Arnold House Winter Assembly 2014

ASSEMBLYWINTER 2014 From the Headmaster

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here are so many things I like about Arnold House but if I had to compile a top ten list I would definitely include the good manners of the boys, often accompanied as they are with a sprinkling of easy charm, and the friendly and respectful bond between the staff and the boys; put simply we enjoy each other’s company. I hope the following offerings, the first, an email from a member of the public and the second, an extract from a boy’s Michaelmas term report, serve to illustrate my point and say a great deal about us as a school.

“I encountered a bunch of your boys (aged about twelve) on the Jubilee line last Friday afternoon. They were occupying many of the seats but as the tube filled I and many other adults were graciously offered seats (I’m not that old by the way). You don’t see

this very often and I thought the boys were a credit to the school”. “ ‘Arnold’ should be proud of this terrific report. Complimentary remarks about his work ethic and his intellect abound. He is

not merely a worker bee but has plenty of other talents too, which are put to good use in the full range of clubs he enjoys.

Most importantly, ‘Arnold’ is a thoroughly nice boy; the sort of chap you wouldn’t mind getting stuck in a lift with!”

Viv Thomas

Y7 Visit the Regents Park

The Invincible U10As

Mosque

Played 12 Won 12

ons Park

Y2 Victorian Day at Can

David Walliams visits

Y1 Nativity Play

Years 3&4

Head boys cut the birthday cake

Christmas Concert at

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ASL

Y8 French Trip to Burgundy Animal Themed Charity

Day for EDGE

History at Arnold House

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he beauty of teaching History in an independent school such as Arnold House is that the department has pretty much a free rein in deciding what we would like to teach the boys.

It is only when a boy is in Year 7 that they begin the Common Entrance course which will culminate in their exams at the end of Year 8. Even at Common Entrance there is a fairly wide scope as to what as a department we can teach, but at Arnold House the boys learn the topics: Mediaeval Realms and The Making of the United Kingdom. The course begins with the Norman Conquest and culminates with the Tudors and Stuarts. The department is keen that the boys learn Our Island Story, which is very much in keeping with how our current government would like schools across the country to approach the subject. It is essential the boys learn about the history of the country that they live in and call home. Throughout the two years of the CE course, the boys get a real understanding of traditional British history.

I am sure many of our parents who went through the British education system will find themselves being reminded of their own youth as they learnt seminal topics such as The Battle of Hastings, Henry II and Thomas Becket, The Crusades, King John, The Black Death, The Hundred Years’ War, Wars of the Roses and Henry VII.

Certainly in the years leading up to Common Entrance the boys learn about a wide spread of very British and traditional topics and hone the skills that they will apply to the demands of an examined subject. In the early part of the Junior School a boy will learn about The Victorians, The Great Fire of London and famous people such as Her Majesty the Queen. The boys will then head into Year 3 where they are taken back to the Great Ancient Civilisations of Egypt and

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Greece, whilst in Year 4 it is The Romans, The Saxons and The Vikings. The chance to build a Viking longboat in Year 4 is always a highlight of the year. Once a boy moves into the Senior School he begins the themes of Exploration and Settlement in the New World and the History of the United States.

This was a course created by our very own Head of Department, John Hill who has a real passion for the history of our friends from over the pond with its intrinsic link to Britain. We believe Arnold House is the only school in the country to offer a course in the teaching of US History at this age. A fact that was noted in the annual Good Schools’ Guide produced by Tatler. It made a certain Head of Department very proud. Year 6 is arguably the year that the boys remember the most in their years learning History at Arnold House. It has given so many of our boys a huge amount of enjoyment where they learn about World War One, The InterWar Years and World War Two. Given the current centenary of the outbreak of the First World War there has been much for the boys to watch, read or visit about the topic. All the work the boys do on the First World War forms part of a project which culminates in them researching their own family’s history from various global conflicts. Given the diverse backgrounds of our boys, one can be sure to hear of many fascinating stories which understandably the boys are always proud about and keen to share with their peers.

Teaching in a school in central London we are blessed that we are never far from history. The department takes full advantage of the many museums in London and the surrounding area. Arnold House boys at some stage can find themselves on a trip to the Tower of London, the Verulamium museum, Sutton Hoo, the Imperial War Museum and the Churchill Cabinet War Rooms. The most memorable visit a boy will undertake in his time at Arnold House is the Battlefields Tour to the Western Front following Common Entrance. This is a tradition which has been running successfully for nearly fifteen years. The trip sees the boys visit the memorials and graves of ex-Arnold House boys who sadly gave the ultimate sacrifice in the conflict. It is a fitting way for the boys to remember those that are sadly not with us, but attended Arnold House in the early part of their lives.

The School as many of you will know was founded on the core Christian values of Miss Hanson and no doubt she would be so proud to see final year Arnold House

boys paying their respects in Flanders.

Remembrance is a key theme of the trip and it links in nicely with one of the key aims of the School which is ‘To provide a foundation for pupils’, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development within a generous Christian ethos.’

The Head of Department, John Hill, carries many job titles, but one that many might not be so aware of is that he is the Head of Humanities of the 1N district of London prep schools, which are those essentially north of the Thames. This position allows him to arrange annual meetings with colleagues from other schools to discuss curriculum matters and good practice. Arnold House has always been incredibly fortunate to have boys that just love the subject of History.

There is only so much a boy can learn within the confines of a classroom, but just by speaking to many of them you will quickly see the vast knowledge that they possess.

This was evident when the School was entered into the recent UK Championships of the History Bee and Bowl. It was a competition the School won and allowed them to represent the UK in the European Championships in Rome, Italy. The Arnold House team were victorious there as well and will now be heading off to represent Team Europe in the World Championships in the States next summer. As well as this national and European success, the School continues each year to enter boys in the Townsend-Warner Preparatory Schools History Competition. The school has regularly had boys do very well in this competition. We even had a winner, Jonah Mendelsohn, in 2008!

The department is always looking at ways to ‘move with the times’ in terms of teaching and we certainly like to see ourselves as innovators in this field. If ever you are struggling with insomnia, may I recommend downloading the Common Entrance History notes from the intranet recorded by the dulcet sounds of John Hill. Whilst next term Year 5 will be engaging in an interactive

Skype lesson with the Boston Tea Party museum. Mr Hill and I will be ensuring that Year 5 will stand up for the side of the British in the lesson! The beauty of History is that there will be periods that boys enjoy more than others, that goes for their teachers as well, but a boy can be guaranteed in their eight years at Arnold House to get a real taste of British History which he will take on

to their senior school and beyond. It pleases us no end when we hear regularly from old boys that they have decided to do History as an option for their GCSEs and A-Levels, whilst some take it even further and will read the subject at university.

David Cox History

Commemorating the Centenary of World War One

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orld War one is now “big business” among historians and documentary makers. The centenary of the war has meant a huge surge in public interest in the conflict, which for many years was forgotten or not understood by many people.

This renewed interest has meant a reevaluation of the causes and purpose of the war and helped moved on from the negative “poetry and pointlessness” narrative, which has for so long dominated any discussion of 1914Head Boys and Fr Anders with the wreath 1918. At Arnold House & the Holy Books however, World War One has always been closely studied and well understood by the boys since it stands as a seminal moment in our School’s History. Just as the 1915 Gallipoli campaign is seen by many Australians and New Zealanders as the “baptism of their nations” (recently independent from Britain), so the whole of World War One can be seen by Arnold House as the point when its identity was forged – through the sacrifice of old boys, who only terms earlier had been at the School as pupils.

This year’s Armistice Day was meticulously observed by boys and staff form Years 6 to 8 with the annual Remembrance Service at St Cyprian’s Church, Baker Street.

The speaker was Peter McDonough, formerly Head of Old boys Peter Kemp, Tony Roques and John History and Registrar Fingleton with the Bursar at the unveiling of the new commemoration plaque at Mill Hill School.

Peter McDonough had also done some research into World War One Old Boys from Arnold House and was able to share new information with us about them and the circumstances of their deaths. As the wider public are discovering, knowledge of personal details of those who died makes remembrance and understanding so much more valued and relevant.

Armistice Day also saw the unveiling of the new AH War Memorial at Loudoun Road underneath the statue of St Michael. This has two sections: the first is a list of the names of all the Old Boys who died in both World Wars (and who are recorded on two separate memorials in St Cyprian’s), the second is a brass plaque, which is a copy of one placed in St George’s Church in Ypres last summer by the then Year 8 boys. This church is full of memorials from British senior schools ASSEMBLY

and it was good that we were one of the first prep schools to have a memorial there too. The plaque contains the following inscription: ‘For our tomorrow they gave their today. We will remember them.’

Words the boys and all who pass the memorial would do well to take to heart and a message that the School has long lived out with pride and gratitude.

John Hill Deputy Headmaster, Academic

The Kids’ Lit Quiz 2014

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t is understood that children, boys in particular, can stop reading around Year 7. Tests have been done, research carried out. People know. But it takes someone special to do something about it – something that could have a truly global impact.

Arnold House Team 1

Wayne Mills is just that man, and his idea for a literary quiz, which he started in his native New Zealand, now encompasses ten countries, with more joining every year. So, a small idea by a professor at the University of Auckland ends up with in-school heats played around the world – and those played at Arnold House are a highlight of many boys’ year.

Everyone in Years 6, 7 & 8 takes the quiz in an English lesson. From there I choose two teams, who practise being teams in breaks and even try and read some girls’ books in preparation. The two teams then head off to the North London heats… except, this year there wasn’t far to go as Arnold House was hosting the quiz at Canons Park. This year’s teams comprised Sam Hodder-Williams, Sam Lewis, Isaac Lockwood, Salvador Widdicombe, Hector Cross, Adam Ait el Caid, Oscar Vogel and Ben Bonas – a fantastic group of boys with a vast range of reading behind them.

Organising the schools who were to take part was a little like herding cats – especially as there was the added complication of persuading them all to head to Edgware, not St John’s Wood! But eventually I talked to many schools (even adding in Wetherby the week before after chatting to their Head of English at a meeting) and we ended up with 21 teams, all keen to show off their literary knowledge. Four authors came along, Piers Torday, Marie-Louise Jensen, Jason Rohan and Steven Davies - they even participated, calling their team the Wild Bunch.

Authors Jason Rohan, Piers Torday, Steven Davies, & Marie-Louise Jensen

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On 26th November we all gathered at CP, and with lunch served – beautifully, thank you to Eva and Shanti from Accent Catering – it was time to start. Wayne Mills travels the world acting as quizmaster in every heat and setting all the questions himself – no wonder he was awarded the NZ Order of Merit in the Queen’s 2011 honours list! There were ten rounds, each of ten questions, and a joker could be played on a single round – though that had to be based on guessing what the round might be from its title!

‘Settings’? Could be all sorts. ‘Males’? Ditto.

As for colours? Well, the boys had to make a decision, and the outcome of the whole quiz could depend on that choice.

Arnold House Team 2

The quiz went well. Arnold House themed cupcakes were served at half-time and the final set of questions saw the AH1 team alternating with another team as frontrunners. Sadly, in the final round, we were pipped at the post and City of London Girls went through to the UK finals.

Prizes were handed out by Mr Thomas and, though slightly deflated by not winning, the boys all agreed that it had been an excellent day.

I received many follow-up emails, most of which praised the quiz and the hospitality, but my favourite ones were those which commented on how great the ‘runners’ were – the AH boys who collected sheets, guided teams to the right places and even acted as waiters, collecting empty coffee cups when needed. Thanks then are well deserved for Felix Wallis, Andreas Hørder, AJ Solomon, Jack Heller and Arthur Goldbart.

As with all such events, it was a team effort: Penny Williams acted as project manager, organising everything so that the afternoon ran smoothly and for whom no praise is high enough; Andy Wilkins was IT chief; David Moss-Marks ran the splendid team of mums who acted as markers, including Sarah Harrison, Tania Widdicombe, Eve Sykes,

Wayne Mills the quiz master

Dafna Bonas and Janet Lear who acted as parent co-ordinator and general all-round helper.

In the school world reading is a very solitary act, but this quiz brings it out into the open and lets those boys who read have kudos for all that time spent curled up with a book.

The boys who were in these teams have vast general-knowledge from their reading as well as an empathy for others gained from all the lives they have experienced through books. This quiz makes reading a sport – and one that I am proud to say that AH excels at. We won the world title in 2008. I hope to repeat that feat one day soon.

Leonie Flynn Librarian

The Winter’s Tale at the Shakespeare Schools Festival

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his year’s entry for the Shakespeare Schools Festival was the little-seen or known classic The Winter’s tale, a story of infidelity and mistrust between a king and his queen.

Rehearsals began in September and it began well. I was very pleased with my casting, particularly of the key central roles. It soon became clear that Year 7 had understood and grasped the story well and when they were preparing there were moments where I hardly had to intervene as director because they were so professional in their acting.

The performance took place at the Platform Theatre, Euston. This was quite a large venue and considering that due to a mix up by the SSF people we only got a relatively short technical and dress rehearsal, we were all keyed up for the evening.

sound grasp of the text and they were able to deliver a biting performance, better than anyone had the right to expect given their age. There were cheers and whoops from the audience and this ringing approbation was, perhaps, a fitting testimony to their efforts.

Ian Cornish Head of Drama

The boys did not disappoint us on the night.

Their voices rang powerfully from the stage and it was very noticeable that they had a

Interview with an AH old boy Benjamin Shine (1983-88)

Benjamin at AH in 1984

Benjamin today

What you have done since leaving AH? After Arnold House I went to Cheltenham Junior School where I won an art scholarship to Cheltenham College. At around 16, after an internship with a fashion company who put my designs on their range I decided I would study fashion design. I received a First BA Hons degree at the Surrey Institute and a place at ASSEMBLY

Central St Martins. I soon discovered I was more interested in inventing and creating longer-lasting works rather than fashion design. My portfolio of projects to date encompasses clothing and product design, patented inventions, furniture design, art pieces and sculptures. My early work with fabric has informed a lot of what I do and fabric has remained a key material in my work. I’ve bought to market several of my own inventions, licensed others and over recent years have been enlisted by many brands to generate creative ideas, art pieces and products. My artworks are collected internationally and also exhibited in many parts of the world. I’m currently focussing on my tulle fabric artworks, which are made by pleating and pressing a single length of tulle netting with an iron to create images, and abstract sculptures.

How has being an Arnold House pupil impacted your life?

I think in two ways– the importance of good manners and respectfulness. The other being the encouragement I received, especially in the area of art, without which, I may well not be doing what I do.

‘Hands of Time’ in tulle fabric

always comes down to the quality of the work and that’s where I place the value in any of my achievements. However I’d probably select my collaboration with Givenchy as particularly satisfying: as my younger self at Fashion College would be rather pleased with myself!

Givenchy pleated tulle sweatshirt, 2013

What inspired you to become an artist?

There wasn’t ever one thing that inspired me to venture down this route – but having an inquisitive nature and a creative aptitude have resulted in this. I always enjoyed the challenging thoughts of ‘Can I do this?’ or ‘I wonder if it’s possible to do that?’ That sort of thinking has never really changed and if anything the challenges have just become greater and more interesting to me.

What has been your greatest achievement?

That’s a tricky question! A sense of great achievement often arises in the smallest of distinctions, sometimes just an idea or a technical result can fulfil this. Career-wise, this is generally measured by the most esteemed or high profile projects, but as useful as those are at propelling a career it

Describe an average day as an artist?

Another tricky question… I was planning to just cut and paste from my usual supply of questions but this has got me really thinking here! There are 2 types of days: Play-Days and Deadline-Days. When a project is on and a deadline is looming, it’s full on, up early, physically making, designing specifications on computer, ordering materials, collecting parts, samples etc, and evenings spent emailing and answering interviews! When deadlines are further away, I try to incorporate Play-Days, which are more relaxed and based on just experimenting, researching and refocusing on where I want to go next and why….so there isn’t actually an average day as such.

What are your overriding memories of AH? As a kid I wasn’t allowed sweets, so there was always an extra incentive to work harder at Arnold House to get my work marked with three happy faces so it could be signed by the headmaster Mr Clegg and I could get my hands on a Murray Mint (or two) from his sweetie pot, which was the ultimate reward. Likewise my music teacher Mrs Diet would generously give an entire pack of blackcurrant fruit pastels when it was your birthday. I don’t think she cottoned on to the fact I often had more than one birthday a year. I enjoyed 5 years at Arnold House and have some wonderful memories of that time. I wasn’t the most academic of pupils but made up for it with Art and also developed a surprising skill for high jump, for which I was awarded a very large cup complete with engraved names dating back to P.C. Revnell who first won it in 1927.

opportunity that came my way and then taking note of what things interested me the most and tenaciously perusing them.

I think for someone who is interested in pursuing a career in art, it comes down to the question of contribution – what can you bring into the world that can contribute something fresh and interesting - that also builds and grows the story of human creativity. For me, I am not interested in creating things that follow an old or existing way of thinking, so I am invigorated and motivated to look for new ground. It’s for this reason that I think of myself as a creative explorer rather than a designer, inventor or artist.

Anything else you would like to add?

Just to thank Rachel Ferhaoui, who I randomly met whilst walking past Arnold House recently. Upon discovering she was a teacher, I reminisced about my time at the School and the wonderful Miss Ralphs who was my art teacher. She then mentioned Miss Ralphs would be in the following day, to which I excitedly asked if I could come in and see her. It was all arranged and I enjoyed a long-awaited catch-up with Miss Ralphs and a tour of the school – which after some 25 years was very special - I absolutely loved it!

For more information about Benjamin and his work achievements to date please visit his website at www.benjaminshine.com

Have you stayed in touch with any of your fellow pupils?

Yes, my two best buddies were Tim Lipton and James Raingold and they are both friends today.

Tulle portrait of Elizabeth Taylor making sequence from a single length of tulle

What advice would you give someone who would like to follow in your footsteps and pursue a career in art?

Firstly don’t try and follow in anyone’s footsteps! Ultimately we have to make are own paths and from my experience that boiled down to initially saying yes to any

Egg Letter Box created for the Faberge Big Egg Hunt in London 2012

Arnold House School 1 Loudoun Road, St. John’s Wood, London NW8 0LH Telephone: 020 7266 4840 Facsimile: 020 7266 6994 Email: office@arnoldhouse.co.uk Website: www.arnoldhouse.co.uk Arnold House School Ltd (Limited by Guarantee). Registered in London Number 889424. Educational Charitable Trust Number 312725

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