SCHOOL NEWS

Ealing arrival

Somerset Mover

Sandra Reynolds has become Chief Operating Officer at Taunton School, joining from a multi-academy trust in Wiltshire to lead the operational side of the day and boarding school. She succeeds Nikki Miller, a finalist in last year’s TES awards for ‘Best School Business Leader’.

St Benedict’s School, Ealing, has appointed Joe Smith as the new Head from September 2023. He joins from The Oratory School, near Reading, where he has been Head since 2017, having also taught at Colfe’s and Monkton Combe.”I am really excited to be joining the St Benedict’s community this summer. Andrew Johnson leaves a fine legacy,” he says.

Real deal

Stephen Perse Foundation pupils travelled from Cambridge to Spain for a football experience at Real Madrid. In all, 60 girls and boys from Years 8-10 had coaching at the Real Madrid Valdebebas training centre, each coming away with a club training kit. They also played against local teams and attended a La Liga match between Atlético Madrid and Real Betis.

Forest Fun

As part of Old Buckenham Explorers, a forest school with a difference, OBH Year 3 students have been working on their tree identification skills, map reading, orienteering, basic shelter building, fire safety, food preparation, first aid and swim survival. Wellbeing is integrated into their time as OBH OBEs, with ‘wellbeing walks’, discussions and mindfulness activities on Thursday a ernoons.

Nature Boost

New lead

Tom Quilter becomes Head of Bickley Park School in September 2023, joining the Bromley prep from Newton in Battersea. He says: “Following the results of an outstanding inspection, it is clear the school is in an extremely strong position, well primed and excited for the future. I can’t wait to be part of the community and take the lead in the next chapter”.

The OVO Foundation Nature Prize has given funding to 25 schools across the UK to help students and communities connect with nature. Winning schemes include hydro-veg kits for a Nottinghamshire school with no green space, a sensory garden for a County Durham college and a red squirrel sanctuary in the grounds of a Highlands primary.

Model work

Some 300 pupils and staff from across East Anglia took part in a two-day Model United Nations conference at Felsted School. The MUN event gave young people aged 11 to 18 the opportunity to take on the roles of international diplomats. Global co-operation to prevent pandemics, the right to protest, crypto-currency regulation and technology sharing for space projects were all up for debate.

Smart Maths

Hanford pulled out all the stops to make a school Maths Day fun and challenging. Activities at the Dorset prep included high finance via Hanford Jewel Exchange, small business exercises running ice cream vans, a semaphore session on the school lawn, workshops on Mondrian’s art and a greengrocers’ store for the youngest pupils.

Olympic Moment

Hazlegrove Prep School pupils got the chance to hold a real Olympic Gold Medal when Peter Wilson MBE revisited his old school to open The Wilson Centre, the Somerset prep’s renamed Learning Support Unit (LSU). A gold medallist in double trap shooting at the London 2012 Olympics, Peter Wilson also won silver in the team double trap at the 2011 European Championships.

Head Appointment

Mark Snell succeeds Huw May as Headmaster at Eaton House Belgravia in September, joining from Wetherby School. He arrives in its 125th anniversary year, and at a time when Eaton House Schools is celebrating a ra of outstanding exam results and school offers for pupils at Eaton House Belgravia and Eaton House The Manor.

Bard Staging

Shakespeare’s Globe has hosted a BBC CBeebies Shakespeare performances, with four live shows of Twel h Night in front of a live audience at the Globe Theatre over half-term. This follows last year’s sell-out As You Like It (pictured). Performances introduce Shakespeare to young audiences and both plays can be watched via BBC iPlayer and CBeebies.

Great Debate

Forfar Education, which has eight schools and nurseries across the UK, is running an inter-school debating event to prioritise the importance of so skills. The first competition was held at Park School, Bournemouth and consisted of debates between its pupils and those of Cameron Vale and Horris Hill. Topics up for debate included ‘does homework promote learning’. The finals are in late June.

Digital Stars

ACS International School Cobham digital aces showcased their Augmented Reality (AR) design solutions to UN Sustainable Development Goals at the BETT education technology show. The students, aged from 10 to 14, are members of the school’s Digital Design Club, where they use a variety of tools in order to bring creative concepts to life.

School Celebration

Kevin Sinfield OBE shared his thoughts with the Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate (QE) community as keynote speaker at speech day. This annual event celebrates achievements and talent across the four schools of the QE Collegiate. Kevin discussed highlights of his career, from his debut at Wembley at age 11 and raising over £7.5m for motor neurone charity MND to recently taking on the role of England’s Rugby Defence Coach.

Topping news

Dulwich College’s new Lower School development is on track for topping out in September and opening to students and staff this November.

The energy-efficient threestorey building will use 60% less energy than a typical building of its type and house a library over two floors, IT and robotics suites and offices.

North Bridge House

North Bridge House is on a constant journey of getting to know every child as an individual, realising their unique potential through a rich and diverse academic and co-curricular programme at every school stage.

‘Personal challenge with tailored teaching in a nurturing setting’ Good Schools Guide

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