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Record Oxbridge success as top universities beckon�e overwhelming majority of Sixth Form leavers secured places at their �rst choice of university following Brighton’s record haul of top A-Level grades. Among those celebrating were no fewer than 26 pupils whose results con�rmed their places at Oxford and Cambridge – a new record for the school. �ese included �ve pupils who will now head to Oxford to study Chemistry, more than from any other school in England. Other than Oxbridge, the most popular universities were Bristol, UCL, Exeter, Leeds and Durham.

In the newsBrighton’s outstanding A-Level and GCSE results caught the attention of the national and local press. Amongst the pupils’ many extraordinary achievements, Tabitha Jackson’s near-perfect scores at A-Level brought particular interest, and her exceptional results were highlighted in almost every national newspaper. Tabitha dropped only 14 marks across her four A-Levels, achieving a 99% pass rate and comfortably securing her place at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, to study Modern Languages. �e clean sweep of A* and A grades achieved at A-Level by young actress Izzy Meikle-Small and by Young Apprentice runner-up Lucy Beauvallet also caught the nation’s interest and were widely reported.

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Future plans unveiledExciting plans have been unveiled for a new Teaching Building on the west side of the school. �is new central hub for Economics, Politics, History and Maths will create an additional 20 classrooms. On the top �oor will be a double-size experimental classroom with adjoining recording room, designed speci�cally to accommodate our new Fourth Form course in Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.

For more information about the new Teaching Building, and to �nd out ways in which you can support this project, please contact the Development O�ce.

Gate Tower�e project to realise the original plans of architect Sir �omas Jackson, for a Gate Tower to form the centrepiece of Brighton’s southern range, now draws excitingly close to completion. �anks to a generous anonymous donation, the tower is now rapidly taking shape above the main entrance and will open later this year. In the meantime, the sca�olding in which it has been swathed over the summer has a�orded some very �ne views across the campus, as well as the opportunity to see up close the wonderful new pelican weather vane that was commissioned with an Old Brightonian’s support.

New looks aboundStunning makeovers have been given to a wide range of areas across the school over the summer. Among the Houses transformed as part of the investment programme are Hampden, whose new-look common room space is pictured far right, and Head’s, where both boarding accommodation and common areas have been updated. Chichester girls are enjoying fabulously smart and stylish new surroundings at the heart of the College (pictured right) and new facilities for School House include a �ne new IT suite.

Music School takes shapeExcitement grows as the new Music School takes spectacular shape. �e outer frame of the Recital Hall, jewel in the crown of the build, now soars above the Home Ground, while below it stretch the teaching and practice rooms of the lower �oors. �e Music School will open in the Hilary term 2015.

Brighton transformed

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Rugby World Cup 2015 comes to Brighton CollegeBrighton has been chosen to host Japan’s rugby team for the Rugby World Cup, which takes place September 2015. �e College is one of just 41 Team Bases selected across the country.

Japan – the next hosts of the World Cup – will use Brighton’s pitches, including the Home Ground, as well as the school's indoor sports facilities and gym in order to train and prepare for the event.

To have players of this calibre in their midst is going to be an incredible experience for Brighton’s boys and girls, who are greatly looking forward to welcoming the Japan team next year.

�e most forward thinking school in BritainBrighton has been named the country’s most forward thinking school in recognition of the wealth of innovation that has been at the heart of its recent success. �e Week magazine’s Independent Schools Guide selected Brighton above all other UK schools in September, saying:

“When Michael Gove, the former Education Secretary, visited Brighton College in 2012 he described Richard Cairns’s leadership as ‘visionary’, pointing to innovations such as compulsory Mandarin until year 9, the school’s Story of our Land course (which combines history, geography, philosophy and religion) and his mission to recruit ‘the best teachers in the land’. �e Sunday Times reckons Brighton College is ‘the leading co-educational school in England’ and, with its increasingly sparkly results, it’s perhaps not surprising that applications have trebled in recent years.”

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A taste of ChinaMore than 50 pupils from Westbourne House enjoyed a ‘Mandarin Taster Day’ at Brighton College – just one of many learning and enrichments days held for schools in the local area. A range of workshops helped the children broaden their horizons ‘eastward’, learning Chinese painting skills, important everyday greetings and many geographical facts about China. �ey also received their �rst Kung Fu training in the quad. International schools thrive

Brighton College Al Ain celebrated becoming the top ranked new school of all time in the Abu Dhabi emirate and the highest ever rated school in Al Ain a�er its �rst inspection. �e school is now educating 400 pupils aged from 3-15. Meanwhile, Brighton College Abu Dhabi’s �rst cohort of Year 11s achieved an excellent 80.4% A*-B at GCSE, meaning it is already one of the leading British schools in Abu Dhabi as it goes into its fourth year of operation. September 2014 saw the opening of the new Sixth Form and the Abu Dhabi School approaching full capacity, with 1,250 pupils.

Shami Chakrabarti speaks of LibertyShami Chakrabarti CBE, the Director of Liberty, was the Guest of Honour at the College’s annual Speech Day, held at Brighton’s Dome theatre. Having distributed the prizes, Ms Chakrabarti reminded us all of the continuing relevance of the �ght for civil liberties, and the importance of education in providing us all with choices and potential.

An experience like no other: Sri Lanka�irty-six members of the Lower Sixth spent two weeks teaching over the summer in the remote and poverty-ridden schools of southern Sri Lanka, working with the charity Extra Cover. Describing their trip, pupils wrote: “It was an experience like no other. Teaching, although initially challenging, proved to be incredibly rewarding. �e children inspired, excited and exhausted us in equal measure.” Others described “a heart-warming and truly humbling experience. It made us feel like the luckiest people in the world. �e high spirits and big smiles of all the children we met will forever be treasured in our hearts.”

EVENTSHead Master visits Number 10�e Head Master was invited to Number 10 last term, where he met both the Prime Minister and the then Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove. �e Prime Minister spoke with Mr Cairns about how Brighton has improved in recent years and also praised the success of the London Academy of Excellence, of which Brighton is a lead sponsor.

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THE ARTS

English Youth Ballet James Duprey (Upper Sixth), Molly Mackendrick, Alicia Wergan (both Lower Sixth) and Siân Jones (Lower Fi�h) successfully auditioned for the English Youth Ballet's upcoming production of Coppélia at the Hawth �eatre in Crawley at the end of October.

Dance Show spectacularJune saw the return of the greatly anticipated annual Dance Show at Brighton’s Corn Exchange. Hundreds of boys and girls, from Pre-Prep to Sixth Form, took part in this year’s production, One Moment. From Coppélia to Hairspray, Edward Scissorhands to the Good Ship Lollipop, the pupils’ ballet, modern, jazz and tap skills were showcased in a wide variety of pieces across two sell-out performances.

Duet Philharmonic successes Annabel Kidd, William McCorkindale (both Upper Sixth), Ben Alexander, Oliver Winters (both Lower Sixth), Jack Morley (Upper Fi�h) and Jade Harvey (Lower Fi�h) have all secured places in the national Duet Philharmonic

Orchestra - a terri�c achievement. All six will perform as part of the symphony orchestra playing Strauss’s Alpine Symphony and Four Last Songs at the Royal Festival Hall in March.

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Jazz Café �e Swing Band and vocalist Jonny Amies (Upper Sixth leaver) treated audience members to a varied repertoire at the hugely enjoyable twel�h annual Jazz Night, held in the Simon Smith Café.

Young Musician of the Year�e College’s Young Musician of the Year competition saw over 200 performances take place over four evenings. �e musicians performed to an exceptionally high standard, giving the adjudicators, composer Adam Swayne and Howard Ionascu, Director of the Junior Royal Academy, a very di�cult task. Upper Sixth leaver Will Emery was ultimately named overall winner.

A taste of the Wild West�e Great Hall was given a Wild West makeover for the �ird Form's production of the musical Calamity Jane. It was a great ensemble e�ort, with a �ne chorus and a wonderful lead performance by Polly Howarth, all superbly supported by college musicians.

Festival Concert �e Choral Society was in excellent voice at the Festival Concert, performing Elgar’s �e Music Makers at St George's Church in Kemptown, and there were �ne performances from the College’s Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Guitar Ensemble, String Quintet and Piano Trio.

Brighton Festival performanceUpper Sixth leavers Chris Agha, Jonny Amies and Marcus Taylor performed their A-Level practical exam piece Kebab during May’s Brighton Festival. �e highly physicalised, bitter-sweet comedy about three generations surviving one another in the con�nes of a kebab shop gained the boys full marks as well as a great response from the audience.

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Shortlisted for Bill Bryson Prize Portia Smith (Lower Fi�h) was shortlisted for the international Royal Society of Chemistry Bill Bryson Prize 2014 with her magazine on the theme ‘Where is the art in science? Where is the science in art?’.

Outstanding in MathsRobert Crawley (Lower �ird) took his Maths GCSE this summer at the age of 11, gaining an incredible A*.

INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSES�e Quiet Ones Aldo Maland (Lower Fi�h) appeared in Hammer horror �lm �e Quiet Ones, playing the part of possessed child David Q. Aldo also attended the world premiere in Leicester Square in May.

Dance school successUpper Sixth leaver Emily Bacon has successfully auditioned for the internationally renowned Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, while James Duprey (Upper Sixth) has been invited to audition for Laban Youth Dance Company a�er taking part in the Summer School at the same leading conservatoire. Hannah Marks (Upper Sixth) was selected to take part in the Elmhurst School for Dance residential Summer School where she was taught Classical Ballet by Birmingham Royal Ballet Company.

Equestrian excellence Daniel Dickens (Upper Sixth) won three cups at Pony Club Camp, including the much sought-a�er 'Yard' Cup for the highest scoring yard out of six.

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International medals for Brighton College scientists Two pupils represented the UK in international Science Olympiad competitions over the summer. Osaid Ather (Upper Sixth leaver) was one of a team of four who travelled to Vietnam to compete in the International Final of the Chemistry Olympiad, �nishing 59th of 291 �nalists to win a Silver medal. William McCorkindale (Upper Sixth) represented the UK in the International Final of the Physics Olympiad in Kazakhstan and, despite being a year younger than most competitors, secured a Bronze. William has enjoyed further Physics success this summer, winning the Corpus Christi Science Prize for Physics 2014 with his �rst rate essay on dark matter.

Clay Sporting Champion Emma Stacey (Upper Sixth) won the Ladies class of the SW Regional Clay Sporting Championships to become SW Ladies Champion, beating a current England team member to do so.

Music diploma distinctions Both Gabriel Bickler (Upper Sixth leaver) and Chris Chung (Lower Fi�h) gained distinctions in their individual ATCL recital diplomas, each scoring 86% – Gabriel on the saxophone and Chris for piano. �ese professional quali�cations are tremendous achievements for school-age children and are equal to the quali�cation gained at the end of the �rst year of study at a conservatoire.

Leading ballerinaBeth Connellan (Upper Sixth) performed in the Sue Robinson summer dance show Tutus for Tchaikovsky at the Rhoda McGaw �eatre in Woking. She danced as a cygnet in �e Seasons, in the Spanish Dance in �e Nutcracker and as Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty.

Sussex Golf Championships Anya Olsen (Lower Fi�h) competed in the Sussex Junior Championship at Goodwood and the Sussex Ladies Championship at East Brighton before playing in the Overton Salver at Bognor Golf Club, where she helped her team win the Salver.

Young �lm star Izzy Meikle-Small (Upper Sixth leaver) played the child lead in Pudsey �e Dog: �e Movie, adding to her growing �lm credits which include Snow White and the Huntsman in 2012 and Never Let Me Go in 2010.

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Extra Art�e children have bene�ted from a variety of experiences in the Art room this year, as Year 8 pupils worked with graphic artist Matt Lambert to create large chalk portraits of sta� members, whilst Year 4 pupils were the �rst to

make use of the new kiln (purchased with funds from the BCPSA), sculpting self-portrait busts – all of which survived the �ring and look excellent! �is year will see all pupils working with clay.

Sussex tennis wins

An all-Brighton boys' �nal A tremendous e�ort saw not only the Under 10 A team win the whole Sussex Championship but, incredibly, the B team reach the �nal too! �e A team won against St. Andrew’s and Lancing Prep by the narrowest of margins, whilst the B team defeated both Bede’s A and B teams and �nished runners-up.

Girls are Sussex runners-up�e Under 10 girls’ team played excellently to come second in the Sussex Championships. �e team managed to win both of their group matches, their quarter-�nal against Burgess Hill and their semi-�nal against Lancing, before unfortunately losing out to Moira House.

National Athletics ChampionshipsHaving quali�ed as regional champions or runners-up, in July nine BCPS athletes made their way to the National Prep Schools Athletics Championships at the Alexander Stadium, to compete amongst athletes from over 200 prep schools from across Britain. �e team took home three 8th places, two 7ths, two 5ths, a 4th and one coveted Bronze medal, claimed by Katya Kuleshova in the Under 13 shot put. Many congratulations to all.

Music news�e wonderful Summer Concert brought together performances from the Junior and Senior Orchestras, Guitar Ensembles, Wind Band, Percussion Ensemble and Brass Group, as well as numerous smaller groups. �e theme ‘A Night at the Movies’ treated the audience to repertoire as varied as ‘Vois sur ton Chemin’ from Les Choristes alongside themes from Harry Potter and the ever upli�ing Wallace and Grommit. Many pupils sat Associated Board Music exams at the end of term with over two thirds achieving merits and high distinctions.

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PRE-PREP SCHOOL

Mini-beast mansion �e Reception children enthusiastically searched the school �eld for mini-beasts and rehoused them in their very own mini-beast mansion. �ey learned why it is so important to look a�er our world and created some beautiful artwork.

Teddy bears’ picnic �e Nursery children organised a special picnic for their teddy bears. Invitations were carefully written and honey and jam sandwiches lovingly made. With teddies in arms, the children enjoyed blowing and chasing bubbles, teddy bear races and team teddy bear games.

Book WeekIllustrator Guy Parker-Rees talked the children through the process of making a book and challenged them to create their own book character. �e week ended with a big book swap and the children (and sta� ) coming to school dressed as a character from a favourite book.

Family Fun A�ernoon�e sun shone for our new Family Fun A�ernoon. A steel pan drummer played, families picnicked and a vast amount of ice cream was consumed! �ere were races for parents, a tug of war and lots of fun activities for the children to enjoy. �e highlight was most certainly the pantomime animal Grand National which everyone declared was a sight they had never seen before. �e day raised £450 for the Rockinghorse charity.