NEWS AUTUMN 2021
FROM HIGHLIGHTS TO HEADLINES TONBRIDGE ONLY CONNECT
Barton Science Centre wins RIBA Award – Page 15
ACADEMIC Boys commended for ‘character and achievement’ after GCSE results Third Year boys achieved excellent results in their GCSEs, with 96 per cent of all grades awarded being at 9/8/7, equivalent to A*/A. Nearly two thirds of the boys’ results overall are at Grade 9, with 39 students receiving 9s in all subjects.
Winning team has the right chemistry! A Tonbridge team has been awarded first place in the South East following a prestigious national science competition. Lower Sixth boys Bosco Lee (PS4), Victor Wong (HS4) and Gabriel Day (CH4) took part in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Schools’ Analyst Competition, where they had to pit their skills and knowledge against teams from many other schools in the region.
James Priory, Tonbridge’s Headmaster, congratulated the Year 11 cohort (a few of whom are pictured on GCSE results day). “I am so proud of the conscientiousness and creativity the boys have shown. Their results are a tremendous achievement, especially given the challenging circumstances of the last 18 months,” he said.
The annual contest puts Year 12 students’ understanding of chemical analysis to the test via a series of hands-on experiments and problem-solving, theory-based questions, to be tackled by teams of three. Tonbridge entered ten teams into this year’s contest, with Bosco, Victor and Gabriel winning in the South East section after papers were marked by the judging panel. In total there were nine regional winning teams across the country.
“They have shown great character and resilience, remaining fully involved in the co-curricular and community life of the School as well as achieving excellent academic results.” Mr Priory added he was looking forward to welcoming the boys back in September: “Our new Sixth Form Curriculum, now in its second year, provides what we believe is the best preparation possible for university and future careers.” * Upper Sixth secure top university places: Page 5
l Boys in the Barton Science Centre, taking part in the RSC’s Schools’ Analyst Competition
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God, soul, free will: Inaugural Chadwick Essay Competition Second Year Religious Studies pupils were given the opportunity to write an extended essay for the inaugural Chadwick Essay Competition. They were asked to respond to a question on God’s existence, the soul or free will. Pupils independently researched and wrote their essays over the course of two weeks, with shortlisted candidates being put forward to Julian Dobson (Head of Divinity) for adjudication.
l Sherman Yip receives his pen from James Priory: below, Thomas Masding with his parents
The quality of work was impressive, with essays by Oscar McIlwham (PS2), Nicholas Laidlaw (WW2), Tim Laurencin (Sc2), Andrey Popov (HS2) and Johnnie Averdieck (WW2) standing out. They all received a ‘Guide to Philosophy’ at a prize-giving ceremony.
Prize pens for academic excellence Each year three beautifully crafted quill pens are awarded to Upper Sixth boys judged to be the top three all-round academic performers. There were many impressive contenders, with the academic performance of the current Upper Sixth thought to be among the strongest at Tonbridge in recent memory. 1st prize Silver whole gilt pen: Sherman Yip (HS5) 2nd prize Silver parcel gilt pen: James Craggs (PS5) 3rd prize Silver pen: Thomas Masding (OH5) The following boys were commended for extraordinary academic achievement: Ben Gardner (CH5), Tom Roxburgh (WH5), Victor Lin (MH5), Paddy Davies Jones (Sc5).
The overall winner was Johnnie Averdieck, whose essay was chosen by Julian Dobson for its “rigorous analysis of free will, inclusion of complex scientific arguments and beautifully engaging style”. Isaac King (CH2) represented the UK as part of a team of six in the International Maths Olympiad. The competition, which had to take place remotely this year, was hosted by Russia in the summer. Isaac qualified by performing consistently well over many qualifying rounds, competing mostly against students in the Sixth Form. He is only the second Tonbridgian to qualify for the International Maths Olympiad, and the first to qualify for any International Team below the Sixth Form.
ACADEMIC James’ award puts him ‘on Top of the World’
Tonbridge boys selected for Cambridge masterclass Two Tonbridge Lower Sixth boys were awarded places on a prestigious science summer school run by the University of Cambridge. Zac Nwogwugwu (HS4) and Kenneth Lee (MH4), pictured, took part in the Senior Physics Challenge, a highly selective three-day programme which sees Year 12 pupils from across the country competing for just 50 available places. To be selected, students must complete a series of Physics problems on the ‘Isaac Physics’ platform, which are often well beyond the A-level syllabus in terms of difficulty. Students are invited to attend based on their problem-solving ability and also on their commitment to the subject. The event is normally held as a residential course over three days at the University of Cambridge, but due to the pandemic it has currently moved online.
James Craggs (PS5) has gained the highest mark in the world in his AS Level Geography exam. In recognition of his impressive feat, James has received an Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award.
Chris Powell, Head of Physics, said: “Zac and Kenneth did extremely well in completing a high number of challenging Physics problems, and I offer my congratulations to them on their excellent achievement.”
This accolade is made by examining board Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) to those students who achieve the highest standard mark in the world for a single subject. James, pictured with the Headmaster, took his AS Level Geography exam in November 2020, with Cambridge Assessment International Education telling him: “This award recognises your exceptional performance, talent and hard work.” The Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards programme celebrates the success of those taking Cambridge examinations in more than 40 countries around the world.
Ben Adams (OH1) and Jonas Freeman (MH4) became, respectively, the South East winner and a commended translator in the Anthea Bell Translation Competition, which was organised by Oxford University.
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Upper Sixth take up places at top universities worldwide
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Scanning Electron Microscope opens up world of discovery
Boys at Tonbridge have once again had a highly successful summer of outcomes for their university destinations, which include the top universities in the UK and around the world. A total of 22 boys will take up places at Oxford and Cambridge; 29 have gained places at Durham; 25 at the top four London universities, and Exeter will see 17 boys attending. Other high-tariff universities that boys will attend include Edinburgh, Warwick, St Andrews, Bath, Birmingham, Bristol and Manchester. Boys have done well internationally, too, with places won at Cornell, Boulder, Marshall (with a sought-after football scholarship) and the University of North Carolina in the US; the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia, Canada; and top universities in Hong Kong. * Tonbridge’s Upper Sixth cohort achieved outstanding A-level and Pre-U results, with more than 87 per cent of all grades awarded at A*/A, or their equivalent at Pre-U.
Boys have been carrying out advanced scientific investigations thanks to the use of a Scanning Electron Microscope. Most commonly found in leading universities, research organisations and high-tech companies, this type of microscope allows users to see extremely small objects, such as the surfaces of cells and organisms, in incredibly fine detail. The instrument was loaned to the School by manufacturers Hitachi, before being returned to its UK base in London’s Natural History Museum. It has enabled students to embark on advanced, independent research across all three of the sciences taught at Tonbridge. Items viewed have ranged from a 2,000-year-old Roman coin to a single plankton from the Indian Ocean, and a mealworm, pictured. The microscope has also been used to study crystal growth and structure.
l Our Leavers’ Service for boys and parents took place in late May, on the Friday at the start of Half Term. This is always a lovely occasion: parents, staff and boys are pictured at the Reception in the School Gardens.
COMMUNITY
Giving Day proves a great success The School’s inaugural Giving Day, which took place on 30 June and 1 July, raised more than £403,000, from 816 donors. These funds take Tonbridge one step closer to achieving its ambition to double the number of Foundation Awards by 2028. Gifts were made from members of our community across 24 different countries, including Hong Kong, China, the USA and Canada. Donors to Giving Day included 342 parents and 268 Old Tonbridgians, with additional support from current pupils, staff, former parents and family members. The enthusiastic response of the Tonbridge community to the various challenges – virtual, on-site and off-site – exceeded all expectations and made the event a huge success.
* On-Site Giving Day: The School was delighted to be able to invite guests from local primary schools to enjoy our facilities and take part in a range of sporting, academic and artistic activities. More than 400 children, mainly from Years 5 and 6, joined us from six local primary schools. Hosted by First Years (the Novi), they enjoyed 15 different activities including sports, drama, art, pond dipping and even orienteering, all of which were run by the Lower Sixth.
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* Off-Site Challenges: Each House undertook a major off-site challenge, involving all our Second and Third Years, as we ‘gave back’ to projects in the community. Groups worked at eight local primary schools as well as at other locations, such as Haysden Country Park. They tackled practical projects to improve outside education spaces in playgrounds or forest schools, and worked on bank revetment at Barden Lake. Over 20 tonnes of topsoil, sand, pebble, gravel or stone, as well as 16 truckloads of wood chip, were barrowed into place; 35 sleepers were laid, 28 raised beds and 24 benches built; over 60 litres of paint were used on playground fences; and mud kitchens, ‘bug hotels’, a bird hide and a play puppet theatre were created. Projects even included digging a pond from scratch (pictured opposite, top left) and creating a 15m-long stream bed!
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COMMUNITY School ‘Sleepout’ raises a record £18,000 for charity Tonbridge’s latest ‘Sleepout’ has broken the School’s previous fundraising records and raised more than £18,000 for Porchlight, a charity which supports homeless and vulnerable young people in Kent. More than 160 First Year boys, along with several staff, built cardboard shelters and spent a night sleeping rough in the Quad in the Summer Term. As well as raising vital funds, the event also helps to educate boys about the various social issues that can lead to homelessness.
Those taking part in the Sleepout were fed from a soup kitchen, run by Lower Sixth volunteers, and then tried to sleep, some rather unsuccessfully! For the first time, this year’s Sleepout led directly to Field Day the following day. Instead of returning to their houses in the morning, boys had to experience the reality of tackling a day’s activities without basic facilities such as showers or clean clothes, which provided more experience of how it may feel to be without a home.
The Sleepout has been running annually for more than 12 years. Since 2011, Tonbridge has been working with Porchlight and in this time the School has raised over £100,000 for the cause, making it the charity’s largest individual donor. The boys heard more about the vital work of Porchlight and the profound effect that the pandemic has had on the homeless of Kent.
Juliet Burnett, the School’s Community Action Manager, said: “All went home reflecting on their experiences and on the role that Porchlight plays in turning around people’s lives.”
THE ARTS
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The latest Good Schools Guide wrote about Music at Tonbridge in glowing terms, with a few highlights as follows.
Ensembles concert entertains parents The School’s Ensembles Concert took place in June, featuring a hugely varied programme which ranged from the music of Mozart, Haydn and Britten to themes from The Magnificent Seven, James Bond and Doctor Who. A total of 75 boys from the School’s string, wind and brass ensembles performed in the School Chapel, watched by a hugely appreciative audience of parents and staff.
Growing numbers involved in music ... excellent facilities include two recital halls, a suite of teaching practice rooms, music library, rock and percussion suites and a double recording studio. Wide range of orchestras, bands and ensemble groups for all musical styles. Numerous opportunities to perform — Octagon concerts feature a different instrument each week. House Music competition an annual highlight — great gusto from performers and attendees alike. The full review can be read on the Good Schools Guide and Tonbridge websites.
Into The Woods goes into the Gardens The Junior production of Into the Woods took place in the Library Gardens over the Midsummer weekend. The cast of 22, which rehearsed intensively for just two weeks prior to the performances, included pupils from Tonbridge Grammar School, Weald of Kent and Hillview. The principals included Felix Burnett (CH3), who played the Wolf, Nick Samuel (WH3) as Cinderella’s Prince and Ashley Dodd (CH3) as the Baker.
Fireside Shakespeare During the lockdown in the early part of this year, 37 staff and students recorded a monologue from each of Shakespeare’s plays. These hugely inventive pieces were compiled into a short film, placed roughly in the order they were written, for boys and parents to enjoy. Boys recorded their pieces from wherever they happened to be in the world, ranging from the beaches of Cape Town to a snowy Headmaster’s garden. These were all filmed on portable devices and submitted virtually, capturing a sense of what it was like for everyone back in February!
SPORTS
The Summer Term saw the welcome return of a busy sports programme, featuring cricket, tennis, athletics, sailing, basketball and even an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. After a 2020 sports season that was severely curtailed, it was wonderful to be playing both inter-school and House matches once more and, towards the end of the term, to have good numbers of spectators attending the fixtures. Cricket was back in full swing, with Tonbridge fielding five First Year teams, three in the Second Year, three ‘Colts’ teams in the Third Year and no fewer than seven teams across the Sixth Form. There was a lively programme of House matches, while the School had plenty of success in the inter-school cup competitions. The U16As had a fine win against Harrow in the ESCA National Cup South Final. The U15As matched this success with a win in the Kent (Miskin) Cup Final, while the U14As reached the final of the Kent (Oliver) Cup, to be played in September. The First XI competed in Finals Day in the HMC T20 National competition. * We’re looking forward to a busy sports programme in the Michaelmas Term, which will include inter-school fixtures in rugby, football, badminton and fencing. In addition, boys will be competing in swimming, sailing and shooting tournaments, and in the Rackets National Schools’ Championship. Congratulations from all at Tonbridge to Zac Nwogwugwu (HS4), who broke the School’s Senior 100m record with a recorded time of 10.81s in a race at Bromley on 6 June.
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House Athletics The Summer Term saw the welcome return of House Athletics, one of the School’s most popular and enjoyable events. Smythe House retained the House Athletics trophy from 2019, hugely aided by their strength in the Juniors but especially on the track. Overall House Cup: Overall House Cup: 1 Smythe – 383 1 Smythe 2 Park – 361 2 3 Welldon – 338 Park 3 Welldon 4 Hillside – 310 4 – 297 Hill Side 5= Ferox 5= – 297 Ferox 5= School 5= School
383 361 338 310 297 297
Folarin Babalola (JH5) achieved an amazing combination of first in each of 100m, Long Jump (in which he matched the long-standing Senior record) and Shot Put. Freddie Nicholson (WH3) and Jimi Adesanya (PH1) were the Best Athletes in Inter and Junior age categories. At the end of what has been a very successful 2021 season for the Juniors (U15), Subomi Kolaojo (PS1) broke the 26-year Triple Jump record with an impressive new mark of 12.13m. That event turned out to be easily the most hard-fought, with Zuriel Nwogwugwu (HS1) and Hamish Taylor (SH1) both also breaking the old record.
The following boys were awarded their Shooting Colours this term for their outstanding contribution to the School Shooting Club: William Kingston (OH5) was Shooting Club Rifle Captain this year and was selected for, and shot for, England Schools. Alex Von Torklus (PH5) was selected for, and shot for, England Schools. Alex Johnson (FH5) was the Club Clay Target Captain this year. Alex Laidlaw (CH5) was the highest scoring boy on the Club Leader board.
ONLY CONNECT
l Above, EM Forster. Also pictured are various ‘Only Connect’ adverts, video stills and filming clips
Richard Burnett, our Director of Admissions and Marketing, explains how we made our two Only Connect films in the teeth of Covid-19 restrictions
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Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. EM Forster, Howards End
When looking at how best to represent the Tonbridge School ‘brand’, we settled on an epigraph written by Tonbridge alumnus, EM Forster, in his novel Howards End: ‘Only Connect’. Forster was encouraging the reader to make the connection between the head and the heart, between thought and feelings. Only then, so his argument goes, can we live a life of purpose and become a force for good. At Tonbridge, we also believe that making connections of all kinds – intellectual, cultural, social and emotional – is a vital part of a rounded, grounded education. We encourage our boys, at every turn, to connect in a way that will shape their futures.
”
We hope that this idea will be brought to life in a way that resonates with our parent community, too, and reflects their own experiences of Tonbridge.
FROM TRADITION
TO INNOVATION
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Film 2 If we couldn’t film our pupils in the school, what if we take as our subject a First Year boy at home, packing his things before he comes to Tonbridge? This was the idea for our second Only Connect film, which you can find on our Admissions page (https://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/admissions)
Creating ‘Only Connect’ films without pupils! To convey the core ideas of Only Connect, we worked with the production company, Affixxius, to make two short films for our website. However, when we came to create these films we were faced with one significant challenge: we were in the thick of Covid-19 restrictions and there were no boys in the school! How could we shoot two films without a campus full of boys? Affixxius came up with two innovative ideas.
The star of this piece is one of our own drama students, Freddie Hill (CH2).
Film 1 The first film, which you’ll find on the School homepage, uses past and present photos from our archive and ‘animates’ each one to bring it to life. These photos are then combined with our Only Connect illustrations, beautifully created by communications agency Haime & Butler, which are also animated, with a voiceover from the Headmaster.
FROM HOUSE
TO HOME
We were delighted to be able to shoot a final few frames when the boys returned for the 2021 summer term. The other two Tonbridge boys are Terry Kachecha (OH2) and Bobby Smart (FH2). This film managed to include our Only Connect illustrations by having them in the background, either in picture frames or on noticeboards.
TWO SCHOOLS. ONE ETHOS He added: “Tonbridge is a determinedly selective school. We pride ourselves on the number of different schools from which boys join us and value our relationship with a wide range of preparatory and state primary schools.
Tonbridge and The New Beacon ‘combine experience and expertise’
“We see this development as part of a wider strategy of working closely with and supporting all our feeder prep schools to ensure a high level of continuity for those boys and their families joining us, and, importantly, in committing to the positive experience of transition at 13+.
Tonbridge School and The New Beacon Preparatory School have merged, with effect from 31 August. Based in Sevenoaks, Kent, approximately seven miles from Tonbridge, The New Beacon is a leading independent day and boarding prep school for boys aged 4 to 13 and currently has 325 pupils, including a nursery for boys and girls. While the two will become aligned in terms of overall strategy, each school will retain its own teaching and support staff, its own leadership and management teams, and its own uniform and site. James Priory, Headmaster of Tonbridge, said: “I am delighted that we will be combining our experience and expertise to provide an educational pathway for boys from 3 to 18. We have a shared ethos and believe that the merger will bring considerable benefits to both schools whilst respecting our separate identities.”
l Tonbridge has merged with The New Beacon Preparatory School, pictured
“The merger will not guarantee places: our rigorous recruitment process will remain the same for applicants from The New Beacon as it does for boys from other schools, all of whom we will continue to welcome and support.” As a result of the merger, The New Beacon will become part of the group of schools overseen by the Skinners’ Company, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London and a major not-for-profit organisation which supports seven other schools, including Tonbridge.
AND FINALLY ...
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Barton Science Centre wins RIBA Regional Award
The School has received a highly prestigious RIBA Award, with judges commending its “brilliant” Barton Science Centre. The state-of-the-art, three-storey building was among the winners in the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) South East Awards, an annual competition which celebrates the very best of architecture in the UK. The winning regional projects will now go on to compete for national awards later in the year.
A ‘Wheel of Books’: Upcycling in action! A recent addition to the Smythe Library is a wonderful Wheel of Books, created by Whitworth Housemaster and DT Teacher Will Biddle. Will’s creation is nearly seven feet tall, contains 270 real books, took many months to create and is proving to be quite a talking point for everyone who has seen it. The structure is now displayed in the Library’s entrance.
The building was designed by architectural practice BDP, and was funded in part by the many hundreds of donors who contributed to the school’s ‘Excellence for All’ campaign over a period of several years. RIBA judges found that the purpose of the new space, “To inspire a new generation of young scientists,” had been achieved, and that the centre “delivered the very best teaching spaces on every level”. The awards citation stated: “Overall, this is a brilliant new science building with a respectful and intelligent approach to the refurbishment of the existing building.”
Inspired by a similar installation at the British Museum, Will, himself a former Tonbridge pupil, set about creating his own piece. Helen Precious, the School’s Head Librarian, was able to provide outdated and damaged books, which fitted in with the DT Department’s Upcycling activities. The boring of the holes in the books took most of the Wednesday afternoons of the previous Michaelmas Term. The frame was designed by Will using Computer Aided Design, with technician Chris Martin assisting with the fabrication and welding.
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Tonbridge School is a registered charity No. 1097977 The information contained in the brochure is accurate at the time of going to press
