House Reports

Clifton

The 2015/16 season was a good one for Clifton house, with success on the sports fields as well as in the academic arena. We said goodbye to Miss Lambert, who goes to France to teach there, and Mr Wallace who after over twenty years of service to Clifton steps back to a solely DT role. We also said hello to both Mrs Pearson from the English department and Mr Battersby from the Economics department who re-joins the school after eleven years’ absence.

Many Cliftonites held positions of authority this year. Sam Lodge was head of house as well as vice-captain of cricket with Tom Spearman as captain. Will Quinn represented the first teams in rugby, cricket, sevens and hockey, picking up an award in hockey. Steven Jones was captain of tennis, an unprecedented achievement for a lower sixth-former and now passes on the baton to Freddie Heijbroek, also of Clifton house.

The year started with the commencement of the St Peter’s Challenge, an inter-house competition taking the format of University Challenge. Having lost key members to the side in recent years it was up to new lower sixth-formers Sophie Wilson and Gideon Wakelin to bolster the side captained by Sam Elliot. The team reached the semi-final before losing to eventual winners, Queen’s, but special mention must go to Jess Webster, Ed Turvill, Steven Jones and Ollie Hughes for stepping into the team when required. Next up for the Clifton quiz team was the science pub quiz and as reigning champions expectations were high. The team, led by Olivia Watts and Gideon Wakelin, stood up to those expectations and came out winners again, on to next year …

Next for the house was the inter-house singing competition. With no lack of enthusiasm from front man Andy Hulmes the house’s rendition of Chelsea Dagger was always going to be an entertaining one, if not very tuneful. With only the top three houses being named in the presentation, we like to think we gained a very credible fourth out of ten houses. This was then followed by the Clifton house chapel, also run by Andy Hulmes and with three of

the house’s favourite hymns it was aptly named the Clifton Festival of Music. Special mention must also go to Rosie Stephens who opened the chapel with a brilliant performance on the flute.

On a sporting front Clifton impressed yet again. However, despite having eight first-XI players, including the captain, vice-captain and young player of the season Chris Wood, the juniors were unable to make this tell in the house cricket competition, going out in the first round. Nonetheless there is no need to dwell on this as there were many other successes for the house. In cross-country the senior boys came second and the junior boys first, an outstanding achievement for all who ran, especially David Lyon and Tom Spearman. The senior boys also came second in the inter-house sevens, losing in a tight final to the favourites, School. There was more success in inter-house football where we came out victors and also in the senior boys’ inter-house hockey where Clifton again claimed the top spot. This year the girls trumped the boys through some very impressive performances, with both junior and senior girls winning house cross-country. Special mentions must go to Hebe Turvill, Maddie Hunter and Eva Carlyle for finishing in the top ten. The juniors also came out on top in netball, but narrowly missed out on second place in the final of the rounders competition. Due to sports day being cancelled, the third and fourth form took to the track later in the term with fighting spirit, securing a wonderful overall victory. The senior girls encountered some tough opposition this year, narrowly losing against School house in the final of the inter-house hockey. A special mention must be made to Mia Morris who stepped in as goalie to expertly save Hannah Lawrence’s killer hits. The seniors also achieved a respectable third place in netball and went down fighting to gain second place in the rounders final. Overall, significant strength in depth, outstanding team-spirit and a drive and determination to do one’s best were consistently on display.

All in all, 2015/16 was a great year for all Cliftonites. The friendly environment around the house continued and pupils from all years integrated. Final thanks go to Mr Snelling, Ms Pearson and all the other tutors for their hard work throughout the year and we look forward to whatever 2016/17 holds.

Amelia Bell and Sam Elliot, UVI

Dronfield

It’s been a good year in Dronfield. Although the trophy cabinet may be a little empty, the house has been more than full of the team-spirit and passion that is essential in representing the house in competition and on a day-to-day basis. Togetherness is a very important ingredient in the life of a boarding house, and there has been plenty of it across the house this year. The main part of these house notes have been written by the girls in Dronfield. These are their words, with contributions from Zoe, Liv, Holly, Tiffany and Charlotte.

Our upper sixth have been a great year-group. Min illustrated a Korean children’s book and has been our resident Masterchef, baking 18th birthday cakes for everyone. Olivia has been our mathematics genius and has never said a bad word about anyone. Issy ran the Beverley 10k with Pippa, and raised a bit for charity. We’re really proud of both – Head Girl (Issy) and Deputy Head Girl (Pippa). Alice has given us all great advice and support, and Tobi has been fiercely loyal to the house and the girls in it. Both did us proud in the final of the inter-house debating. Eleanor (captain of boats) has made Dronfield the liveliest place to be, and Clare was an absolute boss in house rounders, and has provided the glue that helps us all stick together. Dasha has offered the quiet word of support to others, and gave some language support to a Russian pupil at Clifton. When not on holiday Yan has enjoyed sharing her food on snapchat. Zoe has brought the strength and spirit to house events, and an energy and positivity in her role as head of house. Her glass is very much half full. Pippa and Zoe – best heads of house. The lower sixth have enjoyed a fantastic year. Emily, Anna, Yana, Naomi, Lily and Sunny joined us – and added so much to the house. We enjoyed getting stuck in to the inter-house events throughout the year. Nicole represented the school at swimming, and Edith directed her first school play, Eclipse. Abi added strength to our senior debating team and Emma added to the quality of the Barbieshop group this year. Vivian has given her time and energy to a number of volunteering opportunities, and Lily has taken on the challenge of the gold DofE. Sunny has combined her volunteering with York Schools Science Quiz and Physics Olympiad. Emily has tried lots of new things, and played tennis for the first time, and Yana has immersed herself in the creative side of St Peter’s with her art and singing. Liv has brought an energy and enthusiasm to the house sports competitions, also representing the school teams. Anna has been trying new sports and life drawing classes, and

Naomi has shown herself to also be an accomplished illustrator of dragons. Congratulations to Emma Nelson on her appointment as Deputy Head Girl and to Anna Muirhead as the head of house for 2016/17.

Whilst it has been an important year for the fifth form, with a focus on GCSEs, there is clearly a lighter side to life at this age. Whilst Lauren has been leaping out of wardrobes to scare Katy, Holly has been trying to convince her that yellow is green. Grace enjoyed the Dronfield post-GCSE BBQ, and Vita enjoyed the post-house dinner not-so-secret Santa. Ella’s Wagas birthday also deserves a mention. In amongst all the fun and games a quiet Saturday night in Dronfield was a favourite for Annabel. All have represented the school or house in various competitions this year, and individually have found challenges through the DofE scheme, creative arts and a variety of other extra-curricular activities. Sophie, Holly, Vita and Grace welcomed those who will be joining the lower sixth next academic year on the 16+ induction morning.

Margo and Man Yi were welcomed to the fourth form at the start of the year. Shania achieved a distinction in her singing exam, and gave outstanding performances in The Tempest and Eclipse. Farah and Laura performed in the middle school play, The Odyssey. Bethany has played tennis for the school, and Tiffany was placed second for her age category in the Albert Moore Drawing Competition. Our third form have enjoyed a busy year of junior house sport, with Oenone, Carly and Charlotte also making the senior house hockey team. In addition, all three represented the school at hockey and netball, and made it to the North of England stage in both sports. They have brought plenty of enthusiasm and good humour to the house, as well as demonstrating a real commitment across their academic, sporting and creative activities. We say farewell to our lovely upper sixth and wish them every happiness as they move on from St Peter’s School. They take with them the good name of the school and Dronfield. We feel very proud that the Head Girl and Deputy Head Girl have both been Dronfield girls this year, and congratulate Issy and Pippa on their year. We also thank Pippa and Zoe for all their good work leading the house.

We give particular thanks and good wishes to Mrs Bollands as she moves on to new and exciting things in her retirement. As tutor to the upper sixth in Dronfield for the past seven years she has always had a thoughtful and supportive word for all in her care.

Dronfield has been a very happy house this year, and this has been due in no small to the incidental kind words and deeds from those who are a part of the house. The right word spoken at the right time can make all the difference.

Mr Jon Whitehouse & the members of the house

Hope

It has been a good year in Hope. House competitions have offered great opportunities for everyone to work together as a team. However, and more importantly, friendships have flourished and formed the foundations of the various successes around the house, led by Rosalind Tait and Jordon Wilkinson, who helped to organise house team and events as well as serving the house to the best of their ability.

This year, whether it was rugby, hockey, tennis, netball or any other event, there has been no doubt that the house produced some of the greatest competitors, both on and off the field. It was therefore no surprise that we had another fantastic year of memories in and around the house. We may not have won all the events, but we always showed spirit, dedication and determination.

The Christmas and Easter terms were notable for the sheer number of activities going on; senior pupils were kept busy with the debating and St Peter’s Challenge competitions. Sadly we did not win either of them, but there were great efforts from those involved. We’re still waiting for a cold winter, but at least this meant the sports fixtures went ahead as planned. There was a large turnout for the inter-house crosscountry competition, with many members of the house finishing in the top rankings in both the boys’ and girls’ categories. This year’s house chapel, led by our heads of house, with contributions from other members of the house, poignantly talked about nonconformity and the effects of it, raising some interesting issues from both inside and outside the school environment. One of our main triumphs this year has to be winning the interhouse singing competition, with everyone dancing along to Cee Lo Green’s Forget You. It was fantastically choreographed by Rosalind and we do have to say a big thank-you to Simmo and Ed for their solo performances. The winning streak extended to the girls’ house swimming for the fourth year in a row with Lucy Garnett leading the team to victory, Kat Bonner smashing Lucy’s record in the 50m backstroke and the team winning most of the events. The junior boys continued by coming first in the house hockey and cricket, and a close second in the rugby: well played lads! The junior girls also won the rounders event and came a close second in house netball – very well done to them! All other events were vigorously and enthusiastically played with everyone showing what it means to be at the heart of Hope: determination. Although we did not win other events we will always come back fighting, becoming stronger as we do, and never giving up!

Be it music, drama or art, Hopefuls have always achieved highly in these areas, with various members showcasing their considerable talents in a variety of concerts, competitions and productions during the year. In DT and Art, Ilana goes on to study Fine Art at Edinburgh University, with Jordon studying Architecture at Sheffield Hallam, and other members of the house taking art and design grace us with their creative ability. In due course perhaps some of the art produced by Hopefuls can be showcased in the house, so that we can all see how outstanding their talents are.

Our achievements as a house are mirrored by our even more impressive academic record. Not only have the upper sixth secured places at some of the top universities, but many also gained school prizes for their academic achievements, and prizes were also won in the middle school, across the full range of subjects. This academic excellence stems from the hard-working nature of all within the house: each person inspires the next to be the best they can possibly be. This is what shapes us as Hopefuls.

Congratulations must go to Livi Whitehouse and Ed Bottomley for taking on the roles of heads of house for the coming year – we wish them the greatest of luck, and have every confidence that they will make an excellent team. In addition we wish all the best to the Golden Age of Captains bestowed on Hope this year; Joe Simpson (rugby), Ted Patmore (cricket), Ed Bottomley (football), Jack Coulthard (rowing), Phoebe Phillips (netball) and Rowan Tait (tennis). Good luck to you all and have a fantastic year!

We must extend continued and heartfelt thanks to the tutor team who are always so generous with their time and support of the house and without whom the house would not run as smoothly. We welcomed Miss Jones into the house this year, taking the third form under her wing, which she did brilliantly. And we also gave a big warm welcome back to Mr Shread who took on the upper sixth.

We were all sad to say goodbye to Hope, where we had so many happy memories. We have grown into a tightly knit group as the years have gone by, making many friends for life. On behalf of the upper sixth I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone who made our five years in Hope the best they could ever be!

Jordon Wilkinson, UVI

Linton

Very early on at the start of September four new boys joined the house: Yeelok Chan, Freddy Dorling, Ethan Leigh-Howarth and Nick New, a couple of weeks later Ben Hobbs also joined the boys – completing the third form dormitory. Also four new boys – Niall Collinson, Matt Ramalingam, Sean Shao and Jerry Tam – joined the lower sixth and we also welcomed Charlie Rae who joined us from Clifton house. As usual the settling-in process did not take too long and by the first exeat everybody was familiar with the routines and the expectations.

In August 2016 the fifth, lower and upper sixth received their results from their formal examinations. Special mention must go to the upper sixth: a staggering 19 A-levels were awarded at an A*/A grade – with only ten boys in the year the feat was particularly impressive. As I am writing this report it is currently examination season, and every boy in the house is either sitting external or internal examinations. There is a real sense of purpose amongst all the year groups, the public examination season now lasts for the majority of the summer term and I have been very impressed with not only the way in which the boys have settled down to their revision, but also in the support they have given each other during what could be a very tense time.

The first inter-house sports event of the term was the cross country. The Linton boys are always the first house to arrive at the start of the race. They are a formidable bunch as, on mass, they make their way from St Peter’s Grove to the start on the colts’ pitches. They view the race as a team effort and work hard to secure a string of high places, encouraging each other as they race along the Ings. Will Newitt’s absence was noticeable! George Pindar ran an impressive race and he comfortably secured first place in his final house cross country event: he set a very quick pace from the start and overall the senior boys came third. In the junior race Ben Hobbs must be congratulated for coming third – we are hopeful that he will keep the Linton cross country flame burning throughout the next four years! Ben also must be congratulated on making it to the York and District team.

House water polo, yet again, was a fantastic event. The Linton team used both their skill and their brains to outperform all the opposition – the YouTube footage put together by Sean was brilliant and will serve as a lasting memory of the event! The upper sixth in particular were thrilled to win the event in their last year at school. The third and fourth form had a particularly pleasing run in the house cricket and a special mention must go to James Alvarez for his batting. As the full sports day was cancelled because of wet weather, the third and fourth form competed in an athletics afternoon in late June. The boys did exceptionally well, with notable performances from Ben Hobbs (first in the 1500m), Henry Campbell (second in the 200m), Elliot Millman (third in the shot put), and Ethan Leigh-Howarth (third in the 800m). Overall the team achieved a very creditable third place. Special mention must also go to Alex Greenwood who was the losing finalist in the inter-house squash competition. House rugby saw all the boys play well in harsh conditions, and the seniors secured a great win against Hope, but unfortunately neither team progressed to the play-offs.

Also during the Christmas term the St Peter’s Challenge took place, with four boys from the fifth and sixth forms. In every round we were fantastic and Chris Bower’s recall of unusual facts was outstanding. His general knowledge – clearly derived from reading

The Times newspaper every day since third form – was exceptional! We breezed through to the final but unfortunately the team captain from Queen’s knew even more random facts than we did! My thanks go to the following boys who put themselves forward to be in the team: Chris Bower, Josh Ramalingam, Alastair Stent, Isaac Faithfull, Rory Winterburn and Spencer Ingall.

The house debating competition took place in the Easter term and thank you to Niall and Joe who expertly organised the teams and ensured that the speeches were written and delivered. Niall, Chris, Freddy and Ben attended the inaugural school debating dinner. Freddy must be congratulated on receiving the prize for the most promising junior debater – well done!

Just before October half-term the inter-house singing competition took place. Love Story by Taylor Swift was chosen by the upper sixth. We were not placed in the top three by the judges, and it is fair to say that we were awful, but at least the audience found it very amusing! Luckily this was not a true reflection of our musical talent. George Pindar and Tom Collinson are highly regarded members of both the Chamber Choir and Barbershop. Tom also entertained the school at the Cabaret Concert at the end of term: his solo performance of The way you look tonight was incredible. He was joined by Josh who performed beautifully on the guitar. George won the senior music festival singing Sleep by Gurney and in the same competition Josh came first in the classical guitar section and Sam came first on the drums with Radio Active by Imagine Dragons. Nick New in the third form is the first pupil in the recent history of the school to learn the bagpipes. Luckily he doesn’t practise in the House!

Many members of the house have also been fully involved in a number of drama productions this year. George Ingall and Matthew Ramalingam were in The Crucible; Joe Raper and Elliot Millman took part in the Shakespeare Festival and the National Connection theatre production. Both boys were also in the middle school play The Odyssey. Joe played the lead role of Odysseus and Elliot designed the lighting and set. All the boys performed brilliantly and they must be congratulated on the commitment they show to their drama: the hours they put into rehearsing is immense. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the British Boarding Association Nick New, under the guidance of Jerry Tam, entered a bake-off competition held at St Olave’s School. His lemon tart was so good that he was awarded first place and progressed to the final held at Eton College. In the final Nick was against eight other bakers from all over the country; his triple layer sponge was awarded a very creditable silver place.

I know this is just a snapshot of a year in the life of Linton house. I hope it has given you a glimpse of the many things the boys are involved in during the year. As I read through the reports at the end of term it is apparent just how busy all the boys are. It was a pleasure to see the following boys receive prizes at Commemoration on the last day of term: Sam Raper, Joe Raper, Josh Ramalingam, George Pindar and Nick New. I would like to thank all the boys for giving freely of their time and for always stepping in to represent the house. We always field lots of teams for the many events and competitions during the year, and I am very grateful.

I would like to wish our leavers all the best as they depart and move onto the next stage of their lives. I sincerely hope that they look back at their five years in Linton with fond memories – I, for certain, will miss them. Many thanks to Sam Raper who has led the house this year with both integrity and commitment; his help has been invaluable. Jonathan Jaworski takes over the reins from Sam as he becomes head of house in September 2016. Congratulations also to Charlie Rae who has been selected to be a monitor – we wish him well in this role.

Finally I would like, on behalf of the boys, to sincerely thank all the ladies who ensure that the house remains clean and tidy. Dawn, Georgina, Tracey and especially Matron work continually hard – at times under extremely demanding conditions – to keep the rooms orderly! Also I would like to thank Mr Smith for his help and support during the last three years and wish him well in his new role as a tutor in Clifton house. We welcome Mr Paterson as the new resident tutor from September 2016 and look forward to Mr Battersby joining the house as the new non-resident assistant.

Mrs Justine Williams

Queen’s

As another year passes we wave goodbye to our upper sixth and welcome in our new third and lower sixth form members to the house. This year the house was ably led by Ellie Dobson and Ed Kettleborough, who helped to organise house teams and events and lead the Queen’s pupil body.

Ably led by Ed ’The Knowledge’ Kettleborough, the house excelled at inter-house debating and the St Peter’s Challenge, winning both the senior and junior debating competitions, and the senior challenge event. It has been great to see so many pupils competing in this area, and hopefully this success will inspire future cohorts to take up the daunting challenge of flaunting their knowledge in public.

There was a large turnout for the house cross-country competition, with Queen’s winning the senior boys’ competition and coming third in the junior girls’ category. The house singing competition was once again a triumph of enthusiasm, although placing remains elusive. Many students also took part in school productions this year, and house tutors have done an excellent job in helping their tutees balance their workloads. Towards the end of the Easter term the house dined in at school with much merriment.

The summer began with the unfortunate cancellation of sports day because the weather conditions made the grass track unsafe. However, the event was run for junior pupils later in the term resulting in an excellent afternoon of sport, culminating in the girls’ team securing the inter-house athletics cup for the first time in the history of the house. Activities continued despite the obvious emphasis on, and absence caused by, exam season, with enthusiastic participation in house tennis, rounders and cricket competitions.

And so we come to the end of another year of activity, and look forward with anticipation to what next year will bring under the new heads of house, Ellie Graham and Helen Ford.

Mrs Cath Hempsall

School

At the time of writing this report for The Peterite, every year group is in the throes of either internal or external exams. It serves as a reminder that whilst the end-goal is very much focused on academia, a year in the life of School house pupils tells us that their experience here will always be of so much more than just academic success. This end-of-year report highlights the key headlines but can no way cover the huge array of personal success stories in all walks of life that our pupils have experienced this year, yet I will try and convey as much of the 2015-2016 year as I can.

One of the early competitions bringing School house pupils together is the much-loved cross-country race, where praise must go to all who competed but special mention must be made of Alice Greswold, who won the senior girls’ competition and Maddy Bennison, who won the junior girls’ class. The Christmas term also included plenty of opportunity to develop different skills and a big ‘well done’ went to Rose Gabbertas, Lily Martin, Alice Jackson and Cassie Bythell who enjoyed mulled wine and mince pies as they won the Christmas literary quiz. Tom Hatfield, Sam Beighton and Jamie Dunsmore reached the semi-finals of junior debating whilst our ‘squad rotation policy’ for the senior St Peter’s Challenge competition allowed plenty of pupils to show off their general knowledge skills as Hannah Lawrence, Alice Greswold, Charlie Corner, Matt Ubhi, James Mahon, Izzy Cotter, Rose Gabbertas and George O’Neill ensured we reached the semi-finals. The house singing competition was led by Maddy Palmer, with Finlay Dawson, Ed Brook and Jess House accompanying. Delivering Baby by Justin Bieber, we demonstrated a range of singing, actions and rapping to finish in third place, the first time we have made the top three in recent times.

A very special day was reserved for a windy Wednesday in December. Firstly in inter-house hockey the girls breezed through their group stages. Captained by Hannah and inspired by fellow midfielder Alice, we defeated Dronfield (1-0), Hope (4-0) and The Grove (2-0). The final was a tight affair but a wonderful slaloming dribble and neat finish by Hannah Lawrence proved to be the inspiration as we retained the trophy in a 2-1 victory and became house hockey champions 2015! On the same afternoon, the junior boys started strongly in house sevens. Captained by Zak Darbandi, strong forward play enabled the attacking trio of Jamie Dunsmore, Tom Hatfield and Sam Beighton to cut loose with some outstanding tries. This momentum was maintained all the way to the final where Will Guyer’s breakaway try led us to become junior house rugby champions 2015. On the senior pitches, our formidable squad came through the group stages unscathed before a hard-earned semi-final

win set up a final against Clifton. Despite conceding the opening try, scores from Sam Hudson, David Bird and a length of the pitch solo run by Tom Robinson capped an outstanding performance and deserved victory. On a quite incredible afternoon of sport, we also became senior house rugby champions 2015.

The Easter term saw more sporting success as our quartet of Alice Jackson, Jess House, Hannah Lawrence and Alice Greswold defeated The Rise in the final to become inter-house badminton champions 2016 and just a few days later Lucy Lawrence, Izzy Cotter, Hannah and Alice swept aside all before them to retain the house squash trophy– this was a rather good start to the term on the sporting front!

The senior debaters also got off to a strong start as fifth-former James Mahon joined sixth-formers Alice Jackson and Lily Martin, eventually bowing out to finalists Dronfield, whilst opposing ‘This House would return cultural treasures to their place of origin.’ Meanwhile, no fewer than 16 School house pupils volunteered to take part in the annual Science Society ‘pub quiz’. As the weather (finally) started to improve, we enjoyed more fun out on the sports pitches. In the house netball tournament, the junior girls played with great spirit but didn’t make the final stages. The senior girls, without any first VII players, displayed excellent teamwork and ability to go all the way to the final against The Grove, where we led at half-time before finally succumbing to their pressure and slick passing, finishing runners up, 6-4. Over the final weekend of the Easter term, we had twenty boys representing School house in junior hockey, senior hockey and senior football. Alas the afternoon did not produce any more trophies, but pupils enjoyed these inter-house competitions that were played out with excellent spirit and endeavour. There were also some very impressive results in house swimming with Amelia Blackburn, Maddy Bennison and Ellie Spencer recording some excellent victories in particular.

The summer term brought us that little bit closer to exams, but before then we added the house tennis cup to our trophy cabinet with superb performances by pairs Alice and Maddy, Amelia and Izzy, Anabel and Ellie. The senior girls finished third in house rounders whilst the junior girls went one better to finish second in their tournament. On junior sports day, both the boys and girls finished in second place, and credit should go to every pupil who competed, with deserved accolades to the following who won their events: Jamie Dunsmore (100m), Sam Beighton (200m), Tom Robins (high jump) and Maddy Bennison (1500m).

In our final house assembly of term I paid tribute to our wonderful team of staff in the house, from the cleaners who look after us all so well to our excellent tutor team who guide the pupils throughout the year. I also paid special tribute to Tom and Maddy who have been outstanding heads of house this year and I publicly thank them for all of their hard work. This has been a vintage year for School house and we say goodbye to a very strong upper sixth, but such is our strength in depth that we look forward to more success next year. Roll on September!

Mr Ben White

Temple

When writing the annual house report I always try and link events in the small community of Temple with events going on in the big outside world. In both these contexts and for obvious reasons the words Leave and Remain come to mind. As we approach the end of the year thoughts turn to saying goodbye to those who are going to leave us and handing over responsibilities to those who will remain in the house. Our best wishes therefore go to Will Andrews and Julia Crowther who will take over the heads of house reins from Rohan Choudhury and Beth Bradley, who have done such a good job this year, ably assisted by their upper sixth team. Highlights of their

year include as usual the house singing competition where Temple’s rendition of The Vamps’ Somebody to You just missed out on the top spot, expertly orchestrated by Steph Frankland and charismatically conducted by Peter Gray. We have so much musical talent in the house but particular mention should be made of Lily Kirkby who won the overall junior music festival award on the harp and Steph Frankland who has been successful in gaining a place at the Royal College of Music in London. The one morning which will stick in everyone’s mind though was Temple House chapel which started serenely with Concetta Scrimshaw playing beautifully on the piano and finished with the whole of the school clapping along to the singing and guitar playing of Temple’s very own Ed Sheeran-in-themaking (minus the ginger hair), Jack McCartney. With a name like that it was almost inevitable which direction he would take in life.

On the sports field we have once again had a number of second places, notably in the junior inter-house cricket, inter-house football and inter-house water polo competitions. Concetta Scrimshaw and Jack Mayfield also finished as runners-up in the inter-house cross country races. Sophie-Rose Haslam, Martha Horner and Amber Rose in the fifth form all had the opportunity to row for the county this year and Sophie went on to be part of the quad which raced at the Henley women’s regatta and was the first ever J16 squad to finish in the top eight at this event. These things are all very impressive and should be celebrated but what I appreciate the most are the contributions made by pupils who make up the numbers in events which perhaps don’t play to their strengths or take place on a cold, wet and windy day or at a time when they are particularly busy. There have been several examples of this during the year and it does not go unnoticed.

As the debate raged as to whether we should leave or remain in the EU, the strong tradition of debating continued in Temple this year, although we were unable to defend our crowns in both junior and senior events, despite reaching the semi-final stage. The junior St Peter’s Challenge team also reached the semi-finals and it was good to see some third-form girls involved in what has in the past tended to be an all-male team. The girls still have some work to do on the science front as our inter-house science quiz team were once again the ‘nearly men’, finishing second for the second successive year.

I think I can say that this year has been a year with very little drama in the house which is always a good thing for me in particular. However, it has been good to see plenty of Temple pupils involved in drama outside the house, either through their GCSE drama studies or through the school play The Crucible and more recently the middle school play The Odyssey. We are all looking forward with anticipation to the production of Grease next year which should help to brighten the dark days of November when the Christmas holidays still seem a long way away.

As well as some leavers we also had some joiners this year when we welcomed Mr Rohlfing and Miss Crawley into the house to tutor the fifth and fourth formers respectively. It is nice to have some youthful enthusiasm in the house (no disrespect to my other tutors intended) and I am very lucky that my whole team of tutors will remain in Temple next year. We finish the year with uncertainty about what the decision to leave the EU holds for us and we don’t know what next year will bring to the house and those of us who remain in it. Two things I can be sure of, however, are the support of my wonderful team and the daily rewards which working so closely with young people brings.

Mrs Jenny Houghton

The Grove

There is something neatly rhythmical to the school year and the comings and goings of various events and seasons can seem to pass with mechanical predictability. The outside observer, seeing the hamster-in-a-wheel nature of the cycle of the life of a day house might remark that the job of being in charge might be formulaic, even boring. However, such a spectator would miss out on the differences between years brought about by the individuals in each generation of pupils. The place is never the same twice and even the most predictable of events is rendered totally unique in the hands of a fresh cohort of Grovites. By their participation in day to day life and the activities that bring them together, every pupil has a chance to put their own stamp on house life and, while it is easy, even convenient, to focus on the successes and the spangly cups, it is those little moments of uniqueness which make a particular school year memorable.

We began the year by welcoming 18 new faces to the house and helping them to find their feet and grow used to our routines. Quickly they seemed to be settled into the busyness of the place and, before long, we faced the challenge of the house cross-country where the talents of the fleet of foot were on show, alongside those who ran more slowly but tried just as hard. The house singing event, which concluded the first half of the Christmas term, is now a very special institution. Our rendition of Walk the Moon’s Shut up and dance with me was great fun to both rehearse and perform. We may have been snubbed by the judges (again) but we all had a chance to recognise that few events bring the house together like a singsong and that there are endless smiles and laughs as the performance takes shape and the younger pupils are gradually cajoled into singing loud rather than worrying about being heard! The event was the first chance for the house leadership to take charge too and, in Millie Grant and George Doyle, we have enjoyed gentle and stylish stewardship of the house all year. Of all the thanks I have to offer, I am perhaps indebted to them the most.

The Grove has been a cultural capital again with many of our number taking on important roles in the various dramatic productions across the year. Perhaps among the most notable was Marcus Thomson’s interpretation of John Proctor in The Crucible. Marcus battled to know his lines and to find the necessary confidence for such a pivotal part among more seasoned performers but eventually he delivered an authentic and convincing performance of a challenging role. In the junior ranks, Grove drama would appear to be in good health with a large number of our third- and fourth-form pupils enjoying key roles (on and off the stage) in the middle school production of The Odyssey. I often remark to the assembled house that evenings spent watching such productions are remarkably uplifting and this could never have been truer than this year. We had cause to celebrate our retention (again) of the junior St Peter’s Challenge title with our team, ably led by Daniel Hicks, convincingly ‘out-quizzing’ School house in the final. This is genuinely a squad event and, aside from the four fast fingers on the buzzers in the final, there were a number of other players whose knowledge and enthusiasm put us there. Our house also seems richly stocked with able musicians and concerts across the year have seen Grovites playing and singing with great success. To highlight a few would seem invidious but, in Millie Grant, Xanthe Cook and Lucy Galloway, we say goodbye to mainstays of school choral and instrumental groups of various shapes and sizes. Well done girls and thank you!

Inter-house sports events are keenly awaited and contested by those in red. Grovites’ collective willingness to fill the team lists is a measure of the enthusiasm to play but I think there is a broadlyheld sense that house sport is principally about involvement and enjoyment rather than results and trophies. That said, a little silverware is nice and this year saw us celebrate wins in the boys’ tennis event (where our fifth form players in the shape of Robbie Greenall and Seth Williams battled to an extremely tight win). In the senior girls’ netball the result in the final was more convincing despite trailing to School house midway through the match before a Millie Grant-led charge brought us home. The senior girls’ rounders produced another win which displayed the competitive and team spirit abundant among our girls. The final against our nearest neighbours simply couldn’t have been tighter and, despite rounders’ equivalent of extra time and ‘golden goals’, the teams were still inseparable and eventually some kind of countback (which I’m not sure I fully understood) gave us the trophy. Our upper-sixth boys have been great sportsmen too with well-earned reputations for excellence on the pitch (Ollie Fryer was captain of hockey, George Metcalfe played first XV rugby), on the courts (Oli Harvey has been captain of squash), in the saddle (Joe Waterhouse and Scott Simmonite-Buskin led the way with the newly inaugurated road cycling club) and on the river (where George Doyle, Henry Graham, George Snell and Stanley Schofield have been mainstays of a successful senior rowing squad). The main purpose of a day house though does not make for exciting reading, flashy trophies or photogenic moments. Houses are mixtures of pupils of different ages, genders and interests and shared moments of togetherness are the most precious. Our house

those in red. Grovites’ collective willingness to fill the team lists is a measure of the enthusiasm to play but I think there is a broadlyheld sense that house sport is principally about involvement and enjoyment rather than results and trophies. That said, a little silverware is nice and this year saw us celebrate wins in the boys’ tennis event (where our fifth form players in the shape of Robbie Greenall and Seth Williams battled to an extremely tight win). In the senior girls’ netball the result in the final was more convincing despite trailing to School house midway through the match before a Millie Grant-led charge brought us home. The senior girls’ rounders produced another win which displayed the competitive and team spirit abundant among our girls. The final against and, despite rounders’ equivalent of extra time and ‘golden goals’, the teams were still inseparable and eventually some kind of countback (which I’m not sure I fully understood) gave us the dinner trophy. Our upper-sixth boys have been great sportsmen too with this year well-earned reputations for excellence on the pitch (Ollie Fryer was was a perfect captain of hockey, George Metcalfe played first XV rugby), on example, with the whole the courts (Oli Harvey has been captain of squash), in the saddle house dressing up and spending the (Joe Waterhouse and Scott Simmonite-Buskin led the way with evening in civilised conversation before the much-awaited head of house speeches. There was even a bedtime story in the form of The Grovalo! As a community, we aim to support each other, share in successes and the pleasure of effort invested and occasionally commiserate together. The brief Saturday morning gatherings for house assemblies allow us to applaud those who have tried, those who have succeeded and particularly those who have done both. The meeting is brief but often contains moments of natural, mutual appreciation for merits earned, and for participation and achievement in a wealth of co-curricular spheres. The atmosphere we enjoy is, in no small part, established and maintained by our team of tutors in the house, whose generosity of spirit and time provides the pastoral ambiance of the place. Our pupils owe a great deal for this. Two of the team leave us at the end of this year and both will leave significant holes. In Mrs Lisa Middleton and Mrs Sarah McKie, The Grove has been blessed with caring, committed and reassuring tutors and, more than anyone, I will miss their humour and sage council. I wish them both well as they move to new positions within the school’s pastoral team.

dinner this year was a perfect example, with the whole house dressing up and spending the evening in civilised conversation before the much-awaited head of

Mr Martin Lawrence

The Manor

Another year has passed in the life of the Manor. The year started on Saturday 5 September with the official opening of the new extension and refurbishment. It was an absolute delight to see so many former Manorites including one from the 1930s. The honours board in the entrance provided many a fond memory for those who returned. It was also great to see some of the more recent leavers at different points during the year. It provides affirmation of the wonderful times many have had boarding here as part of a community. There is no “I” in team, so to those who like to see their name mentioned … sorry!

Christmas Term

Seven third-formers, two fourth-formers and three lower sixthformers joined us in September and they made a very good contribution to the house and the school across this year. Leo, our exchange student from Selborne in South Africa, also joined us for six weeks (after eventually resolving visa issues) and made the very most of the opportunities on offer.

Term started with a really good first weekend. The boarders’ dinner on the Saturday night and the activities on the Sunday (paintballing or York Dungeon/boat trip) was a great way for all the boarders to get to know each other.

The Manor house chapel fell early in this year’s calendar and the boys put an excellent effort into this, responding well to the guidance given. Oliver Newman showed his leadership in managing this and it was really good to have him as head of house. House cross-country was the year’s first sports event. We didn’t feature quite so strongly this year but the team still gave its all. At least we beat The Grove in the junior boys!

One thing that has been great to see is just how many boys have attended the various public lectures throughout the year. It reflects the interest and enthusiasm that many have for going beyond the syllabus and it shows the benefits of living at the school. Indeed the facilities available to the boys are in demand with the gym, sports hall, tennis courts and various pitches used regularly on an evening.

House singing was an excellent occasion once again with our version of Boulevard of Broken Dreams almost as good as the original?! The senior house challenge led to lots of preparation but sadly we couldn’t quite match the breadth of knowledge shown by one or two others elsewhere.

House rugby is always a highlight, perhaps just as much for the design of the house shirt as for the occasion itself. Our teams put up another good show this year (even if I missed it laid up in bed). Unfortunately this also led to the postponement of the house dinner – though not for long! Easter Term

Football continued to be a strong sport in house this term. A number of boys represented the school first and second XIs. Hopes were high for the house football competition, although we didn’t quite match the victory of last year. Our house hockey teams were less successful but it showed just how willing the boys were to play for the house and be part of the team. The house water polo competition is very popular and our team was a strong one losing only to the eventual winners. Senior house debating was well contested (if slightly underprepared for).

Music continues to flourish with many learning instruments and performing in various concerts and festivals through the year. The practice that goes into this is considerable and it is great to see so many putting the hours in.

Summer term

Our junior St Peter’s Challenge team competed well as too did our junior cricketers, who reached the plate semi-finals. The summer term tends to see fewer house events because of the presence of exams but it did give a chance for the juniors in the house to shine. The whole school sports day was sadly rained off, but the junior version of this for the third and fourth form was a terrific afternoon. It was good to see the team spirit on show and there were some impressive performances in different events too.

Inevitably exams were a focus and I remain impressed by the determined focus that the boys show at this time. There is a real desire to do well and I was very impressed with what I saw – even Saturday nights saw many with heads in books working hard.

The People

The upper sixth have proved really good fun in the time they have been with us over the last five years. To watch then grow from third-formers into young adults ready to move on to university or work is a real privilege. The other years in house are great to live with too; it is they who make boarding the special thing that it is.

Dori and I are ably supported by a strong team of tutors and inhouse support staff. Mr Ray and Mr Robinson share the evening duties with me and Ms Pearson does some Sundays as well. Colette, our Matron, and the team of cleaners continue to keep the rooms looking remarkably clean and tidy; something that parents always pick up on positively.

My final thanks always go to my family. Boarding is very much a team event and it is the fact they throw themselves into life here that makes it the pleasure that it is.

It has been another excellent year.

Mr Steve Gwilliam

The Rise

Christmas Term

Most unusually, we had no third-formers this academic year. Our fourth form – Alexandria Johnston, Elizabeth Naylor, Ksenia Trubacheva and Isabel Chen, who joined us this year – have remained therefore the ‘youngest girls’ in the house, much to their frustration at times. Having helped their new room-mate Isabel through the newness of the first half-term and beyond, our ‘fab four’ have continued to go about their morning duties with staggering efficiency, bringing supplies for whole house all before morning call as they did the previous year. Their tenacity and reliability is to be commended as is their good humour and chat when they return. We also welcomed our new lower sixth pupils, Frederica Renwick, Olivia Surtees, Toni Salami, Tamsin Abbott, Cecilia Duan, Tiffany Tuhirman and Cressida Killick.

The inter-house singing competition proved to be a particularly memorable and joyous occasion. Under Emily Lockett’s leadership and with Eve Bracken’s excellent conducting skills, the girls committed themselves to countless practices of O My Love by The Score. As usual the girls delivered an outstandingly unified and musical performance, smiling beautifully and enjoying themselves enormously.

The school production of The Crucible was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Christmas term for the whole school. Eve Bracken gave a memorable and at times frightening performance in one of the lead roles as Abigail Williams while Maddie Day, Charlotte Hollinrake and Grace Moody are also to be congratulated on their powerful portrayal of the villagers. Jodi Smith’s brilliance backstage contributed to the professional edge that was so frequently commented upon.

The autumn concert continued the creative and cultural theme where we were treated to a wealth of musical talent. Jodi Smith, Emily McDonald, Isabel Chen, Alexandria Johnston, Cecilia Duan and Eve Bracken represented The Rise in the wind band and choir.

One of the highlights of the end of term is always with our house dinner. Mystery boxes from Asos and Top Shop had been arriving for weeks and the girls did not disappoint in their chosen dresses which were tasteful and ever so glamorous. Our chosen leader, Emily Lockett, delivered a memorable speech which displayed a sense of affection for the house, a knowledge of the pupils, and a witty reminder of the highs and lows of life in The Rise. As house parents we were very proud indeed of the way in which the girls interacted with their guests and a delightful evening was had by all.

Remembering the house mantra, ‘it’s not the winning but the taking part’, the girls braced themselves for the formidable inter-house cross-country event. Although the conditions were far from perfect for the race, the girls all did brilliantly. They showed their usual gritty determination. Particular running stars on that day included Kitty Clapham, Grace Moody, Charlotte Hollinrake, Ksenia Trubacheva, Alexandria Johnston and Lily Naylor who have since been regular twilight figures running through York after prep. Toni Salami can be commended for taking part, although she had only arrived from Nigeria that day.

Easter Term

The Rise girls remained buoyant in the face of the cold, dreich, beginning to the Easter term and they quickly set about settling themselves back into their routine and preparing themselves for fulfilling their New Year’s resolutions and negotiating the other challenges of the term.

House Chapel was next. Under meticulously organised and encouraging leadership, the girls explored the very important topic of ‘kindness’ and how we can make a difference to someone’s life by performing the smallest acts of kindness. It was thought-provoking and imaginatively written and involved most of the girls in the house. Emily McDonald sang Riptide by Vance Joy with great feeling.

Senior and junior house debating also took place this term, airing controversial issues such as whether marriage is an outdated institution or whether the sale of human organs should be legalised. Typically, our girls spoke with an impressive eloquence and, although they did not make the final rounds, they must certainly be

congratulated on a wonderful team effort. Well done to Cressida Killick, Tiffany Tuhirman and Wendy Wan in particular for their thorough preparation and excellent research.

The girls showed great team effort, determination and willingness to participate in the inter-house netball, swimming and squash. Very well done to Grace Moody, Alexandria Johnston, Emily McDonald, Tamsin Abbott and Tiffany Tuhirman who swam valiantly on behalf of The Rise.

Our rowers Tracy Yip, Maddie Day and Jodi Smith continued their excellent team efforts in the York regatta, the Schools’ Head of the River race in London, the schools’ competition at Yarm and a trip to Ghent. Later on, in the summer term, the girls were to participate in the York spring and summer regattas as well as the national schools regatta.

Summer Term

Exams were at the forefront of everyone’s mind as we returned from the Easter break and it was not long before the house (particularly the TV lounge) became eerily quiet as many of the girls went home or shut themselves in their rooms and even in the laundry, away from all temptations.

The sun shone brightly for the senior tennis and rounders competition and it was a real treat to be a spectator at an event where everyone showed such pride and enthusiasm. Well supported by the Rise girls and Tess the beagle, the girls gave the other houses a real run for their money finishing in third and second place respectively.

At this point, I must mention the ‘fab four’ (fourth-formers Isabel, Ksenia, Lily and Alex). As the only juniors in the house, their generosity and loyalty to The Rise have made it possible to enter all of the junior house competitions. In the junior sports day they entered every event, meaning that they had to run or compete in several events each. The Rise came sixth overall in the competition, a fine achievement for such a small team, and the girls received a special mention at the awards ceremony.

Many girls turned up to support Alexandria Johnston and Isabel Chen in The Odyssey. It was a most enjoyable night for all. Congratulations too, to Lily Naylor for her excellent work in makeup.

As the term rushed on, it would soon be time to say goodbye to the upper sixth (Emily, Darja, Millie, Wendy, Tracy and Charlotte) as they began the next exciting chapter in their lives. It has been a real pleasure getting to know them and their help, advice, good humour, chats and giggles have been invaluable to me throughout the year. Mr Gillies, Ellie and I will miss them all but hope that they will visit us whenever they can. We wish you every success and happiness in the future. We will also be saying early farewells to Jodi Smith who leaves St Peter’s to pursue the IB at Headington School, Oxford, and Christina Faeh who will resume her senior studies in Switzerland. Their sense of good fun and exemplary ways will be hugely missed in the house but we hope that they too will keep in touch. Special thanks must go to our brilliant head of house, Emily Lockett whose help, advice and good humour was much appreciated as was her support to new girls coming into the house.

The Rise may be the smallest house, but it is packed full of really wonderful girls. As a housemistress, I am sincerely grateful for the respectful, kindly way you treat each other on a daily basis and how proud you are to be part of The Rise.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank-you to the other key members of the house, without whose help The Rise simply could not run and whose work we appreciate enormously. Thank you very much indeed therefore to our house tutors, Mrs Barnard, Mrs Robinson, Miss Wilson and Miss Lindley for their excellent work.

We are also indebted to Lisa, Maggie and Jenny who keep the Rise ‘as clean as a sweetie’ every single day. Special thanks too go to our Matron, Jane, who truly is the lynchpin of the establishment and who does so much for us all. Her detective skills (when a precious item of clothing goes missing), organisation, friendliness, sense of fun and sewing skills are so appreciated by us all!

We concluded a wonderful school year with the house barbecue and a trip to Flamingo Land. We wish those leaving us all the best and wholeheartedly encourage them to keep in touch.

Mrs Dorothy Gillies