10 minute read
IMPACT ON OUR STUDENTS
ON OUR STUDENTS
Leavers 2020
Leavers 2021
2020 A-LEVEL / PRE-U RESULTS 2021 A-LEVEL / PRE-U RESULTS
21
boys achieved a perfect set of A* grades
58
boys achieved A* / D1 / D2 grades
42%
of boys achieved solely A* and A grades
115
of boys achieved a clean sweep of A* and A grades
93%
A* – B GRADES SECURED
72%
A*/A GRADES SECURED
97%
A* – B GRADES SECURED
87%
A*/A GRADES SECURED
Welcome to the Classes of 2020 and 2021
Our newest Old Tonbridgians, the Classes of 2020 and 2021, experienced an unprecedented Sixth Form owing to the impact of Covid-19: remote learning, no A-level exams in the traditional sense nor the chance to enjoy many occasions and moments which signify the end of school days.
Nonetheless, they achieved many great things and made a fine contribution to the intellectual, pastoral and co-curricular life of the School, as well as engaging impressively in the PreUniversity courses offered at Tonbridge.
We are enormously proud of you all and welcome you to the OT community of more than 9,000 members worldwide.
There will be many opportunities in the future to celebrate your connection with Tonbridge as OTs, and we wish you every success and happiness, now and in the years to come.
Olympiad Competition Entries
A record year for Tonbridge Sixth Formers selected to represent the UK at high-level Olympiad competitions, renowned for their academic rigour and highly competitive selection process:
• International and British Informatics • International Maths • International Physics
FROM HERE TO ANYWHERE
ST ANDREWS 7
EDINBURGH 9
QUEEN’S BELFAST 1
LANCASTER 2 NEWCASTLE 14
DURHAM 52
LEEDS 3 YORK 6
MANCHESTER 6 University destinations for 2020 and 2021 Leavers
The boys have won places at leading universities here in the UK and around the world, including Oxford and Cambridge, Russell Group and prestigious universities, the significant majority to their first-choice destination.
Also
12 are studying Medicine 14 are attending other institutions 17 are making post A-level applications
LOUGHBOROUGH 6
BIRMINGHAM 3 NOTTINGHAM 11
WARWICK 12
CAMBRIDGE 20
CARDIFF 6
BRISTOL 13
BATH 13 OXFORD 17 OXFORD BROOKES 2
KCL 4 IMPERIAL 10 LSE 15 UCL 15 TONBRIDGE
EXETER 31 SOUTHAMPTON 3
Overseas destinations
North America Boulder Chicago Cornell Duke Limestone College Marshall North Carolina Vanderbilt
Canada McGill Toronto University of British Columbia Far East Hong Kong University Europe Trinity College Dublin
Degrees and Careers
Tonbridge is particularly proud of the breadth of courses that leavers go on to study at university. Engineering and Economics/Business courses top the bill, while Modern Languages, Classics, English, History and Philosophy have a very strong showing. Computer Science is flourishing and places for Medicine and Architecture have also been secured at leading institutions. Boys are encouraged to think widely and play to their strengths and career interests when choosing courses, and this shows itself with those preparing to study subjects including Arabic, Mechatronics, Urban Planning, Automotive Materials, Sports Coaching and Music Production, among a wide range of other degree courses.
World Economic Forum Skills
Tonbridge aims to equip its students with many of the skills that are essential for succeeding in the modern workplace. The World Economic Forum has identified a ‘Top Ten’ of vital workplace skills for 2025, as follows.
1 Analytical thinking and innovation 2 Active learning and learning strategies 3 Complex problem-solving 4 Critical thinking and analysis 5 Creativity, originality and initiative 6 Leadership and social influence 7 Technology use, monitoring and control 8 Technology design and programming 9 Resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility 10 Reasoning, problem-solving and ideation
FROM HIGHLIGHTS TO HEADLINES
While the 2020-21 academic year felt the full effects of a second national lockdown and the reintroduction of online learning, there were still plenty of activities taking place and a great many achievements at the School during this unusual time.
Highest Mark in the World
James Craggs (PS5) gained the highest mark in the world in his AS Level Geography exam. In recognition of his impressive feat, James received an Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award.
Boys Selected for Cambridge Masterclass
Two Tonbridge boys were awarded places on a prestigious science summer school run by the University of Cambridge. Zac Nwogwugwu (HS4) and Kenneth Lee (MH4) 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.
Housemaster Creates Wheel of Books
A wonderful Wheel of Books was created at the School by Whitworth Housemaster, DT Teacher and OT Will Biddle. The sculpture is nearly seven feet tall, contains 270 real books and is displayed in the Smythe Library’s entrance.
International Physics Brawl
Double Honours as Tonbridge Teams Top Physics Contest
Upper and Lower Sixth students from Tonbridge have been ranked as ‘Best in the UK’ after taking part in the International Physics Brawl. Hundreds of teams from schools across the world competed in this annual online event, organised by Charles University, a renowned institution in the Czech Republic, which tests Physics knowledge and problem-solving skills.
Of the seven Tonbridge teams taking part, two were placed first in the UK for Year 12 and Year 13 students respectively.
Lower Sixth’s James Awarded Arkwright Scholarship
James Watts (OH4) became Tonbridge’s latest recipient of a renowned Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. Awarded to talented 16-year-olds following a rigorous selection process, these scholarships are aimed at inspiring school-age students to be the country’s future leaders in engineering and industry.
Science Conference Attracts a Global Gathering
There was a truly global nature to the Tonbridge Science Conference 2021 as students from Australia, Mexico and the USA joined those from various schools in the UK during the virtual event in March 2021.
Now in its sixth year, the conference once more brought together students to present their own work, discuss scientific topics and share their passion for discovery. The programme included poster sessions displaying students’ research findings on nuclear power and climate change, space, pandemics, healthy eating, plants, diabetes, stroke rehabilitation and cancer treatments, to name just a few subjects.
Social Enterprise in Action: Boys Earn Cambridge Backing
A social enterprise project by Tonbridge boys, inspired by the Covid pandemic, has been awarded a place on the University of Cambridge ‘Camstart’ programme. A team of Second Years, led by Abraham Chan (MH2), developed a plan for producing high-quality, reusable face masks when taking part in the Boars’ Den, the School’s annual contest to find the best entrepreneurial start-up ideas.
Having won the School competition, Abraham’s team then successfully pitched their ideas to Cambridge’s Camstart Accelerator Programme, a national scheme which provides expert support, mentoring and training for school-age students who can demonstrate the real-world potential of their social impact projects. The team pledged all proceeds to Child Action Lanka.
REFLECTIONS FROM NICK LORD, MATHEMATICS TEACHER
There is a spot on the lawn outside Skinners’ Library where in one direction you can see the windows of the old School House tutor’s flat, where I started my career teaching mathematics at Tonbridge nearly 40 years ago. In the other direction, about 50 metres away, you can see the front of Ferox Hall, near which I currently live as Ferox Hall tutor.
On the face of it, travelling 50 metres in 40 years, still doing the same job, does not sound the most meteoric of career progressions and prompts the question, “Why did I stay?”. Or, as the boys sometimes put it, “Isn’t it boring teaching the same old stuff over and over again?”. What this misses is that there is no such thing as a typical Tonbridgian or a typical class. Yes, the topics may be the same, but reactions to them will vary which makes every fresh encounter with them unique.
I have been fortunate to live through an era where the tools of my trade have constantly evolved – from log tables and slide rules to calculators and computers; from chalkboards, through OHPs and whiteboards, to smart boards. In the end though, these are secondary factors. In essence, teaching remains what it always has been – a conversation between generations, based on the anticipation that, if these ideas have mattered to me then maybe, just maybe, they will to you as well. This sounds heavy, so I try to lighten the atmosphere in the classroom, safe in the knowledge that a teacher’s joke doesn’t have to be that funny to be effective! My constant aim is to build confidence, reduce anxiety and empower boys to run with their mathematics, whatever their eventual destination. But I am often stopped in “You only really understand something when you teach it to someone else.”
my tracks by some of their comments: having once mused that a kangaroo’s pouch would be a handy place to store a calculator, one boy remarked that he had indeed put his hand into a kangaroo’s pouch while on holiday in Australia, and then gave graphic details of what it felt like!
I am constantly humbled and enthused as I look around my classes at the rich diversity of backgrounds, previous schools and past experiences among the students. Some have flown halfway round the world to be there, some are neurodiverse, some have had bumpy personal journeys, but all, for that moment are united by the universal language of mathematics. Cultivating excellence as a norm requires this rich tapestry of talents with everyone – not just the high fliers – striving for excellence on their own terms. It is hugely rewarding to follow a boy’s entire progress, from pre-test interviewee, through nervous Novi to confident leaver, with the satisfaction that (hopefully) I have been a helpful presence along the way. And it is certainly not a one-way process. There is a lot of truth in the adage that, “You only really understand something when you teach it to someone else”, and I have had many such light bulb moments with classes as I try to think with them, in front of them, but not for them. So why did I stay? Well, what’s not to like about working with wonderfully inspiring and clever colleagues, excellent and caring support staff, appreciative and wholly supportive parents and OTs, but above all Tonbridgians? All constantly entertaining, good humoured, eager for fresh challenges, appropriately ambitious, tolerant of each other and of this old dinosaur’s foibles. I continue to relish my conversations with tomorrow’s mathematicians, at a time when mathematics at Tonbridge has never been more vibrant.
FROM YOUR EXPERTISE TO THEIR AMBITIONS
For our boys, being able to tap into the experience and expertise of our parent and OT community is an enormous asset, which can have a tremendous impact on a young person’s career.
Careers Advice
OTs and parents continue to offer fabulous support to our careers programme, through the annual Careers and Mentoring evening. Careers Talks, Life after Tonbridge Talks and Tonbridge Connect, our bespoke digital platform, offer OTs careers support as well as professional and social networking.
Virtual Talks
In response to the pandemic, the Tonbridge Society office team acted quickly and innovatively over the summer of 2020 to switch our events programme from physical to digital, to help keep the Tonbridge community engaged and entertained through subsequent restrictions.
In July, we launched our programme of online Tonbridge Talks by members of our School community, and they have proved hugely popular. A video library has been set up on Tonbridge Connect, with a selection of recordings from these talks.
Here is a snapshot of some who shared their experience and wisdom through the Tonbridge Talks.
Ben Jeffries (SH 09 – 14) CEO and Co-founder, Influencer
Craig Frederick (PS 72 – 77) Offshore Project Manager, Boskalis Subsea
James Riley (Sc 74 – 78) CEO, The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Seb Pollington (PH 80 – 85) Former British Army Colonel
Neil Lawson (PH 80 – 85) Thermal Engineer, Low Carbon Farming Ltd
Jamie Gwinnett (WW 97 – 02) Motivational Speaker
Tom Brown (PH 09 – 14) Officer, 1st Battalion Welsh Guards
Simon Hall (WW 84 – 89) Economist, Bank of England
Ed Hill (WW 11 – 17) Co-founder, BrightSign
If you would like to get involved, be it at a Careers event, offering advice and mentoring or giving a Tonbridge talk, please get in touch. Email tonbridge.society@tonbridge-school.org or sign up to tonbridgeconnect.org
