issue thirteen TRINITY TERM 2014
SherborneNews TRIPS
DofE
SPORT
DRAMA
Comment It is essential that we maintain close contact with the world of work and education beyond Sherborne.
BY PHILIP ROGERSON DIRECTOR OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND CAREERS When a boy enters Sherborne in the Third Form, he is already preparing to take advantage of opportunities available when he leaves. The Careers Department is at the heart of the pastoral life of the school: our strength comes from our close liaison with subject teachers, Housemasters and Tutors; for our focus is on encouraging each boy to find his passion, to aim high and to prepare an application with the maximum level of individual support. We deal with individuals, not quotas. We are a large and well-established department, which has had national prominence in Higher Education advice for the last 30 years. A vital part of our work is keeping abreast of rapid changes within the university sector and of alternative progression routes beyond school, such as the new KPMG School Leaver Programme: a Shirburnian in the first cohort was earning a very healthy salary as soon as he left school, and after 6 years he will have a Durham degree, be a qualified accountant and have a job with the company. We are committed to an evidence-based approach: boys are urged to look beyond unreliable league tables and unquestioning brand-name prejudice. We have to set the example: all members of the department regularly visit universities and attend conferences; my campus visits throughout the UK and abroad convince me that we constantly need to update, as both Falmouth and Inverness, for instance, have secured full university status since my visits a few years ago.
www.sherborne.org
As an unusually well-resourced department, whose members include both full-time careers staff and teaching staff, we offer both a structured programme and a drop-in facility. We conduct our own interviews; we build up a relationship with individual boys rather than import
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Some take company-sponsored degrees or niche degrees at prominent institutions: such as Hospitality Management at Les Roches, Switzerland or Product Design at Loughborough. Others undertake Art Foundation courses before embarking on an Art or Design degree course. It is essential that we maintain close contact with the world of work and education beyond Sherborne. Our two major annual events are the Careers Convention and Higher Education Forum, which offer Lower Sixth Form boys and their parents an opportunity to speak with a wide range of delegates, many of whom are Old Shirburnians. Every year our OS Surveys of those who left three and seven years before also give a vital perspective from current and recent undergraduates. Choosing a university course is like writing an A Level essay: if you conduct careful research and refer closely to the evidence in reaching unprejudiced conclusions, you will achieve a good result. As a department, we are actively involved in academic research on university entry, in training practitioners in other schools and in “outreach” work. Paradoxically, increased awareness leads us to adopt a more cautious approach. Statements like “university x is good for subject y” lead us to ask for the evidence and its date, so that we can give our pupils and their parents the very best advice. But a conscientious A Level student should be doing that anyway.
Sixth Form Financial City Trip floors and had a tour of the Lloyds of Ten members of the Sixth Form visited London building. various City-based companies to discover more about what each organisation does One of the companies visited and the career paths that they offer. The commented, ‘We very much enjoyed boys visited IG Group, Payden Rygel, their visit; the boys were well prepared Smith & Williamson and Willis Group and had some excellent questions.’ Holdings, where they met Directors and The boys also stated that they had really young graduates who explained their enjoyed the day and had found each own routes into the financial world. This sector interesting and informative. allowed them an insight into many sectors, from trading and insurance BY ADRIAN BALLARD companies to fund and wealth HEAD OF FOUNDATION management. The boys also experienced life SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL FOR 15 YEARS on the trading
SHERBORNE FOUNDATION
Careers Trip to Switzerland Tom Wilson (U6c) and Jamie Renwick (L6g), together with five pupils from other schools, were given the amazing opportunity to visit two of the three top hospitality management schools in the world, Glion and Les Roches, in Switzerland. The management schools are set within stunning locations, but what impressed us most was the outstanding number and quality of the courses on offer, together with the future exciting job prospects for graduates. The boys were given the opportunity to see how to make and serve a flambé dessert, which they found fascinating. We also met up with two old Shirburnians, Bernard Fok (d 13) and Marko Vlahovich (f 12), who were both on courses and were keen to explain to the boys what fantastic opportunities there are. The trip had certainly shown the boys what different options are available.
BY JULIA SLADE MODERN LANGUAGES TEACHER
Chemistry trip to Bristol University
external companies. We adopt a meticulous approach to UCAS Personal Statement support and reference writing, which is a key element in our boys’ entering high calibre university departments. Most boys opt for independent research-led study at Russell Group universities (Shirburnians have entered all 24 in recent years) and other universities prominent in their field: for example, Engineering at Bath, International Relations at St Andrews, Environmental Sciences at East Anglia, Real Estate at Reading, Medicine at St George’s.
Half of the Third Form headed to Bristol University to one of the leading Chemistry Laboratories in the UK. Dressed in lab coats, plastic gloves and protective glasses, they spent the morning experimenting and trying to make different types of plastic, with a lot of success, much to the amazement of the boys. In the afternoon they had a lecture on chemical archaeology from a PhD student and then a demonstration lecture on the atmosphere with liquid nitrogen, exploding hydrogen balloons and the formation of oxygen snakes.
BY CHRIS HAMON CHEMISTRY
Classics Trip to Pompeii
Twenty-two Fourth Formers visited the Bay of Naples, as part of the annual Junior School Classics trip. The sun shone throughout and the boys enjoyed visiting many of the popular classical tourist sites, including Mount Vesuvius' steaming crater, a boat trip along the Amalfi coast, the vast Doric temples of Paestum, the National Archaeological Museum in Naples and the eerie streets of Herculaneum. The highlight of the trip was, as ever, a tour of the infamous Roman town of Pompeii, in which we spent seven interesting hours exploring the remains. The whole trip was extremely valuable and enjoyable for all.
BY STEPHEN HEATH HEAD OF CLASSICS
David Dein was Vice-Chairman of Arsenal Football club in 1992, when five clubs (Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton) decided to form the Premier League. He spoke to the Sixth Form about the economics of the Premier League, its extraordinary success and the controversies, for example, goal line technology, ground safety and players’ salaries. He was very well received and spoke with the conviction of a successful businessman and the warmth and humour of a great teacher.
BY TIM DAWSON HEAD OF SCHOLARSHIP
Tennis Tour to Portugal
A group of eleven boys travelled to the world renowned Vale do Lobo Tennis Club, for training. Each day began with a technical skills session, followed by afternoon sessions aimed at tuning match skills. An extremely popular event was the ‘Exhibition’, with boys chosen from Sherborne and Tonbridge School to partner the coaches. Congratulations to Billy Lambeth (5c) on winning his match deciding tie break. Over the five days, matches were played against coaches as well as other schools and by the end there was a notable improvement in individual skills and performance, which I am sure will transfer to the matches ahead.
BY JEREMY PRIDDLE LEAD TENNIS COACH
Exchange Trip to Germany For the third year running, Sherborne pupils studying German took part in an exchange with the Gymnasium Steglitz in Berlin. Pupils stayed with the families of their exchange partners and spent the days either in school or on cultural excursions. Although the primary aim of such a trip is linguistic, we are delighted that once again real friendships developed between the two schools. The boys are eagerly awaiting the return visit in June.
BY JUDY THURMAN HEAD OF MODERN LANGUAGES
Ten Tors Challenge At the beginning of this term we had the final training weekend for our two Ten Tors teams the CCF team and the Lyon House team. Unfortunately Dartmoor threw at them some horrendous weather, with high winds and stinging rain, which tested their ability to navigate, work together as a team and to look after themselves in the cold conditions. It was a tough time but their team spirit helped them through, and they certainly learnt a lot over the two days. For the final event later in the term, the weather proved even more of a challenge, with gale force winds and horizontal rain, broken tent poles, one team member pulled waist deep from a bog, and 2,300 participants - of which 20% had to be evacuated off the Moor. Both our CCF and Lyon house teams finished the 36-hour, 35-mile event, fully laden, over the uncompromising Dartmoor terrain, with determination, team work, enthusiasm and even time to spare! BY NICHOLAS SCORER MASTER IN CHARGE OF TEN TORS
Duke of Edinburgh Canoeing Expedition Twelve boys headed off for a three day DofE canoeing expedition to Poole Harbour, however the weather had other ideas for us. The combination of Spring tides and strong winds meant an exhausting day for the boys on day one. They overcame this with typical Sherborne spirit and the remainder of the trip was completed under more reasonable conditions, which allowed the boys to obtain training on campcraft and efficient paddling of an open canoe. BY NEIL BRADSHAW MASTER IN CHARGE OF CANOEING
The Dorset Cadet Challenge The Dorset Cadet Challenge is an annual competition for all cadet organisations in Dorset such as the CCF, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps. The event consists of a boot run, an obstacle course and shoot. The Sherborne team won not only the CCF trophy but also the overall Dorset Cadet Challenge trophy as well. The boys have trained hard for weeks and should be congratulated on their achievement. They completed a series of challenging fitness sessions in the build-up and spent time on the range practicing
their shooting. On the day, the boys showed a great determination to give everything they had and displayed fantastic team spirit to encourage each other. The team consisted of Hugo Potts (Captain) (U6e), Ben Newton (U6d), Ruari Ross (L6b), Tom James (L6b), Ed Scott (L6c), Charlie Upton (L6a), Noah Chillingworth (5m) and Angus Huntington (5e). BY ROB LE POIDEVIN CONTINGENT COMMANDER COMBINED CADET FORCE
Duke of Edinburgh Walking Expeditions
MEETING THE EARL OF WESSEX Hugo Potts (U6e) was invited to support the Lord Lieutenant in hosting The Earl and Countess of Wessex. Each county has a Lord Lieutenant who serves as the Queen’s representative and they each have a Cadet. Hugo fought off fierce competition to be awarded this honour. BY ROB LE POIDEVIN CONTINGENT COMMANDER COMBINED CADET FORCE
Both our silver and bronze DofE teams have been out on weekend training expeditions, with our Bronze team of forty boys getting ready for their qualifying expedition later this term. Our three Silver DofE teams spent a weekend trekking in the Brecon Beacons along Fan Hir Ridge to Fan Brycheiniog (802m), Fan Foel and over Bannau Sir Gaer, before
descending to camp by the Red Kite Feeding Station on the Saturday night. They completed their expedition by the Usk Reservoir on the Sunday and are now ready for their Exmoor Qualifying expedition in August. BY LAURIE PHIPPARD MASTER IN CHARGE OF DofE
The Drama School was officially opened on Friday 16th May by Hugh Bonneville (d 81). Thanks to the support of our generous donors, the refurbishment has not only provided a spacious costume store and spaces for both individual practice and classroom work, but also a striking studio space, equipped with state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment. On the day of the opening, the boys showcased some of their recent work, and visitors were impressed to see how the department is able to make full use of its fit-for-purpose home in order to hone the boys’ talents.
BY ADRIAN BALLARD HEAD OF FOUNDATION
Drama School Opening Korean War Lecture
Lyon House trip
Brigadier Brian Parritt talked to a group of 70 historians about the Korean War. Having fought and been wounded in the war as a young gunner and then gone on in his military career to become Director of the Intelligence Corps, he was perfectly qualified to give both the worm's eye view and the wide-angle (surveillance) camera shot of the conflict. Using a range of excellent photos he lifted the lid with great clarity on what is often described as the Forgotten War. A number of boys were invited to supper with the Brigadier afterwards where a lively discussion ensued. BY GILES REYNOLDS - HISTORY AND POLITICS
The Higher Education Forum in April gave the L6 boys and their parents, the opportunity to hear more about university applications and post-18 career options. Shane Collins, Head of Admissions and Student Recruitment within the last year, at both Durham and Dundee University, spoke about the UCAS application procedure and what to include in the Personal Statement to make it stand out. Philip Rogerson, Head of HE and Careers, reiterated the importance of adopting an evidence-based approach and not relying on “brand-name loyalty”. Following a short question and answer session, L6 boys and their parents attended the HE Fair where they spoke to Old Shirburnians currently studying at university, to university Admissions Tutors, and to members of the academic and careers staff. One delegate commented: “I really enjoyed the evening and the boys are a real credit to the school.” BY KIM DUNNING - MANAGER OF H.E. AND CAREERS
THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP As part of the parent lecture programme, parents attended a lecture on ‘The Importance of Sleep’ given by Evelyn Stewart, Paediatric Sleep Practitioner. Evelyn delivered a passionate lecture on the subject. The underlying message was that young people need to value both sleep and a sleep routine, in addition to knowing that a good quality of sleep will enable them to face each day properly equipped to learn, to cope, to grow and develop. The lecture was followed by a Q&A session and lunch for parents.The next lecture is on Saturday 7 June at 12noon on the topic of ‘Talking to children about alcohol’. Space is limited so please book your seat by emailing Cathie Graham on cgraham@sherborne.org BY SUE SALMON - ASSISTANT HEAD PASTORAL
Junior Drama Production - The Birds
This year’s Junior Play was a topical adaptation of one of Aristophanes’ best comedies, “The Birds”. The show’s two leads, Fred Downham (3a) and Oscar Fearnley-Derome (4e), the comic human duo in the middle of the avian chaos, provided the backbone to the piece and carried the audience down Aristophanes’ highlyamusing path towards the finale. Other memorable performances were given by Max Baldwin (4b) as the Dodo, Archie Buxton (3a) as Procne, Max Lyde (4d) as Hawk, Alex Warren (4g) as Zeus and Jake Jackson (3a) as Hercules. The audience loved the ensemble scenes, in which all the boys worked together in their feathery finery to produce an exciting spectacle, as well as the individual moments of comedy when young actors got to show off their abilities. Ben Dickins (4c) showed a great sense of comic timing, performing both an Investment Banker and the Goddess Iris, with a deadpan certainty. This was a challenging and funny play, which certainly entertained the audience.
BY IAN READE HEAD OF DRAMA
Abbeylands House Concert
Hugh Bonneville delivers inspirational Q&A
SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL FOR 15 YEARS
Vivat Shirburnia - Sherborne School and the Great War, 1914 – 1918
SHERBORNE FOUNDATION
The boys performed a wide range of music to parents and tutors, with music from genres such as classical, rock, vocals, jazz and traditional. The concert started off with a performance of Colman’s Tijuana Taxi, by the newly formed house band which consisted of boys of all abilities and ages. Towards the end of the concert all the boys left their seats and lined up on the stage to sing the well-known ‘The Hippopotamus’, with great gusto and enthusiasm, resulting in a much appreciated standing ovation from the audience. BY HARRY CLOUGH (L6f)
LOOKING FORWARD... • 6 June – 13:30-14:00 – Lunchtime concert: Chamber Music (Cheap Street Church) • 7 June – 12:00-13:30 – Parent lecture, Talking to Children about alcohol. Limited places; book via email to Cathie Graham cgraham@sherborne.org
Registered Charity No. 1081228
• 20 June – 17:00-18:00 – Chopin piano recital (Cheap Street Church) A fully illustrated history of Sherborne School and the Great War of 1914 – 1918, written by Patrick Francis, former Head of History, and illustrated by David Ridgway, Head of Biology, the book pays tribute to the more than 220 Old Shirburnians who fell in the conflict and also to those who served and survived, whilst looking as well at the impact of the war on the School. Copies are now available from the School Reception, enquiries@sherborne.org , priced at £30 (plus p&p), all proceeds to the Sherborne Foundation. BY PATRICK FRANCIS HISTORY
• 22 June – The Patrick Shelley Music Competition (Tindall Recital Hall) • 22 June – 10:00-15:00 - Parent and Sons clay pigeon shooting competition (Contact Nick Henderson to book a place) nhenderson@sherborne.org • 23 June – Chalke Valley History Festival begins • 26 June – 19:30-21:00 – Leavers Concert • 27 June – 14.15-18:00 – Golf, Parents v boys • 27 June – 15:00-17:00 – Music for a Summer’s afternoon (Music School & Garden) • 27 June – 19:30-21:30 – Gala Concert • 28 June – 10:30 – Commemoration Service (Abbey) • 28 June – 11:30-12:00 – Swing Band (The Courts) • 28 June – 12:00 – Commemoration Speeches and Prize giving (The Courts) • 28 June – Term Ends • 28 June – 19:00 – Leavers Ball
SHERBORNE SCHOOL ABBEY ROAD SHERBORNE DORSET DT9 3AP T: 01935 812249 E: enquiries@sherborne.org www.sherborne.org Photographs: Alex Dunham, Kenny Primrose, Laurie Phippard, Adrian Ballard, Jeremy Priddle, Judy Therman, Stephen Heath, Sophie Harris, Neil Bradshaw, Rob LePoidevin, David Guy, Chris Hammon, Ben Sunderland, Louise Litchfield and Others
Sport
BY DAVID GUY DIRECTOR OF SPORT
round up
ALTHOUGH THE WEATHER HAS CAUSED UNAVOIDABLE CANCELLATIONS, IT HAS NOT DAMPENED THE SPIRIT OF THE BOYS. ALL AGE GROUPS, ACROSS THE SPORTS HAVE CONTINUED TO HONE THEIR SKILLS, SO THAT WHEN WE HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITIES TO DISPLAY OUR SPORTING PROWESS THE SCHOOL HAS SUCCEEDED. I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE OF THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THE SECOND HALF OF TERM. TENNIS With wins against Milton Abbey and Blundell’s it was a great start to the season. Congratulations to our 3rd team with the match of the season so far and a 9-0 win against Canford. RUGBY
SAILING: While the unpredictable weather upsets most other sports, for sailing it only enhances the sport and the boys have been able to get out onto the trapeze and sail with exhilarating speed. The conditions have certainly been challenging, but it has given the boys some very exciting races. Our boys have performed excellently and even those with less experience have shown some great skills, which have led to us winning five of our seven races so far this term.
CRICKET: The 1st XI have started the season well, gaining a victory in the annual fixture against Sherborne Town, whilst beating rivals Marlborough by 8 wickets on the first Saturday. The team, led by Somerset CCC player Ollie Sale (U6m), had notable performances from Will Cochrane-Dyet (L6b), who has posted two half centuries, and Ollie Calcott (U6e) gained another one. The Junior and Mini Colts have had an outstanding season so far and both teams remain unbeaten, there were noteworthy performances by Dominic Prest (3d), who scored 108 not out in the Mini Colts A, and Ben Heber (4f) took 5 for 17 for the Junior Colts A. The U18's are into the second round of the National competition, whilst the U17's have progressed to the third round.
There have been some key individual achievements this term: Will Homer (U6m) played for the England U18 team and won against France. Fergus Hamilton (5c) was chosen to play for South West England at the U16 festival against France. Xandy Dembinski (4c) was chosen by the Bath Academy to play in the National U15 Festival, in which he received an award for being their top try scorer. GOLF Our golfers put what they had practised to good use and had a convincing win over a strong Milton Abbey team.
POLO This term the boys have already had two matches, and still have the 4 Chukka League Semi Finals to come. The match against Stowe was closely fought throughout, leaving the score at three all after the third chukka. The boys played hard and fast throughout the final chukka and were unlucky to narrowly lose out after a last minute goal by Stowe, but did not stop contending until the final whistle, leading to a very exciting, well-played match. STOP PRESS… Following two qualifying events, we are delighted to announce that Ben Childerley (3f) has been selected to train with the RYA Laser 4.7 UK Junior Team. This is an outstanding achievement, made even more so by that fact that Ben only started sailing Lasers four months ago.
Music
round up
Battle of the Bands The best bands of Sherborne, The Gryphon, Bryanston and Milton Abbey descended on the BSR for a night of fierce musical competition in a ‘Battle of the Bands’ – a first for Sherborne. Students and staff from all four schools, as well as Sherborne Girls, Leweston and St. Mary’s Shaftesbury, convened to make up an audience of over 400.
We were delighted to give the opening concert of the 2014 Sherborne Abbey Festival. A rousing performance by the Scholars' Brass Ensemble set the tone for the concert and, as curtain-raisers go, this recital was one of the very best. The Chamber Choir also performed at the Festival and staged a Close Harmony concert in the Abbey. Some superb newly commissioned arrangements were also surrounded by some excellent performances from all of the boys. The Swing Band performed their Festival concert in the Tindall Recital Hall, which was packed to capacity and even spilled over into the music school garden. Many members of the audience commented upon the outstanding performance of the band in this particular concert, for which they received a standing ovation.
The night was opened by DJ Ricardo (James Richards, L6a) whose twenty minute set drew in the crowds and prepared the way for the first band. Sherborne’s three bands, Vivat Rex, Unlisted Journey and In Limbo all performed brilliantly. They certainly used the home crowd advantage, but were up against some serious competition: all three bands from The Gryphon were excellent, as were each of the bands representing Bryanston and Milton Abbey. Three external judges were invited to the evening, and after much deliberation they gave the cup to The Lonely Hearts Club from The Gryphon. Spurred on by the competition our bands are champing at the bit for another competition and a chance to win back the trophy next year.
Swing Band in Chelsea Despite the eventful journey, which included the breakdown of the coach en route, the Swing Band reached their concert destination at St Luke’s, Chelsea, with great enthusiasm. They unloaded their instruments with lightning speed and set up during a slightly elongated interval after the excellent performances given by Sherborne Girls. The boys’ determination and commitment shone through, and they performed outstandingly, with some 'golden oldie' numbers included. Vocalists Adam Soanes (U6m) and Robert Folkes (U6a) sang with clarity and spirit in a packed church; the contrast between the sacred and secular music of the madrigals and the jazz was marked, but was very much enjoyed by all concert goers. BY JAMES HENDERSON DIRECTOR OF MUSIC