Matt Byrne, Head of Boarding

With the Christmas dinner to look forward to over the last weekend of the term all are looking forward to dressing up for the first

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COMBINED CADET FORCE Overall a good term for the CCF.Yes, COVID did hugely reduce what we could achieve but we did achieve everything we could! The only CCF in the area to commence training at the start of term and the only cadet force to manage a training day.

We had a huge boost from the new Year 10 intake, the largest I have ever seen.They also came with bags of enthusiasm and quickly took to the recruits’ section training.This was mainly focused on building self-confidence, resilience, team work, use of initiative, focus, responsibility and a bit of physical exercise.

Sadly we have said goodbye to some members of staff - we say a fond farewell to Capt David Green and 2Lt Jaime Bassett.

We wish them the best for the future. But positively, we welcome 2Lt Andy Lock, a parent of a child at the prep school and a volunteer with us now. He has considerable military experience including time in the Special Forces and has already taught the seniors in the Navy Section First Aid at Work, the full accredited qualification that would normally cost £300. We also welcome our

new Sergeant ‘Odie’ Odendaal, a member of the school staff who has already deployed on EXERCISE FIRST LOOK with us.

The activities included a visit to Jupiter Point, a Royal Navy asset where the cadets have the opportunity to get out on the water.The weather was not good but only one group missed out on having a go in the power boats.

This was led by Commander Bill Andrew, the Navy Section Commander, and he was assisted by Lt Lisa Williams, Lt Tim Lambie and Capt David Green. Sgt Smith, Sgt Hal Gamble and Lt Andy Lock ran an air rifle range. Sgt Gamble is a OPM volunteer and a member of the Army Reserves.The cadets’ preparation training for the Ex included weapon handling so that they could all have a go at shooting safely.This is part of the cadet syllabus that builds up to firing the SA80 (the Army assault rifle) both on live ranges and blank exercises.

Lt Steve Chapman was joined by Capt Rich Clark and Sgt ‘Odie’ Odendaal on running the casualty evacuation and grenade range stand.

Capt Clark is an OPM and currently serving

with the Royal Artillery, we are lucky that when we have training he comes and assists, bringing a wealth of young officer experience.

Sgt Odendaal is the newest member of our team and a member of the school teaching staff.This was her first Ex and we are loving having her along.The casualty evacuation stand is the hardest physically as we have quite a heavy dummy ‘the Colonel’ who often needs to be carried over very difficult terrain.

It builds teamwork and keeps the cadets warm!

The partnership with Stoke Damerel Community College is still going strong although COVID has required the students to be separated in their bubbles but we hope this will be relaxed more next term so that training can be more inclusive.

Looking forward, the CCF here will be 150 years old next year! We will plan a formal dinner night next May to celebrate and hope that COVID allows it to happen. We have had to delay two activities due to COVID, a Royal Navy visit to the training ship Hindustan and the Army seniors instruction course. Both will be re-booked for early next year.

Major C P Butterworth, Contingent Commander Combined Cadet Force

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OUTDOOR EDUCATION Discoverers’ Club

Way back in September, Mr Chilcott and I decided to split the Discoverers Club into a Monday and Thursday evening, and we are very glad that we did. Originally we did this to be in line with the year group bubbles, but we have had a steady stream of pupils wanting to join and have more than doubled our numbers.This is great news, but does mean we have had to find another member of staff. We were fortunate that Mrs TaylorRoberts was able to join us a few weeks before half-term and has slotted well into the team alongside Mr Chilcott, Miss Bennett, Mrs Russo and myself.

While at the start of term we enjoyed paddling on the sea and great vistas from our climbing and walks on Dartmoor, during the darker evenings of November and December, we usually turn our attention to the local caves and indoor climbing walls.This year, these activities have not been possible and we have had to become far more creative; purchasing quite a lot of head torches we have discovered a local climbing wall in Plymouth, been tested on navigational skills on night walks, abseiled down cliffs in the dark, learnt about safe knife use to carve wood and, as if it wasn’t dark enough, enjoyed Mr Chilcott’s blindfold tent challenge.This has all been possible because of the maturity of our pupils. It has been great to see them get to grips with these activities, invite their

friends to join in and return each week full of eagerness. We hope to invite everyone back in the New Year!

DofE

This has been a very busy term for the DofE team at the College. We have had a higher than usual uptake across the Bronze, Silver and Gold levels which is great to see. I was somewhat surprised, and very pleased, at the number of pupils in the Silver DofE classroom when I walked in - we had to go outside so we could all see each other and have our welcome chat.Teams in Bronze have been getting to grips with the structure of the award, working out what they will do for their Volunteering, Skill and Physical sections. All teams have been out learning navigation and we have a very motivated Gold team who would like to do a canoe expedition.The first six days of the October half term saw us out in some quite damp weather on a number of expeditions. Not only did we have the Silver practice expedition at the weekend, but we also had to run the expeditions that were missed last year.This resulted in a Silver team and two Gold teams out on the moor, completing first their practice and then their qualifying expedition. Fortunately, DofE has introduced ‘DofE with a difference’ for these crazy times we are living through, so the Silver practice expedition counted as the Bronze qualifying expedition. All teams conducted themselves with distinction in very trying

weather. Now it is back in the classroom and out on the hill or the water, planning and training for the expeditions in the warmer, brighter months, as well as continuing with the weekly skill, physical and volunteering sections.

Ten Tors

The large numbers theme also continues into Ten Tors, where we have a bumper year of interested pupils across all three of the distances; 35mile, 45mile and 55mile routes.

We start our training quite early on at the end of September, the idea being to make the most of the good weather so we have something favourable to look back on in the more miserable conditions experienced in November and January. After a strong start we had to postpone our training after half term due to the reintroduced lockdown rules.

While this is not ideal, I am not concerned, we have built a good foundation of navigation, and can pick up the distance in the New Year.The army, who organise the Ten Tors event, have a definite desire to run the event, but what form that takes will remain to be decided.The latest update is that it is “The Event Director’s intent to run a two day event if at all possible, however, three one day events are still being planned for.There is also still a possibility that spectators may not be permitted, which will depend on the current guidance as we get closer to the Event”.

Mr Olly Rees, Head of Outdoor Education

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SPORT Despite the various challenges posed by COVID restrictions and the imposition of a second national lockdown during the second half of term, we have continued to offer a vibrant and varied range of sporting opportunities for the whole Plymouth College community. Inter-school fixtures may not have been possible at all in the Autumn Term, but we have seen a range of house and intra-school competitions in Rugby and Hockey, including a Senior Hockey World Cup to conclude the term.

Whilst sporting opportunities have become increasingly rare outside of school, Plymouth College has continued to expand its provision beyond the usual Hockey and Rugby offering in the Autumn Term. A Boarding XI v 1st XI Football fixture took place prior to October half-term, with the 1st XI running out 2-1 victors over in a closely contested fixture.

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Badminton,Yoga, Body Balance, Swimming, Turbo Cycling, Cross Country Running, Fencing and Outdoor Education have also all continued, despite restrictions, offering a broad range of opportunities for pupils in various different bubble groups.

Winter Cricket Programme

The second half of the Autumn Term has also seen the commencement of our Winter Cricket Provision, available to all pupils in the school, regardless of gender or prior cricketing experience.This has been brilliantly supported across all ages, which bodes very well indeed for the Summer Term of 2021.

Additionally, we have launched a Rugby Club for girls at the Senior end of the school, introducing many of them to the sport for the first time. Again here, the attendance of 20 or more girls at sessions has proved how popular these alternative options can be.

Whilst COVID has provided its fair share of headaches for sports staff, it has also created

opportunities to try new things and reflect on areas where provision could be enhanced.

We will all be pleased to return to a sense of normality as soon as we are able to do so, but hopefully some of the new initiatives and ideas will stick with us long after COVID has been consigned to history.

Hockey

Hockey this term has obviously looked a little different to normal due to not being able to play fixtures against other schools.

By this point in the normal Hockey calendar the squads would have played a number of weekend and midweek friendly fixtures as well as taking part in the County and National Cup Competitions.

Despite the lack of fixtures, attendance at training has been as good as ever across all the training groups which is credit to the girls involved. Players have had the opportunity to develop their technical ability as well as gameplay through the usual provision of the games programme as well as after school training.

We are currently in the middle of the House Hockey programme, although for the Senior this year it is taking a different format. Players are taking part in a World Cup competition over a 3 week period, having been assigned to a Hockey playing nation and being presented with their shirts the players are now competing to become (Plymouth College) World Champions with the Final scheduled for Wednesday 9th December.

We’ve also had some phenomenal hockey achievements this term. Huge congratulations to the following pupils who have been selected to play for Devon:

U14 Devon Squad Ella Short (Year 8) Olivia Eadie(Year 8) U15 Devon Squad Lydia Lambie (Year 10) Charlotte Bryce (Year 10) U17 Devon Squad Ruby McKinley (Year 11) Ellie Davies (Lower Sixth) Regional Talent Selections Alice Patterson (Year 11) Izzy Radford (Year 10) A big thank you must go to the staff involved with the games and after school Hockey sessions this term.

Swimming

In line with government guidance, swimming has looked somewhat different this term.

We’ve had year group bubbles training together but it definitely hasn’t been the same as getting everyone together. Nevertheless, our swimmers haven’t let this act as a barrier to achieve and we have had a large number of our pupils recognised by Swim England for their hard work, determination and talent.

Huge congratulations to the following pupils for being selected onto the following Swim England squads/programmes: Swim England Regional Talent Pathway Freya Pearson (Year 8) Iskander Raubenheimer (Year 8) Swim England National Talent Team Finn Broekhoven (Year 10) Ruby Wheeler (Year 10) Ollie Dennis (Year 9) Swim England National Junior Squad Maisie Elliott (Upper Sixth) James Hart (Lower Sixth) Elijah Kendrick (Lower Sixth) Bea Varley (Lower Sixth)

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ALUMNI Annabel Kennedy

Huge congratulations to OPM Annabel Kennedy, who won First Prize in the AESS Dame Patricia Routledge National English Song Competition in October, along with her duo partner Ana Manastireanu winning the pianist prize! Well done from all of us!

Henry Slade

Also a huge well done to OPM Henry Slade for his recent rugby success! Not only has Henry triumphed as part of the Exeter Chiefs team when winning the European Cup, defeating Racing 92, but also defeating the Wasps and winning the Premiership title.

As well as this, Henry has also won the Six Nations title as part of the England squad as they defeated Italy for the win. Massive congratulations!

Sidonie McLaren

This term, we got the chance to speak to Sidonie McLaren OPM, who left Plymouth College at 16 to follow her passion for performing arts at BRIT School London. We took the questions that are on all of our pupils’ lips and asked her the following: Q: What year did you leave Plymouth College and where did you go on to? What did you go on to study there?

A: I left Plymouth College in 2015 when I was 16, and went onto study Theatre and Acting at The BRIT School and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. 22.

Q: What was your favourite subject whilst studying at Plymouth College?

A: I was a boarder on a swimming scholarship whilst at PMC but fell in love with the English and Drama classes.

Q: If you could give your 13 year old self one piece of advice, what would it be?

A: If I could tell my 13 year old self one thing, I would say to be myself unapologetically and grab every opportunity with both hands.

Q: How has COVID had an effect on your career? Have you faced any challenges?

A: COVID has had a big impact on my career.

Auditions and castings have been transferred to Zoom and theatres have been shut. I was lucky to perform in a socially distanced show in between the two lockdowns in a London Theatre but the future of live theatre seems to be still in limbo. However, COVID has taught me to always stay on my toes and be adaptable wherever possible. Even if that means doing Shakespearean sonnets at my webcam!

To say that a quick catch up with Sidonie was a pleasure is an understatement and we can’t wait to catch up with her properly!

CLASS OF 2020 It’s been great to see that even though our students have followed their new career paths, they are still staying in touch.

Class of 2020 pupils Alasdair Lambie and Euan McCready, have been enjoying starting the new chapters of their careers at Cardiff University.

Alasdair is studying Business Management and Euan is studying History.

For Harris Habib, he has gone on to study at University of Edinburgh and we wish him the best of luck!

Last year’s Head Girl, Morwenna Dunstan, has embarked on a completely unique journey and is pursuing a career in Early Childhood Development as a Norland Nanny. Morwenna did incredibly during her time with us and we couldn’t be prouder of a wonderful representative of Plymouth College!

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