The Radleian ST18

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S U M M E R 2018

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Prague Music Tour | Sherlock Holmes | STEM Fest | Footsteps Concert Chinese Studies | Links with Girls’ Schools | News | Drama Visit of HRH The Earl of Wessex | Vales THE RADLEIAN

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PRAGUE M Prague, the city of undying beauty and exquisite architecture, was home to the Radley College Music Department for a few days during half term in February. We arrived at Heathrow early Friday morning, worn out from an already busy half of term, yet excited at the prospect of performing in what were some truly magnificent locations.

The friendliness and interest of the local people can be summed up in two words: Pavel Matys (our tour guide), who was incredible in showing us around Prague, teaching us about both the history and culture of the Czech Republic.

Our first concert was in the Protestant Church of Lysá and Labem, set in a lovely small Czech village. The venue presented challenges with regard to space, but with determination and resilience we made it work and held a very successful first concert, with most of the village and touring parents arriving to listen, followed by a reception with the local mayor.

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Earlier that day we participated in a tour of the city, starting at the magnificent Prague Castle: a dominant landmark on the hill overlooking the city below. We wound our way down narrow cobbled streets past delightful little corner shops and cafes, presenting us with a taste of Czech culture, finishing at the awe-inspiring Charles Bridge.

The next day we sung in the morning service at St Nicholas’s Church, Old Town Square, followed by a short recital of some of our choral pieces. Despite being rather cold and having to endure a service in Czech, the Church presented us with some delightful artwork, as well as a sizeable audience, both parents and locals, who came listen to our performance.

Our penultimate concert was in Column Hall the next day, where the ‘travelling’ Orchestra and Jazz band performed, as well as Choir. That night saw us dining on the Vltava river on an unforgettable dinner cruise, providing us with an impressive alternative perspective of the brilliant city.

Our final concert in the Korunni Chapel was a great way to conclude all of our hard work, with a huge audience and incredible acoustic, followed by a trip for the 6th form to an amazing local jazz club, to end what had been an incredible tour. I speak both on behalf of myself and the boys who went on the trips: it was a truly unforgettable experience which will be at the forefront of our memories for many years to come.

Charlie Pemberton H Social, 6.2

USIC TOUR

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SHERLOCK I have always been a big fan of films.

My passion for movies started when I began making short RC (remote control) car films, usually a prequel to the 007 franchise, at around the age of six with my older brother. Whenever I had free time I would grab him, free or not, and disappear off for a few hours, later coming back with my footage to edit on iMovie. To me, it was wonderful being able to fill my free time shooting imaginary scenes, or re-creating scenes from movies with my friends and family.

Going into boarding school, I thought it would be much harder to find the time and find the people to go and make movies with, but that hasn’t been the case. Going into Radley, I found ‘Radley Video’, the perfect place to do what I like best. I also had a group of friends, who were like me, and wanted to go out and film a movie. So I went to the Don in charge, Mr Horsey and asked to

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make a film. I might add at this point that Mr Horsey has been very generous in lending us his film equipment and his experienced knowledge of film-making on set; it has been hugely valuable. After assembling a crew of people, keen to help, I began writing the script.

I chose to base my script on the works of the BBC’s ‘Sherlock’. It was to be my own storyline, but with the same characters, with only a few differences such as their age. I was always fascinated by mystery movies, and as an audience member of the previous Sherlock films, I loved being involved in the story, helping solve the puzzle.

Writing the script was a very long process, cutting out or simplifying ideas that were impossible to film, which required vast amounts of extras and fancy film equipment. With help from Mr May, I managed to think up a basic

storyline that is very different from the current script. Only one scene has stayed the same the whole way through, which took us more than a year to film. The first half of Scene 5 was shot near the beginning of the process in the ‘Shell’ year group, and over a year later we only just managed to finish the end of that scene.

From a technical point of view, Radley Video has some amazing state-of-the-art equipment, from drones to tracks. This film has even influenced us purchasing more film kit, such as a jib, a 4k camera, and a wide-angle lens. With all of this equipment available we had to use it. In nearly every scene you see, there is some bit of technology that we had fun using.

I remember a particular scene, where lots of things were happening at once, for example, we had to borrow a golf buggy to follow a taxi, and at the same time had a drone overhead filming us.

K HOLMES Then, when we arrived at Mansion, there was another film team waiting with the jib and another camera to film the taxi arriving.

We were given permission to go to some extraordinary and exclusive locations: for example we were allowed to film at Blackwell’s Bookshop in Oxford. They were so welcoming and even let us in before opening hours and allowed us to film with no-one around, yet we still went over the opening hours and the public came pouring in.

We were also invited to Broughton Castle, in Warwickshire. It was one of the most beautiful Castles I have ever seen: the glassy moat winding its way around the old monumental building in the most idyllic countryside. Broughton has been used in other films such as ‘Wolf Hall’ and ‘Jane Eyre’, now next was my Sherlock film. It was an absolute honour,

so a massive thank you to everyone who made it happen.

It has been an absolutely fantastic experience, travelling around Oxfordshire to some beautiful places and being able to make a whole short movie whilst still at school. Thank you very much to all who were involved. I am hugely grateful to you for all of your help, from printing out the scripts, to all the actors who took part.

The first Sunday of Term saw the Lakeside room in Mansion transformed into a film set ready for another sequence of Sherlock, the film written and directed by Clem Giuseppetti. The set was by far the most complicated one we had done so far, taking three hours to create, and therefore we were hugely grateful for all the help of the staff: from booking the room to supplying all the amazing props and costumes!

The two half scenes that were filmed were rather tricky, as we had a few animals in the cast. So thank you very much to Trish Reeves (Mrs Hudson) for taking part with her dog and to the Biology department for supplying their Boa-constrictor.

The technical camera, lighting and sound side to the filming on Sunday also took a step up in quality, as we put to use our new state-of-the-art equipment.

Filming continued through the afternoon and early evening but eventually after seven hours of hard work, the estimated three minutes of film time was completed. There are several more scenes to film, mostly based in Oxford, but we will finish soon and look forward to the Premiere at the end of the Summer Term.

Clem Giuseppetti J Social, Remove

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STEM FEST

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On the morning of Tuesday, the 30th of January, Radley College had a large number of various specialist teams in all branches of the sciences come in, as guests, to give varying interesting talks and organise workshops for the Removes here, as well as the students from a number of other schools in varying parts of the country, for a “STEMfest”. This important event, the ‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Festival’, to give it its full title, was held in the Theatre.

One such visiting specialist team was ‘Breathe Oxford’, led by Sarah Finnegan, which specialised in the neurological effects of varying states of breathing, including breathlessness caused by exertion and asthma, as examples. They graciously gave their data and findings on the relationships between breathlessness and various activities, both neurological and physical.

Following this, they began the ‘workshop element’, so to speak, in which they gave the students first-hand experience with these relationships, through measuring performance in aerobic activity with and without artificiallyinduced breathlessness. This ‘breathlessness’ was induced by restricting the subjects’ airways through ‘bottlenecking’ them, which they accomplished with plastic drinking straws. These straws artificially restricted our airways in a safe manner, and they reliably mirrored the breathing difficulty brought on by an asthma

attack of notable severity, from my experience, at least.

The impact of these breathing conditions was then recorded on some activities, both during the period of little airflow and just after, and these were compared to other, natural readings.

These allowed us to establish relationships and correlations between these factors, but more importantly, we were able to do them independently, rather than being given all the answers. This is very important in what could be known as the traditional, methodical ideals that are a constant factor in pure science, and these were the scientific method and how one could improve the recording of results and their reliability.

One of the standard questions, which is a vital pillar of the vast majority of experiments, especially in schools, was the fundamental question of “What could we do to improve?” This can refer to the reliability of results, the experiment itself, or any other aspect of the entire process. Assessment and improvement of these aspects is fundamental in the eventual creation of a truly ‘fair’ test, with reliable results and easily repeatable experiments, which should give the same results.

Granted, being neurological, these are especially difficult to achieve, due to the inherent volatility and chaos of nature and natural objects and bodies, such as living creatures.

Even so, fair tests are still possible, to a large extent, and thus they are

always important, in all sciences, as well as investigations outside of the traditional sciences. Therefore, the development of the right thought processes and ideas to run fair tests are always important, which is one of the factors that made such an opportunity important to all involved.

This seemed to be a secondary theme of the visit, as while it was entirely related to the subject on the surface, it also allowed us to understand and apply the vital scientific principles to our own findings, so as to be able to draw our own conclusions, in order to obtain our own findings independently, improve them, and interpret them for whatever reasons we may have. No matter what anyone would be investigating, the skills and methods outlined by the Breathe Oxford team are vital: in everything from methods of data collection, to reliability assessment, to interpretation and use.

Not to mention the actual interesting aspect that was the talk and subject matter themselves.

All in all, this proved a highly stimulating day all round – and many thanks indeed go to Radley’s Head of Science, Mr King, for organising such a successful event.

Alex Dayes F Social, Remove

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FOOTSTEPS CONCERT AT DORCHESTER ABBEY Over 100 Radley musicians entertained a packed Dorchester Abbey with music for orchestra, choirs, concert band, brass and big band, in a concert raising money for the new music therapy programme at the Footsteps Centre.

Jamie Walker (6.1) spoke movingly about his experience in helping to lead the very first music therapy session at Footsteps last summer, before being joined by children from the centre and Will Hamilton-Russell (6.1), Jude

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Dobby (6.1) and Will Redley (6.1), in a special performance directed by one of the children they have been working with. The concert ended with a massed performance of 300 performers including the Radley Chapel Choir, Choristers and Choral Society alongside children from Radley Primary School, Dunmore Primary School, Moulsford Prep School and Caldecott Primary School. Congratulations to all of the performers for an exhilarating

evening of wonderful music. To find out more about the Footsteps Centre, which the Radley Music Department will be supporting over the coming year, please visit www.footstepscentre. com.

Sam Gladstone Precentor

CHINESE STUDIES The Chinese Studies course so far has been a very enjoyable and engaging experience: interesting class lessons and lots of interactive activities have made learning the language as easy and enjoyable as possible. Mr Webster and Ms Zhang have taught us the building blocks of the language very well, thus making more complicated structures and concepts easier to understand and learn.

To learn Chinese, we have used lots of apps which involve games and activities and the writing we do happens in our Chinese workbooks, which have lots of useful notes and documents in the back to help us.

For Ethan, as someone who has had Chinese lessons before, this way of learning is a lot better and Will has found it less complicated and easier than he thought it would be.

The Swire Chinese Language Centre Oxford Launch Event on February 6th 2018 was a huge success and a great night for all. This showcased the progress of the schools in the wider community and the impact that this programme has had in allowing

young children to learn Chinese and to learn about Chinese culture. It was really encouraging to see lots of children from primary schools perform enthusiastically throughout the night.

We think it is especially good that Swire are teaching younger children about Chinese culture, because we think it is a very effective way of breaking stereotypes about different cultures and creating a much more culturally aware and tolerant society.

It will also allow the children to make cross-cultural friendships at a time when international relations will only become more important with the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union; being able to speak Chinese will be a very important skill to have.

We chose to study the course because it was a rare opportunity to learn the basics of the Chinese language (which is so widely spoken in the world), while also being able to understand the Chinese culture and achieve three qualifications at the end of the course. These are the HSK Speaking test, HSK Chinese Proficiency test and a Chinese Cultural Awareness Certificate which tests general

knowledge, politics, etiquette and business-related customs. These are all officially recognised qualifications that we thought would look great on our CVs. The new HSK is an international standardized exam which tests and rates Chinese language proficiency.

It assesses non-native Chinese speakers’ abilities in using the Chinese language in their daily, academic and professional lives. The HSK Speaking Test (HSKK) assesses the test takers’ oral Chinese abilities.

We would highly recommend this 6.1 course to anyone in the oncoming years, whether or not they have much language experience, because it is an opportunity to learn a very different and significant language. Furthermore, with only three lessons a cycle, an hour exam at the end of the course and short preps, it is not very time consuming and very manageable for any 6.1 doing three A levels.

Ethan Russell and Will Goodman E Social, 6.1s

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LINKS WITH GI Radley has fostered social links with surrounding girls’ schools for decades.

In recent years, these links have grown to encompass cultural and academic opportunities.

Of course, without seeing it as the only way in which good schooling happens, a single sex approach underpins our educational philosophy at Radley. Boys thrive away from the distractions of mixed sex classrooms. Lessons and activities are designed around their needs, with dons able to focus on the unique way in which they learn. Radley is a safe space where gender stereotypes can be challenged, and ‘male’ or ‘female’ activities and subjects do not exist. We work hard to create an environment where boys can be themselves, take risks and have fun. They are free to develop at their own pace, in their own way, within a framework of specialised support.

Radleians thrive in this regime and academic results testify to the success of our approach.

We are all too aware, however, that that is not enough. Whilst nurturing the boys on site, we are committed to

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engagement with life beyond the Radley campus. To prepare boys to participate fully in a globalised and rapidly changing world economy, it is important that boys are equipped with the skills to communicate, collaborate and adapt.

Engaging with the opposite gender is one part of that vital preparation for life beyond Radley. We are therefore committed to providing opportunities for boys to engage with a variety of girls, in a variety of social, academic and cultural contexts.

Academically boys are exposed to girls in every year group. A series of Shell ‘Thinking Suppers’ have been introduced with St Helen and St Katharine School, whereby academic departments take it in turns to select a topic; ten enthusiastic boys are invited to discuss and debate an issue over supper with ten girls, before presenting their findings to an adult audience. Recent topics have included Stem Cell Research and Roman Philosophy. The scheme has proved to be competitive and highly enjoyable for all involved. A highlight of the Fifth Form curriculum is the Study Day at Downe House. This year the theme

was ‘Australia’ where The Honourable Alexander Downer AC, an Old Radleian, spoke about the political and economic position of Australia, and the boys attended workshops on issues as diverse as football, Australian Soap Opera and Aboriginal spirituality.

The Sixth Form have a range of stimulating academic events; the Crowson Society (6.1 Academic Society) regularly meets with girls from the Downe House ‘Phoenix Society’ to further their academic interests. Three study days run throughout the 6.1 year with Oxford High School; the days are part of the Curriculum Extension Programme which aims to broaden boys’ education beyond the confines of the syllabus.

Study days offer the students to choose from a wide range of electives including raku, pottery, Chaucer and medieval astronomy, computer programming, world cinema, sports science, advertising and Russian politics.

Radley is lucky to host outside speakers on a weekly basis and nearby girls’ schools are invited to attend, mixing with the boys within the informal atmosphere

IRLS’ SCHOOLS of the Coffee Shop. We have recently welcomed Headington School’s FemSoc to talk about Feminism.

In November 2017, an exceptional event was held at Radley, when all Radley 6.2s together with Year 13 pupils from St Helen and St Katharine, Abingdon and Watford Grammar School for Girls, participated in the ‘Holocaust Study Day’.

Dame Helen Hyde DBE, former Head of Watford Grammar School for Girls, gave an introduction to the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and there were thought-provoking talks on key aspects of the Holocaust from Mr Paul Salmons, from the UCL Centre for Holocaust Education and Professor Tim Cole, University of Bristol. In addition, all 250-plus students present had the opportunity to listen to and talk with Holocaust Survivors.

Academic departments have developed links with girls’ schools and regular events are held with St Helen’s, Oxford High and Headington. The Geography Society held a dinner in Hall followed by a lecture on the role of transnational corporations and the Spanish

Department held a lecture and tapas evening in Abingdon.

The cultural life of the school is vibrant, and we have sought to increase our links with girls’ schools to improve the programme we offer. We have been pleased to welcome girls from a high school in Japan, as part of a 6.1 exchange programme, and the Singapore Chinese Girls’ school who were looked after by Remove boys. It has been wonderful for the boys to get to know girls from around the world.

Girls’ schools have joined in with musical events, including when the Radley College Chamber Choir travelled to Winchester Cathedral to sing the Wednesday evensong, along with Downe House. The Piano Extravaganza 2018 included girls from St Paul’s Girls’ school as part of 101 pianists who took part in the gala evening of multi-piano arrangements by John Madden, all linked with a flying theme to commemorate 100 years of the RAF. Theatre productions have included girls from a variety of schools in productions including ‘Titanic’, the musical and ‘Once in a Lifetime.’

Socially, discos are organised once a week for boys in the Lower School. Boys and girls enjoy a meal in the Theatre Foyer before dancing in the Round Pavilion. We are fortunate to have regular discos with Cheltenham Ladies College, Wycombe Abbey, St Mary’s Calne, St George’s Ascot, St Mary’s Ascot, Tudor Hall, Westonbirt and Malvern St James. In the Sixth Form, many boys are involved in the Caledonian Society, practising the reels in the Michaelmas term, before attending sumptuous balls in the Lent term.

While Saturday night discos remain a fixture of the school calendar, we are committed to exposing boys to girls outside of this setting in order to prepare them appropriately for life outside Radley. Academic and cultural links have enriched the boys experience and we look forward to building on this programme further in the future.

Lydia Gregory Co-ordinator of Girls’ School Activities

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NE Academic  Peter Tatchell Talk, 7th February Peter Tatchell spoke to a large audience of Radleians, pupils from St Helen’s, Abingdon and Desborough College, on the subject of ‘Free Speech’. Mr Tatchell started by laying out his four caveats of instances in which free speech should be limited; however he was adamant that all views, as long as they were not inciting violence, continual harassment or intimidation, should be allowed to be presented to the public.

The fascinating Talk focused especially on the issue of freedom of speech within the universities and the hypocrisies that could be seen in the regulations made by student bodies.

James Duffy, A Social and George EgertonWarburton, G Social 6.1  Rise Art Award, 20th February William Dunhill Turner’s painting of Eagles, inspired from photographs he took off the Cornish coast, was awarded the runner up prize for UK Young Artist of the Year in the Rise Art Awards and Exhibition held in London during February. The panel of judges included the famous artists Gavin Turk, Fiona Banner, Richard Wilson and David Bailey who chose 25 exceptional winners from 16,000 artists’ entries from all around the world.  Yaron Brook,Talk 1st March Dr Yaron Brook delivered a highly-stimulating talk, focusing on the need to treat the opinions of others objectively, in order not to take offence. He argued that everyone has the entitlement to voice their views, as long as they refrain from being unlawful.

During his talk, Dr Yaron Brook cited the example of ‘Holocaust denial’ to support his argument; despite having lost relatives in the Holocaust himself, Dr Brook still believed that people should be allowed to express such views, thereby revealing their own ignorance.

An insightful ‘Question & Answer’ session followed what was a highly dramatic talk.

James Duffy and Hanno Jewell, A Social 6.1s

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 Jeff Wright, Storyteller, 5th March

 Rt Hon Dominic Grieve Visits, 15th June

Jeff Wright, a storyteller from Canada, delivered a talk about the wedding of Thetis and the mortal Peleus. He was very skilled at captivating the audience of Shells and everyone enjoyed his special style of storytelling. He did not pause in his story-telling for over half an hour and was so energetic and lively that he kept us all alert to the shifts in the story. The best parts of the story, in my opinion, came when he was talking about the fog on Mount Olympus and how the squabbling for possession of the apple arose.

Man of the Moment, Dominic Grieve, spoke at Radley on one of the most important issues in domestic British politics perhaps since 1945. Feelings run high on Brexit.

Courtesy and civility have not always marked the debate.

Yet the

Magnus Garson, C Social Shell  Senior Debating Final, 17th March The Final of the Sixth Form InterSocial Debating Competition, between A Social and B Social, took place in March. A large audience of boys and dons filled the Blue Room to hear a fascinating debate on the Motion “This House believes the World is becoming a less tolerant place”. VKB, Director of Drama, kindly judged the Debate and awarded the Prize to the A Social Team proposing the Motion: Tom Foster-Brown, Toby Crawford and Isaac Channon. Best Speaker on the night was Benedict Yorston of B Social.  Free Speech Lecture, 19th March Provocateurs-in-Residence Brendan O’Neill and James Delingpole attended Radley College for a ‘Freedom of Speech’ lecture. While both had conflicting views, they agreed unquestionably on the importance of Free Speech. The large audience of boys and dons rose to the challenge of asking questions which demanded tough answers, on both relevant topics today and on some of the views held by both O’Neill and Delingpole. The wide range of questions, all of which met with an answer, whether provoking or not, made for a very entertaining evening.

George Egerton- Warburton, G Social 6.1

debate in Coffee Shop showed Radleians at their best: questions were tough, disagreements were clearly stated – but the civility and maturity of the boys was impressive.

WS Activities  CCF Trip to Portsmouth, 21st February

The NCOs of the CCF Navy Section travelled to Whale Island in Portsmouth, for a morning of learning about firefighting in a specialist fire school, which

 Piano Extravaganza, 4th March

 English Theatre Trip, 25th April

On Sunday 4th March, 101 pianists gathered in Silk Hall for the 2018 ‘Piano Extravaganza’.

A group of 6.1 and Remove English pupils set off for the Gielgud Theatre in the West End to watch ‘The Ferryman’, written by the man behind Jerusalem, Jez Butterworth and directed

by Sam Mendes, who also directed the Oscarwinning ‘American Beauty.’ The Ferryman won three awards at the prestigious Olivier awards and it was easy to see why. Set in 1981 County Armagh, Butterworth uses a cast of 20, spanning all ages, to show how the IRA bought up peoples’ lives. The set was brilliant and individual performances from Justin Edwards and Rosalie Craig were outstanding. A huge thank should go to the English Department for making this happen.

We were joined by pianists from St Paul’s Girls’ School in a gala evening of multi-piano arrangements by John Madden all linked with a flying theme to commemorate 100 years of the RAF. This was the first time seven Steinway Grands have been played together in the Silk Hall thanks to generous support from Steinway Hall, London.

The performances consisted of works for up to 21 pianists at seven pianos and the pianists ranged from beginners to professionals aged eight to adult and included boys, Dons and their families and members of staff.  World Book Day, 5th March The snowy conditions in March didn’t put a stop to ‘World Book Day’ this year, organised by the Library,.

This saw 140 Radley dons and other staff members put on a College-wide ‘Literary Pairs’ competition.

Each of them wore a badge with a chosen literary character, from a range of classic literature and well-known books and it was up to the boys to work out ‘who was who’ and which two characters belonged together. There were 70 pairs to find, some couples, some siblings, some friends and some enemies.

Extra points were available for anyone who worked out in which book the pair featured, and who wrote the book. Bonus points went to anyone who found the one and only literary quartet, which turned out to be the three musketeers and D’Artagnan.

replicates compartments on board a warship: such as engine rooms, control rooms and galleys.

James Chelton, F Social 6.2

Congratulations to the Winners, who took away a range of prizes including Shop vouchers, books and sweeties.

Hanno Jewell, A Social 6.1  Young Art Oxford, 10th May A number of the Shells created pictures to be considered for the Young Art Oxford exhibition in the Ashmolean Museum. The theme was “Journeys” and two Shells had successful entries, Harry Plumstead and Graeme Wong.

The exhibition is an annual art show open to all Oxfordshire schools and is a wonderful opportunity for young aspiring artists to have their work judged by well-known artists and to exhibit at the prestigious Ashmolean Museum. The money raised from the sale of the pictures goes towards Cancer Research UK. It is an enormously popular show and this year there were around 3,600 entries. Of these, only 500 pictures were selected by a panel of judges and they awarded Graeme a highly recommended prize.

The two boys attended the Private View of the exhibition and enjoyed seeing their work on display in the impressive museum.  Beagles Puppy Show, 17th June Over a hundred people watched the young entry at the Puppy Show, as they were shown

by Frederick Thackray MH. All of the boys’ hard work leading up to the Show paid off, and the day ran smoothly. Widget was awarded the Cup for Best Hound. Afterwards there was a delicious tea thanks to Mrs Thackray (and a number of parents who supplied cakes) and a raffle. In all the Puppy Show was a great success.

William Stubbs MH, C Social Remove

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Cultural  Jackanory, 16th March After a hard day’s work, a group of Radleians gathered together to honour the tradition of Jackanory. We listened to Mr. Mosedale read expertly from A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He transported us into the shoes of Arthur Dent, an ordinary human whose earth, our earth, is flattened to create an intergalactic highway. We laughed along as his story, and the story of his alien friend, unfolded.

Whit Cook, A Social Remove

 Concerto Concert, 19th March An orchestra of 80 (boys side by side with professionals) performed Dvorak’s 9th Symphony (1st movement) which was superbly conducted by guest conductor Graham Ross. The Concerto movements were expertly delivered by a group of 6th form soloists who performed alongside the professional orchestra. An amazing array of music was performed by Joe McDermott (C Social, 6.1), Jasper Perry (F Social, 6.2), Ed Mair (B Social, 6.2), Felix Reynish (K Social, 6.1) and Jamie Walker (K Social, 6.1).  World Poetry Day, 21st March For World Poetry Day we invited a group of budding poets from Abingdon School to join our talented poets including Whit Cook (Remove), Zac Peskin (6.1) and Henry Carson (6.1) to recite and discuss their own poetry.

The quality of everyone’s original material was quite staggering, and we were treated to some very impressive performances indeed. Themes ranged from the Garden of Eden, via time and insanity to love, all treated with remarkable confidence and maturity.  Classics Trip to Sicily, 26th March The Removes Trip to Sicily at Easter was a culturally rich visit. During the third day we visited the ancient Greek city of Heraclea Minoa, with its beautiful situation on cliffs.

Settled by Greeks, King Minos travelled there.

It was also a destination of Hercules’ travels and this influenced the name Heraclea Minoa.

It had a small Greek theatre that had been partially excavated and seated around 400 people. The city was controlled by Greek settlers in the 6th century BC and then by Carthage until the first Punic War. It was later abandoned at the start of the first century AD. Seymour Shaw, F Social Remove

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 Intermission Youth Theatre, 25th April A group of 6.1 boys were given the opportunity to do a workshop alongside Intermission Youth Theatre, a theatre company devoted to transforming young people’s lives.It works to rejuvenate Shakespeare, using street rhetoric, and finds innovative ways to express intricate texts. It was an intimate and fun workshop involving some object-inspired improvisation, taking a box of unseen bits and bobs and riffing off what came to us. Spontaneity flowed through the minute pieces of taxi-calling, French portraiture, and police investigations into birds, to name just three. While being entertaining, the workshop tested our quickthinking performance brains, and formed some naturally crooked creativity.

 Shell Play, 19th June ‘Oh What a Lovely War’ (abridged) is a collection of sketches and scenes depicting events from the First World War. A large cast of Shells took the audience from home to the front line in a tightly paced and energetic production, coupled with colourful flourishes and

Will Redley, K Social 6.1  Ascension Day, 11th May On Thursday 11th May a short Act of Worship for Ascension Day took place at the Memorial Arch at 8:15am. The service included a prayer, music for Ascension from the Chapel Choir and was followed by the Collect for the Festival Day. Ascension Day is when the Church celebrates the return of Christ to heaven having overcome the darkness of death.  ‘The Warden’s Music’, 15th May ‘The Warden’s Music’ provided a snapshot of Radley’s thriving ensemble music. A packed Silk Hall was treated to an amazing variety of music, from Tchaikovsky to George Michael. The orchestra was on brilliant form with two contrasting movements from Copland’s Rodeo, whilst the Clarinet Quartet gave a compelling and spirited performance of Wolgram’s Klezmer Suite. Amongst many other highlights were a reprise of Days of August’s winning song from the Battle of the Bands, a suave jazz waltz from the percussion ensemble and music for Brass, Concert Band, the Radley Clerkes and the Radley Pipers.

The concert closed with the ever-popular Big Band with Mack the Knife. The concert was a wonderful opportunity to say farewell and thank you to our departing 6.2 musicians.

striking projected images of actual events from the period.

The two performances on Tuesday 19th June and Wednesday 20th June were both witty and moving and allowed young actors a great vehicle for bold and varied characterisation.

Sport  Brodie Cup Winners, 11th March

The Radley College Tennis Club won the Brodie Cup at Wellington, beating Oxford in the Final for the second consecutive year. In the course of all the

 Inter-Social Hockey, 22nd March

 RHWM Tournament, 19th May

The Junior competition was a two-day affair with the group stages taking place first and the final two days later. Two pools of five completed a round robin event, with J Social winning one group convincingly and K Social squeezing past E Social in the other. The final was a tight affair ending 2-2 at full time.

K Social were the eventual winners after sudden death penalty shuffles. The Seniors tournament was a straight knockout and due to a shortage of players, C and F combined forces as did A and D. Once again the final was tight and at the last minute some wellworked moves gave H Social the win and they retained the title.

The first VIII won the prestigious RHWM Jackson Trophy for the second year running on the courts of Harrow. Harrow, Wellington and Marlborough teams were all beaten - Radley finishing first by a margin, in the end. This win was consolidated by a third successive win for Secondside. Keen not to be overshadowed, the U14A and U14B VIII both won their respective tournaments in style.

 Warsash Spring Series, 29th April Despite weather and illness putting paid to three race days this year, the crew got some races under their belt eventually. Results were patchy (anything between 2nd-7th place), but considering this was some of the crew’s first Warsash, they came a very creditable 2nd Place overall. A huge thanks to George ‘Yoda’ Barker and the boys for their hard work and to the parents and grandparents for their support - especially the Turners who put up (with) everyone overnight on the last weekend. A real team effort and very much appreciated. Bring on the next one in 2019!  Golf Success, 10th May

rounds played to reach the final this year and in 2017, Radley boys have won 14 of the 15 singles and doubles rubbers in which they have played.

Congratulations to Ned Batstone, Benedict Yorston, Harry Purton and Ed Crowston, who played in the Final.

Radley’s golfers began the Summer Term by attempting to beat Wellington to reach the National Finals of the HMC Independent Schools Foursomes competition. The team of Arthur Tapner (Captain), James Duffy, Freddie Horler, Will Todd, Andrew Liu and Zac Carter (who is still only a Remove), only lost to Wellington, probably the strongest golfing school in the South-East, on the last hole of the very last match, an impressive achievement. Tapner, Horler and Duffy also made it to the National Finals of the ISGA Matchplay competition, played this year at St Mellion, finishing 11th in the team competition. Tapner finished 5th in the individual competition, an impressive achievement against some of the finest young golfers. His absence next year will be keenly felt. Wins in friendlies against St Edwards and Tonbridge in May rounded off a strong year.

Bigside lost a fiercely contested match against the Army 1st VI 13-7 with very pleasing wins for Ed Alder at no. 4 and Ed and brother Alex at no. 2 doubles. Graduating from schoolboy to first-class play is a serious challenge which the lads have met with maturity and purpose.  National Schools’ Regatta, 25th May Radley College Boat Club took a total of 90 boys to race at the National Schools’ Regatta, which sees 5000 competitors race over the three day event at Dorney Lake. Radley raced well across the year groups, with the highlight being the three silver medals won. The medals were won by the 1st VIII, who performed extremely well on the day to secure second place. The 3rd VIII also won silver, and narrowly missed out on gold to Eton College, and the J16 coxless four raced exceptionally well on the Sunday in a huge tussle with Westminster School, ultimately scoring themselves a silver medal. Another notable performance came from our J14A octuple, who raced very well to make the final, and missed out by a matter of feet to Windsor Boys School for the bronze medal.  Real Tennis Success, 12th June Benedict Yorston and Ned Batstone won the National Schools Doubles title, beating Wellington 6/4 2/6 6/1. Harry Purton and Harry Foreman came third, just losing 4/6 to Wellington in the semi-final. Ned Batstone also won the Schools Singles. Ed Crowston and Max Wetton narrowly failed to defend their U16 Schools doubles title, losing 5/8 to Portsmouth GS, though Ed Alder and Jonty Duncan won the U14 event, beating Radleians George AchesonGray and Magnus Garson, with George O’Connor and Toby Marriott close behind. Ed Alder also won the Shell tournament.

Benedict Yorston (Captain and School Champion) and Ned Batstone have also won the GB U19 title 6/4 6/3. They, with Harry Purton, are also ranked in the top 10 U18 Juniors in the world and will compete in the inaugural World Junior tournament in August.

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HANGMEN From the 8th to 9th March, the Radley 6.1 play, ‘Hangmen’, was performed in the Theatre, written by Martin McDonagh, who has been recently acclaimed for his film “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”.

The play is set in the 1950s in the northern English town of Oldham, opening with the hanging of a man by the name of Hennessey, who is accused of the murder and rape of two individuals. Harry Wade (Jess Beardworth) is regarded, although not in his own opinion, as the second-best hangman in the land. Harry runs a pub along with his wife Alice (Ellie Grieve) and teenage daughter Shirley (Izzie Winter).

After the abolition of hanging, which Harry deals with in his own manner, a stranger named Mooney (Louis

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Needham) arrives at the pub causing trouble. Flirting with Shirley, gaining her trust, Mooney plays with Harry and Alice, leading them to believe that he has kidnapped and killed their daughter.

This ultimately leads to Harry hanging Mooney illegally and the play ends with Harry trying to justify the hanging he performed at the start of the play.

This Play could not have been held together without a strong lead and Jess Beardsworth was a real success in the title role – his gruff Northern tones and persona suiting the part superbly.

Although unquestionably a dark storyline, dealing with some complex concepts such as the justification of the death penalty within the old British justice system, the play was exceedingly amusing. Filled with witty one-liners and excellent comic timing by the Cast,

the play was a thorough success; even the occasional prop malfunction, was dealt with expertly by the Cast, in many cases only adding to the humour on stage.

‘Hangmen’ was a classic example of the sophistication and experience of the Radley College Drama Department, making for a highly enjoyable evening.

The Play showed that comedy didn’t have to be light. Miss Buse, Director of Drama, also deserves great credit for directing such an original and thoughtprovoking Play. The Assistant Directors were Edward Elliot and William Rhodes, who also did an excellent job. As did Matt Barker, John Goodall and Lianne Oakley-Rowland, who all played a big part in creating such a technically stunning production.

George Egerton-Warburton G Social, 6.1

BLACKWATCH Acting in a play like ‘Black Watch’ has not only broadened my mind in terms of acting, but it was a play that allowed me to really understand what it’s like being a soldier in one of the most dangerous places in the world. One of the biggest challenges was trying to capture the emotion that these soldiers feel while in Iraq. When the Regiment has been a part of the family for generations and it’s the obvious choice of employment, the terrible turn of events that causes them to leave all of it behind, is potentially catastrophic.

Being directed by 6.1s has meant the play really broke down the age gap and taught me how to work with people who I wouldn’t necessarily be with in other situations. It has been a lot of hard work but being in it, for me, was extremely worthwhile. It has been great fun and I can’t wait for the next one.

Henry Snell B Social, Remove Editor’s Note: This powerful Play, entirely performed by a cast of thirteen Removes, was directed by 6.1s Freddie Armstrong, Will Redley, Will RogersColtman, Geordie Tomson, with the input also of GHSM. RSM Leo Healey advised on drill practice. Indeed one of the most impressive visual aspects of this production was the tight, professionallooking drilling skills of the ensemble.

Staged in the Theatre, ‘Black Watch’ in addition used camouflage netting particularly effectively: creating a sense of confined space, in which the audience could sense the claustrophobic atmosphere of a regimental mess, with all its inevitable tensions.

Harry Snell played ‘Cammy’, Alex Sweetnam was ‘Granty’, Ned Blackburn was ‘Rossco’, Rory Elliott played ‘Stewarty’. Other significant parts were played by Dom Osborne, Jamie Sharp, Ed Betton (as the outside reporter), Ben Wilson, Harvey Glover, Ralph Koudounaris, Finn McCarthy, George Fincham and Finlay Trasler.

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VISIT OF HRH THE His Royal Highness, The Earl of Wessex, visited the Radley College Tennis Club on 3rd May, as part of his year-long tour to promote awareness of, and support for, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The Earl has been involved with the Award for more than 30 years and during 2018 will play all fifty real tennis courts across the world to raise £2 million for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

After opening the McKenna Strength and Conditioning Centre and meeting some Radley DofE candidates, HRH the Earl of Wessex crossed the campus to the altogether more traditional venue of the College’s ten-year-old Real Tennis Court for the main event of the day: three hours of doubles play on the court, with lunch beforehand and a sumptuous tea afterwards.

The first hour’s play consisted of a long set (the winning pair being the first to accumulate eight games) in which the Earl partnered Dominic Stone (J Social, Remove). They took on Ed Crowston (D Social, Fifth) and Jack Sykes (F Social, Fifth) and the match was hard-fought. The result could have gone either way, but, in the end, the two Fifth formers prevailed.

HRH the Earl of Wessex demonstrated his enthusiasm for the game he started to play when

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E EARL OF WESSEX he was a student at Cambridge University more than twenty-five years ago, by playing for two more hours. These were both doubles matches; each with three members of the thriving club at the Radley court. The last of these was against club captain Maggie Henderson-Tew and Council member Robert Warner, which was nip and tuck all the way to the final, and deciding, game. The Earl served for the set, hitting an impressive winner in the grille to take the first point. Momentum was with him and his partner, who took the game and the exciting set which had thoroughly entertained the full dedans (viewing gallery) at the court. Head Professional and former World Champion, Chris Ronaldson, and his Assistant Professional, Saskia Bollerman, marked (as umpiring is known in real tennis) the afternoon’s play.

A splendid and relaxed tea followed, at which the Earl talked to the Warden and to many of the parents of College boys, members of staff and club members present, and said a few words about his court tour. Before the tea finished, the Earl left for a fund-raising dinner at Blenheim Palace, and Mick Dean auctioned the speciallycommissioned commemorative racquet which HRH had used during the afternoon to augment Duke of Edinburgh Award funds raised.

Maggie Henderson-Tew Club Captain RCTC

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VALES Rob King I first saw Rob teach on a visit to Haileybury School. He certainly looked the part in his snappy white coat; his face had a slightly ruddy complexion, suggesting exposure to too many toxic fumes, and his hair looked as if it had had a close shave with a fireball.

Both observations were probably somewhere near the truth, for Rob has never been one to shy away from an edgy demonstration!

The Kings arrived at Radley in 1997. Rob took over the Chemistry Department and Nicky taught Economics, becoming HoD a few years later. Rob quickly established himself as one of the finest Chemistry teachers on the circuit, so it was no surprise when he was made ‘Salters Chemistry Teacher of the Year 2000/1’. His lessons invariably involve practical work or demonstration, often from sources unknown to the rest of us. A feature of his time has been the way that the Department has gelled. The regular meetings have been hugely productive and a lot of fun. Ideas have been shared; there has been discussion over what has gone well or badly; easy cooperation over cover needed; excellent coffee. There has never been any hint of ego or moaning and this is mainly down to Rob’s inclusive leadership.

Simon Hall The words ‘Radley Legend’ are often bandied around, but few dons really deserve the title. SAH is one who really does. Simon and his wife Tracy arrived at Radley in the summer of 1997, after 10 years at Mount House and Lord Wandsworth’s College, and depart after 21 years of unstinting work. Much of it was unglamorous and low profile, but the impact on hundreds of Radleians has been massive.

Modesty, dutifulness and industriousness have perhaps been the key virtues of this consummate school-master. His intellectual credentials and capacity for hard work were obvious from the start as he completed a PhD on the Roman poet Lucan in his first three years at Radley, although much of the time he went on to spend in CL5 was uncomplainingly devoted to more mundane teaching in the Lower School. He was always as happy to drill the basics into lower sets as he was to stretch the very able in the sixth form, and never seemed happier than when communicating his enthusiasm for The Odyssey to a class or recording brilliant audiobook summaries for revision.

But of course Simon, and Tracy, offered much more than this. On his arrival evening duties for external sub tutors were unknown, but Simon was in D Social every Monday night at 7.30 from day one to the end of term 63, equipped with the fruits of Tracy’s oven. Tracy made another big contribution to many Radleians’ welfare through 18 years in the exams office, with many hours spent putting nervous exam candidates at their ease in the IT room. Simon also spent 16 years as assistant to the Director of Studies, again meticulously doing unsung work that kept the academic side of the College moving smoothly, such as hosting hundreds of nervous scholars and shuffling countless GCSE options.

But of course the thing that many Radleians will remember Simon for is his role in games. He took 63 teams in 63 terms, the vast majority of them involving boys of very modest sporting ability, and in all 21 rugby seasons he looked after the very bottom of the pyramid - Midgets 5, then as the school grew Midgets 6 and Midgets 7. Many coaches complain about having to construct a scrum with, say, limited props. For two decades Simon constructed scrums with no recognised rugby players at all, always with the same enthusiasm.

We wish Simon, Tracy and Chloe every happiness in their new life in their beloved Devon. It is a massive understatement to say they will be hugely missed.

IKC

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He is particularly interested in how the subject fits into everyday life, which comes across in the classroom, where the boys he has taught have been truly inspired. He has also been an excellent teacher of sixth-form maths. His organisation of the recent Stemfest Festival for the Removes was exceptional: it was a wonderful day’s science at Radley.

Rob was Tutor of E 2008-12, which were happy and successful years for the Social. He was always available for the boys and they appreciated his straightforward style. He was a mainstay of the cross-country and athletics squads, benefitting the fitness of both the boys and the King pack of German Shepherds. He is a man of talent, playing trombone in a local orchestra and he is a very good artist – he produced an excellent painting of the Chapel as Luke Bartlett’s leaving gift.

When he first arrived, Rob, Eric Sie and I published a resource to cover all aspects of A level Chemistry, which we have used constantly. Rob then became more involved in publishing, writing several textbooks and revision guides. He now moves on to be Subject Leader for Science and Maths, for an online company. It has been a privilege to work with him and we wish him and Nicky a very happy new life in Wiltshire.

HDH

Norman and Beryl Haggett The Haggetts’ relationship with Radley started in 1974 when Beryl came to teach boys for dyslexia and learning problems in Anthony Hudson’s house in F Social. She continued to teach as a peripatetic, in Hamish Aird’s house, until nearly the turn of the century. More recently, she became known as a maths teacher, but her outstanding study skills work was central to the development of the school in the 80s and 90s especially. She spotted their weakness and treated it with real understanding of the individual. Some of her ‘clients’ would only need two or three sessions, but others could be with her for a year or more.

She took great pride in Jamie Olsen who was with her all five years and gained entry to Oxford! Beryl also gave a huge amount of help to the children of dons, over many years. Seeing her in action with our own children was an education in just how patient, and endlessly encouraging, a teacher can be.

Norman arrived in 1996 as he came in on a voluntary basis to coach cricket, but shortly after that, he started in the first classroom. In fact, his early lessons were in the History Department, but it didn’t take long for him to move to maths, where they stayed ever since.

It is impossible to over-state just how much help the pair of them gave to so many boys, either through their teaching of the bottom sets, or through oneto-one sessions in Central Hour. Garry Wiseman writes: “Although technically they were part time, they were always available for the boys, putting in many hours beyond their contracts. The fact that they had previously worked at Cothill Prep School provided an invaluable link between what the boys were doing at Radley and what they had done before.”

Several ORs have contacted me to offer their insight into the Haggett lessons.

One says of Norman: “He was always a massive Frank Sinatra fan. In class, when one of us came up with the right answer, usually by pure chance, and hadn’t followed the conventional method, he would frequently break into a rendition of ‘My Way’!” Boys hated to be moved up a set, if this involved not being taught by one of them.

But of course, for Norman and Beryl, it was far more than just about what goes on in the classroom - they took a huge interest in everything that went on at The College.

Partly this was driven by their love of sport (especially), music, drama and art, but mainly because they loved to support and empower the boys by encouraging them in all their activities, especially if they were finding it tough going in the classroom.

As they came from outside the school, boys felt more at ease and able to unburden themselves of any problems.

They watched virtually every 1st XV or 1st XI match, often travelling on the coach for many hours. They hardly missed a concert throughout their time.

Chris Lee Chris Lee has been (literally) a towering presence at Radley for ten years. He joined the Maths Department from Latymer and, before that, Harrow. As every Radleian knows, Chris is a hard man not to notice: a mighty 6’ 7” tall.

To augment his physical size, he has a strident Burnley accent. He is thus a commanding presence both in the classroom and on the river.

Chris’s passions revolved around two things: rowing and his beloved Clarets (Burnley FC). He was a hugely talented oarsman in his own right, competed regularly during his London years and coached many Radley boats.

After marrying Rachel shortly after starting at Radley, then starting a family, he may have turned to the “soft Southern pursuits” of golf and skiing, but he pursued both with a ruthless

They finally retired from teaching when Norman was 91. It was with great sadness that we heard the news of his death on 22nd February 2018; he was a hero in every way and they were a most wonderful couple.

The phrase “we shall not see their like again” can be over-used; but in this case, it is entirely correct.

HDH

determination to excel - which was reflected in the inspirational way in which he taught his maths.

In 2013, he was seconded to Desborough, to be Head of Sixth Form, and clearly made a notable difference to the work ethic and A level results.

Chris was made Tutor of K in 2015, and has brought the principles he believes in to the boys in his care.

As a sub-tutor in K, I can only attest that he has been an absolutely first-rate person to work with, and I, along with the boys in K, will miss him sorely.

He goes on to be Head of Maths at Shiplake.

We wish him, Rachel, Harry and Charlotte all the very best in what I am sure will be a hugely successful step in his career.

PM

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Ed Tolputt

There is something of Henry VIII about EJT. Not the penchant for real tennis, rather the idea of a Renaissance prince.

How do you adequately summarise the contribution of someone who has run Declamations, chaired the Spens Trophy, been a head of Physics, coached 7th XI football, helped with tennis and rugby, directed a play in a river, played the bassoon in gold lamé at cultural evenings, organised a Winter ball, appeared in dons’ plays, sketches and game shows - all in inimitable style?

In an attempt to sum Ed up, I was reminded of an email SRM sent his son (a teacher at Marlborough). Steve, with typical pithiness, summarised Ed thus: 1. The funniest public speaker I have known.

2. Well-liked.

James Ambrose

Trish Henderson

When, in 2011, the French Department advertised for a new teacher, we were looking for a big gun and, in James Ambrose, we got a Howitzer.

His impeccable academic credentials included a first class degree from Exeter College, Oxford, as well as an M.St. in European Literature and a D.Phil in French. He had lectured at Grenoble, Oklahoma and Queen Mary Universities as well as at Trinity, Merton and Keble Colleges at Oxford.

Trish joined Radley from the Garden International School in Kuala Lumpur and swiftly made her mark in the MFL department. She has taught French and Spanish expertly throughout the School and has made a huge contribution to the success of both departments in recent years. Boys have greatly enjoyed her teaching and her results speak for themselves.

Although Radley was his first experience in secondary education, he soon found his feet in the classroom and established highly productive collaborations with Caroline de Bono and Emilie Danis at A level and managed a full set of A*s with his first IGCSE cohort. It is a testament to James’ development as a classroom practitioner that he can take the high-flying Oxbridge boys through undergraduatetype supervisions in APT and also drop down through the departmental gearbox and successfully steer boys of lower calibre through the rudiments of grammar. James is tolerant of trace elements of mischief, cheek and banter but his authority is clear and the boys know where the boundaries lie. James treats the boys as mature learners without stripping away the fun elements required for enjoyable teaching at this level.

She knew instinctively how to motivate Radley boys and never shied away from challenging their slightly dated views when appropriate or necessary. Watching her patiently explain to a Lower Sixth group that the ‘Guía de la buena esposa’ wasn’t a modern day guide to a happy marriage was a perfect example of her ability to select the right material and gently lead the boys to more enlightened or reasoned opinions.

She is a dedicated languages teacher and her advice and expertise, as well as her examining experience, have been invaluable. It is no surprise that she has been appointed as Head of Spanish at Shrewsbury and we wish her all the best in her new role.

There is so much more to say about James’ contributions to the Hudson Society, to badminton and tennis, to form-mastering and UCAS. Néanmoins, having already exceeded my allocated word limit, we must wish James, Jenny, Elsa and Robin an exciting and happy new life at Abingdon School and thank James for being such a good friend and colleague, as well as the intellectual backbone of the Department, for the past seven years.

3. Fiercely intelligent.

4. Involved across the board in school life.

5. Slightly dishevelled.

She has also been fully involved outside the classroom running the Polo Club, taking exchange visits to Madrid with JMAS, helping with UCAS, DofE expeditions and recently taking over the Navy section of the CCF: not to mention her help in J Social and as a Remove and Vth form-master.

Ed is a fantastic example of the victory of substance of style, message over medium. As a friend, a colleague and a schoolmaster he is warm, engaging and inspirational in equal measure. A measure of his ability to inspire is the fact that both Physics teachers appointed under Ed’s leadership will become heads of department next year.

Trish has been a huge addition to Radley in many areas. She has been a supportive colleague and a valued friend to many in different spheres at Radley and we will miss her patience, good humour and friendship hugely.

Ed wears his talents so lightly that you never feel intimidated. He and Sophie have been remarkable friends and offered support to so many people.

We lose Ed as a colleague but will be thankful for all he has taught the boys and us and will demand that Ed, Sophie and Jim come back to visit frequently and remain a part of this place.

SHD

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SHD

SB

Alex Rhodes

Jeremy Dodd

Reuben Adams

ARR (‘The Pirate’) has been a larger-thanlife presence at Radley for four years.

A Renaissance Man, equally at home with books or bikes, Alex is a universitylevel literary expert, an excellent mathematician and someone capable of cycling 1,200 miles to Tuscany, to visit GW.

Jeremy’s contribution to Radley life over the past four years splits tidily into three: teaching, sportscoaching and pastoral. Jeremy has been the consummate triple-threat - a 360-degree Radley schoolmaster. As threats go, however, Jeremy isn’t very threatening: he is gentle, generous, conscientious, supportive, positive, wise, considered, considerate and honest. And he is very good at his job.

I first met Reuben in 2014. He had completed a degree in Mathematics at Oxford, and started a research degree at the Technical University of Munich. My immediate impression of Reuben was that he was clever.

He had a great breadth of interests, and he loved Maths. It seemed obvious that we should offer him two terms at Radley as a graduate assistant.

Tom Ryder describes Jeremy as “the most outstanding, loyal, efficient and reliable residential Sub-Tutor over the past three years in A Social.” And Rachel too. She got to know the boys (she learned all their names prior to moving in), and she earnt their respect and appreciation: not only for her legendary Friday evening baking, but for her cheerful and welcoming character.

Jeremy was a three-term Midge 4 specialist from the start, coaching rugby, hockey and athletics. Whistle-wise, Jeremy’s strength of tone improved over the years (“he was a little reticent at first” reveals one colleague), and he became known for the catchphrases “Use the width” and “Stay on the strong side”.

So which ‘Rhodesy’ will we remember?

The one in the ‘Easy Rider’ shades, strolling around the grounds, unhurried, even with his accompanying spaniel on the loose? Or the one with a quart of cognac in hand, clad in a surprisingly natty tweed jacket? So many sides; such an impact.

In the English Department alone, in addition to being an inspirational teacher, Alex ran the Oxbridge programme, ran the Shakespeare Society (‘ShakeSoc’), and organised, introduced and delivered some amazing Monro Lectures.

It wasn’t just Maths where Reuben stood out.

Anyone who attended Reuben’s lunchtime concert in June will have realised that he is a talented pianist. Those who have played chess with him will know that he is also rather good at that.

In the classroom, however, Jeremy wasn’t one to stay on the strong side: despite his first-rate subject knowledge, he developed a reputation for helping the weaker students. He was patient, calm, and kind, and had a gift for building boys’ confidence.

It is wonderful that Jeremy is off to become Head of Physics at Cheltenham College. He will be superb: he is organized and shrewd, and will be liked by those he leads. Radley’s loss is Cheltenham’s gain. Jeremy - we wish you all the best.

But Alex was also a massive presence in Common Room, whether dining-in, or sitting cross-legged on the fender in Short Break. He was a popular sub-tutor in first F, then E Social – always the last to leave Wednesday gatherings and Leavers’ Dinners. He pulled his weight on the River too: spending long Saturdays at regattas. Alex was also one of the most in-demand dons on the Social Prayers circuit, where his dead-pan, slowpaced delivery was a trademark. Boys’ faces would light up when he arrived, guaranteed an entertaining talk.

You can talk to him about anything (except sport and politics) and without any boasting or arrogance, it will soon be clear that he knows much more than you. When I last asked, he was teaching himself German.

As with all the best people, Reuben combines talent with humility. That said, sport is not a strength. Reuben had to buy a tracksuit when he agreed to work with Simon Hall on bottom Midgets Hockey and Rugby. But, what fun that has been, although, certainly as far as Reuben is concerned, the rules (or laws) remain a bit of a mystery. In Reuben’s three years he has brought much to the Department. He is a popular teacher. His Exam results are excellent. We really didn’t want him to go. He leaves us to study for MSc in Applied Mathematics at the Technical University of Delft. His departure is a great loss to Radley.

Alex leaves Radley to pursue an exciting writing project on a libretto for a cantata on the Anglo-Saxon epic, ‘The Battle of Maldon’ – one of his major research passions. Who knows, he may even be back in a top boarding school at some stage.

Either way, ARR will be hugely missed.

AC

Later that year we had a full-time Maths vacancy. Reuben taught the best interview lesson I had ever seen. He didn’t just teach the Maths on the syllabus. He looked at the topic in a non-standard way, and brought a new dimension to a routine piece of calculus.

He clearly knew his stuff and was able to communicate and enthuse.

EJT

GW

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David Quinn

David joined Radley after organ scholarships at Southwell Minster and St Peter’s College, Oxford. He made an immediate impression, from his dapper dress sense to his particular brand of dark Northern humour. Indeed, one of his lasting legacies in the Music Department will be a large stock of Yorkshire teabags.

David is held in the highest esteem and affection by colleagues and boys alike. Indeed, on the recent tour to Prague the boys organised a special present for David to thank him. This reflects, particularly, David’s generosity with his time. He is often to be found in the Music Department or Chapel at unusual hours, helping boys with theory, accompaniment or offering last-minute choreography advice to the Radley Clerkes. As well as being a first-rate organist (often rivalling TMM in exciting last-verse reharmonisations of hymns to inspire the rousing ‘Radley sound’ in Chapel), David has played a key role in the development of the choristership scheme. To watch his rehearsals is to watch a masterclass in what is possible with high expectations and expertise in vocal coaching. David brings these same qualities to his reflective, thoughtful teaching, whether at Shell or 6.2 level.

Lucy Hamerton

Language Assistants

Lucy Hamerton started at Radley in April 2014, working in Mansion as a Common Room secretary. It was only some time later that she made the jump to PHM of F Social. In Mansion, her powers of organisation and administration were much appreciated by many – particularly by RMCG, for whom she took on the Herculean task of sorting out sixth form JCR chits! Leaving coach bookings, billing, filing and other tasks behind, she made the short hop across Mansion Quad in October 2015, succeeding the outgoing PHM, Carol Duncan, after Leave Away of the Michaelmas Term. This was an exceptionally tricky time for anyone to join a Social, but even with no prior experience, she overcame the typical weariness of the boys instantly.

The new Modern Languages A levels expect students to have a greater knowledge and understanding of current affairs, culture and history of the 20th Century from the specific regions. Wellinformed and dynamic MFL assistants couldn’t be more crucial.

She has thrown her heart and soul into the job; the boys were left in no doubt that she cared deeply for them and their well-being, always welcome in her kitchen for a cup of tea, bacon sandwich, or just a chat. Her warmth, kindness, professionalism and ability to communicate with teenage boys was second to none (having two strapping sons herself was the best training she could have had). As well as being an outstanding PHM, she was a ferocious baker. I shall miss the gorgeous smells of chocolate brownies and birthday cake which frequently waft down the stairs into my study, as shall the boys.

All three have been delightful to work with, as they are reliable and willing to go the extra mile. We are very lucky to have had such wonderful assistants helping us make the education of Radleians fun, relevant and valuable.

They are leaving us to pursue very exciting studies at university. We wish them all the best!

Sorely missed by me, the F Social team and “her boys”, she departs F Social to, we hope, take up another role in a local school which better suits her wish to live a more “normal” existence in Abingdon! We wish her well for the future.

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GCP Design Assistants Lydia and Justin Montan will leave having made a hugely influential mark, both on the boys, teachers and on the Design Department. They have lived and breathed for as many hours as humanly possible in the workshop and classrooms, winning over students and staff with their superb ability to teach the Design process both on paper, on screen and in the workshop.

Both came with a wealth of impressive industrial experience after both graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design (S.C.A.D.) in Industrial Design. Lydia having worked as a Studio Assistant at Morgan Fine Art, and Justin having been designing products for the Husqvarna Design Group among others.

Students have found inspiration from their unflinching passion for Design and their phenomenal work ethic. The new Hacker & Maker Space upstairs in Design (opening soon) is just one area they have been responsible for. They independently instigated many other things including a program of highly informative, goodhumoured Demonstrations on Thursday nights for students. We will all miss them immensely.

Whilst at Radley, David has also undertaken teaching training with the Voices Foundation and the University of Buckingham, whilst also teaching at Headington Prep School, directing his choir Polyhymnia, and performing around the country as conductor and organist.

He goes on to be Organist and Music Teacher at Bradfield College, a richlydeserved promotion. He will be much missed here and Bradfield are fortunate indeed.

SJG

Pauline, Thomas and Cristina have been outstanding at bringing France and Spain to our students. There are numerous examples of the brilliant impact they have had. For instance, Pauline worked tirelessly to help the French Department produce beautiful new resources; Thomas’ enthusiasm was always contagious, which is why boys loved coming to his speaking sessions and Cristina’s friendly disposition contributed to an unforgettable theatre trip, which the boys thoroughly enjoyed.

WOCM CASJ