SCHOOLNEWS

STAR AUTHOR

The King’s School, Canterbury alumna Annabel Steadman (2005-10) has published her fi rst novel, Skandar And The Unicorn Thief, and now fi nds herself on the New York Times Best Seller List. Already published in 38 diff erent languages and tipped as the most exciting arrival since Harry Potter, this the fi rst of a planned fi ve-book series.

“Steadman's book is being tipped as the most exciting arrival since Harry Potter”

School partnership

King’s Ely in Cambridgeshire and Fairstead House in Suff olk have announced a partnership. Fairstead House is a nursery and prep in Newmarket, while King’s Ely is a through school in Ely. Respective school Heads Michael Radford and John Attwater have a position on each other’s Senior Leadership Team, with the two schools retaining their individual identities under a single governing body.

ONLINE SUCCESS

Harrow School Online pupils have celebrated great success with their A Levels this year. 70% of pupils achieved an A* and 98% of awarded grades were graded A* to B. The pupils studied exclusively online from their own homes throughout sixth form, proving that online study can hold its own.

“I was taught to strive not because there were any guarantees of success but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life”

New name

From September, The Moat will be renamed Burlington House School and is opening a prep close to the Fulham senior. Part of Cavendish Education, the school was founded in 1998 by parents seeking an environment to support their dyslexic children. Nicola Lovell, Deputy at The Dominie School, will be the new prep's Headteacher.

SHACKLETON’S BOAT

In the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s fi nal expedition – and with the discovery of Endurance – Dulwich College has been welcoming many more visitors to see James Caird, the boat used to secure rescue for the crew. Visits are available during term times every Friday. Email College reception.

Chapel singers

Tonbridge School Chapel Choir deputised for the Cathedral Choir at St Paul’s Cathedral over the early May Bank Holiday. The choir sang Choral Evensong to a congregation of more than 500. Tonbridge Choirmaster Julian Thomas says: “It was a unique experience for the boys to be making music in such a large space with resonant acoustics “.

Head arrival

Sasha Davies will be the new Headteacher at Kew Green Prep School following Jem Peck’s retirement. Formerly Head of Sinclair House Prep, her appointment coincides with the arrival of the school’s Kew Green Nursery, which opens its doors this September.

DEBATING CHAMPS

Sixth Form pupils from The Leys School, Cambridge are regional winners of ‘Youth Speaks’, the Rotary Club youth public speaking competition. Ellie M, Sienna H and Georgia D delivered a presentation on the theme: why marriage is outdated, beating strong teams from St Albans’ Girls School and Stamford High School.

EXTRA TIME

Bromsgrove continues to be lauded for its extra-curricular activities, particularly sport. Ranked in the top six of all UK independent schools for the last six years, not in one particular sport but across 26 sports. In addition to 280 sports teams, pupils have 104 other activities to choose from each week.

WELLBEING AT WARWICK

Warwick School has launched a brand-new Wellbeing Hub in the very heart of the school – this new space off ers themed quiet rooms, a multi-faith prayer room, and access to pastoral staff . The school's vision is to be "the most inspiring, rounded and caring boys’ school in the UK". caring boys’ school in the UK". Applications for boys boarding Applications for boys boarding are welcome at ages 13+, 14+, are welcome at ages 13+, 14+, and 16+.

“I just found it very di cult to talk, so singing di cult to talk, so singing was like freedom for was like freedom for me; freedom from this me; freedom from this oversensitive, over-shy oversensitive, over-shy kid to suddenly let go” kid to suddenly let go”

EMELI SANDÉ

SOMETHING THEY SAID “’INFORMATION’ AND ‘COMMUNICATION’ ARE OFTEN USED INTERCHANGEABLY, BUT THEY SIGNIFY QUITE DIFFERENT THINGS. INFORMATION IS GIVING OUT; COMMUNICATION IS GETTING THROUGH”

BEACH BALL

ACS International School Cobham hosted a beach volleyball tournament for independent schools at Barn Elms Sports Centre in May. Not only did students have a ball, but they received top-flight coaching from England stars Joaquin Bello, Javier Bello, Jess Grimson and Daisy Mumby. Lycée Français won the boys’ prize, while Lakenheath High School triumphed in the girls’ event.

Girls’ gambit

Girls and young women from across England played 2004 Global Chess Champion Antoaneta Stefanova in a rapid ‘simul’ tournament in May – the first time since 1979 that a chess champion has visited the UK to play this match style. Stefanova beat 28 out of 29 players, drawing with Emily, 14, from St Albans. The event was organised by chess charity She Plays to Win.

EXPLORER ASSEMBLY

Children at Cameron Vale Prep in Chelsea welcomed historian Dan Snow and Marine Archaeologist Mensun Bound for a special assembly to share stories about the Antarctic expedition earlier this year where they found the wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance. “It was a real treat for our children to share in the retelling of the discovery,” says Headteacher Bridget Saul.

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Boarding prize

Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate (QE) received Boarding Innovation Award at the BSA Supporting Excellence Awards 2022 for its Houseparent Assistant App that helps streamline admin. Lauren Blakeley, Head of Boarding, says: “It has transformed the job of Houseparent here at QE. It allows more time to be spent with the students, which is vitally important to us”.

NEW PREP

Abingdon House School, which has a strong reputation for the progress students make within its specialist SEN provision, has announced the opening of a new prep school in South Kensington this September. The prep, for students from Year 3 upwards, will support children’s academic and personal development in a mainstreamstyle environment.

EARTH WARRIORS

Pupils from Knightsbridge School took over the streets in April with a peaceful march to Duke of York Square as part of Earth Day celebrations. The pupils were joined by naturalist Nick Gates and the S.O.S. from the Kids choir, which performed at COP26. As part of the event, the whole KS community were encouraged to make individual pledges to help the planet.

FLOAT YOUR BOAT

Dauntsey’s Lower Sixth took part in a High Pressure Leadership challenge recently. Teams had to design a boat, buy materials (limit £50) and build it before racing it. Some floated better than others, but Head of Adventure Education Sam Moore says the real challenge was in making decisions and seeing the outcome.

SOMETHING THEY SAID

“IF YOU WANT CREATIVE WORKERS, GIVE THEM ENOUGH TIME TO PLAY”

NEW CLASS

DLD College London is welcoming Year 9 students from September 2023. Taking advantage of the school’s location on the South Bank, the new Year 9 curriculum will include an Urban School Project that uses London as a classroom – all part of a curriculum designed to engage students as they progress towards GCSE and BTEC pathways.

Reception welcome

Conifers Prep in Midhurst, West Sussex has welcomed Fiona Allan as Reception class teacher. Having previously taught in Surrey and also Hong Kong, Allan studied to be a teacher at Exeter, where she received the Ted Wragg Award. “My aim is to foster a love of learning and curiosity about the world by having a fun and focused classroom,” she says.

JUNIOR HEAD

James Allen’s Girls’ School has appointed Victoria Goodson as the Head of Junior School from September 2022. She succeeds Finola Stack. Goodson will join JAGS from Sydenham High School GDST, where she has been Head of the Prep School since 2019. Prior to that, she was Deputy Head (Lower School) at Newton Prep in Battersea.

WINNING 6

St Catherine’s School, Bramley has won the BSA’s Supporting Excellence Award for The 6 – the school’s new home for Sixth Form day and boarding students. It opened in spring 2021 and was designed by IID Architects, with alumna Helen Whateley (Year of 2008) leading the process. The judges commented on the very impressive facilities and the naming of the spaces a er inspirational women.

School buzz

A bee-friendly garden designed by Joe Swi and shown at RHS Chelsea Flower Show is to be rehomed at St George’s Church of England Primary School in Camberwell. It features a variety of nectar-rich fl owers, while an Automated Pollinator Monitoring machine, known as a Polly, will enable the RHS to compare pollinator numbers at the school to other sites in the area.

SIBLING STARS

Millfi eld fencers have competed internationally at the African Zonal Championships. They included Upper Sixth student Kelsey Woname and her Year 9 brother Kaden Woname. Kelsey led the Ghanaian team for the fourth time, fi nishing eighth in the U20 Women’s Sabre. Kaden competed in the U15 category and was placed second.

“Millfi eld students also competed in the Asian Zonal Championships”

In the swing

Felsted School celebrated music from around the world with the annual ‘Swing into Spring’ concert. This brought together orchestras, choirs and bands from across the school to perform a wide range of music. The concert started with folk tunes from England and Italy, and then took the capacity audience on a music journey through African rhythms and melodies, Caribbean calypso and South American samba.

SOMETHING THEY SAID

“GOOD DECISIONS COME FROM EXPERIENCE. EXPERIENCE COMES FROM MAKING BAD DECISIONS”