News

BEAUTIFUL BALLROOM  Tudor’s Ballroom has always been a beautiful space but, for a number of years, it has been looking a little worn and in need of refreshing. So, in advance of the official opening of the Teaching Centre by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, in which the Ballroom would receive our honoured guests for a drinks reception to thank benefactors who had supported that major project, the redecoration began. With guidance from School Governor Nicky Wilson we created a contemporary but sympathetic scheme using Lotus design wallpaper with a combination of slaked lime and lead white paint. The heavily varnished floor was sanded back and re-surfaced in washed lime to lighten it. The improvements were finished off with new brass radiator grills, simple ceiling roses round the chandeliers and subtle gold lining on the door frames.

Restored to its former glory, the Ballroom has already been the setting for a range of School activities, including a very special OT reunion for Maggie’s Girls (those who attended Tudor Hall when Margaret Blythe was Headmistress). We look forward to many more memorable events taking place in this fabulous space – hopefully in the not too distant future.

TUDOR IN THREE CONTINENTS - SOUTH

AFRICA 2019  Now in its eighth year, Tudor in Three Continents continues to provide LVI girls with a rich and challenging taste of life beyond their normal experience. Whether they travel thousands of miles to far flung countries or remain in the UK, they are able to step out of their comfort zone and put Tudor’s motto ‘Habeo ut Dem’ (‘I have that I may give’) into practice.

One of the teams travelled to South Africa to visit our old friends at the Sparrow Foundation School in Johannesburg, where disadvantaged children with learning difficulties receive an education and skills for life. This year the Tudor girls worked in Sparrow’s newly upgraded multi-sensory room, running activities based around the theme of Healthy Eating, and honing their drumming skills alongside the children in preparation for a special performance.

Members of the South Africa team reflected:

“Our time at Sparrow School was a life-changing experience which we will never forget. It is an incredibly inspiring school with passionate teachers wanting the best for their students, and the children are so hardworking and eager to learn.

It was so nice to see how Tudor has helped Sparrow grow and we could see this through the new facilities. In the Media Centre, we were working with students of all ages. The children were very appreciative, and we feel we really made a difference by being there. We also spent time in the children’s music

LICENSING SERVICE FOR REVEREND ALISON

RICHARDSON q The Right Reverend Colin Fletcher, Bishop of Dorchester, joined fellow clergy from the Deddington Deanery, family and friends of the Reverend Alison Richardson, and Tudor staff and pupils for a special service at which he licensed Alison to carry out her duties as our new School Chaplain.

During this simple but very moving service, representatives of the School community presented Alison with symbols of her ministry, after which she pledged to care for the whole community and to lead them in their Christian discipleship. The Chamber Choir sang two beautiful settings of the Benedictus and The Lord’s My Shepherd and Bishop Colin gave a short homily. For the staff and pupils present, none of whom had ever attended a licensing service, it was a wonderful opportunity to share in this very personal occasion and to formally welcome Alison to Tudor Hall.

lessons, working on drumming skills which we then performed on the last day in an assembly to the whole school. All the children were so excited, and it made us realise what a special trip it had been.”

EMILY'S WAKEBOARDING

SUCCESS!  Emily in the IVs (Year 10) has had a fantastic year pursuing her passion for wakeboarding. In the UK Nationals, held at Thorpe Park, Emily competed in the Junior Women division (15-18 years) for the first time this year, and did brilliantly to come second. She then went to the Big Air competition held near Birmingham (the other major UK wakeboarding event); Emily again competed in Junior Women and this time was placed first! She is now the highest ranking individual in her division in the UK this year. Huge congratulations Emily for this outstanding achievement.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!  A Level students of art and photography travelled to Manhattan in October half term for five days of research. The Metropolitan Museum was the highlight for many studying history of art, who were thrilled to find so many paintings under one roof. Others loved walking along the Highline, a disused railway line regenerated into an artistic walkway of green space and art. As well as the must-do attractions of the Empire Sate Building and the Statue of Liberty, the girls were grateful to have visited Ground Zero and understood from a different perspective the atrocity which happened the year they were born.

before becoming Professor of the Public Engagement with Science at the University of Birmingham; a © Andrew Yarme position she has held since 2012. Having made her television debut In 2001 as a human bone specialist on Channel 4’s Time Team, Alice PROFESSOR ALICE went on to present a number of ROBERTS  other television series including On Wednesday 20th November, we Coast, The Incredible Human welcomed Professor Alice Roberts Journey and several Horizon to Tudor Hall as part of our NG programmes. Alice returned to our Lectures Series. television screens to present Series 8 of Digging for Britain, with the first Alice is a medical doctor and went episode of the new series being on to become a university lecturer, screened on BBC2 the day she conducting research into human visited the School. origins and disease in ancient skeletons. She taught human Alice spoke passionately about anatomy to students and doctors the history of known civilisation

Our programme of ‘Careers Networking Dinners’ provides girls in the Upper School with fantastic opportunities to learn more about sectors they are interested in from professionals who are successful is those fields. In addition to giving a short talk to the girls, our guest speakers join the girls for a special supper, providing an opportunity for more informal conversation about the careers in question.

OTs TAKE CENTRE STAGE AT TUDOR’S CAREERS NETWORKING DINNER

We were delighted to welcome a full house of OT speakers for our ‘Careers

in Britain and shared insights, anecdotes and behind-thescenes stories from her personal journey to explore Britain’s past. We were taken on a journey that spanned thousands of years, with Alice explaining the process that archaeologists take in order to uncover stories by retracing the steps of our ancestors. The audience were left astonished and intrigued by an Iron Age discovery of an incredibly preserved chariot burial, complete with standing horses.

Judging by the questions posed at the end of Alice’s talk, it is clear that the next generation of archaeologists and anthropologists has been inspired!

Left to right: Camilla Hiley, Helen Seymour-Smith, Antonia Stewart

in architecture, garden design and interior design’ networking dinner:

HELEN SEYMOUR-SMITH

(Cathie, 1993), owner of SeymourSmith Architects, a design-led architectural practice that delivers considered, contemporary, sustainable buildings;

ANTONIA STEWART (Lazenby,

1993), owner of Antonia Stewart Ltd, an interior design practice specialising in high-end private residential projects; and

CAMILLA HILEY (Weatherby,

1981), owner of Camilla Hiley Garden and Landscape Design – providing a bespoke service to create gardens that enhance clients’ lives as well as their properties.

OTs RECEIVE GOLD D of E AWARD  Congratulations to our OTs who have recently collected their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards. These are an outstanding achievement, showing commitment, resilience and a very Tudorian spirit of adventure. Jess Carter (2018) shares her account of the day:

“Going to Buckingham Palace to collect my Gold award was such a lovely way to end the five years of D of E I’d done. We had the chance to share many of our stories on the day with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, as well as the singer and songwriter Ronan Keating. Mine however, was much more eventful than the rest as Poppy Clark and I somehow managed to capsize our canoe and had to go to A&E with suspected hyperthermia! Regardless of this minor incident, I would highly recommend D of E to anyone. You take away so many skills and memories from all of the volunteering and expeditions.”

Above: Jess Carter (right) is pictured with fellow OTs Flora Ayres, Minna Barker and Jasmine Banister.

OT MARY ECKERT’S DEBUT SINGLE

RELEASED  Singer-songwriter Mary Eckert (2018) is making her mark on the music world, with the launch of her debut single, Do You Even Feel.

At just 19 years of age, she has found her voice and it is clear that Mary is writing music from her soul, achieving a sound in the sweet spot between indiefolk and modern soul which is both trendless and timeless.

Mary tells us the song is “about reminiscing an ex and the experiences shared with them. The idea of singing about unrequited feelings occurred when I bumped into someone I was seeing at the time with someone else. The next week I had a song writing session with some course mates and Do You Even Feel was written. This song really made the situation rather comical for me, however, it is sung with some bitterness.” R